Chapter 263 - 200: If I Can’t Have It, I’ll Destroy It

Chapter 263: Chapter 200: If I Can’t Have It, I’ll Destroy It

Jack heard this and nodded thoughtfully.

"So, you mean..."

Elena didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she turned her head to look at Robert.

"Robert, the report mentioned that Chen Lin met an exchange student from the Beautiful Country named Annie Brunt at the mathematics conference, correct?"

"That’s right." Robert nodded. "Annie Brunt, a PhD student at MIT. Her advisor is Professor Moitra."

"She had contact with Chen Lin during the conference. Afterward, she used the email address for Chen Lin’s company to proactively add him on WeChat."

"According to our investigation, the two currently maintain normal social contact."

After hearing this, Elena’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Annie Brunt..."

She muttered the name to herself, then looked up at a young man sitting on the other side of the conference table.

"Matthew, go run a full background check on this Annie Brunt."

"Family background, personality traits, social circles, hobbies—I want it all."

"I want the complete report within two days."

The young man called Matthew nodded, seemingly hanging on Elena’s every word.

"Understood, Elena."

Elena nodded in satisfaction and then looked back at Robert.

"Robert, can we get in touch with Professor Moitra?"

Upon hearing this, a troubled expression appeared on Robert’s face.

"Elena, although Professor Moitra is a citizen of the Beautiful Country, his ancestry is from San."

"Besides, he has a very high standing in academia. He won’t be easily bought."

Hearing this, Elena let out a soft chuckle.

"Robert, you’ve misunderstood me."

Her tone was light, as if she were discussing some trivial matter.

"I don’t intend to buy Professor Moitra."

"I just want him to give his student, Annie Brunt, a few ’suggestions’ at the appropriate time."

The moment Robert heard this, he understood Elena’s meaning.

He mulled it over for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"I understand, Elena."

"I’ll find a way to contact Professor Moitra."

"However, it might require going through some intermediaries. It’ll be safer that way."

"Fine." Elena nodded. "You handle it."

She paused, then added:

"Remember, it has to be done naturally. Don’t let Professor Moitra suspect our intentions."

"It would be best if he thinks the ’suggestion’ was his own idea."

Hearing this, the corner of Robert’s mouth lifted into a smile.

"Don’t worry, Elena. I’m experienced in this sort of thing."

Elena nodded with satisfaction.

She stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the conference room, her gaze falling on the sunlit lawn outside.

After a moment, she began to speak slowly:

"Everyone, our plan is divided into three steps."

Elena turned around, her eyes sweeping over everyone present.

"Step one: Use Annie Brunt to establish initial contact with Chen Lin."

"Have Annie invite Chen Lin to visit the Beautiful Country for an academic exchange or to attend a conference."

"This step is mainly to test Chen Lin’s attitude and see if he has any interest in coming to the Beautiful Country."

Elena paused here, then continued:

"Step two: If Chen Lin refuses Annie’s invitation, we activate the backup plan."

"Send a ’Hunter’ directly to Huaxia to approach Chen Lin under various plausible identities."

"The ’Hunter’s’ mission is not to recruit Chen Lin immediately, but to first build a relationship of trust with him."

"Make him feel that the ’Hunter’ is a friend worth having."

At this point, a meaningful smile touched Elena’s lips.

"As for how to build that trust..."

She didn’t elaborate, but everyone present shared a knowing laugh.

Elena continued:

"Step three: When the time is right, we will extend an olive branch to Chen Lin with an offer he can’t refuse."

"For example, inviting him to join a top-tier international research project, or providing him with a huge amount of research funding."

"In short, we need to make him feel that cooperating with us will bring immense benefits to his career and financial interests."

After speaking, Elena returned to her seat at the head of the table.

"These three steps are interlinked."

"As long as we are patient enough, I believe Chen Lin will eventually come over to our side."

A murmur of approval filled the conference room.

"This plan is absolutely flawless!"

"I’m sure it won’t be long before Chen Lin is one of us!"

Listening to the compliments, the smile on Elena’s face deepened.

However, just then, a young woman sitting at the far end of the conference table suddenly spoke up.

"Lady Caroline, I have a question."

All eyes snapped to the young woman.

She was a woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a professional skirt suit. Her blouse was tucked in, outlining a slender waist, while her long, shapely legs were clad in black stockings. Her long hair was slightly curled.

Her face was delicate, with the defined, exquisite features of a Westerner, yet her skin was fair and smooth. She was a stunning, aloof beauty of mixed heritage.

Elena looked at the young woman, a flicker of appreciation in her eyes.

"Speak, Natasha."

The mixed-race beauty called Natasha began to speak slowly:

"What if Chen Lin neither accepts Annie’s invitation nor lets his guard down around the ’Hunter’?"

"After all, according to Robert’s report, while this Chen Lin may be inexperienced with women, his IQ is extremely high. And as he gains more attention from the Huaxia authorities, he’s bound to become more vigilant about this sort of thing."

"What if he sees through our intentions..."

Natasha trailed off, but everyone present understood what she meant.

A brief silence fell over the conference room.

Elena was silent for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.

"Natasha, that’s an excellent question."

She stood up, walked over to Natasha’s side, and gently patted her on the shoulder.

"That’s also what I was about to say."

Elena turned, her gaze once again sweeping over everyone present.

"If Chen Lin really does see through our intentions and flatly refuses to cooperate..."

Her tone suddenly turned icy.

"Then we change our approach."

As she said this, a cold sneer formed on her lips.

"For example, manufacturing a few scandals to destroy his reputation."

"Or, creating some trouble for his company to overwhelm him, leaving him no time for research."

"In short..."

Elena’s voice grew cold.

"If he won’t work for us, then we’ll make it so he can’t work for Huaxia either."

The conference room fell silent once more.

After a moment, Robert spoke up slowly:

"Elena, you’re right."

"However, I don’t think we need to consider such extreme measures just yet."

"After all, Chen Lin is just a twenty-year-old kid."

"Young people are always easily tempted."

A meaningful smile touched Robert’s lips.

"I’m confident that as long as our ’bait’ is tempting enough, he’ll definitely take it."

Hearing this, Elena’s smile returned.

"You’re right, Robert."

She sat back down at the head of the table, her gaze falling on the thick background check report.

"Well then, let’s get started. Follow the plan I just laid out."

"Matthew, within two days, I want to see Annie Brunt’s detailed file."

"Robert, contact Professor Moitra as soon as possible."