HBWMA -Chapter 349 Entering the Game

Why?

The image of being entangled by vines immediately flashed through Jiang Huashan’s mind.

Because everything that was happening now was part of a newly generated storyline created by her resistance against the “drama world.”

Whether it was “Grand Ambition” or the derivative world she was currently in, none of the present plotlines were the original, predetermined ones.

At first, she had only tried it with a tentative mindset. But the moment she was summoned into the void by the “drama gate,” she knew she had made the right gamble.

Over the past three years, Jiang Huashan had been trying to change the storyline. Yet no matter how hard she tried, the key plot events still unfolded exactly as before. The only difference was that the stories that were originally supposed to happen to her had been transferred onto others.

At first, she thought her efforts were working. But as the “fake heiress vs real heiress” arc gradually unfolded, she suddenly realized she might have made a serious logical mistake again.

In “Grand Ambition,” her role was the vicious supporting female character, so it was natural for her to become a stepping stone for the protagonists and the plot.

But now, the drama had become “How Did I Become the White Moonlight Just by Acting Up?”—and she had already transformed from a supporting character into the “white moonlight.”

In this world, all other girls except her were supporting characters. Not only Fu Sui’er, Shen Mianzhi, and Su Miao—even the original female lead was included.

In other words, according to the current development, the main storyline of “Grand Ambition” would still proceed exactly as it was meant to. The only one exempted was her.

Which meant… Grandpa would definitely die. So would Shen Jiao.

But having lived once more, she didn’t care whether she was the protagonist of a false world. What she had always cared about was only one person.

Yet now, as emotional ties deepened, that “one person” had become a group of people.

And she still didn’t even know how many traitors were hidden within the Shen family. Aside from the Fu and Yao families in the “Shen-extermination alliance,” she had no leads at all.

Who exactly was targeting Shen Jiao? How would they act? She had no clue.

Especially after what happened with Su Miao, her sense of crisis grew even stronger.

She thought she had already made many precautions—but she never expected that the one who would ultimately push Su Miao into a fatal situation would be Su Yun.

This time she had luckily saved Su Miao. But next time… could she still be that lucky and save Shen Jiao?

No. She couldn’t.

She couldn’t let “luck” decide the fate of the people she cared about.

So she made a bold assumption: if Shen Jiao’s death was an important turning point at age sixteen, then as long as she wrote a new critical “plot node” at that age—one that could shake the entire narrative structure—could she change Shen Jiao’s fate?

Even if it didn’t fully achieve the desired result, even just extending the window for rescue would be good.

But the drama world had the ability to constantly correct deviations in the plot. How could she ensure this new node wouldn’t be corrected, and instead fully replace the old one?

She had no idea. In fact, the idea of replacing an old node with a new one was itself just an unproven fantasy. There was no logic to support it.

She was essentially crossing the river by feeling the stones.

Until later—when she returned to the “black room” under the pretext of retrieving her bag and accidentally discovered a hidden camera—an entirely new drama structure suddenly formed in her mind on its own.

Her new drama had to explode. It had to be intense. It had to have far-reaching impact. It had to make everyone in this world aware of it.

In this story, she didn’t have to be a good person, nor be understood. As long as the influence was strong enough—enough to replace the old node—that was all that mattered.

Give it a try. To enter the game with one’s own body is the only way to defy fate.

The drama world did not accept any force of change other than the “drama gate.” In other words, this was a revolution carried out by her alone.

And all of this—she could not tell anyone.

Jiang Huashan smiled faintly, easing the atmosphere.

“I know this puts you in a difficult position. My uncle and the others…”

“They don’t matter.” Shen Jiao said seriously, looking directly at her. “You matter more.”

Jiang Huashan paused slightly.

Shen Jiao’s eyes turned red. “Before coming here, I tried to convince myself to trust you—to believe you could handle it, to believe in your decision. But…”

She forced herself to calm down. “But when I saw that pitch-black room with not even a heater, I really didn’t know how to convince myself.”

“You’re only sixteen. How much of the world have you even seen? I really can’t feel at ease letting you handle this alone. Do you understand how I feel? I promised Sui’er I would take you to see her at the hospital. I promised her.”

Jiang Huashan nodded. “I know.”

Shen Jiao lifted her chin, forcing the moisture in her eyes back. “Did you read the defense statement Lawyer Chen prepared for you?”

“I did.”

“Your uncle and the others contributed to these materials. The court, the prosecutor’s office, and even the media narrative—they’ve already arranged everything.”

Jiang Huashan’s fingertips curled slightly.

Shen Jiao stared at her without blinking. “You’re not going to defend yourself according to this plan, are you?”

Jiang Huashan froze for a moment, looking at Shen Jiao with a hint of surprise.

Shen Jiao didn’t know whether to be angry at Jiang Huashan’s disobedience or relieved by her honesty.

With a helpless sigh, she gently took Jiang Huashan’s hand. “Only this way can we protect you to the greatest extent.”

Jiang Huashan nodded. “I know.”

But if it were only like this, how would she be any different from Shen Nian, who fled to Country S after a hit-and-run? She would just become another topic for the public of Country A to criticize the powerful and wealthy over idle chatter.

A performance like that—people would leave disappointed. It wouldn’t be enough to shake anyone.

“You know? If you know, then why… do you have a better way?” Shen Jiao’s grip tightened unconsciously. She truly wanted to know what this child was thinking.

Jiang Huashan held her hand in return, gently patting it. “I don’t know if it’s a better way, but it’s what I most want to do right now. Mom, I know it sounds absurd to ask for your unconditional trust without giving you a reason. So let’s make a bet—if I win, you let me be willful this once, okay?”

“…”

When Shen Jiao walked out of the room, she felt utterly exhausted.

Having a child with too many ideas wasn’t always a good thing—it wore a mother out.

“Miss Shen.” Lawyer Chen approached from the other end of the corridor, briefcase in hand.

Shen Jiao quickly composed herself, her expression turning cool and composed. “How did it go? Was the bail approved?”

Lawyer Chen nodded. “Very smoothly.”

Shen Jiao said, “Withdraw it. No bail.”

“No bail?” Lawyer Chen was stunned, completely caught off guard.

Shen Jiao didn’t explain. She handed over the documents in her hand. “Tear this up too. We won’t need it.”

Wasn’t this the defense statement she had just asked Miss Jiang to memorize?

Full of confusion, Lawyer Chen hurried after her. “What do you mean? Are we not fighting the case anymore?”

“It’s not that we’re not fighting—it’s that we’re changing the approach.” Shen Jiao suddenly paused, as if recalling something. “Have you heard of Gongyi Hui?”

“In Country A’s legal field, there’s no one who doesn’t know her. She’s the only female Chief Justice in the country’s history.”

Lawyer Chen finally caught on. “You want to invite Gongyi Hui to preside over this trial?”

In Shen Jiao’s mind, the image of Jiang Huashan holding her hand and pleading surfaced involuntarily.

“Prepare a file on Judge Gongyi. I’ll review it before deciding.”

“…” Lawyer Chen hesitated. “Others might be manageable, but if it’s her… your advantage will be gone.”

“My advantage?”

Lawyer Chen cleared her throat lightly. “Judge Gongyi has been incorruptible all her life. She hates it most when people taint justice with money.”

Shen Jiao replied, “Don’t worry. When I make a move, it won’t be with mere money.”

Lawyer Chen: “…”