All The Villain Wants Is Money - Chapter 3

After Yu Qiao left the apartment, Wu Borang still couldn’t recover from the shock.

He had once thought that with Xie Gu’s looks, a proper development plan would make him famous—yet Xie Gu flopped. He had once thought that Xie Gu’s ambition to succeed would make him easy to control—yet Xie Gu left the group of his own accord. He had once thought that Xie Gu was so broke he couldn’t possibly terminate his contract—yet a lawyer showed up.

Wu Borang glanced at the contract on the table marked with a red fingerprint, then at the check in his hand. He sighed heavily, then turned to glare at Xu Yucheng and Zhang Shi, who stood behind him. He sneered coldly, “What are you looking at? Do you want to pay a million in penalty fees to break your contracts too?”

Neither of them could respond, simply shaking their heads. But their eyes betrayed a mix of admiration and jealousy. Xu Yucheng managed to keep himself composed, but Zhang Shi felt a surge of malice. Why could Xie Gu , who everyone thought was destitute, suddenly throw out a million in penalty fees and walk away, leaving the three of them to flounder in the quagmire that is Banwen Entertainment?

Unaware of what Zhang Shi and Xu Yucheng were thinking, Xie Gu had just hung up from Yu Qiao’s call, confirming that his contract termination had been handled. Relaxed, he leaned back against the hard seat of the train with his eyes closed and continuously complained to the system in his mind.

“This train is terrible.”

“The seat quality is bad, the cleanliness is poor, and the food service is awful.”

“Tch, the real issue is being too poor. Otherwise, I’d buy a private jet and already be in Hanyun.”

The system masked its inner grumbling with bursts of static.

Yes, in the real world, Xie Gu—CEO Xie—was extraordinarily wealthy. A textbook example of a child from a family whose wealth extended across multiple generations: accomplished, well-mannered, and ridiculously good-looking. He had been the model child that everyone compared their children to. While most people feared their talents would fade, Xie Gu was an exception. For over 20 years, life was always smooth sailing. It was not without challenges, but CEO Xie crushed every obstacle in his path like a hurricane.

The only setback in his life was being forced into blind dates by his father. But after one ill-fated car ride with the chauffeur flooring the gas pedal, he never had to go on a blind date again.

And that was how he ended up with the Villain Counterattack System.

Having only spent half a day in this world, the system couldn’t fairly evaluate Xie Gu’s progress yet. However, it had thoroughly experienced CEO Xie’s obsession with money.

In Xie Gu’s eyes, there were probably only two types of people: those less wealthy than him, and those about to become less wealthy than him.

The problem was that this villain, while technically a second-generation rich kid, was only moderately wealthy. He was far from the level of casually buying a private jet, making Xie Gu’s current complaints entirely baseless.

Unable to bear Xie Gu’s endless internal muttering, the system finally spoke up coldly. “Has the host decided how to strike back and humiliate the protagonist yet?”

“Tsk,” Xie Gu drawled lazily, “humiliating someone is so boring. Isn’t making money far more satisfying?”

“?!” The system was so stunned that it emitted another burst of static. “Reminder: If the host fails to humiliate and surpass the protagonist, and the protagonist ultimately rises to the top, the mission will fail, and the host will die.”

“I get it,” Xie Gu replied impatiently. “Hey, System, have you ever heard of what’s called the weakness of man?”

The system went silent for a moment before dryly responding, “I’m called the Villain Counterattack System, not ‘System.’”

“It’s just a nickname,” Xie Gu sneered. “Looks like you’re still a rookie.”

For once, he patiently explained, “I’ve studied this world. Xu Yucheng is pretty capable and portrays himself as upright, positive, and sunny. He seems patient with his friends too. By 27, he reaches the pinnacle of the entertainment world, though he still wasn’t as rich as I was by the time he died.”

“…” The system desperately wished Xie Gu would stop mentioning money.

“I’ve also reviewed the original villain,” Xie Gu continued, “an id*ot with nothing but looks and blind ambition. It’s no wonder he ended up being used and crushed. But the truth is, there’s no fundamental conflict between the original villain and Xu Yucheng. So why was the villain crushed in the end? Because Xu Yucheng deliberately targeted him.”

“…” The system wanted to point out that Bai Ying was the biggest source of conflict between the original villain and Xu Yucheng. Isn’t stealing someone’s fiancée a pretty solid reason for enmity?

“You think it’s about a woman?” Xie Gu seemed to read the system’s mind. “You’re wrong. Men always value power over beauty. Sure, there are a few exceptions—some hopeless romantics or particularly captivating women. But Xu Yucheng and that what’s-her-name do not belong to those categories.”

He let out a cold laugh. “Xu Yucheng didn’t climb to the top purely on talent. Capital—or let’s call it luck—was the most crucial factor. Half a year after going solo, under Banwen Entertainment’s manipulation, his popularity was barely alive. The turning point was when he met a benefactor—someone who groomed him to become a top star. Later, that what’s-her-name, while not as rich as me, was at least decent enough to easily ‘sponsor’ her little favorite.

“As for the original owner of this body,” Xie Gu added with a hint of disdain, “stupid, sure, but at least a lot simpler compared to Xu Yucheng. Why did Xu Yucheng target him and turn him into a pariah? Because he was in the way.”

“…” This time, the system genuinely started thinking.

Xie Gu’s appearance was indeed exceptionally striking. Although Xie Wentang was only a ‘mere nouveau riche,’ his wealth was still considerable in the eyes of ordinary people. That’s why the original villain had been raised to be so ‘innocent and naive.’ And what’s the most critical factor in the entertainment industry? Talent, skill, looks? No—capital.

The original villain had both money and looks. Honestly, even as just a ‘pretty face,’ his popularity wouldn’t have been bad. When Xu Yucheng and Zhang Shi first went solo, they followed the role of an idol. Naturally, the original villain became an obstacle to their careers.

“So, you see,” Xie Gu patiently guided the system, “what’s the best way for me to strike back?”

The system hesitated before giving an answer. “Use Xie Wentang’s capital to become a strong contender and crush the original protagonist?”

“Stup*d!” Xie Gu scolded, exasperated. “Xie Wentang is a nouveau riche, and right now, he’s just a bit wealthy. He can’t compete with that what’s-her-name or Xu Yucheng’s future benefactor. Otherwise, why do you think Xie Wentang was immediately sent to prison after the original owner died? He didn’t have enough money to compete, so he got framed!”

“So?”

“So now, I’m going to use money to crush the opposition!” Xie Gu said proudly. “Instead of letting them beg their fathers for money, I’ll make them beg me for it!”

“…” The system no longer wanted to spaz out. “Six hours ago, you just borrowed one million from Xie Wentang.”

“That’s called investment!” Xie Gu replied confidently. “Do you mean to say I’m not worth a million?”

It sounded reasonable, but the system felt like Xie Gu was just trying to fool it.

A chime sounded in the train and announced its arrival at Hanyun Station. Xie Gu got up, grabbed his luggage, and got off the train. Following the signs, he arrived at the exit and immediately spotted Xie Wentang who was waiting outside.

He immediately flashed a brilliant smile, calling out, “Dad,” and leisurely walked over, all the while bargaining with the system in his mind. “System, look, I’m a CEO in the real world, right?”

The system replied affirmatively.

“I make millions every minute, right?”

The system agreed again.

“I just talked to you for 30 minutes, so I’ll give you a discount. Twenty million. Settle the bill when you can.”

“@！#*&！！！”