When the Villain Falls Madly in Love with Me - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Evil Capitalist

Weekend morning, outside the airport.

Jiang Le tightened her windbreaker. The weather was starting to warm up after the spring began, but the morning wind was still a little bleak.

Gu Li was also there to pick up Jiang Congyue. She always boasted about being strong and choosing style over warmth, but since she was meeting an elder, she was dressed particularly formally and movingly today.

These two striking people standing there drew numerous glances from passersby.

Gu Li shivered slightly, clearly tired of standing. She looked at her watch and asked, “Jiang Le, hasn’t she arrived yet?”

Jiang Le pursed her lips and gazed at the entrance, then looked down at her phone which had no new messages. She could only reassure her, “Wait a little longer, she should be out soon. If you’re cold, go back to the car.”

Hearing this, Gu Li wasn’t happy. “Hey, no way. I’m here to see the great benefactor.”

Fortunately, a group of people soon streamed out of the entrance. Jiang Le immediately stood up straight and craned her neck to search for the person.

She saw Jiang Congyue emerging, protected and surrounded by several people. Perhaps she had overestimated the current weather in Beishi, as she was wearing a conspicuously large padded coat.

Gu Li, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized the person she often video-chatted with Jiang Le. She flashed a vibrant smile and waved and called out loudly to them, “Aunt Jiang, over here!”

Jiang Congyue raised her head upon hearing the sound, spotting Jiang Le instantly. Her steps quickened with delight.

After the group met, Gu Li enthusiastically took Jiang Congyue’s arm and said in a spoiled manner, “Aunt Jiang, you looked so impressive just now, I spotted you right away!”

Jiang Congyue, complimented, smiled at her and returned the favor, “Really? From a distance, I thought you were a big celebrity standing here. What a stunning beauty.”

Gu Li, whose heart was blossoming from the praise, was even happier, grinning from ear to ear the whole way.

Jiang Le took Jiang Congyue on a tour of their small studio, and Jiang Congyue thoughtfully brought a small gift for everyone.

After they left, they secretly unwrapped the gifts. It was an exquisite fountain pen, which looked expensive. Someone searched the price, and the crowd, holding their pens, fell into contemplation.

What an evil capitalist!

That evening, Jiang Congyue and her party arrived at the Xinghua Hotel.

“Tonight we’re meeting the second young master of the Lin family in Beishi. You’ve been here for so long, you must have heard of him,” Jiang Congyue whispered to her.

Jiang Le pondered for a moment. “I’ve heard of him, but doesn’t the Lin family focus on politics? We, who do game development, don’t have much interaction with them, so I don’t know much.”

Jiang Congyue was not surprised by this answer. She nodded and said with a smiling face, “Yes, but aren’t you looking for investors recently? This Second Young Master Lin has nothing but money and he’s stupid. Go and sweet-talk him. If you can lure him onto the ‘pirate ship,’ you won’t have to worry about follow-up funding.”

At this point, Jiang Le finally understood why Jiang Congyue insisted on her accompanying her tonight—her true intention was this.

She glanced at Jiang Congyue, who had reverted to her graceful and serious demeanor, and felt she looked exactly like a sly old fox secretly up to no good.

As they talked, the two walked hand-in-hand into the private room, where many people in suits were sitting, quietly talking amongst themselves. In the center sat the Second Young Master Lin whom Jiang Congyue had mentioned.

【Boring.】

Jiang Le looked at him upon hearing the thought. He didn’t look old, probably around her age, with a cigarette between his fingers, sitting there with an indifferent expression. An older person next to him leaned in and whispered something, and he frowned, impatiently clicking his tongue in annoyance, “Tsk.” The surroundings instantly fell quiet.

He stood up irritably, stubbed out the cigarette, and walked over in a swaggering manner, extending his hand to Jiang Congyue. “Ms. Jiang, pleased to meet you.”

Jiang Congyue smiled gracefully and shook his hand. “Second Young Master Lin, a pleasure.”

After the handshake, he coldly sat back down. The slightly older people nearby, fearing they might neglect Jiang Congyue, quickly came over. “Ms. Jiang, please take a seat. It’s truly a bother for you to travel all this way.”

The older gentleman solicitously led Jiang Congyue and Jiang Le to their seats, his face plastered with a professional smile.

Jiang Congyue elegantly took her seat, her peripheral vision catching the Second Young Master Lin re-lighting a cigarette. Her voice was gentle yet carried undeniable weight: “Mr. Li is too kind. It’s worth any distance to meet Second Young Master Lin.” She gently patted Jiang Le’s hand. “This is my daughter, Jiang Le. She currently runs a game development studio in Beishi. She’s young and wants to strike out on her own.”

Second Young Master Lin—Lin Zhen—lifted his eyelids upon hearing this, his gaze falling lazily on Jiang Le. His eyes were scrutinizing, as if sizing up an inconsequential person, carrying a condescending sense of detachment. He blew out a smoke ring, his voice slightly hoarse from the smoke: “Games? Kids’ stuff.”

Though his words were impolite, he took a second look at Jiang Le. She was wearing a well-tailored windbreaker, unlike the other bejeweled guests in the room. She wore minimal makeup, her eyes clear but conveying a quiet strength; she didn’t look like she was here to cling on, but rather to observe.

Mr. Li glanced at Jiang Congyue, his face stiffening, and quickly tried to smooth things over: “The Second Young Master is joking. The gaming industry has broad prospects now, and it’s good for young people to have ideas. Miss Jiang clearly looks like a promising young talent.”

Jiang Le wasn’t annoyed. Instead, she met Lin Zhen’s gaze and curved her lips slightly: “Second Young Master Lin is right, games are often regarded as a distraction from serious business. However, if ‘playing’ can be turned into an industry, making people willing to pay for it, and even carry culture and emotion, perhaps it’s not just kids’ stuff anymore.” Her voice was calm and neither humble nor overbearing, like stating a simple fact.

Lin Zhen paused in the act of flicking his cigarette ash, apparently not expecting her to talk back so directly, and with such a gentle rebuttal. He scoffed, choosing not to continue the topic, and turned to Jiang Congyue: “Ms. Jiang, let’s get straight to the point. What project are you here for this time?”

The dinner proceeded in a subtle atmosphere. Lin Zhen clearly had no patience for pleasantries, with Mr. Li and others doing most of the conversation with Jiang Congyue. Lin Zhen occasionally interjected a word or two, which were precise and sharp, often instantly capturing the core of the issue, a stark contrast to the playboy arrogance he displayed.

Jiang Le quietly ate, occasionally responding to questions from others, but mostly observing.

She noticed that although Lin Zhen’s posture was lazy, his eyes would flash with extremely sharp light when listening to Jiang Congyue introduce a recent overseas cooperation project. He was nothing like the ‘just rich and stupid’ second-generation heir Jiang Congyue described.

Midway through, Lin Zhen got up to take a call. Jiang Congyue seized the chance to wink at Jiang Le and lowered her voice: “How is it? Doesn’t he seem easy to fool?”

Jiang Le picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, gently shook her head, and spoke even softer: “Big Ms. Jiang, you might have misjudged him this time. This Second Young Master is sharp.” His apparent impatience and arrogance were more like a protective layer, or an extreme repulsion to ineffective socializing.

Jiang Congyue raised an eyebrow and smiled meaningfully.

A little while later, Jiang Le also got up to use the restroom. Just as she stepped out, she saw Lin Zhen in the hallway corner. He was leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for her, his cigarette already half-smoked.

“Miss Jiang,” he spoke, the smoke curling up. His eyes were much more direct, lacking the indifference from the private room. “What’s your studio primarily focusing on?”

Jiang Le stopped, knowing the real conversation had begun. She succinctly introduced a narrative puzzle game with immersive elements that the studio was developing, emphasizing its unique art style and the emotional core it aimed to convey.

Lin Zhen listened quietly, without interruption. Only after she finished did he flick the ash: “Doesn’t sound very profitable.”

“In the short term, the returns certainly aren’t as fast as ‘pay-to-win’ mobile games. But we want to create something that leaves a mark, not just fast consumption,” Jiang Le admitted honestly.

“Idealism,” Lin Zhen commented, without clear praise or criticism. He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked: “Have you read The Waste Land?”

Jiang Le was startled, then nodded: “T.S. Eliot? I have.”

“The poem says, ‘We are the hollow men… stuffed with straw.’ ” He took a drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled. “Do you think the game you are making is stuffing more straw into people, or letting them try to put something else in?”

This question completely caught Jiang Le off guard. It was sharp and profound, totally unlike a question a ‘just rich and stupid’ person would ask. She seriously thought for a moment and replied: “I can’t claim it can fill anything substantial, but at the very least, we want to try tapping that hollow layer to hear the echo. Maybe someone will realize from that, that they might not have to be completely hollow men.”

Lin Zhen stared at her for a long time. In those eyes that usually held impatience, there was now something complex and hard to decipher. He finally stubbed out the cigarette on the nearby trash can.

“Have your assistant send me the project proposal and the demo later.” After saying this, he turned and walked back, as if the conversation was merely a passing whim.

Jiang Le watched his retreating back, slightly lost in thought.

Back in the private room, Lin Zhen seemed to have reverted to his bored demeanor, but until the end of the banquet, he made no further disparaging remarks about the gaming industry.

During the farewell, Mr. Li and the others enthusiastically walked the mother and daughter to the hotel entrance. Lin Zhen walked last. His driver had already pulled the car up.

Before getting in, he paused, looked back at Jiang Le, his tone still flat: “The proposal. Don’t send it too late, I have a bad memory.”

The car merged into the traffic, its taillights quickly disappearing into the night.

Jiang Congyue adjusted her shawl and asked Jiang Le with a smile: “How was it?”

Jiang Le watched the direction the car had left, slowly exhaled, and curled her lips into a subtle arc: “Big Ms. Jiang, you were playing with me, weren’t you? Did you know all along that he’s not simple?”

Jiang Congyue just smiled without answering, her eyes showing a composure of having everything in control.

The evening breeze blew, carrying the unique coolness and hustle of Beishi’s night. Jiang Le suddenly felt that this ‘sweet-talking’ attempt might become very interesting. The seemingly hollow and arrogant Second Young Master Lin was no ordinary person.

If he were a competitor, he would be hard to deal with, but fortunately, she was only trying to get an investment. Success would be a bonus, and failure would be no loss.

As she was deep in thought, a few soft coughs from Jiang Congyue pulled her back.

“Why are you coughing again?” Jiang Le frowned. Although Jiang Congyue tried hard to hide it, she had heard it so many times in just one day of meeting.

As they were still standing in the draft waiting for their car, she simply took off her windbreaker and wrapped Jiang Congyue tightly, making sure it was completely sealed, before her expression eased up a little.

Jiang Congyue was made to chuckle helplessly by her action. “You’re wearing so little yourself, and you gave it to me. You’ve practically wrapped me up like a rice dumpling, it’s hideous.”

“Stop with the nonsense. Isn’t it enough that you’re warm?” Jiang Le mumbled quietly.