EBE Chapter 4: Wang Sicong, the Principal of IG
Chapter 4: Wang Sicong, the Principal of IG
The chair back slowly turned around, revealing a young face.
He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, sitting in a relaxed posture, exuding an effortless confidence.
It was none other than Wang Sicong, the founder of IG eSports Club.
He fiddled with his phone, giving Chen Song a detached look.
"Want to have dinner together?"
Wang Sicong's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, penetrating force: "Are you saying that morale at IG has collapsed?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Su Xiaoluo's face turned deathly pale instantly, and Mafa also lowered his head.
As the founder of the IG team, Wang Sicong's contributions to IG go beyond just being the boss; he is more like the spiritual leader of IG.
Throughout the years of IG's fluctuating performance, whether the team was "perennial runner-up" or failed to qualify for the World Championship, he insisted on investing heavily in new players and never withdrew his investment due to poor short-term results.
After the end of Season 4, they signed Korean mid laner Rookie and established him as the absolute core player.
He defied public opinion and signed Jackeylove, a talented young broadcaster at the time, and patiently waited until he turned 17 to start playing.
They acquired Ning from PDD's YM team and traded youth players from WE, ultimately piecing together the championship roster for 2018.
It was thought that winning the S8 World Championship would usher in IG's dynasty.
In the S9 Spring Split, they indeed swept the LPL to win the Spring Split championship.
Just when everything was going as expected, IG, who had crushed SKT in 15 minutes and 57 seconds at MSI, unexpectedly lost 1-3 to TL.
Faced with this sudden turn of events, even Wang Sicong felt it was somewhat unreal.
He hadn't taken it too seriously, after all, IG's terrifying dominance in the group stage was still fresh in his mind, and anyone with eyes could see that he was just arrogant and underestimated his opponent.
What truly moved Wang Sicong was the document below Chen Song's resume.
Chen Song didn't evade the question; he looked directly at Wang Sicong and said, "Yes!"
Wang Sicong stared at Chen Song for a few seconds, then asked with considerable anticipation, "So tell me, what's the next step?"
Chen Song subconsciously shook his head: "I'm sorry, Principal Wang! My understanding of these IG players is still superficial at the moment. Just like the document in my resume, it's just my personal analysis. As for how to do it specifically, I need to have in-depth contact with the coaching staff and players before I can give advice."
Chen Song specifically used the word "suggestion" at the end.
Although it's unclear why IG's owner, Wang Sicong, was personally present, a championship team is a championship team after all. The team's entire system cannot be changed immediately because of his few words, especially since he hasn't even officially passed the interview yet.
If Wang Sicong's interest in personally interviewing Chen Song stemmed from his analysis of the document in Chen Song's resume...
Based on his experience in the e-sports industry, Wang Sicong is almost certain that Chen Song is an excellent tactical analyst, given what Chen Song said to him.
It's not just about theoretical discussions, but about having the confidence and courage to speak your mind in real-life situations.
In his opinion, what is the most important thing for a tactical analyst?
It's just professional skills!
If you lack confidence in your own analysis and your own words within your professional field, how can you convince others to believe you?
"Su Xiaoluo!"
Wang Sicong suddenly shouted.
"Yes, Principal!"
Su Xiaoluo quickly stood up.
"You saw my basic skills, and I don't think there's anything wrong with them." Wang Sicong stood up, walked over to Chen Song, and patted him on the shoulder. "I hope you can repeat what you just said in front of TheShy and Ning."
He turned to look at Su Xiaoluo: "You guys will handle the follow-up interviews. Remember to let me know the results."
After saying that, he walked towards the door of the tactics room.
The door closed, and Su Xiaoluo let out a long sigh of relief.
He sat down again, touched his forehead, and looked at Chen Song: "Let me reintroduce you. This is our head coach's assistant, Mafa."
It has to be said that Su Xiaoluo's attitude has improved considerably since Wang Sicong left.
Principal Wang has made it clear that he has his eye on Chen Song.
"Hello!"
Mafa smiled and nodded, then turned to Su Xiaoluo: "Xiaoluo, please call a translator for me."
Now that he's passed the initial screening, there will definitely be a debriefing session during the subsequent interviews, which his broken Chinese won't be able to handle.
Su Xiaoluo nodded slightly, picked up her phone but hadn't unlocked it yet when Chen Song on the other end suddenly responded in Korean.
"Coach Mafa, there's no need to call a translator. I happen to speak Korean."
Chen Song didn't think much of it; he simply felt that since he could speak Korean, it would be troublesome to ask a translator to relay his message.
Moreover, literature is profound and complex, and often the translation does not achieve the desired effect.
"Chen...Chen Song, you can speak Korean?"
Su Xiaoluo, who was next to Mafa, finally realized what was happening.
"I studied in South Korea for two years and studied diligently during that time. Although I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I have no problem with daily communication."
Chen Song was puzzled; in Su Xiaoluo's eyes, the fact that he could speak Korean was a very strange thing.
The same coach Heart was there when I went for my interview with EDG.
In his opinion, it's actually strange that these Korean coaches here speak poor Chinese.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Su Xiaolu slammed her hand on the table, her face filled with barely concealed excitement.
If before it was because Wang Sicong took a liking to Chen Song and he had to cooperate with his boss, then now it's entirely because he personally really likes Chen Song.
A domestic tactical analyst who speaks Korean!
What does this mean?
In the LPL, such a person is extremely rare, and it's fair to say that you can't find another like him.
Any team would treasure a tactical analyst like that.
Except for EDG!
It's important to know that the vast majority of coaches who come to the LPL to provide guidance are from South Korea. For communication purposes, teams usually have a Korean translator, or a player fluent in Korean on the team can act as a translator.
Part-time translators are fine, but regular translators often don't understand game terminology, which can easily lead to translation errors.
As a tactical analyst, Chen Song's ability to speak Korean would allow him to accurately understand Mafa's tactical intentions.
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure just now."
With an awkward smile, Su Xiaoluo put down her phone and said, "You guys can begin."
Mafa smiled and said, "Chen Song, the interview just now focused on game understanding and drafting logic. Next, we'll review a game. As a tactical analyst, this is one of our most routine tasks."
Language is a magical art, especially for someone like Mafa who is in a foreign country. Chen Song's ability to speak Korean made a lot of positive impressions on Mafa, and he was even more patient in explaining the interview content.
However, to be fair, Chen Song's performance in the BP (Project Draft) stage was quite impressive, as he was being interviewed as a tactical analyst.
But an interview is still an interview, and the necessary steps still need to be taken.
"Coach Mafa, let's get started."
Mafa nodded, picked up the tablet on the table, pulled up a video of a match, and pushed it in front of Chen Song.