The male supporting character was actually myself.

They tried using a drug to knock him out and then hid him in the back mountain when the opportunity arose. However, the old man was quite resistant to the drug and woke up after sleeping for a while. The little white cat was worried that the drug's effects would not be enough to overcome the protagonist's halo and would only get in the way. So, she gritted her teeth and took advantage of Ruan Fannan admiring the moon by the river in the back mountain to throw a prop and control him and the female lead together.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate. Even that can't stop a heart set on death. The cat feels helpless.

"Where is Ruan Fannan? The Marshal's Mansion Bank has come to collect the debt!" As soon as the carriage stopped, Li Dongchen, eager to make a name for himself, jumped off the carriage without waiting for the manager to invite him, and walked confidently through the gate that had been smashed open, asking the question with great arrogance.

Holding her younger brother in one arm and her younger sister in the other, Ruan Xiangyun glared at her with wide eyes and a sharp, arrogant voice, asking, "So you're Li Yexiao? You really are no good! Coming to someone's house in the middle of the night without even knocking. Didn't your mother teach you basic manners? Get out!"

Without the female lead's halo, Li Dongchen was so angry he laughed. He waved his hand and gestured for his subordinate to hand him a riding crop, then sneered, "Can't you understand human language? Ruan Fannan mortgaged the entire manor to our bank a long time ago. The debt has been overdue for more than a year and he hasn't come to collect it. And you still have the nerve to lecture me?"

It's rare to see someone so arrogant and overbearing as someone who owes a huge sum of money. Didn't your mother teach you the simple lesson of paying back debts?

Hearing him insult her deceased mother like that, Ruan Xiangyun reacted like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping up and down and cursing him filthyly.

Li Dongchen didn't want to be insulted by a woman in front of so many servants, so he swung his riding whip and lashed it hard at Ruan Xiangyun.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp crack of the whip, Ruan Xiangyun's white pajamas, which she had been protecting as her mother, were torn to shreds, and bright red blood instantly seeped out. Caught off guard, she fell to the ground, clutching her face that had been grazed by the whip tip. Ignoring her younger brother who was crying loudly in pain on the ground, she angrily rebuked him with tears in her eyes: "So what if I owe your family money?"

It's just a few stinking coins, right? Just because you have money doesn't mean you can come to my house and act all high and mighty!

Our family only owes you a few measly coins, unlike your Li family, whose bodies are covered in blood and whose hands are stained with blood! Does Yucheng have no laws? How can you let yourselves treat people like this!

"Law? Ha, the Marshal's Mansion's word is the law of Yucheng."

Li Dongchen was amused by her words again, and sneered, echoing Li Jiangchen's earlier statement: "It is only right to pay back debts. According to the law, your whole family should have been kicked out when the debt was due two years ago. Our Marshal's Mansion has always been lenient, otherwise we wouldn't have let you delay for more than a year before coming to collect the debt."

Enough with the nonsense, you…

Before he could finish speaking, Ruan Yunfei, who had fallen to the ground, jumped up, rushed over, and punched him in the groin. He habitually lowered his voice and pretended to be a child, cursing, "You dare to curse my mother! You dare to hit my sister! Go to hell!"

Li Dongchen winced in pain from the sudden attack, and with another lash of his whip, he knocked Ruan Yunfei to the ground, yelling, "Guards! Beat him! Beat him hard!"

"Host, how did you manage to make the protagonist get to play the Best Supporting Actor role?"

The fluffy little thing perched on its host's shoulder, rubbing its face against him and meowing affectionately, saying, "Although I didn't see anything wrong with the scene where the male supporting character was collecting debts, it was clearly the female lead's family that was being unreasonable, but the male supporting character had to take the blame. The scriptwriters wrote it inexplicably. Now that it's the male lead fighting with that family like dogs, it feels strangely satisfying!"

Jiang Chen and his subordinates watched the farce unfold from the back with cold eyes. When he felt the time was right, he shouted, "Brother, there's a reason for this. Don't fall for this old man who lives off women and kids. He's making a scene here with women and children."

We need to find the person in charge of this household to collect the debt. I heard the gigolo has four children—three women and one man. Let's see if the eldest is here first!

From the moment Li Dongchen entered the room to the moment his sister and brother were knocked to the ground, only a very short time had passed. The twelve-year-old younger sister was stunned for a while before she remembered to turn around and run to her older sister's room.

"Hey hey hey, this feels so great!" The fluffy little dumpling gathered its big, furry ears, put its hands on its hips, and looked smug. "Host, please praise me! Look how adorable and sweet Little White is at managing a household!"

I used a D-grade item to control the female lead and her father. If someone from the manor goes to call her, she'll wake up from the item's effect and won't be delayed; the gigolo will stay in the back mountain and won't come to his doom if no one pays attention to him. Two birds with one stone!

Jiang Chen rubbed its round, thick, soft fur and gave it a thumbs-up.

"Big sister! Big sister, please go and see! Waaah... Li Yexiao brought a lot of people to collect debts, and he even beat up second sister and little brother!" The little sister went around to the backyard, pushed open the door, and cried and shouted.

Ruan Xiangqin was suddenly awakened. She looked at her younger sister in disbelief and asked, "What did you say? Who beat up Xiangyun and my little brother?"

"Li Yexiao! He even insulted us, saying we were born of a mother but were raised by one. We don't know where Father is either, eldest sister, you must go and check on him!"

"Breaking into a private residence in the dead of night and insulting people, it's simply outrageous!" Ruan Xiangqin trembled with anger when she heard her younger sister say that the other party had insulted their mother. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and pulled her younger sister aside, instructing her, "It's so late and Dad isn't in his room. He's probably missing Mom and is in the back mountain. Go and call Dad back quickly."

The younger sister responded and quickly left the room, running towards the back mountain. Ruan Xiangqin, who hadn't put on any makeup, didn't even bother to put on an outer garment before heading straight to the front yard.

The beating had ended by then. The people Li Dongchen had called over were all employees of the money exchange. They followed the rule of not being too harsh on women and children, and only gave them a few symbolic blows before stopping and standing aside.

Even so, Ruan Xiangyun and Ruan Yunfei were screaming in pain.

"You bunch of robbers! You come to someone's house to beat and curse them. Aren't you afraid of being childless and having no descendants?" As the female lead, Ruan Xiangqin made her entrance with full force, displaying a strong backbone and speaking with unwavering conviction.

The money changer couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"This young woman actually thinks she's right. I've worked in the money exchange for so long and I've never seen someone who owes money act so self-righteously."

"My father is a freeloader, and my mother, a respectable young lady, prefers to sing ditties like a third-rate actress. She even eloped with some random man. What good can these two produce?"

"Tsk tsk, the ones in debt act like they're the bosses. What kind of world is this?"

…………

The fire was blazing in the courtyard. After Ruan Xiangqin finished speaking, she stood behind her younger siblings and finally saw the faces of the people who came.

She blinked in disbelief, confirming that the man holding the riding crop and wearing a cold smile was none other than Dong Chen, the man she had been longing for and had fallen in love with. She stood there stunned, as if struck by lightning.

The little white cat stood on the wall, fanning itself vigorously with a palm-leaf fan in its hand. The torch, made from crude oil, burned for a long time and produced a bright flame. Its only drawback was that the refining process was not refined enough, and it produced a lot of black smoke.

As the fluffy dumpling fanned him vigorously, plumes of black smoke stung Li Dongchen's eyes and nose. To maintain his dignity as the young marshal, he stood ramrod straight, but he couldn't see who it was at all.

"Phew~ Host, how did the female lead manage to do that? She exudes an aura of spouting nonsense while believing she's completely right. If she weren't so good-looking, she probably would have been... beaten to death long ago, right?"

Jiang Chen and his men stayed in the back to watch the excitement. He listened to the little dumpling panting and meowing as it worked, and thought to himself that the little dumpling had done a great job this time, and he should get it some good food to reward it later.

Ruan Xiangqin was stunned into silence;

Li Dongchen coughed silently, stifled by the thick smoke.

Apart from the crackling of torches, the only sounds in the courtyard were the quiet snickers of the money exchange clerks mixed with the soft sobs of Ruan Xiangyun and Ruan Yunfei.

"My poor children..." Just then, a slightly aged cry suddenly came from afar.

The little white cat, who was diligently fanning itself, suddenly froze. "Oh no, host! The gigolo is back! What should we do?"

A glance at the script revealed it wasn't updating; it seemed the script team was determined to have this old man die and draw hatred. Jiang Chen gave Zhang Mingyuan a look, signaling him to prepare to act, then spurred his horse forward slowly into the courtyard.

When the children, big and small, heard that their father had returned, they cried and shouted, creating a chaotic scene.

"You...you've gone too far!" Ruan Fannan was grieving for his deceased wife and reminiscing about the past in the back valley when he heard his youngest daughter's cries and rushed back, only to find his children being brutally beaten by Li Yexiao. He was so angry that tears streamed down his face. "It's true that I owe you money, but I'm trying my best to find a job. I will pay you back!"

How dare you come to my house to kill and set fire?

Four children are still young and have done you no wrong. How could you treat them like this? You...you're not human, you're a demon!

When my late wife was alive, we lived like royalty; only three short years after she passed away, we were drowning in debt. Do you know how we survived those three years?

Perhaps it was because their equally peculiar thought processes aligned, or perhaps it was because the female lead's presence had an aura of influence, but Li Dongchen was momentarily moved by compassion and didn't know what to say.

"Mr. Ruan, what you're saying is utterly unreasonable. What does your wife's death and your family's decline have to do with anyone else?" Jiang Chen retorted with a cold laugh. "This place was mortgaged by you long ago and it's no longer your home. When the debts were due two years ago and you didn't pay a single penny, this villa became the property of the Li family's money house."

We're here to reclaim the land and property that your family shamelessly seized. You unrelated accomplices, get out of here immediately!

Ruan Fannan shielded the children behind him and began to feign ignorance, shamelessly asking, "When did I mortgage the house to you?"

"Heh, as expected, whether they're scholars or gamblers, they're all the same when it comes to defaulting on debts." Jiang Chen waved his hand and said, "Someone, bring out the document that Ruan Fannan personally signed and let him see it clearly, so he won't say that our bank is seizing people's property without any proof."

The money exchange clerk immediately stepped forward, took out a written agreement, pointed to the black and white text on the paper, and explained: "This was personally signed and sealed by Mr. Ruan. It clearly states that if you still cannot repay the money by the Mid-Autumn Festival two years ago, the entire Qinya Manor, including the land, houses, and livestock, will belong to the Li Family Money Exchange."

Mr. Ruan, look carefully. Don't try to renege on your promise just because you have words.

"The debt was due by the Mid-Autumn Festival two years ago, and the bank has been very lenient with you, extending it again and again without pressing for repayment."

Jiang Chen sighed, shook his head, and laughed, "They said a lot of nice things when they borrowed money, but they changed their tune when it came time to pay it back."

Mr. Ruan, you were quite a figure in Yucheng. Back then, you often talked at length at the Marshal's Mansion banquet about how you and Miss Ning fell in love and had secret rendezvous under the moonlight; how you eloped with her to settle here; how you spent a fortune to buy real estate and build Qinya Villa, living the life of a fairy-tale couple.

Where has your scholarly pride gone? I don't need to explain the simple principle of paying back debts, do I? Just honestly pay back your money or move out with your children. Wouldn't that save you scholars some dignity?

Ruan Fannan's momentum weakened when he saw the document. "I... I had no choice but to write it! My child was sick and I urgently needed money. You refused to lend me the money and forced me to mortgage the property. I never intended to sell the villa!"

Jiang Chen couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Damn it, do you think everyone in the world is your mother? Who the hell would lend you money if you're not related to them and have no collateral?

If you work hard and have a stable income, you'll definitely have friends who are willing to lend you money. But after living in Yucheng for over twenty years, I haven't even found a single friend to lend me money to... That's true, with this guy's self-righteous and twisted logic, it's indeed hard for him to have any friends.

"Enough with the nonsense!" Seeing his younger brother running off to reap the benefits of the easy deal, Li Dongchen became wary, fearing he might lose the favor of the head manager. So he cracked his whip and shouted, "The manager of the bank is here to raid the property!"

Throw out these shameless parasites who are hoarding the bank's assets, and carefully calculate whether these properties, land, and livestock can cover the debt. If they can't pay, send Ruan Fannan to the mines to work and pay off the debt!

"Well done!" Jiang Chen gave him a thumbs up and praised him quietly.

Li Dongchen glared at him and said coldly, "What Qinya Manor? It's just an old scoundrel with a few shameless scoundrels. I can handle it myself, you don't need to interfere."

"Oh? Big brother, you can really do it?" Jiang Chen immediately became interested when he saw that the provocation had worked. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his face was full of a provocative expression waiting to watch the show.

Chapter Eleven: Good Words Are Hard to Persuade a Damn Ghost

Li Dongchen gave a cold smile and didn't reply.

Jiang Chen wasn't annoyed. Riding his horse, he was much taller than the other man, so he bent down, patted his shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "A real man shouldn't be indecisive."

Anyway, the house deeds and land deeds are all in our hands. Even if we demolish and burn them, this is still our Li family's territory. There's no point in reasoning with these deadbeats. How about I help you set a fire to drive these annoying bastards away?

"Thank you for your concern, little brother. I have plenty of ways to handle this!"

Under the blazing torchlight, the two exchanged a few words, neither too forceful nor too yielding. Jiang Chen, with a disdainful smile on his face, glanced back at the family who were still crying and tossed out a nonchalant remark, "Then I'll wait and see. Good luck, big brother."

Ruan Xiangqin was still in shock, as if she had been struck by lightning and then doused with a bucket of cold water.

Instead, the fiery-tempered Ruan Xiangyun suddenly jumped up, snatched the receipt before the money exchange clerk could react, crumpled it up, stuffed it into her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. "Who said we owe your money exchange money? Without evidence, no one can take over our Qinya Manor. This is our home, and even if I die and become a ghost, I will never leave!"

"Well, I didn't expect you to have this trick up your sleeve. You're a natural-born scoundrel, just like the old scoundrel taught by the old scoundrel." Li Dongchen's blood boiled upon seeing this.

Adding to the fact that his younger brother had been stirring things up, what should have been a simple debt collection had escalated into a mess that hadn't been resolved yet. Feeling that his pride had been trampled on, he immediately turned pale.

Seeing this, the money shop clerk was afraid of being blamed for negligence and being punished. After all, he had been collecting debts for quite some time and had seen people play the victim, beg, throw tantrums, and refuse to pay back their money. But he had never encountered anyone who would be so shameless and refuse to pay back a large number of people from the Marshal's Mansion.

Especially since the other party is an unmarried girl, it's really hard to guard against.

"Young Marshal, the document she swallowed was just one of more than a dozen. Ruan Fannan has even pledged the house and land deeds to our bank. We can't renege on this debt! Let's kick them out, lock the gate, and start confiscating their property and settling accounts!"

Hearing what the money exchange clerk said, Li Dongchen snorted and looked at Ruan Xiangyun, who was blatantly cheating and eating the written agreement, with a hint of a mocking smile on his face. "I didn't look closely before, but I just realized that this little girl is quite good-looking."

This dilapidated manor is definitely not enough to pay off the debt, so I'll send Ruan Fannan to work in the coal mines to settle the debt; this little girl will be my concubine, serving me water to wash my feet, and when I'm tired of her, I'll give her to everyone to enjoy!"

"Great!"

"Thank you, young marshal!"

"This girl is really pretty, no less so than the young ladies at the Paramount!"

"Young Marshal, we'll tie you up and take you back right away..."

…………

The crowd egged them on, and two burly men stepped forward to try and tie him up. Enraged, Ruan Fannan shielded his daughter behind him and rushed forward, punching Li Dongchen in the face while yelling, "I'll fight you to the death, you devil!"

Li Dongchen was, after all, just a pure scholar. He didn't react in time and took a solid punch that made his cheek go numb. He immediately raised his riding whip and knocked Ruan Fannan to the ground.

The scene was getting out of control. Ruan Xiangyun and her underlings cried and roared, telling them to get out and rush at them, but they were immediately beaten back by the crazed Li Dongchen.

The money shop clerks, fearing that the young master would suffer a loss, all rushed to help, trying to drag and throw Ruan Fannan and his family out.