Chapter 50

Chapter 50.

Ji Cang had to grab this shot.

So to link up with CEO Sang, threw cash at The Demolition Office.

Got into the celebration banquet.

Lucky—bet paid off. —Everyone knows CEO Sang breaks rules, acts on pure whim.

Sang Yu's first impression of Ji Cang: solid.

Words don't annoy.

Rolled with the talk, felt good.

Then let's do it.

Two tracks anyway.

Pros don't compete daily—four on, one off weekly.

Slotting in amateur matches?

No clash.

Or amateurs go first—acts as promo warmup.

But amateurs need selection too, right?

Otherwise show effect? —Finding god-tier players directly hits harder.

Authentic performance.

Otherwise too much, probably gets cyberbullied.

Hmm, Sang Yu doesn't need to stress.

Just throw money.

Rest is Cangyun Internet Cafe and assistants' work.

Mainly post-production coordination.

Details aren't hard.

More fun matches just means renting venue one extra day.

Contact partner streaming platforms.

Rent stadium one more day, daily rate gets discount.

These big venues cost over a million daily.

Multi-day gets deals.

Streaming platforms...

Probably won't refuse either.

Several apps invited Aurora Entertainment.

Like before with The Favored One.

Buying exclusive rights.

Money's solid.

Add a bit more, covers Sang Yu's club sponsorships.

Sigh, Sang Yu suddenly— This 'Golden Spoon Tournament'—after running it, might actually break even?

Since starting Aurora Entertainment, that dogshit money-throwing investment luck turned good.

The Favored One's broadcast and streaming numbers were great.

Multi-country rights straight up earned it back.

The Demolition Office, don't even start.

Actors cheap, investment more than The Favored One, broadcast ad revenue covered costs.

And The Martial World, that 3A masterpiece—officially unreleased but Sang Yu played it tons, probably breaks even too.

If it launches, might be popular.

Sang Yu likes it, taste can't be that niche, right?

Looks profitable.

When's that person in charge releasing it?

Year-end, probably.

After new investment, some areas originally couldn't be polished now can be.

Sang Yu kinda regrets.

Only regret—not regretting the money, regretting investing too much.

Over-invested, can't discuss game content with people.

Single-player fun at first, but needs a community of fans.

Sigh, been a while.

Need new fun.

Now writing setting collections daily, deploying those production lines.

Sang Yu's been bored forever.

Same thing, can't repeat forever—makes you numb—like working a job.

Being the boss is the same.

Want to play Aurora Fairyland now, want to watch the infinite flow movie now.

Why can't progress skip? · Gong Yangtao feels like ancient eunuchs guessing emperor's thoughts—guessing CEO Sang's thoughts.

Name even has 'Gong'—sounds like eunuch's 'Gong.' Cooking variety show name locked in.

Simple, not tongue-twisting, riding a big IP.

Called Tongue Tips of the Immortal Realm.

All ingredients from Yuankang, start to finish.

Records next-next month, airing right after Golden Spoon.

Time to start recruiting.

This promo also unconventional, not limited to pro chefs.

First Douyin channel—same-name challenge, prize money type.

Anyone selected gets cash.

Prize pool fat.

Dish requirements extend from given settings, or self-imagine—things that'd exist in fairy realm.

Dishes can be gorgeous, weird-looking but tasty, even nasty—but nasty with character.

Selected folks officially become Tongue Tips of the Immortal Realm preliminary contestants.

Subsequent elimination, advancement—as long as dish is special enough, copyright fee given.

Every round pays.

CEO Sang's generous style—attraction for netizens, attraction for contestants, maxed out.

This relates to Gong Yangtao but not much.

Because dad.

Gong Yangtao's main task target: CEO Sang.

Knows Gong Yangtao's not enough, assigned dedicated assistant.

Treating interaction with CEO Sang like a project.

'Interaction'—social interaction, not romantic.

But Gong Yangtao's attitude is hundred times more serious than dating.

But CEO Sang doesn't summon often.

Regret.

Saw Xi Xingfa had some skills before, gotta study up.

Don't, Gong Yangtao's studied so much, feels like if time-traveled, could actually be a royal eunuch. ...

While Tongue Tips of the Immortal Realm preps promo, Sang Yu finally waits for Golden Spoon... folk tournament.

One afternoon.

Cangyun Internet Cafe closest to one of Sang Yu's river-view penthouses—packed.

Streaming platform opened a special column, Cangyun Internet Cafe stuff all there.

Sang Yu prefers watching live.

'Folk Golden Spoon Variety Tournament'—progress speed and quality pushed Cangyun Internet Cafe to its limit.

Over a thousand cafes can't all compete, so only first-tier city stores filtered.

Picked twelve cafes.

Money talks, one side.

(Folk tournament top three prize: real Golden Spoon.)

Other side: can openly drag teammates down.

Non-gamers don't know how tempting.

Advancement based on composite score.

Objective win rate + audience votes on streaming platform 'meal tickets' (Golden Spoon e-votes) + judges' scores.

Selection has two rounds.

Round one: two PK teams each pick opponents' actors.

Round two: both sides send their actors to fight the other.

At first glance round two 'exchange students' seems shady, but look closer—round one's the real evil. —If you pick opponent's strongest, that's banning the best fighter.

Win rate way up.

Evil in a satisfying way.

Watch.

Golden Spoon Cup Esports Variety Tournament: Masters Among the Folk—starting soon.

This cafe's setup: besides dedicated viewing areas, screensharing Red Fish App live stream.

Barrages visible, audience interacts with barrage.

This time both offline and online, crowds are big.

Red Fish App promo, top cafe partnership, pro vs amateur finals PK, mouth-watering prizes.

Too good.

Would be weird NOT to attract crowds.

Next month pro players' opening, Sang Yu's 'saving fallen women'—no, invested DOH hits prelims.

Not seamless transition, folk chapter better for early hype.

Audience has stuff to watch.

Red Fish App's competitors didn't grab exclusive, watching heat.

Below expectations, side won.

So live stream viewers are mixed—esports fans, meme-lords, industry folks, even streamers.

Some curious—aren't there streams already?

Why stream again, redundant?

Because some don't just want matches, want audience reactions.

Streamers holding gear, sneaking behind cafe viewers to stream—don't care about portrait rights.

Actually rude—viewers unknowingly enter stream, risk barrage judgment.

But those folks don't care.

Just know people love streams.

That's money!

But this time weirdly strict—organizers usually turned blind eye—after all, adds heat.

Kicked-out folks try sneaking back.

Each cafe's manager tells people to watch closely, already sweating bullets.

CEO Sang's here.

Let CEO Sang see the cafe's unprofessional side?

Still have jobs?

CEO Sang dropped by on whim, got message, scalp tightened.

Then eyes turned to amateur players in waiting area, eyes full of warmth— Must play well, more flashy moves, don't disappoint CEO Sang.

No good...

Can't just wait like this, gotta motivate players.

Add bonus personally for one round!

If CEO Sang's happy, casually says 'Riverside branch is decent'—worth it.

Hundred-thousand bonus dropped, waiting area players' eyes went green.

Glanced at masked CEO Sang in the corner, manager's heart both happy and sour.

Spent so much, actually reluctant.

But CEO Sang's here, can't give too small an amount, looks cheap.

Barrage heard it, hyped. [Cangyun really going all out?!] [I checked other cafes, probably this cafe manager's money, big move] [Too bad, my record's a bit short of Cangyun's standard, else even losing gets participation prize...] [Vote channel opens after match ends?

Players come out, I match number plates, hard to vote otherwise!] Audience hyped.

This tournament's too 'brain-burning.' Don't know if one drags four, both sides doomed.

Players need to enter.

Ready to heroically overcome troll teammates, show off moves, grab tons of 'meal tickets.' First, draw cosplay types.

Big screen scrolling— [Feed King] [AFK King] [Commander With Zero Useful Input] [Newbie Who's Scarier When Overconfident] [Two Lovebirds In-Love In The Squad] [Sacrificial Thunder King] ...

CTX Saw it—eyes went dark then bright.

All demons and monsters?

Fun tournament rules haha.

Especially some have counters.

Check a few—[Commander With Zero Useful Input], [Sacrificial Thunder King]—aren't they cracked?

Compared to those, drawing AFK King is worst luck.

Four people playing, stable sure, but screen time's low?!

First team drew [Newbie Who's Scarier When Overconfident] and [Two Lovebirds In-Love In The Squad].

Match starts.

Barrage speed immediately jumped. [Ugh, big shot stop the act, this flirting I really can't take... this sticky-sweet vibe polluting my earphones, can I watch the stream?!] [I thought one cosplayer variety, drew pro, can bring the whole family??] [Others have mountains and rivers meeting soulmates, these two have low hills and stinky water meeting noise, can't take it, stop kissing in voice—!] [But I think it's sacred...] [Encounter, BP maxed, suddenly can't laugh] [Not moving again?!] [Outside teammates burned out, inside couple dancing, scene so sacred, teammates' acting good too, deeply empathized...] [Love's winning, match losing, teammates crying] [Show effect peaks when teammates break down over lovebirds, I can't, I really can't] [Basically 5v3, actually trading blows, opponents also phoenix chicks] [See the teammate who reports enemy positions and guides them?

Not intentional, just movements exposed] [Dazedly wandering battlefield, can't hit anyone, lethal poison master on field] [Who gets throwing smoke as thunder, no rescue almost kills teammate, redemption feel?] [Teammate sacrificed, power boundless, gun skills actually got better] [Hell joke?] [Teammates too effective, even called precious tech timeout to check newbie's mouse and keyboard for tampering, ahaha spit-take....] [Too appetizing, laughing till my stomach hurts...]