Last Love chapter 69

Ji Feiyu stared at Wen Ke, but for a moment, he didn’t speak. After a while, he tightened the pen in his hand, lowered his head, and wrote a few lines in his notebook.

However, the battlefield was not solely occupied by Wen Ke.

In the subsequent presentation, Fu Xiaoyu and his team were responsible for the business analysis part, which was the most lacking aspect of Wen Ke’s previous proposal.

Now, after cooperating with Fu Xiaoyu, he finally perfected this fatal flaw.

The precise and clear SWOT and 5P model analysis was impeccable. Even Ji Feiyu and Guan Qian couldn’t help but show a hint of admiration.

The academic part about psychological testing and matching was explained by Xu Jiale.

Xu Jiale had been a teaching assistant at M University, and although his personality seemed lazy, he exuded a certain arrogance. Therefore, he showed no signs of nervousness and spoke clearly and forcefully.

As he explained, Wen Ke took out several thick folders prepared in advance, distributing them to the four Blue Rain executives. Every short conclusion on the PowerPoint was marked with the source that could be found in the folders.

This idea was proposed by Fu Xiaoyu.

Previously, Xu Jiale had insisted that it was impossible for non-professionals to really read through these academic materials. However, under Fu Xiaoyu’s strong insistence, he eventually earnestly prepared the folder as if writing a paper.

Now, thinking back, Fu Xiaoyu’s insistence made sense—whether the other party read it or not, they ensured that every sentence in the PowerPoint had a basis and was solid.

After the preliminary explanation, it was time for questions, which was indeed the most nerve-wracking part for Wen Ke.

He and Fu Xiaoyu prepared answers to over a hundred possible questions, but even with such efforts, they might still face challenging questions.

The cooperation with M University obviously caught Xia Xingzhi’s attention. He flipped through the folders and asked first, “Did M University really agree to cooperate?”

“Yes.” Xu Jiale nodded confidently. “Last Love is a meaningful app, not only in terms of business but also in terms of social significance.”

“Why do we fall in love with someone? What exactly attracts us? The existing mate selection system, whether it’s through apps or medical examinations, relies heavily on pheromone matching. On the surface, it seems like pheromones dominate our marriages and relationships, but on a deeper level, it’s big data and technology that truly dominate us. Where do human emotions and love manifest? Mr. Xia, Last Love is an app that prioritizes people. M University recognized this and understood its value, which is why they agreed to this unprecedented cooperation.”

At this point, Xu Jiale took a deep breath, and his words carried a touch of emotion. He might have thought of something, pushed his gold-rimmed glasses, and a complex expression flashed in his eyes.

“What about user privacy concerns?” Xia Xingzhi continued without much pause. “This form of cooperation could potentially be a minefield for some users.”

“On one hand, M University’s reputation is trustworthy due to its prestige. On the other hand, all data Last Love processes comes directly from users’ inputs. We need the user’s consent in the user agreement to use the data they provide. If a user disagrees with their matching data being used, their information won’t be handed over to M University.”

“In our promotion, we will emphasize that all data processing is non-commercial, solely for academic research, reducing users’ resistance to this aspect.”

Wen Ke quickly added.

As the leader of Blue Rain, Xia Xingzhi fired questions almost like a machine gun, without giving Wen Ke and his team any time for discussion or contemplation.

“Your projection is that profitability may not be achieved in the first two quarters, but through buying users and continuous marketing to attract a large user base, positive income can be realized from the third quarter onwards. So, do you really have the confidence, despite this app currently contradicting the mainstream market, that it still has the potential for massive promotion?”

“Dating and socializing apps are already a massive market, with no single app monopolizing it. We’ve never aimed to please all users.”

Regarding market-related questions, Fu Xiaoyu calmly stated, “So, precisely because it contradicts the mainstream, we have the confidence. The essence of dating apps is love. In this market, there’s an absolute mainstream value dominating, which, in a sense, is unhealthy—because it means that other values have been neglected for a long time. Like Wen Ke mentioned earlier, the survey shows that our societal trends are quietly changing. Many mate selection values that have been marginalized are emerging, and these are our target users.”

“Mr. Xia, from a gg perspective, a pioneering product inherently carries topicality and advantages in attracting attention. Once we progressively handle the marketing and promotion war well, my estimate is not only positive income starting from the third quarter—our real goal is explosive income in the third quarter, becoming a phenomenon-level app.”

Xia Xingzhi squinted his eyes. While he seemed to approve of Fu Xiaoyu’s answer, he still lowered his head to flip through the folders. After a while, he propped up his chin with one hand and looked meaningfully at Wen Ke, saying, “I have one last crucial question, Mr. Wen. I don’t know if you’ve realized—one thing inherent in your ideas is a contradiction.”

“Dr. Xu just said that most apps today dominate human emotions using technology and data. Forgive me for being straightforward, but your app fundamentally uses a matching system and manipulates big data, just like other apps. Besides matching data shifting from pheromones to something else, how can you convince me that your app is fundamentally different from others?”

Xia Xingzhi’s gaze was sharp, fixed on Wen Ke.

For the first time, Wen Ke, Fu Xiaoyu, and Xu Jiale hesitated during the entire Q&A session. Wen Ke and Fu Xiaoyu exchanged glances and looked at Xu Jiale, but for a moment, no one spoke—

The four Blue Rain Alphas were now focused on Wen Ke. Although there was no urging, this silent waiting was exceptionally agonizing.

Wen Ke felt a cold sweat breaking out on his back. He opened his mouth, and though his brain was working rapidly, for some reason, it felt like a blank slate. This feeling was terrifying.

“There is a difference.”

For the first time, Han Jiangque, who had been silent throughout, spoke.

Han Jiangque had not been involved in the actual preparation process of the proposal presentation, so he was somewhat uncomfortable with such a scene. Even though he was the highest-ranked Alpha present, his voice was still light: “Last Love allows users to adjust the algorithm based on their preferences. This, this should be different from other apps.”

Suddenly, Wen Ke felt a breath escape him, like a heavy burden being lifted.

When a person with complex thoughts becomes too immersed in seemingly flawless logic, there are more blind spots in their thinking. That was what happened just now.

So it was the simplest Han Jiangque who, with a single sentence, woke him up.

The answer to the question had been in his heart all along—

“Just like, just like my… assistant said.”

When Wen Ke said this sentence, he couldn’t help but stutter. His eyes turned to Han Jiangque.

The Alpha seemed a bit nervous. His beautiful eyes blinked without pause, watching Wen Ke eagerly.

At that moment, Wen Ke suddenly remembered the silly young man in high school who would get tongue-tied when called upon to answer questions. He had often reminded Han Jiangque of the correct answers in a low voice during class—

In that moment, Wen Ke felt like he had returned to a certain moment in his life—

The moment he thought of the idea for Last Love.

“Mr. Xia, I believe I can convince you.”

Wen Ke murmured.

He looked at Xia Xingzhi with a determined gaze and slowly said, “Our society today is truly developed—smart AI, big data, VR, all these cutting-edge technologies saturate our lives. So, sometimes it may be hard to imagine that just 200 years ago, humans were highly dependent on each other and animals. We didn’t have airplanes, couldn’t cross multiple time zones in a day, so human life was born and grew in one place, because there wasn’t enough technology for heating. Even in the cold nights, we had to embrace each other tightly to sleep. Later, technology gave us the ability, and humans began to migrate, flying to the United States, to England, to distant worlds beyond the ocean, becoming scattered individuals. But who could have thought that later, smartphones appeared. So, we revealed our true faces again, even if we were thousands of miles apart, we would still send messages to our loved ones after work, send silly emojis. Today, we are still highly dependent on each other at all times. While developing this app, I couldn’t help but think about human nature, the changes brought about by technology, and the changes that technology cannot bring about. In the end, I think, human nature is such that we create technology to separate ourselves, but willingly let emotions bind us. It’s in this constant struggle and game that human nature gradually emerges. So, what is human instinct? I think it’s love.”

A faint hint of tears shimmered in Wen Ke’s eyes as he spoke softly, “You said Last Love is the same as other apps, but it’s not. Other apps rely on data judgment, while last Love is about helping people understand themselves, understand what they want. It is humans making judgments for themselves, and then using technology. The difference in this sequence is the essence of the distinction. The essence of Last Love is to make technology serve humanity, to believe in the instinct of love within human nature.”

The entire conference room fell silent; everyone was looking at the Omega standing in the center.

He wasn’t tall, and his appearance was not stunning, but there was a gentle radiance that seemed out of place in the current setting. However, that touch of tenderness was dazzling.

“Mr. Xia, before coming here, I saw Blue Rain’s corporate slogan, ‘Break the rules.'”

“Breaking the rules, in this era, is a very noble slogan. Because breaking the rules is never based on 100% rationality; it’s 60% rationality, 20% trust in intuition, and another 20% unwavering courage—please believe in intuition and give Last Love a chance.”

Wen Ke paused, bowed slightly, and then calmly said, “Regardless of the outcome, my team and I are extremely grateful for the opportunity Blue Rain has given us.”

Xia Xingzhi remained silent for a long time. Finally, he stood up with a serious expression.

“Being able to hear such a proposal is Blue Rain’s honor.”

The tall Alpha extended his right hand to Wen Ke, “Mr. Wen, I hope our collaboration in the future distribution work will be pleasant. I have great confidence in this project.”

Such a significant decision, Xia Xingzhi made it so quickly and decisively that even other Blue Rain managers couldn’t help but widen their eyes in astonishment. Ji Feiyu, in particular, opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

Even Wen Ke himself found it hard to believe. As he shook hands with Xia Xingzhi, his fingers couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

For the first time, not as an Omega, not carrying any gender labels, but solely as a successful individual shaking hands with another successful person.

In that moment, he had only three words in his mind—

Victory is achieved.

The wheat fields unfolded before his eyes like an endless canvas.

That was his golden future.