After the Restricted-Genre Side Character Plays the Villainous Boss - Chapter 10

“Whoever can keep up with his pace will be the master of the new era.”

Long Yin slammed the magazine onto the desk and said coldly, “Is this the result of the tens of millions we spent on publicity? Am I some tyrant from a feudal dynasty? Is this how you write about me?”

The public relations manager stood up under the collective gaze of the management team and explained tremulously, “This was not our promotion. The paparazzi wrote it without authorization. If you are not satisfied, we can issue a lawyer’s letter to the publication.”

Long Yin replied sharply, “Instead of doing things that bully others and invite criticism, you should think about how to improve our image! How many times have I said it? Cooperation and mutual benefit! The Long Family Group has never relied on autocracy to reach its current position!”

The managers nodded in agreement with outward submissiveness, but they felt a deep sense of irony in their hearts.

In the business world, being a tyrant or an autocrat is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, who does not want their group to become a unicorn in the industry?

There were too many rising stars at Longmen Port. The rise of emerging forces would inevitably impact the original power groups. Old Lord Long’s decision to reroute to the New Port seemed like an attempt to crush young seeds in their cradle, but in reality, it may have been a hidden strategy to avoid their sharp edges. Anyone with a discerning eye could see he was a paper tiger.

In comparison, Long Yin acted like a tyrant while simultaneously building a kind and approachable image in his publicity. Every word and action was unfathomable, which was truly terrifying.

After the exhausting noon meeting, Long Yin moved on to the next item on his agenda without pause. He had to handle all official business within two hours to leave time to rush to the harbor for the naming ceremony of the New Port.

This ceremony was originally supposed to be held three months ago. After the unexpected passing of Old Lord Long, the port authorities postponed the ceremony until now as a mark of respect.

Long Yin had been working at high intensity without rest during this period. Now, he finally had the time to participate in the naming ceremony, which was a crucial plot point in the original story.

The reason why a high-level villain boss is difficult to play, and why no one wants to play the role, is due to the immense career pressure, aside from the tragic ending.

For many role-players, the difficulty of operating a large company is far higher than collecting Shame Value. Often, before they can use their power to suppress the protagonist, they have already gone bankrupt due to poor management or have been toppled by minor characters in the book, falling into poverty.

Fortunately, Long Yin had an advantage in this regard.

His original form was not human, but a White Dragon. In terms of physical constitution and energy, he was far superior to ordinary role-players.

However, Long Yin also had a flaw that regular role-players did not.

In the Dragon Race, dark colors are respected. The more Destiny Qi a dragon possesses, the darker its color becomes, until it nears black. A White Dragon like Long Yin, who could not condense even a drop of Destiny Qi, was regarded as a disgrace to the race. Exiled and unable to survive in the Dragon World, he had to seek a way out in other worlds. This was why Long Yin chose to become a role-player and came to the world of books.

To Long Yin, the world within books was much better suited for him than his own world. If conditions permitted, he would spend his life in a small world after the plot ended. If conditions were even better, he would take the opportunity of contacting the protagonist to secretly rub a bit of Destiny Qi off them to extend his own life and prevent himself from dying young.

In the car on the way to the ceremony, Long Yin flipped through the project proposal to confirm the ceremony procedures while simultaneously asking his Special Assistant:

“How has Yue Mingcang been lately?”

The Special Assistant reported a list of Yue Mingcang’s recent activities with complex emotions and then asked tentatively, “Boss, since you want to build an image of a kind and approachable entrepreneur, what about Mr. Yue?”

“Oh, he is different.”

Long Yin did not need to hear the rest to know what the Special Assistant wanted to say. He immediately interrupted him and emphasized:

“Yue Mingcang taking over Longmen Port is an act of defiance against me. Make sure everyone at Longmen Port knows that whoever cooperates with him is my enemy. Whoever stops their goods at his port will never be allowed on a Long Family ship again.”

Special Assistant: ” ”

Being kind and seeking mutual benefit with everyone else, but being ruthlessly destructive toward only Yue Mingcang? Could this not be considered a “Tyrant’s Exception”?

“Boss Yue, I have entrusted my life and fortune to you. You must hold on for a few more days!”

A business partner held Yue Mingcang’s hand, his weathered face full of hopeless expectation.

Long Yin’s standardized New Port was indeed excellent and was a key government-supported project. However, standardization meant higher entry barriers, less flexibility, and a higher budget. For many merchants who relied on Longmen Port for a living, an extra budget item meant earning less or even losing money.

Under immense economic pressure, many merchants took the risk to cooperate with Yue Mingcang despite Long Yin’s harsh words.

During the rapid construction of the New Port, countless goods sought transshipment at Longmen Port. This was especially true when merchants discovered that the system Yue Mingcang developed fit the transshipment of goods at Longmen Port perfectly. They began to resign orders that had previously been canceled.

In just three months, Yue Mingcang had gone from an anonymous person on the verge of bankruptcy to the undisputed person in charge of Longmen Port.

Recently, in order to take on more business, Yue Mingcang planned to expand the scale of his company. He was already looking for a larger office space. Anywhere near the port would do, but the place he wanted most was the office building originally belonging to White Dragon Shipping at Longmen Port.

That office building had been vacant since White Dragon Shipping moved out. Given his current relationship with Long Yin, if handled properly, there might be a chance to acquire it at a low price.

Yue Mingcang believed he was doing very well, but all his partners felt his days were numbered. They looked at him as if he were an insect about to be crushed by a tyrant.

Every time, Yue Mingcang would patiently explain, “Actually, my relationship with Young Master Long is not as bad as you think.”

The partner sighed and said, “Do not lie to me. It is common knowledge at the New Port that Young Master Long wants to leave you isolated and without support! He wants to see you dead and without a place for burial!”

Yue Mingcang: ” ”

These rumors were becoming increasingly ridiculous. Two days ago, the version was “Young Master Long predicts Longmen Port will be bankrupt within a year.” In just a few days, it had changed to “dead and without a place for burial.” He did not dare to imagine what it would become in another two days.

Yue Mingcang said tiredly, “You are exaggerating.”

The partner said with a mournful face, “Boss Yue, face reality! Longmen Port is so old; it cannot affect Young Master Long’s grand plans at all. If he did not want to leave you with no way out, why would Young Master Long pursue Longmen Port so relentlessly?”

Yue Mingcang smiled meaningfully and stopped talking.

Even if he gave the answer to this question, no one would believe it. He maintained contact with several of Long Yin’s assistants. Although these people could not reveal anything about Long Yin due to confidentiality principles, he could sense Long Yin’s attitude through theirs.

It was definitely not an attempt to destroy him.

If he had to say it, Long Yin’s behavior was somewhat similar to a primary school boy intentionally pulling a female classmate’s braid.

Yue Mingcang used to loathe such behavior. Yue Yuling had encountered something similar when she was young and had beaten the boy up. When he went to school to help clean up the mess, he almost beat up the brat and the brat’s parents as well.

However, things cannot be generalized. One must analyze specific situations. The person having his braid pulled was himself, a mature adult male. The person pulling the braid was Long Yin, a young, beautiful, and strangely-minded tyrant. In this situation, if he still minded the way the tyrant expressed his attention, would it not seem like he had lived all these years in vain?

Although he did not know exactly what Long Yin wanted to do or what Long Yin wanted him to do, if Long Yin thought that besieging Longmen Port would leave him with no way out, that was far too naive.

Compared to the distant gambling agreement, he would have already been at a dead end if it were not for the loan from the Long Family Consortium.

Admittedly, if Long Yin continued to target Longmen Port, it would be impossible for him to complete the gambling contract he signed when taking over. In a year, Longmen Port would not only return to Long Yin’s ownership, but all profits generated in the interim would also belong to Long Yin, and he would be left with a massive debt. But…

He wondered if Long Yin still remembered what he looked like when he appeared on the Pure White. Without Long Yin’s help, he would have already lost his sister and his grandmother and become a man all alone. If things had turned out that way, what use would he have for money or Longmen Port?

Now, Yue Yuling was leisurely sitting in the office drinking coffee and fixing bugs in the port system. His grandmother’s health had recovered well; since being discharged, she was keen on growing vegetables and raising fish, living a very comfortable life.

As long as such days could continue, it did not matter if Long Yin was just pulling his braid out of boredom. Even if Long Yin picked up his White Dragon cane and whipped… ahem, even if Long Yin wanted to take him apart and sell him, he would never have a single word of complaint.

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