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Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: The Bait

Ye Xia's plan was simple, elegant, and ruthless. It was a classic bear trap, and she was sure Liang Rui, in his desperate ambition, would walk right into it.

She started by using a small portion of her personal funds to establish a new, anonymous shell company through her lawyers in the Cayman Islands. She named it "Prometheus Investments." Then, she began a subtle campaign.

She started "wasting" money through the system by making small, loss-making investments in the tech sector, but with a focus on companies that were peripheral to Liang Rui's field—mobile gaming and social media. She made sure the trades were visible enough to be noticed by anyone watching the market movements of new, aggressive funds.

Next, she used the system's [Basic Intelligence (Local)] function, which was off cooldown, to get a current snapshot of Liang Rui's situation.

The information confirmed her suspicions: Liang Rui was desperate. Rui Sheng Technologies was burning through its remaining cash. The Lin family was pressuring him for results, threatening to pull their support completely. He was actively seeking a new, major investor to save his company.

The bait was set.

A week later, she had Attorney Li, acting as a representative of the mysterious "Prometheus Investments," contact Liang Rui. The offer was tantalizing: a meeting to discuss a potential investment of ten million RMB in Rui Sheng Technologies.

Liang Rui, blinded by the lifeline, jumped at the chance. The meeting was set at a high-end private club.

Ye Xia prepared meticulously. She wore a severe, dark business suit, her hair pulled back in a tight knot. She used light makeup to subtly alter her features. She looked older, sharper, utterly professional. She was no longer Ye Xia, the schoolgirl; she was Ms. Ye, the representative of Prometheus Investments.

She arrived at the club alone. Liang Rui was already there, nervously sipping water. When he saw her, he did a double-take. There was a flicker of recognition, but it was quickly suppressed by confusion. She didn't look exactly like the Ye Xia he knew, and the context was all wrong.

"Mr. Liang?" she said, extending her hand, her voice lower and more authoritative than usual. "I am Ms. Ye, from Prometheus Investments."

"A pleasure," Liang Rui said, shaking her hand, his mind clearly racing. "Ye… that's a common surname."

"It is," she agreed, taking a seat. "Let's get to business. We've been watching Rui Sheng. We see… potential. But also significant risk."

She proceeded to grill him on his business model, his user acquisition costs, his long-term strategy. She asked pointed, difficult questions that exposed the fundamental weaknesses in his plan—the same weaknesses she had known about from her previous life. Liang Rui, under pressure, became defensive, then increasingly desperate to impress her.

He revealed more than he intended, including the fact that he was on the verge of signing a major deal with a Korean tech firm—a deal that would supposedly triple his user base. It was a lie, or at best, a wild exaggeration. Ye Xia knew because in her past life, that deal had never materialized.

This was the hook.

"This Korean deal," she said, feigning interest. "If you can secure that, it would change the risk profile considerably. We would be very interested in investing at that point."

Liang Rui's eyes lit up. "It's as good as done! We're just finalizing the paperwork."

"Excellent," Ye Xia said. "However, my principals are cautious. We would need to see a significant, tangible commitment from you before we release such a large sum."

"What kind of commitment?" Liang Rui asked eagerly.

"A personal investment. A show of faith. We've noticed your company's stock is quite volatile." This was a lie; Rui Sheng was a private company. But she was planting an idea. "If you were to personally acquire a large block of shares at the current valuation, it would signal your absolute confidence. It would make our investment committee much more comfortable."

She was suggesting he buy his own company's stock, which was illiquid and essentially worthless without outside investment. It was a circular trap.

Liang Rui, seeing only the promised ten million RMB, nodded vigorously. "I understand completely. I can arrange that. I have some personal assets."

"Splendid," Ye Xia said, standing up. "Contact me when you have made the acquisition. We will move quickly thereafter."

She left the club, her heart cold and steady. The trap was sprung. Liang Rui, in his desperation, would now liquidate whatever personal assets he had—perhaps pressure the Lin family for more money—to "buy" a worthless stake in his own company, all based on the promise of a investment from a ghost.

It was financial murder. And it was poetic.

As she walked out into the sunlight, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Mo.

[Elegant. But remember, a cornered rat will leap at any opening. Ensure your own foundations are secure.]

He was right, as always. It was time to solidify her own position. It was time to claim her mother's legacy. It was time to go to Zurich.

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