Chapter 924: 438: The Arranged Opponent!_2

Chapter 924: Chapter 438: The Arranged Opponent!_2

In a very short amount of time, the tickets for the two clashes at the Silver Battle Hall were completely sold out.

The speed of this ticket rush was much faster than the last one.

It left Yang Mingyu feeling incredibly satisfied.

It also shocked Yang Mingyu at the speed of Jianmu’s rise in popularity.

None of the spectators came for Jianmu’s teammates.

His teammates had been virtually invisible on Battle Network, up until now.

Even Mo Shang might not have been able to garner such immense popularity in such a short time.

Yang Mingyu had been paying close attention to Fang Mu’s situation.

Jianmu had always remained under the radar on Battle Network, not actively seeking attention or public discourse.

This was completely unlike the players from those popular clubs.

Some clubs went to extremes to promote their star players!

Yang Mingyu had always looked down upon this approach.

Building a public persona is fine, but once that persona falls apart, the backlash often scatters most of a star player’s fans.

Those streamers who didn’t deliberately craft a public image would only see minor fluctuations in their fanbase even if some incident occurred.

It wouldn’t be long before a recovery trend would appear.

At this point, Yang Mingyu also began to focus on Hu Tao.

Hu Tao’s personal ranking was in the Silver Ranks, and Yang Mingyu planned to observe Hu Tao’s strength.

If Hu Tao’s ability met the standards, Yang Mingyu was willing to arrange a personal exhibition match in the Silver Battle Hall for Hu Tao, to help build her popularity.

This was also a way of showing goodwill to Jianmu.

Yang Mingyu’s assistants became increasingly anxious as they searched.

“Old Yang, there are indeed a lot of Double Battle Teams online right now.”

“But either they are too weak and would be crushed by Jianmu, or they are too strong and got bored after playing several matches in the Silver Ranks.”

“Teams that are either too weak or too strong aren’t suitable.”

“At this time, clubs are entering their training seasons, and most club players don’t go online at night.”

“I think it’s most appropriate to pick the Double Battle Teams made up of various clubs’ players who are in the Silver Ranks to compete against Jianmu.”

“On one hand, these teams already have a certain level of popularity, which can increase the heat of the competition.”

“On the other hand, some teams are eager to elevate their players’ popularity, and by doing this, we’re also doing those clubs a favor.”

“Those clubs will owe you one!”

Yang Mingyu’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he immediately said,

“Gather all the teams with players from various clubs in the Silver Ranks for me.”

“You guys filter them, and then I’ll make contact.”

As the director of the Battle Network Silver Division, Yang Mingyu had a very close relationship with the various clubs.

But that did not mean he held a significant position in their eyes.

The clubs were indeed happy to network with Yang Mingyu.

They said all the right things when they needed resources from him.

But when Yang Mingyu needed a favor, seeking the clubs’ help,

The clubs’ responses often left him feeling cold.

Several times, Yang Mingyu tried to invite players from the clubs for exhibition matches to boost the heat of the Silver Battle Hall.

But some clubs found various reasons to refuse him.

They said they didn’t want their players to reveal the new tactics they’d been training.

In reality, these clubs were always arranging training matches with each other in private.

The clubs who had played these training matches already had a rough understanding of their opponents’ strengths.

However, for this invitation to the exhibition match, Yang Mingyu believed that no matter which club he approached, if their players were doing something,

The clubs would have their players log onto Battle Network and head to the Silver Battle Hall for a clash at the first opportunity.

…

Fu Yang was dejectedly looking at the player popularity rankings for the past month.

His club used to be considered a Star Club.

But ever since the two most famous star players were poached by other clubs, Jinhai Club’s popularity had plummeted.

Jinhai Club was steadily advancing in strength rankings, securing a mid-tier position among the Grade B clubs.

Yet endorsements and popularity were not increasing but declining.

Fu Yang, the head coach, was very adept at strategizing tactics, but not at boosting his players’ popularity.

Though Fu Yang was not adept at it, he now had to figure out how to boost the popularity of his club’s players.

Otherwise, he was very likely to be demoted to the role of assistant coach in Jinhai Club by the end of the year.

A new head coach skilled at elevating the club’s fame would take his place, appointed by the family.

Fu Yang reached out to touch his own short and stiff hair, feeling overwhelmed.

He couldn’t possibly arrange for his club’s players to engage in hype creation, could he?

Fu Yang couldn’t quite grasp what those fans were thinking.

Could it be that just being strong wasn’t enough for a club’s players; they also had to have good looks and a compelling personal narrative?

How many players touted a persona of deep passion, yet behind the scenes, they were playboys, constantly changing girlfriends?

Fu Yang rubbed his temples, realizing he had to make some compromises to preserve his position as the head coach.

Fu Yang was preparing to find a few studios skilled in publicity and public opinion to create some buzz for his club’s players.

Just then, Fu Yang’s phone rang.

Seeing that it was Yang Mingyu calling, Fu Yang instinctively frowned.

Fu Yang once sought Yang Mingyu’s help, organizing several exhibition matches.

Yang Mingyu demanded many benefits from the club and the results were lukewarm at best.

Now, a call from Yang Mingyu likely meant no good news.

Nonetheless, Fu Yang still greeted Yang Mingyu warmly.

“Old Yang, not too busy today?”

“I heard you’re being transferred to the Gold division?”

“If you really move to the Gold division, don’t forget to take good care of your little brother!”

Yang Mingyu felt deeply gratified by Fu Yang’s words.

These were exactly the kind of words Yang Mingyu loved to hear.

Especially because he had invited Jianmu this time, Yang Mingyu felt his promotion was certain!

To Yang Mingyu’s ears, Fu Yang’s words sounded like an early congratulations to him.

“I’ll take that as good luck from you, old Fu,” Yang Mingyu replied.

“Once I’m in the Gold division, you’ll definitely benefit from it!”

Fu Yang was taken aback by Yang Mingyu’s response.

Even though Yang Mingyu always dreamt of a promotion to the Gold division and liked hearing such words,

usually if Fu Yang said something like this, Yang Mingyu would act very modestly.

He wouldn’t take it for granted like he did now, as if the promotion to the Gold division was a done deal.

Could it be that Yang Mingyu was really about to be transferred to the Gold division?

If that was the case, then Yang Mingyu’s value to various clubs would at the very least double!

Every year, various clubs allocate funds to curry favor and maintain relationships with Battle Network ranking division managers, and that’s just one of their expenses.

News of internal managerial shifts within Battle Network had already spread last year.

Yang Mingyu had always faced strong competitors, which made the clubs hesitate to put all their eggs in one basket with him.

Not placing bets was one thing, but placing them wrong could bring about many adverse effects.

Fu Yang wanted to find out why Yang Mingyu was so certain about his promotion.

Yang Mingyu would most likely be willing to share such good news.

Before Fu Yang could even ask, he heard Yang Mingyu speak in an urgent tone.

“Old Fu, the double battle team from your club’s second squad is still in the Silver Division.”

“Get them up here for a showdown right away!”

“Doesn’t your club always want more popularity?”

“This time, I can help you attract a massive amount of popularity!”

“If we weren’t on good terms, I wouldn’t have given your Jinhai Club a chance to play an exhibition match with Jianmu!”

Yang Mingyu loved to keep people guessing when doing business.

In the process of being secretive, Yang Mingyu took pleasure in wielding his power.

Proudly asserting his authority as a Battle Network division manager.

However, due to the urgency this time, Yang Mingyu was forced to be brief.

Upon hearing Yang Mingyu’s words, Fu Yang stood up excitedly, slapping the table.

Fu Yang knew the level of popularity Jianmu commanded.

Just earlier in the meeting, Fu Yang had analyzed Jianmu as a case study.

But after the analysis, Fu Yang embarrassingly realized that the way Jianmu gained fame was not replicable.

At least, not by Jinhai Club!