Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 517: Overnight Hit-1

Aurora followed her gaze, then nodded. "Yes."

She walked toward the car, opened the door, and was about to get in when Lily smiled faintly.

"If I didn’t know better," Lily remarked, "I’d think you were the daughter of someone extremely rich."

Aurora laughed softly. "You got one word right," she replied.

"And everything else wrong." With that, she closed the door.

Lily narrowed her eyes as the engine roared to life with a rough sound.

The car pulled away, and she watched it disappear before giving a strange, unreadable smile.

"So," she murmured, "the plot hasn’t gone completely off track."

Inside the car, Aurora checked Lily’s reflection in the rearview mirror.

Her eyes narrowed briefly before she turned her full attention back to the road.

When Aurora returned home and checked the news, she realized it was the perfect moment.

Without hesitation, she messaged Micah to release the details.

Once she was done, she tossed her phone aside and stepped out of the car.

Back in her apartment, a faint clicking sound reached her ears, the steady rhythm of someone typing.

Curious, she walked toward the public computer in the living room. Seeing Theodore seated there, she leaned in behind him.

The moment she saw the screen, her legs nearly gave out.

Her brother, apparently trying to prove his usefulness, was replying to every single hateful comment under the scandal.

Someone had cursed him, calling him a nepo kid.

Theodore had replied with a single line:

"May your wish come true; may I become someone with plenty of connections and zero chances of ever having a movie under your name."

Another comment claimed he was too irritable and doesn’t deserve fans like Eleanor.

Theodore immediately typed back, "May she become your fan."

Aurora rubbed her temples, a headache forming.

’He really does see the world differently,’ she thought tiredly. ’And now he’s proving it again.’

Theodore, meanwhile, was having the time of his life.

Just earlier, he had finished watching the series everyone had been raving about.

After the ending, he had nearly cursed out loud.

’If I could make a wish,’ he thought, ’I’d want time to reverse. The heroine wouldn’t be a killer, she wouldn’t reunite with that abusive ex-husband, she wouldn’t forgive a murderous mother-in-law, and she definitely wouldn’t help hide crimes.’

The entire plot, especially the killer mother-in-law angle, felt like utter nonsense to him.

As that thought lingered, his phone rang.

Micah’s voice came through sharply.

"You’re the center of this mess. At least say something on social media. If not, then comment back. Act like a water army if you have to. You can’t just let them drag your name through the mud."

Theodore felt a headache creeping in, dull and persistent, pounding behind his temples.

With a tired sigh, he decided to act like an absolute keyboard brawler.

His entire pocket money was already spent, drained to the last coin, and this was the only way he could fight back against the water army hired by the other side.

If he couldn’t buy influence, then he would drown them in replies himself.

Aurora, standing behind him, tapped his shoulder lightly.

Theodore flinched and nearly jumped out of his chair, his heart slamming hard against his ribs.

He turned around sharply, only to see Aurora staring at him with an unimpressed expression.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out, pressing a hand to his chest. "You almost scared me to death."

Aurora rolled her eyes and pointed at the screen. "What are you doing?"

Theodore chuckled dryly, leaning back in his chair.

"Dealing with water armies. Acting evil," he said lazily. "They come in like bandits, stir trouble, and think no one can touch them."

Aurora shook her head.

"You should rest. Besides," she added calmly, "my fairy godmother told me something magical is about to happen."

Theodore’s eyes sparkled instantly. Without asking a single question, he shot up from his seat.

"If that’s the case," he declared excitedly, "I’ll make popcorn. If there’s drama, I absolutely need snacks."

He dashed toward the kitchen, already rummaging through cabinets. Watching his retreating figure, Aurora rolled her eyes again and turned to leave.

Halfway to her room, she suddenly froze.

’I almost forgot.’

Back then, when she was investigating the evidence, she had accidentally hacked into Theodore’s phone.

To keep track of things, she had installed a hidden surveillance function. It had been recording ever since.

Her footsteps slowed. A strange unease crept into her chest.

Once inside her room, she sat down and turned the surveillance off. Out of curiosity, or perhaps instinct, she opened the recorded footage.

The moment the screen lit up, dizziness washed over her.

Theodore was watching shows, yes, but his attention was scattered.

Every few minutes, he would open news apps. Videos of himself, maliciously edited, played again and again.

Each time, he tried to blink away the moisture in his eyes, but the more he resisted, the more tears gathered.

Aurora’s fingers tightened into fists.

’So it does hurt,’ she realized, rage slowly igniting behind her eyes. ’You’re just pretending to be fine.’

Through the recording, she heard him mumble under his breath, his voice rough and strained.

"I didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one mistreated... so why do I have to bear all of this?"

Aurora clenched her fists harder. "You won’t have to anymore," she murmured coldly. "I’ll make sure of it."

The moment Micah uploaded the evidence, Aurora moved without hesitation.

She activated multiple tools, boosting the articles, forcing them to rank higher and spread faster.

The scandal, which had already reached its peak, suddenly took a sharp turn.

Light pierced through the darkness.

Netizens who learned the full story couldn’t help but sympathize.

The video showing Theodore arriving late was exposed as malicious editing.

In reality, he had been ordered to buy coffee for the entire crew and then informed at the last moment that the location had changed.

Even so, he arrived five minutes early, but because everyone else was already there, he was labeled "late."

Fury erupted online.

In other clips, it appeared as though Theodore was fighting with others. The truth was far different.

He had been asked to audition for fight scenes. Every strike was one-sided. He was the one taking the hits.

During rehearsals, he was interrupted repeatedly and even asked not to fight back.

At one point, he was told to let the other actor punch him harder to make it "look real."

Time and time again, he had been mistreated.

There were also videos showing him leaving auditions abruptly, edited to make him look arrogant.

In reality, he had been repeatedly called in, made to wait, and then sent away without explanation.

As the truth surfaced, comments flooded in.

"We’ve seen too much in just two days."

"I never thought the boy we cursed was this pure-hearted."

"These videos were clearly manipulated."

"It really feels like someone was deliberately targeting him."

More people began digging. Investigating. Questioning everything.

Meanwhile, in two separate offices, Nick and Jerry received urgent updates from their associates. Both men felt their expressions darken.

They arranged to meet immediately at a private location.

Jerry spoke first, worry etched into his face. "What do we do now?"

Nick narrowed his eyes, his fingers tapping slowly against the table.

"Since someone uploaded real evidence," he said coldly, "it means they might have more."

He paused before continuing, his tone sharp. "We can’t upload the remaining AI videos anymore."

Originally, their plan had been simple. Release partially edited clips first, then mix in AI-generated footage later.

That way, even if Theodore proved his innocence, it would be too late.

But now...The game had changed.

Everyone knew the truth wouldn’t come cheaply.

For every maliciously edited video, there had to be solid counter-evidence, and that kind of proof took time, painfully slow time.

As for the AI-generated clips, by the time those could be fully dismantled, Theodore’s strength should have been long exhausted. That had been the plan.

’Who would have thought,’ Nick had once sneered, ’that it would collapse in a single day?’

Within just twenty-four hours, the very situation Nick and Jerry had carefully engineered was completely reversed.

They had believed this move would bring them fame, polish their reputations, and clear a straight path toward their so-called respectable goals.

Instead, the spotlight swung away from them entirely.

Someone commented on how handsome Theodore was.

Another dug up old clips from his childhood roles, his young face still awkward yet earnest.

Someone else revisited the films he had acted in over the years, rewatching scenes with fresh eyes.

Bit by bit, public opinion shifted, warm and unstoppable.

Theodore, once the most cursed star on the internet, became one of the most beloved.

The boy who had struggled to carve a place for himself in this world had finally left his mark.

His dedication to acting, steady and unbroken since the age of fourteen, began to shine brilliantly at twenty-one.

His struggles moved people.

His growth as an actor was undeniable; his performances were refined to the point that praise poured in unrestrained.