Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

Chen Hao sat in the boss's chair, his breathing rapid and labored.

The landline phones in front of me were disconnected, leaving only my personal cell phone lying alone on the table.

He's waiting for the money.

As long as those underground banks loosen their lending standards, even if the interest rates are frighteningly high, as long as he can plug the hole in his pocket, he can turn things around.

The phone screen suddenly lit up.

Chen Hao grabbed his phone abruptly, and after seeing the caller ID, the fervor in his eyes instantly cooled, replaced by a hint of impatience.

He is a distant cousin of the Chen family. He never contacts them except to borrow money. He has little presence in the family, but he is always very well-informed.

"What? Why are you calling me at this hour?" Chen Hao's voice was hoarse, tinged with the irritation of someone who had stayed up all night.

"Hao...Hao..." On the other end of the phone, his uncle's voice trembled like a leaf, very low, with the background noise of airport announcements. "Listen to your uncle's advice, stop messing around and just run. I've already bought your plane ticket to Southeast Asia, leave now."

Chen Hao frowned: "Are you crazy? I'm waiting for funding, why are you running away?"

"Funds? You still expect to have funds?" Uncle's voice suddenly rose, then he forcibly suppressed it out of fear. "What kind of powerful figures have you messed with? I just heard from a friend in the industry that just half an hour ago, all the loan channels that were originally going to lend to you were shut down."

Chen Hao's heart skipped a beat: "Who did this? Feng Rui?"

"If it were Feng Rui, it would be manageable! But it's the Bai family! And the Jiang family too!" Uncle practically roared, "The old man of the Bai family personally issued the order, and that eldest daughter of the Jiang family... the two families have joined forces to blacklist you. No one in Haicheng dares to lend you a single penny! Even your father's head office has been audited for taxes and is currently struggling to survive; they can't save you at all!"

Chen Hao's fingers, gripping the phone, were stiff and his knuckles were white.

The Bai family... the Jiang family...

These two names were like two towering mountains, crashing down on the top of his head.

He always thought he was playing a game of strategy with Feng Rui, or battling the cripple Chu Xuan.

He thought he was a hunter, dismembering the Chu family, this fat sheep.

It was only at this moment that he realized he had never been a hunter.

He was merely a trapped beast pushed into the arena, while the true predators were those sitting in the stands, watching coldly.

"Hao, listen to your uncle. You can't stay in Haicheng any longer. If you don't leave soon, they might even take you away..."

beep--

Chen Hao hung up the phone.

The phone slipped from his palm and landed on the thick carpet with a dull thud.

He leaned back in his chair, looking at the intricate crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and suddenly felt it was a bit too bright.

It turned out to be the case.

No wonder that good-for-nothing Chu Xuan dared to be so arrogant; no wonder the bank turned on him faster than flipping through a book.

Bai Jingyou.

That always smiling, seemingly harmless young master of the Bai family.

Chen Hao closed his eyes, and a bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He's been made a fool of; they want not only his money but also his life.

……

At 2 a.m., the streets of Haicheng were still flashing neon lights.

Lin Ruyu squatted on the steps in front of a 24-hour convenience store. Her high heels had long since worn out her heels, and every step she took was excruciatingly painful.

She clutched her phone tightly in her hand, the screen displaying her WeChat Wallet balance: 36.50 yuan.

This is all the money she has now.

Just three hours ago, the landlord threw her luggage out without even returning her deposit, saying it was to offset the cost of the carpet she had dirtied.

She wanted to stay at a hotel, but found that her ID card was locked, and she could not check in at any legitimate hotel.

Gao Tianxiong's lawyer's letter was like a Damocles' sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

"Gurgle—"

My stomach growled at an inopportune moment.

Lin Ruyu buried her head in her knees, her tears staining the expensive silk skirt a dark color.

She couldn't understand how she could have gone from being the darling of the crowd to a beggar on the street in the blink of an eye.

"Miss, are you in trouble?"

A slightly slick voice sounded from above.

Lin Ruyu raised her head warily.

Standing in front of her was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a somewhat tight striped suit, with his hair slicked back and a briefcase tucked under his arm. He was smiling at her.

That look in his eyes was like someone sizing up a commodity waiting to be sold.

"Get out of my way," Lin Ruyu shouted, feigning bravado. "Don't bother me."

The man wasn't angry. Instead, he pulled out a gold-embossed business card from his pocket and handed it to her: "Don't get so worked up. I'm the artist director of Brilliant Entertainment. I've been observing you on the street for a long time."

Brilliant Entertainment?

Lin Ruyu glanced at the business card but didn't take it.

"You have a lot of charisma," the man said to himself, his gaze lingering on her face, which, though haggard, was still exquisite. "That sense of brokenness, that look in your eyes that can only be formed through a story... it's just perfect. Audiences these days love this kind of thing. All that 'pure and innocent' ideal is outdated. Your character, a fallen heiress, is guaranteed to be a hit."

A wealthy man in distress.

These four words struck a nerve with Lin Ruyu, touching upon the resentment deep within her heart.

"I have money and connections. I can solve all your problems." The man lowered his voice, his tone seductive. "If you just agree, you'll be Haicheng's rising star tomorrow. Then, those who looked down on you and abandoned you will all be kneeling on the ground, looking up at you."

revenge.

Make Chen Hao regret it, make Chu Xuan shut up, and make Gao Tianxiong spit out the money he swallowed.

Lin Ruyu's gaze wavered.

She looked at the business card, then at the mud-covered hem of her skirt.

"You...can you really help me?" Her voice was hoarse.

The man smiled, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking. "Of course. The car's over there. Shall I take you to see the world?"

Lin Ruyu leaned against the wall to stand up, her legs feeling a little numb. She knew this wasn't a legitimate business; the name "Brilliant Entertainment" sounded like a shell company.

But does she still have a choice?

Rather than feeding dogs on the street, I'd rather take a gamble. If it means turning my life around, what's wrong with selling my soul to the devil?

She took the business card and followed the man to the black minivan parked by the roadside.

……

Half an hour later, at the private club Night Jue.

This is the most notorious place in Haicheng, a den of iniquity where you can't even get through the gate without a membership card.

Lin Ruyu was taken to the top floor.

The corridor was covered with thick wool carpets, and the air was filled with the scents of expensive perfumes and cigars.

The man who called himself the director had changed his tune, now bowing and scraping as he led the way, occasionally turning back to instruct Lin Ruyu: "Be careful later, the one inside is a real big shot. If you can keep him happy, he wouldn't dare pluck the moon from the sky for you."

Lin Ruyu gripped her handbag nervously, her palms sweating profusely.

She touched up her makeup in the car, trying to regain her former aura of unapproachability, but in this unfamiliar and oppressive environment, she felt like a lamb to the slaughter.

"arrive."

The man stopped in front of a carved mahogany door, knocked three times gently, and then pushed the door open.

The private room was dimly lit, and a silent music video was playing on a huge screen.

A person was sitting in the very center of the sofa.

The man had his back to the door, one arm in a cast and sling around his neck, and a cigarette between his other fingers as he puffed out smoke.

Several burly men with menacing faces were sitting nearby, watching Lin Ruyu enter with amusement.

"Mr. Zhao, we've brought her." The man leading the way said obsequiously, "It's her, the campus belle of Ocean University, the very famous Lin Ruyu."

Mr. Zhao?

Lin Ruyu was stunned for a moment.

The person on the sofa turned around.

At this moment, Zhao Feng looked even more sinister than before, with deep-set eyes, a half-glass of whiskey in his intact hand, and his gaze was like a venomous snake coiling around Lin Ruyu.

"Hey, isn't this Young Master Chen's woman?" Zhao Feng grinned, his face contorted with masculinity. "What? Chen Hao can't even take care of himself, so he dumped you?"

Lin Ruyu felt a chill run through her body and turned to run away.

"Close the door," Zhao Feng said calmly.

The lock clicked shut behind me.

Two men who looked like bodyguards blocked the doorway.

"Miss Lin, since you're here, make the best of it." Zhao Feng stood up, swayed as he walked over to her, and gently touched Lin Ruyu's cheek with his hand in a cast. "Don't be afraid, I have no interest in used goods."

Lin Ruyu trembled, forcing herself to force a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Mr. Zhao... I'm here to discuss signing a contract..."

"Sign a contract? Of course, of course." Zhao Feng laughed heartily, his laughter echoing in the private room. "Brilliant Entertainment is indeed short of people, especially sensible people like you."

He suddenly stopped smiling, his eyes turning fierce: "Because of that bastard Bai Jingyou, I lost my business and broke my hand. Now those old fogies in the company want to withdraw my investment, so I need to find some decent gifts to smooth things over."

He looked Lin Ruyu up and down as if she were a beautifully wrapped gift.

"Those old fogies love nothing more than a famous school beauty like you who's also down on her luck. It gives them a sense of conquest when they're messing around with you."

"No... I won't go..." Lin Ruyu shook her head desperately.

Zhao Feng chuckled, grabbed her hair, and forced her to look up. "Don't be naive. Once you're through this door, you only have two choices. Either be a good girl and keep those old geezers happy for me, and I guarantee you'll have food to eat in the future; or..."

He pointed to the menacing-looking subordinates beside him, "Let them teach you the rules first, and then send you to the brothel to serve customers."

Lin Ruyu looked at Zhao Feng's bloodshot eyes, and then at the men around her who had ill intentions.

All her pride and dignity shattered into dust at that moment.

The Gao family's debts, Chen Hao's abandonment, and the cold wind on the street.

She didn't want to die, much less live a life worse than death.

Two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks.

Lin Ruyu closed her eyes, stopped struggling, and obediently lowered her head.

"Mr. Zhao... I'll obey."

Zhao Feng patted her face with satisfaction, as if he were patting an obedient dog.

"That's right. A wise person knows when to yield. Go, change your clothes. This outfit is too plain; those old fogies prefer something more vibrant."