League: What? A bunch of old men can win a championship?

This time, Abu took Lu Yingdong directly to his office to discuss the contract renewal.

Abu understood that once Lu Yingdong returned, he would definitely not leave again.

Abu didn't mince words and asked directly, "What price did Top Esports offer you?"

Lu Yingdong replied directly, "Three million a year."

There's not much to be fooled about in this respect.

Since we see each other all the time, the clubs will discuss it.

Abu nodded and said with a smile, "It seems that Top Esports isn't as generous as we thought."

Lu Yingdong shrugged: "How so? Top Esports actually saved you money?"

Abu had previously told him that no matter what price TES offered, they would add 50.

It seems that Top Esports' price of three million did not reach EDG's upper limit.

"It's not about saving money," Abu laughed. "We wouldn't skimp on money in a place like this. You deserve a higher contract."

After saying that, he took a contract out of Abu's drawer and placed it in front of Lu Yingdong.

"Take a look," Abu said. "This contract isn't high, but it's definitely worth your recent performance."

Lu Yingdong glanced at it briefly. The contract was almost identical to the one he had signed a few years ago, except for a few numbers that had been changed, so it was easy to understand.

"The contract runs from November 16, 2022 to November 21, 2023, a year," Abramovich said. "Just like we signed before, it will continue until the winter transfer window at the end of the year, and the contract will automatically expire."

Lu Yingdong checked it and confirmed that it was indeed correct.

Like Top Esports, EDG also opted for a one-year contract.

This is still an age issue.

If it were an 18-year-old guy who punched Doinb and kicked Rookie in a scrim, EDG would be eager to sign him for three years, lock him up in the club, and then slowly develop him.

But if it's a 25-year-old veteran like Deng... then let's sign him for a year to increase the margin for error.

If it weren't for saving face and maintaining goodwill, EDG would have been eager to sign him for six months.

"As for the contract fee, it's 3.5 million. Plus a signing bonus of 500,000, which you only need to sign to receive. That's a total of 4 million, 1 million more than Topsports."

Abu continued to explain, "Believe me, no other team on the market besides us can offer such a high price. You should understand."

Lu Yingdong nodded. "Of course."

A mid laner earning four million a year is already considered a low price. After all, no team wants to be careless in the mid lane position, and strong teams generally offer top-tier mid laners.

For example, EDG's former mid-laner, the newly crowned FMVP Scout, could fetch as much as 2050 million a year, which is equivalent to five Lu Yingdongs.

But for Lu Yingdong, four million was barely enough.

After all, in his first eight years as a substitute, his highest salary was only 24.

In the ninth year, just three training matches increased that number to four million.

That's the harsh reality of esports.

"See if there are any problems," Abu said. "If there are no problems, then sign it."

Lu Yingdong glanced at it, then placed the contract on the table. "There are still some problems."

"?" Abu looked up.

Lu Yingdong continued, "I think the contract period is a bit too long."

"The deadline is too long?" Abu asked, staring at Lu Yingdong with some confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I want to sign a six-month contract," Lu Yingdong said, "until the summer transfer window."

Abu understood Lu Yingdong's meaning and said somewhat solemnly, "Have you thought it through?"

In my opinion, signing a one-year contract is already a form of protection for Lu Yingdong.

Even if Lu Yingdong's success is just a flash in the pan, and he returns to his previous level after three training matches, he can still rely on this year's big contract to return to his hometown of Wuhan and live a good life.

When EDG signed Lu Yingdong, they were already prepared to lose money.

From this perspective, changing the contract to six months is not a good thing for Lu Yingdong.

"Because I know I'm definitely not a flash in the pan." Lu Yingdong's expression was calm, and his tone was full of confidence. "I believe that in the spring, I will definitely lead EDG to achieve good results. At that time, we will sign a new contract that satisfies both of us."

Abu sensed the confidence in Lu Yingdong's words and was momentarily at a loss for words.

After hesitating for two seconds, he slowly said, "To be honest... I don't know where your confidence comes from. But it's your opinion, and I, on behalf of the club, respect it."

Lu Yingdong smiled and nodded: "Then... let's renegotiate the price."

Both sides were straightforward people, and the price negotiation was quick and easy, with each person saying a few words back and forth.

In Abramovich's view, signing a six-month contract meant the club was getting a good deal, and he didn't mind giving Lu Yingdong a little more concession.

So Abramovich ultimately decided to pay the $500,000 signing fee as is, and then cut the remaining $3.5 million in half over time.

The final price was set at 175 + 50 = 225 million.

Upon hearing the offer, Lu Yingdong's smile deepened, and he readily accepted.

Once the new contract was drafted, Lu Yingdong didn't hesitate and quickly signed his name.

Thus, Lu Yingdong's brief transfer journey has finally come to an end, and he has established a cooperative relationship with EDG for the ninth time.

Both parties carefully put away their contracts. Lu Yingdong thought for a moment and then asked, "How's the AD position going? Have you found a replacement?"

Previously, he didn't have many requirements for his teammates, only one requirement—that they be strong. This was the same goal he shared with EDG, so he never inquired about EDG's lineup selection.

But with this trip to TES, he added another requirement—he had to be older.

This means... he'll have to be involved in building EDG's roster to some extent...

"I'm looking at them right now," Abu said. "This is a big transfer window, and ELK, Light, and GALA are all playing for other clubs. Anyway, the clubs have a lot of options and are making their final selections."

For the same reason, Lu Yingdong's presence saved the club salary space, allowing the club to freely pursue high-paid players from outside.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yingdong frowned slightly.

No, if you sign such a top player from outside, where will my old teammate be replaced?

Abu noticed Lu Yingdong's expression and asked, "What do you mean? You're not satisfied with these?"

Lu Yingdong thought for a moment and then nodded: "It's not that I'm dissatisfied, I just feel it's unnecessary."

"Unnecessary? Then who do you think is better?"

Lu Yingdong tentatively asked, "What do you think of Uzbekistan?"

The true intentions have been revealed...

This choice wasn't because Lu Yingdong wanted to play a prank or do something abstract.

On his way back, he casually took out his phone to check the ages of current LPL players.

The result was rather disappointing.

Surprisingly, only Lin Weixiang and Uzi have played in the LPL during S12 and meet the requirement of being a 24-year-old veteran.

It seems that AD (Advanced Player of the Year) is indeed a position that relies heavily on age...

With Lin Weixiang and FPX locked in, the only remaining option is Uzi...

Although the combination of EDG and Uzi is somewhat abstract, Lu Yingdong felt it was worth a try.

But this attempt seems to have actually worked.

Because Abu actually started thinking about it.

"Seriously," Abu thought for a moment and said, "Uzi... he actually seems like he could work!"

Uzi's comeback with BLG last year was not ideal, and EDG staff and Lu Yingdong had communicated with Uzi regularly, knowing that he was not willing to give up.

EDG has the stage, and Uzi has the ambition. As long as the results of the scrims are satisfactory, nothing is impossible.

Most importantly, both sides have top-tier traffic, and if they are combined, it will definitely cause a huge wave!

The entire esports community, both domestically and internationally, will be shocked!

As a club manager, this is certainly something Abramovich would like to see.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that Uzbekistan is still capable of fighting.

Abu thought for a moment and said, "What about top lane? Who do you think is good for top lane?"

"Top lane?" Lu Yingdong's heart skipped a beat.

Even if he's on the road, he can't be replaced! This is a rare sight for Old Deng!

"I think Xuanjun is pretty good."

"We didn't kick Xuanjun out. His contract hasn't expired yet. We just want to find a top laner to rotate with him."

Lu Yingdong immediately shook his head: "No need to change."

"No need to change it?"

"There's really no need to change him," Lu Yingdong explained. "Xuanjun's skill level is fine. You'll see in the training matches. Trust me."

With his "Veteran Bond Module," any veteran on his team will receive a huge attribute bonus.

With these attribute bonuses, while they might not be able to return to their peak, returning to a top-tier level is certainly not a problem!

Lu Yingdong's words, on the contrary, confused Abu.

They already got a good deal in the mid lane, and now they don't even need to switch to the top lane.

So where will he spend the tens of millions he applied for from his boss...?

Are we really going to go find Uzbekistan?

"Hmm..." Abu thought for a moment and then said, "Anyway, let's contact Uzi first and see if he still wants to play. Let's call him over for a practice match first."

Lu Yingdong smiled and nodded: "No problem, I can stay here for a few more days. That'll be just enough time to finish the training matches."

Abu acted quickly. No sooner had Lu Yingdong stepped out of the office than he made a phone call to his boss to ask if Uzbekistan's plan was truly feasible.

Clearly, the brilliant idea of ​​bringing Uzi to EDG also surprised Edward Zhu, who felt it was actually quite feasible.

"I feel like we could really give it a try," Edward Zhu said. "If we keep this lineup in the mid and top lanes, and then buy Uzi for the bot lane... then this season, our expenses will be very low, and the viewership will be huge..."

Abu blinked as he listened to this, thinking to himself, "No wonder he's a boss, his vision is truly impressive."

While he was still thinking about the roster, Edward Zhu had already started thinking about the year-round operations based on the roster.

Originally, EDG's goal was of course the championship.

Therefore, they thought of signing Lu Yingdong from a cost-effective perspective, and then spending heavily to strengthen both the top and bottom lanes, creating a lineup with championship potential.

But after Lu Yingdong's idea emerged, their thinking underwent a complete transformation.

The mid lane focuses on cost-effectiveness, while the top lane doesn't require any changes.

With the money saved, signing Uzbekistan would be more than enough, and there would even be a lot left over!

This is what it means to spend little money and gain a lot of traffic!

From a club operations perspective, this is simply genius!

Abu was a little surprised.

At this moment, Edward Zhu's voice was still coming from the phone: "But there is one thing to note. If Uzi comes, the traffic will indeed be huge... but traffic is always two-sided. If we lose the game, the backlash from the traffic will also be huge... so we can't lose, at least we can't lose too badly, we have to maintain some dignity."

Edward continued, "Anyway... you should call Uzi over to try him out first, see how much his skill level has dropped. If there are no problems, then it's settled."

Abu nodded: "Okay!"

"Beep beep beep..."

After hanging up the phone, Abu rummaged through his phone, just about to contact Uzbekistan via WeChat.

But the next second, a phone call came in.

Abu frowned slightly as he looked at the name displayed on his phone.

Scout?

Abu answered the phone: "Feed."

"Brother," Scout said on the other end of the phone, "it's transfer window now, when can I come back for a tryout?"

Abu listened to Scout's words and sneered inwardly.

It seems that Scout's tryout journey in the LCK has not been ideal.

Of course, this is normal, as EDG had already anticipated this.

After all, LCK is far less commercialized than LPL, so the value of LCK teams is not as high as that of LPL teams.

This means that the average salary of LCK players is not as high as that of LPL players.

Scout wants to return to the LCK; he either needs to be courted by a top team and retain a top salary.

Either take a pay cut and join HLE with Viper.

Apart from that, there are almost no other options.

But the question is, why would a wealthy family want to be interested in him?

The LCK's powerhouses are undoubtedly Samsung, T1, and DK. Unfortunately, these three teams share a common trait: their mid laners are absolutely indispensable, considered the soul of their teams.

Samsung's decision to let go of veteran Ruler this year rather than mid laner Chovy speaks volumes.

Since he can't join a top company, he has no choice but to take a pay cut and join HLE with Viper.

However, HLE is not a team as wealthy as EDG. If they want to acquire Viper and Scout, the champion duo, they will inevitably have to reduce their salaries.

Clearly, Scout felt that the price offered by HLE was not satisfactory, so he immediately called Abu.

What do you call this? Pulling!

A champion mid-laner, his kiting skills are top-notch!

But is EDG a place where you can come and go as you please?

Abu sneered, "No need for a tryout, we've already found a new mid laner."

The voice on the other end of the phone was clearly panicked: "New mid laner? Who?"

Scout couldn't believe that EDG would abandon him so decisively and find a new team so quickly!

Abu chuckled and said, "You know the new mid laner, and you two are quite close, Lu Yingdong."

"what?"

Scout's voice suddenly grew louder, filled with disbelief.

In that instant, a figure flashed into his mind.

That man who, after losing the competition for a starting position, sat in the corner of the training room every day for years; that man who never played a game, but always stood at the back watching every training match, yet always had a happy face.

They took advantage of his absence to steal his starting position?

"Seriously, bro?" Scout asked. "Do you think Lu Yingdong is better than me?"

"Who knows?" Abu said slowly. "Perhaps he really is stronger than you."

"How is that possible!"

"This is none of your business," Abu interrupted. "The transfer window is still early. Go find another team, Lee Ruichan. Don't make things too ugly."

...

...

...

There are so many versions of what exactly happened between Scout and EDG online. Some say it was an EDG problem, some say it was a Scout problem, and some say it was a problem with Scout's agency. I can't tell what's true or false anymore.

To avoid a boomerang effect, I chose the most basic version, in which the conflict between the two sides is just a tug-of-war, and neither side is really at fault.

That way, even if things turn around, the boomerang won't hit me.

Today's two-in-one 4,000-word summary is here. See you tomorrow, brothers!

PS: Thank you to Night Rain Little White Bone and Banban Su Er for the 500 Qidian Coins donation.

Thanks to Feng Huo§Luan for the 1500 Qidian Coins reward! (His name is a bit tricky; I couldn't recognize it even with image recognition, and it took me a long time to figure it out.)

Thank you to the three bosses!