Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Let’s Talk About Investment

“Ye Xiao, aren’t you even a little nervous?”

While they were waiting for the results, Su Ruoxue couldn’t help but pinch Ye Xiao hard.

“Oh, come on~ With a project like mine, is there really any need for discussion? If they choose not to invest, that’s their loss~”

Ye Xiao, who had finally put on a professional attitude for the investment meeting, dropped the act right after the session ended, showing her true colors.

Not long after, the secretary came out holding Ye Xiao’s proposal.

“So, how did the discussion go? How much are you planning to invest in my project?”

Ye Xiao asked confidently, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the secretary in front of her.

“You… little sister, you’d better see for yourself!”

Ye Xiao took the file, and right in the center of the cover page was a large red stamp.

The big red characters “Not Approved” were glaringly obvious.

“That’s impossible!”

“There must be some mistake!”

Ye Xiao rubbed her eyes, suspecting she was seeing things.

“Please, let me go back in and explain one more time. They must have misunderstood something I said earlier. This project really has potential! I’m begging you…”

Was her very first project proposal really going to end in failure?

Without the 50 million, making “Phantom Beast Palu” would be nothing short of a pipe dream.

A game that sold over a million copies in its first 8 hours, reached 3 million in 40 hours, and then broke 8 million in just 6 days—yet she couldn’t even pass the angel investment round?

Ye Xiao took a deep breath. She had spent a whole night preparing her proposal, and she had even pestered Sister Tongzi relentlessly to get a demo for “Phantom Beast Palu”, only for it to end like this?

This was Ye Xiao’s first true breakdown since coming to this world.

“I’m sorry, little sister, but even if you say that, there’s nothing I can do. Your project was the last one of the day, and President Lu and the others have already left…”

The secretary looked at Ye Xiao, wondering if this was the same energetic girl who had just been saying she’d conquer players with cuteness and adorableness, convincing them to pay for love.

“Ye Xiao?”

“Sister Su… Was I wrong from the start?”

Ye Xiao tilted her head up and looked at Su Ruoxue, who had stayed by her side throughout the session without saying a single word, her face full of frustration.

“How could that be? I thought your idea was really interesting, they just lack vision.”

“Please, stop comforting me, Sister Su!”

Even now, she couldn’t believe that there was anything wrong with “Phantom Beast Palu” itself. “Phantom Beast Palu” was so successful, yet she couldn’t secure funding for it. Ye Xiao couldn’t help but think it was her fault.

Could it be that she really wasn’t cut out for starting a business or making games?

With these thoughts, Ye Xiao walked out of the room, feeling downcast.

Afraid something might happen to her, Su Ruoxue followed her closely. Just outside the door, they saw the young people Ye Xiao had mocked earlier, squatting in the hallway with their heads in their hands.

The guy named Chen Chen was still standing, looking unbothered as he ate a peach he’d somehow procured.

When he saw Ye Xiao in her current state, he chuckled. “What’s this? You didn’t get any investment either?”

Ye Xiao forced herself to put on a brave face and looked up at Chen Chen. Why was this annoying fly still here?

She could handle being frustrated, breaking down, and feeling sad on her own, but she wouldn’t tolerate showing her failure to the person she despised most and letting him gloat.

However, Ye Xiao couldn’t help but notice that Chen Chen seemed even more handsome than before. If she weren’t so uninterested in men, she might have been drawn to his looks, but right now, all she felt was an even deeper disgust.

[Host, please be aware that target Chen Chen’s charm has reached MAX level. The system has activated protection mode to shield you from his charm and prevent any impact on you.]

So this guy had ulterior motives all along. From the beginning, he was probably here for reasons other than the angel investment meeting.

At that moment, Lu Shiqing walked over from the far end of the hallway.

“A-Xue, Ye Xiao… you’re both still here? Oh, by the way, Ye Xiao, even though Gaoshan Venture Capital decided not to invest in your project, I could help submit it to other investment firms. Maybe they’ll be interested?”

“Or… I might have a personal interest in you myself.”

Lu Shiqing’s gaze lingered on Ye Xiao with a playful smile.

She couldn’t deny that she found Ye Xiao’s project rather intriguing, just like Ye Xiao had described in the meeting—the game was certainly cute.

“So, what do you say? Would you be interested in having a private discussion with me?” If it were any other entrepreneur, receiving an invitation from Lu Shiqing would have them eagerly agreeing.

But Ye Xiao was different. She brushed aside her earlier disappointment, losing her previous arrogance and condescension. She looked seriously at the person in front of her.

“Would you really invest money?”

“Possibly,” Lu Shiqing said with a wink.

“Forget it,” Ye Xiao shook her head, “50 million isn’t exactly a small amount.”

Lu Shiqing grinned slyly.

“Little friend Ye Xiao, I’m afraid that you might be underestimating me a bit, right?”

The defeated and downcast Ye Xiao, after facing Chen Chen and running into Lu Shiqing, seemed to regain her composure.

“Sister Lu, it’s not that I’m underestimating you, it’s just that I feel maybe I was too hasty.”

Ye Xiao looked up, glancing at Lu Shiqing’s chest and then at Su Ruoxue’s.

After this setback, Ye Xiao finally began to reflect on herself.

From the moment she’d decided to make a game, both Ye Youran and Shen Yunchu had been visibly worried time and time again.

They believed that Ye Xiao’s decision was too impulsive, but they hadn’t tried to stop her—they’d let her do as she pleased.

And Ye Xiao, like a spoiled child, had become arrogant, seeing only what she wanted to see, acting recklessly.

It was fortunate that Shen Yunchu and Ye Youran had the patience to tolerate her whims. Otherwise, anyone else would have probably taught her a harsh lesson.

Noticing Ye Xiao’s gaze, Lu Shiqing’s expression darkened slightly.

“So, are you accepting or not? Or is it that you only want corporate investment and won’t accept personal funding? What’s wrong—are you afraid there’s a risk in me personally injecting funds?”

“Ah? Sister Lu, if even a small fry like you isn’t worried about the risk of injecting funds, why should I, as the recipient, be concerned?”

After this failure, Ye Xiao had grown much more open-minded.

Lu Shiqing’s smile broadened. “Good, then it’s settled. Let’s find a place to have a proper talk about this ‘injection’ matter”.