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Ruan Yu found this logic quite peculiar. If the truth were exposed, wouldn’t Cen Sisi also be revealing her own shady dealings?
But it wasn’t impossible. Because she recalled Xu Huaisong’s phone call earlier, which seemed to mention a case where the defendant retaliated against the plaintiff.
When facing a high risk of losing the lawsuit, the defendant might adopt a "burn-all-bridges" mentality.
Thinking this, out of analogy, Ruan Yu typed "s.g" into the search bar—the term Xu Huaisong had mentioned.
The latest related reports stopped at a recent court hearing. She didn’t find much information about the defendant but noticed another name: Hanson.
Xu Huaisong’s English name.
Her thoughts derailed, and she clicked on this keyword instead, finding an interview-style English article detailing his connection with s.g.
The article stated that s.g had been sued by a competitor for infringement three years ago. Scandal-ridden, its stocks plummeted, and the company faced a severe financial crisis.
At the time, Xu’s father—a highly reputed lawyer in California—took on the case as s.g’s defense attorney. But two days before the trial, he suffered a sudden cerebral infarction. Though he survived, he was diagnosed with "vascular dementia."
Changing lawyers at the last minute was taboo. If they lost because of this, s.g would collapse entirely. Yet delaying the trial wasn’t an option either. The longer the case dragged on, the worse the stock situation would become, and the company would still be doomed.
With only two days left, the board grew restless. Representatives repeatedly visited the hospital, asking doctors if Xu’s father could recover in time.
The answer, of course, was no.
In the end, Xu Huaisong stepped forward—Xu Huaisong, who had just completed his LLM, passed the California Bar, and was still new to the profession.
Because he had been learning under his father, he had been involved in the case from start to finish. As a last resort, s.g placed their hopes in him.
No one held much expectation.
But the result was that Xu Huaisong, against the complex backdrop of the case, secured an immediate verdict.
s.g won the lawsuit and was revived.
Ruan Yu slowly scrolled down to the article’s final line: That’s an incredible legend.
Perhaps it referred to Xu Huaisong. Perhaps to s.g.
But all Ruan Yu could think was—what happened to Xu’s father afterward?
The next day, after a ten-day wait, the JJWXC reporting center issued its ruling on the plagiarism case, concluding that I Really Want to Whisper in Your Ear and Her Eyes Smile shared less than one-tenth similarity, which did not constitute excessive borrowing.
Ruan Yu shared the news in the group chat, informing Liu Mao and Xu Huaisong.
Liu Mao replied instantly, saying that with this ruling, their chances of winning the lawsuit and securing compensation had significantly increased.
But joy was often accompanied by sorrow. Ruan Yu typed: Still, the forums and Weibo are probably going to erupt again.
Fifteen minutes later.
Liu Mao: You called it.
Ruan Yu: What are they saying?
Online vitriol drained one’s spirit. She cared about public opinion but was almost afraid to look.
Liu Mao sent a few screenshots.
If this level of overlap isn’t excessive borrowing, then what is?
Saw this coming. Would JJWXC ever axe its own cash cow?
Of course not. A friend in the film industry told me Huan Shi has its eyes on this IP. Huan Shi, guys—big-screen adaptations, massive budgets, millions in royalties! You can live without integrity, but not without money! The ranking system—whether it's a black chicken or a white chicken, as long as it lays eggs, it's a good chicken.
The overwhelming sarcasm in the message stung the eyes.
This last one was probably sent by Liu Mao in a moment of carelessness. Realizing his mistake, he quickly withdrew it.
The next second, Xu Huaisong, who had been silent for a long time, sent a message: "Are you that free?"
A bit harsh. Ruan Yu didn’t dare reply.
Liu Mao from Zhi Kun: "Just a little..."
Xu Huaisong: "Then go draft the lawyer’s statement."
Immediately after, Ruan Yu’s screen was flooded with a list of Weibo usernames. Coming from Xu Huaisong, it felt like an execution list.
Xu Huaisong: "Name and shame."
Though it was official business, she was still a little touched and typed: "Thank you for your hard work, Lawyer Xu!"
Receiving no reply, Ruan Yu closed the chat window just as the doorbell rang.
It was Shen Mingying.
After quitting her job as an editor at Jinjiang, she had started an online shop with her boyfriend. Like Ruan Yu, she didn’t have to strictly adhere to a nine-to-five schedule, so she had time to drop by.
The moment Ruan Yu opened the door, she said, "No need to comfort me. Maybe I’ve gotten used to it, but I’m actually feeling okay."
"Don’t flatter yourself," Shen Mingying walked straight to the living room sofa. "I’m here to gossip about Cen Sisi."
Ruan Yu had mentioned the incident to her over the phone yesterday.
After all, Cen Sisi was, in a way, Shen Mingying’s "arch-nemesis."
Back when Ruan Yu first started writing modern romance, she noticed Shen Mingying didn’t have a suitable job after graduation, so she recommended her to Jinjiang as an editor for historical romance. A couple of years later, when Ruan Yu grew tired of modern romance and switched to historical, she happened to be assigned to Shen Mingying’s team.
Somehow, during the serialization, their real-life connection was leaked and exposed anonymously on a forum. The poster, whining in a high-pitched tone, accused the editor of favoritism, claiming all the good recommendation spots were given to her best friend.
After some digging, Shen Mingying discovered the poster was "Su Cheng"—aka Cen Sisi.
The incident caused quite a stir in the circle. Even though Shen Mingying hadn’t actually played favorites, who would believe her? So she eventually quit.
Ruan Yu also faced a lot of backlash. Guilt-ridden over dragging Shen Mingying into it, her mindset was affected, and she hastily wrapped up that historical romance.
When she started a new novel afterward, people kept bringing up the past. Forced to adjust her emotions, she barely managed to finish it before hitting a creative block—eleven whole months without progress.
That was why, this time, when Cen Sisi stirred up trouble again, both of them insisted on taking legal action.
Hadn’t they endured enough the first time?
Shen Mingying said, "Looking at it this way, she already knew who you were back then. What on earth did you do to her in college that she’s still holding a grudge after all these years?"
Ruan Yu sighed. "If I knew, would I have been blindsided like this?"
"Did you steal her scholarship?"
She shook her head.
"Did you take her recommendation spot?"
Another shake.
"Then… did you steal her man?"
This time, Ruan Yu didn’t even need to respond before Shen Mingying dismissed it herself. "Impossible. You’ve been single since birth—even if men threw themselves at you, you wouldn’t take them."
She remembered how, in Ruan Yu’s senior year, a freshman had relentlessly pursued her, making waves across the department. Yet, nothing came of it.
And it wasn’t like the guy wasn’t attractive—he later became a celebrity with a massive fanbase of adoring girls.
Shen Mingying had called Ruan Yu "blind" more than once for that.
"Speaking of which, whatever happened to that underclassman?"
"Haven’t kept up."
Shen Mingying’s thoughts drifted from Cen Sisi as she pulled out her phone to search. "Li… something-can? Oh, is this his Weibo?" She raised her phone. " sc Li Shican ."Ruan Yu glanced from afar and nodded.
But in that brief glance, something flashed through her mind like lightning.
"sc?" Why did these letters seem vaguely familiar?
"Hey, he's live right now."
Shen Mingying clicked into Li Shican's livestream. A slightly hoarse voice came through: "Alright, I'll take this as a loss. So, truth or dare? Go ahead, 'I Love Eating Bunny,' you pick."
"A big star being this down-to-earth, playing truth or dare with fans on a livestream?" Shen Mingying tore open a pack of preserved plums, watching with relish while muttering to herself.
Ruan Yu didn’t respond, absorbed in scrolling through Weibo, drowning in the world of online vitriol. Fuming, she copied a few usernames into a notebook and sent them to a group chat: Lawyer Xu, can I add a few more names to the list?
Xu Huaisong: Up to you.
Encouraged by the approval, Ruan Yu rallied her fighting spirit and continued her dedicated hunt.
From Shen Mingying’s phone, Li Shican’s voice sounded again: "Call the seventh contact in your phonebook and say to them, 'See you at the usual spot the morning after tomorrow'? Wow, that’s brutal..."
"Being a celebrity isn’t easy either!" Shen Mingying sighed like a doting mother. But before her words fully settled, Ruan Yu’s phone rang.
A melodious piano tune overlapped with the "beep—" from the livestream.
Shen Mingying froze, still processing, when she saw Ruan Yu answer the call: "Hello?"
The livestream echoed with the same "Hello?"
Shen Mingying jolted upright.
Ruan Yu had answered the call because, though she didn’t recognize the number, it was from Hangzhou. Now, realization slowly dawned on her. She stiffly turned to Shen Mingying, mouthing silently: Me?
Shen Mingying’s face was a picture of shock as she nodded frantically, hurriedly plugging in her earbuds.
Ruan Yu was stunned for a solid five seconds before the voice on the other end snapped her back to reality: "Is this my senior? It’s Shican."
She steadied herself. "Yes, it’s me..."
He seemed to chuckle. "Don’t be nervous. I just wanted to check in on you."
With over a hundred thousand people listening in, how could she not be nervous?
Her palms sweating, she kept her eyes locked on Shen Mingying and replied, "I’m doing fine."
"Still living at the same place?"
Having caught snippets of the livestream earlier, Ruan Yu guessed Li Shican was steering the conversation. To wrap things up quickly, she answered, "Yes."
"I’d love to catch up. How about we meet at the usual spot the morning after tomorrow?"
Ruan Yu hesitated briefly, but with so many people listening, she decided to play along: "Sure..."
"Great, see you then. Bye."
"Bye."
The call ended, and Shen Mingying shrieked, "What just happened?! Didn’t he block you back then? Why does he still have your number?!"
Ruan Yu took a deep breath. "You’re asking me ? Who am I supposed to ask?"
Shen Mingying turned back to the livestream.
The screen was flooded with comments.
Wow, her voice is so sweet!
Shican, you can’t meet her at the usual spot!
Who came up with this dare? Step forward so we can all 'thank' you properly!
These obsessive fans...
Shen Mingying rubbed her goosebump-covered arms and watched as Li Shican laughed on screen. "You guys always get me into trouble. Remind me to apologize after the stream—standing her up would be too much."
"Tch, smooth talker."With just a few tactful words, she managed to clarify that she wouldn't be attending the appointment, successfully placating her hundreds of thousands of fans.
"Why couldn't I manage to win you over back then?" Shen Mingying sighed to Ruan Yu, only to notice her frowning deeply while gripping her phone tightly. "What's wrong? Are you still reading those hate comments? Stop torturing yourself, will you?"
Ruan Yu shook her head, indicating that wasn't the case. "I'm looking at Li Shican's profile," she said, her frown deepening. "SC... these initials seem really familiar. Where have I seen them before?"
Shen Mingying blinked in surprise. "SC? Oh, isn't that Su Cheng?"
Ruan Yu suddenly looked up.
Li Shican is SC, and Su Cheng is SC too?
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