I'm A Baller

Wang Yan didn’t pick up the contestants or visit them. He merely sent Liu Yuanfang a message on WeChat.

“Everyone is free to do what they like. Dinner will start at six. Regarding setting up, you may liaise directly with the catering manager.”

The entourage made a grand entrance at Gujiao Station. Li Yuanfang brought two of his work partners with him, as well as the seven lads and lasses from different parts of the country.

However, everyone, with the exception of Liu Yuanfang, was somewhat confused when they stepped foot in Gujiao.

The vehicle sent to pick them up was great. It was a Mercedes luxury minibus, extremely spacious and comfortable.

They were even given a cordial welcome by the driver and guide, who provided them with impeccable service.

But…

Where was the organizer?!

There had to be someone telling them what to do, right?

As soon as they reached the hotel, they were brought to the reception desk to check-in.

It was five-star, after all. Even if it was a five-star hotel in a not-so-great city, the facilities and services couldn’t be too bad.

The lady at the front desk was gentle and mild, the elevator operator was courteous, and housekeeping was warm and friendly.

Each single room was about 100 square feet in size and contained a king-sized bed that was spacious and comfortable.

But they all still had the same question…

Where was the organizer?!

After becoming acquainted with each other, the girls were already visiting each other’s rooms and taking selfies.

And when they were finally done with that, they stared at each other in silence.

What should they do next?

Liu Yuanfang waved his hands.

“Get some rest! Everyone is entitled to a free session of spa treatment. You could go now or later tonight. It’s up to you.”

Sure, why not! The organizer was paying for it, anyway.

The spa treatment was awesome. Even the men, who were new to such experiences, were having a good time.

Everyone was having fun, but by the time it was five, they were starting to feel a little unsettled.

Enough with all the whistles and bells, they just wanted to know—

Where was the organizer?!

They couldn’t be blamed for panicking. After all, the organizer seemed to be a little shady.

Liu Yuanfang had hyped it up as a large-scale event. He claimed that it was an all-expenses-paid trip with transport expenses and five-star accommodation provided, that there was going to be an all-you-can-eat crab feast, that they would receive five thousand for just participating, and that the winner would receive a cash prize of twenty thousand…

The organizer would have to spend at least a hundred to two hundred thousand, right?

All that money, and the organizer didn’t even deign to send a staff member for their peace of mind?!

Indeed, most of the promises had already been fulfilled.

The problem was, paying for everything and not turning up was somehow even scarier than not paying for their expenses!

Ling Ya threw herself on the table and wailed, “Ah, ah, ah! I’m so scared… Have we been lured here to do something bad?!”

The well-built Da Gang, with his wide shoulders and thick waist, eyed her and replied earnestly, “I have nothing to worry about. You, on the other hand…”

Before Ling Ya could respond, Mizi trembled with fear. “S-s-sex?”

“Not just that!”

A sinister expression formed on Da Gang’s face. His eyes narrowed as he said, “Do you know how pyramid schemes welcome their new recruits?”

“I don’t… don’t know…”

Clenching his fists, Da Gang executed a chop, saying, “The men and women are squeezed into a room… made to share their experiences together… then when everyone meets up to reminisce old times… it turns out that they know each ‘better’ than they thought!”

Mizi and Ling Ya, who were the best-looking of them all, were terrified by Da Gang’s menacing smirk.

Ah Dai looked up in mild confusion and asked somewhat bashfully, “Bro, is… is that really true?!”

Great, they had found someone to vent their anger on!

Just as Mizi and Ling Ya were rubbing their palms together, and tragedy was on the verge of occurring, Liu Yuanfang put an end to everyone’s nonsense.

“Stop running your mouths! The organizer is a wealthy young man who just wanted to organize a fun activity. He has no ulterior motives!”

Damn!

Stunned by what he had just said, everyone stopped what they were doing and bombarded him with questions.

“For real?”

“What? Just for fun?”

“Rich people are indeed sick…”

“Wealthy young man? How old is he?”

Liu Yuanfang didn’t actually know either, but he had to maintain a professional image, so he just smiled and said nothing.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door from the service staff, so he clapped his hands to cheer everyone up, as well as to divert the topic.

“Brothers and sisters, fame and glory are right before you. Don’t waste time thinking about trivial stuff. Start getting ready, and good luck to you all!”

The ten of them were led to the Imperial Pavilion on the eighth floor.

It was a large room of more than 300 square feet, and it was very well-equipped. There was a reception area, a changing room, and washrooms, and more.

And in the center of the lavishly furnished room, there was a huge dining table made to accommodate twenty people. With only twelve chairs around it, it looked especially spacious.

Seven of those chairs formed a semi-circle, and the remaining chairs faced them.

Once again, the seven contestants stared at one another.

Wow! What an excessive setup…

Liu Yuanfang had no time to gawk as he quickly started setting up.

A notebook computer was set up at the reception area, where there was a sofa and a coffee table.

It was possible to fix the rotating tray in the middle of the table in a way that only the bottom would rotate, and not the top, so a DV camcorder was set up to shoot the videos.

A few tripods were set up in front of the seven contestants, one device for the live broadcast and the other for close-up shots.

The live broadcast would be facilitated by Douyu and promoted on their main page. Li Yuanfang had already made the necessary arrangements.

The livestream was named “The Online Premiere of the 1st Huaxia Big Eater Competition! King Crabs, jjang jjang jjang!”

By 5:30, everything had been set up, and they started warming up.

Visitors came in as soon as the livestream started, and the numbers were nothing to sneeze at. It was being promoted on the main page, after all, even if the placement wasn’t particularly obvious.

Although on the rise, livestreaming outdoor events weren’t really that popular, not to mention eating broadcasts of this nature.

It wasn’t that they had a lack of viewers; many youngsters enjoyed watching Japanese and Korean eating competitions and live broadcasts, but there weren’t many local big eaters who specialized in eating crabs.

Liu Yuanfang had decided to produce “Huaxia Eating Broadcast is Here!” after noticing the trends.

The number of hits wasn’t too bad, which suggested that it did generate some interest.

However, after producing 70-odd episodes, they had yet to establish a profit model, so when Wang Yan suggested organizing a big eater contest, Liu Yuanfang suddenly realized that this could be an opportunity for a breakthrough.

It was too early to tell whether this would be a success.

More importantly, even if it was to succeed, there was no telling whether this success could be sustained and whether the audience would eventually lose interest.

Whatever it was, they had to learn through trial and error, and their current priority was try to clear the hurdle before them.

As they started warming up, Liu Yuanfang’s partners acted as guest hosts, and spoke enthusiastically about the selling points of the live broadcast.

What were the selling points?

Seven contestants—a mixture of male and female, fat and skinny, beautiful and ugly—all here for the same challenge: to determine who was capable of eating more crabs.

Just the disparity between their figures alone was enough to make the contest worth watching.

The food, of course, was another huge selling point.

These king crabs were worth at least 500 dollars apiece and were weighed on the spot.

Weighing about 10.5 pounds each, the king crabs looked intimidating, especially when they waved around their claws energetically. With their legs extended, they had a length of almost a yard.

The visual impact it presented was unparalleled.

“Dear loyal viewers, today we’ll be challenging a rare delicacy—the Alaskan King Crab…”

“They always say that my face is big. Is it, really? I think it’s pretty small!”

It was apparent how huge the king crabs really were, since they could cover one’s entire face.

The audience’s enthusiasm was reaching a peak.