Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Cuteness Is Justice!

Soon, Chen Chen and his two companions exited the meeting room and immediately saw Ye Xiao, who was ready to go in next. Despite failing to secure investment, Chen Chen showed no signs of disappointment.

One of his companions looked disheartened and said, “Maybe we should lower our expectations. A 100 million is too risky for most companies. We’ve been to so many, but none of them are willing to trust us.”

“They seemed pretty moved just now. If we aimed for a lower amount, like 10 or 20 million, maybe it would’ve worked.”

“Come on, we’d be lucky to get a few million,” the other companion added, looking defeated.

“That would be enough to fund us for a 10 years in a basement, developing games.”

Chen Chen shook his head firmly, saying, “That’s not how I work. If we don’t aim for a 5 billion profit within a year, what’s the point? If I just wanted a few million, I’d write a few books or compose a few songs.”

Ye Xiao, standing behind him with arms crossed, thought to herself: wow, such big talk! But she had to admit, if this “fated son of destiny” didn’t have such confidence, she’d actually think less of him.

She couldn’t let the opportunity for a taunt slip by. With her signature devilish smirk, she lifted the prepared stack of materials and hit him squarely in the chest with it.

“Hey!”

Chen Chen turned just in time to get the papers straight to his chest and saw Ye Xiao standing there, smirking.

She sneered, “Trashy old man, weren’t you so confident before going in? Why are you slinking out like this? Could it be that your oh-so-amazing project didn’t even pass the first investment stage?”

“Oh, it’s you, little miss! And the lovely young lady too. I don’t believe I caught your names?”

Chen Chen smiled warmly at Ye Xiao and Su Ruoxue, completely unfazed by her jabs, though his companions were visibly bristling with irritation.

What a fake smile, Ye Xiao thought, noting how his cheerful mask seemed like something he’d crafted carefully, hiding his real, arrogant nature beneath it. In a way, she found him oddly similar to herself—and just as annoying.

She added, “Trashy uncle, I suggest you stop targeting Sister Lu and try your luck elsewhere. Maybe there’s someone else out there clueless enough to toss a few million at you. As for Sister Lu… Who are you to think you’re worthy?”

“You…”

Chen Chen’s companions were ready to confront her, fists clenched, but Chen Chen held them back.

“Next!”

A voice called from the meeting room.

Ye Xiao didn’t waste any more time on him. She grabbed Su Ruoxue’s hand and walked in, but before fully entering, she stuck her tiny arm back out the door and raised her middle finger, a universal gesture of defiance.

“Brother Chen! Look at her, look at her!”

one of his companions sputtered, red with frustration.

But Chen Chen merely smirked.

“Interesting. Let’s see who comes out on top, shall we?”

Once inside, Ye Xiao greeted everyone. Su Ruoxue wouldn’t usually accompany her here, but with an annoying guy lingering outside, Ye Xiao didn’t want to leave her there alone.

Lu Shiqing, arms crossed, pretended not to know them.

“You two are the whole entrepreneurial team?”

“Yes! Hi, Sister Lu, I’m Ye Xiao,” she replied, winking—only to be completely ignored by Lu Shiqing.

Ye Xiao pulled out a chair, jumped up to sit, and handed her materials out to the people in front of her.

Lu Shiqing, playing with a slim silver pen, asked routinely, “Briefly introduce your project.”

“We’re a gaming company. Our first project is a multi-platform, buy-to-play game,” Ye Xiao replied confidently.

Lu Shiqing nodded, getting right to the point.

“A buy-to-play game is a industry almost at the end of it’s days. What’s unique about yours? How will you attract players?”

“Oh, Sister Lu, you already know our unique charm?”

Ye Xiao’s remark caught Lu Shiqing off guard for a moment.

“Hey, I just want to ease the atmosphere for all the uncles here. Our unique charm is that we’re cute. Adorable, even! Cuteness is justice!”

Lu Shiqing rolled her eyes, she caught Ye Xiao’s innuendo, though it escaped the others.

Normally, she would’ve torn anyone down for joking like this, but somehow, Ye Xiao’s teasing didn’t grate on her nerves as it would have with someone else.

Lu Shiqing found herself thinking back to the morning, remembering how this young girl had backed her into a corner.

A slight blush crept onto her cheeks as she admitted to herself that Ye Xiao’s unexpected sass didn’t actually annoy her.

“Cute? Adorable? That’s a first for a game company,” Lu Shiqing remarked, crossing her legs.

The current gaming market in this world was saturated with overly suggestive “big sister” types. Whether it is a stand-alone or online game, almost all of them are aimed at pushing players to buy “illustrations” rather than true gameplay.

Games with deep, complex mechanics like RTS or MOBA were rare, requiring long development cycles and yielding less profit compared to eye-catching, flashy visuals. This world’s gaming industry had devolved, catering to easy cash grabs and low-effort concepts.

A game that highlighted cuteness and charm was something entirely different. But it was a risky bet.

Market trends didn’t favor it yet. The constant flow of the same type games might just create a moment where something fresh could take off overnight.

She knew all too well that, out of 10 ambitious innovators in this field, 9 failed spectacularly—and the other one was probably on a rooftop by now and getting some fresh air.

Looking at Ye Xiao, Lu Shiqing couldn’t help thinking she was anything but a safe bet. Ye Xiao’s vision went entirely against the grain of what had driven the game market for years, challenging a skewed public taste nurtured by a decade of “big sister” fanservice.