Seduced the Obsessive NPC and Ran - chapter 19

“Little brother?”

For a moment, Bai Cheng couldn’t tell if Yan Jinge was being intentionally sarcastic or simply stating a fact.

His expression darkened instantly.

Sitting across from him, Yan Jinge immediately felt a cold gaze fixated on him. It was incredibly uncomfortable.

He looked up at Bai Cheng, bewildered. “Why are you acting like a human refrigerator again? Did I say something wrong? Aren’t you two years younger than me? I skipped a grade in middle school, so I’m a year younger than Bai Wei.”

Yan Jinge spoke with such earnestness that there didn’t seem to be any hidden meaning.

Bai Cheng’s expression softened slightly.

He had probably overthought it.

But still…

What did he mean by “refrigerator”?!

Did he think he was an appliance?

Feeling disgruntled, Bai Cheng let out a low huff.

After they finished their hotpot, Yan Jinge drove Bai Cheng home. Since this world was Yan Jinge’s first scenario, the map was quite small; their families lived in the same residential complex, so it was perfectly on the way.

Halfway there, Bai Cheng suddenly spoke up. “Just drop me off at any hotel.”

Yan Jinge asked, “Not going home?”

Bai Cheng replied lazily, “That woman saw me.”

He paused for a moment. “Or maybe you could take me in?” Bai Cheng twirled his ID card between his long fingers, making a decision. “Let’s go check into a room first, then we’ll go to your place.”

Yan Jinge raised an eyebrow. “And why would I do that?”

Bai Cheng turned his head, his dark eyes staring at Yan Jinge as he mocked, “Aren’t I just a ‘little brother’?”

Yan Jinge: “…”

Ten minutes later, Yan Jinge pulled up in front of a hotel. Bai Cheng took his ID and went inside to book a room, then returned to the car. “Let’s go.”

Twenty minutes later, Yan Jinge stopped in front of a different five-star hotel. He used his own ID to book a room, shoved the key card into Bai Cheng’s hand, and jerked his chin toward the entrance. “Alright, off you go, little brother.”

Bai Cheng: “…”

Bai Cheng looked down at the key card, then up at Yan Jinge with a glare.

To Yan Jinge, it felt like he was looking at a pitiful wolf pup that had just been betrayed.

He reached out and ruffled Bai Cheng’s hair, pulling his hand back before Bai Cheng could swat it away. He teased, “What? You think my house isn’t messy enough? If I actually brought you home, my parents would be sneaking into my room in the middle of the night to ask if I’d given up on Bai Wei and decided to go after you instead. Think of how awkward that would be.”

Bai Cheng gave Yan Jinge a long, deep look before turning around and heading upstairs without a word.

Yan Jinge drove home alone.

He had just reached his front gate and hadn’t even entered yet when he saw a dark shadow crouching by the side of the road. Upon seeing his car, the figure lunged straight toward the hood!

An insurance scam?

Fortunately, Yan Jinge wasn’t driving fast and slammed on the brakes just in time.

Looking closely, the person blocking his path in such a frantic manner was actually Bai Wei.

What was wrong with this guy?

Did he have a death wish?

Yan Jinge frowned.

Bai Wei’s expression was dark and terrifying.

He looked disheveled and a bit pathetic. He rounded the front of the car and came to the driver’s side, rapping his knuckles against Yan Jinge’s window.

Up close, his eyes were bloodshot and red, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.

The window rolled down.

Yan Jinge frowned. “Is this really necessary? Even if I actually hit you, you wouldn’t get much of a payout. I have a dashcam.”

Bai Wei froze, only then realizing that Yan Jinge thought he was trying to pull a scam.

He glared, wanting to argue and mock Yan Jinge, but his brain was temporarily short-circuiting. Unable to think of a suitable retort, he could only pant heavily, leaning down to peer inside the car. He demanded, “Where is Bai Cheng?”

As he spoke, a wave of alcohol-laden breath hit Yan Jinge. It reeked.

Yan Jinge leaned back and sneered, “You’re looking for your brother in my car? What, am I a magician?”

Bai Wei shot him another look.

He had more important things to deal with right now and had no intention of arguing with Yan Jinge. He searched the interior thoroughly, and only after confirming that Bai Cheng really wasn’t in the car did he strike the vehicle’s body in frustration.

“Get out.”

Bai Wei finally found the time to aim his spear at Yan Jinge.

Yan Jinge would have to be an idiot to listen to him.

Instead, he started rolling the window back up.

Seeing that Yan Jinge wasn’t moving, Bai Wei began to pound on the glass in a rage. “Yan Jinge! Are you coming out or not? How dare you set me up! And you didn’t answer my calls! Do you think I won’t kill you? Huh?”

He was clearly emotional, his words coming out unfiltered. “Heh, you’re really something! Purposely spreading those rumors online right before Rongding’s IPO! I must have been blind to misjudge you like that! You bitch! You even conspired with Bai Cheng-what, trying to take me down? You really think I’m that easy to deal with?”

His screaming echoed through the quiet residential area.

Yan Jinge’s expression remained calm.

Thinking of the memories in his mind, he lowered his gaze and said absentmindedly, “You sound ridiculous. Who was the one who really misjudged the other?”

“You motherf-”

Bai Wei spewed filth, not hearing a word Yan Jinge said.
Yan Jinge couldn’t be bothered to say another word.

-There was no point talking to someone who’d lost all reason.

That said, Yan Jinge wasn’t the type to just swallow it.

Seeing Bai Wei getting more and more worked up as he cursed, Yan Jinge simply shoved the car door open.

Caught off guard, Bai Wei was clipped by the door and stumbled back a step.

When he saw Yan Jinge get out, he stopped cursing instead, his expression dark and unreadable.

It hadn’t even been that long, yet the Yan Jinge in front of him felt even more unfamiliar.

Even facing Bai Wei, Yan Jinge showed not the slightest fear. His whole presence was cool and distant; his chin was tipped up slightly, arrogant in a way that came naturally. And when he looked at Bai Wei, the feverish obsession from before was gone-his eyes were calm, as if he were looking at a clown he’d never once taken seriously.

Again.

Again-

What right did Yan Jinge have to look down on him?

He should be the one Yan Jinge looked up to! Yan Jinge’s eyes should have been filled with no one but him!

Bai Wei’s anger surged higher.

He was a little taller than Yan Jinge, all long limbs. He reached out to grab him-

Yan Jinge braced one hand on the car door and drove his foot straight into Bai Wei’s stomach!

The movement was fast. The toe of his handmade leather shoe immediately left a faint footprint on Bai Wei’s shirt.

Yan Jinge had held back, but he was still a grown man. The kick sent Bai Wei staggering back several steps, clutching his stomach and doubling over.

…It hurt.

Sweat beaded on Bai Wei’s forehead in an instant.

“Who are you calling a bastard?”

Yan Jinge slammed the car door shut. “Did your mother never teach you basic manners?”

Bai Wei was furious. He was about to rush Yan Jinge and fight him to the death, but before he could move, someone grabbed him around the waist from behind-

The Yan Family’s butler had arrived with security, and several of them worked together to restrain Bai Wei.

Bai Wei was strong and thrashed hard a few times, but the Yan Family’s guards weren’t pushovers either.

The butler stayed composed, told one of them to bring a rope, and had Bai Wei tied directly to the ornate front gate.

Bai Wei raged helplessly. “Yan Jinge-if you’ve got the guts, fight me one-on-one! What kind of skill is it to call people over?!”

“Let me go!!!”

“Young Master.”

Ignoring Bai Wei’s shouting, the butler looked Yan Jinge over with concern. “I came a bit late. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No.”

Yan Jinge shook his head.

The butler let out a breath. “That’s good.”

Yan Jinge walked up in front of Bai Wei and looked him over from above.

With a loud bang, Yan Jinge kicked the ground right beside him.

The sudden motion made Bai Wei flinch instinctively. He lifted his head to look at Yan Jinge.

Yan Jinge bent down, gave a soft chuckle, and said in a tone so gentle it was almost chilling, “Bai Wei, don’t push your luck.”

Bai Wei stared at him hard, then let out a low laugh. “Is that so? Then what about you? What are you being arrogant about now? You think the company got where it is today because of you alone? Sure, you’ve got the tech, but no company rises on technology alone. In the business world, with your personality, you’ll be swallowed whole until there aren’t even dregs left. Do you know which company our new product line is partnering with?”

Yan Jinge watched him quietly.

“Nirvana.”

As he said it, Bai Wei laughed wildly. “Isn’t Yan Corporation also doing a co-branded product with Nirvana? You probably don’t know this, do you? President Bai secretly came to me and wants to work with Rongding. He even covered all the money you used to make things difficult for me-paid it up front for me. Well? How does that feel?”

“With Rongding in my hands, it’ll only get stronger. And you? You’re destined to be a loser!”

Bai Wei was tied firmly in place.

There was a hint of mania in his expression as he spoke, but paired with how ridiculous he looked right now, it only made him seem even more laughable.

“Is that so?”

Yan Jinge didn’t know what Bai Wei was so excited about.

Paying up front was just that-paying up front.

It didn’t mean the debt disappeared.

Besides, businessmen chased profit. A temporary partnership proved nothing.

Yan Jinge reminded him, “Before the results are out, it’s still too early to say who the loser is. And… you really think technology is useless?”

But Bai Wei didn’t take it in at all. He only sneered, clearly convinced he’d already won.

Yan Jinge couldn’t be bothered to keep talking to him.

He straightened and turned to the butler. “Call the police.”

“Yes.”

The butler answered with a smiling calm. “Young Master, please go back and rest. Leave this to me.”

“Mm. Sorry to trouble you.”

Just then, a lively figure came charging out, asking excitedly, “What’s going on? What’s going on-”

After three months, Yan Jinge’s younger brother, Yan Qingyu, had finally returned from the old residence that didn’t have Wi-Fi.

He’d been stifled to death lately. The moment he got back and heard the commotion outside, he thought there was something fun to watch and came over brimming with excitement.

But as soon as he stepped out the front gate, he caught sight of Yan Jinge-cold, imposing, and looking over with an expressionless face.

Yan Qingyu hunched his shoulders and instantly went quiet as a mouse.
…I should have known better than to come.

With that thought, Yan Qingyu finally noticed Bai Wei, who was tied up tightly against the carved door.

Bai Wei looked completely disheveled.

His clothes were crumpled, and as he sat on the floor, he didn’t look like a company president at all. Instead, he looked like a thief or a drug addict.

In contrast, there was Yan Jinge.

Yan Jinge stood tall and straight, his bespoke suit fitting him perfectly, accentuating his slender waist and long legs. Even though he was just standing there silently, it was impossible to look away from him.

Yan Qingyu immediately felt a wave of disgust toward Bai Wei.

How had Bai Wei ended up like this after only three months? Where was the “elite” image everyone used to praise?

No wonder Yan Jinge didn’t want Bai Wei anymore…

Yan Qingyu felt a deep pang of regret for his actions on the night of the engagement.

He had actually given his first time to such a loser!

Yan Jinge glanced at Yan Qingyu and said casually, “You’re back?”

Yan Qingyu snapped out of it and whispered, “Brother, I’ve copied the Buddhist scriptures ten times. You can check them later.”

For some reason, even though Yan Jinge was still the same person, his aura was completely different.

Now, every time he saw him, Yan Qingyu thought of that night three months ago-his backside beaten bright red. No matter how much he had begged for mercy, Yan Jinge had been like a demon king, refusing to stop. He had been in such a state the next day that he almost ended up in the hospital.

He didn’t dare talk back to Yan Jinge, terrified that he would get angry and hit him again.

A wise man knows when to submit.

“Mhm, I’ll take a look later.”

Yan Jinge gave him a half-smile. “Why are you so rude after being out? You didn’t even greet Bai Wei. Weren’t you quite happy calling him ‘Brother-in-law’ before?”

Yan Qingyu: “…”

Yan Qingyu understood.

He took a deep breath and shouted, “Hello, Sister-in-law!”

Yan Jinge raised an eyebrow.

Yan Qingyu immediately corrected himself: “Hello, former Sister-in-law! You’re no longer worthy of being my current one!”

Bai Wei: “…”

Bai Wei was nearly fuming at their double act! And Yan Qingyu actually dared to call him “Sister-in-law”… Did he think he was a woman? He glared intensely at Yan Qingyu.

Yan Qingyu quickly hid behind Yan Jinge and muttered, “What’s with that look? When I called you ‘Brother-in-law’ before, you never corrected me. Now that I call you ‘Sister-in-law,’ you look like you want to kill me.”

Yan Jinge glanced at the spineless fence-sitter behind him.

Yan Qingyu looked innocent. “What is it, Brother? Was I wrong?”

Yan Jinge: “…Fine, go back inside.”

Yan Qingyu felt like he’d been granted a royal pardon and fled immediately.

Before long, the police arrived.

Along with the police came members of the Bai Family.

The news of Bai Wei being taken to the police station late at night was suppressed, and he was bailed out that same night, so not many people knew about it.

The next morning.

Just as Bai Wei arrived at the company, a man walked up to him kindly. “Hello, Mr. Bai. I was hired by Manager Yan to provide you with some training.”

Manager Yan?

Bai Wei didn’t react at first. His eyes darted around before he realized it was Yan Jinge.

…Yan Jinge found someone to train him?

Everything from last night was still fresh in his mind, and the more Bai Wei thought about it, the angrier he got.

Training for what? What was there to train?

“What do you mean?” He looked at the man warily.

To his surprise, the man seemed to have been switched on.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a powerful, resonant voice. “Mr. Bai, your act of throwing yourself in front of Manager Yan’s car last night to stage an accident was extremely malicious and unsafe. It could have easily caused a serious incident. Manager Yan sent me here to give you a lesson. In order to strengthen domestic road traffic management and maintain traffic safety order…”

Bai Wei: “…”

Bai Wei’s face instantly darkened.

He looked at his subordinates passing by; almost all eyes were on them. Although no one dared to whisper in public yet, they would surely have deep discussions in private about the phrase “President Bai stages an accident.”

“Get out!”

Bai Wei roared, “Get the hell out of here! Where’s security? What am I paying you for?!”

…

Yan Jinge entered the office and saw Bai Cheng in his seat. He asked in a gentle tone, “Did you sleep well last night?”

Hearing Yan Jinge’s tone, Bai Cheng felt something was off.

He reined in his movements and asked cautiously, “Why?”

Yan Jinge: “Nothing, just asking.”

He gave Bai Cheng a knowing look. “Why are you so nervous?”

Bai Cheng stared at Yan Jinge for a while. Seeing that Yan Jinge looked perfectly natural and had already sat down to start working without further conversation, it seemed he really was just asking casually.

He frowned.

…Did Bai Wei say something to him?

Although Rongding’s stock price had been somewhat affected by the conduct of its top executives, the overall outlook remained positive.
As soon as the quiet period ended, Rongding Technology’s official Weibo account immediately issued a statement. First, regarding Bai Wei’s previous behavior, they denied the “original partner” claim, hinting that certain people were intentionally trying to sabotage Rongding during the quiet period.

Finally, they gave a shout-out to their upcoming new mobile phone.

The water army immediately mobilized, pushing the topic straight to the trending searches.

“Some companies are really calculating, intentionally targeting their rivals at a time like this. That’s so low. If you ask me, it’s better to show some real strength.”

“It’s because they can’t compete! Rongding’s products over the last two years have been amazing! They’re crushing Yan Corporation! I really love them!”

“Looking forward to the new phone! I happen to need a replacement.”

“So there was no original partner? Some people made it sound like they were so miserable. Men have desires nowadays; if there’s no original partner involved, what’s the big deal?”

“Support Rongding! I see Yan Corporation is also launching a new phone soon, and I think I understand what’s going on now…”

“It’s intentional. They’re similar products, after all. They probably thought they could boost their own sales by dragging the competition. Heh, do they think we consumers are idiots?”

“Actually, I think there might be some truth to it. Didn’t a lot of people come forward before saying Y bought B a lot of gifts back in university and that they were together?”

“Y was just throwing himself at him.”

“Maybe they broke up a long time ago and just didn’t go public. They aren’t celebrities; do they have to tell you specifically when they break up? Anyway, Yan Corporation coming out to play the victim at a time like this is truly disgusting.”

Online arguments broke out, and even more people began paying attention to the new phones from both sides.

“I don’t care what happened between those two. I only care about which of the new phones is better. I heard they both use some kind of cutting-edge technology?”

“Stop dreaming, person above. How cutting-edge can it really be?”

Under this intense public scrutiny, Rongding’s press conference was the first to be held.

For a time, the overwhelming publicity caused Rongding’s stock price to hit the daily limit for two consecutive days.

The conference was live-streamed on a well-known website. Even before it started, tens of thousands of people were already waiting in the digital queue.

Yan Jinge took a moment to glance at it.

Whoa.

Quite a crowd.

He didn’t have much interest in Rongding’s conference, but he still called the technical department over to watch it together.

As soon as Su Liang entered the meeting room, he scanned the area. “Where is that person in charge?”

Yan Jinge replied, “He had something to do today and couldn’t make it.”

Su Liang gave an “oh” and didn’t mind. Instead, he grew excited because the “outsider” wasn’t there. Rubbing his hands together, he said, “I want to see what Rongding can actually produce this time.”

Hou Fang chuckled from the side. “It won’t be as badass as ours, anyway.”

The technicians present offered no objections to that statement.

Liu Tian sat next to Hou Fang. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but look at Yan Jinge, her eyes sparkling.

This time, the project they were working on represented an almost epoch-making advancement. They had encountered many bottlenecks along the way, all of which Yan Jinge had led them through.

She was so glad she had chosen to stay back then.

Yan Jinge was freaking awesome!!!

The press conference began.

The meeting room essentially turned into a roast session.

Finally, during the product demonstration phase, the Rongding representative brought out a mobile phone.

The camera zoomed in.

The phone was almost completely transparent, very thin, and aesthetically stunning. Once turned on, countless points of light converged, and the interface slowly appeared.

Su Liang’s expression darkened. “They’re using President Yan’s previous ideas!”

“How shameless!”

“Fuck, they have the nerve to call this a cutting-edge tech product? Only the casing looks high-tech; the internals are still the same. Thank goodness President Yan didn’t leave behind more design drafts, or they would’ve gotten everything for cheap!”

Everyone was filled with righteous indignation. Liu Tian and the others had initially been surprised that Rongding could produce such a beautiful design, but after hearing the people around them, they understood immediately.

“It’s fine,” Yan Jinge said with a slight smile. “I applied for a patent earlier.”

“Holy crap.” Su Liang gave him a thumbs up. “Sue them!”

Yan Jinge nodded. “Yan Corporation’s legal team is already poised for action.”

The Original Host had originally signed a secretary’s contract with Rongding, but he had always been doing technical work. Many of the product concepts had essentially been proposed by him.

The Original Host had never thought about patents before because he believed he and Bai Wei were one and the same; since the company was using them anyway, there was no need to draw such a clear line.

But Yan Jinge was different.

After transmigrating, the first thing he did was apply for every patent he could.

This design was one of them.

He hadn’t expected Rongding to use it directly without making any changes at all.

But then again, it made sense.

After Su Liang and the others left, the technicians who had jumped ship from Yan Corporation to Rongding hadn’t undergone the Original Host’s hellish training. How could they possibly keep up with his creative ideas?
However, Rongding needed to build momentum for its IPO and had to show results.

With time being so tight, how could they possibly have had the chance to make changes?

This single press conference had the people in the technical department itching for action. They were eagerly anticipating the day the Yan Group held its own launch to shock the entire industry and dazzle everyone!

They would crush Rongding Technology!!!

While everyone was buzzing with excitement, Su Liang, who had his head down, suddenly said, “President Yan, take a look at Weibo.”

Yan Jinge: “?”

Presumably, everyone else pulled out their phones at the same time.

Now that Rongding’s press conference had ended, the online reception was excellent. The comments were almost entirely filled with praise for Rongding.

“Waaaah, this phone is so beautiful I’m crying!!!”

“This looks so high-tech! And most importantly, this is Rongding’s second-anniversary event, plus it’s an IPO reward, so the price is incredibly cheap! Buy, buy, buy!”

“Ahhh, Rongding is simply a god-tier company!”

Yan Jinge scrolled with his finger. He saw that while there were some voices questioning if the transparent phone concept was a bit of a gimmick, they were quickly suppressed by the other comments.

Refreshing the feed again, Yan Jinge realized why Su Liang wanted him to look at his phone: President Bai of Rongding Technology had tagged him.

[@Rongding Technology Bai Wei: Well? @Miaowuwu]

He clicked on the comments; there were already several thousand.

“Who is this Miaowuwu?”

“I checked the profile. It’s the legendary ‘original partner.’ EatingPopcorn.jpg”

“It’s the eldest son of the Yan Group, Yan Jinge. He used to be President Bai’s secretary, but then it was leaked that Bai Wei cheated, and he went back to the Yan Corporation.”

“A secretary, huh… Tsk tsk.”

Yan Jinge lowered his gaze.

His fingers moved.

[Miaowuwu: Trash.]

“???”

“Look what I just saw on my refresh!”

“I smell a thick scent of gunpowder!!! Fight! Fight! Fight!!!”

“Damn, why do I feel like Yan Jinge’s reply is kind of cool?”

“Short and to the point!”

“Calling Rongding’s product trash? Why don’t you look at yourself first? Has the Yan Corporation produced anything worth showing off in recent years? This is just bizarre.”

“Exactly. Bai Wei calling out Yan Jinge across the internet-I actually think it makes Rongding look cheap. The current Yan Corporation isn’t like it was ten years ago when it almost monopolized the market. Last year’s sales figures show Rongding absolutely dominated the Yan Corporation, okay?”

“If you don’t evolve, you get eliminated. That’s just how it works.”

Yan Jinge didn’t care much about these replies.

He just needed to wait for the new product to come out in peace.

Just as he was about to put his phone away, he heard Su Liang let out a “Holy crap!”

This time, Su Liang didn’t wait for Yan Jinge to do it himself; he rushed over and practically shoved his phone into Yan Jinge’s face.

Yan Jinge focused his eyes.

[@Nirvana Bai: Nice pun. // @Miaowuwu: Trash.]

President Bai of Nirvana entering the fray caused the tide of the comments to shift once again.

“Huh? Am I seeing this right? Didn’t Rongding’s press conference just feature Nirvana’s branding? I heard they were partners? Nirvana invested a ton of money! Why the sudden backstab, agreeing that Rongding is trash?”

“Did Rongding fail to meet President Bai’s requirements?”

“Haha, I’m going to die laughing. They’re clearly partners with Rongding, yet he personally comes out to diss them. I just want to ask: does President Bai’s face hurt? Hahaha.”

“It seems that statement from Rongding can’t be trusted… This ‘pun’ proves that President Bai also knows the CEO of Rongding is a scumbag in his personal life.”

“Speaking of which, I’m actually starting to look forward to the Yan Corporation’s new product!”

“What kind of product could directly crush Rongding and turn their new release into trash? You’re dreaming. The boss of Nirvana has lost his mind too.”

“Fuck, hahaha, this President Bai is so damn interesting,” Su Liang burst out laughing in the meeting room. “As expected of our partner, hahaha.”

Hou Fang also nodded. “To take our side directly without even knowing our product has a trump card-I actually have a pretty good impression of their company now.”

“Didn’t President Yan say a couple of days ago that Bai Wei told him Nirvana was also cooperating with Rongding? Now it looks like their cooperation isn’t going so well, hahaha!”

“I bet Bai Wei is about to die of anger right now.”

“If it were me, I’d definitely be fuming, hahaha!”

Yan Jinge looked at the screen on his phone, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. “Mm.”

Three more days passed.

The Yan Group finally held its product launch.