The dating reality show host just wanted to give up, but the rich girl fell for him.

"Director, let's talk about the breach of contract penalty."

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding directly in the monitoring room, which was less than 20 square meters in size.

The director, who was beaming with joy and dreaming of millions in sponsorship money just a second ago, suddenly froze on his face with a smile.

The thermos in his hand shook violently, and a few drops of scalding hot goji berry water splashed onto the back of his hand, but he didn't feel any pain.

liquidated damages?

This living god of wealth, instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, came to talk to him about breach of contract fees?

The director's mind raced, and cold sweat trickled down his greasy forehead.

Lin Mo is no longer just a substitute or an amateur; he's practically the ratings anchor of the entire domestic variety show industry!

Let alone five million, even if Lin Mo asked for a 50 million appearance fee right now, the higher-ups at the station would approve the order without hesitation.

Tomorrow is the night everyone's been waiting for, and tens of millions of eyes across the internet are eagerly anticipating this epic drama of a perfect couple.

At this critical juncture, the male protagonist actually wants to quit and leave?

"Lin...Lin Shen, you must be joking." The director swallowed hard and quickly put on a fawning smile.

He didn't even bother to wipe the water stains off the back of his hands, and quickly pulled out a chair for Lin Mo to sit down.

"What do you mean by breach of contract penalty? Those are all unfair terms that Xingyao Entertainment used to impose."

"Once you survive tomorrow night's confession night, your contract will automatically expire, and this money will be forfeited!"

"You're a treasure to our program right now. As long as the proceedings are completed tomorrow night, the station director will personally give you a big red envelope!"

Lin Mo remained calm, his deep eyes showing no emotion.

Of course he knew about the loopholes in this lousy contract.

As long as you don't run away on your own and live peacefully until the finale tomorrow, this mess that fell from the sky will just drift away with the wind.

But he couldn't wait any longer.

Just as the director was trying to persuade them to stay,

Suddenly, a series of chaotic and somewhat arrogant footsteps echoed in the narrow corridor outside the door.

The leather shoes clattered on the old wooden floor, producing a dull, grating sound that broke the deathly silence of the night.

The footsteps stopped abruptly in front of the monitoring room door.

Before the director could react, the solid wood door was pushed open from the outside.

A strong, expensive cologne scent instantly filled the small room.

Zhao Kuo walked in, wearing a well-tailored custom-made suit, his face clouded with gloom.

Behind him followed a smartly dressed man in a suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

The man clutched a black briefcase tightly in his hand, his eyes revealing a shrewd and calculating look.

They were clearly well-prepared legal professionals.

As soon as the two entered the room, the assistant turned around with practiced ease.

With a crisp "click," the door to the monitoring room was locked from the inside.

The air in the monitoring room seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Young Master Zhao?" The director was stunned, his face turning somewhat grim.

Although the Zhao family is one of the investors in the show, it's incredibly arrogant of them to bring outsiders backstage in the middle of the night and then lock the door.

Moreover, Lin Mo is no longer someone you can easily bully.

"Director, this is none of your business. Go stand aside." Zhao Kuo didn't even give the director a second glance.

He walked straight to the large desk.

His gaze, like that of a venomous snake, was fixed on Lin Mo's perpetually calm face.

The humiliation he suffered at the foot of the mountain during the day, the ridicule he received from the entire internet—all of his anger has been festering over the past few days.

This completely extinguished the patience of the pampered rich kid.

He knew that Lin Mo was currently very popular.

But in the face of absolute capital and written laws, those online voices are nothing!

A peasant is just a peasant. He managed to gain some attention with a few lousy songs and his attention-grabbing skills, and now he really thinks he's a big shot?

Zhao Kuochong's personal assistant behind him gave him a wink.

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses immediately stepped forward and deftly unzipped his briefcase.

He pulled out a legal document that was dozens of pages thick.

On the cover of the document, the words "Exclusive Agency Contract and Supplementary Agreement on Breach of Contract for Starry Entertainment Artists" are clearly visible in black and white.

"Snapped!"

Zhao Kuo grabbed the thick original document containing the penalty for breach of contract and slammed it hard on the negotiating table.

The force was so great that the walkie-talkie on the table jumped.

"Lin Mo, stop pretending to be that sentimental and taciturn persona in front of the camera!"

Zhao Kuo placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and his face was full of the malice and fanaticism of a petty person who had gotten his way.

He specifically spent a large sum of money to buy out the rights to handle this contract from Xingyao Entertainment.

The purpose is tonight, in this place where there are no live cameras, to completely crush this eyesore of a penniless wretch under my feet.

"Five million in cash, it's all written down in black and white. This is the debt you owe Xingyao Entertainment, and now I'm the creditor!"

Zhao Kuo's voice, sharp with excitement, echoed in the monitoring room.

"Aren't you supposed to be high and mighty? Don't you consider money dirt?"

"Can you come up with that? If you can slam that five million on the table right now, I'll turn around and leave without another word!"

Seeing that Lin Mo remained calm, Zhao Kuo's sense of pleasure swelled even more.

Keep pretending!

A poor guy whose family runs a run-down noodle shop would haggle with an old lady at the farmers' market for half a day over a few dozen yuan for vegetables.

Even if he sold everything he owned, including both kidneys, he still couldn't raise that huge sum of money!

"You can't come up with the money, huh?"

Zhao Kuo's lips curled into a wide, cruel smirk.

He pointed his finger at the contract and presented the conditions he had been planning for a long time.

"If you can get through tomorrow night, you won't have to pay anything. But how could I possibly let you have your way?"

"Tomorrow night is confession night, broadcast live to tens of millions of viewers worldwide!"

Zhao Kuo lowered his voice, his tone revealing undisguised malice.

"Tell me, what if I find some excuse to get you transferred by the company before tomorrow night?"

"What are you going to do about this five million? Are you going to leave or stay?"

"If you leave, what will the whole internet think of you? What will the Jiang family think of you? What will Jiang Ruoyun think of you?"

The director, listening nearby, broke out in a cold sweat.

Zhao Kuo is going to completely ruin Lin Mo, and even drag the entire production team down with him!

A frenzied sense of vengeful pleasure flickered in Zhao Kuo's eyes.

"So, considering we've been recording this show together for so long, I'll show you the way."

"Tomorrow night, on your confession night, announce it loudly in front of everyone."

"You're a penniless wretch burdened with debt; you're not good enough for Jiang Ruoyun!"

"Then get off the show immediately and disappear from her world forever."

A frenzied desire for control gleamed in Zhao Kuo's eyes.

"If you do as I say, I'll personally forgive your five million debt, how about that? Isn't that a good deal?"

In the cramped monitoring room, you could hear a pin drop.

Only the humming sound of the exhaust fan continued.

Despite Zhao Kuo's hysterical threats, Lin Mo maintained his extremely relaxed posture.

He had one hand in the pocket of his faded casual trousers, his eyes looking at a clown performing energetically in a circus.

Is this rich kid's brain filled with tofu dregs?

You think you can manipulate him with these few scraps of paper?

Lin Mo let out a barely perceptible sigh in his heart.

Having lived two lives, he has seen all sorts of storms and waves.

Let alone a mere five million, back then even if the treasures of the national treasury were placed in front of him, he wouldn't even bat an eye.

All he could think about now was that silly girl on the deserted island who had unhesitatingly crawled into his clothes to cool him down.

Jiang Ruoyun is such an idiot. She needs someone to pick out the bones from a fish she eats, and she's so bad with directions that she can get lost even in a villa.

If I were to get splashed with dirty water in public by a scoundrel like Zhao Kuo tomorrow, I'd probably feel incredibly wronged.

As long as she can leave this hypocritical world of fame and fortune cleanly.

Unaffected by her own messy debts, she continues to be the carefree heiress.

What's a couple of barks from this stupid pig surnamed Zhao to our faces?

As for the five million in breach of contract penalty...

Lin Mo shook his head helplessly, feeling a sense of powerlessness and bitterness.

When Zhao Kuo saw Lin Mo shake his head, he thought he had finally given up.

A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He had always assumed that Lin Mo would succumb to reality, after all, five million was an astronomical sum for a small noodle shop owner.

Seeing Lin Mo shake his head at this moment made him even more convinced that he had completely taken control of the situation.

"Five million in cash? You're just a penniless wretch who runs a run-down noodle shop. You couldn't even scrape together that much by selling your whole family!"

Zhao Kuo smugly pointed his finger at the contract, showing his contempt and mockery of Lin Mo.

The director, listening from the side, was terrified. He opened his mouth, wanting to persuade Lin Mo to be patient and let things calm down.

However, whenever the words were about to come out, it was as if something was choking them, and they just couldn't say them.

But Lin Mo moved.

He didn't even spare Zhao Kuo a glance, as if the other person didn't exist at all.

Lin Mo ignored the thick contract and looked directly past the arrogant Zhao Kuo.

His deep, pool-like eyes gazed silently at the director, revealing an unfathomable expression.

After a moment of silence, Lin Mo said softly, "I'm quitting..."

At that moment, a sudden change occurred.

"Bang!!!"

A deafening roar, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploded without warning at the entrance to the monitoring room!

The wooden door, which the legal assistant had just locked from the inside, was somewhat old.

Under the impact of an extremely savage external force, it let out a mournful cry of unbearable suffering.

The entire door looked as if it had been rammed head-on by an enraged beast.

It was violently kicked open from the outside!

The sudden, earth-shattering noise startled all three people inside the room.

All eyes were fixed on the doorway as if struck by lightning.

The kicked-open wooden door slammed against the wall, and wisps of dust danced in the light of the incandescent bulb.

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

A tall and slender figure suddenly appeared at the boundary of the shadows in the corridor.

She was still wearing that expensive silk nightgown, and because she had run so fast, a few strands of her black hair were sticking messily to her sweaty cheeks.

She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving violently.

Those usually cool and noble, exquisitely beautiful eyes were now as red as a little rabbit that had been provoked.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, but she stubbornly bit her lower lip, staring intently at Zhao Kuo inside the room.

And in her right hand.

His knuckles were white from exertion as he gripped a card tightly.

It was a black card without any bank logo and with a dark, gleaming sheen.