The next morning, Attorney Hong visited the publishing company whose name was on the business card and returned with surprising news for Jian Sha.

The editor named Wang Hui had indeed been an employee of Lingzhi Culture Publishing Co., Ltd., but when he contacted Jian Sha, he had already resigned!

As for where he went to work, the company didn’t know, but Wang Hui had signed an agreement before leaving, prohibiting him from collecting manuscripts or recommending works in the industry in Lingzhi’s name.

The owner of Lingzhi Culture was very angry and told Attorney Hong that once it was confirmed that Wang Hui was the one who deceived Jian Sha, Lingzhi Culture would also file a lawsuit against him.

During the break, Jian Sha received this news. She wasn’t one to keep things to herself. Being scammed, she naturally had to gather her friends and curse Wang Hui.

So, except for Zhao Changfeng, who was training far away in the capital, the other four went to the top of the teaching building. Even Cai Ji, who was usually like a little lamb, mercilessly launched a verbal attack on Wang Hui.

“For scumbags like Wang Hui, hotpot must have a rat as the soup base, and instant noodles must have cockroach legs as seasoning!”

“Calling an ambulance will have no signal; he’ll drop dead on the spot, no discussion!”

Lu Guifan awkwardly rubbed his neck, realizing that although he learned everything quickly, he seemed unable to join their ranks.

After a furious outburst, Jian Sha gradually calmed down.

“But the problem now is… even if it’s confirmed that Wang Hui deceived me, we can’t link him to that upcoming drama. After all, the script won’t be made public. That habitual plagiarist, Zhang Chun, will just copy whatever he wants, and everything can be explained as a ‘coincidence.’ I can’t shake him at all.”

Lu Guifan patted Jian Sha’s shoulder, “Trust me, Attorney Hong is a very experienced and capable lawyer. Since she hasn’t told you to give up, you don’t need to give up.”

Cai Ji said very seriously to Jian Sha, “Since Ruotang is on your side, you will definitely win in the end.”

Jiang Ruotang was stunned. He didn’t understand where Cai Ji’s trust in him came from. “Am I… that amazing?”

Cai Ji nodded vigorously, “You are! When Meng Yang deliberately stepped on Class Monitor’s glasses, you thought of contact lenses, which saved Class Monitor’s scholarship.”

Lu Guifan nodded.

Cai Ji added, “You also predicted Meng Yang’s jealousy in advance and warned Changfeng, so he didn’t fall into Meng Yang’s trap in the locker room.”

Lu Guifan nodded again, a smile on his lips.

Cai Ji patted his chest: “And my own matters. You were the first to support me in fighting back.”

This time, not only Lu Guifan nodded, but even Jian Sha inexplicably gained confidence.

Jiang Ruotang blushed from his neck to his ears. In his previous life, he felt that despite all his efforts, he was never affirmed. At this moment, however, he had become the backbone of his friends.

He suddenly felt a great responsibility, but wasn’t protecting his friends the meaning of rebirth?

“Jian Sha, don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are others whose interests align with yours, so rest assured,” Jiang Ruotang comforted.

Jian Sha was confused. Who else’s interests could align with hers?

Just then, Jian Sha’s phone rang. It was Wang Hui.

Jian Sha’s eyes widened as she looked at Jiang Ruotang, a surge of nervousness making her shoulders tremble.

Jiang Ruotang nodded firmly, “Just say what I taught you and arrange to meet him! Drag it out for a bit, like meeting on Sunday, to give Attorney Hong time to prepare.”

And also to give Bai Yingchuan time to gather evidence from Zhang Chun.

With her friends by her side, Jian Sha calmed down considerably.

Wang Hui even asked in a coaxing tone, “Sha Sha, why did you call so many times last night? My phone was dead, so I didn’t get them. Are you discussing the novel’s plot, or is there something else?”

Jian Sha held her phone, looked into Jiang Ruotang’s eyes, and said, “My parents confiscated my laptop! They’re too strict with me! Can I ask for your help and borrow a laptop from you?”

Jiang Ruotang clapped silently. Jian Sha’s tone was so natural; she had a talent for acting!

Wang Hui eagerly wanted Jian Sha’s manuscript to remain on his computer so there wouldn’t even be electronic records.

After arranging to meet on the weekend, Jian Sha calmed down significantly. At least she would be able to meet that liar on the weekend.

“Does anyone have a Xinhua Dictionary?” Jian Sha asked.

“What do you need a Xinhua Dictionary for?”

“To smash that dead liar’s head, of course! He insulted the profession of a literary editor!”

Lu Guifan said coolly, “Shouldn’t it be the Dao De Jing then? This Wang Hui clearly lacks virtue.”

Back in the classroom, everyone gradually settled back into their seats.

Lu Guifan easily understood Jiang Ruotang’s plan and reminded him, “Don’t mess up with Zhang Chun. We need to confirm the transaction between Wang Hui and Zhang Chun to truly get justice for Jian Sha.”

Jiang Ruotang hummed and nodded.

Lu Guifan, seeing his calm demeanor, couldn’t resist pressing his head.

“Why are you pressing my head again? If you make me stupid, will you support me?”

“Okay,” Lu Guifan said calmly.

“You have to understand, just giving me pickled radish and porridge isn’t supporting me. I’m very precious!”

“Alright, precious classmate Jiang Ruotang, let’s talk about the motion of electrons in a magnetic field.”

“Okay.”

As Jiang Ruotang obediently worked on the problem, he didn’t notice Lu Guifan resting his chin on his hand, watching him.

You’re not just precious; you’re invaluable.

Rather than saying I want to support you, I’d say that when you fly high and far, I want to stand on the ground and look up at you, letting you know the way back.

Time passed like years for Jian Sha, until finally, the weekend arrived, and she waited for Wang Hui at the coffee shop.

With an excited heart and trembling hands, she was finally going to meet the person who had taught her an important lesson, though Jian Sha felt no gratitude towards him.

Wang Hui arrived, a middle-aged man, about forty, wearing glasses, looking respectable.

Jian Sha was internally playing a suona, wishing she could coffin him on the spot and carry him away!

Wang Hui had just sat down, and his coffee hadn’t even arrived, when two police officers in uniform quickly entered through the door.

Wang Hui, with a guilty conscience, was about to get up, but Jian Sha grabbed him, revealing an innocent smile. “Editor Wang, where are you going?”

Looking up again, the police had already walked in front of Wang Hui.

“Mr. Wang Hui, someone has reported that you are suspected of fraud. Please come with us.”

“Fraud? How did I commit fraud?” Wang Hui was bewildered.

The police countered, “Then what are you doing here with this student?”

Wang Hui looked at Jian Sha, who immediately explained to the police, “He’s my editor!”

“Editor from where?” the police asked again.

“Lingzhi Culture… a very famous publishing company!”

Jian Sha’s answer made Wang Hui feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He had already resigned from Lingzhi Culture…

And at this moment, he was still trying to scam manuscripts under the name of an editor. Everything about publishing and approval was a lie.

At first, Wang Hui thought it was a small matter, and the police were making a mountain out of a molehill. It was normal for a former editor to maintain contact with an author. He said he would eventually work for another publishing house and would bring Jian Sha’s manuscript to the new company then. He hadn’t swindled Jian Sha out of a single penny and didn’t meet the standards for a criminal case.

But the police produced a recording: a conversation between Bai Yingchuan and screenwriter Zhang Chun!

A self-recorded conversation by one party is considered legal evidence.

In the call, Bai Yingchuan directly stated that the first three episodes of the script currently provided by screenwriter Zhang Chun were highly similar to the serialization his classmate posted on a novel website, and the publication date was very early. Bai Yingchuan was worried about negative publicity and asked Zhang Chun if he had settled things with the original author.

Zhang Chun, seeing Bai Yingchuan’s firm stance, could only force a smile and say that he would have an intermediary contact the original author and would definitely placate the original author with a large sum of money.

Bai Yingchuan then asked who the intermediary was and whether they were trustworthy. If not clarified, he would not accept the script.

Only then did Zhang Chun say it was an editor from Lingzhi Culture named Wang Hui. He also said that Wang Hui was experienced and had ways to deal with these online authors, and guaranteed that Bai Yingchuan’s classmate would be paid for her manuscript and not write for nothing. He even promised to let her join his studio later with a high salary.

When the police finished playing the recording, Wang Hui was completely dumbfounded.

He never expected that he would be brought down by Zhang Chun! He also didn’t expect Jian Sha to be Bai Yingchuan’s classmate. Bai Yingchuan’s recording was clearly intended to link Jian Sha’s work with Zhang Chun.

“According to Article 217 of the Criminal Law, you profited from the manuscript obtained by defrauding Jian Sha, and the amount is significant, infringing on Jian Sha’s copyright. The maximum sentence could be ten years in prison. Do you want to confess leniently, or wait for us to find evidence from your accounts and chat records, and have your crime escalated? Or think again, what will this screenwriter named Zhang Chun say about this when we go to him.”

Wang Hui’s initial “it’s not a big deal” mentality completely collapsed.

If the police really contacted Zhang Chun, Zhang Chun would naturally put all the blame on Wang Hui, treating the “brokerage fee” as the copyright fee entrusted to Wang Hui for Jian Sha. Wang Hui would bear all the responsibility.

However, Wang Hui had not given Jian Sha a single penny yet.

Hearing this, Wang Hui’s defenses crumbled.

Jian Sha had the serialized pages set to private, which showed the earliest publication date, as well as online records of sending electronic versions, and various promissory chat records from Wang Hui.

Once screenwriter Zhang Chun actually wrote the script based on the character settings, outline, and various gu worm and gu poison settings provided by Jian Sha, and it was released, Jian Sha could file an infringement lawsuit against him.

If he didn’t want to be sued, Zhang Chun would have to rewrite the script, but would he still have time? Lin Chengdong’s project already had several big investors, and if it kept delaying filming, how would Lin Chengdong explain it to those bosses?

Wang Hui confessed that Zhang Chun had taken a liking to Jian Sha’s novel and wanted Wang Hui to help “acquire” Jian Sha’s manuscript. Once they got Jian Sha’s manuscript, they would tell her it couldn’t be published.

When Jian Sha was feeling down, they would give her a little sweet talk, telling her that a screenwriter had read it and was willing to adapt it into a film, but unfortunately, her name couldn’t be credited. They would offer her a manuscript fee of 20 to 50 yuan per thousand words in exchange for the copyright transfer, and then sign a non-disclosure agreement. This way, the work would successfully become Zhang Chun’s.

Even if Jian Sha disagreed and caused a stir online, screenwriter Zhang Chun would simply say it was just a coincidence of some settings and plot points, and even turn the tables, accusing the little girl of trying to latch on, thus generating buzz for the TV series!

Hearing this, even the police officer handling the case gritted his teeth in anger.

And Wang Hui had already received a 50,000 yuan “deposit” from Zhang Chun, but not a single penny of this deposit had reached Jian Sha’s hands.

Wang Hui immediately stated that he wished to settle with Jian Sha and would pay her the 50,000 yuan.

Upon learning of the case’s progress, Jiang Ruotang suddenly felt a sense of “heaven helps me.”

Lin Chengdong and Zhang Chun, this notorious plagiarist, had been collaborating to defraud copyrights for so many years; finally, their karma was coming back to bite them!

However… this commotion wasn’t big enough. How could the fire from Zhang Chun, the habitual plagiarist, spread to Lin Chengdong?

After Jian Sha’s parents learned about the case’s progress, they thought it was great that she could earn 50,000 yuan just by writing a novel.

Besides, lawsuits take time, and the college entrance exam was only three months away. It would be better for Jian Sha to focus on the exam.

Hearing this, Jian Sha talked with her parents for a long time, but they still struggled to understand her insistence on being credited for the novel. Wasn’t it good to have it adapted into a movie and starring an award-winning actress like Bai Yue? And she had received 50,000 yuan in compensation.

Furthermore, that Zhang Chun was a big screenwriter, and suing him would take months. The TV series hadn’t even been filmed yet, so she wouldn’t be able to claim much in damages.

Jian Sha and her parents simply couldn’t communicate. This feeling of not being understood or recognized made her feel suppressed.

This novel was her spiritual world, something she had meticulously crafted word by word. To be defined by a mere 50,000 yuan, and not even allowed to have her name publicly recognized, was all of this a joke? Was her intellectual effort merely to benefit others?

Jian Sha’s parents even bypassed Jian Sha and told Attorney Hong to stop there, that it was enough for Wang Hui to pay compensation.

Even though Jiang Ruotang was just her friend, and they had only been close for less than a year, and Cai Ji, the class monitor, and even Zhao Changfeng, who had just returned from a tryout in the capital, all stood firmly by her side. Why couldn’t her own blood-related parents understand?