Jiang Ruotang’s mind, which had finally calmed down, was stirred up again by the other person.

He couldn’t remember if the “520” meme was popular ten years ago, and even if it was, Lu Guifan probably wouldn’t have paid attention to it.

Jiang Ruotang held out his palm, “High-five to swear, if I don’t score 520, then you…”

“Then I what?”

“Then you’ll be responsible for waking me up every morning until the college entrance exam is over.”

“Then you should just score 519. One more point would be a waste.”

“Huh?”

What did that mean? Did he really want to call him every morning?

Lu Guifan smiled, “I get up at 5:30 every morning for a run downstairs. If you’re willing to share hardships with me, I’d be very happy to call you.”

“5:30? No way! You must be lying!”

Lu Guifan’s faint smile was like light ink blooming on Xuan paper. He raised a hand and gently tapped Jiang Ruotang’s forehead, “Go into the exam room. I should go too.”

Jiang Ruotang covered his forehead and stepped back half a step, only then realizing that Lu Guifan had specifically stayed with him until he was no longer so nervous before leaving.

Jiang Ruotang, oh Jiang Ruotang, you’re really useless!

In his previous life, he had been through everything, even negotiating multi-million dollar endorsements for Bai Yingchuan without breaking a sweat. Now, it was just a mock exam, not even the actual college entrance exam, and he was this nervous. He had truly lived all those years for nothing.

He entered the exam room, found his seat, and sat down. A classmate from another class next to him curiously leaned towards Jiang Ruotang.

“Jiang Ruotang, how did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Lu Guifan is predicted to be the top scorer in the province by all the teachers and students at our Beicheng Guangyao school! He’s aloof, cold, and ignores people, yet you’ve conquered him. He stayed with you until three minutes before the exam started! If you two weren’t both boys, I’d suspect you two were dating!”

What do you mean, why can’t it be dating? Am I not handsome? Is my personality bad? I also have lots of money! Why can’t Lu Guifan date me?!

“Nothing much, a strong woman fears a persistent man,” Jiang Ruotang said with a profound expression.

As long as he kept showing up around Lu Guifan, he would win him over sooner or later!

The other person asked a soul-stirring question: “Are you a strong woman?”

Jiang Ruotang bristled: “Does Lu Guifan look like a persistent man? Is he the type who would relentlessly pursue someone?”

The other person countered with another soul-stirring question: “Isn’t he?”

“Whether he is or not, we have an exam now! It’s just a mock exam!”

Anyway, no matter what, from Chinese to Math, from Science Comprehensive to English, Jiang Ruotang made sure to fill out the paper completely, even if he didn’t really know how to do it.

---

After finishing the last subject, Jiang Ruotang exhaled deeply and arranged to meet Lu Guifan downstairs by the teaching building. Lu Guifan was on the phone with someone.

Jiang Ruotang quietly approached Lu Guifan, but Lu Guifan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He turned around and saw Jiang Ruotang’s sneaky expression. Probably guessing Jiang Ruotang wanted to scare him, before Jiang Ruotang could even get a clear look at Lu Guifan’s expression, his head was clamped against the other’s chest, his nose bridge hitting painfully.

Jiang Ruotang struggled with all his might, but Lu Guifan, with a single hand, held him tightly, so much so that in a few more seconds, he would have suffocated.

“Okay, thank you, Lawyer Hong. I will consider it carefully. I’ll get back to you once I’ve made a decision.”

Every vibration of Lu Guifan’s vocal cords resonated with his chest, transmitting to Jiang Ruotang’s eardrums, making his head buzz.

Only after hanging up the phone did Lu Guifan release Jiang Ruotang’s head. Looking at Jiang Ruotang’s messy bangs and gasping for breath, Lu Guifan felt an urge to pull him back in.

“Lawyer Hong looking for you? What’s up? Is it about your patent with Professor Yang?”

“Hmm, the patent application was successful. On the same day, a company offered 500,000 to buy it out.”

Jiang Ruotang’s eyebrows shot up. He didn’t hold back, saying, “Huh? 500,000 buyout? For how long? A day? A week or a month? Are they dreaming?”

Lu Guifan said calmly, “500,000… As one of the patent holders, I’d get 250,000. How many years would it take my parents to save 250,000?”

“You’re not actually tempted by such a paltry sum, are you?” Jiang Ruotang was a little anxious.

Lu Guifan looked into Jiang Ruotang’s eyes and countered, “Why shouldn’t I be tempted? One shouldn’t be too greedy, or you’ll end up like the monkey husking corn, gaining nothing.”

Jiang Ruotang grew a little anxious.

“Because… because Professor Yang said this patent can significantly improve electrical properties and fast-charging performance! In the near future, many electric vehicles and new energy vehicle batteries might need this technology! The person who offered 500,000 is definitely trying to snap it up! Look long-term, you’ll regret it later!”

Lu Guifan seemed to smile. He quietly asked, “You’re very anxious.”

“Seeing you about to lose out, how can I not be anxious?”

Lu Guifan smiled without speaking, as if the current Jiang Ruotang was very interesting.

Two seconds later, Jiang Ruotang reacted and punched him in the chest, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you! You wanted to see me anxious!”

“Yes,” Lu Guifan replied.

“And you’re so nonchalant about it! It’s really infuriating!”

“Just now, Lawyer Hong explained that this small company is probably testing the waters, trying to see if we understand the value of this patent. It’s also very likely they’re trying to buy it out on behalf of another large company or even a large conglomerate.”

“So… you just need to let this technology fetch a good price?”

“All technologies will be replaced by new ones. Professor Yang and I also hope it can be applied in practice as soon as possible.”

Jiang Ruotang tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and exhaled, “Just finished the mock exam and received such good news. Lu Guifan, your future will definitely be better!”

Lu Guifan looked at Jiang Ruotang’s profile and suddenly asked, “Why do you sound like you know what my future was supposed to be?”

“Huh? The future isn’t fixed, how would I know what your future was supposed to be?”

After all, when we parted in my previous life, we were only twenty-eight. I didn’t get to participate in the rest of your life. But I knew that without burdens and attachments, you would fly to very high and distant places.

Since I have a chance to do it again, I want to witness you become a peak that others look up to.

---

A week later, the mock exam results were released.

Jiang Ruotang was incredibly nervous. He both hoped he’d score 520 and also hoped he’d miss it by a point or two.

Lu Guifan had just returned with his results and ranking, surrounded by a crowd. He didn’t struggle at all, simply let go, and walked out through a gap in the crowd.

As soon as he sat down in his spot, Jiang Ruotang’s head popped over, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“How is it? How did I do?”

“What a shame,” Lu Guifan’s face showed nothing. “I can’t tease you by calling you at 5:30 every morning.”

“Huh?” Jiang Ruotang didn’t react for a moment, even bumping Lu Guifan with his elbow. “What 5:30…”

Wait, Lu Guifan said ‘tease me’? …How would he tease me?

Just then, a sudden weight landed on his shoulder, and Cai Ji’s voice rang in Jiang Ruotang’s ear, “Ruotang! You’ve soared this time! Total score is 520!”

“Huh? How much?”

Jian Sha in front also turned around: “520! 5-2-0! Who are you confessing to with this score?”

Only then did Jiang Ruotang fully snap back to reality, “I’m going to go look!”

No way, did the flag he set with Lu Guifan just come true?

“No need! I specifically checked for you! Chinese 108, Math 105, English 115, Comprehensive 192!” Cai Ji shook Jiang Ruotang’s shoulder, “I’m so jealous! You actually got over a hundred in Chinese and English! My Chinese and English are just barely 90!”

Jian Sha chuckled, “Your math is 146, and comprehensive is 292! As expected of our grade’s subject-偏科之王 (king of lopsided scores)!”

Jiang Ruotang also teased him, “Cai Cai, your English and Chinese actually got 90 points? Teacher Wang and the English teacher will worship you!”

Zhao Changfeng returned to participate in the mock exam, then rushed back to continue training. It’s said that besides the Capital Sports University, even the basketball coach of the Capital University of Science and Technology invited him for a one-week tryout after seeing his performance.

The Capital Sports University coach specifically told Zhao Changfeng to immediately focus on his studies after the tryout, as college entrance exam scores were still a part of the admission requirements. Zhao Changfeng’s mock exam score this time was… better than expected, but still bad.

This time, he actually took the initiative to message Lu Guifan: [Class monitor, I apply for the same treatment as my brother… begging for salvation…]

Jiang Ruotang leaned towards Lu Guifan, “Class monitor, how many hangers-on do you want? Am I not enough?”

“Aren’t I trying to keep you and your brother neatly together?”

“Can’t you give him to Jian Sha and Cai Ji?” For the first time, Jiang Ruotang felt a little conscience-stricken.

“Cai Ji’s own Chinese and English still depend on Jian Sha to pull him up.”

“Sigh…” Jiang Ruotang slumped onto the desk. “The bad news is you’re not just mine anymore.”

“What’s the good news?”

“The good news is… if you want to save Zhao Changfeng… don’t you have to live with us?”

Lu Guifan was silent, looking at Jiang Ruotang’s eager gaze, which was as obvious as a child asking for candy.

“Dream on,” Lu Guifan said with a faint smile, glancing at him.

---

That weekend, Little Sweet Fruit announced a major piece of news: Bai Yingchuan became the first celebrity to join the website, becoming Little Sweet Fruit’s “close friend.”

There were five different splash screen advertisements featuring Bai Yingchuan, with various poses and expressions, and the taglines ranged from lighthearted, to deeply emotional, to serious, to lively.

“Open Little Sweet Fruit, welcome the high-energy moment.”

“Five minutes of anime, full of energy all day.”

“I’m waiting for you on Little Sweet Fruit, but where are you?”

“E-generation paradise Little Sweet Fruit, have you joined?”

“Little Sweet Fruit, making you bubbly with warmth, making your heart pound with cuteness, making you take off with excitement!”

Bai Yingchuan’s fans received the news and flocked to Little Sweet Fruit, especially to Bai Yingchuan’s video column. The first video was Bai Yingchuan greeting his fans, so handsome that every frame made fans scream. More importantly, Little Sweet Fruit had a 4K high-definition effect, which required a membership to enjoy.

In just two hours, Little Sweet Fruit gained nearly a hundred thousand new paying users.

Fan forums and groups were abuzz with the news. Little Sweet Fruit’s daily active users surged to a new high, with nearly 500,000 new registered members by midnight, including over 300,000 new paying users. And this data continued to increase into the early hours of the morning.

In just seven days, paying users increased by 500,000.

To enhance the loyalty of these fans and turn them into the website’s own traffic, Gao Cheng also invited Bai Yingchuan to record a guide to Little Sweet Fruit’s user features, meticulously introducing Little Sweet Fruit’s interactive functions. While explaining, Bai Yingchuan also demonstrated live, opening his favorite anime, sending bullet comments, voting for the protagonist, and collecting stars to get his favorite merchandise.

His fans even said in the bullet comments that they wanted to set off fireworks, so Bai Yingchuan clicked on the fireworks effect. A minute later, the screen lit up, indicating that more than 10,000 fans had followed Bai Yingchuan within that minute.

Gao Cheng was very satisfied with this data, feeling that Jiang Ruotang’s judgment was truly accurate.

With Bai Yingchuan’s arrival, even more brands wanted to advertise on Little Sweet Fruit, and the phones in the business development department were ringing off the hook. This traffic was real money. Although the data growth gradually stabilized after seven days, it was enough to make the other two major video websites green with envy.

With Bai Yingchuan setting the example, other young celebrities and idol groups began contacting Little Sweet Fruit, hoping to open their own celebrity sections. Sweet-singing divas, Starry Youth groups, and comedians all became Little Sweet Fruit’s close friends. They all brought a certain level of attention, bringing a new wave of traffic to Little Sweet Fruit.

Even these celebrities, who initially had no interest in anime, found it popular to have a private section on Little Sweet Fruit as a platform to interact with fans.

The surge in traffic made both Qilin Video and Yunfeng Video feel threatened, but it was too late to do anything to Little Sweet Fruit now.

Gao Cheng looked at the data sent by his secretary. He tried to maintain a poker face, but the corners of his mouth, curving upwards, simply wouldn’t stay down. Without even waiting until the end of the quarter, Gao Cheng could be certain that their financial reports would look very impressive.

He called Jiang Ruotang and curiously asked, “Ruotang, there are so many traffic celebrities. Why did you choose Bai Yingchuan as the first celebrity to join Little Sweet Fruit, besides wanting to deal with Lin Chengdong?”

Jiang Ruotang lowered his eyes and replied, “What if I said it’s because his fans are crazy enough?”

This was his genuine experience after being in Bai Yingchuan’s fan groups for so many years.

“Then have you ever considered that these fans might one day become the knife that harms Little Sweet Fruit? Not to mention Bai Yue is a threat. She’s been with Lin Chengdong for so long, she can’t be clean. When Bai Yue falls, Bai Yingchuan will inevitably be implicated. Haven’t you worried about possibly affecting Little Sweet Fruit’s reputation?”

Jiang Ruotang replied, “Therefore, Bai Yingchuan is Little Sweet Fruit’s ‘close friend,’ not an endorsement. This week alone, you’ve already signed over a dozen new ‘close friends.'”

Gao Cheng chuckled, “I understand. This way, Little Sweet Fruit is just a platform for fan interaction, even becoming a necessity for those celebrities to market themselves. Their fans will consciously maintain this platform, after all, there are few places like ours where fans can gather without spending almost any money. Even if Bai Yingchuan is implicated by Bai Yue, it won’t affect Little Sweet Fruit’s reputation.”

“Mm, so before Bai Yue blows up, we need to accumulate as many ‘close friends’ as possible,” Jiang Ruotang reminded him with a smile.

This was also preparation for their future transition into producing TV dramas and movies.

As for the other major shareholder, Qi Yanzhe, his parents at home used to always say, “Always ask for your elder brother’s opinion,” and “Learn more from your elder brother.” Now, as much as Qi Yanfeng had opposed his investment in Little Sweet Fruit before, he was now eating his words.

Qi Yanfeng even had to sweet-talk his younger brother: “My company has a few new talents who’ve opened fan sections on Little Sweet Fruit. Do you have any promotions there? Can you help them gain some fans? Get a little exposure?”

Qi Yanzhe, with an indifferent expression, played his game while saying, “Oh, I’ll ask about it.”

“Then remember to follow up, don’t just forget about it.”

As soon as Qi Yanfeng left his room, Qi Yanzhe threw his game aside and punched the air.

So satisfying, so satisfying! My older brother actually came to ask me for a favor!

“So this is what it feels like to finally be proud!”

Qi Yanzhe once again felt that his premonitions were too accurate; following Jiang Ruotang always meant making money.

As for Chen Dan, being the only shareholder with a formal position, his phone was practically ringing off the hook every day.

Chen Dan’s father passed by his son’s room and heard him still on the phone, discussing platform contracts, and couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

“I used to think this kid would spend his whole life playing billiards, racing cars, and partying, just drifting through life. I never thought he could seriously pursue a career like this.”

Chen Dan’s older sister whispered, “Whoever put my brother on the right track, they are a great benefactor to our Chen family!”

---

Jiang Ruotang, who was doing practice problems at his desk, sneezed several times in a row and then rubbed his nose. Lu Guifan, sitting nearby, raised a hand and placed it on his forehead. “You didn’t catch a cold, did you?”

“No,” Jiang Ruotang shook his head. “My nose just feels itchy. It must be that scoundrel Zhao Changfeng talking bad about me.”

Lu Guifan chuckled, “He’s so tired from training every day. The only thing he says in the group chat is ‘Good night, another day with drained battery.’ How would he have the energy to badmouth you?”

Jiang Ruotang thought of something, tilting his head and asking, “Guifan, do you learn everything quickly?”

Lu Guifan leaned in closer, looking into Jiang Ruotang’s eyes and said, “What do you want me to learn?”

Jiang Ruotang pushed his laptop towards Lu Guifan. “This is a practice match video that Changfeng sent. I want to create a private section for him on Little Sweet Fruit to help him gain some fans in advance… Anyway, there’s no point in you doing more practice problems, and I won’t finish these questions that quickly. Why don’t you try editing?”

“Sure,” Lu Guifan glanced at Jiang Ruotang’s practice paper again. “Let’s see if you finish the paper first, or if I edit a five-minute short video first.”

“It’s a bet!” Jiang Ruotang pulled up his sleeves. “I’ll definitely win this time!”

In Jiang Ruotang’s view, editing short videos required a bit of artistic flair and sensibility. He didn’t believe Lu Guifan, who didn’t even watch TV dramas, could produce anything decent.

So, Jiang Ruotang concentrated on his practice problems, while Lu Guifan sat beside him, wearing headphones, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, watching video editing tutorials.

Who knows how much time passed like this. Jiang Ruotang was stuck on the last big question, racking his brains, wasting countless pieces of scratch paper, even pulling out hair from his temples, but still couldn’t solve it.

Just as Jiang Ruotang was about to bite his finger, Lu Guifan, who had been watching him for a long time, stretched out his arm, his palm covering Jiang Ruotang’s knuckles perfectly.

“Hey, if you can’t solve it, just ask me. Why torture yourself?”

Jiang Ruotang turned his face, looking at him eagerly, “I just want to win against you!”

Lu Guifan sighed, “Then I’ll let you win.”

Jiang Ruotang smiled, “It’s almost eleven, just half an hour left. Why don’t you hurry and explain this problem to me?”

“If your goal is the Capital Academy of Fine Arts, it doesn’t matter if you can’t do this question.”

“But I’ve been thinking about it for so long, I can’t let it be for nothing.”

Lu Guifan systematically analyzed the problem for Jiang Ruotang, and indeed, right at eleven o’clock, Jiang Ruotang solved it. He told Lu Guifan to go shower first while he pondered the problem a bit more.

When the sound of water came from the adjacent bathroom, Jiang Ruotang glanced at the laptop beside him and saw three small video icons on the desktop.

He curiously moved closer and clicked on them, discovering that they were well-edited short videos. Each had background music, with perfect rhythm. Every dunk, every rebound, and even every super-long three-pointer from Zhao Changfeng was exhilarating. The quality rivaled professional basketball highlights.

“What ‘I’ll let you win’…” Jiang Ruotang mimicked Lu Guifan’s earlier tone, a look of disdain on his face. “He clearly edited three of them already, obviously wanting to win against me!”

And why was he so stupid? Lu Guifan, who had never played games, could design new levels for Dream Bubble just by learning how. Editing was a piece of cake for him. More importantly, how could he underestimate his aesthetic sense?

“Why would I spend money looking for editors? Lu Guifan is right here, and he’s free!”

Who knew Lu Guifan would come out of the shower just then, wiping his hair as he asked, “What’s free?”

Jiang Ruotang snapped, “You’re free to sleep!”

“Yes, I also didn’t expect that one day I’d be reduced to a ‘three-companion.'”

Jiang Ruotang choked, “Three… three what companion?”

“Companion for eating, companion for sleeping, companion for studying.”

With that, Lu Guifan pulled Jiang Ruotang by the collar, “Hurry up and take a shower, we have class tomorrow.”

“Immediately, immediately, let me upload these videos first!”

---

The next day at noon, Jiang Ruotang checked Zhao Changfeng’s video data. Thanks to a very popular campus basketball anime currently airing, these videos had impressive click-through rates, all over three thousand. In addition, Zhao Changfeng was handsome and had a good physique, attracting not only basketball-loving boys but also many fans who appreciated his looks. Many praised him as “animation coming to life.”

“Gold always shines,” Jiang Ruotang said while scrolling through the comments.

Cai Ji also reposted Zhao Changfeng’s video, “Yes, Changfeng is so good at basketball, more people should see it!”

“Huh? I meant his face and body. Even if he doesn’t play ball in the future, he can be a print model, shoot magazines like ‘Gentleman’ or ‘Nobleman’ for men’s fashion, and still make a living.”

Since Zhao Changfeng wasn’t around, Jiang Ruotang dared to tease him so boldly; otherwise, he would have been punished by Zhao Changfeng with a single hand.

Jian Sha laughed, “If Zhao Changfeng knew you weren’t praising his basketball skills, he’d fight you!”

“Hahaha, don’t tell him,” Jiang Ruotang said, beaming.

---

As Little Sweet Fruit grew more popular, some people in the industry inevitably became restless. In their view, the root of all this was Bai Yingchuan defecting to Little Sweet Fruit.

A senior assistant from Qilin Video’s president’s office called Sister Yu, tentatively mentioning a script for a male lead that perfectly suited Bai Yingchuan, asking if he wanted to see it. Sister Yu neither refused nor agreed, only saying that Bai Yingchuan had just over two months until the college entrance exam, and everything would revolve around that. The script could be given to Bai Yingchuan’s team to review, but whether he would take the role depended on after the exam.

Next, Yunfeng Video also contacted Sister Yu, inquiring about Bai Yingchuan’s schedule. Sister Yu again used the college entrance exam as an excuse, keeping them in suspense.

It was laughable. When the fans caused a commotion, these two major video platforms either blacklisted him or played mind games. Now they wanted to come back? It wouldn’t be that easy.

At the same time, Bai Yingchuan’s film introduction for the Central Film Channel was also released, much to the fans’ delight.

Sister Yu was busy and fulfilled. She exclaimed, “Yingchuan, you truly chose correctly with Little Sweet Fruit! Your commercial value has been proven! Now you have a constant stream of offers. Do you have any direction or plans?”

“I thought you’d ask my mom first, to see what she wants me to do,” Bai Yingchuan said, sitting at his desk, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion.

Sister Yu sighed, “Sister Yue has now realized that Lin Chengdong is problematic. But she’s deeply stuck and it won’t be easy for her to get out. She once enjoyed great success, was adored by everyone, and was used to making decisions, ordering people around, and controlling everything around her. But now, she needs to re-evaluate herself. You’ve grown up. I can feel that you know what you need to do next.”

Bai Yingchuan closed his eyes and smiled. It could be said that without Jiang Ruotang, he would still be sidelined by those platforms and film companies.

Just then, Bai Yue’s phone vibrated continuously, displaying Lin Chengdong’s name. Bai Yue coldly watched, waiting for the name to disappear.

Lin Chengdong was on pins and needles. Several big bosses he collaborated with were extremely jealous of the huge traffic Bai Yingchuan brought to Little Sweet Fruit. They told Lin Chengdong that the movie they were planning to produce absolutely had to have Bai Yingchuan as the male lead, urging Lin Chengdong to secure Bai Yingchuan as soon as possible, and even started revising the script prematurely.

But Bai Yue wasn’t answering her phone?

Since the last dinner, Lin Chengdong had felt Bai Yue’s dissatisfaction with him. She seemed to want to escape his control. But Lin Chengdong wouldn’t let her have her way. He had helped Bai Yue evade so much tax money in their previous collaborations. Bai Yue wanted to get out? No way!

Lin Chengdong couldn’t be bothered to waste time with Bai Yue anymore. He called Bai Yingchuan directly.

Bai Yingchuan saw Lin Chengdong’s name flashing on the screen, and a wave of disgust surged within him. He thought if he didn’t answer, Lin Chengdong would give up, but to his surprise, Lin Chengdong sent Bai Yingchuan a message: [I want to talk to you about Bai Yue.]

At that moment, Bai Yingchuan’s heart was gripped. What leverage did Lin Chengdong have over his mother? Just as he was about to answer the call, he suddenly realized something. He picked up his phone and found another name in his contacts.

It was exactly 9:30 PM. Jiang Ruotang was tired from studying, listening to music while eating fruit prepared by Sister Juan.

Seeing Bai Yingchuan’s name, Jiang Ruotang quickly swallowed the dragon fruit, almost choking on the seeds. “Hello? What’s wrong?”

Hearing the lazy voice on the other end, Bai Yingchuan’s mind calmed down. He collected himself and told Jiang Ruotang about his concerns regarding Lin Chengdong and Bai Yue.

Jiang Ruotang was startled, “You… you just told me like that?”

Bai Yingchuan paused, then exhaled deeply: “Because I have no one I can trust.”

“Oh.”

At that moment, Jiang Ruotang seemed to understand why Bai Yingchuan, in his previous life, had so many choices yet always collaborated with Lin Chengdong. Lin Chengdong held leverage over Bai Yue, leverage powerful enough to destroy the mother and son. So, Bai Yingchuan could only stand with him.

Bai Yingchuan was a person who had been entangled in fame and fortune since childhood. He couldn’t let go of everything he possessed and could only be a puppet for a lifetime, not only having to cater to Lin Chengdong’s moods but also Lin Lu’s.

“Lin Chengdong will call again soon. Do you have any suggestions?” Bai Yingchuan’s words brought Jiang Ruotang back from his memories of his previous life to reality.

Jiang Ruotang lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, “First, keep him calm and listen to what specific evidence he has. Don’t act impulsively and anger him. There’s a saying, ‘The barefoot don’t fear the shod.’ Don’t let him drag you down with him.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Jiang Ruotang reminded him again: “Can your phone record calls?”

“Yes, I know, I’ll record it.”

Jiang Ruotang thought for a while longer, “Bai Yingchuan, you’re not telling your mother or your team about these things. Are you ready to…”

Are you ready to not cooperate with Lin Chengdong no matter what, and even cut ties with your mother Bai Yue?

“Lin Chengdong is an unstable time bomb. Whether he explodes now or later, my mother will be implicated, and she can’t escape. My mother and Lin Chengdong are intertwined, like a snowball getting bigger and bigger. Maybe if it explodes now, I can still bear it. If it explodes any later, it will truly be mutual destruction.”

Bai Yingchuan had thought about these words for a long time.

“Okay, once you’ve recorded it, we’ll listen to the lawyer’s opinion,” Jiang Ruotang replied. “Then we’ll see if we can persuade your mother to cooperate.”