Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 241 Sincere Straight Ball (4k break)
Relationships are troublesome things, and Jian Xiaojie doesn't like to make things too complicated.

Her approach to Zhang Xiaonan was not for any other purpose than to win her over so that they could have some fun together. Everything she had done so far was just a prelude to her later direct approach.

If she had been direct with Zhang Xiaonan later and Zhang Xiaonan had rejected her, then she wouldn't have persisted.

If Zhang Xiaonan doesn't refuse, then she will naturally succeed.

But now the information that Lü Yao transmitted through Zhang Xiaonan has suddenly complicated the situation.

By interpreting the information conveyed by Lü Yao, Jian Xiaojie understood that in Lü Yao's eyes, Zhang Xiaonan possessed immense value, a value so important that she herself might not be able to protect it in the future.

Jian Xiaojie didn't know from what perspective Lü Yao came up with his judgment, but she and Rong Nianqing had long agreed that Lü Yao's judgment of the future was quite accurate. Although they didn't know where his judgment came from, over the years, people in their circle were willing to believe in Lü Yao.

So after thinking it over, Jian Xiaojie decided to be honest and straightforward with Zhang Xiaonan.

That way she can have both.

Yes.

What is she agonizing over? Only children make choices. A rich woman like her can have it all.

So Jian Xiaojie smoothed her hair, tilted her head and said to Zhang Xiaonan, "Lu Yao said you need me, which means you don't need me, but my power, enough to protect you."

Zhang Xiaonan was even more confused: "Protect me? Protect me of what?"

She's just a product manager, how did things suddenly become so complicated?

Jian Xiaojie smiled and said, "You're a smart girl. After working in the workplace for so long, you should know that many things aren't as simple as they seem. So now you need to make a choice."

"What if you weren't my protector?"

Zhang Xiaonan opened her mouth, and her mind, which was not very clear at first, began to work quickly under her hard thinking. She was very intelligent and perceptive, but she lacked awareness of her own value, so she did not think too much.

But after Jian Xiaojie's obvious hint, Zhang Xiaonan quickly realized why Jian Xiaojie had said that, and the price she would have to pay for her words and actions...

After a moment's thought, Zhang Xiaonan asked, "So, what do I need to do?"

Although she hasn't experienced much of the harsh realities of the workplace, having worked for so many years, Zhang Xiaonan knows that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Jian Xiaojie revealed a playful smile: "Of course, you'll become mine."

This sentence, combined with Jian Xiaojie's smile and expression, looked particularly ambiguous. When Jian Xiaojie moved closer to Zhang Xiaonan, almost face to face, she added, "Do you understand what I mean?"

what?
Even if Zhang Xiaonan was slow to understand, in this atmosphere, and with Jian Xiaojie's tone and expression, she still understood what Jian Xiaojie meant.

Zhang Xiaonan, whose life and personality are relatively traditional, felt her brain was about to overload. Although she understood what Jian Xiaojie meant, she still stammered, "Wait, you...you, you like girls?"

Jian Xiaojie revealed a sly smile and said, "No."

Before Zhang Xiaonan could even breathe a sigh of relief, Jian Xiaojie smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons, and said, "I like both men and women, good-looking, with good personalities, or interesting."

"Of course, having all of these would be a huge plus."

Zhang Xiaonan felt like her head was about to explode. Her relatively traditional views were greatly impacted. In her mind, liking girls was already unconventional enough, but she never expected to meet someone like Jian Xiaojie who liked both of them.

So how many people does she actually have ties with?
No, no!

Zhang Xiaonan couldn't help but shake her head. Was this the time to be thinking about these things?

Jian Xiaojie continued to press Zhang Xiaonan harder: "And let me tell you, I'm a very fickle person. Even if you become mine, I won't only like one person."

Zhang Xiaonan was completely numb.

She tentatively asked, "So how many do you like? How many men and how many women?"

Jian Xiaojie picked up her wine glass, swirled it, and tilted her head back to think, "If we're talking about girls, there are many, but I think there are three who are relatively stable right now; as for men, there's only Lü Yao right now."

what?
Zhang Xiaonan was in a state of panic, as if she had just stumbled upon some earth-shattering news.

Seeing her surprised expression, Jian Xiaojie smiled and said, "You don't actually think that Lü Yao and I are completely innocent, do you? You're so adorably naive."

Zhang Xiaonan's face immediately flushed red with embarrassment.

Jian Xiaojie continued, "I won't force you to do this, but you'd better not talk nonsense. You can think about this carefully."

As she spoke, she got up, preparing to leave Zhang Xiaonan's residence.

But as they reached the door, Jian Xiaojie suddenly said, "This is just like investing in the stock market. If you only start investing when the market is rising, it means you've likely missed the opportunity to buy at the bottom. Even if you make a profit, you won't maximize it."

"The same goes for personal relationships; if it goes on for too long, you won't get a good price."

As she spoke, Jian Xiaojie put on her elegant high heels, opened the door, and said to Zhang Xiaonan, who was still standing in the living room in a daze, her mind in turmoil, "Bye-bye~"

After leaving Zhang Xiaonan's house, Jian Xiaojie returned to her car and called Lü Yao. Jian Xiaojie lazily leaned on the steering wheel and said, "Hey, you're really good at giving me difficult questions. Now I've lost all interest in having fun."

Lü Yao laughed and said, "Don't you feel guilty saying such things? Watching Zhang Xiaonan speechless and then throwing the question back at her, watching her struggle between emotion and reason... isn't that enough to make you happy?"

Jian Xiaojie, who was leaning on the steering wheel, couldn't help but smile. It's no wonder she had always admired Lü Yao.

This guy has her thoughts completely figured out. But the fact that he can read her mind so accurately still makes her a little embarrassed. So Jian Xiaojie suppressed a laugh and said, "I don't care, you have to come with me. When I get back to Shangnan, you and Sister Shu will come to find me."

Lü Yao laughed: "Okay."

Seeing how relaxed Lü Yao was, Jian Xiaojie sighed and said, "How's things going on your end? Do you need any help? I happen to be in Beijing too."

The methods she told Zhang Xiaonan tonight were all really effective, and in a place like Beijing, her strategies were more likely to find suitable partners to implement.

The capital city was originally a place of "exchange".

People are exchanging information here.

People are exchanging resources here.

Naturally, people also exchange their value here.

In 2015, the Beijing entertainment circle still wielded considerable influence. Many of its bigwigs carried significant weight. Whenever Jian Xiaojie spoke up, numerous prominent figures within the circle would rallied to support Lü Yao. This was far more efficient and effective than Lü Yao himself trying to stir up trouble.

Lu Yao is also a pragmatist. He doesn't care whether he solves the problem himself or someone else does it for him... As long as the price is right, he will naturally agree with Jian Xiaojie helping him solve the problem.

Lü Yao laughed and said, "With my sister Jian taking the lead, it's definitely going to be a sure thing. I'd like to thank you very much."

Jian Xiaojie laughed and scolded, "You really don't hold back."

Lu Yao then took advantage of the situation and said in a flattering tone, "Of course! Sister Wang and I are both your people. Helping our own people with something is nothing to us."

By now, Lü Yao, Rong Nianqing, and Jian Xiaojie have formed an unbreakable alliance of interests. Given this, if Lü Yao were to remain clear about the differences between them, it would be a sign that he is not on their side. Therefore, he occasionally treats them to meals and gifts to help them get closer to each other.

Human relationships are about owing each other money; the best situation is when you owe each other money and we owe each other money until it's hard to clear our debts.

Jian Xiaojie laughed and said, "Okay, then I'll make a few calls tonight."

Lü Yao laughed and said, "No rush, let's do it the day after tomorrow."

If it's certain that the event will reverse, then let it continue to unfold. The more it unfolds, the better the outcome of the reversal will be.

This is also a tactic that Lü Yao usually uses.

Jian Xiaojie smiled and said, "Okay~ whatever you say."

Although she didn't say it, Jian Xiaojie was very happy with the gift that Lü Yao gave her.

……

The "fan-submitted" incident continues to escalate online.

The day after the "King of Glory Esports League Press Conference" at the Shangnan Convention and Exhibition Center, Zeng Lun, who had received the news early on, brought a cup of fine tea to President Ren's office. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zeng Lun asked, "President Ren, several companies have made moves against Shangnan this time. Aren't we going to do anything about it?"

Instead of answering, Mr. Ren asked, "How has the performance of your game 'Legend of Heroes' been lately?"

Zeng Lun truthfully replied, "There has been a slight improvement, but not much."

Mr. Ren, without even looking up as he reviewed the documents, said, "So you see, this matter doesn't have that much of an impact on Shangnan. People who like playing games won't stop playing them just because the person who made them has a bad character."

"Moreover, these games may not have been made by Lü Yao."

"What gamers care about most is whether the game is fun, whether there are many benefits, and whether the operation is competent."

President Ren looked up at Zeng Lun, his gaze somewhat cold: "Do you understand?"

Zeng Lun was no longer the newcomer he once was. He understood that this was President Ren giving him a warning, telling him to do his job well. In addition, with President Teng personally joining the Interactive Entertainment Business Group, everyone in the group was united as one, so everyone was working diligently.

They were afraid of having their flaws pointed out.

So this was also a subtle reminder from President Ren. Zeng Lun stood up and said, "I understand. I'll get to work right away."

Watching Zeng Lun's departing figure, President Ren couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

Zeng Lun has indeed grown very quickly and is very bright. Now it seems that he is indeed a promising talent, but he is still too young and a bit impetuous.

The online public opinion targeting Mr. Lü of Shangnan this time has too obvious signs of being manipulated. The Tencent, WeChat, NetEase, and Weibo groups have all made moves, all wanting to take this opportunity to plunge Lü Yao into the abyss.

But this isn't really a big problem. Even if Lü Yao's friendly persona with players collapses, he can simply step back and hide behind the scenes by changing the shareholding structure, turning Shangnan Guang'an into a more professional team.

This will actually allow Shangnan Guang'an to move towards a stronger and faster development model more quickly.

In fact, holding press conferences and constantly being exposed like Lü Yao has both advantages and disadvantages, and the disadvantages may even outweigh the advantages.

After this, he might be able to use this opportunity to hide behind the scenes.

Moreover, although Tencent, WeChat, NetEase, and Weibo all took action this time, they overlooked a major problem—the reaction of most netizens.

When the entire internet starts pushing and exposing this seemingly insignificant matter all day long, it easily triggers conspiracy theories among netizens. In addition, Lü Yao's fans have grown almost entirely through the process of being attacked online, making his fanbase incredibly loyal.

Therefore, Mr. Ren guesses that the next step will be for netizens to be unable to stand this kind of brainwashing-style smear campaign. A small group of netizens will jump out and find loopholes in this matter, followed by a large-scale bandwagon effect.

If Mr. Ren were to handle this himself... he might even make the head of the sasaeng fans who threw the things come out and apologize in person.

So neither Mr. Ren nor Mr. Teng paid much attention to this matter.

What they've been focusing on is the new game that Lü Yao announced at the "e-sports league" that he's currently developing.

At the press conference, Lu Yao only announced the general genre of the new game called "Natural Disasters and Lords," and no specific details were revealed. After the mobile game field, Lu Yao is now preparing to make a move on PC games.

With both sides exerting their efforts simultaneously, the game development team on Tencent's side is gradually finding it a bit difficult.

As Teng mentioned in a previous meeting, since Tencent gradually became more like an investment bank, they are losing their ability to innovate. This lost ability to innovate cannot be improved in a short period of time simply by him joining the team, making some changes and providing incentives.

Faced with the aggressive move of Shangnan Guang'an, which aimed to squeeze out their business by simultaneously focusing on both PC and mobile games, Teng, after much deliberation, finally decided to continue replicating their strategy.

After all, the person who said "copying is the safest form of innovation" was none other than Teng himself back then.

Therefore, in addition to the MOBA mobile game development team, Teng set up another team to create a competing product to "Cataclysm and Lords".

In fact, Mr. Ren himself did not quite agree with this strategy.

Based on what he's learned about Mr. Lü from Shangnan over this period, Mr. Ren believes this is still a smokescreen, a diversionary tactic by Mr. Lü from Shangnan to conceal his larger scheme.

However, Mr. Ren did not admonish Mr. Teng for his actions.

After all, Mr. Teng is the chairman.

What Mr. Lü from Shangnan is best at, and also the most difficult to deal with, is turning the "smoke bombs" he throws out into real, dazzling "fireworks".

Faced with such an uncertain and formidable opponent, Mr. Ren decided to continue to keep a low profile.

He would wait, until Lü Yao revealed his true intentions; until President Teng was at his wit's end; until the President's faction had become too powerful to be contained!
(End of this chapter)