Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

Of course, Qi Zhanming was mostly just a figurehead within the team; he didn't actually manage the player training and other specialized tasks.

Specialized staff are responsible for things such as the athletes' daily lives and the arrangement of some minor training tasks.

The title that Comrade Xiao Qi holds is, to put it bluntly, just a high-level mascot. His main job is to stand at the door to greet people, brag to the players during meals, and watch the training matches eagerly from behind the glass.

He simply wanted to experience the e-sports atmosphere up close and witness firsthand how future stars would emerge from his own hands—or rather, from right under his nose.

"Follow me, the contestants' rooms are on the third floor!"

Qi Zhanming led the way, striding with great confidence. Normally, arranging dormitories wouldn't be his responsibility as a shareholder; the first twenty-odd contestants would usually be led by support staff. But right now… ahem, mainly because there were cameras rolling.

HWG Base Studio.

Jiang Yuzhou and his companions were seething with rage as they watched Qi Zhanming's smug expression in front of the camera. They couldn't help it; having already indulged in countless pleasures of money and sex without any real power to pursue, they had long since lost interest in anything. The only things that could excite them were things like Qi Zhanming's public display of power.

"No way, we can't let Lao Qi get all the limelight!" Zeng Yang slammed his hand on the table. "I'm going to find Lao Lin later. No matter what position he's in, he has to give me a chance to shine."

"I don't care, I've already secured the coaching position for the second team anyway."

Sun Shaoming shrugged, indicating that he didn't care.

"Then I want the supervisor from Team Three!"

While the group was complaining, the other group had already arrived at the third floor of the youth training base.

The corridor was neither too wide nor too narrow, with light gray non-slip floor tiles and clean walls. Every few steps, there was a poster of a hero with a photo of his iconic quote.

The hallway lights are warm white, not glaring, but bright enough.

"The other contestants should all be at the cafeteria by now. Due to the special circumstances today, lunchtime is a little late. You can go eat on your own after you put your things away; the cafeteria has reserved food for you." Qi Zhanming, perfectly embodying his role, fully demonstrated the qualities expected of an elite student who grew up and studied in China, without trying to save time by studying abroad and trying to cultivate a better image. Facing the camera, he spoke fluently, even appearing more like a program guide than the host, Su Man.

"There are eight dormitories for players at the HWG youth training base, with four people living in each dormitory. Normally, one of you should be moved to the front, but considering that the three of you came together, you will all be arranged in 308, which is a three-person dormitory just like 307."

"Thank you!" Zhao Yicheng followed closely and thanked him proactively upon hearing this.

The live chat was immediately filled with praise: "So sensible!" "A polite child!" "You've made a difference!"

Soon, the group arrived at a door.

The door was marked with number 308, the door panel was dark gray, with a silver door handle, and next to it was a small empty name tag slot for the player.

Qi Zhanming took out a room key from his pocket and beeped it on the door lock. Yes, a room key. Thanks to his father's involvement in the hotel management system field, he simply installed one when the youth training base was being renovated. But that was all. Fancy features like fingerprint and facial recognition were still a long way off.

Even so, it was enough to shock the audience in front of the camera.

As soon as the door opened, the camera followed and peered inside.

[Wuhu, finally we can see the dormitories of professional gamers!]

[Curious JPG!]

It should be similar to a university dormitory.

[Hey, what are you guys expecting? A bed, a closet for clothes, a balcony, and maybe a separate bathroom at most.]

[Upstairs, what you said is already quite good, you know. Some teams that don't have money are still living in basements.]

But this is HWG, and E-God has money.

[Exactly! He makes so much money selling meat floss pancakes, if he dares to skimp on the players' food and lodging, I'll tear him apart.]

What are you all talking about? Isn't the electronic lock at the door enough to explain everything?

The room wasn't large, but it was kept very tidy.

Two beds were placed against the wall, bunk beds, but each bed was for a single person, which was better than many teams at the time.

The bed frame was made of wrought iron and painted dark blue. The mattress wasn't thick, but it was covered with the same gray bedding provided by the staff. There was also a set of neatly folded training clothes next to each pillow, with the program logo of "Next Stop, Pro!" printed on the chest, and the GG logos of various sponsors on the shoulders. The name of HWG Club was placed on the cuff.

Each bed is equipped with a bedside table, which has a lamp and a power outlet. The outlet has a USB port, which was definitely ahead of its time in 2013, but it didn't cost much more and was just for convenience.

There was a row of long desks by the window, enough for three people to use at the same time. The desks were empty, without any computers.

"Training will be conducted in the training room on the second floor. The dormitory is for resting. You can put your personal belongings or personal computers on the table."

As Qi Zhanming spoke, he reached down and pulled.

"Each of you will have a lockable drawer under the table; you can distribute them yourselves."

Zhao Yicheng and the others nodded, looking around.

Corkboards are nailed to the wall for sticking notes and photos.

Next to it is a row of wardrobes, metal cabinets, one for each person, big enough to hold seasonal clothes and a few coats.

"Wow, they even have air conditioning?"

Luo Yu exclaimed in surprise.

The air conditioner he mentioned was hanging in the corner of the wall, while the remote control was placed on the table.

"Air conditioning is nothing, we've even equipped your dorm balconies!" Qi Zhanming pointed outside the door.

"This is a place to dry clothes. There's a semi-automatic washing machine in the corner, with instructions for use posted next to it."

"Also, the water heater in the bathroom is gas-fired, so please be careful when using it."

Li Ye stood at the door of the private bathroom.

Because the child was not tall enough, the sign on the wall that read "Do not bathe for more than fifteen minutes" fell directly to his shoulder level.

As the only one in the trio who had attended university, Li Ye was very satisfied.

Overall, it is clean, practical, and unpretentious.

Although it's not quite as nice as a hotel, it's much better than their university dormitories. In the e-sports scene of 2013, it was definitely a very respectable facility.

At least there's no need for several people to squeeze into bunk beds, no need to run to the end of the corridor to get hot water in the dead of winter, and no need to fight over the toilet.