After Rebirth, I Became the Richest Woman - Chapter 4

The three of them came to a café.

When they took their seats, Qin Moyan deliberately pulled out Ye Xinuo’s chair for her.

The server asked, “What would the three of you like to drink?”

“Ladies first,” Ding Qi said.

Without asking for Ye Xinuo’s opinion, Qin Moyan said gently, “A latte with half sugar for Xinuo. An Americano for me, thank you.”

Ding Qi said, “An espresso for me, thank you.”

The moment Qin Moyan finished ordering, Ye Xinuo’s brows immediately furrowed. Realizing this, she quickly and discreetly looked out the window, adjusting her expression.

The fog in her heart grew thicker and thicker. Counting it up, she had only known Qin Moyan for two short days. How could Qin Moyan know her coffee preference? The most plausible explanation was that this person had investigated her. If that was the case, Qin Moyan was even more terrifying than Ye Xinuo had imagined. Even when putting on an act, she could do it flawlessly.

Thinking of this, Ye Xinuo tried hard to recall her previous life. Her relationship with Qin Moyan had never been close enough for Qin Moyan to order for her. And when she had just taken over the company, she had been in a muddle all day, so there was no way for her to know exactly how much Qin Moyan understood about her.

“I didn’t expect you two ladies to be here for the artificial intelligence forum too. What a coincidence,” Ding Qi said, interrupting Ye Xinuo’s thoughts.

Forcing herself to quickly set aside the tangled mess in her mind, Ye Xinuo smiled and said, “I don’t know the first thing about artificial intelligence. It was Ah Mo who insisted on dragging me here. You two should have more to talk about.”

Seeing Ye Xinuo throw the conversation to her, Qin Moyan said calmly, “Artificial intelligence is the major trend of the future. I’m a businesswoman, so naturally I won’t let go of any opportunity to make money.”

Ye Xinuo really could not guess Qin Moyan’s thoughts. She had thought Qin Moyan was pretending to be a couple with her in order not to appear too eager for quick success and to lower Ding Qi’s guard. Yet unexpectedly, Qin Moyan went straight to the point after only a few words. In that case, there had been no need to go through the extra trouble at all.

Ding Qi smiled faintly. “I believe Miss Qin also knows that many investors have approached me before, but their ideals did not align with mine.”

“First, I should apologize to President Ding. I investigated you beforehand.”

Although she said that, there was not the slightest trace of apology on Qin Moyan’s face.

Ding Qi said nothing and merely picked up his cup, taking a small sip.

“I believe President Ding understands better than I do that in order to iterate and develop a top-tier product, strong financial support is necessary. In terms of financial strength, the names Qin Moyan and Ye Xinuo combined represent a continuous injection of capital.”

Qin Moyan’s gaze carried a certainty that she would win.

“As for why President Ding rejected so many investors, I’m guessing a major reason is that they hoped you would hide your sexual orientation. The fact that they made such a demand proves they failed to realize just how valuable your invention truly is. We are exactly the opposite. We can become your strongest backing.”

Seeing that Ding Qi remained silent, Qin Moyan continued, “I do not believe President Ding is truly not anxious. Otherwise, you would not have handed out your business card on the plane.”

Ye Xinuo suddenly understood. How had she been so foolish? Although Ding Qi was highly sought after, if he did not make a decision soon, his project would also face a shutdown. On the plane, he had clearly recognized their identities and used the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

Ding Qi smiled and shook his head. “Miss Qin has investigated me so thoroughly that I almost thought there was a wiretap on me.” After a pause, he added, “But you are not entirely right.”

Qin Moyan said, “I would like to hear the details.”

“It is true that I want to find an investor who understands me, but I will never seek help blindly in desperation.”

Ding Qi took a deep breath. “Heaven gave me the mind of a genius, but life has been unfair to me at every turn. I had no parents growing up and was raised in an orphanage, where I suffered endless cold treatment. After finally achieving some small success academically, because of my orientation, a classmate reported me to a professor, and even my guaranteed postgraduate admission was taken away.”

After saying that, he laughed self-mockingly. “Perhaps that was good too. Otherwise, I would never have thought of starting my own business.”

Hearing this, Ye Xinuo finally understood what Ding Qi wanted.

“Recognition.” Ding Qi became somewhat emotional. “I need recognition from others. Not something pretended, but recognition of me as a person from the bottom of their hearts. I believe only those who are truly the same as me can understand my loneliness.”

Even at this point, Ye Xinuo did not forget her innocent persona. Sharing his anger, she said, “I didn’t expect President Ding to be such a person of feeling. Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. You did the right thing!”

Qin Moyan said, “In that case, President Ding will enjoy cooperating with us. If you want others to willingly submit, the best method is to stand at the top of the pyramid, isn’t it? I firmly believe that you can create an era of your own.”

Ye Xinuo sighed inwardly. Tsk, tsk. These words really sound grand and dignified.

Ding Qi hesitated a little. “Miss Qin, please allow me to consider it for two days. Would it be convenient to leave me a contact method?”

With a whoosh, Ye Xinuo pulled out her own business card and handed it to Ding Qi. “If President Ding has made up his mind, contacting me is the same.”

Qin Moyan looked at Ye Xinuo meaningfully, then said to Ding Qi, “My girlfriend is petty and easily jealous. If President Ding has made up his mind, just contact her.”

“All right.”

Ding Qi accepted Ye Xinuo’s business card, then said goodbye and left.

After he was gone, Ye Xinuo asked bluntly, “Director Qin is comfortable letting me contact him alone?”

“Miss Ye is an important person with a poor memory. You seem to have forgotten that I said I wanted to cooperate with you. If I do not trust you, how can we cooperate?”

Ye Xinuo retorted, “I only said I’d pretend to be a couple with you. I never said we would continue cooperating after this.”

“The person Ding Qi has acknowledged is the two of us. How much room does Miss Ye think she has to choose? There is no need for Miss Ye to rush to refuse. When I say I want to cooperate with you, I mean investing in Ding Qi’s company together with you in my personal capacity. If Miss Ye does not agree, I can only hand this piece of fat meat over to Hesen.”

Ye Xinuo recalled her previous life. Ding Qi’s company had indeed been acquired by Hesen Fund. In that case, if she agreed to cooperate with Qin Moyan, many things in the future would become different.

She suddenly fell into hesitation. Securing Ding Qi was certainly a good thing, but like the butterfly effect, one changed step would lead to every step changing. The originally predetermined path would now contain many more unknowns. More importantly, Qin Moyan gave her a very dangerous feeling. Ye Xinuo even felt that despite having fought Qin Moyan for five years in her previous life, she had never truly understood what kind of person Qin Moyan was.

And in the end, the facts would prove that no matter how much Ye Xinuo guarded against her, she was still schemed against by Qin Moyan. But that was a story for later.

Unable to decide for the moment, Ye Xinuo said, “After Ding Qi gives a reply, I’ll discuss this matter with Director Qin. Let’s stop here for today.”

“All right.” Qin Moyan did not press her.

After parting from Qin Moyan, Ye Xinuo did not stay long. She booked the nearest flight back to Hucheng.

However, she did not go to the company, nor did she return home. Instead, she went to meet someone.

Inside a high-level VIP private room at Muxin Club, two women with completely different styles sat separately in the host’s seat and the guest’s seat on a luxurious red leather sofa.

“Miss Ye coming to see me today truly surprised me.”

The person sitting in the host’s seat, smiling in a friendly manner, was the owner of this club—Han Qiuzi.

“I’ve only met Miss Han a few times at banquets, so my sudden visit is indeed presumptuous.” Ye Xinuo smiled. “But from what I understand, Miss Han should be very familiar with Sister Yu Qing.”

Han Qiuzi’s expression changed slightly. In just one second, she smiled faintly again. “Then what degree of familiarity does Miss Ye have in mind?”

“Sister Yu Qing once had a girlfriend she dated for four years. Although she never said who it was, I happened to know that person was Miss Han.”

Seeing that Ye Xinuo did not beat around the bush, Han Qiuzi could not help guessing the other party’s intentions.

No one knew what the two of them said in the club. They could only see that when Ye Xinuo came out, she looked refreshed and wore a smile with a hint of aggression.

On the other side, Ding Qi and Qin Moyan appeared together at a billiard table.

Ding Qi bent down, propping one hand on the table, closing one eye to aim. “I say, doesn’t your conscience hurt, deceiving an innocent little sister with no experience of the world?”

“She was the one who started it first. I merely cooperated with her,” Qin Moyan said, her face still without any ripple.

“I have to say, your ability to climb up a pole once given the chance is impressive enough. I didn’t even expect you to drag her in.” Ding Qi sank a ball with one shot and began looking for his next target.

“I dragged her in, and the person who should be happiest is you. If you rely on Hesen, your research and development progress will definitely be greatly restricted,” Qin Moyan said calmly. “So how do you plan to thank me?”

“Everyone says Qin Moyan is an ice-faced beauty. I think it’s because you’re too shameless, so your face went numb.” Ding Qi made a mistake, and the cue ball went straight into a pocket.

Qin Moyan reset the ball position, staring at the red ball ahead, her eyes narrowing slightly. “A deal where one is willing to strike and the other is willing to be struck benefits no one poorly. With my assets alone, trying to support your project is nothing but fantasy. Ye Xinuo is eager to produce some results, so it’s perfectly reasonable that she would set her sights on you. This is what you call hitting it off immediately.”

“Yes, yes, hitting it off!” Ding Qi said, taking pleasure in the situation. “I think the two of you are quite well matched. That couple act looked practically real. How about it? Do you want to get even closer and develop from partners into intimate friends with benefits?”

“You lost.”

“Hm?” Ding Qi did not react for a moment.

Looking at the billiard table again, in just the time it had taken to exchange a few words, Qin Moyan had already cleared the field.

Ding Qi said gloomily, “You freak! I thought I could win this time.”

Qin Moyan put the cue stick back on the rack. “That is why you should concentrate when playing.”

Before they parted, Ding Qi seemed to suddenly remember something and asked in confusion, “Hey, there’s something strange. When Ye Xinuo heard me mention my sexual orientation, she didn’t show the slightest surprise.”

The corner of Qin Moyan’s lips curved into an almost invisible arc. “Either this eldest miss has an extremely slow reaction, or she already knew about it. If it is the latter, then things are very interesting.”

For some reason, when Ding Qi heard this, he suddenly felt a little cold.