Chapter 244: Chapter 244: The Winner Behind the Scenes
When Lin Mengyao woke up the next day, she only felt a sore waist and back, as if she had been run over and reassembled by a car. Every movement brought a crackling sound from her bones, which made one’s scalp tingle. On the bedside table were toasted bread and a cup of hot milk, along with a cream-colored sticky note, which suddenly improved Lin Mengyao’s mood.
The man, after a hearty meal, drove with a satisfied smile to the agreed meeting place with Jin Yuyan.
Xu Ke arrived at the private room ten minutes early, only to find that Jin Yuyan was already sitting inside. The teapot in front of her had lost its heat, indicating that she had been there for quite some time.
"I’m late," Xu Ke said as he took off his coat and hung it on a rack by the door.
"No, I’m early," Jin Yuyan’s face was expressionless, and her entire aura was much more mature and stable than before. This same aura also made her look much older than her peers. Clearly still at the age of a blooming flower, her eyes already showed a trace of vicissitudes, looking like someone over forty.
"I didn’t expect the Jin family’s affairs to affect you so much. You’ve changed a lot," Xu Ke said as he sat on the tatami, taking a closer look at Jin Yuyan’s eyes.
Jin Yuyan slowly rubbed the rim of her cup with her fingers, lowered her head, and said in a low voice, "Isn’t this the result you wanted to see?" Jin Yuyan raised her head, a strand of hair fell from her forehead, but she tucked it back behind her ear, "Are you satisfied with how I’ve become now?"
Xu Ke looked at her eyes, which were as calm as a dry well, and slightly frowned, "Your change was never in my plans."
Upon hearing Xu Ke’s words, Jin Yuyan’s lips curled slightly, a hint of sarcasm in that gesture, it was unclear if it was directed at Xu Ke, herself, or simply a habitual motion.
"Indeed, probably except for Lin Mengyao, other women in your eyes are like air. You’ve never taken women like us seriously," Jin Yuyan said in a low voice.
But soon, as if remembering something, she overturned her previous conclusion, "No, to be accurate, in your eyes, we are only categorized as useful or useless. Towards useful women, you are a bit more patient, and towards the useless, you feel it’s a waste of time to even take a glance. But today you wasted time coming to meet me, so I’m temporarily considered useful to you, but after today, I might be categorized into the latter."
Only at this point did Jin Yuyan set her gaze on Xu Ke’s face, and for the first time, some spark of life entered her eyes, but her mood had changed. Her eyes, however, were far less captivating than Lin Mengyao’s.
"Miss Jin, your summary is spot-on, but I must correct one point. My view is not limited to women—men receive the same treatment from me. I, Xu Ke, am a businessman. Business is about interests above all. Besides, didn’t you place attention on me because I can bring you certain benefits? If I were a nobody, would you even notice me? So we’re all the same, putting on this act is unnecessary."
"My time is precious, and I have no extra time to give Miss Jin a life lesson. Let’s get down to business. I assume you have accepted my last proposal, have the contracts been printed out?" Xu Ke crossed his hands over his lap and nodded toward Jin Yuyan.
"Thank you for your guidance. I’ve always thought that among the younger generation in Luocheng, only I, Jin Yuyan, stand out. I’ve never really acknowledged anyone else, but I didn’t expect there to be a higher sky beyond my own limits," Jin Yuyan’s smile widened slightly.
"I did not agree to your last proposal. Two hundred million is far too low. Even if you want to haggle, you should raise the price a bit, otherwise I’d rather let this project rot in my hands, so neither of us gets it," Jin Yuyan said, looking straight into Xu Ke’s eyes.
"For this project, our Jin family has invested too much manpower and resources over the past two years. Selling it cheaply for just two hundred million not only insults our Jin family but also disrespects the game itself. My bottom line for this game is one billion, and it won’t change. If you’re truly sincere about this project, I’ll sell it to you for one billion. We can complete all the procedures today. If you disagree, I’ll look for another buyer, and if I can’t find one, I’d let this game rot in my hands, letting no one have it."
Jin Yuyan’s eyes held insistence, obstinacy, and madness.
Xu Ke didn’t doubt Jin Yuyan’s words; he believed she truly meant it.
Xu Ke didn’t want to push too hard and end up with nothing, so he nodded and said, "Alright, besides this, what other business were you referring to?"
"The Jin family has fifteen properties in Luocheng. I want to sell five of them. Do you have any interest?" Jin Yuyan asked.
"The ten billion from the game is enough to get the Jin family through this crisis without needing to sell properties." Xu Ke glanced at the list of the five properties Jin Yuyan was offering, saying in a nonchalant tone.
"This is an internal matter of the Jin family, and it’s inconvenient to disclose it to you," Jin Yuyan said with a professional smile on her face.
Xu Ke looked up at her, took the property information from Jin Yuyan’s hand, and upon seeing that one property was isolated on a nearly private island with a sea view in front and mountains behind, his gaze settled.
"I’ll take this one," Xu Ke pointed to the island property he was interested in.
"The five properties are sold as a bundle, not individually," Jin Yuyan said, her voice calm and steady as she glanced at the place Xu Ke was eyeing.
"In that case, I’ll buy all five. I’ll send my assistant to Jin Corporation this afternoon, and they will handle the rest of the procedures as my proxy," Xu Ke didn’t bother to haggle with Jin Yuyan. Although he wasn’t interested in the other four, he didn’t mind buying them all. Who knows, one might be to Lin Mengyao’s liking?
"Mr. Xu is straightforward. Since our business is concluded, I won’t take more of your time, goodbye," having finished the negotiations, Jin Yuyan’s professional smile disappeared from her face, making her look much colder.
"Take your time, Miss Jin," Xu Ke didn’t take Jin Yuyan’s attitude to heart, grabbed his coat, and stepped out of the private room, calling his assistant to go to Jin Corporation to handle these two matters.