Transmigrated as the Domineering Scumbag Alpha Forced into Marriage by a Delicate Subordinate (GL) - Chapter 18

The conference was not local, so Qin Jue arranged for first-class air tickets.

Before departing, Qin Jue carefully examined the clothes she had picked out for Tang Yun. She had to admit that clothes truly make the person. Tang Yun had a scholarly air of inexperience. Too stiff and sharp professional attire made her look like a child trying on her older sister’s clothes. So, Qin Jue selected soft, high-quality fabrics—subtle yet textured. The silk cross-collar blouse had a strong traditional style that effectively toned down her youthful naivety. Following CEO Qin, she wouldn’t come across as frivolous or immature.

Qin Jue was very satisfied with her own taste.

“Don’t wear those glasses,” Qin Jue instructed before they left.

Tang Yun’s plastic-rimmed glasses were truly hard to look at.

Tang Yun wore light makeup and high heels, appearing somewhat reserved. Under the pretense of using the restroom, she checked herself repeatedly in the mirror. Qin Jue completely ignored this.

She clearly likes this outfit, so why the dramatic reaction last night?

Of course, Qin Jue wouldn’t understand. With the psychological shadow left by the dress from the birthday banquet, Tang Yun had braced herself with a sense of martyrdom to try on the clothes Qin Jue prepared. Finding such a tasteful, comfortable, and respectable set in the closet made her expression no different from someone who had seen a ghost.

Once again, just when Tang Yun thought she fully understood Qin Jue, Qin Jue shattered Tang Yun’s perception of her.

They finally arrived at the venue. This year’s industry annual conference was hosted by Lightning Games, a rising star in recent years competing with Changfeng Technology for a piece of the pie. Yet, at this event, everyone was polite and insincere, as if they were all old, intimate friends.

As soon as Qin Jue walked into the venue, Fang Zhilei, the CEO of Lightning, greeted her with a smile. The two shook hands enthusiastically. CEO Fang’s gaze naturally fell upon Tang Yun behind Qin Jue.

“CEO Qin’s team is full of talented people. I haven’t seen this one before. Is Changfeng about to make a new move?” CEO Fang smiled, subtly probing.

“She’s no great talent, just bringing a secretary along. Didn’t you poach all the talent these past few years?” Qin Jue countered CEO Fang with a smile.

In this setting, Tang Yun felt particularly inarticulate. She simply followed honestly behind Qin Jue, watching her socialize everywhere.

In recent years, there had been persistent rumors that the government would impose a ban on mobile games. In the past two years, the sense of increasingly tightening censorship had been palpable. Several large-scale games planned by various gaming companies had been delayed because they couldn’t get a publishing license. If the policy were implemented, more than half of the companies present would be in serious trouble. Every industry gathering inevitably involved attempts to scout for information. Although a blanket ban was unlikely to shut down all these gaming companies, the inability to maintain current revenue and a 50% drop in cash flow would be a severe earthquake for this capital-sensitive industry.

Lightning Games was a purely mobile-game company. It had soared by capitalizing on the era’s dividends, but now, sensing the change in the wind, CEO Fang was desperately seeking a way out. He had extended invitations to industry leaders in web games, PC games, and console platforms for this annual conference, attempting to form alliances to weather the harsh industry climate.

The three-and-a-half-hour address was filled with clichés that made people drowsy. Tang Yun initially sat straight and prim next to Qin Jue, but eventually, she couldn’t help her eyelids from fluttering. Qin Jue found this amusing, leaning in to whisper: “Can’t sit still?”

The breath tickled her ear, jolting Tang Yun awake. She quickly shook her head.

What was wrong with CEO Qin today?

“It’s a tea break. Come on, let’s go chat and stretch our legs,” Qin Jue said.

Qin Jue picked up a glass of champagne from the nearby water bar, swirling it between her fingers but not taking a sip for a long time. The information flowing in the venue was a mix of truth and falsehood, mud and sand. When someone like CEO Fang wore his anxiety so openly, even if he found allies, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t stab him in the back at a critical moment.

Qin Jue had come with a purpose. Not to listen to her peers boasting on PowerPoint slides, but to leverage CEO Fang’s efforts to gain direct access to that side.

Qin Jue found her target: a young, blond-haired, blue-eyed man. He was currently focused on eating the refreshments, undisturbed by others—an opportunity.

“Mr. Lewis, I recommend the cherry mousse with wine. It’s a little sweet, though, and probably needs to be paired with black coffee,” Qin Jue smiled, raising her glass.

This Mr. Lewis was an advance scout sent by Black Swan, an established foreign console game developer with multiple consistently popular IPs. In recent years, console gaming had declined, and Black Swan’s strategy of repeatedly re-releasing old content had become embarrassing even to its fixed player base. Rumor had it that Black Swan’s head was interested in testing the waters of mobile gaming, opening up one of their flagship IPs for a remastered mobile adaptation. However, the profit model for console games and most mobile games are completely different. They needed a reliable partner to help them make money.

Qin Jue saw this as an excellent opportunity. Changfeng needed a chance for explosive brand recognition. If managed properly, this move would allow her to instantly capture the huge market brought by Black Swan.

“Thank you. If CEO Qin recommends it, it must be excellent,” Lewis readily accepted the compliment.

Two people meeting for the first time could chat without formal introductions, suggesting that Changfeng Technology was already on Black Swan’s shortlist. Qin Jue felt her chances were high.

However, business negotiations don’t start with a direct proposal. One must first beat around the bush. This first meeting was primarily for exchange. Lewis’s opinion carried significant weight in Black Swan’s selection of a partner. Although they would eventually issue an official tender when the time was right, Qin Jue preferred to seize the initiative.

“Your Xun Dao is quite famous. I’m somewhat interested,” Lewis said. “It doesn’t seem to have any fundamental difference from similar products on the market. So, how did it manage to defeat its competitors and generate high revenue over a long period?”

Qin Jue curved her lips into a slight smile: “We have consistently explored a healthy and sustainable user growth model. Xun Dao is our most successful experiment. We have a specialized team dedicated to figuring out how to stimulate the players’ excitement points. We can sit down and talk about the specifics later.”

“My travel time is quite ample,” Lewis agreed.

In this initial probing, both sides gave sustainable signals. Qin Jue enjoyed conversing with intelligent people like Lewis. At this point, she could declare that this annual conference had been worthwhile.

Qin Jue was in high spirits, feeling she could endure another three and a half hours of clichés. She brought Tang Yun back to the conference hall, asking her softly on the way, “What are your thoughts?”

Tang Yun hesitated for a moment, then said, “I think Xun Dao is a failed experiment.”

Qin Jue nearly burst out laughing. This little girl, Tang Yun, truly… didn’t understand business at all.

“I know it’s a failed experiment too. But while it hasn’t completely failed yet, let’s secure that Mr. Lewis, and then we’ll make a successful one later,” Qin Jue explained to Tang Yun.

Back in the conference hall, the second half of the seminar was about to begin. Qin Jue looked up and saw CEO Fang still circulating like a social butterfly. She raised her glass in a distant salute, honoring the selfless Mr. Fang Zhilei.

The day’s formal proceedings concluded. The evening banquet was purely social. Qin Jue took Tang Yun back to the hotel room to change. The evening gown was elegant and noble, with a perfectly fitted waist. Qin Jue increasingly felt that Tang Yun was a natural model, wondering how she usually managed to hide herself in baggy sweatshirts and jeans.

Amidst clinking glasses and rustling gowns, Qin Jue had her social circle, and Tang Yun, as the secretary who had followed CEO Qin all day, naturally attracted people coming up to chat with her.

“Hello, Secretary Tang. May I have the honor of asking you for a dance?” A young Alpha from some company extended his right hand to Tang Yun.

Elegant dance music began, and couples glided onto the dance floor. Tang Yun didn’t know how to dance and instinctively resisted this setting. She stretched her neck, habitually trying to find Qin Jue, only to see Qin Jue engaged in an animated conversation with a charming Omega across the room.

“No, thank you. I don’t know how to dance,” Tang Yun refused the Alpha.

The Alpha across from her shrugged in disappointment but didn’t press further. Tang Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

It was evident that this banquet was different from Qin Jue’s birthday party. Qin Jue hadn’t secretly plotted to embarrass Tang Yun. It seemed Tang Yun could enjoy the banquet atmosphere like any ordinary attendee, without even needing to constantly follow Qin Jue as a shadow.

Tang Yun picked up a small plate of the cherry mousse with wine. Qin Jue said it was good, so she wanted to try it.

It was slightly sour and had a hint of alcohol. Tang Yun didn’t find it very sweet.

In the huge ballroom, Tang Yun didn’t know anyone. She also lacked Qin Jue’s ability to converse freely regardless of who she was talking to. She was alone, listening wistfully to the waltz, when her phone suddenly vibrated. Opening it, she saw a message from Qin Jue.

“Handle it. I’m going back to the room.”

Tang Yun froze, and then her face burned. What did Qin Jue mean by that!

Was she being an official secretary whom Qin Jue brought out, so the CEO was being merciful and found someone else to attend to her needs tonight?

No one had ever told Tang Yun how a room should be “handled.” Did Qin Jue forget that not everyone was as experienced as she was?

Tang Yun took a deep breath, turned around, and contacted the hotel front desk to order a bottle of red wine and two glasses for Qin Jue’s room. After some thought, she personally checked the bedside table for finger condoms.

What else was needed?

Nothing, right?

Tang Yun felt she had done her absolute best within her scope of duties. She returned to her own room and sat facing the wall, but found she couldn’t sit still. She habitually opened her laptop. After a moment’s thought, she opened a chat window to Assistant Jian.

“Assistant Jian, do you have any information on Black Swan and Mr. Lewis?” Tang Yun asked.

Jian Zhen quickly replied: “Yes, I organized a file for CEO Qin before. I’ll send it to you.”

A large compressed file was sent over. Tang Yun stared blankly at the decompression progress bar. Her phone rang. She answered without looking at the caller ID:

“Hello?”

Silence on the other end for a moment, then a familiar cold laugh: “I’m not good.”

Tang Yun instantly sat up straight. It was Qin Jue.