Chapter 78 Jiang Ruotang: Since Becoming a Bad Person, I Have Everything I Want

Chapter 78 Jiang Ruotang: Ever Since Turning to the Dark Side, I Get Whatever I Want

Jiang Ruotang intended to use this incident to uncover the secret between Bai Yue and Lin Chengdong. His intuition told him this secret was also Lin Chengdong’s weak spot.

“Ah, right, when dealing with Lin Chengdong, let me give you some pointers.”

Jiang Ruotang’s voice turned serious. None of his usual playful tone remained from joking around with classmates. Instead, it gave Bai Yingchuan a sense of being talked down to from above, inexplicably making him suppress all his pride and listen obediently.

“I’m listening. Go ahead.”

“I know you’re proud and arrogant, but in front of Lin Chengdong, you must lower your head and make him feel like he has you under control. Once he gets complacent, he’ll let things slip. You’d better put on your best act, reverse the control over his emotions, and make him reveal how he coaxed or even forced your mother into doing those questionable things.”

Thankfully, Jiang Ruotang had reminded him. After all, this might be our only shot. If Lin Chengdong got suspicious, they’d never get any useful information out of him again.

“Thanks, and don’t worry. I can act when I need to.”

After hanging up, Bai Yingchuan took a deep breath.

He knew full well that in this world, no one could be trusted. Whoever got hold of his biggest secret could flip on him and use it as leverage, becoming the next Lin Chengdong.

But… Jiang Ruotang had never cared about getting anything from him.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Lin Chengdong called again.

Bai Yingchuan adjusted his emotions and began his performance.

“Hello, Uncle Lin, is there something you need?”

Lin Chengdong’s voice was cheerful, as if delivering the best news: “Yingchuan, your mother’s upcoming movie plans to cast you as the male lead! A mother-son team-up—that’ll get people talking!”

Bai Yingchuan played it cool. “The gaokao is coming up. Any work will have to wait until after that.”

“Oh, come on, the exams aren’t as important as your future career. As long as you make the right connections, you’ll have endless film offers. Formal training doesn’t matter.”

A sharp, cold smile curled at Bai Yingchuan’s lips: *Didn’t my mother follow the ‘right person’ and end up like this?*

“Maybe I’m just traditional that way, but whether I’m professionally trained matters to me. I need to get back to studying, Uncle Lin.”

Seeing Bai Yingchuan ready to end the call, Lin Chengdong’s voice suddenly turned icy.

“If you hang up, your mother’s done for.”

“What do you mean?” Bai Yingchuan’s voice tensed.

Lin Chengdong chuckled. “The actual pay Bai Yue received for her last three films doesn’t match what’s written in the contracts. If some reporter accidentally finds out, the tax authorities might just investigate her.”

Remembering Jiang Ruotang’s advice, Bai Yingchuan kept his voice calm, laced with a hint of mockery.

“Uncle Lin, my mom may be vain and care about pay and billing, but there are things she wouldn’t dare do—she’s too afraid of public scrutiny, too scared of falling from grace. Don’t scare a high school senior like this, or I’ll bill you for trauma.”

“Scare you? Those under-the-table deals were all negotiated by me! And those PR firms your mother works with? They channel payments to marketing companies owned by the big bosses—that’s how the money cycles back. From the bosses’ accounts, through your mother’s studios, and right back into their pockets. A neat little scheme, isn’t it?”

At this, Bai Yingchuan’s gaze turned cold, but his voice still carried three parts sarcasm and disbelief.

“Oh… so that’s how it is. No wonder she kept complaining that the marketing firms you introduced were useless. Turns out, from the very beginning, you had her fooled. The accountants and managers you recommended were just helping you launder her paychecks and funnel money to those bosses.”

Bai Yingchuan’s goal was to make sure the recording showed Bai Yue as someone who had been exploited and deceived.

“Yingchuan, using the word ‘fooled’ is too harsh. I was just helping your mother network. At first, she didn’t understand how things worked and threw tantrums like a spoiled princess. Without me, would she have these resources now? She’s over the hill—time to retire.”

“Right, and when she refuses to cooperate, you threaten to expose her and ruin her reputation?” Bai Yingchuan shot back.

“Tsk, I told you, it’s networking. Otherwise, how could her pay for the last two films be so high?”

“Wasn’t my mother’s pay negotiated by you, Lin Chengdong? Should I thank you for digging such a deep pit for her to fall into? Now she can’t even climb out if she wants to?”

Bai Yingchuan’s voice rose. Raised in privilege, he finally lost his patience with this scoundrel. “When she realizes you and those bosses used her as a money-laundering channel, did you threaten her to keep cooperating, or else you’d destroy her?”

“Yingchuan, how is that a threat? I was just ‘persuading’ your mother.” Lin Chengdong laughed smugly. “The whole world knows you’re Bai Yue’s son. If her reputation is ruined, what do you think will happen to you? Will the internet mob drag you down with her? Still dreaming of being a top star? You’ll be a top star, all right—blacklisted and burned to a crisp! Publicly shamed, condemned—you won’t even have a peaceful life left.”

Bai Yingchuan’s agitated expression settled. He had gotten the recording he wanted.

And Lin Chengdong would never expect that Bai Yingchuan, a high school senior, had acted his way into making Lin Chengdong admit he was the mastermind behind those studios—even confessing to threatening Bai Yue.

“I need to talk to my mother. And no matter what, I have to focus on the exams.” Bai Yingchuan’s tone softened.

Hearing this, Lin Chengdong nearly burst with smug satisfaction. *Just a wet-behind-the-ears kid, a pampered rich kid, easily manipulated.*

“Fine, we can sign the contract first, and you can join the production after your exams.”

“Send the script to Sister Yu for evaluation first.”

After hanging up, Bai Yingchuan felt as if he’d been frozen to the core.

He had known his mother wasn’t the brightest, but he never imagined she could be this… stupid. With Lin Chengdong had her by the short hairs, she hadn’t even tried to pull out. If the sums kept growing, they’d both be ruined.

He stood up, gripping his phone, ready to storm into Bai Yue’s room. His emotions seethed like a boiling kettle, eager to crush Bai Yue’s domineering ways. *She’s screwed up her own life—how dare she interfere in my life?*

Then, a message popped up on his screen—from Jiang Ruotang.

[Your mother is proud and stubborn. Don’t confront her directly, or she might act even more irrationally. Let’s consult a lawyer first, assess the situation, then convince her.]

Jiang Ruotang had predicted exactly what he wanted to do, calm and collected as ever.

[Okay. Can I see you now?]

Truthfully, Jiang Ruotang was already in his pajamas, ready to crawl into bed. But with Bai Yingchuan sending such a message late at night—a lone boy meeting a handsome guy—people might get the wrong idea and think he still had a thing for Bai Yingchuan.

*Sigh… If only you’d trusted me like this in our past life.* Jiang Ruotang let out a long sigh.

*Forget it. Back then, I was just an entitled kid with no real-world experience—couldn’t have helped much anyway.*

Jiang Ruotang called back, and Bai Yingchuan answered almost instantly.

“Tomorrow night, I’ll take you to meet a lawyer who specializes in financial cases.”

“You know a lawyer?”

“Yeah. Otherwise, we’d just be going nowhere. Let the experts handle it.”

Without even asking what useful information Bai Yingchuan had gotten from Lin Chengdong, Jiang Ruotang simply said, “Go to sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

He was still the same—completely indifferent to Bai Yingchuan’s emotions. It was like mental torture.

The next morning, Jiang Ruotang was passed out at his desk.

Lu Guifan, taking the hint, didn’t wake him and instead went to gather assignments from the others.

It was the first time since the semester started that the whole class was grumbling.

"Class president, could you wake Jiang Ruotang first and ask if he has any questions he's stuck on?"

"Teach him first, then collect ours. He's your VIP; we're just small fry!"

"Jiang Ruotang is usually so energetic, why is he out of steam today? Come save us already..."

Though everyone was complaining, no one dared to shake Jiang Ruotang awake. After all, if he really woke up, Lu Guifan's speed in collecting papers would likely whip through them like a tornado.

By the time the whole class had submitted their papers, Lu Guifan still hadn't woken Jiang Ruotang. Instead, he knelt down and whispered in his ear, "I'm taking your paper."

"Hmm..." Jiang Ruotang let out a soft murmur.

Lu Guifan slid his hand between Jiang Ruotang's chest and the desk, felt around in his bag, accurately found his worksheet, rolled it up, and pulled it out.

Standing up, Lu Guifan sorted the papers, picked out the math worksheet, then handed the English paper to Jian Sha beside him before heading to the office.

It wasn't until after lunch that Jiang Ruotang, breaking routine by skipping his usual milk tea, walked back to the classroom sipping black coffee.

Lu Guifan's voice sounded beside his ear: "Nice day for it. Want to take a walk around the track?"

Jiang Ruotang lit up immediately. Lu Guifan was inviting him for a stroll? That was something only couples did!

"Rain or shine, I'd go either way!"

Lu Guifan's hand immediately landed on Jiang Ruotang's head, pulling him slightly toward his chest—only to let go just before pulling him in.

"Do I look like someone who'd stab you?"

Jiang Ruotang chuckled and followed Lu Guifan onto the track.

Many students were out walking, and some were sitting by the edge.

Ahead of them was an unofficial couple from their grade, their hesitant attempts to hold hands looking furtive, as if afraid of being caught by teachers.

"What happened last night? You look exhausted," Lu Guifan asked.

Jiang Ruotang didn’t want Lu Guifan to know about the messy situation. But remembering Lu Guifan’s struggles in the research institute in his past life, he realized Lu Guifan wasn’t just a delicate flower in an ivory tower—he, too, would eventually face the complexities of human nature.

"Lin Chengdong has been plotting against my father and has done plenty of bad things. There’s an actor who’s worked closely with him—he probably knows a lot of Lin’s secrets. I really want this actor to come forward and expose Lin’s underhanded dealings."

Jiang Ruotang watched Lu Guifan carefully. His world had always been simple; he’d probably just tell Jiang Ruotang to focus on studying.

Lu Guifan stayed silent, walking halfway around the track before speaking. "Ruo Tang, my concern is that this actor is in too deep with Lin Chengdong that even if you uncover their secrets, he won’t expose Lin—because doing so would be suicide."

Jiang Ruotang froze. "I thought you’d tell me not to meddle in adult matters."

"But you are an adult now," Lu Guifan glanced at him.

Jiang Ruotang laughed and suddenly hugged Lu Guifan from behind, rubbing his cheek against his back. "So right!"

"I can’t do much to help you or your family, so I’ll just say a prayer for Lin Chengdong in my heart."

Jiang Ruotang rested his forehead against Lu Guifan’s back, laughing until tears nearly spilled. If Lin Chengdong really fell, that prayer in Lu Guifan’s heart would deserve most of the credit.

"But Ruo Tang, I don’t think any incentive you offer could make that actor turn. Only Lin Chengdong can do that. You need to pressure Lin, force him to act and push that actor into a corner."

Jiang Ruotang’s mind raced. Of course—an outsider’s perspective was clearer. He’d been fixated on pushing Bai Yue to expose Lin Chengdong but hadn’t considered how they're connected.

Jiang Ruotang lifted his head, looking at the back of Lu Guifan’s neck. "You know, I feel like… in ancient times, you’d have been in high demand as a royal advisor. I thought you were only good at math and science."

Lu Guifan chuckled softly. "What misconception do you have about me? I’ve never been a good person."

Jiang Ruotang stepped around to face him, locking eyes with a "mischievous" gaze.

"I used to be kind and naive, but I had it rough. Ever since becoming a 'bad person,' my family has extra money, my grades improved, and I even landed the top student as my seatmate. Turns out, being bad is the way to win at life."

Lu Guifan took a deep breath and walked ahead.

Idiot. Since when did seatmates need "getting"?

During afternoon classes, Jiang Ruotang was paying attention, but Bai Yingchuan couldn't sit still while pretending to be calm beside Lin Lu.

By night study, Bai Yingchuan had expected Jiang Ruotang to skip, but he stayed until nine, occasionally tugging Lu Guifan’s sleeve and whispering things in his ear.

When Bai Yingchuan kept looking back, Jiang Ruotang had his chin nearly resting on Lu Guifan’s arm.

"Do you know that big star keeps staring at you?" Lu Guifan suddenly turned, speaking close to Jiang Ruotang’s ear.

The warm breath tickled. Realizing how close Lu Guifan’s lips were, Jiang Ruotang instinctively tilted his head—only for Lu Guifan to straighten up just in time.

"Huh?"

Jiang Ruotang looked up, finally locking eyes with Bai Yingchuan.

He understood Bai Yingchuan’s anxiety, but Lawyer Dai was booked until after ten tonight. There was no point going now.

Jiang Ruotang mouthed to Bai Yingchuan: After class.

Surprisingly, Lu Guifan understood.

"So where are you going after class?"

Lu Guifan’s voice was even, as if casually asking.

But for some reason, Jiang Ruotang detected a hint of coldness.

He thought Lu Guifan was upset because he hadn’t been paying attention to the lesson.

"Bai Yingchuan and I have something tonight. We’re meeting with someone to ask for help."

Since it was Bai Yingchuan’s private matter, Jiang Ruotang was being vague.

"Mm." Lu Guifan nodded. "Next problem—"

"Aren’t you worried I’ll fall back into old patterns around Bai Yingchuan?" Jiang Ruotang frowned.

"You show zero signs of love obsession. While I was explaining this problem, Bai Yingchuan glanced your way twice—you didn’t react at all. If anything, your brain’s gone numb."

Plus, based on their talk at lunch, Lu Guifan could guess the "actor" Jiang Ruotang mentioned was connected to Bai Yingchuan.

If it was about bringing down Lin Chengdong, Lu Guifan hoped he’d succeed.

Lu Guifan tapped the pink pen on the paper and said, "Focus on the question."

"Maybe I was too focused on listening, immersed in your mathematical logic, and missed Bai Yingchuan's gaze. Don't just call me slow—I'm actually quite perceptive."

Lu Guifan looked at Jiang Ruotang's eyes and his earnest expression as he claimed to be "sharp-minded," then suddenly turned his head away and laughed.

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, focus on the question." Lu Guifan's grin widened.

Jiang Ruotang, anyone else could claim to be perceptive in front of me—except you.

After all, you can't even read my feelings.

When the evening study session ended, Xiao Gao came to pick up Jiang Ruotang and saw Bai Yingchuan standing with him.

"Oh, Bai Yingchuan is here too. Isn’t Lu Guifan going home with you?" Xiao Gao asked.

Bai Yingchuan glanced at Jiang Ruotang, who calmly opened the car door and said, "Bai Yingchuan and I have something to do today, so the class rep isn’t riding with us."

Hearing this, Bai Yingchuan couldn’t help but ask, "Does Lu Guifan often go home with you?"

Jiang Ruotang replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! Otherwise, do you think my 520 score in the mock exam came out of nowhere?"

Xiao Gao, who was driving, sighed deeply. "Without Guifan, I don’t even get eggplant noodle stir-fry in the morning anymore!"

Jiang Ruotang immediately laughed and excitedly patted Xiao Gao’s seat. "Right?! Guifan’s minced eggplant noodles are amazing! Even Sister Juan raves about them!"

Bai Yingchuan felt a sharp pang. He didn’t want to hear any more and quickly changed the subject. "Where are we going now?"

Jiang Ruotang answered, "Xiao Gao, drop us at the north gate of Amber Garden."

"Got it." Xiao Gao started the car.

Hearing "Amber Garden," Bai Yingchuan knew the person Jiang Ruotang was taking him to meet must be very influential.

Amber Garden was home to influential figures in politics and business.

When they arrived at their destination—the 21st floor—Jiang Ruotang pressed the doorbell, and the door opened.

"Ruo Tang, you’re here? Have you eaten yet?"

Dai Ming’s voice called out.

Jiang Ruotang smiled. "Mr. Dai, I’ve eaten. But didn’t you say you had an important guest visiting before ten? Have you eaten?"

"Yes, come in."

Bai Yingchuan froze.

Previously, Bai Yue had wanted to hire Dai Ming for a lawsuit for a hefty fee, but Dai Ming was overseas and didn’t take the case. Later, Bai Yue lost the case and ended up paying through the nose.

The first time Bai Yingchuan met Gao Cheng, he had also seen Dai Ming—stern, distant, and meticulous, composed and impeccable, with every word he spoke influencing Gao Cheng and Zheng Huasheng’s opinions.

But now, Dai Ming wore a gentle smile, as if Jiang Ruotang were his own family’s younger generation and a dearly beloved favorite.

Bai Yingchuan quickly greeted him. "Lawyer Dai, hello."

Dai Ming nodded. "Ying Chuan, no need to stand on ceremony. You can consult me on anything. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to help, but I'll keep it confidential. Besides, you’ve contributed greatly to the user growth of Xiaotian Guo. As the legal director of Xiaotian Guo, to the best of my ability and within the law, I’m willing to help you resolve issues."

Hearing this, Bai Yingchuan felt much more at ease.

"Uncle Dai, if you and Bai Yingchuan are discussing the case, I should probably step out. Can I go to another room to study?"

Bai Yingchuan hesitated. He actually wanted Jiang Ruotang to stay by his side—he didn’t like how Jiang Ruotang kept him at arm's length.

But he also understood Jiang Ruotang’s concerns. Since he and Bai Yue were high-profile, if word got out, Jiang Ruotang’s not knowing would mean Bai Yingchuan wouldn’t suspect him or let it affect their relationship.

"Alright, go to the guest room. There are sodas and juices in the fridge," Lawyer Dai called out.

"Got it, Uncle Dai. You two handle your business."

Jiang Ruotang set his bag down in the guest room and glanced at his phone, noticing Jian Sha had called him several times two minutes ago. He’d missed them because his phone was still on silent from class.

Jian Sha rarely called him, so Jiang Ruotang immediately called back—but after several attempts, she didn’t answer. Maybe a butt dial?

He texted Cai Ji, who also said Jian Sha hadn’t called or messaged him. It must have been a mistake.

Jiang Ruotang laid out his practice tests and tackled a few questions, suddenly remembering events from his past life.

At the last class reunion before his death, someone had mentioned that Jian Sha, the English class representative, should have gotten into a prestigious university but had barely made it into a lesser college. What had caused her grades to drop so sharply?

Now that the mock exams were over, Jian Sha had scored over 640—an excellent score—and her grades had always been stable. This time, nothing bad would happen.

Just as Jiang Ruotang was about to finish the last problem, Jian Sha called. He answered cheerfully.

"Sister Sha, I called you back several times and even texted you. No reply for so long—did you go abroad for novel inspiration?"

On the other end, Jian Sha sounded like she was chewing something—furiously, like she was chewing someone out.

Jiang Ruotang immediately knew she was furious.

"I didn’t reply because I was too stupid—busy flipping through the police’s scam prevention leaflets!"

Jiang Ruotang frowned. "What’s wrong?"

"I was posting a novel serially on Whale Island Literature, but toward the end of winter break, someone claiming to be an editor from a publishing house asked me to send the first 30,000 words... He even showed me his ID badge..."

"You sent it?" Jiang Ruotang’s brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I did. It wasn’t the whole story, so I thought it’d be fine."

"Mhm. And then?"

Jiang Ruotang didn’t blame her—sending writing samples to editors for review was normal.

"Not long after, he asked for an outline and said the first 30,000 words and outline passed review. But he wanted the full manuscript to sign a contract. He also told me to delete the first dozen chapters from Whale Island, saying it’d ruin the surprise for publishing readers and hurt sales."

At this point, Jiang Ruotang sensed something was off. "Did you delete them?"

"Of course not! The chapters had reader comments—I couldn’t bear to delete them, so I made them private..."

Jiang Ruotang exhaled slightly. "Did you send the full manuscript?"

"It’s almost gaokao—how could I have time to finish it? I just wrote three to four thousand words weekly and sent them. I’ve sent about 80,000 to 90,000 words total. Then today, I saw a new TV series promo—the character profiles and storyline looked just like my novel! I got suspicious and searched the screenwriter. Turns out, lots of people have posted about how he often takes advantage of new writers, paying low prices and denying them authorship. Worried I’d been scammed, I immediately called the editor—but his phone was off! I was so mad... I made instant noodles with braised eggs and ham!"

Jiang Ruotang couldn't help but facepalm. Classic Jian Sha—getting scammed out of her work but still strong enough to devour noodles.

"If his phone’s off, he might just be in a basement or elevator with no signal. Doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a scammer." Jiang Ruotang asked, "Did you message him to confront him?"

"I wanted to curse him out and typed out a lengthy tirade!"

"How did you curse him?" Jiang Ruotang covered his face, figuring scammers wouldn't care about shame anyway.

Jian Sha let loose a stream of words, leaving Jiang Ruotang stunned.

"Cursing is just to express my emotions—please don’t let it affect your opinion of me."

"Thinking about all those calls you made to me, I suddenly felt I should tell you about this."

Jiang Ruotang exhaled. No wonder Jian Sha hadn’t answered his calls earlier—she had been "turning anger into hunger." So typical of Jian Sha.

Luckily, she hadn’t sent that long message yet.

"Don’t send any of that. Wait until we find this guy, then hit him with everything at once. Don’t let him suspect you’ve realized you might’ve been scammed. If he deletes his account or claims he was hacked, it’ll be much harder to track him down. Jian Sha, stay calm for now."

"If I can still chat with you while eating instant noodles, that means I’m plenty calm. But if he comes online and asks why I was looking for him, what should I say?"

"Tell him you’re about to take the gaokao, your parents confiscated your laptop, and you don’t know what to do—lower his guard." Jiang Ruotang said, "We’ll figure it out together. There’s still a chance to get your novel back."

For some reason, hearing Jiang Ruotang calmly explain what to do soothed Jian Sha’s boiling anger. She even felt a little too full from her instant noodles.

Jiang Ruotang scratched his head. Lawyer Dai specialized in economic cases, but Jian Sha’s issue involved copyright… copyright… wasn’t there Lawyer Hong?

It was almost eleven. Unsure if it was appropriate to disturb her, he tentatively sent a message: [Auntie Hong, are you asleep?]

Lawyer Hong replied almost instantly: [No. If you’re just texting to say goodnight, I’ll kick your butt.]

Drawing a deep breath, Jiang Ruotang immediately called her and explained Jian Sha’s situation.

"Can you help her? I’ll cover the attorney fees. I just want my friend to protect her rights and take the gaokao without this weighing on her."

Lawyer Hong agreed readily: "Give her my number. If she’s too upset to sleep tonight, have her call me now. Let’s get the lay of the land."

Jiang Ruotang immediately gave the number to Jian Sha, telling her to call Lawyer Hong for a consultation.

"She’s my mom’s close friend. You can trust her completely."

Jian Sha hadn’t expected Jiang Ruotang to act so swiftly. She’d almost written it off as a loss—maybe just eating another box of instant noodles to cope. But realizing how seriously he took her problem, she suddenly felt that even if she couldn’t recover her novel, having such a friend was worth it.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruotang slouched in his chair, arms crossed, face stony.

—Daring to scam his good friend? He’d make that scammer regret it.

If Jian Sha’s college entrance exams had been ruined by that scammer in their past life, Jiang Ruotang would make sure the guy regretted ever being born.

Just then, there was a knock on the guest room door. Dai Ming’s voice came through: "Ruo Tang, we’re done talking. You two should head home soon."

"Got it!"

Jiang Ruotang packed his things and left Dai Ming’s place with Bai Yingchuan.

Compared to earlier tension, Bai Yingchuan seemed much more at ease now. Lawyer Dai had analyzed the recording and concluded the situation wasn’t as dire—after all, Lin Chengdong had lied to, manipulated, and threatened Bai Yue.

In the elevator, Jiang Ruotang shoved his hands in his pockets, still wrapped up in Jian Sha’s issue, while Bai Yingchuan watched him out of the corner of his eye.

The harsh elevator lighting cast a cool pallor over Jiang Ruotang’s angular features, his brow slightly furrowed. Since the day they’d met, Bai Yingchuan had never seen him troubled by anything other than exam problems.

"What’s on your mind?" Bai Yingchuan asked.

"Huh? Oh…" Jiang Ruotang glanced at him, then suddenly remembered something. "What was the movie Lin Chengdong invited your mom to star in again? What’s it about?"

"A period suspense story. A princess from southern Yunnan returns to the capital. She’s learned a lot about controlling gu insects there and solves a series of bizarre cases in the capital."

"Ah… who’s the screenwriter?"

"Lin Chengdong’s resident plagiarist, Zhang Chun."

"Plagiarist?" It took Jiang Ruotang a second to realize Bai Yingchuan meant the word literally. He snorted. "Zhang Chun’s so brazen in the industry—must be under the protection of the Society for the Protection of Scoundrels."

Zhang Chun had a bad reputation. Writers online frequently accused him of plagiarism, but Lin Chengdong always shut them up—either with money or threats.

In their past life, even by the time Jiang Ruotang died, Zhang Chun’s most famous work was *Capital’s Strange Night*, a series where the first three installments were the most acclaimed.

And Jiang Huaiyuan? He’d been conned by Lin Chengdong into directing *Capital’s Strange Night*. Later, due to financial misconduct, Jiang Huaiyuan was investigated. Despite the film becoming a box office hit, it was later panned by audiences and netizens.

Coincidentally, the novel Jian Sha had sent Jiang Ruotang was titled *West Window Strange Tales*. It followed a general’s daughter returning from the borderlands to the capital, also skilled in identifying gu insects and poisons, solving many eerie cases. Skimming the first ten thousand words earlier, Jiang Ruotang had found it strangely familiar—now he knew why.

So… in their past life, Jiang Huaiyuan hadn’t been Lin Chengdong’s only victim. There was also Jian Sha, the original author.

Wait! Today, Lu Guifan had even suggested pressuring Bai Yue into betraying them through Lin Chengdong… An opportunity had just landed in their laps.

Jiang Ruotang smirked inwardly. *Screw you, Lin Chengdong. If I don't take you down, I’ll change my surname.*

"Bai Yingchuan, you really don’t want to take this movie role, do you?" Jiang Ruotang lifted his gaze to meet his.

Bai Yingchuan hesitated. In his memory, Jiang Ruotang’s expression was always gentle, his eyes bright with laughter—never one to anger easily.

Whoever could provoke someone so level-headed must be truly vile.

And if it was Lin Chengdong? That only fueled his anger further.

"Just tell me what to do," Bai Yingchuan said with a small smile.

If it meant making Lin Chengdong pay, he’d gladly follow Jiang Ruotang’s lead.

Jiang Ruotang chuckled. "If you have time, have a chat with this professional plagiarist Zhang Chun. Be blunt about it."

Bai Yingchuan hesitated, catching a hint of cunning in Jiang Ruotang’s eyes.

He wasn’t the Jiang Ruotang of their past life anymore. Yesterday’s downpour couldn’t drench him today—nor would it ever touch those around him again.