Chapter 58: The Ex-Wife Finally Appears—And It's Her!

"Thank you, Principal Ye."

"You're welcome. Let me think which way to go... Hmm... This way!"

Ye Fanzhi strode confidently toward another alley at the fork. She walked with her head held high, exuding self-assurance and grace. Unless she was dressed in traditional Hanfu, when she would walk slowly and elegantly, Ye Fanzhi’s usual pace was brisk and decisive. Her personality was straightforward and efficient; she never left things half-done and always kept her word, as evidenced by her repeated recognition as 'Mother of the Year.'

Lin Ran followed, watching Ye Fanzhi’s tall, well-proportioned figure. She wore a fitted black top and slim jeans, her silhouette strikingly attractive. If she weren’t his mother’s immediate superior, Lin Ran might have been tempted to flirt.

Ahead, beneath a large pagoda tree, an elderly woman was climbing up. Ye Fanzhi hurried over, helping her down. "Aunt Li, what are you doing up there?"

"Oh, Fanzhi, it's that wretched cat from Old Wang’s house next door again. It got into my place and dragged my granddaughter’s favorite doll up the tree. I was trying to get it down."

"Stop, stop! At your age, you shouldn’t be climbing trees. Let me do it."

At that moment, Lin Ran approached. "Let me handle it."

"No need, just hold this for me," Ye Fanzhi replied, handing her Gucci bag to Lin Ran and dusting off her hands before nimbly climbing the tree, her long legs swinging easily onto the branches.

"Be careful, Fanzhi," Aunt Li called out.

Lin Ran stood there, stunned—Ye Fanzhi could climb trees? She showed no trace of the dignified image people might expect, but rather the qualities of a kind-hearted neighbor always willing to help.

She quickly reached the doll and tossed it down to Aunt Li before climbing back and brushing leaves and twigs from her clothes.

"Oh my, your arm is scratched," Aunt Li exclaimed.

Ye Fanzhi glanced at her arm. "Just a scrape. Aunt Li, remember to keep your doors and windows closed, or Old Wang’s cat will sneak in again."

"Alright, alright. Are you sure your arm’s alright?"

"It’s nothing. We’ll be on our way. Goodbye!" Ye Fanzhi strode off without a backward glance at her injury.

"Principal Ye, you have such a kind heart," Lin Ran remarked.

"They’re all elders who watched me grow up. Their children bought homes but don’t want to live together, so they stay here. Now their hands and feet aren’t as nimble, so of course I should help..."

Before Ye Fanzhi could finish, she noticed Lin Ran had disappeared. Turning, she saw him at the clinic entrance, scanning the code to pay. He ran over with hydrogen peroxide and iodine.

"Here, Principal Ye. Even a scrape should be disinfected, just in case."

"Thank you. How much was it?"

"Give me a million and call it even. Seriously, it’s just a few bucks, no need to be so formal."

Ye Fanzhi smiled. "Thank you, then."

Just then, Wang Feng approached from ahead. "Is that... Mr. Lin?"

Lin Ran grumbled, "Yes, you must be Wang Feng. This place is really hard to find. No wonder you can’t attract investors."

"Sorry, Mr. Lin, it's true, it's a bit remote." Wang Feng shook hands with Lin Ran, then noticed the elegant woman beside him and paused. "Miss Ye?"

Ye Fanzhi replied, "So it’s your company seeking investment. No wonder this address felt familiar."

"You two know each other?" Lin Ran asked.

Wang Feng explained, "Mr. Lin, Professor Ye is an expert on Journey to the West. I once asked her to be our game’s historical consultant. I met Miss Ye then too—she’s an expert on ancient costumes, so I wanted her as our costume prop consultant. In our game, immortals are the villains, and the demons are tragic figures oppressed by Heaven. Yang Jian can’t stand Heaven’s hypocrisy and rises up to challenge it... Professor Ye thought we were distorting history and declined, and Miss Ye was heading to Guizhou for volunteer teaching, so nothing came of it. You arrived together—so you’re acquainted?"

Lin Ran simply nodded, seeing no need to explain. "Let’s head to your company for business."

"Right this way, please."

Wang Feng’s company, Prajna Game Development, was on the first floor of an old European-style building, in rather humble conditions, with only six employees.

After a brief tour, the two sat on a sofa while Ye Fanzhi tried to clean her wound. The scrape was on the outside of her arm, making it awkward.

"I’ll help," Lin Ran offered.

"No need."

"If you don’t take care of it, what if it scars?"

She hesitated, then turned her arm. "Fine, you do it."

So, women do care about beauty, Lin Ran smirked inwardly.

He dabbed hydrogen peroxide gently with a tissue. Ye Fanzhi winced.

"Sorry, I’ll be careful," Lin Ran said softly, finishing up and applying iodine with a cotton swab.

Wang Feng made tea and set it before them, intending to introduce the game but, seeing Lin Ran busy tending to Ye Fanzhi, sat quietly opposite.

"You two discuss business, I can handle this," Ye Fanzhi said.

"I’ll be done in a moment. Go ahead, Wang Feng," Lin Ran replied as he tended the wound.

"Mr. Lin, our company was in an office building but we ran out of money and moved here. This single-player game has taken too long to develop, and investors prefer online games, so several employees left. Only seven of us remain. But Mr. Lin, our game will definitely be a hit. Please believe in us!"

As Lin Ran finished disinfecting Ye Fanzhi’s wound, he asked offhandedly, "Why are you so set on getting me to invest?"

Wang Feng mustered his courage. "Because... you’re Ji Bochang."

Lin Ran chuckled. So Wang Feng had done his homework. Ji Bochang was known to have deep pockets, after all.

"I’ve seen your game—the visuals are great, and the story is solid. But whether it will succeed, I can’t say. Single-player games are risky."

This was Lin Ran’s first investment. Money wasn’t the issue; he was just cautious about a possible failure.

Wang Feng rushed to add, "Mr. Lin, we want to create the country’s first AAA game. That’s every producer’s dream for 'Black: Yang Jian.'"

"Don’t talk to me about dreams," Lin Ran cut in. "That’s naive. Investors don’t pay for your dreams. That’s not how you attract funding."

Wang Feng looked confused.

Ye Fanzhi, however, understood. "Mr. Wang, if Lin Ran invests, what does he get in return?"

"Once we go public, we’ll share profits according to the investment ratio," Wang Feng replied.

"How much have you invested so far?" Lin Ran asked.

Ye Fanzhi withdrew her arm—he was still dabbing as if he’d never stop.

Lin Ran grinned, holding the cotton swab, as though he were reluctant to stop.

Wang Feng responded, "We’ve put in over four million."

"And how much more do you estimate it will take to finish?"

"Three hundred million."

Lin Ran laughed. "Four million to three hundred million? No wonder you can’t get investors. That’s the classic bait-and-switch. If you really had three hundred million to burn on a single-player game, why not make an online game to turn a profit?"

"Mr. Lin, we want to make the first domestic AAA single-player game. It’s incredibly expensive."

Wang Feng looked at Lin Ran with hope.

Lin Ran took a sip of tea and put down the cup. "Alright! If you want to be the first AAA domestic game producer, I’ll help you realize that dream."

"Really? Thank you, Mr. Lin!"

"On one condition: sell me the game."

"Sell it to you?"

"You’ve spent four million and your hard work. I’ll buy it for eight point eight million. That way, you won’t be lacking funds. Otherwise, I can’t invest based on a trailer alone."

"Well..."

"I’m pressed for time. I’ll make the decision today. If you agree, I’ll transfer the money at once and equip you with the best game development tools."

Wang Feng hadn’t expected Lin Ran to want the whole company, but without accepting, they’d have to close down tomorrow and all their efforts would be wasted. 'Black: Yang Jian' would die before it was born.

"You say it’s for your dream. I’m helping you fulfill it. Are you hesitating?"

"Let me think. Please wait here." Wang Feng got up and went to discuss with his partners.

Ye Fanzhi blew the foam from her tea. "I didn’t expect you to be so aggressive an investor at your age."

Lin Ran replied, "It’s about money, big sister. Why would I pay for someone else’s dream? Success isn’t guaranteed. If it works, he gets all the glory. If it fails, all I get is a 'sorry.' That’s not fair to me."

Ye Fanzhi nodded. "Single-player games are a tough bet, especially with such a massive investment. Why do you want to buy it outright?"

"I have dreams too," Lin Ran smiled. "He has dreams but no money; I have money and dreams. As a game major myself, I’ve always wanted to make our country’s first AAA single-player game. If you create the first of anything and succeed, your name goes down in gaming history. That’s the highest honor for a game developer. Besides, with just four million invested and a need for three hundred million, why invest? Just buy it outright."

Ye Fanzhi laughed. "You have a good eye for investments, Lin. Interested in putting money into education?"

"Hold on..." Lin Ran raised a hand. "Principal Ye, you’re already trying to raise funds just after taking office?"

"One should do one’s duty."

"By the way, are you continuing as principal or waiting for a suitable successor?"

"For now, there’s no suitable candidate. Once I find one, I’ll step down..." Ye Fanzhi hesitated, then added seriously, "Even though we’re a private school, education is a serious matter. I won’t risk the future of our children for my own experience."

"Just for saying that, you’re a qualified principal."

"Thanks for the compliment. Cheers." Ye Fanzhi clinked her cup against his. "Will they accept your offer?"

"They only have dreams to sell. Who will pay for that? Only I can help them realize it."

Just then, the office door opened and Wang Feng returned. "Mr. Lin, I have a request."

"Go ahead."

"The game must be made to our high standards, no cutbacks. I want creative control because I refuse to make a subpar product. If you disagree, I’d rather the game never see release beyond a trailer. Do you accept?"

Lin Ran stood and extended his hand. "Deal!"

"Thank you, Mr. Lin," Wang Feng said excitedly.

"I appreciate your high standards. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right."

They signed the purchase agreement, in effect acquiring Prajna Game entirely, since the company only worked on 'Black: Yang Jian.' Without Lin Ran’s investment, the company would have shut down.

"Since today is the weekend, let’s go to the relevant authorities Monday to finalize the transfer," Wang Feng suggested.

"No problem. By the way, the costumes in the game are terrible. I really don’t like them."

"We couldn’t afford a consultant for historical costumes, so we made do with what we found online."

Hearing this, Ye Fanzhi turned and left.

Lin Ran smiled. "Alright, carry on. Once we sign the transfer contract Monday, I’ll make the payment."

"Okay."

Leaving the company, Lin Ran found Ye Fanzhi waiting by the road. "Principal Ye, I’m done here. If you’re busy, you don’t have to wait for me."

"I’m not busy. Where are you staying? I’ll drive you."

"No need, I booked a room at J Hotel. I’ll just catch a cab."

"It’s no trouble at all. Consider it my thanks for the medicine. Come on."

"Thank you, Principal Ye."

"Let’s drop the formalities outside."

"I agree, calling you Principal Ye feels distant. I’ll call you Fanzhi, then," Lin Ran said with a smile.

"Uh... as you like."

Outside the Ye family’s courtyard, Ye Fanzhi unlocked her Porsche Cayenne.

"Get in, Lin."

"Alright, Fanzhi~"

"......"

At that moment, the system chimed in.

"Fanzhi, even after the divorce, you still call your ex-wife by her name so intimately. Clearly, you haven’t moved on from your ex-wife, Ye Fanzhi."

What the...!

The system’s sudden remark left Lin Ran completely stunned.

After searching high and low, he’d found her without any effort—his ex-wife was Ye Fanzhi?

But wait, she’s never even been married!

What on earth is this system talking about?

Wait, wait—I need to sort this out!