On the way off the plane, Cynthia casually mentioned Vince—top student, very capable, but a bit sly and good at sucking up to people. He was her ex-boyfriend.
Although he was her ex, Cynthia showed no emotion when she mentioned him. Their relationship hadn't lasted long. They had joined the same company at the same time, so they looked out for each other at first. Later, Vince started pursuing her. Since he was thoughtful most of the time, she decided to give it a try.
But after seeing Cynthia get promoted faster than him, he began to suspect her. For a while, he tried all kinds of ways to snoop on her phone. One day, Cynthia caught him in the act, and they broke up on the spot.
"When you see him, he might say some nonsense. I hope you don't take it to heart," Cynthia warned William in advance.
"Cynthia!"
As soon as they left the airport, the tall Vince stood in the crowd and waved at them.
Cynthia frowned. She clearly didn't like the way he called her.
Keeping a straight face, she walked up to him and introduced, "This is my boss, William."
William nodded. "Hello."
"He's the current head of WeChat Games, Vince."
Vince shook William's hand. "I've heard so much about you. You're even younger than I expected!"
"Thanks for the compliment."
After the brief introduction, Vince offered to carry Cynthia's luggage, but—unsurprisingly—she refused.
Once they got in the car, Vince didn't start it right away.
"This time, it's not actually us inviting you—it's the Mahjong Association."
"Mahjong Association?" William raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. They want to talk to us about a formal partnership."
Cynthia asked, "What kind?"
"Online league."
An online league, as the name suggests, is a competition held over the internet. In today's digital age, it's very common—especially after full 5G coverage—where events like remote dance battles or online music collaborations are held all the time.
For games, though, this would be the first time.
"This is our chance," Cynthia said, turning to William.
William nodded. Hosting a competition was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to see—it was an easy way to gain both fame and profit.
He hadn't expected that the Mahjong Association, which had opposed their project before, would suddenly want to work with them.
"You're probably wondering what made them change their mind." Vince started the car and said slowly, "For a long time, the Mahjong Association was also called the 'Old People's Club.' Because they wanted to protect tradition, most of their members were older and there was even an age limit."
"But as people have become more and more hooked on online entertainment, the association noticed that mahjong is slowly fading from people's lives. You can tell from the national tournaments—they happen all over the country, but there are very few young players, and most of them are the same old faces. Because of that, the association lifted the age limit and started recruiting young people with fresh ideas."
"When we negotiated with them before, it was because a new member they had recruited spoke up for us that things went through easily. This time, it's the same person who contacted me. But she said that most people in the association still don't support the proposal, so her idea is for us to go convince them together."
So, nothing was decided yet, and it didn't sound easy either. If they suddenly launched an online tournament while the national tournament was still going, it would definitely create competition for attention, which was exactly what the conservative members would worry about.
"Cynthia…" Vince looked at Cynthia through the rearview mirror.
Cynthia said coldly, "Shut up."
"Uh… well," Vince looked a bit awkward, "I booked a restaurant."
William didn't say anything but looked over at Cynthia.
If she and Vince had no history, William would have been the one to decide. But since the two did have a past, it was only right to let her decide.
"What, do you want us to go wandering around to find a place to eat?" Cynthia glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
When she agreed, Vince's face relaxed into a smile—though it didn't last long. Her next words killed it instantly.
"Boss, let's get a room tonight. I want to really go over our strategy."
Good thing William wasn't drinking water, or it would have ended up all over the car.
"I think…"
William had just started talking when he noticed the playful little tune in Cynthia's voice. There was a glint of mischief in her eyes, and knowing her habit of joking around, he caught on quickly.
"No problem."
"Good." Cynthia gave a satisfied smile and even glanced at the rearview mirror.
Vince didn't show it outright, but his stiff expression was like someone who had just swallowed a fly.
After dinner, under his watch, the two walked into the hotel lobby, took out their IDs, booked their rooms, and Cynthia even waved her room card at him as they said goodbye.
"You're going to drive him crazy doing that."
In the elevator, William slipped the other room card into his pocket along with his phone.
Anyone could see that Vince still had feelings for Cynthia.
"Good. Serves him right for calling me that disgusting nickname." Cynthia rubbed her arm as if brushing off imaginary goosebumps.
Their rooms were right across from each other. As William turned to go into his, Cynthia suddenly used her room card to lift his chin. "Remember, come find me after you're clean."
It was the first time William had been teased by a woman. It was an odd feeling—exciting, but knowing she was joking made it frustrating too.
After his shower, he waited another half hour before ringing Cynthia's doorbell.
"Come in."
Behind the door, Cynthia wasn't in a sexy robe but in her usual clothes—just without the extra jacket she had worn in Riverdale. After all, the weather in Southport was much warmer.
"I did a bit of digging. The person who made this meeting happen is Eileen, a woman who studied overseas. She used to be the assistant to the president of the European Mahjong Association branch, and she's the youngest daughter of the president of the Chinese Mahjong Association."
"Connections?"
"That's right. The time the Mahjong Association lifted the age limit lines up almost exactly with when Eileen came back to China. Of course, it could be just a coincidence."
A coincidence?
Yeah, right.
"Anyway, if her father is trying to pave the way for her, our chances of success are still pretty high."
Cynthia nodded, but her face didn't look relaxed. "Eileen doesn't have no competition. In fact, her father's position in the association isn't that secure. Bringing her back is partly to get her ready to take on more responsibility, and partly to use her success to strengthen his own position."
"Where do you even get all this information…"
William couldn't help complaining. Cynthia just knew way too much.