Chapter 77: Before the Stream

Since the spring season, winning a match meant going out for a meal, which became G2's custom.

But there are exceptions.

For example, today.

It's not to save that bit of money; compared to the club's operating costs and the salaries paid to everyone, the money spent on meals is just a drop in the bucket.

One reason is that there's another match tomorrow, and they're likely to win it.

Second, it's indeed quite late; today G2 was the last to take the stage, the match start time was already late, although they played fast, the combined combat time of the two games was under 50 minutes, but various miscellaneous matters outside the combat also took considerable time, so by the time Liang Yan returned from the interview, it was already past eight.

Moreover, there's a third reason, and it's the most important——

Tonight Liang Yan will go live on Mouse Platform.

After H2K's crystal exploded in the second game, Ka Lao Si posted the good news on G2's official Twitter and simultaneously released Liang Yan's live stream preview, with the preview set for nine o'clock.

Only a few dozen minutes left, of course there's no time to go for a meal.

They were in a rush, but the timing was perfect.

Everyone knew about this, so they teased Ka Lao Si for being petty, but actually didn't mind much; they laughed and joked, linking arms as they left the lounge, went to the parking lot, got straight into the car, and headed back to base.

On the way, Liang Yan also posted a live stream preview on his personal Twitter.

……

The team and the streaming platform naturally have a cooperative relationship; when Liang Yan initially signed his player contract, he also signed a streaming cooperation agreement.

At that time, Ka Lao Si didn't expect Liang Yan to blow up so quickly, so he produced a template contract, unchanged; the agreement imposed few restrictions on either side, simply stipulating that the club provide the player with a streaming channel and some administrative platform conveniences, while the player needed to protect the club's interests during streams, etc.

Put simply, Liang Yan can stream from the G2 base, and the streaming platform can only be Mouse Platform (Twitch), which cooperates with the club; at the same time, Liang Yan must pay a one-time service fee of 200 euros to the club, and besides that, the club will take no cut of his streaming revenue.

In short, the agreement is quite lenient; as long as Liang Yan's streaming doesn't affect daily training and he doesn't insult G2 or make other remarks harmful to the club's interests during the stream, he's free to stream however he likes. In this regard, the Europe Region is truly far better than the LPL.

Most LPL streaming contracts involve a cut, and some unscrupulous clubs even devise numerous highly concealed trap clauses.

Although the league keeps saying it will regulate this, the actual situation is extremely complex, especially now that LoL's popularity has exploded domestically, opportunities abound, and to some unscrupulous clubs players are just cash cows—scratch a little and you can fill your pockets—so when drafting contracts, the methods for planting landmines are endless; the league tries to control it but can't, leading to later generations periodically seeing players tear apart with their former clubs.

Of course, as for Liang Yan specifically, given his insight, those shady LPL bosses would find it not so easy to trap him.

……

Everyone returned to base.

Liang Yan entered the training room, sat at his own spot, and powered on.

Nobody did anything else; the training room was full, everyone occasionally glanced at the clock and then at Liang Yan, harboring some anticipation for his first stream, given that Liang Yan's popularity has exploded on the Europe-America internet, everyone was curious what his debut stream would be like.

Getting angry at antis and breaking down, ending the stream?

There probably aren't any diehard fans, but there should be some people praising him; at least his skill is solid.

But how many subscribers on the first day?

And gifts?

This guy can't possibly still be a streaming genius, can he?

Everyone harbored various gossip thoughts, but overall they were looking forward to a lively start.

Lao Zhang, however, was a bit on edge, worried about Liang Yan, since Liang Yan had never streamed before, Lao Zhang had no way to judge whether he had any streaming talent.

As an industry insider, Lao Zhang knew full well that streaming isn't a bowl of rice just anyone can eat.

These past few days Lao Zhang also occasionally imparted some streaming tips to Liang Yan, who said he understood, but without practice who knows if it works?

In Lao Zhang's expectation, Liang Yan's debut having no effect and a dull silence would already be a pretty good outcome; what he fears is that antis will swarm in and unleash a barrage, causing Liang Yan to break down on the spot—that would be disastrous. Last month Liang Yan kicked Trick over in a clip Lao Zhang had seen; this brother of his is definitely not the type to tremble at the slightest criticism.

The hardest part is that Liang Yan is practically destined to be bombarded; the tweet he posted a few days ago was too much—even 'European Electric' showed up—how could he not provoke public anger?

Lao Zhang grew more and more worried the more he thought.

Why not advise him, let's wait until the hype dies down before streaming?

After all, streaming relies on accumulation; starting a day earlier won't make one rich overnight.

But the stream preview has already been posted……

"Brother, how do you plan to start?"

AP's voice startled everyone's imagination; they all covertly perked up their ears.

This guy has always been blunt, so the group often wonders: how can someone like him still have friends?

AP was of course asking Liang Yan.

"Just start like this; do I need any special preparation?"

Liang Yan was fiddling with the streaming software, casually answering AP, showing no trace of nervousness—not because he thought he was a streaming genius, but because, ultimately, streaming is about providing emotional value to viewers, something Liang Yan modestly claims is indeed an innate talent of his.

But hearing that, the others took it differently.

No special preparation needed?

AP immediately showed a "as expected" look of contempt, sneering at Liang Yan.

A genius like me, Lu Ka, when I first streamed, had to write an outline; just the opening lines I practiced for dozens of minutes in the bathroom!

Streaming is a performance; it needs design.

Even without a script, at least figure out how to warm up the audience when you first go live?

Otherwise, you'd just blurt things out?

"Well, since you sincerely ask, I'll teach you a few tips."

AP said this while giving Liang Yan a smug look, his face seemingly saying "You're begging me, hurry up and beg me."

Liang Yan was rather speechless, but he still satisfied AP's desire to perform:

"All right, I'm all ears."

AP let out a pleased little snort:

"Listen carefully, kid: streaming is all about pleasing the audience! Especially when you first go live, you must give it your all to grab every viewer and make them stay, only then can you think about what comes next……"

Listen carefully, kid—so-called livestreaming is all about pleasing the audience! Especially when you first go live, you have to give it your all to grab every viewer and make them stay, only then can you think about what comes next.