I'm done putting up with this crap!

"Please don't blame Xie Chen! I really did fall down the stairs by accident!"

"It's all my fault. I knew he hated me, but I insisted on bringing him food anyway. I should have stayed far away instead of upsetting him."

"It's just a sprained ankle. It'll heal soon, so please don't..."

What was that bullshit noise?!

Xie Chen frowned impatiently. Focusing his shimmering eyes, he spotted a skinny, frail, pale-skinned man on the hospital bed who looked like a total sissy.

Huh?

I really came back?

The system hadn't lied to me!

He was just about to curl his lips into his usual unhinged smile when a harsh voice exploded beside his ear. "Apologize to Ranran! If you don't, I'll break one of your legs to make it up to him!"

This was his eldest brother, Xie Zhenting.

How had this gone in my previous life again?

Oh, right. Now I remember.

What a fucking soap opera!

Xie Ran, the man on the hospital bed, was the Xie Family's youngest son. Traffickers had abducted him when he was three, and he had only recently been found and brought home. Naturally, everyone showered him with affection.

Xie Chen's adoptive parents and unrelated brothers favored Xie Ran to an absurd degree, desperate to cram all the love they hadn't given him over the years into him at once. Even his willfulness, tantrums, and unreasonable demands were indulged without question.

To put it bluntly-even Xie Ran's farts smelled sweet to them, and everyone was itching to rush over and lick his ass.

Meanwhile, an adopted child like Xie Chen, brought in to fill the emotional void left by the loss of a loved one, had it rough.

He began falling out of favor, getting neglected and ignored.

That was fine. He was an orphan, after all. Having food on the table was already good enough.

But Xie Ran couldn't tolerate a stand-in like him. He even took his resentment over being abducted out on Xie Chen, targeting and ostracizing him at every turn, doing everything he could to drive him out of the Xie Family.

Deliberately falling down the stairs this time was just one of his tricks to frame him.

In his previous life, the falsely accused Xie Chen had stubbornly refused to apologize. He had even clung to the hope that his eldest brother would spare him out of consideration for their former bond.

And what had happened?

Reality had slapped him hard across the face!

Even in a hospital, Xie Zhenting hadn't held back. He had summoned a group of thugs and had them break Xie Chen's leg without another word.

Luckily, medical treatment had been close at hand, but he had still been left with a limp. For an obscure minor celebrity already hated across the internet, it had only made things worse. In the end, he had been forced to fade out of the entertainment industry...

At that recollection, Xie Chen scoffed. "Your biological brother, who's barely been home for five minutes, sprains an ankle, and I have to pay with a whole fucking leg?! Are you that desperate to advertise that I'm the unwanted stepchild?!"

"Since your ears are clogged with crap, I'll say it again. I didn't push him. Why the fuck should I apologize?"

Sure enough, Xie Zhenting erupted in anger and grabbed his phone to call for backup. But Xie Chen darted forward, snatched the phone with one hand, and sent it sailing out the window.

It happened so abruptly that everyone in the room froze.

For a moment, even the air seemed to stand still.

The adopted son who had always meekly accepted everything had actually done something so outrageous?!

His brothers' faces were filled with disbelief.

On the hospital bed, however, Xie Ran silently curled his lips.

That's it.

The more he loses his temper, the more everyone will hate him.

Sooner or later, the Xie Family will...

Before he could finish the thought, Xie Chen whipped his head around. His infuriatingly beautiful face was filled with unrestrained ferocity, his voice crisp and sharp.

"What the fuck are you smiling at?"

"You like that title of the Xie Family's precious youngest son so much? Fine, it's all yours."

"I'm done putting up with this crap!"

Before those scumbags could react, Xie Chen strode out of the room, left the hospital, and headed straight for the parking lot, where he climbed into his secondhand Wuling Hongguang.

His ass had barely hit the seat when his phone rang. It was his manager, Lu Fei.

In his previous life, the thugs had surrounded and beaten him for refusing to apologize. Afterward, he had passed out and been taken to the emergency room, missing the call entirely. Only after waking up had he learned that his eldest brother, Xie Zhenting, had picked up his phone and turned down his upcoming variety show appearance without his permission.

But by then, his leg had already been broken. It had been too late to fight for the opportunity, and he could only resign himself to missing it...

Remembering all the chances at stardom he had lost by swallowing his anger and playing meek, Xie Chen's lips curved into a wicked, arrogant smile. He swiped the answer button with a long, slender finger.

"Old Lu, what's up?"

"Thank God you answered!" The man on the other end clearly breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought those brothers of yours were giving you trouble again!"

Xie Chen's tone was casual. "Those aren't brothers."

Lu Fei said, "...Then what are they?!"

"A bunch of fucking idiots!" Xie Chen scoffed. "Don't bring them up. They make me sick. Tell me why you called."

"A variety show wants you on board. I don't know if you'd be interested." Lu Fei sounded hesitant.

Xie Chen gripped the steering wheel with one hand. "Transform, Freaks!?"

"You already know?" Lu Fei sounded surprised, then immediately explained, "Don't let the lousy name put you off. It's generating tons of buzz! Voting started months ago, and people have been watching it closely ever since..."

Having lived this life once already, Xie Chen naturally knew about this variety show with its All Villains lineup.

Every male and female celebrity voted onto the show had an awful reputation, but the traffic they would generate together was nothing to scoff at.

After all, notoriety was still fame!

To see how the guests would transform, viewers camped in the livestream every day and gleefully hurled abuse at them. They pushed the show into the eye of the storm and gave those villains another very real taste of fame.

As the contestant voted into last place, he had also made the invitation list.

Come to think of it, he owed those scumbag brothers a thank-you. If they hadn't constantly put him down and smeared him to pave Xie Ran's way into showbiz, Xie Chen might never have gotten this opportunity.

Of course, that stunt involving the award-winning actor had helped too...

"I'm in. I'll come over to sign the contract right now."

Xie Chen's decisive response cut the nonstop sales pitch short.

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Fei asked in disbelief, "You... you're agreeing?!"

Any celebrity who cared about their reputation would think long and hard before joining such a controversial show, yet Xie Chen had agreed without a second thought...

He paused, then added, "Don't regret it after you sign!"

Xie Chen's laugh had a wild edge. "Instead of wasting time on that crap, find me some more gigs. A financial backer works too. As long as there are resources and the price is right, I'm game."

With that, he hung up.

Lu Fei stared at the darkened screen, unable to process what had happened for a long while.

Was this still that obedient, timid nobody in showbiz?!

Had Xie Ran driven him insane?!

Driving his Pride of Domestic Manufacturing up to the company entrance, Xie Chen spotted a crowd of indignant fans holding banners.

To be safe, he stayed in the car and narrowed his eyes to take a look. The slogans on the banners stood out clearly.

[Xie Chen, you're a disgrace! Get out of showbiz and show your face no more!]

[Xie Chen chases clout! His shamelessness knows no bounds!]

[Xie Chen's a bootlicking pest! The internet hates him best!]

Their insults even rhymed pretty well.

Unbothered, Xie Chen curled his lips.

Until recently, he had actually been a complete nobody. The reason he was getting so much hate was that he had used an award-winning actor to stir up controversy on a variety show.

What had I said again?

Xie Chen tilted his head slightly and thought about it. Suddenly, his smile grew even wider.

Back then, the host had held the microphone to his mouth and asked what a certain award-winning actor's facial features revealed. Without thinking, he had replied, "He's got anorectal issues and weak kidneys. He needs to practice moderation."

The host hadn't known how to respond. That actor was far too big a name, and his fans were famously rabid. The host had looked so nervous he nearly halted the show, terrified of getting caught in the fallout.

As expected, Xie Chen had been viciously dragged online and had hit the trending searches that very night...

Skirting the frenzied fans, he sneaked into the underground parking lot, then slipped into the elevator.

As soon as it reached the first floor, the doors opened. Xie Chen casually looked up, then froze, wearing his first embarrassed expression since his rebirth.

Before he could speak, the man stepping inside on long legs spoke first. "Hello, miracle doctor Xie."

Xie Chen was speechless. How could this guy who needed to practice moderation just wander around like this?!

[A heads-up before you dive in: two male leads, two male leads, two male leads!!!

A max-level, unhinged, sharp-tongued, hot-tempered superstar vs. Beijing high society's Buddha-like patriarch, an obsessive, ice-cold award-winning actor.

Neither love nor hate comes from nowhere. Everything has been planned for a long time!

A showbiz variety-show novel with a plot-driven focus, hilariously ridiculous comedy, and merciless takedowns of scumbags.

Sweethearts who like it, please add it to your bookshelf. If you don't, you can click away. Please don't curse out the author-the author has a fragile heart,

And is liable to drop to their knees!]