Chapter 36: The Rival Always Wants to Taste Him Again [36]

Chapter 36: The Rival Always Wants to Taste Him Again "36"

"Look at what you've done! Didn't you say it was all your own writing? Didn't you say it was bound to be a hit?"

"Now look! It's a hit alright—everyone's saying you plagiarized and demanding an explanation!"

"I invested so much in you early on, and now it's all become a wedding dress for that 'Phoenix'! Lin Ran! You've really grown bold! You didn't even consult us about something this important!"

Lin's father roared in a fury, his eyes bloodshot, his entire body trembling with rage.

Lin Ran sat on the sofa with his head lowered, clenching his jaw, his expression unreadable.

He was still clutching a water glass tightly in his hand, veins bulging on the back of his hand—with such force it seemed he might crush the glass to pieces.

Lin's mother quickly stepped forward with a cup of water to soothe Lin's father: "Alright, alright, don't be so angry at Xiao Ran. He didn't want things to turn out this way."

She placed the cup into Lin's father's hand, patting his back to soothe him, then looked at Lin Ran with a mildly reproachful tone:

"Xiao Ran, you too—if you were going to do this, why didn't you cover your tracks better?"

"And you let that 'Phoenix' get made and released."

Lin's mother sighed again: "Don't blame your father either. This situation really is a mess now."

Lin's father's mood eased slightly as he drank the water, but Lin Ran spoke up at that moment:

"I'll figure something out, but you can't keep me locked up. I need to go out and find A Mo."

"I know what the family's situation is right now. Only the Shi family can help us now."

Lin Ran said this with remarkable calm.

"Go out? You still want to go out? The moment you step outside, people will spit on you!"

Lin's father's anger flared up again, and he immediately raised his hand to strike him.

But when he met Lin Ran's unreadable gaze, his hand froze mid-air.

Seeing things about to escalate, Lin's mother feared Lin's father might actually strike, so she quickly threw herself in front of Lin Ran on the sofa.

"What are you doing? What are you doing? Can't we talk this out? Why are you hitting the kid? What's done is done—would hitting him even help?!"

Lin's father shot Lin Ran a cold look and hurled the water glass to the ground, shattering it with a sharp crash.

"How did I raise such a fool for a son!"

Lin's mother wrapped her arms around Lin Ran, frowning:

"We invested so much in this. People online have known all along that we were filming 'Phoenix's Cry.' Even though 'Phoenix' came out before theirs, we could still say they—"

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Lin's father cut her off with a furious shout: "The difference between the two shows is huge. If we claim we're the original and they copied us, who would believe it?"

"Anyone with eyes can see Lin Ran is the one who copied!"

"'Phoenix' just happened to come out at this exact moment—someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes. The people behind them are probably waiting for us to bite back."

"At a time like this, you want to drag them through the mud more? Are you worried Lin Ran hasn't been dragged through the mud enough? Or that our stock hasn't dropped low enough?!"

Lin's father stared at the two huddled together on the sofa, nearly fainting from sheer fury.

But this was his only son, after all. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and said coldly:

"You're not going anywhere for a while, and you're not to contact anyone either. Right now, the less said, the better. This has blown up too big to cover up—the only option is a public apology."

"I'll reach out to the other side and make sure they don't press charges. Then I'll arrange for you to go abroad. Once the dust settles, you can come back."

Lin Ran gritted his teeth. He knew this was the best option, but he still felt a bitter unwillingness.

He thought back to his past life, to the resentment he felt as he died in a pool of blood.

Especially when Shi Mo's face surfaced in his mind, that unwillingness burned hotter than ever.

Lin's father looked at Lin Ran with a flicker of disappointment in his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he remembered the other things Lin Ran had produced before and stopped mid-step.

He turned back to look at Lin Ran, suspicion flickering in his eyes:

"I don't know where you got this script, and I don't care."

"But, Lin Ran, are you sure everything else you wrote was really yours? If you got them from someone else, did you cover your tracks?"

"You'd better tell me everything now. I don't want any more trouble down the line!"

The warning in Lin's father's words was clear.

Lin Ran opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing about being reborn. Meeting his father's icy gaze, he gave a slight shake of his head.

Lin's father knew his son's character all too well. Seeing Lin Ran like this, he only let out a cold laugh:

"You'd better clean all of that up properly. Don't wait for me to have to clean up your mess again! Otherwise, I'll deal with you myself!"

With that parting shot, he left without hesitation.

Lin's mother watched his retreating figure, seeming to want to say something but holding back. She looked at Lin Ran, then just held him and sighed again and again.

"Xiao Ran, are you sure everything's been handled? If not, Mom will take care of it for you."

Lin Ran suddenly grabbed his mother's hand, his tone earnest but his eyes dark and brooding:

"Mom, give me my phone back. Trust me, I still have other ways."

Lin's mother hesitated, but she couldn't refuse Lin Ran's plea, so she finally nodded.

"Your father took your phone. I can't get it back for you, but wait a bit—tomorrow I'll bring you a new one."

Lin Ran's eyes lit up instantly, and he hugged his mother with a smile: "Great! I knew Mom was the best!"

But even as he smiled, there was no real joy in his eyes—only an unfathomable darkness.

What Lin's father had said just now reminded him of something.

If no one was pulling strings behind the scenes, how could 'Phoenix,' which shouldn't have come out for another two years, have appeared so soon—and at exactly this moment?

Lin Ran's mind immediately jumped to Ye Qi, because in his past life, it was Ye Qi who had destroyed his family.

In that instant, he even began to suspect whether Ye Qi had also been reborn.

Since he could be reborn, it only made sense that Ye Qi could too.

If that was the case, everything added up.

The mastermind behind all of this was Ye Qi, which was why things blew up so fast.

Just thinking about it, Lin Ran could barely hold back the hatred burning inside him. Memories of his past and present life blurred together, making him want to kill Ye Qi on the spot!

A voice in his head kept screaming at him, pushing him, tempting him.

The voice told him to kill Ye Qi—once the bastard who'd ruined him for two lifetimes was dead, everything would be done!

Lin Ran shut his bloodshot eyes, and the last shred of sanity held back that crazy thought.

He needed to get in touch with Shi Mo fast—only the Shi family could help them now.

As long as Shi Mo was willing to help, the Lin family could get through this...

Lin's mom said she'd bring a new phone the next day, but she actually brought one that same afternoon.

Without a second thought, Lin Ran logged into his account and found Shi Mo.

Staring at their chat window, a flicker of disappointment crossed Lin Ran's eyes.

He hadn't been able to reach Shi Mo all this time, but he hadn't expected Shi Mo to go silent either—not even one message.

Lin Ran bit his tongue, his eyes turning colder.

It had to be because of what happened at the restaurant that scared Shi Mo off, plus everything else going on—that's why he hadn't reached out.

Lin Ran swallowed hard and finally shot Shi Mo a message:

"A Mo, can you do me a favor?"