Chapter 69 - An Ultimatum

"Jing Jing, I have allowed you to take a day off. Why are you calling me again? I'm monitoring something!" Boss Wang answered the phone call with slight annoyance. 

He was looking at his computer with the trending media discussions and felt downcast. He made a deep reflection of their loss, that they have not gained any piece of scope from the viral topics of the online tournament.

On the other line, Jing Jing winced at the direct irritated voice of the man. "Boss Wang, forget about that day off! I have something to report and this is urgent. I have contacted the Chronos squad--"

"What did you say?! You got the Chronos squad?" Boss Wang interrupted as he stood from his seat. 

Just below his screen, another window was opened, revealing the ongoing interview of the district tournament. It was a live broadcast from the FDS Press Company. And the interviewer just announced that the next squad on their show would be the Chronos squad.

The live broadcast in the small screen had been paused for more than ten minutes as they interviewer was waiting for the members of the Chronos squad. The players just happened to be unavailable.

After listening to Jing Jing, boss Wang grasped the situation. It could only mean one thing! With Jing Jing contacting the Chronos squad, she was delaying the FDS live broadcast interview of the group!

Boss Wang suddenly felt delighted.

"Aiiyahh! Boss Wang, calm down. I have spoken with the Chronos squad and we are finalizing a contract," Jing Jing started to explain.

"C-contract? But-- but why?" Boss Wang felt that in the situation like this, they could just pay their client even without a contract. He gently massaged the bridge of his nose while trying to clear his thoughts.

In fact, those other participants in the tournament did not demand any contract from the FDS Press Company too! They just easily agreed to be interviewed directly for the sake of publicity. No one even thought that they could profit just by appearing in the media.

"AHH, Boss Wang why are you surprise!? Aren't we offering contracts with our clients?" Jing Jing asked in confusion. She could not understand her boss asking why the contract exist.

"Jing Jing, those clients are big shots! We only offer contracts to those who would give us big profits. For the other ordinary clients, we can pay them with fix amount," Boss Wang reasoned which reminded Jing Jing the contract offer was not as simple. Their company does not offer contracts to anybody.

"Oh, yes... I-- I have forgotten and made a contract similar to the big shots. Boss Wang, should I cancel the contract?" Jing Jing asked softly. She felt dizzy by the sudden realization that the Chronos squad was just group of teen gamers. 

Cancel the contract? Boss Wang slightly panicked when Jing Jing asked his advice. In the end, he heaved a frustrated sigh and compromised.

"No need to cancel the contract. Tell me what are the conditions that the Chronos wants?" Boss Wang finally asked the main concern of the call.

"Boss Wang, its like this. I have placed a fixed amount of six figure as the payment of the group. But the Chronos wanted to negotiate the clause about our payment. The Chronos squad wants to change it to 25% share of the earnings from their publicity," Jing Jing explained.

"Are you joking?! 25%...  This... t-they don't want a fix payment of their exposure but a share of profit? They must have some guts! Even other known celebrity would pay our company for their exposure! Just who are you negotiating with, Jing Jing?" Boss Wang exclaimed in disbelief. His voice became cold and unfriendly. At first he thought that it was an easy matter to deal with. But, it turned out that it was not as simple as he expected!

"Boss Wang, this is why I called you! I am speaking with the team captain of the Chronos squad. She said that if you agree with the 25%, we can proceed to sign the contract," Jing Jing mumbled hopelessly. She also understood the sudden change of demeanor of her boss. 

Jing Jing also think that they could still agree if Sofia asked for an increase of their payment. But for her to change the payment scheme from a fixed amount to a relative share, it was something that no teenager would be able to ask. 

This kind of negotiation had just never happened.

"Fine! I'll agree to that deal. However, there must be an ultimatum. If they become champion, we will continue with this arrangement. But if they don't win in this tournament, everything will be terminated!" Boss Wang finally reached to a more clear decision. Since the other party was asking for a share of profit, he had to raise his stake as well to avoid being taken advantage. 

The man was not also easy to deal with. He would never agree to something long term if it is bot beneficial for his company.

"Okay. Boss Wang, I will discuss the new terms with the Chronos squad captain. Bye!" Jing Jing beamed and quickly disconnected the call. She was afraid that her boss might change his mind and really cancel the contract agreement.

On the other side of the line, Boss Wang was wiping the large beads of sweat in his forehead. The call just gave him a tension that he had never experienced before.

In an instant, he grab his chair and took a seat. He immediately searched the profiles of the Chronos squad members. But after looking through what the internet could provide, he was not satisfied.

"Could it be that someone was directing behind these teenagers? Perhaps some competitors are giving them instructions?" Boss Wang was completely skeptical. He had thought of the possibility that somebody may have directed the Chronos squad to form an alliance with his company.

He reached to his personal contacts and called a private investigator immediately. "It's impossible for these lads to think of this kind of arrangement! I must check their backgrounds just to be safe."

In the media business, anything could be possible. Disaster could easily befall to those who does not exercise precaution. It was normal for the man to be wary since  he was not even familiar with the Chronos squad.