Chapter 54

“Ming-ge, can we get two extra sets of the team uniforms?”

After admiring them from all sides, Shi Zhenyu, who truly loved them, rubbed his head and asked shyly.

He figured he wouldn’t need to buy any other clothes in the future—this one uniform would last him the whole year.

“You’ll get extras—what you have now are just sample sets; how can you wash and change if you only have one?”

The proof was clear: putting real effort into designing the team uniforms was the right move.

If the players themselves found the uniforms low-quality and unappealing, how could you possibly sell hundreds or thousands of them to fans?

From the moment he opened the online store, Jiang Ming never acted like some of his neighbors—narrow-minded, selling cheap junk at inflated prices, charging over a hundred for shirts that cost eighteen to make.

The real money, the big money, would come from these uniforms now in the players’ hands—future club merchandise.

Just use decent materials, put some thought into the design, and with the added value of being merchandise, a garment costing a few dozen yuan could sell for hundreds—or even thousands.

Ideally, fans would willingly pay for their gear while feeling like they’d gotten the better deal.

“You’ve got half a day off today—you can go out and stroll around. The commercial street is right next door; just be back before dinner,” Jiang Ming said with a smile. “Of course, if you want to eat out, I’m fine with that too.”

“Got it!”

“We’ll definitely be back before dinner!”

Pang Ran chuckled: “Skip the hotpot and go eat street snacks? What a dumb idea.”

“Also, go to bed early tonight. After this, each of you go find Lin Jie for a bottle of facial cleanser. Tomorrow, I want you all cleaned up—from head to toe, inside and out.”

Jiang Ming spoke seriously—he preferred to get everything out at once when it came to serious matters.

Otherwise, if he waited until mealtime to assign tasks, it would inevitably dampen the team’s appetite.

…

That night, the NXG team cafeteria.

Auntie set up two induction cookers—one with clear broth, the other with spicy broth.

“Those who can handle spice, sit by the spicy pot; the rest, go next door,” Lin Jingyi called out.

Jiang Ming, who always thought himself a spicy-food champion, had no choice but to bow before this quintessential Sichuan-Chongqing dragon of a senior.

Besides the hotpot, each person had a large cup in front of them, filled to the brim with cola, Sprite, or similar drinks.

“Come on, to NXG’s promotion to the LPL—cheers!”

“Cheers!” ×N!

“Cough, cough—I’ll just say two quick things.”

The mood was right, and Jiang Ming’s throat suddenly itched—he unconsciously slipped into the old leadership posture he’d once despised.

Yeah, classic “just two words.”

Sure enough, the dragon slayer became the dragon.

“First, stay humble and keep working. Making it to the LPL is just the beginning—for you, and for NXG.”

“You must strive to win every match, aim for the league championship, even the world title.”

“This journey will be—no, it will definitely be hard, so hard someone among you might quit along the way.”

“But believe me, the future of esports is far brighter than you can imagine.”

As a new industry in China, esports still has incomplete rules, and many teams are managed chaotically.

He didn’t want his hard-won boys to be negatively influenced by the environment.

“We’ll work hard!”

“Our goal is the championship.”

“Quit? Impossible. Hey, Ming-ge, you’d better start saving up the bonus money.”

“It’s just grinding—we don’t have much else, but we’ve got plenty of grind.”

“Alright, let’s eat!”

He said two things—he meant two things, no extra words.

Jiang Ming didn’t expect them to understand the reasons now—after all, who in S3, earning only two or three thousand yuan a month, could believe that just a few years later, an esports club’s franchise fee would cost hundreds of millions, and any popular, skilled player could earn millions a year? It was too distant to grasp.

…

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, at 9:30, Zhou Shu—the temporary acting team leader who handled door duty—knocked on each player’s door.

“Coming, coming!”

“Zhou Shu, we’re all up!”

Inside the rooms, the sound of running water from the bathrooms mixed with the players’ replies.

The few boys, dressed in their uniforms, were vigorously rubbing their slightly oily faces with the facial cleanser they’d received the night before.

Makeup, photo shoots, styling photos—none of it had ever crossed their minds.

It was seriously—high-class!

Following Lin Jie’s instructions, they washed their faces with warm water instead of cold—after the grime accumulated from long hours in front of computers and late nights was washed away, Pang Ran felt completely refreshed.

“Lao Xu, I’m heading downstairs—Lin Jie said on the group chat whoever finishes first goes first for makeup,” Pang Ran called out to Xu Tao, who was still wrestling with his toothbrush. He folded his blanket neatly and returned to bed.

“Mmm… you go… I’ll follow.”

Putting on his jacket and, for the first time ever, tearing open a brand-new pair of socks, Pang Ran sprinted downstairs.

“Pang Ran, wait a sec—Shi Tou isn’t done yet. There’s rice noodles in the kitchen—help yourself to seasonings, just pour the broth in your bowl and eat. The shoot will take a while today—be careful eating. There are aprons on the wall—don’t spill soup on your uniform.”

Facing Lin Jingyi, who had perfectly stepped into the role of club manager, reminding them of every tiny detail.

Pang Ran tapped his forehead. For a moment, he lost all curiosity about what Shi Tou looked like after makeup—Lin Jie’s way of speaking… felt just like his mom’s.

Too intimidating!

At that moment, Shi Zhenyu, seated in the training room chair, was enduring the makeup artist’s every touch.

“Kid, your base skin’s pretty good. Remember to wash your face with facial cleanser before bed—it’ll help prevent oily skin from prolonged computer use.”

“Thank you.”

The makeup artist studied her work with interest. “No thanks needed—we’re thrilled to expand into this new service. Before today, I’d never done makeup for an esports player.”

“We need to avoid the ‘die under lights’ effect—sort of like celebrity makeup, really.”

“Base makeup needs high coverage but light texture, plus lasting power. Focus on the eyes—should we add contouring and blush?”

Time passed—Pang Ran had already finished his noodles, returned the bowl to the kitchen, and come back to the training room.

Shi Zhenyu finally received the makeup artist’s release: “Done. Next one.”

“Wow, nice! Didn’t expect you, Shi Tou, to turn into a rugged Nanshen after makeup.”

Pang Ran’s eyes lit up. He immediately sat down in the chair before the makeup artist, eagerly anticipating his own transformation.