Villain Marrying The Heroine Is Perfectly Plausible, Right? - Chapter 110:

Chapter 110: Reception Game:

The next evening, the Jiang family’s reception began as planned.

The hotel lobby was filled with brilliant lights as the event was in full swing. Guests in formal attire raised their glasses, greeting acquaintances and chatting in groups. 

The atmosphere was vibrant. A free trial area for the Jiang family’s Langyao Mask had also been set up, attracting many participants.

This reception was primarily a promotional event to build anticipation for the mask before its official release. There was no restriction on attendance—as long as one was dressed formally, security would not intervene. 

Therefore, major shareholders like Jiang Mengyao and Chen Lang did not attend. It was essentially a celebratory gathering held by the Jiang family’s company for the R&D department.

The director of the R&D department arrived in formal attire. Hidden in his suit was a discreet camera and a concealed earpiece—he looked more like a spy than a guest. 

Just as planned, he stood alone in a corner, holding a glass of wine with a gloomy expression.

At the same time, in a secret room at the Jiang family company, Jiang Mengyao sat before a microphone connected to the executive’s earpiece, ready to issue instructions at any moment. 

Behind her stood a group of subordinates, all staring intently at a large screen. 

The feed from the hidden camera displayed real-time footage of the reception. Soon, they noticed a figure approaching—Ye Chen had taken the bait.

Ye Chen, dressed sharply in a suit, blended in with the crowd effortlessly. 

As he scanned the room and spotted the executive standing alone in the corner, his heart leaped with excitement. 

With no one else nearby, it was the perfect moment to strike.

Ye Chen approached the executive and began his act. “Isn’t this Minister Li from the Jiang family’s R&D department? With your contributions, you should be the center of attention tonight. Why are you drinking alone in a corner?”

Minister Li looked up and, upon clearly seeing Ye Chen’s face, seemed to recognize something. “You are… Danchen?”

Ye Chen smiled proudly, “Minister Li has good eyes. Yes, I am Ye Chen, the owner of Danchen Mask. The word ‘Danchen’ comes from my name.” As he spoke, he pulled out a business card and handed it over with formality.

Minister Li glanced at the card, then quickly shook his head. “I can’t be in contact with you. Our companies are competitors.”

Just as he was about to walk away, Ye Chen panicked and said, “Minister Li, stay! Let’s be friends. After all, we’re in the same industry—more friends mean more opportunities!”

Minister Li seemed a bit persuaded and hesitated to leave.

Inside the surveillance room, Ye Chen’s cunning expression was clearly displayed on the screen. Jiang Mengyao calmly issued a command, “Show distress.”

At the reception, Minister Li suddenly sighed and lowered his head. “Boss Ye is right—more friends, more paths.” He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.

Ye Chen appeared confused. “Why does Minister Li look so down on such a happy occasion?”

Minister Li replied, “Boss Ye has sharp eyes. You saw right through me. I’m indeed troubled.”

Ye Chen smiled and said, “Minister Li, you’re a talented man. I, Ye Chen, respect that. What’s bothering you? Maybe I can help.”

Minister Li sighed again. “What else could it be? We work hard for the people, but it’s just for a few taels of silver.”

Ye Chen was delighted. There’s the weak spot—clearly, a money lover.

He raised his voice slightly, “Isn’t it just money? For someone like me, that’s a flick of the wrist. Why should Brother Li be troubled over money?”

Minister Li shook his head. “People like us can’t compare to someone like you, Boss Ye. Honestly, it’s about the Langyao Mask.”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

Minister Li glanced around cautiously and lowered his voice. “Boss Ye, you should know the Langyao Mask was personally developed by our boss. It had nothing to do with us. Initially, it was supposed to be a year-and-a-half-long project with generous research funding. That’s how I managed to feed my family.”

“I even took out a loan to buy a house near the school for my child, thinking the funding would last.”

“But who would’ve thought…” He filled his glass again and drank it. “Who would’ve thought the formula for the Langyao Mask would fall from the sky? The research project ended abruptly. The funding dried up. Now I’m stuck worrying about the school housing loan.”

Ye Chen’s heart was bursting with joy. It was like someone offering a pillow when he was dozing off.

Still, he kept his expression in check and asked, “Even if the project was canceled, you should’ve received a decent amount of money, right? The Jiang family gained such a valuable product. Surely, they gave you a share?”

Minister Li winced and shook his head. “No. Since the formula has nothing to do with the R&D department, the boss won’t give us a dime. And we’re too embarrassed to ask.”

Ye Chen felt it was time to strike. He reached out and patted Minister Li on the shoulder. “I, Ye Chen, admire men of talent. I won’t beat around the bush—Minister Li, I truly respect you. Why don’t you come work for me?”

He leaned in and whispered, “Just give me the formula for the Langyao Mask. I’ll give you an escape route. Don’t worry about the Jiang family’s investigation. I, Ye Chen, will protect you.”

“That way, you won’t just settle the school housing loan—you’ll make a fortune out of nothing. How about it?”

Minister Li stared into Ye Chen’s eyes, clearly hesitating. After a long pause, he seemed to have made up his mind. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a key and handed it to Ye Chen.

“The Langyao Mask formula is in a safe on the top floor of the Jiang R&D building. This is the key.”

Ye Chen’s eyes widened with excitement. His goal was in sight.

Sure enough, he was still the Satan who could do anything back in Africa! A formula like this? For him, it was already in the bag.

Then Minister Li added, “Since Boss Ye is so generous, I’ll be frank. There’s no way I’ll work with you. You know the Jiang family’s background. I don’t want to end up in the Nanjiang River feeding fish.”

“If I give you the key, I’ll take my wife and child abroad. I’ll leave this industry altogether, just to avoid being hunted by the Jiang family.”

“Mr. Ye, take a look—how much is this formula worth?”

He shook the key dramatically. The motion made Ye Chen even more excited.

Perfect. This way, there’d be no loose ends. It was just a secret blow to the Jiang family.

“Minister Li, name your price!”

Minister Li paused. In his earpiece, Jiang Mengyao’s cold voice said, “Eighty million.”

He looked straight into Ye Chen’s eyes and said, “Eighty million!”

Ye Chen inhaled sharply.

Time to activate Satan’s bargaining mode.

“Minister Li, that’s quite the price. You’re not being very reasonable!” But before he could finish—

Minister Li turned to leave, slipping the key back into his pocket and cursing under his breath, “Then there’s nothing to talk about, Mr. Ye. I thought you were a man of character, but it turns out you’re just stingy! What a waste of my time!”

For a moment, the atmosphere was tense. Everyone in the surveillance room held their breath. This was the most critical moment.

Sure enough, the very next second, Ye Chen panicked.

“Hey, Minister Li, wait! Eighty million? That’s nothing to me! Deal!”

At that instant, Jiang Mengyao’s icy voice rang through the earpiece.

“Eighty million—US dollars!”