Chapter 597: Invitation from Luonaerduo

To be frank, whether it's Gao Jun or Liang Yan, they both find Luonaerduo's invitation rather strange.

As a world-famous superstar with extremely high fame worldwide, Luonaerduo couldn't be someone who doesn't know his limits, yet he now invites someone he's only met once, someone he isn't even familiar with, to visit his club in another city, and that person is a foreigner, and that city is Shengbaoluo.

What kind of place is Shengbaoluo?

It is the economic and industrial center of Ba Xi, the largest, most prosperous, and wealthiest city in South America.

But beneath that bright and prosperous exterior, Shengbaoluo is also the headquarters of South America's largest gang, and the core outbreak point of the wave of strikes sweeping across all of Ba Xi… In short, that place is much more chaotic than Li Yue.

So one obvious fact is that Luonaerduo's invitation this time is definitely not a casual, spur-of-the-moment invite, or a fan wanting to show off something to his idol; rather, it's premeditated, or more bluntly:

The other party has ulterior motives.

As for why the invitation was sent to Liang Yan instead of directly to Gao Jun, the person in charge of the VG team, that's their consideration; any reason is possible.

Gao Jun, being able to serve as manager of one of the country's oldest clubs, VG, is naturally shrewd in worldly affairs, so after giving it some thought, he quickly figured out the implication.

"Then he..."

Gao Jun hesitated a bit and asked tentatively:

"Did they mention... giving any compensation or something?"

Liang Yan wasn't surprised by Gao Jun's question, since he knew what Gao Jun was asking. But Liang Yan shook his head: "No, they didn't mention that."

"No..."

Hearing that, Gao Jun furrowed his brows and fell into thought.

Luonaerduo is a legend, no doubt, but what does he have to do with VG?

In Gao Jun's view, the idea that a big shot inviting VG to do something would make the whole team feel honored is utterly unnecessary. Although VG has only just begun to rise, our Liang Yan is no nobody; if we truly compared their actual fan numbers, Liang Yan might not be far behind Luonaerduo, and in the future it's uncertain whether Liang Yan's achievements might even surpass his, given that the booming trend of loL esports is obvious to everyone.

So the key is, if VG were to accept Luonaerduo's invitation, what benefits could they gain from this unexpected trip?

If there were no benefits at all, Gao Jun feels VG really has no need to wade into this muddy water.

After weighing it up, Gao Jun made up his mind, looked up at Liang Yan, his expression very solemn,

"This is important; I think I should still consult Boss Lu about it."

"Hmm."

Liang Yan nodded calmly.

Regarding the purpose of Luonaerduo's invitation, Gao Jun had some suspicions; seeing Liang Yan's nonchalant attitude, he couldn't help but ask another question:

"Have you thought of something?"

Liang Yan didn't hide it, smiling: "Hmm, I think he might want us to give some pointers to his team or something."

Gao Jun also smiled. Liang Yan had come to the same conclusion as him.

Because aside from that, Gao Jun really couldn't think of any other reason Luonaerduo would have to send Liang Yan such an abrupt invitation.

But speculation aside, since it concerns the safety of the whole team, Gao Jun, as merely a branch manager, dares not make a decision on his own and must still consult his superiors. Moreover, the other party is after all Luonaerduo, a legendary figure in the eyes of countless people worldwide; whether they accept or refuse, the impact could be big or small.

Gao Jun quickly dialed Lu Wenjun's phone.

Lu Wenjun, who was in Shanghai, was also shocked for a long time upon receiving Gao Jun's call.

Gao Jun's caution was correct; this matter indeed needs to be handled properly.

On the phone, Lu Wenjun instructed: "Like this, have Xiao Liang agree first."

Gao Jun hesitated a bit: "Can I ask why?"

Lu Wenjun was silent for a few seconds on the other end, then gave some hints: "Gao Jun, I know what you're thinking, but we also need to be realistic. Objectively speaking, how do you think the esports industry compares to traditional sports? Put more bluntly, how does it compare to football? Regardless of whether he offers concrete compensation, agreeing to this would benefit our entire club and even the whole Chinese esports industry, though some things might not be obvious—do you understand?"

Tsk, no need to spell it out—on an official level, esports simply can't compare to football, because the industry is still too young.

Gao Jun understood at once, didn't ask further, and simply requested: "Then what about our flight at noon…"

Lu Wenjun obviously had already decided: "You definitely won't make it back to China today; first go change your tickets, and then… blah blah…"

And so the matter was settled.

Next stop, Shengbaoluo!

When Gao Jun gathered everyone and announced the news, the whole team got excited.

The idea of returning home to claim prize money is just false; it's only because the summer tournament is about to start, and the team doesn't dare appear too lax, so they merely went along with Gao Jun's words.

Boss Lu is known for keeping his word—can the promised bonus just fly away?

Moreover, if Boss Lu agrees to let the team stay and play for a few days, he could simply deposit the bonus into everyone's accounts like a salary, rather than going back to hold a ceremonial celebration and then pay it out.

Now, due to this unexpected event requiring them to stay longer, the team is naturally happy—even the usually most diligent Easyhoon cracked a smile.

Luonaerduo was very generous, directly covering everyone's airfare.

Coincidentally, the luggage was already packed, so they just needed to drag their suitcases and go.

That afternoon, everyone arrived at the airport to meet up with Luonaerduo.

As they passed through security and boarded the plane, Luonaerduo naturally walked alongside Liang Yan. The two chatted in English, and upon learning the airport's name, Liang Yan exclaimed:

"Garrio?"

Luonaerduo smiled and replied: "Exactly, it's the name of the hero you used in two games to defeat KT in the finals—Garrio. Garrio International Airport."

That's unbelievable.

After boarding the plane, everyone was surprised to find that Luonaerduo was actually sitting in economy class with them. The legendary superstar appearing in a plane's economy cabin immediately caused a stir, with over half the passengers rushing over to take photos and get autographs.

Though there was a commotion, nowadays people value their lives greatly; when the plane took off, all passengers obediently returned to their seats.

Li Yue is not far from Shengbaoluo; an hour later, the plane landed at Shengbaoluo Airport.