All The Villain Wants Is Money - Chapter 1
“Boy Band of the Year ‘Red Comet’ From Banwen Entertainment on the Verge of Disbanding!”
“A Look Into Red Comet: Why Has This Once-Popular Boy Group Suddenly Fallen?”
“Banwen’s Curse? The Red Comet Truly Becomes a Bad Omen!”
The man’s eyes swept over the flood of news articles on Weibo. Unable to suppress his inner frustration any longer, he violently threw his phone to the ground and cursed. He stood up in a huff and let loose a torrent of abuse: “Those two pieces of trash, Kong You and Xie Gu! Are they satisfied now? RC’s done for! The company’s about to be ruined by those two idiots!”
Standing before him were two young men, seemingly just over 20 years old at most. One of them stood slightly ahead, with a composed expression and handsome features. Hearing Wu Borang’s tirade, he instinctively frowned and said, “Rang-ge…”
Wu Borang raised a hand and pointed at Xu Yucheng’s nose, snapping, “What? Are you still trying to defend those two good-for-nothings? Don’t forget, your contracts are still under Banwen! The company hasn’t officially dissolved yet!”
The man behind Xu Yucheng quickly stepped forward, pulling down Wu Borang’s hand. His tone carried a trace of flattery and appeasement as he said, “Rang-ge, calm down. Our group leader hasn’t fully adjusted his mindset yet. He didn’t mean to clash with you. Please don’t be angry. Let me talk to him, and we’ll come back later to apologize to you.”
Wu Borang nodded, but the sneer on his face remained. “Zhang Shi, you’d better talk some sense into your group leader. Knowing your place is the most important thing in life.”
Zhang Shi smiled obsequiously., “Of course.”
After speaking, Zhang Shi immediately dragged Xu Yucheng to the side, lowering his voice, “Xu Yucheng, are you crazy?! Why are you picking a fight with Rang-ge?!”
Xu Yucheng pressed his lips together, looking somewhat displeased, “Kong You didn’t mean to.”
Zhang Shi retorted coldly: “Whether he meant to or not, isn’t it true that our group is about to disband? And even if Kong You didn’t do it intentionally, what about Xie Gu?”
Xu Yucheng’s face showed a conflicted expression at the mention of Xie Gu. “Xie Gu, he… In any case, he hasn’t officially terminated his contract, so I’m still the group leader.”
— Clap.
Time froze.
A translucent figure of a man appeared in midair, glancing down at the three people below. He rubbed his chin and asked, “The tallest one—is he the protagonist of this world?”
A cold, robotic voice replied, “Yes, Xu Yucheng. Age: 21. Height: 187 cm. Weight: 70 kg. He is the protagonist of this world. Currently, it has been one year since his debut and his group is facing disbandment. Six months later, he will debut as a solo artist. In one year, he’ll become a top-tier idol specializing in singing and dancing. Three years later, he will transition into acting, and at age 27, he will win a Grand Slam Best Actor award, becoming the king of the entertainment industry.”
“Oh.” Xie Gu stared at Xu Yucheng for a long moment before asking, “What’s his financial status?”
The system paused briefly, likely searching for data. “He currently has no savings. At age 27, his assets will exceed 100 million, but the total at the time of his death has not been fully calculated.”
“Oh,” Xie Gu said, satisfied. “So he’s broke.”
A thought occurred to him and he quickly asked, “Does he have a wife and kids?”
This time, the system responded swiftly. “Xu Yucheng has no romantic experience at present. At age 23, he will meet the female lead, Bai Ying. At age 25, they will begin dating, and at 28, they will marry. The couple will have a son and a daughter.”
“Additional information: Bai Ying is your fiancée. You are very fond of her,” the system added.
Xie Gu rolled his eyes. “I don’t even know Bai Ying. Where did this fiancée come from?”
“From the original villain,” the system explained helpfully. “You will soon take over the original villain’s body, and Bai Ying will become your fiancée.”
“She’s poorer than me but still wants to be my fiancée?” Xie Gu’s tone dripped with mockery. “I’ll break off the engagement right away.”
“As long as it makes the host happy,” the system said emotionlessly. “This is your beginner’s protection period. From the next world onward, you will directly take over the original villain without prior knowledge of the world. Additionally, please remember: your ultimate task is to reverse the villain’s fate and humiliate the protagonist. The system will not interfere with the process. If you fail, you will truly die.”
“Got it,” Xie Gu said, still frowning as he thought things over. “I’ll complete the task.” After all, the real world was full of fortunes waiting for him to claim.
Hearing Xie Gu’s promise, the system’s tone softened slightly. “Does the host have any further questions? In ten minutes, you will inhabit the original villain’s body.”
Xie Gu shook his head. “Send me down. I’ve got money to make.”
“#￥&*&@#！”
The system emitted a burst of static, as though stunned by Xie Gu’s urgency, resulting in a brief string of garbled noise. Three seconds later, the system’s normal voice returned. “Executing host command. Immediate deployment.”
A wave of dizziness hit Xie Gu, and when he opened his eyes, the scene before him had completely changed. He was now sitting in a cramped apartment. Trash and takeout boxes were scattered everywhere, and an unpleasant smell assaulted his nose.
He immediately stood up, covering his nose, and scanned the room. His expression turned into one of incredulity. “This is the original villain’s home?”
The system’s voice sounded in his mind: “Yes, to be precise, it is now your home.”
Xie Gu was hit with a wave of disbelief and stumbled back into his seat. “Are you sure this is the home of a coal upstart’s son?”
It was so small, unkempt, and filled with nothing but takeout boxes.
There were no traces of the lifestyle expected of a rich second-generation heir.
He warily questioned the system: “Did you scam me? What kind of coal boss’s son is this? If you told me he’s the son of a coal miner, I’d believe it.”
“@%￥#￥*&*&*！”
The system immediately emitted another burst of static, only returning to normal three seconds later: “The original villain fell out with his family and signed with Banwen Entertainment to debut. It’s normal for him to have no money now.”
Hearing this explanation, Xie Gu calmed down considerably. He skimmed through the original body’s memories and cross-referenced them with the plot the system had previously sent him. Finally, he let out a breath of relief and regained his usual aloof demeanor. “Is that so? Well, now that it’s me, this kind of miserable life is over for good.”
The system fell silent this time.
It looked around and noted that the apartment wasn’t large, but it was still about 50 square meters. Though small, it had everything one might need. The furniture and decor were all high-end, and even among the trash scattered on the floor, there was the remains of a fancy Australian lobster.
Who would call a life where you can afford Australian lobster takeout ‘miserable’?
Probably only this man, who loudly proclaimed he would become the world’s richest person.
After confirming that his situation wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d imagined, Xie Gu finally steadied his stirred emotions. He opened his phone to check the date and confirmed that the current stage of the plot aligned with what he had reviewed earlier.
Banwen Entertainment had heavily invested in a four-member boy group called Red Comet —RC for short— which was now on the brink of disbandment. The group’s leader, Xu Yucheng, along with their manager and boss, Wu Borang, were desperately trying to save it.
Of course, the group ultimately disbanded. Afterward, some members went solo, while others left the industry. Xu Yucheng fared the best, becoming a top-tier actor and winner of the Best Actor award. In contrast, the villain, Xie Gu, became a minor controversial celebrity. He was eventually banned from the industry after a scandal involving assault and spent the rest of his life in misery.
Xie Gu’s task was to change the villain’s fate and step all over Xu Yucheng.
How was he going to accomplish that?
Xie Gu didn’t bother answering the system. Instead, he casually opened the phone’s contact list, scrolled to a number labeled ‘Xie Wentang,’ and dialed it.
The call connected after two seconds.
Before the other party could speak, Xie Gu took the lead and said, “Dad.”