Chapter 384: Chen Mo, Impervious to All
After working together over the past few days, Sun Xiao had a clear understanding of Chen Mo's personality. He was clearly someone who didn't stand on ceremony, basically never attending any social engagements or banquets, got straight to the point when discussing matters, and never haggled with anyone.
If anyone else dared to act like this, they would definitely be labeled as "emotionally unintelligent and lacking social finesse."
But Chen Mo was different. He had enough confidence to pull this off. Now he didn't need to consider others' feelings at all. With "League of Legends" in his hands, these big clubs were eager to curry favor with him.
Chen Mo currently had absolute decision-making power over the "League of Legends" professional league. He was the sole authority. If he didn't want to include someone, he simply wouldn't. Which of these big club owners would dare to offend him?
Chen Mo said to Li Jingsi, "A few people from some clubs will be coming over in a bit. I need to discuss some matters with them. You can keep playing; don't worry about it."
Li Jingsi asked, "Should I step out for a while?"
Chen Mo shook his head. "No need. It's nothing important, and you probably wouldn't be interested anyway. Just keep playing."
"Okay," Li Jingsi nodded. "Then I'll play a solo queue match first."
Not long after, Sun Xiao arrived with several club owners.
Sun Xiao led them all in and introduced them one by one.
"This is the designer of 'League of Legends,' CEO Chen of Thunderbolt Interactive."
The club owners all greeted Chen Mo in turn, and Chen Mo returned their greetings.
Everyone quickly took their seats.
Sun Xiao spoke first: "Everyone, I've actually discussed this with CEO Chen over the phone before, but out of respect for all of you, I thought it best to let CEO Chen explain it in person."
The club owners all looked at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo glanced at the group and said, "Regarding the professional league slots, I'm sorry, but the current ten teams have already been confirmed. I conducted some research on domestic clubs earlier, selecting teams based on a combination of factors like club history and player strength. These teams basically represent the highest level of domestic 'League of Legends' professional teams right now."
"However, there's no need to worry. Next year, in addition to the professional league, we'll also organize a secondary league. All of you can obtain slots in that league. We'll have promotion and relegation matches every year. As long as you perform well in the secondary league, you can enter the professional league."
The club owners exchanged glances.
A slightly overweight owner spoke first: "CEO Chen, let's be straightforward. E-sports viewers have limited attention. The vast majority will focus on the professional league. The secondary league won't attract many viewers."
"Our clubs actually have decent foundations. We were just busy with other projects before and didn't prioritize 'League of Legends.' If we could get professional league slots, we'd definitely invest heavily. We could sign a few high-ranked solo queue players, poach one or two star players, and easily build a strong team. Playing in the secondary league... would be a bit of a waste, CEO Chen."
Another owner with a slight accent said, "Yeah, CEO Chen. I noticed the professional league only has ten teams right now. I think expanding it to over a dozen teams would be totally fine."
Chen Mo shook his head. "No. The schedule is already set, from Thursday to Sunday. The main goal is to ensure viewers have a fixed time to watch."
The accented owner said, "CEO Chen, you don't have to be so rigid. Teams could be split into two groups, play more matches within the group and fewer outside. Or just skip some matches altogether, right?"
Chen Mo shook his head again. "No. Splitting into groups would cause uneven team strength, and the group setup would affect relegation matches and playoffs, which would be unfair to some teams. Changing it to a best-of-two format won't work either. It would reduce the league's intensity. In a best-of-two, some teams might slack off after winning the first game. Only a best-of-three format ensures teams perform at their highest competitive level."
The overweight owner paused, then said, "Uh... right, right. What CEO Chen says makes sense. But I feel that our clubs, in every aspect, are more professional than some of the teams currently in the league. Take the NRG club, for example. It was just recently formed. They only prepared earlier. If we're talking about financial strength, we're far more substantial. Just give us some time..."
Chen Mo frowned slightly. "These ten clubs were chosen by me. Regardless of their history or financial strength, their current 'League of Legends' divisions are the strongest domestically. NRG currently has a 3-0 record in the World Championship. Could your teams, gentlemen, achieve that? I'm afraid some of your clubs haven't even properly organized their divisions yet."
Hearing Chen Mo's words, the club owners all looked a bit awkward.
Indeed, several of these owners had only thought about forming a "League of Legends" division after seeing how popular the World Championship was. Some clubs hadn't even recruited their players yet.
In plain terms, they saw that "League of Legends" e-sports was doing well and wanted to jump on the bandwagon to grab a piece of the pie.
Chen Mo continued, "Regarding the professional league, I already have a very mature plan. I completely understand everyone's eagerness to support the 'League of Legends' professional league, but everything has its order. As the event organizer, I also need to keep my word."
"Everyone can feel free to build your 'League of Legends' divisions. I guarantee that all your teams will have matches to play. The secondary league will have opportunities to promote to the professional league every year. If you're truly strong, you can make a triple jump all the way to the World Championship."
The club owners exchanged glances again. Chen Mo's words were very clear. His attitude was firm, and his reasoning was solid. It would be pointless to keep arguing.
The club owners stood up to take their leave, and Sun Xiao saw them out.
Once Sun Xiao had left, the club owners started discussing among themselves as they walked away from the hotel.
"I've always heard that this Chen Mo was impervious to all. He actually rejected us so decisively?"
"I originally thought that if we could buy a slot with money, spending a few hundred thousand wouldn't matter. But he didn't even show any interest?"
"Could he really have selected the league teams purely based on strength?"
"This is insane. A game's popularity peaks in a year or two at most. Does he really think it can last like soccer? A secondary league? Who's going to watch a secondary league?"
"And he's setting up promotion and relegation. Making it look all official. Do you guys want secondary league slots?"
"Secondary league slots aren't worth anything. If we can't get professional league slots, our club would rather not have a 'League of Legends' division at all. Let's see what Chen Mo and those few clubs can actually accomplish!"
"Exactly. Who does he think he is?"