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

The recording, amplified by a loudspeaker, echoed through the empty streets of the Lin family's old house, like a series of loud slaps to the eardrums of everyone present.

"I want the Bai family... to be wiped out, not even a chicken or a dog."

Chen Hao's voice was cold and vicious, creating a stark contrast to the image of someone who had just appeared on camera as someone who had endured humiliation and shown compassion for humanity—a stark contrast that could be described as magical realism.

A deathly silence fell over the scene.

Even the shutter sound paused for two seconds.

What followed was an even more frenzied storm of flashes.

The reporters, who had originally been targeting Bai Jingyou, suddenly turned their guns around like sharks smelling blood, their long lenses almost shoving into Chen Hao's nostrils.

"Mr. Chen, is the voice in this recording yours?"

"Was the hypocritical mask you mentioned earlier a cover-up for your retaliatory actions after your business failure?"

"Who is the mysterious person you mentioned? Is this a premeditated kidnapping or murder plot?"

Chen Hao's face was deathly pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

He instinctively stepped back, crashing into the iron gate behind him with a loud bang.

"Fake! It's fake!" Chen Hao roared, his eyes bulging with bloodshot eyes. "With AI technology so advanced these days, it's too easy for Bai Jingyou to forge a recording! This is a setup! Don't believe him!"

"AI-generated?"

Bai Jingyou put away his phone, slowly took out a folded A4 sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and waved it at the camera.

"This is the voiceprint identification report from the forensic center, fresh out of the oven this morning." Bai Jingyou smiled innocently. "It's stamped with the official seal and has legal effect. If Young Master Chen thinks the forensic center is also owned by my Bai family, then there's nothing I can do. After all, I'd like to be that rich too, but unfortunately, my resources don't allow it."

[Trying to renege on my promise? Don't you know I came here with a script? I had this bastard under 24/7 surveillance three days ago.]

Chen Hao stared at the paper, making clucking sounds in his throat, like a rooster being choked.

He was trembling.

It wasn't just anger, but also fear.

He realized that he had fallen into the trap woven by Bai Jingyou from the very beginning.

From the blockade of the port to the humiliation at the banquet, and now to the live-streamed execution, every step has been part of the other side's calculations.

"Bai Jingyou..." Chen Hao gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, "So what if you won? Do you dare to do a paternity test about our parentage? Do you dare?!"

This was his last straw.

As long as he muddies the waters and makes the public doubt Bai Jingyou's lineage, he can retain the last embers of his influence in the public sphere.

"Noisy."

Two words floated out coldly from the coat beside him.

Ye Lingqing frowned impatiently. She raised her wrist and glanced at the priceless Patek Philippe.

"Time is up."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the piercing sound of a police siren grew louder and louder, instantly shattering the hustle and bustle of the street.

Three police cars sped up and screeched to a halt next to the Maybach.

The car door opened, and seven or eight uniformed economic crime investigation police officers quickly got out, walked briskly through the group of reporters, and came directly to Chen Hao.

"Chen Hao, right?" The lead officer flashed his badge. "I'm from the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. You are suspected of multiple counts of commercial fraud, money laundering, and instigating others to commit violent crimes. You are now being held in criminal detention in accordance with the law. This is the detention warrant."

The cold handcuffs snapped shut on Chen Hao's wrists.

Chen Hao was completely dumbfounded.

"Arrest me? What right do you have to arrest me?" He struggled frantically, his gold-rimmed glasses falling to the ground and shattering underfoot. "I want to see a lawyer! This is a conspiracy by the Bai family! This is a setup!"

"Whether there's a conspiracy or not, we'll talk about it back at the station." The officer waved his hand expressionlessly. "Take him away!"

Two policemen, one on each side, lifted Chen Hao up like a dead dog.

As Chen Hao passed Bai Jingyou, he stared intently at him, his eyes bloodshot: "Bai Jingyou! You'll die a horrible death! That key... you'll never get it..."

"Hmm!"

A bodyguard next to him grabbed a rag with practiced ease and precisely stuffed it into Chen Hao's mouth.

The world is peaceful now.

Bai Jingyou looked at Chen Hao being shoved into the police car, a slight smile playing on his lips, but his eyes remained devoid of any warmth.

As the police cars sped away, the media at the scene gradually dispersed.

Although they still wanted to interview Ye Lingqing and Bai Jingyou, they wisely chose to keep their distance when they saw the aura of "keep away" emanating from the group of bodyguards in black.

At the gate, only one lonely figure remained.

Lin Ruyu.

She stood there blankly, her tattered coat, which she had specially changed into to play the victim, now looked particularly ridiculous.

She looked at Chen Hao being taken away, then at Bai Jingyou standing beside the Maybach, radiating brilliance, and her mind went blank.

How could this happen?

Didn't Chen Hao say he would ruin Bai Jingyou's reputation today?

Why was Chen Hao the one who was taken away last?

"Jing... Jingyou..." Lin Ruyu's lips trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. Her pitiful appearance would have made the original owner of the body feel heartbroken and want to tear her heart out if it were in the past.

She staggered forward two steps, trying to tug at Bai Jingyou's sleeve.

"I know you still care about me, right? You only got together with Jiang Mengyao to spite me, didn't you?"

Bai Jingyou took a half step back, his movements fluid and graceful, perfectly avoiding her touch.

He didn't even glance at Lin Ruyu, but turned to Jiang Mengyao beside him, his voice so gentle it could melt your heart: "Mengyao, did I scare you just now?"

Jiang Mengyao smiled slightly, gently took his arm, and said with an elegant and graceful posture: "They're just a few barking mad dogs. With you here, how could I be afraid?"

That teamwork was perfect.

Lin Ruyu's hand froze in mid-air, her face turning pale and then red.

"Miss Lin."

Jiang Mengyao turned her head, looking calmly at Lin Ruyu as if she were an insignificant passerby. "The Lin family's old residence is now Bai's property. According to the law, it is private land. Please move aside and don't block our takeover of the assets."

"You..." Lin Ruyu trembled with anger, "This is my home! This is where I grew up!"

"It used to be," Jiang Mengyao corrected. "Now, it's used to settle debts."

She waved to the bodyguards behind her: "Clear the area."

Several tall bodyguards immediately stepped forward, forming a human wall, and unceremoniously escorted Lin Ruyu to the other side of the street.

Lin Ruyu collapsed to the ground, watching the familiar door slowly close in front of her, and finally couldn't help but burst into tears.

Unfortunately, this time, no sycophant will offer a tissue.

……

Inside the courtyard, withered leaves covered the ground, creating a desolate scene.

Ye Lingqing stood under an old locust tree, still holding the string of sandalwood prayer beads in her hand, her expression indifferent.

"Aunt Ye, thank you so much for today."

Bai Jingyou strode forward, a signature bright smile on his face. "If it weren't for your presence, those reporters would have been difficult to deal with. Especially those police officers, their arrival was just in time, like divine intervention!"

Ye Lingqing turned her head and glanced at him with a half-smile.

That look seemed to see right through the deepest schemes in people's hearts.

"Don't give me that crap," Ye Lingqing said calmly. "The evidence that Chen Hao is involved in money laundering was sent to my email last night, wasn't it? You even made arrangements with the police station beforehand, just waiting for me to show up today and be your tool?"

Bai Jingyou chuckled, not denying it, and casually pulled a box of specially supplied Da Hong Pao tea from his pocket, stuffing it into Ye Lingqing's hand.

"How can you call this a tool? This is called leveraging power." Bai Jingyou said sincerely. "Besides, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? This kind of minor character is not worth Aunt Ye's personal attention. I was just thinking that since we are partners in the same boat, we should show outsiders how strong our revolutionary friendship is."

Ye Lingqing looked at the tea leaves in her hand and snorted softly, but the coldness in her eyes had clearly subsided considerably.

"This will not be repeated."

"Don't worry!" Bai Jingyou immediately raised his hand and swore, "There will absolutely not be a next time!"

[You'll do it again next time.]

Bai Jingyou silently added a sentence in his mind.

For a big shot like Ye Lingqing, the fear isn't of being used, but of you having no value.

As long as you can bring her enough benefits, this small overstepping of authority is actually a demonstration of your ability.

"Alright, stop being so cheeky." Ye Lingqing put away the tea leaves and turned her gaze to the gray villa's main building not far away.

"Yes." Bai Jingyou put away his playful smile and nodded. "He thought that was his last line of defense."

"Where is it?" Ye Lingqing asked directly.

"If the plot... cough, if my guess is correct," Bai Jingyou pointed to an inconspicuous underground entrance on the side of the villa, "it should be down there."

That's the Lin family's underground wine cellar.

In the original story, Lin Ruyu's spendthrift father hid all the secrets in a hidden compartment in the wine cellar. Chen Hao searched for three whole years without finding them because that compartment required a special way to open.

Only Bai Jingyou, who had read the original novel, knew this method.

"Let's go." Ye Lingqing didn't waste any words and strode towards the basement. "Let me see what it is that's worth that idiot Chen Qiming risking his life for."

Bai Jingyou followed behind, giving Bai Qing and Jiang Mengyao a wink.

The three of them followed without saying a word.

The air in the basement was stale, with a musty smell and a sour smell of alcohol.

Ye Lingqing walked steadily, her high heels making a crisp echo on the stone steps.

"No one's been here in a long time," Bai Qing said, covering her mouth and nose and frowning. "If Chen Hao wanted this, why didn't he come to get it before?"

"He's been here, more than once," Bai Jingyou said, pointing to the messy footprints on the ground. "But he couldn't find it."

The group walked to the end of the wine cellar.

There was only a bare cement wall with a cheap oil painting of sunflowers hanging on it.

"Is this the place?" Ye Lingqing raised an eyebrow.

"right."

Bai Jingyou stepped forward, but instead of touching the painting, he squatted down and gently tapped three times on a floor tile in the corner.

Boom, boom, boom.

The voice was hollow.

Then he stood up and pressed his signature on the lower right corner of the painting.

"Click".

A faint click of a mechanism was heard.

The seemingly solid cement wall slowly caved inward, revealing a hidden compartment about half a meter square.