Sister, Choose Me, I'm Super Sweet [Esports] - Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Come Meet the New Boss
Tong Yi was also a bit confused, but she quickly answered the phone. Before she could even speak, Zhou Shiqing’s anxious voice came through. “Xiao Yi, you’re at the base, right?”
Hearing Zhou Shiqing’s urgent tone, Tong Yi was stunned for a moment, then replied hesitantly, “Yeah… did something happen?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Get ready. We’re going to meet the new boss!”
Zhou Shiqing’s voice was not just urgent; it was filled with uncontrollable excitement and joy. Standing next to her, Xia Yun couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, flicking the ash from her cigarette into the ashtray.
“The new boss?” Tong Yi was clearly still out of the loop.
“Yes, New Fire doesn’t have to disband!” Zhou Shiqing’s voice sounded incredibly happy.
“Are we getting a new sugar mommy to sponsor us?” Xia Yun asked with a laugh.
Zhou Shiqing heard Xia Yun’s words and quickly replied, “It’s not a sponsorship; it’s an acquisition. And it was the Mingsheng Group that contacted us!”
Tong Yi was stunned. “Is that the Mingsheng Group I know?” The Mingsheng Group was one of the top companies in the country, with its headquarters in Jiangcheng. Its businesses spanned various fields, but it had never been involved in esports. Tong Yi didn’t think Mingsheng would suddenly get involved in the esports industry, and even if they did, they wouldn’t choose a team that was on the verge of collapse.
“It’s the Mingsheng Group you know. And General Manager Song herself contacted me. She said she wants to meet you. I’ll pick you up in a bit to meet her. I’m driving right now, so I have to go.”
After hanging up, Tong Yi and Xia Yun stared at each other on the balcony. Xia Yun forgot to smoke, and the cigarette burned down to a stub in her hand.
“Is this for real? Mingsheng is acquiring our team? And they want to meet you at this hour?” Xia Yun asked in disbelief. She took out her phone and showed Tong Yi the time, which was a little after 1 AM.
Tong Yi was silent for a moment. “I don’t care if it’s real or not. I’m going to change. What should I wear to meet the sugar mommy?”
“Something formal should be fine,” Xia Yun said.
“Then I’ll get my suit out.” Tong Yi immediately went into her room to find her suit.
Xia Yun quickly put out her cigarette and followed her. “Don’t wear a suit. It’s so cold. It would be embarrassing if you were shivering while talking to them,” Xia Yun said repeatedly.
Tong Yi thought she had a point and became even more conflicted. She only had ten minutes; Zhou Shiqing would be there soon.
“Okay, you go out first. I need to change,” Tong Yi said, pushing Xia Yun out of the room.
About seven or eight minutes later, Tong Yi opened her door and walked out. Xia Yun was waiting outside and immediately looked at her.
Tong Yi was wearing a camel-colored coat, a dark brown turtleneck, and a pair of beige straight-leg pants with boots in the same color as her top. Paired with her slightly wavy black hair, she looked very elegant, mature, and sophisticated. Xia Yun rarely saw Tong Yi dressed so formally and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, you’re a true beauty! A total mature and elegant look!”
“Does this outfit work? Will it give General Manager Song a bad impression?” Tong Yi asked with some concern.
“Don’t worry, this outfit is perfect. Go with confidence,” Xia Yun immediately said.
Just then, Zhou Shiqing sent Tong Yi a message on WeChat. Tong Yi quickly told Xia Yun and left.
Once she got into Zhou Shiqing’s car and they started driving, Tong Yi asked, “Coach Zhou, why are we meeting General Manager Song so late?”
“General Manager Song just messaged me after she got off the plane. She’s so busy, and this is the only time she could make for us. She’s flying out again at 6 AM tomorrow morning,” Zhou Shiqing said.
Tong Yi was shocked by the general manager’s schedule. Was this what a CEO’s schedule was like?
After a twenty-minute drive, they arrived at their destination: a five-star hotel under the Mingsheng Group. As they pulled up to the hotel entrance, a staff member, who looked to be at a manager level, came to greet them.
“Are you General Manager Song’s guests?” the staff member asked with a smile.
“Yes,” Zhou Shiqing replied, a little overwhelmed.
“General Manager Song hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll take you to have a seat.”
Just as he spoke, a luxury car pulled up. The staff member immediately said, “Perfect, General Manager Song is here. Please wait, and I’ll take you all in together.”
Tong Yi looked curiously at the luxury car. Two or three staff members had already surrounded it. The staff member who had greeted them went forward and opened the back door. A woman in a black coat stepped out. The woman had long black hair that fell casually over a gray scarf. Her clothes were understated, but the quality was clearly very high.
“That’s General Manager Song,” Zhou Shiqing whispered in Tong Yi’s ear.
Tong Yi nodded blankly. The General Manager Song in front of her was different from what she had imagined. She didn’t have the sharp, arrogant demeanor of a stereotypical powerful businesswoman. On the contrary, she was very approachable and didn’t give off a superior vibe at all.
Soon, the driver’s side door opened, and a woman who appeared to be General Manager Song’s assistant stepped out. She casually handed the car keys to one of the staff members, signaling him to park the car. Song Ming handed her bag to a staff member. “Put this in my room.”
“Yes, General Manager Song.”
Soon, Song Ming and her assistant walked toward Zhou Shiqing and Tong Yi.
“Hello, General Manager Song,” Zhou Shiqing quickly greeted.
“Hello, General Manager Song,” Tong Yi followed.
Song Ming smiled at them. “I’m so sorry to make you come out this late. I’m just so busy that I couldn’t find any other time.”
“It’s no trouble at all. It’s our pleasure,” Zhou Shiqing said repeatedly.
“My name is Song Ming. You can just call me Sister Ming. There’s no need to be so formal with ‘General Manager Song.’ This is my assistant, Xiao Mu.”
Xiao Mu, standing next to her, also smiled and handed them two of Song Ming’s business cards. “These are General Manager Song’s business cards.”
The two of them nervously accepted the cards.
“It’s cold outside. Shall we go in and talk?” Song Ming asked.
The group quickly went inside and sat down in a reception room.
“The acquisition process is already underway. Xiao Mu will be in charge of everything from now on. She will be the new manager of New Fire,” Song Ming said to Tong Yi.
“Team Captain Tong, you can rest assured that my professional skills have been certified by General Manager Song and are definitely up to standard,” Xiao Mu said with a smile. “And I’ll only do what a manager should do; I won’t interfere with anything else.”
Tong Yi was a bit stunned. She didn’t expect Song Ming to send someone from her own staff to be the manager. This showed an incredible level of dedication. “Thank you, General Manager Song, and thank you, Sister Mu,” Tong Yi quickly said. She then leaned over to Zhou Shiqing and whispered, “What about you? Aren’t you going to be the manager of New Fire anymore?”
Zhou Shiqing laughed. “I was planning to leave New Fire no matter who the new boss was. I told you I’m going to be a commentator. I’m already preparing for the exam.”
“…Huh?” Tong Yi had thought that Zhou Shiqing would stay now that they had a new owner.
“Don’t worry, Shiqing has shares in New Fire. Even after she leaves New Fire, she’ll still be a shareholder,” Song Ming said, having overheard their conversation.
Just then, a waiter came over with four cups of hot coffee. He respectfully placed the first cup in front of Song Ming and the second in front of Tong Yi.
Tong Yi subconsciously reached out to grab the cup to take a sip, but Song Ming stopped her. “Change it,” Song Ming said to the waiter without even a glance.
“General Manager Song, what’s wrong?” the waiter asked, startled and nervous. He had always been told to prepare coffee for her.
At this moment, Xiao Mu spoke. “It’s too late to drink coffee. Go get some other hot drinks.”
The waiter finally understood and became extremely flustered. “I’m so sorry, General Manager Song. It’s my fault. I forgot…”
“It’s alright. Just be careful in the future,” Song Ming said calmly.
The waiter quickly took the two cups of coffee from the table and left. Tong Yi sat nervously on the sofa, still trying to process what had just happened. This was her first time meeting a CEO of this level. The aura was definitely different. Was this the power of money? She had stayed at this chain hotel before, and the staff members were always so arrogant, but now they were acting completely different.
As if nothing had happened, Song Ming continued talking to Tong Yi. “I don’t know much about the esports industry, but I’ve done some research. In short, you’ll have everything you need.”
“Um, General Manager Song… can I ask if the team will be changing its name?” Tong Yi asked hesitantly. Usually, teams that are acquired by a company change their name.
“No, we’re not,” Song Ming replied quickly. “It’ll still be called New Fire.”
Now Tong Yi was even more confused. “Then why did you choose to acquire New Fire? The esports industry doesn’t make as much money as your other businesses…”
Song Ming looked at Tong Yi with a half-smile. After a moment, she said meaningfully, “No reason. I just have a lot of money, so I’m just having fun.”
“…Huh?” Tong Yi was stunned.
Zhou Shiqing, standing next to her, was also dumbfounded. “This… this isn’t right.”
“Okay, fine. It’s because my daughter likes esports, so I’m expanding my business into this field,” Song Ming said with a laugh.
“Then your daughter must be very lucky,” Zhou Shiqing said.
“She’s alright. Sometimes she gives me a headache, but as her mom, I’ll naturally give her what she wants.”