The next morning, Lin Feng stood outside a nondescript building in the financial district—no sign, no logo. Just clean glass doors and a marble lobby guarded by silence.
He stepped inside.
The receptionist barely looked up before nodding. "Top floor. They're expecting you."
No questions. No name-check. Clearly, this wasn't an ordinary company.
As the elevator ascended, Lin Feng flipped through the thin dossier Xue Lian had handed him again. The investment on paper seemed almost too convenient: a startup real estate tech firm looking to expand into low-income urban developments. A cause that sounded noble. Too noble.
[System: Host, this smells like bait dipped in good intentions. Also, their valuation projections are more inflated than a late-night food delivery fee.]
He smirked. "I know. That's why I'm interested."
The elevator dinged. The doors opened to a minimalist boardroom with floor-to-ceiling windows. Three people were already seated at the far end—one of them, unmistakably, Luo Zixuan.
"Look who decided to show up," Luo said, voice smooth, arms folded like he already knew the outcome.
Lin Feng gave him a lazy glance. "I had breakfast."
"Hope it helps you think straight." Luo smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
The man in the middle—a stern figure in a charcoal-gray suit—gestured to a seat. "Mr. Lin, thank you for coming. Let's begin."
Over the next hour, the meeting unfolded like a quiet battlefield. Projections, breakdowns, market tests—all on the table. The project had merit, yes. But Lin Feng noticed inconsistencies: subcontractor fees didn't align with city averages. Some supplier names were fake. And the so-called "public initiative" fund? A front. A clever one, but a front nonetheless.
They were testing more than his money. They were testing his eyes.
"I see," Lin Feng said finally, closing the final report page. "You're not looking for investors. You're looking for the blind."
The room paused. Luo Zixuan's smile wavered.
"Excuse me?" one of the women asked.
Lin Feng leaned back, completely at ease. "This isn't a proposal. It's a setup. A legal one, but a trap nonetheless. Someone profits—quietly—while the front man takes the fall."
Luo Zixuan stood. "Are you accusing me?"
"No." Lin Feng met his gaze. "But I'm not going to play dumb just to make you feel smart."
Tension rose in the room like heat. The man in gray watched silently, as if evaluating not just what was said—but how.
After a long pause, he closed his notebook.
"Mr. Lin," he said calmly, "we appreciate your insights. We'll be in touch."
As Lin Feng turned to leave, he passed by Luo Zixuan. "Next time," he said quietly, "if you want to bait a trap—make sure the fish isn't smarter than the fisherman."
Later That Day…
Back on campus, Jiang Yue'er found Lin Feng near the edge of the field, sitting on the grass with a bottle of iced tea, seemingly unaffected by the high-stakes morning.
"You look… peaceful," she said.
"Because I didn't get scammed."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's the new standard?"
He passed her the bottle. "In this game? Sometimes."
[System: Host, if this were poker, you just played a bluff with an empty hand and still won the table.]
Jiang Yue'er studied him. "So what now?"
Lin Feng smiled faintly. "Now we wait. Someone just realized I'm not the pawn they thought I was."