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

Of course, choosing Huya is fine, but the duration shouldn't be too long.

One year is the best, two years is the limit.

After all, by 2014 or 2015, capital will be like sharks smelling blood, bringing platforms like Quanmin, Douyu, and Panda into the market. At that time, the value of streamers will skyrocket, and it won't be a matter of hundreds of thousands or millions—it will be a crazy price tag of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. Signing a long-term contract is like locking yourself in a low-lying area, and you're likely to lose a fortune.

At this point, some people may wonder why Lin Shu insisted on binding Huya to the company instead of considering Douyu, which was about to be established.

the reason is simple.

Firstly, the two platforms have completely different strategic positioning.

Douyu takes a grassroots entertainment approach, allowing anyone to stream. It's lively, but its esports attributes aren't pure enough.

Huya, on the other hand, has been cultivating the esports scene steadily and surely.

Lin Shu will likely spend at least half of his future traffic on HWG – live match broadcasts, scrim replays, post-match interviews, hero microphones, player first-person perspectives… From the team’s perspective, Huya is naturally the best choice.

Secondly...

Lin Shu's eyelids twitched. Recalling the fates of some livestreamers in his previous life, he silently added in his mind: He didn't want to learn my country's excellent traditional craft—sewing machine technology.

"A year is too short; they probably won't agree. Two years... that's just right."

Lin Shu wrote the number "2" in his notebook and circled it tightly.

These past two years have been the developmental period for HWG.

Leveraging Huya's traffic and resources, they planned ahead to acquire the secondary broadcasting rights, or even exclusive broadcasting rights, for LPL, LCK, and World Championships. Then, when their two-year contracts expired and the teams were at their peak, they would coincide with the most intense bidding war among live streaming platforms.

At that point, he can stay on Huya as a "veteran" or wait for a higher offer.

Gu Feng's current business is worth two million; in two years, it might be worth twenty million.

Lin Shu only needed to do one thing—

Lead HWG forward and win every game.

As long as you have the results, everything is negotiable.

"Boss—!"

Suddenly, a loud shout came from downstairs, just like the cry of a fishmonger at a market.

"The manufacturer has shipped our team uniforms! Would you like to come down and take a look?"

Lin Shu's train of thought was abruptly interrupted by this shout.

But he wasn't angry.

I'd been sitting in that chair for most of the day, my mind filled with things like contracts, timeframes, and platform strategies, and I was just about to get up and move around.

"They're here."

Lin Shu turned off the computer screen, rubbed his sore neck, and walked downstairs in his slippers.

It's good to change your perspective.

"Wow, so many big boxes?"

As Lin Shu came down the stairs, he immediately noticed three large cardboard boxes stacked in the corner of the hall. They were square and upright, and if stacked vertically, they would probably be taller than Old Tang.

"More than five hundred sets!"

Tang Bin was standing next to the box, holding a paper cutter in his hand, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, squinting as if he were an online shop owner whose hands were sore from unpacking packages.

Upon hearing Lin Shu's voice, he turned his head and chuckled, tucked a cigarette behind his ear, bent down, and used the tip of his knife to pry open the sealing tape on one of the boxes.

With a snap, the tape came undone.

Old Tang reached inside and pulled out a team uniform sealed in a transparent plastic bag from the pile of boxes. He shook out a corner, held it up to Lin Shu, and said with a hint of pride, "I saw the sample beforehand. The material is quite solid. It's not one of those cheap things that will deform after a couple of washes."

"The cost isn't high either. Like this one I have—look, it comes out to be around thirty-something yuan."

Lin Shu didn't rush to speak, but walked to Old Tang's side and reached out to remove the cigarette from his ear.

"If you really can't resist smoking outside the training base and then come back, since the club requires the players not to smoke, we in management should set a good example."

"Oh my god, the manufacturer packed it for me when I received the goods today. I'm used to it..."

"It's alright, just don't let it happen again."

Lin Shu took it and squeezed the fabric through the plastic bag.

Yeah, it's not bad.

It's made of pure cotton, with a moderate thickness, and the print doesn't have a pungent smell.

With a cost of around thirty yuan, it's not unreasonable to sell it online for seventy or eighty yuan. If you add the player's signature or make it a limited edition, breaking one hundred yuan wouldn't be a problem.

The jersey he's holding is the HWG team jersey, the version sold to the public.

The chest features the HWG team logo, the back is largely blank, and there is a specially designed long frame on the right shoulder—reserved for the championship star.

The overall design follows a simple and unpretentious approach, but at this point in 2013, it could be considered a "streetwear esports brand".

As an e-commerce business owner, selling snacks, peripherals, and cheap T-shirts related to League of Legends, how could he forget to tap into the goldmine of "team traffic" now that his team has made it into the LPL?

Therefore, as soon as he confirmed his promotion to the LPL, he arranged for Lao Tang to contact the clothing factory he had previously cooperated with, and work overtime to rush out the products to be put on the shelves, especially the core product, the team uniform.

Of course, he's not like some idiot who prints a pattern on clothes that cost only a few dollars and sells them to fans for over a hundred dollars, even making a profit from the shipping.

While putting effort into the design, the quality was not compromised either.

However, Lin Shu had no intention of changing the originally planned business model.

HWG team uniforms still follow the consignment model—meaning they only handle the sales, leaving production, inventory, and shipping to the manufacturers, while they take a cut.

Since the copyright is in their own hands, they can do whatever they want, and the manufacturers are happy to accept it. After all, who wouldn't want an extra way to make money?

As for the three boxes of goods in front of us...

More than 500 sets, not for sale.

This is a gift that Lin Shu prepared for HWG's first batch of fans.

This all started with the ridiculous LPL official schedule.

The lottery results came out yesterday.

HWG's name was prominently displayed in the opening match, so obvious that there was no way to avoid it.

As for the opponent?

Ha, everyone guessed it.

WE!

It can only be said that the official team knows how to create buzz, which is why the LPL's first match had such a large audience.

One is HWG, who delivered an amazing performance in the LPL qualifiers, with a ruthless playstyle and a violent pace, making every game feel like they were stomping fish and becoming a sensation across the internet. The other is WE, the "Red Whirlwind" who just won the IPL5 World Championship and has the largest fan base in China. From commentators to netizens on Tieba, everyone calls them the "Universe Team".

It's unimaginable how intense the match will be when these two teams clash.

You know, just over a month ago, they were worried about what would happen if no one came to watch the competition in Taicang, even though the venue only had two or three hundred seats.

They were even prepared to rent buses at their own expense to go to the university town to attract more people and create a bustling scene.

it's good now.

The concern shifted directly from "how to fill the seats" to "how to add more seats to sell more tickets".

Against this backdrop, Lin Shu naturally had to prepare for the opening match against WE, in order to gain attention for the club, attract casual fans, and build up an initial fan base.