ă€ŠThe Novelist Forced to Become Famousă€‹


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1

    Headache, dizziness, nausea, limb weakness, palpitations.

    Jian Jing had just woken up from unconsciousness and found herself in the above five terrible states. There was a lot of water in her ears, muffled, her head dizzy and unable to think clearly. She instinctively wanted to struggle to sit up, but her limbs did not have any strength.

    What''s wrong with me? No, didn''t I die?

    She clearly remembered the moment when the knife cut through the flesh, the human body did not feel pain, only an enormous fear pressed down like Mount Tai, the chest full of panic and despair.

    How did this happen? Did I die or was I saved?

    [Warning, warning, indoor carbon monoxide content exceeds standard, host mildly poisoned, expected to lose consciousness in 2 minutes. After testing, the situation matches the activation conditions, now issuing an emergency task]

    Such a voice rang in Jian Jing''s mind. In the urgent need for survival, she was too busy to be surprised and waspletely attracted by the content.

    Soon, a panel jumped into her mind.

    [Task Name: Escape Suicide Chamber]

    [Task Description: Leave this enclosed room with too high carbon monoxide concentration]

    [Task Reward and Punishment: Sessful reward courage value 10 points, failure and you die]

    In an instant, a lot of words poured in. Under normal circumstances, it would take a few seconds to understand and digest. But the system appeared directly in her mind, she understood all the content instantly without needing to read and analyze.

    Jian Jing almost instantly realized that she had carbon monoxide poisoning!

    The threat of death caused adrenaline to secrete rapidly. Her soft legs, even though unable to stand upright, barely supported her body.

    Jian Jing crawled and kneeled, stumbled to the door.

    She forced the door handle down and pulled inward, but the door just wouldn''t open. After feeling it carefully, she realized that transparent tape had been pasted all over the door gap and bottom.

    This was a sealed room.

    Her vision spun and flipped, stars shing before her eyes, her head muddled and about to plunge into darkness at any time.

    She held her breath, gritted her teeth, and desperately scratched the edges of the tape with her fingernails.

    The action was too violent. Her fingernails split and the nerve endings felt tremendous pain, but she showed no sign of stopping or reducing. On the contrary, the pain made her even more awake.

    Jian Jing knew she had to tear off the tape at all costs, otherwise not only her hands, even her life would be lost here.

    She frantically tore and finally tore off the tape at the bottom.

    But this little fresh air was negligible, and the intense exercise just now made her inhale more air containing carbon monoxide, the weakness in her limbs further intensified.

    Her fingers disobeyed orders, she even felt blurred about where her hands and feet were.

    Give up. It''s toote.

    No.

    Jian Jing bit her tongue, desperately telling herself not to give up. She had died once already, she didn''t want to experience the despair of death again.

    With the strong will to survive, she recovered some ability to think. Shey at the bottom of the door gap and took a deep breath of fresh air outside, then held her breath tightly.

    She hooked both hands on the door handle, barely crawled up, braced her feet against the door frame, and pulled the door inward with all her might.

    The adhesive strength of the tape was limited. Under such crazy pulling, it inevitably peeled off partially.

    Unable to see exactly where the tape was, she scraped randomly. More fingernails split and her fingertips oozed blood, but the effect was gratifying, with several more sections of tape torn off.

    She leaned close to the weak airflow at the door gap, inhaled, held her breath, and repeated the process.

    [System warning: 30 seconds left before losing consciousness, countdown 29, 28, 27...]

    Jian Jing erupted with unprecedented power. Her five fingers firmly gripped the handle, her leg muscles exerted force, and she kicked the door with all her might.

    Snap.

    The tape was pulled open.

    The door revealed a gap, but she fell to the ground.

    [15, 14, 13...]

    She couldn''t see anything, couldn''t feel the existence of her limbs at all, didn''t know how to exert effort. She just crawled out awkwardly on instinct.

    Jian Jing thought she must have crawled more than ten meters, but she could not escape the gloom, because she had barely moved, at most half a meter.

    [10, 9, 8...]

    Just a little more, please, please.

    She struggled like a fish flung ashore, futilely trying to get back into the water.

    [5, 4, 3...]

    Her face seemed to feel a little cool breeze. The light was within sight.

    [2, 1ˇŞˇŞ]

    A pallid face squeezed out of the narrow door gap.

    Half of her body was still in the room, but the critical head was nowpletely exposed outside.

    [Taskpleted, system settlement in progress]

    At the same time, hurried footsteps came up the stairs. Someone ran up quickly, rushed to her side, and pped her body: "Jian Jing? Jian Jing?"

    No response. He reached out and tested her breathing, relieved, and immediately made a call: "120? There is someone with carbon monoxide poisoning here, please send an ambnce over immediately."

    Five minutester, an ambnce with a siren stopped downstairs.

    *

    "ording to an insider, 20-year-old genius novelist Jian Jing recentlymitted suicide by gas at home, suspected to be under too much pressure and chose to escape this world... Jian Jing, at the age of 15, wrote the hugely popr "White Cat Detective", winning the New Writer Award that year, but in recent years, there have been no outstanding works. Could she have already exhausted her talents?"

    Jian Jing put down her phone, weakly propped up her forehead.

    Half a day after regaining consciousness froma, she used the memories in her mind and therge amount of information stored in her phone to basically figure out the situation.

    She, Jian Jing, had been reborn into the body of her parallel world self.

    This "self" was much more awesome than her, a nationally renowned young novelist who published a mystery called "White Cat Detective" at the age of 15, selling 100,000 copies and winning the New Writer Award that year.

    It is worth mentioning that the parallel world is different from the original world, web literature did not appear, but physical literature developed very prosperously. People still mainly read physical books. Even if there were e-books, they were sold simultaneously after publication, unlike web novels that are read while serializing.

    Therefore, the fields of publishing houses, bookpanies and literary awards were already very mature. The New Writer Award can be said to be the highest praise for new authors.

    The report described Jian Jing as a "genius novelist", not an exaggeration at all.

    But her next published work, "The Hiding Child", did not achieve dazzling results.

    Some critics said: "The narrative is dull, the tricks are boring, just a work barely above the passing line,pletely different from the unrestrained imagination of White Cat." This aroused some conspiracy theorists'' suspicions, thinking that "White Cat" might not be her work.

    However, there were still many critics who praised "The Hiding Child", believing it exceeded her age level and was worthy of recognition. This view did not gain much eptance.

    Half a month ago, her third work "Demon Doctor" was published.

    The reviews were devastating.

    The more mild critics said: "Jian Jing demonstrated a teenage girl''s lightness and fantasy in White Cat, but serious mystery works are not suitable for someone as young as her..."

    The more biting simply gave her four words: "Talent exhausted."

    Even more vicious: "White Cat must have been ghostwritten. Just a hyped up writer."

    Or: "Immature writing, undueining, like a primary school student seeking depth."

    It should be known that after "The Hiding Child", this world''s Jian Jing had been under considerable pressure, hoping to shut up those people with "Demon Doctor".

    But what she got was a tidal wave of bad reviews, and even groundless vicious spection.

    Ghostwriting and giarism were unforgivable sins.

    She was devastated.

    When Jian Jing was reborn, it was the scene of her parallel world self''s suicide.

    After seeing these reports, she naturally had some doubts - the her in the other world was mediocre, and the web novels she wrote were always lukewarm at best. Could the her in this world really have be a genius?

    She went to check "White Cat Detective".

    It was a light fantasy story about a girl who saved an alien white cat and identally obtained the cat''s abilities. Her agility became extremely flexible, she could climb trees and freerun effortlessly, and her sense of smell also became very keen, able to smell odors ordinary humans could not detect.

    With these skills, she became a super awesome detective and cracked manyplex cases.

    The familiar writing style, the familiar brain holes, no one knew herself better than she did. Jian Jing was certain that White Cat was her own work, and the her in the other world had written this story too.

    But she was in junior high at the time, and her parents did not want her to be distracted writing these things, so she gave up.

    Destiny forked here. The her in the other world did not give up, butpleted the story and polished it before submitting it to the publisher.

    The publisher had keen insight, and epted this manuscript.

    Thus a new star rose.

    Of course, the sess here was not only Jian Jing''s personal reason, but also closely rted to the different developmental context of the two worlds.

    But in any case, Jian Jing could confirm that White Cat was her own work, and ghostwriting was fabricated out of thin air.

    This was a tragedy.

    Unfortunately, what''s done cannot be undone.

    Jian Jing timely adjusted her low mood and began to consider another important matter.

    What was that system ringing in her mind?

    [Hello host, wee to use this system. The system defaults to smart mode, concentrate and you can activate it]

    [Emergency taskpleted, please collect your reward as soon as possible]

    As expected of a smart system, it came when called, neither silly nor aloof, super beginner-friendly.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, and tried to convey information: "Where are you from, why did you choose me, what price do I need to pay to bind you, can I unbind?"

    [Detection shows that the host''s ability to survive in this world is weak. This system will provide guidance to the host and help the host have a healthy life.]

    [No price needs to be paid to bind the system. When the system detects that the host has the ability to live independently, it will automatically unbind.]

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but wonder: "I''m fully able-bodied with a normal mind. How do I not have the ability to live independently?"

    [System review in progress, system detection urate.]

    [Emergency taskpleted, please collect reward as soon as possible.]

    Jian Jing thought about it and followed its intention: "Collect reward."

    A settlement panel jumped up in her mind.

    [Emergency Task: Escape Suicide Chamber (Completed)]

    [Task Reward: Courage Value 10 points, additional 50% newbie task bonus, 10 * 1.5 = 15 points]

    [Note: Courage value can be used to draw cards (ordinary), consuming 5 points each time]

    [Start drawing cards?]

    A gacha system... won''t there be in-app purchasester? Jian Jing instinctively wanted to go wash her hands, but endured.

    She was still on IVs, best not to make trouble: "Yes."

    [Drawing cards...]

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2

    [Extractionplete]

    [Name: Strength Enhancement Card (1 point)]

    [Description: Enhances physical fitness, increases resistance, and reduces the risk of sudden death]

    [Note: A healthy body is what''s truly good]

    Although it was only one card, there was quite a bit of information. The "Enhancement Card" prefix indicated there were other types of cards, and the "1 point" was somewhat confusing - unclear what that meant.

    Anyway, there were still 10 points left to see what else there was.

    "Draw another one."

    [Drawing card]

    [Name: Skill Card - Observation (Beginner Level)]

    [Description: Grants basic observation skills when used]

    [Note: Noticing danger in time is more important than dealing with danger]

    The description seemed quite useful. Jian Jing was a little incredulous. It''s said fate is unchangeable, spending cannot change the inevitable, yet being reborn once, she had actually be lucky?

    While her luck was good, she decided to press on: "Again."

    [Drawing card]

    [Name: Item Card - Wolf Repellent Spray (1/1)]

    [Description: Specially formted wolf repellent spray, a dose can make an adult male unconscious within 5 seconds, self-calibrating, guaranteed to incapacitate with one spray]

    [Note: Please do not use for illegal activities]

    [3 cards drawn, use them?]

    Jian Jing didn''t use them. She felt something was a little off.

    Although the 3 cards were very useful, somehow, it didn''t seem like the style of the normal world. Physical enhancement aside for now, observation skills? Wolf repellent spray?

    She didn''t immediately use the cards, and mentally asked: "Can the cards be taken out?"

    [Item cards only]

    "Take out."

    A spray bottle suddenly appeared in her hand, 10ML capacity, verypact, fit perfectly in her palm. The medicine inside was colorless and odorless. Thebel on the bottle said "Wolf Repellent Spray".

    "Put away." She tried putting it back.

    Her palm was empty again.

    It seemed quite reliable, but Jian Jing was still cautious and didn''t immediately use them. She hesitated between the strength enhancement card and skill card, weighing which had a higher safety coefficient.

    To be honest, having a system at hand and resisting the urge to use it was unrealistic. She had some ominous feelings, as if she had overlooked some key information. But the possibility of traps couldn''t be ruled out either. Choosing the lesser of two evils, she decided.

    Just as she was struggling with the decision, footsteps sounded from outside the door, seeming to head towards her ward.

    With her memories still muddled, Jian Jing made a split-second decision to use the skill card.

    [Skill Card - Observation (Beginner Level) has been used]

    At the same time, her visitor opened the door and walked in.

    Jian Jing''s attention immediately fell on his suit: double-faced fabric, the outeryer was navy blue, the inneryer had red checkers, the material was smooth and lustrous from the wool blended with linen, with some faint white snowke patterns. Although worn on a person, there were almost no creases visible.

    She immediately judged that this was definitely not an insurance or salesperson, but a wealthy, tasteful man in good physical shape.

    "I''ve told you many times, don''t read this anymore." The visitor strode to the bedside, not very politely taking away the copy of Cat Detective that had been spread on her quilt.

    Jian Jing looked up to recognize his face.

    The visitor was 1.8 meters tall, with sharp brows and eyes, handsome features. Aside from the high-end suit, he also wore a Vacheron Constantin watch on his hand.

    With one hand he closed the book and casually ced it on the bedside table.

    This action allowed Jian Jing to observe his hands.

    The other party''s fingers were fair and smooth, without any wounds or calluses, certainly not someone who did manualbor. There was a little ck ink stain on the outside of his ring finger. No ring or tan line on the ring finger, likely unmarried.

    He was close by, she could smell a hint of coffee not yet dissipated.

    In summary, a sessful businessman.

    "Chairman Kang." After sifting through her memories, Jian Jing finally found the corresponding person. "Why are you here?"

    "As you can see, visiting the sick." Kang Mu Cheng ced the flowers in the vase, putting them on the windowsill. In the bright sunshine, the exquisite flowers blossomed vying for beauty, and the overly sterile hospital room suddenly became vibrant.

    Jian Jing unconsciously rxed.

    Kang Mu Cheng was the connoisseur who had discovered Cat Detective years ago, and was currently the deputy president of the publishing house. And this time, her suicide attempt at home was also stopped in time by him rushing over to send her to the hospital.

    In other words, he was her benefactor in many ways.

    "I really don''t understand, what reason do you have to choose suicide?" Don''t be fooled by the flowers Kang Mu Cheng brought, he was a cold and piercing man, contrary to expectations. "Just because of those terrible reviews?"

    As he interrogated, he also sat down at the edge of the bed, taking advantage of his height to look down at her: "You should know, critics are also paid to do their job. The sales of Demon Doctor aren''t as bad as you think, it''s just Morning Star Publishing has been aggressively promoting theirtest golden author, stepping on you to move up."

    Jian Jing made a sound of acknowledgement, digesting the relevant memories.

    Physical books were highly developed in this world, and writers had considerable ie and high social status. Many publishing houses went all outpeting for sales rankings, aggressively promoting their signed authors, just like the idol industry in another world, inevitably involving some hype.

    Morning Star Publishing and her publisher Golden Crow Publishing were rivals, and the two oftenpeted.

    "Your actions have no use except making people ridicule you for a bit." Kang Mu Cheng said, "The only way to fight back against bad reviews is to write even better works."

    His expression was calm, Jian Jing couldn''t make out his thoughts, and couldn''t help asking: "What if I can''t write anymore?"

    "Literature is art, and also business. If you don''t have the corresponding talent, either quit or endure." Kang Mu Cheng paused, then his tone changed, "What, are you telling me you''re ready to admit defeat?"

    Jian Jing had just been reborn and hadn''t thought that far ahead yet. She smiled and said, "Just asking casually."

    "I believe you have the talent." Unexpectedly, Kang Mu Cheng softened his tone,forting her, "Demon Doctor just went on sale, don''t jump to conclusions yet."

    Jian Jing gave a self-deprecatingugh, and didn''t say anything.

    Not wanting to put too much pressure on the patient, Kang Mu Cheng changed the subject: "Do you remember what I told you back then?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t recall it for the moment, and looked back at him nkly.

    Fortunately Kang Mu Cheng didn''t need her to answer, and said on his own: "Writing is your business, selling is my business. You''ve already done your job, leave the rest to me."

    "Rest well." He patted her shoulder, bowed courteously to say goodbye.

    "Have a safe trip." Jian Jing''s reply was a beatte.

    After Kang Mu Cheng left, the ward became quiet again.

    Sunshine shone on the floor, flowers in full bloom. Outside was the azure sky and fluffy white clouds, the wind carried over scents from the cafeteria.

    The single ward was quiet andfortable. Jian Jing leaned back on the soft pillow to ponder.

    From the earlier events, the skill card did have significant use, but was far from exaggerated levels.

    Being able to observe didn''t equal being able to analyze. For example, the analysis of the suit''s material came from her own knowledge base, while she had no grasp of the style, buttons, and tailoring, unable to derive effective information.

    Moreover, the observation ability itself wasn''t that powerful either, only managing to deduce simple clues like "wealthy, good physique, handsome, unmarried, drank coffee".

    Anyone with eyes could see that much ( ?_ ?|||)

    But, to be fair, the biggest function of a beginner card probably wasn''t the ability increase, but the increase in awareness. She previously didn''t have the habit of observing, but after using the card, observing became an unconscious action.

    This kind of habit was hard to develop without long months and years of practice, yet now she had obtained it effortlessly, which made Jian Jing very satisfied already.

    But even so, she still didn''t n on using the strength enhancement card for now.

    She would set a 3-day observation period first, and consider using it if her body showed no side effects.

    For now, she should get some rest.

    Carbon monoxide poisoning was serious business, and needed proper treatment.

    *

    Jian Jing slept until past 8pm before groggily waking up. Her stomach growled angrily with hunger.

    Her parents had died early in this parallel world, and she had no friends either. Kang Mu Cheng was too refined to bring fruit or milk when visiting, only pointless flowers. Now the ward was empty, with nothing to eat.

    It was 8pm, the hospital cafeteria had already closed, and she couldn''t call to order food.

    With no other option, Jian Jing called the nurse to remove her IV, then went downstairs to the supermarket to buy food.

    The hospitals of the two worlds didn''t have many differences. At night only the inpatient department had lights on, while the emergency department stayed lit, with ambnces ready to rush out for rescues at any time.

    The supermarket was in a short building next to the emergency room. It was quite fully stocked, with food and supplies.

    Jian Jing looked around and finally her stomach said it wanted instant noodles. She bought a cup.

    The bossdy said, "The electric kettle is broken, go borrow some hot water from the ER."

    So Jian Jing had to head into the emergency room.

    It was almost like another world, noisy and busy. Patients yelled and swore from their beds, an old person clung to a trash can vomiting, infants unable to express their pain wailed loudly.

    Nurses rushed about busily, doctors had dark circles under their eyes.

    There was a water dispenser in the corner, the yellow light showed it was boiling water.

    Just when Jian Jing was about to give up and simply go back to the inpatient department to ask a nurse for water, a familiar voice sounded, and illusion-like text boxes appeared before her eyes at the same time.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: Emergency Room Bloodbath]

    [Mission description: A horrifying bloodbath is about to take ce in the emergency room at night. Please host, while protecting your own safety, try your best to find the perpetrator and reduce casualties.]

    [Rewards and penalties: To be determined ording to results]

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3

    Jian Jing gave a start.

    An emergency room massacre? That meant a bloody incident was about to happen here? What should she do, run?

    The instinct for survival andtent fear took control of her, and her legs moved to leave this ce immediately.

    The system did not stop her.

    But after taking two steps, she stopped for some reason and hesitantly asked herself, "Can I run away?"

    [You can. The host is just an ordinary person, protecting yourself is also a responsible act, but the score is low, only 1 point of courage is rewarded.]

    It would be good enough to save my life, who cares about courage points?

    Jian Jing was not greedy, but still asked: "Did you issue this task because you think I can solve it?"

    [The criminal act has not yet begun. If the host can find the perpetrator and stop it in advance, there is a certain probability ofpleting this task.]

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment.

    Of course she could run away on her legs, stay away from this dangerous ce, but the people left behind would remain unaware. When the massacre happenster, how many people would lose their lives?

    Thinking of this, she could not convince herself to leave.

    But making up her mind to get involved was also extremely difficult.

    She had died once already, and did not want to lose her life again. Why did it have to be her? She was just an ordinary person.

    Jian Jing hesitated back and forth, but in the end still could not turn around and leave.

    Let me try first. If itˇŻs dangerous, IˇŻll run. That way I wonˇŻt seem heartless. She brainwashed herself for three minutes, and tried to pay attention to every person using her newly acquired observation skill.

    It was hard to imagine that the sick and bedridden could cause something as sensational as a "massacre", so Jian Jing first ruled out most of the patients.

    The doctors and nurses were all busy without even lifting their heads, although they asionally had bad tempers, there was no reason for them to kill anyone here.

    After quickly ruling out these two groups for now, the apanying family members became the most suspicious group. With critically ill rtives, pent-up emotions, they were extremely likely to act impulsively and produce irreparable harm.

    Therefore, Jian Jing eventually identified several more suspicious people.

    Suspect No. 1, a father in his thirties with a child, sturdy, loud voice, just yelled at the nurse several times for not injecting his child properly with a needle.

    This kind of emotionally vtile person is more likely to act recklessly.

    Based on his characteristics, his codename is Husky Father.

    Suspect No. 2, a quarreling man at the payment window shouting aggressively at the cashier: "Why do you want so much money? Are you trying to take advantage and scam our money? Let me tell you, don''t even think about scamming me."

    A circle of people had already gathered around them. Some were anxious to pay and argued with him: "Make way, other people still need to pay."

    "Get lost. If I don''t get a satisfactory exnation today, no one will get anything done." The man sneered coldly.

    Seeing the conflict about to escte, he is a key person to watch closely. Codename: Payment Man.

    Suspect No. 3, several suspicious figures lingering around the entrance of the emergency room. There were both men and women, all with hemp rope tied around them, holding memorial tablets, raising banners with the eight characters "Quack doctors harm people, we want justice."

    The first two were still in the conflict stage, this one was clearly a medical disturbance, also with major suspicions. Let''s call them the Medical Disturbers.

    Who was most likely to cause bloodshed?

    No. 1 Husky Father had a sturdy physique and strength to injure people. No. 2 Payment Man had already started arguing, more like the one about to erupt. While No. 3, the few people, came prepared...

    They all seemed suspicious, all very likely.

    Jian Jing racked her brains for a long time, but was unable to analyze the exact answer.

    Left with no other option, she decided to change her line of thinking.

    First of all, the premise of a massacre was a violent incident urring. No matter how strong one person''s strength, bare-handed they could only cause limited harm.

    If the weapons could be dealt with, the ident might not be prevented, but the damage could be reduced to a minimum.

    Jian Jing quickly surveyed the entire emergency room. To be honest, there were not many things that could cause great damage. Sharp medical instruments like surgical knives were almost none, only needles, scissors, catheters at most.

    Some patients did have some fruit knives in their hands.

    The biggest one was being held by a girl who was peeling an apple for her boyfriend.

    Jian Jing felt the ham sausage in her pocket, and had an idea. She walked over and asked, "Excuse me, could I borrow that fruit knife for a moment?"

    The girl had finished peeling the apple. Seeing the borrower was another young and pretty girl, she was not wary: "Sure, here you go."

    "Thank you, I''ll return it to you in a bit." Jian Jing held the instant noodles and ham sausage, made a circle, and went straight into the stairwell.

    She nned to hide here for a while.

    The chances of a massacre happening in a stairwell were rtively low, and no one would rush here to grab a weapon. Even if she still couldn''t prevent it, avoiding the crowd meant she wouldn''t get caught up in it.

    But was taking this fruit knife really useful?

    She sat on the steps, fiddling with the small knife. Of the knives in the emergency room just now, this one was the biggest, but still only half a palm long. Let alone the de not being very sharp, even if it stabbed into someone''s body, how many people could it kill?

    Don''t forget, the system''s description was "horrific" and "reduce casualties", implying there would be multiple victims.

    It was too early to rx now.

    Jian Jing bit her finger, trying to stimte all her brain cells to think.

    She had never studied detective work or investigation, the only thing she was good at was making up stories, so she might as well continue the story and see.

    Suppose the fruit knife was the murder weapon, how did things unfold?

    The weapon was not a prepared knife, most likely a crime of passion. The perpetrator got into an argument with someone, then grabbed the nearest fruit knife and stabbed them.

    What then? He impulsivelymitted a crime, and must be very flustered. Would he still think to keep killing more people?

    No, that''s not right.

    What about the couple then?

    They didn''t seem like it either. Although she had only caught a glimpse of them earlier, with the effects of the Observation Card she still quickly gathered some information about them.

    The IV drip patient wore clover sneakers, well-off family. The girl''s backpack was to the side, with a textbook corner exposed, and a student ID hanging next to it. They were college students.

    The girl was peeling an apple for her boyfriend, seemed like they had a stable rtionship, no reason tomit a crime.

    So she must have guessed wrong.

    This fruit knife was not the murder weapon.

    She had to return to the emergency room for further investigation.

    Jian Jing didn''t care for a bite of her soggy instant noodles, her mindpletely upied by her brain. She wasn''t even feeling hungry in her stomach. She hesitated, then gritted her teeth and went back.

    First return the fruit knife to the girl. The timing was right, the IV drip for the boy was finished, and the nurse was removing the needle. After they were done, the young couple left the infusion room hand in hand.

    She immediately observed the 3 suspects she had identified earlier.

    Suspect No. 1 Husky Father had calmed down. His child was curled up asleep in the mother''s arms. The couple spoke softly to each other. Having lost the fuse, his suspicion level suddenly dropped.

    Suspect No. 2 Payment Man was still cursing aggressively. A security guard stood in front of him, a nurse was negotiating with him, other people continued lining up to pay, back to normal.

    Keep observing.

    Suspect No. 3 Medical Disturbers maintained their original state, also keep observing.

    Jian Jing kept them in sight with her peripheral vision, while dividing out half her attention to observe other people she had filtered out as less suspicious. After all her skills were limited, screening roughly may have overlooked key information. Checking them one by one was safer.

    However, things did not go as desired.

    "Woo woo wooˇŞ" the ambnce came ring its siren.

    The stretcher was swiftly carried down and into the emergency room, adding anotheryer of mor to the already extremely noisy ce. And the people following the stretcher made more than a few frown.

    These were several brawny young men reeking of alcohol. One had tattoos on his arm, followed by two other burly friends. As soon as they entered, they shouted, "If you can''t cure him today, I''ll smash up this lousy hospital!"

    Jian Jing: "..." What arrogance.

    Thinking you''re the emperor? I''ll take your head?

    But setting aside the sarcasm, her vignce had already climbed to the highest level.

    "Who do you think you are, spewing nonsense like that?" Another tall, thin maning in spoke what everyone was thinking, ring at the tattooed man in disdain. "If you hadn''t lost your mind, this wouldn''t have happened!"

    "You''re the one who made the first move and you still think you''re right?" The tattooed man was furious.

    The tall man retorted, "I didn''t push her. If you hadn''t flipped the table, she wouldn''t have crashed into it like that."

    "You bastard!" The tattooed man charged forward in a stride, swinging his fist.

    The tall man warded it off with his arm, and kicked fiercely.

    Seeing the two about to break into open fighting in the lobby, a hoarse, indifferent female voice sounded: "What''s the fuss? This is a hospital, take your dispute to the police station."

    "You old bitchˇŞ" The tattooed man was extremely irritable, turning his head to curse.

    Jian Jing''s heart suddenly clenched, afraid blood would be drawn inadvertently.

    Fortunately the security guard reacted quickly, moving to stand in front of the female doctor to block them from getting near her.

    The female doctor didn''t seem to be facing this kind of situation for the first time. She calmly asked, "Still want to save him or not? If you do, family memberse sign the form. If not, feel free to keep arguing."

    The tattooed man had lost his previous momentum, still acting tough only verbally: "I''ll sign! Doctor Hao Mei, I''ll remember you."

    Doctor Hao ignored himpletely, taking out the consent form and pointing to the bottom line: "Sign here."

    The tattooed man clumsily signed his name.

    The female doctor nodded calmly, calling to the young girl following her: "Xiao He,e with me for surgery."

    The girl who had clearly just graduated not long ago lit up, nodding repeatedly, eagerly attending to the female doctor into the operating room.

    The tattooed man and the tall thin man fell back into their old rut, upying opposite sides of the entrance, neither letting the other through, continuing their standoff.

    "If anything happens to my sister, be prepared to pay with your life!"

    "Don''t try pinning this on me, she fell herself, it''s got nothing to do with me!"

    Both sides remained deadlocked.

    Jian Jing stood in the furthest corner, pondering whether to call the police: This group looked emotionally vtile, and had strength in numbers, very fitting for a massacre scenario. Reporting them now for "disturbance", having the police take them away, wouldn''t that prevent the tragedy from urring?

    But she still had some concerns.

    After calling the police, they would definitely ask who made the call. This bunch didn''t look easy to deal with, what if they retaliated against her? If they really were the perpetrators of the massacre, she could grit her teeth even if they dide after her.

    But what if they weren''t?

    Would the policeing stimte the real killer? She would have offended people for no reason, and caused the situation to be even worse.

    But on the other hand, what if the police presence could deter the killer, making him abandon his plot?

    Both acting and not acting had reasonable grounds, and both could result in terrible oues. Jian Jing truly could not judge which option to choose.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

    Twenty minutes had passed since the system issued the task.

    Jian Jing''s mind was in turmoil. The more she thought about it, the more tangled her thoughts became. Finally, she decided not to think anymore.

    Whether she acted or not, the result would be the same. If she did nothing, she would definitely regret it if something happened. If she acted but was still unable to prevent the tragedy, at least she had tried her best.

    But instead of calling the police herself, she quietly walked up to the Security Uncle and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, should we call the police?"

    The Security Uncle was in his forties, tall and sturdy. Hearing this, he shook his head: "No, they haven''t done anything." He nced at Jian Jing, thinking she was just a frightened youngdy, and reassured her, "You go back inside and sit down, everything will be fine."

    "They look quite scary," Jian Jing pointed casually at a wailing child, pretending to plead as a family member, "Can you ask them to go somewhere else? My little brother is scared to tears."

    The Security Uncle could not agree to that. There was no extra space in the hospital. He could only say, "I''ll call someone else over. Don''t worry, youngdy. Things like this happen two or three times a day."

    Jian Jing was unable to persuade him and had to think of another way herself.

    She circled back to the stairwell, took out her phone, but hesitated to dial out. The Security Uncle''s words reminded her that calling the police without anything happening would be filing a false report. The one detained then would not be them, but her.

    That wouldn''t work either. What should she do?

    Anxiety crawled all over her body.

    "System, can you give me a hint?" She rubbed her temples, "I really have no clue at all."

    [System: Time until incident: 00:03:00]

    Three minutes?

    Jian Jing did not expect to get any help. Seeing the time, she was shocked rather than happy, and reflexively rushed out.

    There were 3 minutes left. Something must be going on.

    But who was it?

    She quickly went through the list of suspects in her mind.

    Suspect 1, the burly father hugging his child on the IV drip, eliminated; Suspect 2, the man paying fees, seemed to have negotiated the medical fees with the hospital, eliminated; Suspect 3, the medical troublemakers eating outside, eliminated.

    Could it be the newly arrived tattooed men?

    Jian Jing focused all her attention on him.

    Greasy hair, faded yellow sweatshirt stained with food, poor personal hygiene; callused hands, abrasions on his calves, he was likely doing manualbor; a very old mobile phone with physical keys, in poor financial conditions.

    Anything else?

    What about his expression?

    [Countdown: 00:02:32]

    She had time.

    Jian Jing pretended to be on a phone call and walked quickly to the door, eavesdropping on the tattooed man''s phone conversation.

    He was saying in a low voice: "Uncle, can you lend me some money? No, I didn''t gamble, I''ve changed, didn''t fight with anyone... Oh, it''s my little sister, she''s in the hospital... Not much, not much, just two thousand, just lend me two thousand!"

    Despite being on the phone, the tattooed man still subconsciously assumed a lowly, pleading stance, in stark contrast to his arrogant demeanor when he first walked in.

    Something was off.

    His sister had just been wheeled into the operating room less than ten minutes ago. Given their poor financial conditions, what he should be doing was raising money to pay for the surgery, not attacking people.

    Moreover, he was just wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, and had no weapons at all!

    She was mistaken!

    She was biased, thinking they were the most suspicious, but that was not the case.

    Jian Jing scolded herself for being stupid, and quickly nced around.

    The emergency room in this hospital had a tree-like structure. The emergency lobby and waiting room were at the bottom. Branching upwards were several sections including operating rooms, consultation rooms, examination rooms, and infusion rooms.

    Luckily, there were only a few resting family members in the lobby, only the crying of an infant could be heard from the infusion room, with no signs of conflict.

    As Jian Jing thought this through, she walked further in.

    The consultation room door was closed, a doctor was examining a patient inside. There was a pregnant woman getting an ultrasound in the examination room. Further in were two operating rooms.

    One had its lights on. If she remembered correctly, that was the one the female doctor had just entered.

    The other operating room door was open.

    A doctor in his forties walked out and spoke to the family members: "The surgery went quite well, but we still need to monitor the patient. ICU has been notified..."

    Jian Jing was a bit far away to hear clearly, but the family''s delighted smiles were evidence enough that all was well.

    Something was off.

    Who else was very suspicious?

    She looked around and saw a maning from a small hallway branching off the central corridor. He looked haggard with dark eye circles, clutching his stomach as he walked slowly forward.

    ncing up at the signs, there was an indication for restrooms. He was likely going to the toilet.

    His steps were so unsteady, he probably did not have the ability to do anything.

    Other than the nursesing and going busily, there was no one else.

    [Countdown: 00:01:27]

    Just over a minute left.

    Jian Jing did not dare stay too close to the lobby. She wanted to save people, but also protect herself. Open spaces were harder to defend. She shifted her position, leaning against the wall near the small hallway to the toilet. She took out her phone, pretending to be busy.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she scanned the people nearby.

    Strangely, the emergency room was very calm at this moment. Still noisy, yet no one was arguing. Everyone was focused on their own matters.

    No sudden conflicts could arise in one minute that would cause someone to harbor murderous intent.

    Jian Jing was almost certain the perpetrator had premeditated this.

    If it was prenned, the culprit would not be absorbed in their own tasks now, but waiting for the chance to strike.

    Who else was looking around like her?

    Very few. Two people were watching the TV, one looking out the window, another had just entered the door and was ncing left and right, as if looking for someone - could it be her?

    Jian Jing watched the woman closely.

    High heels, ssic Chanel bag.

    No, it was not her.

    [Countdown: 00:00:59]

    Less than a minute left.

    Who was it? Who was it?

    "Ugh." The man returning from the toilet seemed to be in severe abdominal pain. He would walk a few steps and stop, leaning against the wall and gasping, asionally letting out pained moans.

    He was very close to Jian Jing. The innate observational ability granted by the basic observation card made her take note of him for a while.

    Something seemed... off?

    An abnormal feeling arose.

    Jian Jing gathered her scattered thoughts and focused on the man.

    He was wearing a white shirt, the style looked old, one button on the cuff was missing. Over it was a ck suit, the fabric cheap, slightly too big for him, but very new, likely just put on.

    in ck trousers, brown leather shoes, the shoes had mud stains on them and the soles seemed to be peeling off, worn more than once. He had a briefcase tucked under his arm, the metal parts were quite new.

    How strange. The shirt and trousers were old but the suit and briefcase seemed brand new. Was he pretending to keep up appearances?

    Apart from that, there seemed to be something else out of ce.

    What could it be?

    [Countdown: 00:00:44]

    Lost in concentration, Jian Jing had temporarily blocked out the countdown timer, fully absorbed in her thoughts.

    At this moment, the man appeared to be in too much difort and sat down on the chairs lining the examination room hallway. He ced the briefcase on hisp, lowered his head with a frown, continuously sucking in breaths.

    How exaggerated. Was it a stomach ulcer or appendicitis? Whatever it was, why didn''t he look for a doctor?

    Once suspicious, any anomaly would be magnified.

    The more Jian Jing looked at him, the stranger he seemed.

    His behavior was too peculiar. A normal person in severe pain at the hospital should directly call for a doctor or nurse to take a look right? Sitting there changing positions asionally, clutching his stomach, it all felt...fake.

    Yes, too fake, like an idol drama actor with no skills, unable to cry and only able to stare wide-eyed.

    Jian Jing had suffered from stomach issues a few times before. When the pain hit, herplexion would be pale, cold sweat dripping, and she would bepletely still, without any strength to change positions.

    Something was off with this man.

    Could it be him? He was carrying a bag. Yes, there was something odd about this briefcase.

    Brand new and crisp, it seemed barely used. Could it be a prop? On second nce, it did look too t, just a shallow protruding ridge, as if concealing something rectangr... Wait!

    A knife? Could it be a knife?

    In a sh, Jian Jing was drenched in cold sweat.

    "Doctor, there is another patient..." The surgeon who had justpleted an operation walked over with a junior doctor reporting cases behind him. Still immersed in the emotions of a "sessful previous surgery, noplications for the next one", they had not noticed the man they were about to walk past.

    Just then, a glint of reflection caught Jian Jing''s eye.

    It was a knife! It really was a knife! His target was these doctors!

    He had premeditated this, came prepared, and was waiting here for an opportunity to strike, even disguising himself.

    In the blink of an eye, Jian Jing understood everything.

    [Countdown: 00:00:12]

    No time left, what should she do? How to stop him?

    At the critical juncture, Jian Jing could not even run away, her body seemed to freeze up. Her legs would not budge one bit, only knowing to stand there foolishly.

    [Countdown: 00:00:10]

    Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths.

    She took two deep breaths, oxygen entering her lungs, her body seeming to warm up and be mobile again.

    "Prop card," she muttered, feeling a slight weight in her palm.

    Somewhat reassured, Jian Jing saw the cart parked to the side. With no time for hesitation, she directly grabbed and pulled the cart over.

    "Hey, you can''t move that," the nurse quickly stopped her.

    Jian Jing deployed the fastest speed in her life, pushing the cart and dashing out. She fiercely rammed it towards the man about to get up.

    Since he had a knife, she did not dare get close to grapple with him, she could only use this to keep some distance between them.

    The man had been watching the doctors and did not notice her. Caught off guard by the cart, he fell back into the chair. He reacted quickly as well, realizing his n may have been exposed. He immediately pulled out a knife from under the briefcase, using one hand to shove back the cart, while shing at Jian Jing with the other.

    The man was far stronger than the woman, especially since Jian Jing was still a patient.

    With a push from him, the cart crashed heavily into her abdomen and sent her falling on her butt to the ground. Thankfully, her left hand was at the ready before she rammed into him. She sprayed the wolf repellent spray.

    The mist dispersed at the same time as she hit the ground.

    The instructions mentioned it would take effect in 5 seconds.

    The man swung the knife at her, the de cold and glinting. The others were not like Jian Jing earlier, stunned silly in ce. No one had even noticed anything was amiss here yet.

    When facing extreme fright, one might even be unable to scream, only able to freeze up stiffly.

    5 seconds was enough for an adult male to stab a young girl to death.

    Jian Jing was terrified beyond belief, her legs turned to jelly, adrenaline seemingly useless. She could not even stand up. Her mind went nk. Her body took over on instinct, immediately crouching to crawl under the cart.

    "ng!" The knife shed against the cart with a loud metallic sound.

    This seemed to serve as an rm clock, jolting everyone awake.

    "Ah!" The nurse shrieked, then immediately realized she should not have, fearfully covering her mouth.

    Seeing this, the man no longer bothered with Jian Jing. Gripping the knife tightly, he shed viciously at the doctor.

    Having just barely escaped danger herself, Jian Jing was even more frightened now. Her mind went utterly nk -ter she would have no recollection whatsoever of the scene at the time. More unexpected was her own reaction - at this moment, she actually reached out to grab at the man''s trousers!

    He stumbled from the pull. The knife tip grazed past, only cutting the junior doctor''s arm.

    "Damn it!" The man turned and powerfully kicked the cart.

    The overhead protection was suddenly gone. She was exposed before the man.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

    Had it not been 5 seconds yet? Jian Jing was almost in despair.

    At this moment, the man was already feeling dizzy, but he was unwilling to surrender so easily. His vicious nature came up and his reason was nowhere to be found.

    He just wanted to get back at her now. If he couldn''t kill the original target, dragging a few more down with him would also be good.

    As he swung the knife, he found himself unable to exert any strength and the knife slipped out of his hand and flew towards her.

    Jian Jing watched with widened eyes as the knife drew nearer and nearer. Her mind wentpletely nk, only shattered images shing across it, unable to give out anymands.

    She stared with eyes wide open, waiting numbly for the ending.

    This was the true reaction of an ordinary person when facing death: not dodging, not because they didn''t want to dodge, but because they were unable to do so.

    Thud.

    The knife hit the chair and dropped to the ground.

    The 5 seconds were up. The props made by the system were trustworthy. The man was dizzy and disoriented, copsing heavily to the ground, no longer reacting.

    [Taskpleted, system calcting rewards]

    The air was silent for a good few seconds.

    After a long time, everyone reacted, some kicked the knife away, some held down the fainted man, and some went to help Jian Jing up.

    The nurse who had screamed just now was badly frightened. She kept asking Jian Jing, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

    Jian Jing shook her head stiffly. There were dark shadows before her eyes and her head throbbed.

    "I," she opened her mouth, only to find her voice trembling badly, "might have low blood sugar."

    The nurse immediately opened a pack of glucose and fed it to Jian Jing''s mouth.

    Like a traveller who had walked in the desert for days, Jian Jing greedily drank several mouthfuls. The water and sugar replenished her lost sweat and energy. She finally felt like she could breathe again.

    "Phew," she slumped into the chair, too tired to even move a finger. The only thought left in her fuzzy mind was: It''s finally over.

    She didn''t die, that''s great.

    She had survived.

    "Thank you," the nurse said. Her slightly reddened eyes were full of gratitude.

    Jian Jing gave a wry smile and waved her hand. The nurse seemed to want to say more but a patient outside suddenly cried out. It sounded like an old person having a heart attack. The nurse had no choice but to say "Call me if you need anything" before hurrying away.

    Jian Jing gave a cursory nod, too drained for pleasantries. She was truly exhausted. The few minutes earlier had drained all her energy. She desperately wanted to return to her ward immediately and crash into bed.

    In a dazeˇŞshe thought it was only a few minutes but half an hour had actually passedˇŞa shadow suddenly loomed before her: "Hello, I''m Ji Feng from the Criminal Investigation Division. We already understand what happened earlier. May I trouble you toe to the station to give a statement?"

    Jian Jing forced her eyes open to size up this uninvited guest.

    The other party was in in clothes but showed her his police ID. The man in the photo had handsome, dignified features. The real person was even more remarkable, an exceptionally masculine, heroic man.

    But even if Wu Yanzu appeared before her now, she wouldn''t have the slightest interest.

    Jian Jing''s head hurt as if it would split open. Her blood sugar was low again and her emotions were somewhat out of control. "I''m a patient!"

    Help! What was a statement? Could she eat it?

    All she wanted now was a piping hot bowl of instant noodles to give her the energy to walk back to her ward and sleep.

    Ji Feng raised his eyebrows.

    In fact, beforeing to find her, he had already watched the surveince videos. It was because he saw what she did that he felt it was strange.

    An ordinary girl was actually able to discover and stop a murder. It was simply unbelievable.

    How did she know the person was problematic and took action ahead of time? If not for her timely pushcart, the deaths and injuries today would definitely have been dreadful.

    "Tomorrow will do as well," Ji Feng took out his phone. "Leave me a contact."

    Jian Jing felt her pocket. Her phone was missing. She couldn''t remember at all if she had brought her phone or had identally dropped it somewhere.

    "Is this it?" Ji Feng picked up a phone on the chair next to them and lit up the screen.

    Rubbing her temples, she nodded vaguely, recalling that it was a nurse who had picked it up and returned it to her.

    Ji Feng used her phone to dial his number, politely saying, "I hope you can cooperate with our work. Just look for me directly when you get there. Right, may I ask how to address you?"

    "Jian Jing."

    Ji Feng felt that the name sounded somewhat familiar but didn''t show it. After leaving the hospital, he took out his phone to search her name.

    The first result was a wiki entry.

    Jian Jing, born September 1, 1999, genius novelist, best known for her work ''White Cat Detective''.

    "Novelist..." His tone was poorly concealed surprise.

    The surveince faithfully recorded the entire incident. When Jian Jing suddenly rushed out, it was without any sign and even the killer was caught unprepared. He wanted to know how she noticed it. He had deliberately extended the footage and only then discovered that Jian Jing had actually lingered around the area for a long time, as if looking for someone.

    Even more bizarre was that she was dressed in patient clothing. She was a patient in the inpatient department, perfectly fine, what was she doing running to the ER?

    Rewinding the footage another half hour, Ji Feng saw her appearing repeatedly in several spots in the ER. She didn''t seem to be looking for anyone or seeking treatment, justing and going in a very strange manner.

    He had thought there was something more to her but it turned out she was a celebrity, neither obscure nor famous.

    During the statement-taking, he would have to get clear on these questionable points.

    *

    Jian Jing didn''t know she had caught Ji Feng''s attention. She forced her exhausted body to return to her ward and copsed into bed. She didn''t know if it was hero''s privilege but although the experience had been dangerous, she didn''t have a single nightmare and slept wonderfully until daybreak.

    Breakfast was delivered room by room from the canteen.

    She had pre-ordered soy milk, fried dough sticks, buns and pan-fried dumplings yesterday. She wolfed everything down before her stomach that had suffered for a day felt full.

    Only after eating her fill did Jian Jing have the mind to check the system''s settlement.

    [Task Name: Emergency Room Bloodbath (Completed)]

    [Task Rewards: 15 Courage Points + 10 Special Contribution Points (Prevented 1 death and 2 serious injuries)]

    [Note: Courage points can be used to draw ordinary cards, 5 points each; Contribution points can be used to draw special cards, 10 points each]

    [Start drawing cards?]

    There was another special card?

    Jian Jing didn''t hesitate and directly said, "Draw everything."

    [Drawing cards...]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Enhancement Card - Agility (1 Point)]

    [Description: Enhances nerve reaction speed, improves body flexibility and limb coordination]

    [Note: At critical moments, agile moves can save your life~]

    [Name: Knowledge Card - Forensics (Basic)]

    [Description: Gains entry-level forensics knowledge]

    [Note: The truth lies in the traces and clues]

    [Name: Item Card - Recovery Candy (5/5)]

    [Description: This is an ultra powerful candy that can swiftly eliminate negative states. Hunger, thirst, dizziness, period cramps, stiff neck, muscle cramps and other daily diforts]

    [Note: In the world of Jianghu, idents are inevitable. Keep one for when you need it, feels great]

    [Name: Special Card - ck Tech sses (Main Component)]

    [Description: An unimaginable ck tech product. Extremely light, thin andfortable. Just like not wearing them. Fog-proof, waterproof, heat-resistant, can be used normally under various adverse environments]

    [Note: This product can bebined with other cards. Consume 5 Courage Points to imprint a new look]

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Look, unlocking a new appearance, such a familiar tactic. This is the prelude to gouging money for skins. Unfortunately she had used up all her contribution points and couldn''t pay to win even if she wanted to. Whatever, saves her from burning money.

    She directly used up the Knowledge Card, then requested to take out the Special Card.

    A pair of utterly ordinary white gold frame sses appeared in her hand. She had to admit, although in on the outside, the quality of system products was indeed magical. Extremelyfortable, so light it was as if they had no weight at all. Her ears and nose bridge didn''t feel any pressure at all.

    The lenses were thin yet clear, colors rich, also without chromatic aberration.

    She took them off and huffed on them. They barely fogged up. No need to worry about going blind from eating instant noodles in winter anymore.

    Jian Jing put them on and refused to take them off again. She looked in the mirror and could only sigh. If only there was an appearance adjustment function, spending money would be inevitable. Oh well, let''s see what else there is.

    She pondered briefly before deciding to use both Enhancement Cards.

    [Enhancement Card - Physique (1 Point) used]

    [Enhancement Card - Agility (1 Point) used]

    After the two prompts, a brand new panel leaped into view, clearly disying her personal stats.

    [Character Panel]

    Name: Jian Jing

    Gender: Female

    Age: 20

    Status: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (Treated)

    Physique: 5 (4 Base Value + 1 Enhancement Point)

    Strength: 4

    Agility: 6 (5 Base Value + 1 Enhancement Point)

    Explosiveness: 3

    Endurance: 4

    Talent: Literary Creation (Locked)

    Knowledge: Forensics (Basic)

    Skill: Observation (Basic)

    Items: Recovery Candy (5/5), ck Tech sses

    Jian Jing knitted her brows. "What do these numbers mean?"

    [System: Human attributes range from 1-10. 6 is the average value for an adult woman. 1-3 is low, 4-5 is below average, 7-8 is strong, 9-10 is superb, above 10 is human limit.]

    Jian Jing: "..." In other words her physical fitness was garbage?

    Perhaps sensing her skepticism, the system very intelligently adjusted its description:

    Physique: 5 (The result of staying upte every day)

    Strength: 4 (You can''t lift a bucket of water)

    Agility: 6 (Gaming is when you''re most nimble)

    Explosiveness: 3 (You''d definitely be awful at sprinting)

    Endurance: 4 (You should worry about your future X life)

    "PfftˇŞ" Jian Jing spat out a mouthful of water. What kind of system was this, was this what true AI was like?

    [System: Does the host have any other questions?]

    Jian Jing pressed her forehead andposed herself before asking, "The Knowledge and Skill Cards are all Basic level. Can I draw Intermediate or Advanced cardster?"

    [System: No, the ordinary card pool only has Basic cards.]

    "Then how do I upgrade them?"

    [Consume 3 Basic cards to synthesize 1 Upgrade card for Basic -> Intermediate]

    [Consume 8 Basic cards to synthesize 1 Powerful Upgrade card for Intermediate -> Advanced]

    [Consume 15 Basic cards to synthesize 1 Super Powerful Upgrade card for Advanced -> Expert]

    Jian Jing was surprised. "That''s way too high a cost."

    [System: To prevent the host from abusing high level skills and causing unfair phenomena, these restrictions have been implemented.]

    Jian Jing thought for a moment before feeling resigned.

    It made sense after all. Take forensics for example, upgrading from Basic to Advanced would require 11 Basic cards, costing 55 Courage Points. That''s probably around the effort of a few instance dungeons, the time and energy spent definitely less than that of a real forensic scientist. It would be cheating with a walkthrough.

    If there were no restrictions, people with the system would be able to easily gain numerous high level skills, which would be terribly unfair to those diligently working hard for them in the real world.

    Having to consume cards also matched reality''s need for trade-offs - choosing to specialize in one field naturally leaves less energy to study other things.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    The day after the ident, Jian Jing was discharged from the hospital in the afternoon. Her body had recovered well enough that she didn''t want to stay in the hospital for one more day. Kang Mu Cheng came to pick her up, and asked about what had happenedst night.

    "I got a call from the hospital this morning before I knew about your ''great achievement'' yesterday," Kang Mu Cheng said. "If it wasn''t for the hospital asking to keep it low-key, I would have found a reporter to do an interview and generate some buzz to sell your books."

    Jian Jing held her forehead. "No need for the sarcasm. I didn''t want to y hero either. If it was you, wouldn''t you have done the same?"

    Kang Mu Cheng wasn''t actually ming her. He was just worried that she might be suicidal again, so he spoke to test her reaction. Hearing her response, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and rxed his shoulders. "Why not stay at the hospital for a couple more days? They waived all your fees. Why rush to leave?"

    "Trauma," she said honestly.

    Kang Mu Cheng fell silent.

    Jian Jing rolled down the car window for some fresh air, and took the chance to look around this parallel world.

    To be honest, the differences between the two worlds were negligible. The level of technological development was simr, and people''s lifestyles were no different either. The biggest difference was probably the celebrities on the billboards, many of whom she didn''t recognize.

    There were also physical bookstores that hadn''t gone out of business. On the contrary, they had stores in high traffic areas, disying new releases outside.

    She even saw her own name.

    "New work from the beautiful writer Jian Jing, ''Demon Doctor'' walks the earth, good or evil, separated only by a thought."

    Seeing a banner like this made her feel embarrassed.

    "It looks like you''ve really changed this time," Kang Mu Cheng said abruptly.

    Jian Jing yed it cool. "What do you mean?"

    "In the past, you would have asked about the sales numbers these two days." A faint smile lined Kang Mu Cheng''s lips. "But you didn''t ask at all today."

    Jian Jing said, "I forgot."

    "You should forget after you finish writing." Kang Mu Cheng nodded slightly. "Whether it sells well or not actually has nothing to do with you. If you write to make big sales, the work will definitely not be great."

    Jian Jing was curious and asked, "Why?"

    "Writing is the author''s self-revtion, a spiritual confessional. It is absolute self-expression. Abandoning your own wishes to cater to readers, there will always be a disconnect." Kang Mu Cheng spoke meaningfully. "Excellent works are a confession between one soul and another, as well as a game. You can onlypel them to praise you bypelling them."

    Jian Jing was surprised. "I thought the market''s tastes were very important to you."

    "Some publishing houses just want to make money. They don''t mind pandering to readers, like Morning Star. The books they''ve published in the past two years have sold quite well. Things like the queen of romance novels, sweetest works, novels every girl should read. I don''t deny their sales figures, but unfortunately, making products and building brands are not the same thing."

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t conceal his disdain for his enemy. "Making products is about pleasing consumers and meeting their needs. But building a brand is about leading consumers and making them need you."

    He nced at Jian Jing with a slight smile. "As you can see, Golden Crow''s annual top book list has already be the default buying list for many readers these past few years. Do they look at Morning Star''s list? No, never."

    Jian Jing had to smile. "I see."

    "See what?"

    "That you''re very ambitious," she said.

    "Isn''t it passion?" Kang Mu Cheng raised an eyebrow.

    Jian Jing said, "My intuition tells me it''s not."

    "A writer''s intuition..." He gently patted the steering wheel andughed. "Very urate."

    The atmosphere suddenly became light and cheerful.

    Kang Mu Cheng took the initiative to talk about work arrangements. "The sales channels for ''Demon Doctor'' have all beenid out, and the promotions are in ce. After your news blows over, I''ll arrange for you to do a reading."

    "These next few days, just rest well and get into the zone."

    "Does me going to the hospital have a big negative impact?" she asked.

    "Can''t say." Kang Mu Cheng brushed it off. "The publisher already released a statement that you didn''t try tomit suicide from being unable to withstand criticism¨DJingjing, remember, readers don''t like authors who are so fragile. They like authors with personality¨Dit was an ident caused by trying to verify the methods in ''Demon Doctor''."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    "Now quite a few readers have developed an interest in ''Demon Doctor''." Kang Mu Cheng nced at her. "Morning Star will definitely find people to say you''re sensationalizing. Don''t ept any reporter interviews, understand?"

    "I understand." She promised.

    The publishing industry in this world was too mature. Under hugemercial interests, the waters ran deep. Authors were just one link in the industry chain, unable to stand alone.

    "Good girl."

    *

    Kang Mu Cheng''s schedule was packed. After dropping Jian Jing off at the residentialplex, he hurriedly left for a meeting.

    This also gave Jian Jing time to familiarize herself with the environment. Theplex she lived in was very upscale. The security guards were young and handsome, all dressed in ck uniforms, and they had a German Shepherd. Seeing her, it ran over to rub against her legs.

    "Ms. Jian just got back?" The security guard greeted her with a smile. "Knight rushes over whenever he sees you. Can''t hold him back."

    "Mm." Jian Jing wasn''t surprised that she had a good rtionship with building management. Girls living alone were always very careful. "Did you miss me, Knight?"

    The German Shepherd named Knight wagged its tail wildly.

    Jian Jing petted it several times before saying goodbye to the patrol guards and heading upstairs.

    She lived on the 18th floor, two units per floor, duplex structure.

    The first floor had the dining room, living room, kitchen, bathroom and a guest bedroom. The second floor had the master bedroom and study, about 200 square meters total, more than enough room for one person.

    Most importantly, the apartment was purchased in full.

    The first thing Jian Jing did when she got home was to check her ID, bank books, and cards. Everything matched her memories. For real estate, other than this home, she also had a small rental apartment that brought in about 6,000 a month for pocket money.

    Most of her savings were managed by a professional fund manager who was Kang Mu Cheng''s former ssmate. He made 50 to 60 thousand for her each year.

    It has to be said again¨Dwriters in this world really made a lot of money!

    Jian Jing couldn''t be considered a true bestselling author, but she already had no worries about food and shelter. Let alone other famous writers, living in vis and driving sports cars was perfectly normal.

    She was happy for less than three minutes before her earlier doubts floated to the surface again: With such good living conditions, why did the System say she was incapable of living independently?

    She didn''t understand.

    Next, she checked the bedroom and bathroom to confirm there was no intimate partner, whether in a proper rtionship or not.

    In short, there was none.

    The next stop was the study.

    Beside the bookshelves, there was a ss cab with cigarettes, alcohol, and a coffee machine.

    Nicotine, alcohol, caffeine. None were missing.

    It seemed a writer''s stress was quite high.

    Jian Jing threw away the cigarettes. Smoking was bad for health and she couldn''t keep touching it. The alcohol and coffee machine were fine though.

    She made herself a cup of espresso, picked up the brand new "Demon Doctor", and sat by the window to skim through this new work while sipping her drink.

    The male lead was a young doctor in a big city. His days were spent going to work, seeing patients, living an ordinary life no different frommon people. However, he wasn''t human, but rather a monster that was neither ghost nor man.

    He had no heart.

    Every month he had to eat a heart, otherwise he would weaken until falling into a deep slumber. But not just anyone''s heart would do. It had to be the heart of an evildoer. If he swallowed a kind heart, it was like ingesting poison - a fate worse than death.

    For this reason, the doctor became a hunter stalking the darkness of night, specifically targeting the cruel and wicked.

    He saved people during the day, and killed people at night.

    He caught evildoers and put them to death.

    It had to be said, this premise was somewhat cliche. There were far too many non-human protagonists like this, and readers were experiencing aesthetic fatigue. It couldn''t be called boring though.

    The story had some unusual highlights.

    First was the male lead''s character design. His killings were not for the sake of justice,pletely different from the typical killer who thought they were dealing righteous judgment. He didn''t care about right or wrong at all. He was forced.

    And the reason he became a doctor wasn''t to save lives either. In his eyes, patching up human bodies was like repairing an exquisite doll. It was art.

    Secondly, because the male lead didn''t care about good or evil, he also couldn''t judge good or evil.

    In the second story, the male lead killed a woman in red who wasmitting murders on a rainy night, thinking she was a serial killer. But after swallowing her heart, his whole body felt as if on fire, in unbearable pain.

    That woman had a kind heart. She killed not out of evil, but to avenge her younger sister.

    The story was in third person, but all from the male lead''s perspective. Readers could only follow his viewpoint, and guessing the "prey''s" good or evil from subtle clues became a very interesting game.

    What the eyes saw was not necessarily the truth.

    So-called evil could be good, and so-called good could be evil.

    Jian Jing honestly felt that this book she "wrote" was quite good.

    If anyone dared to scold her for being past her prime, she''d tell them toe write one themselves.

    She finished the ss of red wine in one go, and let out a satisfied breath before going to bed.

    The mattress was medium soft and firm, the pillow height just right. Jian Jing fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, only hearing a few shrill sirens in her dreams, but they soon weakened and she turned over to sink into deep sleep again.

    The next day, the weather was sunny and breezy - perfect.

    After washing up, Jian Jing pulled open the curtains. She suddenly noticedrge pools of water outside, and streaks of ck on the building stairs across from her. Many people were gathered below, pointing and discussing.

    Based on her many years of experience watching from the sidelines, something must have happened.

    She opened her phone and sure enough, the building''s group chat had sent out a notice:

    [Dear residents, at around 1:30 amst night, there was a fire at unit 1302, Building 5. The fire department came promptly to put out the mes and there were no casualties.]

    Scrolling down, someone asked about the cause of the fire.

    [15-1401: I heard someone started it on purpose......]

    [09-0801: Really? Why would anyone start a fire?]

    [05-1002: It''s true, I was scared to deathst night. The police cameter too.]

    [16-0802: My cousin at the police station said it was someone getting revenge on purpose.]

    Jian Jing: [Old man on subway looking at phone.JPG]

    Going to someone''s home to start a fire on purpose? What vendetta was this? She shook her head inwardly, and didn''t dwell on it. Instead, she opened her news feed.

    [XX''s new album goes online, exceeds 100 million ys in 12 hours]

    [Police issue wanted notice, jewellery store robbers XXX and others still atrge, 50,000 reward offered]

    [Explosion at abandoned factory, 7 students trapped, emergency rescue by fire department underway]

    Jian Jing stared at the news headlines for a good while, feeling something was off.

    Was it an information cocoon? She seemed to rarely see so many... dangerous news items before.

    Counting her rebirth suicide as a death, getting admitted to the hospital after a stabbing, and someone deliberately setting fire in the building next door the day she returned home... She shivered, goosebumps rising.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    "Another Home Invasion, A Family of Five Lost Their Lives"

    "Crime of Passion? Revenge Killing? Famous Celebrity Found Dead at Home, Mysterious Symbol Left by Killer"

    "Vice President of XX Company Died at Home, Police Cracked Major Financial Case"

    ...

    Jianjing spent the whole morning browsing the news headlines, growing more and more shocked. Setting aside major political events, entertainment gossip took up a full one-third of the news, criminal cases another half, leaving only a sixth for ordinary news.

    What was the worlding to? She quickly searched for "Shinichi Kudo" and "Batman", but only came up withics and movies - the real people didn''t exist.

    Why were there so many crimes happening!?

    It made no sense.

    Ordinary people living in a world like this were clearly in great danger. No wonder the System thought she was useless.

    Yes Dad, she was useless.

    "Ding dong", her phone chimed with a notification.

    Jianjing picked it up and saw it was a message from an unknown number: [I heard Ms. Jian has been discharged from hospital. Pleasee down to the station to give your statement as soon as possible.]

    Followed by an address for the Criminal Investigation Department.

    She remembered the promise she had made.

    Today was Wednesday. After two more days of rest it would be the weekend, so she may as well go back to ss next week. She typed in the address to check the distance - about a twenty minute drive. With time on her hands, she decided to do her civic duty and go down to the station.

    She drove over, arriving around 10am.

    There were many cars parked outside the police station entrance, and she had great difficulty finding a space. The cars on either side were parked incredibly selfishly, leaving only a tiny gap between them. She struggled to reverse into the tight parking spot for a long time before giving up.

    "Who parked this piece of junk?" She was furious, wishing she could just back right into it.

    "Stop, stop, you''ll never fit," said the man smoking outside the side entrance, finally unable to watch any longer. He walked over, asking "Yo, Ms. Jian?"

    Chifeng smiled around his cigarette: "Oh it''s you! Get out, let me park for you."

    He was speaking very politely, with a friendly demeanor. Jianjing hesitated for a moment before getting out of the car: "Thanks for your help."

    "No problem, that''s my colleague''s car. Must have been in a hurry and parked carelessly." Chifeng got in her car, spun the steering wheel, and precisely wedged her car into the narrow parking spot with some eleration.

    But when he went to open the door and get out... he was stuck!

    Chifeng paused awkwardly for a few seconds before starting the car again and parking on the other side where there were no marked bays: "We''ll leave it here for now. I''ll get those two idiots toe move their carster."

    He got out and beckoned to her casually: "Well, since you''re here, let''s get your statement done."

    Jianjing''s footsteps faltered slightly and she maintained a certain distance as she followed him - for some reason, she felt Chifeng''s attitude towards her was overly friendly, not matching the aura he gave off.

    But she had nothing to hide, so she was cautious but not afraid.

    Chifeng led her to a quiet interview room, poured a ss of water, and called in a female officer before speaking: "I asked you toe today mainly to corroborate the events that urred in the emergency room the night beforest. I hope you will answer truthfully and not conceal or provide false testimony, otherwise you may face legal liability."

    Jianjing nodded: "Alright."

    Chifeng: "The night beforest, June 10th, what time did you arrive at the emergency room?"

    Jianjing: "Around 8 or 9pm, I didn''t note the exact time."

    Chifeng: "You were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning. Why did you go to the emergency room?"

    Jianjing: "The supermarket didn''t have hot water, the owner suggested I go to the emergency room to get some."

    Chifeng: "But the incident happened around 9:30pm. Why did you stay there for so long?"

    Jianjing was surprised that Chifeng had noticed this detail. She thought he would just ask about the events leading up to and after the incident.

    Subconsciously, she avoided the question: "A personal matter."

    Chifeng was still very friendly, as if chatting with a friend: "Would you mind sharing what it was about?"

    "The officer is very interested in this?" she retorted, already revealing her wariness.

    This kind of response no doubt increased Chifeng''s suspicions. But he didn''t show it, simply saying: "This is just routine verification, not prying into your privacy. I hope you can answer truthfully."

    His tone remained friendly and non-confrontational, but his persistent gaze was pressuring.

    After a brief silence, Jianjing realized her mistake and hastily exined: "I was... observing the people in the emergency room."

    Relying on experience, Chifeng''s intuition told him this was the truth. He couldn''t help being curious: "Why?"

    "Research." The truth paved the way for key lies. Jianjing kept her cool and smiled: "The main character in my new book is a doctor, and there may be some emergency rescue scenesing up, so since I was here anyway, I decided to take note of things. It''s not some special hobby."

    Thest part circled back to exin her earlier evasiveness about privacy.

    But over-exining to the police was a huge mistake. Chifeng felt something was off but couldn''t find a logical w, so he set it aside for now and continued: "Why did you notice the perpetrator?"

    "He seemed very strange," Jianjing replied, her tone unconsciously rxing as she recounted the truth. "He looked like he was in terrible pain, but was overacting too much. It seemed staged, like a y, so I paid more attention. And by chance that let me notice the knife''s reflection under his coat."

    Chifeng scrutinized her: "So you bumped into him because of that? I''m not questioning your actions, just curious. Most people wouldn''t dare take action based on slight suspicion like that. Your decisiveness surprises me."

    Jianjing straightened her back slightly and met Chifeng''s gaze steadily. When she came today, she thought giving a statement would just be a formality, helping the police a little. She never imagined she would face this kind of interrogation.

    The man before her was truly frightening. Had she revealed that many anomalies?

    For a time, the quiet interview room was filled only with the female officer''s typing.

    "Even though there was a 90% chance I was wrong and would hurt someone by mistake, there was a 10% chance I could save a life," Jianjing finally spoke. "I felt it was worth trying. If I was wrong, I would just apologize andpensate the person, not end up in jail, right?"

    Chifeng stared at her fixedly before suddenly smiling. "Alright, I understand."

    He didn''t question her further, going through the routine verification of how she subdued the perpetrator, before casually bringing up another mystery: "What did you use to restrain the criminal?"

    "Pepper spray." Jianjing answered cautiously.

    "Pepper spray with an anesthetic effect?" Chifeng said jokingly, "More effective than police-issue, huh?"

    Jianjing said: "A friend gave it to me."

    He nced at her for a few seconds before nodding: "Are you sure everything you said is factual?"

    "Yes."

    Chifeng motioned for the officer to print out the statement for Jianjing to review: "Take a look, and if you don''t see any issues, sign at the bottom."

    Jianjing quickly read through it and signed her name.

    "Done?" She was eager to leave.

    "Done. Thank you foring in, Ms. Jian." Chifeng politely extended his hand.

    Jianjing hesitated before reluctantly shaking it. At the same time, her observational skills automatically activated, noticing Chifeng''s palm was covered in calluses, especially pronounced on his tiger''s mouth. His grip was very strong - even just a polite handshake meant she couldn''t pull her hand away once caught.

    "Oh, one more thing," he suddenly said.

    Jianjing instantly jerked her hand back, looking at him suspiciously.

    Chifeng just smiled, like a sly old fox: "A personal matter - I have a sister who''s your avid reader. She asked me to get an autograph from you. Would you be willing?"

    It was a reasonable request and refusing would be too odd, so Jianjing nodded: "Alright."

    "Please wait a moment." Chifeng stepped out briefly and came back with a newly published copy of "Demon Doctor". "Thank you."

    Jianjing flipped open the book: "Who should I write it to?"

    Chifeng cleared his throat: "Ji Yunyun. Just write, uh, study hard, get into a top university, don''t dream of opening a detective agency in the future."

    Jianjing raised her brow, a silent question in her eyes.

    "Just write ''study hard'' then," Chifeng conceded.

    Only then did Jianjing put pen to paper.

    Chifeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    He had his doubts about Jianjing, but still took his lunch break to interview her. When his beloved little sister insisted on getting an autograph, he could onlyply.

    As a policeman, he was mostcking towards his family.

    "Done," Jianjing closed the book and suddenly asked, "I have a question, if you don''t mind answering."

    Chifeng nced at the book in her hand: "What is it?"

    "What did that person want to do? Why did he act like that?" After much hesitation, she couldn''t resist asking the biggest question on her mind.

    Chifeng answered readily - such a malicious incident would definitely be publicly reported, so telling her now made no difference: "The perpetrator was Dr. Chen''s patient. He had gone to the hospital before for treatment, but they rmended some tests that he felt were too expensive, so he didn''t get them done. Six monthster, he developed issues and got tested at another hospital, where he was diagnosed withte-stage cancer."

    Jianjing softly exhaled.

    "He felt that if Dr. Chen had told him it could be cancer back then, he definitely would have gotten the tests. And he thought the hospital was deliberately overcharging so he wouldn''t have a chance at life. So he developed the idea of getting revenge on society."

    What Chifeng didn''t say was that ording to the perpetrator''s own ount, he went in with the mentality of taking someone down with him for each life he had left.

    His rationale was simply imbnce.

    "I didn''t do anything bad my whole life, why do I get such rotten luck? If I can''t live well, why should they get to live well? If I have to die, we can all die together, I don''t care. Killing one is earning one for me." The perpetrator felt no remorse the entire time.

    Such indiscriminate murder was the most frightening kind.

    If not for Jianjing''s preemptive actions, the consequences were unimaginable.

    For this exact reason, Chifeng decided not to look too deeply into the oddities surrounding Jianjing.

    "Ms. Jian, you saved many lives," he sincerely said. "If there is a next time, I hope you can be as brave as you were this time."

    Jianjing: "..." Next time?

    For a policeman to say this, just how terrifying must the crime rate be in this world?

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    Due to concerns about safety, Jian Jing stayed at home alone for a weekend.

    Nothing happened, all was calm.

    On Monday, she had to go to school for sses.

    Jian Jing was a Chinese major in her third year. Her course schedule wasn''t too packed, with just six sses a week - five major courses and one elective.

    Today''s sses were "20th Century Western Literary Criticism" and "History of Ancient Chinese Literature (Part 5)". The former required an end-of-term paper, so only 20-30 people came to ss. Thetter had closed-book exams and attendance was taken, so around 40 students attended.

    Returning to the ssroom, Jian Jing felt a little out of ce, constantly worried that her phone would ring at any moment with a new task notification from her work WeChat group.

    It took her some time to realize that she was a student now, not a corporate ve.

    There was no pressure in the university ssroom. Her professors didn''t take attendance.

    This sudden leisure confused Jian Jing, involuntarily giving her the illusion that "the world is not so bad after all".

    "Jian Jing, did you get the boss''s text? Do you have sster?" a female ssmate asked her, "We''ve got the equipment ready and are going to start shooting tonight."

    Jian Jing thought back - the girl''s name was Zuo Xin. They were fairly familiar ssmates and members of the same club.

    The club was called "Mystery Club". It had around 20 members total, with only 7 or 8 core members. In the past, they had just gotten together to y games like Werewolf and watch movies. Butst year, when the new club president took over, he decided it was time to do something big.

    They would make a mystery film together.

    The club members thought it was pretty interesting and agreed to the proposal.

    Of course, shooting a film was no easy feat, even just messing around. It required a massive amount of effort. Many people dropped out midway, but some persisted.

    They spent half a year preparing, and today everyone was in position. The president had texted all the members, notifying them to attend the opening ceremony.

    Jian Jing was very interested and agreed toe.

    Zuo Xinughed, "Great, you''re the investor - you can''t miss it."

    Jian Jing chuckled. The Mystery Club had limited funds and could never afford to shoot a film. The members had racked their brains to raise 50,000 RMB, but it still wasn''t quite enough.

    In the end, she, the "wealthy sponsor", had generously funded the club with another 30,000 RMB to make up the difference.

    Although not very formal or serious, it was still her first time investing in a film shoot. Since she was free, she definitely wanted to go take a look.

    At 5pm, Jian Jing arrived at the appointed location - the old ssroom building on campus.

    This ssroom building was decades old. Green ivy crawled over its red brick walls, providing a cooling sensation when passing by in the summer. Unfortunately, due to its excessive age, the building was not convenient for installing amenities like air conditioning or elevators, so it was no longer used for sses.

    Currently, the old building''s ssrooms were all allocated by the school to student clubs, with activities for clubs like the Literature Club, Film Club, Painting Club, and more, all centered around this area.

    "Jian Jing, over here." The club president waved to her.

    "The investor is here, everyone better be on their best behavior today." said the cameraman.

    The lead actress was putting on makeup, ignoring them.

    The props assistant was organizing equipment and props, greeting them hastily before continuing his work.

    Zuo Xin was reviewing the script. She was the screenwriter for this film.

    "Hey." Someone patted her on the shoulder from behind.

    Jian Jing turned around to see a woman in a red kimono with long, messy ck hair blowing in the wind like writhing seaweed beneath the ocean surface.

    She was silent.

    "Did I scare you?" The other person removed her wig, smiling as she said, "This prop is very realistic, right?"

    Jian Jing asked strangely, "Are there female ghosts in a mystery drama?"

    "It''s a hallucination," Zuo Xin exined on her behalf. "A manifestation of the heroine''s obsession."

    "Yeah, I''m just making a cameo as the female ghost." The person said, "Let me introduce myself, I''m Luo Jun from the Drama Club next door, ying the male lead."

    "Nice to meet you." Jian Jing updated her memories.

    Hu, the club president. Male, 4th year film student. New president of the Mystery Club and director of this film.

    Wang, the cameraman. Male, 3rd year film student. Long-time member of the Mystery Club. Cinematographer for this film. Loves photography, most of the equipment is his personal collection. For some reason, he seems a bit hostile towards her.

    Tang, the lead actress. Female, 2nd year journalism student. New member of the Mystery Club. Striking looks, haughty personality. Uses expensive cosmetics, seems toe from a well-off family. ying the female lead in this film.

    Zuo Xin, female, 3rd year Chinese literature student. Long-time member of the Mystery Club and screenwriter for this film.

    Deng Props, male, 4th yearputer science student. Long-time member of the Mystery Club, props master for this film. Will also make cameo appearances as extras.

    Luo, the male lead, male, 2nd year acting student. Member of the Drama Club, ying the male lead and other supporting roles in this film.

    And there was her, Jian Jing, 3rd year Chinese lit student. Not a very important investor in this film.

    That made 7 people total, the entire crew for the mystery film "Perfect Revenge".

    The opening ceremony was extremely simple - prayers to a pig''s head, fruits, and Guan Gong idol on their phones. Even the incense was virtual. Not a penny was spent.

    After President Hu made a show of worshipping, he eagerly urged, "Everyone, let''s get started!"

    The plot of "Perfect Revenge" was very simple. There was a pair of twin sisters. The elder sister mysteriously disappeared, and afterwards the younger sister started having nightmares in a distant foreignnd, frequently seeing her elder sister covered in blood appearing by her side, seemingly having met misfortune.

    So the younger sister returned to China, impersonating her missing elder sister, to find the truth behind the incident.

    The scene they were shooting today was when the younger sister took advantage of the night to search for clues in the ssroom, and her elder sister''s ghost appeared again to guide her.

    The night was deep, and the old ssroom building was perfectly tranquil. President Hu had gone around to every club, asking them to cooperate with the shoot, and finally obtained an entirely darkened old building for the day.

    The lead actress Tang slowed her breathing, tiptoeing up the stairs.

    The shifting lights and shadows were like evil spirits lurking in the darkness, seeming ready to drag her into another world at any time. Silently, when she looked up, a woman in red had appeared out of nowhere, lifting a hand to eerily point towards the ssroom.

    The heroine went inside. The ssroom was very ordinary and normal - desks, chairs, ckboard, posters - all familiar sights.

    But in the next moment, bloodstains suddenly appeared on the snow white walls.

    Trickles of blood ran down, faintly forming the words "The one who killed me is..."

    Director Hu signaled: "Cut!"

    "Ah, I''m exhausted." Tang the lead actress instantly dropped her expression, looking around, "Where''s my bag?"

    Luo the male lead removed his wig, moving next to the camera: "How was that?"

    "Props, give that to me, don''t drag it on the floor." Deng Props snatched away the expensive wig and carefully set it aside.

    The terrifying atmosphere instantly dissipated.

    President Hu and Wang Cameraman stood together watching the yback window, asionally exchanging a few words.

    "The expression is still a bit stiff."

    "I think it was pretty good. It''s everyone''s first time shooting, this result''s not bad."

    Lead actress Tang shot them a contemptuous nce.

    "It''s natural to be a little unnatural in front of the camera, everyone''s like that," Luo the male lead suggested. "Why don''t we take a break and try again?"

    Zuo Xin raised her hand, "Jian Jing bought fried chicken and Coke, let''s take a snack break first."

    Wang Cameraman looked up, "How generous, as expected of our investor."

    President Hu red at him,ughing as he urged, "Just in time, I''m starving. Let''s eat something together and discuss how to shoot the next parts. I called in a lot of favors to get the other clubs to clear out today and give us space, so we''ve got to film enough footage to make it worthwhile."

    After struggling for half the day, the others were also happy to rest a bit. They brought over tables and chairs and started feasting on the fried chicken.

    Zuo Xin and Jian Jing were the most familiar. She asked her, "You took two days offst week, something happen?"

    "I was sick," Jian Jing replied concisely.

    Wang Cameraman was fiddling with the equipment, not eating the snacks. "I saw in the news youmitted suicide?"

    Jian Jing feigned surprise, "You believe those tabloid rumors?"

    "It wasn''t just tabloids, several major provincial media reported you killed yourself because your new book wasn''t selling well." Wang Cameraman pushed his sses up. "Very detailed reports."

    "Then they''re hical media," Jian Jing said breezily. "When I release a new book, they try to profit off the hype. It''s nothing new."

    She acted unconcerned, which only highlighted Wang Cameraman''s unconcealed jealousy.

    President Hu asked, "All fake news, huh?"

    "I really did go to the hospital, the rest is made up." Jian Jing blinked. "It''s like when a female celebrity goes to the hospital - even a checkup gets reported as an abortion. If they don''t sensationalize it, who will pay attention?"

    Lead actress Tang remarked, "It''s all like this nowadays, gotta grab eyeballs or you get no traffic."

    "Times have changed," President Hu sighed twice, then called to Wang Cameraman as if nothing had happened, "Come eat something, what are you filming?"

    Wang Cameraman said, "Behind the scenes footage, tomemorate today''s first shoot."

    President Hu didn''t want to force him and asked Deng Props again, "Don''t pack up yet, eat first."

    "Let me wash my hands." Deng Props disyed his dirtied hands. "You guys go ahead."

    Lead actress Tang had only eaten one wing before saying, "I can''t eat any more, fried foods are bad for my skin." She dabbed her mouth with a napkin, saw the lipstick stain, and hurriedly stood up, "Can''t do, I''ve got to go touch up my makeup."

    "Good thing I don''t need any," Luo the male lead said heartily as he wolfed down food. "This ce''s seasoning is pretty good, the chicken''s nicely marinated."

    They chatted while eating. After Deng Props had tidied up and joined them, they started discussing the next scenes to shoot.

    Zuo Xin said, "We should film some more exterior shotster, they''ll definitelye in useful."

    "Good point, aerial shots from a drone would be best, shame we couldn''t borrow one." President Hu said.

    "There are trees around, maybe we could climb up and shoot from one of them?" Luo the male lead suggested.

    Upon hearing this, Wang Cameraman hoisted up the camera, "I''ll go take a look outside." And he headed downstairs without waiting for the others.

    A whileter, his voice sounded from outside, "Old Hu,e down here."

    "I''ll go see what''s up." President Hu hurriedly went down after wiping his mouth.

    Just then, Zuo Xin''s phone rang. She picked it up and went outside to take the call, "Hey Mom, I''m at school..."

    Her voice gradually faded away.

    The remaining three people weren''t close with each other and quietly ate their chicken and drank Coke.

    No one knew how much time had passed before President Hu came back up, his shoulders slightly damp, "It''s raining, let''s just shoot Scene 10 next. Male lead, go get your makeup done."

    "Got it." Luo the male lead was also eager, taking his toiletries bag and heading briskly for the bathroom.

    Deng Props busied himself with restoring the previous scene setup.

    About 10 minutester, the others gradually returned, except lead actress Tang was still missing.

    President Hu was anxious, afraid the rain would stop and they wouldn''t be able to continue shooting. He hurriedly asked, "Where''s Tang Yuran?"

    "Didn''t she go touch up her makeup?" Jian Jing asked strangely.

    "It''s been half an hour already, does it take that long?" President Hu said, "Jian Jing, Zuo Xin, can you go to the bathroom and hurry her along?"

    Jian Jing was about to agree when the familiar subtitles appeared again.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: Mystery Club Murder Case]

    [Mission: On the night of the Mystery Club''s opening shoot, the actress ying the female lead Tang Yuran dies under mysterious circumstances. Please assist the police in finding the real murderer and bringing them to justice.]

    [Rewards and penalties: Sess rewards 20 Bravery points. Failure has no penalty.]

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    Where am I? What happened?? Why am I the one solving the case???

    No, no, no, Tang Yuran is dead?

    Jian Jing stood still for three seconds, and Zuo Xin called her to enter the restroom together.

    This building has four floors, with only one restroom on each floor. The restroom on the first floor is for men, the second floor is for women, the third floor is for men, and the fourth floor is for women. They were shooting on the fourth floor, and at the end of the corridor was the women''s restroom.

    Outside the restroom, there were two sinks separated by a door. Inside, there were three squatting toilets in a unified cubicle. The locks on the first two doors were green, but the one on the innermost toilet was locked.

    "Tang Yuran, are you in there?" Zuo Xin knocked on the door.

    No response from inside.

    Jian Jing squatted down and saw a pair of snow-white legs.

    "Go get a chair," she told Zuo Xin, "there''s someone inside."

    "For number one or number two?" Zuo Xin asked with a puzzled expression.

    Jian Jing said, "It seems like they''re sitting on the floor, maybe they fainted due to low blood sugar."

    Zuo Xin was startled and quickly went to get the chair as requested.

    In the meantime, Jian Jing quickly observed the crime scene.

    The door between the restroom and the sink area was open, anyone coulde in, but the door to the cubicle was locked from the inside, making it a locked-room murder (assuming she''s really dead).

    Of course, calling this a locked-room murder with a restroom door lock is a bit of a stretch... it''s not exactly airtight.

    Ahem, that''s not the point.

    There was blood inside.

    At that moment, footsteps could be heard at the entrance. Director Hu came over with a chair, and there was no one else around. He went straight into the women''s restroom and ced the chair in front of the partition, urging, "Jian Jing, take a look, should we call 120?"

    Others also came to see what was happening. "Is she okay?" they asked.

    Jian Jing climbed onto the chair and peered inside.

    A few secondster, she turned around and motioned for them to leave. "Step outside, and don''t touch anything," she said. Then she jumped down from the chair, took out her student card from her pocket, and wedged it into the door crack, slowly lifting it upward.

    Click.

    The door opened.

    Jian Jing had some knowledge of forensic investigation and didn''t need her hands. She used her student card to push the door open.

    Blood was everywhere.

    "Tang Yuran is dead," Jian Jing turned to the other members and said, "We should call the police, right?"

    "Dead??" The others had a bewildered expression, as if asking, "What are you talking about?" They approached one after another to check.

    Zuo Xin, who was closest, saw it clearly and her legs went weak. She staggered and leaned against the wall. "Oh my god, is this real?"

    "How did this happen?" Director Hu was dumbfounded. "What happened? Was it one of us?"

    Wang Cameraman swallowed hard and reacted quickly. "Today, there are only a few of us in this building. No one from other clubs came."

    The surprise and grief on Luo Male Lead''s face turned into shock. "Are you suggesting that the murderer is among us?"

    "That''s a rather irresponsible spection," Zuo Xin shook her head, her face pale.

    "Stop arguing," Deng Props hesitated and asked, "Is she really dead? Is there no breath left?"

    Jian Jing reached out and felt for her breath. She was already dead.

    She kept an eye on the expressions of others while taking out her phone to send a text message to Officer Ji Feng. The system required her to solve the case, and if an unfeeling police officer came who wouldn''t tell her anything, it would be troublesome. It would be better to find someone she knew.

    "Officer Ji, one of my ssmates died in the restroom. The address is the fourth floor of the old teaching building at X University. Please send someone over as soon as possible. Thank you."

    Ji Feng replied quickly, "Suicide or murder?"

    Jian Jing sent a photo of the scene.

    Ji Feng said, "Preserve the scene. I''ll be there in two hours."

    Jian Jing couldn''t believe her eyes as she looked at the time: two hours? Even wilted vegetables would have gone cold by then.

    Fortunately, he immediately provided an exnation, "We have limited manpower. We are currently searching for a serial killer and can''t spare people to go there temporarily. Please organize things on our behalf. Thank you very much."

    Jian Jing: "..." Ah, this damn crime rate!

    Wang Cameraman noticed her and asked sharply, "Jian Jing, who are you texting?"

    "A police officer I know. They''ll be here soon," Jian Jing replied. She didn''t like Wang Cameraman, but she agreed with his earlier judgment that the killer was likely among these few people. Otherwise, in such a vast crowd, how could she possibly pinpoint the real culprit?

    Her mind raced, and she looked around at everyone. "Before the police arrive, no one can leave. However, considering that all of you have left individually before, while I''ve been in the ssroom the whole time, I''m the least suspicious. I hope everyone can follow my arrangements."

    "You were alone here just now," Wang Cameraman retorted.

    Jian Jing asked, "Zuo Xin only took half a minute to move the chair. Do you think I could have done so much work in such a short amount of time?"

    "There''s so much blood here, but Jian Jing is clean. It couldn''t have been her," Zuo Xin, who was good at writing detective dramas, immediately spoke, "Are you overreacting because you feel guilty? You were away the longest today."

    Wang Cameraman sneered, "Nonsense, I''ve been downstairs filming the whole time. Don''t believe me? See for yourself."

    "Stop arguing," Jian Jing made a gesture and spoke firmly, "Everyone, let''s go back to the ssroom first and organize everyone''s timeline."

    Hu Sheng, the president, agreed, "Yes, let''s go back and corroborate each other''s alibis."

    They returned to the ssroom and began to check their movements for the day.

    Jian Jing looked at her phone. "My takeout was delivered at 9:58 PM, and by the time you brought it up, you finished filming, so the approximate end time of the shoot was 10 PM. And we discovered Tang Yuran''s body at 11:20 PM."

    She opened her memo app and took notes. "Let''s confirm everyone''s departure time. I remember Deng went first?"

    "I was organizing props, which took about 10 minutes, then I went to the bathroom to wash my hands. Before leaving, Tang Yuran was still with you, right?" Deng Props asked.

    Luo Male Lead said, "Yes, about 5 minutester."

    "Then it was Wang Cameraman, going downstairs to film," Zuo Xin pointed out, "He was gone for a long time."

    "The camera has a timestamp. No need for you to say," Wang Cameraman impatiently flipped through the footage and said, "I went downstairs at 10:30 PM, called Lao Hu down at 10:40 PM, and finished at 11:15 PM."

    Zuo Xin said, "Yes, Lao Hu received a call from his mother when he went down, at 10:40 PM."

    President Hu said, "I came back up at 11:05 PM."

    Luo, the male lead, said, "Then I also went to the restroom at that time."

    "No, you went out earlier," Deng Props suddenly spoke up. "At that time, it was just the three of us when Zuo Xin made a phone call, and you went to the restroom."

    Luo immediately responded, "Oh, now that you mention it, you also went out."

    "I went after you came back," Deng Props didn''t deny it.

    Jian Jing listened and mentally cursed: What''s going on with everyone? Did they all leave separately? This way, everyone bes suspicious.

    After sorting through the information, the timeline of everyone''s actions is as follows:

    10:00 PM - End of filming, supper begins.

    10:10 PM - Deng Props goes to the restroom to wash his hands.

    10:15 PM - Tang Yuran goes to the restroom to touch up her makeup.

    (During this time, Deng Props returns to the ssroom.)

    10:30 PM - Wang Cameraman goes downstairs to shoot some footage.

    10:40 PM - Wang Cameraman asks Hu Shuzhang to go downstairs, and Zuo Xin goes out to answer a phone call.

    (During this time, Luo and Deng go to the restroom one after the other, with no ovepping time.)

    11:05 PM - Hu Shuzhang goes upstairs.

    11:05 PM - Luo, the male lead, goes to the restroom.

    11:15 PM - Everyone returns to the ssroom.

    11:20 PM - Tang Yuran''s death is discovered.

    Jian Jing left with a headache and asked tentatively, "During this hour, when everyone went out separately, did anyone see each other? Wang, were you and Hu together the whole time shooting footage?"

    Wang Cameraman said, "Of course not. Hu was looking for locations, so I was filming everywhere."

    There was no way to reason it out.

    Jian Jing tried a different approach, "What kind of rtionship did all of you have with Tang Yuran?"

    Zuo Xin said, "I wasn''t very close to her, just saw her during club activities."

    Hu Shuzhang said, "She joined the club this year, it seems Deng introduced her?"

    Deng Props said, "Yeah, our dormitory and theirs had a gathering, and she seemed interested when I mentioned the club, so I introduced her. We didn''t have any personal rtionship, but we were somewhat acquainted."

    Jian Jing asked, "During the gathering, did she have a boyfriend?"

    Luo, the male lead, said, "She was my ex-girlfriend."

    Others: "??!!"

    Luo, the male lead, smiled, "Why else would Ie here to help you guys? She said they needed a male actor, and since I study drama, I thought it would be a good opportunity to practice, so I came."

    Zuo Xin said, "You''re still willing toe even after breaking up? Don''t you find it awkward?"

    "When I agreed, we hadn''t broken up yet. We only broke up a few days ago," Luo, the male lead, exined. "I actually wanted to find an opportunity to tell you guys that I won''t act anymore, but I couldn''t find the chance. Then I thought about it, and since I don''t have many scenes, there''s no need to bring it up."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but ask, "Why did you break up?"

    "For no reason, we couldn''t get along, so we broke up. You''re not a police officer, why are you asking so many detailed questions?" Luo, the male lead, didn''t want to answer directly.

    Jian Jing nced at him. She noticed that after the roles were reversed, many things became apparentˇŞLuo, the male lead''s counter-questioning resembled how she looked when Ji Feng caught her off guard. Not only did he evade the questions, but he also counterattacked, clearly showing resistance.

    It''s intriguing.

    She made a mental note and asked Wang Cameraman, "And what about you?"

    "It''s nothing," Wang Cameraman scoffed, "You''re really acting like a police officer."

    Zuo Xin keenly said, "Your attitude is problematic."

    "This is a normal attitude. Being unreasonably treated as a suspect, by cooperating like this, do you want people to think that you have no suspicions?" Wang Cameraman retorted.

    Seeing that the two of them were about to start arguing again, Jian Jing interrupted them in time. "I''m not forcing you to speak if you don''t want to, but sooner orter you''ll have to talk when the police arrive."

    Having experienced two missions before, she had calmed down by now and started thinking about how to solve the case. "The rain outside is getting heavier. If there are any footprints or other traces, they might disappear quickly. So, before the policee, we should take a look around for any suspicious clues. The killer may not be among us; they might have already escaped."

    "Now, like this," Jian Jing scanned the faces of everyone and called out, "Luo and Deng, go nearby and see if there''s anything suspicious, especially footprints. Take pictures if you find any. But you mustn''t act alone; you have to stay together."

    Then she pointed at Hu Shengchang, Wang the Cameraman, and Zuo Xin. "Could you three please carefully review the footage we shot? There might be unexpected clues."

    Wang the Cameraman was somewhat displeased. "Why should we listen to your arrangements?"

    Deng Props also seemed reluctant. "You''re not nning to go through our things while we''re gone, are you?"

    "Why would I?" Jian Jing smiled faintly. "I just think that Tang Yuran was a member of our reasoning club. She was killed for no reason. It''s only right for us to do something for her, both morally and logically. Don''t you agree?"

    Her method of appealing to their sense of justice was executed beautifully. Each person present had their own thoughts, but they were ultimately just college students. No one would be heartless enough to refuse to help even with such a small matter.

    After all, just over an hour ago, Tang Yuran had been joking and working with them.

    Everyone epted her arrangement by default.

    Only then did Jian Jing have the opportunity to return to the scene of the crime. Previously, her first thought when she saw the partition wasn''t "Tang Yuran died a horrible death," but rather "there''s something wrong here."

    Now, she had to find that incredibly intriguing problem.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    ˇľIn the real world, upon discovering a corpse, please call the police promptly, and protect the crime scene well by not walking around or moving anything at the scene, and cooperate with the public security authorities. The plot in the story is fictional, please do not take it literally orpare it to reality, thank you.ˇż

    --

    Jian Jing walked around the crime scene, looking for clues.

    The sinks outside were neither clean nor dirty, with a few strands of hair scattered on the counter, and the faucets were old-fashioned. Inside the basin were two drops of dried lip gloss.

    She recognized the color - it should be Tang Yu Ran''s, proving that she did touch up her makeup here.

    Just beyond was the interior of the restroom. Behind the door was a mop and bucket.

    She picked it up and looked - there were traces of red blood water remaining under the mop head. Drawing nearer, the pungent odor overwhelmed everything else.

    She went to check the third stall.

    Tang Yu Ran''s death scene was covered in blood, an extremely horrifying sight that could startle manyymen.

    But Jian Jing had acquired some basic forensic knowledge, and to her, the bloodstains in the stall were full of scientific impossibilities.

    First, Tang Yu Ran had multiple wounds on her chest with copious bleeding, but there was no murder weapon. Judging by the wounds, she was likely stabbed by a sharp object.

    If this was the primary crime scene, when the assant pulled out the weapon, there should be arge amount of high-velocity blood spatter from the pressure on her body.

    These blood droplets are generally less than 4 mm in diameter, irregrly round in shape. There should also be tiny blood spatter nearby.

    But while there was a lot of blood in the stall, the bloodstains on the door and partitions had long trailing tails.

    These were typical cast-off bloodstains, urring when a bloodied weapon is swung or a bleeding limb is iled.

    Did Tang Yu Ran bleed profusely while dancing in the bathroom?

    Additionally, most of the blood was smeared bloodstains, a series of gruesome bloody handprints.

    Tang Yu Ran did have blood on her hands, but imagine if you were severely injured in a bathroom - your instinct to survive would make you open the door and call for help, not leave handprints all over.

    Most importantly, there was no blood on the doortch.

    What was most unbelievable was that time had passed, yet the blood at the scene had not coagted at all.

    Blood coagtes very quickly. The fact that it had not coagted after so long meant either Tang Yu Ran had leukemia, or that this "blood" was not real blood.

    Jian Jing drew nearer and sniffed - the smell of blood was too faint indeed.

    Even ughtering a chicken gave off more odor than this.

    This was not blood, it must be props. She knew that sometimes anticoagted pig or sheep blood was used to film bleeding scenes and could stay fresh with additives.

    Tang Yu Ran had fake blood on her hands - matching the handprints in the stall.

    Jian Jing deduced that Tang Yu Ran had staged this deceptively real scene for some reason, maybe as a prank. But in the end it became a cover for her death.

    However, amidst the fake blood, there were a few drops that had dried - real blood.

    These droplets were about 5 mm in diameter, typical passive dripped blood, very round and somewhat uneven.

    In static dripped blood, the unevenness is uniform. In moving dripped blood, it is not.

    Based on the unevenness, the direction of motion could be deduced. These blood drops had shorter protrusions near the door and longer ones further inside - proof of someone walking in and dripping blood.

    No matter if left by the killer or Tang Yu Ran, it indicated one thing.

    This was not the primary crime scene.

    The killer murdered Tang Yu Ran, then moved her body to this staged scene. They used tricks to close the stall door, making it look like the scene of the crime.

    Before leaving, they wiped away other blood traces, but neglected the real blood left in the stall.

    Jian Jing exited the bathroom, carefully examining the walls on both sides. Finally, on the edge of the stairs down, she found another drop of blood.

    The female bathroom was right above the male bathroom - could it be... She turned into the men''s room.

    Nothing there.

    That made sense. It would be very odd for Tang Yu Ran to end up dead in the men''s bathroom with no reason. And the bathroom could be entered by anyone at any time - the killer wouldn''t choose to murder here, unless the fourth floor bathroom was out of order.

    But she had just checked, and found nothing wrong there.

    It was more likely the initial crime scene was outdoors.

    She had to go back and re-examine Tang Yu Ran''s corpse.

    Jian Jing returned upstairs and put on disposable gloves to check the body again. It seemed somewhat rigid now, butcking forensic pathology knowledge, she could not determine time of death, only make guesses based on other traces.

    Tang Yu Ran''s hair and clothes were not damp, so it was highly likely she had died before the rain, and was brought back inside by the killer. There were traces of mud on her shoe soles and clothing hems, while the ground around the teaching building was concrete - she could have only picked it up in the small garden out back.

    Did she meet someone there?

    Wait.

    Jian Jing was shocked to find faint bloodstains on the disposable gloves.

    She checked again and found a more obscured wound at the back of Tang Yu Ran''s head, with clotted blood, and some flecks of dirt in her hair. This was the fatal blow - were the other knife wounds inflicted post-mortem?

    Without the knowledge, there was no way to determine.

    Jian Jing felt utterly lost. She could only return to the ssroom for now.

    As soon as she entered, Zuo Xin immediately tattled, "Wang Cameraman left for a bit, look at this footage." Before Jian Jing could react, she fast forwarded to 22:35. The screen showed the view of the teaching building.

    "Look here." Zuo Xin was also a mystery buff, with keen observations. "There''s his shadow in the bottom left, but at 36 minutes, the shadow disappears and doesn''t show up again in the next few minutes."

    Wang Cameraman argued, "I can''t stand somewhere else? The mosquitoes were going to eat me alive there!"

    Jian Jing neither agreed nor disagreed, only asking, "Did you catch when it started raining?"

    "Yes, at 23:02," Zuo Xin replied.

    Jian Jing swiftly calcted in her mind - good, no one was off the suspect list yet.

    She stroked her chin and said to Wang Cameraman, "Sorry, but could you take off your shoes for me to see?"

    "Why should I show them to you?" Wang Cameraman reacted strongly.

    Even Hu Director realized something was off and said sternly, "What are you being so defensive for, Old Wang?"

    "She suspects you too, and you''d react the same way," Wang Cameraman said coldly.

    Jian Jing was considering how to persuade him when footsteps sounded outside and Luo Male Lead and Deng Props returned. Without even entering, they heard the argument and asked, "What are you guys doing?"

    "Did you find any clues?" Jian Jing asked.

    Deng Props ced a rhinestone butterfly wing piece on the table. "Found this in the little garden out back, it''s from Tang Yu Ran''s earring."

    Jian Jing had just checked the body and confirmed one wing was missing from her butterfly earrings. "Tang Yu Ran went to the garden out back. Who asked to meet her there?"

    Hu and Zuo Xin looked at Wang Cameraman in unison and said, "Take off your shoes?"

    Wang Cameraman''s face was ashen.

    But he knew that refusing now would only increase suspicion. If he provoked everyone''s anger, they might hold him down and yank his shoes off.

    After weighing pros and cons, Wang Cameraman chose to take his shoes off. "How does this prove anything?"

    There was mud on the soles.

    "Yes, I went to the garden, isn''t that necessary to scout locations?" He put his shoes back on, still arguing his case.

    Deng Props lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before suddenly saying, "When I went to wash my hands and use the bathroom earlier, I saw Tang Yu Ran head out back. You didn''t see her?"

    "What time was this?" Jian Jing asked.

    "The paint was hard to wash off, I was there a good ten minutes. After I finished, I went to the bathroom. The window inside just happened to face the corner of the building, so I saw Tang Yu Ran head that way," Deng Props exined. "That''s why I had Luoe check out back with me just now."

    Luo Male Lead nodded, corroborating Deng Props'' ount.

    Hu Director analyzed, "Around 22:20, and you were the next one to leave, Old Wang. Did you meet with Tang Yu Ran?"

    "So what if I did?" Unexpectedly, Wang Cameraman admitted it. Impatiently, he said, "We had something to discuss and met in the garden to chat for a minute. I set up the camera and went over.

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow. "How long did you talk?"

    "Two, three minutes. It was a simple matter," Wang Cameraman said. "She must have gone back and gotten followed to the bathroom afterward. I''m not involved."

    Jian Jing looked pensive. "So when you called Hu down..."

    "We were already done talking. I passed the garden and saw a nice tree, so I called him down for that," Wang Cameraman''s ount was coherent and consistent. "Old Hu, I was under that tree when you came down right?"

    Hu Director nodded.

    Zuo Xin said, "You parted ways after right?"

    Hu Director nodded again reluctantly.

    Zuo Xin made a "see" gesture, tone t, "That doesn''t prove anything."

    Jian Jing thought differently. She felt that Wang the cameraman admitting to meeting Xiao Huayuan actually reduced his suspicion - although he had previously concealed his meeting with Tang, considering Tang''s death, this kind of evasive mentality could be understood - but if the first crime scene was the garden, Wang the cameraman''s admission would greatly increase suspicion.

    He could have easily said the mud was from somewhere else, like sometime beforeing here today. There was no need to take the risk and admit it.

    Therefore, looking at it this way, his testimony seems more credible - around 10:40 pm, Tang Yu Ran was still alive. Next, President Hu, Zuo Xin, Luo the male lead, and Deng the props guy left one after another. Who would have been most likely to be the murderer?

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    Jian Jing was the first to exclude Zuo Xin. She could be targeting Wang to shift suspicion, but as a girl, she couldn''t have moved the corpse to the fourth floor.

    Manager Hu went downstairs at 10:40 PM and came back at 11:05 PM, leaving him unounted for 25 minutes, the most time.

    Deng Props went to the bathroom at 10:10 PM, and returned to the ssroom 15-30 minutester. He went again at 10:40 PM, leaving twice in one hour. Does he really need to use the bathroom that frequently with his bad kidneys?

    Luo Male Lead also went to the bathroom after 10:40 PM, and went to get touchups at 11:05 PM, leaving twice as well. If he killed Tang right after leaving the first time and stashed her somewhere in the teaching building, he could have brought her upstairs on the second trip, avoiding Wang and Manager Hu who were outside.

    Oh no.

    If she hadn''t called Luo and Deng to leave earlier, whether their shoes had mud or not would have been critical evidence. But she ruined it herself.

    Jian Jing suddenly realized this and felt extremely regretful.

    She intended to give Hu and Wang a chance to destroy evidence if they went downstairs, but never expected her clever n to backfire.

    What now, are there any other clues?

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and beckoned to Wang Cameraman, "Let''s talk."

    Wang Cameraman: "I have nothing to talk to you about."

    "A police officer I know asked me to ask you some questions," Jian Jing had no hesitation using someone she just met as leverage. "Don''t you want to clear your suspicion?"

    Wang hesitated, then went outside with her.

    The two talked in private at the end of the hallway.

    "I want to know what Tang Yuran said to you," Jian Jing said. "Don''t reject me outright. Your suspicion is great now, but I feel someone may be framing you."

    Wang''s attention was diverted: "Who''s framing me?"

    "Of course the real murderer," Jian Jing gently persuaded. "Only catching the real killer can prove your innocence, right?"

    Wang''s expression changed several times before he finally spoke, "It was nothing much. She had asked if I wanted to film something award-worthy earlier, and if so, to do as she said today."

    "Was this your conversation in the small garden?"

    "No. At that time, she told me toe find her at 11 PM to film behind-the-scenes footage, and I had to film it seriously." Wang scratched his head. "That was it, nothing else."

    Jian Jing stared at his face unblinkingly, "You don''t know her ''n''?"

    Wang asked back, "What n?"

    "The n to film award-worthy work." Jian Jing asked, "You know absolutely nothing? Are you sure?"

    "I''m sure, I really don''t know anything." Wang said irritably.

    Jian Jing nodded and let him leave, calling for Deng Props.

    Deng Props went straight to the point, "Any clues, or you still suspect me?"

    "You''re responsible for procuring all props for the club''s shoots," Jian Jing asked. "I want to know what you bought. Can you show me the receipts?"

    Deng Props hesitated, then took out his phone and showed her his purchase orders, which included wigs, costumes, fake blood, skulls and other horror movie props.

    "Did you use any fake blood today?" She looked closely. "How many packs did you use, how many are left?"

    Deng Props was silent.

    Jian Jing said unhurriedly, "Think carefully."

    The muscles on Deng''s face twitched microscopically, but she couldn''t interpret microexpressions. She only knew he was conflicted internally. After a while, he spoke, "Used up a few packs." Not waiting for Jian Jing to ask, he volunteered, "In the bathroom."

    Jian Jing feigned surprise, "The blood in the bathroom was fake?"

    "Yes, Yuran and I did that together." After saying it aloud, Deng''s face showed immense relief. He quickly exined, "It was a n. Yuran said our story was cliche and boring, not worth filming unless we created some hype."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Very simple. If strange things happened while we were filming a horror movie, it would attract attention once it spread. Movie within a movie, that''s all." Deng gave a wry smile. "It''s that simple."

    Jian Jing thought, "This was Yuran''s idea? Who else knew?"

    "Should just be me and her. Yuran wanted to film the others'' genuine reactions for credibility." Deng analyzed. "Telling everyone beforehand would be too fake."

    Jian Jing suddenly understood.

    She had to admit, Yuran had good ideas. Zuo Xin''s script was mediocre, Manager Hu was a first-time director, and the two leads wereplete newbies. The end product would be predictable.

    But with her n, it might just rise from the dead.

    The problem now was, the person who could fake the scene must be someone who knew about it. And ording to Deng, only he and Yuran knew.

    "Why did she only tell you?" Jian Jing seized on the ambiguity.

    Deng was a little embarrassed, "Uh, I wanted to pursue someone from her dorm. She said she''d hook me up if I helped her."

    Jian Jing realized and asked again, "What did you do the first time you left?"

    "I went to the female bathroom to prepare props. Yuran cameter too. She said I was gone too long and would arouse suspicion, telling me toe back first. So I went downstairs to the male bathroom to clean up. That part is true, but I didn''t actually use the bathroom. She told me to go find Old Wang and remind him to film behind-the-scenes."

    "How did you set it up?" She asked in detail.

    "Just poured some fake blood in the toilet bowl, sshed some around." Deng described clearly. "Yuran said she''d handle the handprints since a girl''s hands are smaller, after all it was the female bathroom."

    Jian Jing silently nodded to herself, it matched up.

    She pretended to be calm, "So you think she was killed while setting up the scene in the bathroom?"

    Deng thought seriously for a bit, gesturing meaninglessly with his hands, "I feel so. She talked to Wang first, then was killed when she returned to the bathroom to set up. Or Wang could''ve killed her and moved her to the bathroom, but time was too tight."

    "You''re under suspicion," Jian Jing stated as objectively and calmly as she could. "The second time you left gave you ample time to kill her in the bathroom."

    Deng argued, "If I did it, why would I tell you?"

    "Because perhaps a third person knew, and you''d be very suspicious if you didn''t say anything." Jian Jing was extremelyposed. "Like the manager, does he really not know about a n like this?"

    Deng was anxious, "I don''t know if Old Hu knew or not. In any case, it wasn''t me."

    Jian Jing controlled her expression and stared at him seriously for a long time before lightly nodding, seemingly believing him.

    Her earlier suspicion of Deng was just a test. She deliberately said "kill in the bathroom." If Deng was the murderer, he should''ve denied the bathroom was the primary scene and shifted me to Wang Cameraman. But although he knew the blood was fake, he thought the murder urred while setting up. This actually reduced his own suspicion.

    The two returned to the ssroom where an argument was underway.

    "What are you guys fighting about?" Jian Jing raised her brows.

    Manager Hu was furious, cursing, "They''ve lost it. Just because I attended a hometown gathering with Yuran means I was involved with her?"

    Wang Cameraman asked coldly, "You didn''t mention knowing each other before."

    "What''s there to mention? Just met a few times." Manager Hu stomped his feet. "Do I have to specially report it?"

    Jian Jing and Zuo Xin exined, "We were looking through Yuran''s campus album and found a group photo with the manager in it."

    Manager Hu yelled loudly, "A hometown gathering! We''re from the same ce so all us locals gathered. I''m less close to her than in the club. I didn''t think it was necessary to specially mention it, right?"

    The others clearly looked suspicious.

    "Uh..." Luo Male Lead hesitated, then knitted his brows and asked, "I don''t mean anything else, but didn''t she, I mean Yuran, often interact with a guy who even gave her gifts? Was that you?"

    Manager Hu reacted as if his butt was on fire, yelling loudly, "The hell it was! I have a girlfriend. We were just ordinary friends. Don''t suspect people groundlessly."

    But Zuo Xin was very interested and probed, "Did you break up because of that man?"

    "Whether she brought him up when breaking up with me, I can''t say for sure." Luo gave a wry smile. "Just overheard a couple sentences."

    Zuo Xin pursued, "Could you have harbored resentment over this?"

    "Come on, we''re not kids anymore. Just a normal breakup, not enough to kill someone." Luo firmly asserted. "Look at me, it''s not hard to date. No need to sacrifice half my life for her."

    Jian Jing and Zuo Xin looked at him simultaneously.

    Luo raised his hands, "I have amercial audition soon. If I do well, I may get signed. I''m not that stupid. You can see I barely talked to her today right? Did I seem clingy?"

    Zuo Xin seemed to believe him and turned to Jian Jing, "Yuran was stabbed to death with a knife or something right? I think finding the murder weapon is most important, can''t give the killer a chance to destroy evidence."

    Jian Jing asked, "You mean...?"

    "If no one minds, take out your belongings and spread them out." Zuo Xin was very candid. "I''m not the killer anyway, I''ll go first."

    She emptied her shoulder bag onto the desk: lipstick, pens, earphones, tissues, wallet, phone charger, nothing else.

    Wang Cameraman said coldly, "Who''s stupid enough to keep the murder weapon on themselves?"

    "Then let everyone check you." Zuo Xin pressed aggressively.

    Wang brought his bag over and made a "go ahead" gesture, "I don''t believe you can find anything suspicious."

    Zuo Xin ignored him and started searching his bag.

    Seeing this, although dissatisfied, the others didn''t feel they could refuse without appearing suspicious themselves. After some hesitation, they also took out their personal items.

    But nothing was found.

    No one had a murder weapon.

    Jian Jing pondered, "Zuo Xin is right, can''t let the killer take away evidence. Let''s search the building in pairs."

    "Fine, you have connections, you call the shots."

    The others reluctantly started moving.

    The four-story teaching building was not big, and most of the ssrooms were locked. Only four bathrooms and this ssroom were empty, as well as the outdoor area.

    It was raining heavily now, and people were still focused on searching the teaching building.

    This move was undoubtedly the right one.

    Twenty minutester, a multi-purpose folding knife was found under the trash can in the second stall of the men''s bathroom on the third floor.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12

    The moment Wang the cameraman saw the knife, he cast an incredulous look at Director Hu: ˇ°Old Hu, this is yours...ˇ±

    Director HuˇŻs face was as ck as the bottom of a pot. He didnˇŻt say ˇ°yesˇ± or ˇ°noˇ±.

    Zuo Xin was surprised and asked: ˇ°The directorˇŻs?ˇ±

    ˇ°He bought a high imitation military knife and bragged about it being exactly the same to us before,ˇ± said Wang the cameraman. Unlike his previous cold and impatient attitude, he looked at his friendplicatedly, ˇ°I wonˇŻt mistake it. This is your stuff.ˇ±

    Director HuˇŻs face flushed red: ˇ°ItˇŻs not me! I have no grudge against her, why would I kill her? Am I crazy?? ItˇŻs not me!!ˇ±

    He waved his hands forcefully with restless gestures. The veins on his temples throbbed violently: ˇ°Someone must have taken my knife to frame me on purpose. Many people knew I had this. How could I possibly use something so obvious tomit murder?ˇ±

    Deng Props asked: ˇ°You mean you didnˇŻt put it there?ˇ±

    ˇ°Of course not!ˇ± Director Hu retorted.

    ˇ°No matter whose it is, it must be the murdererˇŻs,ˇ± Zuo Xin said definitively. ˇ°This is the murder weapon. There must be fingerprints on it. WeˇŻll know who it is after an investigation.ˇ±

    Director Hu insisted on defending himself: ˇ°If I wanted to kill someone, would I use my own knife? Besides, I didnˇŻt have a knife when I went downstairs. Unless I had nned to kill her beforehand, whatˇŻs my motive? Did you see anything wrong between me and Tang Yu Ran? I was still hoping to shoot this TV series well. With the female lead murdered, who could I find to continue shooting?ˇ±

    What he said was reasonable. The knife alone was not enough to determine he was the murderer.

    ˇ°IˇŻll take custody of the murder weapon first.ˇ± Jian Jing bagged the murder weapon in a stic bag and took it in her hand directly. ˇ°You guys look around to see if anything else was left out. Luo Jun, please take me to where the butterfly clip was discovered and take a look.ˇ±

    Luo Jun nodded: ˇ°No problem.ˇ±

    The two walked downstairs with umbres and headed for the small garden in the dim rainy light.

    Jian Jing let him walk in front and asked: ˇ°Do you think itˇŻs the director?ˇ±

    ˇ°Hard to say. What he said makes sense. Using his own stuff as a murder weapon is indeed a bit silly,ˇ± Luo Jun lit the way with his phone. ˇ°But if it wasnˇŻt premeditated murder, and done in a spur of impulse, using his own stuff would be normal, right?ˇ±

    Jian Jing lightly hmm-ed in agreement and echoed: ˇ°He had plenty of time. I suspect him the most too.ˇ±

    Luo Jun smiled. He walked ahead with uneven steps, limping a little.

    Soon, the two arrived at the small garden. The dense tree trunks blocked most of the view. The soil was drenched by the rainwater, shoes all muddled in mud.

    ˇ°It was around here.ˇ± Luo Jun casually pointed to a spot. ˇ°When Deng and I came before, we didnˇŻt find any footprints or the like. It should have been before it started raining. Wang is unlikely.ˇ±

    Jian Jing asked: ˇ°Why?ˇ±

    ˇ°Calling Hu downstairs was unnecessary for him. Also, I watched the surveince video. His footage was taken sporadically across different locations and times,ˇ± Luo Jun analyzed. ˇ°Whereas Hu was away for too long.ˇ±

    Jian Jing sighed lightly in agreement: ˇ°Hu is the most suspicious. IˇŻll tell the policeterˇŞwhatˇŻs wrong with your foot?ˇ±

    Luo JunˇŻs gait was somewhat bizarre, limping.

    ˇ°ItˇŻs nothing. I sprained it on the way down just now when I didnˇŻt watch my step clearly,ˇ± he quickly said. ˇ°It shouldnˇŻt be serious. ItˇŻll be fine after icing it when I get back.ˇ±

    Jian Jing shone her phone left and right: ˇ°ThereˇŻs a small path up ahead. We should be able to circle back that way. LetˇŻs go from here. You shouldˇŻve told me earlier your foot was hurt. I wouldˇŻve asked someone else toe down with me.ˇ±

    ˇ°Really, itˇŻs nothing. I wanted to do something for Yu Ran too,ˇ± Luo Jun said sadly. ˇ°She was so young.ˇ±

    ˇ°Yes, how could the murderer bear to do it.ˇ± Jian Jing sighed lightly again.

    The shlight shone through the drenched grass and trees onto the small path up ahead.

    The stone path was deliberately paved in the garden, shaped like a Y. The entrance below led to two small paths on either side that circled around both sides of the ssroom building.

    They took the left path, circling half the garden, and arrived at the bicycle shed beside the old ssroom building. Many decrepit old bikes covered in rust were parked here.

    Turning past the bicycle shed, they were back under the ssroom building. And the entrance here happened to be near the restroom.

    Jian Jing took out her phone to check the time. It took 2 minutes to get from upstairs to the small garden, and 5 minutes to circle back to the ssroom building from the small garden.

    But now with the rain, if a man walked briskly, it could probably be shortened by 1-2 minutes.

    She didnˇŻt remember how long Luo JunˇŻs first restroom trip took, but it was vaguely very long, definitely over 10 minutes, possibly even 15 minutes.

    ˇ°Woo wooˇŞˇ± the harsh police siren sounded from afar.

    Her phone simultaneously lit up with an iing call. Jian Jing gestured for Luo Jun to leave first while she herself went to a secluded spot to answer the call: ˇ°Hello, Officer Ji?ˇ±

    Ji Feng cut to the chase: ˇ°Where are you?ˇ±

    ˇ°The old ssroom building,ˇ± Jian Jing leaned against the corridor edge and waved her phone at the approaching police car. ˇ°Can you see me?ˇ±

    Ji Feng said: ˇ°I see you, wait there.ˇ±

    Three minutester, the police finally arrived.

    Ji Feng asked the two new officers to inquire with the other crew members while he questioned Jian Jing alone: ˇ°WhatˇŻs the situation?ˇ±

    Jian Jing hesitated a little.

    ˇ°Just say what you know,ˇ± Ji Feng rubbed his eyebrows and restrained his fatigue. ˇ°If the direction is right, we can crack the case quickly. If not, weˇŻll not only waste police effort but also risk losing evidence.ˇ±

    Only then did Jian Jing speak: ˇ°IˇŻm only saying my opinion. DonˇŻtugh.ˇ±

    Ji Feng: ˇ°I absolutely wonˇŻt.ˇ±

    ˇ°Alright.ˇ± Jian Jing prepared herself and said uncertainly: ˇ°I may have found the murderer.ˇ±

    Ji Feng choked: ˇ°Cough cough cough, what?ˇ±

    ˇ°The 4th floor female restroom wasnˇŻt the first crime scene. A knife was found under the trash can in the 3rd floor male restroom. It belonged to Director Hu but may not necessarily be the murder weapon. There were bloodstains in the 2nd floor female restroom. Unsure if it was Tang Yu RanˇŻs. In the garden behind the ssroom building, I found fragments of TangˇŻs butterfly hairclip.ˇ±

    Without wasting words, Jian Jing directly outlined the evidence.

    Upon hearing this, Ji Feng''s attitude immediately changed: ˇ°You discovered all this? Go on.ˇ±

    ˇ°I summarized everyoneˇŻs timeline and sent it to you,ˇ± Jian Jing copied and pasted her memo and texted Ji Feng. ˇ°Now let me share my deductions. Just casually listen, donˇŻtugh.ˇ±

    After mulling for a bit, she analyzed: ˇ°Firstly, Tang Yu Ran and Deng nned and concealed from everyone a bloody scene on the 4th floor female restroom, aiming to create a special event and add a gimmick to our short film shoot. The bloodstains on site can prove my point. Many of the bloody handprints were Tang Yu RanˇŻs own.

    ˇ°She left at 10:15 PM after setting up the scene, then went downstairs to chat with Wang for a while. Deng knew she went to the small garden. I think this timeline is credible since Wang wouldnˇŻt risk being exposed lying.

    ˇ°So around 10:30-10:40 PM, Tang Yu Ran was still alive. When I examined the corpse, her hair and clothes were not wet. It started raining at 11:02 PM. She died during this time frame.ˇ±

    Ji Feng listened very attentively. He casually took out a cigarette to light and took two hard puffs, invigorated.

    ˇ°Go on,ˇ± he urged.

    Jian Jing continued: ˇ°Wang was filming the whole time sporadically across different spots. He didnˇŻt have enough continuous time to kill and cover it up. IˇŻve also ruled out Zuo Xin since sheˇŻs female and couldnˇŻt have moved the body alone. That leaves Deng, Hu, and Luo.

    ˇ°Tang was alive at 10:30-40. DengˇŻs next departure was quitete already. We canˇŻt confirm the exact time, but I feel it was close to 11 PM. He also voluntarily told me about the staged scene... I recorded that conversation, you can listenter. I don''t think it was him.

    ˇ°I was most suspicious of Hu and Luo, but eventually locked in on Luo Jun.ˇ±

    Ji Feng asked: ˇ°Because the murder weapon belonged to Hu?ˇ±

    ˇ°ThatˇŻs one reason. The murderer staged the crime scene but left the murder weapon downstairs. It doesnˇŻt add up. Also, if it was Hu, he was away for too long. But most importantly, I feel Luo JunˇŻs timeline matches up better.ˇ±

    Jian Jing moved into the reasoning: ˇ°He and Tang were boyfriend and girlfriend. It was simpler for them to arrange a secret meetuppared to the others. Tang finished meeting Wang around 10:40-10:50 PM and met up with Luo, or vice versa, Luo left shortly after 10:40, met up with her, they quarrelled, and he killed her. To prevent Hu and Wang from discovering the body, he took the small path behind the garden, moved the corpse to the 2nd floor female restroomˇŞthe 4th floor might have visitors anytimeˇŞthen returned to the ssroom.

    ˇ°Then in the ssroom, he got HuˇŻs knife, left at 11:05 PM, wanting to stage the 2nd floor female restroom as the primary crime scene, but after stabbing the corpse, he realized there was very little blood flow. It was insufficient for his needs. So he thought of Tang Yu RanˇŻs staged n and directly borrowed the ready-made fake scene on the 4th floor. Then he discarded the murder weapon in the 3rd floor male restroom.

    ˇ°Of course, I donˇŻt know if he was aware of the n, but Tang Yu RanˇŻs n couldnˇŻt have been recent since they just broke up a few days ago. I have reason to suspect Luo knew about it.ˇ±

    Ji Feng put out his cigarette: ˇ°Anything else?ˇ±

    ˇ°A trash can in the 2nd floor female restroom was missing its trash bag,ˇ± Jian Jing recalled. ˇ°The janitorˇŻs schedule on the door shows the trash bags were changed at 6 PM. But one stall was empty. I guess he tore open the trash bag to block the blood stter, which is why he didnˇŻt get any on himself. And that item is still on his person now.ˇ±

    Ji Feng pped and quite readily said: ˇ°Since you already have spections, letˇŻs have him cooperate first.ˇ±

    Seeing his readiness, Jian Jing was hesitant instead: ˇ°What I said are all guesses. What if IˇŻm wrong?ˇ±

    ˇ°If it''s wrong then it''s wrong. Even us police make countless mistakes.ˇ± Ji Fengughed. ˇ°DonˇŻt fear making mistakes. IˇŻll cover for you if anything happens. LetˇŻs go.ˇ±

    As this was Jian JingˇŻs first deduction, she was naturally eager to validate the result. After a brief hesitation, she quickly followed along.

    The room instantly quieted upon their entry as everyone looked to her, wondering what she told the police.

    Ji Feng signaled her with his eyes to speak.

    Jian Jing pursed her lips, her eyes sweeping over the curious Zuo Xin, the nervous President Hu, the frowning Wang Cameraman, the confused Deng Props, and finally settling on the calm-faced male lead Luo Jun.

    "Luo Jun," she said, "could you please take off your left shoe for a moment?"

    This request was bizarre, but it made Luo Jun''s expression change in an instant.

    He was quite handsome, and his smiles had fooled many girls before, but at this moment, he likely didn''t even know how horrifying his own expression was.

    The shock, tension and instinctive resistance wereid bare for all to see.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13

    When Ji Feng saw Luo Jun''s expression, he knew there was an eighty to ny percent chance that he was right. This kid knew how to fabricate a crime scene, but he had terrible psychological endurance - as soon as he was found out, he gave himself away.

    But it also proved that Jian Jing was even more capable than he had thought - she hadn''t raised the other''s suspicions at all.

    "Why?" Luo Jun''s voice was much shriller than usual. "What do you mean by this?"

    Jian Jing was now confident. Calmly, she said, "There''s probably a trash bag hidden in your shoes, right? I''d like to take a look."

    Luo Jun''s face was ashen. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "ssmate, we have voice recorders on, everything you say inconsistently will be documented," Ji Feng said cidly. "I advise you to confess on your own initiative - lighter sentencing is possible for voluntary confessions. You''re still young."

    It was as if someone had punched Luo Jun in the face. He staggered back half a step, leaning against a desk, his teeth chattering, hands clenched, not knowing what he was thinking.

    Taking advantage of his falter, Jian Jing pressed on, "The women''s bathroom on the fourth floor isn''t the primary crime scene. Did you think you could fool everyone? The coroner only needs to examine where the fatal wound is."

    "You suspected me from the start?" Luo Jun looked up at her incredulously. "You said you suspected Hu."

    "I lied to you. What if you decided to kill me too?" Jian Jing said expressionlessly. "We''re recording everything. If your words and deeds don''t match up, it''ll all be documented. I advise you to turn yourself in for a lighter sentence. You''re still young."

    It was as if someone had punched Luo Jun in the face. He staggered back half a step, leaning against a desk, his teeth chattering, hands clenched, not knowing what he was thinking.

    Taking advantage of his falter, Jian Jing pressed on, "The women''s bathroom on the fourth floor isn''t the primary crime scene. Did you think you could fool everyone? The coroner only needs to examine where the fatal wound is."

    "You suspected me from the start?" Luo Jun looked up at her incredulously. "You said you suspected Hu."

    "I lied to you. What if you decided to kill me too?" Jian Jing said expressionlessly. "We''re recording everything. If your words and deeds don''t match up, it''ll all be documented. I advise you to turn yourself in for a lighter sentence. You''re still young."

    Luo Jun reacted as if he had been punched in the face. Staggering back half a step, he leaned against a desk, teeth chattering and hands clenched, not knowing what to think.

    Seizing the momentum, Jian Jing went in for the kill: "The fourth floor women''s restroom wasn''t the primary crime scene. Did you think you could pull the wool over everyone''s eyes? The coroner only needs to examine the fatal wound to know where the murder happened."

    "You suspected me all along?" Luo Jun looked up at her in disbelief. "You said you suspected Hu."

    "I lied to mislead you. What if you decided to kill me too?" Jian Jing said emotionlessly. "We''re recording everything. Any inconsistencies in your words and actions will be documented. I advise you to turn yourself in - voluntary confessions can get reduced sentencing. You''re still young."

    It was as if Jian Jing had punched Luo Jun in the face. He staggered back half a step, leaning on a desk, teeth chattering and hands clenched, not knowing what to think.

    Seizing the momentum, Jian Jing went in for the kill: "The fourth floor women''s restroom wasn''t the primary crime scene. Did you think you could pull the wool over everyone''s eyes? The coroner only needs to examine the fatal wound to know where the murder happened."

    Luo Jun finally copsed under the pressure. "Turns out I''m just a fool." He rubbed his face and looked around at theing and going policemen. "Officers, I confess. I killed Tang Yu Ran."

    He described how he murdered Tang Yu Ran, just as Jian Jing had deduced.

    A week ago, he had signed a contract to appear in amercial shoot. An agent thought he had potential and was considering signing him.

    Luo Jun was eager to make his debut, even with a smallpany''s small-time agent. After in-depth discussions, he finally received a letter of intent.

    The contract stipted that he must remain "single" to avoidplications if he became famouster.

    So Luo Jun broke up with Tang Yu Ran.

    But Tang Yu Ran didn''t agree. She thought it was ridiculous for Luo Jun to consider fame before even having debuted - like a grade schooler contemting whether to aim for Tsinghua or Peking University.

    But she understood her boyfriend''s mindset and told him that instead of breaking up over something so nebulous, why not consider acting in a Mystery Club movie - she would help him gain some online notoriety, hence the subsequent "movie-within-a-movie" n.

    However, Luo Jun didn''t believe in his girlfriend''s capabilities. He was just afraid she would sabotage things, so he didn''t immediately reject the role.

    Tang Yu Ran thought there was still hope. She wanted to prove herself, so after setting up the scene tonight, she called Luo Jun to the small garden downstairs and exined her entire n.

    But Luo Jun wasn''t interested at all. He felt Tang Yu Ran was clinging onto him and trying to obstruct his road to stardom.

    "Stop pestering me!" he said in disgust. "We broke up already!"

    "Trust me, I can help you. Breaking up over something so ephemeral is ridiculous," Tang Yu Ran desperately tried to salvage their rtionship. "Is our love not worth more than some vague future?"

    Yes, it wasn''t worth more.

    What Luo Jun thirsted for was the limelight center stage, the wild screams of adoring fans, money, fame and status - not some girl''s affections.

    He believed he deserved a better future.

    "Stay away from me." He shoved the girl forcefully away, like brushing aside a stumbling block in his path, showing no mercy.

    Caught off guard, Tang Yu Ran fell and cracked her head on a sharp rock, dying instantly.

    Luo Jun panicked, afraid of the consequences of killing someone, yet also worried that if the truth came out, he would lose his chance to sign the contract and be a star.

    He decided to cover it up.

    Leaving the body in the garden risked it being discovered by Wang or Hu, so he took the back route through the garden and stashed it in the 2nd floor women''s restroom.

    With a women''s restroom on the 4th floor, it was unlikely Jian Jing or Zuo Xin woulde downstairs, so it seemed temporarily safe.

    After returning to the ssroom, he noticed a knife in Hu''s backpack, which sparked the idea to frame Hu. When no one was looking, he secretly pocketed it.

    When Hu called him downstairs to put on makeup, he quickly went down to stage a murder scene in the 2nd floor women''s restroom.

    But he realized corpses don''t bleed much postmortem, so he couldn''t achieve the desired bloody effect. In a panic, he recalled Tang Yu Ran''s movie n and carried the body upstairs to the 4th floor women''s restroom to fake the crime scene.

    Finally, he tossed the murder weapon into the trash can in the 3rd floor men''s room. Worried that the trash bag with traces of blood would not flush down the toilet, he simply hid it in his shoe sole.

    The whole process was not watertight, but he got lucky. Zuo Xin was on a phone call on the 4th floor, Hu, Deng and Jian Jing were in the ssroom, and Wang was wandering downstairs filming rain scenes - he didn''t encounter anyone the entire time.

    Brimming with confidence, he thought he had pulled the wool over everyone''s eyes. Especially when Jian Jing said she suspected Hu - he couldn''t help gloating to himself: Some genius mystery writer, wasn''t she stillpletely fooled by me?

    But in just half an hour, he was exposed red-handed with nowhere to hide.

    This humiliating moment caused his psychological defenses topletely crumble.

    "It was all because of her. If she hadn''t pestered me, I wouldn''t have..." Luo Jun still tried to defend himself.

    Zuo Xin was furious. "You were the one who broke up and lied that she cheated! What nerve! Who do you think you are? Still hoping to be a star? Disgusting!"

    Jian Jing was also bbergasted. Scumbags weremon, but ones like this were rare.

    But she no longer had the energy to argue. She simply grabbed the leftover c beside her and poured the carbonated drink all over Luo Jun''s head. "Trash."

    Luo Jun''s face alternated between green and white, looking extremely ugly.

    Ji Feng signaled the officers with his eyes. "Take him back to verify his confession. Not bad today, we can get off work early."

    Jian Jing reflexively nced at her watch. "It''s 1 AM. You call that early?"

    "It''s early. I still have time to grab a midnight snack," Ji Feng said in an excellent mood, even joking with her. "Want me to treat you? The station''s special instant noodles, and we can do your statement.

    Jian Jing: "..." No thanks.

    "Some other time." She didn''t want to go.

    Ji Feng didn''t push it and proceeded systematically with work. Although the suspect had confessed, procedures still needed to be followed.

    Luo Jun led the police to identify the original crime scene. Everyone else went their separate ways, just needing to cooperate with the investigationter.

    But as they split up, Wang the cameraman suddenly brought up a tough question: "With Tang Yu Ran dead and Luo Jun the murderer, what do we do about our movie?"

    Everyone''s mood instantly turnedplicated.

    Tang Yu Ran had arranged a movie-within-a-movie for Luo Jun to generate buzz for her boyfriend. But who could have imagined her death and his murder would be even more sensational than the n?

    Art is derived from life, and life is always more absurd than art.

    *

    Two dayster, Jian Jing learned from Ji Feng that Tang Yu Ran''s case was closed.

    The murder caused quite a stir at school, with online posts flooding in. Concerned about public perceptions, the school administration required the Mystery Club be disbanded.

    Everyone silently epted this, and ns for the movie were thoroughly scuttled.

    Deng the props master and Hu tallied up the club ounts. Various deposits and rentals totaled over 10,000 RMB. Added to the 10,000+ RMB originally earmarked for distribution, almost 30,000 RMB was returned to Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing epted it and offered to treat everyone to a meal, but Hu declined.

    "Your money was wasted without producing anything. I can''t let you treat us. Let me do it." He booked a private room at a club restaurant near school for a farewell dinner.

    On the day, turnout was low and the mood downbeat.

    Understandably, enjoying mystery fiction was one thing, but witnessing a ssmate''s wretched death was another. How could they process it in just a few days?

    Zuo Xin chatted with Jian Jing. After taking down the scumbag together, their friendship suddenly blossomed, and they started the requisite girl talk - gossip.

    "Know why Wang Hao dislikes you?" she asked mysteriously.

    Jian Jing was curious. "Why?"

    "Last year when the Mystery Club was recruiting, he tried talking to you andplimented your writing. You chatted a bit and he even asked you for an autograph. But the next week at the club activity, when he greeted you, you asked who he was." Zuo Xin threw up her hands - the truth was that simple.

    Jian Jing: "..." That''s it?

    Zuo Xin''s eyes told her, that''s it.

    "People oftene asking me to sign things. They all say simr things - I love your work, you write so well... After so many times, I simply can''t remember who''s who." To be precise, she didn''t forget fans'' actions, just their specific faces. If Wang Hao thought she deliberately snubbed him, he was overthinking things.

    Zuo Xin nodded in realization. "I see, you''re usually so aloof, I thought..." She didn''t finish, changing the topic. "But even not knowing Tang Yu Ran well, you worked so hard to find her killer. I knew you were warm-hearted deep down and cared about justice."

    Jian Jing froze.

    To be honest, while she certainly hoped the killer would be brought to justice if someone died innocently, she probably wouldn''t have investigated personally if not for the system''s requirements. Solving cases was the police''s job - ordinary people shouldn''t get involved. It was unprofessional and too dangerous.

    But Zuo Xin''s words stirred up strange feelings inside her.

    "Just coincidence. Luo Jun killed impulsively and left plenty of evidence. I got lucky in guessing he was the murderer." She exined, "If the killer is caught, that''s enough."

    "You did great already!" Zuo Xin said self-deprecatingly. "I''ve watched lots of mystery shows but didn''t even realize the first scene was staged. I''m useless."

    Jian Jing had no intention of unting borrowed knowledge. She smiled and brushed it off. "As long as the killer is caught."

    "I hope all the cases can catch the murderer," Zuo Xin said emotionally. "I heard a saying before that the longer a case drags on, the lower the probability of cracking it bes. But now the crime rate is so high..."

    Jian Jing was startled, and suddenly fell silent.

    She almost forgot this was not the original world. In the past, some people might not even witness a murder case in their lifetime, but in less than half a month since she came to this world, she had already experienced two cases.

    "Let''s not talk about this," Zuo Xin cheered up and teased her. "You write detective stories and can even solve cases. Maybe in the future you can be a writer-detective."

    Jian Jing: ( ?_ ?|||)

    Would she change her name to Conan Edogawa?

    While inwardly sarcastic, a hidden,pletely new feeling slowly spread to her chest, like drinking a cup of hot coffee in the freezing winter, warm andfortable.

    Although solving cases was forced socializing, miraculously...it wasn''t bad.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14

    After the detective club gathering, the club waspletely disbanded.

    Having just been reborn, Jian Jing didn''t have too deep feelings towards this club, so her mood was rather calm. She was more concerned with the new settlement.

    [Task Name: Detective Club Murder Case (Completed)]

    [Task Reward: 20 Basic Bravery Points + 10 Special Contribution Points (Locking Down the Murderer Before the Police Arrive)]

    [Note: Bravery points can be used to draw cards (ordinary). Each draw consumes 5 points; Contribution points can be used to draw cards (special). Each draw consumes 10 points.]

    [Start drawing cards?]

    Jian Jing decided to draw an ordinary card first. Based on past experience, it was usually a physique enhancement card.

    Sure enough, the system seemed to have a weighting - the first card was still a strengthen card.

    [Name: Strengthen Card ˇ¤ Endurance (1 Point)]

    [Description: Using this card can enhance muscr and cardiovascr endurance, improving muscr strength and cardiopulmonary function]

    [Note: Perseverance is important in all aspects]

    After using it, the number in the Endurance column of the mission panel changed from "4" to "5".

    She didn''t immediately use the remaining points, nning to save them up and draw when needed - maybe she could draw a desperately needed card at that time?

    It doesn''t hurt to be a little superstitious.

    On Saturday, Kang Mu Cheng called and told Jian Jing to attend Jin Wu Publishing House''s annual celebration that weekend.

    "It starts at 6pm. I''lle get you at 5," Kang instructed. "Keep a level head. Sales have been recovering welltely. Don''t embarrass yourself."

    Jian Jing: "Oh."

    The case had exhausted her mentally, making her almost forget that she was still a controversial novelist.

    After hanging up, she went online to check the reviews for Demon Doctor.

    The biggest and most authoritative book review website in China was called Bookworm Net. Demon Doctor had been online for half a month, and already had over a thousand reviews and over five thousand ratings. Its current score was: 7.4.

    By the way, when she mitted suicide", the score was 5.2.

    The top hot review for Demon Doctor was:

    The overwhelming negative reviews after it went online made me very curious about how bad Jian Jing''s writing had be, to provoke such universal condemnation. So I immediately bought and read the book. I have to say, the bad-mouthing between publishing houses nowadays is too much. Marketing is marketing, but intentionally smearing is disgusting. What''s the point of specifically picking out Demon Doctor''s weaknesses?

    Yes, Demon Doctor is not a ingenious mystery focused on tricks andplex crime scenes, and most of the cases don''t have borate modus operandi or shocking crime scenes. But that''s not the point of this book!

    The theme of Demon Doctor is good versus evil, though notpletely. At first the demon doesn''t understand humans, thinking that killers are evil and victims are good, but that''s not actually the case. Some killings are evil, while some are love.

    ...

    Thementer rambled on for over a thousand words, with over 1000+ likes.

    Word of mouth was slowly recovering.

    Although she didn''t write this book herself, the two were originally the same person, so feeling recognized made her want to cry.

    It was at this moment that she suddenly understood her other self''s despair.

    A work she had poured countless efforts into, casually misinterpreted by others at a word. She was rejected, mercilessly mocked, as if she had no value whatsoever in this world.

    And humans are social creatures - with Jian Jing''s parents deceased and kinship severed, and few friends, her connection to the world was, for the most part, through her novels.

    Writer Jian Jing was already almost equivalent to Jian Jing the person.

    When the former was rejected, thetter died along with her.

    Empathizing with these feelings, Jian Jing inevitably felt indignant - Kang Mu Cheng was right, she couldn''t let othersugh at her.

    She dug through her closet, taking out a custom gown she had never worn, its gray gauze fabric dotted with tiny glittering sequins that reflected tiny fragments of light like stars.

    This cool gray wasn''t as ssical as ck and white, but it was beautiful in its own right, though one had to have the air to pull it off.

    It was time for an image change.

    Jian Jing went out with her phone, relying on memory to find a hair salon she frequented.

    Tony weed her, smiling, "Miss Jian, you''re here again? Are you here to trim up and get a maintenance treatment like usual?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t help looking towards the salon''s huge mirror.

    Nowadays, writers had to craft an image to sell books. Kang Mu Cheng had styled her as a young yet gifted teenage writer, so her usual style had always been that of a well-behaved student.

    Seeing her like this, parents instinctively felt she was a good student, and her books wouldn''t corrupt children, loosening their grip on their wallets and boosting sales.

    "No," she told Tony. "I want to dye my hair."

    Tony enthusiastically rmended, "How about dyeing it milk tea brown? A very gentle, intellectual color that suits a writer."

    "Gray," Jian Jing flipped through a book and pointed to one of the colors. "Hemp ash gray."

    Tony: "Oh, okay."

    Hemp ash gray was a light cool tone, gentler than gran''s gray but cooler than brown hues. To bnce out the color, Jian Jing didn''t cut her hair short, instead curling her long hair into big waves.

    This way, the hairstyle nicely blended sweetness and aloofness. Walking down the street she would definitely turn heads.

    Tony praised, "This hairstyle really suits you, your temperament is great."

    Jian Jing was also very surprised. She had never dyed this color before, only choosing a bold shade to subvert her image, but the effect was surprisingly good.

    There would definitely be many people at the publisher celebration ready tough at her, so the new look was likely a good counterattack.

    Right on time at 5pm on Saturday, Kang Mu Cheng came to pick her up.

    At first sight, he stared at Jian Jing''s new hairstyle, looking her up and down for a long time.

    "Not good looking?" She took a lock of hair between her fingers.

    Kang Mu Cheng knitted his brows. "Why did you suddenly change your hairstyle?"

    It wasn''t that Jian Jing''s new look was ugly. Her fairplexion meant the cool gray dress and hemp ash hair, though cool, did not conceal her natural fair glow, but rather entuated her snowy smoothplexion.

    Like an unsheathed de.

    From head to toe, she was giving off a message: Don''t mess with me.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s feelings wereplicated, like a father watching his daughter put on makeup and dress up. Whether she looked good or not, he instantly felt uneasy for some reason.

    "You''ve changed," Kang stated decisively.

    For her fortitude toe so quickly, in the blink of an eye, was it because of her recent brush with death making her finally realize worldly judgments were irrelevant to her, or was there another reason?

    Jian Jing thought about it, but just said, "Maybe."

    The two Jian Jings were two branches in the same road, one sharp-edged and famous but fragile and sensitive, the other talents faded, increasingly ordinary but resilient and mature.

    It was hard to say which path was better - perhaps both had their own pros and cons.

    Now, they were starting to converge.

    "Alright, you''re growing up," Kang didn''t dig any deeper. "It looks good."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "Your hair," he said.

    Jian Jing smiled.

    "I think so too," she said.

    *

    As night fell, neon lights came on. The car stopped at the entrance of an old factory.

    This used to be a textile mill, experiencing ups and downs before being bought over by a hotel, renovated into a hotel with strong historical and cultural charm. Next to it was the river flowing through the city, with excellent scenery.

    Nowadays, it had beenpletely transformed. The walls were still made of bricks fromst century, but after being rejuvenated by the skilled hands of designers, the dpidation became historic sediment, the mottled exterior was nature''s graffiti. Paired with industrial-themed interior design, the style was instantly elevated, bing a go-to venue for the arts circle to hold all kinds of events.

    Profit was profit, but publishing was still about literature and art. Naturally they couldn''t choose a luxury hotel. This ce was undoubtedly very suitable.

    However... "Achoo." The riverside wind was cold, making Jian Jing''s nose itch.

    Kang nced at her. "Go in quickly."

    His gaze was a little reprimanding.

    Without him saying so, Jian Jing quickly went inside.

    At the hotel entrance was the publishing house''s logo and autograph board, already filled with many names, all recognizable figures in the arts circle, critics, writers, screenwriters, and even directors.

    Jian Jing signed her name, ending it with a heart.

    "Yo, the boss''s little princess is here?" A middle-aged man walked over, expensive suit unable to conceal his beer belly. His meticulously styled hair couldn''t hide his receding hairline.

    Jian Jing''s gaze slid over him. She nodded. "Teacher Wu."

    Jin Wu Publishing had a long history, and had coborated with many famous writers. These writers could be divided into two camps, old traditional writers and young fresh writers.

    Wu was one of the old writers. He hadn''t published anything new in five years, and hisst book was also received very lukewarmly, readers no longer bought it. He had wisely decided to put down his pen, relying on his former fame to host seminars and appear on reading programs, living a veryfortable life.

    It was also an "old tradition" for veterans to "look after" neers.

    From memory, Wu seemed to have a rather poor impression of her, always vaguely condescending, seemingly thinking that her sales were only due to cozying up with Kang Mu Cheng, whom he had biasedly propped up.

    "No way, just selling a few books and already disrespecting your seniors like this?" Wu signed his name mboyantly, his amiable tone full of provocation. He shook his head, muttering to himself, "Young people nowadays..."

    "You''re really outdated," Jian Jing said casually, ying with the chain on her handbag. "Young people these days believe in letting their skills speak for themselves, not relying on seniority."

    Wu Writer was taken aback, then his face turned ashen: "Sharp tongue."

    "Why are you in such a hurry to put yourself in their shoes?" Jian Jing retorted.

    People wereing and going at the entrance, and two junior editors were busy registering. This was no ce for an argument. Considering himself an elder, Wu Writer didn''t want to lose face. He gave a coldugh and walked straight out.

    Jian Jing hadn''t expected him to back down so quickly. She was puzzled, but then realized why.

    Some people, as long as you''re not afraid of them, have nothing to be afraid of.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15

    Today''s hotel decorations were very beautiful. On both sides were two long tables with velvet tablecloths, filled with snacks and drinks. In the middle was a stage with hot, ring lights, adding to the heat.

    Jian Jing stood quietly in the corner for half a minute. She had no other intentions, just once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of ropes. She was very afraid that as soon as she entered, the system would suddenly give her a task.

    But after waiting for a while, nothing happened. She let out a breath and took a sip of sparkling wine.

    "Jingjing." The female chief editor wearing a gingham suit and high heels came over, smiling and said, "I haven''t seen you for a long time. Wow, your dyed hair looks so good, you''re glowing white."

    Jian Jing remembered her. This was Guo Chief Editor, an extremely smart and capable woman. She had good rtionships with most of the authors and was a capable helper for Golden Crow.

    "Chief Editor Guo also looks very beautiful today," Jian Jingplimented.

    Guo Chief Editor''s smile deepened. After being the deputy general manager in Kangmu City, she had jumped to Golden Crow as an editor. Now most of the writers'' affairs went through her hands, except for Jian Jing - she was the only neer personally nurtured by Kangmu when he was the chief editor. Some joked that she was "Young Miss Kang''s princess", but it wasn''t far from the truth.

    "Jingjing." Wearing a thousand-bird patterned suit, the female chief editor walked over with a smile and said, "I haven''t seen you for a long time. Wow, your dyed hair looks so good, you''re glowing white."

    Jian Jing remembered her. This was Guo Chief Editor, an extremely smart and capable woman. She had good rtionships with most of the authors and was a capable helper for Golden Crow.

    "Chief Editor Guo also looks very beautiful today," Jian Jingplimented.

    Guo Chief Editor''s smile deepened. After being the deputy general manager in Kangmu City, she had jumped to Golden Crow as an editor. Now most of the writers'' affairs went through her hands, except for Jian Jing - she was the only neer personally nurtured by Kangmu when he was the chief editor. Some joked that she was "Young Miss Kang''s princess", but it wasn''t far from the truth.

    "Would you like me to introduce you to some of the directors, screenwriters and producers here today?" Guo Chief Editor reached out in friendship.

    Jian Jing wanted to decline, but when she opened her mouth, she noticed Guo Chief Editor''s toes were pointing in another direction, and her eyes were peeking that way, as if waiting for something.

    She suddenly understood. It seemed Guo Chief Editor was not purely trying to get along, but was entrusted by someone.

    "Okay," Jian Jing nodded, curious who wanted to see her.

    Guo Chief Editor, having achieved her goal, rxed her brows and led her to the sofas in the corner.

    There sat two men and one woman: the older man had white hair, a thin physique, and kept smoking. The younger man was slightly fat, with a harmonious expression. The woman had short hair and diamond earrings hanging from her earlobes.

    Guo Chief Editor introduced them one by one. The older smoking man was Director Ding, the younger fat one was Screenwriter Xu, and the short-haired woman was Producer Tian.

    She then introduced to them, "This is Teacher Jian Jing."

    "I haven''t seen Jingjing for a long time," Producer Tian said loudly with augh, "You''ve be a youngdy now."

    Jian Jing was a little surprised that they knew each other, but couldn''t remember who she was.

    Producer Tian, being good with people, saw through her confusion and exined, "We met three years ago when Kangmu brought you to discuss the contract for Catch the Hidden Children with me. Remember?"

    The past scenes came to her mind and she remembered.

    Three years ago, she was still in high school. Kangmu said a producer had noticed Catch the Hidden Children and wanted to buy the rights to make it into a movie. He asked Jian Jing what she thought.

    She had agreed.

    This Producer Tian was the film and television investor who hade to purchase the rights at the time.

    "Oh," Jian Jing blushed like a young girl would. "Sorry, you look even better with short hair now. I didn''t recognize you."

    This apology was clearly clumsy, but Producer Tian was not angry at all. Sheughed and said, "Come on, let me introduce you. Director Ding directed Catch the Hidden Children. This film was shown at the Film Festival this year. Screenwriter Xu is Director Ding''s old friend and wants to chat with you."

    Who would have thought Director Ding would say, "You left out one thing."

    "Oh?" Producer Tian raised her eyebrows.

    Director Ding said, "Jiang Baiyan''s acting."

    Producer Tianughed and said, "Indeed. But it was also Director Ding''s discerning eye that unearthed this gem called Jiang Baiyan."

    "He is talented," Director Ding left it at that, turning the topic back to Jian Jing. "I also heard you have a new book recently?"

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and nodded.

    Producer Tian said, "I read it. The reviews weren''t great. The ws also have to do with the medium. The character arcs of the demons were not well presented. It might be better adapted into a TV series. What do you think, Old Xu?"

    "Texts have the advantages of texts. I also feel the demon''s story would be more suitable adapted into a drama," Screenwriter Xu half-joked and half-probed, "What do you think, any ns in that direction?"

    Jian Jingughed.

    She understood now. They had their eyes on The Demon Doctor. Given the current not-so-high reviews of the book and her past suicide scandal, they probably thought they could obtain the copyright cheaply.

    And Guo Chief Editor acting as the matchmaker should be trying to make a side deal without going through Kangmu.

    "I don''t know, I haven''t thought about it," she acted very surprised, seemingly at a loss for how to respond.

    Guo Chief Editor gently nudged her, "This is a good opportunity. A TV adaptation would also increase book sales. It would be even better if Screenwriter Xu personally helmed it. The dramas he wrote were all big hits."

    She then listed the names of several popr TV dramas in recent years.

    "You are amazing," Jian Jing showed an awkward smile.

    The topic abruptly stopped.

    Guo Chief Editor quickly smoothed things over, "Of course, it would be an honor to have Screenwriter Xu interested this time."

    "Am I too shabby?" Screenwriter Xu was also slick and didn''t pursue it further. He looked left and right, not in a hurry either, "If I didn''te, I would definitely be scolded for forgetting my roots."

    Guo Chief Editor said, "What forgetting your roots, who would dare say such words? Tell me and I''ll give them a beating."

    Everyoneughed loudly.

    Jian Jing also turned up the corners of her lips and politelyughed along. But the others could see her smile disappeared faster than usual, as if suddenly ufortable.

    They became even more uneasy.

    Strangely, Jian Jing was just a youngdy. Even with her halo, she was nothing but ayer of false light in their eyes,pletely non-threatening.

    Yet her gaze...her gaze was very different.

    She was observing them, examining them, not curious, not scheming, just observing.

    In these circles, everyone yed their games, but the perspective of an outsider observer made them instinctively ufortable, as if every expression and action was magnified.

    When Kangmu Cheng walked over, this was the strange scene he saw: the group sitting together clearly should have been chatting andughing, but instead some were drinking, some preening, only Jian Jing sitting alone on the other side, not looking quite human with her newly dyed cold gray hair draped over her shoulders.

    "Jingjing," he came over casually and rested his hand on the back of her chair, lightly holding it, "What are you guys talking about?"

    Producer Tian said with a smile, "Catch the Hidden Children."

    "Oh, it was nominated at the Film Festival," Kangmu was well-informed, "It might win an award."

    Director Ding was very modest, "It depends on luck. Thepeting films from Europe are also adaptations of novels, they may be more to the judges'' taste."

    Kangmu mentioned a few underdog films and chatted with Director Ding about insider gossip at the Film Festival before circling back to the main topic. "My mom is here. She wants me to bring Jingjing over, please excuse us for a bit."

    Of course everyone graciously allowed it.

    Jian Jing got up and left with him.

    Walking some distance away, she asked, "Guess what they were saying to me?"

    "They''re shameless liars taking advantage of a little girl," Kangmu said. "Don''t listen to them. I see potential in The Demon. It would be even better leverage if Director Ding''s film wins an award."

    Jian Jing said, "I know."

    But Kangmu asked again, "Do you have enough spending money?"

    "I don''t have many ces to spend money."

    Kangmu nodded and took her to his mother.

    Kangmu''s mother was the president of Golden Crow Publishing. Her hair was pulled back in a bun without a strand of white hair. Her ck fish tail evening gown was elegant and dignified. If not for the fine lines around her eyes, no one would guess she was already over 60.

    "Auntie," Jian Jing took the initiative to greet her.

    A smile appeared as Madam Kang put an arm around her shoulders, "Jingjing is here. You look so pretty today. Come, let me introduce you, this is our publishing house''s little star. She may be young but has great talent."

    The people chatting with Madam Kang were either presidents and wives of otherpanies, or leaders from rted departments. Meeting such a girlish young author, they jokingly teased her a bit.

    "I''ve heard of you, the youngdy your family dotes on."

    "Sister Kang, you like her so much, why not take her as a goddaughter?"

    Madam Kang smiled, "Oh no, this child was brought up by Kangmu. I can''t snatch people from my son, how embarrassing. Besides, young people have different perspectives from us old folks. I''m getting on in years and often misjudge."

    "Who doesn''t have old eyes at this age?" said a simrly capable woman. "Look at me, nearsighted 500 degrees, old eyes 300 degrees."

    "Eyes are a small problem. I was hospitalized for three monthsst year when my heart was bad, almost didn''t make it through," added a middle-aged man with graying temples.

    They chatted, asionally bringing up Jian Jing''s name, asking if she "agreed" or "liked" something.

    Jian Jing just smiled.

    After a while, Kangmu Cheng said, "President, I''m taking Jingjing upstairs to meet some friends."

    Of course everyone graciously said "go ahead."

    Madam Kang nced at Jian Jing, a faint disappointment shing between her brows, but her tone was cheerful, "Go on, I know you youngsters can''t stand us old folks."

    Her side gaze lingered on Jian Jing.

    The snow-woman like youngdy said, "I want to go to the bathroom first."

    The othersughed and their gazes slid past her, no longer seeing her.

    Kangmu''s expression didn''t change as he took her aside and asked, "Is it very boring?"

    "It''s okay," Jian Jing said. "Your mother seems a little disappointed."

    Madam Kang had tried to engage her in conversation several times, hoping she would say something, but Jian Jing showed no interest at all.

    It''s hard to exin this psychological motivation. Reason knows it''s an opportunity to get acquainted with big shots. If they can give a word or two of praise, it might help the book sell better and be more well-known.

    As a fallback, everything relies on Kang Mu Cheng. If he decides to sponsor someone new someday, having connections would give me more leverage.

    However, she just felt...quite bored.

    No adrenaline rush at all, no excitement.

    Might as well go to the detective agency.

    As the thought arose, Jian Jing scared herself for a second, hastily scolding herself twice in her mind, thinking, I must have just transmigrated to an unfamiliar world and got spooked by the system.

    Cases and stuff, the farther from me the better.

    She brainwashed herself N times before feeling slightly relieved.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16

    Kangmu City knew that Jianjing did not like socializing, so he reassured her: "My mom won''t mind, she''s giving you a chance, if you don''t like it, she won''t ask you again next time."

    Jianjing thought about it and said, "Actually it''s quite fun."

    "Hmm?"

    "Didn''t Mr. Qin say his wife is opening an art museum this weekend and invited everyone to attend?"

    "What about it, do you want to go?"

    "No, I just think it''s funny that he''s selling the ''loving husband'' image while having an affair."

    Kangmu City was surprised: "Having an affair?"

    "There was a dyed brown long hair stuck in his shirt cor, and a thread hooked on his cufflinks, ck and white. Of all the women here today wearing formal dresses, the threads would be very noticeable if they snagged, except for..." Jianjing''s gaze went through the crowd andnded on Guo Chief Editor, who was dressing smartly and capable.

    She was wearing a houndstooth suit with a jacket draped over her shoulders. Underneath was a fitted pencil skirt suit. There were some ck roots showing in her golden brown hair.

    It was obvious that Mr. Qin''s affair was with Guo Chief Editor.

    "Don''t learn from her." Kangmu City had seen too much of this and was not surprised. He taught Jianjing, "If a married man implies something to you, give him a p."

    "It has nothing to do with me." Jianjing was totally unaffected.

    But she forgot that while the gentleman was heartless, the mistress was willing.

    Jianjing had juste out of the bathroom and happened to run into Guo Chief Editor.

    She greeted Jianjing affectionately, "Oh, let me tell you something. You know Mr. Qin, the one who runs the art collectionpany. He''s opening his new museum this weekend, you should go take a look too."

    Jianjing did not want to get too close with her, and was about to politely decline as soon as she opened her mouth.

    But Guo Chief Editor was quicker and said in a low voice, "Mr. Qin has invited... the minister''s wife. Mr. Kang will definitely have to make an appearance. You should go with him and get to know people."

    There were two Mr. Kangs at Golden Crow, but Kang''s mother was usually called Chairwoman Kang, and Kangmu City was called "the boss". She was clearly referring to thetter.

    Jianjing was originally not very interested, but hearing her say this, she didn''t immediately refuse: "I''ll go if I have time."

    "It''s settled then." Guo Chief Editor''s attitude was very eager.

    Jianjing vaguely agreed and barely managed to get away. After turning a corner into the hallway, she bumped into Wu Writer again.

    He was in the hotel atrium near a fake rockery, cuddling and groping a young girl.

    The girl was trying hard to break free, rejecting him very politely, "I''m sorry Teacher Wu, I have something to do. Teacher Wu, please don''t do this."

    "You wanted to ask me about the seminar right? I haven''t thought it through yet." Wu Writer said nonchntly, "I''m very busy, I can''t always make time for events..."

    Jianjing raised an eyebrow, took out her phone, and snap.

    The camera shutter sound was loud and startled Wu Writer.

    "What are you doing?" He stared at her phone, "Taking random photos, delete it."

    Jianjing slid her screen casually, "This is a public ce, am I bothering you by taking a selfie?"

    Wu Writer scolded, "Stop bbering, delete it." While speaking, he reached to grab it from her.

    Jianjing neither dodged nor avoided: "Teacher Wu, if you keep this up, I''ll scream assault."

    "A little girl threatening me?" Wu Writer sneered coldly, "You can hardly protect yourself, yet want to stand up for others?"

    Jianjing was extremely calm: "Try me."

    Wu Writer''s expression wavered. After a long while, he didn''t forcibly snatch her phone. He said, "If you''re thinking of posting it online, I advise you to give up early. What good will a single photo do? If you try to swindle and fail, don''t me me for not warning you."

    "Don''t worry." Jianjing had no intention of really posting it. ckmail material was most intimidating when kept in hand. Once posted online, it was like revealing your hand in poker, leaving things to the opponent''s response afterwards.

    One photo wouldn''t do much, at most earning Wu Writer some scolding, not shaking his foundation at all.

    "Hmph." Wu Writer gave a cold snort, no longer in the mood to "guide" the young girl, and left with a flick of his sleeve.

    At this time, the young girl who had been harassed hesitated, then came over and said, "Teacher Jian."

    "Yes?" Jianjing looked at her. The details she saw emerged one by one: the dress was a size too big, still had fold lines, the brand logo of a fast fashion brand was visible on the back of her neck, her shoes didn''t fit her feet properly, the back of her heels had bandages, clearly not used toing to such asions.

    Added to her young and tender face, she was most likely a fresh graduate, sent by herpany to run errands.

    "I''m Xiao He from the eventpany." The girl unconsciously picked at her fingers, "I just want to thank you so much for just now, but can you please delete the photos you took earlier?"

    Jianjing asked, "Why?"

    Xiao He said bitterly, "I''m the person from thepany responsible for liaising with Teacher Wu. If the photos aren''t deleted, he definitely won''t agree to coborate."

    "So?" Jianjing asked.

    Xiao He was taken aback for a moment, looked up at her, and stammered, "I thought you were helping me out."

    "That''s right, but what good will deleting the photos do?" Jianjing retorted, "You were harassed, you should tell your supervisor, if he doesn''t help you, tell the boss, and if the boss wants you to bear with it, just resign directly."

    Xiao He pursed her lips: "Teacher Jian, please do me a favor, it wasn''t easy for me to find a job."

    Jianjing knitted her brows: "I didn''t catch your face in the photo."

    "My leaders promised our client that Teacher Wu would participate in the event. If I mess this up..." Xiao He shook her head without finishing her sentence, "Please."

    Jianjing looked at her steadily for a moment, then said, "No."

    "Why?" Xiao He looked up at her in confusion, the dry disposable contact lenses reflecting the image of the woman before her.

    She was a few years younger than herself, with snow white skin and long xen curls draped softly over her shoulders. Her light gray cocktail dress was studded with crystals, like a Disney princess dress.

    She had helped her, so why was she making things difficult for her?

    "No reason." Jianjing said, "You''ve already offended Teacher Wu, think carefully if you want to offend me too."

    Xiao He was immediately tongue-tied.

    "I can send you a copy of the photo for you to threaten him or tell your supervisor." Jianjing waved her phone, "Deleting it? No way."

    Having said that, she walked straight to the fake rockery in the atrium, right where Wu Writer had stood earlier, held up her phone at a 45 degree angle, and made a heart with her hand.

    Snap, snap, snap.

    She picked the best looking one, opened Weibo, and uploaded it.

    Jianjing V:

    Happy birthday @Golden Crow Publishing

    Took so many photos, picked the best looking one [spinning circle.JPG]

    Soon, manyments popped up below.

    Superfan A: The disappeared has returned, if you don''t post again, the rumors will continue to her seventh day memorial

    Superfan B: Let me just say, when will Demon Doctor 2e out?

    Comment C: Was the hospital visit really an ident not a suicide attempt?

    Superfan D: @C your mom''s dead

    Superfan Little Fire: Teacher Jingjing is so pretty, Teacher Jingjing is even prettier now. Seeing Teacher Jingjing, my waist doesn''t hurt, my legs don''t ache, and I can run up five flights of stairs without getting tired! If Teacher Jingjing replies to me, my cold will get better immediately too!!

    Jianjing gave a small hiss, this fan called Little Fire wasying it on thick with the ttery, it gave her goosebumps.

    She rubbed her arms, and with an attitude of cherishing her fans, silently replied with one sentence.

    - "Drink more hot water."

    Then the other party immediately replied with an emoji: [Cat cute.JPG]

    The cat was cute, Jianjing stole this emoji.

    *

    The second half of the celebration event was uninteresting. Kang''s mother talked about past achievements and future ambitions, all superficial. Then awards were given out to the publishing house''s employees, and a three-tier big cake with the number 32 in edible wax candles was cut.

    After eating the cake, people gradually left the venue.

    Kangmu Cheng was very proactive, he picked Jian Jing up so he had to properly send her back too.

    On the ride back, he asked her, "What was the meaning behind that photo? You never post stuff like this before."

    "To piss off someone." Jianjing told him about her encounter with Wu Writer, "He''s always putting on the senior facade to bother me, it''s annoying as hell."

    Kangmu Cheng shook his head: "The photo is useless."

    Wu Writer became famous twenty years ago. His reputation, seniority, status were all established. Small annoyances like this were neither painful nor itchy, and couldn''t do anything to him. On the contrary, he had extensive connections, it was easy for him to make trouble for Jianjing.

    "Don''t post it, a cornered dog will jump the wall, you''ll also get into trouble." He warned.

    "He thinks of himself as a precious vase, he doesn''t dare sh hard with me." But Jianjing had her own ideas, "I''m just returning the favor, I won''t post it."

    Kangmu Cheng felt moved again.

    A couple years ago if this happened, she would''ve only bottled it up alone, and might not even tell him if asked. But today, she not only retorted, but even obtained ckmail material.

    He was suddenly curious: "Why didn''t you delete the photo?"

    "Did you think I would agree to her request?"

    Kangmu Cheng nodded. This matter surprised him even more than her taking the photo. Jianjing may write extensively about human nature and morality in her stories, but she was just a pure simpleton in real life.

    Previously a young author came to ask if they could hold a joint book signing event, since it was her first time she was afraid she might not do well, and hoped the senior could give some pointers.

    Then Jianjing really came to ask him...

    "It''s evidence, evidence is very important." Maybe due to the after effects of her previous mission, Jianjing had a strong sense of protecting evidence. "I''ll keep it confidential, but I won''t destroy it."

    Kangmu Cheng: "Oh."

    Her: "Hmm?"

    "Are you nning to write about police next?" He said, "You''ve grasped the mentality very urately."

    Jianjing was surprised: "Boss Kang, are you being sarcastic?"

    "Why not?" He raised a brow.

    Oddly, Jianjing suddenly felt likeughing, and indeed couldn''t helpughing out loud: "A bit unexpected."

    "What, in your mind, am I just a serious old geezer?" Kangmu Cheng raised his hand and gently patted her head, "That''s going overboard."

    "No no." Jianjing held in herugh, "Our Boss Kang is handsome and debonair, young and promising, a billionaire, and the undisputed fifth rich husband material¨C¨Cah, this term is outdated now, should say CEO tycoon."

    Kangmu Cheng gave a soft snort: "Boring."

    Her: "What''s not boring?"

    He said: "Clear your schedule this weekend, we''ll go to Mr. Qin''s museum opening."

    He didn''t give a reason, but Jianjing had extremely high trust in him and immediately agreed: "Okay."

    "None of my business?"

    ˇ°This doesnˇŻt concern me.ˇ±

    Looking backter, Jian Jing realized she had said simr words twice.

    Both were huge mistakes.

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17

    Time flew by, and it was a Sunday afternoon.

    Jian Jing changed into a long boho dress and went with Kang Mu Cheng to the new exhibition hall opened by Qin Zong.

    The weather that day was not ideal. Raindrops pitter-pattered on the car window while the cloudyer hung low and gray, like clumps of damp toilet paper.

    ˇ°Why is the exhibition hall located in such a remote area?ˇ± Jian Jing leaned her head against the window, utterly confused by the location. ˇ°ItˇŻs so far out. Will people reallye?ˇ±

    ˇ°Because the building itself is a priceless collectible,ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng kept one hand on the steering wheel while changing the radio channel with the other. Soothing light music floated around the cabin. ˇ°ItˇŻs an old Western-style vi from the Republican era that he bought for over 100 million yuan.ˇ±

    The rainy weather made driving difficult, and they got stuck in heavy traffic. He simply slowed down and started exining.

    It turned out Qin Zong was the boss of an art collectionpany, specialized in art transactions, and opened exhibition halls around the world.

    Five years ago, he had his eyes on ˇ°Yuhui Viˇ± and bought it at a premium price. However, instead of keeping it as a residence, he redesigned it to exhibit his art collection while also serving as an art salon club.

    ˇ°Many treasures will be exhibited at todayˇŻs opening. YouˇŻve been cooped up at home, so why not go take a look and get some inspiration?ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng exined why he wanted her toe along.

    Jian Jing had to remind him, ˇ°I write mystery novels.ˇ±

    ˇ°Theft and murder cases happen all the time, donˇŻt they?ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng gave her ideas. ˇ°Mighte in handy for your next book. Got any inspiration yet?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...No.ˇ±

    She used to be passionate about writing too, but was unsure if she had ˇ°itˇ± like others, and had always wavered over whether to give up.

    ˇ°Perfect. Take this chance to have some fun. Otherwise, once you start writing, IˇŻll have to call you every day at mealtimes again.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng seized the opportunity to poke at someoneˇŻs living habits.

    Jian Jing: Pretended not to hear.

    The car slowly drove through the rain curtain and finally arrived at its destination after 3pm.

    Yuhui Vi featured the typical American vi style, with alternating red and white exterior walls. Lush green gardens nestled the three-story small building in the center, half-concealing and half-revealing it in an utterly picturesque way.

    As soon as she got out of the car, Jian Jing overheard a passingdy ask, ˇ°Have you heard the rumors about Yuhui Vi?ˇ±

    The man linked arm-in-arm with her asked, ˇ°What rumors?ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs said a murder took ce here before.ˇ± Thedy lowered her voice mysteriously and smiled.

    Jian Jing halted in her steps.

    The rain grew heavier.

    Yuhui Vi was shrouded under the dense rain curtain. Though it wasnˇŻt dark yet, the lights inside the house all turned on.

    Qin Zong and his wife chatted with guests on the sofa in the hall, looking utterly normal. Chief Editor Guoughed and talked on the other side. Nothing seemed amiss.

    After greeting them, Jian Jing pretended to appreciate the Chinese ink paintings hung around the room, when she was actually secretly taking out her phone to search ˇ°Yuhui Vi murder caseˇ±.

    She couldnˇŻt help it. What she overheard made her very curious.

    Passersby said a murder took ce here before.

    An ancient Western-style vi, a past murder case, extramarital affair... Based on her many years watching Detective Conan, this was definitely an omen that a case would ur!

    Even though the system hadnˇŻt issued a mission, it was better to be safe than sorry.

    There was a lot of news on Yuhui Vi, mostly promotional articles from Qin ZongˇŻspany, exining the viˇŻs long history and profound cultural value, how he renovated it, wanting to make it the cityˇŻs cultural center, and so on.

    Sifting through the redundant information took up quite some time before she finally found some relevant posts on a gossip forum.

    The title was creepy: The injustice case in 818 Old Vi.

    One of the ces mentioned was Yuhui Vi.

    It was said a wealthy businessman in the Republican era spent a fortune building it in his twilight years, wanting it to be a retirement home for his family. However, the year after moving into the vi, tragedy struck the family.

    A group of bandits heard the businessman hid treasures in his home. They colluded with the servants, raided the vi on a rainy night, killed the businessman and his young son, assaulted the businessmanˇŻs wife, snatched the treasures, and fled in a panic.

    Ever since, whenever it rained at night in Yuhui Vi, wandering shadows could often be seen, inexplicable bloodstains would appear on the floor, and asionally a childˇŻs cries could be heard.

    More importantly, the businessman was beheaded by someone back then, his body left in the bedroom, but his head was never found.

    ...

    After reading the rumors, Jian Jing actually felt relieved instead.

    Such horror stories could be found everywhere, all following simr tropes. Plus, the system didnˇŻt issue any missions, so she wondered if she was being paranoid.

    Upon returning to the social area, Screenwriter Xu whom she was acquainted with also asked about it, and added, ˇ°Rumors say the bandits didnˇŻt find any treasures, and killed in anger. Boss Qin, did you find any old artifacts when renovating this ce?ˇ±

    ˇ°There were quite a few copper coins buried in the ground. A fengshui master said it was some kind of formation for attracting wealth. But treasures?ˇ± Qin Zong scoffed. ˇ°Digging three feet into the ground, I didnˇŻt even see a silver dor. IsnˇŻt that right, dear?ˇ±

    Mrs. Qin looked around forty, in-looking with light makeup, yet very elegant. ˇ°ThatˇŻs right. I personally oversaw the construction and didnˇŻt see any good stuff.ˇ± She paused, then smiled. ˇ°But I can understand why such rumors exist.ˇ±

    Screenwriter XuˇŻs senses sharpened and he immediately grew interested. ˇ°What do you mean?ˇ±

    Jian Jing also stepped closer to listen.

    Mrs. Qin said, ˇ°The vi had quite a number of mechanisms and secret passages designed. If not for taking measurements, I wouldnˇŻt have discovered so many hidden spaces.ˇ±

    ˇ°No wonder. Secret chambers must have been used to hide stuff. ItˇŻs likely some servant noticed it, things led to another, and the rumors spread.ˇ± Screenwriter Xu flicked off some cigarette ash and smiled again. ˇ°Great inspiration.ˇ±

    The othersughed too.

    Qin Zongughed. ˇ°Sometimes you have to admit, our ancestors really had some skills.ˇ±

    Screenwriter Xu nodded in agreement and regretfully asked, ˇ°You didnˇŻt keep one or two ces?ˇ±

    ˇ°One or two ces?ˇ± Qin Zong guffawed and affectionately squeezed his wifeˇŻs shoulder. ˇ°You underestimate my wife too much. The new security system in the museum was modified based on the original mechanisms. If some shameless thief broke in, they wouldnˇŻt find anywhere to hide.ˇ±

    ˇ°That incredible?ˇ± Chief Editor Guo looked surprised, his gaze seeming to inadvertently flit toward Mrs. Qin.

    Qin ZongˇŻs expression was wless as he enthusiastically acted out the loving husband role. ˇ°Of course. My wife has won several major architectural awards. SheˇŻs much more capable than me.ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh stop that.ˇ± Mrs. Qin shook her head and modestly changed topics. ˇ°Why donˇŻt I bring everyone upstairs to take a look?ˇ±

    Chief Editor Guo smiled. ˇ°I just took a tour when I arrived. You all go ahead. IˇŻll grab a coffee.ˇ± He gestured at the cafe across the hall.

    Mrs. Qin smiled and nodded, then chatted up Kang Mu Cheng. ˇ°I was in Francest week and missed Gold CrowˇŻs anniversary celebration. How is your mother doing?ˇ±

    ˇ°SheˇŻs fine.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng replied.

    ˇ°When I have time at the end of the year, IˇŻll take her on vacation.ˇ± Mrs. Qin changed the subject, her tone gentle. ˇ°I havenˇŻt seen you in so long either, Mu Cheng. When will you get a girlfriend? I have a talented and beautiful student I can introduce to you if you want.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng said, ˇ°IˇŻm busy with work and not considering it for now.ˇ±

    ˇ°Boss Kang has been busy with the entertainment divisiontely and gotten quite close with several actresses.ˇ± Screenwriter Xu dished. ˇ°Lots of people asked me about him.ˇ±

    Qin Zongughed. ˇ°Mu Cheng sure is lucky.ˇ±

    Jian Jing noticed Mrs. QinˇŻs brows furrow slightly, though they soon rxed as if nothing had happened. She casually said, ˇ°IˇŻll introduce you if thereˇŻs a chance. This way please.ˇ±

    She walked upstairs and opened a door. ˇ°Sculptures here, paintings next door, ceramics across.

    ˇ°Not many pieces. Take a look around freely.ˇ± Qin Zong added a bit of modesty before suddenly taking out his phone as if remembering something. ˇ°I have a call. Dear, IˇŻll step out for a bit. You entertain the guests.ˇ±

    ˇ°Go ahead. IˇŻve got this.ˇ± Mrs. Qin didnˇŻt mind at all. As he left, she happened to steady Jian Jing who wasst going up the stairs. ˇ°Careful on the steps.ˇ±

    Jian Jing held onto her arm. ˇ°Thank you, Mrs.ˇ±

    ˇ°YouˇŻre wee. YouˇŻre Jian Jing, right?ˇ± Mrs. Qinplimented. ˇ°So pretty and talented, truly remarkable.ˇ±

    Jian Jing felt embarrassed from her praise. ˇ°You tter me.ˇ±

    Mrs. Qin smiled slightly. ˇ°YouˇŻre such a likeable girl. Come, let me show you around.ˇ±

    The hostess was so gracious, Jian Jing didnˇŻt want to decline her goodwill, so she had no choice but to tag along. However, it wasnˇŻt an arduous process at all. Mrs. Qin was generous and gentle, exining the exhibits eloquently without a hint of tedium.

    Jian Jing was originally clueless about art, but listening to her exnations cleared up much confusion.

    After going through the themed exhibits on the second floor, Mrs. Qin led them up to the third floor, saying Qin Zong collected many film reels and invited everyone to watch together.

    Jian JingˇŻs legs were tired from all the walking, so she readily agreed.

    The private theater was very small, with only seven or eight seats, but the chairs were veryfy. At the back stood a projector from the early years that had long disappeared. It instantly evoked the atmosphere of movie theaters from twenty, thirty years ago.

    Elderly folks like Screenwriter Xu were already feeling nostalgic. ˇ°HavenˇŻt watched film reels in ages. What movies did Boss Qin collect?ˇ±

    ˇ°Many.ˇ± Mrs. Qin randomly picked out a reel and jokingly suggested, ˇ°How about Cbash Brothers Battle the Sea Monster?ˇ±

    ˇ°Wonderful.ˇ± Screenwriter Xu reclined his seat. ˇ°ItˇŻs from the 70s, before I was born. Mu Cheng, have you seen this before?ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng said, ˇ°I have.ˇ±

    ˇ°What about you, Jian Jing? You definitely havenˇŻt seen it before.ˇ± Screenwriter Xu said.

    Jian Jing responded, ˇ°No, I havenˇŻt.ˇ±

    ˇ°Then you must watch properly. The old technology was poor, but the films they produced werenˇŻt bad at all.ˇ± Screenwriter Xu sumbed to themon w of middle-aged men and couldnˇŻt help lecturing.

    Jian Jing politely kept silent.

    ˇ°You all watch first. IˇŻll go get some drinks for everyone.ˇ± Mrs. Qin added, ˇ°Remember to put the reels back in their original spots if you change it. TheyˇŻre all arranged in order.ˇ±

    ˇ°Got it.ˇ± Everyone casually acknowledged.

    Mrs. Qin left, and after a moment, she brought coffee and milk tea, and sat down with them to appreciate the paintings patiently.

    During this time, Chairman Qin still didn''te back, and Editor-in-Chief Guo was naturally nowhere to be seen either.

    Jian Jing suspected they went on a date.

    "What''s wrong?" Mrs. Qin sat right next to her and noticed her subtle expression.

    Jian Jing concealed, "I want to go to the bathroom."

    "Come with me." Mrs. Qin got up to show her the way.

    Jian Jing was surprised by her enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, and had no choice but to follow along.

    The bathroom was on the other side of the third floor. As they walked, Mrs. Qin said, "The rain outside is getting heavier and heavier. You won''t be able to go back for a while. I''m really sorry everyone came on such a day."

    "It''s nothing. It was worthing." Jian Jing was verbally polite, but quite concerned about the downpour in her heart.

    Outside was already pitch ck. Under the street lights, the rain curtain was dense like a white curtain. Amidst the "pitter patter" of the rain, it seemed like only the sky and earth remained. With weather this bad, she really didn''t know how they would drive backter.

    Boom.

    A blue lightning shed across the sky.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18

    The lights in the corridor flickered unsteadily.

    Mrs. Qin frowned her pretty eyebrows and apologized: "The vi''s electrical system was just repaired a few days ago and is not very stable yet. Let me go downstairs and take a look."

    "Don''t trouble yourself, I can manage," Jian Jing waved her hand.

    Mrs. Qin left rather hurriedly.

    Jian Jing thought, since she was already out, she might as well use the bathroom first.

    The vi''s bathroom was built just like a five-star hotel''s, with three fully enclosed wooden doors in the stalls, marble countertops on the sinks, and hand wash, fragrance, and hand cream ced on top.

    A faint scent of luxury perfume lingered in the air.

    All three stalls were empty. Jian Jing randomly chose one to enter which had a smart toilet.

    Boom, another p of thunder sounded.

    The warm-colored ceiling light flickered unsteadily, darkened for several seconds before lighting up again.

    The smart toilet started ying soft music, "Meow meow...", to mask unwanted noises.

    Jian Jing: Quite fancy.

    Sizzle, sizzle.

    The light bulb made unpleasant crackling noises, then along with a huge thunderp, all the lights in the bathroom wentpletely dark, plunging in an instant into ckness.

    Jian Jing had assumed they would quickly turn back on, but after waiting half a minute, there was no change.

    A power outage?

    She hurried to finish up, wanting to push the door open and leave.

    It wouldn''t budge.

    She pushed again.

    The solid wooden door panel was firmly fixed in its original ce,pletely motionless.

    Her fingers touched the touch screen behind the door panel, and a line of words popped up: [Security system restarting, please enter emergency password]

    The bathroom lock was a smart induction lock. When no one was inside, it could be freely opened from the outside, but once someone entered, the door would automatically lock. It was designed to unlock itself automatically when it detected relevant motions signaling the person was leaving.

    But now no matter how she poked the screen, the disy didn''t change.

    When it rains, it pours. The system called out in distress before finally responding.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: Escape from Yu Hui Vi]

    [Mission description: The thunderstorm caused circuit damage. Yu Hui Vi''s security system has activated. You must escape before the vi releases lethal gas, countdown 10 hours]

    [Mission reward and punishment: Sess rewards 30 courage points, failure means death]

    Release lethal gas?

    What on earth? A private exhibition hall''s security system could have something like this?

    Jian Jing was incredulous. She didn''t know whether the system malfunctioned or her ownmon knowledge wascking. She sat dazedly on the toilet, doubting life itself.

    To be honest, she thought this kind of escape mission could only happen during rebirth, who would have expected to encounter it again.

    This was much more dire than a murder case mission.

    To escape the vi, she first had to get out of the bathroom, and to get out of the bathroom, she had to leave the stall.

    The problem was the password. She didn''t know jackshit about the password!

    Jian Jing had never encountered this situation before. At a loss, she could only randomly try 123456.

    [Wrong password]

    [9 tries left, all wrong will lockpletely]

    Damn, there was also a limited number of tries?

    Jian Jing leaned her forehead on her palm: "System, I want to draw a card, normal card."

    Last time she obtained 15 courage points and 10 contribution points, she could still draw 3+1 times. Saving money for a thousand days to spend in one day, it was time to rely on cash purchases to change her fate.

    [Drawing normal card]

    She drew a [Enhanced Card ˇ¤ Outburst (1 point)] and a [Enhanced Card ˇ¤ Agility (1 point)], which she immediately used.

    So her personal data became:

    Physique: 5 (The consequence of staying upte every day)

    Strength: 4 (You can''t lift a bucket of water)

    Agility: 7 (You''re slightly more nimble than average)

    Outburst: 4 (You only know the suffering of escaping for your life)

    Endurance: 5 (Your stamina is clearly not great)

    This result undoubtedly made Jian Jing very worried. Fortunately, the next card drew well.

    [Name: Knowledge Card ˇ¤ Basics of Cryptography (Beginner Level)]

    [Content description: Using this card allows you to gain beginner-level password knowledge]

    [Note: There are some who do not speak nicely, passwords, oh, damn passwords]

    She immediately used this card.

    Strangely, after using the password card, she vaguely grasped some ideas for deciphering the password.

    Random guessing was definitely hopeless.

    The security system set up by Mrs. Qin, could it be rted to her?

    Jian Jing unlocked her phone, wanting to search for her personal information. But the small grid at the top of the screen was missing, and the signal area only had a huge X.

    No signal.

    She silently cursed and racked her brains.

    Could it be the opening date of the exhibition hall?

    She quickly entered today''s date 20200506.

    [Wrong password]

    Jian Jing sighed. Instead, she used her phone''s light to illuminate her surroundings to see if there was any emergency number she could call for help.

    There were very few things in the stall, a hook on each side, a trash can in the corner, and a small cab on the back partition wall, which contained some sanitary pads and tampons.

    She searched very carefully, but did not find any valuable clues.

    The only thing left was the toilet.

    The toilet had lost power and could no longer be used. There were also no text instructions.

    Could she really be trapped to death here?

    No, think again.

    She didn''t know if it was an inspired sh from the password card or the subconscious awareness from the observation card, but at some moment, a melody flitted across her mind.

    "Dang dang dang dang dang dang...." She unconsciously hummed it once, suddenly remembering this was the ssic tune "F¨ąr Elise"!

    The school used it as the dismissal bell in high school.

    Could it be sheet music?

    Jian Jing racked her brains: "Do re do re.... no, re re?"

    She was stuck in a loop of "Ma Dongmei" "What''s Ma''s name?" "Ma Dongmei" "Ma something something?"

    Three minutester, 1212pass.

    Two more minutes, 6262pass.

    6 tries left.

    6565 wrong.

    8686 wrong.

    Ten minutester, 323237216.

    The answer was: Meow meow re do.

    [Correct password]

    The bathroom door opened.

    Jian Jing walked out with heavy steps, feeling like she would never forget "F¨ąr Elise" again.

    At the door, she forcefully pulled on the women''s restroom door.

    Very good, it was also locked, with the same nine-digit password lock.

    Was this for catching petty thieves or the phantom thief Kaito Kid??

    Jian Jing had only prepared to solve a case, she never would have imagined running into this mess. Her emotions were a little out of control.

    "System, is this world really so dangerous?" she asked. "If I can''t escape, I''ll die?"

    [System: Please believe the system''s judgment, focus on escaping]

    She was helpless. Things had already reached this point, she could only continue looking for clues.

    The whole women''s restroom was much bigger in area. She checked each stall by pushing open the doors and also rummaged through the cab under the sink. Finally, she targeted the decorative painting hanging on the wall.

    The painting depicted a woman sitting with crossed hands and a wreath made of leaves on her head.

    It was a replica of the famous painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring".

    Although there were no numbers on the painting itself, passwords didn''t always have to be direct numbers.

    Having grasped beginner-level knowledge, Jian Jing quickly thought of a keyboard password.

    The nine-digit password pad was very simr to a nine-digit keyboard.

    Girl with a Pearl Earring....first letters? She tried pressing 9(Z) 9(Z) 6(N) 5(L).

    Error disyed.

    Was it the full name "zhenzhunng"? A bit long, but she tried it anyway.

    Wrong again.

    Indeed incorrect. So could it be an older keyboard setting?

    Z was the fourth letter on the 9 key, so 9999?

    If so, then it would be 9999(Z) 9999(Z) 66(N) 555(L).

    Still wrong.

    Could her train of thought be wrong and it had nothing to do with the painting? Jian Jing couldn''t help but doubt herself, but looking left and right, everything was just necessary bathroom supplies. Only the oil painting was most suspicious.

    Perhaps the nine-digit pad couldn''t be thought of as an input keyboard, but rather the keyboard''s format deducing numbers.

    Z wasn''t 9999, but 94?

    She changed her thinking and deduced a new password: 94946253.

    She input it.

    Click, it opened.

    "Ah!" An intense feeling of joy erupted in Jian Jing''s heart. She didn''t expect to have actually gotten it right. She also felt somewhat terrified, if she had given up trying in the end, she really would have coughed up blood.

    Sheined inwardly and strode quickly into the outer corridor.

    Groping in the dark to the top of the stairs, she saw the original staircase location had be a wall. The corridor had no routes at either end. She didn''t bother scrutinizing it, and directly rushed to the mini theater.

    As expected, the door here was also locked.

    "Director Kang, Screenwriter Xu." She knocked on the door. "Are you inside?"

    "Yes." The voices inside were somewhat muffled due to the good soundproofing. "Is that Jingjing?"

    Jian Jing rxed: "Director Kang, are you two okay?"

    "We''re fine," Kang Mu Cheng''s tone was steady. "Are you okay? What happened?"

    Jian Jing said, "There was a power outage, the security system probably started automatically and locked us all in here. You two need to get out quickly, let''s leave this ce."

    "Ah, can''t we just cancel it and it''ll be fine?" Screenwriter Xu''s voice cut in, sounding puzzled. "It''ll just cause trouble if we wander around randomly."

    But Jian Jing wasn''t so optimistic.

    The 10 hour countdown meant Mrs. Qin hadn''t cancelled the alert. Whether she couldn''t or had other intentions was hard to say. But in any case, they couldn''t entrust their lives to this.

    She said, "Lightning struck earlier, causing circuit problems. Mrs. Qin said she was going to go check it out, but hasn''te back yet, she may be trapped too."

    Screenwriter Xu was shocked: "What?"

    "Come out first, let''s go find her." Jian Jing had solved two riddles and was now in the zone. "There''s only a keyhole outside the door, no key. What''s the situation inside for you two?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "We need a key too."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment: "Look around inside, there may be a spare key."

    "No way." Screenwriter Xu was incredulous. "Leaving a spare key inside, wouldn''t people just run off?"

    Jian Jing also found it unbelievable, but spoke from experience: "I was just locked in the bathroom, and there were clues hinting at it."

    "Bathroom?" On the other side of the door, Kang Mu Cheng deeply furrowed his brows, realizing the bizarreness of the situation. "Screenwriter Xu, let''s look around."

    Having nothing better to do, Screenwriter Xu did not object.

    The two used their cellphone shlights to search separately.

    There wasn''t much inside the movie theater, other than eight seats arranged in four rows, and the curtain hanging down in front. At the highest tier of steps in the back was the projector, next to which was a shelf filled with movie reels.

    After rummaging around for quite a while, they didn''t find any trace of a key.

    "Nothing here," Screenwriter Xu said, scratching his head and calling out, "Go find Mr. Qin or Mrs. Qin toe open the door."

    "The mechanism has been triggered. Can''t find the way," Jian Jing concisely replied. "You two take a closer look, might there be some hiddenpartment or hidden door?"

    Hidden mechanisms andpartments? Kang Mu Cheng''s expression grew increasingly bewildered. After pondering briefly, he said: "Screenwriter Xu, could there be something behind this shelf?"

    Screenwriter Xu paced over, braced his shoulder against the shelf, and gave it a push. It didn''t budge: "No go. Too heavy."

    "What I mean is, could there be a mechanism?" Kang Mu Cheng recalled, "Mrs. Qin specifically reminded us not to mess up the order."

    Screenwriter Xu was taken aback for a moment, then understood: "Good point. Let me take a look."

    There were many reels ced neatly in boxes on the shelf. The sides of the boxes werebeled with the movie titles, clear at a nce.

    "Oh, look here, these movies are arranged by time. Afanti 1980, Nine Color Deer 1981, Wandering Life of San Mao 1984...Screenwriter Xu remarked. As an industry insider, he quickly noticed something off: "But this 1999 One Less ced here doesn''t match the time."

    Kang Mu Cheng immediately said: "Let''s pull out the ones with the wrong times."

    With one having worked in the film industry for over ten years, and the other recently starting up a film and TV department, they were both rtively familiar with ssic movies. They quickly singled out several films with the order messed up.

    In sequence, the list was as follows:

    One Less, Seven Deadly Sins, Judge Bao of the Nine Grades, Empty Room, A Lifetime, Seven Swords, Nine Times Space, 3 Idiots, Once We Parted, Empty Room, One Step Away, Eight Viins, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Empty Room, Three More, A Good Show, Seven Samurai, Number Nine, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Six Fingered Demon, Empty Room, Once We Parted, Seven Chances, Nine Time Travels, Three Way Junction.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19

    The characteristics of these videos were too obvious at a nce.

    Screenwriter Xu was certain: "It''s numbers."

    "The empty room is an interval," said Kang Mu Cheng, arranging the videos into five rows.

    The numbers obtained are as follows:

    179

    17931

    183

    317946

    1793

    At the same time, the remote control on the side of the shelf was also found. The exhibition hall uses a projector for yback. The air conditioner uses a centralized air conditioning system that is uniformly set. There is no need to use it at all. It is very likely a mechanism.

    Screenwriter Xu took it and pressed it ording to the above numbers.

    No reaction at all.

    "What the hell is this?" He was puzzled and dissatisfied.

    Jian Jing had been waiting outside for a long time without any movement. She couldn''t help but knock on the door, "President Kang?"

    "I''m fine." Kang Mu Cheng took off his suit jacket and leaned against the door to tell her briefly about the results, "This string of numbers should be a password."

    Jian Jing agreed, sitting worriedly on the floor.

    She had just touched the threshold of converting letters into numbers, but had no clue about number patterns.

    What does this password mean?

    Inside, Kang Mu Cheng took out his cell phone and used the built-in calctor to add, subtract, multiply and divide to try to find the connection between the numbers. However, unfortunately, nothing was found.

    "It''s neither an arithmetic progression nor a geometric progression." He calcted it, but had no clue. "Sometimes big and sometimes small,pletely irregr."

    Screenwriter Xu squatted next to him, thought about it for a while, and said, "There are four 179s out of five. Is there any special meaning?"

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned, "What do you mean?"

    "Assuming 179 is X, it bes like this." Screenwriter Xu''s fingers flew as he typed out the new number sequence in the memo.

    The original sequence is:

    179

    17931

    183

    317946

    1793

    Recing 179 with X yields:

    X

    X31

    183

    3X46

    X3

    Kang Mu Cheng was silent for a while: "So what?"

    Screenwriter Xu: "..."

    An awkward silence.

    "I do textual work. Don''t ask me to do math," Screenwriter Xu admitted frankly, "I have no clue what this is, I can''t even understand it when I look at it."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Same."

    "Aren''t you a Columbia University genius?" Screenwriter Xu''s tone was skeptical.

    "This kind of password has nothing to do with major. We just haven''t found the right way to think about it yet." Kang Mu Cheng thought about it and knocked on the door panel, "Jingjing, have you figured it out?"

    Outside the door, Jian Jing rolled over and got up from the cold floor, asking them, "What does the remote control look like?"

    "It''s an ordinary one, with a small screen on top and buttons below." Kang Mu Cheng answered.

    "Are the buttons numbers or letters?"

    "Both."

    Is it a numeric keypad again?

    The first number is 179. You can''t press 1 seven times. You can press 7 once, but it conflicts with 9. It''s not the password type as the bathroom before.

    Why did 179 appear so many times? Is there anything special about 179 on the keyboard?

    Jian Jing opened her own input method, her fingertips went from "1" to "7" and then to "9".

    Huh?

    She had a thought, drew it again, and was right: 1-7-9 is L.

    What about 17931? Mouth? No, it''s O.

    I see.

    183 is V.

    317946 is E.

    1793 is U.

    "President Kang, I figured it out," Jian Jing rolled over and got up, "It''s LOVEU. Five letters."

    Kang Mu Cheng was surprised, then realized it makes sense. He took the remote control and entered the letters.

    After entering all five, there was a loud "pop". A box on the shelf fell out. He picked it up and saw that it was The Skeleton Key.

    Hmm.

    Opening the box, in addition to the film, there was also a brass key inside.

    Inserting it into the keyhole, it fits perfectly. Turning it activates the lock and opens the closed door.

    Jian Jing breathed an obvious sigh of relief and couldn''t help but ask again, "Are you guys okay?"

    "We''re fine," Kang Mu Cheng felt warm inside. "What''s going on? Where are President Qin and Mrs. Qin?"

    Jian Jing shook her head: "In short, the vi''s security system has been activated and we''re all locked in here." She suddenly thought of something and hesitantly asked, "President Kang, private security systems won''t have... um, anything too dangerous, right?"

    "Of course they do," said Kang Mu Cheng. "Ordinary people can''t own guns either. If the security system isn''t powerful enough to deter criminals, what''s the point?"

    Jian Jing was confused: "Huh?"

    She had misunderstood the system. It wasn''t the system malfunctioning, it was the world that had changed.

    "There are all treasures in this vi," she chose her words carefully, "we''d better not take risks."

    Kang Mu Cheng realized what she meant, his expression solemn: "You''re right." He went to the original staircase, groped up and down for a while, and confirmed, "Just a wall, nothing there."

    "There must be a mechanism." Screenwriter Xu was already interested in the secret rooms of Yuhui Vi. He wandered around to see if there were any signs of a mechanism trigger.

    The corridor was long, with two ster sculptures ced proportionally in the middle.

    One was Cupid, the other the Venus de Milo.

    Screenwriter Xu tried turning both statues, but they didn''t budge an inch. He couldn''t help muttering with his chin on his hand: "Not at all what I imagined."

    Kang Mu Cheng, on the other hand, was more pragmatic. Finding the mechanism troublesome, he went straight to the end of the corridor and tried to open the window.

    The windows of the vi could not be fully opened, only a crack from the bottom for venttion, no more than three fingers wide. Not to mention a person, even a tabby cat could not get through.

    He took out his phone, but the signal was still crossed out.

    "There''s a jammer." Kang Mu Cheng pinched his brow and called out loudly, "President Qin, Mrs. Qin?"

    The sound drifted into the rain, never to return.

    *

    At this moment, in the storage room next to the cafe, Editor-in-Chief Guo and President Qin were talking.

    "Is it open yet?" Guo, with arms crossed, said, "I''m suffocating in here. It''s just a warehouse. Why is there an electronic lock installed?"

    The cafe was crowded, so they had chosen this storage room to talk. Who would''ve thought halfway through their conversation, there was suddenly a power outage, and the door locked them in here.

    "The vi needs temperature and humidity control, so a smart system is convenient." President Qin entered the wrong password again and paced around impatiently, "What the hell, my password failed."

    Editor-in-Chief Guo''s expression didn''t change, but her words had hidden barbs: "The password your wife gave you was wrong?"

    "It was right. No problem using it normally," President Qin frowned. "The system probably reset and needs a new initial password."

    Editor-in-Chief Guo asked, "What should we do then?"

    "It''s supposed to send the reset password to my phone, but there''s no signal now." President Qin irritably loosened and threw aside his tie that matched his wife''s gown. "We can only look for the emergency password now."

    Editor-in-Chief Guo didn''t say anything. Her gaze swept over the tie as she asked, "What emergency password?"

    "ording to the system settings, each area has an emergency password that will allow you to leave if you find it." President Qin was rummaging through shelves of coffee beans and baking ingredients, his impatience showing through. "I don''t know where this room''s is hidden. Help me look for it, we need to get out quickly."

    Editor-in-Chief Guo casually picked up a pack of tapioca flour and flipped through itzily: "What are you afraid of? Didn''t you already n to divorce your wife? Just let her see, it''ll save you the trouble of bringing it up yourself."

    In the dim phone light, a hint of gloom shed through President Qin''s eyes, but his tone was perfunctory: "It''d look too ugly if we made a scene here. It wouldn''t be good for our reputation either."

    Editor-in-Chief Guo didn''t say anything more. She turned her back, the corners of her lips curling slightly in utter derision.

    How could she have reached the position of Editor-in-Chief at one of the top publishing houses in the country if she was some silly ing¨¦nue who didn''t understand subtext? Yet this man thought she was stupid enough to believe anything he said.

    He clearly didn''t want the divorce.

    But if not getting divorced, just ying lover''s games with him, did he think she was that starved for love?

    What she wanted was Mrs. Qin''s status.

    "Just that?" She gently softened her tone, seeming convinced. Just a little worried, she said, "I thought you and your wife were unting your love so much, could it be you don''t want to split up after all?"

    President Qin retorted, "You believe that staged act?"

    Editor-in-Chief Guo didn''t speak again.

    After a while, "Got it," President Qin said. He had found an iPad on one of the shelves, which contained purchase ledger records. The notes app also had the emergency password 51361 written down.

    He immediately rushed to the door to unlock it, relieved.

    Editor-in-Chief Guo, on the other hand, inexplicably shuddered, a dark cloud passing over.

    51361, sounded kind of like... I''ll kill you?

    *

    "Sigh." Jian Jing heaved a heavy sigh, sitting back against the wall and sipping her cooled milk tea.

    It was 6:48 now. They had been trapped for over two hours already, yet still hadn''t found a way to leave the third floor. Missing dinner time, everyone was hungry, forced to fill their stomachs with the milk tea, coffee, and popcorn Mrs. Qin had brought over.

    Screenwriter Xu crunched on the caramel popcorn, making small talk: "Whatpany is this that they sealed off the third floor and won''t let us out so perfectly?"

    "No, security systems have ratings." In this day and age, the rich use security systems the most. Kang Mu Cheng happened to be one of those rich people and exined, "Different grade ns are different. Private exhibition halls are rated up to B at most. Even if they modified the equipment themselves, the framework doesn''t change. There must be an emergency exit."

    Jian Jing was still confused: "What ratings?"

    ˇ°D-level ordinary residences only have rm defense facilities. For example, once someone breaks into your home, it will automatically trigger the rm, and all the door locks except for the main entrance will automatically lock to ensure your safety as the top priority.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng patiently exined, ˇ°C-levelpany enterprises, in addition to rm defenses, also have hidden door mechanisms to facilitate the police in catching intruders.ˇ±

    ˇ°B-level means there are control devices?ˇ±

    ˇ°That''s right, tear gas, power grids and so on can all be used, but ording to regtions, escape routes must be left, it is against the rules to seal off everything.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng spoke with certainty, ˇ°There must be a way to get out of here, let''s keep looking.ˇ±

    ˇ°Wait,ˇ± Jian Jing stopped him, ˇ°What about A-level?ˇ±

    The screenwriter Xuughed: ˇ°A-level is only avable for government agencies, lethal force is allowed.ˇ±

    ˇ°I see.ˇ± Jian Jing made an effort to absorb the differentmon sense settings from the past world.

    ˇ°Screenwriter Xu,e take a look at these paintings.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng used his phone to take pictures of the paintings hanging on the walls, ˇ°Could the mechanism be hidden here?ˇ±

    Screenwriter Xu became spirited and straightened his body to take them down: ˇ°LetˇŻs take them off and take a look.ˇ±

    ˇ°IˇŻll do it.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng, at six foot one, could easily take them off without needing a stool.

    The oil paintings and frames were a bit heavy. He took them down one by one and neatly ced them on the floor tiles, aligned front and back. Jian Jing couldn''t help but ridicule: ˇ°Mr. Kang, your obsessivepulsive disorder is quite serious.ˇ±

    ˇ°upational disease.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng did not deny this little quirk. He hated incorrect email formats, incorrect word order in sentences, or incorrect punctuation. Whenever he encountered them, he wished he could circle them out and correct them.

    Undoubtedly, the aftereffects of being an editor.

    Screenwriter Xu grumbled softly: ˇ°Editors like this are the most annoying.ˇ±

    ˇ°I know right.ˇ± Jian Jing unconsciously chimed in.

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°Ahem!ˇ±

    The two writers immediately shut their mouths.

    Jian Jing felt around the frames, and soon discovered an inconsistent protrusion on the side with her extraordinary observational skills. Scraping with her fingernail, there was actually a key hidden inside.

    ˇ°There really is one.ˇ± She was pleasantly surprised and puzzled at the same time, ˇ°Why hide it in the painting?ˇ±

    ˇ°Darkness beneath themp.ˇ± Screenwriter Xu took the key and turned it twice, ˇ°There are no keyholes on the wall, is this to open that door?ˇ±

    He was referring to another room on the third floor.

    Yuyi Vi was originally a residence, certainly not as spacious asrge art museums. The second floor was the main exhibition hall, while the third floor was much smaller, with only three rooms - a private theater, a bathroom, and a locked exhibition hall.

    Inserting the key and turning it opened the door.

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...ˇ±

    The bathroom had an electronic lock, while the exhibition hall had an ordinary lock. Was it this world that was wrong, or was there something wrong with her?

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20

    Thest room on the third floor was a movie-rted exhibit hall. Inside were disyed many movie-rted objects, such as storyboards, movie costumes and props, movie posters and photos, books and magazines, movie tickets, and so on.

    Xu the screenwriter was fascinated for a moment, leaning over the ss cab to admire the contents: "The stuff here is prettyprehensive."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t respond. He casually threw his coat onto the disy cab, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and moved the disy cases around, trying to find a way out. The result was unsurprisingˇŞnothing.

    He couldn''t help but murmur: "That can''t be right. There should be something."

    "What?" Jian Jing asked curiously.

    "The third floor of the vi was originally the bedroom and study. If there really is a secret room preserved from the past, the probability is highest here," Kang Mu Cheng wasn''t as adept at decoding passwords as Jian Jing, but he reacted quickly, boldly guessing and reasonably suspecting based on Madam Qin''s earlier introduction. "We haven''te across the theater or bathroom yet. I feel like it should be in this ce."

    Xu the screenwriter immediately became excited: "That''s right, the secret room must have been built in a ce the servants didn''t go often. Otherwise, with so many peopleing and going, what if it got discovered? The bedroom and study are the most concealed ces."

    He rubbed his fists in eagerness, going to touch and twist the disyed exhibits, shaking them to check for mechanisms.

    But Jian Jing felt it wasn''t so simple.

    From the password in the bathroom, to the hidden key in the private theater, they all had a strong puzzle-solving consciousness. Stumbling upon a mechanism by chance might work, but finding the mechanism didn''t mean they could open it.

    But she didn''t have any other ideas, so she followed along to search.

    Half an hourter, the three gathered in front of an old-fashioned telephone.

    Xu the screenwriter smugly exined: "All the exhibits have a source, but this phone doesn''t match any movieˇŞit''s the real thing."

    As a movie person, he inevitably had some professional bias too. "It''s incredible that Mr. Qin was able to collect it. He must have gone to great lengths."

    He couldn''t help feeling itchy. He wanted to flip through and thoroughly read the materials, but controlled himself to focus on checking the numbers in the newspaper clippings.

    The thick scrapbook had handwritten numbers on about every other page. The handwriting seemed to be from the same person, the ink half new and half old. There were 7 sets of numbers total, some with corrections.

    They were as follows (with # and ˇÔ representing scribbles):

    01#022#3333#517141#35690

    111121133114641

    78680#987512

    01123581321

    689#014ˇÔˇÔˇÔ947824

    #098ˇÔˇÔˇÔ1528#

    ˇÔˇÔˇÔ68294

    The air was deathly still.

    The numbers didn''t seem like numbers, the sequences didn''t seem like sequences. What was this stuff?

    *

    Mr. Qin and Editor-in-Chief Guo left the small storage room and entered the kitchen hallway. The short ten-meter corridor connected two doors, one leading to the kitchen, the other leading to the cafe.

    The two of them felt like thieves, afraid of someone catching them in their affair. Of course they wanted to return to the cafe as soon as possible.

    Once back in a public setting, they could say they happened to get trapped after having coffee together.

    But the door into the cafe was locked. No matter how they searched, they couldn''t find the key to open the door.

    Without lights, without having eaten dinner, the pitch ck and enclosed environment made their emotions even more fragile than usual.

    After fruitlessly trying for a full hour, Mr. Qin''s usual cultured and refined mask slipped off as he cursed and swore: "What the hell, why hasn''t the power been fixed yet? What time is it already?"

    "The weather forecast I saw before leaving said there would be heavy rainstorms tonight." Although they say women have greater endurance than men, Editor-in-Chief Guo was still calm. "Maybe the repair crew can''t make it over."

    Mr. Qin spat out a few dirty words: "Are we really going to be locked in here overnight?"

    "You''ll be spending a night with me, one more doesn''t matter." Exhausted, Editor-in-Chief Guo carried a chair out from the storage room and sat down elegantly, crossing her smooth legs into an attractive pose. "Let''s take a break."

    Mr. Qin sneered to himself. He had seen through herˇŞthis woman was hoping their rtionship would be exposed, so she could transition it from underground to aboveboard.

    But he didn''t want to let her get what she wished. Men, you see, may talk about getting divorced, but those who truly want to divorce won''t take mistresses, and those who don''t want to divorce are the ones who do.

    Liu Baofeng had countless faults, but she was genuinely a top-notch architect, with who knew how many connections. How could Editor-in-Chief Guopare? He just wanted to string Baofeng along, y with her for free. After all, when a mature, charming woman delivers herself to your door, it would be foolish not to take advantage.

    He wouldn''t do anything to expose them.

    As Mr. Qin paced back and forth along the corridor, thinking these thoughts, he suddenly noticed the electric meter box on the side and lifted the cover to take a closer look.

    Inside the meter, in addition to the switch for the circuit breaker, there was also a red buttonbeled "Emergency Call for Help."

    Delighted, he pressed it without a second thought.

    The ceiling overhead immediately opened up, dropping down a veil of gloom. He jumped in fright. Waving his phone shlight around, in the circle of light, a dense wire mesh fell down,pletely enveloping him.

    He instinctively struggled to break free, but was zapped by the current above and jerked back his hand sharply: "Damn it!"

    "What''s going on?" Editor-in-Chief Guo called out in surprise.

    "Help me get this thing off." He was fully vexed.

    Editor-in-Chief Guo had just started to get up when she caught a whiff of a pungent odor that brought tears streaming from her eyes: "Cough cough, ugh, why did you use tear gas...I''lle help you in a second."

    As she spoke, she swiftly retreated into the storage room and firmly shut the door.

    "Bitch." Mr. Qin was furious, but for the time being couldn''t break free. He was firmly trapped by the wireting while the noxious gas kept forcing its way up his nose. His nasal cavity and trachea felt like they were on fire, as if choked by countless hot peppers.

    How unlucky. He didn''t know what Baofeng was thinking, using tear gas here. Who woulde to the kitchen to steal things, that it required such an overreaction? Mr. Qinined inwardly about his wife''s design as his head grew increasingly groggy.

    Can''t let anyone see me with Guo... This was hisst thought.

    Then, darkness closed in and he lost all consciousness.

    On the other side of the door, Editor-in-Chief Guo nced at her Cartier watchˇŞonly five minutes had passed.

    Of course she didn''t want anything to happen to Mr. Qin. If he had any mishap, all the energy and time she had invested in him would go up in smoke, and her ambition to enter high society through marriage would be utterly shattered.

    You have to understand, men nowadays are very shrewd. At most they''ll spend a little on hotels and meals, and you''re lucky if they''ll gift you a designer handbag. Giving counterfeits isn''t unheard of either.

    But Editor-in-Chief Guo didn''t care for Herm¨¨s anyway. Bags costing tens of thousands, she could buy herself. All she, Guo Lin, wanted was a stepping stone, a ticket into high society.

    This was something she couldn''t achieve by working herself to death as an editor-in-chief. As an editor, even with an annual sry reaching a million, there was nowhere to advance. It wasn''t like Kang Mu ChengˇŞfor him, being editor-in-chief was just a stepping stone before eventually bing the boss.

    It was time to go help out. Mr. Qin put on an open-minded, cultured front in public, but he was actually petty. If she was slow, who knows if he would hold it against her.

    Yet for some reason, although her brainmanded her to open the door, her hands simply wouldn''t move.

    An extremely subtle, almost intuitive sense of crisis loomed over her.

    Her body was obeying instinct rather than logical analysis, unable to take action.

    Editor-in-Chief Guo struggled with indecision, hesitating for another ten minutes or so before finally stering on a smile and cautiously pushing the door open.

    The smoke in the corridor still hadn''t dispersed. Mr. Qin was copsed below the electric meter box, not moving a muscle.

    "Dear," Editor-in-Chief Guo stifled her breathing and leaned over to give him a gentle push, all pretense.

    Still no reaction.

    Dead? Her brain thought this, yet her fingers seemed to develop a mind of their own as they reached under his nose to check.

    No breathing?

    Utterly shocked and afraid, Editor-in-Chief Guo hurriedly covered her mouth as she sank down to the floor.

    A few secondster, she seemed to realize something. Stumbling, she crawled up and raced back into the storage room, mming the door shut behind her and bracing against it with her back.

    My god, he''s dead.

    He''s dead!

    51361, I''ll kill you.

    Who, who wanted to kill him?

    Editor-in-Chief Guo was scared out of her wits. Her legs couldn''t support her and she softly copsed to the ground.

    *

    On the third floor, oblivious to what was happening downstairs, Jian Jing was still studying the numbers.

    01#022#3333#517141#35690

    111121133114641

    78680#987512

    01123581321

    689#014ˇÔˇÔˇÔ947824

    #098ˇÔˇÔˇÔ1528#

    ˇÔˇÔˇÔ68294

    What on earth did these numbers mean?

    "The 111, that''s Pascal''s triangle," said the college student, who had just taken calculus. He pointed at the fourth line of numbers and continued, "This is a sequence, each number is the sum of the previous two."

    "What about the rest?" Xu the screenwriter was hopeless with math, drawing aplete nk.

    "Can''t figure them out," Jian Jing was also very troubled. "They don''t seem like sequences, there''s no pattern. And they''re not like the brush stroke counts from the nine cell puzzle..."

    She ran through the few types of ciphers she knew, but none fit.

    Had she gotten the clues wrong?

    Jian Jing''s confidence plummeted. She picked up another album of posters, which had old movie tickets tucked inside, also containing numbers and letters.

    She triedbining them.

    Her mind responded: %@Ł¤......*#Ł¤%

    "Jian Jing," Kang Mu Cheng''s steady voice came through the fog, "Isn''t this Morse code?"

    Jian Jing: "Where?"

    Kang Mu Cheng held the ledger away: "Don''t look at the numbers, look at the scribbles above, aren''t they dots and dashes?" He was very sensitive to money but not so much to numbers. He nced at it briefly then gave up. Who would have thought that after walking away for a bit, when he nced back, the numbers in his vision had all be blurred, but the scribbles above them stood out prominently.

    The novel White Cat Detective mentioned Morse code. When the female protagonist responded to the police, she tapped out the code for CAT. Back then he was the editor-in-chief, so it left a very deep impression. He was quite certain the "." and "-" were A and T.

    And in these few groups of scribbles, there were two that matched.

    "Ah!" As soon as he said it, Jian Jing suddenly realized it. She had been too focused on the numbers, overlooking the patterns outside of the numbers. Actually, both rows of numbers were a red herring. "Yes, it''s Morse code."

    As a mystery writer, even without a code sheet, she could recite this ssic code.

    She tranted in real time:

    ˇ¤ˇ¤ˇ¤ˇ¤ is H

    ˇ¤ is E

    ˇ¤- is A

    ˇ¤-ˇ¤ is R

    - is T

    Put together, it spells out the word "heart."

    "In English numbers, that''s 8511820," Jian Jing reported the answer. "Try this."

    Brimming with excitement, she picked up the receiver and dialed the numbers on the rotary phone.

    Kang Mu Cheng and Screenwriter Xu also crowded around.

    Ka-cha, ka-cha, the old rotary phone made a slightly dry sound.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21

    When thest 0 was broadcast, a melodious "beep-" sounded from the microphone. But before they could feel a moment of joy, the ground suddenly gave way beneath their feet.

    Jian Jing was agile enough and instinctively dodged to the side. But unluckily, as she was dialing the number, Kang Mu Cheng and Xu Scriptwriter happened to be standing on either side of her.

    Xu Scriptwriter was heavy, and when his foot slipped, he unconsciously grabbed onto whatever was nearby, which happened to be Jian Jing''s arm.

    She was pulled by this great force and naturally could not dodge, following them as they fell.

    Her heart leaped to her throat, and in her shock she was unable to speak.

    Fortunately the torment ended much faster than she had imagined. Her back hit a coarse object, her body sank down, stopping the fall, and a strong strange smell filled her nose.

    "It''s a rope," Kang Mu Cheng climbed up and said, "Jian Jing? Xu Scriptwriter?"

    "Ow!" Xu Scriptwriter clutched his chest and moaned loudly, "Scared to death, my heart, ow."

    Jian Jing had escaped danger twice before, so she recovered more quickly: "Chairman Kang, I''m fine." She then asked, "My phone is out of battery, can one of you shine some light?"

    Kang Mu Cheng took out his phone from his suit pocket, but very unfortunately, it had already been four hours since they were trapped, and before that the phone had been running for most of the day, draining a lot of battery for the shlight. His phone was also out of power and had automatically shut off.

    And Xu Scriptwriter''s phone had died hours ago, he didn''t know where he had casually ced it, but definitely did not have it on him.

    It was a perfectly dark environment.

    Faint sobbing could be heard floating by their ears.

    In the long silence, Xu Scriptwriter softly said, "Do you guys...hear any sounds?" He swallowed and spoke in a changing tone, "Is it...someone crying?"

    Jian Jing froze in ce: "Is it a ghost?!"

    "Where would a ghoste from," Kang Mu Cheng listened to locate them and slowly moved to Jian Jing''s side, pressing her shoulder, "Don''t move, be careful of falling, I''ll go see if there''s a way out."

    The room was originally without light, and today there was also a major power outage at the vi, not a ray of light could get in, perfectly illustrating the meaning of the phrase "unable to see your hand in front of your face".

    Kang Mu Cheng also did not dare move recklessly, using his hand to feel along the rope, stretching out his leg to try to reach the edge, deeply afraid that there was open space around them, and carelessly falling off with one wrong step.

    And that was indeed the case, after he moved half a meter, his toes were suspended in air. After groping around to survey the situation, he generally figured out what was going on: "It''s empty." As he spoke, he slowly adjusted his center of gravity, leaning his upper body forward, and his palms touched a smooth wall, "There''s a wall."

    Jian Jing, who the system had designated as useless, did not dare move recklessly: "Is this a ce like an elevator shaft? We''re suspended in midair?"

    "Wait a moment," Kang Mu Cheng took off his tie clip and lightly tossed it.

    After a few breaths, the sound of an object hitting the ground came from below.

    "It''s probably seven or eight meters," he estimated, "between the first and second floors of the vi."

    The high ceilings of the Sunset Vi were over three meters high, and there was also a basement below, falling down would mean death or severe disability if not death.

    Jian Jing sucked in a breath of cold air, sitting on the without daring to move at all. Kang Mu Cheng was far heavier than her, with just that bit of weight on the side she was on, her whole body slid towards that side. She had no choice but to cling tightly to the rope knots.

    "Chairman Kang,e this way a bit," she couldn''t help but say, "Don''t fall down."

    "It''s fine," he remained very calm, "I''ll check all four sides, maybe there''s a way out."

    Jian Jing fell silent.

    "Oh," Xu Scriptwritery prone at the side, massaging his temples, "Did you guys bring any food? My blood sugar is low."

    The power had gone out around 5 pm, and it was already 9 pm now. Everyone was tired, thirsty and hungry. Xu Scriptwriter especially so, he had rushed to meet a client at noon, and had only eaten a couple bites of toast beforeing over. Now his stomach was growling and he felt dizzy and nauseous, unable to even crawl up.

    Jian Jing felt her pockets, nothing there. She thought for a bit, and took out three recovery candies: "I have a few candies, they''re pretty high in calories."

    "Oh, a timely helping hand," Xu Scriptwriter groped to take them, peeled off the wrapper and ate them.

    The sweet fruity vor spread through his mouth, and the sugar entering his body greatly reduced his hunger and dizziness for the moment.

    He couldn''t help but ask: "What brand of candy is this? The vor''s not bad."

    Jian Jing also ate one, feeling the system''s powerful effects, and vaguely said: "A reader sent them, said they made the candies themselves and wanted me to try some."

    "Writers really have it good," Xu Scriptwriter joked, and didn''t look further into it.

    After eating the candy, Kang Mu Cheng felt his strength recover a bit, and continued to ponder how to get out of this ce: "There should be clues, it can''t be a dead end, it''s just too dark to see anything."

    He saw that Xu Scriptwriter was older with clumsy movements, and Jian Jing was a girl, so he took it upon himself to take on exploring, carefully feeling along the edges of the rope to see if there was a way out.

    Perseverance pays off, after a long search he finally felt a gap in the wall, with another long slit leading down at a ny degree angle.

    On closer inspection, it seemed there were some wooden sliding blocks above, heavy and tight, some parts loose and some wedged in very tightly.

    "It''s a mechanism," he deduced.

    Jian Jing furrowed her brows, Kang Mu Cheng''s weight kept sinking down, the mechanism was probably not in a good position: "Is it below the rope?"

    "Yes, it''s lower down, not easy to get to." Even with Kang Mu Cheng''s height, he still couldn''t feel the full edges of the mechanism, showing just how low the position was, with the danger of falling off at any time.

    Jian Jing was determined to try her luck once more.

    "System, draw card," she said in her heart.

    Aside from the ordinary cards she had drawn previously, she still had 10 special contribution points she could use to draw a special card, which could perhaps resolve their current predicament.

    [Drawing card]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Special Card - Night Vision Goggles (Component)]

    [Description: One of the high tech seriesponents, waterproof and fireproof, must be used with mainponent. Only 10 minutes of free use per day, can continue with courage points, 1 point = 10 minutes]

    [Note: Darkness breeds the unknown, the unknown brings fear, possess it, and you can face the darkness]

    Jian Jing: "..." She understood, ordinary cards required grinding, special cards needed spending, the nature of gacha systems in this world was all the same.

    But even 10 minutes was better than nothing.

    She took out the night vision goggles, whichnded in her palm as a small silver-white wing. Hooking it onto the frame of her high tech sses turned the ordinary tinum frame into a pair of sses with a cute little wing.

    At the same time, an operating interface for the night vision goggles appeared on the right lens frame. The wing was the on/off switch, press once to turn on, press again to turn off, with a countdown disyed above.

    She hurriedly activated them, swiftly scanning the environment.

    With the night vision goggles on, her vision showed a faint green, allowing her to see that they were sitting on not a veryrge rope, with a gap of about half a meter from the surrounding walls.

    Near Kang Mu Cheng''s hand was a notrge nor small wooden frame, positioned about two centimeters below the rope. The wooden frame had wooden strips of varying lengths and sizes, one grid left empty.

    A puzzle box.

    How sinister, forcing people to lunge forward to reach at such a position, with the danger of falling with the slightest carelessness, yet unable to proceed without doing so.

    She turned off the goggles to think for a bit, then said: "Chairman Kang, let me take a look, youe back first."

    "You can''t reach it," Kang Mu Cheng was still trying to shift the wooden blocks.

    "I want to take a look," she insisted.

    Unable to dissuade her, Kang Mu Cheng adjusted the n: "Scriptwriter Xu, please move back a bit. Jian Jing,e slowly, I''ll be next to you."

    The three of them moved like snails, with the heaviest Xu Scriptwriter weighing down the other end, Kang Mu Cheng shifted to the side to make space for Jian Jing to pass through.

    "Give me your hand," he said.

    Jian Jing iled wildly in the air, finally touching his palm, hurriedly grabbing on. The warmth and gravity from the other party brought reassurance. She braced herself, slowly crawling to the edge on her stomach, toes hooked into the rope knots, reaching out a hand to feel around.

    After a while, she announced the answer: "It''s a puzzle box."

    "Tsk," Xu Scriptwriter asked, "How do we do this?"

    "Let me try," Jian Jing turned on the night vision goggles again, quickly recorded the image, then turned them off, internally visualizing the steps a few times, confirming there were no mistakes before turning them on again to start sliding the pieces around.

    However, the puzzle box was about half a person''s height, and the position was difficult. After trying for a while her arms were sore and she had to stop to rest.

    "Jian Jing, let me do it," Kang Mu Cheng did not know she had a cheat device, and was genuinely worried about her taking such risks. He wanted to pull her back to the safe area.

    Jian Jing simply shook his hand off, using both arms alternately: "I can handle it." But when he spoke, the images in her mind blurred and she had to turn on the goggles again to take another look: "Stop talking."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    With rustling sounds, Jian Jing had practically her whole body suspended as she crawled along, fingers stretched taut, finally adjusting the wooden blocks of the puzzle box into the appropriate positions.

    The hidden lever was also exposed.

    "I''m done, there''s a lever here," exhausted from manhandling the puzzle, Jian Jing would not act strong at a time to let go. Gasping for breath, she crawled back into the to y dead, "Chairman Kang, I''ll leave the rest to you."

    Only then did Kang Mu Cheng rx, moving close to pull the lever. But he couldn''t even press it all the way down, and had to step on it with his feet in the end.

    Luckily the mechanism was still working well, after stepping down fully the wooden frame shifted, revealing an entrance.

    Weak light shone down, the familiar markings of a safety exit.

    Using this bit of light, Kang Mu Cheng visually measured the distance, conservatively estimating he could barely step across: "You two go to the back, I''ll go down first to take a look."

    "Will it work?" With the help of her night vision goggles, Jian Jing could clearly see the gap between the rope and passage, deeply doubtful.

    "No problem," Kang Mu Cheng was very steady, "slowly putting down both legs. Stepping firmly with the front foot first before following with the other, while keeping a firm grip on the rope knots to avoid falling."

    Three minutester, he sessfully entered the passage.

    "Jian Jing, youe over first," he directed, "lie on the and give me your hands."

    Jian Jing clumsily did as told, feeling as if she had be a beached fish. This feeling grew stronger after being dragged into the passage by Kang Mu Cheng, her legs iling but unable to exert any strength. She identally stepped into the mesh holes, ankle getting stuck.

    "Jump," Kang Mu Cheng barked sharply.

    Jian Jing gritted her teeth and jumped down, but her leap was too low and she couldn''t make it into the passageway. Her body hung suspended at the entrance, legs dangling with nothing to push off of.

    Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

    Fortunately, Kang Mu Cheng was much stronger than her. He forcibly pulled her in.

    "Phew-" Jian Jing sat in the low passageway and let out a long breath. "Tomorrow I''m joining the gym."

    Perhaps it was because her tone was too angry, but even in such dire circumstances, Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t help softlyughing.

    "Mr. Kang?" she said, displeased.

    "Scoot further in. I''ll pull Xu Scriptwriter in," Kang Mu Cheng seemed to have done nothing wrong as he crawled back out to direct Xu Scriptwriter, "Legs first, nt them firmly."

    Xu Scriptwriter was drenched in sweat, moving at half speed. It took him forever for his feet to touch the ground.

    Kang Mu Cheng had Jian Jing grab Xu Scriptwriter''s legs while he reached out to grab Xu''s belt, forcibly dragging the man into the passageway.

    By now, they had been trapped for nearly five hours.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22

    The emergency passage was cramped and narrow. Jian Jing could sit up straight, but Xu Scriptwriter and Kang Mu Cheng could only curl up and rest tilted to the side.

    "I''ve written many adventure stories, but this is my first time experiencing it firsthand," Xu Scriptwriter said self-deprecatingly. "Look, no zombies, no monsters, no beetles, yet we''re already in such a sorry state. From now on I''ll have no right toin that the protagonists win too easily in my stories."

    Jian Jingughed at his joke.

    Hearing herugh, Xu Scriptwriter changed the subject and joked, "But I''m getting old, I can''t help it. Jingjing on the other hand is a lot like Bai Xiaomao, smart and nimble."

    Bai Xiaomao was the female protagonist of White Kitten Detective, a gically enhanced super detective girl.

    "Mm, just missing the gic enhancements," the usually stern Kang Mu Cheng unexpectedly also cracked a joke, perhaps because of the oppressive darkness.

    Jian Jing said, "President Kang, this style doesn''t suit you."

    "I''ve always been like this," Kang Mu Cheng said, unexpectedly not admitting it. "It''s just that I was stricter towards you before. After all, if I''m too friendly with authors, they''re more likely to miss deadlines."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "He''s telling the truth," Xu Scriptwriter guffawed. "Without a stern editor watching us, authors are capable of anything to avoid turning in manuscripts. I''ve gone as far as getting surgery at the hospital before just to dy submission."

    Jian Jing had to admit that was indeed true. In her eyes, Kang Mu Cheng was both brother and father. He took care of her daily life and strictly monitored her work. If he said a manuscript had to be submitted by a certain date, she couldn''t bete by a single day.

    She respected him somewhat feared him. She never dared to miss a deadline, like a grade schooler turning in homework.

    "Then next time I''ll deliberately miss the deadline," she said. "President Kang no longer holds any authority in my eyes."

    Kang Mu Cheng scoffed, seeming to say: Are you sure?

    Normally, Jian Jing would never confront Kang Mu Cheng head on. His care and concern for the other Jian Jing deserved her respect. But with everyone''s nerves frayed right now, they needed theic relief.

    She indulged herself a little, lightly huffing in response to challenge him: We''ll see about that.

    Xu Scriptwriterughed again and asked, "What does Jingjing n to write next? To be honest, Devil Doctor is very suitable to expand into a series or adapt into a TV drama." After a brief pause, he unexpectedly sincerely said, "Actually, I''d like to connect you with a friend of mine. He recently wants to switch to producing TV dramas, and doesn''t want overly long, draggy scripts, so episodic quasi-American dramas like Devil would be perfect."

    Jian Jing was surprised by his candor.

    Previously Xu Scriptwriter had hinted at simr intentions, but it seemed like he was just casually suggesting it, not actually enthusiastic. And Kang Mu Cheng wanted to bargain for a higher price, also not revealing any eagerness. It was as if they were engaged in business negotiations, still in the exploratory phase.

    But now, Xu Scriptwriter''s attitude was very sincere and forthright, not hiding his high opinion of Devil Doctor at all.

    The three suddenly felt much closer to each other.

    Sensing his change in attitude, Kang Mu Cheng also changed his tune: "I absolutely trust Xu Scriptwriter''s judgement. Let''s discuss more after we get out of here."

    Jian Jing naturally agreed with him: "You two have more experience than me, I''ll just listen."

    "With you being so obedient, President Kang''s job must be easy," Xu Scriptwriter remarked. "In our line of work, it''s not easy to find a suitable partner."

    A superior horse needs to meet a good judge of horses in order to achieve sess. But usually, writers feel publishers don''t understand their work and underestimate their talent. Publishers feel writers have inted egos, and literature publishing is still a business after all.

    Trust was always easier said than done.

    A moment of contemtive silence descended on them.

    After resting a while and recovering some strength, Jian Jing said, "I''ll go check out what''s ahead."

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "I should be the one to..."

    "I''m smaller," Jian Jing interrupted him.

    He stopped. His height and long legs used to be an advantage, but in this passage, they were a hindrance, catching on the walls and ceiling. He could only caution her, "Be careful."

    "I know," Jian Jing swiftly crawled forward with the night vision goggles. In no time, she reached a bend. Past the turn, she felt the passage angle downward, seemingly leading directly underground.

    "It looks like there''s a way down here," she said excitedly, quickly turning around and sliding down the incline like a slide.

    The slide was straight with no bends, ending after five or six meters. Her feetnded on a steel te with a small number lock. And through the thin steel te, she could hear the sound of wind and rain outside.

    If she could open this, they''d be able to get out.

    Jian Jing was overjoyed and immediately looked for clues.

    On the back of the steel te was etched a string of letters: snegoustlw.

    The number lock was also English letters.

    With her English proficiency around level 4, Jian Jing searched her memory and deduced this was unlikely to be an actual word, but rather an encrypted password.

    Given the small number of letters, the encryption method probably wasn''t tooplicated. For English letters there were two possibilities to consider: pronunciation or the Englishnguage itself.

    Broken into initials and finals, the pronunciation was:

    Initials: s, n, g, s, t, l, w

    Finals: e, o, u

    Clearly no match.

    It should be based on the Englishnguage.

    "Jingjing, are you alright?" Kang Mu Cheng''s worried voice came from above.

    "I''m fine," she casually responded. "Solving a password, wait a moment."

    There was a ssic type of English encryption called fence cipher.

    snegoustlw happened to be 10 letters, able to be split into two rows:

    snego

    ustlw

    Su...n? Sun?

    Jian Jing immediately rearranged the lettersbining the rows: sunsetglow.

    Twilight, or afterglow.

    She rotated the lock''s letters to spell out these two words. With a soft click, the lock opened, and cold wind mixed with heavy raindrops poured inside, pping her face.

    Jian Jing felt like a huge weight had been lifted. Pushing the door open, she walked out into the downpour.

    [Taskpleted, system calcting rewards]

    The cold rain drenched her body, but she only felt the relief of surviving disaster. "President Kang, Xu Scriptwriter, you cane down now. We can get out!"

    Two minutester, they also sessfully escaped the vi.

    In the storm, the three looked at each other and spontaneously burst intoughter.

    "Phew..." Xu Scriptwriter seemed to want to say something, but couldn''t find the words, simply shaking his head whileughing. "Not easy, not easy at all."

    Just as Jian Jing was about to say something, she suddenly heard someone yelling, "Is anyone there?"

    "Who is it?" She walked towards the voice.

    "It''s me." From a small room near the exit, someone was banging on the door, shouting, "Hurry and reset the password on the outside control box."

    Recognizing her voice, Jian Jing called out: "Mrs. Qin?"

    Xu Scriptwriter and Kang Mu Cheng also came over: "Mrs. Qin? Why are you here?"

    "I came to check the power room circuits, but I don''t know what happened. The security system suddenly rebooted, and my phone has no signal either, so I can''t get the new password. I''m trapped in here," Mrs. Qin anxiously exined. "The external control box can manually reset the password."

    Kang Mu Cheng found the control box concealed as a birdhouse behind the power room. Opening it revealed an intelligent control panel inside.

    Mrs. Qin instructed: "Press reset password. It will ask for the current password which I can''t receive, so choose to restore factory settings."

    Kang Mu Cheng did as told. "It''s asking for a factory code."

    "sko03725jolxmhod," Mrs. Qin read out the code.

    The system disyed sess, prompting him to enter a new password.

    Per Mrs. Qin''s request, Kang Mu Cheng set it to 8 zeroes.

    After the sess message disyed, Mrs. Qin entered the new code into the power room and finally got the door open. Herplexion was ghostly pale, her face filled with gratitude and guilt. "Fortunately you all managed to escape, otherwise I wouldn''t have known what to do. To invite everyone to view the exhibition, yet this happened...I''m terribly sorry."

    Of course no one could me her for anything. They all hastened to reassure her: "Just an ident, don''t worry about it. Let''s find the others first. Being trapped for so long must have tired everyone out."

    "Yes, we could all use a hot cup of coffee now," Mrs. Qin joked, taking the lead to unlock the caf¨¦.

    It was empty inside.

    She turned on the lights and called out, "Is anyone here?"

    "Who?!" There was a response not too far away.

    Mrs. Qin hurriedly went over.

    As the hallway lights all switched on at once, the figure copsed in the middle became ringly obvious. "Dear?!" Mrs. Qin ran over in shock, shouting for her husband. "Dear, how did you... Ah!"

    She screamed and crumpled to the floor.

    Jian Jing''s scalp tingled as she rushed over, immediately seeing President Qin''s rigid body.

    Dead as a doornail.

    *

    At 3am, the downpour eased into a light drizzle.

    It was also around this time that the police finally arrived, one car with two officers, one auxiliary officer, and one medical examiner. Dark eye circles hung heavily under their eyes, appearing exhausted.

    On one hand Jian Jing deeply sympathized with their heavy workload, working overtime sote into the night. On the other hand, she felt resigned towards the police''s slow response time - it took three hours after calling to show up, the food had gone cold.

    However, while shorthanded, the police were still meticulous in their work. After examining the corpse, the medical examiner preliminarily determined the cause of death to be toxic gas poisoning leading to asphyxiation.

    The police first questioned Mrs. Qin after getting an ount of tonight''s ident.

    "Could you introduce us to your security system?"

    Mrs. Qin was very cooperative: "We''re a private museum, with many precious artworks in our collection, so we applied for Grade B security. Once the security alert is triggered, all the doors will lock, but considering potential idents, each room also has an emergency password."

    The police officer nodded. "Are you able to open it?"

    "I can use the admin password to unlock everything, but the system rebooted directly today due to an electrical failure. After rebooting, the admin password bes invalid, and the new password is sent to my phone. " Mrs. Qin exined.

    The officer asked, "You didn''t receive the new password?"

    "That''s right. It seems like a system bug urred, which activated the signal jammer at the same time, so my phone couldn''t receive any messages normally. And I just happened to be locked in the electrical room, unable to manually reset the password." Mrs. Qin looked despondent. "I didn''t consider things thoroughly enough..."

    The police interrupted her confession: "What''s the deal with the released gas? Why did it kill people? ording to relevant regtions, lethal devices are not allowed in ss B systems."

    Mrs. Qin looked embarrassed and hesitated before saying, "The space was too big,pliant anesthetic gases were too expensive, so my husband found someone to buy some...uh...not totally standard mist sprays. He said anyone who would trigger the rm must be up to no good, so we don''t need to be too courteous with them."

    The police asked, "So you''re saying your husband knew the gas was lethal?"

    "Yes," Mrs. Qin answered very quickly.

    "Knowing that, why would he still trigger the mechanism?" the police retorted.

    Mrs. Qin frowned: "Perhaps it wasn''t necessarily him who triggered it. There was another person at the scene. Officer, I hope you can get to the bottom of this. My husband would never knowinglymit a crime."

    "Thank you for your cooperation," the police temporarily halted the questioning.

    The next person to be questioned was Editor-in-chief Guo.

    She truthfully recounted the process of President Qin''s death, but was vague about why the two of them were in the storeroom.

    The police did not let this loophole slide and probed further: "Why were you in the storeroom?"

    "I wanted to get some fresh air through the back door, so I went that way," Editor Guo said. "Officers, I don''t think this is important. President Qin''s death...I suspect it wasn''t an ident, but murder."

    The police did not betray any emotion: "Why do you say that?"

    "The vi''s security system, we don''t understand it, but shouldn''t the owner be familiar with it?" Editor Guo emphasized, "When he saw the emergency button then, he was very happy and pressed it without a second thought. The only exnation for him doing this is that someone told him it was safe. Who would be most familiar with the vi''s design?"

    The two questioning police exchanged a nce with inscrutable expressions.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23

    President Qin and Mrs. Qin did not have any intention to conceal anything. One said that her husband could not have knowinglymitted the crime, while the other said that he must have been deliberately misled. They unanimously directed their spears at each other.

    This turn of events was really beyond Jian Jing''s expectations. She had thought that today''s theme was Tomb Raider, but who would have thought there would be a locked room murder case.

    In her heart, she suspected Mrs. Qin. The reason was simple. She was the designer of the vi and also the manager. She had the means tomit murder. And with President Qin''s affair, the motive for murder was also very clear.

    As for Guo Chief Editor, this was her first time at the vi. She had no way of knowing the security design based on reason. And she had no motive. With President Qin dead, her hope of being promoted officially was dashed, losing everything she had worked for.

    But one can randomly eat food, not randomly speak words.

    No matter how suspicious Jian Jing was, she could not point fingers without evidence. She could only watch the drama in silence.

    Because it was toote, after giving simple statements, the police allowed them to temporarily leave. If needed, they would assist with the investigation again.

    This proposal was precisely what they hoped for. No one wanted to go to the police station after being cold and tired. Everyone bid farewell and returned home separately.

    Jian Jing arrived home at four in the morning. After taking a bath and drinking a cup of valerian root, she hastily went to sleep. She didn''t wake up until after 1pm the next day.

    Her phone had a text message from Kang Mu Cheng: [Are you up? My mom sent you food.]

    She quickly replied: [I''m up, thanks.]

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t reply back. He was probably busy.

    Jian Jing didn''t mind. She got up slowly, washed up, and took the food out of the thermal box by the door. It was chicken soup specially cooked by Kang Mu Cheng''s housekeeper. She ate it in big mouthfuls, before she had the energy to review the system settlement.

    [Mission Name: Escape from Yu Hui Vi (Completed)]

    [Mission Description: Courage 30 points + 10 special contribution points (You made great contributions during the escape)]

    [Note: Courage points can be used to draw cards (ordinary). Each costs 5 points; Contribution points can be used to draw cards (special). Each costs 10 points.]

    "Achoo!" Jian Jing, who was drenched in the rainst night, sneezed. She decided to draw 2 ordinary cards first.

    "Draw two ordinary cards."

    [Drawing cards...]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Enhancement Card - Explosive Power (1 point)]

    [Description: Enhance coordination between different muscles to increase explosive power]

    [Note: A moment''s performance will determine life or death]

    [Name: Enhancement Card - Strength (1 point)]

    [Description: Increase muscle dimensions to improve physical strength output]

    [Note: In a narrow encounter, the one with the bigger fist wins]

    Ah, they were enhancement cards as expected. It seemed like the system thought she should live well. The most important thing was not to gain more knowledge and skills, but to change from a weakling to an average level.

    She looked at the character panel again, the descriptions had changed along with it.

    Physique: 5 (The result of staying upte every day)

    Strength: 5 (Don''t arm wrestle with anyone)

    Agility: 7 (You''re a little more agile than ordinary people)

    Explosive Power: 5 (At the juncture of life and death, you''ll regret it)

    Endurance: 5 (Your endurance is clearly not great)

    That hit the spot.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but ask: "Do I have to use the cards to strengthen myself? Can''t I just train by myself?"

    [System: Of course you can. It''s precisely because the host''s physical data is so poor that we enhanced it in a targeted manner.]

    Her: "..." Why didn''t you say so earlier.

    Since she could train by herself, she would save her courage points when she could. Jian Jing immediately opened her phone to look for a nearby gym. She found a national chain brand and drove straight there.

    The fitness industry in this world was also very developed. The nearest gym was only a 10 minute drive away.

    The scale was also quite impressive. There were 3 floors, including outdoor tennis and badminton courts, a swimming pool, and private coaching sses of varying prices and sizes.

    Jian Jing had money, so after trying a session, she happily signed up for one-on-one private coaching.

    The private coach wasn''t very handsome, but he was young and fit, pleasing to the eye just looking at him. After asking Jian Jing about her requirements, he congratted her, "You don''t need to eat a fat loss meal. For your diet, just pay attention to nutritional bnce. The ratio of carbs, protein and fat is about 5:3:2. I''ll give you some sample meal ns to follow."

    He paused deliberately here to emphasize, "Your muscles will increase after working out, and your weight will also go up. I don''t mean you''ll look fat, but you definitely won''t be your current figure. You have to be mentally prepared."

    Jian Jing thought that between life and death all the time, what did maintaining her figure matter. There was nothing bad about her clothes not fitting a size S.

    "I''m more concerned about health," she promised.

    The private coach was obviously relieved. What he feared most was female students making a big fuss after working out, saying that more muscles didn''t look good.

    Of course, male students weren''t much better. After lifting weights a few times they would ask when they could get abs. Working out for an hour, exercising for ten minutes, taking photos for twenty minutes, and chatting up people for thirty minutes. You can''t get results from working out like that.

    "Since you''re clear on the results, that''s good. I''ll arrange the sses for you then," the private coachined inwardly, while maintaining a polite smile on his face, "Also, I rmend you take a boxing ss as well. You can learn some basic self-defense skills, very suitable for girls."

    "Okay, I''ll sign up." Jian Jing paid without any hesitation.

    With this arrangement, her schedule was full enough. sses on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Work out on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Plus the events she had to attend as a writer. She could foresee how fulfilling her life would be.

    Even so, Jian Jing did not forget to follow up on President Qin''s case.

    She hinted about it to Kang Mu Cheng, asking about Guo Chief Editor''s situation.

    Kang Mu Cheng also seemed to have guessed something. He replied saying, "She''s fine, it probably has nothing to do with her."

    Jian Jing confided in him, "I feel like Mrs. Qin designed the murder."

    "No evidence," Kang Mu Cheng said. "After all, it''s President Qin''s vi. As long as Mrs. Qin stubbornly insists that President Qin knew about it, it will be very difficult to convict her."

    She immediately fell silent.

    "Jingjing, solving cases is the police''s job," Kang Mu Cheng''s heart, which had settled down once again, tensed up. He advised, "Don''t get involved."

    Jian Jing retorted, "How is it getting involved? I don''t n on getting involved, it''s just..."

    Just what? She thought about it, probably dissatisfaction. Knowing that there might be something fishy about a coborative murder case, yet keeping silent about it, inevitably made her feel a little like she was abetting evildoers.

    But these words were hard to say out loud. She didn''t want Kang Mu Cheng to worry about her on top of being busy with work. So she said, "Fine, it''s unrted to me anyway."

    "That''s right. I''m meeting with the screenwriter Xu. I''ll talk to youter," Kang Mu Cheng seemedpletely unaffected by the Yu Hui Vi incident. He continued to be immersed in his work as usual, "Hang up now."

    "Bye th..."

    Jian Jing hadn''t even finished saying goodbye when she heard a "du" on the phone indicating that he had hung up.

    She resignedly hung up the phone, but was still unhappy in her heart. Finishing the mission at the detective club where they caught Luo Jun felt so much better than this.

    Jian Jing idly scrolled through her phone. After a long while, she finally steeled her resolve and opened WeChat to look for Ji Feng - they had added each other''s contact after thest case.

    She hesitated when she opened the chat page.

    Would it be appropriate to bother the police for some small matters when they were so busy?

    She wavered for a moment before sending him a red packet.

    Ji Feng replied quite quickly: [Bribery??]

    Jian Jing: [I have some questions to ask. This is a consultation fee.]

    He swiftly epted it: [Ask away. Won''t answer anything confidential. Fees non-refundable.]

    Jian Jing asked: [If someone uses a security system to cause another person''s death, does this count as intentional murder?]

    Ji Feng: [Of course it counts. Intentional murder is divided into direct intent and indirect intent. Knowing that the security system may lead to a person''s death, yet allowing or inducing the result, also counts as intentional murder.]

    Jian Jing asked again: [Then, if the deceased knew the security system had problems, but still died, does the other person who also knew count?]

    Ji Feng: [If the deceased knew there was a problem, it bes moreplicated.]

    He was probably curious and directly asked: [Research or encountered a case? Tell me the specifics.]

    Jian Jing: [Are you very free?]

    Ji Feng: [On duty for a month, finally got a day off today. What do you think, am I free or not?]

    Jian Jing: [Free]

    Ji Feng: [Wrong. I''m on the way to find a suspect.]

    Jian Jing deeply sympathized with the police''s workload, but she still had to ask. She briefly recounted to him the cause and effect of what happened at the vi.

    Ji Feng immediately called her and said, "This case isn''t easy to solve."

    "Because there''s no evidence?" she asked.

    "Liu Bao Feng was the designer of the vi, she definitely has to take responsibility. But you said she deliberately murdered someone, there must be sufficient evidence. First is motive. You said she killed because her husband had an affair, is there anything that can prove this? If not, it will be very difficult to establish motive since you said they appeared loving in public."

    Ji Feng was in an unknown location, there was a lot of noise in the phone call, very noisy: "Also, the premise of intentional murder is knowing it may lead to someone else''s death. For other people, it would at least be negligent homicide. But the deceased was the owner of the vi. It''s easy to prove he knew, difficult to prove he didn''t know."

    "Sigh." Jian Jing kept sighing as she listened. "Then what should be done?"

    "Why do you feel Mrs. Qin is the murderer?" he asked.

    "Intuition. Her leaving at that time was too coincidental. She just happened to be locked in the electrical room. And President Qin died while he was with Guo Chief Editor. It''s too coincidental. I don''t believe such coincidences exist." She paced around vexedly, "It''s too much of a coincidence."

    Ji Feng bluntly said, "That kind of coincidence is nothing. I''ve seen much bigger coincidences than you."

    Jian Jing emphasized, "I knew they were having an affair as soon as I met them. Mrs. Qin is President Qin''s wife. Could she not sense at all whether her husband was cheating or not? Even without evidence, she could feel whether her husband was having an affair or not."

    "Feelings cannot be used as evidence," Ji Feng was worldly-wise and didn''t think much of it. "You go reflect the situation with the affair to the police in charge. There''s nothing else that can be done."

    Jian Jing fell silent.

    Ji Feng sighed, speaking sincerely: "Miss Jian, I really admire your sense of justice. But reality is not a novel, constrained by manyplex factors. We just need to do what we can, then we can have a clear conscience."

    "Is this the perfect crime?" Jian Jing asked.

    "No," Ji Feng pondered for a moment, "If the murderer really is President Qin, then I can only say it''s a very clever crime."

    There is no such thing as a perfect crime in this world. The more perfect it is, the more ws there are. But President Qin''s n was not perfect. She had already told everyone that she was the designer and admitted that her home used nonpliant devices. Her attitude was good and she was cooperative. It would be difficult to determine this as deliberate murder. In all likelihood, it was negligent homicide or an ident.

    She also voluntarily reported the case and cooperated with the police. Even if she was convicted in the end, it would most likely be a suspended sentence.

    Jian Jing was silent.

    Ji Feng went on, "There are many cases where a security system has caused someone''s death. They tend to be lightly sentenced. Because this is for protecting private property, you understand?"

    "I understand," Jian Jing said involuntarily, "I really hope this is all my spection and the truth is simple - just an ident."

    "Hmm, actually there''s still something you can do," Ji Feng said.

    "What?"

    "Catch the murderer in your novel," he suggested seriously. "What do you think, good idea right?"

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Although she knew he was talking nonsense, she was a little tempted. What a cheeky thing to say!

    "Something came up, gotta go, talk next time," Just like Kang Mu Cheng, Ji Feng was decisive and acted swiftly. He said he had to go and just hung up, not giving Jian Jing any chance to say goodbye.

    But this time, her mood was much more calm.

    After contacting the police who left their number and reflecting on the ambiguous rtionship between President Qin and Guo Chief Editor, she opened up herputer and created a new document.

    A woman murdered her cheating husband but perfectly got away with it. Is she a good person or an evil person? Does her heart taste delicious or poisonous when eaten?

    What motivated her to do this?

    Did she hesitate or regret it?

    At this moment, is she celebrating her sess or shuddering at her sin?

    As Jian Jing thought about this, she was unable to put pen to paper for a long time.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24

    May 20th, Jian Jing finished her workout ss, took a shower and opened her locker, only to find several missed calls on her phone, all from Kang Mu Cheng.

    She was surprised and puzzled, so she called back immediately: "Did you need me for something?"

    "Yeah." Kang Mu Cheng sounded cheerful, even through the phone she could feel his delight, "I have some news to tell you, where are you?"

    "At the gym." She was confused, "What news?"

    Kang Mu Cheng asked back: "Today is the 20th, so what do you think?"

    "520?" Jian Jing was even more puzzled, "Valentine''s Day?"

    "......" Kang Mu Cheng had to reveal the answer himself, "Today is the award ceremony for the Film Festival, Hide and Seek won the Jury Grand Prize."

    Jian Jing simply responded: "Oh, that''s great."

    Kang Mu Cheng fell silent, then asked: "Do you not know what kind of award this is?"

    Jian Jing: "A grand prize."

    "This is a very prestigious award. We got really lucky that it''s an off year and our strongestpetitors ran into some sensitive issues. In the end it fell onto Hide and Seek. Huh, I didn''t think we had a chance, but luck came and couldn''t be stopped." Kang Mu Cheng was very excited, talking much more than usual, "Although it''s the film that won the award, it also benefits you."

    "......Mm." Jian Jing wasn''t unhappy, she justcked excitement, and felt more regret. Regret that her other self didn''t get to see this day.

    But she concealed it very well: "When will it be released domestically?"

    "It was originally scheduled for the May 1st slot, but Director Ding pushed back the date, wanting to take a gamble, and it paid off for him." Kang Mu Cheng said, "Don''t worry, you''ll definitely get an invite to the premiere."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but smile: "I''m already looking forward to it."

    "Let''s wait for more good news together." Kang Mu Cheng said.

    And just as he said, by seven or eight o''clock at night, online was flooded with rted news. The main force was naturally the productionpany, all major entertainment outlets had published updates.

    Director Ding himself had a Weibo ount, and wrote a rambling 800 character mini-essay, talking about his journey, thanking the producer and friends for their support, praising the lead actor''s performance, and humbly giving himself some credit, not forgetting to mention Jian Jing, covering all bases.

    Jin Wu certainly wouldn''t miss this opportunity, posting a 3x3 grid of Hide and Seek, reposting giveaways, plus links to purchase the book on major emerce sites.

    Jian Jing clicked into the shopping site out of curiosity, and witnessed monthly sales shooting up from 300 copies to over 5000, and it was still growing.

    This was a 3 year old book.

    Overnight, earth-shaking changes.

    If Jian Jing said she wasn''t excited about this, she''d be lying. The half bottle of red wine she drank was the best proof. However, no matter how sessful Hide and Seek became, it was still another Jian Jing''s sess. Even if the two were reflections of the same soul in parallel mirrors, there were still subtle differences.

    She was happy for "herself", but didn''t feel like this was her own sess.

    This subtle sense of difference allowed her to quickly calm down again, without getting carried away by joy.

    Furthermore, she had something even more worth celebrating.

    When Hide and Seek trended on hot search, the system prompted a new update.

    [System: Host''s fame has greatly increased, meeting the criteria to unlock the limited lottery pool. New card pool unlocked.]

    [System: The limited lottery pool opens based on the host''s fame. Currently at "somewhat known", can draw 1 time every 3 months.]

    [System: Draw from the limited card pool?]

    Jian Jing didn''t expect there to be a new lottery pool, and was curious: "Draw."

    [Limited card draw in progress]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Status Card - Composure +30%]

    [Description: Composure increased by 30%, allowing you to remain calm in crises]

    [Note: Status cards can be activated OR deactivated anytime]

    How interesting, there''s this kind of function?

    She immediately used the new card, and so, the character panel she had previously ignored now had new changes.

    Name: Jian Jing

    Gender: Female

    Age: 20

    Reputation: Somewhat known (Maybe a passerby or two knows who you are)

    Status: Composure +30%

    Physique: 5 (The result of long nights)

    Strength: 5 (Never arm wrestle anyone)

    Agility: 7 (You''re a little more agile than the average person)

    Burst: 5 (You''ll regret this at the crux of life and death)

    Endurance: 5 (Your stamina is clearly not great)

    Talent: Fiction writing (Locked)

    Knowledge: Forensics (Basic), Cryptography (Basic)

    Skills: Observation (Basic)

    Inventory: Recovery candy (2/5), High tech sses (night vision)

    Current points: Bravery 20, Special Contribution 10

    She tested out the new status, it worked well. Her previously somewhat heated mind instantly calmed down and she started thinking about what impact Hide and Seek would have on herself.

    The answer was, old book sales would increase, possibly bringing new books along, and her position would carry more weight.

    And that was it.

    The ones profiting most would be the productionpany, the director and actors basking in fame and fortune. As the original author, she didn''t have much going on.

    So what was there to get excited about, just wash up and sleep.

    She remained nonchnt, doing her own thing, until Kang Mu Cheng told her the Hide and Seek premiere would be on June 1st, and she would need to attend.

    *

    The premiere time was 7pm. Kang Mu Cheng called her saying he had a meeting that afternoon and couldn''t make it to pick her up, so he asked thepany driver to take her instead.

    Althoughpany drivers picking up and dropping off authors was verymon, Jian Jing didn''t want to trouble them, and preferred driving herself. She hit rush hour traffic on the way, and arrived at the premiere venue around 6:40pm.

    The venue was already around 80% filled, with some film critics, media personnel, and some unfamiliar faces she didn''t recognize.

    Jian Jing had no intention of small talk with others, and found her seat to quietly wait for the opening.

    But right then, a familiar voice came from the front: "Ms. Jian, long time no see." Along with it appeared a graceful, tranquil face.

    Mrs. Qin.

    Or perhaps she should be addressed as Ms. Liu Baofeng now.

    "Qin...no, Liu..." Jian Jing was startled, and for a moment couldn''t find the right words.

    "Just a form of address, Ms. Jian can be at ease." Liu Baofeng''s attitude was mild, nothing like the suspected murderer imagined.

    Jian Jing activated "Composure" state, instantly calming down. She chose a meaningful form of address: "Ms. Liu, I didn''t expect to run into you here."

    Liu Baofeng smiled faintly: "Although I don''t understand films, the producer is my friend. Asking for an invite wasn''t difficult."

    Jian Jing noticed she said "ask for", and so asked: "You''re very interested in this film?"

    "I''m more interested in Ms. Jian." Liu Baofeng said gently, "I want to see your story."

    Jian Jing sat down and smoothed her skirt: "The ones who came today are either for the director or the actors. Youing specially for me, I''m quite ttered."

    Liu Baofeng smiled slightly, and didn''t reply.

    The surrounding seats gradually filled up, no longer suitable for conversation, so the two stopped there and didn''t say more.

    The film began.

    On the huge movie screen appeared a grey, foggy sky. The ind in the distance was like a shadow in the deep sea amidst the mist, the tones grey and gloomy.

    The camera turned, showing a room with a drunken man cursing, and a disheveled, haggard woman.

    The manined about not making money, med the woman for being stupid, and for being a burden. The woman agreed deferentially. The food on the table was simple and poor.

    Bottles of cheap liquor poured down as the man got drunk. The woman put the leftovers into a bowl, went through the cramped kitchen into a narrow storage room, and passed the food in: "Eat."

    A child''s hand reached out from the storage room, bones protruding.

    The woman hurried upstairs without another word. Upstairs in the bedroom, a baby wailed loudly.

    The voiceover began: "I was born on a remote ind. My biological father died very early, leaving me and my mother. When I was four, my mother remarried, to a drunkard. He hated me, wishing I would die immediately, and also hated my mother, I didn''t understand why..."

    The scene changed, the swaddled baby slowly grew up, and the rtionship between the man and woman also gradually improved, asionally showing warmth. Only the narrating child remained outside the frame, like a bystander.

    "My younger brother grew up, and my mother liked him too. But I hated him, he was too bad."

    The camera captured some of the younger brother''s mischief, purposefully soiling his brother''s bowl with poop, spitting at him, lying to the adults that his brother was bullying him...The child actor was very cute, with innocent eyes. He wasn''t a demon, just found it fun.

    Natural evil, ignorant evil,bined with a child''s innocence and cuteness, in perfect harmony.

    "In 2000, on a foggy day, dad and mom were both out. My brother insisted on ying hide and seek with me. I didn''t want to, but if I didn''t agree, he would tattle to dad, so I yed this game with him."

    "I just didn''t realize then that this game of hide and seek wouldst my whole life."

    The narration ended, and the film entered the main story.

    What followed was the plot of Hide and Seek.

    The two brothers started ying hide and seek. The younger brother hid while the elder sought. After counting to 100, the elder brother looked all over the house but couldn''t find a trace of his brother.

    The younger brother had disappeared.

    The elder brother, parents, neighbors all searched the entire ind, but couldn''t find him. The father beat the elder brother half to death, barely surviving thanks to the mother''s pleas.

    He developed a high fever, delirious and unconscious. In his daze, it seemed someone told him: "Don''t be afraid, you''ll be fine."

    The elder brother didn''t know who this person was, and fell into blurred sleep.

    A few dayster, the younger brother''s corpse floated up in the sea, eaten beyond recognition by fish. The small ind only had a local police station, no forensic examiner. With the limited police force then, it was ruled as idental drowning.

    No one was suspicious, except the elder brother.

    Only he knew that he had pushed his younger brother down the stairs, killing him on the spot. He was very scared, so he hid his brother''s corpse in the basement storeroom.

    Why did his corpse appear in the sea?

    With this doubt, he spent ten years. In 2010, on another foggy day, a ssmate went missing without a trace.

    The ssmate''sst known outfit spread throughout the streets and alleyways, awakening the brother''s sleeping memories.

    On the day his younger brother died, he had seen this person before.

    Seen someone from ten years in the future.

    It turned out that on the ind''s special foggy days, abnormal spacetime crossing phenomena would ur. And when the fog dispersed, everything would return to the original point.

    The 2010 brother traveled back to the year 2000, helping himself destroy the corpse and evidence. The shadow that the 2000 him saw was actually his future self from ten yearster.

    But when disposing of the corpse, the ssmate who identally traveled through time discovered it. The brother kept making excuses to cover it up, almost seeding. Who knew the ssmate would recall the disappearance case from ten years ago and realize he was the murderer.

    The brother had no choice but to kill the ssmate and bury the corpse behind a small grove, then return to 2010.

    The police had no suspicion of him, someone who barely interacted with the ssmate. But a storm exposed the corpse buried in the grove.

    In 2010, identifying the corpse by DNA was no longer difficult. Soon, the police would probably discover the anomaly. Even worse, he had lost his student ID in 2000.

    If the police found it, they would definitely be suspicious.

    He returned to the grove to search for it, but ran into a female ssmate who had a secret crush on him. She struck up a conversation with him, not knowing the boy had already intended to kill.

    The brother asked the girl to meet him by the seaside, and took the chance to push her into the sea, fabricating evidence and testimony to shift the police''s suspicion onto her.

    However, after he killed the girl, the spacetime loophole opened up again, and the girl''s corpse disappeared.

    As a result, the carefully designed testimony became very strange, arousing the police''s doubt instead.

    One lie had to bepensated by countless other lies, one mistake by the lives of three people.

    But a mistake was still a mistake. The protagonist went back in time several times to remedy his errors, but would always make another mistake. Many things could not be changed even if time flowed backward.

    ying hide and seek with himself, there was never a result.

    In the end, he decided tomit suicide to end this endless game.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25

    The plot of Hide and Seek went something like this. It was a suspense film, with many nerve-wracking twists and turns. For example, the confrontation between the male protagonist and his ssmate, with reversal after reversal. The girl''s death was also not smooth sailing, and was only aplished in the end through the male protagonist''s improvisation.

    When watching, the audience felt conflicted - afraid that he would not seed, yet also hoping that he would not. Extremely contradictory.

    Yet throughout the process, the director and actors were very restrained, and did not try to explore or dig into issues like domestic violence, morality, or the psychology of teenagers.

    The male protagonist''s monologue was direct and simple, without lengthy agonizing over himself. But beyond that, Director Ding used the gloomy, bright, murky skies to silently narrate the male protagonist''s state of mind.

    In early 2010, when it all began, the sky was clear, with blue skies and white clouds, as if nothing had happened. After his ssmate disappeared, it was overcast and gloomy.

    And when he murdered the girl he had a crush on, the setting sun was blood red, with the silent surging of the sea''s surface. Within the extremely beautiful scenes lurked murderous intent and sin.

    This unintentionallyplemented the original simple text.

    When she wrote this story, she herself was still in high school, without deep experiences of life and death, good and evil, and without any intention to explore or analyze.

    She simply wrote from the perspective of a teenager, calmly and straightforwardly shaping the character of the male protagonist.

    Some critics believed that it was too superficial andcking in depth for her to write this kind of story at her age, even slightly dismissive, and gave negative reviews.

    But Director Ding chose this story precisely because of this. There were too many adults over-analyzing teenagers, so many that it became boring, and anyone could spout off four or five points about teenagers'' mental health.

    Jian Jing was right in the middle of it, not thinking much of it, which made her different from the others.

    Because it was so close, it becamemonce and matter-of-fact. Because it was real, it was stark and revealing.

    In the end, this coboration was very sessful.

    Jian Jing''s writing was straightforward andcked aesthetic sense, while the plot twists were also somewhatcking. Director Ding made up for all of this, while her indifference and purity also gave the film a kind of restrained, calm charm.

    Of course, Jiang Baiyan''s acting skills also mattered.

    There was a meme online - values follow looks. Viins who were ugly didn''t stand a chance with the protagonist, but if the viin was good-looking... Not only was Jiang Baiyan the protagonist in Hide and Seek, he was also the viin, and he just so happened to have an extremely memorable face.

    Back then, he was only 16 or 17 years old, slender in build, with some lingering baby fat in his cheeks, but his handsome brows and eyes alone were enough to stand out.

    This was the kind of face that could withstand close-ups on the big screen.

    When he pushed the girl off the cliff, he hesitated, wavered, worried, butcked any sense of guilt. So people suddenly realized that this boy had no reverence for life, no real feeling about killing someone.

    The audience pitied him, struggled for him, hoped that he would regret it, but he himself did not know or care.

    The one writing the story was a teenager, and the one acting it out was also a teenager. Director Ding brought out the most exciting moment in the story and the protagonist, gazing at them with a lifetime''s worth of experience through the camera lens.

    At this point, the feeling of teenagers tottering on the edge of a cliff finally emerged, perfectly naturally.

    Jian Jing was deeply shocked.

    The novel was incisive but thin, while the movie was gentle but substantial.

    She was more able than anyone to appreciate the gap between herself and Director Ding, the gap of decades of life experience, the huge chasm in artistic creation.

    No wonder the original work was controversial while the movie could win awards.

    She sincerely admired them, and when the lights came on, she stood and pped with everyone else, apuding the creators.

    The leading actors came on stage one by one, with Director Ding standing in the middle, and started his eptance speech.

    Liu Bao Feng turned back and said to Jian Jing, "What a great story."

    Jian Jing reacted quickly: "Yes, I think so too. Those who do wrong will eventually pay the price, even if they get away with it for a while."

    "Some prices are worth paying. If the younger brother had not died, perhaps the older brother would have died instead. At least he bought himself ten more years," Liu Bao Feng said calmly with a smile. "Why?" Jian Jing asked. She knew Liu Bao Feng understood what she meant.

    "You''re the author, only you know why. What do I know?" Liu Bao Feng smiled faintly, unperturbed, serene as the clouds.

    Jian Jing suddenly felt a deep chill.

    She recalled the system''s mission description, to escape the vi before releasing the lethal gas. Did that mean that at that time, everyone in the vi could have apanied President Qin in death?

    "It was an amazing movie," Liu Bao Feng said, using the crowd to conceal herself as she moved to Jian Jing''s side and whispered, "See you next time, Miss Jian. You''re wee to visit Yu Hui Vi anytime."

    Just then, someone on stage said something that made the whole room erupt into apuse. Liu Bao Feng took the opportunity to quietly slip away.

    The lights came on brightly and the leading actors came off stage one by one.

    Jian Jing hesitated, wondering if she should chase after Liu Bao Feng, when Kang Mu Cheng found her first: "Jing Jing,e with me." He beckoned to her, signaling to go backstage.

    There was no point in following Liu Bao Feng now, so Jian Jing simply gave up and followed Kang Mu Cheng.

    Passing through a small door, there was a lounge next door where all the main creative team members were. Scriptwriter Xu was the first to see them. He raised his hand to wave them over: "Bai Yan, aren''t you..."

    Before he could finish speaking, someone shed over to Jian Jing''s side lightning fast, holding out a book and pen, enthusiastically calling out: "Teacher Jing Jing, I''m your fan. Can you give me an autograph?"

    Jian Jing: "Oh, okay."

    She couldn''t be med for reacting a beat slow. The enthusiastic fan rushing over was none other than the leading actor of Hide and Seek, the unrealistically handsome Jiang Baiyan.

    He looked at her eagerly and ardently with upturned eyes and brow, as if he truly and sincerely liked her works, not just a drama queen who liked to burst into acts on a whim.

    Jian Jing signed her name on the opened front page he held out.

    "Thank you Teacher Jing Jing." Jiang Baiyan put away the copy of The Child''s Hide and Seek wrapped in transparent stic, and took out a brand new copy of Devil Doctor from under it. He smiled obediently. "One more book."

    She couldn''t help chuckling. "Thank you."

    "I really like the story of Hide and Seek," Jiang Baiyan said, pausing slightly before asking hopefully and shyly, "Um, did Teacher Jing Jing like my acting?"

    Jian Jing quickly praised, "Of course, it was amazing."

    "Phew," Jiang Baiyan exaggeratedly breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I can rx."

    Jian Jingughed. She wasn''t an extroverted person, but found conversing with him to flow easily: "I gave you an autograph, so shouldn''t you take a picture with me too?"

    "Really?" Jiang Baiyan had a look of pleasant surprise. He eagerly came to stand by her side and crouched down a bit. "Sis Chen, help us take a picture."

    His agent hurriedly took out her phone, busily helping them snap pictures from all angles.

    Jian Jing had some experience and wasn''t too nervous in front of the camera, just smiling a little. But Jiang Baiyan was very experienced. One moment he made a heart with his hands with her, the next he perked up his ears. He was very skilled at striking poses.

    Under his lead, over a dozen pictures were quickly taken.

    "Teacher Jing Jing, add me on WeChat," Jiang Baiyan handed her his phone. "I''ll send the pictures to you. Do you post on Weibo? I''ll post one too."

    Agent Chen: "Ahem!"

    "Don''t worry Agent Chen, I''ll definitely edit it before posting," Jiang Baiyan said with a smile. Skillfully making a WeChat request through Jian Jing''s ount, he added in a (not really) soft voice, "Agent Chen is always worried about me posting unedited pictures. Really, looking like this, even no makeup is fine."

    Jian Jing looked carefully at the pictures and agreed with what he said.

    Agent Chen still wanted to say something, but Jiang Baiyan nced at her, and she reluctantly kept silent.

    "Teacher Jing Jing," Jiang Baiyan brought her a ss of champagne and lowered his voice. "That director over there is Director Huang, Xu''s friend. He''s shot a lot of crime thrillers and wants to try shooting a TV series recently."

    Jian Jing immediately realized this was the director Kang Mu Cheng was talking to about Devil Doctor.

    "Director Huang did a movie before, also based on a novel," Jiang Baiyan blinked at her meaningfully. "The cooperation between both sides was not very happy, he might be a little worried."

    Jian Jing understood. Just as she was about to say something, Kang Mu Cheng on the other side had already waved her over. Next to him stood the tall, thin man Jiang Baiyan had reminded her about, Director Huang.

    "Let me go greet Director Huang too," Jiang Baiyan answered before Jian Jing could speak or slip away, directly bringing her over to exchange pleasantries. "Director Huang, long time no see. I''ve been longing for your films until my eyes turned red. When will it be my lucky turn?"

    His ttery brought a faint smile to Director Huang''s face. He nced at Jian Jing and got straight to the point: "I''m negotiating a copyright. If it works out, you may be able to get a role."

    Jiang Baiyan made an expression that said "Wow, that would be amazing."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at him, then turned to Jian Jing: "This is Director Huang. He wants to discuss Devil Doctor with you."

    "Alright," Jian Jing turned to face Director Huang and asked, "What can I do?"

    Director Huang pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Old Xu told me Devil Doctor is suitable to make into a series. I want to know about your ns for future works. This concerns our specific cooperation."

    Jian Jing understood what he meant.

    If Director Huang''s side bought the rights to Devil Doctor, based on what he heard from Scriptwriter Xu, he did not n to make it into a long TV series with dozens of episodes. Instead, like American dramas, he nned to produce season by season, with about 10 episodes per season.

    If she did not n to write it as a series, they would need original content forter parts. If there were future sequels, how would they cooperate?

    And this was exactly the most difficult question for Jian Jing.

    The past belonged to "Jian Jing", while the future belonged to her.

    White Cat, Hide and Seek, Devil Doctor, all the sess and glory belonged to the former, while she herself still had doubts internally over whether she could attain the same recognition.

    If she were to continue writing "Demon Doctor", whether she could achieve sess again is still unknown, let alone whether she could actually write it.

    Jian Jing was silent for a long time, and Director Huang couldn''t help frowning.

    "Now is not the time to talk about this. I think we should find a quiet ce tomorrow and have a slow chat," Kang Mu Cheng timely smoothed things over.

    Jiang Baiyan also said, "Yeah, Director Ding said he would treat us to dinner tonight, we can''t miss that."

    Director Huang probably also felt he had asked too abruptly and didn''t press the matter.

    Just then, Director Ding said he had booked a spot at the restaurant and invited everyone for ate-night snack, so they dropped the topic and joined the freeloading group.

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t pester Director Huang further either. He turned to chat idly with the media. It was inevitable that Jian Jing''s name would get a passing mention in tomorrow''s coverage.

    The restaurant they booked was some distance from the movie theater, so they split up into cars.

    Seeing Kang Mu Cheng engrossed in conversation, Jian Jing tactfully prepared to drive herself. But then Jiang Baiyan smiled as he sidled up to her and put his palms together in a request: "Teacher Jingjing, can I ride with you?"

    The request was a bit sudden, but no one could turn down his pleading. Jian Jing was no exception: "Sure."

    "Great!" Jiang Baiyan told Chen Jie, "Go buy somete-night snacks for the fans. Tell them I can''t make it over because I have something to do. Give them a few movie tickets."

    Chen Jie hesitated before nodding: "Be careful then, don''t let anyone catch you."

    "Got it," Jiang Baiyan coolly raised his hand in an OK sign and pulled on a trendy duck bill cap,pletely obscuring his handsome face. "Let''s go, let''s go, or there''ll be nothing left to eat!"

    Chen Jie had already started leaving, but paused at his words: "Don''t eat too much!"

    "I''ll only have three bites," Jiang Baiyan swore solemnly.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26

    Director Ding chose barbecue for thete-night snack, which was very down-to-earth.

    Large tters of barbecue skewers were brought up on stainless steel trays, the aroma of food that was fresh, numbing, fragrant and spicy wafted over, along with faint wisps of smoke - this was absolutely the most lively and touching smell in the world.

    Jian Jing opened a can of cold beer, nibbling on skewers while watching the celebrity eat in person.

    The skewers at this restaurant were small, with just toothpick-sized pieces of meat on each, and only a few corn kernels speared on each cob of corn. After three bites it was as if you hadn''t eaten at all.

    But Jiang Baiyan didn''t seem disappointed at all.

    He used his chopsticks to peel off a shred of meat, dipped it in a small bowl filled with mineral water to rinse off all the seasoning, then reverently put it in his mouth, chewing it several times before swallowing it down.

    "So delicious," he sighed contentedly.

    After eating a shred of chicken, he picked and chose carefully, finally settling on a skewer of potatoes and a skewer of tofu, rinsing them in water before eating them in small bites.

    After that, he didn''t eat another bite.

    Jian Jing was lost in admiration: "Your self-control is awful."

    "I barely held back so as not to go back on my word in front of Teacher," Jiang Baiyan covered his face, rather embarrassed as he smiled. "Of course, I really can''t eat any more. I have to go back to the set and film tomorrow. If I get pimples from eating barbecue just because I was greedy, the director will kill me."

    Jian Jing was struck dumb.

    Stars shine brightly in public, but naturally have to pay a price in private.

    "Let''s chat," Jiang Baiyan pleaded. "Help me forget that I can''t eat."

    There were too many strangers, and Jian Jing also felt somewhat restrained. This suggestion hit the spot: "Don''t call me Teacher anymore, it''s weird."

    "It''s not weird," Jiang Baiyan waved his hand, turning the topic before she could protest. "Speaking of which, we had a really funny thing happen when we were filming Hide and Seek. There was supposed to be a scene filmed on a foggy day, and we finally got the fog but it ended up being too thick to film, what a disaster..."

    No author can refuse a topic like this. Film and TV adaptations may not be perfect, and even deviate from the original work in some ways. But visual media has advantages that textcks - it presents the world built in the mind''s eye in a more intuitive, concrete way for the audience.

    "At first, Director Ding was very dissatisfied with my performance, he felt I didn''t convey that kind of... bewilderment and aloofness. I didn''t understand what he meant at all..." Jiang Baiyan scratched his cheek, rather embarrassed.

    His words caused Jian Jing''s thoughts to wander far away.

    When writing Hide and Seek, "Jian Jing" also felt bewildered for a time. She had only written White Cat Detective on a whim, without any skill or method. When the heroine appeared in her mind, the story was already born.

    In other words, there was a protagonist first, then the story was written around the protagonist.

    Hide and Seek was the opposite - she had the idea of the intersecting timelines first, then started shaping the characters. So she ran into a lot of problems portraying the male protagonist, writing and rewriting, he was either too t or too out of control.

    If the Jian Jing here today was "Jian Jing", that would be great - she would have a lot inmon with Jiang Baiyan... As soon as this thought popped up, she inevitably returned to the crux of the issue she had been avoiding.

    How should Jian Jing transition between being herself and "Jian Jing"?

    Almost at the same time, Jiang Baiyan noticed hispanion''s distraction.

    He stayed calm, not stopping his ount, only repeating descriptions of the same thing over and over, to ensure she could seamlessly catch up when her attention returned.

    About half a minuteter, he saw the sparkle return to Jian Jing''s eyes.

    "...that''s how it was, wasn''t I silly?" He stopped the topic in a timely manner.

    Sure enough, she knew exactly what he was talking about: "You tried very hard, I''m thankful to you."

    Just that one sentence was enough to satisfy Jiang Baiyan.

    "I really like Teacher''s work, you..." he paused to organize his words, "your stories are very special."

    Jian Jing had a slightly puzzled expression.

    "Just take it as nonsense from me, Teacher," Jiang Baiyan immediately looked embarrassed, but didn''t continue.

    Jian Jing was puzzled, but they had only known each other for an hour, so she naturally did not press the issue.

    The warm lights, dissipating aromas, messy tableware and bamboo skewers scattered on the ground marked the end of thete night snack.

    Jiang Baiyan had to catch a red-eye flight back to the set before dawn, so he left early to say goodbye.

    The streets were empty and destete at night. The car sped all the way and arrived at the airport half an hour early. Sister Chen had already handled check-in for him, so after security he could board immediately.

    There weren''t many people on the red-eye flight. After dealing with the flight attendant''s request for photos and autographs, Jiang Baiyan could finally rx.

    "You were too intimate with Jian," Sister Chen sat next to him and lowered her voice. "If the media got shots from an inappropriate angle, it could cause a lot of trouble for you - the production team won''t want you starting rumors like this."

    Jiang Baiyanzily put on an eye mask and said, "Director Ding would be upset if that happened."

    "You still shouldn''t have done it," Sister Chen gently pointed out the crux of the issue. "You never used to do this before."

    She had been in the business for seven years, managing Jiang Baiyan for three. As his executive agent, Sister Chen knew her artist much better than the top agents at thepany.

    Jiang Baiyan rose to fame in Director Ding''s Hide and Seek, starting from a great height. However, due to various reasons, the film was not released immediately after shooting, dyed a full three years.

    This obstructed thepany''s ns to groom him, but he never expressed dissatisfaction, diligently taking sses and auditioning hard, taking on many good roles.

    Now he had finally be popr, but he had never made any major mistakes. Disciplined and savvy, Sister Chen was absolutely certain he was the kind of artist every agent dreamed of having.

    But his enthusiasm toward Jian Jing today had already exceeded the necessary social boundaries.

    "Maybe you could tell me why you did this," Sister Chen patiently advised. "Knowing your reasoning will help me resolve any issues."

    "There''s no reason, I''m Jian Jing''s fan," Jiang Baiyan shrugged innocently. "Fans will naturally be excited to see their idol."

    Sister Chen was skeptical: "Really?"

    Jiang Baiyan spread his hands, an expression of believe it or not.

    The ne took off.

    *

    Jian Jing did not know Jiang Baiyan''s story.

    Returning home, she was physically tired but had no desire to sleep. Director Huang''s inquiry about her ns for future works lingered in her mind, making her hesitate and waver.

    For a moment, she looked into the mirror in the bathroom, hoping to see a different emotion on this familiar face.

    But there was none.

    The other Jian Jing did not appear. Perhaps when she chose death, her soul had already vanished. Or perhaps the two souls had thoroughly merged, like two drops of water meeting.

    To be honest, Jian Jing did not hope to sever herself from "her".

    If she had been reborn into someone else''s body, then you are you and I am I, very clear, without any confusion whatsoever. But being reborn into another life of yourself was different.

    How to face two different "selves"?

    She went to the study and opened up the nk document on herputer.

    The demon was a monster born between heaven and earth, with no sense of right or wrong. It killed people as humans ughtered chickens and ducks, not thinking it wasmitting a crime, only that the curse forced it to learn to distinguish between good and bad like humans.

    The whole story had a limited point of view - the reader only knew what the protagonist saw.

    Jian Jing tried toy out the story of Madam Qin Taishou Liubaifeng from the demon''s perspective.

    She was a beautiful, generous woman. Perhaps not gorgeous or morous enough, but she was learned and elegant in speech, it was hard for anyone not to like her. Yet her husband was hypocritical and sinister, appearing deeply in love in public when he had actually been unfaithful long ago...

    Plots with real-life prototypes weren''t too difficult to write, but Jian Jing still ran into trouble.

    The "demon" she wrotecked something.

    No two leaves in the world are identical, even the same author can''t guarantee a character won''t change. Let alone one created by two different people?

    "Jian Jing" became famous young but lost both parents, unconsciously keeping some distance from the world. So the demon she wrote was an outsider observer. While she had a happy family and ordinary life, which made her blend into the crowd, but also gave her the perspective of ordinary people.

    She tried to imagine Liu Baifeng''s mentality, guessing at motives - the opposite of the demon''s attitude.

    The demon did not care.

    At three in the morning, Jian Jing deleted all the text from the document, once again confirming one fact.

    She could not write "Jian Jing''s" demon.

    But that did not mean she would give up.

    Jian Jing made herself an iced Americano, leaning back in her chair. Outside the window it was pitch ck, with only a few households still lit.

    The coffee banished her drowsiness. She started out anew.

    Since what had already happened could not be changed, why cling to the past?

    Jian Jing and "Jian Jing" coexisted in this body. The demon could as well. Why not add a new protagonist to Demon Doctor, making it a story with dual protagonists?

    *

    Kang Mu Cheng got home at 12:30st night, and was asleep by 1. Having only slept 5 hours, he was now looking over the draft of Demon Doctor II sent by Jian Jing at 6:30 in the morning.

    Old framework, new character.

    This was within his expectations.

    The key to a series was that there had to be a clear overarching storyline. Demon Doctor didn''t have one. It was a string of standalone stories, endable at any time.

    But readers were very picky creatures.

    If the second installment could not maintain the standard of the original - no, to be precise, merely maintaining without surprising and delighting them with something new, they would inevitably be disappointed. But too drastic a change, without retaining the original vor, would also disappoint readers.

    Jian Jing had made a very clever setting, making up for theck of an overarching storyline.

    The demon was evil, yet a doctor who saved lives.

    The new character was good, yet had to act as a violent hunter.

    Demon Hunter.

    ck and white, good and evil, worldly and otherworldly, the story contains conflicting sparks.

    "Very good," he replied quietly, "I look forward to the follow up."

    Jian Jing''s tone was as if she didn''t believe it: "This is just a first draft, you don''t have to encourage me like that. I want to know what you really think."

    Kang Mu Chengughed. Scenes like this had happened countless times before, and he was extremely skilled at saying: "That''s what I really think."

    "Don''t you think it''s abrupt?" she asked. "New characters,pletely different perspectives."

    Kang Mu Cheng thought for a moment before answering: "The hunter''s perspective is necessary. Demons are not human, and there are manyplex emotional factors they can''t understand, nor can you get a handle on them. A human hunter can make up for this and also allow readers to rte more."

    "The grudge between the two protagonists also enriches your main storyline. The demon''s curse originated from the hunter''s ancestors, so the hunter shoulders the responsibility of destroying the demon... Very interesting cause and effect that readers will enjoy."

    After pondering for a while longer, he concluded: "They blend together perfectly, veryplementary."

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment, suddenly realizing.

    Perhaps this was the answer she was looking for.

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27

    Years after resuming novel writing, Jian Jing was prepared for difficulties. But progress went much more smoothly than she had imagined.

    She holed up at home for a week and finished the first story.

    This directly prompted Kang Mu Cheng to change his n and have dinner with Director Huang together with her.

    They chatted for an afternoon. Jian Jing gained a lot of inspiration, and Director Huang also seemed to like the setting of the second part very much. The two sides reached a preliminary intention.

    Although the subsequent contract terms need to be ground for a while, if nothing unexpected happens, "Demon Doctor" will be Jian Jing''s second work to be adapted to the screen.

    At this time, the game of hide and seek had been officially released, and was in full swing. People were not unfamiliar with Jian Jing''s name, Jin Wu had also publicized it, and brushed her name to the homepages of many people.

    What was even better was that after her name was associated with Director Ding, it was now tied with Director Huong.

    People''s energy is limited, and few people will carefully search for her information. Most people who nce over this news will only have a simple thought in their minds - this novelist named Jian Jing is qualified to cooperate with directors like Director Ding and Director Huang.

    Kang Mu Cheng saw the opportunity and took it, without too much marketing, but it was still of great help to Jian Jing.

    The most direct manifestation was none other than Writer Wu.

    At a cultural event, he mercilessly fired shots, saying: "...At the salon, when asked how to view new writers, Writer Wu showed a very helpless expression, ''It is a good thing for young people to be aggressive, but writing requires experience. Read more and think more, this is what young people should do, otherwise even if you get praise by a stroke of luck, it will disappear very quickly. For example, a certain beautiful female writer who has gained fame recently - do writers make a living on their looks? I''m not afraid of offending people, I have to tell the truth, there is still a long way to go.''"

    Jian Jing: [Old man on the subway looking at his phone.JPG]

    She certainly remembered Writer Wu. He was the senior who was very dissatisfied with her at Jin Wu''s annual celebration. However, what''s the use of such criticism in the newspaper?

    Times have changed.

    ck and red are also red. Writer Wu was just giving her free publicity. She shook her head and didn''t pay any more attention. What was more important now was the summer signing event.

    Now that the adaptation of "Demon Doctor" has been confirmed, and the poprity has been high recently, plus it was summer vacation, Kang Mu Cheng scheduled the signing event in a rush.

    The time was set at 10 am on July 1, the first day of summer vacation.

    Jian Jing had just finished exam week and hadn''t had time to take azy break. She was still forced to get up at 6 am and hurried to the familiar styling shop to do her hair.

    "Going to ss during normal times, going to work during vacation. She said in a voice message to Kang Mu Cheng, "I''m more corporate than corporate ves."

    Kang Mu Cheng, the capitalist: "Be there by 8 o''clock, don''t bete."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "Don''t worry, it won''t take long." The stylistforted her, "It only takes a little work to make your hair look good. By the way, you cane for a touch-up in a couple of days to maintain it longer."

    Jian Jing sighed: All beautyes at a price.

    Washing hair, conditioning, blow drying, styling, makeup... She spent a full hour and a half before appearing at the entrance of Tian Bookstore looking bright and beautiful.

    This was the most famousrge bookstore in the city, located in the downtown area. The ce was not big, but it was very famous. Any writer signing events were mostly held here. Tian means "reading makes up for natural inadequacies", which is not difficult to see the ambition of the founder.

    In addition to the posters of various new books on the shelves in the huge ss disy windows, the most conspicuous thing was her signing event poster:

    New popr writer Jian Jing signing event, Demon Doctoring aggressively

    July 1, 10 am Tian Bookstore 2nd floor reading room

    Jian Jing suddenly stopped.

    She saw that someone had drawn a little heart on her name with a red marker.

    Who did it? A fan?

    The thought shed through her mind and was gone in an instant. She hurried upstairs.

    There was also a direction sign at the top of the stairs on the second floor. She quickly found Kang Mu Cheng, but before she could say hello, her heart skipped a beat.

    The staff gathered in twos and threes, whispering, strangely quiet.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: Skeleton incident at signing event]

    [Mission description: A skeleton suddenly appeared in the bookstore where a signing event was supposed to be held. Please identify the identity of the deceased and lock in a suspect]

    [Mission Rewards and Penalties: 20 courage points for sess, no penalty for failure]

    Jian Jing''s expression changed slightly. It had toe eventually, but did it have toe when she was doing a signing event? If it couldn''t be resolved before 10 o''clock, everyone''s hard work would be in vain.

    Whether it was herself, Kang Mu Cheng, or "her".

    "Mr. Kang." She made up her mind to make a quick decision, and immediately called Kang Mu Cheng, "What happened?"

    Kang Mu Cheng paused briefly and said, "There was a little ident, it''s nothing, I''ll take care of it."

    Jian Jing appreciated his protection, but that was not what she wanted. She was straightforward: "This is my signing event, I won''t let anyone mess it up."

    Kang Mu Cheng was taken aback, not quite used to her strength. However, remembering her performance at Yuhui Vi, he sighed and conceded, "It''s not a big deal either. Over by the disy stand...a skeleton appeared."

    "Disy stand?" Jian Jing was puzzled.

    Kang Mu Cheng tilted his chin to indicate she should look at the stage.

    The scene had already been set up seven or eight parts done, with a deep blue velvet long table in the middle where Jian Jing would sign for readers. On the left side of the long table near the door, there were several exquisite pull-up banners, introducing her identity and today''s works. On the other end, however, was an incongruous fallen skeleton.

    She frowned and took a closer look.

    It wasn''t the pure white or off-white skull she had seen on TV, but a dirty, old, pale yellow color, some parts slightly darker, some parts lighter, unevenly distributed.

    Judging by the body type, infants and young children could be ruled out, at least a teenager or an adult.

    "When did this appear?" she asked the staff.

    Everyone present knew her, and they talked about what happened, piecing together the course of events: The bookstore opens at 8:30 in the morning, but because there was a signing event today, the person in charge arrived at 6:30. Jin Wu''s employees began to arrive around 7 o''clock and continued yesterday''s booth setup.

    ording to n, the left side of the booth was pull up banners, and the right side was a pile of new books stacked into a small house shape. But today when the nner checked the media list, he found discrepancies in the number of chairs, and had to adjust theyout temporarily, moving the books elsewhere to make room for more seats.

    "I thought someone was beingzy and left the cloth on it, so I just pulled it casually," said the staff member who discovered the skeleton, still in shock. "Who knew it was bones underneath, it scared me to death."

    Jian Jing saw the red velvet cloth tossed to the side: "Wasn''t this covering the books?"

    "No, the books are shrink-wrapped, no need to cover them to prevent dust, and it doesn''t look good either," the event nner said.

    She asked again, "Does anyone remember when the cloth appeared?"

    The nner told her very positively: "It wasn''t therest night when I left, the store was already closed then."

    "What time does the store close?"

    The store manager looked very worried and replied, "10 pm."

    It was now 8 in the morning, a full 10 hours for the crime to take ce. Jian Jing nodded, asking, "Did the police say when they woulde?"

    "I didn''t call them to report it," Kang Mu Cheng said as he strode over to exin, "ording to the police''s practice, this kind of non-emergency task is very low priority. But once the news spreads, the media''s focus won''t be on you anymore."

    Jian Jing hesitated slightly, taken aback.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s concern was justified. The appearance of an unidentified skeleton at the signing scene would certainly attract the attention of outsiders. At that time, she and "Demon Doctor" would be the background boards of the case, forgotten by the public. Not only would the money and resources invested be in vain, she would also be aughingstock in the industry.

    But after considering it for a moment, she raised another possibility: "What if it was meant for me?"

    "You mean this is a prank and someone wants to sabotage today''s signing?" Kang Mu Cheng frowned, thinking of severalpetitors, his expression extremely ugly.

    "Not necessarily," Jian Jing said cautiously. "It''s just that if the news is kept secret and someone makes trouble on site, we''ll be even less prepared to deal with it."

    Kang Mu Cheng pondered for a long time, nodded and said, "That makes sense, it''s best to resolve the matter before opening." With a teasing tone in hisst words, "How about it, do you have any clues?"

    "I want to look at the surveince footage first."

    This bookstore has three floors. The first floor is an ordinary bookstore, divided into multiple areas by book genre. The second floor is split in half, half books and half reading room. Every weekend, the reading room holds reading events, from parent-child reading programs to book signings by bestselling authors.

    The third floor is a rooftop garden and cafe for customers to rest, read, and socialize.

    The number of security cameras in the bookstore is neither too many nor too few. The first floor has the most to prevent theft, and the bookshelves area on the second floor also has two. But the reading room is a more private space, so there is only one in the corridor that can capture the front door.

    However, this camera...was broken.

    Of the remaining three cameras, one on the stairs could capture half the door, another in the corner was blocked by bookshelves and useless, and there was one by the emergency exit that was functioning properly.

    This meant that the two entrances to the second floor were covered, plus the elevator cameras, it was possible to screen out the people who entered the second floor.

    Jian Jing joined Jin Wu''s work group and went through them one by one.

    There were seven people in Jin Wu''s work group: the nning manager, copywriter, design director, operations assistant, managing editor, president''s assistant, and Kang Mu Cheng.

    nning, copywriting, design, operations were all from Jin Wu''s PR department. The managing editor was the editor in charge of "Demon Doctor". The assistant was from the president''s office.

    Among the seven people, She Ji was not at the scene, and Kang Mu Cheng had no reason to harm her, so she can be ruled out unterally.

    Looking at the bookstore side, since it wasn''t yet opening hours, there were only three people at the bookstore: the store manager, the events department manager, and the cleaner.

    The store manager was the person in charge of this Tian Tian Bookstore, the events department was the department that liaised with Jin Wu, and was responsible for nning events for the bookstore, including book signings by authors.

    In total there were nine people.

    Based on the timestamps from the surveince footage, the approximate arrival times of each person can be determined:

    06:01 - The cleaner arrived on the 2nd floor via the security passage and began cleaning

    06:47 - The events manager of the bookstore opened the door and went from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor

    07:00-07:15 - The nner, copywriter, and operations staff arrived one after another (ording to their work group chat records, their agreed arrival time was around 7am)

    07:30 - The managing editor arrived

    07:45 - The CEO''s assistant and Kang Mu Cheng arrived

    07:50 - The store manager arrived

    08:00 - Jian Jing arrived

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28

    Jian Jing asked each person one by one about when they saw the red cloth.

    Janitor: "I was mopping the floor outside the whole time. After I finished mopping, I went to the bathroom and didn''t go in there at all."

    Event Manager: "I was the one who opened the door. Knowing that none of you had arrived yet, I ate breakfast in the office. When I heard peopleing, I went there with them. I didn''t pay attention. It seemed to have been there all along."

    nner: "I arrived very early, but the reading room had already been set up pretty much yesterday. I didn''t look closely. The flower basket still hadn''t been delivered. I was on the phone with them the whole time."

    Copywriter: "As soon as I got here, I went to the reading room. It was around 7:10. It seemed like the red cloth was already covering it."

    Operations: "I walked around in the hall. The cloth was already there, but I was busy coordinating with the media and didn''t look closely."

    Editor: "I was here at 7:30 and it was already here. At the time I wondered who had put it there, it''s so ugly."

    CEO''s Assistant: "It was there when we arrived."

    Store Manager: "I just took a look at the entrance. I didn''t go in. I''m not very clear since I just got here."

    Jian Jing sorted through their testimonies. If no one was lying, then the red cloth was already covering something there at 7:10, but whether there were books or bones underneath could not be determined.

    Perhaps the initial red cloth was just a smoke screen, and someone took the chance to switch out the contents, or perhaps someone else snuck in after the door opened and hid the bones.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "With your method, do you think someone was bribed?"

    "Yes." Jian Jing nodded. "It was deliberately ced at my book signing. It really doesn''t seem like a coincidence."

    Kang Mu Cheng''s expression was cold. He pondered and said: "I''ll call everyone over and ask them one by one. I don''t believe I can''t get it out of them."

    "Wait, I want to take another look at the bones." Jian Jing hesitated and said softly, "I suspect they are real."

    If the bones were simted fakes, then they could be determined to be a prank. No matter who did it, settling the score afterwards wouldn''t be toote. But if they were real, then the nature would be very different.

    Chun Feng had only mentioned it in passing that forensic doctors were busier than the police. To ask them to examine the bones, they would have to wait until the afternoon no matter what.

    Relying on others was not as good as relying on oneself. It was time to draw some more cards.

    "System, draw ordinary cards."

    [Drawing cards...]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Skill Card - Basic Calligraphy]

    [Description: Improve your calligraphy skills]

    [Note: Having good handwriting leaves a good impression]

    [Name: Skill Card - Basic Public Speaking]

    [Description: Improve your public speaking skills to speak eloquently in front of many onlookers]

    [Note: This skill, when used well, has unforeseeable consequences]

    Drawing two skill cards in a row couldn''t be considered bad luck, especially since she would need to sign and write a thank you speech soon. It could be considered timely rain, but it was of no help in solving the case.

    She grimaced in pain. She silently chanted: I want to crack this case. Give me something practical.

    [Name: Knowledge Card - Basic Forensics]

    [Description: Gain shallow knowledge of forensic science]

    [Note: Give voice to the deceased, plead for the wronged]

    [Name: Item Card - Handwriting Identification x3]

    [Description: Able to conduct three handwriting identifications, 100% uracy]

    [Note: One''s handwriting can betray their inner thoughts]

    Jian Jing weighed for a moment before deciding to use the forensics card, keeping the calligraphy and public speaking cards for now. She would seeter if she could scrounge up some less important cards and synthesize an upgraded card.

    Some forensic knowledge suddenly appeared in her mind.

    She looked at the bones again, and the information she gleaned was earth-shattering.

    These bones were very intact, so the first thing she noticed was the pelvis. The pelvis can determine a person''s gender. For example, the closed circle in the middle is called the pelvic inlet. It looks like a heart in males, but an oval in females.

    However, Jian Jingcked experience. No matter how much she looked left and right, she couldn''t determine if it was an oval or a heart for the moment. Fortunately, there was another way - looking at the pelvic outlet, which was not a closed shape but rather the symphysis pubis joint.

    The female symphysis pubis joint was a U shape, while the male was a V shape.

    After confirming both characteristics, she determined these were a woman''s bones.

    Simrly, the symphysis pubis also contained information about the age of the corpse.

    ording to nine features of the symphyseal face, the age could be calcted with the form:

    Y = M + X1 + X2 + X3 + X4 + X5 + X6 + X7 + X8 + X9

    Y is the inferred age, M is a constant: 16.45 for males, 15.32 for females

    X1 through X9 are the reference constants for the nine features: X1 is the dorsal margin, X2 is the ossific nodules, X3 is the ventral margin, X4 is the ventral rampart, X5 is the symphyseal rim, X6 is the dorsal teau, X7 is the bony excrescences, X8 is the ventral beveling, and X9 is the symphyseal face.

    Each feature had a reference table. To make it easier to understand, using the ventral rampart for example - no appearance is 0 points, partial formation is 3.53 points, andplete formation is 7.36 points. Lattice-like porousness is 8.61 points.

    Before getting hands-on experience:

    Jian Jing: I have the form, just plug it in and it''s good.

    After getting hands-on experience:

    Jian Jing: What''s the use of forms when I have an experienced eye!

    Spending ability points can light up the skill tree, but cannot grant experience.

    She had the knowledge points in her mind, remembering them clear as day, but her eyes told her they saw something, and her brain told her no way.

    Someone without experience, even seeing something, wouldn''t know which category it belonged to, or what points to assign.

    She couldn''t calcte the age, she could only roughly divide based on the state of the dorsal margin - a youth''s dorsal margin was high and sharp, while a middle-aged person''s would be t. And by old age, osteoporosis would ur.

    This bone, it wasn''t especially sharp, nor was it very t. It seemed to be somewhere in between.

    She also looked at the auricr surface of the ilium. The fine granrity with clear transverse organization appeared wavy. Although her inexperience made it hard to finely distinguish, she roughly estimated the age to be between 20-30 years old.

    That was the limit of her capabilities.

    She looked for other characteristics.

    After carefully turning over the bones with tissues wrapped around her index finger and thumb for ten minutes, Jian Jing discovered another healed fissure on the corpse''s right arm, proving the deceased had fractured that arm once.

    With this, the basic information of the deceased emerged.

    A young woman in her 20s-30s, height around 163cm (total skeletal height + 5cm soft tissue thickness), with a history of one right arm bone fracture.

    She asked everyone to the reading room, and got straight to the point: "Just now, I''ve already asked everyone about the bones. Everyone either said they didn''t know or weren''t sure. Perhaps you really know nothing, or perhaps someone lied - before I do a second round of confirmation, I must tell everyone one thing. This is not a prank. The bones are real."

    Many people had looks of surprise on their faces.

    "The deceased was a young woman, around 163cm tall, with a history of right arm fracture." As Jian Jing reported the information, she carefully observed everyone''s expressions. "Also, she was likely murdered. If anyone thought this was a prank and moved the bones here, admitting it now is not toote. Otherwise when the policee, you''ll be implicated in a murder case."

    This was half true and half false.

    The true part was that she observed the skull had depressed fractures, which should be fatal injuries. But she could not confirm it was murder or ident. She deliberately exaggerated the severity in order to bluff them.

    "Murder? Is that real?"

    "It''s got nothing to do with us. It''s all just bones now, must have died many years ago."

    "Who moved this stuff here? The murderer?"

    Their reactions were normal, ranging from shock to fright, with only the store manager and event manager exchanging a look with strange expressions.

    Jian Jing''s heart stirred. She asked: "Is there anyone who recognizes this person?"

    Perhaps the bones appearing here were not meant for her, but rather for Tian Tian Bookstore.

    Sure enough, although no one directly answered, after the conversation ended, the event manager took the initiative to find her and confessed: "I know who put the bones there, but I didn''t know it would turn out like this."

    Jian Jing calmly said: "Who did it?"

    "Last night, I received a call from someone iming to be your fan who wanted to give you a surprise." The manager said embarrassingly. "He paid 30,000 for me to go open the door early this morning."

    She raised her brows: "And you believed it?"

    "Uh, yes, I thought it was just a fan." The manager was slightly ufortable. "This kind of thing happens a lot."

    Jian Jing sneered internally. They took her for a fool. She dared to bet the manager certainly thought it was someone from a rivalpany intentionally causing trouble, but seeing the money, he still pretended to believe it. If she hadn''t imed it involved a murder case, he wouldn''t have admitted it so readily either.

    "What did you mean by ''turn out like this''?" She held in her anger. "Do you recognize that person?"

    "No no," the manager waved his hands. "The person who came I don''t recognize. I''m saying...the woman you mentioned just now sounds a lot like a former colleague at our bookstore."

    He wasn''t stupid. If the corpse had nothing to do with the bookstore, readily admitting it would just be asking for trouble. But hearing the description, it really sounded like a certain familiar colleague. If the police happened to find any threads, his suspicion would suddenly rise.

    Better to take a small fault than get implicated in a murder case.

    The manager was very cooperative: "Her name was Lv Xue. She used to be our bookstore''s librarian. One day when she was shelving books, someone pushed over thedder and she fell and broke her arm. But it was a blessing in disguise since she got promoted to purchasing manager afterwards. One year ago, she suddenly resigned and we didn''t know where she went."

    "Did anyone have a grudge against her?" Jian Jing asked.

    The manager revealed an ambiguous smile. "Lv Xue was very popr, you know how it is. There''s always people who can''t stand it."

    Jian Jing fell deep into thought. If the deceased was a former employee of Tian Tian Bookstore, it was very meaningful for the bones to appear here.

    She had two hypotheses: The person who left the bones was the murderer, and for some reason, deliberately exposed the victim; or conversely, the person who left the bones was not the murderer, and did this to lure out the real killer.

    "Did you see that person?" Jian Jing repeatedly confirmed.

    "No, he just asked me to open the door before 7 o''clock," the manager said. Although young, he was already a seasoned professional and knew that in some cases, not knowing was better than knowing. Seeing who hade, he realized telling the truth would not benefit him and could easily cause trouble. His previous testimony was genuine - after opening the front door, he went to the office to check his phone and eat breakfast until Jinwu''s people arrived.

    But this raised one issue: Did this person really exist? If so, why didn''t the surveince cameras capture him?

    Jianjing carefully reviewed the angles of the surveince cameras and found a slight possibility: there was a blind spot at the front door on the first floor where someone could hug the wall and avoid detection. Then, hidden behind the bookshelves, they could go up the stairs and vault over the railing to the second floor, avoiding the cameras monitoring the stairs.

    Although it required considerable agility, it was not impossible.

    To determine if such a person existed, the police would need to check footage from surrounding surveince cameras, which would be difficult for an individual to ess.

    She had to change strategies and figure out the killer''s identity.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29

    9 o''clock sharp, with 1 hour left before the signing event starts.

    All the staff at the bookstore, over 10 people in total, have arrived at their posts. Questioning each one would waste too much time. Jian Jing used a crude and simple approach - she added them all to a work group chat and directly solicited information about Lv Xue.

    Ordinary information - 200 RMB. Important information - 500 RMB. Crucial information - 800 RMB.

    The management at Tianbu Bookstore are not lowly paid, but ordinary staff only earn around 3000 RMB per month. They have no reason to pass up this business opportunity.

    Jian Jing received a flood of private messages, with a lot of duplicate information, but each person focused on different details, which actually supplemented the fragmented insights into a moreplete picture.

    Lv Xue is a pretty young woman, open and warm-hearted. She works diligently and many people like her. However, contrary to what the event manager spected, some people dislike her - not because she is too pretty or popr.

    Rather, she is quite cunning and calcting in the workce. Those who dislike her all used to work in the same department as her.

    When Lv Xue first joined the bookstore, she applied to be a book specialist. Her daily tasks were to shelve books and tidy up the shelves by returning books customers had left lying around.

    You could say this job was manualbor, constantly walking around and extremely tiring.

    While others in the same role obediently shelved books, climbed up and downdders, worked themselves to exhaustion, Lv Xue did not.

    She cked off and chatted with customers, getting a sense of which books were more popr with customers, and what kind of promotions would be most effective in attracting customers.

    Then, at weekly meetings, while others only knew where certain books were located and how much time it took to organize them, she was able to hold forth with targeted suggestions and insights.

    Naturally, leadership appreciated an employee like this, and those in other departments just thought she was capable.

    Only her colleagues had a "WTF" reaction - you''re making us do your job, you don''t do anything yourself, just keep busy with things that aren''t your responsibility, how is that fair?

    Even worse, when leaders assigned tasks, others stayed silent while Lv Xue readily volunteered, "No problem, I''m sure Brother X and Sister X will be fine with it too. If it gets too busy, I can help out."

    Brother X and Sister X: "......" Piss off.

    Six monthster, Lv Xue got promoted to Books Manager. Her daily tasks were to assist the purchasing department in selecting new books, cataloging and shelving the new arrivals, and managing regr activities in the book area.

    She worked very diligently and was also extremely picky.

    The time she broke her arm - that was because she found fault with how a certain book specialist had shelved books, the series were not in sequence. She publicly criticized her in front of everyone, then climbed up thedder herself to rearrange the books.

    Right after that, someone bumped thedder and Lv Xue lost her bnce and fell off. She tried to break her fall with her right arm and unfortunately broke it.

    "She didn''t do her job when she should have. Now that she doesn''t need to do it anymore, she starts interfering again. No wonder she fell. Not surprising, right?" said the employee who leaked this information, clearly implying that Lv Xue''s ident was no ident.

    Jian Jing just smiled back.

    It seems many people believed Lv Xue''s broken arm was intentional, that a dissatisfied colleague caused it on purpose.

    "Is that person still here?" she asked.

    A certain employee: "Quit long ago. Did she kill Lv Xue?"

    Jian Jing: "There is no evidence of a connection between them."

    Aside fromck of evidence, there was insufficient motive. Lv Xue''s conflict with her was not that severe. Simply changing jobs is much simpler than murder. Even if we assume the worst about office politics, the lesson of a broken arm should have been enough, there was no need to go so far as killing someone.

    "I heard Lv Xueter went to the purchasing department?"

    "Yes, the store manager clearly favored her, no wonder there were unsavory rumors."

    With the store manager himself present, Jian Jing directly asked him to verify this.

    He denied it. "I have a wife and kids. Little Lv also has a boyfriend. I really don''t know why some people are so bored they have to cook up nonsense. If they put that energy into their work like Little Lv does, why would I not promote them? When they don''t do their own jobs well, they assume everyone else is the same as them."

    Jian Jing did notment, only asking, "Why did you transfer Lv Xue to the purchasing department?"

    "Little Lv was reliable in her work. Even when she was managing the books, she didn''t forget to improve herself. She gave me a lot of good suggestions privately. I had wanted to move her to purchasing for a long time. It just so happened that she broke her arm and couldn''t do her original job anymore, so I took the chance to transfer her over."

    The store manager was extremely regretful. "She really did well. With a couple more years of training, it wouldn''t have been difficult for her to get promoted again. To be honest, when she suddenly quit, I thought she had changed jobs. Who would''ve known..." He shook his head. "Could that really be Little Lv?"

    "Most likely, but we''ll have to wait for the police to confirm with DNA testing." Jian Jing changed the subject. "Do you know if Lv Xue had any enemies here? I mean rivals andpetitors and the like."

    The store manager hesitated. "You could say the workce is like a battlefield, there''s definitelypetition. But I wouldn''t go so far as to say she had enemies."

    He seemed to have someone in mind but was reluctant to speak up, wary of sullying the store''s reputation. Jian Jing understood and didn''t push him. "Do you have any other materials on Lv Xue?"

    "Yes." The store manager quickly agreed, clearly relieved. "I''ll have HR send them to you."

    "Thank you for your trouble."

    Jian Jing nced at her watch - 9:20am.

    She called Ji Feng.

    He picked up quite fast, but his voice was muffled. "What''s up?"

    He sounded like she had woken him up from catching up on sleep after staying upte. Jian Jing felt a little apologetic. "Did I wake you?"

    "It''s fine, what is it?" Ji Feng was long used to this.

    "Something came up on my end." She exined the situation concisely, ending with a request. "Lv Xue disappeared without a trace a year ago. I''d like you to check if there were any relevant missing person reports."

    "Hmm." Rustling sounds of changing clothes could be heard over the phone. "Got it, hang on."

    The police had an internal database. Depending on clearance levels, they could ess case files of different ssifications. Most missing person cases had unrestricted ess that regr officers could look up.

    Using the ID number Jian Jing provided, Ji Feng quickly found relevant information on Lv Xue.

    "Her father reported her missing to the police a year ago. April 18th, 2019. He said his daughter had been out of contact for 3 straight days. Her phone couldn''t get through, and when he called herpany he was told she had quit. But the old man didn''t believe it and insisted something must have happened to his daughter."

    "Did they officially investigate?"

    "Of course, or there wouldn''t be a case file. But for cases like this, usually the person chose to disappear themselves. Especially with Lv Xue''s mother seriously ill and her father just a janitor. The family was under a lot of stress..." Ji Feng had seen all sorts of twists and turns in life and human nature. It wasn''t hard to guess what the local police would have thought.

    But if the skeletal remains did turn out to be Lv Xue, clearly there were hidden circumstances. "I''ll get over there as soon as I can. Anything else?"

    Jian Jing said, "Could you send me the information on her parents?"

    "Can''t do that." Ji Feng rejected her t out. "We can''t disseminate personal information externally."

    "Just a quick look."

    "No can do."

    "I''m helping the police investigate, not personal business." Jian Jing insisted reasonably.

    Ji Feng: "Rules are rules."

    Jian Jing: "Really not possible?"

    "What do you need her parents'' information for?" Ji Feng shot back.

    Jian Jing shot back: "What do you think the odds are that someone sneaked into the bookstore before 7am, stashed a corpse, and slipped away evading all cameras perfectly?"

    "Very low." Ji Feng responded objectively. "Most criminals are ordinary people. Most police are ordinary people too."

    Jian Jing agreed with this view - even if deep down she still had lingering doubts - and so said: "I''m inclined to think the phone call was just a distraction. The person who left the remains was one of those nine people. But we saw footage of everyoneing in, no one carriedrge objects."

    "Oh, so you think the remains were in the store the whole time." Ji Feng grew interested. "Go on."

    "The employees agreed to arrive at 7am. Theter they came, the less opportunity they had to move around and the greater the risk the body would be discovered. So theter they arrived, the lower the suspicion. The nning, copywriting, and operations people came in practically back to back. No matter who it was, they would have had a hard time acting alone."

    As Jian Jing spoke, she also organized her thoughts: "The manager and janitor had the most avable time. Although it''s possible the manager lied about getting a call, the police can check call records and he''d be found out quickly."

    "I understand." Ji Fengpletely followed her train of thought. "Lv Xue''s father is called Lv Weiguo."

    The other end of the phone abruptly fell silent.

    Jian Jing stood by the restroom entrance, looking up at the disy board. It had two names - Janitor Jiang Hong, Janitor Lv Weiguo - each with a headshot beside it.

    "Today''s janitor is Lv Weiguo." She said softly. "Let me go talk to him."

    Lv Weiguo was cleaning.

    Seeing here look for him, his aged and stolid face betrayed little emotion as he dully said, "Miss, did you need something?"

    "You were the one who left Lv Xue''s remains in the reading room, right? You''re Lv Xue''s father, correct?" Jian Jing cut right to the chase.

    Lv Weiguo was silent.

    She said, "You hoped to lure the killer out this way?"

    This finally got Lv Weiguo to speak, his ent thick. "I don''t understand anything, no schooling, and the police didn''t believe me either. I had no choice."

    "Uncle, I can help you." With the time pressure, Jian Jing had neither the opportunity nor need tofort him, simply saying directly: "Where did you find Lv Xue?"

    Just as she expected, Lv Weiguo didn''t needfort, he needed vengeance: "In the flowerbed."

    "On the 3rd floor rooftop garden?" Jian Jing was shocked.

    The dark and gaunt old man slowly nodded. "That day it rained. The dog kept barking over there. I just had a feeling something was off. You may not believe it, but I always knew my daughter was here."

    In his eyes, his daughter was the most filial child under heaven.

    They were poor, his wife was ill, and his meager wages alone couldn''t support a family. His daughter had been clever and capable since she was little. After going out to work, she mailed home 2000 RMB every month without fail.

    "Dad, my supervisor thinks highly of me. I''m getting a raise soon."

    "Dad, I got promoted again. I''ll send 3000 RMB next month for Mom to get some tasty food."

    "Dad, I have an office job now with AC every day. Don''t worry about me."

    Every night, the daughter would call home to ask about the family''s meals for the day and remind her mother to take medicine on time,e rain or shine.

    Until April 15st year, the family stopped receiving any of her calls.

    He knew something must have happened to his daughter. He immediately went to the police station to file a report.

    However, no matter how much he emphasized that his daughter was very filial and would never abandon her aging parents, the police said there was nothing they could do since she was already an adult and could go anywhere.

    He refused to believe it.

    After his wife passed away, he sold everything in the house and traced his daughter''s workce. The people there said she had resigned and left. Again, he did not believe it. Something in his gut told him that his child had not gone far and was still here.

    Uneducated and clueless about finding people, he resorted to the most foolish method - using his own two feet tob every corner.

    For a whole year, he was the first to arrive at work and thest to leave. He worked diligently and left no stone unturned, traversing every inch of the building.

    Finally, heaven took pity. A month ago during the rainy season, a guest on the third floor brought a puppy. As the puppy ran around the balcony, it suddenly barked at the flower bed.

    He happened to be cleaning up the dog''s pee then. Hearing the barks, his heart skipped a beat - he had searched everywhere except the flower bed. Could his daughter be...there?

    After work at night, he stayed behind and sneaked up to the third floor. Using his hands, he rummaged through the flower bed.

    The soil in the flower bed was half a meter high. After digging for half a day, he found a hand bone.

    The yellowed hand boney in his chapped palm, as if his daughter had broken out of her grave to grasp her father''s hand once more.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30

    Lu WeiGuo decided to find out the killer and avenge his daughter.

    However, he was neither an experienced retired detective nor had any criminal investigation knowledge. He was just a primary school graduate who could barely recognize a few words and worked as a janitor.

    He wanted to find out about his daughter, but the new employees did not even know Lu Xue. The old employees would not mention someone who had left more than a year ago either.

    There was no door to ask for help and nowhere to search.

    "I asked around that for cases like my daughter missing for so long, even going to the police would be difficult. I don''t believe them. I''d rather look for her myself," Lu WeiGuo told her, "Seeing her here, the one who killed my daughter mighte out."

    It sounded reasonable.

    However, Jian Jing intuitively felt he was not telling the truth.

    It was an extremely subtle intuition, as if a strand of spider silk stuck to the back of her neck, light as a feather without any weight, yet her skin could capture that unusualness.

    "Do you have any suspects?" She pretended not to know and continued to ask.

    Lu WeiGuo said, "Yes."

    The person he suspected the most was the store manager. The reasons were easy to understand: "They all said my daughter had something going on with him, and he got married..." Speaking to this point, the look on the father''s face became obscure, "Maybe it was because of me and her mom..."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but frown.

    She understood Lu WeiGuo''s thoughts: Lu Xue was not well educated. Although she only graduated from high school, her promotion speed was unbelievable. Plus other people''s gossip, it was unavoidable that the old man would be suspicious.

    However, one should not forget where other people''s discontent towards Lu Xue came from.

    She took credit for things, loved to show off, and was overly enthusiastic... To some extent, these negative evaluations washed away the scandalous suspicions between the two.

    "Who told you they had a rtionship?" Jian Jing probed.

    Lu WeiGuo looked up with confused eyes: "Everyone says so."

    "Uncle, believing rumors is dangerous. It may not necessarily be true." Jian Jing cautiously said, "I still have to go elsewhere to investigate - do you have anything else you haven''t told me?"

    She quickly pulled back and stared at Lu WeiGuo.

    The old man seemed to panic for a moment, then calmed down: "What do you want to know?"

    Jian Jing stared at him for a long time, then said, "I''ll ask you if there is anything."

    "Oh, okay." Lu WeiGuo lowered his head and unconsciously scrubbed the floor tiles repeatedly with his mop.

    *

    Jian Jing went to the 3rd floor cafe and ordered a caramel mhiato and onion rings for herself.

    The cashier asked while making coffee, "Teacher Jian, have you found any clues?"

    "No clues. After all, it''s been a long time." Jian Jing leaned against the counter casually and nced around the empty cafe, "It doesn''t seem too crowded."

    "There will be more people during lunch time," the cashier said, "Our ce is quite popr online too. Many peoplee to check-in on weekends."

    Jian Jing smiled, "The coffee smells great. There must be employees whoe to drink it often right? Any discounts?" She deliberately spoke more to obscure her intention, "Is there a discount for employees?"

    "Employees get 20% off. But the only one whoes every day is Manager Sun." The cashier blinked.

    Jian Jing touched her face and smiled at her.

    "Here is your caramel mhiato and onion rings." The cashier handed over the tray and lowered her voice, "Actually, our coffee here isn''t that good. The quality-to-price ratio is not as good as Starbucks."

    "Thank you for telling me." Jian Jing thanked her sincerely.

    This information was extremely valuable - a coffee shop with mediocre quality-to-price ratio, why did Manager Sune here every day? Especially since her position was a manager in the purchasing department.

    Tian Bookstore''s purchasing department had one director at the headquarters to coordinate overall, and two managers in each branch. Lu Xue and Manager Sun were both colleagues andpetitors.

    Jian Jing found the store manager and asked again about the circumstances of Lu Xue''s resignation.

    "She left very suddenly without any signs." The store manager recalled, "On the morning of the 15th, I saw her resignation letter on my desk. She said she had something urgent at home and could not continue working. She gave up that month''s sry."

    "Is the resignation letter still there?" Jian Jing anxiously asked.

    "Let me check," the store manager searched the drawer, and said, "These resignation letters are usually submitted to HR for filing. But at that time, I felt it was too sudden and also very regretful. I wanted to have a good chat with her, so I kept it and told HR to count it as leave. Later we couldn''t get in touch, so the contract was terminated."

    After rummaging for a long time, he finally found the long-lost resignation letter tucked in the crevice of the drawer.

    "Luckily it got stuck in the slot, otherwise it might have been shredded as waste paper." The store manager breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely said, "Hope this can help you. Sigh, I really didn''t expect something like this to happen to Little Lu... If only I had asked more questions at the time, it''s been a year now..."

    He shook his head and did not continue.

    Jian Jing unfolded the resignation letter. The content was amon resignation letter temte, in Song No. 5 font, not handwritten. Nothing worth noting except the signature at the end which was handwritten.

    She then asked the store manager to find documents with the signatures of all the store''s employees, to facilitate handwriting identification.

    To be honest, in today''s paperless office environment, few people handwrite anymore. They finally went to the finance office to get a book for collecting signatures for receiving wages and reimbursements.

    Not only were the signatures of all employees on it, but also the date written in numbers.

    Jian Jingpared Manager Sun''s notes and the resignation letter''s signature first in the spirit of saving time and effort.

    Bingo.

    At this time, there were 10 minutes left until the 10 o''clock signing event.

    *

    When Manager Sun walked into the manager''s office, she knew she was done for.

    The writer hosting the signing event today - supposedly a mystery novelist - sat on the sofa, looking at her coldly.

    The other party was unexpectedly young. But Sun Bing absolutely did not dare to breathe a sigh of relief because of this. On the contrary, her eyes were as cold as her dyed hair color. The frost had already appeared on her face before she even got close.

    "Manager Sun, I have to go to the signing event in 9 minutes, so I''ll get straight to the point since time is limited." Jian Jing said, "I asked the store manager to call you here because I want to advise you to turn yourself in."

    Manager Sun tried her best to conceal her panic: "I don''t know what you''re talking about. Turn myself in for what? It has nothing to do with me."

    Jian Jing raised the resignation letter in her hand: "This is Lu Xue''s resignation letter. It''s easy to find out who really wrote it after a handwriting identification."

    People had the instinct to pursue benefits and avoid harm. "You mean this? Yes, I wrote it," Manager Sun heard herself refute calmly, "Lu Xue''s hand was inconvenient because of a fracture at the time, so I wrote it for her. What''s the problem?"

    "She broke her arm, not her fingers. Even if she couldn''t hold a pen, she could''ve stamped her fingerprint." Jian Jing said, "It''s unlikely for someone else to sign a document that requires signature, both emotionally and rationally."

    Manager Sun shrugged, "It''s just a resignation letter, not a contract. You can''t say I''m the murderer based on this alone. Are you kidding?"

    Jian Jing remained calm andposed, "The killer buried Lu Xue''s corpse in the flower bed on the 3rd floor. It seems the ident happened in this building. Because she had no way to move the corpse out of the building. Although it''s not difficult to turn off the indoor surveince by cutting power, there were still surveince at the main and back doors, as well as in other shops, that she couldn''tpletely avoid.

    "So the safest approach was to hide the corpse in the building, right under their noses, where she could check the situation every day."

    "Are you crazy? Why would I kill Lu Xue for no reason? Don''t tell me it''s because we were in the same department." Manager Sun defended.

    "You could try, but I don''t rmend doing so." Jian Jing stressed, "The police must have ways to expose your lies. The price you''ll pay then would be far more than confessing now."

    Her phone rm went off, it was 10 o''clock.

    "I have to go. Manager Sun can think slowly," she said. "Making mistakes is not scary. Admitting and correcting them in time, there are always second chances. But if you stubbornly try to cover up mistakes, you will only head towards destruction."

    The blood drained from Manager Sun''s face, but she still clung to false hopes and remained silent.

    Jian Jing sighed lightly and said no more. The case had been deduced to this point, she had done all she could. If Manager Sun was not beyond salvation, she would surely make the right choice.

    No one could escape the cost of crime.

    Did she really not regret it every time she looked at the flower bed?

    [Taskpleted, system settlement in progress]

    *

    Why do so many people want to be celebrities?

    Perhaps because of moments like this.

    When Jian Jing hurried into the reading room, she was startled by the scene.

    In the not-so-spacious room, passionate readers were squeezed together. Their eyes were enthusiastic and adoring, with joyful and passionate smiles on their faces. Some held flowers, some brought cakes. The moment she arrived, they erupted into loud, delightful screams.

    The enthusiasm of the fans was hotter than the summer heatwaves. The air conditioner was set to 23ˇăC, yet the indoor temperature was at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight degrees.

    Sweat beaded on her back, filled with the euphoria of being the center of attention, and the nervousness of being watched by the crowd.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath and quickly activated her posure" state to calm herself down.

    She slowly walked to the center of the stage and bowed deeply: "Thank you everyone foring to my signing event."

    "Ahhh, Teacher Jian Jing!"

    "Jing Jing teacher, love you so much!!"

    "Hope Demon Doctor sells well!!"

    The fans responded with passionate shouts.

    ording to the procedure, Jian Jing had a short speech before the signing event.

    Kangmu City said they could share their creative experiences or thank editors and readers for their support, but they must never mention anything about suicide. If anyone asked, they had to say the incident back then was a misunderstanding, and not exin anything further.

    Likewise, they had never heard of the novelist Wu''s veiled allusions, they didn''t know anything about that, just keep smiling.

    "The more you say, the more mistakes you make. The less you say, the fewer mistakes," he cautioned them. "Don''t underestimate the interpretive skills of journalists."

    However, while they had anticipated some provocation, they hadn''t expected the content.

    Suicide was old news from months ago, how could thatpare to freshly baked hot news?

    "Teacher Jian," a reporter stood up, "I think there''s something else that requires your exnation more than words of thanks."

    She raised her eyebrows: "Please go ahead."

    "ording to insiders at the bookstore, two hours ago there was a corpse here." The reporter dropped a bombshell, smiling as he rapid-fired more questions. "Teacher Jian, is this true?"

    Without waiting for Jian Jing to answer, he continued his machine-gun questioning: "If so, who was the deceased? Why did you conceal this news? What was your rtionship with the deceased?"

    Silence filled the venue.

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31

    There were fifty or sixty people crammed into the reading room, a huge crowd dressed in ck. Seven or eight photographers were frantically snapping pictures with their cameras. The central air conditioning was blowing cold air with all its might, but to little effect.

    The passionate fans were shocked by the sudden news, exchanging confused nces, not knowing what to do.

    Jian Jing changed to a different standing positionˇŞher feet hurt after running around in high heels todayˇŞand calmly grabbed the microphone to answer: "There were indeed some unexpected incidents during the signing event, but regarding the questions you asked, I''m afraid I can''t disclose anything to the public without permission from the police."

    "Is it that you can''t disclose, or you don''t want to disclose?" the reporter persisted stubbornly.

    Jian Jing said, "Cooperating with the police is every citizen''s duty."

    "Yes. However," he stressed, "I heard the victim was your reader, and today is also your signing event. Does this mean there is some hidden story?"

    Jian Jing nced at Kang Mu Cheng.

    He shook his head.

    "Without the police''s permission, I can''t answer your questions," Jian Jing turned the tables. "Mr. Reporter, are you trying to incite me to vite regtions?"

    The reporterughed, "My professional ethics require me to bring the truth to the public. Ms. Jian, you keep talking about needing the police''s permission, but did you really report this to the police? From what I know, you and Jin Wu Publishing suppressed the news and did not inform the police, so of course there would be no permission."

    Keeping secrets can be understandable, but covering up news...that seems suspicious. Many people whispered to each other, casting doubtful looks at Jian Jing.

    However, Jian Jing did not show any panic or fluster.

    She thoughtfully scanned a few faces: "The words ''from what I know'' are not evidence."

    "I need to protect my sources," the reporter slyly smiled, "To avoid retaliation from you. After all, revealing the truth also put a lot of pressure on them."

    "Unfounded usations. To correct me, you need at least a witness." She shook her head, looking helpless. "Without even a witness..."

    "Since Ms. Jian refuses to admit it, then dare you report this to the police in front of everyone?" This move was too clever, and Kang Mu Cheng''s expression changed instantly.

    He understood these reporters too well. They didn''t care whether she reported this or not. As long as they could lead her by the nose, they would win. Or rather, if this scene did not end soon, the signing event would be considered a failure.

    Kang Mu Cheng suppressed his anger and prepared to go on stage to answer instead of Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing noticed his move and gestured for him to stop.

    "There is no need for that."

    "Why not?" The reporter revealed a victorious smile.

    "Still need to ask? Duplicate reporting would waste resources," an icy voice suddenly rang out from the entrance. Everyone looked towards the voice and only saw a crisp police uniform and a pair of long legs.

    Ji Feng strode onto the stage and snatched the microphone from Jian Jing''s hand: "Do you know how many rm calls themand center receives every day? Making one more meaningless call may upy the lifeline of another person."

    The well-informed reporter was not intimidated by him: "Who are you, sir? The person in charge of the bookstore? Jian Jing''s agent?"

    "Criminal Investigation Division of Heping City Police Department, Ji Feng." Ji Feng shed his police ID and looked at the reporter expressionlessly.

    The reporter was visibly startled, but he reacted quickly and immediately asked, "From what I know, the corpse was discovered two hours ago. Why are the police only arriving now?"

    "ording to regtions, the response time for non-emergency cases is 3 hours. We received the report around 8 o''clock, and now it''s 10:20. It''s not overtime," Ji Feng said indifferently. "Of course, there is another reason."

    The reporter took the bait, "What reason?"

    "With the help of Ms. Jian Jing, we have identified the suspect early, and now, the suspect has already surrendered and confessed to the crime." Compared to the reporter''s ambiguous "it is said" and "I heard", Ji Feng''s words were undoubtedly more definite and powerful, loud and clear.

    There was an uproar at the scene. Cameras and mobile phones were frantically clicking away.

    Having rendered his service, Ji Feng solemnly extended his hand to Jian Jing: "On behalf of the police, I express my gratitude for your help."

    Jian Jing cooperated by extending her hand and shaking his: "I''m just fulfilling my own duty."

    After a slight pause, she lowered her voice, "Surrendered?"

    "I''ll tell you outside," Ji Feng made a look at her.

    She understood, said a few more words for the sake of appearance, and then brought the lottery draw time forward in order to slip away.

    The two went to a secluded ce to talk.

    "It counts as surrender," Ji Feng was frank. "If she didn''t surrender soon, she would have died."

    Jian Jing was startled, and then deeply regretted, "Ah, Lu WeiGuo!"

    "Just thought of it now?" Ji Feng rolled his eyes. "When I heard you say you knew the killer''s identity and was going to talk to her, I guessed something might happen. Fortunately I came in time, otherwise a good thing would have turned bad, and you would have got into trouble."

    Jian Jing smiled bitterly.

    If Lu WeiGuo had sought revenge on Manager Sun, and a bloodbath urred at the signing event, the result would still have been terrible.

    "I really have to thank you for helping me out," she sincerely said.

    "No need for that. I should be the one thanking you," Ji Fengughed. "Sun Bing was already thinking of fleeing. If it were a few hourster, she might have escaped. I would have had to go through a lot of trouble to get a warrant and find people to chase after her. You were able to resolve the case at the first moment, which helped a lot."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but lift the corners of her lips. The stale air in her chest dissipated, and her whole body felt refreshed.

    She realized she was gradually falling in love with this feelingˇŞit was as intoxicating as the delight of being surrounded by fans earlier.

    However, she was still calm with her mind in control. She remainedposed and asked, "Why did Manager Sun kill?"

    There was no need to conceal this. Ji Feng readily told her the whole story.

    Earlierst year, Sun Bing was preparing for her wedding. But the bride price was taken away by her parents, and there was a shortfall in the wedding banquet fees. The groom''s family was unable to ept this and asked them to break up.

    Sun Bing loved her boyfriend dearly and refused to break up. In order to raise money, she set her sights on public funds. In April, Lu Xue was transferred to the Procurement Department. Through traces of clues, she discovered Sun Bing''s actions and secretly collected evidence.

    On the day of the incident, Sun Bing was caught red-handed by Lu Xue. She pleaded with Lu Xue to let her off, but Lu Xue wanted to use this incident to overthrow herpetitor and add chips for her own promotion and raise. So she refused.

    The two got into an argument and shoved each other. Lu Xue fell down. Her right arm was in a cast and she couldn''t steady herself. When she threw her head back, she hit the edge of the table and unfortunately lost her life.

    Sun Bing didn''t dare to call an ambnce and was even more afraid of the truthing out, losing her future and happiness. So she steeled her heart, cut off the power and turned off the surveince, dragged the corpse to the flower bed, and buried it overnight.

    After that, she forged a resignation letter to create the illusion that Lu Xue had resigned and got away with it.

    For the past year, she was worried every moment that the truth woulde out. Especially to conceal the smell of the rotting corpse, she had poured chemicals into the flower bed, causing the nted grass and trees to die quickly, almost being discovered.

    She had no choice but to rece them overnight with simr species and changed the soil, barely covering it up.

    Even today, there were still many employees in the bookstore who thought she had bought a lot of gardening supplies because she liked nting flowers.

    [Quest: Skeleton Incident at Signing Event (Completed)]

    [Quest Reward: 20 points of basic courage]

    [Note: Courage points can be used to draw cards (ordinary). Each draw consumes 5 points]

    *

    With the case solved, the signing event still had to go on.

    The readers were very enthusiastic, with the long line of people queueing all the way to the stairs. At first, Jian Jing still had the energy to chat with readers for a bit, butter she became numb, and didn''t even recognize her own name "Jian Jing" anymore.

    She mechanically signed her name while her mind wandered.

    It seemed like something had been overlooked.

    What was it?

    "Ms. Jian, a reader sent you flowers," the event nner smiled and handed her the roses. "He was too shy toe up and asked me to pass them to you."

    Jian Jing looked up, taking the chance to stretch her sore neck, "Alright, thanks for the trouble."

    The moment her hand touched the bouquet, drops of water sshed onto the back of her hand. Trickles of bright red liquid oozed down the stems, drawing sinister patterns on her skin.

    The nner was stunned for a moment, horror in her eyes.

    "Your hand!" The reader beside her screamed first, "What is this?"

    "Looks like paint." Jian Jing was also surprised by how calm she was. She joked with them, "It seems this reader was tricked by the merchant unintentionally. But the value of a gift does not lie in its price. Let''s keep this secret for him."

    As she spoke, she hid the bouquet under the long table. With the velvet cloth covering it, nothing could be seen.

    The turmoil quickly subsided.

    Jian Jing resumed signing very calmly, with no abnormality. Only after the signing event ended did she take out the rose bouquet from under the table to examine carefully.

    It was a bouquet of white roses, but someone had dyed it red with blood.

    The dried bloodstains congealed on the petals, beautifully sinister and disgustingly bloody. Wedged in the center of the bouquet was a stiff card with the words:

    "Sweetheart, I wille find you again."

    Above the word "you" was a drawn heart.

    It looked exactly the same as what she had seen on the poster at the door this morning.

    It gave her a sickening feeling. Jian Jing grabbed some tissues and vigorously wiped her fingers, as if wanting to scrub away the sticky feeling adhering to her skin.

    "What''s going on?" Kang Mu Cheng saw the roses at a nce and frowned in disgust, "What is this thing?"

    The nner knew she was at fault and awkwardly said, "I met someone downstairs who said he was Ms. Jian''s reader and asked me to help pass the flowers to her."

    The roses were wrapped very nicely in ssine, she did not notice anything wrong at the time. Who knew that after a few steps, blood would drip out.

    "Don''t me her, the flowers were made very well," Jian Jing thought aloud. "Is the store manager here? I want to look at the surveince recordings from this morning again."

    She had helped the bookstore resolve Lu Xue''s case, so the store manager was naturally willing to do her a personal favor.

    Jian Jing asked to check the surveince near the entrance around 7am.

    The earliest footage showed the events manager opening the door at 6:47am. At 6:55am, a one-foot-long ck shadow appeared on the floor at the entrance, but no person was captured.

    The other party avoided the camera and went to the billboard, where he drew a heart with a marker.

    The surveince camera didn''t capture the person, only a hand.

    The left hand, judging by the bone structure, seemed to be male. There was a "W" shaped scar on the back of the hand.

    "Is this the person who gave you the flowers?" Jian Jing asked the nner.

    The nner shook her head: "I didn''t notice. He was wearing a mask and holding the flowers, so I didn''t get a good look."

    "Don''t ept things from strangers so easily in the future," Kang Mu Cheng admonished. "Today it was flowers, who knows what it might be next time."

    "I''m sorry, Mr. Kang," the nner said as she sped her hands together anxiously. "I didn''t mean to. I''m really sorry."

    "Let this be thest time," Kang Mu Cheng said indifferently. He asked Jian Jing, "Should we call the police?"

    Jian Jing lowered her head and sent a message on WeChat: "No need. It was just a bouquet, not even a prank. The police won''t even take the case."

    Kang Mu Cheng was silent for a moment before asking, "Are you really not..." He stopped himself mid-sentence.

    "Really not what?"

    "Nothing." Kang Mu Cheng looked away, staring at the roses. "If we call the police, they might increase security if they think you''re in danger. I think we should go down to the station."

    Jian Jing pondered for a while before saying, "Let''s wait a little longer."

    "Wait for what?"

    "Lu WeiGuo''s testimony."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked surprised.

    "If it''s just a stalker or some anti-fan who hates me, there''s no need to worry too much," Jian Jing said, tapping the table with her fingers. "But if it''s not..."

    Then it''s a bit creepy.

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32

    The summer breeze brought the suspect back to the police station, attracting many envious and jealous looks.

    In recent years, the crime rate had remained high while the case solving rate stubbornly refused to rise, putting considerable pressure on the police. But on closer thought, one knew that with cases increasing yet the solving rate not falling, the efforts police had put in could only have increased, not decreased.

    That feeling of cracking a case within an hour of receiving it was damn wonderful. No policeman could resist such good fortune, not even Jifeng who was known as the rising star of the force.

    His performance score for the month had risen another tenth of a point.

    He happily began interrogating Sun Bing, and after finishing the transcript, next would be Lv Weiguo.

    It was at this moment that he received a WeChat message from Jianjing.

    Her request was not unreasonable, and Jifeng was willing to give her this favor.

    Thus, when Lv Weiguo was describing how he had moved Lv Xue''s remains to the book signing venue, Jifeng suddenly interjected, "So you''re saying, moving Lv Xue''s remains was your personal decision?"

    Lv Weiguo: "Yes."

    "For what reason?"

    "I wanted to find the person who killed my daughter." He simply replied.

    Jifeng smiled gently ¨C those familiar with him knew he often used this amiable way to gain the trust of interrogation subjects ¨C and slowly said, "You wanted to scare him, make the murderer panic and reveal himself, that''s what you mean right?"

    Lv Weiguo nodded.

    "Then that''s very strange, you suspected the bookstore manager, but you put the corpse at Jianjing''s book signing." Jifengid a trap, "ording to what you said, putting it in the manager''s office would have been more fitting, no?"

    Lv Weiguo froze for a moment, exining, "There were many people there, I wanted to make a big fuss."

    "So the sabotaged second floor security cameras were also your doing?" He followed up.

    Lv Weiguo said, "I didn''t know those were broken, I didn''t think about anything, officer, I just wanted to find my daughter''s killer."

    "You didn''t know the cameras were broken, yet coincidentally walked right in their blind spots?" Jifeng picked up pen and paper, hastily sketched a simple map, "You didn''t know the cameras were broken, so you should have walked however which way, but look, to avoid the other cameras, you had to take such a winding path."

    He pped the paper in front of Lv Weiguo with a "pa", his tone turning cold, "Tell me, why did you have to take such a roundabout way? Summoning spirits?"

    Lv Weiguo''s lips moved slightly as he stammered, unable to exin.

    "Just confess, who told you to do this?" Jifeng pressed.

    Perhaps policemen held an innate deterrence over ordinary citizens. Lv Weiguo didn''t hold out long before confessing. The idea to move the corpse was someone else''s.

    "He said he could help me, as long as I did as he said. I had no other way, I don''t know anything, officer, the greatest wish in my life is to find my daughter''s killer, he said this could work, of course I had to try." Lv Weiguo vainly defended himself, "I don''t know anything else."

    Jifeng asked again, "How did he contact you?"

    "When I returned home, he found me and told me before leaving." Lv Weiguo answered.

    "Did you see what he looked like?"

    "I didn''t see him. It was raining that day, he was holding an umbre, all I saw was... that''s right, he had a scar on his hand." Lv Weiguo gestured on the back of his hand, "That''s all I know."

    Jifeng could tell he was telling the truth.

    He didn''t press the old man further, of course he didn''t release him either ¨C when he arrived at the bookstore, Lv Weiguo had been about to attack Manager Sun ¨C handing over the subsequent interrogation to colleagues while he himself looked into the call made to the event manager.

    The result was unsurprising, it was a stolen number that had already been reported lost.

    The trail went cold.

    Jifeng took out a cigarette to light, unable to restrain his curiosity: this man was clearly targeting Jianjing, what was he trying to do?

    *

    "Famous novelist assists police in solving skeleton case"

    "A perfect marketing stunt: did you see through the significance of the book signing?"

    "Demon doctor book signing, readers line up in long queue outside bookstore"

    "Skeleton case: An exciting live deduction show"

    ...

    In the new media era, it was never too early for the news toe out at night. Starting that very night, various media sessively reported on the case at the signing. The differencey in that those who had taken Golden Crow''s money sang high praises, while those who had taken money from others questioned if it was hype.

    Passersby watched themotion, joining in the discussion. Some said that since the police had released a statement, it must be real. Others said mentioning it in passing and giving it such prominent coverage must be for hype and book sales.

    Of course the fans disagreed, doing their utmost to defend her.

    Topment 1: Can''t you read? The police statement is right there, read it properly! It was Jianjing who helped catch the murderer!

    Topment 2: Jianjing really does have true skills and learning, keep being sour why don''t you [lemon emoji]

    Topment 3: Helping solve cases as a conscientious citizen isn''t unique to her. When something happened at my neighbor''s house, I also provided surveince footage to the police. Did I go around telling everyone about it?

    Topment 4: Did you catch the murderer, or get the murderer to turn himself in??

    ...

    The two sides argued vigorously, even trending top search for half a day. But Jianjing was still just a "rtively unknown" new author at this time. Of China''s poption of over 1 billion, not many knew her.

    When gossip of dubious veracity about a certain celebrity came out that night, people quickly dove into the new melon patch.[footnote: Chinese ng meaning juicy gossip]

    But the crane leaves traces in its path; each time she appeared in the news recently, Jianjing''s name was like a seed, shallowly buried in the public''s hearts. Every future mention would be water and fertilizer. Given enough time, it would one day grow into a towering tree. By then, even if she dominated headlines, people would nod and acknowledge "well deserved".

    Of course, that was all still in the future. Jianjing could not foresee what was toe. At this moment, she was still worried about the case. A skeleton appearing at her book signing was clearly targeting her.

    What was the point of doing this?

    Ruining her signing benefited herpetitors the most, but this approach was clearly unsuited to businesspetition. As for targeting her personally, it seemed a bit futile.

    A deranged stalker?

    At the thought, goosebumps rose all over her, and she decisively agreed to Kang Mucheng''s suggestion to upgrade home security.

    Money spent on personal safety was absolutely worthwhile.

    But could such a minor incident really qualify for a permit?

    The answer was: yes, it could.

    President Kang was true to his word. In just a few days, he obtained the permit and found a securitypany he was familiar with to carry out renovations inside and out.

    Jianjing''s knowledge expanded greatly. The mechanical tricks and technologybined in this parallel world resulted in some extremely ingenious structural designs.

    Tear gas ejectors were hidden inside the central air conditioning vents, utterly undetectable from outside. The switch was just an AC remote, which could be used normally. But inputting a special password unlocked a new interface.

    To impede vision, concealedpartments were also installed behind the doors. If someone tried to disable the password and leave, it would trigger rms and set off the fire rm, drenching them like a drowned rat in an instant.

    Jianjing: o( ?¨Ś ?)d

    When she was eating with Jifeng, she happened to mention this.

    "I didn''t expect this could also fall under personal protection orders." Jianjing marveled, taking it as yet another characteristic of this world.

    "No, that''s not right." Jifeng was treating her to this meal mainly to thank Jianjing for the assist with his performance metrics. He didn''t expect to dig up something interesting and said, "That bouquet alone couldn''t have gotten a permit approved."

    Jianjing was taken aback,pletely astonished. "But I do have one."

    "Not private security?" Jifeng raised a brow.

    Private security operated in legal gray areas. But that wasn''t the case for Jianjing. She brought up the e-version, "See for yourself, this isn''t fake is it?"

    Jifeng took it and carefully scrutinized the format and seals, even more surprised than her. "It''s real, how is that possible?!"

    Jianjing said, "Seeing is believing."

    "Then that proves my hunch may have been right." He put down his chopsticks, looking at her with great interest, "Someone has their eye on you."

    The restaurant they were eating at was a hole-in-the-wall nestled in a residential area, taking numerous twists and turns down small alleyways before arriving. But it was extremely popr, with over a dozen tables inside and in the courtyardpletely filled during mealtimes. The hot steam of dishes came in waves, apanied by the bitter taste of beer and human sweat, permeated with the mundane aroma of life.

    Yet in such a lively ce, Jianjing sitting there felt chills running up her spine, goosebumps rising.

    "Officer Jifeng, are you serious?" she asked.

    "No need to be so formal, just call me by name." Jifeng pinched an unlit cigarette between his lips, resisting the urge to light it, "It''s definitely real, but just my intuition, can''t say for certain."

    "Is that possible?" Jianjingughed drily. "Don''t forget, someone got full scores in all subjects graduating from the Police Academy, specially recruited into the Criminal Investigation Division. Top student."

    Jifeng clicked his tongue. "You looked me up?"

    "It was in the news reports." Jianjing said. "Otherwise how could I dare go out to eat with you alone?"

    He guffawed. "Come on, you weren''t that wary of me before."

    "Going out together publicly is one thing, having a private meal alone is another." Jianjing saw it as only natural. This world was more dangerous than her original one, better safe than sorry.

    But speaking of which, she hadn''t previously known Jifeng''s credentials were so outstanding: top student at the Police Academy with perfect scores across the board, directly specially recruited into the CID after graduating instead of interning at a local station first. He participated in cracking a major case in his very first year,uded by media as the rising star of the force.

    For someone like him to say, you''re being watched, don''t take it lightly ¨C she''d have to be a fool not to heed the warning.

    "I don''t have evidence, just intuition." Jifeng said, "Lv Xue''s case, it was him saying...how to put it, hello, I''m here, do you see me? You get what I mean right?"

    When talking about cases he was inevitably excited, finally unable to resist the urge and taking out a lighter to light his cigarette. "But there''s a problem, such an abrupt introduction on first meeting is a bit odd. So at first I didn''t think too much of it. What if it wasn''t the first time?"

    Jianjing immediately grew wary. "Not the first time?"

    "He recognizes you." The handsome police officer smiled, revealing a row of straight, white teeth. "Don''t you know this person?"

    Jianjing fell into contemtion.

    When she firstid eyes on Aixin, she had instinctively felt uneasy. What Jiefeng said made sense, it could exin the odd feeling in her heart.

    The problem was, she had no impression of such a person.

    "I don''t remember anything like that," she said cautiously. "I have absolutely no memory of it."

    "Ask Kangmucheng," Jiefeng flicked off some cigarette ash, clearly taken by keen interest. "Some cases have high security clearances, so I don''t have ess. But he can apply for clearance. He might know something."

    Jianjing raised her brow. Crossing her arms, she said, "So this dinner today wasn''t to thank me, but to set a trap."

    "Don''t you want to know?" He coaxed gently.

    Jianjing smiled slightly and firmly said, "I don''t."

    "Why not?" Jiefeng was very curious.

    "You have no evidence," she turned the tables on him. "Without evidence, how can I ask?"

    Jiefeng shook his head, affirming, "You don''t want to ask."

    Jianjing did not reply, nor did she deny it. If both their intuitions were correct, it would mean the memories she had inherited were iplete. And Kangmucheng might be privy to the truth, but chose to conceal it.

    This was clearly no trivial matter. She didn''t want to act rashly and reveal her memory issues.

    "Oh well, it''s your business after all," Jiefeng extinguished his cigarette, not pushing her further.

    Although he had caught a whiff of something unusual,ck of evidence was a fatal w. He and Jianjing had only just met, far from the level of trust for her to confide in him. It was only natural she would hold back.

    "I have to get back for my shift," Jiefeng looked at his watch and shamelessly made a request, "Give me a ride back."

    Jianjing sized him up. Expressionless, she said, "I took a taxi here."

    He shook his beer can, then pointed at her Coke bottle. "You didn''t drink."

    "I don''t like drinking," she lied.

    "Last time when I helped you park, I saw a convenience store receipt for a case of beer in your car," Jiefeng thoroughly enjoyed teasing suspects. Lazily, he said, "Also, there''s mud stuck to the bottom of your shoes. If you took a taxi and stopped on concrete roads, how could you get mud on them? The parking spaces here are tiny. You must have stepped in thendscaping when parking your own car."

    Jianjing peered at her shoe soles doubtfully.

    What mud?

    "Kidding," he seeded in deceiving her. "I saw your car when I got here."

    Jianjing: "..."

    "Check please," he pped his pants and stood up. "Teacher Jian, let''s go. I have the night shift tonight."

    Having lost this round, she had no choice but to go along.

    Jianjing took a detour to drop Jiefeng off at the police station.

    On the drive, neon lights glittered brightly and the night breeze was cool.

    "We''re here," she mmed the brakes, the wheels locked perfectly at the entrance. "Please exit, Officer Jie."

    "Are you angry?" Jiefeng undid his seatbelt but didn''t get out. Arm slung over the door, grinning, he said, "Don''t be, Teacher Jian. I really enjoyed this meal you treated me to. If something like thises up again, remember to call me."

    Jianjing knitted her brows. "Again? I don''t want to run into any more cases. Don''t jinx me."

    "I''m serious. I feel the same way," he looked at her, eyes full ofughter. "But can you honestly say you didn''t feel a sense of satisfaction when you cracked the case?"

    She raised her brow.

    "You have a sense of justice and you''re capable. More importantly, you don''t dislike solving cases," the young, handsome officer stood in the night breeze. Leisurely, he said, "Once at the hospital, once at school, once at the bookstore. In the future, you''ll have a next time and a time after that."

    "We''re the same kind of person. You''re already enjoying the process."

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33

    Recently Kang Mucheng had been very busy.

    Although Lv Xue''s case had brought quite a bit of trouble to the book signing event, Jian Jing had cracked the case on the spot, turning the reporters into pillows for a nap, instantly heating up the topic.

    No matter how hotly it was discussed online, the sales figures of "Demon Doctor" were steadily climbing, which was more real than anything. He freed up his hands and thoroughly investigated within thepany, catching the internal mole who had leaked information to reporters. As expected, he had been bought over by anotherpany. Regardless of the reason, he was immediately fired.

    In addition, he had to keep an eye on the instation of the security system at Jian Jing''s home.

    Kang Mucheng had been worried that Jian Jing would ask questions, but although she was somewhat suspicious, she still trusted his judgement and agreed to his suggestion, silently relieving him - if she had asked, he really wouldn''t have known how to respond.

    For some reason, ever since he had saved her from suicide, he felt Jian Jing had changed.

    Sensitive had be keen, overthinking had be meticulous and careful. She was still the same person, but her former weaknesses had be strengths.

    Kang Mucheng had no way of knowing why she had changed this way. It was just that a baby learning to walk needed an adult''s support, but a grown child would no longer hope to be led by the hand all the time.

    It was the same for writers and agents.

    When she was weak, he had to be firm. Now that she was bing strong, he had to give her more freedom.

    Kang Mucheng looked at the pile of documents on hand and pondered deeply for a long time before finally dialing the phone. "Jingjing, are you home? Good, I''ming over to chat with you about something."

    He went straight to her home in a familiar way and got right to the point. "I want to discuss the second half of this year''s work with you."

    Jian Jing was very surprised. "Isn''t the second half for writing Demon Doctor 2?"

    "Not about the writing schedule," Kang Mucheng threw the documents onto the coffee table and went to the kitchen to make coffee. "Jinwu has several activities in the second half of the year - book signing tours, cultural travel groups, lectures at universities. Do you have any that you''re interested in?"

    It was normal for a writer to just focus on writing, but most people didn''t reject publicity activities either. Good wine was afraid of being too deep in the alley - making more connections within the industry would be very helpful for future development.

    Jinwu Publishing didn''t just publish books, they also regrly organized some activities within the industry.

    The book signing tour was gathering a bunch of writers to hold signing events in multiple cities, helping promote each other and raise their presence. They could also take the chance to travel and gather. The cultural travel groups worked with some tourism departments to invite writers to travel ording to featured routes and do some promotions.

    The university lectures were even simpler - go to various colleges and universities to give talks, and take the chance to promote their new books and spread some cultural knowledge.

    After reading the documents, Jian Jing asked, "What do you rmend?"

    "Universities generally lean towards traditional writers, the other two are not bad, with room and board provided," Kang Mucheng gave an objective evaluation, but did not give a clear rmendation.

    "Is there anything more fun?" Jian Jing was not very interested.

    Kang Mucheng paused briefly, then said after a moment, "There''s also one, Feiniao Entertainment''s ''Haunted House Adventure''."

    Jian Jing was full of questions. "What''s that?"

    "A reality show that invites celebrities to explore haunted houses around the country," Kang Mucheng replied. "They''re about to start filming the second season soon, and they''re missing a guest star. They invited you."

    She was even more confused. "Why would a variety show invite me?"

    "You have decent poprity recently, and match their show style," Kang Mucheng paused, then said frankly, "Feiniao invested in ''Demon Doctor'', so it''s a win-win for them."

    Jian Jing understood, and couldn''t help feeling tempted.

    Exploring a haunted house did seem much more interesting than the other activities. However, filming a show with celebrities was bound to easily attract gossip - the entertainment world had very deep waters.

    "What do you think?" She habitually sought his opinion.

    "The other guests are celebrities. As a neer, you''ll have to manage your expectations," Kang Mucheng had not brought this up earlier, revealing his own inclinations.

    He felt that Jian Jing was not suited for such a high-profile show, standing in front of the camera with celebrities. The pressure would be much greater than when ''Demon Doctor'' wasunched.

    Jian Jing understood his meaning, but still looked hesitant.

    "Do you want to go?" Kang Mucheng sat down beside her and patiently asked, "Jingjing, tell me your thoughts."

    After a brief moment of hesitation, she nodded and admitted, "I want to go."

    The poprity of variety shows was high. After participating, her fame would surely greatly increase. She didn''t crave fame itself, but fame could help her draw more cards. Whether it was because of the high crime rate or the hidden danger of the Blood Rose, she had to improve her own strength.

    And while solving cases did provide rewards, there were lives behind them. Byparison, bing famous was undoubtedly more suitable.

    Kang Mucheng didn''t know her real motives. He confirmed repeatedly, "Are you clear on the consequences?"

    "It''s just one episode, right?" Jian Jing considered and said, "If it''s not suitable, I just won''t continue. "

    Kang Mucheng was admittedly not optimistic, but the other activities could be done by others as well. This was an invitation extended to Jian Jing alone. If it seeded, there would be tremendous benefits for both her and Jinwu.

    He nodded. "Going is fine, but you have to do your best."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "This is an adventure deduction show. It''s understandable for celebrities to underperform, but if you underperform, your reputation will stink." Kang Mucheng emphasized, "Are you confident?"

    She hesitated, not very confidently saying a very confident line: "It should...probably be fine?"

    *

    ''Haunted House Adventure'' was a reality show with 5 regr guests + 1 rotating guest. Every episode, the guests would be sent to a haunted house for an adventure. They had to find the various clues hidden in the haunted house and fulfill certain necessary conditions before they could leave.

    One very famous episode from the first season was called ''True Record of a Haunted House''.

    The story was about an old house from the Qing dynasty where all kinds of bizarre sounds and shadows frequently appeared, and several generations of owners had bizarrely died in the house. The guests had to search the old house for clues, piece together the truth of the deaths, find the resentful ghost that was making trouble, and finally follow the methods recorded in ancient texts to cross over the resentful ghost beforepleting the mission.

    Just this alone was not too bad, but the problem was that the haunted house itself was indeed an old house from the Qing dynasty where some unexinable strange events had truly urred before.

    A real haunted house.

    However, the talk of ghosts was just for show. At the end of the story, the guests learned that the so-called ghost was actually a drowned infant girl from years past. Clearly the production team was using the guise of ghosts and gods to explore human nature.

    Jian Jing specially went to watch this episode. The plot and story were quite interesting, but the most amusing part was still the guests themselves.

    Watching them scream and jump around in fright was very stress-relieving.

    Especially Jiang Baiyan.

    Before watching the show, Jian Jing''s impression of him was: an obedient, sweet, pretty, and gentle flower boy.

    After watching the show: Hahahaha!

    All the image built up in ''Hide and Seek Child'' was gone.

    She couldn''t help messaging him to probe for more: [Is the haunted house really that scary?]

    Jiang Baiyan replied quite quickly: [Super super scary!! The cameras make it look really bright, but it''s actually pitch dark with barely any light at all. The shlights they give us only have a tiny bit of red light, the scene is really super super scary!]

    Jian Jing: [Deep in thought.jpg]

    Jiang Baiyan: [Teacher has decided toe? Don''t worry, I''ll protect you!]

    Jian Jing: "......"

    She took a short animated clip of him freaking out and jumping in ce, and sent it over.

    [The other party has withdrawn a message]

    Jiang Baiyan: [Begging Teacher Jian Jing to protect me instead!]

    She: "Pfft."

    In summary, it seemed like it would be pretty fun.

    A weekter, Feiniao Entertainment signed a one-episode contract with her and released a teaser on their official ount.

    Haunted House Adventure V:

    This is a hotel nestled deep in the mountains. The milk-white wallpaper is dotted with mold, the red door is covered in scratches, how many secrets lie beneath the dirty carpet, where do the lingering soulse and go?

    Haunted House Adventure Season 2, Episode 1 officially starts filming on August 10th!

    @Cao Yu @Zheng Keyan @Jiang Baiyan @Han Bo @Cai Tonger, @Mystery Guest, get ready for the shock~~

    ---

    Topment 1: The world is big, you have thousands of possibilities, beauty is plentiful, you are a thousand kinds of charm @Keyan. The four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, winter, I am with you every day and night (31k likes)

    Topment 2: Although you''re very timid, you''re also very kind. Although you''re good-looking, you also work hard. Baiyan''s fans will always support you, the best in the world @Jiang Baiyan (27k likes)

    Topment 3: CP of fire and water, charge! (12k likes)

    Topment 4: Support Brother Yu, support Adventure! (9k likes)

    Topment 5: Tonger, jiayou! Please everyone check out our hidden gem Tonger, an actress with both acting skills and looks, guaranteed satisfaction with investment! (8k likes)

    Jian Jing: "......" Who am I, where am I, what are they talking about??

    *

    On August 9th, Sunday, Jian Jing took a ne to the filming city a day in advance and checked into the hotel arranged by the production team.

    At the entrance, she encountered three separate waves of fans.

    One wave of Jiang Baiyan''s fans, holding up signs; one wave of Zheng Keyan''s fans, also holding up signs; one wave of Cai Tonger''s fans, still holding up signs......The three camps were clearly separated. They had to call out in turns, neither side willing to lose.

    Jian Jing sighed helplessly at the sight.

    She had done a bit of homework about her co-stars on the ne and barely sorted out who was who.

    Cao Yu, nicknamed Cao Military Advisor, veteran actor, 33 years old, married, average looks but dignified features, high EQ, known for loving his family and often posting pics of his wife and daughters.

    Zheng Keyan, big star, popr actress, 30 years old, divorced, beautiful and generous, known as a strong woman, has starred in many TV shows and is very nationally recognized.

    Han Bo, singer, 25 years old, unmarried, mixed-race, handsome and masculine, lively and outgoing, provides the atmosphere.

    Cai Tonger, little flower, actress debuted from a girl group, 20 years old, very good-looking, known as a foodie and asionally posts silly content.

    Jiang Baiyan, currently popr + skilled actor, 19 years old, (the show team thought he was) a cool and steady little fresh meat, (but actually) unexpectedly timid.

    In addition, this show has two major CPs (Couples). One is the water and fire CP, namely Han Bo and Jiang Baiyan. The other is the red and white CP, namely Cai Tonger and Jiang Baiyan.

    In summary, Kang Mucheng gave her three warnings:

    First, don''t get too close to Cao Yu. Married male actors must keep their distance and respect their seniors. Don''t argue with him.

    Second, don''t get too close to Han Bo and Jiang Baiyan. They have many fans. If a scandales out, you''ll be scolded to death.

    Third, don''t get involved in the contradictions between Zheng Keyan and Cai Xiaohua. You can''t afford to offend either.

    Jian Jing was confused: "Then what can I do?"

    "Fight ghosts with wit and courage."

    "..."

    That night, the Follow PD (following director) found Jian Jing and briefly exined the shooting process to her.

    "There won''t be any PDs following you after you enter the haunted house. Only the cameras will be shooting. Teacher Jian doesn''t need to be nervous." The PD following Jian Jing was a young girl who patiently exined, "There are safe houses inside where you can eat and use the bathroom, but generally we''ll keep shooting until the end without a break. We''ll keep shooting all day today."

    Jian Jing said, "I see. I have a question."

    "Please ask, Teacher Jian."

    "Is the haunted house we''re going to tomorrow originally a hotel? Or is it a newly built haunted house?"

    The PD said, "That''s right, it was originally a hotel. Strange rumors had emerged about it before too. We did some renovations to the house, but some areas were kept in their original state. Everything is very realistic."

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34

    The scheduled recording time was 2pm on the 10th.

    Jian Jing slept until 9 oˇŻclock and got upzily, browsing her phone in bed. As soon as she opened Weibo, her private messages exploded with many fans asking if she was participating in the recording of Adventure in the Haunted House, as many people had taken photos of her checking into the hotel yesterday.

    She scrolled through and found quite a few insider news items.

    Entertainment XX Number: The flying guest of Adventure in the Haunted House is Jian Jing, the author of The Hide and Seek Child and The Evil Doctor, a quite popr mystery novelist.

    818 Hey 818: Adventure in the Haunted House has invited Jian Jing, there are photos as proof, not the X Little Flower rumored before. It should be to promote The Evil Doctor which will start shooting soon.

    Gossip Hey Hey: The red-white CPst season was boycotted by fans, so the program team invited a young female amateur this time again, don''t know who to hype up with. This woman has connections with the top management of Feiniao Entertainment, she''s a fan.

    ...

    In response to these seemingly true and false explosive news, fans'' reactions can be divided into the following categories: wailing why it wasn''t their XX family, too insensitive to have slipped away fans before; who is this person, never heard of her, take away my brother; a mystery novelisting to this kind of show, don''t know if she can do it, live reasoning ispletely different from writing novels.

    And so on.

    Jian Jing closed her phone and chanted to herself: "Unlock the limited pool, unlock the limited pool..."

    System: [After detection, the host''s poprity has not reached "little famous", unable to open]

    Alright.

    "Teacher Jian, can Ie in?" came a gentle knock on the door.

    Jian Jing opened the door for them. It was the makeup artisting to help with makeup. After this and wasting time eating lunch, it was soon 1:30 in the afternoon.

    She went downstairs ahead of time, wanting to arrive at the scene early, but unexpectedly when she got on the bus, there were already two people inside.

    Han Bo and Jiang Baiyan.

    "Teacher Jingjing, sit here." Jiang Baiyan made room and beckoned her to sit down.

    Jian Jing hesitated a little.

    The seats on the bus were like this:

    Last row: ABC

    Previous row: D aisle EF

    The fixed camera lens was on F, sitting in this position you''d have to turn your face backwards to talk to others, but in the shot there would only be the back of your head, very unfriendly.

    Jian Jing had watched the first season, Zheng Dayan generally sat in the center B, Cao Junsai liked A or C, Jiang Baiyan usually took the other one. Cai Xiaohua liked to choose D, Han Bo was just a not very famous singer, and could only choose between E and F.

    But now, Jiang Baiyan was sitting in F, signaling her to take E.

    She had a good impression of Jiang Baiyan, and did not suspect he was setting a trap, thanked him and sat down.

    --

    Time: Broadcast on August 25

    Danmu 1: Little brother is so warm, knows to take care of new people

    Danmu 2: The neer is so restrained, no sense of presence

    ...

    --

    The air was very quiet.

    Han Bo cleared his throat and brought up a vague topic, "I heard that this time it''s an inn in the mountains."

    "Wow, that must be really scary." Jiang Baiyan leaned back, showing a look of lingering fear, "I remember watching a movie before, with a pair of twins in blue dresses, called, called what..."

    As expected, he looked to Jian Jing, and she answered without surprise: "The Shining?"

    "Yes, yes." Jiang Baiyan quickly picked up the thread, "We won''t have someone chasing us with an ax, right?"

    Han Bo looked incredulous, "It shouldn''t be that brutal, right?"

    "Thest episode was very scary, that Qing dynasty mansion scared me and I couldn''t sleep for several nights." Jiang Baiyan very naturally recalled the filming theme of thest season, both introducing it to Jian Jing and reminding the audience of the famous scenes.

    Taking advantage of this topic, the three chatted casually, and before long, the others arrived one after another.

    The fourth person to arrive was Cao Yu.

    He sat in position A, smiling and greeting, "Long time no see, Baiyan, you don''t count, I just saw you at the movie theater the day before yesterday, really great film."

    "It was well directed by Director Ding," Jiang Baiyan humbly replied, then turned to face Jian Jing, "and well written by Teacher Jingjing."

    Jian Jing felt Jiang Baiyan''s thoughtfulness, and followed up at this time: "You acted very well too."

    She was pulled into the conversation, Cao Yu naturally could not ignore her, and greeted her: "Teacher Jian is talented and beautiful, awesome."

    "Jian Jing," she reached out her hand and exchanged polite greetings, "Nice to meet you, Teacher Cao."

    Cao Yu was a powerful actor, not very popr online, but had starred in many mainstream TV dramas, trying roles from fatherly seniors to mature and steady CEOs, he had done them all with a wide repertoire.

    Calling him Teacher was not really ttering either.

    Cao Yu smiled and gently grasped her fingertips.

    Zheng Dayan and Cai Xiaohua arrived one after the other soon after, both had chatted with fans at the hotel entrance for a while, the fans'' cheers could be heard on the bus.

    It had to be said, the visual impact of female stars in real life was great, stunningly beautiful at first sight, perfectly highlighting the difference between ordinary beauties and great beauties.

    Zheng Keyan had an elegant maturity, wearing a real silk shirt + wide leg pants, simple and elegant colors, with a powerful aura. Her personality also seemed very friendly, seeing Jian Jing she smiled: "There''s a neer this time, I''m Keyan, just call me Sister Keyan."

    "..." Jian Jing did not want to call her so intimately, they were not familiar with each other, but the camera was filming to the side, rejecting the olive branch reached out by the big star would have unpredictable consequences.

    She politely nodded: "Sister Keyan."

    Cai Tonger had another style, from her hair strands to folds of her clothes, everything was exquisite, her makeup was very characteristic, just sitting there silently she was like a finely crafted doll.

    But when she spoke, she sounded just like a girl next door, not arrogant at all: "Wee, wee, I heard there''s going to be a mystery novelist this time, I feel relieved, time to coast to victory."

    She was also very thoughtful to cue: "Teacher, just call me Tonger."

    Jian Jing deeply admired them, even if it was acting, there were no ws, it was skill.

    After the greetings, everyone continued to chat about the plot of thest season, reviewing the major turning points of each adventure.

    Then came the tacit silence.

    Jiang Baiyan poked her and gestured for her to turn off the wireless microphone. After she did so, he whispered: "Filming is over for now, we can rest for a while now. The haunted house stuff is all filmed starting from evening until dawn."

    Jian Jing: "..." So the atmosphere earlier was all acting.

    "I''m going to take a nap." Hey down very experiencedly, closed his eyes, and in less than three minutes his breathing had evened out.

    Jian Jing was bored and took out her phone to y Numberlink puzzles.

    Ever since the Yuhui Vi incident, she had developed a keen interest in these little mechanisms, just in case she needed to escape someday.

    The hour and a half of the journey passed in the blink of an eye.

    PD notified: "Almost there."

    The guests all entered work mode, tidying up their clothes and microphones, appearing excitedly in front of the camera.

    "Everyone please put on your blindfolds and hand over your phones to me."

    In the darkness, Jian Jing felt the car gradually slowing down, going down a slope, finallying to a slow stop.

    The door opened, the guests got off the bus in order, the cold mountain air rushing up to meet them, a few droplets of waternding on her arms, cool and refreshing.

    "It''s raining."

    "There are stairs in front."

    "So slippery."

    In the midst of the chaos, everyone entered the house, a faint musty smell in their noses.

    The door closed behind them, introducing the plot: "You are hiking enthusiasts trapped in the mountains by an unusually sudden downpour. After walking in the rain for over an hour, you found this abandoned inn and decided to spend the night here..."

    After the introduction, they took off the blindfolds, but still couldn''t see anything.

    The abandoned inn was of course not powered on, windows tightly shut, the gloomy weather outside exacerbated the dim atmosphere, it was almost pitch ck inside the house.

    "Find lights first," Cao Yu habitually directed everyone, "Turn on the lights."

    "The switch is here, but it won''t turn on." Han Bo wasst in line, and soon found the switch on the wall, but no matter how he flipped it, the lights wouldn''te on.

    "Then look for candles, check drawers, cabs etc." Cao Yu was unflustered.

    Although Jian Jing could turn on night vision, cheating the game was unnecessary. She took a few steps back, leaning against the wall, groping along the wall.

    Soon, she touched a sofa, still feeling out its size, when Zheng Keyan said from the other side: "There seems to be a lighter here."

    She lit the lighter, and the weak me revealed theyout of the room.

    This was the inn''s lobby, not very big, around 20 square meters, rectangr. To the left of the entrance was a counter about half a person''s height, the surface covered in dust.

    Further inside, to the right against the wall, there was a tattered leather sofa. Next to its inner armrest there was a locked door.

    At a ny degree angle to the door was the staircase leading upstairs. Turning the corner of the wall again, there was another door. In the outward direction of the door, there was an alcove with an enshrined God of Wealth statue.

    Diagram is as follows:

    ...Stairs...

    Door......Door

    ..........

    Alcove...Sofa

    .Counter...

    .Counter...

    ....Front door..

    There was a half-burnt candle on the counter, of course an electronic one. But the effect was the same, once lit, everyone finally had a stable, safe light source.

    "There''s a guest book here," Han Bo flipped it open, "what''s written in it?"

    Cao Yu leaned over for a look: "Guest registration and a password."

    On the first page of the log book, there was this line of text: Key cab password resets every day at midnight

    Monday ??????

    Tuesday 20????

    Wednesday ??05??

    Thursday ????21

    Friday ????09

    Saturday ??01??

    Sunday 19????

    The question marks were all obscured by stains, unable to be seen clearly.

    "Today is Monday, we have to figure out the password to get the keys," Cao Yu took paper and pen and started scribbling.

    Zheng Keyan tore off the first piece of paper and gave it to him, then started looking at the guest register herself; Cai Tonger and Han Bo began looking around on their own initiative, paying particr attention to the shrine.

    "This is the God of Wealth!" Cai Tonger eximed. "I remember there''s a song," and she started singing, "Respect the God of Wealth, invite the God of Wealth, summon wealth and treasure, worship the God of Wealth..."

    Han Bo joined in the chorus: "Fortunees rolling in~~"

    Jian Jing was confused, what was this performance, bursting into song at the drop of a hat?

    "Teacher Jing," Jiang Baiyan said softly to her, "There''s blood here."

    Jian Jing looked to where he was pointing and saw a few dark, dried bloodstains on the sofa backrest and wall.

    "You''ve got good eyes," she said. The light source was at the front desk and the rest of the ce was dimly lit, she really hadn''t noticed the abnormal stains in the corner.

    However, seeing Cao Yu''sposure, she didn''t want to steal his thunder. She thought for a moment, then went to the shrine and removed the electric candle ced at the front.

    There was a switch below, still with some power left to emit a red glow.

    Red light would not illuminate red stains well. Jian Jing walked to the front desk: "May I switch the light?" She asked as she nced over the password on the paper.

    "Sure," Cao Yu looked up and saw it was her, hesitated a moment before asking, "Do you have any ideas about this password?"

    Jian Jing said: "The intext is left, middle, right order."

    "Right, it should be 6 digits, 2 numbers each," Cao Yu was a strategist indeed, with clear thinking, "I''m wondering, like the first two digits of Wednesday, could they be 15? 15 plus 05 equals the 20 above?"

    "That would remove the direct connection to the days of the week. The left, middle, right three boxes could correspond to the English abbreviations - Tuesday is tue, t is 20." After the experience at Yuhui Vi, Jian Jing had be much more sensitive to English letters and numbers.

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35

    Cao Yu quickly calcted it in his mind and immediately gave the answer: ˇ°Monday is Mon, 131514.ˇ± After speaking, he looked up, and Jian Jing was no longer there.

    She was holding a white candlelight and looking at the bloodstains behind the sofa: ˇ°Push the sofa back a little.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan pushed the sofa hard, and arge patch of chaotic bloodstains appeared before everyone''s eyes. The multiple bloody handprints dragging on the wall vividly reproduced the unwilling struggle of the deceased before hisst breath.

    "Oh my god."

    "So much blood..."

    "What on earth happened here?"

    The female guests covered their mouths with flower-like appearances. The male guests showed surprised expressions and were shocked.

    Jian Jing''s acting skills were not up to par with these professional artists, and she looked confused.

    --

    After the broadcast, horror movie BGM was edited in, and close-ups were made of everyone.

    Comment 1: The new person is not at all into it, how awkward.

    Comment 2: Normal people''s awkwardness, the stars are too exaggerated.

    Comment 3: Stop arguing, the newdy is a reasoning writer, of course she''s seen a lot of bloody photos. The stars who have never seen it before will of course be afraid.

    Comment 4: Newdy +1 goodwill, she decoded the password so fast, her mind is so clear.

    Comment 5: New person: Should I pretend to be scared to fit in?

    ...

    --

    Jian Jing did not keep up with the variety show effect of the guests, and no matter how much she pretended to be surprised, she could not pretend well, she could only say: "There is so much blood, it disappeared into the carpet, this is unscientific."

    She squatted on the ground and lifted the cheap red carpet.

    Sure enough, there were residual bloodstains at the junction of the wall and the floor. In the cracks of the wooden floor, a mottled brown stain could also be seen.

    "Someone was seriously injured, possibly in the thigh or abdomen, and escaped here covering the wound and died." She stated her inference, but was not entirely certain.

    There were certain differences between the real scene and the arranged scene. If the production team was not diligent, it was hard to say if they had treated this ce as a crime scene.

    Han Bo asked, "Why is it the thigh or abdomen?ˇ±

    "Wasn''t he killed here with so much blood?" Zheng Keyan also raised questions.

    "The handprints are too low. I''m not tall. Even if I lean against the wall, it''s at least one meter high." Jian Jing demonstrated in person, "These handprints are too short, more like crawling over, and only the bloodstains from dragging can leave continuous traces in the cracks of the floorboards. The bloodstains left by walking are all dripping, just like when you flick water, the bloodstains are not continuous."

    She paused and said again: "This should not be the first scene. Losing so much blood, considering it was a sharp weapon, such as a knife, axe, etc. When injured, arge amount of blood stter will be sprayed due to the internal pressure of the body, it can even ssh to the ceiling, but there is no such trace in this room."

    "Ah..." The guests looked at each other and politelyplimented, "You are so amazing."

    The atmosphere was a little subtle.

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: Bringing in the neer was a big blunder by the program team,pletely destroying the atmosphere.

    Comment 2: Yes, out of ce, as if she''s the only smart one?

    Comment 3: Stop arguing, I still prefer the original team.

    Comment 4: Sour grapes, is it so hard to admit your idol is not good enough? It''s very normal that she can''tpare to someone who makes a living through reasoning, ordinary people won''t think stars are stupid because of this.

    Comment 5: I got tired of stars screaming all the time long ago. Finally there is someone seriously doing reasoning, and she gets scolded like this, destined to be popr sooner orter...

    ...

    --

    After half an hour of recording the show, Jian Jing knew that she had screwed up.

    She swore that she did not intend to steal the limelight at all - arguing with stars was looking for death - she only answered when asked. But it seemed there was no difference, her words were full of a show-off vor.

    This made Jian Jing feel embarrassed, and even a little guilty.

    Her skills were not learned through hard work, but rather a system plug-in, bullying others with a golden finger was more or less improper.

    With thisplicated mentality, she decided to keep a low profile as much as possible going forward.

    "ording to what you said, the dead person should be a guest. The owner killed the guest and destroyed the corpse to cover up the crime." Cao Yu, as the military adviser, had always controlled the overall rhythm. "Is there any information about the guest in the registration form?"

    Zheng Keyan casually said, "Their names have been crossed out, only the room numbers left."

    Cai Tonger was unwilling to fall behind: "Should we go upstairs and take a look?"

    "The key cab is open, there are a few keys here." Cao Yu took out the key ring and checked thebels on it, "No guest rooms, only living room, kitchen, dining room,undry room, storage room and other ces."

    Jiang BaiYan said, "Let''s not go upstairs, it''s scary upstairs..."

    Thest two words had not yete out when suddenly, there was a "rattle" sounding from the stairs, as if countless marbles were rolling down the stairs, pinging and ponging as they fell to the floor, big and small marbles falling on a jade te.

    "Ah!" Jiang BaiYan let out a small exim and quickly shrank to the side.

    He hid behind Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing: "..." Having the illusion that she has the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear.

    The others also shrank back more or less, looking at the stairs in doubt and apprehension.

    Tick, a marble rolled down, followed by another, and another, gurgling and bouncing on the steps, like a lively child skipping down the stairs.

    Dead silence.

    "Hehe." A child''sugh came from upstairs, "Hehehe,e y."

    Cai Tonger pressed both hands to the sides of her head, afraid in an adorable way.

    Han Bo: "Um... were there any kids among the guests?"

    "No, kids don''t need to be registered right?" Zheng Keyan replied.

    "Let''s not go upstairs for now." Cao Yu cleared his throat, "The guests may have already be..."

    Ghosts.

    Everyone unanimously agreed to search the first floor first.

    On the left and right sides of the lobby were two doors that could be opened with keys. The door on the left led to the living room, and the door on the right led to the dining room and kitchen.

    After discussing, they decided to go to the living room first.

    Cao Yu inserted the key, turned it, and slowly, slowly pushed open the old door.

    "Creak", the door made a harsh sound.

    In the dim light, a sea of yellow talismans came into view.

    "So many talismans pasted." Zheng Keyan knew this was the safe house, and became bolder, "They should all be for exorcism. The owner did evil deeds and was afraid the ghosts woulde for him."

    Jiang BaiYan always took a different approach than arguing over analysis with them, specializing in finding character settings: "There is a small generator here with operating instructions on it."

    Everyone gathered around.

    Operating Instructions: This is a mini generator that can supply a small amount of electricity to maintain simple lighting. Only the correctmands can start it.

    Below was a line of scribbled words: With no heart for this body, the lone tree has ascended the hall, silk strands wither in the drought, why still tearful?

    "Teacher Jingjing, who wrote this poem?" Jiang BaiYan asked in a low voice.

    Jian Jing: "The program team."

    He: 0.0

    "This is a password, right." Cai Tonger said, "There are three buttons, red, yellow, and blue, no rtion at all."

    "Isn''t no heart 0?" Zheng Keyan immediately proposed a different opinion, "Lone tree is 1, silk strands is 0.5?"

    Cai Tonger retorted: "The buttons have no numbers."

    "Red is 0, blue is 1, yellow in the middle is 0.5." Zheng Keyan reacted very quickly.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help it: "These are the three primary colors."

    "I know." Han Bo chimed in, "The three primary colors make up all colors."

    "It''s also unrted to numbers." Zheng Keyan flicked her hair, "I feel we shouldn''t overthink this, thinking too much can get confusing, the answer may be very simple."

    Jian Jing: "I''ll go check out other ces."

    Jiang BaiYan followed her, and Han Bo also knew he was not the best choice for brainstorming, so he continued his rummaging.

    "There''s a fridge here." He soon found supplies, "There''s water, chips, chocte..."

    Jiang BaiYan pushed open a door, inside was an overly tidy bathroom. He introduced to Jian Jing: "This room should be the safe house, ghosts can''te in, we can eat and use the toilet."

    It was fine until he mentioned eating, then Jian Jing really felt hungry.

    She peeled a chocte, held it on her tongue and let it melt, then joined in on rummaging around.

    Han Bo was experienced and quickly found a hiddenpartment in the bedside table, taking out a diary.

    Cao Yu, Zheng Keyan, Cai Tonger were studying the generator, while she, Han Bo and Jiang BaiYan read the diary together.

    "They''vee again, still not giving up! The old Taoist said I''ve done too many evil deeds, the vengeful spirits havee to take my life. Hmph, as if I believe that, when alive they were no match for me, what can they do when dead? If I could kill them once, I can kill them a second time. That old Taoist didn''t dare do anything, so I''ll find a way myself."

    "Damn it, the talismans can''t suppress that group anymore. Every midnight, they start wandering on the second floor, scaring the guests so much none dare to stay any longer. F*ck, they actually dare to ruin my business!"

    "Heh, went to the temple to find a monk, and the monk asked if I had done any conscienceless deeds. I''ve done them so what? Arson, murder, burry, building bridges to hide the bodies! If they passed by my door, they deserved to die by my hands! On what basis can they make a fortune while I''m stuck guarding this dump?"

    "F*ck, business ispletely gone, sitting and eating the mountain empty is not a solution. But they''re getting more and more fierce, at first they could only make noise at night and disturb sleep, but in recent days, things in the shop have mysteriously changed ces for no reason, they can already touch people now? That day I was patted on the shoulder and it hurt for several days. If this continues, won''t theye to my room to kill me? No, I have to find a way."

    "Spent a lot of money and finally squeezed some real stuff out of the old Taoist: they have already be fierce ghosts. Topletely suppress them, the Seven Star Demon Subduing Rite must be used to truly trap them here forever without rebirth."

    The three were engrossed in reading and did not pay attention to the situation over at Cao YuˇŻs side.

    They had already found clues to crack the password.

    Here is a poem riddle: With no heart attached to this body, "no heart" means without a heart, "attached" below means a purple radical; A lone tree has entered the hall, a tree and "enter" together make the character for orange; Silk strands dry up the flowing stream, half of "silk strands" is twist silk, "dry up" means no water, twist silk plus "record" makes green; Tears, how can they still flow? Take the three water dots out of "flow", leaving the character for mysterious, which is ck.

    Cao Yu analyzed the process in detail: "Purple, orange, green, ck, ording to the proportions of the three primary colors, red blue, red yellow, blue yellow, red yellow blue, try pressing them in order."

    Cai Tonger pressed the switches in sequence.

    Sess, the lights in the room lit up.

    --

    After the broadcast, the barrage section weed another wave of peaks.

    Barrage 1: Of course it''s the three primary colors, I knew it, this is elementary school knowledge!

    Barrage 2: If you''re so capable, why don''t you go on the show? Keyboard warriors are useless.

    Barrage 3: The newbie already said it, isn''t that capable enough?

    Barrage 4: Capable my ass, you know but didn''t say it, just want to watch others embarrass themselves?

    Barrage 5: Selfish

    Barrage 6: If she showed off her knowledge, she''s arrogant; if she didn''t say it, she''s selfish. The neer can''t do anything right in your eyes. Only the main characters are awesome, huh?

    Barrage 7: Whatever you say, I''m stanning the newbie girl!

    ...

    --

    In fact, the atmosphere at that time was not bad at all, contrary to the barrage war.

    After the lights came on, Jian Jing and others shared the diary with the other three. They basically confirmed the key to this task: find seven copper coins, set them in formation, and suppress the resentful spirits.

    But they each had different opinions on whether to follow through.

    "This is unfair," Cai Tonger said. "They were killed by the boss and have to be trapped here forever. Too pitiful."

    Zheng Keyan rarely agreed with her: "Yeah, can''t they cross over? Do we have to suppress them?"

    Han Bo said, "Although they were wronged, they''ve be fierce ghosts now. Fierce ghosts harm people. If we don''t suppress them, they''ll keep harming people."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Let''s find the coins first, we don''t necessarily have to suppress them if we can persuade them to turn back."

    "We can look for other options, maybe there''s a way to cross them over," Cao Yu mediated. "If we can''t find one, then we''ll use this method. After all, our safetyes first."

    Jian Jing watched them argue.

    She could see that they didn''t really disagree. Their attitudes were probably exaggerated for the show effect.

    For example, Zheng Keyan and Cai Tonger reaching a consensus was likely to highlight the kindness of women. Han Bo''s coldness wasn''t real cruelty either, but a disy of rationality.

    No script, yet they were all acting.

    "Jingjing, what do you think?" Zheng Keyan timely brought Jian Jing into the conversation so no one felt left out.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36

    After entering the haunted house for 1 hour and 20 minutes, Jian Jing understood the gamey of the variety show.

    She felt that Zheng Keyan had no malice towards her - their careers were not in the same circle at all, who would be so silly as to make enemies with others? If necessary, she was even willing to give Jian Jing a hand to show her friendliness.

    But the premise was that Jian Jing would not steal her limelight.

    Cao Yu''s acting skills might be better than hers, but he was not as popr as her, Cai Tonger had many fans, but did not have her strength, Jiang BaiYan had strength and poprity, but his seniority was far from hers.

    The think tank of the team was Cao Yu, but the C position had to be the big flower Zheng Keyan.

    These were the rules of the game.

    As long as she agreed with the views of the two girls and expressed her friendly attitude, it would not be difficult to integrate into the team and create a dramatic effect of estrangement followed by harmony.

    Win-win.

    However, was it necessary?

    Admittedly, she came to participate in this show with some utilitarian motives, hoping to gain fame and draw more cards to enhance her own strength. But if she didn''t enjoy ying, it seemed not worth the gain.

    Just like people who like to travel, it''s understandable to take rted jobs, but people who don''t like to travel and force themselves to travel for money, what''s the point?

    She chose to y the haunted housergely because she wanted to y.

    Just like solving cases, although the system had reward tasks, she was willing to actively do it, actually because she got pleasure from it.

    After thinking it over, Jian Jing tactfully expressed her true thoughts: "Actually I didn''t think so far ahead. I was pondering something else all this time - where did the innkeeper go?"

    "Look, the boss''s clothes are all in the closet, there are ID cards and wallets on the bedside table, proving that he had no intention of leaving here for a long time. But no one has been here for a long time." She looked around thoughtfully, "Where did the boss go?"

    Jiang BaiYan rubbed his arms: "I have goosebumps all over, are you saying he''s still here? Turned into a ghost?"

    "That''s what I would write if I were the scriptwriter," Jian Jing joked. "Anyway, the copper coin charm against evil spirits must be useful, but who to use it on is still unknown."

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Barrage 1: The neer is very good, making up for Cao Yu''s shorings. Cao Yu is actually quite logical, but only focuses on the clues he finds, deduction stillcks a bit

    Barrage 2: Doesn''t fit in, awkward af

    Barrage 3: Must be different huh? Feel bad for my Keyan

    Barrage 4: The neer is called Jian Jing, the original author of The Hide and Seek Child, pretty awesome

    Barrage 5: No wonder wuli BaiYan is so enthusiastic, they must''ve known each other before

    Barrage 6: There''s script proof, is she a rtive of the bird boss??

    ...

    --

    After listening to Jian Jing''s analysis, Cao Yu nodded gently: "That makes sense, so let''s look for the copper coins first."

    "It doesn''t seem to be in this room." Han Bo stood by the bedside, seeming hesitant whether or not to flip the bedding.

    Cai Tonger''s sharp eyes: "There''s a hiddenyer here, with a note inside." She pulled out a thin sticky note from between the pages of the diary.

    It said: The copper coins have been nurtured in ces the evil spirits do not like, take them out when needed, ce them on the magic circle, and activate them with ck dog''s blood.

    It also came with a simple map, marking locations in the lobby, kitchen, dining room, toilet, backyard, 204 and XXX.

    Thest XXX was a symbol, with several vertical lines drawn inside the 0.

    "Let''s check the nearest one first, the toilet, see if it''s there?" Cao Yumanded.

    Han Bo darted into the toilet and very easily found a copper coin tied with red thread in the toilet cistern.

    "Yeah, awesome." Everyone cheered for a few seconds.

    After the performance, they discussed splitting into two groups, one on the second floor and one in the lobby, dining room and kitchen, finally gathering in the backyard.

    For some reason, they all agreed to this n of dividing forces in the end.

    There was trouble with teaming up, everyone had their own thoughts: the first floor mission was arduous, but not as scary as the second floor, there was a chance to perform, the second floor had a high probability of encountering ghosts, with both risks and opportunities.

    Han Bo knew he wasn''t quick-witted, so he volunteered: "I''ll go to the second floor."

    "I''ll go too." After thinking for a while, Jian Jing also took the initiative to speak up.

    Jiang BaiYan unconditionally supported her today, and weakly said, "Then I... will go too."

    "It''s safer with two guys too." Cao Yu found a good reason for them, also relieved in his heart.

    Thepetition between guests was not about gender, but whether their positioning conflicted.

    Why were Zheng Keyan and Cai Tonger superficially sisters, but secretly tried to undermine each other? It wasn''t because girls love to fight, but because their positioning ovepped to some extent - for example, for a costume idol drama, one could choose Zheng Keyan, or Cai Tonger, sopetition arose.

    Simrly, why was there no conflict between Han Bo and Jiang BaiYan, and they got along wellst season? Still because their positioning was different.

    Han Bo was a singer, also working hard to act in idol dramas, striving to be a traffic idol actor. Jiang BaiYan, however, was wholeheartedly set on the big screen, and the two did notpete.

    However, after Zheng Keyan''s divorce, her image shifted towards a strong woman, reducing the conflict with Cai Tonger. As for Jian Jing, although they were a little hostile to her at first, it was just instinctively resisting apetitor.

    Once they calmed down, they realized who was really threatened.

    Not them.

    Him, the think tank and strategist of the team.

    Jian Jing made him feel threatened. It was understandable for young people to underperform, but he had good reviews from the previous season, and was outperformed by a little girl, which was like making a bridal gown for others.

    Splitting into two groups and reducing contrast was undoubtedly the oue everyone wanted to see.

    --

    After the broadcast.

    The guests'' thoughts were not understood by the audience, and everyone became anxious.

    Barrage 1: Separating in a horror movie is a death g, they''re done for

    Barrage 2: Xiao Huo is so timid yet still went upstairs, what''s he taking?

    Barrage 3: Warning, there will be high energy upstairs

    ...

    --

    The formation for going upstairs was as follows: Han Bo took the lead, Jian Jing in the middle, Jiang BaiYan at the back.

    As they walked, Jian Jing picked up the beads that had fallen to the ground. She counted, there were a total of seven, she didn''t know if it was a coincidence.

    Also, she didn''t know if the program team had put the beads in the fridge to freeze, but they felt ice cold to the touch. Putting them in her pocket dispelled the summer heat, working quite well as air conditioning.

    "Han Bo, walk slower." Jiang BaiYan pleaded in a small voice.

    Jian Jing chuckled.

    She had learned from her experience at the Sunset Vi, and specifically worn a pair of jeans overalls that were not easy to expose. Who knew the purpose of preventing exposure was not achieved, but it did make things convenient for Jiang BaiYan. He couldn''t have too much physical contact with her, yet was really afraid, so he kept holding onto the back strap of her overalls, she could feel his nervous fingers even through her T-shirt.

    The candlelight was dim, darkness heavy, Han Bo was also a little flustered, slowly shuffling along the wall.

    Turning a corner, the stairs directly faced the second floor.

    "Seems like nothing there...ahhh!" Han Bo missed a step and sat right down on the stairs.

    A ck shadow hanging upside down swung and twisted just 10 centimeters away from him, greenish-yellow scales extremely sinister.

    A snake, a live snake.

    Even though her brain knew this snake must not be venomous, its fangs probably removed, Jian Jing still felt a little weak in the legs, stering herself against the wall, unable to move.

    She was afraid of snakes too.

    "What is it?" Jiang BaiYan cautiously peeked out to see it was a snake, and was relieved instead, "I thought it was a ghost, Han Bo you scared me to death."

    Han Bo: "Aren''t you afraid of snakes?"

    "I''m afraid of ghosts." Jiang BaiYan walked over, used his toes to prod the snake''s body, and discreetly kicked it down the stairs.

    The snake slid downstairs.

    Jian Jing & Han Bo: "..." How bad.

    Jiang BaiYan with an innocent face: "Let''s go quickly."

    The three set off again, and with difficulty arrived at the second floor.

    Theyout of the second floor was simr to the first floor, except that there were rooms on both left and right sides, roughly six on each side in a 3-3 formation, totaling twelve rooms.

    "I remember there were 7 guests in the registry?" Jian Jing recalled.

    Jiang BaiYan nodded: "201, 202, 203, 205, 206, 208, 211."

    She was surprised: "You remember so clearly?"

    "I have a very good short-term memory." He was a little proud, "As long as I read the script again before opening, I''ve never forgotten a single line."

    "Awesome." Jian Jing praised him, then her tone changed, "That''s a bit strange then, 204 being vacant is understandable, but why are 207, 209, 210, 212 also vacant? No, that''s not right."

    She was suddenly shocked, and quickly shone the candle at the room numbers.

    Sure enough, there was a problem with the room numbers.

    The second flooryout was as follows:

    202..206..208........210..212..Laundry Room

    201..203..205..Stairs..207..209..211

    There was no Room 204 at all.

    "What do we do now?" Jiang BaiYan asked her.

    "Find 204." Jian Jing turned left, walking to between 202 and 206, knocking and tapping around.

    Jiang BaiYan and Han Bo helped search, but this section of wall had no paintings or any special decorations, bare for all to see. Careful knocking did not reveal any hollow sounds either.

    They expanded the search area to the other three walls, but the result was the same.

    "Doesn''t seem like there''s a hidden door." Han Bo said.

    Jian Jing nodded: "Then it''s the other possibility - the room numbers are wrong, we have to check each room to judge which one is the real 204."

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Barrage 1: Love thedy, clear thinking, especially scriptwriter-like, are the directing team afraid?

    Barrage 2: Production team: We''re done for, everything seen through, how to keep ying?

    Barrage 3: Not hard to guess, if only looking for 204, wouldn''t the other rooms be wasted

    Barrage 4: Requesting high energy warning

    Barrage 5: Sessful air drop, first floor team super boring, looking forward to high energy second floor team

    Barrage 6: Interesting to praise one and diss one?

    ...

    --

    Since they had to check every room, it meant they needed to open all the rooms.

    But all the guest rooms were locked, unable to open, except for 202.

    Room 202 was also locked, but it had a digital lock, and a slip of paper was tucked into the crack with song lyrics excerpted on e a littleter than before"

    "Meet in the warmth of affection..."

    "If my love is lonely..."

    "The missing lyrics all have years," Jian Jing jumped in first since this was a familiar territory, "First Snow in 2002, Come Come Meet in ''98, Born in 1874."

    She inputted directly 200219981874.

    It didn''t open.

    She changed it to 029874, still wrong.

    This was a bit embarrassing now.

    "None of them are right huh," she smiled embarrassingly to cover it up.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Since there are years, it must be rted to the years, the order can''t be wrong right?"

    "The lyrics are in order, so it should not be that," Zheng Keyan analyzed, "This password should have multiple encryptions, the lyrics are the first level, and the years still need to be deduced again."

    She pondered: "Years...try the zodiac animals."

    "2002 is the year of the horse, 1998 is the year of the tiger." The recent years were easy to figure out, it was just 1874 was too far back, Jiang BaiYan calcted for a bit, "1998 minus 120 is 1878, also the year of the tiger, go back 4 more years, year of the dog!"

    But 070311 was still wrong.

    Zheng Keyan observed the digital lock and couldn''t help but frown: "The password is very long, still missing a few digits, could it be the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches?"

    "What is that?"

    "The 10 Heavenly Stems and the 12 Earthly Branches cycle inbinations, forming 60 differentbinations. After 60 years, it would cycle back to Jiazi, so one Jiazi is 60 years."

    The calction was a bitplex, so Zheng Keyan simply took out pen and paper scavenged from the living room, and wrote out all the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, calcting them one by one.

    Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui

    Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai

    It is known that the Xinhai Revolution broke out in 1911, so it was the year Xinhai.

    Adding and subtracting forward and backward, she eventually concluded - 2002 was Renwu, 1998 was Wuyin, 1874 was Jiaxu, so 2002=907, 1998=503, 1874=111.

    The final password was 907503111.

    It opened.

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    Room 202 was theundry room.

    There were several industrial washing machines, dryers and sterilizers in the room, as well as a very long sink. The drain below was blocked, and the ck sewage had filled up more than half of the sink.

    Next to the door was a hook with a note that said "Key".

    But there was no key on the hook.

    "The key must be in the sink," Jiang BaiYan covered his face, "It was like thisst season, hiding the most important clue in the ce you least want to touch."

    Han Bo said, "Use a mop to fish it out?"

    "Where''s the mop?" Jiang BaiYan asked.

    The two guys fell silent together.

    Jian Jing had watched the previous season of the show and silently took out a pair oftex gloves from her jeans pocket, "Want it?"

    "Ah, yes, great." Jiang BaiYan was overjoyed and quickly took them. He and Han Bo each got one glove, "Leave this kind of work to us, teacher, it''s tiring for you."

    Jian Jing: "......Be careful of water ghosts."

    Jiang BaiYan: "??!!"

    He looked at her weakly and said weakly, "Teacher Jing..."

    "Sorry." Jian Jing turned her back to avoidughing.

    Han Bo: "Hahaha."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Hey."

    The air was cheerful for a while.

    However, jokes aside, the work still had to be done.

    Han Bo and Jiang BaiYan fished in the sewage pool for half a day, suffering countless frights: touching a soft yellow eel, touching a realistic fake hand, touching a disgusting undescribable object...

    In short, Jian Jing was very d it wasn''t her.

    After going through great pains, they finally found a keychain in the drain pipe.

    The guest room door could be opened now.

    The first to enter was 201, but there was no luggage in the room. The bedding was folded and ced in the cab, spider webs were tied in the four corners, and there was no sign of habitation.

    ording to the information in the registration book, this 201 should be one of 204, 207, 209, 210, 212.

    Next was 203.

    The moment the door was pushed open, a white shadow flew quickly across the ceiling, unable to discern the specific appearance clearly, leaving only a faint afterimage on the retina.

    "Oh my god!" Han Bo was frightened and sat down again on the spot.

    "There''s a ghost!" Jiang BaiYan did the same, shrinking behind Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing: "......" She put her hand over her chest and slowly let out a breath.

    She didn''t see the ghost, but was frightened by the screams of the two in front of and behind her. Her heart was pounding, pounding, probably going up to 100 beats per minute.

    After calming down, she pushed the door all the way open, "Someone lives here."

    It was a single room with one bed, one wooden chair, one wooden cab, all painted red, with an extremely old-fashioned decor. A skeleton was lying next to the bed, and the clothes on it had faded, barely discernible as a floral print dress.

    There was a suitcase in the corner.

    Jian Jing opened the box, which contained many women''s clothes from many years ago, a pair of leather shoes, a small makeup bag with a few lipsticks inside.

    "We have to go down and get the registration book to figure out who is who." she said.

    The two guys agreed, and everyone went for another trip. They sessfully got the registration book from the lobby downstairs. On the way back upstairs, there were screamsing from the restaurant area.

    Checking the information in the registration book, it was clear that there were three female guests, one staying with her husband, and two staying alone.

    "There are lipstick marks here." Jiang BaiYan''s eyes were quick and he soon found a faint trace of red on the signature line of thest row.

    Jian Jing said, "This is room 211."

    203ˇú211

    Next was the room across, 206.

    This time everyone was mentally prepared. After opening the door, they shed to both sides to make sure there was no jump scare before carefully peeking in.

    A cold wind hit their faces.

    Jian Jing shivered, goosebumps crawled all over her arms, and an indescribable chill swept through her body, like roaming snakes and insects, finally stopping in her abdomen.

    Her stomach cramped and the skin around her waist turned cold. She subconsciously reached out to feel it.

    In the pocket of her dungarees, a marble was icy cold to the touch.

    [System: Triggered special copy, new task released]

    [Task name: Seven Stars***]

    [Task description: This is a long-standing **** hotel, harboring secrets rted to death. The dead *** has not yet been discovered, **** resentfully calling out, you......]

    [Rewards and penalties: To be determined based onpletion]

    Jian Jing: [Shocked face.jpg]

    Special copy? Task name and content are censored?? Why do I feel ominous, could this copy have...ghosts?

    She shivered, goosebumps all over.

    "It''s so cold here." Jiang BaiYan looked around, "Someone lives here too."

    There were two skeletons in the room, one big and one small, apparently a father and son judging by their clothes. But the child was small and didn''t need to be registered, so it was impossible to determine which room it was just from the registration book.

    "There''s a handbag." Han Bo took apart the bag and took out a hardcover notebook, a child''s water bottle, half a pack of cigarettes, and a shoddy wallet.

    Theypared the information in the registration book and found that 206 was charged 20 more, and 205 was charged 5 more.

    Jiang BaiYan found a menu with the fee schedule on the bedside table: "Toiletry kit 20 yuan per set, that must be it, 206."

    206ˇú206.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "Teacher Jing, let''s go to the next one."

    Jian Jing nodded absentmindedly.

    Next target: 205.

    After grasping the reasoning, identifying room numbers was not difficult.

    Jiang BaiYan and Han Bo got the feel for it, excitedly figuring out the real room numbers through the deliberate differences left by the production team.

    205ˇúempty room

    208ˇú205

    207ˇúempty room

    210ˇúempty room

    209ˇú203

    212ˇú208

    211ˇú202

    Laundry roomˇú201

    Combined with previous deductions: 201ˇúempty room, 203ˇú211, they got a new map.

    Laundry room..206..205......C..208..201

    A......211...B..Stairs..D..203..202

    In room 201 (originally theundry room), they found the guest''s scribbles recording the room number order.

    7 and 8 are not adjacent; Neither are 3 and 4; 9 and the adjacent room have amon factor; 7 and the adjacent room have the same trait, but are not both odd or even; 10 and the adjacent number are consecutive.

    209 hasmon multiples with 206, 203, 212. The only adjacent rooms are 203 and 206, so D or theundry room is 209. If theundry room is 209, A is 210, D is one of 207 and 212, C is one of 204 and 212.

    Trying out the possibilities, it can be found that: If D is 207, B can only be 204 or 212, no simrities between numbers; If D is 212, B is 207, also nomonality.

    So 209 is D, A or B is 210. A is 210,undry room and B must have one as 207, but 7 and 6, and 7 and 11, 9 do not have the same traits, eliminated. B is 210, one ofundry room and A is 207. 7 and 11 are both prime numbers, correct. The remaining 204 is eitherundry room or C.

    204 appeared in the registration book, is a guest room, determined as C=204,undry room=212.

    The correct room numbers are:

    212..206..205........204..208..201

    207..211..210..Stairs..209..203..202

    "Phew, almost died." Jiang BaiYan leaned against the wall, "Math problems are soplicated."

    He debuted early, studying high school curriculum in snippets while filming. With good memory he was able to memorize content quickly, grades were decent, but math was a weakness.

    "Luckily I don''t have to learn calculus." He said fearfully, "Teacher Jing, calculus must be really difficult right?"

    Jiang BaiYan habitually passed the conversation to her, but realized Jian Jing was zoning out. He paused, then casually turned to ask Han Bo, "Have you learned it?"

    "Nope." Han Bo naturally continued the conversation, and the two chatted about university life.

    But Jian Jing didn''t hear anything, her gaze still fixed on the map. Along the way searching earlier, the marble in her pocket would suddenly be extremely cold when entering certain rooms, but nothing like this happened in some rooms.

    Now,ying out the correct room numbers, a surprising fact emerged.

    The ces where the marble turned cold were exactly 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207 - none of the rooms after 7 had any abnormalities.

    Why would there be such a coincidence?

    What exactly was the undiscovered secret?

    Unfortunately, the production team''s setup greatly obscured her vision, unable to discern effective information from it. Calling off filming now was also unrealistic, she could only wait until the end of the shoot to speak up.

    Jian Jing thought about it,ing back to her senses saying: "Let''s go to 204, and search carefully this time."

    The other two gave an OK sign.

    Once the goal was set, the coin was not difficult to find. Jiang BaiYan found the stuck coin in the top shelf crevice of the cab. Their group''s task was consideredplete.

    At this time, the three-person group downstairs also found the three coins in the lobby, kitchen and dining room, plus the one found in the living room bathroom earlier, totaling 5 coins obtained.

    The six gathered, went to the bathroom, ate snacks, drank water, touched up makeup, exined each other''s previous actions.

    But Jian Jing didn''t have the heart to chat at all, zoning out frequently and not talking much either. The others were all observant people, seeing her abnormal behavior but thinking she was sulking deliberately, toozy to humor her, ignoring it altogether.

    Such controversial behavior, the production team wouldn''t miss it, editing it a bit before airing it all.

    --

    After broadcast, it did blow up as expected.

    Comment 1: The newbie is so ignorant, likeability -10086

    Subtitle 2: Who does she think she is, giving attitude like that?

    Subtitle 3: She''s probably just tired, I don''t feel like talking when I''m tired either.

    Subtitle 4: As if only she is tired, look at the others still working hard.

    Subtitle 5: To be honest, it''s not fair that there are 4 people on the first floor and only 1 on the second floor.

    Subtitle 6: We are all a team, no need to calcte who contributed more or less.

    Subtitle 7: Those who went to the second floor volunteered themselves, who can they me?

    Subtitle 8: Emmm, let me add something from behind the scenes without spoiling too much, you guys misunderstood the new girl, watch the behind the scenes footage with news reports for the full picture.

    Subtitle 9: OMG!! I saw it, holy shit! It gave me goosebumps!

    Subtitle 10: I don''t want spoilers, can someone exin the situation?

    Subtitle 11: I owe the new girl an apology, holy crap!

    Subtitle 12: Seeing thempletely oblivious...

    Subtitle 13: Here''s the link to the news video with behind the scenes footage, truly horrifying, the girl must have noticed back then already.

    Subtitle 14: She actually continued to cooperate and finish filming, I would have fainted right there and then.

    Subtitle 15: The new girl is awesome! How did she even discover that??

    ...

    After resting, the clueless group went to the backyard.

    The backyard of the inn looked like an ordinary rural courtyard, with a chicken coop fenced in, and quite a few chickens wandering about arrogantly.

    Cai Tonger burst outughing: ˇ°There are actually live chickens, didnˇŻt they say this ce has been abandoned for a long time?ˇ±

    "Seeing is not necessarily believing, these could be ghost chickens of the ones that were eaten." Han Bo joked.

    The othersughed loudly.

    What followed was essentially the highlight of any reality show, a group of celebrities using their full ability to vie for the key hanging from the rooster''s neck.

    Some got pecked by chickens, some stepped in chicken poop, some got chased by mother hens.

    After a round of chaos, not only did they get the key from the chicken''s body, they also identally found a toy in the coop, very simr to the final symbol in the clue.

    "This is called cage snatching treasure, it''s a puzzle toy that can''t simply be taken by force, just like the nine linked rings." Cao Yu asserted, "Thest one must be here."

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38

    There was only one prop, but it had to be taken apart by hand.

    While the guests were still pondering over the method of taking treasures from the cage, Jian Jing quietly walked out of the camera frame.

    The room was all shot with pre-set infrared cameras, but that wouldn''t work outdoors. It was already 11pm, pitch dark outside. To shoot the backyard section, the director''s team had set up lights.

    "What''s the matter with Teacher Jian?" the PD asked her.

    Jian Jing asked, "I''d like to know, what did this hotel use to look like?"

    The PD was puzzled, "Why do you ask that?"

    "No reason, can you tell me?" She pleaded in a low voice.

    The property master next to them said, "I have pictures here, do you want to see?"

    "That would be great, thanks." Jian Jing nodded.

    The property master took out his iPad and showed her the stored photos, "Teacher Jian, why do you ask? Is there something wrong with our set design?"

    "I was wondering about the room numbers." She scrolled through the photos, "Were the room numbers this random originally too?"

    "Yes, we also found it very odd at the time, but it gave us inspirationter." The property master exined, "We only changed the furniture in the rooms, and tried to keep the wallpaper and flooring original."

    Jian Jing frowned.

    "Got it!" Zheng Keyan cheered.

    She couldn''t linger any longer, and hurried back to the set after a quick word of thanks.

    With the 7 copper coins gathered, Han Bo also found a sealed jar of ck dog''s blood in the corner of the yard. The climax of the story was about to arrive.

    "Is there a magic circle diagram in the lobby?" Cai Tonger asked, "I don''t remember seeing one."

    But Cao Yu was confident, "I guess it''s behind the God of Wealth statue, it''s too conspicuous."

    He guessed right.

    After moving the altar aside, there was a magic circle painted behind it.

    There was a mechanism embedded in the wall, and as soon as the copper coins were ced on it, they got sucked in. At the same time, strokes of red appeared in the nk spaces, just the outlines without any coloring.

    "Urgent as imperial decree." Cao Yu made out the words, reacting quickly, "Use the ck dog''s blood to trace these words."

    Everyone respected their senior colleague, indicating for him to do it.

    Cao Yu acted without hesitation, dipped a bit of the so-called ck dog''s blood (actually just blood sma for filming), and carefully traced out the five written characters.

    The moment thest stroke waspleted, a fierce wind started howling.

    From some unknown source (electric fans), a demonic wind swirled up from the ground, messing up everyone''s carefully done hairstyles. At the same time, shrill ghostly wails rang out from all directions.

    "You think this is enough to deal with me?" The candles flickered uncontrobly, the voice floating closer and farther, "When I was alive, I could kill them. Dead, I''m still the strongest! You can''t escape."

    Zheng Keyan: "Is this the boss? Did he kill all the other ghosts?"

    Cai Tonger: "The magic circle didn''t work? What do we do?"

    Han Bo: "Sis Keyan, watch your step."

    In the chaos, the walls started oozingrge amounts of ck viscous fluid, like leaking oil, shocking everyone.

    But before they could react, the clear sound of marbles rolling suddenly came from upstairs. Countless marbles cascaded to the floor, crisp as notes from a zither.

    Palm prints appeared on the walls, and wherever the red handprints went, the ck oil avoided them.

    The man''s wildughter abruptly turned cold, "Oh, you dare show up again? Heh, no one can be saved. This time, I will annihte all of you!"

    The voice faded away into silence.

    "The people who died are helping us?" Han Bo asked.

    Cao Yu hesitated slightly before saying, "I guess so."

    "Something fell from themp." Jiang BaiYan carefully stepped forward and picked up what had fallen to the floor.

    It was a brocade bag, containing a string of prayer beads and a note.

    The note read: When one dies with injustice, they be vengeful spirits. And above vengeful spirits, there are evil ghosts. Evil ghosts feed on other ghosts, bing extremely powerful and difficult to kill. They can only be suppressed. These prayer beads belonged to an enlightened high monk, and can suppress evil ghosts. ce them on the remains, and the evil can be sealed for ten years.

    It was signed by a monk from a temple, the same one the boss had gone to for help but was rejected.

    Everyone understood, "We need to find the boss''s remains."

    "Any clues on where to look?"

    Just as they spoke, "Bang", "Thud", "Crackle", loud crashing sounds rang out in session.

    The door on the right suddenly opened on its own, followed by the restaurant door. The decorative paintings hanging in the hallway fell one after another.

    "Ah!" Jiang BaiYan eximed, "Are they showing us the way?"

    "Let''s go take a look." Jian Jing''s mind was filled with thoughts of ending the shoot quickly, and she inadvertently walked to the front.

    Following the cues, they passed through the restaurant corridor into the storage room. It was almostpletely empty, with just a few cans and sanitary products left on the shelves.

    On the dusty floor were a pair of very clear footprints.

    She wiped away the dust, and unsurprisingly found a removable floor panel, also with a password hint.

    St*r

    Evi*

    Priso*

    Hot*l

    *orpse

    A*gust

    It was a six digit lock.

    The password was 131029.

    Jian Jing unlocked it smoothly.

    By then, the others had just barely caught up.

    --

    After airing:

    Comment 1: Did I miss it? How did she unlock it so suddenly??

    Comment 2: Guests with confused looks +1

    Comment 3: Can someone exin how it just ended so abruptly?

    Comment 4: This is the true speed of our girl, I''m a fan!

    Comment 5: The celebs tried their best, but I''m still picking the girl

    Comment 6: This is just a teaser, stay tuned...

    ...

    In the discussion, the show inserted some clips fromter.

    After filming ended, Jiang BaiYan asked Jian Jing, "Teacher Jian Jing, how did you crack the basement password?"

    "The English letters were abbreviations for three elements," Jian Jing answered. "AL is aluminum, number 13 on the periodic table. NE is neon, number 10. CU is copper, number 29."

    Jiang BaiYan looked utterly defeated, "How could anyone get that?"

    "There was a notebook in Room 202''s backpack, the periodic table was on thest page. You could''ve solved it with that too," Jian Jing said.

    Editing inserted a cartoon finger snap: bingo

    And reyed the video from Room 202, pointing out the notebook''s location.

    --

    She had solved the challenge before the others even arrived. Positively framed, it showed diligence and initiative. But some instigators could easily spin it as showing off and stealing the limelight without team spirit.

    The guests were all a bit stunned.

    Zheng Keyan spoke first,ughing as she said, "Jian Jing is so capable, we just coasted to victory today."

    If Jian Jing had paid a little more attention, she would''ve noticed the big change in Zheng Keyan''s attitude, clearly showing appreciation now. But her mind was preupied, and she answered offhandedly, "The password wasn''t hard."

    That response wasn''t appropriate.

    Jiang BaiYan reacted swiftly, dramatically crouching down to grab her pants leg, hinting to her, "I thought it was really difficult. Teacher, do you need any leg decorations?"

    Jian Jing was jolted, and quickly tried to remedy it, "There were hints earlier."

    By this time filming had gone over six hours already. The others were tired, and cooperatively moved the plot forward, "Is the boss downstairs?"

    "I''ll go down first." Han Bo earned a lot of goodwill with his "lead by example" persona. He leapt down the stairs, and soon called up, "Come down, there are remains here."

    The others climbed down the stairs one by one, and found the skeleton sprawled at the bottom of the steps.

    Based on the position and direction of the remains, Cao Yu deduced, "Looks like he fell down the stairs and died."

    Zheng Keyan: "We just need to put the prayer beads on him, right?"

    "Let''s do it."

    Jiang BaiYan handed the prayer beads to Cai Tonger. She carefully crouched down and ced the beads on the chest of the skeleton.

    The beads lit up with a warm glow, and a nameless (electric fan) wind rose up. The lightbulb overhead swayed and creaked back and forth.

    "No!!" The boss let out an agonized scream, viciously leaving a parting threat, "Don''t think this is the end, just you wait!!"

    The echoing voice faded into the distance.

    Click, the lights came on.

    Fireworks burst overhead, raining confetti and streamers.

    "Yay, huge sess!" The guests cooperated seamlessly, high fiving and hugging each other.

    Jian Jing''s gaze still lingered on the remains, reacting slowly, her acting skills clearly needing more work.

    Luckily Jiang BaiYan kept an eye on her, immediately turning to give her a hug, whispering, "Teacher Jian Jing, smile."

    Jian Jing reflexively showed a smile.

    Jiang BaiYan let go, and went to hug Han Bo next to him, "We''re awesome."

    Han Bo was a bit surprised, but smoothly went along, (pretending to) heartily pat his back, "Good work, good work."

    Cao Yu: "Let''s head out."

    The group left the basement, walking to the front door, cheering and sessfully wrapping up filming.

    And after the director called "Cut!", the guests quickly dialed down the joy, letting assistants drape coats over them and pass water, clear fatigue showing on their faces.

    It was already midnight now.

    "Great work everyone, take a break, we still need to film an interview." The director said.

    "Sis Keyan, touch up your makeup."

    "Tonger, want coffee?"

    "Mr. Cao, please rest here."

    Everyone busied themselves on site.

    But Jian Jing couldn''t be bothered with all that, finding the PD, "I want to know the history of this hotel."

    The PD was startled, hesitating, "What aspects are you asking about?"

    "Rumors, why did you use the Big Dipper theme?" she asked.

    The PD said, "There was originally a Big Dipper chart in the living room, we thought it was interesting."

    "Who was the boss?"

    The PD was confused and puzzled, but maintained a "don''t offend the guests" attitude, and still answered, "The boss went missing, he was never found. Later he was dered dead, and the property went to a distant rtive."

    Jian Jing took out the marble from her pocket, "What about this?"

    The property master cut in, "I picked that up at the door, thought it was interesting, so just used it directly."

    She fell silent.

    "Teacher Jian Jing, want some iced coffee?" Jiang BaiYan came over with a chilled coffee bottle, and casually asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

    The PD said, "Teacher Jian is very curious about this hotel''s history."

    Jiang BaiYan looked at her quizzically.

    Jian Jing waved her hand and walked straight to the director, asking, "I want to go back in and take another look, I may damage some of the props a little - I''llpensate for it, is that okay?"

    The director asked in puzzlement, "Why?"

    "There''s something strange about this inn." Jian Jing took out the map of the second floor she had drawn earlier, "The rooms from 201 to 207 are arranged exactly in the pattern of the Big Dipper."

    She connected the room numbers in order, and it was indeed spoon-shaped.

    The director looked intrigued, "It really is."

    "This inn is unusual, I want to take a closer look, is that okay?" she asked again.

    The director stroked his chin, seeming to have thought of something, and suddenly said, "Okay, but we''ll follow and film it."

    "Sure." She didn''t mind, having it on camera could be very useful.

    The director beckoned for the follow PD toe over and whispered something.

    The PD nodded, "Does Teacher Jian want to go now?"

    "Yes."

    Jian Jing returned to the second floor and entered room 206.

    She had triggered a mission here earlier, proving this room must have something going on.

    As soon as she entered, the beads in her pocket turned extremely cold, almost freezing her skin. When she reached for it, the bead came alive and slipped through her fingers, falling to the ground with a crisp ding-dong.

    Jian Jing hurried to pick it up, but halfway through the action she suddenly stopped, lost in thought.

    She saw the bead rolling on the ground, sliding to a stop by the wall.

    She picked it up again and put it down steadily on the floor.

    Yet the bead kept rolling.

    "The floor here seems uneven," the PD and cameraman realized after watching for a while.

    Jian Jing turned and asked, "Could you help me move the bed?"

    The PD and cameraman came over to help lift the bed. The floor underneath was a newer color, contrasting sharply with the rest of the room.

    "Was this also a bed?" Jian Jing asked.

    The PD nodded, "We tried to recreate everything as it was."

    Jian Jing acknowledged and knelt down on the floor to feel around.

    She didn''t know if it was an illusion or some other reason, but she felt one part of the floor was extremely cold to the touch, as if she had touched a block of ice.

    And it was the hottest time of August now.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39

    Jian Jing did not hesitate any longer. She took the utility knife from the props and wedged it into the gap to pry it open.

    "Teacher Jian, are you going to pry open the floor?" The PD had received instructions from the director not to stop her, but instead said, "Let me go find some tools."

    "Please, thank you."

    The PD used her earpiece to call over the props master, who came directly with tools.

    The professional was much more skilled than her. He wedged in a screwdriver and knocked it a couple times, and the wooden floorboard pried right open, revealing the cement below.

    Jian Jing: "Smash it."

    The props master didn''t say anything. He hefted a hammer and started smashing away.

    Unexpectedly, theyer of cement was not as sturdy as imagined. It was only a thinyer. After smashing forcefully for a while, a hollow intermediateyer was exposed.

    "Teacher Jian is amazing. There''s a gap here." The PD gestured for the cameraman toe over and film it.

    Jian Jing waited for him to film a few shots before asking, "Do you smell anything?"

    "There''s a bit of a... stench?" After the young PD girl spoke, herplexion paled slightly, having clearly thought of something frightening.

    Jian Jing gently pulled the girl''s arm and shielded her behind herself: "Step back a bit."

    The PD immediately retreated three steps away.

    Jian Jing pushed aside the bothersome cement fragments, put ontex gloves, and slowly reached her hand inside.

    The air conditioning blew past her fingers, nudging them to touch something.

    Round, three-dimensional, with a bottle neck, it seemed to be something like a vase.

    She adjusted her position and carefully lifted out the bottle.

    When the light shone on it, it wasn''t a vase, but a wine urn sealed with red paper. Faded yellow talismans like chains were densely pasted all around the urn.

    Removing the seal, a pungent peculiar stench rushed out.

    Everyone couldn''t help but retch, stomach acid rushing up their throats.

    "How disgusting." The PD nearly vomited.

    Jian Jing held her breath but didn''t dare reach inside. She took a prop clothes hanger from the wardrobe, bent the wire, and fished inside with it.

    A tiny hand emerged from the liquid, its surface covered by ayer of grayish white waxy substance.

    "My god." Even the usually silent cameraman eximed, "It''s a child."

    That''s right, anyone could tell this was a child''s hand. The small fist, about the size of a golf ball, had distinct fingers and intact nails, extremely realistic, absolutely not an artificial art piece.

    How could they be soaked in this urn?

    What happened?

    The air suddenly became heavy, like lead blocks pressing down on their chests, making it hard to breathe.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath and steadily said, "Call the police."

    The PD hesitated, not too sure, "We should ask the director first."

    She called the director and exined the situation here. The director was extremely shocked. Although when Jian Jing had asked earlier if she could search the inn, he had had a vague premonition, he never could have imagined this would happen. He hesitated for a moment.

    But on second thought, with so many staff and guests here, it probably couldn''t be kept secret. They could only call the police.

    After getting an affirmative answer, Jian Jing said, "Let''s go check the other rooms."

    "There''s more?" The PD was bbergasted.

    Jian Jing didn''t answer and walked into room 201.

    The production team had made some modifications to this room, but after lifting the carpet, the different colored floorboards could still quickly distinguish where the bed had been. Doing the same, prying open the floor and smashing the thinyer of cement, an identical wine urn came into view.

    Inside was also a small corpse.

    Next was room 202, 203... every time it was the same result.

    Jian Jing, the PD, cameraman, and props master all maintained an eerie silence. Two silently smashed, two silently documented, no one spoke a word.

    A lump clogged in their chests, unable to breathe.

    In the end, seven skeletons were unearthed.

    Jian Jing observed their skulls and judged the youngest child was around 2 years old and the oldest around 4 years old. All the corpses were soaked in a special liquid, with some organs disying adipocere.

    After doing all this, she had reached her limit. She ran out of the inn to the backyard and properly vomited, her intestines seemingly instantly emptied, her throat painfully burning.

    "Teacher Jing, are you okay?" Jiang BaiYan handed her water and wondered curiously, "What happened? The director suddenly called us back."

    Jian Jing rinsed her mouth before asking, "Why didn''t you leave?"

    "I''m not in a hurry to go back." He candidly said, "If something happened, it''s also convenient to help exin for you."

    Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing. Jiang BaiYan was terribly frightened in the haunted house, yet unexpectedly reliable at other times, afraid she hade into conflict with the production team and specially waited here for her.

    "In the inn..." She paused, then gently said, "There are corpses."

    Jiang BaiYan sucked in a breath, hisplexion paling in fright: "Really?"

    She nodded: "You should go back. I have to stay here and wait for the police."

    But Jiang BaiYan hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

    "?"

    "Teacher, you should still call Chairman Kang." He lowered his voice, "With something like this happening during filming, who knows what will need to be done afterwards. I won''t leave either and will see how things go first."

    "Oh." Jian Jing propped up her forehead, starting to get a headache. "You''re right."

    She hurriedly called Kang Mu Cheng.

    At 1:30 am, the call still connected very quickly. Kang Mu Cheng''sposed voice came through: "What''s up?"

    "Uh..." At thest second, Jian Jing hesitated to speak. She didn''t know how to start. Should she say, I went to film a haunted house show, but ended up digging up seven children''s corpses at the location?

    Her hemming and hawing naturally made Kang Mu Cheng misunderstand. He immediately said, "Don''t be afraid. No matter what happened, I will help you resolve it. You just need to tell me everything as it originally was."

    As he spoke, rustling clothes sounds could be heard as he got dressed.

    Jian Jing felt a warmth in her heart and hurriedly said, "I''m fine. The show just had a small ident."

    "As long as you''re alright." Kang Mu Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and softened his tone, "What happened with the show?"

    Jian Jing: "...There are corpses at the filming location."

    "Does it have anything to do with you?"

    "I dug them out..."

    Kang Mu Cheng was struck speechless for a moment.

    Jian Jing quickly exined everything to him clearly.

    "I''ll take a ne over immediately. Before I get there, don''t agree to any of their conditions." Kang Mu Cheng decisivelyid out, "If there''s anything you''re unsure of, ask Jiang BaiYan''s opinion. He is very friendly to you."

    "Got it." She smiled. "I''m not a child."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Yes, a child wouldn''t be as capable as you."

    Jian Jing: "Artes from life."

    "Then you''re pretty hardcore about gathering material." Kang Mu Chengughed but didn''t say more. "Okay, I''m hanging up."

    Jian Jing: "Bye-"

    Before she could finish, there was already a "du-" busy tone.

    *

    An old cold case, the police wouldn''t arrive so quickly. The production team held an emergency meeting overnight, but Jian Jing paced around in the living room not going over.

    She had already asked the props master to help move all the production equipment away, restoring the original appearance as much as possible. She also asked them to photograph and send her everything discovered inside to see if there were any clues.

    "Teacher Jian, here are the photos taken at the time." The props master handed her an iPad. "There was a Big Dipper chart hung on this wall."

    "Directly facing the bed?"

    "Yes."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and decided to seek outside help.

    Burying skeletons ording to the Big Dipper was definitely not a coincidence. It seemed very much like some kind of ritual. But she didn''t understand anything about religion or mystic arts, so randomly drawing a card didn''t seem necessary either(?)

    Better to ask someone first.

    The first person to consult was naturally Ji Feng, but he had turned his phone off. Next was Kang Mu Cheng, who provided a person to ask ˇŞ a writer signed by Jin Wu Publishing who was originally a Taoist priest and wrote feng shui books on the side.

    What a talent.

    She got his number and shamelessly made thete night call.

    After calling three times, the call finally connected.

    "Hello?" The other party was groggy, speaking with a nasal tone.

    "Is this Mr. He?" She apologized with a smile.

    "Mm, yes, you''re Jian Jing right?" He Daochang yawned, his voicezy, "Chairman Kang gave me a call, ask whatever you want, I still need to sleep."

    Kang Mu Cheng was always so thoughtful and meticulous. Jian Jing felt a bit reassured and didn''t bother with pleasantries, directly asking about it.

    He Daochang had originally been half asleep and muddled, not knowing what he was listening to. But as soon as his ears caught the Big Dipper, he immediately became alert.

    "All children''s skeletons, buried ording to the order of the Big Dipper Constetion? Interesting." He rubbed his face and murmured, "It''s a bit like an evil art I know, but I need more information."

    Jian Jing said, "I''m at the scene, what do you want to know?"

    "Can you get me an aerial shot of the inn?" He Daochang shamelessly requested.

    Jian Jing asked the PD a few questions and affirmatively replied, "Yes, wait a moment."

    The production team had brought drones to film an overview of the inn, able to photograph whatever they wanted. The cameraman generously shared today, taking and sending over several gigabytes of photos.

    He Daochang quickly replied: "This is an evil art called Seven Stars Coffin Seal, with the saying ''Seven stars seal the coffin, the bright moon shines on the river, time passes by, fortunes and blessings pile up like mountains.'' "

    Jian Jing: "What''s it used for? Long life and immortality?"

    "Tsk, you really don''t understand anything." He scolded, "Look at the map, doesn''t the shape of this inn look strange? Remind you of anything?"

    Jian Jing''s whole body shuddered. "A coffin?"

    "That''s right. Coffins in the past were different from now. They weren''t just an urn. Generally there was the outer coffin and the inner coffin. The outer coffin envelops the inner one holding the corpse." He Daochang exined, "This inn is the outer coffin, meant to hold the inner coffins, the seven children are like nails."

    There was a sh of understanding.

    "So you mean there should be a corpse inside this coffin structure?" Jian Jing''s train of thought became extremely clear.

    The production team said the boss was missing and they were never able to find him. Perhaps they had inadvertently guessed right. That corpse was indeed still inside this inn.

    He Daochang said, "Definitely, the coffin is already sealed."

    "What''s the purpose of this? Resurrection from the dead?" Jian Jing asked curiously.

    He Daochang smirked, "Have you chosen a grave? Feng shui for ancestral graves is not for the dead but the living. The purpose of the Seven Stars Seal Coffin is to ensure prosperity for future generations."

    Jian Jing replied, "...Superstitious feudal beliefs should not be encouraged." With the hotel owner missing and the hotel passed down to distant rtives, what future generations?

    "Thank you for your help," she said to He Daochang. "You''ve been a great help."

    "It''s nothing. If you really want to thank me, take some photos for me to see. I''ve never met such a morbid fellow before," He Daochang said.

    Jian Jing agreed.

    The watch showed three forty-five.

    Exhausted as she was, her mind remained alert and she waspletely unable to fall asleep.

    She hade this far, it would be a pity to leave without finding the final corpse. Jian Jing ate an invigorating candy to dispel her fatigue and drowsiness before continuing her search around the hotel.

    Inside the van, the crew noticed a long-haired figure pacing around the building and found it somewhat creepy.

    The assistant director remarked, "Teacher Jian is really brave, I don''t even dare to go inside now."

    The cameraman added, "You got that right. You can''t judge a book by its cover. Who knew a delicate youngdy could be so gutsy."

    The director scoffed, "To be honest, if it wasn''t for Fei Niao''s partnership and Xiao Bai''s rmendation, I wouldn''t have considered her at all. Didn''t expect to strike gold here, we got lucky."

    The assistant director said, "She''s easy on the eyes and good at reasoning, it''s a pity she''s not a regr."

    The director smiled ambiguously and countered, "You think I don''t want that?"

    Catching his drift, the assistant director clicked his tongue without replying.

    The cameraman chimed in, "I just noticed something creepy."

    He pulled up the footage, "See here, the first time Teacher Jian entered rooms 201-207, she was looking at marbles. The props department said those were originally part of the hotel decor."

    The director eximed, "Damn, did she see ghosts?"

    The assistant director asked, "Did the camera capture anything?"

    The cameraman replied, "No."

    "No matter," the director stroked his chin. "Remember to include thister, make a teaser out of it."

    The others remarked, "Man, we''re going all out this episode!"

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40

    Jiang BaiYan was often busy shooting dramas and used to staying up all night. After negotiating with the crewst night, he fell asleep in the van and woke up to find the police had surrounded the hotel.

    The forensic examiner found eight bodies.

    ˇ°ThereˇŻs one more now?ˇ± Jiang BaiYan was confused.

    ˇ°The ownerˇŻs body,ˇ± Jian Jing patted his shoulder. ˇ°DonˇŻt look, youˇŻll have nightmares.ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh.ˇ± Jiang BaiYan listened to her and turned to ask, ˇ°Did you find it, Teacher?ˇ±

    Jian Jing wanted to be humble, but couldnˇŻt control her excitement. ˇ°Yeah, I searched all night until I found it.ˇ±

    ˇ°Teacher is so amazing, youˇŻre the best.ˇ± Compared to his fans, Jiang BaiYan wasnˇŻt stingy withpliments either. ˇ°Where was it hidden? Inside a wall? Did we touch it?ˇ±

    ˇ°No, we didnˇŻt find it. It was in a basement that hadnˇŻt been discovered.ˇ± Jian Jing reassured him. ˇ°But the mechanism was right in front of us.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan was an excellent listener. ˇ°What was it?ˇ±

    ˇ°The clock.ˇ±

    Most of the old furniture in the hotel had rotted away and couldnˇŻt be used. Only a few items remained, including the clock hung in the lobby besides the marbles she had found in the props department inventory.

    Although the clockˇŻs battery was dead and it no longer worked, the face had a starry sky design with traces of time passed. So the props department kept it. The coin hidden below the front desk was behind this clock.

    When Cao Yu and the others had searched, they had turned the hands a few times but nothing happened. So at first, Jian Jing didnˇŻt consider the clock.

    But just in case, she climbed up to examine it at the end. And she discovered something.

    The clock face background was the twelve zodiac signs, and the hands were made of different materials - the hour hand was copper, the minute hand wood, and the second hand stic.

    She analyzed the Big Dipper star map from the roomyout again, and searched online to find new information.

    The orientation of the Big Dipper handle points in different directions during different seasons.

    ˇ°Handle pointing east, spring throughout thend. Handle pointing south, summer throughout thend. Handle pointing west, autumn throughout thend. Handle pointing north, winter throughout thend.ˇ±

    Comparing to the map, the handle in the roomyout pointed west, secretly indicating autumn.

    Autumn had six points on the zodiac: Start of Autumn at 135ˇă, End of Heat at 150ˇă, White Dew at 165ˇă, Autumnal Equinox at 180ˇă, Cold Dew at 195ˇă, Frost''s Descent at 210ˇă.

    She tried them one by one, but all failed.

    At the time, Jian Jing almost gave up. It seemed like she was overthinking.

    But atst, with a trace of unwillingness and stubbornness to see it through, she realized there was still something she missed - the hands.

    Autumn was the golden season, so it was called Golden Autumn.

    After removing the wooden minute hand and stic second hand, she turned the metal hour hand again.

    When it pointed to 135ˇă, the mechanism opened.

    There was a rumbling sound from under the front desk as the floor and concrete broke open, revealing a passage.

    This was the hidden basement, or grave.

    Below was just a bare dark room with a coffin. Insideid the hotel owner who had been missing for so long.

    Only after she found this corpse did the system announce the task wasplete.

    The breath Jian Jing had been holding in her chest finally dissipated, and her whole body rxed, as if she had drank three shots of espresso and felt like she could battle another day and night.

    The sense of aplishment from solving the mystery through hardship was the highest mental enjoyment.

    She was invigorated. ˇ°The rest is up to the police to find out who killed all these people.ˇ±

    ˇ°Yeah, the police will definitely catch the murderer.ˇ± Jiang BaiYan cated her a few words before getting to the point. ˇ°Did the crew mention to you, Teacher? They n to still air the show, but add a behind-the-scenes afterward.ˇ±

    Jian Jing nodded.

    ˇ°What do you n to do, Teacher?ˇ± He asked.

    ˇ°I havenˇŻt decided yet.ˇ± She said frankly. ˇ°If they can catch the murderer, considering the victimsˇŻ families, itˇŻs best not to air it. But if they canˇŻt find them, the showˇŻs influence could help.ˇ±

    ˇ°What is it?ˇ± She asked, puzzled and surprised.

    Jiang BaiYan organized his words and said, ˇ°Ghost House is a suspense and reasoning show, and loves gimmicks. Even if inappropriate, itˇŻs best...to have others bring it up.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment before smiling. ˇ°Thank you, I understand.ˇ±

    ˇ°Also, I was going to rmend you film a few more episodes. Keyan will start shooting soon, so there will be an opening.ˇ± His mouth turned down in disappointment. ˇ°But now that probably wonˇŻt work. YouˇŻre too good, Teacher.ˇ±

    He spoke tactfully without leaving any openings, but got his meaning across - everyone had a role in a variety show, being able to showcase themselves was best, but if one person stood out too much, others wouldnˇŻt get the chance to shine, and who would be willing to y second fiddle?

    By now, any necessary calls had probably already been made. Favors, benefits, exchanges...it came down to business.

    But Jian Jing didnˇŻt care.

    This episode was already thrilling enough, she didnˇŻt want toe back at all. Instead, she was surprised. ˇ°It was you who rmended me?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan was startled, seeming to suddenly realize what he had said. He covered his face. ˇ°Ah, I messed up.ˇ± He looked at her pitifully. ˇ°Pretend I didn''t say anything, okay?ˇ±

    Jian Jingughed at him and deliberately asked, ˇ°Why?ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs a bit embarrassing.ˇ± He scratched his face. ˇ°I didn''t really do anything.ˇ±

    ˇ°Then I should thank you anyway.ˇ± A verbal thanks didn''t seem sincere enough, so Jian Jing thought about it and asked, ˇ°If you donˇŻt mind, can I treat you to a meal?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan asked, ˇ°Coffee instead? IˇŻm still dieting...ˇ±

    "Pfft," she chuckled. ˇ°Of course, no problem.ˇ±

    *

    Kang Mu Cheng bought ne tickets overnight and flew over at 8 AM the next morning. By noon, he was already eating lunch with the producer.

    After discussion, they reached an agreement to add a behind-the-scenes episode after this Ghost House episode.

    At the same time, at Jian JingˇŻs strong request, the crew finally agreed that if the victims'' families objected, graphic corpse images had to be deleted, leaving only her discovery process.

    Afterward, Jian Jing got a good rest at the hotel before returning with Kang Mu Cheng the next day.

    On the ne, Kang Mu Cheng asked her, ˇ°How do you feel?ˇ±

    Jian Jing was silent for a while before murmuring, ˇ°Do you believe ghosts exist in this world?ˇ±

    ˇ°Did you run into a ghost?ˇ± He asked back.

    Jian Jing sighed, unable to answer.

    After the police had taken away the bodies, the system settlement came down.

    [Task Name: Seven Stars'' Sorrow (Completed)]

    [Task Description: This is a long-standing murder hotel, harboring death-rted secrets. The innocent dead have yet to be found, their resentful souls still unwillingly crying out. Can you hear them?]

    [Task Reward: Basic Bravery 20 + Special Contribution 20 (for finding all the bodies)]

    The task description made her hair stand on end. Were the marbles and abnormal temperature really just psychological, or was there something subtle and inexplicable?

    Although she had transmigrated and gained a system, it was still terrifying to think deeply about it!

    ˇ°I donˇŻt believe in ghosts.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng said. ˇ°If youˇŻre experiencing auditory or visual hallucinations, IˇŻll take you to see a doctor.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...ˇ± As expected of Boss Kang.

    ˇ°IˇŻm fine.ˇ± She changed her wording. ˇ°It would be even better if the police can uncover the truth sooner.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at her inconspicuously and asked, ˇ°This event seems to have been proposed by you. May I know your thoughts?ˇ±

    ˇ°I didn''t think much about it.ˇ± She was confused and surprised. ˇ°Feeling something was wrong, of course I wanted to know what was going on - did I make trouble for you?ˇ±

    ˇ°No.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng said. ˇ°The producer is quite happy actually. They already nned tobine online and offline, building a haunted house brand. A real event will attract more tourists.ˇ±

    Speaking to here, he paused briefly. ˇ°But currently the show still relies on the guests topete for viewership, not story plots.ˇ±

    Jian Jing said, ˇ°I understand.ˇ±

    ˇ°There will still be opportunities in the future.ˇ± As if afraid she would be disappointed, Kang Mu Cheng promised. ˇ°IˇŻll keep an eye out for more of these activities you like.ˇ±

    Jian Jing really wanted to say she didn''t actually want to do this again, but the words changed at her lips to, ˇ°LetˇŻs see the results after this episode airs first. If itˇŻs no good we can drop it.ˇ±

    *

    On August 14th, the police released a seemingly ordinary notice.

    ˇ°The police recently received a report that multiple skeletons were discovered in a hotel on a certain mountain. The police rushed to the scene upon receiving the report, and confirmed a total of eight skeletons, one middle-aged male, and seven children aged 2-4 years old...

    ˇ°After investigation and DNA identification, the seven childrenˇŻs skeletons were confirmed to be missing children from nearby, the earliest in 2000 and thetest in 2004. Cause of death was poisoning. After poisoning the seven victims, the murderer sealed them in urns and stored them inpartments in the hotel ceiling...

    ˇ°The middle-aged male Qi Mou was the father of the hotel owner, died of natural causes... Currently, the police have identified Qi MouˇŻs son Qi Tian as the major suspect in the case, and have issued a nationwide wanted notice for him...ˇ±

    The police bulletin was not sensationalized like news reporting, but the factual description was sufficiently horrifying.

    Netizens immediately turned into little Holmeses, identifying the key points - seven childrenˇŻs skeletons, sealed in urns, hidden in the hotel. One look and you knew this was no ordinary murder case.

    Then, the loose-lipped crew members revealed that this was discovered during Ghost House filming.

    This instantly blew up the hot search.

    The #Ghost House Adventure# topic became scorching hot. Everyone looked forward to the premiere to uncover the truth.

    On August 25th, the first episode of Ghost House Adventure Season 2, ˇ°Haunted Hotelˇ±, premiered.

    Jian Jing watched right on time.

    She already knew the initial content, and the bullet screen debates were also within expectations. It was the other teamˇŻs part after they split up that surprised her a little.

    Cao Yu, Zheng Keyan, and Cai Tonger also encountered many difficulties while searching for coins on the first floor.

    Zheng Keyan was going crazy praising her behind her back: "Oh my, it''s great that Jian Jing is here. I really can''t figure this out. My head hurts so much."

    Cai Tonger also said: "Yeah, she''s so amazing, her mind works so fast."

    "My memory has deteriorated since I had my child," Zheng Keyan said. "I even make mistakes in calcting bills."

    Cai Tonger said: "I''ve always been quite dumb, reacting slower than others."

    There were bulletments shing "Pregnancy makes you silly for three years", and also ones shing "Little sister is so cute", the atmosphere turned unexpectedly harmonious.

    Jian Jing was truly impressed, praising someone behind their back was far more subtle than praising them to their face, and with cameras on, how could thesepliments not get out?

    On further reflection, she also found it clever.

    The biggest star in the team was Zheng Keyan, but Cao Yu, with his capabilities and seniority, vaguely overshadowed Zheng Keyan. It was hard to say whether Zheng Keyan''s high praise of Jian Jing contained ulterior motives to use her to boost herself.

    Herpliments were more sincere, while Cai Tonger''s were slightly perfunctory. Her intention in praising Jian Jing was still to bring up herself. After all, the two were close in age, it was hard not to drawparisons when ced together.

    What about Cao Yu? He seemed to be focused on solving the puzzle, not joining in the conversation, and certainly not praising Jian Jing one bit.

    Bulletments cued him "Cao the strategist doesn''t look too happy", provoking rebuttals "The strategist is focused on solving the mystery", as well as constion "Stars'' advantage isn''t here to begin with, it''s normal not topare well, no need to makeparisons."

    Behind the seemingly harmonious team variety show, it was full of contests.

    But in this round, because of the behind-the-scenes special, no matter how they struggled, Jian Jing was the undisputed biggest winner.

    When the show was nearing its end, bulletments flooded in.

    "Everyone go watch the behind-the-scenes special, it''s amazing!"

    "The behind-the-scenes is the main show."

    "After watching, directly called her an expert, converted from passerby to fan."

    "Reality is always more amazing than art."

    "The main show is starting, high-energy warning!"

    "The faint of heart please be cautious, be sure to have the lights on!"

    The special was the process of Jian Jing discovering eight corpses after filming.

    She said the rooms were arranged ording to the Big Dipper.

    Bulletment 1: F*ck really?!

    Bulletment 2: I''ve got goosebumps.

    Bulletment 3: Too scary right? What does this mean?

    ...

    She smashed out the first corpse in Room 206.

    Bulletment 1: F*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck

    Bulletment 2: Damn

    Bulletment 3: Oh my god

    Bulletment 4: Comment shield for the body ah ah ah ah

    Bulletment 5: Psychopathic I I I can''t stand it

    ...

    Seven corpses.

    Bulletment 1: Too horrifying

    Bulletment 2: Scared me into hugging my boyfriend

    Bulletment 3: Medical student feels unwell

    Bulletment 4: Who the hell did this? Too freaky!

    Bulletment 5: Evil arts murder, must be evil arts, how could a normal person do this?

    ...

    Searching for the eighth corpse.

    Bulletment 1: There''s still one corpse?

    Bulletment 2: Miss, are you sure? The Big Dipper only has seven stars?

    Bulletment 3: Saw in the news, eight corpses were unearthed

    Bulletment 4: I really can''t imagine where thest one will be

    ...

    Because the cameras weren''t removed at 11pm, the hotel''s cameras were still running. Production thoughtfully annotated the time in the bottom right corner.

    Viewers could see Jian Jing going back and forth in the room for one or two hours, staying up all night, finally climbing up the shelf and triggering the mechanism in the clock.

    On public screen, some followed along analyzing, some searched for information to analyze. Clearly knowing these were past events, but the sense of immersion from this kind of live broadcast was too strong, no one could bear to drag the progress bar, their whole mind and spirit attracted to the past.

    The moment the secret door appeared, everyone was re-energized along with it.

    The screen was filled with "6666666",pletely covering the visuals. By the time the tomb visuals came out, everyone was already impatiently anticipating.

    Bulletment 1: The best episode of Haunted House, noparison, nothing will ever surpass it in the future

    Bulletment 2: Before watching: How did the newbie get a whole episode, after watching: Boss, I''m going to buy your books right now

    Bulletment 3: Previously felt the production was too fake, now I know, I can''t handle the real thing, goodbye

    Bulletment 4: A ssic episode of Haunted House

    Bulletment 5: Can''t watch this episode twice, terrifying upon further thought

    ...

    At the ending, production pasted up the police bulletin and wanted order, requestingizens to help search for the hotel''s former boss, Qi Tian.

    The photo in the wanted order was very blurry, could vaguely make out a gloomy-looking young man.

    Bulletments expressed they would help stay alert in the future, let Qi Tian get a taste of the power of the inte.

    But Jian Jing wasn''t so optimistic.

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41

    ording to police reports, thest child went missing around 2004. At that time, real-name registration policies were not yet implemented. After Qi Tian disappeared, his information never appeared online again. It is not difficult to determine that he must have taken on apletely new identity and gone into hiding. He may have even altered his appearance. Finding someone who went missing nearly ten years ago is no easy task.

    Therefore, although a wanted notice was issued, its effectiveness was doubtful.

    However, when reviewing the missing persons cases, big data showed that the rate of missing children in this area was slightly higher than other ces, which seemed a bit abnormal.

    The police suspected that there was more than one simr case, and that Qi Tian may have continuedmitting crimes after he disappeared.

    She and He Dao Zhang also did some investigating.

    ording to him, many wealthy nobles believed strongly in feng shui and such. Some went abroad to hire goblins, some went to mountains to worship immortals, and some even did things that harmed the natural order of things in order to get promoted and strike it rich. It would be no surprise if Qi Tian hadmitted other cases as well.

    Jian Jing was speechless upon hearing this.

    No f*cking way.

    Anyways, after the broadcast of The Haunted Hotel, the special episode reimed a top spot on trending topics with unexpected speed. Several highlight clips were edited with music and published on major tforms, garnering astonishing views.

    And behind these data were real individuals, not marketing.

    The public had grown ustomed to murder cases, but a case of killing seven children to practice evil arts was exceedingly rare even in this world.

    After the police announced it, the popce naturally held a degree of curiosity, wanting to know more details. But under normal circumstances, the process would not be made public. The Haunted House Adventure just happened to catch everything on film, so who wouldn''t be curious?

    The most famous episode of the first season, The Haunted House, had 160 million views. But the special episode already had 120 million views.

    And that was just in three days.

    Jian Jing''s Weibo followers shot up from 300,000+ to 1.2 million+, and book sales grew daily, with many asking when she''d participate in the next season.

    She had thought nobody would want her back after revealing a corpse, but Kang Mu Cheng brought her thetest news.

    The show''s producers had changed their tune, saying she could discuss participating in future shoots with the other guests, if she wished.

    Jian Jing was shocked. "How could they just change their minds like that?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "You''re popr now, of course they''d change."

    "I''m not going," she tly refused.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Really? This is a rare opportunity."

    "I can''t just conjure up a corpse," Jian Jing said. "When I''m no longer valuable, who will still care what I think?"

    Flowers bedeck the saddle, mes lick the pot; things seemed lively and amazing now, like she had ascended to fame overnight. But the focus was on the person who "discovered the corpse". It didn''t have to be "Jian Jing" specifically.

    Kang Mu Cheng fell silent for a while, before saying, "Jingjing, I''m very happy."

    Fame and fortune move people''s hearts. She desired external validation so desperately, yet could resist such a tempting lure. This ddened him, but also elicited faint disappointment.

    "Focus on your writing, finish Demon Doctor II, this is yours," heposed himself and spoke earnestly. "A writer''s foundation lies forever in their own works."

    Whether a celebrity writer or just a writer, books were still what they sold. And textual works had a certain uniqueness - as long as they withstood the test of time, they could be passed down forever.

    Therefore, as a writer, it was best to be like a tree, firmly nting roots and standing tall despite wind and rain, rather than a water hyacinth, lively floating atop the water, but scattering at the slightest gust of wind.

    A few dayster, when the fervor had subsided, Jian Jing quietly posted a message on Weibo.

    Jian Jing V:

    Thank you everyone for your concern. My ns for the near future are toplete writing Demon Doctor II. I will not be participating in any programs for the time being.

    [Photo of manuscript.JPG]

    --

    Diehard Fan Baixiao Huo: Teacher Jingjing is amazing ( ?¨Ś ?)/, looking forward to your new work!

    Top Comment 2: Anticipating the new book, so great that Demon Doctor is getting a sequel~~~

    Top Comment 3: Has Demon Doctor sold its adaptation rights? Will the second book be adapted too? Will it have a female lead?

    Comment 4: New fan here, which book is best to start with?

    Comment 5: Demon Doctor, Demon Doctor! Its reader rating on Bookworms is up to 8.5 now!! Where are the people who said the author''s writing was trash?!!

    Comment 6: The rating for Hide and Seek Children is 9.0, even better with the movie adaptation

    Comment 7: Wait, isn''t the author''s representative work White Cat Detective? Although it only has an 8.2 rating, it was my childhood!

    Diehard Fan Baixiao Huo: White Kitty was my first love! The gically engineered beauty detective Sai Gao!

    ...

    --

    There was nosting fervor, but the fame remained.

    The limited pool unlocked.

    [System: Host''s fame has significantly increased, reaching "Budding Fame", limited pool unlock frequency reduced to once every 2 months]

    [System: Limited draw pool is now open, begin draw?]

    "Yes."

    [Drawing limited card]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Status Card - Intuition]

    [Description: Possess extraordinary intuition, able to foresee impending danger]

    [Note: Passive limited card, cannot manually activate. Duration 10 seconds/use, cooldown 24hr]

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "What''s the situation with special instances?"

    [System: Special instances are abnormal events rarely encountered]

    Jian Jing: "Even small probability events could happen to me?"

    [System: Anything is possible]

    Jian Jing: "It''s not a coincidence?"

    [System: Life isposed of countless coincidences]

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Forget it.

    She checked her remaining courage points, she had a total of 40. After deliberating, she decided to draw a card.

    "Draw an ordinary card."

    [Drawing card]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Knowledge Card - Basic Feng Shui]

    [Description: Gain some fundamental knowledge of feng shui]

    [Note: Heaven and earth in harmony, yin and yang, the world is impermanent, go with the natural flow]

    Jian Jing was briefly tempted to learn the knowledge on this card, but ultimately gave up.

    Since special instances were low probability events, and she had experts like He Dao Zhang to consult, there was no need to insist on learning it herself.

    What if studying it increased her chances of running into ghosts?

    "System, can Ibine my basic cards in calligraphy, public speaking, and feng shui into an upgraded card?" she asked.

    [System: Confirmed]

    [System: Consuming Skill Card - Calligraphy (Basic), Skill Card - Public Speaking (Basic), and Knowledge Card - Feng Shui (Basic) can synthesize 1 upgraded card. Confirm synthesis? Note: three basic cards cannot be recovered after synthesis, please confirm, host.]

    Jian Jing said: "Confirmed."

    [Synthesizing card]

    [Upgraded card synthesisplete]

    [Name: Upgraded Card]

    [Description: Used to upgrade cards, can upgrade basic cards to intermediate cards]

    [Note: For ordinary cards only]

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, feeling expectant: "Upgrade Observation card."

    [Upgrading card]

    [Upgradeplete]

    [Name: Skill Card - Detective''s Observation (Intermediate)]

    [Description: Possess keener observation than ordinary people, able to notice many overlooked details. Most clues cannot escape your sight.]

    [Note: Your observation skills are now up to par with a proper detective''s]

    Jian Jing was pleasantly surprised.

    She eagerly used the intermediate card right away to test its capabilities.

    Hmm, the housekeeper didn''t sweep very diligently, the corners and under the coffee table and sofa still had a lot of dust buildup. She had stolen some of Jian Jing''s snacks before, the way she folded the packaging was different from Jian Jing''s. She had also ordered takeout once, spilling some soup on the entryway carpet.

    A torrent of information flooded Jian Jing''s mind. She rubbed her temples and consciously blocked off her observation.

    For ordinary people, it was unwise to constantly take in so much information. Their brains would explode. Most of it was useless anyways.

    What was the point of knowing the housekeeper ate spicy hotpot?!

    It would just make Jian Jing hungry at most.

    Jian Jing opened a food delivery app and ordered takeout.

    Intermediate card trial ended.

    Conclusion: Use with caution, will make you fat.

    *

    Life was full of thrilling and stirring times, but once they were over, they were over.

    There were always new challenges in life.

    Like say, the postgraduate entrance exam.

    After beginning the new semester on September 1st, Jian Jing started her fourth and final year of university.

    Her ssmates were either interning and job hunting, or preparing for the postgraduate exam. Jian Jing had no employment pressures, but Kang Mu Cheng still suggested she take the postgraduate exam.

    Jian Jing had no objections. Universities provided the easiest environment for learning. It became difficult to pick up new knowledge after leaving campus. Having the chance to continue her studies could only benefit her.

    It just so happened that Zuo Xin, whom she had gotten to know during the Detective Club incident, was also studying for the exam. The two girls agreed to go to the library together.

    "Haven''t seen you the whole summer, didn''t expect you''d be going to film The Haunted House Adventure," Zuo Xin predictably started gossiping the moment she saw Jian Jing. "I heard Zheng Da Hua and Cai Xiao Hua got in a huge catfight, real or fake?"

    Jian Jing truthfully said, "I never saw them argue."

    Zuo Xin didn''t care about the answer at all: "Is Jiang Bai Yan as good-looking in person?"

    "Very good-looking," Jian Jing answered without thinking.

    Zuo Xin inhaled lightly, eyes shing with envy, "What''s it feel like to film with celebrities?"

    Jian Jing thought about it and said, "I kept worrying I''d look awfulpared to them."

    This was absolutely true. Celebrities were beautiful and slender, their features could withstand scrutiny, they were trained inposure management. Ordinary people would be asking for abuse appearing on camera with them.

    Fortunately, most of the cameras were infrared this time. Otherwise, she would look at least 10 kg heavier under the high-definition close-up shots.

    Zuo Xin was stunned for a moment, thinking it made perfect sense: ˇ°YouˇŻre right.ˇ± She lost interest in gossiping and turned to discuss something more closely rted to the students, ˇ°I n to take the teacher qualification exam. Are you going to take the postgraduate exam? Which school are you applying to?ˇ±

    Jian Jing said, ˇ°This school.ˇ±

    ˇ°Directly pursuing a doctoral degree?ˇ± Zuo Xin hesitated and whispered, ˇ°Have you heard about that incident?ˇ±

    From her tone, it was obviously a big gossip.

    Jian Jing became alert, ˇ°No, what happened?ˇ±

    ˇ°A student at our school was driven to suicide by his supervisor. ˇ° She said, ˇ°The supervisor didnˇŻt approve his thesis and made him run errands every day - deliver stuff, take care of his kids, and even pay for the supervisorˇŻs family trips.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: [Old man on the subway making a weird face.JPG]

    She was baffled: ˇ°Howe I never heard of it?ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs just a rumor.ˇ± Zuo Xin said, ˇ°But our school is better. Liberal arts doesnˇŻt have much money or projects. Just pick a nice supervisor and youˇŻll be fine. Science and engineering are much morepetitive, with millions in funding for each project.ˇ±

    Jian Jing wondered, ˇ°Which professor in our school is easy to pass?ˇ±

    ˇ°I heard Professor Kong is quite responsible and Professor Meng is easy to talk to. The dean...ˇ± Zuo Xin shook her head strongly, ˇ°Has a terrible reputation. I donˇŻt rmend going to him.ˇ±

    ˇ°What happened?ˇ±

    Zuo Xin shrugged. ˇ°Having an affair with a student.ˇ±

    Jian Jing made an ˇ°Ahˇ± sound and exchanged a knowing look with her.

    After exchanging gossip, the two girls began reviewing with satisfaction.

    Although it was just after the start of the semester, the library was already filled with many people reviewing. On the solid wooden tables, there were specialized books for postgraduate exams, administrative aptitude test books for civil servant exams, textbooks for teacher qualification certificates...everything imaginable.

    Bright sunlight shone in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, with the aroma of coffee and tea drifting in the air, carrying a hint of ink scent, seemingly adding a filter over the entire world.

    This inadvertently gave people the illusion that in the blink of an eye, everyone had lost the qualification to be carefree and was forced to struggle for their future.

    Influenced by this atmosphere, most peopleˇŻs mindset in the first 30 minutes of entering the library was: I must study hard today!

    30 minutes to 1 hourter, they would start getting restless: I''ve been studying for so long, I''m so tired. Should I take a look at my phone to see if anyone sent me messages on WeChat?

    And after that... The articles in the public ount are so funny!

    What other news broke out on Weibo today?

    Has the novel I''m reading updated?

    While browsing and browsing, an hour went by.

    Let me grab a coffee/tea.

    Go to the bathroom.

    I''m hungry, why not eat a snack?

    No no, I haven''tpleted my goal yet, let me read two more pages.

    After struggling for half an hour, look at the watch, oh, isn''t it time to go to the cafeteria for lunch?

    I''ll work hard again in the afternoon.

    Jian Jing and Zuo Xin were just like that. After reading books all morning, they started cking off in the afternoon. Each holding a cup of milk tea, they browsed Weibo while drinking.

    The true life of female college students.

    "Zuo Xin?" A tall and thin boy came to the seat opposite them and greeted Zuo Xin, "Long time no see, are you reviewing?"

    Zuo Xin took off her earphones, her face full of surprise, "Cheng Jia You?"

    "Yeah, I''m here to look up some information." Cheng Jia You pointed at the seat across from them, "Is anyone sitting here?"

    "No, have a seat." Zuo Xin tidied up the teaching materials spread out, making enough empty space on the table.

    Jian Jing was alerted by her actions and looked up.

    Cheng Jia You was tall, fair-skinned, with refined features. He wore a pair of thin-framed sses, looking very schrly. Seeing Jian Jing, he smiled and nodded, "Hello ssmate, oh..." He examined her closely and pondered, "Aren''t you that writer? The one who was just on a TV show?"

    "Jian Jing." She politely nodded back.

    "Nice to meet you, I''m Cheng Jia You." Cheng Jia You''s surprise onlysted a moment before he regained hisposure. After politely greeting her, he continued talking to Zuo Xin, "Didn''t the mystery club you participated in disband?"

    Zuo Xin smiled wryly.

    "Then do you want to join our hiking trip again?" Cheng Jia You rummaged through his bag and took out a printed flyer, "Everyone is so busy this semester, I didn''t want to organize it initially, but I thought after graduation we''ll have even less chances to get together, so I still want to do it onest time."

    Zuo Xin took it while exining to Jian Jing, "My roommate was in their hiking club. I participated in their eventst year, it was pretty interesting."

    "We also have some mystery solving elements." Cheng Jia You joked, "Writer ssmate, do you want to take a look? It''s a treasure hunt game."

    Jian Jing became interested and turned her head to look at the flyer.

    Cheng Jia You quickly handed her a new copy.

    On the promotional page, it read "Finding the Secret Treasure: The Robber''s Gold".

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42

    The background is set as follows: 3 years ago, a group of criminals robbed a bank. While fleeing from the police, they passed by Lakeside Park and hid the gold somewhere in the park. The next day, the criminals were arrested. The police could not find any trace of the gold. Perhaps the gold worth millions is still in that ce...

    September 12th, outdoor activity at Lakeside Park.

    Time: 12:00-16:00

    Location: Lakeside Park

    Content: Orienteering + BBQ party

    Prize: Mysterious "Treasure"

    Zuo Xin said, "Is this robbery case real?"

    "Yes, it makes it more immersive," Cheng Jia You asked, "What do you think, want toe?"

    After the reasoning club disbanded, Zuo Xin''s club activities had been nk. Hearing this, she was inevitably tempted: "Are you going, Jian Jing?"

    With no sses at school, she couldn''t just stay home to study or write every day. Jian Jing readily agreed: "Sure."

    "Thanks foring, you two." Cheng Jia You was very happy, "Let''s make a group chat. I''ll update everyone on there."

    They joined the group chat. Cheng Jia You chatted with them about hiking for a while before leaving.

    As soon as he left, Zuo Xin couldn''t wait to say, "He seems to be interested in you."

    Jian Jing: "???"

    "He keeps looking at you and asking you questions." Zuo Xin argued, "I know what you''re going to say. He''s just asking about the treasure hunt clues, not necessarily flirting with you, right?"

    Jian Jing retorted: "Isn''t that it?"

    "You don''t understand this. Guys are very strange creatures. When girls ask them questions, they feel it''s only natural because they are so awesome. But for them to take the initiative to ask girls questions? Difficult! They definitely won''t ask you if they can avoid it." She asked three soul-searching questions in a row, each one piercing the heart.

    Jian Jing was speechless.

    Zuo Xin looked smug. At times like these, girls'' perceptiveness was not on par with Sherlock Holmes: "That being said, Cheng Jia You is pretty good. Good grades, student council vice president, and also from a rich family. Did you see his shoes? AJ co-branded edition, with original retail price over 5,000 yuan, now sold for over 8,000 yuan on the resale market."

    "How do you know so clearly?" Jian Jing asked curiously.

    "After all, I''m also a mystery enthusiast." Zuo Xin pushed up her sses and said seriously, "Fine, actually I was curious whether these showoffs really have money or were just pretending, so I did a little research."

    Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing: "You''re so cute."

    "It''s quite fun. Some people show off designer bags on social media, but have to use other people''s shampoo." Zuo Xin had a much more exciting daily lifepared to Jian Jing, "Next time I see one, I''ll tell you all about itˇŞso what do you think of Cheng Jia You?"

    "I just met him, how could I have an impression?" She was puzzled.

    Zuo Xin said, "I''m pretty sure he''lle looking for you again if I''m not wrong."

    She was spot on.

    In the next few days, every time Jian Jing posted on social media, Cheng Jia You would definitely like andment, and asionally share film reviews from public ountsˇŞall high-brow films.

    To be fair, his actions were very appropriate. He chatted with her casually, shared interesting daily urrences, without overly eager implications, which showed his interest yet wasn''t too aggressive.

    Jian Jing didn''t exactly dislike him, of course she wasn''t attracted either, she just felt it was quite novel and was a bit curious.

    After chatting like this for a dozen days or so, it was the day of the orienteering activity.

    The day before, Cheng Jia You specifically asked her: [Lakeside Park is quite far, want me to give you a ride there?]

    To avoid seeming deliberate, he added: [I''m giving rides to several people anyway, so I can take you along if it''s on the way]

    Jian Jing was originally going to drive herself and pick up Zuo Xin on the way. But as soon as Zuo Xin found out, she said she would take a cab there with some friends, and told Jian Jing to get a ride from him.

    [You have to give him a chance, give him a chance, give him a chance!]

    Zuo Xin, single dog dating expert, urged her like this.

    Jian Jing took her friend''s advice and agreed.

    That day, Cheng Jia You came to pick her up. As he said, he didn''t only bring her. Both the passenger and back seats were upied.

    The passenger seat was taken by a guy. Seeing Jian Jinge over, he immediately said, "Thismunity you live in is pretty expensive, isn''t it? Writers make so much money?"

    "It''s alright." Jian Jing smiled and didn''t argue with him. She went straight to the back seat.

    Sitting in the back was a girl, wearing professional sportswear and light makeup. She smiled politely at Jian Jing and gestured that she was busy with her phone: "Mm-hmm, I know, please tell the teacher I''m done with the report and sent it to her email... It''s okay, President Wang knows about this matter. Yes, he told me personally..."

    She spoke like this for a long time before hanging up,ining, "Our department really doesn''t have it together. We didn''t recruit any decent people this term. We have to prioritize ourselves in recruitment in a couple days."

    Cheng Jia You introduced them to Jian Jing: "Zhao Xuan from External Affairs, and Liu Kai from Publicity."

    Jian Jing said, "Jian Jing from Chinese Literature."

    "You''re quite famous." Zhao Xuan smiled, "I didn''t expect you would join our orienteering event. I heard writers are usually very busy."

    Jian Jing gave the usual vague answer: "It''s alright."

    "Ahem." Cheng Jia You cleared his throat and said, "The preparations at Lakeside are all done, right?"

    "Done long ago." Zhao Xuan said, "Things you specifically asked me to handle, when have I ever slipped up?"

    Her words were meaningful. Jian Jing raised her eyebrows.

    Cheng Jia You quickly said, "I know you''re capable, just confirming."

    "As long as you know. By the way, forget what I said about recruitment. We still have to organize a basketball tournament next month. Last year''s event went quite well, if we talk to them again this year, we might even get sponsorship." Zhao Xuan seemed to be very career-driven, and didn''t forget to discuss student council affairs even on the way there.

    Cheng Jia You chatted with her about the work, and took the opportunity to ask Jian Jing if she "wanted water", "needed the window lowered for some breeze", or "got carsick, did you bring medicine for it" and so on.

    Jian Jing answered "no need" to everything.

    In the subtle atmosphere, they soon arrived at Lakeside Park.

    Zuo Xin immediately came to meet up with her and winked: "How was it?"

    Jian Jing pursed her lips, trying not tough: "Kind of funny."

    She told Zuo Xin about what happened in the car, and the two of themughed together.

    "They were obviously trying to shut you out by talking about things you can''t join in on purpose. If Cheng Jia You didn''t make a little effort, he could be ruled out just based on that." Zuo Xin analyzed it thoroughly, "How would you rate him?"

    Jian Jing spread her hands.

    Zuo Xin sighed, and lowered her voice, "In my opinion, Cheng Jia You is still quite interested in you."

    "Just because he came to pick me up?"

    "No no, look at how he''s dressed today. His T-shirt and pants are trendy brands, several thousand yuan in total, not as shy as luxury brands, but with the shoes it''s over 10,000 yuan already. You can tell his financial status at a nce." Zuo Xin counted off on her fingers to exin to her, "The key is his socks, Corgi brand, over 100 yuan a pair. Guys who like showing off only know to buy expensive shoes, but won''t buy socks over 20 yuan a pair."

    Jian Jing gasped. She sincerely said, "Your knowledge is impressive."

    "That''s not the point." Zuo Xin went straight to the heart of the matter, "The point is his hair is blow dried and his shoes are very clean. He must have cleaned up beforeing. You should know some guys don''t even wash their hair before going on dates. Cheng Jia You has already shown quite a bit of sincerity."

    She spoke so convincingly that she almost persuaded Jian Jing.

    "Jian Jing, Zuo Xin,e get your name tags." The person in question called them.

    The two girls contained theirughter and went to collect the stamped armbands to wear.

    Cheng Jia You exined very clearly: "You need to get a stamp at each checkpoint, and find the clue to the next location. The first one toplete it can get the ''Treasure''. Total time is around 2-3 hours, very ample time. You can rest a bit if you get tired. Here''s the park map."

    "OK." Zuo Xin was very familiar with this, "When do we start?"

    "You can start now." That was what Cheng Jia You said, but his eyes hinted at something else, "Or wait, I''ll go with you."

    Zuo Xin smiled and said, "My roommate and I have been here before, we came just topete for the treasure this time. This is Jian Jing''s first time ying, why don''t you guide her?"

    Jian Jing was surprised: "You''re not even taking me but want topete for the treasure?"

    "Why not, how gutsy." Zuo Xinughed loudly, made a gesture and said, "For that line, I''m definitely going topete with you today. See youter!"

    After saying that, she dashed off, looking very confident.

    And so Jian Jing was righteously abandoned by her.

    "It''s fine, I''ll take you around." Cheng Jia You told Liu Kai and then tied his shoces. "Let''s go, we can catch up to them."

    He smiled at her like this, and even the sunshine seemed a little more radiant.

    Inte September, most of the summer heat had faded, leaving just a bit of warmth that was shaded by the lush trees in the park. Jian Jing walked in the shade wearing a sun hat, breathing air filtered clean by the nts, fresh and mildly fragrant,forting to the body and soul.

    She gradually rxed and sensed some enjoyment in hiking.

    "Quite nice, isn''t it?" Cheng Jia You read her expression and saw her rxing, so he pressed on, "Sometimes when I have too many worries, I like going for walks everywhere."

    Jian Jing asked, "By yourself?"

    "If it''s not club activities, then yes, by myself." He shrugged. "No one to go with me anyway."

    The subtext was probably: Single and avable, with good intentions.

    "What about you?" Cheng Jia You brought up a topic. "What do you usually do? Write?"

    "Mostly, yes." Jian Jing said, "When I have inspiration, I''m working all day and night."

    Cheng Jia You was curious: "What about when you don''t have inspiration?"

    She smiled: "Look for inspiration."

    "Sounds quite tough." Cheng Jia You hesitated a little before asking, "Actually I''m very curious, why did you choose to write mystery novels? Most girls write romance more oftenˇŞdon''t get me wrong, I''m not saying girls can''t write mysteries, just purely curious."

    This question really stumped Jian Jing.

    She and her parallel universe self inexplicably wrote stories about the white cat. Why?

    "I guess because solving mysteries is fun," she mused. "The satisfaction from unraveling puzzles is hard to rece with anything else."

    Cheng Jia Youughed. "I see. We''re quite alike in this way, valuing spiritual fulfillment over material." Frankly, physical pleasurese and go quickly. It''s because they both weren''tcking in material things."

    "It''s because those whock materials need more spiritual pursuits," Cheng Jia You argued.

    Jian Jing''s eyebrows furrowed slightly. She didn''t agree with his words but didn''t want to turn their casual chat into a debate. So she changed the subject, pointing to the stone bridge in the distance, "Isn''t that the first checkpoint?"

    "Oh right," Cheng Jia You also realized he shouldn''t argue with her and yed along, "We''re here."

    The stone bridge was the first checkpoint. The task was extremely simple too. Put together the t geometric shapes into a 3D model and you could see the location name written on the edges: campsite.

    After getting back on the road, Cheng Jia You timely switched topics. "Don''t you think the tasks are too easy? Doesn''t seem to have stumped anyone..." He noticed Jian Jing was spacing out, her gaze drifting over the other end of the bridge.

    "Hm?" She turned back, puzzled.

    "What are you looking at?" he asked. "See someone you know?"

    "I''m checking the route," Jian Jing didn''t answer his question directly. She picked up the map in her hands and examined it. "We have to go around, right?"

    Cheng Jia You misunderstood her meaning. "You want to go to the other side of the bridge? We can circle back from there on the way back."

    "Sure, that works," Jian Jing just went along without telling him she did see someone familiar.

    Just now, Ji Feng was at the other end of the bridge, speaking in low voices with a young woman.

    The distance was a bit far but she could easily make out his face. Plus she was familiar with the way he carried himself, making him easy to recognize.

    After thinking for a bit, she sent him a WeChat: [At thekeside park?]

    Ji Feng replied swiftly: [You saw me? Don''te over, busy]

    As expected, he was on some undercover mission. Jian Jing sent an "OK" and was about to put her phone away when it rang.

    She made an "excuse me" gesture to Cheng Jia You and walked some distance away to take the call: "What''s up?"

    "You''re at the park?" Ji Feng had spotted her location without even ncing her way. "Oh, on a date with your boyfriend?"

    "School hiking event," Jian Jing said. "Do you need something?"

    Ji Feng said, "Hiking huh, pretty nice, though a bit boring, no?"

    She: "Get to the point."

    "Help me keep an eye out for suspicious people while you hike, ''kay?" Though it was a request, his tone was quite certain, as if knowing she wouldn''t refuse.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43

    Jian Jing was engaged in a fierce ideological struggle.

    One moment it was "a rare opportunity to enjoy life, why get into trouble", and the next it was "Ji Feng and the others have been staking out for three days and haven''t found anything, it seems quite interesting".

    She swayed back and forth, hesitating and wavering: "How suspicious is this suspicious person?"

    "You know the big bank gold robbery three years ago, right?" Ji Feng said. "The criminal escaped from prison. We believe he will definitely return to Lakeview Park to retrieve the gold and then flee again."

    Jian Jing: "???" She couldn''t help but nce at Cheng Jia You.

    This was more effective than speaking of Cao Cao and having Cao Cao arrive. With just a bit of backstory, they had already encountered the protagonist.

    "I see, send me the details on WeChat." She hung up the phone.

    Ji Feng sent two typical prisoner photos, one with a short stature and evasive eyes, the other ordinary in appearance, like a passerby, but with very calm eyes.

    There was also an introduction provided.

    Qian Tong, nicknamed "Shorty", was a habitual thief who liked to drink and boast about his skills when drunk, especially bragging about how good he was at picking locks and cracking safes, iming that God had given him the talent to earn a living. Although he had been in and out of jail several times, because the items he stole were not particrly valuable, he would only serve a few months before getting out, until the next time hemitted a crime.

    If asked why he never managed to steal anything worthwhile, he would say that while skilled at opening locks, he didn''t know how to crack security systems, so he could only steal from ordinary people''s homes, unable to pull off a big heist.

    Li Li worked as a security guard at the bank. In his colleagues'' eyes, he was a silent and hardworking employee. However, ording to his own ount, the first time he saw the vehicle transporting the gold drive into the bank, a terrible idea germinated in his mind.

    He wanted to get rich.

    In the five years he worked at the bank, he cherished every opportunity to familiarize himself with the bank''s security system until he was certain he could ess the vault without anyone knowing. But he didn''t know how to crack the safe in the vault, so he set his sights on Qian Tong, coercing him into bing an aplice.

    The two conspired for three months, stealingrge quantities of gold from the bank vault, and hiding it in Lakeview Park during their escape. Shortly after, both were arrested, but did not reveal the whereabouts of the gold.

    A week ago, Li Li was severely injured in a prison fight and transferred to the hospital for treatment. Although he was closely guarded by the police, a fire broke out in the hospital, and in the ensuing chaos, Li Li took the opportunity to escape.

    The police immediately interrogated Qian Tong overnight, hoping to learn Li Li''s whereabouts from him.

    In order to reduce his sentence, Qian Tong agreed to cooperate with the police and told them that Li Li would definitely return to Lakeview Park to retrieve the gold, but he didn''t know where exactly the gold was hidden, since Li Li hadn''t told him.

    For the past three days, Ji Feng and his colleagues had been staking out here with Qian Tong, but hadn''t seen any sign of Li Li.

    Ji Feng: [This guy is very cautious, he may have noticed us. As a student, you won''t arouse his suspicion. Help us keep an eye out, any clues, no matter how small, you can let me know.]

    Jian Jing''s curiosity was piqued and she agreed to his request.

    She probed Cheng Jia You, "Can you give me a hint about the treasure in advance?"

    Cheng Jia Youughed, "That would spoil the fun - okay, it''s actually gift certificates. Zhao Xuan got sponsorship from an outdoor brand and received over 10,000 dors in gift certificates. First prize is over 5,000 dors, pretty decent."

    "You guys must have prepared for a long time, huh?" she continued asking.

    "Not too bad, the hardest part of organizing an event is getting sponsorship, the school subsidy isn''t much." Cheng Jia You said, "Buting up with the clues took up a lot of my time, I really admire you for that, it''s harder to make up clues than to solve them."

    He tried his best to tter her, unaware what Jian Jing was thinking - she had run into Cheng Jia You at the library on September 3rd, and he already had a rtively solid treasure hunt n at that time. Meanwhile, Li Li''s escape happened a week ago.

    Besides, a rich yboy like Cheng Jia You was unlikely to have any connection with Li Li, it must be pure coincidence.

    "There are quite a lot of people in the park." Jian Jing looked around, feigning casual conversation, "There are so many peopleing to such a secluded ce."

    Lakeview Park wasrge with abundant greenery, rtively remote, the nearest residential area was a vi district, quite far on foot. Yet tourists were not scarce in this location.

    Cheng Jia You nodded, "It''s Saturday today, everyone''s here for outdoor activities."

    Jian Jing asked curiously, "What kinds of activities are there?"

    "Camping, boating, archery, horseback riding,ser tag, sometimes marathons too." Cheng Jia You was clearly very familiar with Lakeview Park.

    Jian Jing took out a map, "Will we pass by themter?"

    Cheng Jia You was happy to see her interest in outdoor sports, "Yes, the stone bridge we passed just now is where you can go boating, the camping area is up ahead."

    "The kind where you set up your own tent?"

    "Yeah, the park rents out tents and grills." Cheng Jia You pointed ahead, "We''re here."

    The second check-in point: Campsite.

    A t house rented out all kinds of tents, sleeping bags, grills, and also sold BBQ skewers, drinks etc.

    Zhao Xuan and Liu Kai were sitting on folding chairs at the entrance drinking c. Seeing Cheng Jia You arrive, they jokingly said, "What took you so long today?"

    "I can''tpete with everyone else for the prizes." Cheng Jia You bought two bottles of ice c, handing one to Jian Jing, "Want to take a break?"

    Jian Jing''s endurance had improved significantly since going to the gym to train, after just twenty minutes of walking she wasn''t tired at all, "No need, I want to look around."

    "I''ll go with you." Cheng Jia You followed along.

    Zhao Xuan said, "Hey, you can''t do that, who knows if you''ll give hints,e back here."

    "I promise I won''t say anything."

    Liu Kai tsked, "Didn''t expect that, Old Cheng is pretty slick with chasing girls. But Jian Jing is quite pretty, and she''s a writer too, no wonder he''s interested."

    Zhao Xuan rolled her eyes.

    "You don''t agree?" Liu Kai had an expression of anticipation for drama.

    "Why wouldn''t I, she is very pretty." Zhao Xuan brushed it off.

    She didn''t deny Jian Jing''s looks, but had no liking for artsy girls. At least for the girls of this type she had encountered before, most were whiny hypochondriacs, liking to post pretentious words on their Moments like "Beijing bes Beiping as soon as it snows".

    Writer? Excuse me, but she hadn''t read any of her books. She heard Jian Jing was good at writing mysteries, but there was no shortage of so-called mystery novels in bookstores that were just sugar-coated romance.

    Rich and handsome police male lead X super genius girl.

    Pfft, that''s called a mystery too.

    *

    Of course Jian Jing waspletely oblivious to others'' disdain and criticism.

    She was busy asking the staff about renting tents.

    The staff said, "Our fees are based on the tent size and rental period, the cheaper ones are 80 a day, more expensive around 200, sleeping bags can be rented too."

    "I see a lot of people over there, did they alle today?" Jian Jing asked, "How long is everyone staying?"

    The staff said, "Usually it''s peopleing over the weekend, renting for an afternoon and night. "

    "Nobody during the week?"

    "Very few, mostly just weekends when people have time." The staff answered.

    Jian Jing nodded lightly, peeking at the counter again - unfortunately everything wasputerized, no way to find a list of people who had rented tents.

    She reconsidered, asking, "I guess everyonees in groups right, has there never been someoneing alone?"

    "Basically no, I''ve never seen it at least." The staff said, "We rmend 4-6 people for the most fun, there are safety concerns withing alone after all."

    Jian Jing nodded.

    This matched her spection, Li Li likely wouldn''t brazenly rent a tent for overnight stays, seemed there were no leads here.

    She pretended to have satisfied her curiosity, and took the chance to unlock the next clue - Koi Pond.

    "You really are hard to stump." Setting off again, Cheng Jia You spared no effort to gain her favor.

    Jian Jing politely said, "Very clever riddle."

    The check-in point here was just a small table. Other than stamping the wristbands, there was only a bluetooth speaker repeating the melody of "luck, luck, luck".

    Because there were English letters on the seal, many people were confused, guessing the abbreviations of the letters, and thus ignoring the real clue "luck", which represented the Koi pond of good fortune.

    But this question was not really difficult, just like when a boy tells an unattractive girl that she is "cute", she can only say "clever" in response.

    The path leading to the Koi pond was lined with lush and verdant trees on both sides.

    The green canopies were like clouds, vibrant and picturesque, creating an extremely beautiful scenery. But Jian Jing, after looking at the map, discovered that only the roadsides had surveince cameras, with many blind spots within the woods.

    If Li Li engaged the police in a game of cat and mouse within the park, it would indeed be very difficult for them to track his whereabouts.

    As she was pondering this, a young man approached from the front, wearing headphones but scanning them over alertly, his gaze lingering for a moment before casually turning away, searching back and forth through the woods, like a searchlight over the night sea.

    Jian Jing: "..." Wasn''t he being a little too obvious?

    Normally people wearing headphones and listening to music have a vacant look, immersed in their own world, otherwise they''d easily get into idents. But this guy was wearing headphones with his full attention on his surroundings - how could anyone not notice?

    She shook her head slightly, her attention turning to the trash can up ahead.

    Oh, don''t get the wrong idea, she had no interest in the trash can itself, she just finished her soda and needed to throw the bottle in the recyble bin.

    The trash can was very ordinary, stainless steel barrel-shaped, with an opening in the upper middle part. The top was a steel te, specifically for smokers to press out their cigarette butts.

    But now, the top was covered in arge number of cigarette butts, extremely dirty.

    She took a nce before shifting her gaze, tossing the soda bottle into the trash can.

    Half an hourter, they arrived at the Koi pond.

    Ji Feng and his partner were also there, chatting with the old vendor selling fish food next to the pond.

    The old vendor looked very angry, cursing loudly: "What kind of bastard thief, even the fish food is stolen?"

    "Boss, you lost stuff?" Ji Feng looked very interested, "Just the fish food was taken? You can''t even eat that."

    "Who knows, something wrong in the head. He even took two boxes." The old vendor couldn''tprehend the thief''s mindset. "Two boxes of feed, goddamn turtle!"

    Ji Feng asked again: "Nothing else was taken?"

    The old vendor waved his hand: "Also two bags of bread rolls, oh well, if he was hungry he should''ve just taken some food. What''s he stealing fish food for? That stuff''s no good for eating and expensive too. If I catch him, I''ll chop his hands off."

    Ji Feng stroked his chin, his eyes filled with great interest: Brazenly stealing fish food, was it the helpless act of taking away the gold, or a trick to divert their attention?

    He exchanged a look with his partner, and the two casually strolled away.

    Jian Jing brushed past them, her gaze falling on the two men by the pondside.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44

    There were many tourists feeding the carps around the Koi pond, with children being the majority, throwing fish food into the water, attracting countless colorful carps to grab the food.

    Among the crowd, two people looked particrly out of ce.

    Two middle-aged men, one tall and one short, smoking around the trash can.

    It goes without saying that the short one was Qian Tong, one of the robbers, and the burly man next to him, with a hint of silvery metal gleaming around his waist, was likely the police officer guarding him.

    Jian Jing was startled when she first saw them - aren''t they worried about the criminal escaping?

    Then she noticed the bulge around Qian Tong''s ankles, and remembered that this parallel world used electronic shackles with built-in electric shock devices. If the criminal tried to escape, they would be shocked with low voltage current in an instant.

    "Alright, time to go," the middle-aged policeman put out his cigarette and said coldly.

    "Oh, okay," Qian Tong obediently put out his cigarette as well, "Do you have any paper?"

    The policeman handed him a napkin.

    Qian Tong took it, coughed into it a few times, folded the napkin a few times, wrapped up the cigarette butt, and casually threw it on top of the trash can. The policeman didn''t pay any attention, and pulled Qian Tong''s arm to leave.

    Jian Jing watched the whole scene while checking in at the Koi Pondndmark, taking in every detail.

    She frowned slightly, but didn''t have any clues. Although it was rare to see someone wrap their cigarette butt in a napkin after putting it out, it could just be a personal habit.

    "Do you want a hint?" Cheng Jia You saw her frowning and asked, "This one is the most difficult, it might be hard to guess."

    Only then did Jian Jing notice the piece of paper with riddles in her hand.

    It was a series of meaningless English letters: Brizmgrmt

    There were many possibilities for letter-to-number conversions, but not manymon encryption methods for just letters. Reading it backwards didn''t make sense either.

    Most importantly, without a key, there was no point trying to match it to a cipher.

    The key to decoding must be amonly used letterbination.

    Looking at the alphabet backwards:

    Brizmgrmt ˇú Yiranting

    Yi Ran Ting (Serenity Pavilion)

    She had already found the answer, but Jian Jing hesitated for a moment between saying it or not: Zuo Xin said to give him a chance, the boy had probably been waiting all this way for a chance to "help" her cheat, so ying dumb and letting him give the answer would be more appropriate.

    However, this thought only circled her mind once before leaving.

    Seriously solving the cipher was showing respect to the question setter.

    Not being able to solve such a simple riddle would be too fake.

    "This question is quite difficult, but I''ve seen simr ones before, it should be Yi Ran Ting right?" She smiled.

    Cheng Jia You was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly, "Yes, you really are amazing."

    Jian Jing reassured him, "I researched some encryption methods before to help with my writing. There was nothing wrong with your riddle, if it was tooplex no one would be able to solve it."

    The ultimate goal of an event was for the participants to enjoy themselves, overly difficult riddles were just showing off, not ying a game. She sincerely said, "The riddles were all very good, you must have put in a lot of effort."

    "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease," Cheng Jia You''s eyebrows rxed, "Let''s go, next stop."

    Just as the two were about to leave, they ran into Zuo Xin''s grouping towards them.

    "Jian Jing, how did you get here so fast?" Zuo Xin was surprised, "I didn''t run into you at all, I thought you hadn''t arrived yet."

    Cheng Jia You exined, "There are several routes, the park map isn''t very urate, some paths seem short but are quite winding when you walk them."

    "Ohhhhh~~" The girls let out meaningful chuckles, "No wonder, since someone is helping you."

    Jian Jing paused briefly, not responding, only saying, "I told you to wait for me so we could go together. You didn''t wait."

    Zuo Xin waved her hand, "I didn''t want to get in the way."

    The group of lively students were making a ruckus. A cleaner wearing an orange vest slowly approached with a broom, sweeping stic bags and napkins on the ground near the Koi pond into his dustpan, dumping them into the trash can.

    Then, he started picking out the cigarette butts on top, not taking away full cigarettes, only collecting half-smoked ones.

    Like the one Qian Tong smoked.

    A sh of inspiration struck Jian Jing.

    Just then, the system had issued a new mission.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission: Find the gold robber]

    [Description: Three years ago, a group robbed a bank vault. Their criminal ambitions are still alive, they still dream of escaping far away with the gold. Please assist the police in capturing the criminals and finding the gold.]

    [Rewards and Penalties: 20 Courage points for sess, no penalty for failure]

    After doing several missions, Jian Jing had figured out some of the system''s rules.

    The system was intelligent, it would adjust drop rates ording to the environment and needs when drawing cards, so she only drew when necessaryter on, which made it easier to get the cards she wanted.

    At the same time, because the system had no consciousness, its programs were too rigid - like how it gave her calligraphy skills at her book signing event, quite intelligent yet stupid.

    But one thing could be confirmed, missions only triggered when she came into contact with something rted to it.

    Earlier when she promised Ji Feng to help, there was no mission, but as soon as she spoke to the old man, the mission came up, it was clearly suspicious.

    Jian Jing asked Ji Feng: [Just two people in the gang?]

    Ji Feng: [Why?]

    Jian Jing checked the records above, and questioned: [One does security systems, one picks locks, there was no getaway driver?]

    Ji Feng: [Details of the case cannot be disclosed to unrted personnel, but if you figure it out yourself that''s not my problem]

    Jian Jing: [A nt]

    Ji Feng: [Found something?]

    Jian Jing: [Smile.JPG]

    She unterally ended the conversation, considered for a moment, then asked: "Is there a bathroom here?"

    "There''s one up ahead," Cheng Jia You pointed to a small building in the distance.

    "Sorry, I need to use the bathroom," she decisively fled the scene.

    But the cleaner from before was already gone.

    Jian Jing didn''t dare make a big fuss looking for him, afraid of alerting them. She could only call Ji Feng, "Did you guys check the cleaners?"

    Ji Feng said, "Of course, I''m sure Li Li isn''t one of them."

    "Here''s the thing, I noticed something just now," she recounted Qian Tong''s actions and the cleaner''s abnormalities, "That person''s staff number is 1043."

    Ji Feng: "Wait a moment, I''ll call you back in three minutes."

    He called back after 2 minutes 45 seconds.

    "You have sharp eyes. That person is called Zhou Bing, hemitted crimes when he was younger, got out of jail five years ago, and started working as a sanitation worker. Three years ago, he quit that job, and started working as a cleaner at the park." Ji Feng spoke faster, clearly excited, "Here''s the interesting part - the street he was responsible for as a sanitation worker was where the bank was, and there was a nk spot in Li Li''s group''s route after they left the bank."

    Jian Jing asked: "The road from the bank?"

    "That''s right, we found them a few streets over," Ji Feng said. "You might be right, Zhou Bing could be the hidden third aplice."

    "Were the cigarette butts their way of contacting each other?"

    "Can''t be sure, Qian Tong has been quite obedient, we don''t have evidence to use him out of the blue, it might cause him to be uncooperative and refuse to help." Ji Feng pondered, "We''ll keep observing them."

    Jian Jing immediately made a request: "I want Zhou Bing''s work area. Also, will Li Li be at Zhou Bing''s ce?"

    "Sent someone to check already, but I think it''ll be a wasted trip," Ji Feng analyzed, "Think about it, why has Zhou Bing been squatting in the park for three years, to meet up with his aplices? Would Li Li trust him?"

    "That also means he doesn''t know where the gold is," Jian Jing was puzzled, "So only Li Li knows where the gold is?"

    "Not necessarily," said Ji Feng. "First we need to find out what message Qian Tong has sent out."

    When he said this, Jian Jing suddenly remembered something. She quickly said, "That''s right, on my way from the camping ground to Jinli Pond just now, I saw a trash can with a cigarette butt wrapped in tissue paper. I wonder if it was left by Qian Tong. You can check on that."

    Even Ji Feng was surprised that she had noticed such a small cigarette butt. He was stunned for a while, then sincerely said, "You should be a police officer after graduation. Your talent would be too much of a waste otherwise."

    Jian Jing: "..." It was actually thanks to her intermediate observation skills.

    "I happened to look closely because it was wrapped so strangely, just a coincidence," she calmly lied.

    Ji Feng didn''t care how she noticed it. He just said he would send someone to check right away before hanging up.

    Shortly after, Jian Jing received the work schedule for the cleaning crew. Worker 1043 was assigned to the area between Jinli Pond and Yiran Pavilion.

    What a coincidence. Of course she wouldn''t miss this opportunity. She immediately set off for Yiran Pavilion.

    Yiran Pavilion was located right in the middle of the artificial mountain''s water intake area, the highest point in the park, overlooking most of the park''s scenery.

    Jian Jing really didn''t want to make more awkward small talk with Cheng Jia You. She directly brought Zuo Xin and several other girls along.

    With more people, they finally didn''t have to rack their brains thinking of topics to talk about. Jian Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She chatted casually with everyone, while keeping most of her attention on the case.

    When they arrived at Yiran Pavilion, she took advantage of the vantage point to bring up a mental map of the park:

    Outer Mountain

    Mountain Real Person CS Grass Horse Ranch Grass

    Mountain Mountain Mountain Grass Grass Archery Grass

    Mountain Pavilion Forest Lake Lake Lake Stone Bridge Lake Lake Entrance

    Forest Forest Forest Jinli Pond Lake Forest Forest Forest Forest

    Forest Forest Forest Forest Forest Forest BBQ Forest

    Forest Forest Camping Ground Forest Amusement Park Forest

    The overallyout of the park was higher in the north and lower in the south, higher in the west and lower in the east, with an irregrly shapedrgeke in the middle.

    The entrance was in the east. The hills and forests in the northwest connected to the outer mountains. If the fugitives entered those woods, it would be very difficult for the police to set up a cordon, so they must do their best to prevent the criminals from escaping into the mountains.

    Conversely, if the criminals wanted to escape the police pursuit, they would have to find a way to get into the mountains.

    Of course, before that, they had to locate the gold.

    Where could the gold be?

    Ding dong, a new WeChat message popped up.

    Ji Feng: [Image.JPG]

    He sent a photo of a cigarette butt that looked identical to the one from before, wrapped in tissue paper, with just a few puffs taken. There was a tooth mark on the filter, and five fingernail imprints pressed into the white paper.

    The edges of the tissue had been torn in two ces, and the torn strips of paper twisted into cord-like shapes.

    What did this mean?

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45

    Jifeng: [Are the cigarette butts on the ground a code? The one I saw earlier is gone, this is a new one he just put down, not sure what it means. Do you think it could be rted to the safe?]

    Jianjing: [The one for the loot?]

    Jifeng: [Yeah]

    Jianjing was not surprised that he would make such a conjecture.

    Li Li, Qian Tong and Zhou Bing coborated to rob a safe. It was known that Zhou Bing did not know where the gold was hidden, only that it was in the park somewhere. And Li Li, as the mastermind behind this crime, would not have mutted himself and broke out of prison if he didn''t know the exact location either.

    So if Li Li could get his hands on the gold, he would likely need Zhou Bing to help fence it and split the loot. Qian Tong on the other hand would not get a share no matter what. He had no reason to take such a risk passing messages to them.

    Besides, ording to convention, the spoils of crime cannot bepletely controlled by one person, as that might lead to conflicts. It''s safer if everyone gets a share ˇŞ that''s why treasure maps in stories are always split into pieces, with each person holding one part.

    Since they were pressed for time, making an actual map was not realistic. A more reasonable distribution would be: Li Li knows the exact burial location, Qian Tong has the key or password to the box containing the gold, and only Zhou Bing can physically retrieve it.

    In light of this, Jifeng''s suspicion about the cigarette butts containing some sort of code was quite normal.

    Jianjing: [152 is too few, if I were Zhou Bing I could easily try everybination]

    Jifeng: [What if it''s not just one? What if it''s only half?]

    She fell silent.

    Jifeng: [Zhou Bing used to be a fisherman, very capable underwater. Heter went to jail for illegal poaching of protected animals. I''m guessing the gold must be in theke.]

    Previously he had wondered if the stolen fish bait was a distraction. But now that Zhou Bing was identified, the probability had suddenly increased.

    Jianjing did not understand: [What good would it do Qian Tong to give them the password?]

    Jifeng: [He has an elderly mother.]

    Robbery is a serious crime. By the time Qian Tong got out of jail, it was likely his mother would have passed away already. If Li Li used helping to care for the mother as a bargaining chip in exchange for the password, it wouldn''t be impossible.

    "Who are you chatting with so intently?"

    Jianjing was deep in thought when a voice suddenly came from next to her, startling her so much her phone almost slipped off the artificial hillside. She turned to look, it was Zuo Xin who hade to sit outside with her on the stone bench: "You scared me."

    "Guilty conscience?" Zuo Xin nced at her phone screen, "Military knife avatar, a guy?"

    Jianjing: "......Yes."

    "You don''t seem like someone who would be into fishing." Zuo Xin looked her up and down, hesitant, "Did I get it wrong?"

    "Work stuff." She said.

    Zuo Xin''s eyebrows suddenly rxed: "Then that''s good. But you should still exin it to Cheng Jia You. I saw him nce over at you several times, he''s probably a little bothered by it."

    "What''s there to exin?" Jianjing was puzzled, "We''re not in any kind of rtionship, why would I need to exin to him who I chat with and why?"

    Zuo Xin thought about it and said, "You make a fair point, but it wouldn''t take much effort to just give him a quick exnation."

    She made a nomittal sound. Maybe she would remember to bring it upter if she didn''t mind, but at that moment, most of her mind was focused on the gold and the fugitives, she had no time to worry about him.

    "Zuo Xin, if you conspired with someone tomit a robbery, and they took off with the loot after promising to take care of your mother, and you had to do over a decade in jail, would you be okay with that?" She asked.

    "Of course not!" Zuo Xin was also a mystery fan, and immediately cast aside the rtionship issue when chatting about a shared interest, "Better dead than red, sometimes people care more about making a point."

    Jianjing: "That''s what I think too."

    Zuo Xin asked: "Why did you bring that up?"

    "Just thinking up a plot." Novelist is such a versatile profession, you can use anything as an excuse, Jianjing replied smoothly.

    Zuo Xin believed her: "Basing it on a real case? Nice idea, but where''s the gold hidden?"

    "If you were them, where would you hide it?" She asked curiously.

    Zuo Xin answered without hesitation: "In theke. Tourists might pass by anywhere else, but who would randomly jump into the river? Hidden at the bottom of theke would be safest."

    Jianjing was already leaning towards theke, but hearing Zuo Xin say that gave her some doubts.

    Even a random passerby thought theke had the highest probability. Zhou Bing was skilled in aquatic abilities, and had been hiding in the park at night for three years, it wouldn''t be a problem for him to sneak down and search around. Theke wasn''t enormous, with the right equipment, how hard could it be to dredge up some gold?

    What if they were thinking about this wrong?

    Zhou Bing didn''t take the gold, not because he couldn''t find it, but because...he couldn''t retrieve it?

    "Jianjing, Zuo Xin, are you ready to go?" Cheng Jia You called out from the pavilion, asking the two girls who were sightseeing, "It''s gettingte, we still have two more spots to check off."

    "One second." Jianjing quickly asked Jifeng about Qian Tong''s location.

    He replied: [The office, with 3 officers watching him.]

    Jianjing hurriedly checked the map. The park office was in the east area, close to the archery range and stables, and some distance from the wooded hills, far from the tourist hotspots in the southeast, the terrain was simple, not easy to escape from.

    "Coming right now." Their next stop was the archery range.

    On the way there, Jianjing racked her brains trying to decipher the code on the cigarette.

    The cigarette and tissue could be considered two parts. The tooth and fingernail imprints on the cigarette were 1 and 5. The tissue seemed to only have a single 2, but if you separated the tear and crease, it would actually be 2, 2.

    1, 5

    2, 2

    If you ruled out it being an actual password, the limited information conveyed by just the numbers meant some sort of conversion was needed. But just like when she cracked the code at Yiran Pavilion, without a key, the decryption would not be tooplicated.

    Especially since none of the criminals had high education levels, anything tooplex would be hard for even them to solve.

    It had to be very simple.

    Letter table aebb, I love dad? No way.

    Wrong, try again, hmm... cell phone keypad? 9 keys don''t match, full keyboard then, ts? They probably wouldn''t use English abbreviations, try pinyin.

    TS, te shu (special), tong shi (simultaneously), tian sheng (innate), tai shang (on stage), tian shang (in the sky)?

    No clues there.

    Let''s go in reverse, BS? Bi shui (avoid water)? Avoid water, is itmunicating with them, telling them the police are already watching this ce?

    Jianjing quickly passed this on to Jifeng.

    He replied: [The cleaner already swept away that cigarette butt, the message probably didn''t get out.]

    Jianjing asked: [Maybe the gold isn''t in theke, it''s too obvious, wouldn''t Zhou Bing have thought of that?]

    After quite a while, Jifeng finally responded: [Based on current clues, we can only stake out theke.]

    If he had to say, he wasn''tpletely certain the gold was in theke either. But police work and detective reasoning were two very different things. A detective could deny a hypothesis based on intuition, but they could not.

    Even if everyone suspected the stolen fish bait was a distraction, they still had to dispatch people to keep watch, otherwise if the fugitive got away, no one could bear the consequences.

    Jifeng: [Let''s coordinate, I''ll keep an eye on things here, you keep thinking if there are any other possibilities, stay in touch.]

    Jianjing did not expect Jifeng to trust her to this extent. While feeling the weight on her shoulders, she also vaguely understood something ˇŞ in mystery novels, the trope of the police being inefficient and unable to catch the viin often appeared. But were there really no smart people among the police?

    Not necessarily.

    Jifeng did not seem foolish or stubborn at all, it was just that the nature of police work meant he could not act rashly. And it was precisely because they were on the job that she could boldly make other assumptions.

    Otherwise, if forced to choose, she would probably also have a hard timepletely abandoning theke option.

    Was it really not theke? Looking at it from another angle, Zuo Xin thought it was theke, didn''t that prove others would simrly arrange it that way?

    Jianjing: [Okay, I''ll do my best.]

    Jifeng: [Smile.JPG]

    Jianjing closed the chat window and tried inputting BS and TS abbreviations into her memo app. Before long, a familiar word jumped out.

    BS, office.

    Qian Tong was at the office.

    Might he be notifying his aplices of his location?

    While the probability was very low, out of due diligence, Jianjing decided to go take a look. She told the others: "I just saw a friend, going to say hi real quick, you guys go first, see you in a bit."

    Having said that, she didn''t wait for their reaction and jogged briskly in the direction of the office.

    Since she had already said and done this, Cheng Jia You had no reason or desire to chase after her. He tensed his face and said: "Then we''ll go first."

    *

    The park office was a very beautiful small building, three stories high, containing the park director''s office, administration department, finance department, and several other misceneous offices.

    The janitor and security break rooms were also located here.

    Zhou Bing finished cleaning the area he was responsible for, and as he had done countless times before, he took a shortcut back to the break room.

    At this time, the only person in the break room was the security captain. He sat in front of theputer, adeptly operating the mouse to y solitaire noisily, as if someone was forcefully mming the cards onto the table.

    He used his thermos to get some water, and voluntarily left the room to go smoke at the back door.

    The cigarette wasn''t even lit yet, but he could already smell the smoke.

    Zhou Bing lifted his eyelids, and his gaze swept over the third floor. The window of the park director''s office was open, and wisps of cigarette smoke continuously floated out.

    He had worked at the park for three years, and came here to smoke every day, so no one was more familiar with this ce than him.

    The cigarette the director smoked wasn''t this brand. The smell was very light and not pungent. But the cigarette smoke now was concentrated and sharp, going straight to the lungs with one inhale, and was very stimting.

    This was the kind of cigarette the police watching over Qian Tong smoked. They couldn''t afford expensive cigarettes, and often needed to stay up all night, so they frequently smoked this kind to keep themselves alert.

    It looked like Qian Tong really was being held in the director''s office.

    He lowered his head to hide the flickering look in his eyes, stamped out the cigarette butt, grabbed his thermos, and slowly walked away like an ordinary old man.

    Upstairs on the third floor, a young policeman turned his head and slightly shook his head at the others.

    The other two policemen discreetly observed Qian Tong on the sofa. He kept his head down while smoking, and asionally nced out the window, but didn''t go near the window. The cigarette was just casually bummed from someone else. There was clearly ack of decisive evidence that he was sending secret signals.

    "Cough," Qian Tong cleared his throat, and forcibly coughed up thick phlegm. He wrapped it in a tissue, then wrapped the cigarette butt too, and threw it all into the trash can, extremely naturally, as if it was just his personal habit. "Officer, when can we eat?"

    The middle-aged officer spoke gently, "Hungry?"

    "I''m old. Don''t eat much but get hungry fast," Qian Tong said with an apologetic smile.

    The young officer handed over a pack of crackers, "This can tide you over for now."

    "Thanks, young man," Qian Tong epted it and wolfed down big mouthfuls. "Aren''t you guys eating?"

    The middle-aged officer smiled, "We can''t rx and eat until we''re off work."

    "I understand, I understand," Qian Tong said as he gnawed on the crackers. He spoke wistfully, "That Li Li really knows how to make trouble for me. I''m properly serving my sentence, yet he still won''t leave me in peace."

    The middle-aged officer chatted casually, "You still have over ten years left right?"

    "Got my sentence reduced. Eight years, eight years," Qian Tong said. "Eight years and five months."

    "Have you thought about what you want to do after getting out?"

    "Haven''t thought that far yet. Still trying to get my sentence reduced a bit more," Qian Tong said. "Officer, how much can you reduce my sentence if I cooperate with you guys this time? Can I get a year off?"

    The middle-aged officer said, "That depends on your performance. The more valuable information you provide, the more we can help you get a bigger reduction."

    Qian Tong furrowed his brows. After a long hesitation, he spoke uncertainly, "There''s one thing, I''m not sure if it''ll be useful to you guys."

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46

    "Come, tell me about it," said the middle-aged police officer in a casual, chatty manner, as if they were brothers drinking and bragging together, putting no pressure on the suspect at all.

    Qian Tong seemed to fall for itpletely, bing quite talkative: "That punk Li Li may be young, but he''s got a crafty mind and kept a lot of things from me. As for me, I''ve been in prison for a long time and learned that the less you know, the better. I didn''t ask questions, just got a general sense of what was going on. After all, I was in it for the money and didn''t want any extra risk - sigh, I guess that''s what happens when you get older, you just want a safe and stable life but can''t let go of the past and move on."

    His tone was cocky yet remorseful and unwilling to give up, while also maintaining an appropriate attitude of admitting guilt - wless.

    The middle-aged officer yed along, "We all make foolish mistakes sometimes."

    "But I am more experienced after all," Qian Tong looked pleased with himself. "Li Li doesn''t understand high-tech stuff very well, he never even used a password on his phone. One day I happened to see him buying things online - oxygen tanks, masks, stuff like that. I didn''t think much of it at the time, but now that I do - hey, what do you think that stuff could be used for?"

    He lowered his voice conspiratorially, "The gold, he must have hidden it in theke."

    The middle-aged officer raised his eyebrows, "So you''re just guessing? You don''t actually know where the gold is?"

    "I really don''t, that was never part of the n," Qian Tong swore solemnly. "Think about it, the first thing you''d do after getting the gold is run away, right? If I had time to hide it somewhere and wait around to get caught, I''d have gone out of town instead. At the time, I drove to the park to distract the cops chasing me, while Li Li jumped out halfway to hide the gold so you wouldn''t catch him red-handed.

    "And you believed that?"

    Qian Tong was quite honest, "No, who knows if he''d take the gold and run himself? But I didn''t have any other options, you guys were closing in fast and had all the roads blocked. I figured he couldn''t get far without a vehicle, so it was worth the gamble. And I turned out to be right, neither of us got away - the long arm of thew is inescapable. I''ll never try anything like this again."

    The officers exchanged nces, and one of them sent a brief text message.

    "Um, Officer, could I use the bathroom? I drank too much water and really need to go," Qian Tong made a request.

    Considering his good behavior so far, the middle-aged officer thought for a moment before agreeing, "Alright."

    The bathroom was at the end of the hallway. The officer escorted him there, keeping him cuffed and never letting him out of sight.

    Qian Tong acted very obediently, not trying to dy them at all. He finished his business, washed his hands, and wiped his pants before they headed straight back to the office.

    The officer''s guard lowered a little more.

    The two had barely sat back down for less than a minute when they suddenly heard someone say over the earpiece, "A suspicious boat spotted on theke, could be Li Li."

    The head of the detective squad directing things said, "Theke is too big, spread out to block him." To teams A and B he ordered, "Seal off the docks for me. Team C stays put, absolutely do not let the suspect into the hills."

    Team B reported: "There''s a shallow shoal to the north where he could directlye ashore."

    With two docks on theke, one at the entrance and one south at the camping grounds, there was no dock built near the archery range to the north. But the water there was shallow enough for regr boats to pull up along the shore.

    The middle-aged officer signaled the other two officers, "You two head over there to keep watch, I''ll stay here."

    "Got it," the two rushed off to help.

    The middle-aged officer warned Qian Tong again, "No funny business. You can get your sentence reduced on one hand, or heavier charges on the other - think carefully."

    "Yessir, yessir," Qian Tong sat obediently on the sofa like a schoolchild.

    The officer kept an eye on him while listening closely to updates from the earpiece.

    The spotters keeping watch from high vantage points reported in real time: "The boat is headed towards the center of theke. There''s only one person aboard, no life jacket, wearing a hat so we can''t see his face."

    "The boat is going very fast, he''s noticed us."

    On theke, Ji Feng stood on the deck of the lifeboat, squinting forward. They had the engines on full speed, doggedly pursuing the smaller boat ahead, but for some reason it possessed a speedpletely unfitting for a recreational boat, leaving a long, thin wake in the water.

    "Faster," he urged.

    The lifeboat pushed itself to elerate, gradually gaining on the other vessel.

    The person on the boat looked back at them, then suddenly turned and raced northwest towards the woods.

    The team lying in wait on shore, Team C, got the order and slowly moved to surround thending point, ready to pounce as soon as the person got off the boat.

    Their motions were extremely covert, but just as the boat neared the shore, it abruptly changed direction again, slipping past the shoreline eastward.

    Team C cursed their bad luck, but the lifeboat didn''t falter, sticking relentlessly to its tail.

    Watching the distance between them shrink, Ji Feng didn''t feel the usual thrill of closing in on a serious criminal for some reason. He had always trusted his instincts, and his brows furrowed as he considered what was off.

    The fish food - that was it. They hadn''t used it yet, wasn''t that to lure away the koi so they could dive into theke for treasure?

    No sooner had the thought arisen than he saw the person on the boat open two boxes.

    In a sh, Ji Feng blurted out, "Watch out!"

    Before the words left his mouth, the fish food was already pouring towards the lifeboat in a cloudburst.

    Therge amount of fish food scattered onto theke surface immediately attracted the greedy koi, who chased and gobbled it up. In an instant, the water around the lifeboat was upied by koi of various colors - orange, red, golden - packed densely together, getting in each other''s way as they vied for the food with open mouths.

    The lifeboat had already rapidly slowed down, but still collided with many koi. They flipped over to reveal their pale bellies, like a spilled palette of paint.

    "Crap," the officer driving the boat turned ash white. "This is going to cost a fortune to settle."

    Ji Feng sucked in a breath, feeling the pain as if his own flesh were being cut away.

    That was vicious.

    Taking advantage of the chance, the pilot of the other boat changed direction again and plunged into the water near shore. Bubbles surfaced, then no trace remained.

    Ji Feng was struck by realization and spoke into his mic, "That might not have been Li Li, could be Zhou Bing instead."

    Luring the tiger from the mountain.

    He quickly asked, "Lao Gao, everything okay there with Qian Tong?"

    "All good," came the middle-aged officer''s voice.

    "Keep an eye on him," Ji Feng said.

    "Will do."

    Meanwhile, Qian Tong removed the shackles around his ankles and tossed them aside, urging Li Li who was dressed as a janitor, "Hurry, I can''t stall for too long."

    Li Li held a sledgehammer, aiming for the newly revealed secret room in the park director''s office. He activated the switch and the jackhammer smashed into the concrete wall, breaking an opening after just a short while.

    Through the hole, they could vaguely make out a small portable safe box.

    Qian Tong and Li Li''s expressions simultaneously rxed. That''s right, this was the gold they were looking for. No one would ever imagine they had hidden something so valuable in such a secure location.

    To be honest, all that talk of sinking it to the bottom of theke was just reading too many treasure hunting stories.

    No matter how big, could anywhere be safer than a safe?

    Everyone assumed they had fled here in a panic, but that wasn''t the case at all. With the gold stolen, the police would surely focus their investigation on tracking down the loot. Their n all along was to hide the gold andy low for a year or two until the heat died down before dividing it up.

    This location was decided after Qian Tong scouted it out multiple times. The secret room in the park director''s office had the highest security. Other than himself, no one would evere here, let alone steal the gold.

    At the time, the old building was being renovated, so even if something seemed off, no one would notice. Who could have imagined that all they did was smash open the concrete to stash the gold inside the wall, then use concrete to perfectly seal it back up,pletely concealing the gold.

    Even after being caught, they hadn''t worried about Zhou Bing taking the gold for himself. The old guy was getting on in years and didn''t understand high-tech stuff, much less crack the password for the secret room. He had no chance to take the gold.

    Qian Tong also wasn''t concerned about Li Li keeping it for himself after breaking out of jail - only he could open this room, so they had to cooperate.

    Indeed, everything had gone perfectly.

    He used a cigarette butt to pass the key info about the "office" to Old Zhou.

    Seeing so many police, Zhou must have known Qian Tong woulde and just needed to tail him to get clues about their coordinated n - he didn''t even need to worry about tools, the guy had surely figured out ways to prepare over the past three years.

    Then, Zhou Bing pretended to be Li Li to distract the police while Li Li disguised himself as Zhou Bing and sneaked into the office. Most critically, he had been cooperating with the police all along and used a fruit knife in the office to take care of the middle-aged policeman Lao Gao who was guarding him.

    Of course, Qian Tong had anticipated that he would be asked questions, so he asked his cellmates in prison to teach him some voice changing skills. He couldn''t imitate it perfectly, but it was enough to fool people for a period of time.

    "Old Zhou can give us twenty minutes at most," Qian Tong urged. "We have to be quick."

    Li Li sped up.

    The cement wall wasn''t thick, and his electric drill had plenty of power. After about three to four minutes, he could barely get the briefcase out.

    "Got it," Li Li was overjoyed.

    Before Qian Tong''s joy surfaced on his brow, he suddenly saw someone running over from afar. Although only wearing casual clothes, his height and leg shape were highly recognizable. He immediately recognized: "Crap, the police are back! Run!"

    Li Li was puzzled: "How did hee back so quickly?"

    "Our cover is blown, let''s go!" Qian Tong jumped out the window and ran.

    Li Li followed closely behind.

    The two jumped down, giving Jian Jing who was waiting outside a fright.

    She hesitated, unsure whether to chase after them or not.

    ˇŞ Let''s rewind ten minutes earlier.

    Ten minutes ago, Jian Jing made up an excuse to leave Cheng Jiayou and the others, and sneaked into the office building. She pretended to use the bathroom and walked upstairs in broad daylight.

    At that time, the two policemen guarding Qian Tong happened to be out providing support.

    She went to the third floor, of course not appearing openly, and hid in the bathroom to observe the situation... Alright, she actually didn''t know what to do and just squatted there to keep watch.

    As a result, a blind cat ran into a dead mouse. Not long after, she vaguely heard noisesing from the office.

    There were only two offices on the third floor. The park manager''s office was lent to the police, and no one hade to the other office, and the sound instion was quite good, so almost no one noticed.

    She hesitated for a moment, then carefully went over and eavesdropped at the door.

    Li Li was in the confined space, the thick walls filtering out ambient noise, but Qian Tong was keeping watch outside, so his voice wasn''t too hard to hear.

    Jian Jing hadn''t expected them to all be here, and had actually obtained the gold. Shocked, she hurriedly informed Ji Feng.

    Okay, back to the present.

    The two suspects had jumped out the window and ran away. Should she chase them or not?

    While Jian Jing was contemting, her legs had already honestly darted out. The third floor wasn''t high, and her recent physical fitness was quite good. She barely managed to keep up from behind.

    Qian Tong and Li Li were headed towards the horse ranch at the back.

    The horse ranch was very big, difficult to navigate, so golf carts were provided. Zhou Bing didn''t know where he hade ashore from, but was waiting soaked in some hidden spot.

    "Quick, let''s head into the mountains immediately," seeing the briefcase, his eyes lit up. He didn''t look like a 60-year-old man at all. "I know a small path that can definitely shake off the police."

    The three got on the cart and instantly drove off into the distance.

    Jian Jing was panting heavily. She called Ji Feng: "Where are you? They''re about to get away!"

    "Saving someone," Ji Feng gritted his teeth, continuously performing CPR on Lao Gao.

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47

    Gao Liren''s full name was Gao Liren. He was thirty-six years old and had been a police officer for twelve years.

    He had been hospitalized three times. When he first joined the force, he was mediating a dispute and had his ribs broken by someone. Three yearster, while arresting a fugitive, he was hit by a car on the road. And then a year ago, when saving a child who was being held hostage by a mentally ill person, he was hit in the head and got a concussion.

    But Gao Liren often said he didn''t regret bing a policeman, he only regretted not being able to spend more time with his family.

    He had a childhood sweetheart who understood his work very well. They had twin daughters who were in first grade this year.

    When he was free, Gao Liren would show everyone photos of his daughters. The two cute little girls dressed in identical clothes could melt people''s hearts.

    Ji Feng knew the criminal had escaped and they might all be criticized for it. But when he found Gao Liren still breathing, he had no way to go after the criminal.

    He didn''t want to give Gao Liren''s lover a cold corpse.

    He also didn''t want to tell the lovely twin daughters that your dad was so great.

    What good would being great do?

    The children needed a living father.

    "Gao Liren, hang in there," he murmured. "Your wife and daughters need you."

    Hold on, like you did the previous times, hold on.

    His heavy breathing was transmitted through the radio waves into Jian Jing''s ears. She had been eavesdropping outside the door and didn''t realize someone was severely injured. She fell silent.

    "Don''t chase him, it''s too dangerous. Which direction did he escape to?" Ji Feng calmly asked.

    Jian Jing said, "The racetrack."

    "Got it,e back now," he hung up.

    Jian Jing didn''t move.

    She seemed to have gone back to when she first reincarnated, facing the choice in the emergency room - stay and choose justice, or leave and choose safety?

    There was no right answer, but there was one she wanted to choose.

    "System, draw cards," she paused, stressing, "all of them."

    [Drawing cards]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: First Aid Skill Card (Beginner)]

    [Description: Basic first aid knowledge, can performmon first aid operations]

    [Note: A few seconds of life, can you grasp it?]

    [Name: Horsemanship Skill Card (Beginner)]

    [Description: Gained basic horse riding skills, can performmon horse riding activities]

    [Note: This is an ancient means of transportation, sometimes useful besides showing off]

    [Name: Firearms Skill Card (Beginner)]

    [Description: Rtively basic firearms knowledge, can usemon guns]

    [Note: Modern society, how can weck hot weapons? Use with caution!]

    [Name: Martial Arts Skill Card (Beginner)]

    [Description: Beginner-level martial arts skills, barely enough to deal with ordinary people]

    [Note: Different physiques lead to different effects]

    [Name: Wolf Repellent Spray Prop Card (3/3)]

    [Description: Extremely strong wolf repellent spray, can quickly incapacitate people]

    [Note: Takes effect on average in 3 seconds,es with auto calibration]

    Jian Jing originally thought that spending all her savings might draw one or two good cards at best. She didn''t expect the system to be so generous this time, with not a single waste card.

    She immediately went to the nearest horse without hesitation: "Let me borrow your horse for a bit." She took out her wallet and threw it to the owner as coteral.

    With the skill card''s help, although it was Jian Jing''s first time riding a horse, she controlled the horse rtively smoothly and directed it to chase in the direction Qian Tong and the others had escaped.

    It had to be said, the horses in the park were... not great. They were not fed and cared for meticulously. It was unclear whether they were well-fed or not, they were listless.

    But four legs were definitely faster than two legs. The horses could also cut straight across the racetrack while the golf carts had to follow the cement paths on both sides, so they were evenly matched.

    Jian Jing was quite near-sighted, but her high-tech sses were impressive, keeping her vision stable at 5.2. She stared fixedly at the small ck dot ahead, spurring the horse to catch up.

    She could even free up one hand to share her location with Ji Feng.

    To be honest, if this was in Kangmu City, they would have no choice but to urgently call her back. But Ji Feng was different. He seemed to see the adventure buried deep in her soul, and was concise: "Be careful."

    Jian Jing steadied her heart and sped up.

    There were tourists everywhere on the racetrack riding horses for fun. She did not stand out. Qian Tong, who was responsible for observing the situation, swept over her several times but did not realize Jian Jing was chasing them: "No police in sight."

    "It''ll be good once we get to the front," Zhou Bing said. "It''s veryplex in there, the police will have a hard time chasing us."

    "What kind of ce is that?"

    "Shooting game, fake guns," Zhou Bing was referring toser tag. "I prepared clothes, we can hide in the mountains after, no one will be able to find us."

    Qian Tongughed. "Not bad, Old Zhou, you''re very well prepared."

    Zhou Bing gave a coldugh, ignoring his sarcasm.

    The car turned into a hidden path, bumped along for a while, then the few people entered theser tag area. The carefully arranged trees, bushes and rocks became their allies, providing excellent concealment.

    The three abandoned the car, put on theser tag outfits Zhou Bing had prepared, and slipped into the woods.

    Zhou Bing led the way: "There''s a mountain connected behind here, with barbed wire fences and cameras, be careful not to let them see you."

    Qian Tong was about to speak when his ears twitched: "Shh, there''s a sound."

    Not far away, there were rustling noises, then a male voiceined: "It''s all because of you, exposed again."

    "Can''t me me, there was a snake, it startled me," another boy argued.

    "You two are dead,e out now," someone shouted.

    "Coming,ing," the footsteps moved away.

    The three secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and cautiously crawled deeper.

    Thirty meters away, Jian Jing was lying on the horse''s back, observing their direction of departure with binocrs, and blindly texting: [They went into the woods, keep chasing?]

    Ji Feng: [Can you keep going?]

    Jian Jing: [Yes]

    Theser tag field was meticulously set up, with wooded areas as well as open grassy areas. After Qian Tong and the others dove into the woods, she didn''t dare get too close. She also didn''t want to lose the advantage of having four legs, so she just wandered around the grassy area.

    But this meant she could lose track of them at any time, so Jian Jing gritted her teeth and drew a special card, obtaining a divine artifact.

    [Name: Binocrs Special Card (Component)]

    [Description: One of the ck tech seriesponents, 1-50x magnification, built-in autofocus and image stabilization, waterproof and fireproof. Must be used with main unit. 2 hours of free daily use, can extend battery life using courage points, 1 point = 60 minutes.]

    [Note: Distant yet close at hand]

    This was also a wing, after installing it on the left side of the frames, the sses gained binocrs capabilities, firmly locking onto the criminals who had slipped into the woods.

    Jian Jing fed the horse who was forced intobor some sugar, patted its neck, picked up the reins, and slowly moved forward.

    On the other side, Ji Feng observed the real-time shared location on his phone, continuously updating his colleagues: "The suspects have entered the woods, looks like they n to enter the outside mountain from the north, please hurry up."

    His colleagues had fallen for Zhou Bing''s tricks earlier and were itching for payback. With high morale, they rushed rapidly into the woods, cutting diagonally to intercept the suspects before they could escape into the outer mountain.

    Qian Tong, Li Li and Zhou Bing''s advantage was that the police didn''t know their exact location, and would have to spend a lot of effort searching. But Jian Jing was right on their tails, sharing the location in real time, effectively being a living GPS.

    The police had the advantage in numbers and stamina, it would be embarrassing if they couldn''t catch them.

    Twenty minutester, Qian Tong and the others were ambushed.

    "How did the police know toe here?" Li Li yelled furiously.

    Qian Tongughed bitterly in anger: "Why are you yelling at me? You think I leaked the info?"

    "Who else could it be if not you?" Li Li looked sinisterly at hispanion. "You''re the only one with the chance."

    "Now''s not the time for infighting," Zhou Bing, the oldest, was the calmest. "We''ve already divided the gold, let''s each go our own way."

    Earlier, he had suggested dividing the gold on the road to avoid disappointing long dreams, and also to distribute the weight so no one would drag anyone else down. Li Li, as a robust man, also found it tiring to carry the gold, so he agreed.

    Thinking about it now, Zhou Bing had clearly nned this move early on, intending to abandon them and escape alone.

    Li Li and Qian Tong were furious but had no time for infighting. Rather than rat each other out, they might as well test their luck separately. Cursing and yelling a couple harsh parting words, they fled in different directions.

    "Bang," two minutester, gunshots rang out from the woods.

    Jian Jing adjusted the magnification of her binocrs and could vaguely see that Qian Tong had fired a gun - it must have been taken from the middle-aged police veteran Gao Liren - while the other group split up to chase after Li Li.

    So where was Zhou Bing?

    He had gone east.

    Jian Jing was momentarily stunned, then realized: Of course, Zhou Bing had no need to flee to the outer mountains. From his perspective, the police had no idea he even existed. Hiding back in the park was actually safer. He could wait for things to blow over, then escape free and clear to live a carefree life.

    Gao was as crafty as they came.

    Unfortunately, Zhou Bing didn''t know that not only had he long since been exposed, but there was also the unexpected wildcard of Jian Jing in addition to the police who had been obstructed.

    If not now, when better to gang up four legs against two?

    "Baby, it''s time for us to be good Samaritans." Zhou Bing was unarmed, so Jian Jing''s courage swelled in an instant. She patted the temp worker horse she had hastily recruited. "If we catch him, I''ll treat you to a feast."

    The horse whinnied and broke into a gallop.

    The mountain road was not steep, and the area was often cleared of loose rocks for safety, so the horse ran very smoothly.

    As they jostled along, Jian Jing felt her adrenaline skyrocketing.

    Her cheeks flushed red, her heartbeat raced, fear was flung to the clouds, and excitement took over her body. It was a very unfamiliar emotion, causing her rm even as she savored the thrill.

    The warm breeze caressed her cheeks, and the surroundings streaked by.

    In the binocrs, the magnification automatically decreased again and again, until Zhou Bing''s figure gradually came into focus.

    The hurried hoofbeats startled the crafty suspect. He looked back, muscles taut and calves bulging like a wary beast ready to pounce.

    But when he saw who it was, a sh of obvious surprise crossed his weathered face.

    This was not the police he had anticipated, just a young girl. She wore a loose T-shirt and cropped jeans, with limited-edition canvas sneakers on her feet.

    There were many young girls like her, but Zhou Bing still recognized her.

    Because she had very light-colored long curly hair.

    Because she had called out to him once when he was picking up cigarette butts.

    In this moment, reason and instinct collided.

    Reason said: He had run to the riding grounds and it was normal to encounter a tourist riding a horse, this girl must be here with other students, absolutely not police.

    But instinct screamed: There''s no such coincidence, be careful!

    "Old fe, it''s you!" The youthful beauty pulled the reins to bring her mount closer. "You y CS too? How hip."

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48

    As the saying goes, a guilty conscience makes a coward of anyone. Zhou Bing was an old hand in the underworld, but after all, he was engaged in shady business and couldn''t keep a straight spine.

    His mind didn''t think Jian Jing was a problem, but his gut was churning with fear. Hearing her speak to him, he didn''t respond at all, just turned around and ran off.

    Jian Jing spurred her horse on and immediately caught up: "Old man, why are you running?"

    Zhou Bing stopped in his tracks, changed his mind, and pretended to be hard of hearing: "Ah, are you calling me?" He mumbled, "I''ve still got things to do. Go ask someone else for directions."

    "Have you seen mypanion?" Jian Jing persisted, not too close or too far. "I can''t find him anymore."

    Zhou Bing randomly pointed ahead: "Someone went that way, don''t know if it''s who you''re looking for."

    "What does he look like?" Jian Jing continued stalling for time.

    "What did you say?" Zhou Bing furrowed his brows, reluctantly moved closer as if to hear more clearly, "My hearing''s not good. Say it again."

    As he spoke, he naturally walked over, now only a step away from Jian Jing.

    "I said," Jian Jing cooperatively turned her horse around, pretending to yell loudly, "Have you..."

    In the split second she said the second "have", they both made their moves at the same time.

    Zhou Bing swiftly raised his arm, trying to grab her leg and pull her down from the horse so he could ride away. And almost at the same time he moved, the dormant status card was triggered.

    [System: Status Card - Intuition triggered]

    [Countdown: 10, 9...]

    It was as if an electric current ran down her spine. Her body produced a strange intuition, requiring no signals from her brain. Jian Jing instinctively responded appropriately.

    She pulled up on the reins with both hands, leaned back, and controlled the horse to lift up its front legs and fiercely kick towards him.

    The two moved almost simultaneously, but unfortunately, the park horse and Jian Jing were not in sync, responding a beat slower. She felt enormous pressure on her ankles, and her whole body was leaning back without stable footing, causing her to fall sideways.

    At that time, the horse''s front legs also kicked Zhou Bing in the side. He tumbled and got back up again, the stolidness on his face now reced by viciousness.

    Lured by the gold and freedom, Zhou Bing attacked mercilessly, taking out a folding military knife from his pocket and stabbing down at Jian Jing.

    Guided purely by instinct, she rolled out of the way, took out the wolf repellent spray from her prop card, and crossed both hands in front of her chest to block Zhou Bing''s stabbing motion while pressing the spray nozzle.

    She felt tremendous pressure on her wrists. Although elderly, the physiological differences between men and women couldn''t be ignored. Plus, Zhou Bing had the advantage of weight and was at an absolute advantage.

    3 seconds, 2 seconds shorter than in the emergency room.

    But the distance was also closer than before.

    If she did nothing, it was hard to say who would take the other down first. Under Intuition + Composure mode, Jian Jing calmly yet instinctively followed the cues of thebat card, fiercely kneeing upwards.

    Zhou Bing had long been wary of this move and raised his calf to forcefully pin down her leg. Jian Jing didn''t panic and immediately lifted her other leg to destabilize his foothold.

    The muscles were stretched to their limits, adrenaline surging wildly, she couldn''t feel any pain.

    1 second passed.

    Fib against radius, tibia against tibia, it had be a battle of bones and muscles.

    But Zhou Bing still had energy to spare. He opened his mouth, lowering his head to bite her windpipe. It didn''t matter if he couldn''t get a good bite, a delicate young girl would surely be afraid of him taking advantage.

    If she let up, he would win.

    However, in her intuitive state, it was as if Jian Jing could predict his actions, proactively tilting her head back.

    Forehead met forehead with a muffled thud. The hardness of their skulls was no different between genders, and both became slightly dizzy.

    The stalemate continued and the 2nd second passed.

    Zhou Bing''s eyes reddened, exerting even more force, pushed to his survival instinct.

    A man driven to the edge would erupt with tremendous power. Jian Jing had a sh of inspiration, whistling towards the distant horse as if summoning it to join the battlefield.

    Zhou Bing took the bait, hesitating between escaping and taking her down, his willpower slightly weakened.

    Going all out then declining.

    Once primal survival instincts were ovee by reason, it became hard to surpass human limits again.

    The remaining 1 second slowly trickled by.

    Brain dizzy, muscles uncontrobly rxing, strength quickly fading from the body.

    A kicknded on his abdomen and he copsed sideways, falling into deep unconsciousness.

    No more awareness.

    Jian Jing painfully crawled up, gasping heavily. Just a few seconds of deadlock hadpletely drained all her energy, her lungs extremely oxygen deprived.

    She clutched her chest to catch her breath, looking at the passed out Zhou Bing in disbelief, still not quiteprehending what happened.

    "Jian Jing?" Ji Feng rushed over and seeing she was unharmed, couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Noticing who was lying on the ground, he was overjoyed, "You took care of him? Good job!"

    Out of habit, he heartily pped her on the shoulder, causing Jian Jing to stumble.

    "Ow, sorry about that." Only then did he realize his mistake, grabbing her steady, "You alright?"

    "I''m fine." Jian Jing was pped back to awareness. Looking at the fainted Zhou Bing, she still couldn''t believe it, "Take a look, he really went down?"

    Ji Fengughed. Crouching down to cuff the man, he asked, "What''s wrong with you? Of course he''s down. You used that spray again right? It really is quite potent."

    Jian Jing took a small breath.

    She had actually taken someone down?

    Yes, the scene she personally experienced felt unbelievable.

    But upon further thought, it wasn''t hard to understand.

    Females acutelyck a sense of security, fearing walking at night, riding alone, and even opening the door for delivery. Surrounded by constant fear.

    As an ordinary woman, Jian Jing never believed she could independently take down an adult male - when she caught up to Zhou Bing earlier, she only nned to ambush him with the spray, not go head to head.

    But the truth was, although she had the potent spray, she did manage to subdue an adult male in solobat.

    Even if he was an old man, even if he had already exhausted some energy, even if she had the double status cards...regardless, she aplished something she never imagined herself capable of.

    It would be no exaggeration to say Jian Jing was a changed person.

    She couldn''t help but tell Ji Feng, "I''m so awesome."

    Ji Feng praised her, "Awesome, of course you''re awesome. You did great today." If not for her seizing the opportunity to tail the fugitive, they wouldn''t have intercepted the suspect so urately.

    He was extremely satisfied, "I''m treating you to a meal, I must, can''t refuse."

    Jian Jing naturally wouldn''t refuse. She fanned herself, still immersed in the surreal sense of achievement, "I didn''t even think I could do it. His knife almost stabbed me."

    The moment she chased after him alone, it was as if the spirit of Zhao Yun possessed her, courageously riding solo, blood burning with excitement. But looking back now, cold sweat broke out wave after wave, frightened beyond belief.

    "I''m so brave too." She sighed, "What if something happened?"

    Ji Feng: "..." He understood, his first time catching a crook he acted just as silly.

    "Caught the guy." He notified his colleagues toe collect the man.

    "Then I''m going first, my ssmates are waiting for me." The thrill still hadn''t worn off Jian Jing. She mounted her horse, flicked the reins, "Clip clop clip clop" and rode away.

    At this moment, the western sun had set, evening winds gently caressing her face. In the exquisite soft lighting environment, the park horse no longer seemed so ordinary, and the person riding it showed no hint of trembling hands.

    Having aplished her mission, the female hero rode away alone.

    Cool, but as everyone knew, it wouldn''tst more than three seconds.

    Jian Jing returned the horse and was cursed out by the staff, refusing to return her wallet unless she paid a 200 yuan fine. By the time she arrived at the meetup spot with Zuo Xin and the others, the hot blood from defeating the robber one-on-one hadpletely dissipated.

    "What happened to you?" Zuo Xin saw her disheveled hair covered in grass clippings and her brain uncontrobly imagined a crime scene.

    Jian Jing: "Chivalry."

    Zuo Xin: =żÚ=

    "Can I have a cold c?" She panted, "I need caffeine and sugar!"

    Zuo Xin quickly handed her a can of cold c: "You were ying hero rescuing beauty? How did you get so messy?"

    Jian Jing downed two gulps of c, revived to half health, regaining her spirit: "Want to know where the robber''s gold is hidden?"

    Zuo Xin: "You know?"

    ˇ°Tell me and I''ll give you some grilled meat skewers,ˇ± she tried to bait him.

    Zuo Xin was a sucker for this sort of thing. She immediately snatched a skewer of beef that Cheng Jia You had grilled and urged impatiently, ˇ°Go on, tell me. I just overheard someone saying the police are chasing an escaped convict on theke. Is it true they''re in the water?ˇ±

    Jian Jing slowly and methodically nibbled on her skewer. ˇ°It''s a distraction. The gold is hidden somewhere very safe.ˇ±

    Zhao Xuan had wanted to probe about her love rival but was sucked into the story. ˇ°Where else could be considered safe?ˇ±

    Jian Jing said, ˇ°A safe.ˇ±

    Zuo Xin: ˇ°??ˇ±

    ˇ°The safe in the office,ˇ± she shrugged. ˇ°Safe enough?ˇ±

    Zuo Xin suddenly understood. ˇ°So you disappeared earlier to look for the gold?ˇ±

    ˇ°What gold?ˇ± Liu Kai picked up on the key word like a bloodhound catching a whiff of meat and immediately inserted himself. ˇ°What are you talking about? And Jian Jing, did you just get in a fight? You look pretty roughed up.ˇ±

    His tone contained surprise and exaggeration but was noticeably devoid of concern, which made people very ufortable.

    Even Zhao Xuan spoke up, ˇ°What''s it to you?ˇ±

    ˇ°Just concerned about a ssmate,ˇ± Liu Kai said.

    Jian Jing tossed away her skewer stick and smiled. ˇ°Sorry, didn''t feel any concern from you. Our conversation doesn''t wee you either. Please.ˇ±

    She made a gesture that said ˇ°please help yourselfˇ± but meant ˇ°get lostˇ±.

    Liu Kai''s face alternated between green and white, extremely ugly. ˇ°Who cares, tsk.ˇ± He turned and walked away, going over to pat Cheng Jia You on the shoulder and say something to him.

    Zuo Xin couldn''t help asking, ˇ°Are Cheng Jia You and him close?ˇ±

    ˇ°They were high school ssmates, rtionship''s decent. Mainly Liu Kai''s a sycophant.ˇ± Zhao Xuan frowned.

    As someone doing public rtions she often had to meet bosses, and Liu Kai was always backhanded and sarcastic. They maintained a superficial friendliness only because they were both in student council and Cheng Jia You''s rtionship.

    But just now, his malice was so obvious any girl would feel disgusted.

    She said to Jian Jing, ˇ°Go clean up in the bathroom. Some guys have filthy mouths.ˇ±

    ˇ°To tell the truth, I just fought with a man and he almost stabbed me. My legs are too weak to stand up now.ˇ± Jian Jing told the blunt truth. Her whole body ached down to the bone, her muscles sore and stiff. Her arms in particr could barely grip anything.

    Zuo Xin was shocked. ˇ°Did you get mugged?ˇ±

    Jian Jing blinked. ˇ°How else would I know where the gold was?ˇ±

    Zhao Xuan froze and looked at her incredulously. Her? Getting into a scuffle with a robber?

    Zuo Xin was fully convinced. ˇ°Badass, girl!ˇ±

    Jian Jing smiled, also thinking she was pretty badass, so Liu Kai''s attitude didn''t faze her at all. She undid her messy bun and used her fingers to pick out the bits of grass in her hair.

    Zhao Xuan took out a hairb from her bag for her.

    ˇ°Thanks.ˇ±

    ˇ°DonˇŻt mention it.ˇ± Zhao Xuan finally couldn''t resist asking, ˇ°What exactly happened?ˇ±

    ˇ°They were conspiring to escape together. I figured out their secret code and intercepted them.ˇ± Jian Jing was sinct. ˇ°I blocked them for a bit, we got physical.ˇ±

    Zhao Xuan stared at her nkly,pletely unable to believe her words.

    Wasn''t she a writer?

    Weren''t writers supposed to be pale, frail, often bald, subhealthy people?

    How did a simple orienteering game lead to her actually finding gold and brawling with bandits?

    Was something wrong with the world?

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49

    Jian Jing''s questions had yet to be answered when Cheng Jia You put down what he was doing. With a face full of concern, he walked over and asked, "Jian Jing, Liu Kai said you fell down? Are you okay? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

    "I''m fine." She re-tied her hair and, in the face of the overt and covert probing, smiled and said, "I ran into an escaped convict, but luckily wasn''t hurt."

    "Escaped convict?!" The others reacted first, "There was an escaped convict here?"

    Jian Jing quickly exined, "The police have already caught all of them. It was just the bank robber criminals, and the gold was also found."

    Some other girls sincerely admired: "Wow Jian Jing, you''re really amazing!"

    "You should say she was too reckless." The boys unanimously expressed disapproval, "Who knows if the guy had a gun, you should have stalled him instead of confronting him directly, that was too rash."

    Zuo Xin: "Are you lecturing her about how to do her job? As if you could do any better?"

    "Why wouldn''t I be able to?" The other side stubbornly retorted, "I could take him down in one move."

    The two sides started a war of words.

    Cheng Jia You didn''t join the argument. He sat down next to Jian Jing and worried, "It really was too dangerous, a girl going up against a criminal herself..." He shook his head in strong disapproval, "Luckily nothing happened."

    No matter one''s gender, people tend to act a little differently towards someone they like.

    Jian Jing was the same. Gently, she said, "I know."

    Cheng Jia You''s face regained its smile. He sincerely exhorted, "Don''t do this again next time."

    Jian Jing was taken aback momentarily, then gazed at him and slowly shook her head.

    "No," she said, "perhaps next time, I will still do the same."

    Cheng Jia You was shocked and puzzled: "Why? It''s so dangerous, you could get hurt."

    "Yes, I know," she raised her head, directing her gaze towards the distant purple dusk, "but, maybe..."

    A 10% sess rate and 90% mortality rate, definitely don''t go.

    A 20% sess rate and 80% mortality rate, still wouldn''t go.

    What about a 50% sess rate and 50% mortality rate?

    Or 60% and 40%?

    She couldn''t pat her chest and say she could always step up.

    But if possible, why not?

    Cheng Jia You suddenly fell silent.

    The hiking activity was aplete sess. After a barbecue dinner, everyone took a group photo by the barbecue grill and posted it on social media and around the school. Of course, those who photoshopped themselves only posted photos of themselves, at most with a bestie, and no two photos from the same original were alike.

    Jian Jing took a shortcut, stealing Zuo Xin''s photo to post on her own feed. After getting it done without much thought, she took a nap in Cheng Jia You''s car on the ride home, only waking when they were close.

    "Thank you for today," she bid Cheng Jia You farewell, "thanks for picking me up and dropping me off."

    Cheng Jia You opened his mouth, hesitating between two things he wanted to say - should he ask if she was free to see a movie together tomorrow? He had the urge, but reason told him he shouldn''t be spending more time with her.

    Of course he liked Jian Jing. He had always liked demure, well-behaved girls, obedient and sensible, with a little coquetry that was fine too.

    And Jian Jing was just like her name, quiet and peaceful, not noisy like other girls. She was also a writer, and very pretty - she matched his aesthetic very well. So he had uncharacteristically taken the initiative to pursue a girl.

    However, after getting to know her, he noticed she seemed somewhat different from his imagination.

    Cheng Jia You had been popr with girls since childhood, and fancied himself as quite knowledgeable about them.

    Take Zhao Xuan for example. Though she didn''t say anything, he knew she liked him. It was the same for the others - girls who feigned ignorance to ask him questions, girls who addressed him intimately like a brother, he knew what they were thinking even if he didn''t say it out loud.

    Jian Jing was different.

    He couldn''t see through her, couldn''t get a read on her. Right now for instance, looking each other in the eye, he still had no idea how much she actually liked him.

    Cheng Jia You didn''t like this feeling. It made him feel very insecure.

    So after much hesitation, the words on the tip of his tongue changed shape.

    He said, "No need to be so polite between ssmates."

    The word "ssmate" was worth examining. It allowed him to attack or retreat. It could be taken as casual conversation, but also hinted at something more. If she was interested, hearing this term, she might take the initiative. If she wasn''t interested, he had already set the boundary of "ssmate", so he wouldn''t end up in an awkward rejection.

    Don''t think guys don''t have ulterior motives either. Even the most infatuated man has his own agenda.

    Unfortunately, Jian Jing didn''t get his probing at all, only hearing the literal meaning of "ssmate".

    Although she couldn''t help but wonder why he was suddenly ending it, she more or less understood what the issue was. She briskly nodded: "Okay, goodbye."

    "...Goodbye." Cheng Jia You reluctantly bid her farewell, scrambling back to his car, cheeks inexplicably heating up, feeling utterly awkward.

    The night was deep.

    Jian Jing entered the elevator and leaned against the wall, thinking: this fleeting crush came and went quickly. She didn''t even really know why he liked her, but why he gave up was very clear - she wasn''t the girl he imagined.

    Come to think of it, most guys don''t like girls who single-handedly charge criminals.

    But she really enjoyed being that kind of girl.

    Whether Cheng Jia You liked her or not wasn''t important.

    By the time the elevator dinged her floor, Jian Jing hadpletely waved away the slight mncholy, impatient to take a hot bath.

    After her bath, her phone showed two missed calls from Kang Mo Cheng.

    She called back: "Were you looking for me?"

    Kang Mo Cheng started the conversation casually: "Went out to y today?"

    "School activity." She chatted rxingly.

    "Did you have fun?" Kang Mo Cheng was also very casual.

    Jian Jingughed: "Yeah, fun."

    Catching Zhou Bing gave her an achievement she could gloat over for three years. But she''d better not tell Kang Mo Cheng, or she''d be asking for a scolding.

    Kang Mo Cheng misunderstood the reason for her good mood. He hesitated briefly before asking in as calm a tone as possible: "That''s good then. By the way, who was that guy next to you? I don''t think I''ve seen him before."

    Jian Jing: "Ah!" She understood Kang Mo Cheng''s implication.

    "Boyfriend?" Kang Mo Cheng asked teasingly.

    Jian Jing looked at the clock: "An hour ago he was a boy pursuing me."

    Kang Mo Cheng frowned: "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, an hour ago, he decided I wasn''t good enough and gave up." Jian Jing took it lightheartedly, joking about it, "He didn''t think I was good enough."

    "Who?" Kang Mo Cheng''s voice shot up an octave, "He dumped you?"

    Jian Jing said: "I wouldn''t say dumped... I didn''t agree to date him either. We were just getting to know each other and both felt the other wasn''t a good fit." Speaking to someone close, she was more blunt, "To be honest, other than his face, there was nothing worth looking at, and even his face doesn''tpare to some others."

    Her interactions with Cheng Jia You were more about her interest in the concept of "dating" itself, rather than interest in him as a person.

    But the result was nothing like she imagined: the love she fantasized about was instinctive, with mutual attraction between two people. But reality was cool, rational weighing and judging whether two personalities werepatible, whether their conversations had chemistry.

    It was practically an arranged date.

    "Anyway, it wasn''t like I imagined." Jian Jing said, "No fun."

    Catching escaped convicts was way more fun.

    Kang Mo Cheng was silent.

    "President Kang?"

    "Tomorrow afternoon, my mom has a tea gathering." Kang Mo Cheng recalled, "Her friend''s child is back in the country. I''ll bring you to sit for a bit and meet some people."

    His mom''s friends'' kids, they were all familiar faces. Some studied abroad, some started their own businesses, even the wildest were professional party animals, well-versed in eating, drinking and fun.

    It would be good for Jian Jing to interact more with them. Even if there was no spark, she could make more friends.

    But Jian Jing declined, "I don''t want to go. It''s only two days of the weekend, I went out today, and I need to write tomorrow."

    Kang Mo Cheng: "Work and rest in moderation."

    Jian Jing: "I need to work."

    Kang Mo Cheng was afraid she was feeling down from being rejected, so he didn''t insist: "My mistake, I should have introduced more friends for you to get to know."

    Jian Jing pressed her palm to her forehead, as if forced into another round of arranged dates by her parents.

    She perfunctorily brushed him off with a couple lines, and uncharacteristically took the initiative to end the call first.

    But that still wasn''t the end of it.

    There were new unread messages on her phone.

    Jiang Bai Yan: [Teacher Jing Jing, I finished filming the second season, been at home these two days. When can I treat you to coffee?]

    Jiang Bai Yan: [No no, I should treat Teacher Jing Jing to coffee! Teacher must help tutor me!]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Teacher JianJing, I''m having such a hard time. Just seeing the password makes me lose IQ points. Can you please give me some extra tutoring lessons?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Kitty kneeling on the ground.JPG]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Kitty begging.JPG]

    JianJingughed at his teasing and replied without thinking too much: [OK]

    She didnˇŻt respond for more than ten minutes, but Jiang BaiYan immediately replied: [Thank you Teacher JingJing. IˇŻll check my schedule next week and set up a time with you.]

    JianJing knew celebrities have busy schedules and didnˇŻt mind: [Sounds good.]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Kitty making a heart sign.JPG]

    After settling their business, the chat didnˇŻt stop: [Teacher JingJing, did you go hiking today? Was it fun? ThereˇŻs a simr variety show that wants me to guest star for an episode and do some flying stunts. Do you think that would be tiring?]

    JianJing: [A bit. We had decryption tasks to do.]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Then Teacher JingJing must havee in first ce! (^U^)ĄÎ~]

    JianJing was just thinking it was a shame she had no one to share her joy with today. Seeing the conversation going in this direction, she naturally shared some of today''s adventures with him.

    Jiang BaiYan spammed her with reaction memes.

    [Surprised kitty.JPG]

    [Confused kitty.JPG]

    [Kneeling kitty.JPG]

    Near the end, JianJing suddenly realized something was off: [Your reaction memes seem a bit familiar.]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Kitty encountering a cucumber.JPG]

    JianJing: [I have a fan who also really likes sending these reaction memes.]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Teacher JingJing, my assistant is telling me to go to bed. Good night teacher, see you next week!]

    He quickly logged off, but new messages kepting in.

    JiFeng messaged: [Sorry, your money is gone.]

    JianJing immediately became alert: [Why?!!]

    The amount wasnˇŻt important, the sentimental value was.

    JiFeng: [Zhou Bing isnˇŻt a fugitive. We only released a notice for Li Li.]

    JianJing: [......]

    JiFeng: [Let me take you out for a nice meal.]

    JianJing: [Humph.]

    JiFeng also felt a little guilty. Unlike previous times deducing the real culprit, today they not only pursued the fugitive but also gold worth millions.

    He tried hard: [There''s a 30,000 yuan reward for Li Li''s information. Let me see if I can get it for you. Do you want the certificate? I asked, and it can add credits to your school record.]

    JianJing: [Humph.]

    No use.

    After considering for a bit, JiFeng opened his phone, took a photo and sent it to her: [This is old Gao, currently in the ICU. He has a very caring wife, and twin daughters who just started elementary school this year.]

    She immediately asked: [Is he okay?]

    JiFeng: [Still breathing.]

    JianJing: [Try to get the 30,000 for me, and put it in a red envelope for him.]

    JiFeng couldn''t help showing a trace of a smile. He leaned his head back against the stainless steel chair, fatigue gnawing at his nerves like an electric saw.

    But he couldn''t sleep, at least not until old Gao''s wife arrived.

    He forced his eyes open and chatted idly with JianJing: [Teacher Jian, I''ve decided to be your fan. Remember to give me an autograph next time.]

    JianJing: [You''re too fake.]

    JiFeng: [More genuine than gold.]

    This wasn''t entirely ttery. There may be some braver than her, and some smarter than her, but not many prettier. Hispliments came from the heart.

    JiFeng: [But there''s one thing I''m worried about.]

    JianJing: [?]

    JiFeng: [People be stupid when they fall in love. Be careful.]

    JianJing: "......" She felt like anything rted to romance was going wrong today.

    Not only did the peach blossoms blow in vain, others didn''t seem optimistic either.

    This must be what everyone expects - destined to remain single.

    But she absolutely could not admit it. She retorted: [Is that why you''re still single?]

    JiFeng justified himself: [Exactly.]

    JianJing: "......"

    The two chatted about the case for a few more sentences before the system''s settlement finally arrivedte.

    [Task Name: Find the Gold Robbery Fugitive (Completed)]

    [Task Reward: 20 Basic Bravery Points + 10 Special Contribution Points (Capturing a fugitive alone)]

    [Note: Bravery points can be used to draw cards (ordinary). Each draw costs 5 points; Contribution points can be used to draw cards (special). Each draw costs 10 points.]

    Too tired to look closely, she fell asleep.

    *

    2 AM.

    A haggard woman hurried to the ward. Before she could speak, her eyes reddened: ˇ°JiFeng, my old Gao...he...he...ˇ± She covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.

    ˇ°Sister-inw, old Gao is out of danger,ˇ± JiFeng roused himself and reassured her, ˇ°ItˇŻs not serious, donˇŻt worry.ˇ±

    The womanˇŻs expression rxed, and though still anxious, the desperation in her brows lessened: ˇ°What happened to him?ˇ±

    ˇ°He was stabbed once and shocked with electricity,ˇ± JiFeng exined. Old Gao was very skilled, so Zhou TongˇŻs stab only injured his back. He was only taken down after being tasered.

    He said, ˇ°IˇŻll stay here tonight. Come back tomorrow, the kids need someone to look after them.ˇ±

    ˇ°My sister is watching them at home.ˇ± The woman instead urged him to leave, ˇ°IˇŻm here now, you should go back and rest. Thank you for taking care of our old Gao.ˇ±

    JiFeng waved his hand: ˇ°ItˇŻs nothing.ˇ±

    ˇ°Go home, you need to rest too.ˇ± The woman said.

    JiFeng didnˇŻt insist further. After exhorting her a couple times, he left for home.

    Before even reaching the door, he instinctively lightened his footsteps, twisting the lock open and tiptoeing inside. He was afraid of waking his sleeping sister, not even turning on the lights. He only stood outside her door for a bit.

    Rustlingughs and paper pages turning came from inside.

    JiFeng was immediately annoyed. He knocked furiously on the door: ˇ°Ji YunYun, what time is it? YouˇŻre reading novels again?ˇ±

    The room suddenly went silent.

    ˇ°Sleep!ˇ± Too tired to lecture his sister, he warned her a couple times before returning to his room.

    Without the energy to even wash up or change, the consecutive days of intensive work had consumed all his strength. The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell deeply asleep.

    In his daze, a figure crept in stealthily, grabbing the nket folded at the foot of his bed and shaking it out over him.

    ˇ°DonˇŻt even know to cover yourself with a nket, yet still lecturing me?ˇ± The figure silentlyined, but used footsteps as gentle as her brotherˇŻs, without making any noise as she left.

    This was an ordinary police family, an ordinary yet extraordinary day.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50

    Monday, as usual Jian Jing went to school, but unfortunately, the ssmates who went hiking with her praised her achievements to the skies. She had gained many fans on her school ount, though heaven knows she had never posted a status!

    "Now you''ve really be a celebrity at school," Zuo Xin said. "Fortunately they don''t know what you look like."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle.

    It was funny. Her ssmates all knew "Jian Jing" had encountered a bank robber, the police bulletin had been releasedˇŞ"With the assistance of enthusiastic citizen Jian Jing, the evasive three robbers were sessfully captured."

    But as she sat in the library, no one knew she was the person involved.

    It had to be said, this was thanks to the special filming of the haunted house. Under the infrared camera, the face was unclear. Even those who had seen the show might not be able to recognize her immediately.

    "This is good." She needed fame but also wanted to maintain a normal life. Otherwise when she went out in the future, before she could even introduce herself, people would rush up and ask "Hey aren''t you so-and-so", how could life go on like that.

    However, strangers might not recognize her, but those who had seen her could find her.

    Zhao Xuan walked over holding books, hesitantly greeted them: "Hi."

    "Hi." Jian Jing nodded to her.

    Zhao Xuan seemed to get some recognition and sat down: "I watched the haunted house show, didn''t expect the hotel everyone was talking about was discovered by you."

    She was really convinced.

    Previously when she heard Jian Jing say she had encountered a robber, she was still a little skeptical, suspecting she was deliberately pretending, exaggerating a mere glimpse into an encounter. She had specifically checked it out.

    The first news article from the search engine was a clip of "Haunted House Daredevils".

    After watching it, she admitted that her prejudice waspletely unfounded and one-sided. Jian Jing was not the stereotypical artistic girl, neither dressed in white dancing dresses, nor walking barefoot in slippers, and had nothing to do with being sentimental.

    "You''re quite capable," Zhao Xuan exhaled and candidly said, "No wonder Jiayou likes you."

    Jian Jing: "Uh..."

    Zhao Xuan had admitted it, but her pride was not put down. After speaking, she wanted to leave.

    "We''re just ssmates," Jian Jing said quickly.

    Zhao Xuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "If even you don''t like him, I have even less hope." She shook her head and suddenly lost interest.

    Jian Jing was surprised on the contrary: "Jiayou and I have ipatible personalities. You are both student council members and should have a lot inmon."

    "Did we have it before? How could it suddenly appear?" Zhao Xuan suddenly felt it was quite meaningless. She waved her hand: "Thank you, I''ll go first."

    She and Jian Jing were not familiar with each other, so there was no need to stay after the words were spoken. She left holding her books.

    Zuo Xin said in a low voice: "She''s reading MBA prep books."

    Jian Jing silently nodded, was about to say something, but suddenly saw the girls at the table in front whispering and pointing at a figure gradually approaching.

    She nced over and was shocked: "Oh my god."

    "Wow, that guy is so handsome!" Zuo Xin whispered to her, "Walking towards us... Wait, don''t tell me he''s here to find you again?"

    The man walked through rows of solid wood long tables, under the gaze of other postgraduate candidates, calmly pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Jian Jing.

    "Teacher Jian, good afternoon." He smiled and greeted her.

    Zuo Xin looked at him and thought that half a month ago, Jiayou was also sitting in this chair.

    "What''s up?" Jian Jing sized up Ji Feng sitting opposite her, not understanding why he would appear here.

    Ji Feng: "Can''t Ie to see you for no reason?"

    Jian Jing: "Huh."

    She had known him for more than just one day. On ordinary days, this policeman was as busy as a dog, working 370 days out of the 365 days in a year, the extra days were spent working in his dreams.

    No one goes to the three treasures'' hall for no reason. Instead of investigating cases and catching criminals, he specially ran over to see her, who would believe that?

    However, Ji Feng was indeed quite strange today.

    Every time she saw him, he was either in uniform or simple, neat casual clothes. Although he had a good-looking face, he never took the trouble to groom himself, and she had even seen him unshaven.

    But today he was well-groomed, his clothes were neat and clean, with the smell ofundry detergent. His hair was freshly cut, and there were still some trimmings on his cor that weren''tpletely swept away. He looked very spirited.

    Zuo Xin noticed it too, and kept frantically jabbing her waist, eyes shing nonstop.

    Jian Jing pretended nothing had happened. She knew that ording to Zuo Xin''s theory, this proved Ji Feng attached great importance to her, but sorry, she didn''t believe it at all.

    This guy had probably just woken up and tidied up, and dropped by on the way.

    "You''re looking at me like that," Ji Feng stroked his chin back and forth, "Didn''t shave cleanly?"

    "Just want to see what tricks you''re up to," Jian Jing said. "Don''t tell me today you want me to ''help'' again."

    Solving cases was fun, but she didn''t want anything to happen at her school.

    "Don''t make me sound like the grim reaper." Heughed.

    Jian Jing stared at him.

    Ji Feng made a "ha" sound, seeming to find it very interesting: "Okay, then I''ll get straight to the point."

    "Please do." For some reason, Jian Jing had a feeling he was holding back something bad.

    But Ji Feng didn''t say anything. He just shrugged, took out a jewelry box from his pocket, a velvet box, gorgeous in color, square in shape, a very familiar prop for girls.

    Zuo Xin let out a short, hurried gasp, trying hard to hold it in, which made it even more shocking. She didn''t say anything, gathered the books in front of her at the fastest speed in her life, stuffed them all into her schoolbag, and disappeared neatly and briskly to a few seats away.

    "Open it and take a look," Ji Feng pressed his mouth into a line, but a teasing gleam shed in his eyes.

    Jian Jing: "Boring."

    She briskly opened the jewelry box.

    Inside was a gold coin.

    "The bank''smemorative coin, pure gold." He finally revealed his intention, "You recovered their gold, this is part of it. They took one out to thank you."

    Jian Jing had thought the reward was gone. She didn''t expect there could be such a souvenir and couldn''t help taking it out to admire it carefully.

    The gold coin gave off a gentle, brilliant glow under the sunlight. The smell of money was intoxicating.

    "I''ll take it." She promptly put the gold coin in her pocket.

    Ji Feng: "....Aren''t you going to decline modestly? Writers aren''t short of money, right?"

    "I deserve this." She raised her chin, a pleased arc appearing at the corner of her lips, "You catching criminals is your job. I''m different."

    "Look at you, gloating," Ji Feng snorted disdainfully, and admonished in a grave tone, "Teacher Jian, pride makes one fall behind, only humility allows one to improve!"

    Jian Jing ignored himpletely: "Anything else?"

    "Originally there was another thing I wanted to give you, but since you like the gold coin so much, I''ll keep this for myself." He waved something indistinctly sped in his palm.

    Jian Jing didn''t get a clear look and reached for it.

    He swiftly drew back: "It''s mine now."

    "Hey!" She called out, "Give it to me."

    Ji Feng leaned back leisurely on the chair and smiled: "Nope." He beckoned, "Come get it if you can."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but roll her eyes hugely: "Men really are childish."

    "I''ll only use one hand," he tempted her. "Want to try?"

    "This is the library," Jian Jing didn''t fall for it. She would never win against this professional with just basic martial arts. "Besides, what''s mine is mine, you can''t take it."

    Ji Feng neither affirmed nor denied: "So certain? Then let''s do this, guess what it is and I''ll give it to you."

    Jian Jing nced at him: "Thank you card."

    He raised his brows high.

    "Old Gao''s daughter''s thank you card," she slightly hooked her lips. "Did I guess right?"

    "Tell me your reasoning," he automatically took on an interrogative tone.

    For a moment, Jian Jing recalled when she had just returned after her rebirth, being pressed into defeat section by section by him during the written record. But after so long, she was no longer afraid.

    In fact, it was quite pleasant.

    When you were not prepared at all, the teacher called on you to answer a question, and you were the only one in the ss who got it right, the teacher asked you toe to the front to demonstrate, thetter was undoubtedly satisfying and proud.

    She said, "Although I only caught a glimpse of a paper slip, it obviously couldn''t be a bank card. The colors were very bright, it seemed like red, blue and green, very garish colors. When you fanned it, I smelled a hint of crayon. So it was easy to guess, a handmade card by a child.

    "Given that you previously tried to y the emotional card on me with Officer Gao''s child, the answer is obvious."

    Jian Jing held out her hand to him: "Hand it over."

    "Your deduction makes sense, but I have to tell you I did half of it," Ji Feng handed the greeting card to her, emphasizing, "Remember to return it to me."

    Jian Jing unfolded the card. It had quite childish drawings on it, shy yet abstract enough. A short letter was written in pencil:

    "Uncle Ji, Sister Jian, thank you for saving my dad. Wish you good health and safety."

    Although the character for "sister" was missing a stroke, and the character for "thank" was written unusually big, and there were pinyin spellings, no one would nitpick over such things.

    Unknowingly, Jian Jing''s expression softened, a smile emerging from her eyes.

    "Read it already?" Ji Feng took back the card and carefully put it away, "I was the one who saved Lao Gao, you just happened to be there."

    Jian Jing didn''t argue with him. The card was just as important to Ji Feng. She only mocked him, "Uncle Ji."

    Ji Feng made a pained expression.

    Children''s words stabbed the most. Jian Jing was in good spirits: "Staying up makes one age faster."

    "Are you urging me to hurry up and scram?" Ji Feng exhaled and nced at his watch, "Alright, I should get going too. You can slowly guess the third thing. Teacher Jian is so smart, you''ll definitely get it."

    Jian Jing was startled, "There''s something else?"

    He asked back, "If not, would I have made a special trip here?"

    Jian Jing thought about it, "What did you prepare for me?"

    Giving her the gold coin and card privately would have been fine. He didn''t need to specificallye to the school. His actions meant there was a reason he had to show up in person.

    "Only thought of it now?" Ji Feng was in a hurry to get to work, "You''re taking the entrance exam right, every extra point counts. Okay, I''m really leaving now. I''ll treat you to a meal after Lao Gao gets discharged."

    He waved his hand and strode away, disappearing from sight shortly after.

    Zuo Xin sidled back over, eyes shining bright, "Who was that?"

    "A friend," Jian Jing casually replied. She opened her palm eagerly, "Look at this quickly!"

    Zuo Xin was dumbfounded, "Why did he give you amemorative coin?" From a distance she had thought it was jewelry.

    "The bank gave it," she blinked, "It''s one of the stolen gold coins."

    Zuo Xin immediately discarded her gossip and eximed sincerely, "Wow!"

    Jian Jing: "Pretty great right?"

    Zuo Xin nodded rapidly. She had read many detective novels about stealing treasures and robberies. She would always get excited when the protagonist found gold treasures and treasures.

    But those were fake.

    What was in front of her was real, authentic gold, an authentic treasure.

    "This is too good."

    *

    The next day, Jian Jing learned from the counselor that the police had given a "Honoring Good Deeds"mendation to the school.

    The award certificate was tucked into a folder. The processing fee was 1 yuan, no more, but it was worth 3 credits. 5 extra points could be added for the entrance exam.

    She had to admit, Ji Feng usually seemed unreliable, but he handled things very thoughtfully. This was much better than money, and they didn''t have to pay anything themselves. Sly.

    Declining the school''s suggestion to publicize it extensively, Jian Jing only agreed to the school sending out a notice, and no photos. The school didn''t insist either, after all acts of honoring good deeds were not umon in this world.

    Jian Jing put the certificate away in a drawer. The gold coin was ced in her makeup box.

    Seeing it every day made her feel refreshed.

    Then the weekend arrived.

    Jiang Baiyan had arranged to meet her three days in advance, on Saturday afternoon.

    The location was a rather famous cafe, with good privacy, unlikely to be secretly photographed, yet still a public venue, so no need to worry about rumors. It was thoughtful from all angles.

    Jian Jing went to the gym Saturday morning, then wrote articles for two hours before leaving for the meeting at 2pm.

    The cafe Jiang Baiyan chose was called Orange Cat Cafe, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, with very convenient transportation. She declined his offer to send an assistant to pick her up, and drove there herself.

    Jian Jing arrived 10 minutes early. Unexpectedly, Jiang Baiyan hade even earlier than her.

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51

    "Teacher Jian," Jiang BaiYan waved his hand to get her attention, poking his head out from under a decorative nt screen. He was wearing a duck bill cap.

    Jian Jing looked around for the source of the voice and saw he had picked a good spot - an L-shaped seat tucked away behind the greenery, facing the garden in the center.

    Many cats were dozing on the floor, cat trees, and swings. Time passed peacefully.

    "Sorry I''mte," Jian Jing said to Jiang BaiYan, though her eyes were fixed on the cat carrier beside him.

    Jiang BaiYan smiled and said, "No, I''m early. I brought Dingding for a bath beforeing straight here." He opened the carrier door and deftly took out an orange cat. "Does Teacher Jian want to hold him? Our Dingding is very friendly, he won''t scratch."

    Jian Jing was overjoyed. She immediately took the chubby orange cat into her arms. As advertised, he was toozy to move and just adjusted into afortable position in her arms and continued napping.

    "I didn''t know you had a cat!" she said as she stroked the cat''s head, reveling in the joy of holding a cat.

    "I adopted him from this cafe," he said. "What would you like to drink, Teacher? This cafe''s affogato is delicious."

    Jian Jing was adventurous. "I''ll try that then."

    "Okay." Jiang BaiYan smoothly ced an order on his phone, then put it down and earnestly said, "Thank you for agreeing to meet me, Teacher Jian. I''m really happy."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but smile. She understood why Jiang BaiYan was so sessful - not only was he sweet-talking and perceptive, but more importantly, he was diligent.

    Everyone liked diligent people because they were reliable.

    "You''re wee, you''ve helped me a lot too," Jian Jing said. She took a book out of her canvas bag. "This is for you, an intro book on cryptography. The show''s codes actually all fall intomon categories. Once you grasp the patterns, they be easy to crack. Truly difficult codes requireputers to decipher."

    Jiang BaiYan quickly epted it and swore, "I''ll study this carefully!"

    "Don''t stress yourself out. It''s just a show after all," Jian Jing said. "It''ll be more fun to treat it like a game."

    Jiang BaiYan nodded rapidly.

    Jian Jing exined some letter and phic cryptography methods to him, eliciting exmations of surprise.

    After half an hour, the private tutoring session ended.

    Mostly because Jiang BaiYan was so attentive that Jian Jing had inadvertently gone overboard and treated it like a real lesson. Fortunately she caught herself in time - this was supposed to be afternoon tea, not home tutoring.

    "I don''t think a coffee is enough payment for the lesson," Jiang BaiYan said. "I''ll have to properly treat you to a meal, Teacher."

    Jian Jingughed. "That''s too much."

    "It''s my sincerity. Don''t stand on ceremony, Teacher." Before she could make an excuse, Jiang BaiYan suddenly became serious. "Actually, there''s something else I wanted to ask you about, if that''s okay."

    No one could refuse a request from such a handsome youth, Jian Jing included.

    As she scratched Dingding''s chin, she asked, "What do you want to know?"

    "They''ve started casting for Demon Doctor," he said directly. "Did you know, Teacher?"

    "I heard about it," Jian Jing said. With a little thought, she asked, "You want to audition?"

    "Mm, but I''m not here to ask you to make an introduction," Jiang BaiYan admitted honestly. "I already spoke with Director Huang, but he said I''m not suitable for the role. ying the demon would be too simr to my image in Hide and Seek."

    Jian Jing considered this and nodded. "That''s true."

    The demon''s age wasn''t important - the key was his moral ambiguity and detached nature. This would be repetitive with the male lead''s characterization in Hide and Seek, which wouldn''t benefit the drama or Jiang BaiYan.

    Jiang BaiYan continued, "So I went for a supporting role instead. Director Huang said he''d consider it. But my agent wasn''t too happy about the limited screentime."

    The role he mentioned was the culprit behind one of the cases, outwardly respectable but actually a prolific killer, the biggest viin in the first installment.

    The characterization was good, but the screentime was indeed too brief.

    "That role..." Jian Jing chose her words carefully. "Doesn''t have much potential for development."

    "Because he''s just a scumbag?" Jiang BaiYan asked.

    "Yes." Jian Jing hesitated, then revealed, "Did Director Huang mention anything about a new role in the second installment?"

    Jiang BaiYan''s eyes lit up instantly.

    Jiang BaiYan stared at the tiny phone screen intently. "Let me read for a bit first, Teacher Jian."

    "Take your time," Jian Jing said, refilling her coffee and buying a pack of chicken jerky to feed the obedient Dingding in her arms.

    Dingding instantly transformed from a chill cat loaf into a clingy factory flower, forcefully pinning down her hand with his paws to lick the chicken jerky in her palm.

    Jian Jingvished money and love, wholeheartedly throwing herself into the great cause of cat pampering - scritch scrotch here, belly rubs there, tail flicks and scratches, utterly content.

    Jiang BaiYan read quickly, grasping the gist of the story in an hour.

    "Is the role Teacher Jian mentioned the Hunter?" He took off his sses, hand on his chin in thought. "He seems to have aplex backstory."

    The Demon Hunter had only made a brief appearance during the murder case in the mansion, showing up as a helper to give an alibi for one of the suspects. He left the impression of an upbeat, righteous youth, but the meaningful eye contact with the Demon hinted at a hidden connection.

    Sure enough, after the case''s conclusion when the Hunter went to get medicine at the hospital, he crossed paths with the Demon again.

    The Demon said, "Nice to meet you, Hunter."

    And the first story ended.

    Jian Jing exined, "The Hunter''s ancestors released the Demon, cursing his entire family line. Only by killing the Demon can he break the curse and live a normal life."

    Jiang BaiYan asked curiously, "What kind of curse is it?"

    "At certain times, the Hunter loses his senses and turns into a monster," she said.

    The Hunter was a handsome young man, upright, brave, kind and just. He bought medicine for an elderly neighbor but didn''t take a delivery fee. He helped people find their lost cats. He rushed sick patients to the hospital.

    But this righteous, beautiful person shouldered a terrible curse.

    Under specific conditions, he would lose his human rationality and turn into a bloodthirsty killer, a true monster. His father had killed his mother because of this curse. And one day, he too might end up killing his beloved.

    He hated the Demon, determined to kill him.

    He also hated himself, the inner monster eating away at his sanity.

    The Demon was detached from the world, notprehending good and evil.

    The Hunter struggled in the world, unable to transcend.

    This was a role aspelling as the Demon''s.

    Jiang BaiYan asked, "Teacher, do you think I''m suitable?"

    Jian Jing nodded.

    After some contemtion, he broke into a dazzling smile. "I understand now. Thank you, Teacher Jian. I really don''t know how to repay you."

    Jian Jing said, "...Don''t call me Teacher."

    "Why not?" Jiang BaiYan''s eyes widened adorably.

    She smiled. "When you call me Teacher, I slip into teaching mode too easily."

    "Now that you mention it, Teacher Jian really does have a teacher-like vibe," Jiang BaiYan said earnestly.

    Jian Jing paused, then asked, "Very teacher-like?"

    Jiang BaiYan nodded sincerely.

    Jian Jing looked off into the distance of time and space. "If I wasn''t a writer, maybe I would have been a teacher."

    Jiang BaiYan said, "You''d definitely be a really patient and gentle teacher."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help chuckling. Patient and gentle? Oh no.

    Not knowing what she found funny, Jiang BaiYan scratched his cheek andughed along.

    The sunset spilled over the western sky.

    *

    The case was inspired by The Haunted Hotel, where a patient suddenly has an episode in the hospital, iming to be buried under the floorboards of a hotel and begging to be saved.

    All the doctors and nurses thought he was mentally ill, but after the patient woke up and underwent examinations, nothing was wrong. When others talked about this incident, he looked terrified and said that he was a donkey friend who had once taken shelter from the rain at such an old hotel.

    This aroused the devil''s interest, and he began to investigate the case.

    So did the hunter.

    Jian Jing didn''t want them to meet too early. The two went down two lines to unfold the story. Readers could piece together the ins and outs of the case from the two perspectives, which would be moreplete than the pure devil''s perspective in the first part.

    At the same time, the hunter''s and the devil''s ideas were different, so the solutions were naturally worlds apart.

    The hunter advocated legal punishment, focusing more on collecting evidence. The devil didn''t care. He put all his energy into tracking down the real culprit.

    Jian Jing thought about it for a long time before deciding how to arrange the ending. In the end, because she hated Qi Tian''s cruelty so much, she let the devil catch the murderer and eat his heart out.

    The second part was over.

    She sent the draft to Kang Mu Cheng.

    Kang Mu Cheng read it but didn''t give any suggestions for revision. He asked her to continue writing first and make overall adjustments afterpleting it.

    Jian Jing said, "I don''t have any inspiration for the third story yet."

    The case of the gold robber was quite interesting, but it focused too much on adventure. She hadn''t decided whether to use it or not.

    "Don''t worry, write slowly," Kang Mu Cheng seemed to be prepared. "By the way, I have something to do here. Why don''t you take two days off for yourself?"

    Jian Jing was wary. "What''s the matter?" It wouldn''t be a blind date, would it?!

    "Visiting a senior."

    The answer was unexpected.

    The thing was, Kang''s friend, who used to paint, had published some famousndscape albums. As he grew older, he no longer traveled around to sketch everywhere like he did in the past. Instead, he settled down and opened a studio.

    Unexpectedly, because the studio was built very beautifully amidst picturesque scenery, it attracted a lot ofpliments from friends. Everyone felt it was nice toe and stay for a while when free, so they funded a small resort hotel. When they had nothing to do, they woulde to stay for a few days and rx.

    Not long ago, the painter informed Kang that he was going to hold a small exhibition and invite old friends to participate, while introducing some of his disciples.

    Since Kang was busy, the matter fell to Kang Mu Cheng.

    Kang Mu Cheng thought that since the other party was rmending his juniors, he should also bring his own people.

    Jian Jing was unenthusiastic. "Do I have to go?"

    In the past, Kang Mu Cheng would not have forced her, but Jiayou Cheng''s recent incident made him very concerned. He categorically said, "Unless you have a reason not to go."

    Jian Jing couldn''te up with an excuse, so she had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52

    Not in this city, we have to take a ne first, and then drive for two hours before we can get there.

    However, although the journey was a little arduous, the scenery of the vacation hotel was really good.

    It was autumn, and the mountains were magnificent.

    The lush trees were still green, and some had taken on the deste hue of autumn, asionally with an orange-red as gorgeous as the evening glow, apanied by the clearke water and vast sky, making people feel carefree and reluctant to leave.

    As soon as Jianjing saw such beautiful scenery, she immediately threw away the annoyance of interrupting her work and sincerely eximed, "Living here is really no different from a fairnd."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Well, it''s not easy to dy the manuscript."

    Jianjing: "..."

    The vacation hotel was at the westernmost edge of the town, across a bay. No matter which room you were in, you could have an intimate contact with nature as soon as you opened the door.

    The one who weed them was the owner of the vacation hotel, Kangsheng''s good friend, Chang Painter.

    She was probably in her early forties. There were slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but her figure was still very slender. Wearing a silk floral shirt and jeans, she would easily be mistaken for a student in her early twenties if you didn''t look at her face.

    "Mu Cheng." Chang Painter held ady''s cigarette between her fingers, her eyes narrowed, "Long time no see."

    Kang Mu Cheng politely nodded: "Sister Chang."

    "You brought your girlfriend?" she asked.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "She is a young person in our studio. I brought her here to see the world. Jingjing, this is Chang Painter."

    Jianjing politely greeted her.

    Chang Painter looked her up and down with a smile, "What a beautiful girl. Come in, it''s windy outside." She called a girl from the house, "Xiaotian,e here."

    "Oh, okay teacher." A girl with a ponytail came trotting out.

    "This is Chairman Kang. Take them to Stars Night and Iris." Chang Painter waved her hand, "Mu Cheng, settle in and thene over. Let''s chat."

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded.

    Xiaotian led them out the door and turned left, walking to the adjacent two-story small building next door, exining, "There are three buildings here. M is on the far right, Da Vinci is in the middle, and this one is Van Gogh."

    Stars Night and Iris were of course the room numbers, adjacent to each other, with the sameyout, double beds, wardrobes, desks, and private bathrooms.

    After putting down her luggage and freshening up briefly, Jianjing went with Kang Mu Cheng to the Da Vinci building in the middle to meet other guests.

    Chang Painter had some reputation in the industry and many friends. Some were busy and only stayed for an afternoon, while others were free and simply stayed to chat with friends every day and enjoy the natural scenery.

    At this moment, there were two unfamiliar faces sitting in the living room.

    "This is Xiao Xia brought by Editor-in-Chief Tao. Hmm,e to think of it, your publishing houses seem to like signing young and pretty girls in recent years," Chang Painter introduced them while joking.

    Kang Mu Cheng said coldly, "Writers look at talent, not faces."

    His words were blunt, and Jianjing couldn''t help but nce at the girl who had been introduced as Xiao Xia. She was probably twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with wavy caramel brown hair, delicate makeup, and a sweet appearance, looking somewhat familiar.

    After some thought, it wasn''t difficult to recall her identity.

    Xia Xing, aka Sweetheart Idol, was a romance writer pushed by Morning Star Publishing House, whose book sales often ranked in the top three of romance fiction charts over the years.

    As for Editor-in-Chief Tao... if she guessed correctly, he should be the editor-in-chief of Morning Star Publishing House.

    Impressive, the twopeting publishers bumped into each other!

    "Chairman Kang really knows how topliment people, I''m ttered," the girl Jianjing secretly crowned Sweetheart Xia in her heart waved her hand with a smile, "I write light and casual love stories to spice up daily life. But I''m quite proud of myself, not everyone can make people buy their work."

    She said this humbly and sincerely, yet with the edge and spirit of a young person, showing great skills.

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at her but didn''t argue with the young girl.

    Chang Painter''s eyes shed as she introduced the tall,nguid man next to her, "This is Ai Di, a model."

    "Hello," Ai Di yawned, seeming to be hungover and still drowsy.

    Chang Painter didn''t seem surprised by his condition, "You should drink less, at least before dinner. I hope you can be more spirited."

    "I''m always like this during my vacation," Ai Di waved his hand indifferently.

    Chang Painter didn''t say more, and turned to the bar instead, "What would Chairman Kang and the little one like to drink?"

    "Coffee," Kang Mu Cheng nced at Jianjing and answered for her, "She''ll have the same."

    Chang Painter folded her arms, "I don''t have coffee here, only alcohol. Drink if you like."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Water is fine too."

    "None," Chang Painter walked straight out from behind the bar and sat down at the farthest end, with an expression that she didn''t want to bother anymore.

    Her apprentice Xiaotian sensed the atmosphere and quickly brought two sses of lemon water: "Chairman Kang, Miss Jian, water."

    "Thank you," Jianjing took the ss but did not drink it. She asked softly, "Are there many guests? The rooms downstairs seem to be upied."

    Constantly observing the environment anytime and anywhere had be her instinct.

    Xiaotian said, "Yes, they went fishing with Xiaolu."

    "You can go fishing here?" Jianjing chatted with her in a low voice, "What kind of fish are there?"

    "Yes, there is a reservoir in the mountains, very suitable for fishing and sketching." Xiaotian was outgoing and enthusiastic. She took out photos from her phone to show her. It was indeed a vast and clearrge reservoir with extremely beautiful scenery.

    Jianjing nced at Chang Painter with a smile and asked, "Do you often go there to sketch?"

    Xiaotian nodded and asked her, "Would you like to go?"

    "I''m too tired from the trip today. Maybe another day," Jianjing caressed the water ss with a smile. "It would be a shame not to go see such a beautiful ce."

    She used this to open the conversation, asking who named the vacation hotel, and then asking if it was difficult to learn to paint, slowly getting acquainted with Xiaotian and eliciting information about the others.

    Chang Painter had two disciples, one was Xiaotian, and the other was Xiaolu. Editor-in-Chief Tao and Sweetheart Xia were guests, but Ai Di was not.

    He was Chang Painter''s "friend" who apanied her to sleep. For half a year out of the whole year, he lived here. He was not the owner but almost like one.

    As for the guests who went fishing with Editor-in-Chief Tao and Xiaolu, they unfortunately had some discord with Jianjing.

    Wu Writer.

    "They are friends?" Jianjing looked slightly surprised, finding it hard to imagine the rtionship between the two sides.

    Xiaotian leaned over and said in an almost inaudible voice, "Wu Writer is master''s friend." After a pause, she added, "Master passed away two years ago."

    Jianjing took out her phone to search and learned that Chang Painter''s deceased husband was also a famous writer, with a very characteristic pen name, Yang Guan. He was good at writing historical prose and novels and was quite well-known.

    The encyclopedia headshot was a middle-aged man of some age. She calcted the years and he died at the age of sixty-two.

    Looking at the marriage time, he also had two marriages, one at the age of twenty-one, and one at the age of fifty-two. His second wife was Chang Painter, and she was only thirty when they married.

    Wu Writer is fifty-nine this year, so it''s not surprising for him to say that Yang Guan was his friend.

    On the other side, Chang Painter asked Kang Mu Cheng, "How many days do you n to stay?"

    "Let''s see, if there''s nothing urgent at the studio we can stay a few more days, but we''ll have to leave if somethinges up." Kang Mu Cheng answered impassively.

    Chang Painter leaned back against the velvet sofa, "Is Sister Kang so busy? All the responsibilities are on your shoulders."

    "She always has things to do here and there," Kang Mu Cheng said.

    "I see," shezily flipped her hair, smiling coquettishly, extremely charming. "But since you''vee, you might as well stay a few more days. Many people want toe here, and I''ve never seen anyone who wanted to leave."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "The countryside scenery may not be bad, but I''m more used to the city."

    Chang Painter asked back, "How do you know you won''t like it if you don''t try? People change." She turned her head and said to the others, "When I was young I loved traveling everywhere, unable to settle down. If you asked me to stay in one ce for long, it would be like cutting my flesh, excruciatingly painful. But now that I''m older, it''s best to not move around all year. "

    Sweetheart Xia smiled and said, "It has nothing to do with age, it''s just that doing the same thing over and over makes one bored, and naturally want to try a different kind of life."

    "Ha," Chang Painter flicked off some ash, smiling, "How did Old Tao train you to be so sweet-mouthed."

    She nced at Xiaotian, or Jianjing next to Xiaotian, "If my students were half as smart as you, I wouldn''t have to waste so much effort."

    Xiao Tian''s expression was somewhat embarrassed for a moment. But it was unclear whether such things had happened many times before, and she quickly adjusted and apologized with an awkward smile: "Teacher has spent a lot of thought on us."

    "It''s good that you know." Chang Painter said inly, "Don''t just stand there, take out your sketchbook and show everyone. Although Kang Mu Cheng is not as experienced as General Tao, his eye for talent is quite renowned."

    Only then did Xiao Tian''s face show some joy. She took a sketchbook from the bookshelf and handed it to Kang Mu Cheng, "Please give me your critique, teachers."

    Chang PainterˇŻs expertise was in watercolors, so naturally her students were as well.

    The sketchbook contained several carefully collected watercolor paintings, mainly naturalndscapes, with elegant brushstrokes that were very beautiful.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked through page by page,pletely focused. Xiao Tian had wanted to ask him to make a simplement of good or bad, but once he entered work mode, his momentum was quite formidable. She hesitated to speak up, not daring to disturb him rashly.

    These few short minutes felt like immense torture to her.

    After a while, Kang Mu Cheng finally looked up andmented: "Very beautiful paintings."

    Xiao Tian''s eyes showed some joy, and she couldn''t help but look towards Chang Painter. Chang Painter stubbed out her cigarette, picked up the cocktail on the table and took a sip, then asked: "Can it be published?"

    "It can," Kang Mu Cheng answered readily, "3,000 copies, 10%."

    Sketchbooks had high production costs, so this was already a very practical price for a new artist.

    Chang Painter spoke coldly: "You don''t see much potential?"

    "Beautiful isn''t a style." Kang Mu Cheng closed the sketchbook and returned it to Xiao Tian. "Your paintings have simr themes but wandering styles, imitating this person one moment, imitating that person the next. There is no individual character."

    Xiao Tian was stunned.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Your paintings are good. If you sign with ourpany, IˇŻd give you a higher price. But at your current level, if you want to achieve artistic sess, you still need two years."

    Every publishing house had its own contracted artists for illustrations, covers, themed collections - high paying work. But no matter how much money these people earned, they would not gain recognition from the art world.

    Xiao Tian hugged her sketchbook tightly and bit her lip before managing to say, "Thank you, Director Kang."

    "You''re wee."

    The atmosphere was awkward for a moment.

    Xia Xing came out again to smooth things over. She said to Xiao Tian, "I really like your elegant and delicate paintings. Could I buy one from you? I just moved houses and my bedroom is still missing a painting as an ent."

    Xiao Tian shook her head and said dejectedly, "My paintings are worthless."

    "Buying art is about affinity. Even if I sold all my possessions, I wouldn''t have the ''affinity'' for Master Chang''s works." Xia Xing ttered both sides in one go. "I don''t understand art, liking it is enough."

    Xiao Tian was coaxed into rxing her expression. "Then I''ll give you one as a gift. Come to my studio and pick one yourself."

    The two young women walked away hand in hand.

    Chang Painter looked meaningfully at Jian Jing and said, "Aren''t you going too? You were chatting so enthusiastically with Xiao Tian just now, I thought you liked her paintings too."

    Jian Jing: "Chatting amiably doesn''t necessarily corrte with liking the paintings."

    "So, do you like them or not?" Chang Painter was a typical artist, unconcerned with logic and focused more on feelings. "I want to hear what you young people think."

    Jian Jing strangely asked: "Isn''t Director Kang also a young person?"

    Kang Mu Cheng chuckled: "Middle-aged already."

    "Anyone under 44 is still considered youth, especially if unmarried," Jian Jing cited.

    But Chang Painter was very stubborn: "I want to hear your thoughts."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows. Socializing was tiring work. If not necessary, she''d rather stay quietly observing in a corner than make insincere small talk.

    But just because she wasn''t good at socializing didn''t mean she couldn''t handle it.

    "Why? Am I that important?" She counterattacked, unwilling to easily obey.

    Communication was sometimes socializing, and sometimes hiddenbat.

    "Just casually asking, you don''t want to say?" Chang Painter did not back down. "Do you have any concerns?"

    "What concerns could I have? I''m ayman. If I don''t speak well, will everyoneugh at me?" Jian Jing pretended to be bewildered as she asked back, then said, "Compared to others'' evaluations, your opinion is more important, isn''t it?"

    Chang Painter smiled. She smoothly took adies'' cigarette out of the case, lit it, and exhaled. "My opinion?" She deliberately dragged out her words, sounding a bit strange. "What opinion could I have? I have no opinion."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She abruptly ended the conversation.

    She immediately lost interest: "Excuse me, where is the restroom?"

    Ai Di yawnedzily and got up bonelessly. "I need to go too. Follow me."

    Jian Jing didn''t want to interact with him more, but her dder was uncooperative. She could only follow along.

    The restroom was in a convoluted location, through the living room, down the hallway, and around an art studio before the entrance was discovered.

    Just as she was about to thank him, Ai Di suddenly turned to face her.

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "Is something the matter?"

    "Lisa has a rather arrogant temper." Ai Di''s hoarse voice scratched at her eardrums, the low tones seductive. "Just go along with her and there''ll be no issues. If you oppose her, she''ll cling to you and not let go. But she doesn''t have any malice, she just wants people to always listen to her."

    Jian Jing nodded: "Thank you for the reminder."

    Ai Di shrugged and pushed open a small door next to them. In a sh, greenery filled her vision - it was a stretch of beautiful mountain scenery.

    Jian Jing paid it no mind and headed straight for the restroom.

    When she came out, Ai Di was still standing in the doorway, as if waiting for her.

    "It looks like you also don''t want to return to chat. Do you want to take a walk outside?" he said. "There are very beautiful sights if you go out this way."

    Jian Jing did indeed not want to sit stuffily inside again. And she felt Ai Di seemed to have some other motive, so she thought for a moment and said: "Alright."

    The weather had been clear when they arrived, endless blue skies. After sitting inside for a while, the skies had clouded over considerably. The cool mountain air rushed up, carrying some autumn bleakness within.

    While walking, Ai Di spoke up: "What do you think of the scenery here?"

    Jian Jing sincerely said: "Very nice."

    "That''s because it''s your first time here." Ai Di said. "asionallying once or twice can rx your mood, buting every year, anyone would get tired of it."

    His words were very meaningful. Jian Jing couldn''t help asking: "If you don''t like it, why do you stille?"

    "A bird raised at home, even if it likes to fly elsewhere, still has to return to its cage on time." Ai Di leisurely said, "Outside, there is no food you can eat without exerting effort."

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53

    The scenery here was beautiful, and thepanion of the opposite sex walking was not the most handsome, but had a rather impressive figure. But the quiet walking trip was forced to stop after a minute.

    It rained.

    A shower of autumn rain was cool, and the light rain falling between the mountains had no resistance at all to the single clothes on the body. Taking a walk in the rain was purely asking for trouble.

    The two hurried back and met three people who had just returned from going out at the door.

    Wu Writer, of course, was an old acquaintance, and he was chatting happily with a fat man who looked about forty years old. He should be Editor-in-Chief Tao from Morning StarˇŞwhether this "chief" referred to "a certain chief editor" or "vice president" was unknown. Anyway, there were many people with "chief" titles inpanies big and small.

    The youngest one next to him carrying the water bucket must be Xia Lu, another student of Chang Painter.

    "Yo." As expected, Wu Writer fired the first shot as soon as he saw them. "Long time no see, little princess. Did youe with your Uncle Kang this time too?"

    "Teacher Wu is always so enthusiastic when he sees me, people who don''t know might think you care about me a lot. But I know myself clearly," Jian Jing said lightly, "You just care about a certain thing, don''t worry, I received it well and didn''t damage it at all."

    Wu Writer''s expression froze as he suddenly remembered that she had an indecent photo of him in her hands. The muscles on his face twitched slightly as he forcibly swallowed this insult and strode into the house.

    Editor-in-Chief Tao was not upset about being abandoned either. He smiled and chatted, "This is Jingjing, right? I''ve heard a lot about you. I''m Tao Ling from Morning Star. Come on, let''s get to know each other."

    He reached out very enthusiastically to get acquainted with her.

    Jian Jing knew what he was after, but she wasn''t afraid at all and shook his hand lightly.

    "How long have you been here?" Editor-in-Chief Tao was very talkative. He had to ask something even in the few steps into the house, "We came this morning, ate lunch and went fishing. Ah, the water and air are so good here that we can have extra drinks tonight."

    Xiao Lu said with a smile: "Editor-in-Chief Tao is really good at fishing. The two fish today are quite big."

    Under Editor-in-Chief Tao''s intentional or unintentional lead, when they entered the living room, they looked like a picture of harmony.

    Chang Painter''s eyes swept over Ai Di, but she asked Editor-in-Chief Tao, "It looks like you had a good catch today."

    "Just got lucky." Editor-in-Chief Tao sat down with a smile. "Mr. Kang, we haven''t seen each other for half a year, right? Today we have to drink well."

    "Editor-in-Chief Tao is a busy man." Kang Mu Cheng said, "I heard that the book exhibition Morning Star held in Japan was very sessful."

    "Oh, stop it. We were just testing the water. Luckily it went well and we got this year''s Romance Award."

    The twopetitors crossed swords. Chang Painter didn''t interrupt and asked Xia Lu to take the fish to the back kitchen so that the cooking auntie could clean them up as soon as possible.

    After giving the order, she stared at Ai Di and asked, "Where did you go just now?"

    "Just went out for some air." Ai Di picked up the wine ss he had left before and drank the remaining wine in one gulp, "Headache, I''ll go back to sleep for a while."

    "Dinner will be ready soon." Chang Painter''s tone was unpleasant.

    "I won''t eat, I''m on a diet." He saidzily, then turned and walked out the door into the M Building on the right.

    Chang Painter''s eyes darkened instantly. But with so many guests present, she couldn''t make too ugly of a scene. She simply ignored him, "You guys sit for a while. I''ll go prepare dinner. It''s Western food today, nothing fancy, just whatever we have."

    Everyone said, "Anything is fine."

    Of course, no matter how casual the host was, it was impossible to just whip up a few dishes. Tonight''s dinner included cream of mushroom soup, vegetable and fruit sd, fried fish fillet, spaghetti a bolognese, cheesy mashed potatoes, chicken curry, pancakes and consomm¨¦.

    Although the dishes were diverse, they tasted pretty good and suited the Chinese pte.

    "Ai Di doesn''t like my Western food. He said it''s not authentic," Chang Painter drank very little and mainly red wine. Her cheeks were flushed. "It''s better when it''s not authentic. Authentic Western food, who can stand eating it year-round?"

    This statement was unanimously approved by those present, including Kang Mu Cheng. During his time studying abroad in the United States, he suffered from eating Western food and suffered from eating local Chinese food.

    Delicious food and fine wine loosened everyone''s tongues.

    Editor-in-Chief Tao chatted with Jian Jing with a clear goal in mind: "Mr. Kang is famously picky in the industry. Many partners get headaches as soon as they hear his name. How does he treat you? Is he strict with you? If you can''t stand his ways, consider us Morning Star."

    He asked Xia Tianxin, "Little Star, tell Uncle Tao how he treats you?"

    "Give me a raise in royalties and I''ll say nice things about you." Xia Tianxin smiled and said, "But our publishing house has very few requirements for us and gives us a high degree of freedom. Experienced authors can get a 50% advance payment just by providing an outline. It''s pretty good!"

    Jian Jing: "That sounds nice."

    Editor-in-Chief Tao asked: "Think about it carefully, especially if you ever want to write about love someday. Let me tell you, our romance novels sell really well."

    Jian Jing sincerely promised: "I will definitely think about it carefully."

    "I heard that Demon 2 is already in preparation? Ah, you have to get Mr. Kang to be well prepared this time. What happenedst time cannot happen again." Editor-in-Chief Tao pretended toy bare his heart. "It makes me break out in a cold sweat for you. Overwhelmingly negative reviews, a major PR disaster! If it were ourpany, my heart would be shattered."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Weren''t you the one who sabotaged me?

    Hearing this, Chang Painter asked Kang Mu Cheng, "He''s openly poaching your authors in bright daylight and you don''t have anything to say?"

    "Let him try. He won''t stop if he doesn''t try." Kang Mu Cheng didn''t care. Among all the big and small authors at Golden Crow, anyone could be poached, except Jian Jing.

    The little girl had thin skin. Verbally ying along meant losing.

    Sure enough, seeing that Kang Mu Cheng didn''t even nce his way, Editor-in-Chief Tao felt disappointed. But his face still wore a smile: "Jingjing, you see, Mr. Kang doesn''t care about you at all. If someone tried to poach my people, I would fight him desperately."

    Jian Jing: "You are so kind."

    A nice guy card to end the topic.

    Editor-in-Chief Tao felt she was a little slow-witted and that it was not cost-effective to waste words on her. So he switched targets and started chatting with Chang Painter. First he said she really cared about her two students and was a good teacher. Then he asked when she nned to hold an art exhibition, saying that although he didn''t understand art, he could at least help out.

    To be honest, it was nice having someone like him at the dinner table, who could chat and tell jokes. Everyone knew his words couldn''t be trusted, but it was still fun to listen to him. The puns kepting.

    Jian Jing found it very interesting.

    As heads of publishing houses, Editor-in-Chief Tao and Kang Mu Cheng hadpletely different styles.

    Editor-in-Chief Tao was generous, open-minded, talkative and humorous. Business was business, but interpersonal rtions mattered too. Even if they couldn''t cooperate, making a new friend and getting to know each other was good too.

    Kang Mu Cheng, on the other hand, was more rigorous in his words, emphasized professionalism, and clearly separated business from personal rtionships. Trying to get him topromise after a few drinks was absolutely impossible.

    As for Chang Painter, her thoughts tended to wander and she would just say whatever came to mind. Her artistic temperament was obvious, and she could chat with Editor-in-Chief Tao more easily. But Jian Jing noticed that she kept subtly ncing at Kang Mu Cheng.

    When drinking, when passing the pepper, the smile at the corner of her lips was like smudged lipstick, a vague smear of rouge.

    "Jingjing, can I call you that?" Xia Tianxin sat next to her, eyes and brows smiling. "We have a group chat, would you like to join?"

    Jian Jing was a little surprised: "What group?"

    "A chat group, mutual aid group, foodie group..." Xia Tianxin said. "People of simr ages in the industry, not just our publishing house, but also people from others. "

    She lowered her voice and blinked, "More friends, more ess."

    Jian Jing understood. Writers had their own circles. If they ever wanted to switchpanies, it would be convenient. She readily agreed: "Sure, thank you."

    "You''re wee. Helping each other out." Xia Tianxin sipped her red wine, and gradually began to chat more. "Hey, is Wu Writer always like that?"

    With her eyes, she nced at Wu Writer across from them. His old problem had reared its head again. Head lowered, he was saying something to Xiao Tian while Xiao Tian''s expression was somewhat stiff. Her body tried to lean closer to Xiao Lu next to her, but the seats were only so wide and she couldn''t get far.

    Xia Tianxin whispered: "I''ve heard the rumors several times already, that he bullies neers and likes to harass female authors. Looks like they''re true."

    Jian Jing nced over. She stretched out her foot and nudged Kang Mu Cheng next to her.

    He broke off his current conversation and turned to look at her.

    Jian Jing lifted her chin, indicating for him to take a look over there.

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned, then switched topics: "Speaking of which, I heard thatpetition hosted by Wu Writer was quite well received?"

    Jian Jing could not bear it anymore. She made an excuse of feeling unwell from drinking too much and slipped away.

    Xia Tianxin, Xiao Tian and Xiao Lu quickly followed suit and bid farewell, leaving the grownups to continue drinking and boasting.

    Back in her room, Jian Jing took a hot shower before opening her phone, ready to watch some pet videos. Just then, the door knocked.

    The person standing outside waspletely unexpected.

    "Won''t you invite me in?" Ai Di asked.

    Jian Jing frowned. "What''s the matter?"

    "Let''s continue our previous conversation," Ai Di shook the wine bottle in his hand. "Don''t worry, I won''t take advantage of you."

    After a moment of contemtion, Jian Jing politely declined, "I''m a bit tired and want to rest early."

    "The night sky in the mountains is beautiful. Don''t you want to see it?" He tried to entice her. "I know a small path up the mountain that leads to a gorgeous valley. There, the stars are just an arm''s length away."

    He made a gesture of plucking stars from the sky. "Just like this, so close."

    "That may sound romantic, but I''m not interested," she rejected firmly.

    Ai Di leaned in, bringing his face close to hers. The faint woody aroma of his cologne lingered around her nose.

    "What about me? Are you not interested in me either?" he asked.

    "No, I''m not," she stated. "Go back, or Chang Painter will find out and it won''t end well for you."

    Ai Diughed with a shrug. "Lisa''s got no time for me now, can''t you see? She''s set her eyes on Kang Mu Cheng."

    Jian Jing: "..." Not surprised.

    "Lisa and I are just ordinary friends," Ai Di crossed his legs, the tall shadow stretching onto the floor. "With this kind of friend, switching to another makes no difference."

    Unable to restrain her curiosity, Jian Jing asked, "Why me?"

    "Young, pretty, rich, of course it''s you," Ai Di answered breezily. "Don''t you want to give it a try? I make a very good ''friend'', no strings attached."

    Jian Jing: "The kind who borrows money."

    Ai Di: "Writers are loaded, I only need a tiny bit."

    "You''re a bottomless pit," she stated gently. "Ai Di, you''ve touched things you shouldn''t have."

    Ai Di fell silent abruptly, seemingly surprised.

    "Good night," she closed the door, not worried at all that he might continue harassing her.

    The footsteps outside receded.

    Jian Jing nced at the time on her phone.

    It was 8:40pm in Beijing on September 27th.

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54

    The next day, the weather was clear and the temperature dropped to twenty degrees Celsius.

    Jian Jing got up at seven o''clock, did some sit-ups and push-ups indoors to finish her morning exercise before going downstairs to have breakfast.

    In the dining room there was only Kang Mu Cheng, who sat at the wooden long table, sipping coffee and checking emails at the same time.

    Jian Jing wondered, "Aren''t you sleepy getting up so early?"

    "There is toast in the fridge, toast it yourself," Kang Mu Cheng typed on the keyboard. "It''s not early, it''s already half past seven."

    She unwrapped the toast and put it in the toaster, "You went to bed after twost night, and it''s only been a few hours?"

    "Did I disturb you?"

    Jian Jing was busy making coffee and casually said, "Oh no, I just thought you wouldn''te back."

    Kang Mu Cheng''s movements stopped and he turned to ask her, "What are you thinking about?"

    Jian Jing silently mouthed "painter".

    He fell silent, then turned his head as if nothing had happened, "Don''t talk nonsense."

    Jian Jing shrugged, "You''re questioning my observation skills."

    She held up her fingers and listed the evidence one by one: "At dinnerst night, she handed you seasoning and touched your hand; poured you wine, revealing cleavage; and when chatting with you, she kept ying with her hair very frequently... Should I go on?"

    Kang Mu Cheng looked very awkward, both embarrassed at being seen through, and a little helpless: "What are you worrying about this for?"

    "I just happened to remember it." She hummed lightly, "Who told you to say I was talking nonsense, otherwise I would havepletely forgotten about this."

    "Forget about it now." Kang Mu Cheng continued to focus on his work, "It''s not a good thing anyway."

    Jian Jing slowly drank her hot coffee, "It seems you don''t like this unexpected blessing."

    Kang Mu Cheng hit enter, closed hisptop, and interlocked his fingers, "Are you very interested in this topic?"

    "Just chatting," she said.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "This is my personal matter."

    Jian Jing was slightly stunned, feeling somewhat caught off guard and embarrassed. And this expression, as it fell into Kang Mu Cheng''s eyes, also made him realize immediately that he had said the wrong thing, and he tried to remedy it: "I didn''t mean to me you."

    She nodded, "I know."

    However, the atmosphere was still weird.

    Kang Mu Cheng weighed his words, wanted to say something more, but at that moment, a brisk footsteps came from outside. Xia Tianxin''s figure appeared in the morning light, greeted them cheerfully, "You guys are up so early?"

    "You''re up early too." Jian Jing smiled.

    "I wanted to go to the mountains early in the morning." Xia Tianxin invited, "Are you going? Let''s go together."

    Jian Jing agreed very quickly: "Sure, I wanted to go yesterday."

    "Me too." Xia Tianxin looked delighted to meet a kindred spirit. She casually took some food, "Let''s set off after breakfast, how about it?"

    Jian Jing didn''t even nce at Kang Mu Cheng, just smiled and said, "Couldn''t be better."

    The two girls quickly formed an alliance. They hastily finished breakfast and went back to their rooms to change into casual clothes. Together with their guide Xiao Tian, they went into the mountains to have fun.

    The autumn sky was clear and the trees in the mountains were full of vibrant colors. Before they even reached the reservoir, the girls'' phones were already full of photos.

    Not only was Xiao Tian good at painting, her photography skills were also quite good. Under her guidance, the photos were no longermon portraits. Silhouettes, spots of light, ponds were all good props to use, and each photo looked like it could be in a gallery.

    The girls were immersed in the joy of taking pictures until they were ravenously hungry, and it was already noon.

    Xiao Tian eximed, "The teacher must be up by now. I have to hurry back."

    Jian Jing and Xia Tianxin were both a little embarrassed and quickly agreed. The three of them rushed back, arriving at around 12:20 pm.

    They ran straight into Xiao Lu.

    He asked, "Did Teacher go out with Eddie today?"

    "No?" Xiao Tian was puzzled. "Teacher drank so muchst night, she must have just gotten up."

    "I just went to knock on Teacher''s door to ask what''s for lunch, but she didn''t answer me." Xiao Lu said awkwardly, "Maybe you can go take a look?"

    He was a boy so it wasn''t proper for him to enter the female teacher''s room. He could only ask Xiao Tian.

    Xiao Tian naturally agreed and hurried upstairs.

    A few minutester, she leaned over the stairs and shouted, "The door is locked, so Teacher should still be asleep."

    In a sh, one of Jian Jing''s radars was triggered: "Did you call out to her?"

    "I called her."

    "Louder, if no one answers then call her." She came up with excuses more and more smoothly. "Vomiting while drunk is dangerous."

    Xiao Tian looked hesitant. The painter had great prestige, and calling her made Xiao Tian not dare to disturb her casually: "Teacher often gets drunk, and nothing has ever happened before. If we wake her up, she will be very angry."

    Jian Jing frowned.

    She was certain the painter would not be angry, because, she could no longer be angry.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: The mysterious death of the painter]

    [Mission description: In the scenic mountain resort, the beautiful and wealthy female painter suddenly died. Was it an ident after drinking, or a premeditated murder? Please find out the truth.]

    [Mission Reward/Punishment: Sess rewards 30 courage points. Failure has no punishment.]

    Jian Jing thought, "Has the painter ever skipped lunch before?"

    "Very rarely. Teacher has a bad stomach and saw a doctor who told her to eat on time every day." Xiao Lu hesitated, "Or should we just call her?"

    "Okay then." Xiao Tian knocked on the door again.

    There was still no sound inside.

    Jian Jing asked again, "Is there a key?"

    Xiao Tian and Xiao Lu both shook their heads.

    Insisting on entering the room seemed a bit strange, so Jian Jing didn''t push it further: "When everyone is hereter, ask again if anyone has seen the painter. Maybe she went out."

    This was obviously a more eptable choice, and no one else objected. They discussed what to have for lunch.

    The resort had abundant stock. Xiao Tian cooked a pot of noodle soup with side dishes and snacks, which made for a decent lunch.

    During the meal, Tao Zong and Kang Mu Cheng both came over to eat and asked if anyone had seen the painter. The answers were all no.

    Kang Mu Cheng also said, "I saw Eddie leave in his car this morning, alone."

    Jian Jing had already fully switched to investigation mode, and sensitively asked, "Is he leaving? Where did he go? Did he say when he''d be back?"

    Kang Mu Cheng stared at her for two seconds before saying, "I didn''t ask."

    She suddenly frowned.

    However, around 2:30 in the afternoon, Eddie came back.

    On the contrary, Wu Writer had packed up and said he had something at home, preparing to go back today. Jian Jing was thinking about how to find an excuse to keep people here, when Eddie said, "There was a very serious car ident on the highway, itˇŻs blocked and you canˇŻt get through for now."

    This ce was remote, and the only road connecting it to the outside was the highway. With the highway jammed, it was impossible to get to the nearby high-speed rail station or airport.

    Wu Writer''s face was ugly as he opened his phone to search for news. As Eddie said, the local WeChat official ount had already released rted messages, asking town residents not to go on the highway for the time being, to avoid congestion.

    Jian Jing thought: This is great.

    She said, "No one has seen the painter, is she still in the room?"

    "Let me go see." Eddie went upstairs and knocked on the door, but didn''t get a response for a long time. He felt something was wrong: "Lisa would never sleep until the afternoon."

    Jian Jing had already observed the terrain: "Go over from the next room?"

    The resort was only two and a half floors. The second floor all had balconies that you could climb over from the adjacent rooms. Eddie was tall with long legs and easily climbed over to the balcony next door, opened the connecting door and went in.

    Jian Jing didn''t want to let him enter the scene alone, so she followed along.

    There was no one on the bed, and the bathroom door was open. The two of them entered the bathroom one after the other, and at a nce saw the painter slumped over in the bathtub.

    "Lisa?" Eddie rushed over, trying to grasp her shoulders and call out to her.

    But before his hand reached out, Jian Jing quickly pped it away.

    He was surprised: "What are you doing?"

    "She''s been dead for a while, don''t touch her." Jian Jing was mentally prepared and spoke calmly. "Be careful not to contaminate the scene, call the police."

    Eddie still hadn''t reacted, dazed for a good while before murmuring, "How is this possible, Lisa is dead?" He looked around. There was no blood or other traces. "How did she die?"

    Jian Jing said, "The coroner will know when they get here."

    He fell silent, face pale as he went out to open the door and notify everyone of this terrible news: "Something happened to Lisa."

    Everyone was shocked and crowded to the bathroom door to see what was going on.

    Jian Jing reacted quickly and immediately half closed the door.

    Wu Writer had resented her for a long time and would pick on her at every opportunity, let alone now: "What are you doing?"

    "Men stay back." Jian Jing didn''t budge an inch.

    Kang Mu Cheng and Tao Zong reacted very quickly and immediately stepped back outside the door, asking her: "What''s going on? Did you faint or slip? Do you need to call an ambnce?"

    Jian Jing''s eyes lingered on everyone''s faces. She said slowly, "The painter is dead."

    "What?"

    "Really?"

    "What happened?"

    Everyone expressed their shock to varying degrees, but Xiao Tian and Xiao Lu reacted even more strongly, with disbelief written all over their faces: "How could Teacher have... Good heavens!"

    They were extremely upset: "What should we do?"

    "Wait for the police toe," Jian Jing repeated.

    She didn''t want to start investigating right away, but the people involved in this incident were rather special. Half of them were her seniors whom she was not close with, so it would be difficult to convince them to let her take over the case.

    Therefore, waiting for the police to arrive and assisting with the investigation as a helper was the most reliable n.

    Forty minutester, the police arrived.

    Although there was only one officer, the speed was already very impressive.

    "My surname is Liang. You can call me Officer Liang," said the neer who looked to be in her early twenties. She had delicate features and sharp eyes, and was a dashing young woman. "There was a series of chain collisions in town, and we''re short on manpower. I''m the only one who could be sent over for now. The rest will arrive in a few hours. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

    Tao Zong closed his mouth that had fallen open. He did want to ask why there was only one officer, and a woman at that, but the way his question had been preemptively answered made him feel a little ufortable.

    Wu Writer was more direct: "I have a very important event to attend. When can I leave?"

    "None of you can leave until I finish the investigation," Officer Liang said decisively. "Now tell me your names, ID numbers, and why you are here."

    She looked around at the few people sitting in the living room, and singled out Wu Writer, "You start."

    Wu Writer was impatient, but Officer Liang deliberately touched the gun on her waist, so he obediently responded: "Wu Xing. I''m Old Yang''s friend. The painter said he wanted to host a private exhibition, so I came to support my buddy."

    Officer Liang quickly looked up the relevant information on her tablet and took notes at lightning speed with her stylus.

    "Tao Ling. I''m the editor-in-chief of Morning Star Publishing House, also here for the exhibition."

    "Xia Xing. I came with Editor Tao."

    "Tian Yi. I''m the teacher''s student, have been here all along."

    "Lu Yuan. I''m also the teacher''s student."

    "Ai Di. I''m Lisa''s friend and often stay here."

    ...

    Everyone reported their identities and reasons for being there. When it was Jian Jing''s turn, Officer Liang didn''t say anything either, but her gaze lingered on her for a moment.

    After everyone had registered, she finally said, "I''m going to examine the scene now. Please stay here and don''t wander around. Miss Jian, pleasee with me. I need someone to help record."

    Jian Jing was a little surprised but this was exactly what she wanted, so of course she wouldn''t refuse: "Alright."

    The two went upstairs and entered the bathroom.

    Only then did Officer Liang say, "Miss Jian, ording to regtions, there should be at least two officers responding to a call, but the situation is special today so I could only temporarily recruit assistance from people on the scene. You have a very high rating in the police''s internal system and have helped the police apprehend suspects several times before, making you the most suitable candidate."

    Jian Jing blinked. Internal system? They have something like that too?

    "Also," Officer Liang revealed the first smile she had shown them, "I''m in the same ss as Ji Feng. He''s mentioned you a few times in our chat group. Can I trust you?"

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55

    The best way for two strangers to get acquainted quickly is to talk about people they both know.

    Liang police officer had no qualms about selling out his ssmate and exposing someone''s secret: "Every time we crack a case, we''ll say it in the group chat. He has said several times ''I just got to the scene and caught the suspect already'', or ''The perpetrator has confessed before I even got to the scene''."

    She shrugged and said, "I''ve heard of your name, no big deal, right?"

    Jian Jing: "......" Wanted to beat someone up.

    "Of course, I need to confirm again." Liang police officer had a serious expression. "What exactly is your rtionship with this case? I hope you can tell me in advance about anything that might potentially cause problems. Don''t worry, I trust you."

    Jian Jing knew herst sentence was bait, but she didn''t care: "I only met the painter for the first time yesterday, I didn''t know her before that, I have no reason to kill her."

    Liang police officer''s eyes shed: "Why do you think it''s ''kill''?"

    "The painter was lying in the bathtub with the water over her mouth and nose, it looked like she had drowned from intoxication, but she didn''t have the characteristics of drowning." Jian Jing went straight to the point.

    Liang police officer asked: "You know forensic medicine?"

    "I''m a mystery novelist, so I''ve learned some basic knowledge." Jian Jing took out gloves from her pocket, "Can I take a look at the corpse?"

    Liang police officer considered for a moment before stepping aside: "Yes, tell me your analysis."

    Jian Jing first observed the overall condition of the corpse.

    Chang painter''s face was facing up, her head leaning diagonally against the edge of the bathtub. Pulling open her eyelids, one could see the corneas had already clouded over and white speckles appeared. ording tomon forensic medicine knowledge, it could be roughly inferred that she had been dead for 5-12 hours.

    However, the environment greatly affects the corpse. The temperature of the water when she died could also lead to errors.

    She carefully turned over Chang painter''s body to examine the postmortem lividity.

    This was amon death characteristic mentioned in mystery novels - after death, blood cirction stops, and due to gravity, the blood flows to the lower blood vessels, and the red blood cells settle. Through the skin, it presents as purplish-red or dark red patches.

    Postmortem lividity can generally be divided into three stages: early, advanced and fixed. There was a simple method to judge them.

    Jian Jing lightly pressed on the lividity patches. They temporarily faded away. When she lifted her fingers, they reappeared. It was obvious these were lividity patches in the advanced stage, generally appearing within 12 hours after death.

    She pinched the muscles again. They were extremely rigid.

    ording to the characteristics of rigor mortis - it starts 1-3 hours after death, spreads to the whole body after 4-6 hours, peaks after 12-15 hours, and resolves after 24-48 hours (of course, rigor mortis is greatly affected by the environment, so there can be discrepancies) - it could corroborate the judgment above.

    "The painter probably died around 12 hours ago," Jian Jing carefully gave her analysis. "It''s 2:45pm now, so it was around midnight when she died."

    If she had a thermometer and could directly measure the corpse temperature, she probably could have obtained a more urate value. Unfortunately she didn''t have any tools, she could only roughly infer the general time period based on several characteristics.

    Liang police officer nodded in agreement with her analysis, and asked again: "You said earlier this wasn''t drowning?"

    "Her mouth and nose are very clean," said Jian Jing.

    During the drowning process, drowning medium enters the airway through the mouth and nose, stimting the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract to secreterge amounts of mucus. With intense breathing, the mucus, drowning medium, and air get churned up, forming numerous tiny uniform bubbles. If someone has used a milk frother to make milk foam, it''s easy to imagine this process.

    Just like milk foam, these bubbles also have a long duration, continuously overflowing from the mouth and nose. Wiping them away, they would quickly reappear.

    She picked up a container next to the bathtub and examined it briefly, stirred the water in the tub and smelled it, then bent down to sniff Chang painter''s nose: "Her bath water smells of bath salts, but the body doesn''t."

    Liang police officer was immediately convinced: "Then what do you think is the cause of death?"

    "There are no obvious wounds on the corpse," Jian Jing was also very perplexed. Her fingers carefully felt over where the hair covered, but didn''t find any wounds.

    She really wanted a magnifying ss to go over every inch, but unfortunately couldn''t afford it. She could only squint and slowly look for clues.

    Liang police officer started pacing around the bathroom.

    There was a window in the bathroom. It looked out at the distantke and mountains, perfectly positioned for the bathtub. A ss of red wine, a tub of hot water, and some aromatherapy - it should have been an extremely blissful experience.

    Too bad the owner didn''t get to enjoy it.

    Liang police officer checked the window. It was made of one-way ss. It was locked from the inside with no way to open it from outside. Unless it was a highly trained person like a SWAT officer, it would be very difficult to climb in.

    "The bathroom door is open, but the bedroom door is locked. In other words, this is a locked room murder," Liang police officer murmured to herself while looking around for the key.

    Chang painter didn''t deliberately hide it. In the bedside table in the bedroom she found the key.

    It was inside a makeup box with a sp on the lid. The drawer was also sealed shut. It didn''t seem to involve any mechanisms that could re-lock the key from outside and return it to its original ce after use.

    Liang police officer went to examine the lock again.

    The bedroom lock was a doubletch lock. One needed a key, the other just flipped thetch to unlock.

    She called Ai Di over and confirmed with him how he had opened the door. Ai Di said: "I just flipped thistch. She only ever locked this one, never used the key."

    Liang police officer nodded and took the opportunity to ask: "Were you and the painter purely tonic friends?"

    "Yes, we were just friends, although we did sleep together sometimes." He answered nonchntly.

    Emotional disputes were always an emphasis when investigating social rtions. Liang police officer probed further: "You two weren''t in a rtionship?"

    "She''s 40, I''m 24. In a rtionship?" Ai Di scoffed. "It was just each taking what they needed, nothing to be in a rtionship over."

    Liang police officer nodded: "Then besides you, do you know if the deceased had simr rtionships with anyone else?"

    Ai Di calmly said: "I don''t know, I don''t care, and I''m not concerned."

    Liang police officer asked again: "When was thest time you saw the deceased alive?"

    "Last night. After they finished drinking, I came over and chatted with her for a bit." Ai Di answered.

    Liang police officer: "Around what time was that?"

    "Around 10pm probably, I don''t remember exactly."

    The questioning ended there.

    Liang police officer let him leave and asked Jian Jing who was in the bathroom: "Do you have anything to add about his testimony?"

    "He came looking for me around 8:30pm. The painter should still have been drinking then," said Jian Jing. "We need to establish everyone''s timeline."

    Liang police officer asked: "Why did hee looking for you?"

    Jian Jing: "To make friends."

    "I see." Liang police officer understoodpletely. "Found any new clues?"

    Jian Jing said: "There is some slight bleeding in the painter''s oral mucosa and gums, possible she was suffocated. I found a little blue fiber in her nose."

    Before she even finished speaking, both their gazes fell on the sofa pillow against the wall.

    It was an embroidered pillow Chang painter had specially picked out, with Van Gogh''s Starry Night pattern.

    Liang police officer contemted for a long time before speaking: "Perhaps we should collect the fingerprints on the door lock."

    "Did you bring tools?"

    She said: "There''s a forensic kit in the car, but I don''t know how to use them."

    Jian Jing: "......I do."

    Liang police officer: "......Great."

    Collecting fingerprints was actually not difficult, especially on a rtively smooth surface like a door lock. Powder and tape was all that was needed.

    The powder was standard ck powder, made by pulverizing pure aluminum. One had to wear a mask when using it. Jian Jing took a brush made of rat hair, dipped it lightly in the powder, and tapped the handle so the powder fluttered onto the door lock.

    This technique was simr to tapping off excess powder during makeup application. The keys were to be gentle, even and soft.

    Once the surface was coated evenly with powder, she used a cleanb to gently sweep across it until the fingerprint patterns emerged. Then she swept away the excess powder.

    After that, she used special tape, just like how she used to stick transparent tape on top of wrong pen strokes as a child, lightly lifting off the print.

    Jian Jing obtained two partial fingerprints, but she wasn''t optimistic at all.

    "It''s too clean, only two prints," she said. "These must be from when Ai Di opened the door. Someone wiped the lock before."

    If the door was locked by the regr painter, it would be impossible to leave such clean fingerprints. Now there were only Eddie''s fingerprints on it, which could prove that someone had wiped away the traces and then locked the door again to create a locked room murder.

    Officer Liang took a magnifying ss and carefully examined the door lock, then said, "There are no traces of wire friction or adhesive tape, so it shouldn''t be a mechanism. The person must have climbed out through the balcony."

    "I think so too," Jian Jing smiled. "It''s too difficult to make mechanisms in real life."

    One has to know that those amazing chain reaction videos online are the results of countless attempts before they can demonstrate such astounding effects. Unless it was a simple old-fashioned door, no one could be certain of seeding in just a few tries.

    Compared to some locking mechanism, climbing the balcony was obviously much simpler and more reasonable.

    "Let''s go. With some luck, we may be able to extract some footprints."

    The tool for examining footprints was a portable shlight with a t light source that could easily illuminate shoe prints. After eliminating Jian Jing and Eddie''s shoe prints, they found half of a shoe print on the balcony railing.

    The shoe print had a logo on it - the hotel''s customized slippers.

    "VG, Van Gogh - it''s from our building''s shoes," Jian Jing said.

    The resort had three buildings in total. The M Building on the left housed Eddie, Xiao Lu and Xiao Tian. The Da Vinci Building in the middle only had the regr painter Chang living there. The Van Gogh Building on the right housed Boss Tao, Xia Tianxin, Wu Writer, Jian Jing and Kang Musheng.

    Officer Liang was very attentive. "Why do you guests all live on this side?"

    Jian Jing exined, "The view is the best, directly facing theke."

    "Are you sure it''s not your shoe?"

    "When I climbed over the balcony, I was wearing sneakers. I went hiking up the mountain this morning and got some mud on them." Jian Jing pointed at the smallest shoe print next to her, very certain.

    Officer Liang walked around the shoe print twice. "It''s a shoe from your building, but not necessarily someone from your building. We''ll have to ask everyone for their alibis yesterday."

    *

    To get the best results, Jian Jing and Officer Liang split up.

    Officer Liang asked everyone for their alibis individually, while Jian Jing chatted with the others to try to uncover clues.

    Xiao Tian was very worried, "How did Teacher die?"

    "Don''t know, the coroner hasn''t arrived yet." Jian Jing fully utilized her skills as a novelist and said seriously, "I saw the body just now. There were no wounds."

    Xiao Tian hesitated and asked softly, "What does that mean?"

    "Drowned?" Boss Tao guessed, "She was drunk, left the water running and it drowned her?"

    Xia Tianxin tilted her head, puzzled, "Then shouldn''t the bathroom be flooded?"

    Boss Tao was stumped. "Yeah, you''re right."

    But Wu Writer seemed utterly disinterested in the truth. He kept ncing at his phone. "When will the road open up? This sucks, how unlucky!"

    He made a great effort to appear annoyed and frustrated, but he couldn''t stopining. Yet Jian Jing sensed his impatience stemmed from another reason.

    Things were getting more and more interesting.

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56

    Officer Liang spent nearly two hours, finally finishing taking everyone''s statements. Thest one was Jian Jing. She directly handed over the tablet and eximed, "It seems this is moreplicated than I thought."

    Jian Jing was very curious and started reading it quickly.

    Last night around 8 pm, Jian Jing and the others left one after another, leaving Mr. Tao, Wu Writer, Kang Mu Cheng and Chang Painter drinking together.

    Around 9 pm, Wu Writer went to the bathroom to throw up for a while, and was helped back to the room by Mr. Tao to rest. About ten minutester, he returned to the living room, only to find Kang Mu Cheng left, looking unhappy.

    He asked Kang Mu Cheng where Chang Painter went. Kang Mu Cheng replied, "She was drunk and went back to rest first."

    Mr. Tao didn''t care and continued chatting and drinking with Kang Mu Cheng.

    The two talked about work for a while. Around 10 pm, they had some dumplings for supper together. During this time, they both mentioned hearing arguing upstairs, one of them was Chang Painter.

    But they didn''t bother with it. At 10:30 pm, after eating, they left separately.

    Mr. Tao said he went back to his room to sleep right away until waken up after 9 am the next day.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s actions were moreplicated: after supper, he stayed in the dining room for tens of minutes to take a call. Later, Chang Painter came downstairs to look for him, and the two sat in the study for a while.

    Around 12 am, he returned to his room, did some work and then went to sleep.

    Wu Writer imed that after getting drunk, he went back to his room without seeing Chang Painter again until discovering the body with everyone the next day.

    Xiao Lu and Xiao Tian said they went to the studio to paint after leaving at 8 pm. Xiao Lu painted until 10 pm before returning to his room while Xiao Tian until after 11 pm.

    Xia Tianxin and Jian Jing were simr. After the gathering, they directly went back to their rooms to sleep, knowing nothing.

    Summarized in a timeline, it was roughly:

    20:00 Jian Jing, Xia Tianxin returned to rooms. Xiao Lu, Xiao Tian went painting.

    20:00-21:00 Chang, Wu, Tao, Kang drank together.

    21:20 Wu Writer returned to room.

    21:30 Chang Painter returned to room, leaving Kang Mu Cheng alone.

    21:30-22:30 Tao, Kang drank and had supper. Xiao Lu returned to room. They heard Chang Painter arguing with someone during this time.

    Around 22:00 Eddie spoke with Chang Painter for a while.

    22:30-23:20 Kang took a call in the dining room. Xiao Tian returned to room.

    23:20-00:30 Kang and Chang Painter talked in the study, then returned to rooms separately.

    07:00-07:30 Kang got up for breakfast, met Jian Jing.

    07:30-12:20 Jian Jing, Xia Tianxin and Xiao Tian went hiking.

    09:00 Eddie went to town.

    14:00 Eddie came back. They discovered the body.

    Also, at 12:20 pm when Jian Jing returned to the inn, the system released the mission. This confirms Chang Painter was already dead before that.

    "There''s something wrong with Kang Mu Cheng." Officer Liang said. "Something must have happened between him and the painter."

    Jian Jing nodded and asked, "Do you want to ask him directly?"

    Officer Liang looked sharp. "Any problem?"

    "Nothing, but he would most likely tell you he can''t say more without awyer present." Jian Jing could totally imagine Kang Mu Cheng''s reaction.

    Officer Liang understood. She wasn''t rigid and thought for a moment before asking, "How about you ask?"

    "Sess is not guaranteed either." Jian Jing was not confident.

    "Try first."

    "Okay."

    After exchanging information, they separated again.

    Jian Jing found Kang Mu Cheng working in the lounge. He was looking at a report. Seeing here, he directly asked, "Here to interrogate?"

    "Why ask that?" She was surprised.

    "You and the police get along well." Kang Mu Cheng said calmly. "It''s normal for her to ask you to investigate. What do you want to ask? Go ahead."

    Jian Jing said, "If you don''t want to tell me, I won''t ask. Because no matter the facts, I believe it''s not you."

    The frost on Kang Mu Cheng''s face melted a little. "Of course it''s not me."

    "I''m very curious," Jian Jing didn''t ask questions but stated on her own, "Who among those present today has ever formed a grudge with her?"

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at her and scoffed, "I don''t know her well. It wouldn''t be surprising if someone did."

    "Why?"

    "Those who toy with love always tend to attract more troubles."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows. She leaned forward, shortening the distance between them, "Mr. Kang, I want to ask you a question."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Ask away."

    "You don''t want to tell me aboutst night. Is it because you feel I can''t be trusted, or..." She hesitated and asked, "...embarrassed?"

    Kang Mu Cheng stopped.

    He had to admit she was right.

    It was embarrassing.

    In fact there was nothing shameful aboutst night. He didn''t do anything wrong. It was just that he had always seen Jian Jing as a child and subconsciously avoided some sensitive topics.

    But at this moment, looking into her bright eyes, he finally realized his thoughts were not urate.

    He was used to listening to her confide in him and giving her care and advice. However, at some point, she was no longer a child needing to be taken care of.

    He could confide in her and get help from her.

    Although...this was hard to ept, but it was the truth.

    Kang Mu Cheng rubbed his temples and mentally calcted the time and energy needed to get awyer. Finally he decided to take a more effective approach.

    "Okay, I can tell you aboutst night." He prepared himself and said as tactfully as possible, "After Mr. Tao sent Wu Writer away, some unpleasant things happened between me and the painter. She wanted to chat more with me. I declined. She was very upset and went back to her room directly."

    Jian Jing silently nodded. She thought to herself: Saying it so convolutedly, she just wanted to sleep with you right.

    Of course, she absolutely could not say that out loud. She looked grave and asked, "Did she seem unusual then?"

    "Just very angry." Kang Mu Cheng replied. "But as you can see, she had a temper to do things on a whim. After 11 pm, she came to look for me again as if nothing had happened, saying she wanted to discuss something with me."

    Jian Jing really wanted to ask "Weren''t you afraid she came back persistently?" Fortunately she held back.

    "I was going to decline originally since it was veryte." Kang Mu Cheng seemed to see through her doubts and exined, "But she said she wanted to chat about Yang Guan''s posthumous works. Of course I would agree to that."

    Workaholic talking about work, it''s never toote.

    Jian Jing didn''t expect this: "Yang Guan? The painter''s husband right?"

    "Yang Guan''s real name was Yang Guan. He passed away from cancer two years ago." Kang Mu Cheng said. "Now the copyrights to all his works are in the hands of the painter. She said she wanted to publish a collection, including some unpublished posthumous works."

    Jian Jing understood. No wonder Kang Mu Cheng was willing to stay sote into the night. The temptation was too big.

    "We were discussing this matter all along." He said. "After talking generally until around midnight, I went back to my room. You heard me typingter right? I was writing a proposal."

    It all made sense, both before and after. Jian Jing thought: "Where did you chat?"

    "The small study upstairs."

    "Did the painter say why she suddenly wanted to publish?"

    Kang Mu Cheng carefully recalled for a moment and said, "She should have been organizing Yang Guan''s posthumous works all this time, only recentlypleting it. But if you must ask..."

    He frowned, pondering hard for a good while, before saying, "She mentioned she had hesitated before whether to include some letters, originally not nning to do so in order to avoid conflicts. But now she had decided they must be included no matter what."

    This was a huge clue.

    Jian Jing became interested: "What letters?"

    "They should be private letters. Many writers'' families would selectively release some correspondence after their death. People are very interested in writers'' private lives. These kinds of letter collections generally sell well. Yang Guan''s personal experiences were quite interesting. The reaction should be good." Kang Mu Cheng became noticeably more engaged when talking about work.

    Jian Jing didn''t hide her eagerness. She immediately got up, "I''ll go take a look. Mr. Kang, if you remember anything else, let me know right away."

    She gestured pleadingly as she spoke.

    Kang Mu Cheng said helplessly yet amusedly, "Why are you so enthusiastic?"

    "Seeking justice for the deceased, happy, truth prevails, feels great." Jian Jing summarized her feelings.

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t help chuckling. He waved his hand, "Go on. Best if we can resolve this today. I can still make the afternoon meeting tomorrow."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Alright then.

    She informed Officer Liang about this clue. They were both very excited and immediately started searching.

    Letters of this kind were most likely kept in the study. They opened all the drawers and boxes in the study and soon found the manuscript neatly organized by the painter Chang.

    It was a thick stack.

    Officer Liang beat a hasty retreat: "You''re the writer. You read it. I''ll keep looking for other evidence."

    Jian Jing had no objections. She skimmed through the table of contents, removing the prose that took up most of the space, and focused on excerpting the letters to read one by one.

    There were over ten letters total, seven or eight of which were love letters to the painter Chang.

    When schrs got amorous, it was quite frightening. These few love letters were written ardently, and Jian Jing read them with great interest.

    "My dear Lisa, I''ve already told Ru that no matter what, I must divorce her. Our daughter can be raised by her. If I don''t get this divorce, my body will never be free, and if my body is not free, I''ll never be able to pursue you with dignity. I know you''re a principled woman who would never entangle with a married man. I''m also ashamed to be someone who ys with two boats, my body and heart belong to you alone."

    "In the past thirty years, I''ve muddled along like a walking corpse, not knowing the meaning of anything I did each day, also not knowing where I should head when I wake up tomorrow... Until that day, when I met you by theke, the wind and light were so splendid. That moment was like the gods had descended, and used the willow branch to stir my dusty heart. Then I knew, oh, my whole life was just waiting for you..."

    Yang Guan''s writing style was known to be simple and sturdy. No one could''ve imagined his love letters to be so unbridled and passionate. It really opened one''s eyes.

    But even letters this sappy were private matters between a married couple. There was no deep hatred there.

    Let''s look at the others.

    The remaining five or six letters were replies to friends.

    "I haven''t heard anything about a certain brother''s family in a while. I wonder if everything is alright, if the children have any difficulties... Though we''re not rted by blood, certain brother and I are like siblings. I''m publishing some essays now which can provide the fees. If there are difficulties, I''m willing to help with my meager power..."

    "...Met with a certain brother, heard that Brother Wu has been quite proudtely... He thinks highly of himself for his literary skills, and has always looked down on that certain brother. I wanted to advise reconciliation but didn''t dare contact him rashly. Though it''s an old matter from years past, I don''t hold it in my heart anymore, what I can''t let go is Brother Wu..."

    "Heard Sis has given birth to a girl, gained a tile-roofed joy, specially had the silversmith make a silver lock, ordinary folks don''t ask for endless youth, just hope for peace and safety, and joy sufficient for life..."

    Jian Jing was a little confused over which brother was which, but it wasn''t crucial information either. The most suggestive letter was one she was familiar with.

    It mentioned Writer Wu.

    She had thought Yang Guan and Wu Writer were friends, but the reality seemed otherwise. The two had some "old matters from years past."

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57

    Knock knock knock, the door to the study was knocked on.

    Jian Jing looked up to see Xia Tianxin carrying in a bowl of dumplings with a smile, "Hungry? Little Tian and I made some dumplings, try them."

    As she said this, Jian Jing suddenly felt hungry. ncing at her watch, it was already 6pm.

    "Thank you," she took the dumplings, hurriedly eating them while they were still warm. Frozen dumplings weren''t tasty, but her mind wasn''t on the food. She just wanted to appease her stomach.

    Xia Tianxin didn''t leave, instead curiously asking, "Are you looking for clues to help Officer Liang?"

    There was no hiding this for long. Jian Jing readily nodded in admission.

    "Oh," Xia Tianxin made a meaningless sound, both curious and somewhat envious as she asked, "So you write mystery novels because you really like mysteries?"

    Jian Jing was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "I think so." No matter which version of her, they all had a passion for mysteries, which led her to today''s path.

    "That''s really nice," Xia Tianxin sat down, propping her chin in her hand. "Being able to write what you want to write, you''re very fortunate."

    Jian Jing was puzzled. "Aren''t you? Morning Star wouldn''t force you to do writing prompts."

    "The publisher certainly doesn''t dictate topics, but they have to consider the readers'' tastes," Xia Tianxin exined. "If a book sells well, the editor will do a post-mortem with you to analyze what resonated with the market. If it doesn''t sell well, they''ll also collect reviews to analyze what readers didn''t like to avoid next time."

    She lowered her voice, "Morning Star''s philosophy is ''the reader is God''. Whoever can gain the readers'' favor can gain a foothold. Every year we also have a coborative writing event where readers vote for the plotlines they most want to see, and we work together to write a New Year''s story."

    Jian Jing''s eyes were opened to whole new ideas. She couldn''t help but ask, "Don''t you like writing romance?"

    "I do," Xia Tianxinughed. She seemed suddenly world-weary, "I just don''t believe in love."

    Jian Jing was even more confused. "How can you convince readers if you can''t even convince yourself?"

    Xia Tianxin blinked. "Readers don''t want to be convinced by me. I weave a dream, they have a dream. We both know it''s not real, but having a beautiful dream still makes you happy, right?"

    Jian Jing was rendered speechless.

    Xia Tianxin turned the question back on her, "I''ve read your novels, they rarely have love stories. Do you believe in love?"

    Jian Jing nodded. "I haven''t experienced it, so I believe in it, like believing aliens exist even though I haven''t seen proof."

    Xia Tianxin was stunned for a second before letting out augh.

    They both felt they understood each other better.

    Jian Jing made an effort to eat the dumplings while Xia Tianxin looked around curiously. Finally her gaze settled on the letter Jian Jing had been reading.

    "This is a letter from Yang Guan, right? Oh!" She leaned in close to look. "Is this about Wu Writer? Could the rumors be true?"

    Jian Jing immediately perked up. "What rumors?"

    "You haven''t heard? Yang Guan and Wu Writer used to be close friends, but they suddenly became distant. Wu Writer was spreading rumors that Yang Guan abandoned his wife and child and has questionable morals." Xia Tianxin was lively and outgoing, privy to much gossip, and eager to share. "Then we all said he''s no better, lucky his wife died early or he''d be harassing girls all day, vexing them to death."

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow. "Why would Wu Writer smear Yang Guan?"

    "Wu Writer is savvy about causing trouble. The girls he harassed were either new authors or recent graduates, so they likely wouldn''t offend Yang Guan." Xia Tianxin leaned on her hand reminiscing. "But I think I heard someone say Wu Writer wrote a book...that seemed very simr to Yang Guan''s style."

    Jian Jing was shocked. "You mean...?"

    Xia Tianxin made a shushing gesture, implying with her eyes, "Rumors and hearsay, nothing certain. They''re veteran authors from over a decade ago, much we''re unsure of."

    Jian Jing nodded. "I understand."

    She immediately went to confirm with Kang Mu Cheng.

    Kang Mu Cheng seemed to have heard something: "You mean that book Lost Jade Gate?"

    "You know about it?"

    "I''ve heard of it. Wu Writer is from Sichuan while Yang Guan is from the northwest. The two have very distinct regional styles. Jade Gate was a long novel Wu Writer wrote after spending two years in the northwest. It was well-received in the industry, but there were some...controversies with the details." Kang Mu Cheng chose his words carefully.

    Jian Jing cut to the chase: "What do you think?"

    "Hard to say for sure." This was Kang Mu Cheng''s professional assessment.

    She understood.

    Jian Jing hurried to update Officer Liang on the new clue.

    As it happened, Officer Liang also had a lead: "I just noticed something strange. Eddie said he went to the painter''s ce after 10pm, but Cao and Kang didn''t mention this."

    After a brief thought, Jian Jing grasped the key point: "There must be another staircase."

    "There''s a side stair near the back door." Officer Liang took her to examine it.

    As it turned out, near the back door there was a hidden narrow staircase just wide enough for one person. It led directly to the study next to the upstairs studio.

    "Eddie must havee up the back way, that''s why they didn''t see him." Officer Liang''s eyes shed. "The one arguing with the painter might not have been Little Tian or Little Lu, could be someone else entirely."

    Arguments weremon between people. But having a fight just hours before the painter''s death was crucial to get to the bottom of.

    Jian Jing considered: "Did either student hear anything?"

    "We''ll need to question them again." Officer Liang''s tone was cold. "I suspect someone''s lying."

    Upon questioning Xiao Tian and Xiao Lu again, more inconsistencies emerged.

    Officer Liang interrogated, "Little Tian, I heard you were criticized for your painting yesterday. Did you go see the teacherst night? Did she say anything to you?"

    Xiao Tian bit her lip. "No, Teacher didn''t look for me."

    "So you were downstairs painting the whole time?"

    "Yes."

    Officer Liang''s tone grew steadily colder. "But your studio is right below the painter''s ce. People sitting in the living room heard her arguing with someone, yet you heard nothing?"

    Xiao Tian pressed her lips together and looked to Xiao Lu.

    Unexpectedly, Xiao Lu rubbed his nose and said, "Actually...we went out for a bit midway."

    "Where did you two go? Why lie at first?" Officer Liang pressed.

    Xiao Tian seemed on the verge of tears, her face pale. "It was because I, I forgot...I forgot to bring Teacher her medicine. I''m sorry, it wasn''t on purpose."

    The girl seemed under tremendous mental strain. Her emotions erupted as she confessed everything: "I was supposed to bring Teacher her medicine, but today she said some very harsh things to me. I sat in front of the easel feeling like aplete failure. I studied under her for three years and she''s always scolded me, said my work was worthless.

    She sobbed, venting her long-held resentment: "She treated me like a maid, assigning endless homework every day that I couldn''t possibly finish. She said I have no talent and should give up now, just be an average artisan since that''s the best I can do."

    Xiao Lu felt bad for her and put his hand on her shoulderfortingly. "Teacher means well. Look how she agreed to help publish our art book and is holding this exhibit for us."

    "You believe her just because she says so?" Xiao Tian gave a coldugh, resentfully saying, "She''s just trying to make me give up hope. Of course she''s nicer to you, maybe she really does want to rmend you."

    Xiao Lu was embarrassed for a moment before changing the subject. "That night, Xiao Tian and I went out to clear our heads and didn''te back until after 10pm. So we didn''t hear Teacher arguing with anyone."

    Officer Liang fixed her gaze on Xiao Tian, demanding, "What''s this about medicine you mentioned?"

    Xiao Lu quickly exined, "Teacher has a bit of a lung condition from smoking too much. She''s been taking prescribed Chinese medicely."

    "You didn''t bring her medicine today?" Officer Liang asked Xiao Tian.

    "I, I forgot. I really didn''t mean to." Xiao Tian pleaded, mumbling, "I was just so angry at how she treats me, I was too upset to notice the time."

    "I understand, I believe you," Jian Jing soothed her emotions and pivoted the conversation. "When you came back, did you notice anything abnormal?"

    Xiao Tian hesitated before saying, "We came back around 10pm. Xiao Lu went straight to his room. But I thought Teacher would scold me if I didn''t finish today''s work, so I came back to paint for a bit. On my way here, I think I saw someone."

    "Do you recognize him?" Officer Liang asked.

    "I didn''t get a good look at his face, but Mr. Kang is tall, Eddie is short, and Mr. Tao is fat. That man was quite muscr, so he definitely wasn''t Writer Xia or Writer Jian," Xiao Tian said. "I think it was Writer Wu."

    Officer Liang and Jian Jing exchanged a nce. Writer Wu had gotten drunk and returned to his room around 9 PM, but had gone out again around 10 PM? Considering Writer Wu''s feud with Yang Guan, his suspicion suddenly rose.

    *

    When Jian Jing and Officer Liang came to his door, Writer Wu was irritably scrolling through his phone. She zoomed in with her binocr-like phone camera and saw it was a map with navigation that said "Road closure ahead, unable to pass."

    "Wu Xing, I need to verify some details with you again," Officer Liang said.

    Writer Wu looked up with a frown. "What do you mean by that? You''re treating me like a suspect? Which police station are you from? Have your superiore talk to me."

    Officer Liang also had a stubborn temper. She immediately said, "We''re investigating a series of arson cases. Mr. Wu wants to speak to my superior, is there more serious information you need to disclose?"

    Writer Wu was so angry his face turned ashen. "Do you know how to speak properly?"

    "Mr. Wu, I''m going to have to ask you to cooperate with the police investigation," Officer Liang stared at him. "Did you see the victim after 8 PMst night?"

    Writer Wu was impatient. "Didn''t I already tell you everything? Don''t you take notes when you work? How do you do your job?!"

    Officer Liang''s face hardened. "Mr. Wu, please cooperate so we can do our job, otherwise I''ll have to take you down to the station for my superiors to ask you some questions directly."

    After provoking him twice in a row, Writer Wu finally realized the woman in front of him was not as easy to intimidate as an ordinary girl.

    He softened his tone. "I didn''t see her."

    "Someone saw you go looking for her around 10 PM," Officer Liang pressed aggressively. "How do you exin that?"

    Writer Wu blustered, "Just because someone ims to have seen me doesn''t mean I actually went. I say they were mistaken."

    He was so defiant that Officer Liang was at a loss. She could only make empty threats, "I''ll remember every word you''ve said. If I find out you did go see her..."

    "Then look into it ande back when you have evidence," Writer Wu, who had eaten his fair share of salt in life, immediately became emboldened when he saw Officer Liang had no tangible proof.

    Jian Jing had to step in, "Since you''re so open, why not let Officer Liang inspect your luggage?"

    Writer Wu blew up like a dog that had been stepped on. "What gives you the right?"

    "A wager," Jian Jing took out her phone and showed him the saved photo. "If I don''t find anything, I''ll delete this picture."

    Writer Wu scoffed. "It''s just one photo, go ahead and post it if you dare."

    There was definitely something in the suitcase. Of course Jian Jing had no intention of actually betting with him, she was just bluffing. "The photo could still hurt your reputation. Yet you refuse to take a risk-free deal. Looks like whatever you stand to lose is much more valuable than a mere photo."

    Officer Liang didn''t know what was in the photo, but it didn''t stop her from ying along. "Mr. Wu, I must inspect your luggage."

    As she spoke, she moved to open Writer Wu''s suitcase.

    Writer Wu finally lost hisposure.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58

    "Hold on," Wu Writer stopped Liang Police Officer, his face as ck as the bottom of a pot. "For such a trivial matter, you want to search my luggage?"

    Liang Police Officer said calmly, "I have the right to do so."

    Wu Writer gritted his teeth, his cheekbones protruding. After a long pause, he said, "You just want to know if I went to see her, right? Yes, I did, around ten o''clock. I went to see her for a bit."

    Liang Police Officer asked, "What did you do?"

    "What could I do? I just chatted with her about some personal matters," Wu Writer said.

    "Did you two have an argument?"

    Wu Writer hesitated. "We quarreled a little, but we settled it in the end."

    "What did you argue about?"

    "Some personal matters, I don''t need to tell you that, right? Anyway, when I left, she was still alive and well." Wu Writer said this very confidently.

    And it was true that Chang Painter seemed normal when Kang Mu Cheng saw her afterward.

    Could the suspicion still fall on Kang Mu Cheng, thest one who saw her?

    Jian Jing couldn''t sit still anymore. She decided to return to the scene and investigate further.

    A dressing gown was hanging on the hanger in the bedroom. It seemed to be part of a set, with the strappy slip found in the bathroom. The outer silk robe had been hung upˇŞwow, she seemed to be wearing this when she went to chat with Kang Mu Cheng.

    Scandalous.

    There was a cell phone on the nightstand, half a cup of water, and a box of tissuesˇŞallmonly used items. On the dresser was a wine ss with a lip imprint; the lipstick color had been identified as a bright red that was left uncapped on the table.

    She tried to reyst night''s events in her mind: after midnight, Chang Painter finished discussing the publication of Yang Guan''s letters with Kang Mu Cheng in the study, then returned to her room to get ready for bed.

    She had run a bath with bath salts and poured herself half a ss of wine, then someone knocked on her door.

    The most likely murder weapon so far was the pillow, so Chang Painter must have let the person into the room. She was quite drunk, and perhaps not fully aware. They sat on the sofa chatting for a while, and the other person suddenly grabbed a pillow and smothered her face... No, that scenario didn''t make sense.

    Jian Jing had checked under Chang Painter''s fingernailsˇŞthey were very clean, no skin cells or fabric. However drunk one might be, wouldn''t they struggle instinctively if unable to breathe?

    Yet Chang Painter showed no signs of a struggle, as if she had died unconsciously.

    Could it be that she was so drunk she lost consciousness, and someone took the opportunity to sneak in, smother her with a pillow, then staged it to look like she drowned while bathing before escaping over the balcony and locking the door?

    "Any new discoveries?" Liang Police Officer asked.

    Jian Jing rubbed her temples and smiled wryly. "I''m afraid I''m more confused the more I think about it."

    Liang Police Officer folded her arms. "Would you like to hear my thoughts?"

    "Please."

    "I think that the painter and Kang Mu Cheng hit it off during their conversation, and under the influence of alcohol, got the idea to take things further," Liang Police Officer analyzed coolly. "The painter took the initiative to invite him back to her room, then there was an ident, and she died of asphyxiation."

    Jian Jing covered her face, torn betweenughing and crying. "Are you suggesting sexual asphyxiation?"

    "You think you understand Kang Mu Cheng, but many things are unpredictable," Liang Police Officer said calmly. "He probably didn''t expect such an ident either?"

    Jian Jing opened and closed her mouth, at a loss for words. "I can''t defend him on that, but if that''s what you think, we can examine the body again. The body doesn''t lie."

    After inspection, no traces of a man were found in the painter''s body, and no used condoms were found anywhere in the room.

    Jian Jing was visibly relieved. "If it happened in bed, it would be more convenient to use a pillow. Why would they use a throw pillow from the sofa?"

    Liang Police Officer shook her head. "Just because the pillow was on the sofa doesn''t mean it was always there."

    "The bed showed no signs of use either. The painter''s sheets and pillowcases were silk, any vigorous activity would have been very obvious," Jian Jing said. "Also, although the water temperature would affect the estimated time of death, I still think the painter died around 2-3 AM."

    This was a very convincing point. Liang Police Officer thought for a moment, then asked, "What about Eddie? He said he came to see the painter around 10 PM but didn''t mention why, and no one can corroborate his story."

    Old Yang had corroborated the time of Wu Writer''s visit to Chang Painter, but no one could ount for Eddie''s movements. The Chengs downstairs hadn''t seen him, and Xiao Tian and Xiao Lu who came back around the same time hadn''t run into him either. Wu Writer also hadn''t mentioned him.

    They called Eddie in for questioning again.

    Eddie was very perceptive. "You suspect me now?" Not waiting for their reply, he said irritably, "Why would I hurt Lisa? With her dead, I have nothing to gain."

    "We just want to understand the situation," Liang Police Officer said imperturbably. "Last night, why did you go see the painter? Did she act unusually?"

    Eddie licked his lips, his voice hoarse. "To ask for money. I have a problem with that?"

    Liang Police Officer perked up. "Was the painter willing to lend you money?"

    "You didn''t understand me. I was asking her for money," Eddie suddenly calmed down and came clean. "I owed people money. I was hoping Lisa could pay it back for me. She wasn''t too happy about it and wouldn''t agree at first, so we had some disagreements these past couple days. I was still looking for another way out."

    Saying this, he nced at Jian Jing, clearly hinting that she was the "other way out."

    "The guys came to hound me for repayment again tonight, so I had no choice but to ask Lisa again." Eddie said, "She agreed to help pay back part of it. I aplished my goal and went back after that. You tell me, what good does her death do me now? Who''s going to pay back my debt??"

    Liang Police Officer furrowed her brows, judging the truth of Eddie''s words in her mind.

    Jian Jing spoke up, "Did the painter have a habit of drinking wine before bed?"

    "Yes, Lisa had trouble sleeping, she would not only drink but sometimes need to take pills to fall asleep."

    "Did she have a habit of locking her door?"

    "If she was getting ready for bed, she would lock the door," Eddie emphasized. "Like I said, Lisa was a very poor sleeper. She didn''t like people disturbing her rest."

    Jian Jing seemed to understand something. "So that''s why your room is in the other building?"

    "Obviously."

    She knitted her brows, finding it increasingly baffling. The bath water and bath salts, the wine by the bedsideˇŞthey undoubtedly showed that Chang Painter had been getting ready for bed at the time. Such personal habits would be hard to fake. At that time, whose arrival would make her open the door and invite them in?

    Kang Mu Cheng? He could have epted her advances earlier if he wanted to be intimate with her. There was no need to go back to his room for a while first before seeking her out again. Jian Jing didn''t think he would do that either.

    But if not Eddie, who else could it be?

    *

    At 8 PM, Jian Jing and Liang Police Officer reviewed all the statements and concluded that Wu Writer was lying.

    ording to the timeline, Wu Writer imed he and Chang Painter had reached an agreement about something, butter in the conversation between Kang Mu Cheng and Chang Painter, the painter implied she didn''t care whether the grudge was settled or not.

    The manuscripts tidied up in the study proved thisˇŞChang Painter still intended to publish Yang Guan''s letters mentioning Wu Writer, seemingly hinting there was something fishy about Lost Jade Gate.

    This clearly contradicted Wu Writer''s ount.

    Moreover, based on Jian Jing''s impression of Chang Painter, the probability of Wu Writer persuading her after an argument was extremely low. She was more likely to escte out of anger.

    But there was an issueˇŞin the dead of night, would Chang Painter open the door if Wu Writer came to see her?

    "What if he got in by climbing over the balcony?" Liang Police Officer said solemnly. "We''ve been thinking the murderer came in through the front door, then escaped over the balcony after locking the room door. But what if he got in by climbing over the balcony in the first ce?"

    Jian Jing asked back, "Then why wipe off fingerprints?"

    Liang Police Officer''s shoulders slumped, but she insisted, "We should go over the scene again carefully. There must be some important clues we''ve overlooked."

    Jian Jing agreed.

    They focused their search on the balcony,bing it inch by inch on their knees.

    Just as she was about to scrub every inch of the balcony floor with her knees, Jian Jing finally discovered an easily overlooked clue thanks to her keen observation skills.

    On the inside of the balcony railing in the art studio, there was a spot of still-wet yellow oil paint. Based on the location, it seemed Chang Painter had gotten some on her hand and identally smeared it on the railing while steadying herself with her hand.

    Now, part of this paint smear had been scraped off.

    Jian Jing pped her hands: "Wu Writer."

    "Hmm?" Liang Police Officer looked puzzled.

    Jian Jing exined: "Earlier I nced at Wu Writer''s slippers, and noticed some yellowish-brown stains on the toes that I thought was just mud, so I didn''t think much of it."

    At the time, her main focus had been on Wu Writer himself, only asionally shifting to the suitcase. She had barely nced at the shoes. If not for the intermediate observation card''s boost, she might have missed this tiny detail.

    Liang Police Officer''s expression brightened slightly: "It seems we''re very close to the truth."

    But Jian Jing remained silent. She was not so optimistic, as some questions still remained unanswered in her mind.

    Of course, this didn''t prevent them from confronting Wu Writer.

    Naturally, Wu Writer would not admit to climbing over the balcony. But when the shoes were brought out as evidence, the proof was irrefutable, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, admit it he must.

    "Mr. Wu, you''ll have toe with me," said Liang Police Officer coldly and impersonally, not leaving an inch for him to maneuver.

    Wu Writer''s face turned green and white in turns. After a long pause, what burst out was: "It''s got nothing to do with me. She was already like that when I went in!"

    As if afraid of being a step toote to defend himself, his attitude took a 180 degree turn as he quickly exined: "I thought she was taking a bath in the bathroom, I had no idea she was dead. Later I identally made some noise, and there was no response from inside, so I took a peek, and who would''ve thought she''d be lying therepletely lifeless!"

    "What did you do?"

    "Of course I locked the door! If someone found out I had snuck into her room in the middle of the night, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn''t wash me clean!" Wu Writer said indignantly. "But her death had absolutely nothing to do with me. I just, just did what I went there to do and left, withoutying a finger on her."

    Jian Jing picked up on a key piece of information: "Locked the door? It was open?"

    "No kidding, how else could I have gotten in if it wasn''t open?" Wu Writer was unwilling to show weakness to her as a junior colleague, responding coarsely, "There was no sound from the room, and the door was open, so I assumed she wasn''t there, had gone off somewhere with someone. If I had known she was already dead inside, wild horses couldn''t have dragged me in there."

    His self-defense was unexpectedly logical and coherent.

    Wu Writer was already in his fifties or sixties, and out of shape. It did seem somewhat far-fetched that he had climbed over the balcony to sneak into Chang Painter''s room while she was sleeping.

    Chang Painter was neither deaf nor blind. What if he had been caught red-handed? Waiting until she was out to sneak in was surely more suitable.

    "Were the wiped fingerprints on the locked door yours?" Jian Jing verified.

    "Yeah, what''s wrong with that?" Wu Writer looked rather uneasy. Funnily enough, it was a small detail he had picked up from reading some mystery fiction - stories he had heavily criticized.

    Jian Jing fell silent in contemtion.

    Liang Police Officer maintained her professional demeanor: "Please rify what exactly you did in that room."

    Things hade to this, so Wu Writer knew he couldn''t hide it. Reluctantly, he said, "It was stuff Old Yang had promised to give me."

    Liang Police Officer asked him to open his suitcase.

    After resisting unsessfully several times, Wu Writer finally opened the case and took out a partial manuscript.

    It was an early handwritten manuscript by Yang Guan called "Yu Men Yi Shi" ("Leftover Tales of the Jade Gate").

    "Back then, Old Yang and I had chatted about some things in Northwest China, and we both wanted to write something about it. But he only wrote three chapters before losing inspiration. I did some more research and finished the story. Our source material came from the same person, so it seemed pretty normal. Old Yang never said anything about it while he was alive either."

    Wu Writer was very shrewd, knowing that a love affair was no big deal, but some things could potentially ruin his reputation, so he had to clear his name. Luckily Yang Guan and Chang Painter were both dead, with no way to counter his ims, leaving him free rein.

    At the moment though, neither of the two women had the heart to pursue this matter.

    Liang Police Officer asked, "Where did you find this manuscript?"

    "The safe, of course. Where else could it be?"

    Jian Jing had inspected the scene and knew there was a safe under the bedside table. But since it required a password, she had not opened it, and so asked in surprise: "You knew the password?"

    "The safe was open when I went in," Wu Writer replied.

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59

    Although there was no evidence to prove what Wu Writer said, it had to be admitted that his words led the case in a different direction.

    "To be honest, I don''t really believe Wu Xing''s words. His motive for murder is very clear," Officer Liang said. "He''s sly and could be making up testimony that benefits himself."

    Jian Jing nodded: "The painter had already discussed publishing an art collection with Chairman Kang, so he had to resolve this trouble quickly. But his testimony could exin the issues with the door lock and footprints."

    The footprints remaining on the balcony were toes pointing outward, in the direction of flipping out from the bedroom, not pointing inward. In other words, someone had flipped from the bedroom out to the studio, not from the studio flipping into the bedroom.

    Considering Wu Writer''s age and clumsy physique, the likelihood of him silently flipping into Chang Painter''s bedroom to kill her was very low.

    And the probability of Chang Painter opening the door in the dead of night for this lecherous old man was even lower.

    "There''s definitely one ce he lied. A normal person would be afraid and leave immediately," Jian Jing said. "Locking the door to fake a locked room murder was to dy the discovery of the painter''s body, giving him time to escape and destroy the manuscript."

    Officer Liang agreed: "Right."

    "But we still have to open the safe," Jian Jing said worriedly. "After all, I can''t think how Wu Writer could''ve taken out the manuscript if the safe wasn''t opened."

    Officer Liang hesitated for a moment, then agreed: "Can you pick locks?"

    Jian Jing sighed: "Let''s guess. Chang Painter wouldn''t have made the password tooplicated, maybe a birthday or anniversary or something. Let''s just try some."

    They searched online for the painter''s personal information and tried passwords one by one.

    None of them worked.

    "Guessing passwords is too much luck," Officer Liang felt this method was unreliable and decisively changed thoughts. "Assuming the murderer knew the password, then they must be someone very close to the painter. Right, Xiaotao, she was the only one who came to find the painter at night and would be let into the room."

    Jian Jing uttered an "um," her thoughts a bit chaotic.

    Indeed, Xiaotao had been scolded by Chang Painter today, and was full of grievances. It wouldn''t have been hard for her to find an excuse to enter her teacher''s bedroom at night, and the painter wouldn''t be particrly wary of her own female student.

    "Remember, she was responsible for making the painter''s medicine," Officer Liang immediately thought of a key point and connected it. "All she needed to do was add a little sleeping drug to the medicineˇŞDidn''t Aidi say she had some?ˇŞthat would make the painter lose consciousness without wariness."

    It was reasonable and convincing.

    The problem was, "We need evidence."

    Officer Liang immediately said: "I''ll go check the medicine. Come with me?"

    Jian Jing thought about it for a while, still unwilling to give up on the safe just yet: "I''ll keep studying this."

    "Then let''s split up," Officer Liang rushed downstairs to verify his conjecture.

    Jian Jing kept examining the safe. She noticed the lock dial was in the shape of a heart, seemingly custom-made. She had a subtle expression, picked up Chang Painter''s phone, and used her birthday to unlock it.

    A momentter, she tried turning the dial, 9-3-4-1-5-2-0.

    YG520.

    With a "click," it opened.

    Jian Jing: "Tsk." Another nine-digit password, so easy to guess.

    She crouched down to take out what was in the safe. She wanted to tie her hair up, but a strand slipped from her shoulder and the ends brushed the floor.

    Jian Jing hurriedly reached to catch it, but this move made her freeze.

    What?

    No way?

    My god!

    "Did you get it open? What did you find?" Officer Liang came back to see her sitting numbly in front of the safe, looking incredulous.

    Jian Jing turned her head and let out a small breath, the shock still not gone from her face: "Look."

    She lifted the bedsheet in a big movement.

    Officer Liang turned on his shlight. Under the bed was an area that was extremely cleanpared to the surrounding dusty areas.

    It wasn''t hard to guess that someone had been hiding under the bed until not long ago.

    Officer Liang''s mind shed and he blurted out: "They hid under the bed and peeked at the safe password?"

    "It must be so." Jian Jing rubbed her arms, even getting goosebumps.

    She said: "I think some of Wu Writer''s testimony can now be proven true. The murderer hid under Chang Painter''s bed the whole time. After killing the painter they left, which is why the door and safe were open."

    "When did they hide under there?" Officer Liang said. "I just checked the medicine bag, yesterday''s portion is still there, nothing to do with the medicine."

    Chang Painter''s medicine was packaged separately by day, with the date clearly written on each bag. It was all ounted for, none missing. Xiaotao hadn''t lied.

    Jian Jing picked up the wine ss on the bedside table and swirled the remaining wine. She had nced at it earlier and didn''t notice any traces of medication residue. Unsure, she said: "Could it be this?"

    "We''ll know after testing it." Officer Liang checked his phone and was extremely frustrated. "Forensics said no one cane until after midnight."

    Jian Jing had no choice but to temporarily put aside the poisoning angle. She took out the contents of the safe: "The murderer opened the safe, proving there was something they needed inside."

    "What''s all this?" Officer Liang flipped through with a deep frown.

    What Chang Painter had locked in the safe were not treasures or bank books, but some of Yang Guan''s relics: his diary, photos with friends and family, some letters, and other dated documents.

    Jian Jing''s heart stirred slightly.

    These things didn''t have mary value, but were closely rted to Yang Guan personally. She had thought the motive originated with Chang Painter herself, but now it seemed that wasn''t the case.

    "The stuff is all over the ce. How do we know what''s missing?" Officer Liang asked.

    Jian Jing said: "Let''s go through everything first."

    Officer Liang''s face showed reluctance, but he didn''t say anything and painfully picked up a document.

    Jian Jing took the initiative to read the letters one by one.

    These private letters not made public contained a lot more insider industry gossip from one to two decades ago, which also mentioned Wu Writer. But aside from him, the others were irrelevant to those present.

    "There are letters here," Officer Liang searched the notebook and found some pages tucked into the cover.

    Hidden so covertly, both were now interested and immediately opened them to look.

    Sure enough, the content of the letters was somewhat sensitive.

    They were from Yang Guan''s ex-wife, roughly saying she had fallen ill, was unable to care for their daughter, and hoped he could take the child for a period of time.

    It was unknown how Yang Guan had replied, but the next letter thanked him for rmending a doctor. She had already undergone surgery, and sent their child to the countryside for her mother to care for.

    Also clipped in the letters was a remittance receipt, amounts ranging from hundreds to thousands that Yang Guan had sent to his ex-wife.

    The third letter was more recent, seemingly from around the same time.

    "...The doctor has diagnosed cancer, about a year or more to live. I''ve decided to give up treatment, leaving my savings for our daughter... After I pass, you must take good care of our daughter... Attached is a recent photo of her, you''ve probably forgotten what she looks like, we both owe her too much..."

    The letters weren''t long, and they quickly finished reading them, rummaging for the photo. But after taking apart all the letters and documents, they didn''t find the photo the ex-wife had sent.

    Officer Liang''s hair stood on end in excitement: "She took the photo!"

    "It could also be hidden somewhere, the painter finding a photo of his daughter would be very troublesome," Jian Jing said this, but was also seventy to eighty percent certain.

    She had already guessed the murderer''s identity.

    *

    Tao was surprised Jian Jing hade to find him alone. "What''s the matter?" he asked, puzzled.

    "Chairman Tao said before I coulde to you anytime," Jian Jing looked at her watch. "Although it''s a bitte now, it''s urgent, could we chat?"

    Tao''s previous words were just pleasantries, he didn''t think she would actuallye to him. But on second thought, could it be Kang Mo Cheng was in some trouble and she hade to find a new backer?

    Instantly invigorated, he opened the door and weed her in, "Of course, pleasee in."

    He asked warmly and enthusiastically: "Jian Jing, why have youe to find me sote? Do you need my help? Just say it, I''ll definitely help if I can. Don''t stand on ceremony with me."

    "I wanted to ask Chairman Tao, how does Morning Star sign its authors?" Jian Jing smiled.

    This was promising.

    Mr. Tao suppressed his excitement at catching a big fish, and kindly said, "Sometimes it''s apetition, sometimes it''s a submission, but those are for neers. We definitely give priority and better terms on royalties to published authors."

    Jian Jing pretended to be curious and asked, "How did Xia Xing sign with yourpany? I heard her first book was really good."

    "An old friend rmended her, said she was his friend''s daughter. He showed me her manuscript, and it was quite good, so I signed her on," Mr. Tao paused briefly, implying, "But no matter how good her conditions were then, she was still a neer. If Jian Jing is willing toe over, I''ll definitely convince my boss to give you the best terms."

    Jian Jing held back herughter. "Thank you, Mr. Tao, it''s gettingte, I won''t disturb your rest."

    "It''s no bother, I sleepte," As it was sote, Mr. Tao also couldn''t keep her much longer. He said some cost-free promises and saw her out.

    Jian Jing bid Mr. Tao farewell, took a turn, and went to knock on Xia Xing''s door.

    She opened the door quickly.

    "Not asleep yet?" Jian Jing asked.

    Xia Xing weed her in and smiled, "Working on a manuscript! I just sent thest chapter of my new book to the editor."

    Jian Jing gazed at her face and gently asked, "Working sote into the night?"

    "Finish early, rx early," Xia Xing smiled. "Did you need me for something sote?"

    Jian Jing didn''t speak.

    Xia Xing also quieted down.

    A strange silence brewed between the two girls, like a soundless spell.

    After a long while, Jian Jing finally said, "You should try writing mystery novels, you may be more sessful than me."

    "Why?"

    "You have talent," Jian Jing turned to face her, "If used correctly."

    Xia Xing''s brows curved up and her eyes shone, seeming genuinely delighted, "Really? But definitely not as good as you. If I was better, you wouldn''t be here."

    "You admit it?" Jian Jing asked.

    Xia Xingughed. "I''ve read many mystery novels, nearly every author warns readers that there''s no such thing as a perfect crime. Although I felt I didn''t leave any clues, when I saw you, I knew you knew."

    Jian Jing frowned. "What you did..."

    "Do you know the difference between mysteries and romances?" Xia Xing interrupted her. "Mysteries focus on logic, but romances look here."

    She pointed at her own chest, slowly saying, "Loving someone, even if they have a thousand faults, you just like them, you can''t deny it or hate it. Hating someone is the same."

    Jian Jing was silent.

    "Okay, I''ve shared my writing experience," Xia Xing made an inviting gesture. "It''s your turn now. Please start from the beginning, I''ll be a great listener."

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60

    "The crime scene of the painter''s death was very puzzling. The closed environment of the locked room misled many people to first think about how to break into the room." Jian Jing said while recounting the case and reflecting on the whole process, "But in fact, the murderer''s approach was very simple - she had been at the scene the whole time."

    "After eight o''clock that night, she returned to her room like everyone else, but actually sneaked in through the back door into the painter''s bedroom and hid under the bed, waiting."

    "She waited until the painter came back, saw that she had opened a bottle of red wine to let it breathe, and then left again. That''s when the murderer got an idea - to slip sleeping pills from the drawer into the wine decanter, so that after drinking the wine, the painter would fall asleep and think she had just drunk too much."

    Jian Jing didn''t find any powder in the wine ss - that was purely a wrong assumption.

    She usually drank ordinary wines like champagne, sparkling wine, and beer - drinks you can open and drink right away, with no need to let them breathe. So she hadn''t even considered the idea of wine decanting at all.

    Therefore, when she didn''t see a decanter in the bedroom, she thought nothing of it.

    But the painter drank red wine, which does need to be decanted first. And by the sofa was a cab hiding a decanter.

    There was a bit of powder residue around the lip.

    The murderer had hidden the decanter and sessfully fooled her.

    "After midnight, the painter came back to her room, locked the door, drank half a ss of wine as usual, and got ready to take a shower and go to bed. But halfway through her shower, the drugs took effect and she fell into a deep sleep."

    "The murderer hiding under the bed quietly crawled out and smothered the painter, killing her."

    You see, killing someone can be so simple - just a few sentences to summarize everything.

    But a life should not be treated so lightly.

    Jian Jing continued: "The murderer was very careful. She was afraid her motive would be exposed, and happened to see the painter open the safe and take out some letters earlier, so she remembered the password. After the murder, she opened the safe and took out photos that could reveal her identity."

    "Not long after, someone else secretly entered the bedroom and was startled by the dead painter. But he didn''t make a sound, just took what he needed from the open safe, locked the door again, climbed over the wall and left, creating the illusion of a locked room murder."

    "No one knew the real murderer''s motive, so no one would suspect someone who had just met the victim. She was perfectly concealed."

    Xia Xing curiously asked, "Then how did you find out it was ''her''?"

    "In addition to the photos, there were also letters hidden by her father in the safe, and on the divorce certificate, the ex-wife''s name was Xia Ru," Jian Jing answered slowly.

    Xia Xing suddenly fell silent.

    Jian Jing continued, "Actually, even without those things, other evidence could be found at the scene. Hiding under the bed for so long, could she really not have shed a single hair?"

    Xia Xing smiled and touched her own temple, "It seems a writer''s hairline is neverpletely safe."

    "Turn yourself in," Jian Jing looked at her. "You''re still young."

    With the conversation having reached this point, Xia Xing no longer needed to pretend. She sat down heavily on the soft bed, leaning on the quilt with one hand and looking up at the iris-shaped pendant light hanging from the ceiling.

    The painter had good taste - she had named this room "Iris", and chosen a matchingmp.

    "I''m still young, but I decided to do this a long time ago," she sank into memories. "I hated her very much, she took my dad away."

    When she was very little, she already knew her father didn''t want her and her mother anymore. He had fallen in love with a woman, like a moth drawn to me, recklessly obsessed, only wanting that woman.

    He didn''t want the family or the child anymore, only that woman.

    Her mother had pleaded and begged.

    She had thrown tantrums and cried bitterly.

    "Daddy, don''t go!" Even now, Xia Xing still remembered staggering after her father, hugging his leg and clinging on for dear life. Snot and tears covered her little face, filled with enormous fear, as if the end of the world had arrived.

    She was so afraid, so heartbroken, yet her father still pried her hands away, ignoring her mother''s pleading cries, and left home without looking back.

    And he never returned.

    Many people said that the woman was much younger than Xia Xing''s father, and had only married him for his money.

    They also said her mother was pitiful - married for over ten years without conceiving a child, having tried countless hospitals and folk remedies, and finally managed to have a daughter, yet still couldn''t keep her husband.

    After half a lifetime, all her mother got from the divorce was a battered body and a young, ignorant daughter. She passed away prematurely from illness and exhaustion from overwork.

    As for the father who had abandoned his family, he became a famous author after remarrying the woman he had longed for, and lived an even better life than before.

    "I hated her," thousands of words boiled down to just this simple sentence. Xia Xing lowered her eyes and said softly, "I''m still young, I don''t deserve this, but I hated her."

    Most murders stem from two words - one "passion", the other "revenge".

    She was thetter.

    It was that simple.

    "From the day I learned Chairman Tao wasing here, I started thinking about what to do. That day, I said I liked Xiaotao''s paintings and chatted with her for a long time in the studio. She was full of resentment towards the painter, and I just nodded along a little, and she told me a lot of things about the painter, including that she drank wine every night, had poor lungs, and often had trouble breathing and sleeping, needing to take sleeping pills... I immediately had a n."

    "I have to say, when luckes calling, you can''t block it out. At this timest night, I was hiding under the bed, and heard her arguing with Wu Writer. She was fuming in the room for a long time before opening the safe, which reminded me that my mother had sent her photos before. I remembered the password and took away evidence that could expose me."

    "Thinking about it now, maybe I was wrong to do that. I look quite different in those old photos, if I hadn''t taken them, maybe you wouldn''t have recognized me at all."

    "The more you try to cover your tracks, the more clues you leave behind - fiction does not deceive," Jian Jing said. Even at this point, Xia Xing was still joking around, although she also knew it wasn''t actually funny.

    But what use was crying if you couldn''tugh?

    Xia Xing would rather keep up the banter: "You know what the critics say? That you can tell my novels are written by someone who has never been in love. But you mystery writer, your detecting skills are no worse than the police''s."

    Jian Jing seemed to have many things to say, but couldn''t string together a proper sentence.

    "If I turn myself in, I''ll probably get a light sentence of a few years, right? I heard prison conditions are pretty good nowadays, maybe I can even read thetest novels. Let me know when you n to try your hand at romance - love can be very interesting too. I hate love, but I like romance novels. Novels are all fake anyway, no matter how passionate they are, it''s all just self-entertainment. How nice."

    Xia Xing murmured as if to herself, not knowing who she was speaking to.

    At some point, Jian Jing wanted to ask if she knew that the contract with Chenxing Publishing was arranged by Yang Guan, but held back.

    Crime is for thew to decide; life''s affairs form a difficult scripture.

    Keep silent - justice lies in the human heart.

    In the thick night, a police siren wailed faintly in the distance.

    [Taskplete, settlement in progress]

    *

    The one who killed the painter was Xia Xing, upon their first meeting.

    This news shattered many people''s expectations - Chairman Tao even jumped up in disbelief, suspecting the police had framed an innocent person because they couldn''t find the real killer.

    Until Xia Xing admitted to the crime herself and voluntarily surrendered.

    Even Chairman Tao was dumbfounded: "Xiaoxing, what''s going on? Why did you do this?"

    Xia Xing did not want to admit her family background, only saying: "I had a grudge against her that you don''t know about."

    "Oh, you... s!" Chairman Tao was at a loss for words.

    Officer Liang brought out a shiny pair of rose gold handcuffs and locked Xia Xing''s wrists. She did not resist, raising her wrists to examine them closely for a moment, thenughed again: "They look like Herm¨¨s bracelets."

    No one spoke, and an eerie silence filled the room.

    "Jingjing," Xia Xing reached out her hand, "May I?"

    Jian Jing was puzzled but grasped her hand.

    "If I had known earlier how capable you are, maybe I would have given up killing her. What a pity we met toote." She smiled thinly, then said to Chairman Tao, "I''ve submitted my final draft, you can publicize it however you want, but remember to deposit the royalties into my ount."

    Chairman Tao''s eyes glinted shrewdly as ideas for publicity campaigns took shape in his mind, though he sighed and clucked his tongue outwardly: "I''ll find you a goodwyer."

    "Great, I''ll be waiting," said Xia Xing. As she spoke, she nced up at the hotel with a trace ofplex emotions on her face.

    No one knew what she was thinking at that moment, whether she regretted everything she had done. She also didn''t tell anyone, just silently followed the police away.

    *

    The next day, the weather was sunny.

    Wu Writer got up early in the morning, didn''t even have time for breakfast, picked up his suitcase and wanted to leave.

    But before he got on the car, his phone suddenly vibrated with a message popping up.

    He casually clicked it open, and within two seconds, the color on his face faded away, his whole face was ashen, his chest heaved violently, but it was not just anger.

    "Are you leaving so early without saying goodbye to us?" The culprit who angered him appeared out of nowhere, her beautiful face slightly blurred in the morning light.

    Wu Writer turned back angrily, gnashing his teeth: "What do you want?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but reveal a faint smile.

    "You should retire." She said.

    What? Wu Writer was extremely angry, blood rushed to his head, buzzing loudly in his ears: "Are you threatening me?"

    "Yes." Jian Jing was straightforward.

    Wu Writer said coldly: "Don''t even think about it."

    "Then what you saw will appear in the newspaper tomorrow." Jian Jing said, "Retire peacefully, don''t use your status and fame to harass others anymore, and you can still keep your reputation."

    Wu Writer: "Go ahead and try."

    Jian Jing looked at him for a moment. This presumptuous senior thought he was doing well, but in fact, even a child could see his bluffing at the moment.

    "I''ll give you three days." She concisely ended the conversation, "Either retire normally, or leave in disgrace. You have no third choice."

    Wu Writer gritted his teeth, his cheeks bulged, as if he was going to swallow her alive.

    "Jingjing." Kang Mu Cheng came out with a suitcase and saw the confrontation between the two. He immediately changed color and said, "Teacher Wu, do you have something to discuss?"

    Wu Writer sneered: "Killing the donkey after getting off, you are more ruthless than your mother."

    Kang Mu Cheng raised his eyebrows and gestured for Jian Jing toe over, "I''ll remember to convey yourpliment."

    "Humph!" Wu Writer didn''t say any more, got into the car and mmed the door shut.

    His expensive luxury car swooshed past them, raising clouds of dust.

    Only then did Kang Mu Cheng ask: "What were you talking about? This is the first time I''ve seen him so angry."

    Jian Jing sat in the passenger seat familiarly and fastened her seat belt. She casually said, "Yesterday when Xia Xing left, she slipped me a note."

    "What was it?"

    "A letter from Wu Writer admitting that he had used the ''inspiration'' of Yang Guan''s Remnants of Jade Gate." Jian Jing didn''t expect that in addition to the photos, Xia Xing had also taken away this handle and gave it to her at thest moment.

    Yang Guan''s Remnants of Jade Gate would be taken away by the police as evidence. But if Wu Writer was capable, it would not be difficult for him to destroy the corpses and evidence. Once the manuscript was destroyed, the past would be a doubt, making it difficult to convict him.

    However, he forgot about the letter he wrote to Yang Guan.

    Jian Jing said, "I asked him to withdraw from the literary world and retire obediently."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Do you dislike him that much?"

    "Not just me, otherwise, why would Xia Xing give me the letter?" Jian Jing leaned her head against the window and gazed at the scenery outside, "You may not understand, but we understand."

    Wu Writer was like a slimy caterpir. Even if he didn''t crawl onto her arm, just seeing him on someone elseˇŻs body gave her the creeps.

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned and surreptitiously nced at her with concern: "So, do you want to expose it?"

    Jian Jing sighed regretfully, "I''d like to, but unfortunately it''s useless." Copyrightwsuits can only be filed by the author himself or the copyright holder. Yang Guan''s wife had died, and his daughter was imprisoned, so no one could sue him.

    Given Wu WriterˇŻs temperament, once it was exposed, he would be desperate and thereˇŻs no telling what he would do. It would be better to give him a way out. Although it was a pity, there would be no hidden dangers.

    She exined her analysis to Kang Mu Cheng.

    He was silent for a long time before saying, "Recently I feel like there''s nothing I can teach you anymore."

    "That sounds so pitiful." Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing and joking, "Mr. Kang, do you know that you are very suspicious this time? It was me who cleared your name."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t believe it: "I just met her that night."

    "Oh, others don''t know that." She smiled, "If it wasn''t you, Officer Liang''s spection makes a lot of sense."

    "What spection?"

    Jian Jing''s mouth curved up imperceptibly: "Do you want to know?"

    Kang Mu Cheng''s tone was very casual, he didn''t take it seriously: "Go ahead."

    Jian Jing then told Officer Liang''s bold guess.

    When she mentioned asphyxiation, Kang Mu Cheng''s face became indescribably ugly. He seemed to want to defend himself, but facing her, he couldn''t utter those words at all.

    "However, I told Officer Liang," Jian Jing pretended seriously, "I know Mr. Kang. He is a workaholic without a girlfriend. Talking about work makes more sense than ''ying games''. Don''t you think so?"

    Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath, tightly closed his mouth, and didn''t say a word to her until he sent her home.

    Jian Jing: *Sigh*

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61

    Three days after the case was closed, Officer Liang sent an update: Under the bed, the forensic officers collected fallen hairs from Xia Xing, and the powder on the sobering device was indeed sleeping pills.

    After the autopsy, the coroner''s report also determined that the victim died of suffocation. But the fibers were not from the pillowcase, but rather a silk scarf hidden in the drawer.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but exim, "How silly of me!"

    Of course, a wet silk scarf pressed over the nose and mouth would be much easier for a petite girl to suffocate someone with than a pillow. And this could also exin why only half a ss of water was missing from the nightstandˇŞit was likely all used to wet the scarf.

    Jian Jing felt terrible that she didn''t realize this sooner, but Officer Liang felt they had already aplished a great deal.

    She said, "You''ve given me a huge assist, I have to take you out to dinner to thank you."

    "Officer Liang, you''re too kind."

    "No, I must insist." Officer Liang said firmly, "Oh right, no more ''Officer.'' Just call me Liang Yi."

    Jian Jing: "Liang...uh..."

    "Then it''s settled." Liang Yi decisively finalized it, "I''ll be going to Heping City in a few days. I''ll give you a call then."

    Before Jian Jing could refuse, she had already hung up.

    A weekter, she called as promised and gave the restaurant address: "Ji Feng will being too, see you there."

    Jian Jing had no choice but to show up.

    Liang Yi had picked a hot pot restaurant and ordered a full table of food, with a yin-yang hot pot split between spicy red and mild white broths. The spicy aromas hit their noses, and even those not hungry suddenly felt starved.

    Ji Feng arrived right on time, ready to eat as soon as his butt hit the seat.

    "You haven''t changed one bit." Liang Yi muttered.

    He was utterly shameless: "We''re old ssmates, no need to stand on ceremony. Oh right, what was that case you mentioned earlier? Tell us about it."

    He acted as if he was just here to drink and gossip about cases.

    Liang Yi immediately swallowed back what she was about to say, and proudly recounted the full process of how the case was cracked instead.

    And then...she gotpletely torn apart.

    "You rushed to get confessions without fully examining the scene first?"

    "Not noticing the person under the bed until thiste at night, I''m very disappointed in you."

    "Why didn''t you investigate the social ties between Yang Guan and the painter earlier?"

    Liang Yi was furious, and nearly flipped the hot pot over to ssh broth in his face: "I''m the only one on the case! How can I do everyone''s job at once?"

    "What kind of ce are you assigned to? No assistants, not even a deputy officer? That''s against regtions!" Ji Feng nitpicked.

    "None of your business." Liang Yi sat back down in a huff, grabbing all of the tripe from the pot and dumping it in her own bowl, "Jian Jing, ignore him. This guy''s eyes are on the top of his head, so he sees ws in everyone."

    "Don''t spout nonsense, I''ve never nitpicked Jian Jing before." Ji Feng adamantly denied, "She''s such a good samaritan, I can only praise her. Here, Jian Jing, eat more to nourish your mind."

    He tried to scoop pig brain into her bowl, but Jian Jing pushed his hand away.

    "You''re the pig brain." Jian Jing suddenly recalled something, "What''s the ''internal review score'' you mentioned?"

    Liang Yi asked: "You didn''t tell her?"

    "Didn''t I say it before?" Ji Feng shot back, "I''m sure I told her already."

    Jian Jing: "Maybe you should get checked out for early onset Alzheimer''s."

    Afterughing for a while, Ji Feng finally exined: "Alright, I probably forgot because I was busy. It''s not a big deal anyway. There''s a provision in the criminal investigation procedures that saysw enforcement may invite citizens present at the scene to assist in the investigation when necessary."

    Jian Jing was shocked: There''s something like that? A special characteristic ofws in a parallel world??

    Liang Yi supplemented: "Of course, not just anyone can do it. Having a clean record is a basic requirement. If you have relevant experience, your score will be a bit higher."

    "Although you''ve dodged writing statements for me many times, I''ve reported everything truthfully." Ji Feng said, "The higher the score, the easier it is to get approved for reviewing some internal documents."

    He looked meaningfully at Jian Jing: "This would definitely benefit you."

    Jian Jing was puzzled, and didn''t respond for the moment.

    Liang Yi, unaware of their cryptic exchange, casually asked: "How have you beentely?"

    "Eight cases in one month." Ji Feng gestured with his hands, "Auntie, impressed?"

    "Scram, nephew." Liang Yi scolded him, but still asked, "What cases? Don''t tell me you''re counting petty theft and stuff."

    Ji Feng gave a light scoff, and began to recount stories.

    As Jian Jing listened, she became engrossed.

    The first two chapters of Evil Doctor II were adapted from her real experiences. But when writing a book, she couldn''t rely solely on cases encountered in real lifeing up with original material was also important.

    Liang Yi and Ji Feng were a treasure trove of inspiration.

    "Waiter, two more beef tes please." Jian Jing smiled, "Keep going, take your time."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    Two hourster, their wallets were emptied, and he had spilled quite a few cases.

    A thoroughly drained Ji Feng still had to send both tipsy girls home. Since Liang Yi had to leave early the next morning, he dropped her off at her hotel first, before taking the longer route to send Jian Jing back.

    "Have you encountered anything strangetely?" Ji Feng asked.

    Jian Jing asked back: "What do you mean?"

    "The bleeding rose." He said, "No other unusual gifts received recently?"

    Jian Jing shook her head: "My address is confidential. Fan letters and gifts are all sent to my publisher."

    Ji Feng remarked: "Your boss protects you pretty well."

    Jian Jing thought of Kang MuCheng and had to stifle augh: "Yes, like a father and mother."

    "Hm?" Evente at night, Ji Feng''s sharpness was undiminished, reacting swiftly, "What do you mean, your parents have passed away?"

    Jian Jing didn''t know how he could tell: "How did you know?"

    "Intuition." Ji Feng probed further, "What happened to your parents?"

    Jian Jing was suspicious: "What is this, a census?"

    He justughed: "Just casual chatting between friends. I can go first¨Dmy dad was a cop but he passed away, my mom remarried, and I have a younger sister."

    "Ji YunYun." Jian Jing remembered the autograph he had asked for.

    "Right, she''s in high school and obsessed with detective fiction, dreams of starting her own detective agency after graduating." Ji Feng had no qualms about selling out his sister, "What can a detective agency even do? Finding lost pets and mistresses, pfft."

    Jian Jing had tough: "What kind of brother are you?"

    "I''m not trying to discourage her, but solving cases is mostly ineffective and tedious work." He said, "She thinks being a detective is morous, tsk, she imagines herself as Sherlock Holmes, while I''m..."

    "Lestrade?"

    Ji Feng just shrugged.

    Jian Jing nearly diedughing.

    "What about you? Does your family approve of you getting involved in cases?" Ji Feng smoothly transitioned.

    She answered: "They''ve all passed away."

    "My condolences."

    "Utterly insincere, you just wanted to ask about my parents." Jian Jing asked again, "Why?"

    "Can''t really exin, just some messy conjectures." He waved his hand dismissively, "I''ll tell you when I figure it out. Just take our chat today as casual conversation, don''t overthink it."

    Jian Jing shot him a withering look.

    Ji Feng guffawed loudly. The car slowly rolled to a stop, precisely in front of theplex entrance: "Here we are, see youter."

    "Hopefully not seeing you again in October." She alighted and pushed the door closed, utterly heartless.

    Ji Feng: "Don''t be like that, we might see each other again tomorrow."

    Jian Jing yelled furiously: "Scram!"

    The car instantly elerated and zoomed off without a trace.

    *

    Ji Feng''s jinxing words were not prophetic. Jian Jing spent the entire month of October in rtive tranquility.

    Other than going to sses and studying, she was home writing. She also squeezed in time at the gym for a burst of workouts. She did this mainly because her personal trainer honestly told her that with her current level of training intensity, she was unlikely to make much more progress.

    Jian Jing had to ept this helplessly.

    Through months of exercise, her stats had increased to:

    Constitution: 6 (You have a rtively healthy body)

    Strength: 6 (Congrats, you can now carry buckets upstairs)

    Agility: 7 (You''re slightly more nimble than average)

    Burst: 6 (Core strength needs more training)

    Endurance: 5 (Your stamina is clearlycking)

    With these physical stats, an average person would already be quite fit. For Jian Jing to improve further would require investing more time into professional-level training.

    But that wasn''t realistic.

    Since thest task had ended, she had umted 50 Courage points, allowing her to cheat a little.

    She spent 20 points in the gym and got four cards: [Enhancement Card ˇ¤ Strength (1 point)], [Enhancement Card ˇ¤ Burst (1 point)], [Knowledge Card ˇ¤ Nutrition (Basic)], [Prop Card ˇ¤ Meal Recement Bar 5/5]

    The system was as "intelligent" as ever.

    She didn''t want to learn the nutrition card for now, so she used up the strength and burst cards.

    Her new attributes were:

    Physique: 6 (You have a rtively healthy body)

    Strength: 7 (You can wrestle with an adult man and not necessarily lose)

    Agility: 7 (You are a little more agile than ordinary people)

    Burst: 7 (You are faster, stronger and more flexible now)

    Endurance: 5 (Your endurance is obviously not very good)

    Compared to men, the most obvious physiological weakness for women is strength. Making up for this point didn''t mean danger levels dropped dramatically in daily life, but it definitely decreased a lot.

    The most obvious example was one evening when she came out of the gym and went to the parking lot to get her car. Because she was wearing rtively tight clothes, she was eyed by an ill-intentioned, lecherous man.

    He followed behind her, wanting to control her when she opened the car door.

    However, Jian Jing had long noticed his actions through subtle signs. She pretended to open the car, but actually turned around and pped him.

    The man staggered from her p, fell on his butt, and sat on the ground.

    He was dumbfounded.

    Jian Jing had originally wanted to call the police, but...cough, if she could handle it herself, why bother the civil servants. She immediately grabbed the man''s cor, pped him again.

    Then, while he was dizzy and confused, she kicked him in the chest.

    Forensic medicine told her that soft tissue contusions on the face and a rib fracture (one ce) were minor injuries.

    "Why don''t you get lost?" she asked. "Want to go to the police station for tea?"

    The man''s face was already swelling up. He had originally wanted to cheat somepensation, but when she added "You''re a habitual offender, right?", he was so scared that he didn''t even dare to curse. He turned around and ran away.

    At this moment, Jian Jing really appreciated the system.

    *

    At the end of October, The Devil Doctor officially started filming.

    Jian Jing had just finished the draft of the second part and sent it to Kang Mucheng to read.

    He was a little surprised: "That was fast?"

    Jian Jing replied: "There was too much material."

    Anthology dramas like The Devil Doctor were easier to write than Hide and Seek. As long as she coulde up with cases, it was very simple. Not like thetter which required more meticulous logic and delicate emotional acting. It was easy to get started.

    Kang Mucheng couldn''t help asking: "You''re not going to start writing the third part right away, are you?"

    "No, the next story..." Jian Jing weighed it carefully. "I n to add some romantic elements."

    Kang Mucheng was even more surprised. "What made you suddenly have this idea?"

    "I chatted with Xia Xing. Some of her ideas were very interesting." Jian Jing hesitated, seeking his opinion. "I want to try it out. What do you think?"

    Kang Mucheng immediately said, "Constantly trying new things is good, but it''s best not to change too much. The audience for romance novels ispletely different from detective mysteries. You need to be mentally prepared."

    "Just adding a little romantic element." She said with a smile. "If you tell me to write a whole book of lovey-dovey, I won''t even know what to write."

    Kang Mucheng imperceptibly breathed a sigh of relief. "When do you n to start writing?"

    "Probably going to start soon." Jian Jing had just picked up the pen and writing was going smoothly. She was in high spirits and had no intention of resting at all. She was going to keep writing.

    But Kang Mucheng frowned when he heard this and advised: "I''m not rushing you for the manuscript. What''s the hurry? Rest well first."

    Jian Jing found it very interesting.

    In another world, when she asionally wanted to write something, she would also be squeezed out by heavy workloads and have no time. By the time she opened the document again, the inspiration was long gone. Not to mention web novel updates don''t wait for people, take a break and half the readers would be gone.

    Now she could write whatever she wanted, financially well-off, with food and shelter worries taken care of. She really didn''t know what was left to rest about.

    "Okay, I got it." She verbally agreed, but didn''t take it to heart.

    However, she didn''t actually start the new book immediately.

    In early November, Jian Jing received a call from Jiang BaiYan. He asked, "Teacher Jian Jing, do you have time?"

    "Yes, I do. Do you need me for something?" She had a good impression of the beautiful boy and her tone was gentle.

    Jiang BaiYan hesitated for a moment, then softly asked, "Could youe to the set for a bit? I''m having some trouble."

    Jian Jing was surprised. "What happened?"

    He said, "Someone sent me a threatening letter."

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62

    Jiang BaiYan recently acted in a family drama, which was about a remarried family with divorced parents, each bringing a child. The stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother and stepsister needed to adapt to live together.

    The agent didn''t look favorably upon this drama at first, and inclined to another grand costume drama instead.

    But Jiang BaiYan rejected it.

    Firstly, the other party offered a second male lead role, which was fine, but the character was somewhat lovestruck, without much personal charm. Secondly, he was still young. His future acting paths would only be wider, so consolidating his acting skills was most important.

    The big agent had many artists under him, not just him alone. If Jiang didn''t want the role, there were others who did. He then rmended another male artist for it, warning him, "Don''t regret it."

    But Jiang BaiYan justughed. "I know Sister Chen won''t ignore me."

    "You little tterer," the big agent scolded, but still helped negotiate the family drama for him.

    They spread the news, and the fundraising for that drama suddenly improved. The director also used his connections, inviting two middle-aged actors with high national poprity to y the parents.

    They were almost fifty years old. The scripts they were offered were mostly parent roles, with highly simr characters, shuffled between pushy parents and greedy inws.

    Compared to those, this family drama was half a lead role with a full, rich character. So they were willing to take it too.

    The little sister role went to Cai Tonger.

    Jiang BaiYan was a bit stunned at the time. What was thisdy, who could get in without even an audition, doing by taking this role? Sister Chen made some inquiries, and found out her original role had been stolen by someone else, leaving her schedule open.

    Herpany thought it over, and realized this was a perfect chance to hype up a CP! They spread news of the male and female lead, built up anticipation, then switched it to stepsiblings - keeping the hype but avoiding risks.

    Cai Tonger was very satisfied too.

    She wasn''t great at acting. She looked good in costume dramas, but was always criticized for poor skills. ying a girl her age was natural for her, so it probably wouldn''t be an issue.

    Then they could praise her acting improvements in the press release - perfect!

    As for the director...sigh, these days, when faced with a little princess who brought her own funding, few could insist on their ideals. They''d just have to make do, even if Cai Tonger was at best a topic-popr little flower who relied on her pretty face.

    Behind the scenes, Sister Chen grumbled a fewints, but this wasmon in the industry. What could they do?

    So shooting started.

    Family dramas didn''t have many outdoor scenes, mostly shooting in the studio. Progress moved forward steadily day by day, everything normal. Until half a month ago.

    That day was Cai Tonger''s birthday. Her fans sent many gifts and a big cake over. Everyone from the crew came to celebrate, and they ate the cake together.

    For lively events like this, Jiang BaiYan had to participate, even if he didn''t want to. He had no parents or big shots backing him. To get ahead, he had to get along with others. How could he afford to be temperamental? So he happily congratted her as well.

    But the next day after filming, when he returned to his hotel room, he saw a few blood-red words on the mirror.

    Don''t talk to her.

    Sister Chen sucked in a breath of cold air in fright. Her assistant bravely went to touch it, and rxed. It was just paint.

    This could potentially be a big issue, but it could also be small. Sister Chen calmed down and quietly checked the surveince footage herself. But the cameras were broken and she couldn''t find anything. She just switched hotel rooms and considered it handled.

    A few dayster, they started the pivotal scenes between the stepsiblings. This was the emotional climax of the whole drama. The director took it very seriously and urged Jiang BaiYan early on to rehearse more with Cai Tonger.

    Jiang BaiYan''s face immediately soured.

    Cai Tonger could sing and dance her way through scenes, but had no talent for acting. She could luck her way through cheerful, lively scenes, but knelt at inner emotional conflicts.

    She knew it herself. Before Jiang BaiYan could make an excuse, she kept thanking him as she shoved the rehearsals on him.

    He could only agree.

    After rehearsing, his coffee tasted strange the next day.

    Jiang BaiYan kept his cool and handed it to Sister Chen for testing. The result was that detergent had been added.

    In the middle of the night, a slip of paper was slid under his door.

    You will regret it.

    Now Sister Chen could no longer stay calm. "We have to get to the bottom of this."

    Jiang BaiYan looked at her, silent.

    Sure enough, Sister Chen called the big agent, but was told not to make a fuss: "If this gets out, it doesn''t look good for the crew. It would also damage rtionships over there."

    When Jiang BaiYan ran into trouble, fans would me the crew for sure. That was understandable since it was the crew''s job to keep intruders out.

    But it involved Cai Tonger now. If handled poorly, this could blow up.

    Sister Chen was frustrated, but Jiang BaiYan said, "I understand. I''ll handle it myself."

    Then he called Jian Jing directly to ask for her help.

    Sister Chen didn''t expect him to make this move and grew suspicious. "Why ask Teacher Jian over?"

    "The Demon''s crew is right next door." Jiang BaiYan said. "If she drops by to chat, no one will be suspicious."

    Sister Chen stared at him. "That''s it? You should know thepany doesn''t want you to have romantic issues right now."

    Male artists relied on female fans for their career. Moreover, Jiang BaiYan was young. Dating would undoubtedly be career suicide. Not only would fans be upset, but thepany would likely freeze him out afterwards too.

    Jiang BaiYan nodded. "I know."

    "So why Teacher Jian?" Sister Chen didn''t understand.

    "Because she''s amazing." Jiang BaiYan''s eyes curved into crescents, his dancing fingers sending a message.

    [Jing Jing, pleasee save me!]

    *

    Jian Jing knew Jiang BaiYan''s crew was near the Demon Doctor''s. She gave Director Huang a call, greeted him, and said she had finished the second book. Hearing shooting was underway, she asked if she could visit and observe, since she had never seen the filming of a TV drama before.

    "I''d love to learn more." She said.

    Director Huang had worked well with her, though he worried she would nitpick. Still he agreed, "Of course, you''re wee anytime."

    So Jian Jing informed Kang MuCheng she was heading to set.

    These days, filming was either at dedicated studios or soundstages. Demon Doctor was no different, mostly indoor scenes, so they chose a studio.

    It was Jian Jing''s first time visiting a crew and she saw many new sights.

    Studios were all in the outskirts, converted fromrge factories. But reporters and fans always camped outside the gates, waiting to catch starsing and going, snapping a few shots.

    Jian Jing had just gotten out of the car when someone came over, "Which crew are you visiting?"

    "How did you know I was visiting crew?" She asked, puzzled.

    The person said, "One look is enough."

    Then a smoking uncle leaned out of a car window, scrutinizing her before breaking into a smile. "I know, you''re here for the Demon Doctor crew."

    Jian Jing raised her brows. "You recognize me?"

    "You''re Teacher Jian." The middle-aged uncle smiled, sounding rather proud. "I recognize all the publicly known faces in the industry. Teacher Jian is quite popr recently, of course I''d recognize you."

    Jian Jing just smiled, not taking it seriously, and pretended to be curious. "What are you all doing at the gates?"

    "Working, what else?" Uncle said. "No one would run to these deste outskirts otherwise."

    Jian Jing lifted her chin at the groups of girls in the distance. "Are they working too?"

    "Che, those are fans." Uncle casually pointed them out. This was for some little flower, that was for some fresh meat. He knew them all like the back of his hand, as if they grew in his own backyard.

    Jian Jing noticed most reporters and fans were blocked outside by security, but some girls got in after making a phone call.

    "Why do they get to go inside?" She asked.

    Uncle acted like it was nothing unusual. "You can get in too if you have connections."

    Just as he finished speaking, Director Huang''s assistant jogged over. "Teacher Jian, this way, this way." He scanned his ess card and brought Jian Jing inside. "Sorry to make you wait."

    "No problem, I just arrived. Thanks for making the trip." Jian Jing was equally polite.

    Inside, there were rows ofrge factory warehouses. Equipment was piled everywhere, people in ancient, modern, and futuristic clothing walked about. It was bustling with life. Along the way, she could also see lounges, bathrooms, shops, all built like a park.

    "This is Teacher Jian''s first time visiting crew right?" The chatty assistant introduced everything. "Actually filming is just like a construction site, all chaotic."

    The Demon Doctor''s soundstage wasn''t far. They had set up hospital interiors. Director Huang was directing a scene.

    While the scriptwriter Xu sat on a folding chair to one side, legs crossed, flipping through a script and making edits here and there. In this world, scriptwriters held a high position and bore great responsibility, usually following the crew in order to adjust the script at any time.

    "Scriptwriter Xu." Jian Jing greeted him.

    "Jingjing, you''re here." Xu the scriptwriter shared a bond with her from fleeing Evil Doctor Vi together, andter participating in the adaptation of Evil Doctor, so their rtionship was quite close. "You''vee at just the right time. Today we''re shooting the murder scene for Evil Doctor."

    The hearts eaten by the evil doctor must belong to evildoers, so before each murder there was a purification ritual, listing the victim''s transgressions to prove the "food" was clean - one of the ssic scenes in the drama.

    Jian Jing smiled. "What great timing for me then."

    She didn''t disturb Director Huang, just stood to the side to watch.

    The lights came on, the pperboard cked, and the set instantly fell silent as the actors entered their roles.

    "Perhaps you''re confused about your circumstances, don''t be afraid, dearmb..." The actor ying the evil doctor had long, slender fingers that traced over the edge of the scalpel, smiling gently like a priest.

    Jian Jing was immediately captivated by his performance, onlying back to herself after the actor had finished the line: "He acts so well."

    Xu Scriptwriterughed heartily: "Can Old Huang''s picksck acting skills?"

    Director Huang was somewhat dissatisfied though. Hearing Xu Scriptwriter''s voice, he turned to look and beckoned them over: "Old Xu, Jingjing,e here."

    He reyed the previous clip and asked them: "What do you think?"

    Xu Scriptwriter said: "Not bad."

    But Jian Jing said: "I don''t know, you''re the director."

    Director Huang had asked sincerely, but was satisfied with this answer, giving her an approving nod: "Alright then."

    And they moved on.

    Not wanting to disturb their work, Jian Jing made a sign to Xu Scriptwriter and the two went to a more secluded area to talk.

    Xu Scriptwriter praised her: "You did well, once bitten by a snake, Old Huang will fear ropes for ten years. In the future when we work together again, if there''s nothing urgent, just avoid finding him."

    "I understand, creators don''t like being nitpicked." Jian Jing took no offense, and after a moment''s hesitation said softly: "Actually, there''s something I wanted to ask your help with."

    She concisely exined Jiang BaiYan''s troubles, asking him to make an introduction to avoid arousing the other''s suspicions.

    This was no trouble at all, so Xu Scriptwriter readily agreed. But rolling around in the entertainment industry all these years, he''d never heard of getting a writer involved in an investigation, so he couldn''t help prying a bit: "You came all this way, you and Little Bai are close?"

    Jian Jing blinked. "This matter... is quite interesting."

    Seeing her expression didn''t seem fake, Xu Scriptwriter murmured: "Perfect timing, I know Old Mao next door too, let''s go pay them a visit."

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63

    Scriptwriter Xu said he was dropping by for a chat, which was very close, just in the next hut.

    The studio set up ordinary household interiors, the furniture and furnishings were all real, but there were only two walls, with several cameras aimed at the living room.

    Jiang BaiYan and Cai Tonger were acting out a scene of siblings quarreling.

    "Don''t pretend, I know you''re very impatient with me. You''re putting on this act of being a good older brother, who are you trying to fool?" The younger sister red with wide eyes, her voice sharp and shrill.

    The older brother stayed silent, his chest heaving as he clenched his jaw tightly, his cheekbones hard as stone.

    The younger sister continued shouting and cursing, each word intended to hurt.

    Jiang BaiYan''s temple veins bulged in anger, he was increasingly furious, as if he would violentlysh out at any moment, yet he endured it, and with each insult he bore, the atmosphere grew tenser inch by inch, making people''s scalps tingle.

    Such acting skill, the gap was clear.

    Jian Jing watched by the side, feeling that Cai Tonger was being unreasonable.

    The younger sister still made trouble, the older brother could take it no more. He grabbed the ss on the table and smashed it on the ground: "Enough... Ah!"

    Jiang BaiYan drew a sharp breath, a trickle of blood flowing from his palm.

    "Ah?!" Cai Tonger was startled, contributing her most authentic "acting" yet.

    "Cut!" Director Mao panicked, "What happened?"

    The prop sses used for filming were specially made to avoid cuts. But the one Jiang BaiYan smashed had broken into many shards, some edges neat and sharp, clearly ordinary ss that had been cut, highly abnormal.

    "Such a big cut." Sister Chen saw the blood flowing nonstop and hurried over with tissues to stop it.

    Jian Jing was shocked and quickly went up: "Rinse it clean with water first."

    With her first aid skills, she naturally knew how to treat cuts. She immediately took out half a bottle of mineral water from her bag to rinse the wound.

    Sister Chen was pained and anxious: "Bleeding so much, shouldn''t we go to the hospital?"

    "It''s fine," Jian Jing held Jiang BaiYan''s hand, rinsing away the dust and blood from the wound surface, "the cut isn''t deep, and there''s no ss fragments, just needs disinfecting."

    The medical staff brought over a first aid kit, containing gauze, dressings, iodine.

    Unlike knowledge cards which required learning, skill cards were like energy transfer, use it and you know it. Jian Jing worked quickly and adeptly, applying a dressing and wrapping two turns of bandage, tying a tidy knot.

    "Done." She got up, like a nurse instructing a child, "Keep it dry these two days."

    Jiang BaiYan''s face flushed red, seeming to want to say something but held back, just pursed his lips and obediently replied: "Oh."

    Jian Jing was done with it after that, and turned to look at the ss shards on the floor.

    The ss had broken into several pieces, but on close inspection it was clear that some were from smashing, the edges uneven, yet some parts were smooth and sharp, as if cut with tools.

    During filming, if you carefully pieced together the shards, due to the stained ss style of the cup, even lines would be invisible. But when Jiang BaiYan reached to grab it, what he grasped was a handful of ss shards with edges not aligned, naturally cutting his hand.

    Director Mao emerged from behind the monitors, asking with concern: "Serious?"

    "It''s fine, not a deep cut," Jiang BaiYan''s next words showed why so many people liked him, "Retake?"

    Director Mao pondered, Cai Tonger''s performance wasn''t ideal, but a retake wouldn''t be better either, so he simply said: "No need, we''ll go with this."

    Sister Chen and the assistant both rxed, if they had to reshoot, the bandage would probably need to be removed, back and forth messing it up when it was healing.

    "This is...?" Director Mao saw the unfamiliar face of Jian Jing and frowned.

    Scriptwriter Xu introduced: "This is Teacher Jian, the original author of Devil Doctor, just dropping by today. I had nothing to do so gave her a tour around." He then said to Jian Jing, "This is Director Mao, did you watch the ssic family si ''A Beautiful Family'' as a kid? That''s his work."

    ''A Beautiful Family'' was an indoor situationedy featuring four generations living together, a childhood ssic.

    Jian Jing understood she should tter: "Director Mao, I grew up watching your shows."

    Hearing she was the original author of ''Devil Doctor'', Director Mao thought back, Director Ding''s ''Hide and Seek'' was also adapted from an original, his attitude instantly became more polite: "Ah Teacher Jian, pleased to meet you."

    "Sorry for the interruption," Jian Jing was even more polite.

    "No problem at all, we''ve got nothing to hide here." Director Mao didn''t like random people around, but Jian Jing was brought by Scriptwriter Xu, an up anding author, no knowing if they''d coborate in the future, why make enemies, just watching wasn''t stealing.

    Scriptwriter Xu and Director Mao were close, he nced around andughed, "You guys are making good progress here."

    "Old Huang is being difficult again, huh?" Director Mao loved to chat, unable to restrain his mouth, "That guy''s temper, tsk, put nicely he''s responsible, put bluntly he''s stubborn."

    They chatted away, while the on-site producer had people recheck props, others rushed about busily, nothing seeming amiss.

    Jiang BaiYan asked his assistant: "Did you buy the milk tea?"

    "Got it, got it, all here." The assistant quickly affirmed.

    He then said to Jian Jing: "Teacher Jing,e, this ce has the best milk tea around." Not waiting for her response, he attentively called out to the others, "Scriptwriter Xu, have some milk tea, and chestnut cakes too."

    Scriptwriter Xu vigorously waved his hands: "Don''t mention this stuff to me, I have high blood sugar, doctor won''t let me eat it." Heined to Director Mao, "The health check said I have metabolic syndrome, can''t eat this or that, want me to go vegetarian, ah."

    Amidst the noisy chatter, the assistant called staff over to have snacks.

    Everyone thanked noisily and messily, Jiang BaiYan took the chance to leave the scene, heading back to the dressing room for touch-ups.

    Along the way, he walked while greeting people, able to call almost everyone by name, unruffled. The crew he sincerely remembered reciprocated, each concernedly asking about his injured hand.

    "Just an ident," Jiang BaiYan repeated simr responses, "Doesn''t hurt, will be fine in a couple days."

    Finally back in the dressing room, Jiang BaiYan breathed a sigh of relief, tidying up the sofa: "Teacher Jing, have a seat, sorry for the mess here."

    As the male lead, he had a private dressing room. Small, the dressing table covered with cosmetics, no ce for even cups. Clothes all hung outside, a corner of the curtain the changing area.

    Stuff was scattered everywhere now, the mor peeled back to reveal the real.

    "You have an amazing memory." Jian Jing had lost track of names halfway through.

    "No no," Jiang BaiYan humbly waved his hands, eyes and brow arched in a smile, "Just from interacting a lot." His tone yfully lilting at the end, words clear and crisp like falling jade beads, disying superb enunciation.

    Jian Jing: "Stop fussing first, your hand is hurt."

    "Almost done." Unceasing motion, he swiftly cleared a spot on the sofa, even taking out his own neck pillow to prop aside, "Teacher, have a seat."

    Hard to decline such hospitality, Jian Jing sat down.

    He dragged over a folding chair, not too near or far, sitting facing her: "Making youe all this way, really too much trouble. But I thought it over, this is the only way."

    Jian Jing smiled, gently saying: "I''m free, just dropped by for fun."

    Jiang BaiYan immediately beamed.

    "You said there were letters? Let me see." She got straight to the point.

    The writing on the mirror had been wiped off already. Jiang BaiYan passed her the second note, on ordinary A4 paper, written in red marker, some strokes smeared to create splotches of red, made to look ominous.

    Jian Jing asked him: "Who''s your instinct say it is?"

    Jiang BaiYan hesitated: "I don''t know."

    "Go by feel, no need for evidence," Jian Jing held the milk tea, patiently saying, "For things like this, intuition may be more urate than evidence."

    She wasn''t just making things up. Human intuition was far more uncannily urate than imagined. The brain always looked for shortcuts, many details skipped conscious thought yet lodged in the subconscious. As long as you didn''t psyche yourself out, there was always a reason.

    Jiang BaiYan lowered his head to ponder, then said: "I feel it''s because of me."

    Before Jian Jing came, Sister Chen and the others had also discussed, inclined to think it was Cai Tonger''s fan. If not, with Jiang BaiYan having filmed so many shows, why would something happen specifically when working with her?

    Especially since the first warning said "she", very likely her crazy fan.

    Yet Jiang BaiYan felt the person was targeting him.

    No reason, just a hunch.

    But Jian Jing said: "I think so too, it should be a girl."

    Although the other party had carefully written the picture in English to avoid leaving any handwriting, once the pen was put to paper, the information could no longer be concealed.

    Generally speaking, males have stronger aggressiveness and possessiveness. When someone has an affair with a woman they consider their possession, they either verbally threaten their rival, or directlyy hands on their girlfriend.

    Therefore, if it was a male, the message left for Jiang BaiYan should be more aggressive, such as "I''m going to kill you", "You''re finished", "Just you wait, I''ll make you pay", and so on.

    Whereas females have stronger defensiveness, and tend to drive away outsiders intruding into a romantic rtionship. For example, warning the mistress, or deleting all contact information from their boyfriend''s phone, and forbidding further contact.

    "Don''t talk to her" doesn''t sound like something a male admirer of Cai Tonger would say, it''s more like something a female admirer of Jiang BaiYan would do.

    Blocking themunication between Jiang BaiYan and Cai Tonger, leaning towards defense rather than attack.

    "I have to ask you," Jian Jing carefully chose her words, "Could this be an intimate partner from your past?"

    Without a moment''s thought, Jiang BaiYan said: "Impossible!"

    He exined: "I met Director Mao in high school. I had just signed with thepany when we were halfway through filming Hide and Seek. Sister Chen has been watching over me all this time, she would never let me fool around. I didn''t even think about these things, I still have acting to do in the future."

    He was naive when he first entered the industry, and didn''t have this on his mind. By the time he gained some notoriety, he better understood the rules: it''s easy for a celebrity to get started, just need a pretty face, but to sustain it requires sacrifice.

    And what to sacrificees down to personal choice.

    "Absolutely not." Jiang BaiYan swore, "If I''m lying, may I never seed."

    Jian Jing was startled by his intense oath. But she also found it amusing: "Of course I believe you, why make such an oath."

    "Uh, I got too excited." Jiang BaiYan rubbed his cheeks to hide his embarrassment, "Let''s continue."

    Jian Jing did not me him of course, and went on asking: "Have you had obsessed fans like this before?"

    He pondered: "There must have been some, but no one paid much attention, we all get them."

    "Do you think it''s someone from the crew?"

    "I don''t know." He shook his head.

    "How many people have ess to your room?"

    Jiang BaiYan smiled wryly: "It goes without saying no one should, but once I stayed at a 5-star hotel, and a fan was waiting for me right in my room when I got back. No idea how she even got in."

    Jian Jing was speechless.

    "Teacher Jing, I haven''t been sleeping well these couple of days, afraid someone might sneak into my bed." Jiang BaiYan moved closer to let her see more clearly, "Such dark eye circles, the makeup artist said I looked like a thief."

    She couldn''t help grinning, then knitted her brows again.

    Right then, the door was pushed open hurriedly with a "bang".

    Sister Chen came in smiling, carrying a box of pastries, "Look, freshly baked chestnut cakes, I lined up half an hour to get them."

    Jian Jing turned her head, ncing over Sister Chen, and guessed what she was up to.

    "Sister Chen." Jiang BaiYan pursed his lips, expression unchanged, "Do you not know I abstain from sweets when filming?"

    Sister Chen did not expect to be called out like this. Her expression froze briefly, but she was quite shrewd herself, and immediately smiled: "If you won''t eat it, Teacher Jian still needs to eat."

    "I''m actually hungry now." Jian Jing said, though she did not move, "But let''s discuss the matter at hand first."

    "You''re right." Sister Chen naturally glossed over her earlier awkwardness, "Any leads so far?"

    Jian Jing said: "I think it''s a crazed female fan. Such extreme behavior likely wasn''t the first time, she must have done other things before. Do you recall anything like this?"

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64

    Chen Jie was very embarrassed and subtly hinted: "Artists like BaiYan Jiang, most of their fans are young girls who tend to be a little ''passionate'' in their actions. The more passionate the fans, the more loyal they are."

    Jian Jing described the situation: "Were there any particrly obsessed fans who were very possessive of him and made him very ufortable?"

    Chen Jie sighed and took out her phone, opening a website: "This is the fan club forum. You can take a look at the private messages in the background."

    Jian Jing took it and saw tens of thousands of new messages.

    The content was shocking.

    "Brother/Sister, go for it, I''ll always support you!" ˇű This is the most normal.

    "You''re working so hard, someone will definitely notice. Go for it! We''ll always stand by your side! Never leave or abandon you, live and die together!" ˇű This is slightly exaggerated.

    "If someone has wronged you, you must tell us. I''ll make that person go to hell! No one can hurt you. If gods block the way, kill the gods; if Buddha blocks the way, kill Buddha. Though death maye nine times, I have no regrets."

    Jian Jing: Is this how you use Li Sao?

    And this wasn''t even the most shocking.

    "You looked at me once, so why do you ignore me now? ...I know you''re afraid people will find out, but it''s okay, I''m not afraid. As long as I can be with you, even if I die tomorrow, I''ll die willingly... You''re ignoring me again, I can''t live a day without you. If you don''t talk to me again, I''ll have no choice but to die."

    With an attached photo of a slit wrist.

    And another one: "Every morning when I wake up, I have to kiss you three hundred times, my dear YanYan... Completely broke up with my best friend, just because she said a bad word about you... Your new poster is so good looking, if we have children in the future, they''ll definitely look just like you..."

    With several attached revealing photos.

    And also: "I saw you today... Saw you again... You smiled at me... Those who nder you, I will make them pay the price... I''ll do anything for you... You only have me, I''m your most loyal guardian, one word from you, no hesitation."

    The photo was a poster of a certain actress cut into pieces.

    Jian Jing held her temple and slowly exhaled.

    No wonder the manager didn''t notice anything wrong earlier. They were probably already used to this kind of craziness, or perhaps, behind such enthusiasm, they had a hand in encouraging it.

    This method wouldn''t work.

    She decisively gave up this idea and sorted out her thoughts. She analyzed with them: "The person is in the crew. The police can find him in half a day. Are you really not considering it?"

    So far, her impression of the crew was messy and chaotic.

    Not to mention the reporters and fans outside the studio, just within the crew itself, other than the sacred film set, people coulde and go everywhere.

    This would probably require Sherlock Holmes to find the suspect without alerting anyone.

    "No." Chen Jie vetoed, "Making a big fuss to find someone is offending the whole crew. Plus if the news gets out, the producers, investors, Cai Tonger''spany will all resent him."

    "Teacher Jian doesn''t know, getting a little hurt is very normal during filming. Dedicated actors still work after going to the hospital." She said it clearly, "Unless someone dies, the police won''t be called."

    Jian Jing looked at Jiang BaiYan. He nodded and said softly: "If it really doesn''t work, I''ll bear with it."

    "Crime will escte if you endure more." Jian Jing shook her head and flipped open her notebook, "So I need to know about the crew members."

    Chen Jie briefly described: "There are several groups. The director group has the director, deputy directors, continuity person. You basically met them just now. The producer group has producers, unit producers, life producers, external producers, supervisors, coordinators, finance. The production team has the production manager, assistants. The photography team has cinematographers, lighting. The art team includes costumes, makeup and more."

    Jian Jing stopped writing: "So how many people total?"

    Chen Jie couldn''t answer, but Jiang BaiYan knew: "This isn''t a big crew, just over two hundred people."

    Jian Jing: "..." Over two hundred is not many?

    Jiang BaiYan seemed to hear her doubts and whispered: "Not many, thest spy drama I filmed had over five hundred people."

    Her: "..."

    Like finding a needle in the sea.

    "Knock knock", someone knocked on the door outside, then pushed it open.

    An ordinary looking middle-aged man came in and immediately asked: "Is your hand injury serious? Should we go to the hospital?"

    "It''s fine, just a small cut." Jiang BaiYan said nicely, "It''ll heal in a couple days."

    He nodded, then asked: "Should we adjust your scenes?"

    Jiang BaiYan was about to shake his head when he saw Jian Jing make a sign at him. He changed his words: "No need for now. I''ll let you know if the wound doesn''t heal well."

    "Let me know as early as possible." The other reminded, "There''s a rain scene tomorrow."

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Got it, thanks Liu-ge."

    Chen Jie whispered: "This is Liu-ge the coordinator. He''s responsible for scheduling the daily shoots."

    Jian Jing nodded.

    Jiang BaiYan turned to ask her: "Teacher Jian, just now you..."

    Before he finished speaking, there was another knock at the door.

    This time it was the props team leader. He came to apologize, speaking very humbly. He kept saying: "There must have been a problem during storage. I''m really sorry about this."

    Beer bottle smashing, crashing through ss windows etc aremon scenes in movies. They can''t use real ss, usually specially made props from stic, sugar, resin that look identical but won''t hurt people.

    But prop ss also has defects and doesn''t store well. A small mistake could cause it to shatter on its own.

    He thought it was because props didn''t catch the defect and let a wed piece be used. Before Jiang BaiYan could smash it on the ground, it broke apart in his hand.

    "idents happen. No one wanted this." Jiang BaiYan insteadforted him.

    The props master couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. After making sure there were no hard feelings, he got up to leave.

    "Chen Jie." Jiang BaiYan copsed and pleaded: "Tell them to stoping. My mouth is tired from talking."

    "That''s what you get for being so popr." Chen Jie teased him, and indeed went out to tell the assistant to watch the door and not let anyone disturb his rest.

    Jian Jing got straight to the point: "Too many people, my identity also isn''t suitable to investigate one by one. I have an idea now - you can try getting a little closer with Cai Tonger."

    Chen Jie frowned deeply: "Why?"

    "Her goal is to warn him. If that''s achieved, she may stop." Jian Jing exined, "If it''s ineffective, there will be a next step."

    Chen Jie said: "It''s dangerous."

    "Yes." Jian Jing nodded, "It''s taking a risk."

    Chen Jie still wanted to object, but Jiang BaiYan readily agreed: "Okay, I''ll listen to teacher."

    Jian Jing inadvertently revealed a smile and gently said: "I''m going back first. Let me know the schedule for the next few days when convenient."

    Jiang BaiYan gave an "OK" sign.

    Jian Jing left with the milk tea and chestnut cake, found Xu Scriptwriter chatting, and exchanged a few meaningless words. Then she returned to the Demonic crew.

    After wrapping up, she treated Director Huang and Xu Scriptwriter to dinner.

    Director Huang refused: "I should be treating you. There''s a good saut¨¦ed fish restaurant nearby. Let''s just eat there." He made the decision right away and booked a table.

    Jian Jing didn''t want to argue with them: "Then I''ll shamelessly freeload."

    The three ate at the restaurant and chatted about Demonic 2. Director Huang and Xu Scriptwriter both drank some alcohol. Jian Jing sent them back to the hotel and naturally stayed as well.

    There were several big and small hotels around the studio that were booked up by the crews and didn''t ept individual guests. Director Huang had status, and Jiang BaiYan and Cai Tonger were popr stars, so the two crews were staying at the best hotel.

    This greatly facilitated Jian Jing''s work.

    She booked a room using the crew''s name, and paid extra herself to stay in the best suite, right next to Cai Tonger and Jiang BaiYan''s rooms.

    Right now was when the crews got off work. Aside from those with night scenes, people visited each other, chatted, borrowed washing machines to doundry, very lively.

    Jian Jing was unfamiliar, but there were multiple crews staying at the hotel, not just one. Others seeing a stranger assumed she was from another crew and didn''t pay much attention.

    She wanted to investigate and randomly asked someone to borrow makeup remover, saying she forgot to bring hers.

    The person asked if she was from a certain crew. She vaguely confirmed, and the other directly gave her half a pack of makeup wipes, without asking her to return them.

    Summary: It''s not easy for outsiders to live here, but the residents don''t seem to be too vignt.

    On the top floor, I bumped into Cai Tonger.

    We co-starred in The Haunted House Adventure, so we knew each other. But she passed by with sunsses on, not even ncing at Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing: "Tsk."

    She tapped her card to enter the room. This room cost 800 yuan, discounted rate. Usually rooms like this where stars have stayed go for 1200 yuan, almost five-star hotel level.

    Luckily the decor was decent, clean and well-appointed. The door lock was very advanced with double locks inside, more secure than a regr hotel.

    Jian Jing checked inside and out. The bare red walls outside had no way to climb up. No wonder everyone was shocked to see the blood writing. The hotel itself was chaotic but room safety was not bad.

    She flipped open her notebook, drawing a line down the middle. Left side for clues, right side for inferences.

    Clue 1: Don''t talk to her/You will regret it

    Inference 1: A woman, possibly a crazy fan

    Clue 2: Messages and notes left in room

    Inference 2: Able to move around hotel without drawing attention

    Clue 3: Props cup switched

    Inference 3: Crew member

    Clue 4: Message pointed to Cai Tonger

    Inference 4: Really hates her?

    Still too broad.

    She took out the note again, turned on the deskmp to full brightness, and spread it out to look closely.

    The red pen was ordinary oil-based, nothing special detectable without professional equipment. Jian Jing leaned in to smell it, catching a faint scent she couldn''t ce, certainly not perfume.

    Shifting angles, she noticed fine glittery specks on the corners.

    Like eyeshadow glitter?

    Jian Jing took out a magnifying ss from her bag. Though ordinary, it came in handy at key moments, just like now.

    Under magnification, the specks were clear - tiny gold glitter particles.

    "What a slip-up," Jian Jing smiled softly. "Now it''ll be much easier to find you."

    She messaged Jiang BaiYan, asking when he was getting styled, to let her know in advance because she wanted to observe.

    Jiang BaiYan replied cautiously: "Not early, around 6pm."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    Better wash up and sleep.

    Unfamiliar ce made it hard to sleep. She dozed fitfully until hearing sounds next door, seems Jiang BaiYan came back, around 1am. She turned over, finally drowsy, sinking into dreams. Suddenly woken by shrieks and screams from outside like crashing thunder.

    Checked time, already 6:30am.

    She dragged herself up and looked out the window. Good lord, not even light out at 6am in November, but a sea of people crowding the hotel entrance, all here to see Jiang BaiYan.

    He got in the car and waved at them.

    The thrill of your idol waving at you short-circuited their sanity. Someone sparked it and they chorused his name.

    Jian Jing: _(:§ŮˇąˇĎ)_

    He''s gone, sleep a bit more, so tired.

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65

    Jiang BaiYan''s filming time today was not too early. It was ufortable and exhausting to wait on set with makeup on, so for the crew''s filming, the more insignificant extras went to get makeup done earlier, while those with bigger roles wentst.

    Jiang BaiYan had scenes scheduled in the morning today, getting makeup done at 6 am was already consideredte. He had been waiting for Jian Jing, but was not surprised when she didn''t show up, and just carried on as usual. After he finished shooting his scenes and was waiting on standby past 8, she arrived.

    His assistant was running lines with him. Although he had good memory, he still went over the script every day to avoid flubbing his lines during filming.

    "I''m sorry I woke upte," she sighed.

    "No problem at all, I had toe in really early today, not usually this early," Jiang BaiYan spoke lightly, "Teacher Jing, have you had breakfast yet?"

    Jian Jing said: "I ate on the way here."

    Not only did she eat, she also ran into the uncle from yesterday at the food stall. The other party took out a copy of "The White Cat Detective", saying his daughter was a fan of her books, and asked for her autograph.

    Jian Jing did not expect to receive this kind of treatment in a ce full of celebrities, she was extremely surprised.

    But the uncle said meaningfully: "I''ve been mixing around here all year, don''t I know what kind of people those celebrities really are? Things all packaged up nicely, how much real quality could there be?"

    Jian Jing smiled and signed for him, thinking to herself, this was a perceptive person.

    The entertainment industry was full of glitz and mour, like a big dream. There were too many filters between fans and idols, sometimes you couldn''t tell what was real and what was fake.

    That girl who passionately adored Jiang BaiYan, although seemingly within reach, was actually worlds apart.

    "Is there powder on my face?" Jiang BaiYan touched his face, eyes flickering, "Otherwise, call the makeup artist to touch me up."

    Jian Jing came back to herself, smiling again at his cleverness: "Sure."

    While waiting for someone, Jiang BaiYan gave her details about the art department''s makeup team. The makeup group had a head, two makeup artists, responsible solely for the leads'' makeup, but Cai Tonger brought her own stylist, so they only had to work on three people.

    "Me, Teacher Wang, Teacher Qian," Jiang BaiYan counted off on his fingers.

    Teacher Wang and Teacher Qian yed the parents in the drama.

    Additionally, the lead makeup assistant would do hair and makeup for the supporting roles, the junior assistant did hair and makeup for the extras, with decreasing difficulty and ordingly decreasing pay.

    Jian Jing silently took note.

    The makeup artist quickly arrived, blinking in surprise at seeing Jian Jing there.

    "This is Teacher Jian, the original author of Hide and Seek that I''m acting in, she''s following me for scenes today for research material?" Jiang BaiYan''s acting skills were unmatched,pletely natural as if this was the actual situation.

    Jian Jing went along, "Yes, originally Writer Xu said he would take me to see location shoots, but he drank too muchst night, probably won''t get up until noon, so I had to get someone else to bring me."

    "Then I''m going to treat Xu Writer to a meal," Jiang BaiYan glibly said, then seemed to react, hurriedly adding, "Ah, I''d be happy to apany Teacher Jing even without a meal, I''d be willing!"

    He deliberately acted very pitiful, as if truly afraid of offending her.

    The others yed along,ughing.

    Jiang BaiYan hurriedly changed the subject, "This is Teacher Xin."

    "Hi~" The makeup artist was a tall, skinny, pale young man. Rather effeminate in temperament, "Teacher Jian, your skin is so nice."

    Jian Jing greeted him, gaze falling on the opened makeup kit.

    A makeup artist''s tools were naturally extremelyprehensive. Just blush could fill up a whole drawer, eyeshadow not much less, lots of gold and pearlescent colors.

    But this makeup artist was gay, though his two assistants were a man and woman.

    Jiang BaiYan was ying a high school student, very clean makeup look, even the eyeshadow was matte, no shimmery products. Yesterday when watching Cai Tonger act, because her character was a little sister type, her eyelids were shiny and sparkly.

    Jian Jing surreptitiously observed, keeping the female assistant in the corner of her vision.

    She wasn''t qualified to put makeup on the celebrities, helping pass tools and organizing makeup brushes, working diligently. Jian Jing handed her something, making conversation, "What kind of bristles are on this brush, feels so soft."

    "It''s from White Phoenix, all goat hair," the girl readily listed off, "Feels very soft on skin, applies powder very naturally."

    Jian Jing smiled, "Did you specially study this?"

    "No, I got into it midway, I thought it looked fun so I started learning on my own." The girl was very talkative.

    "How long have you been learning?"

    "This is my third year."

    Hair and makeup took time, everyone was bored, once the conversation opened it wouldn''t stop. Soon, Jian Jing knew the girl had a boyfriend, they''d been together a few months, not often seeing each other but still considered dating.

    Better safe than sorry, she thought further, using checking the phone as an excuse, the name of the WeChat conversation at the top was very eye-catching, called "Pig Head".

    Even more stereotypical than calling him "Hubby".

    Jian Jing shook her head silently, eliminating this girl from suspicion.

    After Jiang BaiYan''s touch up, Teacher Xin stayed to chat with him. Jian Jing followed the assistant, saying she wanted to see what the main makeup room was like.

    "It''s chaotic over there."

    The assistant wasn''t exaggerating. The main makeup room was full of extras, messy. Over ten people in school uniforms sitting together, all the young people acting as students today.

    The assistants were busy checking their hairstyles, some had their makeup done since 3 pm, a few hours had passed and their faces were oily, needing quick touch ups.

    Among them three girls were made up as little sister types, matching Cai Tonger''s younger sister character. Heavy eye makeup, eyelids dotted with either gold or blue glitter, very eye-catching looks without ovepping.

    Jian Jing immediately stared at this makeup assistant.

    She was in her early twenties, a little chubby, wearing a mask and sses, chatting casually with different people. When the others talked about celebrities, she didn''t join in. Gave off the feeling of having no interest in it.

    Jian Jing hesitated, wondering if she had the wrong person.

    "Excuse me please," the girl said coldly.

    Jian Jing quietly moved aside, saying "The makeup you did looks simr to Cai Tonger''s."

    The girl''s brows furrowed slightly, nd tone, "I guess so."

    Jian Jing smiled slightly, head lowered to send a text.

    On the other end, Sister Chen received the message, heaving a long sigh, said to Jiang BaiYan: "Teacher Jian wants us to switch scene order, move scene 6 of episode 12 earlier."

    Jiang BaiYan flipped through the script, murmured agreement, "Okay."

    "You say the word, Director Mao will definitely give you this favor." Sister Chen hesitated, "But isn''t this too risky, provoking her like this?"

    This was the "trap" Jian Jing requested, switching to a more intimate scene with Cai Tonger, to further provoke the culprit behind the scenes, forcing her to show herself.

    Sister Chen had seen crazy fans before, truly afraid the other party would snap and actually ruin Jiang BaiYan instead.

    "It''s more dangerous with her by my side." Jiang BaiYan said levelly, "After all Teacher Jing isn''t crew, if she stays too long it''d be suspicious, best to resolve this sooner for everyone''s peace of mind."

    He emphasized, "It''s decided then."

    Sister Chen sighed longly, knowing with him saying this there was no room left to argue: "Fine, I''ll go find the director."

    Excuses weren''t hard to find. Yesterday Director Mao had used the injury scene, Sister Chen didn''t expend much effort before convincing him to move the scene matching the timeline earlier, to avoid making Jiang BaiYan aggravate the wound repeatedly.

    "Xiao Bai get ready, you''re up." The script supervisor reminded.

    "Coming." Jiang BaiYan unwrapped the gauze, leaving just a skin-colored wound sticker.

    The lights came on, actors in position, ready to start filming the group fight scene before the injury.

    The two sses in school started brawling over an argument about the basketball court allocation. Jiang BaiYan''s character was also involved, and specifically targeted.

    Director Mao asked: "How''s the hand?"

    It definitely still hurt, but Jiang BaiYan nodded, "Fine."

    Then three hours of fight scenes were filmed, and the wound split open again.

    Sister Chen wanted to redress it for him, but he stopped her.

    She smirked, "Afraid I can''t wrap it as nicely as Teacher Jian?"

    Jiang BaiYan ignored her, using his phone to take a photo before holding it out: "Sister Chen, less of this kind of talk in the future. Teacher Jian said there''s a suitable role for me in Demon 2, if you offend her and I tell Manager Linter, don''t me me."

    Manager Lin was his lead agent, the most influential in thepany, bar none.

    Sister Chen was shocked, showing some embarrassment.

    But Jiang BaiYan paid her no more attention, once the wound was wrapped he headed back to the makeup room to rest on his own.

    When Jiang BaiYan came back, the assistant hurriedly said, "I''ve been here the whole time, no one hase by."

    Jiang BaiYan nodded perfunctorily.

    Jian Jing had emphasized that they must be extremely careful these next few days and not leave any openings on set. So the assistant had stayed in the dressing room all day keeping watch, while Sister Chen had checked with the props master again before agreeing to start filming, confirming everything was in order.

    Cai Tonger''s agent had also said some strange things. But Director Mao felt that Jiang BaiYan getting hurt yesterday meant the production team hadn''t done their job properly, so it was understandable for the agent to be cautious and try to help out, avoiding any idle gossip.

    They had been equally careful about today''s other scenes, and when night fell they started shooting the rainy night scene.

    This followed yesterday''s argument scene, where the younger sister runs out into the street and identally twists her ankle. Her brother goes looking for her in the middle of the night, eventually finding her in the park and piggybacking her all the way home.

    From then on the rtionship between the siblings improves.

    Jiang BaiYan had treated his wound beforehand and wrapped it in bandages before going on set.

    Cai Tonger''s acting skills were mediocre as always, she could never quite convey the right emotion. The rain machine went on again and again, Jiang BaiYan drank three whole bowls of ginger tea, but they still hadn''t finished the scene even after midnight.

    "I''m sorry," Cai Tonger apologized for the nth time.

    Jiang BaiYan forced a smile. "It''s fine, I wasn''t in the zone either."

    After soaking in the rain for over an hour, even an iron man would be worn out. He sniffed and softened his tone, "Your emotions were good just now, let''s try again."

    Again and again.

    Once more, and again.

    Jiang BaiYan got more wless with each take, while Cai Tonger was half-hearted.

    Finally Director Mao was exhausted too, and called "Cut, that''s good enough."

    Jiang BaiYan was so tired he could barely stand, but he persevered and chatted with Cai Tonger, "You did great today, your crying tones sounded very real."

    What crying tones, that was just her stuffy nose from a cold.

    He threw his conscience away and made small talk with her for a while longer before amiably wrapping up for the day.

    Sister Chen immediately draped a coat over him and handed him some ginger tea - she had been holding the coat and cup the entire time, never letting them out of her sight.

    Jiang BaiYan shivered violently. "Let''s get back to the hotel quickly, I''m freezing."

    The driver raced them back to the hotel.

    Sister Chen escorted him to his room but didn''t go in to inspect it further, just waving goodbye, "Get some rest."

    "See you tomorrow," Jiang BaiYan swiped his keycard and went inside.

    The hotel rooms don''t have power unless you insert the keycard, and just as he was about to put it in, he caught a flickering shadow out of the corner of his eye.

    No way!

    Jiang BaiYan''s heart skipped a beat. He immediately tried to pull the door open and run out.

    But the shadow was faster, kicking the back of the door and making it click shut, thetch locking it tight.

    Jiang BaiYan backed against the door, thinking it was all over, was he about to lose his innocence?

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66

    Just as Jiang BaiYan was feeling puzzled, a bright light appeared before his eyes. The lights turned on.

    Jian Jing stood in front of him, trying hard not tough. "What kind of pose is that...did I scare you?"

    Jiang BaiYan awkwardly put his hand down, pretending nothing had happened. "Teacher Jing, howe it''s you?"

    "I wanted to try sneaking into your room." She exined.

    Today, her actions were divided into three parts. In the morning, she wandered around the set trying to gather information from the makeup artists. In the afternoon, she went to the Demon Crew set to make an appearance and found an excuse to stay another night. After dinner, she returned to the hotel to look for a way to enter someone else''s room.

    To be honest, it was surprisingly simple to pull off.

    Although each room had its own key card, the hotel staff had master cards. The cards were kept in a password-protected locker behind the front desk and could be taken out by staff when needed.

    Jian Jing pretended to have lost something and asked the hotel to help her check the surveince footage to find it. At first, the server said "Please wait a moment while we help you check", but after she slipped him 200 yuan, he immediately changed his tune and allowed her into the control room.

    The control room had spreadsheets for all the surveince cameras. She looked through them one by one and found that things were much simpler than she had imagined.

    The floor had surveince cameras but only one, and Jiang BaiYan''s room was the most secluded, near the emergency exit, with a surveince blind spot.

    And the cameras in the lobby...were broken.

    Or rather, the number of cameras on the spreadsheet was far fewer than what she had seen in the hotel.

    Not just one or two were "broken".

    Perhaps the hotel didn''t think there was anything valuable enough in the lobby to warrant extensive coverage, just the entrance would suffice. But this provided an opportunity for someone like her.

    The crew had booked out the entire hotel, no other guests were being epted, and the front desk was often unmanned. It took Jian Jing just half a minute to steal a nce at the password and get a master key card.

    No wonder the crime rate was so high in this world, the barrier to entry was too low.

    But she couldn''t say this to Jiang BaiYan.

    Jian Jing said, "As you can see, sneaking into someone else''s room is not that difficult."

    Jiang BaiYan patted his chest, looking very aggrieved. "You could have given me a heads up, you almost scared me to death."

    "Your phone is in someone else''s hands, it would have caused trouble if they saw something." Jian Jing was perceptive and could tell Chen Jie was being cautious. "I''m sorry I scared you."

    Jiang BaiYan was just hamming it up rather than actually ming her. "Oh well. Was teacher waiting for me?"

    "She is escting her crimes more quickly now, and her patience is waning. I have to work during the day so it''s hard to get away, nighttime is the best chance. I can''t let you take the risk."

    The first message on the mirror and the second with the detergent in the cup were 5 days apart. The second and third with the ss props were 3 days apart.

    It had already been a day and a half since yesterday afternoon until thiste hour tonight.

    Not only was Jiang BaiYan not keeping his distance from Cai Tonger, he was interacting with her happily. This was sure to enrage her. She probably wouldn''t wait too long. The deep of night when everyone was asleep would be the best time for her to make a move.

    "Then..." he hesitated, "does Teacher Jing have any suspects?"

    Jian Jing smiled. "Seventy percent sure."

    Without an investigation target, searching for suspects among the crew was like finding a needle in a haystack. But once she identified a suspect, digging up information about her would be much simpler.

    The high-tech binocrs card turned out to be surprisingly useful.

    There were many vintage prop cars in the studio with high chassis. She snuck into one when no one was looking and used the binocrs to keep watch on her target. While monitoring, she also finished a cup of coffee and a box of fried chicken.

    However, the target didn''t reveal anything out of the ordinary the whole day.

    No time.

    The assistant was too busy, with so many extras she had to help supervise their styling.

    This was why Jian Jing felt nighttime would be the most fitting opportunity.

    "Here''s my room card." She gave Jiang BaiYan her card. "Stay in my room for the night."

    Jiang BaiYan was taken aback for a moment before taking it hesitantly.

    Noisy sounds came from outside the door.

    "BaiYan, are you in? Tong''er boughtte-night snacks for everyone." Cai Tong''er''s agent knocked on the door.

    Jian Jing swiftly hid in the bathroom.

    Jiang BaiYan opened the door and declined the kindness: "I don''t eat at night, but thank you."

    "No problem, I have iodine cotton swabs here, how''s your wound?" The agent was extremely enthusiastic, thanking him repeatedly. "Our Tong''er just started filming, please take good care of her."

    Jiang BaiYan put on a professional smile as he deflected gracefully.

    The two chatted awkwardly for a while before ending the conversation.

    "Achoo." Jiang BaiYan sneezed, then said, "Teacher, Cai Tong''er''s door is open. I''ll head overter after showering first, if that''s okay? Feeling a bit cold."

    Jian Jing certainly had no objections and casually said, "Remember not to get water on your wounds."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Oh." They were already soaked.

    He took a change of clean clothes into the bathroom and quickly turned on the hot water for a shower, washing away the lingering chill. As water streamed over his palms and seeped into the gauze, a sharp stinging pain came from the wound.

    It really did hurt, but since it already hurt, he couldn''t let it be for nothing.

    Jiang BaiYan shook his hand and clumsily washed his hair and body with just his left hand, somehow finishing the shower.

    Outside,

    Jian Jing was chatting with Kang MuCheng on WeChat.

    He didn''t know her real purpose for being there. He just reminded her not to interfere with the filming: [Director Huang really hates other people interfering. If you want to be the screenwriter yourself, we can discuss it for the sequel.]

    Jian Jing: [I didn''t say anything, just looking around.]

    After she said this, Kang MuCheng instead asked: [Did you notice anything inappropriate?]

    Jian Jing thought back and responded objectively: [It''s fine.]

    Kang MuCheng: [That''s good then.]

    Her: [^_^]

    After finishing the chat, she put her phone away and saw Jiang BaiYan peeking timidly at her from behind the bathroom door.

    "Teacher Jing, am I causing you trouble?" His voice was weak and his face full of unease. "President Kang definitely doesn''t want you to get involved, it''s too dangerous."

    Jian Jingughed. "I was nning toe check on the filming anyway, solving your problem is just a side matter."

    Jiang BaiYan scratched his face and shyly said, "Um, Teacher Jing..."

    "Hm?"

    "The gauze came off." He held out his hand pitifully. "Can you help wrap it again? It really hurts."

    The disinfectant gauze Cai Tong''er''s agent had gifted came in handy.

    As Jian Jing disinfected and rebandaged his wound, she curiously asked, "Did you really get into a fight today? It looks even worse than yesterday."

    "Got hit a few times by ident." Jiang BaiYan said. "It''s normal to get injured while acting."

    Jian Jing sighed and sped up her bandaging.

    "Achoo." He let out another little sneeze.

    Jian Jing looked him over and frowned. "Hurry up and get dressed, or you''ll catch a cold."

    "I can''t with just one hand." Jiang BaiYan said softly, a blush showing through his cheek skin.

    Jian Jing: "..." What was this kid being shy about, he could just wrap a towel around himself. Hiding behind the door looking silly.

    But they ultimately weren''t very close, so she didn''t say anything. She tightened the bandage. "Don''t get it wet again, or it could get infected and scar."

    "Oh." He obediently agreed and came out after putting on his clothes.

    Jian Jing opened the door a crack and used the mirror of her makeuppact to check the hallway. It was empty. "Go rest. Sleep well."

    Jiang BaiYan hesitated. "Will Teacher be okay alone in the room?"

    Jian Jing figured she could easily subdue a female target right now, but this was Jiang BaiYan''s room. If there was amotion, it might reflect poorly on him, so she said, "I''ll have Chen Jiee overter."

    Jiang BaiYan: "...Oh."

    Dejected, he took his belongings and left for the neighboring room to rest.

    More than ten minutester, Chen Jie came knocking.

    "You''re staying with me here tonight." Jian Jing got straight to the point.

    Chen Jie was very worried. "Will she reallye?"

    "She will." For some reason, Jian Jing had an inexplicable intuition about this. The other party must have been provoked to anger, and the mes of fury would continue searing her heart. Even lying in bed, she wouldn''t feel a shred of drowsiness until disappointment and rage overwhelmed everything, forcing her to get up and vent.

    As Jian Jing thought this with such certainty, she suddenly realized - wait, I don''t actually understand criminal psychology. How am I acting like I totally get it? And empathetically projecting emotions?

    Heavens, could I have the potential for antisocial personality disorder?

    She shuddered and promptly put a stop to that train of thought.

    "Anyway, you lie in bed pretending to sleep. I''ll handle it if someonees." Jian Jing asked, "Does this arrangement work?"

    Chen Jie had no objections, only asking: "What about BaiYan?"

    "In my room."

    Jian smiled, "Then he can have a good sleep tonight. Little Bai is not easy. Don''t look at his high poprity now, it can drop anytime. He can''t make any mistakes."

    Jing fumbled with the tissue box, putting her phone in to use as a monitor, "What are you trying to say?"

    "Teacher, don''t get me wrong. I just want to thank you." Jian said with a smile, "Thepany has its own concerns, sometimes we have to sacrifice the artists'' interests. With things like this, it can ruin half of someone''s life. Remember what happened to that other person whose car caught fire? He almost died."

    She was sincere, so Jing said, "It''s nothing."

    Jian paused for a moment, seeming to make up her mind, "Can I ask, why were you willing toe all this way?"

    Actually, she didn''t dislike Jing. A smart, pretty and capable girl, who wouldn''t like that? But it was precisely because she was so good that made Jian worry.

    What do young idols fear most? Romance.

    She was afraid of unrequited love, that when it happened, nothing could stop it and a promising future would be lost to love.

    But Jing simply replied, "It''s not a difficult case. I feel I can try it, what''s wrong with that?"

    Jian: "That''s it?"

    "What else?" Jing was more puzzled than her.

    Jian: "Nothing..."

    Jing smiled, putting the tissue box on the bedside table. She also borrowed Jian''s phone and hid it behind the toiletries in the bathroom. "Everything''s ready, just waiting for her toe."

    Jian hmm-ed, crossing her arms over her chest.

    Someone had suspicions, was worried the child would go astray, but it wasn''t taken seriously... Why was she still feeling down?

    *

    Kikiid motionless on the bed, breathing lightly, afraid her roommate Nika would hear her.

    She was a makeup assistant. No one bothered to remember the assistants'' names, only going by easy nicknames like Little Leaf Yezi, Pretty Pretty, the simpler the better.

    She had been here for days already, yet didn''t know Nika''s real name, and of course Nika wouldn''t know hers either.

    Kiki''s real name was Du Qi, quite an ordinary name when written out, but with an unpleasant homonym. She was often mocked for it in school.

    Inferiority was the leitmotif of Du Qi''s student years.

    She wasn''t pretty, nor very smart. The only thing she was slightly talented at was art. Her childhood interest ss teacher had praised her bold use of colors and vivid imagination.

    But that was when she was seven or eight and still innocent.

    The older she grew, the more mediocre she became.

    She wanted to pursue arts in the college entrance exam, but her family couldn''t support her dreams, so she studied academic subjects, barely getting into a local college, living life aimlessly. Her dormmates loved chasing stars, and brought her along, bing extras at Hengdian a couple times.

    That was when Du Qi met Jiang Baiyan.

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67

    At that time, Jiang BaiYan was only seventeen years old. Shooting for Hide and Seek had just wrapped up, and through connections made by thepany, he took on a role in a costume drama, ying the fourth male lead.

    There was a scene where he sat in a carriage, and Du Qi, ying a peasant girl, walked past the carriage.

    He poked his head out to look at the female lead.

    Coincidentally, Du Qi was just then at a stall behind the female lead, pretending to buy things. When she turned her head, she unexpectedly met his beautiful face.

    Love at first sight.

    She became Jiang BaiYan''s fan, and often looked for opportunities to see him.

    At that time, he hadn''t be famous yet. His agent didn''t manage him strictly, so he often chatted with her (and other fans), and bought them milk tea to drink when he saw they were cold in the winter.

    Du Qi had an indescribable infatuation for him.

    She was decadent and insecure, her life dark. But he was hardworking and sunny, and following in his footsteps, it was as if his light had illuminated her own life.

    "You are the fireworks of daylight, shining with your own brilliance even as the sunes out. I am the moth drawn to the mes, struggling to break out of my cocoon only to die for you."

    She wrote this in her diary, deciding it would be the n for her life.

    In order to get closer to him, she picked up her old hobbies again, started learning makeup, and worked hard to get to know people in the industry so they could bring her in.

    Her life now had a goal, she had a n for her future career, and everything was developing in a positive direction. If the story had ended here, it would no doubt be a positive case of an idol inspiring his fan.

    When did things change?

    Probably after he became famous.

    There were more and more fans, but she looked down on them.

    What use were those online fans, just shouting a few words like "Brother/Sister, you''re so great, I like you so much"? The entertainment industry was a realistic ce, only fans who understood the rules could be useful fans.

    She and a few "big fans" who understood the rules would sometimes pretend to be other people''s fans to stir up trouble, or act as bystanders to ssh dirt on hispetitors, genuinely helping the person they liked.

    But this wasn''t enough.

    She hoped to be the most special, most useful fan out of all his fans.

    During a certain magazine shoot, a 28th-tier male celebrity spoke badly of Jiang BaiYan behind his back. She secretly added something to the eysh glue, immediately causing an allergic reaction that swelled his eyelids to the size of walnuts.

    Just like that, he lost his photoshoot opportunity, and Jiang BaiYan unsurprisingly made the cover.

    I will always protect you, Du Qi silently swore.

    But there were asionally times when she was dissatisfied with Jiang BaiYan. She felt he shouldn''t have epted certain shows, but did anyway. There were also people who were two-faced, who he shouldn''t have worked with, but did anyway.

    At the start, Du Qiforted herself thinking it was all the agency''s fault, they forced him!

    He was so young, how could he resist even if he wanted to, he could only obey. She tore thepany apart several times, and in the end tolerated it, thinking they held him "hostage".

    Getting into Jiang BaiYan''s crew this time was half luck and half maneuvering. Du Qi was incredibly happy. She even thought about how she would greet him, and tell him she had been his fan for many years.

    But who knew Cai Tonger would join the cast?

    Du Qi had followed Cai Tonger''s crew before, and had an extremely negative impression of her. She had even been scolded terribly by Cai Tonger once, with very mean words. The crew lead even forced Du Qi to apologize to Cai Tonger, humph, as if she deserved it?

    It was a pity she couldn''t do Cai Tonger''s makeup, otherwise she''d fix her up nicely.

    Du Qi made a mental note of this, and hadn''t expected to run into Cai Tonger again only a yearter, instantly ruining her good mood. Especially since, as some in the crew intentionally or unintentionally mentioned, the original female lead waspletely different.

    "She probably just wants to keep hyping up the Red/White CP with Jiang BaiYan," everyone whispered privately. "Cai Tonger''s acting skills are nothing special, she needs the hype from being paired with him to gain poprity."

    Hearing this, Du Qi immediately red up with anger, resentfully grinding her teeth.

    No, she had to warn him.

    Du Qi found an opportunity to chat with Jiang BaiYan, insinuating that Cai Tonger had ulterior motives.

    He just smiled at her.

    Du Qi thought he had listened, but Cai Tonger still joined the cast as nned. They often chatted and seemed to get along well, even celebrating his birthday together.

    Why won''t you listen to me? Were all your promises just perfunctory? I''m doing this for your own good, yet you disappoint my expectations like this.

    Du Qi grew resentful.

    One day, having identally picked up a master keycard dropped by a cleaner, she suddenly had a bold idea.

    Du Qi snuck into Jiang BaiYan''s room and left a threatening message on the mirror, fully expecting that this time, he would finally keep some distance from that insincere, crafty woman.

    But no.

    He still didn''t.

    The next day, he was still chatting and passing coffee to her.

    Du Qi sorrowfully realized that little brother had grown up, and was no longer as obedient as before.

    But she couldn''t give up on him. Thepany people all had ill intentions, only knowing how to exploit him for money. Not a single one truly cared about his well-being.

    Little brother only had her left.

    I must save him.

    Du Qi was a girlfriend fan, and also a mom fan. Gentle girlfriend-style reminders didn''t work, so the next time she changed her methods.

    When he was rebellious, how did her mother discipline her?

    A beating would set him straight.

    When it hurt, he would know he was wrong.

    Bearing the heartache, and filled with excitement, she slipped someundry detergent into his cup.

    That night, she left another note, satisfied that this time, he would surely realize his mistake.

    But the result disappointed her yet again.

    Du Qi felt awful.

    He wasn''t like this before.

    Back then, he would personally read all the letters from fans, care about their school and work, patiently listen to them confide their troubles. When they nagged him like a mother, saying "wear more clothes, be careful of catching a cold" or "don''t diet, health is most important", he would seriously promise every time.

    He really wasn''t like this before.

    He had learned bad habits.

    But how could she just say she would give up on someone she had liked for so many years? Let alone the fact that Du Qi''s feelings for him were far more than just liking - he was the "resting ce for her soul", their meeting was "predestined by fate".

    From the schedule she saw at the office, she found out which props would be used, then under the pretense of helping the props team, tidied up their things.

    Makeup assistants would often suck up to the lighting crew, location managers or photographers, in order towork. No one suspected she had ulterior motives. So when the ident happened, everyone assumed the props manager had identally brought out real ss, said a few words about it, and let it slide.

    Du Qi was very satisfied.

    She thought, the shattered ss is just like my shattered heart. Can you understand my intent?

    It seemed like he understood.

    He didn''t interact with Cai Tonger at all yesterday, and talked endlessly to that writer instead. Du Qi knew her - a currently popr mystery novelist, and also the author of Hide and Seek.

    The "Fireflies" (Jiang BaiYan''s fan club name) all agreed that he had filmed many shows, but Hide and Seek had the most gravitas, and that novelist had indirectly given Jiang BaiYan''s career a boost.

    Du Qi didn''t take the writer seriously, but this did slightly quell her anger.

    Yet it changed again after one night!!

    The night rain scene had so many NGs, yet he still smiled at Cai Tonger andforted her.

    In that moment, Du Qi couldn''t say whether it was anger or jealousy consuming her, the raging fire swallowing her rationality. Her heart felt like it was being roasted on an iron te, the living flesh sizzling and crackling, hurting so much she couldn''t breathe.

    This couldn''t continue. He was about to slide into the abyss, falling into hell.

    He had to know that only she truly wished the best for him.

    Stop him, punish him, make him see your dedication, know that you are right!

    These thoughts echoed repeatedly in her mind like a spell, tormenting her, urging her on. Du Qi''s breathing gradually grew hurried, the irritation churning within her, as if an invisible steam engine was "putt-putt" burning coal.

    Finally, unable to withstand the confusion, she slowly, silently sat up.

    In the darkness of night, her eyes shone as bright as a wolf''s.

    *

    The door was silently pushed open.

    Jian Jing was in the bathroom. She slowly opened her eyes, held her breath, and walked step by step to the doorway wearing only her socks.

    The room was extremely, extremely dark. She had turned off all light-emitting devices, and tightly shut the thick curtains, not letting in a single moonbeam. The whole room was pitch ck, she couldn''t see her hand in front of her face. Only a sliver of light from the corridor came through the door, dimly falling into the room.

    The shadow cautiously moved inward.

    She walked very slowly, every step taken extremely carefully, afraid to step on anything. After squeezing into the room, she wedged a soft cloth into the door crack, soundlessly closing it.

    Jian Jing turned on her night vision goggles.

    Sister Chen had fallen asleep. She had been tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, but the fatigue from work betrayed her mind and pulled her into slumber. She had her hair in a bun and used a pillow to block the side of the bed closest to the door. From this vantage point, it was hard to discern the identity of the person lying in bed.

    The intruder was fooled by the illusion, assuming it to be Jiang BaiYan, and approached excitedly.

    Du Qi''s entire body grew hot, her heart pounding chaotically. An indescribable force seemed to control her body. She hadn''t even dreamed that there woulde a day in her life when she would be this close to him.

    This close.

    This close!

    Her palms grew sweaty, soaking the note crumpled in her fist.

    She moved towards him, stretching out her hand then pulling it back, as if regretting it for a moment. But the hidden thirst drove away the unease of overstepping bounds. Blood flowed faster through her veins, into her limbs, giving her mind a slightly dizzy, oxygen-deprived feeling.

    In this moment, reason had beenpletely excluded from her thoughts.

    She couldn''t think, scarcely even remembering what her original intention had been - to drug him, or to smear some ointment on his face? She couldn''t recall.

    Usually, she was a fan, infatuated with him, admiring and worshipping him. Even if she was just a step away, in her mind they were separated by thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. But now, they were breathing the same air in this enclosed, dark space. The distance between two people had been infinitely reduced.

    As a fan, Du Qi''s inhibitions disappeared, reced by the malice of an ordinary person.

    She reached out her hand.

    And then...it was over.

    The lurid dream ended before it even began.

    Her wrist was caught in an iron grip, the fingertips pressing down forcefully on the muscles. Even the bones hidden beneath felt the pressure. The surging, turbulent blood flow was cut off, and her palm felt like it would explode from the heat and swelling.

    "Let me go!" Du Qi''s voice cracked from fear and anger.

    The person in bed was immediately jolted awake and turned on the light swiftly.

    The piercing brightness exploded forth, indiscriminately attacking everyone''s retinas.

    Du Qi''s eyes stung painfully, forcing her to squeeze them shut. But it had been enough for her to see the person on the bed clearly. It wasn''t the beautiful boy she had imagined at all.

    She didn''t get to see his panicked, flustered expression.

    "Disappointed?" Someone behind her asked, like a demon''s whisper, "No need, you had no chance of sess."

    Du Qi whipped her head around furiously, but what she saw was a beautifully elegant side profile, with ash gray locks cascading down like des reflecting light.

    "It''s you?" She was both shocked and furious, with an indescribable resentment.

    Jian Jing deftly seized her joints and twisted Du Qi''s arms behind her back, binding them with tape. Naturally, Du Qi refused to surrender so easily, writhing and struggling violently.

    With her weight and strength, an average woman was no match for her. Sister Chen had wanted to help hold her down but was kicked away.

    Jian Jing pressed her knee into Du Qi''s waist as warning. "Keep struggling and I won''t be nice."

    Bloodshot, Du Qi opened her mouth wanting to bite her.

    Jian Jing held her down with one hand, while grabbing a pillowcase with the other, rolling it into a long strip to tie around Du Qi''s mouth. She added calmly, "Now that we''ve caught her, have you thought about what to do next?"

    Sister Chen hesitated instead, pondering who she should call, who could handle this cleanly.

    In the stillness, soft footsteps sounded.

    Jiang BaiYan walked in, closing the door behind him steadily.

    "It''s her?" he asked.

    Seeing him, Du Qi''s struggles instantly ceased, strength soundlessly slipping away.

    Tears rolled down her cheeks endlessly, immense grievance.

    "Mmph mmph," she tried to speak.

    Jiang BaiYan only nced at her once, instructing, "Sister Chen, you and Xiao Li take her to the police station, then contact ZhenGe."

    ZhenGe was the on-site producer, responsible for handling all kinds of emergencies.

    Sister Chen considered for a moment, then nodded, calling Xiao Li the assistant over. With his 1.8 meter height and nearly 200 pounds, Xiao Li easily subdued Du Qi and dragged her into the elevator.

    Right at the door, Du Qi violently struggled again, making muffled whimpers through her nose.

    Jiang BaiYan watched her for a moment, telling Xiao Li, "Don''t wake anyone up."

    Xiao Li nodded and tightened his grip.

    But he had underestimated the madness of a crazed fan, or rather, a crazed person''s madness. Du Qi erupted with a strength far exceeding her norm, actually breaking free of the burly man''s restraint. Like a monster, she lunged at Jiang BaiYan.

    Jian Jing heaved a deep sigh, raising her arm to spray Du Qi with anti-wolf repellent.

    At the same time, Xiao Li and Sister Chen each grabbed an arm and waist, seizing control of her again.

    Jiang BaiYan said clearly and calmly, "You don''t need to say it, I don''t want to hear."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help looking over. As always, he was clever to get the words out first. But only this time, it wasn''t thoughtful.

    For an instant, Du Qi''s eyes widened, then the mes dancing within them vanished.

    The propellent Jian Jing used took effect. Du Qi copsed limply to the ground and was dragged out by Xiao Li.

    Sister Chen apanied them as they left. At the door, she nced back.

    Jiang BaiYan met her gaze for a moment, then gently closed the door.

    The room sank into silence again.

    "Teacher Jian," he started, "Do you think I''m cruel?"

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68

    ˇ°Why do you ask that?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan said, ˇ°I thought Teacher wanted me to listen to what she wanted to say, to give her a chance.ˇ±

    ˇ°No.ˇ± Unexpectedly, Jian Jing shook her head.

    A trace of surprise and apprehension shed in Jiang BaiYan''s eyes. He gave up asking and tried to exin, ˇ°I don''t think there''s anything good to listen to, it''s meaningless.ˇ±

    He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, ˇ°She would definitely say she loves me, but...ˇ±

    This was not love.

    She wanted to control him, destroy him, just under the name of love.

    ˇ°I know fans'' love for me and my love for them are not equal.ˇ± He said slowly, his eyes slightly red, ˇ°Teacher Jian, I''m a little sad.ˇ±

    Jian Jing made meaningless sounds to indicate that she was listening.

    ˇ°Many boys like me in the industry either have girlfriends or have them...they just hide it well. But I really don''t, it''s not that I can''t hide it, but I always want to live up to their love as much as possible.ˇ± Jiang BaiYan seemed to rarely open up, speaking incoherently and clumsily.

    ˇ°Some people say the rtionship between fans and idols is very distorted, maybe it is, but there is also true love.ˇ± There was a nasal tone in his voice, ˇ°If she says she ''loves me'' like this, what about those who really love me?ˇ±

    Jian Jingughed softly.

    She leaned forward, staring intently at the handsome younger brother sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes were slightly red, long eyshes wet with glistening tears, his Adam''s apple moved slightly as he swallowed the sourness.

    ˇ°You''re acting very well.ˇ± She asked curiously, ˇ°Are you really crying?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYanˇŻs mouth rounded in surprise, then he reacted, the tears disappeared, and his eyes were no longer red either, only his tone was more serious than before: ˇ°What I said is true from the heart.ˇ±

    Only added a little performance.

    ˇ°You''re afraid I won''t believe you?ˇ± she asked.

    Jiang BaiYan pursed his lips awkwardly, ˇ°Well, I was afraid Teacher Jian would think I was very heartless and cold.ˇ± He grabbed a pillow and buried his face in the soft pillow, ˇ°Ahhh so embarrassing, even though I was telling the truth.ˇ±

    He only revealed a pair of ck and white eyes, but was even more convincing than before: ˇ°True fans only hope the person they like gets better and better, not want to destroy him.ˇ±

    ˇ°I know.ˇ± Jian Jing threw out another shocker slowly, ˇ°Aren''t you? Bai Xiao Huo.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan let out an extremely miserable groan.

    She almostughed her guts out, yet still pretended to be serious: ˇ°Not hard to guess.ˇ±

    ˇ°Please.ˇ± He said weakly, ˇ°Don''t say it out, I''m going to die socially.ˇ±

    Jian Jing could no longer restrain herself andughed out loud.

    ˇ°Don''t tell Sister Chen, don''t tell her no matter what.ˇ±

    ˇ°Hahaha.ˇ±

    ˇ°Please.ˇ± He shook her clothes, ˇ°Please.ˇ±

    Jian Jing couldn''t resist and promised, ˇ°Okay, I promise I won''t say it.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan breathed a sigh of relief and tried tough, but the muscles in his face seemed too heavy toplete such an ordinary action.

    He didn''t force himself either, and just sighed heavily.

    The initial confession was a perfect performance, and theter exnation was sincere but also concealed, only this sigh was his most authentic response to Du Qi.

    Jian Jing thought he was indeed a little sad.

    But even before the age of twenty, it was already "the weather turns chill, what a nice autumn" in this circle.

    ˇ°DonˇŻt be sad.ˇ± After thinking for a moment, she deliberately said, ˇ°Let me tell you a secret?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan looked interested: ˇ°What secret?ˇ±

    ˇ°Earlier Sister Chen asked why I was willing to make this trip, and I told her it was because I thought I could resolve it.ˇ± Jian Jing blinked, ˇ°But actually, there was another reason.ˇ±

    He visibly perked up: ˇ°What reason?ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs because you''ve always been encouraging me, and IˇŻm very grateful to you.ˇ± She said.

    The Bai Xiao Huo ount had been active for many years. Not long after she opened her ount, he started leavingments, all kinds of ttery and praise, posting pictures of her new books immediately, and even writing little essays.

    What was he after? He just really liked her.

    ˇ°You prove that there are good fans in the world.ˇ± She praised, ˇ°You are the best fan.ˇ±

    ˇ°Uh...ˇ± Jiang BaiYan said dryly, ˇ°Yeah.ˇ±

    ˇ°So don''t be sad anymore. Birds of a feather flock together, you must have many fans like this.ˇ± Jian Jing patted his head, ˇ°She''s just an ident.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan was stunned for a moment before saying, ˇ°Yeah, I''m not sad anymore.ˇ±

    Jian Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her watch, it was already three in the morning.

    She said, "Get some good rest, I''m going back first." As she spoke, she did not forget to take back her phone, and added, "I know how to avoid the cameras, I won''t get photographed, sleep well."

    Jiang BaiYan didnˇŻt want her to be so thoughtful and mumbled softly, ˇ°Oh.ˇ± His face rarely showed some hesitation, as if thinking about some important question. After a while, he made up his mind to ask, ˇ°Actually, I have a question.ˇ±

    ˇ°Hmm?ˇ±

    ˇ°Does Teacher still remember...why you wanted to write ''Pudding and Gems'' in Bai Mao?ˇ± He asked softly.

    Jian Jing reflexively wanted to say "remember", but soon realized it was wrong. There was no such story in her "Bai Mao Detective". Bai Mao had a total of sixteen cases, and she stopped writing after the ninth one.

    ''Pudding and Gems'' was the thirteenth.

    She didn''t write this.

    ˇ°WhatˇŻs going on?ˇ± She wondered, ˇ°I remember your cat is called Pudding, right?ˇ±

    He nodded.

    Jian Jing looked at him, ˇ°Why ask this?ˇ±

    ˇ°Nothing, just casually asking.ˇ± He said, ˇ°Because Pudding is called Pudding, so I was a little curious. ItˇŻs nothing, Teacher should go back and rest, good night.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was full of doubts but didn''t ask more.

    She had received the memories of another version of herself, but it was very vague, not every detail was remembered. Much of the content was like dusty old paintings, faded, mottled, or erased, hard to recall.

    ˇ°Good night.ˇ± After examining him for a while, she slipped away.

    Jiang BaiYan then saw her leap like an agile cat, sticking to the wall into the adjacent emergency passage.

    He couldn''t help thinking that she really was like the little white cat.

    *

    To be cautious, Jian Jing checked into another hotel to rest and slept until noon.

    There was a text message from Kang Mu Cheng on her phone. She replied ing home today" to him, and got ready to pack up before going back to check out of her original hotel.

    Who would have thought there would be an unexpected guest waiting for her there.

    "Qiu Lin, everyone calls me Sister Lin." The stylistically dressed woman with sunsses reached out her hand, "Got time? Lunch together."

    Jian Jing declined, "I have to go back, next time."

    Next time meant she didn''t want to eat with her.

    But this cunning Qiu Lin didn''t go along with it, handing over a business card, "That''s fine too, I''ll make ns with you again in a couple days when I get back. I heard Kang Mu Cheng of Golden Crow thinks highly of you, why not bring him along, I''ll bring a friend too."

    Jian Jing was taken aback.

    "You did me a big favor, I won''t owe you." Qiu Lin smiled gently.

    Jian Jing decided to pass this burden to Kang Mu Cheng and took the business card, "I''ll have Chairman Kang set up a meeting with you."

    Qiu Lin raised her eyebrows, "I made ns with you."

    "You''ll have more to talk about." Jian Jing waved her hand, "See you next time."

    Qiu Lin looked at her with interest for a while, then waved, "Okay, see you next time."

    Jian Jing drove home. After getting home, she reported to Kang Mu Cheng that she was safe before eagerly saying, "Chairman Kang, let me introduce you to a great beauty."

    Kang Mu Chengughed. She really was childish, "Met a celebrity?"

    "Female celebrities don''t suit you." She said, "She''s the agent of Brilliant Entertainment, her name is Qiu Lin."

    Kang Mu Cheng knew this name, "Rare, she''s quite a figure too. What''s going on?"

    "She wants to take me out for a meal, I''m impatient to eat with her, but you should go." Jian Jing sent a photo of Qiu Lin''s business card and happily said, "Trust me, this meal will be worth it."

    Kang Mu Cheng rubbed his brow, feeling the situation was a bit out of control, "Jingjing, I know you care about me, but I don''t think you... this isn''t something you need to do."

    The other end of the phone suddenly became quiet.

    An eerie, stagnant, subtle atmosphere spread.

    Kang Mu Cheng suddenly regretted very much and added to remedy, ˇ°Okay, IˇŻll go.ˇ±

    Still silence.

    ˇ°Jingjing.ˇ± He spoke again.

    But this time, Jian Jing did not wait to hear the end.

    She hung up the phone.

    Kang Mu Cheng called again, but it was busy.

    The phone was in use.

    *

    "Teacher Jing Jing, this is Jiang Bai Yan," the other party introduced himself, "Have you gotten home?"

    Jian Jing suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and responded as usual, "I''m home, is there something?"

    "Du Qi has confessed. Sister Chen said she has said many crazy things, but the evidence is clear, she''s already been detained," Jiang Bai Yan reported in detail, "The crew has fired her, aside from a few people, no one knows."

    The joy of sess welled up in her heart, and Jian Jing temporarily forgot about her earlier displeasure, "That''s great."

    He said earnestly, "Sister Chen said she had a knife and drugs on her. If it wasn''t for you, I might have lost my life. Thank you Teacher Jing Jing, you''ve saved me again."

    "Again?"

    Jiang Bai Yan paused for a moment, thenughed and said, "I guess thest time counts too, and when you taught me the password in the haunted house, there''s been many times." He changed the subject, "After I finish filming, I definitely want to take you out for a meal."

    "No need to be so polite."

    "I must, I must," he insisted firmly, "I''ll make ns with teacher ahead of time. Oh, the director is calling me. Goodbye Teacher Jing Jing."

    Jian Jing still had doubts about him, but didn''t persist, "Goodbye."

    She waited a moment, he didn''t hang up the phone, so she hung up first.

    Unread messages popped up on her phone.

    Kang Mu Cheng: [I''m free tonight, want to have dinner together?]

    Why did they both want to take her out for a meal? Jian Jing frowned and replied: [Tired, not eating.]

    He: [I apologize for what I said earlier.]

    Jian Jing: [It was my own wishful thinking, you don''t need to apologize.]

    She sent another message: [I''m a bit tired, going to take a nap.]

    After responding, she put her phone on airne mode and went into the bathroom to take a bath.

    The hot, salty sea salt water steamed away her pent-up fatigue.

    She was drowsy, but suddenly a new message popped up before her eyes.

    [System: Host haspleted the "Good Samaritan" event, rewarded with 10 Courage points.]

    Jian Jing was immediately more alert. All this time, it had been the system issuing tasks and herpleting them to get rewards. But this time there was no task, how could there be a reward?

    [System: This system encourages the host to take justified actions within their capabilities, and will give appropriate rewards.]

    Jian Jing fell into thought.

    This system didn''t have much of a presence, she had to explore and trigger it herself in order to grasp the rules. Up until now, she had a rough idea of the task issuance rules:

    All the tasks revolved around "her."

    In this world there were frequent incidents, but not every case near her would trigger a task. For example, when she had just returned after rebirth, the fire in the neighboring building triggered nothing.

    As it appeared now, only when she was caught up in an event would it trigger a task.

    The hospital, reasoning club, signing event, vacation hotel were all like this, she was involved to varying extents, bing a potential victim or suspect. The system immediately issued tasks for the Sunset Vi incident and her own suicide attempts, especially. For those, failure meant death, so tasks were issued extremely quickly.

    Comparatively, the Haunted Hotel and Gold Case were much slower.

    Her early involvement didn''t seem to touch the key points, lingering on the edge of relevance. Only at a certain moment, when she became officially entangled - entering Room 206 at the hotel, facing the criminal in the Gold Case - did the system judge that the task was triggered.

    But now, the system was telling her that events unrted to her could also earn rewards.

    "Just what kind of system are you?"

    "This system is an intelligent system, devoted to serving the host to the best of its ability."

    "Moron system."

    "This system is an intelligent system, and is very happy to be of service to the host."

    Jian Jing wanted to continue teasing it, but she caught a faint sound.

    Someone hade in outside.

    She held her breath and silently stood up from the bathtub, her feet on the soft carpet absorbing the dripping water and any noise from her movements.

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69

    Kang Mu Cheng sat in his spacious office, gazing absentmindedly out the window.

    Gorgeous evening glow shone in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, outlining a rare magnificent sunset in the city center.

    JinWu was an over 30-year-oldpany. Since Kang Mu Cheng started the business from scratch and passed it down to his hands, it had already upied half of the publishing industry, and forged countless connections in the literary world.

    But times were changing. If oldpanies didn''t keep up with the changes, they would inevitably be abandoned.

    In recent years, adapting textual works into movies and TV shows had be a trend, and there were no shortage of sessful examples both domestic and abroad. Although publishing houses could earn considerable profits from this, some ruthlesspanies would even take all the copyright fees. For Kang Mu Cheng, this was obviously not enough.

    Publishing houses held the copyrights, so why let others eat the meat while they drink the soup?

    Investing was of course the simplest solution, and no one wouldin about too much funding. However, people like Kang Mu Cheng obviously wouldn''t be satisfied with just being an investor.

    JinWu was a grouppany, currently with several major departments: the traditional publishing department, the publicity and marketing department, the copyright management department, and the newly established film and television media department. Each department had one or more subsidiaries.

    The film and TV media department was directly under Kang Mu Cheng. It had already invested in several TV dramas and web dramas, some of which made money while others lost money or broke even, so it had umted some experience.

    After opening this path, he was no longer satisfied with small gains and losses. He had been thinking about making a big move all along.

    Having dinner with Qiu Lin from RuoCan Media was of course not just about the food, but rather both sides making contact to see if there were opportunities for cooperation.

    This was certainly a good invitation, but the problem was that Kang Mu Cheng didn''t want Jian Jing to expend effort on this.

    Like his mother, he belonged to the type who didn''t have any artistic talent themselves, but could appreciate and discover others'' talents.

    And of all the people he had signed, he cared most about Jian Jing.

    On one hand, it was because she was pure enough, while everyone else was smarter and more sophisticated than her - she was like a nk sheet of paper, pretty and fragile, with both parents passed away and unfortunate experiences, which made him unable to not care about her. On the other hand, her talent also gave him ambitions.

    His mother, Boss Kang, had her biggest aplishment in decades of work by signing a young person that everyone else looked down on against mainstream opinion.

    Twenty yearster, this person won the Nobel Prize.

    They were still good friends to this day, always working together without any discord.

    Kang Mu Cheng harbored simr expectations for Jian Jing.

    Their rtionship was like a gardener and the flower he nurtured. The dazzling beauty that amazed the world belonged to the flower in full bloom, but the sense of aplishment belonged to the gardener who silently watered it in the background.

    But ever since half a year ago when he saved her from suicide, many things had changed unknowingly.

    He tried hard to adapt, but also harbored a certain hidden apprehension.

    Kang Mu Cheng twisted the Montnc pen in his hand, taking a long time to return to his senses and put the pen cap back on.

    "Go buy some food that girls like for me, deliver it here within 20 minutes." He said to his secretary.

    JinWu Tower was located in the CBD center, surrounded by many famous shops, but the queues were always extremely long, so whether one could buy things depended on luck.

    Yet his secretary readily agreed: "Sure, Boss Kang."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t care how she aplished it. Twenty minutester, two full bags of fresh food had already been ced in his passenger seat by him.

    He dialed a number, but it was the customer service who picked up, saying the call couldn''t go through.

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned, stepping on the gas pedal.

    Jian Jing''s home security system had been upgraded - fingerprint + facial recognition + password were needed to enter. If a second person was detected to be present, it would immediately switch to alert mode.

    Kang Mu Cheng entered his personal information and smoothly opened the door to go in.

    He opened his mouth, wanting to call out her name, but an indistinct yet terrifying apprehension from the depths of his heart made him tightly shut his mouth again.

    There was no one in the living room, no one in the kitchen, and no one in the study either.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s heart started pounding heavily in his chest, like a drum hammering against his ribs, and even causing some pain.

    He calmed his mind, and carefully pushed open the door to the bedroom.

    At first nce, he saw the phone on the bed.

    He paused slightly, and didn''t detect any abnormal sounds. Only then did he walk over to pick up the phone.

    The moment his fingers touched the phone, his back was suddenly chilled, and he almost instinctively dodged to the side. However, a slender snow-white leg seemed to anticipate this, sweeping over and directly tripping him.

    Kang Mu Cheng stumbled and half-rolled to sit on the wool rug beside the bed in an unprecedented clumsy posture. His elbow knocked against the nightstand with a muffled bang, and it hurt a lot.

    Before he could prop himself up with the bed to stand, a knee pressed down on his abdomen, firmly pinning him to the ground.

    Drip drip, cold water drops fell onto his face.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked up to see Jian Jing''s extremely shocked expression.

    And the surprise on his own face was no less than hers.

    The air froze. The strange, awkward silence was like an invisible rope strangling their throats.

    Jian Jing was very puzzled. She couldn''t understand why Kang Mu Cheng had secretly appeared in her bedroom at this moment. He knew she was home already, so he couldn''t be here to steal things, right?

    Once thinking went astray, it was hard to rein it back in. Her actions inevitably stopped as well.

    As for Kang Mu Cheng, only awkwardness remained.

    "You," he didn''t dare move at all, his tone unusually hesitant, "can you get up first?"

    Only then did Jian Jing release him, and went straight to the point: "Boss Kang, why did you sneak into my room?"

    Kang Mu Cheng got up, trying his best to stay calm: "You didn''t answer my call, so I came to check."

    "Just because I didn''t answer your call, you came over specially to check?" She was even more doubtful.

    Kang Mu Cheng realized there was a loophole, and quickly said: "I brought food for you. It''s past 5 already, if you sleep now, won''t you be hungry at night?"

    He turned and went out to take the snacks out of the thermal bag: "Have something to eat before sleeping."

    Jian Jing didn''t actually want to sleep. But ying along with him, she was even less sleepy now: "You came just to bring me food?"

    "I didn''t exin clearlyst time." Kang Mu Cheng sighed, and solemnly said, "Jingjing, I don''t want you to worry about these things. You just need to focus on your writing. "

    How could he not know that Jian Jing introducing Qiu Lin to him was because she wanted to help him? However, the reason writers need agents is precisely to save the time and energy spent dealing with the secr world.

    Being embroiled in the bustling red dust would erode their aspirations. He had seen too many lost writers, and witnessed their spirit being eroded bit by bit by the secr world, until they could no longer write like they used to.

    To maintain one''s original aspiration - easier said than done.

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t guarantee that everyone could do it, but he hoped Jian Jing could.

    "Jingjing, my value lies in resolving all the practical problems for you in the real world, so that you can persist in writing works you like." He looked into her eyes, "Do you trust me?"

    "Of course." She replied.

    "Then we have reached an understanding." Kang Mu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "From now on, you don''t need to spend time and energy getting to know those people. Leave them to me."

    Jian Jing was quite puzzled: "Why else would I ask you to go eat with her then?"

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her.

    She also looked at him.

    After a long time, Kang Mu Cheng slowly said: "Why did she want to take you out for a meal?"

    He had thought that this meal happened because she happened to meet the famous agent on set and tried every means to get acquainted. But now hearing her words, it seemed not to be the case.

    Jian Jing: "......" She let something slip.

    "Uh, I did a favor for Jiang BaiYan, so she owed me." She breezily exined.

    Kang Mu Cheng was suspicious: "What did you help him with? Would someone as cunning as Jiang BaiYan need your help?"

    "That is indeed the case." She shrugged.

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned: "Jingjing."

    "OK," Jian Jing made a surrender gesture, "He encountered a crazy fangirl. I helped find the person and sent her to the police station. That''s all."

    Seeing that she didn''t seem to be lying, Kang Mu Cheng rxed a little. As long as she hadn''t fallen into a trap, that was good. But he soon sensed something off: "What a coincidence?"

    Jian Jing: "No coincidence, no story."

    He was skeptical, but couldn''t help asking: "Too dangerous. When a small star''s fans go crazy, you don''t know what they might do. This is a dereliction of duty by their agency. You shouldn''t have taken risks."

    "Just an ordinary girl, subdued in an instant." To convince him, Jian Jing inadvertently gave an example, "After all, Boss Kang, just now I also......"

    Kang Mu Cheng''s expression froze.

    He didn''t look good. Jian Jing became apprehensive: "Did I just now......Does anywhere feel ufortable?"

    "I''m fine." He quickly cut her off.

    But Jian Jing''s keen observational skills noticed that he moved his elbow ever so slightly.

    "Mr. Kang," she persisted, "Let me see your hand."

    He waved his hand dismissively. "I''m fine."

    "I know my own strength when I hit someone," Jian Jing rummaged through the cabs to find a first-aid kit. "Let me see your hand."

    Kang Mu Cheng stood still for a moment before conceding defeat. He took off his suit jacket, undid the cufflinks on his dress shirt, and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

    There was an obvious bruise about a third of the way down his forearm.

    Jian Jing took out some ointment and gently applied it to his injury. She apologized guiltily, "I don''t know who it was, I used a bit too much force. Does it hurt?"

    "It''s not your fault," Kang Mu Cheng said calmly. "I came in unannounced."

    He was also curious, "When did you learn this?"

    "I''ve been learning it for a few months now," Jian Jing answered semi-truthfully.

    Kang Mu Cheng was silent for a bit before nodding, "I see."

    He''s hiding something from me, Jian Jing''s intuition told her. She furrowed her brows in thought, but said aloud, "Speaking of which, Jiang BaiYan''s fan was pretty scary. Being an idol really is a dangerous profession."

    Before Kang Mu Cheng could lecture her, she abruptly changed the subject: "That fan who sent me flowers looked pretty simr too."

    As she spoke, her gaze was fixed steadily on his face.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s eyes shed with worry, but he soon answered calmly, "I''ll definitely increase security at the next book signing event. You should mind your own business."

    He evaded her probing.

    "All crimes escte gradually," Jian Jing said. "First it was sending me flowers. Who knows if he''ll show up at the book signing next, or evene to my houseˇŞ"

    Kang Mu Cheng was visibly shocked. He looked up at her in surprise.

    Jian Jing continued slowly, "Otherwise, why were you in such a hurry to get into my room?"

    She had said she was sleeping and it was normal not to answer the phone. However, given Kang Mu Cheng''s style, how could he possibly enter her bedroom without even knocking on the door?

    Unless he thought there was no need to knock, or the sound of knocking would disturb something.

    "Your door was unlocked," Kang Mu Cheng said calmly. "It opened when I pushed it."

    Jian Jing: "I locked it."

    "You didn''t lock it properly then," he turned the usation around. "What, are you upset I didn''t knock?"

    He refused to say.

    Why?

    Jian Jing frowned.

    "Fine, I''ll meet this Qiu Lin," it seemed Kang Mu Cheng wanted to avoid more questions. He decided to leave as the best course of action. "You rest, remember to eat something before going back to sleep."

    He picked up his jacket and strode away.

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70

    As November was drawing to an end, the first snow fell in Heping City.

    The weather was getting colder by the day, and it was getting extremely difficult to go to the school library every morning. Especially with the heating turned on at home, she was even more reluctant to face the cold air outside.

    Just in time, Kang Mu Cheng sent over hisments on revisions for Demon 2, so Jian Jing cooped up at home and started modifying the manuscript.

    Revising a manuscript was ten thousand times more painful than writing one.

    Having to check through the entire text for details changed up front, if she was unlucky enough, parts of the plot would not conform to the review rules and sheˇŻd have to start over from scratch.

    Jian Jing was modifying this in agony, deeply feeling HuangˇŻs taboos. She had tried intentionally or unintentionally to drag out the manuscript, but Kang Mu Cheng called her like clockwork every three days.

    ˇ°DemonˇŻs TV series is airing next February, you have to get this done by January to publicize it for the New Year,ˇ± he nagged her, ˇ°Revise quickly, it still has to go through three rounds of review after.ˇ±

    Jian Jing struggled: ˇ°But I still need to take the postgraduate exam.ˇ±

    ˇ°When?ˇ± he asked.

    ˇ°Next Monday.ˇ±

    The regr postgraduate exam was in mid-tote December, while the direct postgraduate exam was a little earlier in early December, with both a written test and an interview.

    Compared to the four tests for regr postgraduate, the direct only had one specialized course exam, otherwise Jian Jing wouldnˇŻt have dared to only start reviewing in September.

    Kang Mu Cheng said: ˇ°Then hand in the manuscript by next weekend.ˇ±

    She sighed, and painfully agreed, deciding sheˇŻll talk about it again on Saturday night.

    On Monday, the sky was gloomy, with rain and sleet the night before, leaving the streets damp. Thick clouds pressed down overhead, and cold winds blew, very stimting.

    Afterwards, Jian Jing thought back and felt everything was foreshadowed.

    What weather for that to happen aye.

    She arrived at the exam room at eight, looking around to see many unfamiliar faces. ncing at the specialized books spread out on their desks, they were indeed not Chinese majors.

    The school must have lumped the applicants from a few majors together to save trouble.

    Jian Jing found her seat and sat down. The exams within the school didnˇŻt really have test numbers, just name and department written down.

    ˇ°YouˇŻre Jian Jing?ˇ± Before she even sat down, the girl beside her shot her a look, tone unfriendly.

    Jian Jing sized her up for two seconds, recognizing four or five luxury brands, especially the bag which was Hermes limited edition pinkˇŞno doubt, a rich familyˇŻs daughter.

    ˇ°Do I know you?ˇ± she retorted.

    ˇ°Jin Meixian,ˇ± the girl introduced herself aloofly, ˇ°Cheng Jia YouˇŻs girlfriend.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Oh.ˇ± Jin, the rich girlfriend.

    But that meant Zhao Xuan hadnˇŻt gotten together with Cheng Jia You after all?

    She was cold, but Jin wanted to force some small talk, asking: ˇ°I heard youˇŻre a writer? Do writers make money? Can you buy a bag with one bookˇŻs earnings?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...ˇ±

    JinˇŻs words were very irritating, but she lookedpletely innocent, nearly having the words ˇ®unworldlyˇŻ stamped on her face, making people feel it was problematic to quibble with her.

    ˇ°The examˇŻs starting soon.ˇ± Jian Jing cut off the conversation.

    Jin gave her a look, and lightly humphed: ˇ°So what about the exam? Oh right, you need to test well, though whether you can test in or not... humph, itˇŻs just fate.ˇ±

    From some subtle sense of oppression, the more she spoke, the louder her voice, until the people beside them heard by the end, shooting her astonished looks.

    Jian Jing was baffled, toozy to bother with her.

    Luckily right then the teacher came in, announcing the exam rules: ˇ°Check that the department on your exam paper is correct, donˇŻt take another majorˇŻs paper by mistake. ItˇŻs from eight to ten, you can hand in the paper early after finishing.ˇ±

    He passed out the papers one by one, checking the seat against the exam, then went to sit at the podium and started reading a novel, crossing his legs leisurely.

    Jian Jing flipped through, most of the questions were what she had reviewed, not hard to answer.

    She fished out her pen case, took out her preferred Hero fountain pen, thinking ruefully, she had slipped up, didnˇŻt expect to meet the rich girlfriend today, if she had known earlier she wouldˇŻve brought the Hugo instead.

    That way, she couldˇŻve said earlier: ˇ°Sorry, your bag isnˇŻt even as expensive as my pen.ˇ±

    Thinking this, she chuckled to herself first, shaking her head and started writing her name.

    Swish swish swish, the room was very quiet.

    She didnˇŻt know how much time passed when Jin suddenly stood up to hand in her paper. She posed very coolly, mming the paper on the podium before striding out in her high heels.

    This attitude, as if the spot was already in her pocket.

    ˇŞOr perhaps, the ˇ®as ifˇŻ could be removed?

    Jian Jing mulled in her heart, but didnˇŻt take it to heart, continuing the exam.

    Chinese required a lot of writing, so she finished close to ten. The teacher collecting the papers saw her name and reminded her smilingly: ˇ°Results will be out by noon, remember to check your phone.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was a little surprised, smiling back: ˇ°Alright, thank you teacher.ˇ±

    Could it really be she was admitted? She grew suspicious, but didnˇŻt dare confirm. People knew themselves best, she had never asked teachers for favors before, why would it be her turn.

    Perhaps he was just being nice seeing her. Jian Jing thought, hurrying to the coffeeshop beside the school.

    She needed coffee to stay alive.

    After a hot mocha, the chill from the exam room finally dissipated seventy to eighty percent. She thought about it and decided not to go to the cafeteria for lunch, just make do with something from the coffeeshop.

    She ordered pasta and soup, and started browsing Weibo.

    The aftermath from the extremist fans was still ongoing.

    Jiang BaiyanˇŻspany released a statement, omitting the time and ce, listing the extremist acts done by fans, pleading for rational stardom and keeping distance.

    The fans were inevitably in an uproar, but it also suppressed the previous rumors of his rtionship with Cai TongˇŻer.

    Jian Jing suspected this was RuolinˇŻs doing, she didnˇŻt want CaiˇŻs family unjustly reaping benefits.

    The entertainment circle really was dangerous, killing without spilling blood.

    ˇ°Their fruit sds here are pretty good, the only edible ce around school.ˇ± JinˇŻs arrogant voice sounded from the entrance.

    Followed by Cheng Jia YouˇŻs persuasion: ˇ°Eating just sd is unhealthy.ˇ±

    ˇ°IˇŻm dieting!ˇ± Jin had already walked in.

    Jian Jing took a look, and saw they werenˇŻt just two people for lunch, some student council people followed them in too. Both familiar faces like Zhao Xuan, Liu Kai, and also an unfamiliar one.

    The coffeeshop instantly livened up.

    They took up the biggest table, ordering a bunch of stuff.

    Zhao Xuan who was usually chatty also seemedzy today, while Liu Kai was cunning as always, asionally chiming in to make Jin smile contentedly: ˇ°Me and Jia You were childhood buddies since we were small, let me tell you, he was so pretentious in high school, waking up ten minutes early everyday just to do his hair.ˇ±

    Jin listened happily, asionallyughing: ˇ°I didnˇŻt know you were like that before.ˇ±

    Cheng Jia You just said ˇ°Old storiesˇ± while busily pouring her drink and breaking her chopsticks, extremely attentive.

    Jin sat next to him obediently, smiling from his attentiveness.

    Jian Jing didnˇŻt care, continuing her lunch. Around eleven, the school text came, telling her she passed the written test and to go to a certain room at two in the afternoon for an interview.

    It was cold outside with light rain, nowhere asfortable as chilling in the coffeeshop.

    So Jian Jing cozied up on the sofa until two in the afternoon.

    The interview process wasnˇŻt worth describing much, it was boring rather than smooth. The teachers basically didnˇŻt ask any professional questions, just chatted with her a bit.

    Then it ended, and they indicated clearly, not saying ˇ°go back and wait for the newsˇ±, but directly that certain professor and certain professor thought she was pretty good, she should go back and consider carefully who to pick.

    They even straight up asked her to pick an advisor.

    Jian Jing had to guess this preferential treatment was rted to her increasing fame, the school also needed students like her with some renown to look good.

    A win-win, she supposed.

    After the interview, around two thirty, too early to go home, so she went to a bookstore first. Morning Star moved quickly, sales stands in the major bookstores already had signs like ˇ°The swan song of the sweetheart writer, the tearful vengeance of the girlˇ±.

    Jian Jing thought of Xia Xing, unable to help another sigh, and bought this book.

    There was a coffeeshop in the bookstore, she drank coffee while reading, unconsciously it was five in the afternoon.

    Her advisor called.

    She said: ˇ°Jian Jing,e to school right now.ˇ±

    Jian Jing asked strangely: ˇ°WhatˇŻs the matter?ˇ±

    ˇ°YouˇŻll know when youe.ˇ± Her advisorˇŻs tone was a little stiff.

    Jian Jing was puzzled,pletely foggy as she returned to campus.

    The moment she stepped through the gates, the System appeared.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission Title: A Strange Campus Murder Case]

    [Mission Description: The rich girl Jin Meixian drowned and died. On this day, anyone who was in contact with her is a suspect, including you. Please assist the police to uncover the truth as soon as possible.]

    [Mission Reward/Punishment: Sess rewards 20 courage points. Failure deducts reputation/fame points.]

    [Note: Reputation points frozen for now. Special item pool not opened.]

    Jian Jing is shocked: Why deduct the victim''s reputation points when she died?

    What, Jin died?

    Not only did she die, but her death caused quite a stir and many students witnessed it. The school reacted swiftly, suppressed the news and called the police. With such a socially damaging case, the police were highly efficient and arrived at the scene within an hour.

    After investigation, the suspects were all called to the principal''s office and gathered there.

    Cheng Jia You, Zhao Xuan, Liu Kai - three unfamiliar faces, and her - four people in total.

    Those who knew her were very surprised, especially Cheng Jia You, whose eyes flickered as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

    Jian Jing didn''t even nce at them. She asked an old friend directly: "What does this have to do with me? Why am I a suspect?"

    Ji Feng smiled and gave an official response: "Why do you think you are a suspect? I just want to ask you about the situation."

    Jian Jing: "Get lost." As if she would believe him.

    "Did you see Jin Meixian today?" Ji Feng, this rascal, doesn''t acknowledge anyone when ites to a case. He tried to trap her into saying something. "You know, that girl who is his girlfriend."

    Jian Jing wasn''t fooled: "How did she die?"

    Ji Feng: "You met today, didn''t you?"

    "When did this happen?" Jian Jing asked.

    "Tsk." He felt annoyed. "How did you be so hard to deal with?"

    Women are so fickle.

    Jian Jing red at him. She really didn''t understand why the death of Jin Meixian had anything to do with her, given that they barely even spoke.

    "Uh, officer." Cheng Jia You didn''t know what they were talking about. He hesitantly stepped forward to defuse the situation. "I don''t think Jian Jing is involved in today''s incident."

    Ji Feng kindly reminded him: "''You think'' is notpelling evidence of an alibi. Do you have any other proof?"

    Cheng Jia You was at a loss for words.

    Jian Jing lowered her head and scrolled through her phone for a while, eventually getting the unofficial story from Zuo Xin.

    Supposedly, this afternoon around 3-4pm at the campuske, Jin Meixian had a big argument with Cheng Jia You for some reason. She angrily stomped onto the bridge and then somehow fell right into the water.

    Passersby immediately jumped in to rescue her, but by the time she was pulled out, she had already stopped breathing.

    As Cheng Jia You is quite well-known at school, word of the incident spread quickly after happening. The school counselors promptly stepped in to contain it and instructed students not to spread rumors, but it was toote.

    Everyone saw the police cars and knew someone had died.

    Strangely, after the police arrived, they took away a few students for questioning instead of treating it as a simple case.

    Zuo Xin: [All the updates have stopped now, no idea what''s really going on.]

    Jian Jing also found it odd and asked Ji Feng: "Why would I be a suspect?"

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71

    Usually, Detective Ji Feng would not let a suspect off easily. But Jian Jing was an old friend who had helped the police many times, so he couldn''t be too harsh on her.

    He relented: "Jin Meixian was murdered. Anyone who had contact with her today is under suspicion."

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "What''s my motive?"

    Ji Feng: "That''s what I''m asking you."

    "Don''t you know me well enough to not have to ask?" she said. "Today was the first time I met Jin. She sat next to me during the exam this morning. I don''t know her at all, so I can''t think of any reason to..." She trailed off as she nced at Cheng Jia You standing in the distance. She sighed, "No, don''t tell me this is about..."

    Ji Feng said: "Two ssmates mentioned that you and the victim''s boyfriend had a history. She was hostile towards you and provoked you many times."

    Jian Jing: "..." She wanted to have some peace and quiet to think this through.

    After collecting her thoughts, she looked at the other three people: "Who are you?"

    They introduced themselves one by one.

    They were Fang the student council president (male, wore sses, regr features), Wang the victim''s roommate (looked in, with dark eye circles), and Zhang the victim''s best friend (wore stylish clothes, old Dior resin earrings, new Swarovski crystal bracelet).

    Ji Feng dragged over a chair and opened his notebook: "Now that everyone''s here, let''s go over each person''s activities today."

    He called on Wang Roommate: "You first."

    Wang Roommate: "I got up at 7 am today, washed up, had breakfast, and arrived at the ssroom for the exam at 7:45. After the exam, I had lunch in the cafeteria, then went to thekeside to review vocabry. In the afternoon, I went for an interview. I ran into Jin Meixian there and we chatted briefly. Afterwards, I went back to the dorm until you called me here."

    Ji Feng neither agreed nor disagreed, and called on Zhang Bestie next.

    Zhang Bestie: "I didn''t have sses today. At 10 am, Meixian called me to meet her at the ssroom. We went to the student council together and had lunch with everyone. In the afternoon, I apanied Meixian to her interview, until her boyfriend came to pick her up."

    "You." He pointed at Cheng Jia You.

    Cheng Jia You: "This morning I was at the student council the whole time. Around 10:30, Meixian and her friend came to see me, and we had lunch together. I had something to do in the afternoon so I didn''t go with her to the interview. After I finished up, I went to pick her up. We were supposed to go eat, but she was a little upset that I didn''t apany her for the exam. We argued a little, then she turned and ran away. She stood on the bridge for a while before suddenly jumping off."

    He looked very distressed: "I really didn''t know she would do this..."

    Ji Feng nodded and looked towards Zhao Xuan.

    Zhao Xuan: "This morning I was reviewing in the library. At noon I went to the student council and met up with them for lunch. After lunch, I went back to the student council to take care of some matters until you called me here."

    Fang President: "I was at the student council all day today. I had lunch with them, then went back with Zhao Xuan and stayed until now."

    Liu Kai was sharp and took the initiative to add: "The president and I can vouch for each other."

    Finally, Ji Feng looked to Jian Jing.

    She said: "The exam was at 8 am. At 10, I went to a cafe for lunch and left at 1:40 pm. My interview ended at 2:30 pm. Afterwards I stopped by a bookstore. I have a dashcam, go check it yourself."

    Ji Feng couldn''t help but reveal a hint of a smile. Dealing with smart people was less tedious.

    He asked: "You said the victim spoke to you. What did you two talk about?"

    "Heh," she remembered very clearly. With a nk expression she said, "She asked me if writers make enough money to buy a bag."

    Silence filled the room.

    A slight smirk appeared at the corner of Wang Roommate''s mouth: "That was the kind of person she was, no wonder."

    Ji Feng immediately asked: "What kind of person was she?"

    "A bitch who looked down on others just because her family was rich," Wang Roommate said coldly with undisguised disgust. "She was lucky to have a rich family. She died today, her bad luck."

    Liu Kai was the shrewdest and followed up: "Sounds like you really wanted to kill her, huh?"

    Wang Roommate: "Don''t you have people you hate?"

    Ji Feng didn''t stop their quarrel. Sometimes when suspects argued, they were more likely to reveal hidden clues.

    But after her outburst, Wang Roommate ignored everyone. He had no choice but to say: "From what I know, the victim stayed on campusst night. ording to what your roommates said, she left the room at 7:30 am. Is that right?"

    He looked towards Wang Roommate.

    Wang Roommate nodded: "She was still in bed when I left."

    "She arrived at the ssroom at 8 am." Ji Feng looked to Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing also nodded.

    Ji Feng said: "We checked the school surveince footage. Between 7:30 and 10 am, only you two and the victim had contact."

    He hastily sketched out a timeline of the victim''s activities today:

    07:30 Woke up (interacted with Wang Roommate)

    08:00 Arrived at exam ssroom (interacted with Jian Jing)

    10:00 Met up with Zhang Bestie

    10:30 Went to student council (encountered Cheng Jia You, Zhao Xuan, Liu Kai, Fang President)

    10:40 Had lunch at cafe (Cheng Jia You, Zhao Xuan, Liu Kai, Fang President, Jian Jing present)

    13:30 Finished lunch, went to interview room with Zhang Bestie

    13:40 Ran into Wang Roommate

    14:40 Interview ended, parted from Zhang Bestie, left with Cheng Jia You

    15:00 Argument erupted atkeside, fell intoke and died

    While Jian Jing was still thinking about how the victim died, the others were very surprised. "You were at the cafe too?"

    "Why can''t I be at the cafe?" she retorted. "It''s the only cafe near school with good coffee. Am I not allowed to go?"

    Zhang Bestie nced at Cheng Jia You and said, "That''s quite a coincidence."

    "I got there first," Jian Jing said impatiently. She turned to Ji Feng and asked, "Do you want toe with me to get the dashcam footage?"

    Ji Feng stroked his chin and revealed a delighted smile: "Sure."

    He called for another officer to continue taking statements, then left with Jian Jing.

    However, she didn''t take him to get the dashcam footage. "I want to go to the scene."

    "I guessed as much," Ji Feng pointed towards the distantke. "It''s over there."

    Police tape had been put up around thekeside. School security guards stood far away, keeping back the students who hade to gawk.

    Jian Jing stood on the stone bridge and said, "The time frame is too long and the range is too wide. It must be hard for you to investigate, right?"

    Ji Feng nodded.

    Through surveince checks, the police had narrowed down the suspects to seven people. That was the best they could do. The cyanide was slipped into the powderpact. The time frame was toorge, and the cyanide evidence had likely already been destroyed.

    "Finding the real murderer is the only way for you to clear your name," Ji Feng stopped and said. "This is the death scene."

    By now night had fallen. In the distance, lights shone in the library and ssrooms, but there wasn''t a soul by thekeside. The cold wind blew over theke surface, further dropping the temperature and chilling one to the bone.

    Jian Jing stood on the stone bridge and said, "The timeframe is too long and the range is too wide. It must be difficult for you to investigate, right?"

    Ji Feng nodded.

    Through screening and monitoring, the police had narrowed down the suspects to seven people, which was already their best effort. But the cyanide was slipped into the powderpact, and the timeframe was toorge. The cyanide evidence had likely already been destroyed.

    "Finding the real murderer is the only way for you to clear suspicion," Ji Feng stopped and said, "This is the death scene."

    By now night had fallen. In the distance, lights shone in the library and ssrooms, but there wasn''t a soul by thekeside. The cold wind blew over theke surface, further dropping the temperature and chilling one to the bone.

    Jian Jing stood on the stone bridge and said, "The timeframe is too long and the range is too wide. It must be hard for you to investigate, right?"

    Ji Feng nodded.

    The police had narrowed down the suspects to seven people through screening and monitoring, which was already their best effort. But the cyanide was slipped into the powderpact, and the timeframe was toorge. The cyanide evidence had likely already been destroyed.

    "Finding the real murderer is the only way for you to clear suspicion," Ji Feng stopped and said, "This is the death scene."

    By now night had fallen. In the distance, lights shone in the library and ssrooms, but there wasn''t a soul by thekeside. The cold wind blew over theke surface, further dropping the temperature and chilling one to the bone.

    Although it was still possible to determine that she was on campus, how big is a university?

    To find someone in a school, it would take dozens of police officers and a week''s time.

    They didn''t have that many people.

    To put it more bluntly, Wang Roommate''s family didn''t have that much influence.

    "Let''s cooperate," Ji Feng said. "You help me solve this case, and I''ll give you a big gift."

    Jian Jing was disgusted: "I don''t want to eat."

    "Tsk, what are you thinking?" Ji Feng said. "You can''t usually take spray cans on public transportation, right?"

    Jian Jing: "......"

    With the system, she had never worried about it before.

    But hearing him say that, she was indeed curious: "Do you have a way?"

    "I''ll apply for a permit for you. You can''t carry guns domestically, but you can be allowed to carry self-defense equipment," Ji Feng threw out the temptation. "Stun guns, tear gas spray, things like that, for your self-defense."

    Jian Jing was shocked: "You can do that?"

    "You''re assisting the police in solving cases, it''s easy to be retaliated against, this is a reasonable request," he exined. "Simrly, if it weren''t for your high rating before, I wouldn''t reveal so many details to you either."

    Jian Jing: "Deal."

    "Then let''s get started now," Ji Feng hooked up the corners of his mouth. "Come on, Teacher Jian, let me hear your thoughts."

    Jian Jing thought about it and immediately spat at him: "You know the poisoning didn''t happen here, but you still agreed to bring me here. Do you think the culprit might have been at the scene at the time, and may have destroyed evidence here?"

    Ji Feng was stunned for a moment, and sincerely marveled: "Teacher Jian, you really have a talent."

    Being a cop is just a profession, just like being a doctor. Many people do this job not because they are good at it, but to make a living and feed their families. Old cops can perhaps grope their own way of solving cases through experience, but young cops often can''t find the threshold.

    Only a few people are born to do this job.

    He was, and so was Jian Jing.

    This had nothing to do with experience or expertise, purely intuition.

    They instinctively knew what to do, which clues to check, just like a dog smelling meat, always with a faint scent leading their footsteps.

    However, Jian Jing was still unaware of her talent, ring at him and starting to look around theke.

    "Do you think the stuff was thrown into theke?" she asked.

    "The safest way, but also took a risk," Ji Feng took out his phone. "There are quite a few security cameras around your school''ske. If you want to witness her death with your own eyes, you may get caught on camera."

    He clicked open a few videos: "Our police buddies are quick, they''ve sent them already."

    "Let me see," Jian Jing peered over.

    Thud.

    Their foreheads bumped together.

    Jian Jing was already standing by theke. With this bump, she lost her bnce and her body tilted back.

    As she was about to fall, she twisted her waist with force, took half a step back with her right foot, and steadied herself.

    She felt the muddy sensation under her feet.

    "You okay?" Ji Feng asked casually.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath: "My shoes."

    He: "?"

    "The new boots I bought," she said, unable to breathe from the heartache. "I just put a film on the sole."

    Damn, why didn''t this guy steady her?

    Such nice suede boots, just stepped into the mud pond QAQ.

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72

    Jiefeng did not understand where Jianjing''s quiet mncholy came from, nor why she was so heartbroken.

    "It''s just a pair of shoes, right?" He was perfunctory, "Come quick, look at the surveince."

    Jianjing: "Send me a copy."

    Jiefeng''s intuition radar started up. He didn''t dare touch the hoˇŻs nest at this time, and quickly sent a copy over. As it turned out, his own video opened first, and hers was alsopletely transferred: "You have a really fastwork."

    "The school has 5G." Jianjing''s face was cold as she lowered her head to look at her phone.

    It had to be said that the police were indeed efficient. With so much surveince at the school, they had already urately found footage of the suspect.

    It went without saying that Cheng Jiayou was there, and Wang Roommate and Zhang Bestie were also present.

    Let''s also review what several people have said: After the interview, Wang Roommate returned to the dormitory, and after apanying the victim for the interview, Zhang Bestie left on her own. Zhao Xuan, Fang President, and Liu Kai then returned to the student union office after dinner.

    Theyout of the school was with ake in the center. On one side were the ssroom buildings, and on the other side were the dormitories, roughly as follows:

    ......Main Entrance......

    ........................

    ssroom Building...Library...Admin Building.

    ssroom Building...Lake......Lab Building.

    ssroom Building...Dock..................

    ssroom Building..................Gymnasium

    ..........Dormitory Area........PE Field.......

    ........................Gym................

    From the route, it was nothing out of the ordinary for Wang and Zhang to appear by theke.

    Jianjing carefullypared and found Wang Roommate appeared at the milk tea shop entrance, across the road from theke. Zhang Bestie was even closer, not far from theke.

    Dragging the progress bar, you could see Wang Roommate walk to the trash can and throw away a wad of tissues - she had just bought and eaten a grilled sausage at the milk tea shop.

    And after Zhang Bestie saw the victim fall into the water, she anxiously rushed to the edge of theke.

    But this was meaningless. If the murderer was careful enough, they should have cleaned up after administering the poison, rather than waiting until the incident happened before taking action.

    Jianjing said, "Most likely nothing will be found."

    "Even with only a one percent probability, it still has to be looked for," Jiefeng taught her. "Don''t think of the perpetrator as being too smart. A lot of times, when people panic, they can do all kinds of silly things. But this is our job, and has nothing to do with you. "

    Jianjing raised her eyebrows: "Then what does have to do with me?"

    "Let''s analyze this. Everyone has a window of time tomit the crime, and everyone also had a chance to destroy evidence. So in order to find a breakthrough, we need to investigate from two aspects," Jiefeng held up his fingers. "The source of the ˇőˇő, and the motive for the murder. The former we will investigate, and thetter..."

    Jianjing knitted her brows.

    After a long silence, she asked, "Has anyone mentioned me to you?"

    Jiefeng raised his thumb to show his appreciation for her wit: "The little miss surnamed Zhang."

    But Jianjing was not very happy: "I''m not good at doing this kind of thing."

    "Teacher Jian, this is called psychological tactics," Jiefeng strongly encouraged her. "Questioning them one by one wastes too much time. Your school also requires us to solve the case as soon as possible to avoid panic. In such extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be used. I absolutely believe in your potential."

    With the discussion going this far, Jianjing could only reluctantly nod: "I understand, fine."

    The two walked around theke back to the principal''s office. The others had already given very detailed ounts.

    There were no ws.

    Jiefeng signaled to Jianjing with his eyes. She took a deep breath, prepared her acting skills, and walked up to Zhang Bestie, grabbing her cor: "I have a grudge against Jin Meixian, hmm?"

    This "hmm" waspletely mimicking the tone of the overbearing CEO in idol dramas - cold, disdainful, condescending. Of course, pping her directly beforehand would have been more powerful, but Jianjing could not bring herself to do that. She could only mimic the stance of street ruffians.

    ˇŞ This was learned from the little ruffians in Jiang Baiyan''s crew.

    Zhang Bestie was stunned for a moment, with some panic in her eyes: "I''m telling the truth."

    "What truth?" Jianjing sneered coldly, "Go on, let me hear it."

    Zhang Bestie''s face flushed red, stammering: "I... I heard it from Meixian too."

    Jianjing was a little surprised at her obedience. She pressed the attack: "Oh?"

    Zhang Bestie hadn''t wanted to give in, but she was used to being a follower and could not stand firm against the arrogant Jin Meixian. Jianjing''s momentum was no weaker, but stronger than Meixian''s, and she wilted all at once: "She said... you are shameless... and the like, she wanted to teach you a lesson... I was just telling the truth."

    Jianjing recalled the conflict that morning. What Zhang Bestie said was probably true, Jin Meixian did have a grudge against her.

    This was very interesting.

    She and Cheng Jiayou had only some interactions in September, and hadn''t said a word to each other since. Where did Jin Meixian get the intelligence to know about her?

    Her gaze turned to Zhao Xuan, who was fearless and showed no guilt. Then she looked at Liu Kai next to her... He avoided her gaze as if wanting to dodge it, vividly demonstrating the meaning of the idiom "shifty-eyed".

    "It was you," Jianjing understood everything now, staring firmly at him. "You resented the hiking incident that day, and deliberately said nonsense to Jin Meixian. What, with your position in the student union, you can''t deal with me directly, so you wanted to use Jin Meixian''s knife tomit murder? Let me guess, you wanted to rob me of my spot for graduate school exams?"

    How much power could a student have, other than the tiny plot ofnd at school? And Jiefeng had hinted earlier that Jin Meixian''s family was well off, putting no small pressure on the school to urge them to solve the case as soon as possible.

    The best way for Liu Kai to plot against her was to use someone else''s hand.

    Jin Meixian had an arrogant and spoiled character. To put it nicely she was naive, and less politely, she was a dumb cutie. If she heard that she and Cheng Jiayou were being indecent, it would be strange if she didn''t take action.

    This was also the only way to exin her "exam" remarks that morning.

    At the time, Jianjing thought she was showing off, but now thinking back, it was clearly a threat.

    "You''re quite gutsy," Jianjing said lightly. "At lunch today, I heard you ask Jin Meixian about her internship. Did you go to her family''spany?"

    She looked at Cheng Jiayou: "Your brother was poaching your woman, and you didn''t get suspicious at all?"

    Liu Kai was both shocked and frightened. He hadn''t expected her to piece everything together so quickly, nor had he expected her to start flinging dirt so swiftly, urately and viciously. He hastily exined: "Don''t talk nonsense."

    The internship opportunity introduced by Jin Meixian was clearly going south, and he still had to suck up to his "bro".

    Cheng Jiayou was a little confused.

    But he was not a bad person at heart, and would not maliciously suspect his brother. Hesitantly, he said: "It''s all a misunderstanding." But he didn''t rify whether Liu Kai''s badmouthing was a misunderstanding, or poaching his girlfriend was a misunderstanding. Clearly he was also very confused himself.

    However, Jianjing had no intention of letting this go easily.

    She was doing this deliberately, not to vent her anger, but with a purpose.

    From the current ounts, Wang Roommate disliked the victim, but it seemed to just be emotional distaste, without any clear personal stakes. As for Zhao, Liu, Fang, and Zhang, they didn''t have much connection with the victim. They seemed to have just gotten identally involved in the case, with no ws found.

    This was quite tricky for the police. They had to find evidence before they could continue interrogating the suspects. At the current rate, it would take at least two to three days.

    Jiefeng wanted to try another approach.

    Just like in the prisoner''s dilemma game, sometimes people know that win-win is the best oue, yet for various reasons, they still make unwise choices.

    When he told Jianjing earlier about Zhang Bestie tattling, it was meant as a prompt for her to make an opening move.

    Just like in the Werewolf game, when someone uses you, while refuting it you also have to pass the me to someone else. Attack is the best defense.

    By mutually using each other, secrets would be uncovered.

    So at this point, the truth was unimportant. What was important was starting a fight.

    Jianjing blurted out a lie: "Did Jin Meixian have an autographed photo of a singer named Fan?"

    "How do you know about it?" Cheng Jiayou did not understand.

    Jianjing pointed at Liu Kai: "The wrist guard he''s wearing, isn''t it endorsed by that singer?"

    Before the others could look over, Liu Kai hurriedly covered his wrist.

    Cheng Jiayou didn''t believe his friend of many years would have an affair with his girlfriend, but this... "Liu Kai?" He was stunned.

    ˇ°Jia You, listen to me exin,ˇ± Liu Kai quickly said: ˇ°Mei, she wanted his autographed photo, I happened to buy this brand of wrist guard, got the autographed photo, so I gave it to her.ˇ±

    Jian Jing quietly stabbed with words: ˇ°You didnˇŻt use this brand before.ˇ±

    Ji FengˇŻs observation improved after she got the intermediate card. She remembered everyone''s characteristics: Liu Kai used an expensive brand at the time, he deliberately showed off, often sticking out his arm as if nothing had happened, and Zuo Xing even ridiculed him for pretending.

    Cheng Jia You lived in the same dorm as him, so naturally he knew Liu Kai better than Jian Jing: ˇ°You just changed to this brand recently.ˇ±

    Liu Kai had a bitter story he couldnˇŻt tell. He bought returned goods nearly ten times, opened three sock puppet ounts, and repeatedly bought this wrist guard. It was indeed to get the idol''s photos to curry favor with Jin Meixian.

    But it was all to find an internship.

    A spoiled daughter like Jin Meixian, he wasnˇŻt crazy, how could he like her?

    ˇ°Did you have an affair with Jin Meixian?ˇ± Jian Jing smiled, using his own methods against him.

    Liu Kai was a petty man. When petty people encountered danger, they usually chose to betray others to protect themselves. He bit out another person without hesitation: "Bullshit, if you really want to talk about who has this idea, it should be you, right, Mr. President?"

    He thought it through very clearly. Cheng Jia You and Jin Meixian could help him find a good job. The president''s position seemed to be one level higher, but in fact he didn''t have much power. Moreover, he was about to graduate, and the student union president was useless.

    A good buddy and a useless president, it was obvious who to offend.

    "I saw you pull her into the corner to talk before," Liu Kai was a good dog, an expert at biting people, "Weren''t you chasing her? She didn''t like you, you were lovelorn and furious, so you just killed her."

    Others: The gossip is so juicy.

    Fang President didn''t expect to be suddenly bitten. He was in a panic for a moment, but soon calmed down: "I was a little interested in her, but after they got together, I never thought about anything else. That day I just wanted to make things clear, I didn''t expect to mislead you."

    He pushed up his sses and seemed to casually say: "I''m a man, rtively open-minded. But Zhao Xuan, I also advised you to give up, unfortunately you didn''t listen."

    Jian Jing was amazed, a real petty man, a hypocrite, no wonder Cheng Jia You was still decent, all thanks to the contrast of his peers, huh.

    Zhao Xuan sneered coldly, ˇ°Mr. President, just say it directly, why beat around the bush?ˇ±

    "I was just saying it casually, no other meaning." Fang President smiled and said, "After all, everyone knows."

    "Seriously, you guys disgust me," Zhao Xuan said impatiently, "What, just because I liked Cheng Jia You, I would kill for him? Are you crazy or am I crazy? Is he worth it?"

    When people are forced into desperation, they can still diss someone they used to like, let alone now the white knight lost his luster and was just a dirty rice grain on clothes.

    "I found a good internship position early on. During the probation period, the boss directly gave me a formal sry. His son, although useless, is rich enough and is chasing me now." She felt disgusted, like a fly falling into the dishes, "I must have lost my mind to kill for Cheng Jia You? Psychopath, huh."

    Cheng Jia You was very embarrassed. Her words made him sound like a disaster for beauties. He quickly said, "Let''s not argue anymore. Zhao Xuan and I are just friends. We are all ssmates, how could we possibly kill for such a trivial matter?"

    Zhao Xuan did not appreciate it.

    She got over Cheng Jia You two months ago and her feelings had already faded. Now he was involved in right and wrong, although rationally she knew he had nothing to do with it, emotionally she couldn''t help but me him: "Let me say something mean. Now we are biting each other like dogs here, it''s because of Jin Meixian, or because of you, Cheng Jia You. But you - are you really not suspicious?"

    Cheng Jia You was extremely surprised and asked, "Why would I kill my girlfriend?"

    "The night beforest, you two had a fight," Zhao Xuan said calmly, "Sorry, I didn''t mean to eavesdrop, but you argued very fiercely, didn''t you?"

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73

    Nothing rips people apart more than suspicion and mistrust.

    At first, everyone was calm and didn''t want to make a scene. But once the usations began, it was hard to stop. They kept pushing each other''s buttons and crossing lines.

    Jian Jing felt ufortable, almost regretting what they''d done. But there was no helping it - this method worked quickly.

    Zhao Xuan must like Cheng Jia You, or she wouldn''t reveal such secrets.

    "Meixian and I just had a little argument," Cheng Jia You exined. "She''s hot-tempered and gets mad over trivial things sometimes, but I never took it personally."

    Zhao Xuan had already said it, so she didn''t hold back: "I heard you say ''break up.''"

    Cheng exined: "She''s always like this, fighting and threatening to break up over nothing. She''s done it seven or eight times already, just being melodramatic."

    That''s when the invisible Qi Feng finally spoke up: "How''s your rtionship?"

    "Still okay," Cheng Jia You replied. "Our families have known each other for over ten years. If we keep dating smoothly, we might get engaged after graduation."

    Qi asked: "Is she a likable girl?"

    Cheng hesitated before answering: "She''s alright, just a bit naive." He and Jin Meixian had known each other since childhood. He didn''t find her temper very intolerable, and she cared a lot about him. Overall, he was quite satisfied.

    "You call that naive? She''s so annoying," Jian Jing jumped in, aiming her words at Wang Roommate. "It can''t be pleasant living with someone like that, right? I heard your dorm fights all the time."

    Whether she''d heard it or not, you could guess with your toes.

    "Acting like a spoiled princess all day, who wouldn''t get tired of waiting on her?" Wang Roommate said derisively.

    Speakers have no intent, listeners find intent. Wang Roommate meant to mock Jin Meixian''s arrogance, but inadvertently provoked someone else. Zhang Bestie reacted as if stepped on, yelling at Wang: "Who are you calling a servant?"

    Wang nced at her disdainfully, "Whoever admits it."

    "You''re just jealous that I get to be Meixian''s friend," Zhang shot back.

    Wang snorted, with an expression that she was toozy to bother with Zhang.

    This wouldn''t do. Jian had to speak up again: "The kind of ''friend'' who gives you her discarded things?"

    One look was all you needed to know Zhang and Jin''s "friendship."

    Zhang''s jacket was Chanel, old style. There were residual stains on the cor and lining, carefully cleaned but luxury ready-to-wear fabrics were expensive, colors faded and left traces.

    The size was also a misfit. Petite Jin wore small sizes. The jacket wasn''t unusable for the taller Zhang, but wearing something too small looked awkward and restrictive.

    It wasn''t her jacket.

    Same with the bag. Zhang had on the iconic Chanel diamond quilt bag. The hardware and leather had numerous scratches. But she handled it very carefully, not forgetting to pad it with tissues when she set it down.

    The careful handling conflicted with the shoddy scratches. The only exnation was two users.

    Jin didn''t treat luxury goods as luxuries, using them carelessly and leaving bold marks. In Zhang''s hands, she used them gently to minimize wear.

    Looking at the clothes and shoes inside, they weren''t luxury brands either, but more personal items - this reflected Zhang''s true economic status.

    The "friends" weren''t equals.

    Follower would be more urate than bestie.

    Zhang''s face flushed crimson. She wanted to refute loudly but strangely feared Jian. Words stuck in her throat like fishbones, unable toe out.

    Jian didn''t have the heart to torment her further. She softened her tone: "Is your rtionship good?"

    "She has a bad temper," Zhang mumbled. "Sometimes her words are uncensored and unpleasant. But she treats me well."

    It was fine without the justification. Adding that defence provoked Wang''s ire. She retorted sarcastically: "Treats you well? How many ps make you feel well-treated?"

    Before Zhang could exin, Wang couldn''t hold back anymore and spilled: "I didn''t want to say this since she''s dead, to umte some virtue. But you''re twisting things, I have to admire that. Let me tell you, Jin Meixian deserved to die."

    "How is that possible?" Cheng didn''t believe it. He knew Jin Meixian, a spoiled rich girl with a bad attitude who often offended people, but this wasn''t some gangster film. How could she take a life?

    Wang said, "Qiu used to live in our dorm. Her family wasn''t well off but she was very pretty. Meixian always looked down on her and made catty remarks. Once Qiu came back with an expensive bag, said her boyfriend gave it to her. Meixian said she knew all the rich yboys on campus and hadn''t heard of anyone chasing Qiu, it must be a sugar daddy."

    Rumors were frightening, killing the heart.

    Meixian might not have wanted Qiu dead, but Qiu''s fate still changed because of her roommate''s words.

    Back then, Qiu had already been rmended by the school for a foreign exchange program. But someone couldn''t let it go and reported her anonymously. Weighing repeatedly, the school had no choice but to rescind her spot due to the rumors.

    Qiumitted suicide.

    Qi Feng verified this with the school.

    The school replied: "Canceling student Qiu''s spot had nothing to do with rumors. Another student had higher test scores. Considering overall grades, we chose that student in the end."

    But ordinary students didn''t believe such official responses.

    At least Wang and the other students thought this way.

    "Ever since, our whole dorm has hated Meixian," Wang revealed the source of her enmity. "A life for a life, she deserved it."

    The air suddenly froze.

    But Qi said, "ssmate, murder is a crime. There is no such thing as a life for a life. Only thew can determine a person''s crimes."

    Wang didn''t refute or ept his words.

    He didn''t say more, seizing another key lead: "Who was her boyfriend?"

    "Don''t know, never heard her mention one," Wang shook her head.

    Qi looked at the others: "You?"

    They also seemed clueless.

    Qi pondered briefly before calling over a policewoman: "Take them four back to the dorms and check the victim''s personal items." And their personal items.

    The policewoman understood: "Okay."

    Qi turned to the three boys: "Take me to the male dorms to have a look."

    He divided them by gender, intentionally ignoring that Jian didn''t live on campus. Of course, this was to give her a chance to search the victims'' dorm for clues.

    It was past 7 p.m. then. Not many were in the dorms. The policewoman was in inclothes to avoid attention. She went with Wang to Jin Meixian''s room.

    Closing the door, she asked Wang, "Where are the others?"

    "We''ve been down one person since Qiu died," Wang exined. "Another hasn''t been back since going to stay with her boyfriend yesterday."

    The policewoman nodded: "Which is Meixian''s desk?"

    Wang pointed to the one covered in cosmetics.

    The policewoman put on gloves and started searching.

    Taking the chance, Jian observed the dormyout closely: beds on top, desks below, paired side by side. The desk by the door was empty - likely Qiu''s seat. The space beside it held some girly items covered in a thinyer of dust - belongings of the roommate who hadn''t returned.

    Looking at Wang''s area, her bed was by the window. Acrylic boxes held affordable skincare. Books filled the shelf, with a pomodoro timer on the desk.

    A diligent student.

    Jian scrutinized Wang''s desk then Jin''s.

    Jin Meixian, the rich youngdy, had a dressing table that resembled a cosmetics disy case. She had three bottles of expensive foundation, one box of blush, one box of eye shadow, and two drawers stuffed full of lipstick. Her skincare products were simr - all costing thousands of dors from luxury brands.

    Jian Jing squeezed over and politely put on gloves. "Excuse me, let me take a look."

    The policewoman, who should have gotten a hint from Qiu Feng, did not stop Jian Jing from working.

    Jian Jing picked up the powder case and opened each one to smell it.

    As it is well known, potassium cyanide has a bitter almond scent.

    But in these powder cases, there were only various fragrances of face powder.

    After careful examination, she sent a message to Qiu Feng: [I feel Wang didn''t have much opportunity to poison her, but she is hiding something about her motive.]

    Qiu Feng did not expect her to work so quickly: [Exin.]

    Jian Jing sent a photo of the cosmetics over: [Jin Meixian has seven or eight boxes of loose andpact powder. Wang would not have been able to know which one she would use that morning. I also checked just now and did not smell any potassium cyanide. You can have someone else do a more thorough test.]

    Qiu Feng zoomed in on the photo to study it carefully: Why does she have so many of these things that all look the same? Is it the same product?

    Jian Jing: [Wang and Jin do not have a good rtionship. Cosmetics like these are usually kept in bags, and girls do not randomly rummage through each other''s bags.]

    Qiu Feng understood: [What about the motive?]

    Jian Jing: [She seems to have applied for the same major as Jin Meixian.]

    That morning when Jin Meixian was taking the exam, she glimpsed her test paper, which was for the finance department. The reference books Wang left on her desk were also economics books.

    The two very likely applied for the same major. In other words, there ispetition between them.

    Whether Jin Meixian would sabotage the other, that remains to be known.

    Qiu Feng: [Let me check.]

    Momentster, he replied: [You''re right.]

    Jian Jing put her phone away and abruptly asked, "Aren''t you afraid she''ll sabotage you since you applied for the same major as Jin Meixian?"

    Wang was surprised for a moment: "How did you know..." As she spoke, her gaze fell upon her own books. She paused, then disdainfully said: "I don''t believe she can rule the world with one hand. Besides, if she dares mess with me, I''ll report her."

    Jian Jing pondered, then asked Zhang Bestie: "As far as you know, does Jin Meixian want to cheat?"

    "She can definitely get in anyway, as for the rest...I don''t know." Zhang Bestie said hesitantly, "But sometimes, just a few words, and the direct admission spots are so limited."

    Wang''s expression suddenly darkened.

    After a long pause, she smiled and said, "Fortunately she''s dead."

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74

    Wang Roommate was acting a little strange.

    Humans are veryplex creatures. Even if you hate someone, after seeing them every day, if you suddenly hear that person has died, you can''t help but feel a tinge of sadness. Even if you think they deserved it, at most you would stay silent, but she said "fortunately she''s dead."

    Yu Qiu''s death, Jin Meixian was certainly responsible, but she and Yu Qiu were just roommates, so why did she hate her so much?

    Jian Jing decided to let Ji Feng investigate Wang Roommate a bit more.

    At the same time, the female police officer had just about finished searching through Jin Meixian''s things.

    Jin Meixian''s phone andputer had already been taken away by tech people earlier, leaving only daily necessities behind, all quite expensive. But other than that, there wasn''t much information to find.

    Zhang Bestie said: "She didn''t stay in the dorms much usually."

    The female officer nodded, ncing at Jian Jing, and said with a smile: "Then let''s go take a look at your dorm."

    Zhang Bestie''s dorm was downstairs, and by chance none of her other roommates were in, making it convenient to look around.

    Jian Jing carefully observed Zhang Bestie''s side of the room. She was quite neat and clean, with her bed and desk very tidy. Most of her daily items were average priced, the kind you could buy at any supermarket, nothing too fancy or too shabby.

    Under the desk was a rolling cart, and in the bottomyer was a stic bin stuffed full of medicines, with things like Yunnan Baiyao and other ointments for bruises and injuries making up a third of it.

    "You have a lot of medicated creams in your first aid kit," she asked. "Jin Meixian didn''t beat you often, did she?"

    Zhang Bestie was startled for a moment, and quickly said: "No no, it was because I had sprained my ankle running before. *sigh*, Meixian did have a bad temper, loved to order people around, but I...I just treated it like serving my boss."

    Jian Jing nodded, but there were still doubts in her mind.

    Of course she knew some people loved vanity, and would fawn over and curry favor with their superiors for a lifestyle above their means. But still, you can put up with it, serve your boss hand and foot, thenin and vent to your colleagues behind their back - let alone to your "friend".

    With the person already dead, Zhang didn''t have a singleint?

    Abnormal behavior often indicates something shifty.

    It seemed the more she unravelled this case, the more obscure it became.

    After finishing with Zhang Bestie, it was Zhao Xuan''s turn.

    She hadn''t lied, she did find a good job, there was work she brought back from thepany on her desk. Looking at the letterhead, it was a well-known local enterprise.

    "Go ahead and look around, I have no grudges with Jin Meixian, no reason to harm her." Zhao Xuan was at home, so it was convenient for them to search. She hadn''t gone to the student council for several days, busy with internship work. Today when she finally went, Liu Kai started moring for them all to go out for a meal together.

    Who knew that one meal would bring a storm of trouble.

    The female officer searched her things carefully from top to bottom, and didn''t find anything out of the ordinary. But Zhao Xuan still had areas in the student council building, so conclusions couldn''t be drawn prematurely.

    She carefully organized all the various clues to send to colleagues for reference.

    The search of the female students was now finished.

    On the other end, Ji Feng had also finished investigating Cheng Jia You, Liu Kai, and Fang President''s dorms, with nothing discovered. But through chatting with nosy ssmates, he was able to ask out many interesting things.

    Cheng Jia You had a decent reputation among his ssmates - family had money but he wasn''t arrogant,petent in his work, good grades, considered one of the top men.

    Compared to him as vice president, although Fang was president, his reputation wasn''t as good.

    ssmates all said he "put on official airs", spoke with "bureaucratic jargon", and ced particr importance on his title as president. He wasn''t a bad person, just hard to get along with.

    Butpared to Liu Kai, even these evaluations seemed like nothing.

    Male ssmate 1: "Liu Kai is just a petty man, currying favor with those who have money and power, looking down on ordinary people." Cheng Jia You isn''t bad, just doesn''t know how to make friends.

    Male ssmate 2: "He''s dated, changing girlfriends several times already."

    ...

    Ji Feng listened with a smile, casually asking: "Several is how many?"

    "At least three or four."

    "No fights or scenes when breaking up?"

    "There were fights I think, I remember one came looking for him and it got really fierce."

    "That''s what you get for two-timing."

    Ji Feng also asked: "What about the other two?"

    "Cheng Jia You dated one before, whoter went abroad."

    "President Fang seems to also have had one."

    This "President" wasn''t a term of respect, but a nickname.

    Ji Feng: "What do you mean seems to?"

    "He must have had a girlfriend, but none of us have met her, and he refuses to talk about her." Fang President''s roommates said.

    Ji Feng pondered this thoughtfully. In murders, especially premeditated ones, they usually couldn''t get away from emotions and vengeance. The kind of random selection and killing by psychopathic serial killers, in all his years on the force he had only seen one such lunatic.

    On the emotional front, suspects were Zhao Xuan, Jian Jing, Cheng Jia You, but both girls'' motives were too weak. Neither had been in a rtionship with the victim, and they were outstanding themselves with some arrogance, the chance of one of them murdering a ssmate was low.

    As for Cheng Jia You, he looked refined on the surface but in his view, was just an ordinary privileged rich kid, relying on his parents'' status, capable of achieving some career sess but nothing major.

    Hecked drive, too soft, no backbone. For him tomit murder, it would have to be a deep hatred or major grudge.

    If it was revenge killing...the only known grudge was with Yu Qiu presently.

    Her boyfriend was the priority.

    Had Liu Kai dated Yu Qiu before?

    As a rich kid, could Cheng Jia You have gifted her name brand goods?

    And what about President Fang, who had a mysterious girlfriend - why was he deliberately hiding her?

    But would a boyfriend seeking vengeance choose to poison makeup?

    Putting himself in their shoes, Ji Feng felt that choosing to poison cosmetics seemed more like something a female perpetrator would do.

    It would be very difficult for a male to think of poisoning makeup. How could they ensure Jin Meixian would definitely use that particr product?

    If the amount was very small, and there were no cuts or wounds on the skin, it was highly likely it wouldn''t be fatal.

    How would they control the dosage?

    This whole situation was suspicious.

    After finishing searching the dorms, it was around 9 pm. Ji Feng notified it was time to call it a day.

    Jian Jing was incredulous: "Wrapping up already?"

    "It''s 9 o''clock, students will starting back soon, the school hopes we don''t escte things." Ji Feng said, "It''s also out of consideration for you all, in case it somehow negatively impacts your job offers or study abroad opportunities, wouldn''t want any additional grievances."

    Jian Jing was surprised by his thoughtfulness. He was right, everyone was still only a suspect at this point. If rumors spread to others, who knows how the story would morph into them being murderers.

    But in her previous cases, they would work overnight relentlessly until the truth was discovered. Stopping like this all of a sudden, she felt restless, unsettled.

    "Don''t want to go back?" Snow started drifting down from the sky, Ji Feng sneezed and said to her: "Professor Jian, this won''t do. The more a case gets mulled over with no headway, the more you should get proper rest and meals for inspiration toe."

    Jian Jing ignored his advice: "Are youing back to campus tomorrow morning?"

    Ji Fengughed: "Don''t worry, you''re still a suspect. I''ll be back at the school first thing tomorrow to get your report."

    Only then was Jian Jing satisfied.

    Arriving home at 9:30 pm, she took a shower without even fully drying her hair before taking out markers and a whiteboard and started scribbling on the wall.

    Was Jin Meixian''s death rted to Yu Qiu?

    If it was connected to Yu Qiu, then most likely it was an act of revenge, and the focus should be investigating Yu Qiu''s boyfriend and family. Crime novels often had this kind of plot, where a rtive would take on a fake identity and infiltrate the enemy''s side, waiting for a chance to get vengeance.

    But what if there was no rtion?

    Yu Qiu was disclosed by Wang Roommate, but had she told the truth or lied?

    Jian Jing circled the character for "Wang", pondering for a bit before heading into her study.

    Logging onto the school''s main chat group, indeed, the pot had exploded, with everyone sharing a campus post titled: "Karma Strikes, Commoner Girl''s Despair Drives Her to Suicide, Karmic Retribution has yboy Heir Meets Grim End after Arrogance".

    The content described Yu Qiu''s death in detail, naturally not missing the chance to further sensationalize and fan the mes.

    A swarm of melon-eating onlookers in the post''sments.

    Comment 1: It''s scary how a single sentence can ruin someone.

    Comment 2: When will the privileges of rich second generation and official second generation finally be curtailed?

    Comment 3: The school should investigate this matter thoroughly!

    Comment 4: The dead deserve respect. It''s not like the rich second generation killed anyone. The girl was fragile herself, who can you me?

    Comment 5: Yeah, if she couldn''t even handle this much pressure, she was bound to crack sooner orter out in society.

    Comment 6: Cut the sanctimonious crap, rich kids. A bunch of loser gold-diggers worried on someone else''s behalf, for what?

    Comment 7: If you know words can be vicious, then bring out evidence, OP!

    ...

    Jian Jing privately messages Zuo Xin: [Is what happened to Yu Qiu real?]

    Zuo Xin: [Did shemit suicide or was she a mistress?]

    Jian Jing wonders: [Does it make a difference?]

    Zuo Xin: [To be honest with you, I was clueless about that post too... Remember the script I wrote for the club?]

    Jian Jing remembers it was a story called Perfect Revenge, about twin sisters getting revenge for their older sister.

    Zuo Xin: [The dead older sister was modeled after Yu Qiu.]

    Jian Jing is shocked.

    She recalls the twin''s older sister was driven to death by a teacher.

    Sure enough, Zuo Xin replies: [Rumors about Yu Qiu were always around. At first none of us took them seriously - it''s modern times, we didn''t care if the gossip was true or false, just wanted a spectacle. But I wrote that story because I was quite certain.]

    Jian Jing: [You saw them?]

    Zuo Xin: [Yeah, my roommate and I caught Yu Qiu with her boyfriend, a married teacher in their department. After Yu Qiu died, we figured she must''ve been driven to death by the wife...]

    Jian Jing gasps: [What about that teacher?]

    Zuo Xin: [He leftst year after Yu Qiu''s suicide. Think about it, the school hushed it up but wouldn''t keep scum around to tarnish their reputation, right?]

    Jian Jing: [You''ve been a huge help!]

    Zuo Xin: [??? So what''s the deal with that post?]

    Jian Jing can''t reveal details, just vaguely says she doesn''t know. At the same time, she lets Ji Feng know.

    He: "Hmm, faster than I expected."

    Jian Jing: "You made that post?"

    Ji Feng justughs without answering, and directly contacts school faculty to investigate.

    Of course the school would cover it up if they could, but if it was looked into, they couldn''t deny it either.

    Just as Zuo Xin said, Jin Meixian''s words were no nder. On the contrary, she keenly sensed Yu Qiu''s circumstances and exposed her dirtyundry.

    Yu Qiu did have something ambiguous going on with a teacher in her department, and was unfortunately caught by the man''s wife.

    Considering that teacher''s future prospects, the other party didn''t make a fuss, only asking for a divorce and the school to punish Yu Qiu.

    That''s how Yu Qiu lost her spot to study abroad.

    She lost her lover, lost the chance to further her studies, and had her sordid deeds exposed. In despair, she chose tomit suicide by overdosing.

    "While revenge for Yu Qiu can''t be ruled out," Ji Feng says over the phone, "tomorrow we can properly question Wang Ruoke. Very suspicious that she randomly brought up Yu Qiu."

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75

    The next day, Wang Roommate was called to an office of the student council.

    Ji Feng said, "We have already investigated the matter of Yu Qiu. Shemitted suicide because she couldn''t withstand the pressure from intervening in someone else''s marriage."

    Wang Roommate eximed, seeming incredulous, "Wasn''t it just a rumor?"

    "Where there''s smoke, there''s fire," Ji Feng said impassively. "Didn''t you notice anything?"

    Wang Roommate looked very confused. "I didn''t know. Who would suspect their roommate? I always thought she just had an ordinary boyfriend."

    Ji Feng smiled. "How strange. You were so indignant for Yu Qiu yesterday that I thought you two were very close friends. But it turns out you didn''t even know about this."

    What was called being crafty and treacherous, this was it. Wang Roommate had identally fallen into his trap.

    She fell silent for a moment, exining, "Jin Mei Xian has said unpleasant things more than once or twice. Of course I thought she was just gossiping. I felt Yu Qiu was a bit wronged."

    "Do you dislike Jin Mei Xian?" Ji Feng asked.

    Wang Roommate was wary now. She answered cautiously, "Many people dislike her."

    Ji Feng: "I''m asking youˇŞdo you dislike her?"

    Wang Roommate: "I didn''t kill her."

    "This is the surveince footage from your ssroom building," Ji Feng turned hisptop to y the video from outside the interview ssroom. "You dislike her so much, you should want to avoid talking to her. But here you chatted for so long?"

    Wang Roommate: "We weren''t chatting."

    "Arguing?"

    "Not that either."

    "Then what was it, telling jokes?" Ji Feng''s tone lowered. "Wang Ruo Ke, think carefully. You still have a bright future ahead, don''t be muddled."

    Wang Ruo Ke suddenly bit her lip. After a long pause, she said coldly, "I don''t do shady things. I''m not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door. Yes, I can''t stand Jin Mei Xian, but I didn''t kill her. You say I killed her, where''s the evidence?"

    Of course Ji Feng wouldn''t answer directly. He kept the discussion on topic: "You and Jin Mei Xian are both preparing for the postgraduate exam."

    "That''s right, but we chose different advisors. I picked an advisor who values academic ability, not empty talk. You can check my grades." Wang Ruo Ke had calmed down and spoke in an organized manner. "I''ve received schrships. My grades have always been in the top five in my ss. It wouldn''t have been easy for Jin Mei Xian to take my spot. There was no need to kill her."

    Ji Feng could see that Wang Ruo Ke spoke confidently and straightforwardly, without any hesitation.

    She really didn''t think the postgraduate spot was her motive.

    With this point clear, Ji Feng couldn''t get Wang Roommate to talk no matter what.

    Ji Feng sighed helplessly. He could only look for another opening.

    It was then that the coroner''s autopsy report arrived.

    He flipped through it and found it very interesting. He called Jian Jing over to take a look together. "See this."

    With Jian Jing''s medical background, she had no problem understanding the report. She immediately grasped the key point: "Look, there were traces of tranquilizers in Jin Mei Xian''s body. Who else drugged her?"

    Ji Feng asked, "Who do you think it was?"

    She thought for a moment, and a face surfaced in her mind: "Zhang."

    "Why?"

    "Tranquilizers usually won''t kill someone," Jian Jing analyzed. "She said many times that Jin Mei Xian had a bad temper."

    Ji Feng neither agreed nor disagreed. "We''ll know when we ask."

    After Wang Roommate, it was Zhang''s turn to be interrogated alone.

    She tried her best to stay calm. "Officer, what''s the matter?"

    Ji Feng took out the page about the tranquilizers from the autopsy report and put it in front of her. "Take a look."

    Zhang stared at the paper, but the words didn''t sink into her brain. She took a few deep breaths to settle herself before slowly reading it character by character.

    "What...what does this mean?" She pretended not to understand.

    So Ji Feng exined it to her. "It means that in the few hours before Jin Mei Xian''s death, someone had given her something containing tranquilizer drugs. Did you know about this?"

    Zhang: "How would I know?"

    "These are prescription drugs that can usually only be obtained from a doctor." Ji Feng tapped the table. "Hospitals require ID to register. It''s easy to find out with a search. If you want to get the medicine without ID, then you can only go to a small clinic. They wouldn''t dare prescribe it on your first visit. It must be a ce you go to often. Since you go often, it can''t be too far. Let me see, how many clinics are there near your school?"

    As he spoke, he opened the map to search. Soon some red markers popped up on the screen.

    "You Ai, An Ping, Jian Xin..." Ji Feng read them out one by one. Finally when he got to the third one, he saw her eyelid twitch uncontrobly.

    He smiled. Then he started lying to trick her. "Although tranquilizers are prescription, they won''t kill you. The consequences aren''t as serious as you thought. After all it''s not poisoning."

    Zhang bit her lips and slowly raised her head. After a long pause, she said, "I didn''t mean to kill her."

    It was good that she was willing to speak. Once she opened her mouth, it became easy to keep asking questions.

    Ji Feng held down the autopsy report and asked, "Did you give this to her?"

    "I gave her the proper dosage. I really didn''t expect her to drown because of it." Zhang didn''t actually know the real cause of Jin Mei Xian''s death. She assumed it was an idental drowning.

    Ji Feng didn''t exin. "Why did you do it?"

    Zhang gave a bitterugh. "Mei Xian had a bad temper. She was still restrained in front of others, but when her temper red up at me, she would smash things and hit people directly. I didn''t dare fight back or want to suffer, so I could only resort to some tricks."

    She grabbed her hair and propped up her head, regretting it so much that tears welled up. "I was stupid to admire vanity and stick by her side, yet I couldn''t swallow my resentment and was also jealous of her. Why was she born so fortunate, looking at the things I wanted as if they were trash? I could curse her ten thousand times in my belly, but I never wanted her to die!"

    "I only wanted her to say less," Zhang murmured. "She had a fight with her boyfriend, what was the point of yelling at me? Yes, I know some people say that once I took her things, I had to endure this punishment. But I, I..."

    "I didn''t want to kill her. I gave her the proper dosage." As she spoke, her eyes grew red and she choked up. "Although she annoyed me too, I really didn''t know it would make her fall into the water. I thought those side effects wouldn''t fall on my headˇŞthe previous times were fine."

    Zhang knew tranquilizers had some side effects like drowsiness and dizziness. But cold medicine also had side effects, yet no one stopped taking it.

    She never imagined it would happen to Jin Mei Xian, and while she was crossing the bridge.

    After listening to her babbling incoherently for half the day, Ji Feng finally said, "You only gave her this?"

    Zhang hurried to say, "Just this, really nothing else!"

    "When did you do it?" he asked.

    Zhang said, "After the interview was over, she was in a bad mood and told me to buy milk tea. I knew she was unhappy that Cheng Jia You didn''t apany her, and I was afraid she would take it out on me. So I slipped one pill into the milk tea."

    "Around 2:30?"

    "Yes."

    The timing fit. The coroner had found remains of pearl milk tea in Jin Mei Xian''s stomach.

    Ji Feng considered for a moment, fingers inteced. "I need you to think back carefully. Did Jin Mei Xian ever mention anything to you about Wang Ruo Ke?"

    Zhang didn''t understand why he had this doubt, but she instinctively felt it wasn''t a bad thing. She racked her brains and said, "She just said Wang Ruo Ke was pretentious and hypocritical, but I didn''t hear about any feud between them."

    "They lived in the same dorm. There were no conflicts that erupted?"

    "Mei Xian only stayed in the dorm once a week. They may not have encountered each other much. There must have been some disagreements. Mei Xian said once that Wang Ruo Ke dirtied her coat, and they argued a few times. But a 10,000 to 20,000 yuan coat wasn''t a big deal to Mei Xian. She probably forgot about it soon after."

    Ji Feng nodded, increasingly puzzled in his heart.

    Zhao Xuan couldn''t go to her internship today, but she still turned on herputer and buried her head in work.

    The days of needing to study hard just because she had sses were almost over now that she was about to leave campus. An intern''s sry wasn''t much, getting converted to a formal employee was the right thing.

    Jian Jing silently watched her for a long time, seeing that she was fully focused on her work, and dismissed most of her suspicions.

    A college student who couldmit murder and act like nothing happened, that would be too scary.

    Inparison, all three boys seemed a bit off.

    Cheng Jia You was silent, Liu Kai was restless, and Fang President was distracted.

    Jian Jing thought about it for a while, poured a ss of water for Cheng Jia You, and asked him, "You''re Jin Mei Xian''s boyfriend, what are your thoughts?"

    Cheng Jia You rubbed his face. "I can''t figure out who insisted on killing her."

    "She wasn''t very popr," Jian Jing pointed out the objective fact.

    Cheng Jia You still had a conscience and didn''t want to kick someone when they were down. He argued, "Her family is well off, with two older cousins. She was the only girl."

    "What you should be thinking about is who she might have offended, not how innocent she was," Jian Jing bluntly said, "Proving she was as pure as paper won''t help find the murderer, will it?"

    Cheng Jia You was left speechless by her rebuttal.

    Jian Jing then softened her tone and fished for information, "Other than Yi Qiu''s business, did Jin Mei Xian share anything else?"

    She had tossed and turned most ofst night unable to sleep, pondering this very question. There was no smoke without fire. With Jin Mei Xian''s personality, she might have offended someone else without realizing it.

    "Think hard. Did Jin Mei Xian ever tell you about someone who resented her, or any strange messages she received?" Jian Jing asked.

    This time, Cheng Jia You answered quickly, "She was always getting insulted on Weibo, I didn''t pay attention."

    Jian Jing immediately searched for Jin Mei Xian''s Weibo.

    Her ount was called "Beauty Fairy Being Fairy", with over 200,000 followers. All her posts were about the daily life of a rich second generation.

    Luxury items strewn about, a different luxury car every few days,vish dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants.

    Fans of this type of showoff influencer either loved her or hated her intensely.

    Jian Jing casually scrolled and saw seven or eight posts insulting Jin Mei Xian, whom she pped back aggressively.

    "You''re just jealous."

    "Only poor people think it''s wasteful, I live like this every day."

    "My family has money, why can''t I spend it?"

    Very, hmm, like that.

    The keyboard warriors were not to be outdone, pelting her with all kinds of nasty words,pletely useless.

    Better to check her school ount.

    Jian Jing logged into the school tform she hadn''t used in a long time and browsed through the ounts of all the suspects.

    This search revealed some interesting clues.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76

    The campusworks in this world were not renamed. They were in between the openness of Weibo and the exclusiveness of BBS. Each university had its own section that only allowed students from that school to read, and all were required to use their real names.

    Jin Meixian''s campuswork didn''t have much, but she did have a long list of friends.

    Cheng Jiayou''s ount had many notices from the student council. He was very diligent. Whenever there was an announcement, he would repost it on his own ount.

    Liu Kai was more active, with many original articles, but most of them mentioned Cheng Jiayou in some way, clearly trying to ride his coattails. Some girls wouldment under his posts, and he would flirt with them.

    Zhao Xuan''s ount was the most mundane, with check-ins at restaurants near campus, requests for beauty advice, and questions about spaying and neutering stray cats. It was ordinary and everyday.

    What surprised Jian Jing the most was that Fang the student council president didn''t have an ount.

    "The president doesn''t use the campuswork?" Jian Jing asked.

    Fang, who was sitting at his desk, looked up and said, "Oh, no, I have the student council ount."

    The student council ount was an admin ount with the power to delete posts and ban users on the public forums.

    Jian Jing wrinkled her nose. She searched for "Jin Meixian", unsurprisingly finding no posts. She searched for "student council" and found only official notices like recruitment ads, without any negative news.

    She had no choice but to go back to Cheng Jiayou''s ount and flip through all his posts.

    After going through ten or so pages, she discovered a girl named Yao Yue who had insulted him: "The student council are all trash, corrupt dogs who abuse their power and will meet a terrible end!"

    Jian Jing was quite curious, so she clicked on Yao Yue''s ount and found that she frequently visited several other ounts. Most were student council members, but Jian Jing couldn''t find Yao Yue''s visit history on their ounts, clearly having been blocked.

    However, the ount Yao Yue visited most frequently, dozens of times every month, belonged to a rich yboy.

    He was from a neighboring school. Handsome but arrogant in his profile pic. He had also blocked Yao Yue.

    And Jian Jing had seen this yboy''s profile pic among Jin Meixian''s friends.

    She opened the ount and asked Cheng Jiayou, "Do you know this person?"

    He took a look. "A friend, what''s up?"

    "Nothing."

    Jian Jing walked away and privately messaged Zuo Xin: [Does our student council have any dirt?]

    Zuo Xin: [Too much, which one do you want?]

    Jian Jing sent over Yao Yue''s profile: [Do you know this girl?]

    Zuo Xin: [Don''t know her. What are you trying to do?]

    Jian Jing: [Can you help investigate? Urgent need.]

    Zuo Xin immediately perked up: [No problem, leave it to me, but you have to let me in on the case.]

    She wasn''t stupid. Jin Meixian had an ident yesterday, and now Jian Jing was suddenly asking about this. It didn''t take a genius to see the connection. She didn''t expect to actually help crack the case, just hearing about it afterwards would satisfy her.

    Jian Jing: [OK]

    Zuo Xin: [Watch me work, I''m the best at this.]

    The police investigated online information using technology and IP addresses. Girls uncovered gossip using profile pics, usernames, speech habits, and reading between the lines. It was like psychological profiling.

    Jian Jing put away her phone and pondered for a bit before asking Zhao Xuan, "Can you take me to the bathroom?"

    Zhao Xuan didn''t want to interrupt her work, but figured Jian Jing might have something to say, so she nodded: "Sure, I''ll take you there."

    The two girls entered the women''s restroom together.

    Jian Jing pushed open the stall door and made sure no one else was inside before asking: "Do you know Yao Yue?"

    Zhao Xuan was puzzled. "Who''s that?"

    "She often insults the student council online." Jian Jing gave a hint.

    Zhao Xuan understood. She dismissively said, "That happens a lot. The student council manages students, just like ss officers. Which one doesn''t get cursed at?"

    Jian Jing wasn''t very familiar with her, so she didn''t dare reveal too much. She just nodded subtly: "I see, so that''s how it is. By the way, who is the student council president Fang''s girlfriend? Didn''t Liu Kai say he was chasing Jin Meixian?"

    By now Zhao Xuan had broken ties with them and didn''t mind saying more: "Who knows? I''ve never seen her, but she''s probably also a rich man''s daughter like Jin Meixian, no, he''d go for an official''s daughter."

    Jian Jing mused, "Fang seems toe from an ordinary family."

    "Very ordinary," Zhao Xuan knew a lot of inside information. "You can''t hide family circumstances from others in the student council. Cheng Jiayou became vice president because his family donated a batch ofb equipment. Of course he''s capable and it looks good on his resume to be in student council. But Fang wed his way up."

    Fang was often criticized for lording his power, but his story was also genuinely inspirational.

    When he entered this university, he wasn''t a top student, and his family didn''t donate money, but in his freshman year he squeezed into the student council starting from the bottom rung, currying favor with numerous school leaders. Last year he emerged victorious, edging out Cheng Jiayou to be president.

    "He doesn''t care about money, just wants to take the civil service exam." Zhao Xuan knew many secrets. "When leaders came to inspect our school before, he waited on them hand and foot. Several leaders praised him for being ''sensible''."

    Jian Jing was awestruck, feeling like they didn''t attend the same university.

    The two girls chatted in the bathroom until they heard noise outside before leaving.

    Detective Ji had finished questioning Zhang, the close friend, and called for Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing asked, "Well?"

    "She confessed, she put the tranquilizer in." Detective Ji briefly recounted what had happened. "I sent someone to verify with the clinic. If nothing unexpectedes up, she wasn''t the poisoner."

    Jian Jing rested her cheek in her hand. "No wonder she didn''t badmouth Jin Meixian yesterday. Turns out she feels guilty thinking she killed someone by ident."

    "Then what about Wang Ruoke?" she asked, puzzled. "She''s very strange."

    Detective Ji agreed. "You''re right, Wang Ruoke''s hatred for Jin Meixian is irrational. Deliberately bringing up Yu Qiu also seems intended to mislead us. But her motive for murder isn''t clear. If it was over the exam spot, she should''ve waited for the results toe out. Besides, she seems pretty confident she won''t fail."

    "So?"

    "Teacher Jian, you have talent, justck some experience." He smiled. "Just because shecks a motive for murder doesn''t mean shecks one for misleading. To me, it seems she''s trying to protect someone."

    Jian Jing was struck by realization and suddenly understood: "That makes sense. She''s protecting the murderer, or rather, her hatred isn''t just on her own behalf, it''s mostly for that person."

    Following this line of thought, she quickly grasped the key point: "It must be a male student."

    After a brief pause, she zeroed in on one person: "Fang the president."

    "Why?"

    "Liu Kai isn''t worth it, and she looks down on Cheng Jiayou." Jian Jing wasn''t speaking groundlessly. She had seen Wang Ruoke coldlyugh and roll her eyes at Liu and Cheng several times. "As for Fang the president, no direct evidence, but indirect proof."

    Detective Ji was baffled. "How did I not notice that?"

    Jian Jing smiled slightly and held up her fingers: "First, I looked through Wang Ruoke''s campuswork, she never posted photos of a boyfriend, but in several posts of eating out, a male figure could be made out in the ss reflection, so she does have a boyfriend.

    "Second, she posted photos of trying on clothes, and a pair of men''s sneakers could be seen in the mirror, the same style as the sneakers under Fang''s desk.

    "Third, Wang Ruoke''sptop is the same model as Fang the president''s, just a different color."

    She hadn''t idled around the office earlier. She had alreadypared it to the scene she saw in the female dorm yesterday. She wouldn''t have noticed if not asked directly, but after eliminating the two wrong choices, the details were all too obvious.

    Detective Ji: "..."

    After thinking it over, he said, "But I have a question I can''t figure out."

    "What is it?"

    "When was the poison added?" He pondered. "From my observation, you girls rarely let your bags out of sight, at most when going to the bathroom you''ll ask someone to hold it for you, oh, not counting when giving it to a boyfriend. The powder case had to be taken out of the bag right? It had to be taken out before poison could be slipped in? Would a male student have that chance?"

    Jian Jing knitted her brows.

    What he said made sense.

    Detective Ji went on. "I still think putting poison in a powder case is something a woman would do."

    Although he couldn''t represent all men, both experience and instinct told him male students generally wouldn''t think of this method. Only female students would do this.

    "Didn''t you take photos yesterday? The victim had a lot of makeup." He analyzed. "Is it possible the timeline is off and the poison was added much earlier? It just happened to be used that day by the victim."

    Jian Jing considered it. "Possible. Jin Meixian didn''t stay in the dorm often, and had many powderpacts. Randomly choosing one would make it hard to pin down the exact timing."

    Detective Ji asked, "Do you girls use it on a set schedule?"

    "If I must say, the recent cold and dry weather calls for more moisturizing products," Jian Jing recalled Jin Meixian''s desk, "But it also depends on the specific skin condition."

    Jifeng was frustrated: "That makes it difficult. Evidence is hard to find after so much time. Without evidence, all reasoning is nonsense."

    Just then, Zuo Xin sent a message saying that through her roommate''s boyfriend''s good friend, she had asked about Yao Yue''s information.

    The story was very melodramatic.

    Yao Yue was a foreignnguage student who coincidentally started dating an official''s son, and got pregnant. The boyfriend was just fooling around to begin with, and afraid that she wouldtch onto him, asked to break up.

    The girl refused to let go, pestering him relentlessly until many people knew about it. The official''s son was extremely annoyed, and went into hiding. Not long after, the girl was abruptly forced to take a leave of absence from school, with the reason being some mental health issues.

    Some people believed it, some didn''t, but Yao Yue''s words and actions were rather extreme, so everyone else didn''t ask much more.

    This year, when the official''s son graduated, Yao Yue finally re-enrolled. However, she could no longer find the scumbag who had abandoned her, so she took it out on the student council members, calling thempdogs and more.

    Seeing her engrossed in the story, Jifeng couldn''t help ncing over: "New clues?"

    "Can''t say for sure, I haven''t sorted it out yet," Jian Jing said. "Who do you suspect?"

    Jifeng said, "Jumping to conclusions won''t help."

    Jian Jing rephrased: "Who has the strongest motive?"

    "Wang," he replied. "Regardless of why she hated the victim, she did have animosity towards her, and at the same time, her means were most sufficient."

    Jian Jing: "I feel it''s Fang the president."

    "What''s the evidence?"

    She stood up: "I''ll go find some now."

    What Jifeng said was reasonable, but Jian Jing felt her own reasoning made more logical sense, if only she could connect the dots.

    Better go confirm the motive with Cheng Jiayou first.

    Jian Jing called him out alone and went straight to the point: "In my opinion, Jin Meixian was a very vain person who liked to show off, right?"

    Cheng Jiayou hesitated, then nodded.

    "Did she ever say that she hoped you would be president?" she probed.

    Cheng Jiayou looked very surprised. "How did you know?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t help revealing a trace of a smile. "She did say that?"

    He sighed. "Zhao Xuan overheard me arguing with her about this. She felt that as vice president, I should aim to be president. But we''re both seniors now, and the next one would be the next batch."

    To Cheng Jiayou, the student council was just a ce to hone his abilities, and he didn''t care much about being vice or president. Especially since the president had to drink and socialize with teachers and leaders, which he wasn''t keen on lowering his head to do.

    "For some reason, Meixian suddenly became fixated on this and argued with me," Cheng Jiayou said, his tone bing downcast. "If I had known, I wouldn''t have argued with her."

    Though it was just a two month romance, he was still a little sad after all.

    But Jian Jing paid no attention to his somberness, thinking to herself that Jin Meixian''s sudden whim most likely had to do with Wang Ruoke.

    She was secretly dating Fang the president, so her words and actions inevitably carried some implication. And she held a grudge against Jin Meixian, so it was highly probable that during their arguments, she provoked Jin Meixian''s concerns.

    And this was most likely Fang the president''s motive for murder.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    How did Jian Jing deduce Jin Meixian''s cause of death was rted to the chairmanship?

    It was hard to believe, but it was Wang Roommate who gave her the hint.

    She pondered - Wang Roommate did not seem to know Jin Meixian''s real cause of death throughout, perhaps she was not an aplice, but guessed it when everyone was making statements.

    A normal girl''s hastily thought of "motive for murder" must be somewhat rted to what she knew.

    Yu Qiu''s death originated from the sponsor scandal exposed by Jin Meixian.

    Could the real motive for murder also stem from a secret she knew?

    Thinking this way, she naturally thought of Yao Yue.

    Yao Yue was diagnosed with mental illness and took two years off school. Coincidentally, the chairman of the student council''s psychology department at the time was Fang President.

    Let''s review Fang President''s resume, as described by Zhao Xuan. He was an ordinary student, but was promoted very quickly. He became chairmanst year after graduating, and at the new election, he defeated Cheng Jia You to be the incumbent chairman.

    Cheng Jia You''s conditions were quite good in university.

    Good looks, good family background, good grades, decent poprity, and most importantly his family had donated to the school. The ivory tower was not pure, how could the teachers pass over Cheng Jia You and elect Fang President?

    Just because he was good at ttery?

    To put it bluntly, if he did not be chairman, would he stop the ttery? He would have ttered even more fervently.

    Therefore, Fang President must have had backing to be chairman.

    Who?

    Yao Yue''s official second generation boyfriend.

    Fang President helped him resolve a big problem, and the other returned the favor by assisting his rise to power.

    This was the only exnation that made sense.

    However, the official second generation was friends with Jin Meixian. Perhaps bragging, perhaps drunk, anyway they did not take these things seriously, and may have casually mentioned it.

    Jin Meixian would have let it go after hearing it, who knew one day Wang Ruoke provoked her, and she stubbornly insisted that her boyfriend be chairman before she was satisfied.

    Given her personality, she probably threatened Fang President early on - Liu Kai said earlier that Fang President spoke to Jin Meixian, it was probably about this matter, Fang President just went along with the story.

    What kind of person was Fang President? He had no good family background, relying entirely on climbing to this position. Jin Meixian held something over him and wanted to threaten him to resign, of course he would not agree.

    He must have harbored murderous thoughts then.

    Jian Jing sorted out the cause and effect, and basically connected everything.

    Only one thing was unclear - who was the murderer? She felt it was Fang President, but judging from the murder method, it seemed more likely that Wang Roommate killed for her boyfriend''s future.

    She just could not figure out this part.

    Should I draw a card and try?

    As soon as the thought came up, Jian Jing suppressed it.

    The system was good, but she could not resort to it whenever there was trouble. She had to think of a solution herself as much as possible, otherwise there would be no improvement.

    What exactly was wrong?

    Jian Jing racked her brains over and over, unknowingly drinking too much water, and wanting to go to the bathroom.

    Already in the bathroom, when washing her hands, she inevitably looked up at the mirror.

    s, she did not sleep wellst night thinking about the case, and had dark eye circles. She specifically concealed them with concealer this morning, but a few hours had passed, and the makeup was a little cakey.

    After drinking water, her lipstick was a bit faded, with a touch of red smudged from the corner of her lips.

    Jian Jing opened her bag, took out a tissue to wipe off the remaining lip color, sprayed a fine mist of toner on her face, let it dry slightly, then used a powderpact to reapply over the de-makeup areas.

    Finally, she reapplied lipstick.

    Pressing her lips together.

    All done.

    As she packed up her bag and threw away the trash, when her fingers picked up the tissue stained with lipstick, an indescribable thrill crawled through her. Just like Conan''s fleeting blue sh, the lightning of inspiration broke through the chaotic cerebral cortex, like ice water poured over her head in summer, sending a shiver through her body and making her extremely clear-headed.

    So...so that was it!

    Just that simple, yet everyone had been misled.

    Jian Jing was instantly excited and rushed back to the office.

    She already knew the murder method, now she justcked the decisive evidence.

    Where was the potassium cyanide? Was it destroyed after a day?

    Jian Jing used her superior observational skills to meticulously examine the office, but the "detective''s observation" was not godly. The messy andplex information in the office concealed the key things.

    "What are you doing?" Seeing her wandering around, Liu Kai couldn''t help but speak up.

    Jian Jing ignored him.

    She was thinking, it would be easy for Fang President''s roommates to discover if he prepared the murder weapons in the dormitory. He did not have a good rtionship with them either. The student council office embodied his status and position, he had the most sense of control here.

    Not everyone was in the office everyday, as chairman he could easily find an opportunity to be alone.

    It should be near the desk.

    Seeing her gaze fixed on his position, Fang President''s heart skipped a beat. He blocked her with his body, "There are a lot of the school''s documents here, you can''t just look through them."

    As he spoke, he pretended to tidy up the things on the desk.

    "Why are you in such a hurry?" Jian Jing smiled instead, "Did I find the right ce?"

    Fang President shook his head, "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "When criminals deny it, they usually say that. I''m tired of hearing it." Jian Jing was calm and breezy, "Move aside."

    Fang President refused to let her, waving his arm to push her, "I said the student council stuff can''t be shared externally. If you keep rummaging I won''t be polite."

    However, Jian Jing did not back down one bit facing the taller and bigger male student.

    She was not only mentally strong, but also physically confident. Pure physical strength gave tremendous confidence.

    Jian Jing grabbed his waving arm. She felt his huge shoving force in her tiger mouth, but her muscles tensed to block it.

    She pushed back, shoving Fang President away, "Try that again?"

    Fang President did not expect her to be so strong. He froze for a moment, wanted to stop her again, but did not dare really fight a girl in front of everyone, otherwise even idiots would know something was fishy.

    Just this hesitation, and Jian Jing was already searching.

    It was already exposed, so why be afraid, just search.

    Wang Ruoke bit her lip, came over and pulled her, "What are you doing? It''s not good to rummage through other people''s things. The police didn''t even search."

    "Then call the police toe catch me." Jian Jing shook off her hand, not only sweeping all the documents aside, but flipping over the keyboard as well.

    The others did not know what was wrong with her, wanting to stop her but not daring to, gathered around.

    "What are you guys doing?" Ji Feng came in leading Zhao Xuan who had just been questioned, and saw the scene in the office butughed, "Found something?"

    Wang Ruoke said, "Jian Jing is randomly searching around for some reason."

    Liu Kai maliciously added: "Maybe destroying evidence."

    Ji Feng knew Jian Jing''s character well, immediately guessed she had discovered something. He walked over and asked, "Looking for what?"

    "Evidence." Jian Jing squatted down, her vision parallel to the desk surface.

    A momentter, she tore off a strip of transparent tape, stuck it to the desk surface, and handed it to him, "Smell this?"

    Ji Feng leaned in to sniff briefly, his eyebrows shot up.

    Bitter almond smell.

    The signature feature of potassium cyanide.

    He gestured for an evidence bag, smiled amiably at Fang President, "This is potassium cyanide. Tell me, why is it on your desk?"

    "Potassium cyanide? I don''t know." Fang President looked shocked. "This isn''t my stuff."

    Ji Feng said, "On your desk, and you don''t know?"

    He shook his head, "Cyanide is a toxic substance right? Why would I put something like that on my own desk, I don''t want to die either."

    "Putting it on the desk is too obvious, who would be so stupid, someone must be framing him." Wang Ruoke looked around, "Those who share the office are most suspicious."

    But Jian Jingughed, "The two of you singing a duet, your cooperation is quite seamless. But if I guessed correctly, this stuff is the chairman''s."

    Fang President asked back, "Why would I leave this on my own desk? Don''t I fear death?"

    "You do fear it, so this is not something you deliberately left behind. The real evidence has already been destroyed by you, this was left unintentionally." Jian Jing paused, then continued, "Let me start from the beginning."

    First, Jin Meixian died of potassium cyanide poisoning, but cyanide poison acts very quickly. If it was added directly to her food, it would be easy to catch the culprit on the spot, and it would not be convenient to destroy the evidence. The best way was to ce the poison near her, so no matter when she was poisonedter, there would be enough proof that the perpetrator was not there, and ample time to destroy the body and evidence.

    You and Jin Meixian were not very familiar with each other, she even disliked you a little. So you did not have many chances to get close to her or put poison in her personal belongings. If you had asked your girlfriend Wang Ruoke, she could have done it, but a schemer like you would never leave such evidence, not even to your lover.

    For someone like you, the only way to poison her was to swap one of her belongings. As long as you found the right opportunity and moved quickly, it could be done without anyone knowing.

    When he heard this, Ji Feng stroked his chin, feeling something was off.

    How did Fang President know beforehand what powder Jin Meixian would be carrying? Did Wang Ruoke tip him off? But that still did not make sense, the used and new ones would definitely look different.

    But Ji Feng did not interrupt.

    Jian Jing seemed to know his doubts and nced at him, exining: ˇ°Girls only carry a few personal items - cell phone, lipstick, powderpact, tissues. The makeup may change daily, but the tissues are an ever-present necessity. You soaked the tissues in a potassium cyanide solution, dried them to restore their original state, and that would give you an invisible murder weapon.ˇ±

    When looking through the autopsy report earlier, she had specifically checked the personal effects retrieved with the body.

    In Jin Meixian''s Chanel bag, there was a cell phone, charger, two lipsticks, a powderpact, and a pack of soaked tissues. The police had detected trace amounts of the poison in all the items, but it may not have been the powder.

    "You probably noticed Jin Meixian always used tissues of a particr brand?" Jian Jing continued calmly. "She looked down on regr tissues and used an expensive foreigndies'' brand, extra soft with hyaluronic acid, strong fragrance to mask any smell, cottony texture like a towel, very easy to use. The only problem is this brand isn''t currently sold in China, only avable through personal shoppers."

    She went on, "It wouldn''t have been easy for you to get these tissues? You can''t find them in supermarkets, no one you know uses them, so you had to find your own personal shopper. May we see your shopping records?"

    Fang President''s face was livid, but he still refused to admit it. "Even if I have them, what does that prove?"

    "You chose to swap the tissues because you noticed Jin Meixian always used a certain brand," Jian Jing continued calmly. "The potassium cyanide crystals left on your desk after the solution evaporated, along with you having the same tissues as Jin Meixian. I thought these were rather obvious pieces of evidence."

    "Why would I kill her?" he stubbornly insisted.

    Jian Jing said, "Because Jin Meixian was threatening you over Yao Yue. You were afraid of iting out and affecting your prospects. After all, civil service exams require political reviews, and you didn''t want to lose your career, right?"

    Fang President was shocked she had even looked into Yao Yue. His lips moved but he did not know how to refute her ims.

    Wang Ruoke spoke up, "Actually, it was me who..."

    But before she could finish, Ji Feng interrupted, "Where did you get the potassium cyanide? When did youe to the student council office? How did you get the key, and who else was with you?"

    After the barrage of questions, Wang Ruoke wisely shut her mouth.

    "Do you have anything else to say, Fang Tao?" Ji Feng asked.

    Fang Tao said, "I want awyer."

    "You watch too many American dramas. Get awyer when you get to court, the state will appoint you one," Ji Feng said with a smile. "For now, why don''t youe down to the station with me?"

    After escorting Fang Tao into the police car and closing the door, Ji Feng couldn''t resist asking Jian Jing, "Teacher Jian, I have a question. Girls wear makeup, if they wipe with tissues won''t it smear? What did she need to wipe her face for?"

    Jian Jing''s mouth curved up, she knew he wouldn''t be able to hold back.

    "That was just a coincidence. Fang Tao was probably thinking of wiping her mouth," she said lightly. "But Jin Meixian had e, likely oily skin, prone to getting shiny. She would use tissues to blot her face before applying makeup. Then powder on top afterwards."

    She nced at him and deliberately added, "It''s really your fault today, you kept talking about the powder case, otherwise I might have thought of it yesterday."

    Ji Feng: "How would I know anything about that?"

    "What''s that got to do with me? You didn''t do your job properly," Jian Jing tilted her chin up and walked off in her heels. "Anyway, I solved the case today~~"

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78

    Two days after being arrested, the police found evidence that Chairman Fang had taken potassium cyanide from the chemistryb, as well as records of the purchase order that had been deleted from his ount.

    With irond evidence, Fang Tao confessed.

    The system''s settlement followed.

    [Task Name: The Strange Campus Murder Case (Completed)]

    [Task Rewards: +20 Courage Points +10 Special Contribution Points (For finding crucial evidence before the police)]

    [Note 1: Courage points can be used to draw normal cards, 5 points per draw; Contribution points can be used to draw special cards, 10 points per draw]

    [Note 2: Reputation restored, limited pool reopened]

    [System: The limited pool has reopened, it is currently the card drawing period. Begin drawing cards?]

    "Yes."

    [Drawing limited cards]

    [Drawpleted]

    [Name: Status Card - The Five Senses]

    [Description: Strengthen any one of sight, hearing, taste, smell or touch beyond human limits, obtaining superhuman five senses]

    [Note: Choose one of five, basic strengthen +50%, 3 minutes duration per use, 24hr cooldown; Courage points can extend strengthen time, 1 point = 1 minute, can increase intensity, +50% costs 10 points; Special contribution points can unlock additional senses, 10 points = 1 sense]

    The new limited card was as useful as ever, but Jian Jing calcted and began to feel distressed.

    The free usage time was only 3 minutes, opening an additional sense cost 10 contribution points, and simultaneously opening multiple senses required additional courage points.

    Increasing the intensity by another 50% cost another 10 points.

    Spending, spending, the card drawing system finally revealed its true colours, starting to require real money.

    Fortunately there was still the free usage.

    Jian Jing tried strengthening her sense of taste once, to drink the chicken soup Kang Mu Cheng had sent over.

    Ah, the fresh vours of chicken, ham, bamboo shoots and mushrooms danced on her tongue like popping candy, every taste discernible.

    Delicious.

    She drank down a wholerge bowl in one go, sweating at her brow.

    Meanwhile, Kang Mu Cheng sat opposite her, looking over the final manuscript making revisions.

    "Done," the devilish editor finally announced the end of her work, "You don''t need to worry about anything else now. I''ll arrange for you to go to print noter than a week from now."

    Jian Jing was shocked, "That fast?"

    Handing over the manuscript and immediately printing, wasn''t that efficiency a bit too high?

    "If I waited until you handed over the manuscript to arrange things, the vegetables would have gone cold," Kang Mu Cheng said disdainfully, "The cover and illustrations were done long ago, I confirmed the paper too, I reserved your serial number when you wrote the first part, this week is for getting through review."

    The physical publishing industry was well-developed, so rted work was naturally efficient and simple too. Jin Wu was an old establishment, familiar with the entire process.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "I''m nning to catch the new year, as Jin Wu''s gship rmendation for the year."

    The so-called new year gship rmendation was like 11.11, a holiday celebration created by businesses. Here it was an event cooked up by publishing housesˇŞevery new year on January 1st, each publishing house would grandlyunch a batch of new books, that was the new year gship rmendation.

    Generally speaking, as the gship works of publishing houses for the new year, the quality of the new year gship rmendation was very good. Readers also had spare cash during holidays, so purchase rates were always high.

    At the same time, this was also when publishing houses did battle.

    Discounts, top up bonuses, free gifts were basic operations, but the most important was naturally the book signing events.

    Unlike Jian Jing''s previous signing, when publishing houses battled, it was a Writer A from Publishing House A facing off against Writer B from Publishing House B, seeing whose signing event had more people attend.

    The more intense ones, I stand here on this side of the street, you stand opposite, directly observing how many people were lining up for each other, tallying the numbers in real timeˇŞit was exceptionally exciting, needless to say.

    Therefore, to save face, the writers at the new year signing events had to have a certain amount of drawing power, like stars carrying box office sales. Readers would line up in long queues for you, propping up your sales volume just for your name.

    Jian Jing had never been on a new year gship rmendation before. One reason was bad timing, her books were never finished writing before new year. Another reason was Kang Mu Cheng didn''t dare put that kind of pressure on her.

    What if she lost, then med herself for it?

    The little girl had thin skin, unlike other writers who had long since forged iron hearts, willing to tear into others and even go spy on the enemy camp.

    But this year was different.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked her, "Do you have any objections?"

    Jian Jing, unaware of the circumstances, naturally shook her head.

    He couldn''t help revealing a slight smile, "That''s right."

    "Then you can rx now, leave everything else to me," Kang Mu Cheng said, "I got word that it will likely be a fierce battle this year, we need to prepare well."

    It was no empty boast.

    Before December was even half over, the publishing houses began disying their magic, one after another.

    Xia Xing was imprisoned, Morning Star lost a top general, and immediately promoted a new author. Calling her "new", she was actually a familiar face. She wrote her autobiography online, about her overseas love story with a European nobleman, attracting many readers. Morning Star signed her and immediately arranged for her autobiography to be published.

    "Cindere in Real Life, Common Girl and European Nobleman''s Epic Fairytale Romance"

    "Loving You Disregarding All Outward Appearances, Days of Eloping with the Prince"

    "Rose Blooming in the Castle, My History-Defying Love Across Social sses"

    Interest arose at once.

    Everyone was very curious what kind of life nobles led, what nobles'' conduct and bearing were like, what brands they used, what ces they went.

    It had to be said, Morning Star was especially adept at these things, seizing the initiative and immediately grabbing people''s attention.

    Next exerting effort was cier Publishing House. They were known for publishing manga, game art collections, photo albums, photography collections, art books, and had many famousic artists under them, as well as investments in many games.

    This time, they bought the copyrights to a childhoodic series, redesigned and reprinted it, under the theme of "return to childhood, never forget your original intention", putting it back on sale.

    "Books You Couldn''t Afford as a Kid, Finally Can Collect Now"

    "Making Up For Childhood Regrets, XX New Side Stories Added, Want to Know Their Ending?"

    "Twenty Years in the Blink of an Eye, Only the Original Intention Remains Unchanged, I''ve Come, How Are You?"

    Who didn''t watch cartoons on TV as a kid? Who didn''t secretly readics under their desk? This hand of sentimentality was yed extremely well, many nostalgic people said they wanted to buy a set to bring home, not for themselves to read, but for the children in their family it would also be good.

    This could be considered passing it down between two generations.

    And Jin Wu?

    They were promoting the posthumous work of a famous Republican-era author, a manuscript lost for fifty years before being recovered. This manuscript had been lost overseas for many years before Kang CEO painstakingly sought it out and bought it from someone else, then found the descendants and signed an exclusive publishing agreement, keeping it secret until now before making a move.

    And this author had many debts of love, it was said the posthumous work contained letters he wrote to various lovers, one of whom was the love of his life.

    "Winding Paths and Chance Meetings, Fate Brings Us Together, Unveiling the Mysterious Veil of the Most Beloved"

    "Sealed Old Work, Unspoken Affections, Farewell Words for a Lover"

    "Love Without Words, Awakened With Regret, Soulmate Sought For a Lifetime"

    It had to be known, this author''s several lovers were all outstanding in their own right, one was the precious daughter of a prestigious family, one was a celebrity beauty of great talent, and another was an ascetic legendary figure.

    Each had their own supporters, and everyone felt the historical figure they stanned was the real love.

    Now, with this hype, a fight broke out.

    For over half a month, the publishing houses took turns making moves, one after another thunderps, naturally ndering each other was essential too, fighting spiritedly.

    Onlookers meanwhile took advantage of the situation, watching the excitement, how delightful.

    It was at this time that promotions began for "Demon Doctor II". Unlike the pure ck poster of the first film, the second used ck and white, ck representing a doctor in a white coat, holding a stethoscope in one hand and a heart in the other, symbolizing the man-eating yet life-saving demon doctor, while the white was a mysterious ck silhouette, one hand held like a de, the other hidden, appearing cryptic and unpredictable.

    With just this poster, everyone knew there was a new character.

    Naturally it couldn''tpare with the others'' hype. But Kang Mu Cheng''s timing was good, end of December, Director Huang''s side had just wrapped filming of "Demon Doctor".

    The book and the TV show cross promoted each other, drawing in the fans of the actors. Golden Crow also rolled out promotions - buy the Demon Doctor Book Set 1 & 2 and get a signed poster; buy just Book 2 and get peripherals like pillows and mugs.

    This stirred up quite a buzz around Demon Doctor, and Jian Jing had a particrly busy year, popping up in the news every other day to gain publicity.

    But Jian Jing felt this shouldn''t be the extent of Kang Mu Cheng''s ns. Demon Doctor 1 was badly reviewed, driving "her" to suicide directly - how could he not avenge this blood debt?

    And so Christmas and New Year''s came and went.

    *

    The first day of 2021 weed clear skies after snowfall.

    Jian Jing put on a woolen skirt, fur-lined boots, and a beret. Exhausted, she headed to the event venue.

    The new year signing event was held in a hotel, as it was the only venuerge enough. Conveniently, two 5-star hotels stood kitty-corner from each other in the city center, perfect for a signing showdown.

    Banners, posters and balloons already stered the hotel entrances, and building-sized posters hung on the facades, proiming the publishing house''s name and the signing authors and titles.

    Any passersby would be unable to miss this promotional minefield.

    Jian Jing, the exotic foreigner, was rather shocked by the extravagance.

    It was still early, but the interiors were already transformed - many rooms served as warehouses, and the signing area itself was decoratedvishly like a wedding venue, with floral arrangements everywhere.

    The ballroom was partitioned and each author had their own spot, with customized chairs.

    Jian Jing''s seat was a ck chair shaped like a demon''s horns. Her desk was covered in Demon Doctor peripherals. Next to it sat gift bags for signed book buyers.

    "This won''t lose you money?" she asked Kang Mu Cheng.

    "It won''t," he replied.

    Jian Jing had her doubts. She looked left and right - everyone was busy working. She found her seat and sat down. "Go attend to things. I''ll be fine here alone."

    Kang Mu Cheng was indeed swamped. Today''s signing wasn''t just an individual author affair, but a major event for the publishing house. Seeing Jian Jing was settled, he turned to leave.

    But just as he reached the doorway, he suddenly turned back and strode up to her again.

    Jian Jing: "?"

    Kang Mu Cheng raised his hand and firmly pressed down on her head. "Don''t worry. I''ve got this covered."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    He asked, "Understand?"

    She nodded.

    Satisfied, he finally left.

    Jian Jing sighed, took out a makeup mirror and fixed her beret and pins that he''d messed up - no wonder he was single, they were all like this, how exasperating.

    Around nine, readers gradually trickled in.

    Golden Crow had invited a total of five authors, all big names in their circles writing in different genres - history, romance, fantasy, realism and mystery.

    Among them, history, romance and fantasy had the biggest readership, while realism and mystery skewed more niche.

    But the line at Jian Jing''s table was far from short.

    Demon Doctor 1 already had a loyal reader base as the first installment. Combined with fans of the actors in the TV adaptation wanting to know the story, they readily forked out money to buy the book. So while the hordes weren''t massive, there was a constant steady stream of customers at all times.

    Jian Jing focused on signing and taking photos, kept busy until lunch break finally allowed her to catch her breath.

    At lunch, gossip was inevitable among the gathered authors.

    History author: "So many people at Morning Star''s side, the lines stretch way out."

    Realism author: "Half are paid nts."

    Romance author: "I heard she even dragged her own husband here."

    Fantasy author: "That European nobleman?"

    Romance author: "Bought and paid for."

    History author: "So those girls in matching outfits are his fans?"

    Fantasy author: "Professor, that''s a girl group, the singing and dancing kind. My wife watches them on TV."

    Realism author: "The reality show, right? Mine does too."

    Romance author: "That''s them. Morning Star spent a bloody fortune."

    Fantasy author: "After Xia Xing''s scandal, they don''t have new stars to hold up sales. That nobleman''s looks are nothing special either."

    Romance author: "Have you seen him?"

    Fantasy author: "There are pics in the group chat."

    Jian Jing didn''t join the conversation, but she was already checking her phone.

    Sure enough, Golden Crow''s insider had already infiltrated the other hotel and snapped pictures of the so-called European nobleman. Objectively speaking, he looked ordinary - just a white man.

    "Not handsome," Jian Jing remarked.

    "Pores toorge, ages him," the romance author sniped. "Clearly here to make easy money. What European nobleman, just scamming girls."

    The fantasy author said, "You have to admit, Morning Star draws more female readers, and women spend more on books."

    Everyone fell silent.

    He wasn''t wrong - women significantly outspent men on books. And among consumers of history, fantasy and realism, young female readers were a minority.

    Although there were plenty of male readers today too, if those men had girlfriends, there was no question whether they''d pick Morning Star or Golden Crow.

    The single ones? They were next door at Ice Mirror...for the limited edition games andics.

    Jian Jing nibbled her chopsticks and wondered - to attract male readers this year, Morning Star specifically invited a girl group. Was Golden Crow really not going to do anything to draw female readers? That wasn''t Kang Mu Cheng''s style at all.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79

    In the afternoon, the fight for readers intensified.

    Morning Star yed a dirty trick by offering everyone in line a 3 RMB coupon for milk tea, so people could immediately get a cup of in milk tea at the nearby milk tea shop.

    Standing in line was already tiring enough in the cold winter, so a free milk tea was very enticing. Some girls who were hesitating at first naturally joined Morning Star''s line when they saw the coupon.

    The line on their side grew longer and longer, curving around the street corner.

    The Golden Crow side didn''tck people either. Judging from the demographic makeup of the crowd, it spanned three generations from young to old, so its target audience was actually broader than Morning Star''s.

    But in the aerial photos taken by drones, it was Morning Star''s densely packed crowds that looked slightlyrger.

    Mr. Tao was ted with the initial sess. He came over to Golden Crow''s venue to brag.

    "My, the air is so nice here!" As soon as he came in, he exaggeratedly eximed, "There are too many people on our side, hot and stuffy. I came over to breathe some fresh air."

    Resentful res from all Golden Crow staff were focused on him.

    Mr. Tao was even more smug. With mock concern, he said, "President Kang, you''ve spent a lot promoting this, haven''t you? Tsk tsk, what a pity."

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at him. "What brings you here, Mr. Tao?"

    "I came to see you guys! We''repetitors but also friends. Literature connects us all in the end. If there''s a chance, we ought tomunicate more, right?" Mr. Tao''s mouth kept bbering.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Is that so?"

    "Of course! Let''s go for drinks tonight to celebrate. My treat," said Mr. Tao, smiling but stabbing ruthlessly with his words. "I booked a restaurant and prepared tens of thousands worth of alcohol. President Kang, do me the honor."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t reply, his gaze settling on the line in front of Jian Jing.

    Mr. Tao peeked over. "Oh my, Little Jing Jing is here too. I wonder how Devil Doctor 2 turned out. After that big incidentst time, I was worried sick. How awful, just awful. She can''t end up in the hospital again. President Kang, you have to keep an eye on her. She''s so young, what difficulties can she not ovee? Think positive, that''s the way."

    His words sounded sympathetic, but listening left a sharper sting than curses could.

    Kang Mu Cheng turned his head and smiled coldly. "Spare me your concern."

    Mr. Tao didn''t get mad. In fact he looked even happier.

    Of course, Jian Jing was oblivious to all this.

    Today she was just a tool for attracting customers. Head down signing book after book, she eventually forgot what her own name looked like.

    But even so, the show had to go on.

    "Hello," she recited for the Nth time, asking the reader in front of her, "What would you like me to write?"

    The person said, "Jiang Bai Yan."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    She looked up puzzled, seeing a gorgeous face hidden under a baseball cap and face mask.

    He removed the mask. His beautiful visage seemed carved from ivory under the light. "Jiang for river, Bai for white, Yan from fireworks."

    Jian Jing: "???" This was trouble.

    Her first reaction was to lower her voice. "Did you sneak out?"

    "I just came to buy books," Jiang Bai Yan said smiling. "Quick, sign for me."

    Jian Jing frowned, signing swiftly.

    But in order to arrange as many people inside the auditorium as possible, the lines were designed with little space between each person.

    It didn''t take long for others to notice something off about Jiang Bai Yan. By the time he removed his mask, no one could resist crowding over for a closer look.

    Jiang Bai Yan desperately kept his head low.

    The bystanders eagerly surrounded him, asking, "Are you Jiang Bai Yan?"

    "Ah, it''s Jiang Bai Yan!"

    "Oh my God!"

    "Jiang Bai Yan!!"

    A few shouts were enough for the entire auditorium to stir excitedly.

    Jiang Bai Yan was jostled back by the enthusiastic fans. His baseball cap fell off.

    No doubt about it now.

    "Can I get an autograph?"

    "Sign for me please."

    The smarter ones had already grabbed copies of Hide and Seek Child nearby and held them high. "Teacher Jian, Little Bai, sign for me please!"

    Jiang Bai Yan said, "I only came for an autograph."

    Crowd: "Sign for me!!!!"

    He looked pleadingly to Jian Jing. She nced at him, then the improbable number of Hide and Seek Child copies around them. She understood the situation well enough.

    She handed Devil Doctor back to Jiang Bai Yan.

    He held up the book in hand. "Everyone please don''t crowd. I just came to buy books and will leave soon. Please don''t disturb the authors."

    Leave soon? Then they had to hurry.

    The line instantly descended into chaos, and some tried cutting ahead.

    Jiang Bai Yan gazed pitifully at Jian Jing.

    She smiled.

    Kang Mu Cheng came over and whispered something. His assistant brought a chair to ce beside them.

    Jiang Bai Yan sat next to Jian Jing and spoke into the mic, his voice clear and melodious. "Alright everyone, don''t crowd. I''ll sit for a bit. You should all line up properly."

    Seeing him sit, the pushing stopped, though the crowd''s excitement grew.

    After all, he was a celebrity. A real, live celebrity.

    Even non-fans who came just to see would surely ask for an autograph when such a handsome star was right before their eyes. Turning from passerby to fan on the spot was definitely possible.

    Mr. Tao knew things had taken a bad turn and resentfully said, "President Kang, you''re ruthless."

    "Is the air too stifling here?" Kang Mu Cheng mildly replied. "If so, you should head back and rest."

    Mr. Tao huffed angrily, "No need for you to say it, humph!"

    He jogged away.

    On the other side of the street in a different hotel, girls made up most of the crowd. Dressed up nicely, they held warm milk tea in hand, chatting and taking selfies to post on social media. Lively and bustling.

    At one signing table, the newly debuted but already wildly popr Cindere-like author smiled warmly, asionally exchanging words in English or French with her apanying husband.

    The husband looked rather aloof, befitting an English gentleman''s strictness, but now and then he revealed an indulgent, affectionate smile at his wife, softly calling her "Darling".

    Amidst the crowd came asional swoons of "How sweet!" "So loving!"

    No one cared to question if it was staged. It didn''t matter.

    Just then however, someone suddenly yelled, "Jiang Bai Yan is across the street!"

    Amotion swept through the room.

    "He''s signing across the street!" Another shout, spurring people to rush out. "Hurry, or we''ll miss him!"

    People tended to blindly follow others. Although they hadn''t personally witnessed anything, with people leaving, those farther back in line hesitated, thinking it didn''t hurt to go take a look since their turn wasn''t up anyway. They headed out after the others.

    About ten percent had left the line.

    The remaining people stayed put, still skeptical in case it was a ruse.

    But soon, crowds were visible gathering outside the hotel across the street. Very professional, they held banners, waved light sticks, and chanted fan chants.

    If even the fans showed up, it must be real!

    Hearts wavered. Girls whispered among themselves.

    "Jiang Bai Yan, he''s the one who acted in that drama XX right?"

    "That''s right, the Hide and Seek he starred in was written by Golden Crow''s author."

    "Ah, my friend posted a video on Moments. Look!"

    Girls immediately flocked around that one holding up her phone.

    On the tiny screen they saw a dazzling pretty boy sitting there, and next to him, a grey-haired youngdy in a beret.

    Honestly, this pairing seemed much more eye-catching than Morning Star''s side.

    "You can get Hide and Seek signed over there! Both the author and main actor!" said someone in the crowd, plucking the girls'' heartstrings. "A chance like this is once in a blue moon! If you miss it, there definitely won''t be a next time!"

    "The line goes out the door already. Go quick or they''ll leave!"

    There was a celebrity!

    Limited edition! One of a kind!

    Almost sold out! Buy it quick or it''ll be gone! You''re already here!

    Each line hit the mark perfectly.

    Unable to restrain their enthused hearts, the girls decisively abandoned the questionable European aristocrat and ran into the arms of the trending hot star.

    It had to be said, although Morning Star invited some girl groups to attract male fans, their biggest audience base oveppedpletely with Jiang Bai Yan''s fans - young girls.

    And Kang Mu Cheng''s consecutive maneuvers were just as ruthless as Mr. Tao''s.

    He directly poached the readers Morning Star had gathered.

    Mr. Tao was hopping mad.

    No shame! None at all!

    Even if we at Morning Star invited entertainment circle celebrities, doesn''t Golden Crow usually aim for ss, never using stars? This is going too far!!

    He sinisterly thought, no matter how much you profit, inviting such a big shot star will bleed you dry in the end.

    Thinking so made him feel a bit better.

    But Kang Mu Cheng immediately called him out for exploiting Jian Jing''s suicide attempt.

    Mr. Tao was furious. How dare he!

    "Tao Zong, I''m really sorry, I can''t make it to dinner tonight," said Kang Mu Cheng. "I didn''t expect Jian Jing to have such a big fan who came over without a word. I''ll have to take them out for a meal no matter what."

    Tao Zong: "Damn you!"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Let''s reschedule next time."

    *

    Jian Jing took off her coat and drank a cup of iced milk tea, but she was still dizzy and disoriented.

    There were too many people.

    She had thought that with the limited stock of Hide and Seek, she would at most sign a hundred or so copies with Jiang BaiYan, and that would be the end of it. But Kang Mu Cheng came prepared.

    He brought over several boxes of Hide and Seek posters.

    Buy Demon 2 and get a free Hide and Seek poster. Buy Demon 1+2 set and get signed photos of Hide and Seek and the TV drama version of Demon Doctor.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "This is Jian Jing''s signing event. I can only sign Hide and Seek for her."

    He also said, "I only came to buy Demon Doctor 2. I read 1 and it was really good! So I came over today thinking I could read it today."

    With words like that, people had to buy a copy to show support.

    This momentum continued until 4pm in the afternoon.

    Jiang BaiYan left after that. But he was very thoughtful - he immediately posted a signed photo on Weibo after leaving:

    Jiang BaiYan V:

    Got the new book! Hope I can finish reading it before bed tonight~

    [book.JPG]

    The first rmended book of the new year is avable online and offline. With his promotion, online sales also went up.

    What fan doesn''t want the same item as their idol? Clothes may be expensive but books are definitely affordable.

    Jian Jing kept signing and signing, relying solely on the milk tea to keep her going. By the time she came to her senses, it was already past 7pm.

    "No more people?" She heaved a secret sigh of relief.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "No more books."

    Jian Jing: "!?"

    He had an unconceble smile between his brows: "10,000 new books, 3,000 sets, you''ve signed them all."

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment before letting out a wail: "No wonder my wrist feels like it''s going to fall off, 10,000 plus... heavens!" For a signing event on-site, 3,000 copies was not considered little, and 5,000 could be considered a small explosion.

    Signing over 10,000 copies, she could trend on hot search today.

    "Apply this." Kang Mu Cheng had long prepared cooling pads and Yunnan Baiyao, "Let''s go, time for dinner."

    As Jian Jing sprayed medicine, she asked: "Did you n all this today?"

    Kang Mu Cheng gave a concise reply: "I met Qiu Lin earlier."

    Jian Jing introduced him to build connections, but how could he use her favor for someone else? Of course it had to be returned to her.

    So the two sides coborated. Qiu Lin allowed Jiang BaiYan toe hype Jian Jing, and she got fans to fulfill her request that day.

    And Kang Mu Cheng said that if Demon 2 were to be filmed, they would strongly rmend Jiang BaiYan for the role.

    The "star goes out in disguise to buy books and is identally discovered by fans" was just like airport photos, staged behind the scenes.

    Jian Jing sighed, but said: "There were more people, but the hype wasn''t for me."

    "Jiang BaiYan was just a gust of wind, only sending you part of the way. Whether this spark catches fire depends on you yourself," said Kang Mu Cheng. "But I have faith in you, Demon 2 will definitely be a hit."

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80

    January 2nd, during the holidays.

    Jiahui, a sophomore, was bored surfing the web. There was still nearly a month until the end of semester exams, and she wasn''t in high school anymore, so it was too early to start reviewing. Going out was an option, but the weather was too cold. The dormitory with its heating was so cozy.

    Early that morning, she had already ordered some takeout fried chicken and was lounging in the dorm with her roommate, watching dramas and browsing Weibo.

    "Jiahui, check out this poster," her roommate sent her a picture, "This guy''s pretty handsome!"

    Jiahui took a nce and said, "That''s Shaomeng!"

    "Oh, the one who starred in The Mysteries of Song Dynasty?" her roommate mentioned a hit ancient costume drama that was once hugely popr nationwide.

    Jiahui nodded, "Yeah yeah, he''s acting in a new drama? Let me see."

    She wasn''t into celebrities, but Shaomeng had starred in quite a few popr shows with good industry reputation and production quality, instantly piquing her interest.

    The poster was dark and moody, only revealing a white doctor''s coat. The actor''s face was vaguely visible, giving off an oddly sinister yet cool vibe unlike typical medical dramas.

    No wonder her roommate was surprised. The poster had a very Western TV show aesthetic, unlike most Chinese dramas that shoved the star''s face in your face.

    "Demon Doctor? Sounds interesting!" Jiahui casually followed the drama''s Weibo ount, and rted rmendation links popped up under that post.

    Demon Doctor Seasons 1+2bo pack, light and shadow, good and evil, two sides of the scale, who can take control?

    It was a book rmendation.

    She hadn''t bought a book in a long time. On a whim, Jiahui clicked in.

    She didn''t know Ji Yunyun, but felt the name rang a bell. ncing at the reviewers, hmm, they seemed to be famous figures (though she wasn''t familiar with them either).

    It should be decent then.

    Skimming further, hmm, the books were adapted into movies that won awards recently.

    This author must have some skills.

    Finally checking the rating on Bookworm, 8.5, a very good score.

    Might as well buy it and check it out!

    Jiahui ced her order.

    -

    Yiwen was a corporate ve, twenty-six, single, because hismute from home to work took over an hour each way, two hours round trip. After getting home from work, he just wanted to copse into bed, too exhausted and broke to date.

    His only hobby was buying manga and novels.

    He was a loyal reader of Ice Mirror, and also browsed Golden Crow''s books asionally, buying the good ones. Used book websites were thriving anyway, so after reading he could just resell without taking up space and recoup the cost. No pressure splurging.

    Last night, the reading public WeChat ount had sent him new book updates from various publishers. Demon Doctor II by Ji Yunyun topped the list with over 15,000 sales just yesterday.

    "A book by Ji Yunyun, huh." Yiwen hesitated a little. As a guy, he didn''t really like reading novels by female authors, all sappy romance or romance masquerading as something else.

    But there were exceptions, and Ji Yunyun was one of them.

    He really enjoyed Hide and Seek and had read Demon Doctor 1 too. Now part 2 was out, so based on his good impression of part 1, he decided to check it out.

    A few clicks to purchase, sess.

    The next moment, the website prompted "Out of Stock."

    With that, hisst doubts vanished.

    Lucky he moved quickly. Yiwen felt relieved.

    The book arrived swiftly.

    Yiwen had intended to read it on his workmute tomorrow, but after browsing Weibost night, many were already discussing Demon Doctor 2, saying it had a vastly different style from 1 yet integrated seamlessly, fully surprising.

    His curiosity was piqued while thinking "how good can a mystery by a female author be," itching to start reading immediately.

    He read until midnight, finishing two chapters, reluctantly falling asleep yearning for more.

    The next day on the subway to work, he tucked the book in his bag and continued reading.

    Who knew the subway arrived exceptionally fast today. He didn''t get to finish the third story before having to start work.

    It felt awful, like having to stop pissing midway.

    Yiwen hadn''t felt such an urgent impulse in a long time. Once at thepany, after suffering through the morning meeting, he eagerly smuggled the book into the bathroom and squatted a paid fifteen minutes on the toilet before emerging refreshed.

    Ah, finally finished it, so worth it!

    After painfully slogging through the work day, Yiwen stood crammed in rush hour subway for over an hour before finally, satisfactorily finishing Demon Doctor II back home.

    Returning home, he wolfed down a couple rice balls then impatiently opened Bookworm to rate - five stars max, then frantically started posting.

    "Good mystery novels have no gender. Demon Doctor 2 destined for annual outstanding work."

    "Poster male, into females. Old bookworms may remember my ID from previous mystery novel posts. Cutting to the chase. These days mysteries by female authors can''t escape the weird romance vortex. Some with pretty decent mysteries, but once romance appears, this straight guy feels mighty ufortable...

    "But Ji Yunyun''s Demon series has no cheesiness. After the first story, Ipletely cast aside gender bias -dies, sorry for misunderstanding you all! As long as you don''t write romance, your mysteries can totally match men''s..."

    -

    Bingshu, thirty-seven, had resigned from publishing two years ago and started writing WeChat public ounts, garnering decent poprity as a notable reading ount.

    Last night, he had just finished an article titled "Golden Crow VS Morning Star, the prestige battle between veteran and neer," vividly depicting the New Year''s Day sh between the twopanies.

    The final oue was Morning Star signed nearly 35,000 books, Golden Crow 46,000, andslide victory. The numbers were actually quite good. Bingshu felt Morning Star lost in the end not because of publishing shorings. Golden Crow had mobilized currently popr male celebs - despite iming a "private event" and denying business partnerships, the rallying power wasn''t evenparable.

    Especially when Golden Crow precisely targeted Morning Star''s customer base, the oue wasn''t surprising.

    After covering the business side, Bingshu naturally had to post about the chart-topping book too.

    Yesterday''s signing had Ji Yunyun''s Demon Doctor II at number one. No matter what, he had to check it out. So after submitting the first draft, he started reading the book.

    To be honest, the content of 1 was fuzzy, but episodic cases had this advantage - no need to recall previous details, just directly enter the new case.

    The first story was about a virtuous wife ingeniously murdering her adulterous husband via a locked room mechanism, ultimately getting off innocent.

    The demon was unable to judge her good or evil and mailed her a letter analyzing her murder methods in detail.

    Then asking - [Was it you?]

    The virtuous wife did not reply.

    The second story was an ult murder case, no need to borate, thrilling and bizarre. Even more chilling was an included printed wanted poster for "Qitian."

    Bingshu closely followed online trends and naturally remembered the heavily discussed ghost house incident from months ago.

    He recalled Ji Yunyun was the one who reported discovering the skeletons.

    Considering this, looking back at the second story''s details, he couldn''t help specting how much was true, how much fictional. His hair stood on end.

    Bingshu wasn''t very gutsy and never read horror stories. Seeing it was nearly 11 PM, he shut the book and went straight to sleep.

    Hmm, better wait until sunlight tomorrow to continue reading!

    He never expected such content from a young woman like Ji Yunyun. Industry insiders previously criticized her for "drying up," clearly going overboard.

    Bingshu flipped over, wide awake and brain already automatically outlining content for a new article.

    The evolution in Ji Yunyun''s two books could be described as shifting from the police''s cold, dry bulletins to news reports. The former more calm and objective, thetter with human touch. From a literary perspective, it was hard to judge which was better, but readers undoubtedly preferred news over bulletins.

    The next day after reading thest two stories about revenge and idental killing, quite simple plots yet with excellent twists, also thrilling.

    Bingshu organized his thoughts and started writing the public ount content.

    "Doctor VS Hunter, demon on earth, discussing the new year''s new books, Demon Doctor II."

    "The day before yesterday, the editor released a piece on the fierce battle between Golden Crow and Morning Star. Needless to say,petition between publishers has intensified over the past couple years. As an old establishment, for Golden Crow to grab a spot in the market, it must excavate high-quality works without falling into clich¨¦s..."

    Fortunately, Jianjing''s new book achieved this. Compared to the bleak criticism at the time of the first book''s release, the second one would hardly have anyone uttering words that betray their conscience. As of when this writer typed this line, Bookworm''s rating had exceeded 1,000 people, which meant that so many people eagerly bought and finished reading it within three days and unanimously gave high ratings.

    The current rating for Demon Doctor II is 9.3. Of course, as the number of readers increases, this score will definitely drop a little, but it will absolutely be hard to go below 8.5. Jianjing blends real cases into fictional stories, using the dual perspectives of demons and hunters. The line between good and evil is often blurred, but isn''t this where the contradictions of reality lie?

    He wrote for over 3,000 words in a rambling manner, did a quick check, and immediately posted it.

    That day, the views exceeded 100,000.

    -

    On New Year''s Day, Ji Yunyun went to the signing event early in the morning. Compared to other fans who just read the books, she clearly understood Jianjing better.

    Is she a little miss who only writes novels?

    No!

    She''s a big sister who really solves cases!

    Saving people in hospitals, digging out corpses in haunted houses, finding gold in parks... Her own stories are just as exciting as her novels.

    Ji Yunyun has upgraded from a book fan to an author fan. She made ns early in the morning with her ssmates to get an autograph.

    Unfortunately, there were too many people at the signing event, and she didn''t get to chat much with her idol before leaving.

    Ji Yunyun could only go back home with her ssmate to read the novel first.

    Before reading, Ji Yunyun was still a little worried in her heart. In her opinion, Demon 1 was already outstanding, if Demon 2 didn''t have enough highlights, it mighte under another wave of attacks, with people ridiculing that Jiang Lang has run out of skills.

    But after reading the book, all concerns were dispelled.

    Ji Yunyun held her phone in her hands and shouted first in the readers'' group: [If we don''t upy the position of public opinion, the enemy will upy it! We can''t let Teacher Jian be bullied again likest time!!]

    Thinking about it, feeling unsatisfied, sheined: [Jinwu is really old. We can''t rely on them, we''d better rely on ourselves!]

    Group member 1: [My book hasn''t arrived yet, is Demon 2 good? I heard there are new characters.]

    Group member 2: [Yes, there is a new hunter character. I''m so worried it might be written poorly!]

    Group member 3: [I''m here for the demon, don''t steal the spotlight from the demon!]

    Ji Yunyun: [Don''t worry, the demon is still the protagonist, but the hunter is also good. I feel like these two characters were originally one, it feels moreplete now, really good!!]

    Group member 4: [Demon x Hunter, what a great CP, I''ve already started shipping them!]

    Ji Yunyun: [ck and white contrast, karma over lifetimes, very touching!]

    Group member 5: [Wait, there''s no female lead? I''ve been waiting for Teacher Jian to write romance.]

    Group member 4: [Her female criminal characters are also quite touching, there are bestie pairs, very *j¨©* (gay), good for shipping too...]

    ...

    -

    On January 5th, sales of "Demon Doctor II" reached 100,000 on major book websites'' new book charts. This number was not eye-catching, because most readers chose to buy at nearby bookstores, where same-city delivery services were already highly developed, arriving in half a day, so there was no need to wait a few more days.

    But from January 6th onwards, online sales began to skyrocket for a simple reason - physical bookstores were out of stock... Readers who couldn''t buy had to ce orders online.

    Online sales climbed to 300,000, then abruptly stopped.

    Inventory was gone.

    On January 10th, it was sold out across the web.

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    Unlike the good word of mouth of "Evil Doctor", the romance novel written by a young European noblewoman "Infatuated in Paris" was unanimously panned online.

    A post appeared on arge anonymous forum:

    "My titanium alloy dog eyes are blinded. Can ''Infatuated in Paris'' be more preposterous with the fiction?"

    Original Poster: Dog eyes blinded

    My god, have you guys checked out Morning Star''s gship book this year? That thing called absurd. It said her husband was from an old domestic noble family, he only drank a certain brand of tea, and when it was mixed with a little bit of other tea leaves he spat it out.

    The most inexplicable part was that when she and her husband went to see the royalty, she got jealous. Her husband then abandoned the princess and came to exin to her that the princess had a one-sided crush, and that she was the only one in his heart!

    Even fiction needs to have a limit.

    --

    This resonated with manyizens. They criticized the absurd plot in the book. Even the descriptions of local customs were refuted by locals saying "never heard of that".

    #Noble Husband# became a meme.

    "My noble husband said only mixing Coca C and Pepsi in a 1:1 ratio is eptable. The first time I made a mistake, he spoke to me in ented Mandarin and said ''Darling, you need to learn the lifestyle of the nobles.''"

    And so on.

    Once the topic blew up, insiders came out to spill the tea.

    Someone with the nickname "Twin Scenery" iming to be a studying abroad student said: "Do you really think her husband is a noble? No real noble family would tolerate going public with a ''fake couple'' image with the wife. All the noble titles in this country are publicly searchable. That surname doesn''t exist among old noble families. You can buy a title that looks simr with donation money."

    This view was agreed by many. But the fans staunchly defended them and fought fiercely.

    Soon after, anonymous users posted old photos of the "noble husband". He looked very ordinary, dressed ordinarily, and drove a very normal car. This waspletely ipatible with the image of someone "raised with noble education since childhood".

    Everyone was shocked.

    An image like this cannot be built overnight. But it can be destroyed overnight.

    Originally there were still fans who argued and defended for them. But what they adored was only the "noble" shell.

    Once the noble husband was no longer a noble and became just an ordinary man, who would still want to shout and cheer for him? So they disbanded and some even turned against them.

    "The real noble husband is super ugly,pletely useless except for being white."

    With an attached high definition photo of him on site.

    The reputation kept plunging until it crashed through the ground.

    The sales of "Infatuated in Paris" stagnated. The ratings on Bookworm kept dropping every day, all 1-star ratings, bad reviews poured in like a tide that even inte water armies couldn''t turn it around.

    What happened in the past with Evil One was being reenacted here.

    Tao Zong was so angry he stomped his feet. After Xia Xing was jailed, Morning Star lost a general. He had put in so much effort to create this new author, but it ended up like this.

    "President Kang, you''re quite ruthless!" Tao Zong muttered, "Just you wait here for me!"

    He paced around in his office, knowing he couldn''t just sit around and wait for death. The best defense was to attack. Golden Crow was set on avenging Evil One, the assault was intense. He had to target the weak spot.

    "Qing Qing, I have to wrong you again." He felt a little reluctant, after all, it pained a man to make a move on a beauty.

    But a beauty couldn''tpare to money.

    So after the hype around "Infatuated in Paris" died down a little, a new provocative post appeared.

    "Don''t Get Too Arrogant Golden Crow Fans, Sales Volume ˇŮ Good Reputation"

    Original Poster: Huang Huang

    U1S1, the preorders for "Evil Doctor" relied on the uing drama adaptation and the fansigning events were all because of JBY. The quality itself isn''t necessarily good. Book fans boasting too much should be careful about breaking their legs.

    1L: XXX

    Finally someone is speaking the truth. All I see is ttery everywhere, so awkward. People who don''t know would think it won the Nobel Prize.

    ...

    8L: Insider

    The "Evil Doctor" data is obviously inted. Golden Crow really spent a lot to promote Jian Jing. Tsk tsk, does anyone know what kind of background she has? Promoting her so aggressively, aren''t they afraid of not deserving it and getting mocked by the public? I hope it won''t lead to another suicide scandal.

    9L: Su Su

    Jian Jing is called Little Princess in Golden Crow. Could she have be popr without Kang Mu Cheng?

    10L: AAA

    Just a passerby. What is this suicide scandal?

    ...

    30L: Sky Piercer

    Looks like nobody knows yet. Princess Jian is very fragile. When Evil One got criticized, shemitted suicide at home. Later the news was suppressed. You guys just didn''t know about it.

    --

    Morning Star''s counterattack could not be considered gentle or slow. But this time, before Golden Crow''s inte army arrived, the fans charged first.

    50L: Medicine Seller

    What''s wrong with male celebs? If you have money go invite them too! Red eye disease needs treatment yo! (Lecherous emoji)

    61L: Abandoned

    It was the celebs who came voluntarily okay! They were discovered when secretly lining up, taking away your poprity. Sorry about that! It''s because Morning Star is useless! Haha!

    72L: Night Raven Feather

    Jian Jing is the best! Haters are just sour grapes! Our Jian Jing has both looks and talent. Go envy somewhere else!

    83L: Waning Moon

    Let''s not talk about anything else. The author herself is so beautiful, much better than the other side. She wins hands down in looks!

    ...

    Different from the alt ounts of inte armies, the ounts posting this time were active members, real or fake clearly distinguished.

    --

    Then, a question appeared on an anonymous Q&A forum.

    Asker: Straight Line

    Jian Jing''s new book "Evil Doctor 2" sold out across all websites 10 days afterunch. What level is this on the publishing scene?

    Question description: Someone argued with mest week that 10,000 copies signed at a fansigning event was due to the celebrity effect. Now what else do you have to say?

    The top upvoted answers were like this ˇý

    Eating First: Let me just say, I saw everyone reading Evil Doctor 2, so I wanted to buy it, but it was already sold out...

    Fairy in the Castle: As someone who never reads novels, the first time I wanted to buy a novel to read, it was gone.

    ...

    Then an anonymous person deliberately asked:

    Anonymous: Jian Jing''s "Evil Doctor 1" faced unanimous criticism when it came out, but "Evil Doctor 2" exploded. Can someone exin what happened? Are the two books so different?

    Dark Dark: Let this former industry insider say a few words

    Those with discerning eyes all know, behind the change from Evil Doctor 1''s bad reviews to Evil Doctor 2''s explosion, Morning Star''s shadow can be seen.

    Back when Evil 1 was out, it just happened to collide with Xia Xing''s book. Morning Star wanted to prop up their little queen, so they hired inte attackers to cklist Jian Jing, saying all kinds of vicious things, even spreading rumors that shemitted suicide. It can be said to be extremely despicable behavior.

    This time Golden Crow learned from past mistakes. It counterattacked precisely and harvested beautifully! This should have ended here, but Morning Star had taken a liking to using inte armies after the previous sess. After "Infatuated in Paris" failed, they wanted to use the same old trick again. Come on, the previous sess was only because the Kang mother and son were not in the country. How could it seed again this time?

    Now look, the journalist they invited just freely gave the other side positive coverage. It even helped wash away the previous stains. Let this former industry insider give Morning Star a word of advice: relying solely on hyping and inte armies cannot sustain you in the publishing industry.

    --

    Although it was unknown whether this industry insider was real or fake, this was undoubtedly an excellent public opinion maneuver.

    Through this question and answer, not only were the critics of Evil Doctor 1beled as Morning Star''s inte armies, they sold their sob story, and also exined Jian Jing''s "suicide".

    From now on, if anyone brought up the suicide again, people''s first reaction would be "wasn''t that just smearing by the rival?" This paved the way for Jian Jing''s future.

    Tao Zong pulled at his hair for a few days, he had used all his tricks, people in this circle still had to continue doing business together, they couldn''t strip each other bare.

    He took the initiative to call Kang Mu Cheng and conceded generously: "President Kang, I lost this round. You''re quite ruthless, preparing for more than half a year right? I heard early on you were going to sign Paris, so it was meant to mislead me huh. Tsk, fell for your trap!"

    In fact, he didn''t have high hopes for "Infatuated in Paris" initially. But some people said Kang Mu Cheng was also in touch with the other party, so he decided to sign it and promote it as the gship book of the new year.

    In other words, Tao Zong believed in Kang Mu Cheng''s judgment deep down.

    Unfortunately he didn''t expect it was a pit.

    How could the gossip photos of the noble husband be found so easily? Tao Zong wouldn''t be stupid enough to think it was a coincidence. Golden Crow must''ve had people dig them out early on,ying in wait here for him.

    "Let''s leave each other a way out. I''m backing off, so you should show some mercy too," Tao Zong shamelessly begged for mercy, without any psychological barriers to admitting defeat and asking for forgiveness. His words flowed very smoothly.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Did you show any mercy back then?"

    "Hey, look how angry you are. Weren''t the people who stepped on Jian Jing back then my people too?" Tao Zong chuckled, "It''s all in the past now, isn''t it?"

    Kang Mu Cheng coldly said, "You say stop and it just stops? Did you just wake up?"

    Tao Zong sighed, knowing there was no reconciling, and continued to try to get on his good side, "Empty words have no proof. I know you don''t believe me, but let me say this from my heart, Boss Kang, I didn''t have the heart to make a move against Jian Jing either. *sigh* Actually, I never agreed with it, but you know Golden Crow doesn''t operate however I say."

    Kang Mu Cheng: As if I''d believe you.

    "How about this, I swear from now on I won''t bring up Jian Jing again, okay?" Tao Zong readily said, "I have many ws, but my credibility has always been good."

    He wasn''t lying. Tao Zong''s credibility in the industry wasn''t bad. Kang Mu Cheng also knew that the two publishing houses couldn''t really tear their faces over this, because that would only let otherpanies take advantage.

    Now that he had vented his anger this much, it was time to back off.

    But he still had to warn the other party, "If you use Jian Jing to stir things up again, you won''t get off so easily."

    "I guarantee it," Tao Zong swore solemnly.

    Only then did Kang Mu Cheng hang up the phone.

    After putting down his phone, Tao Zong rubbed his face and couldn''t help letting out a long sigh. He wasn''t lying to them, but it had nothing to do with his conscience. He only had one reason for no longer going after Jian Jing.

    It was unstoppable.

    Those little tricks probably wouldn''t work anymore.

    *

    After New Year''s, Jian Jing never went online to look atments again, only ncing at the sales figures.

    So she waspletely unaware of the stormy battles online, and didn''t know about the backstage wrestling between Golden Crow and ck Raven. Her psychological journey was quite simple:

    Days 1-3, worried it wouldn''t sell well, wondering if she was like her other self, and really had writing talent.

    Days 3-5, the sales were decent, she stabilized, and in a good mood, started eating, drinking and preparing to travel over break.

    Days 6-10, what happened? Where am I? What''s going on??

    She didn''t remember ever encountering sold out new books in her memory.

    In the other world, the publishing industry had long be a sunset industry. It was already the top tier of authors who could sell several hundred thousand physical books.

    But if she remembered correctly, Kang Mu Cheng had specifically warned her that the first print run was only 500,000, telling her not to feel too much pressure, and that it wouldn''t be a loss even if they didn''t sell out.

    Now the 500,000 stock was already sold out?

    Kang Mu Cheng: "It was 800,000."

    ording to his original n, the first print run should have been 1 million, but considering he didn''t want to put too much pressure on her, he cut it in half.

    On the morning of the 3rd, seeing the online momentum was pretty good, he hurriedly called the printer to keep working, which filled the gap of the additional 300,000.

    But with the fermenting word of mouth, the newly supplemented stock was gone too. He urgently opened pre-order channels, and in the blink of an eye there were 700,000-800,000 people who had paid deposits.

    Jian Jing: "......" She was so shocked she lost the ability to speak.

    Kang Mu Cheng just said, "I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now."

    The sales figures for White Cat Detective were 780,000. For a new author that was dazzling enough, but its audience was just teenagers, which meant it was destined to have a hard time crossing 10 million. As for The Girl Who yed Hide and Seek, it was 500,000, and even with the recent movie tie-in reprint, the sales were just 200,000.

    10 million was a threshold.

    Only sales over 10 million meant you could call yourself a bestselling author.

    After 5 years of writing, Jian Jing had finally crossed this difficult threshold, and from now on her worth would be different again.

    Sure enough, 20 days after release, the sales of Demon Doctor II crossed 10 million.

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82

    Selling one million copies meant a lot to both Jin Wu and Jian Jing. For the former, it was yet another powerful young writer with unlimited potential. For thetter, it was an absolute qualitative leap in her worth, day and night difference.

    Kang Mu Cheng specially called to ask, "Want me to hold a celebration party for you?"

    Jian Jing didn''t really feel anything. She thought about it and said, "No need."

    A celebration party would just be eating, drinking and ttery. She really wasn''t interested, not to mention how cold the weather was. Wouldn''t it be morefortable to just stay home?

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t insist. It was good to keep a low profile at the height of fame.

    Instead, he asked about something else, "Decided what to do with the money this time?"

    Jian Jing: "...Buy a house?"

    "Want a bigger one?"

    "Investment."

    "Good choice, more stable to be conservative." Kang Mu Cheng gave a name, "I''ll have him keep an eye out for suitable ones and give you a call."

    Jian Jing appreciated his thoughtfulness again. She really had nothing to worry about. "Okay."

    Kang Mu Cheng added, "Since you don''t want a celebration, let me get you a gift instead."

    "Why so polite?" Sheughed. "It''s not like I didn''t make money."

    "Just take what I give you." His tone brooked no objection. "It''s a joyous asion, you should celebrate a little."

    Jian Jing was curious now, "What is it?"

    "A little something." Kang Mu Cheng didn''t think much of it.

    The next day, Jian Jing received his little gift - a Cartier diamond bracelet. The stones glittered brilliantly, perfect for wearing with formal dresses and attending all kinds of important events.

    As expected of President Kang.

    Expensive yet practical.

    Jian Jing locked the bracelet in her safe.

    She didn''t know yet that people who wanted to give her gifts were not limited to just Kang Mu Cheng.

    *

    After breaking a million copies, Demon Doctor II finally made it to the top of the bestseller list and new book list, upying the spot for over a month.

    The number of ratings on Bookworms gradually increased. Naturally there were both praise and vilification. But this time, no matter how many critics there were, the overwhelmingly one-sided situation did not appear again.

    Overall, people''sments on Demon Doctor were quite positive.

    Riding on this tailwind, the first season of the Demon Doctor TV adaptation entered production. The lead actor Shao Meng had disappeared from the public eye for a year or two, but his fanbase was solid and he had a good reputation. The general audience was quite looking forward to his performance.

    Director Huang had his own considerations for casting him. In recent years Shao Meng had been active in theater circles, honing his acting skills further. All hecked was an opportunity to return to the screen.

    A drama like Demon Doctor was perfect for him to showcase his skills.

    Promotions went into full swing, the situation was great, and Shao Meng''s fans were ted, matching the festive atmosphere of theing new year.

    On the contrary were the book fans.

    As everyone knew, whenever a book was adapted, tearing apart would inevitably follow.

    The imagination that words inspired in readers was limitless. With just a few strokes, a grand or exquisite world could be outlined. But when adapted into real people, the room for imagination waspressed. All the romantic and gorgeous parts were clumsily shoved in front of the audience, easily breaking the fantasy.

    This was an irreconcble contradiction, and fans were not looking to reach an agreement.

    The bigger the controversy, the more hype it brought. Why not fan the mes?

    Under the push and pull, disputes grew even more fierce. Coincidentally it was also the Spring Festival break, students and working adults alike went home, free time aplenty. The only topics hotter were the Spring Festival G and other new year films. Neck and neck they raced.

    Amidst the lively discussions, Demon Doctor was scheduled to air starting the third day of the lunar new year.

    Jian Jing had never understood this practice. Airing these crime dramas during the biggest holiday of the year, would people really watch? Then she discovered this world was quite bold, and simrly themed dramas were included in the new year''s eve lineup every year to positive reception.

    Nothing more to say then.

    She spent new year''s eve quietly at home, watched the G show, had hot pot, slept until past noon of new year''s day, then got up to start drafting her next book.

    And so a day went by.

    She repeated the same routine on the second day of the new year.

    On the third, Kang Mu Cheng called to ask if she was going to visit her parents'' graves this year.

    Jian Jing: "..." She hadpletely forgotten that the parents of this world''s Jian Jing were deceased, still under the impression that hers were living well back home.

    But since she was here, visiting was definitely a must. She declined Kang Mu Cheng''s offer to apany her, found the contract for the gravesite purchase in the safe documents, looked up the address, and went alone to pay respects to her parents.

    The cemetery was quite nice, clean and well-maintained, with peopleing by regrly to tidy up even during the holidays.

    She brought a bouquet of lilies to offer.

    Knowing her parents were alive and well in another world, Jian Jing did not linger in grief. She stood quietly for a bit then prepared to leave.

    The cemetery was nearly deserted during the major holiday. But as she threaded through rows of tombstones on her way back, she noticed a man passing by her.

    She found it a bit odd and took another look at him.

    The man wore a knit hat and scarf, obscuring most of his face. Noticing her gaze, he also looked her way.

    Jian Jing nodded politely.

    He stopped and said, "It''s going to snow."

    His voice came out muffled and distorted through the scarf.

    Jian Jing nced up and indeed, small snowkes had started drifting down. She hesitated briefly, said "Goodbye", and jogged off.

    The man watched her retreating back for a while until she disappeared from sight. Only then did he slowly walk to a certain tombstone.

    The lilies were vibrant and lush.

    He reached out and plucked a petal, holding it to his nose for a sniff, smiling faintly.

    On the back of his hand was a distinctive zigzag scar.

    *

    On the third day of the new year, Liu Bao Feng returned to her vi.

    Half a month ago, the verdict finally came down for the Sunset Vi case. She was convicted of manughter and sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years.

    Liu Bao Feng did not appeal, epting the sentence.

    It was all over.

    Returning to the empty vi, she felt a sense of reprieve like surviving a cmity.

    Finally, that man was gone.

    The man who once swore seas and mountains with her, yet still betrayed her in the end.

    The man she was once so affectionate with, now couldn''t bear to look at another second.

    He had finally exited her life.

    Liu Bao Feng feltpletely rxed, as if she had thoroughly cleaned the house. She couldn''t describe how happy she was.

    She called her daughter overseas, telling her that her father''s shares would be fully inherited by her. She also notified Old Master Qin''s parents, informing them of the case results. The old couple trusted her deeply. Though still grieving, theyforted her not to me herself too much - no one could have expected such an ident.

    Naturally Liu Bao Feng was profuse with gratitude, and promised to visit them after getting through this busy period.

    Then she handled some backlogged work, busy untilte into the night before going to bed to rest.

    She casually turned on the TV and the advertisement on screen was Demon Doctor.

    Jian Jing.

    Liu Bao Feng smiled again upon seeing a familiar name.

    Yes, she certainly remembered this girl, oddly clever, likely having guessed the truth behind Sunset Vi early on.

    So what of it?

    There were many in court who doubted her, but where was the evidence? Who could discern whether malice existed?

    Thew required evidence. Without evidence, it remained manughter through negligence on her part.

    Liu Bao Feng had never contemted the perfect crime, she had merely indulged, waited, given a little push. With her understanding of that man, she urately reaped his life.

    - Perhaps some asked, why not just divorce?

    Over twenty years of marriage, separation was no longer just an emotional matter. Thepany shares, connections on both sides, their daughter and family reputation - rather than tear apart and lose face utterly, making their daughter sad and upset, better to end it like this.

    They remained a dignified family in appearance. Their daughter would never know of her father''s sordid side.

    How wonderful.

    Liu Bao Feng took calcium tablets and drank a ss of warm milk before drifting off to sweet dreams.

    In the night, she seemed to sense someone lingering by her bedside.

    Was it Qin Bo Wen?

    Had hee for revenge?

    Liu Bao Feng thought blearily. Yet she felt no fear in her heart. She forced her eyes open, wanting to scornfully berate him - he couldn''t win when alive, what could a dead man do?

    But when she strenuously opened her mouth, a huge hand covered her nose and lips.

    ck gloves, extremely powerful, pinning her firmly to the bed.

    Liu Bao Feng was instantly alert. She struggled desperately, her hand slowly feeling around the nightstand for a weapon she could use.

    ˇ°Such a smart woman.ˇ± His fingers stroked her cheek, the rough glove fabric scraping her well-maintained skin. ˇ°What a pity. I want to give my darling a gift.ˇ±

    In the thick darkness, the gleam of the de stabbed Jian Jing''s eyes with pain.

    Her pupils suddenly dted, a whimper rising from her throat. Tears welled up as indescribable terror clutched her heart.

    Then...warm blood sttered onto her face.

    She fell into a dizzy, dreamlike state, as if everything was just a dream. The pain in her body didn''t have time to register before her consciousness plunged into the abyss.

    So this is the so-called abyss that gazes back.

    No answers came as death arrived.

    *

    The morning of the fourth day of the lunar new year, Jian Jing was woken up by the ringing of her phone.

    Still groggy, she answered: ˇ°Hello?ˇ±

    ˇ°Teacher Jian, are you home?ˇ± Shao Meng asked.

    Jian Jing mumbled indistinctly: ˇ°WhatˇŻs up?ˇ±

    ˇ°Still sleeping? Wake up. Liu Bao Feng is dead.ˇ± He said.

    Her brain hadn''t started working yet. After a couple turns, the slightly unfamiliar name finally conjured up the matching memory. Jian Jing was confused and surprised: ˇ°SheˇŻs dead? How did she die?ˇ±

    Revenge by Qin''s family members?

    But this time, Shao Meng deliberated before saying: ˇ°IˇŻll be at your ce in ten minutes and take you to the scene. IˇŻll exin when we get there.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was shocked awake: ˇ°You canˇŻt seriously think I''m a suspect!ˇ±

    ˇ°No no, it''s a bitplicated. You''ll understand when you get there.ˇ± Shao Meng refused to say more. ˇ°See you downstairs at your ce in ten minutes.ˇ±

    Jian Jing had no choice but to hurriedly get up and wash up to head out.

    The weather today was exceptionally cold. Outside the car window, snow blew wildly, obscuring the road conditions.

    Sitting in the passenger seat bundled up in a down jacket, Jian Jing endured the awful lingering cigarette smell in the car and asked: ˇ°What''s up with your car? It reeks.ˇ±

    ˇ°I drove some colleagues a few hours ago and we chainsmoked in the car the whole time.ˇ± Shao Meng was used to it. He rolled down the windows. ˇ°I''m considered decent. One colleague''s car had a whole backseat of blood that wouldn''t wash out no matter how much he cleaned.ˇ±

    The cold wind blew in, dispersing the stuffy air in the car.

    Jian Jing woke up a bit more. She took out the heated up sandwich and hot coffee she had prepared from her bag. She had left in such a hurry that she could only eat breakfast in the car.

    Shao Meng said: ˇ°Oh!ˇ±

    ˇ°What?ˇ± she asked.

    He said: ˇ°I haven''t eaten breakfast yet. Share half with me.ˇ±

    ˇ°What''s it to me if you don''t eat?ˇ± Jian Jing took a fierce bite, cold and heartless.

    ˇ°How heartless. I took a risk bringing you over this time, you should thank me properly.ˇ± Shao Meng said.

    Jian Jing nced at him: ˇ°Why should I thank you?ˇ±

    ˇ°This case is very special, you''ll definitely be interested.ˇ± Shao Meng deliberately tried to pique her curiosity. ˇ°Share half with me out of appreciation for meing to get you in this snowstorm.ˇ±

    Jian Jing tossed him a rice ball. It was leftover sushi from the Japanese food they had yesterday, heated up to fob him off.

    ˇ°Thanks.ˇ± Shao Meng wasn''t picky and wolfed it down during the half a minute they were stopped at a red light.

    The carboriously made its way to the crime scene.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    There were very few people in the vi area. Police caution tape had been pulled up outside the door, and several forensic police officers came in and out taking photos and examining the scene.

    Ji Feng greeted them and handed a pair of shoe covers to Jian Jing.

    After gearing up, the two entered the scene and headed straight for the bedroom.

    "At seven o''clock this morning, Liu Bao Feng''s assistant came to find her, but the nanny said she hadn''t gotten up. So the two went to the bedroom to ask, and that''s when they discovered her corpse. They immediately called the police," Ji Feng briefed her. "The scene is very unique. Prepare yourself mentally."

    Saying so, he pushed open the bedroom door.

    Jian Jing''s eyes immediately fell upon Liu Bao Feng lying in the center of the bed.

    She was already dead.

    A beautiful dagger was stabbed right in the center of her chest, with a bow made of ribbon tied around its handle.

    A pink and white polka dot bow.

    At the same time, a book was ced upside down on Liu Bao Feng''s abdomen.

    "Demon Doctor II".

    Jian Jing looked at Ji Feng in disbelief and he nodded at her.

    She sucked in a breath of cold air and walked over to pick it up.

    Behind the lead letters "FIN", someone had drawn a little heart in red pen, just like the poster from the signing event.

    Her mind buzzed chaotically, goosebumps rose all over, stretching her skin painfully. Her heart pounded erratically, torn between fear and excitement, unable to distinguish between the two.

    After a long while, Jian Jing took a deep breath to calm herself down: "Have you found out anything yet?"

    Ji Feng said, "The perpetrator was very experienced. They disabled the security system, sneaked into the bedroom, then delivered a fatal stab. They tidied up and erased all traces before leaving. Nothing was left behind except this."

    When the police first arrived and saw the scene, they thought it was the work of a professional assassin. Only assassins could be so clean, without taking any valuables.

    But when they saw the book, they knew something was off.

    Assassins have no feelings for their victims. They only take lives and try their utmost to leave no clues behind. They would never make such a redundant move of leaving this book behind.

    This was the killer''s sense of ritual.

    And this bit of ritual would often be the downfall of such killers.

    Ji Feng pointed at the dagger, "What''s your take on this?"

    "You think this was done for me?" Jian Jing answered his question with one of her own.

    Ji Feng: "Obviously."

    Jian Jing sighed, unable to refute it. After a long pause, she said, "A gift."

    No need to think, no need to deduce. When she saw the bow on the dagger, the first thought that popped into her mind was - a gift.

    A gift for her.

    But the second thought was: How f*cking disgusting.

    With that thought, her face revealed some repulsion. But Ji Feng was excited. He asked, "I thought the same thing. But that''s a bit strange. Who would take death as a gift? Is there some connection?"

    Jian Jing said, "Have you read my new book?"

    "No. What did you write?" He was puzzled.

    "There''s a case about a wife who uses a mechanism to kill her cheating husband."

    Ji Feng shrugged. "Sounds pretty cliche."

    "Yes. And theoretically, unless you experienced the case at Yin Hui Vi with me, you wouldn''t be able to guess the real-life counterpart was Mrs. Qin. The time, names and content in the story are all fabricated," Jian Jing frowned, very bothered. "It''s too bizarre."

    Crime rates were sky high in this world. Wives killing husbands was an overused trope. And many details in the story were fabricated. The killer leaving a copy of Demon Doctor here could be coincidence. But would he connect it back to Jian Jing?

    Unless he knew their rtionship and was certain this "gift" would reach its intended recipient.

    Ji Feng''s spirit shook: "Who have you told about this?"

    "You, Editor Kang, Screenwriter Xu, and Mrs. Qin herself." Jian Jing answered without thinking twice. "I wouldn''t randomly tell people about something without evidence."

    "If he''s been watching you closely, looking into these things wouldn''t be difficult. But the motive..." Ji Feng murmured. "Seems a bit strange."

    If it was just an obsessed fan giving a gift, they''d usually choose a more direct approach to get it into the idol''s hands. Letting the idol know of their existence was the goal of such fans.

    But the scene only contained a book. If Ji Feng wasn''t the one who came, or if he didn''t know about the signing event, would he have connected it back to Jian Jing?

    Unless the killer knew of their rtionship and was certain the "gift" would reach its intended owner.

    Ji Feng was still pondering, but Jian Jing had already been drawn to the crime scene. Looking here and there, even lying on the floor to examine it. But there really were no discoveries.

    "The killer really didn''t leave any clues?" She asked, incredulous.

    "So far, none," Ji Feng assessed. "This is the cleanest crime scene I''ve seen. On par with a professional assassin. He won''t be easy to deal with."

    Jian Jing thought silently.

    "Ji Feng, are you done looking?" A fully equipped policewoman next to them asked. "I''m collecting evidence now."

    Ji Feng stepped aside twice. "Go ahead."

    The policewoman squeezed past him and carefully removed the dagger from the abdomen, putting it in an evidence bag.

    A sh of inspiration.

    Jian Jing suddenly said, "Um, can I take a look at the murder weapon?"

    The policewoman was somewhat guarded. "May I ask who you are?"

    "The author of this book," Ji Feng helped put away the book neatly and casually said, "Let her see, it''s fine."

    Only then did the policewoman hand it over.

    "Thanks."

    Jian Jing carefully tore open the seal and leaned in for a sniff.

    She couldn''t make out much.

    She turned on [Status Card - Five Senses] and selected the sense of smell.

    The smells instantly grew stronger.

    The most pungent were of course the bloody and metallic smells. They irritated her nasal cavity severely. But within these aggressive odors, a unique fragrance stubbornly persisted, releasing a subtle message.

    The scent of flowers.

    Lily flowers.

    Wtf?

    Jian Jing resealed the bag and returned it, her facial expression very strange.

    Ji Feng''s eyes immediately locked onto her, full of anticipation. "Did you find something?"

    "No!" Jian Jing suppressed the urge to confess. With so many people around, it wasn''t suitable to discuss secrets. "I''ll go take a look elsewhere."

    Ji Feng fixed his gaze on her. "Ms. Jian, wait for me. I''ming too."

    The remaining policewoman held onto the evidence bag, hesitating for a bit before opening it to take a sniff too.

    She couldn''t smell anything abnormal.

    This Ji Feng guy must have tricked them.

    Serves him right.

    *

    In the backyard, Jian Jing gazed at the vi, extremely puzzled.

    Liu Bao Feng was a master architect. This vi was clearly personally redesigned by her. Even if not as entric as Yin Hui Vi, security would certainly be stringent for a private residence like this.

    Yet the killer managed to sneak in without alerting anyone and murdered the owner.

    Someone so "awesome", why would they target her?

    Thinking of Jiang Bai Yan, his fans at most left threatening bloody words. But hers was clearly a deranged killer.

    Jian Jing thought of that lily scent again.

    She couldn''t confirm if this floral scent was rted to the flowers she left yesterday. But such a coincidence still drew her attention.

    Had he been watching her all this while?

    Why?

    Was it because she had inadvertently made enemies by solving cases recently? Or was it due to problems left behind by the original "Jian Jing"?

    If the former, currently the only one atrge was Qi Tian.

    But the scene had no ult vibes at all, unlike his magic practices. Also, he had shown up at the book signing event before the haunted house show.

    The more she thought about it, the more it seemed tied to the original Jian Jing.

    Kang Mu Cheng also seemed to be in the know.

    Could it be that the original "Jian Jing" had encountered something special before, provoking a pervert? Giving gifts and flowers, could it be a suitor?

    Oh, not admirers then, but man-eaters.

    "Figured anything out?" Ji Feng had apanied her standing in the cold wind for a while and couldn''t help urging her.

    Jian Jing: "He might be watching me."

    Ji Feng: "Tell me something I don''t know."

    She asked: "Could the people around me be in trouble?"

    Ji Feng: "Like who?"

    Jian Jing opened her mouth, then suddenly fell silent.

    What other people around her were there? Her parents were dead, no siblings or children. Currently the ones closest to her were her boss, ssmates, and the man before her who shared her hobby of solving mysteries.

    "Nevermind, it''s nothing." Her unease vanished into thin air.

    Ji Feng was silent. He only just realized he had asked quite a hurtful question earlier. But ovepensating would be awkward. He could only say, "Pay attention to your own safety. He''s after you."

    Jian Jing knew that, yet she no longer felt as anxious as before.

    She was different now.

    In the past, she would have been afraid in the face of such a hidden peeper, not knowing when she might be bitten. However, after experiencing so many cases, what she had gained was not just skills and abilities, but more importantly, confidence.

    Perhaps the opponent''s abilities were far superior to hers, but she could grow! Helping Jiang BaiYan let her know that there was no need to anxiously wait for tasks to be assigned. By doing more acts of justice, she could umte courage and contribution points to draw cards and arm herself.

    The system had given her room for growth. With a clear goal in mind, unknown threats could no longer hinder her. On the contrary, this would give her the motivation to strive harder.

    "I''m not afraid, just a little worried, but no one needs me to worry. What do I have to be afraid of?" Jian Jing said this, but suddenly saw Ji Feng reveal a thoughtful expression.

    She asked: "What''s wrong?"

    "Why did you think of ''fear''?" he said. "The gift was to please you, right?"

    Jian Jing wondered: "What normal person would be happy with a gift like this?"

    "That''s right," Ji Feng rubbed his hands and lowered his voice. "That''s exactly it. He didn''t give you this ''gift'' to make you happy, but to frighten you."

    "Ah?"

    "This gift should be looked at in two parts. First, it fulfilled your regret. You were a little unsatisfied that Liu Bao Feng was murdered but did not receive punishment. He helped you resolve the ''problem'', which was to please you." Ji Feng''s train of thought became clearer as he slowly said, "But at the same time, he was also threatening you, showing off his power to you."

    Jian Jing calmed down and reviewed the details of when she first saw the "gift".

    She had to admit: "That''s true, but why would he want to frighten me?"

    "That I don''t know," Ji Feng nced at her and probed further, "Why not go ask your General Kang?"

    Jian Jing stopped in her tracks and retorted: "Do you think this person is very dangerous?"

    "Of course," he answered matter-of-factly.

    "Can I handle him?"

    He was frank: "No."

    "General Kang thinks the same way. He''s a very difficult person to convince. If he feels this poses a danger to me, he definitely won''t tell me," Jian Jing said.

    More importantly, she couldn''t find any clues in her memories. She couldn''t confirm if it was due to iplete inherited memories, or if "Jian Jing" herself also didn''t know about this matter.

    If it was the former, rashly asking questions ran the risk of arousing Kang MuCheng''s suspicions. How would she exin her memory loss then?

    It would be better to wait until there were more clues and she could infer seventy to eighty percent of the truth before trying to draw information from him.

    Before Ji Feng could find more reasons, Jian Jing changed the subject: "What do you think, since he found Liu Bao Feng, is it possible he''ll go look for Qi Tian next?"

    Ji Feng sucked in a breath of cold air and choked back all the words he was about to say: "Teacher Jian, aren''t you being a bit..."

    "Hmm?"

    "Shameless?"

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    The next day, Ji Feng came over specially to take away the love poster that Jian Jing had kept. He said he wanted topare it with the writing in this case to check the origin of the love poster''s ink.

    If the murderer was someone with good aesthetic taste who liked using special ink to paint, then they might be able to grab his tail by the ink.

    Of course, ink testing had to be sent to a specialized agency, and results would be hard to get in a short time.

    Ji Feng told her the hard truth: "Don''t hold too much hope for Liu Bao Feng''s case. All the clues so far point to you, and you don''t know anything, so it can''t be solved."

    Jian Jing asked, "Will he strike again?"

    "Not necessarily," Ji Feng said. "This person has both the arrogance of a murderer and the caution of a killer. We can''t determine his motive, so we can''t find a pattern in his actions."

    After a pause, he added, "But one thing is certain - you''re special to him, so be careful."

    Jian Jing was very calm: "I signed up for a mixed martial arts ss and found a coach at the shooting range."

    And she had binged on fitness sses.

    By the time Jin Meixian''s case was over, she had a total of 60 courage points and 30 contribution points. Then, for her own safety, she drew several cards at the gym, which were:

    [Enhancement Card - Endurance (1 point)], [Enhancement Card - Explosiveness (1 point)], [Enhancement Card - Strength (1 point)], [Enhancement Card - Constitution (1 point)], [Skill Card - Sales (Beginner)], [Knowledge Card - Alphabet (Beginner)]

    Cough cough cough, the enhancement cards were of course very practical, the system still valued her personal safety very much. The subsequent knowledge and skill cards were indescribable. Anyway, they probably revealed some personal secrets of private tutors that Jian Jing didn''t want to know or learn.

    Shebined the nutrition card she drewst time with the two beginner cards this time, synthesizing them into an advanced card to upgrade her beginner martial arts card to intermediate level.

    [Name: Skill Card - TrainerˇŻs Martial Arts (Intermediate Level)]

    [Description: Gain martial arts proficiency through professional training, able to deal with most ordinary people]

    [Note: Different physiques lead to different effects]

    And her character panel was as follows:

    Name: Jian Jing

    Gender: Female

    Age: 21

    Reputation: Somewhat Famous (Limited Pool Unlocks Once Every 60 Days)

    Status: Composure +30%, Intuition (Passive Trigger), Senses +50% (Choose One of Five)

    Basic Stats:

    Constitution: 7 (You have a very healthy body with enhanced immunity)

    Strength: 8 (You can subdue ordinary adult males)

    Agility: 7 (You are slightly more agile than ordinary people)

    Explosiveness: 8 (Those critical seconds determine victory)

    Endurance: 6 (Longer is more fun~~)

    Talent: Literary Creation (Locked)

    Knowledge: Trace Evidence Science (Beginner), Cryptography (Beginner), Forensic Science (Beginner)

    Skills: Observation (Intermediate), Martial Arts (Intermediate), First Aid (Beginner), Horsemanship (Beginner), Firearms (Beginner)

    Items: High-Tech sses (Main Unit + Night Vision + Telescope), Handwriting Identification (2/3), Wolf Repellent Spray (1/3), Meal Recement Bars (5/5)

    It seemed like she had gained many skills, butpared to the Hawaii training base, it was still shabby.

    Jian Jing thought about where to do [Righteousness] side quests to grind more points for future needs.

    Ji Feng didn''t know about her cheats and felt it unreliable. He said, "Listen, if you''re being followed or attacked, let me know immediately and we can arrange protection. This is serious, got it?"

    Jian Jing nodded: "Don''t worry, I won''t be reckless."

    All her preparations were to prevent the first assault. If she got lucky and made it through the first time, she could then ask the police for help. If she couldn''t make it through the first time, there was no point thinking further.

    "Here''s the stuff I promised you." Ji Feng gave her a shlight-shaped item and a small notebook.

    Jian Jing took them and weighed them in her hands happily: "A stun gun?"

    "This is the carry permit," Ji Feng told her. "Keep it in your bag normally. When going through security checks, take it out and show them this. It has a serial number on it, just like a driver''s license."

    He had applied for it just in case originally. He didn''t expect it toe in handy so soon.

    Jian Jing readily put it away: "Thanks."

    Ji Feng held out his hand: "500 bucks. Weapons have serial numbers so there''s a fee."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "I only make a few bucks in sry and still have to raise my sister the bottomless pit. Show some understanding, Teacher Jian." Ji Feng made no move to retract his hand.

    Jian Jing: "I''ll transfer it to you."

    "Payment received, 500.1 yuan," her phone prompted.

    Ji Feng: "What''s with the extra 0.1 yuan?"

    "To let you earn a bit extra," she smiled.

    Ji Feng: "..."

    After paying, her sense of security rose considerably.

    But the man did not appear again.

    From the 5th to the 10th day of the new year, Jian Jing slept with the weapon under her pillow every night.

    But nothing happened.

    The intuition card would warn her of danger, but it never triggered.

    There''s truth in the saying that a thief can lurk a thousand days while a guard can''t defend a thousand days. Jian Jing didn''t want to live in fear every day, so she decided to take the initiative to look for clues herself.

    Of course, considering personal safety, her approach was very low-risk.

    She didn''t look for Scarface, but Qi Tian.

    Although this idea was far-fetched without any basis - just because he killed Madam Qin, would he go looking for Qi Tian? That would be overestimating herself too much.

    But for Jian Jing, this was a no-lose gamble.

    Anyway, Qi Tian was also a fugitive. If she could find him, it would be eliminating harm for the people and avenging those seven corpses. Catching a big fish would be hitting jackpot.

    In fact, this was also because she was too bored over the new year and wanted to find something interesting to pass the time. In the writer chat group that Xia Xing had added her to, some were learning instruments, some practicing calligraphy, some learning editing skills - her looking for a murderer was also gaining experience.

    The permit Ji Feng gave her had a code on it, simr to a student ID number.

    Using that number, she could log in to the official website and ess some semi-open materials, including information about a series of wanted fugitives.

    She searched for "Qi Tian" and found the 0921 case, gaining ess to all the reports rted to Qi Tian over this period.

    The reporters'' information was all anonymous and unidentifiable, but the content was public - over a thousand posts total.

    The quality varied, with things like "I heard from my mom''s friend''s uncle that the elders in our vige back then knew about this weird ult art..." followed by a thousand words that could be summarized as a short horror story from an ult forum.

    There was also "The art of Seven Star Coffin Seal has to start with me. Let me tell you about the Book of Changes h h h, passed down to only the Qi family today. Of the three doors and nine mysteries circting in jianghu, the Qi family''s coffin art is one of them..." which gave the family history of the Qi''s in full detail, sounding very knowledgeable, not sure if true or false.

    There were also more normal reports, like "When I rented a ce in such and such housingplex, my neighbor was a weirdo who rarely went out, but I could always hear children''s voices from his home. Later when I asked thendlord, thendlord said the tenant was a single man and never had kids, but then the guy moved away. He looked a bit like the man on the wanted poster, wonder if it''s him."

    Jian Jing squatted at home searching for a long time but found nothing useful.

    Ji Feng mocked her: "Pie in the sky."

    Jian Jing blocked him, then unblocked him again after over a week.

    Why?

    Because she had found a clue.

    To be precise, the clue took initiative and delivered itself to her door.

    It started with the hot broadcast of Demon Doctor.

    *

    Before Lantern Festival, the entire first season of Demon Doctor finished airing.

    The TV ratings were just average, apparently not to the taste of the parent demographic who upied TVs. But this was aired simultaneously on TV and online, and the online y count was extremely high.

    On the first day after finale, the y count had already reached over 3 billion.

    The drama rating on fan sites was 8.9.

    A typical highly-rated and well-receivedment:

    "Director Huang filming a TV drama is really effortless and unhurried. Only 16 episodes total, yet every episode is dense without filler, pacing just right - not suspenseful and tense throughout, which is tiring to watch, but also not just showing off and being humorous the whole time. Thebination of coldness and humor is truly TM well-done. Love it so much, look forward to Season 2!!"

    Jian Jing read the heated online discussions and hoped her fame would increase another level.

    But it didn''t.

    She was very confused: "When can I unlock the next stage?"

    [System: A thin veneer of fameˇŞyou''re more famous than ordinary people, at least ten thousand know who you are; A bit famousˇŞyou have some notoriety, many feel your name is familiar; Quite famousˇŞyou have very high fame, most people know who you are; FamousˇŞyou have extremely high national fame, people of all ages know you; World-famousˇŞyou have extremely high prestige in all countries globally]

    Jian Jing: "..."

    [System: Here are some reference examples]

    It gave examples to illustrate that "a thin veneer of fame" was the simplest, like being the school prince or princess at a certain school, or an online blogger with 100,000 fans; A bit famous was basically already a top blogger with millions of fans, with some notoriety in the industry.

    Quite famous? A second-tier celebrity.

    Famous? A top star who''s been on the Spring Festival G.

    World-famous? If you can''t get the Nobel Prize in Literature, at least get the Hugo Award.

    Jian Jing: "Excuse me."

    Leveling up from "a thin veneer of fame" to "a bit famous" was too easy, she thought advancingter would be simple too.

    But looking back now, it was only because she rode on the coattails of the horror house show.

    She thought too much.

    - At least for now, Jian Jing thought she was thinking too far ahead.

    Regardless of Jian Jing''s own fame, "Demon Doctor" had genuinely seeded.

    Director Huang was very happy and treated everyone to a meal at his own expense.

    The location was a hot spring inn in a small town below the next city over.

    In the dead of winter, eating hot pot and soaking in the hot spring, very cozy.

    Jian Jing was also invited. Director Huang strongly requested her attendance.

    It was perfect timing, sitting at theputer searching for clues these past few days made Jian Jing''s waist and shoulders sore. She thought soaking in the hot spring to unwind sounded great, so she agreed.

    When Kang Mu Cheng heard, he adjusted his work schedule to apany her there.

    "You didn''t have toe with me," Jian Jing said. "It''s not like it''s far away."

    But Kang Mu Cheng said, "They called you over, they''ll definitely bring up the script for the second part. Didn''t you say you don''t n to write about the demon again for the next book? We should discuss it properly."

    Jian Jing pressed her forehead: "They want to write the second part already?"

    "Who would think money is too hot to handle," Kang Mu Cheng said. "Just wait, it''s our turn to name the price now."

    He was right.

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85

    Warm Springs Inn was called Warm Warm House. It was located at the foot of the mountain on the edge of town. Fortunately the road was good to drive on. Following the navigation, turning left and right, it took two hours to get there.

    The inn was not big. It did not look like a high-end luxury hotel. On the contrary, it looked more like a homestay. There were twonterns hanging at the entrance, and the overall decoration style was very Japanese.

    The details inside also proved this point. The woodblock prints, Maneki-neko, tatami mats, and the bossdy squatting down to take slippers for people, all showed the bloodline of this inn.

    "Meow ~~" A Japanese Bobtail cat was lying at the counter, which was the prototype of Nyanko-sensei in NatsumeˇŻs Book of Friends.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help touching her phone, "Are there any cat treats for sale?"

    She wanted to buy love with money.

    "Oh~" The bossdy smiled and said fluently in Chinese, "You can use this to y with it for a while." She handed over a cat teaser wand.

    Jian Jing threw away her luggage and squatted on the ground to tease the cat.

    Kang Mu Cheng funny yet helpless, sighed, "Do you want me to help you take your luggage upstairs?"

    Jian Jing didn''t even turn her head back, "You can leave it there, I''ll take it myself."

    While the two were talking, one of the sliding doors in the corridor opened, and Xu Scriptwriter poked his head out. Seeing them, he smiled, "You came?"

    It was not appropriate to y in front of them, so Jian Jing put back the cat teaser wand and got up to nod at them.

    Xu Scriptwriter enthusiastically introduced, "The boss here is an old acquaintance in the circle. After retiring, he opened this shop. Every time we finish a project, we have toe here to drink, take a hot spring bath, and nurture our health."

    Jian Jing looked at him. She could only see his face full of red light, and really didn''t know where he needed health preservation.

    "How have you been recently, Jingjing?" Xu Scriptwriter met her eyes, smiling and asking, "Demon 2 has been selling well recently, broke 1 million, congrattions, congrattions!"

    Jian Jing smiled slightly, very modestly, "Just lucky."

    Xu Scriptwriter shook his head and said sincerely, "You made steady progress." Alright, let''s not talk about work for now. The hot springs here are natural water. Hurry up and soak in it to warm up. We''ll eat after that."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked around and said, "This ce is quiet."

    "Yeah, the air is good, the scenery is good." Xu Scriptwriter winked at them, implying, "The hot springs are also good, much better than hotels."

    Jian Jing didn''t understand.

    Xu Scriptwriter continued winking, "Do you have any rmendations for the cast of Season 2?"

    "I do have some." Jian Jing misunderstood his meaning and quickly said, "But I''m just casually mentioning it. The final casting is still up to you guys."

    Xu Scriptwriter chuckled, "Heh."

    Kang Mu Cheng, however, understood it. He patted Jian Jing on the shoulder, "Go put your stuff in the room first."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    She was inexplicably driven away.

    After making sure Jian Jing went upstairs, Kang Mu Cheng lowered his voice and said to Xu Scriptwriter, "Jingjing is still a young girl, don''t let her get involved in this kind of thing."

    "She''s not that young anymore." Xu Scriptwriter didn''t think so. "Mr. Kang, let me say something unpleasant. If Jingjing wants to develop well in the circle in the future, she has to have a say. If you don''t let her get involved, people won''t take her seriously."

    Kang Mu Cheng''s brows furrowed.

    If it wasn''t for themon experience of escaping to Yuhui Vi, Xu Scriptwriter''s words were a bit suggestive. If handled improperly, it could drive a wedge between his and Jian Jing''s rtionship.

    But he knew Xu Scriptwriter was really considering Jian Jing.

    It was already a trend to adapt popr novels into TV dramas. Novelists like Jian Jing would definitely be more popr in the future. She couldn''t listen to the director like in Demon Season 1 anymore. That way people wouldn''t think she was easy tomunicate with, only that she was easy to bully.

    By then, arbitrary adaptations would damage the IP value, and her value would also be diminished.

    "Most importantly, it''s not like Jingjing would lose out." The bottom line of the entertainment industry was probably the lowest of all industries. Xu Scriptwriter took it very lightly. "It''s a consensual thing."

    Kang Mu Cheng endured it, but couldn''t help it, "You guys are too messy."

    Xu Scriptwriterughed. Mr. Kang is so serious.

    On the other side, Jian Jing discovered there were more guests at the inn than she had imagined. She thought there would only be people from the crew, but who wouldˇŻve thought there was a pretty older sister next door.

    Thedy came over kindly to greet her, "You are Teacher Jian, right? I''m Zhang Xi, nice to meet you."

    "Nice to meet you." Jian Jing nced over her face.

    This guest had mature and elegant features. Light makeup and red lips, those full lips were very characteristic, leaving a very deep impression.

    Well, just pretend to forget her name as soon as you hear it, let''s call her Ms. Red Lips for now.

    Ms. Red Lips handed over a very cute box of cookies and lifted her hair with a gentle smile, "I made these cookies myself, hope you like them."

    "Uh, thanks." Jian Jing was confused about why her poprity suddenly became so good.

    But one shouldn''t look a gift horse in the mouth. She epted the gift and exchanged a few pleasantries before sending Ms. Red Lips away.

    Five minutester, there was another knock on the door.

    This time it was Zhao Meng''s assistant, bringing her snacks and drinks, and meaningfully probing, "Teacher seems to have a lot of guests here."

    Jian Jing was still a little confused, "I thought it was just the crew today."

    "It''s normal for an inn open for business to have guestsing." The assistant said, "If it''s too noisy for Teacher, just ignore them."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows.

    The assistant was about to say something more, but was deterred by her expression and hurriedly said goodbye.

    Jian Jing briefly tidied up the room and went downstairs, still thinking about the cat.

    The cat was being held in a boy''s arms.

    He was very tall with fair skin. His features seemed to have minority ethnicity, with deeper eye sockets, very white teeth, and a very distinctive face.

    Seeing here over, the boy asked, "Do you like cats too?"

    Jian Jing stopped in her tracks and asked, "''Too''?"

    "I thought you came for it." The boy lifted the cat in his hand, raised his eyebrows, "Didn''t you?"

    Jian Jing had already sensed the vigorous hormones of the young boy and immediately rejected, "No."

    The boy was stunned for a moment, then quickly resumed hisposure, shrugging, "Sorry, my mistake."

    Jian Jing nodded at him and walked away.

    Director Huang''s treat for this meal didn''t seem to be easy to eat.

    She found Director Huang''s private room and joined the tea drinking and snacks eating activity.

    The tea was flower tea, the snacks were wagashi, mizu yokan, and daifuku.

    They all looked good.

    They didn''t taste good.

    Fortunately, the bossdy brought over some fried food and pancakes. She specially made Jian Jing a cup of matcha milk tea.

    Jian Jing took a sip of milk tea and said to Director Huang, "There are a lot of people today."

    Director Huangughed, much more amiable than when they metst time, "For this meal, there''s just you, Old Xu, Mr. Kang, and our Producer Sun."

    Producer Sun was a slender middle-aged woman who had tattooed eyebrows. The blush on her cheekbones was a bit heavy, giving a sharp feeling. But when she spoke, she was very gentle, "I think we should make a toast first today andmunicate a bit. Teacher Jian, feel free to speak up if you have any thoughts."

    Jian Jing tilted her head to look at Kang Mu Cheng.

    He understood and got straight to the point, "We''re not working together for the first time, so let''s skip the unnecessary pleasantries. Let''s talk about the contract first."

    What everyone was most anxious about was the contract for the second part. Although the sequels were included when signing the first part, it was only a vague "priority consideration" and nothing specific was settled.

    Producer Sun said, "The previous contract mentioned that we have the priority right to sign, theoretically the price fluctuation does not exceed 10%."

    Kang Mu Chengughed.

    For the first contract, it was Jian Jing at a disadvantage. If Demon 2 didn''t sell well, they could just not buy it. But if it sold well, only allowing 10% increase would be too disadvantaged.

    However, at that time Jian Jing was not confident about Demon 2, plus other factors, they still signed the contract.

    "As ofst night, the sales volume of Demon 2 was 1.28 million." His tone was t.

    Producer Sun paused, then said, "Making it an IP benefits both parties."

    The two sides officially entered business negotiations.

    Jian Jing found it boring and whispered to Xu Scriptwriter, "What did those peoplee for?"

    "Looking for opportunities, of course." Xu Scriptwriterughed, "The response to Season 1 was so good, everyone wants a piece of the pie. If they can''t get regr roles, guest roles will do. You''ll see how lively it getster."

    Jian Jing looked thoughtful. So that''s why Xu Scriptwriter mentioned this as soon as they met. It seemed thepetition for these roles was much more intense than she thought.

    She looked at Kang Mu Cheng again. On the way here, they had already discussed that they would probably have to sell the IP of Demon.

    She wrote books too slowly. Writing TV series scripts was much faster since there were many people working together. They had toe up with a n that everyone could ept this time, to make the pie bigger.

    Sun Producer represented Feiniao Entertainment, also the producer of Demon. Their TV dramas were mostly suspense and crime series, so they hoped to make Demon into a series. Both Kang Mu Cheng and Sun Producer knew this well.

    What the two parties were haggling over was how to divide the pie.

    After a cordial and friendly discussion, they finally reached an agreement: the adaptation rights of "Demon Doctor" would be exclusively and fully authorized to Feiniao Entertainment. No matter if Jian Jing wrote a third or tenth installment in the future, they would all go to Feiniao, for a period of eight years.

    Apart from the one-time $800,000 she could get this time, she could also receive an additional payment for each installment, no less than $200,000 and no more than $500,000, depending on the sales volume.

    A real golden goose.

    In addition, she would participate in scriptwriting and have veto power. If the drama''s content did not meet her requirements, she could reject it and ask for modifications. The same went for casting.

    At the same time, Jinwu would invest in the production of the Demon series.

    That meant Demon would have not only one daddy investor, Feiniao Entertainment, but also a stepmom(?). There was also a possibility of other stepmoms outside.

    No, not just a possibility, but a certainty.

    Xu Scriptwriter secretly revealed that other investors had also rmended their favorite actors and wanted them to y a role in the drama. This was the so-called "bringing investment into the crew".

    Jian Jing: The gossip smells so good.

    She didn''t expect to be able to eat gossip from the front row one day.

    After reaching an agreement, Kang Mu Cheng and Sun Producer started signing the contract. Of course, they were signing a letter of intent today, not the final contract, but the copyright was the foundation for work to start. If nothing unexpected happened, it would not change.

    Everyone could now start discussing the script for the second season.

    Director Huang said, "I''ve read it. Changes will definitely be made. Jian Jing, the main storyline is about the demon and the hunter, right? Future stories should all revolve around these two characters."

    Jian Jing nodded.

    Xu Scriptwriter said, "Then it''s easy. Let''s outline it first."

    Just as they were discussing enthusiastically, Sun Producer went out for a moment then came back, bringing in a person andughing, "Let me introduce Xue Zhe, get to know each other."

    The boy who held a cat waved hello cheerfully to everyone, "Hello everyone, I''m Xue Zhe."

    "Xiao Xue has been developing well recently. That popr Sweet Song he acted in was a big hit." Sun Producer seemed to owe someone a favor by bringing Xue here for an introduction, and had no other intentions.

    Xue Zhe smiled slightly and was very polite to everyone present: "Hello Director Huang, Scriptwriter Xu, Teacher Jian."

    Jian Jing had only seen simr gatherings in entertainment industry novels, never expecting to participate in one someday. She fell speechlessly silent.

    However, this was just the beginning.

    Not even 10 minutes after Xue Zhe sat down, there was a knock on the door. A boss-looking man came in smiling, "Am Ite?"

    Sun Producer said, "Not at all, Boss Wan, please take a seat. This is our Director Huang."

    After Boss Wan sat down, thedy who had greeted Jian Jing earlier, Miss Hong Chun, apanied him.

    Jian Jing used her fork to pick up an orange slice, thinking, money was hard to earn and no one had it easy.

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    How many steps are there before shooting a TV series? Jian Jing got to witness it this time.

    As the "devil" producer, Sun Producer has to be responsible for raising sponsorship, finding investment. Feiniao Entertainment is not a hugepany that can afford the full funding for such a big IP.

    It''s inevitable to have other capitale in.

    Kang Mu Cheng took advantage of his locality and got a share of the pie. Other investors who got wind of it did not want to fall behind either. Today, Director Huang and others are here for business rather than just dining.

    Most people who should know the news actually know it already.

    So they swarmed over.

    Wan Boss mainly came to invest, and also wanted to get a role for his girlfriend by the way. From the conversation, Jian Jing learned that Zhang Hongchun was already a veteran who had acted in very popr dramas, but never became popr, lingering until now as a third-tier actress.

    With the huge sess of The Devil, she wanted to get a role to ride the coattails.

    Wan Boss implied money was not an issue, but could the script be tweaked to increase the female lead''s scenes?

    Xue Xiaosheng was brought by Sun Producer. He''s an actor signed to anotherpany, with some fame and a considerable fanbase. He has yed male leads and second male leads in idol dramas, but has never acted in a hugely popr drama.

    He targeted The Demon Hunter as well.

    By the second half of the mealˇŞmainly Jian Jing and Xu Scriptwriter were still eatingˇŞanother guest arrived.

    She took off her sunsses, revealing her gorgeous appearance that stunned people.

    Compared to her, Zhang Hongchun''s looks were clearly outshined.

    Surprise shed across Director Huang''s face, unexpected that she woulde too.

    Jian Jing recognized her, a top actress named Tao who had yed many female leads and was a familiar face on screen. But she fell from grace now.

    The reason was simple, indecent photos of her were exposed.

    Now hardly any directors dared to hire her, but she was unwilling to fade away and wanted aeback.

    The person who rmended her toe was an executive of Feiniao Entertainment.

    But after Tao Actress entered, she looked around and chose to sit next to Kang Mu Cheng, pouring him a drink right away, plus a charming smile.

    The others'' expressions: =żÚ=

    On second thought it was understandable. Director Huang was married, Xu Scriptwriter sat between him and Jian Jing, Wan Boss brought Zhang Hongchun, and Xue Xiaosheng was an extra himself. Only the unmarried Kang Mu Cheng.

    Peace brings wealth. Although Kang Mu Cheng was decent, he couldn''t openly make things difficult for others. He nodded at her and introduced himself.

    "Mr. Kang, nice to meet you," Tao Actress spoke softly and gracefully. If not for her lowering herself today, it was hard to imagine she was asking people for help.

    Jian Jing looked at her, then the others, feeling the meal wouldn''t end anytime soon. She sneaked off, "I''m a bit stuffy, going out for some air, sorry."

    With her agility at 7, she was quite nimble and got away swiftly.

    The others naturally wouldn''t get angry, knowing she was young and had a special status. Wan Boss even joked self-deprecatingly, "Our chat is a bit boring huh, haha."

    See, worldly affairs were so realistic. As long as one''s weight was heavy enough, no need to follow the rules of the game anymore.

    Jian Jing escaped outside and took a deep breath.

    "Meow~" a short-haired cat passed by.

    The sliding door at the entrance opened again and someone else came in.

    The short-haired cat changed direction and meowed at him.

    "Hey," the man squatted down and scratched under the cat''s chin.

    Jian Jing recalled Xue Xiaosheng hugging a cat in the afternoon, lying on his back. Clearly he didn''t know how to hold a cat and was just posing to chat her up.

    "Teacher Jingjing." A familiar voice.

    She turned and saw Jiang BaiYan''s pale face, surprised, "Why did youe?"

    "This is my sincerity." After winning best actor for Hide and Seek, Jiang BaiYan''s worth skyrocketed, but it was well known that award-winning male leads didn''t necessarily earn as much as popr idols. And now many movie stars were returning to the small screen,petition was fierce. He didn''t want to appear arrogant, and remained as cautious as before.

    "Though I''m a bitte, my ne was dyed." He smiled apologetically.

    Jian Jing smiled, "No problem, they''re still eating." She was about to go back in.

    But Jiang BaiYan grabbed her sleeve and said softly, "Mr. Kang will introduce me, don''t go back." He reassured her, "This was agreed, don''t worry Teacher Jingjing."

    Jian Jing was puzzled, "I can''t rmend actors I like?"

    "Just praise me some, Teacher." Jiang BaiYan''s attitude was very firm. "Big Sis Lin and Mr. Kang have agreed this is best for you and me."

    Jian Jing realized, "Oh, really?"

    He smiled and made a shushing gesture, then knocked on the door outside the private room and waited for permission before entering.

    Cheerfulughter sounded inside again.

    Jian Jing thought about it and didn''t go back in, heading straight to the hot springs instead. Since it was an inn with natural hot springs, the amount of actual hot spring water was limited and the pools were separated by gender.

    With others not around now, she could enjoy the whole pool alone.

    She asked the owner''s wife for a bottle of sparkling wine, and entered the water in her swimsuit. The warm water flowing over her skin was mildly hot, opening up her pores instantly, veryfortable.

    The steam rushed to her cheeks, speeding up blood cirction, a blush appearing on her fair face, she was feeling hot already.

    Jian Jing popped the cork on the sparkling wine barehanded, stuck in a straw, and sucked some.

    The cold drink entering her stomach formed a huge contrast with the steaming pool.

    *Hup* Sofortable.

    Jian Jing leaned on the edge of the pool, rxing her body.

    Faint voices could be heard from the men''s pool next door.

    It was too quiet so she could make out it was Shao Meng''s voice, but the content was intermittent.

    He said, "...is here too? Howe?"

    His assistant said, "Maybe he heard the news too. A coincidence."

    Shao Meng: "Maybe... Should be... Don''t know..."

    Assistant: "Might backfire..."

    The voices stopped abruptly.

    Then footsteps and chitchat sounded from both pools.

    More peopleing over.

    Zhang Hongchun, Tao Actress and Sun Producer entered one by one, the atmosphere friendlier than imagined.

    "Nice environment here."

    "It''s natural hot springs."

    "When did Teacher Jiane?"

    "Just now."

    The three mature womenughed and took off their robes, entering the water in swimsuits too.

    Tao Actress disyed the social skills of a veteran top actress, rxing her body as if just chatting leisurely: "The hot springs here are really good, not worse than the ones I found in Japan."

    "Mainly it''s near, just drive over on weekends for a soak." Sun Producer let out a satisfied sigh, the makeup on her face unable to hide her fatigue either, "I really need to rx and unwind now."

    Zhang Hongchun said, "There''s a blind masseuse here, great technique, my bones all loosened after the massage." Looking at Jian Jing, she added, "Teacher Jian, you gotta take care of your shoulders and waist when writing scripts."

    Her features weren''t top-ss, but her tone and demeanor were very gentle and virtuous. Steam rose up, blurring her brows and eyes.

    Sun Producer chimed in, "That''s right, gotta start preserving yourself while young. It''ll be toote to make up for it when you''re older. I didn''t care before and ruined my stomach. It hurts whenever I eat cold stuff now."

    "Me too, couldn''t eat properly when filming, lots of stomach issues." Tao Actress sighed, then joked self-deprecatingly, "Now I have time to cook every day at least."

    Sun Producer smiled meaningfully without responding.

    Zhang Hongchun even less likely to pick up that thread, quiet as a flower.

    Tao Actress'' gaze fell on Jian Jing, naturally continuing the topic as if the earlier implication was mistaken: "I tried several recipes with sesame but they didn''t work. Is Teacher Jian''s hair naturally like that? Still so healthy after dyeing."

    Jian Jing touched her braided hair and smiled, "It''s natural."

    "So pretty, like silk." Zhang Hongchun looked very envious. "My hair gets damaged and loses color quickly after dyeing, it became so dry and coarse that I don''t dare dye it anymore."

    She paused, then added, "Even if I could dye it, I don''t have Teacher Jian''s fair skin, wouldn''t dare choose such a light color either."

    Jian Jing looked at her and said, "You''re very fair too."

    Zhang Hongchun stroked her neck andughed, "I have foundation on."

    "Some people are born fair, never tan no matter how long under the sun." Tao Actress said too, "I was shooting amercial on the beach before, just one afternoon, my skin split into two colors. Still haven''t gotten as fair as before."

    Hearing her say that, Jian Jing looked over ordingly.

    Tao Actress wore a deep V swimsuit, her figure was gorgeous, her skin was very white, no tan lines could be seen. Only the area covered on her chest revealed a section of red tattoo, which was very special.

    She noticed Jian Jing''s gaze and slightly turned her body, smiling, "I''m old, can''t even cover my little belly."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle.

    She knew their intentions were not pure, but to be honest, when beautiful older sisters tried to please someone, it was really hard to dislike them. Especially when they were so gorgeous themselves, being praised by them could easily give one a wonderful sense of vanity and superiority, making one feel veryfortable being ttered.

    No wonder the big bosses didn''t dislike dining events. The tterer and the ttered felt worlds apart.

    On the other side of the wall, the men chatted even more happily than this side.

    They talked very loudly. Wan Boss was an investor who had always disrespected actresses. After drinking, withoutdies present, he inevitably made some vulgar remarks.

    "Tao Peach is still very beautiful, white skin, [beep] big breasts, although Xi Xi is not bad either, shecks that kind of charm after all, she''s not popr!"

    The women''s side fell silent.

    Director Huang couldn''t offend the investor, "Hehe."

    Xu Scriptwriter yed dead.

    Xue Xiaosheng came to ask for a role, offending the investor would lose the role at the minimum, and at worst the fire could burn himself.

    As for Shao Meng, although he was the male lead, what''s a male lead? When even the director didn''t speak up, there was no way he could stick his head out.

    Only Kang Mu Cheng could say something, "Wan is drunk."

    Jiang BaiYan worried the same as Xue Xiaosheng, but he was smarter, immediately got up, "I''ll pour some water."

    In theory, these two sentences, one after the other, should have changed the topic. However, Wan Boss treated Huang and the otherspletely differently from Kang Mu Cheng. Thetter was his equal.

    He wanted to make friends with Kang Mu Cheng and deliberately tried to get on his good side.

    How to get on his good side? By imparting "men''s experiences".

    "Not much, not much." Wan Bossughed loudly, deliberately lowering his voice, "Mr. Kang entered the circle not long ago right? Let me tell you, actresses on TV are one thing, in private they are another."

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned.

    He didn''t like Wan Boss''s behavior, but such were the customs in the entertainment industry. Being chaste was fine, but he couldn''t interfere with others'' interests.

    Abiding by the rules of the game was the primary condition for bing a yer.

    He was thinking about how to change the topic when Jiang BaiYan came over with several sses of iced lemon water, smiling, "Just made lemon water, added honey, great for sobering up."

    "Thank you." Kang Mu Cheng had an idea. He picked up the ss, "The alcohol is quite strong today."

    Wan took a sip. His mood didn''t diminish. He continued, "If you ask me, Japanese liquor is just like little Japan, sweet and greasy, unlike Moutai. But Japanese women are fine. Last year when I traveled to Japan, those young girls were so charming, about the same age as Teacher Jian..."

    nk, Jiang BaiYan identally smashed the ss and spilled ice water everywhere.

    "Sorry," he said very sincerely and innocently, "my hand slipped."

    Wan was a little annoyed, but he wasn''t stupid either. Looking up and seeing the iron expression on Kang Mu Cheng''s face, he realized his mistake.

    "I misspoke, Teacher Jian is a woman of culture. Look at this mouth of mine." Wan still had a big mouth. He looked down on actresses but wouldn''t look down on a writer. This had nothing to do with ie. "Mr. Kang, don''t me me, don''t me me."

    However, Kang Mu Cheng did not give him a way out. He couldn''t care less about Wan insulting actresses, but he absolutely could not tolerate it when it came to Jian Jing.

    "Sorry, I''m a little tired." He got up in irritation, "Excuse me."

    Knowing he was in the wrong, Wan didn''t dare stop him.

    But even more frightening things were yet toe.

    When they came out of the hot spring, they saw Jian Jing walking towards them. She stopped in front of Wan Boss, facing him, "Wan, I heard I look Japanese. Is that true?"

    Wan wanted to y dumb and gloss over it, but when pinned by her eyes, he felt as if stripped naked, secrets nowhere to hide. Cold sweat broke out on his neck.

    "Hehe," he was sober now. Embarrassed, he said, "No, nothing like that."

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87

    Wan Boss knew he had offended Kang Mu Cheng and Jian Jing, so he stopped trying to win them over. The next day, he went back to meet with the higher-ups at Fei Niao to have dinner.

    Zhang Hongchun didn''t leave with him, instead staying behind to continue improving rtions.

    Early next morning, Jian Jing received the congee, pan-fried pork buns, potato cakes and freshly ground soy milk that Zhang Hongchun had made with her own hands.

    It was very...virtuous housewifey.

    Zhang Hongchun also said she was doing this with no other intentions - it was because Wan Boss greatly regretted his actions yesterday, but was too busy with work to apologize in person, so he asked her to bring gifts on his behalf.

    "A sincere apology doesn''t involve sending others on your behalf." Jian Jing didn''tpletely reject her, but her attitude was firm. "This has nothing to do with you, don''t do this anymore."

    Zhang Hongchun could only take the breakfast back.

    Jian Jing ate breakfast with Kang Mu Cheng. The innkeeper''s wife had made traditional Japanese breakfast, and it tasted great.

    "I''ll be heading back soon, are you staying?" Kang Mu Cheng asked her.

    She thought about it, quite reluctant to leave the hot springs, and said, "I''ll stay two more days, there''s still plenty of time before school starts."

    "Okay then, the contract preparation will take a few days anyway." Kang Mu Cheng was in a hurry to leave, mainly to finalize the contract with Fei Niao as soon as possible. Going through legal review with both sides would take quite some time, so the earlier the better.

    He was a workaholic demon, hurriedly packing up and leaving after breakfast. Producer Sun did the same, taking the contract back to find the big boss.

    Jian Jing, Director Huang and Scriptwriter Xu slowly outlined the content for the second installment.

    Of course, they also discussed the roles.

    Scriptwriter Xu said, "Many people have their eyes on our female lead, what do you guys think, how should we n the female lead''s scenes?"

    Jian Jing: "Can the female and male leads not have a love storyline?"

    Scriptwriter Xu sympathetically said, "No, they can''t."

    Her: "..."

    Director Huang said, "We have to consider what investors want, but I feel there shouldn''t be explicit romantic scenes."

    "Right, subtle hints are enough." Scriptwriter Xu agreed, "Demons lose their mystique when they act human, once they fall in love it bes cliche. The audience won''t like it either, some flirting is fine."

    After much spirited discussion, they finalized the female lead''s general character design.

    The difficult one was the second male lead, the hunter.

    "We can just write him ording to Jingjing''s storyline, he shouldn''t be a big issue." Scriptwriter Xu started feeling troubled. "Sigh, Xiao Xue''s appearance is quite good, with a mncholic schr feel to him, while Xiao Bai seems a bit too sunny."

    Jian Jing frowned: "The hunter''s darkness is inside, not on his face."

    Scriptwriter Xu suddenly got interested: "So you prefer Xiao Bai, huh?"

    "This isn''t about preference or not." Jian Jing brought up the document in WeChat, "The review he sent me on New Year''s."

    Scriptwriter Xu leaned over to take a look, a review of over two thousand words, fully analyzing the demon and hunter''s characters.

    "Tsk, no problem with Xiao Bai''s attitude, very professional." He praised, then suggested, "I think we should write a scene of the hunter''s first appearance, it''ll make auditions easier too."

    Director Huang had no objections.

    "Right, let''s also ask Shao Meng for his opinion." Scriptwriter Xu suddenly recalled something important and hurriedly asked, "Old Huang, how did you finalize his contract? No issues right?"

    "It''s for the whole series." Director Huang had great foresight, firmly locking in the main lead when signing the contract. "Many people have been hinting to me this time, but Shao Meng performed well, he has no problems on his end, and we won''t make changes on our side either."

    Shao Meng soon arrived and directly said he had no issues at all.

    He was very cooperative, saying everything would follow the contract terms. He even told Jian Jing, "I''ve also read the Demon 2 book and gained some insights and feelings about it."

    Unlike Jiang BaiYan''s textmentary, he had written his thoughts in a small notebook, which he handed to her to read.

    Jian Jing politely took it and read through it once. Shao Meng''s understanding of the demon was undisputed after acting in the first season, it was nothing more than "amoral, disguising human feelings" in eight words, with hidden reversals in the details.

    He also had his own ideas about the hunter.

    "The demon''s attitude towards the hunter is one of toying with him. His life is too boring, he needs something out of the ordinary to stimte him." Shao Meng said, "The hunter isn''t an ordinary person, he''s special to the demon."

    Scriptwriter Xu said, "Right, their rtionship is actually quite subtle, tied together by karma, bearing a grudge from past lives. Although they''re enemies, they could also potentially cooperate, just like a thief and detective."

    A sh of inspiration hit Jian Jing and she said, "The demon doesn''t care about human life and death, but he will care about infants. In his view, infants are the existence closest to himself, simrly chaotic, neither good nor evil."

    "That''s a great idea." Scriptwriter Xuughed and wrote it down.

    Director Huang said, "For now I don''t want to pick someone too good-looking for the second male lead."

    Scriptwriter Xuughed hard, fully understanding his friend''s concerns.

    Jian Jing protested: "No way."

    Shao Meng alsoughed, but as he wasughing, he suddenly frowned, clutching his stomach with one hand and bulging veins on his temple, seemingly in great pain.

    Director Huang asked, "Little Shao, what''s wrong, are you sick?"

    "It''s nothing, I drank yesterday, my stomach feels a little ufortable." Shao Meng said with difficulty, "My old problem again."

    "Then you should go back and rest first, we still have plenty of time before shooting starts. Rx for a couple days." Director Huang still cared a lot about his actors when not shooting.

    Shao Meng didn''t pretend to bear it and apologized before going back to his room to rest.

    The remaining three continued their discussion.

    Scriptwriter Xu started outlining and took the chance to teach Jian Jing how to write scripts, while still chatting idly: "Who knows who else mighte today, lots of people have their eyes on the second male lead. Oh right, Old Huang, do you know Xie Wei is also here?"

    Director Huang was surprised.

    "Has been here for several days already, said he''s here to recuperate." Scriptwriter Xu sighed, "He''s also pitiful."

    Jian Jing asked, "Who''s Xie Wei?"

    Scriptwriter Xuughed, "Jingjing hasn''t seen The Great Song Dynasty Cases?"

    Jian Jing: "Uh..." She actually hadn''t watched most of the TV dramas in this world.

    "It was a smash hit drama from ten years ago. No exaggeration, even the small supporting roles back then have made a name for themselves now. Xie Wei was the first male lead." After revealing this, Scriptwriter Xu continued, "But oddly enough, the second male lead yed by Shao Meng became more popr than him."

    Director Huang sighed, "In our line of work, effort doesn''t directly trante to rewards. Bing popr or not is all fate."

    "He was always a step away from sess, hard to me him for not taking it well." Scriptwriter Xu said, "He''s kept out of sight this whole time, likely doesn''t have any other intentions. And ying second fiddle to Little Shao again probably doesn''t sit well with him either."

    Director Huang said, "Let''s pretend we don''t know. It''ll be less awkward that way."

    *

    Shao Meng felt like he might have a fever. Returning to his room, he told his assistant, "I''m feeling a little ufortable, go buy me some medicine for my stomach."

    The assistant was shocked, "Shao Ge, what''s wrong?"

    "I drank yesterday, my stomach feels bad." Shao Meng rushed into the bathroom, leaning over the sink and retching, but only brought up sour fluid. Yet it felt like he''d caught a chill, with waves of pain in his head.

    He clutched his temple, "I''m going to sleep for a bit."

    The assistant quickly said, "Okay, I''ll go buy medicine right now. Shao Ge, rest well."

    Shao Meng drank some hot water and copsed into bed.

    In his half-awake state, he felt someone standing at his bedside, looking down at him from above. That gaze was so resentful and icy cold, like a poisoned steel de, slicing off chunks of his flesh one knife at a time.

    He was shocked awake and opened his eyes in panic.

    No one was there, only strange wisps of smoke lingering in the room.

    The smoke was greyish ck, like a strip of gauze lifted by the wind, swirling and dancing about the room, at times bing a pair of eyes, at times morphing into a human face.

    Shao Meng was both frightened and afraid, with sweat beading on his forehead.

    What was this stuff?

    Was this ce haunted?

    In a fluster, he tumbled out of bed, wanting to flee out the door, but the smoke suddenly transformed into a blurry human figure that violently rushed forth to embrace his body.

    Thump, his heart jerked violently, waking him from the dream.

    Shao Meng stared nkly up at the ceiling for a long while before realizing it had only been a dream.

    Dream within a dream.

    He breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his phone to text his assistant: [Change my room, something''s off about the one I''m in now]

    The assistant didn''t reply.

    He closed his eyes again and fell back asleep.

    --

    Tao Actressy on the sofa browsing Weibo, searching the keyword "Tao Peach". Only some irrelevant content popped up now.

    After half a year, she finally didn''t see those overwhelming photos everywhere.

    But she was fully aware that while she had spent a lot to wipe them from major sites and forbid their transmission, countless people still privately had those humiliating photos of her.

    Whenever she thought about the vulgar words they said behind her back, her head pulsed and her stomach churned with acid.

    But what had she done wrong?

    What was wrong with taking some intimate photos with her boyfriend? Wasn''t the person who leaked them the real criminal? But people would never me the one truly at fault, instead pointing fingers at her privacy.

    They criticized her unscrupulously, destroying her career.

    Those directors and producers who refused her, hadn''t they seen her body before? Yet now they acted all high and mighty, saying she had a "bad influence".

    Bah, not to mention how they acted in private, were there few actresses who had stripped on screen?

    But no matter how unjust or angry she felt, it wouldn''t change the reality - her career was ruined in an instant, and she had to find a way to salvage it.

    What should she do?

    Aftering this far, what could she do to get through this catastrophe?

    Or was she doomed to never make aeback?

    Tao Actress anxiously bit her nails, vexed and perturbed.

    --

    The hotel had a ss room with some goldfish inside, and the owner''s short-haired cat sat next to the pool, reaching in with its pink paws to catch the fish.

    Xue Xiaosheng opened a can of cat food to lure the cat over. "Here, kitty kitty."

    The short-haired cat treacherously sold itself out for the canned food.

    Xue Xiaosheng took the chance to grab the cat''s front legs and pick it up.

    "Don''t hold a cat on its back, it''ll get scared," someone said from behind,ing over to adjust the cat''s position to a squat in Xue Xiaosheng''s arms.

    Xue Xiaosheng looked back to size up Jiang Baiyan.

    He could tell at dinnerst night that Jiang Baiyan had probablye rushing over straight from a show recording without any sleep, reacting sluggishly. But now after catching up on rest, his eyes were bright and he was much more spirited than yesterday.

    "Why are you helping me?" Xue Xiaosheng asked.

    Jiang Baiyan smiled, "Afraid you''d feel too bitter losing?"

    Xue Xiaosheng''s piercing gaze swept over him. "You move quickly."

    "I bought Demon 1 on the first day it came out, and I also bought Demon 2 on its first day," Jiang Baiyan didn''t refute but simply said, "I''ve read both books no less than three times, I know all the plots by heart. How about you?"

    Taking off clothes did indeed make many things easier, but if you could manage without taking them off, why take them off?

    It was easy to take clothes off, but hard to put them back on.

    Xue Xiaosheng stared fixedly at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "You think you''ve already won?" His eyes shone with strange brilliance as he slowly said, "You know what? There''s one more person here besides us."

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88

    Jian Jing was exhausted after a busy morning, so she didn''t continue to work on the script in the afternoon. She had nned to stroll around the hotel to breathe some fresh air, but seeing the gloomy, cloudy sky that looked like it was going to rain, she gave up on that idea.

    Fortunately, there was still a cat she could y with.

    It was just a pity that she wasn''t the only one who had her eyes on the cat''s owner. Xue Xiaosheng made every effort to chat with her.

    "Teacher Jian, I don''t know how to hold a cat. Can you teach me?"

    "Teacher Jian, do you have a cat? Which kind of cat is more docile? I want to raise one too."

    Jian Jing: "I don''t have a cat."

    No wonder they say Jiang BaiYan is so clever. He immediately cut in, "I have a cat. But I''m often away for filming, and can''t take good care of Buding. Only my assistant goes to feed it. It''s so pitiful for a cat to be home alone."

    As he spoke, he pursed his lips, putting on an extremely lonely and pitiful expression.

    Xue Xiaosheng: "I heard animals that don''t get their owner''s affection can get depression."

    "Sigh, I don''t want that either. But our Buding eats too much, no one wanted to adopt it. I was afraid it would get bullied by other stray cats, so I brought it home in a moment of soft-heartedness." When ites to acting coquettish, men have nothing on women.

    Jian Jing: "..." She was praised enthusiastically by two beautiful older sisters yesterday, and fawned on eagerly by two handsome younger brothers today. What was going on with the world?

    The most hateful thing was that Director Huang, seeing this situation, took it for granted. He even said to her, "Enjoy it while you can. Showbiz is the most realistic ce. When you''re popr, everyonees to tter you. Once you fall, no one even remembers you exist. A red flower is not red for hundred days. You should enjoy it when you can, or else in the blink of an eye, it''ll be gone."

    Jian Jing: "You seem very experienced."

    "You''re only young once." Director Huang said, "It''s just a matter of one sentence from you. What are you afraid of?"

    "My words are not worth that much," Jian Jing shook her head, inevitably a little troubled.

    As soon as she showed distress, Jiang BaiYan immediately understood the situation and asked considerately, "Teacher Jingjing, I''m going to make coffee. Do you still want your usual?"

    Jian Jing nodded absentmindedly, and he left.

    Of course Xue Xiaosheng didn''t want to annoy her either. But he got the message that although Jian Jing''s vote didn''t count for much, if she objected to someone being cast, Fei Niao probably wouldn''t want to upset her.

    He was afraid that if she was determined to promote Jiang BaiYan, even if he had buttered up everyone else, he would still be cut in the end.

    "Teacher Jian." Xue Xiaosheng smiled and said spiritedly, "Let''s take a walk out back. There''s a little garden, to get some fresh air."

    Jian Jing thought about it and agreed.

    Xue Xiaosheng put down the cat and apanied her to the garden.

    The garden really was small, just a few steps total. But the owner kept it well tended, still green in winter, and very charming.

    "You don''t need to try so hard with me." Once they were alone, Jian Jing got straight to the point. "Casting is mainly up to Director Huang."

    Since she brought it up directly, Xue Xiaosheng dropped the act too: "I hope Teacher Jian can give me a chance. If I can handle the role, let me try."

    Jian Jing wondered: "If you''re suitable, I certainly have no objections."

    Xue Xiaosheng was startled, and immediately realized she was still new to the industry and retained some naivete. He was extremely happy.

    "Thank you, Teacher Jian. I will definitely work hard." He bowed, gazing at her ardently, revealing some sincere enthusiasm.

    Jian Jing took a couple steps back, walking forward.

    Xue Xiaosheng followed her and spoke in a much lighter tone: "I''m a fan of Teacher''s works..."

    This was the third person to give her a "reading feedback" so far.

    Jian Jing listened absently. Suddenly she noticed someone standing ahead, vaguely behind a pot of camellia, unable to see clearly.

    She hesitated whether to detour, when the sky rumbled loudly and rain poured down.

    Alright, let''s just go back directly.

    Now that he had gotten a definite answer, Xue Xiaosheng didn''t cling to her anymore either. He went to think of other ways to curry favor with Director Huang.

    Jian Jing breathed a sigh of relief and returned to her room.

    She couldn''t sit still then, and took out herptop, nning to work on a new draft.

    The new story was called "Roses, Gold, and the Assassin". It was inspired by the robbery case at Lake Shore Park, about a girl who deduced the hiding ce of the robbers'' treasure from news reports, and dug up a million dors in gold.

    Later, she used this gold to hire an assassin, wanting to avenge her dead parents.

    Jian Jing had told Kang Mucheng before that she would add some romantic elements to this story. So undoubtedly, the girl and the assassin developed feelings for each other.

    It''s just that the n was great, but stuttered repeatedly when writing.

    The reasoning part was familiar ground, and went very quickly. When it came to romance, she started going bald, as if she could never write well that strand of tender affection.

    Today was the same.

    After working hard all afternoon, still no results.

    "Meow."

    The window was open a crack for venttion. The shorthair cat actually squeezed in and cried out to her.

    Jian Jing smiled and went over to pick it up.

    The cat''s paws pressed on her hand, sticky. She pulled out a tissue to wipe it, but her motions abruptly halted.

    What remained on the back of her hand, was faint, light red.

    She raised her hand and sniffed. Her heart suddenly sank.

    It was blood.

    [System: Special mission released]

    [Mission name: The Mystery of ******]

    [Mission description: A popr male star died mysteriously, leaving behind **** at the scene. When will ***** return? What kind of ****** is behind it? Please uncover the truth.]

    [Rewards and penalties: To be determined ording topletion status]

    Jian Jing was taken aback.

    More censoring, and another special mission??

    Which popr male star died? Could it be Jiang BaiYan? She was startled by her own guess, and hurried out to check.

    "Teacher Jingjing, I made coffee..." Jiang BaiYan came over with the coffee, carefully holding the bottom of the cup, afraid to ruin the flower pattern he had finally managed to make on top.

    Jian Jing breathed a secret sigh of relief, and randomly took it to put aside: "Come with me."

    Jiang BaiYan uttered an "Oh", obediently following her without a peep, obviously aware her mind was not on casual chat.

    Jian Jing held the cat, carefully tracing the bloodstains left on the floor.

    The blood was nearly dried, darker in color, not hard to find.

    She circled around, and finally stopped outside Shao Meng''s room window.

    The rain was heavy now, but the eaves extended out to block the rainwater, leaving an awning about the width of a palm along the wall. The cat was agile, and walked close to the wall, leaving faint blood prints.

    Jian Jing turned to look for an umbre. Over there, Jiang BaiYan had already jogged over: "Teacher Jingjing, umbre."

    "Thanks." She opened the umbre, and with difficulty squeezed into the gap between the bushes and wall, to look outside Shao Meng''s window. However, there was an empty space under the hotel. The window was high up, she was short, and even jumping she could only see a little bit.

    But all the windows had security grilles installed. She grabbed onto one, considering whether to climb up.

    Jiang BaiYan uttered an "Uh", and suggested: "Teacher Jingjing, let me carry you."

    Jian Jing agreed. After all, climbing into a man''s room window to peep felt a bit inappropriate. She was just concerned: "Can you lift me?"

    "No problem." He put down the umbre, pulled down his sleeves to wrap his hands, then lightly lifted her legs and boosted her up.

    Jian Jing saw clearly.

    There was a lot of bloodstains in Shao Meng''s room, but no sign of him.

    What was going on?

    Jian Jing observed carefully for a while, her ears catching faint sounds of water.

    In the bathroom?

    She pondered briefly, then exerted force at the waist to slip out of Jiang BaiYan''s hold, lightly floating back to the ground: "There''s something off about Shao Meng''s room. Let''s ask the owner to open the door and take a look."

    Jiang BaiYan was puzzled: "What happened to Brother Shao?"

    Jian Jing shook her head.

    She went to find thendy, and asked her to help open the door.

    Thendy was a little nervous, tightly clutching the key as she asked: "He didn''t take any substances, did he?"

    The biggest fear for hotel owners was their guests doing drugs. Yet celebrities often broke this rule repeatedly.

    "No no, he might be physically ufortable." Jian Jing didn''t make any definitive statements.

    Only then did thendy rx and breathe easy. She called out twice at the door, with no response from inside, before opening it.

    The room was a chaotic mess, with luggage and furnishings scattered about, as if ransacked by burrs. Even more frightening were the numerous bloodstains on the floor, dried blood droplets especially vivid against the carpet, extremely terrifying.

    Jian Jing quickly scanned the room, heading straight for the bathroom.

    The next moment, she was stunned speechless.

    Shao Meng''s head was stuck in the toilet bowl, blood was oozing from his body, and the bloody fruit knife had fallen to the side with bloodstains on the de.

    Jian Jing took out her phone to take pictures, then handed the phone to thendy and asked her to call the police. At the same time, she fished out shoe covers and gloves from her pocket in a familiar manner and put them on before entering the scene.

    The first thing to do was of course to turn Shao Meng''s corpse over and ce it on the ground for convenience of autopsy. The person had just died not long ago, the corpse was still warm, and rigor mortis had just begun to set in a little. Judging roughly, the time of death was between fifteen to twenty minutes ago.

    There was no foam at the nose and mouth, so he did not die from drowning. But this did not require professional knowledge to guess, because Shao Meng''s expression was so obvious.

    His facial features were twisted, his eyeballs bulged out, and his expression was extremely ferocious. It was clear at a nce that he had suffered tremendous shock.

    In addition, there were no other wounds on the body.

    This was very puzzling.

    His head was stuck in the toilet bowl, but he died of fright?

    What, did someone suddenly pop out of the toilet and drag him down??

    Jian Jing was full of questions, osciting back and forth between "does the special mission have ghosts" and "materialism does not believe in ghosts and gods".

    She shook her head and decided to look at the scene first.

    But this was the simplest death scene she had ever seen. Although there were traces of blood, the amount of bleeding was definitely not enough to cause death. As for the knife wounds, they were all cut by Shao Meng himself, some deep and some shallow.

    The fruit knife was a small knife from the guest room. Its de was thin and narrow, barely able to peel an apple, let alone kill someone.

    The window was opened a crack, but there was a security window outside through which only a cat could get in and out - that was probably how the plum blossom-shaped bloodied footsteps got in.

    The door was a sensor lock. Externally there was only the keyhole and the sensor area. When the door closed, it locked automatically and could only be opened with a key or key card.

    "Did you have the key with you all the time?" she asked thendy.

    Thendy confirmed, "Yes, I kept the key with me all the time. No one took it."

    It was apletely sealed room.

    Jian Jing now also began to suspect that Shao Meng had taken some kind of drug.

    But if he had died from an overdose, why did the system send her a mission?

    For the first time, she felt a strong sense of bewilderment.

    "What happened?" Director Huang''s voice came from outside. "What''s wrong with Little Shao?"

    Jian Jing: "He''s dead."

    Screenwriter Xu: "What?!"

    She went outside and saw people peering out from the rooms on both sides of the corridor, looking surprised and shocked.

    Director Huang''s face was ugly: "What''s the situation?"

    Jian Jing shook her head hesitantly.

    There was silence all around.

    The phone rang, and thendy hurriedly picked it up: "Hello, yes, I was the one who called the police, no..." She answered in a low voice for a few sentences, looking surprised, and handed the phone to Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing took the phone: "Hello."

    "Excuse me, are you Jian Jing, the owner of this phone?"

    "Yes."

    "Hello Ms. Jian. Please turn on the video so we can verify your identity."

    Jian Jing looked puzzled but did as asked.

    A policewoman in uniform appeared on the video and verified her identity, then said, "Ms. Jian, let me exin the situation to you now. Twenty minutes ago, due to andslide caused by heavy rain, the road leading to the scene was blocked and the police will not be able to arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest."

    Jian Jing: "..." Thete blizzard had arrived.

    "You have good credit and have assisted the police in solving cases many times. Now I grant you some authority to help the police record information at the scene and maintain order."

    Jian Jing: "Understood."

    "Please log in to the public security website XXX and upload photos of the scene, and record information about the deceased and involved persons."

    "Please turn on the onlinew enforcement recorder when necessary to ensure your rights and those of others."

    "The police will arrive at the first opportunity once the road reopens."

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89

    With the police''s authorization, Jian Jing took the key to Shao Meng''s room and kept it to protect the crime scene.

    She was going to register the information using online temtes, but unluckily, the signal was lost and thework was down shortly after she finished the call.

    So she had to take notes by hand.

    The inn owner was very cooperative and told her all the guests'' basic information.

    The inn only had two floors. Shao Meng, Shao Meng''s assistant, Xu Scriptwriter, Director Huang and Xie Wei stayed on the first floor, while Jian Jing, Zhang Hongchun, Tao Actress, Xue Xiaosheng, and Jiang BaiYan stayed on the second floor.

    Shao Meng''s assistant went out to buy medicine two hours ago and asked the owner about nearby pharmacies, so he could be excluded for now.

    Among the rest, Xie Wei was the only one she hadn''t met.

    Jian Jing called everyone into the biggest private room, intending to ask about each person''s situation.

    Then she saw the one called Xie Wei, who made Director Huang sigh.

    He was thest to arrive. She heard a few coughs first before the door was pushed open and he came in.

    He was tall and thin, wearing a thick gray sweater and loose sports pants. His outfit was very casual and didn''t match the refined image at all.

    But at first sight, no one would pay attention to his clothes and dressing.

    His appearance wasn''t perfect. His eyes, nose, and mouth were not the most popr types these days. But when put together, there was an indescribable charm. He was not handsome, cool, or delicate, but his bone structure was just right, coordinating into an extremely attractive face.

    It was no exaggeration to say that the gloomy room brightened up because of his face. It was as if he brought stage lights wherever he went.

    A face born to be a superstar.

    Jian Jing finally understood why Director Huang had sighed.

    How could someone like him not seed?

    "Hello, everyone." His voice was light and a little hoarse. But there were specks of light in his eyes.

    Even someone like Director Huang unconsciously softened his tone in front of him, speaking with pity. "You''re sick? Why don''t you take better care of yourself?" He couldn''t help but advised, "You''re still young."

    "It''s nothing serious. I''ve been taking medicine and keeping it under control." Xie Wei sat down cross-legged and looked up at Jian Jing. "You must be Teacher Jian. Nice to meet you."

    Jian Jing unconsciously lowered her voice, "Sorry for disturbing your rest."

    Jiang BaiYan was stunned for a moment, ncing at her without a word.

    "I heard something happened." Xie Wei asked calmly, "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

    Mentioning the case, Jian Jing immediately regained herposure. "When did you arrive?"

    "A week ago," Xie Wei replied. "I''m in poor health, so I came here to recuperate."

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you know Shao Meng?"

    "I do. We''re in the same circle. Of course I know him." Xie Wei smiled, but his eyes remained indifferent.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment before asking again, "Did you see Shao Meng today?"

    "No," Xie Wei answered without any hesitation.

    "Are you sure?" Jian Jing couldn''t help digging deeper like Chi Feng.

    Xie Wei was still unwavering. "I didn''t go out all day today, so of course I didn''t see him."

    The owner favored him and quickly corroborated, "I delivered his breakfast and lunch to his room."

    Jian Jing nodded and turned to ask the others.

    Thest people to see Shao Meng were her, Xu Scriptwriter, and Director Huang. After discussing the plot with them, Shao Meng felt unwell and went back to rest. He never came out again.

    Xu and Huang could testify for each other. Jiang BaiYan and Xue Xiaosheng had been around them all day, always in in sight.

    Only Tao Actress and Zhang Hongchun didn''t seem to have seen much of Shao Meng.

    Jian Jing examined the two women.

    Zhang Hongchun looked uneasy, constantly checking her phone and ncing at it from time to time. It was understandable considering someone had mysteriously died in the inn.

    Besides uneasiness, Tao Actress also appeared more nervous.

    Her face was snow white. She bit the soft flesh inside her mouth. Her nails scratched at the webs between her fingers, leaving crescent marks on the back of her hand.

    "Miss Tao, did you see Shao Meng today?" She asked.

    "I ran into him in the hallway this morning," Tao Actress replied casually. Her tone did not reveal much tension.

    That was very strange.

    It was normal to be nervous about a case since everyone feared getting involved in a manughter. But Tao Actress was not very anxious about Shao Meng''s death. What was she nervous about then?

    Jian Jing looked at her for a moment before asking Zhang Hongchun, "What about you, Miss Zhang?"

    Zhang Hongchun was rtively calm. "I ran into him at breakfast and chatted for a bit."

    "What did you talk about?"

    "He kept sneezing. He looked ufortable, so I asked him about it. He said he might have caught a cold and asked the owner for ginger tea." Zhang Hongchun answered very detailedly.

    The owner nodded. "I specially brewed ginger tea for him. He said he felt much better after drinking it. And she drank it too."

    She referred to Zhang Hongchun.

    Zhang Hongchun nodded. "I''m about to have my period, so I also drank some."

    Jian Jing fell into thought.

    It looked like Shao Meng died of fright, but was it possible he had hallucinations? Or he was just terribly shocked and actually died of poisoning?

    If so, a forensic analysis would be needed to detect the toxin.

    She thought, "Anyway, don''t wander around before the policee to take over."

    *

    In the evening, the rain grew heavier. The gloomy clouds pressed down from the sky, and the light darkened. The inn seemed to be shrouded in invisible shadows, with an eerily low air pressure.

    Shao Meng''s bizarre death and the weird scene made everyone uneasy. No one had much of an appetite for dinner.

    Jian Jing only drank a cup of coffee and sat in a daze at the scene of the crime.

    Since her rebirth, she had handled many big and small cases, but none had been as inexplicable as today''s.

    First of all, there was no apparent motive.

    Among those present today, Director Huang and Xu Scriptwriter had no motive to kill. Shao Meng was the male lead of The Devil Doctor. With him dead, what would happen to the drama?

    Jiang BaiYan and Xue Xiaosheng werepeting for the second male lead, so they had no conflict with Shao Meng.

    There was even less to say about Tao Actress and Zhang Hongchun.

    The only one of the same type was Xie Wei, but Xie Wei had arrived even earlier than them. Based on Director Huang''s previous reaction, he probably had no contact with the crew at all and had no intention of ying the devil.

    No one had a motive to kill.

    Secondly, the cause of death was unknown.

    Without an autopsy, the exact cause was uncertain. But dying of fright with his head stuck in the toilet, it was either someone deliberately tried to scare him, or it was hallucination.

    She leaned towards thetter.

    There were many possibilities for hallucinations, such as taking drugs, identally eating something, or mental illness.

    But she had checked the room, and Shao Meng''s luggage contained no drugs. Director Huang also said that due to the frequent scandals of artists recently, he had specifically asked Shao Meng to get tested before signing the contract, and there was no rted history.

    Mental illness was even more out of the question. The crew was together day and night. A problem like that couldn''t be hidden at all.

    Then it could only be something he ate.

    However, ording to Zhang Hongchun and the owner, breakfast was standard Japanese breakfast, and what Shao Meng ate was the same as everyone else.

    Jian Jing and Kang Musheng also ate it this morning without any issues.

    Other than that, there was only the ginger tea that the owner personally brewed with just old ginger and brown sugar. Zhang Hongchun drank it too and was fine.

    After that, Shao Meng discussed the plot with them, felt unwell, and went back to his room without eating lunch. The hallway surveince showed that after entering his room, he never came out again, and no one brought him anything.

    It was aplete dead end.

    Boom, another thunder.

    The lights on the ceiling flickered and went out.

    The room was pitch ck.

    Jian Jing: "...Could this mission really involve ghosts?"

    The atmosphere felt off.

    A cold wind blew by and the indoor temperature suddenly dropped. She wasn''t wearing a jacket, and goosebumps appeared on the skin under her sweater. She couldn''t help shivering.

    After some hesitation, she still got up, intending to ask the owner about the power outage.

    The hallway was pitch-ck. It seemed there was omnipresent cold wind everywhere, blowing in through cracks in the windows and under the doors, moaning and groaning, as if someone was sobbing softly.

    "Meow!" The cat was unusually noisy, screaming incessantly for some reason.

    Jian Jing used her phone for light and felt her way to the counter. "Owner?"

    A candle me appeared in the darkness. Without waiting for her to ask, the owner said, "I checked the fuse box and there''s no problem. It should be an issue with the power cables."

    It was probably caused by andslide.

    Jian Jing sighed, "Are there any candles left? Give me one."

    The boss''s wife gave her an aromatic candle.

    The aromatic candle did not provide enough light, but as it burned, wisps of fragrance wafted out, lightening Jian Jing''s mood considerably. Holding the candle, Jian Jing was about to go back to her room when she suddenly saw someone standing at the end of the hallway, facing the backyard. His shadow on the floor was mottled and eerie in the shes of lightning, as if haunted by evil spirits.

    Her heart skipped a beat. She changed direction and walked over.

    Hearing the sound, the other person turned around, "Miss Jian."

    It was Xie Wei.

    "What are you doing here?" Jian Jing was filled with suspicion and tentatively asked, "If you''re not feeling well, you should be resting in your room."

    "I have something on my mind and wanted to get some fresh air," Xie Wei said. Under the warm candlelight, his face took on a cinematic texture, blurred yet full of charm. "Just now, Director Huang mentioned to me ˇ®Demon DoctorˇŻ."

    Jian Jing was taken aback, then immediately understood.

    With Shao Meng''s sudden death, many issues had arisen. The lead role in ˇ®Demon DoctorˇŻ was far more desirable than the second lead. If word got out, who knew how others might try to snatch it.

    Director Huang had always been sympathetic towards Xie Wei and wanted to help advance his career again, which was understandable.

    Even Jian Jing had no objections. Objectively speaking, Xie Wei had a stronger aura than Shao Meng, a born shining star.

    "Is that so," she said impassively, "What do you think?"

    Xie Wei turned his head, his eyes disappearing into the darkness again, "Miss Jian may not know, but ten years ago, I had a simr opportunity."

    Xu Scriptwriter had mentioned this. Jian Jing asked, "''The Song Dynasty Mystery''?"

    Xie Wei nodded slowly, "I was 21 that year. My professor really liked me and pulled strings to get me that role in the period drama. The script was great, the director was great, but unfortunately I...let everyone down."

    He had everything going for him - the right timing, environment, people. ording to Xu Scriptwriter, the drama was a hit, and so was the character, even the supporting female detective became popr.

    Yet the lead actor did not take off.

    How could that be?

    But that was reality - absurd andcking logic, unlike fictional stories.

    Without pondering further, Jian Jing asked, "So do you resent Shao Meng?"

    "Heh," Xie Weiughed softly. The cold raindrops hit his face and turned into fine beads of water. One drop fell at the corner of his eye, looking like a teardrop.

    "Back then, I was more resentful of myself," he said.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90

    Lightning shed and thunder rolled. The shadows were dim and indistinct.

    Although the atmosphere was clearly frightening, Jian Jing did not feel afraid at all. Her attention waspletely captivated by Xie Wei. He had a strange aura about him that drew her in.

    "You''ve already done your best, so why me yourself?" she asked.

    Xie Wei gave a self-mockingugh and sighed, "It''s true, I did try my best. I told myself that as well. But fate was not on my side, and this situation has gone on for ten whole years."

    A person''s best years are no more than ten or so.

    He had acted in several TV shows. Sometimes the show was popr but he wasn''t, and sometimes neither the show nor he became popr. Over time, people felt he was jinxed, and refused to even give him a chance to act anymore.

    "Director Huang still remembers me from a movie I acted in eight years ago. He is loyal to old rtionships," Xie Wei said absentmindedly. "Many directors in the industry are afraid I''ll jinx their works, only he is still willing to give me a chance."

    For a moment, Jian Jing wondered if he was trying to y the sympathy card.

    But she quickly dismissed that idea.

    "I don''t know if I should keep trying or not, I''m already..." Xie Wei sighed slightly, his brows knitted with gloom, "I''m exhausted."

    Jian Jing said, "Perhaps you could switch professions."

    Xie Wei smiled.

    When he smiled, he gave off a special charm that made people involuntarily bask in his glow.

    "I was born for the screen," he said. "I will only do this one thing in my life."

    Jian Jing didn''t say anything more.

    The wind and rain battered the roof tiles, dripping down steadily.

    The short-haired cat hade back from who knows where, its fur all wet. It wanted to slip inside to get out of the rain, but when it saw Xie Wei, it suddenly arched its back, fur standing on end, looking guarded and tense. It kept hissing at something behind his back.

    Xie Wei turned to look behind him, speaking strangely, "What is it looking at?"

    "It must have been scared by the shadow," Jian Jing replied.

    Xie Wei didn''t say anything.

    After a while, the cat stuck close to the wall and darted away swiftly.

    "I should get going," Xie Wei said. "Anything else you want to ask?"

    Jian Jing thought for a moment,ying the groundwork, "You''ve been in the industry for so long, do you know anyone who had a grudge against Shao Meng?"

    Xie Wei was startled, then smiled with flickering eyes, "Miss Jian, do you know how many students graduate from drama schools every year? How many people work at the film and TV studios? And all those kids who couldn''t even finish high school but rushed to join the industry... Every one of them is a potential enemy. "

    He lowered his voice, "Every opportunity Shao Meng got was from stepping on others to climb up. He had too many enemies, including me."

    "What about just within the people at this inn?"

    Xie Wei looked at her and asked, "Why are you so concerned with Shao Meng''s death?"

    "A person has died, there should be an exnation," Jian Jing replied.

    "I see," Xie Wei said calmly. "Unfortunately I have no way to answer you."

    That was meaningless.

    Jian Jing was still unwilling to give up and wanted to say something more, but a muffled thud suddenly sounded from overhead, as if something had fallen to the ground.

    Then a shrill scream erupted from the second floor.

    Jian Jing immediately headed upstairs, straight for the source of themotion - Tao Actress''s room. Through the door, she could vaguely hear cries of "Don''te over!" and "Help!" interspersed with the sounds of things shattering as they fell to the floor.

    Jian Jing was anxious, afraid Tao Actress was being attacked. Without even thinking to get thendy, she raised her leg and kicked hard.

    The effectiveness of her strength and explosive power cards were nothing to scoff at. The door frame let out a creaking sound of unbearable stress and gave way.

    There was only Tao Actress alone in the room.

    She was wearing pajamas, her hair was a mess, and her expression was ferocious. She grabbed whatever was nearby and hurled it around, yelling, "Get out, get out, all of you get out!"

    Jian Jing nimbly dodged her chaotic attacks, lightly leaping onto the bed. Watching for the right moment, she suddenly flung the nket over Tao Actress, wrapping her up in it.

    A woman like Tao Actress who was always dieting and starving herself had no chance against Jian Jing''s strength. No matter how she struggled, she couldn''t break free of the restraint and only tired herself out.

    "What''s going on?" Hearing themotion, the others ran upstairs one after another.

    Jian Jing jumped off the bed and lifted the nket. Tao Actress was panting heavily, alternating between fright and gnashing her teeth. Her hair was a tangled mess. When she saw people she wouldsh out, looking utterly deranged.

    Director Huang''s expression was shocked, "Is this a psychotic break?"

    "The rumors were true?" Xu Scriptwriter craned his neck to look.

    Jian Jing pressed down on Tao Actress''s back and said helplessly, "Can someonee help hold her down?"

    The men all hesitated. Tao Actress was wearing rather revealing pajamas, making it inappropriate for them to touch her. In the end, it was Zhang Hongchun who came in, rummaged through Tao Actress''s luggage, and said, "There''s medicine here."

    Jian Jing held out her hand, "Give it to me."

    The medication was lurasidone, a psychiatric drug that could be used to treat depression, anxiety, mania, and schizophrenia.

    She made Tao Actress swallow two pills and drink a few mouthfuls of water.

    Tao Actress gradually calmed down.

    Looking at her swollen face, Zhang Hongchun''s expression wasplex. "If I had known it woulde to this, why did I agree from the start?"

    Jian Jing nced at her in surprise.

    But Zhang Hongchun did not seem inclined to exin further. She turned and left indifferently.

    Outside the door, Xue Xiaosheng asked the others, "Isn''t there something off about this ce? First Brother Shao, now Sister Tao. Could it be... haunted?"

    Xu Scriptwriter reacted strongly, "This ce has only been open for a little over two years, the fengshui is excellent, how could there be ghosts?"

    "I don''t mean that kind," Xue Xiaosheng lowered his voice, seeming afraid of disturbing something. "I mean that kind."

    Jian Jing: ??? What kind?

    But she seemed to be the only one confused. The others all had subtle expressions on their faces. Xu Scriptwriter even rubbed his arms anxiously, withdrawing his peeking head.

    "That''s right, it''s bacsh," Xue Xiaosheng said heavily. "I heard there were cases before as well..."

    "That''s enough," Director Huang interrupted him. "Little Tao is sick, that''s why she needs medicine. It''s the middle of the night, let''s disperse."

    Xu Scriptwriter said, "Old Huang, wait for me, let''s discuss the script."

    "What''s there to discuss with the power out?"

    "Let''s just chat, I still have two cans of beer over there."

    Seeing this, Jian Jing understood. Xu Scriptwriter was afraid.

    Afraid of ghosts?

    Could there really be such things?

    Also, what was this "bacsh" they mentioned? She seemed to vaguely recall Shao Meng and his assistant talking about "bacsh" when she first arrived yesterday.

    Jian Jing''s gaze fell upon Xue Xiaosheng - "What ghost were you talking about just now?"

    Xue Xiaosheng seemed a little nervous. "Just that one."

    "Which one is that one?" She stared at him.

    Xue Xiaosheng spoke evasively, "Just, a little ghost."

    Jian Jing furrowed her brows, perplexed. "Are you talking about the ghost from Thand?"

    "Uh, heh heh," Xue Xiaosheng was a bit embarrassed. "Teacher Jian might not believe it, but there''s this saying within the circle. Everyone talks like that, I didn''t mean anything else."

    Jian Jing pressed, "Someone said she raised a little ghost?"

    "No no, I was just talking nonsense," Xue Xiaosheng quickly denied. "Since Sister Tao is fine, I''ll head back first."

    Before his words faded, he had already slipped back into his own room.

    Jian Jing had heard simr rumors before, about celebrities going abroad to bring back little ghosts and raising them like their own children, all to gain poprity and sess. But if they could not satisfy the ghost, they would suffer bacsh, ranging from financial ruin to death.

    Of course those were preposterous tales.

    Since Tao Actress had brought her own medication, she had clearly already been diagnosed with a mental illness. Considering what she had been through, it was understandable.

    Why did Xue Xiaosheng specifically bring up this?

    And Zhang Hongchun, what did she mean by "why did I agree from the start?"

    Jian Jing grew suspicious and carefully scrutinized the passed out Tao Actress. A beautiful woman was still stunning even in disarray, and Tao Actress was still very beautiful. Only the mottled bloodstains on her skin detracted from her looks.

    There were scratches on her neck, arms, and chest from her nails, the ones on her chest being especially prominent.

    Come to think of it, before he died, Shao Meng had also cut his own body with a knife.

    A thought struck Jian Jing and she pulled open Tao Actress''s clothes.

    On the skin of Tao Actress''s chest was a tattoo.

    A bird.

    The tattoo was very small, just a few simple strokes, yet the pattern seemed vividly lifelike, as if it had been inked by a master tattoo artist, looking ready to take flight at any moment. But the scratches on this tattoo were particrly bad, with sharp nails having torn through the topyer of skin, oozing blood.

    Jian Jing hesitated for a moment before stealthily snapping a photo of the tattoo.

    *

    What was it like to be in a room with a corpse at 10 oˇŻclock at night?

    To be honest, it was kind of creepy.

    But with a new case on her hands, Jian Jing felt like she had a little white rabbit hopping around in her heart, thump thump thumping, keeping her from falling asleep. She had no choice but to keep investigating.

    She had just examined Shao Meng''s corpse - having straightened him out and stripped his clothes earlier during the autopsy to make him easier to move after rigor mortis set in - which made it convenient now to review the body.

    There were around a dozen or socerations on Shao Meng''s body, none hitting vital organs, with the worst one being on his lower back.

    That patch of skin looked like it had been shed open, appearing quite gruesome, but closer examination of the edges with a magnifying ss revealed traces of a tattoo.

    This was very interesting.

    Did Shao Meng and Tao Actress have matching tattoos? What did this bird represent? Did they have some unknown connection?

    As she was pondering this, creak, the door opened.

    A figure appeared silently in the doorway.

    Jian Jing jumped in fright and turned to look.

    "Teacher Jian," Jiang BaiYan said cautiously, "what are you doing?"

    "Examining the c- uh, hmm." Jian Jing suddenly felt awkward.

    It was one thing to be with a naked corpse, quite another for someone to walk in on it. She grabbed the bedsheet and covered Shao Meng''s body, breezing past it casually. "What''s up?"

    "I came down to find something to eat," Jiang BaiYan said softly. "I saw the light and came to take a look, you scared me half to death."

    Her eyes glinted as she joked, "Aren''t you afraid of ghosts? Yet you dared toe here?"

    Jiang BaiYan paused before admitting, "I guessed you were here, so I came."

    "Did you need me for something?" she asked.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "I''m scared and wanted someone to talk to."

    "You could''ve gone to Director Huang or Xu Scriptwriter."

    Jiang BaiYan: "......I''m straight."

    Jian Jing: "?" "!" "."

    "Let''s chat then," she said, suppressingughter. "We can fix up some food, I''m hungry too."

    Jiang BaiYan looked mightily relieved.

    The hotel restaurant had coffee and snacks.

    Jian Jing tore open a pack of biscuits while Jiang BaiYan made coffee with hot water, insisting on frothing some milk.

    With no electricity, he frothed by hand, stirring and stirring away.

    Jian Jing: "Just pour in some milk."

    "No, I know Teacher likes coffee with foam." He kept at it diligently.

    After much ado, he finally managed a thinyer of foam and poured it all into her cup.

    Jian Jing very graciously took a sip and praised, "The foam is finely textured, good hand speed."

    In the flickering candlelight, alone together, Jiang BaiYan''s mind grew bold and he said, "Single, you know."

    Jian Jing: "Mm."

    Him: "......"

    Bang, his face crashed hopelessly into the table.

    Jian Jing could no longer hold back and burst into muffledughter.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91

    What did I just say? Have I gone mad? Can I still maintain my pure little brother image?

    Jiang Baiyan reflected on his mistakes three times, wavering on the edge of his copsed image.

    He wanted to exin but the more he talked about this kind of thing, the worse it got. iming he didn''t understand anything would seem pretentious and annoyed people.

    So he just pped himself and pleaded pitifully, "I spoke out of turn, forgive me, okay?"

    Jian Jingughed again.

    "I''m not ming you," she handed him a cookie, "Eat it quick, the coffee is getting cold."

    With no electricity, the water in the kettle was no longer hot and would soon turn cool in this weather. Drinking cold water on such a cold day would easily upset the stomach.

    Jiang Baiyan took it and nibbled on it slowly.

    Jian Jing asked him, "Do you know what Xue Zhe meant when he talked about raising little ghosts?"

    He nodded, swallowed the cookie, and said in a low voice, "There are rumors about this, but it''s not thatmon in reality. Most people pray to Buddha and donate incense money to buy talismans and the like."

    "For fame?"

    "Jingjing teacher, have you heard this saying before - a small burst of fame relies on hype, great fame relies on destiny?" Jiang Baiyan said, "That''s how it really is. You''ve gone through ny-nine difficulties yourself, but if heaven doesn''t give you the destiny for fame, you''ll never make it big. But if you''re lucky, sixty points is enough - who wouldn''t pray to gods and worship Buddha?"

    Jian Jing said, "What gods did Tao Tao and Shao Meng pray to? Which Buddha did they worship?"

    Jiang Baiyan scratched his cheek helplessly and said, "Teacher Jingjing, there''s no way I would know that. No one would reveal such things unless you were very close, otherwise wouldn''t they be asking for trouble?"

    He had a point. She changed her question, "Yesterday you soaked in the hot springs. Shao Meng was there too, right?"

    Jiang Baiyan nodded.

    "Did you see the tattoo on his lower back?" She gestured, "Here."

    Jiang Baiyan: "..."

    "Hmm?"

    "We wore pants." He said dryly, "To protect ourselves."

    "Oh, alright." Jian Jing pretended she didn''t want tough and switched to another topic, "Can you tell me about Shao Meng and Tao Tao''s rtionship?"

    Jiang Baiyan was very willing to share. He organized his thoughts and said, "Brother Shao didn''t graduate from the drama academy. He used to be a singer butter had vocal cord surgery and could no longer sing, so he started acting instead. It seemed he didn''t have much sess at first. The music scene is different from the entertainment industry. But heter got to know a director and joined the crew of ''Mysteries of Song Dynasty''. "

    Jian Jing said, "I heard he yed the second male lead."

    "That''s right. But although called the second lead, his scenes were very few. He just had a good role, a handsome young master. " Jiang Baiyan said, "Brother Xie yed the male lead, amoner, so he wore in clothes to match the role. Teacher, if you''ve seen the drama, you''d notice the director deliberately made Brother Xie look bad - too handsome would break the audience''s immersion."

    Jian Jing was surprised, "So for that reason, Shao Meng became popr but Xie Wei didn''t?"

    "I can''t think of any other reason." Jiang Baiyan said earnestly, "The drama was so popr, prime time slot, I watched it as a kid too. Even the supporting roles became famous, like Sister Tao, she only yed a dancing girl with less than ten minutes of screen time, but got the lead female role of the empress going incognito in the next project."

    "Wait." Jian Jing noticed a blind spot. "Tao Tao was there too? They were both cast in ''Mysteries of Song Dynasty''?"

    Jiang Baiyan nodded.

    Jian Jing thought, very good, following the pattern, ''Mysteries of Song Dynasty'' likely caused some deaths, so she asked, "Did anything happen during the filming back then?"

    Jiang Baiyan: "..."

    His figure slowly shrank down, down, curling into a ball.

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "I don''t know," he said softly. "What I said about Brother Shao earlier was also stuff I found online."

    Jian Jing was slightly taken aback. That''s right, ten years in the entertainment industry was like an era. Jiang Baiyan was a year younger than her. How much could he possibly know? But precisely because of this, the fact that he specifically looked up information just to answer her questions made his thoughtfulness even more touching.

    He was an honest and endearing person who didn''t annoy others.

    "Thank you," she said.

    Jiang Baiyan''s mouth curved up slightly, a little smug and a little glum. "Too bad the inte got cut offter."

    "It''s okay, I can just ask the people involved," Jian Jing stood up and ruffled his hair. "You should go back and rest early. Good night."

    Jiang Baiyan opened and closed his mouth, not knowing how to ask her to stay. He leaned on his hand in frustration.

    *

    Knocking on a man''s doorte at night was somewhat ambiguous. Especially in the entertainment industry, ate night visit to discuss scripts was tantamount to the unspeakable acts below the neck.

    But Xie Wei only hesitated for a moment before deciding to open the door.

    The person outside held an aromatherapy candle, its weak, warm glow illuminating her fairplexion. The ugly shadows and demons behind her thus retreated three feet, lurking back into the darkness.

    "Can we talk for a bit?" she asked.

    Xie Wei blinked and let her in with a tilt of his body.

    When Jian Jing entered Xie Wei''s room, her first impression was that it was too dark. He had no candles, no shlight, and the curtains were tightly drawn, blocking even the lightning outside, dense as freshly dissolved ink.

    She quickly scanned theyout of the entire room, the structure wasrgely the same as Shao Meng''s room, but he had much less luggage, very few possessions, all of which she took in with just a few nces.

    What caught her attention the most was the medication he kept on the bedside table, quite a number of bottles and containers.

    "I didn''t want to disturb you since you''re unwell." Jian Jing smiled and sat down in the chair by the window. "But I have some questions I''d like you to help answer."

    Xie Wei sat down in another chair and smiled, "dly."

    Perhaps it was the night or the medication, but he seemed somewhat listless, his wordscking the aloofness from before, reced by azy casualness that tickled one''s ears.

    "What would you like to ask?" he said.

    Jian Jing said, "I heard that Shao Meng and Tao Tao were both cast in ''Mysteries of Song Dynasty''."

    When speaking of this drama, Xie Wei''s tone was somewhat strange, "That is true."

    "Did anything happen during the filming of that drama back then?" Jian Jing followed up.

    Heughed. The omnipresent darkness cast a natural shadow on his face, further entuating the allure of his features. Staring at him for too long would bewilder one''s mind.

    "I don''t understand what you''re referring to," Xie Wei said. "Many things happened that year."

    Jian Jing paused briefly before averting her gaze from his face, "Were there any deaths?"

    "No."

    "Was anyone harmed in a way that ruined their future? Like their career being destroyed."

    This time, Xie Wei finallyughed out loud and said, "Me."

    Jian Jing immediately looked back at him, "Was that a matter of luck or human intervention?"

    Leaning back in his chair with his hands crossed over his abdomen, it took Xie Wei a good while to say, "It was fate."

    Fate was not within Jian Jing''s considerations. She was a little disappointed and could only move on to the next topic, "Are Shao Meng and Tao Tao close?"

    But Xie Wei did not answer right away. Heughed softly, "Miss Jian, I''ve already answered many of your questions."

    "So?" She raised her brow.

    He studied her carefully. In his field of vision, the intery of light and shadow was infinitely amplified, making the night seem like a beast lurking in the jungle. Yet she and the candlelight were so bright and sacred, pushing back the darkness steadily.

    "It''s my turn to ask. Miss Jian, have you ever had your fortune told?"

    Jian Jing: "I don''t believe in that."

    "I didn''t use to believe either." Xie Wei looked up with his gaze settling on some invisible spot. "But strangely, since I was little, people have said I have very good fortune and will definitely be famous one day. That was the case ten years ago, and eight years ago as well. Even when I hit rock bottom, they adamantly told me that my destiny was excellent."

    Jian Jing pressed her lips, rather skeptical of such metaphysics.

    He asked, "Don''t you think that''s strange?"

    Jian Jing said, "I think you are the strange one."

    There was a certain inexplicable aura around Xie Wei. It was as if his entire being was on stage, with dazzling spotlights above his head, yet a terrifying ck hole underneath that was slowly devouring him.

    And she seemed like an audience member who had wandered onto the stage, stunned by his charm, yet more attracted to the turbulent undercurrents below, unable to resist exploring the mysteries within.

    "What meaning is there in you telling me all this?" she asked.

    Xie Wei closed his eyes. His face vanished into the darkness for a moment before he smiled and sighed, "You''re probably right." He suddenly got up and poured her a cup of water from the thermos, "Have some water."

    Jian Jing hesitated for a bit before taking it.

    Xie Wei brought the cup closer to give to her.

    Jian Jing''s fingers touched something icy cold, freezing to the bone. She asked, "Your hands are so cold. Are you feeling unwell?"

    "It''s fine, let me answer your previous question," Xie Wei responded normally, "Shao Meng and Tao Tao didn''t interact much when filming The Great Song Dynasty Mystery. Shao Meng was a famous singer while Tao Tao was a neer. However, they briefly dated after finishing the movie."

    Jian Jing immediately discarded her random thoughts, "What happened next?"

    "It''s said their rtionship stemmed from an ident," Xie Wei''s tone suddenly rose, full of implication, "Moreover, not just one ident urred on set at that time. Many said the filming location was haunted."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Superstitious feudal nonsense again?

    *

    After saying goodbye to Xie Wei and returning to her room to sleep, it was already midnight.

    Jian Jing quickly washed up and copsed into bed, closing her eyes and immediately having nightmares.

    There were ghosts in the dreams.

    She woke up the next day drenched in cold sweat.

    It really was creepy.

    Luckily, the rain had stopped at some point, and warm sunshine shone through the window, dispelling the ghosts and ghouls of the previous night.

    Jian Jing took a shower and put on clean clothes before going downstairs for breakfast.

    The power had been restored, and the owner had prepared steaming hot breakfast foods like buns, fried rice, and hot porridge, all very authentic.

    Jian Jing buried her head eating. Suddenly, she noticed a cup of coffee appear before her.

    A cappino, with a poorly made leaf design.

    "Teacher Jian," she saw a bright, beautiful face, "Good morning."

    Jian Jing smiled. "Good morning."

    "Coffee," Jiang BaiYan pushed the cup forward again, asking concernedly, "Did teacher not sleep wellst night? Me too, I felt it was so creepy and scary."

    "Thank you," Jian Jing took a sip of the hot coffee and sighed contentedly, "I had nightmares all night, and now my head hurts to death."

    Jiang BaiYan immediately looked anxious. "Is it because you caught a chill? Do you need medicine?"

    She shook her head and instead asked, "Has the police arrived?"

    Before she even finished speaking, there was noise at the entrance as someone called, "Police, who reported the case?"

    Jian Jing immediately put down her chopsticks, swallowed the bun whole, and strode over.

    Jiang BaiYan nced at the coffee, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, but he didn''t say anything.

    But it seemed Jian Jing realized, as she turned back, smiling at him and downing the coffee in one go.

    Jiang BaiYan bit his lip, smiling very happily.

    Jian Jing didn''t see this as she hurried to the entrance, "Me."

    "We meet again." The policeman this time was familiar, Liang Yi, who had worked with her on the case of the famous painter. She had cut her hair short, looking heroic and valiant. She finally had a partner by her side.

    Jian Jing breathed a sigh of relief, getting straight to the point, "Officer Liang, this case is a bit unusual."

    Liang Yi''s eyes immediately lit up.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    Liang Yi, nicknamed Little Auntie, graduated from the Public Security University. But she and Ji Feng were not in the same major. Ji Feng studied criminalistics while she studied public security administration. After graduation, they were assigned to different units. Liang Yi was assigned to an administrative position.

    But Liang Yi was not satisfied with just doing paperwork. She yearned for frontline work, which was her dream job. Don''t ask why she wanted to be on the frontline after studyingw - just me family conflicts. Those who understand will understand.

    Anyway, after working in her assigned position for two years, she began looking for ways to transfer. The process was not smooth.

    At the time of the famous artist homicide case, why was she working alone? It was because she was in a transitional period after her job transfer, but her personnel status had not changed yet.

    All her colleagues were busy with other cases, leaving her alone in the office.

    She was extremely unhappy about it. So when she received the report, she gritted her teeth, stamped her feet, and took advantage of her colleagues'' busyness to investigate the case at the resort by herself. It must be said that she was lucky to have met Jian Jing there, and together they cracked the case.

    She sessfully transferred to her desired position. That''s where she is today, with an official assignment.

    The coroner began examining the corpse while the forensic investigator started processing the scene. Jian Jing apanied them and provided exnations.

    The scene was processed quickly. Jian Jing had already taken plenty of photos yesterday and recorded everything on video, even bagging all the evidence neatly.

    The other police officers all said, "Ms. Jian is very professional."

    "I''ve learned some basics from writing detective novels," Jian Jing said modestly. "How long will it take you to determine the cause of death?" she asked the coroner.

    The coroner replied, "Seven to eight hours."

    Liang Yi said, "Let''s go talk to that female celebrity surnamed Tao."

    Jian Jing had asked the innkeeper to look after the female celeb Tao, but her condition had not improved. She was still running a fever, delirious at times, and asionally convulsing, very much like someone possessed.

    "Let''s send her to the hospital for examination," Liang Yi decided immediately. "The road is open now, we''ll send her over in a patrol car."

    And so, female celeb Tao was rushed to the nearest hospital.

    At this time, Shao Meng''s assistant returned.

    He was panic-stricken. "What happened?"

    "Are you Shao Meng''s assistant?" Liang Yi stared at him.

    Dressed in her police uniform today, she was tall and towering, looking down at the assistant with great oppressiveness.

    The assistant nodded hastily. "Yes, I mean, it can''t be Big Bro Shao..."

    "Shao Meng is dead. We have some questions for you," Liang Yi said. "Please cooperate with our investigation."

    The assistant''s eyes widened, showing traces of fear on his face. When brought into a private room for questioning, his unease grew stronger.

    "I''ll ask the questions, you answer them. No concealment, understand?"

    "Un-understood."

    "Your name."

    "Shao Bin."

    "Age."

    "21."

    "What''s your rtionship with Shao Meng?"

    "I...I''m his assistant."

    "You both have the same surname Shao. Is that a coincidence?"

    "No, I''m his cousin."

    "Where were you from yesterday afternoon till this morning?"

    "I went to buy medicine for Big Bro Shao yesterday, but the road was blocked on my way back. So I stayed overnight in town. The hotel staff can testify, Officer, I have nothing to do with Big Bro Shao''s death!"

    "What medicine did you buy?"

    "Big Bro Shao said he had stomach difort, and seemed to have a cold too. So I bought some stomach medicine and cold remedies for him."

    "Did Shao Meng have any mental health issues?"

    "No."

    "Are you sure?" Liang Yi looked closely at the assistant in front of her.

    The assistant was very certain. "I''ve been following Big Bro Shao since I was 17. There''s nothing I don''t know about him. Big Bro Shao likes to drink, but he''s totally fine mentally. His biggest health problems are allergic rhinitis and chronic gastritis."

    Liang Yi paused, then said, "But Shao Meng died very suddenly. He was - scared to death."

    Before she even finished speaking, she saw the assistant''s face turn pale as she had anticipated. He was filled with shock and fear, murmuring, "How could that be? Could it be... that?"

    Liang Yi asked, "That what?"

    The assistant suddenly shut his mouth tightly.

    Liang Yi banged the table fiercely. "Why aren''t you answering? Are you deliberately concealing something? Does Shao Meng''s death have anything to do with you?"

    The fat on the assistant''s face shook, and he pleaded, "It wasn''t me! I''m Big Bro Shao''s assistant, how could I harm him? I really didn''t do it!"

    Yet he didn''t say a word about what "that" referred to.

    Liang Yi didn''t pursue the matter immediately. Instead, she softened her tone, "Then let me ask, did Shao Meng have any enemies?"

    Rxing slightly, the assistant answered without thinking: "Big Bro Shao is really popr now, lots of people want to bring him down. They all want something bad to happen to him."

    Liang Yi asked, "For example?"

    The assistant hesitated, then said, "Xie Wei."

    *

    While Liang Yi was interrogating the assistant, Jian Jing was online searching for clues rted to the old TV drama "Mystery Cases of the Great Song Dynasty".

    The drama was hugely popr at the time, and even today it remains a ssic that many domestic fans talk fondly about. As a result, much of the information was not only preserved but enhanced, with many threads dug up and discussed - analyzing the plot, costumes and makeup, cast status updates, and more.

    Jian Jing first looked at posts about the actors.

    As Jiang BaiYan said, Shao Meng''s appearance gave him an advantage, with his rosy lips and fair skin as a refined gentleman. Xie Wei, to fit hismoner character, dressed simply with darkened skin, and only his eyes shone brightly, full of spirit.

    After watching an episode, Jian Jing''s heart ached just like Director Huang''s.

    Among the other actors, some had also gained fame and sess, but not as dramatically as Shao Meng and Tao.

    Some slowly umted experience and got good opportunities which led to their sess, while others started strong andnded good roles in new dramas that made them popr.

    The only real overnight sesses were Shao Meng and Tao.

    And back then, their status was worlds apart. Their only connection was an ident with a copsed prop tower.

    The tower broke and sent Tao, who was ying a dancing girl, and Shao Meng, who was ying a brothel frequenter, to the hospital.

    Prior to this, there had been two other idents on set.

    One urred in winter during filming when an actor identally fell into the water and contracted pneumonia, nearly dying. The other happened when the location manager was in a car ident while contacting the scenic area, injuring many crew members.

    The online poster imed these were caused by restless lonely ghosts and wild spirits who saw the crew filming the first story about a ghostly murderer, and mistakenly followed them.

    To back up his viewpoint, he even posted a behind-the-scenes photo of the crew inviting someone to perform exorcism rituals.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She called He Daochang from her contacts to ask about this.

    He Daochang patiently listened to the whole story, then solemnly advised, "Little Jian, don''t believe in feudal superstitions."

    Jian Jing: ??? You''re a Taoist priest telling me not to believe in feudal superstitions?

    "Those are all crooked ways, raising ghosts, worshipping fox fairies - they''re all false teachings. I''ve never seen ghosts or fox fairies. People who do that stuff are crooked con artists. Religion shouldn''t be used like that." He Daochang rejected it all decisively with one strike. "I was asking if these idents had any special meaning?" Jian Jing said with augh.

    He Daochang said, "They do."

    "What are they used for?"

    "Scamming money!" He Daochang said. "First pretend there are ghosts, then scam money to exorcise them. It''s an old trick."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Very materialistic!

    But this avenue was a dead end.

    "Jingjing." The door opened and Scriptwriter Xu poked his head in. "Come over for a minute."

    "What''s up?"

    "Auditions." Xu let out a sigh. "Old Huang is so anxious he''s getting mouth ulcers."

    This morning, Feiyu Entertainment received the news and knew Shao Meng had died. The higher-ups called Director Huang, and though they didn''t say much, everyone knew that with the male lead role suddenly vacant, a bloody storm was bound toe.

    Between the investors and director, it was either the east wind overwhelming the west wind, or the west wind overwhelming the east wind.

    Director Huang understood that Feiyu was hesitant to reveal anything externally before the case details were clear. Once the news got out, there would be lots of trouble.

    It would be best for him to nail down the new male lead before others got involved. Otherwise, if the investors forced in an unsatisfactory lead, not only would coboration be unhappy, their first hard-won reputation for quality could be ruined - he''d have nowhere to cry.

    Luckily there was a ready candidate.

    Director Huang took out a freshly written script, nning to have Xie Wei audition for the role of the demon. Simrly, to keep things temporarily confidential, he also gave Jiang, Xue, and Zhang a chance to audition.

    Jian Jing understood Director Huang''s concerns and agreed to cooperate.

    "You''ll like Xie Wei," scriptwriter Xu said in a low voice. "I met him a year ago. Back then, he still looked a bit decadent. Who would''ve thought he''d change so dramatically when we met again this time? Wow, that aura, it''s like an international superstar."

    Jian Jing said, "I thought he had always been like this."

    Scriptwriter Xu shook his head: "He wasn''t so dazzling before. After ten years of decline, how good could he be? I didn''t expect to see him reborn when we met yesterday."

    Jian Jing didn''t say anything more.

    After she arrived, Director Huang immediately announced the start.

    Sunshine streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, extremely bright and sunny. But when it fell on Xie Wei, he seemed to be a ck hole, absorbing all the light and leaving behind chaos.

    Xie Wei stood there, his gaze sweeping over the distant flowers and nts, moving to the nearby tables and chairs. His posture was leisurely and natural, as if he knew he didn''t fit in but didn''t care, looking around in azy, bored manner.

    Then his head tilted slightly to the side, as if catching some interesting information. His eyes looked towards a certain spot in the distance, gradually focusing.

    So everyone understood that someone was walking towards him.

    How strange. Without any physical presence or action, just the subtle expressions on his face conveyed so much information. Jian Jing''s heart rose with his performance, feeling unprecedented tension.

    She was the first to realize which scene he was acting out.

    The imaginary person approached, stopping a few steps away from him.

    Xie Wei''s lips curved up slightly as he uttered his lines gently but extremely clearly:

    "Hello, Hunter."

    Dead silence on set.

    Delight shed in Director Huang''s eyes, then doubt. Scriptwriter Xu stroked his thighs excitedly, appreciating Xie Wei''s performance. Xue Xiaosheng looked at them hesitantly, shifting uneasily. Zhang Hongchun bit down hard on her plump lips, her expression inscrutable.

    Jiang BaiYan clenched his fists tightly, his whole body tensed like an iron te.

    Xie Wei wasn''t speaking to him, yet he felt the visceral fear and shudder of facing the devil head-on. Was his acting already so terrifying?

    In the silence, Director Huang spoke: "Jing Jing, what do you think?"

    "He performed very well," Jian Jing said. She looked at Xie Wei again, gazing at him for a long time.

    Xie Wei asked, "Does Teacher Jian have anything to say to me?"

    Jian Jing smiled. She leaned her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her palms, looking very much like a little girl. But her eyes were far from a child''s innocence, sharp and piercing instead.

    "You yed the demon very well," she said. "But I feel you''re more suited to y the Hunter."

    Xie Wei was taken aback, staring deeply at her. "Why?"

    "You know why," Jian Jing said.

    Xie Wei was silent.

    She stood up and walked over to stand in front of him, staring into his eyes.

    Although she was at least 20 cm shorter, Jian Jing seemed to have the upper hand in this confrontation, subtly suppressing Xie Wei''s strange aura.

    "There''s also a monster living in your heart," her voice was very soft, but her eyes were like des. "Xie Wei, what are you hiding? Does Shao Meng''s death have anything to do with you?"

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93

    Xie Wei blinked hard.

    The hospital scene before his eyes vanished, along with the doctors, nurses, patients, crowds, and the blurry young man.

    In their ce was an empty room with just two people - him and the girl sitting across from him.

    Xie Wei hadn''t taken a good look at a young girl in a long time. He could barely remember when hest paid close attention to someone.

    Five years ago? Or was it six?

    It wasn''t as if his career had been in shambles since The Great Song Dynasty Mystery. In fact, ten years ago, although he hadn''t be hugely popr, his performances were still appreciated and some people were willing to give him a chance.

    Xie Wei remembered acting in Director Huang''s films, Director Ding''s period dramas, and Director Chen''s idol dramas. The directors were willing to gamble on him, believing hisck of sess was just bad timing and that he would soon rocket to fame.

    But they had all lost their bets.

    Most people only get one shot, and he had gotten so many more than that - it was already the limit. Even as the opportunities grew smaller and the productions grew tackier, it was still a precious chance that was hard toe by.

    It was as if he had already sensed that this would be the end. He cherished every hard-won opportunity, pouring everything into each role, no matter how small.

    And so his world filled with ephemeral characters and fantastical backdrops.

    Xie Wei was no longer Xie Wei, but the characters themselves.

    Yet only one no-name assistant director had witnessed such dedicated acting.

    And he had said: "Xie Wei, your acting is at the level of a movie star, but I can''t use you."

    "Why not?" Xie Wei asked.

    "Because the male lead can''t act at all."

    That was three years ago.

    His acting could match any movie star, his performance should be directed by the greats, but everyone knew he would never get those chances again.

    Xie Wei had faded away into obscurity.

    No one would look for him to act anymore.

    Ever since then, his world had be like a Picasso painting.

    With the help of medication and psychological treatment, he could distinguish between hallucinations and reality well enough to function. But the illusions woulde flooding in as soon as he entered that performative state of being.

    A hundred thoughts racing by in the blink of an eye.

    Xie Wei gathered his scattered mind and smiled at Jian Jing. "I''m not totally clearheaded. Could we try again?"

    Jian Jing was taken aback, her fine brows knitting together.

    Director Huang simply said, "Then try again."

    "Thank you," Xie Wei replied.

    He treasured every audition opportunity, because he might never appear on camera again. To be able pretend, just for a moment, was already a rare gift.

    Jian Jing sat back down, unconsciously biting her lip.

    Xie Wei started his performance over.

    Still the same scene as before, but this time, the lurking shadows around him had all vanished.

    He himself became an indistinct shadow, neither good nor evil, like a ck hole wearing the skin of a human with no discernible difference.

    This was a demon.

    Jian Jing thought back to Shao Meng''s performance. He had acted well, but there was still a perceptible sense of acting. Not like Xie Wei, who had shed his entire self and be someone else entirely.

    Director Huang''s breathing suddenly grew hurried, his eyes lighting up with irrepressible excitement.

    Jian Jing wanted to say something, but the words died on her lips. She could only look at Xie Wei again.

    And he looked back, as if asking - this time, did I do well?

    Yes, of course. But no matter how good...

    *

    At lunch, Jian Jing stopped Zhang Hongchun. "Miss Zhang, could we talk?"

    Zhang Hongchun hesitated before agreeing.

    The two women sat in the courtyard, drinking tea and eating matcha cakes as they chatted casually.

    Jian Jing asked about Zhang Hongchun''s experiences since her debut,ying the groundwork before finally asking, "Yesterday, you said if Tao Tao had known, why did she even start in the first ce. What did you mean by that?"

    Zhang Hongchun dimmed her eyes and calmly replied, "She didn''t do it because of the photos... She shouldn''t have done it if she thought there wouldn''t be consequences. But the higher you climb, the more dangerous it gets."

    Jian Jing wasn''t ready to fully believe her yet, and probed further, "What do you think about Shao Meng''s death?"

    "I didn''t know him well," Zhang Hongchun said tersely.

    "What about Tao Tao?"

    "We''re leagues apart. I didn''t have much contact with her in the day-to-day." Zhang Hongchun''s tone was calm.

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment before slowly asking, "Earlier you said you only debuted eight years ago. What were you doing before acting?"

    It wasn''t a sensitive topic, so Zhang Hongchun answered frankly, "I was a nurse."

    "At X Hospital?" Jian Jing revealed her true aim. "When The Great Song Dynasty Mystery had its ident ten years ago, Shao Meng and Tao Tao were sent to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment. That was X Hospital, right? You were there ten years ago, yes?"

    She hadn''t just randomly sought Zhang Hongchun out, of course.

    While investigating the crew ident, the news articles had mentioned the hospital''s name. Later, when looking into the suspects present today, Zhang Hongchun''s nursing background had caught her attention.

    Flipping through the rumor posts (mainly rumors about Zhang Hongchun''s rtionship with higher-ups), she had found photos with the hospital name posted by the original poster.

    It was the same one.

    That was the real question Jian Jing wanted to ask.

    Zhang Hongchun was caught off guard and panicked for a moment before responding weakly, "Was it? I don''t remember too clearly." Sheposed herself quickly. "Back then I was just a small nurse. I didn''t hear anything about it."

    After a bit of thought, Jian Jing softened her tone in an attempt to appeal to Zhang Hongchun''s emotions: "Miss Zhang, Shao Meng died inexplicably. This is a human life. If you know anything, please tell me."

    But Zhang Hongchun insisted, "I don''t know anything."

    Unable to get through to her, Jian Jing''s probing ended fruitlessly.

    Fortunately, once the police got involved, they uncovered a good deal of useful information.

    In the evening, Liang Yi privately messaged Jian Jing to inform her of the biggest development that day: "Shao Meng''s autopsy results came back."

    "What was the cause of death?"

    "Cardiac hemorrhage. In other words, he was indeed frightened to death," exined Liang Yi. "The coroner ran tests confirming Shao Meng had contracted meningitis when he died."

    "Huh?" Jian Jing was confused. "He died from illness?"

    Liang Yi borated, "You could look at it that way. Meningitis can cause hallucinations. Shao Meng was likely frightened to death in that state."

    Jian Jing instinctively pushed back, "There''s definitely more to it than that."

    If it was just an idental death, why would the system issue a mission over it? And a special one at that? Shao Meng and Tao Tao both became hugely popr because of The Great Song Dynasty Mystery ten years ago, then fell ill in session. What were the odds of that just being a coincidence?

    Liang Yi thought for a moment before solemnly advising, "Jian Jing, I can call you that, yes?"

    Jian Jing nodded, and Liang Yi went on, "Actually, I really understand how you feel. A bizarre death like this does seem suspicious. But I''ve seen many strange and unbelievable cases. They look odd on the surface, but the truth is often mundane - reality isn''t concerned with logic or dramatic ir like fiction is. The truth is the only thing we pursue, no matter how boring or prosaic it might be."

    "Officer Liang, there are still inconsistencies in this case," Jian Jing insisted.

    "We haven''t closed the case yet, so we''ll keep investigating," Liang Yi said. "Shao Meng''s assistant keeps insisting Xie Wei was behind his death, but he can''t provide any substantive information."

    "Could I speak with him?"

    "You can."

    The assistant was very young with eyes that bore a faint resemnce to Shao Meng''s, though his other features were much iner overall. His clothing and style were quite fashionable and trendy - clearly Shao Meng hadn''t stinted on his rtive.

    Jian Jing contemted how to approach the interrogation as she slowly sat down across from him.

    The assistant looked at her in confusion and surprise. "Teacher Jian?" He didn''t understand why she was here.

    "I already know," Jian Jing straightened her back, head tilted slightly down. This angle made her sses glint faintly, obscuring her expression.

    As expected, the assistant was startled by her, but he didn''t fall for it. "Know what?"

    "Retribution," she coldly spat out the two words. "Did you think no one knew?"

    The assistant''s expression shifted drastically as he stiffly insisted, "I don''t know who told you that, Teacher Jian, but you can''t make baseless usations."

    Jian Jing''s lips quirked up as she calmly recounted, "Yesterday you left the inn after lunch to get medicine downtown. The round trip should only have taken an hour and a half. Logically, you shouldn''t have gotten stuck in traffic and beente getting back."

    The assistant froze, his expression growing tense.

    She continued, "Why didn''t youe back on time? Was it because you were dyed by your own affairs, which led to Shao Meng''s death?"

    "It had nothing to do with me," the assistant almost jumped up, "How could I hurt Brother Shao?"

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows, "Then why didn''t youe back on time?"

    "Brother Shao told me to buy more food, so I went to the supermarket." He answered swiftly.

    Jian Jing smiled again, "No, you went to a brothel, a bathhouse."

    The assistant had a mixed smell of cheap bath gel, cigarettes, street perfume and something like gardenia on him. The undershirt inside his sweater was not properly tucked in, revealing a corner at the hem, stained with a crimson lipstick.

    ItˇŻs not hard to guess what he did in this kind of ce with this kind of smell.

    The assistant''s face had already changed from unease to fright.

    He stammered, "I...I...How did you know...I didn''t mean to."

    "Shao Meng was killed by the bacsh, and you instigated it, right?" Jian Jing said coldly, deliberately deceiving him, "What good will it do you?"

    "I didn''t get any benefit from it. Brother Shao''s death didn''t benefit me at all. I don''t even know Xie Wei." The assistant was almost crying, "Really, it wasn''t me."

    Jian Jing said lightly, "Don''t change the subject. What does the bacsh have to do with Xie Wei?"

    The assistant blurted out, "He lent his life, of course..."

    He stopped abruptly.

    Jian Jing didn''t ask what lending a life meant, but instead said, "Does Xie Wei know?"

    When the assistant heard this, he thought she had already found out, so he said honestly, "I don''t know."

    "You know how Shao Meng died, don''t you?" Jian Jing said slowly, "He was scared to death."

    The assistant remained silent.

    She deliberately said, "Even if Xie Wei knew, could a living person be scared to death by him? Do you think it''s scientific?"

    The assistant shook his head honestly.

    "Is it possible you were deceived?" Jian Jing continuedying the trap.

    What was deceived, and by whom, depended entirely on how he imagined it.

    Not knowing her intentions, the assistant fell right into the trap: "Actually, Master didn''t deceive us either. Brother Shao said that the eminent person who lent him a life back then told him he could only live for ten more years at most. Now that the ten years are almost up, although Master helped, and Brother Shao became popr this time, but..."

    The superstitious young man looked fearful and mumbled, "But who knows if things will turn out as expected, right? I think something just went wrong with the bacsh."

    "So you mean Shao Meng''s death was an ''ident''?" Jian Jing deliberately emphasized thest word.

    The assistant hesitated and said in a low voice, "If Xie Wei knew about it, he might have done something. Just think, if you were him, would you do nothing?"

    The topic finally entered the realm of materialism.

    Jian Jing followed up, "Did Shao Meng and Xie Wei meet in person?"

    "Yes," the assistant replied, "After Brother Shao became popr this time, there were always paparazzi around the ce he lived. We came here a couple of days ago, but didn''t see Xie Wei until the day before you guys arrived."

    Jian Jing''s spirit was aroused, "What happened then?"

    "They talked for a while."

    "Where?"

    "In Brother Shao''s room."

    "What did they talk about? Was there a quarrel?"

    "I don''t know. Brother Shao kicked me out." The assistant was troubled, "But I guess there was no quarrel. Xie Wei didn''t look well, and Brother Shao...Brother Shao must have felt a little guilty. He even offered to introduce Xie Wei to a doctor."

    Jian Jing pondered, and asked again, "After they finished talking, did Shao Meng seem abnormal in any way?"

    The assistant said, "Brother Shao was in low spirits and stayed in his room for a long time."

    "Any physical abnormalities?" Jian Jing asked caringly.

    The assistant didn''t even have to think about it. "None."

    Jian Jing asked very carefully, "Did Xie Wei bring anything with him when he came?"

    "He came empty-handed."

    "Did they drink any water or eat anything while talking?"

    The assistant smiled awkwardly, quite honest, "Teacher Jian, since Brother Shao did something like this, he must have been afraid too. How could he dare... You know what I mean, right?"

    The words were crude but the logic was sound.

    Shao Meng felt guilty about what he did to Xie Wei, so he must have been too afraid to eat or drink anything from him.

    Could it really have been a pure ident?

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    After finishing the conversation with the assistant, Jian Jing reorganized the case again.

    Now, the cause of Shao Meng''s death had be very clear: he was frightened to death. What shocked him should be the hallucinations caused by meningitis. Going further back, it was why he was infected with meningitis.

    Meningitis is usually caused by viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms.

    Up to this point, it was actually close to an ident. The only thing that caught her attention was Tao Actress. She and Shao Meng got sick one after the other, and both had hallucinations. Were they rted?

    If so, it would be rted to The Great Song Detective from ten years ago.

    ording to Xie Wei''s ount, Shao Meng and Tao Peach met each other ten years ago due to an ident, and fell in love. And ten years ago in The Great Song Detective, there had been several idents.

    After that, Xie Wei''s career went downhill, but Shao Meng and Tao Peach became hugely popr.

    Xue Xiaosheng mentioned "little ghosts", and Shao Meng''s assistant directly pointed out the key.

    Borrowing luck.

    Xie Wei mentioned "luck" several times. He said many people said he was very lucky to be so popr.

    Could he have already known what Shao Meng did?

    Jian Jing thought for a long time, and called He Daoist again to ask: "Daoist, do you know borrowing luck?"

    He Daoist asked: "Which borrowing luck? The living borrowing the living, or the living borrowing the dead?"

    "There was someone who was supposed to be popr nationwide, but his luck got snatched by someone else. He didn''t be popr, the other person who borrowed his luck did." Jian Jing inevitably spoke with some hesitation as she didn''t believe in these things.

    Unexpectedly, He Daoist fell silent for a moment and asked in a low voice: "Where did you hear this from?"

    She was taken aback: "Is there really something like this?"

    "Luck is a very uncertain thing. You can''t prove its existence, nor can you prove its nonexistence. It can also be exined from a psychological perspective, it just depends on whether you believe it or not."

    "Do you believe it, Daoist?"

    He Daoist thought for a while, but said: "I know simr examples."

    Jian Jing became interested and asked him to borate.

    "In fact, what you said is not called borrowing luck, it''s called stealing luck. There is a saying that deceiving heaven and changing luck, killing people and stealing their lifespan. Borrowing lifespan means giving someone else''s remaining lifespan to another person. The person who got borrowed from loses lifespan and dies, right?" He Daoist was professional and knowledgeable, "Stealing luck is different. It means stealing someone''s fortune, for example someone was supposed to get rich, destined to be a billionaire, but his luck got stolen, so he couldn''t get rich anymore."

    Jian Jing: Is this real?

    He Daoist continued: "However, whether it''s borrowing lifespan or luck, they don''t belong to you, it''s impossible to get an exact copy transferred over. If you steal 10 years of someone''s lifespan, you only get 1 or 2 years for yourself. When time''s up, not only do you have to return everything, but you also have to pay the price."

    This was simr to what the assistant said.

    Jian Jing thought: "Then, what characteristics would someone who has done this have?"

    "Generally there would be taboos, but it varies depending on the person who did it." He Daoist answered and couldn''t help but ask out of curiosity, "Why, have youe across some evil witchcraft again?"

    Jian Jing smiled wryly: "I guess so. Daoist, I''ll send you a picture, see if you recognize what it is."

    She sent over the tattoo pattern on Tao Actress''s body.

    He Daoist took a quick look andughed: "Don''t you recognize this bird? It''s a red-footed falcon, the ''cuckoo'' in the idiom ''A cuckoo upying the magpie''s nest''."

    A cuckoo upying the magpie''s nest? That was practically spelling out the answer.

    Jian Jing asked: "Does someone with this tattoo mean they borrowed someone else''s luck?"

    "There''s such a possibility." He Daoist pondered for a long time and muttered, "This tattoo style looks familiar, I feel like I''ve seen it somewhere before."

    Jian Jing: "Where?!"

    He Daoist: "I can''t remember."

    Her: "..."

    At the very least, it could be confirmed that Tao Actress, like Shao Meng, was also someone who borrowed luck.

    Whose luck did she borrow?

    Considering the special 10-year time frame and the low probability of bing instantly popr, suspicion had to be cast on the same person.

    If Shao Meng and Tao Peach borrowed Xie Wei''s luck, and they were now first-line celebrities, how much more sessful would Xie Wei himself have been?

    Thinking this way, she involuntarily felt some sympathy.

    ˇŞNo, no.

    Feudal superstition is uneptable.

    Jian Jing knocked on her head to get rid of the sympathy and continued thinking about the case.

    The borrowing luck story didn''t absolve Shao Meng of the suspicion of being murdered. On the contrary, this became Xie Wei''s motive for murder.

    If he knew what Shao Meng and Tao Peach had done, he was very likely to redirect his resentment from years of failure onto them, harboring hatred and seeking revenge.

    This madeplete sense.

    The problem was the method and process of the murder.

    Jian Jing racked her brains for a long time, but was stillpletely clueless.

    At night, Liang Yi, who had returned, informed her of thetest news.

    Tao Actress''s test results were out. She didn''t have meningitis, it was a mental health issue.

    Half a year ago, leaked photos caused her to suffer from depression. Her agency secretly sent her for treatment, and she improved after a few months. But this time, for some unknown reason, her condition worsened again, showing signs of schizophrenia, and needed continued observation.

    Jian Jing asked: "Could any information be obtained from her?"

    Liang Yi: "No."

    The lead went cold.

    Jian Jing also had to start doubting whether Tao Actress''s sudden illness was a subsequent victim after Shao Meng, or just a coincidence?

    "Teacher Jingjing." Jiang Baiyan came over hugging a cat. "Why are you still not resting?"

    Jian Jing tilted her head and slumped on the table, frustrated. "No clues."

    Jiang Baiyan said: "Is there anything I can help with?"

    She sighed: "I want to know whether Shao Meng died from an ident or murder."

    Jiang Baiyan: "Er..."

    "Or, was Tao Peach''s sudden illness a coincidence, or was she another victim after Shao Meng?" Jian Jing thought aloud, "Or the other way around, was Tao Peach the first victim? Who leaked her photos out?"

    Jiang Baiyan knew this: "It was her previous manager. They had a fall out and he gave her photos to the paparazzi."

    Jian Jing immediately searched for the manager. This was Tao Actress''s third management agency in 10 years. The manager was an online marketing expert, and had no connection to Xie Wei.

    How could this be? Was her luck really running out?

    "System, please don''t give missions about metaphysics anymore." She muttered to herself.

    [System: Please do your best toplete the mission. If you encounter difficulties, you can use the draw card system. This system is at your service.]

    Jian Jing sighed again. She wouldn''t draw cards if she could avoid it. Using the draw whenever she encountered problems would greatly diminish the joy of solving mysteries.

    Seeing her still frowning worriedly, Jiang Baiyan recalled something and hesitantly said: "Last night, I saw Zhang Xi talking with Sister Tao."

    "When?" Jian Jing immediately sat up straight.

    "Last night." He lowered his voice. "Zhang Xi said she had something to discuss, and pulled Sister Tao to the hot springs."

    Jian Jing supported her chin in thought. After a while, she suddenly got up: "Thank you, I have something to do, good night."

    Jiang Baiyan reminded her that since she couldn''t find a breakthrough with Xie Wei and Tao Peach, she should try Zhang Xi. But her mouth was tight, she had to think carefully about how to pry it open.

    *

    Zhang''s full name was Zhang Xi. After graduating from secondary vocational school, she started working as a nurse at a hospital. At that time, she was already the hospital''s beauty due to her exquisite looks. Even the director''s son was pursuing her.

    If there hadn''t been that ident on the set of The Great Song Detective, she might have chosen one of her many suitors to be a leisurely rich housewife, or switched careers to the cosmetic surgery industry and started her own business as a rich woman.

    But fate works in such mysterious ways. She chose to join the entertainment industry and be an actress instead.

    Unfortunately, after 7-8 years in the industry, she was still neither hot nor cold.

    Would luck finally smile upon her this time?

    Zhang Xi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

    Just then, there was a knock on the door.

    She was startled: "Who is it?"

    "Ms. Zhang, it''s me." Jian Jing said.

    Zhang Xi hesitated. Before the case happened, she felt Jian Jing was just a simple young girl, aloof from worldly affairs, a bit prideful, but easy to coax. But after the case, her bearing changed, bing keen and persistent, which made people afraid.

    "Can you open the door?" the person outside asked.

    Zhang Xi took a deep breath, knowing she couldn''t avoid this or it would be even more troublesome.

    "Ms. Jian." She opened the door, puzzled. "It''s sote, do you need something?"

    Jian Jing smiled gently, "I want to soak in a hot spring, but it''s sote that I''m afraid to go alone. Could you go with me?"

    Zhang Xi was relieved that it was just soaking in a hot spring. Of course she wouldn''t miss this chance to curry favor. She said gently, "No problem, I''lle right away."

    She changed into a swimsuit and went to the pool wrapped in a bathrobe.

    Jian Jing was already in the pool. She waved a can of cold beer at her, "Want some?"

    "Sure." Zhang Xi was used to drinking socially, so she readily agreed.

    The warm pool and cool beer slowly lowered her guard.

    Jian Jing said, "At this time two days ago, it was still lively next door. Now..." She shook her head with a sigh, "Shao Meng became popr just a few months ago, yet this is how it ended up."

    Following her lead, Zhang Xi said, "Yeah, life is unpredictable. Who could''ve thought?"

    "Demon 2 doesn''t know what to do now." Jian Jing''s pit-digging skills were bing more and more polished. "The audience might not ept a different actor."

    Zhang Xi bit her lip, then suddenly said, "Xie Wei acts better than Shao Meng. If it was him, there definitely wouldn''t be a problem."

    Jian Jing pretended to be ignorant about show business and asked, "But I heard nowadays TV shows don''t care as much about acting skills. More popr actors are more useful. Xie Wei isn''t very popr, is he?"

    If it was about the case, Zhang Xi would be more guarded. But discussing a circle she was familiar with but the other wasn''t naturally made her feel safer.

    She had a chance to get closer, so she hinted, "Xie Wei just had bad luck. If he could act in Demon 2, he''d definitely be more popr than now."

    Jian Jing looked unbelieving.

    "I heard, I heard people say Xie Wei has the fortune to be very popr and sessful," Zhang Xi said. "It''s just that petty people sabotaged him before, which kept him from bing popr. He justcks one opportunity."

    She tried hard to persuade, "Teacher Jian, you saw Xie Wei''s performance today too. Of all the actors I''ve worked with, he''s absolutely one of the best."

    Jian Jing sighed, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.

    After a long time, she avoided the topic and asked, "Ms. Zhang, let''s not talk about him. Tell me about you - how did you get to know Boss Wan? He said such offensive things that day. Are you...alright?"

    Zhang Xi was startled, and calmly said, "I''m already used to it."

    "He doesn''t respect you at all," Jian Jing consoled like a friend. "What''s good about a boyfriend like that? You''re so pretty, why would you have trouble finding someone else? How long have you known each other?"

    The earlier words confused Zhang Xi, and she answered, "Ten years."

    The same as the leaked post said. Jian Jing''s heart steadied. She pretended to be curious, "Ten years? So you knew him when you were a nurse?"

    "Yeah, our rtionship also has feelings," Zhang Xi instinctively avoided this topic. "He always supported me and gave me many opportunities, but unfortunately my fortune isn''t great either."

    She tentatively asked, "Teacher Jian, do you think I can y Mrs. He?"

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    Huo Taitai was modeled after Qin Taitai to write the virtuous wife who murdered her husband.

    Speaking objectively, this character has a charming contrast and is one of the most outstanding supporting roles among the few in Demon 2. If yed well, it could really show off one''s skills.

    Jian Jing was waiting for precisely this line.

    ˇ°You want to y Huo Taitai?ˇ± Jian Jing smiled and said, ˇ°I thought you and Miss Tao both wanted to y the leadingdyˇŞshe wants the female lead, right?ˇ±

    Zhang Xi subconsciously answered, ˇ°No, she...ˇ± The words were already out of her mouth and flew away like an arrow off its bow, impossible to take back. She had no choice but to admit, ˇ°She also wants to y Huo Taitai.ˇ±

    Jian Jing didnˇŻt want to stir up trouble, so she deliberately changed the subject: ˇ°With her status, sheˇŻs willing to y a supporting role?ˇ±

    ˇ°Female actors have far fewer chances to make mistakes than male actors.ˇ± Zhang Xi was relieved and calmed down a bit, ˇ°SheˇŻs almostpletely disgraced this time, it wouldnˇŻt be surprising if she quit the business altogether. How could she dare think of ying the female lead? It would be a great turnaround if she couldnd a supporting role.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment and sighed, ˇ°How cruel.ˇ±

    Zhang Xi: ˇ°Who doesnˇŻt think so?ˇ±

    The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

    In the hazyntern light, Jian Jing watched Zhang Xi closely. She was almost thirty, but looked about the same age as herself, with not a wrinkle on her face.

    But struggling to climb in an environment like this, wasnˇŻt she tired of it?

    Jian Jing sighed silently to herself, and got back on topic: ˇ°So you went to see Miss Tao before about this, right?ˇ±

    Zhang Xi was still immersed in sentimentality and took a while to react: ˇ°What?ˇ±

    ˇ°Shao Meng''s death and Tao Tao''s mental breakdown happened too close together.ˇ± Jian Jing said.

    Zhang Xi''s guard immediately went up again: ˇ°That has nothing to do with me.ˇ±

    ˇ°Miss Zhang, listen to me.ˇ± Jian Jing reached out and gently pressed her shoulder, making her look into her eyes directly. The steam from the hot springs rose in wisps, the white fog swirling around them. She slowed her speech and gently said, ˇ°The police arepletely confused about Shao Meng''s death right now, so they want to investigate from Tao Tao''s condition as a lead, and you were alone with her before, which doesnˇŻt look good for you.ˇ±

    Hitting the snake at its weakest point, she had learned from Jiang Baiyan and the others that celebrities were very reluctant to get involved in cases, for fear of information leaking out and unfavorable rumors. So she started from this point.

    It worked immediately.

    Zhang Xi was clearly anxious, but she didn''t refute right away, and avoided her gaze.

    Jian Jing moved forward another half step, and they went from shoulder-to-shoulder to face-to-face. And this was already a rather intimate posture to begin with. The enclosed environment and exposed swimsuits further shortened the distance between them.

    ˇ°Sis Xi, I really want to help you.ˇ± She said sincerely, ˇ°But I can''t allow someone under suspicion of murder to perform in my work, it would be extremely detrimental to Demon. You understand me, donˇŻt you?ˇ±

    Previously, Jian Jing had also asked Zhang Xi, but Zhang Xi was very wary of her and could not understand at allˇŞShao Meng was just Jian Jing''s leading actor, was she so concerned purely because ofpassion for life?

    Zhang Xi was not a cold-hearted person, on the contrary, she often did charity work and was very kind to the staff. But this reason couldn''t convince her.

    But now it was different.

    The previous heart-to-heart brought the two closer, and Jian Jing changing how she addressed her to ˇ°Sis Xiˇ± made her feel they had be more intimate. More importantly, the reason was appropriate and relevant to her interests.

    Zhang Xi was persuaded.

    She didn''t want to lose this hard-earned opportunity.

    ˇ°I did go see Tao Tao.ˇ± Zhang Xi admitted, ˇ°I know a secret about her that I hoped would make her drop out of thepetition this time.ˇ±

    Jian Jing watched Zhang Xi''s expression closely. She seemed somewhat worried, but not afraid.

    ˇ°Did she agree?ˇ±

    ˇ°Of course she agreed.ˇ± Zhang Xi said calmly, ˇ°This kind of thing is not glorious, but verymon.ˇ±

    Jian Jing had no intention of pursuing their moral issues, but instead sighed, ˇ°I believe you, but I''m afraid the police won''t readily believe your statementˇŞshe''s already disgraced, what could still threaten her?ˇ±

    Zhang Xi mysteriously smiled and whispered, ˇ°She has something she fears more than disgrace.ˇ±

    ˇ°What is it?ˇ± Jian Jing deliberately asked.

    But Zhang Xi refused to say more.

    So Jian Jing smiled, ˇ°It seems Sis Xi wants to test me. Alright, let me take a guess.ˇ± She pretended to think, ˇ°Although Miss TaoˇŻs career has hit rock bottom because of the photos, sheˇŻs not ready to give up yet. For someone who has reached such heights before, nothing is more terrifying than fading into obscurity.ˇ±

    Zhang Xiughed, ˇ°YouˇŻre absolutely right.ˇ±

    ˇ°So the leverage you have on her could make her lose hope forever.ˇ± Only then did Jian Jing finally lift the veil of mystery, ˇ°ItˇŻs Xie Wei, isnˇŻt it?ˇ±

    The water rippled as she moved closer to Zhang Xi and whispered in her ear, ˇ°YouˇŻve known their secret for ten years now.ˇ±

    Zhang Xi''s eyelid twitched, and the dissipated fear crept back into her heart. She instinctively wanted to take two steps back, but her shoulder was gripped tightly by the other woman, unable to move.

    ˇ°Sis Xi, tell me,ˇ± Jian Jing said, ˇ°What do you know?ˇ±

    ˇ°I don''t know anything...ˇ± Zhang Xi wanted to break free of her restraint.

    But Jian Jing''s next words made her hesitate. "You''re all about transactions, so can I. Tell me, and I''ll rmend you to y Huo Taitai."

    Zhang Xi bit her lip, visibly conflicted.

    "Miss Zhang." Jian Jing would not give her a chance to go back on it. "If you don''t say, others will. Don''t me me for not giving you a chance then."

    Under pressure and temptation, Zhang Xi finally gave in: ˇ°Yes, I knew their secret ten years ago. At that time, I was still a nurse at the hospital...ˇ±

    Her ount lifted the veil on the secret from ten years ago.

    That year, The Legend of the Great Song had an ident on set, and the wires broke. Shao Meng, who yed the second male lead, and Tao Tao, who had a minor female role, were both hospitalized.

    Because Zhang Xi was pretty, the hospital arranged for her to be in charge of the VIP wards.

    At that time, the VIP wards had a separate floor of about ten sickrooms, but only three patients. In addition to Shao Meng and Tao Tao, there was also a man whose face was burned.

    His identity was mysterious. He never had any visitors, but could afford the expensive amodation fees. He was also very talkative and amiable, on good terms with the nurses and doctors.

    Shao Meng''s injuries were not too serious. During his hospital stay, he would asionally wander the corridors.

    That was how he got to know the disfigured man.

    The disfigured man struck up a conversation, saying to him, "Young man, if I were you, I would be discharged as soon as possible instead of wasting time here."

    Shao Meng didn''t care: ˇ°This is a work injury.ˇ±

    The disfigured man looked at him and sighed.

    Shao Meng, bored out of his mind, asked him, "What are you sighing about?"

    "I sigh that you are so young and good-looking, yet have such bad luck." The disfigured man actually said that.

    Shao Meng was immediately angry: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

    "You think I''m being rmist, but I never lie." The disfigured man said, "Think about it, I''m not some swindler under a bridge, what good is tricking you?"

    Shao Meng sneered, "Who knows?"

    The disfigured man said, "I was just bored and wanted to chat for a bit, otherwise even if you paid me I wouldn''t bother with you. Ha, you don''t believe me right? Haven''t you been having a streak of bad luck these past two years, with your career and rtionships not going well?"

    "Anyone can find this out online." Shao Meng still didn''t believe him.

    The disfigured man stroked his chin andughed again: "Your ancestral grave is buried nicely, you had someone look at it specially, right?"

    While career and rtionships could be found out through channels, things about ancestral graves could absolutely not have been reported by the media. Shao Meng was startled that the other party was rightˇŞhis family had specially invited a feng shui master to look at and relocate their ancestral graves.

    "You don''t have the fate to be wildly famous and sessful, itˇŻs only thanks to your ancestorsˇŻ blessings that youˇŻve made some headway." The disfigured man said, "But the protection of ancestors is limited. Adding descendents will inevitably dilute it, and your fortune will go downhill from now on."

    Now Shao Meng believed him about thirty percent. His older sister had gotten married and given birth to a fat baby boy two years ago. Come to think of it, it did seem that his luck started going bad around that time.

    "What should I do then?" He asked.

    The disfigured man said, "Get discharged as soon as possible and work hard. Every penny counts."

    It was a very practical suggestion.

    But of course Shao Meng was reluctant. Having tasted fame and fortune, how could he let go: "What else?"

    "Live an ordinary life." The disfigured manughed and casually said, "It''s not like a life-threatening problem, you''ll just be one of the countless many."

    Shao Meng still felt unsatisfied, but the other party said nothing more and turned to leave.

    A few dayster, Xie Wei, ying the male lead, came to visit him and Tao Tao. Many reporters apanied him and took many photos for publicity about their friendship.

    With things on his mind, Shao Meng''s smile was stiff. Among the crowd, he saw the disfigured man again.

    This time, the man didn''t even nce at Shao Meng, but stared at Xie Wei the whole time, looking surprised. Afterwards, Shao Meng couldn''t restrain his curiosity and took the initiative to talk to him: "Why were you always looking at Xie Weist time? What''s so special about him?"

    "That guy''s called Xie Wei?" The disfigured manughed and kindly said, "If I were you, I would immediately befriend him. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this guy has a once in a lifetime fortune. He seeds at whatever he does. He became a celebrity and who knows, in the future he may be an international superstar!"

    Xie Wei was just a new graduate, while Shao Meng was already a famous singer. Given such a disparity in assessment, how could he not feel jealous?

    "Are you sure? There are tens of thousands of peopleing and going in our circle, with only a few making it big." Shao Meng said.

    The disfigured man just smiled slightly and said, "People with great luck don''t get unlucky easily. Think about it, doesn''t he always have amazing luck in his daily life? Dangerous things always turn fortunate for him?"

    Shao Meng was startled, and suddenly remembered that on the day he got injured, Xie Wei was originally scheduled to film that scene, but it got changedst minute due to the weather, so he did it instead.

    In other words, the person who should have been injured by the ss shards was supposed to be Xie Wei.

    He fell silent.

    "People have their own fates," the disfigured man patted his shoulder. "You have to ept it."

    Shao Meng gritted his teeth, "I don''t believe in fate."

    The disfigured man didn''t reply.

    The next day, the news came out praising Xie Wei highly, but criticized him for showing attitude and giving bad reviews.

    Shao Meng was furious and unwilling to be a stepping stone for others, let alone fall from fame into obscurity as a nobody.

    He wanted sess, great sess.

    So he found the disfigured man and said, "I''ll give you 1 million. Can you help me?"

    "It''s not about money," the other replied. "Fate is inborn and no one can change it. Those who tell you they can change your destiny against heaven''s will are all frauds."

    In despair, Shao Meng asked, "Isn''t there any way at all?"

    The other fell silent.

    "3 million," Shao Meng said. "Help me."

    The disfigured man finally relented, "Fate cannot be changed, but it can be borrowed."

    Without thinking, Shao Meng said, "You mean... Xie Wei?"

    The disfigured man just smiled mysteriously.

    Jealousy burned fiercely in Shao Meng''s heart like oil poured over mes. He thought of his dazzling self in the limelight, then imagined the boring life of ordinary people. He gritted his teeth and said, "Deal?"

    The other nodded.

    Shao Meng was overjoyed, but didn''t expect that while coveting what others had, he himself was also being coveted by others - Tao Tao''s injury wasn''t serious, yet she lingered in the hospital, with the intention of going after him.

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96

    Ten years ago, Shao Meng coveted Xie WeiˇŻs good fortune, while Tao Tao was plotting how totch onto stardomˇŞeven though Shao MengˇŻs singing wasnˇŻt particrly good, he did have a couple of hit songs that made him barely qualify as a C-lister. For Tao Tao, who had just entered the industry, this was already someone she had to look up to.

    She was twenty-one that year, originally an extra, and had floated around for three or four years before bing a contracted performer, specializing in ying dancing girls. Tao Tao was unwilling to remain an extra forever; she thirsted to be a real star, earning huge paychecks and celebrity endorsements. So after getting injured and hospitalized, she began looking for ways to connect with Shao Meng. Her youthful body and alluring looks were her greatest assets.

    She bribed the nurses to learn Shao MengˇŻs patterns and nned to engineer a beautiful chance encounter in the hospital gardens. But fate would not oblige her wishes. She had envisioned the best possible oue to be using him as a stepping stone to sess, yet as it turned out, she overheard a conversation between Shao Meng and the disfigured man that dashed her hopes.

    It turned out Shao Meng was almost finished. It turned out he was coveting Xie WeiˇŻs fortune. Latching onto a rich man versus bing a rich woman herselfˇŞany fool could tell which was the smarter choice. Tao Tao made her decision almost instantly: abandon Shao Meng and get a piece of the pie for herself.

    The disfigured man said, ˇ°To borrow someoneˇŻs fortune, you need to know their birth date and birth chart.ˇ±

    Shao Meng was no fool. He immediately said, ˇ°There have been a few incidents on set. I can convince the director to hold a ritual ceremony.ˇ±

    Superstition ran deep in the entertainment industry. After a string of mishaps, the crew was getting antsy. Even if the director himself didnˇŻt believe in such things, he wouldnˇŻt mind holding a ritual to calm everyone down. And people today didnˇŻt care much for birth dates and birth charts. With a reasonable excuse, asking Xie Wei for his shouldnˇŻt be a problem.

    The disfigured man said, ˇ°It would be twice as effective if he could be present.ˇ±

    Shao Meng was overjoyed. ˇ°IˇŻll go make preparations right away. What do you need?ˇ±

    ˇ°Nothing. IˇŻll take care of everything.ˇ± The disfigured man replied calmly. ˇ°But let me remind youˇŞborrowing someoneˇŻs fortune and changing your fatees with a price. Are you prepared?ˇ±

    Shao Meng asked, ˇ°WhatˇŻs the price?ˇ±

    ˇ°YouˇŻll know when the timees.ˇ± The other smiled eerily. ˇ°ThereˇŻs still time to back out. Having second thoughts?ˇ±

    Shao Meng hesitated, but his heart was already upied by the allure of Xie WeiˇŻs fortune. Greed muddled his thoughts. He couldnˇŻt think clearly enough to weigh the pros and cons, so he said, ˇ°LetˇŻs do it.ˇ±

    Tao Tao memorized their conversation and approached Shao Meng alone, demanding shamelessly, ˇ°Count me in, or IˇŻll tell Xie Wei about this.ˇ±

    Shao Meng was shocked and furious. How could he let her take advantage of him like this? While he verbally agreed, privately he looked for someone to dispose of Tao Tao.

    But the disfigured man saved her. ˇ°Two is better. Xie WeiˇŻs fortune is too strong. If you canˇŻt withstand the bacsh, it could kill you on the spot.ˇ±

    Shao Meng was still unwilling.

    Tao Tao added, ˇ°I have connections with the producer. I can help you.ˇ±

    Shao Meng looked at her, then the disfigured man. Not wanting anyplications, he reluctantly agreed.

    Using the idents as justification, they convinced the director to hold a ritual ceremony. The disfigured man disguised himself as a master and, under the pretense of checking their birth charts for conflicts, obtained Xie WeiˇŻs and the other actorsˇŻ birth dates.

    Afterwards, the disfigured man gave them each a talisman and instructed them to tattoo the pattern onto their bodies.

    ˇ°The ritual wonˇŻt beplete until you get the tattoos,ˇ± he said.

    Shao Meng felt uneasy, as if he was branding himself. ˇ°Why do we have to get tattoos?ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs a mark, the mark of a thief,ˇ± the other smiled eerily again. ˇ°Regretting it? Toote. You have ten years. After ten years...hehe.ˇ±

    They had boarded the pirate ship and could only follow his instructions.

    After wrapping up filming, they each got their tattoos done. Then because they were sneaking around, others mistook them for having a secret affair. Shao Meng was wary of Tao Tao, while Tao Tao feared Shao Meng would get rid of her after using her up. So they simply went along with the assumption and kept tabs on each other.

    Not long after, their drama Mystery of the Great Song Dynasty aired and shot them both to fame.

    From then on, these two despicable individuals stole away Xie WeiˇŻs good fortune.

    This was the story Zhang Xi told.

    Jian Jing asked her, ˇ°You know all this just because youˇŻre a nurse?ˇ±

    A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Xi''s lips. ˇ°Of course not.ˇ±

    Fame and fortune could move anyoneˇŻs heart. The shy wealth of the entertainment industry dazzled all who saw it. After Shao Meng was hospitalized, fans waited outside the hospital day after day, sending endless gifts and flowers into his ward.

    Zhang Xi used to think she was already quite popr, but how could a small nurse everpare with celebrities?

    She too began harboring greater ambitions.

    And just as the disfigured man saw through Shao MengˇŻs intentions, he also said to Zhang Xi, ˇ°You want to be a star? I can show you a bright path.ˇ±

    Zhang Xi was used to ttery from men, but something told her instinctively that the man before her was not an admirer like the others. Everything he did was simply to humor her.

    ˇ°Why...why are you helping me?ˇ± she asked gingerly.

    The disfigured man said, ˇ°I want you.ˇ±

    Zhang Xi gave a start. Then she recalled that she had performed physical exams on him before and had witnessed his body''s reactions several times. But as a nurse, she was used to such things and hadnˇŻt imagined he harbored such intentions.

    She was reluctant.

    Yet he said, ˇ°IˇŻve nevercked for women. ItˇŻs just not so easy to find one like you now. Once IˇŻve recovered, good things wonˇŻte to you again.ˇ±

    Strangely, despite his deformed appearance, he spoke with an air of arrogance, as if he toyed with others in the palm of his hand.

    Perhaps seduced by this mystique, perhaps born with a gambling streak, Zhang Xi eventually agreed.

    She served him for half a month. Right before he was discharged, a visitor came to see him. The disfigured man introduced Zhang Xi to himˇŞher current boss, Mr. Wan.

    Zhang Xi quit her job and began learning acting. But uneasy feelings lingered. She constantly worried her efforts would be in vain.

    Perhaps out of appreciation for her ˇ°heartfelt effortsˇ± those days, right before leaving, the disfigured man told her Shao Meng and Tao TaoˇŻs secret.

    ˇ°I wonˇŻt shortchange women who have followed me,ˇ± he said. ˇ°Keep their weakness in hand. It maye in useful someday.ˇ±

    This was how Zhang Xi came to know their secret.

    She kept mum all these years, holding onto this card, hoping for a chance to y it at a critical moment. Unfortunately, the disparity between her status and Shao Meng and Tao TaoˇŻs was too vast over the past decade, and opportunities were scarce. She had dragged it out until today.

    Zhang Xi was afraid she would miss her chance if she waited any longer, so she met with Tao Tao and threatened to expose everything if Tao Tao didnˇŻt withdraw from thispetition.

    ˇ°I had no choiceˇŞthis was the best I could do. ItˇŻs got nothing to do with me that she has a guilty conscience,ˇ± Zhang Xi defended herself. ˇ°She did it because she panicked, not because of me.ˇ±

    Jian Jing believed her ount.

    ˇ°Was there anything off about Tao Tao at the time?ˇ±

    Zhang Xi recalled, ˇ°She seemed very afraid.ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh?ˇ±

    ˇ°Although I threatened her, there was no guarantee I could follow through. I knew, but so what? Without evidence, Tao TaoˇŻs backers are not people I can afford to offend. If she did something shady on the down-low, IˇŻd be the one to suffer. But oddly enough, as soon as I brought it up, she agreed without much hesitation. She seemed very frightened and even asked how I found out.ˇ±

    Jian Jing''s brows ticked up slightly.

    After Shao MengˇŻs death, Tao Tao had been a nervous wreck. Could it be she sensed Xie Wei knew and was set on retribution, which was why she hastily wanted to back out? It wasnˇŻt just a hunchˇŞXie Wei had repeatedly mentioned fate. Clearly he knew.

    Round and round it went, only toe back to Xie Wei again.

    He had motive and means as well.

    The question was, how exactly did he kill Shao Meng?

    ˇ°Teacher Jian.ˇ± Zhang Xi spoke up. ˇ°IˇŻve told you everything I know. About what you promised...ˇ±

    Jian Jing smiled. ˇ°What I promised, I will fulfill. But whether it seeds or not depends on your own efforts.ˇ±

    Zhang Xi exhaled in relief, a smile surfacing. ˇ°ThatˇŻs good to hear.ˇ± After a pause, half joking, ˇ°ItˇŻs fortunate it wasnˇŻt me.ˇ±

    ˇ°What do you mean?ˇ± Jian Jing didnˇŻt understand.

    Zhang Xi said, ˇ°If it really was me, IˇŻm afraid I would have confessed already.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was baffled. ˇ°Am I that intimidating?ˇ±

    ˇ°No.ˇ± Zhang Xiughed lightly and shook her head, meaningful in her words, ˇ°If I were a man, even if I wasnˇŻt guilty, if you said I was, then I would be.ˇ±

    ˇ°Impossible.ˇ± Jian Jingughed. She thought Zhang Xi was just ttering her again and didnˇŻt take it seriously at all.

    But Zhang Xi knew she was speaking the truth. The girl before her simply didnˇŻtprehend her own charm yet.

    *

    Three in the morning. Jian Jingy in bed browsing medical websites.

    Under what circumstances can one contract meningitis?

    The doctors'' answers were all over the ce. Viral meningitis could be caused by catching a cold, infectious meningitis like type B encephalitis could be from mosquito or insect bites, and most were due to viral infections.

    Jian Jing remembered that Shao Meng had felt a little ufortable in the morning, and it looked like he had a cold.

    Could it really be because of bad luck that he caught a cold and then developed meningitis, and was directly scared to death by the hallucinations? That would be too superstitious.

    It couldn''t be that simple.

    If it were that easy, why hadn''t the system announced thepletion of the task yet? Thinking this way felt a little like cheating, but Jian Jing had quite a bit of trust in the system.

    She just really had no clue at all.

    She had examined Shao Meng''s scene of the incident, and inspected his corpse - she had even discovered that the body was not yet cold when she arrived. However, even with such favorable conditions, she still could not deduce a reasonable answer.

    Jian Jing had to admit that she was not as capable as she had thought.

    Sigh, thinking back carefully, ever since subduing the robbers at Lakeside Park, her confidence had grown day by day. Even the bizarre death of Mrs. Qin previously had not scared her, but rather aroused her fighting spirit, and she boasted of not being afraid.

    Did she really have the audacity to be so cocky?

    The grading criteria for the expert cards was Sherlock Holmes.

    But even Sherlock Holmes had suffered defeat before.

    As for Conan...it was better not to mention him.

    Jian Jing turned over, and the faint restlessness gradually dissipated. She had gained confidence from the golden case, and should also learn humility from this case.

    "System, draw an ordinary card."

    [System: Drawing cards in special instances requires double courage.]

    Jian Jing: "......Go ahead."

    [Drawing card]

    [Drawplete]

    [Item Card - One Answer (0/1)]

    [Content: Preset a question, preselect a target, and when they answer your question in their heart, you can hear their answer.]

    [Usage limits: Must preset question, must preselect target, cannot change, invalid if target does not answer in heart]

    [Scene limits: Special instances and special missions only]

    Jian Jing was shocked. She had never seen suchplex usage instructions before.

    "Why are special instances and special missions so...different?" She felt uneasy.

    [System: Special instances and missions are abnormal conditions, card use is permitted topensate.]

    Jian Jing understood, the situation was special, cheating was allowed.

    But she was very curious: "How exactly is it abnormally illegal?"

    [System: A person falling from a hundred story building and remaining unharmed is theoretically possible, but a special circumstance.]

    As soon as Jian Jing heard this, she felt it was bad news: "Then, catching bullets barehanded, kicking satellites with a ser ball?"

    [System: Can be regarded as special circumstances.]

    Jian Jing: I understand.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    With the prop cards that gave her special powers in hand, Jian Jing did not feel relieved.

    She dozed off for a while on the bed and had a strange dream. In the dream, Xie Wei was practicing his acting alone in an empty room, tirelessly repeating yesterday''s audition scene over and over again.

    There was no dialogue, no sound. She was the only audience, quietly watching him immerse himself in it.

    And then, the dream ended.

    Jian Jing sshed some cold water on her face. The icy cold water hitting her face stung. But the confusion and heat from the dream gradually disappeared, and she regained her sobriety.

    It was then that Kang Mu Cheng called.

    He asked, "Did something happen?"

    "Shao Meng is dead," Jian Jing said. "You already knew?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "I only heard that Tao Tao was sent to a mental hospital. But at thetest by tomorrow, those who should know will know."

    Jian Jing uttered an "Oh", though she wasn''t actually that concerned.

    "Do you want me toe get you?" he asked. "Or will youe back with them?"

    She evasively said, "I have some things to take care of. I''ll go back by myself."

    Kang Mu Cheng was much less worried about her now. After a couple words of caution he hung up.

    Jian Jing thought for a long time before going downstairs to find Xie Wei.

    Xie Wei was in the kitchen.

    He was making breakfast.

    Thendy, in her forties, was swooning over him like a fangirl, eximing repeatedly, "Mr. Xie is so amazing! To be able to make such delicious food out of such ordinary ingredients, it''s just unbelievable!"

    Jian Jing: "..." Why do I suddenly understand Japanese?

    "Good morning," Xie Wei turned and smiled. Bathed in the morning sunlight, the gloom that had surrounded him seemed to have lifted quite a bit. "Would you like to eat together?"

    Jian Jing looked over the menu - scones, pineapple buns, potato pancakes, fruit yogurt with oatmeal. Quite substantial. She readily agreed, "Thank you."

    The beamingndy carried her scone away, leaving the dining area to them.

    Xie Wei chose a window seat, warm spring sunlight shining down on him, driving away the chill. Though there was no reason for it, he truly felt the empty space in his chest fill up again.

    The invisible pressure that had weighed down his chest, making it hard to breathe, was gone. "What nice weather," he remarked.

    Jian Jing spooned some yogurt and asked, "You''re in a good mood?"

    "My illness seems much better," Xie Wei breathed out lightly, his breath long and smooth, no longer short and hoarse. "My body is better, everything is better."

    Jian Jing was silent. She didn''t believe in ghosts and gods, but the existence of the system and rebirth itself was already contrary to reason, not to mention the system had clearly pointed out that special tasks contained paranormal circumstances.

    So although she didn''t really believe in ghosts and gods, she still had some belief in the idea of borrowing fortune.

    The man before her was so outstanding, he should have been the most dazzling existence on the screen, yet everything had been taken from him by two greedy people.

    Ten years of obscurity, ten years of decline.

    How many ten years are there in a lifetime?

    She knew she shouldn''t, but emotions can''t be controlled by reason. Her heart inexplicably swelled with some pity.

    But after a moment, she mped down on it.

    "When are you nning on leaving?" she began probing.

    Xie Wei couldn''t helpughing across from her. After ten years of hard work, he had spent endless effort studying acting, from clothing and makeup to facial expressions and gestures, all of which he practiced in front of a mirror one by one.

    Only this way could he know how to use the most minute facial muscles to express the most painful emotions.

    Jian Jing''s expressions were subtle, but she didn''t know how to conceal the look in her eyes.

    He could read her mind.

    She must have heard of "borrowing fortune", but unlike Zhang Xi who was set on befriending him and relying on his fame, there was no fiery desire to connect with him in her eyes, only pity and sympathy.

    Of course, many people sympathized with him, like Director Huang and Screenwriter Xu.

    But she was restraining herself, reining in her pity for him. Her gaze was calm and clear, as if ready to judge him at any time. Yet mixed in was a barely discernible struggle.

    It seemed she was unwilling to do this, but had to because of her principles.

    Such subtle, contradictory emotions gathered at the corners of her eyes and lips, somehow stirring up curiosity and tenderness in Xie Wei''s heart.

    As an aesthetic man, of course he didn''t like seeing a pretty girl in distress. But he also keenly perceived that it all started from him.

    The smile dissipated like smoke, leaving only silence.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath and pressed, "It''s not convenient to answer?"

    "If there''s nothing else going on, I''ll probably leave today or tomorrow," Xie Wei said cidly. "When are you going back, Miss Jian?"

    Jian Jing said, "After I get to the bottom of this."

    Xie Wei unconsciously frowned. "Is Shao Meng that important?"

    "It''s not Shao Meng that''s important, it''s the truth." Jian Jing looked straight into his eyes.

    Xie Wei was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Miss Jian, you''re a good girl, but sometimes the truth is not as beautiful as you imagine."

    "I know things are not simply ck and white in this world." Jian Jing remained calm. "But thew is the bottom line."

    Xie Wei countered, "What if thew cannot uphold justice?"

    She was rendered speechless.

    "I know what you want to say - an eye for an eye is wrong," Xie Wei cradled the steaming hot tea in his hands, his tone indifferent. "We all understand that principle."

    Heat rose up and Jian Jing''s cheeks flushed for no reason.

    He said, "I don''t mean to me you, Miss Jian. You believe in thew, uphold justice. It seems you''ve never suffered the bitterness of having nowhere to turn to for help, nowhere to lodge yourints. You''re fortunate, that''s a good thing."

    Jian Jing pressed her lips together, wanting to refute but then gave up.

    "I''ve been ill for some time. I''m better now, but sometimes I still have hallucinations," Xie Wei also found it strange that he was telling her this. He had never spoken of it with anyone before, but saying it now didn''t feel out of ce. "Several times when I saw you, I saw feathers too."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "Angel feathers," Xie Wei smiled. "Very beautiful, light and soft, like an oil painting."

    After a long silence, Jian Jing finally said, "Thank you."

    "What are you thanking me for, just a sick man''s delusions," he propped up his forehead. His features were sharply defined, his gazenguid and confused, more like a carefully retouched poster. "I haven''t read your books, what was that demon hunter character you mentioned like?"

    Jian Jing said, "He''s a good person, but there is a monster living inside him."

    "Oh I see," Xie Wei seemed to think of something andughed. "Then I don''t want to y him."

    "Why not?" The words were out before Jian Jing realized she shouldn''t have asked. The flow of their conversation had beenpletely led away by him. Strangely though, the transfer of control happened naturally, not deliberately on his part.

    It was as if he was inherently charismatic, destined to be the center of any discussion.

    Xie Wei said, "I''m an actor. Roles with high contrast are more challenging."

    Jian Jing struggled to steer the conversation back. "So you admit you''re very simr to the Hunter?"

    "There is a monster inside everyone''s heart," Xie Wei said casually. "What does being alike matter?"

    Jian Jing said, "Not everyone kills people."

    Xie Wei: "Who did I kill?"

    "Shao Meng," Jian Jing started strategizing, revealing a weakness, "Unfortunately I don''t have evidence."

    Xie Wei was still meticulous. "Why do you think it was me?"

    "I deduced it," Jian Jing carefullyid the groundwork. This was her one chance. "The day before we came, you went to see Shao Meng. He didn''t know you were here too and was frightened, guilty and afraid, but he didn''t dare refuse to see you because he wanted to find out how much you knew."

    This was based on clues she had pieced together, not necessarily urate, and didn''t need to be too urate.

    Xie Wei said, "I did chat with him, just some reminiscing."

    "Yes, reminiscing," Jian Jing closed in. "But not only reminiscing. At that time, you made a move on Shao Meng."

    Xie Wei smiled and gently said, "I didn''t hit him."

    "You know what I mean," Jian Jing''s heart pounded heavily as she slowly enunciated, "You poisoned him, didn''t you?"

    Xie Wei shook his head. "I didn''t poison him."

    "If not poisoning, then what?" She swiftly followed up.

    [System: Use ''Prop Card - One Answer'']

    [System: Preset question ''If not poisoning, then what?'', Designated person: Xie Wei]

    [System: Special prop card in use]

    Xie Wei said, "I didn''t do anything."

    At the same time as his words sounded, so did the voice in his heart: "It was an amoeba."

    [System: Card used up, card collected back]

    Jian Jing lightly exhaled.

    The gamble paid off.

    She didn''t directly ask him what he did, but made up a story about "poisoning", just so that he would refute her im in his heart afterwards, thus divulging the truth.

    "No, you did something." Once in deduction mode, Jian Jing''s thoughts became more agile.

    Scenes of the death shed through her mind, and she finally pieced together what had happened.

    "There were many things in Shao Meng''s bathroom, toiletries, skincare products, and also a nasal rinse bottle and a bottle of saline. His assistant said he had allergic rhinitis and needed to rinse his nasal cavity regrly."

    Xie Wei''s expression subtly changed.

    "You didn''t drink any water with him, nor eat anything. You only borrowed his bathroom." Jian Jing said, "The ingredients of the other things were tooplex to tamper with easily, so you added something to the nasal rinse bottle."

    She recalled the meningitis cases she''d read about yesterday. Most meningitis cases were caused by viral infections, but a few rare ones were reported in the news.

    That was Naegleria fowleri amoebic meningitis.

    Extremely, extremely rare, with very few documented cases, but a very high fatality rate.

    "Naegleria fowleri, also called the brain-eating amoeba, thrives in warm water." As Jian Jing recalled more, she grew more rmed, "Like for example, hot springs."

    Xie Wei didn''t say anything.

    The prop card had expired, no one could hear his thoughts now.

    "You wanted him to contract meningitis and die, so you could disguise it as a hot spring ident." She said, "But you didn''t expect that in his panic, he would be scared to death by hallucinations, causing much more trouble."

    Xie Wei finally spoke, "Whether you believe it or not, I didn''t hope for his death, I didn''t even think I would seed. I just wanted to do something... you understand?"

    Jian Jing said, "I believe you."

    "Tao Tao... wasn''t me either." He said.

    For no reason, Jian Jing said, "I believe you."

    Xie Wei smiled.

    The sun shone on him, for the first time warming into his marrow, dispelling all the chill. Slowly, another wave of heat surged into his heart, thawing his frozen heart.

    His chest started beating again, his blood flowing once more.

    A trace of faint remorse floated up, encountering another indescribable urge.

    Thus, he felt an unbelievable impulse. One he''d never considered, never anticipated, but still blurted out loud and clear.

    "The evidence is under the sea hibiscus in the backyard. If you find it, I''ll tell you."

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    When Jian Jing went to the backyard, she was still a little confused.

    She hadn''t expected Xie Wei to say such things, with no evidence at all, purely based on his own spection. As long as he adamantly denied it, no one could do anything to him.

    Yet he had told her where the evidence was.

    Why? Had he suddenly had a crisis of conscience and sincerely repented?

    As Jian Jing was thinking this over, she couldn''t even convince herself.

    Xie Wei''s state was too strange. His words and actions were watertight, like a crafty criminal''s, yet when he had the absolute advantage, he had voluntarily revealed clues.

    This was not the smug toying of someone confident of victory, rather...it contained moreplex emotions.

    The source seemed to be her.

    To call it love was too premature, and to describe it as affection was inadequate. It was like the remote calling of a valley, vague and elusive, its origins unclear.

    With extremelyplicated feelings, Jian Jing walked into the backyard.

    Now that she thought about it, the figure she and Xue Zhe had seen when they were walking in the garden must have been Xie Wei. He was destroying evidence.

    The camellia.

    The camellia was right there.

    She took a deep breath, exhaled, not giving herself any time to hesitate, and strode over quickly.

    Relying on her memory, Jian Jing immediately found the ce Xie Wei had been standing, but...where was the camellia? There had clearly been a potted camellia grafted here, where had it gone?

    "What are you looking for, Miss Jian?" the proprietress asked, carrying a broom.

    "Wasn''t there a pot of camellia here?" she asked.

    The proprietress smiled, "There was, but the day before yesterday at night, Mimi bumped into the flower pot, and all the soil and earth spilled everywhere, washed away by the rain. I repotted the camellia yesterday, it''s over there now."

    The day before yesterday night? Wasn''t that the night of the power outage, when she and Xie Wei had run into the cat returning from the rain together?

    Jian Jing''s heart skipped a beat, and she asked urgently, "Did you see anything inside the flower pot?"

    The proprietress lookedpletely bewildered. "There was nothing, the roots were washedpletely clean."

    Jian Jing was stunned.

    The evidence...was gone?

    The cat had knocked over the pot, and then the heavy rain hade, after a few days had passed, even if the container could be found, it certainly wouldn''t be possible to test anything out of it.

    What a coincidence?

    Could it be he had deliberately tricked her, intentionallyughing at her? No.

    Jian Jing silently shook her head. Xie Wei''s idental blurt just now was definitely not made in jest. He had lookedpletely astonished, seeming not to have expected those words toe out of his mouth at all.

    With many things weighing on her mind, she returned to the restaurant.

    Xie Wei was waiting for her.

    Lost in thought, his brow furrowed with faint sadness. Seeing her return, he smiled at first, about to speak, but his gaze didn''t catch what should have been there. He was abruptly stunned.

    His look became extremelyplex.

    He had misunderstood. He thought she had given up.

    "I didn''t find it," Jian Jing said.

    "Is that so?" Xie Wei''s tone was very strange, unable to say whether it was relief or disappointment.

    Jian Jing pursed her lips. "The cat smashed the flower pot, there was nothing left."

    Xie Wei uttered an "ah", meeting her gaze directly. "I didn''t lie to you."

    "There was no...Tao Tao?" Jian Jing asked.

    He became his watertight self again. "Shao Meng''s death was beyond my expectations."

    The subtext was that there hadn''t been time.

    Jian Jing understood his implied words and gave a bitterugh. She seemed to somewhat understand what the system had meant. Things that were unreasonable logically could still happen theoretically, and so they did.

    To put it more directly, it was good or bad luck.

    Shao Meng wouldn''t necessarily have gotten meningitis in the first ce, or if he did get it, he might have been discovered quickly and had his life saved through emergency treatment. But he just so happened to contract the illness and die of fright, such a low probability, yet that''s what happened to him.

    And Xie Wei''s luck was especially good.

    The way he concealed evidence could be called clumsy, yet a cat and a rain shower came to his aid, destroying the key evidence, leaving no possibility of conviction.

    At the same time, Zhang Xi''s involvement threatened Tao Tao, making her feel guilty and causing her mental illness to rpse that very night. Without him needing to handle her, her life from then on was thoroughly ruined.

    Such powerful luck was unimaginable.

    If she didn''t have the system, Jian Jing was afraid she wouldn''t have been able to crack the puzzle even if she racked her brains.

    Although it was useless now anyway.

    "You''ve won," she said, massaging her cheeks helplessly. "Your luck...is indeed very good."

    Xie Wei didn''t say anything.

    Jian Jing endured it for a moment, but in the end couldn''t hold back the surge of emotions, blurting out, "Since you believe in destiny, have you ever thought that even if you didn''t make a move, Shao Meng might have met with an ident anyway, so what was the point?!"

    If he had just endured it, things would have been different.

    Now his hands were stained with blood, which he could never wash clean in his lifetime.

    What a waste.

    Unexpectedly, when Xie Wei heard this, he actuallyughed. Leaning forward, he grasped her hand and closed his five fingers around hers. "Thank you."

    Jian Jing knitted her brows, her face taut.

    "I''ve thought about everything you said. But I don''t regret it," he said slowly. "My teacher went to great lengths to call in favors for my acting opportunities, dying treatment for his stomach condition, which led to his early death. Yet on his deathbed he was stillforting me, telling me not to worry, that I would have my day in the sun.

    "My mother sold our family home for me, so that I could finally get the role I wanted. But the movie kept getting held up from release, the capital lost with no return. Yet she told me it was fine, that since I loved acting I should keep at it, that she was proud of me.

    "And my friends, my senior brothers and sisters, the directors, they had all helped me before, they were all good people. But because of me, either their investments failed, or their films bombed at the box office, each suffering losses.

    "Even if..." He gave a softugh. "Even if I had met you, it wouldn''t have been like this."

    In the vagueness of talks of destiny, who could prove anything?

    He hadn''t believed it from the start either.

    But what if.

    What if his life really had been stolen from him? This long decade of pain, those whose fates had changed because of him, how could they have had these endings for no reason?

    Just thinking about it made hatred seep into his bones, gave him sleepless nights.

    Xie Wei slowly let go of her hand.

    "I didn''t want to believe it either, but Miss Jian, I''m just an ordinary person," he said, leaning back against his chair, gazing at his own hands as he mocked himself. "I''m sorry, I''ve offended you. Being held by these hands must have felt disgusting."

    Jian Jing unconsciously curled her fingers. The warmth of his hands seemed to still linger on her skin.

    Like a pot of tea left standing too long, no longer hot, only growing colder.

    Dark clouds swept in, blocking the winter sun.

    Xie Wei was shrouded once more in the ubiquitous shadows.

    An oppressive silence filled the space.

    Xie Wei no longer looked at her, his gaze fixed perpetually on the distant horizon, not knowing what he was thinking.

    It wasn''t until Xu Scriptwriter dragged his heavy footsteps over that the stillness was broken. "Jingjing, Xie Wei? What are you two doing just sitting there?"

    His tone lifted, and he eyed them with great interest, joking, "Oh, not a bad breakfast, the proprietress even makes Western food?"

    Xie Wei politely bowed his head. "I made it."

    "Any left?" Xu Scriptwriter asked.

    He spread his hands, indicating theck of leftovers.

    Xu Scriptwriter gave augh, meaningful, "Looks like only Jingjing got some, not me."

    Jian Jing managed a slight upturn of her lips, smiling as she said, "When are you leaving?"

    Xu Scriptwriter said, "If there''s nothing else, this afternoon."

    "Can I catch a ride with you?" she asked.

    "No problem," Xu Scriptwriter readily agreed.

    And so Jian Jing spent the entire morning packing her things in her room. Of course, there wasn''t much to pack, she was tidying up her state of mind.

    She kept thinking about whether or not to tell Liang Yi about this.

    If she did, it seemed useless, since the evidence was gone and there was no way to prosecute. Not saying anything felt like a betrayal of her principles, keeping silent about a crime, her conscience uneasy.

    What to do?

    As Xie Wei had said, thew existed to uphold justice, but sometimes, there were corners thew couldn''t reach.

    Jian Jing fell into an extremely conflicting struggle.

    From an emotional perspective, she did sympathize with Xie Wei. Having been through reincarnation herself, she could hardly say categorically that borrowing luck was nonsense. Even if she only believed it a little, just three percent, it was still enough to evokepassion.

    But there were so many avengers in the world, each with their own helplessness, yet not every one of them chose tomit murder. Thew was the bottom line of being human. If you crossed it, you should be punished.

    Jian Jing was restless as she opened the system panel again.

    During the previous confrontation, the system had dered the mission aplished, decoding all the content on the panel.

    [Mission Name: The Mystery of Stealing Luck for a Second Chance (Completed)]

    [Mission Description: The mysterious death of a popr male star, with strange shadows left at the scene. When will the stolen luck be returned? What kind of human tragedy lies behind the stolen life? Please uncover the truth.]

    [Mission Reward and Punishment: To be determined ording topletion]

    "Sigh." Jian Jing heaved a long sigh, still unable to make up her mind.

    What was justice? Was the truth necessary to be revealed to the world? What was she pursuing - justice, fairness, or...neither actually?

    *

    That night after returning to He Ping City, the news of Shao Meng''s death spread like wildfire.

    With the hype around The Demon Doctor still strong, people were highly concerned and eagerly awaited the police statement. After investigating the scene, the police found no other clues and closed the case as an ident.

    [Breaking: Famous Actor Dies of Meningitis, Heaven Envies Genius!]

    [Mourning Shao Meng, Recapping His Roles Over the Years]

    [You''ll Always Be Our Dashing Youth, Rest in Peace]

    Whether familiar or not, most celebrities posted eulogies on Weibo, with only Jian Jing keeping silent. Some fans prompted her, but she remained quiet.

    Fortunately, people did not pay her too much attention, because right after Shao Meng''s death came the news that Tao Tao had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

    The inte never forgets. People immediately recalled the scandal from half a year ago. Some criticized that she deserved it, but many women felt it wasn''t her fault yet she bore the consequences.

    Before they knew it, the topic shifted from "Tao Tao" to the grand themes of "privacy" and "gender," sparking a wave of quarrels.

    Soon, no one cared about Tao Tao anymore. Her hype was taken over by other issues, and fans who had stuck with her could no longer stan a psychiatric patient, leaving one by one.

    When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

    The red luck painstakingly stolen seemed like a pipe dream, vanished without a trace.

    At the same time, Xie Wei''s rise was unstoppable.

    Almost simultaneously, an edited video upied people''s homepages.

    [What Godly Visuals! Drunk on this Handsome Boy''s Eyes]

    A UP mainpiled Xie Wei''s roles together - ancient, republican, modern eras - with catchy background music and lines, condensing his decade-long career into a minutes-long video that impacted viewers explosively.

    From an unknown 18-tier actor fallen to the bottom, back to a trending male star at the top - all within three days.

    Even for the magical inte, such a meteoric rise was shocking.

    Everything Xie Wei had acted in - movies, TV shows, roles - got unearthed by gossipingizens.

    It was as if people suddenly noticed him and expressed incredulity.

    "He''s the male lead in The Song Dynasty Mystery, his acting is much better than Shao Meng''s. How is he not popr?"

    "Pure passerby here, but Xie Wei''s acting is indeed superior to Shao Meng''s."

    "I heard Xie Wei offended thepany execs, that''s why he got cklisted. Otherwise he''d have made it big long ago."

    "Discovered a hidden gem! Such low-key actors are rare now. I''m a fan!"

    Xie Wei went viral.

    His fanbase exploded with countless new fans and appearance chasers.

    Some specificallypiled his best acting moments from different works and juxtaposed them against simr scenes of other actors.

    [No Contrast, No Harm. Ultimate Acting Showdown]

    With many currently trending actors having poor skills, such aparison was a car crash - distressing and tragic.

    Xie Wei''s acting was highly acimed.

    Suddenly it seemed everyone knew Xie Wei, everyone became his fan.

    After ten years of obscurity, he finally embarked on the throne he deserved.

    Jian Jing was filled with mncholy, thinking this was the ending.

    But that was not the case.

    A few dayster, Daoist He called her excitedly: "I know where I''ve seen that tattoo before. The Seven Stars Coffin Sealing Jar also has simr patterns."

    Jian Jing was stunned. "What?!"

    "Who was the one who borrowed the luck?"

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99

    Jian Jing received a phone call from He Daoist. It was like drinking a ss of ice water on a spring day, sending a shiver through her body and making her hair stand on end.

    She didn''t waste time with small talk and immediately called Zhang Xi to ask about the background of the disfigured man.

    Zhang Xi said, "That audition..."

    "Say another word and you''re done for," Jian Jing snapped. She was in no mood to haggle with her.

    Zhang Xi weighed things up and decided not to offend her. "I don''t know his name, but I heard Boss Wan call him ˇ®Master Qi TianˇŻ."

    Master Qi Tian.

    Qi Tian?!

    Jian Jing was shocked. She hadn''t expected the lead she was chasing to appear in this way.

    Back in 2010, did Qi Tian''s disfigurement mean that he had indeed changed his appearance and was now living under a new identity?

    To avoid alerting him, Jian Jing didn''t ask Zhang Xi for the man''s contact information.

    Instead, she passed this information on to the detective who had originally handled Qi Tian''s case, asking them to investigate his whereabouts. Since he had been in hospital before, there might be some clues.

    With this taken care of, Jian Jing started wondering if she should contact Xie Wei.

    These past few days, she had felt irritable, most likely due to her period. She was easily distracted and had missed a critical lead.

    How did Xie Wei know about the bike theft?

    Even if someone else had pointed it out, how did he pinpoint Shao Meng and Tao Tao so definitively?

    Logically, even if he deduced the timing, he should have just suspected one or the other, not dered with certainty that it was both.

    Something was off.

    Jian Jing wanted to get to the bottom of this, yet she also felt strangely reluctant.

    But she couldn''t exin these inexplicable feelings, so she pretended they didn''t exist. She asked the screenwriter for Xie Wei''s number and dialed it.

    Beep beep beep.

    The ringing was like floating cat hair, making her want to sneeze.

    "Hello?" Someone picked up.

    "Xie Wei, this is Jian Jing. I want to ask you something." She steadied her mind.

    There was a long silence on the other end.

    Jian Jing was afraid he would hang up, so she added tentatively, "It''s not about turning yourself in."

    "That''s fine," Xie Wei''s voice was as gentle as a breeze. "Ask away. I''ll tell you anything I know."

    So Jian Jing asked, "How did you know it was Shao Meng and Tao Tao?"

    "Someone told me," he readily revealed everything. "They called and asked if I wanted to know why I ended up like this. I said yes, so they told me about it."

    "Who was it?"

    Xie Wei said lightly, "They didn''t say, but I suspect it was the person who helped them back then."

    "Are you sure?" Jian Jing was shocked.

    What was Qi Tian ying at? Hemitted one crime, but reeled in Shao Meng, Tao Tao, Zhang Xi and Xie Wei all in one go.

    She was very wary. "This person is vicious. Did you..." She changed course mid-sentence. "Did you make any deals with him?"

    "He didn''t ask anything of me. Just said he couldn''t bear to leave me in the dark." Xie Wei wasn''t stupid. He added calmly, "Anything free is the most expensive. I know that."

    "Have you met him in person?" Jian Jing asked.

    "No. After he called, I only received a package with a talisman inside. When I opened it, it was a bug cocoon." Xie Wei''s voice became hoarse, followed by stifled coughing. "You - cough - you shouldn''t look for him."

    After catching his breath, he continued raspily, "I''m at the end of the road, but you aren''t. Miss Jian, don''t get involved with him. He''s very sinister."

    "I know."

    In the past, Jian Jing had thought Qi Tian was just a ruthless scammer. But after Xie Wei''s case came to light, she had to admit this person was definitely not simple.

    Either an ingenious fraudster, or there really was something off about him.

    So this time, she chose to hand the lead to the police rather than investigate personally.

    Silence descended at both ends of the line, with only the sound of shallow breathing.

    Just as Jian Jing was about to say goodbye, she suddenly heard his breaths be rapid and weak, vaguely stifling groans, as if he was in pain.

    She was instantly alert. "Weren''t you getting better? How did you get sick again?"

    "Caught the flu by ident." Xie Wei''s voice was much frailer. "Thanks for the concern."

    "Why not go to the hospital?"

    He let out a soft sigh, speaking slowly, "I''m in the hospital now."

    "Liar." His lies made her even more suspicious. "Where are you? Is it convenient for me toe over?"

    Xie Wei gave a helplessugh. "Why are you so perceptive?"

    "What''s going on with you?" Jian Jing''s brows knitted tightly.

    Xie Wei said, "It''s really nothing. Just lots of reporters around where I live now, not convenient to go back."

    No, he was lying.

    Jian Jing considered this but didn''t expose him directly. She probed, "Let me bring you some medicine. Where do you live?"

    His breathing halted briefly.

    "Why?" he asked. "You must hate people like me. Why do you still care about me?"

    Jian Jing paused, then countered with a question. "Don''t you want me toe over?"

    Heughed, then coughed hard several times before answering, "No, I''d like you to visit. Pleasee."

    Xie Wei gave her his address. It was just an ordinary neighborhood.

    Jian Jing immediately grabbed her coat and car keys and left.

    Luckily there wasn''t much traffic at thiste hour past 10 pm. She sped all the way, arriving at Xie Wei''s home in half an hour.

    Just an ordinary neighborhood, ordinary residents. The only people at the entrance were vendors running night stalls. No sign of any reporters.

    She rushed towards his building, but the elevator was slow to arrive. Impatient, she ran up twelve flights of stairs, heart pounding out of her chest.

    The inexplicable sense of urgency kept spurring her on.

    Knock knock knock, she rapped the door hurriedly.

    It opened.

    In the dim light, Xie Wei appeared like a specter, face ghastly pale with darkness all around. "Pleasee in."

    Only after entering did Jian Jing realize several lights were on inside, but the bulbs seemed long uncleaned, surfaces dusty so the light couldn''t prate.

    "Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly.

    Xie Wei''s face had a strange grayish tinge, but his eyes were brighter than usual. "I''m very happy you came."

    Jian Jing''s sense of foreboding grew. She probed, "Should we go to the hospital?"

    "Have a seat. There''s nothing in the house." Xie Wei poured her a cup of hot water, but before cing it on the table, his face twisted in pain and he couldn''t hold the cup steadily, dropping it with a shatter.

    Now Jian Jing was certain something had happened to him. Without another word, she supported him. "Come with me to the hospital."

    "No." Xie Wei knelt on the icy floor, gasping for breath. "Jingjing, listen to me."

    He grasped her hand, remarkably calm as he spoke. "This was my choice. I have...no other way now."

    "What are you talking about?" said Jian Jing.

    "I finished reading your novel Evil Doctor these past two days." His non sequitur response. "Your hunter is still struggling with the monster inside him, but I...I''ve already lost."

    Xie Wei closed his eyes. The omnipresent shadows appeared again, crouching in corners, ready to drag him into the abyss at any time. "I''ve be a monster myself."

    Jian Jing was instantly moved with pity.

    What a pity for someone once so outstanding to stray down the wrong path.

    "You can still redeem yourself in other ways." She took a deep breath, trying to persuade him. "Turning yourself in can lead to a lighter sentence, plus your history of mental illness..."

    These past days, though she couldn''t bear his suffering, she still hoped he would surrender to authorities. Facing one''s crimes was unavoidable in life.

    Carrying the burden of guilt for the rest of one''s life might not be better than facing a judge.

    Yet she never imagined he was truly racked with guilt and had chosen this path.

    "No." He gave a faint smile, speaking with difficulty but earnestness. "I''d rather pay with my life than bebeled a murderer. I can''t taint my teacher''s and mother''s names, or those who have stood by me."

    Jian Jing fell silent for a long time before saying with difficulty, "Shao Meng...isn''t worth you trading your life for his."

    "Maybe. But what''s done cannot be undone. What can I do?" Xie Wei sat on the icy floor, back against the wall. His chest heaved violently and his voice was even raspier, grating like sandpaper and extremely unpleasant to hear. "I kept wondering, what if I was wrong?"

    Over the past couple of days, many invitations that were once beyond his reach came one after another. Xie Wei was not a saint. He had thought of forgetting everything and starting over, taking back what should have been his.

    However, the weight of a human life was far heavier than he could have imagined, suffocating him.

    Beforemitting murder, he had wondered, what if fortune-telling was real? This thought tortured him, driving him to take revenge and vent the pain and anger of the past decade.

    But after the person died, theplete opposite idea began to sprout.

    What if it wasn''t?

    What if that person was a fraud, he just had bad luck, and it had nothing to do with anyone else? There were people like that in the industry too, who were obsessed with acting all their lives but ended up nobodies in the end.

    Who could guarantee that he, Xie Wei, wasn''t one of them?

    "What if the person I killed was innocent? What if I shouldn''t have killed him even if...?" He seemed to be exining to Jian Jing, and also talking to himself, "You''re right, I shouldn''t have done that."

    Jian Jing choked up, her heart aching unbearably.

    A thought''s difference between heaven and hell.

    Once a sin wasmitted, there was no going back.

    "I''m a coward. I used to hate others because of my failures, and now I regret it. Howughable." Xie Wei sighed, "If I could start over, I would..."

    His gaze fell on her as he said gently, "I hope I could be like you."

    Jian Jing was surprised and confused. "Like me?"

    "Yes," he smiled, his eyes holding a trace of sadness, "To be someone who won''t hurt others even in adversity, someone with principles and courage, a... good person."

    Those in darkness would always be attracted to the light. And those whock courage themselves would admire those who adhere to their principles.

    Yet she avoided his gaze. "I''m not that kind of person."

    "You confronted Boss Wan right outside my door," his lips curved up. "I heard everything."

    "That doesn''t mean anything." Jian Jing pressed her lips and turned to face him again. "Life can''t be relived, but it goes on. As long as you''re alive, anything is possible. Don''t give up, Xie Wei. Come with me to the hospital."

    Xie Wei looked at her without blinking, but his expression didn''t waver at all.

    "Alright, no matter if you agree or not, I can''t just watch you do something stupid." Jian Jing gave up persuading him and took out her phone to dial 120.

    Xie Wei reached out to stop her. "Wait." He sat up straight and said to her, "There''s something I want to tell you. After you hear it, you can decide what to do. Okay?"

    Jian Jing hesitated for a moment before putting her phone down. "Okay, go ahead."

    He took a deep breath, as if gathering strength, leaning forward slightly.

    Jian Jing knew he had difficulty breathing. She turned her face to listen closely. But he didn''t say anything. He just lowered his head, and touched his dry lips to the skin on her cheek.

    Like a kiss to a flower.

    She froze for a moment, looking at him in surprise.

    "Jingjing, the crimes that thew cannot judge have met their end by destiny," Xie Wei asked gently, "Isn''t that good?"

    Jian Jing''s vision gradually blurred. "I''ve tried to kill myself too. You''ll regret it."

    "I don''t regret it." He closed his eyes, utterly exhausted. "Thank you."

    A life for a life taken, karmaes for us all.

    It''s been ten years. I''m too tired. Let it end here.

    He rxed his body and fell into the endless abyss.

    On February 10, 2021, Xie Wei''s depression rpsed and hemitted suicide by poisoning himself at home.

    *

    [Quest Name: The Secret Behind the Body Swap (Completed)]

    [Quest Reward: 20 Basic Bravery Points + 20 Special Contribution Points (The real murderer confessed + Foiled Qi Tian''s scheme)]

    [Note: Bravery points can be used to draw normal cards, 5 points per draw; Contribution points can be used to draw special cards, 10 points per draw]

    [Limited Pool unlocked. Draw cards now?]

    [Drawing limited cards...]

    [Drawpleted]

    [Card Name: Status - Acting (Locked)]

    [Effect: Possesses supreme acting skills that can fool anyonepletely]

    [Note: Special limited card, bound to host, indestructible, non-transferable, no usage limit]

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    Xie Wei''s good fortune did not disappear with his death.

    The movies he had filmed in the past were approved for release due to changes in government policies. The productionpany did not arrange for theatrical release but released them directly online, where word of mouth exploded overnight.

    Xie Wei became hugely popr, dominating entertainment news headlines for three days straight and being praised as a superb actor.

    However, just when the public was most interested in him, he died.

    Xie Wei suffered from depression and paranoia, taking medication for years. His condition had been under control. But for some unknown reason, when he decided to take revenge, he stopped taking his medication.

    After that, the guilt from murder and the relief from retaliation, perhaps some otherplex factors, eventually led him to choose this path.

    The world did not know the twists and turns behind it. They onlymented the passing of a generational talent.

    Everyone sighed, if only they had known Xie Wei earlier, if more people had supported him, perhaps he would not havee to this.

    But there were no ifs.

    Good things in this world are fragile, colorful clouds scatter easily and zed ss breaks.

    Xie Wei was like a shooting star, brilliant yet ephemeral. Before the affection could fade, he fell amidst everyone''s grief.

    In people''s minds, he was frozen in his most perfect moment.

    Both online and offline, people organized memorial events for Xie Wei, the scale far exceeding the memorial for Shao Meng. Every app homepage featured rted content. Even in remote rural areas, as long as there was a smartphone, people would know Xie Wei.

    It was safer to be a fan of the dead than the living.

    Xie Wei''s Weibo followers increased by tens of millions.

    And thest post he made was from five years ago promoting a movie.

    Thement section was flooded with tears.

    Everyone was very sad, as if they had lost the most important friend, the best actor, and the most admirable brother.

    Jian Jing was still perfectly still.

    She was busy writing at home.

    The word count for "Roses, Gold and Assassins" was around 20,000. She hadpleted nearly eighty percent during the holidays, the only part she repeatedly deliberated over was the romance.

    She had been very bad at writing it before, unsure of how to convey the hazy, breezy feelings between two people. But now she knew how to write it.

    The girl''s feelings toward the assassin, from distrust to trust, from suspicion to reliance, gradually progressed. But she was full of hatred, never realizing her feelings had changed unknowingly. By the time she looked back, it was all in the past.

    The assassin''s feelings toward the girl, from being cold towards his employer, to sympathizing with her, and finally because of this "humanity", finding his soul again. He was no longer a cold, heartless killing machine, and began to have his own likes and dislikes.

    He decided to avenge the girl, but not for money, rather to protect her.

    The girl''s life should not be like this, herter years ought to be bright and radiant, not wasting away behind bars.

    The assassin changed ns, not wanting the girl involved. He embarked alone.

    Before leaving, he left her a bouquet of unnamed wildflowers, as a goodbye.

    The book contained no confessions, no sensationalism. The ending was as orthodox as could be. The criminal''s misdeeds were brought to light, and the assassin paid with his life for the blood on his hands.

    The girl''s life went on.

    She returned to normal life, went to university, and it was all over.

    Jian Jing wrote thest 30,000 words in a week. Shepleted it in one go each time, but looking back, still felt her skills werecking, unable to fully capture the turmoil in her heart with just a few strokes.

    But the word count could only decrease, not increase.

    Too explicit, too passionate, the traces would be too obvious, as if impatient to spoonfeed the reader mouthfuls of sharine sweetness, cloyingly sweet.

    Then what about subtly rolling surges? Like a diamond, colorless yet dazzling brilliant, wouldn''t that be even more touching?

    No, that wouldn''t work either.

    There was no such deep love after all.

    Diamonds form under high temperature and pressure, only after being hammered hundreds of times could they be created. They hadn''t even expressed any affection, how could their love be stronger than diamonds?

    Love was not so casual and cheap, readily avable.

    Jian Jing thought, it should be dewdrops instead.

    Strolling through the forest at dawn, a dewdrop falling on the tip of her nose by chance, translucent and pure, transient and illusory, gone in a sh, leaving just a faint trace on her cheek.

    Cool and moist, very beautiful yet also sad.

    Such encounters stemmed from coincidence, never to happen again.

    Jian Jing deleted and revised until the moment she finished the manuscript, when she finally put it down.

    She did regret itter on. If she had known his illness rpsed, she shouldn''t have said so much nonsense, just taken him to a hospital, maybe he could''ve been saved.

    But on second thought, she felt there was no meaning to it.

    Xie Wei had deliberately neglected his own illness, allowing himself to be swallowed by darkness.

    He had lived too wearily.

    For ten years, he had borne too much. Even with his poprity today, time could not turn back to 2010. Many people and things had be set in stone, irreversible.

    He persevered until today, just to prove he had not let anyone down, and was worthy of others'' care and trust.

    With his goal achieved, he could finally rx.

    He could no longer move forward.

    Jian Jing could not forget the hint of relief in his smile before he passed away.

    Itforted her somewhat, knowing that in that moment, he was happy and carefree.

    She sent the first draft to Kang Mu Cheng.

    Kang Mu Cheng already knew her ns, it didn''t seem odd then. But looking back carefully at the manuscript, his heart lurched.

    He knew Jian Jing too well.

    If nothing had happened, she would never have been able to write such delicate, gentle passages.

    Thinking this, the words on the manuscript seemed to dance about, he couldn''t focus on reading them at all. He deliberated for a long time before calling Director Huang.

    "Director Huang, yes, this is Kang Mu Cheng." His tone was calm. "Nothing, just letting you know the contract is done, shouldn''t be a problem. How are things on your end?"

    Director Huang had a bellyful of bitterness: "I was going to rmend Xie Wei, and got Flying Birds to finally agree, but then he...sigh, now I''m at a loss too."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "What happened with Xie Wei?"

    "His depression rpsed." Director Huang didn''t know much more than others. "He looked fine before, who could''ve expected him to be gone in the blink of an eye."

    He sighed for a long time, before suddenly asking: "By the way, is Jian Jing okay? I see she hasn''t posted anything on Weibo or Momentstely, is she alright?"

    Sometimes, the biggest irregrity was nothing happening at all. Director Huang wasn''t stupid either, or rather, their instincts were sharper than anyone''s.

    Perhaps everyone had noticed the subtlety between Jian Jing and Xie Wei when they left the hotel that day.

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "She''s been busy writing a new book, why do you ask?"

    Director Huang hesitated for a bit, thinking the less said the better: "No reason, just randomly asking. As long as she''s fine."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t probe further, but he understood in his heart already.

    Xie Wei.

    After he left, what happened between Jian Jing and Xie Wei?

    *

    Ding dong - while Jian Jing was watching Xie Wei''sst movie, the doorbell rang.

    She thought it was Kang Mu Cheng, but the video showed an obese, orange cat face instead.

    Jian Jingughed. She quickly opened the door: "Why is it you?"

    "Shh." Jiang BaiYan lowered his hat brim, one hand cradling the chubby Pudding, the other holdingrge and small bags. "Come in first."

    Jian Jing moved aside.

    He snuck in and finally breathed a sigh of relief, putting down the heavy cat cakes and shaking out his arms: "So heavy, Pudding gained another two catties, I''m going crazy."

    Jian Jing poured him water: "How did you know where I live?"

    "I asked Chairman Kang." Jiang BaiYan drank it all in one go, finally taking off his hat and wiping imaginary sweat. "Teacher Jian Jing, I''vee to beg you to save me."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "I''m going to film a drama in Ice City." Jiang BaiYan put his hands on his waist and sighed. "My friends used to help me feed Pudding before, but now they can''t. If left alone, it won''t move and just gets fatter. The doctor says it has to lose weight." He was reluctant to leave it at a pet hospital, so could only beg for help.

    He bowed ny degrees: "Teacher Jian Jing, please save me!"

    Jian Jing: "..." If they didn''t know better, they''d have thought he was entrusting an orphan.

    "I don''t know how to raise cats." She didn''t dislike cats, just didn''t know how to keep them.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "I''ve prepared the cat bed, litter box, scratching post, cat carriers, everything. I''ll go downstairs to get the cat litter and food from the car, it''ll definitely be fine."

    Jian Jing folded her arms: "What if I disagree?"

    Jiang BaiYan raised Pudding''s front paws, putting on a miserable and pleading expression: "Please, take me in."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "Please, I''m begging you," he lowered his voice humbly, with tears in his voice, "Our Pudding doesn''t make noise or trouble, he''s gentle and cute, and other than eating he has no other bad habits. You won''t find a more adorable cat than Pudding."

    Although she knew he was acting, Jian Jing still couldn''t helpughing. "Alright, alright."

    "Come on, Pudding, kowtow to your godmother." Jiang BaiYan pressed the cat''s head down, bump bump twice. The orange cat was really good-tempered, dumbly letting him manipte it, without even showing its ws.

    "Don''t bully Pudding." Jian Jing had already automatically taken on the role of guardian, unable to resist snatching the kitty and cuddling it in her arms, stroking it a few times.

    Jiang BaiYan: "Then I''ll go move the litter box."

    He obediently made two trips, moving the kitten''s litter box and food over, then started installing a cat tree, cing it against the wall: "Teacher Jingjing, you should let Pudding exercise more, he can go out for walks."

    Weighing the cat in her arms, Jian Jing agreed: "Alright."

    "I''ll be filming for about two months, I''lle back soon." Jiang BaiYan gave her his schedule.

    Jian Jing suddenly came back to her senses: "You took a new role?"

    She hadn''t been looking at her phone the past couple days, but she knew the battle over Devil 2 had already begun. Jiang BaiYan taking a role now was equivalent to giving up.

    "Yes." Jiang BaiYan didn''t make excuses, frankly admitting it.

    Jian Jing just said "Oh", withoutmenting further.

    But he continued speaking on his own: "Teacher doesn''t want to ask why?"

    "You must have your reasons," she said, "You don''t need to exin to me."

    Jiang BaiYan said: "But I want to exin."

    "Then go ahead," she smiled.

    Jiang BaiYan became serious: "Because, you already have the best demon, the best hunter." The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, "I can''tpare to him."

    Jian Jing shook her head: "Don''t say that, Xie Wei..." She thought for a moment, then earnestly said, "Good things take time, it took him ten years to attain his current acting skills. You''re only a few years old."

    The same goes for acting skills. Jiang BaiYan debuted young, started from a high point, and is currently popr, so having this level of acting is already not bad.

    But what about Xie Wei? He has experienced all kinds of cold and warmth in human rtionships, the vicissitudes of life.

    "I understand what you mean." Jiang BaiYan said, "But I don''t have a chance to surpass him anymore, right?"

    Jian Jing was silenced for a moment.

    "Then I''ll get going first, goodbye Teacher Jingjing." He didn''t drag things out, putting his hat back on and about to leave, but hesitated and said at the door, "Also..."

    After much deliberation, he finally painfully spoke: "Our Pudding''s...poop is a bit stinky, make sure to turn on the fan before cleaning it up."

    Jian Jing: "Pfft..."

    Jiang BaiYan fled in panic.

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101

    Life with a cat and life without a cat are worlds apart.

    A quiet day suddenly has so much more to do - scooping the litter box, feeding meals, less time on the phone in the bathroom because the cat monitors your bathroom breaks.

    When you sit at theputer to work, the cat crouches next to your hand and meows for cuddles.

    Jian Jing is grateful that Bing Bing was trained well, doesn''t like stepping on the keyboard or chewing wires. Other than knocking over a cup once, spilling water that ruined a mechanical keyboard, the cat hasn''t caused much trouble.

    She wonders how authors with cats manage to stay productive.

    All she wants to do is pet the cat rather than write.

    Everyday it''s "Bing Bing,e get cuddles" "Bing Bing, time to eat" "Bing Bing, let''s go downstairs."

    Then inevitably, sinister thoughts arise: if she lied that Bing Bing got lost, could she keep him for herself?

    Too bad Jiang BaiYan keeps close watch over his son, video calling daily to check in before he feels assured.

    Jian Jing teases "Are you afraid I''ll sell your Bing Bing?"

    Jiang BaiYan replies "Bing Bing isn''t worth any money, I''m just worried he''ll get adopted by someone else."

    This kid is just too smart.

    Jian Jing regretfully gives up her kidnapping scheme, just enjoying each day as ites.

    Then, March arrived.

    As spring warmed, temperatures gradually rose, clothing became lighter, the first cherry blossoms bloomed, filling the streets with the atmosphere of spring.

    Jian Jing received a wedding invitation.

    The wedding was for the daughter of Golden Crow''s vice president Ge, not only inviting close friends and family, but several top authors from the publishingpany were also invited.

    This was an unavoidable social asion that required attendance.

    Luckily the weather that day was sunny and clear, with just a few wispy clouds in the bright blue sky, neither too hot nor too cold, extremelyfortable.

    Jian Jing cleaned Bing Bing''s litter box and fed him ahead of time, leaving instructions for the hourly cleaner to feed him again at noon, before reluctantly leaving home.

    Kang Mu Cheng came to pick her up, and seeing her state, said "If you like cats so much, get one yourself."

    Jian Jing said "Better to steal than buy, better to kidnap than steal, but best to return what''s kidnapped."

    This was the first time in almost a month Kang Mu Cheng had seen her, and she seemed much better than he imagined. Her light makeup was neatly applied, looking almost bare-faced, just a touch of lip color still imparting a rosy glow.

    She wore a white blouse withce flounces, cinched at the waist with a brown leather belt, pulling in the loose top to entuate her slim figure. On top was a light coat. Below she paired martin boots, with bling bling charms dangling from the shafts, cute with a touch of rocker chic.

    It looked like a new spring outfit.

    Having the interest to buy new clothes meant things couldn''t be too bad.

    Kang Mu Cheng felt truly relieved, finally daring to bring up her new manuscript: "I read the new draft, the mystery element was done skillfully in your style, but the romance was unexpectedly good. To be honest, Jian Jing, I thought you would write like Xia Xing."

    Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing.

    "Her stories are popr, but the ws are also obvious, too fantastical, dream-like. Your story, though fictional, has a sense of authenticity rarely seen. How did you write this?" Kang Mu Cheng feigned calmness.

    Jian Jing deflected "When will you give feedback on revisions?"

    "I brought them today." Kang Mu Cheng handed her a file folder, then steered the conversation back "Recently in the group chat, Xu and other screenwriters are always discussing casting for Demon 2, but you rarely speak up."

    Jian Jing said "I''m not that interested."

    "Didn''t you want to rmend Jiang BaiYan before?" he asked.

    Jian Jing retorted "Wasn''t that your idea? Besides, he already declined himself."

    "You could suggest other candidates, any actors you like?"

    "Mr. Kang," Jian Jing turned to face him "Are you asking about Xie Wei?"

    Kang Mu Cheng hesitated, then said "You just met him recently, but he and Shao Meng died in quick session, then Tao Tao suddenly went mad, I''m a little worried."

    Jian Jing shook her head "I''m fine."

    They had only known each other briefly, how deeply could she grieve? But death imparted a glossy veil over every interaction, inevitably stirring sorrow.

    "Jian Jing," Kang Mu Cheng chose his words carefully "Maybe you could talk to me about it."

    She nced his way without responding.

    He added "Anything at all, I''ll listen."

    "No thanks." She declined decisively.

    Kang Mu Cheng was shocked "Why? I''ll keep it confidential, don''t you trust me?"

    "I don''t want to report on my personal state like in therapy." Jian Jing exined slowly "If Mr. Kang wants to chat with me, tell me about yourself first."

    Kang Mu Cheng was taken aback, hesitant.

    Jian Jing idly adjusted the rabbit brooch on her chest, serene.

    After a while, it seemed Kang Mu Cheng wanted to open up about something, but unustomed to confiding in her, hemmed and hawed for a long time without breaking through his inhibitions, awkwardly changing the subject "We''re here."

    Today''s wedding venue was a private club not open to the public, designed like an English castle, only hosting weddings and other events for utmost privacy.

    As the car passed through the iron gates, a building like Huckley Castle from Downton Abbey came into view.

    Vastwns, exquisitely trimmed gardens, ready to serve as a backdrop for idol dramas. But now, the gardens were upied by white silk and enormous sprays of fresh flowers, the arbors festooned with colorful balloons, dream-like.

    Jian Jing signed in at the entrance, contributed 8888 yuan, receiving a gift in return.

    Curious what they were giving out, she immediately tore it open.

    A bottle of Gurmelune perfume, a Chanel lipstick, two handmade choctes.

    She nced at Kang Mu Cheng''s gift set - a lighter, cologne, and biscotti.

    "Let me have that." Without even asking, she took the cookies and tucked them in her bag.

    Kang Mu Cheng gave them over, murmuring "Just like a child."

    Though she hadn''t asked for them.

    Since given, she epted them into her bag.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s gaze softened "Stay with me, we''ll go greet the hosts."

    Jian Jing obeyed.

    Vice President Ge''s surname was Nie, known as President Nie, a rather handsome middle-aged man. Though no longer young, he kept himself in good shape, standing tall and straight. Thanks to a life of luxury, there were few wrinkles on his face.

    "Mu Cheng is here." President Nie oversaw publishing distribution at Golden Crow, less familiar with Jian Jing, exchanging brief pleasantries "This is Teacher Jian right? Thank you for attending my daughter''s wedding."

    "President Nie, hello." Jian Jing smoothly fell into her usual wallflower role.

    President Nie had worked at Golden Crow over a decade, quite close with Kang Mu Cheng, skipping small talk to say "Rong Rong is with her mom, you haven''t seen each other in a while right?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said "Over two years since we met."

    "Seeing you, she''ll definitely be thrilled." President Nie beamed "Go see her, lots of Rong Rong''s pretty and lively friends came today. You''re two years older than Rong Rong, better hurry up yourself."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed "Yes, I know."

    Jian Jing hid herughter, indeed nothing was more fearsome at weddings than being nagged about marriage.

    Eager to avoid President Nie ying matchmaker on the spot, Kang Mu Cheng hurriedly made excuses to leave and pay respects to today''s bride.

    The bride and her mother awaited in the dressing room, surrounded by a dozen girls, the center of attention.

    "Auntie Ge, Rong Rong." Kang Mu Cheng greeted the familiar elders.

    As custom dictated, Mrs. Ge today wore a red cheongsam, but the fine material and expert tailoring kept it from looking gaudy, instead exuding luxury and celebration.

    Seeing Kang Mu Cheng, she was utterly delighted "Mu Cheng,e sit." And told her daughter "Rong Rong, you haven''t seen Mu Cheng in so long right?"

    The bride had already changed into her wedding gown, the soft sheer white satin carefully wrapped around her slender form, the long train trailing elegantly behind like petals on a blossom.

    "Brother Mu Cheng." The bride Rong Rong smiled brightly "Thank you foring to my wedding."

    Kang Mu Cheng also dropped his usual solemn manner at social functions, smiling slightly "I haven''t seen you in so long, and suddenly you''re getting married. I heard the groom is the younger son of the Fang family?"

    Mrs. Ge nodded effusively "That''s right, has Mu Cheng met him before?"

    "Maybe briefly, not too familiar."

    By simply looking through the list of the top 100 richest people in the country, it is easy to see that the top industries represented are Inte, real estate, electronics, pharmaceuticals, machinery, food, apparel, and media.

    The Fang family, as their name suggests, made their fortune in real estate. Twenty years ago, they were ranked in the top 20 richest families in the country.

    But that was twenty years ago. Times have changed.

    Yet everyone needs the basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, so the real estate industry remains resilient. The Fang family is still absolutely one of the most prominent wealthy families in China.

    Of course, the wealth belongs to the whole n. The groom that RongRong is marrying today is only the youngest son of the Fang family. His father is still alive and he has older siblings. Fortunately, he has made something of himself, founding a very sessful chain of boutique hotels.

    It is thetest red-hot hospitality brand, this groom''s business venture.

    Mrs. Nie is very satisfied with her soon-to-be son-inw.

    And now that her own daughter is taken care of, she is eager to y matchmaker for others. Mrs. Nie''s gaze sweeps over the bridesmaids until itnds decisively on her favorite: "Little Chun, do Auntie a favor and show him around."

    She says to Kang Mu Cheng, "You''re a grown man, surely you don''t want to sit here chatting with me. We have lots of guests today, go mingle and make some new friends."

    But Kang Mu Cheng declines, "My mother won''t arrive until this evening. I''d like to keep youpany for a while."

    Having built hispany to where Chairman Kang is today, making money is no longer his top priority. Most of the day-to-day operations have been handed off to his son. He focuses now on cultural outreach, frequently hosting events abroad to boost his reputation.

    And that''s where JinWu is today, preparing to meet with foreign royalty. Their schedules are set months in advance, so she couldn''t possibly make it back in time.

    "That''s alright, the Chairman can video call in," Mrs. Nie says with an unconcernedugh. "No more stalling, off you go. If you don''t leave soon none of our girls will get any work done."

    The bridesmaidsugh in agreement.

    Having failed to find an excuse, Kang Mu Cheng reluctantly rises to his feet.

    The bridesmaid Chun takes a nervous breath and smiles warmly as she leads the way. "The groom''s party is in the garden. We just have to go around this way."

    They head downstairs from the bridal prep room, cut through the event hall, and exit out the back door into the sprawling, open-air garden. Flowers arch overhead to form galleries and arbors over the emeraldwn.

    Bubble machines continuously puff translucent orbs into the air, refracting rainbows of light in the sunshine. The air is sweet with the scent of desserts, teasing everyone''s noses as the spring breeze passes by.

    Guests mingle and snap photos, while children run about swinging helium balloons.

    Jian Jing sits tucked away in a corner, taking some pictures and scrolling through her phone. The mellow sunshine seeps away the lingering winter chill from her skin.

    Perhaps because of her shrewd choice of seats, she''s backed by a row of flower trellises. Many people seem to appreciate the privacy of this little corner for hushed conversations.

    For instance, the two men currently professing their affections just a few feet away.

    Man A says, "I heard you''re going on blind dates?"

    Man B replies, "My mom insists, I have no choice."

    A asks, "Why don''t you juste out to them?"

    B answers, "I''m the only child, I have to carry on the family line, there''s no way around it."

    A scoffs bitterly, "That''s it?"

    B pleads, "You have to understand my position."

    A snaps, "Fine, if that''s how it is, go on your dates and get married. We''re through."

    B recoils in shock, "How can you be so heartless?"

    Jian Jing listens intently, thinking to herself that this is a perfect start to a BL romance story.

    But the tale takes an abrupt turn down mysteryne when another groomsman in a ck suit hurriedly approaches and asks in a hushed voice, "Have either of you seen Fang Yan?"

    Fang Yan is the groom''s name.

    "No, what''s going on?" A asks.

    The third man takes a deep breath, tone ominous, "He''s gone missing."

    Jian Jing thinks: *gasp* plot twist!

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    Nothing is more exciting at weddings than three things: the bride or groom goes missing, a child suddenly ims kinship, or a little video suddenly starts ying on the big screen.

    Jian Jing hadn''t been to a wedding in a long time. She didn''t expect to hit the jackpot on her first time back.

    She pricked up her ears and eavesdropped quietly.

    The whispering groomsman was very shocked: "What do you mean? Where did he go?"

    The reporting groomsman replied impatiently while kneading his eyebrows: "How would I know? He suddenly said he wanted to be alone for a while, but when I went to look for him just now, he wasn''t in the room and didn''t answer his phone."

    "Could it be..." The other groomsmen hesitated and guessed the soap opera-level twist, "He''s getting cold feet?"

    The others were silent.

    Things like this have happened before.

    "It''s 9:30 now. The ceremony officially starts at 11. We have an hour and a half to find that damned guy and bring him back." The reporting groomsman said coldly, looking around anxiously.

    Sunlight turned, projecting onto something. A ray of brilliance shed through the emerald leaves of the flower rack.

    The spot of light was too close. His suspicions arose and he made a quiet gesture with his hand, then suddenly yanked the flowers off the shelf. The lilies and peonies were torn apart by him, revealing the eavesdropper behind the rack.

    He circled around and questioned her, "Who are you?"

    Although the girl in front of him was quite attractive, men of his background had long been immune to beauty. At least a face alone wouldn''t make him lose his head. On the contrary, he was very wary of this young woman who had appeared out of nowhere.

    "Why were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" His tone was very unfriendly.

    Jian Jing said, "I was here first."

    The other clearly didn''t believe her and pressed aggressively, "Who brought you here? Which family are you from?"

    One should return courtesy for courtesy. Jian Jing hadn''t intended to cause trouble, but since the other didn''t know how to speak nicely, she naturally didn''t want to apologize obsequiously. Her expression suddenly turned indifferent, "If you continue being rude to me, I''ll spread the word that the groom is missing."

    "Are you threatening us?" Another groomsman couldn''t hold back and sneered coldly, "Do you know who we are?"

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows.

    But the leading groomsman, Lu, held up his hand to stop his friend. His face suddenly changed as he became extremely sincere, "Miss, although I don''t know who you are, you''ve undoubtedlye for the wedding. If you spread this around, it wouldn''t look good for either the Fang or Nie families, and no one would thank you for it, right?"

    Abnormal behavior betrays a guilty conscience.

    Jian Jing was very curious what they were up to, "So?"

    "My surname is Lu. I''m the groom''s good friend," the groomsman introduced himself. "If you help us out today, I''ll take you out for a meal afterward."

    "Wow," Jian Jing made an exaggerated expression of insincerity, "A free meal? Do I look like a beggar starving for food?"

    Impatience shed through Lu Groomsman''s eyes, but he concealed it. "Then what do you want?"

    "I just want to bask in the sun," she said. "Please, go do whatever you need to do. Don''t block my sun."

    However, the three men exchanged a look, clearly distrustful.

    Lu looked at her and said, "It''s settled then. Come with us."

    She got up slowly, seemingly reluctant, but when they quickened their pace, she kept right up instead of falling behind.

    Humph, acting unwilling when her body is very honest. She''s clearly another woman trying to climb the socialdder.

    Lu thought disdainfully of her, not even ncing her way as he strode directly into the groom''s waiting room. The fourth groomsman already in the room anxiously asked when he saw them return, "Well? Did you find him?"

    "No sign of him," Lu frowned. "I''ve looked everywhere. No trace and no cameras here."

    The club emphasized privacy, with no surveince except at the entrance and parking lot, ensuring guests'' privacy and safety. But now, this had be an obstacle in finding the person.

    The waiting groomsman hesitated, "Actually, I don''t think we need to worry too much. Yan Ge takes marriage very seriously. Doesn''t seem like the type to leave someone at the altar. Maybe something came up and he stepped out for a bit."

    "What if that''s not the case? Could you or I bear that loss of face?" Lu thought about it and felt he couldn''t keep this matter down. He pointed at Groomsman B, "Go report this to Fang Da."

    Groomsman B, who seemed only focused on continuing the family line, obediently went to deliver the news upon hearing the order.

    Groomsman A said, "While no one''s here, let''s be honest. It''s because of that woman, right?"

    Lu asked, "Which woman?"

    The waiting groomsman said, "Xiao Rou? That can''t be right. Yan Ge broke up with her a long time ago. What ability does she have to make Yan Ge not even get married and run away?"

    Lu demanded, "Exin clearly to me, who is she?"

    "She''s said to be an ex-girlfriend from three, four years back. They only recently broke up. She''s been clingy about making Yan Ge marry her," Groomsman A said. "Cousin, you know that''s impossible. She''s made some ugly scenes over it.

    Lu asked, "Did any of you see her today?"

    Both A and the waiting groomsman answered, "No."

    The atmosphere stagnated for a moment.

    A whileter, Lu finally said, "Forget why he ran off for now. Let''s focus on finding the guy first." He organized his thoughts, "His car is still here so he didn''t get far on just his legs. Someone must have helped him. Of today''s guests, is anyone else missing?"

    A said, "Let me check the sign-in sheet."

    "Okay." Lu hesitated then told the waiting groomsman, "Find someone reliable to check where that Xiao Rou is. Don''t let this really be an ugly scandal."

    The waiting groomsman hastily agreed.

    With everyone assigned tasks, Lu finally sat down to massage his temples and contemte their next steps.

    Just then, he saw Jian Jing turn around the room twice before climbing onto the window sill and slipping out. The mes of anger rose within him and he dashed forward, reaching out to grab her in one big swipe.

    In his imagination, he should have been able to seize her leaf-cored blouse easily like an eagle catching a chick, and haul her back.

    Then he would look down condescendingly at her and warn coldly, "Don''t cause trouble."

    But reality was cruel.

    The instant he rushed forward, she neatly sidestepped his hand. At the same time, she stretched out her arm and grabbed his tie with pinpoint uracy.

    With his throat gripped, even a tall man didn''t dare struggle rashly. Lu was forced to bend down and meet the gaze of the girl sitting on the nted window sill.

    "What are you trying to do?" she asked.

    Lu had never been so humiliated before. He firmly sped her slender wrist, wanting to pry her hand off.

    Theoretically, with his height and weight, overpowering a young girl should have been easy. Their muscles were always soft and spongy. Her punches on his body would feel no different than a massage.

    Unfortunately, this was another misjudgment.

    She didn''t budge an inch. Rather, she tightened her grip, furtherpressing his throat with the tie.

    Ufortable, extremely ufortable.

    Lu was furious inside but revealed a friendly smile on his face. He held up his hands to indicate he meant no harm.

    As expected, the girl loosened her hold on him.

    "I was just worried you would fall down," he gently exined his actions as if his earlier roughness had all been an illusion.

    Jian Jing didn''t believe a word of it. She turned and slipped out the window, circling around the back.

    Lu asked, "What are you doing?"

    "The groom left through the window. I want to check his path," Jian Jing exined.

    Lu raised his eyebrows, keeping hisposure, "Oh? How do you know?"

    "There are cookie crumbs on the carpet that got on his shoes," Jian Jing lifted her chin to indicate the window sill, where ttened cookie pieces were also stuck firmly to the marble edge.

    Lu looked back and forth several times before noticing this detail. Was it normal for people to pay attention to such tiny things? Especially when she was near-sighted.

    Could she be an aplice who was left behind deliberately as an inside informant?

    His suspicions grew. He probed, "Then tell me, where did he go?"

    Jian Jing said, "I don''t know, let''s look around."

    Today she was attending a wedding and didn''t bring a magnifying ss, so she could only squat on the ground and slowly look around. Unfortunately, the weather today was sunny with a light breeze, and the particles scattered on the ground had long been blown away without a trace, leaving nothing to search for.

    But this was not the end.

    Jian Jing recalled the floor n of the club in her mind.

    The exterior of this building was Gothic architecture, but the interior structure was not asplex as a real castle, after all it was a business and too many twists and turns would inconvenience guests.

    The overallyout was a "concave" character, with four floors total.

    Fourth floor: two superrge suites, game room, gym, small dance hall, etc.

    Third floor:rge and small suites and bedrooms.

    Second floor:

    Balcony....Waiting Room......Waiting Room..Balcony

    Terrace...Rest Area...Public Hallway...Rest Area..Terrace

    Stairs...Dressing Room...Huge Dining Room...Dressing Room..Stairs

    First floor:

    .........Front Garden.........

    ....Corridor.............Corridor....

    Kitchen..Coffee Shop...Huge.....Small Lounge..Kitchen

    Room....Western Restaurant...Banquet Hall...Chinese Restaurant..Room

    ..........Lawn.......Lawn..........

    .........Back Garden.........

    The groom''s waiting room was on the right side. Jian Jing climbed out the window and arrived at the balcony, or the sky garden. There were some rattan tables and chairs here, and the male side''s guests were chatting idly.

    She poked her head out and saw someone smoking, so she didn''t go over and returned to the waiting room instead.

    Lu Groomsman followed her the whole way. Seeing here back, he couldn''t help ridiculing: "Not looking anymore?"

    "You all came here for the first time today right? He''s not familiar with theyout, so choosing to climb out the window first proves he didn''t want to be discovered. But he didn''t expect there to be quite a few people on the balcony, so he likely chose toe back." Jian Jing analyzed the groom''s psychological process at the time and returned to the waiting room.

    The waiting room connected to the rest area and dressing room. She walked all the way inside to the dressing room window, where she discovered some cookie crumbs under the window.

    "He went out this way." She climbed out the dressing room window and arrived at the corner of the second floor.

    This club was very considerate of guests. There were two staircases on the second floor. Usually everyone took the two big staircases by the public hallway up front. At the same time, they also quietly built a narrow little staircase in a hidden ce.

    The door was also hidden, concealed behind a trellis of vines, and wouldn''t normally be discovered at a nce.

    But this little trick was certainly not enough to escape Jian Jing''s observational skills.

    She pushed open the door and walked in, thinking to herself that she''d heard Versailles Pce had many secret passages for the king and his mistresses to secretly meet. This club had learned the essence, providing plenty of convenience for cheating.

    Lu Groomsman followed her downstairs, unable to refrain from asking again: "How did you know there was a staircase here?"

    "Because I have eyes."

    Lu Groomsman was speechless, extremely unhappy.

    But his best quality was grasping the key point. No matter where she came from or what she wanted to do, the most urgent task was finding the groom. For that, he could endure anything else.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103

    The narrow, steep secret stairs took a full five minutes to descend despite their brisk, intermittent pace.

    Halfway down, the impatient Lu Groomsman went ahead alone, only to double back after a few minutes. "Which way did you go after the elevator?"

    Jian Jing: "..." If it wasn''t more entertaining than waiting idly for the wedding feast, she wouldn''t bother dealing with this kind of person.

    "Am I omniscient?" Irritated, she walked to the stairwell entrance and looked around.

    Lu Groomsman said, "The kitchen and ballroom are ahead, also crowded areas. Thewn is behind, even more people. Where do you think he went, like you said?"

    Granted, his learning ability was first-rate.

    Jian Jing paced near the entrance for a while before resolutely heading toward the kitchen.

    The club''s kitchen was divided into Western and Chinese sections. The Western kitchen was open with less oil fumes, connecting to the Western restaurant. The Chinese kitchen resembled those in regr hotels, separated from the Chinese restaurant by a hallway.

    Adjacent was a small path hidden behind foliage, exclusively for food trucks and refrigerated vehicles, avoiding customer foot traffic.

    Today was a wedding, so the nning team was busy checking delivered items. Cars came and went incessantly.

    Jian Jing stood in the corner thinking hard for a long time before suddenly going to the roadside and parting the bushes lining it.

    On the third bush, she pulled out a silver-gray suit and shook it. "Is this the groom''s outfit?"

    Lu Groomsman rushed over and took it to inspect closely. Sure enough, the material of this suit had a unique fluid shine under sunlight, matching the bride''s wedding dress.

    "It''s his." Brow furrowed, he asked, "Why is it here?"

    "Too conspicuous." Jian Jing said, "He intentionally avoided people''s sight by taking off his jacket."

    Lu Groomsman had no time to quibble with her now.

    The groom had apparently left voluntarily, which wouldn''t make finding him easy.

    "There are family members of both sides greeting guests at the entrance. He couldn''t have gone out the front door without his car moving." Lu Groomsman looked toward the food trucks. "Did he leave in one of them?"

    Jian Jing threw up her hands. "Possibly. Alright, I''m going back now."

    She turned to leave, but Lu Groomsman refused to let go so easily. Grabbing her arm, he said, "Wait."

    "Let go." She nced at his hand.

    Her body reacted first. Lu Groomsman reflexively released his grip and asked, "You''re not looking anymore?"

    "What''s there to look for?" Jian Jing retorted. "It''s his choice to leave. Why should I interfere?"

    She only helped search because she was bored waiting. Now that the groom had voluntarily left, whatever his reasons, it was his freedom. Why should she get involved?

    Lu Groomsman had no rebuttal. He apanied her back silently.

    Unlike the groom, they had no need to avoid crowds, so they directly entered the first floor lobby rather than taking the small stairs again.

    "Lu Yu." A middle-aged man ahead called out to him in a low voice. "Xiao Yan''s missing?"

    Lu Groomsman nodded.

    The middle-aged man sucked in a breath, expression odd.

    Lu Groomsman sighed. "Brother, he left voluntarily. Just give me guidance on how to proceed."

    "Left voluntarily?" The other was stunned briefly. "What happened?"

    Lu Groomsman nced at Jian Jing, repeating the earlier deduction.

    The middle-aged man was quite polite, extending a hand. "Miss, I''m the groom''s elder brother. You''re the bride''s friend, yes? May I ask your surname?"

    "Jian Jing." She tapped her fingertips to his.

    Fang Da was very courteous. "So it''s Miss Jian. Thank you for your help today. Please excuse theughable situation."

    She reciprocated his courtesy. "It was nothing. No need to stand on ceremony. I''ll be going now if there''s nothing else."

    "Miss Jian," Fang Da said, "A wedding is no joke. We''ll resolve this as quickly as possible, but can you please keep this confidential for now?"

    Jian Jing readily agreed. "No problem."

    "Much appreciated for understanding." Fang Da''s tone was very sincere.

    Jian Jing had no intention of lingering. She nodded at them and turned to leave.

    She could already smell the coffee.

    After ordering a cherry blossom coffeeˇŞpretty but not that tastyˇŞshe sat in the veranda-facing area, pondering the groom''s disappearance today.

    Although she told Lu Groomsman that the groom had left voluntarily, many bizarre details remained.

    In the groom''s waiting room, the refreshments like water and snacks were provided by the club, visibly ced everywhere, but one thing stood out oddly.

    Under the coffee table was a red paper slip.

    The surface was red while the inside was white, but it allowed speckles of red dots to show through, a cheap materialmonly used at weddings.

    Logically, red paper wasn''t out of ce at a wedding, but today''s ceremony was Western-style, predominantly white, with almost no traditional colors seen.

    So what was this red paper used to wrap? Lying under the table which held water cups and cookie crumbs, the groom must have sat there a while.

    She guessed that perhaps the item wrapped in red paper led the groom to resolutely leave.

    What could it be?

    Jian Jing imagined some family drama scenarios. She figured today''s wedding would likely be cancelled. But reality was just realityˇŞat eleven o''clock, the ceremony started on time.

    The missing groom appeared bright and spirited, holding the bride''s hand before the officiant, smiling ear to ear.

    Jian Jing: "???"

    Did you just leave for fun?

    Utterly confused, but the groom''s return was ultimately good since the bride avoided losing face before so many rtives and friends.

    The rich''s weddings had no real differences in procedure frommoners''ˇŞthe officiant, a prominent tycoon, joined the new couple in matrimony, then they exchanged rings and kissed each other''s cheeks.

    The banquet began.

    Tables lined the veranda, ventted yet warm. Guests sat on both sides of the solid wood tables with fragrant floral arrangements in between, very elegant and grand.

    The courses were also very Western, including appetizers, soup, sides, mains and desserts, with champagne and red wine, sublime taste.

    Jian Jing''s honest review: pretty delicious.

    The guests ate while the newlyweds went around toasting. Jian Jing''s table were all Golden Crow''s authors, rtions long distant, so they each lightly sipped once to get it over with.

    While toasting, Jian Jing specifically observed the groom.

    Handsome and well-built, wearing a Patek Philippe watch with what seemed like a rather loose wristband. Also, the style looked vaguely familiar.

    But before she could scrutinize further, the groom pulled his bride away.

    Only Lu Groomsman was a step slower. He faced her with a strange smile, raising his ss. "Miss Jian, I''ll finish this. You do as you like." Then he downed the half ss of red wine in one go, shing the empty bottom at her.

    Yet Jian Jing looked confused and puzzled. "Excuse me, you are...?"

    Lu Groomsman choked. Remembering he''d asked her to keep it confidential, he didn''t dare refute and introduced himself. "Lu Yu."

    "Nice to meet you." Jian Jing nodded and sat down.

    Lu Groomsman was stuck there, unable to advance or retreat. Unwilling to easily let her off, he deliberately offered his business card. "Here''s my card. May I get your contact info?"

    Jian Jing looked apologetic. "Sorry, I''m only here for the wedding today. It''s inappropriate to give autographs."

    Lu Groomsman: "..." This woman!

    Jian Jing then asked, "Would you like to sit and eat with us?"

    Grr, foiled. With his n failed, Lu Groomsman didn''t persist. "No need," he said coldly and strode off tempestuously as if someone owed him a billion dors.

    A nearby author remarked, "That''s the young master of the Lu family, right? Impressive, a real rich second gen!"

    Jian Jing responded especially calmly, "Don''t know him. The groomsmen all look simr."

    "He''s the most handsome," everyone dutifullymented.

    Jian Jing neither agreed nor denied it.

    After lunch, the wedding banquet was over. The newlyweds'' rtives and close friends would linger to chat and take photos before the second family banquet dinner.

    Jian Jing was not acquainted with the bride at all, so she prepared to leave after eating.

    But Kang Mu Cheng seemed to have met a friend. The two sat alone in a caf¨¦ corner, speaking softly about something that appeared to be business.

    Unwilling to disturb them, and not wanting to hitch a ride, she idly strolled the backyard garden, digesting food and passing time.

    About an hourter, she bumped into a rushed Lu Groomsman.

    He saw her, and immediately said, "You are here."

    Jian Jing was very surprised. This guy was full of the arrogance of a young master, but at this moment, his face was solemn, and his every move revealed urgency.

    "Miss Jian, do you have time? The groom''s father wants to see you." He said in a low voice, "Please be sure to give him this face."

    The groom''s father wants to see her, could it be that the groom has run away again?

    Jian Jing became interested, but had to ask first: "What''s the matter?"

    "You''ll know when you go." Lu Groomsman grabbed her arm, his five fingers gripped her like iron pliers, and said loudly, "Miss Jian, the bride asked you toe take photos!"

    At the same time, another burly groomsman also came over, lightly patting her back to cut off her way of retreat.

    Jian Jing frowned: "What do you mean by this?"

    "Sorry for the offense." Lu Groomsman''s expression was solemn. "I''ll apologize to Miss Jianter."

    They actually sent two groomsmen to find her, and were so aggressive. This was really unusual. Jian Jing thought for a while, didn''t make a fuss, and obediently stepped out.

    Lu Groomsman breathed a sigh of relief, and led her away quickly.

    In the waiting room, Jian Jing met the groom''s father, who was also the chairman of Fang Group. He was probably in his sixties, but very well maintained, with ck hair and smooth skin without many age spots.

    "Miss Jian, hello, I''m Fang Liming, the groom''s father." Chairman Fang spoke neither hastily nor slowly, not showing any anxiety or panic at all. No one could hear any emotion in his words. "I''m really sorry to bother you like this, but I have no other choice."

    Jian Jing asked, "May I ask what happened?"

    "My child is dead." A trace of grief appeared in Chairman Fang''s eyes. "On a day like this, it''s not convenient for me to call the police. I want to ask you to help investigate who killed him."

    Jian Jing paused, and decisively refused: "I''m sorry, I don''t have the qualifications to investigate. You should call the police."

    She was joking. There must be countless intrigues in a wealthy family. She was not rted to the Fangs, and although she was interested in detective work, she didn''t want to get involved. Moreover, withoutw enforcement qualifications, investigating cases was inappropriate.

    But Chairman Fang had clearlye prepared: "Miss Jian, you''re being too modest. You helped me find Xiaoyan before, and I asked around among friends. You''ve helped the police solve quite a few cases."

    His tone was not domineering at all, but anyone could hear his determination and insistence.

    This was an arrangement, not a discussion. He expected you to be grateful instead of bargaining.

    Jian Jing did not buy into this: "As you said, I helped."

    "Today''s matter cannot be made public. You are the most suitable person." Chairman Fang stared into her eyes. "Both I and Rong Rong''s father trust you."

    Jian Jing said, "I''m not familiar with President Nie."

    "But you are familiar with Chairman Jinwu, aren''t you?" Chairman Fang calmly pointed out the key. "I''ve talked to Kang Lei on the phone. Do you want to ask her?"

    Kang Lei was the name of President Kang.

    "I see. You''re asking me for help, but actually threatening me." Jian Jing smiled and said, "I''m a contracted author of Jinwu, not an employee. The president won''t order me like this."

    She took out her phone and asked, "Shall I call now and ask? What do you think?"

    She didn''t understand President Kang''s personality, but no boss of anypany would be stupid enough to agree to this.

    Besides, for President Kang to build his business from nothing to what it was today, he must absolutely not be someone whopromises easily. Even if it was Kang Mu Cheng, upon hearing such a request, he would refuse outright. At most, as a junior, he might refuse a bit more tactfully.

    Chairman Fang was just bullying her for looking young and na?ve, forcing her with his power and status.

    Shameless.

    Chairman Fang looked at her steadily for a while, then suddenlyughed. His face was full of appreciation as he said, "Very good, Miss Jian is really smart and capable. Please don''t mind, although I heard from friends that you are very capable, you are so young, which makes me uneasy."

    He breezed over his coercion just now, and started appealing to her emotions: "Miss Jian, please understand a father''s pain at the loss of his son. I''m sending off someone of the younger generation."

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104

    Jian Jing finally agreed to the Fang Dong''s request. However, it was neither because she was afraid of him, nor because she was moved by his fatherly love for her. It was because the system had issued a new quest.

    [New Quest Issued]

    [Quest Name: The Secret of the Wedding]

    [Quest Description: Cherry blossoms fill the air in spring''s bloom, the white wedding is supposedly a joyous event, yet why must it be tainted with traces of crimson? Whose woeful song rings out in mourning? Please uncover the truth.]

    [Quest Rewards: Sess grants +30 Courage, Failure has no penalty]

    The heavens and earth are grand, but gacha is greatest.

    Jian Jing requested to examine the corpse first.

    Fang Dong nced left and right before nodding at Lu Groomsman, "Xiao Yu, you''ll have to take one for the team today and apany Miss Jian to take a look around, help keep things under wraps."

    Lu Groomsman eyed her briefly before nodding, "Fine, leave it to me."

    A satisfied expression crossed Fang Dong''s face. See, this was the kind of response he wanted. Usually he would never use a rash young girl like Jian Jing.

    But they had no choice, she was one of Jin Wu''s people, he couldn''t just silence her. All he could do was make full use of her abilities. It would be a pleasant surprise if she really was as clever as that brat Lu Yu imed.

    ˇŞˇŞNo matter how the powers that be looked down on her from on high, Jian Jing did not care one whit.

    The moment she stepped onto the scene, she switched into deduction mode.

    Twisting up her hair, she took shoe covers and gloves from her bag and put them on, before donning a disposable mask as well. Only then did she cautiously approach the corpse to begin her examination.

    The deceased was the groom.

    He was lying horizontally on the sofa, one hand dangling, the other resting on his abdomen. His head lolled to the side, seemingly fast asleep. However, the presence of rigor mortis and lividity indicated that the time of death was approximately 1-3 hours prior.

    Moreover, the lividity in this case was rather peculiar, its color was not the usual kind seen. Instead, it presented as a bluish-brownish purple.

    Jian Jing checked his fingernails and oral mucosa, discovering they too were purplish-blue.

    "Was this poisoning?" Lu Groomsman asked.

    She nodded, "Extremely typical symptoms of nitrite poisoning."

    Normally, ferrous iron in the human body binds with oxygen to form oxyhemoglobin. Oxygen binding with hemoglobin is loose, allowing it to transfer and release through the blood vessels. But nitrite ions in nitrites oxidize the ferrous iron in hemoglobin into ferric iron, forming methemoglobin. Methemoglobin cannot carry oxygen, impacting its release, leading to hypoxia and suffocation. (Note 1)

    Due to theck of oxygen, the blood takes on a dark brown color. Showing through the skin, it makes the lividity appear bluish-brownish purple, very easy to identify.

    "But this is just a preliminary judgement. An autopsy would be needed to confirm." Jian Jing said, "Aren''t you calling the police for an autopsy?"

    Lu Groomsman t out refused, "Not for now."

    "Just looking with your eyes won''t allow you to perform an autopsy. The cause of death won''t even be clear. Don''t think you can solve the case." Jian Jing rolled her eyes.

    Lu Groomsman asked, "Don''t you have any other methods?"

    She thought for a moment before replying, "For nitrite poisoning, the usual tests are for residue in food, vomit, stomach contents, and blood. If you don''t want an autopsy, then take the food here and blood for testing. That should work, right?"

    Lu Groomsman said, "That''s fine."

    "Then get me a syringe, hurry." Jian Jing immediately followed up, "Nitrites and methemoglobin in the blood break down quickly. It''ll be toote if you dy."

    At this time, Lu Groomsman demonstrated his capable side. He swiftly called for the club''s staff to deliver a medical kit.

    Their medical supplies were abundant ˇŞ who knows what they normally used it all for ˇŞ disposable syringes were no issue. Jian Jing drew a tube of the corpse''s blood, and had Lu Groomsman swiftly find someone to test it, along with samples of the drinks and foods left at the scene, and vomit she found in the bathroom.

    After finishing all this, half an hour had passed.

    Lu Groomsman gained new insight about Jian Jing. In this day and age, not many girls besides professionals knew how to examine corpses. He couldn''t help asking, "What''s next?"

    Jian Jing did not directly respond. Instead, she said, "For nitrite poisoning, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and such symptoms first ur. Then blood pressure drops, dizziness, headaches. As the degree of hypoxia increases, breathing difficulties,a, convulsions, copse. "

    She spoke very slowly, ensuring that Lu Groomsman could understand the meaning of each sentence.

    Only then did she bring up the key point: "The groom did not seem to have any issues when you were eating just now."

    Lu Groomsman looked at his watch and said, "After toasting with you all, he came back here to change. He was alone in the break room for a very long time."

    No wonder the groom had changed his clothes. Jian Jing nodded for him to continue.

    "He came back around 12, I think. We all went to eat, leaving him alone to rest." Lu Groomsman recalled the timeline, "Someone came back at 12:15, and knocked wanting to enter, but the door was locked. He said from inside that he wanted to nap, toe get him after an hour. So we didn''t bother him, until 1:30 when knocking didn''t get a response. I was afraid he had run off again, so I got someone to open the lock, and that''s when we discovered what happened."

    Jian Jing pondered briefly before frowning, "Nitrite poisoning symptoms usually ur within 10-15 minutes. But it''s not definite, it mainly depends on the method of poisoning. But death usually takes 1-2 hours. You didn''t notice anything abnormal?"

    Lu Groomsman said, "I''ll call that person over."

    Perhaps Fang Dong had instructed him, the other party was very cooperative, immediately hurrying over.

    Jian Jing recognized him as the previous groomsman left behind, directlybeling him Groomsman C, and said, "Describe the scene back then to me again."

    Groomsman C said, "I came back to change because my clothes were dirty. But the break room door was locked, so I called out a couple times. Big bro Ying inside told me he was sleeping, toe back in an hour. I could only leave."

    Jian Jing was exceptionally patient, "How did his voice sound?"

    Groomsman C hesitated, "A bit impatient, really curt. I didn''t say anything else and just left."

    Lu Groomsman red at him, just short of writing the words "No backbone" on his face.

    Jian Jing continued asking, "Other than his voice, did you hear any other sounds?"

    The body was discovered at 1:30. Lu Groomsman found her at 1:40. It was nearly 2:00 by the time she examined the corpse. The timeframe was too wide, making it difficult to determine the room''s circumstances around 12:15.

    Groomsman C thought back before shaking his head, "I didn''t pay attention."

    Jian Jing sighed. She could only ask, "Are you certain that the person speaking was the groom? You heard clearly?"

    "I''m sure, how could I mistake Big Bro Ying''s voice?" Groomsman C was unsatisfied.

    Only then did Jian Jing say, "Alright then, that''s all."

    Groomsman C nced at her, pretending to mutter under his breath but actually not lowering his voice at all, "Big Bro Yu, what was Uncle Fang thinking, getting a little girl to investigate. This is too unreasonable."

    Lu Groomsman looked askance at him, coldly saying, "Then go tell him that yourself."

    Groomsman C immediately looked awkward and beat a hasty retreat.

    Jian Jing jotted down the few time points in her little notebook, and began searching the scene.

    The scene...was aplete mess.

    The furniture was skewed every which way. A fruit tter was overturned on the ground, sliced fruits scattered everywhere. Two honeydew melons were trampled, leaving smears of juice all over the carpet. There were multiple footprints.

    "How many people came through here?" She was dumbfounded.

    Lu Groomsman said, "Of course everyone came after it happened. The bride straight up fainted. It was chaotic, I don''t remember clearly either."

    Jian Jing rubbed her temples and directly moved on, "How did the groom get back here?"

    "He came back himself." Lu Groomsman did not attempt to conceal anything. "He returned at 10:40. We asked where he had gone. He said he had some matters to deal with, and already resolved them. The wedding was about to start then, so we didn''t ask for details."

    Jian Jing probed very carefully, "I see his watch doesn''t seem to fit well, what happened there?"

    Lu Groomsman was shocked once more.

    It was easy to speak of attending to details, but few could truly aplish it. Of all the people he had met, only a handful had such skill. Thus, the sense of disdain the young master held towards ordinary girls gradually faded without him realizing.

    He answered, "The groom said he gave the watch to someone. Miss Jian, that watch was probably worth over a hundred thousand. It should have been enough to send someone away."

    Up to this point, Lu Groomsman still leaned towards the groom having gone to meet an ex-girlfriend.

    He knew of many examples where girlfriends who were broken up with cried endlessly, threatening to crash the wedding. Yet without exception they were all silenced by money.

    This time, Fang Yan was probably also like this, so he didn''t ask much more, and didn''t feel like he needed to ask more. On the contrary, out of cousinly love and tacit understanding between men, he took the initiative to help cover up the matter, and lent his coat to him.

    However, Jian Jing instinctively felt that something was wrong.

    Disappearing inexplicably, returning inexplicably, dying inexplicably.

    There were many mysteries surrounding the groom.

    Jian Jing thought it over and decided to re-examine the case from the beginning.

    The first people she asked were the groomsmen, Lu Yu, A (a resolute bachelor), B (a bachelor focused on continuing the family line), C (a groomsman who stayed behind) - the group of four.

    "What exactly happened before the groom disappeared today? Tell me everything in detail," she said.

    They looked at each other, and A spoke as the representative in the end.

    "Yesterday was the bachelor party. Aside from Brother Lu, we were at my house ying until around 3 AM when we went to sleep. Around 7 AM, Brother Lu came to my house, and we arrived here around 8 AM probably.

    "After we arrived, we mainly helped Fang Yan greet some rtives and friends, and took some photos. Around 9 AM when most of the guests had arrived, we tricked Fang Yan back into the lounge. Around 9:20 when we went to find him, he was gone."

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "Why did you have to trick him?"

    "It was a request from the bridesmaids'' side. They wanted to put on identical outfits and have Brother Fang guess which one was the real bride, and asked us to help out," exined Groomsman C.

    Jian Jing understood: "So between 9 and 9:20, none of you were with him, and you don''t know what happened?"

    They nodded.

    "Before that, did the groom receive anything?" asked Jian Jing.

    Groomsman Lu said, "You mean gifts? They''re all here."

    He brought Jian Jing into the lounge and opened the closet, revealing a built-in safe inside. After opening it, the safe was half-filled with gift boxes.

    Thergest box was no bigger than a notebook, and the smallest was only the size of a ring box.

    Groomsman Lu exined that many close rtives and friends had gifted wedding presents, which were generally small in size but high in value, so they were all put in the safe.

    Jian Jing examined the gifts one by one.

    There were fifteen gift boxes in total. The boxes were festive and high-end, packaged exquisitely, and had wedding congrattory cards tucked under the ribbons, signed with the givers'' names.

    "Is there a registry?" she asked.

    Groomsman Lu said, "What''s there to register? These are for the newlywed couple."

    Cash gifts were recorded to facilitate social rtionships, but gifts were given by close friends and rtives, so others shouldn''t and couldn''t pay too much attention, as long as the identities were marked clearly on the congrattory cards.

    Jian Jing nodded. She picked up each box to inspect it, but none of the fifteen gifts showed signs of being opened.

    However, at the bottom of the closet, there was an untied ribbon.

    This proved that one of the gifts had been opened.

    Jian Jing guessed that when the groom put the gifts into the safe, he noticed something strange about one of them, or some other reason, and directly opened it.

    The ribbon fell into the closet without him noticing. He took the gift box and sat down on the sofa to open it.

    It was this gift that made him decide to "disappear." When leaving, he took the gift box and gift with him without leaving any traces behind. In his flustered state, he didn''t notice the red paper falling to the ground, bing a loose end.

    Just now when she checked the waiting room, the red paper under the coffee table was gone.

    But when she checked the trash can, it was nowhere to be found.

    Whether it was the groom or someone else who disposed of it, it proved that there was something in the gift box that could expose something.

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105

    Jian Jing wrote down the main doubts in her notebook:

    1. How was the groom poisoned?

    Generally speaking, ordinary people get nitrite poisoning from eating food processed with the stuff, like cured meat and pickles. But what was the groom''s family background? How could he possibly have eaten such things??

    Even if he did eat it by ident, howe no one else got sick? Who could guarantee that the groom got the poisoned food out of all the dishes and drinks?

    2. When was he poisoned?

    Depending on the carrier, nitrites can take effect at different times. Eaten directly, symptoms appear in ten-odd minutes. But with vegetables, it could take up to 20 hours. In other words, he could have been poisoned as early as yesterday.

    3. What was the missing gift?

    What made the groom decide to disappear without telling anyone?

    4. What happened while the groom was missing?

    Did he really resolve the issue smoothly? Who did he give that watch to?

    5. What was the killer''s motive?

    Why kill the groom? Was it a grudge? Or did someone stand to benefit from his death?

    So many doubts.

    Jian Jing thought for a long time and decided to investigate the gift first. The other three questions would be hard to exin. Only the gift ribbon was still in hand, so she would see if she could find any clues from it.

    She took a photo of the ribbon and searched for the same style on a shopping site. Many simr products popped up, ranging from a few dors to over ten dors - very ordinary.

    With so few leads, she would try her five senses card.

    She had to admit, this limited edition card was extremely helpful for collecting physical evidence, especially the sense of smell, almost like a police dog... Ahem!

    It took Jian Jing half a minute to discern several smells on the ribbon: her own perfume, a mix of other fragrances from the gift boxes, and a strong floral scent.

    With her limited knowledge of flowers, it was likely neither a lily nor rose, the two mostmon blooms today. Eliminating those two, the scope of search suddenly narrowed.

    Finally, she pinpointed the source at the long table in the lounge.

    The table was lined with all kinds of bottled drinks, individually wrapped cookies and choctes, and other snacks. Each type was neatly arranged in baskets with white silk cloth lining the bottom.

    She lifted the silk from each basket one by one and found one slightly different from the rest. It was smaller in style and not an open basket, but a box with the lid tucked inside and draped with white silk gauze, easy for an ordinary person to miss.

    Lifting the gauze, the bottomyer revealed a withering carnation. Though it was light yellow, simr to the color of premium roses, everyone knew it did not suit the wedding atmosphere.

    Its meaning was motherly love.

    Inside were Milky Rabbit candies, very childlike.

    Jian Jing said, "Ask the staff here if they put this out."

    Lu Groomsman immediately called over the person in charge, who said they only used imported premium cookies and choctes here. The ordinary candy must have been brought in by a guest.

    Jian Jing asked, "Did anyone notice who brought it in?"

    The person in charge delicately replied, "Rtives of the bride and groom started arriving three days ago,ing and going. It''s hard for us to keep track."

    The bride and groom were locals who just arrived this morning, but both sides had out-of-town rtives who came one or two days in advance and stayed at the venue.

    It was unreasonable to expect them to name four, five, six people.

    Working backward, if it had nothing to do with the groom, he would not have noticed it, so how could he have left the ribbon behind? It wasn''t hard to guess - unclear who brought the gift, but the groom must have hidden it.

    Such bold yet meticulous actions were consistent with his earlier disappearance.

    Jian Jing pondered for a while and asked, "Who is the groom usually closest with? No secrets between them?"

    Lu Groomsman said A''s name.

    He exined that the groom was the youngest of his siblings - older brother, second sister, third sister. The older brother and second sister were birthed by the first wife. The third sister was birthed by the second wife. The groom was birthed by the third wife. So the siblings were not very close.

    Lu Groomsman was the groom''s cousin, son of the current Mrs. Fang''s older brother. He and the groom were on good terms but not best friends who shared everything.

    Both A and B grew up with the groom, but B was a bitplicated to describe. So A was considered his best bro. As for C, he was several years younger, more of a tagalong. Ordered around more, trusted with secrets less.

    Therefore, A was the most suitable person to ask about secrets.

    Jian Jing spoke with A alone and asked, "Do carnations or Milky Rabbit candies hold any special meaning for the groom?"

    The tall A looked perplexed. "Why are you asking this?"

    "Investigating the cause of the groom''s death," Jian Jing replied. "Please tell me."

    Lu Groomsman chimed in, "If you know, say it. Uncle has entrusted this to her."

    A frowned, clearly distrusting her like C did, and reluctantly said, "I''ve never heard him mention those. Carnations are flowers you give to mothers, right? He probably gave them to Mrs. Fang during holidays."

    "Was the groom close with his mother?" Jian Jing asked.

    "So-so," A said.

    "What does ''so-so'' mean?"

    "Not good or bad," Lu Groomsman cut in. "He was raised by nannies when young. Not much to worry about when he grew up either. They got along fine in daily life, he went home to eat often."

    Jian Jing asked, "Considering the Fangs'' status, it''s unlikely the groom ate Milky Rabbits, right?"

    "Obviously."

    She thought for a bit then asked, "Is it possible to visit Mrs. Fang?"

    Lu Groomsman said, "I''ll take you."

    As her nephew, he had a close rtionship with Mrs. Fang. With him making the introduction, Jian Jing soon met Mrs. Fang rxing in the penthouse suite.

    Only in her forties, she was as beautiful and slender as a woman in her twenties or thirties, lounging on the sofa drinking bird''s nest and white fungus soup.

    "Little Yu, sit," she pulled Lu Groomsman to sit beside her and served him a bowl of the sweet soup. "Have some warmth in your stomach."

    Lu Groomsman impatiently brushed it aside. "This is Miss Jian. Uncle has entrusted everything to her."

    "Oh," Mrs. Fang looked Jian Jing up and down. "Bring a bowl of bird''s nest for Miss Jian too."

    The housekeeper nearby immediately brought over another steaming bowl of soup. "Please have some, Miss Jian."

    "I won''t be having any, thank you," Jian Jing cut to the chase. "Mrs. Fang, I have some questions for you."

    Mrs. Fang sped her hands over her stomach elegantly. "Go ahead."

    Jian Jing asked, "What was the groom''s attitude toward today''s wedding?"

    "He really liked Rongrong and looked forward to the wedding," Mrs. Fang replied. "Why are you asking this?"

    Jian Jing looked at her steadily. "You must know he disappeared for a period today."

    "I heard. Perhaps he just stepped away for a bit." Mrs. Fang said, "I don''t think it''s rted to my son''s death."

    "Did you notice anything off after he returned?"

    "No." Mrs. Fang was a little annoyed. "Miss Jian, my husband wants you to find the killer, not waste time on trivial matters."

    Jian Jing responded coolly, "I decide whether it''s a waste of time or not. Next question - how was the groom''s rtionship with his siblings?"

    "What are you implying?" A young woman in a dress suddenly burst out from the bedroom, visibly unhappy. "Suspecting we killed little Yan?"

    Jian Jing did not recognize her. "And you are?"

    "She''s little Yan''s third sister," Lu Groomsman quickly introduced and cated Third Miss Fang. "Calm down. Just routine questions."

    As if Third Miss Fang was so easily appeased. She sneered coldly, "Cut your bullshit ''routine questions.'' You''re interrogating us as criminals!"

    Jian Jing''s expression was t. "I''m learning about the social rtions of the deceased. You can end the investigation anytime you want."

    Mrs. Fang smiled and gently advised her, "This was your father''s idea."

    Whoever held the purse strings was the boss. Even Third Miss Fang had to reluctantly swallow her anger, throwing out an "Do whatever you want" before storming off.

    Jian Jing did not try to stop her either.

    She felt that the three elder brothers and sisters ahead didn''t have sufficient motives tomit murderˇŞafter Fang Yan''s death, could they get more of the inheritance? Not necessarily, Mr. Fang wasn''t dead yet.

    If the old father had died, it wouldn''t be surprising for the younger children tomit murder for the inheritance worth billions, but the person wasn''t dead yet and still held financial power. What good would killing the little brother do? It was possible that what originally belonged to the new groom would now belong to his mother.

    Besides, if the second and third eldest wanted to get rid of apetitor, they should have prioritized the eldest who was male and had entered the family business early on.

    Therefore,pared to the young masters and mistresses, Jian Jing was more suspicious of Mrs. Fang.

    The kangaroo paw was one thing, her attitude was another.

    Mrs. Fang was of course grieving, with slightly reddened eyes and paleplexion. When speaking of her child, a few teardrops would well up in her eyes. However, amidst her sorrow, she hadn''t lost herposure and was still very graceful in her interactions.

    However, the pain of a middle-aged woman losing her son was extreme, especially for the mother. It was said to be heart-wrenching, screaming and crying to the heavens, and nothing less.

    Mrs. Fang''s gracefulness was somewhat strange instead.

    Jian Jing asked some irrelevant questions: "What was his personality like, was he prone to making enemies?"

    "My little Yan was very filial, he would prepare gifts for me specially during New Year''s and holidays, and sometimes apany me shopping too. Although a bit spoiled, he absolutely wouldn''t have any enemies." Mrs. Fang dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, and gently said, "As for enemies, our family certainly has some, but all business-rted. Who would want to target little Yan for no reason?"

    Jian Jing asked: "Do you suspect anyone?"

    Mrs. Fang said: "Miss Jian, I know what you mean, but his elder brothers and sisters treated him well. I''m certain they have nothing to do with this."

    Jian Jing nodded without probing further on whether this was true or sarcastic.

    After chatting with Mrs. Fang, she hurried off to visit the bride.

    In her bedroom, she encountered President Kang who had just arrived.

    "Jingjing." In the suite''s living room, President Kang immediately grabbed her hand when he saw her arrive, "Where have you been, Murong City''s been looking for you."

    "You''re Jinwu''s President Kang right? I''m Lujiu''s son Luyang, the groom''s cousin." Lu Groomsman greeted respectfully and enthusiastically, "I was taking a walk with Miss Jian."

    "The Lu family of Qusheng Wine." President Kang''s gaze swept over him, implying deeply, "Our Jingjing is introverted, rarely seen getting along so well with someone."

    Lu Groomsmanughed. "Miss Jian is clever and charming, everyone wants to get along with her."

    "Is that so," President Kang smiled, "It''s windy now, Jingjing stay here with me for a bit."

    Lu Groomsman hesitated, signaling Jian Jing with his eyes.

    Jian Jing was delighted to see him taken down a notch, pretending not to see: "I want to go see the bride."

    President Kang said: "Rongrong is putting on makeup."

    "I''ll just chat with her for a bit." Jian Jing gripped President Kang''s hand back, applying a bit of force before letting go.

    President Kang''s expression became meaningful: "Alright, you young girls have things to talk about." She released Jian Jing''s hand, turning to Lu Groomsman, "How is your father? I didn''t even know you and the groom''s family were cousins."

    Showing signs of starting small talk.

    Lu Groomsman couldn''t leave her hanging and follow along, forced to stay and chat idly.

    Jian Jing finally got rid of the annoying supervisor, entering the bedroom happily.

    Mrs. Nie was apanying her crying daughter, at a loss asking: "What can we do now?"

    "And the Fang family..." President Nie stopped mid-sentence when he saw Jian Jing abruptly enter, frowning, "Miss Jian?"

    "President Nie, hello." Jian Jing closed the door and gently said, "The Fang side has no ns to call the police for now."

    Mrs. Nie was surprised: "Why?"

    "Unclear, I''m currently investigating this." She sat at the bedside, the brideying on the bed with lifeless eyes. "I''d like to ask the bride a few questions, it may help."

    Mrs. Nie frowned: "Calling you to investigate... Dear, this is..."

    President Nie however had different considerations. Jian Jing was Jinwu''s writer, even if not familiar with their family, she was naturally on their side.

    And as soon as Jian Jing entered, she had revealed information, clearly demonstrating goodwill.

    He pondered for a long time before asking: "What''s the situation now?"

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106

    "I don''t know what the groom''s family is nning," Jian Jing said indifferently to the calctions of both families. "I just want to find out how the person died."

    Before she finished speaking, tears suddenly flowed from the bride''s eyes, apparently pained by the word "death". Mrs. Nie felt extremely distressed and wiped away her daughter''s tears,ining, "My Rongrong is already very pitiful. Don''t provoke her."

    Jian Jing said, "Finding out the truth as soon as possible canfort the spirit of the deceased in heaven."

    The bride''s tears flowed even more turbulently. But after a while, she slowly propped herself up in bed and choked out, "Why do you want to know?"

    "I''d like to chat with her alone," Jian Jing said, looking at Mr. and Mrs. Nie.

    Mrs. Nie didn''t want to leave her daughter, but Mr. Nie put his arm around her shoulders and gently persuaded, "The more you''re like this, the more difficult it is for Rongrong. There are still guests outside, we should go out."

    After persuading for a long time, he finally took his wife out of the bedroom.

    Only Jian Jing and the bride were left inside.

    Jian Jing carefully said, "My questions may be a bit strange, but I hope you can think about them carefully before answering."

    The bride nodded, with another tear on her cheek.

    "Do you feel like the groom was abnormal in any way today?" she asked.

    The bride asked in confusion, "I don''t really understand what you mean, what do you mean by abnormal?"

    "Did he seem worried or absent-minded?" Jian Jing prompted.

    The bride thought back and shook her head: "No, he was very happy, at most a little nervous. Me too, who could stay calm today?"

    Jian Jing recalled the ceremony today. The groom was indeed very nervous, not to mention being clumsy, he suddenly forgot the words on stage and babbled incoherently.

    But all the guests could understand. Everyone justughed kindly.

    She thought about it, then asked, "How did you and the groom get to know each other?"

    "A friend from the band introduced us," the bride said. Recalling how they first met was both sweet and sad. "You wouldn''t believe it, but I used to be in a rock band, and so was he. He ys the guitar so well."

    Jian Jing''s expression changed: "He can y the guitar? Does he y often?"

    "You could say it''s amon interest between us. I wouldn''t say he''s that good, but he would y songs for me to hear. When he proposed, he yed my favorite song..." Speaking of this, the bride couldn''t hide her grief.

    Jian Jing handed over a tissue as the bride gradually calmed down before asking, "What kind of person is the groom?"

    The bride wiped her tears and recalled, "He''s very kind, not the kind of debauched young master. He has ambition and works hard at his career. He''s generous to his friends, never declining if asked to lend money or a car, very popr with girls."

    "Do you know if he had any conflicts with anyone?"

    "There must have been people he didn''t get along with, but we didn''t send invitations to those we weren''t close with, and they didn''te anyway." As the bride spoke, she lowered her head in sorrow. "I really don''t know why anyone would want to kill such a good person."

    Jian Jing objectively said, "If it''s not a dispute over interests, then it must be a dispute over emotions."

    The bride suddenly remembered something and hesitated, "He had an ex-girlfriend with a pretty extreme personality. She even came to me specially and asked me to give him back to her, it was so absurd."

    "Did she say anything strange?"

    "Just that she felt so sorry for herself, they were together for so many years, she couldn''t be without him." The bride frowned, "Was it her who did it?"

    Jian Jing said, "Nothing is clear yet. By the way, did the groom have any particr food preferences?"

    "He loved eating seafood and things like that. Because he''s allergic to alcohol and would break out in hives, he doesn''t really drink, but he also doesn''t like milk tea and drinks soda water in general." The bride knew it all off by heart.

    Jian Jing asked, "Did he like pickled foods?"

    "Not really."

    She asked the bride a few more questions before taking her leave.

    Just before leaving, the bride pleaded mournfully, "You must find out who killed him."

    "I''ll do my best," Jian Jing said.

    When Jian Jing returned to the living room, Lu Groomsman eagerly stood up, "Are you done?"

    "President Lu, I still have some things to do, I''ll be leaving for a bit first," she said without even looking at him, informing President Kang of where she was going.

    Kang Mu Cheng, who was sitting right next to his mother, wanted to say something but was pressed back down by his mother. Kang President said expressionlessly, "Call me if anythinges up, Jian Jing. You are no different from my own daughter in my heart."

    As she spoke, she nced meaningfully at Lu Groomsman, the warning clear.

    Lu Groomsman swore, "However I take her away, that''s how I''ll bring her back to you."

    "Let''s go," Jian Jing walked hastily, only giving Kang Mu Cheng a reassuring look.

    After they left, Kang Mu Cheng said, "Mom."

    "I know what you want to say. Do I look blind to you? Can''t I see something''s going on with the Nie family?" Kang President said grumpily, "Since they don''t want you to know, don''t ask."

    Kang Mu Chengughed coldly, "What do they mean getting Jian Jing involved in their family affairs?"

    "There must be special reasons," Kang President muttered thoughtfully, "Don''t talk, Jian Jing has really grown up and is very sensible, don''t keep treating her like a child. It''s good for her to socialize more and get to know people."

    "Like Lu Yue?" Kang Mu Cheng frowned.

    Kang President impartially said, "He''s the only son and heir of Qu Sheng Liquor. Young masters are bound to be arrogant, but he is still young after all. But Jian Jing is more capable than I thought. Look at her, not the slightest bit timid. Very impressive."

    In her memory, Jian Jing was an introverted girl who was not good at socializing. But now it seemed her courage was quite good, very much to her taste.

    She remembered when she first started her business, without even an office, just a printing press. Still she dared to bargain with others and even say, "If you sign with someone else, you can just wait for the book to be used as toilet paper."

    The other party was intimidated by her, and did end up signing with her, allowing her to earn her first pot of gold.

    "She''s changed a lot, it''s just..." Kang Mu Cheng sighed, but still didn''t tell his mother the truth in the end.

    He felt that with Jian Jing''s current appearance, the chances were eight or nine out of ten that she had killed someone.

    *

    Jian Jing returned to the scene and examined the corpse again.

    This time, she took all the clothes off the corpse.

    Lu Groomsman was horrified, "Is this okay?"

    "I need to examine the body. Should I have X-ray vision without taking the clothes off?" Jian Jing carefully put the clothes into transparent stic bags, trying her best not to contaminate the evidence.

    "You''re a youngdy, you should be more careful," Lu Groomsman said tactfully.

    Jian Jing said, "If you feel ufortable, you can stand further away."

    Lu Groomsman had no choice but to keep quiet. His feelings towards her were very subtle at the moment. On one hand, there was a sense of novelty like "she''s different from other women". On the other hand, there was a bit of suspicion "is she deliberately trying to get my attention?".

    ...And a touch of indignation - "she doesn''t really care about me", and a bit of annoyance - "why am I thinking about this?"

    These thoughts swirled in his mind for a moment. Suddenly he realized, wasn''t this the thought process of the male protagonists of those bossy CEO novels, which he and his brothers had mocked before?

    At one point, they had talked about this topic and mocked it derisively.

    "What kind of woman haven''t we seen that we''d do something so silly?"

    "The women who write these books must be dying to marry into a wealthy n."

    "Freaking hrious. Abstain for a woman? Who? Show us."

    However, the p in the face came, thoughte.

    Lu Groomsman felt unknown embarrassment, fortunately he concealed it.

    "Come over for a second," Jian Jing suddenly called him.

    Lu Groomsman snapped back to reality, "What''s the matter?"

    "Has your cousin hadparoscopic surgery before?" Jian Jing asked.

    "Probably not," Lu Groomsman said hesitantly.

    Jian Jing pointed to the abdomen of the corpse, "He has scars left fromparoscopic surgery. Judging by the healing, it should be within thest two years."

    Lu Groomsman said, "I didn''t hear about that, I might not know."

    She nodded concisely, "Take me to see Master Fang."

    "You know who the murderer is?" Lu Groomsman was surprised.

    Jian Jing said, "I don''t know."

    "Then it''s better if you don''t disturb my uncle," Lu Groomsman said helpfully. "My uncle has very high standards. If you don''tplete his orders, I''m afraid he won''t be pleased with you."

    However, she said very surely, "He will see me."

    Lu Groomsman was doubtful, but the fact was as she said. Master Fang immediately agreed to meet Jian Jing, and wanted her toe in alone.

    ˇ°You have already known for a long time?ˇ± As soon as they met, Jian Jing asked first, ˇ°Before you told me ˇ®my child is deadˇŻ, you didnˇŻt call the groomˇŻs name.

    Master Fang asked in return: ˇ°What did you find out?ˇ±

    Jian Jing didn''t beat around the bush and got straight to the point: ˇ°The person who died wasn''t today''s groom, it was someone who looked exactly like him - they were twins?ˇ±

    The bride had said that the groom liked to y the guitar and yed quite well, but the fingers of the deceased didn''t have calluses left from long-term practice. She also checked the condition of the deceased''s skin, it was very rough, like an ordinary man, not a pampered rich young master.

    Master Fang sighed lightly, neither denying nor acknowledging: ˇ°Miss Jian, you need to keep what you know a secret.ˇ±

    ˇ°Okay, but you have to tell me everything you know,ˇ± Jian Jing said.

    Master Fang was silent for a moment, then slowly said: ˇ°Xiao Yan''s mother was my former secretary. More than 20 years ago, I gave her a sum of money and took Xiao Yan away, thinking that was the end of it. I didn''t expect she gave birth to twins, and kept one of them herself.

    "When Xiao Yan was six years old, she suddenly came to my door and asked me for child support again. For the child''s sake, I agreed. Adding it all up over the years, IˇŻve given her over ten million, but she was never satisfied, and on her own initiative, requested to see Xiao Yan."

    Jian Jing said: "So the groom knew that his birth mother was not Mrs. Fang?"

    Master Fang nodded slightly.

    This exined the rtionship between the groom and Mrs. Fang. There was sadness over foster kindness, but she wasn''t his birth mother or someone who raised him herself, so not feeling heartbroken was understandable.

    "When did you know that today''s groom had been switched?" she asked.

    "At 10:30, I got a call from Xiao Duo - that child - telling me that Xiao Yan had eloped with a woman, and asking him toe and take his ce at the wedding, so as not to embarrass the family. I asked, and Xiao Yan was indeed missing. At that point it was toote to cancel the wedding, so I agreed to this arrangement first."

    "You didn''t suspect anything?"

    "After all, Xiao Duo and Xiao Yan are biological brothers. Once when Xiao Duo was sick, Xiao Yan also had stomach pain at home. With their twin bond, how could it be severed? So I didn''t stop them from interacting. If Xiao Yan really had something happen, it made sense for him to look for Xiao Duo."

    Master Fang recounted it very calmly: "Miss Jian, you have to understand, with so many peopleing to the wedding today, if this got out, it would embarrass my family, and the Nie family would lose face too. This was the best solution."

    Jian Jing thought: "Then, have you found the groom? If he doesn''te back, you can''t wrap up now."

    "I sent people to check his passport and bank cards, there was no record of going abroad," Master Fang frowned, "To be honest, I also find this strange. I was going to ask Xiao Duo to rify, but as you saw, he suddenly died."

    "So the groom is still missing?" Jian Jing said, "Perhaps you should speed up."

    Master Fang asked: "What do you mean? Do you think he''s in danger?"

    She said: "If I guessed correctly, the groom was called away by his birth mother."

    Before she finished speaking, Master Fang''s eyes suddenly shed: "Are you saying Xiao Yan was kidnapped?"

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107

    Fang Dong''s inference was easy to understand.

    If the groom really intended to elope with someone, having his twin brothere to be a substitute makes sense to avoid a scandal breaking out in the family. But he was called away by his birth mother. What kind of reason would make him voluntarily give up his bride and have his brotherplete this most important day of his life?

    It was unlikely to be "voluntary" but rather "forced".

    Although a birth mother does not necessarily harm her child, it is not guaranteed either. If the substitution was nned by her, there was no telling if more drastic measures would be taken.

    "Miss Jian, I hope you can find Xiao Yan as soon as possible," said Fang Dong. It sounded like a "hope" but was no different from amand in tone.

    Jian Jing said, "I''m not good at finding people, besides, the murderer has not been found yet. He is also your son, isn''t the truth important?"

    "The dead cannot be brought back to life, the living being safe is more important."

    "She has already lost one child, what reason does she have to harm another one?" Jian Jing said sarcastically, "The chairman is omnipotent, he must have a way to resolve this."

    Fang Dong crossed his hands with his chin resting on his interlocked fingers, gazing at her, "Miss Jian, very few people dare to speak to me like this."

    Jian Jing''s reaction was only to tilt her head slightly to the side.

    Fang Dong smiled.

    At his age, he might not necessarily be lenient to subordinates or gentle with his children, but he would never get too angry at a different and pretty youngdy. In his eyes, her rebellion and sharp edges were "personality". Although Jian Jing''s defiance surprised him, it also earned his appreciation.

    "You still want to continue investigating the murderer?" he asked.

    After thinking for a while, Jian Jing nodded, "Yes."

    "Since you insist, I have no reason to stop you," Fang Dong said, "Find out who killed my son."

    *

    After straightening out the disappearance and death, distracting factors were eliminated and the case suddenly became clear.

    First, it could be determined that the intended victim of the killer was the groom. The poison must have been prepared in advance, while the substitution happened spontaneously, so the killer probably did not know about it.

    Therefore, the one who died was the twin brother, but the motive for murder still had to be found in the groom.

    And the time the poisoning happened was undoubtedly after the swap, which was after 10:40am.

    From 10:40am (the fake groom''s return) to 1:30pm (discovery of the corpse), over two hours, was the time frame formitting the crime.

    There were many ways to poison with nitrite, but the victim would not have been so foolish as to be injected with poison by someoneˇŞthere were no puncture marks on his body eitherˇŞso it must have been the mostmon method of poisoning food.

    Just in time, the test results of the items sent for examination came back.

    The vomit and blood both tested positive for nitrite, but no poison was found in the food samples submitted.

    Jian Jing went over the whole process again.

    The wedding time was from 11am to 12pm. During this, the groom did not eat anything, he drank grape juice, while the other groomsmen drank alcohol. But if the poison was slipped into the grape juice, with such a fast onset, he should have shown symptoms of vomiting and abdominal pain after ten-odd minutes.

    But the fake groom was perfectly normal then.

    Considering the inability to control exactly when the poison would take effect after being slipped in, she leaned towards the murderer only acting after the wedding. This would give them more ample time to destroy evidence.

    In that case, there were very few people who could have done it, basically just rtives or the groomsmen.

    She still had to figure out how the poisoning was done before she could identify the murderer.

    She returned to the scene, searching the waiting room again for anything that might have slipped through the cracks.

    There was a lot of food and drink in both the waiting room and lounge: fruit tters, candy, cookies, pastries, beverages, nuts... But apart from the fruit tter, everything was in sealed packages, making it difficult to tamper with.

    Jian Jing remembered the bride saying the groom loved drinking soda water, but the soda water in the room was all bottled, and had all been sent for testing.

    She counted the number of empty bottles in the trash can and the number submitted for testing, it matched exactly at six bottles. And for aesthetics, the soda water was arranged 3 bottles by 2 rows, the missing number matched with this.

    So how was it done in the end?

    She found the club service staff in charge of the groom''s side and asked, "Other than the fruit tter, did you bring anything else today?"

    Those capable of working as service staff here definitely had great memories: "Yes, we brought drinks."

    Jian Jing immediately said, "Give me the same again."

    "Okay."

    Twenty minutester, five cocktails were brought over.

    The service staff specifically pointed out: "This ''Love River'' cocktail is a specialty of our club, specially for the newlyweds."

    Jian Jing picked up the Love River, the transparent red liquid in the heart-shaped ss looked clean and clear, shining under the light as if in a dream,pletely unlike its name Love River.

    This should have been for the groom.

    She took a sip, sweet and slightly sour.

    Nitrite was alkaline, salty and slightly pungent. Even slipped into the soda water it might not be noticeable, would the strange taste not be obvious in this sweet cocktail? And if he drank a mouthful and immediately reacted to the poison, the club would definitely investigate thoroughly. It would be too obvious if the murderer took over then.

    Jian Jing racked her brains, unconsciously finishing the entire ss as she pondered.

    "What did you say to uncle to be drinking depressed here?" Lu Bang somehow appeared again, taking a martini and sipping it, "Got scolded?"

    Jian Jing asked, "You guys ordered these drinks right?"

    "Yeah, what about it?" Lu Bang asked strangely.

    "When were they brought over?"

    "Around 12pm, got tired of the red wine, wanted to change it up." Lu Bang shrugged.

    She asked very carefully, "Who brought them over? Did the groom drink it right away?"

    Lu Bang said, "The service staff. Xiao Yan was in the bathroom then. When he came out we were about to go eat already." He thought back again, "After he came out he took it and sipped some. What, poison in the drink?"

    Jian Jing slowly shook her head, then asked seemingly out of the blue, "Did you tell the others about discovering the secret passage?"

    "Yeah I did," Lu Bang said in puzzlement. "They asked so of course I told them."

    She nodded, saying slowly, "I see, I want to ask you guys some things again, starting from A."

    "You can ask me first," offered Lu Bang.

    "I want to ask is Xiao Rou," she nced at him coolly, "You know right?"

    Lu Bang: "...I''ll go get someone."

    A came very quickly. After a tiring day, there was some fatigue evident in his brows and eyes too: "You want to ask Xiao Rou?"

    "Yes, what was her rtionship with the groom, how did they get to know each other, and why did they break up?" Jian Jing asked in detail.

    As a good buddy of the groom''s, A was very clear about all this: "Actually Xiao Rou can''t really be considered Yan Zi''s girlfriend, she was just a...how to put it, a ything. We oftene across girls who take the initiative, those we don''t click with, it''s a one night thing; those we do click with, we might date for a few months, eventually it has to end too. "

    Xiao Rou was with Yan Zi for quite a while, over two or three years. She thought herself the official girlfriend but actually when Yan Zi was with her he had other girlfriends too, just all split already, making her look like the one left.

    Over half a year ago, Yan Zi met Rong Rong and started officially dating. After meeting the parents, he broke up with Xiao Rou. I heard there were several scenes, threatening suicide, jumping off buildings, pregnancy etc, just the usual antics of crying, making trouble and hanging herself. I helped Yan Zi give her a sum of money to make her go away."

    "From your description, the groom doesn''t seem like a faithful man. Why was he with Xiao Rou for so long then?"

    "Xiao Rou used to know her ce very well, just to Yan Zi''s taste. But over time, she lost sight of her own status and position, even hoping to marry into the Fang family. " A shook his head, not continuing.

    But his face was full of "ungrateful".

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, decisively using her logic card status.

    ˇŞDeductive reasoning requires calm, no mixing in of personal emotions.

    "No other questions, right, call over C."

    Groomsman C was the shortest of the groomsmen, but had fair, delicate skin like a youngdy''s, cooperating a bit reluctantly with Jian Jing''s interrogation: "What do you want to ask?"

    "How''s your rtionship with the groom?" Jian Jing asked.

    Groomsman C said, "Brother Yan treats me very well, looks out for me usually too."

    Jian Jing said, "For example?"

    "He lends me money, never forgets me for anything good." Groomsman C was suspicious, "What are you asking this for?"

    "I want to know what kind of person the groom is." She said calmly, "Keep talking."

    But Groomsman C had be wary: "Nothing else."

    ˇ°LetˇŻs talk about Xiao Rou,ˇ± she said. ˇ°I think she is highly suspicious.ˇ±

    Groomsman C sat up straight, his face full of surprise. ˇ°Xiao Rou?ˇ±

    Jian Jing said, ˇ°Do you know how they met? If the groom was as good as you said, why did he break up with her and immediately marry a girl he had only known for half a year?ˇ±

    Groomsman C hesitated for a moment before saying, ˇ°Xiao Yan never intended to marry Xiao Rou. He was just fooling around.ˇ±

    ˇ°You didnˇŻt answer my question about how they met.ˇ±

    He was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, ˇ°They met at a party. Xiao Rou went with some friends and thatˇŻs how she met Xiao Yan. But sheˇŻs just an ordinary girl. Murder...I donˇŻt think sheˇŻs capable of that.ˇ±

    "You''re close with Xiao Rou?" Jian Jing seemed to suddenly remember something and asked casually, "That''s right, didn''t you try to contact Xiao Rou before? Is she still in this city?"

    Groomsman C was slightly embarrassed, "My friend couldn''t find her. She also changed her phone number."

    "She changed her number? It looks like she was prepared to flee," Jian Jing bluffed without changing her expression. "Does she have any family here?"

    Groomsman C said, "I don''t know."

    "Really?"

    "Are you doubting me?" Groomsman C suddenly stood up, his face flushed. "Let me tell you, you can eat carelessly, but you can''t speak carelessly."

    Jian Jing said, "I have my reasons for saying this. Why are you so sympathetic towards a woman like her who tried to attach herself to a wealthy man? The others all look down on such a woman, so why are you defending her?"

    "She can''t even get into the wedding today. How could shemit murder?" Groomsman C said coldly. "I''m just being reasonably suspicious."

    "Your suspicions make sense," Jian Jing said. "Because today, the only one who could havemitted the murder is you."

    Groomsman C had prepared a bellyful of rebuttals, but did not expect her to skip over the intermediate steps and go straight for the kill. "You''re saying I''m the murderer?"

    "Yes," she said very calmly, as if reading the news printed in a newspaper. "Given the special circumstances, the time the poison could have been administered was narrowed down to between 12:00 and 1:30pm. Only you few could have done it."

    Groomsman C said coldly, "Then why me?"

    "Because at 12:15pm, you were the only one who saw the groom," Jian Jing said. "The reaction to nitrite poisoning is very fast. The others all have alibis that period and you were the only one who went back to the lounge."

    Groomsman C said, "Do you have any evidence? You''re saying I poisoned him, so how did I do it?"

    "Indeed, the method of poisoning troubled me for a long time," she saw the handsome girl across from her rx her body and lean back into the velvet armchair, fingers inteced, full of a detective''sposure. "No poison was detected in the food and drinks at the scene, and it was not possible to force-feed drugs given the circumstances at the time."

    Groomsman C said, "So you''re just randomly using me and making me a scapegoat?"

    Jian Jing paid him no mind and slowly continued, "But then I figured it out - in addition to secretly poisoning and force-feeding, there is another way, which is to voluntarily make the victim ingest the drug."

    "Did he go crazy? Who would willingly take poison?" Groomsman C retorted loudly.

    "Not poison, but medication?" Jian Jing said. "He was allergic to alcohol. What if someone told him the drinks he had earlier contained alcohol, and had him take allergy medication?"

    Groomsman C was like a choked chicken, suddenly struck speechless as he looked at her in horror.

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108

    At around 12 o''clock, the waiter brought the drinks, but the groom was in the bathroom. When he came out, everyone had already taken their own drinks. So he picked up his drink and drank it.

    "I don''t know if you nned this beforehand or were just waiting for an opportunity. But this was indeed a god-given chance. At 12:15, you used spilling the drink as an excuse to return to the lounge. At that time, the groom hadn''t locked the door or rested yet. You told him the club had messed up the drinks, and his contained alcohol. You advised him to take an anti-allergy pill immediately.

    "The groom believed you and wanted to take medicine right away. Let me guess, he asked you to get it for him? This yed right into your hands. You switched his anti-allergy pill for the lethal drug and made him swallow it voluntarily."

    As she recounted the events, Groomsman C''s face turned deathly pale.

    Jian Jing knew she was right.

    The real groom must not have known where the medicine was kept, so he likely told C to get it. But Groomsman C didn''t know this and was dealt a heavy psychological blow by having the details pointed out.

    She continued, "Then you advised him to rest and quietly locked the waiting room door. You went into the changing room but didn''t change clothes. Instead, you climbed out the window, took the back stairs downstairs, avoided the other people on the terrace, and came back via the main stairwell. If someone saw you, you could say the groom hadn''t opened the door and you went downstairs to deal with dirty clothes."

    Why did Groomsman C know about the back stairs? Of course the groomsmen had told him, and he had memorized it forter use.

    The entire crime process was notplicated, even quite simple. It was just that the groom''s initial disappearance andck of poisoned food found at the scene had confused everyone.

    "Why did you kill him?" she asked. "You said he treated you very well."

    "Because of Xiao Rou," C said miserably. "I just couldn''t stand Brother Yan toying with her feelings like that."

    He began recounting his motive for murder.

    It turned out he and Xiao Rou were childhood friends. Although his family had made a fortune in home renovation and even started doing business with the Fang Group, it didn''t affect their rtionship.

    That day, he had asked Xiao Rou toe to the bachelor party to broaden her horizons. But he never expected to push her into an abyss.

    Fang Yan got drunk and slept with Xiao Rou.

    And her crying and scolding afterwards were mistaken by C, who considered himself worldly wise, as just a ploy totch onto them. She was indeed a virgin, and Fang Yan wasn''t a bad guy either, so heforted her a bit and said they could date.

    Perhaps because C had said he was decent, or because of a young girl''s fanciful thoughts, Xiao Rou mistakenly believed him.

    The two began dating.

    With C''s guidance, Xiao Rou got along quite well with Fang Yan at first. But what she thought was a "stable rtionship" was just a "doesn''t know her ce" fling in the yboy''s eyes.

    The news that Fang Yan was breaking up with her hit Xiao Rou like a bolt from the blue.

    Especially since she was pregnant at the time.

    No one knew if Xiao Rou had gotten pregnant on purpose or by ident. But in Fang Yan''s eyes, it was just the girl''s way of tying him down.

    Either get an abortion and take some hush money, or give birth and sue for child support. He would pay whatever the court ordered, not a penny more.

    Wealthy families were well-versed in this.

    Xiao Rou was anxious, distraught, suicidal, but it didn''t move Fang Yan''s heart one bit. It only made C feel pity and guilt.

    "I heard Brother Yan climbing out the window that morning," C said bitterly. "I was standing in the hallway and heard noises from the window here. I didn''t think much of it at the time, but after he went missing, I knew it was him. I just didn''t expect him to climb back inˇŞanyway, I was happy when I found out he went to see Xiao Rou, so I covered for him and didn''t let anyone look for her."

    Jian Jing sighed softly, "But you didn''t expect him toe back."

    C closed his eyes and said painfully, "I can''t even imagine how devastated she must have been when he came and went like that. She''s a good girl, not a gold digger. I just couldn''t stand Brother Yan bullying people like that."

    "So it was a spur of the moment murder?" she asked.

    C nodded, "I saw this stuff in the kitchen before. My grandma pickled vegetables with sodium nitrite to save money, and ended up in the hospital. So I got some, poured out his allergy meds, and reced it with that. But I didn''t intend for him to die, I just wanted to stop the wedding."

    He exined anxiously, "My grandma was fine, I really just put a tiny bit, not much at all. I only wanted to make it look like food poisoning! Really!"

    Jian Jing listened withoutmenting. Whether it was premeditated murder or negligent homicide, it wasn''t her ce to judge.

    She just couldn''t help feeling that the son in the mother''s mouth, the brother in the buddy''s mouth, and the husband in the bride''s mouth were all the same person.

    "Do you want to turn yourself in, or confess to Chairman Fang?" she asked.

    Terror shed in C''s eyes as he said without hesitation, "Turn myself in, of course turn myself in."

    Just as Jian Jing was about to say something, Lu Groomsman knocked on the door outside, "Are you done? My uncle is rushing you."

    "Chairman Fang already knows?" Thinking the urging meant that, C''s forehead beaded with sweat, his face deathly pale. "No, I can''t fall into his hands."

    Jian Jing was still a bit confused, but saw C grit his teeth and take out a paper packet from the inside pocket of his suit. He fiercely licked it.

    She was shocked. "Are you crazy?!" She snatched the packet.

    Enduring the foul, salty taste, retching all the while, C grabbed her skirt. "C-call an ambnce. Miss Jian, I can''t fall into...blegh...their hands..."

    Jian Jing took a deep breath and said calmly, "I''ll get you on an ambnce."

    "Th-thank you..." C vomited violently.

    The club was fully equipped, including an ambnce.

    But after she put C on board, Chairman Fang himself rushed over and simply instructed the driver, "Follow them."

    Jian Jing stared at him. "Chairman, the amount he took wasn''t lethal."

    "That depends on the hospital''s capabilities." Chairman Fang was unfazed. "But if we can find Little Yan earlier, I''ll be in a good mood and might arrange a better doctor for him."

    Jian Jing thought: This man has unprecedented audacity.

    "Then trade one life for another." She didn''t even lift her eyelids. "One is your son, the other has no rtionship with me whatsoever. It''s up to you."

    But Chairman Fang said, "Miss Jian, I understand people like you. You''re obsessed with so-called truth and also cannot ept loss of life. That is your principle."

    He beckoned his secretary to bring his phone over.

    He opened it and yed an audio recording of a phone call.

    She first heard Chairman Fang''s voice: "Wen Hui, is that you?"

    The shrill female voice that answered: "Well isn''t this a sight, Chairman Fang actually has time to call me?"

    Chairman Fang: "There''s something I want to discuss with you."

    Wen Hui: "We have nothing to talk about."

    Chairman Fang: "Xiao Yan is dead."

    She asked in disbelief: "What did you say? Xiao Yan, what happened to Xiao Yan??"

    "He''s dead," Chairman Fang sighed. "You''re his birth mother. I thought I should let you know."

    Dead silence on the other end.

    Then she said, "That''s impossible."

    "I know you don''t want to believe it, but it''s the truth." Chairman Fang said, "Luckily you still have Xiao Duo. Don''t be too heartbroken."

    The other repeated: "I don''t believe you. You must be lying to me."

    "If you don''t believe me, you cane see your child onest time," Chairman Fang said. "I''ll send someone to get you."

    A full half a minute of silence.

    Then she hung up.

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment before saying, "Give me some noise cancelling headphones."

    Chairman Fang smiled.

    Jian Jing nced at him. Under the effect of herposure skill card, she maintained calmness, put on the noise cancelling headphones the secretary handed over, and listened to the recording again carefully.

    Faintly, there seemed to be a man talking in the background noise.

    "You''ve investigated her, right?" She got straight to the point. "Please tell me this woman''s basic information."

    The secretary came over and handed her some papers and photos.

    The above is detailed information about the groom''s mother: her name is Wen Hui, forty-five years old, which means she probably gave birth to twins around twenty years old. Both parents were workers who passed away early, and she came out to work and sell houses at eighteen, was fancied by the housing manager at the time, and was promoted to secretary.

    At twenty, she gave birth to twins and took a sum of money to start her own business.

    At twenty-eight, because of impatience and greed, her business failed, and she owed a debt. People came to her door to demand repayment. She went to the housing manager again, using the upbringing expenses of her other son as an excuse, and took another sum of money to repay the debt.

    At thirty-six, she opened a clothing store and settled into a stable life.

    During this time, Wen Hui never married, but had two boyfriends. Her current third boyfriend has no proper job and has a history of fraud.

    There is reason to suspect they partnered tomit this crime.

    Jian Jing said, "You have her phone number, why don''t you locate her?"

    "I tried, but couldn''t find her," the housing manager said. "Clearly, her boyfriend is very skilled at this."

    "If professionals can''t find her, how can I have the ability to?" she asked.

    But the housing manager didn''t answer at all, only said, "You must coordinate with Miss Jian to find this person."

    The security guards and secretaries who followed him chorused, "Yes."

    Jian Jing scoffed internally and pinched her headset wire, expressionless.

    The secretary and two burly security guards just waited for her, extremely courteous.

    She activated the listening from her five senses card, listening to the recording a third time.

    This time, the indistinct background noise could be distinguished much more easily. The man said a total of three sentences: "He''s deceiving you." "They must know." "What should we do?"

    At the same time, some strange noises could be heard: "Wee aboard Metro Line 4..."

    Then, 10 courage points were gone.

    5 points to continue, 5 points to double the reinforcement.

    It hurt.

    Jian Jing didn''t dare listen anymore. She took out the metro map and looked for Line 4. The voice was so clear, it shouldn''t be an underground station, but rather an above-ground transfer station.

    Line 4 has three above-ground stations in total, located at the Second Ring Road, Third Ring Road, and Fifth Ring Road. Of course, with theplex terrain of this city, it couldn''t truly be divided as such. It just roughly marked the distance from the city center.

    The above-ground stations near the Second Ring Road were close to the city center with constant traffic jams, but she didn''t seem to hear many honking horns.

    The Third Ring Road station was very close to the school. Next to it was a kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. The station near the Fifth Ring Road outside had a park and amusement park nearby.

    "Did Fang Yan attend any of these schools nearby?" She circled the locations for the secretary to recognize.

    The secretary said, "Young Master Fang attended this middle school."

    "Then let''s go there first and take a look," she decided.

    Secretary: "No problem."

    He immediately ordered someone toe pick them up.

    However, as soon as Jian Jing got in the car, the door on the other side suddenly opened and Lu Groomsman got in, saying, "I''m going with you."

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you know what I''m going to do?"

    "I know," Lu Groomsman took a deep breath, his expression cold. "Little Yan didn''t die, right?"

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109

    The sun set in the west, painting the sky red.

    The car left the clubhouse, and merged into the evening rush hour traffic after exiting the quiet suburbs, forcing it to slow down.

    Lu Yu said, "I really didn''t expect that Xiao Yan actually has a twin brother."

    Jian Jing rummaged around in the backseat, found a mini fridge that came standard in luxury cars, and downed half a can of soda in one go.

    Lu Yu continued, "His birth mother must have ulterior motives, keeping one child to herself and plotting to switch them. She wouldn''t hurt Xiao Yan before reaching her goals, right?"

    Jian Jing tore open a package of cookies and started eating.

    Lu Yu sighed, "Are you always so disdainful of me?"

    "I have to find a murderer, rescue the groom, and listen to your uncle''s threats," Jian Jing said irritably, the spike in her blood sugar restoring her energy. "And now you want me to chat with you too. What, do I owe your family money or eat your family''s food?"

    Lu Yu was silenced.

    "Quiet down," she said. "I hate men like you the most."

    Lu Yu was shocked, not even finding the mind to get angry.

    Hating men like him? Seriously? He had never been disliked by girls before!

    He wanted to defend himself, but inexplicably swallowed the words back down.

    Jian Jing''s ears finally found peace and quiet.

    By the time the sky hadpletely darkened, they arrived at the metro station near the school.

    It was currently the time for students to switch sses, extremely noisy, with the streets crowded with students on both sides, morous in the extreme.

    Jian Jing rolled down the car window and patiently waited half a day before calling the secretary: "Tell her the director ordered you to pick her up and ask when would be convenient for her."

    The secretary was clever enough to be the director''s confidant, naturally his intelligence was unmatched. "No problem."

    Jian Jing plugged earphones into the phone and handed one to the secretary while wearing the other herself.

    The call quickly connected.

    The secretary respectfully but appropriately said, "Sister Wen, I''m Little Sun, the director''s secretary. Uh, it''s like this, the director ordered me to pick you up, but when I went to your shop I couldn''t find you. Where are you?"

    Wen Hui coldly said, "He wants me to go just because he said so? Tell him, I don''t believe it at all. Xiao Yan is perfectly fine, today is supposed to be his wedding day, how could something possibly happen to him? Don''t joke around so carelessly."

    "Sister Wen, it''s true, young master..." The secretary dragged it out as long as he could, "How could the director joke about young master Xiao''s life? We still don''t have a n for the funeral, don''t you think you should talk to the director face-to-face?"

    The breathing on the other end of the phone abruptly grew hurried.

    "Are you serious? Xiao Yan is really dead?" Wen Hui said.

    "Yes."

    Wen Hui was silent for a moment, then said, "I see, let me know when the funeral will be held and I''lle."

    The secretary looked at Jian Jing and she gestured for him to continue.

    He could only say, "The director ordered me to pick you up and let you see the young master onest time."

    The other party hung up.

    Jian Jing took off her earphones and said while trying not to look at the 6 courage points burned away, "She''s probably not here. Let''s go to the next ce."

    Just now, she had intentionally waited until the school next door yed their bell music before letting the secretary make the call. But she didn''t hear any music on the phone.

    Clearly not nearby.

    They could only try their luck at the ce next to the amusement park.

    Perhaps it was somewhere the mother and son had memories together.

    The amusement park was rtively remote. After pushing through some traffic, the road opened up. Lu Yu pondered for a long time before finally speaking up, "By saying she''ll attend the funeral, does that mean she has no intention of returning Xiao Yan?"

    "Given your understanding of Master Fang, how do you think he would deal with her actions?" Jian Jing asked.

    Lu Yu said, "He wouldn''t give her a second chance."

    "You know that, and she certainly knows that too," Jian Jing said. After all, Wen Hui was his pillow partner, Jian Jing didn''t believe she was that stupid. "From what we can see, the most beneficial course of action is to take a lump sum of money and disappear into the wind."

    She had already gained an inkling of Master Fang''s fearsome capabilities from groom C. Wen Hui wouldn''t sit around waiting to die. With her son who she was close to dead, and her plot to switch the children fallen through, keeping Xiao Yan was meaningless.

    But killing Xiao Yan would not be the best choice, whether from emotional or practical standpoints.

    Extortion would be.

    Sure enough, ten minutester Master Fang called: "Wen Hui told me that Xiao Yan is in her hands. For her to release him, I must give her 30 million."

    "That works out nicely, money trades hands, the hostage is released," Jian Jing said with a smile.

    Master Fang said, "I won''t trust a woman who kidnapped my own son. Miss Jian, find her, and that 30 million is yours."

    "Oh?" she said, "That bounty isn''t cheap."

    "My son is worth that money," Master Fang spoke very casually, clearly not caring about that sum of cash, and even said, "She seems determined to take the money and run. 30 million, humph, I thought she''d ask for 300 million."

    Jian Jing was extremely straightforward, "When and where is the money exchange?"

    "Two hours from now, at the BaiMao za."

    BaiMao za was one of the busiestmercialplexes in Heping City, with multiple zones andplexyouts. First-time visitors would certainly get lost inside. But Wen Hui''s clothing store was located there, so she must be extremely familiar with theyout.

    Master Fang said, "I already told the guests that the young master''s mother isn''t feeling well and can''t make an appearance tonight. This matter has barely been smoothed over and absolutely cannot be publicized. Miss Jian, I hope you can find the person in two hours."

    There it was again, that condescending tone.

    Jian Jing said, "I hear and obey."

    She hung up and calmly said, "Drive faster."

    The car sped up to 100 mph.

    They arrived at the amusement park very quickly, and surprisingly, the gates were locked. The posters were faded, the ground covered in fallen leaves, seemingly already out of business.

    The secretary quickly looked up information: "This amusement park closed down three months ago. Thend was resold and will be redeveloped into an apartment hotelplex."

    Jian Jing murmured in acknowledgement. She thought, this was actually a pretty good kidnapping location.

    She got out of the car and walked around the gates, then suddenly climbed up and flipped over the iron fence, directly jumping inside. With her agility and strength increased, her body could aplish these actions very easily without difficulty.

    The two bodyguards looked at each other and asked, "Should we follow her in?"

    The secretary calmly said, "Of course."

    Lu Yu said, "I''ll go too."

    They also climbed over the iron fence.

    The amusement park had already closed, so the streetlights were naturally not lit. Arge area was pitch ck without a hint of light, only the moonshine to illuminate their path.

    Jian Jing painfully activated her sense of smell, 2 courage points per minute. It hurt to burn through money at this rate. Reluctant to keep it on the whole time, she could only turn it on for 3 seconds at a time to catch a whiff, then turn it back off. Even so, she still spent 4 courage points before catching a faint scent of food.

    She had carefully considered before choosing smell over hearing.

    After all, the amusement park was so big, there would definitely be animals making rustling noises. But tracking the smell of food would be much easier.

    If Wen Hui and the others really were here, they certainly couldn''t do without eating.

    And there it was, she had already smelled the scent of pizza.

    In the direction of the haunted house.

    Clever.

    The interior of the haunted house had built-in surveince, if the equipment hadn''t been dismantled, just turning on the power would allow monitoring every corner. Secondly, it had many traps and secret passages, neers would easily get disoriented. If they were lucky enough to run into someone afraid of ghosts, oooh how delightful.

    Of course, this also made it convenient to hide hostages and flee.

    Jian Jing stood amidst some bushes in the distance, considering what to do. With so much surveince, sneaking in stealthily was clearly unfeasible. If discovered, the other side had the homeground advantage and could grab a weapon, which she wouldn''t be able to ovee either.

    She would have to use an overt plot.

    Her gaze swept over the other people and finallynded on one of the bodyguards. "y act in a skit with me."

    That bodyguard wasn''t very tall, but had a sturdy, muscr physique that was very visually impactful.

    Lu Yu said, "I can help too."

    "Yes, by staying quiet," Jian Jing said. She undid the sash around her cheongsam, causing the entire dress to unravel like a blooming flower.

    She removed the hairpin and bracelets, stuffing them into her bag. She tossed it to the other bodyguard, "Watch this, don''t lose anything."

    Then to the bodyguard partnering with her, "I''ll run in frontter, you chase me. Remember, don''t go easy, act fierce."

    The bodyguard already understood her intention. "Miss Jian wants me to pretend to be a robber?"

    She nodded, then said, "A murderer."

    The bodyguard smiled wryly, "That''s asking too much of my acting skills."

    "It''s so far away, they can''t see clearly. Just y along with me," Jian Jing exined carefully. "When we get to the haunted house, I''ll pretend to trip and fall. Then youe over and pretend to hit me before I can go inside."

    The security guard understood: "Got it."

    Lu Yu couldn''t help but say: "Don''t actually hit her."

    "Don''t worry Young Master Lu, I won''t hurt Miss Jian," the security guard quickly assured.

    Jian Jing ruffled her own hair and took a deep breath: "Let''s start."

    Then she activated her acting skill card. This was the first time she had used it since obtaining the card. In an instant, she was possessed by the preset character.

    A girl out for a night run, stalked by bad men.

    She was fearful, trembling, afraid, helpless. Her facial muscles didn''t have a very rich range of expressions, because she was in shock. A person relies on instinct to survive when flooded with adrenaline.

    No sounds, no screams. She stumbled and scrambled to run away.

    ncing back as she ran, oblivious to the scratches on her face and arms from the tree branches.

    It was innate acting mastery, consummate acting skill, Xie Wei''s acting skill.

    Everyone present was shaken, even the cooperating security guard was stunned for a good while before he started chasing after her.

    At that moment, inside the haunted house.

    Wen Hui stood at the window, her heart filled with unease.

    She would never have imagined Xiao Duo would actually die.

    This was a child she had raised with her own hands. Unlike Xiao Yan who had grown up with his biological father, although Xiao Duo had nevercked for food and clothing, he had grown up like an ordinary child.

    He had no father when he was little, and got bullied without her noticing because she was busy with work. By the time she realized, he had already developed his personality and she could no longer correct it.

    But she doted on her own child.

    Xiao Yan had been pampered since young, so she would tell him, your brother didn''t have your good fortune to have rich parents. You need to yield more to him, to make up for what hecked.

    But before today, she had never considered such tit-for-tat retaliation.

    She was purely angry.

    She just wanted to attend her son''s wedding, but her son didn''t agree, saying it was "inappropriate" and "inconvenient." Wen Hui wasn''t stupid. She understood clearly her son was worried about offending the main wife in the household.

    Afraid she would think he was unfilial, and would not support him in the future.

    Ungrateful.

    Did he even think about how if not for her giving birth to him, he wouldn''t have had the good fortune to be a rich family''s young master? Even if she had given birth to him, if she had chosen to send him away, how could he have lived such a good life?

    Wen Hui couldn''t swallow this grievance.

    She bought a basket of carnations and stuffed it full of White Rabbit milk candies she often gave him when he was small. Then she wrapped half a longevity lock she had specially asked someone to consecrate when he was little, that he had worn before, and put it inside as well.

    Xiao Yan did call her to ask what she meant.

    She said: "This lock I had consecrated especially for you when you were small, you used to wear it. Now I''m giving it to my future grandson."

    He said: "Don''t make trouble."

    "Make trouble? What, I can''t even give a gift to my own son now?" Wen Hui''s anger was ignited. "You''re saying I''m making trouble, is that it? Fine, I''ll go ask the inws directly. Is there any reason under heaven that a birth mother can''t attend her own son''s wedding?!"

    "Mom, don''t, don''t do this," Xiao Yan hesitated again and again, before finally deciding to cate his mother first. "Where are you, I''lle find you."

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110

    At first, Wen Hui called the child out without any real purpose. It was more like a psychologicalpensation, wanting to squander a mother''s rights, wanting to tell Madam Fang that although the son called you "Mom," the blood ties with me cannot be severed. When Fang Yan ditched his wedding and ran out to see her, she only felt that she had status in the child''s heart and was not an irrelevant stranger.

    During the wait, her boyfriend said to her, "This kid is really an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. If you hadn''t sent him back to the Fangs, how could hefortably be the young master? No conscience."

    Wen Hui impatiently said, "Okay, what''s the use of talking about this? He wholeheartedly recognized that woman as his mother. Who knows what bewitching potion she gave him."

    "Hui, if you really want to vent your anger, I have a way," her boyfriend used to be a scammer, with a nimble mind. "He looks down on you, precisely because he thinks you can''t do anything to him. Give him a taste of color and let him know he''s not that important. Won''t that work?"

    Wen Hui was tempted: "What''s the method?"

    "In a bit, trick him out and let Xiao Duo go back," her boyfriend said with a grin. "After doing the young master thing for so many years, it''s time to let Xiao Duo have a turn too, right?"

    Wen Hui was shocked: "How could we do that? We can''t trick him, can we?"

    "If we can''t trick him, tell the truth. Say the brat ran away. The Fangs care about face--they probably won''t make a fuss and might even help cover it up," her boyfriend persuaded her. "Wouldn''t that be even better? Xiao Duo is much more filial than that brat."

    Thinking about her aloof eldest son and filial younger son, Wen Hui was persuaded.

    She didn''t see swapping the two children as a big deal. They were both Fang Liming''s sons, and shouldn''t have been treated so differently in the first ce. If it were the younger son, who knows, he might be even more filial to her in the future.

    Xiao Duo was also tempted.

    He had always envied his twin brother--luxury cars, beautiful women, anything he wanted he could have, beloved by all. They were born from the same mother, so why was there such a big difference?

    For so many years, he didn''t resent his mother. She had said that she kept him because she really couldn''t bear to send both children away. But to say he felt no resentment would be a lie.

    He didn''t know how many times he regretted that it wasn''t him back then.

    Now there was a chance to live his brother''s life, even if only for a few days. He was willing no matter what.

    So the n was set.

    Because he envied his brother, Xiao Duo had always imitated his brother''s looks. After putting on his clothes, even Wen Hui couldn''t tell them apart.

    Her boyfriend got bolder. He first took Fang Yan''s watch and put it on himself, then said, since they were doing it already, why not go all the way. Let Xiao Duo properly suck up to Boss Fang--it would be best if he could actually pull it off.

    Of course, Xiao Duo got such an opportunity, he shouldn''t forget to be "filial" to them too.

    As for Xiao Yan, he told Wen Hui, "Let him live Xiao Duo''s life for a few days, teach him a lesson."

    Wen Hui agreed. She harbored no small amount of resentment towards this eldest son, and wanted to discipline him.

    However, the seemingly "perfect" n fell apart in less than a few hours.

    Xiao Duo died.

    Wen Hui was heartbroken and dumbfounded, not sure if Fang Liming had deliberately tricked her or if it was true. For a moment, she almost wanted to confess everything.

    But her boyfriend said, "Don''t be stupid. If he finds out what we did, do you know what the consequences would be?"

    Wen Hui shuddered.

    She certainly knew how ruthless Fang Liming was. A self-made man from decades ago, who wasn''t a brutal figure?

    They couldn''t stay here any longer. Take the money and run.

    So the switch became a kidnapping.

    There was still more than an hour until the exchange time, but Wen Hui couldn''t sit still. She paced around indoors, standing by the window in a daze.

    Just then, she saw some movement outside the spinning teacups ride. She hurriedly called her boyfriend over, "Someone''s here."

    They were instantly on alert.

    In the dim light, they saw a disheveled girl run over from the spinning teacups. Her hair was flying every which way, her steps staggered and chaotic, she even almost tripped.

    But she seemed oblivious, only looking back continuously.

    Soon, a tall, sturdy man chased up behind her, sticking close.

    The girl desperately tried to escape, but her strength steadily declined. Running to about 20-30 meters from the haunted house, she was caught by the man behind her, who roughly pushed her to the ground.

    Seeing that she was about to be strangled by the man, the girl rolled over, tumbling down the stairs andnding right in front of the haunted house door. She quickly got up and limped to the haunted house entrance.

    "She wants toe in," Wen Hui panicked a little, asking, "What should we do?"

    Her boyfriend was very cold. "Of course we can''t let her in."

    Wen Hui frowned, "She''s just a young girl...we can''t just watch her die."

    "We''re struggling to save ourselves, why bother with her?" her boyfriend said. "Let me tell you, don''t impulsively be merciful. If something goes wrong, both you and I will suffer."

    Wen Hui felt a little heartless.

    She wasn''t some kind, merciful person. Going out on her own at 18, bing a mistress for a tycoon, how many of those women were kind? Back when she worked for Fang Liming, a female colleague took a liking to him. Wen Hui cornered her in the bathroom and gave her two fierce ps, swelling her face up like a peach.

    But...now was different.

    "Open the door and let her in to hide for a bit," Wen Hui pressed the button on the control panel, opening the hidden door of the haunted house. "She won''t daree in, it''s a haunted house after all."

    Her boyfriend couldn''t stop her in time, and could only watch as she opened the door.

    The lock disappeared. The girl stumbled back from the force, but immediately rushed in, mming the door shut behind her and leaning against it, gritting her teeth.

    The man outside pounded on the door, shaking it violently.

    But the haunted house door was specially made. The external lock was just for show--no matter how he pounded, it wouldn''t open. Panting heavily, he lingered outside, refusing to leave.

    Her boyfriendined, "You let a problem in, now what do we do?"

    "We should get going," oddly enough, she felt regret after opening the door, but wouldn''t admit it. "Let''s hurry and keep an eye out, the ransom should be ready."

    Her boyfriend asked, "Are you bringing your son?"

    Wen Hui gritted her teeth, "No, let theme get him when the timees. We take the money and leave immediately."

    She nced at the monitor showing the girl, then turned off the power.

    With the power off, all the mechanisms and doors in the haunted house would lock. The front door couldn''t be opened either. Although a bit scary, once Fang''s people arrived, she could be rescued.

    It was the only bit of kindness Wen Hui could show the stranger.

    Wen Hui steadied herself, picking up the keys. "Let''s go."

    Her boyfriend pressed on his vest, feeling the bulge within, and was slightly relieved. "Remember what I told you? Have them split up the money. We''ll take one portion and leave."

    The 30 million was a bluff to begin with. They were greedy but not stupid.

    So when the money arrived at the department store, they nned to have it split into five portions, delivered to five different ces.

    Someone like Fang Liming probably wouldn''t call the cops, but his security capabilities were limited. Splitting up would greatly increase their chances of getting away with 6 million.

    As the two left the control room, walking down the dark employee hallway lit only by their phone lights, there was a sudden muffled "bang" from the corner behind them.

    Wen Hui listened carefully, shocked. "Is that Xiao Yan?"

    "I''ll go check," her boyfriend didn''t want the duck flying from his mouth. "You go start the car."

    This was "street smarts"--if things really went south, running earlier was better than runningter.

    Familiar with the ce, he felt his way to where Fang Yan was held--really just a bathroom, decorated to be very scary. Not only was there a door that could only be opened from outside, there was also a hidden door.

    Don''t tell me Fang Yan found the door and escaped?

    Cursing his bad luck inwardly, he groped his way forward in the dark.

    Walking down a hallway with scary bare-headed mannequins, his shoulder was suddenly weighted down.

    "Fuck!" Even though he knew this stretch was particrly creepy, the sudden shock still made him want to jump up. He reflexively swung out his arm.

    Then a snow-white arm reached down.

    Hiss.

    The mist sprayed right in his face.

    "Ugh, who''s that?!" He fumbled to fend her off, reaching into his vest pocket and pulling out a gun. But before he could steady his grip, his wrist was twisted and a weight pressed down on his back, mming him heavily to the ground.

    Pain shot through his knees and his head spun.

    He struggled to open his eyes, only able to make out a slender figure walking up to him, her face blurred and unclear.

    Then, darkness overtook him.

    Jian Jing put away the pepper spray, having used up the 3 seconds of spray she had drawn earlier, now confiscated by the system. But it had been worth it this time, just look what she had discovered!

    A revolver - a familiar sight in old Western films, and a prized collectible for many gun enthusiasts.

    But don''t assume this gun was some ancient relic from a museum.

    Kimber''s K6s DCR, newly on the market in 2018, with a silver stainless steel barrel, hardwood grip, and a red front sight, the gun was about 16.8 cm long, weighing 652 grams, about the same as an average leather handbag, rtively lightweight.

    She had no idea where he had bought it, but it definitely wasn''t cheap.

    Jian Jing hadn''t expected to run into someone armed, but by a stroke of luck, she had drawn a card before sneaking in.

    Due to the hazardous environment, it was a special card.

    [Name: Special Card - X-Ray Vision Device]

    [Description: ck tech product, can be used with main unit or stand-alone. Achieves "see-through" effect using physics of X-rays, no radiation.]

    [Note: Usage limited to mission duration, please don''t use it for evil~~]

    [Name: Special Card - Storage Space (0/5)]

    [Description: Still envious of the built-in inventory in games? Now you have one too! Can store non-living objects, total 5 slots, simr items can be stacked, max weight per slot 10KG]

    [Note: Carry with you, safe and secure]

    It was thanks to the X-ray vision device that she could swiftly maneuver through the haunted house''splicated mechanisms and urately locate where Fang Limin was being held, luring them over with noise.

    She had climbed up to the top floor using the steel frames already in ce in the haunted house - there was a concealed passage up there, for staff to suddenly pop out and startle visitors - attacking them from above.

    Also, with the X-ray vision on the whole time, she also spotted the gun tucked against his chest, allowing her to take preemptive action and smoothly avoid danger.

    "Tap tap tap", Wen Hui heard themotion and came running over.

    Jian Jing leapt upwards, grabbing onto the overhead steel beams. She flexed her arms, hooking her legs forward, and climbed back up to the top level.

    Wen Hui anxiously ran over: "Are you okay?"

    She had just leaned over to check when the hairs on her neck stood on end.

    Someone''s handnded on her shoulder.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111

    Wen Hui shuddered with fear. But very soon, she realized that what was behind her was not a ghost, but a person.

    "Ms. Wen," she felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against her back, and a gentle voice sounded in her ear, "Don''t move."

    Wen Hui was in a panic: "Who are you? What do you want?"

    "Don''t worry, I''m not here to harm you." The phantom behind her said slowly, "Since you were willing to open the door for me, I''ll let you live."

    Wen Hui was shocked, she didn''t expect that it was she herself who had let the viin in: "What do you want? Money?"

    "Fang Limin''s people are right outside." Jian Jing said, "If you go out now, I don''t need to tell you what will happen."

    Fine beads of sweat broke out on her neck, and Wen Hui said hoarsely: "Did Fang Limin send you?"

    "I''m not hispdog. I''m here to help you." Jian Jingughed, "It depends on whether you''re willing to cooperate."

    Jian Jing took out her mobile phone and turned on the voice recorder: "Why did you kidnap Fang Yan?" she asked while pressing the gun barrel forward to intimidate her, "Don''t lie."

    Wen Hui involuntarily licked her lips and said dryly: "It was an ident, I didn''t mean to. " She recounted the causes and consequences of what happened today, and felt somewhat aggrieved, "I just wanted to attend his wedding, but he was ashamed of me. I''ve always been considerate of him, but he never cared to think more about me. It''s as if it''s all my fault that I gave birth to him."

    Good question.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle to herself as she quickly pondered.

    "You''re lucky, I hate Fang Limin." She said slowly, "So, I can let you leave, but forget about ckmail."

    But Wen Hui asked: "Is my man okay?"

    "He just passed out." Jian Jing was curious, "You care about him?"

    "Young girl, you must still be quite young, right?" Wen Hui spoke in the tone of someone more experienced, "Whether a man has good conditions or is good to you has nothing to do with it. He has a bunch of bad habits, but is willing to n for me, so I can''t abandon him."

    Jian Jing tilted her head: "Then you can''t get away."

    Wen Hui''s eyes revealed struggle.

    "I have another way." She said leisurely, "That would allow both of you to live."

    Wen Hui hesitated for a moment, then said, "Tell me."

    Jian Jing whispered and murmured for a while.

    Wen Hui fell silent, and after a long time, gritted her teeth and said, "Fine."

    "Very good." Jian Jing put away her gun and dragged the unconscious Fang Yan out of the toilet.

    Then she opened the window and called out to the security guards outside: "I found your young master."

    The hidden security guard was overjoyed and immediately took him over.

    "He doesn''t look good, take him to the hospital right away." Jian Jing''s face was very serious, making it seem as if Fang Yan was about to die immediately.

    The security guard was shocked and hurriedly carried him away. At the same time, he contacted the waiting secretary and others by phone.

    The secretary immediately contacted Jian Jing: "Ms. Jian, did you find Ms. Wen?"

    "I didn''t see her, she must have run away." Jian Jing said, "You take Fang Yan to the hospital first."

    The secretary agreed, but sent another security guard toe search.

    That man was not as tall and mighty as the previous security guard, but very shrewd. He smiled and climbed in through the window: "Ms. Jian, I''lle and search to see if there are any aplices here."

    Jian Jing smiled: "Alright, shall we go together or separately?"

    "Together." The security guard turned on his shlight.

    Jian Jing took the lead and walked ahead, turning into the mirror house next door.

    This was the signature project of the haunted house. The huge room was full ofrge mirrors that confused people''s sense of direction throughyered reflections. Strange images were inserted from time to time to scare people to death.

    The security guard had been following closely behind Jian Jing, but with mirror images everywhere, he lost sight of her at one point.

    From afar, there seemed to be the sound of an engine.

    Wen Hui had escaped with her boyfriend.

    When she saw several security guards waiting outside, shepletely believed Jian Jing''s words.

    It must have been people sent by Fang Limin. She knew him all too well. If she fell into his hands, they might be in the news tomorrow: "Middle-aged couple crashes car at night, falls into reservoir, car destroyed and lives lost."

    So she immediately cooperated with Jian Jing to activate the mechanism of the mirror house, while using a wheelchair to carry her boyfriend onto the car and drove away.

    She left the park through the back door and sped along the small road, but before long, she saw a ck car following them.

    It was other people arranged by Fang Limin.

    Jian Jing had told her: "There were four people who came with me, and only one car. That''s odd. I suspect someone is following behind, so you should leave through the back door. If you encounter a trailing car..."

    She didn''t finish, but Wen Hui understood her meaning.

    If there was no follower, she might get away with fleeing, but if someone tailed her and she didn''t follow the n, she would undoubtedly die.

    So Wen Hui gave up the extravagant hope of escaping far away.

    She followed the n and drove straight to a certain police station, crashing the car through the gates. She didn''t even get out of the car before being surrounded by several policemen.

    "I''m here to surrender." Wen Hui was quite ruthless by nature. The original n had failed, and the resentment bottled up in her heart had not diminished at all, but burned even more fiercely. So her next words were: "Save me, someone wants to kill me. My son is dead."

    The policemen present: Wow!

    She rolled down the car window and raised her hands: "Which one of you is Officer Ji Feng?"

    Ji Feng at the door eating an egg cake: "Huh?"

    "Ms. Jian persuaded me to surrender." Wen Hui said, "Can I open the car door ande out?"

    Ji Feng: Damn!

    Casese from heaven when you''re at the police station!

    What kind of fairy is Teacher Jian?!

    *

    The second security guard was trapped in the mirror house, and Jian Jing didn''t even bother keeping an eye on Lu Yucheng.

    She calcted the time, and twenty minutester, Ji Feng called her: "Teacher Jian, this gift is a bit too much for me to handle."

    Jian Jing ignored his excitement and said coldly: "Because your police station was close by."

    "You''re too kind."

    "This case is notplicated, but may not be easy to handle." She briefly recounted the story, "My request is simple, don''t let them die."

    Ji Feng said, "It won''t go that far, this isn''t twenty years ago."

    Jian Jing was skeptical. Every time she thought she understood this world, she would find that some things were different from the original world.

    For example, the two security guards who came today were very different from those she had seen before, extremely capable, like the private forces of tycoons she had seen in American TV shows before.

    But in any case, now that the people had been handed over to the police, her mission was aplished.

    Jian Jing let the trapped security guard out and asked nonchntly: "Why were you wandering around here?"

    The security guard was already somewhat suspicious of her, so he deliberately asked: "Where did Ms. Jian go? The mechanism here is on, ordinary people can hardly get out."

    "Do you usually watch variety shows?" Jian Jing answered his question with another question.

    The security guard was taken aback and shook his head.

    "If you had watched haunted house variety shows, you wouldn''t ask that." She smiled, "It may be hard for ordinary people to get out, but that doesn''t mean I can''t get out."

    Security guard: "..."

    She pped her hands and calmly left.

    Lu Yucheng was waiting outside. Seeing them, he couldn''t help but ask: "Where are the people?"

    "Didn''t find them." Jian Jing asked, "Was the groom taken to the hospital? How is he?"

    "Just anesthetics, he''ll wake up once they wear off." Lu Yucheng''s face was full of undisguised joy as he casually said, "The wedding is also over, and the bride is fine too."

    Jian Jing muttered "Oh", and took the initiative to ask: "Is Chairman Fang still at the club?"

    "Yeah, why?"

    "Then let''s go back first." A hint of meaningful smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

    When they returned to the club, the evening banquet was justing to an end.

    The guests all knew that although Mrs. Fang had unfortunately had a recurrence of stomach problems, she was unharmed after emergency treatment. The bride had rushed to the hospital to take care of her mother-inw with the groom.

    All in all, it was considered satisfactory.

    Jian Jing washed up thoroughly in the restroom of the club, tidying up her messy grass-stained hair, and brushing off the dust and debris on her clothes. Because of the scuffle, her shirt was all wrinkled, so she had a service staff member bring over a handheld steam iron to neatly press it again.

    She cleaned her minor injuries with antiseptic, and applied a thinyer of makeup on her face to cover up all the bruises.

    After she was done, she came out looking just like an ordinary guest again. No one could imagine what she had done before.

    Although the evening banquet was nearly over, with Lu Yucheng there, she wouldn''t miss dinner.

    She enjoyed avish Chinese meal, the dishes were not particrly exotic but cooked exquisitely. Especially a fish soup that was tender, smooth and drove away the fatigue of the day.

    When she was almost done, the secretary came over, "Miss Jian, Chairman Fang wants to see you."

    Wen Hui was waiting for this, she wiped her mouth and followed him into the room.

    Chairman Fang was waiting for her in the study of his suite. Seeing here in, he waved for the others to leave.

    The secretary and bodyguard exited, closing the door behind them to wait outside the suite.

    "Miss Jian," Chairman Fang sat at the desk looking down at her, "You let the person I wanted get away."

    Jian Jing: "Oh?"

    "Although I don''t know why you did this," Chairman Fang''s expression was calm, "It was clearly an unwise decision."

    Jian Jingughed: "I think you also made an unwise choice."

    Chairman Fang tilted his head slightly: "Please borate."

    "You shouldn''t have let them all leave." Jian Jing twisted open her handbag, pretending to rummage through it, but actually taking out a revolver stored in her props card, grasping it in her hand.

    A flicker of surprise passed through Chairman Fang''s eyes, he didn''t expect her to say such things and do such deeds. But it was just surprise, nothing more.

    He said: "That is not a toy for girls."

    Jian Jing did not speak, her right thumb pressed thetch on the left side of the gun.

    The cylinder popped out to the left, revealing the empty chambers.

    Jian Jing began loading bullets into it, one by one, a full five bullets, leaving just one chamber empty.

    "When I was young, I really liked watching God of Gamblers movies. I don''t remember which one, but they used a revolver as a roulette wheel, left a deep impression on me." She said slowly, "Even back then, I really wanted to try it out, see if it''s as fun as it looks."

    After loading, she shook the cylinder at Chairman Fang, "click", locking it back into ce.

    Chairman Fang was a man who had weathered storms, heughed: "You are very gutsy."

    Jian Jing stared at him.

    The head of this wealthy corporation still maintained his original gaze, only with some more displeasure and annoyancepared to before.

    She spun the cylinder, turning it around several times, thoroughly shuffling the order.

    "Chairman Fang is the real gutsy one, not afraid at all." She smiled, then suddenly stood up straight, right hand on the grip, left hand grasping the right, feet apart with right foot back.

    Chairman Fang''s eyebrows quivered slightly.

    He didn''t know much about shooting, but had plenty of experts by his side. He could tell her stance was very standard, definitely not just for show.

    "Six chambers, five bullets, let''s gamble and see if Chairman Fang is lucky today." Jian Jing''s lips curled up, her tone unusually gentle and charming.

    Chairman Fang sighed, "Miss Jian, please put the gun down, we can have a nice chat." On the surface this sounded like pleading, but that was not the case.

    His tone was coaxing, like a father to a daughter, or an owner to a pet.

    Jian Jing knew why he was unafraid.

    "Chairman Fang thinks I don''t dare shoot, so giving me a way out?" She smiled, "Yes, your bodyguards are right outside, if I kill you, my future is ruined and I can''t get away either."

    Chairman Fang neither confirmed nor denied it.

    Are guns scary? Scary.

    But it depends whose hands they are in.

    In his view, Jian Jing waving a gun at him posed no threat at all.

    Because she had no reason to shoot.

    "Earlier you said you saw through me. I''m someone who values life and has principles. Now I''m pointing a gun at your head, yet you still think you''ve got it under control. But out of a man''s ''affection'' for a woman, you pretended to be afraid to give me face... Feels good doesn''t it?" Jian Jing smiled.

    The smile on Fang Limin''s face disappeared.

    He knitted his brows, seeming to want to say something. But in that moment, his eyes caught her movement - her slim, fair fingers pulled the trigger.

    His mind went nk for an instant.

    Bang.

    Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

    For a second, Fang Limin thought he was going to die. He had never imagined he would go this way, at a time like this.

    How is this possible?!

    Thump thump thump, his heart pounded rapidly, his calves cramped, sweat blinded his eyes.

    "Ah li li," Jian Jing mimicked the God of Death''s catchphrase with a wicked delight,ughter in her eyes, "You got lucky, what a pity."

    She briskly put the gun away and casually sat back down, leg crossed, posture elegant.

    "Now where were we?" She asked, "I have a bad memory, suddenly can''t recall."

    Fang Limin''s gaze had changed.

    The arrogance of the powerful, the lust of a man for a woman, the tormentor toward prey... all gone. At this moment, his eyes finally saw Jian Jing as a person.

    Not some girl making empty threats, not a child throwing a tantrum, not a pawn, not a dog.

    Just a "person".

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112

    Jian Jing knew what she looked like in Fang Limin''s eyes: a girl with a bit of a temper but also some ability.

    He wanted to use her, so he ttered and pleased her to satisfy her vanity. At the same time, he also wanted to threaten and warn her to obediently follow his instructions without taking initiative.

    To put it nicely, it was calledbining kindness and severity. To be blunt, it was nothing more than carrots and sticks. But no matter which one, it seemed to have seeded.

    During the investigation process, sheined a lot, but still found the murderer and groom for him as instructed.

    He thought he had grasped her and seen through herpletely.

    So when she took out a gun, he was not afraid at all. He pretended to be weak as a joke that men like to tease and pamper women - look, the little kitten is showing her ws. I''ll just pretend to be scared and y along.

    He was confident and self-assured that everything was under his control.

    Jian Jing had endured him until now for this very moment, when he was mostcent, to destroy his self-confidence.

    In fact, she had already stuffed all the bullets from the gun into the storage box. Even the darkest viin would not get his head blown off.

    But Fang Limin didn''t know that.

    With this shot, his sense of control over her would vanish into thin air.

    You thought I was just making empty threats. No, I really will shoot.

    You thought I was a principled justice warrior. No, I really can kill you when I go crazy.

    You thought I was conquered, controlled and seen through by you. No no no, I was deceiving you.

    I''m the one who sees through everything.

    I''m the hunter.

    The brink of death feeling is enough to eliminate all desires and destroy all self-confidence.

    Damn, you''re so easily scared!

    "Knock knock knock," a knocking sound came from outside the door. The secretary''s calm voice was mixed with caution: "Chairman, do you have any instructions?"

    "Pour a nice cup of tea for Miss Jian," Fang Limin said. His tone was a little strange.

    But the secretary didn''t notice: "Yes."

    Jian Jing smiled imperceptibly. Look, only now did she get a cup of tea.

    The secretary quickly brewed some expensive tea leaves. As soon as he entered the door, the faint tea fragrance drifted everywhere.

    Fang Limin said, "This is this year''s Ming Qian tea."

    Jian Jing understood. Although she didn''t know much about tea, she knew Ming Qian tea was as expensive as gold. She said, "It smells nice."

    "This is worthy of Miss Jian," Fang Limin recovered hisposure. "You are our family''s benefactor. Thanks to you, our Xiao Yan just escaped disaster."

    "The groom has his own good fortune," Jian Jing politely declined thepliment as if she were just an ordinary girl. Now she no longer needed sharp words. "You tter me too much."

    "The younger generation is formidable," Fang Limin praised. Then his tone changed, "Although my abilities are limited, you saved a father''s child. Is there anything I can do for you?"

    Jian Jing nodded: "There is."

    Fang Limin calmly said, "What is it?"

    "I want to find someone," she said slowly. "Have you heard of Grandmaster Tian Qi?"

    Fang Limin pondered.

    Jian Jing remained silent and waited. He didn''t speak, so she didn''t speak either.

    After about three to five minutes, Fang Limin finally said, "I''ve heard this name before. He seems to be a moderately famous feng shui master."

    "How can I find him?"

    Fang Limin said, "This person is very mysterious. He only takes referrals from close contacts. It won''t be easy for you to find him."

    "Not even Chairman Fang can do it?"

    He smiled and lightly sipped the fragrant tea, "You don''t have to try to provoke me. I said I would thank you, so I certainly will." After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let''s do this. I''ll ask some friends and see if there is a way."

    "Then thank you in advance," said Jian Jing. Her goal was achieved. She didn''t want to stay a minute longer.

    "Does Miss Jian have no other requests?" he asked.

    "Other requests?" Jian Jing spread her hands. "You''ve already paid 30 million to save the groom. I don''t think there''s anywhere else that needs to thank me."

    Fang Limin raised his eyebrows.

    "The chairman doesn''t think I''ll do two tasks but only take one reward?" she smiled.

    After ordering her around all day, even if it was for the system task, she had to nip him for some money. Otherwise, it would be hard to get rid of the feeling of being ordered around.

    Fang Limin said, "Of course not. But since the person I wanted got away, you can only get 10 million."

    Jian Jing looked at him for a moment. As expected of a businessman. At times he needed to be shrewd, he wouldn''t let go of a penny.

    "I ept," she said.

    *

    The only way to solve worries is to get filthy rich.

    Although she had used up 20 courage points and 20 contribution points today, the system settlement was very generous.

    [Task Name: The Secret of the Wedding (Completed)]

    [Task Reward/Penalty: 30 Courage Points + 10 Contribution Points (Avoid more casualties)]

    [Note: Courage points can be used to draw cards (ordinary), consuming 5 points each time; Contribution points can be used to draw cards (special), consuming 10 points each time]

    After calcting, she had earned 10 more courage points. The X-ray sses and storage cards were also very useful, not to mention the revolver was an unexpected joy.

    Hmm, 10 million was also very good.

    With a fatter wallet, her mood naturally improved.

    When Kang Mu Cheng found her, she was chatting with Lu Yu in good spirits.

    Lu Yu was also very happy. The death of his cousin was just a false rm. The wedding ended without incident, and the celebration did not be a funeral. This was as good as it could be.

    With the gloom gone, biological instincts began to emerge.

    Today, Lu Yu''s changes in feelings towards Jian Jing were roughly like this: Another money worshipping woman (disdain) ˇú Quite good at pretending (tacky means) ˇú A little interesting (interested) ˇú Completely different from what I imagined (surprised) ˇú She actually looks down on me (yet not angry at all) ˇú Rare to meet such an unconventional woman, would be a pity to miss this chance (mating instinct activated).

    In short: So tempting!

    Lu Yu was also a spoiled rich young master born with a silver spoon. His dictionary had no options for self-doubt or hesitation. In the past, he was chased by women. Now towards someone he was interested in, he naturally wouldn''t hesitate either.

    He started pursuing her.

    Except his skills were a little rusty.

    "It''s almost 10 o''clock. Do you want to go for a drink?" He looked at his watch and thought of amon activity. "Let''s celebrate sessfully rescuing Xiao Yan."

    Jian Jing: "I''m tired."

    Lu Yu immediately changed his tune: "Then let me take you home."

    "Mr. Kang will take me," Jian Jing saw Kang Mu Cheng and quickly said, "Shall we go? I want to go home."

    Since she showed no intention of meeting up, Kang Mu Cheng naturally said, "Yes, let''s go."

    But Lu Yu didn''t give up. He smiled and said, "Mr. Kang, please gracefully give me this opportunity to express my affection."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t respond and looked towards Jian Jing.

    She didn''t even nce at him as she urged Kang Mu Cheng, "Aren''t we leaving?"

    "What a pity," Kang Mu Cheng said lightly. "Try harder next time."

    Only then did Lu Yu stop.

    Once in Kang Mu Cheng''s car, she immediately pulled over the back seat cushion and leaned backfortably. Only then did Jian Jing breathe a sigh of relief andpletely rx her body.

    "You wandered around all day. What were you doing?" Kang Mu Cheng asked. "Did something happen to the groom?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but look at him. "Why do you say that?"

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed. "This has happened so many times already. I''m not blind."

    In the past year, the little girl was no longer satisfied with staying home to write. Instead, she enthusiastically sought inspiration from real criminal cases. As soon as a case urred, she would run around everywhere. It was impossible to stop her.

    He really couldn''t stand it anymore. "If you don''t get involved, there won''t be so much trouble. Like today, if you had stayed with me the whole time, nothing would have happened."

    "I don''t want to be a light bulb," she said. Then she suddenly remembered and asked, "Was that the bridesmaid?"

    Kang Mu Cheng knew who she was asking about and responded in agreement.

    Jian Jing didn''t ask anymore.

    But unexpectedly, after obvious hesitation, Kang Mu Cheng actually spoke up, "She was my junior schoolmate in college."

    The melon had arrived. Jian JingˇŻs drooping spirit became ted again: ˇ°What happened next?ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng said: ˇ°Nothing else happened.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°???ˇ±

    But he started talking about irrelevant matters: ˇ°You should know that I donˇŻt have a father.ˇ±

    Jian Jing thought about it carefully for a moment, and indeed, in her limited memory, it seemed like she had never heard of or seen Kang Mu Cheng''s father before.

    ˇ°He is...ˇ± she hesitated.

    Kang Mu Cheng said very calmly: ˇ°I donˇŻt know. My mother conceived me out of wedlock and raised me alone.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: 0.0

    Unwed pregnancy thirty years ago?! President Kang is so progressive!

    ˇ°She never told me who my father was, and I never asked. He may have died or gotten married.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng started talking and realized that it wasn''t as difficult to talk about as he had imagined. ˇ°Although I don''t feel thatcking a father had any impact on my life, this is an area that is very unfamiliar to me.ˇ±

    Jian Jing listened in silence.

    He said: ˇ°At your age, you probably think thirty is very old?ˇ±

    Jian Jing said: ˇ°As long as one doesn''t die, everyone will reach thirty.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Chengughed. But he said: ˇ°When I was twenty, I thought the same way. Thirty seemed like the age when one would already be a father. But time passed in the blink of an eye. There is nothing that must be done at a certain age. Family and marriage are not necessities for me, I''m in no hurry.ˇ±

    Jian Jing nodded: ˇ°ThatˇŻs fine too.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng couldnˇŻt help ncing at her.

    ˇ°What are you looking at me like that for? Do you think I''m very old-fashioned? That one must get married and fall in love?ˇ± She retorted irritably.

    Kang Mu Cheng chuckled. He realized that this topic was not actually difficult to discuss. When he was willing to be frank with her, she was also generous in sharing her views.

    ˇ°Girls generally crave those things more.ˇ± He recalled Rong Rong, she had been so happy at the wedding today, eyes shining bright, like a crowned princess.

    Jian Jing dismissed it and repeated Chi FengˇŻs words: ˇ°Romance affects my IQ.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°?ˇ±

    Afraid that he had set a bad example, he quickly added: ˇ°Not necessarily.ˇ±

    Jian Jing refused to continue on the topic, and asked instead: ˇ°What about President Kang? IsnˇŻt sheing home?ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°She went out drinking with friends.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...Impressive.ˇ±

    Attending an event in the morning, then taking a ne to rush back for a wedding, and going out drinking afterwards, such vitality was truly astounding.

    She would not have managed. Her eyelids kept drooping now, exhausted from sleepiness.

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°Sleep if you want to. I''ll wake you when we arrive.ˇ±

    Jian Jing mumbled in acknowledgement, her eyelids instantly closed as she fell asleep.

    Kang Mu Cheng shook his head, pulled over to stop the car, took a nket from the backseat and spread it over her. Only then did he reduce his speed and leisurely drive back to her home.

    When they arrived, he woke her up, apanied her into the elevator and sent her to her home. Only after ascertaining no one else was home did the knot in his heart untie.

    ˇ°Meow.ˇ± Buding walked over, meowing at the bathroom.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at it.

    It looked back at Kang Mu Cheng.

    He turned and left.

    Buding circled around his feet: ˇ°Meow meow meow?ˇ± Aren''t you going to scoop my litter?

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°You have two litter boxes.ˇ±

    Buding, aggrieved: ˇ°Meow meow meow.ˇ± But I like that one.

    Kang Mu Cheng admonished: ˇ°Don''t be so fussy.ˇ±

    Buding: ˇ°......ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng was iron-faced and refused to indulge the cat''s bad habits. He briskly closed the door and left.

    By the time he returned home, it was almost midnight.

    "Auntie Wang, stew some sweet soup." He told the housekeeper, "My mother went out drinking again."

    Auntie Wang had worked in the Kang household for seven or eight years, and was very familiar with the temperaments of her two employers, young and old. She immediately acknowledged and went to the kitchen to get busy.

    While working, she also asked: ˇ°Do you want something to nibble on first? You went out for drinks today, didnˇŻt eat well right?ˇ±

    ˇ°Cook me a bowl of noodles and make me a cup of tea.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng said.

    He took a shower, changed into loungewear, ate a bowl of noodles in the dining room for ate night snack, then took the teacup to the study to start working.

    At two in the morning, President Kang returned home, kicked off her high heels, and headed straight for the kitchen to take the stew.

    Kang Mu Cheng heard the noise and went downstairs. Frowning at her, he asked: ˇ°How much did you drink?ˇ±

    ˇ°Not much, just two sses.ˇ± After downing a bowl of the hot stew, President Kang felt warm and cosy inside. ˇ°My son is so good, knowing to keep supper for me.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng shook his head: ˇ°You should drink less too.ˇ±

    ˇ°IˇŻll drink a bit more while IˇŻm still young, wonˇŻt be able to once IˇŻm older.ˇ± President Kang blinked and mysteriously said: ˇ°Right, let me tell you something. Someone went to the police station to confess today, said Fang Limin wanted to kill her, and produced some nice stuff.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°What?ˇ±

    ˇ°Remember Qili Bridge from eleven years ago?ˇ± President Kang said. ˇ°The big bridge copsed, killing over eighty people and severely injuring over a hundred. It was Fang Corporation''s project.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng softly inhaled.

    ˇ°Their stock is going to plunge.ˇ± President Kang''s eyes were bright, not at all like a drunk person. ˇ°LetˇŻs think of a way to acquire FangˇŻs Dream Tower.ˇ±

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113

    Jian Jing was worried about money.

    She asked Fang Limin for amission fee, mainly because she was unhappy with his style of doing things and didn''t want to work for free, but when the money was actually transferred to her ount, she didn''t know what to use it for.

    She had used the previous manuscript fees to buy real estate, and now there didn''t seem to be any need to buy more.

    She thought about it and found her own fund manager to buy her funds and stocks for investment. Even if there was a loss, it was free money so she wouldn''t feel bad about it. If the returns were good, she would donate a portion to charity.

    Perfect.

    With the money issue resolved, it was time to cast Demon 2.

    Just as Director Huang expected, it hadpletely entered the stage of fiercepetition.

    Many people in the industry looked favorably on the Demon Doctor series, and everyone wanted a piece of the pie, whether through their own capabilities, powerful backers, or both.

    But casting had not yet begun.

    Director Huang used "polishing the script" as an excuse and hadn''t opened his mouth about it.

    Privately, he told Jian Jing the truth: "After seeing Xie Wei''s performance, I really can''t settle for anyone else."

    Jian Jing was silent.

    Shao Meng''s acting skills were already remarkable. Finding a recement would not be easy, let alone reaching Xie Wei''s level in ten years. There were few in the industry who couldpare.

    She was a little doubtful about the second pill.

    But things in the world are so unpredictable. Just when everyone was ridiculing it, a turning point emerged.

    A 35-year-old male actor contacted Director Huang and said he was willing to consider ying the demon after reading the script.

    Who was so famous?

    A Best Actor winner.

    Well, that was fine then.

    He was Xie Wei''s senior brother under the same mentor. They had a good rtionship in the past. He had also helped connect Xie Wei a few times, butter withdrew from the film and television industry due to health reasons, only asionally making cameo appearances in friends'' films.

    Before Xie Weimitted suicide, she had sent this senior brother a farewell email.

    But he was on vacation abroad at the time, away from the inte, and did not immediately receive the message. After seeing the email, he immediately watched the Demon film and books, and asked around the industry circle before contacting Director Huang.

    Of course, he spoke very clearly.

    Xie Wei had only mentioned to him, "If I hadn''t reached this point, Demon might have allowed me to return to the public eye, but unfortunately, I have no way forward anymore."

    So if he was not satisfied with the script, he would not ept the role, but if the script was good, he would consider it.

    Director Huang was overjoyed. Changing the lead actor in a franchise was a big taboo. Even with the demon''s ability to change faces in the setting, it might not erase the audience''s first impression.

    Without a strong enough recement for Shao Meng, the drama would inevitablye under great scrutiny.

    Flying Bird had hesitated to finalize things, also to avoid public opinion in this regard.

    But if it was the returning Best Actor... there shouldn''t be much of an issue.

    He started pushing the writing team on the script.

    Each cker had their ownziness, but workaholics were all simr. Once Director Huang entered work mode, he didn''t recognize anyone, and even dragged Jian Jing into meetings on the script for hours until she was nauseated.

    Every meeting had parts that got overturned, and new suggestions put forward. Because filming a TV series was different than literary creation where you could just type away on the keyboard. You had to consider how to film the scenes, how to present the visuals, the length of each episode.

    Of course, you also had to consider the investor''s ideas.

    Jian Jing had gone twice, the only constion being that she didn''t have to do the rewrites herself.

    Even so, she didn''t want to participate anymore, and used her privilege to just look at the final draft, then escaped under the pretext of working on a new book.

    This wasn''t aplete lie either.

    She had already revised Rose, Gold and Killers once.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s suggested edits were very restrained. Where there were imperfections, he tried his best to keep her original faint emotions when she was writing.

    Jian Jing only needed to fix some logical bugs, and delete some parts.

    The deletions were at Kang Mu Cheng''s suggestion.

    He said, "Once you write romance, people will definitelypare it to other love stories. To be honest, I don''t think you''ll have the advantage. Some of your fans like you because you don''t write romance, while other romance writers all have their diehard fans. Once they start fighting, you''ll definitely lose out."

    Jian Jing had just reached a million sales. If people could find a chance to badmouth her, wouldn''t they be overjoyed?

    So, "hinting without revealing, resembling but not confirming, is most suitable." He was quite experienced. "We won''t use romance to promote it, or characterize it that way. Let readers discern and analyze for themselves."

    Jian Jing agreed with his viewpoint.

    Moreover, after finishing writing and leaving it alone for a while before going back to read the previous text, she could detect that although she had restrained herself when writing, some expressions still revealed too much.

    At that time, she was still feeling turmoil over Xie Wei''s death, and projected it into her writing, inevitably leaving moments of outpouring.

    Jian Jing eventually deleted all these sections, changing them to more subtle depictions, sometimes flowers, sometimes the wind, or just the fruit in the fridge.

    At a nce it was only casual prose, but a careful taste, looking at the previous text, one would know the wind left traces as it passed.

    After submitting this draft, Kang Mu Cheng felt it was ready.

    But he still called her to Golden Crow to personally have her select the illustrator.

    "We won''t overpromote it, but we have to let readers know you''ve made a change this time," Kang Mu Cheng said. "The first impression of a book is the title and cover. I won''t say anything about your title, provocative enough. But the cover must be carefully chosen."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle, joking with him: "Aren''t you afraid people will be unhappy that you''re ying favorites?"

    "Everyone already knows I favor you," Kang Mu Cheng called for the secretary to bring coffee and made her work. "Pick it out this afternoon, no cking off."

    Jian Jing obediently got to work.

    She didn''t oftene to Golden Crow. Today she upied a small conference room. The secretary came in at intervals to deliver coffee, deliver snacks, extremely attentive.

    Seeing this, the other employees couldn''t resist gossiping.

    When Jian Jing went to the bathroom, she heard people chatting about her outside.

    "Hey, have you heard? The little princess is here."

    "Ms. Jian? How rare, I''ve been here over two years and haven''t seen her once."

    "I just saw her, over by the conference room, very beautiful."

    "What''s she doing here? Can''t be to renew her contract right? I heard Morning Star has been trying to poach her."

    "Ms. Jian probably won''t leave. Mr. Kang treats her so well."

    "True. You think the rumors are real..."

    There were footsteps approaching outside, and the gossipers stopped talking.

    Jian Jing regretfully didn''t get to hear everything before returning to the conference room to continue looking through the portfolio.

    Effort pays off, and after struggling for an afternoon she finally found a suitable one.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked it over and nodded, immediately contacting the person to start work.

    "I can go on vacation now right?" Jian Jing asked.

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at her and relented: "Fine, should I have my driver take you home?"

    Jian Jing looked at her watch, after 4pm, just about time to find a ce for dinner: "No need, I saw a new restaurant nearby, I''ll grab a bite and head back myselfter."

    Kang Mu Cheng did not insist.

    He had been quite busytely, and could not attend to her for the moment, only urging: "Call me if anythinges up."

    Jian Jing nodded.

    As if recalling something, he suddenly asked: "Has anyone been looking for you recently?"

    She raised her brows.

    Of course.

    Lu Yu.

    The rich young master had both money and leisure time, and was always patient towards people he took an interest in.

    He had appeared on all her social media ounts.

    Following her Weibo, constantly sending WeChat friend requests. If she didn''t respond, he would send text messages. Sometimes even calling to ask if she was free for a meal.

    Every time she said she was busy, but he didn''t give up.

    The flower shop sent people to her apartmentplex daily to deliver the freshest bouquets, roses, lilies, baby''s breath, orange dahlias,vender... continuously changing it up.

    In a few days, the people in the homeowners'' group all knew that a rich young master was pursuing someone in themunity.

    Everyone was guessing who it was.

    Jian Jing of course didn''t want her privacy to be discovered, so she said to the security guard who delivered the flowers: "Don''t send the flowers up anymore, take them for your girlfriend."

    The young security guard was very surprised: "How did you know I have a girlfriend?"

    Jian Jing said: "I heard you talking to her on the phone before."

    The young guard smiled embarrassedly.

    Lu Yu soon realized this, and changed to sending desserts instead without making a fuss.

    This time, it was the cleaner''s turn to benefit.

    Jian Jing knew the property staff were gossipy, and most were likely bribed by Lu Yu, so she didn''t want to fill their stomachs. Instead, she gave all the desserts to the cleaner who cleaned this building.

    This aunty was over fifty, worked efficiently and diligently, and of course took advantage of the homeowners. She often went through the trash bags and took usable things home.

    Jian Jing didn''t give her things for free. She either had her throw things away or clean extra around her door, and only after finishing would she give her the desserts: "For your daughter to eat."

    Naturally the cleaner was happy to do so.

    Lu Yu persisted like this for half a month, with no results, and couldn''t stand it anymore.

    Last night, he deliberately waited for her at themunity entrance and asked: "Won''t you even give me a chance?"

    Jian Jing asked back: "Is little Rou okay?"

    Lu Yu was stunned for a moment, then understood what she meant. He said, "I''m serious about you."

    She was curious: "How serious?"

    "Like little Yan and Rong Rong," he said. "Seriously dating."

    "Shouldn''t that be how it is?" Jian Jing said lightly. "If you were like your uncle, I would have already taught you a lesson."

    Lu Yu was confused: "My uncle?" Shouldn''t it be like little Yan? Why would it be... He suddenly understood, his expression changing drastically as he looked at her in shock.

    Jian Jing raised the corners of her lips and stabbed him again: "You and your uncle have quite simr taste. As expected, no matter their age, men like twenty-year-old girls."

    Lu Yu took a deep breath and said decisively: "We''re not the same."

    "Then it has nothing to do with me," Jian Jing dismissed insincerely. "I''m still young and want to focus on studying first."

    But Lu Yu hesitated.

    He was twenty-seven, and Jian Jing had just turned twenty-one this year - six years was not a small gap.

    "Why don''t we try being friends first?" she asked again.

    Of course being friends was good progress, so Lu Yu immediately agreed.

    Jian Jing went home calmly.

    With her eyes closed, she knew why Lu Yu was interested in her. The ssic lines from CEO romance novels had already exined the essence - it was nothing more than "Woman, you have attracted my attention."

    Once they were different from the norm, the men would inevitably be drawn in. The more aloof and defiant the women were, the more it would arouse the men''s desire to conquer. In this game, both sides would see each other''s merits, and love would gradually sprout.

    So by taking the initiative to be friendly, Lu Yu would likely lose interest and stop bothering her.

    But she couldn''t tell this to Kang Mu Cheng.

    Jian Jing smiled slightly: "I''m fine."

    Kang Mu Cheng paused for a moment, but didn''t say anything more.

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114

    After finally finishing the busy work, of course she had to reward herself properly.

    As she came out of the Jinwu Building, Jian Jing went to the nearby mall to go shopping. Coincidentally, it was the Baoma Building that had almost be the scene of a kidnapping transaction.

    This was one of the old shopping centers in the city of Peace, and it had caused quite a sensation when it first opened more than ten years ago because it brought in many well-known foreign brands. Although it had declined now, it still had a lot of loyal customers.

    Jian Jing bought two dresses, a hat, and three pairs of shoes, and was incredibly happy.

    In a good mood, even a dinner at a five-star restaurant would feel like seven stars, and after finishing she was reluctant to go home, deciding to watch a movie to aid her digestion.

    The movie theater was on the seventh floor. Although it was a little old, it had been renovated and installed IMAX. A ratherrge supermarket was opened at the entrance, selling snacks, fruits and drinks.

    Jian Jing ordered abo of coke + popcorn + fried chicken.

    She chose a mystery thriller movie.

    However, ten minutes after it started, she regretted it.

    The movie was a little bloody, and the murder scenes were arranged very clearly.

    She was stunned.

    The artistic style of parallel worlds was just different. In the next world over, how could this have passed censorship?!

    Holy cow.

    It was just a little nauseating.

    Although she had encountered many cases, the deaths were not gruesome, and she had never encountered a particrly bloody dismemberment or rotting corpse.

    But this movie... made her want to vomit.

    The popcorn and coke were no longer appetizing.

    She was not the only one who felt this way. asional "bleh" sounds came from the corners, and the pungent smell of acid spread through the air, making people even more ufortable sitting there.

    People left one after another, and within thirty minutes of the opening, more than half the seats were empty.

    Jian Jing didn''t want to torture herself, but then she reconsidered - what if she encountered this next time?

    Getting used to it by watching movies would be better than being shocked on the spot.

    So she persevered.

    Two girls sitting in front of her did not leave either.

    The shorter girl on the left said, "How disgusting, I feel a little nauseous."

    The taller girl on the right encouraged her, "You''re going to go to medical school in the future, get used to it first."

    Of course, imagination was wonderful, but reality was still a bit cruel. The two went to the bathroom halfway through, probably emptying their stomachs, but they did grit their teeth and watch the whole movie.

    It was almost eleven o''clock when it ended, and the building closed at ten, with all floors dark except the seventh.

    Jian Jing went to the bathroom with the two girls.

    "Isn''t it toote to catch thest bus?" The shorter girl couldn''t help asking herpanion at the sink.

    Herpanion said, "Don''t worry, we can take a taxi. I''ll take you home first."

    "Why don''t I just sleep over at your ce? My parents are working overtime and no one''s home."

    Herpanion was a little tempted: "Okay, let me call and ask if my brother ising home today."

    She made the call but didn''t get through, and said angrily, "Forget it, juste home with me."

    Just then, Jian Jing happened toe out of the bathroom and saw the two girls.

    The tall girl recognized her immediately, and her eyes lit up in delight: "Teacher Jian!"

    "You are..." Jian Jing thought for a moment, also a little surprised, "Ji Yunyun?"

    Ji Yunyun hadn''t expected her idol to recognize her, and her mouth was almost splitting to her ear roots from joy: "How did teacher know?"

    "There''s a photo of you in your brother''s car." Jian Jing winked.

    Although Ji Fengined about his sister on the surface, there was a photo of the two siblings together behind the sun visor. She had caught a glimpse of it by chance and remembered their looks.

    Meeting the real person today, she realized the siblings looked alike, both tall, with three-dimensional features. Ji Yunyun was still in high school, but was already almost 1.7 meters tall, with her hair in a high ponytail, making her look even more upright and spirited.

    Since they had met, and she heard their worries, Jian Jing naturally wanted to help: "It''ste, it''s not safe for you two kids to go home alone. Let me give you a ride."

    Ji Yunyun and her ssmate were both a little embarrassed: "That wouldn''t be right, we can go home ourselves."

    "It''s no trouble, I''m going that way anyway." Jian Jing spoke sincerely.

    The two girls knew it wasn''t safe to go homete at night, so they shyly agreed.

    Ji Yunyun made introductions: "Teacher Jian, this is my ssmate Xiao Xiao."

    Xiao Xiao was short, with a round cute face, and spoke very excitedly: "I also like your books. We even went to a signing event on New Year''s Day."

    "Thank you both."

    The three chatted andughed as they walked towards the movie theater exit, but just then, their vision went pitch ck without any warning, and all light sources were extinguished at the same time.

    "Ah!" Xiao Xiao was so frightened she jumped up and grabbed Ji Yunyun''s arm.

    Ji Yunyun was also a little panicking.

    Having just watched a horror movie and then this happened, who wouldn''t be scared?

    Even Jian Jing couldn''t help but pause for a moment to let her eyes adjust before speaking.

    "It''s just a power outage..." She was halfway through speaking reassuringly when she stopped abruptly.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: Escape from the Burning Building]

    [Description: Amercial high-rise building catches firete at night, with thick smoke billowing to the sky and scorching heat rolling in waves. If you don''t want to perish here, try your best to escape!]

    [Rewards and penalties: Sess rewards 10 courage points. Failure means you''re dead.]

    Jian Jing''s scalp tingled.

    Of all the missions, special missions were bizarre and ominous, but she feared escape missions the most. It was so easy to die identally!

    She became mentally alert and immediately said, "We can''t take the elevator since the power is out, let''s walk downstairs."

    Neither girl objected. There were plenty of scary elevator scenes in horror movies, so it was better to just take the stairs.

    But the mall was mainly elevators, with esctors and sightseeing elevators in the atrium, and passenger elevators along the sides. They had to find emergency exits to get to the stairs.

    There were two emergency exits on the seventh floor, one inside the movie theater that they couldn''t find at the moment, and the other required going out the movie theater doors, turning at the bathroom, and making a ny degree turn to get to it.

    Jian Jing quickened her steps: "Let''s hurry up and go."

    As they walked, she thought it over carefully. The system releasing a mission implied a pattern - if the fire came first and power outage after, she should have seen the mission before the outage.

    But the facts were the reverse, so it seemed the power went out first, then the fire started.

    It looked like arson no matter how she looked at it.

    She took out her phone and hesitated before dialing.

    With two unfamiliar people following her, reporting a fire before actually seeing it would be hard to exin.

    But she regretted it in less than five minutes.

    Every building had emergency staircases for evacuation. If they didn''t pass fire safety inspections, the mall couldn''t even open. But when they ran to the emergency exit, they felt a st of heat right away.

    Billowing smoke and faint red glow.

    In theory, stairwells in this type of mall were enclosed, using ss B fire doors that could effectively block smoke and mes. But reality wasn''t always so perfect.

    If someone stacked garbage in the stairwell, or deliberately set it on fire, the escape route would be useless.

    "Why is it so hot? And there''s light?" Xiao Xiao was still confused.

    Ji Yunyun was more worldly, and immediately became nervous: "Don''t tell me there''s a fire?"

    "Definitely." Jian Jing pushed their backs. "Let''s go back first, we can''t stay here."

    She took out her phone and immediately dialed the prepared number to report the fire.

    After that, she calmed her mind. Fires at night actually weren''t too terrible of a situation. Other than thick smoke, the most frightening thing about fire scenes was usually trampling in crowds.

    The mall was basically empty now, without many people, so they didn''t have to worry about being trampled to death. But the seventh floor was the highest, so no matter which floor the fire started, because of heat convection, the smoke would quickly rise upwards.

    Many who perished in fires did not die from being burned, but from smoke inhtion orck of oxygen caused by the smoke.

    Jian Jing immediately said, "Any water?"

    "Yes." Ji Yunyun took out mineral water and tissue from her bag.

    Everyone had basic fire survival knowledge, and they immediately used the water to wet their clothes and cover their mouths and noses.

    At the same time, all three crouched low to the ground to minimize smoke inhtion. Jian Jing spoke low and fast: "We can''t take that stairwell. We have to take the one inside the movie theater."

    The building had at least two emergency stairwells. Something was wrong with the first one, so they could only take the other.

    Hopefully it wasn''t arson, or they''d be doomed.

    They returned to the seventh floor and ran into a male and female movie theater employee who had gotten off work.

    They were still a little confused: "Why is there so much smoke?"

    "There''s a fire downstairs!" Jian Jing said swiftly, "Are there any gas masks? The smoke is too heavy."

    Now only white smoke remained in the corridor, but even so it was very dangerous. The smoke could quickly reach the seventh floor through the elevator shaft and air conditioning ducts. Without gas masks, their chances of survival were greatly reduced.

    Fortunately, the mall hadplete firefighting equipment. The female employee said, "Yes, in the office."

    "Go there quickly!"

    While speaking, Jian Jing had already rushed to the vending machine. She kicked it and grabbed a full armful of bottled water.

    "Everyone take two bottles," she instructed.

    The two young girls were students, used to listening to teachers. Hermanding tone was like their head teacher arriving. Without hesitation, they stuffed the bottles into their backpacks.

    Everyone followed the two employees and rushed into the movie theater.

    The temperature inside rose sharply.

    The source of the fire was right below.

    What to do? Should they go through and get gas masks?

    Jian Jing bit her lower lip and made a decisive decision: "Draw a card."

    The system was very reliable.

    [Name: Knowledge Card - Survival (Beginner)]

    [Content Description: Obtains introductory knowledge about survival skills in extreme environments. Comprehensive with shallow content.]

    [Note: Everyone is afraid of idents~~]

    Knowledge suddenly flooded into her mind. Although the content was shallow, it was much more detailed than the general information she knew before.

    Jian Jing organized her thoughts: "Take off all the metal things you have on you."

    In times of crisis, everyone can panic and loseposure. When someone gives calm, authoritativemands, most people won''t be stupid enough to defy them, but will instinctively obey.

    The female employee took off her earrings, the male employee removed his watch, and Ji Yunyun and Xiao Xiao stripped their hair essories clean.

    "Protect exposed skin well," said Jian Jing. She only had an electronic watch, nothing to take off, so she flipped up her cor to protect her neck.

    Then she arranged, "There are five of us total. Line up single file along the wall. My eyesight is good so I''ll walk first to scout the path. You follow behind me and give me directions to the office with gas masks." This ''you'' referred to the female employee. "Ji Yunyun, you walk third and call 119 on my phone. Xiao Xiao, you walk fourth, and youst."

    The male employee brought up the rear.

    Everyone nodded busily.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then handed the male employee a lipstick from her bag, "Visibility will get worse and worse. The theater is winding. Use the lipstick to draw arrows on the walls to avoid backtracking."

    The male employee looked freshly graduated, with an immature face. His forehead was covered in sweat beads, and he couldn''t even hold the lipstick steady.

    "Don''t be afraid, just follow me," said Jian Jing. "The people behind, hold onto the clothes of the person in front of you. No one should break away, understand?"

    The other four people clutched the clothes of the person ahead, like kindergarten children.

    Thick smoke rolled. Jian Jing activated her perspective sses.

    The female employee had worked here for two years and was very familiar with the movie theater. "Keep going straight. Go past theaters A, B, C, then turn left."

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115

    The night vision device made it easy to see the terrain, but it was useless against the smoke.

    The smoke spread at an unbelievable speed, and the temperature rose rapidly too, yet their pace grew slower and slower.

    The exposed skin was scorched as if walking down a forty-degree street. Sweat kept flowing down as the smoke irritated the eyes, forcing them to secrete tears for relief.

    They crouched lower and lower, crawling on all fours, but the three theaters were so far away that it seemed they could never reach the end.

    This was when the importance of strengthened cards became apparent.

    Physique usuallycked presence, but it was the foundation of all physical stats. With this up, resistance improved significantly. Coughs arose one after another behind them, but Jian Jing endured it well.

    "Passed C, do we turn left?" she asked.

    "Cough cough, yes, cough cough, go straight ahead." The female staff coughed badly.

    It was another long stretch.

    Impatience flickered in Jian Jing''s mind, but was soon suppressed by her Composure card.

    Panic was the most dangerous in times of crisis.

    "Cough," Xiao Xiao struggled to ask, "Are we there yet?"

    "Almost," Jian Jing said.

    The theateryout had three vertical halls and two horizontal ones at a 90-degree angle. They had walked down one side and were now crossing the distance of one hall to reach the office wing.

    Everyone''s spirits lifted slightly.

    Jian Jing told them, "Wet your clothes and hair if it gets too much."

    She opened a bottle of mineral water herself and soaked her hair.

    The cooling water washed away the surface heat significantly, relieving her ears and eyes.

    "Let''s go," she quickened her pace.

    Everyone hurried with this burst of coolness, finally making it precariously through Hall D. As thest male staff crawled past the door, Hall D''s walls erupted with tremendous energy and exploded with a bang.

    "Here it is." The female staff was so frightened that she made for the office without a thought upon seeing it.

    Jian Jing grabbed her hand. "Wait."

    Hall D''s explosion was close to the office. They couldn''t open the door recklessly. If it was already aze inside, going in would be walking into a death trap.

    She waved the back of her hand outside the door but felt no heat. She touched the metal handle next gently and found it not scalding either. Only then did she breathe easy and slowly push the door open.

    Explosions were everywhere. The door could not be opened with force but had to be nudged open carefully.

    Luckily there were no mes inside the office.

    A huge weight lifted from her chest.

    The female staff took out the prepared gas masks and fire nkets. Everyone busied themselves with opening the packages and helping each other get properly dressed. With this equipment, they could block the toxic smoke and heat, temporarily preserving their lives.

    But the explosion from Hall D had affected thest staff member slightly, burning his back.

    Burn pain was exceptionally excruciating. The burly man wept tears and snot from the agony.

    Jian Jing was d she had drawn the First Aid card earlier.

    She found scissors on the office desk and cut his shirt open. The skin had turned red with blisters.

    "It''s just a second-degree burn, luckily." She poured water over the wound and consoled, "The worse it feels, the less serious it is. It''ll heal quickly."

    The man''s expression immediately looked much better.

    Burns certainly hurt, but more than the pain, there was fear.

    Seeing Jian Jing busy, Xiao Xiao took over cooling him and dressing the wound. She sprinkled water while consoling gently, "Just blisters, no damage to muscles or bones. Like being scalded by hot water."

    She spoke softly, conversing continuously to distract the injured.

    Jian Jing took the chance to step away and consider their next move.

    If she remembered right, the other emergency stairwell was at E, opposite D. Hall D''s explosion had essentially cut off their escape route.

    Though there were passages between the halls, taking the long way around would waste precious time and strength. Plus the situation no longer allowed them to venture deeper into the fire.

    She turned her gaze to the office windows, first opening them to dispel the thick smoke. Then she used the binocrs feature to search for fire trucks below.

    Thank heavens, she spotted the familiar red vehicle!

    "Teacher Jian, they can''t figure out our location," Ji Yunyun ran over with her phone, drenched in sweat. "Let''s make some noise to get their attention."

    That wouldn''t be hard.

    The office had fire ropes. She threaded one through Ji Yunyun''s phone case handle - the back had a ring stand. After knotting it tightly, she switched the phone to shlight mode and tossed it out the window, swinging the rope.

    Whipped around, the phone''s weight as a pendulum caused the light to trace wider and wider circles in the air.

    With her Strength, Jian Jing swung it faster and faster, making the circles increasingly dense.

    The phone shlight itself wasn''t very bright, easily drowned out in the raging mes below. But the spinning white circles became quite visible.

    Ji Yunyun''s eyes lit up. "They see it, Teacher Jian!"

    The fire truck was quick to respond, immediately raising the extensiondder.

    A seven-story height wasn''t much for it.

    They first lowered the injured man.

    Then the two female students, followed by the staff member. Jian Jing wentst.

    By the time she emerged, the fire had spread to the office. Scorching waves nearly licked her back as they burst through the window. As the fireman helped her off thedder, the mes soared, licking the outer walls, unstoppable.

    Her body suddenly shuddered, chilled to the bone.

    Unknowingly, she had broken out in cold sweat.

    [Mission aplished, system calcting rewards]

    She let out a long breath, surviving the ordeal.

    Jian Jing had much more experience, soon recovering as she located Ji Yunyun and her ssmate. "I''ll take you girls home," she said.

    Then she realized something was off and hurried to check the parking lot.

    The car...was gone as expected.

    Damn!

    In the end she could only hail a cab to drop off Xiao Xiao first, then Ji Yunyun.

    When they reached the Ji family home, there were lights on upstairs.

    Ji Yunyun was slightly surprised. "Brother''s home?" She pondered, then said, "Off work so early... Teacher Jian, you''vee all this way,e up and sit a while. I''ll get my brother to drive youter."

    Jian Jing didn''t want to impose, but met Ji Yunyun''s gaze and suddenly understood.

    She was afraid.

    Girls feared everything. Feared taking cabs alone,ing home alone, seeing lights on early at home.

    "Sure," Jian Jing agreed.

    Theplex housing the Ji family was somewhat old, with years of weathering on the stairs and tiles. But construction quality was excellent, standing strong against wind and rain. Everything was clean and tidy.

    The two ascended quietly, but before they reached the door, it opened.

    Ji Feng poked his head out. "Brat, home sote..." He trailed off as his eyes fell on Jian Jing, then flicked to Ji Yunyun. His eyebrows rose in great surprise.

    "Bro!" Ji Yunyun''s unease vanished instantly as she bounded inside. "Teacher Jian sent me back and I invited her over to sit a while."

    Ji Feng nced at his sister, then Jian Jing. He fetched her slippers. "Come in and have a seat. Tell me, what did you two run into?"

    "Tell what?" The cheeky sister wouldn''t back down. "What am I, a convict?"

    Ji Feng said, "I''m just concerned about you."

    "A person who sees me once a week is concerned?" Ji Yunyun retorted while thoughtfully grabbing coke from the fridge for the guest. "Teacher Jian, want ate-night snack? I''ll call some noodles from downstairs."

    Ji Feng immediately said, "Order me a bowl too."

    "Eat eat eat, I hope you get fat to death." Ji Yunyun grumbled as she rifled through Ji Feng''s coat for his wallet, counting the cash. "What noodles, Teacher Jian? Beef?"

    Jian Jing found the siblings amusing. She smiled. "Anything is fine."

    Ji Yunyun perked up. "The shop''s right downstairs. I''ll be right back." She trotted off, footsteps like a frolicking fawn.

    "Geez, this girl, reckless as always," Ji Fengined, then grew serious again. "You two look like you just came out of a fire."

    The singed hair and ash-covered shoes did seem bad.

    Jian Jing sighed. "Because we did juste from a fire."

    She briefly recounted what happened, also feeling doubtful. "I just wonder if it was arson."

    Ji Feng''s expression turned thoughtful.

    Jian Jing: "Hm?"

    "Actually, there have been quite a few cases of arson recently..." Ji Feng said tentatively as he considered what he could and couldn''t say. "A few are definitely abnormal."

    Jian Jing''s interest was piqued. "How so?"

    "In the past half month, there have been six fires in the city. Four were idental. But two of them," Ji Feng said meaningfully, "were suspicious."

    Jian Jing had just narrowly escaped death today. Both her mind and body were extremely weary. She had no patience for guessing games. "Hmm?"

    Ji Feng was rather adept at reading people''s expressions. Otherwise, how could he interrogate criminals? Hearing her tone, he knew she was somewhat unhappy that he was speaking cryptically.

    But hey, whether she was unhappy or not, he was happy.

    "It''s been reported in the news. Does Teacher Jian want to take a guess at what was suspicious about them?" He said with a smile, eagerly anticipating her response.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath.

    But before she could speak, Ji Yunyun had already exploded. She charged in carrying three lunch boxes and fiercely stomped her elder brother''s foot twice, grinding it in.

    Ji Feng yelped in pain. "Ji Yunyun, are you crazy?"

    "You''re the crazy one!" Ji Yunyun yelled. "We just narrowly escaped death. Who''s in the mood to y guessing games?"

    Being scolded like this by his little sister, Ji Feng was finally a bit embarrassed. However, he had extremely thick skin. He immediately said, "The noodles are here! Let''s eat, let''s eat."

    Ji Yunyun''s retaliation wasn''t over yet. She pped his hand away and flipped open the lunch boxes. Inside were three steaming hot bowls of beef noodle soup.

    She broke apart a pair of chopsticks and transferred all of the beef from one bowl into another. She gave the noodles without meat to Ji Feng and the double portion of beef to Jian Jing. She was especially apologetic, "Teacher Jian, my brother is a workaholic who thinks everyone else can''t get tired either. Don''t mind him, just eat the noodles. This noodle shop''s beef noodles are especially delicious."

    "Thank you," Jian Jing was also quite hungry now. She epted it and took a bite. The noodles were chewy and the broth was rich and vorful. It was indeed very tasty.

    Ji Feng just rolled his eyes at his sister and said, "I just wanted to hear Teacher Jian''s thoughts. I was worried my description might bias her. Did you have to stomp so hard?"

    When Jian Jing heard this, her interest was indeed piqued once more.

    Cases that could make Ji Feng uncertain were rare. It seemed there were some very strange aspects to this.

    Even Ji Yunyun looked thoughtful as she rolled her eyes around before tentatively asking, "What case is it?"

    "It''s rted to you?" Ji Feng''s face darkened. "Hurry up and eat, then go to sleep. A high schoolering home sote, how unruly."

    Now it was Ji Yunyun''s turn to be shameless. "I''m a victim too. Don''t I have the right to listen?"

    Ji Feng: "What''s your test score?"

    Ji Yunyun: "......"

    Ji Feng: "You''ll be a third year next semester!"

    Ji Yunyun: K.O.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116

    Jian Jing ate hot noodles and drank a can of cold Coke at Ji''s house, which brought her listless spirit back.

    Ji Feng sent his sister to bed to rest, and took the initiative to say he would send Jian Jing home.

    Once in the car, Jian Jing finally regained her mood for conversation: "How did the arson case go?"

    But Ji Feng hesitated and said, "Yun Yun is right, you two had a close brush with death today, you should rest well. Look up the details of the cases in the news tomorrow, don''t worry about it for now."

    After thinking for a bit, he added, "Tomorrow I have to take Yun Yun to the hospital, you were in the fire scene for half a day, more or less inhaled some toxic smoke, it''s better to get checked out. Your car burned down, so can I give you a ride too?"

    Jian Jing was very surprised: "Did you take the wrong medication? You''re suddenly so thoughtful."

    "Tsk, I''m not a machine, I still have the necessary human caring," Ji Feng nced at her and said, "Just a momentary impulse earlier, if it were you, wouldn''t you be curious too?"

    Jian Jing scoffed: "At least I wouldn''t keep people guessing."

    Ji Feng was rendered speechless. After a long pause, he said, "Teacher Jian, you''re not very lovable like this."

    "That''s how you see it, not how I see it," she said.

    Ji Feng: "......"

    There was no winning in a war of words.

    He knew he couldn''t beat her, so he conceded in time: "So, want to go to the hospital or not?"

    Jian Jing shook her head. She had a character status panel, if she had been poisoned, the status bar would definitely show it. Now there was nothing, which proved she was fine.

    "I want to rest well for a day," she said, also not asking about the case. Whencking in energy, it was better not to do brain work.

    Ji Feng did not force her: "Alright, call me if you need help."

    "Call you? Will you even have time?" Jian Jing mocked, "Yun Yun has called you before, but the call didn''t even go through."

    Ji Feng scratched his nose, slightly embarrassed: "My phone was out of battery, didn''t have time to charge it."

    "So I understand," she said.

    Ji Feng knew his own family affairs, so he didn''t insist. He just didn''t forget to remind her after sending her home: "If you have any thoughts after looking at the cases, remember to find me."

    Jian Jing said: "Consultation fees apply."

    "Haha." Heughed heartily, fumbled around in the car for a while, and took out an unopened box of chocte, "Prepayment for consultation."

    The box was macaron colored, very beautiful. There was a faint scent of perfume on the bow. She took it and weighed it in her hand, her face full of suspicion: "This is a gift from some girl, right?"

    "I''m still very popr," Ji Feng didn''t deny it, and readily said, "Might as well make good use of it."

    Jian Jing: "......" He probably would never get rid of being single in this lifetime.

    But she would still ept the payment. Work shouldn''t be done for free.

    "Alright then," she pocketed it, "Thanks for sending me back, you can leave now."

    Ji Fengughed loudly, waved his hand, and drove back home.

    Jian Jing went upstairs with the chocte, first carefully checked the fire safety devices at home, making sure they were all in the most essible ces, before letting out a breath, and took a shower.

    Although the time spent at the fire scene was less than half an hour, the tremendous psychological pressure meant that the mental and physical exertion could not be estimated.

    She soaked in the hot water. As soon as she rxed, she immediately fell asleep.

    Luckily there was Buding at home. The agile cat pped her awake, thus avoiding the tragic fate of catching a cold.

    "Thank you, Buding," she nuzzled the fat belly of the orange cat and picked up its chubby body, stuffing it directly into the quilt.

    Buding''s resistance was futile. It was forced to apany her to sleep.

    Such was the inevitable miserable fate of every little kitty!

    Jian Jing slept well and recovered most of her spirit. After a simple breakfast, she rummaged through the safe deposit box and took out the insurance contract, preparing to file a im.

    She didn''t need to worry too much about this. She had awyer friend who could help handle misceneous affairs.

    But during the search, Jian Jing discovered a strange file.

    A high-end file folder of in white leather, with a gilded logo on it called "St. Angel". Opening it, there was only a greeting card inside.

    The greeting card looked a lot like a childhood birthday card. When opened, a three-dimensional illustration would appear. It was a beautiful winged angel girl.

    The paper girl held a book in her arms. The book was three-dimensional and could be opened.

    Inside was a chip.

    What was this thing? An invitation??

    Jian Jing searched her memories carefully, but the "memories" left by her other self were vague, only remembering some people and some major events, with almost no details.

    She didn''t remember this at all.

    When she had just transmigrated, she had flipped through the documents at home and was clear about her basic information and assets, but didn''t notice this item.

    What was it?

    Jian Jing looked at the chip for a long time, and tried opening it with a USB reader.

    A file popped up on theputer screen, a string of letters and numbers, but it required an ount and password to ess.

    She: "......" Tsk.

    The secrets of "Jian Jing" were far more than she had imagined.

    Jian Jing''s eyes fell on Buding dozing on the bookshelf.

    Buding and the Gem, Jiang BaiYan; Kang Mu Cheng, Blood Rose, Scar Man; St. Angel.

    Interesting.

    "Buding, why are you called Buding?" She scratched the cat''s chin, murmuring to herself.

    Buding let out a "meow", andfortably narrowed its eyes.

    Jian Jing smiled. She didn''t dwell on it further.

    Puzzles would always be solved eventually. For now, it was time to buy a car first.

    Nowadays, it was truly difficult to get around without a car.

    At the 4S store, after telling the enthusiastic young man her requirements, they would rmend several models that met her needs in terms of performance, price, brand,fort and safety.

    Jian Jing didn''t understand cars, and had no ns to research it herself.

    As long as it worked alright, just in case it burned/crashed/broke down again someday!

    It wasn''t like Dr. Alisa''s car.

    In the end, the youngdy rmended the BMW X5.

    Her reason was very emotional: "In the past, men used to mock that girls would rather cry in a BMW thanugh on a bicycle. But now, girls buy their own BMWs."

    Jian Jing: urate marketing, what a talent!

    She readily went along with it, and signed to buy it.

    But afterwards, when Kang Mu Cheng asked why she chose such a big car instead of a smaller one, what she said was: "In case I need to ram into something someday, bigger ones feel safer."

    The cars rmended by the young man to female customers were all small models, some were even MINI models.

    Wasn''t that asking for trouble? Wouldn''t such a small car flip over in a collision?

    Bigger ones felt safer.

    After buying the car, Jian Jing''s mobility improved tremendously.

    She also went to the hair salon.

    Familiar Tony greeted her enthusiastically: "Teacher Jian, here for maintenance again? Oh dear, what happened to your hair?"

    The hair singed by the fire was brittle and charred, a pitiful sight.

    Jian Jing sighed, "It''s a long story, please help me fix it first."

    Tony became spirited: "No problem, leave it to me!"

    Washing, trimming, perming, conditioning.

    The whole process took no less than eight hours.

    Just right to check out what was going on with the arson case.

    As Ji Feng said, the few fires were all reported in the newspapers, with detailed coverage.

    The first one: One night, improper use of electrical appliances in a school dorm caused one bedroom to catch fire. Only the student who used the prohibited appliance was injured and hospitalized.

    The second one: One evening, a rental apartment caught fire due to an ident while charging an electric bike, resulting in spontaneousbustion. The owner was not home, no casualties.

    The third one: One night, someone lit fireworks in a park, igniting construction materials and causing a fire. No casualties.

    The fourth one: One afternoon, leakage of materials at a chemical nt led to an explosion and fire, multiple deaths and injuries.

    The fifth one: Early one morning, aging electrical wiring in a hotel identally caused a fire, multiple deaths and injuries.

    The sixth one: Late one night, a kindergarten caught fire, burning down a ssroom building, but no casualties.

    Jian Jing immediately picked out the anomalous events mentioned by Ji Feng.

    The park and the kindergarten.

    The other four cases all had clear ident causes. Although the results varied, they were rtivelymon urrences.

    Only the park and kindergarten were a bit strange.

    The kindergarten was obvious, no one would be there at midnight.

    The park was also very weird.

    Setting off fireworks and firecrackers in the city was prohibited without approved paperwork for an event. Who would run to the park to set off fireworks in the middle of the night? Even if some young people had a screw loose and wanted to create some romantic gesture, they should pick a scenic spot.

    The first ignition point was the amusement park in the park where renovation materials were piled up, dirty and messy.

    Who ran there to set off firecrackers?

    Coupled with the mall fire she personally experienced yesterday, these three cases had two special points.

    One was that they all happened in public ces, and the other was that they all happenedte at night.

    Public ces other than entertainment venues like bars and KTVs are empty at night. They encountered itst night too, whether it was intentional or a coincidence was unknown.

    Jian Jing was very interested and sent a WeChat message to Ji Feng: [This case is a bit difficult to investigate]

    Ji Feng: [What are your thoughts?]

    Jian Jing replied: [There are two possibilities]

    [These fires all happenedte at night, and were in public buildings where there are generally fewer people. If it really was arson, the perpetrator probably didn''t want to cause too many casualties, just purely enjoys fire.]

    There are all kinds of birds in the woods. Pyromania is not umon in criminal psychology. Among them is a type of arsonist who sets fires not out of deep hatred, but purely enjoys watching things burn.

    Considering there were no fearless heroes trying to put out the fires at the scenes, we can basically rule out someone trying to boost their presence and find self-fulfillment through arson and then putting out the fires.

    - This kind of person is usually collectively rejected and behaves abnormally, longing for recognition.

    [But they were all public buildings, so it could also be someone expressing their dissatisfaction]

    Arson is extremely dangerous, and has been analyzed many times in criminology. It can be divided into four categories:

    1. Instrumental towards a person; 2. Instrumental towards an object; 3. Expressive towards a person; 4. Expressive towards an object.

    So-called instrumental arson refers to using fire as a means to an end. The fire itself is nothing special, it''s just the method chosen.

    When directed at a person, it means revenge or to send a message to someone. Especially some authoritative figures, if someone has a building named after themselves, their opponents may burn down the building to express anger.

    Simrly, hating a teacher may lead to burning a school, hating a doctor may lead to burning a hospital.

    When directed at an object it''s even simpler: four words - destroy, erase, eliminate, evidence.

    Expressive arson is moreplex than instrumental arson.

    Expressive arson directed at a person is often done by those with mental disorders. They attempt to gain attention from certain people through this method, a different kind of cry for help.

    As for expressive arson directed at an object, it''s like what Jian Jing mentioned earlier - pyromania, enjoying the feeling of mes raging.

    Because of the choice of locations like the park, kindergarten and mall, we can rule out destroying evidence and crying for help.

    That leaves the other two possibilities.

    Either it''s a pervert who enjoys ying with fire, or it''s someone expressing some kind of emotion through arson.

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117

    Ji Feng asked: [Which one do you prefer?]

    Jian Jing thought for a long time and replied: [If it was purely for fun, I feel we could choose a more discreet location. Public ces are too noticeable and likely to attract people''s attention.]

    Ji Feng: [Great minds think alike. I''ve already started investigating what these locations have inmon. I may have some resultster.]

    Jian Jing: [Don''t say anything more if you''re not going to tell me.]

    Ji Feng: [It''s every citizen''s duty to provide clues.]

    Jian Jing: [Hmmph]

    She ignored him and pulled up the search interface to look up "Saint Angel".

    Too many results.

    Oh well, forget it.

    Ji Feng''s message popped up again: [Betterte than never. I found it. Want to hear?]

    Jian Jing flipped her phone face down with a thud.

    Teacher Toni curiously gossiped: "Who was the teacher chatting with? You seem annoyed, is it your boyfriend?"

    "I wouldn''t date someone who annoys me." Jian Jing very calmly put her phone in her pocket.

    Whether to say more was up to her.

    Teacher Toniughed and agreed: "That''s right, dating should be fun. Why be with someone who doesn''t make you happy? That''s just asking for trouble."

    Once she opened up at the hair salon, there was no more need to y with her phone.

    Teacher Toni was articte and shared plenty of gossip.

    This hair salon was quite renowned in the city, frequented by famousdies and wealthy women. With customersing and going, the stylists heard plenty of interesting tidbits.

    "Teacher Jian, have you heard? The Fang family recently had some issues." Teacher Toni brought up a regr customer and shared: "She used to always get the 8888 package, but came in this morning and switched to the 3888 one instead. 3888! The price jump is huge. Her boss must be having problems."

    The salon''s most expensive package was 8888, cheapest 3888. That was quite a big downgrade.

    As soon as Jian Jing heard this, she was immediately interested: "The Fang family in real estate? Her boss is...?"

    "Some young director she''s seeing." Teacher Toni eagerly continued seeing her interest: "I heard the Fang family stocks have been falling a lottely. Luckily I dumped them early. Real estate''s not doing well the past two years. And the Fang Group''s reputation isn''t good either. I heard a building they constructed even burned down recently, they must be in huge trouble."

    Jian Jing''s heart stirred: "It wouldn''t happen to be the Baimao Building would it?"

    "That''s right, it was on the morning news just now." Teacher Toni vividly described to her: "You know what sheined to us aboutˇŞI''m only telling you since we''re close, it is a client''s privacy after all. But Teacher Jian''s lips are always sealed..."

    At this point, what else could Jian Jing say? Of course she nodded understandingly. "I''ll keep it secret."

    Satisfied, Teacher Toni went on: "She said, things didn''t workst night even though they tried for half the night. She thought maybe it would work first thing in the morning, but suddenly a phone call came in and he went soft right away. How unlucky."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle, quickly suppressing it.

    "We all told her how unlucky she was. Really, too unlucky." Teacher Toni actually sounded quite sincere sighing about it.

    Jian Jing cleared her throat and pretended to be proper as she took out her phone to search for parks and kindergartens.

    Sure enough!

    The park was called Da Fang Park, constructed by the Fang Group. And the kindergarten was a private one, part of a real estate project also developed by the Fang Group.

    No wonder Ji Feng was so enthusiastic about recruiting her help.

    Jian Jing took out her phone and replied: [No need to say more, I''m getting my hair done today, face tomorrow, nails the day after, too busy.]

    Ji Feng sent back a shocked emoji.

    He: [Teacher Jian, you''re not interested in this case?]

    Jian Jing indifferently typed: [Smoked some bad stuff, dizzy, nauseous, chest feels tight, don''t want to work.]

    Ji Feng: [Oh, that sounds pretty serious. I didn''t notice anything offst night.]

    The words dripped with disbelief.

    Jian Jing ignored whether he believed her or not, and pulled up the Fang Group''s official website to look up the buildings they had constructed in Heping City.

    As an established real estatepany, the Fang Group had constructed many buildings locally, as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

    They had developed four residential projects themselves, two malls, and invested in constructing three public buildingsˇŞDa Fang Park, the Holiday Vige, and Grand Theater.

    The holiday vige was a bit remote, but had huge investment. The grand theater was a bit old, business only so-so, but was one of the city''s iconic buildings.

    If the arsonist was really targeting the Fang Group, these two were also possible targets.

    Should she investigate this case or not?

    The thought lingered in Jian Jing''s mind briefly before she had an answer.

    Of course investigate.

    Although she looked down on the Fang family, arson was extremely dangerous and best resolved quickly. Also, she had nearly lost her life in that fire, so revenge was in order.

    But Jian Jing didn''t want to investigate with Ji Feng.

    Despite his carefree appearance, he actually had firm principles and wouldn''t say anything improper to her. Half of what he did say was out of friendship, and half probing.

    If he was willing to say something, it was half sentiment, half fishing for information.

    So it was best they investigate separately,pare notes, and avoid interfering with each other''s thinkingˇŞthis had been Ji Feng''s idea originally so he would surely agree [doge emoticon]

    Alright, so what clues did she have so far?

    Details from when the fire started.

    The power was cut first before the fire was set. This showed the perpetrator had surveyed the area beforehand and was very familiar with the mall''syout. The location was not randomly chosen. But the police had already confirmed it was arson, so this information had no value.

    What else? Lu Yu''s ties with the Fang family?

    Jian Jing considered it then rejected the idea. Whether the Fang family or Lu Yu, neither were easy to deal with. Poking around could alert them needlessly.

    And although this case was very unusual,pletelycking substantive evidence and relying solely on analyzing the perpetrator''s actions and psychology to identify suspects, it still needed to be fact-based.

    Jumping straight to suspecting the Fang family could lead her astray.

    She still needed to visit the fire scene personally.

    Jian Jing was at the salon until after 8 PM fixing her damaged hair. She didn''t dye it this time, just trimmed and touched up the color, changing the loose waves into more refined curls, tying them in a low ponytail that looked very nice.

    It was nearing the time the park fire started so she didn''t stop to eat, just bought a hot coffee and sandwich at a convenience store and drove over.

    Da Fang Park was an open park. At 7 or 8 pm, the square dancers were still there.

    Jian Jing walked around to get a feel for theyout.

    This was built during the Fang Group''s heyday. The location was great, right next to the CBD office towers, very lively with peopleing and going.

    Retirees liked to square dance here. Young people with cats and dogs also came to walk them. asionally there were even some night joggers.

    Recently, one of the park''s attractions, Meteor Lookout, was being renovated. That was also where the fire urred.

    Jian Jing walked around half the day before finding that remote spot in the park.

    Online it said the park built the Meteor Lookout because there happened to be a meteor shower the year it was constructed. To make it appealing, they deliberately built the raised lookout.

    That year when the meteor shower came, Meteor Lookout was indeed very lively, with many young men and women rushing over to watch the meteors. It even made the newspaper headlines.

    But meteor showers didn''t happen every year.

    So it gradually became forgotten in the park.

    This year, the park got a new director, young and ambitious. He wanted to revive this dead end. After surveying the situation, he decided to renovate Meteor Lookout and turn it into an aerial restaurant.

    The renovation had just started in the past few days. Unfortunately both the renovation materials and the original Meteor Lookout werepletely destroyed by a sudden raging fire.

    When Jian Jing arrived on scene, all she saw was scorched earth.

    The remote location meant limited casualties and property damage. With high foot traffic, someone coulde every day without drawing notice.

    Was this his first crime?

    Park - kindergarten - mall, it seemed to be escting.

    Jian Jing pondered as she left the park, taking a detour to the kindergarten.

    This time, the fire was on the 3rd floor ssroom building of the teaching block. Arge hole was burned into the exterior wall painted with cartoon characters. But nearby residents saw the mes and called the fire department promptly. The firefighters arrived in time so it wasn''t too severe.

    With so many Fang Group constructions, why target a kindergarten?

    Jian Jing suspected that even if the arsonist had a grudge against the Fang Family Group, humans have an instinct to protect their young, and normal people generally would not think of setting a fire at a school. Even if it was at night, there are still considerable doubts. Jian Jing had to suspect that the arsonist was not simply using arson as a means, but had an antisocial personality to begin with.

    How should she find this person?

    *

    It was another day of overtime work.

    Ji Feng stirred the clumped instant noodles with a stic fork, and shoveled big mouthfuls into his mouth.

    Sigh, he had eaten this stuff too much, he couldn''t even taste the vors anymore. Whatever vor went into his mouth tasted the same, awful and waxy.

    He hastily filled his stomach, then started going over Wen Hui''s confession again.

    Tsk tsk tsk, Teacher Jian was really polite, readily offering up a big gift. This Ms. Wen seemed to harbor deep hatred towards the chairman of the Fang Family Group, and had actually exposed a huge shocking case.

    In the past, the Qilin Bridge project had copsed due to quality issues, resulting in nearly a hundred deaths and injuries. It was considered one of the biggest idents in Peace City.

    But when pursuing responsibility, the Fang Family Group used soft and hard tactics, and in the end only paid money to settle the matter.

    It was said that over the years, there were still family members of the deceased who kept petitioning, demanding a retrial. Butcking evidence, they never had any results.

    No one expected that Wen Hui actually had copies of the documents in hand.

    The bureau was preparing to reinvestigate the case, but it was a major issue, and the leaders unanimously emphasized that the information could not be leaked.

    This was to be expected, but who could have thought that suddenly there would be several more arson cases?

    When the first two incidents urred, Ji Feng had felt it was very strange, believing they might not be idental, and had someone specially look into potential connections. Sure enough, they were all rted to a real estatepany owned by the Fang Family.

    Upon further thought, the Qilin Bridge ident had urred in April, exactly ten years ago.

    This was too much of a coincidence.

    Ji Feng''s primary suspects were the rtives of the Qilin Bridge ident victims.

    After going through the files and conducting an initial screening, there were seven suspects. He nned to thoroughly investigate them to see who was most suspicious.

    But having locked onto this investigative direction, he didn''t feelpletely assured in his heart.

    The two cases were too close together, and his thinking was somewhat disturbed. So yesterday, when he saw Jian Jing, he wanted to hear her thoughts.

    But she had refused!

    Getting a haircut???

    What''s so great about getting a haircut?

    Ji Feng couldn''t help but open his Moments to frown at the photo Jian Jing had posted an hour ago.

    It was taken by her at a hair salon, a sideways selfie with only half her face showing. Her pose, expression, and filter were no different from ordinary girls'' selfies.

    Ji Yunyun and Liang Yi had liked it below.

    He stared at it for a while, then left an aggrievedment: [Teacher Jian, you have fallen...]

    Jian Jing replied with an expressionless smiley face.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    The next day, as Jian Jing had said, she went to the beauty salon to get her face done.

    Tony''s inspiration made her realize that while the police could certainly investigate the Fang Group thoroughly, when it came to grudges and grievances, it was still necessary to find someone knowledgeable who was willing to talk.

    A beauty salon was a ce even better suited for gossiping than a barber shop.

    The salon Jian Jing went to was introduced by Kang the president. It was for regr customers only, either sessful career women executives and businesswomen, or wives and daughters of wealthy families - in other words, a ce where information flowed freely.

    She chose a full body care package - a massage while chatting with the beautician.

    After asking about her age and family, the conversation naturally turned to sry and finances. Talking about ie and money management led to a discussion about stocks.

    "The stock market hasn''t been doing so well recently," Jian Jing said. Despite her public image as introverted and inarticte, she had no airs about her, and was gentle and friendly. "You work hard for your money, don''t throw it away by investing blindly."

    Making money was a topic of interest for everyone.

    The beautician quickly said, "I don''t buy stocks, only some funds and wealth management products."

    "That''s good. My manager said stocks have been falling sharplytely, especially Fang Group''s. She moved me into pharmaceuticals instead. Medical cosmetics have been doing better and better these past two years." Jian Jing said with a smile.

    Hearing this, the other beautician giving her a hand treatment was very surprised. "Fang Group''s stock has fallen?"

    Jian Jing said, "Yes, real estate has been getting worse and worse these past two years."

    "But Mrs. Fang was just here today, and seemed totally normal," said the younger, prettier beautician treating her hands. "Couldn''t tell at all."

    "Then it probably wasn''t an internalpany issue," Jian Jing mused. Feigning a sudden realization, she added, "It must be because of the fire."

    The masseuse beautician asked, "What fire?"

    "Wasn''t there a tall building that burned down the day before yesterday? I think it belonged to Fang Group." Jian Jing blinked, looking pensive. "Arson, and with the stock taking a hit, it was probably apetitor."

    Hearing about corporate espionage, the beauticians were actually a bit intrigued, already stuffed full of gossip about the wealthy.

    "Apetitor sent someone to burn Fang Group''s building?"

    "Who did it?"

    "How vicious!"

    "You''re right, that seems a bit extreme. Business rivals don''t usually go straight to arson over a disagreement," Jian Jing said.

    The back massage over, Jian Jing changed position to lie on her back. The girl''s fingers gently massaged pressure points on her head.

    This was a very rxing part of the treatment, and she spoke more freely: "Either it was a personal enemy, or they offended someone."

    The masseuse beautician said, "I haven''t heard about Fang Group having any enemies."

    The hand treatment beautician disagreed. "Who said they don''t?" She named several famous real estatepanies.

    The masseuse beautician said, "But those are all from different ces. Think of all the big national developers, they each started in different cities, the local fights here were settled decades ago. None of the new ones canpare to the Fangs."

    The hand treatment beautician didn''t argue further.

    "An enemy doesn''t have to be a business rival," Jian Jing steered the conversation subtly. "Fang Group''s...foundation isn''t very clean."

    The hand treatment beautician lowered her voice, "Does it have to do with the X Road?"

    "Unavoidable, twenty years ago," Jian Jing made a thoughtful look. "But with the recent crackdowns, they shouldn''t be sticking their necks out now."

    The masseuse beautician cut in, "That''s right. They arrested quite a few before, remember that girl?" She said to her coworker. "She used to be a mistress, after her boss went to jail, she disappeared."

    Here she gave some gossip about the girl.

    Jian Jing patiently listened and participated in the discussion, before seizing the chance to conclude decisively, "So it must have been a personal grudge."

    At this point, both girls were a little excited.

    It was well known that girls didn''t necessarily like detective stories, but weren''t bad at deduction themselves. Given interest and motivation, they could investigate actions and connections clearly.

    A full body treatment took three to four hours, in the closed room of the salon. Using gossip as bait, Jian Jing finally got the veteran beauticians to bite, and they started ying detective with her.

    "Angry enough to burn down a building, the grudge against Fang Group must have been huge," she held up a finger. "Firstly, I''d rule out business disputes, know why?"

    She spoke casually, without any solemn air of solving a case. The two girls didn''t feel any wariness, only interest and novelty.

    "Because businesspetition wouldn''t use such crude methods?" guessed the hand treatment girl, moving to do an exfoliating foot scrub.

    Jian Jingughed, "No, business methods can be very crude too. An author was doing a book signing, and his rival hired a mourning parade to cry in front of the store. Did that work?"

    "Wow." The girl thought hard. "Then why not?"

    "Because it doesn''t have much impact," Jian Jing exined. "Fang Group''s major development focus these past two years has been a resort project in the suburbs. If there were safety issues, it would at minimum be investigated, at worst shut down. If I were apetitor, I would definitely target that ce."

    The girl nodded. "Oh right, I remember Mrs. Fang talking about that a few times, seemed very concerned."

    "She also said after it was done, she''d invite the otherdies to visit and y," added the masseuse beautician. Having worked for a long time, she understood the subtext of what thedies said. "It''s probably meant to be a high-end ce."

    Jian Jing gave a faint smile, and continued, "It''s not a business grudge, so it must be personal."

    "Chairman Fang is the most likely possibility, then Young Master Fang, Second Miss Fang." Thanks to the runaway groom incident, Jian Jing was intimately familiar with the Fang family. "Mrs. Fang and Third Miss Fang and Young Master Fang all have their own businesses, and aren''t as closely tied."

    The masseuse beautician wiped her hands and took out a sheet face mask, preparing to put it on Jian Jing. Working efficiently, her mind moved quickly too. "Mrs. Fang opened an art gallery, Third Miss Fang...I remember she opened a bar, and Young Master does hotels, right?"

    "Boutique hotels," the hand treatment beautician corrected. "Don''t you remember? His ex-girlfriend came to get a spa treatment here before. Tiny little thing, talked in a soft voice, best friends with Fang''s..."

    She gave a knowing look.

    Her coworker immediately understood, and smiled meaningfully, but didn''t borate.

    Jian Jing naturally wouldn''t pry into overly private matters, and went on, "I heard Second Miss Fang does a lot of charity and is very nice?"

    Unless it concerned personal privacy, the beauticians found it hard to keep secrets. "Yes, she''s pretty good, very polite, not like somedies who treat us like servants from ancient times."

    "And she''s divorced now." Jian Jing acted as if recalling. "Women have a lot less trouble once divorced. At least we can rule out revenge by a mistress."

    At this, the beauticians had subtle expressions.

    "Second Miss Fang''s ex-husband..." they hinted obliquely. "Doesn''t have girlfriends."

    Jian Jing was taken aback for a second, blinking. "Boyfriends?"

    They smiled without outright confirming it.

    Jian Jing understood - a scandal in the Fang family.

    "Then it''s Chairman Fang and his eldest son." Jian Jing remembered Young Master Fang''s behavior, steady and scheming. Could it be some feud between him and someone else?

    The masseuse beautician said, "I don''t think it''s Young Master Fang."

    "Why not?"

    "Young Master''s wife was here two weeks ago. She said after they finished Young Master''s wedding, they''d be going abroad for half a month''s vacation. Their eldest daughter is studying in Europe, good chance to visit her." The masseuse beautician exined, "If I wanted revenge on someone, what''s the point if they''re not around?"

    The hand treatment girl agreed, "Gotta p the face in person. So it''s Chairman Fang then?"

    Jian Jing smiled and gave the final verdict, "I think so too, just don''t know what grudge could make him resort to arson."

    "Must have been a huge hatred."

    "Don''t TV shows always say, revenge for a murdered father, stealing someone''s wife..."

    "No way Chairman Fang is a murderer, but stealing a wife..."

    "He must have more than one mistress."

    "Mrs. Fang is already his third wife, who knows how many are outside."

    "That one before...almost ran into Mrs. Fang, that was..."

    "But she''s so young."

    "The Fang family is so rich, there''s no need to steal someone else''s wife."

    Jian Jing listened to their rambling discussion without interjectingˇŞshe couldn''t interject anyway since her face was covered with a facial mask. Only after fifteen minutes, when the silk mask was peeled off, did she casually ask, "Could it have happened during the development project... Demolition and relocation are when problems are most likely to ur."

    As the conversation delved deeper, the beautician was growing weary of it.

    After all, they didn''t have much interest in the case. Gossiping was fine, but prolonged discussion was bound to be annoying. However, the customer was excited, so they didn''t want to pour cold water on her enthusiasm. Jian Jing looked like someone who could afford to spend money. Firmly grasping a VIP customer was crucial for their performance.

    Jian Jing was observant and naturally didn''t miss their expressions. She immediately added a manicure service to give them a little sweetener, "What do you think, could something have happened during the demolition?"

    Manicures at this beauty salon were worth 2888 RMB, another tidy ie.

    The beautician wanted to curry favor with her even more. She racked her brains trying to remember, and hesitantly said, "I didn''t hear anything about demolition. But there was ady before who kept saying the Fang family did things unfairly. Supposedly for some project, they ruined a familypletely."

    Jian Jing slowly opened her half-closed eyes, a glint shing in them, "Oh? There was something like that?"

    The beautician didn''t know much, but told her everything she had heard.

    This is what happened. About seven or eight years ago, the Fang Group wanted to develop a resort project and acquired two parcels ofnd. But these two parcels were purchased separately, with a small parcel in between them.

    This small parcel had already been purchased by a small developer called "Jianxin." They nned to turn it into an agritourism site.

    With conflicting positioning that was also an obstruction, the Fang family naturally wanted to get rid of them.

    The beautician didn''t know what means they used. ording to what that knowledgeabledy said, not only did thepany go bankrupt, but the boss jumped off a building andmitted suicide over his debts. His family was also harassed until they disappeared without a trace.

    Jian Jing searched online. Judging by the timeline, this resort was the current resort.

    She then logged onto rted websites to look uppanies and searched homophones for "Jianxin." There were seven or eightpanies, but only one that went bankrupt and dissolved in 2013.

    Jianxin Real Estate.

    The legal representative was called Pan Guo.

    *

    The suspect Inspector Qiu locked onto was called Peng Wei, male, thirty-six years old, a survivor of the Qili Bridge copse ident.

    That year, he and his family were preparing to go on vacation when therge bridge suddenly copsed. Their car was buried for over two days before being rescued.

    There were five people in his family - his wife, children, and parents. He was the only survivor. The rest all died. Over the years, he had been trying to petition and sue the Fang Group multiple times but to no avail.

    Even now, he still lived alone, doing odd jobs everywhere, and life was very hard for him.

    Most importantly, although themercial building burned down, the street cameras across from it were undamaged. He was caught on video passing by the area before the fire started.

    Could it be him?

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    The city of Heping didn''t have too many surveince cameras, so it wasn''t easy to find Peng Wei''s whereabouts that day. Ji Feng took the evidence to the Traffic Bureau to check the surveince footage and brought back a hard disk.

    As soon as he walked in the door, a colleague came up to him and punched his shoulder, "You little rascal, when did you trick such a pretty girl?"

    Ji Feng: "Huh?"

    "A beauty is looking for you." His colleague winked, "Since when do you have a girlfriend?"

    Ji Feng was very surprised, "Me, an overtime fiend, with a girlfriend?"

    The gossiping colleagues: "..." Ouch, my knees hurt.

    Amidst the conversation, Ji Feng had already caught sight of the familiar hair color.

    Sure enough, her hair was newly dyed, with first-ss luster and softness, but the color was too recognizable, unsuitable for undercover investigationˇŞwell, it did look quite good.

    Clutching the hard drive, he went forward and greeted, "Ms. Jian, what brings you here?"

    Jian Jing said, "I happened to be passing by."

    Ji Feng raised his eyebrows and smiled, "How nice of you to visit me."

    "Don''t be silly, I am the victim after all. I wanted to check if there''s any news about the arson case." As she spoke, she nced at the hard drive in his arms, "Is that surveince footage from around the tower?"

    Ji Feng smiled amiably, "Yes, but I can''t show it to outsiders."

    "Looks like you have a suspect." Jian Jing curved her lips, "What a coincidence, so do I."

    Ji Feng eximed, pulled open a drawer, and took out a KitKat, "Have a snack first? Let''s talk slowly."

    "No need." Jian Jing cut to the chase, "I''ll tell you, but you have to take me along."

    Ji Feng: "That goes against protocol."

    "Hmm?" She narrowed her eyes, the lens shed.

    "Fine." Faced with such a threat, he surrendered very swiftly too.

    Jian Jing gave him the name, "I want to know if Pan Guo has any rtives."

    With the name andpany, the investigation for the police was very simple. They soon found information on Pan Guo. He hadmitted suicide by jumping off a building in 2013. His wife divorced and remarried. They had a son who was raised by his grandparents.

    The son''s name was Pan Jianli.

    Twenty-three years old, no social security records, upation unknown.

    "How did you find this person?" Ji Feng was very puzzled.

    Jian Jing: "Beauty salon."

    "..." To avoid entering an iprehensible realm and get beaten by her, Ji Feng decisively changed the topic, "What''s the n to investigate him?"

    Jian Jing said, "Lie in ambush and wait."

    Ji Fengughed, "Interesting. Where do you think his next target will be?"

    She pondered for a moment, "The holiday vige."

    "Because of that plot ofnd owned by Jianxin Real Estate? Makes sense." He said, "But I have a suspect too. I think he''ll go to the Grand Theater."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows.

    Ji Feng spread his hands, "Still can''t discuss it with outsiders."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She was silent for a moment and smiled lightly, "Guess if I dare hit you or not."

    "..." Ji Feng leaned back a little, very sincerely, "Let''s talk nicely."

    Jian Jing didn''t even need to punch him to deal with him. A p would do. Then tomorrow everyone would know he seduced and abandoned her. That''s called attacking the heart, don''t mess with her.

    "Why can''t you tell me?" Jian Jing asked directly.

    Ji Feng immediately became serious, "The arson case intersects with another case. Although I suspect they are connected, it''s merely a suspicion. Interfering with your thinking over this is not worth it."

    That was a reasonable exnation.

    Jian Jing thought about it and became even more curious, "Is he very suspicious?"

    "Huge motive, can''t not suspect him," Ji Feng confessed, "He''s our main investigative direction, so we''ve overlooked other suspicious candidates, like the one you found."

    "Having other options makes one less likely to jump to conclusions, I see." She paused and curved her lips, "Or else I''ll scream."

    Ji Feng: "You''re very happy messing with me?"

    "Yeah." She admitted.

    "Tsk." Ji Feng shook his head and didn''t joke with her anymore. He directly opened the files on the table, "No more joking around. Take a look if you want, but can''t bring it out."

    Jian Jing swiftly flipped through it.

    She read very fast, and was done in no time. She pondered, "He does have huge hatred, but I don''t think it''s necessarily him."

    "Why?"

    She said, "Peng Wei has been petitioning and suing repeatedly. He seems like a rational person trying to uphold justice through legal means."

    "People change over time," Ji Feng sighed. "Three years ago when he failed, he stopped trying. He may have given up and decided to get justice his own way."

    Jian Jing refuted, "Then why burn down a kindergarten? I think that''s the most unreasonable part. How could someone who lost a child bear to start a fire where there are only children?"

    Ji Feng made a sound of acknowledgement and quickly started thinking.

    Peng Wei was his prime suspect with the biggest grudge against the Fang Group that he had screened out. But Jian Jing made sense too. Arsonists have a different mentality from ordinary criminals.

    "Peng Wei is very suspicious, Pan Jianli is also worth investigating," she said.

    "Indeed." Ji Feng made up his mind, "I''ll go to the theaterter. Tomorrow I''ll hand it over to my colleague and we''ll go to the holiday vige."

    Jian Jing hesitated, "You''re going to the theater..."

    "Staking out gets boring and draining." Ji Feng took out a mug and poured some instant coffee, settled it, "Go home and sleep. See you tomorrow."

    Jian Jing didn''t insist either. Spending a whole night in the cramped car would break her bones.

    "See you tomorrow then." She promptly bid farewell.

    Ji Feng waved and looked at the timeˇŞstill early. He plugged in the hard drive and settled down with coffee to watch the surveince footage.

    What? Send her home?

    Didn''t she buy a car? The new car keys were in her bag.

    *

    Ji Feng staked out the theater all day to no avail.

    The next day, he went to the holiday vige with Jian Jing.

    "The first and second fires were ten days apart. The second and third were only seven days apart. The fourth must be imminent," Ji Feng started analyzing as soon as he got in the car. "Ms. Jian, want to bet with me?"

    Jian Jing: "I bet on the holiday vige."

    Heughed, "Okay, then I bet on the theater."

    "How much?" she asked.

    "Ten bucks." He took out a ten dor bill. "Enough for a milk tea, right?"

    Jian Jing deadpanned, "Then never mind, I drink thirty dor ones."

    Ji Feng sucked in a pained breath, "Thirty bucks, you can treat me to it, famous author."

    "If you win, you can treat me." She took the ten dors and tossed it into the car''s small drawer.

    Ji Feng was a little deted. He leaned back in the passenger seat to nap.

    Jian Jing asked, "Sleeping?"

    "I was up all night. Wake me when we arrive," he said, then closed his eyes. In less than five seconds his head lolled to the side, fast asleep.

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes and grabbed a nket from the backseat to toss over him.

    Forty minutester, she kicked the person beside her awake, "We''re here."

    At almost the same time, Ji Feng opened his eyes and sat up, eyes bright, as if he hadn''t slept at all, "That was fast? Oh, nice scenery."

    He admired the view outside the window, eximing in wonder.

    The Fang Group''s holiday vige was on the outskirts of Heping City, next to arge thousand-acreke. The scenery was excellent. Aside from the hotel, there were all kinds of recreational facilities like pool halls, movie theaters, hot springs, barbecue terraces. In the distance, a few small boats floated on theke for fishing enthusiasts.

    "Quite a lot of people huh." Ji Feng looked around, sounding rather incredulous.

    It wasn''t the weekend, yet there were quite a lot ofing and going guests at the holiday vige. You could frequently see chatting andughing young couples, or mothers with children and seniors.

    It made corporate ves very envious indeed.

    Jian Jing said, "I checked online. You can buy separate tickets just to fish here, or stay as a guest."

    "You n to check in?" he asked.

    "Only guests can go everywhere. Otherwise some areas are off limits," she exined. "What about you?"

    Ji Feng said, "What do you think?"

    In one stride he went up to a server, shed his badge, and was promptly led into the hotel and introduced to the lobby manager.

    Jian Jing pretended not to know him and checked in at the front desk.

    The front desk gave her a check-in handbook.

    Jian Jing flipped through the various areas and found that although this ce was built by the Fang Group, only the hotel itself was operated by their own people. Everything else was rented out.

    For example, movie theaters, restaurants, and pool halls are all different brands, which can also be seen frequently in the city. Fishing, barbecue and other activities are contracted out in cooperation with local people.

    In such a big ce, where would they choose to take action?

    "Ding dong!" A new message popped up.

    Ji Feng forwarded the investigation report on Pan Jianli from his colleague.

    Although Pan Jianli did not have a proper job, the police went to Pan Guo''s parents'' home to investigate and found that Pan Jianli still lived there.

    No one answered the door when they knocked. The neighbor said he went out to work.

    So the police visited the surrounding area.

    Since it was an oldmunity, the neighbors knew each other well. They said that Pan JianliˇŻs grandparents had passed away in the past two years, and he lived alone at home. He was a loner who did not interact with others, and made a living by delivering takeout.

    The boss of the small supermarket at the door revealed that Pan Jianli used to have a girlfriend before, as he had seen him buy contraceptives, but they probably broke up recently, because the frequency of buying sanitary products had increased sharply.

    When the police asked the neighbors about their impressions of Pan Jianli, they unanimously said that he was a bit misanthropic and had shed with the property management many times.

    Once, his electric scooter was parked improperly, and the security guard asked him to move the vehicle, but he burst out cursing, saying things like "You don''t ask people to move their sedans parked here, but you ask me to move my electric scooter", "You look down on me, bullying the weak and fearing the strong", "You are not a good person".

    The property management guards in the oldmunity were mostly elderly people. After being pushed and shoved by Pan Jianli, they almost broke their bones. So when mentioning him, their words were not without resentment.

    However, an aunt who exercises in themunity said that Pan JianliˇŻs parents were honest people who lived frugally. They haggled over every penny spent on groceries, but Pan Jianli was different.

    "He''s very extravagant despite his young age," she said disdainfully. ˇ°He often buys expensive things with parcels delivered frequently.ˇ±

    So the police asked, "How do you know they''re expensive?"

    "TheyˇŻre all in English, and the shoes he wears are branded, the hooked ones, very expensive,ˇ± the aunt said decisively with a discerning eye. ˇ°Young Pan canˇŻt manage money.ˇ±

    Other neighbors had simr opinions, and Pan Jianli''s reputation was not good.

    But when asked if he had shown any dangerous behaviors, everyone could not give a reason. No one had ever seen him set fire to anything.

    Ji Feng said: [Arson is definitely not a spur of the moment thing. If he''s never done it before, the chances of a sudden outbreak are small.]

    But Jian Jing did not give up. She went to the window and observed with her binocr sses.

    Although the resort was located in the suburbs, Anding City developed very quickly, and the surrounding towns near the city center also developed well. It only took about twenty minutes to get here.

    If guests wanted to order milk tea or fried chicken, they would also choose nearby ces to order takeout. From time to time, deliverymen in jackets could be seening over.

    Pan Jianli had the conditions tomit the crime.

    After pondering for a while, she already had a rtively clear idea in her mind.

    She would just wait for nightfall.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120

    The resort was lit up brightly at night.

    Jian Jing had a seafood dinner at the restaurant, and posted a check-in photo on social media, looking rxed on vacation. No one could imagine she was here to investigate an arson case.

    Ji Feng was much more miserable, following the manager around the entire resort, hurriedly eating a sandwich to ease his hunger. He then had to exchange information with his colleague who was tailing Pan Jianli.

    The colleague said: "Pan Jianli is not working today, he''s been at home the whole time."

    Ji Feng breathed a sigh of relief, and reported the situation here.

    His colleague was focused on the wrong thing: "You''re going overboard, assigning us the hard work while you go out with a pretty girl. Are you working or dating?"

    Ji Feng said disdainfully: "All you think about is pretty girls. Can you focus more on her talents and less on her looks? There are beautiful girls everywhere, how many are like Jian Jing?"

    Colleague: "..." What''s wrong with looking at beauty? It''s a masculine instinct!

    "Alright, you focus on the case." He chuckled.

    Ji Feng: "Let me tell you, I have a bad feeling about this."

    Colleague immediately got serious: "Pan Jianli?"

    "He has an extreme personality, loves vanity, and went from the carefree son of a boss to what he is now because of the Fang family''s actions. He has huge motives." Ji Feng said, "His suspicions are no less than Pan Jianli''s, but I''m not sure he woulde here."

    The colleague said: "Didn''t you say thend his family acquired was here?"

    "It was here, but I checked the map just now." Ji Feng didn''t waste the afternoon, "Thend Kenxin Real Estate acquired has be greenhouse sheds, where people can pick their own vegetables and fruits, 50 yuan per person for half an hour, quite popr."

    The colleague understood his concerns: "If he were to burn something, thatnd should be the first target."

    "Exactly." Ji Feng frowned, gaze turning out the window.

    Under the low night sky, neon lights flickered. By the pool were frolicking children anddies, aroma of steak drifted from the barbecue stalls, and a rainbow adorned the distant horizon.

    Resort hotels are different from regr hotels, they don''t build tall buildings, at most two floors. The top floor by theke should be an extremely expensive restaurant.

    The observation deck in the park, the teaching building at the kindergarten, the movie theater at the shopping mall... Ji Feng realized: "I''ll talk to youter."

    He rushed out of the lobby before finishing his sentence.

    The restaurant closed at 9pm. There were several small log cabins nearby, specifically for tourists to camp out overnight by the roadside.

    As he approached, someone poked their head out of the nearest cabin and waved at him.

    "What are you doing here?" Jian Jing asked.

    Ji Feng ducked into the cabin. It was a small single room, about the size of a regr hotel room. There seemed to be cracks in the window, letting in wisps of chill air.

    "What else could I be doing." He dragged over a stool and sat by the window, immediately upying the observation spot. "Lying in ambush."

    Jian Jing raised her brow: "You figured it out?"

    "I was a step toote." Ji Feng looked very regretful. "I should have realized earlier that the few focal arson spots were all high up. The culprit resents those upstairs."

    Jian Jing said: "He must resent people of high status."

    A criminal''s psychology is profound. Though there are countless case studies and models created by experts, each person is different. Many cases require empathy to gain even a tiny spark of inspiration.

    The police investigation into Pan Jianli had inspired her.

    "The observation deck in the park was probably his first target." She analyzed, "Secluded, safe, easy to ess in and out, meets the requirements for a first attempt. But the park has many secluded spots, the observation deck wasn''t the optimal choice, at least in terms of deterrence and revenge."

    Ji Feng nodded in agreement: "That reflected his psychology the most. He chose a high spot, revealing his resentment towards upper ss people."

    "So he chose the kindergarten nextˇŞit was the most upscale private kindergarten in his delivery range. The cars that came to pick up and drop off kids must be luxury brands, further provoking him." Jian Jing said, "He chose the tallest, most dignified building in the kindergarten."

    She added after thinking: "The resort may not necessarily be his next choice. The Fang Corporation building would actually be more suitable for revenge."

    The Fang Corporation building was over 50 stories tall, symbolizing the upper ss looking down on him. Burning it would definitely be more satisfying than other ces.

    "Not necessarily." Ji Feng smiled knowingly, having a different perspective. "ording to the neighbors, he''s a bullyˇŞshouting at the elderly security guard but not daring to argue with car owners. His nature is cowardly. He may not have the courage to burn the Fang building looming before him."

    He said, "The crimes are escting progressively. Look, his first choice was the park favored by seniors, the second was a ce for children, the third was the shopping mall for regr people, and the fourth is here, fitting his psychological profile."

    Thekeside restaurant at the resort was the tallest building nearby, with exorbitant prices, matching his resentment, but the resort was remote after all, with less oppressive force.

    "Let''s see if our luck is good enough then." Jian Jing opened a can of beer and asked him, "Do you want one?"

    Ji Feng waved his hand: "You''re doing this for fun, I''m working. Drinking on the job would get me fired tomorrow."

    Jian Jing shrugged. "What a pity."

    She took a swig of beer, then a bite of barbecue, aroma drifting everywhere.

    Ji Feng couldn''t drink alcohol, but he could eat. He helped himself to some grilled fish familiarly: "The taste is pretty good, very fresh. Haven''t had hot barbecue in a long time."

    "Why be a cop when it''s so tough?" Jian Jing chatted with him.

    He twisted open a bottle of mineral water and took a sip. It was a bit salty: "Because there are things that only cops can do."

    Jian Jing raised her brow: "What do you want to do, uphold justice? Catch viins and save innocents?"

    "Nothing so grand." Ji Feng said meaningfully, "I just want to catch criminals, which happens to be just."

    She couldn''t help looking surprised.

    This time, it was Ji Feng''s turn to ask her curiously: "You earn money as a writer, yet you pay to catch criminals here. What attracted you?"

    "I don''t know." She sighed, troubled: "Sometimes I also wonder if I want to catch the criminal, purely enjoy solving mysteries, or... justice?"

    Ji Fengughed and said unexpectedly frankly: "That''s why I chose to be a cop. I just need to catch criminals, the trials are someone else''s business."

    Jian Jing grew suspicious: "Are you trying to trick me into bing a cop again?"

    "You saw through me." He spread his hands regretfully.

    "Boring."

    Ji Feng guffawed, but soon became serious again: "I know what you mean. But Jian Jing, what is justice, who has the right to uphold it? As you know, most people iming to be justice''s agent are in fact murderers."

    Jian Jing: "..." He made a good point, she was rendered speechless.

    "Let thew uphold justice, so we can have less worries." As he spoke, he deftly plucked the crushed can from her hand and tossed it neatly into the trash bag.

    Jian Jing slowly uncurled her fingers, looking vaguely dazed.

    It wasn''t a "standard" answer, yet somehowforted her inexplicably.

    He was right, human affairs wereplex, who could im to be absolutely right? Those believing themselves to be absolutely right had likely already gone astray without knowing it.

    "Alright." She opened a new can of beer with a snap. "Cheers to thew."

    Jian Jing raised the mineral water bottle to clink sses with him, but said, "Don''t drink too much. We''re here to catch criminals, not celebrate with drinks."

    "First half catching people, second half celebrating, no problem." She drank it all in one go, and deliberately asked, "Really not drinking?"

    Ji Feng said: "You''re just trying to tempt me."

    Jian Jing tilted her head, the fine strands of hair falling on her cheeks, the beer even more fragrant now.

    "Stingy, it was just one time I got your hopes up." Ji Feng shook his head, his gaze never leaving the window.

    The night was already deep, and the people by the poolside gradually returned to their rooms to sleep. At this season, there were no other guests renting the little cabins. The surroundings became very quiet, with only the chirping of insects.

    The noise faded into the distance, and the moonlight grew more secluded.

    It was at this time that Ji Feng noticed a sneaky shadow. He got up quickly and silently, inconspicuously moving to the window, eyes locked tightly on the figure.

    "At the back door." Jian Jing also stood up, hiding on the other side of the window frame.

    With night vision goggles and binocrs, she could see even more clearly than Ji Feng, and could even see he was wearing a mask and carrying a bucket of something: "Holding gasoline."

    "I''ll go, you keep watch," Ji Feng said in a low voice. "Don''t startle the snake."

    Jian Jing made an "OK" hand gesture.

    He slipped out through the door seam without a sound.

    Jian Jing was a little envious. This agility, even with enhancement cards, was stronger than her''s. Jealousy arose.

    Ji Feng had professional training. With no equipment at all, his ability to approach in the dark was still stronger than Jian Jing''s. She could only see clearly, but he was also particr about the footsteps when stepping on the grass.

    In a few breaths, Ji Feng was close to the figure.

    Jian Jing predicted the direction the figure hade from, and tiptoed around that way. In her field of vision an electric scooter hidden in the grass appeared, and she was overjoyed, sidling up to the wall and decisively pulling out the key.

    Ji Feng was already close to the figure.

    The man was sneakily carrying a bucket of gasoline, sshing it on the wall and door, enthusiastically going about it, when he suddenly felt a chill at the back of his head.

    The next moment, a coat was thrown over his head, and tremendous force struck his back as someone firmly pressed him down, twisting his hands back to be handcuffed behind his back.

    The lighter that was pinched in his hand dropped and was kicked far away.

    Ji Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately the timing was right, otherwise if that lighter had been lit, with so many elerants around, even a small mistake could lead to burns.

    "Police," he shed his badge. "You''re under arrest."

    The other raised his neck and howled incessantly: "Let me go, let me go!!"

    "Behave yourself." Without handcuffs for this casual clothes operation, Ji Feng had restraint straps to tie up his hands and feet, trussing him up directly like a salted fish.

    Only then did Ji Feng lift his head to get a look at his face in the moonlight.

    Pan Jianli.

    Damn, lost a bet for a milk tea.

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121

    Pan Jianli, who was worth a cup of milk tea, was taken away by the police and interrogated overnight.

    But since he was found here, it proved that Jian Jing and Ji Feng''s reasoning was right, and he was killed by the Pan''s family business being destroyed by the Kang Corporation, resulting in resentment and revenge.

    The park was his first real arson. But before that, there were signs that he liked to collect magazines and newspapers rted to the Kang Corporation and burn them in a basin.

    The reason the neighbors in themunity didn''t notice was that he chose the time very cleverly.

    Every time he chose days like Qingming, burned paper at home with a basin, covered it with foil, and people thought he was burning paper for his deceased parents and didn''t care.

    "I want to drink Zizi Berryberry." On the way back, Jian Jing drove directly to the milk tea shop.

    Ji Feng struggled to the death: "Teacher Jian, let''s discuss..."

    Jian Jing expressionlessly: "Zizi Berryberry, add cheese, 50% sweet."

    Knowing the times makes one a master. Ji Feng decisively shut up and went to buy drinks.

    He brought back two cups, one for Jian Jing, and one... "Come downstairs in 10 minutes." Ji Feng sent a voice message to his sister, very naturally said, "LetˇŻs take a detour."

    Jian Jing took a sip of her drink and took a detour to the JiˇŻs house.

    Today is Saturday. Ji Yunyun jumped out, saw Zizi Berryberry, and doubted life: "For me?"

    Such an expensive drink? Did you get a bonus? I didn''t see him willing to spend it before.

    "Not for you, who else if not the Wangcai downstairs?" Ji Feng threw the bag into her arms, "Let''s go, do your homework at home, you will be in high school next year!"

    Ji Yunyun refused to leave, poking her head in: "Teacher Jian? You two? What is this?" She saw the promotional poster of the resort thrown by the car and was shocked again.

    Could it be the power of love that overcame the magic of money?

    "Work, full of nonsense." Ji Feng pushed his sister''s head out of the car window, "Teacher Jian, please send me back to the bureau."

    Jian Jing was surprised: "You''re home, don''t you sleep first before going to work?"

    Ji Feng: "Will you write the report? Will you do the transcript?"

    Her: "I''ll take you there."

    Ji Yunyun''s feverish head suddenly cooled down. She was familiar with the tone and smell, it was still her old brother.

    Jian Jing waved goodbye to her and sent the self-conscious office worker back to work.

    Soon, the system had a movement.

    [System: The hostpletes the "chivalry" event and is rewarded with 10 courage points]

    The arson case was sessfully concluded.

    Two dayster, the news reported on the follow-up of the Qilizhou Bridge ident, indicating that the police had decided to reinvestigate the ident.

    The families of the victims at that time gathered together again, hoping to get justice for their deceased loved ones.

    Jian Jing couldnˇŻt help but feel full of emotions. At that time, she persuaded Wen Hui to plead guilty, which was forced by the situation to some extent, gambling once to try, but she didnˇŻt expect it to trigger such an old case.

    However, as Ji Feng said, no matter what the motivation was, it was enough that the result was good.

    However, during this period, there was also a small episode.

    Ji Feng called to ask: "ording to Wen HuiˇŻs boyfriend, he hid a gun for emergencies, but we didn''t find anything at the scene."

    Jian Jing looked surprised: "Gun?"

    "Yes, he said he had it with him at the time, and was hit by you when he was caught off guard and dropped it." Ji Feng asked, "Did you see it?"

    Jian Jing said, "I didn''t notice."

    "Oh?"

    "Maybe someone else picked it up." She was extremely calm.

    Ji Feng chuckled and asked her, "Teacher Jian, you should know that owning a gun is illegal, right?"

    "Do you suspect I took it away?" Jian Jing retorted, "What would I do with a gun?"

    "Be careful." Unexpectedly, he did not get to the bottom of it, but just meaningfully urged, "This is not fun."

    Jian Jing snorted softly and didn''t respond.

    Ji Feng didn''t get to the bottom of it either, as if he just called to ask, or... to remind her. But he really worried for nothing.

    Jian Jing took out the storage card, with food, water, first aid kit and gun in the five grids, and left one grid for emergencies.

    Things hidden in the system, even if her home was turned upside down, there would be no trace.

    This way, no matter who the enemy was, she was much safer.

    Her eyes inadvertently fell on the calendar, May 2 was circled in red.

    This was the scheduledunch date of Kang Mu Cheng''s new book in Huaping City.

    Last time when Demon 2 was published, Liu Baofeng died.

    What about this time?

    *

    At the end of April, the weather suddenly turned hot.

    Many people couldn''t even wear spring clothes and had already changed into summer clothes. The youngdies on the street bared their arms and legs. When the warm wind blew, their skirt corners fluttered, which was a delight to see.

    At the door of major bookstores, in this spring breeze and me of passion, new posters were also posted.

    The bright red plum blossoms on a white background at first nce make one think it''s some new romance novel or essay collection, but if you stop and take a closer look, you will suddenly realize that the fluttering is not a red plum blossom.

    It''s blood.

    Bunches of blood flowers, blooming like roses, beautiful but murderous.

    And that bright light is not the sun''s rays, but the charming luster of gold.

    Money, murder, love, several major themes are perfectly integrated, standing out among many posters, eye-catching.

    May 2nd 1pm Roses, Gold and Killers

    Bestselling novelist "Jian Jing", new mystery

    Jiahui, who was shopping with her ssmates, eximed, "May 2nd, 1 o''clock, 521?"

    Girls are quite sensitive to homophones of numbers. Herpanion also got the taste: "This time... it''s a mystery, is it a coincidence?"

    "The release time of new books is always calcted carefully, isn''t it?" Jiahui retorted, "I read uncle Bing''s articlest time, saying that unless there are special circumstances, it is arranged in advance, and some writers also choose auspicious days."

    Herpanion took a careful look at the poster: "The style is also quite different from the usual mystery."

    "It''s a holiday on the 2nd, so why don''t we go shopping," Jiahui suggested.

    "Sounds good, I got nothing to do anyway."

    The two girls chatted andughed, and soon changed the subject, but after talking like this, the news of the new book was quietly remembered.

    Before they knew it, it was May 2nd.

    There are always more people shopping on holidays. Bookstores can sit and chat over coffee as well as buy stationery and reference books, which have always been the first choice for students.

    On this day, as soon as customers walked in, they saw promotional signs at the door, and the prime location was stacks of new books in stic wrap. The white background and red flowers are clean and beautiful, veryfortable.

    Take another look at the author - oh, a familiar face, the writing and plot are guaranteed - paperback, thin, naturally not expensive.

    Going out shopping, you always have to buy something. Most people are well-off, and at least half of the ten people casually picked up the book.

    Simr scenes were repeated in various bookstores, which was nothing unusual.

    The eyeliner Tao Zong sent out wandered around and went back to report without enthusiasm.

    "Jinwu is so well-behaved this time?" Tao Zong pondered for a while, feeling that this was not Kang Mu Cheng''s style. Jinwu Princess was not a nickname for nothing. Whoever slighted her would not slight Jian Jing.

    This was very strange.

    Jian Jing''s previous book had just broken a million, he thought, shouldn''t he promote it more vigorously this time? It''s so ordinary, what is he up to?

    "Leave the book, let me take a look." Tao Zong didn''t fight unprepared battles and decided to read the book first before saying anything.

    Two hourster, he put down the book with a long sigh, halfprehending and half having a headache.

    "President Kang, aren''t you afraid of overreaching?" Tao Zong muttered to himself, shing through various calctions, of course including some crude and effective business practices, but held back.

    The aftershocks of past events had not yet passed, and he did not believe Kang Mu Cheng had rxed his vignce. To make a move at this time might just fall into the other''s.

    More importantly, hitting Jian Jing would not benefit his own family.

    The top priority for Morning Star was still to find a pir that could hold up the scene.

    Fostering was too slow, who to poach?

    With so many writers under Jinwu, Kang Mu Cheng favored Jian Jing, he didn''t believe they had no ideas.

    Better to be a chicken head than a phoenix tail, besides, Morning Star was not that bad.

    -

    Heping City Third Prison.

    "Xia Xing, something for you." The prison guard called Xia Xing when ss was over, not without kindness in his tone.

    All the prisoners in the prison had to undergobor reform, and also learn to read and write. Xia Xing was well-educated, so she was arranged to teach sses to some of the less cultured. She was also very well-behaved and smart, so the prison guards rarely scolded her.

    "Ah, thank you." Xia Xing said with a smile, tidying up the textbooks to get her things.

    She had no rtives, and after being sent here, no one hade to visit her. But every now and then, people would send things here, mostly personal items like underwear and bras, as well as crates of books. asionally there would also be some sports equipment for exercise. Although they didn''t show themselves, Xia Xing knew who it was.

    Tao Zong at most sent money, how could he remember such details?

    Today was another crate of books.

    The first thing Xia Xing saw was "Roses, Gold, and Killers" ced on top.

    "Oh." She stroked the book cover, and unexpectedly, a hint of regret rose from the bottom of her heart.

    If she hadn''t taken action back then, perhaps today would have been apletely different scene.

    Xia Xing blinked hard, and turned the pages to read line by line.

    "...Revenge is certainly gratifying, but hands stained with blood, how can they ever go back to the past... The girl is still so young, even if she escapes the confinement of iron windows, the weight of a human life will oppress the long second half of her life... From the very beginning, that path should never have been chosen."

    In that moment, tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes.

    -

    After being closed for renovations for over half a year, Tian Bookstore finally reopened.

    Because of the news about human bones at the previous signing event, the cafe on the third floor had to close down. The manager was changed, it was renovated again, and only then did people gradually forget about the whole affair.

    But after being closed for so many days, naturally they needed to hold events to attract customers back.

    The branch bled a bit, points exchange, new book discounts, it was bustling with noise and excitement until after the May 1st holiday passed before returning to normal.

    On this afternoon, the store clerks were out on lunch shifts, leaving just one young girl to watch the counter.

    In the huge store there were few customers, and the sunshine outside made people feelzy. The young girl couldn''t help but take out her phone and chat with her boyfriend.

    Caught up in sweet nothings, naturally she became distracted. A book appeared in front of her, but she didn''t take notice, casually scanning it: "Scan code or cash?"

    It was cash.

    These days those who paid cash were a minority. The young girl nced over, hesitating for a moment on the back of their hand, as if there was something special.

    But a new message popped up, and her weak attention was immediately diverted. In less than a few minutes, she hadpletely wiped away that faint impression.

    The customer took the book and leisurely left the store.

    He slowly walked to a nearby park, and in the bright sunshine, casually flipped open the book.

    As he read, the smile on his face dissipated like smoke, and his eyes gradually darkened.

    The blood rose was the mark of an enemy, gold was the weapon for revenge, and the killer... Ha, which hero are you hoping will descend from the heavens to take revenge for you?

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122

    The new book had just hit the shelves, like a newborn childing into the world, no longer belonging just to itself.

    Jian Jing did not pay too much attention to the sales figures. Instead, she wondered several times if Scarface would buy her book.

    The answer was obviously yes.

    Then the hidden barbs in the book would surely be apparent to him as well.

    With so many flowers in the world, so many materials to use, why did the heroine''s bitter hatred be a metaphor for a rose? A blood rose, that was naturally the bloodstained rose sent to the book signing!

    That''s right, she did it on purpose.

    The moment she set pen to paper, all the potential consequences had alreadye to Jian Jing''s mind, yet she still decided to do it, as if someone standing atop a high building inexplicably feels the urge to jump down.

    It was very risky, very crazy, very irrational.

    Jian Jing also found it odd that she would do this, as if there was some connection between the two of them that made her involuntarily want to respond to his earlier taunt.

    He had used the demon doctor as innuendo, so she retaliated using the rose of gold.

    It was as if they both lurked in the jungle, aware of each other''s presence. He was hunting her, while she was no longer willing to be toyed with in his palm, watching for the chance to counterattack.

    What a strange mental state.

    It seemed Jian Jing was of two minds - one part of her personality obeyed her emotions to taunt him, while the other part fretted over doing this, not understanding at all why she would act so.

    But what''s done was done, no use having regrets now.

    Tit for tat.

    Things had already reached this point, so how would he react?

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, slowly exhaling to calm her turbulent thoughts.

    Thinking more was useless now. The enemy was hidden while she was exposed, she could only wait.

    Anyway she was in no hurry at all, the more time passed the more chance she had to grow stronger, she had ample time to wear him down.

    Just as she was pondering this, a WeChat message came in from Kang Mu Cheng, undoubtedly bearing good news - if sales were poor he would havee earlier to cushion the blow, so his long silence followed by a sudden message surely meant...

    Indeed, after just a few days, sales had easily surpassed 500,000 copies.

    And this was without much promotion yet.

    Now that they had reached this point, Kang Mu Cheng could lend a subtle helping hand.

    The early word of mouth was slowly fermenting, real readers mixing with fake ones, who could distinguish? As money was thrown into promotions, the sshes came one after another, wonderfully steady yet forceful, not seeming overly eager.

    Even Chairman Tao had to admire Kang Mu Cheng''s "steadiness".

    After all, this book from Jian Jing was risky,ing just 5 months after the previous one, and if Rose didn''t surpass the million copies benchmark like Demon 2, it would be rather embarrassing, making it seem the previous hit was just a stroke of luck and marketing hype.

    Therefore, if it were Chairman Tao, the initial promotions would definitely not be so low-key.

    He would opt to stir up a fiery poprity, giving the impression that sales were skyrocketing, even if it meant taking a loss to maintain the million-copy sales halo.

    To be honest, who would actually keep a close eye on the sales figures? The "feeling" of good sales was enough.

    Yet Kang Mu Cheng was in no hurry at all, the promotions very restrained.

    In other words, readers did not receive a barrage of marketing pushes, shy and abundant. Instead, they subconsciously noticed this book''s name many times.

    For instance, that booktuber mentioning it when introducing books he''d read in the first half of the year, ranking it first among 10 new books in that public ount''s  strangely had posts debating whether "Rose, Gold, and the Assassin" was a mystery or romance novel. The threads shot upward as both sides argued intensely, attracting many onlookers.

    People were strange creatures, with herd mentality but also contrarian mentality. Sometimes the more popr something was, the more skeptical they became. But many liked something yet didn''t see much hype around it, and would indignantly try to promote it. This book is so good yet no one''s reading it, the homepage rmendations are all trash, I have to rmend it.

    The strategy worked very well.

    Sales of "Rose, Gold, and the Assassin" steadily climbed towards a million copies.

    Only Jin Wu suffered scoldings from Jian Jing''s fans, feeling their bigpany wasn''t doing its job properly with the crappy promotions.

    Of course this barely affected things.

    Kang Mu Cheng knew what he was doing, only waiting patiently.

    Sure enough, by early June, sales had steadily crossed into seven digits and were still growing strongly. At the same time, word of mouth inevitably dropped somewhat - many felt this new bookcked the thick mystery vor, with adventure elements greatly increased, losing the meticulous and serious reasoning of her previous detective stories.

    Now Kang Mu Cheng''s experience showed, if the promotions had hinted it was a "romance" the bacsh would have been enormous.

    Yet with  ratings falling to 8.2, sometimes ratings and sales were two different things.

    The assassin''s death had fooled too many people''s tears.

    Jian Jing''s reader base originally rarely ovepped with romance novel fans, but this time the "gorgeous romance" chatter was too much, attracting many romance lovers to check it out.

    One must know this audience alone supported Morning Star Publishing, not to be underestimated!

    Later on, the momentum grew even fiercer than Demon 2, shooting upward.

    Jian Jing immediately felt what was meant by "hot potato".

    The writer WeChat groups were full of respectful congrattions and sour grapes, requests to rmend books, offers to introduce connections - a constant barrage. Her phone became a nuisance, with every message alert triggering a headache.

    Editor Xu also came to probe, saying many were optimistic about Rose Gold and wondered what she thought.

    To be honest, the glitz and mor of the entertainment industry was the most dazzling of all sectors. At first Jian Jing did feel some curiosity, but after Shao Meng''s murder, Tao Tao''s madness, and Xie Wei''s suicide, she understood the industry''s helplessness and cruelty, inevitably finding it tasteless.

    Making money was of course good, but frankly, she had no financial worries and didn''t need that much money either.

    So she handed it all to Kang Mu Cheng to handle: "Ask Chairman Kang, if suitable then do it, if not then forget it."

    Editor Xu felt quiteplex: "Our cooperation has reached your level, it''s really one of a kind."

    Jian Jing just smiled, also feeling it was rare.

    Normally cooperation would never reach her and Kang Mu Cheng''s stage. Of course there was some serendipity: like "Jian Jing" being alone and aimless back then, willing to let someone else take charge of everything. And Kang Mu Cheng had just returned home to take over the business, facing pressure frompany elders to nurture new authors...

    But all said and done, it was fate that brought them together.

    She was an orphan in this world. Kang Mu Cheng was half friend, half family, having saved her life and nurtured her. Looking back, he was already the most important person to her.

    Such a bond was precious, how could she bear to damage their rtionship over money? Naturally she trusted himpletely.

    And Kang Mu Cheng did not betray her trust, being upfront with her: "Severalpanies have approached me, the prices offered are not bad." He reported the prices andpanies, which did seem fair.

    But then he added: "You can pick one of them, or...leave it to me."

    "Oh," Jian Jing replied. "Jin Wu wants to adapt it?"

    "The waters have been tested, time to cross the river." Kang Mu Cheng said. "Don''t mind me, think it over carefully before deciding."

    But Jian Jing only pondered briefly before affirming: "Then give it to Jin Wu. You can have the copyright fees, and give me a share of the profitster?"

    Kang Mu Cheng shook his head. "No, too risky."

    "Without risk, anyway you''re getting the money while I''d have to find somewhere to invest it, might as well make things simple." She was nonchnt, even showing some annoyance. "Just take all the money for investments, it looks bad for me to spend so much."

    With ie shooting up, managing the bank deposits became an issue.

    Jian Jing''s priorities were not there. She wouldn''t really hand over all her assets for the manager to control. Buying some funds and stocks with a portion of the cash was fine, the rest still needed a n.

    It wasn''t a huge deal, but she was tired of it. Better to just give it all to Kang Mu Cheng, one less thing to worry about.

    When Kang Mu Cheng heard this, he was torn betweenughter and tears: "You''ve only got this little saved up, don''t gamble it away. Making movies loses more and earns less, it''s enough for a vi at least."

    "I''m just one person, who needs two houses?" She shook her head, very calm. "More money, you don''t take it with you when born, or when dead. Just let it go if it''s lost."

    She spoke earnestly, and Kang Mu Cheng believed her words. But who in the world would really reject more money? He understood in his heart that she just wanted to help him a little.

    A year ago, if she had proposed this idea, he would have rejected it outright - why did she need to worry about it? But now, he no longer treated her like a child. After considering it for a moment, he actually agreed.

    "Finances have been a bit tight recently," Kang Mu Cheng epted her kindness, "I won''t stand on ceremony with you."

    Jian Jing was genuinely delighted.

    But before the corners of her lips could curl up, he quickly added: "When you lose money, you''ll learn your lesson."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    If she lost money, wouldn''t he lose even more? That jinx!

    However, while Kang Mu Cheng didn''t sound optimistic, he took decisive action as always. Before long, he found a renowned female director for Jian Jing to invest in and prepare to shoot a movie under Golden Crow.

    This female director usually shotmercial films, but the art films she had directed had won awards. Her personal style was extremely prominent and artistic. She was willing to take on this movie, first because she was interested herself and had previously discussed cooperation with Golden Crow, and second, because she wanted to shoot a money-making film to attract investment for the future.

    Naturally, the news caused some ripples, but it no longer had anything to do with Jian Jing.

    She was considering whether or not to participate in the recording of the third season of "Haunted House Daredevils".

    The invitation had probably been sent to Kang Mu Cheng about a month ago.

    He himself was not keen on it. He believed that writers should speak through their works and engage in spiritualmunication with readers, rather than writers themselves appearing in front of the public and bing idols.

    But Jian Jing thought differently.

    She used to love being cooped up at home. The better her stories, the more introverted she became. Now that she finally had a hobby, even if he still felt it improper, he couldn''t bear to adamantly dissuade her.

    Frankly, what was wrong with a little girl loving to y and make mischief?

    Since this was the case, it was better to be on a variety show where everything was arranged by the production team, rather than really getting involved in criminal cases, which had more risks.

    Therefore, without much hesitation, he sent her the n: "Do you want to go?"

    Last time she went to participate in a haunted house show, it led to an incident with Seven Star Coffins. So Jian Jing was not very enthusiastic this time. But when she looked at the n, she was tempted.

    This episode was called "Murder Hospital".

    Unlike previous shows, this was a new haunted house opened abroad. The original site was a hospital where, in the 1970s and 1980s, the dean and doctors were involved in organ trafficking. On the surface, they did charity work, epting homeless people who couldn''t afford medical treatment. But in reality, they killed the penniless and powerless poor, and sold their organs to officials and nobles to profit handsomely.

    For over a decade, no one knew how many souls the hospital had buried.

    Then one day, after a patient''s kidney was removed, he fell into aatose state. The hospital thought he was dead, so they put him in a body bag and sent him away. But halfway there, the man woke up and escaped to report the case, thus exposing the truth.

    Unexpectedly, when the police arrived at the hospital to arrest the dean, the dean, doctors and nurses had all disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed at all.

    The case remains unsolved since.

    After the hospital was abandoned, people around said that on foggy days, they could asionally see white shadows floating around, as if white coats were drifting in the air, creepy beyond words.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    This year, Jian Jing had already published two books. She wanted to write a third book, but it would be better to wait until the first half of next year. If she wrote too fast, she would definitely be criticized by others for being an assembly line, perfunctory and shoddy. It would be good to wait, which would allow her time to slowly polish her next book.

    Therefore, besides graduate school, Jian Jing didn''t seem to have anything else to do in the second half of the year. She heard that the ghost house show was going to film an episode abroad this time, and she was inevitably tempted.

    The production team was very sincere this time. They would film inte June but had already asked her in mid-May, giving her advance notice. They said Cai Tonger was busy filming and couldn''t make the schedule, so they would likely invite another youngdy. If Jian Jing felt anyone was unsuitable, she should give them advance notice.

    She wouldn''t have received this kind of treatment a year ago.

    However, to be fair, half of this courtesy was earned by Jian Jing herself, and half was given by Golden Crow.

    No one knew whether the giant ship entering the sea would sink or sail to a new world. Being friendly was definitely the right approach. But as a veteran in the publishing industry, Golden Crow also had its own pride and caution. It had not made any big moves, so everyone could only make overtures where they could.

    Kang Musheng''s favor towards Jian Jing was obvious to all.

    Who else would they look for if not her?

    But Jian Jing never relied on these things. Since she wanted to go, she readily agreed.

    Before she knew it, it was June.

    Rumors, both real and fake, began circting at the beginning of the month. The news was that an old cast member couldn''t participate this time, so they might bring in a new person. Under the entertainment news,izens wildly spected that it would be Jiang Baiyan.

    He was filming in Ice City, so most people felt he wouldn''t be avable.

    His fans were naturally very disappointed.

    Earlier this year, the family drama he had filmed previously started airing. Although it faced a lot of criticism before filming, the results proved he had a good hand at choosing roles.

    The everyday family drama appealed to both young and old, with young girls watching for the handsome actor while mothers and grandmothers watched for the family conflicts. It quickly expanded his fame.

    Catering only to the upper ss wouldn''t work nowadays. There was more than one or two actors with no acting skills on the big screen. One had to be humble when necessary.

    Jiang Baiyan''s gamble paid off, gaining him many new fans.

    Most people still looked forward to seeing him in person, so hearing that he couldn''t participate was quite regretful.

    In mid-month, the official trailer finally revealed the truth.

    Ghost House Extreme Challenge V:

    The steady and wise you - @Cao Yu, the elegant and beautiful you - @Zheng Keyan, the delicate and cute you - @Jiang Baiyan, the passionate and energetic you - @Han Bo, the quirky and interesting you - @Coco, and the smart and brave mystery guest.

    Top Comment 1: Life is like wine, growing richer with age. The 30 year old you is more elegant andposed. We love you and support you @Zheng Keyan [beautiful photo]

    Top Comment 2: Out of the vast sea of people, I''m fortunate to have met you. On this long night, you light up a corner. @Jiang Baiyan

    Top Comment 3: Youthful energy, indulging in song and dance, baby you''re the best! @Han Bo

    Top Comment 4: Quirky and cute, support @Coco, go for it!

    Top Comment 5: The mystery guest is probably Jian Jing. I''ve watched two seasons, and besides her, no one else can be called smart and brave. There''s a new person this time, so the mystery guest can''t also be a new face.

    Reply 1: That makes sense, thisdy made a deep impression on me, with her going abroad this time she can hold the scene.

    Reply 2: Cao the Advisor was diligent for two seasons, did you not see?

    Reply 3: Does ndering people make you happy?

    ...

    Infighting was inevitable in the entertainment industry. Jian Jing herself didn''t care about the verbal battles. After all, no one asked "Who is Jian Jing?" this time. This alone was enough to make her feel gratified.

    She was itching to know if her poprity score could cross another threshold, but the system didn''t make a peep. Clearly, she was still far from the next level.

    Fortunately, the limited draw was only once every two months, so the wait wasn''t too long.

    In April, when she drew a card, she was on the shooting range practicing. She drew a [Steady Aim] card.

    [Name: Status Card - Steady Aim]

    [Description: Gains 100% uracy when throwing, shooting, etc. Base time 5 sec/day, resets at midnight, can extend with courage points, 1 pt = 1 sec]

    [Note: Bullseye, one shot kill. You deserve it!]

    This skill was very useful, especially when she was toozy to get up to throw out trash - 100% uracy, saving time and effort, wonderful!

    In June, right before departing, it was time for another card draw.

    She was at the beauty salon then. The beautician''s strength was just right and the fragrant essential oils were enchanting. In the warmth, her mind grew a bit fuzzy.

    When the system asked [Draw card?], she responded "Yes" in her mind without thinking twice.

    Well, the card she drew in the beauty salon...it was better left unsaid.

    Later in the month, the weather already felt a bit like summer. Jian Jing boarded the ne arranged by the production team. Normally each episode took two parts, but since they were filming abroad this time, the three parts allotted by the production team included not just the content in the haunted house, but eating, drinking, and sightseeing as well.

    Cameras were already set up when she boarded the ne.

    Last time, Jian Jing still felt a little unused to them, but now she could almost ignore their existence. After stowing her luggage, she greeted Cao Yu, Zheng Keyan, and Han Bo.

    "We meet again."

    "The weather is good today."

    "We''re running a bitte."

    Such small talk from Jian Jing could be considered friendly, butpared to the glibness of others, it was rather nd and tasteless.

    Those particrly ipatible with her type, like the old fox Cao Yu who couldn''t avoidparison, immediately set a trap at their meeting: "I heard the haunted houses abroad are much more extreme than domestic ones. If Teacher Jian makes any discoveries this time, be sure to give us a heads up."

    Jian Jing was taken aback, seemingly confused: "What discoveries?"

    "Ah, let''s not talk about that." But Zheng Keyan quickly changed the subject, warmly asking Jian Jing, "I read your book yesterday, it was so touching I cried my eyes out."

    Jian Jing smiled. "It had a happy ending, seeking benevolence and getting it."

    Zheng Keyan wasn''t satisfied, pulling Jian Jing to sit next to her and prodding for details: "So did he love her or not in the end?"

    This line of questioning showed she had truly read the book instead of just being politely superficial. Jian Jing also didn''t reject her kind intentions, and the two chatted about the plot of the novel.

    Soon, the new member Coco arrived.

    She was on the petite side with delicate and beautiful features, still with some baby fat in her cheeks. Her clothing wasn''t as exquisite as Cai Tonger''s, but carried a youthful charm that easily made people adore her.

    Also, she started out as a child star, acting in many ssic TV shows people would find familiar, with a dazzling r¨¦sum¨¦. It was rare for her to have grown up without any issues, and her acting skills had been honed over the years, earning favor from many directors recently.

    Hertest movie was released to impressive box office results, showing great momentum.

    Coco first greeted the production team, calling Cao Yu "Uncle" familiarly as if they knew each other already. She then exchanged pleasantries with Zheng Keyan, Jian Jing and Han Bo, seeming clever but not losing her girlish charm, making her very hard to dislike.

    "I like reading books on nes." The youngdy was very friendly to Jian Jing, taking out a brand new copy of Rose Gold from her bag and asking for an autograph. She then smiled. "Let me get a signature first before reading it."

    Jian Jing certainly wouldn''t reject this show of goodwill.

    But before she could put pen to paper, another familiar voice rang out. "Coco, you actually beat me to it."

    ncing up, she saw Jiang Baiyan also holding a copy of Rose Gold, clearly intending to cut in line.

    "Firste, first served," Coco bickered with him. "I was first."

    Jiang Baiyan shamelessly insisted, "Teacher Jing, sign mine first."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help grinning. "Firste first served." She quickly signed Coco''s copy and gave it back to her.

    The girl was extremely smug, sticking her tongue out at Jiang Baiyan.

    Jiang Baiyan huffed grumpily, for once abandoning his usual friendly demeanor. He reached out to grab her book. Naturally, Coco dodged, hiding the book behind her back and ducking down, slipping away neatly. "You can''t get it."

    Cao Yuughed. "You two are such a lively couple, able to start bickering even on a ne."

    Jian Jing nced at him.

    "Stop messing around, we''re about to take off." Zheng Keyan said.

    Han Bo smilingly picked up Coco''s luggage. "Let me put this overhead for you."

    "Thanks Brother Han Bo," Coco turned back and stuck out her tongue at Jiang Baiyan again. "Unlike someone."

    Jiang BaiYan ignored her and plopped down next to Jian Jing: "Teacher Jing, how could you not show favoritism? She''s new here, but I''ve known you for a long time."

    Jian Jing said, "It''s because you camete."

    "I just got home yesterday and overslept," he rubbed his belly. "I haven''t even had breakfast yet."

    Before Jian Jing could say anything, Zheng Keyan was already speaking over there: "I brought some snacks, let me grab some for you." While speaking, she was already taking out food.

    Jiang BaiYan thanked her and wolfed down a couple bites. The ne was about to take off.

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: Team assemble! Let''s set off again! Ah ah ah

    Comment 2: Little brother has gotten thinner, filming must be so tiring.

    Comment 3: Keyan is so thoughtful.

    Comment 4: Is this an enemies-to-lovers couple this time? Why does our little brother always have to do this, so annoying!

    Comment 5: How can the military advisor be so petty?

    Comment 6: Picking fights is fun?

    Comment 7: Looking forward to Teacher Jing, finally get to see her again!

    ...

    --

    After about half an hour, the air flow stabilized and the passengers started moving again.

    The production team had booked half the ne''s seats, leaving it up to the guests where to sit. Jian Jing didn''t have the patience for small talk and chose a window seat to watch a movie.

    The footage on the ne, the previous joking around was enough. The cameras were quickly taken away, the guests didn''t need to perform, no one woulde bother her for no reason.

    Except for Jiang BaiYan.

    He wandered around and sat down familiarly next to her, "Our pudding..."

    As soon as Jian Jing heard this, she showed a pained expression: "Got fatter."

    Jiang BaiYan gasped, "Got fatter again?"

    "I''ve already tried my best," she exined, "but pudding is so cute, what can I do."

    Jiang BaiYan shook his head vigorously: "A mother who spoils her child ruins him."

    Jian Jing red at him: "As if you can do anything about it."

    His face wrinkled like a bitter melon, obviously also helpless against the orange cat.

    "I bought an automatic cat feeder, it can eat a little less these past two days," Jian Jing was also very concerned, "President Kang said he''ll help me take care of it, hopefully it can lose a little weight, even just a few ounces would be good."

    "That''s good then," Jiang BaiYan hastily ended this topic, then abruptly changed the subject, lowering his voice, "Be more careful after official filming starts."

    Jian Jing smiled and asked curiously: "What can he do to me?"

    Jiang BaiYan''s gaze swiftly nced around, vignt and prudent, but his voice was as faint as a mosquito: "Malicious editing has happened before, you''ve seen it."

    "It''s not that easy, even if it really happens, it''s not a big deal," Jian Jing rested her cheek in her hand, gazing out the window. The cities and mountains below were continuous, miniscule and blurred, "He''s quite petty."

    Jiang BaiYan said: "There''s a military advisor role in a historical drama that''s verypetitive. Because of his previous image, he''s being considered, but if his character copses, he probably won''t get the part."

    She curled her lips slightly: "Whether the performance is good or not, depends on how scary the Haunted Hospital turns out to be."

    Jiang BaiYanughed drily: "It probably won''t be that scary."

    "The scale of foreign haunted houses will definitely be bigger," Jian Jing winked at him, "If it''s very scary, you have to endure it. You''re not the youngest this time, don''t embarrass yourself too much."

    Jiang BaiYan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst outughing: "Don''t worry Teacher Jing, I will..." His bright and sharp gaze fell on Coco in the front seat, "Heh."

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124

    After a long flight, the crew finally arrived at their destination, checked into the hotel, and rested for the night before taking another flight to the next city. Inevitably, they had to film some travel footage along the way - anyone seeing it would''ve thought it was a travel show.

    When they reached their destination, the crew gave the guests another night to rest up well, with the reminder: "Tomorrow''s shoot will be very long, so be sure to get plenty of rest tonight."

    Jian Jing was excited and asked the PD: "Will the location be very big?"

    "The content is prettyplex, so filming will take a long time," the PD replied. "Also, we n to start recording in the evening, and have you spend the whole night inside."

    They already knew about spending the night, so Jian Jing simply said, "We can bring our own stuff inside, right?"

    The PD responded: "Definitely not during filming tomorrow - we''ve got all the equipment prepared already. Give me any personal belongings you want to have inside in advance, and I''ll take them in for you ahead of time."

    Jian Jing batted her eyshes. "You still haven''t found the missing doctor, huh?"

    "Just a rumor," the PD had been quite frightened by the corpsest time. She was a little apprehensive now. "Teacher Jian, don''t scare me."

    Jian Jing chuckled lightly. "I''m just curious. Nevermind, don''t ask. Take a look - which outfit do you think suits me best for tomorrow?"

    In pursuit of impact, the crew didn''t reveal any specifics about the haunted house, not a single word. All she knew was that it was an abandoned hospital, with no clue what would happen inside.

    Of course that wouldn''t do.

    So she prepared two outfits - one a breezy romper, the other a t-shirt with a mini skirt, both perfect for summer.

    The PD suggested, "It''ll be cold inside, Teacher Jian should wear a jacket on top. Jean pants down below would be best to avoid bumps and scrapes."

    Jian Jing''s eyes instantly lit up, and her smile deepened. "Alright, I''ll listen to you then."

    The PD nced at her and a thought shed through her mind - of the six guests, this was probably the only one who hade to sincerely y along.

    After a full night''s rest, recording started formally the next day.

    Jian Jing wore slim jeans, white sneakers, a tank top underneath with a pink jean jacket on top. Her hair was braided into a fishtail, lightly made up with long arched brows, and sprayed thoroughly with setting spray no less than three times.

    The other guests were also dressed casually, just more morously and eye-catchingly than her.

    For instance, Zheng Keyan''s t-shirt was from a luxury designer brand, while Coco''s bangles were custom pieces from a celebrity designer.

    However... appearances weren''t the point.

    Before entering the haunted house, all of them were required to undergo simple firearms training.

    The instructor was a tall, muscr ck man who introduced himself, "We''re pursuing an absolutely realistic experience. The site is filled with highly lifelike NPCs, and there may bebat scenes."

    The guests: "?!!"

    They looked at each other, genuinely shocked.

    The production team had kept things tightly under wraps. No one expected things to get so real.

    "You''ll need to learn how to use a gun," he opened a metal case and disyed their equipment. "We use BB bullet guns - real ammo, look."

    He demonstrated coolly how to load bullets and shoot: "The NPCs have sensors that will judge if it''s a light wound, critical wound, or death based on impact."

    --

    Comments after airing:

    Danmu 1: Dang, just dang.

    Danmu 2: Such high energy!

    Danmu 3: Holy shit, going all out from the start?

    Danmu 4: Is this even real?

    Danmu 5: Oh my god!!

    --

    After the initial shock, a trace of excitement also emerged among the guests. Who doesn''t want to y with guns, especially since there''s no such opportunity in China? Everyone learned eagerly from the instructor.

    Cao Yu and Han Bo performed exceptionally well.

    Cao Yu said, "I learned a little specially for an action drama role previously."

    As for Han Bo, he was a CS expert: "yed with friends a few times before, but it''s my first time with real ammo in China."

    Among the women, Coco also stood out.

    Though she was inexperienced, she picked it up quickly after some practice and soon shot quite impressively. The instructor praised her repeatedly, overflowing with appreciation.

    --

    Danmu 1: Cao Yu is so professional, you rarely see actors like this nowadays.

    Danmu 2: Han Bo, so hot!!

    Danmu 3: Little sis is pretty good!

    Danmu 4: Rewatching for Teacher Jian, she''s so lowkey.

    ...

    --

    After two hours, the instructor ruthlessly confiscated all the guns. Naturally they couldn''t just hand over such critical props, the guests had to find them inside the haunted house themselves. Same for ammo - they''d have to figure out resupply on their own.

    Then, they were blindfolded and led into the haunted house by staff.

    The dank, icy, dpidated, creepy air of the abandoned old hospital hit them instantly.

    Jian Jing was in the middle and instinctively started mapping the route in her mind.

    Left turn, up the stairs, turn again. Hmm, the footsteps in front separated, were they going to split the groups? The temperature seemed to have dropped again. Brr, so cold.

    The broadcast started introducing the backstory: "This is an abandoned, ancient hospital where many bloody, terrible events once took ce. It holds secrets that remain unsolved to this day. This is...thest ce your friend Henry was seen. To find him, you''vee to this deste hospital, but..."

    The heavy, slow voice suddenly turned shrill, like a demon''s cackle: "Could things really go so smoothly? Can you truly leave this ce?"

    "Hiss--" The broadcast let out a piercing, grating shriek, then cut off abruptly.

    Silence all around.

    Click, the blindfold came loose.

    Jian Jing listened carefully, then slowly removed her blindfold.

    Dark, extremely dark. The entire room was shrouded in dense, pitch ckness. Her night vision wasn''t bad, yet she could barely make anything out.

    But her hearing grew sharper in such conditions. She heard two people breathing.

    "Who''s there?" she asked.

    "Me," Jiang BaiYan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

    "Me," no such fear in Coco''s voice, rather eager and raring to go, already searching around. "There should be shlights here, right?"

    Jian Jing turned on the mini shlight on her watch, using the weak beam to inspect their surroundings.

    It looked like a single patient room, with an iron bed next to them and a short cab by the bedside. The cab was rotten and dpidated, the top scattered with numerous scratch marks gouged deep into the wood.

    She cautiously prodded it with her toe. Rustling sounds came from within.

    "What''s in here?" Coco walked over and pulled open the drawer right away.

    The instant it slid open, a ck shadow burst out straight at her face.

    Jian Jing reacted swiftly to grab it. The coarse, icy sensation and feather-like tickling in her palm made her scalp tingle. She quickly let go.

    Damn, it was a furry white-kneed tarant.

    "Fuck!"

    Three minutes in and it already forced out profanity.

    But the shocks were far from over.

    The drawer crawled with plump, shiny ck beetles packed densely together, enough to make anyone with a phobia of clustered holes faint on the spot.

    Amongst the swarming bugs, the stic casing of a shlight was visible. Clearly they wanted them to take the challenge.

    --

    Comments after airing:

    Danmu 1: What the fuck, what the fuck!!

    Danmu 2: Such high energy!

    Danmu 3: Son of a bitch, going hardcore from the start?

    Danmu 4: This is fake right?

    Danmu 5: Oh my god!!

    ...

    --

    Although meek, Jiang BaiYan wasn''t too frightened of snakes, bugs or rodents, only ghosts. "I''ll get it," he offered.

    Jian Jing said, "Put on gloves first."

    The jeans and jacket she wore today had several pockets, stuffed with personal items including disposable shoe covers, hairs, masks, gloves and other forensic(?) essentials.

    Hearing the backstory introduction, she had quietly slipped on a glove over her right hand. Otherwise, no way she''d dare touch anything. She''d expected sticky blood and gore, not a haunted house that went as far as using live bugs.

    By feel...they seemed to be real insects, fuzzy and bristly.

    Ugh, don''t think about it, even more disgusting.

    Jiang BaiYan steeled himself against the revulsion and reached in to grab the shlight, now that he had gloves on.

    Switching on the light allowed them to roughly survey the surroundings.

    It really was a single patient room, decorated in extreme creepiness. The walls were scrawled with bloody words, the door bolted shut from outside.

    The window was boarded up, nothing visible outside, with a cab against the wall tightly shut, contents unknown.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "ording to the usual pattern, since we''ve been divided into groups, one group will definitely have to wait for the other group toe and save them."

    Jian Jing nodded and gestured for Coco to move aside so she could try opening the cab door herself.

    She grasped the handle, shook it slightly, and felt that it was unlocked. She pulled hard outward.

    Nothing happened.

    There weren''t any disgusting bugs inside the cab like there were in the drawers. There was only a backpack. Inside were some outdated clothes, a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes.

    "There''s a notebook here," Coco said. Holding a pillow, she picked up the hardcover notebook from the bed.

    She flipped it open. It was the owner''s diary.

    Thoughtfully, it was all tranted into Chinese.

    October 6, 1984

    Little Helen told me she heard there was a monster hidden in the operating room. Iughed loudly and told her it was definitely just a patient with a bizarre medical condition. This hospital is well known in the surrounding towns for taking in patients with incurable diseases.

    People like me, people like Little Helen, other hospitals won''t ept us. We can onlye here and try our luck.

    November 10, 1984

    My roommate George should be back home with his parents and loved ones by now for Christmas! Damn this lung disease, when will I finally get better? I''m really impatient having to lie in bed all day. It''s all because of that explosion, damn it!

    December 12, 1984

    No one hase to take Little Helen home. She''s a bit unhappy and talking nonsense more and more often. She even told me she saw George yesterday.

    The poor little thing. Maybe I should spend more time with her.

    December 20, 1984

    Something seems a little strange. Little Helen clearly told me we''d spend Christmas together, but the nurse said her parents came and took her home.

    Little Helen doesn''t have parents. Who took her away?

    December 24, 1984

    My god, was that Little Helen?! What happened?? Could everything she said be true...

    ...

    The diary was made very realistically with a lot of nonsense, but in summary there were two key pieces of information.

    People have gone missing from the hospital.

    There is a monster in the hospital.

    After skimming through it quickly, Jian Jing fell deep in thought.

    Despite her delicate appearance, Coco was quite bold. Looking at the blood-written words on the wall she asked, "What does ''Qrivy'' mean?"

    Jiang BaiYan shook his head. "I don''t recognize it."

    "My English is decent, but I''ve never seen this word. Is it a code?" Coco asked, looking to Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and smiled. "It''s a Caesar cipher. Shift each letter 13 ces forward in the alphabet."

    Coco counted and was surprised. "Devil?"

    Jian Jing nodded.

    "Does that open the door?" Coco was clearly also a fan of the previous issues. Curiously circling around the door, she didn''t see anything rted to a passcode lock.

    Dejected, she said, "There''s nothing here. Do we have to wait for them toe rescue us?"

    Jian Jing contemted and said, "We should leave here as soon as possible."

    As soon as Jiang BaiYan heard this, she shrank behind Jian Jing''s back. "Why?"

    "If the room was empty, why would the door be locked from the outside?" Jian Jing said slowly. "There must be a reason the people outside had to lock the door."

    As she spoke, she turned her gaze to the space under the bed.

    The dirty sheets hung down, concealing the area under the hospital bed.

    A chill crept up her spine.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125

    The greatest source of human feares from the unknown.

    The more you feel like there is something under the bed but don''t dare look, the more afraid you be.

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: Damn, this episode is so freaking scary

    Comment 2: The other group was simply puzzle solving, why is this group so terrifying?

    Comment 3: Two girls plus the most timid one, what was the program team thinking?

    Comment 4: HighˇŞPossibilityˇŞofˇŞJumpscare

    ...

    --

    Jian Jing was also a little scared by this haunted house. But this bit of fear lingered in her heart, nourishing endless curiosity and excitement, urging her to tiptoe and gently lift the bed sheet.

    "Ugh." Coco almost threw up when she shined the shlight.

    Luckily, it was not a ghost. Unfortunately, it was a pile of rotten meat covered in maggots. The stench rushed up and churned their stomachs.

    Jian Jing quickly put it down, holding her chest while slowly exhaling: "Almost died there."

    She decisively said: "Let''s get out of here quickly."

    "The door won''t open," Coco said after checking the bathroom. "There''s a window here. Should I try climbing out?"

    Jiang BaiYan was startled and quickly pulled her back: "Too dangerous."

    Jian Jing squatted by the door, studied the keyhole, then took off her hair clip, straightened it, and poked it in.

    Coco squeezed over, curious: "Teacher Jian, you know how to pick locks?"

    "Just curious and tried it a few times." Because she had been trapped in escape rooms several times, Jian Jing became very interested in lock picking and would asionally fiddle with it.

    Luckily, the haunted house had expensive setups, so they wouldn''t invest too much in the door locks, which were just regr locks. After poking with the hair clip for a while, she actually got it open.

    "Teacher Jingjing is so awesome." Jiang BaiYan immediately ttered her.

    Jian Jing winked at him: "Let''s go rescue the others now."

    Jiang BaiYan was clever enough not to overthink his words and naturally set up the pit: "It''s so scary here, they must be terrified. We need to find them quickly."

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: One highlight of the haunted house show is that all the cameras disy the filming time, which prevents malicious editing to some extent. At least they canˇŻt cut out certain words and splice in different answers.

    This also allows the audience to estimate the guests'' activity time.

    Comment 2: This group got out so fast, only 15 minutes!

    Comment 3: Picking the lock is cheating! The other group is decoding clues fair and square!

    Comment 4: Those saying the other group was just solving puzzles clearly haven''t seen Ghost Hotel!

    Comment 5: ording to the form, Cao Yu''s group should be going to rescue the others, but it turned out the other way around.

    Comment 6: Jian Jing never disappoints!

    ...

    --

    After interacting with the entertainment industry more, Jian Jing also had a sense of the program team''s ns.

    They probably wouldn''t maliciously edit or misrepresent, to avoid ruining the show, but small tricks were fair game.

    Cao Yu clearly wanted to suppress her, perhaps by getting the higher-ups involved, to gain an advantage within the limited space.

    The two groups were divided into decryption and horror themes. Who would stand out more went without saying. Jian Jing did not care about others'' pettiness. Since Cao Yu wanted a PK, she would not hold back either.

    Games were more fun withpetition after all.

    Jian Jing shined her shlight down the wide corridor. This was the ward area, with individual rooms separated or blocked off by locked doors or wooden nks, deste and eerie.

    "We''re in the ward area. They should be in the office to find different clues," Jian Jing made up a logical story to direct their search efforts.

    Sure enough, they soon found a locked office door at the end of the hallway without checking the rooms.

    When theymunicated with the other group, Zheng Keyan was a little surprised: "You guys are out? We have the ward keys here. We thought we''d have to open the doors for you."

    Coco blurted out: "Teacher Jian picked the lock."

    It was quiet for a moment inside before Han Bo said: "We still need a while."

    Being rescued without needing the keys and actually being rescued by someone were two different things. While Zheng Keyan and Han Bo did not have ulterior motives, they did not want to fall behind either.

    Jian Jing said: "Let''s go look around."

    She did not offer to help and instead shone her light deeper inside.

    The floor n was:

    Ward Area .. Office . Bathroom . Iron Gate .. Staircase .. Dark Corridor

    She looked up and down, examining the iron gate. With no smart locks back then, thick iron chains as thick as arms wrapped around it, padlocked shut.

    Jian Jing knew what was up. Horror house shows bing popr abroad relied not on the guests, but the production team''s prudence and meticulousness.

    Since even the bugs were real here, they must have paid attention to details.

    Why seal off the iron gate, use chains this thick, there must be an implication.

    Just as she was pondering this, the office door opened.

    Zheng Keyan hurried over with a keyring: "Let me see if I have the key for this door."

    She tried for a bit but could not open it.

    This was normal too. The office keys were for opening the ward doors, originally meant to rescue Jian Jing''s group. Aside from that, they should also find this big key.

    In other words, there must be something inside the locked wards.

    Coco chimed in to describe: "There were lighters and a notebook in our ward. The other wards must also have stuff."

    "Makes sense," Cao Yu did not reveal any urgency at losing a round. He asked Zheng Keyan for the keys, "Let''s check them one by one. Girls stand back."

    When he said thest sentence, his gaze seemed to inadvertently fall on Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing met his gaze and smiled lightly, taking two steps back as expected ˇŞ she had to, Cao Yu was older with a more solid foundation, the audience had epted him taking the lead already. If shepeted with him, it likely wouldn''t end well.

    Seeing her yield, Cao Yu rxed slightly and became fully vignt about the ward situation.

    Coco seized the chance to describe: "Ours was so scary. The drawer had bugs, and there was rotten meat under the bed."

    Zheng Keyan frowned slightly and quietly took a step back.

    Nothing happened.

    Cao Yu also found a bag in the cab with water and a bible. He lifted the bed curtain too but there was nothing.

    Next was another room, simr contents except the coat in the closet had a gun, and five bullets were found in its pockets.

    "Got weapons now." Cao Yu hesitated slightly before giving the gun to Han Bo, exining to Jiang BaiYan: "He has better aim."

    Jiang BaiYan smiled obediently: "I wouldn''t dare shoot even if you let me."

    Coco made fun of him: "Some man you are, such a scaredy cat."

    "Some have guts, some don''t. I say you''re delicate and unfit for guns just because you''re a girl. Are you annoyed?" Jiang BaiYan continued the bantering from the ne.

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: Little bro is right, say no to stereotypes!

    Comment 2: A guy hiding behind girls just doesn''t look good.

    Comment 3: Jiang BaiYan is so feminine.

    Comment 4: Being ordinary yet confident is being a man?

    Comment 5: While you guys bicker, I ship this quarreling couple! So cute!

    ...

    --

    After getting new props, everyone''s attention was on the next ward. No one was stupid. Giving a gun clearly implied something was up.

    Cao Yu went first to open the door with Han Bo leaning against the wall, gun aimed at the door gap. Jian Jing, Coco, Zheng Keyan and Jiang BaiYan all stood behind.

    CreakˇŞ the ward door was pushed open.

    Cao Yu raised his wrist, the shlight beam shot into the room. In the circr glow, they could see it was a double ward.

    A corpse in a white coat was slumped by the bed, blood staining the floor.

    "Looks like something in his pocket," Coco said. "The iron gate must have been the hospital''s doing. The key should be on the doctor."

    Cao Yu cautiously went inside.

    Han Bo followed with the gun.

    Bold Coco even went in.

    Zheng Keyan hesitated for a moment before asking Jian Jing: "Is there something above?"

    "Bugs," Jian Jing replied.

    Almost at the same time, Cao Yu and Han Bo jolted and swiftly turned back.

    Toote.

    Just then, something suddenly dropped down from the ceiling above the doorway, falling right in front of Coco.

    "Hiss-ha!" It was a monster, its body piled high with rotten flesh, interspersed here and there with yellow pus-filled boils, and stinky pus oozing all over its body. Its head was covered in octopus-like tentacles, with soft tendrils and sharp teeth intertwined in a horrifying tangle.

    Coco, daring as she was, had not expected this turn of events and let out a shriek: "Ah!"

    No sooner had she screamed than the monster seemed alerted and charged furiously towards Cao Yu.

    Cao Yu was just an actor after all, and had no chance to dodge in such a hurry. All he could do was wave the shlight in his hand to block it. Luckily, Han Bo, who normally kept a low profile, could be depended on at critical moments. He immediately fired a shot at the monster.

    But shooting urately isn''t so easy, which is why marksmanship is apetitive sport.

    Han Bo''s hand wasn''t steady enough and his bnce was off. He thought he had aimed at the monster but the bullet went way off target, hitting Coco directly in the shoulder instead.

    The rubber bullets used in the haunted house weren''t lethal, but getting hit still hurt.

    Coco cried "Ow!" and leaned back, on the verge of falling over.

    Jiang Baiyan did something then that was out of character - he reached out to grab her arm and pulled her outside. Once Zheng Keyan had steadied her, he immediately let go.

    By this time, Cao Yu had already been knocked down by the monster.

    Hey still without moving a muscle, which was actually the instinctive human response.

    Although everyone knew the monster was just a simted NPC, the haunted house environment was real, and the atmosphere created was so immersive that the fear felt by those inside was naturally very different from that of viewers watching through a camera.

    Ordinary people experiencing such a shock would freeze up instinctively, limbs going stiff.

    Only Jian Jing had noticed the ceiling earlier and survived several attacks already, so she had some immunity.

    She collected herself and suggested: "Throw away the shlight."

    Cao Yu was also decisive. Hearing this, he immediately discarded the shlight. The circle of light swayed as the shlight flew into the corner.

    The monster immediately scrambled off him to chase after the shlight.

    Only then did Han Bo help him up and they exited through the door.

    Jiang Baiyan reacted swiftly to m the door shut.

    All was silent.

    The guests looked at each other, all a little shocked: They knew the show got intense, but not this intense!

    "Was that a zombie?" Zheng Keyan asked.

    "More like an alien," said Coco.

    "What about the key?" asked Han Bo.

    Cao Yu had regained hisposure by now. After a moment''s thought, seemingly dissatisfied with his performance earlier, he suggested: "The monster is phototropic. We can use that to lure it out, then look for the key."

    He looked around and asked, "What do you think?"

    Jiang Baiyan covertly nced at Jian Jing and asked, "Lure it where?"

    "How about the office?" Cao Yu already had a n in mind.

    The others didn''t respond right away.

    But Jian Jing met Cao Yu''s subtle scrutiny with a slight smile: "There''s a tag hanging from that monster''s neck. I think we''d best ''kill'' it first."

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126

    After fifty minutes into the game, the first disagreement between Jian Jing and Cao Yu surfaced. The others were quick to notice the discord, and kept quiet.

    Jian Jing, always thepromiser, said "We''ve just gotten a gun, we should try it out on the first monster we''ve encountered to get a sense of the situation." She added with a smile, "Although we''ve searched the office, there may still be new clues that need cross-referencingter, so it''s best we tidy up now to avoid trouble down the line."

    But Cao Yu disagreed. "Professor Jian, you haven''t directly encountered that thing yet. It''s very fast. We''ve only found one gun with five bullets - hardly enough."

    "How about this - I''ll try first, if it doesn''t work, we can lure it back out?" Jian Jing gently persuaded, exudingposure and confidence.

    Cao Yu''s eyes flickered as he rapidly weighed the pros and cons. He was older, and had no issues letting her take the action lead, but strategizing was his specialty, his trademark: "Is this really necessary? Bit risky."

    Coco looked between them and asked, "Professor Jian, are you confident?"

    "I''ll give it a shot," Jian Jing decided. "It''s not that hard. Give me the shlight and gun. You all hide behind the door, just have someone help me open it."

    With thingsid out like that, Cao Yu couldn''t reasonably object further, only acquiesce.

    Jian Jing held the gun in her right hand and the tactical shlight in her left, bracing her right wrist under her right hand joint to stabilize both hands. The tail switch on the shlight allowed easy one-handed operation with her thumb.

    This was the ssic Harris grip, suited for shooting in low light conditions.

    "Open the door," she angled herself towards the crack.

    Jiang Baiyan slowly turned the handle and eased the door open.

    The pitch ck room was void of movement or sound.

    Jian Jing held her breath, forcefully hitting the shlight switch. A beam of light instantly burst forth, and in less than a second, a bloodied, blurred figure hurtled towards her.

    Facing such a fast monster head-on was truly terrifying.

    In that moment, her heartbeat thundered while her breathing halted. One had to suppress not just the mind''s terror, but the body''s instincts as well.

    Jian Jing didn''t use the aim buff, only theposure buff, sinking her mind and keeping her physiology normal.

    Then, she pulled the trigger.

    Bang, bang, bang, three shots.

    By the time the third shot rang out, the monster had already reached her.

    Jiang Baiyan swiftly shut the door.

    --

    After airing:

    The studio guests were unable to discern any bullet marks given the weak lighting and brief glimpse. But the audience had a god''s eye view.

    As soon as Jian Jing fired, the screen split to show the simtion NPC''s sensory interface.

    On the green monster outline appeared three red dots, two on the torso, one grazing past its head. Nothing could be clearer.

    Comment 1: Badass! What tech is this??

    Comment 2: Wow, this is real, not an AR game??

    Comment 3: So extravagant!

    Comment 4: All three shots hit??

    Comment 5: Too bad she didn''t headshot.

    Comment 6: Those saying headshot definitely haven''t done this for real. Hitting the head isn''t that easy.

    Comment 7: Right, three shots with two hits is already amazing since the target''s alive and moving!

    Comment 8: Stationary targets are hard enough, let alone moving ones, with that monster''s speed...

    Comment 9: And weak lighting makes it even harder.

    Comment 10: ...Uh, the professional analyses are kinda freaking me out, is this the variety show I know?

    Comment 11: Shivering in fear, totally lost.

    Comment 12: So the sister''s just awesome huh?

    ...

    --

    "Seems like I hit it," Jian Jing mused. She couldn''t tell as clearly as the audience. Her practice at the shooting club was decent, but this sort of "livebat" was a first. She wasn''t confident.

    Jiang Baiyan hesitated, then cracked the door open a sliver to peek inside.

    Just a step away, something let out an eerie wail.

    Only then did he open the door fully.

    Jian Jing clicked on the shlight, illuminating a lump of writhing flesh on the ground. She crouched down after a moment to poke at it - the texture was rough, very realistic. She rummaged around in the gore and pulled out an iron tag.

    Number: 011

    On the back was a strange emblem.

    She removed the tag and tossed it in her backpack.

    Zheng Keyan opened up a cab and found a new backpack with a shlight inside.

    Han Bo and Coco searched the doctor''s corpse, finding arge key in theb coat pocket, presumably for the padlocked door.

    They excitedly ran out to try it, and indeed got the door open, unlocking ess to the other side of this floor''s hallway.

    With things going so smoothly, everyone''s mood naturally improved. Despite messing up earlier, Han Bo didn''t resent Jian Jing, and instead asked, "Professor Jian, your aim is very urate, have you specially trained for it?"

    Cao Yu jovially added, "Yes, we couldn''t tell at all beforehand."

    Jian Jing seemed oblivious, answering, "I researched it a bit for writing, but I''m no expert. The gun I practice with is different too, this one''s too big and heavy for me... I just got lucky this time."

    While she demurred, the others certainly wouldn''t let it go at just her words.

    Going on variety shows was of course for money, but not only money - more so for poprity.

    And different shows had different highlight reels - cooking shows demonstrated interpersonal skills and culinary arts, travel showspanionship and talents, dating shows eloquence and values.

    Horror-themed shows like this had two main draws: wisdom and courage.

    Cao Yu''s specialty was wisdom, Zheng Keyan beauty and perseverance - aka despite my fear, I''m willing to sacrifice for the team - Han Bo brave initiative, Coco looking to leverage boldness and beauty.

    But Jian Jing?

    Smart, capable, and pretty - wasn''t that going overboard?

    Hard to shine beside someone like her. What was even the point?

    The guests were all aware of the problem, hence splitting off in unspoken agreement.

    "This ce is too big, let''s split up."

    "Yeah, no need to waste time."

    "We have three shlights, so three groups works."

    Team selection went far quicker than imagined.

    Cao Yu and Coco were already familiar, with a sizable age gap, naturally forming a wisdom + boldness uncle-nephew duo.

    Han Bo actively paired up with Zheng Keyan - one, he couldn''tpare to Jian Jing and didn''t want to be foiled, two, Zheng Keyan had ample potential for gossip as a big star, with only a five to six year age difference between them, easy to stir up sibling romance rumors.

    As for Jiang Baiyan, no choice nor need for one, just sticking with Jian Jing.

    There were several rows of rooms lining both sides of the hallway, all operation rooms, examination rooms, observation rooms and such. The other two groups, whether intentionally or not, headed into the first rooms on each side.

    Leaving Jian Jing''s group with the rest.

    "Let''s check the bathroom," she casually suggested, turning back towards the one beside the office.

    --

    After airing:

    Comment 1: What''s going on, they split into three groups??? Not scared of dying?

    Comment 2: Hmm, three male-female pairings? Kinda weird.

    Comment 3: Professor Jian is too outstanding, detrimental to team harmony.

    Comment 4: Right, teamwork requires division ofbor and cooperation, prima donnas cause trouble.

    Comment 5: How are you guys sensing disharmony? Splitting up in a big area is perfectly normal right?

    ...

    --

    The bathroom smelled awful.

    As Jian Jing swept her shlight around, she leaned towards the mic and softly asked, "You already realized early on right?"

    Jiang Baiyan whispered back, "Slow and steady wins the race."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help turning to nce at him.

    Jiang Baiyan curved his eyes into an innocent, harmless smile.

    She shook her head, inwardly quite impressed.

    Just minutes ago, she''d finally understood Jiang Baiyan''s cunning - were wisdom and courage the only highlights of horror variety shows? No, no, there was also cowardice.

    If some wanted the spotlight, others had to be foils. During the first recording, Jiang Baiyan was just a fairly popr actor, unable to contend with the other guests.

    But rather than settling for mediocrity and being outshone - see Han Bo in the first episode - why not leave asting impression as a scaredy cat?

    He could highlight others'' strengths while avoiding their ire. And best of all, no matter the caliber of future guests - even if as outstanding as Jian Jing - he could still y the CP role, especially now with everyone unwilling to partner with Jian Jing, his willing "sacrifice" earned major goodwill points.

    I''m timid. I''m afraid of anyone. Who else would be as timid as him?

    If there really is someone, then he must be a fool, only highlighting his courage - the courage of a coward, far more valuable than the courage of a hero.

    This is called adversity.

    What a sly little fox.

    Jiang BaiYan seemed to understand her bellyint, his smile grew sweeter and more obedient, but his tone was very serious: "There seems to be nothing here."

    Under the pir of light, the condition of the bathroom was in full view.

    On one side were three urinals, on the other were four squat toilets. The white tiles had turned yellow, the mirrors were covered with ayer of dark gray dirt that made reflections impossible to discern.

    There were remnants of minced meat and blood on the floor, extremely disgusting.

    Jian Jing said, "Do you remember the notebook we got?"

    "Little Helen''s?" Jiang BaiYan had a good memory.

    She said, "Yes, that was a very obvious clue. He had already realized something was wrong with this hospital and would definitely try to investigate."

    Jiang BaiYan asked, "Why not just record it casually?"

    "Thest page wasn''t finished writing," Jian Jing hinted. "Think about what was under the bed again."

    Jiang BaiYan sucked in a breath of cold air.

    Jian Jing pushed open the stall and lifted the toilet lid one by one.

    Nothing, nothing, nothing.

    But Jiang BaiYan was very supportive: "The ward can be ransacked by nurses, the office is generally inessible, the hallway is locked with an iron door, if you want to hide something, only the toilet will do."

    Jian Jing said, "Maybe I guessed wrong."

    "We''ll see after we look," Jiang BaiYan tapped on the walls and finally aimed at the ceiling, "There''s a cavity up here."

    Jian Jing tried stepping on the toilet and reaching up with her arms straight.

    Ten centimeters short.

    Jiang BaiYan quickly said, "Let me, let me."

    "Be careful, the toilet is a little broken," Jian Jing didn''t pretend to be strong, and cautioned, "Don''t step in the middle, it''s empty."

    "I''ve lost seven, eight kilos recently, not even a hundred anymore, no problem," Jiang BaiYan was very confident and nimbly climbed up, bracing his fingers against the ceiling and gently pushing up.

    Jian Jing adjusted the light source: "Left side."

    Jiang BaiYan groped with his fingers and grabbed something, quickly taking it down.

    It was a package wrapped in newspaper and stic wrap. Unwrapping it, there were several photos and a handgun.

    "Great," Jian Jing''s spirits were lifted and she praised him, "Good boy."

    Jiang BaiYan was stunned for a moment, nced at her, and slowly said, "Teacher Jian Jing, I''m not a little kid."

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127

    The six were divided into three groups, and the program team was very happy regardless of whether the audience agreed or not. These casual cuts were all attention grabbers, so what was there to worry about for ratings?

    But even they didn''t expect Jiang BaiYan''s performance to be so "special" this time.

    The kid looked obedient and sensible, never offending anyone, but he wasn''t that easy to manipte either. They had hinted earlier that he and Coco were close in age and could interact more, which they did interact more, bickering and arguing, and it was all quite entertaining and topical.

    However, those perfunctory quarrels were eclipsed by the simple line "I''m not a child anymore."

    The director backstage desperately wanted to prompt him: Say more, speak as much as you can.

    But Jian Jing came to her senses and apologetically said, "Oh, I''ve had this cat for a long time and I''m used to her. Sorry about that."

    Director team: "..." Teacher Jian, you didn''t have to say that, really.

    Jiang BaiYan, on the other hand, showed no anomaly. He smiled and squatted down beside her to look at the photos together.

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Danmu 1: What''s the situation??

    Danmu 2: I''ve seen so many variety shows and this one has me confused.

    Danmu 3: You saying you''re confused has me confused.

    Danmu 4: Those who know, know. Don''t ask if you don''t.

    Danmu 5: High level y. Such crucial clues are hard to find before the final boss fight.

    Danmu 6: I hate people who make everything about shipping.

    Danmu 7: Tell me! Does the killer love the female lead!!!

    ...

    --

    The photos developed from the camera could not have been very clear, only vaguely showing a few bizarre humanoid monsters, like piles of rotten meat, like alien invasions, all very horrifying.

    "This looks like an operating room." Jiang BaiYan said.

    Jian Jing said, "Not necessarily here, let''s go take a look."

    "Aren''t we going to check the mirror?" Jiang BaiYan was very concerned about the mirror that took up half the wall, his gaze lingering on it, unable to look away.

    Jian Jing looked at him and said solemnly, "I advise you not to stand so close."

    "But there seem to be words on it." Jiang BaiYan did not back away, but moved even closer, breathing on the mirror''s surface, "Look..."

    Just as he leaned in, the mirror surface suddenly turned transparent, and a baby-sized monster appeared, its bloodied and mangled face stered against the other side of the mirror, its sharp teeth at the edges of its mouth clearly visible as it grinned at him.

    Jiang BaiYan was so frightened he jumped up and scrambled behind Jian Jing, yelling, "Help!"

    "Let''s go." Jian Jing pulled him out the door and shut the men''s restroom door tightly, wedging a mop handle in the handle as a bolt.

    Then they heard the sound of the mirror shattering.

    Something fell to the floor with a "pitter-patter" of footsteps.

    Jiang BaiYan asked, "Did you kill it?"

    "Hard to. It''s too small for me to hit it." Although she had auto-aim cheats, what''s the fun in cheating while gaming anyway? After a moment''s thought, Jian Jing said, "Since there''s a secret passage in the toilet, we still need to find a way to deal with it."

    Just then, the other pair, Zheng Keyan and Han Bo, who had been checking the examination room, came running over when they heard themotion to ask what was going on.

    Jian Jing did not conceal anything and told them the truth, adding, "This monster is only the size of a cat and very fast. It''s not easy to kill, so it''s more suitable to set a trap to lure it in."

    As she spoke, she looked meaningfully at Cao Yu, clearly leaving it to him to arrange.

    Cao Yu nodded, already having a n in mind: "The operating room we just looked at has reinforced steel bars around it that can be used as a cage. Oh right, here is ab report, take a look."

    The rtionship between the two sides eased.

    Jian Jing took theb report to study while Cao Yu directed everyone to work, intending to use light sources to lure the little monster in the toilet into the operating room.

    Coincidentally, the pair Zheng Keyan and Han Bo had discovered a lot of mirrors in the examination room earlier. There were also many white wax candles found in the drawers.

    - Clearly props.

    The n went very smoothly.

    Everyone took separate actions: Han Bo and Zheng Keyan took the mirrors and hid inside the door, using the candlelight to attract the monster. Jiang BaiYan hid behind the toilet door, ready to open the door to release the monster, while the daring Coco chose to stand guard in the operating room to shut the heavy iron doorst.

    Cao Yu held a gun - if anything went wrong, he would immediately open fire to the rescue.

    "Three, two, one," he waved his hand, "Open the door."

    Jiang BaiYan quickly opened the door.

    The reflected light attracted the hidden little monster. It looked different from the monster they had seen before, entirely white and bby, as if wrapped in ayer of wax, with a vague bloody flesh faintly visible under the translucent wax membrane.

    It moved very fast, rushing straight for the light, flipping over three mirrors in quick session, and was eventually drawn into the operating room.

    As soon as its shadow shed in, Coco pounced forward and mmed the heavy iron door shut.

    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief at the same time.

    Although it was fake, it was still tense.

    Cao Yu turned the situation around and was in a good mood. He took the initiative to ask, "Teacher Jian, what do you make of it?"

    "This is a cipher book." Jian Jing''s words were astonishing.

    Others: "???" Isn''t this just ab report?

    "The key lies in the numbers mentioned in each log entry," Jian Jing read aloud, "On day 1 at hour 3, the condition was brought under control, but new problems arose after 7 hours..."

    Zheng Keyan didn''t mind exposing her weak point and asked, "What''s wrong with that?"

    Jian Jing gave a faint smile, "At the end of each log entry, there is a line ''Godblessyou''. Didn''t we find a Bible earlier in the ward?"

    There were six single wards on this floor: the first was their "birthce" as a group, where they got the notebook, the second got the Bible, the third got a gun, the fourth had the corpse in a white coat where they killed the monster and got the iron door key, the remaining two had their doors boarded up and were inessible.

    Coco said, "Grass light is good, tree light will rest, people will be eaten? What does that mean?"

    "Not sure yet." Jian Jing got up calmly, "Alright, let''s go take a look at the secret passage."

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Danmu 1: Thedy is really good at decryption.

    Danmu 2: Such hidden clues! Ordinary people probably wouldn''t notice!

    Danmu 3: Those who design haunted houses, please tell us - we put multiple copies of important clues, whether they can be found depends on skill level.

    Danmu 4: What skill level is this?

    Danmu 5: Pro level y. Such critical clues are hard to find before the final boss fight.

    Danmu 6: Haha Teacher Jian really loves ciphers, rmending her new book Rose Gold, there are Easter eggs in the ciphers.

    Danmu 7: Tell me! Does the killer love the female lead!!!

    ...

    --

    The secret passage was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

    After a quick look, Jian Jing said, "We don''t know anything about the hospital''s secret passages, so best not go in."

    Everyone agreed: "If a sudden monster pops out, there''s nowhere to run."

    So they decided to go downstairs first.

    The first floor was also divided into three areas of left, middle and right, with the stairs as the boundary.

    The middle was arge empty hall. The left had the consultation rooms and intravenous rooms, the right had the cafeteria, activity room and big ward. The area was rtivelyrge, so the guests automatically split into groups again.

    Zheng Keyan said, "Let''s go to the cafeteria, I''m hungry."

    Han Bo said, "Then let''s go find some food. Man''s steel depends on food for fuel, missing one meal leaves you starving."

    The two chatted andughed, unexpectedly hitting it off.

    Cao Yu casually walked towards the consultation room, clearly having spotted clues there. Jian Jing did not forget that although she had shared theb report earlier, Cao Yu''s group had not told them what they found in the office yet.

    Of course, he would surely share duringter interactions, otherwise it wouldn''t look good on screen, but that didn''t stop him from stealing a march.

    "Let''s go to the activity room." She kept her cool and stubbornly did not ask.

    Jiang BaiYan had no objections and chatted with her easily, "Teacher Jingjing, the secret passage must have been built by the hospital, right?"

    Jian Jing smiled, "Of course."

    "So the hospital experimented on patients, created a bunch of monsters, then got eaten by them?" Jiang BaiYan reasonably guessed, "The dead guy earlier was a doctor, right?"

    Jian Jing pushed open the activity room door, shining her shlight around, casually saying, "Not necessarily. Have you seen any mystery movies? Sometimes, the doctor may not really be a doctor, and the patient may not really be a patient either."

    "The secret passage is very strange," Jiang BaiYan muttered, "If you want to hide things from the patients, there''s no need to build something like this. Just make a rule that patients can''t go out at certain times."

    "Too few clues." Jian Jing observed the activity room.

    This patient activity room was nothing out of the ordinary. Along the walls were two rows of bookshelves, crammed full of books. By the window were a few tables, with chess and card gamesid out. On the other side was a pool table, and two dartboards as well.

    She picked up a dart and weighed it in her hand.

    Jiang Baiyan poked his head over: ˇ°WhatˇŻs this, a key? Some kind of mechanism?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...Ahem.ˇ± She casually put it back down, ˇ°Just looking around.ˇ±

    Jiang Baiyan tilted his head.

    She turned around to rummage through other things.

    Suddenly behind her came a soft ˇ°thwapˇ± sound. She looked back to see he had thrown a dart, not only hitting the board butnding very near the center already.

    ˇ°Teacher Jingjing.ˇ± He grabbed her sleeve. ˇ°You try too.ˇ±

    Jian Jing sized him up, then picked up another dart, took aim, and threw.

    She hit the board, but it was mediocre at best.

    ˇ°Looks like IˇŻm the lucky one.ˇ± Jiang Baiyan made a silly face, but didnˇŻt keep ying. Instead he picked up a nearby baseball bat and swung it around a few times, before hugging it against himself.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then offered him the gun. ˇ°Here, letˇŻs trade.ˇ±

    Jiang Baiyan waved his hand. ˇ°You can use it.ˇ±

    ˇ°Give it a try.ˇ± She mimicked his tone from earlier, meaningful. ˇ°YouˇŻre so lucky.ˇ±

    Jiang Baiyan said, ˇ°What if IˇŻm too much of a scaredy cat to fire a gun?ˇ±

    ˇ°Here.ˇ± She held it out insistently. ˇ°Take it.ˇ±

    Jiang Baiyan obedientlyplied at once. ˇ°Oh, ok.ˇ±

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: Now that we''re split into groups, sweet moments everywhere, so satisfying!

    Comment 2: Does anyone else feel like little brother is especially obedient towards Teacher Jian? Or is it just me?

    Comment 3: No it''s not just you! So sweet and tender!

    Comment 4: Top detective novelist X superstar heartthrob, I''m loving this!

    Comment 5: Little brother said he''s focused on his career and not dating, don''t make things up

    Comment 6: Protect little brother, reject shipping; protect little brother, reject shipping

    Comment 7: Protect little brother, reject shipping; protect little brother, reject shipping

    Comment 8: Protect little brother, reject shipping; protect little brother, reject shipping

    Comment 9: Y''all are sick, repeatingments like broken records?

    ...

    --

    There wasn''t much in the activity room, but after searching it thoroughly inside and out, Jian Jing found two clues.

    The first was about George. He seemed to enjoy chess. On a hospital chess tournament chart posted on the wall, his name was near the top of the rankings.

    The second was about little Helen. There was a harmonica, with her name written on it in watercolor - it looked like the little girl had imed it as her own by signing it.

    Jian Jing took the harmonica.

    Faint, appetizing aromas were drifting in from the cafeteria.

    The savory smells attracted everyone else, and they gathered in the cafeteria.

    On the dining table appeared rice, noodles, cake, chicken curry, and braised beef.

    ˇ°Such a feast?ˇ± Cao Yu eximed in surprise.

    Coco nced over the food trays, smiling sweetly. ˇ°I see, these are emergency rations. They say the shelf life is 30-40 years.ˇ±

    ˇ°That''s right, we found them in the pantry.ˇ± Han Bo said. ˇ°Just add hot water, very convenient. Don''t know how they''ll taste though.ˇ±

    ˇ°We can find out after eating. I''m starving.ˇ±

    They had arrived at the haunted hospital at 3pm, and after over 2 hours of rehearsal it was 6pm dinnertime. Having worked up fierce appetites, no one was picky about the food. Or if they were, they didn''t show it outwardly. Everyone chose what they liked best to eat. Jian Jing went with the beef noodles - lots of beef and soft, mushy noodles, on the sour side, not the most delicious.

    ˇ°Let''s go over the clues so far...ˇ± Cao Yu began, but suddenly looked up.

    Lights came on in the dark hospital.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128

    Darkness brings fear to people, but sometimes, light can also be terrifying.

    The lights in the hospital at night are not normal white lights, nor warm yellow lights, but eerie blood-red lights that make one shudder.

    The entire space seems to be covered in ayer of blood, sinister and weird.

    Everyone unconsciously sped up their eating pace.

    Cao Yu''s speaking speed involuntarily quickened: "Just now we went to the consulting room and got some medical records that mentioned some interesting things. For example, all the patients here are rted to the chemical factory."

    This was new information, and even Jian Jing was listening attentively.

    "Some are factory workers, some are their rtives, some live nearby..." He quickly finished exining and analyzed, "There are many rumors about this hospital, we still need to investigate what the truth really is."

    Zheng Keyan shrank her shoulders, not a very nice action, but she did it so cutely, like a young girl, her tonezy andnguid: "It''s sote, should we investigate tomorrow after dawn?"

    Coco blinked, seemingly confused: "But won''t they be more active after dawn?"

    Han Bo immediately chimed in: "With enough light, it will also be easier to deal with them. It''s too scary at night."

    Cao Yu considered for a moment,promising: "Anyway, we have to find a ce to spend the night first. Now there are two options, one is to go back upstairs to the wards, they are all empty; the other is to go to the next ward to see, there seem to be more beds there."

    Coco actively voiced her opinion: "A single ward is definitely no good, it''s full of bugs, gross."

    "I just took a look at the ward next door." Jiang Baiyan interrupted, "There are many beds, rtively clean, and it has a bathroom."

    Everyone couldn''t help but show hesitation.

    The upstairs had three rooms left, men and women could be separated for more privacy and quietness, but the rooms were smaller and would require moving some beds. The big ward downstairs allowed everyone to stay together, but would definitely be less convenient for thedies, but people would feel less scared in a group.

    The program team really knew how to make things difficult, huh.

    Zheng Keyan immediately moved closer to Jian Jing: "Teacher Jian, where will you be staying? I''ll stay with you."

    Jian Jing bit her fork: "Ah?"

    "I''ll stay with you too." Coco didn''t want to be left out, "I''m scared alone."

    For this problem, thedies had the same worries. Jian Jing wanted privacy too, she just wasn''t that scared: "Why don''t you two stay in a room? I can be by myself."

    "That''s too dangerous." Zheng Keyan hugged her arm, "Let''s stay together."

    Coco hugged her other arm, nodding quickly, and taking advantage of her young age, acted coquettishly: "Just leave the big downstairs ward for us guys. You boys can take the upstairs?"

    Jiang Baiyan said dryly: "It''s too far, we won''t be able to rush down in time if something happens."

    "You rushing down won''t help anyway." Coco argued with him to the end, "We have Teacher Jian."

    Jiang Baiyan simply ignored her and pleaded: "Teacher Jian, pleasee upstairs with us."

    Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing, waving her hand: "Let''s just take the room next door, we probably won''t get a good sleep tonight anyway - not with these creepy red lights."

    Cao Yu was a married man and it would be inappropriate for him to agree, so he uncharacteristically hesitated.

    Han Bo also kept quiet, elbowing Jiang Baiyan and exchanging looks with him.

    Jiang Baiyan had no choice but to act very awkward: "That''s not okay either, you''re alldies."

    Jian Jing smiled: "But your expression is as if we''re not the opposite sex, but a different species."

    "Hahaha, right, little Bai you look like a little daughter-inw." Zheng Keyan was a divorced woman, with fewer restrictions, teasing a little, "What are you being shy for?"

    Jiang Baiyan quickly said: "I''m telling you I snore in my sleep, how embarrassing."

    "Now we all know." Cocoughed loudly, making a face, "So it turns out you snore in your sleep."

    Jiang Baiyan mumbled: "You will too when you''re tired."

    "Who says? Do you have evidence?"

    The two bickered noisily, and the matter was dropped.

    And mixed-gender lodging was not as awkward as imagined. Like all wards, each hospital bed in this big ward had an isting curtain that blocked the view when drawn.

    Although not convenient for changing clothes, no one would really be changing and washing up tonight anyway.

    One would have to be an idiot not to guess that they would likely be filming a lot more content at night.

    Everyone just briefly freshened up, removed their makeup, did some skincare, then applied their night cream, pretending to be going bare-faced on camera... Anyway, all very deliberate.

    Jian Jing took her hair down and was toozy to go throughyers of skincare, opting to just p on a sheet mask, reading the medical records under the eerie red lights.

    Cao Yu''s discoveries were quite astonishing.

    Not every person in the medical records mentioned the factory. Some required cross-referencing names with newspaper reports, some needed the office''s town map to deduce based on addresses, some needed to bepared with the previous iron ques and experiment logs beforeparing with the medical records.

    "Teacher Jian, anything to add?" Cao Yu asked kindly with a cup in hand.

    Jian Jing responded impassively: "Of course there can be no issues with what Teacher Cao has done."

    Cao Yu asked: "Do you have any thoughts now?"

    "My mind''s a bit chaotic." Jian Jing apologized, "Too little clues, can''t make sense of them."

    Cao Yu nodded, not questioning further.

    Everyone quickly washed their faces, didn''t change their clothes, andid down on the beds to rest.

    Notably, after searching the room, no light switches were found that could turn off the lights. Everyone could only lie in bed like that.

    No one could fall asleep.

    Coco: "This is my first time spending the night in a haunted house."

    Zheng Keyan: "Ours too, usually we finish in a day."

    Han Bo: "These immersive storylines are popr nowadays."

    Jiang Baiyan: "Too scary."

    Coco: "You can snuggle in Han Bo''s arms."

    Zheng Keyan: "Hahaha, right, fire and water intimacy."

    Han Bo: "Isn''t it milk and water intimacy?"

    Jiang Baiyan: "......Stop it! I''m still a child!"

    --

    After broadcast.

    Danmu 1: Sister Keyan is just like me, shipping couples hardcore.

    Danmu 2: Coco is really open, happy nut.

    Danmu 3: Did Han Bo do that on purpose?

    Danmu 4: This isn''t a bus to kindergarten, let me off!

    ......

    --

    The yful teasing put everyone in high spirits, a rare chance to rx. Even Cao Yu couldn''t help but join in: "You''re all bullying little Bai."

    "Yeah, why only bully me?" Jiang Baiyan grumbled aggrievedly, curling up in his nket, "I won''t be nice to you guys anymore."

    Coco retorted: "You''ve always only been nice to Teacher Jian, when have you been nice to us?"

    "You''re just jealous." Jiang Baiyan mumbled, then suddenly felt it wasn''t right, "Why is Teacher Jian not saying anything?"

    Zheng Keyan leaned over, pulled aside the curtain and peeked to the side, her face full of surprise: "She''s fallen asleep!"

    Others: "???"

    And indeed, Jian Jing was sleeping in the bed by the door, a thin nket draped over her, head resting on a pillow, long hair scattered, breathing steady and deep, clearly already in dreand.

    Zheng Keyan: "She can actually fall asleep..."

    "Quite impressive." Han Bo quicklyy down, "Let''s sleep early too."

    Coco flipped over, asking Cao Yu for materials: "Can''t fall asleep, I''ll go over the clues again."

    Rustling sounds as everyone settled into their own activities, quieting down.

    At midnight, everyone was fully asleep, and the lights silently dimmed.

    --

    After broadcast.

    The darkness was captured in infrared mode, so the view became clearer for the audience. At the same time, strange sounds came through their earphones.

    "Hiss ha." A hoarse, weird howl emitted from somewhere, very low and hoarse, barely audible in the absolute stillness.

    Danmu 1: Protect yourselves with danmu!!!

    Danmu 2: F*ck so scary, I''m so nervous

    Danmu 3: The most terrifying time is when something is about to happen but hasn''t yet

    Danmu 4: This episode is really freaky, worthy of thend of the free

    ......

    Just as the barrage buzzed with discussion, Jian Jing''s monitoring footage showed her slowly stirring and slowly sitting up hugging her nket, spacing out.

    Danmu 1: What''s Teacher Jian doing? Scaring us?

    Danmu 2: Don''t tell me she got possessed??

    Danmu 3: It''s not the first time supernatural things happened in a haunted house

    She sat like that for about two minutes before silently grabbing her sses by the pillow and putting them on, then soundlessly sliding off the bed.

    Danmu 1: Scared me to death, turns out she just needed the bathroom

    Comment 2: Haha I''m the same, it takes me five minutes to fully wake up

    At this moment the audience was still very cheerful, but in the next second, just as Jian Jingnded, something abnormal happened.

    The extinguished lights lit up the room again just like when they were first turned on.

    But unlike the previous red light from top to bottom, this time, it was a green light from bottom to top, about ten centimeters off the ground, giving off an eerie glow.

    Comment 1: Freaking scared me to death

    Comment 2: So green, ready for the green light forest

    Comment 3: Stop joking around! Look at the wall!!

    Words suddenly appeared on the previously empty wall.

    GoToHell

    Jian Jing stopped in her tracks, stared at the wall closely, then without saying anything, continued to the bathroom.

    Secondster, the lights went out again.

    Comment 1: Motion sensor lights, creepy enough

    Comment 2: Anyone else would have jumped, and not sleep anymore

    Comment 3: Such vicious thoughts [doge]

    ...

    Jian Jing came out of the bathroom, saw the dark room again, and seemed a bit surprised. She stood still for a moment, carefully walked around a few hospital beds, and went to the door to peek out.

    The camera panned to the hallway outside.

    The audience also saw the scene outside.

    In the hazy green light, a "person" wearing a white coat stood at the door, seeming to be observing something through the ss window.

    Everyone was startled, and very curious, wondering who this doctor who suddenly appeared was.

    As if expecting the audience''s reaction, the camera slowly turned its head to face the camera directly.

    That was not a head, it was arge octopus.

    Comment 1: WTF WTF WTF!

    Comment 2: Damn, I thought it was Resident Evil, turns out it''s Alien invasion?

    Comment 3: It''s the call of Cthulhu! Cthulhu giving out candy!!

    Comment 4: I just want to know what Jian Jing is doing?

    ...

    The octopus man walked away.

    The camera switched to the indoor scene. Jian Jing crawled onto the bed in a very strange posture, but did not sleep again. Instead, she seemed to be thinking about something.

    Timepse at N times speed.

    At half past twelve, the low hoarse roar sounded again from somewhere in the room.

    But this time, it was very close.

    "What sound?" Zheng Keyan asked groggily.

    Jian Jing replied: "Monster."

    "What?!" The others were awake now, and reflexively wanted to get out of bed to check it out.

    But Jian Jing immediately said, "Don''t move, don''t get out of bed."

    Toote, a faint green light lit up next to the bed.

    She immediately flipped off the covers and used a thin nket to block the light: "Block the light, it will attract the monster over."

    Although unclear about what''s going on, through Jian Jing''s performance so far, she had gained everyone''s trust. No one would be stupid enough to question her at this time. Everyone quickly did as told.

    At almost the same time, the monster''s face appeared at the door again.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129

    Seconds felt like years.

    Her heart pounded chaotically, her breath stopped.

    She didn''t know how much time had passed before the octopus-faced creature lumbered away without noticing anything unusual.

    An extremely obvious sigh of relief sounded in the room.

    Jian Jing lowered her voice and said, "The light for nts should be green, and the light for trees is red ¨C the most famous tree in the Bible is the tree of good and evil, which is the apple tree. Now the colors have changed. If they see the light, they maye over at any time."

    "Are these sensor lights?" Coco asked.

    Jian Jing said, "Yes, there are light strips next to the beds. If we get out of bed because of strange noises, we may end up attracting the monsters patrolling outside because of the green light."

    Han Bo asked, "But the sound is very close. Won''t theye over?"

    "There should be a secret passage," Jian Jing said slowly. "Also, the door seems to be locked."

    Everyone was shocked.

    Coco was agile. Taking advantage of the bedsheet blocking the light source, she swung her leg over and jumped down, scurrying to the door. She reached out and pushed, and as expected, it didn''t open.

    "Huh, how did this get locked? I remember this door didn''t have a lock!" She said in surprise.

    Jian Jing reminded her, "There''s a metal statue across from the door. Check to see if there''s a lock."

    Coco squinted for a moment, and admitted, "It looks like there is. Someone locked the door from the outside."

    "So we can only leave here through the secret passage?" Cao Yu also got out of bed and listened carefully. "The sound seems to being from underground."

    "Let''s look for it."

    The guests busied themselves, first using bedsheets to block the door cracks and ss windows, then pushing the beds aside and kneeling carefully on the floor to listen.

    The sound meandered between Jiang BaiYan and Han Bo''s beds.

    Pushing the beds aside, they could see in the dim green light that one of the floor tiles looked slightly different in color, with faint slime seeping out of the seams.

    "We should be able to open this," Cao Yu directed. "First we need to set a trap, put a sheet over it to catch it."

    Jiang BaiYan handed the gun to Jian Jing, "I''ll help catch it."

    "You and Han Bo can use it," Jian Jing declined the real one and was indifferent to the fake. "Remember what the coach said, keep your hands steady, don''t point the barrel down, and pull the trigger between your fingers, holding it with both hands."

    Boys never dislike ying with guns. Han Bo hesitated for a moment, but didn''t decline.

    Jiang BaiYan was even less likely to disagree with her. He obediently nodded, "Oh."

    Coco then said, "Then I''ll open the mechanism. How do I open it?"

    "The creature is very strong, but it hasn''t been able to get in. It should be a reverse action door," Jian Jing said. "Just press it once and try."

    Coco reached out and pressed down firmly.

    The secret door immediately sprang open.

    In the next moment, a foul stench assaulted them as a huge creature burst out of the passage and crashed into theyers of sheets.

    Jian Jing, Zheng Keyan, and Cao Yu each grabbed a corner and bundled it up tightly. They quickly swapped ces, interweaving and locking the corners of the sheets.

    Jiang BaiYan and Han Bo fired at the creature under the bed, shooting rapidly.

    At such a close range and with such arge target, their aim could hardly be that bad.

    Bullets shot out with a "biubiu", sttering everywhere.

    The creature thrashed under the sheets for a few moments theny still.

    Untying the sheets revealed the lifeless creature as it tumbled out. Jian Jing swung her shlight, illuminating the passageway below. This secret passage was a little wider than the previous one, barely allowing an adult to crouch and enter.

    "I''ll go down and take a look," she jumped down first.

    "Wait for me," Jiang BaiYan followed right after.

    The next was Coco.

    Han Bo looked at Zheng Keyan and Cao Yu, smiling, "I''ll bring up the rear."

    "Ladies first," Cao Yu was quite the gentleman.

    Zheng Keyan did not stand on ceremony with them either, going down fourth. Cao Yu went next, and Han Bo wasst. He carefully barricaded the big door with beds and wedged the passage with chairs before following them down.

    The passage was narrow and dark, and forked every which way. It also had a peculiar smell that was not exactly pleasant.

    "So scary," Zheng Keyan said softly, but echoes reverberated around them ¨C "Scary," "Scary," making it even more frightening.

    Coco also said, "If a monster rushed over in this situation, we wouldn''t even be able to run away."

    Cao Yuughed bitterly, "We were too hasty. We should have found a map of the secret passages first."

    Speak of the devil.

    In the midst of their chatter, familiar roars sounded from the forked passage.

    "The monster ising!"

    "Turn off the shlights, quick!"

    "ShhˇŞ"

    --

    After broadcasting.

    In infrared vision, the guests plunged into darkness appeared like headless flies. They only remembered to turn off the light sources and reflexively dodged into the side passages they saw.

    By coincidence, there were many forks here. Some people went left, some didn''t notice the person in front was gone, vaguely saw someone further ahead turning right, and hurriedly followed, thinking they had fallen behind.

    The program team superimposed a simple map in the lower right corner, marking each guest''s path.

    Jian Jing and Jiang BaiYan were right next to the original passage.

    Coco, Zheng Keyan and Han Bo hid in the right fork.

    Cao Yu was alone in the left fork.

    The monster gradually approached, crawling and writhing.

    Then it chose the right side.

    In night vision, the audience could clearly see the monster was only ten centimeters away from the three. Zheng Keyan hidpletely behind Han Bo, eyes closed. Coco carefully hugged her legs to minimize her presence.

    Han Bo bravely shielded the two girls in front of him, although his expression was also quite twisted.

    Bullet screen 1: Han Bo''s likeability up

    Bullet screen 2: After three seasons, I like Little Han Bo more and more

    Bullet screen 3: So brave and righteous, great

    ...

    The monster lingered for a while, then went straight to attack Cao Yu.

    Cao Yu was very calm. As the monster slowly approached, he slowly retreated. The two were engaged in guerri warfare.

    Bullet screen 1: Haha, it''s like doing the Cha Cha dance

    Bullet screen 2: Shoulder to shoulder, advance and retreat, going to disturb my sleep tonight

    Bullet screen 3: Lol, singing it out

    ...

    The monster was busy for half a day but couldn''t find anyone, so it slowly exited again, looped back to the straight line, and targeted Jian Jing and Jiang BaiYan''s group.

    Bullet screen 1: Is the NPC doing this on purpose?

    Bullet screen 2: Too hrious

    Bullet screen 3: Little brother, show some guts, look at Han Bo!

    Bullet screen 4: Little White: Trembling.JPG

    ...

    Indeed,pared to Han Bo''s valor in protecting the two girls, and Cao Yu''sposure in skirmishing with the monster, Jiang BaiYan''s performance could only be described as utterly dismal.

    He was crammed behind Jian Jing, as if wanting to hide himself, with his facepletely buried in her shoulder and head lowered, not daring to look up at all.

    The fans were either resentful of his uselessness or overflowing with maternal love. The bullet screens were full of cheerful vibes. No one had given deeper thought that if he had been as brave as Han Bo, would they still remain indifferent to his intimate actions?

    --

    Jian Jing''s shoulders shook as she struggled to bite her lips to avoidughing out loud.

    The monster drew near.

    This time it approached extremely close, nearly touching Jian Jing''s face.

    Her heartbeat raced out of control.

    How strange. Her rational mind clearly knew this was fake, just a simtion robot, yet logic waspletely useless in such pitch darkness.

    Fear, incredibly real fear.

    So real it made one feel unsettled - were these so-called simted NPCs really necessarily fake?

    Maybe everything was real, and the haunted house had lied that it was fake.

    Such thoughts were extremely terrifying.

    Yet amidst the boundless fear, another strand of excitement was born. The two simultaneously stimted the cerebral cortex, like the sweet and sour tingling of popping candy on the tongue, bringing peculiar pleasure.

    In the silent confrontation, the monster finally retreated, slowly crawling away in another direction.

    Jian Jing covered the shlight, using only the seeping weak light to illuminate.

    Seeing the team scattered, she was toozy to reassemble them. She patted Jiang BaiYanˇŻs arm, pointed at the monster, then directly followed it.

    The monster was very familiar with the terrain, turning left and right, and crawled out of the passage through a venttion opening into the basement below.

    Jian Jingy at the edge, poking her head out to look.

    This seemed to be an experimentalb in the basement, with manyrge mysterious looking machines. One of them was a huge cage ofb mice, litters constantly squeaking and breeding.

    The monster lingered around the cage for a while, as if patrolling something.

    "What is it doing?" Jiang BaiYan whispered to her.

    Jian Jing whispered back, "I suspect it is following ingrained living habits from when it was alive."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Ah?"

    But Jian Jing didn''t borate further.

    After a while, the space in front suddenly lit up brightly.

    The room was illuminated with red light, and the monster seemed to have been injected with some tranquilizer as it fell asleep on the spot.

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows and sat up, ready to jump down.

    "Wait," Jiang BaiYan grabbed her sleeve, "It''s too high, let me go first."

    The passage entrance looked like the original air vent and was located at the top of the room. The ceiling was about 2.7 meters high, and the exit was at least two meters away from the ground.

    "It''s okay," Jian Jing said and jumped down. When one takes off, they should immediately change postures and roll whennding to dispel the force, without any harm.

    Jiang BaiYan peeked out pitifully, "What about me?"

    "Wait a minute."

    She moved a chair over and stacked them together, "Come down and try, with your back facing me."

    Jiang BaiYan did as told. He knelt halfway and put his legs down. This showed the advantage of having long legs. As he groped lower and lower, he finally stepped on the chair andnded safely.

    "Being tall is great." Jian Jing said with some envy.

    "Hehe," Jiang BaiYan touched the back of his head shyly, "That''s my only merit."

    She casually said, "That''s not the case. You''re also good-looking."

    Jiang BaiYan: "How good-looking? The best-looking or second best-looking?"

    Jian Jing: "This is not a beauty pageant. Why make rankings?"

    "Just curious," his tone was casual, without any hint of ulterior motive. "Among all the people Teacher knows, who''s the best-looking?"

    Jian Jing: "Many people are good-looking."

    He looked disappointed, "You''re so perfunctory."

    "No, it''s the truth." She smiled.

    -- After the broadcast --

    Comment 1: The little white face has "It''s me, it''s me" written all over him, so cute!

    Comment 2: What''s with this random sense ofpetitiveness?

    Comment 3: These two are kinda weird.

    Comment 4: Doesn''t matter! Little brother is the most good-looking!!!

    ...

    --

    Jiang BaiYan''s question came abruptly, but after asking, he naturally switched back to the main topic, "Here''s an observation report."

    Jian Jing leaned over to take a look.

    Parts of the report were burnt, but the remaining pages could be read:

    "After observation, the infected like green light environments and easily fall asleep under red light. The doctor spectes this is rted to... Discussed with the hospital and decided to change the lighting settings. Red light will be used from 9 pm curfew to 12 pm, researchers mustplete their work quickly.

    "24:00 is observation time, full green light... The attackers...new infections appeared...

    "The experimental results are not optimistic. They are especially active under green light to ensure researchers'' safety. We must change the lighting, alternating red and green lights every hour from 0:00-6:00... Use the secret passage to escape in case of sudden attacks...

    "Almost got caught, but the risk was worth it. I found they still retain some pre-infection states... Could what they said be true?

    "Oh no, this is big trouble!"

    Jiang BaiYan scratched his face, "It mentions ''infected'' here, and the hospital is studying them? This ispletely different from the previous clues!"

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130

    Before arriving, the guests had received information that: This hospital ostensibly treats patients, but in fact sells organs. After a high incidence of patient deaths overnight, the doctors and nurses all disappeared without a trace.

    After arriving, through the diaries in the wards, everyone understood that the hospital imed some patients had been discharged, but in fact they had not. They likely became monsters.

    Therefore, it''s not hard to guess that the hospital may have been doing secret experiments, using patients as experimental subjects. As a result, it created a bunch of strange things, leading to some dying, some mutating.

    But Cao Yupared the medical records and found all the patients were rted to an exploded chemical factory.

    The plot suddenly became convoluted.

    "Was the hospital good or bad?" Jiang Baiyan mumbled, "Very strange."

    Jian Jing picked up other materials on the table and flipped through them, saying: "It looks like the hospital was researching and observing those infected patients. Look, there are a lot of medical reports here."

    Compared to the medical records Cao Yu obtained earlier, these reports were moreplete, with blood tests, X-rays, and medication records. If the hospital had created monsters, there should be experimental records.

    "Let''s go check other rooms." Jian Jing didn''t want to stay with the rats and was eager to leave.

    The door to the undergroundb was unlocked. They quickly entered the corridor.

    A new map was unlocked.

    The long, creepy corridor had many locked iron doors on both sides. Each door had a different lock, one was like a safe dial, one was a long horizontal bar, and another was a square grid.

    "Passwords, equations, sudoku..." Jian Jing was puzzled, "More math problems."

    She thought for a moment and chose the safe dial first.

    Like an old safe, the dial had 10 digits from 0-9. The password was entered by turning the dial.

    2-3-18-1.

    It opened.

    Jiang Baiyan: "???"

    He was very confused: "Did I time travel an hour into the future?"

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: The brother''s confusion is my confusion.

    Comment 2: Did Teacher Jian get the script?

    Comment 3: The script is confirmed.

    Comment 4: Did I fast forward??

    Comment 5: Where did this passworde from??

    ...

    --

    "It''s the letter order of bcra," Jian Jing exined.

    Jiang Baiyan was still confused: "Is there such a word?"

    She said, "Recall the only password we''ve had today."

    Jiang Baiyan tilted his head to think, then realized: "The blood words in the ward?"

    When their group started the game, the first ward they were in had the blood words "Qrivy" on the wall. Jian Jing said it was a Caesar cipher, shifted by 13 ces, decoded as "Devil."

    Following this rule, decoding bcra would be...

    "Oh, open," he got it, "How did you guess?"

    "Since the police took photos, it means he must have been to the undergroundb," Jian Jing exined. "If he had already gone mad, how could he write the encoded word? This is more like a hint, in case someone found it. I felt it was very likely a password hint, so I tried it."

    As she spoke, she shrugged: "Actually I thought of Noah''s Ark first, but I''m not good at spelling it, so I just tried something simple."

    --

    After the broadcast.

    Comment 1: Not good at spelling...So real!

    Comment 2: First time feeling Teacher Jian isn''t that amazing.

    Comment 3: Actually Noah''s Ark fits the theme better, since it was Bible stuff earlier.

    Comment 4: The settings were probably adjusted for filming, didn''t you notice the documents are all in Chinese?

    Comment 5: That''s a Grade 4 level word right?

    ...

    --

    "Bang bang bang," gunshots sounded from the other end of the corridor.

    Hurried footsteps approached, it was Han Bo, Zheng Keyan, and Coco. Seeing each other, they were clearly relieved: "Are you guys okay?"

    "We''re fine." Jiang Baiyan was curious, "Did you run into monsters? Weren''t they asleep?"

    Coco said: "They were asleep! But it was a good opportunity, better to kill them now than let them wake upter and cause trouble."

    Jian Jing smiled: "You arrived just in time, let''s go in together."

    This password locked room was a special ward.

    A monster sat on the bed, hugging a doll, its tentacle arms stroking the doll''s head gently and carefully. Faint warm light flickered on its neck.

    On the floor was a rotten, messy whiteb coat.

    In theb coat''s pocket was a square with an equals sign, the key for the next door.

    "That should be the key to the next door," Jian Jing said decisively.

    Han Bo was sweating: "Teacher Jian, shouldn''t we focus on why it isn''t asleep?"

    Yes, under the enchanting red light, the monster in a dress hugging a doll had not fallen asleep. Although it sat quietly without moving, it was clearly awake.

    "It says here, special infected subject. Unaffected by red and green lights, retains pre-infection traits, object of close observation," Jian Jing read the medical record by the wall and casually flipped through it.

    "Is it Helen?" Jiang Baiyan lowered his voice.

    "Should be her." Jian Jing said. "We have a harmonica right? Let''s try that."

    Jiang Baiyan nudged Han Bo''s chest with his elbow: "Can you y it?"

    Han Bo said: "For harmonica, I can try."

    Jian Jing handed over the harmonica they had taken earlier, and added: "The sheet music that was with this harmonica was for a Christmas song."

    "Oh right, Jingle Bells, that sheet music?" Han Bo frowned trying to recall the music. Looking serious, he was a bit handsome. "Let me try."

    He focused to remember the song, then blew the harmonica.

    Pleasant music floated out.

    The monster hugging the doll immediately reacted, jumping off the bed and slowly walking towards them.

    Jian Jing signaled to Han Bo.

    Understanding, he backed away, leading the little girl away from her original spot.

    The two slowly left the ward.

    Jian Jing deftly reached out and slipped back in, swiftly grabbing the square with the equals sign from theb coat pocket and passing it to Coco: "You guys go open the door, I''ll help Han Bo."

    Coco''s eyes shed slightly and she smiled sweetly: "Okay."

    She pulled Zheng Keyan along to start deciphering the equation.

    This password wasn''t difficult. The grid already had numbers ced inside, just rearrange the order and symbols to get a valid equation, then put the key with the equals sign in to unlock.

    The problem wasn''t hard, even Zheng Keyan who wasn''t great at math could help.

    The two girls discussed for a few minutes, then high-fived in excitement: "Done!"

    The door opened.

    Jian Jing and Han Bo came rushing back, bringing the missing Cao Yu with them.

    "Where did you go, Teacher Cao?"

    Cao Yu smiled bitterly: "Went the wrong way, ended up upstairs. Didn''t see you guys so came back." As he spoke, he peered inside.

    This was an office. There was a safe on the desk, clearly containing important clues. But between the office desk and door was a reception area.

    Two sofas were ced opposite each other, with a coffee table in between.

    On the coffee table was an international chess set.

    The sofa against the wall was empty, a damaged bloodstained whiteb coaty there. On the opposite sofa sat a hulking monster, with shredded meat and bone fragments scattered around its feet.

    Ugh, all signs indicated this monster had eaten the owner of theb coat.

    "This is also a special patient," Jian Jing thought for a moment and determined. "Regr monsters have iron tes, Helen''s was copper, and numbered 002. He''s 001."

    Han Bo''s scalp exploded: "So we have to y chess?"

    "Yes," she nodded. "This should be George."

    "What happens if we lose?" Coco asked.

    Jian Jing: "Get eaten."

    Everyone felt a chill, exchanging looks: "Who knows how to y international chess?"

    Cao Yu smiled bitterly again: "I know a little."

    "It''s up to Teacher Cao then," everyone tacitly made way.

    Cao Yu naturally wouldn''t miss a chance to show off. He took a deep breath and slowly went to sit on the sofa.

    The monster had no reaction.

    Until Cao Yu picked up a chess piece and ced it on the board.

    The monster moved. Its tendrils writhed as if pondering, then two tendrils pinched a chess piece and ced it in position.

    While the monster waspletely focused on the game, Jian Jing crouched low and silently slipped past the sofa into the office area. She quickly scanned the desk, nning to open the safe first.

    To her surprise, the safe was empty.

    The lock was open, and the door opened with a pull, but inside was empty. She was stunned for a moment, seeing Cao Yu''s game still in progress, and simply flipped through the scattered documents first.

    The amount of information here was much more.

    She saw on the table an unfinished letter, the content of which was as follows:

    "Dear friend, when you receive this letter, I may already be gone from this world. Things happened much faster than I imagined, and I regret very much not knowing whether it was right or wrong to agree to join the X Club back then. Unfortunately, no matter the answer, there is no chance to choose again.

    "Let me tell you what''s going on with the letter I sent you earlier. You graduated the same year as me, with grades at Harvard even better than mine. You must have already guessed, right?

    "Yes, the report I showed you was very special, belonging to a group of special patients. I don''t know if you''ve heard the rumors in this state, about the special visitors who arrive on a certain night... I thought it was nonsense, until the X Company found me. Oh yes, you still don''t know about the X Club, it''s a special club funded by a group of tycoons, with the sole mission of pursuing the truth...

    "Because of my medical talents, I was recruited into the medical department, responsible for investigating C Factory. You may not have heard of thispany''s name, it''s so ordinary that even people living nearby can''t remember what it''s called, let alone what they do there.

    "A ce so mysterious, of course, is not ordinary. This is a secret government base, recruiting some locals as cover. But ording to the club''s intelligence, this is precisely the ce where the rumors of researching alien visitors is happening!"

    The handwritten letter had sloppy penmanship, clearly the writer was shaken and unable to remain calm.

    But Jianjing saw this and could only think of one big "embarrassing".

    This is such a stereotypical haunted house story for Country A.

    She turned the page and continued reading.

    "We couldn''t sneak into the factory to investigate, and could only observe from the outskirts, waiting for a chance. Unexpectedly, the ident happened, the factory had an unexined explosion, with many casualties. Relevant personnel were all taken away by the FBI, but a small number of peripheral staff left as cover were kept. Many unbelievable symptoms appeared on them.

    "We gathered them at the hospital, using treatment as an excuse to observe their changes. First, the white blood cells in their blood increased dramatically... (omit a bunch of medical descriptions), their organs began deteriorating, seemingly alreadypletely upied by cancer cells, dividing so quickly... Perception of sounds and smells decreased, resolution of light perception greatly increased...

    "Everything was going very smoothly at first, but just half a month ago, something terrifying happened... they began dying, mutating, devouring... the infection wasplete... I don''t know how to deal with the current situation... they''ve already be them?"

    The second page ends here.

    The third page was not finished, with only a few scribbled words:

    End... kill... must... urgent... recement... invasion n?

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131

    After reading Jian Jing''s letter, the monster started to stir. Its huge body writhed, the sound-emitting organs from some unknown part of it roared incessantly, as if furious, as if threatening, ring at Cao Yu who sat opposite it.

    Cao Yu broke out in a cold sweat.

    He was decent at international chess normally, but please note that since yesterday morning, the guests had started working and had only rested for two hours from evening till now.

    It was past one in the morning, when people are most drowsy. And he was already in his forties, his stamina was far from what it used to be. ying chess, an activity that tires the brain, was especially exhausting for him.

    But Cao Yu knew he could not concede defeat.

    If he lost in a contest of pure brainpower, wouldn''t he be dragging the team down? He would also fail his fans'' expectations and ruin his image.

    Endure.

    He rubbed his temples and focused on the chessboard.

    The monster''s chess skills were ordinary, but it kept disturbing Cao Yu with its actions and sounds, preventing him from concentrating.

    Sweat dripped.

    The onlookers around seemed to also sense his plight and secretly exchanged looks.

    Zheng Keyan took the lead to say, "Teacher Cao, we''ve got the stuff, let''s go."

    "I''ve solved the sudoku next door," Coco nced at his watch and whispered, "It''s almost two o''clock."

    Cao Yu nodded imperceptibly, his gaze falling on Jian Jing. With the materials tucked under her arm, she nimbly avoided the monster''s tentacles and retreated safely to the door.

    "I''ll cover you," Jian Jing handed the materials to Jiang BaiYan and took her gun back. "Walk slowly, don''t rush."

    Cao Yu slowly exhaled and said casually, "Alright."

    The other four sessively entered the sudoku room next door. After making his move, Cao Yu carefully got up and left as quietly as possible without making a sound.

    The monster''s tentacles thrashed violently, but it did not try to obstruct Cao Yu. Instead, it picked up one of the chess pieces and charged forward, taking out his king.

    Cao Yu''s eyelid twitched. "Oh no!"

    With hisst move, he had exposed his king!

    p.

    The king toppled over, the game was decided.

    The monster let out a "hee hee" sound and turned to look at Cao Yu.

    The bone fragments on the ground crunched as they were stepped on.

    "Run!" Jian Jing pushed him.

    It wasughable, really. Cao Yu saw her as his biggest rival, taking every chance he got topete with her and set traps without showing any mercy. But at this critical juncture, the person he trusted the most turned out to be her.

    If it had been Coco or Han Bo instead, even though their performances had also been outstanding, he would have definitely hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could trust them.

    But not with Jian Jing.

    When she said to run, Cao Yu obeyed without the slightest hesitation.

    Gunshots sounded from behind.

    The distance was very close, this shot must have hit its target. But Jian Jing knew clearly that the situation was not optimistic: she was by the door while the monster was on the sofa, at most two to three meters apart.

    The simtion gun, though realistic, was not semi-automatic, requiring the trigger to be pulled continuously.

    In the time it took to fire one shot, the monster would be able to pounce right up to her.

    There was no way she could fire a second shot.

    Jian Jing chose to duck and evade. But because Cao Yu was behind her, she could not roll backwards. With the agility of a middle-aged man, the possibility of them colliding was very high. Then the two "enemies" would roll together and it would be mutual destruction.

    She could only lunge diagonally forward, jumping right onto the sofa, before turning to fire another shot.

    The monster named Qiao Zhi should be a dungeon boss, thick-skinned and durable, with fairly high physical and magic defenses. Even after two shots it was still bouncing around merrily, showing no signs of having suffered a critical strike.

    But she was almost out of bullets.

    The stench of blood closed in.

    Jian Jing pounced forward, using her hands to push off the office desk as leverage to flip over it, using the desk as cover. At the same time, she grabbed a heavy object off the desk and flung it out.

    Bang! The ornament collided with the wall, the muffled sound heavy.

    Qiao Zhi waspletely unharmed, crouching on the sofa and ring viciously at her.

    --

    After broadcast.

    Danmu 1: Didn''t expect to see action scenes in a variety show.

    Danmu 2: This is for real? Not nitpicking, but is there really no script?

    Danmu 3: Stunt doubles tell you, even with a script it takes great skill, the positioning is amazing.

    Danmu 4: Must be reshot afterwards! I bet my spicy sticks on it!

    Danmu 5: Use your brain, with such outstanding scenes, would Teacher Jian get them?

    Danmu 6: Wait, isn''t Teacher Jian a writer? Did she forget her own identity?

    Danmu 7: Blockbuster action film of the year, more thrilling than Hollywood thrillers.

    ...

    --

    Beneath the thick barrage of danmu, the standoff continued.

    Jian Jing yanked open all the drawers and finally found a box of bullets in the bottomyer. But the monster would not give her time to reload. Like apressed spring, it leaped up precisely andnded on the office desk.

    The two sides were face to face.

    Jian Jing''s mind nked for a second, instinct taking over her body as she swung the gun stock in a chopping motion.

    The gun stock mmed heavily into Qiao Zhi''s face.

    The tentacles scattered, revealing a highly realistic ck face. "NO--" it let out a muffled human voice.

    If this was a real monster, Jian Jing would have certainly shoved the gun into its mouth to end it all while it was stunned. But this was a fake one. Jamming the gun in might wreck the intricate robot.

    Er, couldn''t afford to pay for that.

    Jian Jing turned and fled.

    This time, she smoothly circled around the office desk. The exit was right ahead, but a variable emerged again.

    The red light turned off, the green light turned on.

    The monsters revived again, shuffling out from the rooms on both sides of the corridor, like ghosts wandering. And Jian Jing had just stepped out of the office when she was spotted by three to four monsters.

    Her: "..."

    Enemies in front, boss behind, what to do?

    --

    After broadcast.

    The post-production for the haunted house was mischievous as usual.

    After Jian Jing met the two groups of monsters on the corridor and ended up trapped, red and blue health bars appeared above everyone''s heads, apanied by Street Fighter''s BGM.

    Danmu 1: Post-production being naughty.

    Danmu 2: Getting the vibe.

    Danmu 3: Kites and them!

    Danmu 4: 6666666666

    Everyone thought a melee fight was about to unfold, but Jian Jing''s reaction was unexpected.

    She turned back into the office, leapt up onto the backrest of the sofa in one bound, removed the venttion grille above, then gripped the edge of the opening and kicked off.

    She didn''t make it up...

    Danmu 1: Just like rock climbing me.

    Danmu 2: That grip strength requirement is too high, Teacher Jian overestimated herself.

    Danmu 3: She''s still short, if it was our little brother he''d definitely have made it.

    Danmu 4: Are you sure your brother wouldn''t cry out of respect first?

    Her first jump failed. Before she could leap up a second time, Qiao Zhi had already pounced over.

    It was tall andrge, its weight nothing to sniff at. Crouched on the sofa, it was practically a small mountain. Jian Jing hastily dodged, but her coat tail was grabbed by a tentacle. Forced to shed the coat, she crashed onto the coffee table, sweeping the chess pieces everywhere.

    Danmu 1: Damn, that looked painful.

    Danmu 2: She fell pretty hard.

    Danmu 3: It''s over, is anyoneing to the rescue?

    Danmu 4: The others are blocked by the small monsters! Teacher Jian shouldn''t havee back, her teammates could have drawn the monsters away and she''d have escaped safely. Huge mistake!

    Danmu 5: Who can analyze so much at a critical moment?

    Danmu 6: Are Jian Jing fans not allowed to question her?

    ...

    While they were arguing, the situation changed again.

    Jian Jing fell onto the coffee table, then the next moment, exerted force at the waist to spring up, directly nting her feet on Qiao Zhi''s back and using that as leverage to climb up to the venttion opening.

    Bracing her knees against the edge, she crawled in smoothly.

    The monsters had sucker-like organs on their bodies, allowing them to crawl like geckos. Qiao Zhi also crawled up the wall. But this boss, unlike the small monsters, had an exceptionallyrge physique.

    It got...stuck at the entrance.

    Jian Jing moved swiftly and had a small frame. Crawling on her knees, she soon shook off the pursuing monster and turned into a side path.

    The camera switched to the room next door.

    --

    The rest were trapped in the room by the small monsters.

    Han Bo had originally wanted to break out by force, but as soon as he stepped out, he ran out of bullets in his gun and simply could not deal with the endless waves of monsters popping out. Everyone was very anxious. Although there was no danger to life in the game, abandoning their teammates went against team spirit.

    No one suggested giving up. They tossed out ideas loudly.

    Han Bo and Coco were both in favor of using chairs as shields for backup, while Cao Yu was searching the room, trying to find other weapons to subdue the monsters.

    "There seems to be sounds from the venttion shaft." Jiang BaiYan brought a chair over to climb up. "Jing Jing?"

    "It''s me." Jian Jing poked her head out. "Make way."

    He stretched out his hand to help her down, extremely shocked, "Are you okay?!"

    "I fell down a little," Jian Jing said inly, "Who is this person?"

    She was asking about the obviously dead NPC in the corner, a male in his twenties, wearing athletic clothes, with a backpack next to him, a big hole in his temple, and blood clots in his hair. There was a gun next to his hand, looking like a suicide scene.

    Cao Yu answered: "It should be Henry, who we''ve been looking for."

    PreviouslyˇŞHenry, male, currently missing. Thest ce he was seen was this abandoned old hospital. They came to this strange ce precisely to look for their friend Henry.

    "I almost forgot about him," Han Bo scratched his head, voicing what everyone was thinking.

    Jian Jing wanted to examine him, but after the intense chase earlier, she had expended a lot of energy and now sat weakly in a chair, not wanting to move.

    Sleepiness attacked her, and she couldn''t help covering her mouth as she yawned.

    After vigorous exercise, sweat evaporates, leaving the body feeling cold. She shivered slightly.

    "If you don''t mind," Jiang BaiYan handed over his jacket, "put this on."

    They were filming the third episode of the show. The guests now understood the nature of the haunted house. Even filming in summer, it was best to wear a jacket in case the air conditioning suddenly dropped to 16ˇăC and left them shivering in the heat.

    Jiang BaiYan''s casual clothes were very crisp, jeans + white tee + shirt jacket.

    "Thank you." Jian Jing was familiar with him and didn''t need to politely refuse, taking it and putting it on.

    Zheng Keyan took out some mineral water and cookies from Henry''s backpack and opened them to share with everyone: "Let''s all eat something, I''m starving."

    "I''m about to fall asleep," Coco rubbed her eyes and couldn''t help yawning too.

    Now the yawns spread to everyone else. No one could resist.

    They were all dog-tired.

    Cao Yu, the oldest of the group, had the lowest energy and suggested, "Let''s block the door and vents and get some good rest."

    No one objected.

    After blocking the door and vents to ensure no monsters could get in, everyone found a ce to sit and rest.

    Zheng Keyan and Coco continued searching Henry''s backpack, taking out two self-heating hot pots, three bottles of drinking water, a pack of chocte cookies, and several bags of spicy sticks.

    So everyone sat down on the floor and started cooking little hot pots to eat.

    The spicy vor was very energizing. Jian Jing took a cookie in her mouth and searched the NPC''s body, finding many things.

    First were two letters. One letter was identical to the one found earlier in the office next door, containing many professional medical terms. The gist was the doctor asking a friend to help look into some medical cases he had encountered.

    The second letter was from a father to his son Henry.

    "To my son Henry...(omitting the father''s many encouragements to his son), My good friend Dr. Li once sent me a letter. Those medical cases concerned me greatly, but when I wanted to contact him about it, I heard he had gone missing. I felt extremely regretful about this.

    "If my health allowed it, I really hoped I could go to the hospital where he used to work and find out exactly what happened...(omitting medical exnations)...Unfortunately my days are numbered. If you are interested, perhaps you could go there and take a look. I have a premonition that it will be a huge secret..."

    This tied the storyline together.

    Dr. Li had joined the X Club to investigate issues with the chemical nt, and sent the strange medical cases to his friend. Before his death, the friend mentioned this matter to his son Henry. Henry came to investigate for some reason, and died here.

    And they hade to the hospital because of Henry''s disappearance, to find the answers to the mystery.

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132

    Two lettersid out the story''s background, but the rest was a headache.

    It was a puzzle box.

    Called a Lu Ban box domestically and a puzzle box overseas, it was a device with mortise and tenon joints that was very difficult to force open. You had to find the trick to open the box and get what was inside.

    Jian Jing pushed and pulled at it from all sides, but the lid would not open. She banged on it forcefully, but it still had no give.

    The whole box was sealed tight, unable to turn or pry open. No matter what, it wouldn''t open.

    "A Lu Ban box, huh." When Cao Yu saw this thing he also had a big headache. "This is difficult. Does Teacher Jian know how to open it?"

    "I hate that I can''t just smash it directly." Jian Jing gave up and handed it to Coco, who was raring to go.

    Coco took it in her hands to examine it, joking, "Rare to see Teacher Jian stumped. I thought there was nothing in this haunted house that could stump you."

    "Misconception." She busied herself gnawing on a spicy stick, "This haunted house is pretty difficult, very realistic."

    "The sense of immersion is strong," Jiang BaiYan said dryly, "I feel like I''m the extra holding the script to ''can''t do it, too scary'', then suddenly get eaten by the monster."

    The othersughed loudly.

    Coco teased him, "Have some more confidence in yourself. Wasting money hiring you for a few scenes as an extra, at least you''ve got to be the female lead as eye candy just waiting for the male lead toe rescue you and confess while surrounded by monsters."

    The othersughed uproariously and pounded the floor.

    Jiang BaiYan was very dissatisfied, "Why do you always bully me?"

    "Because I got the viin''s script!" Coco made a scary face, "I bully you so you can run crying to Teacher Jian!"

    Jiang BaiYan protested, "When did I cry?"

    Cocoughed, "Didn''t you sob earlier in the tunnel?"

    "Certainly--not!" He dragged out the words, "Teacher Jian, say something."

    Jian Jing looked at them and scooted away, "Leave me out of your flirting."

    "We''re not flirting!" x2

    Zheng Keyan''s chopsticks picked up a fried noodle, watching the entertainment, "You two have great chemistry."

    Han Bo put on a pained expression, "My ship has sailed with someone else."

    Cao Yu just smiled withoutment.

    Jiang BaiYan pursed his lips and scooted next to Jian Jing, very aggrieved, "I can let her bully me, but how can you bully me too?"

    "Oh, so only she''s allowed to bully you and no one else?" Jian Jing smiled slightly, adding fuel to the fire, "Sorry about that."

    Jiang BaiYan: [a confused face]

    --

    After airing:

    Comment 1: Laughed so hard I rolled out of my chair

    Comment 2: Little brother is too pitiful

    Comment 3: Teacher Jian is sharp when she wants to be, no wonder she''s a writer

    Comment 4: One kill!

    Comment 5: Coco and BaiBai''s enemies-to-lovers is really great to ship

    Comment 6: Simr age and looks, both skilled actors

    Comment 7: What happened to the water-fire duo? You''ve changed!

    ...

    --

    Gossiping and joking were great ways to rx.

    Sacrificing Jiang BaiYan let everyone''s spirits rx. The puzzle box was passed around but no one could open it. Finally they unanimously agreed to break it open by force.

    The dinner knife Jian Jing had taken from the dining room came in handy.

    She wedged the de into the crack made by banging it, pried hard, and opened it. There was a hiddenpartment inside, a special maze. There was a steel ball inside that had to be turned to the correct position to attract the switch''s ma and open the lid.

    In short, super annoying.

    What was hidden inside the puzzle box was a map of the hospitalyout, and aputer chip.

    The hospital had three floors, two above ground and one below. Aside from the normal halls and stairs, there were many hidden passages and traps used to capture or hinder wandering monsters.

    "There''s a nightly curfew at the hospital. The doors can''t be opened before 7pm," Cao Yu analyzed the situation. "To leave here, we have to take the exit from the hidden passages."

    Zheng Keyan followed up, "The passage exit is at the end of the basement hallway, but right now there are monsters outside. We can''t get through, right?"

    "What about when the red light turns on at 3am?" Han Bo asked.

    Jian Jing said, "The lights probably won''t help. The file on the special patients says they canmand regr infected and ignore light changes. With the Boss outside, the small fry definitely won''t go back to sleep."

    "So even if we wait until daylight it''s no use?" Coco asked. "Then we can only lure the monsters away."

    "There''s a mechanism on the first floor lobby," Jiang BaiYan said dejectedly. "So the n is to lure the monsters upstairs?"

    "Let''s n this out carefully," Cao Yu said. "It looks like for now, we have to lure the monsters to the first floor lobby, activate the mechanism to trap them, then go back downstairs and leave the hospital through the passage exit."

    Han Bo sucked in a breath, "We have to lure them? But with so many monsters, won''t we get overwhelmed if they all rush over at once?"

    Jian Jing said, "Use the passages. The monsters can onlye through one by one, so it''s not as dangerous."

    "There are guns and walkie-talkies here," Coco found supplementary equipment in the room. "We can split up and act now."

    After more discussion, they finally split into two teams for separate actions.

    The first team had the most dangerous job, luring the monsters. They were responsible for leading the monsters to the first floor lobby. The second team would go back to the first floor through the passages, prepare the mechanism, and trap the monsters when they arrived.

    Han Bo and Coco enthusiastically volunteered to lure the monsters. This was unsurprising, since those two were always the boldest. But the next person to voluntarily speak up was unexpected.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "I''ll go too."

    Coco''s eyes went wide in exaggerated astonishment, "Is the sun rising in the west today?"

    "I''m the most suitable," Jiang BaiYan rolled his eyes. "With so much physical exertion, it would be too tiring for Teacher Cao. Sister Zheng is afraid of these things, and she''s a woman. It looks like Teacher Jian sprained her ankle, so climbing around would be inconvenient. I''m a guy, I can''t just do nothing."

    Zheng Keyan was surprised, "Teacher Jian, you''re hurt?"

    "I fell and twisted it a bit, no big deal," Jian Jing waved it off and asked with interest, "Are you really going? Will you be okay?"

    Han Boughed, "Teacher Jian, it was fine until you asked. What guy could say he''s ''not okay'' now?"

    Jian Jing held in herughter, "Then good luck to you."

    Jiang BaiYan said dejectedly, "No other words of encouragement?"

    "When you finish this wave, you can go back and get married?" she asked.

    He was even more aggrieved, "I gave you pudding, back home there''s only ZiZhenZhu, BaiMudan, LiNaLian, ShuangZhiChao*... Who should I marry?"

    Jian Jing was shocked, "Who are they?" It sounded indecent.

    "My sulents. Do you want them? If I die, you can inherit my estate..."

    "And your flowers too?" Han Bo chimed in.

    The others allughed loudly.

    Things were settled.

    This room was a break room. Not only was NPC Henry here, but many lockers belonging to medical staff. They restocked ammunition and weapons from them, and everyone was equipped with a gun.

    Everything was ready. Time to head out.

    --

    After airing:

    The post-production team added "Final Battle" in big letters with rousing BGM.

    The screen split into three, with Jiang BaiYan, Han Bo, and Coco each upying one screen to show the monster luring process. First they climbed into the passages, then ording to the map''s instructions, split up in different rooms to attract the monsters in the hallway to chase them.

    When the monsters were like hungry dogs spotting a bone, crawling into the passages one by one, only then did they lead this group of tails through the passages.

    Because the mechanism needed 5 minutes to prepare, they couldn''t go straight to the first floor. They had to circle around to the second floor first.

    With the hallway monsters lured away, Jian Jing''s group was able to take the normal stairs back down to the first floor.

    There was still a mini boss here, the doctor monster from earlier patrols.

    Jian Jing hid behind a wall, aimed, and fired several shots in session.

    The screen showed the NPC calction panel again. Three hits, two to the torso and one to the leg.

    Mini boss guarding the pass is down!

    Cao Yu and Zheng Keyan sprinted to the lobby and found the hidden mechanism tile, connecting wires ording to the instructions - like a puzzle game - until all the circuits were connected.

    They tried pressing it once, and suddenly the walls around shot out rainbowsers that crisscrossed in the center of the hall, the effect was very gorgeous, and different buttons would bring out different formations, which looked even more dazzling when used inbination.

    Danmu 1: It smells like Resident Evil

    Danmu 2: The lighting design runs through, well done

    Danmu 3: Laser cage, cyberpunk!

    Danmu 4: Where''s the BGM?

    ......

    "We''re ready," Cao Yu notified the others through the walkie-talkie.

    The camera switches to the passageway.

    The three people being chased relentlessly by countless monsters are going full throttle, acting ording to n.

    The post-production thoughtfully P-ed a simple map to indicate the movement position of each guest.

    The three regrouped one after another.

    The first was Han Bo. Having been singing and dancing on stage for years, his physique was just different. He had great endurance and a steady level. He slid down the banister and brought a group of monsters with him.

    Zheng Keyan waved her hand: "Come over here."

    Han Bo stepped over in one stride.

    The mechanism was activated, and theser beams intertwined to trap the three little monsters that were following.

    The next was Coco.

    She attracted two monsters, still looking rxed. She jumped and skipped down, pouncing over to Jian Jing''s side.

    Thesers changed again.

    Jiang BaiYan was so lucky (the program team deliberately "took care of" him) that after wandering around the second floor, he attracted four monsters and almost crawled out of the secret passageway of the ward.

    Danmu 1: Hahaha poor little brother

    Danmu 2: The program team must have scared him on purpose

    Danmu 3: dbq Iughed

    Danmu 4: Why is everyone bullying little Bai hahaha

    ......

    "This way," Cao Yu directed at the staircase.

    Jiang BaiYan sprinted, making full use of his long legs and finally ran to the finish line.

    Thesers transformed, changing from a gathered V to thergest X-shape.

    But as the saying goes, ns can never keep up with changes. Although theser formations had three different types, ranging from small torge coverage. But thergest one was notpletely ovepping with the previous one.

    One corner was within the range of the previous one, but did not belong to the scope this time.

    In other words, there was a monster...that moved.

    The post-production inserted an animation exining what happened.

    Danmu 1: This tells us how important it is to learn math

    Danmu 2: Got tricked by math huh

    Danmu 3: Hint on the third watch, look at the tiles on the floor, there are some implications

    Danmu 4: Teacher Jian didn''t notice this time?

    Danmu 5: She''s not omnipotent, can''t let her be responsible for everything right?

    Danmu 6: Can we just watch the show properly? You can argue about anything

    ......

    To be honest, missing a monster wasn''t a big deal, the problem was that the monster that slipped through the wasn''t a small one, but Helen.

    Unlike the tall and sturdy-looking George who would be difficult to deal with, she was harmless at first, just going with the flow of being led over. But after being trapped by thesers, she became visibly irritable at a rapid speed.

    As soon as she got out of theser cage, she started going berserk.

    A sharp, shrill cry came from her throat, and then the whole hall began to tremble, the floor shook and tilted, it was actually arge mechanism.

    A lot of stic balls fell from the ceiling, ping pong bouncing down, smashing to the ground and bouncing back, indiscriminately attacking.

    Danmu 1: Damn, the first time seeing the boss go all out!

    Danmu 2: As expected, the cuter the loli the more dangerous

    Danmu 3: Burning money ING

    Danmu 4: The smell of money

    Danmu 5: When will this haunted house open for business?

    ......

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133

    Jian Jing, Jiang BaiYan, Cao Yu, Zheng Keyan, Han Bo and Coco were shocked when the set suddenly turned into a hellish nightmare right before they were about to wrap up for the day.

    As the floor sharply tilted, Jian Jing, who was already off-bnce, was immediately swept into a corner, bruising her sore back against the wall.

    "Ms. Jing!" Jiang BaiYan rushed over to shield her from the iing stic balls. "Are you okay? Can you still walk?" He helped her up while asking.

    "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Cao Yu waved at them from the stairwell. "Over here!"

    "I''m fine," Jian Jing endured the pain and reached behind Jiang BaiYan''s back to retrieve the gun their team had been assigned. She loaded it and flicked off the safety.

    Jiang BaiYan supported her as they sprinted wildly.

    But the sloped floor and scattered stic balls disrupted theser cage, allowing several monsters to break free and chase after them.

    "Forget it, just go!" Cao Yu called for everyone. "Downstairs, into the tunnel."

    The short distance from the first floor lobby to the basement proved extremely difficult for the group.

    The stic balls rolling everywhere impeded their movement while the monsters pursued them relentlessly. Helen crawled on the wall like a giant octopus, chasing them down mercilessly.

    It was incredibly thrilling.

    The standoff continued until the end of the hallway where a decorative painting concealed a secret passage.

    The tunnel was high enough to stand and walk through, but very narrow, barely wide enough for one person.

    "Ladies first," Cao Yu directed.

    Zheng Keyan and Coco readily agreed, but when it was Jian Jing''s turn, she took a breath, leaned against the wall and signaled for them to go ahead while she turned and fired at the oing monsters with her gun.

    Han Bo understood her n and also chose to stay back to cover their retreat.

    Cao Yu and Jiang BaiYan had no weapons and didn''t want to slow the others down, so they slipped away to the side.

    Under a hail of bullets, the monsters'' advance was greatly slowed.

    But they were only slowed, not killed. The number that actually died was low.

    "Almost out of ammo," Jian Jing said softly. "We''ll retreat one by one and cover each other. You first."

    Han Bo nodded and immediately crawled into the passage.

    Jian Jing moved backward while firing, emptying a magazine before saying, "Your turn, cover me." She crouched low, leaving Han Bo ample space to counterattack.

    Han Bo understood her tactic. As he retreated, he fired continuously until his ammo was spent, then they switched - Jian Jing fired while Han Bo reloaded. They took turns blocking the monsters in the narrow tunnel.

    Shouts of rm came from behind.

    "Hurry out!" Cao Yu called to them.

    Han Bo and Jian Jing exited the tunnel one after the other, and two men in ck suits moved up with machine guns, wildly spraying the passage.

    Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat.

    The world went quiet.

    Jian Jing looked at the new NPCs in bewilderment and asked guardedly, "Who are you?"

    "X Club," the leader with sunsses answered in stiff Mandarin. "Please give me the chip."

    "This?" Zheng Keyan took out the object they had found in the puzzle box.

    The leader looked at it and nodded, handing her an envelope in return. He then gestured for his heavily armed men to retreat with him.

    Zheng Keyan: "Uh, that''s it?"

    Coco: "It''s over?"

    Cao Yu: "I guess so..."

    Han Bo: "What does the note say?"

    Zheng Keyan opened the envelope which contained a short letter:

    Thank you for your help. X Club will remember your heroic deeds. Perhaps we will meet again, when there are more arduous tasks...

    --

    Comments after broadcast:

    Comment 1: What''s going on?

    Comment 2: Where did the backupe from?

    Comment 3: No exnation? Did they get cut for not speaking Chinese?

    Comment 4: X Club appeared before, so this must be a sequel!

    Comment 5: Checked their website, this haunted house has a series - Murder Hospital was the first, next one''s called Fatal Factory.

    Comment 6: Oh, going to that strange factory next?

    ...

    --

    Crack crack crack. As the guests stood looking at each other in confusion, fireworks went off and ribbons fluttered down.

    The bright lights came on as the director rolled in a cart with a cake on it that read "Congrattions" in big letters: "Congrattions onpleting the mission."

    It was over.

    Time to wrap.

    Time to go home.

    Everyone''s faces lit up with genuine smiles.

    "Let''s cut the cake together."

    They went through the ceremonial team rituals with cheers and shouts, then the ravenously hungry group eagerly dug into the cake.

    The production assistant came over with a first-aid kit: "Ms. Jing, let our medic take a look at your injuries."

    "Thanks for the trouble." Jian Jing didn''t want to do anything except eat.

    The medics cleaned her minor wounds and iced her ankle: "Just a sprain, nothing serious. It''ll be better in a couple days."

    "Thank you." Jian Jing hesitated, then asked, "When can we go back to the hotel to rest?"

    "The n was to let everyone sleep until 5am," the PA said. "There''s still an interview to film, but Ms. Jing can go back to the sick room to rest if you''d like."

    Jian Jing: "..." No way she could sleep in the sick room.

    The others felt the same, opting to chug coffee or energy drinks to stay alert for the uing interview.

    Because the timing was so awkward, everyone wanted to wrap up quickly and go rest, so the interviews were conducted simultaneously.

    --

    Post-broadcast interview time.

    The first was with Cao Yu.

    PD: "Mr. Cao, how was the haunted house experience?"

    Cao Yu smiled wryly: "Too thrilling, it challenged both mental and physical limits."

    ...

    PD: "So Mr. Cao, which guest do you think performed the best this time?"

    "Everyone did very well." Cao Yu gave a meaningless answer, then added, "If I must pick one, I''d say Han Bo. He was very brave and responsible."

    Comment 1: I''m impressed by Han Bo this time.

    Comment 2: He''s low-key but steadily improving.

    The second interview was with Zheng Keyan.

    The PD asked the same questions about her experience.

    Zheng Keyanughed: "So scary, I almost died from fright several times. The NPCs were so realistic, truly amazing."

    Thest question was also about who was the MVP.

    Zheng Keyan thought for a long time before saying: "Mr. Cao. He kept soothing our emotions the entire time, very calm. He always had a clear mind when the rest of us were panicking. I feel like his presence wasn''t shy but indispensable to the team."

    Comment 1: Well said!

    Comment 2: Yes, the strategist is like the loadstar, very reassuring.

    Comment 3: U1S1, his performance was pretty mediocre this time.

    The third interview was Han Bo.

    He named Jiang BaiYan as his MVP: "Xiao Bai was really brave in the end, not easy for him. I think that deserves recognition."

    Comment 1: CP giving out candy!

    Comment 2: So caring.

    Comment 3: Socialist brotherhood!

    Comment 4: Not worth it for Ms. Jian.

    Comment 5: Xiao Bai''s tone is too calm, feels like there''s something going on, not like him.

    Comment 6: The CP is probably being tsundere, very businesslike tone, obviously implying something.

    The fourth was Coco.

    She also picked Han Bo: "Extremely brave, didn''t falter at critical moments. When the monsters chased us, he shielded me and Big Sis Yan behind him, not letting the monsters make direct contact. Definitely him."

    Comment 1: Haha Han Bo made aeback!

    Comment 2: Didn''t notice before, but Han Bo is actually quite manly.

    Comment 3: Unlike certain cowards.

    Comment 4: Don''t start fanwars.

    The fifth was Jiang BaiYan.

    He voted for Coco: "As a neer, she did well."

    Comment 1: WTF, I thought little bro would vote for Ms. Jian!

    Comment 2: All talk but pays attention to her the whole time, tsk tsk.

    Comment 3: This CP is so sweet!

    Comment 4: Not worth it for Ms. Jian!

    Comment 5: Xiao Bai''s tone is too t, feels like something''s going on, not like him.

    Thest interview was with Jian Jing.

    The PD asked the usual questions about her experience.

    Jian Jing said: "Very fun, great immersive experience, thebat was very realistic."

    The PD also asked: "Any regrets?"

    She thought for a bit before replying: "The story has a sequel. The factory''s secrets haven''t been revealed yet, is it a base for studying aliens?"

    "That''s the next project in the X Haunted House series," the PD smiled. "Still in early nning, we don''t know much yet."

    They chatted about more details, and of course didn''t forget to vote for the MVP.

    Jian Jing murmured, "Han Bo and Coco are both excellent, but I''m more inclined towards Coco. Even though this was a difficult first episode for her, she still performed remarkably. She''s very opinionated and brave, and I really admire girls like that."

    Live Comment 1: The attraction betweendies

    Live Comment 2: Well said!

    Live Comment 3: Wait, so no one voted for Jian Jing?

    Live Comment 4: Is this a conspiracy?? I can understand looking out for the newbie, but isn''t this too much?

    Live Comment 5: Confused face, didn''t Jian Jing decrypt the most and contribute the most today?

    Live Comment 6: Yeah, it''s fine if Jian Jing didn''t vote for herself, but how did no one else vote for her?

    Live Comment 7: Definitely a conspiracy, disappointing

    Live Comment 8: Look at the bonus scene! Jian Jing got the big bonus egg from the haunted house!!

    Live Comment 9: Ohhh~~ The bonus is awesome! Jian Jing is awesome!! It''s much more valuable than the Best of the Episode.

    Live Comment 10: Jian Jing is amazing!!

    ......

    --

    After the interview ended, Jiang BaiYan specifically sought out Jian Jing and leaked the inside story: "Coco''spany wants to promote her, they gave me a heads up beforehand. My vote will definitely go to her. I can guess who everyone else will vote for too."

    He counted off on his fingers: "Han Bo''s votes alternate -st time he voted for Cao Yu, so this time it''ll be either me or Zheng Keyan. But he admires Zheng Keyan too much, so voting for her would spark dating rumors and her fans woulde after him. Cao Yu definitely won''t vote for you. I did alright, so he might vote for Han Bo and Coco. Zheng Keyan will probably vote for Cao Yu to make him feel better since you did so well.

    Let me think, Coco won''t vote for me since that would reek of staged hype if we voted for each other. Voting for Cao Yu and Zheng Keyan would be a waste, so maybe Han Bo to stir up buzz.

    Jian Jing listened in astonishment and sincerely marveled, "There are so many tricks."

    "Teacher Jian, did you vote for me?" he asked.

    Jian Jing: "No."

    "Why not?" He pouted sadly, "Wasn''t I brave at the end?"

    "No reason."

    "I see." Jiang BaiYan sulked briefly before consoling her, "Actually, having fewer votes is a good thing. If everyone had voted for you, the audience would nitpick everything, feeling you weren''t good enough here and there. Since you didn''t get Best of the Episode, the audience will feel sorry for you instead, especially since the teacher''s performance was in to see. They''ll look forward to your next recording even more. This is hunger marketing, you could also call it tormenting your fans. I bet 5 cents the show deliberately rigged it."

    Jian Jing nced at him and deliberately asked, "Do you think I care about stuff like that?"

    "Not caring about results doesn''t mean not caring about fairness," he retorted.

    She was momentarily lost for words.

    He had a point. Who got Best of the Episode wasn''t important since all the guests had standout moments, but disregarding whether she contributed the most or not, having not a single person vote for her would make anyone feel a bit miffed.

    "Fine," Jian Jing reluctantly conceded, "I am a little unhappy. I can ept them not voting for me since we''re not close, but why didn''t you vote for me?"

    Jiang BaiYan pleaded with sped hands, "I''m sorry, I was wrong. In my heart, Teacher Jian is the most amazing."

    "Easy to say that now." She said coldly, "I don''t believe you."

    Jiang BaiYan: Dejected.jpg

    "Jian." The PD walked over smiling, pretending not to notice their private conversation. "The stats are out. You killed the most monsters, so the haunted house has amemorative gift for you."

    She hinted suggestively, "Only you got one."

    Jiang BaiYan whispered in her ear, "Don''t fall for it. You probably didn''t get a single vote. They''re afraid of bacsh from the viewers and came up with thisst minute ploy. Don''t believe them, they''re sinister."

    "Still better than all talk." Jian Jing elbowed his head away. "What is it?"

    The PD said, "It''s a secret. You''ll find out tomorrow."

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134

    After the filming of the haunted house finale waspleted, the guests returned to the hotel to rest, and did not wake up until noon to start the final filming.

    ording to the schedule, this part of the content was to film the guests visiting the behind-the-scenes production of the haunted house.

    For example, how the mechanisms were set up, the production process of the simted NPCs, the design drawings of the scenes, and a face-to-face chat with the boss to publicize the show and haunted house.

    Everyone gathered at 12:30 pm and set off on time at 1 pm to go to the filming location by car.

    As soon as the car started, Jian Jing felt something was wrong: "Where is Ms. Jing?"

    "Ms. Jian had something to do and left first," the director team exined.

    Jiang BaiYan was skeptical: "Did you guys do something bad?"

    The PD joked with him: "Don''t worry, we won''t kidnap Ms. Jian and sell her."

    Coco: "You are really clingy."

    Jiang BaiYan rolled his eyes and ignored her, lowering his head to send a WeChat message.

    --

    After the show was aired.

    Barrage 1: The younger brother''s premonition was right

    Barrage 2: This is not kidnapping, it''s abduction~~

    Barrage 3: Precisending, where''s the easter egg?

    Barrage 4: The main show begins

    --

    Jian Jing did not reply to Jiang BaiYan''s message because she was kidnapped.

    She gathered at 12 o''clock. After getting in the car, she didn''t see any of herpanions, thinking she hade early. Who would have thought the car door would suddenly close, the driver stepped on the elerator and took her away directly.

    Jian Jing: "???" Was some kind of solo storyline triggered?

    PD Miss: ˇ°Ms. Jian is filming alone. She will meet up with everyer.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: "...Is this what you call a souvenir?"

    PD: "Surprised or not, exciting or not?"

    Her: "......"

    The car was tinted, she was not familiar with the terrain, and did not know where they had taken her.

    After about half an hour, the car stopped. She tentatively opened the car door and got out. Suddenly two burly men appeared on the left and right to escort her.

    Then, roughly put a blindfold over her eyes and said coldly, "The boss wants to see you."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    She was dragged into the building by two men in ck.

    After taking the elevator and walking down a corridor, she was pushed into a room with the door tightly closed.

    She took off her blindfold and looked around.

    It was a small conference room with only a sofa, a coffee table and an extrarge TV. She walked two steps forward and the TV screen suddenly lit up.

    A figurepletely created by CG appeared, mouth opening and closing: "Miss Jian, I have heard a lot about you. I am Dr. X."

    Jian Jing held back her smile and yed along: "Hello."

    "The chip you got from the hospital is extremely important to us," Dr. X said. "Your wonderful performance has also attracted the attention of many members of the club."

    Jian Jing: "...Thank you?"

    --

    After the show was aired.

    Barrage 1: Iughed so hard hahahaha

    Barrage 2: Forced to act awkwardly, poor Ms. Jian

    Barrage 3: This is just me participating in a script murder mystery game

    Barrage 4: Lol~~ Hurry and join, trigger new storyline!

    Barrage 5: What exactly is the code? Not going to reveal it??

    Barrage 6: Probably have to film next season for it

    Barrage 7: Ahhhh so awesome!!!!

    Barrage 8: The easter egg is not bad, it ties up the abrupt ending

    Barrage 9: Lol, am I the only one feeling like it''s an umbrepany or a guepany??

    Barrage 10: I have a bold idea, X is the viin!

    ......

    --

    Dr. X said, "You may already know that our X Club is dedicated to discovering the truth and unearthing hidden secrets."

    He began to give examples, summarizing the club''s contributions to archaeology, medicine, aerospace and other undertakings, while also splicing in some pictures and documentaries, making it seem quite real.

    Jian Jing pretended to think seriously: "So...?"

    "Because of the [beep] at the hospital, we lost many members and had to absorb new blood," Dr. X said straightforwardly. "There is an invitation letter on the table, please open it."

    Jian Jing picked up the envelope on the coffee table, opened it, and saw a string of codes inside.

    "If you can decipher the code above, the doors of the X Club will open to you," said Dr. X. "Ms. Jian, your talents are more than this. It would be a pity to waste them on meaningless fiction. The advancement of mankind needs talents like you, and the vast universe is our future."

    He blew her a bunch of ttery, and finally said, "Look forward to your reply."

    The video skipped and the screen froze on the invitation letter.

    --

    Jian Jing got her souvenir: an invitation letter from the X Club.

    She instantly felt great.

    Although it was fake, this kind of souvenir was much more interesting than the perfunctory exchanges between the guests.

    The crew was quite thoughtful [doge]

    The recording ended here.

    The other guests came out from the next room. Everyone seemed to guess something but no one explicitly said it, nonchntly eating a buffet.

    Without the cameras, everyone was more rxed, and the rtionships became somewhat estranged. Each minding their own business, not as close and intimate as they appeared on the show.

    ˇŞ Of course there were exceptions.

    "Let me see the invitation letter," on the return flight, Jiang BaiYan squeezed past the staff and insisted on sitting with her, pestering her endlessly, "Just let me see it for a bit."

    Jian Jing: "No."

    "Why?" He leaned on the seatback, with his jaw resting on the back of his hand. "Are you still angry with me? I already admitted I was wrong, don''t be angry, okay?"

    Jian Jing retorted, "Why can''t I be angry just because you admitted you were wrong? If I beat you up and then admit I was wrong, you won''t be angry either?"

    "I won''t be angry even if you don''t admit it," he moved his face closer and said innocently, "Want to try it out?"

    Jian Jing turned her head away, reached out, and viciously pinched his cheek.

    Jiang BaiYan: "!!!''"

    "When you stick your face over, you have to be prepared to be pinched," she twisted his cheek, smiling, "Did you think that by saying this, I wouldn''t dare hit you?"

    Jiang BaiYan: "Owchieee."

    Jian Jing squeezed for a bit before letting go: "Don''t let it happen again."

    "It hurts so much," he rubbed his cheek, muttering, "How could you do it."

    "What''s so difficult about it?" She raised her hand, "It''s just thebor of lifting my hand."

    Jiang BaiYan changed his posture,ying curled up on his side, with his pinched red cheek pressed against his arm, looking away from her eyes, like a sulking child: "I thought you would go easy on me." After a brief pause, he mumbled to himself, "Turns out you only go easy on others...... Ouch!"

    The other cheek also suffered at the hands of evil.

    "What exactly are you trying to imply?" Jian Jing released her hand and examined his expression.

    Jiang BaiYan: "The invitation letter."

    "Is that so?" She scoffed softly and handed him the envelope, "If you want to see it so much, then look."

    Jiang BaiYan pouted unwillingly as he opened it.

    Inside was a string of codes as expected.

    Qtfnizcyhfsgcvfynthebf

    "If I can crack it, will you answer a question for me?" he asked.

    Jian Jing looked at him: "Sure."

    Jiang BaiYan took out pen and paper and started calcting: "This kind of code without rules is very simr to the one we encountered in the haunted house, right? Just shifting letters, only twenty-five possibilities, I don''t believe I can''t crack it."

    Ten hourster, the ne began its descent.

    Apanied by the ne''s broadcast, Jian Jing removed her eye mask, drowsily asking: "How''s it going, did you crack it?"

    Jiang BaiYan knew when to push and when to give in: "Can I please have a hint?"

    She held back herughter: "So you still couldn''t crack it, right?"

    "It''s so difficult," he moved closer, pleading pitifully, "And I''m not good at this."

    She deliberately said: "Then why were you so eager to see the invitation letter?"

    Jiang BaiYan sighed, speaking ambiguously: "What if I could still save it."

    Jian Jing held her forehead: "The answer is: Truthcanneverbeblinded, work it out backwards yourself."

    Jiang BaiYan pursed his lips: "Give me a little hint."

    Jian Jing: "No."

    "Just a tiny bit!" He cajoled, "Just a little is enough."

    However, by this time the ne had alreadynded smoothly, and the other passengers were getting ready to leave with their luggage. Zheng Keyan, who was sitting in front, overheard their conversation and curiously asked, "What little by little?"

    "He was asking Jian Jing about the invitation riddle," Coco squeezed up from behind, shaking her head and sighing. "He pestered Jian Jing for half the day about the topic, but couldn''t figure it out himself..."

    Cao Yuughed, "I thought you two were whispering sweet nothings, turns out it was just some deduction."

    "I know right," Han Bo chimed in meaningfully, "I never would have guessed you were so into solving mysteries."

    Jiang Baiyan waspletely unruffled, without a trace of embarrassment at the teasing. "Well I''m not that smart, so I gotta get a head start."

    "You''re not dumb," Jian Jing said. "Your intelligence just isn''t focused here."

    Jiang Baiyan looked innocent. "Then where is it focused?"

    She looked him over and smiled. "I''d like to know that too."

    *

    After being away filming for over half a week, when Jian Jing finally returned home, she received an enthusiastic wee from Pudding.

    She picked up the chubby cat and scratched his head. "Did you miss me?"

    "Meow~"

    "So cute." She pinched Pudding''s cheeks. "What do you think, should I hide you away and not give you back to your owner?"

    Pudding: "Meow?"

    "Oh fine, I''ll let you go." She set down the disgruntled cat. "Speaking of which... hey, how much did you eat that the litter box is this full?"

    Pudding: "Meow meow meow."

    I''m just an innocent little kitty, I don''t know anything.

    "It stinks." Jian Jing abandoned her luggage and got straight to shoveling the litter, too tired to even rest first.

    That night, Kang Mu Cheng came by briefly, just to confirm she was safe and sound before taking his leave.

    Jian Jing was very curious. "Mr. Kang, what have you been busy with recently?"

    "Company matters," Kang Mu Cheng answered apologetically. "Things are a bit hectic, I can''t attend to you. Once I finish up the projects at hand, I''ll take you on vacation to celebrate your new book breaking records."

    Jian Jing was taken aback. "What records?"

    "The record for a Jin Wu mystery novel is 1.45 million copies, and for Rose Gold it''s 1.52 million." Despite his fatigue, Kang Mu Cheng''s eyes still brimmed with unconceble delight. "Congrattions."

    Jian Jing eximed in pleasant surprise, "Really?"

    "Mm, we''ll definitely celebrate this time." Kang Mu Cheng said, "I know you don''t like gatherings, so let''s just go on vacation instead. I haven''t had any time off this year anyway."

    Jian Jing immediately agreed, "I''m free, school vacation ising right up."

    "Then it''s decided." Kang Mu Cheng had no intention to stay long. "Take care of yourself."

    She couldn''t helpughing. "Yes yes, I know."

    "Get some rest early." Kang Mu Cheng came and went in a rush, staying for barely fifteen minutes before leaving again.

    The next day, Jiang Baiyan came to pick up Pudding.

    In just three days, a cat could increase the contents of a home exponentially, including but not limited to: exceptionally cute food bowls, amusing plush toys, various cans of cat food.

    Pudding had lived at Jian Jing''s for a few months, and his belongings had doubled.

    As Jian Jing packed up, she said, "Hang on, I bought some clothes for Pudding, have a seat first."

    But Jiang Baiyan couldn''t sit still. "Can I take a look at your study?"

    "Sure, go ahead." She pushed open the door,pletely open. "Feel free to look around."

    Jiang Baiyanughed as he went inside, asionally crying out in surprise, "So many books! Oh, are these files all reference materials?"

    Jian Jing responded vaguely from the outside as she packed things up. After struggling for quite some time, she finally finished gathering all of Pudding''s belongings.

    "All this is...?" Jiang Baiyan gaped at the huge bag of cat clothes, utterly stunned. "Miss Jian Jing, you bought too much stuff for Pudding!"

    Jian Jing retorted, "Well it''s not for you, is it?"

    "But I''m the one who has to carry it all home!" Jiang Baiyan''s shoulders slumped. "Geez, is Pudding more popr than me?"

    "What do you think?"

    "I knew you yed favorites." He resigned himself to slinging on the cat carrier and bags of clothes and toys. "Pudding, say bye to Miss Jian Jing, we''re going home."

    Pudding: "Meow meow meow."

    Jian Jing teased him through the cage again, then asked, "Leaving already?"

    "Mm, I have to get to thepany." Jiang Baiyan reported his ns. "I have twomercials to film soon."

    Jian Jing didn''t try to keep him either, just seeing him to the door. "Drive safely."

    "Got it, you don''t need to send me off." He lowered the brim of his hat. "I''m going now, bye bye."

    Jian Jing smiled and waved as she watched him enter the elevator before closing her apartment door.

    Then, she entered the study, nced over the rows of books on the shelves, and sat down at the desk. She opened the bottom drawer and took out aptop inside.

    She turned it on and entered her username and password.

    The surveince footage appeared on the screen.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135

    The surveince showed that after Jiang BaiYan walked into the study, he first looked around casually like an ordinary guest, curiously ncing at the scenery and decorations. Then, like most people, he became curious about the bookshelves.

    The simple bookshelves had tworge sections. One section contained reference books of all kinds. He eximed in surprise twice, then went to look at the other section.

    This section didn''t have many books. Twoyers were used to disy ornaments, while the others eachyer contained novels she had written herself, which were: "White Cat Detective", "The Hiding Child", "Demon Doctor", "Rose, Gold and Killer".

    Among them, "White Cat Detective" had a total of sixteen volumes, which was currently the most.

    He didn''t even nce at "The Hiding" which he had starred in, but stood in front of the White Cat series for a long time. Then he reached out and took the folder at the very edge.

    The folder had a sticky note on the book with the words "White Cat". Inside were her manuscripts.

    Jiang BaiYan was very focused. He flipped open the folder directly to the thirteenth volume.

    The manuscript of "Pudding and Gems".

    He looked around cautiously for a moment to make sure she wasn''t nearby, then took out a sticky note from his pocket and silently looked at it for a while before slipping it into the pages and casually putting the folder back.

    Jian Jing paused the surveince, got up and took the folder, found the note, and thought for a moment.

    Both versions of her had written the ˇ°White Cat Detectiveˇ± series, there was no doubt about that. Based on her memory, the content of volumes 1-9 was almost identical, the only difference was that this world''s version had been edited, while hers was the original draft.

    After finishing volume 9, she stopped writing because of the high school entrance exam. The Jian Jing in this worldpleted volumes 10-16 afterwards.

    Jiang BaiYan was particrly concerned about "Pudding and Gems", volume 13, which she had no memory of at all.

    As for the sticky note.

    Jian Jing looked down and inspected it. It was a yellowed piece of paper with a simple cartoon cat sketch. It wasn''t particrly good looking or poorly drawn, just a very ordinary doodle.

    Why did Jiang BaiYan tuck this sticky note in here? Was it rted to the story?

    But "Pudding and Gems" was about a stolen gem case!

    A wealthy merchant had purchased an expensive emerald which then went missing. After reporting it to the police and searching everywhere, several suspects were identified but the gem was nowhere to be found.

    Just as the police were at a loss, someone reported that the thief was the grocery store owner from the next street over.

    The police were very puzzled, but when they arrived at the small shop, they did indeed find the missing gem in with the candy, mixed in with many other gem-shaped candies.

    The grocery store owner was arrested, but his son didn''t believe it and cried alone in the park.

    The white kitten happened to pass by, heard his story, and promised to help find the truth.

    What was the truth?

    It turned out there was a stray cat in this neighborhood who usually dominated over the residents and was familiar with every household. The grocery store owner''s son often fed the stray cat dried fish, and every time the cat ate dried fish, the boy would eat the best gem-shaped candy sold in the store.

    Perhaps this made the cat misunderstand and think humans liked to eat this stuff, so one day, wanting to repay the kindness, the stray cat brought an actual gem to the boy as a gift.

    Not realizing it was a real gem, the boy thought it was candy and casually tossed it into the candy jar.

    The ending was of course the owner being found innocent and released, and the boy adopting the stray cat.

    That stray cat was named Pudding.

    However, despite "White Cat Detective" being Jian Jing''s famous work, it was published as young adult fiction, and the mystery element wasn''t very strong. The story was also a bit frivolous.

    Who would just leave a gem sitting on a table instead of locking it in a safe? Of course, if she remembered correctly, she started writing this story at 13, so expectations couldn''t be too high.

    The question was, what was there in this flimsy story for Jiang BaiYan to care so much about?

    How was this rted to him at all?

    He wasn''t the grocery store owner''s son.

    Lost in thought, the system silently appeared: [New mission released]

    [Mission name: Pudding''s Secret (Long-term)]

    [Content description: What secrets could a cute little kitty have? This is a long-term mission without time limit.]

    [Rewards and penalties: Based on missionpletion status]

    Jian Jing: "???"

    This was the first time a long-term mission appeared, and it was such a strange mission at that. Pudding''s secret? It hid the dried fish under the sofa, or pulled out Daddy''s hair tie?

    Was it referring to the Pudding in "Pudding and Gems", or a meowing Pudding?

    She waspletely confused about why there would be such a weird mission.

    "System, no hints?"

    [This is a long-term mission, the host can investigate slowly.]

    Alright then. Jian Jing temporarily put the mission aside and continued her previous train of thought.

    Other than the manuscripts, she had also ced two more things on the bookshelf.

    A greeting card from Saint Angelica and a poster with a heart drawn on it.

    However, Jiang BaiYan barely nced at them, not looking more or looking less, going straight for the White Cat series. It seemed these two items had no rtion to him.

    That was good then.

    Jian Jing still remembered the man she encountered at the cemetery. He was well dressed so she couldn''t see his appearance, but his build and gait didn''t match any memories.

    In other words, it was probably not someone close to her.

    She had paid attention to the property security guards, and none of them had scars on their hands.

    Was he still monitoring her?

    "Rose, Gold and Killer" had been on shelves for so long, yet there was no movement at all.

    She couldn''t figure out the thought process of perverts.

    *

    The "Murder Hospital" chapter of Ghost House Adventure officially aired in July as it was longer and a rare overseas filming, so it counted as a special chapter.

    Even with just the trailer released, many viewers already booked their calendars. When it started airing, the viewer count directly jumped to six digits, with densely packed barragements making it impossible to open them.

    This wasn''t surprising. Domestic CS games usedser tag which was also exciting, but inevitably couldn''t match the real experience of live ammunition. The immersive environment and real monster battles with real weapons, calling it explosive was no exaggeration.

    Everyone was asking when this haunted house would open for business because they wanted to experience it themselves.

    It received rave reviews domestically, and also caused a stir overseas.

    Ghost House Adventure was introduced abroadst year and aired on overseas streaming sites. With simultaneous release this time, it also gained poprity with foreign audiences.

    Especially the hidden message at the end, viewers tried every method to decipher it until a popr blogger reposted saying the answer was: [It''s a Vigen¨¨re cipher, the keyword is xclub, super easy]

    Everyone unanimously ignored the Versailles man''s nonsense, but became curious about Jian Jing.

    Many people leftments on review sites asking who she was, if she was an action star. Comments rted to her ounted for over half of the total.

    In other words, she alone overshadowed the other fivebined.

    Very aggro-drawing.

    Next were Han Bo and Jiang BaiYan. The former earned goodwill through bravery, while thetter gained attention for his looks - although due to aesthetic differences, his fans were still mainly Asian.

    Following closely was Coco, whose performance was great, but unfortunately, people inevitably makeparisons. In every aspect she was slightly inferior to Jian Jing, and the runner up was always forgotten.

    Zheng Ke Yan remained very popr domestically, but was more average overseas. Fortunately, beauty was an eternal pass, so even without catching fire, some were into her looks.

    Cao Yu was the most miserable.

    Foreign audiences couldn''t urately get his so-called strategist persona. They admired individual heroism. Jian Jing was younger than him, smarter than him, a better fighter than him, and prettier than him - more to their taste.

    So Professor Cao was ignored tonight.

    s, the adult world was just that cruel. :(

    Back to the main point, as the hype gradually fermented, one day, the system released a prompt:

    [System: The host''s reputation has made breakthrough progress in dissemination range. Limited pool unlock time -5 days/cycle]

    Jian Jing: That''s way too stingy!

    Just 5 days from domestic to overseas?

    [System: Please maintain your current fame level. If reputation drops, the original time will be restored.]

    Before Jian Jing could worry, Kang Mu Cheng brought up overseas publishing with her.

    Back three years ago, "White Cat Detective" had already been tranted to Japanese and Korean for publishing. It did gain some attention in Japan and Korea at the time, but didn''t make big waves.

    There were ns to do the same for "Demon Doctor", but top trantors'' schedules were full, so it was postponed until starting up this year.

    "This sequel was originally nned to be published in two volumes in the second half of the year, but it looks like the n will have to change now," Kang Mu Cheng said as he personally delivered the manuscript. "The trantion of the first volume is alreadyplete. I''ll get them to publish it as soon as possible to take advantage of the hype and open up the Western market."

    Jian Jing flipped through the electronic manuscript. She thought the cover looked great, but basically couldn''t understand whether the contents were good or bad.

    "I''ll go with whatever you say. I''m not too worried about this," she didn''t dwell on it too much.

    This made Kang Mu Chengugh instead: "You''re really not nervous at all now, huh?"

    "It''s useless to be nervous. Whether the trantion is good or bad, and whether foreigners will like it or not, isn''t up to me to decide," Jian Jing''s life was now richer and more colorful. Even she didn''t have the same worries now as when Demon 2 was published.

    Kang Mu Cheng heaved a deep sigh, not knowing whether it was relief or something else: "Since you think this way, I''m relieved. Oh right, the script for Rose Gold is already being written. Let them know if you have any thoughts."

    Another script?

    More meetings?

    Jian Jing held her forehead and slumped into the pillow,ining: "Why is there so much work? Didn''t you say we were going on vacation?"

    Was this a joke? She had been busy with Demon 2 matters in the first half of the year, then wrote Rose Gold, filmed a horror show, and finally made it to summer break, only to get more work?!

    It was summer break!

    Kang Mu Cheng chuckled helplessly: "We don''t have to do it if you don''t want to look it over. I just don''t want you to regret it if the filming doesn''t turn out well since it is your work, after all."

    She was silent for a moment before murmuring: "You''re right."

    Seeing her like this made Kang Mu Cheng feel a little bad for some reason. He thought for a bit before asking: "So how about next Monday?"

    "For a meeting? I don''t want to go. Just have the screenwriter send me the script," Jian Jing was growingzy about going out in the increasingly hot weather.

    "For vacation," Kang Mu Cheng''s lips curled into a smile. "I can finish up things this week. As for the script, you can look it over anytime with yourptop."

    Jian Jing sat up straight in surprise: "Really going on vacation? Not to attend some event and casually y on the side like you usually do?"

    Don''t doubt it. Kang Workaholic in Chief was absolutely capable of doing something like that.

    "No events," Kang Mu Cheng squeezed the bridge of his nose and promised: "Purely vacation. It''s not like I haven''t taken you on trips before."

    Jian Jing rxed: "Where to?"

    "Where do you want to go?" he asked back.

    She thought about it before tentatively saying: "Somewhere with fewer people, quieter, not too tiring, and good for summer."

    Kang Mu Cheng made an affirmative noise. He immediately had an idea: "Remember Si Yingjie?"

    An image of a smiling face popped into Jian Jing''s mind, with a voice saying: "Little Jian Jing, Mu Cheng is busy so I''m here to teach you tennis."

    "I remember him." Someone who appeared more than once in her past lives must have made an impression.

    "He''s been in low spiritstely and wanted to take some friends to an ind for a few days," Kang Mu Cheng exined. "What do you think?"

    Jian Jing felt a stir in her heart.

    Si Yingjie was Kang Mu Cheng''s good friend, an irond brotherly bond. She must have seen him many times. Perhaps Kang Mu Cheng was unwilling to tell her something that she could learn from Si Yingjie.

    "Sounds good," she readily agreed. "I haven''t seen Yingjie ge in a long time."

    And so, the matter was settled.

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136

    On Monday, Kang Mu Cheng took Jian Jing on Si YingjieˇŻs private jet.

    ˇ°Look at the face IˇŻm giving you, even a busy man like you made time toe out.ˇ± Si Yingjie was thirty-one this year. He had a masculine appearance and an easy-going personality. He and Kang Mu Cheng were childhood friends. As soon as they met, he hooked his arm around his buddyˇŻs shoulder and gripped him tightly. ˇ°Good brother, I appreciate it.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng pried his hand off. ˇ°I didnˇŻte for you.ˇ±

    ˇ°I know, youˇŻre too shy to admit it.ˇ± Si Yingjie was well-versed in handling the reticent. He didnˇŻt mind at all and smiled at Jian Jing standing to the side. ˇ°Little Jing Jing, long time no see. Did you miss your brother Yingjie?ˇ±

    Jian Jing held back herughter. ˇ°Long time no see.ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh, youˇŻre livelier than before.ˇ± Si Yingjie let go of Kang Mu Cheng and draped his arm over her shoulders instead. He bent down to whisper in her ear, ˇ°Got a boyfriend yet?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°No.ˇ±

    ˇ°Want to consider Brother Yingjie?ˇ± He tempted her. ˇ°IˇŻm single now, you know.ˇ±

    Jian Jing''s gaze lingered on his cor for a few seconds. She reserved judgement. ˇ°Is that so?ˇ±

    ˇ°Yeah, real deal. Just got divorced a month ago.ˇ± Si Yingjie said. ˇ°My feelings are hurt right now. I desperately need a pretty girl tofort me.ˇ±

    He had raised his voice on thatst bit, irking Kang Mu Cheng greatly. ˇ°Are you insane?ˇ±

    Si Yingjie rolled his eyes. ˇ°Watch what you say. WhatˇŻs insane about a single man and woman with nomitments? ThereˇŻs no issue.ˇ±

    ˇ°A divorced man.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng''s distaste was written on his face.

    ˇ°What about divorce?ˇ± Si Yingjie scoffed indifferently. ˇ°Divorce just means she and I were ipatible. We cut our losses in time and set each other free. Right, Jing Jing?ˇ±

    Jian Jing nodded.

    Kang Mu Cheng was even more displeased. "You get married after knowing each other two months, then get divorced after being married for one month. You call that cutting your losses?"

    "No, I was too responsible. I took our feelings seriously, the marriage seriously, freedom seriously." Si Yingjie took some drinks from the fridge and distributed them. "Hey, we haven''t seen each other in so long. You''re attacking me as soon as you get on. That''s going overboard, don''t you think?"

    Kang Mu Cheng epted the cold beer. His tone softened. "Don''t corrupt the child."

    "Tsk, you really need to change this habit." As childhood friends, Si Yingjie dared say what others didn''t. "When we were young, you bossed your mom around so much that Auntie Kang couldn''t take it anymore. She sent you off to boarding school. And now you''re bossing Jing Jing too... For goodness sake, hurry up and get married and have a kid you can boss around instead."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    Jian Jing: "Pfft."

    Sometimes, a person''s best friend isn''t someone simr, but rather someonepletely opposite.

    Kang Mu Cheng was prudent and responsible. Even when going on vacation, he wore dress shirts and trousers, fastidious in every way. Si Yingjie, on the other hand, took casual to the extreme. T-shirt, shorts, slippers - he opened the beer can and drank right from it without removing the pull tab.

    "Would it kill you to wait and drink itter?" Kang Mu Cheng snatched the beer and removed the tab for him. His expression unchanged, he said, "What if you cut your mouth."

    Si Yingjie guffawed loudly. "That''s why I have you! I love going out with you the most. I don''t need to worry about anything. Right, Jing Jing?"

    Jian Jing took the opened c from Kang Mu Cheng and nodded again.

    Going out with Kang always meant she didn''t need to worry about anything except her own luggage. Vacationing with him was undoubtedly far more rxing than traveling alone.

    Kang Mu Cheng was helpless against the two of them. He changed the subject. "Just the three of us? That''s not like you."

    "BINGO! I knew you''d get me." Si Yingjie burped after his beer. He said casually, "Of course I didn''t just invite you. There are some other friendsing too. The more the merrier, right? Otherwise it''d be boring on thisme ind."

    Mischievously teasing Jian Jing again, "Little Jing Jing, my friends are all good looking. If you don''t fancy this divorced old man, you can consider them. Don''t listen to Mu Cheng. You''re my guest these few days. Listen to me."

    Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath and decisively said, "Can''t be bothered with you."

    Si Yingjieughed merrily. He winked at Jian Jing.

    With apanion like this along, the trip was guaranteed to be easygoing. After flying for several hours, theynded in a famous tourist destination. They spent the night at the most luxurious hotel in town.

    The next day, they took a seane to their vacation destination - Mermaid Ind.

    Jian Jing was a little concerned. "Why is it called Mermaid Ind?"

    "Hm? Hahahaha, Jing Jing, don''t tell me you think it''s called Mermaid Ind because mermaids have been spotted here." Si Yingjie guffawed loudly, utterly amused. "So cute. You must really like The Little Mermaid?"

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Please, it''s because mermaid legends make it easy for murders to happen!

    "There are no mermaids in this world." Si Yingjie wanted to ruffle her hair but grabbed at air instead. Hemented, "It''s called that because the ind''s mountains look like a sleeping mermaid, see."

    He pointed into the distance, tracing an S-curve. "That side looks like a woman with long hair, and that cliff face on the other side is the fish tail."

    Jian Jing was instantly relieved. "Okay then."

    As they drew nearer to Mermaid Ind, they set foot on the beach around noon.

    Si Yingjie jokingly asked, "Although I''m already sick of the scenery here, this is Jing Jing''s first time. It should still be decent, no?"

    Jian Jing appreciated the surroundings. It was a typical tropical ind with palm trees, coconut trees, white sandy beach and azure ocean. The zing sunlight warmed her skin.

    "It''s beautiful." She said sincerely.

    "That''s good then." Si Yingjie got on an electric car. "Let''s go, we''re going to the vi."

    Jian Jing noticed there were no signs of peopleing and going on the ind. She couldn''t help asking, "Is this a private ind?"

    Si Yingjie said, "Yes, my cousin bought this ind. He passed away three years ago and left it to me to manage."

    "I''m sorry." She apologized.

    "It''s fine." Si Yingjie didn''t take it to heart. He casually said, "To be honest, if it wasn''t for my cousin''s dying wish, I might have gotten bored of thisme ce after two years. Jing Jing, you should treasure these novel feelings. Give it half a month and you''ll feel there''s nothing fun left to do on this crappy ind. You''ll want for nothing, and have nothing."

    But Jian Jing''s enthusiasm didn''t diminish. "It''s peaceful here."

    "Hmph, don''teining to me then." Si Yingjie let out an odd chuckle, then took the initiative to amend his words. "Well, half a month might not be enough, with scuba diving, surfing, fishing... We can take our time to enjoy everything."

    He asked, "What do you want to try first? I''ll take you. I''ll make sure you have a st these few days."

    Jian Jing looked to Kang Mu Cheng and asked curiously, "What are your ns, Kang?"

    "Work mornings, rest afternoons." Kang Mu Cheng''s ns were clear cut. "Does the signal work here? Don''t have an outage thatsts three, four days like a few years ago."

    Si Yingjie said derisively, "You call that a vacation? No drinking, no staying up all night, no flirting - you''re just working somewhere else. What are you even here for?"

    "Tofort a heartbroken divorcee." Away from his familiar work setting, Kang Mu Cheng was much more rxed. He even retorted, "Why else?"

    Si Yingjie denied it. "I got divorced but I''m not heartbroken."

    "Six months ago, Yang Xiao got engaged. You immediately went and got married. Then she called off her engagement, and you got divorced right after." Kang Mu Cheng said evenly. "Of course, pure coincidence. You''re not heartbroken at all."

    Jian Jing: This tea is delicious.

    Si Yingjie let out an awkwardugh. "Haha, look, we''re here."

    They bypassed the shaded tree-lined avenue and finally arrived at their vacation destination.

    A scattering of waterfront vis.

    "There are twelve vis total, but they''ve never been fully upied." Si Yingjie said. "Take your pick of any except the westernmost one.

    He told Jian Jing, "Jing Jing, take the second vi on the east side. It''s quieter there, higher elevation, best view."

    Jian Jing looked to Kang Mu Cheng. He didn''t say anything, so she smiled. "Thank you, Brother Yingjie."

    "Can''t have you calling me brother for nothing. But why do you still call him ''Kang'' instead of ''Boss''?" Si Yingjie noticed the discrepancy.

    Jian Jing answered, "It suits his temperament."

    Si Yingjie guffawed loudly. "Right, right, that makes sense. Then I''ll call you Boss Kang from now on too."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "...Then I''ll take vi number three."

    "OK, I''ll take number five." Si Yingjie assigned tasks. "I''ll take Jing Jing over. Boss Kang, you''ve been here before, make yourself at home. No need to show you around."

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded, unexpectedly not giving Jian Jing any instructions. It was evident that although heined outwardly, he actually hadplete trust in his friend.

    Unfortunately, Si Yingjie... did not live up to his trust.

    After taking Jian Jing away, he lowered his voice mysteriously, "I''ll tell you, although Vi Number 3 is next to Number 2, every vi here has more than one path. I''ll take you through the small path so if you want to sneak away from Mu Cheng to have fun, you can take the side path and he definitely won''t see you."

    Jian Jing found it quite amusing, but also couldn''t help feeling strange, "Why do you think I want to sneak away from Mr. Kang to have fun?"

    "Mu Cheng has too strong a sense of responsibility. After taking care of you for so long, he would inevitably keep taking care of you in the future," Si Yingjie said solemnly. "Moderation in all things, you''re twenty...twenty-one this year right? Graduated from college?"

    She said, "I''m starting my Master''s in the second half of the year."

    "That''s right," Si Yingjie said meaningfully. "Little Jingjing, I can see that you''re much more sensible now, and don''t need someone to make every decision for you anymore. Mu Cheng should get used to it."

    "I understand," Jian Jing met his gaze and smiled, "You''re afraid I''ll dislike him?"

    Si Yingjie shrugged, evading the question, "Sometimes, those who apany you to have fun are more well-liked than those who manage you, but when something happens, the one willing to take care of you is more dependable."

    Jian Jing heard some wistfulness in his tone, but didn''t pursue it, only saying, "I won''t dislike Mr. Kang, he''s very good to me, one of the few good people in this world to me - also, recently he hasn''t been managing me much."

    Si Yingjie raised his eyebrows.

    "These past two years, Jinwu has had a lot going on, Mr. Kang hasn''t rested for a long time," Jian Jing had no intention of exining further, "Rather than helping me sneak out to y, it''d be better if you keep him froming back, so he can properly take a vacation, instead of rushing me to work during his time off."

    Si Yingjieughed heartily, teasing, "Alright, leave it to me. I''ll make sure of it."

    He was true to his word. After dinner, he brought Kang Mu Cheng to the seaside to drink and chat.

    When it was just the two good friends together, it was easy for many things to be said.

    Si Yingjie first poured out his own troubles, "Yang Xiao and I really can''t reconcile after all these years together, we know each other too well. If I wanted to earn a good living properly, would I have waited until today? I just didn''t want to, but she insisted I ''see the error of my ways'', what could I do? I had no choice but to break up with her."

    Kang Mu Cheng listened quietly.

    "She didn''t know if she was angry at me or what, but went and got engaged to someone else right after. Fine, we parted ways, it''s not like I can''t find another woman-" Si Yingjie picked up the whiskey ss filled with ice and took a big gulp, "I don''t know why Yang Xiao called off her engagement either."

    "I happened to have heard about it," Kang Mu Cheng said. "Her fianc¨¦ died."

    Si Yingjie was stunned, "He died? How?"

    "Not clear, it wasn''t announced publicly." Kang Mu Cheng looked meaningfully at his friend, "Really not going to contact her?"

    Si Yingjie was silent for a moment, then shook his head, self-deprecatingly said, "It''s all in the past, what''s the point in bringing it up? Tell me about you, what have you been busy with recently?"

    "Dream Building," Kang Mu Cheng cracked the ice cubes and added some ice to both their sses. "The Fang Corporation has been struggling desperately recently,cking cash, and has already started selling buildings."

    Si Yingjie eximed, "Your family bought Dream Building?"

    Dream Building was constructed thirty years ago by a famous designer, and was the tallest building in Heping City for a long time, the crowning achievement of the Fang Corporation. But in the past decade of rapid development, it had slowly been surpassed.

    Even so, thend under Dream Building was still worth a fortune, the kind that was priceless.

    "You know my mother loves thesendmark buildings," Kang Mu Cheng rested his forehead in his palm. "It''s made thepany cash flow very tight recently, we haven''t even paid Jian Jing her copyright fees."

    Si Yingjieughed uproariously, teasing, "You owe her money, yet you still manage her affairs, be careful or she''ll ask you to sell yourself to repay the debt."

    "I don''t dare not manage her." Kang Mu Cheng closed his eyes, his expression sinking slightly, "She tried tomit suicide oncest year in the first half."

    Si Yingjie spit out his whiskey in shock, "Really???"

    "But after being saved, it seems like she really came to understand things, she''s just a bit..." Kang Mu Cheng uncharacteristically didn''t know how to describe it, "Nevermind, hard to say, let''s not talk about it."

    Si Yingjie shrugged, raising his ss, "Alright, no more annoying stuff, drink up!"

    The stars were dotted brightly, the vast sea seemingly endless.

    A point of light in the distance gradually approached.

    "Mr. Si," the person in charge of Mermaid Ind jogged over and whispered a few words in Si Yingjie''s ear.

    Si Yingjie was a bit surprised, but quickly said, "That''s fine, let theme over."

    He exined to Kang Mu Cheng, "I said earlier I had invited two other friends, they came earlier than us, saying they were going diving somewhere. They just called and said someone they were with wasn''t feeling well, asking if they coulde rest on the ind overnight, and I agreed."

    "Is there a doctor on the ind?"

    "No, if it''s serious they''ll have to be sent to the hospital by ne." Si Yingjie was eager to help, and thought for a bit before saying, "Let me go take a look."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "I''lle along."

    The two came to the dock. A yacht slowly pulled in, and six people disembarked.

    "A Xu," Si Yingjie greeted his friend, "Who''s not feeling well, is it serious, there''s no professional doctor on the ind, do we need to send them to the hospital?"

    A Xu smiled awkwardly and moved aside.

    Behind him a long-haired woman was supporting a short-haired woman down the boat. The short-haired woman looked up wanly, "Just a bit of heat stroke."

    Si Yingjie was dumbfounded, "Xiao Xiao?"

    "Oh, Yingjie?" Another tall figure with phoenix eyes walked down, narrowing her eyes, "What a coincidence."

    Si Yingjie: "......Ai Lina?"

    Even with Kang Mu Cheng''sposure, at this moment he lightly inhaled a breath.

    If he remembered correctly, his ex-wife was calledˇŞˇŞAi, Li, Na.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137

    It was a dramatic night on Mermaid Ind. The atmosphere was indescribably subtle, but everyone pretended nothing had happened for Yang Xiao''s sake, and quickly sent her to her room to rest well.

    The others traveling with her changed their ns because of her and were also invited by the owner to stay overnight.

    Nothing else happened that night.

    The next day, over breakfast with Kang Mu Cheng, Jian Jing caught him up on the full story.

    It went like this: Si Yingjie had invited four friends - Kang Mu Cheng, her, Dong Xu, and Lin Yao - to vacation on the ind.

    Kang, Si, Dong, and Lin already knew each other and ran in the same circles, with rtionships of varying closeness, but they were all friends.

    Jian Jing addressed Dong Xu and Lin Yao the same way Si Yingjie did, calling them Brother Xu and Yao Yao.

    Yao Yao and Si Yingjie''s ex-girlfriend Yang Xiao were best friends. When she heard that Yang Xiao''s fianc¨¦ had passed away, afraid that she would be gued by grief, Yao Yao invited her on the trip to go scuba diving and rx.

    At the dive site, they encountered two other travelers, including Si Yingjie''s recent ex-wife, Ai Lina.

    Halfway into the dive, Yang Xiao suddenly felt unwell, and they thought it was heat stroke, so had her rest on the boat. But she had terrible seasickness, felt even worse, and they had no choice but to cut the trip short and head back early.

    On the way back, Brother Xu suddenly remembered that the ind Si Yingjie had invited them to was nearby, so he contacted the ind and asked if they coulde up.

    It wouldn''t normally have been possible since they were three days early. But by pure coincidence, Si Yingjie had set off early to amodate Kang Mu Cheng''s schedule, and they just happened to run into each other.

    And so, the most dramatic moment of their lives unfolded - the ex-wife and the ex-girlfriend, all in one ce.

    Jian Jing: [Sealpping.JPG]

    She was very concerned about Si Yingjie''s state of mind and specifically went to see him after breakfast, using his gift of a tropical fish tank as an excuse to thank him for it - it was beautiful.

    Si Yingjie was lying on the huge terrace of his room, listless. He said weakly, "I''m d you like it. My brother''s room needs renovating, so the fish will stay in yours for a few days. They''re all rare breeds you won''t see outside.

    "No wonder I''ve never seen such pretty fish before," Jian Jing remarked happily. "But seeing them in a tank doesn''tpare to seeing them underwater. Weren''t you going to teach me to scuba dive?"

    Si Yingjie brushed her off, "I have a bit of diarrhea, let''s do it another day, another day."

    "Did you eat too much seafood yesterday?" Jian Jing asked seriously. "Have you taken any medicine?"

    He nced at her and heaved out a long sigh, "To be honest, aren''t you here to see me make a fool of myself?"

    Jian Jing looked baffled. "It''s just diarrhea, what''s there tough about?"

    "Looks like Mu Cheng didn''t tell you? That''s just like him, he''s very discreet." Si Yingjie muttered to himself for a moment before having an idea. He spoke solemnly, "Jingjing, has Brother Yingjie been good to you?"

    Jian Jing nodded, "Pretty good." He had taken great care of her despite them being mere acquaintances, which was no easy feat.

    "Ah," he sighed heavily again. "Brother Yingjie is having some trouble now. Would you be willing to help me out a little?"

    Jian Jing smiled. "Pretending to be your girlfriend is out of the question."

    Si Yingjie wailed and covered his face. "So Mu Cheng did tell you. What a mess."

    "It''s not that big a deal," Jian Jing sat in the lounge chair next to him, gazing at the distant blue sky and white clouds, in great spirits. "The scenery here is so nice. Oh, there are people over there."

    She leaned over the railing and craned her neck to look. "Three women, who''s that one?"

    Si Yingjiezily yed along, "Which one? The one with short hair is Yang Xiao, long hair is Yao Yao, and the one with the great figure is Ai Lina."

    Jian Jing narrowed her eyes and secretly peered at them through binocrs.

    Of the three, Yao Yao had the sweetest, most beautiful face and fair skin. Yang Xiao''s looks were slightly less striking, but her eyes were keen and she had an air of stubbornness about her that made her more memorable than the generic Yao Yao. However, neitherpared in allure to Ai Lina.

    She looked mixed-race, with deeper set eyes and a bewitching charm. Wearing just shorts and a tank top, her ample bosom and curvy hips attracted the gaze of even females.

    Jian Jing ogled Ai Lina with great interest, but just then, she suddenly turned her head, surveyed the area, then locked eyes in their direction.

    She waved at them.

    Jian Jing was taken aback - the terrace was a good distance from the beach, only blurry figures could be made out without binocrs, faces unidentifiable.

    How did Ai Lina know she was watching her?

    Distracted by this thought, she didn''t react at all.

    Over there, Yao Yao turned her head curiously. "Ms. Ai, who are you waving at?"

    "There''s someone on the terrace," Ai Lina spoke fluent Mandarin. "I thought it was Yingjie."

    Yao Yaoughed. "It''s too far, they can''t see you waving!"

    "You''re right," Ai Lina said. "Or maybe if he did see me, he''d pretend not to."

    Yao Yao''s eyes flitted toward Yang Xiao, though she just remarked, "You can''t be lovers, but you can still be friends. What a coincidence running into you though, I had no idea you were Yingjie''s ex before this!"

    "It is quite a coincidence, but I dive around here a lot and that''s how we met too," Ai Lina freely discussed the past, seeming perfectly at ease without a hint of awkwardness, just enjoying the sea breeze. "The scenery is so beautiful."

    Yao Yao nodded lightly and asked the silent Yang Xiao, "Xiaoxiao, how are you feeling? Still ufortable?"

    "I''m fine now," Yang Xiao likewise betrayed no emotion, and even thanked Ai Lina. "Thanks again for saving me. If you hadn''t caught me when I got dizzy earlier, I definitely would''ve fallen into the ocean."

    Ai Lina''s lips curved. "Just lending a hand, no need to be so polite."

    Caught in the middle, Yao Yao looked between them and said to the fourth person there, "Brother Xu, the sun''s quite strong. Why don''t you take Xiaoxiao back to rest first? I''ll keep Ai Linapany and walk around some more."

    Brother Xu immediately agreed, "Alright, let''s head back first, Xiaoxiao."

    Yang Xiao nodded lightly and left with him.

    Yao Yao and Ai Lina continued down the small ind paths.

    Soon, they disappeared from Jian Jing''s line of sight.

    "Jingjing, what are you looking at?" Si Yingjie yawned and struggled to get up from the lounge chair. "The sun''s too harsh now, let''s go do something else."

    15 minutester.

    Jian Jing stared at the beach volleyball in the shade and was speechless. "Beach volleyball?"

    "There''s a cross breeze here and trees all around, perfect for some outdoor games," Si Yingjie said, bouncing a volleyball in his hands. "Come on, you and Mu Cheng both sit too much, you need more exercise."

    The tropical sun could kill someone during the day, so the shade was a rare luxury. Jian Jing didn''t have much toin about on vacation, she couldn''t just stay indoors the whole time.

    "Fine, just the two of us?"

    "What do you think about us joining?" Brother Xu and Yang Xiao eagerly came over from a small path.

    Despite his earlier melodramatics, Si Yingjie now remainedposed and greeted them casually, "Sure, 2v2."

    Only then did he check with Yang Xiao, "Can you handle it? If not, I''ll call Yao Yao over and you can rest on the sidelines."

    "I''m fine now," Yang Xiao took off her cover up and stretched. "Haven''t yed in so long, hope my skills haven''t gotten rusty."

    Brother Xu deliberately asked, "You two used to partner up with great coordination, still on the same team?"

    "Can''t abandon Jingjing here," Si Yingjie just smiled. "Know the rules? Let''s y a round first so you can watch me and get a feel for it."

    He really had his own way with taking care of people, considerate and patient.

    Jian Jing didn''t know beach volleyball but quickly got the hang of it after he coached her a bit.

    "Alright, lesson over, only real gamey can be the best teacher now. Let the games begin!" Si Yingjie served to start the match.

    Volleyball wasn''t difficult, and with Jian Jing''s high strength and agility stats, she quickly yed decently.

    On the other hand, Brother Xu and Yang Xiao''s team didn''t perform so well.

    Maybe Jian Jing imagined it, but she felt Yang Xiao sizing her up several times.

    After one set, Jian Jing and Si Yingjie''s team scored.

    Si Yingjie looked at Jian Jing with newfound respect, clicking his tongue in wonder. "You used to y tennis like a little kid, how did you get so good now?"

    "In the past?" Ah Xu finally asked the key question, "Yingjie, this youngdy doesn''t look very old."

    Si Yingjie rolled his eyes wildly: "What are you implying? This is Jian Jing, a writer signed by the Mu Cheng family. She has always been under his care."

    "Mr. Kang has to work in the morning, so he asked brother Yingjie to take care of me," Jian Jing exined briefly, and threw up the volleyball, "I''m going to serve now."

    It went much more smoothly this time.

    Because Yang Xiao''s body was still a little weak, and Jian Jing wouldn''t drag them down, the two of them teamed up with Si Yingjie to win two sets out of three, sessfully taking the match.

    "Let''s not y anymore, let''s go get something to drink," Si Yingjie''s face was towards Jian Jing, but his eyes frequently nced at someone else.

    Both Ah Xu and Jian Jing noticed this, and of course they wouldn''t object.

    The restaurant on the ind was halfway up the hillside, and the sea breeze was very cool. Specially hired pastry chefs had made many exquisite desserts, and mixologists tailored different drinks ording to each person''s requirements.

    Jian Jing took a ss of sparkling water with ice, and sat in a hammock to enjoy the scenery.

    "You guys are all here," Lin Yao came in through another door of the restaurant, "I''m dying of heat, get me a mint soda."

    Ai Lina also greeted Si Yingjie, praising, "This ind is so beautiful."

    "You haven''t been here before?" Si Yingjie thought for a moment, and realized, "Oh, we met on another ind."

    "How heartbreaking, we just got divorced, and you''ve already forgotten everything about us," Ai Lina nced at Yang Xiao with a smile, folded her arms, "Or are you just pretending to forget?"

    Si Yingjie: "......"

    Jian Jing sipped her sparkling water, thinking to herself, this is going to be dramatic, experiencing it for the first time, how exciting!

    Lin Yao cleverly tried to defuse the situation for her friend, and was struck by inspiration, pointing at the two people strolling up: "Look, Coach Yin and Mr. Zong are here."

    Who are they? The thought shed through her mind, and Jian Jing immediately figured it out.

    That''s right, Kang Mu Cheng saidst night a total of six people came, apart from friends Ah Xu and Lin Yao, exes Yang Xiao and Ai Lina, there were two other people.

    "Yingjie, this is Coach Yin who went scuba diving with us," Lin Yao made the introduction, "This is Mr. Zong, who also went scuba diving with us, his profession is...photographer, right?"

    Coach Yin was a young woman with short hair, tall and statuesque, unexpectedly beautiful. Reasonably, the men present, whether they were attached or not, would inevitably take a few more nces at her.

    However, everyone''s eyes were drawn to the man next to her.

    He had a slender yet strong figure, honey-colored skin, wearing a very eye-catching pink shirt. His soft hair was slightly messy, but not slovenly. He wore colorful lens sunsses, through which a pair of phoenix eyes could be seen.

    "Yes, my name is Zong Xunmei," he took off his sunsses and smiled faintly.

    As usual, Jian Jing liked to use characteristics or professions as aliases for strangers. But for this newly acquainted Mr. Zong, shepletely forgot about his upation as a photographer.

    The only thought in her mind was: which fox spirit is this from where!

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138

    It was said that after the founding of the country, no more fox spirits were allowed to appear. So why did a male fox spirit show up on the ind?

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but size up Zong Xunmei carefully. To say he looked like a fox spirit was not to say he had the pointy mouth and monkey cheeks of a real fox, but that his entire being seemed to exude a seductive charm, as if beckoning, "Come here, let''s have fun," tickling one''s heart and making you want to sneeze.

    What a dangerous man.

    She rubbed her nose and tried her best to look away.

    The other wealthy second generation youths were quite experienced and immune to beauty, only taking a couple more nces before settling down.

    Zong Xunmei and Yin Coach took their seats and joined the conversation. Everyone was rather curious about this "male fox spirit" and asked about his background.

    "I''m a frence photographer. I signed up for the diving lessons this time to take photos of the ind," Zong Xunmei had one arm draped casually over his chair. "But I have limited talent. I couldn''t take it long after getting in the water. It must have given you a headache, right Coach Yin?"

    Yin Coach smiled. "You''re definitely not the worst student I''ve taught."

    Zong Xunmei raised his brows. "Is that meant tofort me?"

    "No," Yin Coach smiled brightly and nced at A Xu, not naming names. "The worst is sitting right here."

    A Xu was very frank and volunteered, "That would be me. I''m hopeless in water. I didn''t even learn to swim before starting diving lessons and almost got into big trouble. Thankfully, Tongtong saved me."

    Si Yingjie seized on the key point. "Tongtong?"

    "Forgot to mention," A Xu put his arm around Yin Coach''s shoulder, "my girlfriend."

    Yin Coach was a little embarrassed and pushed his hand away.

    A Xu was eager to show off and praised, "Tongtong is amazing. Very professional and patient. None of her students dislike her, and they all learned to dive in the end."

    Si Yingjie scoffed and rejected the dog food. "Speaking of diving, this ce isn''t bad either. Why don''t you guys stay a few more days and teach another student?" He called out to Jian Jing, "Jingjing, you should learn too, since you''re here already."

    Jian Jing was sitting in a hanging chair and couldn''t help but say, "Then let Coach Yin teach me, and you can teach Miss Yang, okay?"

    Snickers arose.

    Si Yingjie was embarrassed and grabbed a lemon from the table, tossing it at her.

    Jian Jing could tell he hadn''t used any strength and it wouldn''t hit her. He was just bluffing. So she didn''t dodge and instead lifted her arm, pretending to block instinctively.

    Sure enough, the lightly tossed lemon dropped onto the table before reaching Jian Jing. But by bad luck, it bumped into a bottle beside it.

    Seeing the beer bottle tip over and most of its contents about to spill out towards her, Yang Xiao lightly cried out and leaned back, not wanting her clothes to get wet with beer.

    But there were people on either side of her and they were sitting at the tall bar counter drinking, with no way to move aside in time.

    Just as the bottle was about to fall and ssh out foam, a hand reached out from the side.

    It steadily gripped the neck of the bottle.

    White foam overflowed, wetting the fingers.

    "You okay?" Zong Xunmei had his head propped in his right hand, smiling as he righted the bottle.

    Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Yes, thanks."

    "You''re wee," Zong Xunmei let go of the bottle, raising his eyelids slightly as he continued enjoying the scenery.

    But Jian Jing couldn''t help looking over at him.

    What just happened took quite a few words to describe, but from when Si Yingjie threw the lemon to when Zong Xunmei spoke, it was at most one or two seconds.

    From the bottle tipping over to being caught, it was done in a sh.

    And he had used his left hand.

    This person wasn''t left-handed, yet could react so quickly with his non-dominant hand. There was only one possibility¨Dhis reflexes were extremely sharp and he had excellent body control.

    A photographer?

    How strange.

    Especially since he seemed to be gazing out the window right now, yet his peripheral vision just happened to brush over the hanging chair she was sitting on. Was he looking at the sky or at people?

    Jian Jing casually jumped down from the hanging chair and walked over to the bar. "One avocado smoothie for me."

    As she spoke, she observed through the reflection in the metal cup¨Dif Zong Xunmei was watching her with his peripheral vision, he would reflexively move his eyes to follow¨Dbut he had no reaction. His eyes remained fixed out the window, staring intently with a hint of a smile at the corners of his lips.

    "That''s such a girly taste," Ai Linaughed. "I''d never guess you were a mystery novelist from that."

    Jian Jing held the coffee cup filled with creamy avocado smoothie, puzzled. "What does it matter?"

    "Just a feeling, no particr reason," Ai Lina waved her hand as if she''d just randomlymented and turned to joke with Si Yingjie.

    She was open-minded despite the awkward ex-wife status and quickly hit it off with the others. It was Yang Xiao who was strangely silent, whether due to physical difort or some other reason.

    Before long, she stood and said, "I''m feeling a little unwell, so I''ll head back first."

    "You''re not eating lunch?" Si Yingjie asked as he turned to look.

    Yang Xiao softly replied, "Lost my appetite from the heat."

    Si Yingjie hesitated, on the verge of saying more.

    Yao Yao then said, "I''m a little tired too, I''ll go with you."

    Yang Xiao nodded and the two left together.

    After that, A Xu and Yin Coach walked out hand in hand, saying they wanted to stroll around and appreciate the ind scenery.

    Zong Xunmei also left, saying he wanted to take photographs.

    "I''m a little tired too," Ai Lina seemed to see through Si Yingjie''s thoughts and took the initiative to leave before he could make excuses to do the same, leaving him with only a meaningful look.

    Si Yingjie was somewhat embarrassed, but also relieved. He called Kang Mu Cheng to meet up for lunch.

    Jian Jing described the chaotic morning to Kang Mu Cheng, unable to hide her curiosity. "I always feel like you''ve been avoiding Ai Lina''s gaze."

    "Did something to wrong her?" Dressed in casual vacation clothes instead of his usual suit and dress shirt, Kang Mu Cheng looked much more rxed.

    In normal times, he might not have joked like this, but it seemed perfectly natural now.

    Si Yingjie waved his hand emphatically. "Even though we divorced not long after marrying, it was a bit much on my part, but I don''t regret it at all¨DAi Lina... sigh, I was too rash back then."

    He regretted a little, "When I first met her at my cousin''s funeral, I was like bewitched, wanting to be with her every day. It wasn''t even like that with Xiao Xiao. We used to argue all the time."

    Jian Jing listened raptly. "So affectionate, why did you get divorced?"

    Si Yingjie hesitated briefly before giving a vague, roundabout answer. "No reason, we just wanted to, that''s all." He changed the topic. "Seeing each other after the divorce is of course awkward."

    That answered Jian Jing''s earlier question.

    "If you''re awkward seeing each other, then see each other less," Kang Mu Cheng''s thinking was clear and straightforward. When faced with a problem, solve it.

    He immediately came up with a solution, "Make some excuse to get them to leave the ind. Say you need to go ashore to get supplies and ask if they want to catch a ride. Then they probably won''t stay."

    Si Yingjie hesitated a little. "That''s practically kicking them out."

    Jian Jing shrugged at Kang Mu Cheng and mouthed "Yang Xiao."

    Kang Mu Cheng helplessly shook his head. "Then just minimize contact."

    "I suppose that''s best," Si Yingjie absentmindedly agreed. He never imagined this decision would leave him with lifelong regret.

    Because the next morning, Yang Xiao was dead.

    *

    This was what happened:

    The next day, around 6 AM, Yao Yao and Yin Coach went together to Yang Xiao''s room. They had agreed to start diving lessons this morning when the temperature was mostfortable.

    But no matter how they knocked, Yang Xiao didn''t open the door.

    Yao Yao was very worried and said she didn''t know if Yang Xiao was unwell again. She specifically asked the butler for the key to open the door and check inside.

    At that time, Yang Xiao was lying motionless in bed.

    Yao Yao was shocked and rushed over to check her forehead, only to find her body was already cold and she had stopped breathing.

    She was frightened and horrified, exchanging startled looks with Yin Coach, both unable to react for some time.

    In the end, it was Yin Coach who reacted quickly and immediately went to get Si Yingjie. When the others heard themotion and came over to see what was going on, they finally learned of the tragedy.

    Si Yingjie copsed on the spot, hugging Yang Xiao''s body while repeatedly calling out her name. He also told the butler to contact the hospital to send her for emergency treatment.

    In the end, it took Kang Mu Cheng dumping cold water on him for Si Yingjie toe to his senses.

    "What madness is this, with her in this state." He said coldly, "You''re muddled, only willing to let her killer go free."

    "Killer? What killer?" Si Yingjie mumbled, though his eyes were slowly regaining rity.

    Jian Jing said: "There are two small holes on her arm, and no other wounds. It looks like she was bitten by a snake and died."

    "Looks like?" With Kang Mu Cheng''s support, Si Yingjie finally regained his ability to think, "That''s right, there don''t seem to be snakes on this ind, I''ve never seen one."

    The butler said: "Sometimes you can see a few non-venomous snakes, but none of the venomous, deadly kind have been seen on the ind."

    Si Yingjie slowly said: "So someone killed Xiao Xiao?" His gaze swept over everyone, as if trying to discern the killer from their expressions.

    But their faces showed only shock, grief, and bewilderment, with no cracks.

    Including Ai Lina.

    "It''s only a possibility," Jian Jing corrected him, "Based on the condition of the corpse, time of death was around 4 AM, but snake venom takes time to take effect. If it was murder, time of attack would be even earlier."

    "There''s no necrosis around the wounds, looks like a cobra bite," Zong Xunmei said. "That would mean she was bitten around 10-12 PM."

    Jian Jing stared at him: "Didn''t expect you to know so much, Mr. Zong."

    "I travel a lot, spend a lot of time outdoors, I knowmon venomous snakes. Is that so strange?" Zong Xunmei was calm and unruffled. "Miss Jian, suspecting me is meaningless. Don''t forget, I didn''t have a chance to do it - we were together all ofst night."

    Jian Jing pressed her lips together and said coldly: "No need to remind me, I remember clearly."

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at her, then put his hand on Si Yingjie''s shoulder. "Let''s call the police first."

    Si Yingjie nodded, and told the butler: "You call the police, and the embassy too."

    Si Yingjie took a deep breath, straightening his back, and said clearly: "Xiao Xiao can''t die here for no reason. Until we find the killer, no one may leave this ind."

    The others all nodded, with no objections.

    Jian Jing suggested: "Since we have an approximate time of death, let''s go over where everyone wasst night, and what they were doing."

    She recalled: "I remember Miss Yang wasst seen by us at 7 PM, after dinner."

    "That''s right, she said she was a bit tired, ate a little then went back to her room," Yao Yao chimed in, seeming slightly uneasy. "I walked her back, but at that time she was fine, didn''t mention feeling unwell anywhere."

    A Xu quickly added: "Yao Yao isn''t lying. I called Xiao Xiao after 8 PM, and asked if she wanted to continue scuba lessons tomorrow. Tong Tong can vouch for me."

    Coach Yin said: "I was the one who told A Xu to call and ask. I heard Miss Yang''s voice too."

    Jian Jing frowned.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139

    At 7 o''clock, the butler brought bad news.

    Because of the passing typhoon, they couldn''t go out to sea. The police couldn''te to the ind for now, and Mermaid Ind was also within the predicted typhoon zone. In other words, they couldn''t expect the local police for at least 24 hours.

    "Damn it!" Si Yingjie suppressed his churning emotions and said irritably, "What about Yang Xiao? Who''s going to investigate?"

    "Calm down, brother Yingjie," Jian Jing pressed him back into the chair and said calmly, "The police can''te for now, so we''ll investigate ourselves."

    Kang Mu Cheng said in a deep voice, "Yingjie, cheer up. You''re the host. You need to take charge of the overall situation."

    Si Yingjie held his head in his hands. It took him a while to ask, "What should we do?"

    Jian Jing said slowly, "We need to figure out what everyone was doingst night to see if there are any alibis." Knowing Si Yingjie''s poor condition now, she exined very carefully, "From 7 p.m.st night to 6 a.m. this morning, where were you, what did you do, and who can prove it?"

    She continued, "I''ve already asked the staff. They live in the staff dormitory and can vouch for each other."

    Therefore, if there was a murderer, they must be among the guests.

    Time rewinded to yesterday.

    After parting at the dining room at noon, everyone went separate ways.

    Si Yingjie said he wanted to teach Jian Jing to y pool and took Kang Mu Cheng along. The three of them lingered in the billiards room until 4 p.m. When the sun wasn''t so ring, they went to the infinity pool.

    There they met A Xu and Coach Yin.

    When asked about the whereabouts of others, A Xu said, "Yao Yao and Yang Xiao said they wanted to bake desserts. I haven''t seen Ai Lina and Mr. Zong at all."

    The five of them yed by the pool until after 6 p.m., then went to the dining room for dinner.

    Because of the awkwardness that everyone knew, they did not eat together.

    Si Yingjie had just entered the dining room and started eating when Yang Xiao said she didn''t feel well and wanted to rest. Yao Yao then said she would take her back to the room.

    That was thest time everyone saw her. The time was 7 p.m.

    Afterwards, Yao Yao returned to the dining room and joined her friends at their table. She also let her friends try the desserts she and Yang Xiao made that afternoon.

    At 7:30 p.m., Ai Lina appeared.

    She had changed into new clothes. She said she went hiking in the hills that afternoon, went back to her room to take a nap after 2 p.m., woke up at 5 p.m., took a shower, did a spa, and then came over for dinner.

    After some small talk, Si Yingjie and Kang Mu Cheng left, and the two went back to their rooms to drink alone.

    Jian Jing wanted to give the two friends some private time to chat, so she didn''t follow them. She also didn''t want to stay with the two parents anymore. She chose to stay and y cards.

    This was Ai Lina''s suggestion.

    But A Xu and Coach Yin, being a couple, wanted to watch a movie together and do some naughty things, so they politely declined.

    That was fine. Three people could y Fighting the Landlord. But then Zong Xunmei appeared, smiling and asking, "What about counting me in to y poker?"

    Everyone turned their heads. They saw him standing under the crystalmp. His eyes were slightly open, with a vague glow in them. It seemed like he was looking at you, but if you looked closely, you felt like he didn''t care about anyone at all.

    "Wee," Ai Lina said with a flowery smile. She asked Jian Jing and Yao Yao, "What should we y with four people?"

    Yao Yao said, "I know a little bit of everything, but I''m not very good at any."

    Jian Jing said, "...I only know 21."

    Ai Lina changed her words, "Then let''s y mahjong."

    "You can y mahjong too?" Yao Yao said in surprise.

    "Games have no borders," Ai Lina called the butler to bring a mahjong set and yed skillfully. "Miss Jian, do you know how to y? It doesn''t matter if you don''t. I''ll teach you."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "What, don''t believe me?" Ai Lina nced at her.

    Jian Jing said, "No, I just think your tone is very simr to brother Yingjie''s."

    "Oh? After all, we''re a married couple. It''s normal to be alike," she said casually.

    Jian Jing just smiled without furtherment.

    The mahjong game didn''t go very smoothly. No, to be precise, it was a mess.

    The rules wereplicated, with many variations. The other three yed very quickly, but when it was her turn, she couldn''t make a move for a long time. Relying on intuition, she randomly discarded a tile, and two out of three times she dealt into someone else''s hand.

    After a few rounds, Ai Lina couldn''t help ridiculing, "Miss Jian, even when people are feeding you tiles, you still y this badly. Your skills are really rotten."

    Reborn for a year, Jian Jing''s acting skills had progressed as much as her reasoning skills. Hearing this, she was surprised and said, "Am I ying that badly? I thought I was doing quite well."

    Ai Lina leaned her cheek on one hand, stroking the mahjong tiles with her fingertips. She was half serious and half joking, "Look at Mr. Zong, he''s so busy helping you win tiles but it''s more tiring than winning himself."

    "I wouldn''t say it''s tiring," Zong Xunmei leaned back in his chair, looked up at Jian Jing across from him, smiling at the corners of his lips, bright eyes, "After all, what I want to win isn''t money."

    Jian Jing put on a confused expression and hesitated before saying, "I don''t know what you guys are talking about. I don''t understand."

    Yao Yaoughed softly behind her hand, "Hurry up, it''s your turn."

    She lowered her head. Her slender white fingers slid over the mahjong tiles. Finally making up her mind, she discarded a tile.

    "Oh, you just helped me win," Ai Linaughed brightly. "Thanks a lot."

    Jian Jing said, "...Let''s y again."

    She specially washed her hands and changed to a low alcohol bubbly drink for another round.

    Around nine or ten o''clock, her luck turned better. With more experience, and Zong Xunmei''s crazy tile feeding, Jian Jing finally won a hand.

    "Let''s stop, let''s stop," Ai Lina stretchedzily. Her curves were exquisite. "With a novice and someone letting me win, it''s boring. I''ll just go drink."

    She got up and stood by the window, gazing for a while. Pointing to a higher balcony, she asked, "Isn''t that a great ce to stargaze?"

    Yao Yaoughed and said, "Yes, the view is especially good there."

    "Then I''ll go appreciate the night sky," Ai Lina turned around and said to Yao Yao, "Do you want toe along? Let''s leave the ce to a certain someoneˇŞafter all, what he wants to win isn''t money, right?"

    Since it wasn''t money, it could only be her heart. Yao Yao tactfully understood andughed, "Alright, I wanted to get some fresh air anyway."

    The two of them took wine and an ice bucket and tantly slipped away.

    "Have a drink?" Zong Xunmei looked at Jian Jing with a deepening smile at the corners of his lips, "You''re quite interested in me, aren''t you?"

    Jian Jing pursed her lips.

    Yes, she was very curious about him, but it wasn''t romantic interest. Rather, it was a kind of strange intuitionˇŞthe way Zong Xunmei presented himself didn''t match his true self.

    Of course, this feeling was very subtle, wavering between existence and nonexistence, like a streetlight in foggy weather, glimmering in and out of sight, only able to glimpse a scale or w.

    Jian Jing believed in her intuition, but she didn''t want to expose too much. She turned her face away to avoid his gaze and denied, "No, not really."

    Zong Xunmei slowly said, "Don''t worry, I''m not a bad person."

    His words made her startled. After hesitating for a while, she still followed him to the bar.

    Zong Xunmei said a couple words to the bartender, and the other smiled and left, leaving the spacious room to just the two of them.

    Jian Jing pretended to be unconcerned. "What did you say to him?"

    "I told him he could get off work," Zong Xunmei went behind the bar and looked through the avable liquors and wines. "What do you want to drink? A margarita? Sex on the Beach?"

    "What''s that? Never heard of it," Jian Jing casually said, "I want a butterbeer."

    Zong Xunmei chuckled lightly. "It really is a little girl''s taste."

    She asked, "Don''t know how to make it?"

    "It''s not that hard to figure out," he said. Then he found a small pot for heating milk, turned on the induction cooker, took butter from the fridge to melt it, added a bit of brown sugar and cream, stirred it, then poured in the beer and stirred evenly. After pouring it into a ss, he whipped some cream and slowly poured ayer on top, sprinkling cinnamon powder.

    "Here," Zong Xunmei slid the ss towards her. "Be careful, it''s hot."

    Jian Jing took a sip and swallowed with difficulty after a long while.

    The taste was so weird.

    But she had ordered it herself, so she had to keep face no matter what.

    She pretended that nothing was wrong, convinced her facial muscles were controlled very well, so she shouldn''t have shown any difort. However, Zong Xunmei still passed her another freshly-made cocktail, the famous Bloody Mary.

    "Half price for the second drink?" she asked.

    "You''ll like this one," he said meaningfully, "It''s a lot like you, isn''t it?"

    Jian Jing raised her brows.

    Zong Xunmei''s eyes smiled, "It looks colorful and gorgeous on the outside, lovely as a peach blossom. But behind it is intertwined with blood, endless killing intent." He said slowly, "Am I right or wrong, Miss Jian Jing, the mystery novelist who has assisted the police in cracking multiple murder cases?"

    She immediately narrowed her eyes.

    The seasonal wind had told her that for the sake of safety, the files of all the people who had helped the police solve cases only contained a number. Only a few could ess their identities.

    How did Zong Xunmei know about it?

    She was a little surprised and also felt a sense of confirmation of her guesses - he was indeed not simple.

    "Oh, you mean this," Jian Jing calmly kept herposure and readily admitted, "It''s just a hobby. But how did you find out? I don''t remember telling anyone about it."

    "Geese leave traces in the sky. If you observe carefully, the answers be obvious," Zong Xunmei said.

    Jian Jing thought to herself: He''s just making stuff up.

    She turned the tables on him, "That makes sense. It''s like some people who im to be photographers but don''t seem like photographers at all."

    "Please borate," he said.

    Jian Jing shrugged her shoulders but did not chatter on like before - not because she was unwilling, but because she could not. The intermediate observation card was enough to deal with most people. But when facing an expert of disguise like Zong Xunmei, she felt somewhat inadequate. She could only sense something was off but couldn''t pinpoint the specifics.

    Zong Xunmei lifted his ss of icy whiskey and took a sip, hiding the smile at the corner of his lips, "It looks like it''s just a feeling."

    They had reached this point in the conversation, so Jian Jing had two options: either admit defeat again, show weakness to him, and see if she could fish for more information using her charm, or stubbornly deny it since she couldn''t do anything about it anyway.

    She didn''t want to show weakness, and she felt that with her looks, it would be futile. Just as she was hesitating, light footsteps sounded from the entrance.

    "Oh, where is the bartender?" Yao Yao came in and asked, "I''d like to order some chilled beer."

    Zong Xunmei opened the fridge and took out a chilled beer, "Anything else?"

    "Ai Lina is a little drunk, so I think I''ll just have something low proof," Yao Yao smiled, revealing a shallow dimple on her cheek, "Please continue."

    At that time, it was 10:40 pm.

    Ten minutester, the inte rang. It was A Xu requesting the bartender to deliver ice cream and vodka. But upon hearing Zong Xunmei''s voice, he voluntarily said he woulde to collect them himself.

    Shortly after, he came alone, chatted with them briefly, took the ice cream and vodka, and left.

    That was 11:05 pm.

    Jian Jing had finished her Bloody Mary and was already somewhat tipsy.

    "You''re a little drunk," Zong Xunmei poured her a ss of Coke, "Drink this."

    Jian Jing was about to stop at the right time, but Zong Xunmei picked up the conversation again, "Let me think, when did you first notice me... Oh, lemon."

    He smiled again. His eyes contained some slyness but absolutely no malice. It was like a lover''s murmur, gentle yet a little seductive, butpletely devoid of any murderous intent.

    Moreover, now that the conversation had started, leaving at this point would seem like fleeing the battlefield.

    Jian Jing had no choice but to take the Coke, intending to use ˇőˇő to clear her mind. Little did she know that at this point, the winner was already apparent.

    This was no ordinary opponent. She was wary of him, yet unknowingly, her guard had been dissolved - and this was not her fault at all.

    His words were so witty and his demeanor so intimate. Even the most aloof woman would feel seduced by his omnipresent charm.

    But that was not all.

    Over the course of several hours, not once did he touch her limbs, fingers, hair, shoulders - of course this included more suggestive areas like her legs. He maintained a distance, exhibiting gentlemanly manners and propriety.

    This seduction was graceful and rxing. There was not the slightest sense of offensive vition, yet it was full of pheromones - pure, unadulterated attraction between the opposite sexes.

    He was also excellent at conversation, tossing out onement after another like a skilled novelist, timed perfectly to arouse the other party''s desire to express themselves.

    To be listened to, understood, attracted, affirmed.

    Then at some point, passed out on the bar counter.

    It was very sudden. In the previous second, she still felt conscious, but the next second when she woke up, she was already in a new environment.

    She struggled to sit up and saw the clock in the room disy 12:45 am.

    "You were drunk," he said. "Go to sleep."

    Her fading consciousness told her this was not her room, and she had to leave this ce.

    But Zong Xunmei only held the back of her head and rested it on the soft pillow, so her body assumed it had returned to an environment where it could rest, and fell asleep.

    When she awoke, it was 5:20 am the next day.

    A system message hung in front of her eyes.

    [Mission Name: Killing Intent in a Love Polygon]

    [Mission Description: Blue skies, white clouds, emerald seas, sandy beaches - this tropical ind has encountered an unprecedented carnage. Under love''s spell, murderous intent closes in. Whose hands are already stained with blood? Please uncover the truth on the ind.]

    [Mission Reward &amp; Punishment: 30 Courage points for sess. No punishment for failure.]

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140

    Life is always full of surprises.

    For example, you may wake up to find a murder case, not knowing who died, or you may wake up to find not only a murder case but also a man sleeping by your pillow.

    Although your body feels normal and your clothes only have the usual wrinkles without any other traces, this is shocking enough.

    Jian Jing reviewed the system prompt again and nced at Zong Xunmei, who was leaning his headzily. She highly suspected that the murderer was this guy.

    If that was the case, she would twist his head off.

    But at that time, she left the bed calmly without even looking at him. Only the loud sound of the door mming revealed her anger.

    "What a heartless girl," Zong Xunmei sighed slowly and sat up. His gaze suddenly fell on the slippers.

    Tiny bright lights shed by.

    He kicked the slippers under the bed casually.

    "That was close."

    Jian Jing went back to her room, took a shower, changed her clothes, and was drying her hair when she heard panicked shoutsing from Yang Xiao''s vi.

    Yang Xiao was dead.

    She had to crack this case.

    --

    Let''s go back to the present now.

    Jian Jing roughly outlined the timeline based on her memory, then asked others to supplement with more details.

    Kang Mu Cheng has a good memory and strong sense of time. He quickly went over his movements - theyrgely ovepped with Si Yingjie''s.

    At 7:40 p.m., they went to Si YingjieˇŻs room to drink until 1:30 a.m. Except for going to the bathroom, they barely left each other''s sight.

    If he had to pick a time, it was 10:13 p.m. when Kang Mu Cheng took a phone call thatsted 18 minutes - the call records clearly showed this.

    At 1:30 a.m., Kang Mu Cheng and Si Yingjie fell asleep.

    Sometime around 3 a.m., Kang Mu Cheng woke up, put a nket on his friend, and went back to his room to sleep until he was woken up after 6 a.m.

    Next were Ai Lina and Yao Yao.

    After ying cards, they went to drink and stargaze on the balcony, only separating once.

    That was at 10:40 p.m. when they finished the bottle of wine they brought out. Yao Yao went back to the bar and got some beer before returning.

    Yao Yao said, "At 10:30 p.m., my phone rm went off - that''s my usual bedtime. I said then that it was gettingte and asked if we should go to bed. Ai Lina said it was rare to admire the starry sky and wanted to drink a little more. So we finished the remaining wine, and I went to get more beer from the bar. But when I came back around 10:45 p.m., Ai Lina had already passed out drunk."

    Ai Lina smiled and said, "I woke up when she came back. It should have been around 10:45 p.m."

    "Why do you remember so clearly?"

    "The beer spilled on my phone and I saw the time when I was wiping it."

    Yao Yao added, "We probably drank until around 12:10 a.m. I took Ai Lina back to her room. Oh, I remember seeing A Xu smoking on the balcony then and said hi to him."

    A Xu nodded, "Yes, I remember that."

    Then they started going over his and Yin Coach''s ount.

    The two of them left the dining room at 8 p.m. and were together the whole time without separating. At 10:50 p.m., A Xu called the bar counter, but the bartender had been pulled away by Zong Xunmei. So he had to go get the drinks himself.

    It was probably around 11 p.m. when he went to the bar and came back to the room at... Yin Coach picked up his phone and looked: "After he came back with the drinks, I sent a photo - hmm, 10:21 p.m. So he probably came back around 10:15 p.m."

    Jian Jing asked, "Your room wasn''t far from the bar, why did it take so long?"

    "I was smoking," A Xu exined. "Tongtong doesn''t like the smell of smoke."

    Yin Coach nodded to confirm his words.

    Jian Jing fell silent in thought.

    She realized thatst night, the eight of them were paired up and could basically vouch for each other, but each person also had a period of time that could not be ounted for - the difference was just in duration.

    Yes, even Zong Xunmei had one.

    After she got drunk at around 11 p.m., her sense of time got blurry. When she lost consciousness, he also had the chance tomit murder.

    To find out who was most suspicious, she still had to return to the crime scene and investigate Yang Xiao''s real cause of death.

    This was the nth time Jian Jing examined the crime scene. She moved around easily and familiarly.

    She found gloves in the kitchen, took apart shower caps in the bathroom, put on disposable shoe covers, grabbed a stack of seble bags,bels and a soft tape measure - her tools were all set.

    Theyout of waterfront vis was mostly the same - the first floor had an open-concept living room and dining room, the second floor was arge suite with separate bedrooms, study, walk-in closet and bathroom.

    Jian Jing first studied the door lock.

    Since this was a private ind, thework signal was impacted a lot by weather, so the vi still used mechanical locks opened by keys.

    There were two keys total - one with the butler and one on the bedside table in the master bedroom.

    The suite door had a security chain. This morning when the butler and others opened the door, they were blocked by the chain and had to cut it with a saw before entering.

    The bedroom door was not locked and opened with a push.

    Yang Xiao was wearing silk pajamas and her hair still had a faint fragrance - there was a bottle of hair oilbeled for use on damp hair on the bedside table. These all indicated she went to bed very calmly without anything out of the ordinary.

    There was also a ss of water, a bottle of mtonin and a phone on the table. The call records on the phone showed A Xu''s call as thest one, consistent with what was said.

    The window beside the bed was left ajar with hot air blowing in.

    Jian Jing found this odd. The central air conditioning was on in the room, so why was the window open? She climbed to the window and examined it closely but did not find signs of forced entry.

    Lowering her head, she saw A Xu, Yao Yao and two staff walking around in the bushes below.

    "What are you doing there?" she asked.

    A Xu said, "The window was open so we thought maybe a snake crawled in through the window. We asked them to check."

    Yao Yao also said, "My room was right next door. I''m terrified of snakes."

    "Did you see any snakes?" Jian Jing asked.

    The staff shook their heads. "No, we rarely have snakes around here."

    Jian Jing thought silently. While red-banded snakes also live in hot regions, they are mild-tempered with potent venom but not very aggressive.

    Even if a snake did crawl into the room where Yang Xiao was sleeping soundly in bed, it may not necessarily bite her.

    But if someone used the guise of a venomous snake tomit murder, how did they do it?

    "Sister Yao Yao," she called from the window, "was the window already open when you came this morning?"

    Yao Yao was taken aback then nodded, "Yes,st night Xiao Xiao said the room felt stuffy so she opened the window for some air."

    Jian Jing asked, "Wasn''t the air conditioner on in the room?"

    Yao Yao was puzzled, "It feels stuffier with the air conditioner on."

    Jian Jing, "I see..."

    Now she understood - rich people didn''t care at all about the electricity bill.

    It seemed the suite door was locked, other windows shut, so if it was a homicide, the killer must have climbed in through this window.

    But there were no footprints on the windowsill - did they wear shoe covers?

    She went downstairs again and checked the wall below the window. Unfortunately, the staff searching for snakes left many interfering footprints.

    However, looking at the height, Jian Jing felt it wouldn''t be too difficult to climb up here.

    Since the first floor had an open concept without doors and was surrounded by low half walls and shrubs, it allowed good venttion.

    Climbing onto the short wall would bring you very close to the decorative line on the second floor. You could carefully walk across that part of the exterior, go around half the house, and reach the window outside the master bedroom.

    Jian Jing tested this sessfully using her own room.

    Though for women, those shorter like Yao Yao and Yin Coach possibly couldn''t reach.

    Ai Lina could probably do it.

    Jian Jing pondered and thought of another question - trespassing like this takes quite some time. Among everyone, who would have the opportunity tomit murder?

    Kang Mu Cheng and Si Yingjie were separated from 10:13 p.m. to 10:31 p.m.; Yao Yao and Ai Lina were separated from 10:38 p.m. (deducting 2 minutes for the walking distance) to 10:45 p.m.; A Xu and Yin Coach were separated from 11 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.

    Also, her memory was missing from 11 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. Zong Xunmei may not have stayed at the bar the whole time.

    Zong Xunmei was the most suspicious.

    With his physical abilities, trespassing and murder should be no problem.

    The question was - what was his motive?

    The system prompt mentioned a love triangle.

    It was known that Si Yingjie and Yang Xiao were once boyfriend and girlfriend, and Ai Lina was his ex-wife. A Xu and Coach Yin were boyfriend and girlfriend. Yang Xiao was once engaged, but her fianc¨¦ died.

    Where did theplicated rtionshipse from? They were all exes!

    Could there be some unknown side stories?

    Jian Jing decided to find someone to investigate.

    The first choice was naturally Si Yingjie.

    When he talked about Yang Xiao, he went on and on, as if he could talk for three days and three nights.

    "Xiaoxiao and I started dating in college. She was independent, not pretentious at all, and very capable. At that time, our club had a lot going on, and she arranged everything clearly. I really admired girls like her back then, so I decided to pursue her right away.

    "The first two years were really good. She didn''t care about trivial things or who I was with. I was faithful to her too, never fooled around with anyone else. It wasn''t untilter when we graduated that things changed. She joined her family''spany, but I wasn''t happy doing that kind of work. I wanted to pursue my own interests.

    "Because of this, we were often apart, and slowly began to argue. She wanted me to be more mature and have my own career, even if I didn''t want to work for the family business. The arguments got worse and worse, until neither of us wanted to fight anymore. We decided we weren''t right for each other and broke up.

    "Her family arranged matchmaking dates, and after a year she got engaged to the eldest son of the Li family. That guy was a bit like Mu Cheng, ambitious and ready to take over the family business, so I guess they got along well. But he died so young, such a pity."

    Jian Jing finally heard the key information and quickly asked, "Were you very close with her fianc¨¦?"

    Si Yingjie said, "I knew him, but we weren''t very close. Mu Cheng probably had more contact with him?"

    "He was two years older than us. I heard when he was young he was quite wild, doing extreme sports. He almost died once and was hospitalized for half a year. After he got out, he calmed down." Kang Mu Cheng knew more details, as expected.

    Jian Jing hesitated before asking again, "So Yang Xiao only had two romantic rtionships, with you and her fianc¨¦?"

    Si Yingjie frowned. "Why are you asking this?"

    "Murder usually has two motives, passion or revenge," Jian Jing said openly. "I want to know who Yang Xiao had a grudge against, and if she had any other romantic disputes."

    Hesitation shed across Si Yingjie''s face, as if recalling something.

    Jian Jing keenly guessed, "Was it A Xu, Yao Yao, or maybe Ai Lina?"

    The only friends who could make Si Yingjie hesitate were probably these two and his ex-wife.

    "A Xu pursued Xiao Xiao in college, but that was a long time ago." He said slowly. "Actually, I suspect Ai Lina."

    Jian Jing: "Oh?"

    It was rare to see Si Yingjie show hesitation as he half-revealed, "To be honest, I''ve always felt something was off about Ai Lina."

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141

    Jian Jing asked: "What''s wrong with Ailina?"

    "Take our honeymoon for example. We went to France. She is Eurasian and doesn''t speak French." Si Yingjie recalled, "One day I went out drinking with friends. When I came back to the hotelte at night, I could hear her chatting with someone in French through the door."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "What did she say?"

    Si Yingjie sighed: "You know my French is poor. I only understood ''I see'' and ''don''t worry'', but is that the point? It''s normal to know French. Why did she lie to me that she didn''t?"

    "Maybe an ex-boyfriend taught her, so she didn''t want to tell you about it." Jian Jing tried to liven up the atmosphere, "Anything else?"

    "When we were in the US, one day while shopping, there was a sudden sound. She immediately pulled me into a nearby store. Guess what happened?" Si Yingjie didn''t wait for them to answer and revealed it himself, "A shooting! The people around didn''t even react yet, but she recognized the sound right away."

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "People living abroad are more sensitive to gunshots. This is normal."

    "Alright, even if these two things have reasonable exnations, the third one is definitely bizarre."

    Jian Jing was intrigued: "What is it?"

    Si Yingjie said solemnly: "From when we met until divorce, we never had a single fight."

    Jian Jing: "???"

    "You wouldn''t understand it, little girl. Mu Cheng, you tell me, is this scientific?" Si Yingjie asked, "You know me. Isn''t it a bit strange?"

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "What''s so strange about not fighting?"

    But Kang Mu Cheng shook his head in agreement: "Yingjie has a bad temper and can be careless. We''ve fought a few times. He and Yang Xiao would have petty fights every three days and huge fights every half month."

    "Bingo. Let big brother Yingjie teach you something about life, Jingjing ¨C there''s no such thing as soulmates in this world. No matter how much you like someone, there''ll still be times you can''t get along and want to fight." Si Yingjie looked utterly serious. "A woman who never fights with her lover, there''s only one exnation."

    Jian Jing: "Huh?"

    "She didn''t love me," Si Yingjie sighed. "Don''t think I''m being rash. Intuition is hard to exin clearly. Ailina was very mysterious. I couldn''t figure her out yet was hopelessly fascinated by her. If I didn''t end it early, who knows what she might have done to me."

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned: "What was Ailina''s reaction when you asked for a divorce?"

    Si Yingjie said: "She looked at me for a while, then said ''It seems lovees quickly but fades just as fast'', and signed the divorce papers."

    Jian Jing also found it odd. Marriage wasn''t child''s y. Not trying to save it or plead at all? But on second thought, Ailina did seem to have a nonchnt personality. Maybe she didn''t take marriage seriously.

    Besides, "If she didn''t love you, she wouldn''t have motive to kill Yang Xiao," she said. "Killing for love doesn''t make sense. For money, she wouldn''t have readily agreed to the divorce."

    Si Yingjie considered this and conceded she had a point. Dejected, he said: "Then who could it be?"

    Jian Jing asked: "You said A Xu used to like Yang Xiao?"

    "That was a long time ago. Now he and Xiao Xiao get along very well." Si Yingjie was surprised. "You can''t suspect him, right?"

    Jian Jing said calmly: "Right now I suspect everyone and no one. What about Yao Yao? Has she dated anyone?"

    "Yao Yao used to have a boyfriend from an ordinary family. We don''t know him. They broke upter and we didn''t ask about it." Si Yingjie said, "It couldn''t be them. We''re all old friends."

    Jian Jing neither agreed nor disagreed. "What about Zong Xunmei and Coach Yin?"

    Si Yingjie shook his head: "Don''t know them."

    Kang Mu Cheng was even more clueless, but was very concerned about something else: "That Miss Zong earlier..." He stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

    Jian Jing''s face tightened, her expression as cold as midwinter: "What is it?"

    "Ahem." Si Yingjie abruptly cleared his throat.

    Kang Mu Cheng changed his words: "It''s nothing."

    Jian Jing switched into emotionless case-cracking mode: "Do you have Yang Xiao''s fianc¨¦''s social media ount?"

    Si Yingjie said: "You can ask Yao Yao about that. She should know."

    "Alright." Jian Jing went to find her next.

    Yao Yao was in the kitchen. Tomato sauce was sttered all over the floor. She was mopping it up and looked embarrassed when she saw Jian Jing: "I wanted to make a sandwich but got distracted and knocked it over."

    "I''lle backter then." Jian Jing said.

    "It''s fine." Yao Yao tidied up a bit and brought her to the living room. She served a ss of mint lemonade and asked, "Did you need something?"

    Jian Jing asked her to repeat the details of discovering the body. Only then did she inquire about Yang Xiao and her fianc¨¦.

    "You mean Li Ge? He had a Twitter ount with quite a few fans." Yao Yao provided the ount name, and couldn''t help looking worried again. "It''s barely been any time at all. Li Ge passed away and now Xiao Xiao too. Sigh."

    Jian Jing''s mind stirred: "How did Mr. Li die?"

    Yao Yao smiled bitterly: "Car ident."

    She knew the details very well and immediately recounted it. Turned out, Yang Xiao''s fianc¨¦ used to love extreme sports and was also a good racer. Although heter washed his hands of it, he still had a lot of guts.

    That day it rained heavily. When he heard Yang Xiao was in the hospital after a mugging, he got anxious and drove really fast.

    With poor visibility and high speed, although his driving skill was superb, he couldn''t handle other people''s poor reactions and braking errors. He mmed right into them.

    Yang Xiao''s fianc¨¦ was severely injured and died after failed resuscitation.

    This meant that if any admirers of his were present, they were highly likely to think Yang Xiao caused his death and want revenge.

    Jian Jing started looking through his social media ounts, and also asked: "You chatted with Ailina for a long time yesterday. Did you know each other beforeing to the ind?"

    "No, I didn''t know she was Yingjie''s ex-wife beforeing here. They had a sh wedding without any ceremony." Yao Yao hesitated briefly, then sighed: "I always felt Yingjie and Ailina got married to get back at Xiao Xiao."

    Jian Jing was interested to ask: "So do you think Ailina liked Yingjie?"

    Yao Yao stuck out her tongue: "I don''t know. She seems like someone who acts on a whim. Gets married on impulse, divorces when unhappy, doesn''t have deep feelings."

    This aligned with Si Yingjie''s ount. Jian Jing thought for a while before asking: "Do you know if Yang Xiao had any admirers?"

    "Xiao Xiao? Her romantic history is simple - just Yingjie, Li Ge, oh, and A Xu used to chase her." Yao Yao was puzzled. "Why do you ask? Suspecting someone?"

    Jian Jing said: "Just asking randomly. I feel your rtionships are quiteplicated."

    That concluded her talk with Yao Yao. Next, she visited A Xu and Coach Yin.

    Coincidentally, they were also busy.

    A Xu was wincing in pain while Coach Yin applied medicine to his knee: "Bear with it, just disinfecting."

    Jian Jing asked concernedly: "A Xu, how did you get hurt?"

    "I fell while we were up the mountain spraying pesticide." A Xu said awkwardly. "I have poor bnce and am always falling down."

    "Is it serious?" Jian Jing nced sideways at the first-aid kit.

    Coach Yin said: "A rock scraped his skin, but it''s not deep. Just needs a simple dressing." She exined while treating him, movements skilled.

    Jian Jing asked: "You''re very experienced. Do you know first aid?"

    "Diving coaches need first aid certification." Coach Yin smiled. "Of course I do."

    Jian Jing nodded thoughtfully and got straight to the point: "I''d like to ask you both a few questions."

    The first was naturally about A Xu and Yang Xiao''s past.

    A Xu frankly admitted: "I met her first, but you can''t predict feelings. No fate, no fate. Weter became friends and Yingjie knows about it too."

    Instead, he asked: "You can''t think I''d kill someone now that I have a girlfriend just because of something that happened 7-8 years ago, right?"

    "Your rtionships are a bitplex, please don''t take offense." Jian Jing gave a faint smile.

    She couldn''t remember when she started realizing that when engrossed in solving cases, it was as if she put on a mask and became more sociable and tactful, like a killer concealed in the jungle patiently searching for ws in its prey.

    She turned to Coach Yin, expression inscrutable: "What do you think, Coach Yin?"

    Coach Yin bit her lip, then suddenly said: "Are you trying to ask about my rtionship with Li Xiu?"

    A Xu was stunned for a moment: "Li Xiu? Xiao Xiao''s fianc¨¦? You two..."

    He looked surprised, but there wasn''t much intense emotional fluctuation. It seemed he thought it was very normal for adults of the opposite sex to have some past, and there was no need to make a big fuss.

    "I''m one of the top scuba diving coaches in this area," Coach Yin exined. "When Li Xiu wanted to find a female coach, he naturally came to me. But we never formally dated, and didn''t see each other again after that."

    Jian Jing nodded lightly.

    She had gone through Li Xiu''s social media ount earlier, and found Coach Yin in a photo from three years ago. But in that one month''s photos, he already had his arm around another woman''s waist.

    Even so, the current rtionships were messy enough.

    Si Yingjie and Ai Lina.

    Si Yingjie and Yang Xiao.

    Yang Xiao and A Xu.

    A Xu and Coach Yin.

    Coach Yin and Li Xiu.

    Li Xiu and Yang Xiao.

    Such an exciting drama was still not sensational enough ˇŞ it ought to be called an ancient battlefield.

    Jian Jing drew diagrams in her notebook for a long time before determining her next target: Zong Xunmei.

    After going in a circle, she finally found him lounging in a poolside chair drinking beer, his manner rxed: "My turn now?"

    "Were you looking forward to meing, or afraid that I would?" Her words were sharp, her gaze like daggers, staring straight at his face.

    However, Zong Xunmei''s attitude was unexpectedly sincere: "Of course I was looking forward to youing." He paused briefly, then said in an extremely casual yet certain tone: "Yang Xiao''s death has nothing to do with me, I didn''t kill her."

    Jian Jing wouldn''t believe him so easily. She didn''t expose him, just went along and asked: "Oh? You don''t think it was an ident."

    "I know you don''t believe me, so just listen to what I think," he said leisurely, still elegantly reclining against the chairback, just as charming as the previous night.

    But Jian Jing was very observant, and noticed he had now hidden the look between his brows, giving people the feeling that he was handsome but not seductively alluring like before.

    He really had deliberately flirted yesterday.

    Zong Xunmei said, "I often travel to and from tropical inds. Silver-ringed snakes are rarely seen in this area. Also, the wound on Yang Xiao''s arm was very special, it wasn''t caused by fangs, but by a poisoned needle."

    Jian Jing gave no visible reaction: "Anything else?"

    "The window in the room was open. The murderer must have been familiar with her daily routine and known that she liked sleeping with the window open. After all, silver-ringed snake venom isn''t easy to obtain casually." Zong Xunmei said, "The key lies in who had the opportunity tomit the murder, and what method they used."

    Jian Jing was a little disappointed: "Saying that is like not saying anything."

    He shrugged and smiled: "I did my best, deduction isn''t my strong suit."

    "Then how did you know about me?" she retorted.

    "It''s a secret," Zong Xunmei smiled. "But from my observations of Yang Xiao, she was a kind and peaceful person, without the arrogance of a rich man''s daughter, and unlikely to offend others. Basically everyone here today was her friend, so the possibility of a vengeance killing is very small. The probability of a crime of passion is higher."

    Jian Jing simply sat down on the lounge chair under the sunshade as well: "A crime of passion? Are you implying Ai Lina?"

    "No, Ai Lina teased and seduced Si Yingjie more than she was infatuated with him, she wouldn''t kill for that. But Si Yingjie and Yang Xiao were making eyes at each other, reluctant topletely break up, like some TV drama couple. It''s very possible he turned love into hatred."

    This touched on Jian Jing''s hidden worries.

    It was obvious to everyone that Si Yingjie and Yang Xiao still had feelings for each other. And love could make people act irrationally. If there was some misunderstanding, and he killed her by ident, it wouldn''t be unimaginable.

    She really didn''t want to suspect Si Yingjie, but still had some reservations about him.

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142

    After investigating Zong Xunmei, Jian Jing temporarily stopped working and went to the restaurant for lunch.

    The previous two noons were scorching hot, and she desperately wanted to go back to her room and take a nap. But today a typhoon wasing, and the horizon was already clouded. The grass and trees were rustling as the wind grew stronger, which paired with the murder case gave a deste feeling.

    The lunch was curry rice. No one had much of an appetite, so they asked for it to be delivered to their rooms.

    In the spacious dining hall, only Jian Jing and Ai Lina remained.

    Then it was time to continue the investigation.

    Jian Jing carried a full te of curry and sat down across from Ai Lina. She nced at Ai Lina''s side dishes and said, "You have a good appetite."

    "I''m not very familiar with Yang Xiao," Ai Lina said indifferently. "People die every day. It would be strange to pretend to be sad about it."

    Jian Jing asked, "Other than Si Yingjie, have you met any of the others before?"

    Ai Lina smiled slyly. "Why should I tell you?"

    "If you didn''t do it, what''s the harm in telling me?" Jian Jing retorted.

    "Oh my, you''repletely different than before," Ai Lina''s focus was unexpectedly not on the murder case but on Jian Jing. She gazed at the girl in front of her with roving eyes that hinted atplex scheming. "Fine, I''ll tell you. I don''t know the others, I just... for Yingjie''s sake..."

    She lifted her ss and held the icy water on her lips, her voice blurred, "Watch out for Zong Xunmei."

    Jian Jing''s brows furrowed.

    "I''m done eating, help yourself," Ai Lina said lightly as if she hadn''t said anything, and casually got up to leave.

    Jian Jing watched her retreating figure and shoveled down a spoonful of curry rice.

    Ugh, so spicy.

    She ate hurriedly to fill her stomach. She still had intense work to do that afternoonˇŞit was time to investigate on site.

    There were 12 vis on the watersideplex. Due to superstition, Vi #4 was made into a movie theater and spa. The upancy of the other 11 vis was:

    #1 (vacant), #2 (Jian Jing), #3 (Kang Mu Cheng), #4 (private theater), #5 (Si Yingjie), #6 (Yao Yao), #7 (Yang Xiao), #8 (A Xu & Yin Coach), #9 (Ai Lina), #10 (Zong Xunmei), #11 (vacant), #12 (vacant)

    The vis were not built in a straight line but followed the shape of the shoreline, some high and some low.

    For example, Vi #1 was the furthest east and on higher ground, perfect for watching the sunrise but quite far from the others, so rarely upied.

    Further down, the vi Jian Jing stayed in (#2) had great scenery and tranquility, which was why Si Yingjie had suggested she stay there.

    Although #4 was between Vi #3 and #5, it sat lower so these two were actually quite close.

    Vis #6, #7, and #8 were evenly spaced, just meters apart. Their staggered gardenyout gave privacy while allowing friends with good rtions to visit each other easily.

    Vi #9 sat high again like #12. #10 and #11 were a bit lower, seeming to differ in altitude. They were tens of meters apart, suitable for those who valued privacy.

    Now, reviewing each person''s alone time:

    10:13-10:31, 18 minutes, Kang Mu Cheng and Si Yingjie, Vi #5

    10:38-10:45, 7 minutes, Yao Yao and Ai Lina, terrace

    11:00-11:15, 15 minutes, A Xu and Yin Coach, Vi #8

    11:00-12:45, time unknown, Zong Xunmei, bar

    Meanwhile, Yang Xiao died in Vi #7.

    First, Jian Jing tried walking from Vi #5 to Vi #7. At her brisk pace, it took about 3 minutes. Climbing the wall and entering through the window to kill would take 5 minutes at most, even allowing time for the crime itself.

    Round trip would be 6 minutes, plus 5 minutes to killˇŞ11 minutes total. Enough time.

    In other words, Si Yingjie had ample opportunity.

    However, Jian Jing didn''t think he was very suspicious. Kang Mu Cheng had privately reviewed the previous night''s events with her. He said Si Yingjie had drunk a huge amount and even vomited, barely able to stand by the end.

    Having been good friends for years, Kang Mu Cheng knew Si Yingjie''s alcohol tolerance well and firmly told her, "After drinking that much, he could hardly walk back to his room, let alonemit murder."

    Also, Kang Mu Cheng had answered the phone call randomly. The cobra venom must have been prepared in advance. If there had been no call, wouldn''t the murder n have failed?

    In terms of motive, whether Kang Mu Cheng or friends like Yao Yao, A Xu, and Coach Yin, none had seen Si Yingjie quarrel with Yang Xiao before.

    Yang Xiao''s presence on the ind was also by chance, not premeditated.

    Byparison, the pairing of A Xu and Coach Yin was more suspicious.

    The bar was westward, not far from Vi #8. Jian Jing tried three different routesˇŞthe round trips took at most 7 minutes, and a minimum of just 5. Vi #8 to Vi #7 was just half a minute.

    The time A Xu left his room was far too long. Coach Yin''s alone time was even longer.

    Plus, A Xu had pursued Yang Xiao before, and Coach Yin once had a fleeting romance with Yang Xiao''s ex-fiancee. If they worked together, killing Yang Xiao would be easy as pie.

    The only doubt was that A Xu had chased Yang Xiao 7-8 years ago, and Coach Yin''s affair was 3 years prior. What kind of deep love would lead them to murder even today?

    However, A Xu''s injury and Coach Yin''s medical kit were highly suspicious.

    As for Yao Yao and Ai LinaˇŞthe stargazing terrace they went to was on a higher tform not far from the bar. At a brisk pace, a round trip would take just 4 minutes.

    Considering drunkenness slowing them down, 7 minutes wouldn''t be too long either.

    The time from the terrace to Vi #7 was trickier. Via the path, it took about 5-6 minutes.

    With only 1-2 minutes,pleting entry, climbing through the window, murder and more would be difficult. That is, assuming the perpetrator reallymitted the crime that way.

    If there were easier means, perhaps it would be enough time.

    Finally, there was Zong Xunmei.

    Intoxicated, she had the most ample window tomit the crime. However, they met for the first time todayˇŞif she sobered up halfway through, she could easily poke holes in the alibi.

    That scheme was rather perfunctory.

    Jian Jing pondered while strolling, and unknowingly arrived at Yang Xiao''s Vi #7 again.

    She went below the bedroom window and looked up at the ss for a while. Putting on gloves, she took a running start and leaped up, scaling the wall.

    The short wall was about as wide as her feet. She carefully inspected its surface but found no footprints or scuff marks.

    Unscientific.

    Although shoe covers could avoid leaving prints, friction was needed for climbing like this. Shoe covers tended to be smooth, prone to slipping.

    Also, she had checked theyer of dust on the decorative upper part of the second floorˇŞthere was no apparent wiping. It was impossible not to grab that area when climbing over the window ledge.

    If not entering through the window, it must have been a remote attack.

    A tranquilizer watch... no, a gun?

    She looked toward Vi #6 opposite. The decoration on this side perfectly mirrored the one outside Yang Xiao''s bedroom window, with a short wall directly facing it.

    She would go take a look.

    She carefully jumped down from the window ledge and went halfway around to climb up onto Vi #6''s wall.

    Comparing her height, her head was just parallel with the window ledge across. Shooting from here would be quite difficult.

    If using a gun, the perpetrator would have to be taller than her.

    "Huh?" A voice suddenly came from behind. Yao Yao poked her head out, her face filled with confusion. "Ms. Jian, what are you doing here?"

    Jian Jing felt a little embarrassedˇŞluckily she was female, otherwise she really seemed like a peeping tom.

    "Looking for clues," she said casually.

    Yao Yao tilted her head and looked at her for a while, seeming puzzled. "Looking for clues here?"

    Jian Jing asked, "May I use your bathroom?"

    Yao Yao: "Sure."

    Jian Jing went upstairs to check the bathroom. This was the room above the short wall. When the window was opened, it directly faced Yang Xiao''s bedroom window.

    "Do you normally lock the door when going out?" she asked Yao Yao.

    Yao Yao: "Of course."

    "Was the door still locked when you returnedst night?" Jian Jing confirmed.

    Yao Yao nodded again.

    So Jian Jing thoroughly inspected her bathroom.

    As a crime scene, no ce was more suitable than this room. Naturally, Yao Yao was the prime suspect. But her timeline was very tightˇŞ7 minutes to go from the terrace to the bar, then the bar to Vi #7, and back to the terrace, would take at least 10 minutes.

    There were no irregrities in the bathroom.

    To be safe, she took a look around the other rooms too.

    There were some yarns scattered on the bed, and some adhesive bandages that had been torn off and thrown into the trash can - they had been stuck on the toes, probably because the slippers had chafed the feet a little - the suitcase was empty, and all the clothes were hanging in the closet, all light summer clothes, almost none with pockets.

    The things on the dressing table were abundant, though - hair straighteners, curling rods, hair clips and hair bands, makeup brushes, skincare products, piled up dazzlingly.

    The safe built into the closet was aligned with the red open mark, not looking like it contained anything.

    Jian Jing quickly nced over the many details in the room, and finally determined that she probably hadn''t hidden the thing.

    Yao Yao asked, "What are you looking at?"

    "Was Ai Lina very drunkst night?" she asked.

    Yao Yao recalled, "She can really hold her liquor. I''d only had half a ss but she''d finished a whole one. Her speech was a little slurred too, so she must have been drunk."

    "You don''t suspect her, do you?"

    Jian Jing didn''t answer but asked back, "Who do you suspect?"

    "I don''t suspect anyone. I hope this was just an ident," Yao Yao answered, looking downcast.

    Jian Jing smiled and took her leave.

    She went back under the wall and activated her sense of smell, sniffing the smells around her.

    There was no strong scent of alcohol.

    The only ones who might not have drunk alcohol before 10 p.m. yesterday, or who might have bathed after drinking, were probably A Xu and Yin Coach.

    It looked like she had to think of a way to search their rooms.

    She went to Kang Mu Cheng and asked him to find a way to keep the others upied, so that she could have a chance to sneak into the rooms - of course, after getting the keys from the butler in advance.

    Kang Mu Cheng was very cooperative. After dinner, under the pretext offorting Si Yingjie, he called all the friends over.

    They were all very tactful, making an effort to lift the mood andfort the disheartened Si Yingjie.

    The sky was pitch-ck, and a storm seemed imminent. Jian Jing seized the time and secretly slipped into Room 8.

    Doing investigation by stealing into a room for the first time was quite thrilling.

    However, considering that the suspects were all Si Yingjie''s friends, she didn''t want to point fingers withoutplete evidence.

    The first ce she checked, of course, was A Xu''s luggage: tennis bag, clothes, camera, fishing rod, first aid kit... There were many items, but no sign of the thing.

    Yin Coach was the same - other than a medicine box and some diving magazines, only the sexy lingerie was particrly eye-catching.

    Jian Jing searched very carefully, confident she hadn''t missed anything - besides, there weren''t many ces to hide things in the suite either.

    She used her Olfactory Card again.

    With her senses enhanced, she caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance. Following it, she found it was the scent of bath bombs - the torn packaging was thrown in the trash can, and the fragrance it had picked up hadn''t yet dissipated.

    Wait, didn''t Yin Coach bring a box of these bath bombs, all different scents?

    Based onmon sense, this should have been used by them around 10 p.m.st night - don''t ask how she knew it was the two of them bathing together, the smell in the tub was too obvious - but today, they didn''t have this fragrance on them, only the smell of regr shower gel and shampoo.

    In other words, they had showered again in the early morning orte night.

    But earlier, near the wall, she hadn''t caught this scent.

    What was going on?

    Just now she had sniffed around the vicinity of Vi 7 like a Samoyed, and was certain she hadn''t smelled this light fragrance before.

    On closer recollection, A Xu''s hair wasn''t damp when he arrived yesterday, and Yin Coach''s hair strands seemed half-dry this morning.

    Hmm, unless she had guessed wrong, and the crime scene wasn''t near Room 7, then A Xu and Yin Coach were probably not the killers.

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143

    The trivial affection between the lovers unexpectedly became the key to clearing up the suspicions.

    Jian Jing calmly turned her thoughts around and realized that after eliminating Axu and Coach Yin, there were still two suspects left.

    One was Yao Yao. She had the advantage of location. The other one was Ai Lina. She had spent a long time together with Yao Yao, so stealing her room key wouldn''t have been difficult.

    Jian Jing had already investigated the former, so she decided to go to room #9 where Ai Lina was staying and take a look.

    Surprisingly, Ai Lina wasn''t in the room.

    Jian Jing sneaked in quietly.

    The room was very dark. She carefully shined her shlight at the shoe rack and flipped over the soles of the shoes. She wore soft, t casual shoes, with some traces of gravel and grass des on them, all very normal. The only thing that caught Jian Jing''s attention was that there were spots of something white around the edges of the shoes.

    She studied it for a while and even smelled it. She was shocked to discover that it was actually paint.

    There was only one ce that could get paint on it in the entire waterside vi.

    The westernmost Room #12.

    Mermaid Ind was Si Yingjie''s uncle''s private ind. He left a will giving the ind to his cousin, but specifically required that the westernmost Room #12 be kept vacant for no one else to live in.

    An unused room tends to deteriorate easily. The tropical sunshine was intense, and asional typhoons were inevitable, causing damages.

    On the first day Si Yingjie came to the ind, he took a look around Room #12. Annoyed by the poor upkeep by the staff, he told them to refurbish it.

    What was Ai Lina doing in Room #12?

    Full of doubts, Jian Jing walked into the bedroom.

    Ai Lina''s bedroom was very tidy. Luggage was piled up in the wardrobe with some clothes hanging. On the dressing table was a cosmetic bag with small bottles of skincare products neatly arranged inside.

    The makeup bag was also simple, containing only powder, lipstick and an eyeshadow palette.

    Judging by her made-up look, one would never expect her tools to be so minimalist, yet her skills were so advanced... No, something was wrong.

    Jian Jing asked herself, she wasn''t a woman who loved makeup that much, but even so, she wouldn''t take so little makeup when going on a trip. All kinds of situations could happen during travel, so more items would definitely be needed for coordination.

    Especially sunscreen.

    Ai Lina only had a little bit left,pletely inconsistent with her im of learning scuba diving.

    The sunshine at sea was the most intense.

    What was in the safe?

    She hesitated for a moment, and turned on the X-ray vision device built into her sses - this special ck tech could only be used during missions.

    The safes in the waterside vis were just for guests to store personal belongings, and did not have strong anti-theft capabilities at all. They were no match for the X-ray vision device.

    Jian Jing immediately recognized what was inside.

    A gun.

    Judging by the shape of the bullets, it was not a XX.

    She shifted her vision, and was about to turn off the X-ray vision device (it was expensive to use), when she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She quickly focused to take a careful look.

    Under the powder case there was a hiddenpartment, inside which were several capsules. And the lipstick - goodness, the rotating base at the bottom was a USB port.

    Jian Jing turned off the X-ray vision device, with a lingering thought swirling in her mind: Could there be special agents in this world? Like James Bond?

    Would Ai Lina hurt others?

    Did she kill Yang Xiao?

    What was she trying to do?

    Jian Jing felt a tingling scalp, revisiting the shock she felt when she first arrived in this world.

    Just then, she heard someone talking downstairs: "Ai Lina, why didn''t you take an umbre?"

    It was Zong Xunmei''s voice.

    "It wasn''t raining when I went out," Ai Lina said lightly, "I came back as soon as I could. But Mr. Zong, why are you out walking in such wind and rain?"

    "Who said I was taking a walk?" Zong Xunmeiughed. "Maybe I have a date with a beauty."

    Ai Lina said, "Then I won''t keep you."

    Then came the sounds of the door opening, taking off shoes, and going upstairs.

    Jian Jing made a decisive action - she immediately dived into the bathroom and opened the window, about to jump down, but saw a figure standing below holding an umbre signaling: "Hurry!"

    In an emergency, there was no time to ask about details. Jian Jing grabbed the window sill, struggled with both feet for a while, and finally stepped on the wall half a meter away. Before she could steady herself, she immediately jumped forward again.

    Nimbly passing the obstacle, she luckilynded on the stone path, avoiding leaving footprints in the damp soil.

    Jian Jing breathed a sigh of relief, but Zong Xunmei made a hushing gesture and pushed her down behind the low wall. He himself walked forward nonchntly.

    "Swish", the window upstairs was pulled wide open.

    Ai Lina stuck her head out and looked meaningfully at Zong Xunmei: "How strange, how did you get around to this side?"

    Zong Xunmei said, "The road ahead was flooded so I took the back road, anything wrong with that?"

    Ai Lina''s gaze was piercing as she scanned every inch of the ground below, but the area behind the short wall was a blind spot in her line of sight. Crouching against the wall, Jian Jingpletely shielded herself from view.

    Ai Lina found nothing.

    No footprints, no fingerprints, no hair.

    But Ai Lina remembered very clearly that the bathroom window was closed, and her key had never left her side. Although she didn''t know who it was, someone had definitely been inside.

    Who was it?

    Another guest, or a staff member?

    "Not bad." Ai Lina was full of suspicion, but her face remained calm and tranquil. She flicked her hair casually and closed the window as if nothing had happened.

    Outside, Zong Xunmei tilted his umbre and said in a low voice, "Wait a while before leaving."

    Jian Jing nodded.

    He strolled away leisurely. Five minutester, Ai Lina''s face reappeared in the ss window. She stood silently for a moment, then quietly went downstairs.

    Such slight sounds would bepletely undetectable under the wind and rain, in ordinary circumstances.

    - Except to those who had hearing cards activated.

    As soon as Ai Lina went downstairs, Jian Jing knew it was time to act. She swiftly disappeared from the vicinity of Room #9. And around here, there was only one ce she could hide her tracks.

    Zong Xunmei''s Room #10.

    He brought her a dry towel to wipe her hair, a smile in his eyes. "It looks like you discovered Ai Lina''s little secret."

    Drenched by rain for several minutes, Jian Jing was chilled all over. "You call that a little secret?"

    "Don''t be nervous. She''s not a difficult person to deal with." Zong Xunmei said, "You don''t need to be afraid of her harming Si Yingjie either."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows. "Are you a mind reader?"

    "Just like your reasoning ability, a tiny bit of talent." He said, "Let me tell you, Yang Xiao was probably not killed by Ai Lina. On the contrary, that girl called Yao Yao is very suspicious."

    Nothing could astonish Jian Jing more than this.

    She had investigated the scene for a long time and checked each person''s room one by one before locking onto Yao Yao. Zong Xunmei hadn''t done anything today, where did he get this conclusion from?

    And it was exactly the same as hers?

    Zong Xunmei: "Oh, I seem to have said too much. You''ve already found clues yourself."

    "I want to hear your reasoning." Jian Jing''s reply was terse.

    Zong Xunmei smiled and his answer was also brief: "She likes Si Yingjie."

    Jian Jing was rendered speechless, as if being drenched in dog blood. Her heart thumped ufortably.

    What kind of plot twist was this, adding a new branch to the ancient battlefield?

    "I said before that Yang Xiao was well-liked by everyone and had no conflicts with them, so it must have been a romantic dispute."

    Zong Xunmei recounted each person''s behavior: "Si Yingjie was entangled with her, evasive in action but his eyes never left her side, obviously still in love. Kang Mu Cheng was indifferent towards other women, only exceptionally attentive to you. Axu and Coach Yin were immersed in their passionate romance. Ai Lina deliberately befriended Lin Yao with ulterior motives, while you... you are very interested in me, aren''t you?"

    Without waiting for an answer, he went on: "As for Lin Yao, you may not have noticed, she is always on Si Yingjie''s right or front left, with her better-looking left side facing him."

    Jian Jing was silent. Was there really such a thing? She didn''t notice at all.

    "Once or twice could be a coincidence, but every single time, it''s definitely not idental. Also,st night, she and Yang Xiao both made baked goods. She deliberately said the flower-shaped ones were made by Yang Xiao, but the water drop-shaped ones she arranged on the te in front of Si Yingjie were actually her own making."

    Zong Xunmei recounted in detail, as if clues were everywhere.

    But Jian Jing knew clearly in her heart, people with such observant ability were rare in the world. Her intermediate observation card was not yet at such a level.

    Just what was this guy''s background?

    "It makes sense." She looked up, murmuring, "But I remember you only came after everyone finished eatingst night. How did you know about this?"

    Zong Xunmei said, "No matter how I came to know it, this clue should be somewhat valuable, right?"

    Jian Jing did not deny it.

    Jian Jing had a secret crush on Si Yingjie, so she had the greatest motive and the most convenient opportunity formitting the crime. Next, she just needed to figure out the murder weapon she used and when.

    Lost in thought, thunder rumbled and lightning shed as a fierce wind howled.

    Jian Jing wanted to send Kang Mu Cheng a message to ask about his progress over there, but she couldn''t send it out several times as thework signal grew weaker and weaker. As soon as she stepped outside, it became a dead zone.

    Damn uselesswork, damn useless infrastructure. The ind just wasn''t reliable.

    After cursing to herself for a while, she had no choice but to head back first.

    Zong Xunmei saw her to the door.

    At that moment, Jian Jing suddenly stopped and hid herself in the shadows behind the door, observing Zong Xunmei: "What was your purpose ining here?"

    "It has nothing to do with any of you." He answered.

    Jian Jing paused for a moment, not saying whether she believed him or not, then turned and left.

    However, Zong Xunmei saw that instead of choosing to rest in her own room, she went back to Vi 9 again and knocked on Ai Lina''s door casually as if nothing had happened.

    He couldn''t help praising her in his heart - staying in Vi 9 allowed her to both keep an eye on Ai Lina and monitor him, killing two birds with one stone. Not just anyone had the courage to go knocking right after escaping danger from the other side while still keeping a straight face.

    *

    Vi 9.

    Ai Lina looked at the person outside the door, wary yet surprised: "Why did youe again?"

    "Regarding what happenedst night, I wanted to ask you some more details," Jian Jing was deeply cunning and had just secretly snuck into someone else''s room not long ago, yet could still act as nonchnt as ever, "You don''t mind, do you?"

    Ai Lina said: "It''s toote, can''t we do this tomorrow?"

    Jian Jing looked at the time on her phone, feigning surprise: "It''s only a little past 8, you want to sleep already?"

    Ai Lina responded expressionlessly: "The wind is howling and the rain is pouring, there''s nothing else to do, might as well rest early."

    "Then let me keep youpany with some drinks," Jian Jing enthusiastically suggested, "It''s perfect, I''ve got no one to drink with either, I''m bored to death. Yao Yao is with Brother Yingjie today, so let''s keep each otherpany."

    As she spoke, she walked inside.

    Pushing her back out would likely arouse her suspicions, making her think it had to do with the murder. Ai Lina pondered and reluctantly made way.

    The bars in the vis were all stocked with liquor, and each took a ss and filled it with champagne.

    Jian Jing said: "You really enjoy drinking, just can''t hold your liquor well. I rememberst night you and Yao Yao got drunk after just one bottle of white wine."

    Ai Lina smiled perfunctorily and took a sip of her drink.

    Jian Jing also drank a mouthful, silently chanting to draw a card.

    [Drawing ordinary card...]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Prop Card - Sobering Medicine (10/10)]

    [Description: Strong sobering agent, instantly sober, lets you drink thousands of cups without getting drunk]

    [Note: Looks like you don''t want to experience drunkenness again~~]

    Very good, the system was as reliable as ever, sending over an appropriate prop.

    Let''s see who can''t help pretending to be drunk first tonight.

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144

    Jian Jing killed two birds with one stone by guarding Ai Lina while repeatedly asking about the seven minutes between 10:38 and 10:45 AM.

    However, Ai Lina was perfunctory, either saying "I already told you" or "I was drunk and don''t remember clearly." In short, she didn''t give a straight answer.

    Jian Jing was not in a hurry. She had already guessed Yao Yao''s approach. As long as she got the murder weapon, it didn''t matter if the time mystery was not solved. So she was calm andposed as she wasted time with Ai Lina.

    Once in detective mode, her usualziness and socializing persona transformed. Endless energy surged through her body and her entertaining skills steadily increased. They chatted from makeup to food to movies and novels. Her patience was excellent.

    Ai Lina was a little caught off guard.

    In her impression, Jian Jing had an aloof personality, self-centered, willing to entertain you if she wanted, ignoring you if she didn''t. Arrogant yet delicate, easy to dismiss.

    But now, she was nothing like herself. Her attitude was so sincere, as if a few drinks made them bosom friends.

    Ai Lina was uneasy at first, then calcted that Jian Jing was on good terms with Si Yingjie. Perhaps she was a breakthrough, and prepared to pave an escape route. She slowly opened up.

    Seeing this, Jian Jing also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    She was motivated to detect, but social charm could not be solved by unleashing a supernova. So, sorry, she cheated again.

    This was the limited edition card she drew at the beauty salon in June.

    [Name: Limited Edition Charm Card]

    [Description: Strengthen any one ability in "Appearance" or "Temperament"]

    [Note: Choose one, basic enhancement +50%, basic time 3 hours/day, resets at midnight daily, can use courage to extend time or increase enhancement, +50% costs 5 points, +1 hour costs 5 points; special contributions can unlock more options]

    In short, it was simr to the five senses cards, but the charm card only had two options.

    Enhancing appearance was like applying an ultra low-key killer makeup look. Features unchanged, beauty score soared. Temperament charm was more profound, including but not limited to easily obtaining goodwill/trust from others.

    Yeah, not limited to humans.

    It worked on petting cats and dogs (crossed out).

    She used the charm card to enhance her temperament charm, then got Ai Lina drunk through enthusiastic conversation and drinking. By now, the new bottle of bitter wormwood liquor was almost empty.

    With that alcohol tolerance, there was no way she was drunkst night.

    Even now, Jian Jing firmly believed Ai Lina still retained some sobriety.

    Then it was time for a battle of wits.

    Ai Lina pretended to be drunk first. Jian Jing staggered up, grabbed a nket to cover her, then slumped in the armchair with her back to the door, half asleep and half awake.

    Outside, the wind and rain grew stronger. The typhoonshed the vi, the sound terrifying.

    Such frightening weather made people uneasy even normally, let alone with a stranger nearby. To say Jian Jing felt no fear would be a lie.

    But gradually, she realized Zong Xuanmei was right.

    - Ai Lina was not scary.

    On the surface, she had a mysterious background. Marrying Si Yingjie seemed to have ulterior motives. She hid a gun in the safe, as well as mystery pills, exuding the aura of a spy film heroine. Especially alluring,parable to Alice from Resident Evil.

    But if she was really that capable, why did she retreat at every step?

    Ai Lina deflected her questions and yed along pretending to sleep, not making any decisive moves. But tonight the wind and rain were strong, even more suitable formitting crimes under the cover of darkness.

    Didn''t she want to act? She probably couldn''t.

    Ai Lina was also wary of her.

    Thinking of this, Jian Jing was no longer so afraid - she herself had no deterrent, and someone who would be deterred by her probably wasn''t much more capable than herself.

    As long as she kept Ai Lina busy tonight until the typhoon passed and let Kang Mu Cheng take Si Yingjie away, she would have no more worries.

    Jian Jing thought through the causes and effects, increasingly calm as she rested her eyes.

    The clock struck two-thirty in the morning.

    In the second half of the night, drowsiness peaked and sleep was deepest.

    Ai Lina silently opened her eyes. She moved carefully, pinching the thin nket and slowly getting up, her fleeting gaze sweeping the room.

    Once her vision adjusted to the dim room, she tiptoed upstairs barefoot.

    Jian Jing was specting whether she would sneak out when, in less than two minutes, she came back down and softly called, "Miss Jian."

    ording to the script, she should be fast asleep, letting Ai Lina take action, then following her to find out her real purpose.

    But Jian Jing didn''t want to take risks.

    Ai Lina had a gun. If provoked, what if she hurt someone? So when Ai Lina tested the waters, Jian Jing pretended to wake up startled, murmuring groggily, "Ai Lina?"

    In the darkness, Ai Lina''s expression froze, stone-like, taking a good while to find her voice again, "You fell asleep, be careful of catching a cold."

    Jian Jing sat up rubbing her eyes and nced outside. Purple lightning streaked across the night sky, the turbulent sea seeming about to crash onto the roof and swallow everyone into the depths.

    She eximed in half real half feigned surprise, "The wind is so strong, will this ce be okay?"

    "It''ll be fine, we won''t face the full brunt of the typhoon here. The cliffs will block most of the wind," Ai Lina''s acting recovered.

    Jian Jing looked worriedly at the grass and trees bent by the wind, "I didn''t expect the wind to be so strong. People walking outside could get blown away right?"

    Her concern was unreasonable. Getting injured by going out in a typhoon wasmon. Logically, Ai Lina could not tell her to leave.

    Well, she wouldn''t be sure of making it out herself in this weather.

    Ai Lina sighed inwardly at her misfortune.

    But she was used to such situations, abandoning one n to make another. "Don''t go back now, wait until the rain stops," she immediately calcted a new scheme.

    Jian Jing was unexpectedly sessful, appearing embarrassed, "Sorry to disturb you."

    "Don''t be polite, I''m happy to have someone to chat with and pass the time," Ai Lina paused, intentionally hinting, "Talking with you all, time always flies. It was like that yesterday, and today too."

    Jian Jing murmured in agreement, meeting her gaze.

    A jagged lightning bolt zigzagged down, instantly illuminating the room.

    A faint smile appeared at the corner of Ai Lina''s lips.

    *

    After the typhoon passed, the ind was a mess, the ground stained red. But the sky was extremely clear, a semi-transparent, moving pool of cerulean, extremely touching.

    Unfortunately the sunlight was too ring. After appreciating the beautiful scenery for a few minutes, they had to retreat to the shade.

    Jian Jing got up early in the morning, first waking Kang Mu Cheng to ask aboutst night.

    Kang Mu Cheng said X¨±, Yao Yao, and Si Yingjie were drinking and chatting the whole time. Later when the wind and rain grew too strong, he also didn''t let them go back, until this morning when everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

    "Director Kang, you''ve done me a huge favor," Jian Jing was extremely happy and immediately said, "I hope I can resolve Yang Xiao''s murder before the police arrive. If this matter grew bigger..." she trailed off with a sigh.

    At this moment, the tragic ending of the story was already apparent, yet she could not stop from acting.

    And the owner of room 6 seemed to also realize his fate upon opening the door, hisplexion slightly pale, "Miss Jian, why are you here so early?"

    Jian Jing looked at Lin Yao.

    Yang Xiao was capable and cheerful, Ai Lina seductive and morous, Coach Yin bursting with health and vigor, each a beauty with distinct characteristics. Only Lin Yao, although also fair-skinned and beautiful like a porcin doll, alwayscked a memorable highlight.

    "I wanted to talk to you before the police arrive," Jian Jing replied.

    Lin Yao bit her lip, "I don''t understand."

    "No, you understand, because the person who killed Yang Xiao is you," she stated.

    Lin Yao said, "Please don''t nder me, Xiao Xiao was my friend."

    "She was also your love rival," Jian Jing said objectively. "Jealousy defeated friendship and you killed her."

    "Unfounded usations. You say I killed Xiao Xiao, what opportunity did I have to kill her?" Lin Yao retorted coldly. "I was with Ai Lina the whole time that day. I had no time or way tomit murder. Or are you saying I poisoned her when I sent her back to her room?"

    Jian Jing unhurriedly said, "Perhaps you thought of doing so but didn''t find the chance."

    Lin Yao was about to say something more, but Jian Jing cut her off and said on her own, "Time, time is the most useful absent evidence, and also the easiest evidence to tamper with."

    "You have three points for your alibi - your phone rang at 10:30, you arrived at the bar at 10:40, and Ai Lina saw the time at 10:43. There are too many corroborating details, making it look wless, but that''s not the case." Jian Jing saw through it in one go, "You were just lucky."

    Lin Yao pursed her lips tightly, as if forcing back the urge to refute.

    "At first, I thought the problem was 10:30, your phone, your rm, very easy to manipte. But on closer thought, that would be too risky - what if Ai Lina had checked the time midway, the n would have failed. So the more likely possibility is that you secretly altered Ai Lina''s phone clock."

    "Smartphones automatically sync to local time, but I''ve been to the observatory, there''s no signal there. You only needed to change the time once, move it 10 minutes forward, and when back in a room with signal, the phone auto-syncs, no need to do anything to correct it."

    Jian Jingid out her method: "That way you''d have enough time tomit murder, and when back you just had to make sure Ai Lina checked her phone, turning her into your witness."

    "Everything you said is just spection," Lin Yao said. "Where''s the evidence? Are my fingerprints on Ai Lina''s phone?"

    Jian Jing smiled. "No, even if there were fingerprints that wouldn''t prove anything. The phone isn''t key evidence. What proves you killed Yang Xiao is the murder weapon."

    Lin Yao''s expression changed ever so slightly, the muscles along her cheeks tightening just a little, bringing out the contours of her soft, beautiful face.

    "I''ve been to your room several times, and saw no traces of any weapon. Daring tomit murder in your own bathroom means you must have prepared wlessly, choosing a weapon that can be taken apart."

    Jian Jing paused, slowly letting out a breath, and said unhurriedly: "I kept thinking back to every detail of your room, until I finally found a clue. At that time, the sweater on your bed was very small, not meant for a person, but a pet, right?"

    Lin Yao gave a faint smile, as if to say "That''s all?" and responded: "I founded a stray dog shelter, is it so weird for me to knit sweaters for pets?"

    "Not weird, but since you take in stray dogs, it''s also not weird for you to have a blowgun dart, right?" Jian Jing shot back.

    Lin Yao immediately fell silent.

    "I''m not too familiar with these, butwork just got restored so I did a quick search." Jian Jing picked up her phone and read off the checklist. "The process for making a blowgun dart requires the following tools: stainless steel tube, disposable syringe, rubber band, needle..."

    Lin Yao cut her off, impatience showing on her face. "Do you see any of that stuff in my room?"

    "If I''m not mistaken, the rubber bands are hidden among your pile of hair essories, and the stainless steel tube..." She reached out and pushed Lin Yao, who had been standing deliberately in front of the kitchen door, aside, and grabbed the mop leaning against the wall, "Should be this."

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145

    Jian Jing twisted open the stic cap at the end of the mop handle and tilted it downwards, shaking it vigorously. A seamless steel tube slid out. Nowadays most mops were telescopic models with hollow handles that could conveniently conceal a slightly smaller steel tube inside. Yet such ubiquitous household items tended to blend into the environment, causing people to instinctively overlook their existence and rarely inspect them closely.

    Nevertheless, Lin Yao stubbornly maintained, "I didn''t know that thing was there. It might havee from the factory that way."

    "So confident. It seems when you used the weapon, you must have worn gloves," Jian Jing had found the crux and grew increasinglyposed.

    She walked straight to the trash can in the kitchen, and fished out a bottle of tomato sauce from inside.

    The tomato sauce was in a translucent, frosted bottle, arge household size, already more than half empty with about 20% remaining.

    "There''s still some left, why throw it away?" she asked.

    Lin Yao stiffly said, "I wanted to throw it away, do I need a reason?"

    "Maybe in your eyes, it makes perfect sense to toss something before it''s finished, but unfortunately, I find that very odd," Jian Jing shook the bottle and simply upended it.

    This was not easy to do. The pail-shaped design did not easily stand inverted, but slowly, the tomato sauce inside poured out, revealing a syringe hidden at the bottom.

    Lin Yao heaved a deep, powerless, sorrowful sigh.

    "You pretended to identally knock things over to take out the steel pipe hidden in the mop, and concealed the syringe and needle in the bottle. Naturally the thread used to secure the plunger and recover the needle was mixed in with the yarn," Jian Jing held up the bottle, peering through the light to examine its contents, "There''s only one needle. So the second puncture was when you went over this morning?"

    To disguise it as a venomous snake bite, there had to be two holes, injecting poison twice was clearly more troublesome than adding another jab the next day amidst the chaos.

    Lin Yao asked, "Where did I reveal my w?"

    "No ws, I eliminated other suspects then worked backwards to this conclusion. I hade to your room before but didn''t look around at all," Jian Jing couldn''t help but sigh, "The typhoonst night was the perfect chance to destroy evidence, unfortunately you were detained and didn''t get the opportunity to prepare, otherwise..."

    The typhoonst night was so fierce, if she had tossed the murder weapon into the back hills, one gust would have blown it away, making it near impossible to find again.

    "Luckily for me, there''s probably still traces of the venom inside the syringe," she asked.

    Matters having reached this point, Lin Yao had nothing worthwhile left to defend herself with, silently sitting down on the sofa, choking back tears.

    After a moment, the pent-up emotions reached a threshold, bursting forth past rationality.

    "I hate Xiao Xiao so much. Although she did nothing wrong, I really hate, hate her!" She hated that Xiao Xiao had won Ying Jie''s affection, hated that she didn''t properly cherish him, leaving him so heartbroken, hated that she had clearly given him up, yet after her fianc¨¦''s death, was intimate with him again!"

    She choked out a sob, hands covering her cheeks, venting her agony in heart-wrenching pain: "I had already resigned myself, but she suddenly broke up with him. I thought it was my chance, that he could finally see me, yet it was still her..."

    "I desperately hoped she would disappear from this world. Without her, I wouldn''t be Xiao Xiao''s friend anymore, but Lin Yao, Yao Yao!"

    Tears burst forth like a dam, and she abruptly lifted her head, teeth gritted, screaming hoarsely: "What''s wrong with me? What''s so good about her? Why, why?!"

    Jian Jing softly sighed, neither answering nor condemning.

    She knew Yao Yao actually understood love had nothing to do with this. Liking someone was just liking them, not liking was just not liking. Even if Yang Xiao died, Si Yingjie still may not look upon her.

    Yet when ample reason encounters the most unreasonable love, defeat is destined.

    One can hardly help fantasizing their schemes were wless, able to pull the wool over everyone''s eyes. One can hardly refrain from hoping another''s death would turn Cupid''s arrows their way.

    To gamble such an illusory possibility, she had gambled away herself.

    Ding dong, a phone rang.

    Jian Jing nced at it and said, "The police are here, do you want to see Si Yingjie onest time?"

    Lin Yao''s tragicments abruptly ceased.

    She raised her head, a glimmer of hope and yearning shing through her sweet countenance, lighting up her eyes as if they contained thousands of unspoken words. Yet the me only zed for an instant before dying out like a candle burnt through the night.

    "No need," Lin Yao said with difficulty, "I don''t want to see Ying Jie hating me."

    Before her voice faded, muffled sobs emerged from her throatˇŞin that brief moment, she had regained her senses. Si Yingjie would not love her because of Yang Xiao''s death, only hate her.

    She did not wish to face him as a murderess.

    "Just let the policee," she pleaded in a humble, pitiful way.

    Jian Jing agreed.

    But when Kang Mu Cheng brought the police over, Si Yingjie insisted on going inside. He loudly called from the doorway, "There must be some mistake, Mu Cheng, are you crazy? Jing Jing is just a child, she doesn''t understand investigating cases at all. How could it possibly be Yao Yao? She''s so timid, if she sees a stray dog on the road she has to take it to the vet."

    He stated categorically, "Impossible!"

    Jian Jing shook her head, signaling Kang Mu Cheng to stay and clean up, while she herself stepped outside, grabbing his arm, "Come with me."

    Si Yingjie tried to shake her off but found himself unable to break free, stumbling straight along as she dragged him. He thought he was still drunk: "Jing Jing! Tell Mu Cheng he made a mistake, impossible."

    "I found the murder weapon in her room, she admitted it herself," Jian Jing pulled him along, "Now isn''t the time for this, let''s hurry to Room 12."

    Si Yingjie was confused: "What are we going to Room 12 for?"

    "To see your ex-wife."

    The police''s actions were loud enough to wake A Xu and Coach Yin who had still been sleeping. They hurriedly came over, shocked and puzzled by events, looking on as spectators.

    But with such a bigmotion, Ai Lina and Zong Xunmei were nowhere to be seen.

    They were both in Room 12.

    Si Yingjie truly felt wretched. This morning when he awoke, he first heard his good friend had killed her lover. And now he saw his ex-wife appear in his cousin''s former room, even holding a gun.

    Luckily the muzzle was aimed at Zong Xunmei, otherwise he would have thought he was still in a drunken dream.

    "What are you guys doing?" He gaped in disbelief.

    Ai Lina nced at Jian Jing, "If I were you, I wouldn''t have dragged him into this. What''s happening here had nothing to do with any of you originally."

    Si Yingjie was furious, "What nonsense are you spouting? Put the gun down! Have you lost your mind? The police are on the ind."

    "Shut up, it''s none of your business," but Ai Lina was extremely cold, ring at Zong Xunmei as if throwing knives, "Get out of the way or I''ll shoot."

    Zong Xunmei raised his hands in surrender, but his tone was utterly unperturbed, "Killing me is useless, the item is no longer here."

    Ai Lina''s expression grew increasingly unpleasant, "So you''re also one of them..."

    "It''s best you withdraw for now. Otherwise when the police take you away, there will be considerable trouble," Zong Xunmei urged sincerely.

    Ai Lina''s gaze narrowed, seemingly judging if he was bluffing.

    "Don''t think I''m deceiving you," he gave a faint smile, "When Dr. Wu passed away, the data on hisputer and mobile devices were all erased. His personal belongings did not contain anything special either. That item wasn''t on his person."

    Jian Jing felt as if she had walked onto the wrong set, filled with confusion, quietly asking, "Ying Jie, who is Dr. Wu?"

    "My cousin," Si Yingjie''s stare was pitch-ck, his demeanor gloomy, "He died overseas by unknown causes, said to be sudden myocardial infarction, but..."

    "Dr. Wu was a technical consultant for a marine development firm. He single-handedly led the R&D for their ''Candle Dragon'' deep sea excavation system," Zong Xunmei supplemented. "This technology is at least 5 years ahead of major American and Europeanpanies, in order to obtain it, they murdered Dr. Wu."

    Jian Jing gasped, unable to believe her own ears.

    "But no one obtained Candle Dragon''s data," Zong Xunmei continued. "Three days before his death, Dr. Wu seemed to have a premonition and left his will with hiswyer, including arrangements for his estate. I''m sure many have already searched through the vi he lived in, finding nothing."

    The more he revealed, the uglier Ai Lina''s expression became.

    Although not stupid, Si Yingjie swiftly grasped the situation, staring fixedly at Ai Lina, pressing aggressively, "You married me also because of this?"

    "She is the ''special talent'' hired by the Egillpany," said Zong Xunmei with a smile in his eyes. "They want to get close to you to uncover Dr. Wu''s secretsˇŞclearly suspecting something wrong with the will."

    Si Yingjie: "Damn it!"

    Now exposed, arguing was useless. Ailina revealed the truth: "Before Dr. Wu died, he was holding a cup of Starbucks coffee, but he never drank coffee normally, only tea."

    Jianjing finally understood.

    The Starbucks logo is a mermaid.

    Ailinaing to Mermaid Ind was no coincidence.

    Somercial warfare in this world is that intense? Directly sending a beauty to infiltrate and investigate? Compared to chairmen secretly filming in my old world, the gap is more than just a little!

    Too scary.

    "The vi is so big, you''ve been here more than once, did you find it?" Zong Xunmei asked with a smile.

    Ailina''s face was extremely ugly.

    Zong Xunmei said, "I''ll give you a chance to leave. If you don''t go now, it''ll be toote to regret it."

    Ailina quickly nced at Si Yingjie. He was so angry his face flushed red, the veins in his temples throbbing, but he barely held himself back: "Get lost now, or I''ll have someone catch you."

    Exposed, unable to obtain anything, and the police already on the ind, a confrontation was not worthwhile.

    Really unlucky, half a year''s work wasted.

    Ailina resentfully thought it was bad luck, but had no intention of continuing the standoffˇŞafter all she was just a corporate spy, doing her job for money, not a real agent who could fight off a hail of bullets.

    "How heartless." She put away her gun, her figure darting out the door like a fleeing rabbit, leaving only a familiar teasingugh, "A night of husband and wife, a hundred nights of grace. Farewell, Yingjie."

    Si Yingjie had a lump of anger stuck in his chest, but was unable to vent it, only furiously kicking over a chair.

    Jianjing felt very sympathetic, but had no time to care as her gaze locked onto Zong Xunmei: "Ailina was sent by thatpany, what about you? Why did youe here? Do you have Candle Dragon?"

    "Three years ago I met Dr. Wu and was entrusted by himˇŞOK, of course I was paid a considerable feeˇŞto retrieve backup data of Candle Dragon for him and deliver it to his designated person," Zong Xunmei spread his hands unhurriedly. "The previous two years the situation was tense so I didn''t rashly take action, also because I didn''t have any other clues, what I knew was the same as what they knew."

    Jianjing still wanted to ask more, but Si Yingjie could no longer endure it and angrily shouted, "What do you take me for? Coming and going as you please? Get lost! You get out too!"

    "Entrusted by another, loyal service," Zong Xunmei was also unconcerned, only pausing slightly as he passed Jianjing to exin, "The situation was urgent, I offended you, apologies."

    As he gestured, he tucked his business card into her braid: "I owe you a favor, feel free to look for me anytime. Farewell, Miss Jian."

    The instant he raised his hand, Jianjing moved to block him, but she was a step too slow, only catching a card.

    Looking at it, there were only two lines written:

    Zong Ye.

    Then a phone number.

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146

    Mermaid Ind was in chaos.

    Around noon, after inspecting the scene, the police took Lin Yao away. Si Yingjie forcibly demanded to see her, but facing his questioning, Yao Yao remained silent, tacitly admitting to the crime.

    He was dealt blow after blow, and having caught a cold from drinking, he developed a high fever that afternoon.

    Kang Mu Cheng had no choice but to ask Jian Jing to pack up and take Si Yingjie to the hospital for treatment.

    Before leaving, Jian Jing stood in the bedroom on the second floor, staring at the tropical fish tank directly opposite the bed - her vi was no different from others'', the only highlight was therge fish tank that Si Yingjie had sent here.

    He had said that this was something left behind by his cousin and was a very valuable species of fish.

    These fish were indeed especially beautiful, their colors were like a dream, their posture elegant and agile. Falling asleep facing them, even dreams were of an underwater world.

    Moreover, ording to the staff who specially cared for these fish, Dr. Wu had even named them.

    They were called: Vast Sea, Moonlit, Flowing Pearl, Blue Field, Warm Sun, Jade Mist.

    The vast sea and moonlit, pearls have tears, the blue field warms, jade arises from mist.

    She fished out the red tropical fish called "Flowing Pearl" and examined it carefully with a magnifying ss, finally discovering a shallow wound on its belly.

    Sure enough.

    The mermaid referred to Mermaid Ind, but was not limited to Mermaid Ind alone. Mermen in ancient China were called Kun (öŢ) people. Guo Moruo had a line of poetry, "Fear that there would be mermen by the shore, shedding pearls towards the moon."

    There was probably some chip imnted in the fish.

    Tsk, Eileen really suffered fromck of culture, she didn''t understand the subtleties. If she had seen the scene of the white ape concealing the Nine Yang Manual in its belly, she could have guessed Dr. Wu''s methods.

    What was the use of being able to read Chinese? She didn''t understand the essence.

    But this could also exin Zong Xunmei''s behavior that night.

    Previously when investigating, she had asked the butler where the spare keys were kept - in the safe in the study, with only him and Si Yingjie knowing the password to open it.

    Zong Xunmei had probably wheedled out of someone where the fish were, knowing they were in her bedroom, so she decided to get Jian Jing drunk, steal the keys, and secretly take the chip.

    Shameless.

    Jian Jing made a mental note of this debt. After getting Si Yingjie settled into the ward, she would ask Kang Mu Cheng about this person surnamed Zong.

    Before asking, she didn''t actually have much hope, just seeking help out of habit. But to her surprise, after listening, Kang Mu Cheng thought for a moment and said, "I''ve heard this name before."

    Jian Jing was shocked. "Ah?"

    "Wait a moment." Kang Mu Cheng made a phone call, said a few words softly, then told her after hanging up, "I asked a friend, I have indeed heard this name before, not sure if it''s the person you''re asking about."

    Jian Jing asked, "Who is he?"

    "A merchant in the intelligence business," Kang Mu Cheng replied.

    This was apletely unexpected answer. Jian Jing was stunned for a moment, and all kinds of ssic spy movie scenes shed through her mind.

    Hey, was this for real?

    Could there be any more surprises (shock) from this parallel world?

    Seeing herplex expression, Kang Mu Cheng immediately understood her misunderstanding. He quickly exined, "It''s not what you think. He has an investigationpany that analyzes publicly avablemercial information and produces research reports forpanies. It doesn''t involve any secrets, it''s a very normal business with a good reputation in the industry."

    Jian Jing was skeptical. "Are you sure?"

    What proper person would use a fake name? He didn''t look like apany boss at all, but more like an intelligence officer from TV shows and movies.

    When she said it, Kang Mu Cheng also became uncertain and hesitated. "I know his investigationpany, I''ve never seen him in person. I heard he''s quite a mysterious figure."

    "What''s the name of thatpany?"

    "Mountain Skrk."

    She didn''t say Homing Pigeon. Jian Jing mocked inwardly as she searched for it online.

    Just as Kang Mu Cheng had said, Mountain Skrk Information Analysis Company was a legitimate andwful enterprise with a good reputation. She could also find registration information.

    She then searched for "Zong Ye".

    No valuable information.

    She turned to search for Mountain Skrk, and found an official ount. As was well known, corporate official ounts had very few followers, it was basically just employees sharing to inte the numbers.

    She randomly clicked on an ount to go in and searched for pany" keywords.

    A Weibo post about the annual meeting popped up.

    Unimportant female employee:

    Today at the annual meeting, I got the grand prize. The boss personally awarded it to me, so happy~ Handsome Master Hot Pot

    [Photo jg]

    --

    Reposts 0, Comments 0, Likes 3

    Jian Jing clicked to open the photo. Aside from the female employee herself, there was also a rather handsome face that looked somewhat simr to Zong Xunmei, but could only be described as upright and handsome. It was far from the shocking impression she had previously.

    A huge "?" slowly emerged in her mind.

    Wha...what''s going on?

    Her phone vibrated. Jian Jing instinctively picked it up to look, an unread message from an unfamiliar number.

    [Don''t you really want to contact me? I heard you''re looking for someone, do you need help?]

    The message looked aggressive. Jian Jing immediately did the math: [Don''t you feel very shameless?]

    [I considered just stealing the key, but didn''t find a chance. I originally nned topensate you in another way_]

    Jian Jing sent back a string of "......".

    [It''s my first time getting such an unwilling reply. Could you have found my photo?]

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but ask a silly question: [Did you get stic surgery? Which hospital?]

    Introduce it to me!

    [Unfortunately, I have never had any work done. If you want to meet the best cosmetic surgeon, I can introduce you_]

    Jian Jing: [So what I saw before was your real appearance?]

    [Would you be very disappointed if it wasn''t?]

    Jian Jing: I would.

    There was no helping it, people were all hypocritical dogs. Things that could be forgiven of a beauty could not be forgiven of an ordinary person. However, in all fairness, she had interacted with him face to face and did not detect anything unnatural at all, only sensed an anomalous aura several times.

    She thought about it and replied: [Not at all]

    He sent back an emoji, and asked again: [Do you really not need my help finding that person you''re looking for? I sincerely want to make amends with you]

    Jian Jing seriously hesitated.

    The boat had sailed, and going back in time to settle scores was impossible. Since he wanted to make amends, it would be foolish not to ept a favor.

    He might really be able to find Qi Tian.

    But after careful consideration, she still didn''t really want to expend this favor on him. Many people were looking for Qi Tian, and with Qi Tian''s temperament, he wouldn''t stay in hiding for long.

    Inparison, there were two things she was more anxious to figure out: the identity of Scarface, and... her own secret.

    Scarface''s identity didn''t hold much value. If he was hiding, there was nothing she could do about it.

    Jian Jing pursed her lips and replied: [I don''t want to find him. I want to know something else]

    [Please ask]

    She turned sideways, ncing at Kang Mu Cheng from the corner of her eye. He was sitting by the hospital bed, discussing something with the doctor in charge. He didn''t notice anything happening over here.

    Her fingers tapped the keyboard: [Do you know Saint Angel? The Saint Angel that sent the greeting card]

    [I will give you a message as soon as possible]

    The chat ended.

    Jian Jing let out a soft sigh. She only realized then that just struggling over it for a moment had already caused slight pain in her chest.

    Would he be able to investigate it? Would Saint Angel be the breakthrough point for everything?

    She held up her forehead. She both wanted to know the answer and strangely dreaded the answer at the same time.

    That very night after being admitted to the hospital, Si Yingjie''s fever broke.

    But he remained mired in depression and unable to pull himself out of it. Jian Jing and Kang Mu Cheng chatted with him, yet he didn''t want to speak at all. His appetite was also very poor and he didn''t want to eat anything.

    He had originally still wanted to ask Yao Yao "why did you do this", but after Jian Jing told him "because she likes you", he deted like a balloon that had sprung a leak.

    "It''s my fault Xiao Xiao died," he med himself.

    Jian Jing struggled with whether to speak.

    He regretted, "I shouldn''t havee this time!"

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed and gripped his shoulders. "Yingjie, it wasn''t your fault. Lin Yao was confused for a moment, it had nothing to do with you. Don''t be like this, cheer up."

    But if a few words could cure heartache, why were there still so many heartbroken people in the world?

    Unable to do anything, Kang Mu Cheng could only temporarily entrust him to Jian Jing for now. He himself had tomunicate with the local police to extradite Lin Yao back to their home country. The process required no small amount of paperwork that kept him upied, unable to attend to anything else.

    Jian Jing was also very troubled. She racked her brains for topics to divert Si Yingjie''s attention and get him to stop dwelling in regret all the time.

    But with the two of them not knowing each other for long, and without Kang Mu Cheng, there really wasn''t much to talk about.

    She simply asked about things from when they were young.

    Si Yingjie faced Kang Mu Cheng, and could pretend to be a disappointed man ignoring him. But when a girl ten years younger than him tried tofort him, he could not help feeling embarrassed and made an effort to cheer up and reciprocate.

    "How did I get to know Mu Cheng? Middle school. We knew each other since middle school. Madam Kang is a powerful businesswoman who relies entirely on nannies. My mom is a full-time housewife, and she would sometimes invite him over for meals at our home. We got familiar with each other over time.

    "However, I did not get scolded less because of him. Mu Cheng has been extremely self-disciplined since childhood. My parents saw this and were so envious of Madam Kang they wished they could trade her son for me, you know what I mean, he is like other people''s kid. It was not until he went abroad to study that I felt relieved. It was not easy..."

    He chatted on and on, and his emotions gradually calmed down.

    Jian Jing smiled gently and said indifferently, "To be honest, don''t tell Mr. Kang, but for kids, you are much better than him."

    "Right?" Si Yingjie''s expression lightened up a bit smugly, "The first time I saw you at Mu Cheng''s home, I almost gasped. I thought, wow, what era is this that there''s still such an introverted little girl?! You must have been controlled too strictly by Mu Cheng. Indeed, I asked Aunt Wang and she said he would ask what you eat every day and forbid you from eating street food. My god, street food is the most delicious food, isn''t it?"

    At first, Jian Jing wanted tough when listening, but she felt more and more ufortable as he went on.

    Why would Kang Mu Cheng control what she eats every day?

    Si Yingjie exined it right away to resolve her doubt, "When I asked him why he enforced monastery education, he said you''ve just recovered from a serious illness. The doctor said you need to pay attention to your diet, get regr exercise, and sleep on time. I thought you just looked a little pale and sensitive to the outside world, and didn''t see anything wrong... Oh yeah, what illness did you have at that time?"

    "I''ve forgotten about it already." Jian Jing evaded the key point and said, "Speaking of street food, do you want to eat BBQ? Let''s have a BBQ party tonight."

    Si Yingjie just asked casually, and she changed the topic, so he naturally went along with it, "Sure, whatever you say. I originally wanted to take you out for fun, but this happened..."

    He sank into the emotional ck hole again, slumping on the sofa, just wishing to get dead drunk.

    Jian Jing said, "Get up, let''s go y tennis."

    Si Yingjie said, "Pour me a drink."

    "Are you getting up or not?" Jian Jing grabbed his cor, "Walk yourself or should I drag you there?"

    Si Yingjie: "..." He really didn''t want to relive the pain of being dragged away, so he slowly got up, "You just mentioned Mu Cheng, you''re the same."

    Jian Jing was slightly startled, then her mind lit up suddenly.

    Could it be that she had also experienced some severe psychological trauma?

    Once the thought came up, it was unstoppable. The tennis was a mess with them hitting balls all over. Fortunately, Si Yingjie was even more absent-minded than her. The two of them were just going through the motions and ended the game hastily.

    A few dayster, after Lin Yao was extradited back to China, Yang Xiao''s body was also to be sent home.

    Jian Jing got on the ne back home.

    To be honest, everything was normal on the ne and she didn''t feel anything. But after getting off the ne, when she was looking for a tissue in her bag to go to the bathroom, she suddenly froze.

    There was an extra snow-white envelope in her handbag.

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147

    Jian Jing waited until she got home to open the letter in her bedroom. There was sealing wax on the p of the envelope, embossed with a cursive purple "z".

    The color was vulgar, just like the sender.

    She tore it open. Inside was a piece of quite exquisite stationery, handwritten in ink with a flowing, dashing script:

    Miss J:

    We meet in writing.

    There are numerous ces named "Saint Angelique" at home and abroad, and several shops that sell greeting cards of that name. I wouldn''t dare make presumptions about Miss''s aims, so let me just tell you about the one I find most unique.

    In Switzend there is a Saint Angelique Academy called "Lle", which is actually a hospital renowned for treating psychological and mental illnesses. It goes by this name to protect patients'' safety and privacy, avoiding public attention as much as possible so outsiders can''t find out anything.

    I''ve heard that when patients are cured and discharged, they''re given a congrattory card for "graduating", along with the exclusive case file for their illness - this sole copy, with no duplicates retained by the hospital.

    I hope my answer satisfies you.

    S¨­ya -

    Case file?

    It was actually a case file.

    That clinches it.

    Her parents'' graves were bought in 2014, so she lost her parents when she was 14. And the property deed for this apartment is dated 2018.

    ording to what Ji Feng said, she should have been living in the Kang family home then - in other words, during those 4 years from 2014-2018, she had a serious illness at some point.

    Jian Jing took the memory card reader out of her drawer and plugged it into herputer.

    The familiar ount login screen appeared.

    She hadn''t dared enter anything before, afraid it might trigger an rm or lock her out entirely if she put in the wrong thing. But if it was just to protect patients'' case files, it should be fine.

    For the ount, it would be her name, right?

    jianjg? No, jgjian - they put the surnamest overseas.

    The password...

    Her birthday would be too easy to guess. Maybe the name of a character she liked, or some memorable quote? So that would be "Go Pikachu!" (?) or "There is only one truth" (?)...

    She silently despaired, unsurprised when both were wrong.

    Who was her favorite when she was 14 or 15?

    The snow rabbit? Yukimura? The fourth Hokage?

    Qike Xiu - she couldn''t even remember them all clearly.

    Or maybe the password really was just her birthday?

    She entered it again, but it was still incorrect.

    A new window popped up: [Password incorrect, contents locked. Please try again after 24 hours.]

    Jian Jing was extremely frustrated. Why wasn''t there a forgot password option?

    She might as well try asking Kang Mu Cheng after all.

    The only person who could have taken her to the hospital was him. Maybe he''d know. Forgetting a password wasmon enough, he probably wouldn''t be suspicious.

    She hesitated, picking up her phone and typing a few sentences before deleting and rewriting them over and over. identally, she sent the unfinished message.

    [Kang, do you still remember--]

    Just as she was about to recall it, her finger froze.

    After a while, he replied: [In a meeting, I''ll call you backter.]

    Ah, having just returned from vacation, he must have piled up quite a bit of work. Jian Jing heaved a silent sigh, responding with an "Okay" but knowing there was no hope for two or three days.

    She might as well check Moments.

    Jiang Baiyan had posted a little workout video, cheerfully saying "Finally put some weight back on." Zuo Xin was wailing "Why is there so much work during my internship?!" Liang Yigan was full of fighting spirit, "The ofw is vast and loosely woven, but nothing escapes."

    Yuanyuan Jie''s post was "Convalescent meal prepared for my hospitalized brother", with a photo of a bowl of rice porridge.

    Jian Jing froze, immediately calling her.

    The wind picked upzily, with little energy. "Hello, Teacher Jian, back from vacation?"

    "What happened to you?" she asked. "Are you in the hospital?"

    He said, "Yeah, are youing to see me?"

    "Where?" she asked tersely.

    "City Hospital No. 1. Bring me some food. Baozi will do - I want a meat bun." His tone was abject.

    Jian Jing hung up and hurried to the flower shop to buy a bouquet.

    Ji Feng craned his neck expectantly, thinking he''d get to wait for piping hot, fragrant meat buns. Who knew there''d only be useless tulips?

    He was bitterly disappointed. "That''s not how you should treat me."

    "I never said I would." Jian Jing was indifferent. She put the fresh flowers in the vase she''d brought and added water.

    The aunt in the next bed saw her and struck up a conversation enthusiastically. "Little Ji, is this your girlfriend?"

    "Just a friend." Ji Feng answered dispiritedly.

    The nosy aunt immediately lectured, "Then you have to work harder. Such a pretty girl, if you don''t hold on tight she''ll be snatched away."

    Jian Jing: "...Pfft."

    "I''m too busy with work to have a girlfriend." Ji Feng mumbled indistinctly as he got up into the wheelchair. "Let''s go, take a walk outside."

    He didn''t even need her to push, capably wheeling away quickly by himself.

    Jian Jing had no choice but to hurry and catch up.

    Ji Feng slipped skillfully into the garden, finding a secluded but open spot. He cut to the chase, "I won''t waste time chatting. My wound really hurts like hell. Let me put it this way - I got into trouble this time."

    Jian Jing was shocked. "What?"

    "The few days you were away on vacation--" Ji Feng bit off the words "vacation" with emphasis, along with the covetous gaze of a corporate ve, "I was investigating a serial murder case. The criminal specifically targeted young women living alone, killing them and then engaging in rtions with the corpses. His methods were extremely cruel, the circumstances especially atrocious."

    He held his ribcage, brow furrowed. "I won''t go into the investigation process - nothing special. At the time, my partner went to rescue a severely injured woman while I pursued the killer alone. The man was a retired athlete, strong and sturdy. We grappled for a while before I arrested him.

    "But just as I was about to handcuff him, a third person appeared and shot me. I could only dodge to the side in a rush. Though I avoided a fatal hit to the heart, the range was too close. I still got hit where you see now."

    Jian Jing listened in horror and bewilderment. "You want me to help investigate the case?"

    "No." Ji Feng looked at her deeply. Lowering his voice, he said, "There''s something I''ve kept from my colleagues. Listen carefully. The person who shot me said something then."

    He imitated the other''s tone coldly. "You can''t save my darling."

    Darling? What a disgusting term of address. With rtions with a corpse, it must have been the man. Jian Jing''s first thought was scornful.

    But very quickly she realized she had misheard.

    Can''t save darling.

    In a sh it dawned on her. The chill wind was like a demon''s fingers, ghosting over the nape of her neck. Gooseflesh prickled over her body and fear spread from the depths of her heart like the tide rising.

    Ji Feng asked slowly, "Do you think he''s the one who was stalking you?"

    "It''s him." Jian Jing gritted her teeth lightly, affirming, "He mistook you for..." Damn!

    No wonder there had been no reaction from Scarface all this time after Rose Gold went on the market. He wasn''t scared - he was looking for the "killer"''s true identity.

    She knew herself that the emotional inspiration for Hitman came from Xie Wei, but the inspiration to save came from her.

    Xie Wei was dead already. She owed nothing more. Scarface could think whatever he wanted.

    She never imagined that his readingprehension would be so off. He had aimed at the men around her instead.

    What nonsense!

    He knew nothing about her.

    Why Ji Feng? Because he was a cop, naturally taking on the role of savior?

    Wake up! A cop and a hitman weren''t alike at all!

    Ji Feng looked askance at Jian Jing, taking in her rapidly shiftingplexion. Extremely interesting. He couldn''t help asking, "Could it be he thinks you like me?"

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, for a moment at a loss over who to mock more.

    Ji Feng was still absorbed in analysis. "Comparatively, your rtionship with Kang Mu Cheng is closer, right? Why doesn''t he think it''s him?"

    At first Jian Jing didn''t understand what he meant, but after a moment it dawned on her: "Are you suspecting Kang?"

    Whenever Ji Feng talked about a case, he always told it like it is, never mincing words based on personal feelings. He said solemnly, "Kang Mu Cheng is very protective of you, and a person''s physique and appearance can be disguised. ording to my analysis, the man with the knife scar has a strong sense of possession towards you."

    Jian Jing tly denied it: "If it was Kang, he wouldn''t have misunderstood that it was you. He would know who it was."

    Curious, he asked, "Who was it?"

    Jian Jing was cold. "A dead man."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    "There are two possible reasons why he didn''t target Kang," Jian Jing sorted out her thoughts and analyzed, "First, he doesn''t think Kang has the ability to save me, which means there was something that happened before that Kang didn''t stop from urring at the time.

    Ji Feng nodded: "I think Kang Mu Cheng is keeping something from you."

    Jian Jing nodded. Focusing her mind, she said, "Second, afterparing you two, he feels your identity and profession fit the image of a savior more."

    "Or perhaps both reasons are true," Ji Feng supported his head with his hand, unexpectedly somewhat itching for action, "In that case, since he failed to kill me once, he''s extremely likely to try again."

    He immediately started scheming: "It''s a pity that the murderer got away, but his identity has already been found out. The police have issued a wanted notice, so as soon as he''s caught, they can follow the vine to get the info on Knife Scar ManˇŞI don''t believe his appearance back then was a coincidence, this is a trap."

    After pondering some more: "Looking at it this way, he has the ability to incite crime."

    "No." Jian Jing interrupted his n and said directly, "This guy is too dangerous, I can''t let you take that risk."

    Ji Feng waved his hand with profound meaning, "I''m not doing this for you. For me, he''s also a very valuable prey."

    Jian Jing: "I have a better idea."

    He raised his brows.

    She showed him her phone, a new Weibo postˇŞ

    Jian Jingv:

    I''ve received many questions from readers about Rose Gold. I will answer below the issues you all are most concerned with.

    Is there love between the assassin and the girl?

    Regretfully, I also don''t know. The assassin''s prototype came from a deceased friend. He never uttered any words rted to "love," so there''s no way to know.

    That person has passed on, the answer is no longer importantˇŞ

    When Jian Jing published this message, a feeling of mncholy she hadn''t felt in a long time shed through her heart. The sadness was faint, like mist on a rainy day, hazily settled on the ss window, making the world seem illusory.

    But very quickly, the spotty fog was blown away by the bloody winds.

    She couldn''t help but wonder, when he sees this, what will he do?

    The phone rang.

    Jian Jing made a gesture at Ji Feng and walked away to pick up: "Director Kang, your reaction is too fast. I just posted that Weibo, and you saw it already?"

    "I set up special notifications." Kang Mu Cheng was very confused. "Why did you post that?"

    She was silent for a moment, no longer avoiding the topic, and said directly: "That person made a move against my friend."

    "Who?" He didn''t react for a moment.

    Jian Jing said: "The man with a knife scar on his hand."

    The other end of the phone suddenly went silent.

    "Director Kang, were you the one who sent me to Saint Angel''s?" she asked gently. "I don''t remember, but it was you, right? What exactly happened?"

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148

    Jian Jing didn''t stay long at the hospital after visiting Ji Feng. She drove directly to Kang Mu Cheng''s house.

    As she had guessed earlier, she was very familiar with the Kang family. As soon as she entered, she knew where to put her shoes and where the bathroom was located. Muscle memory was more profound than memory stored in the brain.

    Aunt Wang greeted her, "Jing Jing, you haven''t been here for a long time."

    "Aunt Wang," she even called out the name of the housekeeper. Smiling, she said, "You look exactly the same."

    "Oh my, you''re much more lively than when you were little." Aunt Wang said with a smile, "Mu Cheng called and said you wereing over for dinner tonight. I made your favorite dishes specially, so you have to eat more."

    Jian Jing said, "Thank you, Auntie."

    Aunt Wang went to cook with a smile on her face.

    Before long, Kang Mu Cheng came home from work early, which was rare. After chatting briefly, he called her into the study to talk in detail. He looked solemn, seemingly full of worries, hesitating over and over about what to say.

    On the contrary, Jian Jing, after more than a year, was calm and said, "Mr. Kang, go ahead and say what you need to. Don''t worry about me."

    However, Kang Mu Cheng did not rx. On the contrary, he sighed lightly, "I really don''t want to tell you about this."

    "Why?"

    "This is not a pleasant memory for you. Jing Jing, you finally forgot about it. I don''t want you to go through that again." He said slowly, "I feel sorry that Ji Feng is injured, but this is not something you can resolve. It''s better to hand it over to the police."

    Jian Jing suddenly fell silent.

    So it turned out that she had forgotten not because of transmigration, but because she had forgotten in the first ce. Even so, she didn''t change her mind at all.

    "He won''t let me go just because I forgot." She said.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "The police will protect you. I can apply for a restraining order for you."

    Jian Jing shook her head and pleaded earnestly, "They can''t protect me for a lifetime, but he can hide for a long time until there is no one around me."

    "I understand how you feel." Kang Mu Cheng also put forward powerful reasons. "I admit that you''ve changed a lot this past year, be braver, more confident, and more resilient. But Jing Jing, what happens to yourself ispletely different from what happens to others. You have suffered great misfortune before. I can''t just stand by and watch you go back to that state again."

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, "Even if I really want to know, you still don''t want to tell me?"

    He said, "Yes, I don''t want to tell you."

    The air suddenly turned silent.

    Jian Jing pressed her lips tightly, suppressing the irritation and helplessness that welled up in her heart. She quietly took two deep breaths.

    She didn''t want to argue with Kang Mu Cheng. There was no point in arguing.

    "Exhaling slowly, the tense skin on her face rxed. "If you really don''t want to tell me, I won''t force you. Mr. Kang, I told Brother Yingjie that no matter what, I would never dislike you. You''ve been very good to me, so it''s okay if you don''t want to say it."

    Kang Mu Cheng did not expect to hear such words. He was slightly at a loss, withplicated feelings lingering in his chest, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.

    He felt a little ufortable, but was unusually lost for words.

    Jian Jing had already recovered as usual, and said, "I won''t force you, and I don''t want to deceive you either. But while you do what you want, so will I."

    "s." He sighed deeply, leaning back in the leather chair, his eyes slightly tired, "Jing Jing, do you no longer trust me?"

    Jian Jing asked in return, "Mr. Kang, do you really understand the whole story?"

    Kang Mu Cheng stopped short.

    "If you understand his pattern of behavior, you wouldn''t have just upgraded my security system." Jian Jing''s thinking was clear. She calmly borated, "You only know that something happened to me and that you took me to the hospital for treatment, but you don''t know exactly what happened, right?"

    She said, "You know me, just as I know you. He''s not an opponent you''re familiar with. You can''t understand at all what this kind of dangerous character is thinking."

    "Since you know he''s very dangerous," Kang Mu Cheng frowned and spoke faster, "this is not something an ordinary girl like you can deal with. Why take the risk? I don''t want anything to happen to you, do you understand?!"

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you think that if I hide, nothing will happen?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "At least you don''t have to confront him directly."

    "Don''t worry, I won''t fight him one on one." She made a joke.

    But Kang Mu Cheng''s attitude did not ease at all. He was brief and to the point, "You know what I mean."

    Jian Jing could only say, "Mr. Kang, if the police could catch him, they would have caught him long ago. As a result, in Liu Baofeng''s case, there are still no clues so far. They can''t catch him."

    "If they can''t, you can?" Kang Mu Cheng always encouraged her before, rarely questioning her like this. It was clear he had no time to consider anything else and was no longer as calm as usual.

    "As long as he doesn''t surrender to thew, I will live under a cloud every day. If I''m lucky, I can hide for years. If not, who knows when he''lle looking for me again." Jian Jing argued, "To catch him, I''m needed. I want to regain my lost memories and see his true face. This is the best way."

    Kang Mu Cheng was rendered speechless.

    Everyone knows it''s better to drain the pond to catch all the fish than to just scoop out the boiling water. But it''s easier said than done.

    He took a deep breath to calm down, and said slowly, "You make sense, but this is not easy for you. What you call the best solution does not necessarily mean the least harm."

    Jian Jing persisted in silence.

    "If I tell you the price you''ll have to pay," Kang Mu Cheng looked at her face and said in a low voice, "is to be a demon?"

    She frowned, not understanding his meaning, "A demon?"

    "St. Angel''s is very far away. I didn''t want to send you so far for treatment, but you...you had be very dangerous at the time." Many yearster, Kang Mu Cheng could still clearly feel the shock and anxiety when he recalled the past. It was as if invisible hands clutched his heart, suffocating him, and cold sweat kept pouring out.

    He finally revealed a little, "The doctor said you were under strong hypnosis."

    Jian Jing was surprised, "Hypnosis?"

    "That''s why I don''t agree." He said, "Once you start, no one can protect you, not me or Ji Feng either."

    She thought about it.

    Hypnosis.

    Right, if it was hypnosis, it could perhaps exin many questions.

    "Before this happened, Mr. Kang should have known me already. What kind of person was I?" She asked a seemingly irrelevant question.

    Kang Mu Cheng thought about it and answered, "Very quiet, a little introverted, but asionally with surprising courage. Your parents strongly disagreed with you writing books. You had an argument with them and ran away from home. You took a long-distance bus to Jinwu to find me."

    Jian Jing was stunned.

    He didn''t realize how shocking his words were, but she knew.

    This had also happened in the other world.

    Her parents tore up the notebook she used to write about the white cat. At that time, she didn''t say a word. The next day, she silently ran away from home. But there, there was no Jinwu or Kang Mu Cheng. She could only go to the library and stay until closing time.

    When it got dark, the huge library didn''t have a single person left. She didn''t want to go home and had nowhere to go. Feeling wronged and afraid, she curled up in a chair and cried for half the night before falling asleep groggily.

    Later, in the second half of the night, the lights suddenly turned on and her parents'' anxious voices came calling for her.

    She looked at them in disbelief. But they didn''t scold or beat her. They only said, "As long as you''re alright."

    After saying that, they busied themselves with thanking the police officer and the librarian who had worked overtime in the middle of the night to open the doors for them. Their words were so sincere it was enough to move one to tears.

    The police and librarian were good people and quickly said, "Don''t mention it. The main thing is the child has been found."

    Her parents took her home and told her that the family''s financial situation was average and they probably couldn''t afford private high school. The scores required to get into the best public high schools in the city were extremely high, so there would be great pressure on her studies.

    "Your father and mother can''t help you. You can only rely on your own efforts." Ordinary parents said this.

    At that time, Jian Jing was not yet able to understand their bitterness, but chose to forgive them. She no longer wrote about the white cat and concentrated her energy on studying. The next year, she got quite a good score on the high school entrance exam and was admitted to a top high school as she wished.

    "What happened after that?" She couldn''t help asking.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "I was shocked. I sent you back home and persuaded your parents until they finally signed the contract."

    Jian Jing smiled. Ripples rose in her heart. Ah, so this was where the divergence between the two worlds began.

    The two took separate paths in their simple life, but they were still the same person.

    She thought for a moment and said, "I understand, but I still insist."

    The just rxed atmosphere was like a fully drawn bowstring, tense again with a buzz.

    Kang Mu Cheng opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back, with his lips pursed tight. He rarely spoke to her with such a serious expression, even after her suicide, he was not so guarded.

    "You''re afraid I''ll be that way again, but that probably won''t happen," Jian Jing sighed lightly. "That Jing Jing is already dead."

    Kang Mu Cheng''s expression changed drastically. "What did you say?"

    "She was already dead when Imitted suicide," Jian Jing said. "I''m another Jing Jing."

    He furrowed his brows, looking her up and down, trying hard to digest the shock she had given him. After a good while, he finally found a reasonable exnation: "You mean personality?"

    Jian Jing had no intention of exining the real reason, so she readily nodded her head: "You can put it that way."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "No wonder."

    He knew very little about psychology. Things like personality, he had only heard the basics, but since she had been hypnotized before, and had gone through the life-and-death moment of suicide, it was normal for her psychological state to change.

    And he believed this exnation because of what he had seen with his own eyes over the past year.

    She had changed a lot, but fundamentally, she was not a different person.

    "No one can protect me, I will protect myself," Jian Jing said ambiguously. "Tell me."

    Kang Mu Cheng''s attitude visibly softened. He no longer adamantly refused: "Let me think about it."

    Jian Jing naturally said okay.

    She had a sumptuous dinner at the Kang family''s house, and at Kang Mu Cheng''s strong urging, she stayed overnight at their home. ording to Aunt Wang, the guest room was the room she had lived in before, kept exactly the same.

    Of course, the bedding was all new. After a few years, the old stuff couldn''t be used anymore.

    However, the bookshelves and desk showed the passage of time, and the few books that were kept were all popr titles from many years ago, as if time had stood still here.

    Jian Jing felt a sense of nostalgia that she hadn''t experienced for a long time welling up inside her, even though she didn''t have any details in her memory, the feeling was real.

    She randomly pulled a book off the shelf and started flipping through it with great interest.

    At the same time, a few walls over.

    Kang Mu Cheng was talking to his mother who had juste homete.

    Unlike ordinary families, Kang Lei had given birth to Kang Mu Cheng when she was only 20 years old, and had no idea how to be a mother at all. Sometimes she was like an older sister, sometimes like a boss, and other times like a friend.

    Having been brought up so casually, Kang Mu Cheng went through his childhood without a father figure, and grew up to be a son who took care of his mother in ce of his father.

    Also a domineering kind.

    So their mother-son rtionship was neither themon doting parent-filial child, nor the often seen tiger mom-weak son. Their positions were more equal.

    However, when the President Kang heard the whole story, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Jing Jing wants to know about things in the past, and you don''t want to tell her - is this worth losing sleep over and standing on the balcony in a daze?"

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149

    At dusk, Mu Cheng Kang eyed his son and wondered sincerely, "Mu Cheng, did you go out with Si Yingjie and get assimted by him? Why are you so hesitant? Jian Jing has made up her mind, you should support her."

    Before Mu Cheng Kang could finish, Kang President interrupted him, "Let me ask you, if today, Jian Jing wanted to write the most obscure topic, what would you do?"

    Mu Cheng Kang: "Two different things."

    As Jian Jing''s literary agent, responsible editor, no matter how much he disapproved of her writing ideas, he would never force anything. The uniqueness of a literary work stems precisely from the author''s own soulful expression.

    Works may not pass review or lose money, but they must not be prevented from being born.

    "No, it''s the same thing," Kang President said calmly. "Your hesitation is simply because you''ve switched roles and are trying to stop her from doing foolish things as a friend, rtive or whatever. But as her mother, I remind you not to do such stupid things."

    The woman in her fifties said meaningfully, "Differences of opinion are normal, but forcing others to act ording to your will, even if you win, is useless - you should know that there are no rtionships in this world that cannot be dissolved, authors and editors, bosses and employees, husbands and wives, they are all the same."

    Mu Cheng Kang stopped and then fell silent.

    "I know your feelings for Jian Jing run deep. She was the first contracted writer you brought out and took care of for so many years, but she is no longer a child and does not need a guardian." Kang President patted her son on the shoulder, "Treat this as her new work, trust her a little more."

    Mu Cheng Kang was silent.

    The summer night breeze blew by, cool and gentle. In the distance, the scent of night-blooming jasmine drifted over. From some unknown vi, someone was practicing the piano, tinkling, fleeting, seeking but not finding.

    He sighed softly and heard himself say, "I understand."

    The next day.

    Jian Jing got up at ten o''clock and was shocked to see Mu Cheng Kang watering the flowers in the yard.

    She was shocked.

    Why, today is Tuesday, a workday, and the workaholic is still not at work at ten o''clock?? Heavens, have aliens attacked Earth, or are the streets full of zombies already??

    "What''s with that look?" Mu Cheng Kang frowned, "Hurry up and eat breakfast, I have something to tell you after you''re done."

    Jian Jing: "Oh."

    She ate a exquisite Chinese breakfast, then strongly demanded an extra cup of iced coffee to take with her into Mu Cheng Kang''s study.

    He was always quick and decisive. Having decided to tell her everythingst night, he had organized all the information neatly this morning. He motioned for her to sit down, ready to have a long talk, "Night breeds strange dreams. Since you''ve made up your mind, I''ll tell you everything I know."

    Jian Jing focused her mind and listened attentively.

    Mu Cheng Kang thought for a while and found an appropriate starting point: "It happened in August 2014 when you were in 8th grade, during summer vacation. On August 2nd, Qixi Festival, at your house..." A homicide happened."

    Jian Jing was immediately horrified, with goosebumps all over: "You mean..."

    "Your parents were also killed by him," Mu Cheng Kang said heavily, choosing his words carefully. "The day before, I had agreed with you toe over at 10am the next day to pick up the White Cat manuscript, but no one answered the door when I knocked. There was a strong smell of blooding from inside, so I called the police. After the door was opened, your parents'' bodies were discovered."

    He paused here, deliberately ncing at her expression - as long as she showed any difort, he would not say another word - however, Jian Jing''s parents were alive and well in another world, so she showed no fear, only shock and anger.

    "What happened next?" she asked. "Where was I?"

    Mu Cheng Kang said, "You were not there."

    "The police told me that based on his methods, they determined that he was a serial killer who specifically chose holidays to target happy families. Your family was the fourth case, and the three families before had all been killed, with no survivors." He went on slowly, "You were the first and only survivor."

    Jian Jing gasped, utterly shocked.

    "Although everyone thought you were as good as dead at the time, who would have thought that three monthster, you would appear in your own home in an extremely abnormal mental state," Mu Cheng Kang described. "No matter who talked to you, you didn''t respond, but sometimes you would do some shocking things."

    "Like what?"

    Mu Cheng Kang considered and said, "You would say some strange things, like ''If life is painful, it would be better to just die'', ''Human reverence for life is too ridiculous, death is where meaning lies'', and so on."

    Jian Jing clutched her temples: How emo.

    "The situation was very worrying. Psychologists believed that you had been severely hypnotically conditioned and had a strong death worship, making you extremely likely to harm yourself or others," he said. "I heard about St. Angelica and decided to send you there. About a yearter, after sessful treatment, you forgot about those things."

    Jian Jing nodded, having sorted out the origins of St. Angelica.

    But she still had questions: "What happened while I was missing?"

    "I don''t know, no one knows," Mu Cheng Kang said. "The police really wanted to get clues from you, but there was no way. Fortunately, for some unknown reason, he did notmit another crime after 2014. The relevant case files were sealed up. "

    "What did the psychologists say?"

    He pondered: "The doctors in China only said that you had suffered severe mental trauma, nothing else. Perhaps St. Angelica''s doctors knew something, but they wouldn''t tell anyone to protect the patient, especially since I wasn''t your guardian. They didn''t say a word."

    "If I ask the doctor myself, will he tell me?" Jian Jing immediately proposed.

    Mu Cheng Kang shook his head and regretfully informed her: "If I remember correctly, the doctor who treated you has passed away. He was a very famous expert in psychology, I saw his obituary."

    That unlucky?

    Jian Jing pursed her lips: "So the only way for me to know about the treatment is through my medical records?"

    "Yes." Mu Cheng Kang asked instead, "Don''t you remember?"

    She answered with a long sigh, her frustration obvious.

    Going around in circles, she still had to find the password.

    However, with the mysteries sorted out so far, most of it had been uncovered, and Mu Cheng Kang''s attitude, which bothered her the most, also had a reasonable exnation.

    It would be much easier from now on. Let Ji Feng apply to review the case files for details of the case. The important information about the scarred man was probably hidden in the medical records.

    Jian Jing made up her mind, picked up the coffee, and drank it all up: "I''m done eating, I still have to go to the hospital, I''m leaving."

    Watching her determined back, Mu Cheng Kang''s brows rxed unconsciously, and a familiar helpless yet indulgent smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

    Today, Ji Feng was fed light Cantonese food for lunch.

    Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, the auntie in the next bed praised appreciatively, "Your daughter''s cooking skills are pretty good. Ji Feng, you have to work harder too."

    Ji Feng almost spit out his mouthful of fish porridge.

    What was the auntie looking at? The logo on the takeout box was so big, from the city''s famous Cantonese restaurant, how could she think it was made by Jian Jing?

    One look at Jian Jing and you know she can''t cook.

    He imagined her bing a virtuous wife and good mother, cooking up a storm, and instantly got the chills.

    Jian Jing was still cuter as she was now.

    He shook off the stray thoughts in his mind and hurriedly finished therge takeout porridge box, going to the garden they chatted in yesterday under the guise of aiding digestion when it was actually an after-meal treat of discussing the case.

    "The porridge was pretty good," he praised first, then said, "As I guessed, you and him had very close interactions. He didn''t kill you because he had deeper spiritual demands."

    Jian Jing said, "I want to see the case file. No matter what method you use, I have to see it."

    This time, Ji Feng did not evade her, nodded solemnly: "I will find a way. Do you have any ideas about the password?"

    She sighed, "Try them one by one, what else can I do?"

    "That can''t be right. You must have set the ount and password after you recovered. It makes no sense to forget them together." Ji Feng was not like Mu Cheng Kang, treating her as a fragile ss doll, instinctively afraid of poking her sensitive psyche. He was blunt, "Right?"

    Jian Jing coolly: "I said I forgot so I forgot, okay?"

    Ji Feng keenly asked: "Is there any hidden story I don''t know about?"

    Her: "Let''s talk again when I see the case file."

    Ji Feng covered his chest, his face full of pain, his voice faint: "I got this injury for you, shouldn''t you show me more sincerity?"

    Jian Jing was speechless.

    She felt quite sorry about Ji Feng''s injury, but when he said it himself, it changed the vor.

    "Comrade policeman, you are serving the people." She said solemnly. "I''ll send you a scroll of honorter, don''t be shy, you deserve it."

    Ji Feng leaned back to relieve the pain from moving his wound, still smiling: "That works too. Make it look good, I rely on this for promotion and raise."

    Jian Jing: "..." He was shameless beyondpare.

    "Time to go back, patients wandering around all day, be careful or the nurse will beat you up."

    Ji Feng chuckled, changing the subject: "Any updates on your Weibo post?"

    Jian Jing''s expression was hard to describe: "''He'' didn''t show up."

    She posted on Weibo yesterday just to let the scarred man know he had the wrong person, so Ji Feng wouldn''t be attacked again by ident. At the same time, she also wanted to provoke him, mock him, and force him to reveal more ws.

    However, there are pros and cons to everything.

    Public channels are the fastest and most convenient way to be heard, but also the least useful.

    Her private messages were all asking who was the original character and what was his rtionship with her. Many also thought the story of Rose Gold was her personal experience,forting her to live on bravely.

    Jian Jing''s mood was quiteplicated.

    Blood Rose represented the sworn vengeance and was the killer who murdered the girl''s parents. When she wrote this plot, she didn''t associate it with herself.

    However, while the memories were lost, the subconscious buried deep in her mind had subtly hinted at the truth.

    The spiritual connection between the author and her work was truly profound and marvelous.

    Perhaps she should take another good look at her own work - there may be more clues hidden in Rose Gold... No, that''s not it.

    The key was not there.

    Rose Gold was written by her. There might be clues but definitely not many. She was very clear where the inspirations for this work came from: Blood Rose was from the signing event, the gold was from the robbery, and the killer was her own salvation and encounter with Xie Wei.

    The work that truly held the key was... White Cat.

    Thest few volumes of White Cat Detective.

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150

    White Cat Detective had a total of 16 volumes published from 2013 to 2016. However, the publication time cannot be used as a reference. The key lies in when it was written.

    Jian Jing asked Kang Mu Cheng for the draftpletion time of all the volumes.

    Volume 1 was started in 2012. After finishing the first 3 volumes, she casually submitted it to a publisher and was spotted by Kang Mu Cheng who then signed Goldfinch and officially published it.

    In 2013, Volumes 4-9 werepleted.

    Before August 2014, Volumes 10-13 were submitted.

    In 2016, Volumes 14-16 were published and White Cat ended.

    Jian Jing confirmed with Kang Mu Cheng multiple times. On the day of the incident, the manuscript he went to collect was the content of Volumes 10-13.

    With this, the dividing line became very obvious.

    Both versions of Jian Jing wrote Volumes 1-9, which can be put aside for now. Volumes 10-13 werepleted by this world''s Jian Jing before the incident, including Volume 13 Pudding and Gemstone.

    Volumes 14-16 were written after recovering from illness. There may be hidden clues or perhaps she had forgotten everything.

    Jian Jing read through all seven stories.

    There was nothing much to say about Volumes 10-13. The style was still light and dreamy, Bai Xiao Mao was brave, righteous and kind, too perfect to be a primary school student (...).

    But starting from Volume 14, the breezy style gradually changed, and bloody descriptions that did not exist before appeared. The deaths of characters were no longer the background setting of the story, but became heavier and more gloomy, revealing the dark side of human nature.

    The ending of Volume 16 was like a corner of the world''s veil being torn open, glimpsing the truth for a moment.

    Many reviewers believed that this was the essence of White Cat Detective, meaning that the dreamy childhood was gradually fading away, and the child had to face the cruelty of the adult world directly when growing up.

    So Volume 16 was not an ending in terms of plot, the story had not ended, but there was no need to continue writing it.

    The author had grown up, and Bai Xiao Mao''s story came to an abrupt end.

    She won the Best Neer Award in 2016 because of this.

    Was the key to unlocking the medical record between Volumes 10-13 or 14-16?

    Unexpectedly, Jian Jing remembered Jiang BaiYan and the Pudding and Gemstone he mentioned.

    She tried the password again.

    Still incorrect.

    A big X was drawn with a red pen on the sixth row of the form. Jian Jingforted herself that there were still more than a dozen options below, and one of them might be correct after trying them one by one.

    However, a weekter.

    The entire form was crossed out in red.

    Jian Jing began to doubt herself: What was I thinking when I was a teenager that made me choose such aplicated password? Was this really set by me? Could it have been hacked and modified by Scar Man?!

    Of course not.

    If they wanted to hide something, it would be better to just destroy the chip instead of going through the hassle of modifying the password.

    In stark contrast to the investigation, her career was at its peak and everything was going smoothly.

    Demon Doctor 1 entered the overseas market after trantion, and the sales were surprisingly decent and matched foreign aesthetic preferences. The crew for Demon Doctor 2 had finished casting and would start filming soon. Apart from the publicly announced leads, other information was kept confidential. Many entertainment journalists squatted at the filming location trying every means to get spoilers, and Director Huang fought wits and courage with them, with constantints in the group chat.

    The script for Rose Gold had beenpleted, and they were looking for actors. Director Mei called specifically to ask if she wanted to audition.

    Jian Jing agreed.

    Ever since finding out the subtle connection between the heroine and "herself", her feelings for the role were very different, and she could not sit idly by and let others decide who would y that character.

    The audition was scheduled for Saturday at a hotel conference room.

    The director, producer all had good past works. Goldfinch was a veteranpany with ample funding. The IP of the bestselling novel that was still on the hot-selling list was sought after.

    Although it could not be called a top project, it was still considered a major project of the year.

    Minor roles and specific roles were pre-screened by the deputy director to roughly select candidates. The actorsing to audition today were mainly aiming for the male and female leads.

    There were four people interviewing: Director Mei, producer, chief screenwriter, and Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing was handed a stack of documents as soon as she arrived.

    She casually flipped through them and basically recognized everyone, proving they were famous actors.

    "So many people." Jian Jing was surprised. "Will they alle?"

    The producer spoke to her gently, "It''s been screened once already. Many people in the industry are optimistic about our project." He ttered her, "It''s all thanks to Teacher Jian''s work, the book sold so well, who wouldn''t want to ride on its coattails."

    Jian Jing smiled without taking it seriously, "This is my first time participating in an audition. Do you have any thoughts?"

    Director Mei said, "Mainly to see if they are suitable."

    "Acting skills and temperament are the most important in my opinion," the chief screenwriter interjected. "The actor doesn''t have to be super good-looking, but they must match the role."

    Jian Jing nodded in agreement.

    With consensus reached, the audition officially began.

    The process was not particrly interesting. The resumes were filled with flowery aplishments, but the actors'' actual ability did not necessarily match up. Some lived up to their reputation with excellent acting skills, while others were aplete disaster.

    Jian Jing''s spirit gradually withered, and she ended up resting her cheek in her hand, questioning life itself.

    Why did he re at me the entire time?

    Why did she have to wink and shout at me?

    Why did he look decent acting-wise but seem a bit old?

    Why would someone nearing 30 still audition for a teenage girl''s role?

    Can this drama even be filmed? Will it lose money?

    President Kang is so pitiful.

    After half a day, only one girl who had acted in movies performed well, lively and spirited. The only problem was she was not pretty enough. Her facial features would not look refined and coordinated on the big screen.

    Director Mei was in no hurry to decide: "Let''s see, there are still some peopleing in the afternoon."

    The crew had contacted some promising actors in advance to arrange time. But they might not necessarily get selected. Sometimes, more suitable candidates could be found among actors who showed up on their own.

    Everyone was trying their luck.

    Jian Jing was bored from sitting too long and made an excuse to get up and stretch her stiff waist and neck. Since there were people waiting outside, she did not want to cause trouble and went downstairs to buy ice cream.

    Of course, it would be wrong to eat alone. Not only she was tortured by work, she specially bought a bag of ice cream tofort the others who shared her pain.

    But when she came back, there was someone on the stairwell.

    An unhappy male voice said, "Don''t even say hello when you see your brother, is this how you were taught?"

    A familiar voice asked, "We have no rtionship anymore."

    "Think you can fly solo once you''ve grown your wings?" The other person was even more displeased and sneered coldly, "Without the Jiang family, could you be where you are today?"

    "So what do you want?"

    "Remember." The other person walked forward a step and red, "You''ll always be a bastard in front of me!"

    Eh? Jian Jing almost doubted her ears. She had thought Lu Yucheng was arrogant enough already, but didn''t expect there would be an even more arrogant rich young master. Indeed, everything was rtive.

    "Alright, I''ll remember that." The threatened person answered very fluently, without any reluctance, as if he had said it countless times already.

    The other became even more unreasonable: "Don''t even think about making a move on Xiao You, or I''ll make you pay."

    "Okay." He agreed just as gently.

    With no more threats to make, the other person left after throwing two more harsh words.

    The other person also left after that.

    Jian Jing slowly went upstairs and quickly identified the arrogant guy among those waiting. He was dressed casually, all designer brands, with sunsses hanging on his chest. He had delicate fair skin, no calluses on his hands, and pristine shoes, clearly chauffeured around from a well-off family.

    As she walked past him, a faint fragrance came from his elbow, a feminine scent, probably from a girl he had his arm around just now - most likely the "Xiao You" he mentioned. She didn''t seem to be here for the audition but to apany someone.

    He was chatting with the producer, but there was no girl beside him.

    Who was Xiao You?

    "Teacher Jing Jing." Oh nevermind her for now. The pitiful one who had been scolded came to greet her. Jiang BaiYan''s face was full of joy, showing no sign of just being insulted. "You''re here too."

    Jian Jing... Jian Jing felt great pity for him and gave him a cone of ice cream, "Do your best."

    Jiang BaiYan nced at the direction she came from and seemed to understand something. "Oh."

    The producer called to her, "Teacher Jian, perfect timing, let''s continue."

    Jian Jing nodded silently, casting a surreptitious nce at the arrogant man. He seemed quite familiar with the producer, half earnest and half jokingly asking, "Can I observe for a bit?"

    The producer hesitated briefly, looking to Jian Jing for any sign of objection. Seeing none, he agreed, joking only, "Looking is enough, right?"

    The arrogant man smiled faintly, not rebutting.

    Back in the conference room, Jian Jing saw Xiao You, the acquaintance with the stage name from when they had filmed Ghost House Daredevils together.

    After the useless but necessary small talk, they closed the scripts and started the audition.

    Director Mei had high hopes for her, choosing a rather difficult section: "Let''s do the part where the girl convinces the hitman."

    "Alright." Taking a deep breath, she began the performance.

    The plot went like this: The girl got the gold and decided to hire a hitman for revenge. But the hitman was unwilling at first, wanting to stop before the police caught wind of him, lest he end up eating lead in the end.

    Yet the girl convinced him in the end.

    Standing in ce, hands sped nervously, speaking quickly with an expression of fear and anticipation: "I heard that if I pay, you can help resolve some troubles?"

    Pausing two seconds, the hitman''s line was: "You heard wrong."

    "I don''t think I''m mistaken." Raising her chin stubbornly, saying, "If you''re unwilling, you can refuse."

    Not waiting for an answer, she opened her bag, revealing a gold brick: "You can take a look at my sincerity first."

    The hitman was silent for a moment: "I''m retired already."

    "This is the deposit. If you can avenge me, I can give you more." Putting emphasis in her tone, "No one thinks money is too little, right?"

    Director Mei hesitated briefly, making a gesture to pause and asking his assistant, "Has Jiang BaiYan arrived?"

    The assistant replied, "He''s here, outside."

    "Call him in," Director Mei said. "Run through this scene together."

    The arrogant man shot death res.

    But Jiang BaiYan didn''t even nce at him, respectfully taking the script and quickly memorizing the lines.

    Five minutester, the two began acting.

    With the male lead''s cooperation, even without a set, relying solely on the actors'' lines and performances, they could conjure up the appropriate atmosphere seven-tenths or eight-tenths there.

    As expected of someone who debuted early, her acting skills were finely honed. The girl she yed was passionate, clever, brave. Paired with her own youthful beauty, she stood out among the auditionees.

    But Jian Jing was more focused on Jiang BaiYan.

    Thest time she saw him act was at the hot springs inn. Xie Wei then was emitting thest rays of his life''s brilliance. Although faint, he outshone everyone.

    Jiang BaiYan seemed to take a huge hit, evening to tell her he could neverpare again. But seeing him today, his acting skills had improved tremendously.

    The hitman he yed had a cold surface, but what leaked through in his manner was bewilderment, deep confusion, towards life, towards the road ahead.

    So his refusal wasn''t cold, even less murderous. His tone was very light and faint, as if he wasn''t rejecting a request to kill, but rather a female ssmate''s date invitation.

    Jian Jing looked at him, looked at him again. The scales in her heart had already tilted.

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151

    The performance of the two onlysted about three minutes, but it was already quite wonderful.

    Mei Director and the screenwriter whispered to each other and smiled as they asked, ˇ°You are both veteran actors, and you performed very well. The script is only one page long, so you must have read through it already. Tell me your understanding of the characters.ˇ±

    With a smile, Jian Jing said in a frank manner, ˇ°I think the most prominent trait of the female protagonist is bravery. She decides to avenge her parents, so she keeps working towards that goal. She almost dies but does not give up, and has a kind of vigorous vitality about her at all times - this is key to attracting the assassin.ˇ±

    She nced at Jiang BaiYan and continued, ˇ°The assassin''s life seems thrilling and bloody, but is actually very dull. As a tool for killing, he has never lived for himself. The girl bes the light in his life, illuminating his world.ˇ±

    Mei Director nodded, and turned to ask Jiang BaiYan.

    He replied, "I feel the girl is not so bright. Revenge makes her fall from the world of light, while the assassin struggles free of the darkness and turns towards the light. In the end the assassin does not wash his hands of the business, but he has already found redemption. It''s not that the girl saves him, but that he saves himself, and saves the girl as well."

    The screenwriter couldn''t help but look towards Jian Jing.

    The ideas of the two actors actually represented the differences during the script adaptation process between the creative team: Jian Jing''s theory of redemption was more ssic and easier to film, but Jiang BaiYan''s interpretation adhered closer to the original work and was more subtle andplex.

    In the end the script was brought before the boss Kang MouCheng to decide.

    Kang MouCheng said, "However Jian Jing thinks we should film it, that''s how we''ll do it. It''s not me who will make the book sell well, it''s her."

    "What are your thoughts, Teacher Jian?" Mei Director asked very respectfully.

    Jian Jing stroked her chin thoughtfully and asked, "Could you perform a monologue? The scene before she goes looking for someone to hire."

    He was startled for a moment, then nodded, "Of course."

    "No script, just improvise as you like." Jian Jing said.

    He closed his eyes to get into character for a moment, then gave his second performance.

    As she walked along the road, her hands gripped her backpack tightly. Her expression was somewhat apprehensive, but soon she seemed to think of something and her look gradually became resolute, her steps changing from gentle to urgent.

    The performance was very short, around thirty seconds, but Mei Director''s expression became even harder to discern.

    Jian Jing covertly nced at the arrogant man, then cut straight to the chase, "You may not be suitable for this role."

    He was greatly shocked,pletely unexpected to be rejected outright like this. Although he tried his best to restrain himself, his face still revealed some embarrassment.

    "May I ask why?" she inquired.

    Jian Jing replied, "Your performance was very good, but I know you''re acting. The female protagonist is around your age, and you''re also beautiful and smart, so it makes sense to draw from your own self for the role. But that''s not the most important thing - the story originates from hatred, and your life has been too smooth sailing. Bing famous at a young age, from a wealthy family, you can portray the character as smart and brave, but you have no way to express the desperation of staking everything on hatred."

    Love is the morning dew, hatred is the ck night.

    Before encountering the dewdrop, the long night breeds hatred.

    Her performance was too bright, with none of the bloody hatred or pain.

    "Love and revenge are eternal themes," Jian Jing said slowly. "But without the foil of hatred, love cannot be precious."

    She bit her lip.

    At this time, the arrogant man spoke up, "Sorry for the interruption." He stared at Jian Jing and asked, "Whether an actor can y a role depends on if they can perform it, not if they have the real-life experience, right? Does someone have tomit murder to y a murderer?"

    Jian Jing straightened her back, her eyes like knives, her voice like a cold, clear spring: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

    "I''m just questioning reasonably," the arrogant man was no longer arrogant at this point, his thinking was clear. "Does Teacher Jian not allow others to raise different opinions?"

    "What qualifications do you have to raise opinions when you''re not even part of the crew?" she responded. "Not everyone has to listen to your suggestions, know your ce."

    The arrogant man gave a coldugh. "Is this tantly sabotaging someone?"

    Jian Jing ignored him and looked to her instead, "What do you think?"

    She was stunned for a moment, then understood - favors and sabotage were nothing rare or strange here. There was no such thing as fairness in this circle, she had sabotaged others before, and would be sabotaged by others as well.

    Byparison, Jian Jing''s rationale was already quite reasonable, and may not have been that far from her true thoughts.

    It was very normal for an audition to fail, but offending people would be extremely unwise. However... her boyfriend was standing up for her, yet she was the first to admit fault - wouldn''t that make him feel bad?

    She could only force an apologetic smile, yet said nothing.

    Jian Jing pressed her lips into a line.

    Amidst the tense silence, the producer smoothed things over, "Teacher Jian was just expressing her opinion. Let''s end it here for today. We''ll notify you if anythinges up."

    "Thank you, Teacher." She barely managed a smile to maintain herposure.

    The arrogant man was no longer polite, ncing between Jian Jing and Jiang BaiYan, letting out a coldugh.

    Jiang BaiYan lowered his head, keeping his eyes on his nose and nose on his heart, looking every bit the good little boy.

    Mei Director casually asked him a couple questions, also telling him to go back and await notice.

    With no outsiders left, the screenwriter finally spoke, "Who was that, her boyfriend? What''s his background?"

    Despite the producer having chatted quite amiably with him earlier, now his words were very casual, "The youngest son of Jiang Water Group, spending daddy''s money and fooling around, you know how it is."

    "We can''t afford to offend someone like that," Mei Director said straight. "If everyonees to give us their input, how will we get any work done?"

    Jian Jing smiled.

    She wasn''t worried at all about the crew having issues with how she handled things. Investors interfering was annoying enough already since they were providing the money after all. The arrogant man was neither the boss nor internal staff, so who was he to provide suggestions?

    He was done for as soon as he opened his mouth.

    "I was too direct," Jian Jing insincerely apologized.

    The others immediately reassured her, "You were right. Her performance was too deliberate, and her understanding of the character was also inadequate, too clich¨¦. She wouldn''t seem out of ce in other roles."

    They discussed for a while, sorrowfully discovering that while there were plenty of young, pretty girls in the industry, those with acting skill and inspiration were few and far between.

    Mei Director pondered, "Looks like if we can''t find someone suitable, we''ll have to check the drama schools."

    While everyone was chatting enthusiastically, Jian Jing took out her phone and sent a message.

    [Let''s meet somewhere safe. Dinner''s on me tonight.]

    [Ok]

    Jiang BaiYan hid in a bathroom stall making a phone call, "Sis Qiu, I ran into Jiang Ou today. He seems to be with her now and scolded me for a long time."

    His agent Qiu Lin asked, "Did you record it?"

    "I recorded it," Jiang BaiYan obediently replied, "What should I do now?"

    Qiu Lin said, "Let it go! You have Jiang blood, if they don''t mess with you, you can only endure it. Making a big fuss won''t look good."

    Jiang BaiYan answered, "Oh."

    The other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then gentle, "You didn''t do anything wrong. Don''t take their words to heart. The money you earn is all from your own efforts, you didn''t rely on them one bit."

    "Mm," Jiang BaiYan softly acknowledged, "I know."

    "You said it was for right?" Qiu Lin gave a coldugh. "Fine, if we don''t show them some color they''ll think we''re easy pickings."

    Jiang BaiYan agreed, "That''s right, that''s right. And because I won the award for Best Neer before, Teacher Jian is still upset with me."

    "If she''s upset then hurry up and apologize properly. You''re best at that, aren''t you?" Qiu Lin said. "I''m telling you, use whatever method you need to get this role in the movie. As long as we get one more award, we won''t have to put up with this crap anymore, got it?"

    "Got it!" He answered swiftly.

    Beep, the call ended.

    Jiang BaiYan sighed and sat on the toilet seat lid spacing out.

    The bathroom stalls were tiny, he couldn''t even fully extend his arms. The doors were thin and didn''t block any sound. He sat cross-legged on the toilet lid, hands and feet very cramped.

    Only his expression was much more rxed than outside.

    Very few people knew that when the big star got tired, he didn''t like drinking, sleeping, or racing cars and massages. What he did most often was hide in a tiny bathroom spacing out.

    Only then did he not have to smile at anyone.

    It had been a very long time since hest saw Jiang Ou. This third eldest brother was just like before, and especially liked trampling his self-esteem, tirelessly emphasizing his original sin.

    Now that he thought about it, his few elder brothers and sisters were all quite simr.

    Jian Jing liked to say, "Given your background, you should never have been able to enter our family. You should be grateful."

    Jiang Ou ignored him. No matter what Jiang BaiYan did, he could never get a smile from him. It was as if there was no such person in the family. Whenever anything was prepared, the servants were always told to prepare for three people. The servants did not dare disobey, so they did as they were told.

    Not only were there no gifts on holidays, and no new clothes at New Year, but the most humiliating thing was sitting down at the dinner table only to find there was no food to eat, and having to slip away in embarrassment.

    Even when he was ill, there was no driver to take him to the hospital. He had to go by himself, carrying his schoolbag and taking the bus.

    As for the third brother... he was just like that.

    "You''re a bastard!"

    "Your mother was a whore!"

    "Get out of our family!"

    "Don''t call me third brother. You''re not worthy!"

    Jiang BaiYan really disliked them.

    But when his mother was alive, she never tired of telling him, "You have to please your brothers and sisters. Don''t make them angry. You have to be good, or else your father will dislike you."

    And if he didn''t do well, it would go like this:

    "Why did big sister get angry at you? Reflect on what you did wrong."

    "Apologize to your brother! Apologize quickly!"

    "It was just two hits. He bullies you because he sees you as a little brother. What are you crying for?"

    "Xiao Xun, you have to get the Jiang family to acknowledge you, understand?"

    He would say, "Yes, Mother."

    To big sister he would say, "I will repay my brothers and sisters. Without you I would be nothing."

    To second brother he would say, "It''s alright, I can go to the hospital by myself."

    To third brother he would say, "Yes, I''m a bastard. I''m not worthy."

    He thought that by doing this he could win their affection. Even if they didn''t treat him as a brother, surely they would be a little nicer?

    But no.

    At that time, Jiang BaiYan thought he must be the most hateful child in the world, otherwise why would no one like him?

    His mobile phone vibrated in his pocket. There was a new message.

    Jiang BaiYan nced down, and a smile blossomed at the corners of his lips.

    Jian Jing had declined the crew''s dinner invitation, and made ns with Jiang BaiYan to have dinner at a very private restaurant.

    Naturally, this was because of the drama he had mentioned, Pudding and Gems.

    Jiang BaiYan arrived first and had already been waiting in the private room for a long time.

    "Sorry I''mte. Traffic jam." She sounded apologetic.

    "No problem. I''ve had plenty of free time recently." Jiang BaiYan rested his chin in his hand, looking cute. "But I''m really surprised that Teacher Jing Jing asked me to dinner."

    Jian Jing said, "I have something to ask you, but let''s eat first. I''m starving."

    This restaurant was known for its creative cuisine. She didn''t know if it would be good, but it certainly looked borate. She ordered several dishes all at once, filling up the table. "Can you eat that much?"

    He happily replied, "No problem. I''ve been trying to gain weight recently. I got too thin before."

    "That''s good. It would be pitiful to make you watch me eat." Sheughed.

    Jiang BaiYan alsoughed. "Not at all. Just watching Teacher Jing Jing makes me very happy."

    Jian Jing said, "Even if you tter me for being pretty, I won''t give you any favors."

    "Oh no, you saw right through me." He pouted pitifully and asked, "Was my acting no good?"

    She said, "On the contrary, your acting was very good. Have you been taking elixirs?"

    "I''m not so skinny I only weigh 100 jin." He heaved a sigh, clearly still traumatized by the previous filming experience, but not saying a word about it. "Let''s not talk about that. Since you asked me to dinner, I guess you want to ask about me and Jiang Ou?"

    Without waiting for Jian Jing to reply, he happily sold himself out: "There''s not much to it. I''m the illegitimate son of the Jiang Water Group chairman. He''s my older brother."

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152

    Jian Jing had originally nned to get straight to the point and ask Buding directly. But since he had brought up his own affairs, she didn''t interrupt him and listened patiently.

    Jiang BaiYan opened a jar of homemade rice wine from the restaurant and poured her a cup, exining: "My mother was one of the chairman''s mistresses, but she passed away 10 years ago. After she died, the chairman had me brought back home, but after staying at the Jiang house for a few years, I ran away and never went back. They probably think I''m ungrateful and don''t appreciate what I was given, so they must be pretty unhappy about it."

    Jian Jing really admired how he told such a sad story so breezily.

    "Do you call your father ''Chairman''?"

    He made a face. "I call him ''Father'' when it''s just the two of us, but if I say it in front of Jiang Ou, he''ll hit me - can''t me him really. Our birthdays are only a month apart. The chairman was cheating on his wife while she was heavily pregnant."

    Jian Jing shook her head. "The sins of the parents always seem to be shouldered by the children."

    "Lineage is original sin," Jiang BaiYan countered, reassuring her. "Look on the bright side - they''re so rich they won''t ask me for money. And the chairman is too proud to sue me for child support. The worst I''ll get is a few harsh words. It''s not like they''ll take meat off my te."

    He smiled, assuring her decisively: "I don''t care about them anymore."

    He didn''t care whether they liked him or not.

    Didn''t care if they epted him or not.

    Didn''t care...hadn''t cared for a long time.

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment before asking gently, "When you mentioned running away, you meant going into movies?"

    "That was when I was 16," Jiang BaiYan said. "I first ran away when I was 13."

    "So young. No one would hire you as childbor," she said.

    "It wasn''t that bad. I went to my maternal grandfather''s ce. He was angry at my mother for disgracing the family and wouldn''t let here home, but he treated me pretty well - much better than the Jiangs."

    He seemed totally unbothered by the past. He was eager to gossip: "I didn''t expect Jiang Ou to want to reconcile either. Don''t know if she''s serious. She''s pretty capable...do you know who herst boyfriend was?"

    "Who?" No one could resist juicy gossip, and Jian Jing was no exception.

    Jiang BaiYan scooted closer and whispered in her ear, "Hou Rui - that really popr Hou Rui you see in the news all the time."

    The frequent face on her newsfeed was familiar even if she didn''t know him. "Oh, really?"

    "I''ve seen them kiss before," Jiang BaiYan said dramatically, as if sharing top-secret intel. "After Hou Rui got famous, he broke up with her."

    "Tsk," Jian Jing clicked her tongue.

    "There''s more. Han Bo and Zheng Keyan got together." He was delighted to be gossiping. "It was the night before we returned - they slept together."

    Jian Jing was shocked. "That was fast!"

    "They''re both single, so why not?" Jiang BaiYan was nonchnt. "Zheng Keyan does this kind of thing a lot, more than just once or twice."

    The steamer pot chicken bubbled, sending up wisps of white steam.

    Jian Jing refilled their wine cups and mused, "The lives of actresses are so colorful."

    Jiang BaiYan tried hard to restrain himself from egging her on further. He lowered his head and drank, parched after gossiping so much. After a short break, he was ready for more. Just as he was about to dish some dirt on another colleague, a shriek came from outside the room.

    Well, no more gossiping now.

    Jiang BaiYan swallowed his shocking reveal and was unsurprised when Jian Jing got up, saying, "Let me go take a look."

    "I''lle too," he offered, eager to participate.

    The two of them walked out of the private dining room, looking in the direction the scream hade from - the bathroom.

    Jian Jing jogged over. "What''s going..." Her words died as she stepped into the men''s restroom. No need to ask anymore.

    There was a dead body.

    The victim''s face was bruised and swollen, a horrifying purplish color. The tip of his tongue protruded slightly, like an evil spirit''s. There was a not very obvious ligature mark circling his neck horizontally. Even without forensic knowledge, justmon sense indicated this person had been strangled.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission: Death Code in the Restaurant]

    [Description: A murder has urred in this delicious restaurant, and the victim is an up-anding male celebrity! Cryptic messages about the bizarre death,plicated rtionships - who is the real killer?]

    [Rewards and Penalties: 20 Courage for sess, no penalty for failure]

    "What''s happened here?" The restaurant owner rushed over anxiously.

    Jian Jing held out a hand to stop him. "Call the police. There''s been a death."

    Owner: "What?!" His voice seemed to pierce the ceiling.

    No use crying over spilled milk - murder cases had to be reported.

    Luckily the police arrived quickly, two auxiliary cops maintaining order at the scene.

    Whether willing or not, everyone present had to provide identification and go through initial screening to check for suspicious individuals at the scene. Ji Feng had said this was a simple but effective tactic. More than once, he had caught fugitives at crime scenes, happily adding to the police force''s cleared cases.

    Ahem, back to the main story.

    Unsurprisingly, after identifying herself, Jian Jing was once again shanghaied into service.

    Under the gaze of the two young auxiliary cops, she swiftly and adeptly suited up in full forensic gear and entered the scene.

    Auxiliary A: "Professor Jian, I''ve photographed everything already. Please be careful not to disturb the scene too much."

    Jian Jing: "Don''t worry, I''m experienced at this."

    Auxiliary B: "You''re so amazing. So the cases in ''Demon Doctor'' are all based on real stories?"

    Jian Jing: "More or less."

    A & B: *starry eyes* "When is Demon 3ing out? Will you consider writing about today''s case?"

    Jian Jing: "If I include this case, how about cameos for you two?"

    A & B: "Yay!"

    Two new fan teammates added!

    With the carrot of appearing in the story dangled before them, the overtime didn''t seem so odious anymore. Their attitude was positive. A stayed to assist Jian Jing in examining the scene, while B went to ask the owner for the restaurant''s security footage.

    Jian Jing first observed the restaurant''syout.

    This was a private dining establishment, not open to walk-ins without reservations. They only epted 8 tables per day - 4 for lunch, 4 for dinner. Hard to say if they made money, but the exclusivity was high.

    With the fixed number of tables, there were only 4 rooms total,id out as follows:

    Patio Restroom

    Room 1 Room 2

    Room 3 Room 4

    Kitchen

    Staff Area

    The staff used the restroom on the kitchen side, separate from the customer restrooms.

    There was a camera in the corridor, able to capture people going in and out of the rooms. But due to the angle, it couldn''t capture whether customers went to the patio or restroom after leaving the rooms.

    The restroom was divided into three sections - the outer area with sinks and mirrors, female restroom, and male restroom. Both restrooms only had one smart toilet, no squatting toilets or urinals.

    The restroom wasn''t big, but was decorated to befortable and bright, very clean.

    However, slumped on the smart toilet in the male restroom was today''s victim.

    Male, twenties, clothes were luxury brands, limited edition sneakers. He had a strong smell of alcohol and faint traces of smoke on him. Based on rigor mortis and condition of the cornea, estimated time of death was 30-60 minutes prior.

    The current time was 9:40 PM.

    In other words, time of death was between 8:40-9:10 PM.

    The ligature mark on the victim''s neck was thin, without a visible pattern, but his shirt cor had some unnatural wrinkles. She turned him over and scrutinized it with a magnifying ss - sure enough, the surface showed some abrasion.

    This meant the killer had used the shirt cor as padding to avoid leaving ligature marks on the skin when strangling the victim.

    There was a visible knot mark on the back left side of the neck, but the murder weapon still couldn''t be determined.

    The victim''s left hand was smeared with blood, with wounds on the back and palm.

    Jian Jing crouched down and inspected the surroundings, finally noticing the bottom edge of the stainless steel toilet paper holder was curled up, cutting his hand.

    But the holder was installed for right-handed use on the right side, whereas the victim''s left hand was injured.

    Was he killed while facing away from the door, then propped up on the toilet after death?

    The height didn''t seem right.

    She sized it up, concluding if the left hand was injured while struggling, the victim should have been sitting on the toilet or half-kneeling on the ground at the time.

    Why was the position so awkward...eh, blood on the fingers too? Jian Jing shook away the discordant thoughts and lifted the victim''s hand.

    Blood was smeared on the left index finger, with signs it had been wiped.

    Could this be...a dying message?

    She crouched down again and under the control panel found the clue the victim had left.

    An iplete circle, looking like the letter C or G, or an unfinished letter O, number 0, or symbol ˇđ.

    What did it mean? Who was it pointing to?

    She was utterly confused.

    At this moment, the auxiliary policeman''s probe notified: "The surveince video has been retrieved, it''s very tricky, I suggest asking for everyone''s statement first." As she spoke, her gaze fell on the victim''s face, and her eyes showed mncholy, "Oh, I didn''t expect Hou Rui to die like this, what a pity, my friend really liked him."

    Jian Jing turned her head and thought for two seconds, recalling this name and face.

    Wasn''t Hou Rui the trending celebrity they just gossiped about? Indeed, his name was too hard to remember, let''s just call him the deceased.

    "Which private room was the deceased in?"

    "Number 2."

    "Then let''s ask hispanions first."

    The deceased celebrity had twopanions, his female agent and male assistant.

    The female agent was anxious and worried: "How could this happen? How could Hou Rui be killed? This is big trouble!"

    Jian Jing said: "Calm down, let''s find the murderer together."

    "You are... Jian Jing? The writer who was on that horror house show? Why are you investigating this case?" The female agent recognized her identity and looked at her doubtfully.

    Good question.

    Jian Jing thought for three seconds and made up a calm lie: "Because I''m a consultant for the police."

    The female agent was taken aback for a moment, then believed her: "Okay, whatever you say."

    So easily fooled? Jian Jing was speechless for a moment, and immediately seized the opportunity: "Why did youe here today?"

    "We came to have a meal after work. No particr reason." The female agent said.

    Jian Jing asked: "Who suggesteding here?"

    The female agent said: "Hou Rui himself wanted to. He liked the atmosphere of this restaurant."

    Jian Jing nodded, her gaze unintentionally ncing at the agent''s earrings. The female agent was wearing Gi double G earrings, which no doubt matched the implication of the death notice.

    "How have things been with the deceased recently? Has his career been going well?" She probed in detail, "Were there any unpleasant things in his life? Did he have any enemies?"

    The female agent adamantly said: "Our Hou Rui was doing very well, no problems at all. His schedule was packed, with several TV dramas to shoot in the next half year."

    Jian Jing said: "I''m not a fan or the media, I just want to find the murderer. Miss Agent, doing this will not help find the murderer at all."

    The female agent paused, looking ufortable, and only after a long while did she say: "I didn''t lie, Hou Rui''s schedule was full, but today''s photoshoot didn''t go very smoothly - the magazine changed ouryout at thest minute, causing quite an unpleasant scene. I don''t usually stop him from drinking too much, so today I didn''t stop him."

    She exined: "Drinking here is better than him going wild at a barter on."

    Jian Jing asked: "How drunk did he get?"

    "A bit drunk, but he could still recognize people." The male assistant answered.

    Jian Jing nced at the wine bottles on the table, one and a half bottles of red wine were empty, he did drink quite a lot.

    After thinking for a bit, she said: "You came here at 6:50, right? Can you briefly walk through what happened during your dinner?"

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153

    The male assistant had a good memory and answered, "I remember Hou Rui left twice. Once at 7:30, he went out to smoke and didn''te back for 15 minutes. He didn''t look very happy."

    "Oh, did something happen?" Jian Jing asked curiously.

    The male assistant said, "He was in a bad mood, and none of us dared to ask."

    "Then what?"

    "The next time was around 8:35. He was drunk and went to the bathroom to throw up. It took about half an hour before he came back. I got a little worried and knocked on the bathroom door," the male assistant said awkwardly, "But he ignored me."

    "When did that happen?"

    "Around 9 o''clock."

    "Who discovered the body?"

    "I did," the female agent said. "At 8:50, I went to the bathroom and came back to hear Quan Lei say he still hadn''te out. I called him again but got no response, so I had to ask the waiter to open the door. Who would''ve thought that when the door opened... he was already like that!"

    Jian Jing took notes without asking further.

    Usually the first round of questioning doesn''t yield too many details. She would sort out everyone''s suspicions before asking more. Herst question was a strange one: "What''s your name?"

    "Quan Lei."

    Quan, homophone for circle.

    Why does this guy fit too?

    Jian Jing carried her doubts and knocked on the door of the second private room.

    When the door opened, they looked at each other, extremely awkward.

    The guest in private room #2 was someone Jian Jing had just seen not long ago ˇŞ Jiang San.

    Jian Jing: "..." The letters c and o both match. What a coincidence!

    "Why are you here?" Jiang San didn''t change his arrogance and spoke coldly, "I don''t want to see you again."

    "Someone died. The surveince at the door didn''t capture anyone elseing in or out. Everyone in the restaurant today is a suspect," Jian Jing said. "I''m here to collect statements on behalf of the police."

    "Someone died?" she asked in surprise. "Who was it?"

    Jian Jing looked into her eyes and said slowly, "Didn''t you hear the screams earlier?"

    "I heard them." Jiang San''s reason was sufficient, "But I don''t know who the other customers are. What if there are reporters?"

    Jian Jing had liked her quite a bit, but unfortunately, she was dating an annoying man, so she suffered some transferred resentment. "What a pity," she said. "You could''ve seen him onest time."

    Jiang San was stunned, looking surprised. "What do you mean? See who?"

    "If you want to keep pretending, I can y along," Jian Jing said. "But I want to conserve my energy. Let''s stop the act. You know Hou Rui is here too."

    "Hou Rui?" Jiang San asked, baffled. "I didn''t know. Is he here too?"

    Jian Jing nced at their dining table: "You''re drinking sake, but I smell red wine on you, and a little cigarette smoke too. The ashtray here is very clean. Jiang San doesn''t smoke, right? So where did you get that scent?"

    Before Jiang San could make up an excuse, Jian Jing continued, "Admitting it now and being found outter are two very different things. Hiding it intentionally will make you more suspicious. What''s the benefit in that?"

    Jiang San saw a chance and said coldly, "It''s not your ce to interrogate me."

    "If you think I would deliberately make things difficult for you because of our previous conflict..." Jian Jing stepped aside and gestured for Assistant Officer A toe forward. "If the suspect is uncooperative, I shouldn''t ask further. Please take over."

    "It is our job anyway, you are too kind," Assistant Officer A said with a straight back in his uniform. "We have some questions rted to the murder to ask you. Please cooperate with our work."

    Jiang San grabbed Jiang BaiYan''s sleeve, hesitated, and said, "Alright, go ahead and ask."

    Jian Jing closed the door and went with Assistant Officer B to private room #3.

    There was only one guest in this room, surname Yuan, a reporter, around 30-40 years old, tall and sturdy, with a bandage on his left palm.

    He was very enthusiastic, even overly enthusiastic: "Hou Rui is dead? How did he die? Murder or suicide?"

    "How did you know it was Hou Rui?" Jian Jing asked back.

    "I''m a reporter. I have that much sensibility," Yuan Reporter hugged his arms. "You guys are here to check the customers'' identities, which means the murderer is among today''s guests, right?"

    Assistant Officer B: "Routine questioning."

    "My news sense tells me this is the case," Yuan Reporter''s eyes shone sharply. "Next door is Jiang BaiYan. She had dating rumors with Hou Rui before. Across is Jiang White me. Hepetes with Hou Rui for fashion resources."

    He tutted in amazement, boastfully saying, "In my opinion, neither has small suspicions."

    Jian Jing asked, "What about you? The boss said this private room was originally booked by someone else. You pestered them insistently to get in, making three phone calls, and they only agreed after the original customer canceled the booking."

    "No harm telling you since the dash cam will show it anyway. I was following Hou Rui all day today, trying to take some exclusive photos," Yuan Reporter stroked his stubble and looked very proud. "Who knew there''d really be news. Hahaha."

    Assistant Officer B warned him, "Please do not disclose any information about the case before obtaining consent from the police."

    "I know, I didn''t say anything yet," Yuan Reporter dismissed it casually and asked instead, "So do you have any clues now? How exactly did he die?"

    Jian Jing smiled and said, "What does Reporter Yuan think? Does Hou Rui seem like someone who wouldmit suicide?"

    "No way," Yuan Reporter rejected decisively. "The brat got famous young and was arrogant early on. He thought his skills were unmatched and everyone had to pamper him. Even in trouble, he wouldn''t think of suicide, only revenge on others, not messing with himself."

    Jian Jing probed, "That sounds easy to make enemies with others?"

    Yuan Reporterughed loudly, his eyes revealing some resentment: "The higher he was hyped, the more tragic his fall. And now, just like that, he lost his life in one go. With his personality, it''s not surprising at all to end up like this."

    "I heard that entertainment reporters get sentimental with celebrities after long exposure," she smiled slightly. "But you sound rather wishing he were dead."

    "Do I?" Yuan Reporter yed innocent very well. "I feel regretful too, but thinking of the exclusive news, ah, what a sin, what a sin. It can''t be helped since I''m a reporter."

    Jian Jing didn''t pursue it further and instead asked, "Tell me about your actions tonight."

    Yuan Reporter said, "I arrived at the private room around the same time as Hou Rui''s group. I thought he was meeting someone, so I took the chance to loiter outside their room a few times. Around 7:40, I saw him talking with Jiang BaiYan, but unfortunately I was going to the bathroom then and didn''t have my phone on me. By the time I came back, the two had parted ways already."

    So he did know the victim was here.

    "After an hour, I saw Hou Rui go to the bathroom again and he didn''te back for a long time, so I went over to check it out." Yuan Reporter revealed a lewd expression. "Who would''ve thought I listened at the door for half a day and didn''t hear anything."

    Jian Jing was puzzled and asked, "What were you trying to eavesdrop?"

    It was a single bathroom. Jiang BaiYan couldn''t possibly be inside, nor could she talk to him from the men''s room. Was he listening in on a phone call?

    Yuan Reporter winked suggestively: "Of course the juicy stuff."

    Jian Jing: "???"

    "Looks like you guys don''t know," Yuan Reporter''s eyes shed as he revealed, "Hou Rui was bisexual. It wasn''t the first or second time he fooled around in the bathroom."

    Jian Jing & Assistant Officer:

    0_0

    Such an extraordinary circle indeed.

    No, that''s not the point. Jian Jing reined in her runaway thoughts and asked, "You didn''t hear any sounds?"

    "That toilet ys music. I didn''t hear any voices," Yuan Reporter corrected, unable to hide the regret in his tone.

    Jian Jing said, "So after you arrived at the private room at 6:55, you left a total of three times. Once at 7:10, pretending to go to the bathroom but actually walking by room #2''s door; once at 7:40 to the bathroom, running into Hou Rui and Jiang BaiYan; and an hourter, going to the bathroom again to eavesdrop. Is that right?"

    Yuan Reporter nodded.

    "Did youe straight back after that?"

    "I went to smoke a cigarette," Yuan Reporter pointed to the no smoking sign indoors. "On the balcony."

    Jian Jing nodded and asked again, "Did you run into Hou Rui today?"

    "No, I only took photos," Yuan Reporter denied decisively.

    Jian Jing: "May I see?"

    Yuan Reporter was reluctant but still took out his camera: "Be careful, don''t delete anything."

    Jian Jing flipped through them one by one and found this guy was quite diligent. He had staked out in front of Hou Rui''s house since early morning. In the photos, Hou Rui wore a hat and mask, fully geared up, expression unseen.

    As she looked through the photos, she asked, "Did Hou Rui have any enemies? Any disputes in rtionships?"

    "Juan talked so much. " Yuan the reporter spat, enumerating them one by one, "When he was not popr, he relied on many resources. Later when he clung to a sponsor, he just kicked the sponsor away. It''s a pity I can''t expose it, otherwise this guy wouldn''t have such an easy time."

    "Why not expose it? Were you bribed?"

    A gloom shed across Yuan the reporter''s face: "Why else, his godfather is very capable."

    Jian Jing: "You must have been very angry, right?"

    "Nonsense, I..." Yuan the reporter reacted quickly and regained hisposure, "Are you trapping me?"

    "Oh no, not at all." She turned up the corners of her lips innocently, "I just feel a little sorry for you."

    But Yuan the reporter was very wary, and changed the subject, "When can I leave? My son is still waiting for me at home."

    "You can leave after the investigation is over." Jian Jing paused, and then turned the conversation, "Is your hand injured? Can I take a look?"

    Yuan the reporter: "It was cut by broken ss. What''s there to see?"

    But she insisted: "Please unwrap it and let me take a look."

    He had no choice but to unwrap the dressing and shook his palm. There was indeed a newly healed scar.

    Jian Jing nodded, ending the questioning, and returned to her private room.

    Jiang BaiYan had been waiting in the room. Seeing her return, he quickly offered her hot tea: "I heard the victim was Hou Rui?"

    "Yes." Jian Jing cleared the table to make room to organize the timeline, and asked casually, "You didn''t leave the private room, so you don''t have any suspicion. Do you want to leave first?"

    He arrived at the private room at 6:30, went to the bathroom at 6:40, and didn''t leave again afterwards. The private room only had windows, and it was ten stories high below, so he didn''t have the conditions tomit the crime and was not a suspect.

    Jiang BaiYan also poured water for the auxiliary policeman B, and said with a smile, "It''s okay, since everyone is staying, I''m also willing to cooperate with the police."

    "Thank you so much." Facing the friendly superstar, auxiliary policeman B''s goodwill doubled.

    At this time, auxiliary policeman A finished inquiring private room 1 and came to exchange information with Jian Jing.

    Jiang BaiYan brought over a box of cute custard buns: "I just ordered these snacks. It must be very tiring to work sote. Please have some."

    Auxiliary policeman B waved her hands again and again: "No need, no need, we are working."

    Auxiliary policeman A: "We''ve eaten."

    However, how could they resist Jiang BaiYan''s attentive persuasion? In the end, each person took a bun and worked together to make up for Jiang San''s whereabouts.

    Jiang San arrived at 6:20.

    At 7:30, he left the private room to go to the bathroom. On the way out he bumped into Hou Rui and they had an argument. They parted at 7:40.

    At 8:25, Jiang San went to the bathroom again. At the same time he received a phone call and talked on the balcony for half a day before returning to the private room at 8:40.

    He said he didn''t encounter Hou Rui.

    At 8:30, Hou Rui went to the bathroom and touched up his makeup, returning at 8:45.

    Their timelines matched the surveince footage, allowing for an even more precise timeline:

    6:20 Jiang San arrived

    6:30 Jiang BaiYan arrived

    6:45 Jian Jing arrived

    6:50 Hou Rui, manager, assistant arrived

    6:55 Yuan Reporter arrived

    7:30 Hou Rui left private room

    7:40 Yuan Reporter saw him encounter Hou Rui

    7:45 Hou Rui returned to private room

    8:25 Jiang San went to bathroom, received call on balcony

    8:30 Went to bathroom

    8:35 Hou Rui went to bathroom

    8:40 Jiang San returned

    8:42 Yuan Reporter eavesdropped, didn''t notice anything unusual

    8:48 Yuan Reporter returned to private room

    8:50 Manager went to bathroom

    9:00 Assistant knocked on bathroom door looking for people

    9:05 Assistant returned

    9:10 Manager returned to private room, realized Hou Rui had not returned, went back to bathroom

    9:15 Discovered the corpse

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154

    Jian Jing bit into a steamed bun filled with egg custard, lost on life''s winding path.

    The autopsy determined the time of death to be between 8:40 to 9:10 AM, but it wasn''t precise, with a margin of error of one to two minutes, so there was no discernible difference.

    So everyone from Jiang San, who went to the bathroom at 8:25, to the manager who returned at 9:15, was a suspect.

    What was even more f*cked up was that even though the victim left clues about the murderer''s death, they all matched someone.

    The female manager: wearing earrings with the letter G

    The male assistant:st name Quan, homophone for "circle"

    Jiang Ou:st name Jiang, homophone for "o"

    Starts with C

    Yuan the reporter: Yuanst name, homophone for "round"

    Wrote the word "lonely".

    And most notably, the murder weapon still hadn''t been found.

    Jian Jing had carefully examined the private room, but did not find any slender strangling ropes. The female manager wore modest long dresses, no scarves, and a Tote bag without straps. The male assistant wore a T-shirt and jeans, with a backpack across both shoulders.

    Jiang San said earlier he was dressed casually expensively, seen wearing suspenders and shorts, hair tied back neatly without hair ties, no belts or neckties.

    Yuan the reporter wore a short sleeve shirt and cks, carrying arge bag with photography equipment and a tablet.

    The few suspects were as if they had agreed upon it, all suspicious, yet none of them carried anything resembling a murder weapon.

    "You guys try to examine their personal belongings to see if the murder weapon is there," Jian Jing said, though she didn''t have much hope.

    The murder weapon this time was likely something very unique, hidden away, unlike the hypodermic needle from Yao Yao''s case. But strangling ropes have intimate contact with the victim, so they should leave clues.

    Jian Jing thought this, hurriedly grabbed her car keys and went downstairs to the parking lot to retrieve her makeup kit.

    Sure enough, this was a makeup kit, filled with all sizes of makeup brushes, but the otherpartments contained not blush and eye shadow, but all kinds of powders, along with tweezers, swabs, seble bags and other small tools she had bought and gathered herself.

    Compared to a forensic examiner''s professional investigation kit, the tools in this makeup kit were undoubtedly very amateur.

    But it was better than nothing. Lining up and waiting for food while it turns cold.

    She carefully suited uppletely and entered the scene to collect clues.

    First she naturally examined the victim''s shirt cor.

    Under the magnifying ss, she could clearly see signs of friction on the linen shirt surface, leaving behind many broken fibers.

    She used tweezers to clip up one piece, carefully putting it in an evidence bag, and examined it under a deskmp.

    The texture, the feel, howe it seemed a little like tissue?

    Could it be? A bold idea surfaced in her mind. She tore off a piece of bathroom tissue, andpared it under a portable microscope.

    Although they were both tissue, different brands and types of tissue had different fibers.

    Generally speaking, expensive tissue was thick and dense, fibers arranged tightly together, while cheap tissue was brittle and thin, fibers arranged loosely with asional gaps.

    Along with the shirt fabric forparison, the answer was very clear. What remained on it came from tissue and not the linen shirt.

    Of course, just visual examination could not conclusively determine they were the same product. More rigorous evidence collection andparison was needed.

    Jian Jing could only confirm the murder weapon was tissue.

    Thin paper alone could not kill someone, but twisted together it became a strangling rope. Taking materials on hand, no need to bring a murder weapon, and very easy to dispose ofter by flushing down the toilet.

    Although undissolved paper residue could be fished out of the sewage pipes, fingerprints likely couldn''t be retrieved from it.

    Oh well, better leave this arduous task to the professionals.

    Knowing the strangling rope was made of paper, many conjectures could be made:

    First, making the strangling rope took time, so it wasn''t a rash, crime of passion murder, but a premeditated one. Next, she checked the amount of tissue left, more than half remained, and asked the servers, who said they hadn''t refilled it today. This meant the murder weapon was not made on the spot.

    The murderer either researched the brand ahead of time and bought the same tissues, or came a few times before, taking a little bit each time, preparing the murder weapon in advance and carrying it, ready to deliver a fatal strike at the right moment.

    With this reasoning, Jiang San''s suspicion was much lower.

    Neither of them knew the victim woulde today. Their bags were only palm-sized, enough to hold some lipstick and a cell phone, no room for a weapon.

    And while Jiang San was arrogant, and highly likely toe into conflict with the victim, he hadn''t been dating long. From the inception of murderous thoughts, to preparing a murder n, to taking action, it was too rushed.

    Given his personality, the probability of him directly erupting in conflict was higher if he was displeased about something.

    The more Jian Jing interacted with rich people, the more she understood their perspective - a celebrity like Hou Rui was likely easily "kible" in the eyes of wealthy young masters. No need to get their hands dirty.

    Comparatively, the probabilities were higher for the manager, assistant, and reporter.

    The first two knew every aspect of the victim''s life. Thetter stalked and followed for a long time, having ample time to prepare a n.

    From a time perspective, all three had opportunity during the timeframe.

    At 8:35 AM, Hou Rui had already gone to the bathroom. Yuan the reporter left the private room at 8:42, returned at 8:48. If he used an excuse like showing photos, luring the victim to meet in the bathroom, catching him off guard from behind and strangling Hou Rui, it was not impossible.

    With his tall stature, and Hou Rui just a slender young man, he was most suspicious in terms of physical ability.

    The assistant went to fetch Hou Rui 9AM to 9:05 AM, iming the other party ignored him, but the truth was uncertain. He was very intimate with Hou Rui, not difficult to find an excuse to enter the bathroom.

    And Hou Rui''s position...hmm, endless possibilities!

    The manager left at 8:50, and didn''t return until 9:10 AM, quite a long time, also worth suspecting.

    Numerous thoughts shed through Jian Jing''s mind as she slowly walked back to the private room entrance.

    She didn''t go in, but had the deputy bring everyone to review the surveince footage.

    The restaurant had already pulled out all the footage from 6PM to 10PM for their investigation.

    Jian Jing fast forwarded, picking out a few noteworthy time periods to examine.

    The first time period: 7:30PM - 7:45PM

    The camera showed Hou Rui leaving the private room. About 5 minutester, he walked out the door and went to the end of the hallway. The shadows on the ground briefly intersected, indicating the two had some contact.

    At 7:40, Yuan the reporter came out upon hearing noise, and returned to the private room angrily 1 minuteter.

    5 minutes afterwards, Hou Rui returned to the private room.

    Jian Jing wrote in her notebook: 7:40PM - 7:45PM, Yuan the reporter and Hou Rui possibly had contact.

    The second time period was 8:25 PM onwards, everyone''s actions matched the timeline.

    She focused on observing everyone''s state when they returned on the surveince video.

    Strangling someone to death was no easy task. Bare-handed, the palms should retain strangtion marks. She took screenshots of the video, trying to discern Yuan the reporter''s, the manager''s and the assistant''s actions clearly.

    When leaving, everyone opened the door with their right hand, consistent with her memory of all being right-handed. But when returning, they still used their right hand to open the door.

    Also, everyone''s palms appeared normal, no visible marks in the surveince.

    But don''t forget, Yuan the reporter had a bandage on his left palm. If he tore it off and stuck it along his right palm, with his right-handed habits, he could also avoid leaving marks.

    The female manager could do the same.

    Her long hair was twisted up and fixed with a hairpin. Hairpins could be wrapped around the strangling rope, serving as a tightening tool, sorge force would not be needed to strangle someone to death, leaving no marks.

    However, another matter temporarily ruled out her suspicion for now.

    In theing and going of the hallway, a female server went out of view of the camera, walking to the other end. She called the boss over, and found the female server, asking what she did.

    The female server replied: "A customer asked us to send something to the bathroom."

    "A female customer?" Jian Jing asked.

    The female server euphemistically said: "Yes, she had physical inconveniences and asked us to send feminine products."

    Jian Jing understood.

    "Around what time was this?"

    "I went to deliver it right after getting the call."

    She looked at the surveince and said, "Around 8:55 PM?"

    "Yes."

    "Please recount the situation at that time to me again."

    The waitress recounted: ˇ°I went to the bathroom, knocked on the door of the womenˇŻs toilet. The person inside said toe in, but when I opened the door, I found it was locked. She then told me to slip it in through the door crack, so I did that.ˇ±

    ˇ°Were both toilet doors closed at that time?ˇ±

    ˇ°Yeah.ˇ±

    ˇ°Did you hear any abnormal sounds?ˇ±

    The waitress shook her head.

    ˇ°What else did you do? The surveince showed you didnˇŻt leave until 59 minutes past.ˇ±

    ˇ°The sink was a bit messy so I tidied it up a little.ˇ±

    ˇ°Thank you.ˇ±

    The waitress''s testimony split the agent''s timeline. There was no one to ount for the time between 8:50 to 8:55, but from 8:55 to 9 she had to be in the women''s restroom. Then the assistant brushed past her and didn''t leave until 9:05.

    There were only 5 minutes from when the agent left at 9:10.

    During the time the assistant was knocking on the door, it was highly likely she tried the handle. If Hou Rui was already killed before 9, the door couldn''t be locked again. But to make a move after 9:05 would be too risky time-wise, as Hou Rui could have already sobered up from the alcohol.

    From this perspective, Yuan Reporter and the assistant seem more suspicious.

    The office door squeaked open and Jiang BaiYan poked his head in.

    He carefully asked, ˇ°Can Ie in?ˇ±

    ˇ°Of course,ˇ± she smiled. ˇ°WhatˇŻs up?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan snuck into the room and smiled awkwardly. ˇ°I asked around about Hou Rui. Not sure if itˇŻll help you.ˇ±

    Jian Jing said excitedly, ˇ°Go on.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan said, ˇ°His reputation in the industry is so-so. Loves making a scene, undedicated to acting, used to date around, and recently getting close to a certain boss, often visiting his ce...ˇ±

    He gave a knowing look and continued, ˇ°Apany wanted to sign him for a TV/movie contract but his agency wasnˇŻt too happy. Oh right, I heard he wants to switch agents, and contacted a guy known for sensational marketing but terrible reviews.ˇ±

    ˇ°What about his current agent?ˇ±

    ˇ°Fired, of course. His agent now is from a smallpany, but worked hard to promote him. To kick him to the curb after making it big is just too much.ˇ± Jiang BaiYan shook his head in disapproval. ˇ°Ungrateful for help, heˇŻll get his retribution sooner orter.ˇ±

    Jian Jing looked pensive and asked, ˇ°What about his rtionship with the assistant?ˇ±

    ˇ°Hou Rui has gone through three assistants already. This one probably isnˇŻt too happy either.ˇ± Jiang BaiYan guessed.

    She asked, ˇ°No deeper rtionship?ˇ±

    ˇ°CanˇŻt say for sure.ˇ± He gossiped, ˇ°IˇŻve heard of that patron. Highly educated, anything is possible with his tastes and interests!ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...Why do you know about this?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan grimaced, ˇ°I have good sources too, much better than his.ˇ±

    ˇ°No need topete over things like this.ˇ± She said exasperatedly.

    He replied, ˇ°I can''t control myself in front of Teacher Jing.ˇ±

    Jian Jing stared at him. "Anything else?"

    "I asked around about Yuan Reporter too." He presented proudly. "Specifically found an entertainment journalist who takes photos of me to ask. Had to agree to more shots tomorrow for this. But anything to help Teacher Jing, I''m happy to do it."

    Jian Jing nodded graciously, "Then let me treat you to a meal to show thanks."

    Jiang BaiYan beamed, "As long as I can help Teacher Jing, I''m very happy already."

    He readily shared, "I heard Yuan Reporter got photos of Hou Rui spending the night, but didn''t publish them. Wasn''t bought out, the sugar daddy went directly to get them suppressed. Hou Rui also humiliated Yuan Reporter badly, saying nasty things like ''won''t give a penny to a paparazzo dog like you'' and ''if you try to expose me I''ll ruin youpletely''. Made a huge scene."

    Jian Jing clicked her tongue.

    Such an obvious motive for murder.

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155

    Jian Jing walked into the small office, which had be a temporary interrogation room.

    She was very polite to Quan Lei: "I''d like to ask you a few questions, I hope you can answer them truthfully."

    Assistant looked uneasy, and awkwardly said, "Okay, what do you want to ask?"

    "Hou Rui died for no apparent reason. I want to know who might have killed him." Jian Jing said slowly, "I heard he had a messy personal life. Can you tell me about it?"

    Quan Lei hesitated, hemmed and hawed: "He just liked to y around, going to bars to pick up girls, and asionally sleeping with fans... Hisst girlfriend, they had a big fight over the breakup."

    "So who was Hou Rui with now?"

    Quan Lei scratched his head awkwardly. But Jian Jing was unrelenting in her gaze.

    "Alright." He wasn''t the stubborn type, and quickly gave up resisting, "Hou Rui was with Chen Zong now."

    Jian Jing asked: "Aside from those fleeting affairs, among the people around him, Chen Zong was the only one he had something going on with?"

    This time Quan Lei answered definitively: "Yes."

    "What about you and the manager Yao Fei?"

    Quan Lei waved his hands: "No no, neither of us are that kind of person. I have a girlfriend, and..." After some struggle, he chose to be frank, "Chen Zong sent me to take care of Hou Rui, how could I be involved with him?"

    Jian Jing raised her brows: "Is that so? But I heard Chen Zong is ''open-minded''."

    "Uh... Chen Zong''s other ''friends'' are also artists, they have nothing to do with me." Quan Lei was extremely embarrassed.

    Jian Jing sized him up for a while. Considering his good looks, she tentatively believed him for now: "Were you on good terms with Hou Rui?"

    "Of course not." Quan Leiined bitterly, "Hou Rui was hard to serve in the first ce. I was also the boss'' spy, keeping an eye on him all the time so he wouldn''t cause trouble. He hated me for it, lost his temper at every turn, and even tattled on me to the boss. What could I do?"

    Having said this, he seemed to realize it was inappropriate, and added: "But I would never kill anyone because of this. Chen Zong pays me well. If I got sick of Hou Rui''s temper one day, I''d just quit."

    Jian Jing nodded. If there were no emotional disputes, Hou Rui''s death brought Quan Lei no benefits.

    "What was the rtionship between the manager and Hou Rui?"

    Quan Lei sighed, "Not great recently. Hou Rui felt he had made it big, looked down on Yao Fei for not being capable enough, and didn''t have resources on hand. He wanted to change managers. Yao Fei worked hard to bring an artist to fame, of course she didn''t want to let go. But he''s now the top earner of thepany. The higher-ups all pamper him, so he''d probably get his way."

    "What about Yuan Reporter? I heard he had a conflict with Hou Rui."

    "That did happen. He took some photos, Yao Fei said they could buy them back with some money, but Hou Rui disagreed. He said Yuan Reporter had been following and annoying him all the time. " Quan Lei frowned worriedly, "Then he got Chen Zong to intervene and teach Yuan Reporter a lesson."

    "How did Yuan Reporter react?"

    "He said he would kill Hou Rui one day and told him to wait for it." Quan Lei spread his hands. "Just venting his anger."

    Jian Jing nodded, pondering. It seemed that Jiang BaiYan''s information was quite urate. Both Yuan Reporter and Yao Fei had strong motives to kill, and were also capable ofmitting the murder.

    And in terms of timing, Yuan Reporter had a slight advantage.

    "When you went to call Hou Rui at 9 o''clock, was the door locked?" She asked in detail, looking serious. "This is very important. Think carefully."

    Quan Lei tried to recall: "At 9 o''clock then. He had a schedule tomorrow so I wanted Hou Rui to go back and rest early. I went to the bathroom to call him. The door was closed. I knocked first, no movement inside. Hou Rui had been drinking a lot earlier so I was worried he had passed out inside. So... yes, I tried the door but it was locked. I had no choice but to call out a few times. Still no response. I guessed he was annoyed with me and deliberately ignored me, so I left first."

    Jian Jing asked: "Any sounds of vomiting or anything else?"

    Quan Lei shook his head: "Couldn''t hear clearly. The toilet music was still ying."

    "I see, thank you." She instructed him, "Don''t reveal our conversation for now."

    Quan Lei agreed.

    Jian Jing dragged the mouse and reyed Yuan Reporter''s actions.

    ording to his ount, he first tried to eavesdrop, then went to the balcony to smoke when it didn''t work.

    Smoking... She propped her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly got up and headed straight for the balcony.

    The balcony of the restaurant was not big, about ten square meters, just a veranda with a few potted nts and two chairs. There was an ashtray on the table with some residual ash and a cigarette butt.

    She used tweezers to pick up the remaining cigarette butt and identified the brand on it.

    Sure enough, it matched the cigarette brand she had glimpsed in Yuan Reporter''s box earlier. It should have been left by him.

    She gently sniffed the smell on the cigarette butt and discerned a hint of orange aroma.

    Just now when watching the surveince footage, she had checked the serving times of Yuan Reporter''s table.

    He cametest, and was ast minute addition, so service was slower. He arrived at 6:50, food was served at 7:30, and thest dish came at 8:10. Theplimentary fruit te was served at 8:15.

    And on his table, the fruit te showed signs of being touched - the orange and cantaloupe had been eaten.

    This cigarette butt smelled of orange - the xylitol on the table was mint vored - so it could basically prove the cigarette was smoked after 8:15.

    His second activity period was 8:42 to 8:48, just five minutes. Was that enough to kill someone ande back for a smoke?

    Death by suffocation takes a long time.

    Jian Jing fell into a blind spot of knowledge and had to seek the help of a smoker.

    "Hey, got a question for you." She made a call.

    The patientzily asked: "What is it?"

    "How long does it take to smoke a cigarette?"

    Jiqiu: "Around 3-5 minutes under normal circumstances."

    "If left to burn naturally?"

    "About 8-10 minutes, depending on brand." He was enthusiastic. "Run into some case? Tell me about it..."

    "Thanks." Jian Jing cruelly hung up.

    This cigarette had burned outpletely. Even if he lit it beforemitting murder, it would be very difficult to aplish within the time.

    Yuan Reporter''s suspicion suddenly decreased.

    Now, the biggest suspect had be the manager Yao Fei.

    She seemed to have an alibi, but not really. The female server didn''t see her in person, she only heard a voice through the door.

    Both the locked door and the voice could be faked.

    The voice was simple, a Bluetooth speaker could solve it. But how was the door locked?

    Jian Jing paced around the tiny bathroom.

    Theyout of the toilet was like this:

    Men''s toilet

    Wash basin

    Squat toilet

    Urinals

    Door

    The outer door could not be locked, it could only be closed normally. In addition to the spherical door lock, the stalls inside the men''s and women''s toilets had an extra door bolt on the back.

    The spherical door lock had a feature that allowed locking the door from outside - just press down the protrusion in the center of the inner handle when closing the door. It was also very easy to open using just a thin card, offering no security at all.

    Jian Jing asked the female server who had delivered items earlier: "Was the door locked when you opened it?"

    The female server grasped the handle, recalling the feeling: "No, the handle could turn. The guest must have inserted the door bolt from inside."

    She was very certain: "That''s right. The guest said e in, the door''s not locked'', but she had forgotten to insert the bolt herself. So she had to let me pass the things through the door gap."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows.

    This was getting interesting.

    The door bolt had be key to the alibi.

    Jian Jing scrutinized the bolt very carefully using a magnifying ss. The metal bolt had some slight wear, the marks were faint and all horizontal, probably normal traces left by repeated use.

    In addition, there were no sticky residues of tape on the bolt.

    Jian Jing knew a few techniques to create a locked room using the bolt, doable with some practice using fishing line or tape. But such methods had a problem - there was no way to undo it from outside.

    With the door locked from inside and no one inside, wouldn''t it give the game away?

    The murderer had utilized the locked room in reverse, creating the illusion someone was inside, so must be able to reopen the door afterwards.

    This was not difficult to execute - gently shifting the rod inside the hole without pressing down the hook would also open the door.

    But there were no marks on the bolt.

    How was it done?

    Jian Jing put herself in the murderer''s shoes and felt that the method should not be tooplicated. The bathroom door could not be locked, guests mighte in at any time, and if mechanisms were used, it would be easy to expose, so concealment, efficiency and simplicity were what she pursued.

    Just like the weapon she chose.

    The weapon...?

    Could it be?

    Ah.

    For the first time, Jian Jing experienced the feeling of a sh of lightning through her mind.

    In a sh of inspiration, she suddenly understood.

    After a long and difficult journey, the destination is in sight.

    She took out a cotton swab from the makeup box, tied double-sided tape to the cotton head, and poked it into the socket. When she took it out, some fine white granules were stuck to the surface of the tape.

    She put it in an evidence bag and slowly rubbed it open.

    Sure enough.

    Paper fragments.

    Some tricks, when exined inly, could hardly be called tricks at all, just mental blind spots.

    The substitute for thetch need not be thetch itself, it could also be a substitute.

    Just like ckmail, tissue paper could be improvised into atched-shaped object. Using a rigid card or de, insert it into the door gap to hold the texture of the tissue paper in ce, which could then be pushed into thetch hole from outside to serve as a one-time door bolt.

    How many people would push hard when a female attendant delivers something? They would certainly just push slightly, find it locked, and stop.

    After shepleted the alibi, the prop would lose its value. One sh to get rid of it, the closed room could be instantly cancelled. Then flush the tissue down the toilet, leaving no trace behind.

    Now what wascking was evidence.

    But that wouldn''t be difficult either.

    Jian Jing sighed lightly and walked into Booth No. 1. She said to the assistant, "I''d like to talk to Ms. Yao alone."

    The assistant raised no doubts and immediately cleared the space.

    The female agent was unaware of anything wrong, instead asking with concern, "Any progress? I just saw Ye Qi in the next booth over, she and Hou Rui were having a terrible fight, could it be...?"

    "Ms. Yao, I already know who the murderer is," said Jian Jing.

    The female agent was taken aback, then reluctantly said, "Really? Ms. Jian, you''re a writer, you can actually solve cases!"

    Jian Jing said, "Yes, I''ve cracked a few cases by chance, and at the end of each one, I try to persuade the culprit to turn themselves in. After all, people make mistakes, but it''s better if they can realize it and make amends."

    The female agent said, "I don''t understand what you mean."

    "Before he died, Hou Rui left clues about the murderer''s identity," said Jian Jing, showing her the pattern captured in the photo, "He has hinted at who did it."

    The female agent nced at the photo and said, "How is this a hint?"

    Jian Jing didn''t press her. She went on, "Today, coincidentally, every suspect rtes in some way to this death message. But on closer thought, it''s not really usible."

    She held up a finger, "For assistant Quan Lei, ''Quan'' sounds the same as ''circle'', but to be honest, if Hou Rui wanted to leave a death message, he''d have to cut his hand and write in blood, very time consuming and troublesome. For Quan, a fist would be more fitting."

    She curled her fingers into a fist, "If I wanted to indicate Quan Lei, I''d use this gesture, simple and easy."

    The female agent made noment.

    "As for journalist Yuan, ''Yuan'' sounds the same as ''circle'', but I highly doubt that someone like Hou Rui would know Reporter Yuan''s full name," reasoned Jian Jing, "He''d probably just yell something like ''damn paparazzi'', right?"

    The female agent said, "How would I know that?"

    Jian Jing didn''t push her and went on, "It also fits for Jiang Ou. Assuming Hou Rui knew Jiang Ou''s identity, there are simpler ways to express her name."

    She dipped her finger in water and drew three lines, or three dots, on the table.

    "Drawing three dots with water is much easier than a circle, and three is her birth order. As for thest name Jiang, that''s her stage name. Would he have called her by her stage name in private? Her real name is Zhu You, so using a U would be more appropriate."

    The female agent retorted, "What does this have to do with me? My name has nothing to do with O."

    "It''s your earring," said Jian Jing directly. "The G-shaped earring, thest stroke is crooked, making it look like an unfinished O. It could be interpreted as a G too."

    She analyzed, "When Hou Rui died, he was half-kneeling on the ground. From his perspective, he could just see your earring reflected on the metal decorative strip on the wall."

    The female agent reflexively touched her earlobe, thenughed coldly, "So Teacher Jian''s so-called solving cases is making up stories?"

    "Just now yes, but not anymore," Jian Jing shrugged, admitting the death message spection was mostly conjecture, "I''ve already figured out your method."

    The agent crossed her arms. "Let''s hear the details."

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156

    8:50 a.m., you enter the women''s restroom, put the Bluetooth speaker in ce, make a plug with tissue paper, and call the emergency phone on the wall to ask the waiter to bring sanitary pads. Then lock the door from outside, and go into the men''s restroom yourself - Hou Rui must be too drunk to urately put thetch on the men''s restroom door, or maybe didn''t lock the door at all. Even if he did, it could be opened with a card.

    You tricked Hou Rui in some way to squat down with his back to you, or maybe tripped him, or perhaps he was already vomiting over the toilet bowl. Anyway, you used the tissue paper garrote from behind to strangle his neck, using the cor of his shirt as a pad to avoid leaving marks on his skin.

    Admittedly, itˇŻs not easy for a woman to strangle an adult man to death. At first, I didn''t suspect you, especially since his posture was very suggestive, but on second thought, maybe I fell into a cognitive trap.

    Hou Rui was a typical androgynous idol, keeping a slim figure for the camera, lighter in weight, weaker in strength, and drunk. He had little ability to resist. On the other hand, Miss Yao, you are 1.7 meters tall, well-proportioned, and if you sat on his back from behind, using your weight for leverage, it wouldn''t have been difficult to hold him down and strangle him.

    Plus, by twisting your hairpin into the knot, it took less effort, and could also avoid leaving marks on your palms, avoiding suspicion. After the assistant left, you locked the men''s restroom door and opened the women''s restroom chamber, pretending toe out from inside,pleting your own alibi.

    Jian Jing said, "That''s probably what happened. I''m done."

    The female agent''s expression was cold: "A brilliant scheme, should I apud you?"

    "No need." Jian Jing''s gaze locked on her face. "Because it wasn''t that brilliant."

    "What?"

    "I said, this wasn''t a brilliant scheme at all." She continued calmly, "Using tissue paper as a murder weapon and creating a reverse locked room certainly had some novelty, but as a means of murder, it was full of ws."

    The female agent took a deep breath, pretending to be calm: "Oh? What''s the problem? At least you didn''t find the murder weapon, right?"

    "Yes, even if I fished the tissue paper out of the sewer, it wouldn''t prove anything." Jian Jing admitted, "After all, it''s a toilet, nothing unusual about that."

    The female agent shrugged.

    "But fibers from the tissue paper could be found on the victim''s clothes, and there would also be tissue fragments left in the puncture holes," she said. "Once you''ve done it, it''s impossible not to leave a trace."

    "That just proves your reasoning process, it doesn''t prove I''m the killer," the female agent asked. "Can you really extract my fingerprints from it?"

    Jian Jing said, "There will be connection records in the Bluetooth speaker."

    The female agent stubbornly denied it: "I did have a Bluetooth speaker with me, you can check it if you want, thereˇŻs definitely nothing on it."

    "You deleted the records." She pressed on relentlessly.

    Female agent: "Do you have any evidence?"

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment, sighed and said gently: "You seem so confident, you must have spent a lot of thought on this. The tissue paper you took from this store little by little, the mechanisms on the door locks, you must have tried many times, maybe you even made test calls on the emergency phone in the women''s restroom to verify they would really send something over."

    "All of this is very..." She paused briefly, choosing her words, "Meticulous."

    To conceal the type of murder weapon, she remembered to stand up the shirt cor, and as an agent, it was probably she who hinted Hou Rui to wear a shirt.

    In order to avoid exposure, she took away a little tissue paper each time, slowly weaving the murder weapon, prudent and meticulous.

    In order not to leave traces on the doortch, she directly made a disposable substitute, avoiding obvious scratches that would arouse suspicion, extremely careful to the utmost.

    Such an arrangement was extremely like a hunting spider, extremely patient, even frightening.

    "But it was no use at all." Jian Jing said gently, "The more you do, the more ws there are. Yao Fei, it couldn''t be anyone else, it could only be you."

    Yao Fei repeated: "Evidence."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and said, "You were so well prepared, let me make another guess - Hou Rui''s drink was spiked with sleeping pills. Checking the stomach contents can confirm it. May I look in your bag?"

    It took Yao Fei a long time to say: "The sleeping pills were Hou Rui''s, I just had them in my bag. I''m his agent, what''s so strange about that?"

    She was still stubbornly in denial.

    "What the victim left behind wasn''t limited to this." She pointed at the photo on her phone and said slowly, "In the struggle, his blood also got on the murderer. Since you didn''t get close to him, you shouldn''t have any on you, right?"

    Yao Fei''s face suddenly turned pale, her gaze involuntarily scanning her body.

    "This is the legendary luminol spray." Jian Jing shook the small spray bottle in her hand. "Want to gamble on it? Let''s see if there''s any reaction on you - just to be clear, even a tiny trace of blood can be detected whose it is, don''t tell me it''s your own blood."

    Yao Fei bit her lower lip.

    Jian Jing smiled slightly, her tone suddenly gentle: "Since you''re so confident in your methods, why not gamble with me? I''m very curious too, where did the blood get on you? The cuffs, the hem, ah, it might also be the uppers of these nice suede high heels. Why not start there?"

    As she spoke, she was about to spray the heels.

    Yao Fei instinctively pulled her feet back, hiding them firmly.

    The atmosphere instantly became tense.

    Jian Jing looked at her face and said, "Hiding it is useless too. Apart from the bloodstains, there is more important evidence. The records in the Bluetooth speaker and mobile phone, even if already deleted, can be recovered by technicians."

    Yao Fei tightly clenched her fingers resting on the table, clearly not without inner turmoil.

    But for some reason, she stubbornly refused to make a sound, stubbornly keeping silent.

    Jian Jing: "Still not admitting it?"

    She was very puzzled, but didn''t expect this to touch the other''s sore spot. Before her voice fell, Yao Fei erupted: "What do you understand?!"

    "You must be very proud, thinking you''re so amazing huh?" The previously calm and capable agent changed her face, like an angry beast, roaring, "Do you feel very smug, thinking you''ve cracked an amazing case? You must be dying to show off to others right."

    Jian Jing''s face darkened as she said coldly: "I said, this was not some ingenious scheme at all, you overestimate yourself too much."

    "You just got lucky, I identally got some of his blood on me." Yao Fei sneered, unwilling to admit defeat. "The speaker was me being careless, if I had known, I would have used something else to rece it."

    Jian Jing couldn''t stand it anymore.

    "I keep telling you, the more you do, the more ws there are. True brilliance in crime never does anything extra..." She suddenly stopped abruptly, paused slightly awkwardly, then said, "There is no perfect crime, no matter what you do, the result is the same. If you don''t want to be found out, then don''t do it."

    Yao Fei asked sharply, "Do nothing, just watch as that ungrateful bastard kicks me aside with one foot? I did so much for him, he got famous because of me, I contributed more than half! Why should he casually dismiss me with a few words? Without me, could he be where he is today?

    "People kept advising me to admit defeat, why should I? Why should that bastard Hou Rui get to earn his money fair and square, while I have to start over from scratch? Is his fame only due to his own efforts? Bullshit, he can''t do anything, apart from a face he''s got nothing, every time he offended people it was me who wiped his ass, the business was all from me lowering myself to beg till I was vomiting blood, all he could say was ''I can''t do it'', ''I''m so tired'' - everything today is thanks to me!"

    All the resentment she had pent up erupted now, machine gun-like spewing hatred: "How many artists does an agent have to handle before making one hit? Tell me to start over? Easy to say, let him start over and be reborn, and learn to be a decent human being!"

    "He has to understand." The agent hugged her arms, cursing coldly and resentfully, "I made him famous, and I can ruin him! If he has to die, we die together; he wants to live alone? No way."

    Jian Jing never imagined she would say this, and was immediately stunned.

    Jian Jing thought to herself: "In the past, I would get special contribution points for solving cases before the police arrived. "

    [System: Host''s proficiency in solving cases has increased, normal cases no longer reward contribution points.]

    Ordinary cases... As expected, even the system''s evaluation is ordinary.

    Jian Jing shook her head silently and left.

    Outside, the police officers who were going to take over the criminal cases had arrived.

    Although there was a little subplot, dinner still ended before midnight today.

    Jiang BaiYan called his assistant toe over and drive, to send the two of them home. In principle, Jian Jing should be sent first, but since it was her car, he said to send his own artist first.

    Jian Jing didn''t mind.

    On the way, Jiang BaiYan showed Jian Jing a newly published public ount article: "Shocking! The popr young starlet secretly meets her rich second generation boyfriend, embroiled in her ex-boyfriend''s death."

    Jian Jing was stunned: "That was fast?"

    He made a grimace, and didn''t say that the paparazzi squatting was arranged by his own agent. He had only wanted to expose the rtionship a little, and poke Hou Rui while he was at it. He didn''t expect to coincide with the murder case.

    With the police already here, it was impossible not to report it.

    The paparazzi acted swiftly, snapping pictures and uploading the written manuscript, expecting it to top the hot search ranking within a few hours.

    That''s what you get for not giving Teacher Jingjing face!

    It would give Jiang Ou a headache, which made him happy too.

    Hou Rui was gone, although there was some (humanitarian) sadness, but the resources now belonged to him, even happier.

    He was lucky today, otherwise...

    The car gradually approached the residential district. Jiang BaiYan suddenly spoke up and asked, "Do you want to go see Pudding? Teacher Jingjing hasn''t seen Pudding in a long time."

    "Now?" Jian Jing nced at her watch, it was 11:10.

    Jiang BaiYan nodded vigorously: "Just for a bit, I''ll have Little Li send you backter."

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment, and unexpectedly agreed: "Alright then."

    The security in this residential district was strict. The car could enter the parking lot and go straight to the floor of his unit with the license te, unable to stop on other floors, to ensure residents'' privacy as much as possible.

    "Don''t worry Teacher Jingjing, so far, this residential district has never been paparazzied." As Jiang BaiYan spoke, he entered multiple passwords to open the door and invited her in, "Pleasee in."

    Jian Jing changed into slippers and walked into his home.

    Her first impression was that it was tidy and bright.

    The lighting was soft, the furniture was stylish and spacious, the space was open andfortable, very cozy. What was most surprising was the greenery covering the entire balcony,yer uponyer, setting up a forest corner in the city.

    "Make yourself at home, Teacher Jingjing." He took fresh fruits from the refrigerator, sliced them and threw them into the teapot, added rose and chamomile, poured in hot water to brew, then added two spoonfuls of honey, and heated it on a small stove, brewing a pot of floral fruit tea, "Please try it."

    Jian Jing hugged Pudding who came over to rub against her legs, andughed: "A man of many talents, I see."

    She was sincere with her praise, but he was not happy. On the contrary, he said dejectedly: "You clearly haven''t seen my other variety shows. I don''t just make tea, I can also cook and bake desserts, and I can paint a little watercolor too. Oh, I just learned wood carving recently, let me get them to show you."

    He was oddly enthusiastic and energetic. As he spoke, he rushed into the study and brought out a tray of wood carvings. About seven or eight in total, no bigger than half a palm, all carved cats.

    Objectively speaking, the carving skills were not superb. However, although the lines of the little cats were clumsy, their temperament was captured just right, revealing a quaint and cute beauty.

    This was unexpected. Jian Jing couldn''t help but pick one up and examine it carefully: "Is it so difficult being a celebrity these days?"

    In private, he no longer maintained his glib persona, andined: "Just look at Hou Rui."

    She smiled: "So, is it your interest?"

    He shook his head.

    "Something you learned for acting?" She continued guessing.

    "No." He sat down on the floor, looking up into her eyes. A certain hidden emotion shed across his eyebrows, "I just... want people to like me."

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157

    "The more skills one has, the less it weighs you down," said Jiang BaiYan lightly as he swiftlyposed himself, pretending as if nothing had happened. "The more I know, the more awesome my fans think I am. It''s good for my career."

    Jian Jing frowned. "You already have many fans who like you. There''s no need to force yourself to do things you don''t enjoy."

    "It''s not that bad either," he got up and went to the balcony with the kettle to water the nts. "I want to make myself a little better."

    She asked, "To make more people like you?"

    Jiang BaiYan nced back at her with a smile. "Yes, and no," he said slowly. "I used to think that as long as I try harder, one day even those who don''t like me will end up liking me. It was onlyter that I realized sometimes when people don''t like you, they just don''t. That will never change."

    His tone was calm andposed, but Jian Jing knew there must have been a painful story behind this realization.

    She guessed he was deliberately trying to prompt her to ask more, but she hesitated, unwilling to reopen old wounds.

    "Do you want to know why I changed my mind?" Jiang BaiYan put down the kettle and walked over as usual, smiling. "I can tell you, it''s okay - you want to know, don''t you?"

    He dangled a cat teaser in front of the increasingly chubby orange cat, amidst the tinkling bells, and gently asked, "You want to know why the cat is named Pudding, right?"

    Jian Jing hesitated, "If it''s too sad, let''s just drop it."

    "It''s okay," he repeated, "I''m willing to tell you."

    "You don''t remember, but I do."

    Jiang BaiYan''s story began in the spring of 2014.

    Back then, he was not called by this name, but Jiang Xun. His birth mother passed away unexpectedly and he was brought back to his father''s home, where he suffered constant bullying by his stepmother and siblings.

    They either ignored him, humiliated him, or controlled him. Looking back yearster, it could be described as psychological maniption. Like anyone caught in such circumstances, he was unaware of what it meant. Since young, his birth mother had taught him to please his father and siblings. Even without fully understanding why, just to avoid getting beaten or scolded, he would do as told.

    However, it was of no use. His careful attempts at pleasing them only brought intensified torment. Yet he endured through it all, because aside from putting up with it, there was no other way.

    Fortunately he did not yet understand despair then. As days passed, he got so used to it and numb to it all.

    Until one day after school, when he was abducted on his way home.

    It was a gang of desperate criminals looking to kidnap the son of Jiang Shui Group''s chairman and profit handsomely before escaping far away. But very unfortunately for them, the person they managed to capture was neither Jiang Er nor Jiang San, but the insignificant illegitimate son.

    When the phone call reached the Jiang family, the chairman''s attitude was rather cold.

    Separated only by a thin door, he could hear the kidnapper shouting into the phone, "Ten million less, and I''ll chop off one of your son''s fingers! Dare to call the cops, I''ll dig out his eyeballs! Each day of dy, I''ll cut off an ear!"

    Jiang BaiYan thought then, I''m definitely done for.

    His rational self said, losing limbs would be too painful, dying by jumping off a building would be quicker. But emotionally, he still hoped that perhaps...perhaps they would save him.

    Seeing how obedient I''ve been, how hard I''ve tried, seeing that I really am your brother/son after all...

    Please save me.

    He did not want to die. He cooperated as much as he could with the kidnappers, crying when told to cry, begging when told to beg, utterly subservient.

    Being so obedient and docile, even the kidnappers gradually softened their attitude. From one cold bun a day, it became two meals of cold rice daily.

    The weather was too cold, they even let him use a coat to cover himself when sleeping.

    Perhaps no one could have imagined that an absurd idea would sprout in his mind then - these bad people are nicer to me than my own family.

    At least the kidnappers cared if he felt cold.

    His family didn''t care one bit if he lived or died.

    But this slight feeling of warmth soon dissipated as the ransom delivery dragged on. The kidnappers grew impatient by the day, yet the money from the Jiang family failed to arrive.

    One moment they cited insufficient cash flow, the next imed they really could not manage it. The secretary handlingmunications remained polite in tone, yet firmly unrelenting.

    Gradually, Jiang BaiYan understood that he truly did not matter one bit.

    "Could we have caught the wrong person? This isn''t his own son."

    "Yeah, I heard the other kids have bodyguards, but we didn''t run into any capturing him."

    "It''s too unbelievable, they can''t even take out 50 million?"

    "What if we really got the wrong person? Do we let him go?"

    "Let go? No way! He''s seen our faces, better to get rid of him."

    The fragmented murmurings drifted through the door and into his ears. His heart was seized tightly, at times pounding like thunder, at times throbbing dully.

    He breathed lightly, wishing he could be a tiny speck of dust, quietly hiding in the corner, afraid they would notice him.

    Not daring to say he was hungry, or needing to pee, or wanting to sleep.

    It''s hard to describe in words the sheer terror of that time - each minute, each second, each breath, carried an intense fear.

    Am I going to die?

    I''m about to die soon.

    They''re going to kill me.

    How will they kill me?

    Even more frightening was how the dark cloud of death did not descend in an instant, but umted day after day, torturing him slowly and persistently.

    At times, he even wondered - am I still alive? Perhaps I''m already dead, a lingering ghost staying in this ce, waiting for someone toe save me.

    But who could save him?

    He wracked his brains trying to dredge up even the tiniest shred of warmth from the long river of time, to sustain himself and carry on. But tragically, no matter how much he recalled, he could not find a single happy moment.

    The cold and arrogant birth father.

    The fawning and obsequious birth mother.

    The condescending eldest sister.

    The arrogant second brother.

    The violent and vengeful third brother.

    On a frigid spring night, the cherry blossoms on the streets were budding. Lying on the cold hard floor, he broke apart every fragment of his memories, counting over the past, again and again, but could not find any shred of hope.

    This feeling was despair.

    So-called blood ties meant nothing. All his efforts to please were but a joke. Everything in the past was but self-delusion.

    They never liked me.

    They will never like me.

    Perhaps dying at the hands of the kidnappers was exactly the oue they wanted - the blemish on the family wiped out by the enemy, their hands remaining clean as they kicked aside the intrusive existence.

    From now on, the Jiang siblings could lie to themselves that their family was never tainted by an outsider, that their father was upright and just, their mother graceful and proper, and the siblings loving to each other - what a perfect family!

    Jiang Xun is not our brother.

    Jiang Xun should never have existed.

    It''d be best if Jiang Xun just died.

    In the hazy space between dream and wakefulness, he could hear the murmurings of his siblings, resentful and hateful, gnashing their teeth as they cursed him with bloodced words.

    And so, Jiang Xun died.

    What is death like?

    It''s a lot like a burning candle.

    When first lit, the me is passionate and lively, dancing and leaping, still full of hope for life. But as the whitewashed memories are peeled away, just like wax tears rolling and falling, solidifying into a puddle of tears that no one cares for.

    Pale, faded, icy tears.

    The me grows weaker and smaller.

    Gradually, slowly, extinguished bit by bit, bing a pile of ashes with lingering warmth.

    If at that time, no one had relit a me to revive him, using that remaining warmth, then Jiang Xun would have truly died, and there would never be the Jiang BaiYan of today.

    Fortunately she came.

    On a very quiet night, there was suddenly a muffled "thud" from the corner.

    Something had fallen in through the small window above the wall.

    To the kidnappers outside watching TV, it would have gone as unnoticed as a mosquito buzzing. But to him, it was like a roll of spring thunder, rumbling close.

    He saw a Ferrero Rocher chocte ball roll to a stop beside him.

    Golden, like real gold.

    His heart had died, but his body still lived. His stomach let out a gurgle, urging him to unwrap it. And inside was a sheet of semi-transparent rice paper, with the words:

    Have you been kidnapped? If yes, meow like a cat. If no, bark like a dog.

    Remember to eat the paper.

    Having starved for a week, and tortured for as long, he could not discern truth from lies. He only instinctively let out a soft "meow".

    Outside: "Meow meow meow?"

    Him: "Meow?"

    After meaningless meows, silence returned. He swallowed the rice paper he was writing on and the chocte, clenching the shiny candy wrapper in his palm, ncing at it from time to time to distinguish reality from dreams.

    But nothing happened the next day, so he couldn''t help but doubt that he had brought the chocte himself, and had dreamed of someoneing to rescue himst night.

    Ah, what an incredible beautiful dream!

    Who woulde to save him anyway.

    However,te into the night, a bamboo pole poked diagonally into the air vent, swiftly sliding in a stic bag.

    Inside the bag was an old mobile phone.

    His own phone had already been taken away by the kidnappers, so getting a phone back now, he sadly shed through a cowardly thought - should I call Dad?

    No, of course not.

    They want me to die, I don''t want to die.

    There was a text message on the phone, with a contact name of j-

    You''ve been kidnapped, haven''t you? -

    Yes -

    Want me to call the police for you? -

    No, they''ll kill me -

    Okay, I''ll try to save you. Can you tell me what happened? -

    They asked my dad for money, he refused to give it, so I''m going to die. Save me, please -

    The kidnappers want money, your dad refuses to give it, so you have to try to help them -

    I can''t, please save me, I''m begging you -

    I''ll definitely help you, but you have to try too -

    Okay, I''ll listen to you -

    The phone battery is low, use it sparingly, don''t let them find it -

    Can''t you talk to me? -

    Chatting may get discovered, don''t be afraid, I''m watching over you -

    Please, don''t ignore me -

    I''ll always be here, I promise. Turn the phone off, open it again this time tomorrow -

    Okay

    He didn''t want to upset her, he didn''t want to lose this glimmer of hope, so even though it was hard, Jiang Baiyan still did as she said.

    After half an hour, another chocte was thrown in.

    This time, there was also writing on the candy wrapper, but it was a cute story: On this street lives a fat and chubby cat. It is the cutest cat in the world, smart and brave. There is no wall it can''t climb over, no sparrow it can''t catch.

    It has a glorious battle record, having defeated the local bully cats from the next street, beating them until they fled in panic, and now they never dare to invade this street again. But its most impressive feat involves a case of a stolen gem.

    Do you want to know why the gem went missing? You have to guess its name first.

    Hint: it''s soft and fat, with smooth and beautiful fur, and streaks of amber orange.

    Tell me your answer tomorrow :)

    The story was simple, yet strangely captivating. Jiang Baiyan was drawn in by the vivid description, almost forgetting his fear for a moment.

    And once he calmed down, his ability to think returned, and he suddenly knew what to do.

    He told the kidnappers, "I''m dad''s son, he doesn''t not want me, he just really has no money left."

    The kidnappers scoffed. "The chairman of a conglomerate has no money? Kid, who are you kidding."

    "It''s true," he said. "Dad spent all his money on buying gems."

    This immediately attracted the kidnappers'' attention. "Gems?"

    "An emerald called the ''Crown Jewel''." Jiang Baiyan said confidently. "Very valuable."

    The kidnappers were skeptical. "Kid, you''re telling the truth?"

    He nodded emphatically.

    Of course it was true. He had always had a good memory, right?

    His sister only mentioned it once, and he remembered.

    The kidnappers looked up this information, and it was indeed factual.

    They believed Jiang Baiyan''s identity again, and no longer talked about getting rid of him. Instead, they set their sights on the gem.

    That emerald was worth 130 million yuan. Jiang Shui Group''s chairman had acquired it six months ago, far more than the 50 million ransom they had asked for.

    "Or we could take advantage of the situation, pretend to ask for ransom, then when they''re not looking, take the gem..." There was nock of clever and bold people among the kidnappers.

    Everyone was tempted.

    Jiang Baiyan had not expected it to be this easy, and was delighted to the point he almost doubted life. His first reaction was to increase his own value so he wouldn''t be killed.

    "The gem is hidden in the chairman''s vi, but only a few people know the password to get in," he said.

    The kidnappers now looked at him differently. "Boy, why are you telling us this?"

    Jiang Baiyan answered honestly, "I don''t want to die. Besides, it''s not my gem anyway."

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158

    The allure of the gem was far greater than the ransom.

    The greed of the kidnappers overcame their reason, and they began to plot to rob the gem. They coerced and enticed, hoping to pry the location of the vi from Jiang BaiYan''s mouth.

    Jiang BaiYan was very careful, not daring to say nothing, but also not wanting to spill everything all at once. He pretended to try to remember, "I don''t know, my dad has many vis... He said that to protect the gem, he had someone specially renovate one."

    This was a clear clue. The kidnappers decided to investigate the vis under the chairman''s name to see which one had been recently renovated by someone.

    And the time they spent investigating would be the chance he dragged out.

    At night, he turned on his phone and told J the news.

    J praised him--

    Well done--

    I''m very obedient, don''t abandon me--

    I won''t leave you, don''t give up either--

    Okay--

    How many of them are there? When are there the fewest, how many stay to guard you?--

    6, at least 2 stay--

    Don''t let them take you away. Try to figure out theyout of the room as much as possible, wait for news--

    How long do I have to wait?--

    Remember my story? Before the ending, you will definitely be saved--

    I believe you, don''t trick me--

    I won''t trick you. Have you guessed the kitten''s name yet?--

    Pudding--

    Amazing! You guessed right, Pudding is the cutest kitty in the world

    Holding the phone, he couldn''t help but reveal a smile.

    Just like before, after a while, a new chocte rolled in. Not only was there a sticker with a drawing of Pudding, but also the continuation of the new story.

    This time, she wrote about the origin of the stolen gem, and put great effort into describing the structure and terrain of the vi, as if anyone could be a suspect.

    At the end of the story, she asked: Of the three suspects, who is most likely to have stolen the gem?

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t want to disappoint her expectations.

    During the day, he tried his best to please the kidnappers, voluntarily helping them pour water and fetch things, taking the chance to familiarize himself with the environment. At night, he tried his best to deduce the culprit, looking forward to when the phone would turn on--

    Have you guessed who the thief is?--

    No, I''m too stupid to guess, I''m sorry--

    No need to apologize, you''re not stupid--

    But I can''t figure it out, you must be very disappointed--

    Not at all, because none of those three people are the thief--

    Really?--

    Of course, I won''t lie to you

    She sent the new continuation of the story. Indeed it was none of the three suspects, but instead the grocery store owner suddenly became suspicious.

    At the end, she asked again: The warm and kind grocery store owner was arrested, was he the one who stole the gem?

    Jiang BaiYan hoped he wasn''t.

    And so he really wasn''t the culprit. When the owner''s child was crying, he encountered a white kitten falling from the sky, and she promised to help him find the truth.

    And at this time, the kidnappers had already determined the vi''s location, and started figuring out how to rob it.

    Jiang BaiYan mercilessly sold out his father: "My dad''s senior secretary should be able to get in."

    Note that the kidnappers were desperate criminals, not Jiang Yang thieves, toozy to bother investigating the security system. Their n was simple and crude, but very effective--directly kidnap the senior secretary.

    Kidnapping one was kidnapping, kidnapping two was also kidnapping.

    And this time it was even simpler.

    They gave a final ultimatum, demanding that the chairman himselfe to deliver the ransom, while also having the senior secretary prepare a car and go to a certain ce.

    This way, even if the police were called, the police force would first prioritize protecting the chairman''s safety.

    And the kidnappers would split into two groups, two people luring the tiger from the mountain, pretending to go collect the ransom, while the other three kidnapped the senior secretary to rob the vi.

    Thest person stayed behind, watching over Jiang BaiYan the hostage--in case of any idents, he could still take him hostage to escape.

    This was also Jiang BaiYan''s only chance to escape--

    I will distract them, when you hear the whistle, find a way to escape--

    Can I really?--Maybe they''ll run away after robbing the gem--

    Before that they''ll kill you, you''ve seen their faces--

    What if I can''t escape?--

    No problem, you''re already very familiar with this ce--

    They''ll lock me in the room before leaving--

    When you hear me blow one long and one short whistle, find a way to get into the bathroom. There''s a window in the bathroom, right?--

    Yeah--

    The bathroom is on the second floor. He won''t be too worried, at most he''ll lock you in the bathroom, then, you just use the method I gave you to climb down from the window--

    It''s too high, I can''t do it--

    Didn''t I give you a rope? Tie one end to the door, wrap the other end around your waist, winding around one leg, climb while letting the rope out slowly, no problem, take a good look at the diagram I drew for you--

    Okay, I''ll do as you said--

    When you hear three short whistles,e down, understand?--

    Understood

    The days Jiang BaiYan spent with the kidnappers, he behaved extremely well, never thinking about escaping. And the kidnappers never noticed the air vent in the room either.

    The window was so small, and more than 2 meters off the ground. A primary school student in an empty room, no matter what, could not possibly climb out.

    They couldn''t have imagined even in their dreams that the rented house they were in was next to another residentialplex, and the third floor unit at the edge of theplex belonged to a middle school girl who wrote mystery novels.

    She was unfortunately struck down by the early spring flu, recuperating at home, bored out of her mind, and started peering around with binocrs.

    This allowed her to discover something off.

    The individual houses next door were mostly self-built, some two stories, some three stories, mostly rented out to migrant workers. Therefore, while there was a rtively high resident turnover rate, there was one thing they all had inmon--everyone left early and returnedte.

    However, the family living next door to her was truly bizarre.

    A total of 6 adult males, every time they went out it was in pairs, the rest stayed home for long periods.

    If they didn''t go out to work, where did they get their money?

    She became curious and observed them continuously for two days. She discovered these people didn''t cook for themselves, but had someone go out to buy fast food every meal time.

    Suspicious, definitely suspicious.

    She looked from several different angles with her binocrs, peering at the room across from her, and finally caught a glimpse of a child. He was timid, very short, ordered around, but his uniform was a very Western style.

    As a middle schooler herself, she immediately realized this was not the uniform of any public school.

    It should be the kind only private schools have.

    But private school tuition is expensive, definitely not something migrant workers could afford. Adding on that the past few school days, she never saw the child leave the house, she boldly guessed that he had been kidnapped.

    Using a slingshot, she sessfully delivered a message, confirming her reasoning.

    But the rescue was not so easy.

    She considered calling the police, but regrettably, the estimated sess rate was too low.

    No one would believe a child''s words. Even if they did, at most two people would be sent to the door to check things out. It was very possible the family would fool them and get away with it. rmed for nothing, with six tall, strong men, it would be easy for them to counterattack and kill everyone. Then, once they escaped, the hostage''s safety would be at risk.

    If they were unlucky, investigating and finding out she was the one who called the police, perhaps her whole family would suffer retaliation.

    Due to various concerns, she decided to give up on arresting the criminals, and only focus on rescuing the person.

    Luckily, the n went smoothly.

    The kidnappers estimated the best getaway time to be at night, so the n started in the afternoon. They wanted to take advantage of rush hour traffic after work to shake off any followers.

    Around 2pm, the first group left.

    At 3pm, the second group left.

    Only one person was left in the house.

    Jian Jing''s simple n was very simple. Carrying her schoolbag, she cut through into the neighboringplex. At this time in the afternoon, all the residents here were out working, she almost didn''t encounter anyone.

    She blew the two agreed whistles, one long and one short, then hid and observed the bathroom window.

    Ten minutester, a shadow reflected inside.

    Next, she gathered discarded paper collected in her schoolbag, piled it in the corner, lit it on fire, and added two smoke bombs.

    Large plumes of smoke rose up fiercely.

    She dialed 119 and reported the address, asking the fire department toe put out the fire.

    At this time, something unexpected happened. The guard inside for some reason did note out to check things out. She had no choice but to take the risk and go knock on the door.

    "There''s a fire!" she shouted loudly, finally bringing the guarding kidnapper out.

    He was shocked and panicked, immediately rushing to the kitchen to get water.

    Jian Jing swiftly escaped, at the same time, blowing the agreed whistle signal again.

    A crooked rope lowered from the window.

    The second ident happened.

    He couldn''t climb down, and his movements were too slow. The kidnapper had alreadye back with two buckets of water and discovered the truth about the fire. The fire was quickly extinguished, leaving only scattered embers.

    Jian Jing had no other choice but to resort to herst method: "Stop right there!"

    The kidnapper was not very smart, but not dumb either. Seeing her sudden appearance, even though he couldn''t figure out what was going on, he knew she must be trouble: "It''s you?!"

    "I poured gasoline over there." She held up an alcoholmp that she had taken from theb and threatened, "If you move an inch, I''ll throw this over."

    The kidnapper paused briefly to consider if she was telling the truth.

    This bought Jian Jing a minute.

    "Damn girl!" The kidnapper quickly gave up discerning the truth. Relying on his height and strength, he rushed over to grab the alcoholmp from her hand.

    At that time, Jian Jing was only 1.5 meters tall and constantly failed PE. Without any special powers yet, facing a charging adult, she didn''t stand a chance.

    She made the wisest decision - threw the alcoholmp away and turned to run.

    Although afraid of the alcoholmp igniting the gasoline and burning him alive, the kidnapper''s first reaction was still to stop and reach out to catch themp before it hit the ground.

    This bought another 3 seconds - only 3 seconds, before the kidnapper would realize it was just water, not alcohol, in the prop.

    Seizing the moment, Jian Jing circled around to the bathroom window.

    Jiang BaiYan hung in midair, unable to get down clumsily.

    "Jump!" Shemanded calmly, "No time left!"

    The poor hostage''s face was white. After messing everything up, he held on to his only virtue - he didn''t want her to dislike him, to abandon him, so despite the tremendous fear, he let go of his grip.

    Thud.

    He tumbled to the ground.

    Two stories high wasn''t much. He just hurt a lot but didn''t suffer major injuries.

    "Run!" Jian Jing grabbed him and summoned strength beyond her usual 800m record. They dashed off.

    The kidnapper knew things had gone wrong. He hurried to catch up.

    But now J''s advantage kicked in.

    Here was the neighborhood she had lived in for over a decade. She knew everyone working in every shop at the entrance. Without any hesitation, she rushed into the nearest convenience store and told the owner, "Help! He''s trying to rob me!"

    The boss was shocked to see the kidnapper chasing after them. He scolded, "What are you doing?!"

    "They stole my wallet," imed the kidnapper, also quite clever.

    Jian Jing kept her cool, already exhibiting her future poise, "Then I''ll call the police right now. Let''s see who robbed whom."

    The kidnapper red at her, hesitated briefly, but the boss already grabbed a broom, threatening to hit him. He immediately realized he couldn''t keep the hostage. The best move was to leave quickly after acquiring the gemstone.

    After all, he already got the ransom and kidnapped the secretary too. Time to scram!

    He turned and fled.

    Jian Jing didn''t dare leave. She bought a drink at the convenience store and waited until the fire truck arrived before leading Jiang BaiYan away.

    Jiang BaiYan couldn''t believe they had escaped. He was dazed and didn''t utter a word for the longest time.

    "Where do you live? Let''s call your parents toe get you," Jian Jing said.

    He snapped out of it and shook his head hard: "I''m not going home."

    She was puzzled: "Why not?"

    "They want me dead," he whispered. "If I go back, I''ll die."

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159

    If the person who had saved Jiang BaiYan was an adult, they would most likely say something like, "Your parents must be very worried about you," "No parent would think that way," "Where else could a child go if they don''t go home?" and so on.

    However, Jian Jing was not like that.

    She didn''t say anything, she just asked: "So where do you want to go?"

    Jiang BaiYan couldn''t answer.

    "If you''re not going back to your dad and mom, what about your grandpa and grandma, or your maternal grandparents?" she asked. "Don''t you have anyone who could take you in?"

    He lowered his head, and after a long while, said: "My grandpa on my dad''s side is still alive."

    "Then call him," the girl was happy to provide follow-up services after the rescue. "Do you still remember his phone number?"

    Jiang BaiYan wanted to say he didn''t remember anymore, but his rational side told him that would be useless. If he didn''t want to go back to the Jiang family, then he had to remember.

    He recited the phone number, both hopeful and apprehensive at the same time.

    He remembered that whenever his mother called grandpa in the past, she would be met with angry yelling, with grandpa dering that he didn''t have a daughter like her, let alone a grandson.

    But to his surprise, the opposite happened.

    Jian Jing got through the call, and after calmly exining the situation to the old man on the other end, instead of saying "I don''t have a grandson like that," he asked for the address and said he woulde over right away.

    "I''ll wait for you at the McDonald''s in the bus station," the girl exercised caution at the critical moment, choosing the lively city center.

    She told Jiang BaiYan, "I know that area very well. If anything happens, I''ll take you and run immediately."

    He murmured in agreement, grabbing onto the corner of her shirt.

    At 13 years old, the boy had yet to hit puberty, and was still a full head shorter than the 14 year old girl, looking very much like a child. Right now, pitifully holding onto her sleeve, he was like a stray dog who had taken shelter from the rain in a hallway, wet all over and shivering uncontrobly.

    Jian Jing felt extremely sympathetic, but still so young herself, she really didn''t know what to say. As they headed towards the bus station, all she could do was rack her brains for contingency ns, terrified that something awful might happen.

    Fortunately none of it was needed.

    His grandpa hurried over looking travel-worn, and stared wordlessly at his frail grandson for a long time.

    Jiang BaiYan kept his eyes lowered, not showing any fear or sadness, just calmly waiting for whatever fate had in store.

    But grandpa said: "Thank you for saving my child."

    He didn''t ask why he didn''t go back to Chairman Dong''s ce, nor did he call him a bastard. He just said, thank you for saving my child.

    "If you don''t want to go back there,e home with me," was grandpa''s next sentence. "Of course, you have to think it through clearly - I''m just a poor old man, I can''t afford to raise a young master like you. If youe with me, you''ll have to endure hardship."

    Jiang BaiYan had not expected this oue at all, and looked up at him in a daze, confused and lost.

    The old man was usually sparing with his expressions, and his smiles were even colder than his second older brother''s. But he could feel that it was only because the muscles on his face didn''t move - his eyes were not cold at all.

    "Can I?" he asked hesitantly,pletely blindsided by this sudden stroke of good fortune.

    Why hadn''t anything this good happened to him in so many years before, yet in just two days, he had encountered it twice? Did he deserve to have such good luck?

    Maybe they would soon change their minds... But even if he was taken away immediately, he wanted to experience it once.

    He wanted to be liked.

    He wanted to be epted.

    Even just once, even just for one second.

    Grandpa looked into his eyes and was deeply moved. He wanted to say something, but just like him, grandpa had always been reluctant to express himself, and was equally inarticte atforting others.

    After a long, long time, he finally spoke haltingly: "What do you want to eat? I''ll buy it for you."

    His voice was gruff, not at all resembling an affectionate elder.

    But in that moment, the defenses Jiang BaiYan had erected came crumbling down. He heard himself pathetically say again: "Anything is fine."

    Ah, how pitiful, how destitute his heart was.

    Just a tiny bit of kindness was enough to turn him back into his hated self.

    Why did he have to curry favor with others again?

    Clearly it was useless, so why did he still do it?

    Why am I so weak? I''mpletely worthless.

    Grandpa got very angry: "You''re so old already, how can you not even say clearly what you want to eat?"

    Jiang BaiYan was bewildered.

    "I, I''ll eat..." He looked at the menu in panic, randomly pointing at something, "That."

    He had pointed at a spicy burger, so spicy that his eyes streamed unstoppably with tears. But Jian Jing and grandpa didn''tugh at him, just ate this awkward dinner together in silence.

    When night fell, grandpa bought tickets to take him home.

    After much hesitation, Jiang BaiYan finally worked up the courage at thest moment to ask Jian Jing: "What was the ending to that story?"

    "Oh that one," the girl who had made up the story on the spot still hadn''t thought of how to continue it. After thinking for a bit, a sh of inspiration hit her. "Go find out for yourself at a bookstoreter."

    "Huh?" He tilted his head quizzically.

    The young girl Jian Jing thought to herself, let me organize this story properly when I get back before deciding on an ending, no way I cane up with one now. She said seriously: "I''m actually a very famous novelist, you can find my books in bookstores."

    Jiang BaiYan''s eyes went wide.

    "So let''s leave it at a cliffhanger for now," she waved and said. "Next time we meet, you can tell me if you guessed the ending correctly."

    Jiang BaiYan looked at her and nodded lightly. He thought he had a good memory, and had firmly memorized where she lived, so it wouldn''t take long before he could see her again.

    But life is unpredictable. When he went backter, the neighbor said their daughter had earned some money and bought a new house, moving out long ago.

    He was heartbroken over this for a very long time, thinking that separation in the sea of people was already the most tragic ending possible.

    Yet he didn''t know that in the first month after her whole family moved into their new home, they met with a massacre that wiped out the entire household.

    Yes, in 2014, Jiang BaiYan''s life went from destruction to rebirth.

    While Jian Jing fell into hell, struggled for 6 years, and finally in the spring of 2020, ended her own life.

    [Task Name: Buding''s Secret (Completed)]

    [Description: Behind the cute kitten is the story of your first act of bravery. You saved an innocent life and turned a person''s life around. Perhaps this is why you were chosen - apuse for your courage and kindness.]

    [Task Reward: You have obtained a limited edition card]

    [Limited draw pool opened, begin drawing]

    [You obtained a new card]

    [Name: Limited Edition - Bai Xiaomao Status]

    [Description: Obtain the status of fictional character "Bai Xiaomao" - greatly enhanced agility, bnce, night vision, jumping and climbing ability. Limited to 100 seconds per day, resets at midnight daily]

    [Note: Since you''re as brave as the female protagonist you created, it makes sense for you to be equally powerful, no?]

    Jian Jing: "......" I need some peace and quiet.

    "Teacher Jingjing?" Jiang BaiYan shook his palm worriedly. "Are you alright?"

    She came back to her senses and smiled apologetically: "A little shocked."

    As soon as Jiang BaiYan finished telling his story, Buding''s long term task was automaticallypleted. Not only that, it just so happened to have turned midnight at that moment, opening the limited draw pool and pulling out a... god-tier card.

    In "Bai Mao Shen Tan", the alien-modified white kitten Bai Xiaomao possessed the agility of a cat, easily scurrying up walls and evading attacks. In a sense, it was like "cheat mode activated".

    No wonder she was so shocked.

    But now was not the time to talk about this.

    She looked at the boy before her, and suddenly understood many things.

    In many people''s eyes, Jiang BaiYan was clever, hardworking, quite talented in acting, very spirited, a rare sapling among the younger generation in showbiz. On top of that, he knew how to keep a low profile and never easily offended others, making him very likable indeed.

    But everyone knew no one could be so perfectly wless.

    The influence of one''s environment was extremely frightening. The world he was in constantly staged grand spectacles, with money, benefits, fame, false affections, promiscuity - shining brilliance one day and plunging into hell the next.

    With so many people living by the motto "eat, drink and be merry today", what made him so different?

    Now she understood.

    Everyone wanted something - some wanted money, some reputation, some status, but what Jiang BaiYan seemed to want was love.

    - I want others to like me.

    The huge ck hole carved out by his unfortunate childhood needed a tremendous amount of love to slowly mend.

    And in this world, only celebrities could obtain that much "liking".

    "Is it tiring, living like this?" she asked.

    As before, Jiang BaiYan easily understood what she meant: "It''s not tiring, it''s just..." He hesitated, obviously having forgotten how to open his heart, and after a long pause, said slowly, "Sometimes I think, what if one day they find out about my background, what would happen?"

    "I don''t know why, but I always have a premonition that this day wille sooner orter," he murmured softly, as if cursing, "What will happen then?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but fall silent. Things thate easily also leave just as easily.

    Unfortunately, a fan''s love is like fireworks - beautiful, but not longsting.

    She thought for a moment, then said, "Earlier you said some people will never like you no matter how much you try to please them, but by the same logic, some people will like you regardless of whether you are perfect or not."

    "No," Jiang BaiYan shook his head, very sober, "stories are written that way, but reality is just the opposite. People are most likely to lose interest and desire something fresh and new. I only hope..."

    His words trailed off, as if his brain had momentarily jammed, suddenly forgetting what he was talking about.

    After a while, he made a funny face andughed, "Make more money, and hopefully win a couple Best Actor awards, then retire in glory."

    Jian Jing knew he wasn''t telling the truth, but didn''t press him. Tonight''s conversation had gone beyond expectations, and continuing further could change the mood.

    She just said, "Then work hard, maybe Roses of Gold could win an award."

    Jiang BaiYan sucked in a breath of cold air: "I suspect you''re implying something."

    "I like your interpretation," she ignored his probing and went on, "Of course love is great, but it''s not a panacea. People always exaggerate love and overlook themselves."

    He was startled, as if he understood something, and swallowed back his original words.

    Jian Jing remembered the main issue, and asked again: "By the way, what day was it when you escaped? That day."

    He said, "April 20, 2014, it was Easter."

    She nodded thoughtfully: "A good day. Alright, I should head back now."

    Jiang BaiYan responded, and while seeing her off, tried to keep her longer: "You''re really giving me the role? Do I need to repay you in some way?"

    "Sure," she stopped and pointed to the sulents on the balcony, "Give me one of those, you''ve raised them so well, I like the chubby one."

    Jiang BaiYan tilted his head and picked out the healthiest looking panda nt to give her: "Are you sure you don''t want to..."

    Jian Jing smiled, "Hmm?"

    He quickly changed his words: "Are you sure you don''t want me to walk you down?"

    "No need."

    Leaving Jiang BaiYan''s home, she happened to see the starry sky.

    Jian Jing''s mood was as clear as the night sky.

    She had gained a lot tonight - solved the mystery of Buding, and figured out why Jiang BaiYan was overly friendly with her.

    The results were also satisfactory. His attentiveness was not without purpose, but stemmed from a kind deed in his youth.

    How nice.

    Now, there was only onest puzzle left.

    Would April 20, 2014 be the key to unlocking Saint Ange''s code?

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160

    Username: jianjg

    Password: 20140420

    Press Enter.

    A new interface jumped out.

    Jian Jing gently took a breath, hurriedly drank a mouthful of ice beer, suppressed the excitement in her heart, and slowly began to read the text aboveˇŞ

    This is thest time IˇŻm writing a medical record diary. Tomorrow morning, I will undergo the final treatment topletely seal those memories. In fact, I can hardly remember what happened, but the professor said hypnosis just hid the memories which could be triggered by some inducements ande back to the surface at any time.

    To defeat those memories, one needs a weapon.

    He believed the fact that I saved a child was most suitable to deal with him. Because I saved a life, nothing is greater than this and more powerful to confront him.

    Well, just like he expected.

    But he was right. Few things made me so happy that could beparable, probably only when I got my first published book.

    But the weight of a book is in no wayparable to the weight of a life.

    The professor said that when we save others, we are also saved by them. I understand a little now. Did I rescue that kid? Perhaps.

    Anyway now, it is the act of saving others that is saving me.

    It sounds a bit tongue-twisting, but that''s what it means. He hoped I would never forget this feeling.

    It''s very difficult to kill yourself, but very simple to kill others.

    It''s very difficult to save others, and it''s the same for saving yourself.

    No matter how he brags about death, life is always more difficult than death.

    So he is a coward, and I am a hero.

    Then the question is, who is he?

    I closed my eyes and could only see a heavy dark cloud. Who is he? ˇŞ

    Jian Jing let out a breath. In just a few lines, she was already sweating with tension.

    This was a diary written by "me", not only recording the treatment process, but also memories about "him".

    She did find the key.

    At the same time, the purpose of the password also had a reasonable exnation.

    ˇŞWhen we save others, our souls are also saved.

    It turned out to be like this.

    It should be like this.

    Jian Jing thought for a while and decided to still read in reverse chronological order, rather than directly view the earliest entry.

    She had to get close to him slowlyˇŞ

    Had a nightmare again.

    In the dream I could no longer see his face clearly. The professor said this was the part I forgot first, meaning his appearance was nothing worth remembering to me.

    That makes sense. What I remember most clearly is his voice, popping up suddenly when I''m not paying attention. The professor said I would asionally say some strange things - things he had said - but I was not aware at all.

    The professor suggested that I write them down, and then refute them one by one. He said I was hypnotized, those were not my true thoughts, so I must learn to distinguish.

    PS: Anyway I have nothing to do in the hospital. All the books they give me to read are in English, French or Swedish. The Chinese novel is called Fox Spirit on the Snowy Mountain.

    Are they kidding me?

    Oh, I think I just remembered something.

    ˇŞBeing alive means endless pain and endless tears.

    Why would I have such thoughts?

    How should I refute this?

    My head hurts. I want to eat ice cream. That''s right, ice cream is great, cakes and fried chicken are also great. If I hadn''t been born, I wouldn''t be able to eat these things.

    And, and there are many more happy things.

    ying with ssmates is fun, writing stories for others to see is fun, watching movies is also fun.

    Isn''t it true that one''s life has more joy than pain after all!

    PS: I have had no homework recently, so my pain is lessˇŞ

    The beer can was empty.

    Jian Jing didn''t spill a drop, she had to stop working temporarily and take out two more cans from the fridge. In order not to interfere with reading, she inserted a straw to drink while reading.

    To be honest, alcohol is really a good thing. Otherwise reading such a diary in the middle of the night would make her hair stand on end.

    After gulping down a third in one breath, she continued.

    The narrative became heavierˇŞ

    Today I took a walk around the garden with the professor. He said I needed fresh air and more sunshine, to feel the breath of nature.

    I didn''t want to move, but Iplied for William''s sake.

    William is a golden retriever.

    The professor is annoying. I know he means well, but he has to experiment on me.

    There were many peonies blooming in the garden. He asked me, is it better for the flowers to bloom or to wither. I said they look nice blooming, and can be fertilizer when withered.

    The old man''s Chinese is not bad. He recited a poem, saying they will turn into spring mud to better nurture flowers. Right?

    That was what I meant. Then he had me dig up the flowers, no, to be precise, dig them up by the roots and burn them into ashes, then sprinkle the ashes on the ground.

    It was tiring work. Was he just trying to wear me out?

    When I finished, he pointed to the messy ashes and the flowers nearby, and asked me, don''t think about value, just say, which is more beautiful, the blooming or the dead?

    I had to admit, fresh flowers look better than fertilizer.

    "We don''t need to vilify death, but we shouldn''t glorify it either," the professor said. "Anyone - I mean, regardless of whether they are educated or not, poor or rich - would make the same choice as you."

    I wanted to refute him, but I didn''t know how... maybe, but... no, I can''t forget, I need to remember, I can''t forget!ˇŞ

    As the timeline moved forward, the tone of the logs grew darker and darker.

    The shadow of death also became heavier and heavier.

    Why would anyone praise death? What exactly was he trying to do?ˇŞ

    He said human beings are very fragile animals. If they don''t eat, they will starve to death; if they don''t drink water, they will die of thirst. When they get sick or injured, they die quickly.

    In order to maintain fragile life, people have to do many unhappy things. Adults hate working, just as students hate going to school, but these are things that must be done.

    Only in this way can they earn money to buy food and clothes, avoid starvation and cold, and have money to treat illnesses so they won''t die prematurely.

    But is this meaningful? Working and going to school is painful, getting sick and injured is painful. Bearing so much pain just for the sake of living, isn''t living itself painful then?

    I told him there must still be times of happiness.

    He said yes, but very brief, very faint, like the summer fireflies shing in the night then disappearing. After a fleeting moment of happinesses the long, endless darkness.

    I asked if it was worth it for those tiny fireflies.

    He said rather than spending a lifetime missing those brief moments, it would be the ultimate happiness to die at the happiest moment. If when you close your eyes, thest thing you see is dancing fireflies, that would be supreme bliss.

    To die in happiness, no more pain, only tranquility and joy.

    I asked, in the future, would the fireflies note again?

    He said maybe, but meaningless.

    Why?

    Happiness is only true at the moment of happiness. At other times, they are all illusions that deceive you into pain. Just like the candy parents use to coax children when taking medicine.

    Without the candy, how would you be willing to take the bitter medicine? But essentially it still makes you suffer. Don''t be fooled.

    Happiness is just a trap.

    He was right about this, but I... I am asionally seduced by the illusion of happiness too. No, if there is no happiness then there is no pain, then I''d rather not have... Dad, Mom!!

    Dad, Mom!! Mom!!!! Why me? Why me of all people! What did I do wrong?? Why why!!ˇŞ

    This entry was a turning point. The above were diaries written after gradually recovering.

    Although the statements were asionally fragmented, they were still coherent. Further down, the narrative became chaotic.

    But this was the most valuable part.

    The ravings instilled in "my" mind, and "my" constant struggle against them.

    Jian Jing had reason to believe such dialogues had been staged countless times during the missing periodˇŞ

    Why? My dad and mom, why did you kill them? You bastard!

    ˇŞMy dear, quiet down, you shouldn''t be angry with me for this.

    You killed them.

    ˇŞYou think your parents loved you very much, no no, they loved themselves, not you. What is there to love about you? As a baby you were just a little thing that couldn''t do anything. Why did they spend money raising you?

    Liar, cheater!

    This isn''t out of fondness, to be honest, this is an investment. Do you understand the meaning of this word? Just like making money, the money and effort they spend on you today will need to be recovered. When they grow old, you will have to feed them and help them urinate just like they raised you up, this is the essence of your birth.

    Who believes your bullshit?

    - Happiness, family, love, they''re all lies to trick you. Without tricking you, how would you willingly repay them? My dear, life has been full of sin since birth. You think you came into this world to enjoy life? How naive!

    Oh, you seem to have calmed down. Let''s have a nice talk.

    I saved you, my dear. I saved you from a scam.

    You killed someone.

    Death, yes, let''s talk about death.

    We have nothing to talk about -

    Jian Jing took off her sses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were already bloodshot from staying up all night.

    There were a few beer cans in the trash, but neither her biological clock nor the alcohol could make her fall asleep.

    A diary can only be written after sorting and organizing, so the information revealed is rtivelyplete. This is of course very helpful for solving the case, but it''s probably not even a tenth of the torment "Jian Jing" suffered.

    Just thinking about how much she had suffered made Jian Jing''s chest feel tight.

    When "Jian Jing" experienced this, she was only fourteen years old.

    At the same point in time, the biggest conflict in her and her family was the ipatibility between her hobbies and studies, and the biggest annoyance was her test scores falling out of the top ten in the ss. The most angry she ever got was when her parents disagreed to let her go on a long distance trip with her ssmates.

    Two worlds, they really are two different worlds.

    This even made Jian Jing feel a nameless guilt, inexplicably ming herself.

    What kind of days did "she" live? And what kind of days did I live? I merely got lucky and lived in a stable world.

    This sense of guilt was like a pair of twins, adopted separately by a poor family and a wealthy family. She was the wealthy one, living afortable life with a happy childhood, and this was not because of anything else, just good luck.

    She felt ashamed, guilty, uneasy, even somewhat embarrassed.

    And this evoked another kind of shame, the shame of upying her body. The real me had died, yet I managed to be reborn in another version of me.

    I stole "her" wealth, status, fame and even feelings.

    We are the same person, can I really feel at ease enjoying all of this?

    The negative emotions rushed in like a tide, drowning her.

    Jian Jing''s rationality clearly told her: this has nothing to do with you, your emotions are just affected because you absorbed some negative energy.

    But...she couldn''t do it.

    Humans are inherently emotional creatures, often empathizing with others, let alone when this person is actually herself.

    Such a suffocating experience, such painful ordeals.

    Unexpectedly, Jian Jing was reminded of The Hiding Child.

    As "Jian Jing''s" second work, The Hiding Child did not have the imaginative feel of a children''s fairy tale like White Cat. Its attitude towards death and murder was calm to the point of indifference.

    She had thought this was just the peculiar mentality of a teenager, but looking back now, it was extremely frightening upon closer examination.

    She had sealed away her memories, but what about her emotions?

    Perhaps, beneath the calm surface, terrifying undercurrents had always been churning. The waves slowly eroded the shore until they swallowed her up without a sound.

    Public opinion was just thest straw.

    Jian Jing closed her eyes and held back her tears.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161

    After staying in the hospital for a week, Jian Jing returned home. Her wounds had not yet fully healed, so she couldn''t go to work. As soon as the case files for the Jian family massacre arrived, she started going through the details of this serial murder case from the beginning.

    The Jian family case happened on August 2, 2014, Qixi Festival.

    Prior to this, the murderer had already sequentially killed three other families:

    On May 13, 2012, Mother''s Day, three members of the Guo family died in their home ¨C the mother was 32 years old, the older son was 8 and the younger son was 6.

    On September 12, 2011, Mid-Autumn Festival, three members of the Cai family died in their home ¨C the father was 35, the mother was 34, and the daughter was 10.

    On October 26, 2009, Double Ninth Festival, three generations of the Zeng family died in their home ¨C the grandfather was 60, the grandmother was 56, and the grandson was 9.

    Adding the Jian family on August 2, 2014''s Qixi Festival, three members of the Jian family died in their home, and the 14-year-old daughter Jian Jing was taken away.

    All of the families had three members. ording to interviews with neighbors and rtives, they were harmonious families. The parents and elders had no bad habits, and the children were also obedient and sensible. There were almost no enemies.

    Choosing these types of families tomit crimes, there must be something wrong with the murderer''s mind.

    But Ji Feng was not very interested in the murderer''s personal journey. He was more concerned with any clues left at the crime scenes.

    However, if there were any traces, the police would not have shelved these cases until now.

    There were almost no traces left at the scenes. The locks were not pried open ¨C he must have had a key, or tricked the homeowners into opening the door.

    The victims did not suffer too much torment. They either died unconscious, or were killed instantly without much pain. Finally, the bodies would be ced together in the same space, like the bedroom or living room. This kind of reunion seemed to be the ceremony the murderer wanted.

    Fingerprints, footprints, personal belongings...nothing useful was left behind.

    The murderer was restrained and calm, not leaving too many useful clues. The chosen families were also scattered across the country. With poor information sharing at that time, it was difficult for local police to connect the cases in a timely manner.

    Joint investigation started after the 2012 case, but the murderer immediately vanished again. With no new clues for two years, the trail went cold.

    Initially, the Jian case was not included, because the murderer had never previously left survivors before. But the clean scenes and special timing ultimately led the police to identify the same person.

    Jian Jing''s safety also became the most urgent topic at the time.

    But she seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. She could not be found anywhere. Many people thought she was already dead.

    No one expected that a few monthster, she returned home by herself. Her body was weak with persistent low fever, and her mental state was extremely poor, unable tomunicate normally.

    The psychologists believed she had suffered severe mental harm, could not cooperate with the investigation, and needed proper treatment.

    So the Jians sent her abroad for treatment, and she only returned inte 2015.

    The police visited again, but she no longer remembered anything, not even the case itself.

    Considering her age and special circumstances, the police had no choice but to suspend the investigation.

    Until today, the case has been reopened.

    Ji Feng felt it was very interesting ¨C not just that the murder case was interesting, Jian Jing was even more interesting. Just looking at her performance, who would have thought she had such a terrible experience?

    He couldn''t help but recall the first time he saw her.

    In the hospital, she sat dazedly on a bench, mechanically clutching an IV bag. The nurses had looks of lingering fear and relief on their faces.

    "Luckily she was found by that patient, otherwise..."

    "Such a young girl, to have such courage."

    "She really is amazing."

    He wasn''t being biased towards his sister, but hearing these remarks, the image that came to mind was someone like Ji Yunyun ¨C lively, outgoing, reckless. But when he looked closely, he had guessed wrong.

    At that time, she was curled up on the bench, confused and at a loss, with deep perplexity in her eyes.

    Delicate, helpless and pitiful, like a lost little white rabbit that had stumbled into a wolf''s den.

    However, he knew human courage had nothing to do with outward appearances. Weak people could be fearless and heroic, while strong people could be timid as mice.

    She was of course a brave girl.

    There was nothing strange about that. While the massacre of her family was certainly tragic, kind people would not be disillusioned or misanthropic because of it. On the contrary, they would remain upright and courageous, perhaps even more determined.

    But Jian Jing''s situation was different.

    After being taken away by the murderer for several months, her mental state was extremely poor when she returned, clearly greatly affected. But ording to his observations, Jian Jing''s mental state seemedpletely normal, never revealing anything unusual.

    Why was that? What exactly was going on with her?

    At 5am, the insomniac Jian Jing went for a morning run by the deserted riverside park.

    Vigorous exercise after staying up all night ¨C in ten years it would be asking for death, but for a 21-year-old body with above average physique, it was merely recklessness at most.

    Besides, she wasn''t just out for a run, she also drew cards while exercising to get a higher chance of strengthening cards.

    She had saved up some courage previously, and now drew cards without hesitation.

    [Strengthening Card - Physique (1 pt)]

    [Skill Card - Pancakes (Beginner)]

    [Strengthening Card - Agility (1 pt)]

    [Skill Card - Tai Chi Sword (Beginner)]

    [Strengthening Card - Stamina (1 pt)]

    [Knowledge Card - Dog Training (Beginner)]

    Yes, she could tell from the cards that she had identally run into morning exercisers like grandpas walking their dogs and pancake street vendors.

    She used up three strengthening cards to level up her stats.

    Character Stats (Basic)

    Physique: 8 (Your body is great, less prone to illness and recovers quickly)

    Strength: 8 (You can subdue an average adult male)

    Agility: 8 (Your reflexes are quick and movements agile, better than most people)

    Explosiveness: 8 (The crucial few seconds determine victory or defeat)

    Stamina: 7 (Mo~re and mo~re~~)

    [System: Average stats detected at 78, exceeding human average of 75. Unlocking second stat panel.]

    Jian Jing: "Isn''t the average 6?"

    [System: This is the average for adult females.]

    Oh fine.

    What was this second panel thing?

    Character Stats (Second)

    [Locked] Memory: 6 (Ability to remember, recognize and reproduce experiences)

    [Locked] Flexibility: 6 (Flexibility and coordination of body parts)

    [Locked] Immunity: 6 (Prevent pathogen invasion and timely clear anomalies)

    [Locked] Adaptability: 6 (Tolerance for extreme environments)

    [Locked] Reproduction: 6 (You know~)

    Jian Jing: Cracked.

    After painstakingly upgrading the damn stats to decent levels for a whole year, there were new panels unlocked?

    This was clearly a money-grubbing system.

    [System: Can use 3 beginner cards to synthesize unlocking card, unlocking second panel slots.]

    Jian Jing: "What about adding points?"

    [System: Synthesize 3 strengthening cards into 1 advanced strengthening card (1 pt)]

    Jian Jing was exasperated: "Too troublesome, can I just draw 15 points directly?"

    [System: Yes]

    [System: New draw pool - Advanced unlocked]

    [Spend 15 courage to draw (Advanced)]

    [Pool includes but is not limited to: skill upgrade (beginner -> advanced), knowledge upgrade (beginner -> advanced), advanced strengthening (second stats) etc]

    [System: Please note, Rome wasn''t built in a day. Advanced pool is only to increase levels. Any knowledge or skills still need to be obtained starting from beginner. Please don''t bite off more than you can chew.]

    "Got it." What a nagging system.

    Jian Jing started worrying.

    She had originally nned to properly raise her stats a bit before officially encountering Scarface, to have more capabilities when dealing with him.

    The extra cards didn''t matter, she could synthesize strengthening cards to upgrade other skills.

    But now there was an additional second strengthening panel out of nowhere. Should she unlock it?

    She agonized for a few seconds before finally giving into the temptation, like when new gamey unlocked in games.

    Of the few strengthening options, Flexibility and Immunity were the most practical. The former allowedpleting delicate tasks, while thetter could make her immune to some ingested toxins.

    Unlocking both wasn''t impossible, but she didn''t have enough courage points for unlocking and upgrading!

    How stingy.

    After weighing the options, Jian Jing decided to unlock "Immunity". This was protection needed at all times.

    The three beginner cards from before were synthesized into an [Unlocking Card], opening up the Immunity slot.

    [Unlocked] Immunity: 6 (Your immune system is decent, working normally)

    "Draw 1 advanced card."

    [Drawing card...]

    [Finished drawing advanced card]

    [Name: Advanced Enhancement Card - Immunity (1 Point)]

    [Content Description: Improve immunity, slightly enhance resistance to drugs/toxins]

    [Note: Humans are far more fragile than you think~]

    [Unlocked] Immunity: 7 (You have gained slight resistance to strange things)

    Well done!

    She went home feeling satisfied and took a bath before going to sleep.

    She woke up at noon the next day to a phone call: "Who is it?"

    "You''re not up yet?" Ji Feng said in surprise. "Teacher Jian, your sleep schedule doesn''t seem too healthy."

    Jian Jing cleared her throat: "Why did you call me?"

    "Are you free? I want to discuss something with you." Ji Feng replied.

    Her: "Go ahead."

    "I looked through Scar Man''s files earlier, the earliest record was from 2009, but this case was already carried out very skillfully, so I think it probably wasn''t his first crime." Ji Feng analyzed.

    Jian Jing made an "mm" sound, and curiously asked: "So you want to find the first case?"

    "No, I want to reinvestigate the 2009 case again." He said, "Since the previous cases were not included, something must be missing. There must be parts of this crime that were his first attempt."

    "How will you investigate?"

    Rustling pages could be heard over the phone as Ji Feng said: "Let me tell you about this case first. The victims were the Zeng family, grandparents and a young grandson. In 2007, their son and daughter-inw passed away identally, leaving behind only a young grandson to be raised by his grandparents."

    "ording to rtives, the elderly couple both had retirement pensions, and the child was still young, so their days were manageable. Grandpa liked to y chess and would often go to themunity center to y with other seniors all day long, while Grandma was in good health and very diligent, keeping the house tidy.

    "The neighbors all felt that the Zengs were kind people who rarely argued with others, and had no enemies. But some close acquaintances said that the olddy had a w - she was prone to being scammed, and had bought several insurance policies despite people advising her not to and to just leave some security for her grandson."

    Jian Jing keenly picked up on this: "The insurance salesman is suspicious?"

    "Neighbors said that an insurance salesman had visited the Zengs several times in the months prior to the incident." Ji Feng said. "You have to know, there were no signs of forced entry at the crime scene. Other than neighbors and rtives, it could only have been these salespeople that the elderly couple opened the door for."

    He paused, then exined his n: "A resident living across from the Zengs saw this insurance agent before. I want to visit him again to see if I can find any useful clues."

    Without hesitation, Jian Jing said: "I''m going too."

    "Great." Ji Fengughed. "It''s a bit far, why don''t we go today?"

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162

    Going on an impromptu trip can be fun sometimes, but other times it can be quite a headache.

    Jian Jing and Ji Feng left at 1:30 in the afternoon to investigate an old case from 2009. ording to Ji Feng, he had already contacted the other party in advance, so they could just go directly.

    However, the weather is unpredictable ¨C literally.

    It started raining halfway through the trip.

    The slippery ground and poor visibility due to the hazy fog lingering in the air was especially annoying.

    Jian Jing said while eating a hamburger, "I don''t dislike rainy days, but I dislike going out on rainy days."

    "Is that why you let me drive your car?" Ji Feng retorted.

    She replied, "I provided the car, you provided thebor, it''s very reasonable."

    Ji Feng reminded, "I said I coulde pick you up."

    "Moving stuff is too troublesome." She tossed away the wilted leaves in her hamburger with distaste, "I definitely have more stuff than you."

    Ji Feng nced at her car, unable to refute.

    She just bought a new car not long ago right? But there was already a lot of stuff piled up in it, even snacks filling up the back seat.

    It really looked like a kid going on an outing.

    "But the fog seems to be getting thicker and thicker." Jian Jing looked out the window, "Drive slower."

    Ji Feng said, "Then we won''t get there until night time."

    "Then we''ll just go there tomorrow, I brought luggage anyway." She was fearless.

    Ji Feng: She really is going on an outing.

    But it was reasonable to drive slower in the rain. He didn''t object and slowed down the car, driving slowly while the navigation reminded them every so often.

    Two hourster, the sky waspletely dark. The car exited the highway and turned onto a rural road.

    The number of surrounding vehicles decreased visibly.

    Jian Jing said, "It''s a small ce."

    "Yeah. Small city, insufficient police force. The family they chose was two elders and a child." Ji Feng said, "This was the first case after he officially started down this path, but not the first time he took action."

    She nodded, "ording to the pattern, the first victims should be his loved ones."

    Ji Feng raised his eyebrows, "Is that an insight or just a guess?"

    "Intuition," Jian Jing didn''t want to exin further, "He believes death is liberation, happiness is just a trap to make people continue suffering. This kind of understanding must be rted to his childhood."

    Ji Feng nced at her, "Did you remember something?"

    "I found my old diary." She skimmed over it, not wanting to dwell on it.

    But he was very interested, "When did you write a diary? What did you write about?"

    Jian Jing turned her face away, "You''re asking too much."

    "Ohe on, just chat, don''t mind." Ji Fengughed, "I''m worried about you."

    She sized him up, "Worried? Really?"

    "Absolutely."

    "Just saying it is useless, do something concrete."

    "Like what?"

    "Let me see the case file."

    Ji Feng shrugged, "Don''t force me, I can''t give it to you, but..." He made a look, "It''s in the bag in the back."

    Jian Jing made a "tsk" sound and climbed into the backseat to grab the file bag.

    "Hey, don''t do dangerous things in the car." Ji Feng pulled her back, "Sit properly, there''s traffic enforcement cameras ahead."

    But Jian Jing didn''t listen and reached out to grab it anyway, "What traffic cameras in a ce like this..." She noticed something was off, "It''s getting more and more deste, are you sure this is the right way?"

    Ji Feng also felt something was wrong and pulled over to check the navigation carefully, "The navigation directed this way, but it seems a bit far from the city we''re supposed to go to."

    "Let me see!" She leaned over to look.

    Under the dim car lights, after studying for a while, they discovered the problem.

    The originally nned road had malfunctioned, so the navigation re-routed them, mysteriously leading them to the middle of nowhere.

    At this time, there were no towns ahead of them or rest stops behind them. It was extremely deste.

    Even the highway was narrow, giving off a remote feeling.

    "Let''s circle back around the front way." Ji Feng resigned himself to his bad luck.

    Jian Jing also had no choice, "That''s all we can do now."

    However, they still underestimated their bad luck today. Half an hourter, torrential rain arrived.

    Jian Jing said fairly, "If we left tomorrow like I said, we might even get there earlier than today."

    Ji Feng: Tell me something I don''t know.

    "Where do we spend the night?" She readily changed the topic, "It''s already past 9 pm."

    He brushed through the map on his phone and found a hotel 3 km away, "Stay here to get by for a day?"

    Jian Jing nodded.

    Ten minutester, the car stopped in front of their destination.

    It was a small inn that maintained its appearance from the previous century, looking especially like the lodges of the past. There was a notice by the entrance: Filming location of Zombie Vige, all room types avable, Alipay and WeChat Pay supported.

    It was just very... creepy.

    But they couldn''t go elsewhere on a rainy night like this, so they had no choice but to make do.

    Jian Jing pushed open the door. The interior d¨¦cor was also very old-fashioned with yellowed wallpaper. Dust piled up on the pendant lights, making the dim lighting even more oppressive.

    The female receptionist at the counter said, "How many people? We only have one room left."

    Jian Jing was surprised, "Where did all these peoplee from?"

    "It''s raining heavily. Guests who went up the mountain are stranded." The receptionist''s attitude was very bad, "Are you staying or not? If not, get lost."

    Jian Jing: How rude.

    She was reluctant, but Ji Feng calmly nudged her behind him, "We''re staying, of course we''re staying. Having a room is great."

    He had a very upright face, speaking gently, "Is it safe in such heavy rain? I saw a car in the parking lot that seemed to be hit. No one was hurt right?"

    "No one was hurt, just startled." The receptionist''s expression changed, speaking mysteriously, "They... encountered a zombie."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    She interrupted, "What''s the ''Zombie Vige'' posted outside? Is this where some horror movie was filmed?"

    "You don''t know?" The receptionist asked in surprise, "You haven''t heard about it?"

    Her tone and expression made Jian Jing involuntarily reflect whether she was too uncultured.

    "This is one of the top ten ghost photographs in China. There''s a movie of the same name filmed based on it." A young maning down the stairs resolved her confusion. "You haven''t seen it?"

    Jian Jing: Non-native, sorry.

    Ji Feng said, "We don''t pay much attention to this stuff usually ¨C is it the photo on the wall?" He pointed at a picture frame on the background wall, "Is that shadow a zombie?"

    An old photographic te was hung on the wall, capturing a rainy thunderstorm night in a vige. Lightning cracked down from the sky, briefly illuminating a human figure in the bushes.

    It was an extremely tall person with stiff features and paleplexion, staring straight at the camera.

    The atmosphere was creepy and terrifying.

    "Yes, this was taken at our inn." The receptionist was very proud, "Many people didn''t believe it and came to investigate, but this photo has no edits."

    The young man supplemented, "Others also went to the vige to investigate. There have always been zombie rumors around here. There''s an old person still alive who witnessed a zombie with her own eyes, on the seventh day after her mother-inw''s passing."

    Whether intentional or not, his voice gradually lowered, "It was a night of thunderstorms. She was keeping vigil in the mourning hall when suddenly, from afar, there was a..."

    "Cat''s meow?" Jian Jing finished.

    The young man paused, "You''ve heard it too?"

    She: "I guessed. What happened next? The cat jumped onto granny''s body and she suddenly sat straight up in the coffin?"

    "Uh, yes, then..."

    "Granny gnawed on the olddy''s face?"

    The young man''s voice abruptly stopped, looking at her in inexplicable horror, "No, she ran away... Why would you think that? Zombies don''t eat people right?"

    "Then I remembered wrong. I thought they eat brains, that''s foreign zombies." She recalled, "Locally it should be sucking blood?"

    The young man said dryly, "Maybe."

    The conversation died.

    Ji Feng took the chance to ask, "So your car collided with a zombie?"

    The young man wanted to say something, but at this moment, a voice called from upstairs, "Xu Tao, are you done yet? It''s taking so long just to buy instant noodles?"

    The young man named Xu Tao ¨C he dyed his hair yellow, so let''s call him Xu Huangmao ¨C apologetically smiled and asked the receptionist to buy two packs of instant noodles, hurrying upstairs, "Coming,ing!"

    The conversation was interrupted.

    The receptionist hastily recorded down their names. The inte was bad so she just threw over a key, "205."

    Jian Jing sincerely prayed it was a standard room, so she wouldn''t have to enact a bloody drama after a long day.

    But she was thinking too much. Most hotels only have standard rooms, and this one was no exception. The bed was a little narrowˇŞthe gap in the middle was so tight they''d have to side-step throughˇŞbut it was a double.

    However... "This is the first time I''ve seen a room without a bathroom," Jian Jing was shocked, her worldview shattered. "A room can actually not have a toilet?"

    Is that scientific?

    What year is this?

    Why would a room not have a toilet?

    Ji Feng seemed to find her meltdown quite amusing. He answered, "Verymon. If you''re lucky enough to go on a business trip to remote rural areas, you might even have to use a dry toilet. Teacher Jian, try to be more open. The toilet is just down the hallway."

    Jian Jing red at him. Frankly, she said, "I''ve decided I hate going anywhere with you."

    Heughed heartily.

    "What''s so damn funny?"

    "You''re so cute." Ji Feng waved his hand, declining to argue with her. "Ladies first, inside or outside?"

    Jian Jing looked left and right, and finally chose the spot nearer the door.

    Ji Feng nced at the old window and said, "It seems you feel the outside is unsafe."

    "Have you ever seen a zombie knock on a door? It''s definitely more likely to be crouched on the window." Jian Jing said on purpose.

    "A novelist''s vivid imagination." Ji Feng remarked objectively. "Unfortunately, there are no zombies in this world."

    Jian Jing looked up at him, "It seems you don''t believe in resurrection either?"

    "Not counting fake deaths, of course not."

    "The police''sck of imagination," she said. "What a pity."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    Jian Jing felt slightly better after this minor victory. At least until she tidied up and walked into the bathroom.

    Yes, a public bath!

    At the end of the first floor, male and female, four faucets, two facing each other on opposite walls with no separation in between.

    To be honest, Jian Jing had been through much worse, like suicide chambers, escaping fires, burial grounds hauntings, each with its own horrors. She couldn''t say she felt no fear, but at least she had ovee them.

    Yet in this moment, she surrendered.

    "This can''t be real," she said incredulously to the attendant. "Hotels nowadays can actually not have private bathrooms?"

    The attendant''s tone was indifferent,pletely unmoved. "This is a filming location for a ssic movie. It maintains the originalyout from when they shot it. Also, bathrooms in the North are all like this. What''s the problem?"

    Jian Jing asked again, "Is there a separate bathroom? I can pay extra."

    "No." The attendant said coldly. "No hot water after 11pm."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips. "You have an attitude problem."

    "You can choose not to stay." The attendant was extremely arrogant.

    "I''ve already paid. Please be more conscious of your contractual obligations." When treated rudely, Jian Jing could also be firm.

    The attendant rolled her eyes. "Fine, I''ll refund your money."

    "This isn''t about money." Jian Jing nced at the license hanging behind her. "Keep being so arrogant, and I''ll file aint at the Commerce BureauˇŞI saw earlier the evacuation signs on the second floor are paper, notmps or glow-in-the-dark, and this floor only has one fire extinguisher."

    The attendant was immediately silenced.

    At this moment, two girls who were about to shower walked over. The one with a high ponytail spoke righteously, "What''s the point of harassing them? Even if you file aint, it won''t magically make an independent bathroom appear. If you don''t want to stay at this kind of hotel, book a luxury one. What''s the point of this?"

    The other girl with a bun pulled at her, signaling her to say less, so as not to make enemies.

    But the ponytail ignored her. "I hate people who don''t respect others the most. If you''ve got the guts, then don''t stay. Stop being so pretentious."

    "Not butting into other people''s business is also basic etiquette." Jian Jing said.

    The ponytail shrugged with an "and what can you do to me" attitude. The girl with the bun quickly pulled her away, not wanting to make enemies.

    Drenched by the heavy rain, Jian Jing stood in the lobby for two seconds, glumly realizing no matter how much she protested, reality was that an independent bathroom would not magically appear.

    What an awful day.

    Never going anywhere with Ji Feng again.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163

    The rainy season returned to the room and found Jian Jing sitting on the edge of the bed with no expression, flipping through the documents.

    However, she wasn''t looking at all. She turned the pages back and forth. From her hair strands to thece on her socks, she exuded an aura of ˇ°IˇŻm unhappyˇ± darkness.

    "Teacher Jian, doing homework?" He smiled and asked.

    Jian Jing gave him a big white eye without saying a word.

    He didn''t know why, but at this moment he felt that she was very interesting: "Did you find anything?"

    "No," she said coldly.

    Ji Feng held back hisugh, put down his things, and took the cigarettes and lighter on the bedside table: ˇ°Alright, I won''t disturb your work. IˇŻll go out for a bit.ˇ±

    Jian Jing didnˇŻt even look at him.

    After about twenty minutes, at 10:40, he came back again, took away the documents, and said lightly: ˇ°LetˇŻs continue this tomorrow, take a bath and sleep early.ˇ±

    She acted as if nothing had happened: ˇ°I like to wash in the morning.ˇ±

    "There is no hot water until 10 o''clock in the morning." Ji Feng shook his head unwilling to tease her further, and said seriously, "Okay, IˇŻve asked, there are only four female guests staying here tonight, and the others are done. The attendant promised me to extend the hot water time until 11:15, you have half an hour, hurry up and go."

    Jian Jing was taken aback and showed surprise.

    Ji Feng pulled her arm: ˇ°ItˇŻs starting to thunder, hurry up, listen to me.ˇ±

    She got up hesitantly: ˇ°Are you sure?ˇ±

    "I''ll wait for you here," he promised, "If someonees, please ask them to wait a little while, okay?"

    Jian Jing reluctantly agreed: ˇ°Alright.ˇ±

    The bathroom downstairs was indeed empty. She was very satisfied. Before bolting the door, she emphasized solemnly: "In view of the terrible amodation experience tonight, which was due to someone taking the wrong road, if someone wants toe in, you''d better stop them even if you have to sell your body."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    How much does she mind taking a bath with others?

    She closed the door tightly with a "pop".

    The bathroom lights were bleak. She carefully checked it and found nothing unusual. Only then did she take out her slippers, disposable towels, travel-sized shampoo and shower gel one by one. She turned on the faucet and enjoyed thefort of hot water.

    The lingering scent spread, rxing her taut nerves.

    Then... "Ah!" There was a scream from the ceiling.

    Jian JingˇŻs movements stopped abruptly.

    No way.

    Impossible.

    Did someone die?

    The hot water washed away the bubbles on her body.

    The system did not prompt.

    Very good, it shouldn''t be a case.

    She continued washing at ease, changed into a loose nightgown, and even blew dry her hair before going out.

    Ji Feng was still outside.

    "What happened just now?" Her tone was much more cheerful.

    Ji Feng was puzzled: ˇ°How would I know?ˇ±

    "You didn''t go up and take a look?" Jian Jing was surprised. "Someone was yelling."

    He shook his head and said meaningfully: ˇ°If I had gone up, you might have been the one yelling here.ˇ±

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows: "Who would attack me after luring the tiger away from the mountain?"

    "Teacher Jian, don''t let your imagination run too wild," Ji Feng ridiculed her, pointing to the direction outside the window, "Look at the car outside."

    The window in the corridor faced the parking lot. There were four cars parked in total. One white one was visibly dented at an angle.

    There were also some strange marks left in the tire tread.

    It looked like w marks.

    "Hit a zombie." Jian Jing repeated the previous remarks and suddenly became interested. "How interesting."

    "Indeed," said Ji Feng.

    "LetˇŻs go upstairs and take a look."

    It was quite lively upstairs.

    A woman in a bathrobe was very excited and said, "Zombie, it must have been a zombie! I saw it."

    "It''s so dark outside, how could you see clearly?" someone else doubted.

    The woman in the bathrobe spoke impassionedly: ˇ°Lightning! When the lightning struck, I saw it! He was right there!ˇ±

    "Then it could also be just a person, why do you think it was a zombie?" someone else chimed in.

    The woman in the bathrobe hesitated for a moment, but was not stumped. Instead, she said in an extremely solemn tone: ˇ°You may not believe what I say, but I did seeˇŞa lightning bolt struck him, and he waspletely unharmed! He disappeared in a sh.ˇ±

    She made way and quickly ran to the window: ˇ°Do you see that tree over there? The dark spot below it is where he was standing just now!ˇ±

    The others came over to take a look, including Jian Jing.

    She zoomed in with binocrs and took a careful look. Indeed, there was a scorched ck mark that seemed to have been struck by lightning. The tree trunk next to it was scraped, leaving a long crack.

    "Could it be...really a zombie here?" Xu Huangmao who she had met before, mumbled.

    Jian Jing asked, "Didn''t you guys hit a zombie?"

    Xu Huangmao exined: ˇ°To be honest, it was already dark then. I was sitting in the back and just saw a shadow sh by so fast. If it wasn''t a zombie what was it?ˇ±

    "If you ask me, it was just an animal," said a crew cut man who came over, bored. ˇ°I can''t stand that some people actually believe in feudal superstitions like zombies.ˇ±

    Xu Huangmao argued: ˇ°If it wasn''t a zombie, how could an ordinary person press down the front of the car like this just by brushing past it? What about the marks on the tires? How do you exin that?"

    The two of them started arguing. The bun-headed girl whom Jian Jing had met before timidly asked: ˇ°If there really are zombies, we...we won''t get in trouble, right?"

    "Of course not." Gao Matou rolled her eyes impatiently. ˇ°None of us have dug up anyone''s grave, offended local taboos, or taken any grave goods. Even if there are zombies, they have nothing to do with us.ˇ±

    But Wanzitou was still afraid and said in a low voice: ˇ°But horror movies are all shot like this. A group of people get stranded somewhere because of heavy rain, and then...there are ghosts...ˇ±

    As if to echo her, a sh of lightning split the night sky, illuminating it snow white.

    Then came a very clear ˇ°bangˇ± sound. The lights went outpletely.

    "Ah!" Wanzitou hugged Gao Matou''s arm.

    Gao Matou was extremely calm: ˇ°Stop screaming. In horror movies, the one most likely to die is not you.ˇ± She nced at Jian Jing who was watching and seemed a little annoyed at her. She deliberately said, "It''s the kind of picky and arrogant people."

    Jian Jing was in a good mood and yed along: ˇ°I don''t believe in any zombies!ˇ±

    "You see, this kind of arrogance," Gao Matou said expressionlessly.

    Wanzitou smiled apologetically and pulled her back to the room: ˇ°The power went out, letˇŻs go back quickly.ˇ±

    Gao Matou nodded and went back to the room with her.

    The others also dispersed.

    With no electricity, Jian Jing had nothing to do and leaned on the window sill to look at the surroundings: ˇ°The location of this inn is a bit strange, very far from the vige.ˇ±

    "Relocation," Ji Feng exined. ˇ°The road we took to get here was originally where the vige was located. It was demolished to build the road, and they rebuilt to the current location. They were lucky with thend here so they simply opened an inn.ˇ±

    Jian Jing looked at him: "How do you know?"

    "I casually asked around," he said very modestly. "Interviewing and investigation are basic skills."

    "So," she ttered him in aplimentary tone, "you also found out about the identities of the other guests?"

    "I asked about it in passing," Ji Feng replied in a Versailles tone.

    Jian Jing asked a question: ˇ°The one who hit the zombie was?ˇ±

    "A few young people, seems to be some kind of amateur outdoor enthusiasts," he said. "They came to explore. They specially go to strange ces to check in and then make videos to post online."

    "So you''re saying they came for the zombie rumors?" Jian Jing said. "But that crew cut seemed to not believe at all."

    Ji Feng shrugged: ˇ°That''s what makes it interesting.ˇ±

    "Are they really outdoor enthusiasts?"

    "There are things like folding tents in the room," Ji Feng didnˇŻt give a conclusion, just said his observations, "When I went to visit Room 202, the two girls were eating instant noodles cooked with an alcohol stove."

    "Their equipment is quiteplete," said Jian Jing. As she hesitated between whether or not to eat a midnight snack (she had brushed her teeth), she finally lost to the hateful public toilet and decided to give up. She said unpleasantly, "What about that woman in the bathrobe who said she saw a zombie?"

    He was still able to answer: ˇ°Reporter, photographer, or some editor or something like that."

    She made a reverse inference: ˇ°Laptop? Camera?"

    "More or less."

    Jian Jing hesitated and said, "The people in Room 206 don''t seem to havee out. Isn''t it fully booked?"

    "He''s a male guest, and I haven''t seen him either," Ji Feng said, looking at his watch. "It''s eleven fifty now. Teacher Jian, aren''t you going to sleep?"

    "Soon," she said, turning on the small light on the power bank. She took out a can of night cream, scooped out a spoonful and spread it on her face. The cool gel soothed her skin, and she could just wash it off in the morning.

    It was an essential trick for travelers.

    Of course, she couldn''t forget an eye maskˇŞshe had dark circles under her eyes all day from staying uptest night.

    She set a 15-minute rm and closed her eyes to rest.

    Outside, the wind and rain howled ceaselessly with rumbling thunder.

    Her jumbled thoughts were like raindrops whipped by the wind, pattering noisily into her mind and rippling out in circles.

    Very hypnotic.

    Drowsiness gradually came over her. She only remembered turning off the rm after it rang, tossing away the eye mask, then sinking into deep sleep.

    The dream was heavy, like a sinker dragging her down into the deeper sea of consciousness.

    ˇŞ"Do you know why I didn''t kill you?"

    ˇŞ"Why?"

    ˇŞ"It''s a special holiday."

    ˇŞ"I don''t understand."

    ˇŞ"I believe every soul is lonely."

    ˇŞ"So I..."

    "Boom!"

    A muffled but deafening roar sounded in the distance, jolting awake the sleeping people.

    Jian Jing was confused for a moment, forcing her eyes openˇŞDid something happen? Who died? No system prompts, was it zombies? Would there be a biohazard mission? Did she invest in immunity against the zombie virus?

    s, thoughts in dreams were so irrational, slowing her reactions.

    Herpanion was already up, immediately pulling back the curtains to look outside.

    "Hmm?" The nasal sound conveyed all her questions.

    "It''s nothing, go back to sleep," Ji Feng said. "It was probably andslide."

    How awful.

    She closed her eyes again, content to continue sleeping.

    Ji Feng was also a bit impressed that with the loud thunder and endless rain tapping on the ss, the poor soundproofing, she could still sleep so soundly.

    But to be honest, it was...cute.

    He couldn''t help ncing at her a couple more times, revising to a more objective description: captivating.

    The next morning, Jian Jing awoke at nine o''clock, but it didn''t feel like nine at all.

    The sky was gloomily dark, the rain pouring ceaselessly, the air damp and wet. The temperature had dropped sharply, and she felt cold even bundled in her quilt and sleeping bag.

    The room was silentˇŞJi Feng was not there.

    She took out her phone and couldn''t help groaning: the feared had happened after all.

    No signal.

    "Knock knock," the door was gently rapped.

    "Who is it?" she asked.

    "Can Ie in?" It was Ji Feng''s voice.

    Jian Jing shrank further into her nkets. "Don''t tell me you didn''t bring your key."

    The door opened.

    Ji Feng came in and asked, "Not nning to get up?"

    "Has the rain stopped?"

    "No."

    "Can we still drive?"

    "It''ll be difficult."

    Jian Jing felt a bit deted, her will to get up now gone.

    Ji Feng couldn''t help grinning, tempting her, "Get up quickly, there''s something lively to see downstairs."

    "Someone died?" she blurted out.

    Ji Feng: "...It was a dead chicken."

    "A dead chicken isn''t interesting, you''re too bored," Jian Jing said. But her body was slowly emerging from the nkets.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164

    A chicken was found dead in the hotel, looking extremely miserable as it was smashed into a bloody pulp that barely resembled a chicken.

    The female server was furious and cursed loudly, "Who killed my chicken? That impotent bastard! How am I supposed to eat like this?"

    "Didn''t you say there''s a zombie?" Jian Jing couldn''t resist provoking her, "It must have been the zombie. Why would he care about impotence?"

    The server retorted sharply, "Cut the crap. A zombie killing a chicken? Never heard of that happening before."

    Compared to a novelist''s storytelling skills, she had set herself up for defeat.

    Jian Jing said, "It got hit by a car yesterday and was injured. It needed fresh blood to heal, and since it couldn''t get human blood, chicken blood makes sense¨Dor are you suggesting there are no zombies here at all?"

    The server was rendered speechless once again.

    Of course she couldn''t admit there were no zombies. The shabby hotel relied entirely on the zombie gimmick to attract customers.

    Admitting there were no zombies was tantamount to the hotel going bankrupt.

    "Looks like there are no zombies after all," Jian Jing deliberately concluded, "I knew there was no such thing in this world!"

    As she spoke, her eyes surreptitiously nced at the others, adding almost imperceptibly: "Unless I see it with my own eyes."

    Ji Feng: Hook, line and sinker.

    Still, he looked forward to seeing who would take the bait.

    After examining the chicken''s gruesome remains, everyone began voicing their own opinions.

    Jian Jing saw the two boys with Xu Huangmao.

    One was the clean-shaven Ban Cun she had met yesterday, who scoffed at the notion of zombies. The other had a trendy punk haircut with short sides and a long mohawk on top.

    He took a photo and joked irreverently, "No zombie, but I got the chicken killed by a zombie! Hahaha!"

    The girl with a high ponytail scorned him. "You''re so childish."

    "You''re the killjoy," the punk shot back. "We''re finally out having fun, yet you''re ring like we owe you a billion dors or something."

    The girl with a bun was shocked and tried to mediate, "Don''t fight! Xiaowen probably just misses Chang Ge."

    At the mention of that name, Punk Head, Huangmao, Ban Cun and Ponytail all fell silent.

    Huangmao abruptly changed the subject, "It''s raining so hard. Should we leave today?"

    Punk Head waved his hand emphatically. "Leave. Why wouldn''t we?"

    "But the heavy rain..." Bun Girl seemed worried.

    "We can wash the car while we''re at it," Punk Head was nonchnt.

    However, in less than an hour, they were back. Bun Girl rushed in, breathless, and anxiously asked the server, "Do you have a first aid kit? Someone''s hurt!"

    "I have band-aids, gauze and iodine. Is it serious?" The server hurriedly rummaged through the cab for the iodine. "The nearest clinic is a few kilometers away."

    Huangmao came in carrying Ponytail on his back. She had obvious abrasions on her leg, with muddy ck water and blood mixed together, looking rather horrifying. Her ankle was badly swollen like a steamed bun.

    Jian Jing had just finished her terrible tasting breakfast and saw the scene. She immediately stepped in to stop them, having no idea if those bottles were expired or not, "I have a first aid kit in my car. Let me take a look."

    Bun Girl said gratefully, "Thank you so much."

    Jian Jing promptly retrieved the medical kit and carefully cleaned Ponytail''s wound, casually asking, "How did she get hurt? Was the road hard to drive on?"

    "Don''t even mention it," Huangmao griped with a pained expression. "Something''s wrong with the engine. It just stopped halfway and wouldn''t budge. Xiaowen got out in the rain trying to fix it, and she slipped and fell. We had no choice but to carry her back."

    "You guys are so unlucky," the woman in a bathrobe from yesterday was checking out andmented when she overheard, "Is the road passable? I was about to leave. Should I give the girl a lift to the hospital?"

    "Probably not," Huangmao shook his head. "A long stretch up ahead is flooded."

    "What?" Bathrobe Woman was shocked. "What should I do then?"

    The server was very calm. "It gets like this when it rains. The water will recede in a couple days¨Dare you still checking out?"

    Bathrobe Woman gave a wry smile. "What checkout? Where else can I go? Let me stay another night." As she paid, sheined, "A couple more days it is. Just don''t scare me likest night again."

    Picking up where Jian Jing left off, the female server continued spinning her tale, "The zombie''s probably gone by now."

    "That''s hard to say," Bathrobe Woman tilted her head and lowered her voice. "If what that youngdy said is true, and the zombie is injured and needs blood, how could chicken blood be enough? It might still be looking for humans... Also, since someone hit it with their car, would it really let the person who harmed it go unscathed?"

    Her voice was gentle and lilting, giving the server chills. "No...no way."

    "Gotcha!" Bathrobe Womanughed like a child seeding in mischief. "Did I scare you? Just kidding. But if the zombie shows up again, I''d love to get it on camera."

    "Aren''t you afraid?" Jian Jing, who was bored after breakfast, seized the conversation.

    "Of course I''m afraid, but a photo of a zombie, real or not, would be quite valuable." Bathrobe Woman was clearly an outgoing type who engaged easily with others. "I came here for a story. Now that it''s a wash, I''ve got to write something to justify my trip."

    Jian Jing asked, "You''re a reporter?"

    Bathrobe Woman nodded and introduced herself, "My surname is Chai. I''m a reporter for the provincial daily."

    "You mentioned a story earlier. About the zombie?" The server''s eyes glinted as she hinted, "That chicken this morning..."

    Reporter Chai knew exactly what she was getting at, but pretended not to and exined, "No, it''s rted to poverty alleviation. I wanted to do a piece to see if it could help drive some business here."

    Everyone stood in solemn admiration.

    After Jian Jing finished treating Ponytail''s injury, she told her not to get the wound wet and to keep the cold pack on.

    Ponytail was a little awkward but still thanked her. Bun Girl helped her upstairs and asked the server to bring lunch up.

    "Since we can''t leave, I''m going back to bed." Punk Head yawned and headed upstairs too.

    Huangmao and Ban Cun asked the server for tools so they could return to fix the car and drive it back.

    Jian Jing stood by the entrance for a while.

    The heavy rain was like an invisible barrier, trapping the hotel''s guests. The gloomy overcast sky weighed down oppressively, sapping everyone''s energy.

    Lost in thought, she recalledst night''s dream again.

    Qixi Festival was certainly a special holiday.

    Did the rose represent love after all?

    "Teacher Jian." Ji Feng tapped her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"

    "The holiday," she said softly. "Chongyang Festival is for the elderly, Mid-Autumn Festival is for families of three, Mother''s Day is for mothers and children. The holiday he chose suited his family, except me."

    He was silent a moment before slowly saying, "Perhaps..."

    Jian Jing didn''t let him finish. "I won''t change my mind." She gathered herself and folded her arms. "Let''s go upstairs. It''s cold down here."

    No sooner had she finished speaking than a gust of chilly autumn wind blew, making one want to throw on a coat immediately.

    Dense white raindrops vied with each other to fall, obscuring the view.

    Jian Jing nced around absently as a premonition surfaced in her mind: With rain this heavy, it''d be hard for anyoneing or going to see clearly.

    Over the next few hours, Jian Jing studied the case files brought by Ji Feng. Meanwhile, Ji Feng flipped through a ck notebook of his own, asionally writing and sketching, lost in thought.

    The two didn''t disturb each other,pletely absorbed in work, and time flew by unnoticed.

    Until 4 p.m.¨D

    A blood-curdling scream erupted from downstairs.

    It startled everyone. The guests poked their heads out of their rooms, calling out, "What happened?"

    Ji Feng signaled Jian Jing with his eyes and hurried downstairs himself.

    Jian Jing resisted following him and nced at the system panel.

    [New Mission Issued]

    [Mission Name: Mystery of the Zombie on a Rainy Night]

    [Description: An isted, dpidated hotel on a stormy night, bizarre zombie rumors, a gruesome corpse... What bloody case lies behind the legend? Please uncover the truth.]

    [Rewards and Penalties: 30 Courage points for sess. No penalty for failure.]

    Her eyes scanned the people in the hallway.

    Chai Reporter (Bathrobe Woman) was there, Wanzitou was there. At the same time, they heard Gao Matou asking "What''s going on?" Huangmao poked his head out from the next room, while a unfamiliar man came out from the room opposite - he had a conspicuous sign, his left arm was in a ster cast from a fracture.

    Everyone looked at each other for a moment, then went downstairs one after another.

    The screams came from the backyard downstairs. Ji Feng held an umbre and crouched down to check something. And in front of himy a person.

    "Ugh." Chai Reporter, who was walking in front, seemed to see something clearly. She immediately stopped and turned around to throw up.

    The others hesitated to approach, all with stiff expressions.

    "What happened?" the man with the fractured arm asked in confusion, as he walked up to take a look.

    Then he also showed a nauseated expression.

    "You guys stay back, there''s nothing good about looking at a corpse." Ji Feng stood up and instructed the female service staff, "Please find some snake skin bags or stic sheets."

    With his family background as a policeman, every cell of him exuded an aura of "uprightness and reliability".

    His tone was neither nervous nor casual, making people aware of the gravity of the situation, yet not to the point of fear. Instead, they couldn''t help but follow his instructions.

    The sassy and sharp service girl, at his call, immediately rushed to the warehouse without another word, and dragged out snake skin bags.

    "Thank you for the trouble." Ji Feng softened his tone, so as not to scare the ashen-faced service girl, then called Jian Jing, "Jingjing,e help me cover up the body, don''t let it get damaged."

    That said, before she came over, he had already used the snake skin bag to cover the corpse''s head.

    After that, he informed everyone in a concise and sinct manner: "A murder has urred here. Unfortunately, the victim was the guest staying in Room 204."

    Wanzitou and Huangmao revealed astonished expressions, blurting out: "What? It''s Jia Yue?"

    Ji Feng nodded, and asked the female service staff: "Can you ask the boss toe over?"

    The female service staff said in horror: "My, my dad went into town."

    "Then call the police first." Ji Feng looked at the others, speaking calmly, "The rain is too heavy, let''s talk inside."

    Chai Reporter frowned and asked cautiously: "Sorry, but I have to be clear, who are you? Why should we listen to your arrangements?"

    "Isn''t it obvious." He spread his hands. "An off-duty policeman who failed to have a sessful vacation. Do you want to see my ID?"

    Chai Reporter readily agreed: "Of course."

    Ji Feng took out his ID and opened it for her to inspect.

    Chai Reporter stared at it for a good few seconds before nodding slightly: "It''s real. So she''s your colleague?"

    "Miss reporter, I''m on vacation." Ji Feng honestly led the others'' thoughts astray. "What do you think?"

    Everyone nodded, consciously knowing the answer.

    Ji Feng led the way inside, bringing all the suspects into the room. Before entering, he nced back. Jian Jing was unveiling the snake skin bag, carefully examining the corpse.

    She also showed a disgusted expression, of course, but it was followed by full concentration and spirit.

    The gloom that had been lurking between her brows and eyes before, had nowpletely disappeared.

    Ji Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the most urgent matter at hand.

    Tsk tsk, a rainy night at an inn, zombie legends, who was so "original" as to n a murder under the guise of supernatural stories?

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165

    It was raining heavily, and the rain had soaked Jian Jing''s pants, but she did not notice at all as she crouched under an umbre to examine the corpse.

    To tell the truth, it was no wonder so many people felt like vomiting; this was the most disgusting crime scene she had ever seen.

    Punk Head''s head presented the most punk scene in history - his skull was caved in, brains sttered, red and white intertwined, extremely miserable, causing intense difort.

    And his time of death was 1-3 hours ago.

    Now it was 4 pm, in other words, the time of death was between 1-3 pm.

    There were no visible wounds on the limbs of the corpse. There were some minor cuts on the palms, but they were bandaged, unlike wounds left from a fight.

    The soles of his shoes had been washed by the rain, leaving almost no trace behind, so it was impossible to identify where he had been. His clothes werepletely soaked, and there was a room key in his pants pocket.

    For now, Jian Jing did not flip through these items. She took out her phone and carefully took arge number of photos of the scene.

    Under the downpour, evidence disappeared quickly. If one was not careful, it could easily be washed away without a trace.

    After swiftly taking the photos, she used tape to mark the position of the corpse and thoroughly wrapped up the corpse, preparing to move it indoorster.

    Next was examining the scene.

    This scene was particrly bad. There was not much blood left on the concrete floor, as it had already been washed away by the heavy rain. Simrly, it was impossible to collect relevant footprints.

    It was so clean that there was hardly any evidence.

    What made Jian Jing even more concerned was that two things were missing from the scene.

    One was naturally the murder weapon, which could be dealt withter. The other was an umbre.

    There was no umbre at the scene.

    It was very strange.

    First of all, the structure of the first floor of this shady motel was as follows:

    Warehouse

    (Open Air) x

    Small Door

    Kitchen Yard

    Room

    Stairs Wall Back Door

    Dining Counter Bathroom Boss''s

    Hall Living Area

    After entering through the front door, the dining hall was on the left, and the boss''s living area was on the right. The dining hall connects to the kitchen, and behind the kitchen, an annex was added as a warehouse.

    x indicates the location of the incident.

    Note that the kitchen and warehouse were not connected. The area in between was open air.

    Whether going left from the front door around to x, or going through the courtyard directly to x from the back door, one would have to pass through the open yard.

    With such heavy rain, why was there no umbre near the body of the deceased?

    Also, the location was remote. Why did the deceasede here? Did he take the initiative to make an appointment with someone, or was he asked toe? Was theck of an umbre because the two shared an umbre?

    Many mysteries.

    What was also puzzling was the method of murder.

    Punk Head was 1.8 meters tall and had a strong physique. To be able to hit his head and instantly incapacitate him would have a very high threshold.

    Take Jian Jing herself for example. She was strong enough, but not tall enough. To knock someone out with a stick from t ground, she would have to take a running start and jump.

    Even so, it was not guaranteed that the victim would not fight back.

    A sneak attack was certainly a better choice.

    However, as Jian Jing looked around, there was some distance here from both the kitchen and warehouse, with no obstacles to hide behind. A sneak attack would have to be extremely fast, fast enough for the victim to be unable to react.

    Great strength,rge stature, incredible speed...wait, could it be?

    Jian Jing carefully propped up the umbre, opened the snakeskin bag, and gently brushed aside the hair of the deceased.

    Sure enough, among the thick hair on his crown, there were two strange feathers mixed in.

    Chicken feathers.

    The case was solved. The murderer was a "zombie".

    "The murderer must be a zombie!" Before Huangmao could even sit down on the chair in the dining room, he categorically concluded.

    Chai Reporter had the keen sense every reporter possessed and immediately followed up: "Why do you say that?"

    Huangmao''s face was as if he was about to vomit. "Didn''t you see his head? Could a human do that?"

    With a deathly pale face, Bun Girl asked, "Brother Xu, d-don''t scare me. Is it really a zombie? Why would a zombie want to kill him?"

    Huangmao jumped up like a spring: "Can''t you think of why?"

    Bun Girl was stunned for a moment, her expression frightened. "Could it be because... because he bumped into the zombie? And got revenge taken on him? Then what about us..." She waved her hands repeatedly, her lips trembling, "We have nothing to do with this!"

    "Sorry, but could you exin in detail what you mean by ''bumping into a zombie''?" Jifeng interjected. "Could you tell me more about it?"

    Huangmao hemmed and hawed, "Nothing much to say, it was dark at night, and the car got hit a little, but when we stopped to check, there was nothing there. The front of the car was dented, and there were scratch marks on the tires, very creepy."

    Jifeng asked in great detail: "When did this happen?"

    "The evening before yesterday," Huangmao hesitated. "Also somewhat far from here, maybe... um..."

    He swallowed, "That w print actually looked more like an animal, didn''t it?"

    Jifeng smiled and reassured him, "Just casually asking. Alright, let''s get to the point. Tell me what each of you did from 10 am this morning until now, and who can prove it."

    He pointed to the waitress first: "You go first."

    The waitress said, "You all haven''t checked out yet, and I figured no guests woulde on a rainy day like this, so after you all left, I went to the kitchen to wash rice and cook. After starting the rice cooker, with nothing else to do, I went back to my room around 11:30 and came upstairs to ask if you wanted to eat."

    Jifeng remembered this.

    The service at the inn wasn''t great, but the price was alright. If you wanted to eat, it was an extra 20 yuan per meal per person. But you couldn''t order dishes; you just ate whatever was made ording to the number of people. Aside from that, you could order noodles, rice, or dumplings separately, and that was it.

    The waitress had a good memory and counted off on her fingers, "You (pointing to Jifeng) ordered scallion pancakes, that woman (pointing to Jian Jing) had egg fried rice, she (pointing to Bun Girl) and her friend also had fried rice, he (pointing to Huangmao) said the three guys would share, he (pointing to the man with the cast) wanted dumplings, and she (pointing to Chai Reporter) would share with them too."

    Jifeng nodded, quickly jotting down notes.

    "After I finished taking your orders, I started cooking. Around 12:20, I called for you toe down and eat, brought up what you ordered, and was probably busy until 1:30 washing the bowls and things. Then I went back to my room to rest."

    "Did you see the victim at mealtime?"

    "He came, and was even throwing a tantrum,ining my cooking was no good," the waitress said indignantly. "If you don''t want to eat it, then don''t eat it. Am I forcing him to eat it?"

    Jifeng then asked the others, "Did the victim have anything in particr about him at the time?"

    Chai Reporter shrugged. "Nothing much, he was in pretty good spirits, mming his chopsticks around loudly."

    Huangmao said, "He took a couple bites, didn''t think it suited his taste, and barely touched it."

    "What about you? Didn''t you say you were going to fix the car?" Jifeng asked. "And your friend, where did he go?"

    Huangmao quickly exined, "There was some issue with the engine that didn''t get fixed. We came back around 11:30, nning to finish after eating. Around 12:40 we went back again. Oh right, at 2:20 I was starving, so I said to go ahead and bring the stuff over first so we didn''t have to spend the night without supplies. Fei Xuan - that''s my friend - said he''d tinker with it a bit longer. He probably hasn''te back yet now."

    Right on cue, the crew cut man walked in, looking totally confused, dripping wet and covered in mud: "What are you all doing here? Is there any food? I''m starving to death."

    He then scolded Huangmao: "Old Xu what are you doing? Didn''t I tell you to bring me something to eat? Making me drive hungry, it was awful."

    Huangmao licked his lips and said with difficulty, "Don''t say nonsense, Jia Yue is dead!"

    The crew cut man didn''t react: "Huh?"

    Bun Girl said, "It''s true, we all saw it. Jia Yue is dead." She shuddered again and added in frightened shock, "Died a terrible death, really!"

    The color on Crew Cut''s face suddenly faded: "No way? Are you guys kidding me?"

    "No, a murder did happen here," Jifeng said concisely, "Since you''vee, please sit down and tell me your name and what you''ve been doing these past few hours."

    Crew Cut: "Who are you?"

    His twopanions had to exin to him before he said, "My name is Fei Xuan. Today after eating lunch, I''ve been fixing my car this whole time. It wasn''t until 10 minutes ago that I finally got the car fixed. I don''t know anything."

    Jifeng asked, "About how far away is the ce where your car broke down from here?"

    Huangmao said, "It''s a 15-20 minute walk, very difficult to get to. Driving is slow too, probably 10 minutes."

    Crew Cut nodded to confirm his words.

    "I see," Jifeng returned to the main topic and continued asking Huangmao, "After you parted with him at 2:20, why didn''t you go back right away?"

    Huangmao awkwardly said, "I had diarrhea, as soon as I got back I hurriedly went number two. After I finished I felt hungry, so I wanted to cook some instant noodles... They''re still in my room, I had just finished eating them when I heard screaming downstairs."

    "How much time did you spend on each thing?"

    "Let me think, let me think." He flipped through his phone, "I started having diarrhea at 2:45, and didn''t finish until 3:20. At 3:30 I started cooking the instant noodles, and finished at 3:35."

    "Were you in your room the whole time?" Jifeng asked in detail.

    Huangmao said, "No, I cooked in the kitchen."

    "Did you see anyone?"

    Huangmao hesitated and pointed at Chai Reporter, "She seems to havee by."

    "What time?"

    "When I was cooking the instant noodles."

    So Jifeng asked, "Chai Reporter, what were you trying to do at that time?"

    Chai Reporter helplessly said, "I originally wanted to find something to eat. I saw him eating instant noodles in the kitchen, so I knew there was nothing I could eat. I had to just go back to my room."

    Jifeng was slightly surprised, "You were hungry too?"

    "Didn''t eat much at lunch," Chai Reporter nced at the female server and honestly said, "The food wasn''t very good."

    The female server''s face flushed red as she shouted, "What do you mean? If you don''t like the food then don''t eat it!"

    However, Jifeng had an understanding expression on his face - this exnation was very convincing.

    The noodles he ordered at lunch were hot, but so bad tasting it was hard to pinpoint what exactly was wrong - it could have been the seasoning, cooking method, or noodle handling. Fortunately Jian Jing had a good stockpile and the two of them ate self-heating hot pot to fill themselves up.

    "Ahem," he moved past the topic, "Did you go out anywhere else at other times?"

    Chai Reporter pursed her lips, "I basically stayed in my room the whole time."

    "Okay," Jifeng swiftly jotted down some notes and looked towards the most mysterious guest so far, "It''s your turn now. First tell me your name and upation, as well as the reason you''re here."

    The man with the fractured leg was silent for a moment, then hoarsely said, "My name is Zhu Yong, I''m a teacher. I came here to attend a rtive''s wedding."

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166

    Ji Feng''s gaze lingered on the man''s fractured arm for an instant, long enough to be noticeable but not rude: "Your body doesn''t seem to allow you to drive. Did you take the bus here?"

    Zhu Guzhe said, "Yeah, I took the bus to town, but I got the times wrong and missed it. Luckily Miss Chai and I were going to a ce nearby, so I asked her for a ride."

    Chai Reporter nodded in agreement: "That''s right, we met at the hotel in town."

    Ji Feng nodded: "Did you go out today?"

    Zhu Guzhe said, "Other than going to the bathroom, I basically didn''t leave my room." He lifted his arm with a wry smile, "I can''t really do much like this, can I?"

    "Your turn." Ji Feng pointed at Bun Girl, "What''s your name?"

    Bun Girl said, "I''m called Gan Min. We''re ssmates and members of the outdoor club." She had a sweet and timid look about her. Without waiting for Ji Feng to ask, she volunteered: "After Xiaowen and I came back, we stayed in our room the whole time except for going to the bathroom once."

    Ji Feng was especially friendly with the cooperative suspects: "What were you doing?"

    Bun Girl nced awkwardly at the waitress and said in a small voice, "The food wasn''t very good, so I went downstairs to heat up some snacks in the microwave."

    "What time was that?"

    "1 pm...?" She wasn''t too sure, "I went into the kitchen while she was washing dishes."

    She was referring to the waitress.

    The waitress rolled her eyes but still corroborated Bun Girl''s testimony: "Yeah, we chatted for a couple sentences."

    Bun Girl said, "I don''t remember how long exactly, but 5 minutes max before I went back upstairs."

    "You didn''t go downstairs again after that?"

    She shook her head.

    Ji Feng pondered for a moment before saying, "Alright, your friend is injured. I''ll ask you moreter. For now, I hope you all stay here and don''t go anywhere." He pointed at the waitress, "Could we borrow your storeroom for a bit? We can''t just leave the body outside."

    The waitress was reluctant, but the storeroom was still better than any of the other rooms or the kitchen and dining area.

    "Fine, fine," she said, "But it''s so unlucky."

    Ji Feng smiled.

    Good looks were a universal pass, and the youngdy conceded with a bow, leading him to the storeroom.

    Ji Feng and Jian Jing worked together to move the body into the storeroom.

    Jian Jing asked, "How were the testimonies?"

    "I could only get a preliminary understanding of the situation. Nothing substantial." He asked, "What about you?"

    Jian Jing blinked and said matter-of-factly: "Without a doubt, killed by a zombie. There are still chicken feathers on his head."

    Ji Feng raised a brow: "Now that''s interesting. Their ident happened two nights ago."

    "So," she asked very certainly, "Was it a car ident?"

    "What else could it be?" Ji Feng shook his head.

    This wasn''t difficult to guess. Firstly, zombies didn''t exist. Considering their strange attitude, they probably didn''t intentionally create evidence to grab attention either. So the answer was obvious - they had hit something, but for some unknown reason, were determined to hide it.

    But with a car leaving damage that big, anyone could see it. So they came up with the zombie excuse to try and fool people.

    Ji Feng concluded: "They''re too clever for their own good. Hopefully they didn''t actually hit a person."

    "People all have a bit of wishful thinking in them." Jian Jing put on gloves and started undressing the body. "Otherwise there wouldn''t be so many Rube Goldberg machines."

    Ji Feng sighed in agreement, then abruptly changed the subject: "Professor Jian, isn''t your technique for undressing the corpse a bit too skilled?"

    Jian Jing paused and slowly stopped moving: "Then you do it."

    "You''re too kind, I can handle it myself." He made a weing gesture. "Please, continue with him."

    "Are you always this sarcastic at work?" Jian Jing was rather displeased.

    Ji Feng helped her lift the stiff corpse, smiling as he said: "Excessively so. Can''t joke about the dead, so I have to poke fun at colleagues instead. Otherwise talking about murder and death all day, you''d go crazy."

    Poor as he was, his movements weren''t sluggish at all. He carefully examined the body''s surface: "He doesn''t have any other wounds on his body."

    Jian Jing asked: "If it were you, could you do it bare-handed?"

    "Definitely not." Ji Feng wasn''t a forensic examiner and had limited interest in corpses. After determining cause of death, he started rummaging through other things. "Any clues about the murder weapon?"

    Actually, Jian Jing really wanted a chance to dissect a corpse someday. But considering her basic level card and the awful environment, she had to give up the thought and dutifully examine the wounds.

    "First rule out fatal injuries from falls. He has no fractures, abrasions, contusions, or hematomas. The wounds don''t have punctate abrasions, linearcerations, or triangr pcerations. There''s no residual gravel or brick powder in his hair either, so blunt force trauma from bricks or stones can be temporarily ruled out for now."

    Jian Jing took photos from multiple angles with her phone, analyzing: "I can''t see the skull now. I can only feel around - it doesn''t seem to be a triangr or rectangr fracture."

    Ji Feng stroked his chin: "So axe wounds can be ruled out too?"

    "Right, also hammers, round or irregrly-shaped clubs." She nodded. "These are the two most likely murder weapons."

    "Verymon, but not easy to find either." He said.

    Jian Jing: "There''s luminol in the makeup kit."

    Only then did Ji Feng notice the nearby suitcase, a retro leather trunk that made people think it was full of perfume and lipstick. But when he lifted the lid, inside was luminol spray and some brushes.

    He was amazed: "No way."

    "It''s a disguise." She emphasized.

    Ji Feng considered it and felt she had a point. If an ordinary girl put a forensic kit in her trunk, it would easily draw unnecessary attention.

    "Let''s hope we get a bit lucky." He shook the spray bottle.

    But the heavens didn''t hear his prayers.

    Ji Feng spent dozens of minutes in the public areas, finding several suitable objects: a rolling pin, spade, sledgehammer... But none reacted to the luminol.

    There was still no trace of the murder weapon.

    He could only move on to the next step of the n - asking the suspects back to his room, and taking the chance to check their luggage.

    This was where having legal status proved advantageous. Jian Jing could plead until her lips cracked and still might not be able to search them. But Ji Feng had no issues at all. Though reluctant, no one outright refused.

    The first were naturally Bun Girl and Gao MaWei in Room 202.

    Ji Feng asked Bun Girl and the waitress to apany him, leaving the door slightly ajar as he questioned Gao MaWei alone.

    Unlike previous interrogations, he didn''t jump straight into it, first asking about the girl''s injuries: "How are you feeling? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

    "Much better, it doesn''t hurt as long as I stay off it." Gao MaWei''s face was pale, but she was spirited. "Min told me you''re a cop? And Jia Yue is dead?"

    Ji Feng said, "Yes, so I''ll need to routinely ask where you were and what you did this afternoon."

    Gao MaWei answered swiftly: "I stayed in my room the whole time, only letting Min take me to the bathroom once."

    Ji Feng smiled amiably: "Miss Gao, you''re currently the least suspicious person, so I have some sensitive topics I''d like to ask you about."

    Gao MaWei''s gaze flickered warily: "What questions?"

    "Earlier you mentioned someone, I think his name was Zhou Chang? Could we chat about him?" He put on a pensive look. "Anything you can tell me about him would be good."

    Gao MaWei rejected outright: "Nothing to talk about. What does he have to do with today? I don''t want to answer irrelevant stuff."

    "Miss Gao, you''ve got it wrong. I think this is very important." Ji Feng''s expression became serious. "The five of you went on this trip together and one person suddenly died. He didn''t seem to have conflicts with the other travelers, but did with hispanions - you can''t think that would escape notice, right?"

    Gao MaWei raised her voice: "Are you suspecting us?"

    "Everyone is equally suspicious." Ji Feng said. "Please answer my question directly."

    But Gao MaWei stubbornly responded: "I''ve got nothing to say."

    Ji Feng shook his head, tone even: "As soon as the signal returns, I can look up this information anytime. But you, Miss Gao, this attitude does you no good."

    "So what if it doesn''t?" Gao MaWei said coldly, "Could I have killed someone while limping around like this?"

    "This is certainly not easy," Ji Feng smiled slightly, thinking that suspects these days are so easy to fool. She thinks she is the least suspicious so she can rest assured? He can overturn that at any time: "But what if the murderer has an aplice?"

    The girl with a high ponytail''s face froze instantly.

    He said, "Cooperating with the investigation will only benefit you and yourpanions, not harm you."

    The girl bit her lip, was silent for a moment, and casually replied, "Zhou Chang was originally also a member of our club. He died identallyst year, it''s that simple."

    "May I ask if he and you were just ssmates?" Ji Feng looked at her.

    The girl with the high ponytail was very sure: "Yes. Brother Chang was very nice to us and took good care of everyone. We all liked him very much, that''s all."

    "How did he die?"

    "A climbing ident." She said.

    Ji Feng nodded and did not continue to ask. Instead, he asked her to open her suitcase and take pictures of their personal belongings.

    The two girls brought some climbing equipment. The only thing that could serve as a weapon was the aluminum alloy hiking poles. Although Ji Feng did not think they could maintain their original shape after experiencing a beating, he still "borrowed" them.

    He did not pay much attention to other things - girls'' stuff was tooplicated, it was still best to leave it to professionals to discern.

    It was the same process in other rooms. He took pictures one by one and said goodbye under the unhappy eyes of the owners.

    Finally, he met up with Jian Jing in room 204.

    This was the victim''s room, also a standard room, with only him living alone.

    "Teacher Jian," Ji Feng closed the door, full of expectation, "Give me some good news."

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you want to hear the conclusion or the doubts?"

    "Awesome, I want to hear both. Take your time." The case was a bitplicated, but Ji Feng was in a good mood. Colleagues were right about one thing,pared to other cases, solving a case with a beautiful girl was undoubtedly more pleasing.

    Jian Jing gave the first conclusion: "This guy is not a good person."

    Ji Feng was extremely perceptive in his investigation and urately distinguished the meaning in her words: "It sounds like a guy who likes to y with emotions?"

    "He kept intimate photos of different girls." She opened the victim''s tablet, flipped through the photos, "Let me count, there are five or six - what are you looking at?"

    Ji Feng was confused: "I''m looking at the evidence, is that not okay?"

    "You''d better not." Jian Jing locked the screen and hid the tablet behind her back, and said solemnly, "They are all girls."

    "Teacher Jian, don''t think of me as..." He prepared for a moment and said tactfully, "unprofessional. Show it to me, hey, I''ll just take a look, do I need to raise my hand to prove my innocence?"

    She hesitated for a moment, but in the end she did not have the courage to withhold the evidence and reluctantly handed it to him.

    Ji Feng opened the photos, studied them carefully for a while, and finally, under her watchful eyes,ughed out loud.

    "What''s so funny?" She spoke unpleasantly.

    Ji Feng asked back instead of answering: "Are you considering the possibility of a crime of passion? Two girls?"

    Jian Jing: "A little."

    "Then you got it wrong." He returned the tablet to her amiably, "The photos are a set, the angles look like candid shots, but most likely the girls took them themselves to sell for money."

    "!?" She couldn''t believe it, "Do you have any evidence?"

    "I''ve seen simr cases before, the photos arergely the same, it should be correct." Ji Feng said, "If you don''t believe me, search for it when the signal is restored. In recent years, this kind of thing has been quitemon, I don''t know what these young girls are thinking nowadays."

    He shook his head, then became serious again, "What about the doubts?"

    "All the water in the room has been drunk up." Jian Jing mentioned a very subtle little thing, "I calcted the amount of water, two cans of Coke, two bottles of mineral water, already more than 1 liter."

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167

    Inside the room on a rainy day, the temperature was probably ten degrees. With this kind of weather, no matter what, it was very difficult to imagine that anyone would need to drink so much water in a few hours.

    "When they checked out, the service staff came to clean up." Jian Jing pointed to the water bottles in the room. "These are all mineral water from the hotel, newly opened, plus two cans of Coke in the trash can, 15 liters in total."

    Ji Feng said, "It''s really strange."

    She said, "There''s some...well, disgusting stuff in the trash can, he must have thrown up."

    "Vomiting, dehydration," Ji Feng said. "I see what you mean."

    Normally, it is not easy to restrain an adult male. But if he was vomiting and having diarrhea, extremely weak, then the standard would have to be greatly rxed.

    Or more extremely, if the person is already unconscious or even dead, it would be even simpler.

    If that was the case, the range of suspects would be greatly reduced.

    No one would eat something from a stranger for no reason.

    He looked around the room and found some suspicious food: unfinished cookies, chocte (with torn open packaging on the TV stand), mineral water.

    "Tsk, it would be great if we could send them for testing." Just by eye, Ji Feng really couldn''t discern where the problem was.

    Jian Jing nced at him.

    "Oh, that look of yours... Want to turn the tables?" Ji Feng interpreted her expression. "I''m all ears."

    She didn''t beat around the bush and said slowly, "There''s a smell of red bean cake, do you smell it?"

    "Red bean cake?" Ji Feng raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

    Jian Jing affirmed, "At least I''m sure about the red sugar, I''m very familiar with this smell. Does it remind you of anything?"

    He said, "ThereˇŻs an unfinished red bean cake in Room 202."

    The two looked at each other and immediately went out to the right and knocked on the door next door.

    The bun-haired girl opened the door in confusion: "Anything else?"

    "Let''s talk inside." Ji Feng left no room for refusal and strode into the room. Sure enough, there were still two unfinished pieces of red bean cake on the bedside table. Although cold, traces of fragrance could still be vaguely smelled.

    Jian Jing casually followed along, pretending to check on Gao MaWei: "Is the coldpress still working? Should I change it for you?"

    Gao MaWei nced at both of them and answered stiffly, "No need, what''s up?"

    "Earlier, you said you heated up something downstairs, was it this cake?" Ji Feng looked at the bun-haired girl. The girl panicked a little and nodded, "Yes, yes."

    He softened his tone, "What did you do after heating it up? Did anyone eat it?"

    The bun-haired girl swallowed and stammered, "I brought it up..."

    She stumbled over her words, seemingly wracking her brain to make up a lie. However, under Ji Feng''s gaze, she really didn''t have the courage to lie, so she told the truth: "I thought everyone might not have eaten enough, so I asked Jia Yue if he wanted to eat it. He took a piece..."

    Seeing her friend so embarrassed, Gao MaWei interrupted angrily, "What do you mean? Suspecting Xiao Min of poisoning?"

    Ji Feng nced at her, giving her a look that silenced her - this expression was extremely deterrent, making Gao MaWei tense up and shut her mouth. He continued to ask, "Could you repeat the scene at that time?"

    The bun-haired girl nodded with difficulty.

    She took a few steps, lifted her hand to knock on the door, and said haltingly, "I heated up the cakes, do you want to eat?"

    "He took a piece and went in," the bun-haired girl pretended to hold a bag and exined, "Then I took the rest back to my room."

    Gao MaWei said, "After Xiao Min brought it back, I ate a piece, nothing wrong with it. I''ll eat it in front of you to show you." She picked up the remaining cake on the bedside table and took a bite directly, "Don''t believe me? I''ll eat it and show you."

    "That''s good." Jian Jing held her wrist to stop her from continuing to eat. "We''re just asking, don''t get excited."

    "It''s you who are interrogating us." Gao MaWei shook her off angrily. "Suspecting us is better than suspecting the woman across. Xiao Min and I haven''t gone out at all today, it couldn''t have been us."

    Room 202 was across from Room 201 where Chai Reporter was staying.

    Ji Feng was very interested, "Why do you say that?"

    Gao MaWei tipped her chin, indicating them to look out the window: "Around 1 or 2 o''clock, I saw that woman walking over there downstairs."

    The rooms on the second floor faced the area to the right of the first floor dining room. The upancy was like this:

    Warehouse

    (First floor)

    Kitchen

    Gao MaWei Punk Girl

    Second Floor Bun Girl Man with fracture Safety

    246 Exit

    Corridor Restroom

    135

    Chai Reporter Xu Huangmao Jian Jing

    Fei crew cut head Ji Feng

    So Gao MaWei, who was staying in 202, could indeed see the scene behind the inn through the window.

    Ji Feng stood still, peered into the distance and asked, "Are you sure it was Chai Reporter?"

    "Yes, I saw very clearly." Gao MaWei was very certain.

    "What time was it then?"

    Gao MaWei hesitated and said, "1:40 pm."

    "Are you sure?"

    She said, "It shouldn''t be wrong, I was reading a novel on my phone at the time, my eyes were a little tired, so I looked outside, and just happened to see her. It was raining heavily, it was very strange that she went out, I remember very clearly."

    Jian Jing chimed in, "Did you see when she came back?"

    Gao MaWei shook her head.

    "Her room is right across from you guys, did you hear any movement?" she asked.

    Gao MaWei: "I was absorbed in my novel, I didn''t notice at all."

    The bun-haired girl: "I was watching a movie."

    Jian Jing looked thoughtful and looked to Ji Feng inquiringly.

    He picked up the red bean cake very casually and asked, "What do you think the victim was like?"

    The two girls looked at each other and chose their words carefully.

    "Jia Yue was impatient, a bit arrogant, his family was well off." The bun-haired girl replied.

    Gao MaWei said, "Not very likable, not very annoying either, we weren''t very familiar with him, just a clubmate."

    Ji Feng nodded lightly, very naturally taking away the red bean cake.

    Only after leaving Room 202 did he ask, "What do you think?"

    "They seem to have a close rtionship," Jian Jing mused. "If one did it, the other might cover for her. It''s hard to say if Man Guanmin left this room or not."

    Ji Feng deeply agreed. Gao MaWei concealed Chai Reporter''s affair, the bun-haired girl concealed the cake delivery, the two girls were not frank enough.

    "Let''s do the next one, she''s more suspicious." He put his hands in his pockets and knocked on Room 201.

    Chai Reporter opened the door and looked at them strangely, "Anything else?"

    Ji Feng said, "You went out more than once this afternoon."

    Chai Reporter was stunned, then let them in. She leaned against the window with a lit cigarette and took a puff, "Who said that?"

    "Someone saw you," his tone sank slightly. "Please give an honest ount of where you were."

    Chai Reporter exhaled smoke rings and said helplessly, "I just didn''t want to cause trouble for myself. Who knew he would die there."

    "Please tell us specifically about the situation at that time."

    "In the afternoon I was in the room writing an article. I came all this way, nning to write a zombie story. You can look at myptop." She opened theptop on the bed to show them the draft in the document. "When I got to the part about the environment, I wanted some pictures, so I went to take two photos. I came back immediately after taking them."

    Ji Feng asked, "Where are the photos?"

    Chai Reporter opened her phone gallery and let them verify in a forthright manner: "The capture time is in the detailed information, you can check for yourselves."

    She didn''t lie.

    There were a total of five photos taken between 1:43-1:47 pm. The scenes were near the kitchen, the chicken coop got several shots. The corner where the incident happened was also captured, and there was no one there.

    It''s worth noting that there was a sixth photo.

    It was shot from her room looking outside, focusing on the scorch marks under the treest night.

    The time was 1:51 pm.

    "Yes, I took another one when I came back," Chai Reporter nced at the photo and said casually, "Unfortunately the rain was too heavy, it''s not very clear."

    Jian Jing pondered, "Room 202 is the furthest out. Did you see anyone go downstairs today?"

    Chai Reporter said, "My door was closed, who would pay attention to that? But..." She frowned to recall, "That Xu Huangmao did make a lot of noiseing up. You heard it too, right?"

    Jian Jing nodded.

    In the afternoon, although she and Ji Feng had kept the door wide open, Xu Huangmao came upstairs noisily around 2:35 pm.

    At that time, he had knocked on the room of the deceased in 204, asking if there was anything to eat.

    "To be honest, he was a bit noisy," Chai Reporter shrugged irresponsibly and guessed, "Also, I noticed something strange - there was no umbre near the corpse."

    Jian Jing & Ji Feng: "Oh?"

    Chai Reporterughed: "What? No insight, still want to be a reporter?" As she spoke, her fingers flew across the phone screen, "Let me see, yes, around 2:30 pm, the rain stopped for a while."

    She opened a video, the camera shook slightly, filming the scenery outside, and a voiceover: "The rain finally stopped, the scenery in the mountains is so beautiful."

    In the video, you could clearly see the rain had stopped, the view became clear, and the lush mountains showed emerald green, very beautiful.

    And the recording time was 14:31.

    Chai Reporter said, "The dead guy didn''t bring an umbre, maybe he went out during this time period. Who could have asked him to such a remote ce? It couldn''t have been a stranger like me, right?"

    Jian Jing and Ji Feng didn''t respond, the implication was too overt.

    But they also had to admit her guess made sense.

    "I won''t bother you anymore."

    They were going to bother Xu Huangmao.

    Xu Huangmao and Fei crew cut head both lived in 203, right next to 205 where Jian Jing and the others lived.

    The two boys were surprised to see them, but also couldn''t hide their nervousness.

    Ji Feng had to say some superficial words to calm their emotions.

    Only then did he ask Xu Huangmao: "You made quite some noise when you came back this afternoon, what exactly did you do, could you repeat it carefully for us?"

    Xu Huangmao reluctantly said, "I said I was hungry, the first thing I did when I came back was look for food. My luggage was in Jia Yue''s room, he had a room to himself, very spacious, so I knocked on his door and asked him to bring me something to eat."

    Ji Feng immediately asked, "Did he answer you?"

    "No - I didn''t wait for him," he was incoherent, "My stomach hurt too much, so I said, let him bring the food over, then rushed to the bathroom."

    Jian Jing silently acknowledged his story could be true. This guy made too much noise, the door knocking, shouting was very loud, what she heard matched his words.

    The only difference was whether he went into the bathroom after running past 205, or slipped out through the emergency exit and went out to kill someone, there was no way to know.

    Ji Feng was concerned about something else: "Did you get it?"

    Huangmao said: "When I came out from the toilet, instant noodles were on my bed."

    "The door wasn''t locked?"

    "I went in to get toilet paper, and didn''t lock when I came out."

    "So you didn''t actually see the victim, right?"

    Huangmao nodded reluctantly: "If it wasn''t him, who else could it be?"

    Good question, but Ji Feng didn''t answer. Instead he asked the crew cut head: "You were outside most of today, does anyone have an alibi for you?"

    "No one, with such heavy rain, who would be out?" Crew cut head was inevitably glum and worried.

    This was also expected, Ji Feng smiled and asked the real question: "Then tell me about Zhou Chang."

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168

    Compared with the two reticent female students, Huangmao and crew cut were much more talkative.

    They were only a little ufortable at first, and then answered, "In fact, this club was founded by him single-handedly. Brother Chang was very experienced and nice, and led everyone in activities every time. It''s just thatter on... he had an ident."

    "Tell me more specifically." Jian Jing said impassively.

    Crew cut sighed and slowly said, "Let me put it this way, Brother Chang''s death had something to do with Jia Yue. That day we were also hiking, and there was a very steep ce where Brother Chang told us not to go. But Jia Yue was a bit arrogant, and wanted to show off on purpose. He deliberately went there to jump around. Who would have thought he slipped and almost fell down."

    "It was really dangerous that time. Fortunately, Brother Chang caught him." Huangmao said gloomily, "But Brother Chang also exhausted his strength because of this. After pulling him up, his foot slipped and he fell down. By the time we went down to rescue him, he had already... passed away."

    Jian Jing and Ji Feng exchanged nces.

    She asked, "What about Zhou Chang''s family? Do you know them?"

    "Brother Chang''s parents were very sad, but they didn''t me Jia Yue, saying it was an ident." Crew cut couldn''t help speaking up for them, "They are all very nice people."

    "Was he an only child? Does he have any older brothers or sisters?"

    They both shook their heads: "Brother Chang was the only child. We always said that after this happened, his parents wouldn''t know what to do. We should go see them every year."

    Jian Jing nodded slightly, indicating she had nothing more to ask.

    Ji Feng caught her meaning and moved on to the next doubt: "Jia Yue is already dead. I have a question I hope you can answer truthfully."

    He looked very serious, with a piercing gaze that made the two boys involuntarily nervous.

    "The day before yesterday at dusk," Ji Feng enunciated word for word, "what you hit with the car, was it a person?"

    The two boys were horrified and broke out in a cold sweat. Their muscles tensed involuntarily, revealing obvious defensive postures.

    But their defenses were worthless in front of the two people opposite them.

    Under the overwhelming aura, Huangmao was the first to crack. He stammered, "I, I was in the back seat and didn''t see clearly. I don''t know."

    Ji Feng knew he shouldn''t let the two share the pressure, so he stared at crew cut and pressed him, "What about you? Were you also sitting in the back seat and didn''t see clearly?"

    The tone was sarcastic and mocking.

    Crew cut straightened his back, but soon slumped again, avoiding Ji Feng''s gaze. "I, I can''t be sure. Anyway we hit something. The road was narrow so we couldn''t stop the car. The light was also bad. After we got back to the camp, we realized the front of the car was dented."

    After a pause, he awkwardly defended himself, "I never said it was a zombie. It could have been an animal from the mountain, otherwise how could there be w marks like that?"

    "So in other words, you didn''t get out of the car to check, and drove away directly, right?" Ji Feng couldn''t confirm it was a car ident yet, so he deliberately used neutral terms to avoid arousing the suspects'' antipathy.

    Crew cut hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

    "Okay, that''s enough." Ji Feng surreptitiouslyid the trap, "Once the signal is restored, I will have someone investigate. If you remember anything, you cane to me anytime to chat."

    With that, the interrogation of them ended.

    Since everyone else had been questioned twice, it would be unreasonable to spare the Fracture Man. His room was across from Jian Jing and Ji Feng. To go in and out he had to pass their line of sight. The whole afternoon, he only went out once around 2pm for a few minutes beforeing back. His motive and opportunity tomit the crime were very small.

    Therefore, the purpose of this inquiry was mainly to find out if he had seen or heard anything.

    The Fracture Man seemed to have an honest and wooden personality. He answered whatever he was asked: "Around 1:30, I saw the reporter wandering around in the back.

    "Was she alone at the time?"

    He nodded: "It was pouring rain and no one else was around."

    "Did you see anyone else?"

    "Later there was another person loitering around the warehouse area." The Fracture Man recalled, "It should have been one of those four students."

    Ji Feng raised his eyebrows: "Why do you say that? You didn''t see his face clearly?"

    "No." The Fracture Man said apologetically, "I just nced at him briefly, didn''t look carefully. I just remember a ck umbre with orange edges, the same as those students had."

    The students from the same club not only had simr equipment, but their umbres were exactly the same, with the abbreviation of their club name on them.

    "What time was that?"

    The Fracture Man was very sorry to shake his head: "I don''t remember. It was just a glimpse, I didn''t pay attention."

    This was also human nature.

    Unable to obtain more clues, they could only excuse themselves for the time being and go back to the room tob through the case.

    "The biggest suspects now are the fourpanions of the deceased." Ji Feng went straight to the point. "Second are the waiters."

    The heavy rain that copsed the road and stranded everyone could be considered a coincidence. The coincidentally encountered Chai Reporter and Zhu Fracture Man had no motive to kill an unfamiliar passerby they had just met.

    But thepanions were the most suspicious and had the best opportunity to take action. All four currently had motives, including the high ponytail with the injured foot who was unable to walk.

    The waiter''s motive was not big, but it was there.

    The biggest gimmick of this inn was "zombies". Considering its remote location andck of visitors, artificially creating a zombie murder case to attract outside attention and gain fame and money was not impossible.

    Jian Jing said, "I''m more concerned about the victim''s cause of death. If he was already poisoned, the murderer would not have needed to hit him so many times. Was this to vent anger, or to cover up the poisoning?"

    "Were the head injuries inflicted before or after death?" he asked.

    She replied, "The signs of poisoning on the corpse were not obvious. I''m inclined to think the head injuries were the fatal ones. So it''s also possible the murderer first poisoned the victim to take away his ability to resist, then dealt the heavy blows, making it look like the work of a physically strong male to mislead us."

    "The poisoning and the blows could have been done by different people." Ji Feng said. "Multiple offenders."

    Jian Jing immediately thought of the ssic Orient Express murder case, and guessed: "Were all fourpanions informed? To avenge the innocent Zhou Chang? But in that case, the two boys don''t have very good alibis."

    He smiled and said, "It''s just a line of thinking. I don''t want to pin the murderer on one person, because everyone''s time is not exactly ample - to poison, to kill, to handle the scene - the task is arduous."

    Jian Jing said, "Then let''s go over the timeline."

    She made a list ording to her habit.

    12:20 Victim went downstairs to eat,st seen by everyone.

    12:40 Huangmao and crew cut left, victim returned to Room 204

    13:05 Bun Girl delivered red dates cakes to him

    13:40 (Gao MaWei witnessed) Chai Reporter went to take pictures at the scene, photos as proof

    13:50 Chai Reporter returned to room

    14:05 Fracture Man came out to go to the toilet, (Jian and Ji witnessed)

    14:10 Chai Reporter came to borrow sanitary items from Jian Jing

    14:20 Huangmao and crew cut separated

    14:30 Rain stopped (Chai Reporter''s video as proof)

    14:35 Huangmao came back very loudly, banging on doors asking for food

    15:20 Huangmao said he saw instant noodles (did not see victim)

    15:30 Huangmao and Chai Reporter ran into each other in the kitchen

    Victim''s estimated time of death: 13:00-15:00

    Ji Feng couldn''t help saying, "Professor Jian, your naming style is a bit special. Can''t remember people''s names?"

    "I like it this way." She said. "Stop wasting time. Don''t you feel like Chai Reporter and Huangmao were very busy?"

    He nodded: "The reporter took quite a few photos, but just barely within reasonable range. Huangmao''s actions seem a bit too deliberate."

    Jian Jing said, "I feel the same way. He knocked on the door very loudly, perhaps intentionally creating a memory cue to let us know he was back, and it looked like he went to the bathroom, but didn''t necessarily actually go in."

    The bathroom and emergency exit were in the same direction. From Room 205 they could only see someone go that way, but couldn''t confirm if they went into the bathroom or leftter.

    In any case, with 40 minutes of diarrhea, there was a lot of room for maneuvering.

    "The instant noodles he mentioned also seem to be misleading about the time of the victim''s death," she said, cupping her chin in thought. "Making us think the victim was still alive after 2:35pmˇŞbut what would be the point of that?"

    Ji Feng agreed, "Doesn''t make sense."

    To mislead about the time of death, he should havee up with an excuse to ask for things after going to the bathroom (killing the victim). At the same time, he could have prepared instant noodles himself and imed they were sent by the victim.

    Doing it this way now makes no sense at all.

    "So the victim may have died before 2:35pm," Jian Jing muttered to herself. "Is he covering for someone else? Could it be Bun Girl?"

    Huangmao was willing to cover up for the murderer, so it must be someone he knows well. Gao MaWei was unlikely with her injured foot, and Crew Cut was with him the whole time, with no opportunity tomit murder before 2:20pm, so there was no need to go to such lengths.

    The only suspicious one was Bun Girl.

    She had brought food to the victim, and could have poisoned it. If the victim was already dead before Huangmao came back, it would make sense for him to cover for her.

    But Gao MaWei said she never left her room.

    Would all three of them conspire together? That might be a little too bold.

    Twirling her pen, she asked Ji Feng, "What are you thinking?"

    "I''m thinking Teacher Jian really has the ir of a writer for reasoning like this." He said.

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow. "Are you mocking me? Saying I''m just making up stories?"

    "No, I''mplimenting you," Ji Feng sat down, leaning on the chair back and absently tapping it. "The murderer hit the victim''s head repeatedly, went so far as to kill a chicken, just to me it on a zombie, right?"

    She nodded.

    "That''s what''s so strange," he said slowly. "I don''t think Xu Bin, that is, Huangmao, would approve of this approach."

    Jian Jing paused. "He feels guilty."

    "Right," he said. "The students aren''t stupid. They either know or suspect that they ran into someone that day. But still trying to divert everyone''s attention to a zombie, when he clearly knows there''s a problem, that takes some real audacity."

    "Two possibilities. One is they don''t know, like the two girls, purely going along with the n. The other is retaliation, using the zombie story he made up as a cover for killing him, which has more dramatic irony. " Jian Jing said. "It''s just that if the motive was rted to Zhou Chang''s death, it wouldn''t have enough ritual significance."

    "We really should look more into that car ident," Ji Feng sighed, rather dejected.

    The police''s ability to solve cases is based on advanced forensic technology, huge databases of social information, resources on call anytimeˇŞbeing in a snowed-in mountain vi like this, without even basic personal information, really makes one ufortable.

    He said, "Forget it, I''ll go look for the murder weapon again, that''s crucial. What about you?"

    "I''m going to write the essay question." She said coldly.

    Ji Fengughed. "I told you I wasplimenting you, howe you don''t believe me?"

    Jian Jingpletely ignored him and monopolized the room''s table and chairs, burying her head in writing and drawingˇŞhe shook his head and left, closing the door behind him. She organized her thoughts and listed out a few directionsˇŞ

    Motive: create a sensation, Zhou Chang''s death, car ident(?)

    Method: poisoning, blunt force

    Scapegoat (scheme): zombie (horror legend? revenge? sensational news?)

    Single murderer or multiple?

    Questions: Where did the umbre go? Why can''t the murder weapon be found?

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169

    Guess 1: A single offender, poisoning + blunt injury caused by one person, no aplices

    Guess 2: A single offender, poisoning + blunt injury caused by one person, but aplices to cover up

    Guess 3: Multiple offenders, poisoning a, blunt injury b, no aplices to cover up

    Guess 4: Multiple offenders, poisoning a, blunt injury b, a and b provide each other with alibis

    Guess 5: Multiple offenders, poisoning a, blunt injury b, c covers up (c may be multiple people)

    Analysis of Guess 1:

    The perpetrator both poisoned and beat the victim, which requires meeting two conditions: being familiar, having the opportunity to poison, and being able to know in time whether the victim ate the poisoned food.

    The waitress made bad food was an idental event. The victim may not have eaten snacks in the afternoon. Even if he ate, it would be impossible to grasp the timing. The departed Huang Mao and Ban Cun Tou are less suspicious. Jian Jing has checked Xiao Wen''s injury and found no fake traces. She couldn''t have carried out the murder n alone.

    After eliminating others, the suspects are: Bun Girl (poison in the red bean cake), the waitress (poison in the food? She brought things up againter?)ˇŞˇŞ

    Jian Jing put down her pen and decided to go downstairs to take a look around the waitress''s ce.

    The right area on the first floor was the living area of the boss''s family.

    As Jian Jing entered, the first thing she saw was the photos disyed on the cab: the little girl being hugged by a zombie actor, smiling very brightly; a group photo of the boss''s family and the crew; erged spirit photos... It was obvious that the family was proud of the crew filming here.

    "This is me when I was a kid." The waitress still resented her, but with a murder case at hand, she was no longer as unreasonable asst night either. "Zombie in Deserted Vige was filmed at my home. I even had a cameo."

    Jian Jing smiled slightly, speaking gently, "You must miss that experience a lot?"

    The waitress looked at her displeasedly and grumbled, "You really haven''t seen this movie? It was super popr when it was released. Many people came here specifically to stay. My dad said at that time, when vigers dressed up as zombies to take photos, they made quite a bit of money."

    "I rarely watch horror movies." Jian Jing coaxed her and pretended to casually stroll to the window of the living room. From here, part of the backyard could be seen. "Were you inside the house all afternoon?"

    The waitress mumbled, "Where else could I go? With such heavy rain?"

    "Did you see anyone?"

    "The reporter came down before two o''clock, probably an hourter, Huang Mao came in from outside, I think no one else came."

    Jian Jing: "Which direction did they go?"

    "Both went to the lobby." The waitress spoke while restoring the scene in her mind, "I was sitting here at the time, so I could see them."

    The sofa faced the door and could see the traffic in and out of the lobby. But the view outside the window was very narrow, withrge blind spots.

    "Did you leave at all?"

    "I went to the bathroom around one or two o''clock, don''t remember exactly when. I didn''t leave again after that."

    Jian Jing was a little surprised at her cooperation, and smiled kindly as well, preparing to say goodbye.

    But the waitress hesitated and stopped her: "Um, did your boyfriend say... who did it? I saw the news, the police said a murderer escaped into the mountains. Are there any fugitives around here?"

    She tried to ask casually, but her pale face and wringing hands betrayed her fear.

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment and stopped considerately: "Don''t you think it was a zombie?"

    "There are no such things as zombies." The waitress muttered, seeming a little dismissive of her superstition. But really not wanting to be alone in the room, she suppressed her emotions and exined, "This definitely wasn''t done by a zombie. Zombies only drink blood, not like this."

    Jian Jing deliberately said, "Didn''t you say this morning that the chicken was killed by a zombie?"

    "I, I was just guessing randomly." The waitress was stubborn, "You brought it up first. I thought it was a yellow weasel at first." She was a little impatient and asked again, "So is there a murderer here or not? My dad went to town to see my aunt. I''ll be alone tonight..."

    She shuddered and didn''t go on.

    "Let me go lock the doors with you." Jian Jing said, "That way you''ll feel more at ease too."

    The waitress immediately agreed: "Okay."

    Whether someone was really scared or pretending, Jian Jing thought she could still tell. The waitress didn''t push the zombie story, and was afraid to be alone in the room. She didn''t seem like a sudden evil murderer.

    She naturally didn''t say she saw through it either, and slowly led the topic elsewhere.

    "Did the victim seem okay at lunch today?" Jian Jing asked.

    When it came to him, the waitress had a bellyful ofints: "He was so picky,ining this and that wasn''t good, that the cups weren''t clean enough, endless nagging. And he expected five-star treatment in a ce like this? I didn''t charge him five-star room fees!"

    "Sounds like he didn''t have a very good appetite?" she deliberately asked.

    "Who said that, he was fine. He kept asking me if I could kill a chicken for him to eat,ining the dishes didn''t look good enough! How much does a chicken cost, 20 bucks? And I don''t even know how to kill chickens." The waitress grumbled indignantly.

    Jian Jing thought pensively.

    Based on this ount, she could almost confirm that there was a problem with the red bean cake Bun Girl had brought. After all, it would be impossible to control who ate the cookies and chocte and when they ate it. Only the cake, which Bun Girl personally delivered, could best confirm whether it was eaten.

    So was she the one who delivered the fatal blow to the victim''s head? Did she have an aplice?

    Her train of thought then turned back to the situation at hand, bringing up many possibilities again.

    Jian Jing knitted her brows and stopped her subsequent spection in timeˇŞthe situation was alreadyplex enough. Wanting to straighten out the cause and effect all at once was too greedy, and would only mess up her thinking.

    Since she had first uncovered the poisoning, she might as well get this step figured out.

    Amongmon poisons, those that cause gastrointestinal symptoms are mostly violent nt and animal poisons, heavy metal poisons, corrosive poisons. Such as fugu, aconite, castor bean, arsenic, potassium hydroxide and so on.

    "I remember you said you saw the guest from Room 202e down to heat something up, right?"

    The waitress nodded.

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you still remember what it was like? Whole or already cut up?"

    "Cut up cake, smelled pretty good." There was a hint of jealousy in the waitress''s tone, "She even asked me if I wanted any. As if I would!"

    Despite all the things on her mind, Jian Jing was still amused by her tone.

    She patted the girl on the shoulder and said, "All the doors are locked now. You keep the key to the front door. I''ll hold onto the keys to the kitchen and back door for nowˇŞno fugitives will get in to go on a killing spree, don''t worry."

    "Don''t think I''m making this up. This kind of thing happened a lot before." The waitress mumbled, rxing to some extent, "Are you guys eating dinner or not? I can make extra."

    Jian Jing politely declined: "No no, I''m not hungry yet."

    "Never mind then, I''ll just make some noodles for myself." She opened the bag of flour and grumbled in annoyance, "Only this much flour left? How unlucky. I really don''t want to go to the warehouse for more."

    She took out a bundle of noodles from the fridge and dumped it unhappily into the pot.

    ˇŞInstant noodles have no soul.

    By this time, Jian Jing had already left the kitchen.

    She went to the warehouse to examine the corpse and drew a tube of blood.

    Ji Feng was thrilled: "What''s this for?"

    "Do you know the difference between police and writers?" She carefully injected the blood from the syringe into a bottle. "The police have to figure out all the ins and outs before they can arrest the criminal. Writers are differentˇŞnever mind how it ends up, the editor is chasing for the next chapter, so hand one in first."

    He nodded repeatedly: "I see."

    "Alright, let''s gamble on luck." She said, "Please call Man Min out for me."

    Ji Feng replied in a tone that could be described as delightful: "No problem."

    Five minutester, Bun Girl with an anxious look on her face walked into the warehouse and asked timidly: "You, you wanted to see me?"

    "Yes." The light in the warehouse was dim. The old light bulb gave off a murky yellow glow. Jian Jing stood under the light, with ayer of soft glow around her edges, looking gentler and more charming than usual. "I have something to ask you."

    Bun Girl felt very nervous, but her eyes followed Jian Jing involuntarily. She inexplicably felt a sense of intimacy.

    "I know you did something foolish." Jian Jing said gently. "Why are you so silly?"

    Bun Girl blinked. How strange, although her words made Bun Girl''s heart race, she also genuinely felt that Jian Jing did not intend to hurt her. On the contrary, she was worried about her and wanted to help her.

    "I..." She argued weakly, "Don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "Blood, urine, bile, gastrointestinal contents can all be tested for toxins." Jian Jing said unhurriedly. "Was there any poison in the things you gave him to eat? We''ll know after some tests."

    Bun Girl avoided her gaze. "I didn''t poison him."

    "It would be great if it wasn''t you." She sighed, as if she wanted to say more but held back. "In fact, the amount of poison wasn''t much. He would have been fine after vomiting it out. His death was not caused by the toxin taking effect."

    Bun Girl breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief.

    But the next moment, Jian Jing''s expression suddenly became solemn: "The fatal injury was a blunt force trauma to his head, but the victim was tall andrge, an ordinary person - a woman for example - would have difficulty killing him under normal circumstances. So we have reason to suspect that the poisoning was just to incapacitate him from resisting."

    "Sss." Bun Girl sucked in a breath of cold air and turned pale. She swayed unsteadily. "No, it wasn''t me."

    When someone ys good cop, someone has to y bad cop.

    Ji Feng''s face darkened as he said coldly, "You were the only one who brought things to the victim, and someone saw you leave after 2 a.m."

    The first half was true, the second half was obviously false. It was not yet known who the man with the fracture saw.

    But it was enough to scare her a little.

    Bun Girl denied it outright: "It wasn''t me. I didn''t go downstairs at all. Xiao Wen can testify for me."

    "That''s what she said." Jian Jing shook her head regretfully. "She also said you couldn''t have poisoned him, but you did do it, didn''t you? If one testimony is false, the other testimonies cannot be trusted either."

    "I didn''t." Bun Girl pleaded. "I didn''t poison him either."

    She revealed a hint of a criminal''s cunning and shouted, "Even if toxins are detected in his blood, you can''t say it was me, right? Xiao Wen also ate the cakes, and nothing happened to her."

    "Your cakes were not one whole serving. It wouldn''t have been hard to mix in a poisoned piece." Jian Jing said. "Also, since I said it was you, of course I have evidence."

    Bun Girl pressed her lips tightly together.

    "You used aconite, ground into powder and mixed into the flour, which allowed you to make a poisonous cake. Adding a lot of brown sugar helped conceal the taste of aconite well. " Jian Jing boldly spected, "Aconite poisoning causes a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In the trash can in the victim''s room, there was some of his vomit, which contained undigested cake residue. "

    She said, "Take a guess, will they be able to detect aconitepounds in it?"

    The air was deathly still.

    Jian Jing knew she had guessed right. Mentioning aconite was purely a gamble, because Bun Girl''s luggage contained various flower and herbal teas, many of which could be bought at herbal medicine shops. Andpared to animal poisons like snake venom or fugu toxin, Chinese herbal medicines were the easiest to obtain.

    Among themon toxic nts, aconite would cause a burning mouth and thirst, prompting the victim to drink a lot of water.

    She took half a step forward and pleaded sincerely: "Xiao Min, how can we help you if you don''t tell the truth? Think about Xiao Wen, she gave false testimony for you, which is also a crime."

    Whether it was the charm card''s halo being strong enough, or her feelings for her girlfriend winning out in the end.

    Finally, Bun Girl confessed: "I did poison him, but I''m not the one who killed him."

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170

    Bun Girl''s testimony was very brief.

    She made two outwardly simr red bean cakes at home, one poisoned and one not, intending to find an opportunity during the trip to make the victim eat the poisoned cake.

    Then, she would slip a bottle of wine steeped with aconite into the victim''s luggage. Since aconite is often used as an ingredient in soups or steeped in wine, idental poisoning happens frequently, so it would be a barely passable excuse, especially since Jia Yue was known to love drinking.

    That was the entirety of Gan Min''s n.

    As for the motive, it was the same as previously spected, stemming from Zhou Chang''s death.

    Bun Girl said: "If it wasn''t for Jia Yue''s arrogance, Brother Chang wouldn''t have died either. He was so kind to all of us, like an older brother, and I''m definitely not the only one who wanted to make him pay."

    Jian Jing and Ji Feng exchanged a nce - not just her, so who else might it be?

    She asked: "What did you do after poisoning the cakes?"

    "I didn''t get to do anything." Bun Girl emphasized, "I was nning to slip the stuff in when he got sick, but who knew he''d get beaten to death first. I really didn''t kill him."

    "Did you go back to the victim''s room afterwards?" Ji Feng asked. "What did you do with the leftover poisoned cakes?"

    "I didn''t need to do anything with them," Bun Girl exined. "He must have been starving and just gulped them all down right away. I saw it with my own eyes."

    She was actually quite lucky. The overly unappetizing lunch led the victim to be ravenously hungry and gobble down the poison cakes in seconds, directly sparing her the need to dispose of them afterwards. And the second murderer''s actions allowed her to evade the charge of homicide.

    Not everyone has that kind of luck and opportunity.

    Jian Jing thought to herself, and asked: "Did you tell anyone about this n of yours?"

    She shook her head: "I didn''t want to drag anyone else into this, not even telling Xiao Wen."

    "Were you paying any attention to Room 204? Do you know when the victim left?"

    Bun Girl hesitated briefly before replying: "I was keeping an eye on it, but there was always music ying loudly in the room across the hall, so I couldn''t make out any sounds."

    Jian Jing believed she was probably telling the truth. Delivering repeated blows to the victim''s head not only took strength, but also a strong homicidal motive and psychological resilience.

    Bun Girl''s hatred was not that intense, and after entering the room, her gaze intentionally and unintentionally avoided the corpse, unlike someone capable of bashing in a skull.

    Direct homicide and indirect homicide bringpletely different psychological impacts.

    Since Bun Girl chose thetter, given her disposition, there was no need or likelihood for her to choose the former.

    So who was the second murderer?

    For now, Gao MaWei could be ruled out - she didn''t have the opportunity, and ording to Bun Girl''s ount, she never left her room either. That left Huangmao and the crew cut, as well as the seemingly unrted Chai Reporter and Fracture Man.

    Because of Bun Girl''s actions, her twopanions had two motives:

    To avenge Zhou Chang, and to protect Bun Girl.

    Let''s put aside the former for now, and consider the second possibility: Perhaps the other party, through subtle clues, guessed Bun Girl''s poisoning n and believed she would make her move this afternoon. Or they wanted to make the first move, using the excuse of repairing the car to lure out the victim and kill him.

    From a timeline perspective, Huangmao and the crew cut were equally suspicious.

    To discern who was more suspicious required some other references.

    Like the zombie.

    "Do you know what was up with that chicken?" She asked Bun Girl.

    Bun Girl was stunned for a moment, confusion surfacing in her eyes. She reflexively denied: "Chicken? Wasn''t me."

    Jian Jing smiled reassuringly to indicate she needn''t be nervous. "What I mean is, do you know who did it?"

    "No idea. Definitely not me or Xiao Wen, we wouldn''t bother with something so silly." She said. "If you insist I guess, it''d be Jia Yue. He loves pulling stupid pranks like that."

    That was actually a new line of thought - Jia Yue killed a chicken to further prove the appearance of the zombie and indirectly lend credibility to the car ident story.

    But was that really the truth?

    At 7pm, Jian Jing and Ji Feng were sitting in the dining room,paring notes.

    Jian Jing: "I found aconite powder in Gan Min''s medicine kit."

    Ji Feng: "Still haven''t found the murder weapon."

    "It wasn''t in any of their luggage or the car?" She asked incredulously.

    Ji Feng spread his hands helplessly. "I''ve checked everything suspicious with your luminol spray, nothing."

    She said: "Then I''m starting to suspect that crew cut. He may have destroyed the weapon on his way back to the parking lot."

    Ji Feng said: "Alright, let''s assume it was him. Can we reconstruct the crime?"

    "2:20pm, he splits off from Huangmao and returns to the inn one after the other. The victim was lured to near the warehouse and killed by him, then he took a different path back to the repair point, destroying evidence along the way." Jian Jing recounted, then realized an inconsistency, "Instant noodles - where did the instant noodlese from?"

    "The only people who knew Huangmao wanted something were those at the inn." Ji Feng murmured. "The murderer wanted to create the illusion that the victim was still alive. From this angle, who is most suspicious?"

    Jian Jing flipped through her notes: "Bun Girl, Chai Reporter, Fracture Man, and Huangmao himself."

    "The reporter made too many moves." Ji Feng said intuitively. "Although it makes sense, but it''s just too much."

    Jian Jing said: "Around 1:10pm was thest time Bun Girl saw the victim. The kitchen staff was busy until 1:20pm. If the victim came around here, she should have seen him. So it should have been between 1:20-2:35pm."

    She counted the reporter''s actions: "Left at 1:40pm, returned at 1:50pm, came looking for us again at 2:10pm, and left around 2:15pm. That is quite..."

    Indeed, Chai Reporter had the opportunity.

    1:20-1:40pm, 20 minutes. 1:50-2:10pm, another 20 minutes. 2:15-2:35pm, 20 minutes again.

    20 minutes is enough to kill someone. The issue is, why make things soplicated?

    Jian Jing tried to analyze the purpose of each time period: "The photos and videos can prove there was no body near the warehouse before 1:50pm. So did she kill the person between 1:20-1:40pm? Hid the body, then came back, went downstairs, and took photos. What was the purpose ofing to find us at 2:10pm? Shouldn''t that establish an alibi?"

    "No, if the goal was to establish an alibi, the body should have been discovered earlier." Ji Feng said. "Not all her actions necessarily had meaning. She may have just been muddying the waters."

    He pondered briefly before waving a hand dismissively. "Teacher Jian, let''s organize the facts we can confirm first, and set aside the rest for now."

    Jian Jing agreed, and started a new page, jotting down a few words.

    Poisoning (confirmed by Bun Girl)

    Murder weapon (missing?)

    Zombie (???)

    Instant noodles (create illusion victim was alive at 2:35pm)

    Umbre (rain stopped at 2:30pm, if victim died earlier, should have used umbre. Who did Fracture Man see holding an umbre?)

    "Right." Ji Feng nodded. "Too many confusing factors. I think we should subtract some things. In my opinion, the first few points are all fuzzy. Let''s focus on the instant noodles, what do you think?"

    Jian Jing shrugged, having no objections.

    He opened his phone gallery, his train of thought clear: "I took photos of everyone''s luggage. The two girls had bread and mints, the two guys'' rooms only had Snickers bars. ording to them, most of the luggage was in the victim''s Room 204.

    "Chai Reporter''s bag had fruit, Japanese instant noodles, and instant coffee. Fracture guy didn''t have any food. But the inn only sold domestic brands of instant noodles, Kangshifu and Tongyi. Yet what Huangmao got was a Korean Shin Ramyun.

    "So we can confirm, the instant noodles must havee from the student group, either they had a pack left over from before, or the murderer took it from the victim''s room.

    "Teacher Jian, do you agree with my analysis?"

    She peeled a milk candy, nodding as she ate.

    "Give me one." Ji Feng shamelessly snatched one away, and continued, "If they had a leftover pack, the crew cut wouldn''t know, and it doesn''t seem like something the two girls would do either. The only possibility is Huangmao staging it himself, so undoubtedly, he is the murderer. But let''s leave him aside for now and see if there are any other possibilities."

    He said: "Let''s hypothesize - what if the murderer took the instant noodles from the victim''s room? What then?"

    Jian Jing pondered: "The killer must have known about Huangmao knocking on the door, which rules out crew cut: If he hade back, he would have been seen by the service staff walking through the front door, and he had to pass our room for the back door, but none of us saw him."

    "That just leaves a few people who stayed behind," Ji Feng seamlessly continued, "The key now is that the killer needed a key."

    The hotel used old-fashioned locks that only had a keyhole on the outside, and the door locked immediately when closed. Unless there was an ident, the victim would have definitely closed the door when leaving the room.

    But Jian Jing immediately came up with a new line of thinking: "There''s another possibility - the killer was in the victim''s room at the time."

    Ji Feng was stunned and said incredulously: "If I didn''t misunderstand, you''re not saying the killer took the key and happened to be looking for something in the room, but that they killed the victim in the room and then moved the body? Room 204 doesn''t look like the primary crime scene at all!"

    "I know it''s a small probability," she lifted her chin, "But we can''t rule out the possibility that the killer knocked the victim unconscious, then moved him outside to kill him."

    Ji Feng: "Too much like a detective novel."

    Jian Jing: "I am a writer after all."

    "I knew you were still resenting me," he said helplessly and amusedly, "I was wrong, I have a loose tongue, forgive me, okay? Let''s talk about the facts."

    "A man''s most insincere apology," she said coldly. "Who''s resenting you? I''m just being thorough."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    He wisely changed the subject: "Let''s assume the killer had a key. But when we found the body, the key was already in the victim''s pocket - the killer must have had a chance to return it."

    Jian Jing pondered: "The only ones who left between 2:35 pm and 4 pm were Huangmao and Chai Reporter."

    Huangmao had two possibilities - he left his own instant noodles behind and lied about it, or didn''t leave them behind, killed the victim, took the key, got his noodles, and falsely imed he had been in his own room.

    As for Chai Reporter, her movements were more varied, leaving more possibilities.

    "Now we have two suspects," Ji Feng said. "Teacher Jian, pick one and let''s keep trying our luck."

    She said: "To verify Huangmao''s story we''d have to go to the bathroom... If you want to go, go ahead, I have no desire to go."

    "Alright, let''s split up and investigate."

    Ji Feng went upstairs, but Jian Jing didn''t move, continuing to ponder.

    If Chai Reporter was the killer, how did she pull it off?

    1:20-1:40 pm, first 20 minute period

    1:40-1:50 pm, at the crime scene, no victim

    1:50-2:10 pm, second 20 minute period

    2:10-2:15 pm, asked to borrow something from Jian Jing

    2:15-2:35 pm, third 20 minute period

    2:35-3:20 pm, had to put back the instant noodles

    3:30 pm, went to kitchen + returned key

    The timeline for returning the instant noodles and key was very reasonable. She couldn''t be certain when the body would be discovered, so she needed to return the items quickly.

    Therefore, if she had killed the victim during the first or second period, there was no reason not to return the items during the third period, yet she inexplicably waited until Huangmao returned - she couldn''t have foreseen that Huangmao would knock on the door.

    It could thus be inferred that 2:15-2:35 pm was the most likely time period for the murder.

    But this posed a major problem.

    How did she pull it off?

    Going downstairs via the emergency exit would mean passing by room 205''s door, but Jian Jing never saw here by again.

    If she had gone downstairs via the stairs, passed through the front door and took a roundabout route, or gone through the kitchen''s door to the backyard and then the back door, she would have been seen by the female service staff.

    She only saw Chai Reportere out once, and only went to the bathroom a little after 1 pm.

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171

    Jian Jing had to push back the timeline to between 13:50-14:10 for when the murder urred.

    That meant Chai Reporter first went out for a stroll, took some photos, came back to check in and take more photos, then went downstairs to kill the victim, returned, borrowed something from her, went back to his room, waited and waited, heard Huangmao knock on the door, took instant noodles, and waited until 15:30 to return the key.

    But...why? This made no sense at all.

    The longer the dy, the higher the chance the corpse would be discovered, and people would certainly be suspicious that the key was not found on the victim''s body, questioning the credibility of the instant noodles story.

    Also, she came out at 13:50, and while she might have slipped past the female server, what if she didn''t?

    Chai Reporter had alreadye out once, he should have seen the female server in the lobby. Going to the bathroom was a random event, she couldn''t be sure if she would be seen or not.

    No, this was all wrong.

    She definitely did not kill the victim during the second time period.

    Go back even further, the first time period?

    If she had killed the victim before 13:40, then took the photos, she could have created the illusion that the victim was not yet dead.

    Then why leave the instant noodles?

    Besides, if she killed the victim before 13:40, returned with the key, she could have done anything she wanted, so why wait until 13:40 to go out again when she could have returned the key already?

    Having the opportunity to return the key or not, yet deliberately waiting for hours before returning it, didn''t make sense scientifically.

    Pushing back and forth, it was all wrong.

    Could it be she was terribly unlucky to have chosen the wrong person, and the real murderer was Huangmao?

    But Huangmao being the murderer, there were still many doubts. Jian Jing folded her arms, a little unwilling to give up.

    Could they have overlooked some crucial clues?

    Could they have made wrong assumptions about certain things?

    Why didn''t Chai Reporter return the key earlier, could it be because...she only obtained the key during the second time period?

    Which was between 14:15-15:20.

    But after that, she did not go in the direction of the emergency exit or take the stairs down, nor was it possible for her to leave through other doors.

    Therefore it was easy to conclude that she was likely only the person returning the key, not the murderer.

    Jian Jing lowered her head to nce at today''s notes, of the several guesses listed there, she had already eliminated possibilities 1 and 2 of there being a sole murderer, and now, if Huangmao could be eliminated, she could also eliminate 3 and 4.

    The most improbable guess 5, could be right.

    Multiple culprits, one poisoning a, one bludgeoning b, c covering up.

    c was Chai Reporter, she did not provide any proof for the steamed bun head, she could only have been covering up for b.

    Then who was b?

    Theoretically, Huangmao, crew cut, and fracture man were all possible.

    But Huangmao was very suspicious, she had provided a useless alibi.

    Between crew cut and fracture man, thetter''s suspicion was undoubtedly greater, after all they came together. But the instant noodles singled out crew cut, which was very clever misdirection if it was meant to provide an alibi.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, and reduced the suspicion level of crew cut.

    He had a very obvious shoring, being away from the inn, he had no way of knowing what was happening inside.

    Especially with no cell signal today, even with Chai Reporter helping him stake things out, there was no guarantee the n could go smoothly.

    If the victim hadn''t eaten the steamed bun, if he was with other people, and crew cut came back to find no opportunity to act, what then?

    Give up?

    He had specifically looked for Chai Reporter to help cover for him, it would be too casual to just give up.

    Fracture man''s suspicion was higher.

    Also, his actions fit very conveniently with the cover up results - he had left once in the afternoon already, and was almost above suspicion.

    The timing was also very coincidental.

    14:05, fracture man went to the bathroom, 14:10 Chai Reporter came over to borrow something from Jian Jing, and in the process blocked the view of the doorway. By the time she left at 14:15, the door across from fracture man was already closed.

    When did hee back?

    If he only came back at 14:15, 10 minutes would have been enough for him to leave via the emergency exit, kill someone, and return.

    "Teacher Jian, you''re still here?" Ji Feng sauntered back, carrying two bags of instant noodles, "Are you hungry, want to eat something before continuing?"

    "Have the mind to eat, did you seed?" Jian Jing asked.

    "Eliminated a wrong choice." He knew what she cared about and didn''t keep her guessing, revealing the answer, "Huangmao got lucky, in the time he spent in the bathroom he was able to finish reading a magazine, and could describe every story.

    She was shocked, "Can that be done? How thick was the magazine?"

    "Those supernatural magazines sold at roadside stands in the past, with female ghosts, zombies, etc." Ji Feng shrugged, "Some horror, some not suitable for minors. This kid remembers it all quite clearly, and also...cough, anyway, I verified it."

    Jian Jing felt his cough was rather meaningful, and looked at him suspiciously, "Are you sure?"

    "Sure, no cell signal, reading books is reasonable." He changed the subject, "Want instant noodles, I cooked them together."

    She nodded, "Add egg, greens and ham."

    Ji Feng: "Tsk!"

    She said coldly: "With that attitude, be careful or I won''t tell you about mytest findings."

    He opened the instant noodle bags, casually said: "What findings? Chai Reporter is an aplice?"

    Jian Jing was shocked, immediately sitting up straight: "When did you know?"

    "I didn''t know, haven''t thought it through yet, just intuition." He said, "It''s not Huangmao, Chai Reporter must have been involved, but she did so many things it seemed unbelievable to suspect her."

    "You guessed right." Jian Jing ryed her earlier analysis to him, "It doesn''t make sense no matter how you look at it that she''s the murderer."

    Ji Feng listened as he cooked the noodles, and by the time she finished, the instant noodles were also done.

    Crack an egg into the instant noodles, note, this is not cooking a poached egg, but lightly beating it and adding as egg drop soup, then add greens and ham, even the most ordinary instant noodles can be extremely tasty.

    Jian Jing opened her chopstick case and took out the included chopsticks, aligning them and picking up a mouthful of noodles.

    The aroma was extremely fragrant, immediately whetting her appetite, and her stomach rumbled loudly.

    She immediately started eating, the just-cooked noodles went into her mouth, then...burnt her tongue, forcing her to spit them out and hastily drink some water.

    Ji Feng almostughed himself to death.

    "What''s so funny." She rolled her eyes, "Never burnt your tongue before?"

    "I''m notughing at you, it''s not your fault the noodles were so hot." Ji Feng kept a straight face teasing her, "Definitely not because Teacher Jian is too delicate."

    Jian Jing took a deep breath: "Am I too kind to you that you find me easy to bully?"

    "When did I ever bully you?" He acted extremely shocked, firmly refusing to take the me, "Don''t nder me, that''s a serious usation, you''re questioning my character."

    Jian Jing decided to ignore him.

    When this guy was hateful, he was truly hateful.

    She lowered her head to eat the noodles, too hungry, and finished everything including the noodle soup. The hot salty soup entering her stomach quickly warmed up her body, trulyfortable.

    "Not bad." Ji Feng said, "Teacher Jian eating gives great peace of mind, Yinyin only eats half a bowl saying she''s controlling carbs, makes me want to punch her."

    Jian Jing said coldly: "Domestic violence is against thew."

    He: "I said ''want to''."

    Can usually only give more pocket money, so she doesn''t feel bad about buying snacks when hungry.

    After some casual chat, the two quickly switched back to the main topic.

    "If the murderer is Zhu Yong, he only had one opportunity, when he went to the bathroom at 14:05." Ji Feng said, "That little bit of time is only enough for him to kill someone, the other things must have been done by the reporter, including getting the victim out, disposing of the murder weapon, returning the key."

    Jian Jing nodded: "Chai Reporter is in room 201, delivering a note to 204 would be easy, same with the instant noodles, avoiding the others. The problems are twofold: where did the murder weapon go, and what did she need the key for?"

    "Hmm, something that required entering the room...note." Ji Feng said. "The victim did not have a note on him, so the murderer could only take the key to search his room."

    This guess was reasonable.

    Jian Jing thought briefly, then said: "The case is very clear now, the chicken was killed by themst night, we didn''t ask about their actionsst night, the zombie sighting was clearly a lie. Only the weapons and umbre are still doubtful - did you check the ster cast immobilizing the fracture?"

    "Of course." He exined, "The cast had loosened somewhat, indicating the injury had been improving for a while already, I suspected his arm was likely almost healed, so checked specifically for damage or bloodstains."

    She thought of another approach: "So, is the umbre the murder weapon?"

    "Because it was damaged by the impact of gravity when used for hitting, so the choice was made to destroy it?" Ji Feng pondered for a moment, then circled back to the original question, "Even if the umbre could be disassembled, it makes no sense that I didn''t find anything."

    When faced with such difficult questions, Jian Jing''s imagination was apparently richer: "Then think of the umbre as a ˇőˇő. With this in mind, the murder weapon disappeared. Is it possible that it wasn''t hidden or destroyed, but rather something that could disappear? For example...ice?"

    "It could only be molded ice. I checked all the containers, not a single stic bottle was left behind, including in the victim''s room." Ji Feng added.

    Jian Jing said: "Two cans of different sizes nested together could make a hammer. Insert the umbre handle into the hollow space, it might be just right - but was there a power outagest night?"

    "It was fixed early this morning, plenty of time." Ji Feng perked up, "Let''s go, we''ll ask the owner."

    The female server was sitting alone in the living room watching TV. Seeing theme in, she was exceptionally enthusiastic. She knew everything and told them: "Refrigerator? There are two in the home, one in the kitchen, one here."

    "When was thest time you cleaned out the refrigerator?"

    "This morning." The female server said, "My dad went into town, he would buy things to bring back, so I tidied up the refrigerator in advance."

    "Was there anything more or less in the freezer?"

    The female server shook her head.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Of course, there wasn''t much to begin with, I looked very clearly."

    "Then who went into the kitchen this morning?"

    "Many people."

    "After that did you open the freezer again?"

    "When making lunch, I took out a piece of meat."

    "No extra stuff?"

    "No."

    "Did Chai Reportere to the kitchen?"

    "She did."

    "What did she do?"

    "She took a can of Coke and asked if I could freeze it for her." The female server remembered clearly, "There was already frozen Coke in the fridge, so I just gave her a bottle directly. What''s wrong?"

    Jian Jing asked: "What time was that?"

    "Nine, ten o''clock? Anyway it was before I started cooking."

    The female server started cooking around 11:30. Since she didn''t see any ice when she took the meat at lunch, even if it was secretly put in earlier when no one was looking, it couldn''t have been preserved until the 2pm murder.

    Still, Jian Jing was unwilling to give up: "What else did she do?"

    "She ate two buns." The female server asked strangely, "What''s the significance of this?"

    Jian Jing said: "Nothing, just trying to get all the details. Did Zhu Yong, the guy with the fracture, go into the kitchen?"

    Another head shake.

    Jian Jing had no choice but to temporarily give up and urged her: "It''s gettingte, lock the door and sleep after we leave."

    "Don''t worry, I definitely won''t wander around." The female server solemnly promised. People who had seen countless horror films would certainly not lightly court death.

    Outside, the rain continued to drizzle.

    Where exactly did the murder weapon go?

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172

    It waste at night, and the other guests in the rooms had gone to sleep.

    Jian Jing leaned on her arm, drowsy but unable to fall asleep. In her mind, the various clues were dancing nonstop, like they were in a nightclub.

    What was the murder weapon?

    Why did it disappear?

    Did the fact that Chai Reporter took the drink to the kitchen freezer mean that she had originally chosen it as the weapon? But the waitress''s actions foiled her n, forcing her to consider other options.

    In a rush, what could she have found?

    There was also one thing that bothered her. Why did Chai Reporter go into the kitchen at 3:30pm? At that time, she was going to return the key, but she deliberately peeked into the kitchen. What was she after?

    Could she find an excuse to go downstairs? No, this was not a meticulous n.

    Jian Jing searched her heart and asked herself, if she were to y the role of the aplice, she would choose to be the one who discovered the body. That way she could return the key and control the timing of the exposure, leaving more room to maneuver.

    From their brief interactions, she felt that Chai Reporter was shrewd and bold, more so than Fracture Man who did the actual deed. Would she not think of this idea?

    There must be a reason.

    So, she might as well boldly hypothesize: what if she had originally nned to "discover the body"? She just had to stop by the kitchen first, but then saw Huangmao and had to shelve her n.

    The kitchen...why did she need to go to the kitchen?

    There was only one possibility, to dispose of the murder weapon.

    What was the murder weapon? It wasn''t ice, so what else could be disposed of?

    The kitchen, what''s in the kitchen, fruits, vegetables, meat...it couldn''t have been frozen meat right? Using a pig''s leg to hit someone and then putting it back would fool Lu Minuo''s reaction, but the waitress said there was hardly any food left!

    Can''t think straight, need to go down and take a look!

    Jian Jing couldn''t sleep anymore, and abruptly sat up.

    She didn''t want to disturb herpanion, so she tiptoed into her slippers, grabbed her phone and got ready to head out.

    But she had barely taken two steps when Ji Feng woke up, "Teacher Jian, whatcha doing?"

    "Going to the kitchen." She said.

    Ji Feng looked at his phone, surprised, "Going to the kitchen at half past one? Hungry?"

    "I want to go look for the murder weapon." She answered, "Go back to sleep, don''t mind me."

    "Fine..." He sighed helplessly, getting up to get dressed, "I''ll go with you."

    "No need." She said, "Even if the murdereres for me, it''ll be his bad luck."

    "Boring to go alone." Ji Feng said as he squeezed ahead to open the door, "Let''s go, quiet."

    The dark corridor was extremely quiet, as if everyone was fast asleep, and also as if no one was asleep, so there wasn''t a hint of sleep-talking or snoring.

    The two unconsciously lightened their steps, and quietly walked down the stairs.

    The wind and rain had yet to let up. Through the walls, they could still hear the sound of rain, pitter patter, pitter patter. The wind blew through the lush mountains, making eerie howling sounds.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but let out a quietugh.

    "Middle of the night," Ji Feng yawnedzily, "Don''t go all Liaozhai on me."

    "Don''t you feel the atmosphere?" She lightened her footsteps, moving lithely like a cat, "The deste moors of the English countryside, the ancient dpidated temple, the mountainside inn on a rainy night... Murders in the city alwaysck something, only in a ce like this can it feel truly interesting."

    Ji Feng nced at her, conflicted.

    To be honest, investigating clues and catching criminals in the middle of the night were things he had done many times. His usual mental state was "so tiring", hurry up and get it over with so I can get off work.

    Interesting? That was purely the imagination of outsiders.

    The people involved just wanted to sleep.

    But now, as he walked in the dark hotel, with the wind and rain raging outside, tired as he was, there was still a kind of indescribable feeling quietly emerging in his heart, making him feel as if he had returned to his childhood days, hiding under the covers reading detective story collections.

    Perhaps, every lover of mysteries has simr blood running through their veins.

    No matter how bitter, how tiring, how sleepy, it''s hard to dispel the "interesting" at their core.

    "What are your thoughts on the murder weapon?" He asked.

    Jian Jing lifted the corners of her lips. In the dim light, her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were bright, very much like the phantom that would sh in and out of detective stories.

    "My intuition tells me," she said with certainty, "the murder weapon is in the kitchen."

    "The kitchen..." He contemted, "Rice and flour when packaged can work, that degree of impact would seep into them to some extent."

    Jian Jing turned on the light, illuminating the kitchen.

    She first checked the fridge.

    As the waitress had said, there were limited supplies inside. The refrigerated section only contained some pork ribs, vegetables, two boxes of eggs and a small amount of canned drinks. Even less in the freezer, mostly frozen dumplings, wontons, soup packets, and some ice cream.

    They were all covered by a thinyer of even white frost, the result of having been frozen for a long time. If someone had used it, it would likely not be so intact.

    Next was the grains.

    "I remember the waitress said a lot of the flour was used up." Jian Jing headed straight for the sink, "Could it have been poured into the drain and flushed away after use?"

    Ji Feng objectively evaluated, "Flour is very fine, force is dispersed, may not be able to cause that kind of wound. Well, anything in the sink?"

    She carefully and meticulously observed from multiple angles for a long time, sighing regretfully in the end, "Nothing, no flour particles on the edges or insides of the sink. If poured urgently to flush away, some powder would have spilled out."

    "Rice?"

    Jian Jing shook her head, "Doesn''t seem like it from the wound."

    Ji Feng checked the bottles and containers, none had issues. That left bags and the like. However, rice grains wererger. Under gravity, the surface would show a grainy texture, but the wound seemed to be from a smooth weapon.

    Just in case though, she still used Lu Minuo to check the rice bags.

    No reaction.

    Dead end, time to change perspectives. Jian Jing said, "Show me Chai Reporter''s photos again."

    Ji Feng handed her his phone.

    She scrolled through each photo, scrutinizing every detail.

    Chai Reporter had a lot of luggage, clothes separated into storage bags, makeup kits full of bottles and containers, a camera, aptop, two power banks.

    "I guess the person that the victim bumped into was a girl." Jian Jing suddenly came up with this sentence.

    Ji Feng swallowed his yawn, "Why?"

    "She brought a hair straightener, but had just curled her wool curls." Jian Jing said, "Someone else must have used it."

    Ji Feng sighed, "Looks like it really was a hit-and-run."

    Jian Jing nodded, sounding even more certain, "This shows that the weapon was prepared on the spot."

    When Chai Reporter came to borrow something from her at 2:10pm, not only was she providing an alibi for Fracture Man, she was likely also setting up contingency moves.

    She asked to borrow sanitary pads from Jian Jing, saying she had her period.

    So what if blood was found on the stockings? After washing, it would be difficult to collect blood samples to verify DNA. iming it was her own blood, what could be the issue?

    To convict her, they must find the weapon hidden in the stockings.

    Therge amount of missing flour could not be a coincidence.

    Jian Jing squatted in the corner and untied all the bags. The inn had decent stock, with separate bags for flour, rice, starch, and corn flour.

    Only a fifth of the flour remained, half the rice, two-thirds the starch, the corn flour was almost full.

    She impatiently felt each one thoroughly.

    A subtle anomaly was felt by her fingertips, before her brain could analyze it clearly, her intuition had been triggered.

    "Ji Feng!" She called out, "Come over here."

    Ji Feng hurried over and squatted down, "What is it?"

    "There''s something...off about this bag." Words couldn''t describe the trembling of her intuition, she could only vaguely say, "Doesn''t feel right."

    Ji Feng turned on his shlight and scooped up some starch.

    The texture was off, the color also seemed slightly different.

    He looked up, meeting Jian Jing''s eyes, and they realized at the same time.

    "The flour is here!"

    "It''s the starch!"

    Joy bubbled up like the fizz in a cold Coke. Jian Jing smiled and shook her head again: "Awesome, reporters really do know a lot."

    Ji Feng also said: "Coming up with a weapon like that from a detective novel, that was clever of her."

    Jian Jing wholeheartedly agreed.

    She had been fooled by the flour, thinking there was less flour when really she should have thought one step further - the flour was less because someone had moved some into another bag, to cover up theck of something else.

    What was missing was starch.

    The starch was the murder weapon.

    Not everyone may have heard the science behind it, but everyone has encountered non-Newtonian fluids before. No need to get into the physics, simply put, non-Newtonian fluids have a characteristic where they are very soft when moved slowly, but extremely hard when hit forcefully.

    You can use this stuff to float on water, there was a plotline like that in Detective Conan before.

    Of course, that required a lot of starch.

    You wouldn''t need nearly as much just to make a weapon, one clump would do.

    After solving the most difficult puzzle, Jian Jing didn''t feel tired at all: "Shall we go over the case?"

    Ji Feng pulled up a chair and sat down, happy to oblige: "Please, leader, go ahead."

    "You''re saying the leader gave the case briefing?" she said suspiciously.

    Ji Feng kept a straight face: "Yes, why not?"

    No way she believed him.

    But Jian Jing didn''t push it, and went on by herself: "Two nights ago in the evening, the victim and hispanions were driving and hit and killed a girl, then drove off in a hit-and-run. Her twopanions decided to avenge her, tracked them down to this hotel.

    "The victim didn''t admit to hitting anyone, and made up a zombie story, angering them. So they decided to use the same excuse to kill him. Last night they pretended to see a zombie, and also killed a chicken at night to sow doubt. The car issues could also have been sabotage by them.

    "The n officially started at noon today. Chai Reporter kept close watch on the victim, confirming he went back to his room while the others were away. Then she found an excuse to ask the victim to meet her at the warehouse.

    "13:40-13:50, besides taking photos, the reporter must have also prepared the murder weapon and hidden it near the warehouse. 14:05, Fracture Man slipped away under pretense of using the bathroom, and probably circled around through the emergency exit and back door since the reporter had said the female server was in her living room.

    "There, he murdered the victim. But because the victim didn''t have the note with the meeting info, he had to take the room key.

    At this point, Jian Jing paused for a moment, pondering: "How did they pass the key?"

    "Just kicked it along the ground," Ji Feng said. "These are just small details."

    Jian Jing gestured for him to continue.

    So he went on: "Chai Reporter got the key, entered the room, destroyed the note. Right then, Huangmao came back looking for something from the victim. She thought fast, using the instant noodles to make it seem like the victim was still alive, and also realized it was suspicious that the rain had stopped and Huangmao had returned at the same time. So she decided to frame him and take away the umbre as evidence.

    "Why wait a whole hour before going back down?" Jian Jing asked.

    "It takes time to find the note, and she probably wanted to see how strong Huangmao''s suspicions were," Ji Feng mused. "But you''re right, it was too long. She could have put the key back when pretending to discover the body. Leaving the murder weapon unhandled was too risky."

    Jian Jing considered this and said: "Putting the key back was idental; her original n should have been to discover the body herself, so by then the weapon would have already been handled and she just needed to retrieve it."

    "That makes sense, she left the weapon out in the rain to dilute the starch," Ji Feng agreed with her reasoning. "She just had to hide it; too long would have brought suspicion."

    "Exactly." Jian Jing nodded. "The rain wasn''t heavy in the afternoon, and stopped for a bit, so the weapon wasn''t washedpletely clean. That''s why she had to quickly rinse it in the kitchen, but ran into Huangmao by ident. So she had to change ns, return the key, take the umbre, and go straight back to her room."

    Ji Feng: "Onest question, where''s the umbre?"

    "Thrown somewhere far away, I assume."

    Because of the weather, Ji Feng''s search had been limited to the indoors and backyard, he hadn''t gotten to the area around the hotel yet, so it was normal he hadn''t found the umbre.

    Jian Jing let out a breath: "Let''s go, forget the umbre, finish up thisst thing then go to sleep."

    The umbre was an utter red herring, misleading the timeline, framing the murder weapon, and distracting attention, but unfortunately, it wasn''t important at all.

    At least when using the murderer, nobody cared that it was missing.

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173

    At three forty in the morning, Jian Jing and Ji Feng knocked on Chai Reporter''s door.

    Chai Reporter was very calm. With a tired look on his face, he asked, "What is so urgent that it can''t wait until morning?"

    Jian Jing got straight to the point: "I''m tired of analyzing the case over and over. Hand over the stockings and confess your crime."

    Chai Reporter was caught off guard by her bluntness. Fortunately, he kept his cool and feigned shock, "What nonsense are you talking about? The victim wasn''t strangled. Do you take me for a fool?" He showed a hint of anger on his face, "Falsely using someone like this is going too far. Be careful or I''ll file aint against you."

    Jian Jing said, "Starch."

    Chai Reporter was shocked again. His heart was no longer as calm as before. Myriad thoughts raced through his mind: Did they really know? Was she bluffing? If he revealed anything, it would be falling into their trap. But with thingsing to this point, it didn''t seem like a wild guess. Should he take a desperate gamble and destroy the evidence?

    As these thoughts shed through his mind, he caught a glimpse of a shadow reflected on the hallway wall outside the door, like a wisp of ghost.

    There was no time for hesitation. She immediately made a decision, turned around and rushed to the window, tearing down the stockings that were hung up to dry. At the same time, she grabbed the lighter from the table and lit it with a "click."

    "Stop! It''s dangerous!" Ji Feng dashed up in one step and snatched away the lighter.

    Chai Reporter immediately let go. She lunged forward and hugged his waist, "Run!"

    A shadow shed swiftly outside the door. It moved with agile strides at great speed. It was Zhu Yong who had been hiding outside.

    He was a teacher, but a gym teacher. Years of exercise had honed not only his ability to beat someone to death with a weapon, but also the leg muscles that allowed him to burst forward with great speed and power. In the blink of an eye he had already rushed downstairs.

    Ji Feng was hindered by Chai Reporter and had no way to catch up. He said helplessly, "Where can you run to in the middle of the night... Jian Jing?! Don''t!"

    He was shocked by Jian Jing.

    She had opened the window and jumped out in one swift movement.

    Although it was only the second floor, trained people would not get hurt. Even untrained people would at most fracture some bones. But there had been unlucky ones who broke their necks directly.

    Especially in the middle of the night without lights, and with raining down, jumping was no joke.

    His heart truly skipped a beat.

    But Jian Jing''s situation was not nearly as bad as he imagined.

    Seeing Zhu Yong escape, she had hesitated over whether to chase him. But considering he was a trained adult male with great explosive power and speed, if it turned into a chase, and they went into the mountains, idents could easily happen.

    So she boldly activated the special reward from the "Secret of Pudding" mission ¨C "White Kitten Mode."

    What could happen to a cat jumping down from the second floor?

    What obstacles could hinder a cat moving in the night?

    No fear whatsoever.

    She felt as if she was carried by a gentle breeze,nding nimbly on the ground. Her dim vision became clear, and she could clearly see the vibration of the front gate, as well as sounds of the restaurant''s window being opened.

    The man with the fracture climbed out the window.

    Jian Jing stood outside the window watching him, with wolf repellent spray in hand. Then..."Psst!"

    The stimting gas shot out like a jet of water.

    Zhu Yong''s eyes and nasal cavity were irritated. Tears streamed out as he coughed uncontrobly.

    Ji Feng came pounding down the stairs. He first nced at Jian Jing lying in ambush. Only then did he put handcuffs on Zhu Yong. With an impatient tone he asked, "Teacher Jian, I have to criticize you. Don''t scare people for no reason. You almost scared me to death."

    "Do I look like the reckless type?" She rolled her eyes dramatically.

    Ji Feng mulled it over and felt the question was unanswerable. He simply ignored it and pulled Zhu Yong along, "Let''s go. Don''t make the same mistake as those you resent. Go turn yourself in honestly."

    Zhu Yong remained silent.

    "Who was she to you?" Jian Jing couldn''t help but ask.

    He answered, "My sister."

    The final missing piece of the puzzle was thus filled in by the perpetrator himself.

    A few days ago, he and his sister, along with his sister''s friend Chai Reporter, had returned to their hometown. The siblings were nning to go home for a wedding, while Chai Reporter wanted to experience the local wedding customs.

    However, fate had other ns. That evening two days ago, after his sister had stepped out, she never returned.

    He and Chai Reporter looked everywhere for her. In the end they found the icy body by the roadside.

    The ce was remote with few outsiders. They asked around and soon learned that a group of students had passed by. The owner of the gas station also said he saw a new dent on the front of their car.

    The ident had urred on a rural road without surveince cameras, making it difficult to assign me. Zhu Yong thus decided to investigate himself, and Chai Reporter agreed they could not let the perpetrator get away after hearing about it.

    The two asked around and finally tracked down the students to this hotel.

    Originally, the two had not intended murder. But Jia Yue had repeatedly imed to have hit a zombie, even telling others about it as if it were an incredible rumor, inciting their anger and hatred.

    They decided to take an eye for an eye.

    Chai Reporter nned the entire process. She created smokescreens to draw attention to herself, while the decisive blow was delivered quietly by Zhu Yong.

    They were fortunate. The heavy rain hindered travel, and the sleeping pills in the dumplings incapacitated the victim, knocking him out with one strike before the police arrived. All evidence had also been taken care of.

    But they had not expected two other unlucky souls to arrive that night.

    A policeman and a mystery novelist.

    No matter how clever the scheme, the truth would ultimatelye to light.

    The next morning, as with the conclusion of all murder cases, when the culprit was caught, the sky cleared up as well.

    The local police took away all the hotel guests.

    Chai Reporter, Zhu Yong, and the crew cut were suspected of murder, while the tes and Huangmao had to be questioned about the hit-and-run. Gao MaWei also had to go to the hospital for an examination. Jian Jing and Ji Feng had to go to the police station to give statements.

    It was truly an overturned pot.

    After the police station, it was already noon.

    Jian Jing and Ji Feng randomly found a small restaurant for lunch. Luckily the food was decent. Only then did they continue on to their destination as originally nned.

    On the road, Jian Jing was rather paranoid, "What if when we get there, the person is gone?"

    Ji Feng replied, "...Reality can''t be that dramatic. We decided to visit on a whim. Just in case, I didn''t even tell you the location. How could anyone have such insider news?"

    "I''ve seen someone like that before," Jian Jing recalled Zong Ye. She still felt uneasy, "Appearing and disappearing mysteriously, seeming to know everything."

    Ji Feng said, "Rest assured, even that kind of person would not be bribed by a murderer."

    He was right.

    At three in the afternoon, they arrived at the location of the 2009 case, a medium-sized city.

    More than ten yearster, the neighborhood where the incident urred had been demolished. The neighbors had dispersed to various ces. Ji Feng spent some effort before finding out the address of the other party.

    To recap, in the Zeng family murder case, there was an insurance salesman who had repeatedly visited the Zengs. A neighbor living across from the Zengs had seen him.

    The person they wanted to meet was this neighbor across the hall, surnamed Wang, now fifty-six years old and retired. Her son had brought her to live with his family.

    When they arrived, Aunt Wang was home alone watching TV. She was very lonely and was delighted to have guests, enthusiastically pouring tea and chatting, "Have a seat, don''t stand on ceremony. Let me pour some water for you."

    Ji Feng declined a couple times without sess. He had no choice but to go to the kitchen to help, lest the elderlydy scald herself.

    Taking the opportunity, Jian Jing observed the house. There were signs of four people living here - the elderlydy, a couple, and a granddaughter. There was a family photo of the four on the cab by the door.

    Elderly people with grandchildren tend to share amon trait.

    "Are you married yet? Not yet? Young man, you must seize the opportunity," Aunt Wang nagged nonstop in the kitchen, imparting life wisdom.

    Ji Feng had honed the skill of ying along: "Yes, yes, you''re right, you''re right."

    His attitude was extremely sincere and respectful.

    Aunt Wang was delighted and more willing to cooperate with their work. As soon as she sat down, she brought it up voluntarily, "Has the murderer in the Zeng family case still not been found? They were so unfortunate. A perfectly happy family, how could they suffer such misfortune?"

    Ordinary people rarely encounter such horrific cases in their lifetime. Hence it had left a deep impression on her, and she could vividly recall the details when speaking of the Zengs.

    "It was such a pity for their family," Aunt Wangmented. "The grandson was very smart and scored full marks on exams. If he were still alive, he would be going to college this year. s..."

    Jian Jing listened very carefully, chiming in from time to time.

    Only when Aunt Wang said she was tired did he pass her a ss of water and slowly say, "I''d like to ask you to think back to the days before, or say in the month before this happened, did any strangers appear?"

    Aunt Wang wasn''t very old yet, and her memory was decent. She immediately said, "Yes, I told the police about this too, there was a guy selling insurance who came by."

    "Did he make any deep impressions on you?" Ji Feng asked.

    Aunt Wang slowly sunk into her memories: "The feeling this young man gave...it''s hard to describe, he was just different. That day when I got off work and went home, I happened to run into him, and he helped carry my things. Let me tell you, he was very good with words. I wasn''t feeling great that day, chatted with him a couple sentences, and surprisingly felt much better. So I had a particrly good impression of him. Later when I saw him, I even wanted to buy some insurance, just to help him out a bit."

    "What happened next?"

    "I wanted to buy my son ident insurance, but he said..." Aunt Wang''s eyes revealed a strange,plex expression. "I should buy it for my husband instead."

    Jian Jing''s tranquil eyes flickered slightly.

    Beforeing, worrying about dramatic effect, she had specifically asked Ji Feng about Aunt Wang''s circumstances. The answer was beyond expectations.

    Despite Aunt Wang looking very happy now, ten years ago she suffered tremendous misfortune.

    Her husband was an alcoholic who beat her.

    Logically, Aunt Wang should''ve left this man as quickly as possible and gotten a divorce. However, everyone has their own difficulties in life, and various concerns made it hard for her to do so. She could only endure.

    Of course a family like this wasn''t the scarred man''s target.

    But the scarred man''s words were very interesting, revealing a trace of clues.

    "May I ask you to repeat the conversation from back then?" Jian Jing requested sincerely, and subtly turned on her charm.

    With her temperament strengthened, Aunt Wang''s gaze towards her grew gentle, her defenses lowered, and she hesitated, "I guess it doesn''t hurt to tell you, he didn''t say much."

    Twelve years ago, in the stairwell of an old residentialplex, a young man in a suit said: "Sister, you''re still young. As long as your health is decent, you don''t need insurance. But your husband on the other hand..."

    His expression was meaningful: "Perhaps you should buy him an ident policy."

    Aunt Wang''s heart quivered at the time, obscure thoughts of wickedness quietly sprouting. She didn''t dare think too much about it, only casually brushed it off: "My husband is very healthy."

    "Yes, but idents always happen." The corners of his lips rose, his words seeming to be the devil''s murmurs. "If, hypothetically, something were to happen, the payout would be enough for you and your child...to live a different life."

    Her eyelids twitched: "Is...is that so?"

    "That''s the use of insurance, isn''t it." The young man bowed slightly. "Of course, I''m just speaking hypothetically. I wish you and your husband good health."

    His tone became normal and earnest again, seemingly just an enthusiastic salesman.

    But Aunt Wang never forgot about him.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174

    Without a doubt, Scar Man had shown extraordinary abilities more than ten years ago. He seemed to be able to keenly peer into the darkness in people''s hearts, and amplify it, luring them into the abyss.

    Moreover, he was willing to take the risk of being remembered and have a conversation with Aunt Wang, which showed his arrogance.

    But it was also his arrogance that gave Jian Jing and others a chance to get close to him.

    "Do you still remember what he looked like?" Ji Feng asked.

    Aunt Wang hesitated, "Just a little impression."

    Ji Feng handed over an iPad, "There are some pictures here, can you take a look?"

    Aunt Wang asked, "Does this young man have anything to do with the Zeng family?"

    "We can''t confirm yet, we can only say he is a suspect." Ji Feng was very cautious with outsiders.

    Aunt Wang was a little reluctant, but out of her simple sense of justice, she still agreed.

    The iPad contained a simple facialposite system, that is, it collectedmon facial features and rbined them into human faces.

    This kind of simted portrait was outdated, but very useful at the moment.

    Aunt Wang tried hard to recall the face in her memory: "The young man looked quite handsome, his face looked very childish, rounder, not that round, thinner..."

    The system was simple and the adjustment range was limited. Aunt Wang looked back and forth, still unsatisfied.

    Jian Jing was getting impatient. She simply recited a prayer for drawing cards.

    [Card drawing in progress]

    [Drawpleted]

    [Name: Skill Card - Simted Portrait (Beginner)]

    [Description: Gain entry-level simted portrait skills, limited to pencil, basic simrity 60%]

    [Note: Can only be used to draw the appearance of a suspect, cannot be used daily]

    ording to Jian Jing''s knowledge, the general simrity reaching 50% can be put into use. The basic simrity of 60% was already a very hardcore passive skill. It made sense to put usage restrictions on it.

    Hopefully it would be useful.

    She took out a nk piece of paper and casually drew a face shape ording to Aunt Wang''s description: "Is it like this?"

    "Oh, yes, yes, you drew it better than that one. urate." Aunt Wang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly moved on to the next step, "He had short hair, very gentle, his eyes were not big or small, the corners drooped a little, his nose bridge was high, his lips were a little thin, oh, this kind of face, his fortune doesn''t seem too good."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She painted and modified it, relying on the passive uracy of the skill card, gradually restoring the other''s appearance.

    As Aunt Wang said, this face could be described as gentle and handsome, as if a college student who had just left campus, it was difficult for the elderly to be wary of him.

    On the contrary, if he pretended to be respectful and timid, many lonely elders in theirter years would probably treat him as their grandson, and be very happy to chat with him.

    If he was in his early twenties in 2009, now he must be thirty-five or thirty-six, a middle-aged man.

    Aunt Wang also provided other information: a little over one meter and seventy centimeters tall, not too tall or short, inconspicuous, wearing frameless sses.

    Jian Jing asked her, "Did he have any identifying marks on him? For example, scars?"

    Aunt Wang thought about it and shook her head: "I didn''t see any, his face was fine."

    "Any injuries?"

    She also said she didn''t notice.

    A scar so conspicuous, it was unreasonable not to notice it. Perhaps at that time, there was no scar on the back of his hand yet.

    Jian Jing wanted to ask more clues, such as ents and so on, but Aunt Wang had only met him a few times and could not recall more, so she had to give up.

    At this time, Aunt WangˇŻs daughter-inw came home from work. Seeing there were guests, she politely invited them to stay for dinner.

    Jian Jing and Ji Feng declined again and again, and hurriedly said goodbye.

    When they came out, the night was dark.

    Jian Jing lowered her voice and asked the question she was wondering: "You still haven''t told me, how''s her husband?"

    "He was drunk asleep, and choked to death by his own vomit." Ji Feng said.

    She yelled "Yo" in her heart, but said with her mouth: "It''s got nothing to do with us."

    It''s got nothing to do with you, why did you ask. Ji Feng rolled her eyes at her, but didn''t say it straight out: "We got his portrait, we can go ask the insurancepany now."

    It was not an easy task to find someone from eleven years ago.

    Insurance salesmen had low barriers to entry and high mobility. Many people only did it for a month or two and then quit. There were manypanies that started up, and just as many went bankrupt.

    Ji Feng went through a tedious process before obtaining the evidence from the Zeng family case from the local public security bureau.

    There were no insurance-rted documents inside, people at that time did not realize the key point, but fortunately, they found an insurance brochure on a coffee table in one of the crime scene photos.

    Insurancepany TˇĚ

    After confirming thepany, it became much easier to investigate. This small insurancepany was still in business. They asked around and found the person in charge at that time.

    The person in charge actually still remembered Scar Man.

    "I remember him. This young man was very capable and signed up a lot of clients." The person in charge said, "I wanted to give him a promotion early on, but who knew he would quit after only half a year, such a shame. With his ability, he could have easily made big money."

    "Do you still have the registration information when he joined at that time?" Ji Feng asked.

    The person in charge regretfully said, "Ourpany has been restructured several times, and a lot of information has been lost. This kind of employee information was not very important content either. But the policies he signed are still here, the insurance is for twenty years."

    He typed on the keyboard and pulled out the insurance policies from that year.

    Of course the most information on it was about customers, insured items, etc., but in the "Customer Manager" column, there was his name.

    Wang Si Ji.

    Jian Jing immediately said, "That''s a fake name."

    Wang Si was death spelled backwards. Simrly, Si Ji was worshipping the dead.

    Worshipping death, saving lives.

    Absolutely a fake name.

    But Ji Feng still investigated this name: "Can''t find the real identity, still need to check other things."

    Since 2013, national ID cards have beenworked and fingerprints recorded, making it no longer easy to forge ID cards. So it was very likely that Scar Man had changed to a new identity after that year.

    But since Wang Si Ji''s identity was not exposed in 2009, it was possible that he still acted under this identity for a period of time afterwards.

    The next case was the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2011.

    Ji Feng contacted the rtives of the deceased to ask if anyone had heard of the name "Wang Si Ji", and sent the portrait for them to identify.

    The result was disappointing.

    The deceased Cai family had lived in the city for many years and rarely interacted with their rural rtives, and none had heard of him.

    They could only try their luck again in the 2012 Mother''s Day case.

    The Guo mother and son who were killed in this case still had close rtives alive, who was the mother''s own brother. He was very upset about the death of his sister and remembered many things very clearly.

    This time, they had a great harvest.

    In 2012, Ms. Guo Yifang was 32 years old. This age may seem middle-aged to teenagers.

    But that was not the case.

    Thirty-two was still very young. As long as she didn''t do hardbor all day, women of this age had no wrinkles on their faces yet, still beautiful and elegant.

    Guo Yifang married early, right after graduating from college, and gave birth the next year. When the child grew to over one year old, he was diagnosed with a mental disability. Considering the child, the couple had a second child, hoping the younger son could continue to take care of his elder brother after their parents passed away.

    But there were unpredictable twists of fate. When the eldest son was 5 and the youngest son was 3, her husband died unexpectedly in an ident.

    Since it was a work-rted ident, thepanypensated arge sum of money, and the insurancepany also paid out a considerable amount of insurance money, enough to support the mother and two sons.

    But raising children as a single mother was already difficult enough, not to mention one with disabilities.

    Guo Yifang did not have an easy time. Her parents and brother all advised her to find another man to share the pressure.

    She was also willing. Three years after her husband''s death, she slowly started dating again.

    However, although she was beautiful, gentle, a stable teacher job, met most of the requirements of the marriage market, the two children put people off. Some dating prospects told her that they would agree to meet only if she gave the children to her parents to raise, and refused to be their stepfather.

    This may have been a wise choice, but Guo Yifang was unwilling to give up her children.

    So others gave up on her.

    Guo Yifang''s brother was very worried about her and argued with his sister many times. ording to him, raising one child was enough, the one with disabilities should be given to the grandparents. Why should she raise them alone?

    The siblings almost always parted unhappily.

    But in early 2012, things took a turn for the better.

    Guo Yifang told her brother that she had met a decent man who knew about her family''s situation but had not lost interest.

    Her brother asked, "Does he have any children?"

    "No."

    "How old is he?"

    "Thirty, two years younger than me. He was married once before but has no children. But he really likes children," Guo Yifang happily said, "Brother, I can tell he doesn''t mind Little Child''s issues at all. He talked with Little Child for a long time yesterday and was not impatient at all."

    Her brother was genuinely happy for her, but still wary in case the other party was afterpensation money: "What does he do?"

    "A teacher at an early education center."

    Guo Yifang had to work herself, and her parents could only help look after her eldest son Yuke. With the additional Little Child, they were overwhelmed. She had no choice but to find an early education center where she could leave Little Child during the day, so he would be taken care of and could learn something.

    Her brother was finally reassured: "When will you bring him home?"

    Guo Yifang''s face lit up: "In a while, if all goes smoothly, I''ll bring him home to have dinner with the family."

    Guo Mother quickly added: "You must move quickly. If you really like him, seal the deal as soon as possible. Look at the life you''ve led these past two years."

    Guo Yifang agreed.

    However, neither the mother nor children had met this man before.

    On May 14th, Guo Yifang did not go to work and her colleagues could not reach her by phone either. Worried that something was wrong, her colleague went to check on her after work, but no one answered the door even after repeated knocking.

    At this time, Guo Yifang''s mother arrived to deliver some items to her and opened the door with her own key.

    The home showed no signs of disarray. On the contrary, it had been tidied up meticulously. There were even two cakes on the table that the children had prepared for Mother''s Day.

    Guo Mother walked into the bedroom in shocked disbelief.

    Guo Yifang and her two childreny peacefully in bed, but their bodies were icy cold. There were no wounds on them. Forensic tests determined that they died of respiratory failure caused by xx poisoning.

    As with previous cases, very little evidence was left at the sceneˇŞno fingerprints, footprints, hair...nothing that could provide clues about the killer.

    The murderer had taken time to clean up meticulously and ensure no traces were left behind.

    Guo Yifang''s loved ones had mentioned the man to the police, who also went to the early education center to investigate.

    They met with the male teacher who was in charge of the little son.

    When asked about his rtionship with the deceased family, he said: "Her child attended sses here. We chatted a bit about her other son."

    Police: "Do you have a girlfriend?"

    He was baffled: "No, why do you ask?"

    "Was your rtionship with Ms. Guo purely tonic?"

    "We weren''t even friends!" He was shocked. "My god, she was the mother of two children! How could I possibly have had any other kind of rtionship with her??"

    The police were also surprised and investigated him thoroughly. It turned out he had an solid alibi that night. He was out drinking and watching a game all night with colleagues.

    He also firmly denied any romantic involvement with Ms. Guo.

    So who was the teacher Ms. Guo spoke ofˇŞanother person, or was it just her own wishful thinking?

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175

    Jian Jing instinctively felt that Guo Yifang''s case was a bit unusual.

    Yes, the crime scene was just as clean, the murder method just as neat, the whereabouts just as concealed. But was it necessary to disguise himself as a suitor just to get close to Guo Yifang''s family?

    "The more inconspicuous the identity, the more concealed it is to him," she analyzed. "A romantic partner is absolutely not a good choice. No woman would keep quiet about something like this."

    Ji Feng: "Is that so?"

    "Of course. Not telling your family about a rtionship is one thing, but you''d definitely tell your friends." Jian Jing said with certainty. "He took a risk, so there must be a special reason."

    Ji Feng picked up a photo of Guo Yifang andpared it to the person in front of him. He deliberated, "But Teacher Jian, you and Ms. Guo arepletely different. Aesthetic tastes can change that much in two years?"

    Guo Yifang in the photo was thirty years old, with delicate features, mature and graceful, gentle yet unwavering, an image appreciated by many traditionalists.

    In contrast, the fourteen-year-old Jian Jing was at most a beauty in bud, worlds away from womanhood.

    "In fact, I''ve always suspected he has erectile dysfunction and is unable to engage in normal rtions with women." Ji Feng confessed. "Otherwise it''d be hard to exin his feelings for you."

    Jian Jing was 14 when she disappeared, no longer a child. It didn''t seem right to identify the Scarred Man as a pedophile. Especially since in the Cai family murder case on Mid-Autumn Festival, their daughter was only 10, more fitting for such criminals.

    Yet the Scarred Man did not harm that little girl.

    "It''s possible he''s not actually a pedophile, but someone forced to settle for less, choosing weaker targets as substitutes." He said. "Unable to interact with normal adult women, he could only turn to more vulnerable options."

    Jian Jing asked in response, "If so, why did hee looking for me now? I''m not a child anymore."

    "That''s true, but he still feels he has control over you." Ji Feng looked at her and said slowly, "Absolute mental influence."

    Jian Jing fell silent for a moment.

    The case studies etched into her mind unfolded page by page, turning into masses of dark clouds, surging in from all sides and weighing heavily on her heart.

    Her emotions spiraled out of control, and her chest tightened with suffocation.

    She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she felt a little better. She said solemnly, "Is it possible that he doesn''t actually like women like Guo Yifang, but mothers like her?"

    Not women, but mothers?

    Ji Feng looked thoughtful. "You mean Guo Yifang''s unconditional devotion to her eldest son was what moved him?"

    The families the Scarred Man chose all had a child. That "child" was likely his object of projection. And the "happiness" he craved must be closely rted to his own past.

    "His mother failed in her maternal duties and abandoned him, or at least failed to protect him." He tried to guess. "He was disappointed in his mother, while Guo Yifang represented the mother figure he approved of. Weak by nature yet strong as a mother, so he pursued her out of character¨Dwhat was he trying to obtain?"

    Jian Jing said, "He saw a reflection of himself in Guo Yifang''s eldest son. He was trying topensate his past self and achieve a sense of fulfillment."

    After a pause, she asked again, "Could it be that each previous case had something he wanted?"

    Ji Feng pondered briefly then shook his head. "Doesn''t seem that way. I have an idea now, you told me his philosophy on life is that living is painful, and death in an illusory moment of happiness is liberation. Correct?"

    "Yes."

    "That should be his criteria for selecting victims." He said. "Every family seems happy to outsiders, but has ws to varying degrees."

    "The Zeng family lost their son and daughter-inw. Guo''s family has no father, and the child is intellectually disabled. What about the Cai family?" Jian Jing asked.

    Ji Feng was extremely familiar with the cases. He immediately replied, "The Cai couple are both disabled. The husband is deaf and the wife mute. Only their child is normal."

    She sighed, "Each has its misfortunes."

    "So this fits perfectly with his theory: things may be happy now but unhappiness coulde. Stopping at this moment is most perfect." Ji Feng stroked his chin, excitement shing through his eyes. "But the Guo case really is special. He came toplete their happiness himself."

    He immediately decided, "We should look closely into Guo Yifang''s case. There may be a pleasant surprise."

    That night at the hotel.

    Jian Jing received a call from Kang Mu Cheng: "It''s been a week, did you run into some trouble?"

    Though unable to see him, she could imagine his furrowed brows. Jian Jing quickly said, "No, the case is just moreplicated so I had to visit more ces."

    "You didn''t run into any danger, right?" Kang Mu Cheng was still suspicious.

    Sheughed drily, "Director Kang, I only went to the victims'' families to ask about the situation. What danger could there be?"

    "Still, be careful." As expected, Kang Mu Cheng refused to listen. "Finish up quickly ande back."

    Jian Jing was puzzled, "Did something happen?"

    "Good news." Kang Mu Cheng said. "The Meng Bi Award nominations began this year, and Rose Gold was nominated. I''m certain it''ll win something, so hurry back and wrap things up. Busy days are ahead."

    This astonished Jian Jing.

    Currently, there were a dozen or so major and minor literature prizes in China, but only three carried real weight. The Meng Bi Award was one, with prizes in six genres: romance, history, martial arts, sci-fi, mystery, and realism; plus the Grand Prize for Writer of the Year.

    Without a doubt, the six winning books were the cream of the crop in that genre for the year.

    And the Writer of the Year prize went without saying¨Dthe author would be prestigious in literary circles, usually a master of history or realist fiction.

    asionally, a martial arts or sci-fi writer would win, and their work was sure to be a genre-transcending masterpiece, wildly popr among Chinese readers globally.

    Each genre had five nominations, and Rose, Assassin and Gold was nominated for Best Mystery Novel alongside four other books.

    Jian Jing asked, "When''s the award ceremony?"

    "November." Kang Mu Cheng replied.

    Though an annual award, it couldn''t be handed out at the end of the year or early next. So the Meng Bi Award covered books published Octoberst year to September this year. October was deliberation period, and the ceremony was in Novembere December, publishers would begin hyping books for the new year.

    Jian Jing quickly calcted and found there was still time. "I''ll definitely be back by then."

    She thought too soon. Kang Mu Chengid down thew: "Paris Fashion Week in October, you''reing with me."

    "I have no interest in fashion." Jian Jing declined.

    Kang Mu Cheng said evenly, "You need to buy dresses."

    Haute couture gowns were hand-tailored, requiring hundreds of hours ofbor. They weren''t ready-to-wear items you could just purchase on demand. From order to delivery, they needed time to make it.

    Jian Jing: "...I guess not." Dresses costing tens of thousands were already good enough. Haute couture costing hundreds of thousands per outfit was a bit extravagant.

    "I''m not asking your opinion." As the boss, Kang Mu Cheng could be ruthless when needed. "Get back in 10 days to work."

    Jian Jing had no choice but to promise, "I''ll try my best."

    Satisfied with her word, Kang Mu Cheng promptly hung up.

    Jian Jing sighed and copsed onto the hotel''s big bed. The thrill of being nominated swirled in her heart, but was soon quashed by the sword hanging over her head.

    Guo Yifang, the intellectually disabled child, the Scarred Man.

    Rose, diary, death worship.

    The jumbled thoughts spun round and round in her mind like a carousel, flickering shadows stretching into dazzling, confusing streaks of light, turning into the hypnotic bars of a luby''s sheet music.

    Exhausted after days of rushing around, even sitting in cars made her back ache. She drifted into sleep...

    And began to dream¨D

    It opened on a strangemp, brightness neither high nor low, not cold or warm, close to natural white light with a huge halo.

    The rest of the view was very dark, not pure ck but shadowy darkness where she could vaguely make out some shapes yet couldn''t see clearly.

    She blinked in the dream, trying to see what kind of ce this was, and what was hiding in the shadows.

    Just then, she heard someone say, "You''re awake? It''s time to eat."

    Then she slowly sat up to see a roll and carton of milk on the bedside table.

    She picked up the milk. The words on the packaging finally came into focus.

    It turned out that it wasn''t because her mind was muddled and she couldn''t see clearly, but because she wasn''t wearing her nearsighted sses, so she couldn''t see the other person''s appearance clearly.

    She squinted her eyes. The light suddenly became brighter, dazzling her eyes. Her eyes were irritated and involuntarily secreted tears, blurring her vision.

    "Seize the time," he said gently but brooking no dissent, "you still have an arduous task today."

    She quickly finished eating.

    Of course, because it was a dream, she felt neither hungry nor full.

    Then the scene jumped, and arge whiteboard suddenly appeared before her eyes, just like the kind teachers often use in university ssrooms. Many photos were posted on it with mas, blurred with mosaics.

    There were a few outline points written next to it:

    The essence of the worship of death?

    What is death?

    "In ancient times, people were ignorant and had too many imaginations about the world after death, making up a series of depictions of the afterlife," he began unhurriedly, like a professor giving a lecture. "But this ''death'' is essentially another kind of ''life'', still differentiated between good and evil, right and wrong, reward and punishment,pletely distorting the meaning of ''death.''"

    He looked at her: "If death is the same as life, then both death and life lose their value."

    She asked, "Do you think life has value too?"

    "Of course, life is painful but also has value, and that value lies in making us realize how precious death is," he said. "The preciousness of death lies in its equality. This is very straightforward. You should understand."

    She said, "Because when people are alive, there is richness and poverty, happiness and unhappiness, but everyone will die, and all be the same."

    "That''s right," he said approvingly. "So if someone thinks death is the beginning of another new journey, they havepletely misunderstood the meaning of death. Death is just death, no heaven or hell."

    She asked, "Are you an atheist?"

    "So-called deities are just human fantasies," he said. "Death inherently exists, it won''t disappear because of human fear, nor will it change because of worship."

    She asked, "Since everyone has to die, why do you kill people?"

    "My dear, I''m a doctor," he said gently.

    "When people get sick they want to see a doctor, even if the illness isn''t life-threatening. It''s the same logic. I''m alleviating their pain for them. Pain has no meaning, it''s people who assign meaning to pain, which is actually a lie."

    "A lie?"

    "Yes, take mothers for example. We all have mothers. Mothers toil and endure, feeding their babies with their own blood, so people eulogize their greatness, to make them willingly give everything. But is that really the case?"

    He continued rhetorically, "No, enduring pain doesn''t make anyone great, does it confer immunity from illness or invulnerability to des and fire and water? It doesn''t. Suffering has no meaning, it''s a thorough scam."

    Dream Jian Jing was very perceptive, but incautious. She blurted out, "Did your mother make sacrifices for you?"

    His expression suddenly turned gloomy, his gaze like icy daggers, his fingers like iron pincers, mping her face tightly.

    "You understand nothing."

    "You don''t understand."

    "Are you going to kill me?" she said with difficulty. "If death is praise, and you punish me with death, you go against your own principles. If I''m right, then you''re wrong."

    Crack. The dream shattered.

    Jian Jing jerked upright. Her phone rm kept ringing as there was an unread message.

    "Wake up, we''re going to the crime scene today."

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176

    In 2009, 2011, and 2012, the Guo Family''s apartment that was the scene of one of the three cases had already been demolished, the Cai Family''s house had been sold to rtives, and only the Guo Family house remained because they were still financially secure and had kept their original home.

    In other words, this was the only remaining crime scene.

    Although nine years had passed, the visible evidence had all been taken away by the police, and the Guo family had alsoe to clean up several times. But in terms of returning to the crime scene, the key was not in the evidence that was usually determined, but in other overlooked ces.

    Fortunately, Guo Yifang''s loved ones cherished her very much. Many years after her death, her and her children''s old belongings were still neatly kept.

    Guo Elder Brother, who had brought them here, said, "My younger sister and her children''s things are all here. When my mother was alive, she woulde to clean up once a year. Now...sigh, feel free to look around, do whatever you need to catch the murderer."

    He didn''t want to stay and be sad, so after a few parting words, he left.

    Ji Feng opened the cardboard box and said, "Back in 2012, the police hadbined the investigations of several cases. Their thinking was that it was a serial murder case, different from us, so the probability of discovering new clues is quite high."

    Jian Jing "mm-hmm"ed absent-mindedly.

    Ji Feng noticed her wandering thoughts and pretended not to notice. "Ladies first, Teacher Jian, anything you want to check?"

    Jian Jing came back to her senses. She considered and said, "I''ll check Guo Yifang''s things, you check the two kids''."

    "Okay."

    There were a lot of Guo Yifang''s belongings, including her phone andputer. The police had checked these electronic devices and found no valuable clues, so everything was returned.

    Jian Jing found the power cord and plugged it in. Luckily it still worked and could be turned on.

    She first looked at theputer. It mostly contained lesson ns and work reports she had made, some downloaded TV shows, and lots of family photos.

    Going through everything one by one was tedious and time-consuming, so Jian Jing directly skipped everything before 2011, leaving much less behind.

    But the lesson ns, papers, and TV shows and movies were of no value.

    The browser history had beenpletely deleted.

    It was the same with the phone. There were no special numbers in the call records, no text messages worth noticing, and the photos were only of the two children at home.

    Very unusual. When looking through the photos on theputer earlier, there were many photos of the younger son at the early education center before March. Never underestimate a mother - in their eyes, every little detail about their child was worth recording.

    Yet after March, there wasn''t a single photo from the early education center.

    Scar Man had deliberately deleted this content.

    So, was it March to May?

    She opened Guo Yifang''s notebook. She had a great habit of recording her daily expenses every day, and sandwiching ˇőˇő in between.

    Among the dry data of breakfast, milk, bus fare, supermarket purchases, there was a missing clue.

    Movie tickets, looking at the price it was for two people.

    However, it was useless.

    The theater''s surveince kept at most fifteen days, and it had been nine years now. Also, the police definitely would not have missed such an obvious clue in the ledger, they must have already verified it.

    Was there anything that was easy to overlook?

    Mother, mother... She chanted to herself a few times in her heart, and suddenly had an inspiration, taking up theputer again.

    Although there was no history, the browser had bookmarked a few frequently used websites.

    One of which was a shopping site.

    She tried logging in directly with the phone number, and used the initials of the two children''s names as the password.

    She guessed right and logged in smoothly.

    Checking the order history, it was either clothes, snacks and toys bought for the children, or household items for the family. She had only bought two dresses for herself that cost a couple hundred yuan.

    She pulled up the order list and called Ji Feng over, "Did you find anything?"

    He spread his hands.

    "Here are Guo Yifang''s shopping records," Jian Jing said. "Should we look for anything out of the ordinary?"

    Ji Feng raised his eyebrows. "You think he left something for the Guo mother and children?"

    "This family is very special," she weighed her words. "The mother was very special to him."

    Ji Feng looked at her meaningfully, but didn''t ask further, just said, "If so, it must be a very important clue - let''s find it first."

    There were a lot of items. Considering the timeframe of March to May, they prioritized picking out objects that looked newer.

    Even so, it still took them six to seven hours before they selected three options: a dinosaur toy, a fairytale book, and a dress.

    They called Guo Yifang''s elder brother to rule out interference from gifts by family members. And March to May were not the birthdays of either child, nor near Children''s Day, so the probability of gifts from friends and rtives was also low.

    "Interesting," Ji Feng clicked his tongue in wonder. "The dinosaur was for the older son, he had a bunch of these toys. The storybook''s suitable age range was 4-6 years old, for the younger son. And of course the dress was for Guo Yifang."

    He asked, "Teacher Jian, of the three gifts, which is key?"

    Jian Jing said, "The dress."

    "Why?" he asked meaningfully.

    However, Jian Jing was lost in thought, and didn''t notice his abnormality. She simply said, "ording to what you said, his mother didn''t fulfill her responsibilities, hecked maternal love, and wanted to make up for the regret. Then, he was ying the role of the child. The dinosaur and book are too new."

    Self-insertion was not done casually, it needed a medium, a ceremony marking the older son as a stand-in, so the gift should be something with his personal characteristics.

    It should be more private, with a sense of history.

    The dinosaur and book were too mainstream, would not seem out of ce given to anyone.

    The dress was different.

    Comparing to the photos of the scene, this dress was not the one Guo Yifang had died in. It didn''t seem to have anything special about it.

    But this dress had a little food stain on it, clearly it had been worn before.

    Yet observing the scene photos closely, one could see that the house had been cleaned very neatly on Mother''s Day. There were no dirty clothes in sight.

    "There was leftover cake eaten on the table, but the tes were put away. He did this to avoid revealing that he had attended a gathering," Jian Jing sorted out her thoughts. "For Guo Yifang, she must have cleaned up beforehand if having a date over, and washed all the dirty clothes."

    She shook the dress open, her fingertips gliding over the fabric. The clothes showed no signs of having been washed, retaining fold creases, and not the kind caused by storage.

    This showed that the dress was new, had been worn, but not washed before being taken off.

    "This was what he gave Guo Yifang. She died wearing this dress," Jian Jing felt a chill down her spine. "He changed her out of the clothes and hid it in the closet, that''s why no one noticed."

    Seeing herplex expression, Ji Feng hurriedly joked, "Looks like nine years ago, he was still a cautious fellow. If she had worn this dress, it would definitely have raised suspicions. Even I can tell this dress is a bit dated."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    "Did I say something wrong?"

    Her: "Deep v-neck,rge floral print, it is indeed 80s style, but doesn''t mean no one wears it. Many people like this retro look nowadays."

    "....Ahem," Ji Feng cleared his throat, pretending nothing had happened. "No wonder the police didn''t notice anything wrong."

    He changed the subject. "He specifically gave this dress to Guo Yifang, what special meaning could it have?"

    Jian Jing grew suspicious. "You keep asking me questions today, why don''t you say what you think?"

    "I''ll say what I think, sure." He was very candid about it. After pondering briefly, he said, "Giving a woman this kind of dress, it''s not like a son to his mother, more like a man to a woman. But the dress has such a sense of era, showing he still couldn''t escape the influence of childhood. So my conclusion isˇŞ"

    Ji Feng looked at her, as straightforward as always, "He had an Oedipusplex."

    "Then why was he so good to the children?" Jian Jing questioned. "Men are jealous creatures, even if the older son was a self-projection, why did the younger son have the same fate? He ced great importance on death, wouldn''t have taken shortcuts, proving he treated them equally."

    Ji Feng seemed stumped by her questions. "You''re right, why is that?"

    Jian Jing didn''t say a word.

    He asked again, "Teacher Jian, what do you think?"

    "The way I see it," she said coldly, "you''re fishing for information from me."

    Ji Feng acted innocent. "Really?"

    "If you want to split, just say so," Jian Jing said impatiently. "Let''s each investigate on our own then."

    "No no," he quickly handed her a bottle of water to cate her, "I just felt you had new ideas today and was curious."

    Jian Jing did not believe him at all: "You''re full of it."

    ˇ°ItˇŻs true, more real than gold,ˇ± Ji Feng coaxed her, ˇ°I racked my brainsst night but had no ideas, Jian is different, I can see youˇŻve got something in mind. Share it, wonˇŻt you? Good things like this shouldnˇŻt be kept to yourself, we need team spirit.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: "No."

    Ji Feng: "Don''t be so petty."

    She shot him a challenging look, with an expression of "what can you do about it?"

    Ji Feng sighed, then after a while tried negotiating: "How about we trade information? I''ll tell you something you don''t know."

    Jian Jing shot up, angry: "What do you mean, you''re still keeping things from me?"

    Ji Feng: "I didn''t mean to keep it from you, I just forgot to mention it."

    "I''d have to take your surname to believe you again," Jian Jing sneered coldly, "Say it or don''t, whatever. I don''t care."

    Bag in hand, with amazing agility she navigated around obstacles and people, storming out the door.

    Ji Feng: "Teacher Jian!"

    The door was wide open, cold wind howling through.

    He sighed: "Leaving me to clean up this mess..."

    ˇŞWhat else could he do?

    Jian Jing was furious.

    They had agreed to investigate the case together. She had told him everything she could, showed ample good faith, but what about him? Giving half-truths, testing the waters every so often, acting as if she had already been brainwashed by Scar Man, liable to turn evil any second.

    Can''t people have a little more trust in one another?

    Even if some leads were ssified, besides regtions there''s still empathy. They had known each other for so long, did they not even have rapport?

    Ah, infuriating.

    With friends like these, might as well break it off.

    At seven pm, lightsing on in homes everywhere.

    From the neighbor''s house wafted the aroma of stewed meat, enticing the glutton within. But Ji Feng, having offended his partner, could only snack on biscuits while sorting through the victim''s belongings.

    There was a ton of stuff, tiring work, and his wound was hurting more.

    Just then, the phone rang.

    He picked up, mumbling unclearly: "Lao Gao?"

    "Yo, eating something tasty?" Lao Gao, who had been injuredst year in the Golden Case but had since recovered and returned, maliciously teased his colleague, "Have fun going out with a pretty girl?"

    Ji Feng: "I''m doing grunt work alone here, spit it out, did the resultse back?"

    "No way it''d be that fast." Lao Gao retorted, "The nationwide DNA screening has a queue, it''ll take a few days to get through."

    Ji Fengined: "It takes that long? More difficult than getting an appointment at Union Hospital."

    "Of course, Union has how many doctors? There are only so many ces that can do the screening." Lao Gao said, "Also don''t get your hopes up too high, the database only has criminals and missing children, it may not produce a match."

    But Ji Feng was optimistic: "Might as well try our luck. I''ve made progress on my end too, we can cross-reference and might find the guy."

    "Tsk tsk, you''re really dedicated to Teacher Jian''s case, even traveling for it on vacation." Goodrades gossip, Lao Gao couldn''t help prying, "How are things going?"

    Ji Fengmented: "How could things be going? The minds of serial killers are not normal."

    Lao Gao: "That''s not what I was asking about."

    "Oh so you wanted to ask about the zombie case?" Ji Feng jabbed, "I can crack a case even on vacation, jealous?"

    Lao Gao was speechless: "You totally deserve to be single."

    "Hey now, I can still turn it around." Ji Feng deadpanned, "Your daughter said when she grows up she wants to marry me."

    Lao Gao bellowed in anger: "Piss off!!"

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177

    Ji Feng returned to the hotel, it was already 10 o''clock at night.

    He went to knock on the door of the next room. Light was shining from under the crack of the door, but no one came to open it for ages.

    She must still be angry.

    With no other choice, Ji Feng took out his phone and called her.

    No answer.

    He changed to sending a message: [Actually, I got a clue about him earlier, let''s talk about it]

    Jian Jing: [Talk if you want]

    Ji Feng: [I didn''t mean to hide it from you. I wanted to wait until there were results before telling you, in case you got excited for nothing.]

    Jian Jing: [You were guarding against me, afraid I''d be brainwashed by him and secretly switch sides?]

    When it came to work, Ji Feng was always fair and honest, he would never make things up: [Yes]

    He sincerely exined his reasons: [You''re the victim in this case. After being with the criminal for so long, no one can guarantee you haven''t been influenced in some way, including yourself. By requesting you participate in solving the case, I''m not only responsible to the organization, but to you as well.]

    Does he trust Jian Jing?

    Of course, everything about her in the past showed her courage and sense of justice.

    But this wasn''t about trust or not. Avoiding subjective emotions is crucial in solving cases. Even when the police be involved parties, they have to dere a conflict of interest.

    Because no matter what, people cannot act without emotions.

    With her in the middle of this, he had to watch her carefully - that was both wariness and protection.

    The door opened.

    Jian Jing stood at the door, looking at him uncertainly: "You didn''t tell me because you were afraid I''d get excited for nothing - is that what you really think?"

    Ji Feng: "Well..."

    "You''d better tell the truth." She gave a coldugh, "You only get one chance."

    "Actually, I thought you would have guessed already. I didn''t think it was necessary to bring it up when you didn''t give it much thought. I figured I''d give you some time to think it through slowly." He lookedpletely sincere.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, blood pressure rising: "When I talk to you, do I need to concentrate every second to take your tests and sudden questions?"

    When it was time to concede, don''t argue over details. Ji Feng lowered his head and admitted his mistake: "My bad."

    "A guy like you will never get a girlfriend in this life." Jian Jing suddenly felt tired and couldn''t be bothered to stay angry.

    Ji Feng''s expression didn''t change, perfectly calm: "Thanks for the reminder, I''ll keep that in mind."

    "Come in." Jian Jing moved aside to let him in, "What did you want to talk about?"

    Ji Feng readily revealed the answer: "He shot at me, and I shot back at him."

    She was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Blood?"

    "Yes." He said simply, "He was injured. Blood stains were detected at the scene. I''ve submitted a report requesting it bepared with the national DNA database. If his rtives were kidnapped children or arrested criminals, we may be able to identify him."

    He also reminded her: "The probability is very low, it''s just trying our luck. Our investigation of him is still very important."

    Jian Jing naturally did not conceal anything either: "His mother may have died from illness, and went through tremendous suffering. He witnessed his mother''s miserable death, and often regretted not having ended her suffering sooner. "

    Ji Feng was very surprised: "That''s apletely different line of thought."

    Previously, their conjectures were as follows: He had an unhappy childhood andcked maternal love. When he met Guo Yifang, she became the mother figure he imagined, and the eldest son was his self-inserted character. Therefore, by joining this family, he made up for his own regrets and gained aplete, happy family - even if just for a moment.

    But Jian Jing had now overturned the basis for this reasoning.

    That is, he did notck maternal love. On the contrary, his mother loved him very much, just as Guo Yifang loved her children. He did not take on the role of the child, he only cared about Guo Yifang.

    He killed her to make up for the regret of not having killed his own mother.

    Jian Jing said: "Think about that dress. If he was inserting himself as the child, why didn''t the child have any personal symbols, but rather the mother''s dress that fit his age?"

    Ji Feng did not answer her directly. He thought for a long time before slowly saying: "Generally speaking, happy families do not easily produce demons, especially when the mother has given sufficient love. Unhappy families andck of maternal love make it easier to create murderous psychopaths - so why did you suddenly have this new idea?"

    Jian Jing: "Trying a different perspective."

    "I believe you." He stated his stance, "But Teacher Jian, be careful."

    "Careful of what?"

    "Criminals are very crafty, especially serial killers like this who have evaded capture for so many years without leaving any trails. He must be extremely cunning." Ji Feng said solemnly, "Letting youe back, how could he not have guessed you''d be sent for treatment?"

    Jian Jing was stunned: "You mean..."

    "He left a message on you, but it wasn''t for you." He said, "It was for the police. He''s provoking the cops, so what you ''know'' may not be the ''truth''."

    As his words faded, the air became dead silent.

    Jian Jing pressed her lips tightly, extremely ufortable inside.

    She had thought she was unraveling theyers of fog, touching the edges of the truth, but forgot that the so-called truth may not be the reality.

    Ji Feng had noticed her blind spot - why would someone as crafty as Scarface send such a big clue back with her?

    Because she was just a pawn.

    "I didn''t want to say it, but since my acting wasn''t good enough and you saw through it, I''ll just speak inly. You''re not a fragile person, being straightforward, you''ll know where you stand."

    Ji Feng spoke calmly and tly, subtly dissolving her embarrassment: "I think he left three moves: the firstyer is your hypnosis, the secondyer is the truth after hypnosis, the thirdyer is you yourself."

    Jian Jing was silent for a while, then sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed: "That makes sense, go on."

    He smiled and pulled over a chair to sit down: "To gain your trust, he couldn''t have told all lies. We need to discern the traps from the clues to catch his tail."

    Jian Jing nced at him, her eyes asking: How do we differentiate?

    "Let''s start with something simple. At the signing event, the surveince only caught one of his hands, proving he knew where the cameras were - then he casually signed with his scarred hand for you to see? That''s illogical." Ji Feng brought up a long-buried concern.

    Jian Jing thought carefully, it did seem to be the case.

    "Human memory grasps key points, and striking impressions are remembered first." He said, "Scars are a very obvious characteristic. I think this was a very obvious trap, and he may not actually have any scars himself."

    It was reasonable and convincing.

    But Jian Jing hesitated for a moment before voluntarily speaking up.

    Ji Feng seemed to have guessed her concerns and took the initiative: "If you think some parts are too much, I can make you a promise."

    "Absolutely won''t say it to others?" She mocked, "Boring."

    "Not boring, you''ll be interested." Ji Feng sighed, prepared himself, then said, "My father''s death is still an unsolved case. I will get to the bottom of it sooner orter. When that timees, you can have your revenge."

    Jian Jing was indeed interested: "Your father?"

    "I''ll tell youter." He avoided the subject,

    "Do we have a deal?"

    She thought for a moment, then nodded: "I''ll trust you onest time."

    "Want to hook pinkies on it?" Ji Feng teased.

    She had an expression of "don''t be so disgusting".

    "Then go ahead."

    Jian Jing organized her thoughts and told him about the dream fromst night.

    "It was a dream, not intuition?" Ji Feng was surprised instead, "You were the protagonist in the dream?"

    Jian Jing said: "No, I was a third-party observer embodied in the protagonist."

    "Spectator perspective?"

    "Correct."

    "Then let''s first assume the dream had meaning..."

    She interrupted: "I''m certain it did."

    "Okay, okay." Ji Feng immediately changed his words, "Let''s just analyze point by point. I think his anger has two possible exnations."

    "Please borate."

    "One, as you said, is injustice for his mother. She suffered endless torment without good results, and died tragically. His personality changed drastically after that, and he came to believe that death was the ultimate truth. Two, the opposite - this was the excuse he sought for his mother''s coldness, tofort himself that her abandonment of him was right."

    That made sense too.

    "Now the two conclusions are opposites, what do we do?" She asked.

    Ji Feng said: "Wait it out."

    "Criminal profiling is an assistive method after all, studying groups rather than individuals." He exined, "Our biggest findings this time are his simted portrait, his mother''s special circumstances, and the age range."

    Jian Jing: "The skirt was popr in the 1980s. He must have been a child back then, so he was probably born in thete 1970s to 1980s? He should be around 35-40 years old now?"

    "Yes, that''s a clear clue," he said. "Once we find out his identity, we can get to the bottom of his issues with his mother."

    After a brief pause, he frowned again: "Actually, I''m worried about another problem now."

    Ji Feng looked at Jian Jing: "We''ve been away from Heping City for over a week. If he was keeping close tabs on you, he would have noticed our whereabouts by now. But he hasn''t tried to stop our investigation at all. Why?"

    "Maybe he thinks we won''t be able to find out much," a chill crept into her heart as she said slowly, "Or perhaps...he has more important ns underway."

    It was an awkward time to return to Heping City.

    4pm was toote to go to work and too early to sleep. Ji Feng decided to go to the vegetable market to buy some ingredients for dinner, do theundry and tidy up the dusty corners of the house.

    When Ji Yunyun came home from school, she was so surprised to see him cooking that her jaw dropped: "Is today a holiday?"

    "I''m going back to work tomorrow, so I''m making you a nice meal today," he urged, "Come help serve the rice."

    Ji Yunyun briskly brought over the bowls.

    The rare asion of the siblings sitting down to enjoy a hot meal together.

    It was impossible for family members to eat together without chatting.

    Ji Yunyun curiously asked about his business trip: "What case was it that you didn''t even get time off for vacation? Was it rted to the person who injured you? Has he been arrested?"

    "You''re in 12th grade, how''s your studying going? When''s your next exam?" Ji Feng counter-asked.

    Ji Yunyun: "It''s fine, 12th graders don''t have monthly exams. Your turn."

    "Kids shouldn''t poke their noses into adults'' affairs," the shameless adult yed the shameless card.

    But Ji Yunyun wasn''t going to back down either. She immediately snorted: "I''d know even if you didn''t tell me. Uncle Li has been asking metely if anyone''s been following me, and he walks me upstairs. Obviously he''s worried I''ll be retaliated against."

    They lived in a residentialpound for families of civil servants. The retired security guard used to be a policeman, and the dogs being walked around thepound were probably on the government payroll, the kind that got pensions.

    Ji Feng nced at his sister but didn''t deny it: "So has there been anyone or not?"

    She shook her head.

    "I''ve watched the school gate through binocrs from inside the school, and hid behind the curtains at night to keep watch after turning off the lights. I didn''t notice anyone following me." Ji Yunyun shook her head, her ponytail swaying. She was incredibly pleased with herself.

    Ji Feng: "..." His dear sister.

    But he still scolded her with his words: "Don''t get self-important."

    Ji Yunyun: "Hmph!!"

    "Hurry up and eat, wash the dishes after eating," Ji Feng urged.

    Ji Yunyun: "I have homework to do, you wash them."

    Nothing in the world was bigger than a 12th grader, so Ji Feng conceded.

    However, in the gaps between doing chores, his mind involuntarily became active again: Did the scarred man believe Jian Jing''s social media post, or has he switched to a different target?

    In any case, he didn''t believe the other party would just wait around to be captured.

    And Teacher Jian seemed to be doing much better than he had imagined, she didn''t appear to be particrly affected.

    Seeing things from her first-person perspective in his third-person perspective was certainly strange... But it did exin her anger - turns out she had never considered the possibility that she was being misled.

    He must have really irritated her by pointing that out.

    Ji Feng figured it''d be best to make himself scarce and not show up in front of her these next couple days.

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178

    Home for a thousand days is good; going out everything is difficult.

    Jian Jing had stayed home continuously for three days. She only went out to dinner with Kang Mu Cheng once to show him that she was safe and sound, so he could put his heart back in his stomach. Other than that, she stayed home tidying up.

    Previously going through ups and downs, she had finally cracked the code to St. Angel and obtained the memories of ˇ°Jian Jingˇ±, so she unconsciously thought that information was correct.

    However, the difficulties were caused by idents. For ˇ°Jian Jingˇ±, these were not problems.

    She needed to break free of inherent impressions and look at everything from an outsiderˇŻs perspective.

    But too much had happened recently, her brain hadnˇŻt properly rested, and she felt a little irritable. So she simply put aside everything rted to the case and didnˇŻt think about it, doing more manualbor instead.

    Mechanicalbor could alleviate the fatigue in her brain without making her feel muddled like sleep did.

    Moreover, after tidying up the room until it was clean, she felt her mind was much clearer than the jumbled past few days.

    Jian Jing iced a bottle of fruit wine and ordered two desserts, preparing to fully enjoy half a day of leisure.

    Go back to school? No problem, she took time off.

    Attend ss? Her advisor said not to worry about it. He had already assigned her a thesis topic, so she could just write the paper when she had time.

    It hadnˇŻt been a waste to choose the most ˇ°open-mindedˇ± teacher back then.

    She had just opened the wine bottle when the doorbell rang.

    She went to answer it, and it was actually Jiang BaiYan. He wore a duckbill cap and mask, carried a cat-shaped backpack, and furtively looked around outside the entrance.

    ˇ°Pudding?ˇ± Jian Jing called out.

    On the camera, the tubby big face of a cat appeared.

    Sheughed and opened the door to let them in.

    As soon as Jiang BaiYan entered, he let Pudding out first. It twisted its fat body with overly agile movements and leaped into Jian JingˇŻs arms, meowing ˇ°meow, meowˇ±.

    ˇ°Did you just take a bath? You smell so nice.ˇ± Jian Jing buried her face in the catˇŻs fur and took a deep sniff.

    ˇ°Yes, I took him to get groomed and his ws trimmed today,ˇ± Jiang BaiYan said. ˇ°DonˇŻt be fooled by him. HeˇŻs trying to trick you into giving him food again. The doctor said we have to control his weight.ˇ±

    Jian Jing held him up and weighed him, sighing, ˇ°He gained weight again.ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh no.ˇ± The owner was worried. ˇ°When I go film, IˇŻll send him to pet school. They can help him lose weight.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...ˇ±

    Born a cat yet still having to attend school, how miserable.

    Who knew the next miserable one would be her.

    Jiang BaiYan saw the sulents on the balcony and gasped, ˇ°Teacher Jingjing! The sulents!ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Uh...ˇ± She shifted sideways to subtly block his path, ˇ°Have a seat, would you like a drink?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan stopped in his tracks at her obstruction but his head didnˇŻt rest, craning to take a pained look, ˇ°The ws are all gone.ˇ±

    Jian Jing had no choice but to admit her mistake, ˇ°I was out for a few days. The auntie who waters them for me probably overwatered them, maybe the roots rotted?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan said, ˇ°They need ample sunlight but canˇŻt be directly exposed. They canˇŻt be underwatered or overwatered.ˇ±

    Her: ˇ°I was wrong.ˇ±

    ˇ°DonˇŻt say that.ˇ± He rolled up his sleeves tofort her, ˇ°Sulents are hard to raise. I killed so many at first too before slowly learning how. Let me help trim them for you.ˇ±

    He took gardening shears and carefully clipped away the unhealthy parts, his expression as serious as a surgeonˇŻs.

    Jian Jing came over holding Pudding to watch the fun.

    Pudding curiously stretched its neck to sniff and inspect the plump sulents, extremely intrigued by them.

    ˇ°Be good, donˇŻt bite.ˇ± Jiang BaiYan held back its head with one hand while loosening the soil in thepact pot with a small trowel in the other.

    Jian Jing asked, ˇ°What can you drink? What drinks are allowed?ˇ±

    ˇ°Any unsweetened drinks are fine,ˇ± he said. ˇ°I already signed the contract. Director Mei said I donˇŻt need to strictly control my physique this time, just maintain a normal level, but I still need to build more muscle mass. IˇŻve been drinking protein powder every daytely, itˇŻs making me nauseous.ˇ±

    Jian Jing felt very sympathetic. ˇ°That sounds so tiring.ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs really hard to build muscle,ˇ± heined. ˇ°If I eat a little more, my abs disappear. Having to eat so much protein every day is gross.ˇ±

    Jian Jing poured him a cold Americano and took away the snacks on the table.

    Jiang BaiYan: ˇ°Teacher Jingjing!ˇ±

    Her: ˇ°?ˇ±

    ˇ°I thought you would be more polite.ˇ± He was deeply disappointed. ˇ°Then I couldˇŻve said it was Teacher who told me to eat it, I was only listening to Teacher which is why I ate a little more.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Pfft.ˇ±

    ˇ°I want to eat cake too.ˇ± He was utterly depressed. ˇ°DonˇŻt you think Pudding wants snacks too?ˇ±

    Pudding: ˇ°Meow!ˇ±

    ˇ°But we canˇŻt eat them.ˇ± He was cruelly unmoved.

    Pudding: ˇ°...ˇ±

    Jian Jing struggled not tough.

    Jiang BaiYan made a funny face, changing the subject, ˇ°I came today because I wanted to ask Teacher Jingjing about the script. I got the full script and skimmed through it twice already.ˇ±

    Jian JingˇŻs head hurt. ˇ°DonˇŻt ask me. Just seeing the script gives me a headache.ˇ±

    ˇ°ThatˇŻs not what IˇŻm talking about.ˇ± He smiled and said, ˇ°I wanted to ask if Teacher has any requirements for the role. Do you want me to appear more rugged, cold, or handsome?ˇ±

    It was a good question. The script was just text. Brought to life by different actors, the temperament would be vastly different.

    She thought carefully for a while before saying, ˇ°I hope you look more beautiful, not too manly.ˇ±

    In fact, there were many actors vying for the role of the assassin this time. Jiang BaiYan was the youngest, the others ranged from 25-35, each with their own charm.

    But Jian Jing didnˇŻt want the assassin to be too masculine.

    The more masculine traits, the heavier the testosterone, the easier it was to be conscious he was a man.

    Definitions of man and girl would distort the storyˇŻs quality. The ambiguity between genders would ruin the original feeling.

    ˇ°More beautiful, like a tree, a bird, a white cloud,ˇ± she said.

    Jiang BaiYan looked contemtive. ˇ°So their rtionship, itˇŻs love but not sexual?ˇ± He scratched his head. ˇ°ThatˇŻs a bit hard to express.ˇ±

    ˇ°Young people should bravely ept challenges.ˇ± Jian Jing offered meaningless chicken soup.

    Jiang BaiYan pouted but didnˇŻt say anything more, turning to the script to ponder it instead. When he worked he was focused and serious, not seeming reluctant at all.

    Jian Jing couldnˇŻt help asking, ˇ°Do you like acting?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan lifted his head and thought for a while before saying, ˇ°Acting allows pretending. Mistakes donˇŻt matter. I feel itˇŻs much simpler than life. Breaking free of oneˇŻs original identity to portray someone else also feels like a vacation.ˇ±

    ˇ°The way you put it,ˇ± she hesitantly asked, ˇ°is being yourself tiring?ˇ±

    ˇ°Being a celebrity is tiring,ˇ± Jiang BaiYan mumbled, head resting on his folded arms over the chair back. ˇ°Maintaining your figure, managing your expressions, nurturing connections, and not having many real friends.ˇ±

    Jian Jing reached out and stroked his head.

    He didnˇŻt shy away, instead shifting closer, half coquettish, half beseeching, ˇ°DonˇŻt think IˇŻm fickle,ining while still doing it.ˇ±

    She scratched under Pudding''s chin, smiling, ˇ°I didnˇŻt say that.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan, satisfied, whispered some gossip, ˇ°Our industry looks morous, but itˇŻs very easy for problems to ur. That psychiatric clinic I go to, at least seven or eight colleagues also see the doctors there.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was shocked. ˇ°YouˇŻre seeing a psychiatrist?ˇ±

    ˇ°It was Lin JieˇŻs idea,ˇ± he waved his hand. ˇ°It proves IˇŻve always had psychological issues, an unhappy childhood, suffered cold abuse, things like that. So if the Jiang familyes after me one day, I wonˇŻt be too passive.ˇ±

    Her: ˇ°Your agent is quite...far-sighted.ˇ±

    ˇ°Lin Jie is amazing. Most problems are not problems in her hands. Jingjing Teacher is also amazing, the most amazing to me,ˇ± he finished praising his agent then sneakily reaffirmed his loyalty. ˇ°Jingjing Teacher is the most amazing in my heart.ˇ±

    Usually she would dismiss sugaredpliments with augh.

    But this time, Jian Jing was moved and couldnˇŻt help taking it seriously, ˇ°DonˇŻt overestimate me like that. IˇŻm not as amazing as you think.ˇ±

    She felt Jiang BaiYan looked at her through a white cat filter, righteous and good, never defeated. But the white kitten was fictional. Characters on the page would be invincible if the author wished it so.

    Reality was not the same.

    Everyone would fail, everyone made mistakes.

    ˇ°IˇŻm an ordinary person just like you,ˇ± she looked into his eyes and sincerely said, ˇ°I fail, I fear, I make mistakes.ˇ±

    ˇ°OhˇŞˇ± He blinked, a slyness appearing in his pitch dark pupils, ˇ°Then what is Teacher Jingjing afraid of?ˇ±

    Her: ???

    Was this little fox deliberately trying to pry something out of her? Her previous mood instantly vanished. Jian Jing impatiently said, ˇ°Afraid of dying.ˇ±

    "Are you angry?" He scooted over and sat next to her, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Don''t be angry, talk to me, I''ve told you everything."

    Jian Jing picked up the pudding and smeared it on his face: "Stay away from me."

    "No." He snatched the pudding, held it by the back of its neck, and threw it aside. "You seem very stressed. Why? Can I help you? I''ll do anything, just tell me."

    Jian Jing denied: "It''s nothing."

    "You do have something on your mind," Jiang BaiYan said. "Your face has lost its glow and you have dark circles under your eyes."

    She was startled and reflexively touched her cheek: "Really?"

    He nodded firmly.

    "But I don''t understand. I don''t have a new booking out recently, the movies and TV shows are going well." Jiang BaiYan was genuinely puzzled. "What are you worried about? An award nomination?"

    At this point, Jian Jing could no longer evade his questioning. She vaguely said: "It''s something else."

    He asked: "Can I help you with it?"

    She shook her head.

    "Should we tell Kang Mu Cheng about it?" Jiang BaiYan asked again.

    Jian Jing smiled: "It''s unrted to my work, Kang Mu Cheng can''t help either."

    "Oh," he made a meaningless sound and suddenly fell silent. But his gaze lingered on her face.

    Jian Jing felt uneasy under his stare and couldn''t help asking: "Does my face really look that bad?" As she spoke, she already took out her phone to book an aesthetic service.

    "Not that bad," he said. "It''s just, Teacher Jing should rx a bit. Do you want to keep Pudding for a few more days? It can keep youpany."

    She was a little tempted but held back: "Not now. I''m going away in a few days. I really can''t take good care of it." Her tone was apologetic.

    "You mustn''t think like that," Jiang BaiYan said solemnly. "If there''s no one waiting for you at home, how lonely it must feel returning to an empty house. Even a nt is better than nothing."

    Jian Jing was lost in thought for a moment, then smiled: "You''re right."

    The home in this world is indeed too cold and empty. There are no parents, no pets. Sometimes when she opens the door, the first feeling is not warmth, but wariness about whether everything is still in ce.

    It is also absurd.

    "It''s time for my appointment." Jiang BaiYan looked at his watch and hurriedly started packing up. He also advised her, "You can adopt a cat too, so you''ll havepany when ying."

    Jian Jing was tempted but held herself back: "Let''s talk about itter."

    He didn''t insist: "Then I''ll go back first. Pudding can stay a while longer, my assistant wille pick it up tonight."

    This was perfect, she readily agreed: "Okay."

    Before leaving, Jiang BaiYan repeatedly reminded her: "Don''t give in and feed it snacks."

    Jian Jing: "I know..."

    When Jiang BaiYan arrived at the psychologist''s office, he was already more than 5 minuteste.

    "Thanks for the red envelope," the refined psychologist pushed up his gold-rimmed sses and smiled. "You have 55 minutes left."

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t care about that little money. He made himselffortable on the seat and rested his head as he looked at his doctor. If Jian Jing could somehow see this scene, she would definitely be very surprised.

    Because the current Jiang BaiYan waspletely different from how he was at home just half an hour ago. There was none of that coquettish charm, instead he seemed rather cold.

    But the psychologist was not surprised at all. He calmly recounted: "How was your sleep this week? How many hours on average?"

    "Around five or six hours," he said. "The sleeping pills work well."

    "You don''t have physiological insomnia. Try not to take medicine if possible," the doctor said.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "I think it''s fine."

    "You can''t sleep because you have things on your mind," the doctor gently asked, "Would you like to talk about what''s bothering you?"

    "What''s bothering me huh..." He unexpectedly cooperated and answered, "I was wondering, what kind of man would a woman like?"

    The psychologist looked up in surprise, then a faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips. Gently, he said: "Good question."

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179

    Long flights are the most tiring. Although Paris and Peace City are so far apart, Kang Mu Cheng insisted on taking Jian Jing there for a flight over ten hours long that could not be avoided.

    Jian Jing was listless: "Flying all the way to Paris just to buy something, in case I don''t win the award, people willugh at me."

    "There''s no harm in being more careful the first time you''re nominated," Kang Mu Cheng said. "I''d also like you to be further away."

    Whether or not the scarred man was following her, going abroad was safer anyway, and it saved him from worrying about her suddenly disappearing someday.

    Earlier when she was in the mountains, she hadpletely lost contact for no reason, and if he hadn''t known she was with Qifeng, he would have been scared to death.

    "Then pray that I win the award," Jian Jing grumbled as she curled up in her seat. Fortunately, there was ample space in first ss, otherwise after sitting for over ten hours, her legs would surely be paralyzed.

    She opened her iPad, and her fingers hovered over the memo app for a moment before deciding against opening the e-version case files, instead choosing to watch a downloaded variety show.

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at it: "A show Jiang BaiYan participated in?"

    "He rmended it to me, saying it looks like a travel show but is actually a pce drama," Jian Jing put on her headphones. "There are three male guests, one straight, one gay, and one bisexual. The gay and bi ones are exes, and the bi one''s ex is one of the female guests. She and the gay one are best friends, and the two female guests started out with a sisterly image but ended up as enemies."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "And you''re watching this?"

    "It''s so interesting," she said. "The audience thinks the gay one and his bestie are faking a rtionship, while the bi one is a nice guy who''s been wronged for his brother''s sake."

    Kang Mu Cheng shook his head but didn''t say anything more.

    A few hourster, many passengers began to nod off, and the flight attendants started handing out meals. Jian Jing had no appetite and asked for a ss of white wine to help her sleep.

    "Didn''t sleep wellst night?" he asked.

    Jian Jing said, "I was upte gaming."

    With nothing else to upy her brain, she would automatically start thinking about case details. Left with no choice, she had to take refuge in games, focusing intently on gaming for a whole night.

    She had to admit, with her physical fitness improved, gaming was even more addictive now.

    Her reactions were quicker, her moves more precise, and the more she yed, the more absorbed she became.

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed, about to say something, but she smiled and said, "I know, staying up hurts your health, I didn''t mean to, just got caught up in the game and lost track of time."

    Her words stopped his own right in their tracks.

    In principle, she was so sensible that he should feel gratified, but oddly enough, the reality was theplete opposite, leaving Kang Mu Cheng feeling utterly helpless.

    Lately there had been many simr moments where he wanted to say something, only to find himself rendered speechless.

    Left with no choice, he changed the subject withplicated feelings: "Ying Jie is also in Paris, he''s waiting for us at the hotel."

    Jian Jing asked with concern: "How is he doing?"

    During summer vacation, Si Yingjie had invited them to vacation on Mermaid Ind, but ended up encountering the most devastating emotional catastrophe of his life, first running into his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend, then his ex-girlfriend being murdered by her best friend, and finally discovering his ex-wife was a corporate spy after confidential information.

    Afterward, he had been thoroughly devastated, rarely contacting her again after returning home.

    "Not great, so I called him out to unwind, and he can help advise you too." Kang Mu Cheng passed her two fashion magazines, "Read up if you''re bored."

    With nothing else to do anyway, she epted the magazines and started cramming knowledge about major fashion brands.

    Napping and snacking here and there, she finally survived the lengthy flight.

    They arrived in Paris.

    In people''s impressions, Paris was a romantic, elegant city, a ce of pilgrimage for many. However, reality was unlikely to be so picturesque. Like every city, it had its gorgeous, profound side, as well as its terrible, impoverished side.

    At any rate, Jian Jing felt there were more pickpockets here than back home.

    On the drive to the hotel, sitting in the car, she witnessed three thefts and one robbery.

    All she could do was reassure herself that this was Paris, not London. Paris was not suited for murders.

    By the time they reached the hotel, the public order had drastically improved.

    After checking in and other trivial matters, Jian Jing met Si Yingjie again.

    He had lost weightpared to before, and his spirits remained low,cking the enthusiasm that had once radiated from inside out when they met on vacation. Dressed casually today, he greeted themnguidly, "Little Jingjing, you''re also interested in fashion shows?"

    "President Kang insisted Ie," Jian Jing immediately sold out her boss. "I don''t know the first thing about fashion, I really don''t see the appeal in shows."

    Si Yingjie gave her a look and stood by his bro: "The models are still very pretty."

    Jian Jing: "..." Hmph, men.

    Si Yingjie evenmented, "Giselle Bundchen''s figure is so gorgeous."

    With no standing to argue in front of a beauty, Jian Jing switched sides: "That she is."

    Thinking further, now that she was already here, it would be a waste not to make the most of the opportunity.

    So the next day, she went to a certain luxury brand''s show with some anticipation.

    She encountered many celebrities and inte influencers.

    Many of the celebrities and influencers had onlye to walk the red carpet.

    There were also many foreign stars she didn''t recognize at all.

    The number of reporters at the entrance was insane, some stars were swarmed while others were ignored.

    The venue wasn''trge and the seats were tiny.

    Jian Jing whispered as she eyed the little stools, "Isn''t it a bit cramped?"

    Si Yingjie: "They''re always this cramped."

    She: "!!!"

    Right before the show began, the atmosphere was exuberant, with people chatting, taking photos together, andworking.

    Most shocking of all was a foreign inte influencer who ran over, called Jian Jing''s name in terribly awkward Chinese, and asked if she was the author of "Demon Doctor" and a guest on the haunted house show.

    Jian Jing: "I''m..." not.

    Si Yingjie: "Yes!"

    She: "???"

    Just like that, she was pulled in by the shoulder for a photo op by a total stranger foreign girl. The other party was very enthusiastic, leaving her social media handle and inviting Jian Jing to follow each other.

    "Looks like the Demon Doctor''s sales are pretty good abroad," Si Yingjie remarked.

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded slightly, a faint joy visible in his eyes: "Even better than when it was first released domestically. It''s #7 on the New York Times bestseller list."

    Jian Jing was shocked: "How did I not know?"

    He slowly said, "Who knows, I definitely called you before, you just never picked up."

    She: "..." Ah, right, when she was on a date with the zombie.

    Quickly changing the subject: "It''s starting."

    The lights dimmed, music sounded, and a fantastical, illusionary world took the stage as models sashayed out in iprehensible, overbearing couture.

    To be objective, the clothes were bizarre, but the overall experience they imparted was beautiful. Of course, for ayperson this kind of beauty was merely something to look at, unable to decipher the various profound, high-ss connotations.

    After an hour and a half, the show ended.

    The other attendees rushed out in a whoosh, quickly dispersing.

    Jian Jing: "What are they in such a hurry for?"

    "To watch the next show," Si Yingjie said. "They''ve already been very kind to you, only looking at haute couture instead of ready-to-wear."

    She sighed and resigned herself.

    Each show had its own theme. The previous one was about nature and environmental protection, while the next was about dreams and love, incorporating a lot ofce, feathers, and roses.

    In the spotlight, the models were so beautiful they seemed unreal.

    Si Yingjie said to Jian Jing, "This brand''s wedding gowns are gorgeous, just get yours here when you get married."

    Jian Jing propped up her head and didn''t speak for a while.

    Kang Mu Cheng seemed to sense something and asked, "You feel the rose elements match the theme of your book?"

    She nodded.

    "Then let''s go with this one," Si Yingjie decided. "You don''t have to be getting married to wear a wedding dress. What era is this, just buy it if you like it."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips, eyes bright, "I want a little cocktail dress, something that doesn''t hinder movement too much."

    "If you''re buying might as well get the whole set," Si Yingjie urged her. "Get Mu Cheng to reimburse you for it."

    Jian Jing shook her head. "I can buy it myself."

    "With just your royalties?" Kang Mu Cheng nced at her and firmly rejected, "Little girls should save more, not spend randomly."

    A question mark slowly surfaced in Jian Jing''s mind.

    Just those royalties? Were her royalties really so little? They were in the eight digits this year.

    Exactly how wealthy was President Kang?

    Was Golden Roc making that much money?

    She tried to regain control: "I think..."

    "Let''s go, if you like it then decide on it, so no one else grabs it first." Kang Mu Cheng stood up.

    Si Yingjie: "So hungry. Jingjing, what do you want for dinner?"

    Jian Jing felt utterly helpless. Being with adults she had met as a teenager, this was the downside - they would always see her as not grown up yet.

    She thought for a moment and said, "Then I''ll buy my own shoes."

    "Shoes don''t cost that much," Si Yingjie scorned her. "Bro will get them for you."

    Jian Jing swiftly agreed, "Okay, then I''ll buy my own jewelry."

    Si Yingjie finally realized what was going on and said speechlessly, "You had to make a big deal out of a gift?"

    "It is a big deal," Jian Jing said. "If I can afford it, why should I need someone else to buy it for me?"

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t help chuckling. He replied, "Because you earn far more than this. Okay, it''s just a dress. Don''t be petty about it, just take it since I''m giving it to you."

    Since he put it that way, Jian Jing didn''t have the heart to reject his good intentions, so she conceded.

    Kang Mu Cheng was visibly delighted and immediately took her to the exhibition hall to select a style.

    The dresses were extremely beautiful, beautiful enough to make one''s heart flutter.

    Especially the roses embroidered on the white gauze, as red as fresh blood. If you looked at them for too long, even with eyes closed, the bright color of the petals still lingered on your retina.

    "Will I look good in this one?" she asked Si Yingjie.

    Without any hesitation, Si Yingjie answered, "You''ll look like a little princess."

    Jian Jing neither agreed nor disagreed, but a trace of an odd smile emerged at the corner of her lips. "I want this one," she stated firmly. "This dress is perfect."

    Her strange tone attracted Kang Mu Cheng''s attention. He asked suspiciously, "Perfect for what?"

    "Of course for the book, Rose Gold, it''s so fitting," Si Yingjie answered obliviously.

    Kang Mu Cheng ignored him and kept looking at Jian Jing questioningly.

    She smiled and acted as if nothing had happened, "It''s also suitable as a memento for the first time I win an award. I have a feeling I really might win something."

    The earlier doubts immediately disappeared, and he couldn''t help but smile, "I think so too."

    After selecting the style, it was time to schedule the custom fitting. They arrived early, so there was plenty of time. They booked it for tomorrow morning.

    Jian Jing had nned it out beautifully, intending to go visit the Louvre Museum after finishing up.

    But she underestimated the tedious process of bespoke tailoring.

    The designer tirelessly asked about her hobbies, profession, and when and where she would wear the dress. Then came the super detailed measurements, with data filling up many rows that made one dizzy to look at.

    There was also the selection of fabrics, choosing materials for embellishments like the embroidered roses, with dozens of different options just for the fabrics.

    Jian Jing originally thought she could handle it herself, but it turned out there was too muchmunication needed and her English was far from enough, forcing her to use skill cards twice.

    [Name: Beginner English Skill Card]

    [Description: Your English level allows for dailymunication]

    [Note: How frustrating, poormunication]

    [Name: Beginner French Skill Card]

    [Description: Your French level allows for dailymunication]

    [Note: Looks like you''ve encountered anguage barrier!]

    She was extremely pained at the time. To think that just buying a dress required using skill cards. English was one thing, but what use was the French card when she''d onlye to Paris a couple times?

    However, the next day, this resentment waspletely overturned 180 degrees.

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180

    After booking the dress, Jian Jing''s mission for this trip to Paris waspleted.

    However, since she was already here, she couldn''t just book a dress and leave. Even Kang Mu Cheng didn''t say he was going back and had reserved two days for rest.

    The next day, Ms. Kang Lei sent instructionsining that there were no bags she wanted at the domestic counter, so she asked her son to buy one directly from the gship store and bring it back.

    The itinerary for the third day naturally changed to shopping.

    Si Yingjie also did not escape from his sisters'' clutches, and got a pile of shopping lists. Heined endlessly, "Are you kidding me? A flight ticket costs just a few bucks, can''t youe and buy it yourself? You just have to make me help."

    Jian Jing said, "Long flights are tiring."

    "They are frequent fliers, traveling all over the world, and theyck this bit?" Si Yingjie reluctantly said, "They just want to mess with me."

    He really didn''t want to go through the trouble and slipped away after apanying them for half an hour.

    Jian Jing''s scalp tingled.

    This was her first time shopping with Kang Mu Cheng, it wouldn''t be... Well, it waspletely boring.

    He spent ten minutes going into the store, exining what he wanted to the clerk, paid with his card, and left.

    Over.

    Was this shopping? No, this was buying things.

    "What do you want to buy?" Kang Mu Cheng asked.

    At that moment, Jian Jing felt the nervousness of being called on by the teacher in ss. "I... don''t have anything I want to buy."

    Kang Mu Cheng let out an imperceptible sigh and said, "Then let''s just take a look around."

    Jian Jing nodded and decided to pick out something simr and then slip away.

    However, today they were browsing a luxury department store in Paris, with many branches andplete styles, so it was difficult to leave without any interest.

    As Jian Jing browsed, her shopping enthusiasm awakened, plus Kang Mu Cheng was very patient despite not being a goodpanion, and he waited withoutint.

    Before she knew it, two hours had passed.

    She was debating whether or not to splurge and buy both of the bags she was looking at, when suddenly there was a loud "Bang!" like firecrackers exploding.

    Then came the ttering sound of shattering ss, falling tiles hitting the floor, crisp yet frightening.

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment. Her first reaction was "what ident happened," but half a secondter, her second thought emerged - could it be a shooting?

    That''s right, but the situation was a hundred times worse.

    [New mission released]

    [Mission name: Mall hijacking incident]

    [Content description: A group of heavily armed gangsters suddenly broke into the bustling luxury mall. They took hostages for unknown reasons, and everyone was in great danger! Please ensure your own safety and try to ensure the survival of others as much as possible]

    [Mission reward and punishment: To be determined ording to thepletion of the mission]

    Jian Jing gasped. With the help of her conditionedposure, her nk mind calmed down slightly. She didn''t look at what was happening, only recalled the floor n of the mall in her first moment.

    This was the advantage brought by the [Survival Card]. No matter when and where, she would always pay attention to the emergency exits first.

    She put down her handbag and grabbed Kang Mu Cheng, whispering, "Gunshot! Run!"

    Don''t me her for being ruthless. At this time, she couldn''t remind others. There were too many shoppers that if she called out, it would not only block the exits due to the panic, but also cause a stampede.

    And now this one or two seconds was the most critical.

    Kang Mu Cheng was dragged by her to run a few steps before reacting, but after running a few steps, there was another round of "rat-tat-tat" shooting ahead, apanied by one or two muffled bangs from time to time.

    Jian Jing suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

    This department store had a total of seven floors, three atriums, and seven doors, roughly as follows:

    Rear Rear

    West East

    Side Left Atrium Big Atrium Right Atrium Side

    Door Door

    Small Door Big Door Small Door

    The first loudest shot was fired in the big atrium. Jian Jing and Kang Mu Cheng were on the second floor of the left atrium, so her first choice was to go downstairs and escape from the back door as quickly as possible.

    Unfortunately, the gangsters also knew that there were other exits here.

    Next, gunshots rang out from the side door. The gangsters sealed off the other doors and frantically reaped lives with a torrent of bullets.

    It really was like harvesting wheat, cutting down person after person with each sh, the scene was silent except for the gunshots and muffled thuds of people falling down.

    Yes, it was only at this moment that people would realize that under extreme fear and pressure, one cannot scream. They can only stand still nkly, unable to act or think.

    Amidst the hail of bullets, this was equal to seeking death.

    Jian Jing saw the gangsters rushing in with guns in the distance. She knew they definitely could not escape, so she immediately turned around to look for reliable shelter.

    At the same time, her mind raced.

    There were two types of shootings, one was retaliatory indiscriminate killing, shooting whoever they caught, just to drag more people down to hell together. The other was purposeful, the opening massacre only to deter the scene and herd people to designated locations for hostage-taking.

    She closed her eyes and listened. Gunshots came from at least three directions, which meant the gangsters wererge in number and familiar with theyout of the mall.

    This was not a spur of the moment act, they had deliberately chosen this ce tomit the crime.

    "Rat-tat-tat." The sheltering foliage wall was shredded, and the previously bright and beautiful customers fled in embarrassment, with many bodies lying motionless on the ground.

    Jian Jing had seen many corpses, but this was her first time facing such reckless ughter head-on.

    She was frightened, not daring to hesitate at all. Before the gangsters approached, she quickly pulled Kang Mu Cheng to retreat and look for the next shelter.

    Of course, she didn''t forget to try and save some others along the way.

    As they fled, if she saw people crouching with their heads in their hands, she would drag them behind cover. If someone could still follow instructions, she would gesture for them toe over.

    After about twenty seconds, the gunfire shifted to another direction.

    The customers on the north side of the left atrium escaped the first swing of the scythe of death. As long as they survived the opening massacre, the subsequent death rate would drop sharply.

    A masked man in ck came over with a gun in each hand, directing them: "desdre"

    French.

    Someone stammered, "Exce?"

    "Godownstairs," the gangster switched to English.

    Now most people understood. Everyone raised their hands high, like a group of newly hatched chicks, and fearfully took the esctor downstairs.

    Below the esctor there was also a thug with a raised gun, aiming at them.

    If anyone made abnormal moves, they absolutely could not escape a sweep of bullets.

    Jian Jing naturally did not dare to physically challenge the bullets. She obediently followed directions, and immediately used her Acting Card, putting on an expression as if scared to death. She clung tightly to Kang Mu Cheng''s arm, eyes brimming with tears, face deathly pale, acting like a frightened little girl.

    Her acting was one hundred percent impossible to see through. The gangster only nced at her and didn''t pay more attention.

    The group was driven in extreme fear to the grand atrium on the first floor. The front doors had already lowered the iron gates, tightly sealed off. Three gangsters each took up a position, guarding the hostages being herded in.

    Jian Jing quickly counted, at least over ten gangsters had appeared, plus others in different locations, there were probably several dozen in total.

    This was not a situation that a small number of people could turn around.

    Wait and see.

    She snuggled next to Kang Mu Cheng, weeping lightly from time to time to maintain the frightened persona, imperceptibly observing everyone''s actions.

    Kang Mu Cheng was also very quiet, holding her arm, trying his best to remain silent.

    They were right to do so.

    Among the hostages there was a mentally broken young man who wanted to make a run for it regardless, and was shot in the head.

    There was also a burly man who slowly approached the guarding gangster, seemingly wanting to wrest the gun for a counterattack. As a result, not only did he lose his life on the spot from the gangster''s repeated sweeps, the nearby girl was also caught in the crossfire, blood gushing out.

    Jian Jing moved, instinctively wanting to go over to assist, but held back.

    Because a fat man was a bit quicker, pulling out a handkerchief to press on the girl''s wound.

    The gangster warned, "Ne fais pas de choses superfes (Don''t do unnecessary things)!"

    "She''s jtakid, please!" the fat man pleaded anxiously.

    Another gangster said "forget it" in French, tacitly approving his actions.

    Jian Jing remembered this person. Although each gangster wore a hood, from the other''s behavior, it should be a woman.

    Over the next twenty minutes, people hiding all over the mall were found and driven together.

    Everyone was forced to hand over their phones, tablets and othermunication devices, and herded into the atrium, like pigs in a pen waiting to be ughtered.

    Jian Jing estimated that there were about a hundred people.

    What did they want to do by taking so many hostages at once?

    The answer was quickly revealed.

    The thugs found the mall manager and used his phone to call the police, making several demands and asking for some people to be released.

    Jian Jing didn''t know the details, but just listening, it didn''t sound like an easy thing.

    And if the negotiations reached an impasse, it was very likely that the killing would start again.

    They couldn''t rely on the foreign government, so how could they save themselves?

    One person with one gun absolutely could not turn the situation around, even if James Bond was here.

    Be patient, and see how it goes.

    After negotiating for more than ten minutes, the other party agreed to the first condition of the thugs, which was to have a certain Mr. So-and-So personallye forward for further talks with the thugs.

    Jian Jing guessed that Mr. So-and-So was probably a well-known figure, perhaps of great political significance, but it wasn''t important, they would just call him Big Boss.

    After agreeing to the first demand of the thugs, the local police immediately put forward their own exchange conditions, wanting to send in medical personnel to rescue the injured.

    Of course the thugs would not agree, who knows if the people sent in would actually be police.

    The police haggled, and finally managed to send in a batch of medicines.

    The fat man who had helped rescue people earlier stepped forward, saying he was a nurse at the hospital, and hoped he could bandage the wounds of the injured.

    "Let''s take care of this, and you can also have more bargaining chips," the fat man''s French was mediocre, but his attitude was sincere and generous, even for enemies, it was very difficult to feel malicious towards him.

    The leader of the thugs had already taken off his mask, a middle-aged man with a full beard. His eyes were vicious as he stared grimly at the fat man.

    The fat man shrank back a little, his tone weakened, but still pleaded: "Women, children, is it okay?"

    The big boss didn''t speak, it seemed like the guy who looked like the second inmand said: "Don''t make the negotiations rigid from the start."

    Only then did the big boss turn his head away and ignore them.

    The fat man led the way, and more hostages gradually stood up to ask for help.

    But the thugs were very cautious, they did not allow the two men who imed to be doctors to move around, only allowing two women toe out and help.

    But the injured were far from the only trouble among the hundreds of hostages.

    Among them were more than a dozen mothers and more than twenty children, including six infants.

    However naughty children can at least endure without crying, but what else can babies do when they are hungry, cold and ufortable except cry? Several mothers were almost in tears from anxiety.

    "Shit! Make this little bastard stop crying!" The irritable guy next to him cursed, "What if they start shooting at us?!"

    The mother held back her tears and kept apologizing, desperately patting the baby in her arms.

    But the baby was terribly hungry, and still wailed loudly, gasping for breath.

    "He''s hungry, you need to breastfeed," said a female white-cor professional next to her. She took off her suit jacket and lightly draped it over the mother, wanting to give her a ce to feed the baby.

    However, this move touched the thugs'' line of vignce, and one of them shouted angrily: "What are you doing? Hands off!"

    While speaking, he rushed over, grabbed the white cor woman''s hair, and dragged her aside, kicking her twice.

    The people around were instantly silent.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181

    Themotion was still continuing.

    A child with asthma suffered an attack from the extreme fright and lost the medicine he carried with him during the earlier escape.

    The child gasped for breath and copsed right on the ground. Fortunately an elderly person who also had asthma took the initiative to lend his inhaler to the child''s mother.

    Another elderly person''s blood pressure shot up. He slumped to the ground with unstable breathing.

    The fat guy named "Exce" carried a medical kit and constantly wove through the crowd, feeding medicine to the old people and bandaging the wounds of the injured. He was so busy that he staggered around.

    He even braced Jian Jing''s shoulders with his chubby hands twice as he passed by her.

    Jian Jing lowered the brim of her cap and pondered deeply.

    The first time the fat guy drew a lightning symbol on her shoulder which she could notprehend, but the second time, he drew a J.

    Deducting from this, the lightning was Z.

    J was the initial of her surname, he recognized her. Among the people she knew, the only familiar one who could be wearing such an unfamiliar face was Zong Xunmei, or Zong Ye.

    She did not know why he disguised himself this way or what his purpose was, but it was unimportant. At this moment, with nearly a thousand lives at stake including their own, they were the best allies.

    But the two of them were not enough.

    Jian Jing carefully observed the crowds, secretly picking out helpers.

    There were quite a lot of people.

    Like a man in his fifties with all white hair, clearly a retired cop, sharp-eyed, burly, and muscr. And a man who was possibly a soldier on active duty, looking honest and quiet but straight backed from training.

    They were the main targets of the kidnappers'' attention.

    Inparison, a female doctor and nurse who were helping Zong Ye treat the patients were gentle, invoking the harmless aura of Florence Nightingale. But they were as alert as the men.

    Everyone exchanged covert nces but did not act yet.

    Because they could not trust each other. There may be aplices among the hostages. If they recruited an aplice, it would be game over.

    She became even more cautious and careful.

    However, this wariness meant something else in others'' eyes.

    Kang Mu Cheng was half skeptical of her initial panic---of course she acted very realistically, but he had witnessed her solve cases before, and could hardly imagine her being so afraid.

    But now as he looked again, he believed it.

    However horrifying, corpses were dead and would not jump up to kill people. Medical students saw blood and flesh every day yet could still barbecue happily.

    ughter was different.

    Life was lighter than ashes, casually snuffed out.

    Who would not be afraid?

    She had died once before too.

    He rubbed her back and softlyforted, "Don''t be scared." After some hesitation, he whispered, "Someone should have contacted the embassy already. Ying Jie will definitely find a way to help us."

    Jian Jing looked up after a while and gave a faint smile. "I''m not scared, don''t you be scared either."

    With the kidnappers monitoring them, exchanging a few words was the limit.

    She did not say more, and activated the perspective device on her sses to figure out the number of enemies first.

    Then her eyes were blinded by the chaotic lines, and she nearly shed tears.

    The area was too big with too many things that she could not see clearly.

    She had to spend money.

    "Draw special card," she recited silently.

    The system never failed expectations at critical moments.

    [Drawing card...]

    [Special card drawn]

    [Name: Special Card - Infrared Thermal Imager]

    [Description: ck tech product, can bebined with mainponent for use, or used independently. Detects target''s temperature distribution by converting infrared radiation into visible signals, no radiation. 10 minutes free use daily, can consume courage to continue operation, 1 point = 10 minutes]

    [Note: A small device with big uses]

    No mistake there.

    With the thermal imager, the situation in the entire mall came into view.

    There were ten kidnappers in the central atrium, two by the west gate, one at each of the two small south gates, one at each of the two back gates, all gates were blocked off, two were stationed at the east gate where negotiations happened.

    That made eighteen people, and three more patrolling the second floor.

    Twenty one people in total.

    How could she ry this information to Zong Ye?

    Her mind raced and she quickly had an idea.

    The sun was harsh today so she went out wearing a fashionable cap with her hair tucked inside, only her face showing.

    Now she conjured four thin braids with simple cross knots as separators, using the length as signals.

    h

    rˇŞˇŞ

    2ˇŞˇŞ

    1

    21 people here.

    When Zong Ye passed by her again under the guise of retrieving something, she rxed her hand and casually swept the strands behind her ear, feigning casualness.

    He gave a slight nod.

    After a while, he hurriedly shifted a child with breathing difficulties over, saying in English, "She needs some fresh air."

    By chance, Jian Jing had chosen a corner with a pir nearby, fewer people.

    He naturally ced the child next to her. "Miss, please take care of her."

    Jian Jing looked anxious, quickly nced at the kidnappers, and seeing no objections from them, timidly nodded and yed her gutless role to the extreme.

    Meanwhile, negotiations progressed.

    The representative the kidnappers requested had arrived, attitude sincere, patiently listening to their demands. Then gave a very official response.

    Jian Jing only understood the gist of his formal vocabry andplex grammar: I''m aware of all your demands, but they clearly vitew and justice so we really cannot agree.

    In other words, the demands were excessive, let''s discuss some more.

    Clearly this was probing, to find out the kidnappers'' bottom line.

    The kidnappers quickly gave them a demonstration.

    They randomly picked a row of unlucky hostages, forced them to the east gate, drew the curtains blocking the view, and through the ss, carried out a ughter.

    One man, one gun, bullets spraying, the tearful and terrified hostages let out muffled groans and fell to the ground in session.

    Truly hitting rock bottom.

    Dead silence at the scene.

    The brazen kidnappers said they only gave three hours. If arrangements could not be made, they would kill another batch since they had plenty of hostages.

    The representative immediately conceded that they could negotiate more but three hours was too short, they needed the Prime Minister''s approval etc, asking for an extension to six hours.

    The kidnappers refused.

    Haggling.

    Finally settling on five hours.

    Meanwhile, the blood of the dead kept flowing, staining the floors of this high-end mall.

    A faint tang of rust lingered in the air, bone-chilling.

    Jian Jing looked up but her view was blocked by Kang Mu Cheng. He pressed her head down and murmured, "Don''t look."

    She did not argue and averted her gaze obediently.

    A few steps away, Zong Ye did not even nce at her, but his hand resting on his leg trembled slightly, tapping his middle finger then little finger. Easy to miss for a hand tremor.

    But she decoded his Morse message.

    Split up.

    Wait.

    Jian Jing gave a barely perceptible nod and continued observing the kidnappers.

    After the ughter, dead silence filled the scene except for sporadic sobs. Almost no one dared speak. The kidnappers looked satisfied at the docile hostages and conversed softly among themselves.

    She turned on her hearing and caught snippets of French.

    "(French) ...Installed?"

    "(French) No problem, if they dare to... won''t let them off easy..."

    "(French) Why not use the hostages..."

    "(French) Not time yet."

    Forcibly do what? Break out?

    Her heart jumped as she noticed several bags the kidnappers had left in the corner.

    What were those? Weren''t there earlier, when were they delivered?

    She activated the perspective device. Tubes and wires came into view.

    She inhaled sharply and her fingers clenched.

    "What''s wrong?" Kang Mu Cheng had given the child some water and turned to see her pale face.

    Jian Jing hesitated. "It''s nothing," she said softly.

    She looked for Zong Ye but this guy was quite active, staring intently at the harmless fat face yet whispering with a kidnapper.

    F*cking absurd.

    What social skills, too damnpetent!

    However, even the vicious criminals could not resist his social skills. Although he was tricked once before, it did not mean she was without skills.

    Her anger suddenly subsided.

    She nimbly took out a pen from her bag, fumbling to tear off a piece of paper. However, the words she wrote had to be chosen carefully. If it was discovered, the criminals could not guess her intentions.

    After thinking silently for a while, Jian Jing wrote a few words and then folded the paper, pondering how to deliver it.

    The opportunity came quickly.

    After conversing with the criminals, Zong Ye walked past her as if unintentionally. Jian Jing pretended to dodge but nimbly slipped the note into the pleats of his pants.

    He sat down calmly and took it out to unfold.

    ˇ°What is this?ˇ± The nurse helping treat the wounded nced at it and lowered her voice, ˇ°Are youmunicating with the police?ˇ±

    Zong Ye was shocked: ˇ°How is that possible!ˇ± He nced at the note and casually said, ˇ°I visited my little nephew this morning and helped him cheat on a test. This is the cheat sheet.ˇ±

    The nurse said: ˇ°Really?ˇ±

    Zong Ye shrugged and handed it to her.

    The nurse looked at it. There were indeed answers that looked like math problems: 8 eggs (egg written in simple strokes).

    She didnˇŻt recognize the middle character but 8 and eggs were clear.

    Sheughed: ˇ°Ath?ˇ±

    ˇ°This is how Chinese families are,ˇ± he took back the note and folded it sorrowfully. ˇ°I wonder if IˇŻll get to see my dear George again.ˇ±

    The nurse said: ˇ°As long as the government agrees to their demands, weˇŻll be alright.ˇ±

    Zong Ye piously prayed: ˇ°I will pray to God.ˇ±

    The conversation ended.

    Zong YeˇŻs eyes were half-closed as if tired and unwilling to move, but his peripheral vision nced at the suitcase in the corner.

    Eight eggs? No, eight bombs, the Japanese pronunciation for ˇ°bombˇ±.

    Clever of her toe up with it.

    But he didn''t expect there to be bombs.

    This was very bad.

    With bombs present, even if the criminals retreated, the police would not dare toe in to chase or rescue people. It was more likely they wanted to use the hostages as weapons for indiscriminate attacks on everyone.

    Twenty-one people, and their aplices were elsewhere too.

    How could he get away from the monitored area and have a chance to act alone?

    Wait, he could only wait.

    After another three hours, representatives from outside proactively contacted the criminals saying they had obtained special permission and were on their way to the prison to retrieve people. They hoped the criminals could release some of the hostages first.

    A single spark could start a prairie fire.

    The hostages were filled with infinite hope, longing to escape the devilˇŻs ws.

    The criminals initially refused outright, but the representatives persuaded them that things were going very smoothly now. If they were unwilling to release even one hostage, subsequent procedures would be very difficult to process.

    In other words: If you don''t show some sincerity, we can''t believe you will let people go and don''t dare make a deal.

    The criminals discussed among themselves.

    ˇ°We can''t gain public support without releasing hostages.ˇ±

    ˇ°We don''t need support. What we''re doing is great.ˇ±

    ˇ°This time weˇŻre not here for revenge. Saving peoplees first.ˇ±

    ˇ°We can''tpromise with them! Never!ˇ±

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182

    After half an hour of negotiation, they finally agreed to release fifty people.

    Among them, nearly thirty were injured and barely clinging to life. Naturally, the other hostages didn''t want topete with them, but who among the remaining twenty didn''t yearn for freedom?

    The gangsters were very crafty too, saying, "We''ll pick the twenty most cooperative people to release."

    What did "most cooperative" mean?

    It meant the ones who betrayed others.

    No sooner had they finished speaking when someone jumped out, pointing at the retired police detective from before, saying, "He and that man were secretly up to something shady."

    That man was the refined-looking soldier.

    Jian Jing sucked in a breath, nearly spitting up blood.

    The gangster let out a coldugh, ignoring the informant. First he mmed the butt of his gun into the back of the retired detective''s head, then pointed the muzzle at the soldier''s forehead and asked in French, "You think I don''t dare shoot?"

    The courtyard fell silent as the grave.

    Everyone unconsciously held their breath, afraid of getting dragged into this mess.

    The soldier calmly replied in English, "I''ve done nothing. If you want to kill me, there''s no need for excuses."

    "You''ve got backbone," the gangster sneered in French. "Then off to hell with you!"

    Zong Ye immediately stood up, "Please hold on, that''s a lie. I believe he had no intention of resisting. There are already too many wounded."

    His attention was immediately drawn away, coldly asking in French, "Are you ordering me around?"

    "Just a suggestion," Zong Ye raised his hands to show he had no intention of fighting back. "He''s a British tourist, he has nothing to do with the French government. Why take the risk? Besides, his death will create unnecessary international disputes."

    Thatst sentence got through to the criminals. They hesitated for a moment without shooting, only knocking him out with the butt of the gun as well, then ordered the other hostages to tie the two men to the pirs.

    "This is what happens to anyone who resists," the gangster coarsely warned in English.

    The adults didn''t dare make a sound, but the babies didn''t understand and cried out from the noise and chaos, heedless of everything. The mother instantly copsed into tears, trying tofort her child, "Please stop, I''m begging you," in Italian.

    The female doctor took the chance to plead, "Please let the children go. They are of no use to you and will only cause more trouble."

    "Silence!" the gangster scolded in French.

    In the end, the leader spoke up, "Take the kids away, they''re annoying," in French.

    Between infants and young children, there were around twenty-some in total. Every parent hoped their child would be chosen and desperately begged favor.

    "My child is only six, please let her go," one pleaded in French.

    "Please, children are innocent. I''m willing to stay behind," another begged in French.

    But with limited spots, in the end several seven to eight year olds were kept behind, despairingly curling up motionless in their parents'' arms.

    The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

    After the first group of hostages were released, the criminals they wanted were also brought over from the prison.

    The gang demanded that they release the prisoners. Once the prisoners contacted them and confirmed their safety, they would release the second group of hostages.

    The outside agreed, and at the same time asked to send in some food and water.

    The gang agreed, but refused to let anyone from the outsidee in, saying they would have a hostage go receive it instead.

    Who should they pick?

    Men were no good, no telling if they''d make a run for it when they got to the door. Anyone too clever wasn''t good either, too likely to pull tricks. And anyone too panicked also wouldn''t do, they wouldn''t even be able to stand, let alone get anything done.

    "You, go," the gangster picked out Jian Jing from the crowd.

    She revealed an appropriate amount of shock and panic, shrinking back for a moment but not daring to refuse out of fear. She trembled as she got to her feet, her body faintly shaking.

    This was the height of exquisite acting.

    Not only were the gangsters not suspicious of her, but they took special note of her meek,pliant face, able to call it to mind at first notice. Looking closer, her face was fresh and innocent, her figure not tall either. Any brawny fellow in the gang could pick her up in one hand. She perfectly embodied the image of harmlessness.

    "I''ll go in her ce," Kang Mu Cheng stopped her and stood up to block her path.

    The gangster coldly snapped in English, "Get lost!" And kicked out as he spoke.

    Jian Jing immediately threw herself at him, and the two of them narrowly avoided the kick. Face full of panic, she seemed afraid the gangsters would hurt herpanion at the slightest provocation. She quickly stated in English, "I''ll go, I''m going right now."

    As she spoke, she viciously pinched Kang Mu Cheng, signalling him to shut up. Yet tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, betraying unspeakable terror.

    Kang Mu Cheng could only swallow his earlier words, genuine worry in his eyes, "Be careful."

    Jian Jing gave him a reassuring look.

    The gangster held her at gunpoint, ordering her to slowly walk to the east side door. The curtain was drawn back, revealing the ss door, police in full gear waiting outside, along with a small cart.

    The cart was piled high with bread, milk, and bottled water.

    Jian Jing slowly walked over. Seeing the mass of armed officers outside, a deliveryman in a safety vest carefully pushing over the cart.

    "Leave it there," the gangster refused to let anyone else approach.

    The deliveryman stopped in his tracks and obediently retreated.

    "You, go over," the gangster waved his gun at Jian Jing. "No tricks."

    Jian Jing''s face was white as she nodded and drew near.

    The cart was loaded with many small boxes, nonerge enough to hide in. The gangster only had her open each one to confirm there were no hidden contraptions or knockout drugs before allowing her to push the cart inside.

    Jian Jing moved very slowly. The gangsters were displeased with her dawdling, but could see her gritting her teeth and straining herself. They knew it was because shecked strength as a young girl and could barely push it forward. They forcibly restrained their anger.

    The food was brought into the courtyard.

    One of the gangsters randomly grabbed something and tossed it to Jian Jing, coldly ordering, "Eat."

    Jian Jing obeyed.

    The taste was ordinary. But with lunch skipped and the sky already darkening, she had to eat something to keep up her strength, otherwise she''d have to secretly eat her storage itemster.

    She wolfed down the bread in a few bites and drank a bottle of milk at random, showing no abnormal reaction.

    Only then did the gangsters believe the food was untampered with and helped themselves.

    But they had no intention of giving any to the hostages.

    One of the remaining children smelled the aroma and couldn''t help but plead to his father, "Dad, I''m hungry."

    How could a father bear to watch his child go hungry? He begged, "Please, can you give my child a little bread?"

    The main reason the gang starved the hostages was to avoid trouble. Whether to give the children a little something or not wouldn''t shake things up much.

    The leader couldn''t be bothered to pay them any mind. The female gangster took charge, giving bread and milk to a few children.

    The thoughtful children all wanted to share with their parents. Fearful of misunderstandings from the gang, the adults coaxed, "Mom/Dad isn''t hungry, you go ahead and eat."

    Amidst the fragrance of bread, the light gradually dimmed and the lights switched on automatically at the set time.

    Jian Jing unexpectedly raised her head and exchanged a look with Zong Ye.

    Then she timidly called out to the gangster beside her, pleading in distress, "Could we... could we please go to the bathroom?"

    At these words, countless hopeful gazes turned their way.

    After five or six hours with no bathroom break, it was quite hard to bear.

    The gangsters didn''t get angry. Physiological needs were only natural for human beings. With so many hostages under their control, they had to deal with the ensuing hassles as well.

    Of course, they could always refuse. But if the hostages couldn''t hold it in and made a mess, the smell would make guard duty very unpleasant too.

    Considering that Jian Jing had behaved decently so far, they grudgingly agreed. It was inefficient for them to take people one at a time, so they simply asked, "Anyone else need to go? Groups of three."

    The female doctor and nurse from before immediately volunteered.

    The female gangster took them to the bathroom.

    On the way, the nurse whispered to the doctor, "We must find a way."

    The doctor nced warily at the gangster behind them and lowered her voice, "Do you have any ideas?"

    The nurse said, "We can pass on intel to the outside."

    The doctor looked shocked. "That''s crazy. No, no, you''re too reckless." She shot an apprehensive look at the gangster, afraid to keep talking to the nurse.

    But the nurse refused to give up, quietly sidling up to Jian Jing, "Do you guys have any ns? I can help."

    Jian Jing: "Huh?"

    The nurse slowed down and used simple words, "What do you want to do I help you."

    Jian Jing looked back strangely and answered, "Bathroom."

    The nurse stopped talking.

    The washroom in the shopping mall wasvishly decorated with gold and jade. Expensive perfumes were casually ced on the sink, emitting a faint fragrance.

    The ce wasn''t big. Jian Jing took a quick look and didn''t see any way out. The female criminal informed her coldly: "Five minutes."

    Jian Jing quickly used the toilet.

    At the same time, she drew a card.

    [Drawing card...]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Prop Card - Powerful Anesthetic Needle (3/3)]

    [Description: Takes effect instantly on skin contact and injection. Can render an adult unconscious for 3 hours. Expires and bes ineffective after 1 hour.]

    [Note: Dangerous prop, use with caution.]

    Jian Jing couldn''t help thinking that if she added a voice changer bowtie, skateboard and ser ball, she would have aplete set of Detective Conan''s case-cracking tools.

    To be honest, she really wanted them.

    They would be so useful.

    She lightly leapt onto the toilet rim. Coincidentally, the nurse had deliberately chosen the middle stall, separated from her by one empty stall.

    But that was no problem. With her White Kitten state, she could easily resolve this minor obstacle.

    In 3 seconds, shended nimbly in the nurse''s stall like an agile little cat, without any warning. The nurse was startled, but quickly adjusted her expression, about to open her mouth to speak.

    But Jian Jing did not give her the chance.

    She covered the nurse''s face, and stabbed the anesthetic needle into her neck.

    The nurse instantly went limp.

    Although she had acted very enthusiastic, abnormal means demonic. No normal person would dare to strike up a conversation like that. She was highly likely a criminal spy nted among the hostages.

    After dealing with her, Jian Jing searched her pockets, and as expected, found a palm-sized cell phone.

    The sent text messages were there, but they were all in shorthand, difficult to understand.

    Considering the phone could be tracked, she did not take it, and directly threw it into the toilet bowl. She then used rope to tie up the nurse, and stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth.

    Five minutes were up quickly, but there was still no movement from Jian Jing''s stall.

    Sensing something wrong, the female criminal cursed and came in to kick open the door.

    At the same time, Jian Jing shed out from the middle stall, and fiercely pounced on her from behind, using all her strength to restrain her, firmly pressing her cheek against the floor, not allowing the slightest sound to escape.

    The female criminal was wearing body armor and moved clumsily. Her attention was all on the washroom, so she was caughtpletely off guard by Jian Jing. By the time she tried to reach for the dagger at her waist to counterattack, it was already toote.

    The anesthetic needle urately pierced the back of her neck, and the icy medication flowed in.

    Her muscles rxed and she lost consciousness, falling asleep in the blink of an eye.

    Jian Jing took off her body armor and put it on herself, confiscating her gun and transceiver.

    The German G36 assault rifle weighed only 3.63kg when unloaded. Not too heavy for a woman, though it had the disadvantage of getting hot in the hands.

    ...But there was no time to worry about that now.

    She removed the magazine and put it away properly. Jian Jing looked at the two unconscious women, and still felt the nurse''s height was closer to hers.

    She decisively stripped the other party of her clothes, and swapped outfits. She then covered the nurse''s face with a duck bill cap.

    From a distance, the nurse now looked like the unconscious her.

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183

    After doing all this, just over six minutes had passed.

    Jian Jing nced at the female doctor standing dumbfounded by the door and prompted: "(English) You can pretend to faint."

    The female doctor didn''t hesitate and immediatelyy down, acting very realistically. She only sincerely said to Jian Jing: "Be careful."

    Jian Jing smiled and nimbly slipped out.

    If the bathroom was on the second floor, her actions would be much more convenient, but unfortunately the viins wouldn''t allow them to go too far away. To move around on the first floor, she could only take the risk.

    Being gone for too long would attract other people''s attention, so she had to hurry.

    Tiptoeing over, she quickly observed and outlined a route in her mind.

    Then, using the state of a white cat again, with unmatched agility she darted through the various store doorsˇŞthe viins had locked the mall doors but didn''t have time to lock all the passageways between the stores.

    In the luxury goods stores, cabs and shelves full of jewelry and leather goods were natural barriers.

    No one noticed this nimble shadow.

    Jumping, leaping, running,ndingˇŞthe floor tiles were so smooth yet she didn''t make a single mistake. Her body was light and agile, hiding astonishing strength beneath the harmless exterior.

    Wasn''t this just a cat?

    This was a little kitty.

    They''re cute and adorable, fluffy and well-behaved, but once they be hunters, not only can they catch fleeing mice, even birds in flight can be easily captured.

    In the past, Jian Jing could only imagine the heroic grace of the heroine flying through the air in her writings, but now personally experiencing it herself, she realized her imagination had still been toocking.

    In just 1 minute, she had crossed arge hall and snuck near the electrical room.

    The door wasn''t closed.

    She didn''t hold back at all, slipped inside, grabbed a bottle of mineral water from a storage cab, and sshed it towards what looked like the mostplex area.

    Then she haphazardly cut some wires, unplugged outlets, flipped breakers, and took out the circuits for the whole mall.

    The lights went out one after another, plunging the mall into pitch darkness.

    In the central atrium, the viins immediately noticed something wrong and started shouting loudly. The leadermanded two underlings to go check the electrical room while turning on emergency lighting and threatening the hostages not to move.

    Just then, someone yelled, "Those two guys ran away!"

    Yes, the soldiers and retirees who had been tied up together had disappeared without knowing when.

    The leader unceremoniously let out a "F***!" and ordered his men to immediately go out and search.

    Amidst the chaos, no one noticed Zong Ye was missing, and some other people were missing too.

    As for the root of disaster, she had sabotaged everything and then slipped up to the second floor.

    She wasn''t too worried about Kang Mu Cheng left in the atrium. Since the luggage was there, as long as the viins weren''t out of their minds, they probably wouldn''t dare open fire in the dark, otherwise stray bullets hitting the luggage would send them all to meet their maker.

    On the contrary, the few patrolling viins had to be taken care of quickly before they fired blindly.

    Jian Jing hid behind a counter in a jewelry store and observed the patrols'' locations through her night vision goggles. To tell the truth, she had a bit of untimely hesitation at this moment.

    Although she had taken a gun, she still wasn''t prepared to shoot someone.

    This wasn''t a haunted house game where shooting NPCs was no pressure. That was a living, breathing human. Even if they were extremely wicked robbers, was she really ready to kill someone?

    Once she pulled the trigger, no one could guarantee only injuring and not killing them.

    A safer approach would be hand-to-handbat, using the ˇőˇő she had on her to take them out, but that was too dangerous,

    Not only was it dangerous for herself, it also increased the danger for others.

    Jian Jing struggled for a moment, until in the green field of view, a viin on patrol approached.

    At the precipice of life and death, there was no room for the slightest hesitation.

    She lightly gritted her teeth, aimed at the target, and slowly pulled the trigger.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    With night vision goggles, darkness was nothing!

    Although her aim was quite mediocre, after several consecutive shots, she still managed to incapacitate her opponent.

    The viin fell with a groan.

    The other viin was alerted over and cautiously looked around, sporadically firing several bullets.

    Jian Jing changed positions and pulled the trigger again.

    Blood flowers bloomed as the viscous liquid spattered out, dropping to the floor with sticky "drip" sounds.

    Jian Jing swallowed twice. She was d that right now all was pitch ck, and the scenes under the night vision goggles weren''t bloody. Her stomach only churned slightly with no real difort.

    She didn''t dare look more, just grabbed a new magazine and slipped away.

    Hearing gunshots below, the viins swept beams of light, searching for her trail.

    The two viins directly rushed up the esctor to provide backup. They didn''t have the patience to search bit by bit, directly firing buckshot, expensive bags and jewelry struck by bullets and crashing down like shattering boulders, ttering noisily.

    The scent of gunpowder drifted through the air as bullets whizzed past her body with a "swoosh" "swoosh" sound.

    Jian Jing felt herself split into two parts. Outwardly, her body sank into icy waters, even her fingers unable to move. But inwardly, her chest leaped with bright mes, igniting a fire in her heart.

    After a sweep of gunfire ended,

    she held her breath andid low, nimbly circling around obstacles to slip into the shop next door. This one had lots of bags and clothes, so hiding behind movable clothing racks, she stealthily poked out the muzzle of her gun.

    Turning on the night vision goggles, turning on the thermal imaging.

    Bullets poured forth again like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

    Warm blood sprayed out, appearing fiery red in the thermal imaging.

    Then swiftly cooling, extinguished.

    Jian Jing moved on without hesitation, shifting position again.

    She was finally starting to understand the power of ck tech a little. Turns out getting out of an enclosed space was child''s y. In this situation where others'' vision was obstructed, her one-sided advantage with these gadgets meant she could easily take down the others.

    ˇŞOr could she?

    The viins weren''t stupid. They had just been caught off guard and assumed it was a hostage who had escaped. Bing alert, they immediately reported to the boss.

    Two viins immediately put on night vision goggles and masks with murderous momentum, rushing up to the second floor. But before they could take action, a ghostly shadow dropped down from the ceiling, decisively strangling one''s neck.

    Snap, broken.

    Hispanion met the same fate, clutching his neck as blood seeped through his fingers. His trachea made "wheezing" sounds and soon he breathed hisst.

    The assants were two people.

    They each took the viins'' equipment and put it on lightly and swiftly.

    Jian Jing heard a voicee over the radio: "(French) Abnormal situation on second floor, suspect intruder."

    Leader: "(French) How many people?"

    "Unable to judge... Ah!" Themunication was abruptly cut off.

    The leader was silent a moment before suddenly standing up andmanding: "(French) Leave four people watching them, the reste with me."

    How could he be boss without a few tricks up his sleeve?

    The leader personally led the team, fully stocked with ammo and gear. Upon arriving they immediately discovered the retiree hiding in a first floor shop.

    Another rain of bullets.

    And just as they were about to move in for the kill, gunfire suddenly sounded from the second floor.

    Shooting down from upstairs, sweeping up from downstairs, the ss railings unable to withstand the barrage and shattering in droves, raining down on the first floor like a downpour, clinking noisily.

    The hostages in the atrium couldn''t control their fear, cowering about in panic.

    Some began running away.

    The viins on guard certainly didn''t show mercy, as long as they didn''t aim at the luggage, they fired without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, several more bodiesy on the ground.

    More people unconsciously huddled together, hugging their knees and burying their heads, not looking more than necessary.

    Kang Mu Cheng pushed the women and children near him behind pirs to avoid stray bullets. He was also hesitating on whether or not to go check the bathroomˇŞJian Jing had been gone so long after going in, yet still hadn''te back.

    Was she injured?

    What if something happened?

    The terrible spection tormented his nerves. Several times he almost set off.

    Before leaving, Jian Jing had whispered in his ear, "Trust me."

    She had actively asked to use the restroom, perhaps she had another n, but... No matter how Kang Mu Cheng tried persuading himself, he still couldn''t rest easy waiting.

    If there was even a shred of possibility she was already lying in a pool of blood, anxiety consumed him.

    Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath, kept as low as possible, watched for a chance when the viins went upstairs, then swiftly darted into the hallway leading to the restrooms.

    The bathroom was pitch ck.

    He lit up a lighter for light and upon entering saw a figure lying on the ground.

    His heart jerked up, then dropped down.

    It wasn''t Jian Jing.

    He pushed open the doors one by one, and then, saw the girl wearing a duckbill cap. She was softly copsed on the toilet, her head tilted to the side, not moving at all.

    The blood froze in an instant, the vocal cords seemed to be broken, not even the slightest call could be made.

    After a long time, he finally softly called out: "Jingjing?"

    No response.

    Kang Mu Cheng anxiously took a step forward, grasped her shoulders: "Jingjing?"

    The duckbill cap fell off, revealing a Caucasian face.

    He was startled, and his limbs suddenly warmed up again.

    It wasn''t her.

    The female doctor pretending to faint whispered, "(English) What''s going on outside?"

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed, clenched the hand on his chest into a fist, and only after half a day did he let go: "(English) Do you know where she went?"

    The female doctor said: "(English) She took a gun and left, telling me to pretend to faint here."

    A gun? What was she getting involved in this kind of situation for. Kang Mu Cheng was both shocked and afraid, and a bit angry too, but knowing she was alright, he couldn''t stay angry.

    The female doctor: "(English) If you don''t mind, we can hide together for a while."

    Kang Mu Cheng had already escaped, so naturally he didn''t n on going back either. Thinking about it, he asked: "(English) Do you have a SIM card? Maybe we can contact the outside."

    The female doctor nodded. She was very clever, when the viins demanded they hand over their phones, she had sneakily pried out her SIM card, after all it would be very troublesome to rece.

    He: "(English) Give it to me."

    The female doctor asked: "(English) Do you have a phone?"

    Kang Mu Cheng took out another phone. He originally had two phones, one for work and one for personal calls. When going abroad he had to switch the SIM card, so he simply bought another one - the backups of the wealthy were just that simple and practical.

    However, this phone used a domestic SIM card, and couldn''t be used in France. He had to borrow someone else''s.

    The female doctor no longer doubted him, and handed over the card.

    The two were able to contact the outside this way.

    The police said they would immediately arrange people to raid and rescue them, telling them to hide carefully.

    However, at that moment, another round of gunshots rang out from outside.

    The leader''s group had run into a three person team in the narrow passage.

    This three person team was very interesting. Thergest in body size was Zong Ye disguised as a fat man, the man in the center had a sturdy and upright figure, he was the soldier who had pretended to faint and escaped earlier, and the one on the right no one had expected.

    She was the female white-cor worker who had been kicked earlier for speaking up for the child.

    These three people had a professional demeanor, using hand signals tomunicate, covering for each other while remaining independent. Although there were only half as many people as the other side, they fought evenly.

    But that was only temporary.

    The two sides'' ammunition and equipment were not on the same level.

    Jian Jing clearly saw that one sinister viin did not engage head on, but sneakily went to the side shop, wanting to catch them unprepared from behind.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184

    Click. The empty magazine dropped out and a full new magazine was inserted.

    The sudden weight of the gun felt substantial resting on her shoulder.

    She raised the gun and took aim at the thief sneaking around the periphery.

    Bang.

    The bullet hit the counter nearby, off target. But it was enough to make the would-be assant flinch and stop his sneak attack.

    The female office worker reacted swiftly. Without even turning her head at the sound, her gun had already changed angle and rattled off a series of shots in retaliation.

    With his path forward blocked, the thief could only retreat.

    She spoke in French: "Any other aplices?"

    Zong Ye: "(In French) Hundreds of hostages, is that so strange?"

    Female office worker: "(In French) They aren''t your people?"

    Zong Ye: "(In French) They should be your people."

    The two exchanged cryptic words in anguage others could not understand.

    The young soldier only half understood and asked: "(In English) Should we meet up?"

    "No need." Zong Ye replied in English. "Take care of them first."

    The maze-likeyout of interconnecting yet independent shops created aplex terrain. They battled while retreating, taking cover inside the shops.

    The head honcho waved his hand, signaling two underlings to follow him inside to search. He made another gesture, ordering the other two to go capture Jian Jing in the distance.

    "Kill him, he''s alone over there," he said coldly in French.

    "Understood," came the reply in French.

    The two thugs split up, nking Jian Jing from both sides of the atrium.

    Jian Jing: Left? Right?

    Both men were fast, charging forward while firing shots alternately to cover each other. It was very tricky.

    They must be the more capable ones among the boss''s men.

    Jian Jing panicked for a second. In China, the only ones familiar with gunfights were probably CS yers and PUBG gamers. She often went to shooting ranges and was considered one of the few who had handled real guns, but they didn''t teach tactics there.

    When it came to that, she was a bit clueless.

    Well, if not now, then when?

    "Draw card!"

    [Name: Tear Gas Prop - 1/1]

    [Description: Strong irritant that causes burning sensations, uncontroble tearing and temporary blindness over 20m diameter]

    [Note: One-time use for this mission, immune to user]

    Reliable system! Even Kaitou Kid''s signature tool was included.

    She followed the example of the other group, luring the two men into the designated shop. They had no choice but to converge, entering the shop one after the other.

    These two were very cautious. They did not split up but opened fire to clear a path, forcing Jian Jing to hide under the checkout counter without even peeking.

    But no matter, X-ray goggles on!

    She patiently waited until they were fully within 20 meters, then without hesitation, pulled the safety pin and lobbed the tear gas over.

    The stinging white fumes billowed upward instantly.

    The thieves had gas masks, but those things were stuffy so with no proper troops around, they didn''t think to put them on and had left them hanging on their waists.

    Toote now.

    Seeing the smoke rise, they scrambled to put on their masks but it was futile. The fumes burning their airways went straight into their lungs and their eyes felt like bleach had been poured in, red and swollen with tears streaming out.

    "Cough cough cough!" Guns spraying was out of the question now, just holding them steady was difficult enough.

    Jian Jing did not let this pay-to-win opportunity go to waste. She took aim and fired.

    With thermal imaging support, she could easily pinpoint their locations. No need for rapid fire, one bullet per man was sufficient.

    One minuteter, two mangled corpsesy on the ground.

    Can''t vomit, this is no time for mercy. Jian Jing mentally steeled herself as she circled to the central atrium and checked on the hostages below.

    No sight of Kang Mu Cheng.

    Where was Boss Kang? Her heart skipped a beat. Night vision goggles and telescopebo swept over hundreds of faces searching for him.

    Still nothing.

    Fortunately, he didn''t seem to be among the fallen either.

    Jian Jing barelyposed herself when she noticed with shock, the thieves had vanished.

    The luggage bags containing the bombs had been opened and emptied.

    Damn! What was happening??

    Switching to X-ray vision, she saw several hostages with ˇőˇő strapped onto them. They were shivering in fear, not daring to move an inch.

    The head honcho''s voice came over the radio in French: "Stop attacking. If you do not surrender, the bombs on the hostages will be detonated."

    She froze.

    Around the dead bodies, among the hostages, several radios repeated the boss''s ultimatum.

    "Stop resisting or I will detonate the bombs," came the warning in English.

    Gunfire ceased as if on pause.

    Jian Jing''s first reaction was impossible.

    The x-ray showed several terrorists mixed among the hostages - their jackets shed but guns still concealed under their clothes, obviously the wolves among the sheep.

    Blow up their ownrades?

    Bluffing?

    But a flurry of news headlines about suicide bombings told her some fanatics were just that unhinged.

    It was not entirely improbable.

    What to do?

    Surrender? Don''t joke with her, that meant certain death.

    But if the bombs did go off, how many would die?

    She turned on both x-ray and telescope - the boss had just oneckey left, the other taken out. He held a gun in one hand and a radio in the other, a keychain-like device on his belt that looked like a switch.

    Crackle. The walkie-talkie buzzed.

    "Let us see the bombs," said the young soldier in English.

    Head honcho: "(In French) Show them proof."

    Below, four hostages were forced to stand, ˇőˇő tubes wrapped around them. One was so afraid his ˇőˇő sagged visibly.

    Head honcho: "(In English) Kick your guns over, thene here slowly."

    His gun was trained at the wavering shadows emerging from the darkness.

    After a moment''s thought, Jian Jing made up her mind. She crouched and dashed to the corpse, grabbed the radio and wrapped a scarf over her face before pressing thems button: "(In English) You won''t kill us, right?"

    "Of course," the head honcho sneered.

    Jian Jing took aim at him and replied: "Go f*** yourself."

    Bang!

    Limited card: Bullseye

    Another 100% uracy god card.

    The boss''s head exploded in a spray of blood and gore.

    Just like the zombies, one headshot did it.

    Hispanion froze for a second before trying to shoot, body jerking violently. At the same moment as the gunshot, the female office worker hiding in the shadows had also pulled her trigger.

    Jian Jing swung her barrel, using the x-ray to pinpoint the disguised terrorists.

    Bang.

    Time wasn''t up yet. He followed suit.

    Base time used up.

    Jian Jing dropped all pretense: "(In French) Kid in the baseball jacket, uncle with the wool cap, woman with hands in coat,e out or you''ll end up like them."

    No response. The terrorists pulled out their guns to shoot back.

    Taking cover among the hostages, they thought themselves immune. She didn''t dare fire randomly for fear of hitting civilians.

    But what couldn''t money solve?

    Though 1 courage point per second was expensive, human lives were priceless. Jian Jing had been hoarding points for times like these, to send such devils down to hell.

    She topped up 5 points, enough!

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Three shots, three bullets, right between the eyes.

    Silence descended, only static from the radio.

    Triple kill!

    Unbelievable!

    Game over!

    Jian Jing''s lips quirked up as she picked up the Hermes scarf on the ground and wiped off any fingerprints from her gun before shedding the bulletproof vest and nimbly making her way down the esctor.

    She slipped into thedies'' washroom on the ground floor.

    The moment Kang Mu Cheng saw her return, he instantly forgot the chaos outside. Gripping her arm anxiously he asked, "Are you alright?" Before she could even reply, his gaze raked over her from head to toe twice to check for injuries. Only after confirming none did he breathe a sigh of relief and admonish in agitation, "That was so dangerous, what if you''d gotten hurt?"

    Realizing his tone was too harsh considering what she went through today, he softened and said gently, "As long as you''re fine, don''t go out again."

    Jian Jingughed at his flip-flopping manner.

    She said, "It''s okay, people should..."

    Everything was resolved.

    Wait! A bomb!

    She rushed out immediately and mmed on the brakes.

    Zong Ye and another soldier were professionally dismantling the unfortunate bomb hostage. Their skills were assured, and they had the outer shell off and the circuits checked in no time, which was especially reassuring.

    There was nothing more for her to do.

    Two minutester, a group of special forces officers somehow snuck in, guns drawn on the hostage as they demanded everyone put their hands up and asked where the criminals had gone.

    Lying on the ground over there.

    Toote.

    The police were indeed thest to arrive.

    ...

    Ahem, of course, it wasn''t over yet.

    The identity of each hostage needed to be verified to prevent criminals from sneaking in, the injured were given emergency first aid before being sent to the hospital, and the dead were bagged.

    The severely traumatized hostages got thermal nkets and hot milk, huddling together for warmth.

    Jian Jing went with the flow, pretending to be scared speechless as she sat quietly next to Kang Mu Cheng without making a peep. The others were all discussing who had fired the gun, not suspecting this demure girl at all.

    Amidst the lively chatter and ring sirens, she sipped some hot, sweet milk, slowly rxing nerves wound tight all day.

    It was finally over.

    The moment of pulling the trigger seemed to rey before her eyes.

    The sttering blood, the smell of gunpowder, the rushing air, and the eyes, dead and unblinking, of the body sprawled on the ground. Crimson liquid seeped from the wounds, viscous and reeking.

    How many?

    How many did I kill?

    One, two, three...

    "gh!" She suddenly put down the milk carton as acid rose up her throat in waves.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her in surprise. "Jing Jing?"

    She pushed him away and ran to a corner, vomiting violently.

    Goosebumps covered her skin, cold sweat soaking her back. This feeling wasn''t fear of danger, but horror at the killing.

    It had been so easy.

    Other than the first shot, she had killed without any hesitation.

    Of course they deserved to die.

    But taking a life was so simple - that''s what made her feel terrified.

    A woman in a jacket stood nearby, speaking softly into her phone.

    Only snippets could be heard: "(French) Ran into terrorists...ident...spotted a sniper, very capable...hidden..."

    Jian Jing slowly typed a "?".

    The woman nced at her.

    She also took a look at Jian Jing - just an Eastern girl throwing up, nothing odd there. Easterners were just sensitive like that.

    Unconcerned, she cautiously turned her head, face hidden in shadow, and continued speaking softly, "(French) The goods are safe, on my..."

    She stopped short, patting her empty pockets in rm as her eyes darted around, but the fat man was nowhere to be found.

    "(French) F**k! It''s gone! When did...!"

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185

    Jian Jing had a terrible night.

    Although her body was extremely exhausted, as soon as she closed her eyes and felt a little drowsy, the sound of gunshots would ring in her ears, startling her awake from bed.

    She was suffering from psychological trauma.

    No wonder so many people would get PTSD. Sometimes, the most frightening thing wasn''t just those few days of the experience, but the rest of their lives after, tossing and turning, with no peace.

    The next day, Jian Jing had dark eye circles.

    She had no choice but to put on some expensive eye masks to conceal them.

    After going downstairs to eat breakfast, Kang Mu Cheng looked much better than her, with no difference from his usual spirits.

    Jian Jing was very surprised: "Did you sleep wellst night?"

    "That''s because I had the foresight," said Si Yingjie. "I made him drink a cup of wine and he slept very well."

    "Why didn''t you give me a bottle too?" Jian Jing was annoyed that he wasn''t being loyal.

    "You were already asleep," said Si Yingjie. "I knocked on your door but didn''t hear a peep. The lights were off too."

    She deted: "I only slept for a short while. Afterwards I kept waking up. My head hurts so bad." As she spoke, she beckoned for the server, "Bring me an extrarge serving of ice cream."

    A five-star hotel would of course serve handmade Italian ice cream.

    She ate a croissant, ham and egg crepe and vani cream puff, then gulped down an extrarge serving of ice cream.

    Si Yingjie looked on enviously and jealously: "Youth is so wonderful. You can eat recklessly without worrying about stomachaches."

    Jian Jing didn''t say a word.

    Kang Mu Cheng put down his phone and said: "Let''s change our flights home."

    Jian Jing: "Okay!"

    It really felt unsafe without guns in this country.

    In the afternoon, they checked out and got on the ne.

    The security check at the airport was extremely strict. Jian Jing gradually felt assured. She asked the flight attendant for a ss of wine and after finishing it, immediately fell asleep.

    "Wake up," she was being called by someone after some time.

    Jian Jing forced her eyes open: "Arrived?"

    "You can''t sleep for too long on nes," said the person beside her. "Let''s chat for a bit, Miss Jian."

    Jian Jing was suddenly very alert. She looked at the passenger beside her in surprise.

    Yet another unfamiliar face, an ordinary-looking business CEO.

    "Zong Ye?" she asked.

    "Hello," he smiled amiably. "Nice to work with you."

    Jian Jing sized up his face. Her first reaction: Draw a card.

    [Name: Knowledge Card - Liquor (Beginner)]

    [Description: Obtain basic knowledge rted to liquor]

    [Note: How to eliminate worries? Only Du Kang (Chinese liquor brand)]

    What the heck, an introductory course to liquor?

    Let''s try again.

    Draw card!

    [Name: Skill Card - Bomb Defusal (Beginner)]

    [Description: Gain the skill to dismantle bombs]

    [Note: Life always has its ups and downs. Better safe than sorry!]

    Not what she wanted but could still be useful.

    Let''s pull again.

    [Name: Knowledge Card - Perfume (Beginner)]

    [Description: Obtain beginner level perfume knowledge, able to make beginner perfume]

    [Note: A subtle fragrance tells a lot about a person~]

    What a scumbag skill, again!

    [Name: Knowledge Card - Flower Arrangement (Beginner)]

    [Description: Obtain beginner level flower arrangement knowledge, understand basic floral art]

    [Note: This is undoubtedly an art]

    Jian Jing: "......"

    Why can''t I draw the Disguise Card??

    "Miss Jian, you''re looking at me a bit strangely," Zong Ye touched his own face, "One moment very pleasantly surprised, the next very disappointed. Could it be you want to see through my true face that much?"

    Jian Jing rarely had such bad luck. She was in a bad mood: "What if I do? Take it off and let me see."

    Zong Ye leaned his head on one hand, smiling: "What if this is my original face?"

    "Then I''d settle some old scores with you." She threatened expressionlessly.

    "A woman''s double standards," he smiled. Not taking it seriously, he moved on to proper matters, "Luckily you all left early, otherwise there could have been big trouble."

    Jian Jing recalled that woman in the jacket: "Who was that woman yesterday?"

    "A thief," he said casually.

    Jian Jing: "......"

    What kind of thief was so awesome, like a special agent.

    She thought for a bit before asking: "Then who are you?"

    "An unlucky office worker," he sighed. "Got mugged on a business trip. Don''t know if they were unlucky or if I was."

    Jian Jing sullenly said: "I''m the unlucky one."

    She came to Paris for vacation, to shop and buy clothes. But what happened? Yesterday she didn''t even get to buy the bag she wanted before running into a horde of murderous demons.

    Her psyche was ravaged.

    No wonder she was so unlucky.

    Zong Ye patiently listened to herin before saying: "The one speaking yesterday was you right? Who was with you?" His tone was matter-of-fact despite the questioning words.

    Jian Jing was startled. She asked back: "Who?"

    Zong Ye raised his brows slightly: "You distracted them with your voice while the other person fired the gun - don''t rush to deny it, Miss Jian. There are only a handful who can deliver that kind of lethal headshot in the dark. You haven''t received that kind of training, there''s no way you could have pulled it off."

    Ah... Jian Jing suddenly understood. No wonder that woman in the jacket was also talking about a sniper. They knew she was likely involved but didn''t think she was the one who fired thosest few shots.

    Also understandable. In pitch darkness with the criminals in disguise, being able to urately discern and headshot without harming others, there was no way it seemed like something a writer could do.

    Good excuse.

    Her mind spun quickly. She said hesitantly: "Why are you asking this?"

    "Just curious about the situation," Zong Ye said. "It''s not for nothing though, we can trade."

    Jian Jing got straight to the point: "Where did you learn how to disguise yourself?"

    Zong Ye paused beforeughing helplessly: "Sorry, can''t share that."

    Then what''s the point of you talking. She turned her head away, ignoring him.

    Zong Ye wasn''t affected by this girl''s attitude, but he had his own life principles. Fair trade was one of them.

    If you ept a favor, you should repay it.

    "Does Miss Jian not need me for anything else?" He asked with a smile.

    Jian Jing: "No."

    Zong Ye: "I can introduce you to a doctor."

    "I''m very satisfied with my face, nothing that requires going under the knife." She nced at him coldly, "Or else, show me your true face."

    He said: "Then you''d tally up all my new and old grudges. I''m afraid I wouldn''t make it off this ne alive."

    "Then forget it." Jian Jing nced at her remaining Courage Points, feeling a little heartache.

    Last night, the system had already deducted for the mission, giving her 50 Courage Points and 10 Special Contribution Points. But after that bout of wool-pulling just now, not much was left.

    Definitely because she got blood on her hands and lost control a bit. No more wool-pulling today.

    There''s always next time.

    The elegant art cards for perfume, wine and flower arrangement were mercilessly synthesized into an Unlock Card, unlocking Flexibility in the Level 2 panel.

    Spending another 15 points to draw an advanced Enhancement Card, gaining +1 Flexibility.

    Her Level 2 panel became:

    [Locked] Memory: 6 (Ability to remember, recognize and reproduce experiences)

    [Unlocked] Flexibility: 7 (Your body parts are more flexiblepared to normal people)

    [Unlocked] Immunity: 7 (You have some resistance against strange things)

    [Locked] Adaptability: 6 (Tolerance to extreme environments)

    [Locked] Reproduction: 6 (You know~)

    Immunity wasn''t obvious day-to-day, but Flexibility was.

    Jian Jing folded a paper napkin into a flower, feeling like her fingers were a little more obedient than before. In the past when she wanted to fold it a certain way, her fingers wouldn''t listen.

    After folding a paper flower, it already resembled a rose by about 70%.

    Just then, a flower was passed over.

    A paper rose.

    The petals wereyered beautifully, budding, extremely charming.

    She froze.

    They were both made with napkins and white flowers, but her flower was stiff and in while this one was vividly lifelike. The difference in artistic conception was probably like a painting by Qianlong Emperorpared to one by Lang Shining.

    "What, are you going by Little Nan today?" She clenched her five fingers, silently squeezing the paper flower in her palm. Her tone was unfriendly.

    Zong Ye shook his head with a smile, ˇ°It seems IˇŻve got the wrong idea about courting you.ˇ± Not wanting to be a nuisance pestering women, he briskly got up to leave, ˇ°Give me a call anytime you make up your mind.ˇ±

    Hearing him say that, Jian Jing felt a little embarrassed instead. Let bygones be bygones, their past grievances were now settled. It was unreasonable of her to give him the cold shoulder just because she didnˇŻt manage to wheedle a Disguise Card out of him. To be honest, using his skills while drawing cards was cheating in and of itself.

    ˇ°Forget it, donˇŻt take it to heart.ˇ± The intel was pure fiction, and she felt ashamed for taking advantage.

    Zong Ye raised his brows, ˇ°I donˇŻt owe favors for nothing.ˇ±

    Jian Jing nced at him and picked up the paper flower he had folded, ˇ°Just take this then.ˇ±

    "With Miss Jian being so generous, it wouldn''t be proper for me to keep hounding you for favors." After a moment of consideration, Zong Ye smiled, "Let''s just be friends."

    He extended his hand. The skin tone of his hand and wrist was almost indistinguishable, with no visible calluses, rings, birthmarks or scars.

    in and unremarkable,pletely devoid of any identifying features.

    Clearly not a real hand.

    Jian Jing didn''t bother contesting hisck of sincerity either, begrudgingly lifting her hand.

    Zong Ye touched her fingertips and gave her hand a perfunctory shake.

    Jian Jing defined it in her mind: handshake and truce.

    But she was still very curious about Zong Ye''s skills. When they got off the ne, she paid special attention to him.

    Yet somehow, despite getting off the ne together and walking through the same corridor, she didn''t know when - maybe it was when Kang Mu Cheng was talking to her, or when she went to collect her luggage - in any case, the moment she looked away, he was gone.

    She strongly suspected he was a relevant personnel from certain authorities.

    It would be best to avoid dealing too much with this kind of person.

    Jian Jing decisively gave up investigating and prepared to go home to counter jetg.

    Kang Mu Cheng was worried about her living alone: "Do you want toe stay with me for a few days?"

    "I''m fine," Jian Jing repeated herself, "You''re the one who should really go see a psychologist and chat."

    The most terrifying thing about the mall hostage incident was the constant fear of threat to life. However, she and Kang Mu Cheng were different.

    She was afraid too, of course, but ultimately she had witnessed the deaths of the viins with her own hands, and triumphed over them. Psychologically speaking, there was no looming shadow of death.

    What made her ufortable was something else.

    But Kang Mu Cheng... "I''m fine," he answered her, "It''s all over now."

    Jian Jing frowned, looking at him intently.

    She hadn''t noticed earlier. Kang Mu Cheng was still quite spirited from his drunken stupor, but he seemed a little sensitive. If there was any significantmotion around him, he would swiftly nce over, muscles instantly taut.

    "What is it?" He touched his face, slightly ill at ease.

    "I changed my mind," Jian Jing smiled, looping her arm around his, "I''ll stay with you for a few days."

    He had always cared about her, worried for her, yet forgotten that he too needed care andpany.

    "Is Brother Ying Jieing too?" she asked, "Shall we go freeload at Young Master Kang''s ce?"

    Si Ying Jieined resentfully, "Oh, now you remember me? I thought everyone forgot I came back too."

    Jian Jing stifled herughter, "How could that be?"

    Kang Mu Cheng alsoughed, pping him on the shoulder, "Come together then. What should we have for dinner tonight?"

    Si Ying Jie didn''t stand on ceremony at all, "Shrimp with Longjing tea, West Lake vinegar fish, crab and orange cup."

    "Beer and fried chicken," Jian Jing was very practical.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..." They all had great appetites.

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186

    The hostage incident at a department store in Paris quickly spread around the world. Even in this world with extremely high crime rates, such vicious cases are rare. Statistics show that more than 50 people died at that time, and over 100 were injured, shocking both China and abroad.

    Jian Jing received many condolence calls, from her mentor, Zuo Xin, Xu Scriptwriter, Huang Director, all caring if she was affected.

    She found that she was quite popr and returned them one by one.

    Then, Ji Feng called.

    "What''s up?" she asked.

    He asked back: "Nothing happened?"

    Jian Jing was surprised: "Didn''t expect you would call me too."

    "Do I look like a cold-blooded animal? With such a big incident, it''s normal to care a little," he said. "Although you said you went to a fashion show, I calcted the time, you came back a bit early, right?"

    Jian Jing: "Correct."

    Ji Feng: "Not injured, right?"

    "No." She paused, lowered her voice, "Let me ask you, have you killed anyone before?"

    The breathing on the phone stopped for a moment. After a long time, the noise went away, he seemed to have walked to a secluded ce: "Professor Jian, many things are over once they are past, don''t think too much."

    Jian Jing jumped off the bed and tiptoed to close the door, whispering: "I haven''t said anything yet."

    "I didn''t say anything about you either," he snorted. "That''s it, people should not live too philosophically, thinking about useless things. Those who deserve death die, that''s it."

    She sighed, wanting to speak out but held back.

    "Jingjing." There was someone calling her from outside the door, "Come eat supper."

    "Coming." She responded and ended the call. "Nothing, gained two pounds, bye."

    Ji Feng said: "You are not at home?"

    "I''m staying at President Kang''s house these two days," she said. "Anything?"

    "Come to the police station when you have time, I have something to tell you," Ji Feng was concise. "Bye."

    The phone hung up.

    Jian Jing frowned, unable to think of anything, so she could only put down her cell phone, slip on her slippers and go out. As soon as she opened the door, she first smelled a strong aroma of crayfish.

    She: "Today''s supper was bought by Brother Yingjie, right?"

    "Bgo!" Si Yingjie unwrapped the package and took out arge te of skewers. "Come eat, Auntie, you should eat some too, right?"

    Seeing his son caught up in a terrorist attack, how could President Kang feel at ease outside. He came back two days ago, saying he was here to check on thepany, but in fact helping his son reduce the burden so that he could rest well.

    "I won''t eat, thanks." President Kang held a ss of red wine, very health-consciously said, "Not good for my skin."

    "Auntie, you are so young, about the same as my sister." Si Yingjie didn''t want to go home and stayed at the Kangs'' ce, taking over as host. He was more like a son than Kang Mu Cheng. "Just eat a little."

    President Kang, who had just finished a bowl of silver fungus, lily, bird''s nest soup, reluctantly refused the second supper.

    "You young people go ahead." She still had to steam her face and apply masks and hand creams, very busy.

    The one who really didn''t want to participate was Kang Mu Cheng. He said, "Eating supper every midnight will spoil Jian Jing''s diet."

    Jian Jing, who had already started peeling crayfish: "......"

    "Stop nagging, eat if you want to eat." Si Yingjie wouldn''t indulge him. He opened a can of beer, "Little Jingjing, cheers!"

    "Cheers." A sip of cool beer went down her throat, and Jian Jing skillfully peeled the crayfish.

    Ah, she really didn''t expect that the effect of the first point added would be used to eat supper.

    The two of them were in high spirits. Kang Mu Cheng didn''t want to be a wet nket, so he could only sit down to apany them. He didn''t like eating these things, so he slowly drank a bottle of beer. Although the liquid was ice cold, his heart was warm.

    His mother''s unusual stay at home, Jian Jing and Si Yingjie''s addition of supper activities, everything was to apany him.

    At first, he was extremely ufortable. He was already over 30, didn''t need such meticulous care, especially since he was unharmed. He always felt it was making a fuss over little things.

    However, waking up deep in the night, when the alcohol seemed to have faded, he could often hear gunshots in the dark.

    They were all hallucinations.

    They were all shadows.

    He realized that harm never differentiated ages.

    He couldn''t help but think of Jian Jing, thinking of her disappearance for months.

    Just a few hours left an indelible shadow in his life.

    Then what about her?

    Kang Mu Cheng finally realized that he didn''t care enough about her. Good food, clothing, housing and transportation could only heal superficial wounds. The scars deep in her heart stayed there for years, with no one able to see the situation.

    When he was not paying attention, she chose to end it all in silence.

    Thinking of this, his heart seemed to be grabbed tightly by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe. What came with it was the joy of recovering what was lost, and immense fear.

    Fortunately she survived.

    Fortunately there was still time to make up.

    He thought, and suddenly realized something: It had been several days since the hostage incident, she apanied andforted him, but never showed her own fear.

    His heart suddenly sank.

    The police station looked the same as usual, cars parked randomly everywhere, small spots were crammed full.

    Jian Jing bluntly called Ji Feng out: "Help me park!" He came out and still had to nag, "Can you guys manage this ce properly, park neatly to facilitate the people?"

    Ji Feng: "Professor Jian, is it that hard to admit youck parking skills?"

    "Whocks skills?" She sneered.

    Ji Feng brushed it off: "Ick skills, I admit it, okay?" He parked the car properly and told security not to let people block the exit. Only then did he take her in, "It''s early in the morning, I just took a nap and you called me out to be your driver, and you''re scolding me?"

    Jian Jing ignored hisints: "What''s the matter, speak."

    "Remember the necrophiliac serial killer I talked aboutst time? Caught him," he said. "But he never saw the person, all contacts were online, the IP went through several proxies, can''t trace it."

    Jian Jing''s raised heart sank back: "I thought there was good news."

    "Doesn''t the previous count?" Ji Feng asked back.

    She nced at him: "Does it count?"

    Ji Feng looked at her andughed: "Fine, it doesn''t count. Let''s get to business." He flipped through the desk and found a document. "Take a look."

    He dragged his chair over: "Sit, read it slowly. I''ll go buy breakfast."

    No response.

    Lowering his head for a look, she was already fully focused on reading.

    It was the DNAparison report for Scarface.

    Previously, he was furious about the meaning of "Rose Gold" and attacked Ji Feng, leaving him hospitalized for over a week. But Ji Feng didn''t show restraint either. If you shoot me once, I''ll shoot you back once. Although he didn''t catch Scarface, thetter was injured and left a few drops of blood at the scene.

    He submitted this precious DNA sample forparison with the database.

    The DNA in the library basically came from two sources. One was from parents of missing children, and the other was from collecting samples from criminals.

    Whether a match could be found depended on luck.

    Jian Jing was quite lucky. A relevant match was actually found.

    Omitting the professional description in the report, the conclusion is as follows - due to the gic characteristics of the Y chromosome, it can be determined that the suspect Xue Jun who provided the DNA is a blood rtive of the owner of the sample.

    In other words, as long as Scarface''s paternal rtives are checked one by one, his real identity can be found.

    At least the original identity.

    Ji Feng stayed up all night and pulled out a list of eligible males, filtering out those with both parents alive, leaving three.

    Whether any of them was Scarface remained to be investigated.

    "Done reading?" The aroma of meat buns floated over.

    Jian Jing closed the report and got straight to the point: "When do we leave?"

    Ji Feng: "Leave for what?"

    "Hey."

    "Silly, we have their identity information already. Just ask the local police to help investigate. Wait for it, I told you in advance because I know you were anxious about it." He had finished the big meat bun in three bites, speaking unclearly. "It''s best we don''t go out if not necessary, after what happenedst time."

    Jian Jing readily nodded: "Then when will it take?"

    Ji Feng tentatively said: "Seven... seventy-odd days?"

    She: "......"

    "I''ll hurry them, I''ll hurry them." He quickly guaranteed.

    Jian Jing was about to say something when someone came out of the interrogation room and called him: "Ji Feng, the suspect started talking, want toe over?"

    "Coming." He quickly responded, "Something came up, no more send-off, okay?"

    Jian Jing was still "......".

    Ji Feng looked at her, then stopped in his tracks again, stuffing the remaining buns into her hands and saying in a low voice, "It''s no big deal, don''t worry about people who aren''t worth it, just eat and drink as you should."

    She gave him a nk look: "Thank you, I''ve eaten."

    "Then give them back to me." He stuffed the vegetable buns into his mouth and rushed towards the interrogation room. The moment he pushed open the door, he swallowed everything down into his stomach, "Ready to talk now, eh? That''s right,e on, confess everything and then you can eat breakfast."

    Jian Jing calcted that he had eaten an entire bun in three seconds without choking, which was pretty impressive.

    Could this be a basic skill for corporate ves?

    Fortunately she didn''t have to work in an office.

    Being self-employed was so nice.

    Lost in random thoughts, she turned around, about to leave, when unexpectedly she saw a middle-aged man standing next to her.

    "Ms. Jian?" Gao Police Officer asked amiably, "What brings you by today? Here to see Ji Feng? He''s working overtime again, isn''t he. Don''t worry, I''ll take over for him. You two can go eat and take your time talking."

    Jian Jing was confused by his enthusiasm. She smiled politely, "Thank you, but we''ve already finished talking, I won''t disturb your work. Goodbye."

    "Uh...alright,e by next time, I mean, don''t hesitate to ask if you need me to switch shifts." Gao Police Officer was intent on repaying her kindness at the park and gantly promised to help.

    Jian Jing was bewildered but didn''t ask any more questions. She just smiled and nodded before leaving.

    Gao Police Officer watched her go, then turned to ask his colleague who was pretending to sleep beside him, "How long was she here?"

    "Ten minutes." His colleague who had been sleeping with his head on the table sat up looking full of energy, ready to gossip. "Ji Feng''s useless! When does he ever not chat with a girl when he gets the chance, even during interrogations? No wonder Sister Wang said that trying to introduce girls to him fails nine and a half times out of ten."

    Gao Police Officer considered this and said, "That doesn''t seem right. Do you think he''s doing it on purpose?"

    His colleague said in frustration, "On purpose to reject them all? What would he get out of that? Sister Wang, Sister Liu, Sister Zhang, they''re all biased and the girls they introduce aren''t bad catches at all. They''re either from our system or tech girls, and there''s only a handful of girls in our brother units!"

    Gao Police Officer didn''t take the bait.

    At noon, the interrogation finished, the suspect signed and fingerprinted the confession, admitting guilt.

    Ji Feng handed in the paperwork and went to the cafeteria feeling light and rxed for lunch.

    "Over here." Gao Police Officer called him to sit together.

    Ji Feng had just sat down when he said, "The case is closed, phew, he put up quite a fight running for so long."

    "As long as it''s closed." Gao Police Officer bit his chopsticks and asked, "Hey, Ms. Jian came by this morning. You knew I''d be here any minute, so why didn''t you chat with her a bit more? It was just an interrogation, you couldn''t have handled it?"

    Ji Feng said, "We finished talking, so of course I got back to work."

    Gao Police Officer heh-heh''d, "Sister Zhang asked if you''re working tonight. If not, she''ll help set up dinner for you."

    Ji Feng sighed, "Old Gao, you know my sry''s not high and I don''t get much time off. Plus I have a little sister who''s a money sink. So why do the sisters always insist on setting me up?"

    Gao Police Officer asked back, "You''ve been set up over ten times now. Are you really not interested in any of them, or are you doing it on purpose?"

    "If it''s not fate, it''s not fate." Ji Feng was clearly an expert at evasion.

    "Oh." Gao Police Officer fully exercised his spirit of probing and gossiping, "Then what about Ms. Jian?"

    Ji Feng snapped, "What does Ms. Jian have to do with anything, stop spewing nonsense."

    Gao Police Officer said, "A guilty conscience, eh?" He sized Ji Feng up, "Why''s it so hard to tell the truth?"

    Ji Feng righteously stated, "How was anything I said not the truth? Where''s your evidence, stop spouting baseless ims."

    Gao Police Officer raged, "You little punk, just you wait until I tell Sister Zhang how you deliberately snubbed her and dodged her dinner invites three times!"

    Ji Feng: "Then I''ll tell Sister-in-Law where you hide your secret money under the car seat."

    Gao Police Officer: "Damn!"

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187

    Jian Jing''s custom-made dress in Paris cost 650,000 yuan. The price was a bit absurd, but the service was very thoughtful. Half a monthter, the tailor flew over from thousands of miles away to have her try it on once and make alterations to the details.

    The designerplimented her: "You have kept your figure very well, almost no change."

    Jian Jing smiled.

    This was probably a major benefit of the system. As long as her body data remained unchanged, her physique rarely changed ordingly. By default, the food she ate would be invisibly consumed.

    In short, eating a lot would not make her fat.

    But there were still some details that were not perfect enough and needed to be changed again. The other party said it would only take a week to get it done in time for the award ceremony in November.

    Jian Jing took a photo in front of the mirror and thought about it before sending it to Ji Feng.

    He replied with one word: [Beautiful]

    Jian Jing: [Take a closer look]

    It seemed that only after half an hour, when she had finished trying on all the clothes, did he have time to open the big picture and fully grasp the meaning, and sent a shocked emoji.

    Ji Feng: [Teacher Jian, you can''t be serious, is this real or fake? What are you trying to do?]

    Her: [Guess]

    Ji Feng: [Don''t rmend it]

    Jian Jing: [If you investigate him, won''t he know?]

    Ji Feng: [Too risky, no need]

    Jian Jing: [Sooner orter there will be this day, it''s better to be prepared than not]

    Ji Feng called her directly and got straight to the point: "I found his identity, arrest him, end of story. You don''t have to do this."

    Jian Jing retorted: "He knows how to change his appearance and identity. What''s the use of you finding his real identity? In such a big country, if he doesn''te out, can you catch him?"

    Ji Feng sighed and said solemnly: "If this was just to lure the enemy into a trap, I would consider it carefully. The problem is, do you only n to catch him?"

    Jian Jing was silent.

    "No, you know catching him is useless and you can''t convict him." He said calmly, "Whether it''s your family''s case or Liu Bao Feng''s case, he left no clues at all. At most he can be detained for 24 hours. Can you be satisfied with just finding his identity and not make him pay with his life?"

    She said, "I can''t."

    "So your n is very clear." Ji Feng said, "You want him tomit a crime against you again and then catch him red-handed."

    He saw through this so thoroughly that Jian Jing did not pretend to be stupid either: "Yes."

    "I can''t agree to this." He rejected outright without mercy.

    Jian Jing said, "Do you think disagreeing will make any difference? I already had the dress made."

    Ji Feng: "I can call Kang Mu Cheng."

    She was so angry that she didn''t expect him to be so shameless: "Don''t use Kang to pressure me!"

    "Teacher Jian, let''s be reasonable. This is not you acting as bait, it''s you cutting your own flesh." Ji Feng spoke earnestly, "No one can possibly agree to this. It''s not that I don''t understand you or don''t support you, it''s just not doable."

    He went on and on, firmly refusing topromise: "The dress is already bought and won''t go bad. You can wear it again next time. Don''te up with such dangerous ideas anymore. If you really can''t let go, I''ll go with you to investigate Xue Jun''s hometown, okay?"

    Jian Jing hung up the phone.

    Of course she knew this idea was very dangerous and crazy, life-threatening even. Did she need him to spell it out? But apart from this, there didn''t seem to be a better way.

    The real identity of Scarface may have been revealed to some extent, but with his cautiousness, did he not consider he should change identities whenmitting crimes and covering his tracks afterwards?

    She would bet on a Hermes that his current identity had nothing to do with the past.

    Even if they found his current identity, then what?

    With no evidence, the police could detain him for at most a day, not even getting a search warrant. There were no signs that could prove his connection with the past serial cases.

    For Liu Bao Feng''s case, there were no clues, and the connection to the serial killer was through the inte. With no traceable IP address, how could they bring such a cautious and cunning enemy to justice?

    Just waiting?

    If he stayed by her side for a lifetime without making a move, could she only watch as he remained above thew?

    No. She could not swallow this anger, nor endure it.

    The lives of the parents in this world, Jian Jing''s life, had to be paid back.

    The rose dress was a great opportunity, a trap he could not miss.

    But she could notplete this n alone.

    She needed Ji Feng''s help.

    But he did not agree.

    If he didn''t agree, then he didn''t agree. She thought, if you don''t help me, I''ll find someone else to help me.

    Who could help her? Kang Mu Cheng was absolutely out of the question. He would oppose it even more strongly than Ji Feng.

    Si Yingjie was the same.

    Zong Ye? Forget it. They were just friends in name, not much real friendship. What''s more, she actually did not trust him, and he probably wouldn''t wade into this mess either.

    People like Zuo Xin and Xu Scriptwriter were friends, but not to the extent of entrusting their lives to each other.

    Liang Yi...not familiar enough, and if Ji Feng didn''t agree, she certainly wouldn''t agree either.

    Jian Jing counted them one by one and sadly realized that she was left with only one non-optional option.

    Two hourster.

    Jiang BaiYan came to visit.

    As usual, he was very cautious, wearing a mask and a duckbill cap, and arge hoodie to conceal his physique. After entering, he said little, only directly pulled the curtains to prevent paparazzi from sneaking photos.

    After doing all this, he asked in puzzlement: "Teacher Jian Jing, you said you have something you need my help with?"

    Now that he was here, Jian Jing hesitated instead: "Have a seat first."

    "Oh." He obediently sat down on the sofa and asked, "Is it rted to the movie?"

    "It''s personal." She poured a ss of water. She couldn''t sit still herself, poking leaves of potted nts for a while, fiddling with the tassels on the sofa cover for a while, unusually restless, "How to put it, I have something I want to do, but everyone will stop me."

    Jiang BaiYan''s eyes shed, and he asked cautiously: "Then what?"

    Jian Jing pursed her lips: "I know this thing...is not very right. I don''t have much say in it. But I think it''s a very good way, and I don''t have a more suitable way."

    Jiang BaiYan became even more careful: "This thing is not very honorable?"

    "It''s not a bad thing that hurts the heaven and reason." She corrected, "Just a little dangerous."

    Jiang BaiYan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately made a package deal: "I''m willing! I''m not afraid, I''m willing to help you." He looked at her with utmost sincerity and said, "I''m not afraid, I''m willing to help you."

    Even with thousands of thoughts weighing heavily on her mind, Jian Jing still couldn''t help but be moved by him, and smiled: "Don''t worry, I won''t ask you to risk your life. The danger will be borne by me."

    Jiang BaiYan was taken aback, and his face fell: "Then can I take back what I just said?"

    Jian Jing said, "You don''t want to help me anymore?"

    "Now I kind of understand why others want to stop you." Jiang BaiYan scratched his head, his expression troubled, "My bad for getting too excited. As soon as I heard you wanted my help, I didn''t dare think too much, afraid the opportunity would pass me by."

    She said, "You can still change your mind."

    Jiang BaiYan waved his hand with a smile: "I won''t change my mind. Easy tasks wouldn''te my way either." He picked up the ss of water and took a sip, then solemnly said, "Go ahead, I''m listening."

    Jian Jing sighed and said with a wry smile, "Then let me start from the beginning."

    She started with the Jian family tragedy seven years ago, then talked about Liu Bao Feng''s death, exining the meaning behind Rose Gold and his reaction to it.

    Finally, she said, "I want to wear that dress to ept the award at the Dreampen Award ceremony."

    "So the danger you mentioned," Jiang BaiYan rubbed his face, confused and nervous at the same time, "is that he will take you away at the awards ceremony?"

    Jian Jing nodded slowly and said, "That''s a wedding dress."

    When she first saw it on stage, a strange idea arose in her heart: this dress was so beautiful, the rose so red, so simr to the blood rose he had sent.

    Once the idea sprouted, it could no longer dissipate.

    A strange intuition awakened from the dormant sea of her heart, telling her that no matter what he was after seven years ago, since he appeared at the book signing, it proved he had regained interest in her.

    Just think, a girl who he had brainwashed, a tool used to provoke the police, perhaps was of little value then, or was given time to grow after being watered...this could exin the six years of silence.

    As time went by over the years, one day he suddenly saw her on the news and realized the little girl had grown into a youngdy.

    He suddenly remembered her, mischievously appeared at her book signing, wanting to relive the thrill of controlling her as before.

    But things were not as he wished.

    She broke the human bone case at the signing, no longer trapped in the shadows of the past. She began to use her talent to look for criminals and uphold justice unambiguously.

    She stoodpletely, thoroughly, on the opposite side of him.

    Would he be very surprised, very interested?

    What followed was natural.

    He killed Liu Baofeng, and pursued her again, also threatening her, controlling her.

    But she did not give in, instead choosing to fight back.

    The false savior in The Rose Gold angered him.

    He looked for the man beside her, wanting to kill him, to warn her not to hold onto false hopes. At the same time, it was also to show off his intelligence and might.

    The psychology of crime is profound, but apart from the perverted bloody deeds, the essence cannot escape the realm of human nature.

    Initially, Jian Jing used a criminal''s perspective to analyze a murderer, but Ji Feng reminded her that he was more crafty and cunning than her, in a certain sense, he was her teacher.

    Then change the approach.

    Use a woman''s perspective, to analyze a man pursuing her.

    The grown up her, the more dazzling her, wearing the most suitable rose wedding dress, and even, enjoying the apuse on stage after winning an award, would definitely, definitely, make him unable to let go.

    Even if he guessed it was a trap, a man''s predator instinct and the innate tendency of crime, would drive him to take the bait.

    He would be unable to stop himself, which led him to this day.

    So, he would definitelye, one hundred percent.

    Jian Jing reined in her empty thoughts, and said to Jiang Baiyan, "He wants to be with me, he definitely won''t kill me, but I need time to find evidence, so I can convict him. So, someone needs to follow my location at all times, and understand my progress."

    Jiang Baiyan frowned in thought.

    Perhaps because the situation was too severe, his usual amiable smile was gone from his face. Strands of shadow fell on his face from his hair and eyshes, making him look unexpectedly solemn for once.

    "If you feel you can''t do it, or it''s too difficult, you can refuse me," Jian Jing sighed, hesitating over her words.

    Jiang Baiyan was not her best choice, but she had no other options. Someone had to be on standby right?

    What if, she died?

    If Jiang Baiyan refused, she could only try asking someone else.

    "If no one helps you with this, would you still do it?" Jiang Baiyan asked her.

    Jian Jing said, "Most likely."

    He was puzzled, "Why?"

    She thought about it, and said, "Destiny."

    From the moment Scar chose Jian Jing, their fates intertwined. She was forced to stand in the middle of the ring, facing a terrifying enemy she knew nothing about.

    But there was no choice, if she did not look for him, he would look for her.

    There was no choice with the ending either, either he got her, or she finished him off.

    This was a destined battle.

    "Although it''s true that the more time I have, the more prepared I can be, waiting day after day will wear down my resolve," Jian Jing said. "I don''t want to wait passively for that day to arrive."

    She was currently in a good state, the excitement of Paris had yet to fade.

    In the quiet of the night, the disgust of killing had gradually disappeared, reced by the killing intent left in her blood.

    I can kill others, so why can''t I deal with him?

    She asked herself this every night.

    "I want to take charge of my own fate."

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188

    The autumn wind dyed November red, the maple leaves turned red, the crabs grew fat.

    The nominations for the Dreampen Award were officially announced to the public, and voting was opened. In addition to the seven official awards, as one of the best-known literary awards in China, it also established several useless awards in a down-to-earth way.

    Such as the Most Popr Award, the Most Creative Award, the Best Surprise Award, and so on. These are not serious awards, but they are highly entertaining and have great flexibility in operation.

    If an author''s work is not up to par but still wants to gain some poprity, then the backing PRpany buying votes and giving out a Surprise Award would be a decent choice.

    Of course, the audience also knows that these awards have high water content and are subjected to cold ridicule every year.

    Passerby 1: "What are the nominated works for the Creativity Award this year? Never heard of them before."

    Passerby 2: "How is ''Love in Paris'' nominated for the Wee Award? Looks like it bombed hard."

    Friendly reminder, "Love in Paris" was Morning Star''s opening work of 2021, telling the untold Versailles story of a Chinese girl and a European aristocrat. It was the work thatpeted with "Devil Doctor 2" at the time.

    Passerby 3: "Poorly written, only fit to fool little kids."

    Passerby 4: "The short stories nominated for the Surprise Award are not bad."

    A few dayster.

    Passerby N: "Damn, vote maniption again. Hundreds of thousands of votes but sales less than 100k yuan, too tant!"

    But no one cared anymore.

    What everyone seriously discussed were the nominations for the six major categories. To be nominated for the Dreampen Award, they must be outstanding works of the year, each with their own loyal fans.

    The romance category had the fiercest fights, with the two most popr works, one romance and one danmei (BL), wing at each other.

    Romance novel fans said: "I''ve never seen such explicit descriptions of XX before. More XXX than love, it''s a joke to win the romance award!"

    Danmei novel fans said: "Love has no gender. If works of homosexuality can win, it would have tremendous significance in advancing gender equality and freedom of marriage!"

    Romance fans retorted: "Noble sentiment? The work should be judged on its own merits, otherwise everyone will just write based on political stance in the future."

    Danmei fans disagreed: "What you like is just ordinary love between a man and a woman, neither special nor unforgettable, meaningless."

    The fight was very lively.

    The history category was the same. The two most popr works were one about the Song dynasty and one about the Ming dynasty.

    Song Dynasty Fans: "There is no China after the cliffs of Yashan." (Referring to the defeat of Song by the Jurchen Jin dynasty)

    Ming Dynasty Fans: "The shame of Jingkang remains unavenged." (Referring to the Jurchen Jin capturing the Song emperor in the Jingkang era)

    Song Dynasty Fans: "The eunuchs caused the downfall of the nation."

    Ming Dynasty Fans: "The emperor guards the nation, the kings die for their subjects!"

    Passerby: "What would happen if Chongzhen st Ming emperor) and Emperor Huizong of Song switched ces?"

    Interspersed were Qing Dynasty Fans: "I really wish I could live another five hundred years!" (Referring to the long reign of the Qing dynasty)

    So everyone jointly attacked: "Qing dynasty transmigration novels must rebel..."

    Inparison, the suspense category was much milder.

    A: "ˇ®Rose GoldˇŻ sold very well, but the suspense and reasoning were weak, right? More adventure elements."

    B: "Who said that? The treasure code and final case reasoning are very typical."

    C: "ˇ®Rose GoldˇŻ would actually fit better in the romance category..."

    D: "Grieving till today over the killer''s death, wuwuwu."

    E: "Why wasn''t ˇ®Devil DoctorˇŻ nominated???"

    F: "Are you a passerby? The Dreampen allows only one work per author to be nominated."

    Lively debates continued as the awards ceremony in November approached.

    As usual, the whole process was broadcasted live, and the viewership had always been good - the awards had more celebrities than film awards.

    Film awards only had nominated stars attending, but literary awards were different. They could invite whoever they wanted.

    This was just another variety show.

    Jian Jing got up at 10am, went to the salon to do her hair, called the makeup artist to put on makeup, changed into an evening gown. The whole process took about five or six hours.

    In the afternoon after 3pm, Kang Mu Cheng arranged work and got off work early to pick her up at the salon.

    He was a little shocked.

    Under the soft light, her well-maintained skin was fair and smooth, with a natural glow. The sheerce dress wrapped lightly around her youthful body. Her back was straight, her shoulders rxed, even flesh filling out the long skirt. Slender yet strong, light yet agile, involuntarily evoking the description "wasp waist and ape arms, crane posture and mantis shapeˇ±.

    It''s just that her wrists and neck were a bit bare, and the pearl hairpin in her hair was not exquisite enough, dimmed by the dress.

    "Mr. Kang." Jian Jing turned around and smiled. "You''vee to pick me up."

    Kang Mu Cheng paused slightly, seeming to feel something was off about her, but figured she was just nervous since this was her first time attending an awards ceremony, so decided not to call it out.

    He pretended not to know and smiled. "I came at the right time. Here, this is for you." He opened the small safe he brought and took out a set of diamond nes. "Don''t worry, I''m not giving this to you. My mom said to let you borrow it for a day."

    The cut diamonds shone brilliantly in the lingering sunset, nearly outshining the beauty.

    The makeup artist said what everyone was thinking: "This is too gorgeous. Miss Jian, try it on quickly!"

    "It''s too heavy." Jian Jing waved her hand with augh. "Spare my neck please."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "It looks empty without it."

    "I''ve prepared something else." She took out a white velvet choker ne with fresh red roses and a few crystals from a nearby acrylic box. "I had someone specially make this for me. Doesn''t it look good?"

    It did look good, handmade quality, and the roses were real flowers, freshly flown in that morning, blossoms waiting to bloom, surpassing all dead objects.

    Kang Mu Cheng reminded her: "It won''t match the asion."

    "It''s not apetition of who has more money." She smiled. "Let''s keep a low profile and not steal the spotlight from celebrities."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t insist either: "No one can steal your spotlight today."

    Rightly said.

    The award ceremony started at 7pm, with an hour of red carpet time. The lower the seating, the more forward the position, and the greater the status.

    Golden Crow had rented luxury cars early, one for each author, to avoid them squeezing into taxis in suits and evening gowns and bing aughing stock.

    Since Jian Jing was with Kang Mu Cheng, it saved her the trouble. They could just go eat first.

    She ordered takeout.

    The designer was scared witless, gently reminding her in French from time to time: "Darling, be careful not to ruin the dress shape, can we just have a sd?"

    Jian Jing: "Je ne peux pas (I can''t)."

    Designer: "......"

    She ate pizza and fried chicken, plus half a cup of coffee.

    After eating, she touched up her makeup and they set off.

    --

    Jiahui had no sses that night. With nothing to do, she and her roommate sat watching the livestream of the Dreampen Award ceremony.

    The two girls chatted animatedly.

    Roommatemented: "Literary awards have gotten so rich in recent years, even livelier than film awards. So many celebrities!"

    "Film awards only have nominated stars attending, but literary awards are different. They can invite whoever they want." Jiahui spoke vaguely while eating chips. "Big names are guests giving out awards, small names perform, very reasonable!"

    Roommate agreed: "Wonder who they invited this year. Oh, isn''t that Cai Tonger?"

    On screen, Cai Tonger stood radiant on the red carpet in a little dress.

    The host asked: "What are your thoughts on attending the Dreampen Awards today?"

    Cai Tonger answered: "It''s my great honor. I got to see authors I really liked as a kid."

    Roommate snorted in disdain: "Pretentious. How many books has she even read? Probably just textbooks from primary school."

    Jiahuiughed out loud.

    After a few celebrities, it was the authors'' turn. They were unfamiliar faces, so the host had to introduce each of them, announcing their representative works, for the audience to know who was who.

    The two girls reacted dramatically.

    "Ah, he''s actually XX! I love his food writing, thought he''d be fat. But he''s so skinny! Balding is not at all surprising though."

    "So he''s XXX! Ew... An oily stallion man for sure."

    "Oh oh oh, so handsome! Is that his girlfriend beside him? No wonder the romance is so sweet."

    "Thedy is so elegant, who''s she? XXX? Hey, I really like her poetry collection, want to see?"

    Then came a wave of currently popr idols.

    The host asked: "Which work are you supporting?"

    The idols answered: "Spring Flower Buds, the story is great and the writing very elegant."

    Silence descended.

    The bullet screen ruthlessly stered over the screen:

    Bullet 1: Spring cauliflower buds??

    Bullet 2: Wtf, that''s a surrealist novel!

    Comment 3: Moreover, it''s particrly depressing. The writing style is also twisted, very hard to understand.

    Comment 4: Who can exin what this is?

    Comment 5: The Chinese version of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

    ...

    The host glossed over it with an unchanged expression.

    The writers that followed were all somewhat famous, so the host didn''t need to introduce them, and the audience could recognize them too. For example, a series of romance writers from Morning Star, though their looks varied, they were all dressed beautifully and shone brightly.

    My roommate said, "I find that romance writers have the best looks."

    Jiahui disagreed: "That''s because our Teacher Jian hasn''te on stage yet!"

    Indeed, with her alone, Jian Jing upheld the looks of mystery writers.

    When she arrived, it was already 7:50 pm. This time slot was reserved for the bosses of the major publishing houses, and the other writers had already gone in and sat down.

    But Kang Mu Cheng always favored her and brought her outst like the climax.

    The crisscrossing camera shes nearly blinded her.

    There were many media outlets on both sides of the red carpet, not onlyprehensive media, but many entertainment outlets also came to get in on the excitement because of the celebrities attending. There were short barrel cameras, tripods, cell phones, and colorful microphones everywhere.

    It was very lively, extremely lively.

    Jian Jing held onto Kang Mu Cheng''s arm as she slowly walked through the crisscrossing lights and shadows. She would stop and smile from time to time, using the most beautiful posture to deal with the harsh lenses.

    She also performed perfectly.

    On the live streaming websites, the colorful barragements were like a congested freeway during rush hour, packed densely together.

    "My wife, my wife! I dere that from now on Teacher Jian is my wife!"

    "We''re already married, thanks everyone!!!"

    "Ahhhhhhh, help! The writers are stealing the celebrities'' jobs!"

    "The angle of her lowered head looks a bit like Namie Amuro! What aura!"

    "Golden Crow''s deputy general manager is so handsome, he matches perfectly with Teacher Jian! This pair wouldn''t be out of ce at all at a film festival!"

    "Overbearing president and his little secretary, I can sketch out 10,000 words!"

    "Oh my god, this year''s new autumn haute couture!"

    "I went with my rich youngdy bestie to Parisst month, heard about this show, so high ss!"

    "Is it that wedding dress, I''ve seen the video, it''s so beautiful!"

    "Celebrities, hurry and change your press releases. Stop hyping up the dresses."

    "They''re all borrowed anyway, who''s more noble than who?"

    "Borrow my a**, this tight fitting dress must be custom made."

    "Excuse me, is this a celebrity? How extravagant!"

    "Wake up fans, she''s the main character today."

    ...

    In the dorm, Jiahui asked her roommate, "Don''t you feel like Teacher Jian walking the red carpet with her boss in this outfit looks a lot like a wedding ceremony?"

    Roommate: "I also want a dad like this!!"

    Jiahui: "...Now that you mention it, something seems off?"

    The two looked at each other, then hurried to look at the host at the end of the red carpet.

    The host alsoughed: "Wow, Teacher Jian looks so beautiful today. When she walked towards me, my heart was beating so fast, it really felt like the bride in a church."

    Kang Mu Cheng raised his brows.

    "Is that so?" Jian Jing smiled, her countenance radiant, looking much more beautiful than usual, just like a rose in full bloom under the camera lens. "I must look very much like a bride today."

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189

    Entertainment media loves to use "outshining" as a gimmick. What outshining the whole scene, a certain actress stunned the Four Seats when she appeared at a certain event, and so on.

    But as we all know, it''s essentially just pulling and ridiculing others.

    However, when the media used these two words in the press release tonight, anyone who watched the live broadcast would nod their heads and think it was understandable.

    The reason was simple. Jian Jing looked too beautiful.

    Whether it was because she had grown up over the years, her facial features had be more defined, or her makeup today was particrly ttering, in short when she stood there, even strangers who saw her would ask: "Which celebrity is this? Howe I''ve never seen her before?"

    Among the guest presenters invited today was Zheng Keyan, who could be considered one of the most universally agreed upon great beauties in China, having often outshone others in press releases.

    Even she had to pay attention to her manners when she came over to greet Jian Jing, lest she inadvertently appear haggard inparison.

    "Teacher Jian looks so beautiful today," was how everyone started their small talk.

    Jian Jing smiled gently as she smoothed her skirt: "When others praise me, I dare believe it. But when you praise me like this, I don''t dare believe it."

    Zheng Keyan smiled charmingly: "I''m telling the truth, can we take a photo together?"

    "Sure."

    The two took an intimate photo together. From afar, Cai Tonger hesitated for a moment, pretended not to see, and sat down nonchntly to y with her phone.

    After Zheng Keyan left, another heavyweight guest arrivedˇŞBest Actor Qi, who yed the demon doctor in "Demon Doctor 2", taking over the role from Shao Meng.

    "Demon Doctor 2" had already started filming for some time, and Jian Jing had been busy recently and hadn''t met him in person.

    "Teacher Jian," Best Actor Qi greeted her politely with a handshake. "I''m very happy to have the chance to work with you."

    Although nearing forty, he was still handsome and upright, with a well-maintained figure without a potbelly, and his face and body showed no signs of age, pleasing to look at.

    Jian Jing was equally polite: "It is I who should say it''s an honor."

    In front of the cameras, with him unmarried and her unwed, it was inappropriate to chat too warmly, lest it spawn some scandal the next day. Best Actor Qi was careful, so after the greeting he promptly retreated.

    Jian Jing was also tired from socializing, so she turned around to find her seat and sat down to y with her phone.

    She sent Jiang BaiYan a message: [Why didn''t I see you?]

    He replied: [Suddenly got sick, couldn''t make it]

    She replied: [Get well soon, drink plenty of warm water]

    He replied: [Smiley face.JPG]

    "Who are you chatting with?" Kang Mu Cheng sat down beside her, and casually draped a white cashmere shawl over her shoulders. "Put this on, it''s November already, quite chilly."

    The air conditioning was on in the auditorium, but no matter how hard the central air sted, in such arge space the warmth dissipated to almost nothing. The female celebrities wearing off-the-shoulder and backless gowns certainly felt cold, though none would admit it.

    Jian Jing wrapped the shawl around herself and nced around the venue.

    The guests today were all invited by the organizers. Without an invitation one couldn''t even get in. But backstage, the staff''s management was much morex.

    The celebrities'' assistants, the authors'' agents, the staff responsible for lighting, props, stage, makeup... Where could he be?

    The lights dimmed, signaling the official start of the ceremony.

    The opening was a ssical song and dance performance, a recreation of the narrow-sleeved "Green Waist Dance", with youngdies in long narrow-sleeved dresses, supple waists swirling gracefully, flying and fluttering about, evoking understanding of the rulers'' debauchery.

    After the dance, the host came on stage and introduced the judging panel of the Dream Pen Awards, all famous figures in the literary world, some professional critics, some winners of numerous major awards at home and abroad, with impressive qualifications, adding credibility to the judging of the prizes.

    After introducing the judges, some unofficial minor awards were announced.

    The Creative Short Story Award, Promising Novel Award, Best Illustration Award... Yes, the online voting awards could only get a seat at the ceremony without formal presentation.

    Although these minor awards had little fame, just showing up and getting a medal as souvenir made them more worthwhile.

    Everyone apuded courteously.

    Jian Jing quietly asked Kang Mu Cheng: "Howe I''ve never heard of these books?"

    "They''re all obscure works," he exined. "But well written."

    She nodded.

    Next was a round of song and dance performances, lively singing and dancing by young idols.

    Then came the main event.

    The first of the six major categoriesˇŞromance, history, martial arts, sci-fi, mystery, and realismˇŞto be announced was realism.

    The five nominated books appeared one by one on the big screen, with the host reading thementary for each: "Profoundly revealed the living conditions of the lower sses", "Incisively analyzed the psychological state of marginalized groups", "Hinted at theplexity and variability of human nature through fantastical portrayals"...

    After a barrage of cryptic descriptions, he slowly announced: "The winner of this year''s Dream Pen Award for Best Realist Novel isˇŞ''Spring Vegetable''! Congrattions!"

    Jian Jing had heard of this book. Although sales were bleak and few understood it, it was highly acimed in literary circles, considered China''s version of "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

    She assumed the author was a Chinese Marquez.

    However, when the author went on stage, everyone was surprised.

    She was a simple working housewife, with dark, rough skin, petite build, a little olddy. She was also very introverted, and upon receiving the award only softly murmured: "Thank you."

    The venue quieted, then erupted into warm apuse.

    No matter her appearance or background, as long as the soul of her writing was genuine, she deserved everyone''s respect.

    Next was a song performance, the theme song of a martial arts novel.

    So the next award was for martial arts fiction.

    The winner was a young teacher, extremely excited, and said many words of thanks, gushing about his passion for martial arts novels.

    It represented a generation''s youth and memories.

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t help but sigh: "Martial arts fiction is on the decline."

    Jian Jing silently nodded. Indeed it was. Although respectable literary awards still included martial arts categories, the bestselling books in stores nowadays were fantasy.

    Without web fiction sites here, new genres emerged nonstop, relying on buying affection with meat, and in recent years book rental businesses were thriving.

    After martial arts was sci-fi.

    The result was uncontroversial, the champion of a sci-fi fiction contestst year, published this year as a collection.

    Next up was the mystery category.

    The host began announcing the nominees this time: "''House of Shadows'', ''Premeditated Murder'', ''Thrice Dead Woman'', ''Crossing the River'', ''Roses, Gold, and Assassins''."

    Followed bymentary.

    ''House of Shadows'' was "ingeniously meticulous, seamless." ''Premeditated Murder'' was "continuously twisting, interlocking." ''Thrice Dead Woman'' was "cliffhangers upon cliffhangers, ups and downs." ''Crossing the River'' was "bizarre and unique, in a ss of its own."

    Of course, the most coverage went to ''Roses, Gold, and Assassins''.

    The host said: "This is a mystery novel of unique character, a reversal of the gloomy, thrilling style of mystery deduction fiction, focusing not on portraying the heaviness and pain of hatred, but telling a story of self-salvation. The writing is elegant and outstanding, narrating with words as refreshing as a spring day, reminding people that adventures have an endpoint, bloodshed concludes, but love is an eternal unfading rose, lighting the long road of life ahead..."

    As his voice trailed off, he looked around, and under the anticipatory gaze of the audience, announced: "The winner of this year''s Dream Pen Award for Best Mystery Novel isˇŞ''Roses, Gold, and Assassins''! Congrattions Jian Jing!"

    The lights and cameras swung onto her simultaneously. In that moment, all eyes were upon her.

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t conceal the delight on his face, no longer bothering to hide it, nodded with a smile: "Go on."

    Jian Jing got up slowly, rose petals fluttering down her snowy gauze dress, vividly lifelike.

    The moment she stepped onto the stage, she turned her charm back on.

    The stage lights were scaldingly hot, like the zing summer sun beating down. Her cheeks immediately flushed fiery red.

    The host froze briefly, but he was one of the top hosts in the entertainment industry, having seen hundreds of great beauties if not tens, and quicklyposed himself, handing her the microphone.

    "Thank you to the judges for the recognition," Jian Jing said into the mic, facing the camera with bright eyes. "Thank you to all the readers for loving my work, I feel extremely honored and very happy..."

    She recited from a speech Kang Mu Cheng had vetted, enunciating clearly in steady tempo, making her seem frank and poised to outsiders.

    Kang Mu Cheng was even more emotional.

    He recalled the shock when he first saw Detective White Cat, the shock and hesitation when he got The Hide and Seek Child, and he couldn''t help but think of the uproar when The Devil Doctor was first published... Looking back over the years, she was like a butterfly that had finallye to a metamorphosis.

    An indescribable, ineffable strange feeling welled up in his heart.

    It was like satisfaction, but more intense than satisfaction, like joy, but moreplicated than joy. However, one thought was undoubtedly extremely clear.

    That was - this was just the beginning.

    It was just the start of her spreading her wings and soaring high.

    In the future, she would definitely go higher and farther.

    And he would certainly be the one to witness it.

    "Thank you everyone." Jian Jing finished reading her lines under the spotlight and epted the trophy from the award presenter.

    The crystal-carved brush with her name engraved in gold was a unique memento.

    The apuse was like thunder as people crowded around her.

    Jian Jing smiled and bowed as she walked off the stage.

    The performance was over, and the real battlefield was about to open up.

    She pressed the cool trophy against her cheek, thinking, I''m ready now, where are you?

    *

    History and romance were the two most fiercely contested awards in recent years, but Kang Mu Cheng had lost interest.

    He felt something was off, but couldn''t say what exactly.

    President Tao was sweating nervously as he awaited the announcement of the romance category awards. Online opinion was firmly behind Jian Jing, and the guests around them were chatting as usual.

    At first, he thought it was the after-effects of the Paris incident that made him ufortable in crowds. But he soon realized that wasn''t it.

    No, it wasn''t psychological trauma, it was more like...like a premonition.

    His gaze fell on the armrest next to him, where a white cashmere shawl was draped.

    Ten minutes ago, Jian Jing had said she was going to the bathroom and left both the trophy and shawl behind. She even joked with him, "Mr. Kang, I''ll be right back, don''t worry."

    At the time, he thought she was teasing him and didn''t think much of it. But now, recalling it made cold sweat run down his back.

    Kang Mu Cheng suppressed his emotions and immediately got up to leave.

    Outside the auditorium, people wereing and going, very busy.

    "Excuse me," he stopped a female staff member, "could you please go to thedies'' room and call someone for me?"

    The staff member agreed and went into the nearest bathroom.

    A momentter, a sharp shriek erupted from inside.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s heart thumped heavily, nearly jumping out of his throat. Ignoring propriety, he rushed in anxiously, "Jingjing?!"

    Blood, he saw blood streaming down the entire mirror. The pungent smell of blood nearly overwhelmed his mind.

    The sink was piled high with bright red rose petals.

    And a snow-white envelope was tucked among them.

    He walked over, fished out the envelope and tore it open.

    Ribbons tumbled out, embroidered with red roses - it was Jian Jing''s ne.

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190

    Jian Jing had disappeared.

    ording to the police investigation, the culprit had drugged her when she went to the bathroom, stuffed her into an oversized suitcase, and left casually through the back door.

    The victim was a popr writer, and the police investigation was also very swift. After receiving the report, they immediately sealed off the scene and checked the identities of the staff one by one.

    Something strange happened.

    Each staff member had their own work pass to enter the auditorium and get into the hall. The organizers wouldn''t have messed up something so basic. But after asking around the circle, surprisingly, no staff member was missing.

    It should be known that although outsiders cannot distinguish which employee is responsible for what, the staff are different. Whether it''s makeup artists, lighting technicians, photographers, they must be clear in their minds about how many people are in their own teams.

    Everyone insisted that no one had disappeared today.

    Even the temporary workers were only two people, a boy who had just graduated, and a girl who was substituting for a friend. Their identities and backgrounds were clear.

    So the problem must have been with the guests.

    The security guard said that all the guests entered with invitation letters and could only enter the hall after that. They could guarantee that. So who had left halfway?

    ording to the surveince of the parking lot, a total of three cars had left.

    The first was the deputy general manager of the publishing house. His mother had fallen down and he had rushed to the hospital. The second was the celebrity who hurried to the bar to party after the performance. The third was the assistant who had a stomachache and left work early to rest at home.

    In addition, there was a taxi passing by.

    ording to the driver''s recollection, the passenger was a man in a suit, wearing a mask, and carrying arge suitcase. He got off near the park.

    The police tracked him down via street surveince. He got off the car and entered the park.

    After that, the man disappeared.

    To be precise, it was the suitcase that disappeared.

    At the exits, none of them showed anyone pushing arge suitcase out.

    The police searched the entire park and finally dredged up the suitcase from the pond. It was filled with stones. Fortunately, after inspection, no bloodstains were found inside the suitcase.

    Jian Jing should still be alive.

    What happened next?

    Nothing else happened.

    The kidnapper had neither contacted the family to ask for ransom, nor left other clues, making it very difficult for the police to investigate.

    Ji Feng was determined that this was the culprit of the serial killings years ago, and proposed reopening the case to carefully investigate Xue Jun''s male rtives and suspicious figures around her.

    But he failed.

    The reason was also very realistic. There was no evidence at present indicating that the person who kidnapped Jian Jing was the culprit at that time.

    The culprit left a rose behind, which did not match his previous modus operandi years ago. Even in Liu Bao Feng''s case, although he left a copy of "The Devil Doctor", it had nothing to do with roses.

    Others believed that this looked more like a kidnapping case or deliberate retaliation.

    "She has helped us solve several cases. Perhaps this aroused resentment in some people," the onlookersˇŻ reasons were equally sufficient, ˇ°The serial killer from those years has long ceased his crimes. This is also not his M.O.ˇ±

    The most obvious sign in the four cases from 2009 to 2014 was the holidays.

    But the day of the awards ceremony was just an ordinary Saturday.

    With just this point, Ji Feng''s argument didn''t stand, even if he was forced to say directly: "Teacher Jian said that he woulde looking for her."

    "Is there any evidence?" the leader asked.

    He: "......The intuition of the person involved is very urate."

    The leader: "So there is none."

    At this, they rejected his proposal and decided: "We still have to start from the cases Jian Jing participated in. Apart from the culprit''s rtives, I think some of the victims'' families are also suspicious."

    His colleagues reacted swiftly: "The Fang family? They may indeed harbor resentment and deliberately retaliate."

    "Let''s allocate the work," the leader spoke and arranged for everyone to investigate separately, while warning Ji Feng at the same time, "If you continue to mix personal feelings into this, ording to the rules, I can only have you recused."

    Ji Feng: "Teacher Jian and I are neither rtives nor friends. Why should I recuse myself?"

    "Aren''t you two friends?" The leader bit out thest two words meaningfully.

    Ji Feng: "What friends? We''re acquaintances, just acquaintances, work contacts.ˇ±

    At this, the leader stopped.

    *

    "What friends? We''re acquaintances, just acquaintances, work contacts."

    In the dim room, Jian Jing heard the familiar voice. She was slumped on the wire bed, her head aching badly. After a daze for half a day, she finally distinguished who was speaking.

    "Cough." She coughed loudly a few times, reaching for the mineral water by her pillow, only to find the bottle was already empty.

    Sitting behind the door in the shadows, the man turned off the recording on his phone: "How do you feel?"

    She said: "Bored."

    "Bored?" He picked up a hair clip on the side. Under the pearl dark buckle was an embedded pinhole camera, only all the wiring had beenpletely severed and was useless. "I don''t think so."

    The main light source in the room was directed at the wall. Next to the wall was an aluminum alloy ss cage, enclosed on three sides, leaving the wall side with an open door. Inside was a 3 square meter smallpartment equipped with a toilet and washing facilities.

    Inside the cage was an 80 cm small bed. The sheets were snow white, the bed frame draped with ayer of gauze, loosely trailing down, looking both like a prison and a princess''s toy house.

    This was where Jian Jing had been imprisoned for two days.

    She was still wearing the custom rose formal dress, but barefoot. The high heels had been thrown into the corner, the soles already peeled off.

    "Pinhole cameras, wiretaps, tracking chips." He slowly listed the things she had brought,ughing, "You really went through a lot of trouble for me."

    Jian Jing said: "You''re no slouch yourself."

    "I don''t think that''s apliment." His tone was smiling, "What''s wrong, angry?"

    His tone was as if coaxing a unreasonable little girl.

    Jian Jing''s throat itched badly: "Water."

    He came over, opened the sliding panel at the bottom, and rolled in a bottle of mineral water.

    She twisted the cap several times but couldn''t get it open, so she had to use her teeth to bite it open. She hurriedly sipped small mouthfuls to moisten her throat.

    "Trying to find me with these things, you''re too naive," he said. "It''s been so many years, why can''t you learn?"

    And again, like a helpless homeroom teacher to a student.

    Jian Jing retorted: "Have I failed?"

    He smiled, propped up his legs, looked down at her condescendingly, but his tone was still affable: "If I tell you ''yes'', will you give up?"

    She didn''t speak.

    "Of course not." He said, "You still harbor hope, believing that even without these, the police can still trace it back to me."

    She was silent for a while, averting her gaze, and said lightly: "He was right, we''re just acquaintances after all."

    He chuckled softly, as if mockingly: "Let''s talk about your second mistake. A honey trap is indeed very effective. I didn''t expect you would be what you are todayˇŞˇŞalthough I had hoped for it, but I was also clearly aware that perfect souls are few and far between. Most people are just stubborn stones. No matter how you carve them, they can never be beautiful jadeˇŞˇŞyou gave me a big surprise. Just this one point, you gambled right."

    "I really can''t let you go." He admired the girl in the ss house, praising her beauty and courage.

    It had to be said, her resistance made things more interesting. After all, wasn''t this the reason he chose this child back then?

    "But if you think this is enough to deal with me, you overestimate yourself," he smiled and said word for word like a knife, "You always make the same mistakes."

    The same mistakes?

    Jian Jing suddenly sat up straight, squinting at him, seeming to want to make out something.

    But it was useless. Her contact lenses had been removed by him. On her severely nearsighted retina, only a blurred shadow was projected.

    "You don''t remember, do you? It doesn''t matter," he said as he slowly pressed the button in his hand, "I can slowly help you recall."

    In the ss room, anesthetic gas was spraying out from the hidden stic pipes, filling up the entire room.

    Her consciousness was sinking down gradually, yet not to the deepest level, suspiciously floating in the middle, surrounded by darkness. Looking ahead, only a faint circle of white light could be seen.

    He turned off the other lights and paced to the front of the ss room.

    "Come on," he said, "let me help you find those things you''ve forgotten."

    --

    Jian Jing''s consciousness awoke in 2014.

    She saw a bustling restaurant, with high-end decor. Outside were rows of luxury cars, with Porsches and Maseratis everywhere, and BMWs and Benzes asmon as flies, clearly a very high-end private restaurant.

    However, parked incongruously in front of this restaurant was a taxi.

    A family of three got out of the taxi.

    The middle-aged couple were neatly dressed but not expensively, just very ordinarymoners, with normal jobs and businesses.

    They had not yet entered, but were daunted by theing and going luxury cars, clearly hesitant.

    To be honest, to eat a meal at a restaurant like this would cost a few thousand yuan for three people, and even during holidays when treating guests, a table of dishes would be around the same price. It wasn''t that average families couldn''t afford to pay this amount, just that they wouldn''t bear to spend so much on an ordinary meal when it wasn''t a holiday or celebration.

    But their young daughter didn''t think like this.

    She very clearly told the server, "Box 202, under Jian."

    The server smiled and led the way, "Of course, pleasee this way."

    But as he turned his head, dissatisfaction shed through his eyes: the young girl loved vanity, insisting on eating at a high-end restaurant without considering her parents'' financial situation. Any righteous person would feel disgusted.

    Unexpectedly, after the parents sat down and looked at the menu, they took the initiative to in" to the server, "The dishes here are too expensive. Ah, our daughter insisted on bringing us here to eat, said something about Michelin, that we must try it."

    The server smiled politely, "Your daughter cares about you."

    "She''s earned a bit of money and wants to spend it all," the father continued to in". "She refuses to save it. We can''t control her, so we can only take advantage of our daughter''s generosity early."

    Now the server understood. It wasn''t that the daughter loved vanity and forced her parents to spend money, but the opposite - she had earned money herself and wanted to treat her parents to a nice meal.

    He clucked to himself in admiration, and mentioned it to his coworkers when ordering dishes.

    The new manager asked, "This must be a very happy family, right?"

    "Yes," the server said. "As expected, having a daughter is great - so filial."

    The manager smiled.

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191

    That meal cost three to four thousand yuan. When paying the bill, Jian''s father and Jian''s mother tasted it again and shook their heads at the same time: "Too expensive. Eating it didn''t have anything special. Don''t spend this wronged money next time."

    "How can your daughter''s filial piety be called wronged money?" The manager took out a lily from the bottle, wrapped it in ssine, and handed it to little Jian Jing, "Wee next time."

    Jian Jing looked up at him, and a trace of vignce shed in her eyes: "No need."

    His interest grew thicker in his heart, and he handed it to Jian''s mother again.

    Unless she was very grateful, women who became mothers rarely received fresh flowers again. Jian''s mother was a little embarrassed, but the manager had a sincere smile on his face, so she took it.

    The three of them went out to take a taxi.

    The manager watched them leave from the window. He saw the girl take the lily from her mother''s hand, pretending to help her hold things, and then pretend to identally drop the lily into the trash can when throwing away the tissue.

    The motherined a few words, and she coaxed a little, easily covering it up.

    "Did you see it?" The manager walked to the girl''s side, bent down, and whispered in her ear, "At that time, I selected three families in total. There was a young couple more affectionate than your parents, and an old couple more loyal than your parents. But because of you, I chose them."

    The girl raised her head, looking at him in shock with her still tender face.

    "Yes." He nodded gently with a smile, "You killed them."

    Tears gushed out, and she shook her head desperately: "No! It wasn''t me!"

    "It was you. Because of your vignce, because of your provocation, I gave up on them and chose you," every word was like an invisible knife, killing without blood, "Because of you, they will die."

    "No!" She took a step back and said loudly, "It wasn''t me."

    The curvature of the corners of his lips became more and more rich, and his tone became more certain: "It was you, look."

    The scene changed instantly.

    She saw her ownmunity. He was chatting with a neighbor in disguise.

    "There is a postal package here that needs them to sign for it. I don''t know when they are at home. I''vee several times and haven''t met them," he asked the neighbor with the postal uniform he was wearing.

    The neighbor nced at his vest printed with the post office and readily said, "They moved out long ago."

    "Where did they move to?"

    "They said they went to study at Hexi No. 6 Middle School." The neighbor didn''t remember the ce, but had the instincts of a parent and firmly remembered one of the best middle schools in the province.

    He pretended to understand: "No wonder they were in a hurry to move. It turned out to be for studying."

    "Yeah, I met themst time, and they said they would move after August when it wasn''t hot, but they suddenly moved away unexpectedly," the neighbor said knowingly, "They must check the household registration for transferring schools. It''s much harder to go to school now than before."

    He thanked the neighbor, turned his head, smiled at the girl standing on the side of the street, and said indescribably calmly and evilly: "You see, your family originally nned to move in August, but because of me, it was a month earlier."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips tightly and held back without making a sound.

    "Do you understand now? You overestimated yourself too much, thinking you could get rid of me like this." He put his hands in his pockets, leisurely andfortable, "Big mistake, you just made me notice you, and then, I chose you."

    He approached her face and smiled: "So you see, don''t deny it anymore, it was you who killed your parents."

    "No." She covered her ears, turned and fled, "It wasn''t me, it wasn''t me."

    The wind blew.

    The little girl''s body grew taller as she ran, turning into a slender teenage girl, turning into a tall and exquisite youngdy, turning into... a beauty in a rose wedding dress.

    She stopped abruptly and slowly turned around.

    "It wasn''t me." Jian Jing woke up from hera with tears all over her face.

    Light and shadow intertwined, the cold white halo fluctuated in the darkness, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. His figure was hidden in the shadows outside the ss house, like a lurking ghost, smiling and watching her.

    She stared at him for a while, closed her eyes wearily.

    *

    The police took two routes. One team reviewed the cases Jian Jing had participated in to screen for possible revenge. The other team continued to investigate the guests at the ceremony that day, trying to find some clues.

    Ji Feng determined that this matter had nothing to do with other cases, and insisted on finding the person.

    He got the list from the organizer and checked it against the entrance surveince to confirm each person individually.

    After screening, several suspicious personnel were found.

    The first thing was this: the invitation was given to a man, but the person who came to participate that day was a woman. After visiting to inquire, it was learned that the lover liked such upscale asions and pestered the man to get an invitation.

    That man had a wife and children.

    When the wife heard about it, she handed over the divorce agreement without saying a word. The couple were very stiff with each other. The little lover had a clear background and watched the entire ceremony normally that day, nothing abnormal.

    The second was much more suspicious.

    On the day of the ceremony, there was someone who was originally supposed toe but said he didn''t go.

    Jiang Baiyan.

    He was filming the TV series "Rose Gold" at the time.

    Today''s filming was on location, choosing a street lined with chinaberry trees. The golden yellow leaves on both sides shone in the sunshine. The slender jade-like youth standing under the trees had a quiet and sad expression, and his back was bleak.

    Several cameras were aimed at him as he slowly walked from the end of the street by himself.

    The light changed from dark to bright, the figure went from far to near, and the tree shade on his face slowly faded, revealing his face. This also symbolized that he hadpleted the internal struggle and climbed out of the unfathomable abyss, with his soul basking in the sunlight again.

    "Cut." The director made a gesture and ended the shooting of this scene.

    Jiang Baiyan broke free from the y. Before he got closer, he saw Ji Feng and Officer Gao standing to the side.

    Sister Chen said in a low voice: "The two police officers have something to ask you."

    "I''ll step away for a moment," Jiang Baiyan walked to the corner away from the crew''s sight, "What do you want to ask me?"

    Officer Gao looked him up and down. Even as a big man, he had to admit that Jiang Baiyan looked good,pletely different from the handsome Ji Feng, exuding a beautiful and refined temperament, very delicate.

    Could he be the one who took Jian Jing away?

    "I have something I want to ask you. Were you there on the 15th for an event you were originally supposed to attend?" Old Gao was older, usually acted nice, and asked gently.

    Jiang Baiyan looked at his phone and got straight to the point: "Don''t beat around the bush." His tone was very intimate, as if his youthful spirit had not yet passed, "You came to ask about Teacher Jian Jing''s affairs, right?"

    "Do you have any clues you can give us?" Old Gao probed.

    He said: "ording to the schedule, I was going to go on the 15th. I asked Director Mei for leave, but in the afternoon I filmed a scene of eating noodles and had to reshoot it many times. I got too full and vomited for half a day, so I had to go home and rest."

    Sister Chen was not far away. When she heard him mention it, she hurried over to corroborate: "That''s right, that''s right. The director required real eating. He got too full and had to induce vomiting. It took half a day to get through it. I told him not to go and to rest at home."

    "Can anyone prove it?"

    Jiang Baiyan slowly shook his head: "I live alone."

    Ji Feng finally spoke: "What about the invitation? The ceremony''s security check required scanning the QR code. We checked everyone''s number, and yours was used."

    Jiang Baiyan frowned and thought for a long time, shaking his head: "Sorry, I just casually put the invitation in my bag. The bag was left in the crew van, so someone else may have taken it."

    "Do you still have the invitation?" Ji Feng asked.

    He said: "It should be at my house, I guess I haven''t thrown it away yet."

    Ji Feng stared at his face and asked slowly: "Recently, have any suspicious people appeared around you?"

    "I''m an actor." Jiang Baiyan answered unhurriedly, "I meet a lot of strangers every day. I don''t have the time or energy to distinguish them."

    Ji Feng: "So you mean Jian Jing''s disappearance has nothing to do with you?"

    Jiang Baiyan asked back: "Why would I kidnap her? We have no grievances. What''s the point of doing this? It has no benefit to me."

    Sister Chen chimed in again: "That''s right, our Bai Bai gets along very well with Teacher Jian. There''s no reason to harm her. You should investigate others."

    Ji Feng and Old Gao looked at each other without asking further.

    After the two left, Jiang Baiyan said, "I''m going to the bathroom."

    He went to a nearby coffee shop, greeted the resting crew members casually, and entered the bathroom as if nothing had happened. Then he took out his phone and made a call.

    BeepˇŞSomeone answered quickly.

    "What are you busy with?" His tone was sweet and affectionate, as if he was talking to his girlfriend on the phone, "Is everything going smoothly?"

    "Don''t worry, everything is going ording to n."

    Jiang BaiYan looked up at himself in the ss mirror, the curve of his lips just right: "Is that so? When can Ie over then?"

    "What''s the hurry, wouldn''t it be better if you stayed a few more days - more convincing."

    "It''s been too long, I''m getting anxious." He was still speaking gently, as if afraid to disturb someone.

    "Until she reaches utter despair, how can she possibly lower her defenses and ept you? Wait until I erase her memories, then I''ll give her back to you."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Is that so?"

    "Of course, we just have some minor issues to resolve, very soon."

    Jiang BaiYan let out a little sigh, looking rather helpless: "Alright then, don''t deceive me. Otherwise I''ll get very angry."

    "You have leverage over me, what are you afraid of? As long as you help me buy some more time, we''ll both get what we want in the end."

    He seemed persuaded, his tone growing increasingly sweet: "Will two days be enough?"

    "Good, after two days, you can be her hero, saving her just like - how she once saved you."

    "It''s a deal then." Jiang BaiYan hung up the phone, turned on the faucet, and wetted his fingers to mess up his hair, making it match his character in the drama even more.

    The sunlight shifted, casting a small patch of gray shadow on his face.

    *

    The lights came on again.

    Jian Jing was painfully roused from her sleep by the ring lights.

    He opened the venttion window, then the serving hatch to deliver a loaf of bread and milk.

    "I want a proper meal." She said.

    "No being picky." Heughed lightly, seeming not to be angry. But Jian Jing knew he would never allow her to seize even the slightest initiative - be it for meals, using the toilet, or anything else.

    He wanted to use these trivial but important matters to gradually destroy her personality.

    It must have been the samest time as well.

    She and "Jian Jing" went through the same suffering.

    But he didn''t know, the more he did this, the more determined she became. This time, she absolutely would not lose again.

    She took a bite of the bread and mocked: "Hard and dry, can''t even afford fresh bread?"

    "Little Jing, angering me will only hurt yourself." He calmly pointed out the reality, "You need to learn to behave."

    Jian Jing retorted: "Hit a sore spot? After so many years, I''ve made a name for myself, but what about you? Still like a sewer rat, envying others'' happiness everywhere you go?"

    He was furious: "What do you know?"

    "I know you worship death, yet you''re still alive. I know you say happiness is an illusion, but you''re still jealous of others time and time again. I know..." She enunciated word for word, "You covet me, yet don''t even dare to get close to me, you''re afraid I''ll kill you."

    "You," Jian Jing looked up with a smile, "are a coward."

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192

    He stared coldly at Jian Jing for a long time, but he eventually suppressed his anger and said coldly, "You''d better be clear about one thing, I can kill you at any time."

    He took out a briefcase from the shadows and patted its white metal shell, "There is a special neurotoxin here, just 3 grams, and it can easily kill an elephant."

    Through the thick ss, he emphasized, "Your life is in my hands."

    So Jian Jing calmed down and did not provoke him again.

    But after being provoked by her earlier, he of course could not just let it go like that, he had to teach her a lesson: "On the police side, do you know where they have checked to?"

    She said, "Are they about to check your hometown?"

    "Heh heh." He did not actually get angry. There was an interested malice shing in his eyes, "They started investigating Jiang BaiYan."

    Jian Jing''s eyelids twitched slightly, not obviously, but it did not escape his eyes.

    He curled up the corners of his mouth.

    The little girl was still as stubborn as before. Such a brave and arrogant soul could only make her fall into despair, before destroying her personality to truly tame her.

    Pacing to the chair and sitting down, he was used to hiding in the darkness, jokingly said: "Surprised? The two hole cards you arranged actually wore each other out."

    She calmed down: "I don''t know what you are talking about."

    "You know it very well." He said, "Your partner is not the police at all. For no reason, the police would not waste police force. They can only open a case after you get into trouble. Moreover, even your ''acquaintance'' doesn''t seem to approve of what you are doing."

    Jian Jing''s face became very ugly.

    "You don''t dare to let Kang Mu Cheng know, but you have to find someone you can trust. After thinking about it several times, you came up with this person: you saved him, and gave him many opportunities. For personal feelings and interests, you can barely trust him." As she became more nervous, he became more rxed, "Jian Jing, let me teach you one more thing today - never trust anyone."

    Jian Jing reacted extremely quickly and immediately said, "Have you been betrayed by someone?"

    "Otherwise I wouldn''t be standing here now." He shook his head, and his words were somewhat sincere, "Don''t trust anyone, people can only trust themselves, each of our souls is lonely."

    She said, "Only people who are afraid dare not trust."

    "ndering me does not change the result of your betrayal." He tidied his cuffs and smiled, "The bloody reality is far more useful than well-meaning advice, isn''t it?"

    She pursed her lips, "What did you do?"

    "I didn''t do anything, I just underestimated the selfishness of human nature." He made a fair assessment.

    Jian Jing stared at him. After a few days, she had somewhat figured out his temperament. Whenever it came to himself, he was always arrogant and irritable, and a little carelessness would provoke his anger.

    But when he sat down and taught her life experience like a teacher, his tolerance increased greatly, easily forgiving her offense, choosing to "persuade" her with facts.

    What he said was very true.

    Every soul is lonely, he is very lonely.

    He wanted to confide, wanted to show off, wanted approval.

    So her provocation could always get a response - this was not because of his special treatment of "her", but because the back and forth debate and confrontation could make the stagnant heart field ripple with vitality.

    Under the temptation of fantasy, people cannot remain absolutely rational, and will say things that should not be said.

    "You think what he wants is gratitude, to prove himself, to get your approval." His tone became sharp, like a surgical knife, coldly dissecting Jiang BaiYan''s body, "This judgment is not wrong, but you don''t really understand him."

    The corners of his lips curled up slightly, looking like the person sitting in the cozy office, "He has no soul, just a shell, empty inside. A person like this is destined to look for something to fill the emptiness for a lifetime."

    After a short pause, he couldn''t help feeling emotional, "He''s just a monster, unfortunately I met him toote."

    If he could have met that kid a few months earlier, it would have been so great. To feed him with rotten nutrients, instill his ideals in him, he would grow in the dark abyss, like a mushroom with a gorgeous exterior, luring people to swallow him.

    How exciting, how exciting it would have been!

    What a pity, such a pity.

    "Seven years ago, I met him near your house. He was looking for you." He murmured, "Those eyes were so special. You think he''s a dog that tters you, but I know what he wants is not meat bones, but human hearts."

    She didn''t hear thest few sentences clearly, "What are you talking about?"

    People with poor eyesight can''t hear well without sses. He just smiled, "Do you know how I brought you out? It''s very simple, I got an invitation - Jiang BaiYan''s invitation."

    Jian Jing was stunned, and thoughts shed through her eyes quickly.

    What does this mean? Did he anticipate her choice in advance and pulled the rug out from under her, or...

    "He betrayed you." He spit out the answer, especially the word "betray", which he pronounced very clearly.

    Jian Jing reflexively argued, "That''s impossible!"

    "Haven''t you been listening to me carefully?" He frowned unpleasantly, "What did I just say? You don''t understand him at all. He helps you and tters you, ultimately for the sake of obtaining your feelings. So as long as I can give him the same thing, but faster and simpler, of course he will betray you."

    "I don''t believe it." Jian Jing maintained her reason and refuted methodically, "It''s just an invitation. You have plenty of ways to get it."

    He pointed to the high heels and hair clips on the floor, "Don''t you think I found these things too easily?"

    She sped her hands over her abdomen, "You have detection devices."

    "Never give up until the Yellow River." He sighed helplessly, and took out the prepared recording.

    yback.

    The sound of a door opening, footsteps, sitting down, a period of silence.

    He asked, "You''re looking at me like that, as if there''s something you want to say."

    "Dr. Wang." Jiang BaiYan said, "I''ve been consulting with you for more than half a year. I''ve always talked about myself, and never heard you talk about yourself."

    He: "I''m a doctor, of course I should listen more and talk less."

    Jiang BaiYan''s tone rose, "Then I''m at a big disadvantage."

    Heughed, "Okay, since you want to hear it, I can talk about myself too."

    "I know Dr. Wang graduated from the University of Edinburgh." Jiang BaiYan''s tone was familiar and lively, "So I specifically asked someone to investigate - guess what? The list of international students never had anyone named Wang Shi."

    Silence, strange silence.

    He pressed pause, and nced at Jian Jing''s expression.

    Although he hadn''t gotten to the point yet, she wasn''t stupid either. If he really wanted to help her wholeheartedly, how could he alert the snake in the grass and take the initiative to poke holes in his identity issues?

    He couldn''t helpughing again, and yed the second recording.

    Still Jiang BaiYan''s voice: "Why should I agree to your terms? As long as I tell her your whereabouts, she will definitely be grateful to me. Why should I help you?"

    "If you really think this way, you wouldn''t have revealed the news to me." He said slowly, "Rather than helping, you want to know what happened back then even more."

    It took Jiang BaiYan a long time to say, "I am indeed very curious."

    "No, you''re not curious." In the recording, his voice showed a different charm, low and melodious, attracting people to listen subconsciously, "You want an opportunity, an...opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

    Although unable to see the expression, the volume was sufficient. She heard Jiang BaiYan give a softugh.

    In front of her, this kid alwaysughed sweetly and lively, as if he was a refreshing summer soda, a warm winter milk tea, snuglyfortable.

    But thisugh did not belong to the cheerful youth. It was the deep, meaningfulugh of a young man.

    "She is talented and already famous at a young age. In her career, she does not need your help. There are people to protect and escort her. She is righteous and smart, having saved not just you but others too. Many people are grateful to her, you have nothing special."

    In the recording, he was praising her. Outside the recording, he was also looking at her with interest.

    "What can you use to pursue her, obtain her, and win her heart?" He dissected Jiang BaiYan''s heart, dug out clumps of rotten cotton, broke them apart, crushed them, "But this is an opportunity. Her unbearable past is the biggest w in her heart. As long as you can seize it, you can get her."

    Jian Jing''splexion gradually turned pale, without a hint of color, yet she stubbornly endured and kept listening, as if harboring a faint glimmer of hope.

    But she was destined to be disappointed.

    After a long silence, Jiang BaiYan said, "So what if that''s the case?"

    "I can help you."

    "Why should I trust you?"

    The recording ended there. He would not be stupid enough to expose his ns. She dragged the time stamp to the end.

    She heard Jiang BaiYan say, "Alright, I agree."

    "Do you understand now?" He enjoyed her expression with great interest, "He has betrayed you and made a deal with me."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips. Her chest heaved a few times before she barely suppressed her anger and said sarcastically, "You are no better, having sold him outpletely."

    He spread his hands andughed. "I''m doing this for your own good, so you won''t cling onto unrealistic fantasies anymore."

    She gritted her teeth.

    "Angry?" He tapped the table, inteced his fingers under his chin, and looked at her with certainty. "Don''t be angry. I will avenge you."

    Jian Jing suddenly raised her head in disbelief. "You want to...frame him?"

    "p, p." He apuded and highly praised her, "Clever. Isn''t this the best solution?"

    As he spoke, he walked over unhurriedly, "The police want a suspect, so I''ll give them one. Jiang BaiYan has betrayed you, so I''ll also make him pay the price. Everything is perfect."

    Under the light, her face turned ghastly pale without a hint of blood. The light in her pupils faded visibly fast. Slowly, she sat down, gripping the edge of the bed with her fingers, the joints turning white from force.

    "Jian Jing," he called gently. "Did you really think you could win?"

    She stopped talking.

    And he knew the astonishing energy stored in her body was slowly dissipating. She would gradually lose her fighting spirit, progressively give up resisting, and sink into endless despair, reliving the scenes from the past.

    This was a written y.

    She was powerless to change the ending.

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193

    The police investigated Jiang Baiyan''s car and eventually dredged up an abandoned vehicle from the river.

    Wedged in the crevices of the car seat was a piece of real silk organza, embroidered with Van Cleef & Arpels gems. It was an extremely expensive material, generally not used in regr dresses, and coincidentally, every couture dress was unique, there were no duplicates.

    After identification by the designer, the material was recognized as a fragment of Jian Jing''s wedding dress.

    Jiang Baiyan could not exin this.

    "My car was stolen over a week ago," he argued, "I even had my assistant report it to the police."

    But the police confronted him with the facts: "Reporting it missing doesn''t prove the car actually disappeared. You didn''t go yourself, the wedding invitation was used, and there was evidence in the car. The whole thing is tied to you."

    Jiang Baiyan said: "Someone framed me."

    "Who?"

    He was silent for a while, seeming to understand what had happened already: "My psychiatrist, Wang Shi, he''s my friend and borrows my car asionally."

    The police immediately investigated, but the result was unsurprising.

    "Doctor Wang went abroad half a month ago," the police said, "We found his exit records, and he''s still overseas, hasn''te back yet."

    Jiang Baiyan was shocked and angry: "How could this be! It really wasn''t me!"

    Unfortunately, verbal sophistry was useless.

    The police continued investigating, starting from his car, and finally, through surveince footage, pinpointed thest ce the car went before plunging into the river.

    An abandoned warehouse in the suburbs.

    Upon opening it, inside was an iron barrel, with ashes from burnt charcoal remaining inside, as well as a lot of white powder.

    After analysis, it was identified as cremains.

    At the same time, burnt metal pearl hairpins and high heel shoe remnants were also found in the tin barrel. Afterparison with what Jian Jing wore that day, they were determined to be her belongings.

    In other words, what was burnt to ashes was most likely her.

    Jiang Baiyan was extremely surprised, refusing to ept reality: "That''s impossible!"

    However, the facts were there. The evidence currently discovered had formed aplete chain, even without a confession from the suspect, it was enough to prosecute.

    Jiang Baiyan was immediately detained by the police.

    Only Ji Feng didn''t believe it.

    He said: "The evidence against Jiang Baiyan is tooprehensive, clearly a frame job. If we keep investigating like this, the real murderer will get away scot-free."

    Lao Gao said: "Investigations must rely on evidence, not feelings. All the evidence points to him, do you think the prosecutors or the judge will believe you?"

    Ji Feng: "If you won''t investigate, I will."

    He was just about to continue investigating along the Xue family lead, when a windfall came from the heavens, the culprit was caught.

    Upon hearing this news, Ji Feng immediately felt a chill down his spine, knowing he was in trouble. As expected, the one caught was a drug addict, distantly rted to Xue Jun. He just took his stepfather''s surname.

    His DNA was a perfect match with the sample Ji Feng had found.

    The blood didn''t belong to Wang Shi at all.

    It was a setup.

    Ji Feng almost spit blood and stated the obvious: "This is the first time I''ve been yed like this."

    Lao Gao consoled him: "Who wasn''t tricked by bastards when they were young."

    Ji Feng: "......"

    In summary, within less than a week, the suspect was identified and all original leads were cut off.

    With progress up to this point, the oue already seemed foreseeable.

    *

    Wang Shi - whether this was his real name was uncertain, but this was what he was called for now - watched her slowly lose consciousness, shrouded in the mist.

    The dosage had to be precisely controlled. Too much would result inplete loss of consciousness, too little would fail to achieve the desired effect.

    The light hypnotic state she was in right now was just right.

    She could hear him speaking: "Today is August 2nd, 2014, Qixi festival, you are in your own home."

    "Home," she mumbled faintly like a mosquito buzzing.

    "That''s right, your new home," his voice was like hot chocte fresh off the stove, a warm current flowing past her ear drums, smooth and viscous.

    Under such guidance, Jian Jing''s consciousness gradually sank, returning to the night of Qixi festival.

    That night, it was very dark, the weather was stuffy, as if it would rain the next day. Her parents had just moved into a new home, busy with finding jobs. She, a student not yet started school, was most free, staying at home drinking soda and eating popsicles.

    Of course, as a novice writer just stepping into the industry, little Jian Jing was also very diligent.

    She was drafting the new White Cat Detective volume.

    Ah, stories were hard to write, devising detective techniques even harder. She had already covered pinhole cameras, Morse code, tape lifting fingerprints, litmus paper...what technique should she write about next?

    It was vexing.

    The science she learned in middle school was limited. Should she buy a couple more popr science books?

    Chewing her pen in distress, she heard footsteps and the sound of the lock opening from the door.

    Her parents were home.

    They bought braised food. Her mother rolled up her sleeves, ready to stir-fry some fresh fruits and vegetables. Her father went to the balcony to take in theundry. The home, quiet for a whole day, suddenly became lively.

    She heard her motherin: "What a waste, that roast chicken. I said we should''ve picked it up, could''ve just washed it and it''d be fine."

    "It already fell on the ground, what''s the point of taking it back," her father grumbled.

    Her mother put her hands on her hips: "It cost thirty bucks, you''ve been living the good life for a few days, now you look down on this bit of money?"

    Jian Jing silently closed her door.

    Every family had their own troubles, and every couple had their own dynamics. Her parents liked to bicker at home, fighting over trifles for a while, the winner feeling great, the loser sulking for half a day.

    Of course, this did not affect the couple''s feelings. After arguing they''d cozy up together watching TV.

    This was probably adults''......er......fun.

    So Jian Jing didn''t think much of it, and didn''t give her opinion on the roast chicken dropped on the ground. She sat back down at her desk, and continued outlining.

    She didn''t know how much time passed, when she heard the door open again, her parents talking, chatting very enthusiastically.

    Like most children, Jian Jing hated dealing with guests. Visiting rtives during holidays was the most dreadful thing. She was scared that as soon as she went out, her parents would lose control of their showing off urge, and brag to the neighbors and guests about her writing.

    Whenever this happened, she wished she could dig a hole and burrow inside.

    The sense of crisis from before had faded after moving, she hesitated for a bit, didn''t think too deeply about the dangers of the world, and decided to hide in her room, pretending she didn''t hear anything.

    But outside the window, a silhouette said: "If youe out now, perhaps your parents wouldn''t have to die."

    Jian Jing froze.

    "What a pity, you''re still half a bucket of water, arousing my curiosity, yetcking sufficient wariness," the silhouette shed by, appearing behind her back.

    The room door opened wide, and she saw her parents passed out in the living room.

    "You killed them," the little girl shrieked, "Help-"

    The man covered her mouth, firmly restraining her arms and legs. He took out a small canister resembling an oxygen mask, cing it over her nose and mouth.

    She held her breath, turning red in the face.

    But even an adult woman''s strength was insufficient to resist an adult man, let alone her, an underage middle schooler.

    Her strength faded, her chest suffocated, the agony of oxygen deprivation caused her body to copse, forcing her to gasp desperately for air, naturally breathing in the anesthesia vapors too.

    The girl lost consciousness.

    But seven yearster, Jian Jing''s consciousness was still present.

    She watched "herself" copse on the sofa, watched as hemenced the performance he had carefully orchestrated.

    A performance of murder.

    He moved Jian Jing''s parents onto the bed, allowing them to nestle in a familiar ce, hands crossed over their abdomen, then took out a syringe, drew up medication, and slowly injected it into their veins.

    His actions were skilled, as if he had done it many times before.

    "I have no interest in killing," the perpetrator exined to the side, "Death''s oue is the most important part. Overly convoluted processes will only get oneself into trouble."

    Jian Jing watched him expressionlessly.

    He smiled: "Thought you''d thank me for not letting them suffer."

    "I understand now," she said instead.

    He raised an eyebrow: "Understand what?"

    "Why you were able to evade police capture," she stated matter-of-factly while watching him tidy up the scene, "If you only care about the oue, the simpler the process the better, you''re very rational."

    Most serial killers have their own rituals.

    Some are picky about target selection, some like specific methods of death, some insist on creating a death scene that matches their imagination, some are even more audacious, directly leaving behind coded messages.

    The more they do, the more mistakes they make. This was an unchanging truth.

    The key reason he kept escaping was that he didn''t do anything extra.

    Do not mistreat the dead, do not leave symbolic marks, do not engage in shy rituals. The simpler and cleaner the killing process, the better. The less clues left for the police, the better they can dy catching him.

    "Is this meant to be praise?" he asked.

    Jian Jing ignored him and said to herself, "But there are exceptions, Guo Yifang."

    She studied his facial expressions carefully, but his psychological defenses were strong and his face betrayed no abnormality. He only asked back interestedly, "Are you sure? Think carefully."

    "I''m very sure," Jian Jing answered without hesitation. "You put a lot of effort into Guo Yifang. If it was a trap, it would be too much of a waste for no one to discover it. But the police still haven''t noticed anything, which shows you don''t want them to find out at all."

    He did not deny thisplimentary analysis for the moment.

    She asked, "What''s so special about her to you?"

    A proud smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "I just wanted to see if anyone could uncover this little secret. Too bad I wasted the effort. Now that it''s your turn, I have to make it more obvious."

    To increase persuasiveness, he added, "Performing monologues for too long without an audience ultimatelycks something."

    Jian Jing stared into his eyes. "You''re lying."

    He said calmly, "What do I have to deceive you about?"

    "You''re afraid of being discovered," she said. "Discovered that you have incestuous feelings for your mother."

    As she uttered thest few words, his face convulsed violently for a moment. "If you remain so tactless, I''ll have to teach you a lesson."

    "You''re afraid," Jian Jing smiled.

    In the exchange of consciousness, there was no deadly poison, no separating ss, only a pure collision of souls, a wrestling match of spirits.

    "Tell me, do you love her or hate her? Do you regret not killing her or regret failing to save her?" She pressed on relentlessly. Her tone was not aggressive at all, but full of curiosity, like a proud student determined to outdo the teacher.

    This was a provocation he could tolerate, so his expression softened. "You''re very curious about my story."

    "I''ve ruined my original life and rewritten my destiny," she said. "You know me inside out, yet I know nothing about you. That''s unfair."

    He said, "I don''t rmend you pry into my past."

    "But I''m really curious," she faced him directly, looking into his eyes. "What are you so afraid of?"

    Time stopped, memories stopped.

    In their visions, his condescending look and her upturned gaze swiftly transformed, tugging into a horizontal line of mutual eye level. Her consciousness suddenly regained control and turned aggressive.

    "Let me see," she reached out and grabbed his cor. "It''s my turn now."

    "That''s enough!" Wang Shi''s face changed color as he shook his hand free of her clinginess.

    Toote.

    Space warped, the vortex spun in reverse, and a new scene emerged.

    This was - his memory.

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194

    In the dim and cramped room, a gaunt womany in bed, herplexion sallow and cheeks sunken, her features almost unrecognizable except for the elegant eyebrows and straight nose that hinted at her former beauty.

    "I''m sorry... I''m sorry..." She reached out a trembling hand to the child beside her bed, letting out a woeful wail. "I''m so sorry."

    Wang Shili stood by her bed, his figure obscured by shadows.

    His inner monologue echoed in the room, repeating the same question over and over.

    "Why?"

    "Why?"

    "Why?"

    Jian Jing knew that there should be more to follow the "why", some crucial information, the key to unlocking his inner thoughts. But she couldn''t delve deeper into his mind, and so she couldn''t hear the rest.

    And in that brief moment, Wang Shili had already rushed towards her, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Get out!"

    But Jian Jing stood firm, unshaken. "She''s your mother, isn''t she?" she said sincerely. "You must love her very much."

    Wang Shili was past niceties.

    The secret buried deep within him had been exposed, if only a sliver, but it was enough to make him edgy and furious. "Get out! You know nothing! Get out!"

    He grabbed her throat.

    Jian Jing remained still, a faint smile ying on her lips.

    She had chosen this dangerous route for a reason - the [Anti-Hypnosis Card]. It was thetest limited edition card she had obtained, and it dictated the crux of her n.

    [Name: Limited Edition - Anti-Hypnosis]

    [Description: Passive skill. When the host is hypnotized by an external force, this will automatically alert the host and conceal any system-rted information. Additionally, the host can expend 10 Courage to counter-hypnotize the perpetrator to the same degree.]

    [Note: A de wounds the hand if used for evil.]

    Although the system imed to be intelligent when it was actually stupid, Jian Jing was quite fond of it. The reason was simple - the system always preempted any loopholes that could lead her astray, preventing her from going down the wrong path.

    The Hypnosis Card was powerful, and yet it was a passive skill. This effectively prevented her from abusing her abilities and bing someone like Wang Shili. Jian Jing agreed with such constraints, but it also meant she had to take the risk of undergoing hypnosis first before retaliating.

    Since Wang Shili had peeked into Jian Jing''s mind, he would have to pay the price with an equivalent secret of his own.

    She lifted her hand and grasped his arm. "Do you love her?"

    Wang Shili froze for a second, before his memories came flooding back.

    --

    "p!" A meaty fist mmed heavily onto the table, rattling the bottles and dishes with a clear chime. The tall man lifted his head tipsily and demanded of the woman entering, "Why were you gone so long?"

    The womaning in was very beautiful, with natural features that were already striking without any makeup. She exined softly, "There was a long line."

    The man let out a derisiveugh. "Waiting that long just to buy chicken feet? You must have been flirting with someone, right?" His voice rose sharply at the end.

    The color drained from the woman''s face. "Don''t spout nonsense!"

    "Nonsense?" The man abruptly stood up and seized her face. "It''s not just one or two days you''ve been fooling around outside. Don''t think I don''t know, you slut."

    As he cursed, he pped the woman.

    The woman cried from the blow, but didn''t dare make too much noise, only sobbing softly. "You''re wronging me. He only said a couple of words to me, nothing indecent happened."

    "Whether I''m wronging you or not, you know best yourself." The man gave a cold snort and sauntered back to the table, tearing into the newly bought chicken feet noisily.

    The woman felt aggrieved, but knew it was futile. She could only weakly defend herself again. "Leave some for Shili."

    "Leave what? He''s not even my own son." The man spat out a bone, his expression vicious.

    The woman didn''t dare speak again, only busying herself cleaning up in the kitchen.

    At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the door.

    Wang Shili had returned. He was still young then, but refined and handsome, already bearing the makings of his future self. After entering, he swiftly nced at his mother''s swollen face in the kitchen, then at his father gorging himself, and said, "The midterm results are out. I''m still first in my grade."

    His father''s expression changed. It was no longer pure indifference and disgust, but mixed with some gratification and pride.

    "Not bad, you didn''t embarrass your old man." He picked up a chicken foot and tossed it into a nearby bowl. "Eat up."

    Wang Shili received the rice bowl from his mother and ate calmly and properly, also informing his father, "I''m going to Liu Meng''s ce to do homework after dinner."

    "Factory Director Liu''s son?" The man''s eyes lit up. He no longer referred to Wang Shili not being his own, but eagerly said, "Remember to put in a good word about your dad''s work to Uncle Liu. Damn it, if your dad can''t earn money, neither can you eat."

    Wang Shili gave an "Oh", and asked in return, "Dad still hasn''t found a job?"

    The man''s expression immediately darkened.

    The woman signaled him with her eyes to smooth things over, helping exin, "Your dad wants to return to work at the factory. Director Wu''s position should have been your dad''s. s."

    "That Wu got in through the back door." The man downed his beer inrge gulps, his eyes reddening. "Help your old man out too. You got that?"

    Wang Shili said, "I got it."

    Before his voice faded, the scene abruptly jumped forward. Night had fallen.

    The man was still drinking. The woman had taken apart an old sweater and was knitting a new one, seemingly for her son based on the style.

    Young Wang Shili returned with his schoolbag on his back. He told his father, "Liu Meng said it''s impossible for Director Wu to be reced by Dad, since Wu is his mom''s rtive."

    The man mmed his fist on the table again. "Damn it, why the hell not!"

    "Mom, I''m going to shower and sleep." Wang Shili said.

    The woman hurriedly got up to prepare a change of clothes for her son. Amidst her busyness, the man suddenly yelled, "Come over, I have something to tell you."

    He stared at his gorgeous wife, and said, "Factory Director Liu only promoted Wu to please his own wife. But Liu is the real factory director, not his wife. As long as you can persuade him, it''s not hopeless."

    The woman stammered, "How...how much money do we need? We''re almost broke at home."

    The man knew better than to argue with her about money. His gaze slid from her face down her body, and he slowly smiled. "What money? You know Factory Director Liu''s temper. There are other ways he can make money."

    The woman''s breath hitched, as if anticipating something. Herplexion turned sallow.

    "Anyway, you''re a worn shoe. Just help your man out, it''s no big deal right?" The man gave a coldugh. His words were deranged yet cunning, impossible to tell if he was drunk orpletely sober.

    The woman shrieked, "No!"

    Her voice was sharply cut off.

    The scene spun as the lighting dimmed, shifting from indoors to outside the home.

    Wang Shili with his schoolbag stood at the door, staring at the strange man''s leather shoes. An extremely thick resentment showed on his face.

    He turned his head to re at the unwee guest. "Prying into my past won''t save you."

    "We''ve known each other for years, just getting to know each other better." Jian Jing spoke as if making small talk at a matchmaking session. "He''s not your biological father. You two look nothing alike."

    Wang Shili let his lips curl down coldly, but said nothing.

    She went on, "Your mother is very beautiful."

    "She is a weak woman." Wang Shili pushed open the door.

    The guest inside had disappeared. His father lounged with legs crossed, using chopsticks to pick up peanuts one by one. His tall, sturdy build was like a towering mountain weighing down oppressively on the home.

    Muffled sobs could be heard from the bedroom.

    Jian Jing was silent for a while before speaking. "You shouldn''t me the victim. Or rather, you know it''s not her fault. Who you truly resent for weakness is yourself."

    She looked down at the young Wang Shili. He stared fixedly at the bedroom door but didn''t have the courage to fling it open, much less confront the drinking man.

    "Yes, I regret very much not killing her earlier." Wang Shili said, "If she had died sooner, she wouldn''t have had to endure such pain and humiliation."

    Jian Jing asked, "If she died, what would you do? A father with no blood rtion would hardly care for a son not his own, would he?"

    Wang Shili''s expression abruptly darkened.

    The lighting vanished.

    The drinking man disappeared, and the sobbing woman too.

    He pressed closer and closer: ˇ°DonˇŻt tell me what to do. You donˇŻt understand anything!ˇ± His strong, ferocious hands gripped her neck, ˇ°Since youˇŻre so interested in the past, fine, IˇŻll make sure you understand everything clearly. DonˇŻt regret it.ˇ±

    The ck hole swallowed the two of them.

    They disappeared.

    *

    At this moment, in a private room at the Qing Bar.

    The excellent soundproof walls blocked most of the noise. There was no alcohol or food on the table, only two bottles of mineral water and a fruit tter as an afterthought.

    The atmosphere was beyond description ¨C not only was there no trace of leisure and rxation, it was extremely serious, like a principal inspecting a ssroom.

    Quiet, tense, solemn, apprehensive.

    ˇ°Any news?ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng asked.

    Ji Feng shook his head.

    ˇ°ItˇŻs been eight days already,ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng said coldly. ˇ°The policeˇŻs efficiency is as moving as always.ˇ±

    Ji Feng sat down with a sigh: ˇ°I know youˇŻre anxious, but weˇŻve checked Wang Shili inside and out already. There are no issues with this identity, his records areplete from childhood to adulthood, and his travel records are fine too. ThereˇŻs no evidence, we canˇŻt apply for anything.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng pinched the space between his eyebrows, his chest filled with impatient frustration: ˇ°Then forget about him. Rescue Jian Jing first.ˇ±

    Ji Feng: ˇ°I canˇŻt do that.ˇ±

    ˇ°You guys are still hiding things from me,ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng looked at him and said slowly, ˇ°With a kidnapping case, rescuing the hostage is definitely the priority. But the police are still focused on investigating Wang Shili. There are barely any people looking for her whereabouts.ˇ±

    Ji Feng sighed again. ˇ°Actually we did look, we really looked, but we didnˇŻt find anything.ˇ±

    For most policemen, Wang Shili was also a rare kind of criminal ¨C smart, cautious, rational, sly. Many seniors had solved countless major cases in their lifetimes, but had only encountered one or two people like him.

    To match wits and courage against such a criminal was both thrilling and exhausting.

    He shook himself alert and exined, ˇ°Even if I advocated investigating the perpetrator first, my superiors wouldnˇŻt agree. The team responsible for searching for Jian JingˇŻs whereabouts never stopped working.ˇ±

    ˇ°No clues at all?ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng asked.

    Ji Feng considered this, then said, ˇ°To be precise, there are too many clues. He is extremely cunning and created many real and fake covers. This is also the biggest problem weˇŻve encountered in our work.ˇ±

    Wang Shili was a very clever person. Knowing that there were loopholes in his previous identity information, he had acted decisively and left no trace ¨C even if they found a fake identity, it wouldnˇŻt matter. Now with tighter control, it was hard to take on a new identity, so he had left many real and fake leads to confuse the police and greatly increased their workload.

    For example, previously he had seemed reckless, attacking suddenly, but his ns were meticulous. The blood samples he left caused them to waste a lot of time investigating, only to reach a dead end.

    It was the same with the kidnapping.

    ˇ°He took a taxi, so the driver must remember him. Whether there was really someone in the suitcase ¨C if there was, itˇŻs easy to verify. If not, we have to re-investigate everyone else who attended the award ceremony. And Jiang BaiYanˇŻs car ¨C if Jian Jing was really in it, we need to trace the route starting from the car. If not, weˇŻrepletely on the wrong track.ˇ±

    Ji Feng carefully exined the thought process behind the investigation.

    Kang Mu Cheng listened patiently until the end, but then said, ˇ°I donˇŻt understand investigating cases. I only have one question for you ¨C if you found Jian Jing but didnˇŻt have evidence yet, would you rescue her?ˇ±

    Ji Feng was silent.

    ˇ°Humph.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng gave a coldugh. ˇ°You knew he would make a move but didnˇŻt protect her, just watching as she was taken away.ˇ±

    He was furious, his gaze like ice. ˇ°You guys are still hiding things from me. If I had known something like this would happen, I never would have let her go ept the award.ˇ±

    Ji Feng raised his eyelids calmly and said, ˇ°Kang Mu Cheng, this is exactly why she hid it from you.ˇ±

    The air became deathly still and quiet.

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195

    The room was so quiet that she could even hear the singing outside, surprisingly in Minnan dialect.

    "I ride a white horse, pass through three passes, I change into in clothes and return to the Central ins..."

    This scene, this song, this lyric, was a bit ridiculous.

    Ji Feng sighed after pretending to be profound for a moment: "ming me is useless. I don''t agree with Teacher Jian''s approach either. But if you don''t agree and I don''t agree, will she stop?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "You can stop her."

    "On what grounds can I stop her?" Ji Feng retorted, "She''s an adult who can take care of herself. Can I control her like I do my little sister?" Saying this, he inevitably felt a little regretful, "I can barely control my own sister."

    Kang Mu Cheng was rendered speechless.

    The logic was so simple that of course he understood, he was just upset because Jian Jing''s life and death were unknown.

    "Actually," Ji Feng went on, "I lied to her earlier, saying that if she dared to do this, I would tell on her to you. It was a bit shameless, but I don''t mind being the bad guy if it helps get the job done."

    "Why did you change your mind?" Kang Mu Cheng frowned. If it could guarantee her safety, he would dly y the viin ten thousand times.

    "Because you can definitely stop her." Ji Feng gave a wry smile. His reason was iprehensible. "She has an amodating attitude towards you, your rtionship is there. If you push her, she''ll give in, but that''s not what she wants."

    "In one''s lifetime, there are always a few things that everyone says you can''t do, but you insist on doing anyway." He said, "It''s better that I agreed than not."

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at him and seized on the key point: "So even if you find her, for the sake of your n, you won''t rescue her right away?"

    Ji Feng considered for a moment and cautiously said: "This depends on the specific situation before making a judgment."

    "Saying this is the same as saying nothing." Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath and barely maintained his calm. "Fine, I won''t force you, but if we still can''t find any trace of her, what do you n to do?"

    Ji Feng thought about it and said, "Based on my understanding of Teacher Jian, if the n doesn''t go smoothly, she will definitely find a way to contact us and restrain the target first."

    Kang Mu Cheng was very perceptive: "How will she contact you? Did you agree on anything?"

    "Nothing at all." Ji Feng confessed openly, "She just told me that when the timees, I''ll know naturallyˇŞˇŞHa, she does have that ir for dramatic effect."

    Kang Mu Cheng paid no attention to his joke and frowned in thought: "What about Jiang BaiYan?"

    "Still at the police station." Ji Feng''s expression was subtle, "His mouth is shut tight. I''m not sure if he knows something and just isn''t saying, or if he only knows part of it."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Does he have any issues?"

    "Double agent, who knows whose side he''s really on." Ji Feng rubbed his temples, his brain was about to explode, "Anyway, you and I are on the third level this time, Teacher Jian is on the fifth level herself, and she must be good at writing scripts, right?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said lightly: "Jian Jing doesn''t like writing scripts."

    Ji Feng: "......" Seemed quite eager just now.

    --

    Jiang BaiYan was waiting in the interrogation room, eating boiled eggs while flipping through the physical copy of Rose Gold. Ji Feng came in and handed him a thermos: "Your agent sent this over."

    "Thank you." Jiang BaiYan opened the container. Inside were tworge boxes of fitness meals, so he enthusiastically asked, "Do you want some?"

    Ji Feng smiled and nodded: "Sure, thanks. I haven''t had dinner yet."

    Jiang BaiYan immediately handed over a box: "Don''t stand on ceremony."

    The two of them ate boxed meals face to face.

    The food was exquisite, just a little small in portion. Ji Feng took a bite of the chicken and wondered if his taste buds were off - it looked pretty good but was so unptable.

    "Fitness meals are all like this." Jiang BaiYan poked at a leaf of vegetables,menting life''s bleakness, "Bear with it, close your eyes and it''ll be over before you know it."

    Ji Feng silently put down his fork: "It''s not easy being a celebrity."

    "It''s even harder being a cop." Jiang BaiYan knew how to tter people and immediatelyplimented, "Officer Ji has been working hard these past few days without proper rest, right?"

    Ji Feng candidly admitted: "I''m very worried about Teacher Jian. But you seem quite calm about it?"

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Of course I''m worried too."

    "Doesn''t look like it."

    "I''m acting."

    Ji Feng: "......" What an airtight response.

    He moved on and went straight to the point: "Today is the fifth day since Teacher Jian went missing. For many kidnapping cases, the hostage would have already been killed by now."

    Jiang BaiYan pursed his lips, not betraying anything: "I''ve told you guys everything I know."

    He held up his fingers and earnestly counted off: "My ''betrayer script'', what I know about the doctor, and the things I found out... I''ve said it all."

    "But the situation is very bad now." In front of Kang Mu Cheng, Ji Feng was full of confidence, but in front of Jiang BaiYan he was all worried frowns again. "We need to confirm her safety."

    Jiang BaiYan made a long face and said dolefully: "You''re asking me, but I don''t know either."

    "Doesn''t seem that way."

    "I''m acting."

    Ji Feng: "......" So frustratingly wless.

    He skipped over that and went straight to the point: "With the passage of time, hope diminishes more and more. We''ve had to pull back some of the deployed police forces too, there''s another arson case, a series of molestation cases, two hit-and-run escapes, four homicide cases waiting for everyone to handle. To put it bluntly, quite a few people already think she''s dead, and there''s no need to spend so much effort."

    Jiang BaiYan: "She won''t die."

    "Why are you so confident?" Ji Feng asked.

    Jiang BaiYan looked innocent: "It''s better to be confident than not."

    Impervious to wheedling or probing, not leaking a drop, and a superb actor to boot.

    Ji Feng was helpless. He told the blunt truth: "You need to think carefully, is her affection more important, or is her life more important?"

    Jiang BaiYan was confused for a moment: "What does that mean?"

    Ji Feng nced at him and said slowly: "It''s not that hard to guess, is it? You''re a big celebrity, getting involved in this mess does you no good and only damages your reputation. You''re still filming, this kind of trouble must be very inconvenient. There must be a reason why you still did it, and even dealt with a murdererˇŞˇŞ"

    He tilted his head curiously: "So what is it?"

    Jiang BaiYan made a funny expression and asked: "So what do you want to know?"

    "I''m not interested in your secrets." Ji Feng lifted his eyelids, the whites of his eyes were bloodshot but his gaze was sharp and not like someone who had been sleepless for days. "I only ask if you really have a way to contact Jian Jing."

    Jiang BaiYan thought for a moment and asked: "What makes you think I do?"

    "You do." Ji Feng said evenly. "She needs a contact person."

    Jiang BaiYan said: "It doesn''t have to be me, though."

    "It can''t be Kang Mu Cheng because he would definitely prioritize her safety. It can''t be me either." Ji Feng gently tapped his teeth, as if he had impacted wisdom teeth. "That only leaves you."

    Jiang BaiYan tilted his head again but asked instead: "Why not you?"

    Ji Feng: "Is this fun for you?"

    "Just curious." He waved his hand very generously. "You don''t have to say if you don''t want to."

    Unexpectedly, Ji Feng snorted derisively and directly said: "There''s nothing that can''t be said." He took out a lighter and lit a cigarette. The flickering sparks illuminated his face. "I have my principles and regtions to abide by. She doesn''t want me to be put in a difficult position."

    His eyes shed with amusement: "Is that reason enough?"

    "You''re so sly." Jiang BaiYanined.

    "Not as scheming as you," Ji Feng insulted him lightly, then said: "Have you ever thought that because of your personal motivations, we may have missed the best chance to save her?"

    "I''m an actor, I don''t understand investigating cases." Jiang BaiYan smiled and said: "For actors, just following the script is enough."

    Ji Feng rolled his eyes and got straight to the point: "Where is she?"

    Jiang BaiYan unfastened the electronic watch on his wrist: "This is a tracker. As long as she activates it, it can disy the location. But there has been no message so far, which is why I didn''t mention itˇŞˇŞand I can''t just trust you either, right?"

    Thest two words were full of slyness.

    Ji Feng was toozy to argue with him. He picked up his watch and weighed it in his hand: ˇ°Just this thing? It might have already been found and thrown down the drain.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan disagreed: ˇ°She said it would absolutely not be found.ˇ±

    Ji Feng raised his eyebrows, unable to help pondering it.

    *

    The simple positioning device was in the storagepartment. Let alone a body search, even an X-ray wouldn''t be able to find it.

    But at this moment, the positioning device was temporarily unimportant.

    She and Wang Shi were trapped.

    In reality, one was lying on a wire bed pretending to be Sleeping Beauty, while the other was sitting on a chair napping, looking extremely harmonious. However, in the war of consciousness, the situation was much more severe.

    It was still Wang Shi''s memories of home.

    The drunken man became more violent, pping the woman in the face: ˇ°I told you to properly apany Manager Qian, get the contract for us, but what did you do?ˇ±

    "I''m not a nightclub hostess," the woman sobbed. "How can you do this? How am I supposed to live after this?"

    "Still pretending to be a chaste martyr huh? Everyone knows what kind of woman you are." The man sneered coldly, "Before we got married, you were already fooling around with other men. You got knocked up by someone, then found me to take over the burden."

    The woman wiped away her tears: "I didn''t fool around with anyone. I...I don''t even know him!"

    "You don''t even know him yet you spread your legs for him, you slut." The man grabbed her hair and mmed her head heavily on the dining table. "Since you married me, you''re one of my family. I want you to do as I say. Dare to resist, think about your little bastard child."

    Squeak, the bedroom door was opened. Wang Shi, dressed in pajamas, stood in the shadows behind.

    The man was already drunk out of his mind. Without a second thought, he strode forward, grabbed Wang Shi by the cor, and dragged him out, pushing him heavily to the ground.

    Jian Jing immediately took a tumble.

    She dazedly raised her head, and saw a huge p flying at her face. Her body staggered from the blow, her nose mming into the floor, blood flowing instantly.

    That''s right, she had be "Wang Shi".

    "Don''t hit Shi''er!" The woman let out a shriek and rushed over to shield Jian Jing, pleading, "I''ll listen to you, I''ll listen to everything you say!"

    Under the light bulb, the man''s shadow loomed over them, like a ferocious ghost.

    Fury rose in Jian Jing''s heart. She pounced over and bit down on his palm, teeth sinking into flesh, a rush of bloody, salty stench. She spat twice in disdain: "You''re useless yourself, yet you force your wife into prostitution. All you know is to bully women, what good are you?"

    "You little brat, what did you say?" The man was incensed. He picked her up like a chicken.

    Jian Jing waspletely fearless: "I said, you''re a useless waste, a useless piece of trash, a heartless bastard, a shameless petty man. You fawn over those more powerful than you like a grandson, but punch and kick women and children. You''re just a spineless coward."

    This was the consequence of usually not cussing people out. She racked her brains but couldn''te up with more insulting words, and could only reluctantly give up.

    She jerked free of him and helped the woman stand up: "Leave this ce, leave him!"

    "I can''t, I can''t." The woman wept piteously, "What about Shi''er? How can he be without a father, without a home?"

    Jian Jing fell silent.

    The child hiding behind her back revealed a mocking smile.

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196

    Wang Shi''s brain was invaded, forcing him to release some of his memories. But he still had control over which ones - he chose only the dark memories.

    His mother''s muffled sobs prated the thin door as she suffered humiliation, yet he was powerless, only able to repeatedly copy vocabry over and over.

    His father was violent and selfish, often beating and scolding him, his eyes icy and devoid of any warmth. Only when Wang Shi brought home outstanding grades did he begrudgingly acknowledge him as his son.

    As days like this umted, the neighbors began to gossip and murmur.

    "Men keeping to the house and staying for hours at a time. Something''s not right."

    "The woman is always crying, and she''s covered in bruises."

    "The man beats his wife, there must be a reason for it. She must be cheating on him."

    "You know, the Wang boy doesn''t look much like his dad."

    Then the whispers spread through his school.

    "Don''t talk to him, his mom''s a whore."

    "For real?"

    "I heard it from my auntie. She got pregnant before they got married. His dad''s a cuckold, haha."

    "His dad''s an asshole. No wonder he grew up twisted."

    These unspeakable memories from the past dragged Wang Shi down like a swamp.

    He wanted to struggle, to cry out, to escape.

    But no one could hear him, no one cared, no one reached out a helping hand.

    He finally understood why his mother never told anyone about her misfortune. She must have known that people would not sympathize with her, only condemn and insult her.

    It was better to maintain the illusion of happiness than to be pointed at and ridiculed.

    But one day, the dream seemed toe true.

    That day, his father was sober and bought some braised dishes and pastries. His mother wore a new dress and cooked a table full of his favorite home-cooked food. The three of them sat at the dinner table as if the conflicts of the past two years were just a dream.

    The man said, "If all goes well, I''ll be the new manager at the out-of-town branch. When that happens, you''ll bothe with me and we''ll find a better middle school for our son."

    He said thest part directly to the woman.

    The woman cried tears of joy.

    Here, everyone knew of her shame. The men who came to take advantage of her kepting one after another, an endless nightmare.

    If they could move away, and no one knew of her past, no one would gossip, then she could start over with her husband and son and live a peaceful, happy life.

    All of her endurance was worth it.

    "Sorry for making you suffer these past years," the man nodded at the woman. "I''ve finally made something of myself."

    Little Wang Shi looked at their joyful faces in disbelief, wondering if it was a dream.

    But this time, it was real.

    The transfer notice came down, and the man left to pioneer new markets out of town. The woman busied herself packing up their things. She barely packed her own items, only carefully organizing her son''s - folding his clothes and neatly lining up his books in boxes.

    As she packed, she kept saying, "Everything will be better from now on, it''ll get better." She earnestly exhorted him, "Don''t me your mom. I know what it''s like to not have a man in the house. If it wasn''t for your grandfather dying early, they wouldn''t have dared...they wouldn''t have dared..."

    The memories pricked her most painful wound, raw and bleeding.

    She forced back her tears of blood, repeating, "As long as you have your dad, you''re his real son. No one willugh at you..."

    Wang Shi listened silently, slowly putting his arms around the woman.

    As moving day drew near, herplexion visibly improved day by day, bing rosy and radiant, more mature and charming.

    It goes without saying that the neighbors'' words grew even more unkind.

    But they tried not to care, enduring and waiting until finally boarding the moving truck out of there.

    A new life was beginning.

    In the big city, the neighbors didn''t know them well and they saw little of each other, so there was less gossip. His new ssmates knew nothing about his past and were very friendly.

    His father was busy with work. His mother doted on him even more to make up for it.

    Those days were as blissful as a dream.

    He started to believe that maybe the future wasn''t so bleak after all, that things would slowly get better.

    Butter events proved that they had been too naive.

    After just over a month, the man returned home again, his face dark. He opened a bottle of beer and drank most of it in big gulps, a murky look shing across his eyes.

    The woman attended to him gingerly, afraid that he would snap back to his old ways and hit her again.

    She was destined to be disappointed.

    An abusive man could not change his nature, and a man who profited by selling out his wife would not easily give up this sessful shortcut.

    He didn''t even bother making excuses this time, simplymanding her inly: "Vice President Fei wille over for dinner tomorrow. Get ready."

    The woman''s breath instantly halted.

    Crying, she pleaded with him: "You said you wouldn''t do this anymore. You promised."

    "Work''s not going well. I have no choice," the man was merciless. "If I can''t do the job well, we''ll have to move back. What, are you reluctant to part with someone? Eager to go back? Foreman Liu? Director Qian? Or who else? Go on, say it!"

    Lethal words.

    The man knew how to manipte her. Just a few sentences rendered her unable to retort, only able to weep sorrowfully.

    In an instant, the bubble of happiness shattered, plunging them into an even more miserable hell.

    She grew thinner and number by the day, slowly losing the most basic human dignity.

    Jian Jing watched as this beautiful woman turned into the walking dead before her eyes, turning into a skeleton that could no longer cry or feel pain.

    She fell ill, worsening rapidly as she began to vomit blood.

    At first, the man thought she was faking it and beat her even more severely. Her face swelled up grotesquely as she vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood, leaving pools of it staining the floor.

    The man panicked. He bought her medicine and softened his tone tofort her, but nothing worked.

    The illness came on like andslide, and she deteriorated rapidly until she could barely get out of bed. The man didn''t want to be around her and simply stoppeding home.

    One evening at dusk, the sunset filled the sky.

    Wang Shi returned home and habitually walked into the bedroom. The woman struggled to sit up, a spark shing through her eyes. She desperately grabbed his hand, "I''m sorry, forgive me..."

    He lowered his eyes. "Why?"

    Didn''t you say it would get better?

    Tears brimmed in the woman''s eyes as she murmured, "I''m sorry..."

    He asked again, "Why?"

    Weren''t we supposed to find happiness?

    Tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting the pillow. Her lips moved slightly, but she no longer had the strength to speak. She just looked at him mournfully and reluctantly - looking at her own child.

    He wasn''t a child she had hoped to give birth to.

    His existence caused her endless humiliation from her husband.

    She struggled not to abandon him, but now...she had no choice but to leave him first.

    The woman gathered her fingers as if to hold her child''s hand, but she couldn''t move them. Her body was already at its limit, drained of all vitality.

    She could no longer control this flesh shell. Every breath took all her strength just to draw.

    It was too painful.

    Her bones ached, her organs ached, every inch of skin on her body ached until she shattered.

    She really couldn''t hold on any longer.

    And so the light in her eyes faded like a summer firefly''s glow, shing a moment of beauty before decaying into silent darkness.

    She closed her eyes and stopped breathing.

    Wang Shi stared nkly at her, fixing on her unmoving chest. His hands spasmed into fists, clutching her emaciated fingers.

    The lingering warmth of the corpse passed into his hand, crushing thest shreds of his sanity.

    "Why?" he repeated mechanically. "Why, why?!"

    Why did you give birth to me? Why did you abandon me? Why don''t you love me anymore?

    I only have you, Mother.

    Cracking sounds echoed through the air as the scene fractured like a ss curtain, splitting into countless broken lines. The world shook, copsing the ceiling and shattering the furniture, rupturing the entire world into pieces.

    Then all the stage sets copsed at once with a deafening crash, pulverized into dust.

    Jian Jing saw the man''s corpse lying on the sofa, vomit blocking his mouth and nose, his face swollen and purplish with livor mortis.

    He was dead.

    Wang Shi closed the door with an expressionless face and walked into the dark night.

    *

    3 AM, Public Security Sub-Bureau office.

    Ji Feng sat on the desk, smoking to stay alert while staring at the whiteboard covered in clues.

    So far, the police were mainly following two leads:

    1. The kidnapping case

    The key was figuring out how the suspect took Jian Jing away, which route was his real course of action?

    Hypothesis 1: Kidnap Jian JingˇŞLeave by taxiˇŞChange vehicles in the parkˇŞUse Jiang BaiYanˇŻs carˇŞAbandon the car and transfer her to the ce of detention;

    Hypothesis 2: Kidnap Jian JingˇŞFake leaving by taxi, Jian Jing is actually still at the venueˇŞLeave the venue together with many guestsˇŞTake her directly to the ce of detention;

    Hypothesis 3: Same as 2, just after leaving, use Jiang BaiYanˇŻs car for transit, then destroy the corpse to destroy evidence.

    This lead is very difficult to investigate, mainly because there are too many interfering factors, watching dozens of hours of surveince footage, it makes people dizzy and extremely difficult to identify.

    Also, Wang Shi has multiple identities, cars with new license tes obtained with the new identities, simply have no suspicion.

    Second, the serial murder case

    The DNA of Xue''s rtives has been proven to be a mockery, all clues are broken.

    Wang Shi, a psychologist graduated from the University of Edinburgh, a fake identity

    To be honest, this identity does not seem to be fabricated out of thin air, the resume isplete. Except that the academic qualifications are false, everything else is traceable, and in 2013 Wang Shi went abroad to study, which coincided with the beginning of the real-name system in China.

    Ji Feng suspects that the other party borrowed the identity information of the real Wang Shi and made ayer of real disguise.

    So what is his real identity?

    If he found the ce of detention with his real identity, how could it be found out?

    As soon as the question came out, countless thoughts surged in his brain, squeezing his head about to explode.

    Ji Feng pinched the bridge of his nose and decided to use the old method.

    Subtraction.

    He hesitated and tried not to think too much about the location of the kidnapping case. Jian Jing is not an ordinary girl with no ability to resist. She is smart and agile, and may not be much worse than him.

    Treating her as a partner and doing each other''s work is the best policy.

    He drove away the worries and anxiety in his heart, and concentrated all his attention on the whiteboard. After thinking for a moment, he circled the DNA line in red.

    This was what he had personally experienced, and it was the most obvious clue with solid evidence.

    The other party pretended to attack him, no, he did attack him, while leaving a blood sample. This directly achieved two purposes.

    Giving a response to Jian Jing and misleading the direction of the investigation.

    Considering that his injury was not serious, thetter should weigh moreˇŞit was really an act of low harm and extreme insult.

    But...the owner of the blood is not some missing person, but a drug addict who may be caught by the police to obtain a sample at any time.

    The misleading time is very limited.

    Since it was done, why not find a missing person? He would think that the blood owner was him as long as he couldn''t find out.

    But instead, someone easy to discover was chosen, which proves that he wants them to find out.

    Is it a mockery? But provoking the police would have serious consequences, which ispletely opposite to the caution he showed during the kidnapping. What annoyed Ji Feng the most was this, it was obvious that the kidnapping was done by him, but no clues rted to the past were left, and he couldn''t prove the connection between them.

    In other words, he does not want the police to restart the investigation of the serial case.

    Such a meticulous person would not do these arrangements purely to mock them.

    So what is his purpose?

    Ji Feng stroked his chin and pulled out a clue from theplex clue cluster.

    Did he want them to think that he was someone who was extremely good at hiding himself?

    Looking at the many photos posted on the whiteboard, one word was circled prominently: True identity??

    Wang Si Ji''s alias in the 2009 case.

    Xue Addict''s DNA sample in the assault case.

    Wang Shi, a graduate psychologist from the University of Edinburgh, a fake identity

    He created many fake identities, he cautiously hid his past, he is very likely to have more hidden aliases.

    This is the idea he imnted in their minds.

    At this moment, Ji Feng still firmly believed this, and was overly suspiciousˇŞcould this also be a kind of cover?

    DNA cannot be faked, but what about Wang Shi?

    His academic qualifications are fake, and his real appearance is different from the photos in the archives. Therefore, they guessed that this was a real fake identity that was borrowed.

    Is this his real purpose?

    Use the illusion of a fake identity to prove the reliability of the real identity?

    "Old Gao." He kicked the chair next to him and woke up the dozing Gao Police Officer, "Quick, let''s check Wang Shi again carefully."

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197

    Wang Shi, whose original name was Yan Shi, was born in 1985. His father Yan Dong was once a technician in a factory. His mother Wang Lingfang had been seriously ill for years. Unable to bear the burden, his father abandoned the mother and son and disappeared without a trace.

    Wang Lingfang returned to her hometown to recuperate. After finishing junior high school, Wang Shi was admitted to a vocational secondary school, which was an elite institution that only excellent students could enter at that time. He majored in healthcare, but after graduation, the state canceled the welfare of job assignments. So he did not enter anypany to work and has been unheard of ever since.

    This file was ced on the desk after Jiang BaiYan reported Wang Shi.

    At that time, people tended to believe this identity was real, but the real Wang Shi had already died. His identity information fell into the suspect''s hands and became his fake ID.

    The photo also corroborated this spection.

    In the vocational school''s archives, Wang Shi''s face only had a simrity of fifty to sixty percent with the simted portrait.

    At that time, Wang''s aunt swore: "He has a mole on his nose, right on the bridge of his nose, very obvious. His eyebrows are very thick. His face is rounder and looks very gentle."

    But the teenager in the photo had sparse eyebrows, pale lips, and extremely emaciated cheeks. There was no mole on his nose either.

    Ji Fengpared the two faces for a long time, then picked up the photo and went straight to the interrogation room.

    "Does the person in the photo look like Wang Shi?" He lowered his voice and asked urgently, "Think carefully andpare their bone structures."

    Jiang BaiYan got up from the temporary nap bed and kneaded his waist. After studying for a while, he said, "Not very simr. Doctor Wang''s face was very gentle. I guess he might have had his bones shaved and chin padded."

    Ji Feng sensed something wrong: "You think he had stic surgery? Was it very obvious?"

    "Not obvious. It was done quite well," Jiang BaiYan yawned and said, "But I''ve seen him before."

    Ji Feng immediately became serious: "What''s the situation? You didn''t mention it before."

    "It was private," clouds gathered on Jiang BaiYan''s eyebrows. "In the summer of 2014, I saw him near Jian Jing''s home. We talked for a few sentencesˇŞbut who would remember such trivial matters so many yearster? I had forgotten all about it. I didn''t recognize him until she told me this man was the murderer who killed her parents. Only then did I recall it."

    Ji Feng cursed him bloody in his belly.

    Jiang BaiYan also felt wronged: "Didn''t you guys already know Wang Shi was him?"

    "So does the person in your memory look like the one in this photo?" Ji Feng pushed the archived photo over.

    Jiang BaiYan lowered his head to recollect carefully. After a long while, he said uncertainly, "No mole. The proportions of his face changed a bit. I''d say seventy to eighty percent simr."

    Ji Feng frowned.

    Indeed, it was very normal for teenagers to change their looks as they grew up. It could not prove Wang Shi was the suspect himself.

    But he still insisted on his own judgment. Apart from his looks, Wang Shi also had two startling coincidences.

    In the 2009 Ze case, he rashly reminded a neighbor and implied that she should kill her alcoholic husband.

    That neighbor''s surname was also Wang.

    And in Guo Yifang''s case in 2012, Guo Yifang''s name also contained the character "Fang."

    Wang Lingfang.

    Once or twice could be a coincidence, but with so many coincidences lined up together, the suspicion rate was as high as eighty percent.

    Ji Feng muttered to himself: "I''ll take this gamble."

    He grabbed the photo and strode straight to the office of the team leader, sorting out the whole n in those few steps.

    First of all, everyone was focusing on investigating the kidnapping case, which was the few hours of the ceremony. But in this process, the suspect kepting up with tricks andid countless interference items, increasing the workload, not to mention confusing everyone and making them not dare to trust the clues right before their eyes.

    That was exactly his purposeˇŞto make the police doubt the authenticity of all the clues.

    Thus, he could cleverly hide the truly important clues:

    The serial rape-murder case that injured him.

    Looking back at this case: The perpetrator was a retired athlete with necrophilia. He often watched lurid videos online and happened to meet a "teacher" who understood and guided him tomit crimes. So he began hunting and killing women living alone, filming the process into videos, uploading them to secret chat rooms to gain attention and fortune.

    Because of its extremely harmful impact, the police quickly found the perpetrator. But during the pursuit, Ji Feng was inadvertently injured by a third person who suddenly charged out to rescue the murderer.

    The murderer was extremely grateful to him for his unwavering loyalty. This directly led to the fact that after being caught by the police, he still had noints andpleted the ˇ°teacherˇŻsˇ± instructionsˇŞinstalling wiretaps in the police station.

    As the idiom goes, donˇŻt dig up the ancestorsˇŻ tomb or make trouble under themplight. Anyway, it worked very well.

    After checking, Ji FengˇŻs car had one, the interrogation room had one, and the menˇŻs restroom had one too.

    Everyone was scolded bloody by the leaders. Fortunately, it was embarrassing at home, otherwise they would have suffered collective disgrace.

    Apart from arranging for the suspect to install wiretaps, he also used DNA to fool them with a drug addict, making them believe he had protected his true identity very well.

    Killing three birds with one stone.

    Then there was Jiang BaiYan.

    Wang Shi had only taken over Jiang BaiYanˇŻs psychological counseling six months ago. Previously, he had been doing routine psychological counseling. Jiang BaiYanˇŻs doctor was a woman who transferred the patient to Wang Shi because she went abroad for further studies.

    Since they had met before, Wang Shi had probably eyed Jiang BaiYan for a long time.

    Perhaps at first he only wanted to stalk Jian Jing through Jiang BaiYan''s "friendship" with her, for convenience. But when he saw The Rose Gold, he came up with another n.

    He wanted to take Jian Jing away and make Jiang BaiYan the scapegoat.

    A psychologist could easily conduct hypnotic suggestions. Capturing them would be a piece of cake.

    As he wished, Jiang BaiYan betrayed Jian Jing and told him all the ns. So Wang Shi leisurely arranged everything, using the mega celebrity''s cover toplete the kidnapping.

    Then, he used his vehicle to frame the suspicion on Jiang BaiYan and nted a lot of evidence in Jiang''s house.

    The police had gone to Jiang''s house to investigate and found records of anonymous anesthetic purchases, as well asyout ns of the event venue security. Of course, to keep abreast of the situation in real time, the gifts from fans contained eavesdropping devices.

    A crazed fan''s actions, even if discovered, could not prove Jiang BaiYan''s innocence.

    Ji Feng traced back the whole process and had to admit that the opponent''s ns were meticulous and wless, almost without loopholes.

    Why "almost"?

    Because Wang Shi overlooked the most important thing.

    Jian Jing herself.

    She took the initiative to attack, setting time and ce, and also "converted" Jiang BaiYan.

    Everyone yed out the drama for the suspect to see, making him think Jian Jing had already be a mermaid on the chopping block.

    However, there are many kinds of mermaids.

    Like the mermaid in Pirates of the Caribbean... Ahem, not sure how things are on Jian Jing''s side. Actually there''s no evidence. Just the kidnapping case could lead to prosecution. Investigating slowly would eventually turn up clues.

    She must not force herself.

    Ji Feng prayed silently, then raised his hand and knocked on the team leader''s office door.

    *

    Jian Jing was in a rather delicate situation.

    The dangers of hypnosis were extremely high. The system had restricted her to only counterattack in equal measure, not take the initiative to attack. This led to an unexpected result.

    Wang Shi was evenly matched with her, neither winning nor losing. Both of their consciousness was trapped.

    Plus, Jian Jing got a defense card, not a knowledge card or skill card. She still knew nothing about hypnosis and didn''t know how to end it.

    Wang Shi noticed this.

    "You see," he smiled. "Even if you peek into my secrets, you can''t take them away now."

    Jian Jing calmly asked in return: "Then what are you waiting for? Go on."

    "Why don''t you get out of here?" His eyes shed as he thought deeply. "I''m unconscious now. As long as you leave here, you''ll have a chance to escape."

    The two looked at each other and knew what was up.

    Jian Jing couldn''t voluntarilye out of the trance, while he knew her situation was special and didn''t dare deepen the hypnosis either.

    "You''re very careful," she said. "But if we keep this up, we''ll only starve to death together."

    A faint smile appeared on Wang Shi''s face. "That''s exactly what I hope forˇŞdeath is everyone''s destiny. Having you apany me can be considered a blessing."

    Jian Jing only believed half of this.

    All who worshipped death but didn''t die themselves and instead killed others did not really love it. Otherwise, he''s had plenty of chances to die over the years, so why was he still living well?

    But she also knew very clearly that people like him had psychological problems. Who knew if he would really do something as drastic as take her down with him.

    She thought about it curiously and asked, "Doesn''t happiness make people reluctant to leave?"

    "Happiness is just an illusion. What is there to be reluctant about?" He said calmly.

    Jian Jing said, "What if you could go back to the past, back to when your mother was still alive..."

    Wang Shi interrupted her, "I would have killed her, so that she wouldn''t have to suffer anymore and could leave peacefully."

    "So you killed Guo Yifang?" she asked.

    Wang Shi looked up and briefly recalled this woman, but found that he could no longer remember what she looked like. After ending her life with his own hands, the color had faded from her in his life.

    "Yes, at that time when it ended, she was happiest." When he said this, an expression that could be described as gentle appeared on his face.

    Jian Jing said coldly, "Believe me, Guo Yifang would not thank you."

    "How can you be sure?" he said, "The dead do not speak, no one knows the answer."

    Sheughed, and a strange look appeared between her eyebrows, as if she saw the prey finally falling into a trap: "How do you know the dead do not speak?"

    Wang Shi raised his eyebrows.

    "Look." Jian Jing pointed to the door, "Who''sing?"

    The scene was constructed, walls on all four sides, ceiling covering the top, Tiffany''s chandelier pieced together a gorgeous colored ss flower. Warm light shone down, revealing a solid wood desk, bookshelves along the wall.

    Books appeared out of thin air, lined up on the shelves.

    "White Cat Detective", "Hide and Seek Children", "Demon Doctor".

    The wind blew the white curtains, the smell of coffee drifted in the air, ice cream with vani and concentrated coffee poured on top appeared on the desk, sweet and tempting.

    Ding dong, ding dong, wind chimes by the window swayed, with crisp sounds.

    The sound of the door lock turning came from the door.

    With a creak, the door of the study opened.

    A girl slowly walked in. She worefortable striped lounge clothes, had shoulder-length ck hair, a slender figure, and pale face with dark obvious eye circles.

    "We meet again." She said softly, looking up, "I''m Jian Jing."

    Wang Shi''s expression suddenly froze.

    He looked at Jian Jing in her wedding dress, then at Jian Jing in her lounge clothes, and suddenly realized: "Split personality?"

    Neither Jian Jing answered his question.

    Little Jian Jing said, "You didn''t die, I died, so I can tell you that death is very painful and scary, I regret it very much, I want to live."

    She walked slowly into the room, her voice as light as smoke: "At that time, everyone was scolding me, the previous praises seemed like a dream, vanished in the blink of an eye. I couldn''t help thinking, was what you said right, life is meaningless, happiness is an illusion."

    Wang Shi barely stood firm: "Was I wrong?"

    "Thinking too much, I slowly believed it." The skinny girl looked up, the blood vessels on her neck bluish, fragile yet resilient, "I decided to die."

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198

    I decided to die.

    In just five short words, the speaker sounded calm, but the listener was filled with desperation.

    "I really died," Jian Jing said inly. "I fell into a bottomless ck hole. At first, I felt so rxed, so quiet. All the noise that had been buzzing in my ears for so long vanished, and I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I''d finally found true peace and quiet. But..."

    She nced at Wang Shi and said faintly, "I regretted it."

    Wang Shi immediately started to say, "You still don''t understand..."

    "No, you''re the one who doesn''t understand," interrupted Jian Jing, who hadmitted suicide. Although her physique was slender, her every gesture exuded undeniable firmness. "You think you understand death, but in reality, you''re just an outsider watching other people die. Your ''understanding'' is too superficial."

    "What is death? Death is when I am no longer myself," she said, taking one step closer. Her face was snow white, like a whitewashed wall, but her lips were cherry red, a characteristic of carbon monoxide poisoning deaths.

    "I''ve lost everything I had as ''Jian Jing'' - my family, friends, happiness, glory - even the pain that made me ''Jian Jing.''" Her tone involuntarily grew higher, nearly screaming. "I have nothing left! I''m no longer myself, because it''s pain that lets us feel happiness. A person with nothing has no sense of relief."

    Wang Shi shuddered, unable to find any words to refute her.

    A rope has no absolute length, only two ropes can bepared for long and short.

    A tree has no absolute height, only two trees can bepared for tall and short.

    Life is the same.

    Without painful, difficult, bitter times, how can oneprehend what happiness is?

    "I became afraid, I regretted it," said the deceased Jian Jing, pressing her lips together as tears welled up in her eyes. But she resisted closing them, staring fixedly at him instead, unblinking. "But at the very least, I also realized that you were wrong, and I was right. You lost."

    Wang Shi took a deep breath, instinctively wanting to argue. But no words came out.

    With her standing right in front of him, their faces almost touching, the extremely close distance brought tremendous pressure.

    Of the thousands of words in his mind, not one could make it past his lips.

    How could the living philosophize about death in front of the dead?

    "If you don''t admit defeat," she raised the corners of her lips, a sly gleam passing through her eyes, "then try it yourself."

    Wang Shi shuddered in shock. Just as he wanted to back away, it was toote.

    She raised her hand and gave him a hard shove.

    A huge ck hole suddenly split open in the ground, dark and chaotic, bottomless, like the gates of hell. Wang Shi tumbled right in, and in an instant, the icy breath of death spread through his limbs and crept into his very bones.

    His vision grew blurry, his stomach nauseated, his body and mind exhausted...The sensations felt so real.

    In a split second, Wang Shi understood everythingpletely.

    These were Jian Jing''s memories, her own experiences in her dying moments.

    He couldn''t stop trembling.

    Because if one dies in a hypnotic state, it''s highly likely they can''t wake up in reality either.

    The Grim Reaper waved his scythe, and Wang Shi sniffed the true scent of death.

    In that moment, he had no choice but to admit thatpared to the imagined calm and relief, the thoughts arising in his mind were actually fear.

    I don''t want to die.

    He became afraid as well.

    In the face of life and death, all reason copses, all caution disappears, and humans are controlled by the instinct to survive, doing anything possible to live on.

    "No!" He struggled desperately, grasping for anything to stop his fall.

    But it was futile.

    In the ck hole of death, all the glittering worldly possessions he once relied on - status, money, power, strength - were but gossamer threads, snapping away into wisps of smoke at the slightest touch.

    Death is fair.

    Death is also oblivion.

    In an instant, the light vanishedpletely, leaving only chaotic darkness.

    His speed of descent grew faster and faster.

    The far shore''s end was nearing.

    "No!" In the throes of extreme terror, Wang Shi''s facepletely twisted. He couldn''t think; he could only rely on instinct and scream from the depths of his heart, "Mom!"

    The address he hadn''t uttered in nearly thirty years slipped from his mouth.

    In the abyss of despair, a woman''s face appeared. She was still so beautiful, so fragile. Her eyes that looked at him always brimmed with tears.

    Wang Shi had resented her abandonment countless times, yet also missed her embrace just as many times.

    "Mom," he reached out his hand. "Save me."

    Wang Lingfang''s tears fell as she gently embraced her child.

    The falling stopped.

    *

    Jifeng followed Wang Shi''s clues downwards, pulling out hismunication records since May.

    Aside from daily exchanges, one short message in particr seemed suspicious: [Bnce payment received, mailing you the key]

    He immediately called the number.

    The other party ran a seafood business thatter went bankrupt. There was still over half a year left on the warehouse he had reserved at the fishing port, so he sent a message to sublet it. Wang Shi had proactively contacted him and rented the remainder of the warehouse''s term.

    Jifeng''s heart raced. "Which dock, what warehouse number?"

    The other party reported the address.

    Jifeng shot up from his chair. "Found it, let''s go!" He rushed to the door, mmed the brakes, and instructed his teammates, "Call the maritime police, request backup."

    Lao Gao was startled. "What, smuggling?"

    "Hard to say," said Jifeng, running to the door. The deste night wind blew shivers through them. "Nevermind him, save the hostage first."

    The police car raced there like lightning, arriving at the dock and shutting off its sirens a kilometer away.

    Under the cover of night, a group of police officers quietly approached the target.

    Lao Gao lowered his voice, "Why not call the armed police?"

    "Let''s see the situation first," said Jifeng, taking a deep breath and suppressing the impatience in his heart, forcing calm. "I just have a bad feeling."

    Lao Gao''s expression changed slightly. "You mean..."

    Jifeng shook his head. His heart was in turmoil and he couldn''t get any words out, not knowing what to pray for either. Relying solely on years of training and instinct, they noiselessly closed in.

    The dock was tranquil and deste in the early winter, with some inscrutable fishy smell lingering in the air that couldn''t be eliminated.

    The gun felt warm in his hand, the stic casing already soaked in human temperature.

    The cold wind shuddered.

    Jifeng''s heart rose little by little. He suddenly recalled Kang Mucheng''s question - if they found her before she obtained what she desired, what should they choose?

    Should they ignore her wishes and prioritize the hostage''s safety, directly breaking in to rescue her? Or patiently wait, lurking on the side, watching her suffer torment with their own eyes?

    Perhaps they should choose the former. As both friend and police, that was the right thing to do, and no one could point out any mistakes. But putting himself in her shoes, would he hope for a botched rescue?

    Jifeng searched himself and knew he would not.

    There were always some things in this world one would risk life and limb to do. But he also had to admit, a knife didn''t hurt when cutting oneself, yet was hard to endure when cutting someone else.

    Or...just say it was the superior''s orders, that saving lives took priority no matter what?

    After all, that was the truth.

    These disordered thoughts lingered in his mind, and before he knew it, they had arrived.

    The sublet warehouse was right before their eyes.

    The door was open, the light was on.

    "Crap!" In that instant, Jifeng was so shocked his heart stopped beating. He charged in the door.

    The dpidated warehouse was filled with broken ss. A damaged cage sat by the wall, and white bedsheets and nkets were scattered on the floor. The wire bed had been flipped to its side.

    There was a strange smell in the air, like some kind of chemical gas.

    Jifeng covered his mouth and nose, opening the door all the way to examine the interior.

    "No one here?" Lao Gao followed him inside.

    Jifeng calmed down and said, "Toote, they might have gotten on a boat already." He was conflicted now - d that Jian Jing seemed fine from the scene and had even struggled, yet also worried since the vast ocean meant an even more perilous situation.

    "Lao Gao," he said solemnly, putting his gun back in its holster, "we have to hurry. With something happening at sea, there''ll be nowhere to look."

    Lao Gao surveyed their surroundings and nodded. "Let''s contact the rescue team to standby first."

    *

    Jifeng''s guess was right - Jian Jing was at sea at this moment.

    The reason for her circumstances could be traced back half an hour prior.

    At that time, the hypnosis ended.

    Wang Shi''s eyes snapped open, and the whitemp light shone straight down, stinging his eyes and bringing tears.

    There was a muffled "bang."

    He turned to look. Jian Jing had awakened first, holding a crowbar and swinging it at the ss door.

    Wang Shi was taken aback. How did she get a gun when he had already searched her body? But he quickly reacted, jumping up from the table to take cover behind it while reaching into the safe to grab his own weapon, dodging the bullets while doing so.

    Jian Jing was still breaking out of her ss prison.

    He had searched her earlier and thought she had no weapons. The ss house was made of shatterproof ss, so she couldn''t have broken it with just her bare hands.

    But with a gun, things were different.

    Large cracks appeared across the surface, forming a dense web.

    She ripped off the thin nket from the bed and grabbed the steel bed frame, smashing it forcefully against the fractured ss.

    Shards sprayed out, scattering across the floor. She tossed aside the heavy steel frame, gathered up her wedding dress skirt, and stepped out of the cage she had been imprisoned in for days.

    The dpidated warehouse, cold white lights, broken ss, thinyer of dust ˇŞbined with the woman in a rose pink wedding dress ˇŞ outlined an eerie yet beautiful scene.

    Jian Jing slowly paced into the darkness, half her face obscured in shadow. "What, seeing me get out, you want to run away?"

    Wang Shi pressed his throbbing temple and steadily fired a shot.

    The bullet whistled towards her.

    Jian Jing moved swiftly, dodging behind a table for cover.

    But just then, the back door opened.

    A shadow shed out into the night.

    Jian Jing knew that if Wang Shi escaped, with his skills he could evade the nationwide manhunt even if he was wanted by the police, living free outside thew.

    She didn''t hesitate, giving chase on foot.

    The cold night wind buffeted her face, carrying a faint damp and briny scent.

    This was... the ocean?

    Peace City was a coastal town, but due to geographical constraints, it didn''t have a good natural harbor, so shipping was not well-developed. The few docks were filled mainly with fishing boats.

    In recent years, overfishing had depleted the shallow waters, so Peace City strongly supported deep sea fishing. The offshore fishing season had opened in September, and it was only November, so the deep sea fishing boats had not yet returned, leaving the docks very quiet.

    Wang Shi had wisely chosen this ce for imprisoning her.

    He was familiar with the surroundings and quickly disappeared after a few twists and turns. Jian Jing immediately activated her Enhanced Senses card to follow his trail.

    Wang Shi moved swiftly with great agility. In just ten minutes he had jumped aboard a fishing boat.

    It was a small shallow water trawler, not much bigger than a speedboat.

    By the time Jian Jing caught up, the boat''s engine had already started and it was slowly heading out to sea.

    She had to activate her White Kitten card, using the cat''s leaping ability to steadily jump onto the deck.

    In the wheelhouse on the second level, Wang Shi looked at herplexly. "You had to chase after me?"

    "With so many lives on your hands, did you think I would let you go?" As the boat left the dock, a sense of ill omen shed through Jian Jing''s mind. She immediately put her hands behind her back, taking out the tracking device she had hidden in her storage space.

    Wang Shi''s expression turned cold. "You brought this upon yourself."

    With one hand on the steering wheel, his other hand pulled the trigger.

    Bullets swept across the deck like pouring rain.

    On the narrow deck, she had no choice but to dodge to the side, carefully avoiding falling into the sea.

    Taking advantage of this, the fishing boat had already left the docked fleet, rushing out to sea at full speed. The night sea surface was cold and lightless, like a lurking giant beast.

    Wang Shi was like a cornered madman, recklessly firing whenever he caught sight of her without any regard for the boat''s condition.

    Sparks flew as several more holes appeared in the deck.

    "Xiao Jing," he said. "I don''t want to kill you. There are life jackets on board, jump into the sea."

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199

    In the moment of life and death, a man said, "I don''t want to kill you, just go, isn''t that especially touching?" It''s as if he had lived a sinful life,mitted countless murders, yet still retained a shred of tenderness in his heart just for her.

    But Jian Jing didn''t believe a single word.

    She said, "I don''t want to kill you either, take the boat back and turn yourself in. I can forgive you for your mistakes."

    One stood in the cockpit, the other on the deck, the sea breeze blowing through their hair, a fine disy of chivalrous love.

    Yet as their eyes met, both knew the other was putting on an act, just ying a part.

    Wang Shiughed, "Now I really can''t bear to part with you."

    "What are you trying to do?" Jian Jing stared into his eyes. "You think you can get away with this?"

    Wang Shi sighed, "I don''t want anyone else deciding when I die." He gazed out at the open sea. "Isn''t the ocean a better final resting ce than a prison cell?"

    Jian Jing raised her brows, filled with suspicion. "Oh?"

    "There''s already a time bomb installed on this boat," Wang Shi said. "I can detonate it anytime."

    Jian Jing was half skeptical, half believing.

    She believed he had nted a bomb, but that he was ready to die himself? Only a fool would believe that. If he wanted to die so badly, why did he fight so hard to regain consciousness earlier? This was surely a ruse to get her to abandon ship so he could escape.

    "You must be thinking, if I wanted to die, that would be easy, so why go through all this trouble?" A cold smile flickered at the edge of Wang Shi''s lips. "Little Jing, just because you''ve seen my past, doesn''t mean you truly understand me."

    Jian Jing said, "I don''t need to understand you, I just need to know you''re afraid to die."

    Wang Shi was silent for a moment, a look of emotion on his face. "Death is more...plicated than I imagined. There''s no shame in admitting one''s mistakes. But this makes things more interesting. I''ve been an observer all this time, maybe it''s time to experience this firsthand."

    Jian Jing: "Really?"

    "At this point, do I still have any need to deceive you?" Wang Shi took out his phone from his pocket. "Leave this ce, or I''ll have no choice but to take you with me."

    Jian Jing readily agreed: "Fine, I''ll y along."

    Before she even finished speaking, her body was no longer in its original spot. With her cat-like agility, she leapt below decks in just a couple of bounds.

    Wang Shi couldn''t leave the cockpit, so he could only wave his gun around, firing wildly to force her into hiding.

    It was pitch dark below deck. Jian Jing changed her high-tech sses from invisible mode back to a normal frame. She then turned on her X-ray scanner to locate the bomb.

    The positioning device was already activated - she was in no rush to subdue Wang Shi and dismantle the bomb just yet. She would continue feinting with him until the police arrived, then it would be game over.

    Where was the bomb?

    She scanned the area inch by inch until finally locating the familiar structure in a corner suitcase.

    The suitcase had a six digit passcode lock.

    death?451208.

    It opened.

    Just as she was about to use the bomb dismantling skills she''d forcefully learned from Zong Ye, a police siren suddenly red from the suitcase.

    Damn thing had an rm system!

    Jian Jing immediately backed off, dodging back behind cover to avoid getting trapped by Wang Shi.

    But Wang Shi didn''t appear.

    From the suitcase came a soft "tick", followed by the rhythmic "beep, beep, beep" of the timer.

    Jian Jing took a closer look and sucked in a breath of cold air.

    The time bomb had been activated, with a countdown of 3 minutes remaining.

    He really intended to blow it all up.

    Jian Jing quickly donned a life jacket, then grabbed a chair and tossed it out the door. A barrage of gunshots immediately sounded from outside.

    Seizing this opportunity, she shed out the door, avoiding a tragic end by bullet.

    "You''re forcing me to do this," the boat had stopped, bobbing on the waves. Wang Shi stood on the deck, having reloaded with a full magazine. "Then let''s keep each otherpany on the road to the Yellow Springs."

    The sky had not yet brightened, the sea and night both a deep, murky grey-blue.

    Sparse starlight was reflected on the water''s surface, faint ghostly shadows lurking beneath.

    Jian Jing turned on her night vision goggles, stering herself t against the outside of the cabin walls as she stealthily approached.

    "Draw card."

    [Name: Prop Card - Tear Gas (1/1)]

    [Description: Strongly irritating substance that causes a burning sensation on skin, uncontroble tearing up, temporary blindness. Effective radius of 20m.]

    [Note: Usable only for this mission, user immune to effects.]

    Thick white smoke began billowing upwards.

    Wang Shi''s brow furrowed. This was truly bizarre, he had no idea where she''d gotten this weapon from. But now was not the time to worry about that. He covered his mouth and nose and had no choice but to put down his gun to pull out the gas mask hanging at his waist.

    As someone well-versed in chemical weapons, he always kept a mask on hand just in case.

    But just then, a heavy blownded on his back.

    Unaffected by the gas, Jian Jing seized the perfect chance to tackle him.

    One hand gripped his neck, choking off his airway to subdue him, while her other hand went for his phone.

    Sure enough, there was a remote control app on it.

    But no matter how many times she hit the "Stop" button, she kept getting an "Operation Error" alert.

    "Stop this, do you really want to die?" She held his head down.

    Wang Shi coughed andughed loudly: "It can only be activated, not stopped. Little Jing, let''s die together."

    Jian Jing still felt something was off, but unless the bomb was fake, what other way could he have to escape the explosion on this boat?

    "Madman." She grit her teeth, not daring to take the risk, and dragged him to the edge of the deck.

    The dark, endless sea stretched out below.

    Jian Jing removed the lifebuoy and put it over his head, prepared to push him overboard. But Wang Shi had already recovered. On the open deck, the tear gas quickly dispersed. He gathered his strength, twisting his body in a clever Judo move to break free of her hold.

    But immediately after, Wang Shi did not counterattack. Instead he sprinted swiftly to the back of the boat.

    Jian Jing gave chase, only to see him nimbly toss a package overboard and flip into the water.

    The emergency raft automatically inted on contact with the water''s surface. He clung to it tightly.

    "Goodbye." He smiled.

    Jian Jing: "F*ck!"

    "10, 9, 8..." The phone left on the deck suddenly started counting down mechanically.

    Only 7 seconds until the boat exploded.

    Jian Jing swiftly calmed herself and considered the situation. Wang Shi was clearly using the explosion to stage his own death so he could disappear into the vast ocean. As long as he arranged for his associates to pick him up before the police found him, he could escape thew for good.

    "In your dreams." Fury rising, she raised her gun.

    She first aimed at his shoulder.

    During the earlier scuffle, she had managed to stick a tracking device on the back of his neck. As long as the police followed the signal, they had a good chance of capturing him alive. This shot only needed to limit his mobility.

    But as her finger rested on the trigger, Jian Jing hesitated.

    What if his aplices found him before the cops did?

    Although the tracker was high-tech and theoretically well-hidden, nothing was ever 100% foolproof. Wang Shi was knowledgeable about these things too, what if it had already been discovered?

    She would be absolutely livid if she let him get away with her own hands.

    Her wrist raised the gun barrel higher.

    Once the aim assist was activated, there would be no misses. She could end him right here and now.

    But extrajudicial killing was vigntism, fighting violence with violence was never the solution.

    She had gone through so much effort precisely to bring him to justice, to close this case through proper legal channels.

    "5, 4--" The damn bomb was still counting down.

    No more time to hesitate!

    Jian Jing clenched her teeth, sweat beading at her temples.

    The next moment, her finger squeezed the trigger.

    Aim assist activated.

    The heavy bronze bullet shot out, piercing the air and urately boring through his forehead.

    A trickle of blood spilled forth.

    The smile froze on Wang Shi''s face, seemingly still notprehending what had happened. Yes,pared to the endless torment of the dreamscape, real death always came as a shock.

    This time, no one could save him.

    Jian Jing let out a breath, standing in silence.

    She had no choice but to contemte the boundary between vignte justice and thew. "She" didn''t have to.

    A life for a life, blood debts paid in blood.

    To avenge oneself was righteous.

    "3, 2--"

    Jian Jing put away the gun and vaulted over the railing, plunging into the sea.

    The icy seawater engulfed her.

    "1--"

    A brilliant re of light shot towards the heavens, followed by a rolling st wave. She felt as if she''d been tossed in a tumble dryer, the world spinning as the shockwave from the explosion pushed out the seawater, like a boulder rolling over her entire body.

    Jian Jing felt she''d been transformed into a lump of slime, ttened by one p, then mashed back into shape by the next, mutating into one of Cthulhu''s spawn amidst the scorching seawater.

    Her head was shaken madly, her brain matter and blood shaken into a cocktail called "alien brain hemorrhage", filling her entire skull.

    A panel popped up in the system.

    The status column wrote clearly: Dizzy, tinnitus, hypoxia...

    With a long list after that she didn''t have time to read.

    She only relied on instinct to grab the key point: "Draw a card, draw a card, draw a card!"

    [Name: Prop Card - Portable Oxygen Cylinder (1/1)]

    [Content Description: Compressed oxygen, enough for an adult to use for 10 minutes]

    [Note: Perseverance is victory, hang in there!]

    Jian Jing hugged the oxygen tank and put on the breathing mask with difficulty.

    As the oxygen entered her body, the feeling of impending death greatly receded. She crawled and swam with all her might, trying to get as far away from the explosion as possible.

    After about five minutes, the shock waves dissipated, and the buoyancy of the seawater and lifejacket carried her to the surface. Not far away, a piece of broken nk floated over.

    Jian Jing swam hard and clung onto the nk, maintaining her posture.

    Looking around, debris was everywhere, and there was no trace left of the rubber raft.

    Where the sea met the sky, a faint white emerged, and the sea surface no longer looked as terrifying as before.

    Dawn had arrived.

    *

    At four in the morning, Ji Feng boarded the patrol boat of the maritime police.

    He was in a very bad mood.

    Ten minutes ago, the maritime police told him that the drones they had sent out on patrol captured arge amount of ship wreckage.

    In other words, a ship had exploded not long ago.

    He really had a word that needed to be said.

    "Were there any survivors found?"

    "Still under investigation."

    What made him even more uneasy was that although the locator was still working, it seemed to be drifting based on the speed. Looking on the bright side, the distance wasn''t far and she should be able to hang on until the rescue, but in the worst case... He didn''t even dare to think further.

    "A person was found ahead."

    Ji Feng immediately rushed to the deck.

    The boat slowly approached and fished up the "person" floating in the water.

    Or rather, the corpse.

    It was a male, about 1.7 meters tall. His body was also scarred by the explosive shockwaves and his face waspletely disfigured. Due to the high temperature, the metal watch on his hand was welded tightly to his skin.

    Lao Gao squatted down to observe for a long time and said, "This watch?"

    Ji Feng nodded: "It''s Wang Shi''s."

    They had searched Wang Shi''s office before and found an expensive watch branded ˇőˇő. After asking colleagues, they learned that Wang Shi was very fond of this watch and often wore it on his hand.

    But... "I have a bad feeling about this." He said irritably, and couldn''t help taking out a cigarette, but held back from smoking it. He went to the cockpit and asked, "How long until we reach the locator?"

    "About ten minutes."

    These were an extremely long ten minutes.

    The boat tracked down the location of the locator. As Lao Gao raised the binocrs and saw clearly, his heart skipped a beat: "Ji Feng, that looks like..."

    It was a corpse.

    Ji Feng snatched over the binocrs, looked carefully for a few seconds, and said: "It''s not Teacher Jian." But his heart, which had been lifted, did not settle down, instead it was hung even higher now.

    The second corpse was soon salvaged.

    The body was also blown to flesh and blood, with no obvious identifying marks, but on the back of his neck was a locator the size of a fingernail.

    Ji Feng affirmed: "This is Wang Shi."

    If he guessed correctly, the first corpse was the substitute that Wang Shi had prepared for himself. He wanted to use the explosion to slip away, leaving them a simr corpse. Perhapsparing it with the hair at his home, even the DNA would match.

    However, he miscalcted by one move, and was seen through by Jian Jing. She stuck the locator on him, determined not to let him get away.

    And he wasn''t lucky enough. He actually... No, that''s not right.

    Ji Feng turned the corpse over and found a bullet hole in the head.

    He: "..." With such precise marksmanship, what''s the point of sticking a locator!

    Although heined to himself, he was clear that Jian Jing had killed Wang Shi but didn''t retrieve the locator, proving that she didn''t have time to do so back then.

    At that time, the only thing she could do was jump into the sea.

    "Let''s use the helicopter." Ji Feng immediately made the decision. "It''s too cold, she can''t hold on for long."

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200

    Jian Jing was lying on the wooden nk, admiring the magnificent sunrise over the sea.

    The red sun leapt out of the azure sea surface. The ocean glittered under the morning glow, presenting an awe-inspiring scene. However, if she had a choice, she would rather watch it on a yacht.

    The water was too damn cold.

    She sneezed a few times, her limbs were frozen stiff like wood. Fortunately, there were energy bars in the storage unit. She put one in her mouth and took sips of mineral water from time to time, barely holding on.

    But even without the dangers of dehydration and starvation, the situation was still dire.

    After sunrise, the intense ultraviolet rays would quickly dehydrate and sunburn her. If she was unlucky enough to trigger some strange gs, sharks might even be attracted - never underestimate the dangers of this world.

    How could she save herself?

    The locator was the most convenient choice, but even if she took out the card now, without the mainponent of the electronic watch to activate it, it would be useless!

    As for other props cards, signal res were less effective during the day, while signal smoke was a good choice, but it onlysted for 15 minutes and had limited coverage. Using it randomly would just be a waste.

    Oh well, sheˇŻd take them out first before deciding.

    ˇ°Draw a card, give me a life-saving card,ˇ± she pleaded weakly.

    [Card drawing in progress]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Prop Card - Buoyant Smoke (1/1)]

    [Description: Releases orange buoyant smoke on the water surface,sts for 15 mins]

    [Note: Suggest using under assured conditions]

    The sunlight was getting more and more intense, and her skin soaking in the seawater stung.

    Jian Jing tore off ayer of her skirt and soaked it before putting it on her head and neck to shield herself from some of the sunlight.

    Her strength was draining at several times the usual rate.

    Jian Jingy on the nk, unable to concentrate. Her mind wandered to many strange ces, like the still deeply memorable Titanic, Jaws, and well, it seemed like they were all movies about maritime disasters.

    The waves rose and fell, rocking her body along.

    The weather today was sunny without a cloud, hopefully it wouldn''t suddenly rain. The wind speed was a bit strong, and she didn''t know how long it would take to search this area of ??the sea.

    The explosion had pushed her very far. If the search direction was opposite to her location, things could get nasty.

    Also, although there was plenty of fresh water and food in her storage unit, she still faced a tricky problem.

    When people soaked in warm seawater, they would keep losing body heat, let alone the ocean in November.

    Should she draw a hot water bottle? No, hot water bottles didn''t seem to be waterproof. Besides, they wouldn''t withstand use either. Her courage value had little left, and the new quest hadn''t beenpleted and settled yet.

    She had to conserve resources. If she really had a run of bad luck and had to drift for weeks, there would be many uses for them.

    But Jian Jing''s luck wasn''t too bad.

    This was close to shore, and the seasonal winds were fast enough. After about two hours, she saw the shadow of a helicopter in her telescope''s field of vision.

    Judging by the direction it flew, it was probably cutting diagonally across the sea area she was in.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath and pulled herself together to wait.

    The deafening noise of the helicopter gradually approached.

    She lit the smoke.

    In a sh, the orange smoke spread over the sea surface, mistingrge swathes of orange, as if someone had poured arge bottle of tangy orange drink into the sea.

    Such an obvious color naturally caught the helicopter''s attention.

    It changed direction and gradually approached, hovering overhead, struggling to discern the situation below.

    Jian Jing shook the skirt in her hand. The crystals and diamonds on it reflected bright beams of light under the sunlight, extremely eye-catching.

    The helicopter hovered above and lowered a ropedder.

    Someone jumped down, swimming over to her side: "Teacher Jian?"

    Jian Jing said weakly, "Calling my soul back."

    Still conscious, pretty alert. Ji Feng heaved a big sigh of relief and signaled to the helicopter above to immediately lower a rescue basket.

    He propped up Jian Jing''s arms and supported her back, cing her in the basket.

    "You''re heavy, at least 150 pounds, right?" Ji Feng said.

    "Bullshit." Jian Jing''s swollen head immediately cleared up, "I have threeyers of skirt soaking wet, of course it''d be heavy!"

    He chuckled and gestured for the basket to be lifted up.

    Jian Jing was rescued back into the helicopter, where an unfamiliar team member immediately draped a nket over her: "Are you injured?"

    "I''m fine." She wrapped the nket tightly around herself and couldn''t help shivering a little.

    Ji Feng climbed up the ropedder and hurriedly closed the cabin door: "I know what you''re gonna ask, so I''ll just say it first - Wang Shi''s corpse has been found."

    The words that had been on the tip of Jian Jing''s tongue were swallowed back. After a long pause, she smiled bitterly and said, "Wasted half a day''s effort."

    "It wasn''t wasted, at least the case is settled now," Ji Fengforted her. "It''s over, don''t worry."

    Jian Jing was filled withplex emotions and fell silent for a long time.

    The bloodshed that had entangled ˇ°Jian Jingˇ± and the dark clouds that had lingered in her heart for years, it could be said to finally end today. But what had happened could not be forgotten.

    She couldn''t help but sigh softly, as if to dissolve the barriers in her chest.

    But her lungs were tightly constrained, unable to expand, leaving her ufortable.

    "Hey," Jian Jing really couldn''t take it anymore and said to Ji Feng, "Take off a piece of clothing for me."

    Ji Feng: "It''s wet."

    "Whatever, I can hardly breathe," she clutched her chest, feeling short of breath, "You know how tight evening dresses are, right? My ribs are about to break."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    He took off his shirt and handed it to her, a ck line on his head.

    Jian Jing nced at the people present.

    They all very consciously turned their backs.

    She wrapped herself in the nket and forcefully pulled down the hidden zipper. Her body slipped out of the dress, like a butterfly that had finally broken out of its cocoon after much hardship, and her throat involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.

    She came alive again.

    The evening dress really looked good, but it was also very anti-human.

    Slipping on a loose shirt and wrapping herself in a warm nket, she finally rxed.

    It was over.

    Weariness washed over her, her head dizzy.

    She fell into a deep slumber, dead to the world.

    *

    Sunburn, hypothermia, high fever, concussion, infected wounds... The doctor found all kinds of problems on Jian Jing.

    Fortunately, she was in good health, and none were too serious. She didn''t even enter the operating room and was arranged directly into a single room to rest.

    Jian Jing slept for a full three days.

    Although Wang Shi had controlled her food and water to keep her weak on purpose during their confrontation, she still secretly ate in bed every day.

    What consumed her most was her spirit and the anesthetic gases that affected her central nervous system.

    However, her insignificant-looking Immunity 1 stat actually protected her very well. By the fifth day, she had basically recovered as before.

    Sigh, being clear-headed came with clear-headed troubles.

    Jian Jing knew that Kang Mu Cheng came to see her every day, but she pretended to sleep.

    On the sixth day.

    Kang Mu Cheng threw away yesterday''s tulips and put fresh lotuses in the vase, calmly saying, "Stop pretending, I''m not ming you."

    Jian Jing rolled over with more than half her face hidden under the covers, only a pair of remorseful eyes peering at him.

    Kang Mu Cheng sat down on the edge of the bed, gazing at her face: "These past two days, I kept thinking, if I had been more supportive of you usually, would you have kept it from me?"

    Before she could answer, he mocked himself and said, "But then I thought again, as long as you told me, I would definitely have tried to stop you. So where did you do wrong by keeping it hidden? What right do I have to me you?"

    "President Kang..." She hesitated.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s eyes fell outside the window. The autumn wind was chilly, and the ginkgo leaves had turned golden. He suddenly said, "When you were lying herest year, I regretted pampering you too much, but these past two days, I still regretted."

    "Regretted not taking good care of you," he said bitterly. "Strange, right?"

    Jian Jing''s heart felt stuffy, but she didn''t know what to say.

    "In fact, I know you have your own ideas now, and there are many things I shouldn''t interfere with anymore," Kang Mu Cheng withdrew his gaze and looked at the girl who seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him. "I should treat you as an independent person, only give suggestions, not interfere, but..."

    But I can''t do that, he thought, but couldn''t say it out loud.

    Silence filled the air for a moment.

    Jian Jing said, "You''re just concerned about me."

    Concerned? Kang Mu Cheng thought, yes, of course he cared about her, and was used to hering to discuss things with him first about anything. But this time, he had been shut out.

    This feeling was very ufortable, but he couldn''t dissolve it, only bury it deep in his heart and let it gnaw away.

    He sighed silently and waved away the subtle emotions: "Fortunately you''re fine. Now it''s all over, isn''t it?"

    Jian Jing nodded, feeling lost and confused: "It''s all over."

    "As long as you''re alright," he repeated, patting the back of her hand. "Get some good rest. I''m not ming you and I''m not angry with you."

    She blinked her eyes and pursed her lips: "Really?"

    Kang Mu Cheng smiled wryly and shook his head, seeming at a loss with her: "Just focus on recovering."

    "You''re not mad about the dress either?" Jian Jing was very concerned. "I only wore it once..."

    "It was just a dress," Kang Mu Cheng said helplessly. "I''ll get you another one, just forget about it."

    She pulled up the quilt: "I don''t want another one."

    "Then what do you want?"

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and ced an order: "Strawberry cake, taro bubble milk tea, and an order of fried chicken."

    Kang Mu Cheng replied: "I remember the doctor said you shouldn''t eat anything too spicy, greasy or hard to digest."

    She protested: "But I''m all better now!"

    "No," Kang Mu Cheng frowned. "You need to listen to the doctor. I''ll have Auntie Wang bring you some dove soup tomorrow."

    Jian Jing argued: "I just had a fever and cold, I''m not sitting the month after giving birth."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her.

    She conceded: "...Mr. Kang."

    "Cake it is then," hepromised.

    Jian Jing burrowed into her quilt, burying her head inside as well, protesting wordlessly.

    Kang Mu Cheng reluctantly added: "I''ll also get you a milk tea, I''ll have my secretary go buy it."

    "70% sweetness is fine," she sat up nonchntly.

    Kang Mu Cheng shook his head, feeling increasingly helpless with her.

    And so, afternoon tea was a 4-inch strawberry cake and an extrarge hot milk tea.

    Dinner was the dove soup that Auntie Wang had stewed for hours.

    Jian Jing''s stomach was full of liquid. She drank half a bowl with a worried frown, unable to finish it. She said she''d save the rest for ate-night snack.

    Auntie Wang had underestimated her appetite, thinking a young girl would eat little. She didn''t pay it any mind.

    At 10 PM, the hospital''s overnight curfew began.

    Jian Jing had fully digested her afternoon tea. She now fretted over the leftover dove soup, debating whether to reheat it or just eat cup noodles instead.

    Just then, the door opened.

    "Still not sleeping sote?" Ji Feng walked over and hooked a chair leg to sit down. He nced at the food container on the cab, "Tsk, postpartum meal?"

    If all visitors were this shameless, the hospital would probably never have an empty bed.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, grabbed her pillow and smacked him with it three times.

    She had put some force into it. The blows left him stunned: "What was that for?"

    "Weing a shameless friend who hasn''te to see me once in the week I''ve been hospitalized," she said coldly.

    Ji Feng rolled his eyes: "Who said I haven''t been?"

    Jian Jing tilted up her chin, pointing at the gifts all around. Since she''d been admitted, there had been a constant stream of visitors, no less than 20 or 30, at least 10.

    Some brought fruit baskets and milk, others supplement gift boxes, still others fresh flowers. Her room was stuffed full.

    Not a single one was from him.

    Humph, fake affection!

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201

    Ji Feng had to rify: "I brought it."

    Jian Jing: "The air?"

    "Just kidding, pigeon soup is pretty good for health." Ji Feng hastily handed her a kraft paper bag, "Photocopies of the case files, the originals have been submitted to the prosecutor''s office."

    Jian Jing: "That''s it?"

    He took back his hand: "Don''t return it to me."

    She firmly held down the bag.

    Ji Feng tried hard to pull it back for half a day, but didn''t get it back, letting go: "Alright, it seems you''ve recovered well."

    Jian Jing opened the kraft bag and quickly nced over the words.

    The content was consistent with Wang Shi''s memory. Her father used to be a worker in a state-owned enterprise. Due to the wave ofyoffs, he lost his job. The enterprise was transformed into a private enterprise. He managed to connect rtionships and sessfully returned to work, and waster transferred away by thepany.

    Not long after, his mother fell critically ill and needed a lot of money. So his father embezzled public funds and abandoned his mother and son, disappearing without a trace.

    "Just based on this, there really doesn''t seem to be anything wrong with him." Ji Feng clicked his tongue in wonder, "What was the deal with him and his mother? Do you know the answer now?"

    Jian Jing felt heavy-hearted: "He loved his mother very much, and his mother loved him very much too. His father was a scumbag." She shook the pages and said sarcastically, "His so-called ''connecting rtionships'' was coercing his wife into prostitution."

    At this point, even Ji Feng couldn''t help sighing: "No wonder."

    When investigating Wang Shi''s hometown, acquaintances were always evasive, hesitant to speak. So this was the other reason.

    "His father was probably killed by him, and the one who took the money was most likely him as well." Jian Jing calcted with her fingers and shook her head, "He was only in junior high at that time."

    Ji Feng nced at her: "Teacher Jian, you seem to sympathize with him a little?"

    "You can sympathize when someone is dead." Jian Jing said.

    He said, "I see, when someone is dead, anything can be said, right?"

    Jian Jing heard the subtext and raised her brows: "Hmm?"

    Ji Feng smiled: "The gun."

    She pretended to be surprised: "What gun? Oh, his gun, sunk into the sea."

    He chuckled: "You think I can''t tell the difference between revolver bullets and semi-automatic bullets? What a coincidence, the one that killed him was also a .38 revolver bullet, justpatible with Wen Hui''s boyfriend''s purchased revolver?"

    She spread her hands: "Anyway I don''t have it."

    "Of course you don''t have it." He said, "You can''t have it in the future either."

    Jian Jing nced at him.

    Ji Feng looked back, his expression unchanged, as if he hadn''t implied anything.

    The two reached a tacit understanding in their exchange of nces.

    "Ahem." Jian Jing cleared her throat and held out her palm.

    Ji Feng: "......" He groped his pocket and finally took out a piece of chewing gum.

    Jian Jing pped his hand away and said unhappily: "Where are my things? The case is closed, shouldn''t you return them to me?"

    "Oh, I almost forgot." Ji Fengughed out loud, and took out her watch and tracker from his coat pocket, "Speaking of which, where did you buy this? The signal is pretty good, and it''s waterproof too."

    Jian Jing grabbed them and immediately hid them: "A friend gave them to me."

    "What friend, introduce me to them." He said.

    "No way." She ordered him to leave, "Go back quickly, I want to sleep."

    Ji Feng casually asked, "Not having a midnight snack?"

    Jian Jing: "Actually..."

    Ten minutester.

    Ji Feng left the ward and greeted the nurse on duty, "Thanks for being flexible, I''m leaving now."

    "You''re wee." The nurse smiled and said, "Patient 809 is much better now, Detective Ji cane during the day next time."

    Ji Feng asked: "When will she be discharged?"

    "Her family requested two more days of observation." The nurse replied.

    He nodded. The elevator arrived, he waved goodbye and got into the elevator casually.

    The elevator went down one floor and stopped, the door opened.

    A girl wearing a mask and knitted hat walked in and urged: "Hurry up, the nurses do room checks at midnight. If they find out I''m not in my room, Chairman Kang will confine me for another week for sure."

    Ji Feng insincerely: "How miserable."

    "I want barbecue." She was heartbroken, "Crucian carp soup, chicken soup, pigeon soup, pigˇŻs trotters soup, Chairman Kang''s aunt must be from Guangdong."

    Ji Feng: "There''s no barbecue nearby."

    Jian Jing said: "Didn''t you drive here?"

    "I haven''t been home in half a month. I''m going home early today." Ji Feng negotiated, "There''s a pretty good noodle shop nearby. Let''s just have some yellow croaker noodles then I''ll go home, ok?"

    She thought about it andpromised: "Alright."

    The night wind was cold, but the noodle shop was brightly lit, still doing good business with customers sitting here and there.

    A TV hanging in the corner was ying a popr ancient idol drama. The content was boring and the martial arts awkward. Its only purpose was to add some liveliness to the cold night.

    The boss nced at Ji Feng and asked, "Still snow vegetable yellow croaker?"

    "Yeah yeah." He paid, "What do you want?"

    Jian Jing: "Same for me."

    Snow vegetable yellow croaker noodles were the signature dish of the shop. The snow vegetable was cut thinly, with some chili peppers, served steaming hot. The fish was fresh, the noodles chewy. Drinking it warmed up the whole body.

    After surviving disaster.

    Jian Jing was fully satisfied after the midnight snack. She secretly snuck back to the eighth floor.

    Taking advantage of the nurse lowering her head to organize medical records, she activated her stealth mode and snuck back into her room to sleep at ease.

    Seeing the lights go off, Ji Feng yawned, slowly started the car, and went home.

    *

    On the ninth day of hospitalization, Kang Mu Cheng finally couldn''t resist Jian Jing''s pleading and agreed to discharge her.

    "No need to rush back to school, rest for a few more days." He picked her up in person and didn''t forget to remind her, "The most important thing is to recover well."

    Jian Jing said: "I n to finish writing Evil Doctor 3 in the winter."

    Kang Mu Cheng was surprised: "You have ideas already?"

    She nodded. After experiencing so many cases, she nevercked inspiration. She just didn''t focus on it before, and was toozy to write. Now that past grudges were resolved and threats were gone, she felt much more rxed. It was time to get back to work.

    "Take it slow writing." Kang Mu Cheng was very concerned. Although Jian Jing looked lively and active, whenever he thought about the horrible impact the people who kidnapped her had on her, he couldn''t believe she had fully recovered. "Or, don''t write crime themes for now, try something else."

    Hepromised greatly: "Romance is not uneptable either."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips, but still couldn''t help it: "Pffft."

    Chairman Kang was just too cute - although this adjective wasn''t very appropriate - but his reluctant expression and meaningful nce were really rare.

    She could almost recount his thought process: Although your talent isn''t in love stories, and given your current situation, it''s not suitable for you to change genre, although... sigh, but if you want to write it, it''s not uneptable.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "That funny?"

    "No no." She quickly shook her head.

    The car slowly drove into the residential area. Kang Mu Cheng helped carry her luggage upstairs, checked inside and out, before reluctantly leaving.

    After he left, Jian Jing finally sauntered into the study and took down the Evil Doctor poster hanging on the wall.

    Behind the wall were sticky notes, photos, and colored strings representing logic, stered all over.

    This was the script she had written at home a month ago.

    From finding Jiang Bai Yan, him seeing the facialposite which led him to think of the psychologist, to herpletely changing the entire n, getting Jiang Bai Yan to "sell her out" in exchange for Wang Shi''s trust...looking back now, it felt like ages ago.

    Jian Jing heldplicated feelings as she tore them down one by one and threw them into the paper shredder, watching them be a messy pile of paper strips.

    It was all over.

    She dusted off her hands and started calcting the budget for this stage y, The Withering Rose.

    First were the two special cards that yed a big role.

    [Name: Special Card - High Tech Smartwatch (Main Component)]

    [Description: An imaginatively engineered high tech product, waterproof, fireproof, shockproof, maic-proof, ultralight and superfortable, with multiple basic functions like time, astrology, temperature, humidity,pass, timer, zero error]

    [Note: This product can bebined with other cards for use. Consume 5 Courage to duplicate a new appearance or enable Bluetooth connection with ordinary electronic devices]

    [Name: Special Card - Tracker (Component)]

    [Description: High techponent, satellite positioning device, with adaptive camouge appearance, can be attached to various materials, waterproof and fireproof]

    [Note: Requires binding with mainponent for use. Consume 10 Courage to enable automatic navigation]

    The appearance of the watch was in ck, but even just for daily use, its performance far exceeded ordinary watches.

    Jian Jing couldn''t bear to let such a treasure gather dust, and immediately put it on.

    However, this thing would pass before Ji Feng''s sharp eyes. Seeing her wearing this watch frequently, he would definitely be suspicious.

    "Let''s give it a new look," she said.

    The system popped up a DIY panel, not much different from the appearance systems in games that tricked people into topping up. First select the basic model, then theyout, and finally adjust the color.

    Jian Jing chose the pink and white sweet cool style without hesitation.

    The new essory was synthesized and printed onto the watch.

    So the high-tech electronic watch lost its previous clunky square shape and became nimble and sweet. No matter what dressing style, it matched very well.

    She would put away the locator for now.

    Three props cards, a gas cylinder, a signal smoke bomb, and an oxygen cylinder, plus turning the sses into contact lenses. The printed appearance cost a total of 20 courage points.

    Plus the 10 points for the anti-hypnosis, 30 in total.

    Fortunately the returns were considerable.

    [Mission Name: The Withering Rose (Completed)]

    [Mission Reward: 30 courage points, 20 special contribution points]

    [Note: Courage points can be used to draw regr cards, 5 points each time; contribution points can be used to draw special cards, 10 points each time]

    In addition, one high fashion dress was returned.

    Jian Jing''s heart ached every time she thought of this.

    She also realized a truth from this: it''s better if things like this happen in other people''s homes...

    *

    At nine o''clock in the evening, Jiang BaiYan finished shooting thest scene of the day and happily got off work to go home.

    In a few days, The Rose Gold would finish shooting.

    He looked forward to this drama, more than any other time before.

    "Meow~" As soon as he got home, Pudding meowed and rubbed against his legs. Jiang BaiYan picked up the fat ginger cat and stroked its head: "No, your weight hasn''t gone down yet."

    Pudding looked aggrieved: "Meow."

    He was ruthlessly unmoved.

    Pudding could only slink away.

    Jiang BaiYan took off his overcoat, rolled up his sleeves, and started to clean the cat litter, change the water, and tidy up the toys. Then he picked up the kettle and went to the balcony to water the nts, loosening the soil for some, and pruning the branches.

    After going through the daily routine, he heated up a cup of milk for himself, and as he drank it, he opened gifts.

    There was a beautiful box on the sofa, he didn''t know who sent it.

    He untied the ribbon and took out abination lock box.

    There was also a letter.

    "Oh?" Jiang BaiYan put down the milk cup and held up the letter to read under themplight.

    He saw a line that sounded very much like a drama line: "If you''re reading this letter, it means I''m already dead..."

    "Whoa." Heughed and broke open the wax seal to slowly read the letter.

    The letter was very short, only one and a half pages, but he spent a full twenty minutes reading it, zoning out several times before he finished the content.

    After reading, he finished the milk, and rummaged through boxes and cabs to find an aromatherapy gift set someone had given him. He took out a lighter from inside.

    He lit the envelope on fire and threw it into a ceramic cup, watching as the paper was engulfed by the mes.

    It turned into a cup of ashes.

    He went to the kitchen and got a cup of water, pouring the ash and water together down the drain.

    Then, "Pudding," he called.

    The ginger cat ran over, head tilted.

    Jiang BaiYan lifted it onto the counter, grasped its paws, and nudged the cup.

    Crash!

    The cup fell off the counter, smashing into pieces.

    Pudding''s fur stood on end as it leapt away in shock.

    Jiang BaiYan smiled and said, "It''s okay."

    He crouched down, threw the shards into the trash can, the corners of his lips unconsciously curving up slightly.

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202

    After Wang Shi''s death, Jian Jing led a tranquil life.

    At ten in the morning, shezily opened her eyes, took out her phone, opened the five-star hotel''s mini program, and ordered lunch for the day. Then she dozed off for another moment before crawling out of bed to wash up.

    While brushing her teeth and washing her face, she opened the app and tuned in to an online course from her school to help with writing her thesis.

    She boiled a pot of coffee and got down to clearing her emails, paying bills and buying discounted items.

    Soon the delivery arrived, still steaming hot, wisps of vapor rising from it.

    After eating lunch, feeling warm and unwilling to move, she curled up on the sofa and yed on her phone.

    The homeowners'' group chat was lively.

    The owner of Unit 01 on the 11th floor of Building 11 said: [Something strange happened in my home!]

    Everyone else was bored and kept asking him to tell them about it.

    11-1101: [My deliveries have been stolen three days in a row. Who dared to take my food? Come out if you dare!]

    11-1802: [Who would steal food? Don''t you think we have nothing better to do?]

    11-1101: [No one stole it. Could the delivery have disappeared by itself? Everyone knows deliverymen can''t enter our building. It must have been a resident.]

    Residents of other buildings added fuel to the fire with suggestions like: [Just install a camera.]

    11-1101: [Here''s the creepy part - I installed a camera but the delivery still disappeared!]

    This sparked an uproar among the homeowners.

    [Didn''t the camera capture the thief?]

    [Wait, it didn''t capture a person, but did it capture something else?]

    [Post the video for us to see!]

    ...

    11-1101: [video.mkv]

    The sped-up video showed: The security guard brought up the delivery and left it at 11-1101''s door, taking a photo and posting it to the group chat to confirm delivery.

    Then he left.

    Half an hourter, the homeowner returned to find the space in front of his doorpletely empty with no sign of the delivery.

    Other homeowners: [The camera angle is too narrow. Just tie a stick to reach out.]

    They also said: [Ask the property management to check the elevator cameras.]

    The homeowner of 11-1101 went to do so.

    Half an hourter, he surfaced in the group chat again: [Finished checking the cameras.]

    Everyone: [Well?][Find anything?][Who''s the despicable thief?]

    11-1101: [I checked the footage for that half hour. Only residents from Units 702 and 1301 used the elevator.]

    The used residents immediately objected.

    11-702: [What are you implying? That we stole your delivery? How dare you.]

    11-1301: [Are you trying to extort money from us?]

    11-1101: [I just want to know who stole my delivery!]

    He seemed to have brooded over this for some time and unleashed a barrage of furious messages.

    11-1101: [Our building has door ess control for each block. Outsiders can''t enter. I make it a habit to order delivery when I get off work around the same time every day, just a window of 40 minutes. For this to happen so precisely each time - do you really believe it''s just coincidence?]

    11-702: [My wife cooks every day. Why would I steal your delivery?]

    11-1301: [How many times has this happened? Did you check the cameras each time? Were my unit or 702''s on there?]

    11-1101: [Fine, I''m going to check thest few days right now. Don''t try to deny itter.]

    Everyone eagerly awaited his next message, even Jian Jing couldn''t focus on her writing anymore and kept ncing at her phone.

    Over half an hourter, the victim resurfaced.

    11-1101: [I''ve lost deliveries three times - the first time 10 days ago, the second time 7 days ago, and yesterday the third time. The property management keeps the footage for 15 days.]

    Everyone: [So? Who was it?]

    11-1101: [The first time it was units 5 and 19, the second time 13 and 6.]

    1301 jumped in: [I get home from work around the same time everyday. Is it so shocking I happened to use the elevator?]

    An outsider chimed in: [I think it must be residents from floors above 11. Only they would know 11th floor orders delivery frequently. Lower floors don''t pass by the elevator and may not know.]

    11-1301: [That''s nonsense. Who said only upstairs would know? The security guards know too, don''t they?]

    11-502: [Right, the staff can enter any building.]

    The owner of 11-1101 fell silent.

    If the suspect pool expanded, there were indeed more possibilities. It may not have been a resident after all. The property management staff were even more familiar with buildingyouts, and could easily make off with a delivery without a trace.

    Some even opened their imagination further: [If it were them, the cameras could be tampered with too. Just like in movies.]

    Jian Jing thought to herself: "...If they had those skills, why steal deliveries?"

    But now, the direction of the chat hadpletely turned. At first it was just an issue in Building 11, most people were just watching for entertainment. But if the suspect was property management, then no building was safe.

    Who knew if they''d target their home next?

    Who didn''t order delivery or receive packages?

    They had to demand an exnation from the property management.

    And so the homeowners took their battle to the property management group, demanding they thoroughly investigate the matter.

    Manager Bu: [Esteemed homeowners, please rest assured we will certainly provide you an exnation.]

    Jian Jing frowned. Who was this? The previous property manager seemed to be Manager Bao. She distinctly remembered his steamed bun avatar, with wrinkles folded ever so exquisitely.

    Scrolling up through the chat history, she realized Bao had retired while she was hospitalized. He was reced by the new supervisor sent from corporate headquarters, Manager Bu.

    The new broom sweeps clean. He had indeed aplished much, including but not limited to changing the garbage pickup schedule, adding cameras to the parking garage, banning vegetable gardening in the first floor garden, and so on.

    He seemed like an efficient go-getter.

    But when Jian Jing returned from a one hour workout at the gym that afternoon, they still hadn''t found anything.

    She thought to herself: "...after all, stealing deliveries is serious business."

    And so she wandered to the property management office.

    The owner of 11-1101 was still there, looking forlorn. "I just don''t understand, even if you wanted to steal deliveries, why specifically target me? I order fresh ingredients to make food myself, what''s there to gain?"

    Jian Jing had just walked in and overheard this. She immediately asked, "All fresh ingredients? No cooked food?"

    "Basically, delivery food has too much oil and salt. I buy ingredients from the supermarket and cook them myself," the resident said. "Oh right, you look familiar...are you an actress?"

    "I''m an author, a famous author," the staff said. "Jian Jing."

    The resident solemnly paid his respects: "Oh I see, an author. I feel like I''ve heard your name before. Was there a show, ''Demon Doctor''? Did you write that?"

    Jian Jing modestly replied: "Yes, that was my work."

    The resident perked up and quickly said: "That''s a mystery novel right! Hey, could you please help analyze who might be stealing my deliveries? I''m so stressed out."

    Jian Jing dly said: "Sure, I happen to have time. Why don''t you take me to Building 11 to have a look?"

    The property management had searched half a day fruitlessly. The resident didn''t feel like wasting more time and readily agreed.

    The two headed to Building 11 together.

    Same as Jian Jing''s building, there was a ss door at the entrance as ess control. You needed a key card or facial recognition to enter.

    Two units per floor, elevator cameras operating normally without obstructions.

    On the 11th floor, upon exiting the elevator, the first thing they saw was a decorated wall. The entry doors were on either side. But without stepping out of the elevator, you couldn''t see the door areas.

    She studied the situation for a while standing at the resident''s door, borrowing his phone to check the camera coverage.

    The view was quite narrow, only able to capture half of the hallway straight ahead. But to the side was a half-meter wide corridor leading to the stairwell behind the elevator shaft.

    "I''m so high up," the troubled resident said. "Who would climb 11 floors just to steal a delivery?"

    Jian Jing nodded: "It is rather bizarre."

    She paced into the stairwell, observing as she asked: "Were the stolen deliveries ever found?"

    "No. There are so many identical X Fresh boxes in the trash, who could pick out which one?" The resident shook his head.

    Jian Jing considered: "On average, how often do you order, and what foods were stolen?"

    The resident took out his phone to check past orders: "About once every two or three days. Stuff like mushrooms, vegetables, chicken legs, eggs. The most expensive item was a steak."

    "Everything was taken each time?" she asked.

    The resident nodded.

    "What else did you order?"

    The resident said, "I ordered a whole box of hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake a week ago, but they didn''t get stolen. I was wondering about that too."

    Things that got stolen were all daily groceries, but the expensive stuff was left untouched?

    Jian Jing found it more and more bizarre, so she asked again, "Have you had any conflicts with anyone recently?"

    "No," the resident denied strongly, "I park properly, sort my trash, never y loud music at night to disturb others, I didn''t do anything!"

    Jian Jing: "..." So why was it him?

    The resident on the 11th floor of Building 11 didn''t have anything special about him other than being quite single, you can''t just randomly pluck a sheep.

    She was at a loss, so she simply went floor by floor downstairs.

    The resident rubbed his belly and said drily, "I''ll go wait for you downstairs."

    The stairwell was neither big nor small, meeting fire safety standards. The cleaning staff would mop it every few days, and there was only a thinyer of dust on the handrails.

    Jian Jing turned on her phone''s shlight and shone it around on the ground.

    Unfortunately she didn''t have a multi-spectrum light source, otherwise checking for footprints would''ve been easier. But even so, she soon discovered a clear footprint.

    And it betrayed the real suspect.

    Jian Jing slowly wandered out of the building and told the impatient resident, "Let''s go, I already know who stole your delivery."

    The resident: "Huh?" Was this for real, she found out already?

    Bewildered, he followed her to the property management office.

    Jian Jing called over a handsome young man she recognized: "Haven''t seen Knight around recently?"

    Knight, male, aged three, was a German Shepherd raised by the property management.

    The young man immediately tensed up and looked around, then said softly, "It''s in the storage room. Manager Bao said don''t let it wander around anymore."

    She was surprised. "Why?"

    The security guard gave a wry smile. "Last time when we were patrolling, it scared a child. The homeownerined to us, said it posed a serious threat to themunity''s safety, and wanted us to get rid of the dog. Manager Bao also felt that keeping a dog was too expensive, the funds would be better spent on a few more cameras..."

    Jian Jing understood. "Bring it over, I need it for something."

    The young man had no choice but to go downstairs and fetch Knight.

    It was listless, lying down despondently and half-heartedly wagging its tail.

    Jian Jing said to the resident of 1101, "There, the one who stole your delivery was it."

    The resident: "Huh?"

    "Thest two deliveries you ordered were brought up by him, right?" Jian Jing pointed at the security guard.

    The security guard nodded.

    "He''s in charge of taking care of Knight, goes in and out frequently, so Knight''s face must be recorded in the ess control system," she said. "I''m guessing Knight''s meals have decreased drastically recently. When the delivery arrived, it would be handed over in the security room, and it smelled the scent of meat. It followed the smell and found your home, then ''stole'' your delivery."

    She further exined, "It didn''t know the delivery was on the 11th floor, so it climbed up the stairs floor by floor. Because of its small stature, it grabbed the bag in its mouth and ran, which is why your camera didn''t catch it. But there are footprints left on the stairwell, with differing depths, likely from thest two times.

    The security guard was dumbfounded, but after thinking carefully, couldn''t refute her words. "It did switch to cheaper dog food these past few days, and barely touched it."

    As he spoke, he took out dog food from the cab and grabbed a handful to give Knight.

    Knight smelled it and turned its head away.

    Jian Jing found it very strange. The dog was so hungry it resorted to stealing food deliveries, yet now it wouldn''t eat dog food? She couldn''t help but take a closer look at the dog food, immediately frowning. "There''s bugs all over this, where did you buy it?"

    The security guard said embarrassedly, "The food budget got reduced, so I bought a cheap one online..." He stroked Knight''s head and apologized to the homeowner, "I''m sorry, however much your delivery cost, I''ll pay you back."

    The residents who lived in thisplex weren''t short on money. The total was only a few dozen yuan, and the homeowner didn''t ask forpensation. "Forget it, it wasn''t anything valuable, just wanted to get to the bottom of this."

    But he also said, "You should get rid of the dog, what if it steals again next time?"

    Knight was not cool with this. "Woof QAQ~"

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203

    The knight was about to lose his job.

    The boss decided to cut the dog-feeding expenses¨Disn''t it better to use the money for some security equipment? As a result, he was forced tomit the crime of theft.

    When Manager Bu found out, he had nothing to say. He issued a notice: "Get rid of the dog. We can''t let the homeownersin about us again."

    The property management''s dog stealing the homeowner''s takeout food, what a scandal!

    Although the security guard was reluctant, he didn''t dare defy his superiors, he had to keep his job. He had no choice but to post an adoption notice on his social media, hoping someone would adopt the dog because it was a German Shepherd.

    Jian Jing felt very sad.

    You said, what''s wrong with a dog wanting to eat something other than moldy dog food and looking for food elsewhere since the owner said he couldn''t raid the trash can?

    What evil intentions could a dog have?

    "Awoo..." In the cold winter, the knight scratched the door desperately, chained in the storage room.

    On her way back from the gym, Jian Jing, who was carrying dog food to feed the dog, couldn''t help but ask the security guard, "Have you found someone to adopt him yet?"

    The security guard said, "Plenty of people want him."

    She was puzzled. "Then why haven''t you settled on someone?"

    The security guard looked sad, "I''m afraid of choosing the wrong person."

    The knight was brought by a friend of the former head of the security team (retiredst year). He''s a purebred with good bones and was well-trained when young. Therefore, although he did something bad this time, everyone felt he could be forgiven.

    What evil intentions could a dog have? x2.

    The property management didn''t want the knight, but many people wanted him. However, too many people reached out, making it hard to choose.

    Family A had experience keeping pets, but already had two cats and a dog. Would adding another one lead to serious territory disputes at home? Would he not get enough love from the owners?

    Family B had never raised a pet before and wanted to find a ymate for their child. But the child could be careless and hurt the dog. Even if that didn''t happen, there would inevitably be some friction, and the parents would likely give up first.

    Family C was a young couple without children, with one cat. They wanted to have both a cat and a dog, and seemed like good people. But they left for and returned from work veryte every day. The cat was fine alone, but the dog needed walks.

    The security guardined to Jian Jing as if he was marrying off his daughter, dissatisfied with everyone.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She fed the knight arge chicken leg.

    The knight wagged his tail, very well-behaved.

    Security guard: "Teacher Jian, having a dog yourself when you live alone isn''t bad."

    With a father-inw mindset, he had examined every homeowner in themunity and finally decided Jian Jing was suitable: she really liked the knight and would treat him well; she had money to feed him properly and could afford the vet so she wouldn''t abandon him over minor issues; she was single and far from getting married, let alone having a child, so she had no reason to abandon the dog.

    It had to be you!

    "The knight is very obedient, what happenedst time was just an ident!" He touted enthusiastically like a matchmaking uncle or aunt, "He pees and poops in fixed locations, doesn''t bark randomly, doesn''t chew furniture, and is very cooperative with a muzzle."

    Under the sweet talk, Jian Jing was indeed moved.

    When not working on a case, her stance was usually not very firm. A little coaxing by a salesperson would make her buy several pieces of clothing. She would buy every lipstick color that was said to look good on her...

    "Let me think about it."

    Getting a pet was no small matter. She would be responsible for a life from then on, so Jian Jing inevitably struggled over the decision.

    She asked Jiang BaiYan, "Is it troublesome to raise a pet? What if it makes a mess, would you feel like hitting it?"

    Jiang BaiYan was horrified, "Teacher Jing, they''re so cute, how could you bear to do that?"

    Jian Jing said coldly, "I can." Then warned him, "Tell the truth."

    Jiang BaiYan obediently changed his words: "It''s not too bad. At most it would scratch up a sofa, pee on the bed, chew up your clothes, hide and startle you..."

    Jian Jing sighed.

    "But those are all minor issues. If the sofa breaks, just buy a new one. Prepare more sheets and change them often. As for clothes, they go out of season anyway, just buy a couple extra of what you like." As a big star, he had mastered persuasion skills. "Money is easy to earn, but the happiness it brings can''t be bought."

    Jian Jing was moved.

    Jiang BaiYan went on earnestly, "Also, like I said before, it''s too lonely at your ce. Some liveliness would be good. If someone''s at home waiting for you, wouldn''t you look forward to going home every day?"

    There was a trap in those words, but what Jian Jing thought was: "You make sense. More people at home means more annoyance. More dogs is better."

    Sharing a roof with someone, differences in values, habits, and outlooks on life would undoubtedly cause many unhappy fights as they tried to amodate each other. Dogs didn''t have this problem.

    Who would feelpletely exasperated just because a dog had different living habits?

    If it doesn''t wipe its butt, that''s to be expected. If it does wipe its butt, then it''s the best dog in the world!

    Jian Jing made up her mind, "That settles it."

    Jiang BaiYan rarely faltered, but he had excellent psychological resilience and soon recovered, "Then let me go with you to the vet. We should do a checkup first."

    "OK."

    The next day, he came over carrying Pudding.

    He first touched the knight''s head.

    The knight shied away, watching him warily.

    Jiang BaiYan was shocked, "It doesn''t like me."

    "You''re not familiar yet." Jian Jing took the knight and guided it into the car, "Why did you bring Pudding too?"

    He smiled, "It''s due for deworming."

    The two went to the vet together. The knight had a checkup and Pudding was dewormed. Afterwards they went next door to the groomer for a wash, groom and blow dry.

    Pudding hated baths and let out piteous meows in the tub.

    However, its owner was an actor.

    "Pudding, my Pudding, where are you?" Jiang BaiYan pretended not to see it. "Pudding, where are you?"

    Pudding: "Meow~"

    Him: "Did you sneak off again, ignoring me on purpose?"

    Pudding: "Meow meow meow~~"

    Him: "Then I''ll ignore you too. Really ignore you now."

    Pudding: "Oh..."

    Jian Jing was speechless, "Was that necessary?"

    "Of course. They''re very smart," Jiang BaiYan shared his experience. "So they also hold grudges."

    She was at a loss for words.

    Still, the knight wasn''t as afraid of baths. After some initial restlessness, it started enjoying itself in the tub, eyes closed infort as the groomer slowly tended to its fur.

    Taking this chance, Jiang BaiYan and Jian Jing started chatting privately: "Rose Gold has finished filming. If all goes smoothly, it could be released early next year."

    Jian Jing asked, "What do you think?"

    "Great movie," he peeled and ate a piece of guest candy with satisfaction. "I''m looking forward to winning awards already."

    She didn''t know whether tough or cry, "You sure dare say that."

    "Why not," Jiang BaiYan gave her a piece of candy too. "Don''t you trust my judgment? I have great taste in choosing films."

    Jian Jing: "I guess I trust you."

    "You''re just humoring me," heined. "Have more faith in me. Look, didn''t I handle things very wellst time?"

    Jian Jing half-jokingly said, "I suppose you did, almost fooled mepletely."

    Jiang BaiYan kept a straight face: "My acting is good, right?"

    She justughed and patted his head.

    He dodged: "You have your good boy now."

    Jian Jing withdrew her hand: "Stingy."

    "I have an idol image to keep up too," Jiang BaiYan tidied his already neat hair in the mirror. "Pats are fine, but not free ones."

    Jian Jing didn''t take his bait and turned away, no pats if he didn''t want them. Pudding''s grooming was done, so she swiftly scooped up the panicked fat cat.

    "Meow meow meow." Pudding was frightened and snuggled in her arms.

    Jiang BaiYan: "My cat."

    Jian Jing stroked the cat''s head and smiled, "Try and take him if you can. You can have him back if you seed."

    Jiang BaiYan: "..."

    He got up and went to the pet store, buying treats. Then he sauntered over to the knight getting groomed and started plying it: "Good knight, time for lunch. Not hungry? What a good, smart boy you are. You''re so awesome."

    The knight sat dignifiedly, eyes bright like ck grapes.

    "Let me pat you, just once, real quick." He coaxed the dog, "Just a little, just for a bit."

    A person who could make it big in the entertainment industry and be well-liked had no need for overkill coaxing a mere dog. When Jian Jing''s guard was down for a moment and she looked up from the cat, her new pet had already been coaxed away.

    She: "Oh for f*(amon English expletive)"

    Leaving the groomer, lunchtime had passed.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "Let''s eat together. I know a restaurant that allows pets."

    "That would be bad if people saw us," Jian Jing declined. "You''re a huge star."

    Jiang BaiYan eloquently said: "We are not just two people, it doesn''t matter if we get photographed. Also, that restaurant has pet menus, Knight and Pudding need to eat too."

    Jian Jing thought he had a point: "Alright then."

    "It''s my treat." He put his hand on her back to guide her into the car, "Let''s go, Pudding, Knight, we''re going for dinner."

    The restaurant wasn''t far from the beauty salon, just a 15 minute drive. It was a vi converted into a restaurant, with awn of lush green grass.

    Customers sat in groups of two or three dining, pets had their own menus, and could y with their little friends.

    "Wee, how many?" The waitress had a sweet smile.

    Jiang BaiYan: "Two people, one cat and one dog."

    "This way for four."

    It was Jian Jing''s first time at this kind of restaurant. She was surprised to see such a variety of pets that people had.

    There were Indian runner ducks, micropigs, corn snakes, ferrets, ragdoll cats, macaws, Dutch rabbits... They were all treated as proper dining guests, with their own little tables and meals. It was very amusing.

    "So cute." Jian Jing''s hands itched to squeeze Pudding, "Oh I just want to pet them so much."

    Jiang BaiYan moved two steps away, pretending to distance himself: "You''re so naughty."

    Jian Jing shot him a re.

    He shut up.

    Sitting down at their seats, the waitress brought over menus, and moved over two pet chairs for Knight and Pudding to sit on. She then clipped their leashes onto locks, so they wouldn''t run around and startle other guests.

    The menu was all Western cuisine, with pets having the choice of dry food or raw.

    Knight ate more raw food, so he got a te of: steak, pork heart, chicken legs, Brussels sprouts, carrots, rabbit ears, and a bowl of milk.

    Jian Jing thought: I should really get writing.

    Having a dog is expensive.

    Jiang BaiYan unabashedly ordered himself a seafood fried rice, pasta, and several deep fried items, drooling: "I''ve been craving carbs like crazy."

    Jian Jing: "Take on a fat character role next time."

    He rolled his eyes a little, muttering: "I still want to make money though."

    "You can never earn enough money." Jian Jing said sincerely.

    Jiang BaiYan calcted carefully: "More is still more. Just in case I lose poprity one day, I''d still have savings to rely on. There are so many expenses too. "

    "That''s true, money really doesn''t stick around." Jian Jing recalled the rose gown, still feeling the heartache, "I should save more."

    The serving waitress silently thumped her chest, choking up.

    If I''m not wrong, one of you is a popr celebrity, the other a bestselling author. Your annual ies start in the seven digits right?

    Let a girl live.

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204

    The meal at the pet restaurant was very pleasant. The ingredients were fresh, and the vors were modified to suit Chinese tastes, so it was not unptable. The little ones gnawed on the meat and bones beside us, eating heartily.

    Jian Jing took a couple bites herself, then stroked her knight. The knight looked at her, twitched his ears, then went back to eating. The intimacy between pet and owner was palpable.

    Across from them...

    Jiang BaiYan shielded his fried rice with one hand, while holding back the approaching Pudding trying to steal food with the other. "No eating, you''re on a diet, don''te over!"

    He was flustered, nearly spilling his fragrant vegetable soup.

    Jiang BaiYan grumpily stabbed a piece of lettuce from the sd and gave it to Pudding.

    It refused, and pped him with its soft paws.

    There is happiness inparison.

    Jian Jing: "Haha."

    The air was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere ughing emoji].

    Only Pudding was unhappy. It twisted and turned its fat body, somehow slipping out of its cor and dashed away.

    Jiang BaiYan had no choice but to abandon his unfinished noodles to chase after it - if it went and stole other cats'' food, the diet would have been for nothing.

    Jian Jing watched him amusedly, leisurely starting on her dessert.

    However, after finishing a Napoleon cake, Jiang BaiYan still hadn''t returned.

    Her long-dormant vignce awakened, and she untied the leash from her knight. "Let''s go find Pudding," she said.

    "Woof!" The knight jumped down from his chair and raced straight for the garden behind them.

    The vi''s backyard garden had been converted into a pet yground. There was a stic maze in the middle, a pond on the left, and a sandpit on the right. One wall was covered in cat climbing frames.

    Pudding was being held in Jiang BaiYan''s arms, masked. Its big face had a small question mark on it.

    "Your cat scared my darling," an arrogant youngdy stood with hands on hips, angrily saying. "What''s wrong with me hitting it?"

    Jiang BaiYan was polite yet reasonable: "Our Pudding is fat and can''t fly. Its ws were just trimmed too. Your bird can fly and isn''t injured. Don''t you think it''s excessive to hit my cat?"

    Jian Jing took a nce and indeed saw a shivering ck Phoenix bird in the youngdy''s hoodie. It pped its wings rapidly, looking frightened.

    The youngdy felt even more distressed. "Look what state my darling is in!"

    Jiang BaiYan looked at the fat dumpling in his arms, still unbelieving it could do such a thing. "Let''s check the surveince footage."

    The server helped out: "Miss, are you a customer here?"

    The youngdy said: "If I''m not your customer, he doesn''t have to be responsible?"

    "This is a private restaurant," the server immediately hardened his face. "Your parrot flew in and scared our customers."

    Just as the two were about to squabble further, a shocking scream erupted from the vi next door: "Ah!"

    It pierced the clouds.

    The youngdy froze, then disregarding arguing over right and wrong, ran straight out: "What''s going on? Ah!"

    She was stunned.

    A Tibetan mastiff had charged out from the neighboring vi, majestic as a little lion, seeming to have gone mad as it bit anyone it could.

    It was huge, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, still with blood on it. It let out threatening growls from its throat, extremely frightening.

    Only now did people suddenly realize that the usually cute and tame pets also had a terrifying side.

    The youngdy was frightened dumb, and like all ordinary people who received a huge shock, her brain was screaming "run, quickly run!", but her body wouldn''t budge an inch, nkly staring ahead.

    The Tibetan mastiff huffed heavily, stepping closer and closer to her.

    The youngdy''s legs turned soft, shaky and unsteady on her feet.

    This was the scene Jian Jing saw when she came out. She was also shocked for a moment, thinking a dead body had been discovered. She ambled over slowly, even passing her knight to Jiang BaiYan.

    She didn''t expect it to be a vicious dog attacking someone.

    She reacted swiftly, pulling the youngdy into the restaurant with one hand, while picking up a rock with the other and throwing it at the Tibetan mastiff, shouting loudly: "Hey!"

    Provoked, the Tibetan mastiff immediately switched targets, propelling itself forward like a fierce lion hunting, pouncing at her fiercely.

    A strong, sturdy beast perhaps had more killing potential than a trained human.

    Jian Jing didn''t dare underestimate it. She immediately activated her status as a white kitten, relying on the speed of felines to narrowly and dangerously dodge its pounce. She then took out the stun gun concealed in her storage space, flipped the switch and twisted around, aiming for its neck.

    Blue electric arcs shed, instantly prating flesh and blood, coursing through the Tibetan mastiff''s entire body.

    Its back arched, fur sted out, seemingly transforming into Cerberus of the underworld in an instant, hideous and terrifying. Its cavernous jaws opened wide as it flipped over, trying to bite her hand.

    Jian Jing exerted all her strength, forcefully pressing down its head against the ground. She wrapped her legs around its hind limbs, forcibly suppressing its counterattack.

    The two sides struggled for nearly three seconds before the current finally knocked out the vicious beast.

    It slumped to the ground, breathing weakly, muscles convulsing and twitching, as if it could stand up and pounce again at any moment.

    Jian Jing let out a breath, hurriedly asking: "Is there a cage? Quickly lock it up."

    Among the people who rushed out from the neighboring vi, one stammered: "N-no, didn''t bring one."

    However, a restaurant server who came out to watch themotion said: "We have one here. Good heavens, is it okay? Will it wake up?"

    "It will. Call the police," Jian Jing said. She had them bring out the cage, and found two brawny men to stuff this heavy dog inside.

    They remembered to put a muzzle on before closing the door.

    "Quick, call an ambnce," she said busily. The neighboring vi was also in chaos. "Old Cat, hang in there, the doctor will be here soon."

    Jian Jing heard something amiss in their voices and hurried over: "What happened?"

    "Old Cat, he..." A few people surrounded a man on the ground, hands covering his neck with blood seeping through. "What do we do? Can he still make it?"

    "Let me see, bandages?" Jian Jing pressed on the wound, trying to stem the raging blood flow, but the man seemed to have been bitten in the carotid artery. Blood poured out ceaselessly like money grew on trees, impossible to stop.

    In three to five minutes, his breathing had clearly weakened. By the time the ambnce arrived, he had lost his pulse.

    The doctor urgently tried to resuscitate him for over ten minutes, then shook his head at those present.

    Some could not hold back their grief, covering their mouths as they sobbed: "How could this be...how could this happen?"

    "What kind of mad dog did you raise that actually bit someone to death!" Others raged. "This isn''t over!"

    The Tibetan mastiff''s owner weakly denied: "Brave has never bitten anyone before. It also seems a bit off."

    Jian Jing nodded: "It was extremely frenzied. Could it be sick?"

    "It was fine this morning. Didn''t seem ill," the owner said uneasily. "Right, where will Brave be sent toter? The dog pound?"

    Others spoke coldly: "A person has died, yet you still care about your dog?"

    "It''s not that I care about the dog, but the money, right?"

    Everyone descended into noisy arguments, which gave the onlooking Jian Jing a chance to sort out the sequence of events.

    It went like this - this group were all pet influencers, relying on pet ounts on short video tforms to attract fans and sell merchandise to earn money. Half a month ago, the now deceased Old Cat suggested meeting up to eat and film some cob videos.

    Although colleagues, gaining exposure from each other wasmonce, and five people agreed to the meetup. The venue was chosen to be this vi.

    Including the organizer, there were a total of six people, each bringing their own pets.

    The deceased @Old Cat owned cats, real name Old Cat, 29 years old. He raised two cats, a British Shorthair and an American Shorthair. He had 12 million fans and was a top pet influencer.

    The Tibetan mastiff''s owner @I Love Tibet, real name Brother Xi, 30 years old. He raised the Tibetan mastiff Brave and had 8 million fans, also one of the top influencers.

    The youngdy with the ck Phoenix parrot @ck Phoenix Princess, real name Sister Xuan, 26 years old. She was a newer influencer with 2 million fans. Buting from a wealthy family, she attracted fans through unting wealth and had good prospects.

    The earlier crying person was @Golden Retrievers Are the Warmest, nickname Xiao Nuan, 22 years old. She raised a very anthropomorphic golden retriever and had 5 million fans. Although decently popr, she faced a lot ofpetition from simr ounts.

    The angry curser was @A Mining Coal, nickname Mei Tan, 24 years old. He raised a Siamese cat and had 6 million fans. He was previously inpetition with the deceased Old Cat.

    Thest one was quite unique, called @Poisonous Person, nickname Toxic Man, forty years old, raising snakes, spiders and lizards, all poisonous, with 800,000 fans, but nopeting ounts, standing alone.

    The five people arrived at the vi one after another yesterday, and a fight broke out that night.

    Not only were the pets Poisonous Person raised poisonous, his mouth was also very venomous: "Brother Xi, could it have been you who made Courage bite the old cat?"

    Brother Xi was shocked: "What are you talking about? Don''t talk nonsense! Why would I do that?"

    "Because of your contract." Poisonous Person pushed up his sses, the motive was clear as day, "You two are on the same tform, he signed an A contract, yours is a B contract, the distribution and rmendation positions have a big difference, you''ve always been unhappy about it. Yesterday when Courage came, the old cat said it was arge breed dog and wouldn''t let it in the house, you must have been very upset, right?"

    Brother Xi was in a panic: "Yes, this is normal, isn''t it? Letting Courage stay outside in the freezing cold, if it''s not your dog you don''t feel bad but I feel bad. But we only argued a couple of sentences, I didn''t have to kill him, let alone have Courage bite him!"

    Sister Xuan leaned against Jian Jing,ing to her senses a little, and spoke up: "No, if Courage had bitten someone, he would definitely be put down. Without Courage, where could he earn money?"

    Brother Xi nodded repeatedly: "Right, right, I would never joke around with Courage."

    Xiao Nuan hugged the big golden retriever and raised a question: "So why did Courage bite the old cat? The old cat was very afraid of Courage, he definitely wouldn''t have approached him voluntarily."

    "Could it have just been an ident?" Sister Xuan couldn''t help but say, "Courage suddenly went mad, the old cat was unlucky enough to get bitten by him. Killing or not killing, it''s too scary, why would anyone in their right mind kill someone?"

    Xiao Nuan quickly nodded: "Right, we didn''t know each other before, only met for the first time yesterday. No enmity, no reason to do something like this."

    Brother Xi hesitated, but said: "Coal and the old cat knew each other before, right?"

    Coal''s face was cold and indifferent: "So what if we did?"

    "You seem to have some bad blood between you." Poisonous Person seemed very interested in grudges and grievances. "Originally, you were the number one pet ount on the tform. The old cat came alongter and surpassed you, kicking you out."

    Coal curled his lip disdainfully: "Speaking of which, Miss Xuan and the old cat had some unclear business too."

    Sister Xuan jumped up: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

    "You two yesterday..." Coal gave a coldugh, implying much while saying little.

    The group of people tore into each other, really not seeming to be on good terms.

    Jian Jing saw the police car on the street and cut in: "Stop arguing, the police are here. Go talk to the police." She hesitated for a moment without leaving, since she had subdued the mad dog, the authorities would definitely want to ask her a couple questions.

    "Who called the police?" The police went to the restaurant first and had the server exin what happened from the beginning.

    After getting a clear understanding, the officer in charge immediately arrested the young man: "Teacher Jian, isn''t this Teacher Jian?" His expression was warm and enthusiastic,pletely wrong.

    Jian Jing was a little confused: "Ah?"

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205

    Jian Jing just wanted to watch the excitement, but was caught as a conscript.

    ording to the officer in charge of this case, she was "admired for a long time", because although there were many enthusiastic citizens who assisted the police in solving cases, one with a 100% case solving rate who was also beautiful and had killed a serial killer was rare in other cities, Jian Jing was the only one in this city.

    The other party ttered her: "This time it was thanks to you for your heroic effort, otherwise it would have led to greater casualties. This kind of spirit deserves everyone to learn from, and this behavior must be praised."

    Jian Jing was so embarrassed that she exploded, and could only say, "It''s what I should do, it''s what I should do."

    "So," the other party rubbed his hands, implying: "Assisting our investigation is the duty of every citizen. Since Teacher Jian was at the scene, why not..."

    Jian Jing: "Oh."

    The other party''s face showed joy, striking up a rapport: "I''m Ji Feng''s senior, several sses above him."

    "Aren''t all police graduates of public universities?" Jian Jing was full of questions.

    "There are also transfers." The other party shook hands with her, "Let me introduce myself, my surname is Liu, Liu Wendao."

    Jian Jing always felt something was wrong, but her attention had already been taken away by the case: "Officer Liu, shall we go take a look at the scene first?"

    "Of course." Officer Liu regained hisposure.

    The two began to examine the scene.

    This vi was separated from the restaurant next door by only one wall, but the restaurant connected two vis and was rtivelyrge. This one had just over two hundred square meters, with two floors.

    Theyout was also simple, with a front yard and a back yard. The Tibetan Mastiff Courage had been tied up on the fence in the back yard beforehand.

    Today the forensic team came together, so Jian Jing didn''t need to get her hands dirty, just watch.

    She also asked questions in passing.

    "Was this a natural fracture?" She looked at the hairy wooden splinters of the broken surface.

    The young forensic technician wore a mask, held tweezers in one hand and a magnifying ss in the other, extracting fibers from the smooth wooden railing: "From the texture of the fracture, it was indeed broken violently. Look, these are fabric fibers."

    Being a backseat driver is happiness. Jian Jing asked, "Consistent with the pulling rope?"

    The forensic technician nodded.

    "Any other clues?" she asked again.

    The forensic technician buried her head in hard work.

    It waste November, with no snow yet, but the wind was cold enough. Jian Jing saw that she was thinly dressed and handed her a heat patch: "Don''t freeze."

    "It''s okay, I''m used to it." Under the mask, the forensic technician smiled, bending her willow eyebrows.

    Jian Jing insisted on stuffing it into her pocket before going inside to listen in.

    When she entered, she met a golden retriever.

    She was about to squat down and rub the dog''s head, but the golden retriever let out a "woof", tucked in its tail, and trotted away.

    Jian Jing: "???"

    She walked sullenly into the living room where Officer Liu wasbing through the rtionships between the residents - as stated above, skip over that. Go directly into today''s action timeline.

    The time of the incident was 13:15, and ording to everyone''s observation, Courage was still normal when Brother Xi walked him that morning.

    There''s video evidence.

    "Hello everyone, I''m your Brother Xi. Yesterday Courage and I arrived in Heping City. Today''s temperature is below ten degrees, a bit cold... Today I preparedmb chops, beef bones and dried pumpkin for Courage. Courage, time to eat."

    In the video, the majestic Tibetan Mastiff heartily ate meat and loudly drank milk (...), looking very spirited.

    Brother Xi took out the quarantine certificate and health report: "This time in order to take the ne, I specifically applied for these certificates. He has received all required vinations and had a physical exam justst month, with no issues found."

    Officer Liu frowned.

    ording to eyewitness descriptions, the Tibetan Mastiff suddenly went mad, very much like rabies, but rabies has an incubation period, with symptoms before onset, such as hydrophobia.

    But Courage yed happily with water.

    "Send it to the quarantine station and tell them to expedite testing." Officer Liu arranged the task.

    Then he began to interview witnesses individually and ask for statements: "Did you see the deceased today? Did you notice anything abnormal about the Tibetan Mastiff?"

    The first was Brother Xi. He said, "I fed Courage at 9 am, took him for a walk around, came back at 9:40, then stayed in the room editing videos. At 11 I ate lunch with everyone, at 11:30 I fed Courage his second meal, took a nap at 12, until I heard screams downstairs and woke up."

    Officer Liu asked, "What did you feed the dog at noon?"

    "Pork chops, beef heart, carrots and eggs."

    "Did you prepare it yourself?"

    Brother Xi: "It was bought together at the supermarket yesterday, just needed to be thawed today."

    Officer Liu asked again, "What was your rtionship with the deceased like?"

    "Not familiar, just chatted a few times in the group." Brother Xi hesitated, "Don''t listen to others gossiping, I did have an argument with Lao Mao, but that was because he refused to let Courage into the house, I was just worried about the dog."

    Jian Jing asked, "What about the contract?"

    Brother Xi tensed his face, hesitated for a long time, and said, "The A contracts on the tform are numbered, they had already talked to me, but Lao Mao took the initiative to offer a lower revenue share in exchange for the featured spot, so they gave it to him. Who wouldn''t be upset about this?"

    As he spoke, he suddenly got angry and indignantly said, "Forget about me, Lao Mao is just hical in doing things. He said to bring us all here to shoot videos, but the props prepared in the vi were all for cats, barely any for dogs. The others didn''t say anything but must have been cursing in their hearts too."

    Jian Jing took note in her notebook to verifyter.

    The next was Sister Xuan who raised the oriental magpie robin Xuanfeng.

    Her schedule was rtively simple: "I got up at 10 o''clock, yed with my phone for a while, ate lunch with everyone at 11. At 11:30, I put on makeup to shoot videos, but my precious darling was very curious about the new environment and didn''t cooperate. When I wasn''t paying attention, it disappeared! I looked for it for a good half day before finding it next door."

    She paused, also reflecting: "At first I thought it was scared by the restaurant''s cats and flew next door. Now that I think about it, it must have been scared by Courage and escaped next door."

    As soon as Officer Liu heard this, he immediately asked in detail: "What time did you start looking?"

    Sister Xuan thought about it and vaguely said, "Around 12:40?"

    "How did you look?"

    "First on the second floor, then the third floor when not finding it there, still not there, so back to the first floor. At the door I ran into Mei Tan, who said he saw a shadow fly next door, so I tried my luck."

    Officer Liu asked, "Did you go to the yard?"

    Sister Xuan said, "No, I wanted to go next door first, thene back if it wasn''t there."

    "What was your rtionship with Lao Mao like?"

    "Pretty familiar online, we hyped each other up. Not very familiar with him in person." Sister Xuan grinned, "What Mei Tan said earlier was nonsense, I didn''t have any private rtionship with Lao Mao."

    Jian Jing asked, "He said he saw you two together..."

    Sister Xuan suddenly became unhappy: "Last night, in the middle of the night, he knocked on my door, saying he had a filming n and wanted to discuss it with me. I didn''t think too much of it and let him in to chat."

    She had a look like seeing half a worm in an apple: "Who would have thought he actually said he wanted his cat to scratch my precious darling! Damn, I can''t believe he could think of that, and got handsy, saying he could help promote me! Ugh!"

    "Does thisdy look like shecks money?" The imperial sister red in disdain.

    Jian Jing: "......"

    The deceased really didn''t have good rtions.

    The third to give a statement was Brother Mei Tan.

    He said, "I got up at 7, shoveled cat litter, went out for a stroll at 7:30, came back at 10, ready to cook. Around 10:20, Lao Mao also came down, insisting on cooking with me."

    Officer Liu nced at the takeout boxes that hadn''t been taken away and asked, "You two cooked?"

    "Cat food," Mei Tan exined. "It''s all video material."

    Jian Jing took out her phone and searched their videos.

    Mei Tan was originally a food blogger, but food ounts are hard to grow. Strangely, because of the Siamese cat squatting next to him watching him cook, it became popr instead.

    Viewers liked watching him cook with the cat, and also liked watching the cat eat. So very naturally Mei Tan became a pet blogger relying on cats for business.

    And Lao Mao was a pet blogger from the start. Because Mei Tan became hot, he intentionally followed suit and specially made a series of videos on cooking cat food to teach cat owners how to feed their masters.

    This made him blow up too.

    One mountain cannot hold two tigers. Competition in pet ounts was already fierce to begin with, not to mention two people with such simr content. Mei Tan was squeezed badly, forced to jump tforms to another one, losing arge number of fans.

    Back to the main topic.

    "Then what?"

    Mei Tan said, "Around 10:50, after we finished shooting the video, we had lunch together at 11. At 11:30, I went back to my room to edit the video, but the software crashed, so I was annoyed and decided to just go out for a walk."

    "What time was that?"

    "I left around 12:20, walked around the neighborhood, and bought some stuff. When I was on my way back, I ran into Sister Xuan. She was looking for her parrot," Mei Tan said.

    "What time was that?"

    "A little after 1 pm."

    Jian Jing opened the drawing app on her phone and roughly sketched a floor n.

    .....Fen..ce.....

    ..Dog tie. point...backyard..........

    .......................one

    ..pass....other...vi...area...road

    ..block...................wall

    ...........front yard..........

    .....main gate...............

    In short, it was a U-shapedyout, with buildings in the middle and three connecting courtyards around them.

    The Tibetan mastiff was originally tied to the fence in the backyard, but it killed the old cat in the alley, ran to the main gate, and attacked Sister Xuan when she had just returned. It was subdued by Jian Jing.

    "Did you see Courage at that time?" she asked.

    Mei Tan: "No, I didn''t go to the backyard."

    "Did you hear anymotion?" Officer Liu asked with emphasis, "Think carefully."

    Mei Tan frowned for a while, apologized and said, "I was preupied with editing the video at the time and didn''t pay attention. I only heard Xiao Nuan scream, which was quite frightening."

    Officer Liu asked, "I heard you and Lao Mao didn''t get along well. Howe you joined his gaming party?"

    "There waspetition before, so of course we didn''t get along well," Mei Tan didn''t hide the conflict between the two, "But now we are on different tforms, there isn''t much major conflict. On the contrary, we need tomunicate more - thepetition between tforms is fierce, and we all want to find more outlets for ourselves."

    The next one to be questioned was Xiao Nuan, the first witness of the Tibetan mastiff''s attack.

    She was still young and had never experienced such a thing. When questioned, her body kept shaking. Jian Jing poured her a cup of hot water to warm her hands. Xiao Nuan smiled, but looked even more distressed than crying.

    Officer Liu slowed down his speech and spoke gently, "Don''t be afraid, take your time and tell me what you did today?"

    Xiao Nuan swallowed hard and stammered, "I, I got up at 8 o''clock, took Mao Mao out for a walk and breakfast. After returning, I was in my room making travel ns. Sister Xuan and I nned to visit some attractions tomorrow."

    "What happened then?"

    "The delivery arrived at 11. I went downstairs to eat. After eating, I made food for Mao Mao. Around 12, after I finished everything, I started shooting videos. Just before 1 pm, my milk tea arrived. I went to get it, but as soon as I stepped out, I heard sounds from the alley next door, and then..." She looked terrified, "I saw Courage, Courage was biting Lao Mao with blood all over his neck."

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206

    Jian Jing calmly flipped through the previous pages and asked Xiao Nuan, "Did you scream at that time?"

    Xiao Nuan gripped her paper cup tightly, speaking incoherently, "I can''t remember very clearly, it seems like I did, it scared me to death, it was so frightening."

    She was too frightened to provide any clear details no matter how much probing there was.

    What supported this point was the poisonous person. People who raise venomous animals probably have stronger psychological endurance, so he recounted the whole process rtively calmly.

    "I was sleeping upstairs around 1 o''clock, just woke up and was about to go to the kitchen to find something to eat. As soon as I opened the fridge, I heard Xiao Nuan scream ''Lao Xi'' outside, her voice was shaking badly, so I guessed that the courage had slipped off its leash and gone upstairs to find Lao Xi.

    "He had already woken up, so the two of us hurried downstairs, but the courage had already slipped out from the front door. We followed it out and then ran into Xiao Xuan."

    Officer Liu asked, "You didn''t eat lunch with everyone else?"

    The poisonous person said strangely, "Why would I eat with them at noon when we don''t even have meals together? Besides, my habit is to sleep at dawn and get up at noon, what''s the problem with that?"

    Officer Liu: "Don''t you feed your pets?"

    "My little darlings can''t get on the ne, so I came alone." He said.

    Officer Liu was puzzled: "They all brought pets, howe you didn''t?"

    "Their shooting content is different from mine, so there was no point in bringing them." The poisonous person shrugged, "I just came out to travel."

    "What''s your rtionship with Lao Mao like?"

    The poisonous person sneered, "So-so, not much intersection, we don''t even raise the same things."

    At this point, the statements from all five people had been recorded.

    The results from the quarantine station also came outˇŞthey were much more rxed than the coronerˇŞthe urine tests showed traces of some kind of central nervous system stimnt in the courage''s body.

    No wonder it couldn''t control its behavior and injured people when it pounced on them.

    "Since it was caused by drugs, it was not an ident but murder." Officer Liu said solemnly, "There must be a thorough investigation."

    Jian Jing nodded and paced into the kitchen to check things out.

    The few tenants were all casual people, stic bags and boxes were thrown around, thebels were not torn off, and basically everything was bought from nearby supermarkets.

    She asked Sister Xuan, "Who bought this stuff? Was it all put here?"

    Sister Xuan answered briskly: "We went together and bought a bunch of things, snacks, drinks, etc."

    "The raw food was all prepared for the pets?"

    "Yeah, for those who keep cats and dogs." Sister Xuan said matter-of-factly, "Who would cook? We just ordered hot pot takeoutst night."

    Such is real life.

    This also meant that everyone knew the food was for the cats and dogs to eat, and the drinks and snacks were also in the kitchen, so it would be very easy to sneak something in.

    So far, it seemed that the problem should be with lunch. After all, apart from the owner, it was hard to find someone who could get close to the Tibetan mastiff and inject it with something.

    And from the timeline, everyone had a chance to do itˇŞfor example, what if the poisonous person was not sleeping the whole time like he imed? This time, using the precise timeline to screen suspects would not work!

    Jian Jing could confirm two things now.

    The dog was drugged. The cat was bitten.

    The former could be done by anyone, the drugs were also rtively easy to obtain on the market, let''s not go into that for now. But thetter was more bizarre.

    How could the culprit make sure the cat was bitten?

    Courage first injured the cat, then attacked Sister Xuan. Afterwards, provoked by her, it directly attacked her, clearly unable to distinguish specific targets.

    A maddened dog was not a loved pet, even a dog trainer would probably have a hard timemanding it.

    An easier way would be to just make sure the cat appeared at the predetermined location, then release the dog.

    This posed a technical difficultyˇŞhow to determine when the courage would go mad?

    Pharmacology is a professional field, requiring expertise to operate. Laymen can easily slip drugs, but calcting the onset time is not so easy.

    Looking at the timeline, after 11 o''clock lunch: Lao Xi was taking a nap, Sister Xuan was shooting videos, Mei Tan was editing videos, Xiao Nuan was shooting videos, the poisonous person had just woken up from his noon nap.

    Everyone''s actions had a certain randomness, no one could guarantee that when the courage went mad, others would not suddenly appear and ruin their n.

    Jian Jing had doubts, so she talked to Lao Xi alone.

    "Tell me about the courage, what kind of dog is it?" she asked.

    Lao Xi smiled bitterly, "I bought it in Tibet when I went there, spent a lot of money on it. To be honest, Tibetan mastiffs are really hard to raise, it took me two years to tame it, and even after taming it, it''s still not as good as raising a golden retriever."

    He hissed and said, "When it jumped at you guys, I was scared witless. Damn, it was really frightening, I knew it was fierce but didn''t know it was so fierce."

    Jian Jing asked, "What things is the courage particrly sensitive to, or does it like to catch things?"

    Lao Xi shook his head and told her very surely: "I''m very careful, every time I feed it I use a bowl, absolutely do not throw things randomly on the ground. When raising a dog, you must develop this habit, or if it pounces around randomly, it can easily pounce on people."

    He was not a professional dog trainer, but he had raised several dogs before, so he had basic knowledge and his judgment was rtively reliable.

    Jian Jing believed him for the time being and asked around again: "What ns do you have today?"

    "Everyone''s busy with their own thing during the day, we made ns to go to an escape room at night." Lao Xi said, "I don''t know if others made ns on their own or not."

    She asked the others the same question and got simr answers.

    As influencers, their primary task was to shoot videos. They had recorded coboration contentst night, but post-production editing takes time, so basically everyone chose to shoot 10-second short videos to maintain engagement today, except for the escape room activity at night.

    In other words, the afternoon today was free activity time, it was impossible to predict what others would be up to.

    In addition, Jian Jing also went to take a look at Lao Mao''s cats.

    A bedroom on the first floor of the vi had been turned into a cat paradise, with a cardboard maze on the floor, two cat trees, and electronic toys like a butterfly.

    Lao Mao''s American Shorthair and British Shorthair, as well as Mei Tan''s Siamese were all here.

    The Siamese was napping in a hole on the cat tree, the American Shorthair was chewing on a toy, and the British Shorthair was crouching on the floor sunbathing.

    Jian Jing sat down and turned on her charm.

    "Kitty kitty." She called.

    The three cats were mesmerized and tilted their heads over.

    She ruthlessly ruffled their heads.

    The cats: "Meow~"

    Weak, helpless, pitiful.

    She couldn''t bear it and had to let them go. She looked around the room thoughtfully.

    Ten minutester, Jian Jing left and found Officer Liu.

    He had juste out of Lao Mao''s room with a solemn expression: "I can''t find any clues rted to him being at the scene."

    Whoever called Lao Mao downstairs was most suspicious, but unfortunately, no abnormalities were found in notes or electronic devices.

    He sighed, "This case is difficult to investigate. It seems we have to start from the drug source and slowly eliminate suspects."

    ording to police experience, if valuable clues could be found at the scene, the case would be solved quickly. With nothing indicative, slowly eliminating suspects would be time-consuming andborious, and very difficult to crack.

    Officer Liu couldn''t help but want to ride on Jian Jing''s coattails and asked quite hopefully: "Did you find anything?"

    Jian Jing thought about it and said, "Can you get the suspects to reenact the situation at the time? The scene was chaotic back then, something might have been overlooked."

    Officer Liu agreed.

    The prelude to the reenactment started with Sister Xuan looking for the parrot.

    She didn''t understand and was a little embarrassed to ask, "Do I have to reenact everything exactly the same?"

    "Just let me know your route is fine." Jian Jing''s requirement was not high.

    Sister Xuan started wandering around aimlessly on the second floor: "I was looking for darling on the second floor, didn''t see it, so I went up to the third floor. It wasn''t there either, so I went down to the first floor."

    There were three rooms on the second floor of the vi and two on the third.

    Jian Jing interjected, "Were everyone''s room doors closed? Did you knock and ask?"

    "All closed." Sister Xuan supplemented the details, "Darling is afraid of strangers, so I didn''t ask."

    "Go on."

    Sister Xuan went downstairs to the first floor and ran into Mei Tan.

    "He told me darling had flown next door." Sister Xuan exined, "So I went straight out the door."

    Jian Jing: "Wait at the door."

    Sister Xuan did as told.

    Jian Jing looked at Mei Tan: "What about you?"

    "I went straight upstairs." Mei Tan walked to the second floor and pushed open a room door.

    Jian Jing asked, "Wait, didn''t you say you heard Xiao Nuan scream? Where were you then?"

    Jian Jing recalled for a moment and answered, "Probably near the door."

    She asked, "Then what?"

    He said, "I went into the room."

    "Didn''t go downstairs to take a look?"

    "She just called out, I didn''t hear clearly, nor did I take it to heart," Mei Tan defended himself, "Later when Poisonous Person hurried upstairs with Lao Xi, I realized something was wrong and went downstairs with them."

    Jian Jing nodded and asked Xiao Nuan to reenact again.

    Her route was simpler. She went downstairs to pick up a delivery order, heard themotion, walked to the hallway, and witnessed the assault scene, screaming loudly.

    "Stay here and don''t move," she instructed Xiao Nuan and walked back into the room to ask Poisonous Person, "ording to your statement, you were in the kitchen at the time?"

    Poisonous Person nodded.

    He was in the kitchen when he heard the screams, went upstairs directly to wake up Lao Xi. Lao Xi went downstairs with him and happened to catch Yong Qi attacking Sister Xuan at that moment.

    The process was roughly like this.

    Jian Jing said to Officer Liu, "See, the murderer is very obvious now."

    Officer Liu...Officer Liu was a little confused.

    He frowned and grasped the key points to sort out: "In order tomit murder, Lao Mao must be lured out. Nothing was found in his room or on his body, most likely a verbal appointmentˇŞwho can this rule out?"

    "Your train of thought is right. The difficulty in this case lies in how the murderer got Lao Mao killed." Jian Jing looked around at everyone, "But if you investigate ording to this line of thought, you may find nothing."

    Officer Liu was very surprised: "Why?"

    Jian Jing said, "Vicious dogs attacking people is unpredictable. If the goal was to precisely murder Lao Mao, why use such a dangerous method?"

    Officer Liu was experienced after all. With her hint, it clicked in his mind: "You mean..."

    "Judging from the statements, everyone had grievances with Lao Mao. So it seems Lao Mao was indeed premeditatedly murdered, but in fact, they werepeting with each other."

    Nowadays,petition is very fierce, whether it''s among livestreamers or influencers. People below want to move up, people above fear being squeezed out. Losing any one person benefits everyone else.

    Jian Jing said, "I think the murderer did hate Lao Mao the most, so gave him a covert push. But whether Lao Mao died was not that important. As long as someone died, or even just someone''s pet died, the murderer could profit from it."

    "Wait, if you put it this way, the Tibetan mastiff mauling someone is a sure thing." Officer Liu struggled to keep up with the train of thought, "So the one the murderer most wanted to eliminate was actually the Tibetan mastiff and I Love Tibet?"

    As he spoke, his gaze fell on Xiao Nuan.

    "Why didn''t the dog attack you at the time?" he questioned.

    Xiao Nuan immediately burst into tears, "I, I don''t know!"

    "It wasn''t her." Jian Jing was very certain. "Officer Liu, put yourself in the murderer''s shoes and think, if you knew there was a Tibetan mastiff that would go mad, what would you do first?"

    Officer Liu was only used to thinking from a policeman''s perspective, and was perceptive. With some thought, it suddenly dawned on him, and his gaze fell on the most suspicious person at the scene.

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207

    Mei Tan couldn''t hold it in anymore: "What do you mean by this?" Heughed coldly, "Just because I didn''t go downstairs right away, you suspect me? The poisoner didn''t go down right away either."

    But no matter how he defended himself, Officer Liu''s radar had already been activated. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

    Jian Jing said, "If it was the poisoner, he could have just pretended to be asleep without hearing anything. Why did he wake up first and then go upstairs? The kitchen is very close to the back door, so the chances of being attacked are not small."

    Mei Tan was at a loss for words, but still argued, "No one said you have to watch themotion just because there is one, right? I don''t like watchingmotions or meddling in other people''s business, is that not allowed?"

    "You don''t like meddling in other people''s business?" Jian Jingughed. "Then why did you secretly throw away the tape from the scene somewhere else?"

    Mei Tan panicked and instinctively defended, "When did I?"

    Jian Jing swiftly unlocked the screen, clicked into the tform, and randomly searched: "Recently, transparent wall videos have been very popr on your tform, and Old Cat''s fans have been asking him to make one. I saw transparent tape on the shopping receipt, so Old Cat was going to make this video, right?"

    The so-called pet obstacle course is to wrap a transparent wall with transparent tape in a passageway, and let cats and dogs ovee it.

    Since cats have better jumping abilities, indoor ceilings are limited, and in order to capture more amazing effects, outdoor locations are usually chosen.

    The corridor is a suitable position, two meters narrow, high enough, whether it''s a cat or a dog, they can try jumps over one meter high.

    "If I''m not wrong, you and Old Cat talked about the afternoon filming n while cooking. And you bought the drugs long ago, perhaps you hadn''t decided who to deal with before, or perhaps you were targeting Old Cat from the beginning...it doesn''t matter, anyway you chose to be bold and kill two birds with one stone, a steady profit, right?" Jian Jing asked.

    Without waiting for Mei Tan to answer, Sister Xuan''s cheerful voice came from the toy room: "Found it."

    She came out holding a sealed bag and showed Officer Liu the bloodstains and fingerprints on the side of the tape, saying, "There are obvious bloodstains and fingerprints here."

    Officer Liu smiled, "Hurry up and get it tested."

    He nced at Mei Tan and said, "If the blood on it is the victim''s, and the fingerprints are yours, how are you going to exin it?"

    Mei Tan regretted it in secret. He picked up the tape because he was afraid the police would find out that he knew about Old Cat''s filming ns. Many people came and went while cooking, who knows who might have overheard it.

    He didn''t expect that being smart had backfired.

    But he wouldn''t give up until he saw the coffin, and stubbornly said, "I just happened to see it and picked it up casually, I didn''t know Old Cat took it at all. Can you convict me just based on this?"

    Officer Liu calmly said, "Convicting is the court''s business. Now we are going to search your room."

    "Go ahead and search as you like."

    Don''t confront the police when searching for evidence. Officer Liu immediately said, "Also, go to the Traffic Bureau to check the street surveince footage to trace his route in the afternoon to see if he threw anything away. Garbage collection time hasn''t arrived yet."

    Mei Tan: "..." He threw away the drug powder in the outdoor trash can.

    Damn it, he thought it wouldn''t be discovered!

    He knew when to give up. He directly changed his tone: "I didn''t know Old Cat would go downstairs! I just wanted Courage to get a little hurt. Everyone was upstairs, talking about shooting videos in the afternoon while eating, I didn''t think it would turn out like this..."

    No one there believed him.

    Brother Xi was so angry he almost died. Even if Courage was drugged, since it had already injured someone, there was an 80-90% chance it wouldn''t live. This not only cut off his source of ie, but also killed his dog.

    "You bastard!" He didn''t say anything else before throwing a punch.

    Mei Tan didn''t dodge in time and took an old fist.

    Sister Xuan felt bad for her parrot, and was even more afraid of bing Old Cat''s second victim, so she didn''t show mercy either. Her long nails, done with manicures, fiercely scratched the other''s face.

    Mei Tan let out a miserable cry.

    Officer Liu leisurely advised them to stop fighting and pull them apart.

    It took five minutes to rescue the bruised and battered Mei Tan.

    After being handcuffed, he was taken away.

    Officer Liu looked at his watch. He received the rm at 1:15 pm, arrived at 1:30 pm, and now it was 3:40 pm. The case was already solved.

    "Thanks to Teacher Jian." He shook hands vigorously, with a warm smile, "I will definitely report this as heroic behavior."

    Jian Jing declined: "It was nothing, no need for that."

    "I must, I must." Officer Liu didn''t wait for her to refuse, got in the car and drove away with his performance.

    She was helpless. The award for heroic behavior had already passed, and another would just be redundant. Besides, the system had already given 10 courage points as a reward.

    Yes, the system was bing more and more cold now. For simple cases, there were no mission prompts even after solving them, just 10 points as encouragement.

    "Teacher Jian--" Jiang BaiYan held a cat in one hand and a dog leash in the other, and asked faintly, "Are we going back?"

    Jian Jing eximed, "Oh!"

    She hadpletely forgotten about this person, cat and dog.

    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''ll take you home right away." She apologized.

    Jiang BaiYan slowly followed her to the car, speakingzily: "It''s just me, watching the dog and waiting for you for hours. I''m so good to you, aren''t I?"

    Jian Jing: "I''ll treat you to dinner."

    "I have ns tonight," he said. "You can just take me to thepany. We can have dinner another day."

    Jian Jing felt guilty and had to agree to the dinner appointment in advance.

    She dropped Jiang BaiYan off at thepany. Seeing it was dinner time, and she had a dog but not many good restaurants to eat at, she simply went to the Kang''s house to eat and get familiar with the ce.

    Kang Mu Cheng was surprised to see her at the door. "Did something happen?"

    "Let me introduce my godson to you." Jian Jing pulled the leash, and Knight jumped down from the car seat and squatted majestically at her feet. "Knight, say hi to uncle."

    Knight: "Woof!"

    Kang Mu Cheng was surprised and amused. "Where did you get the dog from?"

    Jian Jing inevitably exined Knight''s bumpy life experience, and took the opportunity to ask, "In the future when I go out, can I leave him here?"

    Before he could reply, Auntie Wang had already agreed, "No problem at all, feel free to bring him here. Having a dog at home makes me feel much more at ease."

    Of course Kang Mu Cheng didn''t object. He would be overjoyed if Jian Jing could do things that were less dangerous.

    Later in the evening, Kang President returned from some social event. Seeing there was an extra dog at home, she amused herself by ying with it for a while.

    Kang Mu Cheng urged her toe to dinner three times: "Mom, time to eat."

    Only then did Kang President reluctantly sit down at the table, and said, "When you were little, I wanted to get you a dog, but you didn''t show any interest at all, sigh!"

    Kang Mu Cheng was speechless. When he was little, Golden Crow was still a small workshop. His mother treated the factory as home, and he boarded year-round. Where would a dog be kept?

    "You can raise one after you retire." He said.

    Kang President pretended to be angry: "Are you calling me old?"

    As her son, Kang Mu Cheng thought, you are indeed not young anymore. It''s not unreasonable to have you stay home and retire, but drinking with people until midnight every few days... Please consider your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, stomach and intestines.

    "Teacher Jian, do you think I''m old?" Kang President looked for support.

    Jian Jing decisively said, "Not old at all!"

    Kang President''s face lit up with joy: "See!"

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed in defeat.

    Dinner ended in a harmonious atmosphere.

    Jian Jing took Knight home happily after getting familiar with the ce.

    Kang Mu Cheng saw her off to the car, and when he turned around, he heard his mother say, "I think Jian Jing did the right thing."

    The son raised an eyebrow.

    The mother said, "Although she suffered a bit, she resolved the worrying matter, so her days will be more carefree from now on. She wasn''t this cheerful before."

    Kang Mu Cheng was silent.

    With his familiarity with Jian Jing, how could he not notice this. After Wang Shi''s death, her whole person had lightened up a lot. In the past, for safety reasons, she would never have thought of raising a pet.

    The current her seemed to have transformed back into her 14-year-old self.

    Beneath the quiet and shy exterior, the keen pure glow flickered.

    Very good.

    Really very good.

    He let out a breath, and his nose tip suddenly felt cold.

    "Achoo!" Kang President sneezed and wrapped her shawl tighter. "It''s snowing early this year."

    Under the dim yellow light of the streemps, flurries of snowkes drifted down, like dancing butterflies swirling.

    *

    "ItˇŻs snowing." Stuck in rush hour traffic, Jian Jing enjoyed the rare snow scene in the car.

    Knight cooperatively barked once, as if in response.

    A smile yed at the corners of her mouth. "Clever boy. Behave from now on, you hear?"

    The knight barked, "Woof!"

    Jian Jing drove the knight home, half thrilled and half apprehensive.

    The floor heating was on at home. She could take off her coat as soon as she got in. With the touch of a button, the electric curtains swept open, revealing the snowy nightscape outside.

    She instructed the knight, "This is your bed, your food bowl, your nket, your toys. Don''t chew on anything else." She showed him the toilet. "This is your potty. Do your business here and only here. If you make a mess elsewhere..."

    Jian Jing crouched down, looking the knight in the eye. "You know the consequences?"

    The knight tucked his tail between his legs and wagged furiously.

    "Good!" Jian Jing patted his head, sincerely hoping this German Shepherd wasn''t an idiot.

    The knight didn''t let her down.

    He only chewed his toys, never scratched the sofa, didn''t even bite cables. He wouldn''t enter the bedroom if forbidden, even when the door was open. At most he''d give a couple of whimpers at the door.

    He disliked teeth brushing, but at her call he''d trot over reluctantly and endure the brushing with a wronged expression.

    Jian Jing was greatly surprised to find the knight so well trained. She couldn''t help boasting about it to Jiang BaiYan for half a day.

    She: [The knight doesn''t chew furniture or cables. He never makes a mess. He''s so well behaved!]

    Jiang BaiYan: [...]

    She: [He''s the best behaved dog in the world!]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Any dog bes well behaved in your hands...]

    At first nce Jian Jing thought he was just ttering her. On second read she realized something was off. [What do you mean?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [The knight saw you crush the Tibetan Mastiff. How could he not obey?]

    Her: "..."

    Jiang BaiYan: [Even my poodle has airne ears now QAQ, doesn''t dare sleep alone at night.]

    Jian Jing was at a loss for words. She silently looked to the knight.

    The knight, gazing out the window, sensed her gaze and hurried over, ingratiatingly nuzzling her hand and tucking his tail between his legs.

    Jian Jing hugged him. She had to exin, "Knight, I''m not that fierce."

    Knight: "Whine."

    "That was just an ident."

    Knight: "Whine."

    "Yu was just knocked out, not dead."

    Unable to speak, the knight just tilted his head under her petting, unable to say whether he believed her or not.

    Jian Jing gave up and released him. "Go y."

    The knight nuzzled her hand obediently and retreated to his bedding, continuing to watch the snow.

    Jian Jing yawned and strolled into her study to write.

    She already had a rough outline for Demon 3, and was using the new writing method again. She had no choice - sequels were hard to write, and series sequels were doubly difficult. Maintaining the original quality wasn''t enough - she had to innovate.

    Fittingly, the Demon series carried the fates of two "Jian Jings", so bringing Wang Shi''s case to a close within it would provide a satisfying resolution.

    Jian Jing opened the document and began writing the prologue for Demon 3.

    The warmth of an indoor winter night was perfect for working. Her thoughts flowed smoothly. Before she knew it she''d written 5000 words. She gave it a read-through and felt quite satisfied.

    Looking at the time, it was already 4am.

    Perhaps she''d had too much coffee - Jian Jing didn''t feel tired at all. She decided to cook some instant noodles first before sleeping.

    On the gas stove, the pot boiled. She added noodles and soup base, cracked an egg, tossed in some ham and garnishes. The savory aroma quickly filled the air.

    The knight crawled out of his bed, clutching his food bowl in his mouth. He set it on the kitchen floor and begged for food.

    Jian Jing threw him a couple jerky sticks and some small biscuits to gnaw on.

    Dawn was nearing in the misty night.

    In the distance, a police siren wailed.

    A new day began in the peaceful city of Kang Mu Cheng.

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208

    December, Jian Jing finally appeared in ss.

    Graduate sses were mostly specialized sses with just a few people. Other students had already been in ss for three months, and they were inevitably a little strange to see a ssmate who had skipped so much finally show up.

    But no student made any sour remarks.

    They couldn''t help it. Jian Jing was studying "Contemporary Literature", and many of the key research topics involved people who were either colleagues of the same boss or fellow writers in the same circle.

    When they read other people''s articles and analyzed their thought processes, she may have already had dinner with them directly and obtained first-hand information.

    If she tried a little harder herself, who knows, maybe in a few years she could prop up a paper herself.

    So while they were envious, the students acknowledged she had this kind of privilege.

    On the contrary, Jian Jing felt a little embarrassed. She didn''t intend to miss so many sses. Since the start of the semester, she had first been running around investigating Wang Shi''s case, then was dragged to Paris by Kang Mu Cheng. When she came back she was busy writing the script, setting traps to lure the culprit. She really had no time.

    It was so cold now...

    Graduate sses were only two or three sses per week. Some of the big sses were at 8am in the morning, she really couldn''t get up, so could only skip them.

    But this morning, the knight was hungry and scratched at her door, waking her up. After feeding it a meal, there was still time, so she didn''t have the heart to find an excuse and dutifully came to fulfill her student duties.

    Ahem, she had to listen carefully in ss.

    Jian Jingid out her notebook, pretending to listen attentively.

    One ss flew by quickly.

    There was a 15 minute break between sses.

    Jian Jing hurried out to pick up her coffee order. After a sip of the hot mocha, she finally felt her muddled mind be clearer.

    Sitting back in her seat, the two girls in front were chatting.

    A said: "I was so terrifiedst night. Suddenly so many police showed up in the middle of the night."

    Jian Jing bit on the straw, ears perking up.

    B asked: "What happened?"

    A whispered mysteriously: "They said there was a corpse, right by the roadside, frozen to death alive."

    B immediately said: "Definitely some drunkard. Winter is here, these kinds of people have no regard for their lives."

    Amented sorrowfully: "That''s for sure."

    Jian Jing continued sipping her coffee.

    Then the second ss started. After the teacher finished the lecture content, he brought up the homework: "Did everyone finish writing what I assignedst time? Let''s take turns sharing and discuss."

    Jian Jing: 0.0

    There was homework? Her butt that could remain calm even facing a serial killer subtly shifted.

    The anxiety of notpleting homework was a lifelong nightmare no student could escape.

    Because of the small number of people, they didn''t have to present in front of the ss. The chairs were shifted into a circle for casual sharing.

    The teacher sat with the students, jotting down notes.

    Jian Jing was no longer calm. She poked the shoulder of the student in front. "ssmate, what was the homework fromst time?"

    The girl in front whispered: "Write a reflection after reading any literary work about the Northwest, no limits on era."

    Jian Jing: "..." She was doomed, this was her blind spot for reading.

    The teacher''s requirements weren''t high, the reflection only needed to be around 1,000 words, and each person only needed a few minutes.

    Soon, all ten students had finished sharing.

    The teacher didn''t make things difficult for Jian Jing either, saying: "Just chat about anything casually, any work is fine, no limits on genre or era."

    Jian Jing thought, it''s easy to say that, but I can''t just recite Tang poetry to fool everyone. As a graduate student reciting high school poems and lyrics, wouldn''t she be aughingstock?

    But as someone focused on mystery fiction, she really hadn''t read works from this genre. She pondered for a bit, and decided to sell out her enemy: "Let me gossip to everyone."

    The students became interested.

    "Do you know Wu Xing?"

    "I remember he''s from the older generation of writers, a representative of rural literature." The students were very cooperative, immediately recalling his works in a professional manner. "Are you talking about Lost Jade Gate?"

    Jian Jing cleared her throat: "Last year, when I went to visit the widow in Yangguan, I saw an unpublished manuscript in their home, called Remaining Affairs of Jade Gate."

    Students: Oh~

    "Which work is superior?" Everyone blinked excitedly.

    Jian Jing said: "The writing style isn''t the same. Wu''s work is more simple, Yangguan''s more elegant. But the content is...quite...simr."

    A stab to the heart.

    She didn''t expose anything, but also said everything.

    Jian Jing flipped through her phone album, and could still find manuscript photos takenst year when investigating the famous painter case. She casually picked two excerpts to share with the students.

    As she read, the sharing time slipped by.

    ss dismissed~

    Two students invited her to meet with their advisor together.

    Jian Jing asked for their names. The male student''s surname was Li, the female student''s surname Le.

    Le''s long hair draped over her shoulders, she was fair and delicate, very artistic. Li had a square national character face, darkerplexion, ordinary looks, but was very warm-hearted, taking the initiative to exin: "Teacher Yao is quite busy, she''s only free on Wednesdays. We usually have lunch with her today."

    Jian Jing nodded, thanking him for his kindness.

    When they arrived at the office, Teacher Yao was indeed busy, typing away rapidly on herputer. Seeing the three of theme together, she gestured for them to take a seat casually.

    After being busy for nearly 10 minutes, she finally said: "You came just in time, let''s eat lunch together." As she spoke, she nodded towards Jian Jing, showing no surprise at all for their first meeting this semester, as if she came to report every week.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but think, this advisor really knew how to deal with people.

    No wonder she could be Dean at 40. She really was capable.

    The cafeteria wasn''t far. There were semi-open private rooms. Teacher Yao swiped her own card and ordered 5-6 small stir-fries before speaking: "How''s reading the book I assignedst timeing along?"

    Li responded actively: "Finished reading it, very thought-provoking."

    Le covertly nced at him disdainfully: "I''m almost done."

    Teacher Yao didn''t rush them, just said: "Hand in your papers before next weekend, write well. Our faculty will hold a seminar in January, I hope you all try your best."

    The two students immediately acknowledged.

    Teacher Yao also asked Jian Jing with concern: "The sick leave you took, was it serious? Don''t force yourself to attend ss if you''re still unwell."

    Jian Jing thanked her for her concern, saying: "I''m fine now."

    "Don''t be stubborn just because you''re young." Teacher Yao advised in the tone of someone experienced. "Read the book list I gave you slowly. Hand in a paper to me at the end of the term, write it seriously. You all have assignments, you need to submit papers. Don''te begging me when you graduate without publishing anything."

    The three students nodded in unison.

    Other than assigning homework, Teacher Yao could be considered an empathetic good boss overall. After official business, she also gossiped about entertainment news with them.

    But a boss was still a boss. When it came time to order the students around, she wouldn''t go easy.

    Halfway through the meal, Teacher Yao looked towards Li and Le: "You two don''t have any more sses today right? Help me deliver these documents to Dean Wan''s house, I sent the address in the group chat."

    As usual, Li jumped to respond: "Okay, we can go in the afternoon?"

    "Try to go quickly." Teacher Yao said.

    Hearing her tone, Jian Jing pondered for a bit: it sounded like Teacher Yao didn''t n on exploiting herbor. But being overly partial and relying on favoritism were both detrimental to unity. So she said: "I drove here, why don''t we go together?"

    Teacher Yao looked slightly surprised, but very happy: "That''s perfect."

    And so, Jian Jing took on an additional task of driving her ssmates to Dean Wan''s house.

    "Thank you so much." Sitting in the passenger seat, Le livened up a bit, generously saying: "Otherwise we''d have to take the subway and transfer twice."

    Girls tended to get along more easily. Jian Jing also smiled and said: "It''s nothing."

    The two sensed each other''s goodwill, and the atmosphere eased a lot.

    But males were another species.

    As soon as Li got in the car, he looked all around, sizing up the interior decor: "This car is pretty nice, a BMW. Do girls also drive such big cars? I thought the pink one next to us was yours."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Li remained oblivious, still chatting actively with Jian Jing to get closer: "I''ve read your books before. I heard they''re making a movie? When''s the premiere, we''ll definitely go support."

    "Thank you." Jian Jing politely responded with one phrase, pretending to concentrate on driving.

    The air was quiet for a moment.

    Li (thought he was being) secretly looking at her through the rearview mirror for a while. To liven up the atmosphere, he said: "Jian Jing, you haven''t interacted with Teacher Yao much right? She''s actually really nice, at most she''ll have us run errands."

    "A boss who doesn''t make students run errands isn''t a good boss," he "humorously" cracked a joke, "I have a ssmate who studied science. Poor guy, not only did he have to pick up the boss''s son, he also had to help the boss''s wife buy groceries. Who has time to go to the market every day? He could only order takeout food. As for money..."

    He dragged out the tone, the implications were loud and clear.

    Le ssmate was obviously annoyed by him, but still had to chime in: "Yes, Teacher Yao is very nice."

    "I can see that," said Jian Jing.

    Li ssmate went on and on, bringing up all kinds of topics.

    Jian Jing asionally responded with "Is that so," "Oh," and "Really?," quickly mastering the art of ying along.

    Also rising was the car''s speed.

    She kept the speed right at the limit, going faster and faster, and finally arriving at Dean Wan''s house in half an hour.

    Dean Wan, associate dean of the Literature Department, was a dean with a questionable reputation.

    He lived in a vi district.

    After registering at the security gate, Jian Jing drove into theplex, checking the house numbers one by one until she found the ce tucked away in a corner. She parked the car and knocked on the door with the two ssmates.

    Ding dong, ding dong went the doorbell.

    No one answered from inside.

    "Strange, is the dean not home?" Le ssmate wondered.

    Li ssmate knocked on the door again: "Hello, is anyone home? Teacher Yao asked us to bring something over. Hello??"

    Still no response.

    "Looks like no one''s home." Le ssmate turned her head and saw Jian Jing staring intently at the packages in the yard. She couldn''t help but ask curiously: "What are you looking at?"

    Jian Jing didn''t answer, but said, "Call Teacher Yao and ask."

    "Oh right," Li ssmate eagerly volunteered to report the situation to the boss. After saying a few words, he ryed: "The teacher said the dean was sick at home these past few days, so he should be in. If not, just leave the stuff by the door."

    Jian Jing frowned.

    The delivery slip on the package was wrinkled, evidently dampened by water and dried again. It hadn''t rained yesterday or today, so it must have been delivered the day before.

    How could a sick person at home not even collect a package from two days ago? Strange as it was, she didn''t investigate further - maybe he had more than one home, or went directly to the hospital.

    She turned and said, "I''ll take you back."

    But Li ssmate was excited and eagerly asked, "We''re already out, the book fair is today, why don''t we go take a look together?"

    Le ssmate was aloof: "I''m going back to study."

    "What about you, Jian Jing?" Li ssmate looked at her intensely. "My friend gave me two tickets, want to go together?"

    Jian Jing...looked at himplicatedly. They just met today, and he already wanted to ask her out - who gave him the courage?

    She tly nipped the karmic tie: "I can get the books at the fair for free whenever I want."

    Kang Mu Cheng University had a library that disyed books from major publishing houses nationwide each year as references. If she wanted them, Wang Shi could send her truckloads.

    - Of course, other authors could also get them for free.

    But Li ssmate didn''t know that. He just felt rejected and forced out augh: "I see, then never mind." After a pause, probably hurt in his pride, he couldn''t help but mock, "Well, a big shot author after all."

    Jian Jing smiled: "You tter me, I''ve only won a Dream Pen award."

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209

    On the first day back at school, Jian Jing didn''t have a great day.

    She called her friend Zuo Xin toin: "We just met and barely talked, yet he decided to ask me out already? Isn''t that too rash?"

    Jian Jing recalled how Cheng Jia You courted her back in the day - he took his time, chatted with her first, then subtly hinted at his interest, handling it very tactfully without being off-putting.

    But Li ssmate... sigh!

    Zuo Xin, Jian Jing''s college ssmate and former member of the detective club, now a honorable Chinese teacher after graduation, cut straight to the point: "He''s not being rash, he just likes you and wants to make his move quickly."

    "I didn''t sense it was love at first sight though," Jian Jing rolled her eyes. If it had really been love at first sight, she would have noticed Li ssmate''s intentions, but she didn''t.

    He skipped all the preliminaries and abruptly asked her out,pletely out of the blue.

    "Who said anything about love at first sight," Zuo Xin spoke bluntly, which sounded unpleasant about herself yet pleasing to others. "He thinks you''re pretty and rich, dating you would save him twenty years of struggle."

    Jian Jing took a deep breath as her blood pressure rose.

    "We''re in grad school now," Zuo Xin said meaningfully. "Everyone is looking out for themselves, partner selection is very pragmatic."

    Jian Jing sensed something unusual: "Did you get a boyfriend?"

    "No, but since I became a teacher, there''s been a constant stream of matchmakersing to me. They think a teacher''s job is stable with good benefits, perfect for marriage." Zuo Xin startedining too: "So I became a teacher to make it convenient for men to pick a wife?"

    Her sarcastic remark hit the nail on the head, making Jian Jingugh.

    The two girls found sce in each other''s grievances, further cementing their beliefs: men aren''t that important, they should focus on making money while still young.

    Jian Jing sighed sentimentally, then opened her document to start earning.

    Today''s writing felt a little stuck. To find inspiration, Jian Jing logged into the school''s internal website.

    On the homepage, a new announcement shed in red.

    She clicked in casually, and it turned out to be a missing person case.

    The missing person was Wan Yuan, the associate dean of the Faculty of Literature at Peace University. He had been missing for 3 days since December 3rd.

    Today was December 7th early morning. As a dean from her own faculty, Jian Jing couldn''t help but be curious.

    She read the police bulletin carefully: On the afternoon of the 3rd, Wan Yuan''s colleagues saw him drive away from school, saying he had a cold and was going to the hospital.

    At the time, his wife was overseas. But after not being able to reach him for several days, she grew worried and rushed back. When she got home, there was no sign of her husband. ording to the property management''s surveince, Wan Yuan had not returned home in the past three days.

    He had vanished.

    The police investigated street surveince and confirmed Wan Yuan drove to a mall after leaving school. He parked in the underground garage, entered the mall, and disappeared without a trace afterwards.

    Note that his cellphone, wallet, and ID were all left in the car.

    His credit cards also had no transactions in recent days.

    The police hoped anyone with information woulde forward, and major clues would be rewarded 10,000 RMB.

    After reading the report, Jian Jing found it very strange.

    First, it was rare for an adult to suddenly disappear without ransom demands from kidnappers - most cases were voluntary disappearance.

    Especially without taking his cellphone. Nowadays people even bring their phones to the bathroom, so it seemed illogical that Wan Yuan would leave his behind no matter where he went.

    But if he disappeared voluntarily, why didn''t he bring his ID? Air travel and high-speed rail all required real name registration nowadays, so one couldn''t get far without an ID.

    Quite bizarre.

    Jian Jing then checked the school forum.

    The school had also issued a missing person notice, asking students for clues.

    Comments were disabled on the post, so students started a new thread digging up gossip about the dean.

    A: "Whoa, a man in his forties can just go missing like that?"

    B: "Kidnappers wouldn''t target old Wan either, there are so many richer businessmen."

    C: "Old Wan must have a couple million savings though!"

    D: "Did he elope with his young aunt?"

    Otherments werergely simr - in summary, Wan Yuan was an average teacher and researcher, but extremely skilled at making money.

    The Faculty of Literature got rtively small fundingpared to the sciences, mostly just tens or hundreds of thousands. But Dean Wan drove a Benz and lived in a vi, sending his kids abroad for school - one had to admit he was loaded.

    Apparently some young lecturers resented this and wanted to report him, but it always petered out.

    From thements, people generally sympathized with Wan Yuan''s wife. She was a housewife, apanying their daughter studying abroad.

    Now with her husband missing, she had no job, so life must be difficult.

    Jian Jing agreed with their views, and shamelessly guessed that the money Dean Wan embezzled never made it home to his wife. That''s why the wife had no choice but to report him missing to the police.

    "Woof!" Knight suddenly sat up and put his paws on her knees.

    Jian Jing looked down.

    Knight pattered over to the buzzer panel and pressed the "Want Water" button with his paw.

    Jian Jing nced at the water dispenser, and as expected it was empty. She hurried to refill it and praised, "Well done." She gave him a snack as a reward.

    Knight was extremely satisfied.

    Jian Jing was also quite happy.

    She had bought sound buzzers and trained Knight to recognize sounds for "Want Water", "Want Food", "Want Toilet", "Want Walk" etc. He just needed to press the buzzer for what he wanted, much easier than deciphering his barks.

    The training had proven very effective so far. Her ambition was starting to grow.

    "Knight," Jian Jing stroked his head and smiled. "Let''s learn some new skills."

    Knight: "Woof?"

    *

    The next day, Jian Jing visited the Wans again.

    As a student from the Faculty of Literature visiting the dean was nothing unusual. Mrs. Wan did not suspect anything.

    Jian Jing consoled her for a bit, then asked about the circumstances in detail. Her ount was consistent with the bulletin. Jian Jing then asked, "Did the dean show any unusual behavior beforehand?"

    She didn''t directly suggest he had absconded, but hinted indirectly: "Was work too stressful, did he want to take a breather abroad to rx?"

    But Mrs. Wan said: "No, everything was normal. He even said next month is our daughter''s birthday, and we''ll celebrate as a family. How could he just disappear when things were going so well?" She sighed, "Where could he have gone?"

    From her words and behavior, Jian Jing believed she was telling the truth - Wan Yuan indeed showed no signs of leaving. But that sigh ofment at the end didn''t sound fully sincere.

    With limited clues here, Jian Jing took her leave and headed straight to the mall where Wan Yuan disappeared.

    She obtained the surveince footage from the police station and traced Wan Yuan''s car based on the maps.

    The car was still there.

    Jian Jing first confirmed the camera blind spots, then crouched by the car window and shone her shlight in, squinting hard to discern the interior.

    It was an average middle-aged man''s car, decently appointed and branded, with leather seats and a safety talisman hanging from the rearview mirror. There was a thermos cup, a box of tissues, and a pack of cigarettes with a lighter.

    The storagepartments weren''t fully closed. Through the gaps she could see a wallet and cell phone stuffed inside.

    Jian Jing nced at the messy tissue box and tilted leather seat - everything indicated the owner was not obsessive about tidiness and keeping items neatly arranged.

    In that case, there were only two reasons to properly stow away the phone: either leaving for an extended period, afraid it might get stolen if left visible; or intentionally not bringing personal items to cleanly disappear.

    Scanning the seats, Jian Jing noticed a faint lipstick mark near the headrest.

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

    "Knight, time for you to shine." She pulled out a man''s jacket obtained from Mrs. Wan. "Follow this scent."

    Knight gave an excited "Woof", thoroughly sniffing the jacket''s smell, then looking at her nkly.

    Jian Jing instructed: "Follow the scent."

    Knight tilted his head, circling around the car, not understanding.

    Jian Jing patiently repeated herself twice before he grasped her meaning, then started leading the way up front.

    As a new trainee, his tracking skills were unpolished. He went in circles at times, or got intensely distracted by other cars'' tires.

    Left with no choice, Jian Jing first had him outline the general route, while she herself sniffed the jacket periodically as they went.

    Right direction meant a snack reward. Wrong turn earned a reprimand.

    After much trial and error, they traced out Wan Yuan''s path: after leaving the parking garage, he took the stairwell up to the mall entrance, crossed the atrium into the restroom. Then he left via a side door next to the restroom, disappearing without a trace in a small alley beside the mall.

    It was time to get on the vehicle.

    Jian Jing looked around her surroundings and noticed a small shop nearby with security cameras installed at the entrance.

    She spent 200 yuan to borrow and watch their security footage.

    Within the calcted timeframe, a total of three people got on vehicles here.

    The first was a couple, hand in hand as they got into a taxi.

    The second was a middle-aged man with a suitcase, who got into a ck sedan.

    The third was a woman with brown, wavy hair, also a taxi.

    Jian Jing took photos of the security footage, and went into a milk tea shop where she drank hot milk tea while patting Knight''s head, "Do you know who our Dean is?"

    Knight: "Woof?"

    Jian Jing felt very mncholy.

    At this moment, she understood a little why Sherlock Holmes valued Watson so much.

    If she had a Watson too, she could now say, "Watson, what do you think?"

    Watson would judge without hesitation, "That middle-aged man kept looking left and right, and hid his face with a scarf. His behavior is suspicious, so he is the most suspicious. His suitcase probably contains his belongings, and he has already fled the country."

    She would then rebut, "He was looking around to find the vehicle picking him up. The tag on the suitcase hasn''t been removed yet, still hanging from the handle, so the suitcase must be newly bought from the mall."

    Watson would feel she made sense, and say, "Then it must be that couple! Wan Yuan and his lover arranged to meet up and abscond with the money."

    She would shake her head firmly again: "Acting mysteriously in the vehicle but leaving behind his phone and ID, yet openly leaving with his lover, there is contradiction. Also, the Dean himself uses Hermes belts, while the woman''s backpack is a light luxury entry-level brand worth a few hundred yuan. What woman would be willing to be with him - this kind of man would be stingy and directly buy counterfeits."

    Watson would suddenly understand: "You''re right, so it must be that woman? He disguised himself as a woman?"

    She would nod: "This is the only way to exin why the lipstick mark was on the inside rather than outside of the passenger seat. It was not left by a female passenger, but identally touched when the driver himself turned his head."

    Knowing the time and taxi license te number, investigating would be easy.

    Jian Jing asked Officer Liu, who happened to be in charge of this district, to help investigate. Very quickly, the trajectory of the taxi ride was found.

    The answer was mind-blowing.

    At that time, Dean Wan went to a bar in the city.

    Jian Jing felt a sense of foreboding.

    "Let''s go, Knight." She hurriedly took the dog onto the car, rushing straight to the destination.

    At eight o''clock in the evening, the neon lights were bright, the scenes illusory.

    The bar was called 2077, with no clear meaning. It was one of the most famous nightclubs in the city. Ladies free entry, men 200 yuan entry fee, average spending even higher per head.

    Jian Jing left Knight in the car and went in alone to investigate.

    The bouncer at the door eyed her several times, seemingly wanting to say something but held back. Girlsing to party, even if they wrapped up in fur coats outside, inside would be little skirts or cheongsams, the more eye-catching the better.

    But Jian Jing hade to investigate, wearing a sweater, jeans, and a loose hoodie, with sneakers.

    Her outfit waspletely out of ce, instantly attracting the attention of many people in the club: Wow, herees a innocent-looking student girl, clearly her first timeing to this kind of ce, here to broaden her horizons.

    What are you waiting for, go for it!

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210

    The music in the nightclub was very loud, and there were a lot of people with aplicated mix of smells.

    Jian Jing found the bar, sat down, and ordered a margarita that wouldn''t taste too bad, then lowered her head to photoshop. She downloaded the dean''s photo from the school bulletin board, used a face swap app to change it to big wavy hair, smoothed out the wrinkles, and a brand new gender-swapped dean''s photo was freshly baked.

    "Miss, your drink," said the bartender very gently to the beautiful youngdy.

    "Thanks," Jian Jing held up her phone, "Have you seen this woman before?"

    The bartender was taken aback, with thoughts like "Cheating?", "Doesn''t look like her", "Looking for a woman?" quickly shing through his mind, but his mouth smoothly answered: "Haven''t seen her before."

    Jian Jing: "You didn''t even look carefully."

    "I see too many people every day, I really can''t remember," his tone was sincere, his gaze earnest, making people unable to help but doubt whether they had received special training to deal with simr situations.

    Jian Jing narrowed her eyes, speaking gently: "This is my aunt, she''s been missing for many days, and her family is very worried."

    When she acted, who could disbelieve her?

    The bartender''s wariness greatly decreased. They were mainly afraid of customers causing trouble, but this youngdy was beautiful, and she was looking for a rtive, not the troublemaking type. So he took a careful look at the photo.

    On closer inspection, it did look a little familiar: "She''s a regr."

    Jian Jing immediately felt more confident.

    Sure enough, the dean of her school had a crossdressing fetish, no doubt about it.

    He left his phone and ID in the car, not because he read too many detective novels and nned to stage a disappearance, but purely to dress up and hook up at the nightclub...ahem, hook up with people.

    But who would go clubbing for a few days without going home? This was going to be trouble.

    How could she convince the nightclub owner to let her look at the surveince footage? Should she sneak in as a white kitten?

    Wouldn''t that be overkill, like she was in a spy movie?

    While she was worrying about it, an opportunity knocked on the door.

    "First time here?" Someone sat down next to her spot, chatted familiarly, "Haven''t seen you before."

    Jian Jing''s attitude was still good: "I''m here looking for someone." She turned her phone to show him the photo, "Have you seen my auntie?"

    The other person nced at it: "Looks a little familiar." He chatted some more, "What are you looking for her for? Who did shee with? We''d have to think hard about it. Why don''t youe sit with us, we''re all regrs here, maybe someone recognizes her."

    Jian Jing didn''t hesitate much before agreeing.

    - There was a big misunderstanding here.

    She agreed without thinking because physiologically she was on par with males, and even better than the average man in some ways. When had she ever seen a physically fit man carefully consider an ordinary invitation?

    However, the ways of the world are cruel. Most girls cannot enjoy such "privileges". More cautious girls would never go to a meeting alone.

    Once she arrived, the men assumed she was willing to go further. But this was precisely what the girls had never considered and could not understand.

    The result was predictable.

    Jian Jing asked for information: "Have you seen this woman before?"

    "Looks pretty familiar, I think I''ve seen her before," in the private room, the few men exchanged nces, their answers were simr, "When did I see her? Ah, I just can''t remember clearly now."

    It was normal for one person to say this, but two or three giving the same answer was clearly toying with her.

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes - she wasn''t angry yet - waved her hand and simply said, "Forget it if you don''t remember." She didn''t want to waste time, stood up and walked away.

    "Wait wait," said the man who had called her over, smiling as he handed her a drink, "they''re just teasing you. We have definitely seen her before, she''s a regr, likes to party pretty wildly. What are you looking for her for?"

    Jian Jing asked: "Did you see who she was with when she came here the night of the 3rd?"

    "This... I didn''t notice," the other side stalled awkwardly, "Why are you in such a hurry to find her? Tell us what''s going on and maybe we can help you think of a way."

    Jian Jing pondered.

    He took the opportunity to push more drinks: "No rush, have a drink and take your time telling us."

    The lighting at the nightclub was very soft, like a beauty camera filter, making even in-looking people seem gentle and charming under the dim lights, not to mention the man offering her drinks looked quite handsome and had pleasant speech and a great sense of humor.

    But... scumbags were not in short supply amongst the sanctimonious.

    Jian Jing lowered her head to look at the ss. Under the dim lights, the color of the liquor was distorted, there were patterns on the ss, even if she stared hard at it, she might not be able to spot anything amiss.

    She thought her eyes were blurry and took a sip through the straw.

    Character Status Panel: Minor date rape drug poisoning.

    After five seconds, the status disappeared, suggesting the effects of the drug had already been neutralized.

    She pressed her fingers to her temple, turned her head to nce at the well-dressed man beside her, and took a deep breath.

    Then, with lightning speed, she got up and mped his face between her five fingers.

    The man was caught off guard.

    Before his brain could react, he saw the innocent, naive-looking female student prying open his jaw and pouring the entire ss of liquor into his mouth.

    Some of the alcohol went down his windpipe and he coughed violently, "Cough cough cough, what, what are you doing? rgh!"

    His friends were shocked and hurried over to diffuse the situation: "Put it down, stop that, what are you doing?"

    "Go get the owner over here," Jian Jing looked coldly at the servers milling around, "otherwise I''ll report to the police that you have illegal transactions going on here."

    The servers were startled and quickly tried to mediate: "Miss, please don''t talk nonsense, we''re a legitimate bar, we don''t have anything shady going on."

    While speaking, they signaled the bouncers toe apprehend her.

    "Miss, pleasee with us," said the bouncer uncle as he gripped her shoulder and pressed down forcefully.

    Jian Jing grabbed his wrist, twisted hard, and flipped him over her shoulder.

    The sses shattered noisily on the floor, attracting quite a few customers nearby.

    "If you want to fight, I''ll oblige. Anyway the police will be on my side when they get here," she said unhurriedly, ncing at the man who was disoriented from the effects of the drugs, "I advise you not to make trouble for yourselves. Just let me see the surveince footage and I''ll only cause trouble for him."

    The servers were extremely adept at judging the situation.

    If people started fighting in the venue other customers would surely leave, affecting business.

    The customer''s request was not unreasonable. Let them sort out their own mess. The server immediately put on a smile: "The young miss misunderstood, if you have any doubts let''s go to the back and talk it over."

    Jian Jing said: "At least you know better."

    The server led her to the office and spoke gently: "It was just a misunderstanding. Drinks are on the house for the miss today. And we have coupons here, you get 50% off next time youe."

    Jian Jing cut to the chase: "Show me the surveince footage."

    The server yed Tai Chi: "That concerns customer privacy..."

    "Do you want me to call the police over to check the footage and search for illegal drugs at the same time?" she asked coldly.

    The server shut his mouth and signaled the bouncer with his eyes.

    The bouncer understood: "There are no cameras inside, I''m afraid we can''t help you."

    "Check the entrance," she pulled over a chair and sat down, "Cue it up to the 7 pm on the 3rd."

    The bouncer made excuses: "The cameras are broken."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows and asked back: "Don''t you think I look familiar?"

    The server took another look, seemed unconcerned, and smoothly brushed her off: "Did you act in a TV show? I knew it, miss looks just like a celebrity."

    "My surname is Jian, Jian Jing," threats like revealing her identity were a bit embarrassing. Jian Jing steeled herself a little before saying, "You can check Weibo, and reconsider whether you want me to post a message saying your establishment in 2077 has a habit of drugging female customers."

    The server was still hesitating when the bouncer pped his thigh, having remembered: "I knew you looked familiar! You''re that female fiction author right? My daughter loves your books, we''ve bought so many copies at home."

    Having him say that, the name Jian Jing did sound familiar, at least as well-known as a second-tier celebrity. The server immediately changed his tune: "The cameras are broken? Let me take another look, I think they were fixed."

    The bouncer cleverly fiddled for a bit and pretended to be pleasantly surprised: "You''re right, fixed now."

    Jian Jing: Exhausted.

    Finally, under duress, she got to see the surveince footage.

    There were two pieces of news, one good and one bad: The good news was that she saw Dean Wane in, he hadn''t been careful and the entrance camera caught a good half of his face. The bad news was...there was no footage of him leaving.

    Did he leave through the back door? Or did he change back into men''s clothing, borrowing someone else''s outfit, so he slipped by undetected?

    Jian Jing considered for a moment, then abruptly stood up.

    "Miss Jian..." the server chased after her.

    Jian Jing ignored him and headed straight for the back door. Once out of the nightclub, she dialed 110 and reported that the nightclub had drugged someone, suggesting they conduct a thorough investigation.

    After hanging up the phone, Jian Jing took a good look at her surroundings.

    The back door of the bar opened into a dingy alley. 2077 was located in an industrial district known for its industrial atmosphere, and the back door led to a gloomy building.

    The lower seven floors were almostpletely dark, while the upper seven housed escape rooms, which the building was known for.

    It was a barely-alivemercial building suitable only for horror businesses.

    Jian Jing walked around in a big circle, returning to the parking lot to let out her bored Husky. She let it sniff her coat, saying, "Let''s go, find someone."

    Having learned the ropes once, the Husky tracked more skillfully this time.

    It first lingered around the entrance of the bar before Jian Jing dragged it to the back door. It paced back and forth several times, hesitatingly walking inside.

    The shops on the ground floor had all gone out of business, leaving only dim fa?ades strewn with abandoned construction materials.

    The esctors were out of service, covered in dust. Only one elevator still worked. It was the only ce that still had lights on;mps in other areas were either broken or removed, leaving pitch darkness.

    Jian Jing held the dog with one hand and shone her shlight around with the other.

    Their footsteps echoed in the hollow, pitch-ck building, shadows fluttering. From dark corners came faint rustling sounds.

    In an instant, the outside world was blocked off as specters lurked in the darkness.

    The Husky was frightened, constantly looking back at its owner.

    Jian Jing patted its head to signal it to stay close to her legs as they slowly walked on.

    Dust flew as the shlight beam stopped at a corner.

    There was a corpse.

    The Husky was spooked, taking small steps back.

    Jian Jing told it to stay put while she took gloves out of her pocket and familiarly examined the body.

    She first looked at the face - yes, it was Dean Wan, who had gone missing. Though for some reason, he was not in women''s clothing but had changed back into men''s attire.

    The body showed distinct hypostasis, bright red in color, fully fixed, and did not fade when firmly pressed - death must have urred over three days ago.

    Most spine-chilling was his expression, seeming to smile and leer, which looked extremely bizarre in the current environment.

    Jian Jing sucked in a pained breath and called the police.

    The responding officer was Gao, an acquaintance.

    Seeing Jian Jing, Gao heaved a sigh of relief and chatted, "Professor Jian, what a coincidence you discovered the body?"

    Jian Jing said, "He was a teacher at our school who went missing." She briefly exined the story and specially pointed out the change in outfit, continuing, "If he died after spending the night with someone, that would exin the change of clothes, but why did he end up near a bar?"

    Gao''s eyelid twitched. "You said he was previously in women''s clothing?"

    "What about it?"

    Gao seemed to think of something. ncing at her, he said, "Know why Ji Feng didn''te? He got assigned to another case, the serial Ice and Snow Woman murders."

    Jian Jing''s eyes lit up with understanding.

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211

    The deceased: Wan Yuan

    Gender: Male

    upation: University Vice Dean

    Age: 42

    Cause of death: Frozen to death

    Location where the body was found: Abandoned building behind 2077 Bar alley

    The police carried away the corpse, and the scene was cordoned off in an orderly manner.

    Jian Jing took Knight with her and followed the car to the police station, under the noble pretext of making a statement, but in fact to gather information about the big case.

    Gao Police Officer''s attitude was not much looser than the seasonal wind, but his skills at muddling through were not enough, and he had no guard against Jian Jing, so she was able to wheedle some things out of him.

    Recently, there has been aplicated case in Heping City.

    Three women died, all frozen to death alive, ranging in age from 20-40 years old. The bodies were severely damaged, with fingerprints and faces burned beyond recognition, making it impossible to verify their identities.

    Whenever it snowed, the bodies were abandoned on the streets, hidden in the ice and snow, as if they were people frozen like in Frozen.

    "No clues?" she asked.

    Gao Police Officer sighed, "The bodies can''t be identified, we can''t find their social connections, so it''s difficult to investigate. Also, the snow often causes circuit failures and several surveince cameras failed, so we didn''t get much from the directions the bodies were abandoned either."

    Jian Jing was very interested, "Did the seasonal wind find nothing?"

    "I''m not supposed to say, but since you''re so concerned about him..." Gao Police Officer coughed, "He''s examining the personal belongings found on the bodies to see if he can uncover any clues - I can''t say anything else, it''s a big case."

    Jian Jing nodded readily and instead asked, "Is it okay to just chat about this case?"

    As usual, major and important cases, especially those where people were pulled from the branch for investigation, were highly confidential and difficult.

    But cases like Dean Wan''s had not yet been incorporated, it was still an ordinary case. Even though Gao Police Officer''s intuition told him something was off, he still had to slowly file reports.

    This gave Jian Jing a chance to get involved. With her connections with the police, asking to assist in investigating this case was not excessive at all.

    Gao Police Officer was also happy to agree - Teacher Jian always gave Ji Feng extra credits on his performance appraisal, this time it was finally his turn. He said, "Are you sure the deceased went to the bar?"

    Jian Jing directly showed him the surveince video of Dean Wan in drag.

    When Wan Dean''s cross-dressing photos came out, Gao Police Officer couldn''t help but say, "Your dean has quite special hobbies." After observing carefully for a while, the police radar loudly warned, "This outfit is indeed...too simr."

    The few women who had died were also heavily made up.

    Jian Jing took the opportunity to ask, "Will you check the surveince footage? Our dean went into the bar on the evening of the 3rd, so the scope is not too big."

    Gao Police Officer immediately took action.

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment, took out her phone and sent Ji Feng a message: [What are you up to?]

    He: [Busy]

    Oh, that was rather perfunctory.

    She replied with an expressionless smiley face.

    Ji Feng didn''t have many other skills, but his keenness had always been high. He sniffed something was up and made time in his busy schedule to reply with two words: [What''s up?]

    Jian Jing: [Nothing]

    Ji Feng: I''ll believe you when pigs fly.

    But he still couldn''t figure out what Jian Jing meant.

    In nearly half a month, he and Teacher Jian had met much less frequently. Firstly, without cases, there were fewer opportunities to interact, and secondly, he had been promoted recently, so he really was busy.

    asionally he could see her updates in Moments - like that she got a dog - but that was it.

    And in Ji Feng''s experience, Jian Jing would never chat with him privately for no reason. Daily small talk was almost non-existent, but when it came to discussing cases, it was easy to go off topic.

    For her to suddenly message him like this, it was not good.

    Ji Feng felt a chill down his back, but couldn''t figure out what the problem was.

    "Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" Liang Yi came over with two cups of instant coffee, handing him one, and nced curiously at his WeChat screen, "Any progress?"

    Ji Feng put his phone away, keeping a straight face: "No."

    She sighed, sitting glumly down on the stool, eyebrows knitted: "What do you think, have we run into some serial killer this time?"

    Ji Feng rolled his eyes: "What kind of serial killer?"

    "You tell me," Liang Yi was full of hope.

    Yes, hope. Which kid hadn''t read about psychopathic serial killers when they were young? From Jack the Ripper, to the Green River Killer, cannibals, Zodiac Killers, they were all familiar "celebrities".

    When the police encountered them, they were annoyed that these killers had no regard forw or life, yet also inevitably provoked topete with them.

    Ji Feng asked back, "Do you think it is?"

    Liang Yi lowered her voice, "The perpetrator damaged the bodies and dumped them during ckouts, his anti-investigation capabilities are very strong, and he specifically targeted women of the same type...it looks very simr in every way."

    "It''s certain the same personmitted the murders, but if you say a psychopathic serial killer..." Ji Feng stroked his chin, "Someone died half a month ago, and now there''s another one? The odds seem too high."

    Liang Yi knew who he was referring to that died, but insisted, "Freezing to death is not amon method of murder, he went through so much tedious trouble to do this, there must be a reason."

    Ji Feng agreed on this point.

    He calcted the time, "The forensic center should have results by now, right?"

    Although the crime rate in this world was extremely high, resulting in cracking rates that could not be raised at all, for a case with such extremely adverse effects that could happen again at any time like this, the police did not skimp on manpower and resources.

    With some queue jumping by submitting the report, the forensic center worked overtime and gave the appraisal report.

    Firstly, the clothes on the three female corpses were rtively new fabrics, but not any brand names, rather generic products that could be bought from any roadside shop, extremely average quality.

    In other words, it would be difficult to investigate the source of the clothes!

    But the same ash and soil particles, specifically garden soil used for gardening, were detected on all three pieces of clothing.

    This was undoubtedly huge progress, greatly narrowing down the range of suspects.

    Ji Feng and Liang Yi began the tedious but indispensable process of making inquiries.

    At the same time, Jian Jing''s side entered the ssic multiple choice question phase.

    She didn''t expect progress to be this fast either, with suspects found overnight.

    Gao Police Officer couldn''t help but boast, "The weather''s been good recently, no snow, so the surveince here hasn''t broken. Ipared the vehicles on the evening of the 3rd with the ones going in and out these past few days, and found three suspects."

    With today''s technology, AI was still a bit far off, but license te collection was not a problem.

    Jian Jing received his call and rushed over to the police station to sit in within twenty minutes.

    The first suspect was male, 35 years old, blue cor, upation repairman.

    He honestly exined, "I''m responsible for maintaining XX brand air conditioners and heaters, all the work orders are assigned by thepany. These two days there were quite a few broken ones for customers, I''ve been busy running around every day, can''t remember exactly when I went where."

    Gao Police Officer asked, "Where were you on the evening of the 3rd?"

    The worker uncle thought for a moment before answering, "I had a lot of orders that day, finished a bitte, ate somete night snacks outside, then went home to y cards."

    "What about this time on the 5th? Around 7 am."

    "Taking work orders, I guess."

    "For quite a while, huh."

    "Eating breakfast probably. I''m used to eating something near the location of my first order."

    "Does anyone can prove your alibi?"

    "No."

    "Anyone at home?"

    "I live alone."

    "What about your wife?"

    "She ran off with someone."

    Gao Police Officer looked at him and spoke gently, "It must be very tiring working so hard right?"

    "It''s alright," the worker uncle was not very educated, but his ability to read expressions and adapt his tone was not bad. His tone gradually became more casual, "Earning a hard living wage, at least it''s better in summer and winter."

    Gao Police Officer nodded, then asked again, "Any kids?"

    "A daughter, she''s in my hometown."

    The two seemed to chat idly about family matters, but in fact revealed a lot of information.

    For example, this uncle was very concerned about his wife leaving him. He had called asking her toe back but she refused, and even said not to look for her in the future, their daughter had nothing to do with her either. After all, they only had a wedding banquet at the time, without a marriage certificate, so splitting up didn''t even need going to the civil affairs bureau.

    The uncle was angry she thought him poor and loved money, and felt sorry for himself, saying how poor his family was.

    The second was also male, 39 years old, upation corporate executive, frequent nightclub goer.

    Gao Police Officer asked the routine questions, "Where were you on the evening of the 3rd?"

    "Nightclub,"pared to the nervous worker uncle at the start, this white cor executive was much calmer, without the tension of being questioned, "It''s not illegal to drink right."

    Gao Police Officer''s attitude was the opposite of his earlier geniality, saying coldly, "Answer what I ask honestly, don''t spout rubbish."

    He asked again, "What time did you arrive, what time did you leave?"

    The white-cor worker was still calm and nonchnt. He said casually, "Who remembers what time we left, it was probably after midnight."

    "Did you leave alone?"

    "I got a designated driver."

    "You found one online?"

    "Just grabbed a random one from the street."

    "Do you have their contact information?"

    "Who remembers stuff like that."

    "Tell me about your family situation."

    "Single and unmarried."

    Officer Gao clicked his tongue meaningfully and said, "Unmarried at this age, that''s notmon."

    "Personal choice," the white-cor worker lifted his chin. "No problem with that right?"

    "Have you seen this person before?" Officer Gao took out a Photoshopped image of Fang Yuan in drag. "Think carefully."

    The white-cor nced at it: "No impression. There were so many people at the bar and the lighting was bad. I couldn''t even see the face of whoever was sitting in myp, how could I remember what some random person looked like."

    Officer Gao: "You''ve never met him before?"

    The white-cor scoffed: "Anyway, I don''t remember this person."

    "On the night of the 6th, were you in this area?"

    "The bar," the white-cor said matter-of-factly. "I go there often."

    Officer Gao asked him a few more irrelevant questions, but found no obvious ws.

    The third suspect was another man, 43 years old, a state-owned enterprise employee. His abilities were average, and he was still just a low-level manager after all these years.

    Compared to the worker, he was more rxed, but more restrained than the white-cor. Overall, he was a decent, rule-abiding middle-aged man who answered whatever he was asked.

    "Night of the 3rd? Yes, I went there to get ate night snack after working overtimete. The 5th? I was at work that day, didn''t go... Oh right, I went to drop off clothes for dry cleaning. I had a down jacket that needed cleaning."

    Officer Gao fiddled with his phone for a while, then said, "There is a dry cleaner there, but it''s quite far from your home, isn''t it?"

    The employee became a little nervous: "It is a bit far. I hadn''t been there before, the navigation brought me there. I still have the receipt for my clothes at home, I didn''t lie."

    Officer Gao looked at him for a while, then became friendly again: "Don''t be scared, just asking casually. Have you seen this person before?"

    It was the photo again.

    The employee took it with both hands, held it far away to scrutinize it carefully, then said: "No impression." As an afterthought, he added, "Definitely not someone from ourpany."

    Officer Gao nodded, and as usual asked about his family circumstances.

    This time he wasn''t single, but also had no alibi: "My wife went back to her parents'' home, my son is away at university, he''s doing quite well with his studies. Yes, I got married early, hard to tell right...?"

    He chattered on and on about household affairs, but simrly, no obvious ws could be found.

    Officer Gao couldn''t help but doubt: "Maybe the murderer didn''t use just one car, we might have missed something."

    Jian Jing held an iPad, sliding her finger across the screen,paring photos of the crime scene to the forensic reports: "The victim was wearing light men''s clothing, there was a bottle of whiskey next to him, and his fingerprints were on the bottle. This makes it look like a drunk who froze to death on the streets by ident."

    Officer Gao nodded, but did not grasp the implication of her words.

    "If you didn''t know the victim had been dressed as a woman, no one would connect him to the snow corpse case." Jian Jing rested her chin in her hand, lips slightly upturned. "The murderer wouldn''t be especially careful when disposing of the body. I think it''s very likely he used the same car."

    The killer should be among these three suspects.

 Chapter 212

    Chapter 212

    Jian Jing needed the personal information of three people, including names, home addresses, work units, and license te numbers. Just looking at the information, she couldn''t figure anything out. She had to investigate in person.

    With limited manpower, investigating three people would require different strategies.

    The repairman''s actions were unpredictable. Following him around would be time-consuming andborious. Jian Jing decided to use high tech - she put a GPS tracker on the rearview mirror of his car and connected it to a smartwatch.

    She spent another 5 points to turn on Bluetooth and pair it with her tablet. That way, the repairman''s movements throughout the day would show up on her tablet. She could review the mapter.

    For the white-cor executive and state-ownedpany employee, she didn''t need to track them in real time since they worked regr office jobs. She would first gather personal information about them.

    The executive worked for apany located in the CBD. They rented several floors in a skyscraper as their office space.

    Companies like this had a unique feature - every meal time, employees would go to nearby restaurants in groups to eat. Those trying to lose weight opted for light meals, others didn''t care and ordered lunch specials, and those with money considered Japanese food.

    Looking around, they were all elite men and women.

    And they usually liked to have a coffee after meals.

    Jian Jing only had to hang around coffee shops for a bit before finding someone with the samepany ess card. She bought a coffee and struck up a conversation at their table.

    She started the conversation like this: "You guys work at XXpany right? Do you happen to know a man who drives a blue Mercedes? He scratched my car..."

    The female colleague she spoke to immediately showed a knowing and disgusted expression.

    Jian Jing quickly adjusted her tone, "What kind of person is he?"

    And so the gossip began.

    The executive was openly gay and extremely misogynistic. He had mocked a female executive more than once for sleeping her way to the top and being useless, while frequently berating female colleagues for ipetence.

    None of the women at thepany liked him, but hatefully, personality andpetence did not always corrte.

    He was capable and made money, so the boss would not let principles get in the way of profit. Whenever there was conflict, he smoothed things over and even took the executive''s side asionally.

    Jian Jing asked in detail, "As long as they''re female he dislikes them? Or does he especially hate a certain type?"

    "Any without a Dior he hates!"

    Everyone spoke decisively and adamantly.

    Jian Jing nodded, feigning outrage and solidarity, while thinking to herself - the female victims in the Ice Corpse case all had brown wavy long hair. This pattern seemed inconsistent with his tastes.

    Next, she followed the third suspect, the state-ownedpany employee, after he got off work.

    As everyone knew, state-ownedpanies were different from private ones. Overtime was rare unless they were especially busy. The workday was 9 to 5.

    Suspect number 3 was no different.

    He left work a little after 5 PM, and instead of going home, met a colleague for dinner. The two ate, then returned home around 8 PM.

    Jian Jing waited until the lights in his home turned off and he didn''te back out before going home herself.

    Of course, she didn''t live alone anymore. The first thing she did when getting home was to walk Sir Rider around the neighborhood, and take the chance to verify suspect number 1''s route.

    This repairman was very busy today with 4 jobs. She inputted the locations into her map andpared the routes after turning on navigation. They were all normal paths without conspicuous detours.

    But when he left thest residentialplex, he went to a certain hair salon.

    Jian Jing thought to herself, "Hmm..."

    However, being objective, none of the three suspects had shown cracks yet.

    She decided to pay Mrs. Wan another visit tomorrow.

    The saying goes - don''t air dirtyundry. Now that Wan Yuan was found, Mrs. Wan had regainedposure and refused to say more, "He was drunk and had an ident."

    Jian Jing understood her considerations but said, "I''m not sure if the police told you, but I was the one who discovered the corpse."

    Mrs. Wan''s expression subtly shifted for a moment, "Oh, what a coincidence."

    Her words were earnest but her eyes did not show gratitude, rather wariness. Jian Jing knew what was up and slowly said, "He left wearing different clothes that day - were you aware of this?"

    "I was abroad so I don''t know what he wore that day." Mrs. Wan did not reveal anything.

    Jian Jing said, "You know what I mean."

    "Why are you so interested in my husband''s affairs?" Mrs. Wan eyed her suspiciously. "Earlier you said you were a student at the college. Which ss were you? What course did he teach you?"

    Jian Jing said, "I didn''t have direct contact with the dean."

    Mrs. Wan was less polite, "As a student, this is none of your business. Please leave."

    "I have photos of the dean from that day." Jian Jing was prepared and showed her screenshots from the bar''s security footage. "I don''t n on spreading this but hope you can answer some questions for me."

    Mrs. Wan wanted to refuse but couldn''t stop her gaze from falling on the screen. In a sh, her eyes showed disgust, hatred, shame and other emotions. Her mouth was pressed tightly, extremely unhappy.

    "Personal preferences, no need to be so nervous." Jian Jing said, "I don''t n on spreading this, but you knew about this right?"

    Mrs. Wan''s throat moved slightly but she didn''t answer.

    Jian Jing stared into her eyes, forcing her with silence.

    After a long pause, Mrs. Wan conceded, saying resignedly, "Yes, I knew. How could he...do this kind of thing without considering me and our child''s feelings. If others found out...our family''s reputation would be ruined."

    "I want to know," Jian Jing chose her words carefully to avoid upsetting her, "Was he doing this purely out of personal preference, or was it a biological inclination?"

    Mrs. Wan picked up a tissue and dabbed her nose, saying, "He had something wrong with his brain, liking to do such shameful things, other aspects should be normal."

    Jian Jing nodded and did not press her further, "May I see the dean''s room?"

    "What''s there to see?" Mrs. Wan was very averse.

    "The investigation is still ongoing, I can''t disclose details." Jian Jing suddenly realized confidentiality was very effective for duping people. "If you don''t trust me, you can call the police."

    Mrs. Wan hesitated, clearly even less willing to involve more people. She relented, "Looking is fine, don''t mess with anything."

    "Thank you for cooperating."

    Jian Jing cautiously searched Wan Yuan''s bedroom.

    As Mrs. Wan said, he only had a crossdressing hobby. His preferences were normal, and she did not find any curved tools. The hidden folders on hisputer also confirmed this.

    No men, only women.

    Jian Jing silently viewed it all, making a mental note to wipe her own hard drive clean before death.

    Ahem. Back to the point.

    Since Wan Yuan only crossdressed for rxation and had no intention of one night stands, he would not have left with someone voluntarily.

    Likewise, the murderer likely did not strike at the nightclub. No matter how poor the environment, they could distinguish gender by speech and touch.

    Mistaking the victim meant they did notmunicate.

    It was most likely right after Wan Yuan left the bar in that area, which was why the murderer returned the body to make it look like he froze to death drunk.

    Based on the security footage, the suspects'' movements could be summarized as:

    Suspect #1: Night of the 3rd, 9:10-9:45pm, ate midnight snacks; Morning of the 5th, 7:20-7:35am, job nearby and ate breakfast

    Suspect #2: Night of the 3rd, 8:35-12:10am, clubbing; Night of the 6th, 9:05-11:30pm, clubbing

    Suspect #3: Night of the 3rd, 10:20-10:45pm, ate midnight snacks; Morning of the 5th, 8:40-8:55am, dropped off down jacket at the dry cleaners

    Considering suspect #2 was clearly captured with a driver in the driver''s seat when leaving, although the face was unclear, it should not have been the victim. His suspicions could be tentatively ruled out for now.

    Suspects #1 and #3 both ate midnight snacks and were both in the area the morning of the 5th. Hard to distinguish between them.

    So vexing.

    What midnight snacks were so tasty?

    That night.

    Following the tracker''s direction, Jian Jing walked her dog, pretending to be out for a stroll. She brushed past the rearview mirror of suspect #1''s car, nimbly recovering the device.

    Then she inspected his car a little.

    A very ordinary minivan, white, very dirty with mud-sttered tires.

    Big enough to transport a corpse.

    She turned and looked towards the street full of midnight snack stalls across from her.

    In the December night, lights zed and voices buzzed.

    There weren''t many proper shops, mostly crude roadside stalls crammed together - stic tables and chairs haphazardly squeezed together, surrounded only by nylon tents to block the wind. Exposed wires dangled lightbulbs that shone brightly overhead, giving off heat.

    Noodles, barbecue, spicy hot pot, hot pot, fried rice on iron te, smelly tofu... The aroma of fresh and spicy food wafted in the air, making people ravenously hungry even when not.

    No wonder the three suspects, two of them ran here to eat midnight snacks.

    She looked left and right, very naturally finding where the maintenance worker was. He was eating fried rice on an iron te. The aroma was very fragrant, but Jian Jing had already eaten dinner and didn''t want to eat again.

    She nced at the barbecue booth on the left, then at the spicy hot pot on the right, hesitating.

    Just as she was thinking about it, someone unexpectedly asked from behind, "What are you doing?"

    Jian Jing was startled, and reflexively threw an elbow back.

    Ji Feng said, "D*mn! Did I offend you?"

    She turned around, showing no mercy, "Who are you trying to scare?"

    "Just saying hi. Why are you so nervous?" Ji Feng''s gaze had already started scanning around, looking for suspicious figures.

    Jian Jing''s expression was unchanged. "Walking the dog."

    Knight: "Woof!"

    "Who are you kidding." He lowered his voice. "Your home is at least 5 km from here. You came all the way here to walk the dog?"

    Jian Jing: "Also to eat midnight snacks while I''m here."

    "All the food stalls here are night markets. You know there are ghosts here." Ji Feng sneered.

    Jian Jing: "None of your business."

    "Jian Jing, what are you doing here?" Liang Yi squeezed over from behind, greeting her enthusiastically, "What are you eating? Want to eat together?"

    Jian Jing immediately asked for advice: "What''s good to eat here?"

    Liang Yi thought for a moment: "It''s too cold out. Let''s eat spicy hot pot."

    "Then I''ll have the same as you." Jian Jing took a step towards the booth, then stopped.

    The ingredients in the fridge didn''t look very fresh.

    "Go on, tell me what case you''re investigating. I''ll treat you to midnight snacks if you tell me," Ji Feng tried to trap her.

    Jian Jingughed coldly: "I''ll treat you, and you tell me what you''re investigating?"

    Ji Feng: "Okay, deal."

    Her: "???"

    Liang Yi was incredulous: "You''re actually letting a girl pay?"

    Ji Feng said, "She brought it up herself. I can''t agree?"

    Jian Jing had an instinct something was fishy: "Are you out of your mind?"

    "What are you two arguing about?" A short fat middle-aged man came over. He nced at Liang Yi, then Ji Feng, and finallynded on Jian Jing, surprised. "You''re Jian Jing, right? Ji Feng works fast, already called you over."

    He also said to Jian Jing, "We''ve already received Wan Yuan''s report, very valuable. Come, let''s sit together and chat."

    Jian Jing was silent for a moment, staring at Ji Feng.

    With skin thick as brass, he actually said, "Teacher Jian is always enthusiastic, helping us a lot. She must have ideas this time too, so we shouldmunicate well. Uh, I''m going to buy midnight snacks."

    And slipped away.

    Jian Jing was led aside by the middle-aged man to join their meal.

    Liang Yi, more experienced, made introductions: "This is Captain Wang, this is Brother Zhao." She also introduced Jian Jing''s identity to them.

    After everyone got acquainted, they got straight to the topic.

    "We just finished our investigation, and only just saw Wan Yuan''s case. Since you''re involved, could you describe in more detail for us?" Brother Zhao asked.

    Jian Jing naturally agreed to do so, and softly recounted the story again from the beginning.

    "Who are you following now then? Where?" Ji Feng had at some pointe back, shamelessly sat down next to her, and handed over freshly made fried rice noodles. "Where are they?"

    "The man in the ck jacket smoking, at 9 o''clock direction." Jian Jing said, heavily grinding her foot down.

    Ji Feng: "......"

    It was her that brought it up herself.

    And it''s not like he would really make her pay.

    Can''t he make a joke?

    Damn, that really hurt.

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213

    The two sides connected their leads, and of course had to exchange intelligence.

    The street food stall was not a convenient ce to discuss, so Ji Feng moved closer to Jian Jing and whispered the recent investigation findings into her ear. The top boss sat across from them, pretending not to see.

    And so, Jian Jing was smoothly "leaked" information.

    Cigarette ash and rural soil...she silently recited the two clues, searching her mind for the corresponding dots: "The workers smoke cigarettes, not the brand you mentioned. State-owned enterprise employees don''t smoke, his teeth don''t show signs of being stained by smoking."

    Ji Feng''s stomach immediately hurt, and he quickly drank some hot noodle soup to warm his stomach.

    Jian Jing picked up a strand of rice noodles, but didn''t eat it, tying knots in it with her chopsticks, pondering: "Why freeze to death?"

    "Of course it''s ceremonial significance." Liang Yi chimed in enthusiastically, joining the group chat, "Wavy long hair, frozen to death, they both have special meaning to the murderer. What do you think? You''ve interacted with this kind of person before, what are your thoughts?"

    Jian Jing shook her head: "Can''t say."

    Liang Yi: "Just say whateveres to mind."

    "I haven''t seen the corpse, haven''t even seen a photo." Sheined, "What can I say?"

    "Uh..." Liang Yi awkwardly trailed off, "Right."

    Jian Jing leaned in: "So you guys will go investigate them tomorrow, right?"

    "Of course." Liang Yi''s eyebrows lifted, her eyes were full of red veins, yet there was a stubborn look between her brows, seeming more spirited than some of the men present.

    Jian Jing moved closer, speaking in a tone as if sharing secrets with a best friend: "Take me along?"

    Liang Yi blinked, not agreeing or refusing, but wanted to agree.

    Her previous coborations with Jian Jing had been quite pleasant,munication between girls was also morefortable, not like others. Captain Wang felt she was young and needed more care, Brother Zhao thought himself more experienced, also didn''t value her ideas much. As for Ji Feng around the same age...forget it, he was asking for a beating, no need to go into details.

    "Let me ask." She signaled with her eyes.

    Jian Jing gave an "OK" hand gesture.

    Ji Feng: "..."

    He tactfully pretended not to have heard.

    The meal was quickly finished, because this was the dinner for Liang Yi''s group of four, not even ten minutes before it waspletely swept clean.

    Liang Yi was single-mindedly focused on cracking the big case, her gaze fixed in the distance. Seeing the maintenance worker finish his bowl of noodle soup, she immediately put in a request: "Captain Wang, can I follow him?"

    Captain Wang said: "Aiya, go back and rest, let little Ji follow along."

    "It''s no problem, I''m not tired." Liang Yi extremely hated when people "took care" of her, anxiously said, "Let me go!"

    Zhao Ge also put down his chopsticks: "I''ll go with little Liang."

    Captain Wang conceded: "Alright, Ji will go back first today, take shifts tomorrow. You young people may be young, but pay attention to your health too."

    Liang Yi gave a perfunctory "mmhm" to gloss over it, inconspicuously merging into the stream of people, trailing Suspect #1.

    Captain Wang gave Ji Feng a side-eye: "Send her back."

    Ji Feng listlessly replied: "Got it."

    The boss left satisfied.

    As soon as he left, Ji Feng livened up: "Chat?"

    "Tired." Jian Jing yawned, patting the knight who was gnawing on an unseasoned roastedmb leg. "Let''s go, back home."

    She got up to leave, forcing the knight to reluctantly let go of the bone in his mouth. He slowly dragged his feet, looking back every three steps.

    Ji Feng nced at the untouched fried rice noodles, asking: "There''s a bakery if we detour half a block, want to go?"

    "It''s open thiste?"

    "It''s open."

    The bakery was indeed open, brightly lit. The remaining bread was on sale at a steep discount, extremely cost-effective. Ji Feng bought a huge bag of bread, just right for tomorrow''s breakfast.

    Jian Jing browsed and selected a matcha pound cake, packaged in individual slices that could be eaten anytime. She tucked it into her pocket.

    She stuffed a few slices into Ji Feng''s hand: "Give some to Liang..."

    "Huh?" He pretended not to have heard, tearing open the package and stuffing it in his mouth. "Not bad, not too sweet."

    Then he casually stuffed the rest in his own coat pocket.

    Jian Jing squinted: "What''s that about?"

    He clicked his tongue, saying: "Do you even need to ask? I wrote the report, spoke on your behalf, otherwise how could you have heard any of this? Yet here you are, killing the donkey after it finished grinding the flour, getting chummy with Liang Yi, where''s your conscience?"

    Jian Jing: "Scram."

    Just as the two were about to bicker, Ji Feng''s phone rang. He picked up, chuckled: "Lucky break."

    "What is it?"

    "My auntie sent the vice squad their ''business performance''." He said, "Alright, I''lle pick you up tomorrow morning, let''s meet downstairs."

    Jian Jing realized, immediatelymenting: "You''re right, I should''ve gone yesterday..."

    Cough, Suspect #1''s unsavory hobby, if she had reported it yesterday when he went to the salon, she could''ve snooped around his home today.

    Mistake, rookie mistake, not as skilled in the craft as Liang Yi.

    "You better not stand me up." Jian Jing was quite invested in this case, warning thusly.

    Ji Feng: "Teacher Jian, you can''t think I''m that awful, right?"

    "Hah."

    *

    As it turns out, Ji Feng wasn''t scummy to that extent.

    Early next morning, three consecutive calls from him dragged Jian Jing out of her home: "Downstairs in five minutes."

    "Ten minutes, I still need breakfast." She said.

    "Got you buns and soy milk." Ji Feng said. "Seven minutes."

    Jian Jing: "I don''t want buns."

    He nced out the car window: "Fried dough stick?"

    "I want pan-fried buns." She said.

    Ji Feng thought, where am I going to find her pan-fried buns: "Egg pancake okay? With fried breadstick."

    "Fried fritters." She said. "Add crispy cake, potato shreds, pork floss, peanuts, extra sauce."

    Ji Feng conceded: "Fine."

    So it took eight and a half minutes to get to her ce, picking up Jian Jing who was walking down while tying up her hair, making a beeline for their destination.

    Mr. Dong, we''ll call him Dong the worker, lived on the outskirts of the city.

    Housing prices were low here, management was loose, and the environment was also rtively terrible.

    Jian Jing put on the hood of her sweatshirt, carefully walking on the street filled with sewage. It had rained heavilytest night, garbage and rainwater mixing together, giving off a foul odor.

    Delivery men, food deliverymen, repairmen,borers...busy figures shuttled up and down the streets and alleys, supporting the convenient metropolitan life.

    The Dong family lived on the top floor of a self-built residential building. Thendlord came to open the door, didn''t even ask what crime his tenant hadmitted, coldly threw out a "Don''t make a mess", before hurrying off to y mahjong.

    Ji Feng entered the house, first sweeping his eyes over the environment, quite dirty.

    The sofa was full of stains, with several cigarette burn holes. The ashtray was filled with cigarette butts, white ash spilled out. There were also some scattered on the ground.

    "Several different cigarette brands." Jian Jing also noticed this detail. "Yours only had one kind of ash?"

    Ji Feng nodded.

    They went into the bedroom next. Inside was a tattered quilt, some cardboard boxes, no balcony for hangingundry. The clothes were all hung outside the window.

    Jian Jing walked into the bathroom. It was very narrow, only a shower area, not even a bathtub, extremely simple. She couldn''t help but wonder: "Is there even space here to freeze someone to death?"

    "You think someone can only freeze to death in icy and snowy weather?" Ji Feng asked.

    She frowned.

    "We''ve checked all the freezers in the city, as well as all refrigerated vehicles. Aside from that, what other methods are there to freeze someone to death without alerting anyone?" He slowly said.

    Jian Jing considered: "If you have to say, dampness could also work."

    A person doesn''t necessarily have to be in a cold environment to lose body heat and die. If around 0 degrees Celsius, soaking wet, body heat would also quickly dissipate until death.

    "Ms. Wan''s corpse might have been slightly different. The other three female bodies mainly showed lividity in the lower limbs."

    She raised her eyebrows: "Dying in a sitting position?"

    Ji Feng nodded, adding: "There was also a little on the upper body, more minor. She died sitting, then wasid tter. So the murder scene was probably quite small."

    Like this kind of family bathroom.

    Jian Jing pondered: "Water bill?"

    "Here it is." Ji Feng was tall, directly flipping open the meter on the wall.

    In rented homes like this, water and electricity were separate to facilitate billing, which worked conveniently for him. But after calcting the numbers, he shook his head: "Not that much."

    And so, Jian Jing circled back to her original question: "The space is so small, why freeze to death?"

    "My auntie said the murderer must have been abused by a stepmother as a child, nearly froze to death, so he broods over it." Ji Feng joked, "What are you still waiting for? Yesterday''s salon she checked out, today she''s already looking into the missing girls."

    Jian Jing held her forehead: "If that''s true, it''s too ssic."

    He nodded slightly. "That''s exactly what''s strange about it."

    Thanks to all kinds of TV shows and movies, people are no stranger to psychopathic serial killers: specifically targeting unsavory lower-ss women, using strange code words and passwords, harboring desires to be famous and earn exclusive titles...there are far too many examples.

    But are there really so many such people in real life?

    In the year and a half that Jian Jing has solved so many cases, she has only encountered one Wang Shi.

    "Let''s go back to Suspect #3''s home and take another look," she suggested.

    Suspect #3, Zhu, was a state-owned enterprise employee and office director,monly addressed as Director Zhu. He worked regr hours, usually leaving for workter in the day. When the two arrived, Zhu had not yet left for work.

    Director Zhu was surprised. "What can I do for you?" he asked.

    "We''d like to ask you a few questions, may wee in?" Ji Feng inquired.

    Zhu hesitated briefly before opening the door and letting them in, though he added, "I have to leave for work soon, so could we make this quick?"

    "We just have a couple questions," Ji Feng assured him.

    "What''s this about?" Zhu asked.

    "Recently, have you noticed any suspicious individuals lurking around the neighborhood?" Ji Feng questioned.

    Zhu responded cautiously, "I usually get home from work prettyte, so I haven''t really paid attention to the neighborhood. What happened? What do you consider suspicious?"

    "Anyone unfamiliar, acting furtive and asking around," Ji Feng fibbed.

    Zhu thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Haven''t run into anyone like that."

    As the two exchanged questions and answers, Jian Jing began to circle around the living room, examining the Zhu residence from all angles.

    It was a typical two-bedroom, one living room, one bathroomyout. The kitchen was fully stocked with oil, salt, sauces and vinegars, the tiled countertops glowing faintly - evidence of frequent use.

    Peering into the bedroom, she saw a tidy full-sized bed with two pillows.

    She scrutinized it for a while longer before shifting her gaze towards the bathroom.

    It was equally small, but contained a bathtub. Lined up on the shelves were bottles of shampoo and shower gel, two toothbrush cups on the sink, and a storage rack hanging on the wall that she couldn''t easily take down to examine.

    Jian Jing signaled Ji Feng with her eyes.

    Ji Feng got up and ambled over to the television cab, picking up a photo on the side. "Pardon my intrusion, but is this your child and spouse?" he asked.

    "Yes," Zhu replied, subconsciously moving closer. "This was taken when our son graduated middle school and we went on a family trip to Sanya."

    Seizing the opportunity, Jian Jing took down the hairb from the shelf and carefully sifted through the bristles.

    Spotless.

    Ji Feng continued asking, "Has your wife mentioned any suspicious individualstely?"

    "She went back to her hometown," Zhu exined. "My son is away too, so I really wouldn''t know."

    ncing at his watch, he hinted that it was time for them to leave. "I''m sorry, but I have to get to work now, so if you could..."

    "We apologize for disturbing you," Ji Feng readily responded.

    The two bid their farewells, pretending to head to the next building to ask around, but instead lurked in a corner, waiting for Director Zhu to leave. Only then did they start questioning the neighbors in earnest - about him.

    The residentialmunity was neither new nor old. The neighbors were familiar enough to provide some information, but not know-it-alls.

    "Director Zhu? I know him. He''s pretty nice, smiles and greets politely. Very family-oriented, often stops to buy groceries on his way home from work. His wife is quite busy though, she runs a business so she''s outte most nights."

    "Their rtionship? Hm, hard to say. I''ve heard them arguing sometimes, I live downstairs so I catch bits and pieces. But what couple doesn''t fight? I haven''t paid much attention."

    "Their son, rarely see him around. I think he''s away studying."

    "When did his wife leave? No idea, the 1st or 2nd?"

    Everyone chimed in with fragmented snippets of intel, confusing and disorganized.

    Ji Feng asked, "Teacher Jian, any thoughts?"

    Jian Jing considered carefully. "One thing seems very strange."

    "What''s that?" he prompted.

    "Theirb is so clean," she pointed out.

 Chapter 214

    Chapter 214

    Unlike most of his male colleagues, Ji Feng never thought women were delicate and troublesome (although Teacher Jian... cough). On the contrary, he believed that his femalerades had a special ability to spot problems in the details of life.

    This was perhaps a gender trait, or a difference created by the social environment. But he was no sociologist, had no intention of getting to the bottom of it, and was content to know the score.

    At this point, he very humbly asked for advice: "What''s the problem?"

    "They have twobs at home, one ordinary tb, and one cushionedb," Jian Jing didn''t beat around the bush, and carefully exined the intricacies, "The tb is used frequently, but it''s not very curl-friendly. I basically don''t use it. Nowadays girls all use cushionedbs, which can massage and are also good for curling hair."

    Ji Feng nced at her bluish-gray curly hair and nodded, "Then what?"

    "Cushionedbs are hard to clean," Jian Jing said. "Hair gets tangled in the teeth and it''s difficult to washpletely clean. There are always a few strands of broken hair left behind."

    Ji Feng understood: "But theirbs were very clean? Wait, did you say curly hair?"

    Jian Jing nodded.

    The two exchanged a look and immediately went to the security office.

    Themunity surveince kept recordings for 15 days. The security guard flipped through them for a while and recognized one of the people: "That''s Mrs. Gong. She went back to her mother''s home."

    The video quality was a bit poor, the faces couldn''t be clearly seen, but you could tell it was a wavy-haired woman in her forties, slender build, moving nimbly.

    Jian Jing was already suspicious, and couldn''t help asking: "How do you know? Did she tell you?"

    The security guard answered: "Her husband said so. Went back to her mother''s home, said to keep any packages for him to pick up when he gets off work."

    "Hmm, do you remember when she ''went back home''? What day was it?" Ji Feng asked.

    With so many residentsing and going in amunity, security guards working shifts, who would pay special attention to a forty-something woman for no reason? Naturally he couldn''t answer.

    Jian Jing bought two baked sweet potatoes from a street vendor, handed them to the on-duty person, and casually asked while she was at it: "What kind of person is she?"

    It''s hard to bite the hand that feeds you, but on such a cold day, the piping hot baked sweet potato, even if not soft and sweet, warmed the hands. The young security guard hemmed and hawed, epted it, and recalled: "Mrs. Gong is very generous. Sometimes when clients give her fruit or zongzi that she can''t finish, she''ll also give us some. But she has a temper, easily gets into arguments with people."

    Jian Jing said: "Arguments that get fierce?"

    The security guard scratched his face, not veryfortable staring at her, and nodded slightly: "Very fierce."

    "Did she and her husband argue a lot?"

    "What couple doesn''t argue?" Another older security guardughed. "As long as she doesn''t get beaten, just let them argue."

    After beating around the bush like this for a while, suspicions grew.

    Ji Feng said: "It''s pretty much a done deal."

    Jian Jing was even more direct: "When will we get the results?"

    "Tomorrow at thetest," Ji Feng promised.

    Sure enough, after the lead was reported up the chain, people were sent to the university where Gong Lu''s son was studying to collect DNA samples for testing. The next day, the results came out, matching the second corpse.

    The ice corpse case finally got a big breakthrough.

    As everyone knows, when a wife dies, the first suspect is always the husband.

    But Director Zhu''s performance was impable. As soon as he heard his wife had died, he looked shocked and denied it: "How could that be? I don''t believe it, there must be some mistake!"

    The police handed over the DNA report, and only then did he painfully grab his hair: "Impossible, how could this happen? She clearly went back to her mother''s home!"

    However, the police had to ask: "Did she call or message you these past few days?"

    "No calls, just two WeChat messages saying everything was fine," Director Zhu repeatedly confirmed. "What happened? How could a perfectly healthy person just die like that?"

    The police pulled up the WeChat conversation records, and there really were a few mundane exchanges, thest e on the 4th, just asking if he''d eaten, if things were good at home, mentioning a package to pick up, nothing unusual at all.

    They also searched the house.

    This time, not just thebs were clean, every corner of the house was spotless, especially the bathroom, with only a bit of Director Zhu''s broken hairs.

    Director Zhu imed he "loved cleanliness", "messy environments made him ufortable", and that he "just liked cleaning". Although the police were able to collect Gong Lu''s hair from corners, they didn''t find biological traces from the other two victims.

    They also checked his car.

    Unfortunately, it had just been thoroughly washed a few days prior. Moreover, the victims had all frozen to death, their faces and fingerprints destroyed from burning, leaving no blood stains, so luminol and such reagents were useless.

    Things hit an impasse.

    Without evidence, it really seemed like it wasn''t him. Not to mention there were multiple victims, and Director Zhu had no grudges against the others. He had a happy childhood with both parents alive, a smooth life, and no signs of hating women in daily life.

    Asking around at his workce, no one had heard of him having any opinions on women''s wavy hair. He had evenplimented a colleague on getting a good perm.

    Let alone disgraceful things like bedwetting, arson, or animal abuse.

    In other words, not a hint of being a homicidal maniac.

    Even Liang Yi started having doubts: "Could it really not be him?"

    But Ji Feng was certain: "Things are never that coincidental." He listed off reasons: "What a coincidence that one of the victims just happens to be his wife, and he just happened to appear near the Evesting dump site? And that his car just happened to get a thorough wash?"

    Liang Yi thought about it, and also felt he had a point. But she was very annoyed: "How do we investigate next? Without evidence, do we detain him or let him go?"

    Of course Ji Feng didn''t want to let him go.

    But detaining him was also impossible without cause.

    "Giving therades in the police force extra trouble," whether he was truly wronged or just had exceptional psychological resilience, Director Zhu not only didn''t resent it, but earnestly said, "You must catch my wife''s murderer as quickly as possible. I really... sigh! Who could have expected my family to encounter such misfortune."

    Liang Yi was so angry she nearly died, and asked Jian Jing out for hot pot to ask for ideas.

    "I understand how you feel now," Liang Yi gritted her teeth. "If it were me, facing a bastard this slippery, I''d also hate not being able to take him down myself."

    "Don''t learn bad habits from Teacher Jian, okay?" Ji Feng heckled. "Think of the mess she causedst time. I nearly got disciplined!"

    Liang Yi red at him furiously: "I didn''t ask you toe, what are you doing here?"

    "Freeloading," he shamelessly admitted, ncing at Jian Jing biting her chopsticks. "Teacher Jian, go ahead and speak?"

    Jian Jing set down her chopsticks: "Look at the times the bodies were discovered?"

    Liang Yi jumped to answer: "The first on November 28th, Gong Lu the second on November 29th, the third on December 3rd, and Evesting on December 7th."

    Ji Feng supplemented: "Evesting died the night of December 3rd. No one had seen Gong Lu after the 25th."

    "What about time of death?"

    "The temperature was low, there''s margin of error in the autopsies, but the first and second were very close, around November 27th. The third was November 30th."

    Jian Jing said: "Assuming Mr. Zhu is the killer..."

    Ji Feng tutted, then shut up at her piercing look, making a "go on" gesture. She continued: "There are two possibilities. One, he was caught in the act by his wife while killing the first woman, and silenced her. Two, Gong Lu died first, and after her death, the killer conceived the idea of multiple murders to cover it up."

    "Personally I feel the former is very unlikely. The first attempt is usually cautious, would he really bring the victim home? Considering how close the two victims'' times of death are, thetter ispletely possible."

    Liang Yi nodded.

    Ji Feng only said: "Makes sense."

    "I remember it started cooling down on November 27th," Jian Jing pondered. "In my opinion, premeditated murder wouldn''t use freezing as the methodˇŞMr. Zhu is so meticulous, killing more people to cover up isn''t the best n, I''ll grant it half an ident at most."

    "Teacher Jian, your reasoning style could be called fiction-style deduction in the future," Ji Feng interrupted. "Making things up out of thin air."

    Jian Jing gave him a baleful re: "If you don''t want to listen, scram. You think writing detective fiction is easy?"

    "Listening, listening, please continue."

    She continued: "Putting Gong Lu''s body with the second victim reduces suspicion on him, but since he specifically chose women with the same wavy hair, he must have some understanding of criminal investigation, and knows autopsies exist. So he had to prepare the first scapegoat quickly, meaning..."

    Liang Yi jumped in at this point: "You mean, look into the first victim''s identity?"

    "What did the autopsy report say?"

    "Female, in her twenties, no children, had her appendix removed, fingers coated with pearlescent nail polish, nail dirt detected eyebrow pencil and mascara ingredients, food residues remaining in the digestive tract."

    After reading it out, Liang Yi concluded: "Like a woman just out of a nightclub."

    In the cold winter night, the most convenient women to find were only the drunk girls in bars. Their vignce was rtively low, they might leave with a stranger, or they might have alreadypletely lost consciousness and got picked up by the roadside.

    The scope was greatly reduced.

    Ji Feng called his colleagues to screen for missing women who met the conditions.

    With an urate time andst known location, finding the needle in the haystack would not be too difficult.

    ording to the clues of bar, nail polish, and young women, the police quickly identified a woman who met the criteria. Surname Tu, female, twenty-three years old, drank at a bar with friends, her friend got picked up by a handsome guy, and she went missing.

    At first, when her friend couldn''t contact her, she thought that she had gone to fool around with someone again, and just texted "something''s up", so she didn''t take it to heart.

    It wasn''t until the beginning of the month when the friend, who was also her roommate, called her to cough up the rent money, and she didn''t answer the phone or send the money, that she finally realized something was wrong and chose to call the police.

    It was just that the time she recounted was inurate, and had not been noticed before.

    Now that the target was re-identified, her identity verified, rtives notified, and surveince investigated.

    As expected, the surveince on the street beside the bar, captured the license te number of Director Zhu''s car.

    Although he stated: "I had a fight with my wife, couldn''t sleep, and went out to buy a pack of cigarettes."

    But once or twice could be said to be a coincidence, but the third time still being so, only a ghost would believe he had nothing to do with it.

    The task force locked onto him.

    The tricky part was theck of evidence.

    The forensic technicians had practically turned his entire car inside out, but did not find any decisive clues.

    "The crime scene was not at home or in the car." Ji Feng held a map in his hands,paring it with the power outage range, "I don''t believe I can''t catch him."

    Liang Yi nced at him while hugging her coffee happily with narrowed eyes: "Jingjing, you''re so good, this coffee is much better than instant coffee."

    "You''re wee." The frence novelist who brought the coffee helped himself around, "So this is the headquarters, it looks about the same."

    It was unwise topete with superiors, so Liang Yi anxiously called out: "Projector, projector."

    Ji Feng projected the screen onto the big screen.

    There were only some private houses, most of which were factories, and even quite a few abandoned nts.

    Captain Wang said: "Go take a look at the scene."

    Jian Jing said: "I brought dogs."

    "Commandeered,mandeered." Ji Feng grabbed her arm, "Let''s go, get in the car."

    Liang Yi was unwilling to miss out, drank her coffee in three gulps: "I''m going too, wait for me."

    Brother Zhaomented: "Youth is great."

    "You bet." Captain Wang stroked his beer belly wistfully.

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215

    Today''s temperature has dropped below freezing. Walking outside makes one shiver with cold.

    Jian Jing bundled up in a down jacket, stomping about in snow boots, not forgetting to wear a woolen cap, crouching in the back seat while peering out the window.

    Liang Yi''s cheeks were frozen red, but his spirit was high: "Shall we go to that gardening shop first?"

    Among the factories within range, one sold potted nts, a gardening shop where flowers, trees and nts gathered from the countryside would rest here, get potted, then shipped to shops in the city center for sale.

    Since traces of rural soil were detected on the clothes, it was naturally the center point to investigate.

    The factory was located remotely. Two workers were busy in the greenhouse.

    Ji Feng and Liang Yi brought the photo of Zhu Director and asked around for information. Meanwhile, Jian Jing took Knight and had it sniff the clothes, wandering about.

    Knight''s skills were still not very polished.

    After all, just half a month ago, its job was still to guard the door. Now it had to suddenly transform into a tracking dog, so it could only hastily pick up the skills.

    Fortunately, because it feared (?) its master, it didn''t dare to be naughty, honestly following the scent. However, it had rained recently, the scent had faded to the point it couldn''t fade any further. Following it downstream, Knight was left dizzy and confused,pletely nk.

    Seeing it circling around lost, Jian Jing knew it was hopeless, and didn''t force the poor pup. "Go back for snacks, drink some yogurt."

    Knight immediately perked up.

    Jian Jing looked up, ncing around, sorting out the ins and outs of the case in her heart: On the night of November 27th, Gong Lu died. To cover up his own manughter, Zhu Guoliang was determined to create a series of linked murders, making his wife one of the victims, to reduce suspicion on himself.

    He imitated the serial killers from TV shows, targeting women with wavy long hair as his victims.

    To avoid close inspection of the first case, he had to quickly kill the second victim, confusing the times of death, reversing the order.

    It just so happened that on November 27th, the temperature dropped, freezing over and breaking the power lines, causing arge-scale ckout in the region.

    He picked up the second victim (first corpse) outside the bar, and took away his wife''s body, killing the second person somewhere.

    That ce had to be hidden, not easily discovered.

    Rural soil, ash...why would these things remain on the clothes?

    Jian Jing strolled back just in time to see a truck loading potted nts, preparing to leave. The shuddering vehicle shook loose undeaned soil now and then, dropping it all along the street.

    The driver was a heavy smoker, driving with the window open, flicking ash now and then. Fine ash sprinkled down, trailing along the path.

    Jian Jing: Hey!

    She quickly took Knight, chasing after the truck.

    The truck passed through three intersections, then took a left directly onto the highway.

    Jian Jing stopped at each intersection, having Knight sniff around all directions. Since it got on the clothes, it must have been from the soles rather than the tires, so the location must be nearby.

    Sure enough, at the second intersection, Knight seemed to catch the scent again, bolting into an abandoned factory next door.

    It should be here.

    "Stop." Jian Jing called it to halt, in case it contaminated the scene.

    Knight immediately crouched down motionless.

    Jian Jing stroked its head, tying the leash to a roadside railing, giving it a pack of treats. Knight grabbed the bag with both front paws, tearing a hole and happily eating the little biscuits.

    She activated the scent card herself and went inside to look around.

    Inside was poorly lit, quite dusty. Most of the rooms were empty. Only one office had uneven dust near the door.

    Wearing gloves and twisting the door open, the furniture inside had all been moved out, the dust unevenly distributed.

    There was an obvious dent on the left wall, as if the ster had been scraped away, very noticeable.

    Jian Jing crouched down for a closer look. The mark was clearly very new, made just recently.

    Could it be that something had been left here before, and destroyed after the murderer discovered it?

    "Jian Jing?" Liang Yi''s voice called out from afar, "Are you there?"

    "Here." She responded, "There''s something here."

    Liang Yi and Ji Feng hurried over. Taking one look at the scene, they said: "This must be it."

    "We just asked the workers, they said some stic sheets were stolen recently." Liang Yi couldn''t hold back, immediately revealing the new information, "It wasid down here right? That''s why there were no footprints?"

    Jian Jing nodded, though couldn''t help feeling regret: "It seems some clues were left here before, but got destroyed."

    "What?!" Liang Yi exploded, tiptoeing over for a closer look, wanting nothing more than to immediately pound the murderer.

    Ji Feng called them over: "I''ve called for people, you shoulde out and not contaminate the scene."

    The two tiptoed out, standing by the door to discuss.

    "If stic sheets wereid down, not to mention footprints, even hair would be hard to find." Bald Liang Yi said. "This person''s anti-investigation awareness isn''t bad."

    Optimistic Ji Feng said: "No way, fumbling around in the dark, I don''t believe he could scrub it clean like a car. Just wait and see."

    Soon after, the forensics team arrived fully equipped, entering the scene and beginning the search for clues.

    With theirplete equipment, utilizing multi-spectrum lighting, they collected half a shoeprint, probably identally stepping on the edge of the stic sheet.

    They also found two false eyshes in the corner, and in an inconspicuous corner of the wall, discovered a few fingernail marks.

    "This is a bit strange." The forensics officer took photos to show them, "Look at the height, only if kneeling."

    A few heads clustered together. Indeed, they were a few bizarre, misshapen nail scratches.

    Not only were the marks different from normal codes of numbers or letters, they were branch-like, the branches folded, with a few circles, four groups in total.

    Calling it graffiti was questionable, it seemed to have an underlying order, making one suspect it was a code, yet none had seen something like this before.

    Liang Yi was instantly confused: "Dancing little people? Only four in total, can''t decipher at all."

    Ji Feng said: "The marks are very new, doesn''t seem random."

    Captain Wang also took a look, sighing: "Read too many horoscopes?"

    Jian Jing paused, expression subtle.

    Ji Feng noticed and directly asked: "Do you recognize it?"

    "Cough." She cleared her throat, "This is the Rose Code, from...uh, my books."

    The others were stunned, not knowing whether to be delighted or shocked: "Really?"

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Turns out serious criminal investigation officers don''t read her detective novels either? Were they really that bad? She thought The Rose Gold was quite popr.

    She couldn''t help feeling slightly awkward. "Really."

    Captain Wang said: "Then how do you decipher it?"

    "Very simple, there''s a code table split into three sections top, middle and bottom, arranged from the center outward." Jian Jing casually demonstrated for them, "Three groups of eight letters, two leftover at beginning and end."

    The resulting table was:

    y

    gaŘ­bhnt

    uoicŘ­djpv

    wqkeŘ­flrx

    z

    "The tree trunks are the center lines, the folds represent order, the circles ordering of spelling. " Jian Jing easily decoded it, "The message she left was ''jiezhiyongchi''."

    "Dismembered swimming pool?"

    "Medium swimming pool?"

    Liang Yi suddenly eximed: "Ring! Ring swimming pool!"

    "A ring in the swimming pool..." Jian Jing understood, "That type of stand or intable pool he used!" Frantically recalling Zhu Director''s appearance, he wore a ring on his left hand, but...very new.

    Men wearing rings were usually wedding bands. It made no sense for it to be so shiny and new.

    Captain Wang ordered: "Search Zhu Guoliang''s home, see if there''s anything rted to a swimming pool."

    "Yes sir."

    Once mobilized, the efficiency of the state apparatus was frightening.

    Two hourster, police had found an old intable pool in Zhu Guoliang''s garage. It looked somewhat old from the exterior, but was very clean inside, still wet with water droplets.

    Blowing it up with the valve, something shifted inside with the movement.

    Pouring it out, it was an old wedding ring.

    Wrapped around the ring were several strands of brown hair, follicles intact.

    This was the death message left behind by the third victim.

    Zhu Guoliang could not exin why this victim''s hair was together with his ring, hidden inside an old pool.

    He could only reluctantly confess, admitting to the murders of the four victims including Wan Yuan.

    First, his wife Gong Lu. That day, he had a big argument with his wife. In anger, he pushed his wife and she hit her forehead on the floor, identally knocking herself out.

    In a moment of wickedness, he simply threw her into the bathtub to "wake her up", and locked the bathroom door.

    At that time, the water in the bathtub had already cooled down, and his wife was only wearing thin pajamas. She died of hypothermia while unconscious. By the time he woke up at midnight to check, she had already lost her breath.

    He was afraid at first, then delighted, thinking he had gotten rid of this ill-tempered woman, and a wonderful life was right in front of him. But there was a problem standing in his way - how to deal with the police.

    Then, being a frequent viewer of American TV shows, he had a sh of inspiration.

    If it was just his wife who died, he would definitely be the prime suspect. But what if one more person died? If he fabricated a psychopathic killer who just "happened" to target his wife, wouldn''t he be safe?

    Zhu Guoliang didn''t have much talent for being an official, but he did have some skills formitting crimes. In just two or three hours, he had a preliminary n in ce.

    It just so happened that the temperature had dropped below freezing that day, causing a power outage. The person on duty sent him a message, which was originally informing him of things to do at work the next day, but it gave him an idea and made him pull out a map to select a suitable location for his murder.

    He put on a hat and mask, parked his car far away, singled out someone resembling his wife from the bar, dragged her onto his car, and took her to an abandoned factory within the power outage area.

    He also took out the intable pool he bought for home, poured in two buckets of water, stripped her clothes off, tied up her hands and feet and threw her in to freeze her to death alive.

    The girl hadn''t sobered up from the alcohol yet before she lost her life.

    Zhu Guoliang first disfigured her, threw the corpse outdoors, then saw that her clothes were stylish and she had an obvious nightclubbing look. Afraid that people would guess the location, he went to a roadside shop to buy her a set of shoddy clothes to change into before abandoning the body on the street.

    His wife''s corpse was hidden under the snow, to be disposed of the next day after the snow melted, thrown in a demolition area without surveince.

    By reversing the order of the two cases like this, even if her identity was investigated, suspicion wouldn''t fall on him.

    But after two days, Zhu Guoliang started feeling uneasy again.

    If the police discovered that the "psychopathic killer" stopped after his wife''s death, it would undoubtedly create more trouble for him. So he decided to go all the way and find another scapegoat.

    However, his wife Gong Lu was only knocked unconscious, and the bar girl was dead drunk like a pig. The third woman was a designer working overtime who was rtively sober, having stayed up only because of her client''s antics.

    Although Zhu Guoliang injected her with anesthetics, she woke up while shivering frozen.

    Her limbs were numb and she shouted for help, but was discovered by Zhu Guoliang standing guard outside, who tightly covered her mouth.

    In the struggle, she tore off the ring on Zhu Guoliang''s hand and clutched it in her palm, pretending to faint.

    Zhu Guoliang didn''t expect her to regain consciousness, and was frightened. He was in a panic and didn''t notice right away. By the time he realized the ring was lost and went looking for it, he couldn''t find it no matter what.

    He didn''t know the girl had opened the air valve to dete the pool, wrapped his ring with her hair and threw it into the inneryer, and left the password on the wall as a clue.

    But after doing that, afraid it was too obvious, she mustered her frozen body''s strength to prick her finger and randomly smeared some bloody characters on the wall as camouge.

    Sure enough, Zhu Guoliang saw the pool was leaking and water flowing everywhere. He was about to clean it up when he noticed the bloody words on the wall. No longer bothering to investigate closely, he hurriedly scraped off the ster.

    And at that moment, the soaking wet girl in the low temperature finally couldn''t hold on and died.

    Zhu Guoliang breathed a sigh of relief. As usual, he destroyed her face, then after waiting for the power outage notice, hastily disposed of the corpse.

    At this point, he hadmitted a total of three cases. He felt wless and ready to stop. But who knew, passing by 2077 Bar that day, he caught sight of Wan Yuan who looked extremely simr to his wife, scaring his soul out of his body.

    Once someonemits evil, they can never restrain themselves again.

    In fright, Zhu Guoliang, knowing he couldn''t possibly be Gong Lu, still tricked the staggering drunk person into his car and dragged him to the secret location to kill him.

    It wasn''t until the person was dead that he suddenly realized something was off.

    Damn it, it was actually a man!

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216

    To be honest, Zhu Guoliang had a bit of pride in himself formitting the two and a half murders.

    Having lived half a lifetime, his peers were getting promoted and making fortunes, while he was just an office director. He was supposed to be a minor leader, but he was really just getting by.

    His wife was overbearing and had an awful temper. She was always scolding him for being useless. His son had only gone to a vocational college. Compared to his friends'' children who were either studying abroad or at top universities, Zhu Guoliang''s son didn''t stand a chance.

    But who could have imagined that he actually had a bit of uncanny talent in certain areas - although these weren''t exactly upright areas?

    Zhu Guoliang believed he wasn''t a pervert and didn''t have any perverted genes. He was just pretending to be a perverted serial killer. But he hadmitted the deeds so perfectly that the police still hadn''te knocking. His sense of smugness was genuine.

    It was a peculiar feeling of satisfaction that had indirectly nurtured his confidence.

    However, heaven loved ying tricks and enjoyed letting people take a hard fall just when they were feeling smug.

    The fourth victim turned out to be a man, a cross-dressing man.

    Zhu Guoliang cursed him viciously in his belly, but was relieved that he hadn''t disfigured the body. He carefully searched the personal belongings, but there was nothing.

    He didn''t dare follow his usual methods, afraid that someone would notice he wasn''t a "real pervert." He hurriedly found some men''s clothing and dressed the corpse in it. Pretending to be drunk, he dumped the body near the bar where he had encountered the man.

    He didn''t forget to discard an empty liquor bottle to make the scene look more realistic.

    Afterpleting everything, he broke out in a cold sweat, deciding it was time to stop.

    Initially, it seemed to go smoothly. No one linked the fourth person to the previous three. But after waiting several days, he was suddenly called in for questioning by the police about why he had appeared near the bar.

    As soon as he heard this, he knew what was up. Realizing the police had yet to uncover the connection, he calmly answered their questions.

    But then the police showed up at his door and detained him. The true identities of the corpses were discovered, and a series of things left him scrambling in panic.

    Zhu Guoliang had considered imitating the serial killers from American TV shows - first arrogantly confessing to a number of murders but not revealing where the bodies were, in order to get a reduced sentence.

    But it was useless.

    Fantasies were just fantasies. The police pped the evidence right in his face.

    He copsed and confessed, but still felt a bit unwilling.

    "I did make things difficult for you all, didn''t I?" he asked.

    The police officer said, "...Ahem, take a look and see if your confession has any problems. If not, sign it."

    Behind him, theymented to each other.

    Liang Yi said, "Watched too many American shows."

    Ji Feng said, "There were holes in his brain."

    They cursed him while calling out for everyone to go out and celebrate. After working hard for half a month, they could finally rest properly.

    Liang Yi still had a conscience and asked, "Should we call Jian Jing toe along?"

    Ji Feng said, "She''s busy."

    That day, Jian Jing was attending a funeral.

    It seemed that heaven also felt the injustice and specifically added to the sorrowfulness of the funeral. Since early morning, the skies had been gloomy. By noon, snow began drifting down, fine kes fluttering like ash, scattering onto transparent umbre surfaces.

    The atmosphere in the funeral home was divided in two.

    The family on the left side - the mother had lived to ny-six - it could be considered a celebratory mourning. Those who came to pay their respects didn''t seem overly sad. On the contrary, they gathered in groups to chat and catch up.

    Old friends and rtives were now scattered all over the country. They rarely got together, so they took the chance to reacquaint themselves and share updates.

    But the family on the right side was grief-stricken.

    Their daughter was twenty-five this year. She had only been working for less than two years and had just started dating. She was in the most beautiful and hopeful time of her youth. Her career, romance, and life were just beginning.

    But she had already closed her eyes forever.

    Her mother cried so hard she nearly fainted, repeatedly murmuring, "If only I had known, I would have asked her toe back home. I could have found her a job close by. My poor daughter!"

    The old woman with greying hair prostrated on the ground, wailing loudly. Next to her, the father''s eyes were red again.

    Rtives tried tofort them while sighing, "She was only in her twenties, so young!"

    Someone else whispered, "They''ve closed the coffin. I heard her body was unrecognizable."

    "How unjust, for the old to send off the young," the elderly dabbed their eyes, also feeling sorrowful.

    When Jian Jing entered, this was the stagnant atmosphere she encountered.

    She took out a white envelope from her bag and handed it to the rtive collecting money at the door. He squeezed the red packet, discovered it was stuffed full, and looked up hesitantly. "Are you my cousin''s friend?"

    Jian Jing nodded slightly.

    "You didn''t write your name," the deceased''s cousin said, turning over the envelope and handing her a pen. "Could you please leave your name?"

    She shook her head and walked right in.

    There were ck mourning banners in the memorial hall, floral wreaths sent by rtives on both sides, an automatic prayer machine chanting "Amitabha," and the sound of wooden ppers.

    Jian Jing lit incense, gazing at the portrait photo of the deceased.

    It was probably her graduation photo. Her features were ordinary, but her face was youthful, with lively spirits and bursting vitality. But now shey inside the coffin, having closed her eyes forever.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help sighing and walked over to the deceased''s parents.

    "Uncle, auntie," she called to them.

    "Hello, thank you foring to see our Anan," the mother wiped her tears and forced a smile.

    Jian Jing carefully said, "I have a gift I''d like to give her." She held out a book with a red rose stuck to the cover. "I hope you can ept it."

    The mother was startled. "No need, no need, you''re too kind."

    "That''s right, little girl, take it back," the father also dissuaded her.

    Jian Jing said, "Miss really enjoyed my novels. Being able to catch the criminal was alsorgely thanks to her. I''d like to give her this book, so please ept it."

    Only upon hearing this did the parents take a closer look at her and recognize who she was. "You, you''re the author Anan liked?"

    "My name is Jian Jing," she ced The Rose, the Gold, and the Killer into the mother''s hands. "I''m very sorry, and very grateful for your daughter''s support."

    The parents exchanged a nce before finally epting it. "Thank you. If Anan knew you came to give this to her, she would definitely...definitely be very happy."

    As the mother spoke, she choked up again.

    Jian Jing really could not bear to keep watching. She left the book and hurriedly took her leave.

    They didn''t try to keep her. After a moment''s hesitation, they took the book to the back viewing room and opened the coffin lid. The morticians had already prepared her body, carefully applying makeup so her face wouldn''t look too ghastly.

    The mother held back sobs as she grasped her daughter''s hand and ced the brand new book inside the coffin, keeping her hand resting on it.

    "Wah-" An obvious sob. The mother slumped over the edge of the coffin, weeping again. "My daughter, take me with you. How can I go on living?"

    The mournful wails prated the curling incense smoke into Jian Jing''s ears. She couldn''t help but stop in her tracks and look back, myriad thoughts churning inside.

    In another world, her own birth parents must have wept like this for her too.

    Were they well?

    "Jingjing?" A hand rested heavily on her shoulder. "Don''t look anymore."

    Jian Jing was jolted back to her senses. "I''m fine."

    "Your eyes are red and you say you''re fine?" Kang Mu Cheng frowned with disapproval. "You didn''t need to make a special trip here. If you wanted to deliver the book, you could have had an assistant do it."

    Jian Jing said, "Right, and I even bothered Chairman Kang to specially apany me here."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her helplessly.

    "Let''s go. We''re going to Yingjie''s ce to freeload food," she said, getting into the car. She took off the ck mourning veil hat and switched to a white rabbit fur hat. She also hastily changed her belt and essories,pletely transforming from the somber look for attending the funeral.

    Si Yingjie lived in a vi district in the suburbs, some distance away from the city center. The advantage was the scenery was excellent and they could barely hear the urban noise. The disadvantage was it was too far from convenient amenities - delivery took a minimum of an hour.

    "You''re here," In the freezing cold outside, the indoor temperature was afortable 25 to 26 degrees Celsius. Si Yingjie was wearing just a singleyer, barefoot as he came to open the door. "Damn, it''s so cold. Close the door quick!"

    Once the door was shut, warm air immediately filled their cheeks.

    Jian Jing swiftly took off her coat, hat, and shoes, asking, "What are you treating us to?"

    "Seafood. My sister had seafood delivered over - a few boxes of it." Si Yingjie was unaware of his own blessings as heined, "How long will it take us to finish all this?"

    He brought them inside. The floor heating had already warmed up the entire space. One almost wished to immediately eat ice popsicles.

    "There''s ice cream in the kitchen," Si Yingjie pointed out.

    Jian Jing immediately dashed to the kitchen.

    The ice cream at Si Yingjie''s home was handmade, brought over this morning by chefs from the hotel, who were also responsible for preparing the seafoodˇŞthey certainly couldn''t expect Si Yingjie to cook.

    Jian Jing scooped herself a big bowl of ice cream, while taking the chance to check out the living room.

    Si Yingjie and Kang Mu Cheng were truly opposite friends. The Kang family home was neat and tidy, with everything in its ce, while here it was a mess, either dirty or cluttered.

    Decorations of all styles and types were haphazardly piled on cabs by the owner, crooked and bent, doing whatever he fancied, enough to drive someone with OCD crazy.

    Jian Jing counted, there were probably: Egyptian scarab talismans, Japanese Noh masks, Indian Shiva statues, Thai Buddha amulets, Arabian spices...a random mess.

    She saw that Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t stand it anymore, and had started tidying up the magazines randomly strewn over the sofa.

    Si Yingjie found him annoying, and snatched them back to stuff haphazardly onto the shelves.

    This wouldn''t do.

    Kang Mu Cheng could just bear it when he saw the mess, but when he saw books in a mess, he had to rearrange them alphabetically.

    Si Yingjie grumbled, "Annoying habits."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Shut up."

    Jian Jingughed delightedly, unable to stop as she bit into her spoon.

    Si Yingjie wasughed into a blush by her, and hurriedly changed the topic: "Any ns for Christmas and New Year''s? I''m bored to death, why don''t we go soak in some hot springs?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "I have a new booking out on New Year''s, no time."

    "We can go after it''s over, right?" Si Yingjie said.

    But Kang Mu Cheng said: "After the new bookunch ends, I''m going to Europe, to attend a wedding."

    Si Yingjie was puzzled: "Whose wedding?"

    He and Kang Mu Cheng had quite a bit of ovep in their social circles, and he didn''t seem to have heard about this.

    "A university ssmate, you don''t know him," Kang Mu Cheng exined, "He''s very solitary, almost no friends. Although we haven''t had contact for a while, I still want to go for a bit."

    Jian Jing asked curiously: "Where in Europe?"

    He reported a ce name that none of them had heard before.

    Jian Jing searched for half a day on Google Maps, and discovered it really was quite remote, definitely not a hot tourist destination. She couldn''t help but worry: "You''re going alone?"

    After the Paris attacks, she had developed a psychological shadow about countries without gun control.

    Kang Mu Cheng going abroad alone really made one worry.

    Not just her, Si Yingjie took one look at the map, and said without thinking: "I''ll go with you."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t know whether tough or cry: "There''s nothing fun there, why do you want to go?"

    "I''m bored, might as well go, who knows, maybe I can meet a couple of beauties," Si Yingjie was nonchnt, "Jian Jing, you going or not?"

    Jian Jing rested her cheek in her hand, and murmured: "Then it depends on whether Boss Kang is willing to bring me along."

    Kang Mu Cheng was both amused and exasperated: "If you want to go, would I not bring you along?"

    "What if there are beauties," she used Si Yingjie''s words, and said solemnly, "I have to consider your future partner, you know."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    Si Yingjie burst into raucousughter: "Hahahahaha!!"

 Chapter 217

    Chapter 217

    After cracking the case of the icy female corpse, Jian Jing spent a very harmonious December.

    She had sses two days a week, drank milk tea with Le ssmate, and talked about their feelings (Li ssmate never spoke to her again, thank goodness). She went home to write, walked the dog at night, and got somete night snacks along the way.

    By Christmas, she had finished the first chapter of Demon 3.

    Knight had gained two pounds and was even more majestic.

    The movie version of Rose Gold was being urgently edited, aiming for a Valentine''s Day release next year, while the TV drama Demon Doctor 2 had already been submitted for review and was also preparing to air during the Lunar New Year.

    In the meantime, she went with Jiang BaiYan to see the movie he had filmed earlier in Ice City.

    It was snowing and icy, with extremely beautiful scenery. It was about a father and son who were forest rangers. Jiang BaiYan yed the son, and had less than 50 lines in the entire movie,municating mostly through looks and expressions.

    The concept was very profound, and the cinematography was gorgeous, but it was just too boring to watch.

    She fell asleep directly.

    After the screening ended, Jiang BaiYan shook her awake and silently gazed at her.

    Jian Jing was slightly embarrassed and looked around, "It''s over?"

    There was not a soul around them.

    He was dispirited, "It started half an hour ago, and half of them left halfway through. By the end there were only five or six left."

    Jian Jing: "..." Even documentaries have narration, this was truly boring.

    She picked up her c and chose her words carefully, "The movie itself was very good, just too profound."

    Jiang BaiYan let out a miserable groan and slumped his head onto her shoulder, "I filmed for three months."

    His tone was extremely aggrieved.

    "You acted very well," Jian Jing sincerely praised him.

    Although she had fallen asleep halfway through, some of the scenes had left a deep impression on her - the pine trees covered in ice and snow, the clear blue sky, and his pure and innocent face perfectly conveyed a childlike heart.

    It was hard to imagine that the person with such a guileless gaze on camera had guts as convoluted as a maze in real life.

    In that sense, his acting skills were outstanding.

    Jiang BaiYan dully said, "Thank you."

    Jian Jing quickly ended the topic, "Let''s go, I''ll treat you to a meal as thanks for inviting me to the movie."

    "You''re actually thinking that I should be the one treating you," he mumbled, "I wasted two hours of your time for nothing."

    Jian Jing disingenuously said, "No such thing."

    Jiang BaiYan''s face was the epitome of "I don''t believe you."

    However, although the movie was a bit boring and not to mainstream taste, the ratings kept soaring, and it was even going to participate in film festivals abroad.

    Many peers made sour remarks, but Jiang BaiYan didn''t take it to heart. He told Jian Jing, "It won''t win any awards - the emotional expression is too subtle, foreigners will have a hard time understanding it."

    In this aspect, Jian Jing believed his intuition. She couldn''t help but feel curious, "What about Rose Gold then?"

    "I haven''t seen the final film yet," he blinked mischievously, "But I signed a profit-sharing agreement."

    Reminded by him, Jian Jing recalled that when this movie was in pre-production, funding at Golden Crow was very tight (back then President Kang was focused on acquiring Dream Building), so she didn''t even ask for any copyright fees.

    "Great, if this movie flops, you, me, and President Kang can all share the losses," she said.

    Jiang BaiYan made a funny grimace, "Maybe you''ll make a huge sum of money from it."

    "Seems like you''re very confident," Jian Jing nced at him and casually asked, "So, any thoughts after acting in this movie?"

    Jiang BaiYan blinked and smiled, "Let''s talk about that after we''ve seen the finished movie."

    Jian Jing looked him over without pursuing the question further.

    After that, Christmas and New Year''s passed under sunny weather.

    Jian Jing received a year-end gift package from Golden Crow - books that won major literary awards this year, a mini Christmas tree and a dozen Christmas stockings, plus a beautiful snow globe that showed falling snow.

    She put the snow globe on her desk, the Christmas tree by the window sill, and put the stockings around Knight''s neck, pretending they were a tie.

    Knight: "Woof?"

    "Cute," she affectionately ruffled the dog''s head.

    Knighty down with his head on his paws.

    She took a selfie and uploaded it to Weibo, wishing readers a Merry Christmas.

    Then she received several hundredments urging her to write...

    [The author is ying with her dog instead of writing, we''re going to starve to death!]

    [Hungry, food!]

    [When is Demon 3ing out??]

    [When will Rose Gold premiere? Don''t make too many changes in the adaptation, I''m worried!]

    [The drama version of Demon 2 should being soon too]

    [I''m so worried the author will earn enough to retire early qaq]

    [She''ll be motivated to write more after buying some new couture!]

    Jian Jing silently forked away from the interface.

    2021 passed and 2022 arrived.

    On New Year''s Day, she slept in, yed games, and walked the dog.

    On the second day of the new year, she slept in, binged shows, and walked the dog.

    On the third day of the new year, she slept in, boarded the dog at the boss''s house, and packed her bags.

    The wedding was to take ce in a small town in Eastern Europe called Barna, which meant "ice and snow disaster" in the localnguage.

    Jian Jing checked the local weather, which was... snow, heavy snow, blizzard.

    She was utterly dumbfounded.

    A winter wedding, she thought it would be some ce with warm spring-like weather, but they were getting married during a blizzard - were the hosts insane? But on second thought, some ces in Switzend had year-round snow, yet were known for their unique scenery, so maybe this ce was simr.

    Better pack more clothes, or she''d freeze.

    This was another excruciatingly long flight.

    Worse than the Paris trip - the small town had no nearby airports. They had to first fly to the country''s capital city, then transfer to the nearest airport - which, it must be said, was minuscule, just a row of bungalows that passed for an airport.

    That wasn''t even the end of it.

    After nearly a dozen hours (she wanted to cry for help) of flying, they would meet up with the groom''s friend, who would drive them to the town of Barna.

    When they came out of the airport, the weather was still decent, just very windy, with gusts blowing in their faces as if being pped back and forth.

    Jian Jing swallowed her torrent of feelings and shivered in her scarf.

    "Hi!" A bear-like burly man strode up and asked in not very fluent English, "Are you Kang?"

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded and shook his hand.

    After introducing themselves, the big bear introduced himself as "George", a very generic foreign male name. He was a local of the town of Barna, hired by Castle Winterfell. He would be responsible for picking up and dropping off the wedding guests this time.

    English wasn''t the local officialnguage here, but George spoke decently, at least well enough to be understood. "Although Barna is a small ce, the scenery is extremely, extremely, extremely beautiful. You won''t regreting here."

    His emphasis on "very-very-very" was amusing. Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing out loud.

    But at this time, she still didn''t take thispletely obscure town of Barna seriously.

    A European country town, exotic ir, probably quite pretty, but to say "very-very-very"...Brother Bear was probably embellishing things.

    She was very interested in Castle Winterfell though, and asked, "Did you say castle earlier? One of those castles?"

    "Oh yeah yeah," Brother Bear had a wonderful rhythm to his ent as he replied in English, "That kind of castle. You girls will like that ce." He paused, then corrected himself, "Well, now there''s three of you."

    Such ttery, Jian Jing couldn''t resistughing.

    Brother Bear went on, "But Lei Ao is a good kid. Really, I''m very fond of him. I''m truly happy that he''s found happiness."

    He chatted volubly and soon described the groom''s family background in detail.

    Lei Ao''s surname was a bit of a tongue twister, pronounced "Salvickluz". Since it was so hard to remember, his family was referred to as the "Sal" family.

    They had over three hundred years of history in this region, and were counts enfeoffed by the former royal family, possessing arge territory. But as history evolved, the royals with actual power became figurehead constitutional monarchs, and the nobility retained only symbolic meaning.

    The territory was naturally gone too.

    Decades ago, Lei Ao''s grandfather did business and made a fortune. He not only renovated the old castle, but also bought arge tract ofnd, bing thergest real estate developer in the area.

    It is said that one-third of thend in Barna town belongs to the Sal family. They are filthy rich.

    The hospital, shopping mall, nursing home in the town are all funded by the Sal family. They are the uncrowned kings of Barna town.

    Brother Bear is good at chatting. After driving for four hours, Si Yingjie and Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t bear the fatigue of the journey and fell asleep, but Jian Jing became more spirited and took notes enthusiastically.

    She humored him, making Brother Bear even more energetic. Originally he was going to take them directly to Castle Winterfell, but after arriving in town he changed his mind and strongly rmended they try the best pizza in town.

    The ne arrived at around eight in the morning, and after several more hours of driving, everyone was starving, and they unanimously agreed.

    Just looking at the exterior, the pizza shop was somewhat disappointing. The red roof tiles had faded, and the sign was also dim. But when they pushed open the sturdy door, an amazing aroma immediately wafted out.

    Sausage, cheese, vegetables, the wonderful smell of the dough immediately awakened the taste buds of the three.

    Si Yingjie shamelessly said, "I can eat a whole one by myself."

    Jian Jing immediately ordered: "One jumbo pizza."

    "You must try the grape lemonade the boss makes himself," Brother Bear strongly rmended.

    Jian Jing readily agreed: "Okay, three more lemonades."

    "Youth is so nice. I wish I could just eat and then go to sleep," Si Yingjie said, his waist and back aching, unable to muster any energy. "President Kang, us old bones really can''t take it anymore."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t say anything, picked up a ss of lemonade the boss had brought over, took a small sip, and the cold rushed to his forehead, finally making him a little more awake.

    At this time, the piping hot pizza had juste fresh out of the oven.

    The four each took a slice, and with one bite the taste of the cheese, toppings, and dough blended in their mouths, rich and spicy, immediately setting their tongues aze.

    "Cough," Kang Mu Cheng, who couldn''t eat spicy food, coughed incessantly.

    Jian Jing chuckled and quickly passed him water and napkins, asking, "Is there anything non-spicy, anything is fine."

    The boss poked his head out with a look of "poor child can''t eat spicy," and asked, "Chicken noodles?"

    "No spicy," Jian Jing emphasized.

    The boss shook his head and ducked back into the kitchen.

    Kang Mu Cheng drank several gulps of icy water to finally quell the spiciness, and said to Jian Jing, "You should eat less too, it''s too spicy."

    "I''m fine," she said, taking a big bite, even enjoying the pain from the chili peppers. Paired with the chilled, refreshing grape lemonade, the sweet and sour taste was delicious too.

    Enjoyable.

    "Ding dong," the bell on the door rang as three people bundled up warmly squeezed into the shop.

    "One jumbo pizza, extra cheese," the young man in front ordered familiarly, then turned around and rubbed his nose. "Uncle George, you''re here too?"

    "Luka," Brother Bear warmly greeted. "Howe you''re eventer than me, aren''t you closer?"

    Lukained angrily, "Don''t even mention it. Thisdy had to go shopping in town, so what could I do?"

    "You little brat, what''s wrong with preparing more stuff in such a remote ce?" the blonde woman retorted, hands on her hips, very aggressive.

    Luka was very upset and ignored her, only asking Brother Bear, "Uncle George, is there still room in your car?"

    "Two more seats," Brother Bear said. "What''s up?"

    A shadow shed across Luka''s face. "The castle...I don''t like that ce. You know how it makes me feel ufortable."

    The room instantly fell silent.

 Chapter 218

    Chapter 218

    The smell of spicy pizza lingered in the air of the pizzeria, stinging Jian Jing''s nose and respiratory tract with a subtle but nagging pain.

    Brother Bear nced at Lu Ka and said nonchntly, "Don''t say that in front of customers. Castle Winterfell is a nice ce with over 300 years of history, older than our great grandfathers."

    He cracked a joke but no oneughed.

    Lu Ka grumbled, "I just feel ufortable whenever I get near that ce." He looked at the customers he had picked up and joked ingratiatingly, "I still have work to do this afternoon. Uncle, I''ve brought the people to Barna, just a few kilometers from the castle. So...maybe you could give them a ride?"

    He rubbed his nose until it turned red. "Just two people, it''d be convenient, right?"

    "Sure, but Lu Ka," Brother Bear said seriously, "don''t forget, the nursing home fees for your grandma are low because Sa Er paid for half of it."

    Lu Ka was momentarily at a loss for words.

    Their conversation attracted the attention of others.

    Kimberley, the blonde woman among the neers, couldn''t help but blurt out, "You seem to be talking about something we don''t know. Castle Winterfell?"

    Brother Bear red at Lu Ka.

    Lu Ka tried to gloss over it, stammering, "Yes, um...the castle is built on a cliff, and my fear of heights makes me...feel pressured."

    Kimberley looked skeptical.

    "Your pizza," said the boss, carrying the pizza in one hand and the chicken pasta in the other. "And your noodles."

    Kimberley took a piece of pizza and asked, "Italian pizza? Italian?"

    The boss shrugged. "French."

    "Do you know Castle Winterfell?" Kimberley deliberately nced at Lu Ka.

    The young man was visibly fidgeting.

    But the boss''s response was casual: "Who in Barna doesn''t know Castle Winterfell?"

    "Have you been to that ce yourself?"

    The boss said, "I''m not interested in it. Would you like anything else?"

    "Two lemon waters, thanks."

    The boss brought out a jug of iced water for them to help themselves.

    Kimberley took the initiative to chat with Jian Jing: "It sounds like you''re going to the castle too?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "We''re here for a wedding."

    "Oh, so you''re Mnie''s friend - are you a friend of Sa Er or the groom?" she asked.

    "Sa Er is my ssmate."

    "I see. So what do you think of him?" Kimberley tossed her hair and put on an inquisitive look. "I''m Mnie''s sister. To be honest, I don''t know anything about the man she''s marrying."

    Sheined to herpanion, "Dear, this whole thing is just awful."

    "Mnie has the right to choose her own husband," her husband said. "Come on, let''s happily attend their wedding."

    Kimberley made a displeased expression but didn''t object, lowering her head to eat her lunch.

    Jian Jing stirred the ice cubes in her ss with a straw. She felt like Kimberley was impulsive, asking questions and then immediately forgetting them. Her thinking seemed rather muddled.

    But Jian Jing didn''t say anything, just snatched thest piece of pizza from Si Yingjie.

    After lunch, Brother Bear and Lu Ka discussed and finally agreed to give Kimberley, her husband and the others a ride to Castle Winterfell.

    On the road, everyone introduced themselves.

    The blonde woman was called Kimberley, the bride was her cousin Mnie. The man with her was of course her husband, having married just a year ago.

    Jian Jing asked, "Where are the bride''s parents?"

    "Poor Mnie, her parents died shortly after she was born," Cousin Kim said. "She lived with our family since she was a little girl, and we were just like real sisters. But I''ve never met her husband."

    She stressed the word "never", very concerned about it.

    Kang Mu Cheng had to speak up for his friend: "Lei Ao is a good man, kind and responsible. I believe they will be a very happy couple."

    Cousin Kim blinked and looked unconvinced.

    But her husband said, "Anyway, he owns a castle, and money can solve many problems. This marriage won''t be too bad."

    It didn''t take long to get to Castle Winterfell, just 10 minutes up the mountain road after leaving town. Then the gray castle perched on the cliff came into view.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but exim, "Wow!"

    It was magnificently spectacr!

    On the distant cliff stood an astonishing Gothic castle. Whitish gray walls with typical high spires, straight and majestic lines, ornately decorated - and right before the endless sea.

    However, that alone was not enough to take one''s breath away.

    As the temperature dropped, water vapor from the sea continued to condense on the castle''s surface, encasing it in clusters of crystalline shells, as if made of ice.

    Abundant irregr sharp icicles covered the castle and cliff, like a huge white crystal, but the opaque oveppingyers prevented light from prating, blurring the twisted stagnant shadows on it.

    It was beautiful, magnificent, yet eerie.

    No wonder Lu Ka felt ufortable - he wasn''t lying.

    The car circled onto the highway, slowly leaving the bizarre scenery behind. Gradually the front view of the castle came into sight.

    It became ordinary.

    The old exterior wall still had a luxurious style, but the reliefs had faded, the columns had lost their color, no longer extravagant but heavy with history.

    In short, not as shockingly weird as the back.

    Brother Bear parked the car at the gate, rang the bell, and the iron gate slowly opened to let them drive in.

    Jian Jing instinctively observed her surroundings. In winter, the grass and trees were withered. Thick snow was piled on both sides of the road, like a white towel cake.

    Amid the snow were some ck dried branches and bird prints.

    A young girl pushed open the door. "Uncle George, guests?"

    "Little Mary." Brother Bear pushed hard to open the solid wooden door. "Is Lei Ao home?"

    "As usual, in the study, no disturbance allowed," Mary replied. "But he told me that when guests arrive, I should take them to their rooms. All cleaned up."

    "That''s great news, I bet our guests are exhausted," said Brother Bear.

    He told the five guests, "This is Mary, Lei Ao hired her to help around the castle. She''s a capable girl, ask her if you need anything."

    Mary was a pretty girl with red hair and a light smattering of freckles. She tly announced, "There''s much to do around the castle for the few of us - I hope you won''t treat me like a maid to order around."

    Cousin Kim awkwardly retracted her hand as she was about to pass her coat to Mary.

    Mary looked uncertainly at Kang Mu Cheng. "You''re Lei Ao''s friend Kang?" Her pronunciation was off. "They''re your friends?"

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded.

    "Your rooms are on the third floor," Mary said. "Follow me."

    She then turned and went upstairs, leaving Cousin Kim and her husband standing.

    In Chinese, Si Yingjiemented: "Quite a personality."

    Jian Jing had to stifle her amusement.

    "Mind your step," Miss Mary said coolly but dutifully. "The stairs are over a hundred years old, best not to trust them too much."

    The stairs were steep but the railings and walls were beautifully carved. In the dim wall lights, the statues faded in and out, quite aesthetically pleasing.

    On the third floor, it was slightly brighter. At the end of the hallway was a stained ss window, with typical angel patterns in red, green, yellow and blue, casting colorful lights on the floor.

    "Here are three guest rooms," Mary stopped and took out a set of keys from her waist to open each one. "Make yourselves at home, the beddings are all new."

    "Thank you very much," Kang Mu Cheng said gratefully.

    Mary''s attitude softened a little as she nodded, then hurried downstairs to receive the other two guests.

    Si Yingjie pushed open every door and nced inside. "They''re all simr. Jian Jing can take the middle one."

    Jian Jing readily agreed: "Okay."

    The guest rooms were not too big, about 30 square meters. Besides the typical European four-poster beds, there was a wardrobe, a chair, a desk, and a very typical and practical firece.

    A real firece, with neatly chopped oak firewood on the rack next to it, and a brick chimney above. In the corner were a set of fire tongs, shovel and broom.

    The exquisitely made firece leaned against the wall, ready to be lit at any time.

    Jian Jing had a hard time resisting the urge to try lighting it.

    On the wall next to the bed was an arched window, shut tight. Just outside was the frozen cliff. From this angle, looking down, the greyish ice blocks were interlocked, much like the grim teeth of some beast in the sea.

    She took off her coatˇŞthough the castle was old, it had modern heating installed, and warm air blew from concealed corners, so it was not too coldˇŞopened her luggage, and quickly tidied up her clothes.

    Next she used the bathroom.

    Even great beauties need to use the bathroom, are ne bathrooms made for people?!

    The bathroom of the guest room was not big. The tiles still retained the style from a hundred years ago, fortunately the bathroom fixtures were modernized, with a flush toilet and bathtub that were brand new.

    She took out her phone, good, there was a signal.

    Kang Mu Cheng had sent a new message in their group of three: [Rest first, dinner starts at 7pm]

    Si Yingjie sent a sleeping emoji.

    Jian Jing did the same.

    Their chat history in this group basically followed this pattern.

    Kang Mu Cheng was toozy to correct them anymore.

    After the long journey of over ten hours, even those made of iron would be exhausted. The three people were incredibly tired, and got into bed to sleep without any discussion.

    The bed was unexpectedly soft. Her body sank into it, soft andfortable, but after not too long, the overly soft mattress started tormenting her spine.

    Jian Jing did not sleep well, constantly feeling ufortable. She could not stand it anymore and sat up to try changing mattresses.

    But just then, her watch showed 5:23pm.

    She had slept for over three hours, yet it felt as if she had stayed up the entire night.

    "Ah, how annoying!" She sat on the bed in frustration for a while, unwilling to get up. Eventually she got out of bed to wash up.

    The water was very hot. She washed her face and applied a face mask, putting on light makeup. She changed out of thefortable, loose athletic clothes worn on the ne into a more formal grey woollen long dress, paired with short boots.

    She casually bundled up her messy hair into a fluffy bun.

    Wearing little rabbit ear hair clips, she was done.

    Worried that Si Yingjie and Kang Mu Cheng were not yet awake, she didn''t knock on their doors but went straight downstairs.

    Downstairs, Mary and Qiao Zhi were nowhere to be seen, nor Kim''s cousin and her husband. Only a man in a ck suit sat in the lounge smoking a cigar.

    The two made eye contact.

    Jian Jing paused in her steps, thinking to herself: What was the name of the male lead in that vampire movie? The one with skin so pale he looked bloodless.

    "ČŐ±ľČË¤Ç¤ą¤«?" he asked.

    Jian Jing: "I''m Chinese."

    "Sorry." He shrugged and switched to clumsy Chinese. "I can''t tell the difference."

    Jian Jing said: "You can speak English."

    He immediately switchednguages, much more fluent now: "You look a lot like a Japanese singer." And he hummed a few lines of ''Riding on the Silver Dragon''s Back.''

    Jian Jing: "..."

    People often said she resembled Misako Yamaguchi, but that was a Mika Nakashima song.

    She reasonably suspected this person was face-blind.

 Chapter 219

    Chapter 219

    "Augustus Horlen," the face blind man introduced himself politely.

    Jian Jing noticed that he paused slightly when he reported his surname, as if he had abbreviated the sybles, but she did not pay much attention to it. She simply reported her surname: "Jian."

    This was a friendly form of address, and Horlen quickly epted it: "Are you Mnie''s friend?"

    "The groom''s friend''s friend, what about you?" Jian Jing sized him up. This man had a typical Western face that could be found in many foreign historical dramas with a simr temperament.

    Horlen said, "I''m a good friend of Leo''s, so your friend must be the Eastern friend Leo met in college?"

    "Obviously."

    "Leo is very happy that he cane with his friend." Horlen finished smoking the cigar in his hand and smiled, "He has always wanted to have a lively wedding."

    Jian Jing listened strangely: "So how many guests will there be?"

    "Not too many, fortunately not too few either." Horlen said.

    "I see." Jian Jing smiled and changed the subject, "Excuse me, where can I find coffee?"

    Horlen pointed to the hall at the end: "The conservatory should have what you want."

    At the end of the first floor hallway was a protruding reception hall with beautiful floor-to-ceiling stained ss windows on three sides. Several armchairs of different styles were casually ced, cushioned, carved walnut, copper-d redwood, obviously from different historical periods.

    There were also many oil paintings on the walls, mostly depicting the theme of Winterfell Castle, in a gloomy style.

    Against the wall there was a desk, piano and cab. On top of the cab there was a coffee machine, cigar box and a set of blue and white porcin tea set.

    "There is ck tea in the cab." Someone said from behind.

    Jian Jing turned around and saw a gaunt and pale face. The nose was high and straight, the eye sockets were deeply sunken, and the iris was an extremely rare violet color. In terms of looks, it was not particrly beautiful, but there was an omnipresent gloom between the eyebrows that was very special.

    She thought for a moment and asked, "Are you Sal?"

    "You can call me Lei Ao." His voice was very gentle, effortless to listen to, "You are Little Jian Jing from Twilight City."

    The pronunciation of "little" was slightly uplifted, rolling out an intimate tone.

    "You got our names right." Jian Jing was equally friendly, "Just ''Jian'' is fine for me."

    Lei Ao nodded slightly, opened the cab: "Tea?"

    "Coffee." she said.

    Lei Ao took out coffee beans, put them in a grinder, turned the handle, and slowly ground them into powder. At the same time, the water in the kettle was also heated to the right temperature.

    The coffee powder was put into a filter, and thin streams of water were poured in, brewing several times.

    The extracted brown coffee dripped down, giving off an aromatic fragrance.

    He opened the built-in small fridge, which waspletely empty. He hurriedly took out his phone, "Mary, please bring fresh milk and sugar to the reception room."

    He exined apologetically to Jian Jing, "There are so many wedding affairs that I have neglected to amodate you properly."

    "It''s alright." Jian Jing said, "I''m very happy to be able to attend your wedding, and in such a castle too."

    Lei Ao seemed a little surprised and even asked, "You like this castle?"

    She said, "It''s very interesting."

    Lei Ao blinked quickly: "Thank you, but this is...unexpected." Facing her puzzled eyes, he had to exin, "After all, this is a very old house that doesn''t get much sunlight and is very old and shabby, not a particrlyfortable ce."

    "Yes," he emphasized, "this is not a good ce, don''t fall in love with it."

    Jian Jing was surprised. Lei Ao''s tone was as if he was warning her not to fall in love with a scumbag.

    "The milk and sugar you wanted." Mary came in with a jug of fresh milk, and spoke unpleasantly, "Why don''t you go to the kitchen yourself for such little things?"

    Lei Ao immediately said, "I''m sorry, Mary, for adding to your work."

    Mary''s face softened: "You don''t need to apologize, but I hope you seriously consider..." She nced at Jian Jing and switched to French, "It''s best to rethink your marriage, I still don''t approve of you doing this."

    Jian Jing: Pretend not to understand.

    Lei Ao''s reply was concise and powerful: "I have already thought it through."

    Mary left here disappointed without looking back.

    "Jian, I''m afraid I have to leave for a moment." Lei Ao said, "Twilight City and I were very good friends in college, he helped me a lot. Please feel free to look around."

    Jian Jing said, "Thank you."

    He hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Jian, this is an old house."

    She didn''t understand: "Oh?"

    "I''m rarely at home, and haven''t had any repairs done for a long time. If," he paused, and said slowly, "there are any strange sounds, it must be the wind blowing through the cracks in the bricks and stones, don''t be afraid."

    As if to prove what he said was true, as soon as he finished speaking, a strange moan came from some part of the room. It was barely discernible, wispy and faraway, eerie like the whistle of a steam lotive, weird like the cackle of a witch.

    Jian Jing''s expression changed instantly. The facial muscles, loose from the long journey, were tightened by invisible lines, and in just a few seconds they did a facelift. Her whole being became spirited.

    "Oh my." Sheughed, "Now I believe it, old houses can be a little scary."

    Lei Ao showed imperceptible relief.

    Dinner began promptly at seven o''clock.

    Kang Mu Cheng and Si Yingjie arrived fifteen minutes early in the dining room, followed closely by Horlen. Kimberley and her husband went downstairs around six fifty, and inevitably got acquainted with strangers again.

    At six fifty-five, Jian Jing arrived on the scene.

    She sat down next to Kang Mu Cheng and said, "It''s snowing again outside."

    Si Yingjie was full of weariness and muttered, "What''s so strange about that?"

    Jian Jing said, "I''m afraid of the temperature dropping."

    "Don''t worry, the castle is warm enough." Horlen chimed in.

    At this point, a slender woman walked down the stairs.

    She was extremely beautiful, with long ck hair, snow white skin, azure blue eyes, and a fragile and dreary demeanor that resembled the famous French beauty Agyness.

    Perhaps to highlight her cherishment of friends and family, she wore an evening gown that outlined her slender figure. Around her neck hung a freshwater pearl ne, and on her hand was a ruby ring, like a nobledy going to a banquet, graceful and elegant, blending in with the atmosphere of the castle.

    Si Yingjie made a slightly audible gasp.

    "Mnie." Kimberley affectionately called her sister''s name, "It''s good to see you atst."

    "Kimmy." Mnie called her sister''s nickname, a shallow smile appeared on her beautiful face, "I''m so d you coulde."

    Kimberley introduced her husband: "This is Carl, my husband."

    Mnie nodded amiably at Carl.

    "It looks like everyone is here." Lei Ao came in through another door, holding his fianc¨¦e''s hand and sitting down. He raised his ss and said, "Thank you all foring from afar to attend my wedding."

    Everyone cooperated by taking a sip of champagne together.

    "Dong-" the antique clock in the dining room struck seven.

    Mary pushed in a trolley and deftly served everyone.

    The starter was a mixed vegetable soup with local vegetables, lettuce leaves, spinach, potatoes and strange beans, with a lot of tomato sauce, sour and sweet.

    There were also a few slices of bread, topped with raw fish slices, lemon and rosemary.

    Jian Jing tried taking a bite. The bread was baked crispy, and the raw fish slices were very fresh and tender.

    "Dear, these fish slices remind me of Carl''s and my honeymoon." Kimberley was in high spirits, constantly chatting with Mnie, "Sushi, hot springs and cherry blossoms, what about you? Antarctica, Africa or Asia?"

    Mnie didn''t seem to have much of an appetite, only drinking a couple sips of the soup. She said, "I don''t know, maybe Egypt, maybe South America. Lei Ao doesn''t like ces that are too cold."

    Kimberley: "Egypt is a good ce, isn''t it, Carl?"

    Carl: "Yes, I really like the culture there."

    "How do you n to go there?" Kimberley was eager to make some observations about the wedding preparations.

    But Mnie was preupied and barely managed to respond: "We''ll talk about it when the timees."

    Kimberley put down her knife and fork, took a sip of champagne, and muttered, "Mnie, you really don''t look like a woman about to get married."

    Mnie smiled bitterly: "I don''t know why, but the closer I get to the wedding, the more nervous I be."

    "Dear, you must be too tired. Do you want to go back and rest?" Lei Ao asked with concern.

    "Just a bit of a headache, I''ll be fine after taking some painkillers," Mnie replied.

    Si Yingjiemented: "Premarital jitters."

    At this time, Mary''s food cart came around again, and everyone got an extra small hot pot.

    That''s right, hot pot, but not clear soup or beef tallow, but cheese hot pot. Meat, vegetables, mushrooms and other ingredients were prepared in advance and cooked in the cheese pot. If you like, you can also sprinkle some chili powder.

    Jian Jing tasted two bites, her stomach protested: This is not hot pot!

    The staple food was Italian dumplings, with ham filling, which was quite tasty.

    "I hope you''ll enjoy today''s meal," Lei Ao said. "Mary, if you''re not busy, why don''t you sit down and eat with us?"

    Mary said coldly: "Come on, George can''t handle it alone."

    Lei Ao looked helpless without insisting further.

    "Strange," Si Yingjie said again.

    Jian Jing didn''t respond, and drank up the champagne in her ss.

    Mary immediately took a new bottle, popped the cork and then set it aside, showing no intention of pouring the wine.

    It was Lei Ao who immediately got up, took the bottle and poured wine for everyone, exining: "The weather is bad, everyone else went home, Mary and George have too much work, so let me serve you."

    Augustus Horlen shrugged: "You know me well, no problem."

    The ident happened at this moment.

    First there was a "ng", and Mnie''s wine ss in front tipped over, startling everyone.

    Everyone looked over to see her clenching her teeth, neck and back stiff, with obvious spasms.

    Lei Ao''s face turned pale at once: "Mnie!"

    "Does she have epilepsy?" Jian Jing asked.

    Kimberley screamed: "Mnie doesn''t have that!"

    "Then she must have been poisoned," Jian Jing said as she walked over quickly, holding Mnie''s body while ncing over the food and drinks in front of her.

    After a little thought, she dipped her finger in the champagne and tasted it.

    There was a hint of bitterness in the sweetness.

    On the status bar of the character panel, a new line appeared: Bufotoxin poisoning.

    Two secondster, the words disappeared.

    Ever since the Immunity skill was activated, the character panel had shown new tricks. She spat twice, affirmatively saying, "Send her to the hospital, she needs her stomach pumped."

    Lei Ao picked up Mnie in a panic and rushed out the door.

    Kang Mu Cheng immediately said, "I''ll go start the car, where is it parked?"

    "In the garage, I''ll take you there," Augustus'' reaction was not slow either.

    But less than ten minutester, Bear George''s loud voice rang out: "No, the snow is too heavy, cars can''t get to the hospital or they''ll get stuck. Where''s Mary, ask her if she can help, she''s a doctor!"

    Amidst the chaos, Mary calmly directed: "Take her back to her room, Uncle George, please go get the first aid kit - can anyone tell me what happened to her?"

    Lei Ao said, "I don''t know, she was fine just now."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Maybe it''s food poisoning."

    Augustus said: "Everyone ate the same thing, she ate very little."

    "Strychnine poisoning," Jian Jing said loudly with her hand to her mouth. "Can we induce vomiting?"

    There was silence at the door.

    Mary: "We can try."

 Chapter 220

    Chapter 220

    Dinner was forced to stop prematurely.

    Mary had wanted to make Mnie vomit, but she couldnˇŻt withstand external stimuli, so she first had to be rushed back to the bedroom, pull down the curtains, and provide her with a quiet environment.

    Immediately after, she found ˇőˇő in the medicine chest, which was a tranquilizer specially used to treat panic disorders, and could effectively treat convulsions.

    The two measures worked together, and Mnie''s condition improved significantly.

    Lei Ao wanted to stay and take care of her, but Mary said, "She needs a quiet environment. Extra sounds and light may trigger another convulsion."

    So he had to stop, and went back to the dining room with the others.

    Jian Jing was walking around the dining table with her phone, taking photos from multiple angles.

    Kimberley asked loudly, "Why won''t you let us go see M?"

    "Are you a doctor?" Jian Jing asked.

    Kimberley said excitedly, "No, but I..."

    "A crowd won''t help, and I need you to stay as witnesses," she said.

    "Witnesses to what? To show how heartless you are?" Kimberley was very angry.

    Jian Jing said, "Obviously, this is a case of poisoning. I''d rather not have everyone leave and let the perpetrator quietly dispose of the evidence."

    "Poisoning?" Holen was the first toe in and ask, "Why are you so sure?"

    Jian Jing said, "Mnie has the ssic symptoms of strychnine poisoning. Unless she happened to eat deadly nightshade, I can''t think of any reason why she''d be like this."

    Mary came in second, frowning, "Where was the poison slipped in?"

    "The wine, or maybe something else too, I can''t be sure," Jian Jing gave her conclusion, "It would be best to put everyone''s food in containers and give it to the police to test."

    "That''s not difficult, there are plenty of things in the kitchen," Mary said. "But Barna only has a small police station. I dare bet they don''t have the ability to solve murder cases."

    Bear George disagreed: "Don''t talk like that about Old John. He just likes to drink a little too much, is a little muddled in the head. At leastst month, he still caught the little rascal who was shoplifting at the convenience store."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Let''s just say, your country is no good.

    "Well, that''s fine too," she said calmly, "We''ll hold on to it for now. Strychnine doesn''t break down easily, so there will still be traces detectable after some time."

    "Alright, I''ll grab some containers. Uncle George,e with me too. We should witness for each other, right, Miss Jian?" Mary asked sharply.

    "I''d prefer for us to package them separately. Would you be able to carry so many boxes by yourself?" Jian Jing shot back.

    Mary looked at her for a moment, sensing some goodwill, and her tone softened: "Perhaps you''re right." She dragged the still muddled Bear George and forcibly pulled him away.

    The air stagnated for a moment.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at Lei Ao, concern showing in his eyes. His friend''s face was very ugly, pale with a tinge of green, definitely not just worry or anger. It seemed there was an unmissable trace of...fear?

    On behalf of his friend, he asked: "Do you suspect not only Mnie was poisoned, but someone else among us too?"

    But Jian Jing just shook her head and said, "We''ve eaten most of the meal already. If someone else was poisoned with strychnine, symptoms would have appeared by now. Of course, if it was in capsule form or mixed with the food, onset would be much slower. But I don''t think there''s any particr need to worry."

    The motivations for poisoning could be:

    1. An action targeted at Mnie personally, so the others should be fine.

    2. A random act against whoever was present, so if the timing was the same,ck of symptoms meansck of poisoning.

    3. Mass poisoning of everyone, ditto.

    Carl couldn''t help but speak up: "I don''t understand, who would do this? What''s the benefit?"

    His wife Kimberley reacted faster, and found it easier to specte: "It''s a wedding, dear. A wedding is about to be held here--what other reason could there be?"

    Holen nodded: "Lei Ao, this is intimidation."

    Si Yingjie was confused listening in for a while, but finally started to get it. He whispered to Jian Jing, "It was Mary right, she likes Lei Ao."

    Jian Jing: "Pfft--"

    Si Yingjie red angrily at her.

    She turned her back, pretending nothing had happened.

    Lei Ao didn''t know their secret. After thinking for a long time, he seemed to make up his mind and said, "No, Auguste, it''s not so bad. This is just a particrly intense dissuasion--Mnie''s condition isn''t serious, right?"

    If only she drank more, Jian Jing thought but didn''t rashly contradict him.

    Lei Ao used the word "dissuasion". Why?

    Kimberley asked anxiously, "Then the wedding..."

    "I''m already registered as married to Mnie. The ceremony won''t change anything," Lei Ao said quickly. "We''ll talk about this afterwards. If the snow stops tomorrow, I''ll take M to the hospital first."

    His gaze swept over each person as he took a deep breath: "That''s it. I''m a little tired, sorry."

    Without waiting for the guests to respond, he got up and left the dining room.

    Kimberley immediately stood up and gathered her shawl: "I''m going to check on M."

    No one stopped her. Carl followed along.

    Holen asked the other men: "Cigars?"

    It was only 8:30, too early for bed. Feeling bored, Si Yingjie extricated himself from the armchair: "Sure, just the thing to liven up. Mu Cheng, youing?"

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at Jian Jing, then agreed.

    Jian Jing was left alone in the dining room waiting for Mary.

    Five minutester, Mary came back pushing a trolley, but this time it wasn''tden with delicious dishes, but brand new stic containers.

    "George has to clean up the kitchen. The two of us should be fine right?" she asked.

    Jian Jing said, "Of course."

    The two started clearing the dining table, pouring each person''s food and drinks into separate containers,beling them.

    Mary noticed that Jian Jing''s actions were very meticulous. She used clean forks to stir the dishes, swirled the soup bases, and would also pick up sses of wine, examining sediment under the crystalmp.

    Only after doing all this did she seal the containers and stick on the name tags.

    "You don''t seem like a doctor," Mary said.

    Jian Jing: "I''m not one. Are you a doctor?"

    "I don''t have my license yet," she said calmly. "If you want to know why I''m working as a maid here when I went to medical school, you can just ask directly."

    Jian Jing readily said, "Why?"

    "My mother used to be employed at Castle Winterfell. After she passed away, Lei Ao funded my college tuition," Mary frankly told her. "In return, Ie to work here during holidays."

    Jian Jing realized this red-haired girl was someone who liked being direct. So she got right to the point: "You don''t seem to approve of this marriage?"

    "Yes," Mary readily admitted, and went on, "That''s right. So now, I''m the prime suspect?"

    "Because of the champagne you poured? No." Jian Jing slowly said, "It was the wine Lei Ao poured."

    As expected, Mary hurriedly denied it: "It can''t be Lei Ao. He loves her very much."

    "Then why don''t you approve?"

    Silence for a moment.

    "It''s unrted to the poisoning. I don''t want to answer," Mary said coldly.

    Jian Jing tactfully changed the topic: "Who do you think would ''dissuade'' Lei Ao in this kind of way? If Mnie drank a little more, he''d be a widower already."

    Mary looked thoughtful for a while, then said, "I don''t know. Maybe Mr. Holen is right that it''s intimidation."

    "Intimidating who?" Jian Jing asked.

    Without thinking, she immediately said: "Obviously Lei Ao."

    "Who would want to intimidate him? We''re all friends here for his wedding." Jian Jing blinked and recalled the pizza shop experience at noon. She ventured, "Could it be...the townspeople?"

    A trace of gloom shed through Mary''s eyes: "Barna isn''t a famous ce. I don''t know if it''s like this in your country, but in Barna, everyone knows each other. Many people''s families have lived here for generations. They don''t like Castle Winterfell."

    "Why?"

    "Real estate," she said icily. "The Sal family bought up a lot ofnd, some of which had been in other families for generations. When they were short on cash, they sold thend, butter said the Sal family had taken advantage of their hardship."

    Mary spoke faster: "That''s what I think happened: during the day, one of the people who came to help out at the castle harbored a grudge. They found a way to slip in poison somewhere, not necessarily targeting Mnie, anyone would do. Just to get back at Lei Ao."

    usible.

    But Jian Jing instinctively felt Mary hadn''t told the whole truth, or at least not theplete truth.

    As they were talking, the two of them had already packed up neatly, and worked together to send the airtight container into the underground ice cer. This was a purely natural cer that could maintain a low temperature in the cold winter without any equipment.

    Mary found an iron box and put the container in it, locking it up.

    She handed the key to Jian Jing, "I guess you don''t feel at ease with it being kept in my hands. Here, you take it."

    "You seem to trust me a lot?" Jian Jing was a little surprised.

    Mary said, "You have no rtionship with Lei Ao, so you are under the least suspicion. Of course, the other man is also fine, but he lookspletely unreliable."

    "Thank you for trusting me. I will keep it safe," Jian Jing put the key in her pocket.

    Mary said, "It''s veryte. I''ll walk you back to your room."

    "No need. I know the way."

    "There are many forks in the castle. Some were left for the servants in the past. Don''t wander around, or you''ll easily get lost," Mary warned meaningfully, "If you hear any strange sounds, it''s just the wind."

    Jian Jing smiled, "Okay, I''ll remember that."

    The two parted ways.

    Unfortunately, Jian Jing''s way back was very uneventful, and she did not hear any strange sounds.

    The fatigue from the journey had not yet dissipated. She did not tour the castle again, and took a hot bath early, flipping the mattress to the firmer side.

    Then, turning on the wallmp, she wrote down her thoughts in her notebook.

    Sitting - Quietly, only Mnie''s wine was problematic.

    Indiscriminate killing? Specific target?

    Lei Ao, Castle Winterfell, what are the strange sounds?

    Mnie ate very little, she has something on her mind? Pre-wedding jitters?

    Kimberley is very concerned about the wedding. Why?

    Holen was the first to threaten.

    Mary does not approve of the wedding. Is she involved with Lei Ao?

    Real estate? The attitude of the townspeople towards Castle Winterfell.

    Full of puzzles, even more than the fallen hair.

    Jian Jing only thought about it for a while before she felt sleepy from the myriad of threads.

    Unconsciously, she fell asleep.

    In the middle of the night, the eerie, ethereal singing woke her up.

    From the cracks in the ceiling, thepartments in the walls, the depths of the pipes underground, came strange singing. The sybles were vague, indistinguishable as English, French or Chinese.

    The tune was weird, up and down, not melodious at all, mumbled indistinctly, sometimes near, sometimes far.

    One moment Jian Jing felt it was indeed the wind, the next she suspected being fooled.

    She could not discern, crawled frustrated out of bed to the bathroom.

    "Ah!" A shrill scream came from under the floor.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    This was happening right when she needed to use the bathroom!

    She hurriedly took care of her business, grabbed her phone, and rushed out the door. Rustling footsteps converged from all directions on the second floor guest room.

    The one screaming was Kimberley, who stayed downstairs with Carl.

    The door was wide open. Carl was holding his panicked wife, also looking shocked at the corner.

    Sitting there was a skeleton in splendid clothes.

 Chapter 221

    Chapter 221

    In the ancient and mysterious castle, Kimberley woke up in the middle of the night to find a skeleton suddenly appearing by her bedside... Thrilling.

    It was too thrilling.

    Jian Jing fully understood Kimberley''s fright. If it was someone else, the result would have been simr. She kindly said, "Drink some hot water to calm your shock."

    But Kimberley didn''t hear her at all. She kept screaming, "Did you see that? My God! What is this? It''s so scary. Dear, I can''t believe my eyes."

    Carl had to hold her hand tightly and pleaded her to calm down.

    At this time, Mary also came upstairs. She brought a very experienced ss of brandy, "You need this."

    "Oh yes, I need it." Kimberley''s hands trembled as she took it and drank a big sip. Her chest undtions gradually calmed down.

    Jian Jing: Why do foreigners drink alcohol when they get a shock?

    "What is this?" Mary stared at the skeleton with puzzlement on her face.

    "Bones." Si Yingjie kindly answered, "But not necessarily real."

    Jian Jing walked over, squatted down and observed for a while. She refuted him very positively, "No, they are real. The cranial wall is thin and smooth, the be is small, the supraorbital arch is not obvious, and the zygomatic bone is low...it''s female."

    After thinking for a while, "The nasal bone is high and narrow, the nasal spine is developed." She seemed unsure, so she opened the measurement app on her phone and measured the nasal width and height, calcted a nasal index. The number was small.

    She then measured the jaw-forehead index, orbital index, alpha index, all of which were greater than the critical point.

    So she happily announced, "It''s the Caucasoid race."

    Others: "..."

    "What about the age?" Horan asked.

    Jian Jing casually checked the conditions of the ribs, tibia and other bones, and estimated an approximate age range: "20-30 years old."

    "Who is this?" Mary asked. "Why did it appear here?"

    Leo, standing at the door, answered with a pale face, "I don''t know."

    Carl said, "Whoever it was doesn''t matter. The person has been dead for so long. The question is who put it in here and wanted to scare my wife?"

    Jian Jing had wandered around the guest room, "Did you lock the door?"

    Kimberley said loudly, "Of course!"

    "It was you who opened the door for us?"

    "No, the door was open." Carl said. "When I came over, I saw the door wide open."

    Jian Jing walked to the side wall and pointed to the opened small door, "Did youe in from this side? Your room is next door?"

    Carl nodded.

    Jian Jing felt puzzled.

    She had noticed earlier that the guest rooms were connected to each other. In addition to the main door facing the hallway, there was also a small side door that could lead to the adjacent room.

    Of course, the side doors could be bolted on both sides.

    She asked Kimberley again, "Did you lock the side door?"

    Kimberley shook her head.

    "That''s weird." She thought, "I was the second one to arrive, and the door was already open at that time. Who opened the door to the hallway?"

    Kimberley''s voice suddenly rose, "Of course it was the person who put the skeleton there!"

    "ThatˇŻs impossible." Mary said, "I gave you guys the keys to the rooms, and each room only has one."

    Jian Jing looked at the small round table by the window. There was indeed a mobile phone and a key on it.

    But the door lock was intact.

    Jian Jing had wanted to ask Kimberley about the story, but seeing her trembling all over, she swallowed the words back, "Then let''s deal with this skeleton first."

    "Let me do it." Bear George readily took the bony frame and said, "Leo, how about putting it in the basement?"

    Leo said, "Too far, put it in..." He pointed to the room at the end of the corridor, "there."

    Bear George was surprised, "The library?"

    Leo nodded without exining, "Kimberley, are you okay? Do you need to change to another room?"

    Kimberley said excitedly, "Of course, I don''t want to sleep in this ghost ce at all."

    "There seems to be an empty room on the third floor, but it only has a small dressing room." Leo said apologetically, "Please bear with it first, and weˇŻll deal with it tomorrow, okay?"

    Kimberley hurriedly nodded, and asked in horror and anger, "To be honest, I still don''t understand... was it a ghost? Or a person?"

    "It was an overdone prank." Leo said gently, "Don''t worry, I''ll get to the bottom of this. Rest well, please. Mary?"

    "Follow me." Mary walked ahead.

    At this point, Kimberley could not ask any more questions. She mumbled a few words and was led away by her husband.

    Leo looked at Kang Mu Cheng and smiled wryly, "This is really a terrible night."

    "If you have encountered any troubles, it is best not to choose to conceal it." Kang Mu Cheng frowned. "Although it looks like a prank now, I don''t think this is the end of it."

    Leo was silent.

    Jian Jing fully agreed, "It looks like just putting a skeleton to scare people, but who knows if it will be murder next time."

    "I don''t think so." Leo reassured her, "You don''t have to be afraid."

    "Why, do you know who did it?"

    Leo hesitated, "Jian, this is not a suitable topic for a girl."

    "Don''t underestimate her, Lei Ao." Unexpectedly, Kang Mu Cheng spoke up before her and said seriously, "She is a brave girl."

    Jian Jing had never imagined that she would receive such an evaluation from him. She was very surprised.

    Leo looked at him, then looked at her, and smiled, "Okay, in fact, strange things like this often happen in Winterfell Castle. This is not the first time."

    English is not her nativenguage. Jian Jing had to confirm, "Wait, you mean ''often''?"

    "Yes." His gaze was cast into the boundless distance, slowly saying in that rolling torrent of history, "For 300 years, strange unexinable things have been happening here, but no outsiders have ever lost their lives."

    Jian Jing: "Outsiders?"

    "Please don''t take it personally," Leo said, "It is a tradition in our family to spend thest moments of our lives in the castle."

    "I see." She nodded her head, and then asked in confusion again, "What kind of unexinable strange things are you referring to?"

    "Strange noises in the middle of the night, a room door suddenly opening, paintings on the stairs mysteriously changing positions, finding bugs in cakes... My childhood was full of such strange things."

    Jian Jing frowned, "Didn''t you ever suspect anything?"

    "Jian, sometimes it''s better to turn a blind eye than get to the bottom of it." Leo gently said, "I know very well that there are no ghosts in this world, just that people asionally do... actions that go against their intentions."

    This was echoing Mary''s statement that the townspeople deliberately targeted the Sahl family? Jian Jing wondered to herself.

    "Kang Mu Cheng, take your little friend back, it''s gettingte." Leo wearily pressed his temples. The shadows of the corridor lights swallowed half of his body, instantly pulling him into an ancient Gothic movie.

    The cold wind was piercing, blowing over the legs exposed outside the silk nightgown.

    Jian Jing thought for a while and didn''t say any more, "Good night, Leo."

    "Good night."

    Back under the warm quilt, Jian Jing lost her sleepiness. Regardless of who yed the midnight prank, since he could appear in Kimberley''s room, he could also appear at her bedside.

    That was a bit scary.

    She turned over and reassured herself that if any life-threatening ident really happened, the system would definitely pop up the task first thing in her dream.

    Jian Jing: Feeling sleepy now.

    That night, Jian Jing slept very soundly. The fatigue from the long journey erupted and she slept a full twelve hours.

    But today was still a terrible snowy day. When she woke up, the room was still pitch ck, making people mistakenly think it was only 4 or 5 o''clock in the morning.

    She loafed in bed for a while, ying on her phone.

    The signal was so-so. Videos wouldn''t load, she could only check WeChat.

    In her friend groups, Ji Yunyun was showing off her test scores on Moments,ining about the miserable life of high school seniors; Zuo Xin pulled an all-nighter preparing lessons,ining about how much students nowadays understand; Liang Yi cracked another case and was having hot pot with colleagues to celebrate.

    Ordinary people''s lives, full of human touch.

    In the other ylq group: Xu Scriptwriter was satirizing a certain TV series, implying giarized script; Director Huang was doing hype for his uing movie, and helping a friend spread word about his new film; Director Mei was talking about scheduling issues, thanking friends for their support; Zheng Keyan was promoting her new drama, she wasn''t the lead this time but the producer...

    Just, very morous, very busy.

    In private messages, the graduate student group was discussing downloading materials. The teacher shared a paid ount to allow them to download some materials and papers.

    A few students replied:

    She also replied with one.

    Jiang BaiYan sent her a short video, it was Pudding weighing herself and reporting the good news:

    She couldn''t help but reply:

    Jiang BaiYan:

    Chiu Feng brushed past, he was just a dead man on social media, asionally rising from the grave.

    After doing all this, waking up halfway, Jian Jing thought for a moment and went online to search for "Castle Winterfell".

    No results.

    Then she searched for "Salzburg Lucerne", not knowing the original text since it was a transliteration, so naturally there were no clues either.

    Finally, with a negligible mindset, she randomly searched for "Augustus Horlen".

    A social media page popped up.

    Out of curiosity she clicked in to browse, and saw a lot of familiar faces - here she had to thank Morning Star''s marketing events, repeatedly exining the major royal families of Europe in this world to onlooking melon-eaters.

    That''s right, some of the faces were well-known figures from a certain European royal family.

    One of the old men, also surnamed Horlen, had just been exposed in a nasty sexual assault scandalst month. Jian Jing searched her memory for news reports, and finally unearthed the origin of the surname "Horlen".

    Her hunch was right. Horlen was not aplete surname. However, the once ancient and glorious noble family had lost its original brilliance along with the decline of the royal family.

    The Horlen family today still had close ties with the various European royal families, but that was the extent of it.

    Unlike his rtives, Augustus Horlen had not been involved in any unsightly scandals, but looking at the photos on his social media ount, it was clear he was also a yboy.

    But this was not the point.

    The main thing was that in a group photo from six months ago, she saw Mnie''s face.

    In the crowd of women with high noses and deep eyes, her simple ck dress stood out, still exuding an aura of mysterious bleakness, in stark contrast to the other intoxicated and wealthydies.

    Jian Jing saved this photo, and couldn''t help but wonder - were the people who poisoned Mnie targeting the Salzburg family, or her personally?

    She clicked open a message from Kang Mu Cheng:

    Her:

    Kang Mu Cheng:

    Jian Jing was already aching all over:

    Kang Mu Cheng:

    Jian Jing was very shocked:

    But he said:

    :

 Chapter 222

    Chapter 222

    Bear George made Shepherd''s Pie for lunch, a traditional British dish with ayer of mashed potatoes on top and meat and vegetables on the bottom, baked in the oven for fifteen minutes to get a hearty meal.

    "Dear Jian Jing, poor girl, your legs are not even as thick as my arms," Bear George said when he saw here into the kitchen. Without another word, he picked out the biggest pie and shoved it into the oven, "You''ve got to eat more."

    Jian Jing didn''t mind eating more, but she did mind eating more British food.

    The country of dreadful cuisine, could it taste any good?

    As the oven heated up, a rich aroma drifted out. George put on oven mitts, brought out the freshly baked shepherd''s pie, and proudly said, "Try old Bear George''s cooking."

    Jian Jing ... ate a bite with great trepidation.

    It was actually pretty good.

    The mashed potatoes were blended with butter until smooth as silk. The beef was stewed until tender and falling apart, seasoned with pepper and tomato sauce. The brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and carrots were all cooked until crisp and tender, easy on the teeth.

    The only downside was it was a bit too rich.

    You''d need to pair it with a lemon drink to be able to finish it.

    She scooped up a hearty spoonful of mashed potatoes and meat, and began to chat aimlessly, "You''re a great cook, are you a chef?"

    "No, old Bear George is a car mechanic, but I like to cook. My little Ruby loves when her dad shows off his skills the most." Bear George said.

    Jian Jing: "She must be an adorable girl."

    "Of course, Ruby is smart and cute, Jian Jing, you''re certainly smart too, but my Ruby is the best." George opened up and began to tell his story without prompting.

    He was an old bachelor. His wife passed away very early, leaving him with only a daughter, Ruby. Father and daughter lived a frugal but happy life together.

    But good times neverst. When Ruby turned seven, she was diagnosed with a rare disease that required long-term hospitalization, and she wouldn''t live very long.

    George couldn''t afford the expensive medical fees and was driven to despair, almost suicidal.

    It was Leo who helped him, paying a sum of money to the hospital. Because of this, Ruby was able to live a few more years and passed away without much suffering at the age of fifteen.

    After losing his loved one, George returned to Barna and was employed at Castle Winterfell.

    On days when Leo was not here, he would live in the gatehouse and watch over the ce for him.

    "Listen, don''t listen to Luca''s nonsense." George said categorically, "The people of Barna Town are prejudiced against Castle Winterfell, thinking they are forsaken by God - two hundred years ago, I might have believed it too, but now everyone knows it''s just a disease! A rare gic disease!"

    Jian Jing was genuinely startled by the abruptly revealed clues: "Prejudice? Gic disease?"

    "Oh, did I say that? How awful." George regretted btedly.

    Jian Jing reassured him with a smile, "Don''t worry about it. Our country doesn''t believe in God. I''d be happy to learn more about this castle."

    To increase credibility, she deliberatelyined, "I told Leo I like it here, but he insisted it''s an old house, dpidated from age, totally ruining my dream."

    "Leo is a good kid. Actually, I don''t like it here either. It used to be much worse before we had heating installed. Just the fireces werepletely useless against the cold air from the sea."

    "Tell me about the prejudice, dear George." She said with a smile.

    George nced at her, and his attitude immediately softened - damn, he wondered, this girl didn''t even look outstanding, with in Eastern features, mostpliments were just... courtesy, but she seemed to have some kind of magic that made him want to answer her involuntarily.

    Could it be because she resembled Ruby?

    He shook his head in his mind and said, "This is their greatest misfortune - unable to have a happy family for long, it''s really too pitiful."

    Jian Jing became even more confused and kept pressing him for more.

    "Alright, alright." George vigorously wiped the counter and told her the secret of the Sal family.

    However, though he called it a secret, it wasmon knowledge in Barna Town.

    Women who married into the Sal family generally died unnatural deaths.

    It was said to be due to a malicious curse.

    Many, many years ago, the young and handsome Earl Sal married a noble princess from Hungary - she was recognized as an illegitimate daughter by the king, and though she could not officially be called a "princess" in documents, only holding a noble title, that didn''t stop people from addressing her as such.

    When they first married, the two were very much in love, inseparable. But good times didn''tst. The Earl was promiscuous by nature, and a few yearster, suddenly fell for a beautiful widow on his estate, and the two carried on enthusiastically.

    The noble princess was proud. In anger, she had the widow seized and locked in the woodshed, burning her alive.

    The Earl was shocked and furious, believing the princess to be cruel in nature. Husband and wife became hostile enemies.

    Compared to the Earl''s romantic gentleness, the princess was a woman who dared to love and hate, decisive in action. After discovering her husband''s constant infidelity, she finally decided to end it all.

    She poisoned the Earl, leaving him to shriek in agony on his bed for seven days and seven nights before he finally died a painful death.

    On his deathbed, the Earl cursed the princess with the most vicious words, and left a will that the Sal family must not take brides from Hungary again, or they would lose everything.

    However, although his descendants never again married brides from Hungary, the tragedies did not end there.

    In the hundreds of years since, women marrying into the Sal family were all cursed by the Earl: fires, poisoning, hanging, idents... It was difficult to discern which were idental and which were murders.

    But one thing was clear, there were not so many coincidences in the world.

    The residents of Barna Town believed that the Sal family had inherited the Earl''s hatred of his wife, and would unconsciously murder their own wives.

    "It''s a disease," George said solemnly. "I believe it''s just an incurable mental illness that causes them to sometimes be unable to control their actions. But Leo has no issues. He has never shown any cruelty. Sometimes I feel he is more like a girl."

    Taking the opportunity, Jian Jing probed him, "Then what do you think happened with the poisoning yesterday?"

    "Uh, I believe, you know, nux vomica is amon nt," George said in a tone he believed sounded calm and natural but was actually extremely awkward. "Mixing it up by ident is also very normal. Perhaps someone identally mixed it in with the rosemary. And I... old George is getting on in years, my eyesight is poor, mixing it up by mistake is also very normal."

    He deliberately acted very remorseful, "Fortunately no one was hurt, right? Otherwise I would definitely feel terrible, I don''t want Leo to be heartbroken."

    Jian Jing raised her brow.

    Clearly, old George was covering for someone. Did he think it was Mary, or Leo?

    After enjoying quite a decent lunch, Jian Jing volunteered to bring food to Mnie.

    She wanted to chat with Mnie.

    Just her luck, the bride-to-be had a guest, Kimberley was talking to her.

    They seemed to be French, speaking French when alone, thinking others couldn''t understand them. Their voices were loud and clear, Jian Jing standing outside the door could hear everything.

    "Dear, I truly feel sorry for you. A wedding, it''s every girl''s dream, but you''ve encountered this kind of thing... However, you''re very fortunate, aren''t you?

    "From young till now, you''ve always been lucky. When you first arrived at Uncle Hank''s, his stocks made a huge profit right away. At the charity raffle, you won the best prize. In high school, your boyfriend was the most popr guy in school, all the girls were so jealous they wanted to die. Not to mention Leo, he''s really great.

    At this point, she seemed to feel it wasn''t right, and quickly made up for it, "Of course Carl is also very good, but - I can be blunt, he doesn''t have money after all. Dating and marriage are two different things. Boyfriends can be broke, what''s wrong with Jack, buying a movie ticket makes him happy. But marriage is different. A rich husband and a poor husband, the difference is too big.

    "I don''t think you would give up this marriage just because of this ident, right? Don''t do anything foolish. If you''re afraid, just leave it to me. I already know who did it, don''t worry, I absolutely won''t let her off."

    "Goodness Kimmy, you''ve got me all confused," Mnie''s voice was still very weak. "Her?"

    Kimberley smugly looked at her cousin: "Dear, although you are good at catching men, I, Kimberley, am more perceptive - the matter is clear as day."

    Mnie still shook her head: "I don''t understand."

    "Silly Mnie, it''s Mary, of course it''s her!" Kimberley stated categorically, "Although it was Leo who poured the wine, it was just one of her tricks. The poison wasn''t in the wine, but the wine ss. I was sitting right next to you yesterday and clearly saw her touch your wine ss when serving."

    Mnie looked shocked, she reflexively denied: "No, impossible. Leo trusts her very much."

    "Men often have blind trust in women who like them," Kimberley hit the nail on the head. "As for the skull that appeared in my room, that''s even easier to understand. The door was locked, the key was in my room, so it looked like a locked room mystery, but that''s premised on her telling the truth!"

    She got agitated: "She said there was only one key, yes, maybe there was only one before, but could she not have secretly made a spare?"

    However, Mnie did not fully ept her cousin''s reasoning, just spoke objectively: "Mary has no reason to do this."

    "She doesn''t want you to get married!" Kimberley suddenly raised her voice.

    "Kimmy, calm down," Mnie had to soothe her, "Even if it really was Mary, it would be too obvious. It was the wine she brought, and besides, she saved me."

    This rebuttal was reasonable and well-founded. Kimberley frowned.

    The conversation was interrupted, and Jian Jing opportunely knocked on the door: "George asked me to bring some sandwiches."

    Kimberley was very wary: "Why is it you?"

    "Just lending a hand. Are you suspecting me?" Jian Jing asked back.

    Kimberley turned her head and said solemnly: "Mel, you can''t let your guard down."

    "Jian is a friend of Leo''s friend. We didn''t know each other before. How could she want to harm me?" A faint smile appeared on Mnie''s pale face, "Thank you, Jian. I''ll eat in a bit."

    "Then I won''t disturb you."

    With Kimberley present, Jian Jing gave up the idea of chatting more, and simply left.

    The next stop was naturally the library.

    The skeleton was indeed gone.

    "You were right," Leo and Kang Mucheng sat in the armchairs by the window, speaking lightly, "The first thing lovely Miss Jian did when she came in was look for the corpse - it''s hard to imagine that young girls these days are actually interested in such things."

    A smile shed in Kang Mucheng''s eyes: "No, she''s special."

    Jian Jing heard them teasing her, but she wasn''t angry. She just asked: "So has anyone kindly told me when the skeleton disappeared?"

    "That''s not important," in contrast to his anxious state of mind yesterday, Leo was very rxed today, and his mental state had recovered a lot. "Jian, it''s all resolved."

    She: "Huh?"

    "The same thing won''t happen again," Leo stated definitively. "Let''s continue discussing the wedding. Mel has always wanted a masquerade ball, I thought it wasn''t dignified. But now I have a new idea - what could be more important than making the bride and guests happy?"

    Heughed happily: "Jian, what do you like - princess? Elf? Or perhaps...vampire? I want to fulfill your wishes."

    When someone is genuinely happy, it''s hard to say something that would dampen the mood.

    Jian Jing still had doubts about what happened, but hesitated for a moment - she really couldn''t bear to break his joy.

    After all, a wedding was about to take ce here.

    After all, he was about to marry his beloved.

    She pretended to believe it: "I want to dress up as a pirate."

    "Oh, Anne Bonny? Good idea," Leo said.

    Jian Jing smiled, but had a premonition in her heart: this would not end so easily.

    And indeed that was the case.

    Soon, there was a second murder.

 Chapter 223

    Chapter 223

    Green green vine skirt reminds you: Please collect after reading for easier esster.

    What happened was very sudden and bizarre.

    At that time, Jian Jing was not at the scene of the incident, but was struggling with her handicraft ss in her own room, the reason will be exinedter. Suddenly, all the lights went outpletely.

    Relying on her experience with power outages many times, she grabbed her phone first to light up her surroundings with the screen light.

    The next moment, the eerie singing sounded again, intermittent, crawling out of the cracks in the ceiling, walls and floor, like an omnipresent cold wind, creeping into the eardrums.

    She didn''t want to hear it, but couldn''t stop it.

    Jian Jing opened the door and decided to follow the singing to find out.

    However, she then heard many chaotic footsteps, as if someone was talking.

    "Mnie?"

    "Damn...singing?"

    "Who...phone...can''t see..."

    Jian Jing was shocked, and hurried towards the source of the sound.

    At this point, the downside of such arge house became apparent, with winding corridors in the castle, and poor visibility in the dark, it was easy to take a wrong turn, she moved rtively slowly. Fortunately, not long after, light ignited downstairs, and several figures gathered there.

    "Are you guys okay?" She jogged down, shining her phone over the people present.

    Kang Mu Cheng was greatly relieved. Si Yingjie was not in a good state. Holen and Mary were both staring at the person on the ground. Carl wasing from the other end of the corridor, also holding a phone in his hand.

    And Lei Ao hurried down the stairs, his face extremely ugly: "Mnie?"

    He called anxiously.

    "Lei Ao." Mnie stumbled and sat on the stairs, her hand pressing her ankle, showing pain. But she didn''t care about herself, and anxiously said: "Check Jin Mi, she fell."

    Jin Miy motionless on the ground in a big red dress.

    Mary put the candlestick on the floor, touched her carotid artery, her expression changed drastically: "No heartbeat."

    "What?" Everyone was genuinely shocked.

    Mary immediately started CPR without saying anything, vigorouslypressing her chest, and was about to perform artificial respiration. But Jian Jing stopped her: "Do you smell it?"

    "What?"

    "She smells of bitter almonds." Jian Jing had an acute sense of smell and flipped her arms along the scent.

    On her exposed shoulder, a needle was inserted, and the tip emitted a warm, brass-like hue.

    Mnie screamed: "Jin Mi!" Her voice trembled, "No, no way..."

    "Save her!" Carl grabbed Mary anxiously and said, "What do we do now?"

    "This is cyanide poisoning," Jian Jing said. "It acts very quickly and cannot be saved."

    Carl gasped, "Damn! What happened? My god, Jin Mi?!"

    "Mnie!" Lei Ao supported the limp Mnie, she was stiff, breathing with difficulty, seeming to have another panic attack.

    Mary swore and said, "Get her back to the room quickly, and give her another sedative."

    Lei Ao carried Mnie up the stairs.

    Mary followed.

    Carl was a little agitated and asked loudly, "What about Jin Mi? You''re not going to do anything?"

    "She''s dead." Jian Jing squatted down and carefully examined Kimberley''s corpse, and suddenly asked, "Wait, isn''t this Mnie''s ne? Did she try Coco Chanel''s costume?"

    Kang Mu Cheng now had a kind of - how should I put it - something that could be called enlightenment - nodded and answered first: "She was indeed wearing this ne before, and showed it to each of us. Is there a problem?"

    "I''m not too sure..." Jian Jing said, "Could you turn off the phones?"

    Carl was stunned and turned off his phone.

    Jian Jing turned off hers too.

    In the ancient castle, almost no light could prate, and vision sank into thick darkness.

    Under such circumstances, even the faintest light was extremely easy to discern.

    For example, the faint glow on KimberleyˇŻs chest.

    Jian Jing grabbed the string of pearls, turned on her shlight, and examined it carefully: "It''s coated with phosphorescent material."

    "Damn!" Si Yingjie blurted out, "So the real target was Mnie?"

    Holen''s face was ashen: "Who would do this?"

    Carl looked even more ugly: "Are you saying... Jin Mi she...she was killed instead of Mnie?"

    "I didn''t say anything." Jian Jing red at Si Yingjie and said, "Carl, please take Kimberley back to her room first. Holen, please tell Lei Ao and Mary that we will all meet in the studyter to get to the bottom of this."

    When encountering a case, she exuded an aura of intimidation, and people present, regardless of their age or status, unconsciously did as she said.

    "What''s the situation with the lights?" Jian Jing asked methodically, "Has anyone checked the fuse box yet? Where is Qiao Zhi?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "I''ll go take a look with you."

    Si Yingjie couldn''t help but interject: "Wait, there''s one thing - did only I hear the singing? None of you heard it? Just when the power went out?"

    The air suddenly stagnated.

    Him: "?"

    "Brother Yingjie." Jian Jing grabbed his arm expressionlessly and said, "You shoulde with me."

    The fuse box was in a corner of the castle. They didn''t find the right spot, but ran into Qiao Zhi who was looking for a tool box. He took the three to the power distribution room, opened the fuse box, and started cursing directly: "Damn it, who did this?"

    There was a small remote control device added inside the fuse box.

    The structure was notplicated. As long as the remote control was activated, the mechanism would start, the water in the inteyer would flow down to contaminate the wires, causing a short circuit and arge-scale ckout.

    Fortunately it wasn''t difficult to repair. Qiao Zhi cursed and reced the old wires, dried the fuse box, reconnected the wire ends, and pulled down the switch again, and the lights came back on.

    Jian Jing breathed a sigh of relief. ckouts could lead to either minor or major issues in a ce like this.

    As long as it could be fixed, things were fine.

    She called Qiao Zhi along to the study as well.

    Except for Mnie, the others gradually arrived and asked, "Jian, what do you want to say?"

    "Kimberley was wearing MnieˇŻs ne, and the ne was coated with phosphorescent material. There was a remote control device in the fuse box, which can be determined to have caused the ckout just now intentionally." Jian Jing calmly reported her findings.

    Lei Ao''s face could no longer be described as ugly, it was rigid and terrible: "She was wearing Mnie''s ne?"

    "I think there''s no mistake." Kang Mu Cheng said, "We all saw the ne before, such pearls are rare, it shouldn''t be wrong."

    Jian Jing was surprised: "It was the real ne?"

    The others nodded together.

    She frowned, and started to recall the circumstances leading up to tonight''s dress rehearsal.

    The day before yesterday afternoon, Lei Ao said he wanted to make up for Mnie''s fright, and spontaneously decided to hold a masquerade ball.

    He specifically ordered a batch of masquerade costumes, requiring delivery to Barna the next day.

    The shop was not far from here, and was very generous with the shipping fee, patting their chest and saying they would definitely deliver on time. However, heavy snow fell the next day. The highway was still passable, but when they reached Barna, due to theplex terrain,rge amounts of snow had umted, and the car could not get in.

    Qiao Zhi had no choice but to go and pick up the goods himself. The snow was too heavy, the car couldn''t start at all, and they even had to use the snowmobile in the garage. It took three hours before sessfully bringing everything back to the castle.

    Next was setting up the venue.

    Kimberleypletely shook off her previous frightened haggardness, and was in high spirits. She kepting up with ideas, one moment saying Mnie liked costume balls "like a high school graduate", another momentining that the blizzard wouldn''t stop, they really could hold a Versailles-style ball, which was also "exciting".

    Mnie felt guilty about her sister''s fright, and was very indulgent of her, always agreeing with "That''s good Jin Mi" "This is a good idea" "I think we could try it".

    The others didn''t want to argue with thedies, so Kimberley had the final say, acting asmander.

    It had to be said, although she was a little chatty, her skills were not bad. After rearranging the antique tables, chairs, pianos, vases and other objects in the castle, the entire dance hall was like it had traveled back to before the French Revolution, full of charm.

    Lei Ao was not stingy with praise: "This is really surprising."

    "I''m fascinated by the history of France, I love my country." Kimberley flicked her golden hair smugly, "France is the best."

    Jian Jing: "Hmm."

    Si Yingjie: "Hmm."

    Kimberley didn''t understand, she couldn''t even tell the difference between China, Japan and Korea. She deliberately asked, "Mr. Holen, what do you think?"

    "If there was a guillotine, I think it would be more historically urate." Holen sneered.

    Kimberley snapped back: "Then perhaps I should prepare a set of Nazi uniforms for you."

    "Jin Mi," Mnie''s condition had improved considerably. She sat on the sofa watching them talk, and had to speak up and stop it when she heard this. "That''s not an appropriate topic."

    "What did I say wrong? M, even if you aren''t..." Kimberley still wanted to argue reasonably, but Mnie was quicker, cutting her off before she could touch on a more sensitive topic: "Jin Mi, I''m feeling stuffy. Let''s go out for some air."

    Kimberley rolled her eyes dramatically.

    "Oh, alright, alright," she reluctantly stopped talking. "Let''s go out for some air."

    Mnie took her sister''s arm gently and said: "The clothes have arrived. Jin Mi, who do you want to dress up as?"

    "Oh darling, you''re the bride. You pick first," said Kimberley.

    Mnie was hesitant. "I haven''t decided yet. What do you think?"

    Note: As of this afternoon, Mnie still hadn''t decided who she wanted to dress up as.

    Something big happened in the evening.

    The snow was so heavy that the inte went down.

    Everyone knew the shoddy infrastructure of this foreign country, so no one was surprised. They''d have to entertain themselves.

    Kimberley - yes, she was the one - took the initiative to suggest trying on the outfits as a wedding rehearsal.

    Lei Ao readily agreed: "Good idea, Mary. Please ask Uncle Qiao Zhi to join us too. I hope you can participate as well."

    Mary said: "That''s not appropriate."

    "No, there''s nothing inappropriate about it," Lei Aoughed. "You''re all my friends."

    Since he put it that way, Mary wasn''t one to be pretentious, so she nodded in agreement.

    The clothes were piled together. The men graciously let thedies pick first. It was in arge bedroom on the second floor, with an extra spacious walk-in closet.

    While picking out clothes, Kimberley kept ncing at Mary, looking at her in an almost aggressive way.

    Mary didn''t back down one bit: "Yes?"

    Kimberley lifted her chinbatively: "Watch yourself."

    Maryughed coldly.

    "Jin Mi, just do it for me," Mnie pleaded with a sigh.

    Only then did Kimberley withdraw her gaze and start selecting outfits: "Druid? Oh no, it doesn''t match your hair color."

    Mnie picked up a green wig: "There are wigs."

    "What''s this? Madam de Barthory, dear, you should try this one," Kimberley giggled while holding up a red court dress. "You''re a countess too."

    As she spoke, she looked provocatively at Mary again.

    Mary didn''t even want to bother with her. She directly took Florence Nightingale''s outfit and walked out without looking back.

    Jian Jing asked: "You seem to really dislike Mary?"

    "I think she''s the one who did it," Kimberley repeated her reasoning again.

    But Mnie said: "Lei Ao said it was just a prank that has been resolved. Jin Mi, let''s not talk about this anymore."

    Her brows furrowed slightly, already growing tired of the topic.

    Kimberley stopped in time: "Alright."

    Jian Jing tactfully took a shy pirate costume, leaving the more borate choices for them, and went back to her room to change.

    It was a female pirate outfit, with a mboyant style and many ruffles, resembling a Caribbean pirate. It even came with a fake saber.

    Mnie said: "That looks too fake. There''s a real one in the collection room. Let me get it for you."

    She thoughtfully brought over the real sword and helped her put it on, praising: "It looks great on you."

    Jian Jing happily thanked her and sauntered into the lounge: "How is it? Does it suit me?"

    Lei Ao was very polite: "Jian is indeed very unique."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked her up and down for a long time, hesitant to speak.

    Holen suggested: "Why not try an Eastern role? King Ida might suit you."

    Carl agreed.

    The most insulting was Si Yingjie, who directly guffawed: "Hahahaha are those really shoulder pads?"

    Qiao Zhi was very sympathetic: "You''re still just a child."

    Huh? Jian Jing took a deep breath and internally cued the system: "How''s my physical condition?"

    Listen to this, this is the truth.

    However, the costumes at these masquerade parties tend to exaggerate features and add sexy elements. The skirts are short, the necklines low. They look good on buxom white girls, all curvy front and back.

    But she didn''t look bad in it either.

    The leafy low neckline wasn''t ugly. It was precisely because of its mediocre curves that it avoided disharmony, which further highlighted the pirate''s heroic spirit.

    Jian Jing drew the saber at her waist and gestured with it: "This is a real sword Mnie lent me, seems to be part of Lei Ao''s collection."

    She smiled. "What were you guys saying just now?"

 Chapter 224

    Chapter 224

    The antique sword was very beautiful and well preserved. The de shimmered with a cold light unique to cold weapons, exuding an allure of its own.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at Jian Jing and stammered awkwardly, "This, uh, doesn''t seem like a suitable toy for a girl."

    Jian Jing was also nervous. "Don''t cut your hand," she said.

    "Hmph!" Jian Jing huffed in displeasure.

    Just then, Mnie and Kimberley, dressed up, came over too.

    Mnie wore a ck evening gown with a pearl ne around her neck, dressed up as the famous Coco Chanel. Kimberley wore short ck hair and a red dress, ying the female lead in the movie.

    "My darling, you look so beautiful," Lei Ao said.

    "Kimmy, you''re even more beautiful than Audrey Hepburn," Carl said.

    The other four gentlemen also gave high praises.

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes in exasperation. She went back to her room with a ck face, pondering how to modify her bust size - which was her excuse for being holed up in her room doing handicrafts.

    Who was she looking down on?

    For the next hour, she struggled with the costumes in her room.

    Then, the ident happened.

    She hoped the others could fill in this nk.

    Lei Ao, Mary, Holen, Carl, and even Qiao Zhi, the five people seemed preupied, and did not say anything for a long time. Kang Mu Cheng nced at their faces and lightly coughed.

    If Golden Crow''s employees were here, they would instinctively sit up straight, because that meant Chairman Kang was about to speak.

    Sure enough, he carefully weighed his words and said, "Let me go first. If there are any iplete parts, please supplement them."

    Lei Ao nodded gently at him.

    So Kang Mu Cheng began, "After you left, Mnie and Kimberley chatted with us for a while..."

    It was mainly Kimberley who was talking. On one hand, she was very proud of her look, but on the other hand, she was also very distressed: "In the end, we all chose modern celebrities. What a waste of my efforts in setting up the venue."

    The imagined costume party: Versailles style

    The actual character looks: Hollywood from thest century

    But Lei Ao said, "As long as everyone is happy, weddings should be asions full ofughter." He held Mnie''s hand. "This ne looks so good on you."

    A faint blush appeared on Mnie''s fair face. She caressed the ne and smiled, "This is the keepsake you gave me. How could it be missing from the wedding?"

    "Beautiful," he said tenderly.

    Kimberley looked at her sister enviously and jealously, and whispered to her husband, "She really is a lucky girl. You know what, those are real pearls!"

    Thest sentence was too loud, and everyone heard it.

    Si Yingjie was quite knowledgeable about jewelry - after all, he had many older sisters and female friends. Upon hearing this, he said, "Hmm? Real pearls? Such evenly sized pearls are rare. May I take a look?"

    Mnie was very generous and took it off for them to appreciate, and threw in a bit of sweetness: "This was specially bought by Lei Ao to give me when I attended a charity ball. That night, he proposed to me."

    Lei Ao revealed an embarrassed smile, looking like a shy little boy rather than a married man.

    Because some unpleasant things had happened before, everyone was trying to erase the gloom, and they allughed along cooperatively. Holen even said, "This thing made me look at Lei Ao with new eyes - he''s usually so shy, as if talking to girls would make him blush. Isn''t that right, Kang?"

    Kang Mu Cheng also recalled their college days and chuckled, "Yes. There were many girls at school who liked him, but he ran away faster than anyone."

    "Oh no, let''s not discuss this," Lei Ao said, covering his temple, and actually looking shy for real.

    In the midst of the teasing, everyone touched the ne more or less, including Mary and Qiao Zhi.

    In the end, the ne was worn around Mnie''s neck again.

    It is worth noting that tonight, after dinner, everyone''s main activity area was this lounge. It was located on one side of the second floor, with a huge firece and manyfortable velvet armchairs, as well as an expensive antique sofa.

    In the past, the master and guests would smoke cigars, read books, chat idly and even y musical instruments and recite poems here.

    Qiao Zhi, having nomon topic with the others, was the first to leave the lounge, saying he wanted to go back and watch old movies, he didn''t need to worry about no inte since he had DVDs.

    Right after that, Mary said she was a little tired and wanted to go back to rest, politely ending her conversation with Si Yingjie.

    Mnie''s health had not yet recovered, and she soon showed signs of fatigue. Lei Ao persuaded her to go back and rest.

    But Mnie didn''t want to spoil the fun, and instead suggested seeing Lei Ao in his costume. Kimberley strongly agreed, and demanded that the gentlemen should also try. She gave Carl suggestions, rmending he dress up as Casanova, while she would change into a Gypsy outfit.

    The gentlemen were...rather embarrassed, after all they were past the age of partying.

    But since it hade to this point, it would be impolite to refuse, so they agreed.

    Lei Ao, Carl, Holen, Kang Mu Cheng, and Si Yingjie, the five men went to the rooms on the second floor to choose their roles.

    At this time, only Mnie and Kimberley were left in the lounge.

    The five men changed quickly.

    Holen chose a vampire, the clothes fit perfectly, so he went out for a cigar right away; Carl thought for a long time, and chose Einstein, but he said he wanted to keep it a secret from Kimberley.

    "She will definitely pick out all kinds of ws," he said. "Let this be a surprise."

    Considering that if he went back now, he would surely be interrogated, he first returned to his own room to take care of some personal matters.

    Kang Mu Cheng was helping Lei Ao choose his outfit, which was not so easy to put on, he would need assistance.

    Si Yingjie decided to dress up as Freddie Mercury.

    He put on the mask and felt the deterrent effect was quite good, so he said, "I''ll go scare Jian Jing."

    In the end, only Lei Ao and Kang Mu Cheng were left in the room.

    Just then, the lights went out.

    Lei Ao was stunned for a moment, then said very excitedly, "You wait for me here, I''ll go take a look!" Then, without waiting for Kang Mu Cheng''s reply, he rushed out on his own.

    The five people werepletely separated.

    Jian Jing: "What happened after that? How did you gather together again?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "I was a little worried, so I followed Lei Ao out. I just happened to hear people talking on the other side of the stairs. It was Mnie and Kimberley who came out. "

    Jian Jing: "Was Kimberley still alive at that time?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Yes, I heard her talking."

    "I was on the stairs between the second and third floors. I heard movement below, so I went down too," said Si Yingjie. "But I was a stepte because I had to take off the mask."

    Jian Jing: "Did you hear Kimberley''s voice?"

    Si Yingjie: "Yeah, I heard her say ''Damn it, who is it again?''"

    Jian Jing turned her head and stared at Holen: "What about you, Mr. Holen?"

    Holen said: "My cigar just finished when the lights went out. I was about to go back, and should have arrived around the same time as them."

    Jian Jing twitched her nose. There was indeed the smell of cigars on him. "What did you hear?"

    Holen: "Mnie was calling for Lei Ao, Kimberley was cursing, and Kang told them to stay put. Then we should have gathered together."

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded, confirming that what he said was true.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then asked, "So until this point, none of you had any light?"

    Si Yingjie: "Our phones were in the rooms." With nowork, what''s the use of phones - to y games?

    Kang Mu Cheng: "I left mine in the lounge."

    Holen: "Same."

    Mnie and Kimberley were both wearing dresses, with nowhere to put their phones.

    She nodded, and asked, "What about the others?"

    Carl: "I was on the third floor. I took my phone beforeing down, arriving around the same time as you."

    Qiao Zhi: "Of course I was fixing that damned fuse box."

    Lei Ao: "I went to the library to get the candle stand, then came back to find Mnie. Mary was already there by then."

    Mary: "Yes, as soon as the power went out I went to the kitchen to find candles - snowy weather asionally causes circuit problems. This wasn''t the first ckout in the castle. I lit the candles and came up to see you all gathered together."

    "What was Kimberley''s situation at that time?"

    Mary said: "I didn''t see her situation clearly, I just saw her suddenly fall to the ground, and also tripped Mnie, who fell down the stairs."

    "s!" Jian Jing sighed.

    Once again, everyone was a suspect.

    Theyout of the crime scene was as shown below:

    .................Third floor guest rooms..

    ............ˇü..............

    Lounge.......Changing rooms..

    ............x...............

    The Library Room...............The Smoking Room

    ........................

    ............ˇý...............

    ......First Floor...............

    x is where Kimberley died.

    Then, here are everyone''s routes.

    Lei Ao: Came out of the dressing room, went into the library to get a candlestick, went to x

    Holen: Came out of the smoking room, walked back, went to x

    Kang Mu Cheng: Came out of the dressing room, directly went to x

    Si Yingjie: Came downstairs from the stairs between the second and third floors, went to x

    Carl: Came downstairs from the third floor guest room, went to x

    Mary: Came out of her own room, went to the kitchen to find a candle, went upstairs to x

    Qiao Zhi: Did not appear

    Jian Jing: Came downstairs from the third floor guest room, went to x

    The order they gathered: Mnie and Kimberley came out of the lounge, went near x. Kang Mu Cheng, Si Yingjie and Holen arrived one after another, then Mary, Lei Ao, Jian Jing, Carl.

    This is clearly very problematic and unbelievable.

    Suspicious point 1: Lei Ao rushed out of his room first, entered the library, so why didn''t he run into Mnie and Kimberley who hade out of the lounge? The lounge and library are very close, it''s suspicious that he didn''t go find his wife first.

    Suspicious point 2: Who can prove Holen came out of the smoking room?

    Suspicious point 3: Carl and Kimberley''s changed rooms were in front of Jian Jing''s. Jian Jing waited in her room for a while beforeing out, yet he seemed to arrive after her.

    Suspicious point 4: Wasn''t Mary a bit fast? She ran from the first floor to the second floor, and had to go to the kitchen to find something, yet she arrived so much earlier than the others.

    Suspicious point 5: Did Qiao Zhi really not go upstairs?

    Judging by the light sources, it was Mary, Jian Jing and Carl. In other words, when Mary arrived, it was pitch ck.

    Anyone could urately stab Kimberley by locating the ne.

    Or rather, Mnie.

    She needed to figure out what was going on with the ne.

    "I''m going to go ask Mnie," she said.

    Mnie had been given a sedative and was now lying in bed pale-faced. Seeing Jian Jinge in, she weakly asked, "Why Kimberley? Why?"

    Jian Jing had no choice but to bluntly ask, "Why was Kimberley wearing your ne?"

    Mnie was stunned, as if not understanding her words: "She really liked it, asked if she could borrow it and wear it for a while, just for today, she''d give it back to me after the wedding, so I lent it to her... Why ask this?"

    "Was it just when it was you two? Did Kimberley bring up wanting to wear it beforehand?" Jian Jing pressed.

    Mnie nkly shook her head: "No, she didn''t. I guess with Lei Ao there she was too shy... You may not know, this was our token of love..."

    It made sense.

    Jian Jing nodded and said, "There was glow paint on the ne."

    Mnie''s brows furrowed as she understood. In an instant, tears welled up: "Oh no - Kimmie - did I get Kimmie killed? No, don''t... "

    Under the effects of the medication her body did not convulse, but tears had already streamed down her cheeks.

    Jian Jing sat at the edge of the bed and held her hand, slowly asking, "Maybe you can tell me, who wanted to kill you?"

 Chapter 225

    Chapter 225

    Mnie was utterly perplexed.

    She asked in puzzlement: "Why would anyone want to kill me?"

    Jian Jing asked: "Do you have any enemies? Or rather, who would benefit from your death?"

    Mnie shook her head: "I don''t know Carl, August is my friend, you all...I don''t know any of you. Mary..." She hesitated for a moment, but still shook her head, "Although she doesn''t approve of our marriage, I only met her aftering to Barna. As for George, it''s the same."

    Jian Jing was also puzzled.

    This case was truly bizarre, with almost no discernible motive. In general, murder boiled down to benefits, revenge, or passion.

    ording to thew, after Mnie''s death, her estate would be inherited by Lei Ao. But Lei Ao was already incredibly wealthy, so why would he kill his wife, unless he was actually on the verge of bankruptcy and had taken out a massive insurance policy on her.

    Other than that, there was the rumored curse of killing one''s wifeˇŞbut you couldn''t put stock in that, right?

    Holen was moreplicated. He may have had some issues with Mnie, or harbored a secret hatred for Lei Ao.

    "Have you known Mr. Holen for a long time?" She methodically investigated each guess.

    Mnie smiled slightly, still possessing an enchanting beauty even in such a moment: "Yes, August and I are good friends. It was he who introduced me to Lei Ao."

    Jian Jing carefully asked: "What was your rtionship like?"

    "August is a good friend, but..." Mnie said delicately, "he''s not suited to be a husband. Lei Ao is the opposite. Although he''s not very good with sweet words, he is exactly what I wantedˇŞa responsible, loving, gentle husband."

    Jian Jing scrutinized her expression, not missing the slightest tell. But Mnie''s gaze was frank, her tone lighthearted, with no sign of lying.

    "What about Mr. Holen and Lei Ao?"

    Mnie thought for a moment before saying: "August is a proud man. He has major conflicts with his family. Sometimes it''s hard for others to understand him, but Lei Ao can. They are extremely loyal friends."

    "What about Carl?"

    "I don''t know him well," Mnie said apologetically. "Actually, I haven''t seen Kimberley for years. About a year ago, she emailed me that she got married, but they were doing a traveling wedding ceremony without a real wedding. I just sent her my congrattions. This was my first time meeting Carl too."

    Jian Jing asked: "Did Kimberley ever talk to you about him?"

    Mnie recalled: "She said Carl was great, very caring, an attentive husband. The only unsatisfactory thing was his work and tight finances."

    Saying this, she inevitably fell silent. After all, if not for poverty, Kimberley would not have had to borrow the ne from her. Without borrowing the ne, Kimberley would not have died.

    Jian Jing understood the look in her eyes. After considering for a moment, she asked: "So from when Lei Ao and the others left the dressing room until the ckout, no one else knew that Kimberley was wearing the ne?"

    Mnie hesitated before saying: "I think there shouldn''t have been anyone. It was just a spur of the moment ideaˇŞmaybe Carl could have guessed?"

    Jian Jing nodded slightly.

    Although the current clues all pointed to a mistaken killing, it couldn''t be 100% certain that Mnie was the target.

    If someone had witnessed or guessed that Kimberley would borrow the ne, they may have taken advantage of the earlier poisoning incident, causing people to wrongly assume it was a second attempt on Mnie''s life to misdirect the investigation.

    Then the biggest suspect would be Carl.

    The husband was always the first to be suspected.

    However, just looking at the facts, poisoning was not a sensible way for Carl to kill Kimberley. As Mnie said, the biggest problem in their marriage was tight finances, meaning Kimberley didn''t have much money either.

    The motive of inheriting her estate didn''t stand.

    Also, murdering her was equivalent to stamping the words "premeditated murder" on his forehead, making it very difficult to collect insurance payouts.

    There must still be undiscovered facets to this case.

    Like the singing.

    "Can you describe what you and Kimberley did after the ckout?" Jian Jing asked.

    "After the ckout? We, we stayed in the room for a bit." Mnie tried hard to recall. "It was pitch ck in the room, and there was singingˇŞI mean, wind that sounded like singing, you heard it too right? Kimberley was very angry, insisting it must be Mary making trouble againˇŞshe always felt it was Mary messing aroundˇŞso we went out.

    "Someone walked towards us. I heard Kang''s voice...then everyone else came over. Kimberley suddenly cried out. I felt her fall towards me. I thought she had tripped... "

    She recounted in a jumbled way, not much different from what others had said.

    Jian Jing asked: "Could you tell how many people were there at the scene?"

    "Kang, Si, and August were there. I heard their voices."

    "You couldn''t see how many people there were clearly?"

    "Of course not, it was pitch ck." Mnie said. "I didn''t notice anything."

    Jian Jing wanted to ask more about the singing, but just then there was a "knock knock" at the door. She turned to see Lei Ao standing in the doorway. He apologetically interrupted their conversation: "Jian, it''s already 11 o''clock. Mnie needs to rest. Can we continue this tomorrow?"

    Mnie quickly said: "I''m fine, it''s no problem. Jian is doing this for Kimberley."

    "Please don''t say that. I''m the one intruding." Jian Jing tactfully got up. "You really should rest. Get some good sleep."

    But Mnie suddenly sat up and grabbed her hand, asking full of hope: "You''ll find the person who hurt Kimberley, right?"

    "I''ll do my best." Jian Jing squeezed her hand.

    Finally, Mnie revealed a relieved smile and rxed back onto the soft cushion. In moments, she fell into light sleep.

    Lei Ao carefully tucked in her nkets and dimmed the lights. He quietly shut the door behind him.

    Jian Jing still hadn''t gone far. She stood in the dim hallway, as if waiting for him.

    "Jian, did you need something?" Lei Ao maintained a gentlemanly demeanor and politely asked.

    But his bodynguage betrayed his strong reluctanceˇŞdon''t ask me anymore, don''t get to the bottom of this. Kimberley is dead, it''s unfortunate, but I only care about Mnie.

    She smiled, pretending to know nothing, and gently said: "I just wanted to say goodnight to you."

    In a sh, the tension left Lei Ao''s muscles. His tone was much more genuine and soft: "Goodnight. Rest early."

    Jian Jing waved and turned to go downstairs.

    Rest? No no no, she felt like she just drank a shot of espresso and was raring to go.

    The questioning was done. Naturally, inspecting the scene would be the next item on her to-do list.

    She wanted to test how long it took to walk from the dressing room to the stairs.

    With the lights on, it took 50 seconds.

    Turning off the hallway lights on the second floor would slow her down a bit. Feeling her way in the dark, it took about 3 minutes.

    From the smoking room to the stairs was around 3 minutes.

    From Carl''s room on the third floor down to the second floor stairs took a reasonable 5-6 minutes. From Jian Jing''s room downstairs plus listening to the music in her room, it was about 7 minutes.

    From Mary''s room on the first floor to the kitchen and up to the second floor, under normal circumstances it was 7-8 minutes. Although she had candlelightter, adding the time to find the candle, 10 minutes was necessary.

    In short, Lei Ao''s behavior was suspicious, Carl and Mary''s timelines were questionable, George was invisible the whole time, and Holen''s ount was most reasonable, though no one could corroborate it.

    Conclusion: endless threads and leads.

    She returned to her room, ran a hot bath, and picked up the notebook by her bedside. While soaking in aromatic bath oils, she pondered.

    First of all, it could be definitively established that three separate incidents urred in the castle:

    1. The strychnine poisoning at dinner

    2. The corpse scare

    3. The cyanide poisoning murder

    Currently, she felt the first and third incidents were quite simr, both using poisoning. The second used a corpse to terrify, achieving the best frightening effect without actual harm.

    But looking at it another way, the corpse''s appearance and the cyanide poisoning both happened in darkness, apanied by singing. That was not the case for the first dinner poisoning.

    Were they done by different people, or was one a smoke bomb?

    The pen tip lingered over the three lines for a while before drawing two horizontal lines under thest one.

    MurderˇŞno matter what, the cyanide poisoning was the most serious crime. To find the killer, she had to start from this case.

    Jian Jing decided to temporarily set aside the previous incidents and focus her thinking on the full picture of Kimberley''s murder.

    Several people had issuesˇŞthey couldn''t all be the killer.

    With no discernible motive, the only option was to use the dumbest methodˇŞeliminate them one by one.

    Jian Jing bit down on her pen and leapt up abruptly, sending a spray of water droplets that had been dyed red by the bath bomb flying in all directions. They slid down the ancient tiles, tracing a series of winding, bizarre streaks.

    A sh of inspiration struck her, and something stirred within her heart, but just as she tried to grasp it, it dissipated in an instant without leaving the slightest trace behind.

    Strange. What had she just thought of?

    Jian Jing was puzzled for a moment but to no avail. She had no choice but to dry off the droplets, put on her house clothes, and knock on the door that connected to the next room.

    This room was the same as the one Kimberley and Carl had previously upied. Aside from the main door leading to the hallway, there was still a side door connecting the two rooms. Both had door bolts that allowed them to be locked.

    It took over half a minute before the other side opened. Kang Mu Cheng looked surprised and concerned. "What''s wrong?"

    "I still have some questions," Jian Jing said, twirling her pen incessantly as her eyes darted around. "Were you sleeping?"

    "No,e on in."

    Jian Jing sat down in the armchair by the window and adjusted herself into afortable sitting position. "There are many things I''m confused about."

    "Like what?" Kang Mu Cheng had already assumed a listening posture.

    Jian Jing considered for a moment. "Did Lei Ao have a motive to kill Mnie?"

    "No," Kang Mu Cheng answered without hesitation. "You don''t understand Lei Ao. He is a very serious person. If he considers someone a friend, he would give hisplete loyalty. It would be no different with love. Besides, why would he kill Mnie? They were about to get married."

    "Love can also lead to murder," she reasoned objectively. "Possessiveness in men?"

    Kang Mu Cheng paused. This did not seem like an appropriate topic for them to discuss. But he tried his best to dispel distracting thoughts and asked, "You mean jealousy or betrayal?"

    "Could be either," Jian Jing said.

    He still shook his head. "Lei Ao is a good man."

    "Alright then." Jian Jing did not harp on it and changed the subject. "Could you recall again all the details after the power went out?"

    Kang Mu Cheng tried his best to cooperate. "Lei Ao went out first..."

    Before he could finish speaking, she interrupted him. "Mr. Kang, slowly. After he went out, do you remember which direction his footsteps went?"

    Kang Mu Cheng was taken aback and contemted. "Direction? It should have been towards the library, right?"

    "No, no. From where you were, it would take about 2 minutes to get to the stairs. In the dark, the library and lounge were directly across from each other, separated by a hallway. From the lounge to the stairs would take no more than half a minute," Jian Jing described.

    She continued, "If Lei Ao had really gone towards the library, there would have been a 90 percent chance that he would have run into Mnie. Even if he didn''t, shouldn''t his first reaction have been to call out to her? Think carefully. Which direction did the footsteps go?"

    Kang Mu Cheng remained silent.

    Jian Jing had nted the seed of doubt. With this analysis, he could no longer be certain.

    After Lei Ao had rushed out the door at that time, which direction did the footsteps go...which direction?

    "The library and lounge were to the right of the changing room, and the smoking room was to the left. Was it left or right?"

    Kang Mu Cheng furrowed his brows and shook his head. "I don''t remember anymore. The singing was very loud at the time. I was listening to the song the whole time and didn''t pay attention to where he went."

    But Jian Jing suddenly straightened her posture and sought confirmation. "The singing was very loud? Are you sure?"

    "I''m certain of this. What''s wrong?" he asked.

    Jian Jing propped up her head and mumbled, "Strange, really strange."

 Chapter 226

    Chapter 226

    The night was deep and quiet, the antique wallmps emanating a soft halo, the heater working hard blowing warm air.

    Jian Jing curled up in the armchair, her wet hair already dried by the hot air, wisps of it hanging down at the temples, she hadn''t dyed her hair for a long time, asionally a few strands of ck would emerge from the gray, but it wasn''t ring, on the contrary it was more casual and unrestrained than before.

    After the Wang Shiyi case, something in her had permanently changed.

    What was it? Kang Mu Cheng asionally asked himself this, but could never grasp the idea.

    In the flowing silence, Jian Jing was the first to regain herposure, asking about another thing on her mind: "Mr. Kang, did Lei Ao ever mention their family curse to you?"

    Kang Mu Cheng immediately drew back his thoughts and nodded gently.

    She was curious: "What did Lei Ao say about it?"

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed, "Unhappy marriages without love."

    Unlike George''s scientific theory of mental illness, Lei Ao believed the tragedy stemmed from their marriage itself, which was a mistake from the beginning.

    The Sal family was extremely loyal to the Royal Family, and every generation of kings was keen to arrange marriages for them. But no one knew if it was just terrible luck, or there really was some other reason, the marriages were never happy.

    Whether it was a hot-tempered princess, or a duchess who loved another, or the illegitimate daughters of kings from other countries, or even a king''s famous mistress.

    Yet, the so-called wives who died unnatural deaths were mostly from childbirthplications, with only a small portion being unnatural deaths.

    Like being strangled was political intrigue, the one who was poisoned to death was the mistress, the king resented his father for doting on his mistress which led to the death of the Queen Mother, so when he ascended to the throne he secretly ordered the Earl Sal to kill his wife. The fire was an idental electrical malfunction when they first installed the wiring.

    The residents of Barna Town didn''t know the reasons, there were often rumors spreading, forcing connections after a long time, even normal deaths had bizarre made up causes, and it became a "curse".

    Lei Ao looked through his ancestors'' memoirs and concluded: marriages without love only need a small external force to easily fall apart.

    So he swore he must marry a woman he truly loved.

    "If he didn''t love Mnie, he would not have married her," Kang Mu Cheng summarized.

    Jian Jing nodded, feeling this exnation fit the reality better, but Lei Ao''s actions were still inexplicable.

    There must be some secret still hidden in Castle Winterfell.

    "Mr. Kang, what do you think that song is?" she asked.

    Kang Mu Cheng thought for a moment, "It must be the wind, the castle is old and dpidated with many cracks, so it sounds high and low like a song."

    She said, "...I see, that''s an exnation."

    He asked, "You don''t think so?"

    "I''ve seen foreign historical dramas, the master rings a bell when he wakes up and the servants can hear it," she said. "There must be spaces between the rooms for the bell ropes, right?"

    Kang Mu Cheng was surprised, "Are you suspecting..."

    Jian Jing slowly said, "Perhaps there are still strangers in the castle that I haven''t seen."

    It was too much of a coincidence for it to be wind, appearing at critical moments every time, it should be someone''s voice, transmitted through the spaces or vents to every corner of the castle.

    The problem was, what was this person''s rtionship to Lei Ao.

    If it turned out to be a mad ex-wife hidden in the attic... tsk tsk, that would be hrious.

    "This person is very important," she said. "Finding her is the only way I can figure out Lei Ao''s issues."

    "Jian Jing, we are guests in Lei Ao''s home," Kang Mu Cheng had to remind her. "Everyone has secrets they don''t want outsiders to know."

    Jian Jing paused briefly, and soonpromised, "Alright, I promise I won''t use any extreme methods."

    He asked, "What if Lei Ao doesn''t want us to know?"

    "Try persuading him," she suggested. "We still don''t know the killer''s motives yet. If they just wanted to ruin the wedding, and failed killing Mnie this time, it might not be her next time."

    Kang Mu Cheng was baffled, "Why would anyone want to ruin the wedding? They''re already married."

    Jian Jing: "Money, revenge, love."

    He immediately fell silent.

    After a long time, he nodded, "I''ll go talk to Lei Ao, he''s not someone who finds it easy to open up."

    "Okay." Jian Jing stood up, nced at her watch, it was past midnight already, so she gave up on looking for Brother YingJie, "I''ll ask Brother YingJie again tomorrow, good night."

    "Wait," Kang Mu Cheng called out to stop her.

    She responded, "Hmm?"

    He crouched down and pulled down her pant leg that was rolled up halfway, straightening it neatly, "There, good night."

    Jian Jing: "Oh...okay."

    Si Yingjie slept until midnight, feeling like someone was watching him.

    It waspletely impossible, but his body still reacted with rm, startling him awake from his dream.

    His heart was racing erratically, as he opened his eyes to pitch ck darkness, faint snow light seeping in through the curtains, and he seemed to vaguely make out a shadow sh by.

    "What the f***!" Si Yingjie bolted upright, "Who''s there?"

    He turned on the light, bright light immediately flooded the room, hurting his eyes slightly, he squinted to leave just a crack open.

    There was no one.

    "Brother Yingjie?" someone knocked on the door next door.

    Si Yingjie was falsely rmed, and sheepishly said, "It''s nothing, I had a nightmare."

    "Open the door," she said.

    Si Yingjie scratched his head, put on a robe, and opened the side bolt.

    Jian Jing immediately squeezed in, vigntly looked all around, "What happened?"

    "Nothing, just a nightmare," Si Yingjie waved his hand dismissively, pretending to be casual, "Go back, it''s the middle of the night, don''t sleep and your skin will suffer."

    Jian Jing: "Liar."

    Si Yingjie: "......"

    "See a ghost?" she wildly guessed.

    Si Yingjie''s heart lurched, and he copsed into the chair, unable to resist, "When I was sleeping, I felt like someone was watching me, but when I turned on the light there was nothing."

    Jian Jing let out a soft "eh".

    "It must have been an illusion," he reassured himself. "The curtains were blown by the wind, so there were shadows on the wall, I saw it wrong."

    Jian Jing kindly didn''t poke holes in his story, "It seems that''s the case, the window wasn''t shut tight." She deliberately went to the window and pretended to tug at the casement, "There, that should do it."

    "Yeah, go back now. If Kang Mu Cheng knows you came to my room in the middle of the night, he''ll scold us." Si Yingjie opened the side door to usher her out.

    However... "Scold you for what?" Kang Mu Cheng was standing in Jian Jing''s room, confused as he asked.

    Si Yingjie instinctively rified, "It''s not what you think!"

    After saying that, he realized it was wrong, and his expression became awkward.

    Having been good friends for many years, Kang Mu Cheng immediately saw through his implied meaning, and pressed on his temple, "It''s not what you think."

    Only Jian Jing waspletely oblivious, andughed heartily, "Brother Yingjie had a nightmare, Mr. Kang, keep himpany tonight, good night."

    She yawned and shut the two men into the next room.

    Bolted the door.

    "I know you''re here," she said. "Come out, let''s talk."

    No response.

    "Alright, this can''t be called an extreme method."

    Jian Jing turned on the x-ray device.

    She could only use this ck tech on missions.

    Theplex jumbled building outlines appeared, presenting different visual effects, but this time she had guessed wrong, there were no obvious spaces in her room.

    She pondered for a bit, tore out a page from her notebook, scribbled two words and threw it on the bed, then took her phone and went outside.

    The hallway lights outside were already off, thick darkness spreading in every corner.

    Jian Jing strode straight to the right, passing through the top of the stairs, until the end of the corridor. This was directly above the second floor library, it was a beautiful mirror room she had toured yesterday.

    It was said this used to be a dressing room for a Countess, installed with threerge mirrors, she changed more than ten outfits every day, presenting her most beautiful self at all times.

    To avoid the mirrors interfering with her vision, Jian Jing didn''t turn on the lights and directly felt her way inside.

    Under the x-ray device, she saw many strange grooves embedded above the walls, and many irregr protrusions above the mirrors, all of which were hidden behind the walls and couldn''t be seen from the outside at all.

    Mechanisms.

    She moved the mirrors, and found that as the different surfaces slid along the tracks, the concealed mas behind would attract out different bronze ornaments, like a specially made oversized key.

    And it wasn''t just one mirror, the other two had the same design.

    In other words, a specific sequence of movements, and specific mirror arrangements were needed, in order to open the passage.

    How do you spell the Sal family name in English?

    Or use winter?

    No, no, letters or numbers would be very difficult to convert into the mechanical structure of the mirror.

    Jian Jing simply turned on the light and searched for clues in the mirrored room.

    After so many years, the magnificent robes in the mirrored room were nowhere to be seen. Only the portrait of this countess still hung on the wall.

    She faced the audience from the left side, her hands resting on the dressing table. The mirror on the table reflected her appearance. She wore a white court dress, adorned withce, pearls, gems, and feathers.

    Jian Jing stood still and carefully observed every detail of the portrait.

    Soon, the intermediate observation card gave her a pleasant surprise.

    In the reflection of the dress in the dressing table mirror, there were a few more gems than in reality - long, short, medium, long, medium. And the gems were parallel to the middle of the wall.

    She adjusted the length of the three mirrors in sequence ording to the order.

    A chill wind crept in.

    The bottom of the wardrobe had somehow moved the wooden boards at some point, revealing a hole inside the cab.

    She turned on her shlight and crouched through the hole.

    Her figure faded away as she descended the stairs.

    The mechanism closed up, and the mirrors silently slid back into ce.

    The next day, Jian Jing did not appear.

    Large fluffy snowkes drifted down from the sky. The road to town waspletely blocked, making it very difficult even for snowmobiles to get through. There were also some problems with the power supply, and the heating never seemed toe on properly.

    The ancient firece became useful once again.

    Firewood was stacked and ignited in the furnace, crimson mes bursting forth, raising the temperature and dispelling some of the gloom.

    For some reason, the guests seemed to be avoiding each other, no longer gathering together to chat, preferring to stay alone in their rooms.

    Kang Mu Cheng found Lei Ao in his bedroom with Mnie, and said, "Can we talk?"

    Lei Ao looked at Mnie inquiringly. She nodded, "I''m fine, go ahead."

    Only then did he leave the room. Before Kang Mu Cheng could ask anything, he said, "I hope you didn''te to me about Jian Jing''s request, to probe for information."

    However, Kang Mu Cheng didn''t mention a word of it. He simply told the truth: "Last night, my friend said someone was watching him."

    Lei Ao was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Did he get scared? Does he need Mary to give him a sedative?"

    "He''s fine, he thought he was seeing things," Kang Mu Cheng said. "Lei Ao, you know my personality, I''m not interested in others, but Jian Jing - she asked me, what if the other party''s purpose is not only Mnie, but also you, what should be done?"

    He asked, "Can you assure me that the secrets you''re hiding won''t endanger your life?"

    ??? Please indicate the source when reposting:

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227

    Lei Ao was silent for a long time.

    Kang Mu Cheng did not rush him either, waiting patiently for his reply.

    After a long while, he rubbed his face and gave a wry smile, "It seems I''m really not a good liar."

    "Kind people usually do not like deception," Kang Mu Cheng spoke gently, with inexplicable persuasiveness, "You have your own difficulties."

    Lei Ao hesitated, then slumped against the wall in frustration. The old wallpaper gave off a musty odor of history that was quite unpleasant in the nose.

    He organized his thoughts, "To be honest, I thought I could keep things under control - do you understand? I invited you to my wedding, I never intended for any harm toe to you - Kimberley''s death was too unexpected, it left me at a loss for a moment...not knowing how to face it."

    Kang Mu Cheng listened quietly.

    In the narrow corridor, the window at the end let in the indulgent winter sunlight, everything was misty.

    Lei Ao gazed at the distant ice and snow, momentarily transported back to a winter night in Boston. Both not native to America, neither fond of parties or all-nighters, after two years as ssmates he and Kang Mu Cheng finally struck up a conversation one day.

    At that time they were only in their early twenties, extremely young.

    Neither could fully understand their peers'' restlessness and mor. But Kang Mu Cheng was a lot like him, both were quiet and reserved, preferring some things others might see as quite dull.

    Like movies over six hours long.

    After watching one such lengthy film, around five or six o''clock, Lei Ao remembered, the dormitory windows also let in this sort of hazy light.

    It was as if from another world, already another world.

    "I don''t want to believe she killed Kimberley," Lei Ao opened with a bizarre conclusion, "But I have no evidence, nor can I prove for her...this is really awful."

    Sure enough there was a woman involved. Kang Mu Cheng thought, asking, "Who is she?"

    Lei Ao: "My sister, Margaret."

    Once a taboo was broken, it no longer held oppressive pressure. Without waiting for further questions, he volunteered, "If there really is a curse on our family, it would be this - she has a rare allergy disorder, severely allergic to sunlight, even a tiny bit of sun exposure can send her into shock."

    "Ever since she was little, she''s never been able to go out in the day." Lei Ao gestured with his hands as he spoke, indicating for Kang Mu Cheng to follow him, "But that''s not the worst part."

    He gently pushed open an ornately carved door at the end of the fourth floor, inside was a portrait gallery, with paintings of every generation of the Sals hanging on the walls.

    "Remember I told you my ancestors always encountered loveless marriages, and my father was the same. He married my mother - she was the daughter of an American steel tycoon - hoping to repair this castle, because the ravages of war had bankrupted the Sals.

    "They had me, but neither side was happy, so my mother left me here and abandoned this ce - I don''t me her, it was far better than the past, right? Then my father married Margaret''s mother, at the time I was actually happy for him, but I suppose it was the curse, men who abandon their wives always lose their lovers.

    "Margaret''s mother had a mental illness. When she was giving birth there were someplications, she was extremely unstable mentally, and even wanted to kill the newborn Margaret. Our father tried to stop her, they struggled, and my father identally pushed her down the stairs, but she had also slit his carotid artery with scissors. When I found them, blood had already stained the entire floor red."

    Lei Ao''s tone was veryplicated. He did not want to believe in this so-called "curse", but the series of tragedies that had urred, each seemed to further attest to the eeriness of Castle Winterfell.

    "It was an ident," Kang Mu Cheng said futilely in constion.

    "Always idents, all idents," Lei Ao murmured.

    There was a moment of silence.

    Lei Ao took a deep breath, bucking himself up, "But let''s not dwell on that. Margaret inherited her mother''s illness. I''ve had doctors see her, medicating on schedule, and her condition has been well controlled over the past decade or so."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Was that her singing?"

    "I believe so, she can be a bit mischievous sometimes," a resigned smile appeared on Lei Ao''s face, "She''ll sneak out through the passages sometimes to y pranks and startle people."

    This exined his earlier remarks about the "strange urrences".

    "I don''t know much about crime, but Jian Jing is always writing about it, so I have some basic knowledge," Kang Mu Cheng deliberated for a long time before gently suggesting, "Kimberley''s death was clearly murder, not the sort of ident that could happen from a prank gone wrong."

    Lei Ao paused, turning to look at him, "You think so?"

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded.

    "I feel the same way," Lei Ao was visibly relieved, but his sister Margaret''s situation remained unchanged. He immediately grew worried again, "If it wasn''t her, then who was it?"

    After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What about Jian Jing? She seems rather - uh, knowledgeable about these things?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "I went to her room this morning, she wasn''t there, and I still haven''t seen her all this time until now."

    Lei Ao was taken aback, "Oh no, don''t tell me it''s..."

    Kang Mu Cheng gave him a look that said "it''s exactly what you''re thinking".

    Lei Ao sucked in a breath, immediately locking the portrait gallery door, then triggered a mechanism on one of the paintings. The decorative panel next to the firece slid away, revealing a stretch of passage identical to the one outside.

    "Follow me," he said.

    The two entered the passage - though called a secret passage, it wasn''t cramped or dark, just like a normal corridor, only with some extra length, concealing a few rooms - Lei Ao pushed open the door at the end of the hallway, inside was arge bedroom simr to his master suite.

    A glittering crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, with burgundy tassels trailing from the four-poster bed, exquisite full-length mirrors, ivory ornamental pieces, and powder blue Rococo armchairs.

    Sitting in one of the chairs was a skeleton in courtly dress.

    Kang Mu Cheng was startled, asking, "Is this the missing skeleton?"

    "It''s Margaret''s mother," Lei Ao was terse. "Margaret couldn''t ept her passing."

    He apologized, "I''m very sorry for deceiving you all, I''ve since properly exined this to Margaret. She didn''t realize it would be so frightening, only wanted to introduce her to Mnie''s family. Kimberley''s sudden scream gave her a huge fright, and she dropped her."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..." He could only shake his head.

    "Margaret," Lei Ao called, walking through the bedroom into another hallway that had never appeared before, "Where are you?"

    "Is that Lei Ao?" someone spoke from the room on the left, "Pleasee in."

    Lei Ao pushed the door open and was dumbstruck, "What happened here?"

    It was a doll room, filled with dolls collected from around the world, even aplete set of Barbies. At the moment, a blonde girl in a soft turtle shelly sprawled on the soft wool carpet, limbs tightly bound by restraints, looking like an upturned turtle.

    "Mm mm!" A strip of cloth over her mouth muffled her tongue, rendering her unable to speak.

    "Oh my god!" Lei Ao eximed, "Jian Jing, let her go quickly!"

    "Please don''t worry, I didn''t harm Miss Margaret, but she was rather - interested in this unsafe toy," Jian Jing turned the steak knife in her hand, "Wasn''t she?"

    Lei Ao was shocked, "Jian Jing, where did you get that knife?"

    Jian Jing removed the gag from her face.

    Margaret let out a shrill scream, "Die, die, die!"

    Lei Ao was beyond mortified, striding forward to grip her shoulders, "Margaret, calm down!"

    ˇ°Margaret, I hate her,ˇ± Margaret saw her brother, did not yell anymore, leaned on his shoulder and sobbed, ˇ°Let them leave, let them go, I don''t, I don''t want to see them.ˇ±

    Lei Ao hugged his sister and patted her back tofort her: ˇ°It''s okay, don''t be afraid.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at Jian Jing, slightly reproachful: Is this what you call not intense?

    Jian Jing apologized immediately: ˇ°This is my fault. Yesterday Yingjie was scared, I was afraid everyone would get hurt again, so I chased in, but I seemed to have scared her.ˇ±

    ˇ°Peggy has hardly seen strangers before, she can''t be stimted.ˇ± Although Lei Ao seemed to be objective, he was no longer as friendly as he was initially.

    ˇ°I''m really sorry.ˇ± Jian Jing said.

    Prying into other people''s secrets and exploring hidden truths will naturally cause difort to others, this is an inevitable cost.

    She waited a little before saying: ˇ°I need to eliminate Margaret''s suspicion.ˇ±

    Lei Ao said, ˇ°I believe it wasn''t her.ˇ±

    Jian Jing''s eyes shed slightly: ˇ°Just believe it? Please don''t take it the wrong way, I don''t mean anything else. I just thought that before you categorically stated that the matter was resolved, so I assumed you had temporarily restricted her actions?ˇ±

    "Yes, I locked her up." Lei Ao said.

    "Then why do you just believe it?" Jian Jing was very perceptive, "You heard the singing, you should have confirmed it through the secret passage in the study first? That''s why you werete."

    Lei Ao nodded: "Yes, but at the time..." His brow furrowed, and he said somewhat strangely, "The door was open."

    "The bedroom door?"

    "Yes."

    Jian Jing fell silent in thought.

    Last night, after she cracked the mechanism of the mirror house and entered the passage, she had carefully studied the bedroom door. It could not be locked from the inside, but threetches could be put on it from the outside to ensure the door waspletely closed.

    With Margaret''s strength, it was impossible for her to break out on her own.

    Who let her out?

    "Margaret," she squatted down and turned on her charm card, "did youe out the night beforest?"

    Margaret leaned on Lei Ao''s shoulder, tilted her head and smiled: "I knew she would die."

    "Why?"

    "She was cursed."

    Lei Ao said regretfully, "No, Peggy, don''t say that."

    "What did you see that day?" Jian Jing continued to ask.

    Margaret said, "Lei Ao, don''t marry her, I can''t be without you."

    "Peggy, even if I get married, you won''t lose me, you''ll have one more person to love you." Lei Ao looked sincerely into her eyes, "I won''t leave you."

    "No!" Margaret''s emotions fluctuated violently again, screaming incessantly, "No! No!"

    Her face was twisted with resentment, even making Lei Ao jump with fright.

    Was it her?

    Did Margaret kill Mnie because she couldn''t ept her?

    The green dress prompts you: Please collect after reading, it will be more convenient to read on.

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228

    Margaret fell ill, so Lei Ao had no choice but to call Mary over to give her a sedative injection.

    "Mary." Lying on the soft velvet bed, Margaret looked just like the real life Sleeping Beauty. She reached out and grabbed Mary''s sleeve, "Don''t, don''t let Lei Ao... Mary don''t go..."

    She looked to be at least seventeen or eighteen years old, but acted just like a child, clinging to Mary''s sleeve and refusing to let go.

    Mary was also uncharacteristically gentlepared to how she treated outsiders, softly persuading: "The wedding''s been postponed, Lei Ao''s not leaving, and I''m not leaving either. Go to sleep."

    Margaret revealed a satisfied smile, murmuring: "Don''t want Mnie, just Peggy, Lei Ao and Mary, we''ll stay in the castle forever, never going anywhere..."

    A look of pain shed across Lei Ao''s eyes, but he could no longer say anything about "having one more person to love you".

    The medication started taking effect, and Margaret''s breathing gradually eased as she fell into a deep sleep.

    Only then did Mary erupt, sternly saying: "Why are they here? Lei Ao, you know very well Peggy''s situation has been very poor recently, she can''t take any stimuli!"

    Kang Mu Cheng immediately spoke up: "Sorry, it was our mistake, we disturbed her."

    "Don''t go too far." Mary questioned, "This is Lei Ao''s private matter, what right do you have to pry into other people''s affairs?"

    "Because Kimberley died." Jian Jing emphasized, tit for tat, "In your eyes, she was a weak and helpless poor girl - I won''t deny this, Miss Sall did indeed suffer - but she was also a murder suspect."

    Mary said: "Peggy simply didn''t have the ability to kill anyone, she never touched the pearls, and couldn''t get the poison either."

    "But she could appear anywhere at any time through the secret passage." Jian Jing said coldly, "What if she had an aplice?"

    "An aplice? Me?" Mary keenly asked, "Because I don''t approve of Lei Ao getting married?"

    "No, it''s because Margaret doesn''t want her brother to get married." Jian Jing said. "And you''re her friend."

    With Margaret''s appearance, most of the doubts about Mary were also resolved - she had said her mother was employed by Castle Winterfell, so it could be inferred that she must have spent a long time here as a child, and was most likely good childhood friends with Margaret who seemed to be of a simr age.

    Therefore, Mary''s disapproval of Lei Ao''s marriage was not out of love, but concern for Margaret.

    However, this did not reduce their suspicions.

    "You weren''t in your room during the ckout." Jian Jing said. "Clear your suspicions before you can clear Margaret''s."

    Mary fell silent.

    Jian Jing turned to look at Lei Ao: "Who knows about Margaret?"

    "Only me and Mary." Lei Ao said uneasily.

    "Then let''s stay here, just the few of us, and get to the bottom of this: during the ckout, Lei Ao came in through the secret passage from the study to look for Miss Margaret, correct?"

    Lei Ao: "Yes."

    "Did you find her when you discovered the door was open?"

    Lei Ao shook his head, looking to Mary for guidance.

    However, Mary said: "I''m not sure, at the time I was in the kitchen preparing dinner for Peggy, Uncle Qiao Zhi didn''t know about Peggy''s existence, so I had to avoid being seen by him. After the ckout, I immediately went upstairs with candles."

    From the kitchen to the second floor, the timing matched up.

    Jian Jing deliberated: "You didn''t go see her?"

    "I knew Lei Ao had locked her in the bedroom, I didn''t expect her toe out." Mary pursed her lips, "At that time, my first reaction was of course to go upstairs and figure out what had happened."

    Jian Jing nodded, notmenting further, and took out the steak knife she had put aside earlier: "Seen this before?"

    Mary said: "It''s a knife from the kitchen."

    "When I came in, Miss Margaret attacked me with this."

    Mary knitted her brows, her face full of confusion.

    But to her surprise, Jian Jing gave up on this question, and instead asked, "Can you draw me a map of the secret passages? It doesn''t need to be very detailed, just the parts for the first, second, and third floors."

    Lei Ao hesitated for a moment before saying, "I can, this isn''t really a secret."

    He drew a simple map.

    It must be said, the old castle had an exceptionallyrge number of secret passages.

    Front view:

    ..............Hiddenyer..................

    ....Stairs....Lei Ao & Mnie''s room..

    .Hall of Mirrors....Stairs....Carl''s room..Kang..Jian..Si....Secret

    .Hidden study..Stairs.......

    .Passage..Reception room..Stairs........

    ..................Basement area......................

    The first secret passage was on the fourth floor, and could open up a new corridor through the portrait room leading to Margaret''s room. And in this corridor, there was a hidden door, behind which were stairs - the second secret passage, leading down to the third floor''s Hall of Mirrors, second floor''s hidden study, and first floor''s reception room.

    The third secret passage was on the right side, going down from Lei Ao and Mnie''s room, sessively passing through Si Yingjie''s room, originally Kimberley''s room, the hiddenyer behind the kitchen, leading to the basement.

    Behind most of the rooms on the fourth floor, there existed a hidden passageway connected on both sides to the left and right hidden passages.

    "The entrance in our bedroom has been sealed off." Lei Ao said. "She must have gone around through the hiddenyer to Si''s room."

    Jian Jing: "Why seal it off?"

    Lei Ao was very embarrassed: "It wasn''t very convenient."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Ahem."

    "Oh oh, yes that too." Jian Jing breezed past it casually, "Do the passages lead to the kitchen?"

    Lei Ao exined: "Peggy used to like putting things in the food, so my father sealed thisyer off very early on."

    Jian Jing felt something was off. If Margaret had no way to get into the kitchen, why did Lei Ao think it was his sister''s prank after the first poisoning case?

    "Could Margaret get in?" She followed up.

    "Let me exin." Mary said, "Originally she couldn''t, but when they renovated the kitchen two years ago, the walls were damaged, and there was an empty cab behind which you could climb in."

    Lei Ao looked very embarrassed, arguing: "Peggy couldn''t get poison, and wouldn''t recognize it either."

    "Maybe, but that''s not the issue." Jian Jing mused for a moment, then said, "Alright, I don''t have many more questions about Margaret, now I want to investigate some other things. No need to wait for me for lunch."

    Jian Jing went back the same way,ing out of the Hall of Mirrors on the third floor, and entering the room across through the side door.

    Here, it is necessary to present a top view of the second and third floors.

    Theyouts of the two floors were simr, with the stairs dividing the left and right areas, and corridors in the middle with rooms on both sides.

    Second floor top view:

    Lounge....Stairs.....Guest room-Dressing room-Guest room

    .......Corridor..........................

    Hidden study....Stairs.....Billiards room...Smoking room...Observatory

    Third floor top view:

    Treasury....Stairs.....Carl....Kang...Jian...Si....

    .......Corridor..........................

    Hall of Mirrors....Stairs.......Small ballroom..Lounge..Piano room

    Across from the Hall of Mirrors was the Sall family treasury, disying antiques collected by the Sall family, such as exquisite silverware, gold pocket watches, enameled snuff bottles, famous people''s swords, Chinese ceramics, rings engraved with names... Not necessarily worth a fortune, but definitely historical artifacts.

    Or family memorabilia, such as medals, manuscripts, guns, court dresses, fans... All were relics of ancestors, telling the family''s history and glory.

    After spending more than an hour carefully appreciating the exhibits in this room, Jian Jing went to the small ballroom.

    This was where noble youngdies used to dance in the past, but it hadn''t been used for a long time now. The floors were dim, and the wallpaper around also gave off a musty smell.

    Passing directly through the ballroom was another lounge.

    Compared to therge lounge on the second floor, the walls and ceilings here were more feminine, with paintings of the Virgin Mary and goddesses, in pinkish hues.

    Unlike the decor, the furniture was very modern, withfortablerge sofas and a big screen, perfect for getting together with friends to watch movies.

    Thest room by the window was a piano room, and of course there was an antique grand piano. The windows were locked tight, and outside was a frozen iceyer that looked from afar like demons pouncing on the cliff, coldly watching someone.

    With that, the inspection of all the rooms on the third floor wasplete.

    Going down to the second floor, she encountered Holen in the smoking room.

    "Mr. Holen, you''vee here to smoke again?" she greeted him.

    Holen nodded coldly.

    "To be honest," Jian Jing asked casually, "are you sure you don''t want to tell me who you were with during the ckout yesterday?"

    Holen was shocked: "What did you say?"

    "You weren''t here at all," she said.

    "No, I was," Holen said calmly.

    "During the ckout, I didn''t smell any cigarette smoke on you," Jian Jing bluntly revealed, "butter when we met in the library, there was."

    Holen suddenly stopped, and immediately said, "You must be mistaken."

    "My sense of smell is keener than most people''s. If you had smelled of cigarette smoke back then, I definitely would have noticed."

    A mid-level observation card would not miss such an obvious clue. Jian Jing had no relevant memories, which meant she should not have smelled anything.

    "So you''re suspicious of me now?" Holen asked in response.

    Jian Jing smiled slightly. "On the contrary, I think you know that Kimberley was wearing Mnie''s ne, so it definitely wasn''t you, unless you killed her in a moment of anger over Kimberley''s joke."

    Holen was stunned. "Why?"

    "Because you saw Mnie," she said. "You''re tight-lipped and conceal the truth only because you don''t want to cause trouble for Mnie. It''s easy for unsavory rumors to arise when a soon-to-be-married woman, no, an already married woman, speaks in private with a close friend, away from their good friends and husband."

    He pondered silently, the cigar pinched between his fingers burning quietly, the smoke drifting into the air.

    After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Jian, you''ve caught me a little off guard. I didn''t expect you were serious. I thought you were just joking around, ying a detective game."

    Jian Jing chuckled.

    "I did look for Mnie. We had some private matters to discuss," Holen said, upholding his principles. "Even if you suspect me, I won''t tell you."

    She didn''t care. "You don''t have to tell me. You just need to say ''yes'' or ''no''."

    Holen raised his eyebrows and made a "go ahead" gesture, his manner extremely elegant, as if he were a noble gentleman who had traveled through time from Prussia, polite yet arrogant - although one couldn''t speak highly of women''s intelligence, they had the privilege of being capricious.

    But when Jian Jing stated her question, the dignified expression on his face froze.

    "Just a little, hmm, result of my detective game," Jian Jing said insincerely. "So, yes or no?"

    Holen tensed his face. After a long time, he nodded imperceptibly.

    "I have nothing more to ask you," she said coldly.

    After noon, the weather finally cleared up.

    Jian Jing went to visit the recuperating Mnie. "How are you feeling?"

    "My chest feels a little stuffy. Lei Ao said he''d take me to the hospital." Mnie struggled to sit up and smiled wryly. "Jian, give me some good news, please."

    Jian Jing said, "Mr. Holen has admitted that he met with you before the ckout."

    Mnie let out a soft exmation, then looked ashamed. "I should have told you myself. Augustus...it wasn''t him."

    "Of course, he knew the ne wasn''t on you anymore," Jian Jing reassured her. "So far, the clues are very clear. I''m just worried about Lei Ao..."

    Mnie was puzzled. "Lei Ao?"

    "No, never mind," she cut herself off. "You should go to the hospital now."

    "When I get back, will this be resolved?" Mnie asked expectantly.

    Jian Jing replied, "Yes, I think everything can be resolved."

 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229

    The previous text described that Castle Winterfell was located on a cliff, facing the endless ocean on one side, and connected to a private road on the other side.

    This road was the only way down the mountain from the castle, but unfortunately it had been blocked for several days due to heavy snow.

    But this afternoon, it seemed that heaven knew the case was about to be closed, and hid the wind and snow to let out the long-absent sun.

    The warm sunshine shone on the snow, melting the hard iceyer. Qiao Zhi drove a small yellow snowplow, barely clearing a passable road.

    Lei Ao changed the car tires to snow tires, and helped Mnie into the car.

    "Let''s go to the hospital in town first to see, if we''re lucky, getting some medicine will allow us toe back," Lei Ao apologized to the guests, "If hospitalization is required, I will contact Mary."

    He told Mary, "I leave it all to you."

    Mary knew his true meaningˇŞhe left Margaret to herˇŞand solemnly agreed, "I will do my best."

    Lei Ao''s eyes expressed gratitude, but he did not speak, only steadied Mnie. Her body was still very weak, and the low temperature from the melting snow made her shiver.

    "Get in the car quickly," Lei Ao opened the passenger door.

    Mnie got in weakly, her slender eyebrows twisted together.

    "You''ll feel better when we get to the hospital," Lei Ao reassured her and started the car.

    The road surface was a little slippery, and he had to slow down. The roadsides were snowy beds like cotton, crystal clear and thick, and the sunshine shone on them, reflecting a stretch of white light.

    "Oh, Lei Ao, stop for a second," Mnie pleaded.

    Lei Ao didn''t understand, and slowly stepped on the brakes.

    She said, "I have to go back and take motion sickness medicine, wait for me."

    "I''ll reverse the car," Lei Ao said immediately.

    "Don''t be silly, the road is so slippery," Mnie got out of the car, wrapped her scarf tightly, "I''ll be right back."

    "I''ll go with you," Lei Ao pulled up the parking brake and carefully stopped the car.

    But at that moment, he felt the car shake, and then his vision spun as his body flipped over with the car, falling into the snow.

    The pungent smell of smoke came into the carriage, and the temperature rose rapidly.

    What happened? He shook his head, even more dizzy.

    "Lei Ao," a snow-white arm suddenly stretched out from the back seat, lowering the passenger seat. Jian nimbly climbed to the front of the car, swung the emergency hammer in her hand, andpletely smashed the window in three hits.

    She roughly swept the edges, crawled out, and then grabbed his arm, "Get out!"

    Lei Ao only felt a huge forceing, the seat belt had been cut, and his body was involuntarily pulled out of the precarious car.

    "Run!" Her order was simple and effective.

    Lei Ao staggered and ran a few steps, then his back was heavily pushed, the st sent him several meters away, and he fell headfirst into the snow.

    The thick snow cushioned the impact, sparing him a bloody nose.

    "Lei Ao," not far away, Mnie crawled up from the ground, stumbled over, "Oh my God, Lei Ao, are you okay?"

    "I''m fine, are you okay?" Lei Ao, still in shock, hugged his wife tightly.

    The guests had all run down, anxiously asking, "Are you guys okay? Are you hurt?"

    "Lei Ao, you''re bleeding," Mary said.

    Lei Ao looked at his arm, his hand was cut, but that was trivial, "Where''s Jian?"

    "I''m here," Jian brushed the snow off herself, unscathed.

    "I owe it to you," Lei Ao babbled his gratitude, "If not for you, I would definitely be dead, but why were you in the car?"

    She smiled, "It''s simple, because I predicted this murder attempt."

    "Oh no..." The onlookers uttered terrified cries.

    Jian''s expression became serious as she looked around at everyone, "Yes, this is the third murder attempt. But I already know who the murderer is. If it''s convenient, let''s go back to the castle now, and I''ll exin it to everyone slowly."

    No one objected.

    Everyone went back to the lounge, Qiao Zhi brought hot chocte for everyone to drink, "You need sugar, a lot, a lot, a lot of sugar."

    Jian thanked him and took a sip.

    The chocte taste was very rich, and very sweet.

    Too sweet.

    She quickly put down the cup and cleared her throat, "I guess everyone doesn''t want me to keep you in suspense, so let''s get right to the pointˇŞif I say anything wrong, or offend someone''s dignity, I apologize in advance."

    After spending a few days with foreigners, she unknowingly began to imitate their way of speaking.

    "First of all, I need everyone to be clear about one thing. So far, there have been four cases: 1. Si-De-Ning poisoning, 2. Corpse scare, 3. Cyanide poisoning, 4. The car ident fifteen minutes ago. Among them, the second case has been proven to be a terrible prank, no need to mention it for now. What we really need to figure out are the three heinous murders."

    The audience nodded in agreement, without a doubt this was the detective''s most brilliant moment.

    Jian''s thoughts flowed more smoothly than ever before.

    She said, "Three cases may have three killers, three motives, or only one. Too manybinations, I don''t want to use the dumbest method unless absolutely necessary. So let''s start with Kimberley, after all there is a microscopic possibilityˇŞfrom beginning to end, the only person to kill was Kimberley."

    Carl objected, "I don''t understand, who would want to kill her? She didn''t even know anyone else."

    "Two and a half suspects," Jian exined, "You, Mnie, and Holen, who had an argument with her before she died, but it''s meaningless to talk about this. The real motive is only known to the murderer, we have to start from the cases themselves."

    She said, "Now let''s go back to that night, everyone split up, ording to everyone''s ount: Mnie and Kimberley were in the lounge on the second floor, Mary and Qiao Zhi were in a room on the first floor, Lei Ao and Kang Mu Cheng were changing clothes, Holen wanted to smoke a cigar, Carl was in his room, and dear brother Ying Jie was going to scare me with Freddy."

    Ying Jie''s mouth twitched, Holen crossed his fingers, and Carl moved slightly.

    "But someone lied,"

    She looked at their faces and said slowly, "Mary was in the kitchen, Holen and Mnie, unfortunately, they were together at the time..."

    Lei Ao looked surprised, while Holen unpleasantly said, "That''s not the case, Jian, your wording is clearly not urate enough."

    "Oh, really? Not ''together''?" She said innocently, "Sorry, my English is not very good."

    Kang Mu Cheng coughed, "So what happened next?"

    Jian said, "Mr. Holen had to avoid Lei Ao and talk to Mnie alone, it must have been about Lei Ao, or about Mnie herself, and it wasn''t a good thing. Someone told me that Mr. Holen is a loyal friend, I''ll take their word for it that he wasn''t badmouthing Lei Ao, so the answer is thetter.

    "What he had to say was not very good, extremely likely to affect their marriage. This is very strange, if Mnie herself had a problem, as a ''loyal friend'', why didn''t he exin beforehand? So the answer is already very obvious, it''s rted to Kimberley and Carl."

    Carl didn''t look very happy, his eyes darting back and forth between Holen.

    Mnie sped her hands, slightly ashamed to say, "Oh, this matter really... I''m grateful that Augustus kept it secret for me, it really is very, very hard to talk about."

    Mary was impatient, "What is the matter?"

    "Coincidentally, the answer is rted to Mr. Carl''s actions that day. You said you were in your room and went down after hearing the noise. " She turned to face Carl, calling him out by name, "However, my room is behind yours, and I went downstairs a littleter, yet you arrived after me. "

    Carl argued, "I was dyed for a while."

    "Yes, of course for a while, because you needed to put back the damaged item."

    Lei Ao was puzzled, "Jian, please exin more clearly, I don''t understand."

    "At the time, Carl was in the collection room, probably wanting toˇŞsorry, I can''t find a suitable word, I''ll just say it straightˇŞsteal something." Jian announced the answer.

    The others looked at him together.

    Carl said coldly, "Don''t smear me, what evidence do you have?"

    "You had your eyes on that antique sword by the corner, right? There''s a gemstone on the hilt," Jian said with a blink. "Also, when the power went out, you got scared doing your thieving and bumped into something. Am I right?"

    Carl tried his best to pretend like nothing had happened, but his shocked and concealed fearful expressionpletely gave him away.

    She held up her hand and shook the transparent evidence bag. "Take a look at what this is - Einstein''s white wig. After trying on the wig, you left this strand of synthetic hair on your back. Then it got caught on the antique dress disyed perpendicr to the sword. Thatdy hung many entric decorations on her dress, and it got hooked onto one."

    The evidence was irrefutable. Carl unconsciously avoided everyone''s gaze. After a moment, his brain reacted and he made up an excuse to smooth things over: "I was just admiring it. I identally damaged it and was afraid you''d make me pay for it, so I didn''t dare say anything."

    Holen sneered coldly: "Oh really? So did I just imagine hearing you say to that woman, ''It''s just a gemstone, they won''t find out''?"

    Carl shut his mouth.

    Mnie regretfully said, "I''m so sorry, Lei Ao. Please forgive me for not daring to tell you. I really had no way of believing Kimberley could do something like this."

    "It''s nothing," Lei Ao reassured his wife magnanimously, "Go on, Jian."

    Jian said, "Alright, so we can eliminate Holen since he knew Mnie wasn''t wearing the ne, and likewise eliminate Carl since he was upstairs the whole time. But the rest don''t seem suspicious either."

    "Wait, I want to ask who startled Kimberley and me that time," Ying Jie cut in.

    "I''ll get to that in a bit," Jian concealed Margaret''s existence and continued on her own train of thought. "If we carefully analyze these three cases, we can sketch an image of the murderer in our minds - she hates Mnie deeply and tried to kill her three times to silence her. At the same time, she''s very familiar with the terrain, able to sneak past Qiao Zhi to poison him, and urately attack in the dark."

    "Unfortunately, there is indeed someone who exists like that."

    Many nced at Mary, but Mary remained expressionless.

    Jian said, "I can''t help but ask myself, is it her? Does she have the ability to do this? Yes, of course. But there''s one ce that leaves me utterly confused - the first time Mnie was poisoned."

    "Let''s think back to when we had dinner. We sat randomly, and the wine sses were set out early. The murderer wiped on poison ahead of time, so ten minutes after dinner started the poison should have taken effect. But the champagne was brought by Mary, poured by Lei Ao, and no one got close to Mnie''s ss the whole time, except for Kimberley sitting next to her. So who poisoned it?"

    Holen said, "Indeed, it''s very strange. Considering the seating then, Kimberley would be the most suspicious."

    "Mnie was seated with Lei Ao on her right and Kimberley on her left. Who would be more likely to harm her?" Jian retorted.

    After thinking for a while, Ying Jie said, "Kimberley. She was jealous of Mnie."

    "Mnie, what do you think?" Jian asked.

    Mnie sadly said, "I don''t know."

    "You know she was certainly jealous of you. I remember Kimberley kept saying what a lucky girl you are."

    "Was it really her?" Mnie asked.

    Jian smiled, "Of course not. She''s short on cash, why not just ask you for money? Why would she kill you, could she even rece you marrying Lei Ao? No, it wasn''t her, nor Lei Ao, it was you, Mnie. You''re the true mastermind behind these three cases."

    Dead silence in the room.

 Chapter 230

    Chapter 230

    A good few minutes passed, and not a word was spoken.

    They doubted their own ears. Mnie, what was going on with Mnie? Of course, she was a lucky woman, but she was also a victim with three murder attempts directed at her.

    Lei Ao was the first to say: ˇ°No, impossible.ˇ±

    Holen also said: ˇ°DonˇŻt talk nonsense.ˇ±

    But apart from them, no one else rashly refuted it. Mary even said: ˇ°She poisoned herself, totally possible, as long as she got the dosage right, strychnine wouldn''t cause death.ˇ±

    Jian Jing snapped her fingers: ˇ°ThatˇŻs right, once the murderer is identified, many things be so simple. She of course knew Kimberley wore the ne, and was also familiar with theyout of the house. And she knew very clearly that there was someone here who was madly trying to kill her to stop this marriage - perfect scapegoat, isnˇŻt it?ˇ±

    Carl couldnˇŻt help but jump in: ˇ°What does that have to do with Kimberley? She poisoned herself just to kill Kimberley?ˇ±

    ˇ°No, the person she wanted to kill was... Lei Ao,ˇ± Jian Jing said coldly, ˇ°They were already married. Once Lei Ao died, the other person lost the right to inherit, and the Sal family''s huge legacy would be hers, right?ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh my god.ˇ± Qiao Zhi finally caught on and understood, ˇ°This is too horrible.ˇ±

    Lei Ao firmly disbelieved: ˇ°YouˇŻre talking nonsense.ˇ±

    ˇ°I know youˇŻd say that, which is why I guessed sheˇŻd make a move on you, but didnˇŻt tell you. Instead I chose to hide in the car, to save you after it happened,ˇ± Jian Jing sighed and said, ˇ°Think about it, howe, so coincidentally, the car exploded right after she got off?ˇ±

    ˇ°Maybe...ˇ± Lei Ao licked his lips and said with difficulty, ˇ°it was just luck.ˇ±

    ˇ°DonˇŻt fool yourself,ˇ± Jian Jing looked at Mnie sitting upright, she was still elegant and beautiful, exquisite and tragically beautiful, and her refined features could easily arouse a man''s pity, ˇ°The person you love isn''t as fragile as she looks.ˇ±

    In a sh, Si Yingjie put himself in Lei Ao''s shoes, and couldn''t help but say: ˇ°This is not strange, we always fall for beautiful women.ˇ±

    ˇ°Your reasoning has a fatal w,ˇ± Holen said coldly, ˇ°I admit she had motive to kill Lei Ao. Why kill Kimberley, just to create the pretense of someone trying to kill her?ˇ±

    Jian Jing shook her head: ˇ°This was an ident. Killing Kimberley wasn''t a smart choice. Three brushes with death is too dramatic, two is just right. However, she had no choice but to do it.ˇ±

    ˇ°I donˇŻt understand,ˇ± Qiao Zhi said honestly.

    Jian Jing said: ˇ°Kimberley''s existence could lead to a consequence Mnie didn''t want to see - an invalid marriage.ˇ±

    Everyone was confused: ˇ°Why? Thew doesn''t specify that.ˇ±

    ˇ°Lei Ao, I heard your family has a rule, don''t know if it''s true or not,ˇ± Jian Jing asked, ˇ°DidnˇŻt Earl Sal say your family is not allowed to marry Hungarian women?ˇ±

    Lei Ao was shocked. After a long pause, he frowned and said: ˇ°Indeed...but it''s just, uh, a provision without much binding power.ˇ±

    She asked: ˇ°May I be blunt, what would happen if you did marry?ˇ±

    Lei Ao hesitated: ˇ°IˇŻd need to consult thewyers.ˇ±

    ˇ°ording to localws, if the will has such limiting conditions, Lei Ao could potentially lose inheritance rights,ˇ± Holen said.

    Mnie smiled: ˇ°My dear, I married you never for property. Besides, IˇŻm French, not Hungarian.ˇ±

    Lei Ao smiled at her, with unnatural heaviness in his eyes.

    Jian Jing asked: ˇ°Really, you''re French?ˇ±

    ˇ°Do you want to see my passport?ˇ± Mnie retorted.

    Jian Jing said: ˇ°Of course the passport is fine. What struck me as odd were Kimberley''s words, she called you a lucky girl - just when you arrived at Uncle Hank''s, his stocks surged. Why did she say ''just arrived''?

    ˇ°If she meant your birth, shouldn''t she have used the French word for ''arrive''? More oddly, when she first suggested you pose as a countess, the one she mentioned was Countess Bathory. Forgive my poor European history, I vaguely remember she was quite famous, and, a Hungarian?ˇ±

    Holen said: ˇ°Her most famous rumor was that she bathed in the blood of young girls to maintain her youth.ˇ±

    Jian Jing realized: ˇ°I knew it sounded familiar, she was Hungarian indeed, right?ˇ±

    ˇ°ThatˇŻs just your spection,ˇ± Mnie said leisurely, ˇ°Kimberley liked joking around, maybe she just thought the bloody countess was interesting.ˇ±

    ˇ°I donˇŻt think so. Kimberley was very stubborn about taking pride in France. Emily was French, and Esmeralda sheter suggested was also a French literary character. ThereˇŻs no reason for her topare you to a Hungarian woman.ˇ±

    Jian Jing refuted, but also said: ˇ°Though this is just my guess. Retrieving adoption records isnˇŻt very hard, it''s just difficult to do now - oh well, letˇŻs talk about stronger evidence.ˇ±

    Her expression gradually became grave: ˇ°This was the biggest puzzle I encountered. The two poisonings were extremely clever, any traces left would be normal, since the ˇ®intendedˇŻ victim was you after all. So for a time I was very troubled, and had to analyze your psychological state from a more abstract level.ˇ±

    Murder is a crime, a malignance, a brutality.

    And exquisite murder is also a talent.

    The distinguished detective and the cunning criminal, in a moment, arouse a wondrous resonance.

    ˇ°I think, even if you nned to seize the inheritance from when you first met Lei Ao, the idea to murder must be very recent. You needed to ensure your ce on the inheritance list, and that there really was a handsome fortune, not an empty shell deep in debt.

    ˇ°Most importantly, you had to deal with other heirs. The crux of this n was killing two birds with one stone.ˇ±

    Jian Jing said thest Chinese idiom, then tranted it into English. So the expressions of Lei Ao, as one of the birds and brother of the other bird, clearly changed.

    But he held back the urge to question, and didnˇŻt rashly believe a person heˇŻd only known a few days over his own wife.

    Jian Jing went on: ˇ°Poison is hard to get past security checks. If your bag was searched, it would be very hard to exin. After you arrived here you stayed in the castle, rarely going out, and it''s unsafe to buy poison in unfamiliar ces. So where did the poisone from?

    ˇ°I carefully examined the poisoned needle that killed Kimberley. It was very inconspicuous, but different from a regr disposable stainless steel needle. At the time I didnˇŻt pay attention, until I went to the third floor collection room, where a corner cab disyed a diary.ˇ±

    Lei Ao said: ˇ°WilsonˇŻs diary?ˇ±

    ˇ°Yes, he was your...ˇ±

    ˇ°My grandfather''s brother.ˇ±

    Jian Jing said: ˇ°He participated in World War II, collected some war memorabilia, including a Soviet medical kit and the poisons the Germans used for assassinations, including cyanide and strychnine. The poison needle was an old injection needlehead, its unique shape matched the metal syringes of the past.ˇ±

    Holen sharply asked: ˇ°Were there fingerprints? Otherwise how does it prove anything?ˇ±

    ˇ°It proves the murder weapon was improvised on the spot,ˇ± Jian Jing said. ˇ°LetˇŻs recall what Mnie wore at the first night''s banquet, it was a beautiful evening gown.ˇ±

    Mary said: ˇ°I see, the key lies in how she administered the poison.ˇ±

    ˇ°Yes, the evening gown had no pockets. Under everyone''s watch, how did she manage to secretly poison?ˇ± Jian Jing stared at Lei Ao and asked, ˇ°You know now, right?ˇ±

    EveryoneˇŻs gaze shifted to look at him.

    Lei Ao''s face was stiff, like a mask. Faced with Jian Jing''s questions, he didn''t answer or refute.

    That already said it all.

    ˇ°It was the ring,ˇ± Jian Jing announced the answer, ˇ°I remember very clearly, it was a beautiful antique ring, the setting encrusted with a red ruby...ˇ±

    Lei Ao nodded slightly: ˇ°Oui.ˇ±

    Here is my trantion of the Chinese novel excerpt into English:

    This is a ssic European ring design that was popr in the 16th century. The ring has a hiddenpartment, usually used to hold smelling salts, hair, spices and...poison.

    "So the truth is simple. Open the hiddenpartment, and with a flick of the wrist while drinking...everything is aplished." Jian Jing calmly asked, "Mnie, do you need to find that ring and test it for traces of strychnine, or are you going to deny knowing anything about this?"

    "No need." The beauty slowly stood up, a charming smile blossoming on her alluring face, "To say more would only make me look bad. Yes, Lei Ao."

    She looked at Lei Ao and softly revealed the answer: "It was me."

    "Oh no," Holen turned his face away, his expression contorted, unable to bear looking any longer.

    Lei Ao sorrowfully looked at her and said in a low voice, "I don''t understand."

    "Lei Ao, I don''t like this kind of plot twist: the truthes out and thenes the tearful telling of one''s story to elicit the audience''s sympathy. Hackneyed detectives love doing this, but what''s the point?"

    She looked down at the audience''s faces and slowly said, "From very early on, I had decided that I must live the high life in the future. I loathed the old, cheap apartments, the alcoholic, addict and prostitute neighbors. I also hated my lecherous foster father and stupid foster mother. I hoped they would all go to hell."

    "With great difficulty, I obtained a handsome and wealthy husband, and could immediately start living afortable life. But because of my bloodline, ha, the damned Hungarian bloodline, I would lose everything? No, I won''t allow myself to go back to those days."

    "Lei Ao, of course I love you, butpared to love, I want money more, enough money to end this nightmare. Most women like me know very clearly that men are unreliable, only money will never betray you, so I''m afraid..."

    Mnie nced back with a smile, and drew a small pistol from her embroidered handbag.

    "No, don''t move." She extended her arm with the gun pointed at Mary next to her, "Lei Ao, for the sake of our marriage, let me kindly remind you to go check on lovely Margaret. If you''rete, I don''t know if she''ll still be alive."

    Lei Ao abruptly stood up and staggered a few steps: "No, Mnie, no..."

    "Be a man and face reality," Mnie said coldly, "Gentlemen, please leave, or poor Mary will be meeting her maker."

    Mary clenched her fists, "You think you can get away with this?"

    "That''s for me to worry about," Mnie''s hand holding the gun was very steady, her tone calmly ruthless, "Jian, go to the garage and get a car for me. Don''t try anything funny, look at Mary''s face."

    "You''re thinking too much," Jian Jing put down her cooled hot chocte, "I wasn''t nning on trying anything."

    She didn''t put down the silver spoon she was stirring with, but instead quickly, forcefully and precisely threw it.

    Aimed right at the card.

    The exquisite silver spoon was no more than an inch away, hitting Mnie''s wrist exactly. From the intense pain, her body reacted faster than her mind, and she abruptly let go.

    The gun dropped down.

    Mary reacted swiftly, immediately kicking the gun away so she couldn''t pick it up again. Then she darted up and dodged to a safe spot.

    Mnie gripped her swollen wrist, with deep surprise in her beautiful eyes.

    Is it over?

    In this second and a half?

    "Failure and death, they both happen in an instant," Jian Jing smiled, "Mnie."

    She was silent, then after a moment, lightly sighed and sat down in the chair.

    Jian Jing said, "Let''s go check on Margaret, I hope she hasn''t yed herself to death."

    ??? Please indicate the source when reposting:

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231

    Margaret had nothing to do.

    She found the poison bottle and the Soviet medical kit in the secret room, but the effect of the tranquilizer had not yet passed, and she had not had time to hurt herself or others.

    Lei Ao breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to use his dizzy brain to think about how to deal with Mnie.

    "This is not a decent thing," Holen took the lead in returning to normal, calmly said, "Resolve it before outside spection arises."

    Lei Ao was still hesitant. He loved Mnie deeply, even though he knew she wanted to kill him, and had even killed Kimberley, he found it difficult to make a decision immediately.

    However, he didn''t have to struggle for long.

    While they were visiting Margaret, Mniemitted suicide.

    She said she was going to the bathroom, and the three people left behind, Qiao Zhi, Carl, and Si Yingjie, could not have stopped thedy from solving her physiological problems.

    By the time it was discovered, she had no breath left.

    The cause of death was poisoning, the same cyanide, over in the blink of an eye.

    The fourth attempted murder of Mnie finally seeded, which can only be described as ironic.

    What was originally a wedding has now be a funeral.

    Lei Ao was devastated, and the entire funeral was handled by Kang Mu Cheng, Holen and Mary. Si Yingjie was responsible forforting the unlucky groom and widower.

    He told his own story.

    Simr experiences can bring people closer together and empathize more effectively with each other''s pain. Such understanding is far more effective than caring.

    When they left Barna, they were already very familiar with each other and had made ns to go skiing together.

    Hmm, not with Jian Jing.

    Si Yingjie regretfully conveyed Lei Ao''s apologies: "He is very grateful to you, but does not want...Jingjing, you know, this has nothing to do with you, it''s just that when he sees you..."

    Jian Jing was extremely depressed.

    Si Yingjie said again, "Please understand him, he is even going to sell the castle.

    This really surprised her: "No more?"

    "Although I feel a little reluctant, there have been too many unhappy things, leaving this ce is the only way to start over," Si Yingjie said. "What''s more, he has made up his mind to send Margaret to a special convalescent home for treatment, and may note back in the future.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was silent for a while, murmuring: ˇ°Isn''t it because of the curse?ˇ±

    Si Yingjie: ˇ°...It''s also possible. You said, is there really a curse or not? If not, this is too much of a coincidence, Mnie did die in the end.ˇ±

    Jian Jing nced at the system panel and sighed.

    She encountered a special task in an ordinary task for the first time, on the day she entered the mirror house and arrived at the secret passage. The elusive system came up with new tricks.

    Find the source of the curse? Where to look? Who knows why there is a curse - does it really exist? Lei Ao himself has a scientific exnation, and Mnie''s death was brought about by her own hand.

    Where is the curse?

    Let alone solve it, she is not an earthly master, can she do a religious ceremony to cross over Earl Sal?

    Just...can''tplete it.

    Jian Jing didn''t need much contribution recently, so she just let it go.

    After the funeral, she and Kang Mu Cheng returned to Peace City. Before leaving, Qiao Zhi bought her arge pizza and told her to eat it on the ne.

    The effect was great. The aroma filled the entire cabin, making the fish roe caviar eaten by the neighbor tasteless.

    Mary exchanged contact information with her and made an appointment to keep in touch when she had time.

    Holen followed her on Twitter.

    Carl sneaked away in disgrace - Lei Ao did not investigate his theft, and he disappeared cleanly.

    Lei Ao did not say goodbye to her, and Jian Jing understood his avoidance, which was probably the special halo of the detective.

    Sometimes save, sometimes cruel.

    But the next month after returning home, Jian Jing identally received a huge package, international logistics.

    At the same time there was a handwritten letter from Lei Ao.

    The letter was very long and sincere. He first thanked her and solemnly thanked her for saving his life, and asked her to forgive him for his negligence at the time.

    "...My brain was stuffed with too much information, the tremendous shock and indescribable grief overwhelmed me, I avoided your help - which made me very ashamed and even more ashamed to face you...

    "I have done many wrong things. If, at the very beginning, I had not stopped you from investigating the poisoning, Kimberly might not have died...I should have had more trust in Peggy, instead of determining from the beginning that it was her fault...Most importantly, if I could have had a good talk with Mnie, she wouldn''t have chosen this path...

    "I thought I loved her deeply, nothing else mattered, but she didn''t get a sense of security. I couldn''t understand her actions for money, for her, I could give up my inheritance rights, I didn''t care...But perhaps this was why she made this choice after all, I never understood her...I regret it very much, but it''s toote now.ˇ±

    He went on to say that he had already contacted the nursing home to prepare to send Margaret there for treatment, hoping to control her condition, and had also begun to clear out the castle and empty it before putting it up for sale.

    "Actually, I don''t like Castle Winterfell. ItˇŻs too cold in winter, there is little sunshine during the day, although the heating is very sufficient, I am always surrounded by cold, as if trapped in an endless abyss. I spent my childhood there, and most of my memories are dark, like a nightmare I can''t wake up from.

    "I''ve always longed to leave there, Peggy must have noticed it, she was very scared, for her the sunless castle was the freest ce, she didn''t want to leave here, and I didn''t have the courage to insist on sending her away either...from the very beginning, I was wrong...but now, it''s time to go to the sunny ce...ˇ±

    The letter was very beautifully written, just a little too many adjectives and a little too poetic, checking the dictionary several times in between.

    Turning over a page, he finally exined the origin of the huge package.

    "Remember you said you really liked Castle Winterfell, I''m sorry I can''t invite you to stay there anymore. When I was sorting things out, I found some souvenirs that you might like. I hope they can console you for not being able toe to the castle anymore.

    "Jian, thank you, I wish you happiness, health, and that you''ll never cry."

    It was signed - Your loyal friend: Leonardo Sal Salvi Cloose

    Jian Jing was full of curiosity and unwrapped the package.

    Half an hourter...she decided to call Kang Mu Cheng: "Mr. Kang!"

    "Did you get the package?" Kang Mu Cheng should be in the office with a very quiet background.

    "Just opened it, do you know what Lei Ao sent me?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "He didn''t tell me."

    "I just looked it up online, it''s the same model desk that the Luntian family made for Frederick II," Jian Jing gasped, "the one with lots of mechanisms and hiddenpartments."

    This was a famous antique, made in 1779, currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Sal family collection was slightly different in style, not as ornate, but the mechanics were just as sophisticated, with three or four hiddenpartments in one drawer, theplexity of featuresparable to a decryption game.

    Kang Mu Chengughed and said, "He probably heard you were a writer so he sent you a writing desk."

    "That''s not all," Jian Jing nced at the half-open desk and said slowly, "I just opened a few mechanisms, and he put stuff in everypartment."

    How to describe Lei Ao''s personality, gentle with a touch of weakness, naivety still lingering with a hint of romance.

    He probably felt an empty desk being sent over wouldn''t look good, so he put a little gift in every drawer and hiddenpartment, perhaps thinking that this way, every time she discovered a hiddenyer, she could feel a sense of surprise?

    In short, she unpacked quite a few gifts in bits and pieces.

    Feather pen, lighter, ink bottle, sewing kit, cuffs, cigarette case...the items ranged from the 16th to the 20th century, all exquisite little objects, inexpensive but very rare.

    "Most importantly, there was a ring."

    In the small hidden cab just above the center of the desk, turning the gear next to it would reveal a hiddenpartment. Inside was a ring.

    The antique ring Mnie used to poison.

    It came with a note:

    This is a family heirloom, I don''t want to sell it or see it again, after thinking it over, I decided to pass it on to you, I don''t know why, I always feel that you won''t mind its past. P.S. If I''m wrong, you don''t like it, please throw it away, or reset the gem.

    Of course Jian Jing didn''t mind.

    The ring itself was an antique, let alone stained with blood, it had an allure.

    However, "Is it appropriate for me to ept this?" she asked.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Since Lei Ao gave it to you, it''s appropriate, take it." He also said, "Don''t worry about its mary value, that''s the least important part for him."

    "Then what if...this is an important object of the Sa Er family, uh, the old Earl''s..." she asked.

    "Lei Ao must know," Kang Mu Cheng said strangely, "Aren''t these all treasures from his family?"

    Jian Jing was speechless for a moment.

    She couldn''t tell Kang Mu Cheng that this ring was the source of the Sa Er family''s curse.

    To be honest, you couldn''t tell at all.

    But the moment she picked up the ring, the side quest decoded.

    At the very beginning, the origin of the curse was that the princess had poisoned the Earl. And the prop she used was this ring with a hidden red ruby.

    However, the Earl''s descendants did not know the inside story, and this ring was passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom, and was basically also inherited by each new Countess.

    The curse has been endless ever since...?

    Ridiculous.

    But since the system said so, just go with this exnation.

    "Then I''ll ept it," she said to Kang Mu Cheng, "From now on, Lei Ao can start over."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed, "Hopefully."

    After hanging up the phone, Jian Jing picked up the ring, itching to try it on.

    But she held back.

    "System, is my side quest consideredplete?" she asked.

    "What needs to happen for it to be considered finished?"

    Jian Jing asked again: "What would happen if I put on this ring?"

    Jian Jing: "..." It can be like that?

    She didn''t dare take on the challenge in the end, and locked the ring in the safe.

    As for the desk, she immediately moved it to the window in the study, sunlight shining through the white curtains onto the antique desk, the wood grain was extremely beautiful.

    It''s so suitable for hiding things.

    She really liked it, took a photo and sent it to Si Yingjie, asking him to show Lei Ao and convey her thanks.

    Si Yingjiepleted the task smoothly, and sympathized with her, "I told Lei Ao that he should learn more from Kang Mu Cheng."

    Jian Jing: "Uh..." Learn from Kang? No way.

    Si Yingjie: "Talk less about emotions, make more money."

    Jian Jing consoled them: "Tell Lei Ao that the curse has left them, he can start over."

    But Si Yingjie said: "You don''t understand this yet. It''s easy to get married, but love is difficult. Now that he has lost it this time, he may not encounter it again in the future."

    Jian Jing didn''t make a sound, feeling that this topic was a bit heavy.

    Si Yingjie immediately noticed something was off, and self-deprecatinglyughed: "Oh, why am I telling you this, you''re still young, it''s better if you don''t understand."

    After a pause, he asked her again, "Do you think they were in love?"

    "They must have loved each other to some degree," Jian Jing said. "Women will more or less love the men who love them."

    Si Yingjie sighed, also curious: "Then if a man loved you very much, would you be with him?"

    Jian Jing: "Why ask this?"

    "Just chatting, Kang would definitely not talk to you about these things, he wouldn''t be able to bring it up." After being together for so long, Si Yingjie already saw himself as half an older brother.

    Jian Jing thought about it and said, "Not necessarily."

    "Why not?"

    "Too many men like me," she said. "I can''t string multiple guys along, can I?"

    Si Yingjie: "..."

 Chapter 232

    Chapter 232

    Aftering back from Ba Na, the Lunar New Year wasing soon.

    This year, Kang Mu Cheng and Kang President went abroad for vacation and would spend the New Year holiday there. Kang Mu Cheng asked Jian Jing if she wanted to go together, but she declined.

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t force her and asked, "What souvenirs do you want me to bring back for you?"

    Jian Jing: "Anything is fine."

    Kang Mu Cheng then said: "Take good care of yourself."

    "Don''t worry." Jian Jing smiled.

    She had already nned out what she would do for the Lunar New Year holiday.

    First was the year-end review. She should generously spend the courage points she had umted at the end of the year.

    The case of the ice corpse and she herself were unrted, so though it consumed a lot of time and effort, she only obtained 20 courage points for serving justice. The curse of the ice castle was also worth 20 points.

    She couldn''t im the 10 courage points and special contribution points from side quests yet, because she hadn''t finished the task of eliminating the curse.

    Still, her courage points totaled 100 points now. Nice.

    For the first lucky draw, she chose the fitness center as usual.

    She finally drew a [Strengthening Card - Stamina (1 point)], increasing her stamina to 8 points. The changes to her character panel were as follows:

    Physique: 8 (Your body is exceptional. You hardly get ill and recover quickly.)

    Strength: 8 (You can subdue ordinary adult men)

    Agility: 8 (You are quick to react with nimble movements, better than most people)

    Explosiveness: 8 (The critical few seconds determine victory or defeat)

    Stamina: 8 (Yoohoo, go grandpa~~!)

    Everything was 8 points, bothfortable and auspicious.

    5 points were gone.

    Then she spent 30 points to unlock the memory and adaptability options in the second panel and drew two upgrade cards to increase those attributes.

    The secondary panel is as follows:

    [Unlocked] Memory: 7 (Your ability to remember, recognize and reproduce experienced things is higher than ordinary people)

    [Unlocked] Flexibility: 7 (Your body parts are more flexible than normal people)

    [Unlocked] Immunity: 7 (You''ve gained some resistance to weird things)

    [Unlocked] Adaptability: 7 (Your tolerance for extreme environments (cold, heat,ck of oxygen, etc.) has improved)

    [Locked] Reproduction: 6 (You know what this is~)

    Even though it pained her to spend 60 points in one go, based on her experience, improving her physical condition would lead to more subtle observations of the environmentter without needing to upgrade her observation cards.

    Especially memory - instantaneously remembering details of scenes was crucial for subsequent case reviews.

    As for reproduction? Sorry, not important.

    With the remaining points, she originally wanted to try her luck drawing cooking skill cards, but looking at her own shiny new kitchen, she figured the system wouldn''t give her any for free... To have a chance at drawing cooking cards, she would need to attend cooking sses, just like needing to work out at the gym before being able to draw strengthening cards. She couldn''t get them just from checking in.

    But then, if she did sign up for cooking sses, what would she need basic cooking cards for?

    So she gave up on that idea.

    The second big thing to do before Lunar New Year was of course, shopping.

    In recent days, she had been receiving multiple packages every day, full of snacks, drinks, instant hot pots, instant and processed foods. Box after box went into storage. She also bought lots of Chinese knots, fu characters, spring couplets, mandarin oranges and decorated her home red everywhere.

    She stocked up on enough holiday foods for Knight, and added lots of extra snacks too.

    She even bought a new dog bed with spring couplets on it.

    For herself, she bought several sets of new winter clothing and boots.

    Feeling like it still wasn''t enough, she rushed to get brand new bedding and a fluffy rug.

    All set!

    On the 30th, she took Knight out for a walk and bath in the morning, not letting it back out after returning home. "Any mess in the house and you''ll face the consequences."

    Knight sat with back straightened, barking once.

    "Good."

    She had made reservations with the hotel for Lunar New Year''s Eve dinner a couple weeks ago. Around 7 PM, they delivered an assortment of thin-slicedmb and beef rolls with a dual-vor hot pot soup base, plus some side dishes and ice-cold beer, filling up her coffee table.

    She sat on the floor and watched the New Year G while eating dinner with Knight.

    When the soup boiled, she hugged Knight close and took a selfie to upload on social media.

    With no pressuring deadlines during the major holiday, thements were all well wishes, making her feel very reassured.

    Around 8 PM, Jiang BaiYan sent a barrage of WeChat messages: [Watching the G watch the G watch the G]

    Her: [Watching]

    He went silent.

    Five minutester, someone appeared on the screen - he had a role in a skit this year. Partnering with several New Year G''s veteranedians, they told a story about a young person who liked gaming but couldn''t get his parents to understand, and finally earned national honors and parental approval, reconciling in the end.

    Jian Jing felt the story seemed kind of familiar.

    While the storyline was a bit cliche, Jiang BaiYan''s performance was remarkable. Unfazed by the live audience, he delivered his lines fluently and clearly enunciated each word with power and confidence. Combined with natural and graceful acting, there was no stage fright whatsoever.

    Especially the embarrassed reluctance to reconcile due to not wanting to lose face - he expressed all of that without a single line, purely through facial expressions and bodynguage, resembling so many young people nowadays having family conflicts.

    When Jian Jing scrolled through the social media posts, they were filled withments like:

    "As soon as Lil Bai appeared, I immediately told my mom, this is my boyfriend. My mom asked when I''d bring him home for her to meet."

    "This skit is just too funny. In the end the dadpromises and says, now that you''re like this I can finally find someone to introduce you to for marriage, and Lil Bai actually says, gaming is my significant other. Games over girlfriends, that''s settled."

    "My husband''s so handsome!"

    After the skit ended, he did a backstage interview and then messaged on WeChat.

    Jiang BaiYan: [How was my performance?]

    Jian Jing pondered and figured since they knew each other so well, no need to lie, she honestly replied: [Clich¨¦]

    Jiang BaiYan: [But it''s the New Year G lol]

    Jian Jing sent an image of Knight wearing sunsses making an unimpressed face.

    Jiang BaiYan: [Buding the aggrieved face.jpg]

    Jian Jing: [Knight looking out the windowpletely indifferent.jpg]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Buding begging for hugs.jpg]

    The two dueled with images for five minutes before ending their antics.

    She went back to browsing social media, asionally grabbing some meat rolls, sipping ice cold beer, and when she felt too hot, taking out an ice cream bar from the fridge.

    Knight eyed her longingly, whining "woof woof".

    She gave in and fed it an ice cream too.

    As midnight approached, New Year greetings trickled into her phone one by one, some generic temtes "Happy New Year, great fortune and prosperity, congrattions and be wealthy", while closer people wrote personal blessings.

    Too many messages to reply all, she only chatted a bit with closer friends.

    Surprisingly, Ji Feng also texted: [Ms. Jian, happy Lunar New Year]

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes and reluctantly typed two letters in response: [You too]

    The guy was finally off work and free to chat for the holiday probably: [Whatcha up to?]

    Jian Jing: [Watching the G]

    Ji Feng: [Me too]

    Jian Jing: [Didn''t ask]

    Ji Feng: [Can we have a proper chat?]

    Jian Jing: [What''s not "proper" about this?]

    Ji Feng swiftly changed topics: [What are you eating?]

    Jian Jing: [Hot pot]

    Ji Feng: [It''s the big holiday, how can you not make a few dishes?]

    Jian Jing: [I do as I please]

    Ji Feng: [Wannae over and eat tomorrow? I''m off work]

    Jian Jing did seriously consider it for a bit - mooching a meal meant not needing takeout the next day. So few ces open for business on New Year''s Day 1 with limited options...

    She asked: [Can I bring the dog?]

    Ji Feng: [Sure]

    Right after their chat, Kang Mu Cheng called.

    He asked straightaway: "Did you eat?"

    "Yeah I ate." Jian Jing asked, "Where are you and Madam President?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "The Amazon River."

    Jian Jing said enviously: "Wah, Madam President is really enthusiastic."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed, unwilling to even speak: "Bugs and insects everywhere, very unsanitary conditions. She got bitten and has had low fever since."

    Jian Jing: "Ah... no wonder you went along."

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "Take good care of yourself. We''ll be back in a few days."

    Jian Jing drew out her voice: "Okay~"

    Hearing the TV count down in the background, he paused briefly: "Happy New Year."

    "Happy New Year." Jian Jing asked, "Any red packets?"

    Kang Mu Cheng chuckled.

    A red packet popped up on her phone. She tapped it open - 16,888 yuan, very auspicious.

    "Congrattions and be prosperous." She happily epted it.

    "Sleep early." He said. "Good night."

    "Nighty~~"

    *

    After finishing his call, Kang Mu Cheng turned back towards the cabin.

    Kang Presidenty sickly propped up against the headboard, sipping a ss of locally-brewed wine, water droplets covering the ss. She nced at her son: ˇ°ShouldˇŻve brought Jingjing, youˇŻre so boring.ˇ±

    ˇ°YouˇŻre not bored, insisting on going ashore and getting bitten into the hospital,ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng snatched her wine ss and shook his head. ˇ°Drinking when sick.ˇ±

    Kang President: ˇ°You know nothing, alcohol sterilizes.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng ignored herpletely, poured out the wine and handed her a ss of warm water and medicine: ˇ°Take this quickly.ˇ±

    Kang President swallowed the pills and asked: ˇ°New YearˇŻs over in China right?ˇ±

    ˇ°Yeah.ˇ±

    ˇ°A year older again,ˇ± Kang President sighed, flipping her hair. ˇ°More white hairs popping out.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°Dye it when weˇŻre back.ˇ±

    ˇ°What do you think if I dye it blue? Red and brown are too old fashioned.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng covered her with a thin nket: ˇ°Do what you want, rest now, donˇŻt use your phone.ˇ±

    Kang President still replied some messages before saying: ˇ°Alright IˇŻm sleeping. WeˇŻll dock soon, go have fun upstairs, donˇŻt stay on the boat with me, thatˇŻs no fun. The pretty Chinese-American girl next door is quite interested in you, go tour around with her.ˇ±

    ˇ°IˇŻm going to make some calls,ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng said. ˇ°Rest well.ˇ±

    Then he took the phone outside and began calling rtives, friends and business partners to give New YearˇŻs greetings.

    ˇ°Director Wang, New YearˇŻs greetings.ˇ±

    ˇ°Chairman Liu, Happy new year... Yes, weˇŻre docking soon, I will definitely invite you toe... ˇ±

    ˇ°Uncle Nie...ˇ±

    His voice was calm and steady, Kang Lei listened, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

    --

    It was chaos at JiˇŻs house.

    Ji Yunyun: ˇ°Change the channel, I want to watch the local stationˇŻs show. My favorite celebrity ising on!ˇ±

    Ji Feng held onto the remote, refusing to let go: ˇ°Changing channels again? How many times is it today?ˇ±

    ˇ°ThatˇŻs not my fault, my favorite shows are on multiple channels,ˇ± Ji Yunyun tackled him for the remote. ˇ°Give it, itˇŻs starting.ˇ±

    Ji Feng: ˇ°Time for you to go to sleep.ˇ±

    Ji Yunyun: ˇ°Give it to me!ˇ±

    After a few intense rounds, the younger sister emerged victorious using roguish methods, putting on her favorite celebrityˇŻs show.

    Ji Feng yawned: ˇ°Whatever, watch slowly. IˇŻm exhausted, going to bed.ˇ±

    ˇ°Hand over the red packet first,ˇ± Ji Yunyun grabbed hold of him. ˇ°Where is my New YearˇŻs money?ˇ±

    Ji Feng retorted: ˇ°YouˇŻre eighteen and still want New YearˇŻs money?ˇ±

    Ji Yunyun was outraged: ˇ°All my ssmates get it, even into marriage savings! Why not me?ˇ±

    ˇ°Che.ˇ± Ji Feng fished out an envelope from his pocket, ˇ°ItˇŻs mytest bonus, spend thriftily, no chasing celebrities or dating.ˇ±

    Ji Yunyun rolled her eyes: ˇ°When have I spent recklessly? Buying books isnˇŻt allowed now?ˇ±

    Ji FengˇŻs brows shot up: ˇ°Teacher Jian released a new book?ˇ±

    ˇ°Teacher Jian?ˇ± Ji Yunyun snorted twice, ˇ°No, her Demon Series 3 is still being written. DonˇŻt know if itˇŻlle out this year, I mean, this year.ˇ±

    Ji Feng immediately changed his tune: ˇ°No misceneous books, buy some test prep books. YouˇŻve still got half a year till Gaokao (college entrance exam)!ˇ±

    Ji Yunyun pretended not to hear.

    ˇ°Brat,ˇ± Ji Feng tugged her ponytail before exhaustion overtook him and he crashed into bed.

    Ji Yunyun excitedly opened the red packet -- 1000 yuan, a fortune for a high schooler. She happily skipped back to her room, ready to stash it in her lockbox.

    Opening the hiddenpartment, it was empty.

    She was shocked speechless, carefully feeling around for a note:

    ˇ°Stashing money here, how silly?ˇ±

    Ji Yunyun: ˇ°Damn!ˇ±

    HeˇŻs the silly one! Where was her money??

    She frantically searched everywhere, finally finding a newly issued bank card under her own name in her wallet. Wrapped around it was a small note that read ˇ°MomˇŻs birthdayˇ±.

    Flipping it over was another line: [Eighteen now, manage your own money. Spend it all and your tuition is gone.]

    When her parents passed away, Ji Yunyun was still in elementary school. She waspletely unaware of the familyˇŻs finances and greatly worried that she and elder brother would end up on the streets.

    But Ji Feng mocked her: ˇ°DonˇŻt worry, with the little you eat, keeping you alive will be easy.ˇ±

    All these years, Ji Feng hadnˇŻt revealed a thing about the family savings: sometimes Ji Yunyun felt they were quite poor, her brotherˇŻs sry seeming meager; other times she felt they were alright, her allowance had always been adequate.

    ˇ°Stinky brother,ˇ± she mumbled, carefully tucking the card into the hidden slot behind her pillow. She decided to only keep 200 yuan for spending, the rest going into her YuˇŻebao ount.

    On the other side of the wall.

    Ji Feng was also looking over bank cards, calcting the familyˇŻs assets.

    Their father was considered to have died in the line of duty,pensated with a lump sum from his department. Back then he wasnˇŻt yet an adult, worried there may be issues holding so much cash, so right after receiving the benefits payment, he immediately asked his fatherˇŻs friend to help purchase a small home under Ji YunyunˇŻs name.

    He understood that as a man, being poor could still make do, but not for his sister.

    Girls without money lose confidence. With both parents gone, more assets for security.

    And the rental ie from that house became the siblingˇŻs source of livelihood for some time. When he graduated and entered the workforce, the house had appreciated in value. He sold it off, took out a loan, and changed to a slightly bigger 2-bedroom apartment.

    HeˇŻd expected to pay it off by thirty, unexpectedly earning enough bonuses to settle it earlyst year.

    The property was still under Ji YunyunˇŻs name.

    Thus, adding the family savings, even if something were to happen to him someday, his sister would still have lifelong security.

    Finally some weight off his shoulders.

    Relieved of this heavy burden, Ji Feng swiftly fell asleep.

    The TV in the living room floated out the song ˇ°Unforgettable Tonightˇ±.

    --

    As the Spring Festival G yed ˇ°Unforgettable Tonightˇ±, Jian JingˇŻs doorbell rang.

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233

    Who woulde to the house in the early morning of New Year''s Day?

    Jian Jing was full of doubts as she turned on the video inte, only to see another cat cake.

    She was extremely surprised and opened the door to let the person in. Half a minuteter, the elevator arrived on this floor. The masked man crept in holding a fat cat.

    "Teacher Jian Jing, happy new year." Jiang BaiYan took off his mask and gave a big smile.

    Jian Jing asked: "Aren''t you in Beijing?"

    "I flew back right after the performance." Jiang BaiYan stroked Knight''s head. They were already very familiar with each other and Knight no longer rejected him as much as in the beginning.

    "Why didn''t you go home?"

    "Spending New Year''s alone would be too miserable." He made a grimace and looked around the dining table. "Got anything to eat? I''m starving."

    Jian Jing turned on the induction cooker again to heat up the pot: "There''s still some meat, vegetables left, or do you want instant noodles?"

    "We can put everything together and cook hot pot noodles, that''s the most delicious." He took off his thick down jacket. Underneath he only wore a long sleeve T-shirt.

    As Jian Jing opened the instant noodles, she asked: "Didn''t they give out meal boxes for the Spring Festival G?"

    "They did, but I didn''t dare eat too much or my face would get swollen." He rubbed his cheeks. "I was starving. Airne food tastes terrible."

    The pot soon started boiling. She put in the noodle cake and vegetables, cracked an egg in, and finally poured in the remaining beef rolls until thoroughly cooked then turned off the heat.

    The aroma was too tempting. Jian Jing who was already full couldn''t resist and scooped a small bowl for herself as well.

    She changed the channel, dipped some sauce on the noodles: "Did everything go smoothly for the show?"

    "Far from it." He gulped down three mouthfuls before replying, "Lots of problems happened. During rehearsal I already said this skit wasn''t good and might get cut, but in the end it wasn''t and they said the lines needed to be changed on the spot. Right before going on stage, someone dirtied my clothes. I had to borrow a simr jacket at thest minute ˇŞ didn''t you notice? I kept my sleeves rolled up the whole time, they were way too long."

    "Sounds chaotic."

    "It''s always like that backstage." Jiang BaiYan said. "Especially today."

    Jian Jingughed. She picked up Pudding who was scratching the tea table and stroked its chin: "Poor Pudding, it got so thin."

    Jiang BaiYan became very vignt: "Don''t give it snacks, oh! It finally lost two jin."

    Jian Jing could only kiss Pudding''s head.

    Pudding let out a tender, sweet "meow meow" that melted one''s heart.

    Jiang BaiYan slurped down the noodles.

    "Isn''t it bad to eat so much?" Jian Jing asked.

    He yawned a little: "It''s fine. Starting today, my only job is to promote Rose Gold. I need to tour a few cities for road shows. March only has twomercials which can be photoshopped, no big problem."

    Rose Gold is scheduled to premiere on 2.14, avoiding the chaos of the Lunar New Year slot and aiming for Valentine''s Day instead.

    The publicity also focused on the suspense romance genre, putting the two elements side by side, so it gained a lot of expectations from novel fans ˇŞ everyone is looking forward to the movie being sweet.

    Jian Jing asked: "Have you seen the final film?"

    Jiang BaiYan''s face fell: "Director Mei won''t let me watch it. Have you seen it?"

    "I didn''t go watch it." When they had internal screenings for the crew, she was battling wit and courage with Wintry Castle and The Curse.

    Jiang BaiYan changed the subject again: "The premiere of Demon Doctor 2 is at midnight today, right?"

    Jian Jing nodded. In a sh, it had already been over a year since Shao Meng and Xie Wei passed away.

    "Don''t worry. At most, the audience willpare the differences between the two versions. Shao Meng did die after all. No one will say anything." Jiang BaiYan pretended not to notice her mncholy and smiled tofort her, "You don''t need to worry at all. If the movie turns out well, it''s because you wrote it well. If it turns out bad, it''s because Director Huang is no good."

    Jian Jing was amused by him: "Be careful or I''ll tell Director Huang what you said."

    "Eek, you''re so nasty." Heined, "I tried so hard to get on the directors'' good side!"

    "Then why did you say that?"

    "You were the one who said it first." He cracked open a can of zero-calorie Coke and chugged a few gulps, letting out a long sigh. "ttering others together is just acting. Only dissing people behind their backs means you truly think that way."

    Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing out loud.

    "If you sell me out, I won''t tell you secrets anymore." Jiang BaiYan spread his arms wide. "Give Pudding back to me. You already have Knight."

    Knight: "Whine."

    Jian Jing hugged the cat tightly. Knight was strong and heroic, not bad at all. But holding the frail, helpless and pitiful Pudding in her arms still felt better.

    It was chubby and soft to the touch.

    Jiang BaiYan could only turn around to hug Knight: "We''ve been abandoned."

    Knight let out an extremely human-like sigh.

    "Just kidding!" Jian Jing put Pudding on herp and pet them one in each hand, stroking their heads.

    Knight silentlyid down.

    But Jiang BaiYan dodged her hand, tilting his chin up: "No free pets."

    "You''ve changed!"

    "Teacher Jian Jing, that''s not how you put it." He said slowly, "In the past, a life-saving grace ˇŞ anything was fine. But I''ve helped you now too. Can''t say we''re even, but touching here and there..."

    He shook his head vigorously: "You''ve got to show your sincerity."

    The corner of Jian Jing''s mouth twitched. "Are you openly asking for money?"

    "A hundred bucks." He used a street vendor''s tone. "No work during New Year''s, everything must go. Can''t afford to lose out. Touch all you want, earning with every touch."

    Jian Jing: "..." She stroked Pudding''s head, "Tired? Your bed is still there, go get some sleep."

    As she spoke, she carried it to the bedroom it used to sleep in. Pudding''s favorite mat was still left there. Pudding was tired already. Itid down on the familiar mat and closed its eyes shortly after.

    Jiang BaiYan was still bargaining outside: "Ny eight, jumping price. Just ny eight."

    "Shut it." Jian Jing shouted, "Pudding is sleeping."

    She beckoned Knight who followed her over and stroked its head: "Time for you to sleep too. Don''t bully Pudding, got it?"

    Knight let out a soft bark: "Woof."

    "Such a good boy." She led Knight back to its new bed and turned off the big light, leaving them a small nightlight.

    Knight held its nket in its mouth and hugged its dinosaur plushie, thenid down to sleep.

    Jian Jing closed the door and asked Jiang BaiYan: "It''s almost dawn. When are you going back..."

    Her voice stopped abruptly.

    In just three minutes that she was gone, Jiang BaiYan had fallen asleep.

    He sat on the floor with legs outstretched. His head leaned against the sofa armrest. He probably just meant to close his eyes for a bit, but as soon as his eyelids shut, his consciousness plunged into deep slumber.

    Jian Jing squatted down and watched him for a while, realizing he had really fallen into a dead sleep, his breathing bing steady.

    No wonder, these past days must have been tiring to death for him.

    She put two cushions behind his head and waist, then covered him with the new fluffy nket she just bought. After that, she turned off the lights and went back to her room to sleep.

    Heping City banned personal fireworks. With theck of crackling noises, Jian Jing soon fell asleep.

    She dreamed of the old world.

    Yet on such a big holiday, her parents sat in silence. The TV aired the Spring Festival G but neither paid attention. The skits and song and dance numbers were noisy and lively, but the room was extremely bleak.

    At ten o''clock, her mother went to bed first. Her father smoked a cigarette and also went to sleep.

    The dishes on the table had all turned cold. They were everything she liked to eat.

    A loud cracker went off outside. Fireworks shot into the sky, dispersing into colorful specks of light.

    Then she woke up.

    At daybreak, a ray of light leaked in through the heavy curtains. She pressed the switch. The automated curtains slowly drew open. Outside was a stretch of white.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help letting out a soft sigh.

    She stared nkly for no reason for a while. Then she got up sluggishly to wash her face and brush her teeth.

    Aroma wafted in from outside. As she applied facial cream, shebed her hair while walking out.

    The messy tea table fromst night had already been cleaned spotless. Pots and pans were all stuffed into the dishwasher. The cats and dogs had fresh food and water bowls. All the nts on the balcony had been watered and loosened as well.

    The winter sun shone gently into the ss windows. The gleaming floor was pristine. The robot diligently roamed around the corner.

    "Good morning." Jiang BaiYan took waffles out of the breakfast machine, squeezed fruit sauce, ted, sliced an apple, emptied the fried eggs and bacon from the pan, then brewed a cup of hot coffee.

    He brought breakfast to the dining table and put his hands together apologetically: "Sorry for falling asleepst night. Please forgive me."

    "It''s fine. You were exhausted." Jian Jing didn''t me him at all. The intense rehearsals before the Spring Festival G must have been extremely stressful. Being busy for a whole day plus the ne ride, even an iron man wouldn''t be able to take it. "Go home early and get some rest."

    Jiang BaiYan answered obediently: "I''ll leave after Pudding finishes pooping."

    Jian Jing picked up the waffle, soft and sweet, and couldn''t help but say: "I''ve only used this once since I bought it, but it turned out terribly inedible."

    Jiang BaiYan: "More practice is all it takes."

    "So difficult," Jian Jingined. "I don''t seem to have any talent for cooking."

    Jiang BaiYan scratched his cheek.

    "Meow Meow~" Pudding crawled out from the bathroom, calling for his owner to scoop the litter.

    "Coming!" Jiang BaiYan hurried to clean up, stuffed the kitten into his bag after he was done, and bid Jian Jing goodbye. "I''ll head back first then. Shall we meet on Valentine''s Day?"

    The premiere of Rose Gold was certainly one to attend. Jian Jing nodded: "Thanks for the breakfast."

    Jiang BaiYan''s eyes crinkled happily as he took his leave.

    Jian Jing continued eating. The fried egg was perfectly shaped, the bacon cooked through without being tough. She then looked at thette''s foam, also more evenly textured than ones she usually made herself.

    She felt sour. It''s so nice to know how to cook.

    [System: Limited Draw Pool now open. Draw?]

    Jian Jing: "Cough cough cough." She choked.

    A limited draw pool now? What could possibly be drawn?

    Draw. She dabbed the coffee foam from the corners of her lips.

    [Limited Card Draw in Progress]

    [Draw Complete]

    [Name: Limited Card - Death''s Delicacy]

    [Description: Delicacies have nothing to do with death, but let''s make an exception. For every case you crack, you will gain the ability to cook a delicious dish of your choice, no limits on cuisine.]

    [Note: Be a gourmet detective!]

    Jian Jing: "???"

    It can be like this? It''s actually possible?

    This card''s not bad.

    What a pity it''s the festive season... No no, what she meant was, she hoped that during the festive season, no cases would ur.

    Otherwise, a certain someone would have to work overtime today, and her dinner would go down the drain.

    After breakfast, Jian Jing walked her dog and had a simple pizza for lunch. The afternoon was leisure time. She went to catch a movie and by the time it ended around four, she brought her dog to the Ji family residence for dinner.

    Ji Yunyun opened the door.

    "Teacher Jian,e in quick!" She was extremely delighted, taking out a new pair of rabbit slippers. "Just got these!"

    She also took out wet wipes, sweetly asking: "Is this Knight? Come, let me wipe your little feet clean, okay?"

    Knight looked to Jian Jing. She tilted her chin and he reluctantly lifted each paw to let Ji Yunyun wipe the dirt from his paws.

    Compared to her brother, Ji Yunyun was undoubtedly the more suitable owner.

    She was well-prepared, taking out drinks and snacks to entertain her guest: "Teacher Jian, want an orange? My dad''s friend sent over a huge box. I can''t finish them all."

    Even as she asked, she nimbly opened the box and took out two plump citrus fruits, yelling as she did: "Hey, you want any?"

    Ji Feng poked his head out from the kitchen, rolling his eyes. "Mind your manners, who''re you yelling for?"

    "Whoever answers," Ji Yunyun stuck out her tongue, unafraid of him.

 Chapter 234

    Chapter 234

    Ji Yunyun and Jian Jing, two girls and a dog, were sitting on the sofa eating oranges.

    Ji Yunyun asked, "Teacher Jian, have you seen Devil 2?"

    "No," Jian Jing replied.

    "Should we watch it now then?"

    Jian Jing''s interest was piqued: "Sure."

    The TV drama Devil Doctor 2 was released today at noon, and within just a few hours the number of views was already quite impressive.

    Ji Yunyun had originally wanted to watch it with subtitles, but they were too dense and she couldn''t even see the male lead''s face clearly, so she turned them off.

    There were only two episodes aired today. The first episode started with a narrator recapping the plot of the first season, then the scene changed to show a familiar yet unfamiliar hospital.

    The face of actor Qi appeared on screen. Same suit and tie, same warm reception from doctors and nurses, he perfectly embodied the devilish charm.

    Ji Yunyun said, "He''s more..." she was at a loss for words.

    Jian Jing nodded in understanding: "More at ease."

    Shao Meng had already given a great performance, but Qi was more rxed and nonchnt, with a carefree attitude befitting a devil toying with the human world.

    The narrator said, "Some may notice I have a different face now. This is just a small trick, just like when humans get bored of wearing the same clothes for too long, I feel the same way."

    He breezed past the change in casting, and quickly moved on to the main theme: "New face, new life, what remains the same is the tedium of humans, and... sin."

    "It always follows like a shadow, traces can be glimpsed no matter where one goes."

    "Ah, that is ˇŞ the smell of food."

    Behind the desk, the doctor dressed in a white coat revealed a satisfied, delighted smile.

    In this less than 1 minute scene, everything important was clearly conveyed. Then, the new story began.

    A dreary mansion, a virtuous and elegant wife, and a husband who outwardly dotes on his wife but actually has a secret lover.

    The scene was full of details. The man ying Mr. Qin joked around with his wife, the picture of marital bliss. But if one looked closely, it was clear he was not wearing a wedding ring.

    And the cell phone tucked into his pocket would light up from time to time.

    "Kill the wife or kill the husband?" Suddenly, someone asked from the side.

    Ji Yunyun nearly jumped in fright: "You scared me to death!"

    "Staring so intently for such a simple case?" Ji Feng said nkly, "Are you guys hungry? Have you eaten?"

    Ji Yunyun was reluctant to look away: "Let''s eat after we finish this."

    Jian Jing: "Agreed."

    Ji Feng shook his head and sat down to join their viewing.

    The scene jumped forward three months.

    One policeman said: "There''s not enough evidence to convict."

    Another replied: "We all know it was her though, right?"

    The resident devil who regrly stopped by the police station to gather (food) intel overheard their conversation.

    "How interesting," he remarked, and began investigating the case.

    Ji Feng said: "They showed a few close-ups of the security system. Hm, that''s pretty rare. It''s easy to detect tampering of systems so how could there not be enough evidence? Did the screenwriters consult any professionals? Who are they looking down on!"

    Jian Jing curled and uncurled her fingers into fists.

    He continued: "What does that doctor mean? Pausing time in a crime drama is too fantastical! Then what''s the point of solving cases?"

    Jian Jing took a deep breath: "Knight."

    The dog Knight who had been watching TV suddenly stood at attention: "Woof!"

    She gestured with her hand.

    Knight leaped up and tackled Ji Feng, crouching over him with his tail batting Ji Feng''s face, blocking his line of sight.

    Ji Feng: "..."

    He rubbed the dog''s head and squeezed its leg bones, inspecting its teeth: "Not bad dog."

    "Too kind," Jian Jing replied evenly. "Just a bit better than you."

    Ji Yunyun spurted Sprite as she burst outughing: "Hahaha, bro you really are a dog!"

    Ji Feng patted Knight''s head. More so than shy TV shows, he actually preferred a familiarpanion like this: "Teacher Jian, what does the dog eat? Let me feed him first."

    "Meat, eggs, some fruit can be added too," she said.

    "Got it." Ji Feng whistled. "Little buddy,e eat with me."

    Knight didn''t budge, waiting for themand.

    Jian Jing waved her hand: "Go on."

    Only then did Knight jump off the sofa and follow Ji Feng to the kitchen, not forgetting to carry his little backpack from the foyer in his mouth.

    Ji Feng opened it to find Knight''s water bowl and food tray packed inside too.

    "Good dog," he said, continuing to vigorously ruffle the dog''s fur as he replenished his food and water.

    Without his interference, Jian Jing and Ji Yunyun quickly finished watching the first episode.

    "Not bad!" Ji Yunyun said excitedly. "The killer''s identity isn''t a mystery, but everyone must be curious about the murder method, and whether or not she''ll be able to eat his heart."

    Jian Jing nodded, half-relieved.

    Ji Feng brought out dish after dish with impressive speed, the aroma of the steaming food wafting forth, the white steam floating gently amidst the warm, soft lighting.

    Ji Yunyun asked: "Teacher Jian what do you want to drink? What about you, bro?"

    "I''ll have a soft drink," Ji Feng said to Jian Jing. "Go ahead and have some wine, I''ll drive you backter."

    Jian Jing looked him up and down for a moment before slowly asking: "Really?"

    Ji Feng: "Why would I joke about that?"

    "Alright then, I''ll have a beer," she happily replied.

    Ji Yunyun took out two cans of beer.

    Ji Feng nced over: "Oi!"

    "I''m an adult now, I want to drink too," Ji Yunyun challenged boldly, tossing him a can of coconut water. "You can drink this."

    He had no choice but to restrain himself from hitting a child during New Year''s. Ji Feng held it in and looked pointedly at Jian Jing''s shy nails before shaking his head and opening the tabs for them.

    White foam overflowed, carrying notes of malt amidst the bitterness.

    On the table was a dish of twice-cooked pork, thin slices of fatty pork that were crispy on the outside, a saucepan stir-fry of eggnts bursting with oil and sauce, pieces of fish with sour mustard greens that had the table salivating from the tantalizing aroma, plump shrimps braised in oil without chili peppers since Ji Yunyun couldn''t take spice, a hot pot of tomato and beef that was still bubbling, and two vegetable dishes.

    Jian Jing looked at the spread, then back at Ji Feng, astonishment written all over her face: "A workaholic who''s busy with overtime all day actually found time to learn cooking?"

    "He had to make meals for me to eat before," Ji Yunyun exined as she peeled shrimp shells. "I had to fend for myself only after he started working."

    Ji Feng rolled his eyes. "Looks like you''re back to leftovers starting tomorrow."

    Jian Jing was shocked: "You have work tomorrow?!" On the second day of the New Year?!"

    "I''m on call," he replied. "No choice, we''re short on people since everyone else went back home for the holidays. At least until the fifth."

    "How tiring," shemented, albeit with little sincerity.

    But Ji Feng didn''t hold it against her: "Eat more, what did you have for lunch today?"

    Jian Jing: "Takeout."

    Ji Feng: "Tsk!"

    Jian Jing gripped her chopsticks.

    Ji Yunyun viciously stomped her brother''s foot: "Where''s thedle for the tomato hot pot?"

    "I''ll go grab it."

    Aside from these little interruptions, the meal was still extremely pleasant.

    The dishes were very homey, far less sophisticated than a chef''s creations, the steps crude with ingredients added on a whim - the tomato and beef hot pot, for example, held corn, carrots, soft tofu and king trumpet mushrooms, all things Ji Yunyun liked to eat.

    Also, the braised shrimp didn''t contain chili peppers since Ji Yunyun couldn''t tolerate spice, making it less robust. The fish slices were irregr in thickness, not as thin and translucent as restaurant-style slices, and still contained some small bones.

    There were many ws, but these imperfections somehow tasted more like home cooking.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but think of her parents.

    Both had busy jobs, rushing to cook dinner upon returning home from work each day. There were always mistakes here and there - overcooked or tough vegetables from buying groceries too early, or a heavy-handed pour of soy sauce because the phone rang.

    "Is it really that bad?" Ji Feng asked, stroking his chin. "You''re actually spacing out?"

    Jian Jing returned to the present, irritated: "Just recalled some things."

    "What things?"

    "My time spent with my parents."

    An awkward silence fell over the table.

    Ji Yunyun looked uneasily between her brother.

    Ji Feng shook his head at her, then asked Jian Jing in an extremely annoying way: "What, want to join our family or something?"

    Jian Jing: "..." She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to get violent in front of his little sister, and said coldly: "Don''t let your imagination run so wild."

    Ji Feng: "It was just a joke."

    "Very funny," Jian Jing said tly.

    "Alright, alright," he conceded halfheartedly with a nod. After a bit, he added: "Eat more, don''t think too much."

    Ji Yunyun tried to liven the mood: "It''s true Teacher Jian, don''t feel down. You see, from the day I was born I''ve never met my mom."

    Jian Jing was shocked: "I''m sorry."

    "It''s alright," Ji Yunyun said. Perhaps never having it meant she couldn''t feel the pain. Ji Yunyun regretted it, but rarely felt sad because of her mother. The most important rtive in her life had always been her older brother.

    Therefore, even if he was a lousy brother, she still had to stand up for him: "Dad is rarely home too. Ji Feng is the one who has been taking care of me, evening to pick me up from elementary school every day, when it only took 10 minutes by bus."

    Jian Jing''s eyebrows raised slightly, her side ncending on Ji Feng.

    He didn''t say anything.

    "I wouldn''t have guessed," sheughed. "It seems I misunderstood."

    Ji Yunyun reluctantly praised him: "Yeah, his mouth is foul and his EQ is low, but..." She was stuck for a moment, unable toe up with anything else nice, andmely said, "he looks decent. Some of my ssmates even say he''s good-looking. Oh right, at thest parent-teacher meeting, my Chinese teacher asked for his number."

    Jian Jing yed along, feigning surprise: "Really?"

    "Yeah, the teacher called me and said she was concerned about my mental health because I wrote a story about a murder," Ji Feng snorted.

    Ji Yunyun: "..."

    Jian Jing burst outughing.

    The hour hand ticked away quickly, soon reaching 9 p.m. Ji Yunyun said she had ns to do an online murder mystery party with her friends, so she went back to her room early to y games. Only Ji Feng and Jian Jing were left talking.

    Ji Feng took the initiative to exin the previous question: "Our father was murdered when Yunyun was in elementary school."

    Jian Jing was shocked: "Murdered? The killer..."

    "Turned himself in," he said softly. "It was a very special case."

    An already closed murder case wouldn''t make him so equivocal. There must be some heart-wrenching details involved.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but nce at him.

    "It''s gettingte," he said. "Let me take you home."

    "Alright."

    On the night of New Year''s Day, the streets were almost deserted. The poption in Heping City was at its lowest point all year, the emptiest the city had ever been.

    "It''s the most peaceful during the New Year holidays," Ji Feng remarked. "Less people, less cases."

    Jian Jing agreed: "All murders stem from human nature."

    "After seeing so many, do you lose faith in people?" he asked.

    She asked back: "Do you?"

    "Sometimes."

    She was slightly surprised and turned to look at him.

    Ji Feng focused intently on driving, looking no different than usual at a nce. But Jian Jing knew better. He was extremely observant of his surroundings, often irritating people, while keeping his inner thoughts to himself.

    His curiosity far exceeded his desire to confide in others. Very few could guess what he was thinking.

    "Why are you staring at me?" He raised an eyebrow.

    Jian Jing said, "First time seeing someone get drunk on coconut juice. A little strange."

    Ji Feng rolled his eyes.

    "Something''s bothering you," she said. "Take the wrong meds?"

    "Can''t even chat casually?"

    Jian Jing said, "Alright, what do you want to chat about?"

    "Forgot."

    "Hmph."

    Before they knew it, the journey came to an end.

    Ji Feng parked the car in the underground garage and bid her goodbye: "See you."

    "Wait," Jian Jing stopped him and signaled to her robotic dog not to hurry home yet. She looked at Ji Feng and asked, "Really not saying anything?"

    Ji Feng thought for a moment and sighed, "Next time."

    "You''ll tell me next time?" she asked doubtfully.

    He said, "Don''t know, I''ll try."

    Jian Jing didn''t ask anymore.

 Chapter 235

    Chapter 235

    On the fifth day of the lunar new year, Kang Mu Cheng flew back to He Ping city.

    He brought Jian Jing several souvenirs: a wool shawl, coffee, amethyst crystals, and an exquisitely beautiful model toy house of the Skeleton Band, as if replicating the scene in Coco, delicate and vibrant, with the skeletons'' expressions lifelike.

    Jian Jing loved the toy house. She immediately set it up in the study and showed it off on WeChat Moments.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    Kids do like doll houses after all.

    After distributing the gifts, he got straight to work on the publicity for The Rose, the Gold, hurrying the publicity department at home every day to work overtime on proposals.

    Jian Jing: Utterly heartless.

    Then Kang Mu Cheng said: "You have an assignment too."

    "Really?" Jian Jing was baffled.

    "I asked the editor to coordinate with you," Kang Mu Cheng said. "Small stuff - several Weibo posts for publicity, an online magazine interview."

    "..."

    "I''ll give you until the eighth day [of lunar new year]," he made allowances for her. "Start on the ninth."

    Jian Jing: *sighs*

    With a deadline, the holiday suddenly didn''t seem long enough. She had onlyin around for two days before having to get back to work, bidding farewell to Lunar New Year.

    Coordinating with the editor, doing some advance publicity for The Rose, the Gold, she scheduled a text interview. The questions had all been vetted by the editor. As long as she gave standard answers, it would be fine.

    The main questions were inevitably about her thoughts on adapting the TV series and movie.

    Jian Jing''s answers were conservative, standard.

    At this time, New Year''s movies had not yet been taken out of theaters. The hottest movie already had over 2 billion RMB at the box office, and even the worst had over 100 million RMB.

    Well, it was New Year''s after all.

    And with New Year''s movies still in theaters, Valentine''s Day movies were already eyeing their spots, ready to start publicity.

    The two holidays have always been close, sometimes even ovepping, so whether Valentine''s Day movies were scheduled for New Year''s or for Valentine''s Day itself needed to be considered carefully each year.

    This year, they were separated.

    The hot movies were: The Rose, the Gold, and the Assassin, A Lifetime Promise, My Lover, Reunion After Sixty Years.

    Five films, with The Rose, the Gold and A Lifetime Promise adapted from novels.

    A Lifetime Promise was about a couple - the boyfriend got cancer and insisted on breaking up with his girlfriend, but the girlfriend stuck by him and married him in her wedding dress, fulfilling their marriage pact.

    Kang Mu Chengmented: "Women are the main consumers for Valentine''s Day box offices. Plots like this don''t sell well anymore."

    Jian Jing strongly agreed.

    In addition, the movie attracting significant attention was Reunion After Sixty Years.

    It was a documentary, chronicling a true story:st century, when war raged through the homnd, the female protagonist had just gotten married when she was separated from her husband, losing all trace of each other for sixty years without meeting again.

    Sixty yearster, she found her long lost husband. But he had already remarried and had children and grandchildren surrounding him. Faced with the woman who had waited sixty years for him, he was struck dumb, only saying "I thought you were dead."

    It turned out beliefs could shatter in an instant.

    White-haired now, she realized her whole life had been wasted on meaningless waiting. So she decided that for thest few years of her life, she would live for herself for once.

    She was like a kite cut from its string, setting out on aimless road trips, going everywhere, seeing everything.

    "I''m afraid he''lle back and not find me," the old woman said. "I never went farther than a step away, waiting for him toe back from battle."

    With the camera, the documentary director recorded thest years of the old woman''s life, her and the mountains and seas, her and memories from the past, her and the fruitless love that spanned sixty years.

    True feelings touch the heart most.

    Jian Jing had seen the trailer and felt this movie would be strongpetition.

    But Kang Mu Cheng said: "It won''t have a high box office."

    Each Valentine''s Day movie interprets love in its own way. It''s just that most people walking into theaters that day would probably rather watch the story of the woman marrying her cancer-stricken boyfriend than the one who has a revtion sixty yearster.

    With prophetic certainty, he determined: "Prospects are very good for The Rose, the Gold."

    On February 14th, Valentine''s Day, The Rose, the Gold premiered at midnight.

    Jian Jing was invited to attend the premiere.

    Very simr to when The Hide and Seek Child premiered, the lobby was filled with invited media, creative staff, and relevant friends.

    Everyone chatted lightly about industry gossip and news, the atmosphere rxed.

    At 11:59 PM, the lights dimmed and silence fell all around as a message of wee appeared on screen: "Wee to the premiere of The Rose, the Gold, and the Assassin."

    Then the opening credits rolled, going into the opening scene.

    The opening was actually aic, in a storybook style reminiscent of Le Petit Prince. Only the color palette was gloomy, with the female protagonist''s face covered in vertical shadows, the tones depressed.

    The female lead''s voiceover sounded: "When I was twelve, my parents died."

    The pages flipped quickly, with shadowy figures shing swiftly across.

    "A group of people charged into our home and killed them."

    Comics have an advantage in that violent and bloody scenes are less shocking than real people, making it easier to get past censors, while still allowing the addition of sufficient details.

    On the pages, her parents'' corpsesy on the ground, like shattered dolls.

    "I hid on top of the air conditioning unit and survived."

    On the cold exterior wall that night, the little girl had curled up in the shadows of the AC unit.

    Her eyes glinted with an icy light, like those of a cat.

    "From that day forth, I swore revenge."

    In a sh, the gloomyic dissolved, connecting with the real world. The TV was broadcasting news about the gold robber. The anchor said, "Police found a strange note on one man..."

    A photo of the note appeared on screen - it was a string of bizarre symbols.

    This was the rose code that features throughout the film.

    The first twenty minutes were solo scenes of the girl. She tries to crack the code and find the millions in gold the robbers had hidden, with clever touches in several shots - as she brushes past a bus on the street, the assassin''s profile takes up half the bus window; when searching walls for rose symbols in alleys, on the windowsill above is the assassin pruning dead flowers from a pot.

    There is little dialogue from the girl in this part, mostly inner monologue exining her reasoning and the code.

    In other words, all the emotions need to be conveyed through bodynguage.

    The actress ying the female lead was only 18, having just gotten into drama school this year, but had many years of acting experience. Director Mei had a hard time finding a suitable actress before deciding on her.

    Her skills aren''t polished, but she has bright eyes full of spirit. And having gone through misfortune herself, she exudes an innate air of silent resilience. Overall, she matched the protagonist very well.

    When the girl finally finds the gold, as the dazzling gold appears on screen, she curves her lips into a sweet smile.

    The story reaches a climax here.

    But the ensuing question is, how will she utilize this money to get her revenge?

    This is where the assassines in.

    When the girl finds the assassin, he is...repairing aputer.

    White t-shirt, khaki pants, messy hair. Takeout boxes cluttering the desk asputer parts are strewn across it, disassembled.

    Confusion flickers in the girl''s eyes - is this an assassin or a nerd?

    Jiang BaiYan leaned in to whisper in Jian Jing''s ear, "I learned how to repairputers specially to shoot this scene."

    Jian Jing: *coughs*

    He goes silent.

    The girl implores him to help her get revenge. The assassin refuses.

    Jiang BaiYan reenacts his audition performance. His tone is mild and gentle. Not cold or ruthless, he turns her down as casually as if rejecting a weekend movie invitation.

    No reason given, no hard feelings, no difficulties - just an ordinary refusal.

    The girl is baffled for a second but persists stubbornly: "Why? I have money."

    "I''m not short on money," he says.

    The girl appeals to his emotions and exins rationally: "My mom and dad were murdered. They nevermitted any crime but died just like that... I have to avenge them no matter what."

    He nces at her curiously and says, "What does that have to do with me?"

    The girl grits out, "What will it take for you to help me?"

    He says, "I''m not interested, go home."

    The girl leaves dejectedly but doesn''t give up. She returns the next day with a gold brick.

    The assassin shakes his head.

    On the third day, she voluntarily looks after his dead nts and teaches him how to do potted gardening.

    He remains indifferent.

    On the fourth day, she doesn''t say a word, just follows him wherever he goes and deres, "If you don''t agree, I won''t leave."

    The assassin doesn''t care.

    The girl had her own persistence. Since she decided to take revenge, she had encountered many difficulties along the long road of revenge. She would not give up until she reached the end, otherwise she would never get there.

    "Yes, I have encountered difficulties, but I can and must ovee them," she said to herselfte at night in bed.

    On the seventh day, she went to the killer again and told him clearly: "If your reason can convince me, I will stop pestering you. But you rejected me without any reason, which I cannot ept."

    "Why can''t I reject you without a reason?" he asked.

    "If you don''t have a reason to reject, why don''t you agree?" she retorted.

    The killer thought for a long time but couldn''t figure out why he didn''t want to agree ˇŞ because of what? Boredom? Or fear of death and consequences?

    He was like walking in a foggy street, unable to see where he came from or where he was heading.

    "Alright then," he agreed.

    Because, "I want to know why I don''t want to agree."

    ˇŞ From this moment on, his soul awakened.

    After the movie screening, many film critics mentioned this scene andmented: "Unlike many plots that add challenges to the heroine, here we can clearly see that the key is not the persistence and perseverance of the heroine ˇŞ although they are indeed demonstrated ˇŞ but the director wants to express the killer''s self-awakening.

    "Only when people question their own origin and destination, can they realize their self-worth. Their souls stand out from others with their own glow..."

    As the killer started looking for his own answers, the girl fell into the abyss of revenge.

    After locking onto the enemy and investigating the truth behind her parents'' murder, the girl finally learned that her parents were killed because they witnessed a conspiracy.

    As the case unraveled, the truth gradually emerged, and the mastermind behind the scenes surfaced among many suspects.

    This segment of reasoning was formic, with no major ws. The evidence wasplete and self-consistent, not perfect 10 but still decent 7.

    The budding romance was much more impressive.

    Unlike the restrained text, Director Mei was more uninhibited here. Although there was no confession, the eye contacts between the two and their involuntary interactions implied the change in their feelings.

    Keen yet discreet caring on the bustling street.

    Walking past the shade of the chinaberry trees in the summer dusk.

    Talking about the past by the distant and tranquil river.

    At some point, one would have the illusion that this was a youthful romance movie.

    However, revenge soon returned to disrupt the peaceful fantasy.

    With the truth revealed, the girl hoped to kill the enemy with her own hands to avenge her parents'' death.

    "Only this can quell my hatred," she told the killer.

    At this moment, the killer suddenly realized why he had refused and also foresaw his own destiny.

    Once hands are stained with blood, they can never be washed clean. For the rest of their long lives, they would bear the weight of lives and move forward with difficulty.

    Why did he refuse her? Because money, fame, power could not stop him from falling into hell.

    He longed for redemption and hoped to leave the abyss to live in the sunlight.

    But in this life, that was too much to ask for.

    Fortunately, he could still save her.

    "Before watching this movie, I thought it would be a clich¨¦d redemption story. I was half right. It is a redemption story, but not with the sunny girl breaking into the sinister killer''s heart and love giving him new life.

    "On the contrary, it was the killer who saved the girl and redeemed his own soul. He understood his own mistakes and rediscovered the preciousness of life. His self-sacrifice spared the girl from the sin of murder and brought peace to his own heart. It seems tragic but is the opposite.

    "Is this a love story? Yes, I believe the killer and the girl liked each other, but it was just love. Directors and original authors have been emphasizing one thing: what is beautiful is not the loved one, but love itself," said a famous film critic on Weibo.

    More sensational media directly printed a shocking headline the next day: "The Best Romance Movie in a Decade, Interpreting the Essence of Love: Redeeming Oneself."

    On the third day of screening, the real-time box office for "Rose, Gold and Killer" reached 780 million RMB.

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236

    A week after Valentine''s Day, the shadow of "Rose Gold" could be seen everywhere on Weibo, public ounts, short videos, news pushes, etc.

    In addition to the articles written by film critics, thements of passers-by were more straightforward.

    "The plot is tight, the pacing of building up and resolving suspense is quite good. It doesn''t treat the audience as fools. I hate it the most when a suspense gets dragged to the end as a collective lowering of IQ."

    "The picture color is very beautiful. The opening cartoon is a bit bold and I don''t understand the meaning. The shots are gorgeous. You must go to the cinema to watch it. Director Mei is indeed a ''color artist'' with consistent performance."

    "It ims to be a suspense film, but it is actually a love story. It ims to be a love story, but it is actually about finding oneself. Worth a second watch."

    "Why is everyone analyzing ityer byyer? I just want to ship the romantic scenes! Director, give me back my tears! The killer died too miserably..."

    "Anyway, releasing it on Valentine''s Day is the official recognition as a romance film. Tonight is for shedding tears for the perfect love~"

    "I give 8 out of 10 to the action and plot. Good for one watch, but the artistic aesthetics and life philosophy got crazy extra points. I give 9.9 without fear of making you arrogant."

    "A work of sincerity. I didn''t expect the director to tell a love story through a suspenseful plot."

    "The big guys furiously wrote three thousand word reviews, while I only have three words: So awesome!"

    Of course, among the myriad ofments analyzing the plot, the analysis of the actors also took up arge proportion.

    "I didn''t understand that previous arthouse film, but in this film I can finally say: too beautiful! Cried from the beauty! How can it be so beautiful! Does Director Mei shoot beauties too well?!"

    "Incredible. There are quite a few nude scenes, yet I was as calm as still water. I just wanted to appreciate his beauty without any vulgar desires, and cried. I''m deted."

    "Deted +1. It''s shot too beautifully, only affection without desire, especially wonderful."

    Professionals also highly praised it objectively, "The sess of the film cannot be separated from the portrayal of the male protagonist. Jiang Baiyan''s acting holds up the core of the entire story. With his performance, he washed away the lust in this feeling, preventing it from bing vulgar and indecent, and returning it to the soul and beauty itself."

    But more people didn''t understand, and said in a simple and straightforward way, "He didn''t act greasy at all. It didn''t feel like a sticky sweet romance at all. I rmend him to act in more idol dramas in the future to benefit the public."

    All major entertainment ounts started posting press releases, like "No one disagrees that Jiang Baiyan is the backbone of the new generation of fresh meat actors, right?", or "Peeling back Jiang Baiyan''s acting career from looks to skills".

    Then there were also, "Hardworking people will always be rewarded. A skilled and good-looking acting school textbook example has arrived", "Explosive acting skills. Textbook example of a skilled idol", and so on.

    The sess of a movie is actually due to the hard work of many people, but the audience sees the performance of the actors. Most praises and criticisms are directed at the main lead.

    Either heaven or hell.

    Fortunately, this time''s Jiang Baiyan was the former.

    The box office climbed daily. The official ount operated smoothly and soon posted a series of beautiful pictures to celebrate the box office surpassing 800 million RMB.

    Light and shadow flickered. The nts on the balcony inexplicably withered. The girl leant on the balcony, gazing at the distant sunset. She faced towards the light but her shadow fell into darkness.

    On the other side, the killer lurked in the shadows of the room, but the knife he was wiping reflected the sunlight, brightly lighting up his eyes.

    Comment 1: Theposition is brilliant!

    Comment 2: Saved as wallpaper

    Comment 3: To be honest, I want to see the one where he climbs over the wall at dawn

    Comment 4: Me too, want to see the abs

    The next day, the box office exceeded 1 billion RMB. The official ount posted high-definition wallpapers again.

    At dawn, the killer was working out in the park. The gates were not open yet so he climbed over the wall. As he pulled himself up the wall, his shirt rode up, revealing even abs.

    At that moment, strength and beauty were revealed without doubt.

    Comment 1: The official ount is so good at social media operations!

    Comment 2: Seeing how sensible the official ount is, going for third watch!

    Comment 3: [Drooling emoticon]

    Comment 4: Then...

    Comment 5: Changing clothes...

    Comment 6: Is there?

    Official ount reply: 2 billion views! If possible~

    Then in 3 days, it reached 2 billion RMB.

    Official ount: Coming soon,ing soon, graphics team is on it

    And then, just as the graphics team finished the changing clothes back view, it reached 3 billion RMB.

    Official ount editor: "..."

    Graphics team: "At this rate we''ll get banned."

    Official ount editor: "Post some couple pics to give fans treats!"

    So the 3 billion RMB poster became a picture of the male and female leads eating together.

    Streetmp, lunch box, stray cat. The two held lunch boxes and sat by the park, silently eating.

    Comment 1: Leader of the shippers has arrived!

    Comment 2: I''m from the Civil Affairs Bureau, please get married on the spot

    Comment 3: Wuwuwu, too sad, it''s a stab again

    Comment 4: Such great ship now. The ending will be ambiguous ss

    Comment 5: No spoilers!!

    By this time, Jian Jing was a bit confused.

    She thought, isn''t this just a romance film? It can''t be, can it? But she also felt the upward momentum showed no signs of stopping, who knows if it''ll really run towards 4 billion RMB.

    When she asked Kang Mu Cheng, he said, "No obvious weaknesses, outstanding advantages, not surprising."

    Jiang Baiyan even more so said, "It''s been a long time since there was a particrly good romance film domestically."

    When Jian Jing thought about it, it was true. There were rarely any films focused on romance high up on the box office charts. When people talked about domestic romance films, what came to mind were still the old films from many years ago.

    This is probably what they call...hitting on a sore spot?

    At the end of February, the box office slowly inched towards 4 billion RMB, making it just before the arrival of the new month.

    By then, Chinese New Year had already passed and people had returned to work. Still being able to achieve such results was not easy at all. Director Mei privately said that she felt there would be no idents, and it may be possible to exceed 5 billion RMB.

    Jian Jing turned on flight mode on her phone, logged out of her main WeChat ount, and opened up a small alt to only add close friends, telling them that if there was anything recently to contact her small ount and not go on her main.

    As for Kang Mu Cheng, he had always kept work and personal separate. Not many people had his private number so it was rtively quiet.

    The most miserable was Jiang Baiyan.

    He had always had a good image in the industry. Bing popr and then not picking up others'' calls could easily leave a bad impression of arrogance from sess.

    "I answer phone calls every day," he said hoarsely to Jian Jing during their video call. "Thank you, overpraising me. It''s all thanks to the director, I was just lucky..."

    Jiang Baiyan mechanically recited his lines. He almost spoke these words in his dreams too.

    Jian Jingughed to death.

    "You''re so gleeful at my misfortune!" He said. "Falsely iming you went into seclusion to write when you didn''t at all.

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes at him. Of course she couldn''t randomly turn on flight mode. She had previously posted on Moment "Going into seclusion to write Demon Book 3, boss chasing for draft" on WeChat, shifting the me to Kang Mu Cheng, pretending she had no inte.

    "I have been writing it though," she didn''t lie, "although only a few lines."

    Jiang Baiyan pulled a face, smilingaily said, "I saw ''Rose Gold'' on the bestseller list again. Congrats!"

    Jian Jing: "Same congrattions."

    "Earned quite a bit this time," he openly admitted. "What about you, Teacher Jing?"

    Her: "Uh, I haven''t asked yet."

    Jiang Baiyan revealed extreme jealousy, "You really do trust President Kang huh. He''s a capitalist. Why trust capitalists to have a conscience?"

    Jian Jing red at him.

    "A loyal minister speaks bitter truths to the monarch!" He cried bitterly.

    Her: "Oh just shut up."

    "I want to move," Jiang Baiyan spoke properly. "No privacy living in this estate. You don''t know how hardcore fans are nowadays. The rental houses here are 25,000 RMB a month but they still snatch them up."

    Jian Jing asked: "Have you been stalked?"

    "I reckon paparazzi are staking out somewhere. I''ve already pulled all my curtains shut," he turned his phone to show broad daylight curtains tightly shut.

    "Be careful," she urged, "change locations temporarily if it''s bad."

    Jiang Baiyan answered yes obediently.

    At the time Jian Jing didn''t think much of it either, and continued hiding away writing her draft slowly.

    In March, "Rose Gold" the film began marching towards 500 million RMB.

    Jin Wu''s TVpany held a celebration party. "Rose Gold" the novel had an additional 300,000 copies printed. Jian Jing''s own Weibo followers also steadily grew.

    One day, the system sent a message.

    [System: Congrattions, your fame rating has reached "Fairly famous". Exclusive draw time limit shortened to 40 days. Please continue working hard towards the next phase!]

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but sigh, it really wasn''t easy at all.

    The exposure rate of writers is not as high as that of celebrities. To achieve the fame of an average secondary star, one must be among the top two or three in the country.

    Although Jian Jing is still considered a neer in the literary world, her fame is alreadyparable to that of many masters.

    It''s a sin, it''s a sin.

    Jian Jing self-reflected humbly, but she could not hold back her delight either.

    Perhaps "Rose Gold" would not win movie awards like "Hide and Seek Child", but this was a work that belongedpletely to her.

    "Hide and Seek" was observed from the sidelines, "Demon" was inherited, only "Rose Gold" was a glory that belonged exclusively to her personally.

    She had proven herself.

    This feeling was really...too awesome.

    She sent Kang Mu Cheng a WeChat message: [Happy ~]

    In the conference room, Kang Mu Cheng''s phone lit up and he nced at the message, suddenlyughing out loud.

    Childish.

    He replied to her: [Do you still want the copyright fee?]

    Jian Jing: [Withholding money hurts feelings]

    Kang Mu Cheng: [It will take some time for the settlement, let me know if you want to buy anything]

    Jian Jing: "......"

    "Mr. Kang, is that Miss Jian?" The manager of the publicity department pushed up his sses and said tactfully, "Should we discuss the show with her?"

    She was responsible for the offline publicity of "Rose Gold". Now this movie was hot, and several well-known shows had invited Jian Jing to participate, along with the creative team, to talk about the production of the film.

    Kang Mu Cheng was concise and to the point: "Wait."

    He immediately asked Jian Jing about it.

    Having just been upgraded to "quite famous", going on shows again would not lead to further breakthroughs. Jian Jingzily refused: [I have to finish writing Demon 3 this year, Editor Xu has been chasing me already]

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Forget it."

    The manager silently turned his face away: You werenˇŻt so amodating when exploiting us.

    Do capitalists also discriminate when exploiting people?

    ˇŞNot exactly.

    Kang Mu Cheng prepared for the unexpected, afraid that Jian Jing would be indolent after receiving her bonus share, and hurried to supervise (exploit) her: [When can you submit the draft?]

    Jian Jing: [IˇŻll try to give you the first part by the end of the month]

    Kang Mu Cheng was satisfied: [Good]

    However, Jian Jing was unable toplete her writing n on time.

    Because Jiang BaiYan had gone missing.

    It started with his agent Sister Chen unable to reach him no matter what, thinking the brat had gone mad. She rushed to his house. On the way, she had already prepared herself for all kinds of terrible events, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open, ready to interrogate him with words already on the tip of her tongue.

    No one was home.

    Only Pudding was whimpering sadly, the toilet was full.

    Sister Chen was greatly shocked, and immediately realized something was wrong.

    Jiang BaiYan had filmed "Rose Gold". Without idents, whether he could win international film awards was uncertain, but Domestic Best Actor was almost guaranteed. It wouldn''t be strange if his mind went nk for a bit.

    But his family was basically non-existent, Pudding was his only family.

    Even when he was out filming, he would still watch the surveince footage every day, y with the kitty for a while, and even specially hired an assistant to take care of his cat.

    So he might make all the mistakes celebrities make, but he would never, ever allow Pudding''s litter box to stink, the water dispenser to run almost dry, relying entirely on the automatic feeder to feed cat food.

    Something was wrong.

    Sister Chen immediately called Qiu Lin to ask the top agent for advice.

    Qiu Lin had attended a dinner partyst night and was still hungover from the alcohol, lying hazily in bed. Hearing the call instantly jolted her awake and she immediately went to his house.

    The phone still could not be reached, and the assistant also did not know where he had gone.

    Qiu Lin went to the security office of themunity, and through soft and hard measures, asked to check the surveince footage.

    The camera showed that he had gone out the day before yesterday morning, wearing a mask and baseball cap, empty-handed, looking like he''d just pop out for a bit.

    Sister Chen immediately said, "He must''ve gone out to buy groceries."

    She had checked the fridge earlier, Jiang BaiYanˇŻs dried fish snacks for Pudding were gone. Jiang BaiYan went out in the morning only bringing his phone, he mustˇŻve gone to the nearby supermarket to shop.

    After that, the surveince never captured himing back.

    "Let''s call the police." Qiu Lin''s heart suddenly sank.

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237

    Considering Jiang BaiYan''s special identity, the police came in inclothes to check the surveince around themunity.

    It was confirmed that Jiang BaiYan did go to the supermarket and stayed there for half an hour before leaving with an eco bag. Then he took a quiet park trail home.

    There, he was ambushed.

    Two brawny men, dressed casually, came up to him as if nothing had happened and started a conversation.

    Then, they grabbed Jiang BaiYan one on each side and bundled him into a car, vanishing without a trace.

    Qiu Lin was shocked and confused - what era was this that people still kidnapped stars? If they wanted to coerce him, couldn''t they just ask nicely? Or was it people sent by rivals, trying to create trouble?

    She asked: "Can you get the license te number?"

    That was no problem, the police quickly gave her the answer - "It''s a car registered to Jiang Shui Group."

    Qiu Lin understood.

    She withdrew the case and had someone get the phone number of the secretary to Jiang Shui Group''s Chairman.

    The secretary very officially informed: "I''m sorry, Jiang Xun is not ourpany''s employee, and I do not know of his whereabouts."

    Qiu Lin cut straight to the chase: "I know he was taken by Jiang Shui Group. If you don''t give me an exnation, be careful or I''ll blow this matter up so that no onees out looking good."

    The secretary said: "I really do not know about this matter."

    "Hmph," Qiu Lin gave a coldugh, "Connect me to Jiang Lian, she''s part of your group right?"

    The secretary replied: "I''m afraid Ms. Lian is away on a business trip."

    "What about the Chairman? Is he away too?"

    The secretary said: "The Chairman is not avable for meetings recently. If you have any matters, I can help ry the message."

    Qiu Lin was exasperated. Secretaries at huge conglomerates like this gave meaningless, vague replies just like some customer service agents - they won as long as they annoyed you into not pursuing the matter further.

    She gave a coldugh: "Fine, just tell your Chairman that although Jiang Shui Group is huge, we are not to be trifled with. If you detain our artist we will definitely fight back."

    Having said her piece, she aggressively ended the call, as if that could vent her anger.

    Sister Chen was anxious: "Sis Qiu, can ourpany step in?"

    "Of course not." Qiu Lin rolled her eyes. "Xiao Bai is our artiste, but also the Chairman''s son. If ites down to it, they''ll just say it''s a family affair and we''ll gain nothing by interfering."

    Sister Chen was shocked: "Then what can we do?"

    Qiu Lin thought for a while before saying: "Let me make a call first."

    She called Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing was at home trying to write, deep in an author''s inevitable slump - thoughts halted, brain stalled, feeling lethargic and uninspired, unable to write even 1000 words a day.

    At times like these, she was extra irritable and sensitive to noise.

    Knight didn''t even dare go near the study anymore, only pacing around the door a couple of times, definitely not daring to step in.

    When Qiu Lin''s call came in, she was in a bad mood and curt: "Who''s this?"

    "Ms. Jian, this is Qiu Lin." Qiu Lin politely introduced herself. "Do you still remember me? I''m Jiang BaiYan''s manager."

    Jian Jing asked: "I remember, what''s the matter?"

    "Are you home now? I wanted toe discuss something with you in person, would it be convenient?"

    Jian Jing was stuck while writing and weed the chance to think about something else. "Sure,e on over."

    "Sorry to bother you." Qiu Lin said before hanging up.

    Compared to her previous casual visit to catch the sasaeng fan, her attitude this time was much more cautious. She specially bought a bouquet and desserts to bring as gifts when paying the visit.

    Jian Jing was a little surprised - there''s a saying "courtesy rules apply between schr and martial artist", if Qiu Lin was making such a formal visit she must have an important request.

    "Ms. Jian," Qiu Lin sat down and got straight to the point, "we''ve run into some trouble."

    Jian Jing: "You all?"

    "Xiao Bai was taken away by people sent by his father." Qiu Lin concisely exined the story, and added: "I withdrew the police report, we can''t let the police investigate this or it''ll be a huge mess once news leaks."

    Jian Jing looked thoughtful: "So you want me to help investigate?"

    Qiu Lin nodded: "I know this isn''t Ms. Jian''s area of expertise, but everyone can see your capabilities."

    "You tter me."

    "I''m not ttering you." Qiu Linughed and said, "I asked the police, they all said you write well and are great at solving cases too."

    Jian Jing cleared her throat and said: "Solving cases and finding people are two different things. You already know who did it, you just want to track their location. Professionals are better at that."

    "We have concerns." Qiu Lin hesitated, "Although we can sign NDAs, Xiao Bai might not want others knowing about his family background."

    That was true. Jian Jing considered and agreed: "I can help look into it, but no guarantees I can find anything."

    "It would be best if you''re willing to help look into it. We''ll keep contacting Jiang Shui Group too." Qiu Lin finished speaking and took her leave. "I won''t disturb you further, I''ll update you if there''s any news."

    "Sure."

    After Qiu Lin left, Jian Jing went to Jiang Shui Group''s website to gather intel.

    Jiang Shui Group''s Chairman was called Jiang Guangze. He had three children with his first wife - eldest daughter Jiang Lian, second son Jiang Qi, youngest son Jiang Ou. She had met the youngest during the audition - he was Coco''s boyfriend.

    Currently, Jiang Guangze was remarried, wife''s name unknown.

    That was the official situation with Jiang''s family.

    Jian Jing chewed on her pen thinking about where to start, when a WeChat notification for a new Moment post popped up.

    It was from Jiang BaiYan.

    Huh? Wasn''t he in trouble?

    She opened it, it was a scenic photograph bursting with spring colors and peach blossoms. The caption read: [Beautiful weather]

    She called him but his phone was still switched off.

    She tried voice call, but no one picked up even as it rang and rang.

    This brat, surely he hadn''t actually been kidnapped?

    She saved the picture and sent it to herputer to analyze in detail.

    There were mountains and water in the shot, no particrly prominent high peaks, and the mountains in the distance weren''t of high altitude. Combined with the peach blossoms already blooming in early March, it should be a warm area.

    Sunlight shone on the trees, casting a shadow to the side.

    As we know, March 21st is when the sun shines directly over the equator. Travelling abroad would leave entry and exit records, and Jiang BaiYan likely remained in China. This time of the year, shadows fall northwards for most of China.

    So the orientation of the picture could be deduced - shot facing east.

    A ne was visible in the corner of the sky. Based on the size, it was near the ground - not taking off ornding.

    In other words - there must be an airport nearby.

    Jian Jing used specialized software to enhance the blurry ne, making it slightly clearer.

    Then she searched for a post introducing domestic ne models, and painstakinglypared them one by one.

    Argh - they all looked way too simr!

    The differences made her eyes hurt. Jian Jing removed her sses, dripped some eyedrops, and wore a warm eye mask to take a break.

    After some rest her eyes did feel much better. Now she finally spotted key differences.

    The nose of this ne seemed a little bigger than the others.

    Boeing 747? With a red painted tail?

    She pulled up a table of domestic passenger airlines, circling thepanies that matched. Then she checked which flights had departed around that timeframe - of course, this was based on the assumption that Jiang BaiYan posted the picture right after snapping it.

    Jian Jing guessed he only had the phone briefly, having time to just post a quick Moment update before it got switched off again. So she boldly deduced the posting time as the shooting time.

    She methodically filtered until she found three matching flights.

    Next she circled the airports on a map, gaugingtitude.

    The first flight departed a hightitude region for overseas, she tentatively eliminated that. The second flew from a lowertitude eastwards to the west, matching the evidence. The third flew from lowtitude towards hightitude, also matching.

    But the third flight''s destination airport was near an urban area. The rural scenery seemed to sh with the picture''s. To double check, she looked up Google Street View of the area and judged the odds to be low.

    That left the second flight.

    Both departure and destination airports were in low altitude regions where peach blossoms could usibly bloom.

    The shooting time was very near the ne''s takeoff time - so it should be close to the originating airport. With the picture''s orientation aligned with the ne''s direction, the spot could be deduced as southeast of the airport.

    Being a distance from the city center, yet with mountains and water, and the other party limiting his freedoms, it was unlikely to be a homestay or inn.

    Likely a private residence.

    Conveniently, there was a housing development in that location.

    Jian Jing loaded up the city''s property site, inputted the estate name, pulling up marketing pictures the developers shot on location.

    Indeed, there were striking simrities.

    Jian Jing opened her phone, bought the earliest avable flight, packed her luggage, and called Kang Mu Cheng at the same time: "I have something to do and need to leave for a few days. Can you help me take care of my dog?"

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Where are you going?"

    "I''m not telling you," she said. "Just pretend I''m dyed in writing my manuscript."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    "I''m joking," Jian Jing said. "I have some things to take care of and will tell you when I get back."

    "Got it," Kang Mu Cheng agreed. "I''ll pick him up after I get off work."

    "Great, thanks for your help," Jian Jing hung up the phone and stroked her dog Knight''s head. "I''ll be gone for a few days. Be good and listen to Mr. Kang. No causing trouble."

    Knight: "Whine~~"

    Carrying her luggage, she went out the door and headed straight for the airport.

    It didn''t take long for a short domestic flight. By early evening, she had arrived at her destination.

    As far as the eye could see, the peach blossoms had bloomed, the evening glow shone on the water''s surface, emitting an orange-red brilliance. There were no tall buildings to be seen, only hills and valleys covered in green.

    It was indeed a famous tourist city.

    It was easy to grab a taxi from the airport. As soon as she got in, the driver asked, "Here for vacation, miss?"

    "I guess you could say that."

    "Then you''vee at the perfect time. The weather here is just right now, not too hot or cold, and the flowers have bloomed." The driver was very chatty.

    Jian Jing smiled but didn''t say anything.

    The driver wanted to chat some more, so he could brag to his friendster. But unfortunately, their destination wasn''t far from the airport, and they arrived in twenty minutes.

    Jian Jing asked to be dropped off some distance away and walked along the path by herself.

    The driver kindly reminded her, "There are only private vis up ahead."

    "My friend lives there," she said.

    The vi area had a very luxurious and imposing gate, with two security guards stationed in a pavilion. She walked up and asked, "Is this a park? I want to go in and take pictures."

    "Sorry, this is private property. No outsiders allowed."

    She asked, "Then where can I take photos of that peach blossom forest?"

    "You went the wrong way," the guard helpfully gave directions. "Keep going down that road, there''s a small park up ahead."

    Jian Jing pretended to be disappointed and reluctantly left, ncing back every few steps.

    Once they were out of sight around the bend, she immediately crouched down and crawled into the vegetation lining the sides, feeling her way along the enclosure wall hidden among the lush trees.

    There were security cameras installed on the wall, but the dense foliage created ample blind spots. She estimated a roughly approximate position, took a running start, leaped up, and nimbly climbed over in one smooth movement.

    She was in.

    The tricky part was figuring out the exact location.

    Luckily she had binocrs. She found a lush peach tree to climb up and started meticulously surveilling house by house with her high-tech gear.

    While it was a somewhat silly method, it worked perfectly.

    Wealthy people who bought vacation homes in tourist cities almost never actually lived there. At most they would stay for a few days here and there during certain months, leaving them empty for most of the year. There were very few houses that showed signs of regr habitation.

    She soon identified one house that saw notably frequent use.

    As she drew near, the scenery looked extremely familiar.

    This was the one.

    Knock knock knock, she rapped on the door.

    "Coming!" the maid responded to the doorbell and came to open it. Seeing Jian Jing through the video inte, she asked, "Hello, who is it?"

    Jian Jing smiled. "I''m here to see Mr. Jiang."

    "Oh, you must be Lawyer Li!" Recognizing her, the maid opened the door. "Mr. Jiang and the others have been waiting for you!"

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow, instantly shifting into character. She came inside, changed into guest slippers, and swiftly scanned the entryway. The shoe cab was already filled with at least seven or eight pairs of shoes from other visitors.

    "Has everyone else arrived?" she asked.

    "Yes," the maid sighed heavily, clearly wanting to say more but holding back.

    Jian Jing gave her an "I understand" look and calmly proceeded into the living room.

    The spacious living room was packed with people. Hearing footsteps, one of them said, "She''s here, Dad''s willˇŞ" He broke off when he turned around, suddenly looking doubtful. "Who are you? Aren''t you Lawyer Li?"

    Jian Jing''s gaze swept over everyone, lingering slightly on the figure by the window, before she smiled brightly. "Good evening, everyone."

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238

    Jiang Lian turned her head when she heard the sound, frowning deeply, "Who let you in?"

    "Me," Jiang BaiYan sat on the window sill, raising his hand very obediently, like a good boy answering the teacher''s question in ss, "Chairman Lian, it''s me."

    Jiang Lian''s long eyebrows twitched: "What are you up to? This is not your ce to speak."

    "I think it is," Jiang BaiYan slowly opened his mouth, "The chairman''s will stated very clearly that any child with blood ties to him cannot execute the will if they have doubts about his death. Things must be investigated clearly before executing the will."

    He looked at the man with white hair sitting on the single sofa: "Lawyer Cai, am I right?"

    Cai Lawyer was nearly fifty years old, wearing square framed sses: "Yes. Madam Jiang, Miss Jiang Lian, Mr. Jiang Qi, Mr. Jiang Ou, Mr. Jiang Xun, and Miss Jiang Xue, you can all request an investigation."

    Jiang Ou couldn''t help but say: "Do two illegitimate children have the right to say things?"

    "ording to thew and Mr. Jiang''s wishes, children born out of wedlock also have inheritance rights," Cai Lawyer still spoke in a business-like tone.

    He was the chairman''swyer and had served the Jiang family for over ten years. He was also the executor of Jiang Guangze''s will. Jiang Ou couldn''t get angry so he turned his spearhead towards Jiang BaiYan: "Go where it''s cool, you have no business here."

    Jiang BaiYan blinked innocently and asked aggrievedly: "I have doubts about the chairman''s death. Since Brother Qi can call hiswyer to investigate, why can''t my friend help?"

    Jiang Qi nced at him coldly, with indifference on his face: "Do as you wish." He looked at Jian Jing mockingly, ˇ°Your sources are quite urate."

    It was then that Jian Jing said, "You kidnapped my friend, so I came. Is that so strange?"

    She had thought it was just an inheritance dispute in a wealthy family and wanted to watch the show. But she didn''t expect the plot to escte directly into a murder case.

    "From what you said, Chairman Jiang has died, and he seemed to have died strangely?" Her interest was piqued and she immediately forgot her exhaustion from rushing around all day. "Is the body still there? What was the cause of death?"

    Jiang BaiYan said, "ItˇŻs still there. I''m not the only one who thinks the chairman''s death is suspicious."

    "You can investigate if you want," Jiang Lian took charge as the eldest daughter. "But like we said, no information can be leaked out until things are clear. I hope you understand the severity."

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow.

    This family reminded her of the Fang family, annoying people in an annoying family.

    "Watch how you talk to me," she said slowly. "I hate people ordering me around. Thest arrogant jerk is at the bottom of the ocean now."

    Jiang Lian''s face darkened as her eyes swept toward Jiang BaiYan.

    He didn''t even nce at her and asked the woman in her thirties instead, "Madam, I''d like to take my friend to see the chairman. Do you mind?"

    "Of course not," the beautiful madam had her arm around a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl. Her makeup-free face looked haggard. "You are also the chairman''s child."

    Jiang BaiYanˇŻs long curving eyebrows rose as he pulled Jian JingˇŻs sleeve, ˇ°Let me take you to the scene.ˇ±

    Rather than infighting, Jian Jing naturally preferred seeing the scene for herself. She followed him upstairs and asked, ˇ°WhatˇŻs going on? Your agent was so anxious she called me.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan sighed, ˇ°ItˇŻs a long story.ˇ±

    --

    Four days ago in the morning, he went out to buy groceries but was intercepted halfway by two bodyguards.

    They said, "Mr. Jiang Xun, the chairman wants to see you."

    Jiang BaiYan politely replied, "I''m very busy recently and don''t have time."

    "Sorry, pleasee with us," the two bodyguards didn''t waste their breath. No matter how he answered, they carried him away.

    Seeing he was clearly outmatched, Jiang BaiYan immediately changed tactics, "Then let me call my agent."

    "Sorry," the bodyguard snatched his phone away. "You can''t contact anyone externally for now."

    Sensing something was wrong, Jiang BaiYan quieted down.

    He was secretly put on a private ne and flown directly to this city said to be the best ce for recuperation. Secretary Fan was already waiting at the airport to take him straight here.

    Things were more serious than he imagined.

    It wasn''t just the chairman wanting to see his rebellious son on a whim. He was at death''s door.

    Everyone dies eventually so what if he dies. But the chairman was no ordinary man. His death would leave behind a considerable andplicated fortune.

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t want his inheritance but the chairman didn''t care. He forcibly demanded all his children be present.

    And imed the will would only take effect if everyone was there.

    Any absentee could cause the will to be invalid. So no matter how much the Jiang siblings hated Jiang BaiYan, they had no choice but to allow his presence.

    After nearly ten years, Jiang BaiYan saw his biological father again.

    The chairman didn''t have the imposing height he remembered. He was so thin only bones remained, his hair white, breathing with difficulty as he leaned against the headboard.

    As Jiang BaiYan walked into the bedroom, their eyes met for an instant.

    In that moment, countless memories surged forth.

    Jiang BaiYan had a good memory. All the good and bad were etched clearly in his mind.

    He vividly remembered how eagerly he had waited for his father to visit, and how his mother had taught him to work hard to please him.

    "Dad, I can recite two hundred poems now."

    "Dad, the teacher praised me today."

    "Dad, I got full marks for my homework."

    Like a tail-wagging dog.

    How annoying. He hated his past self but couldn''t deny the fleeting paternal love the chairman had given also brought happiness.

    "Dad," Jiang BaiYan was a brilliant actor. No matter his inner turmoil, his external performance showed only shock and grief. "How could you..."

    Before he finished speaking, his eyes were already red. He turned his head, trying hard to swallow his tears, wanting to seem indifferent.

    Such a realistic performance, as if he was a child who hadn''t returned home in years. Believing he hated his family but still couldn''t help worrying for his father.

    A trace of gratification shed in the depths of the chairman''s eyes.

    He gathered his strength with effort. "Your movies... I watched them." Because of breathing problems, he had to speak in segments, gasping for air.

    Jiang BaiYan revealed genuine astonishment.

    But Jiang Lian quickly came over, stroking his chest to soothe his breathing andfort him. "Dad, Jiang Xun is back now. Rest first." She brought the cup to feed him medicine and adjusted the position of his pillow.

    With such busyness, the conversation naturally ended.

    The chairman''s medication had sedatives. He soon became drowsy.

    Jiang Lian called for Jiang BaiYan to leave.

    The two went to a secluded area and Jiang BaiYan said, "Give me back my phone and I''ll leave after seeing him."

    "You didn''t even have the right to be here," Jiang Lian said lightly. "Dad''s kindhearted and insists on seeing you before his death. You should be content and apany him to the end."

    Jiang BaiYan: "I still have work."

    She said, "Dad''s deteriorating condition can''t be leaked for now. Don''t wander around or harbor unrealistic thoughts."

    "It alles back to inheritance," Jiang BaiYan grew impatient. "I don''t want inheritance, let me go back."

    "It''s not up to you to decide," Jiang Lian firmly refused.

    Jiang BaiYan wondered, "Without me, shouldn''t you all be happy? What''s the point of keeping me here?"

    Jiang Lian gave a coldugh. "You think we have to recognize you? It was Dad who wanted everyone present before he dies."

    Jiang BaiYan understood.

    "Jiang Xun, know your ce. Don''t make trouble," his eldest sister left with a cold warning before going downstairs. The pointed high heels stepped firmly, calves taut, shoulders rxed - every angle wless.

    It reminded him of Swan Lake he had watched. Graceful posture yet aloof.

    As expected, he mused. Even ugly ducklings hate beautiful swans.

    Aside from Jiang Lian, he also met his arrogant Second Brother Jiang Qi. He was easier to deal with. Just mutual blindness towards each other''s face.

    As for Third Brother Jiang Ou, same old. A barrage of trash talk like ˇ°bastardˇ± and ˇ°crazy old man calling him hereˇ± greeted him at first sight.

    More interesting to him were Madam Jiang he met for the first time, and Jiang Xue.

    Madam Jiang was beautiful and well maintained. She was two years younger than Jiang Lian. She was originally the executive assistant manager of Jiang Water Group andter became the chairmanˇŻs special assistant.

    During this time, she gave birth to a daughter named Jiang Xue. When Jiang Xue was around five years old, the two got married and she officially became the second Madam Jiang.

    But embarrassingly, even after the promotion, in the eyes of Jiang''s three siblings, she was still just a mistress and Jiang Xue was just an illegitimate daughter.

    The more polite of Jiang''s three siblings, such as Jiang Lian, called her "Assistant Yun," while the more blunt ones like Jiang Ou simply called her "Hey" or "That one."

    Madam Jiang was alright - she was able to endure all the way until she sessfully married into the Jiang family. No matter how she felt inside, she certainly wouldn''t easily get into conflicts with others on the surface.

    But Jiang Xue was different.

    She was born when her elder siblings were already grown up. The official Madam Jiang had died who knows how many years ago, so shepletelycked the self-abasement and moral guilt of an illegitimate daughter. On the contrary, the chairman had a daughter in his old age who he doted on dearly, spoiling her into a arrogant temperament.

    "Why can''t I see Dad?" That afternoon when Jiang BaiYan arrived, Jiang Xue had already gotten into a fight with Jiang Ou.

    She didn''t back down at all, aggressively questioning: "Just because you guys get to monopolize Dad, I''m not allowed to see him?"

    Jiang Ou sneered coldly: "You''re pestering him like this, are you trying to annoy him to death?"

    "You''re blocking me and my mom, afraid that Dad won''t leave enough money for you guys?" Jiang Xue retorted, "Grown adults still eyeing Dad''s wallet, shameless."

    Jiang BaiYan leaned on the second floor railing, watching with great interest.

    Jiang Ou was enraged to the point she almost raised her fist: "What nonsense are you spewing? The ones eyeing the money is obviously you guys, you know that clearly in your heart!"

    "Go ahead, hit me if you dare!" Jiang Xue said outright, "I''m going to tell Dad right now, he''s not even dead yet but his daughter and wife are being forced to death!"

    Jiang Ou was so angry she almost fainted.

    At this time, Jiang Qi came out from the study, extremely coldly stating: "Let her go."

    "If I go then I go!" Jiang Xue taunted, "What, you think I don''t dare?"

    "Whatever you wish, what''s yours will always be yours, what''s not yours, no matter how you try to sow discord it''s useless." Jiang Qi said mildly.

    He also said to Jiang Ou, "She''s just putting on a pity act to get more money, and you''re still fighting with her over it? How silly."

    Jiang Xue was so angry her face lost all color. She turned and rushed into the chairman''s bedroom, not knowing what she said, but came out with red-rimmed eyes.

    --

    Jian Jing stood still and looked towards Jiang BaiYan: "The scene has arrived, and you''ve only talked up to here?"

    "I''m still introducing the characters," he argued eloquently.

    "So are you done with that?" she asked.

    Jiang BaiYan: "The main characters are just them, everyone else doesn''t have the Jiang surname."

    "Then continueter. For now, let me take a look at the scene."

    As Jian Jing spoke, she pushed the door open and entered.

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239

    The death scene was the Chairman''s bedroom, but at this time, it looked more like an intensive care unit, with small oxygen generators, respirators, ECG monitors and other equipment.

    The Chairman was lying in bed with obvious cadaveric rigidity, and there were significant hypostases under his body. He had been dead for over twelve hours.

    And yet, it was after eight o''clock at night.

    Jian Jing bent down and carefully examined the Chairman''s corpse, asking, "What time was the corpse discovered? Was the scene disturbed? Did anyone examine the body?"

    Jiang BaiYan said, "A little after three in the morning, the ECG monitor rmed. Everyone came to the scene at that time and was in a panic, so..." He scratched his cheek and added, "Whether to examine the body or not, we haven''t decided yet."

    Jian Jing wondered, "How do you know the cause of death without an autopsy?"

    "I guess they''re afraid to find out something," he said slowly. "Family scandals should not be made public. It''s best if everyone believes it was natural causes and splits the money to settle things."

    Jian Jing nced at him and asked, "What about you?"

    Leaning against the wall with the back of his head resting on it, looking like a naughty schoolboy punished to stand, Jiang BaiYan said, "I don''t care."

    She raised an eyebrow.

    "After all the fuss, it''s just about money," he said. "No one cares about the truth."

    "In that case, you shouldn''t have asked me to investigate," Jian Jing said. "I''m not interested in money. The truth is what I want."

    "I''m not finished yet," Jiang BaiYan said with a smile. He lowered his head and said happily, "From now on, what you want is what I want."

    He tilted his head, and his sidelong nce fell lightly on the lifeless corpse. His tone rose: "It''s so much fun. They''ve bullied me for so long, and now I can finally make them feel bad too."

    Jian Jing looked at him andughed.

    "Teacher JingjingˇŞ" he dragged out the words teasingly.

    "Okay, I''ll pretend I don''t know what you really think," she made a zipping motion over her mouth. "Let''s get back to business. Did the Chairman have a personal doctor?"

    Jiang BaiYan nodded.

    "What did he say?"

    Jiang BaiYan thought about it and said, "He was very cautious. He just said that given the Chairman''s condition, he was going to pass away in a day or two anyway. Earlier orter doesn''t make much difference."

    Jian Jing nodded. "That is odd indeed. When someone is on their deathbed, passing at any time is not strange at all. Why was there a dispute among you?"

    "The will," Jiang BaiYan pulled a face. "Last night, he said he was going to change his will."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    He said, "Although in theory, apart from Cai Lawyer, no one else knew what was written in the final will. But if someone wanted to send the Chairman off early, it must have been about the will."

    "Has the will been announced now?"

    Jiang BaiYan shook his head. "Cai Lawyer said it can only be made public and executed after everyone is satisfied he died a natural death."

    Jian Jing clicked her tongue.

    This case was interesting.

    "In short, everyone suspects the Chairman was murdered now because someone didn''t want him to change his will. But no one knows which final will is detrimental to whom, so everyone denies involvement." Jiang BaiYan felt it was quite amusing. "Isn''t it like opening a mystery box?"

    Jian Jing smiled at him. "It''s like investing in stocks."

    If they don''t investigate, they''re worried the final will may be unfavorable to them. But if they investigate, it may not necessarily be favorable either.

    It was purely a gamble. They may make money or lose money.

    "Actually, there''s only one answer," Jian Jing shook her head with certainty. "Someone must want to take a gamble. That is human nature."

    Jiang BaiYan nodded but said, "My second brother put it much nicer ˇŞ ''If we don''t investigate, someone will surely be unhappy when the will is announcedter. We might as well get to the bottom of this now''."

    "That''s right. Schr?dinger''s cat has to be let out of the box to get the only definitive answer," said Jian Jing as she lifted the corpse''s arm to examine it. "Is the doctor here? I want to talk to him."

    "He''s here."

    The Chairman''s doctor was Tao Doctor, 42 years old, clearly balding.

    Jian Jing borrowed the vi''s small dining room, closed the doors and windows, and spoke with him alone: "My surname is Jian. I''mmissioned to investigate Chairman Jiang Guangze''s cause of death."

    Tao Doctor smiled wryly, "Miss Jian, just ask what you want."

    Unsure if he was someone''s man, Jian Jing asked carefully, "First, tell me about the Chairman''s condition."

    "The Chairman had stomach cancer. He had chemotherapy before but rpsed this year with extensive metastasis. Frankly speaking, it was going to happen in a day or two," Tao Doctor answered.

    "Was he conscious in thest two days?"

    "Fairly conscious."

    "What medication was he on?"

    "Miss Jian, there''s not much point with medication at this stage. It''s mainly to alleviate some of the patient''s suffering."

    "He had an IV line in his arm," Jian Jing pointed out her findings. "What medication?"

    Tao Doctor said politely, "The stomach cancer caused interstitial pneumonia. Breathing was very difficult for the patient in thest two days. To relieve this, I prescribed morphine for him."

    Jian Jing considered, "The dosage was...?"

    "10 mg," Tao Doctor said. "Miss Jian, I''ve been working in oncology for over ten years. I hope you can trust my medical skills."

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to question your prescribing at all," Jian Jing said. "It''s just that there are no obvious external injuries or signs of poisoning on the Chairman''s body. If it was an unnatural death, I have to consider the possibility of morphine poisoning."

    Tao Doctor said warily, "Miss Jian, I left here at eight pm yesterday and was called back at five am this morning."

    "What about the medication?" she asked.

    Tao Doctor hesitated.

    After a long pause, he said, "The nurse was going to give him an injectionst night."

    "Did you check the quantity of medication?"

    Tao Doctor licked his lips, shifted in his seat a little, and seemed vaguely uneasy: "The thing is, ording to the nurse, the monitor rmedst night and scared everyone. People came in and out of the bedroom, and some bottles of medication...were broken."

    Jian Jing smiled, "Including the morphine?"

    Tao Doctor nodded.

    "Roughly how much was lost?"

    Tao Doctor calmed down again, "That''s easy to calcte. Morphine hydrochloride injection is a controlled drug. I only had one box left here, ten 1ml ampoules, 10mg each. I used one ampoule yesterday, and the nurse used one when he went to bed. Two intact ones remained, so 60mg was missing, far below the lethal dose."

    Jian Jing nodded. The lethal dose of morphine was 200-500 mg for adults. But 60 mg of morphine could still cause acute poisoning in adults, let alone the terminally ill Chairman.

    Especially since... "As far as I know, morphine may cause respiratory depression," she said.

    "Yes, but the probability is low, and it''s easy to relieve as well. I also prepared naloxone, just in case the patient had simr problems. Those are easy to solve too," Tao Doctor said.

    Jian Jing understood.

    "Did the family know the patient was on morphine injections?"

    "Of course, they must be informed and consent for it to be used."

    Very well, it was the usual case of everyone being a suspect yet no one could be eliminated.

    "Which nurse stayed to attend the Chairmanst night?"

    "Nurse Yu."

    "I''d like to talk to her."

    Nurse Yu was 40 years old with a neat appearance. She had been a nurse at a public hospital for over ten years before resigning. She now specialized in one-on-one care for wealthy people.

    She was very coherent: "I was staying in the next bedroom of the patient''s suite these two nights. I would check on any movement. At 3:20st night, the monitor suddenly rmed. I immediately went to his room. His heart had already stopped. I started CPR and defibrition right away for fifteen minutes but couldn''t save him."

    "Do you think this was normal?"

    She paused for a while, choosing her words carefully: "Given the patient''s condition, it wouldn''t be strange for him to pass at any time."

    As someone used to working with words, Jian Jing was very sensitive to the choice of vocabry. Staring into Yu Nurse''s eyes, she asked, "Not strange, but not exactly normal either, right?"

    "How to put it," Yu Nurse frowned awkwardly. "Every patient''s situation is different. Rapid deterioration is quitemon too. I really can''t tell you ''yes'' or ''no''."

    "Then let me rephrase," Jian Jing said. "Please go through what happenedst night in detail."

    Yu Nurse''s brows rxed slightly as she delved into recollection.

    "Yesterday afternoon, I gave the patient an injection. He slept for a while and felt much better. After dinner, he chatted with Cai Lawyer for a bit. Around 10 pm, I gave the patient a second injection as prescribed. He soon fell asleep. I went back to my room around 10:30 pm and fell asleep around 11 pm. At 3:20 am, I was woken up by an rm."

    "What time did he meet with Cai Lawyer?"

    "Around 7 pm, I don''t know the exact time."

    "Did anyone else meet with him after that?"

    "Yes, in factˇŞ" Yu Nurse hesitated subtly, "It seems like everyone came by."

    Jian Jing: "Seems?"

    Yu Nurse: "I didn''t stay in the room the whole time. They wanted to discuss private matters, I didn''t think it was appropriate for me to stay."

    Jian Jing drew a "?" in her notebook, but didn''t probe further. Instead, she asked, "Did anyone go into the room after 11 pm?"

    Yu Nurse frowned, confusion hiding in the fine lines around her eyes: "I...am not sure."

    "Just tell me what you remember," Jian Jing said.

    "I was half-asleep at the time, maybe I was dreaming, or misheard something."

    Jian Jing assured her repeatedly that this was just a casual chat, not a police statement, and that she didn''t need to take responsibility.

    Only then did Yu Nurse hesitantly say: "I heard the sound of the door opening, after a while, something bumped, at the time I thought, maybe it was the Chairman turning over. Then there were no more sounds. I didn''t think much of it at the time, after all the patient was wearing a monitor, if his heartbeat stopped there would be an immediate rm."

    "Do you remember anything else?"

    She shook her head.

    "Then let''s stop here," Jian Jing closed her notebook, "Is Cai Lawyer still here? Please ask him toe over, I have some questions for him."

    Cai Lawyer hadn''t left, but his mouth was very tight.

    Jian Jing asked: "What were you and the Chairman discussingst night at 7 pm?"

    Cai Lawyer answered: "That is client confidentiality, I cannot divulge anything."

    Jian Jing asked again: "I heard thatst night, the Chairman decided to modify his will?"

    Cai Lawyer pushed his sses up and cautiously said: "That statement is inurate. The Chairman requested to discuss his will this morning, no one knows the specific details."

    "You should understand," Jian Jing leaned forward, gazing into his eyes, "If that was all, there wouldn''t be so many doubts now. I think everyone suspects the Chairman''s death is rted to changes in his will."

    Cai Lawyer was silent.

    She said: "I want to know, what is the story with the Chairman''s will?"

    "Let me exin, I have served the Jiang family for many years. The Chairman started making his will over ten years ago. As his health deteriorated over the years, he became more attentive to his will, modifying it many times. The most recent version was set two months ago."

    "Who knows about thistest will?"

    "Myself and another witness, but I swear I haven''t mentioned the contents to anyone." Cai Lawyer said.

    "How did the Chairman tell others about his will?"

    Cai Lawyer said: "Three days ago, he announced two things to everyone: First, he had made a will, appointing me as executor. Second, after his death, the will would only be disclosed and executed if all his children had no doubts about the cause of his death."

    "He didn''t mention the contents?"

    "At least not explicitly."

 Chapter 240

    Chapter 240

    After Jian Jing finished talking with Cai Lawyer, the nanny came over to say that Jiang Qi wanted her to go to the living room.

    There, she saw the real Li Lawyer, wearing a custom-made suit and Cai sses. From his hair fixed with hair gel to his spotless leather shoes, everything was meticulous.

    Li Lawyer was also looking her up and down. She was wearing a loose hoodie, pleated skirt, and fashionable tform shoes. He smiled and reached out, "Hello Teacher Jian Jing, nice to meet you."

    His words were polite but the hostility was strong. Jian Jing also pretended to be polite but was actually arrogantly nodding, "Nice to meet you too."

    Jiang Qi nced around at everyone and got straight to the point, "Lawyer Li is my friend and Jian Jing is Jiang Xun''s friend. If you don''t have anyone else you trust, then let''s have these two investigate what happenedst night. Of course, we all have to agree on the conclusionˇŞdo you all agree?"

    Whether it was because he had authority at home or because everyone was tired of arguing, even Jiang Ou who hated Jiang BaiYan the most didn''t object.

    "Thank you all for your trust," Li Lawyer was the picture of professional elite. As soon as he opened his mouth he took control of the conversation, "I''d like to ask everyone a few questions firstˇŞTeacher Jian doesn''t mind, right?"

    "Go ahead," Jian Jing yawned, feeling a little hungry.

    A maid brought over hot tea and distributed a cup to each person to refresh them.

    The tea was great, with a lingering fragrance.

    Li Lawyer took a sip, full of energy, and asked, "What do each of you know about the will?"

    The room became dead silent.

    Jian Jing watched everyone with great interest.

    The vi''s living room was huge with many sofas, and everyone was sitting far apart.

    The three oldest siblings sat together on arge three-seater sofa, united against theirmon enemy. On a two-seater sofa to the side sat Madam Jiang cuddling Jiang Xue, mother and daughter intimate.

    Jiang BaiYan was the most pitiful, sitting alone on the farthest single-seat sofa, isted from everyone else like an outsider.

    Jian Jing went over and patted Jiang BaiYan on the shoulder, gesturing for him to scoot over. Jiang BaiYan moved aside and perched on the armrest, whispering to her, "Tell the truth or not?"

    She red at him.

    Li Lawyer immediately targeted the weak spot, pointing aggressively, "Mr. Jiang Xun, what''s not convenient to say directly?"

    "If it''s not convenient then why are you asking? We''re not that close," Jiang BaiYan tilted his head. His face was as beautiful and gentle as always but his tone waszy and contemptuous, like the casual arrogance of a big star.

    Since Li Lawyer had targeted him as an entry point, he naturally wanted to establish his authority, "That''s not the attitude of cooperating with an investigation."

    Jiang Lian also said, "Don''t make trouble at a time like this, just answer when asked."

    "Then big sister, lead by example," Jiang BaiYan said. "Let''s go in order from oldest to youngest, or youngest to oldest, whatever."

    He had never been this "rebellious" before. Jiang Lian was angry, "Got cocky all of a sudden?"

    "Yup," he readily admitted. "I don''t care how much money I inherit. What about you?"

    Thest words were mocking.

    Li Lawyer had to say, "Teacher Jian, at this rate we won''t get anywhere with the investigation."

    Jian Jing thought for a bit before slowly saying, "Why not call the police and let them take statements. Lying or withholding information would have consequences..."

    "Don''t say meaningless things," Jiang Qi said coldly. "Stop wasting time. Let''s start from oldest to youngest. Assistant Yin, you first."

    Madam Jiang''s expression froze, not expecting to be put on the spot first.

    But she had always presented herself as reasonable and understanding. At this moment she couldn''t tear off her polite mask either and hesitated for a bit before smiling, "Alright. I''ll go first. Actually, I don''t know the specifics of my husband''s arrangements. He only said he would take good care of us mother and daughter."

    Jiang Ou scoffed loudly, the mocking obvious.

    Madam Jiang was well-mannered and ignored it.

    Li Lawyer asked, "So you mean you don''t know the specific contents of the will?"

    "Yes," she nodded.

    "You never heard anything about it at all?"

    Madam Jiang shook her head again.

    Li Lawyer could only look to Jiang Lian next.

    She tly said, "Father didn''t tell me the contents of the will, but we did discuss the group''s future developments and he assigned me the most important next taskˇŞwhat that means is obvious, right? The group''s directors and Secretary Fan can testify."

    Jiang Qi was about to speak when Madam Jiang suddenly said, "Speaking of which, I just remembered something about the group."

    "I''ve been telling Guangze all this time that I don''t want to be a full-time wife and want to go back to work," the corners of Madam Jiang''s lips curved up. "He already agreed."

    Jiang Lian looked rmed, "I didn''t know about this!"

    Madam Jiang looked towards the witness stand, "Secretary Fan?"

    With all eyes on him, Secretary Fan had no choice but to say, "The Chairman did say something like that and was preparing to have Madam go to Shuihua."

    Jiang Shui Group was the parentpany while Shuihua Group was a subsidiary. Their business was closely rted to the parentpany and Shuihua''s CEO was also Jiang Shui''s senior vice president. It was a big pie.

    Jiang Lian stiffly said, "I haven''t heard of this."

    "Jiang Qi," Jian Jing interrupted their dispute, "it''s your turn."

    Jiang Qi said, "Same as eldest sister, I''ve also discussed the group''s future developments with Father and some equity acquisition issues."

    "So you also don''t know the specific contents of the will?"

    "I believe Father has already arranged everything," Jiang Qi''s expression was calm. "He wouldn''t shortchange us."

    "That''s right," Jiang Ou chimed in. "Dad told us he''s arranged everything already and we don''t need to worry."

    Li Lawyer asked, "So you don''t know either?"

    "I don''t need to know. Dad knows clearly in his heart who the real Jiang family members are," Jiang Ou insinuated.

    It was Jiang BaiYan''s turn. He was even more nonchnt, "I left the Jiang family when I was 13 and haven''t seen the Chairman since. I came here four days ago but didn''t get a chance to talk one-on-one with him. He didn''t mention the will to me at all, not a single word. Anyone here can testify to that."

    No one could deny that.

    "Jiang Xun really doesn''t know anything," Jiang Qi paused and exined his earlier actions. "That''s also why I agreed to let him be one of the investigators."

    However, Jiang Ou stabbed at him out of nowhere, "Second brother, that''s hard to say. Not knowing about the will doesn''t mean he didn''t do it. He''s always hated us. Who knows..."

    Jiang BaiYan''s expression was nk, showing neither the anger of being falsely used nor trying to y innocent.

    It was as if he had suddenly grown tired of his obedient mask and couldn''t be bothered to continue Jiang Ou''s act.

    "Jiang Xue, it''s your turn," he said.

    Jiang Xue tilted up her head, the curve of her neck swan-like. From a certain angle she looked shockingly simr to Jiang Lian, "Dad said I''m his favorite and would never shortchange me and Mom and to let me do whatever I want."

    Li Lawyer routinely asked, "So you don''t know the contents of the will either?"

    Jiang Xue raised her eyebrows, her distinct eyes bright, "Who said I don''t know?"

    The words caused an uproar.

    Madam Jiang almost fell out of her seat and gripped her daughter''s hand tightly, "What did you say?"

    "I don''t believe none of you know," Jiang Xue said. "The night beforest I heard clearly, Dad was talking to someone."

    She recounted, "Dad said, ''Do you think I don''t know what you''ve done? The water affairs shares, don''t even think about it. Don''t think that just because you have my blood you''re entitled to inherit everything of mine.''"

    The atmosphere coagted horribly and a corner of the harmonious facade was finally torn open hideously.

    It turned out none of the Jiangs were as unperturbed as they imed.

    Jian Jing pondered briefly before asking, "Lawyer Cai, I''d like an overview of Mr. Jiang Guangze''s estate."

    Lawyer Cai hesitated a bit but in the end decided there was no need to keep it confidential and exined, "I''ll give a simple introduction. At present the Chairman has total assets of about 150 billion USD, equivalent to around 1000 billion RMB.

    "Of that, real estate takes up around 280 billion RMB. Aside from some private residences it is mostlymercial properties distributed globally. Jiang Shui Group and its subsidiaries have estimated equity value of 350 billion. The rest are overseas assets. Jianghe Water Affairs (JHW) shares are worth around 100 billion. Jiangli Energy (JLP) 80 billion. Jiangxin Communication (JXC) 50 billion. What''s left over are misceneous industries like cruise lines, foundations, jewelry, etc. worth around 15 billionbined."

    Jian Jing: "Hmm."

    That much money. Just hearing the numbers, billions seemmonce.

    But she also heard it clearly that real estate sounds like a lot, but it is actually just the market value. A vi in a first-tier city is worth 100 million yuan, and amercial center or building in the downtown area is easily worth billions.

    These things are hard to sell, and it is not clear whether there are gains or losses. They are not the bulk.

    What is really valuable is the Jiang Shui Group that Chairman Jiang has built from scratch by himself, as well as the three investmentpanies in water, energy and telmunications abroad.

    Judging from the previous conversation, Jiang Lian is already working in the Jiang Shui Group, and Madam Jiang is also interested in this. The one who had the argument with the chairman should be Jiang Qi or Jiang Ou.

    Jian Jing looked at Jiang Qi.

    He was still calm: "It wasn''t me."

    Jiang Ou denied it even more: "It has nothing to do with me."

    She asked Jiang Xue, "What else did you hear?"

    "I just heard that one sentence." Jiang Xue was very happy to see her siblings embarrassed, and racked her brains to remember, "I think there was also something said that the Jiang Shui Group is my heart and soul, shares...uh, will not give something..."

    She stuck out her tongue: "At that time, Dad seemed to have discovered that I was eavesdropping and didn''t say it, anyway, he definitely said Jiang Shui, I wouldn''t have misheard it."

    The shares of Jiang Shui Group will not be given to someone?

    Everyone''s sights fell subtly on Jiang Lian. If it was Jiang Qi or Jiang Ou who heard about this and knew that the Jiang Shui Group would not be handed over to Jiang Lian or Madam Jiang, what would they do?

    For the former, they should tip them off, right? As for thetter, of course they would be happy to see it happen.

    Madam Jiang gradually calmed down. Although her daughter spoke presumptuously, she got her off the hook.

    Jiang Lian reacted quickly too: "Who knows if what you said is true or not."

    "Just say it if you don''t want to admit it," Jiang Xue retorted. "I''m not like you guys, hiding things left and right."

    Just as the two sides were about to argue again, there was suddenly a light cough from the corner.

    Jian Jing said, "We already have a general understanding of the situation. We can add detailster. Now I want you to answer a few questions for me. First, when did the chairman say he was going to change his will yesterday?"

    Madam Jiang said, "After dinner, around 7 o''clock."

    "Did any of you go to see the chairman after 7 o''clock?"

    Madam Jiang said, "I talked with him for a while."

    "What time?"

    "Well, it should have been quitete, after 10 o''clock, I think," she replied. "I remember that when I went over, the eldest was justing out of the room."

    Jiang Lian said, "I had something to say to Dad."

    "What time?"

    "9:30, talked for 20 minutes."

    "Did you run into anyone?"

    "No."

    "What time did Madam Jiang leave?"

    "The nurse told me they were about to give an injection soon and asked me to hurry up a bit. I only said a couple of words, no more than 5 minutes."

    Jian Jing looked at the others.

    Jiang Qi: "I went before 8 o''clock, around 7:45, and the third one came over at 8:10. We chatted for a while."

    Jiang Ou corroborated: "When I went over, second brother was already there, he and Dad were chatting quite happily. We talked for a while, second brother left around 8:30, and I stayed 10 more minutes."

    Jiang Xue rolled her eyes and mocked them, "No wonder when I went to see Dad at 9 o''clock he didn''t look happy at all."

    "Did he say anything to you?"

    "He told me to listen to Mom, that he had arranged everything, and asked me to be more sensible and things like that."

    "What time did you leave?"

    "I stayed for a quarter of an hour."

    Thest one left was Jiang BaiYan.

    He said, "I didn''t talk to Dad after 7 o''clock."

    "But you went to Dad''s room in the afternoon." Jiang Lian immediately refuted.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "Fan Secretary was there, we just talked about movies for a while."

    Jian Jing listed out the timeline.

    19:00 Chairman announced he would change his will the next morning

    19:40 Jiang Qi spoke with the chairman

    20:10 Jiang Ou arrived

    20:30 Jiang Qi left

    20:40 Jiang Ou left

    21:00 Jiang Xue spoke with the chairman

    21:15 Jiang Xue left

    21:45 Jiang Lian spoke with the chairman

    22:05 Jiang Lian left, Madam Jiang spoke with the chairman

    22:10 Madam Jiang left

    22:30 Chairman went to sleep, nurse left

    23:00 Nurse fell asleep

 Chapter 241

    Chapter 241

    Jiang BaiYan lowered his head and nced at Jian Jing''s simple notebook, asking: "What''s the use of this order?"

    Jian Jing said: "It''s temporarily useless. The murderer would not have acted during this time period."

    Leaning his head on his hand, his eyes that could speak without having to open his mouth in the screen asked: Then why did you write it?

    Jian Jing smiled slightly, it was hard to exin.

    She closed her notebook withposure: "It''s already 11:30. I think after experiencing so much today, everyone must be tired too. Why don''t we go back and rest for now?"

    The suggestion was well-received.

    From 3 a.m. until now, everyone had been arguing almost non-stop. If not for the huge inheritance dangling in front like a carrot, even those made of iron would not have persisted.

    Everyone dispersed like birds and beasts, returning to their rooms to rest.

    Lawyer Li had booked a five-star hotel while Jian Jing had gotten a guest room.

    Although usually unupied, the vi was very well-equipped: brand new four-piece bedding set, high-end silk pajamas, underwear and eye masks, Michael KorsˇŻ Midnight Escape Toiletry Bag, slippers and toiletries were all new.

    The housekeeper had even delivered yogurt, fruits and a small bowl of silver ear mushrooms and donkey hide gtin soup.

    Jian Jing took a hot shower, changed into her pajamas, and finished all the night snacks that were delivered.

    Then, she was even hungrier.

    A box of yogurt, a small bowl of mangoes, bananas and coconut, and a bowl of mushroom slices, how could that fill her up?

    Who had such a tiny appetite?

    Starving.

    She took out her phone but there were no shops in the vicinity, delivery was 10 km away.

    "Knock knock knock", someone knocked on the door.

    "Come in," she said concisely.

    Jiang BaiYan came in carrying a te of supper: "Want some? Spaghetti."

    The smells of tomato sauce and ck pepper were beckoning her taste buds. Jian Jing abruptly sat up straight: "Where did you get that?"

    "I made it," he brought it in front of her and pulled over an ottoman to sit down. "The vi has everything but the housekeeper''s gone to sleep, so I could only make it myself."

    "Then I won''t stand on ceremony," Jian Jing picked up her fork and wrapped the bright orange noodles around it before sending it into her mouth.

    Carbs in stomach, all those health fruit yogurts and sweet desserts were trash.

    She praised: "Not bad skill level."

    "You were just hungry," Jiang BaiYan sprawled on the small tea table. His voice suddenly turned gentle, "Teacher Jing Jing, what do you think about the Chairman..."

    Jian Jing nced at him. She said: "Before the investigation isplete, I can''t draw any conclusions. But you''ve also realized right, if there really wasn''t any issue, the nurses and doctors would not have spoken like that."

    The patient was suspected to have not died a natural death. So the doctors and nurses were the primary parties responsible. If everything was normal, they should have argued based on reason.

    Yet they did not.

    What they said was "It would not have been odd no matter when the Chairman passed away."

    Not odd and no issue were actually two different things.

    Jiang BaiYan sighed lightly, self-deprecatingly said: "Don''t know who made the move, but it''s too ironic."

    Jian Jing ate while asking: "Tell me more about your father. What kind of man was he?"

    "The Chairman ah..." He pondered, objectively said: "He was an extremely tough man, a dictator who had the final say. Don''t be fooled by Jiang Ou''s arrogance. He once scolded me as a ''bastard'' in front of the Chairman, and got pped by him."

    "Oh?" She was slightly surprised.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "What the Chairman cared most about was the group. Jiang Ou could only throw money around in his social circle because the Chairman didn''t let him into the group, thinking he was ipetent."

    Jian Jing twirled her fork thoughtfully.

    "You''ve really never talked one-on-one with the Chairman before?" She asked.

    Jiang BaiYan made a huge grimace. "How is that possible?"

    As expected, it wouldn''t be easy for the Jiang siblings to deal with him.

    "What did you all talk about?" She was curious.

    "Actually we just chatted a little about movies. He said he saw the ones I filmed, Hide and Seek and Rose Gold, then asked why I wanted to start acting." Under the warm yellow wall lights, Jiang BaiYan''s expression became somewhat hard to discern, as if ayer of illusory filter had been cast over it.

    "I said it was because my grandfather passed away that year, and I didn''t have money to continue school. So I took leave from school to work. I was nning to apply to be a model at a magazine but I saw Director Ding doing auditions and tried it on a whim. Didn''t expect to get picked," Jiang BaiYan said.

    "What happened next?"

    "The pay was 100k. Of course I went back to school and took the exams for the Academy of Drama as well," he matter-of-factly said. "Although my grades weren''t very good but if I didn''t get a degree, grandpa would have beaten me up."

    Jian Jing red at him. "I was asking what happened after you finished talking to the Chairman."

    "Oh that..." He tilted his head back and suddenlyughed. "The Chairman said, you''re also my son. I won''t leave you behind."

    As expected, it was about the will.

    Jian Jing pondered: "What do you think would be in the Chairman''s will?"

    Jiang BaiYan scowled. "How would I possibly know? I haven''t seen him in 10 years already."

    "Stop pretending," she pped his shoulder. "I came all this way to save you. Say something truthful."

    Jiang BaiYan evaded: "Oh right, how did you know I was here?"

    "Didn''t you post a photo?"

    "I just wanted to let Sis Chen and the others know I was safe." Jiang BaiYan said. "Secretary Fan said Sis Chen called the group and once news of the Chairman''s critical illnesses out, the stock will fall. That''s why he asked me to post on Moments."

    Jian Jing said: "The photo was enough."

    Jiang BaiYan bared his teeth. "That''s way too amazing."

    It wasn''t really. But Jian Jing deliberately did not rify, scaring him: "So, confess early what bad things you''ve done. If I find out on my own..." Sheughed coldly, "I''ll go visit you in prison."

    "Family visits..." Jiang BaiYan covered his pinched cheeks, surrendering. "Alright alright, I''ll talk."

    He pondered a long while before saying: "To be honest, I really don''t know what the Chairman would do. Everyone says he won''t shortchange each of us but what does not shortchanging mean? The Chairman is so wealthy. Giving each of us 10 billion, we''d be able to live prettyfortably but is 10 billion really enough?"

    "For ordinary people, forget 10 billion, even 1 billion would be a tremendous amount of money. But every single Jiang family member knows the Chairman has so much money. No one would be satisfied getting ''just'' 10 billion."

    "If he doesn''t give out money it''d be 10 billion. If he does, it might be 20 billion, 50 billion. Everyone has reason to make a move."

    "After all, he was going to die anyway," he gloomily spected. "Might even have felt they were ending his suffering, doing a good deed."

    Jian Jing nodded slightly. "I reckon your father would have expected this."

    Jiang BaiYan: "So that''s why he made that bizarre request?"

    "Obviously, he had foreseen that someone might take action against him." Jian Jing finished the spaghetti and opened a can of soda, slowly drinking it to satisfaction. Massaging the muscles in her neck, she said: "Very interesting."

    He said: "No one would admit to going over after 11pm."

    "Correct," she calmly said. "But the problem is, more than one person should have gone over."

    "That''s the crux to breaking this case," Jian Jing smiled. "After 11, did you go over?"

    "No," Jiang BaiYan slowly replied. "But I did see someone go in."

    "It''s been many years," said the nanny, who was in her fifties. Half of her hair had turned white, but she was still spry and lively. "I used to work at the old house, butter I couldn''t handle the workload anymore. So the boss told me toe here and take care of things - that was his way of looking after me."

    Jian Jing chatted with her: "Does Ms. Jiang Lian have any children?"

    The nanny said, "Yes, her daughter is in middle school now. She''s got good grades and she''s well behaved. The boss used to dote on her very much."

    "Her daughter should be around the same age as Jiang Xue, right? Do they interact much?"

    "The big boss doesn''t like the little ones mingling together. His daughter rarely sees the young master and miss," said the nanny, shaking her head. "That''s just how rich families operate - hard to exin clearly."

    Jian Jing nodded in agreement. She then praised the nanny''s cooking skills, saying the congee she made was fragrant and sticky.

    The nanny became even happier. Like most elderly folks, although she was well-provided for by the Jiang family and her job was not demanding, seldom did anyone care to listen to her long speeches.

    Since the old boss had passed away, she was d to talk more: "The boss was very generous. He gave us red packets every new year and festival. For people like us he treated us perfectly fine. But he was too harsh on the children - oh, it''s because he had too much money, afraid they''d turn out to be ne''er¨Cdo¨Cwells after he died, and would squander the family fortune."

    "But I heard that Ms. Jiang Lian is very capable? The Chairman wasn''t happy with her either?"

    "The boss didn''t like the man she married," said the nanny mysteriously. "He took one look and could tell he was no good - his eyes were always on the money. The big boss was shrewd his whole life, yet was thoroughly hoodwinked by that man."

    Jian Jing suddenly understood: "So he was afraid the family fortune would be swindled away by that man?"

    The nanny nodded. In a hushed voice she added: "The original n was for the boss to have his granddaughter take on the Jiang surname. But the big miss went crazy and insisted that they only had one son on their side, and the next child who takes on the Jiang name would have to be borne by her. Of course she tried but never seeded to have a second child. The boss scolded her badly several times over this."

    "What about the second son, Jiang Qi? Has he gotten married?"

    The nanny heaved a long sigh, clearly hesitant to divulge more.

    "He doesn''t want to get married?" Jian Jing probed tentatively. "Or could it be that..."

    The nanny was aggrieved and sorrowful: "The second son was great in every way - obedient since young. Who could have expected things to turn out like this."

    Jian Jing''s mind raced: "He doesn''t like women?"

    The nanny nodded with difficulty. With her traditional values, more than Jiang Qi not wanting to marry, what pained her even more was that he had zero interest in the opposite sex altogether: "I remember it was some years ago. The second son said he wanted to marry a man in America. It angered his father so much that he threatened to disown him if he went ahead."

    "Then what happened?"

    "The second son was stubborn. He adamantly refused to break up with that man. But turns out that man was no good either - he eloped with some womanter on." The nanny felt indignant on Jiang Qi''s behalf. "After that the second son never brought up marriage again. To this day he has no girlfriend or shows inclination for other pursuits. It pains me to see him this way."

    "That is worrying indeed." Jian Jing made some perfunctory sounds of sympathy, before moving on swiftly, "What about the third son then?"

    The nanny was helpless: "He was involved with some small-time actress. I wouldn''t have minded if he properly settled down with her. But all he did was fool around withoutmitment. One moment he''s buying aerones, the next he''s dabbling in investments - basically just wheedling his dad for money whenever he fancied."

    She heaved another sigh, shaking her head: "It was tough on the old boss too."

    Jian Jing took note and inquired: "What about the little one?"

    "Indulged and pampered very much," the nanny summed it up in three words. "Being daddy''s precious girl makes all the difference, after all."

    Jian Jing asked the final question: "Then, what about Madam Jiang herself?"

 Chapter 242

    Chapter 242

    The gossip from the old housekeeper was abundant and intense.

    Old Boss Jiang did not approve of his eldest daughter Jiang Lian''s marriage. His second son Jiang Qi was at odds with his father over his sexual orientation. His third child''s ambiguous attitude clearly showed that the Chairman alsocked trust in him.

    Each of them had their own issues. Then what about Mrs. Jiang?

    The housekeeper did not want to talk much about it.

    Jian Jing smiled and deliberately asked a romantic question, "Were they in love?"

    The housekeeper immediately revealed an amused expression, half persuading and half mocking, "You''re still young and don''t understand this. When a young woman marries an old man, the man wants someone to serve him and the woman is after money. Where is love involved?"

    "I thought the Chairman married Mrs. Jiang because he especially liked her," Jian Jing said.

    The housekeeper said, "The boss is not focused on this. The madam is a good woman. She''s very polite to us and good to the children too. She''s more like their mother than the previous chairman''s wife."

    "What was the previous chairman''s wife like?"

    As past events slowly surfaced in her mind, the housekeeper sank into her memories, "She co-founded thepany with the Chairman and was rarely at home. I was originally introduced to take care of her postpartum recovery, but in the end, I was the one raising the kids while she went back to work after her confinement. She was very capable, shrewd, somewhat petty, and too stubborn. She had to take that flight going abroad no matter what, and as a result...sigh."

    "Have any of the children mentioned her?"

    "Of course!" At first the housekeeper answered without thinking, "The older ones didn''t want the madam toe in at first, afraid that she would take away money from the family. The third child always said that this was thepany thete madam built together with the Chairman, so why should an outsider get any shares? That''s why they didn''t host a wedding ceremony."

    Jian Jing understood.

    It was evident that the three Jiang siblings felt that Jiang Water Group was founded by their birth mother and father, so it should be inherited by them. Mrs. Jiang, the second wife, and Jiang Xue, the illegitimate daughter, getting a small share was fine, but letting them take away corepany shares was intolerable.

    And of course Mrs. Jiang didn''t marry the Chairman for love either. She could endure it on a daily basis, but absolutely would not continue enduring when it came to dividing the estate.

    She already had a number in mind and asked the housekeeper about the other residents of the vi.

    ording to the housekeeper, in addition to the Jiang family and her, Fan the Secretary, Yu the Nurse, and Jiang the Caregiver also lived here. During the day, Dr. Tao, Lawyer Cai, the driver, and the cooking auntie woulde to work.

    Jian Jing asked, "Were Fan the Secretary and Jiang the Caregiver here on the night beforest as well?"

    "Yes."

    She had wanted to chat with Fan the Secretary first, but he seemed to have been sent by Jiang Lian to handle the funeral arrangements. She could only inquire with Jiang the Caregiver first.

    Jiang the Caregiver was a female caregiver in her mid-twenties, good-looking, responsible for taking care of the Chairman''s daily life over the past half year.

    Jian Jing asked, "How long have you been taking care of the Chairman?"

    "Half a year ago," Jiang the Caregiver answered awkwardly, "when the Chairman had a recurrence of stomach cancer."

    Jian Jing softened her tone, "In thest few days before the Chairman''s passing, did he say anything to you? Or did you overhear him scolding anyone?"

    Jiang the Caregiver fell silent.

    "Anything is fine. Let''s just chat casually," Jian Jing tried her best to reduce her wariness.

    After half a beat, the girl finally said, "Many people."

    "He scolded many people?"

    "He felt..." She nced at Jian Jing, and upon receiving an encouraging look, continued, "He felt that his children were all waiting eagerly for him to die sooner."

    Jian Jing was surprised. "Why?"

    "The Chairman believed none of them was capable of managing Jiang Water Group properly," Jiang the Caregiver said. "Ms. Jiang Lian tried to get on the board of directors several times but was blocked by the Chairman. He even scolded her for coveting power she shouldn''t have."

    "Anything else?"

    Jiang the Caregiver thought for a bit before continuing, "It seems like the Chairman had said to someone that he was afraid his wife would remarry after his death and his money would fall into a stranger''s pocket. So he wouldn''t give her any shares, but the madam kept wanting to join the group."

    Jian Jing sank into thought. This was another clear clue regarding the will.

    "What about others?"

    But Jiang the Caregiver said, "Ms. Jian, cancer patients suffer agonizing pain at every moment. Over the past half year, the Chairman''s condition kept deteriorating. He was especially averse to talking about death. Even the slightest action could anger him greatly."

    She admitted frankly, "I feel that asking this is meaningless."

    "Then let''s talk about the night beforest," she said, now steering the conversation to the crux of the matter. "You know many people went in and out of his room that night. Do you recall the Chairman''s mood back then?"

    Jiang the Caregiver pondered for a good while before answering, "At around 9:30 PM, the Chairman asked me to get something for him. He didn''t look very happy back then."

    Jian Jing flipped open her notebook. 9:30 PM - that was right after Jiang Xue left!

    "What did he say?"

    "Something about how foolish his daughter was, still eyeing his money even when he didn''t have much time left, and how he had never shortchanged her one bit," Jiang the Caregiver recounted.

    Jian Jing jotted it down.

    "You must have seen the Chairman before he fell asleep. How was his condition back then?"

    Jiang the Caregiver said, "He seemed a bit tired and had some breathing difficulties. Nurse Yu gave him an injection and he looked much better afterward. I left after making sure he fell asleep peacefully."

    "What time was that?"

    "At most ten minutes. The Chairman dozed off very quickly."

    Jian Jing asked, "Where do you sleep at night?"

    "Over the past couple nights, Nurse Yu and I have been taking turns apanying the Chairman at night. It happened to be her shift that night. I slept in the guest room," Jiang the Caregiver exined clearly. "After 3 AM, the rm suddenly went off and I rushed over to find Nurse Yu performing CPR on the Chairman."

    Jian Jing raised her brows. "So you were the second person on the scene?"

    Jiang the Caregiver nodded.

    "Describe to me the scene when you first entered."

    Jiang the Caregiver immediately said, "The Chairman''s face had turned bluish. Nurse Yu was doing CPR while the monitor kept beeping loudly and jarringly."

    "Anything especially peculiar?"

    Jiang the Caregiver hesitated briefly before answering, "There were a few broken vials on the floor. I don''t know if Nurse Yu knocked them over in her hurry."

    "Were there shards of ss on the floor when you entered? You''re certain?"

    "I remember very clearly. I almost stepped on them with my slippers."

    Jian Jing made another note. "Who arrived after you?"

    Jiang the Caregiver frowned, deep in recollection. "I think it was Jiang Qi. I didn''t pay much attention actually. Everyone was so anxious at the time, not knowing if the Chairman could be saved. I didn''t notice the other people."

    "I see..." She pondered, "Anything else that struck you as odd?"

    Jiang the Caregiver''s expression turned uneasy and she was about to speak when the door to the small dining room opened and in walked Fan the Secretary. "Ms. Jian, you wanted to see me?"

    He nced at Jiang the Caregiver, a flicker of displeasure in his brow, while asking Jian Jing at the same time.

    "Yes, just let me finish asking Ms. Jiang here."

    "I''ve nothing more to add," Jiang the Caregiver stood up to vacate her seat, taking the chance to ask, "Secretary Fan, now that the Chairman has passed, do I still need to stay here?"

    Fan the Secretary nodded.

    "Alright. Hopefully things end quickly." She left the room.

    Jian Jing began questioning Fan the Secretary.

    "Were you here on the night beforest?"

    "Yes, I''ve always had a guest room in the Jiang residence in case the Chairman had any sudden instructions." Unlike the cautious and meticulous Lawyer Cai, Secretary Fan had a tight lip too but was more slick.

    He seemed to realize that with the Chairman gone, the next boss could well be one of his children. Hence even for the least likely candidate Jiang Baiyan, he was emitting some goodwill.

    "I went to bed early that night and didn''t hear anything unusual until I was wokenter on."

    Jian Jing said, "You must know something about the Chairman meeting each of his children that day?"

    Fan the Secretary pushed up his sses, pondering for a bit before speaking, "It''s normal for the Chairman to want to spend more time with his children in his final days."

    "But I heard things didn''t go too well."

    "The Chairman had always been blunt. His final words of advice likely came across as rebukes," Fan the Secretary said sincerely. "Think about it Ms. Jian. What meaning was there for a dying man to still scold his children? He must have wanted to exhort them. Unfortunately, his sons and daughters misunderstood his intentions, thinking he still wanted to control them even when death was near."

    Knocking her pen against her knuckles, Jian Jing said, "I''m a little confused here. From what I know, the Chairman had an overbearing style. It would be very like his temperament to want to maintain control till hisst breath."

    "Uh, that''s not wrong either," Fan Secretary exined, "What I mean is that although the Chairman can act ording to his own will in the end, he also understands his own health. His ultimate goal is still to hope that everyone will be fine."

    Jian Jing neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead asked, "Then who is the person the Chairman worries about the most?"

    Fan Secretary said, "Xiao Xue and Jiang Ou, one is still young and the other is unpredictable, so he must worry more."

    "What about the next generation? Jiang Lian has a child, doesn''t she?"

    Fan Secretary sighed sentimentally, "When the little one was just born, the Chairman doted on her very much. He even prepared shares for her. But in recent years..." He shook his head, "After all, she''s not a blood rtive, so precautions must be taken."

    "Isn''t Jiang Lian the default sessor in the group for the people in the group since she works there?"

    Fan Secretary hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "She counts. But some traditionalists also favor Qi Zong, but in recent years he has been helping the Chairman handle overseas matters and hasn''t stayed in the group much."

    "Water, energy or telmunications?"

    "Telmunications," Fan Secretary answered. "Water was back in the early 2000s, energy was around 2010. As you can see, the Chairman values traditional industries more. Telmunications was nned after Qi Zong came back.

    "To be honest, at first the Chairman wasn''t interested in these high-tech things. In order to convince him, Qi Zong specially designed an identification system for the group to improve coordination efficiency between departments. Only then did the Chairman take out arge sum of money to acquire that American telmunicationspany.

    "This was handled by Qi Zong alone, so I think there is no doubt that part is for him."

    Jian Jing asked, "Then who do you think wants the water business in the conversation Jiang Xue overheard?"

    Fan Secretary shut his mouth and said nothing.

    "Don''t be nervous," she smiled. Her calm appearance suddenly became vivid and vibrant, "We''re just casually chatting about feelings, not asking you to reveal any secrets. Besides, after working by the Chairman''s side for so many years, you can''t bear to see him die in confusion."

    In fact, after conducting so many interrogations, she had gradually learned to take the pulse of various types of people.

    Some people were upright and willing to cooperate; others had to deliberately say something they didn''t agree with in order to draw out their true thoughts; and still others, like Fan Secretary, had to be given a reason to convince themselves because of certain concerns before they could let go of their worries.

    Fan Secretary''s lips quivered. His attitude softened in the silence: "Lian Zong''s energy is in the group. Madam knows very little about overseas investments."

    In other words, it was either Jiang Qi or Jiang Ou.

    And since Jiang Qi was almost certain to get telmunications, the probability of him taking water as well was slightly less than Jiang Ou.

    Jian Jing nodded, "I''m done with my questions."

    There was still plenty of time, so she decided to return to the scene of the crime to see if she could find more clues.

    The body had already been sent to the funeral home, and the broken ss on the ground had been cleaned up by the diligent auntie. But the medicine box was still in its original ce. Jian Jing deliberately counted - 10 vials per box, 2 left.

    Dr. Tao had used one vial, at 11 o''clock. Nurse Yu broke one vial. The other 6 vials had been smashed.

    60 mg was enough to cause acute poisoning.

    "Interesting, but why?" she murmured to herself.

    The bedroom wasn''t big, with medical equipment taking up at least half. But basically everything was piled on the left side. Jian Jing recalled the scene she saw when she enteredst time - the Chairman was clearly lying on the right side of the bed.

    Could it be... She put on gloves and lifted the bedding inch by inch, feeling around.

    This was a red wood bed, with exquisite carved patterns, obviously valuable. But no matter how expensive it was, it couldn''t change one fact - intricately carved beds were difficult to clean and prone to umting dust.

    There was a thinyer of dust between the bed and bedside table, but one area was very clean.

    She reached out and lightly pried it open.

    A hiddenpartment popped out from under the bed frame, revealing a small, all-metal safe.

 Chapter 243

    Chapter 243

    "What is this? A safe?" Li Lawyer''s voice suddenly appeared. "Wait, don''t move it first, let me extract the fingerprints first."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Li Lawyer said, "I have a toolbox in my car, wait a moment." He hurried out and hurried back, and really brought a forensic tool kit, "Let me, I''ll extract the fingerprints."

    Jian Jing watched his performance and asked, "Why do you carry this with you?"

    "For those of us in this profession, we asionally encounter such situations as well." Li Lawyer dipped a brush in powder and gently touched the password lock and door handle of the safe, "Teacher Jian, did you go to the scene to write your book?"

    Jian Jing: "asionally."

    Li Lawyerughed briefly, "That''s true too. Some crime scenes are not like this time, bloodier, even men can''t stand it, let alone girls."

    Jian Jing politely smiled.

    "Look, very obvious fingerprints." Li Lawyer stuck two fingerprints and said, "I will send them forparison immediately. If they don''t belong to Mr. Jiang Guangze, everything will be very simple."

    Jian Jing had to stop him, "Let me take a picture."

    In fact, just byparing, itˇŻs not difficult to find the difference between the two fingerprints, one big and one small, not the contrast between the little finger and the thumb - besides, when opening the safe, the thumb is generally not touched - most likely belonging to different people.

    She frowned thoughtfully.

    ˇ°Ms. Jian, I think this case should not be asplicated as the ones you wrote in your novels, full of tricks and drama.ˇ± Li Lawyer said unhurriedly, ˇ°Based on my experience, most cases in reality are notplicated, just money or feelings. "

    Jian Jing raised her eyelids, as if seeing a peacock in full plumage.

    He analyzed, "This kind of hidden ce must contain a will. Someone knew about this and sneaked in after the chairman fell asleep to steal it, but was discovered by the chairman and had to kill him to keep him silent.ˇ±

    To be honest, she said, ˇ°It makes some sense.ˇ±

    ˇ°Then who was the murderer?ˇ±

    ˇ°Of course the owner of the fingerprint.ˇ± Li Lawyer smiled and said, ˇ°I will invite others to provide fingerprintparisons now, do you want toe?"

    She decisively shook her head.

    Li Lawyer was also arrogant. No longer being courteous, he smiled politely and said, "I hope we can know the answer by dinner time."

    The tone was very certain.

    Jian Jing returned a subtle smile and turned to the next stop: the study.

    Because it was just a holiday vi in use, the furnishings of the study were standard, nothing valuable in terms of written information. But the decoration was very beautiful, ssical without being vulgar. The red wood gleamed with a heavy, dark luster in the sunlight. Light and shadow were cast on thetticed window frames, projecting traditional cracked ice patterns.

    The antique shelf disyed many ornaments, such as a golden pig, galloping horse, ploughing ox, fierce tiger, coiled dragon, white dog, made of various materials from gold, jade, wood, and so on. There was also a pair of cloisonne vases, crystal sses, an old inkstone and an antique clock.

    On the walls hung several calligraphies. At first nce at the signature, well, they were either works by famous painters in the Republican era, or contemporary famous calligraphers. The works were carefully collected behind ss, seemingly not imitations.

    Beneath the window was a zitan wood table, equipped with Zisha tea sets, lustrous and exquisite, probably not ordinary. But they looked brand new, apparently never used before.

    Jian Jing enjoyed it alone for a while, then called the old housekeeper over to chat casually.

    ˇ°It''s nicely decorated here. Did Chairman Jiange here often before?ˇ±

    ˇ°He bought it almost eight years ago. It took three or four years to get it fixed up. It was originally nned to retire here. " The housekeeper recalled the past andmented, "But he was overworked and didnˇŻt get to enjoy it when he stepped down.ˇ±

    ˇ°What a pity. I heard that Chairman Jiang had stomach cancer before?"

    "Yes, about six or seven years ago. At that time we almost thought it was hopeless. He specifically called his children back, but the chemotherapy went very well. His wife took care of him all that time, so he recovered. ThatˇŻs why he married her afterwards.ˇ±

    Jian Jing asked, "Did he make a will at that time?"

    "He did. He said the group would go to Big Brother and Second Brother, Third Brother would get shares in the waterpany, and the leftover money and houses from his mistress would be divided up. " After the housekeeper finished speaking, she immediately added, "Of course, it didnˇŻt count after he got married.ˇ±

    Jian Jing nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, I''ll sit for a while longer."

    *

    After dinner, the Jiang family gathered together again.

    This time, Jian Jing saw Jiang LianˇŻs husband and children.

    To be honest, when she saw Jiang LianˇŻs husband''s appearance, she immediately understood why Jiang Lian was willing to let her daughter take her husbandˇŻs surname instead, even arguing with her father several times.

    The eldest daughter-inw''s husband was quite handsome, with thick brows and big eyes, well-defined features,pletely different from the current popr ˇ°little fresh meatˇ± idols, but a traditional handsome man, beautiful yet candid, extremely charming.

    Believe if he was born a thousand years ago, he would certainly be a male favorite of the Empress, the kind whose name was recorded in history.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help taking two more looks at him.

    "Cough." Jiang Lian cleared her throat warningly and nced over with a cold smile.

    Her husband patted her shoulderfortingly and asked with concern, "Are you too tired these two days, tonsillitis?"

    "No." Jiang Lian took a sip of hot tea and said to her daughter, "Take her back to the room to sleep, must be tired flying back from abroad. "

    Her daughter was very sensible, "Mom, I''ll keep youpany."

    "Go to sleep and get over jetg quickly. The funeral will be tiring." In front of her daughter, Jiang Lian was not so arrogant or indifferent. She stroked her head affectionately and said, "Go back quickly."

    The little girl kissed her cheek before obediently going upstairs yawning. Her husband picked up the heavy luggage and tactfully avoided the Jiang familyˇŻs internal affairs.

    "ThatˇŻs my husband and daughter." Jiang Lian said.

    Jian Jing: "So?"

    "Nothing, just an introduction." Jiang Lian said lightly.

    Just as Jian Jing was about to speak, Jiang BaiYan suddenly opened his mouth and said very sincerely, "Teacher Jian, my elder sisterˇŻs husband looks good, doesnˇŻt he?"

    She said, "Not bad."

    ˇ°Sis, thatˇŻs amazing.ˇ± Jiang BaiYan poked viciously at her sore spot, intimate yet surprised, ˇ°Teacher Jian is surrounded by good-looking men, someone like me probably wonˇŻt even make the top three. But brother-inw can definitely make the top ten.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: "Pffft."

    Jiang LianˇŻs face turned green.

    But this was just a small interlude. Li Lawyer brought the real theme of the meeting.

    "Ms. Jian found a secretpartment in Chairman Jiang''s bedroom with a locked safe inside. I extracted two fingerprints from the safe.ˇ±

    Li Lawyer stood in the center of the living room. All the chandeliers on the ceiling were turned on, the ring lights shining on everyoneˇŻs faces so that no subtle expression could escape the eyes.

    He looked around at everyone, "This afternoon, I took all of your fingerprints and gave them to a professional friend topare. The answer came out very quickly.ˇ±

    The air became very quiet. Someone wanted to speak but restrained themselves.

    "Onerger fingerprint belongs to Mr. Jiang Guangze. The other one...ˇ± Li Lawyer looked them over one by one, finally fixing on a beautiful and graceful face, ˇ°Madam Yin, is yours."

    JiangˇŻs wife was stunned.

    ˇ°It was you?ˇ± Jiang Ou suddenly stood up, voice raised, ˇ°You killed Dad?"

    Madam Jiang was sophisticated and quickly regained herposure. ˇ°It wasnˇŻt me. What safe? ˇ±She tly denied,ˇ° I don''t even know there is a safe in the room.ˇ±

    "There are your fingerprints on the safe." Li Lawyer said coldly, "This is an indisputable fact, Madam. You need to exin this.ˇ±

    Madam Jiang said, "I know nothing about the safeˇŞwhat''s in there? A will?" She looked at Jian Jing, speaking very fast, breathing rapid.

    Jian Jing said, "Unfortunately, I don''t know the password and didn''t open it. Or does Lawyer Cai know?"

    Li Lawyer had invited Lawyer Cai tonight to announce the answer. He calmly said, "The will was indeed kept by the Chairman, but I don''t know where he put it.ˇ±

    "Madam, please exin this matter." Li Lawyer spoke in an interrogative tone.

    Madam Jiang said, "I don''t know about the safe at all, nor why my fingerprints are there. Someone must be framing me."

    She asked the others, "Don''t you ept this answer?"

    Jiang Qi said, "I don''t see anything uneptable about it."

    "What can fingerprints represent?" Mrs. Jiang refuted, "What does this have to do with murder?"

    Li Lawyer said: "Time. The chairman has been in this vi for half a month. There were people in the room during the day, so you didn''t have a chance to open the safe. And I also asked the doctor that three days before the chairman passed away, he still had poor sleep due to breathing problems, it was only thest three days that he was injected with medication.

    "Before that, if you entered the room at night, you would definitely be discovered. It was only on the night he died that you had a chance or motive to take a look at the will."

    Mrs. Jiang sneered coldly: "Keep making things up."

    Li Lawyer was unmoved: "You made too much noise and woke up the chairman. You know, the chairman was going to change his will tomorrow, if something like this happened at night, he would most likely cancel your inheritance rights. So you went all in and killed him."

    "You''re talking nonsense!" Jiang Xue couldn''t stand it anymore, pointing her finger at his nose and cursing, "Did Jiang Qi tell you to frame the charges on my mom? My mom didn''t do this."

    Likest night, either she wouldn''t open her mouth, or she would spill the beans when she did: "Jiang Ou, it was you, wasn''t it? I saw you sneak into dad''s roomst night."

    Jiang Ou''s face turned ashen: "Don''t falsely use people."

    "You know in your heart whether it''s a false usation or not." Jiang Xue pressed on aggressively, "After 12, I got up to use the bathroom and saw youe out of the room and go into dad''s room - was it you who did it?"

    Jiang Lian asked: "When you went to the bathroom, how could you see little Ou? There is a bathroom in your room. His room is downstairs. How did you see him?"

    "I, I got up to breathe some fresh air." Jiang Xue said, "Anyway, I saw him."

    Jiang Ou asked: "Where is the evidence?"

    "Isn''t an eyewitness enough?"

    Li Lawyer said: "Miss Jiang Xue, given thepetitive rtionship between you and Mr. Jiang, even in court, your testimony would not be very credible."

    Jiang Xue looked to her mother for help.

    Mrs. Jiang said: "Then take that evidence and sue me, see you in court."

    The atmosphere suddenly froze.

    "So, are you not going to exin the fingerprints?" Li Lawyer asked.

    Mrs. Jiang remained silent.

    He paused for a moment, then turned to Jian Jing: "Does Teacher Jian have anything to add?"

    Jian Jing said: "Jiang Xue testified that Jiang Ou went into the room after 12. I want to know, Mr. Jiang Ou, do you admit this?"

    Jiang Ou pursed his lips. After a long while, he said: "I didn''t go."

    "You''re lying."

 Chapter 244

    Chapter 244

    Jian Jing said, "Jiang Ou, someone saw you go to Jiang Guangze''s room around 12:20 am on the night of the incident."

    She brushed off the notebook in her hand, "I got this testimony a long time ago. I think Jiang Xue probably couldn''t have colluded with anyone in advance. Please exin."

    Jiang Ou''s face darkened as he stared at Jiang BaiYan first, "Are you talking nonsense?"

    Jiang BaiYan was lounging casually on the single sofa, wearing home clothes and hugging a fat orange cat as if he was a retired olddy who could knit, "You might as well use me of murdering him directly, everything bad must have been done by me."

    "Anyway, I didn''t go," Jiang Ou denied it outright.

    "Alright, if you don''t admit it, you don''t admit it," Jian Jing said, unexpectedly tolerant. She continued to question Jiang Xue, "You said you saw Jiang Ou go into the chairman''s room. How long was he in there roughly?"

    Jiang Xue said, "For a while, I didn''t pay attention to exactly how long."

    "Did you go into the room?"

    She tly denied, "No."

    "However," Jian Jing said slowly, "someone also saw you go into the chairman''s room, around 12:30 am."

    Jiang Xue''s face froze too.

    Jian Jing flipped open her notebook and read the testimony written in it, "ording to the eyewitness, she saw Jiang Xue walk into the chairman''s office around 12:30 am, and about 5-10 minutester, she walked out with a pale face, leaving in a hurry."

    "Who said that?" As expected, the chairman''s genes were very strong. The performances of the siblings were all the same. Jiang Xue jumped up and red fiercely at the others, as if wanting to shred them with her eyes.

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you admit it or not?"

    Jiang Madam gently pulled her daughter''s sleeve.

    But Jiang Xue stubbornly refused to sit down and sneered, "Fine, I admit it. Unlike some people, I have figured it out. That night, I guess everyone didn''t sleep well, right? If one person saw it, then there would be two. Of course, it could also be a collusion."

    "Going into the room doesn''t mean being the murderer," Jian Jing drank iced coffee and said slowly, "In fact, I have reason to believe that each of you has been in the room."

    "I did go in," Jiang Xue readily admitted, "When I saw Jiang Ou go into dad''s room, I really wanted to know why he went in, so after he left, I sneaked in."

    "What was the chairman''s situation then?"

    Jiang Xue stared straight at Jiang Ou, "Dad didn''t look right, as if he had no breath left."

    Everyone was very surprised.

    Li Lawyer had to say, "Miss Jiang, the chairman passed away around 3:20 am. The heart rate monitor issued an rm at the first moment."

    Jiang Xue said, "I don''t really understand that, but can the plug of that thing be unplugged? I was very scared at the time and didn''t notice if the machine was on or not. Maybe Jiang Ou unplugged it and then plugged it back inter."

    "Impossible. If the person had died at 12 o''clock, there would definitely be rigor mortis by 3 o''clock," Li Lawyer denied her spection. "The doctors and nurses wouldn''t fail to notice that."

    Jiang Xue didn''t quite understand. Her first reaction was to look at Jian Jing ˇŞ she didn''t believe Li Lawyer, he was Jiang Qi''s man, while Jian Jing was Jiang BaiYan''s friend, and wouldn''t lie for him.

    Jian Jing said, "Rigor mortis urs 1-3 hours after death. The vi had the central air conditioning on, maintaining the temperature at around 16 degrees Celsius. ItˇŻs unlikely there was a 3-hour advance death, but within 1 hour is not impossible."

    It was the middle of the night when the incident urred. As long as the main switch was turned off, the monitoring device would not rm. After a while, when the power supply was restored, and the heart monitor detected that the heartbeat had stopped, it would rm.

    However... the murderer falsifying the time of death was mostly to create an alibi.

    None of those present had an alibi.

    She ridiculed inwardly, but didn''t exin. Because as soon as she said this, the expressions of the suspects changed, although everyone controlled it very well. But the intersecting eyes betrayed their unease and thoughts.

    ItˇŻs also fun to bluff them a bit.

    Jiang Xue cleverly protected herself, "I was already asleep at 2 o''clock, it wasn''t me."

    "Then Jiang Ou went even earlier, which also ruled him out," Jian Jing "kindly" reminded.

    Jiang Xue puffed her cheeks, but didn''t change her words and insisted, "I don''t know about that. Anyway, he went in, and I admitted it myself, there is no need to me him."

    "That makes sense," Jian Jing looked at Jiang Ou and smiled slightly, "Do you really not admit it?"

    Jiang Ou was silent for a while, and suddenly rxed. He crossed his legs and said, "Fine, I''ll admit it. Anyway, whether I admit it or not, you guys don''t believe me in your hearts."

    He said indifferently, "I did go to dad''s room, just when she said, I wanted to talk to him about something. But when I went in, I saw him sleeping very soundly, so I came out."

    Jiang Xue said, "You''re lying. When I went in, dad looked like he wasn''t even breathing. You must have done something."

    "Do you have a brain? She just said it''s unrealistic that he died after 12," Jiang Ou said impatiently.

    Jian Jing immediately corrected, "Death is one thing, taking action is another."

    "In my opinion, it''s still unclear who made the move," Jiang Ou said coldly. "Just because she said dad didn''t look right at the time, does that mean he really wasn''t alright? ItˇŻs also possible that she took action herself and med it on me. And there are also fingerprints."

    Jiang Lian chimed in, "Yes, Xue is very suspicious. She might have done something and then asked Assistant Yin toe over, trying to steal the will."

    Jiang Madam said, "First of all, I don''t know thereˇŻs a safe there. Secondly, I don''t know if thereˇŻs a will in the safe. Thirdly, even if I knew both, how would I get the password?"

    Her tone was not without sarcasm, "The old man had been guarding against me for more than just one or two days. No matter how sincere I was to him, it was to no avail with you guys taking turns to brainwash him. If I knew there was a safe, a will, and a password, you should be clearer than me."

    The three siblings exchanged a look.

    Jiang BaiYan leaned in and whispered in Jian Jing''s ear, "She''s telling the truth."

    Jian Jing: "Reason?"

    "In this family, the one the chairman was most wary of was big sister''s husband, then her, the outsider." He said, "The old man was very traditional in this regard. He didn''t even fully trust his own children, how could he trust a mistress?"

    Jian Jing just smiled withoutmenting, waiting for the following.

    Jiang Qi said, "It seems that everyone finds this kind of result uneptable, right?"

    "This is nder," Jiang Xue said angrily.

    "Then let''s continue the investigation," he said indifferently. "Lawyer Li, Miss Jian, there are already rumors outside. Father''s death cannot be kept secret for long. I hope that no matter what, we cane to an eptable conclusion for everyone tomorrow night."

    Li Lawyer: "I''ll try my best."

    Jian Jing said bluntly, "Whether you can ept it or not has nothing to do with me. All I want is the truth."

    "We shall wait and see."

    *

    That night, the wall lights were bright. Jian Jing curled up in bed, lying on the pillow writing and drawing.

    This was a special case with very little objective evidence, relying mainly on eyewitness testimonies. However, due to conflicting positions, everyone might conceal and lie.

    How to pry open everyone''s mouths and distinguish between truth and lies was the most difficult point of the case.

    Jian Jing had never encountered a simr case before and was very excited.

    She drew several corresponding groups in her notebook.

    First of all, the one testifying that Jiang Ou entered the room at 12:20 am was Jiang BaiYan.

    He said, "The chairman said he was going to change his will the next day, making everyone absent-minded. I thought it was a good opportunity to steal my phone back, which was with Jiang Lian. It must have been past 12, she wouldn''t have gone to bed so early, either busy with work or discussing things with Jiang Qi, so I sneaked into her suite.

    "She wasn''t there, and the phone seemed to be locked in the safe. I tried several passwords but all failed, so I had to give up ande out. At that time, I saw Jiang Ou go into the chairman''s room."

    So Jiang Ou''s actions had two witnesses.

    Jiang BaiYan ˇú Jiang Ou ˇű Jiang Xue

    Then there was the one testifying Jiang Xue ˇŞ Jiang Nursing.

    When talking, she was hesitating whether to speak up. As a result, when she ran into Fan Secretarying back, she didn''t make a sound. In the afternoon today, Jian Jing took the opportunity to ask her again.

    Only then did Jiang Nursing stutter and say, "I saw Miss Jiang Xue go into the chairman''s room."

    Here was her exnation: on that night, after she got off the phone with her boyfriend, she couldn''t fall asleep right away and decided to get up and cook some instant noodles. But before she even got to the kitchen, she saw Jiang Xue sneaking around furtively on the second floor, peering left and right before quietly slipping into the chairman''s room.

    Jiang Nursing had been working for the Jiang family for half a year already and was familiar with the situation of this household. Not wanting to get involved, she simply went back.

    "I figured the chairman had passed away around 3 AM, and it was only 12:30 then, so it should have been fine and I didn''t mention it to anyone. But now that it''s be such a big deal, I thought maybe I should speak up." She said somewhat apologetically, "I think I may have helped quite a bit."

    So there was now a testimony using Jiang Xue.

    Andstly there was the matter of Jiang Madam''s fingerprints. She staunchly denied it, and no one testified to having seen her enter the chairman''s room.

    If the three Jiang siblings had seen her, they definitely would have spoken up, so in all likelihood they hadn''t witnessed it.

    So what exactly was the story with the fingerprints? Jian Jing did not doubt Li Lawyer''s analysis results, but she was suspicious about how the prints got there and when.

    She opened theparison report Li Lawyer had sent over.

    The two prints were of different sizes. Therger one belonged to the chairmanˇŞthe thumbprint from his right hand on the safe handle. The smaller one was Jiang Madam''s, her right index finger on the number pad.

    At first nce there seemed to be no issues, but on further thought, if she had sneaked in and entered the password, then getting the safe open should have been all but guaranteed. So why were only the prints from fingers other than her thumb left behind?

    Had she entered the wrong password, or were these prints not actually left by Jiang Madam at all?

    If this was an attempt to frame someone, then who did it? One of the three Jiang siblings perhaps.

    Why would they do thisˇŞjust to set Jiang Madam up? But fingerprints alone could not prove any connection between opening the safe and the chairman''s murder, much less determine if the prints had been left at the time of the incident.

    So let''s entertain the assumption that one of them killed the chairman, stole the will, then pinned it on Jiang Madam.

    That would make sense, right?

    But there was still one question.

    Had Jiang Madam truly not gone to the chairman''s room? Jiang Xue said she discovered the chairman breathing faintly, seemingly close to death. A high schooler suddenly faced with this kind of situationˇŞwhat would be her first reaction?

    To hide back in her room? Perhaps, but she was not a timid person by nature. On the contrary, she was quite gutsy. The two leaks had arisen because of her after all.

    To put it bluntly, Jiang Xue had a tendency to y chaotic neutral.

    She would definitely have gone to find Jiang Madam.

    And Jiang Madam would surely have gone to the chairman''s room as well.

    So was it possible the prints really were hers, left when she had tried passwords but failed (or didn''t have time) to open the safe? Why didn''t she wipe her prints?

    As she herself said, if she knew about the safe, then the three Jiang siblings must know about it too.

    That left a huge question mark.

    And then there was Jiang Ou.

    He was the earliest known person to enter the room, iming he gave up on waking his father after seeing the man unrousable. Who would believe that?

    Wouldn''t he try to sneak a peek at the safe?

    And what about Jiang Lian and Jiang Qi?

    Jiang BaiYan said when he went to Jiang Lian''s room, she wasn''t there.

    Where had she gone?

    Jian Jing set her pen down, thinking to get to the bottom of this, she would have to uncover everyone''s movements and the timeline.

 Chapter 245

    Chapter 245

    Jiang Xue''s mother was happy to see the three Jiang siblings get into trouble.

    Jian Jing originally wanted to chat with Jiang Xue alone, but Jiang Madam did not allow her daughter to speak to her alone for a very legitimate reason: "My daughter is not an adult yet, not even the police can do that."

    "It''s fine, I don''t have any tricky questions," Jian Jing said to Jiang Xue, "You said at the time when you entered the room, the Chairman seemed to be in very bad shape."

    Jiang Xue nodded, but added: "I was so scared at the time that I didn''t look closely enough to be sure."

    Jian Jing smiled slightly, chewing over every word: "So you thought he wasn''t good, but didn''t necessarily mean he really wasn''t good, right?"

    Jiang Xue: "Uh, yes."

    "Nurse Yu was in the next room," her tone suddenly became stern, "Why didn''t you go find her?"

    After all, Jiang Xue was just a child. Caught off guard by the question, she panicked for a moment before replying: "I didn''t think of that, I really nked out at the time."

    "You didn''t go find your mother either?"

    Jiang Xue looked at her mother.

    Sure enough, Jiang Madam spoke up: ˇ°She came to find me. I told her not to make a fuss about it. Given our family''s situation, if people found out Xue had been there, she would get into trouble."

    Jian Jing nodded and asked, "What about you then? Did you go confirm it?"

    "No," Jiang Madam said calmly. "I thought she saw wrong. The monitoring device didn''t go off, and she''s just a child. Seeing no breathing doesn''t mean he really wasn''t breathing. People about to die often look like that, sometimes they don''t move at all and you wrongly assume they''re dead."

    Jiang Xue quickly nodded: "I also feel like I saw wrong."

    "I see," Jian Jing said impassively. "Alright, let''s leave this topic for now. I''d like to ask about some other things."

    Jiang Madam said, "What things?"

    "I heard you were the Chairman''s assistant, so you should be quite familiar with the people around him," Jian Jing said. "What kind of person is Lawyer Cai?"

    Jiang Madam: ˇ°He is very serious and loyal. He had always been the most trusted person to the Chairman."

    "Is it possible that he hinted where the will was hidden?"

    Jiang Madam thought for quite a while before replying: ˇ°I donˇŻt think so. He wouldnˇŻt take that risk."

    "What about Secretary Fan? He had worked for the Jiang family for a long time too, right?"

    "Almost fifteen years now," Jiang Madam said. "If I say Lawyer Cai was the most trusted person to the Chairman, then Secretary Fan was definitely the closest. He knew many things I didn''t know about."

    "What kind of person is he?"

    Jiang Madam described: ˇ°Slippery and cautious. He never offended anyone and everyone was polite to him too."

    "Are you familiar with Doctor Tao?"

    "He is quite renowned in oncology. He was in charge of treating the Chairman''s stomach cancerst time. The Chairman trusted him a lot too."

    "What about Nurse Yu?"

    "She was introduced by a friend. She used to be the head nurse at a public hospital, very professional."

    "What about Nursing Jiang?"

    "I''m not too clear, I think she is some professional caregiver."

    Jiang Xue cut in: ˇ°I don''t like her."

    Jian Jing asked: "Why?"

    "Dad was particrly nice to her," Jiang Xue nced at her mother and mumbled, "I even saw Dad holding her hand once."

    Jian Jingughed: ˇ°What do you think, Madam Jiang?"

    Jiang Madam spoke tly: ˇ°Perhaps I don''t care. He must have arranged things well already."

    "Did the Chairman have other mistresses?"

    "Of course," Jiang Madam was surprised instead, chuckling as she said, "You don''t have to worry about them. The Chairman arranged things from the very start. When ites to women..."

    She stopped speaking, her thoughts wandering far away, half mocking and half self-deprecating: "He''s heartless."

    "You''re his wife, surely it''s a bit different for you?" Jian Jing probed.

    Jiang Madam said: "No difference. If I were an ex-wife who helped build his career from the ground up, maybe there would be a bit more affection. But what am I?ˇ±

    She said in an almost cold manner: "He won''t let me starve or freeze, Jiang Guangze still has that bit of conscience. But he won''t give me his life''s dedication - that''s only for those with his own blood. Why is Jiang Lian in trouble now after over a decade with the group? When ites down to it, he was guarding against outsiders - those not of his surname are outsiders."

    Jian Jing stared intently at her face but saw no sign of lying at all.

    Jiang Madam''s mockery and resentment came genuinely from the heart. She truly believed there would not be much involving her in the will.

    "Any thoughts about the fingerprints on the safe?" Jian Jing asked.

    Jiang Xue eximed loudly: ˇ°It''s a frame-up!"

    "Did you know there was a safe there?"

    The mother and daughter both shook their heads.

    Jian Jing ended the conversation.

    "Jingjing," Jiang Baiyan called from the courtyard. ˇ°Come take afternoon tea."

    The vacation vi of the Jiang family was veryrge with a big courtyard facing theke and peach blossom woods. On leisurely days, basking in the sun, petting cats, enjoying the scenery was pure bliss.

    Unfortunately, the Chairman did not get to live more than a few days in this finely crafted retirement abode.

    She went downstairs and took a seat, looking up at the English afternoon tea set before her: "Got it done?"

    "Of course," Jiang Baiyan poured the steaming red tea into the snow-white bone china cup. The gorgeous red liquid looked like blood as it swirled inside the cup. ˇ°The driver''s daughter happened to be my fan. I took several pictures with him and he told me everything."

    Jian Jing picked up a palm-sized little sandwich and asked while eating: ˇ°Tell me."

    Jiang Baiyan told her everything this way and that, but still did not understand: "Why are you investigating this?"

    "Muddying the waters to fish."

    Like fashionable vis nowadays, the basement of this vi contained not only swimming pools, spas and cinemas, but also two maidˇŻs rooms.

    The old maid lived in one, while the other belonged to Nursing Jiang.

    Jian Jing knocked on Nursing Jiang''s door, discreetly observing the environment.

    ItˇŻs a bit small.

    Although the maidˇŻs rooms were independent with attached bathrooms, the low ceilings were depressing without sunlight. The beds were narrow twin-sized beds that seemed extremely cramped.

    Nursing Jiang instinctively blocked Jian Jing''s view: "What''s the matter?"

    "Can we chat?" Jian Jing smiled amiably. ˇ°The weather is nice outside, let''s go for a walk."

    Nursing Jiang''s slender eyshes fluttered. She agreed.

    With the gentle spring breeze and singing skrks, taking a walk under the blue sky and white clouds instantly lifted oneˇŻs mood.

    Seeing Nursing Jiang''s content expression, Jian Jing finally brought up: ˇ°You told me you saw Jiang Xue entered the Chairman''s room that day, but he couldn''t have died already at that time."

    Nursing Jiang said softly: "I know, but..."

    She stopped talking.

    Jian Jing encouraged her: "If thereˇŻs anything youˇŻre thinking, feel free to share with me. This isn''t a formal investigation, just casual chat."

    The warm wind blew past, peach blossoms danced. There was no gravity of interrogation in such ambience and atmosphere at all.

    Nursing Jiang seemed to lower her guard and said: ˇ°I keep thinking about the broken medicine vial. I know all the medications the Chairman used. It was morphine... Overdose by injection can lead to death, and there is a process."

    "Do you think Jiang Xue did it?" Jian Jing said. ˇ°But she''s just a middle school student. She probably doesn''t know about this.ˇ±

    Nursing Jiang thought about it and nodded: ˇ°YouˇŻre right. ItˇŻs unlikely. Then what do you think, could it be Miss Jiang Lian?"

    Jian Jing asked impassively: "Did you see her enter the room too?"

    "No no." Nursing Jiang bit her lip hesitantly: ˇ°I didn''t see if she had gone in or not. But that night... I told you before that I went to the kitchen on the first floor to get something... "

    She instinctively lowered her voice: ˇ°I saw Jiang Lian... Miss Jiang Lian crying while talking on the phone in the yard. Saying something like ''Dad treats me so well yet I got bewitched against my own father''."

    Jian Jing was shocked: ˇ°Really?ˇ±

    "I absolutely didn''t mishear." Nursing Jiang asserted firmly, but added: ˇ°However, IˇŻve heard Miss Jiang Lian argue with the Chairman more than once or twice. She could just be saying that because she felt bad."

    Jian Jing sighed deeply with seemingly genuine emotion, though it was meaningless and purely for the sake of encouragement.

    With such lead-in, Nursing JiangˇŻs desire to confide grew even stronger: ˇ°The Chairman told me more than once that the original Jiang Lian was not like this. As eldest daughter, she had been sensible since young. Who wouldˇŻve thought sheˇŻd be more contrary as she grew up, opposing her own birth father over an outsider."

    Jian Jing probed vaguely: "Did the Chairman often talk to you about family matters?"

    "Don''t get me wrong," Jiang Nursing said very sensitively, "Cancer patients are suffering tremendous pain, but their children can''t apany them all the time, and there can also be estrangement between them due to money issues, so it''s easier for them to say some things to us."

    "I see," Jian Jing''s tone suddenly eased, as if she had gotten some answer, "I understand now."

    Jiang Nursing smiled and looked up at the distance: "It''s really beautiful here."

    "Yes, it makes one want to stay here forever, right?"

    Jiang Nursing nodded.

    A flower petal fell onto her pretty hair.

    *

    The third meeting started right on time at 6 pm.

    Li Lawyer, who had disappeared for a whole day, brought new evidence and said: "Ms. Yun, someone imed that you entered the Chairman''s room around 1 am."

    Compared to the sudden attack yesterday, Jiang Madam was exceptionally calm today: "Did that person actually see me walk into the room?"

    Li Lawyer pushed up his sses: "Yes."

    "I didn''t go in. That person is ndering me. In fact, I was on the balcony for some fresh air around 1 am, and I saw someone walk into my husband''s room." Jiang Madam''s lips curved up mockingly, "I think that''s the person who framed me."

    Li Lawyer was stunned for a moment and asked: "Could you see clearly who that was?"

    "No, but I know at that time, apart from that person who also came out, I should be the only one not in the room." Jiang Madam asked back, "That makes sense, right?"

    Jiang Xue added: "Who testified against my mom? Tell us."

    Jiang Lian pursed her lips: "Me."

    She was also calm: "But I didn''t go into Dad''s room. At 1 am I was video conferencing with a client, and I was away for less than 2 minutes total. Oh yes, I have recordings of my video calls, do you want to see?"

    "Then how did you see it?"

    "I went downstairs to get some coffee, it was exactly 2 minutes up and down. " Jiang Lian exined smoothly, "Not enough time to get into Dad''s room, right?"

    Li Lawyer estimated the time and nodded: "Indeed."

    Jiang Madam asked back: "Then who''s the person I saw?"

    "Maybe that person didn''t exist at all," Jiang Qi said.

    Jiang Madam said: "Jiang Lian has an alibi. What about you, Jiang Ou?"

    Jiang Ou said impatiently: "I was with my brother at that time. He can testify for me."

    "Mr. Lawyer, is this kind of testimony valid?" Jiang Madam asked.

    Li Lawyer said: "It depends on the specifics."

    Jiang Madam sneered and turned to look at Jian Jing: "Miss Jian, anything else to add?"

    "Yes," Jian Jing said. "I already know the whole truth now."

    Everyone showed astonishment unconsciously. Even Jiang BaiYan adjusted his sitting posture subconsciously, changing from a leisure look enjoying pictures to a veteran cadre sitting upright: "That fast?"

    Jian Jingmented: "That''s life."

    Always full of surprises.

    "I hope you''re not exaggerating," Jiang Qi was still calm, but his tense back gave away his inner anxiety.

    Yes, he seemed to have a hunch that the answer was about to be revealed.

    "Whether I''m exaggerating, you''ll know after listening. Now, I want to invite the first witness." Jian Jing said, "Please call Nurse Yu over. Let''s go through this case from the beginning."

 Chapter 246

    Chapter 246

    Yu Nurse anxiously entered the living room, looking as if she was about to face trial under the gathered gaze of everyone present.

    Jian Jing voluntarily gave up her seat and asked Yu Nurse to sit down, handing her a cup of hot tea: "Don''t be nervous, just tell the truth."

    Yu Nurse nodded.

    Jian Jing asked: "On the day of the incident, at 3:20 AM, the rm on the monitor went off. You woke up and did what?"

    "I immediately performed CPR on the patient," Yu Nurse answered very quickly.

    Jian Jing: "At that time, what was the Chairman''s body like? Was it stiff? Cold?"

    Yu Nurse tried her best to think back for a moment and apologized: "I was extremely nervous at the time, constantly looking at the heart monitor. I didn''t carefully sense those things you mentioned."

    "That is to say, if the body temperature was slightly cold, the neck was slightly stiff, you wouldn''t have noticed it?"

    Yu Nurse hesitated for a moment: "That''s probably true. I performed CPR over his clothes and didn''t touch his skin much."

    "Were his eyes closed at the time?"

    "Yes."

    Only then did Jian Jing say: "Let me exin, as I said before, rigor mortis urs 1-3 hours after death, and judging the corpse temperature is even more subtle, dropping about 1ˇăC every hour within 10 hours after death. Because his eyes were closed, corneal opacity was also difficult to determine in a timely manner."

    Jiang BaiYan said: "So the Chairman didn''t die after 3 o''clock?"

    She corrected: "No, this can only prove that there may have been some discrepancy in the time of death, which is not impossible."

    "What do you mean by this?" Jiang Lian asked.

    "Patience, everyone." Jian Jing continued to ask, "Nurse Yu, in your half-awake state, did you vaguely hear some movement?"

    Yu Nurse cautiously said: "I can''t be sure. It seems there was something like that."

    "Did you hear the sound of breaking ss?"

    After thinking about it carefully, she shook her head: "It doesn''t seem like it."

    "Alright, you can leave now," Jian Jing said. "Next, let''s go over everyone''s testimonies."

    She flipped through her notebook and slowly said: "Jiang Ou entered the Chairman''s room around 12:20, then Jiang Xue, out of curiosity, entered around 12:30 and hurriedly left after about 5 minutes. At that time, Jiang Xue mistakenly believed the Chairman was already dead and panicked, so she went to find Jiang Madam. Correct?"

    This was the result of the previous days of "questioning", which had received unanimous confirmation so far.

    "Alright, I want to ask you two, when you entered the room, did you notice any broken ss or liquid on the floor?" Jian Jing asked.

    Jiang Ou said: "I didn''t see any."

    Jiang Xue also said: "I didn''t pay attention. There probably wasn''t any."

    "But around 3 o''clock there were shards of ss on the floor, right?" She verified.

    Jiang BaiYan nodded: "Yes, I remember there were pieces of broken ss on the floor, right next to the tall cab by the door."

    Jian Jing smiled and said, "Given Jiang Ou and Jiang Xue''s rtionship, I think the credibility of them both denying something should be quite high."

    No one disagreed.

    "So at least by 12:30, the medicine bottle hadn''t been smashed yet. In other words, someone else entered the room in those nearly 3 hours between 12:30 and 3:20 AM," Jian Jing asked, "Who was that person? Does anyone want to admit it?"

    Still no one spoke up.

    "Alright, we can put that matter aside for now. I also have a testimony here that says Jiang Lian was making a phone call in the garden on the first floor at about 12:30, when Jiang Xue entered the room. Is there such a thing?"

    Jiang Lian hesitated for a moment before nodding: "Yes, I made a call with my husband."

    "Show me your video," she said.

    Jiang Lian went upstairs to get herptop and opened the video file. It clearly showed the recording time, starting from 12:50 and continuing until after 3 AM, with both sides arguing fiercely about something the entire time.

    Jian Jing nced at Jiang Lian. She looked rxed, seeming to believe she was no longer a suspect.

    She also looked at Jiang Qi. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if worried and apprehensive.

    Jiang Ou seemed somewhat impatient, constantly changing postures.

    Jiang Madam had her arm around Jiang Xue''s shoulder, seeming to support andfort her.

    "It looks very clear now," Jian Jing said. "The video has confirmed my spection that you were the first person to enter the Chairman''s room."

    Jiang Lian immediately refuted: "Nonsense! Do you have any evidence? Who saw me go in?"

    Jiang BaiYan sighed sorrowfully: "It''s been a few days. Can''t you see what position I''m in now?"

    "I''m not falsely using you. Of everyone, only you were at the greatest risk."

    Jian Jing calmly analyzed: "Jiang Qi was at odds with his father over his marriage, but that was in the past. Jiang Ou wanted the shares in the waterpanyˇŞˇŞthe argument Jiang Xue overheard was with you right?ˇŞˇŞbut the Chairman''s attitude was clear that he had no ns to give it to him. So his early death was actually unfavorable to Jiang Ou, he no longer had a chance to persuade his father again.

    "Only you had everything to lose. The Jiang Water Group was supposed to go to you, but your father didn''t like your husband while you refused to give him up. Moreover, only the Jiang Water Group, which the Chairman had devoted his heart and soul to, would make him want to change his will even as death approached."

    She was extremely certain: "So you know very well that the Chairman was going to change his will the next day, and it would definitely be detrimental to you. And this was apany your mother founded together with him, so you were even more afraid it would end up in Jiang Madam and Jiang Xue''s hands. You had to find a way to stop it.

    "It just so happened that you knew Dr. Tao had prescribed morphine for him and may have exined the dosage issue to you which you kept in mind. You thought you could use this method to silence him."

    Jiang Xue eagerly stood up and said loudly: "I knew it was you!"

    "That would be too early," Jiang Ou disagreed. "Even ording to what you said before, if the monitoring device''s plug was pulled out, Jiang Xue would have definitely discovered the screen wasn''t lit when she went in."

    "Patience, everyone." Jian Jing didn''t move an inch and continued: "You took action but regretted it afterward, right?"

    Jiang Lian pursed her lips, her face pale, yet didn''t say a word.

    "Did you inject one or two doses? In any case, you regretted it soon and hurriedly left, calling your husband in the yard, saying you had lost your mind and the Chairman had been so good to you, raising and nurturing you, yet you wanted to kill him. But the wood had be a boat. You were also hoping against hope that nothing would happen to your father. You went back to the room pretending nothing had happened."

    The living room waspletely silent, everyone had different expressions.

    Jian Jing smiled slightly and slowly revealed the follow-up: "The second person was Jiang Ou. I guessed you didn''t go to discuss things with him, but to get somethingˇŞa phone or camera?"

    Jiang Ou kept his mouth shut tightly, unusually m-like.

    "Why would you do such a thing? Because you didn''t know what would happen. Jiang Lian works in the group, the will probably concerned her. Jiang Qi built themunicationspany, so that should belong to him too. Only you had never done anything significant. How much your father would give you was entirely up to luck, and yourpetitors were Jiang BaiYan, Jiang Xue and Jiang Madam. There was too much uncertainty."

    As Jian Jing told Jiang BaiYan earlier, the key to solving this case was understanding everyone''s psychological state.

    She carefully analyzed Jiang Ou''s motives: "So in order to gain the upper hand, you used an unorthodox move by installing cameras in your father''s bedroom to eavesdrop on his conversations with others."

    Jiang Xue and her mother coldly red at him.

    "But you saw something terribleˇŞyour eldest sister trying to murder your father," Jian Jing said. "After seeing the video you must have been extremely shocked, but given the close rtionship between you three siblings, your first reaction was to protect your sister. However, you were not capable of handling this yourself, so you could only look to Jiang Qi for help."

    Jiang Ou said: "Say whatever you want, I''m not admitting anything anyway."

    Jian Jing was immersed in the most pleasant moment of a detective, waving her hand tolerantly without paying him any attention: "Alright, the second one is over. Let''s talk about the third person, Jiang Xue."

    She stared with wide eyes: "What does it have to do with me?"

    "Of course there is a connection," Jian Jing curved her lips. "When you entered the room, the Chairman should have been ufortable and seemed to be in critical condition. And you have always been gutsy, the Chairman also doted on you very much. Perhaps you wanted to get closer to see if he was really going to die, or perhaps you knew about the safe and wanted to open it to take a peek..."

    Jiang Xue''s face suddenly flushed red.

    "Then, something unexpected happened ˇŞ the Chairman woke up," Jian Jing revealed the answer, satisfied to see the change in everyone else''s facial expressions.

    She was like a child who had seeded in some mischief, smiling contentedly as she added: "Of course it''s also possible that he only seemed to have woken up. In any case, you were so frightened that you immediately ran away."

    The reason why Jiang Xue had left in a panic was a key point of this case.

    The change of the will was disadvantageous to Jiang Lian, but advantageous to Jiang Xue and her mother. Therefore, Jiang Xue could not have had any intention to kill when she entered the room on the night of the incident.

    Then why was she so flustered?

    It was possible that the Chairman was dying, but that was inconsistent with the time of death. Moreover, there was no reason for Jiang Xue to not alert Yu Nurse immediately to try to save her father.

    She did not dare to speak up, proving that a major change in circumstances had urred.

    And the only person who could have caused Jiang Xue''s situation topletely overturn was the Chairman.

    "What would happen if the father saw his daughter trying to steal the will, or misunderstood that she was plotting murder?" Jian Jing vividly described Jiang Xue''s psychology. "The answer is undoubtedly that she would lose her inheritance rights. You went to find your mother immediately and told her about the situation ¨C Jiang Madam, you''re next."

    Jiang Madam had an indifferent look on her face.

    "You were very clear that you wouldnˇŻt get much from the Chairman, so no matter what, you had to secure your daughter''s inheritance rights. To achieve this, you did not hesitate tomit murder."

    Jian Jing''s speech gradually elerated: "You arrived at the scene of the crime around 1 a.m. ˇŞ I really doubt whether you actually saw Jiang Lian there, it doesnˇŻt seem to be on the way from your room downstairs, isnˇŻt that right Jiang Qi? You inferred it, didn''t you?"

    Jiang Qi nced at her without admitting or denying it.

    "Jiang Madam, was the Chairman conscious or unconscious when you entered? It doesnˇŻt matter,ˇ± Jian Jing continued without waiting for her to answer. ˇ°You had to do something, but as an ountant you didnˇŻt understand the medical equipment. If you identally triggered an rm and woke up Yu Nurse, things would be very messy. The simplest and most effective approach was to cut off the power supply to the room."

    She spread her hands: "Just like that, the oxygen tube and monitoring device became useless. You knew he would definitely die tonight, and your daughterˇŻs inheritance rights were preserved."

    There was dead silence at the scene.

    "Finally, Jiang Qi. You knew what your sister had done, so you would definitely try to cover for her. The best way was to frame her enemy and make the other party lose inheritance rights. That way, no matter which of you three siblings eventually obtained the shares, it would not go against your motherˇŻs wishes."

    Jian Jing looked at Jiang Qi: "You developed an internal system for Jiang Water Group, and Jiang Madam used to work there. Now allpanies require fingerprint login, so thatˇŻs how you obtained her right index fingerprint ˇŞ and only that one fingerprint, otherwise the thumbprint would have been even better. Then you used a 3D printer to produce a fingerprint replica, entered the room of JiangˇŻs father, opened the safe, and left her fingerprint."

    "I suppose if I hadn''t discovered the safe, you would also have guided thewyer Li to find it, right?"

    Jiang Qi had to speak up: "Miss Jian, you are very smart. I underestimated you."

    "It''s not time to praise me yet," Jian Jing made a pause gesture. "Because there is still a loophole here."

    She looked around at everyone with a smile: "Who smashed the medicine bottle?"

 Chapter 247

    Chapter 247

    Unlike the nervous Yu Nurse, Jiang Yue, who was also called to the lobby, did not wait for a greeting and took the initiative to sit down.

    "I heard you have questions for me?" She was calm andposed.

    Jian Jing asked, "On the day of the incident, at 12:35 pm, after you saw Jiang Xue leave in a hurry, what did you do?"

    Jiang Yue very naturally said, "I went back to rest."

    "No, you went in," she said. "Like Jiang Xue, you also realized that the chairman was not doing well, but with your attentiveness and professionalism, you must have noticed what was missingˇŞit was hard to determine the patient''s condition at the time. Was he overdosing on morphine or suffering from respiratory suppression? Was he about to die or struggling desperately? Anyway, you made a decision to frame others."

    Jiang Xue was so angry her teeth itched, but Jiang Madam squeezed her arm tightly to keep her silent.

    Jiang Yue shook her head and asked back, "If I did it, why did I specifically remind you beforehand? Isn''t that too obvious? And although Miss Jiang Xue orders me around, I don''t like her and have no reason to frame her for murder."

    Jian Jing''s face turned cold as she asked, "Miss Jiang, do you think you are very smart or that I am too stupid?"

    "I don''t understand what you mean," Jiang Yue said, lookingpletely surprised.

    "If you had paid close attention to Yu Nurse and Tao Doctor, you would know where your first loophole is," Jian Jing took a sip of red tea to wet her throat, and her tone suddenly turned cold. "I asked the doctor and nurse first, and they referred to the chairman as ''the patient,'' while you called the deceased ''Chairman''."

    Language habits are the easiest way to betray someone.

    Dialects and ents give away locations, vocabry habits reveal professions. It''s just like the online jokesˇŞˇ°IˇŻll check this report before the meeting, the boss really cares about itˇ±. If anyone talks like this habitually, they must either work at a foreignpany or have returned from studying abroad to show off.

    Doctors and nurses do not usually refer to a particr patient as Mr. So-and-so or Chairman So-and-so verbally, themon terms they use are "patient", "family member" and so on.

    But Jiang Yue referred to Jiang Guangze as "Chairman" right from the start, just like everyone else. However, she was not an employee of Jiang Water Group.

    Of course, just based on an address, nothing can be determined for sure. Maybe she called the boss that because she was hired privately. But it was enough to arouse Jian Jing''s slight suspicion.

    "You think your identity is safe enough that giving me some ''hints'' doesn''t matter," Jian Jing said lightly with a chuckle. "The first time, you reminded me that the injection was damaged; the second time, it was Jiang Xue entering the room; the third time, it was Jiang LianˇŞas an ordinary medical staff, aren''t you too concerned?"

    Caution and discretion would have been the reasonable reactions of Tao Doctor when facing the family''s investigation into the suspicious death of a patient.

    But Jiang Yue was too enthusiastic, noticing too many things.

    Jiang Yue said, "You can''t suspect me of sabotage just because I''m attentive."

    "There''s also the amount of medication," Jian Jing said, facing everyone. "Let me exinˇŞthe lethal dose of morphine is 200-500 milligrams. The lost injection was 60 milligrams, a number that is neither small nor big, just enough to cause acute poisoning."

    She continued, "If it was done by ayman, why not smash all the vials directly to leave no room for conjecture about exactly how much was smashed? The amount was controlled so delicately, not too much or too little, just enough to cause problems and cleverly disguise it as an ident. This person must know the properties of morphine."

    "Furthermore, the medicine was left on the cab by the door, and the broken ss fell by the door where there is no carpet. If the medicine identally fell and smashed, Yu Nurse would have heard it. So someone must have carefully crushed those vialsˇŞI found some shards under the carpet by the bed."

    Jian Jing took out a sealed stic bag and pped it on the coffee table. Inside were shards identical to the hydrochloride morphine injection vials.

    Jiang Qi picked it up and red at Jiang Yue for a while.

    "Jiang Yue," said Jian Jing. "After you entered the room, you found the chairman in poor condition, and at the same time realized the abnormal morphine dosage, so you guessed someone had done something. But the lost amount was below the standard, so you ''helped'' them and crushed the remaining vials, obscuring the actual injected dose."

    Jiang Yue shrugged. "The way you analyze this, I do seem to be the most suspicious. But I still want to ask, why would I do this? Who bribed me?"

    "No one bribed you. Your reason for doing this is simpleˇŞtaking out thepetition," Jian Jing said. "Because you are the seventh person with inheritance rights. Lawyer Cai, am I right?"

    Cai Lawyer pursed his lips in silent affirmation.

    Jiang Madam frowned slightly and eyed Jian Jing doubtfully.

    "A sly fox," Jiang Ou said coldly with disdain. "She must be crazy to be plotting something like this."

    "No no, you''ve got it wrong," Jian Jing said lightly, the corners of her lips curving up. ˇ°Miss Jiang Yue here, judging by her age, should be old Master Jiang''s fourth child, right?ˇ±

    Jiang Yue raised her head, stubbornness and apprehension surfacing between her brows, ˇ°How did you know? Apart from Lawyer Cai, no one should know.ˇ±

    "Have any of you been in the Chairman''s study before?"

    Jiang Lian said, "Of course, but thereˇŻs nothing in the study except some antiques."

    ˇ°ThatˇŻs right, but the chairman originally nned to make this ce his residence in hister years, so the decorations were done very carefully, especially the disyed ornaments, all of which were masterpieces, correct?"

    Jiang Ou said impatiently, "Get to the point."

    "That is the point, you just can''t see it," Jian Jing said inly. ˇ°DonˇŻt you find the Chinese zodiac animals on the antique shelf very interesting? They are all made of precious materials, which happen to coincide with several people present.ˇ±

    ˇ°Jiang Lian was born in 1983, the year of the pig; Jiang Qi in 1990, year of the horse; Jiang Ou in 1997, year of the ox; I guess Jiang Yue is 1998, year of the tiger; Jiang BaiYan 2000, year of the dragon; Jiang Xue should be 2006, year of the dog. Am I right?ˇ± She asked them one by one.

    Except for Jiang BaiYan nodding cooperatively, the others maintained a subtle silence.

    Jian Jing continued, ˇ°The chairman was heartless to his women, but judging by his deathbed request, he still cared about his children quite a bit. The Chinese zodiac animals are ced right in front of the desk, directly in sight when looking up.ˇ±

    In the silence, Jiang Yue said, "I never noticed that. After all, I only acknowledged my father a few years ago."

    Jiang Lian asked, "Lawyer Cai, did you know about this?"

    Cai Lawyer nodded and said, "Miss Jiang did a paternity test with the chairman."

    ˇ°Maybe you don''t know anything about my mother at all. She was only by the chairman''s side for three years because he never thought about marrying her. She finally decided to leave and married my adoptive father," Jiang Yue began telling her story. ˇ°My mother passed away five years ago. My adoptive father remarried, so I decided to find my biological father."

    Jiang Ou nced dismissively, "No one is interested in your story. All the excuses of kept women are cast from the same mold, nothing new. Stop making yourself out to be pitiful. When ites down to it, isn''t it just about money?"

    Jiang Yue smiled and said, "What does that have to do with me? It''s true that I''m an illegitimate child, but without the chairman, where would Ie from? Is it wrong for me to want to find my biological father?"

    "Ahem," Jian Jing interrupted the trial at the right time. "This is not a moral review. Let''s get back to the case. Miss Jiang, you also have inheritance rights, and with Secretary Fan''s help, you appeared much earlier than anyone else. So you have aplete motive to frame others."

    "Secretary Fan?" Jiang Lian looked at the silent audience in surprise.

    Fan Secretary said, "After all, Miss Jiang is the chairman''s daughter. She wanted to stay by the chairman''s side, so the best way was to conceal her identity."

    "She is also your son''s girlfriend," Jian Jing said. "You didn''t lie, you just chose to omit certain facts."

    Fan Secretary couldnˇŻt deny it as his lips moved without making a sound.

    Jiang Lian gave a coldugh.

    Jian Jing smiled smugly. Secretary Fan had kept the news well hidden, none of the Jiang family knew, but the equally close-lipped driver had extracted intelligence by seducing Jiang BaiYanˇŻs affection.

    She pped her hands to attract everyone''s attention: "Well, things are very clear now, let me summarize what happened on the night of the incident:

    "Jiang Lian was the first to enter and injected the Chairman with a small dose of medicine; Jiang Ou was the second, you discovered your elder sister''s actions and hurriedly sought help from your second brother; Jiang Xue was the third, you mistakenly thought the Chairman had passed away, but got burned instead and immediately went to find Madam Jiang; Jiang Yue was the fourth, you broke the medicine bottle, confused the injection dosage, and framed Jiang Xue and Jiang Lian; Madam Jiang was the fifth, you turned off the oxygen machine to protect your daughter; Jiang Qi was the sixth, you forged Madam Jiang''s fingerprints, trying to shift the suspicion of killing his father onto her.

    "That''s all the truth about what happened that night."

    Jian Jing summed it up.

    Jiang Qi said, "All this is just your spection, you have no evidence."

    "And you haven''t even made it clear who killed Dad," Jiang Ou added.

    "What''s not clear about it," Jiang BaiYan said, "You killed Dad together."

    There was silence in the room.

    Jiang Ou retorted, "Nonsense, she also said my elder sister injected very little medicine, not enough to cause poisoning. It must have been Assistant Yin who turned off Dad''s oxygen machine and killed him."

    Jiang Xue immediately protested, "It was the medicine Jiang Lian used! When I went in, Dad was already dying, it must have been her." She was extremely aggressive, using Jiang Yue as well in a one-versus-two attack, "And you, maybe Dad could have been saved when you were there, and you''re a nurse, but you didn''t do anything."

    "I may not have done anything, but your mother saw the Chairman off on his final journey." Jiang Yue''s words cut to the bone.

    The crowd was on the verge of an all-out brawl, with feathers flying everywhere.

    Jian Jing said, "Alright, stop arguing. Do you all ept my proposed answer? If so, do you want to hear some of my other guesses?"

    "Just say everything you have to say," Jiang Qi said.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then said, "I think the Chairman had already anticipated your actions and his will may bepletely different from what you all imagined."

    As soon as she said this, the arguing stopped abruptly.

    Jiang Ou asked, "What do you mean?"

    "Don''t you think the Chairman''s requirements are very strange?" Jian Jing spread her hands, "All children must be present and have no doubt about his death. The first is understandable, but what''s the purpose behind the second?"

    Yes, the key to this case lies in everyone''s psychological motivations. But we must not forget the intentions of the person who made the rules, which are also thought-provoking.

    "I was too curious, so I took a very close look around the bedroom twice," Jian Jing took a tiny camera out of her pleated skirt pocket, "There''s a memory card inside that I haven''t watched yet. EveryoneˇŞ"

    She blinked, full of anticipation as she asked, "Shall we watch it together?"

    Dead silence.

    Everyone had ugly looks on their faces. It was one thing to do bad deeds, but another for those deeds to be anticipated in advance with a camera set up to record everything down.

    Jiang Lian looked especially terrible, her face chalk white as if she would faint at any moment; Jiang Ou fidgeted anxiously; Jiang Xue seemed somewhat regretful but looked at her mother and suddenly fell silent again; Jiang Yue was very wary, ncing at the camera a couple times with traces of fear.

    But in the end, it was Jiang Qi who stared coldly at Jiang BaiYan as he was about to speak, saying, "No need, I ept the answer."

    "How about the rest?" Jian Jing asked. "We don''t have to watch it if my reasoning was wrong in ces."

    No one responded.

    Madam Jiang said, "Let it be, Lawyer Cai, can you announce the will now?"

    Lawyer Cai looked to each person questioningly. No one raised any further objections. He adjusted his sses and took out a sealed file folder from his briefcase.

    "The Chairman gave this to me beforehand, telling me to open it after everyone came to an agreement." Lawyer Cai showed everyone the sealed edges before breaking it open to read.

    Inside was only a thin piece of paper. Lawyer Cai quickly finished reading it, then looked to Jian Jing: "Perhaps we should watch the video after all. The Chairman said his will is inside the footage."

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248

    The memory card was inserted into the card reader, connected to theputer, and video files appeared on the screen in the living room.

    In the footage, the Chairman''s mental state seemed fine. He said clearly, "Today is January 31, 2022. I have decided to make my will, with Lawyer Cai and Lawyer Wang as witnesses."

    Lawyer Cai and an elderly femalewyer appeared on screen to witness that this will was authentic and valid.

    The living room was silent as everyone stared tensely and uneasily at the screen. Jian Jing nced over them, but no one noticed her gaze.

    They were all...very much in awe of the Chairman.

    Looking again at the elderly man on screen, he was quite advanced in years, with white hair, and his body also seemed extremely weak from chemotherapy. But his expression was resolute and tonemanding - the very image of a dictator.

    The Chairman was indeed not just the leader of the group, but the undisputed authority in the family as well.

    "My will has two conditions: First, all my children must be present. I have six biological children - Jiang Lian, Jiang Qi, Jiang Ou, Jiang Yue, Jiang Xun, and Jiang Xue. Anyone missing is uneptable; Second, you must havee to a consensus among yourselves regarding the cause of my death."

    The Chairman spoke very calmly, not avoiding discussion of matters after his own death: "In my final days, I will tell you that I n to revise my will, but in truth, there has only ever been this one will and I never nned to change it."

    This remark shocked the room.

    The blood drained from Jiang Lian''s face and she almost stood up in shock, momentarily forgetting her father had already passed away. She blurted out, "What do you mean?"

    As if anticipating his children''s questions, the Chairman calmly revealed the answer on screen: "Even blood siblings might be sworn enemies over money. Let alone the lot of you born to different mothers. After my death, it''s impossible for you to work together peacefully managing group affairs - and this is what I least want to see."

    "Unfortunately, as your father, I failed to show equal care and attention, especially since Jiang Xun and Jiang Yue were seldom by my side. I barely fulfilled my duties." His tone softened, a rare disy of warmth.

    But in the next moment, the illusion shattered. The corners of his mouth pressed t again, exerting immense pressure: "So I can only resolve everything this way."

    Pausing briefly here, seemingly to gather his strength, while offscreen the atmosphere had tensed to a standstill.

    Even Jian Jing, an outsider, couldn''t help but unconsciously lower her own breathing.

    The Chairman said, "I know that once I say I n to revise my will, someone is bound to try preventing me from speaking again - most simply by killing me."

    Though prepared, those present still couldn''t conceal their shudder hearing the deceased tantly admit this.

    "Who made a move? I don''t care." A hint of frigidughter yed at the Chairman''s lips. "Since you''ve already reached a consensus, Lawyer Cai can now announce the contents of my will."

    "All right." Lawyer Cai appeared on screen, taking out a document already signed, and began to read it: "The will of Mr. Jiang Guangze is as follows:

    "Should the party die of natural causes, the estate will be distributed as such: real estate split evenly among spouse Yin Meng and the children, based on market price; shares of Jiang Shui Group and subsidiaries split evenly among the six children; Water Company split evenly among Jiang Xun, Jiang Yue, and Jiang Xue; Communications Company wholly owned by Jiang Qi; Energy Company split evenly between Jiang Lian and Jiang Ou. The remainder of moveable assets and jewelry are bequeathed to spouse Yin Meng."

    Jiang Madam hooked a mocking, frigid smile.

    It all went as she expected - the Chairman''s true assets were destined for the children. As his spouse, she could only get things of high value but little future.

    But this wasn''t the final oue.

    On screen, Lawyer Cai turned another page and pursed his lips tightly offscreen, straining not to reveal any emotion whatsoever.

    "Should the party die an unnatural death, among the inheritors by consensus the individual or individuals deemed responsible for the Chairman''s murder will forfeit rights of inheritance, excluding real estate. The remainder of the estate will be distributed per the above."

    Lawyer Cai paused the video to exin, "To use an example - if someone loses inheritance rights, then shares of Jiang Shui Group will be split evenly among the remaining five people, and so on."

    Everyone was stunned, then swiftly exchanged nces.

    Jiang Baiyan received the most stares, yet betrayed not an ounce of joy. Instead, he seemed lost in thought.

    Just then, the Chairman spoke again on video: "I suppose someone might argue otherwise at this point, so you may choose another method - investigate what truly happened. I will install surveince cameras in my room that livestream footage. However--"

    He meaningfully said: "After viewing the footage, if the used is confirmed the killer, he forfeits inheritance rights. If not, he will receive the entirety of my estate."

    Not waiting for any reactions, he tacked on: "But reviewing the footage requires unanimous consent from all parties."

    At first Jian Jing didn''t understand, thinking what contradictory terms these were. But on second thought, she instantly grasped it.

    She understood now.

    The Chairman likely didn''t anticipate her nearly solving the case. In his ns, the used killer had a high probability of not being the real murderer.

    The investigative process was actually a pact-forming process. That''s why it mentioned "reaching consensus."

    The group could choose to frame a scapegoat, causing him to lose most inheritance rights save for keeping the real estate as livelihood backup.

    Meanwhile, the rest would be aplices.

    What alliance is firmest? Partners in crime.

    So even children of different mothers would have to "get along" for the inheritance, keeping mutual ckmail material so none would truly turn against another.

    Either way ensured the group''s protection.

    As for the other method, it functioned as insurance, the most brilliant part of this scheme.

    The used, if not the true killer, would surely try clearing his name by demanding to see footage. But the others would never permit it.

    Having amon enemy keeps alliances together and prevents in-fighting and fragmentation.

    In other words, the Chairman leveraged his own death to force bonds between his discordant children, clearing obstacles from hispany''s future path.

    Likewise, if the used could somehow under these circumstances turn the tables throughpelling means, it proved he had what it took to wield control over the others.

    Entrusting his life''s work to this person wouldn''t be a bad oue either.

    Either way, the group was assured.

    Jian Jing sighed ceaselessly.

    In truth, the Chairman cared not for the truth nor who ended his life and whether they''d be punished.

    What he truly cared for was only Jiang Shui Group.

    These were his real children it seemed.

    But now things appeared beyond his calctions - the Chairman cared not for truth, yet truth had surfaced nheless.

    Jiang Lian asked, "So in this situation, Lawyer Cai, who bears responsibility?"

    Thewyer was also very troubled, weighing his words: "Based on earlier deductions, Jiang Lian or Jiang Madam both have motive regarding the Chairman''s death. Jiang Ou, Jiang Yue, Jiang Xue and Jiang Qi failed to provide, or were able to yet failed to provide, lifesaving aid. This constitutes a crime of inaction for which they should share partial responsibility."

    He paused then added, "Jiang Xue isn''t of age so her circumstances differ."

    "Yet after all this talk only one person ispletely meless?" Jiang Ou said coldly. "Or we can check the footage - let''s see if he really did nothing wrong."

    Jiang Baiyan sneered, "You think I''m stupid?"

    Jiang Qi asked, "Did Father leave any other message?"

    Lawyer Cai said, "After confirming the will, the Chairman left one additional letter for the inheritors."

    Having stayed silent this whole time, Jiang Yue finally spoke. "So how exactly does this get distributed in the end? Give us a definite word, Lawyer Cai."

    Thewyer took a deep breath. "Unless the cause of the Chairman''s death can be conclusively pinned on someone - for example, by proving he had already died before Jiang Yue arrived, so she bears no responsibility - otherwise she will be considered an aplice."

    Jiang Yue opened her mouth as if to say the man was already dead.

    But Jiang Madam swiftly spoke up, "He still breathed when I was there."

    Jiang Madam couldn''t help but look at her, full of regret - if they could give them a little time, the two of them would only need to align their stories, and things would be simple.

    As if seeing through her thoughts, Jiang Madam sneered coldly: "Do you think I would help you cover up? Why should I, when you framed my daughter!" She looked at Jiang Qi, lifting her chin, "And there''s him too."

    A sh of gloom crossed Jiang Qi''s face.

    At this moment, he couldn''t be sure if he would expose them. If an agreement could be reached, his involvement could be exonerated.

    Unfortunately, it was toote.

    He didn''t understand his father''s intentions. From beginning to end, the truth was never important. What was important was how much ability they could demonstrate in this test.

    The inheritance amount was actually decided by themselves.

    His father was still his father after all, and the Chairman was still the Chairman.

    He sighed lightly, shook his head, but asked: "Jiang Xun, did you really not make a move?"

    "Second brother, don''t you think it''s very strange that I disappeared in this matter?" Jiang BaiYan asked in surprise.

    Jiang Qi said lightly: "Isn''t that so."

    Jiang BaiYan bent his eyebrows in a smile, smiling as sweetly as when he was little. But his tone was no longer like a pathetic little puppy.

    "Not strange at all. I have always been the invisible person in the family." He asked, "You never saw me before, so why can you see me now?"

    Jiang Qi was silent.

    "Because of money, right? You didn''t want to see me, but now you have to." Jiang BaiYan smiled again. He had always thought this second brother was above worldly affairs, but in the end, everyone was just ordinary.

    What does it matter if I''m a bastard? When ites to money, brotherly affection can still be discussed.

    How ironic. Money can even buy love.

    "Little Xun." Jiang Lian softened her tone, ying the family card, "No one will recognize this result. You haven''t spent a single day in the group. Thepany''s people don''t even know who you are. You won''t get anything."

    "Sister, I just starred in an incredibly popr movie. How could people not know who I am?" He looked aggrieved, asking back innocently.

    Jiang Lian held back her anger: "You know that''s not what I meant. I''m talking about thepany..."

    "That''s enough." Jiang Ou interrupted her sister''s words with a coldugh, "Let him take it. I want to see how much he can take."

    Jiang Xue looked at her mother involuntarily. Jiang Madam watched the show expressionlessly.

    Cai Lawyer rubbed his forehead and said with difficulty: "There is a document here. Please sign here if you all agree¨Dof course, it doesn''t affect the validity of the will if you don''t sign."

    The three Jiang siblings didn''t move an inch, protesting with their actions.

    "Lawyer Cai," Jiang Madam spoke. "It''s veryte today. Can we talk about it tomorrow and let everyone digest it, think about it. What do you think?"

    Cai Lawyer quickly agreed: "Of course, no problem. Then I''lle tomorrow mor... afternoon at 1 pm."

    No one asked him to stay.

    "You guys slowly discuss it. I''m going to bed." Jian Jing, also tired of watching the drama, yawned and went back to her room to sleep.

    None of the Jiang family moved.

    They were all very clear that next was time for negotiation.

 Chapter 249

    Chapter 249

    After finishing the case, Jian Jing''s worries disappearedpletely. She slept a longzy sleep until 10 AM in the morning before getting up.

    The sky outside was crystal clear, and the sunshine was intoxicatingly good, the spring breeze blew on her face, making her reluctantly want to go out for a walk immediately.

    Jian Jing had intended to avoid the Jiang family''s internal affairs and nned to pack up and leave directly, but then she thought that the three Jiang siblings united together, Jiang Xue and her daughter supported each other, even the outsider Jiang Yue had the help of Fan Secretary, only Jiang BaiYan was alone. Usually the capable broker was not around at all, it was truly too miserable.

    So she decided to pretend to be deaf and dumb, and not leave for the time being, so as to make others more wary.

    Therefore, she specifically asked the nanny to let her know that she was going out to visit some scenic spots and would definitelye back at night, so "don''t let Jiang BaiYan run around recklessly."

    "I would be very distressed if he disappeared," Jian Jing asked her to pass on purpose.

    The nanny didn''t know that the tranted meaning of this sentence was - don''t kidnap or illegally detain him - she enthusiastically agreed.

    Only then did Jian Jing go out.

    The local area was known as a famous tourist city. At this time of year, with pleasant weather, it was afortable time for tourism and there were many people around.

    Jian Jing waspletely unaware of her status as a public figure. She didn''t bring sunsses or a mask and walked along the roadside to appreciate the scenery openly.

    At first, only a few people nced at her frequently, but she didn''t care. Later, two girls plucked up the courage to ask directly, "Are you Teacher Jian?"

    Jian Jing nodded with a smile.

    They immediately asked in a careful yet extremely eager tone, if they could take a photo together.

    It was no big deal, so she naturally agreed.

    And then it got out of hand.

    "Rose Gold" was still screening in cinemas with such a high box office take, not many people hadn''t heard of it. Young people may not watch detective films, but the previous "Haunted House Adventure" was a very hot variety show, more or less remembering her face.

    Bumping into a celebrity, even if you''re not a fan, taking a photo doesn''t hurt.

    Everyone stopped in their tracks and lined up to take pictures.

    The crowded people attracted the attention of other passersby.

    The real onlookers didn''t recognize her, but seeing so many people asking to take photos together, their first reaction was that some celebrity had arrived.

    So all at once, they surged over, and everyone raised their phones to take pictures or videos.

    There were nock of grannies, grandpas, uncles and aunties among them.

    While lining up, they discussed her very loudly.

    "She acted as the second female lead in xxx!"

    "No, she was the one who recently participated in the idol contest show that my daughter watches, some kind of group."

    "What eyes do you have, she''s the beautiful one from the recent ancient costume drama, what''s her name."

    "Auntie, she''s the author, the author of the Rose Gold movie."

    "Oh oh oh, I know, that female romance novelist!"

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She was surrounded and unable to break free.

    "Sorry," she decisively rejected the requests of the people behind her, "I have a ne to catch, excuse me please."

    The agility stat on her character panel had never been so important. Jian Jing dodged left and right dexterously through the crowd, and with great difficulty, finally escaped.

    She immediately bought a hat designed to fleece tourists from a roadside stall.

    Still feeling unsafe, she rushed into a convenience store and bought a pink mask to put on too.

    Peace atst.

    This was the side effect of being "quite famous" - sweet yet annoying.

    There were too many people at the attractions, she briefly toured around before catching a taxi straight to a local restaurant known for cuisine.

    The food was alright, with the additional fame factor it didn''t count as particrly amazing, but the service and environment were pretty good, overall it scored above average.

    After eating, she went towards another attraction.

    Continue punching in ces.

    Done.

    Today was a very touristy day.

    Jian Jing returned to the Jiang family vi feeling satisfied yet regretful, then she got a huge shock.

    These past few days, lights zed throughout the vi untilte into the night without stopping, the swaying silhouettes reflected in the windows, it had been as lively as a marketce, seeming as if a sh could break out at any time.

    But now, she discovered that the lights in all the other rooms were switched off, only the public area still had amp on. The previously tense and confrontational Jiang family members were nowhere to be seen.

    The smells of cigarettes and strong tea had disappeared from the air, and the sounds of high heels clicking could no longer be heard in the corridors.

    In the huge vi, there was only the old nanny left.

    "Where is everyone else?" Jian Jing instantly felt as if she had been gone for ten days or half a month.

    The old nanny shook her head with a sigh, "They''ve all left."

    "Where did they go?"

    She said, "Don''t know, anyway everyone left." And also, "Little BaiYan is in his dad''s room."

    Jian Jing was extremely puzzled and went upstairs to find Jiang BaiYan.

    Indeed he was in the Chairman''s bedroom, it was the room with the best view in the entire vi, with a huge balcony directly facing theke and peach forest.

    Jiang BaiYan was lying in a deckchair on the balcony, swayingzily like a retired old man.

    "Did they all leave?" she asked.

    Jiang BaiYanzily replied, "Divvied up the loot, of course everyone went back to their own homes, to find their own mothers."

    Jian Jing nced at him, sensing that he was not in a good mood.

    "So fast," taking advantage that he was lying down unable to get up, she ruthlessly touched his head.

    Jiang BaiYan yawned and said, "Of course it wouldn''t have been so fast originally. Battles over wealthy family inheritances, anything less than forty episodes would be a waste. But wasn''t the situation special, almost losing everything, it became much simpler."

    Jian Jing was very curious about what transaction they had reached, but she figured family secrets of the wealthy were ultimately private matters, and did not inquire further.

    Yet he took the initiative to speak, "It dragged on past 3 AM yesterday, then took up the whole day today, in the end it was uniformly called death by illness. Since no one can be sure whether it was morphine or the oxygen machine anyway... in the end the Chairman himself didn''t care either."

    Thest sentence inevitably carried mocking tones.

    Jian Jing also sighed, fathers who behaved like this were hopeless.

    "But in the end, I gained something out of it." Jiang BaiYan rested his head on his arms, gazing into the distance at the gxy, "Originally in the Chairman''s n, I was probably supposed to be the scapegoat right."

    Jian Jing abruptly fell silent.

    He was right, ording to the Chairman''s original n, the six children schemed against each other until the isted and helpless Jiang BaiYan was finally squeezed out as the sacrificialmb.

    He had been estranged from his family for ten years,pletely unaware of the family circumstances, he also didn''t have someone like Madam Jiang or Secretary Fan helping him. His only value was in bing the "enemy" to force the other five children to unite.

    Was this the truth behind why he was called back?

    "What did I amount to in the end?" he asked.

    Jian Jing could not answer.

    "Jiang Lian said, he didn''t believe that I waspletely innocent in this matter," Jiang BaiYan said suddenly, "What do you think?"

    Jian Jing thought for a long time before replying, "Perhaps."

    Jiang BaiYan asked, "What does ''perhaps'' mean?"

    "It means that I believe you didn''t do it, but..." She turned her gaze, meeting his eyes, "You hid some things from me."

    "Oh~" His smile was very different from usual, the interjection as innocent and sweet, but his tone was cold, like a stillke beneath the night sky, no longer the warm and cute act from daylight, "What things?"

    Jian Jing said, "Don''t know. When you want to deceive, I can''t tell either."

    Jiang BaiYan lightly exhaled and said, "Actually it''s very simple. When the Chairman was alive, despite Jiang Lian and the others guarding against me, he still had ways to meet me alone. We talked a lot."

    "He asked me why I wanted to act," he paused briefly, then casually said, "I told him it was because no one liked me when I was little, so I wanted to be liked by many people."

    This ountpletely differed from his previous ims, but Jian Jing felt that both times could have been true.

    "The Chairman said that I was much better than Jiang Ou in being able to steadfastly choose what I wanted to do. Jiang Ou was always thinking of doing this one moment, then wanting to do that the next. Every time he talked about investments but actually abandoned everything halfway."

    Jian Jing smiled, "Must have been very happy to hear that right."

    "Of course." Jiang BaiYan said as he slowly rose from the rocking chair to sit cross-legged, "He also said he watched the movies I acted in and felt they were very good. He got thepany to organize group viewings to get all the employees to watch too. This should have been true, I asked the driver and secretary before, they said they all went and the movie was great, but..."

    He turned to face her as he enunciated word for word, "It was all to trick me."

    Jian Jing was stunned into silence.

    "He said to let me go do whatever I wanted to do, I was also his son, he wouldn''t shortchange me," he said slowly, "for a moment there, I believed it."

    "Then what?"

    "The afternoon he died, didn''t I say, before 7pm, I met with him," Jiang BaiYan said, "The Chairman wanted me to go find him at 12 midnight, he had something he wanted to give me."

    Jian Jing was shocked, incredulous.

    "I felt it was very strange, extremely extremely strange," Jiang BaiYan said calmly, "A person right before death, suddenly has a change of heart and wants topensate his son, very normal, but why did he suddenly treat me so well?"

    "The Chairman would not possibly treat me so well, he never cared about me before, why when he was about to die, would he single me out? When Jiang Lian and the others went to find him, sometimes he wouldn''t even see them, yet he specially had Fan Secretary find me to go over."

    "Now I understand, Fan Secretary knew, so Jiang Yue would know, and when he diedˇŞno matter if someone killed him or he died himselfˇŞI would be the most suitable scapegoat."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips.

    She had originally thought this was a multiple choice question, if no one else was greedy and didn''t make a move, everyone could obtain a reasonable share. Turns out she waspletely wrong, how could the Chairman possibly allow such a "wonderful" ending?

    If no one made a move, the group''s shares would be divided among six people, there would inevitably be some struggle.

    Yes, he was a dic-ta-tor, a tyrant, he fundamentally did not give his children any room to oppose.

    This was the most reasonable exnation.

    But she stillforted him: "Maybe he just wanted to get to know you better."

    "No, the Chairman already knew me well enough." Jiang BaiYan slowly said, "In a litter of wolf cubs, I''m the only dog."

    He said: "Lotus is pure, kylin is auspicious, seagull is carefree, moon and snow are also beautiful things, only Jiang Xian has nothing."

    Xian means riverside, so Jiang Xian is beside the river Jiang.

    What is beside the riverside Jiang? Nothing.

    Not even the little flowers, little grass, kittens or puppies.

    Jiang BaiYan gave a shortugh, then said: "Cai Lawyer gave me a letter, saying only those with inheritance rights could read it, so they don''t knowˇŞthe letter had the ount and password for the surveince cameras, and one line."

    He slowly read out that line: "The truth is not important, the determined answer is reality."

    Jian Jing was speechless.

    "He was telling Jiang Qi and the rest, it''s not important whether I''m a bad person, my existence is toplete his n," Jiang BaiYan said, "It''s just like in Japanese dramas, a group of peoplemit the same mistake, so they keep their mouths shut and don''t tell anyone."

    "The Chairman really understands me well, although he never cared about me, but he truly understands me, if nothing unexpected happens, I would have gone." The words were hurtful to hear, but Jiang BaiYan''s emotions were very stable, "I rarely had a chance to speak with the Chairman alone, very rarely, when I lived with my mother, he rarely came, and at the Jiang family, Jiang Lian and the others also didn''t allow me to talk with him much, even calling him ''Dad'' once in awhile was hard toe by."

    A child who never received a father''s love from young, how could he refuse such a chance?

    Yes, the Chairman left no loose ends, even if he found it strange he would still go, to spend a bit more time with his father, hear him praise himself, recognize himself, care about himself.

    "So it''s me, only a pathetic creature like me would definitely fall for it. And furthermore, even knowing the truth, I still wouldn''t hate him." He covered his face,ughing at himself, "I''m willing to use money to exchange for his love, he never liked meˇŞthis was the only time he liked me."

    Jian Jing finally couldn''t stand it: "Stop talking."

    Jiang BaiYan insteadughed, lying back into the rocking chair: "Don''t be sad, just talking. Look, this pretty ce now belongs to me."

    He looked up, and softly said: "Money is so good, now I have siblings."

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250

    Jiang Guangze''s inheritance, apart from real estate and other property, included shares from variouspanies totaling around 70 billion yuan.

    First there were the shares from Jiang Water Group and its subsidiaries, valued at around 35 billion yuan. Jiang Lian would never let go of them, and Madam Jiang was also unwilling to withdraw, so in the end they were split three ways - 35% to Jiang Lian, 30% to Jiang Xue to be managed by her mother until she came of age, and the remaining 35% to Jiang BaiYan.

    The three Jiang siblings were not very happy about this, but Jiang Lian and Madam Jiang knew they were in the wrong, so in the end they had to swallow this insult.

    In exchange, Jiang BaiYan gave up his shares in the water, energy and telmunicationspanies.

    Of the 10 billion yuan from Jiang River Water, 5 billion went to Jiang Ou and 5 billion to Jiang Qi. The 5 billion yuan from Jiang Heart Telmunications all went to Jiang Qi. Of the 8 billion yuan from Jiang Energy, 5 billion went to Jiang Ou and 3 billion to Jiang Yue.

    Jiang Yue of course refused to suffer losses. Aspensation, real estate worth 5 billion yuan was given to her. She had never had any experience managing apany before, so after thinking it over she agreed.

    From the remaining real estate, Madam Jiang as the spouse received real estate worth around 5 billion yuan. Jiang Lian, Jiang Ou, Jiang Qi and Jiang Xue each received 2.5 billion yuan, and the remaining 8 billion yuan went to Jiang BaiYan, including this holiday vi.

    Jiang Lian and his siblings didn''t haggle with him. Long before this, the Chairman had already gradually gifted them some luxury mansions, and what they valued most was no longer these lifeless objects.

    Of the remaining 1.4 billion yuan in movable assets, the siblings only picked a few individual items. For example, Jiang Ou took the yacht, Jiang Qi took his fatherˇŻs luxury car, Jiang Lian took some antiques, and the rest all went to Madam Jiang.

    After hearing about how they divided things up, Jian Jing almost forgot how to write the character for ˇ°hundred millionˇ±.

    ˇ°And they all epted this?ˇ± she asked.

    ˇ°Everyone was pretty satisfied,ˇ± Jiang BaiYan shrugged. ˇ°Jiang Qi never liked the group anyway, he wanted to start his own business. The waterpany is very mature after so many years, it wonˇŻt take too much effort from him. Jiang Ou canˇŻt handle the waterpany, but the energypany is in America, he can still make something happen there, plus Jiang YueˇŻs boyfriend also works at thatpany. As for Jiang Xue, I wonˇŻt even mention her. If Madam Jiang returns to the group, sheˇŻll definitely oppose Jiang Lian, they canˇŻt work together to squeeze me out.ˇ±

    He calcted it very clearly: ˇ°Not giving Jiang Lian any shares, if he makes trouble, itˇŻs best to give it to him and let him work himself to death developing thepany and fight Madam Jiang to the death. IˇŻll just collect money without lifting a finger, isnˇŻt that great?ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh yes,ˇ± he suddenly remembered something and fished around in his pocket, taking out a diamond ne.

    The diamonds were dazzling enough, always the centre of attention no matter when, but at this moment, even the brilliant radiance of the diamonds seemed to be suppressed. A sh of green passed before her eyes, reflecting the surroundings in a green glow.

    What Jiang BaiYan took out was a pure emerald, translucent green, shimmering like a forest reflection. When the light shone on it, the whole room became cool and refreshing, even better than air conditioning at dispelling the heat.

    ˇ°Does Teacher Jing remember this?ˇ± He held up the gemstone to examine it closely, ˇ°The Crown Jewel Emerald, Chairman bought it for 130 million yuan 10 years ago.ˇ±

    Jian Jing remembered.

    When Jiang BaiYan was kidnapped, he had used a gemstone to tempt the kidnappers and escape with his life.

    That gemstone was called the Crown Jewel Emerald.

    She never imagined it would be so beautiful.

    ˇ°We each took a memento, I picked this first,ˇ± he smiled, ˇ°I think it''s worth 5 billion now.ˇ±

    Jian Jing said, ˇ°DonˇŻt worry, you''re worth way more than 5 billion.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan seemed confused for a moment before he finally reacted: ˇ°I guess youˇŻre right, strange.ˇ± Heughed, ˇ°I used to think 130 million was a crazy amount of money, unbelievable.ˇ±

    Jian Jing deadpanned: ˇ°I still think itˇŻs a lot.ˇ±

    ˇ°Is that so?ˇ± He blinked innocently, ˇ°Then this is for you.ˇ±

    He simply tossed the emerald ne into her hoodie pocket.

    Jian Jing was rendered speechless. Thankfully her physical flexibility was good, otherwise she wouldnˇŻt have been able to reach behind for it.

    ˇ°IˇŻm really giving it you,ˇ± hey back down, yawning, ˇ°So tired.ˇ±

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes, fishing out the gem to give back to him. ˇ°I donˇŻt want it.ˇ±

    ˇ°Come on, this is...ˇ± After who knows what battle of wits and couragest night, Jiang BaiYanˇŻs brain processing speed was obviously slower, and it took him a good while to recall that word, ˇ°Remuneration.ˇ±

    Jian JingˇŻs mouth twitched. ˇ°I didnˇŻt open a detective agency.ˇ±

    ˇ°But you spent so much effort investigating only for it to be useless in the end, that must be very disappointing right?ˇ± he said. ˇ°Compensation, itˇŻspensation. I have no use for the gem anyway.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Then sell it for money.ˇ±

    ˇ°This is my life weˇŻre talking about,ˇ± he protested.

    ˇ°Then take good care of your little life,ˇ± she kicked the chair. ˇ°Move over and let me lie down for a bit, IˇŻm exhausted.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan reluctantly made way.

    Jian Jing immediately took over the prime spot. She had to say, the reclining deck chair perfectly suited ergonomic principles and was extremelyfortable. Rocking gently back and forth, indescribably blissful.

    She had only rocked for a short while before feeling sleepy.

    When the brain grewzy, words came out without too much deep thought: ˇ°Speaking of which, why didnˇŻt you go?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan asked: ˇ°Who said I didnˇŻt go?ˇ±

    ˇ°I did, was I wrong?ˇ± She lifted her eyelids.

    Jiang BaiYan didnˇŻt make a sound.

    Jian Jing turned on her side, pillowing her head on her bent arm, using just her body weight to press down the back of the chair, swaying slowly back and forth: ˇ°So why didnˇŻt you go?ˇ±

    The stars filled the sky. He hesitated for a long time before saying: ˇ°I donˇŻt know either.ˇ±

    *

    Jian Jing did not stay with the Jiang family for long. She checked into a homestay near the scenic area the next day and enjoyed herself thoroughly for two days before flying back to Peace City.

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°YouˇŻre back?ˇ±

    Her: ˇ°...Yup.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°WhereˇŻs the manuscript?ˇ±

    Her: ˇ°IˇŻll definitely have it by next Monday.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°ItˇŻs already March. Is Devil 3ing out this year or not?ˇ±

    Her: ˇ°It will definitelye out!ˇ±

    After swearing up and down for a long time, she finally got an extension of half a month.

    Jian Jing hurried back home to work on her manuscript in seclusion. Aside from taking Knight out for walks in the morning and evening, she practically lived in front of her keyboard, spending her days writing, editing phrasing, researching information. Even falling asleep was just to mull over case details.

    But writing itself wasnˇŻt the scariest part. The scariest part was after finishing the plot, when checking it over she discovered a bug - if she changed her angle of thinking, the intricate scheme she designed would immediately fall apart.

    Instant mental breakdown.

    And so in that half month, the messages Kang Mu Cheng received were very...sporadic.

    Jian Jing: [I can submit the manuscript real soon]

    Jian Jing: [IˇŻm almost done writing]

    Jian Jing: [...Problem came up]

    Jian Jing: [IˇŻm sick]

    Jian Jing: [My brain broke]

    Him: [?]

    Him: [DonˇŻt dy the manuscript, only 5 days left]

    In short, after living and dying for half a month, she submitted the manuscript right on deadline.

    Kang Mu Cheng cancelled his evening appointments to read her manuscript alone in his office. The manuscript this time was very special - she had edited it herself before sending it over, demanding that he only read the physical copy.

    After a quick skim, he understood why.

    This was a book with special reading requirements, split into two parts.

    The first story was read normally from front to back, from the devilˇŻs perspective, recounting a murder case. The case was intricate but not outstanding. However, a cliffhanger was left at the end of the story.

    The second story had to be read in reverse, from thest page to the front cover, narrated from the hunterˇŻs point of view, telling apletely different case. Although the ending provided an answer, it simrly left behind unsolved mysteries.

    At this point, readers would discover that the cliffhanger in the devilˇŻs story seemed identical to the hunterˇŻs.

    The third story started from the middle.

    You could read the devil part first to obtain a clue, or read the hunter part first to also get a clue.

    The two clues corroborated each other to find the same answer amidst both their stories.

    That person was the true perpetrator behind a series of connected murders.

    Moreover, he had appeared several times in the preceding text, sometimes as a hotel customer service manager, sometimes as an insurance salesman, sometimes as a gentle and refined doctor. Each description was different, but when the personal ounts were strung together by details of the timeline, it proved he was one and the same person.

    After reading, Kang Mu Cheng pondered alone for a long time before calling her: ˇ°Very bold writing.ˇ±

    ˇ°Does it work?ˇ± she asked.

    She would always ask this question, it made him smile: ˇ°Of course.ˇ±

    Jian Jing said, "If I don''t write the answer clearly, will the readers scold me?"

    "Appropriate nk space is necessary. Readers also need to ponder and think," Kang Mu Cheng said. "But we can do even better, for example, put the murderer''s name on the cover."

    Jian Jing said, "I was thinking about the patterns on the sides of the pages."

    Kang Mu Cheng thought for a moment and said, "That''s good too, it can echo with the way of reading."

    "Ok, then I''ll leave it all to you," Jian Jing felt relieved as if a heavy load had been taken off her shoulder, "I can finally submit the manuscript."

    He said, "Temporarily. I will take another careful look, ask the editor-in-chief to review it one more time. There must be many ces that need to be revised. Especially your grammar. I told you many times to pay attention to your run-on sentences."

    Jian Jingined, "I know ''looks like..." is a run-on sentence, but everyone says it that way. When I''m halfway through writing, I feel ufortable."

    Kang Mu Cheng said coldly, "That''s still a run-on sentence."

    "I won''t change it. If it needs to be changed, you change it," she exercised the privilege of a popr writer.

    "Jing JingˇŞ"

    "Got to go, walking the dog," Jian Jing quickly hung up the phone.

    Looking out the window, the night had already fallen, but this was the first day after being "released from prison". She couldn''t wait to go out for a random stroll.

    "Knight." Jian Jing shook the leash, "Let''s go for a walk."

    The Knight suddenly got up and dashed to the door at the speed of light. Its paws stepped on the floorboards making crisp "pad pad" sounds, like raindrops hitting roof tiles, cheerful and brisk.

    This was supposed to be a long-awaited evening stroll, but before Jian Jing walked out of the neighbourhood gate, her good mood waspletely ruined.

    There was actually a reporter squatting outside. Seeing here out, he sneakily approached and secretly took pictures of her with a camera hidden in his backpack.

    Jian Jing: "???"

    Could she have overdue manuscripts to the point that reporters had to take action?

    "Hey, what are you doing?" She stopped and looked at the reporter who thought he was hiding very well.

    The other party was stunned for a moment, then turned around and ran away.

    Jian Jing became suspicious. She unleashed the Knight, "Stop him!"

    Knight: "Woof!"

    It rushed out like an arrow from the string. Its four legs ran out afterimages. Almost instantly it caught up to the other party and bit his backpack.

    The reporter stumbled and almost fell t on his face.

    Jian Jing walked over leisurely with her hands on her hips, "Why did you run?"

    "Uh, Teacher Jian," the reporter said awkwardly, "can you ask your dog to...let me go first?"

    Jian Jing asked back, "Why did you secretly take pictures of me?"

    The reporter mumbled and fumbled for words.

    Jian Jing: "The police station is two intersections away. Shall we go together?"

    "No, Teacher Jian. This is my job, just barely making ends meet." The reporter said, "You see, even if I took pictures, I might not necessarily publish them. And I''ve been squatting here waiting for you for a few days without getting anything."

    Jian Jing was puzzled, "Job? Who asked you to take pictures of me?"

    The reporter observed her words and expressions, then asked cautiously, "Uh, haven''t you been online these past two days?"

    "..." To be precise, she was grounded. She had an ominous feeling, "Did something happen?"

    Reporter: "Why don''t you take a look yourself? It''s still trending on the hot search."

    Jian Jing was just out walking her dog, so she only brought a smart bracelet that could receive calls. She reached out her hand, "Knight, let him go and give me the phone."

    The reporter surrendered under coercion and handed over the phone.

    Jian Jing opened Weibo and immediately saw her scandal on the home page.

    ˇŞ Jiang BaiYan''s rumored romance exposed, girlfriend turned out to be famous writer

    Jian Jing red up at once, "I''m not even worthy of a name?"

    Entertainment gossip loves to fabricate rumors ˇŞ she had eaten quite a few melons thatter turned out to be fake ˇŞ it''s not surprising to be rumored when it happened to herself. The problem was, what happened to the "well-known" reputation? Howe in the hot search she didn''t even have a name?

    No one knows who "Jian Jing" is?

    That made no sense.

 Chapter 251

    Chapter 251

    Jian Jing unhappily returned home. It was supposed to have at least an hour of walk time, but today it only had five minutes! Five minutes, just walked to the door and it was over.

    Jian Jing was very unhappy, but it didn''t dare to protest. The scene of apanion twice its size lying on the ground was still vivid. It just dejectedly returned home, picked up a small nket, spread it on the balcony, andy there gazing into the distance.

    Ah, the park, I''m sorry I can''t see you again today.

    Comin to the owner? The wind was too loud, didn''t hear clearly.

    However, the unconcerned puppy Jian Jing, the first thing it did when it got home was to eat a melon from beginning to end.

    The thing was, about a week ago, entertainment bloggers had put out rumors saying that a shocking big melon had appeared, concerning a certain popr male star with tens of millions of fans.

    This kind of thing happened frequently. Every time it was loud thunder but small raindrops, and there were times Jian Jing had never even heard of the person. Rather than gossip, it was more like marketing and hype.

    But this time, it seemed a little different.

    Individual big paparazzi, who had exposed real melons before, also cryptically said things like "I really didn''t expect this" and "Get ready to wee the earthquake", sparking enough curiosity.

    After building up anticipation, a certain ill-reputed entertainment journalist exposed a few photos.

    They were Jiang BaiYan and her in photos taken from a specific angle, not too close or too far, and Jiang BaiYan''s face could be seen clearly. The two people seemed to be whispering together.

    The ount stated clearly that half a month ago, the two of them went to a certain tourist city together, suspected of being in love, and attached were photos of them entering and leaving a vi.

    Upon opening thements section, it was filled with messages from fans, things like "Don''t believe rumors or spread rumors," "Don''t get led by the hype," "The photos are clearly just incidental proximity," desperately denying, desperately dissociating themselves, desperately beautifying things.

    It wasn''t until several pagester that there were normal passersbyments.

    Jian Jing got a headache.

    The feeling of eating melon that turned out to be about yourself was quite subtle indeed.

    She silently sighed, opened up the erged photo to examine the environment. It was very familiar, very recognizable, it was the Jiang vi, and the photos of two people entering and exiting the same ce were extremely simr to dashcam footage.

    It was obvious who was behind this.

    Calcting the time, the tycoon''s funeral should have passed, this was the Jiang siblings'' retaliation.

    But for this kind of rumor about a suspected affair, shouldn''t Jiang BaiYan''s managementpany havee out to rify things by now??

    She logged out of her alt ount and bravely logged into her main Weibo ount ˇŞ she hadn''t gone on this ount for almost a month now out of fear of being chased for updates.

    She had close to 10,000 unread notifications,ment numbers in the several millions, and private messages had exploded.

    Jian Jing cleared away all the notification messages, and felt that there was no need to give up the joy of posting updates for baseless rumors. She thus happily pretended she didn''t know about the matter and posted a new Weibo status.

    Jian Jing:

    First draft of "Demon 3" submitted~

    Thanks for the support

    --

    Comment 1: Jian teacher you??

    Comment 2: How long has this been an inte ckout... big stuff going on!

    Comment 3: Jian teacher quickly check the hot search

    Comment 4: Has the disconnected from inte person returned?? Rumors true or false?

    Comment 5: Hello Jian teacher, I''m xx from Jiang BaiYan''s fanclub, regarding the recent rumors, we hope you can rify, we know you and Little White are good friends, I think you also wouldn''t want others to misunderstand your friendship

    Comment 6: Demon 3 is finally going toe out?? Book fans don''t care about rtionships, we just want the new book!!

    Comment 7: Please get lost whoever''s fans trying toe here, Jian teacher is a writer not an idol, don''t bring over that whole set of behaviors here, who do you think you people are?

    Comment 8: Whether it''s true or not, wish Jian teacher happiness, if not true, shining on your own is great too, don''t mind what others say, happiness most important!

    ....

    --

    Jian Jing was about to close it without reading more, but unexpectedly one reply rushed to the topyer with unprecedented speed.

    [Diehard Fan] Little Fire: Hello teacher Jian Jing, awesome, looking forward to Demon 3

    Reply 1: Just log into your main ount and give your long-time fans an exnation

    Reply 2: Have liked you for so many years, really can''t keep going, wish you well

    Reply 3: Hope you keep the promise you made before and give your fans an ount

    Reply 4: You''ve also juste out of an inte ckout right?? Irrefutably confirmed??

    Reply 5: Dear, your cover''s blown, log into main ount...

    Jian Jing: Missed some melon eating?

    She hurriedly found an entertainment industry big shot ount to check their summarized exnation.

    Now it wasplete.

    Turned out she had only eaten half of the melon. First, the entertainment ount exposed the photos, implicitly hinting Jiang BaiYan was in love, but didn''t name anyone. Then all kinds of major marketing and gossip ounts started digging, and messages about real or fake flew everywhere.

    In the earliest few days, popr spected targets were Cai Tong''er and the female lead of drama "Rose Gold", causing both people to subsequentlye out and rify it wasn''t them.

    Only then did a certain ount release photos of Jian Jing and Jiang BaiYan on one asion going to the pet hospital, iming solid evidence. Thus the hot search tag was born.

    Not long after, the third wave of evidence was presented. It was a certain well-known entertainment ount, simultaneously digging into Little Fire and Jiang BaiYan''s Weibo, hammering that the two ounts were owned by the same person.

    Jiang BaiYan''s fans instantly swarmed over to the side ount. This ount was Jiang BaiYan''s own ount for chasing stars, full of shameless bootlicking.

    Utter loss of face.

    Large numbers of fans announced quitting, some fanclub leaders even directly jumped ship.

    The fans were in chaos, truly a major incident. Melon-eating onlookers became more and more engrossed, everyone waiting for both sides to provide an exnation or rification.

    Especially Jian Jing''s fans. Book fans didn''t care about the author''s personal affairs, at most they saw it as entertainment fodder. As long as it wasn''t a moral scandal, nobody would threaten to stop being a fan.

    But it was different for male stars like Jiang BaiYan. Whenever a male star was revealed to be dating, it would always cause some turmoil.

    Everyone waited left and waited right, but neither side reacted. Strangely, there was also no movement from the managementpany. Many fans cried for days on end, almost not making it through.

    Then Jian Jing finished her inte ckout and Jiang BaiYan also emerged.

    The just cooled down topic exploded again.

    Jian Jing felt this matter should have been orchestrated by Jiang Ou, with Coco providing the scheme, otherwise given the former''s temperament she would only attack him as an illegitimate child, and wouldn''t expose a "rtionship". This attack was very precise, people unfamiliar with the entertainment sphere wouldn''t expect this point.

    Just then, her phone rang.

    It was Kang Mu Cheng calling: "Did you see?"

    "I saw it." Jian Jing held her forehead, "In-fighting amongst nobility, what''s it got to do with me?"

    Kang Mu Cheng understood her very well by now. He asked back: "You didn''t get involved?"

    Her: "Uh...fine, I did."

    Lost family property, no wonder the three Jiang siblings hated her. She said: "Illegal imprisonment, peeking at other''s phones, even leaking people''s privacy, they went overboard too."

    "Don''t get involved in this." Kang Mu Cheng urged her, "Jiang BaiYan has too many fans, if something happens, you''ll be the only one getting hurt."

    Jian Jing turned tofort him instead: "It''s all nonsense, don''t worry, I won''t be driven to despair just because some mentally immature young girls scolded me."

    Kang Mu Cheng was struck dumb.

    How could he not worry? Did she not have a history of this?

    "I''ve already told them not to bring you into it." Kang Mu Cheng sighed, "That way the impact will be smaller, but best if Jiang BaiYan''s side rifies things faster."

    So it was you. Jian Jingined inwardly, oh well, forgive the Chairman.

    She said: "So what happened to theirpany? Went bankrupt?"

    "You didn''t know yet? Jiang BaiYan''s contract ended." Kang Mu Cheng said, "After finishing shooting Rose Gold, they wanted to renew his contract, but he didn''t agree, and they fell out over it."

    Jian Jing: "Tsk."

    "No need to worry about him, youˇŞ" Kang Mu Cheng hesitated for a bit, then said, "do what you think is right."

    "Then I''ll rify it, wouldn''t want paparazzi secretly taking photos of me going out." As Jian Jing spoke, she saw the knight''s ears prick up.

    She said: "It''s paparazzi, not dog, it''s me going out, not you."

    Knight: "Whine~"

    "Tomorrow then, tomorrow." Jian Jing brushed it off and edited her Weibo post.

    Jian Jing:

    Melon finished eating, nonsense

    --

    Comment 1: As I thought~

    Comment 2: A little disappointed

    Comment 3: Really thought there could be sweetness in real life

    Comment 4: I said, Jian teacher''s official ship is CEO Jin Wu, hasn''t everyone on Bookworms Forum read "818 CEO and His Little Princess"?

    Comment 5: Sister-brother romance! The puppy is awesome!

    Comment 6: Eating melon, eating melon. Anyway, support Teacher Jian. Don''t bother with those fans who wish their idols would stay single forever.

    [Diehard Fan] BaiXiaoHuo: Hey!

    Reply 1: Log in with your main ount.

    Reply 2: What do you mean? Is this a rumor?

    Reply 3: Can you give a detailed exnation?

    [Diehard Fan] BaiXiaoHuo: My main ount got locked qaq. ount irregrity. Waiting for it to be unlocked.

    He sent JianJing a private message: [They locked my ount. I didn''t notice because I wasn''t logged in. Thepany misunderstood me a bit, they probably thought I did it without notifying me. I''m sorry for causing you trouble.]

    The main ount was jointly used by him and thepany. The agent posted most of the ads. He doesn''t go on it much usually. The small ount was his personal private ount that he uses frequently to check gossip, and he pays special attention to JianJing. As soon as she posts a new Weibo, he gets a notification.

    It had been fine before. He was busy dizzy this time and messed up.

    JianJing actually felt a little sympathy for him. His father had just passed away, and his siblings started fighting over the inheritance right away. Thepany he relied on even took advantage of the situation. How terribly "tragic"!

    She: [Forget it. You''re not publishing a new book anyway, I''ll let it slide.]

    JiangBaiYan: [I''ll take care of it as soon as possible.]

    He was efficient. The next morning, his former agency released a statement saying that their contract with JiangBaiYan had expired in March, and he did not intend to renew it. The two parties separated on good terms and wished each other well.

    The fans were confused.

    Although the contract was about to expire, it was still a bit strange for him to leave at this time.

    Did JiangBaiYan n to start his ownpany? Or did he fall out with his oldpany? Surely he canˇŻt be confirming his rtionship and retiring from the entertainment industry to be a family man and teach his daughters!

    Fans: "You''re only 21 years old, not even the legal marriage age yet! Wake up!"

    JiangBaiYan really didnˇŻt have time to deal with this.

    He was on the phone with QiuLin.

    QiuLin was a bit disheartened: "It''se to this. Does it look good? You''ve never caused something like this before. I said I would fight for the best contract and most flexible conditions for you, but youˇŞforget it."

    JiangBaiYan was more direct: "Sis Qiu, I was only going to re-negotiate with thepany after the movie''s box office came out. But thepany insisted I sign the contract before the premiere. What do they mean? You know very well."

    QiuLin fell silent.

    "I wanted to wait and see, thepany shouldn''t treat me like an idiot." JiangBaiYan said, "All these years, I''ve never caused you any trouble."

    A sigh came from the other end of the phone, and QiuLin''s tone softened: "What''s the point of talking about this now? We had good times together, don''t make too big a fuss about the breakup. I wish you great sess ahead, let''s end it at that."

    "Sis QiuˇŞ" he dragged out his voice, "Don''t be like this. I know you care about me, do you want to..."

    QiuLin interrupted him: "You arrogant brat, you think you''re so amazing you can poach me? Looking to die?"

    "I''ll miss you so much, sis. No matter how high the sry thepany gives you, they didn''t give you equity, right?" JiangBaiYan said with a smile, "I''ll give you equity if youe work for me instead."

    QiuLin said coldly: "Annual sry 1.2 million, plus dividend payouts from equity. Good enough?"

    JiangBaiYan readily agreed: "No problem."

    QiuLin was stunned, and btedly realized: "How much did you inherit?"

    "Not a lot, just a dozen or so billion." he said. "Sis Qiu,e with me."

    QiuLin cursed: "Rich dad really makes life easy huh, why are you still messing around as a celebrity?"

    "I n to resolve this in one go." JiangBaiYan said calmly, "Now is a good chance. Everyone is focused on my rtionship. If my family backgroundes out, it''ll be less of an issue."

    QiuLin paused for a long time before asking: "Are you sure? This could be a big deal."

    "Better one painful cut than long torture." JiangBaiYan said. "I don''t really care anymore anyway."

    For a moment, QiuLin actually felt sorry for him.

    He also said: "Sis Qiu, not many people have been good to me. I won''t let you guys down. Bring Sister Chen and Xiao Li with you. I''ll wait for you all."

    QiuLin thought for a very long time before finally saying: "Let me think about it."

    That night, JiangBaiYan''s ount was finally unlocked. He logged into his main ount and wrote a short essay.

 Chapter 252

    Chapter 252

    Jiang BaiYan:

    I''m very sorry it took me so long to provide an exnation to all the people who care about and love me.

    First, I must solemnly state that Teacher Jian Jing and I are not in a romantic rtionship.

    What happened in the photos took ce at my father''s home. He passed away two weeks ago and called me back to see him onest time before he died. Because of my inglorious birth, I encountered some difficulties when I returned home this time. After Teacher Jian Jing found out, she provided help and support right away.

    I am extremely grateful to her and respect her greatly. Because of me, her reputation was damaged and I feel very guilty and apologetic about that.

    I have already authorizedwyers to fully handle the ounts that spread false information.

    I know that my existence has hurt my siblings, and I sincerely apologize for that.

    If I had the choice, I would also hope to have a normal family and parents that belong to me, but I cannot change the reality.

    In fact, I also understand that some things cannot be forgiven, so I don''t expect to be understood or acknowledged, but I hope no more innocent people get involved because of my matters.

    As for the termination of my contract with thepany, that was decided at the end of February. Over the past five years, we got along very happily and I''m grateful to thepany for nurturing and taking care of me. Due to personal matters, I''m no longer able to work with everyone which I truly and deeply regret. I look forward to opportunities to coborate again in the future.

    Finally, I want to say to my fans that I''m very thankful for your support and trust over the past few years. I''m very sorry that I failed your trust by not discovering and handling the issues in a timely manner this time.

    The statement was neither long nor short, but it was like a thunderp, pushing the hot gossip surrounding him to new heights these past days.

    Normally, the topments would be dominated by his fans, but with fans abandoning and fan groups crumbling, they weren''t able to quickly organize forces this time. At first, it was remarkably ordinaryments upying the top spots.

    Comment 1: Damn, so it turns out this wasn''t a scandal but a funeral affair?

    Comment 2: This is going a bit overboard. The guy just lost his dad and you spread rumors he''s dating someone. That''s so disrespectful.

    Comment 3: It went from a celebratory affair to a mourning affair. My condolences.

    Comment 4: Was he attending the funeral thesest few days?

    Comment 5: What does "inglorious birth" mean? And why wasn''t he able to discover the issues earlier? So many questions.

    Comment 6: Just a passerby. What he wrote seems quite sincere and he exined things clearly without using titudes.

    Comment 7: He terminated his contract with hispany. Did he write this statement himself?

    Comment 8: Is he an illegitimate child? The son of a mistress? I''m no longer a fan and can''t ept this. How can he try to garner sympathy as the child of a mistress when the children of the legal wife are the real victims?

    Comment 9: There''s something wrong with you upstairs. Who gets to choose the circumstances of their own birth?

    ...

    Outsiders viewed it as entertainment gossip, while industry insiders didn''t care much about his background - there were countless more outrageous things happening in the industry anyway.

    Only his fans genuinely and earnestly felt devastated.

    Just as Jiang BaiYan had expected, the shattered illusion of a perfect persona meant that love disappeared as quickly as bubbles bursting under the sun.

    Many fans chose to leave. They had their own difficulties to deal with: they or their mothers had once been hurt by third parties, so they really could not ept an idol with a background like this.

    "Even though I know it''s not little Bai''s fault and the child is innocent, I can''t force my feelings and after loving you for three years and giving you three years, this is the end. I wish you well but I won''t love you anymore."

    "Back then, I thought you were perfect. I was so happy to have found purpose in life, but I never expected everything you had was built on hurting others. The building has copsed, goodbye."

    "Knowing about his background as a third party''s child is an issue of moral character. The child may be innocent but illegitimacy is original sin. To be honest, I stand with the original legitimate children this time - it''s a matter of principle so I can no longer continue as a fan."

    That was still rtively mild. There were more extremements directly cursing him as "Your mom is a homewrecker and you definitely won''t amount to any good", "People like you don''t deserve to be idols, you''ll lead kids astray", and "Trash like you get out of the entertainment industry".

    The brands he endorsed officially took down advertisements, with supporters and protesters splitting opinion down the middle and creating huge arguments.

    The more perfect the idol''s image, the more shocking their downfall.

    Gossip news sites revealed inside information that brands who were originally working with him were now reconsidering contract renewals again. Several advertisements that had previously been agreed to were now cancelled before the contracts were signed. Andpetitors were now aggressively swooping in to snatch resources, roles, and endorsements without hesitation.

    It was aplete disaster.

    *

    Jian Jing called Jiang BaiYan.

    She said: "You don''t have to do this. Jiang Lian and the others still care about preserving the Jiang family reputation and might not talk."

    "I don''t want them holding this over me. I''d rather admit it myself than constantly worry about them exposing it one day." Jiang BaiYan''s voice was muffled, like he had a heavy cold.

    Jian Jing said: "But when it came time, you realized you still weren''t prepared enough right?"

    He didn''t reply. Instead he said: "Sometimes I feel like they''re symbiotic with me."

    Was fan culture deformed? Deformed or not, wasn''t he too? At times, he who desperately craved love and the fans who fervently adored him were like pitiful creatures huddling together for warmth.

    They needed each other. Barely clinging to life.

    "We need others to affirm us," Jian Jing admitted. "Praise and recognition are very important to people. In theory we should humbly ept others'' suggestions, but I do genuinely preferments of praise more because it makes me feel meaningful. On the flip side, criticism makes me feel awful - being rejected is always painful for anyone."

    No author could achieve zero criticism, not even literary masters.

    She was now a bestselling author with her books avable in every bookshop, yet she would still asionally see critical opinions.

    Digesting criticism and opposition was always far more difficult than basking in praise, to the extent that even just 1 criticism felt more impactful than 1000 praises.

    Affirmation trickled in drop by drop, while criticism could demolish everything in an instant like an earthquake.

    "Actually," Jiang BaiYan said hesitantly, "it''s very strange but I feel alright now, quite able to ept things, not as sad as I expected."

    When even his own father never loved him, what was so odd about fans suddenly disliking him? Even if he lost everything and everyone disappeared, that was perfectly normal too.

    He didn''t deserve so much love in the first ce anyway.

    Thinking this way, it didn''t seem so hard to ept them leaving anymore.

    Jian Jing said: "People who are freezing to death don''t feel cold either."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Don''t try to scare me."

    "I''m telling the truth," she said. "What you''re experiencing now is called despair and resignation."

    "Oh, I guess you''re right," he mumbled.

    "Try to look on the bright side," she said. "On a normal day you also wouldn''t know fans were leaving you. Not seeing those words online means life is no different."

    Jiang BaiYan: "But I can''t control myself from checking."

    Jian Jing: "Then go count money until your arms cramp and you can''t open Weibo anymore."

    "...That cheered me up more," he said dully. "Thanks Teacher Jing."

    "Alright, alright." Sheughed and said sincerely: "No one is perfect. The people who can ept your imperfections are the ones who truly like you."

    Jiang BaiYan fell silent.

    "Quality over quantity. No matter how many ss marbles you have, they can''tpare to the preciousness of a single gemstone."

    "But I don''t have one," he mumbled. "That''s why I have to treasured those ss marbles like gems."

    Jian Jingughed. "What do you mean you don''t? Didn''t you just obtain an especially precious gemstone?"

    "I did?"

    "You did."

    Both sides went quiet again.

    After a while, Jian Jing said: "I''m going to hang up now, Knight is hurrying me - I''ve ditched it for several days already."

    "Bye bye," Jiang BaiYan obediently said goodbye, then listened to the dial tone on his phone before slowly putting it down.

    He flipped over and buried his head into the soft pillow without moving a muscle.

    After too long, Pudding who had been lying next to the bed grew suspicious. He carefully approached with his fat paws and softly pawed Jiang BaiYan''s hair: "Meow."

    "Pudding is well behaved," Jiang BaiYan raised his hand to stroke its head, his face still buried in his elbow.

    Pudding lowered his head and tried his best to snuggle him. Jiang BaiYan lifted his head to hug the chubby orange cat and kissed its head. "There there, I know Pudding loves me the most and Daddy loves you too."

    Pudding tilted his head. "Meow?"

    His cheek was pressed against its soft fur, the warmth of the cat''s bodying through, warm as a stove: "Don''t worry Buding, dad won''t be like the chairman, in the future, all of my inheritance will be yours."

    "You will be the happiest cat in the whole world - the happiest...the happiest."

    Buding meowed twice, turning back to lick the damp fur.

    Salty, not a good taste.

    *

    Online, Jiang BaiYanpletely fell silent. He did not release any new messages, and also paused all business activities, as if he nned to disappear from people''s sights from now on.

    Only Qiu Lin spoke up for him after the silence.

    She was a well-known broker in the circle, with many fans ofplexposition - in addition to the fans of celebrities, there were insiders and melon-eating masses who also paid attention.

    She only said two things.

    First, Jiang BaiYan lost his mother when he was eight years old. He was brought back to live in the Jiang family and suffered years of emotional abuse, which led him to have to flee to his grandfather. And when he was filming Hide and Seek, his grandfather had just passed away, and he didn''t even have money for tuition, so he had to take a break from school to act and sign with an agency before transferring to Heping City to resume his studies.

    All these years, he had been working hard to make a living without harming anyone.

    Second, she gave an audio recording of Jiang Ou blocking Jiang BaiYan and humiliating him on the day of the Rose Gold audition, iming it was inadvertently recorded by a staff member.

    There was an uproar.

    The original partner and her children originally upied the moral high ground, while the illegitimate child was inherently inferior. But Jiang Ou was such a disaster, that even those who had previously sympathized with the original partner''s children had to frown after listening to his insults.

    Public opinion hit rock bottom and rebounded.

    The entertainment ounts that had taken money began to change their tone, enumerating Jiang BaiYanˇŻs achievements and acting skills. Of course Rose Gold was ttered again and again, with rhetoric like ˇ°outstanding acting skills stemming from a life of hardshipˇ±, as if they hadnˇŻt been the ones calling him a ˇ°stain on his backgroundˇ± earlier.

    However, what really allowed him to turn over a new leaf was not money or marketing.

    It was himself.

    The box office of Rose Gold exceeded 6 billion, eventually settling at 6.08 billion yuan, ranking first in the maind box office totals.

    To be honest, if Jian Jing hadn''t been involved, she would have suspected that the scandal and family history were all just hype ˇŞ in fact, some people did actually theorize it was a conspiracy.

    But to tell the truth, 99% of this result was due to strength, and only 1% was luck.

    At the end of March, everyone knew that the final box office of Rose Gold would probably top out over 5 billion, with good luck passing 5.5 billion. After all, the entire movie had no obvious shorings, and the highlights were still very prominent. Plus, it was a rare good romantic film seen in nearly a decade.

    It should be known that in 1998, Titanic''s box office was over 300 million.

    Love is amon human emotion and an eternal theme in artistic creation. And in this world, crime detection has always been a popr theme, so the potential was huge with bothbined.

    Not to mention that the original novel of Rose Gold had broken through one million copies sold and was currently the hottest novel.

    With several factors added together, identally exceeding the historical #1 and taking over the crown was admittedly partly luck but also well-deserved.

    An actor''s confidence alwayses from his acting skills.

    When professional capabilities are strong enough, people are willing to forgive some unimportant minor ws.

    Gradually, few people mentioned anything about illegitimate children. Everyone objectively reviewed the movie itself, analyzing acting techniques, debating the film itself rather than the actor''s background.

    The storm gradually subsided.

    Well, just online anyway.

    For those involved, it was not like that at all.

    Everyone was reaching new heights in their careers.

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253

    Kang Mu Cheng made a fortune from "Rose Gold". After the celebration party, the film department started preparing for an overseas trip. With the excitement still lingering, it was time for recruitment and the next round of business expansion.

    With a 30% pay raise, the employees worked hard and happily every day. Overtime, overtime, overtime was the norm at Kang Mu Cheng''spany.

    How crazy was it? Jian Jing would message himte at night and he would instantly reply. As time passed, she inevitably started worrying and calling him in the middle of the night to urge him to leave work.

    "Mr. Kang, money can''t be earned endlessly." She was scared for him and advised, "Lack of sleep damages the brain, easily causing strokes, heart attacks or working oneself to death."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "OK, bye."

    "Are you still in the office?"

    Him: "Leaving soon."

    Jian Jing: "Lying to my face without guilt?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "......"

    "Don''t you think I can see through your lies?" she wondered.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Really leaving now."

    "How soon is now? If you don''t leave, the employees won''t have the nerve to either. Working without rest past midnight reduces efficiency." Jian Jing reasoned.

    Heughed despite himself and retorted, "Jing Jing, you seem to be in a good moodtely?"

    "Yes." She openly admitted.

    In recent days, "Rose Gold" remained high on trending lists.

    Almost every major website had rted news or articles, with videoptions popping up from time to time.

    This feeling was just - so - good.

    She finally got over feeling outraged previously.

    Having a name was better than being a nobody, but being an author, trending by herself was nothing. Only when her work upied the most prominent spots was that the greatest achievement.

    Perfect.

    The only downside was the card draw upon surpassing the former top film''s box office record to be number two.

    [System: Limited draw pool opened, draw?]

    Jian Jing was very much looking forward to it: "Go ahead."

    [Drawing card]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Limitedˇ¤Confession]

    [Description: Some love is never confessed, forever missed. This card triggers suppressed affections, useable once per person]

    [Note: Curious who has a secret crush on you? Give it a try.]

    Jian Jing was bbergasted: "What on earth?"

    [System: After host uses this card on a specified person, the other party will reveal their genuine feelings. Ps: Only those who like the host will confess, can''t fabricate from nothing or change emotions.]

    Jian Jing: "......I don''t want to know."

    She expected something to trigger mary luck, but the focal point of Rose Gold turned out to be the rose, not gold? Annoyed.

    [System: Host already has great luck in wealth, romance is more confusing]

    Jian Jing: "You moonlight as a fortune teller now?"

    [System: This system is intelligent, sincerely at your service.]

    Retarded again.

    But it was right about one thing - behind the sky-high box office was a windfall.

    Who wouldn''t be thrilled toe into big money? She was over the moon.

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed: "Still, you don''t have to call every day to supervise me leaving work."

    "You''re the reason I''m earning money." She beamed, "I''m thankful, so I care about you naturally."

    He jested: "You only care because I brought you profit?"

    "If it was a loss, I''d care about myself first." She retorted, "Hurry downstairs, waiting in the parking lot for you."

    Kang Mu Cheng finally couldn''t sit still and came down in five minutes.

    Employees: "Boss Kang finally knocked off!"

    Kang Mu Cheng got into her car, helpless and resigned as he sighed: "What are you doing here?"

    "Sending you off work." Jian Jing stomped the elerator, speeding down the empty street, in great spirits, "Figured you wouldn''t have the nerve to make me wait either."

    Kang Mu Cheng braced his forehead: "Jing Jing, I know my limits, I sleep at least four hours a day."

    Jian Jing smiled and elerated: "What did you say?"

    The car swerved dangerously, leaving him shaken. He changed his tune: "Haven''t asked your ns yet."

    Jian Jing: "......Haven''t decided."

    They both struck gold, but while Kang Mu Cheng aggressively expanded his business, Jiang Bai Yan set up his own studio - she even sent flowers yesterday, instantly spotting his old team upon entering.

    Qiu Lin brought a bunch of acquaintances in a job switch!

    But the most brazen thing Jiang Bai Yan did wasn''t poaching from his oldpany, but appointing Pudding as CEO.

    So, one of the catnip and toy bundles was for Pudding.

    Horizontal banner: Fishy sticks daily, catnip nightly.

    Title: Peak of a cat''s life.

    Meanwhile, what was she up to?

    Mulling over how to spend moneytely.

    "Bought bags, clothes, emptied cosmetics stocks." She told Kang Mu Cheng, "Should look into getting a new ce next right?"

    Stuff at home imperceptibly multiplied, Knight really should have an outdoor area too. Giving up the apartment to buy a standalone house seemed inevitable.

    Kang Mu Cheng calmly agreed: "Long overdue."

    At his words, Jian Jing instantly made up her mind: "Then it''s settled, but where to?"

    House hunting could be such a headache.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Any requirements?"

    "Not too far from the city, don''t want a longmute, able to order delivery and errands, not too noisy, a yard for Knight......" She rattled off her own demands, ending with, "Within my means, not too expensive."

    Kang Mu Cheng pondered briefly before suggesting: "There''s a townhouse near me up for sale."

    He and Kang President didn''t live in the new luxury estates, but original concession-era townhouses with at least seventy to eighty years of history. Exteriors well-preserved, interiors modernized.

    Location-wise, still urban yet aloof from hustle and bustle. Pushing open the door led to a different world. Extremely rare find.

    Jian Jing had been to the Kangs multiple times. She was instantly interested at the mention: "Like yours?"

    He nodded.

    She decisively: "Want."

    But Kang Mu Cheng said: "Think it through. These houses are heritage sites, can''t alter walls or roofing, some areas not asfy as new mansions either, streets outside inconvenient for parking."

    "Doesn''t matter, I don''t mind." She cared about another issue instead, "Far from your ce?"

    "Thirty, fifty meters maybe. Just round the corner." He recalled.

    "I like these old houses, more inspiration to write." Jian Jing mused, "Plus, having you as my neighbor sounds perfect."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "To board Knight at my ce?"

    "Why''d you have to say it aloud!" Sheined.

    Because it was too obvious. He silently shook his head, not arguing further: "I''ll contact them then, want me to apany viewing?"

    Jian Jing: "Come with me."

    Kang Mu Cheng checked his nner: "OK, free tomorrow night, seven?"

    "Saturday afternoon next week instead." She negotiated, "Must see in day time obviously."

    He conceded, cancelling a nned trip: "Fine."

    *

    Jian Jing''s house purchase went unbelievably smoothly.

    The previous owners were emigrating overseas but didn''t wish to casually sell away the ce. This historic building should be preserved by well-meaning sessors for generations toe.

    So, they previously declined two buyers. Otherwise with such ideal location and house, it would have been snapped up long ago.

    But this time, Kang Mu Cheng apanied her over. Neighbours of many years, very assured. And upon discovering Jian Jing was an acimed authoress, they were even more delighted.

    "That recent smash hit film was what you wrote right. Young heroes in the making indeed." the owner remarked, "With Kang Mu Cheng''s word, I''ve no qualms."

    Jian Jing: "......Thanks."

    "This used to be the residence of a literary giant. Having an author move in again will only enhance its heritage." the owner added with a smile, "Go take a look around."

    Kang Mu Cheng let her look around as he chatted with the seller.

    Jian Jing was freed atst to scrutinize with the real estate agent.

    This old townhouse wasn''t big. Excluding the yard, about 200 ping across two floors. Red brick white walls, retaining French windows and old fireces from the original build, as well as several extravagantly ornamental stained ss windows.

    Sunshine filtering through rendered the interior a dazzling, artsy, whimsical myriad of colours.

    "What do you think, Miss Jian?" the agent asked, "Truthfully houses like these are hard toe by. If not for Mr Kang''s call, I''d have shown others first for sure."

    Jian Jing hesitated a little: "Isn''t it too big for just me?"

    The agent smiled: "You can live with your boyfriend. After getting married and having kids in the future, you will onlyin that the ce is not big enough."

    "Boyfriend?" She shook her head. The writer''s thoughts retreated and the detective''s perspective came online. "Too many rooms, theyout is not big, and the structure is a bitplicated."

    Jian Jing scrutinized every nook and cranny in an almost harsh manner: "Too many blind spots for surveince, the balcony makes it easy to climb over the wall, the living room has no line of sight to the entrance, the yard is well-kept but very easy to hide people in... It would be effortless to sneak in from the outside and leave without a trace..."

    Agent: "Ah?"

    Three hourster, Jian Jing paid a hefty down payment and signed the purchase contract.

    Kang Mu Cheng was slightly surprised: "I thought you would at least think about it for a few days."

    "I''ve already thought of several ways tomit murder here." She was frustrated, "This ce is too suitable as the scene of a homicide, I couldn''t resist."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    Next was going to the relevant departments to register. They also needed to verify her identity. The transfer of ownership of a historical building was moreplicated than purchasing an ordinary house.

    But the verification also went very smoothly.

    The staff member said: "Miss Jian has a very high credit rating and records of several acts of bravery and civic duty, honored multiple times. Her qualifications are wless."

    Jian Jing: "cough..."

    In short, purchased.

    Renovation was the main event.

    The original owner''s family of four meant that theyout did not suit her requirements. Apart from some individual historical artefacts, everything was torn down and rebuilt. Especially because she municated frequently" with the criminals in HePing city, the security system had to be outfitted with the best avable to ensure safety.

    All that cost money, money, money.

    The renovation fees were enough to buy a new apartment.

    And the furniture.

    Filling up the big house required lots and lots of furniture.

    Jian Jing no longer had the time to rush Kang Mu Cheng to get off work (was that his scheme?), ordinary furniture could be purchased at the mall, but to make everything look good, some items suiting the historical style were definitely needed.

    She pondered, Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t help with this, asking Jiang BaiYan was also inappropriate since they just had a scandal, everyone else had to work, so she had to squeeze someone else.

    "Brother Yingjie," she said, "when are youing back to help me pick furniture?"

    Si Yingjie: "Little Jingjing, I''m in Peru, taking a ship to Antarctica tomorrow to see penguins, I can''te back."

    Jian Jing: "Oh."

    "Um..." He felt a little bad, racking his brains, "I just got an invite, there''s a really interesting trade show, why don''t you go take a look?"

    Jian Jing asked: "Where is it?"

    Si Yingjie gave her an address, "It happens to be in the Pacific this time, not too far, consider going to take a look."

    She became interested and decided to take a trip before deciding anything else.

    And so began another new case.

 Chapter 254

    Chapter 254

    Si Yingjie was a typical fu''erdai (second generation rich). His father built up the family business and saw it thrive, while his sisters studied abroad andter joined thepany, catching the wave of a new generation''s prime time. The whole family was on the rise with a bright future ahead.

    As the youngest son bornte, his parents doted on him. Though there could have been in-fighting like in other rich families, he was an unmotivated good-for-nothing only interested in enjoying life.

    His sisters would call out endearingly, "Our sweet little brother!"

    Other than one big tumble in marriage, Si Yingjie''s life went quite smoothly.

    Skiing in summer and surfing in winter, when free he would go see the northern lights in the Arctic, or drift over oceans in a hot air balloon. asionally he went camping in the mountains or visited research stations in Antarctica.

    In addition, he liked participating in some niche activities, like ghost-hunting tours in European suburbs or spending two days and one night on a prison ind.

    This auction was a club he had signed up for four, five or six years ago (he couldn''t remember exactly). Members could bring their own collectibles to appraise by others and trade freely.

    ording to Si Yingjie he first joined to buy his mother a gift, butter found it quite fun so he never withdrew his membership.

    The club meetings were irregr, each hosted by a different member. One could participate when avable without entry barriers. But the different hosts had different ideas so each meeting had its own style.

    Usually the trades would bepletely anonymous - some collectibles had questionable provenance after all. As long as one had an invitation letter, no matter how it was obtained, one could participate.

    Not just Si Yingjie, even Jian Jing found it very amusing.

    The anonymous auction was just like something out of a fantasy novel.

    Full of anticipation, she took a flight, arrived at the pier after ny minutes, then boarded the luxury yacht the host had docked by the seaside, heading for the auction location on the open seas.

    The yacht was enormous, over 150 meters long with 20 guest rooms, amodating over 60 crew members. It had outdoor swimming pools, helicopter pads, private theaters, gyms, saunas and spas among other amenities.

    In short: luxurious.

    Each room was decorated in a different national theme, firste first served.

    Jian Jing chose the English castle room. The firece and armchairs made her think of the Gryffindormon room from Harry Potter.

    On her table was a rabbit badge and a yacht user guide.

    There was also an introduction to this trading event.

    The public auction would start at 8 pm every night. Guests could go to the banquet hall on the yacht''s third floor where the host had invited appraisers to help evaluate and suggest prices. Guests could also trade among themselves without restrictions or liability.

    The only thing to note was best not to reveal one''s true identity. Everyone would use zodiac aliases.

    With exactly twelve guests this year that worked out perfectly.

    Naturally Jian Jing got "Rabbit of the Zodiac".

    "How mysterious." Sheined but still found it great fun. After changing clothes she went to the bar on the fifth floor facing the outdoor pool to get some food and drinks.

    Today''s temperature was over 20 degrees Celsius and the sun shone brightly. She had just stepped onto the deck when she discovered someone was already swimming in the pool.

    Judging by the physique it was a young man with healthy tan skin. Under the shimmering water his shoulders, neck and waist showed a streamlined yet strong silhouette - very captivating.

    She paused briefly then quietly took out her phone.

    Opening the camera, the man had just swum to the other end and suddenly grabbed the pooldder to climb out. Glistening water droplets sprayed out, flowing along the muscr contours before disappearing into his swimming trunks.

    Easy on the eyes.

    Her fingers automatically clicked without needing conscious thought.

    Azure skies, hard pecs and abs.

    Brother Jin is so hot.

    She increasingly liked this Si Yingjie.

    Jian Jing happily sat at the bar and ordered a ss of yangzhi gum syrup. Waiting, she casually posted the photo in her Moments.

    The drink promptly arrived but she suddenly felt something amiss.

    Why were there so many red notification dots on WeChat? ncing down, the lychee juice nearly choked into her windpipe.

    She had absent-mindedly posted publicly instead of limiting to female friends only!

    Oh no no no!

    Jian Jing: Ah!~~

    [Photo.jpg]

    Likes: Scriptwriter Xu, Director Ding, Director Huang, Zheng Keyan, Golden Crow Chief Editor...

    Zuo Xin: Eeeeek~~~~

    Zheng Keyan: Like!

    Female Writer No. 1: Not bad, eye candy.

    Female Writer No. 2: An affair? Looks promising.

    Kang Mu Cheng: ?

    Si Yingjie: Hahaha, Jian Jing be bold, if you like him make a move!

    Kang Mu Cheng replying to Si Yingjie: Don''t lead the innocent astray

    Kang Lei: I think it''s perfectly fine.

    Ji YunYun: Wow! So hot!!

    Ji Feng replying to Ji YunYun: Behave, underage girl!

    Ji YunYun: Turned eighteenst month, dear brother?

    Ji Feng replying to Ji YunYun: Why are you on your phone during ss?

    Ji YunYun: Why are you on your phone during work?

    Ji Feng: Teacher Jian, take a look at Article 363 on disseminating *bawdy andscivious material

    Jian Jing: "......"

    She silently deleted the post, pretending nothing had happened.

    However Jiang BaiYan soon sent over the photos too, ranting indignantly: [Teacher Jian how dare you! As if none of us have abs!!]

    Then he uploaded a whole batch of stock photos in retaliation.

    Jian Jing coolly: [Seen all of them already]

    Jiang BaiYan: [????]

    Jian Jing: [Director Mei sent them to me, plus behind the scenes shots from set]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Aren''t wildflowers more fragrant than cultivated ones?]

    Jian Jing shamelessly: [None are fragrant]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Crying.jpg]

    Ji Feng messaged next.

    He forwarded Article 363 of the Criminal Law.

    Jian Jing: [Welle arrest me then!]

    Ji Feng: [......]

    Jian Jing: [What''s it to you if I didn''t see you in it?]

    He also quieted down.

    Then of course Boss Kang followed up.

    After much careful deliberation he tactfully said: [Stay safe]

    Jian Jing feigned ignorance: [I won''t fall into the sea and even if I do I know how to tread water, don''t worry!]

    Typing ellipses appeared on his end but nothing got sent out after a long while.

    Meanwhile Si Yingjie eagerly asked: [Having fun?]

    Jian Jing sent him a sticker with two thumbs up and eyes sparkling.

    No more exnation needed.

    "Hi," While she was messaging the hunk with nice abs came over on his own initiative. "You''re here for the auction too?"

    Raising her head Jian Jing saw his handsome features clearly: sharp and confident with typically mixed-blood good looks, which nicelyplemented his fit body. Approachable and refreshing without stealing the spotlight - the kind of hunk any girl would like.

    To such a person even small talk deserved full replies: "Yeah I am. You too?"

    "Me too." He smiled charmingly, "So which zodiac are you, miss?"

    "Rabbit."

    "What an adorable alias." Wu Ma chatted casually. "Are you here to sell or buy?"

    "I''m looking to buy some interesting collectibles," said Jian Jing.

    "What kind of collectibles? Age or country?" Wu Ma asked very warmly.

    She shook her head with a smile. "I have no idea actually, just want to browse around. Is this your first time?"

    "Second. My first was three years ago when I apanied a friend. I helped him find some great stuff. Maybe I can lend you a hand too."

    The handsome Wu Ma smiled conspiratorially, eyes glinting mischievously. "Just tell me what you''re looking for and I can ask around. Ceramics and sculptures are my expertise. If you trust me I can also take a look on your behalf."

    Jian Jing understood: "How much would I need to pay you?"

    "For prettydies like yourself, just a tiny bit." He rubbed his nose while gesturing a little pinch with his fingers. "Five thousand USD t rate, plus one thousand per sessful purchase you won''t need to split with me.

    "What if I can''t decide on anything?" asked Jian Jing

    "Then we''ll just be friends, no loss to me either," Wu Ma shrugged.

    Totally new to this, having a handsome guide did sound better than fumbling blindly to Jian Jing. She nodded. "I want to know what''s avable."

    Wu Ma smiled brightly. "You''re in luck, ms. Rabbit. Some truly valuable collectibles this year."

    She put on a keen listening expression.

    "Since this is just a casual club, many members are rich or influential. But the really precious antiques still go to major auction houses, safer that way."

    When it came to work, Wu Ma immediately showed his professionalism: "The transactions in the club are more like a ''pastime'' to me. This kind of treasure appraisal game full of uncertainty is very interesting. Sometimes we can indeed buy some rare antiques that are hard to find on the market, but no one would bring real treasures here as game props."

    He nced at Jian Jing and lowered his voice, "But this yearˇŞI can''t confirm whether the news is true, I just vaguely heard the rumorsˇŞit is said that national treasure-level collectibles have been brought to the trading fair."

    Jian Jing was very surprised: "Really?"

    "No one knows. It''s just a rumor. In most cases it''s false. Only in very few cases..." He paused, then smiled and said, "To be honest, although I''ve heard this kind of statement, I don''t believe it. Sometimes this kind of half-true and half-false news is to stimte the gambling desires of customers. Miss Rabbit, I suggest you don''t take it seriously. It would be more appropriate to treat this as a party outing."

    The advice was very sincere, and Jian Jing couldn''t help having some good feelings towards him: "I think so too, but you still haven''t got to the key point."

    Wu Ma smiled. He had a different charm in the sea breeze: "Then let me talk about the situation I know."

    "The collectibles at the trading fair are divided into several categories: 1. Genuine antiques from all over the world, with varying ages, usually worth tens of thousands to millions, not too expensive; 2. Some collectibles with special significance, this range is very wide, at thest fair someone sold a famous movie star''s personal belongings, the value varies from person to person; 3. Some special movables and real estate, usually traded between acquaintances, does not appear in public."

    Jian Jing finally had a general idea.

    She asked, "Where do I go to see other people''s collectibles?"

    "Everywhere," Wu Ma picked up his T-shirt that was tossed aside and casually put it on, "Follow me."

    Somehow, Jian Jing regretted not bringing a swimsuit. She bought it in Mermaid Ind, and after so long, she never had a chance to wear it even once.

    She gloomily followed Wu Ma downstairs to the fourth floor area.

    There was a restaurant and cafe here. It wasn''t meal time yet, and there were only a few people scattered around the cafe.

    At the round table by the window, three people were appraising an exquisite Faberg¨¦ egg.

    Jian Jing: This prop looks like it was seen in some film or TV series?

    "A very exquisite egg," said the middle-aged man in Tang costume wearing gloves, carefully examining it with a magnifying ss, slowly saying, "Although it is not a Faberg¨¦ work, just an imitation by other jewelers at the same time, it is very well preserved. I think it is still a good choice as an ordinary collectible."

    There was a monkey badge next to him, looking like an appraiser.

    Sitting next to him, a woman with delicate makeup said, "If you want a real Faberg¨¦ work, I also have one of his cigarette cases, made in London."

    She had a goat badge pinned to her chest, sounding like the seller.

    Finally there was the middle-aged man with a pig badge around his waist, picking and choosing, "Don''t you have that famous Imperial Easter Egg?"

    The appraiser with the monkey badge said impartially, "ItˇŻs too rare. Almost all are collected in museums. Even if privately owned, it would not be brought here for trade."

    It seemed the first time for Pig, who immediately asked, "Is this trading fair so low-end? I heard there were national treasure-level collectibles here this time, thatˇŻs why I came."

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255

    Wei Yangdy took out a long, thin cigarette, lit it and took a deep drag, then asked Hai Zhu in response: "Even if there is one, can you afford the price?"

    The middle-aged Hai Zhu said: "Whether I can afford it or not, I will know after taking a look."

    "That makes sense. In that case, you don''t want this jewel egg anymore?" Wei Yang asked. "If not, I will find someone else."

    Hai Zhu said: "What I want is not some small gadget like this."

    He was unenthusiastic and left after saying that.

    "Hi there." Wu Ma took the opportunity to greet them and join the conversation, "Would it be convenient to let my friend take a look at the jewel egg?"

    Wei Yang nced at Jian Jing and nodded: "Go ahead."

    Only then did Jian Jing go over, curiously examining the Russian-styled jewel egg.

    It had an eggshell enamel exterior in a sea-like shade of blue, with an old-fashioned clock on the surface, golden bird and flower patterns at the top. It opened from the middle, revealing a cute little white bird inside, encrusted with some diamond chips around it.

    "It''s a very cute little object, isn''t it?" Wei Yang smiled. "Yours for just ˇę23,000 if you want it."

    Over 200,000 RMB? This toy is too expensive!

    Jian Jing was speechless.

    Wu Ma said: "A good Faberge egg should be encrusted with gems. This one only has some diamond chips. ˇę5,000 at most."

    Jian Jing: 0.0

    That''s cutthroat bargaining!

    Wei Yang shook her head: "It''s not for sale then. Or would you like to take a look at something else?"

    "What else is there?" Jian Jing asked.

    "What would you like?" Wei Yang smiled. "I''m a collector. I have most kinds of trinkets thatdies enjoy."

    Jian Jing thought hard for a while, then had an idea and said: "I''d like something different from the norm."

    Wei Yang asked: "How different? Mummies? Human leather books? Alchemy notes? Gothic stuff?"

    "No." She felt she hade up with a particrly fun idea, a hint of mystery in her smile. "I want to buy something that''s cursed."

    Wei Yang was taken aback. "Curse of Tutankhamun?" she asked.

    "Can you sell the pyramids?" Jian Jing asked back, puzzled.

    Wei Yang flicked some ash off her cigarette, perplexed. "Of course not. What exactly do you mean by cursed items?"

    She exined: "Say, an object that brought misfortune upon a family line, or a relic with sacrificed lives, things like that."

    Shen Hou pitched in: "Something religious, I presume, Miss. You have quite special tastes."

    "Why else would Ie here?" Jian Jing retorted.

    "Fair enough," Shen Hou mused. "Such things aren''t easy toe by. Transactions can happen nheless. I came across someone like that some time ago. He was looking to buy a thousand-year-old mummy corpse."

    Jian Jing was shocked: "Did he manage to buy it?"

    "A member happened to know channels that could help connect him," Shen Hou said matter-of-factly. "That''s the purpose of our clubˇŞto help link up collectors, from ordinary hobbyists to world-famous tycoons."

    Jian Jing''s detective habit kicked in as she probed: "Sounds like you''re a veteran here?"

    "You could say that. I was one of the founding members of the club." Shen Hou said. "But I haven''t participated much in recent years due to poor health."

    Jian Jing asked: "Do you know where I can find what I''m looking to buy?"

    "Don''t rush, youngdy. Who knows who you are? Even if I have it, why should I sell it to you?" Shen Hou admonished in old man fashion. "Our deals aren''t one-off sales. There are rtionships."

    Wei Yang secretly rolled her eyes.

    What followed next was Shen Hou''s lecture time. He first talked about his early days as an auction house errand boy, then recounted his 20-year career as an appraiser. Although he was somewhat preachy, his content was substantial and everyone listened with relish.

    Jian Jing wasn''t here just for business. Since she was more here to y around, she wasn''t in a hurry and listened to him brag.

    And the old man loved it most when his juniors obediently listened to his experiences. Shen Hou warmed up to his story, voluntarily bringing up the earlier rumor.

    "In my opinion, the national treasure business might not be fake," Shen Hou said as he slowly looked down at the tea leaves in his ss. "This year''s trade fair has been quite unusual."

    Wei Yang said: "I didn''t notice anything special about it."

    "Lots of new faces showed up this year," Shen Hou looked up, his gaze sharp as he scanned Jian Jing, as if trying to discern something. "How many do you think came just for the rumor?"

    Wei Yang also nced at Jian Jing. Since they were more familiar, they talked casually: "I remember there was rumor about a M painting three years ago too, but it turned out to be a replica."

    Shen Hou shook his head. "It''s different this time," he suddenly asked Wu Ma, "Haven''t seen you around either. You new? Or apanying someone?"

    "I used a friend''s invite," Wu Ma said breezily. "I''m an auctioneer, just moonlighting a bit."

    Shen Hou grunted in acknowledgment, then asked Jian Jing again: "Are you really looking to buy antique religious artefacts? You don''t seem religious to me."

    The old man sure was sharp despite his age. Jian Jing thought to herself and answered, "Of course I''m not religious. Why would someone religious buy this stuff?"

    She took back control of the conversation: "Actually, I didn''t get what''s this about national treasure-grade collections. Egyptian pharaoh mummies?"

    But Wu Ma said: "It shouldn''t be. That can''t be considered national treasure-grade."

    "Old... Shen Hou, stop beating around the bush," Wei Yang chimed in impatiently. "What''s the big deal that''s gotten you so antsy?"

    Shen Hou looked each of them in the eye: "I heard it''s the ram''s head from the twelve Chinese zodiac bronze heads."

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment before reacting in shock: "You mean the twelve bronze heads from the Old Summer Pce?!"

    He couldn''t be kidding, could he?

    "For real? No way." Wu Ma was also very surprised. "I heard the snake, ram and rooster heads have never appeared before, highly likely already destroyed. How could it show up here? Impossible."

    Wei Yang concurred: "Exactly. Even if this were to appear, it should be the showstopper piece at a major auction house."

    "By all reasoning, yes." Shen Hou gave a coldugh. "But don''t forget, what price would one have to pay to bid it away at an auction?"

    The three immediately fell silent.

    In terms of craftsmanship, the bronze heads were not particrly precious antiques. But they held special significance. To publicly buy this at an auction, unless it was donated back to China, it would inevitably invite tremendous controversy.

    Not auctioning it openly butpleting the transaction privately was not impossible either. After all, it might not mean much to foreigners.

    Thinking thus, Jian Jing''s heart ached as she silently cursed.

    "Anyway, whether it is or isn''t, just wait and see," Shen Hou said.

    *

    Because of the bronze head news, Jian Jing swiftly lost her yful mood and returned to her cabin for a nap.

    When she awoke from her afternoon nap, the night had fallen. The ship was already sailing on the open sea. Gazing out at the balcony, the edges of the city had faded from sight. The lights in the distance blended with the stars, indistinguishable from each other.

    She did a red and gold eye makeup look with her newly bought eyeshadow palette, and picked out hair clips with rabbit motifs from a bag of essories.

    After sprucing up, she pinned on her member badge and headed to the grand hall.

    The open trading session at 8pm was held here.

    One could instantly tell how luxurious the grand hall was. The pastries were made by a Michelin-starred chef. The wine was at least 10 years of age. Everyone was dressed with a great sense of style.

    Jian Jing first stood at the main entrance for three seconds, allowing her emergency exit mindset card to take effect so she noted the locations of each entry and exit point. The next five seconds were the observation card''s stageˇŞshe swiftly took in everyone''s image.

    The venue was arranged in a curvedyout with twelve armchairs, a long table in the middle equipped with gloves, magnifying sses, cameras and such.

    The staff were uniformly dressed in ck and whiteˇŞthe men were handsome and the women gorgeous, barely anyone shabby-looking. Were the requirements to be a server so high these days? Others were seated aroundworking.

    Shen Hou had a magnifying ss over his head, appraising a jade artifact. Next to him sat a petite, skeletal old woman who seemed to be suffering from an incurable illness.

    The two were discussing whether the jade piece dated from the Shang or Spring-Autumn dynasties, spewing all kinds of professional terminology that Jian Jing did notprehend.

    Wei Yang beckoned her over so the twodies sat together.

    "I found this interesting piece I brought along. See if you like it, sister," Wei Yang opened the velvet cloth on the table, revealing a silver lipstick.

    The casing seemed to be re-polished, looking quite old despite no noticeable wear and tear. The design was very in, much simpler than many lipsticks nowadays.

    Wei Yang introduced: "A work from the 1960s in thest century, the ssic weapon of the KGB female agent, kissofdeath, caliber 4.5mm, can only be loaded with one bullet."

    Jian Jing said: "It''s so small, the destructive power is estimated to be only two or three meters away, it''s just a little toy."

    "It was originally, and I don''t sell real guns anyway," Wei Yang shrugged, "You can''t use it domestically either. Do you want it? It''s pretty cool."

    Jian Jing thought about it and asked: "How much?"

    "Member price, ten thousand, US dors," Ms. Wei Yang smiled and quoted, "It''s very fair."

    "Thirty thousand RMB," Wu Ma conscientiously interjected to help Jian Jing bargain, "This is just a little toy, there is no difficulty in craftsmanship, any small workshop can reproduce it, and it is not something of a famous person."

    Wei Yang: "Fifty thousand, this stuff is notmon on the market."

    "No value, rare is useless."

    Wei Yang smiled. She didnˇŻt actually care about the small amount of money, thirty or fifty thousand RMB was just a drop in the bucket in the antique trade.

    But she enjoyed the process, it was very interesting: "Okay, just to make friendsˇŞnot you, but this Miss BunnyˇŞthirty-five thousand, with one bullet included."

    Jian Jing gave an "ok" sign and directly transferred the money to her.

    Having made a deal, the rtionship between the two seemed to have be much closer.

    Wei Yang took the initiative to say: "I attend almost every time, this year is really different. At dinner, someone bought several million worth of clocks without even blinking."

    She was a nationally renowned antique collector and seller in China, dabbling in everything from the tens of thousands deadly kiss to antique jewelry worth millions. She was also rtively low-key, not opening a store, relying solely on word of mouth. Just attending a trading club meeting once could feed her for three years.

    But it had never been so outrageous before this year.

    "There are a lot of rich people in the club, but they only spend money when they like somethingˇŞthest rich guy liked to collect silver coins, those little things only worth a few thousand or tens of thousands, but he had to see them before he wanted them," said Wei Yang, taking a sip of red wine, with a strange look on her face, "What Shen Hou said may be true."

    Jian Jing pondered for a while and asked, "If there is one, would it be taken out in front of everyone?"

    "Probably not," Wei Yang was unsure.

    Wu Ma said: "I''ve already inquired, everyone has more or less heard the news, but no one can say who has it in hand."

    Wei Yang: "That would be an anonymous transaction."

    Jian Jing still didn''t quite understand, but there was no time to ask further.

    The trading meeting was about to begin.

    The host walked to the center and spoke concisely: "I am Zi Shu, the organizer of this trading meeting. At the request of individual members, there will be open and anonymous sessions at this public trading meeting."

    Perhaps knowing that the members were not familiar with each other, he omitted many courtesy procedures and went straight to the point: "First is the open trading session, please announce your collections in the order of your codes. Continuing convention, as the organizer, I will not participate in any transactions this time."

    No one objected, and he dered directly: "So the trading meeting begins."

 Chapter 256

    Chapter 256

    True antique trading was not as fun as Jian Jing had imagined.

    The first person on stage, Chou Niu, brought a blue and white porcin te that was said to be from the Yongzheng era. The ceramic te was ced on a long table where anyone sitting could examine it. The whole process was monitored by three cameras to prevent any idents that would be hard to exinter.

    Porcin was a major category of antiques, easy to authenticate and retained value, so many people wanted to take a look.

    Shen Hou and Wu Ma started discussing the authentication of porcin, and all kinds of professional terminology (jargon?) kept popping up that Jian Jing did not understand at all.

    She barely endured through the authentication and finally reached the bidding stage.

    Unlike the murderous atmosphere of auctions in novels, the bidding process was very dull: The two sides chatted, made offers and bargained. If it worked out, a deal was made. If not, they returned to their seats and others took over.

    The next person, Yin Hu, brought a violin that was supposedly made by some master. It was extremely expensive, with the opening bid over a million.

    There was only one buyer, a foreign blonde woman in an evening gown with a puppy badge, who made very decisive bids and looked determined to win.

    Jian Jing did not participate.

    Chen Long brought a jade carving with an abstract style, said to be from the Han Dynasty.

    The quality of the jade was extremely good. Under themp light, it had a smooth, misty glow, obviously a fine piece. Many members had their appetite whetted and eagerly started appraising.

    Jian Jing felt bored and simply went out to the deck to get some air.

    The yacht had sailed into the vast ocean, with no inds visible ahead and nond behind, just endless waters under the starlight from billions of years ago.

    Indistinct voices could be heard from the shadows.

    "...Bronze head... Million..."

    "Can''t be measured by money..."

    Just as she wanted to get closer to listen clearly, although her footsteps were silent, her shadow on the deck swayed conspicuously as moonlight broke through the clouds.

    The people immediately stopped talking and hurried away.

    Jian Jing regretted missing the opportunity and was still concerned about the whereabouts of the bronze head, so she hurried back to the hall.

    The public trading session was also nearing its end.

    Zi Shu announced, "Next we''ll start anonymous trading."

    Waiters filed in carrying trays and brought new refreshments for everyone, along with a special menu that had not just the usual drinks and desserts, but also photos and numbers of three items.

    Jian Jing quickly nced through them. There were only three pieces in total:

    A Tang dynasty Buddhist sutra from Dunhuang.

    A bronze statue from Beijing.

    A golden scepter from the Americas.

    She sucked in a breath.

    Although none of the three collections had photos or explicit descriptions, everything implied people''s guesses.

    Zi Shu said, "Considering some guests are participating in anonymous trading for the first time, I''ll reiterate the rules: The seller entrusts me to handle the trade and the buyer cannot know the seller''s real identity. Simrly, to protect the buyer''s privacy, the seller will not know who made the purchase either."

    He looked around and announced concisely, "Everyone has one night to consider. The silent auction will take ce at this time tomorrow."

    Hai Zhu, the big spender Jian Jing had seen earlier, spoke first: "Wait, where are the items? How do we authenticate if they are real or fake without seeing the actual pieces?"

    Zi Shu made a gesture indicating patience: "The few collections are all extremely valuable and fragile, so they have been ced in three secure rooms. Item 1 is in Room 1, Item 2 is in Room 2, and Item 3 is in Room 3. Everyone may go view them before 7pm tomorrow anytime you''d like. But because the pieces are so precious, only one person may enter at a time and there are security guards at the doors 24 hours a day. Please understand."

    Hai Zhu asked again: "How will the auction work tomorrow?"

    "After 7pm tomorrow, I''ll be waiting for everyone in the auction room," Zi Shu exined the rules in detail. "Between 7 and 10 pm, anyone can find me there and make your bids. After 10pm, I will privately inform each person of the auction results. Any other questions?"

    People began exchanging looks and whispering.

    Jian Jing asked Wei Yang, "Are you going to go take a look?"

    "You clearly don''t have much experience with antique appraisal. People who know their stuff need at least a few hours," Wei Yang took out a cigarette and waved her hand. "We won''t get a turn tonight. Let''s talk again tomorrow."

    Jian Jing had wanted to take a look out of curiosity, but she felt Wei Yang made sense and decided to go back to her cabin first to rest.

    Before falling asleep, Ying Jie Si sent an amused emoji and asked: [How''s it going?]

    Jian Jing: [Annoying]

    Him: [???]

    Her: [Sleeping]

    The guest rooms were all ocean view cabins, but even with a window looking out at the sea, the space inside was still not very big, somewhat stuffy. Also, winds had picked up at night, and in the second half, the yacht rocked with the waves, making people ufortable.

    Jian Jing didn''t even know if she fell asleep or got dizzy and passed out.

    After waking up the next day, she felt rather haggard.

    But looking in the mirror...she was still a radiant young girl.

    Alright then.

    She got up and went to eat breakfast, running into many panda-eyed guests at the restaurant. Whereas yesterday afternoon everyone had been curious with some casual excitement mixed in, today it was restless yet thrilled solemnity.

    The elderly man known as Shen Hou was also there, slowly drinking Iron Buddha tea. Next to him sat a very old woman with white hair who was drinking English-style tea and snacks, a baby chick badge pinned to her chest.

    Jian Jing went over with her tray and asked, "Have you seen everything already?"

    Shen Hou hmm-ed and had aplex expression: "It doesn''t look fake."

    "Even you, who specializes in Qing dynasty pieces, says so. I''d say there''s an 80-90% chance they''re real. Besides, the dating done by the equipment also showed no issues," the old woman amiably nodded at Jian Jing. "Have a seat, you''re also interested in this."

    Jian Jing asked, "I''m very curious, will anyone buy them?"

    "We were just discussing this," the old woman slowly said. "If the price isn''t too high, we''ll pool some money together and buy it. Although I''ve been an immigrant for decades, I still have this much sense of propriety."

    But Shen Hou was very stubborn: "No, they were our things to begin with. After spending this money, how could we buy back the remaining pieces?"

    The old woman retorted, "Then what do you n to do? Make an exorbitant bid to get them withdrawn from the auction?"

    Shen Hou said, "I want to go talk to Zi Shu and find out who the seller is."

    "Anonymity means they don''t want people to know who they are," the old woman was unconvinced. "Zi Shu won''t tell you. These are the rules. How else could future trades continue?"

    Shen Hou: "We can still try and I''ll also ask around about everyone else''s background. Do you know anything?"

    The old woman said, "Xu Gou is French, quite a famous musician, here for the violin. That was the foreign blondedy yesterday in the evening gown."

    Jian Jing thought, yes, that wealthy madam fromst night.

    The old woman went on, "Although Chou Niu, Yin Hu, Chen Long, and Si She speak fluent Chinese, they may not all be Chinese. They could be Japanese, Korean, or overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia."

    Shen Hou said, "Either Japanese and Korean or Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora."

    "I''m not so clear on that. Asians don''t have such obvious differences in appearance," said the old woman. "There is one young man though with very distinctly mixed features."

    Shen Hou nodded firmly and said decisively, "No matter what, I must stop this trade."

    The old womanforted, "There will always be a way. Alright, I should go rest. Staying up half the night has made my old bones all creaky."

    Jian Jing appropriately excused herself so she could truly start breakfast.

    There was muesli, bacon, fried eggs, sandwiches, fried rice, donuts, and some fruit.

    The taste was neither amazing nor awful, befitting the daily standards of a 5-star breakfast.

    After that was of course lining up to see the three anonymous collections.

    No one was at Item 3, the golden scepter, so she was able to admire it peacefully.

    The scepter was not entirely made of gold. The lower part was possibly gold-ted, with only the handle and top being gold, iid with ancient opals in intricate and exquisite designs, full of an ancient and mystical air.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but hold her breath. Perhaps in terms of craftsmanship and materials, Item 3 was the most precious. Across the long flow of time, gold never faded and still radiated a hazy golden glow, extremely captivating.

    But no matter how nice the scepter was, Jian Jing was only looking.

    She did not know its history and had no interest in its origins. Simrly, she did not care who it would eventually end up with either.

    There was someone in Room 1, so she waited a while before encountering the other person face-to-face.

    It was Yin Hu.

    He was a tall, thin man who had nothing to do with the burly old tiger. Wearing a ck suit, he nodded politely to Jian Jing and left without saying a word.

    The Buddhist scriptures were in the safe room.

    The security guard at the door required her to go through a security check to make sure she was not carrying anything destructive before allowing her to enter.

    The room was not big with surveince cameras installed in all four corners.

    She walked over and examined the Buddhist scriptures carefully.

    Under the direct strong light, she could clearly see the traces of paper repairs. The pages were so brittle that they seemed they would crumble at a touch. There was a note on the ss disy case stating that this collection item was already very fragile and had to be kept in a constant temperature and humidity closed environment, with no permission for direct handling.

    Jian Jing could not discern its authenticity or quality, and soon lost interest.

    She wanted to take a look at Collection Item #2.

    But the security guard said someone was already inside.

    She waited for nearly half an hour, but the person inside still did note out.

    She had no choice but to look elsewhere.

    That afternoon, she ran into Shen Hou and Chou Niu chatting in the tea room, voices lowered so she could not make out what they were saying. She also ran into Wu Maworking with foreigndies and Wei Yang for business.

    At 4 o''clock, Safe Room #2 was finally vacant.

    She finally saw the bronze spout head sculpture.

    To be honest, as an architecturalponent, its craftsmanship and form could not be called extraordinarily beautiful or stunning. It was just an ordinary waterspout, exceptionally made from very good material and stamped with a rustic, historic charm.

    But no one could casually view it as just an ordinary bronze statue.

    Jian Jing asked the system, "Can this be authenticated for real or fake?"

    System: [Please draw a card, host]

    She spent 5 points symbolically to draw once.

    The system cooperatively gave her an item card.

    [Name: Item Card - Authentication (1/1)]

    [Content Description: Can authenticate the era,position and craft of an item, limited to use within this instance dungeon, automatically destroyed when map is exited.]

    [Note: Consumable, 100% real]

    Jian Jing used this item card. Then, she went silent.

    There were cameras in all four corners, the ss was st-proof, and there were anti-theft mechanisms. Not to mention her empty hands andck of preparation, even Kidd would have to spend some effort.

    Vexing.

    She left with a dark expression on her face.

    Just before 7 oˇŻclock, people gradually gathered in the hall. Here it is necessary to describe the environment in detail, as it is vital to subsequent events.

    First, the hall was located on the fourth floor, decorated today in the style of a cold buffet dinner.

    The long table was filled with seafood: emperor crab, oysters, yellow croaker, bluefin tuna, Australian lobster...the variety of dishes was extremely abundant. There were also seafood rice, abalone porridge, sushi and other staples; tiramisu, macaron, donuts and other desserts.

    The wine selection was a must, with red wine, champagne, whiskey; Maotai, sake, fully considering the different tastes of the guests.

    The hall had two entrances and exits, one leading to the corridor, the other leading to a long, narrow passageway. Following this path led to a separate waiting room.

    The waiting room had three exits leading to Safe Rooms #1, #2, and #3. There, everyone could confirm the authenticity of the collections again and consider whether to bid.

    After entering the safe room and exiting from another passage, they would arrive at the auction room.

    Zi Shu received everyone''s bids there.

    Bidding ended at 10 pm.

    At the same time, the collection items in the safe rooms would be stored in arge security vault to avoid any issues urring with the collections.

    At 10:30, he would announce the results.

    Zi Shu announced to everyone, "This time, the arrangements provide maximum privacy protection for buyers. No one knows which item you have purchased or your bid amount. Everyone can restpletely assured."

    Such meticulous, cautious arrangements should have received praise from the guests.

    However, most people remained expressionless. Not numb indifference, but more like they were desperately suppressing psychological activity, for fear of revealing something to others.

    Jian Jing thought, very good, it seemed tonightˇŻs transactions were destined to not go smoothly.

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257

    As the host, Zi Shu''s arrangements were almost impable.

    The guests ate and drank in the hall, those who wanted to chat could talk freely, those who wanted to rx could listen to the band ying ssic tunes, and those who wanted to shop could of course go to the auction room to negotiate prices.

    Jian Jing was very concerned about the results of this auction, and was also very curious to know who it would end up in the hands of, so she paid close attention to when each person left.

    With her perceptiveness and her infallible high-tech watch, the timeline she pieced together was absolutely real and reliable.

    7:00 PM, Zi Shu exined the rules and the auction began.

    7:05 PM, after a symbolic start of the banquet, Hai Zhu was the first who couldn''t sit still and left the hall.

    7:15 PM, Yin Hu left.

    7:20 PM, Xu Gou left.

    7:27 PM, Hai Zhu returned.

    7:30 PM, Yin Hu came back.

    7:36 PM, Xu Gou returned.

    7:40 PM, Wei Yang asked a waiter where the restroom was, then left.

    7:50 PM, You Ji and Shen Hou left together.

    7:52 PM, Chou Niu left.

    8:05 PM, You Ji returned. Jian Jing asked her if she went to ce a bid.

    You Ji replied, "Yes, Mr. Hou and I discussed it and I ced a bid, no matter what, just to do my part."

    Jian Jing asked, "What about Shen Hou?"

    You Ji said, "He said he wanted to check out other items."

    8:10 PM, Wei Yang returned.

    8:15 PM, Wu Ma left.

    8:30 PM, Chou Niu returned.

    8:33 PM, Shen Hou came back.

    8:40 PM, Yin Hu left again.

    9:00 PM, Wu Ma returned and attempted to chat up Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing asked, "Did you ce a bid too?"

    Wu Ma smiled and said, "cing a bid for someone else - looks like someone is determined to win."

    9:20 PM, Yin Hu returned.

    9:30 PM, Si She left.

    9:50 PM, Chen Long left.

    9:55 PM, Si She returned.

    10:00 PM, Chen Long returned.

    The auction ended.

    Zi Shu''s secretary said, "Please take a short break, the boss will notify everyone of the results in half an hour."

    It was a very long 30 minutes.

    Jian Jing did not participate in the bidding, she was only concerned with who was able to win the bid, her state of mind was very calm. The others were not so, it was as if they had a bunch of restless mice under them, simply unable to sit still.

    Everyone left for a while - the specific timeline will be listedter - then at 10:30 PM, everyone gathered back in the hall again to await the results.

    But Zi Shu still did not show up.

    The secretary was questioned by the guests, "Where is he? Didn''t you say he would announce it right away?"

    "ThatˇŻs what the boss said," the secretary replied. "Let me go ask."

    She hurried off, and five minutester rushed back, saying, "I knocked but the boss didn''t respond. But security said he hasn''t left the room."

    Jian Jing''s eyelid twitched.

    Hai Zhu couldn''t hold back his impatience anymore. Like an enraged wild boar, he shouted loudly, "What is this, is he still in his room? IˇŻm going to get him out here."

    He strode towards the auction room with a mighty momentum, those who didn''t know better might have thought he was going to duel with someone.

    Jian Jing decided to follow him.

    She hadn''t been inside before, and only now discovered that there was a restroom in the corridor leading from the hall to the waiting room, about 30 feet away. Right after that was the waiting room.

    It was a small, isted room with 3 sensor lights on the disy representing the 3 secure rooms, showing whether there was anyone inside.

    Right now, the middle Room 2 light was red.

    She could only ess Room 1.

    When she came out of the waiting room into Room 1, she saw that all the surveince cameras were dismantled, the collectibles were securely locked away in sealed disy cases with no gaps.

    The other sensor door was closed, not allowing her to exit. But the door quality was quite ordinary, Jian Jing gave it a hard yank, breaking the lock and exposing the corridor behind it.

    She walked to the auction room entrance, Hai Zhu was banging loudly on the door and yelling at the secretary to open it.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: Murder on the Luxury Yacht]

    [Content description: The host was mysteriously killed on a luxury yacht sailing on the open seas. Behind the priceless antiques lies the sinister scheming of fickle human hearts. Please uncover the truth of this case.]

    [Mission reward/penalty: 20 courage points for sess, lose one level of fame for failure]

    Jian Jing sighed, "s."

    She stepped forward and said to the secretary, "Give me the key."

    The secretary replied, "There is no external key to open the auction room door, it can only be unlocked from inside."

    Jian Jing responded with an "Oh" very calmly and said, "Then get me a saw."

    The secretary was shocked, "That...that doesn''t seem right."

    "Mr. Zi Shu seems quite advanced in years, does he have any heart conditions or high blood pressure issues?" Jian Jing smoothly concocted an excuse.

    The secretary immediately changed her tune, "I understand."

    She went to find a saw. In the meantime, the other guests gradually arrived at the door, asking, "What''s going on here?"

    Jian Jing scanned each person''s face and was certain all 11 guests were present. "Maybe he''s fallen ill."

    Five minutester, the secretary and a crew member hurried over, without a saw but with professional unlocking tools. The crew member easily cracked the lock core in seconds and opened the auction room door.

    What met their eyes was an antique screen, tightly obstructing everyone''s view. Behind the screen, Zi Shu was lying t on his back on the floor with a dagger stuck in his chest.

    He was already dead.

    Jian Jing heard Wei Yang give a clear gasp. "What happened?"

    "He was killed," Jian Jing said, grabbing Hai Zhu by the cor. This sturdily built tycoon wanted to break free but surprisingly failed, nearly stumbling over himself.

    "What are you doing?" he asked angrily.

    "Preserving the scene, no one take another step forward." Jian Jing smoothly made arrangements from muscle memory built up over time working such cases. "Secretary miss, please call the police and notify the yacht to sail back."

    "Please wait a moment," Yin Hu politely but stiffly interrupted her. "What were the results of the covert auction?"

    Jian Jing replied, "How would I know?"

    Yin Hu immediately said, "I suggest we resolve the auction issue first."

    "What do you mean?" she asked.

    "The buyers and sellers involved in the trade are all club members," Yin Hu stated. "Miss Secretary, do you know who the anonymous seller is? What will happen to the 3 collectibles?"

    The secretary responded nkly, "I''m not sure." She exined, "All this was arranged by the boss himself, we just had to follow his orders."

    "The secure disy cases have been locked right?" Chou Niu chimed in, eyes shifting about. "Can you open them?"

    The secretary shook her head.

    "We need someone who can make decisions here," Shen Hou said impatiently. "If you can''t, then who can?"

    The secretary responded, "I can contact Mr. Gu, he is the boss''s proxy."

    "Hurry up then."

    Seizing the interval, Jian Jing asked Shen Hou to confirm, "The seller must be a club member?"

    "Of course, the club would never ept an outsider''s consignment," he replied.

    She asked again, "So is the seller here?"

    "Not necessarily, but even if the person isn''t here themselves, for such precious collectibles being auctioned here, there should be an agent representative among us," elderlydy You Ji added. "This person is among us."

    But Wu Ma was concerned with another issue, "I''m very curious who killed Zi Shu and why?"

    "The auction," Si She said slowly. "Someone...was not hap..happy with the covert auction re..results, *cough cough*, killing Zi Shu and messing up the deal is the simplest way."

    Jian Jing involuntarily nced at him.

    She was unfamiliar with Si She, an inconspicuous ordinary looking lean man. Hisplexion was slightly pale, seeming to have asthma but she had never witnessed him having an attack before.

    "Are you sick?" she deliberately asked.

    Si She replied hoarsely, "Sore throat, sorry about that." Followed by a violent coughing fit.

    After about 15 minutes, the secretary rushed over breathlessly for the nth time, announcing, "Mr. Gu has a message for everyone."

    She opened up herptop, revealing a video call interface. On the other end was a home office scene with a man in a dress shirt.

    "I am Mr. Zi Shu''s proxy. ording to the letter of authorization he signed, I can handle all matters on his behalf should he be incapacitated to act.

    Mr. Gu showed an authorization letter, his tone calm: "The situation on the yacht is very special now. I will head to the yacht immediately. Before I arrive, Miss Tina can handle ordinary matters on the yacht."

    Miss Tina reminded: "The guests hope to deal with the secret photography issue."

    "I know. Next I will exin this matter," Mr. Gu spoke powerfully. "First, I regret to tell everyone that I am not a member of the Antique Club. Mr. Zi Shu has fully fulfilled his obligations and did not introduce the participants this time to me. I do not know who the seller of the three anonymous trading collectibles is."

    There was an uproar among the crowd, their eyes shifting around.

    He made a gesture to "calm down a bit", and continued: "However, the seller hasmission letters in duplicate. After I arrive, as long as you hand over themission letter for my inspection, I will be responsible for returning the collectibles. I have full authority over the password to the safe room, please rest assured."

    After a pause, his expression became serious: "But I think the most important thing is not this - Mr. Zi Shu was killed. Considering the closed environment of the yacht, the murderer is obviously still on the ship. For everyone''s safety, and to give my employer an exnation, I hope everyone can cooperate with the investigation and find out the truth as soon as possible."

    The foreign noblewoman, Miss Xu Gou, interrupted him and said in English: "The Chinese police have no right to investigate this matter. This is international waters! I demand to contactwyers and the embassy."

    Mr. Gu coldly retorted: "The yacht is registered in China. They have the right to intervene in cases that ur here. However, considering your foreign identities, I have a suggestion - let the people on board investigate in a neutral capacity."

    Chou Niu said: "Who on the ship does not have suspicions?"

    "The safe room, auction room, and waiting room have no surveince, but the hall where you gather does," Mr. Gu said. "I have already viewed the footage. Between 7 pm and 10:30 pm, there was one person who never left the hall. I''m right aren''t I, Miss Jian Jing?"

    Jian Jing slowly replied: "Yes."

    "Are you willing to ept mymission to investigate the murder of my employer?" he asked.

    Jian Jing said: "Of course, I would be happy to."

    Mr. Gu said: "Then it''s settled. Miss Tina, please cooperate with Miss Jian Jing''s investigation. Contact me anytime if necessary. I will fly to the scene the day after tomorrow to handle follow-up matters."

    Miss Tina breathed a sigh of relief and resumed her shrewd efficiency: "No problem."

    "Good, go confirm the safe room immediately and arrange for someone to stand guard there around the clock in shifts," Mr. Gu considered very carefully. "We cannot allow anything unexpected to happen to the collectibles."

    Tina: "Yes."

    Mr. Gu looked at Jian Jing, his stern expression revealing a trace of inscrutable depth: "See you then."

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258

    With the owner''s authorization, Jian Jing politely saw the others out and examined the scene alone.

    She first checked the corpse.

    Zi Shu was wearing a ck tailcoat and was lying on his side on the carpet with a pained expression. His right hand was grasping the hilt of the dagger stuck in his chest, as if trying to pull it out but failing, either due tock of strength or some other reason. His left hand reached forward to the cell phone sitting on the tea table, not far away.

    There were traces of blood around the wound, but not arge amount of blood loss. There were a few drops of blood on the carpet, two or three spots. Based on the victim''s position, he had crawled two steps before dying. The location where he was stabbed was by the wall, where there was a wine cab. The cab was open, and a bottle of red wine had been taken out, but not opened yet.

    The initial inference was that the victim was about to pour wine when he suddenly turned around and was stabbed in the chest. He fell to the ground and crawled two steps, trying to grab his phone, but did not seed and died halfway.

    It was 11:30 PM now. Based on the examination of lividity and rigor mortis, it could be determined that the time of death was within 3 hours.

    At 10:30 PM, everyone had gathered in the hall waiting for Zi Shu. Jian Jing was also the first to arrive at the scene, and the security guard had never left the other door of the auction room. The possibility of someone elsemitting the crime was extremely small.

    Therefore, if there were no special circumstances, the time of death could be determined to be before 10:30 PM.

    Jian Jing looked at the other clues at the scene.

    The broken lock cylinder was damaged, but from the structure it was a very typicaltch lock, the kind with a door handle on the outside. Without a deadbolt, pushing down on the handle would open the door.

    On the side facing the room, there was a square knob that could slide across to deadbolt the door shut. She picked it up and roughly examined it under the light. There were no fingerprint traces.

    In addition, the room key was in the victim''s front pocket, and the auction room had no windows or other doors.

    This was an out-and-out locked room murder.

    But anyone who had seen detective works would easily think of making a simple tool with a string (or ribbon or something) and a weight (like an ice cube) to lock the door from the outside.

    Or it was not impossible to use a string to lock the door with the key from outside, then secretly put the key back into the pocket.

    Only there were no traces of the string having cut into the key, nor traces of adhesive residue from tape, so she couldn''t guess what method had been used.

    In addition, there was a fruit tter on the tea table, with whole oranges and apples rather than pre-cut fruit. In the trash can were fruit peels that had been peeled.

    Jian Jing took out gloves from her bag and carefully put them on, then gently pulled out the dagger.

    With a light sniff, besides the bloody smell there was also a fruity aroma.

    This was probably a fruit knife.

    But it wasn''t amon stainless steel knife. The de had a beautiful pattern on its surface, the handle was wood, and it was quite heavy.

    If she remembered correctly, this should be Damascus steel forged, considered a work of art.

    Hmm, the old gentleman had good taste, even peeling an apple so extravagantly.

    She put the murder weapon down and started looking through documents.

    From what everyone had said, she already knew the nned processˇŞafter buyers entered the auction room, they would write down their price and seal it with wax.

    At this stage, Zi Shu would not look at anyone''s bid, ensuring no clues would be leaked toter bidders.

    At 10 PM, he would be alone in the auction room, opening the envelopes and selecting the buyer with the highest bid. He would privately notify the winner during theter meeting.

    But in the auction room, she found neither envelopes nor bid sheets.

    The above was the result of the first investigation of the scene.

    Jian Jing then found two security guards and asked about that evening''s events.

    Here, the overall terrain must be described in more detail, roughly as follows:

    ...[Hall]....

    .....Pathway..Pathway...........[Restroom]

    .....Pathway..Hallway..........[Waiting Room]

    .....................Corridor.........

    ...[Room 3]...[Room 2]...[Room 1]...

    .............Closed Corridor..........

    .........[Auct--ion--Room]............

    .......Guard a.........Guard b........

    To reiterate: After 7 PM, everyone gathered in the hall. Through the L-shaped pathway, one could ess the restroom and waiting room at the end of the corridor. Going through the waiting room would lead to a corridor with three safe rooms.

    Passing through the safe rooms would reach a closed corridor, directly facing the door of the auction room. The auction room had two doorsˇŞthe front door faced a long corridor guarded by two security guards, and one could enter through the back door.

    Jian Jing questioned the two guards separately.

    Their statements were as follows.

    Jian Jing: "Tell me about your duties tonight."

    Guard a: "It was pretty simple tonight. My colleague and I just had to stand guard at the door to make sure no one went in or out, and listen for orders from the boss if needed."

    Jian Jing: "What time did you start working?"

    Guard a: "7 PM. It was supposed to end at midnight."

    Jian Jing: "Has it been just the two of you the whole time? Any shift rotations?"

    Guard a: "No rotations, just us two."

    Jian Jing: "When did youst hear any sounds from the victim?"

    Guard a: "Actually I didn''t hear anything all night. The sound instion on the door is very good."

    Jian Jing: "Did the victim talk to you at all?"

    Guard a: "Around 9-something he opened the door and told us to send fruit and red wine inside."

    Jian Jing: "What time was that? Was anyone inside?"

    Guard a: "I don''t remember clearly, didn''t pay attention."

    Jian Jing: "Did you leave your post at any point today?"

    Guard a: "Left twice. Once around 9-something to get the server, once at 10 to use the restroom."

    The questioning ended there.

    She asked guard b the same questions.

    He corroborated guard a''s ount of getting fruit around 9-something. He said he only used the restroom once around 8-something, and stood guard at the door afterward.

    Likewise, because the sound instion was very good, he didn''t hear any sounds either.

    Jian Jing also asked Zi Shu''s secretary Tina, who said the two guards were hired by Zi Shu from a reputable securitypany that provided close protection for many celebrities and politicians, with strict background checks, nothing suspicious found.

    In other words, they probably would not be easily bribed or betray their employer.

    Additionally, like the other door, when they broke the door down, the door lock had remained in the deadbolted state. Unless the victim opened the door himself, the guards could not get in.

    The corridor they guarded was a main passage, monitored, which could also prove their innocence.

    One end of the area was sealed off.

    Although servers went in and out of the hall, and the band performed, they all entered and exited through the hall door. Jian Jing would bet that aside from the 10 guests, no one had entered the L-shaped pathway.

    In other words, the killer was among the guests.

    The next step would naturally be to investigate the identities of the 10 guests.

    Jian Jing made a table for them, listing her impressions and analysis of each.

    --

    Chou Niu: Speech patterns differ somewhat from domestic people, earlier he spoke what sounded like Hokkien with Shen Hou, an overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia?

    Yin Hu: Coolly polite, very fluent Chinese, strong Japanese vor. Ran into him once in Room 1.

    Chen Long: Inconspicuous guy, seems a bit of a loner, didn''t run into him alone.

    Si She: Sick, coughing nonstop, also inconspicuous

    Wu Ma: Handsome guy with abs, and the middleman making connections. He also participated in the private auction, said he was bidding for someoneˇŞwhomissioned him?

    Wei Yang: ssy middle-ageddy, collector and antique shop owner

    Shen Hou: Longtime member, appraiser, very unwilling to let the bronze head fall into outsiders'' hands (motive?).

    You Ji: An overseas Chinese olddy who immigrated to the UK, and is acquainted with Shen Hou. She intends to unite with other guests to shoot the Copper Head.

    Xu Gou: A foreign noblewoman who bought a violin. Does she have a motive?

    Hai Zhu: A local tyrant. As soon as he came up, he was aiming for the national treasure, and was determined to get the Copper Head?

    --

    The fog is thick.

    Jian Jing sighed and prepared to go to the three insurance rooms to take a look.

    There, she met Tina.

    She told Jian Jing: "I have already arranged for bodyguards to stand guard at the insurance room in shifts 24 hours a day."

    Jian Jing said, "What about monitoring?"

    "It can''t be installed inside, it has already been temporarily installed outside." Tina''s work efficiency was still quite good, and she had considered it very thoughtfully.

    Jian Jing was slightly relieved, and asked Tina to have the staff change the door locks and send the keys to her cabin.

    Tina immediately agreed.

    After doing all this, Jian Jing went back to the cabin to rest, preparing to interrogate the suspects one by one tomorrow.

    Perhaps because there was a case on her mind, she didn''t notice whether the yacht was swaying or not at all, and fell asleep as soon as shey down.

    The next day, she specifically asked the chef to prepare a Chinese breakfast, ate her fill, and then dove into the auction room.

    She took a makeup box with her. The firstyer containedmonly used cosmetics, and the secondyer contained forensic tools - don''t ask why she had to carry this with her, just in case, as the saying goes.

    After spending some effort, she extracted several fingerprints from the murder weapon. She passed them to Tina and asked her to find someone topare them with the deceased''s fingerprints as soon as possible.

    On the door, there were many people''s fingerprints on the outside, and the inside was wiped very clean without leaving any fingerprints at all.

    After doing all this, it was nearly ten o''clock, and Jian Jing started looking for guests to interrogate and take statements.

    She decided to visit them one by one in chronological order.

    It should be reiterated beforehand that the estimated time of death at present was between 20:30-22:30.

    The first was Hai Zhu.

    He was the first to leave the hall, and had shown great interest towards the national treasures very early, leaving at 19:05-19:27, totaling 22 minutes.

    Jian Jing asked him, "Were you the first to bid?"

    Hai Zhu admitted at once: "Yes."

    She: "Did it go smoothly?"

    Hai Zhu: "Of course."

    She: "Which number did you bid on, is it convenient to say?"

    Hai Zhu hesitated for a moment, and finally fearlessly stated directly: "It''s quite obvious, isn''t it? I bid on No. 2."

    Jian Jing said, "I noticed that you left again around 22:15, where did you go?"

    Hai Zhu''s eyes were evasive: "Nothing much, I went to the toilet."

    Jian Jing: "Did you go to the auction room?"

    Hai Zhu: "No, absolutely not."

    She nced at him, her eyes scanning the corners of the cabin, nodded her head, and finished the questioning.

    The second was Yin Hu.

    He left twice during the auction, the first time was 19:15-19:30, and the second time was 20:40 to 21:20.

    Very suspicious.

    Jian Jing asked, "Talk about what you did yesterday."

    Yin Hu sat upright, with his hands on his knees: "Please allow me to exin, I didn''t seed the first time I went out, so I went again the second time."

    Jian Jing pretended to be surprised: "Why?"

    "Because there were people in the auction room," he said. "I thought there was no hurry anyway, so I just came back to rest for a while and go againter."

    Jian Jing nodded, not saying whether she believed it or not, she only asked: "What was the situation when you went the second time?"

    Yin Hu recalled: "Everything was very normal. I wrote down the price on the form and sealed it to give it to Mr. Zi Shu."

    Jian Jing: "Was he still alive at that time?"

    "I''m afraid that''s the case." he said.

    Jian Jing asked: "Did the deceased say anything to you? How did he look?"

    "Very friendly. While I was thinking about the price, he told me not to worry and asked me if I wanted a ss of sake."

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment, and asked, "At that time, was there a fruit tter on his desk?"

    Yin Hu: "Sorry, I didn''t pay attention. The auction item upied my brain."

    Jian Jing: "Which item number did you bid on, is it convenient to say?"

    Yin Hu hesitated for a moment and said, "No. 2."

    "Are you confident about your bid?" she asked.

    Yin Hu answered concisely and powerfully: "I have done my best."

    "I guess you shouldn''t be very confident in your heart." Jian Jing smiled and pointed out his third time leaving, "At 22:10, I saw you leave again. Was it to confirm the bid?"

    Yin Hu was expressionless: "No, I went to the bathroom."

    "I see." She smiled apologetically for a moment, and suddenly looked under his desk at the garbage cans. The garbage inside had already been sorted into categories. The empty mineral water bottles even had the packaging paper and bottle caps separated.

    "Japanese?"

    Yin Hu pursed the corners of his mouth and answered stiffly: "I don''t think this is relevant to the case."

    "Just asking." She didn''t take offense and left after saying goodbye.

    The third was Xu Gou, a foreign noblewoman. ording to You Ji, she was French, a famous musician. She left the hall from 19:20-19:36.

    Jian Jing didn''t have much private contact with her before, so she couldn''t help but look her up and down carefully this time when meeting face to face.

    She was not a very beautiful woman, but had an elegant temperament. Her blonde hair was dyed. ck hair roots were revealed at the base showing that her hair was not natural blonde. She had blue irises, paleplexion, and obvious dark circles under her eyes. Obviously she did not sleep wellst night.

    "Oh my God." Xu Gou said in a worried tone, "How could this happen?"

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259

    When people encounter a murder case, they react differently. Some are shocked and terrified, some are indifferent, some are excited and curious, and this musician looks like the most ordinary kind.

    Jian Jing had to spend some effort tofort her before getting to the point: "You left the hall around 7:30 pm yesterday. Did you go to attend the auction?"

    She nodded.

    Jian Jing asked, "What was the situation like at that time? Did the victim say anything special to you?"

    "Yes! He said a lot of interesting things, like my code name. To tell the truth, I don''t like dogs, I''m allergic to dog hair, why wasn''t it a cat? I have a very cute plush cat."

    Thisdy''s thoughts jumped around a lot. Just now she still looked shocked, but now she was enthusiastically talking about her cat, and specially took out her phone to show Jian Jing the cat''s photos.

    Jian Jing said, "Dogs are also very cute."

    "Maybe." She shrugged, lookingpletely unconvinced.

    Jian Jing returned to the main topic: "Which item were you bidding on, can you tell me?"

    "I have nothing to hide. Number 3," she held up three fingers, "Gold is fascinating, and the missing Mayan culture also attracted me."

    Jian Jing fell silent in thought, then after a while asked again: ˇ°Do you know which items the others were interested in?ˇ±

    Xu Gou Lady shook her headzily, "I don''t care about these things, sorry."

    "Then, why did you leave the hall at 10:05 pm?" Jian Jing asked again.

    Her answer came without any hesitation: "The bathroom."

    "Did you run into anyone?"

    "I didn''t notice."

    The questioning ended.

    From 7:05 pm to 7:36 pm, Xu Gou, Yin Hu, and Zi Shu respectively made a round trip once.

    Next was the questioning of the fourth person, Wei Yang, from 7:40 pm to 8:10 pm.

    There were many interesting little collectibles in her cabin, and even the table was full of boxes. And there was not only Jian Jing, but also the You Ji Old Woman.

    The three women with a considerable age difference were having afternoon tea on the balcony.

    The sunshine was bright and the sea waves were deep blue. The waiter brought coffee, and Wei Yang took out a beautiful bone china cup and invited them to have afternoon tea together.

    Jian Jing politelyplimented for a few sentences, then slowly got to the point.

    "I''m very curious,ˇ± she said, ˇ°which item does Ms. Wei Yang want to bid on?ˇ±

    Wei Yang said, "I''m a practical person. Although the bronze head is important, I don''t think I can get it. I want to buy the Buddhist scriptures, priced at no more than seven digits at the most."

    Jian Jing asked her the same questions about anything unusual, and that she could say anything she thought was necessary.

    Wei Yang thought for a while and said, "I hesitated a little on the price and tried to probe him with a couple of sentences, but he didn''t say anything, just assured me that this transaction would be absolutely confidential and he wouldn''t reveal half a word to the outside."

    "Then what?"

    "Of course I couldn''t say anything more. I just filled in a price and came out." said Wei Yang.

    Jian Jing thought for a while, then turned to look at You Ji Old Woman. She and Shen Hou left the hall together, but returned at different times.

    Her timeline was 7:50 pm to 8:05 pm, Shen HouˇŻs was 7:50 pm to 8:33 pm.

    "You two were there for Item Number 2, right?"

    The old woman nodded.

    "How did you two quote the price?"

    You Ji Old Woman always spoke in such an unhurried tone: "We estimated a price. If it was at an auction outside, it would probably be 50-70 million. If we met someone intent on making trouble, 200-300 million would not be surprising. But since it''s being auctioned here, it must be much more affordable. Old Hou and I contacted a few friends and n to contribute part each, bidding 2.7 million RMB.ˇ±

    This was the first time Jian Jing had a clear idea of the price.

    But Wei Yang was very skeptical: "Would that price work?"

    "It would have worked originally, but now ..." the old woman shook her head with a sigh, "I guess the bids from the other few must be higher than ours."

    Jian Jing asked: "The others?"

    "Tiger, Ox, and Pig must be going for Item 2 as well. They don''t seem short on money either." You Ji old woman pondered, "But when ites to murder, Dragon and Snake are more suspicious."

    Jian Jing became interested: "Why?"

    The old woman smiled and said, "Youngdy, you are still too young. They obviously came for the person, not very interested in antiques."

    "You mean they knew the victim?" Jian Jing asked, "What kind of person was the victim? Do you know?"

    "The person is dead, there is nothing bad to say." The old woman took a sip of red tea, her tone t, "He used to be quite famous in the industry. His skills were indeed good. It''s a pity he didn''t use them on the right path, making enemies."

    Whenever ites to old people, once they open up, you don''t have to worry about them leaving you hanging. As long as you make a listening gesture, they will be very happy to tell you some old stories from years past.

    You Ji was like this too.

    She had emigrated abroad for many years. Sometimes she would suddenly forget how to say an idiom, asionally hesitate for a while, but as she spoke more and more fluently, dialect would asionally pop up.

    ording to her ount, Zi Shu had a unique eye for antiques appraisal and rarely made mistakes. His skills were superb, especially good at counterfeiting antiques. No matter if it was porcin, jade, or bronze, he was extremely proficient, and his fakes were indistinguishable from real ones with the naked eye without scientific instruments.

    It was this skill that allowed him to cheat a lot of people.

    However, the antique business was like this, relying on vision and luck. If you appraise wrongly yourself, you canˇŻt return the goods. You can only swallow your grievances and admit it.

    However, as the saying goes, if you stand by the river long enough, your shoes are bound to get wet.

    When Zi Shu was at his most proud and prosperous time, the environment was not as clean as it is now, with dragons and snakes mixed together. He inadvertently offended a big shot.

    The other party didn''t say much. They tied him up and chopped off two of his fingers, asking, "Will you keep doing it in the future?"

    Zi Shu surrendered very quickly: "I dare not, I absolutely dare not."

    The big shot let him go. He rushed to the hospital to at least have them reattached. But ever since then, the two thumbs have not been very flexible, unable to do delicate work.

    He withdrew from the business since.

    Counting the time, hisst big job was also over ten years ago.

    Jian Jing couldnˇŻt help but wonder: "It''s been so long. Is someone stilling to take revenge?"

    There was a lightugh from the side. It was Wei Yang who spoke up: "The antique business has deep waters. Bankruptcies caused by an object are not umon, let alone family destruction. I have encountered spending huge sums of money to buy several antiques, wanting to resell them for a big profit, but they turned out to be fakes. Not only did the personmit suicide, they left all their ass worth of debts to their wife and children."

    Jian Jing uttered an "oh" and silently added new motives to her notes.

    Because Shen Hou was taking a nap at this time, Jian Jing was going to ask Chou Niu next.

    His timeline was 7:52 pm to 8:30 pm.

    Jian Jing''s questions werergely the same as before, just asking which number he was buying, and if there was anything noticeable said at that time.

    Chou Niu''s answer was also Item Number 2, and he expressed disapproval of the auction rules.

    "I''m not surprised by his death." Chou Niu looked like a rather wealthy tycoon. His gestures carried an aura of importance, ˇ°The buyer''s and seller''s information is in the hands of the same person. It does notply with the rules of a dark auction, unless he himself is the seller."

    It was another highly enlightening answer.

    Jian Jing nodded in agreement, but raised doubts: "If he is the seller, what is the benefit of killing him? The buyers can''t get the goods anymore either."

    "Some people don''t want the goods to be sold, and are willing to kill for it." Chou Niu said coldly.

    Jian Jing was silent in thought. After a while, she asked, "Do you think the victim was the seller? Do you have any evidence?"

    "I''m just guessing randomly. In the end, it doesnˇŻt matter who the seller is." Chou Niu said, "I just feel itˇŻs a pity that the ram''s head will drift to who knows where again."

    Probably because Jian Jing''s gaze was too obvious, he took the initiative to say: "I was originally nning to buy it and donate it out. What a pity.ˇ±

    Jian Jing just smiled, not really believing him.

    After Chou Niu was Wu Ma. He left at 8:15 pm and returned at 9:00 pm, right on the edge of the time of death. Jian Jing was going to question him carefully.

    But when she went to find him, Wu Ma was talking seriously with the cruise staff, with a solemn expression.

    "What''s going on here?" Jian Jing was extremely curious.

    Wu Ma forced a smile, both helpless and incredulous: "My room was broken into."

    She was surprised: "A thief?"

    "Yes, someone rummaged through my safe," Wu Ma made way and invited her into the room. His cabin was tidy and neat like a mirror image of Jian Jing''s room, with only aptopputer on the desk and not much luggage.

    However, the safe embedded in the closet had been opened, and the lock was visibly damaged.

    "What did you lose?" Jian Jing asked.

    "Nothing lost," Wu Ma spread his hands, also feeling strange, "Even if there was a thief, they shouldn''t have targeted my room specifically. I don''t have anything valuable here."

    Jian Jing squatted down to examine the lock and determined that it had been pried open by force. She also looked at the door lock, which was intact. Apparently, the thief had somehow obtained a key card to the room.

    "Forget it, nothing is lost," Wu Ma did not suffer any loss and did not n to make a big fuss about it. "You came to ask me about what happenedst night, right?"

    She nodded and asked directly, "You left the auction hall around 9 pm. What was the victim''s condition at that time?"

    Wu Ma shrugged. "I didn''t notice anything wrong at all."

    "Who did you bid for? Which lot number? Would you mind telling me?"

    Wu Ma smiled. "I can''t reveal client information or I won''t get more business."

    "Was it Lot 2?"

    He just smiled mysteriously, not revealing anything.

    Jian Jing didn''t ask further.

    The sky was already getting dark. She wanted to hurry up and interview thest two people before dinner.

    Yi Long and Yi She.

    Si She''s timeline was 9:30 pm - 9:55 pm. Chen Long was 9:50 pm - 10 pm. In terms of timing, both were suspicious. And they did not look like they were here to buy antiques at all.

    She asked Si She first.

    He seemed very sick. This time he wore a mask. His face was pale, and the exposed hands had protruding veins. He did not look like he just had a sore throat as he imed.

    "Have a seat," his voice sounded hoarse than normal peopleˇŻs due to coughing. "What do you want to ask?"

    Jian Jing asked, "What were you doing between 9:30 pm and 9:55 pmst night?"

    Si She said: "Bidding."

    "On which lot?"

    "Lot 1."

    Jian Jing nced at him and asked, "Did you know the victim beforehand?"

    "No, I didn''t know him," Si She coughed from time to time and said hoarsely, "I borrowed a friend''s invitation. I had no prior involvement in this before."

    This person was unexpectedly cooperative. Jian Jing secretly looked over his room. There was also very little luggage, but the few personal belongings were very valuable, indicating good financial conditions.

    She couldn''t help asking, "May I ask, since you had no prior involvement, why did you want to participate in the club''s trading conference this time?"

    Si She hesitated and said, "I''m in poor health and wanted to find something special to improve my fortune. I heard there would be a Buddhist scripture here, so I came to take a look."

    Jian Jing realized he was superstitious.

    Thest one was Chen Long.

    Of all people interviewed so far, this man had the coldest attitude. He didn''t even let Jian Jing into the room.

    She asked, "Would you mind telling me which lot you bid on?"

    Chen Long said coldly: ˇ°ThatˇŻs confidential.ˇ±

    She: "Did you know the victim beforehand?ˇ±

    Chen Long: ˇ°Noment.ˇ±

    She: ˇ°You left at 9:50 pm. Did you go to the auction hall?ˇ±

    Chen Long: ˇ°That information is ssified.ˇ±

    She: ˇ°Then did you see the victim after 7 pmst night?ˇ±

    Chen Long: ˇ°DonˇŻt bother me if thereˇŻs nothing else.ˇ±

    That concluded Jian JingˇŻs initial round of interviews with the ten people.

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260

    At the restaurant, Jian Jing sits alone by the window, recording today''s investigation results in her small notebook.

    So far, there seem to be three motives for killing Zi Shu:

    1. Disrupting the transaction (the buyer lost the bid? Doesn''t want the auction to seed? Prevent the bronze head from leaving?)

    2. Thinking Zi Shu was the seller (snatching the bronze head? Out of historical resentment?)

    3. Personal revenge against Zi Shu for his forgery

    Zi Shu''s time of death was between 8:30-10:30pm. By screening everyone''s timeline, the following suspects can be obtained:

    Chou Niu: 7:52-8:30 pm, bidder 2

    Shen Hou: 7:50-8:35 pm, bidder 2

    Wu Ma: 8:15-9:00 pm, imed to be a proxy bidder, refused to disclose the client and auction item

    Yin Hu: 8:40-9:20 pm, bidder 2

    Si She: 9:30-9:55 pm, bidder 1

    Chen Long: 9:50-10:00 pm, refused to disclose

    --Auction Ends--

    Xu Gou: 10:05-10:15 pm, bidder 3

    Yin Hu: 10:10-10:20 pm, left for the third time

    Hai Zhu: 10:15-10:25 pm, bidder 2

    Through the timeline, Wei Yang and You Ji can be ruled out, but it cannot be determined that they have no suspicion. For example, could the elderly woman You Ji have conspired with Shen Hou?

    But there is still a critical question here.

    After 10pm, not everyone necessarily went to the auction room, but before 10pm, everyone had gone to the auction room. If Zi Shu had died very early, how couldter arrivals not have noticed? Or to be more precise, would they cover it up for someone?

    Maybe they would, but the bodyguards said that after 9pm, they saw with their own eyes Zi Shu ordering them to fetch fruit.

    So the scope can be further narrowed down.

    Yin Hu: 8:40-9:20 pm

    Si She: 9:30-9:55 pm

    Chen Long: 9:50-10:00 pm

    --Auction Ends--

    Xu Gou: 10:05-10:15 pm

    Yin Hu: 10:10-10:20 pm

    Hai Zhu: 10:15-10:25 pm

    The murderer is among these five people.

    Then, don''t forget about the missing auction slip. This could have been taken by the murderer, or by someone who cameter. There is no further information for now.

    Jian Jing bites the end of her pen and tries to deduce some possibilities first:

    1. Yin Hu knew the auction failed, killed Zi Shu in a moment of impulse, then fled in panic. Si She and Chen Long discovered the problem but chose to remain silent for various reasons (such as the auction slip). Later, afraid of exposure, Yin Hu returned to the auction room and faked the locked room scenario.

    It kind of makes sense, but it''s quite far-fetched. Could it be that both Si She and Chen Long held grudges against the deceased? Yin Hu should also have known clearly that problems would be discovered immediately byter arrivals. And it''s really difficult for two people to both remain silent.

    2. The killer is Si She, and Chen Long kept silent for some reason. Then in all likelihood, he took away the auction slip and faked the locked room - if he couldn''t get in and didn''t know about the victim''s death, it seems a bit unreasonable for him to stay silent.

    3. Thest person to enter, Chen Long, is the killer.

    But don''t forget that Xu Gou, Yin Hu and Hai Zhu went out again at 10pm. Surely it can''t be just by coincidence that all three really needed the bathroom at the same time? If any one of them went to the auction room, why didn''t they mention the locked room?

    Oh right, the locked room.

    She circles this phrase. There are many possibilities for creating a locked room scenario - detective novels have mentioned it more than once. For example:

    1. Disguise the victimˇŻs death as suicide or ident;

    2. Frame the person who has the key or is in the same room;

    3. Dy the discovery of the victim''s death;

    4. Use the locked room to interfere with the investigation and overlook some important evidence;

    5. The criminal is an artist trying to provoke the detective/police with a locked room mystery.

    But solving cases by wild guesses will get nowhere. Based on the known clues, Jian Jing could make up seven or eight usible case versions that meet the requirements. To be honest, although she has been mocked by Qifeng countless times for her ˇ°novel-likeˇ± deductions, the simple reason why Jian Jing always seeds is ¨C there is only one truth. Only the real chain of events can perfectly match every single clue, with no second possibility.

    What else is missing? She rests her chin on hand, pondering deeply, oblivious even when the waiter brings the dishes over.

    Just then, other guests alsoe for dinner.

    Wu Ma, Wei Yang, You Ji and Shen Hou sit together. After exchanging just a few words, Wu Ma brings up the burry of his safe, reminding Wei Yang, ˇ°YouˇŻve got a lot of stuff there, better keep an eye out in case the thief sets sights on you too.ˇ±

    Wei Yang is greatly shocked. ˇ°There are thieves on board? Have they been caught?ˇ±

    ˇ°I asked the crew, they said no keycards were reported lost,ˇ± says Wu Ma. ˇ°But you know electronics arenˇŻt reliable, anyone who knows how could easily clone a card. Just be more careful, everyone.ˇ±

    Wei Yang frowns deeply.

    Elderly woman You Ji suggests to her, ˇ°Why not ask the secretary to lend you a safe deposit box? Theirs must be more secure than the cabin safes.ˇ±

    ˇ°IˇŻll go ask,ˇ± Wei Yang took some small and exquisite items, each worth no more than a few hundred thousand, but all delicate and dazzling. If stolen, they would be hard to find.

    She hurries off, returning in less than half an hour, face rxed. ˇ°There is indeed a safe on board. IˇŻve moved my things over.ˇ±

    ˇ°Is it reliable?ˇ± Wu Ma asks.

    ˇ°ItˇŻll do,ˇ± Wei Yang smiles. ˇ°The door is professional grade anti-theft, much sturdier than the cabins.ˇ±

    ˇ°Good then,ˇ± Shen Hou briefly nods, pondering, ˇ°Stealing stuff aside, thereˇŻs no reason to target you.ˇ±

    Wu Ma says, ˇ°I also wonder why. I clearly donˇŻt look rich, do I? If it''s someone on board, wouldn''t they know who has more money?ˇ± As he speaks, he signals subtly at Hai Zhu.

    Hai Zhu is dressed head-to-toe in branded goods ¨C a Patek Philippe watch, Hermes belt, Gi clothes, plus a funky looking bracelet. He yells loudly, ˇ°What the hell is this crap? Tastes fucking awful! Get me some shark fin!ˇ±

    The chef who was scolded out looks displeased.

    Shen Hou forces a smile, the wrinkled old face still shrewd. ˇ°Perhaps what he wants to steal isn''t valuables.ˇ±

    Wei Yang sets down her cutlery, sips champagne. ˇ°What is it then?ˇ±

    Shen Hou gives a coldugh without answering.

    At the next table, Jian Jing listening all the while helps finish his reply in her mind: the Letter of Authorization.

    The letter authorizing Zi Shu from the seller to auction the item.

    Now that Zi Shu has died, even Mr. Gu doesn''t know who the seller is. Whoever gets the Letter of Authorization can take away the collection.

    Not bad, this thiefˇŻs mind works quickly indeed.

    But only the eleven guests and Tina know about this. If the secretary''s identity checks out, could the thief be among the ten people?

    Thoughts tangle without making sense of anything.

    Jian Jing closes her notebook, picks up cutlery, ready to finish her now slightly cold pasta.

    In between, Chou Niu and Xu Gou alsoe for dinner, the former orders steak but pairs it curiously with papaya stewed razor ms, while thetter takes French onion soup with potato gratin.

    Both smell wonderful.

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...Please bring me another serving of shrimp dumplings.ˇ±

    Full from the meal, she returns to the crime scene.

    This time, she carries out a meticulous inspection all over again, growing more doubtful: Zi Shu went to take wine, was he celebrating something? The knife was improvised from what was on hand, so the killer attacked him spontaneously without preparation?

    Quite a few people mentioned Zi Shu kept confidentiality well and likely wouldnˇŻt reveal results before the auction ended. If the killer didn''t know the oue, what motive did they have to kill him?

    From this perspective, those who left after 10pm seem more suspicious.

    Also, doesnˇŻt this allow ruling out revenge? Revenge must be premeditated, carefully nned. In such a unique, restricted environment of ess and exit limits, it is not a good opportunity to attack.

    Dissatisfied with the auction results? Or did conversation identally reveal Zi Shu to be the seller?

    Xu Gou: 10:05-10:15 pm; Yin Hu: 10:10-10:20 pm; Hai Zhu: 10:15-10:25 pm.

    Xu Gou (if he didn''t lie) wanted to bid for item 3 and faced nopetitors at all, so no motive. Yin Hu and Hai Zhu were both confident bidders for item 2 and seem rather suspicious.

    Also, considering the murder method, it would be quite difficult in terms of physical strength and skill for Xu Gou to swiftly, ruthlessly, and urately kill a man in his fifties.

    Could it be that the murderer is Yin Hu or Hai Zhu?

    Yin Hu went back and forth three times, showing strong intention. Hai Zhu has a rude personality and deliberately rushed into the locked room first, which seems to match the motive of the creator of the locked room very well - but what is the use of this locked room?

    No, something is wrong.

    Something ispletely wrong!

    Jian Jing suddenly became irritable, feeling that this case was not like what was being analyzed at all. It seemed to make sense and be reasonable without any other exnation, but it just made people feel ufortable all over.

    This is not the feeling of taking the pulse urately.

    Intuition told her it was not true, and under the "Spiritual Intuition" skill card, intuition is usually correct.

    The reasoning just now was definitely not the truth.

    She knocked hard on her forehead, discarding all previous thoughts.

    Forget about the auction, forget about the collectibles, forget about the motive.

    Review the clues from the beginning.

    The reliable clues currently known are: 1. The timeline she witnessed herself; 2. The testimonies of the two bodyguards; 3. The terrain of the locked room, including the auction room and therge locked room from the hall to the auction room; 4. The missing auction list.

    Is there anything else?

    Are any clues being overlooked?

    Jian Jing racked her brains, but still did not have the answer.

    The clock ticked to eleven o''clock. She nced at the clock in the auction room, brought over a chair, climbed up and took a look. Very good, the dust umtion was uniform and moderate in thickness, no one had tampered with the time.

    So why make a locked room?

    A super simple locked room that anyone who has read detective novels could suggest a way out of, what is the necessity of its existence?

    It couldn''t be that the murderer had a sh of inspiration and did it on a whim while having a chuunibyou episode, right? Any author who dared to write that could expect a rating of 1.0 on Bookworm Reviews.

    After fussing about it, it was twelve o''clock, still without a clue, so she had to go back to sleep.

    The sleep quality was terrible.

    It seemed like she had just dozed off for a bit when she heard strange noises outside. She jolted up in shock, rushed out the door, and patrolled the corridor vigntly: "What''s going on?"

    An employee came rushing down the stairs, panting: "This is bad, something happened in the safe room!"

    Jian Jing: "Huh?"

    She hurried upstairs. By the time she reached the hall, she saw the overflowing pungent white smoke. The character status panel indicated "trace anesthetic".

    "You stay here and wait, I''ll go take a look." She stopped the employee and entered alone.

    Inside the passage, the white fog was even denser. She held her breath, thinking she could rush in in one go by relying on immunity. However, this time she had overestimated the 1 point increase.

    Just barely making it to the vicinity of the safe room, she already felt dizzy and her vision blurred. She could vaguely see that the four bodyguards guarding the door of the safe room were all unconscious.

    She really wanted to take a closer look, but it was difficult to stay in the enclosed passage for even one more second, so she quickly retreated back to the hall, opened the doors wide, and asked the employees to arrange the venttion system to quickly dispel the anesthetic fog.

    After about ten minutes, the white fog finally dispersed and she hurried in.

    The doors of all three safe rooms were wide open. The safes in Room 1 and Room 3 werepletely undamaged, but the safe containing the bronze head sculpture in Room 2 had been violently cut open,pletely empty inside.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but swear.

    The employee who hade with her was dumbfounded: "What should we do now?"

    "Wake up Tina, contact Mr. Gu, and then gather all the guests in the dining room," Jian Jing said.

    The employee hurried to follow her instructions.

    When Tina arrived, she was still wearing silk pajamas, and asked in a shocked and bewildered tone: "The collectible... was stolen? Who stole it?"

    Jian Jing was also quite frustrated. She also wanted to know! But she couldn''t panic, and spoke calmly: "We are going to investigate this matter. Go ask all the staff on the ship, who was not sleeping or not at their post just now."

    Tina had one advantage in that although she could not make decisions, once given amand she could take action: "Oh, okay."

    Jian Jing called the four unconscious bodyguards over. They were still a little woozy and confused about the situation.

    "Tell me what happened just now, you go first." She randomly pointed at one of them.

 Chapter 261

    Chapter 261

    Because of limited manpower and the need for shifts, Tina did not arrange for people on both sides of every vault. Instead, she chose to remove the partitions in the corridors and enclosed passages ¨C these were just temporary boards added for privacy anyway.

    This way, the three vaults shared two passages. She arranged two people in each passage, guarding in 24-hour shifts.

    Let''s refer to these four bodyguards as C, D, E and F for short.

    Their positions were as follows:

    ...[Hall]....

    .....Passage......[Bathroom].............

    .....age.....Passage............[Waiting Room]

    ...........C.........Corridor.....D......

    ...[Vault 3]...[Vault 2]...[Vault 1]...

    ........E...Enclosed Passage.......F......

    ...........[Auction Room]............

    In the order they were named, C, D, E and F recounted what happened in session.

    C said: "I remember I was ying on my phone at the time. I mean, it was the middle of the night, ying some mobile games isn''t too bad right? Suddenly, I smelled a strange odor. When I looked up, I saw a lot of white smoke. I thought there was a fire so I was about to go take a look, but my head suddenly felt very dizzy, and then I didn''t know anything."

    D said: "It was already veryte, I was extremely sleepy. In a daze, I seemed to see something swaying around over by the waiting room, so I was going to go take a look, but then I didn''t remember anything."

    E said: "I heard F say there was noise over there, so I went to check it out. As soon as I got to the vault, I smelled something and my head started spinning right away. When I turned my head, I was already on the ground."

    F said: "I heard some movement over there, then a bang, so I told E to go see what was happening. But the same thing happened to me, I got dizzy from the smoke too."

    Jian Jing asked: "Did any of you see someone?"

    E said: "Blurrily, I seemed to catch a glimpse of a shadow, but I couldn''t see clearly and don''t remember it now."

    Great, still no clues.

    When they looked at the surveince footage, the cameras had been operating diligently. But unfortunately there was something smeared over the lenses so nothing was captured.

    She was racking her brains when the other guests came rushing over after catching wind of it.

    Xu Gou was actually the first to arrive, her rhinestone-encrusted slippers extremely ring under the light. "Oh my god, which one is missing?"

    Jian Jing stared at her face intently. "Number 2."

    "Oh! No!" Xu GouˇŻs face turned pale in an instant as she blurted out, "Who did it?"

    "I don''t know," Jian Jing asked back, "Didn''t you buy Number 3?"

    "Uh, yes, but still, Number 2 was stolen today, next time it could be another one." Xu Gou said awkwardly. "My violin can''t be stolen."

    "What? The Bronze Head was stolen?" Shen Hou had also rushed over, gasping for breath.

    The old man''s face was sallow, as if he had fallen gravely ill. "Who took it? Go find that bastard immediately!"

    Jian Jing quickly had him take a seat. "Calm down, the person and the Bronze Head must still be on the boat."

    Only then did Shen Hou settle down a little, panting heavily as he looked around.

    Then, the others also arrived in session, all expressing surprise and anxiety about the theft of the Bronze Head.

    Wei Yang''s expression was grave. "This is not just theft, itˇŻs outright robbery. The culprit must be found."

    Chou Niu frowned. "Was it done by the person who killed someone?"

    Yin Hu was concerned instead. "Is the item still on the boat or not?"

    "It must be. Where else could it have gone, into the sea?" Wu Ma said, then hesitated and let out an awkwardugh. "It couldn''t really have been thrown into the sea right?"

    You Ji analyzed it slowly and methodically. "The Bronze Head has no rtion to the murder. It was likely opportunistic theft during the fire ¨C since the goal was profit, the item must still be on the boat."

    Hai Zhu was annoyed. "Stop talking nonsense. If you wanna find it then find it. But to be blunt, you can''t search our rooms without evidence ¨C and thereˇŻs no need to search them anyway. WeˇŻre all people of status and standing, who would do this kind of thing?"

    Jian Jing rarely agreed. "The knockout gas isn''t something anyone can get their hands on. The culprit came prepared."

    "Cough cough." Si She looked like he was about to die, seeming even more unwell than the old man Shen Hou. "At least it was j-just, cough, lost items. No one got, cough, hurt."

    Chen Long''s expression was frosty ¨C with fair skin and sharp features, he did have the makings of a cold elite. His piercing eyes swept over everyone before finallynding on Tina. "What if it can''t be recovered? What do you n to do?"

    Tina was flustered and stammering. "We''ll, we''ll have to wait for Mr. Gu to...."

    "What''s the point of interrogating the secretary?" Jian Jing interrupted. "She can''t make decisions."

    "If I may speak frankly, as the investigator entrusted by the host, such an incident also falls under your responsibility to a certain degree, miss." Chen Long said coldly.

    "When I was investigating, you feigned ignorance. And now you jump out to use me of being negligent? How strange." Jian Jing calmly turned the usation around. "By what right do you criticize me? Could it be you''re the item''s owner?"

    "Nonsense." Chen Long denied it.

    She asked curiously, "Then why are you so anxious about it?"

    "The culprit was willing to kill for the Bronze Head. They may also kill for the other pieces." Chen Long imed reasonably. "Or do you all want to be the next target?"

    Si She said amidst coughs, "That d-doesn''t make sense. The thief, cough, didn''t need to kill anyone. The auction would end and the Bronze Head would still be here."

    "No, Mr. Chen Long has a point." Yin Hu spoke up. "What if Mr. Zi Shu was the seller? As long as the seller dies, the thief can take the item without worry."

    Shen Hou was baffled. "Zi Shu was the seller? That bastard is crazy!"

    "Just spection." Yin Hu looked steadily at Chen Long. "Or there''s another possibility ¨C the killer murdered Zi Shu in order to take the Bronze Head for themselves, but someone else beat them to it. That''s why the killer is so anxious now."

    Chen Long''s expression drastically changed. "What do you mean?"

    "I left the auction room at 9:20 PM. At that time Mr. Zi Shu was still alive." Yin Hu said. "I heard Miss Tu say the next person was Mr. Si She, but he has a frail constitution while Mr. Zi Shu was very robust. And Mr. Zi Shu wasn''t bidding for Vault 2 either. In contrast, you who show no emotion over Mr. Zi Shu''s death are now extremely concerned over the Bronze Head''s theft, so naturally you are more suspicious."

    His analysis was rather reasonable. For a moment, everyone began looking at Chen Long doubtfully.

    "I..." Chen Long hesitated briefly without admitting to anything. "I''m not the only one concerned over the Bronze Head. You''re also very concerned about it. Could it be you''re trying to shift suspicion onto me?"

    The atmosphere instantly became confrontational.

    But just then, staff hurriedly came to report the results of their own investigation: "We''ve asked everyone already. At the time of the incident, all employees were either in their cabins or at their own stations. No one left their post, so we can vouch for each other."

    Tina breathed a sigh of relief and quickly added, "The cabins are two or four beds. I share a room with a female staffer, so I''m in the clear too."

    "So the thief must be among us guests?" Hai Zhu eximed loudly. "What do we do now? If your vaults were broken into, our own rooms must be even less safe!"

    Tina hurried to exin, "That''s not the case. The vaults only contain safe deposit boxes ¨C we didn''t expect the culprit to be so bold either. The yacht itself has a secure vault surrounded by concrete and steel. It has a full security system."

    Wei Yang echoed in agreement, "I put some things in earlier. It really is more secure than here."

    Amidst coughs, Si She asked, "Then can Vaults 1 and 3 be moved over first? It''s too dangerous to keep them here."

    The others chorused their agreement. "Yes, those definitely can''t be stolen again."

    Of course Tina immediately acquiesced.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment. "I''ll go take a look too."

    The vault was located on the second floor, right next to the captain''s office. The firstyer of ess control was a fingerprint plus passcode lock. Originally, only Zi Shu could enter. After his death, Mr. Gu had added Tina''s fingerprint, making her currently the only person on the boat who could open it.

    Inside, there were six built-in safety deposit boxes with different passcodes that guests could set themselves.

    Out of shame andpensation, Tina actively exined: "This is the safe that was installed when the yacht was built, very reliable. It''spletely different from the safe room. After all, that safe was custom-made temporarily. In order not to move the collection location, it could only be sleeved from top to bottom, and there were seams at the bottom. I just looked and saw that the thief was fiddling there."

    Jian Jing asked, "Was this Mr. Rat''s idea?"

    "Yes, the boss was worried that the collection would be unclear to trade after being moved." Tina said, "If you look closely, you will find that there are some special textures inside the safe. This is what the boss specially added so that even if someone made an identical safe, they would not be able to switch them."

    "How was the collection transferred here?" She asked again.

    Tina: "I don''t know about this. It should have been transported here through the safe as well."

    Jian Jing hmmmed and fell silent.

    All of Mr. Rat''s arrangements revolved around "protecting the privacy of buyers and sellers." This gave rise to two opposite possibilities: First, he was not the seller, the seller was on the boat, otherwise as an intermediary, the two sides would not have known each other in the first ce; Second, he was the seller, and all this was pretentious.

    She was inclined to the former.

    Because if he was the seller, he could have chosen a more covert and simple way to sell out the high price anonymously. As an anonymous auction intermediary, he would inevitably garner the most attention.

    If the seller was on the boat, who would it be?

    "There are six safes here, how many have been used?" She asked.

    Tina said, "After Mr. Wu Ma''s room was robbed, Miss Xu Gou, Miss Wei Yang, Mr. Chou Niu, and Mr. Chen Long came to store things one after another."

    "What did they store?"

    "We don''t know about that."

    Jian Jing nodded and was about to take a closer look at the safes when the ess control doorbell rang. Tina pressed the inte key, and the person outside the door asked, "Is Miss Rabbit there?"

    Miss Rabbit?? The corner of Jian Jing''s eyes twitched.

    "Yes." Tina opened the ess control door and motioned for Jian Jing to go out together. She could see that the other party wanted to talk to Jian Jing, but did not want so many people to stay in the safe together.

    Jian Jing followed her out and saw Xu Gou anxiously waiting: "Miss Rabbit, I have something very important to tell you." Then she said to Tina, ˇ°I want to go in and get something. Please open the door for me."

    "Alright." Tina hurriedly verified her fingerprint and entered the password.

    The door opened.

    Xu Gou went in alone, came out five minutester, and signaled Tina to leave.

    Then she took Jian Jing to a secluded corner and said solemnly, "Miss Rabbit, I hope you can help me find the missing bronze statue."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows: "Help you?"

    "Yes, you may have discovered that I am the seller of Item 2." Xu Gou said solemnly, "I don''t know if Mr. Mouse died because of this, but I can''t trust anyone anymoreˇŞI''m only telling you this. Please help me find it."

    Jian Jing asked, "You said you were the seller, do you have any evidence?"

    "Of course." Xu Gou took out a wooden box from her arms, opened the lid, and a exquisite diamond ne came into view, probably worth twenty to thirty thousand.

    But she moved the mechanism to open the hidden secondyer, took out a piece of paper from it, and whispered, "This is the letter of authorization."

    Jian Jing took it and examined it carefully.

    As soon as she touched the paper, she knew that this was a special kind of paper, very difficult to counterfeit, with strange patterns and notches at the corners. In addition to Mr. Rat''smitment letter, there was also a seal and signature in the lower right corner.

    It should be authentic.

    After Jian Jing pondered for a moment, she asked Xu Gou, "So do you have any guesses about the murderer?"

    "I know nothing." The musician pressed her temples, her face showing worry, "In fact, this thing doesn''t belong to me either, it''s... sigh, I just wanted to sell it for some money to prepare for my concert tour. Who would have thought a murder case would happenˇŞMy God, this is too scary."

    She exhorted solemnly: "You must keep it a secret for me. I don''t want misfortune to befall me."

    "Naturally." Jian Jing said, "I will also do my best to investigate the whereabouts of the bronze head."

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262

    A new day began, and the crew members were searching everywhere for the bronze statue.

    It was a challenging task as the yacht had hundreds of rooms, divided into different functional areas, and adorned with decorations made of the same material, making it impossible to use detection devices.

    Tina paused the services in multiple areas such as the cinema, bar, sauna, and swimming pool, and assigned around twenty staff members to start the search from the fifth floor onwards.

    The result, of course, was fruitless.

    Jian Jing suspected that Kidd had infiltrated among the guests.

    The smoke that night was a professional prop, acting quickly and spreading rapidly, with almost no lingering effects. The ship''s doctor examined the bodies of the four bodyguards and found no traces of drugs.

    It couldn''t have been sourced randomly from the ship.

    The thief came prepared and most likely had targeted the bronze statue long ago.

    But there was one thing she couldn''t understand: after the theft of the bronze statue, the ship would definitely undergo a thorough inspection once it docked, and the guests'' luggage couldn''t have bypassed the security check. How could such arge bronze statue remain hidden?

    If Jian Jing were the thief, she would either have prepared a replica in advance, swapping the real one with a fake and throwing the genuine article into the sea, then retrieving it when things calmed down. Alternatively, she would have targeted a buyer and ambushed them during the transfer of the collection, making a swift escape after seeding.

    Just look at Kidd. In a ce like the ocean, one wouldn''t dare to be so bold without a hang glider.

    Why would a thief go to such lengths?

    Could it be that their original target wasn''t the bronze statue?

    It was... the seller.

    The most worrisome aspect of the bronze statue''s theft was the seller. If the thief''s goal wasn''t the statue itself and they didn''t care about taking it away, then everything made sense.

    But why would they look for the seller?

    Out of hatred? But more than a hundred years had passed since the bronze statue was stolen, changing hands countless times. Killing the seller would be meaningless unless they were an extremely radical person.

    Moreover, during these past few days, she hadn''te across anyone like that.

    It was strange, too strange.

    Jian Jing felt as if she had stumbled into a mysterious trap, where everyone had their own hidden agenda, and she was the only one utterly confused.

    A whole morning was wasted, and during lunchtime, the guests gathered in the living room, inquiring about the search results.

    Tina apologetically informed everyone that they hadn''t found anything.

    Shen Hou couldn''t contain his temper and erupted in anger, "Nothing found? For something so precious, you''re saying it''s all over with just a single sentence?"

    Xu Gou was restless.

    Chou Niu, Yin Hu, and Chen Long wore serious expressions.

    Wei Yang, Wu Ma, You Ji, and Si She remained calm.

    However, Hai Zhu had doubts and aggressively questioned, "For such arge statue, as long as it hasn''t sunk into the sea, how could you not find it? Could it be that you all conspired to embezzle it?"

    Tina reacted strongly and protested angrily, "There is absolutely no such thing!"

    "Then why couldn''t you find it?" Hai Zhu was very agitated. "An auction, a dead person, missing itemsˇŞwhat kind of trickery is this?"

    He threw down the cutlery in his hand and pointed his finger at Jian Jing, "You were investigating, weren''t you? Have you found anything? I don''t think you''re capable. It''s better to dock early and call the police."

    "Cough." Mentioned by name, Jian Jing couldn''t pretend anymore and cleared her throat, "Alright, since we have this opportunity, let''s confront each other."

    She said, "First, there is the death of Zi Shu. Two bodyguards can testify that around nine o''clock in the evening, Zi Shu instructed them to bring some fruits, which were the fruits on the tray at the crime scene. The weapon used to kill him was a fruit knife. Based on my observation, there are a total of five suspects: Yin Hu, Si She, Chen Long, Xu Gou, and Hai Zhu."

    Jian Jing finished listing the names and asked, "I want to ask, when you saw the deceased, was he still alive?"

    Yin Hu replied, "When I went, he was definitely still alive."

    Jian Jing continued, "Was there a fruit tray on the table?"

    Yin Hu frowned and thought for a while before saying, "I didn''t pay attention, it seems like there wasn''t."

    Si She said, "When I went at 9:30, Zi Shu was still alive."

    Yin Hu''s expression rxed, "That''s right, it wasn''t me who killed Mr. Zi Shu."

    Jian Jing politely said, "You also left at 22:10, so we can''t rule out your suspicion. What about you, Chen Long?"

    Chen Long hesitated for a moment and nodded, "I went at 9:50, and he was still alive then."

    Jian Jing nodded, reducing Si She''s suspicion. She then asked Xu Gou, "Did you see the deceased after 22:00?"

    "Of course not," Xu Gou answered firmly, "I just went to the restroom."

    Jian Jing looked at Yin Hu again, "And you?"

    Yin Hu replied, "Restroom."

    "Pardon me for asking, big or small?"

    "I had a bit of diarrhea."

    "What about Mr. Hai Zhu?"

    "Restroom," Hai Zhu replied.

    "Big or small?"

    "For urination''s sake! It''s annoying."

    "Okay, Yin Hu was in the restroom from 22:10 to 22:20, and Hai Zhu was there from 22:15 to 22:25." Jian Jing stood up and stood between the two, preventing them frommunicating. "Since both of you were in the restroom, did you happen to meet each other? On the count of three, please answer!"

    "We met."

    "I didn''t see him."

    Completely opposite answers.

    Jian Jing looked at the two with satisfaction, "Yin Hu?"

    Yin Hu remained calm and said, "I heard someone outside, but I wasn''t sure if it was him."

    Hai Zhu also said, "I was urinating and didn''t notice who was in the stall."

    "Yin Hu returned to the lobby in 20 minutes. Using the toilet, putting on pants, washing hands. Yin Hu, you are a very clean person, right? Does it take three minutes?" Jian Jing''s speech speed increased. "Hai Zhu, rify this for me. You left at 15 minutes and definitely went to the restroom at 16 minutes, right? You two didn''t run into each other?"

    She pressed on, "One didn''t see clearly, the other didn''t see at all. Are you ying games with me? Tell me, where did you go?"

    The gaze of everyone focused on the two of them.

    Hai Zhu seemed unfazed, raising his hands and being evasive.

    It was Yin Hu who couldn''t handle it. After a moment of silence, he said, "I didn''t lie, I just concealed some things to avoid trouble."

    Jian Jing replied, "Not speaking up is the trouble."

    He sighed and admitted, "I went to the auction house to revise my bid. I really wanted the second item. I have prepared a beautiful courtyard, and if I could acquire the bronze statue, I would be able to recreate the enchanting scene of the hydraulic clock in the courtyard. For this, I am willing to pay a high price."

    "When you went to the auction house, was the deceased still alive?" Jian Jing asked.

    Yin Hu replied, "I don''t know. The door was locked, and I called out for a while, but Mr. Zi Shu didn''t respond. I thought he was refusing my request, so I had no choice but to leave."

    "Are you saying that I killed him?" Chen Long sneered, "That''s absurd."

    Yin Hu calmly said, "I didn''t say that. I just truthfully described what I saw."

    Jian Jing nodded and then asked Hai Zhu, "Did you really not go?"

    This is where the advantage of being shamelesses into y. Hai Zhu changed his tune without any pressure, "I also went to take a look. The door was closed, and I called out twice, but there was no response, so I came back."

    "But just ten minutester, you angrily rushed over and knocked on the door. Did you already know that the person was dead?" Jian Jing dug a pit.

    Hai Zhu hesitated for a moment, then denied it firmly, "Of course not! I was anxious waiting for him. He didn''te out for a long time, and I was eager to know the result."

    Jian Jing said, "Okay, now think back carefully, how long did each of you stay in front of the door?"

    Yin Hu pondered for a moment and replied, "I knocked three times, three knocks each time, with an interval of about 10-20 seconds. I think it didn''t exceed two minutes." He paused and emphasized, "I didn''t lie before. After leaving, I did go to the restroom."

    Hai Zhu said, "I did about the same. I called out twice, but there was no response, so I came back. What''s the point of asking about this?"

    "From the lobby to the auction room, it takes two minutes to walk slowly, and 30 seconds is enough if you run." Jian Jing exined, "I just want to solve a doubtˇŞwhy did the killer create a sealed room?"

    Si She seemed to have an understanding, "Are you saying that perhaps someone arrived there, and the killer was still in the room and didn''t leave? So they had to create a sealed room to hide the time?"

    "Yes," Jian Jing gave an example, "Let''s suppose Hai Zhu arrived at 22:16 and left at 22:19. In that case, the killer could easily return to the lobby around 22:20. Both of them were in a hurry to get there, and there are three entrances and exits. Even if it''s unlikely, there is indeed a possibility."

    Yin Hu asked in a deep voice, "Are you suspecting me as the killer or..." he looked at Xu Gou, his eyes full of doubt.

    Xu Gou angrily retorted, "Why are you looking at me? I have no suspicion whatsoever."

    "Please calm down. I''m just discussing the modus operandi," Jian Jing appearedpletely innocent, as if she had no intention of suspecting anyone, calmly diverting the topic, "Now let''s talk about the missing item number 2."

    She pondered, "Based on the current analysis, the crew members all have alibis. Unless they worked together as a group, but Miss Tina said that the staff either had many years of experience or were recruited from different ces by the deceased. It''s difficult for them to collude."

    Si She coughed with effort and hoarsely said, "So, the thief is among us?"

    "It''s highly probable," Jian Jing replied. "Did any of you hear any unusual noises around 2 a.m.st night?"

    The group exchanged puzzled looks and shook their heads.

    Only Si She pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I was coughing heavily and couldn''t sleep, but I faintly heard the sound of a door opening and closing."

    "Are you sure?" Jian Jing asked, surprised.

    "Absolutely," he said. "Although it was very faint, I did hear it. If I''m not mistaken, it should be one of the people around me."

    The cabins were arranged ording to code names, roughly as follows:

    Chou Niu..Mao Tu..Stairs..Si She..Wei Yang..Stairs..You Ji..Hai Zhu

    Yin Hu..Chen Long..Stairs..Wu Ma..Shen Hou..Stairs..Xu Gou..Empty Room

    Si She''s ability to hear slight noises proved that it was either Wei Yang or Wu Ma.

    "Did you hear any other sounds?" Jian Jing asked.

    He thought for a moment and then said, "After a while, it seemed like there were footsteps, but I couldn''t hear them clearly. Then the staff came to wake me up."

    However, Wei Yang said, "It wasn''t me. I slept soundly. By the way, I had sleep monitoring software running. Do you want to see?"

    As she spoke, she opened the software on her phone and showed them the records. The sleep time started at midnight and ended at two minutes past two.

    Wu Ma couldn''t sit still any longer. "Are you suggesting it was me? I have no interest in bronze heads."

    "I only said I heard a sound... cough, cough, cough..." Si She coughed violently, unable to stop for a while.

    Jian Jing handed him a ss of lemon water. "Take it easy. Do you want me to call a doctor and get you some medication?"

    Si She shook his head, took a sip of water, and slowly said, "I remember now. I only heard the sound of a door closing previously, but I didn''t hear any footsteps. The footsteps came muchter... cough, cough, it''s strange."

    "You didn''t hear any footsteps? Could someone have entered someone else''s room?" You Ji remained quiet but always had a sharp tongue. "Did anyone else lose anything?"

    Wei Yang shuddered. "Could someone have entered my room and stolen something? But my belongings are already stored in the safe deposit box, so there shouldn''t be anything missing."

    After pondering for a moment, Jian Jing said, "I suggest everyone go back and check. Expensive items are stored in the safe deposit box, and since the thief hasn''t been caught, they might strike again."

    The others agreed wholeheartedly and left one after another.

    However, it was a bit toote.

    Not long after the meeting dispersed, Chen Long, who had never cooperated with the investigation, took the initiative toe forward and said his jade carving was stolen.

    Jian Jing asked, "I remember you stored your belongings in the safe deposit box, right?"

    He nodded anxiously, "You must find out who took my things."

    "When did you put them in there?"

    "Yesterday evening."

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263

    On the first day on the yacht, an open trading session was held.

    On the second day on the yacht, an anonymous trading session was held, and Zi Shu died.

    On the third day on the yacht, Wu Ma''s safe was pried open, and that night, Item #2 was stolen.

    On the fourth day on the yacht, Chen Long said his jade carving was lost.

    Jian Jing: Murder and theft again, this must be a dramatized case. Otherwise it wouldn''t be so frustrating. But the more actions taken, the more loopholes there are. She went to check the safe, wandered for a while, didn''t notice anything wrong, then asked Tina to take her to check the surveince footage.

    The surveince showed that Chen Long had deposited something in the safe around 7 pmst night. After that, except for normal staff movement, no one approached it until Tina and Jian Jing arrived.

    Soon after, Xu Gou came over, exchanged a few words with Jian Jing, then went in to take something out, the whole processsting no more than 2 minutes.

    Then this afternoon, Wei Yang, Chou Niu, and Chen Long had all been inside, each timesting around 5 minutes, and they all came out empty-handed.

    Only Chen Long''s expression was much worse than Wei Yang''s and Chou Niu''s calmness.

    Jian Jing yed back the footage several times, trying to zoom in on every detail of each person''s clothing, but still didn''t notice anything wrong - she had seen Chen Long''s jade carving before, it was a beautiful jade goose with edges and corners, if it was hidden in clothes, traces would definitely show.

    She rested her cheek on her hand, lost in thought, when suddenly a loud noise grew closer and closer to her head, pounding painfully.

    "What''s that sound?"

    "Let me go check." Tina went and returned, her facepletely rxed. "Mr. Gu is here."

    Jian Jing was also happy: "Let''s go greet him."

    Up on the top deck, the helipad was ready. A helicopter descended from the sky, hovering for a moment before finallynding steadily.

    A middle-aged man strode down and nodded at Tina: "You''ve had it rough these past two days, it really wasn''t easy to handle."

    Tina''s lifted heart finally settled a little.

    She was also an old fox who had mixed in the workce for ten years, used to being bosses'' secretaries, with the toughest tasks being catering to employers'' whimsical demands - getting sold-out opera tickets that evening for that afternoon, suddenly arranging meals with certain important figures, must be booked at a certain restaurant, and so on.

    These jobs weren''t easy either, but she had pulled them all off. But this time, first the boss died, then tens of millions worth of things gone missing just like that, who wouldn''t panic?

    "It was my ipetence." Tina knew she couldn''t handle such a troublesome situation herself, so she decisively sought help from her superior. "Another guest reported missing belongings an hour ago."

    She concisely exined the ins and outs, awaiting a response.

    Unexpectedly, Mr. Gu thought for a moment then asked Jian Jing, "Any progress in your investigation, Ms. Jian?"

    Sure enough he had looked into her background. Jian Jing didn''t dwell on it too much, and said, "I''d like to take a look at Items #1 and #3. Could you open the safe for me?"

    "Of course." Mr. Gu readily agreed, and even said, "I''ve heard about Ms. Jian''s resume, and believe you can crack this case as well."

    Jian Jing smiled and exchanged a few polite declines, before asking, "With things like this happening, it really makes one sad. Zi Shu did so much for the trading session, yet was still taken advantage of."

    Mr. Gu nodded andmented, "If uncle knew such important antiques were lost, I wonder how distressed he''d be."

    "Was Zi Shu your uncle?"

    Mr. Gu then talked about old stories from the past: Zi Shu was born in an intellectual family. Due to their bad ss status, life was difficult for a period, and thinking of his young frail daughter not being able to endure hardship, he painfully sent her to be raised by rtives - Mr. Gu''s mother.

    While the oldest son stayed by his side and suffered tremendously, Zi Shu started dabbling in shady dealings, maybe due to nature or environment. At the same time, influenced by his parents'' constant reminders, he researched history and culture extensively. Later when times became peaceful, and his parents passed away one by one, ambitions arose and he started forging antiques to scam people.

    The waters of antiquing run so deep that even veterans can still make mistakes, let alone naive upstarts dreaming of getting rich overnight. Carelessly, they''d crash and burn.

    The perpetrator Zi Shu waspletely shameless, even somewhat proud: "In this industry, the key lies in judgement, if you don''t have a good eye yourself, how can you me it on me?"

    Although his forging skills were extremely meticulous, almost indistinguishable from real ones, he still crashedter on.

    The other party didn''t bother discussing rules with him, they came straight at him with des. Although he narrowly escaped losing his life, he didn''t dare continue his old ways either. He changed his name and relocated faraway, coincidentally avoiding a harsh crackdown and imprisonment.

    But having dealt with antiquing for most of his life, even after backing out, he was still itching to get back in. Somehow, around the millennium, he transformed into an expert appraiser for antique appraisal shows, gaining some fame in the industry.

    And that was how he reunited with the long lost rtive, Mr. Gu''s mother.

    "My uncle had no children his whole life, he only loved antiques, collecting quite a few nice pieces himself. Previously after hearing a member wanted to sell a bronze head, he spent great efforts to acquire it." Mr. Gu sighed and shook his head. "Who knew it''d cost him his life."

    Jian Jing asked again, "Do you know why Zi Shu went through so much trouble to protect the privacy of buyers and sellers?"

    Mr. Gu thought for a bit then said, "I guess this was his ''farewell performance''."

    She raised her brows: "Retiring afterwards?"

    "Bad health, at most two more years to live." Mr. Gumented, "Old folks spending their whole lives researching this stuff, of course want to end on a perfect note for theirst hurrah."

    He sincerely said, "Ms. Jian, my uncle did do a few shameful things when young. But thesest two years, he donated quite a few cultural relics, and often told me he regretted what he did in the past. I hope that you can solve the case andfort his spirit in heaven, in light of his admission and repentance."

    With the deceased''s family pleading so earnestly, Jian Jing naturally agreed repeatedly.

    Mr. Gu worked efficiently, busy for two whole days, finally arriving at the destination but unwilling to rest. He immediately brought Jian Jing to the safe.

    Along the way he also asked in detail again about the circumstances surrounding the stolen jade carving, and couldn''t help but feel a headache.

    From the surveince, the suspect was among those few who had entered the safe, but they had no authority to search anyone''s luggage, especially with the guests being from different countries right now while out at sea.

    "Any clues, Ms. Jian?" Mr Gu asked Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing gave an ambiguous murmur of agreement, still examining Items #1 and #3, unclear what she was thinking.

    After quite a while, she finally said, "I still need to investigate some matters. It''s best if you go rest first, we''ll talk tomorrow morning."

    Mr. Gu pondered for a moment, then chose to trust her and nodded, "Alright. But the boat can''t drift at sea indefinitely, can we set off to return by tomorrow?"

    "Set off tonight." Jian Jing said. "Perhaps everything can end tomorrow."

    "Even better."

    *

    Jian Jing was busy the whole night, first wandering around the safe room for two hours, then doing something in her cabin for half the night. At 3 am, she video called Jifeng.

    He took well over ten minutes to pick up: "Teacher Jian - what''re you up to calling sote?"

    "Get up, I have questions for you." Jian Jing showed no mercy in ordering people around sote.

    Jifeng groggily sat up in the bunk bed at the duty room, checked his watch, alright, only slept for an hour and a half before getting woken up by the writer miss: "Ask away."

    Jian Jing: "Help me look into some things."

    "That goes against discipline." Hezily said, "What''s it for, checking how many times your boyfriend booked a room?"

    Her: "Are you looking to die?"

    Jifeng: "What''s going on then, someone died?"

    "Not just one death, tens of millions worth of antiques missing too." Jian Jing asked, "Awake now?"

    He indeed sobered up: "What do you need checked?"

    Jian Jing borated in detail, and said, "I need the results by 7 amtest."

    ".....You really are my superior." Jifengined, "Fine fine, got it."

    "Don''t call, no signal out at sea."

    "I know."

    After that, she napped briefly, then woke up on time to freshen up past 6 am.

    Right then, Jifeng''s reply came in.

    Through the video screen, he saw Jian Jing sitting out on the terrace. On the azure sea surface the red sun slowly rose, waves glittering golden, as she crossed her legs and leaned backzily braiding her hair.

    If dexterity +1 has any benefits, it shows in shrimp peeling and hair braiding.

    Jiqi Feng squinted to discern and praised, "Teacher Jian is really young at heart with that braid, looking just like a preschooler."

    Jian Jing''s hand paused as she slowly turned to look at him.

    He waspletely unaware of any problem, continuing, "The preschool I pass on my way to work, the little girls all have braids like this."

    "This is called a boxer braid," she said with a smile. "If you say that in front of me again, I''ll show you what it can do."

    Jiqi Feng: "Hey!"

    "What was the result?" Jian Jing cut straight to the point. "Was it what I expected?"

    "Yes, of course, you didn''t miss a thing," came Jiqi Feng''s voice over the phone as he stirred instant coffee with one hand and nced at the small stand outside, chattering away as he told her everything he had found out.

    Jian Jing asionally responded with an "Uh-huh," finally asking, "What are you looking at?"

    "Fried bread pockets...damn, hang on a sec." He put the phone down and rushed out the door, calling out to the old woman selling breakfast foods at the entrance, "I''d like two fried bread pockets and a fried dough stick, oh and add a tea egg. Do you have rice porridge?"

    Five minutester he came back with a stic bag, expression rxed, "Teacher Jian?"

    The screen had already gone dark.

    She sent a voice message. Opening it, there was a coldugh, "I hope you eat yourself fat."

    He: "..." So vicious.

    On the other side, after Jian Jing packed up her things, she decided to go to the cafeteria to eat breakfast too.

    The chef was already preparing ingredients. She wandered into the kitchen and asked, "Do you have fried bread pockets?"

    The head chef looked at her silently for a moment before saying, "I can make you green onion pancakes."

    "Fine," Jian Jing reluctantly agreed. "Do you have shrimp and crab soup dumplings?"

    The chef perked up a bit. "We do. What else do you want?"

    "Wontons."

    Jian Jing ordered several dishes in one go. When they were freshly made and brought out, she hurriedly took some pictures from a ttering angle without editing them before sending them directly to Jiqi Feng.

    He: [I already ate]

    She: [Bah!]

    Jian Jing ate her breakfast like a whirlwind. Then she texted Mr. Gu to ask him to gather the guests in the lobby at ten o''clock.

    She was going to crack this case.

    Time flew by and shortly before ten, the ten guests along with Secretary Tina and Mr. Gu arrived in the lobby.

    The anonymous auction decor was still up.

    Jian Jing sat in the most conspicuous spot with a small dining table covered in a tablecloth next to her, on which sat a steaming hot cup of coffee sending up curling wisps of white smoke.

    "Everyone please sit," she said. "I asked you here to get an understanding about what has happened thesest couple days."

    Wei Yang asked, "Did you find the murderer?"

    Shen Hou was more concerned, "Has the bronze bust been found?"

    Wu Ma remarked, "I heard the boat came back? Are you nning to call the police?"

    Chen Long wanted to speak but hesitated.

    Hai Zhu was annoyed. "Are we seriously calling the cops now? You''re not going to make us stick around for a few more days, are you? I''m busy!"

    Chou Niu was inscrutable as always, Yin Hu was cold and indifferent, and Si She''s coughing seemed to have gotten even worse. Xu Gou didn''t seem very focused and You Ji was still as calm as ever.

    "Let''s listen to what Miss Jian has to say," Mr. Gu said concisely.

    Jian Jing said, "A lot has happened over the past few days. For me personally, I hoped most to investigate Zi Shu''s murder clearly, butter I discovered that if I couldn''t get to the bottom of the mystery of the bronze bust theft, there would be no way to uncover the truth."

    She looked around at everyone, bringing the hammer down: "So first, let''s talk about the issue of the theft of the bronze bust. After all, the owner of the bust specifically found me and asked me to get the bust back no matter what."

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264

    Upon hearing this, Xu Gou ufortably shuffled around.

    Chen Long was shocked, angry, and confused. It seemed he wanted to blurt something out, but held it in.

    "First, I can tell everyone that I''ve found the Bronze Head," Jian Jing flipped up the hanging tablecloth, revealing the ram''s head that she had hidden under the table.

    She held up the bronze statue and put it on the dining table, but stopped the others from going nearer.

    Shen Hou asked, "Where did you find it?"

    "Safe 2," Jian Jing readily revealed the answer. "The area from the lobby to auction room was originally a banquet hall. The waiting room and safe rooms were temporary additions. The Bronze Head was on top of Safe 2 the whole time, it was never lost."

    Wei Yang was stunned for a moment, not understanding, "Why would he do that?"

    "Because this person''s goal was not to steal the Bronze Head, but to find out the seller''s identity," Jian Jing said.

    You Ji thought for a moment, then shook her head, "No, before boarding, no one knew if there really was a Bronze Head, much less how the auction would happen. You said the thief''s equipment was very professional. Could he have foreseen all this beforehand?"

    "You make a good point," Jian Jing was more respectful of the olddy now. "So the professional thief who released smoke and blocked surveince was not the one who took the Bronze Head."

    Everyone was shocked and even more confused.

    "The thief who came fully prepared, let''s call him ''Master Thief'' considering his professionalism, did want the Bronze Head. But he didn''t brazenly steal it. After all, if the item disappeared, everyone would surely search hard for it. And reporting it to the police would prevent slipping away with it.

    "But coincidentally, Mr. Zi Shu died and Mr. Gu only recognizes the letter of authorization, not people. So there was a simpler way to legally take the Bronze Head."

    "Letter of authorization," Shen Hou said coldly. "If the letter could be stolen, the thief could impersonate the owner and directly take the item. What a scheme! Who was it?"

    Jian Jing looked at Xu Gou and shrugged.

    Xu Gou yelled, "Are you crazy? How can you nder me like this?"

    Even You Ji was a bit suspicious, "She''s somewhat famous in France. How could she be the master thief?"

    "Because she isn''t that musician at all," Jian Jing said. "Although her French was decent and she showed me that musician''s Instagram pictures, specifically emphasizing her cat, her order was also ssic French cuisine. But I noticed some odd things, I just didn''t think much of them."

    "What things?"

    "First, her fingers don''t have calluses. I checked that musician''s Twitter. There weren''t many pictures of her hands, but you could still vaguely see joint deformities from diligent violin practice. Second, she previously told me her room number was 3 and gestured this."

    Jian Jing held up her index, middle and ring fingers in the "3" gesture everyone was familiar with.

    "I''ve interacted with a French fanatic before," she was referring to the ill-fated cousin who died terribly in Winterfell Castle. "Her hand gestures for numbers were a bit different from ours, like this."

    She changed it to thumb, index and middle fingers.

    You Ji immediately said, "Oh right, that''s correct."

    "I simply can''t believe that because of things like this, you would use me of such serious crimes," Xu Gou spoke coldly without the slightest panic. "I was wrong to trust you."

    "I''m not done yet, don''t rush," Jian Jing said. "These details only made me suspicious. What truly confirmed she was suspicious was the real seller couldn''t help it anymore - right, Mr. Chen Long? You didn''t lose a jade carving, but the letter of authorization."

    Chen Long''s face was dark, neither admitting nor denying it.

    "You shouldn''t me yourself too much either," she kindly advised. "I didn''t suspect you because you came looking for me. I felt something was off very early on."

    You Ji asked, "What was it this time?"

    "The first one was Mr. Chou Niu reminding me. He said the auction process was very irrational. Mr. Zi Shu knew the identities of both buyer and seller, and he alone knew the bid prices. If he was bribed by someone, and switched the bid prices, wouldn''t the seller suffer a huge loss? Since he didn''t trust Mr. Zi Shu, how could he give him so much power?"

    Jian Jing answered her own question, "Two possibilities: either Mr. Zi Shu was the seller, which has been proven false, or the seller was on the ship and would personally open the bid letters. Mr. Zi Shu deliberately mystified things to help him hide his identity. Going by this logic, Mr. Chen Long, thest one to go who only spent 10 minutes, is undoubtedly the most likely."

    "Plus, he was indifferent about Mr. Zi Shu''s death. He suddenly became proactive in cooperating after the Bronze Head went missing, and imed he lost a jade carving to ask me to investigate. All of which have reasonable exnations. Am I right?"

    Under everyone''s eyes, Chen Long couldn''t deny it and had to say, "I only hid it for safety reasons. As it turned out I was right. Mr. Zi Shu died and someone didn''t want the Bronze Head sold. But I didn''t expect this woman to actually be the thief who stole my letter of authorization."

    Xu Gou looked away with pursed lips, still insisting, "I don''t know why you''re insisting it''s me and not him. Unless you have evidence of me stealing, otherwise legally it won''t stand, even if you say I''m not holding the letter of authorization."

    "Then take out the letter of authorization," Jian Jing said. "It''s my private property. If you want to search my things then where''s the search warrant?" Xu Gou retorted.

    "A guilty conscience makes you afraid?" Jian Jing shot back.

    Xu Gou raised the corners of her lips and spoke aggressively, "If you insist on searching me, I won''t stop you. But if you find nothing, I will sue you until you''re penniless."

    "Fine, forget it then."

    No one expected Jian Jing to suddenly back down. Everyone was stunned for a moment, all looking at her.

    But Jian Jing was unhurried, saying, "You''re so confident because you''re relying on having an aplice." She stood up and paced around, then suddenly shed over to grab Wu Ma''s arm, "The stuff is on you, right?"

    Wu Ma looked surprised and confused, "What are you talking about?"

    "You released smoke in the safe room just to attract people on the ship here. Then took the chance to sneak into the safe and steal things. Although fingerprint and password were needed for the electronic lock, it wasn''t difficult for you since you came prepared. You just didn''t expect the Bronze Head to be missing, and for there to be a third thief on the ship besides you two."

    "For caution and professionalism, neither of you would keep valuables in your room or the safe. Carrying them was the best choice."

    Jian Jing adjusted her sses and nced at the thermal imager, blinding people.

    "Did you hide it in your pants?" She rubbed her arms and said to Mr. Gu, "Whoever wants to search him, go ahead."

    "I''ll do it," Si She suddenly raised his hand and firmly grabbed Wu Ma''s wrist. Wu Ma tried to jerk free, but didn''t expect the sickly man to be so strong. His hands were pinned back.

    On the other side, the elderly but sturdy Shen Hou also came over to help, directly pulling Wu Ma''s pants down.

    With a ng, metal fell to the floor, golden brilliance blinding people''s eyes.

    Mr. Gu''s gaze concentrated, "The golden staff of authority?"

    "Yes," although Jian Jing had long ago confirmed with the identification card that the safe held a fake staff of authority, upon seeing the real thing appear, she still breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Xu Gou she said, "Are you going to say this is your private property too?"

    Xu Gou nced at Wu Ma pinned to the ground, "What does this have to do with me? I only said the letter of authorization belongs to me."

    "That''s why I asked you to take out the letter of authorization. It hasn''t been washed right? Extracting fingerprints from paper is easy nowadays. Mr. Chen Long''s fingerprints are definitely on it." Jian Jing was extremely calm. "Also, verifying if you''re that musician can be done when we disembark. If we''re lucky, there might even be a criminal record for you two."

    Xu Gou''s lips moved slightly, her eyeballs spun rapidly, seeming to be thinking of rebuttals.

    Jian Jing added, "It made no sense for Wu Ma''s safe to be broken into since he was the middleman and money transfers directly. Who would steal from him? The best exnation is he cried thief to catch the thief, wanting others to put valuables into the safe for their convenience to steal."

    Wei Yang swore.

    "Perhaps their original goal was only the valuable antiques. But unexpectedly, when searching the safe, they happened to discover Mr. Chen Long''s letter of authorization and immediately hatched the idea of identity theft."

    She said she was tired and sat down to drink coffee. She even asked, "Do you understand what identity theft means? Should I trante for you?"

    The insult was extreme. Xu Gou''s face turned green.

    "By the way, do you know why I guessed that you two were aplices?" She was furious, "Because I feel that you two are a couple. The reason? Your shoulder shrugging actions are exactly the same."

    As she spoke, she imitated their shrug, vividly and urately.

    The atmosphere suddenly rxed.

    Only Mr. Gu was solemn: "Now that the two theft cases have been investigated clearly, shall we talk about the murder?"

    "Of course, after we rify their identities, we can continue to analyze further." Jian Jing took a deep breath, her expression gradually bing solemn.

    "First of all, we can confirm that Mr. Chen Long is the seller, he should not have a motive to kill Mr. Zi Shu. Unless he obtained the bronze head for revenge. So I want to ask clearly, where are you from, have you met the deceased before?"

    Chen Long said: "I''ve seen him before, but we weren''t very familiar. He also didn''t know that I was the client."

    "When did you get to know each other?"

    "About three years ago."

    Jian Jing said: "I can''tpletely rule out his suspicion, but there are other things that can prove it, I''ll talk about it in a moment. Now, let''s tentatively believe his testimony, the deceased was still alive when you left at 10 pm, right?"

    Chen Long nodded.

    She then asked Xu Gou: "Did you leave at that time thinking of taking away the reced golden staff?"

    Xu Gou: "Anyway, I didn''t kill anyone, what reason would I have to kill him?!"

    "Why not? Zi Shu discovered that you had swapped the items." Wei Yang reacted quickly, staring at her, "You went all out and killed him directly."

    With his identity exposed, Xu Gou no longer maintained the aloofness of a musician, and refuted briskly: ˇ°I ran to the auction room, told him I stole something, and then stabbed him to death?"

    "Indeed, if the deceased had discovered their behavior, he would not have died in the auction room." Jian Jing eliminated Xu Gou''s suspicion.

    Next, there were only two suspects left.

    Yin Hu and Hai Zhu were clearly uneasy, their eyes met, full of suspicion.

    Hai Zhu looked rough and careless, no one without a brain could earn so much money. He immediately found an excellent defense reason for himself.

    "He said that when he went there, the door was already locked," Hai Zhu pointed at Yin Hu, eloquently, "I hadn''t left the hall yet at that time, how could I have locked the door? This little bastard and I can''t be aplices, can we?"

    Everyone deeply felt that he was reasonable, and looked at Yin Hu with increasingly unkind eyes.

    Yin Hu said solemnly: "It wasn''t me, I didn''t kill Mr. Zi Shu."

    "Whether it was you or not, I''ll ask you a question first," said Jian Jing. "Did you bribe Zi Shu?"

    Yin Hu was suddenly stunned.

    "You and Hai Zhu suddenly left to ask about prices before the results were announced, I feel it''s not very reasonable. Unless you were confident of persuading Zi Shu." She said, "On the day of the public auction, I happened to hear someone talking on the deck, one person''s voice sounded a lot like you, was it you and Zi Shu?"

    At this point, Yin Hu was obviously the biggest suspect. He did not dare to conceal it any longer and admitted: "Yes."

    "You used a few million to bribe him and told him to make an exception for you?" Jian Jing thought at that time that a few million was the price to buy the bronze head, he must have bought it.

    But after You Ji''s exnation, she realized that even 200-300 million was considered low, so millions were obviously not right. In addition, her memory had improved, she carefully recalled the fragmentary words at that time, and finally matched Yin Hu''s way of speaking.

    What he wanted was not Item 1 and Item 3, so what were those millions for?

    Bribery.

 Chapter 265

    Chapter 265

    Yin Hu said, "Mr. Zi Shu had promised me that after everyone ced their bids, he would give me another chance. That was why I went to find him. But when that time came, no matter how I knocked on the door, he was unwilling to open it. I thought he had gone back on his word, so I had no choice but to leave."

    Jian Jing understood, but asked Hai Zhu, "What about you?"

    Hai Zhu gave a fake cough twice, then cursed at Yin Hu, "I knew this guy is petty. He stares at our country''s treasure all day long. I, I was thinking of buying it for myself. It''s better than letting outsiders buy it."

    He acted shamelessly, like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water.

    "So this was why both of you went to find him after 10 p.m.," Jian Jing summarized their motives. "Gentlemen, the case has reached an impasse."

    She held up her fingers, "Yin Hu is the most suspicious, but since he entered the room, it proves the deal with Zi Shu waspleted. There is no convincing motive. Hai Zhu''s whereabouts are questionable, but the locked room cannot truly eliminate suspicionˇŞfor example, when Yin Hu arrived, the door may have indeed been locked, just that it was Zi Shu who did it. Aftermitting murder, Hai Zhu locked it again to dy discovery of the corpse."

    As a mystery novelist, when it came to the ssic locked room, she couldn''t help but borate extensively before reluctantly concluding, "To find the real murderer, we need more clues."

    The suspects: "..."

    Letting a novelist exin the case really kills the suspense.

    "Effort brings reward," Jian Jing naturally resolved the ending after building up enough suspense. "I identally found a clue. Look at this, everyone."

    She patted the bronze sheep head on the table.

    Wei Yang asked, "What''s on it? A partial fingerprint? Bloodstain? Or fur?"

    As an experienced reader, that was his first question.

    But unfortunately, Jian Jing said, "None of those. Elder Shen Hou, please take a look. Does this bronze head have any issues?"

    Shen Hou did not understand her intention. He put on his presbyopic sses and gloves to carefully examine it. At first, there was only puzzlement on his face, but as he looked, hesitation and frown lines appeared.

    "What do you think?" Jian Jing asked.

    Shen Hou weighed his words, "Hard to say. It seems... I can''t put it into words. We need to use instruments to check, that would be best."

    "You mean it looks slightly different from the one you saw before, right?" Jian Jing asked.

    Shen Hou knitted his white brows, not daring to nod nor able to shake his head.

    "Wait, what do you mean?" Chen Long was shocked. "How can the bronze head be different?"

    Jian Jing calmly said, "It''s simple. This bronze head is fake."

    It was only after seeing the actual item that she realized something was wrong.

    After using the appraisal skill, a special tag would float above the bronze head in her vision, simr to a game item cursor. It read [Yuanmingyuan Twelve Bronze Animal Heads - Sheep Head].

    But the fake one did not have that tag.

    "Fake?!"

    "What?!"

    "Who did it?!"

    The guests exploded, even more shocked than when the Golden Scepter was swapped earlier. Their fiery gazes turned towards the master thieves in the room.

    Xu Gou had no choice but to deny it directly, "It wasn''t us."

    "I figured. On the night of the incident after 10 p.m., all artifacts were locked in the safe. They had to swap out the Golden Scepter before 10 p.m., and stealing artifacts is difficult. Stealing one shows their ''brilliant skills'', stealing two would be too outrageous." Jian Jing said, "But we can use the same logic - the bronze head was swapped before 10 p.m."

    Xu Gou nitpicked, "Why can''t it be the thief who took it?"

    "Because that person''s goal was to lure out the seller. The high-quality fake serves no purpose for a swap. If I guessed wrong and their goal was the bronze head, then leaving the fake behind to cause a false rm aligns with self interest."

    Jian Jing analyzed all possibilities in detail and concluded, "Rtively speaking, the bronze head being swapped before 10 p.m. is the most reasonable inference."

    Shen Hou asked, "Who did it?"

    "Who do you think is capable of this?" Jian Jing asked back.

    Shen Hou considered for a while, staring at Tina, "Was it one of Zi Shu''s subordinates? The one we saw earlier should have been real, then got swapped afterwards."

    "It wasn''t us," Tina suffered unjust usation and loudly proimed her grievance, "I don''t know anything."

    Jian Jing made a gesture for her to calm down, "The artifacts remained untouched until monitoring was removed right before the auctionˇŞalthough I feel Xu Gou and Wu Ma can do that. When they stole the safe, they covered up some monitoring footage right? Don''t hurry to deny it. I''m certain one segment was duplicated with a mosquito appearing in the exact same spotˇŞbut there were still security and inspection devices outside then. It would have been impossible to smuggle items in."

    You Ji asked, "Then who was it... Don''t tell me..." The white-haired old woman had a thought and boldly guessed, "Zi Shu?"

    "I cannot find a more reasonable answer," Jian Jing said. "Only Zi Shu could easily open the safe and swap the two heads. Also, only he can forge a replica down to thest detail in weight and size. Isn''t that right?"

    Shen Hou took a deep breath in anger, "Why would he do this? Has he lost his mind?!"

    Jian Jing fell silent for a while and sighed, "Whates next is purely my personal conjecture. Please listen with an open mind."

    "Go ahead," Si She said.

    She nced at him and smiled, "I think Zi Shu''s death and the bronze head swap were nned by him, for the purpose of keeping the head instead of letting it fall into outside hands again.

    "I learned from Mr. Gu that Zi Shu didn''t have long left to live. Perhaps nearing his end, he wanted to atone for past mistakes, or perhaps, he never forgot his identity, the same as everyone present - he too wished deeply to regain the bronze head and erase humiliation.

    "However, the price was too high. He didn''t have much savings left after family troubles dissipated his fortune. And paying pure cash makes it harder to redeem the other heads in future. Hence he thought of a makeshift n, designing an unsolvable case to make the truth permanently obscure.

    "This exins the entric auction process - the many obstacles were actually for him to switch the heads conveniently.

    "But he didn''t know the seller''s identity, nor was certain if someone like Elder Shen Hou could discern genuine versus fake. To be prudent, it was best to act after the auction. And of course, a bizarre homicide not only needed a corpse, but also suspects for him to prepare two candidates."

    Jian Jing pointed at Yin Hu and Hai Zhu, "Their purchase desire was strong enough to bribe, possessing sufficient motive to kill. Meanwhile, it also avenges their attempt to buy national treasure - killing two birds with one stone."

    The two men''s faces fluctuated between green and pale, quite a sight.

    "I believe he gave you a timeframe, but wasn''t sure if you''de early, so the locked room was createdˇŞhe locked the door and went to Room 2 to swap the bronze head. Due to special ess settings, he wouldn''t run into anyone on the way. With the great task done, he went back to the auction room, burned the sales slip, locked the door again to manufacture a ssic locked room scenario."

    She paused slightly, "Then, he picked up the fruit knife, walked over to the preset location, and stabbed himself in the heart. Yes, fingerprints would remain on the dagger, but people would only think it was deliberately left. Meanwhile, he faked being assaulted and crying for help."

    "The locked room homicide was thuspleted - containing suspects with motives to kill. Even if the seller realized the bronze head was fake, they would only suspect the living, unable to imagine a dead man plotted it all." Jian Jing said, "This concludes my investigation. I hope everyone finds it satisfactory."

    Dead silence filled the room.

    The people had varied expressions, some pensive, some sighing, some greatly relieved.

    She looked around and exited the stage.

    Chen Long called for her to stop, "Wait, what about the real bronze head? Where did he hide it?"

    Jian Jing solemnly said, "I don''t know, perhaps it sank to the seafloor."

    "No matter what you say, this is my private property. Imissioned Zimus to auction it, but he stole all my belongings instead. You must give me an exnation," Chen Long stared at Mr. Gu coldly, "Otherwise, I will definitely sue you."

    Mr. Gu was neither humble nor overbearing: "You can ask thewyers and insurancepanies. If you want us topensate, I will handle it on your behalf. However, my uncle did not leave much in his inheritance, just enough to rent this luxury yacht, so I''m afraid there may not be much money to pay out."

    Chen Long''s temples throbbed violently: "Are you trying to avoid paying?"

    "I''m afraid so," Mr. Gu answered perfunctorily.

    Chen Long threatened: "When we get to shore, I will definitely contact the embassy."

    "You''re clearly not Chinese. Hmm, you don''t look much like Yin Hu either, are you Korean?" asked Jian Jing curiously.

    Chen Long: "That''s none of your business."

    "You should thank me. Without me, you wouldn''t know anything," Jian Jing said. "Internationalwsuits are very difficult to fight, especially with suchplicated historical reasons. Anyway, you were going to sell it, so how about this: I''ll give you 100 million yuan, you give up ownership of the Bronze Sheep Head, what do you think?"

    Chen Long: "The Bronze Sheep Head is worth more than that."

    "Then you can dive into the ocean to salvage it if you want. Oh yes, Xu Gou, I actually don''t have evidence that the letter of authorization isn''t yours. So how about 100 million yuan for you to take, and you transfer ownership to me?" Jian Jing asked.

    Xu Gou''s eyes glinted as he thought quickly. "100 million U.S. dors? British pounds? Euros?"

    "Chinese yuan," she said cidly. "Hurry up and decide, we can finish the transaction before the ship docks, otherwise we won''t be able to make deals from jail."

    Xu Gou and Wu Ma exchanged nces, then suddenlyughed. "Deal. I''ll go get the letter of authorization. You guys wait here." He turned around, but instead of getting the letter, he took several smoke grenades out of his bag and fiercely threw them out.

    The acrid smoke exploded, causing mucus to drip uncontrobly from noses and leaving everyone unable to move.

    She and Wu Ma rushed out the door at the same time, then turned back to block it closed.

    Toote.

    Wu Ma suddenly felt something crash into his chest. He fell backwards from the huge impact,nding on his tailbone which sent piercing pain up his spine.

    Xu Gou didn''t fare much better. He saw a figure sh out of the white smoke and immediately put him in an arm lock, pressing him hard against the ground without a word.

    Jian Jing had escaped the scene thanks to her immunity boost, but she couldn''t avoid having her eyes and nose streaming. She covered her mouth and nose with tissues and croaked sarcastically, "Not bad stamina, still breathing huh?"

    Si She''s deafening coughs answered her.

    With the escape attempt foiled, the thieves were locked away in the dark room.

    Jian Jing found the letter of authorization on Xu Gou and pressed Chen Long, "80 million, are you going to sign or not? If not, I''m taking it away and you can dive for it yourself."

    Chen Long: "Wasn''t it 100 million?"

    "Market price changed," she said evenly. "Now, 50 million."

    Chen Long changed color. "Too low."

    "If you don''t sign then don''t sign. This letter is evidence that I''ll have to hand over to the policeter," she said slowly as she tidied up. "You and Mr. Gu can slowly fight thiswsuit."

    "I can''t go lower than 80 million," Chen Long said through gritted teeth.

    "70 million, that''s the market price," said Jian Jing. "You know I''m not deceiving you. Qing dynasty antiques are worth about that much at most. How much is copper really worth?"

    Chen Long took a deep breath and cursed his bad luck. "Fine, but I have one condition."

    "What condition?"

    "I want to search your room," he said coldly. "To confirm the item isn''t there before I sign anything."

    Just now, he had thought about it carefully. They had thoroughly searched everywhere for the fake bronze artifact earlier, except the guests'' cabins. If the artifact was still on the ship, it must be with Jian Jing, who realized the truth first.

    She made an exaggerated expression. "You think I secretly hid it? Fine, go ahead and look as you please."

    Chen Long searched every nook and cranny, but the room was small to begin with. The only furniture was a bed, dresser, and closet. The bathroom was in in view with no space to hide anything.

    As for her luggage, she only had a small 20-inch carry-on that couldn''t fit the huge artifact.

    "Fine," he said resentfully. "70 million, not a cent less."

    Jian Jing shrugged. "Mr. Gu, would you help witness this?"

    So, under the witness of professionals, the two parties signed the documents with Jian Jing exchanging ownership rights of the Bronze Sheep Head for 70 million Chinese yuan.

    In other words, the artifact was now ownerless.

    This ending was neither good nor bad. The guests sighed and it was time to disembark.

    Before leaving, Shen Hou said to Jian Jing: "Since you spent this money, let me and some friends get together to try salvaging it from the oceanter."

    Jian Jing smiled and said, "Maybe Mr. Zimus had already arranged for someone to retrieve it. It might just show up by itself after a while."

    Shen Hou froze for a moment, then suddenly felt regretful. "If that''s really the case, then I wronged him."

    "People only realize certain things when they''re about to die," she said.

    "You''re so wise beyond your years, youngdy,"ughed You Ji. "It can''t have been easy for a famous author like you to take out 70 million yuan all at once."

    Jian Jing: "......" Tell me about it, all my pocket money is gone.

    "Good deeds will be rewarded," said the old woman with a wave of her hand. She calmly disembarked, "Old Hou, let''s go for tea, it''s been years since I wasst here. I''ll have to stay a few extra days this time."

    Jian Jing watched them leave.

    The next to depart was Wei Yang. She handed Jian Jing her business card, "Miss Author, contact me if you need anything. Let me know what you want and I''ll keep an eye out for you."

    Jian Jing: "......" Does everyone know who I am? What''s the point of using code names?

    After that, Chou Niu, Yin Hu, and Hai Zhu left one by one, looking unhappy. They hurried off the ship without noticing her on the deck.

    Thest to leave was Si She. He was carrying a briefcase and had just climbed onto the gangway when he felt something press against his back.

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266

    ˇ°Why the hurry?ˇ± Jian Jing smiled and took his arm. ˇ°Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me?ˇ±

    Si She lowered his head and saw a tube of lipstick under his armpit.

    At such a close distance, a 4.5mm caliber could also kill someone. He sighed, ˇ°Okay, of course.ˇ±

    Jian Jing smiled as if she was having a romantic encounter. She directly took him to a hotel suite next to the pier.

    ˇ°What did we talk about thest time we met?ˇ± As soon as she closed the door, she started questioning him right away.

    Si She: ˇ°Cough, what?ˇ±

    Jian Jing sneered coldly: ˇ°I was lenient with you and did not expose you publicly as the one who stole the bronze head. Did you think I was stupid and didnˇŻt guess it was you?ˇ±

    ˇ°Why do you think it was me?ˇ± he retorted.

    She said: ˇ°You were not in the room at the time. What you said earlier about hearing footsteps was just your guess. You had been suspecting Wu Ma all this time. You took this chance to imply things to me, but you were too reckless. I spoke with someone and you didnˇŻt hear it.ˇ±

    ˇ°Cough, is that so?ˇ±

    ˇ°The surveince in the lobby malfunctioned. The staff hurried over almost immediately. How did the thief leave?ˇ± Jian Jing revealed the missing piece andpleted thest part of the puzzle. ˇ°The answer is, he didnˇŻt leave at all. Because at that time, you thought I went over alone, but in fact, you were one of the fainted bodyguards.ˇ±

    Si She smiled.

    ˇ°You disguised yourself as a bodyguard. Perhaps you and Wu Ma had the same n, but didnˇŻt expect someone else to do the job for you. So you took advantage of the situation and pretended to faint, but actually hid the bronze head after I left. Then you exited from the corridor next to the auction room. That wasnˇŻt difficult for you at all, right?ˇ±

    Si She said, ˇ°It seems that when you donˇŻt have a firm grasp on something, itˇŻs better to do less, otherwise loopholes may be revealed.ˇ±

    ˇ°At first, I couldnˇŻt be sure there was something wrong with you either. I asked around and heard that recently someone was investigating overseas cultural relics,ˇ± Jian Jing said. ˇ°Of course, this could only confirm that you were on the red side. I still had some doubts. After all, itˇŻs not easy to disguise oneself as a bodyguard. It requires professional knowledge.ˇ±

    She enunciated thest few words very clearly.

    ˇ°What a coincidence. I happen to know someone who is skilled in facial modification and disguise. So...ˇ± She dragged out her voice. ˇ°I extracted fingerprints from the ss.ˇ±

    Si She paused, recalling the ss of water she handed to him.

    ˇ°Someone gave me a flower before. I kept it very well and extracted fingerprints from it,ˇ± Jian Jing looked into his eyes. ˇ°What do you guess?ˇ±

    ˇ°No need to guess,ˇ± Si She said. ˇ°Since you didnˇŻt exin it clearly in public, I knew you must have guessed it.ˇ±

    As he spoke, he took off his mask, pushed away the adhesiveyer along his hairline, and peeled off several pieces of silicone, some slightly thicker to change the position of his cheekbones, some as thin as face masks, like double eyelid stickers. Finally he took out something like dental braces from his mouth thatpletely altered the contours of his lower face.

    As soon as these props were gone, his facial features changed dramatically. His eyebrows and eyes were now infinitely close to Zong Xunmei.

    Jian Jing asked, ˇ°Just who exactly are you?ˇ±

    ˇ°Aw-abiding taxpayer.ˇ± He smiled. ˇ°Who did you think I was?ˇ±

    ˇ°YouˇŻre involved in too much,ˇ± Jian Jing said.

    Whether it wasw enforcement or other agencies, none had such a wide scope. But look at this guy, he just pops up out of nowhere and is always sneaky.

    ˇ°Mypany has a lot of business. I canˇŻt help it,ˇ± he shrugged. A thin crack opened up at his temple, revealing yet anotheryer of disguise.

    Jian Jing responded indifferently, ˇ°So what business brings you here this time?ˇ±

    ˇ°The bronze head,ˇ± Zong Ye nodded at her suitcase. ˇ°ItˇŻs in there, right?ˇ±

    ˇ°So you suspect me too.ˇ± Jian Jing was both angry and amused. She took the initiative to open the box. ˇ°See, is it there?ˇ±

    Inside were clothes, cosmetics and lots of snacks.

    There was a fleeting color change in Zong YeˇŻs eyes before he fell silent in contemtion.

    ˇ°You seem very disappointed. Without me, you would still mistake fish eyes for pearls,ˇ± she said yfully, fiddling with the deadly kiss in her hand. ˇ°Right?ˇ±

    Zong Ye smiled and asked, ˇ°So how should I thank you?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Can you teach me your facial modification skills? I can pay.ˇ±

    ˇ°No, thatˇŻs not something ordinary people can learn,ˇ± he said.

    Jian Jing was frustrated for a moment. She had just drawn another card but didnˇŻt get facial modification. She only got a [Skill Card - Voice Changing (Basic Level)].

    [Name: Skill Card - Voice Changing (Basic Level)]

    [Description: Can achieve simple voice changing effects by changing the way of speaking. Each use cannot be too long to avoid damaging the vocal cords]

    [Note: No props needed. Life full of changes]

    Zong Ye smiled and asked, ˇ°Why do you want facial modification so much? What are you nning to do?ˇ±

    ˇ°I''m definitely not going to rob a bank or anything.ˇ± She retorted indifferently.

    ˇ°Angry? Tell me where the bronze head is. I''ll owe you a favor, okay?ˇ± he negotiated.

    Jian Jing spread her hands, ˇ°I really don''t know where the bronze head is. Maybe only the deceased himself knew.ˇ±

    ˇ°Miss Jian, donˇŻt fool me. Since Zi Shu was willing tomit suicide but still left the bronze head behind, he must not have been able to bear letting it sink to the bottom of the sea indefinitely without seeing the light of day. He must have left some clues,ˇ± Zong Ye reminded. ˇ°Without me, you couldn''t have locked onto Wu Ma and Xu Gou so quickly, right?ˇ±

    Jian Jing considered it and blinked, ˇ°I can give you a hint, but in exchange, I want to see your true face from Mount Lu.ˇ±

    ˇ°Why?ˇ±

    ˇ°Just curious.ˇ±

    There was no other reason. She just wanted to see what this fox spirit really looked like.

    Zong Ye weighed it briefly and smiled, ˇ°Deal.ˇ±

    ˇ°Show me first before IˇŻll tell you.ˇ±

    ˇ°Okay.ˇ± In fact, this was no big deal to Zong Ye. He just found it a bit interesting. ˇ°IˇŻll go wash my face.ˇ±

    The bathrooms in the hotel were made of transparent ss. Jian Jing was not worried that he would y any tricks.

    The makeup removal process was very quick and no different from her usual routine, except for the products used. What he washed off was not just foundation, but some thin, transparent fragments. She didnˇŻt know how they were affixed in order to magically transform his facial features like that.

    Finally, all the messy stuff was removed. He scooped water onto his face and wiped away the droplets.

    ˇ°Done.ˇ± He dried his face and smiled. ˇ°ThereˇŻs not much difference from when you first saw me, right?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...ˇ±

    Indeed, his current face was seventy to eighty percent simr to ˇ°Zong Xunmeiˇ±, shockingly handsome as before. But no matter how simr the facial features, a slight difference was enough to greatly alter the temperament.

    Zong Xunmei was a male fox spirit. His every move exuded pheromones, living up to his name as a beauty. But at this moment, it was the other character in his name that manifested instead - ˇ°wildˇ±.

    Beauty yet wildly savage, like a leopard on the African grasnds, a nimble and dangerous big cat, as aesthetically stunning as a fox, yet life-threatening at any moment.

    The thrill of hovering at the edge of a cliff, the magnificence of God''s creations, were species that ambitious humans wanted to conquer.

    Dangerous beauty was a different vor from seductive beauty.

    ˇ°ItˇŻs your turn now,ˇ± he gently urged her to fulfill her promise, leaning against the ss door.

    Jian Jing came to her senses and was very cautious. ˇ°How do I know this is real for sure?ˇ±

    ˇ°You can pinch and feel,ˇ± Zong Ye walked over amiably and lowered his head to indicate she was wee to touch.

    Adhering to the spirit of seeking truth from facts through practice, Jian Jing gave his face a pinch. It felt real, the skin was smooth, and there was no deformation anywhere. It was made of genuine flesh and blood.

    ˇ°Okay.ˇ± She kept her word and gave him three clues. ˇ°First, the bronze head is not on the yacht. Second, the bronze head is not in the sea. Third, the bronze head is not on me.ˇ±

    Zong Ye raised his eyebrows. ˇ°ThatˇŻs it?ˇ±

    ˇ°IsnˇŻt eliminating the three most likely answers enough?ˇ± She stretchedzily and closed her suitcase. ˇ°I have to go home now. Bye!ˇ±

    Zong Ye straightened up, his gaze falling on her.

    He had been leaning against the wall next to the door all along. With this change of position, he was now blocking her only path out of the narrow passage which she could not circumvent to leave.

    Jian Jing halted and asked impassively, ˇ°Anything else?ˇ±

    ˇ°I find it hard to let you leave,ˇ± Zong Ye said, reaching out and cupping the back of her neck with his palm.

    In an instant, her hair stood on ends. Her bodyˇŻs instincts were far more acute than her mind. In a sh, Jian Jing felt the chilling sensation she experienced when facing the Tibetan mastiff Xiong Yong.

    She reached for her waist, but the lipstick was no longer in her pocket.

    ˇ°Why did you steal my stuff?ˇ± she asked.

    His hand extended down her spine, his fingertips moving inch by inch, as if caressing, but both of them knew this was a frisking under duress.

    "I''m not interested in these little toys, I''ll give them back to you." Zong Ye put his arm around her waist, "Take off your shoes."

    Jian Jing said: "The floor is dirty."

    The hygiene of the small hotel by the pier was nothing to boast about.

    "Then, may I ''ask'' you toe to the bed?" He bargained politely.

    Jian Jing nced at him, kicked off her slippers, and stepped directly on his feet: "Go ahead and search."

    Zong Ye gazed at her deeply.

    Jian Jing looked back at him fearlessly.

    "I know it''s not in the shoes." But Zong Ye smiled. Her shoes were old, the size must fit her feet. If there was something stuffed in the shoes, her gait would have changed dramatically.

    "What do you think I hid?" Jian Jing asked curiously.

    "I don''t know." He scrutinized her knitted stockings meaningfully, "I only believe your 7 million didn''t go to waste."

    Jian Jing hugged her arms to maintain her bnce. She thought that if he could find anything, she would call him dad.

    Zong Ye searched very carefully, apparently having done this kind of thing himself many times before.

    However, he didn''t find anything.

    "Hand it over now, you can get your money back," he reminded, "otherwise, I''ll have to continue."

    Jian Jing''s eyes twitched. Was he suspecting that she had stuffed something in some weird ce? She warned crisply: "Dare to move down, suffer the consequences."

    Zong Ye was nonchnt: "I can use other methods, what do you think?"

    She didn''t hesitate: "Get out."

    The two came to a standstill.

    Jian Jing was fearless, unaware of any malicious intent, half curious and half indifferent as she wasted time with him. Zong Ye, on the other hand, seemed to have some concerns, pondering for a moment before smiling slightly: "What a pity then."

    He bent down to pick up her shoes, gently tapping them and putting them aside: "Should I put them on for you?"

    "Done searching?" Jian Jing put on her shoes and mocked, "You won''t stop me again this time, right?"

    Zong Ye said: "Of course not. But before that, give me my stuff back."

    Jian Jing looked innocent: "What stuff?"

    He grabbed her wrist and took a coin from her palm, nonchntly stuffing it back into his pocket: "No change, inconvenient to take the bus."

    "Then you should also give my stuff back," she said.

    Zong Ye stuffed the lipstick back into her skirt pocket.

    "Hmm." Jian Jing picked up the suitcase, just about to open the door, when a voice came from behind her again: "Oh right."

    He walked up behind her and stuck the location tracker sticker to her chest: "You forgot this."

    Jian Jing: This man is so hard to deal with.

    "Don''t be so careless next time." He lowered his head, his lips pressed against her ear, his voice barely audible, "Goodbye, Miss Rabbit."

    The door mmed shut with a "pop".

    Footsteps moved away.

    Zong Ye took out his cell phone and sent over a list.

    Half a dayter, the reply came:

    [Yamamoto Takeshi (Tiger Yin) checked, no abnormalities]

    [Kim Chung Won (Dragon Chen) checked, no abnormalities]

    [Hou Jianguo (Monkey Shen) checked, no abnormalities]

    [Xu Xinzhen (Goat Wei) checked, no abnormalities]

    [Ad Carter (Dog Xu), Robert Lee (Horse Wu) checked, two are antique thieves, already detained by police]

    [Chan Jiahua (Ox Chou) checked, no abnormalities]

    [Ma Haishan (Pig Hai) checked, no abnormalities]

    [Zheng Cuifang (Rooster You) checked, no abnormalities]

    [Jian Jing (Rabbit Mao) checked, no abnormalities]

    *

    Five dayster, the National Museum.

    At nine o''clock in the morning, as usual, the curator arrived at his office on time. Out of habit, he brewed a cup of Pu''er tea, turned on theputer, and got ready to check the morning news.

    Just as he sat down, he suddenly felt something under his desk.

    Looking down, there was a tightly wrapped paper box with "Donated Items" written on it.

    The curator frowned. There were many people who donated things to the museum, but few sent them stuffed in a courier box like this. It didn''t look like anything valuable.

    But having the heart to donate things to the country was good. He put down his teacup and struggled to lift it onto the desk, thinking: this is pretty heavy, it must be some kind of bronze ware.

    He tore open the seal and inside was a pile of newspapers. After rummaging some more, the old man''s blood pressure shot up.

    This, this, this...is this real? Could it be eye fatigue?

    He pulled up his clothes and wiped his bifocals vigorously before putting them back on to take a closer look.

    A bronze ram statuettey quietly among the piles of newspapers, silently emanating a historical halo.

    Lost for hundreds of years, it finally returned home.

 Chapter 267

    Chapter 267

    "[Jian Jing] and the Twelve Bronze Heads of Yuanmingyuan - The Sheep Head Appears in the Museum Office"

    "The National Museum Receives Anonymous Donation of One of the Lost Yuanmingyuan Bronze Heads"

    "Wee Home! The Mysterious Journey of the Sheep Head''s Return"

    Recently, news feeds have been dominated by this story, and in addition to people''s delight over another returned bronze head, they are also curious about how the item appeared in the museum.

    It is said that the museum''s surveince cameras did not capture anyone carrying the cardboard box, yet the bronze head mysteriously materialized in the office somehow.

    Who did it? Where did ite from? Why did the donor want to remain anonymous?

    The answers are simple.

    It was done by [Jian Jing]. Themissioned system delivered it. The anonymity was because she didn''t want too much attention - after all, this was obtained by [Zi Shu] risking his life from [Chen Long]. She just gave the final push.

    But suicide to steal collections, while understandable, should not be encouraged.

    So she simply kept out of sight, which also avoids people wondering how she did it.

    She didn''t have the item on her when she disembarked.

    Even [Zong Ye] probably wouldn''t have thought that she didn''t lie to him - the bronze head was safely tucked away in storage at the time.

    As for how it was delivered, she had no idea.

    The system took 10 special contribution points, moved it over mysteriously without a trace. She also watched the surveince video and saw no clues.

    It must have involved high-tech ck technology. Overthinking it is pointless.

    After getting it done, [Jian Jing] calcted her expenses this time.

    Helping [Jiang BaiYan] escape danger after Chinese New Year was 10 points for being a good Samaritan. Solving the inheritance case was another 10 points for being a good Samaritan (the system is bing stingier).

    The murder case on the yacht was a mission, 20 courage points. Hiding the bronze head and sending it back to the museum triggered a hidden side quest, rewarding 20 special contribution points.

    As for expenses...

    3 one-time authentication cards, minus 15 points.

    Fleece [Zong Ye]''s skills, minus 5 points.

    10 points express delivery fees, earnings halved.

    To avoid [Chen Long] getting sued, minus 700 million.

    [Jian Jing] decided toy low for a while. After all, her home was still undergoing renovations. There was no hurry - [Demon 3] would be released soon with new royalties.

    But good deeds still brought good karma.

    [You Ji] gifted her a pair of 19th century tablemps, [Wei Yang] sent her an antique magnifying ss, [Shen Hou] mailed her a painting, subtly expressing theirpensation for her loss this time, while conveying gratitude towards the donor at the same time.

    The gifts were not overly valuable so [Jian Jing] epted them. Then she stubbornly feigned ignorance:

    "I also don''t know who found it."

    Everyone: "Oh."

    Mr. Gu was even more direct, transferring 300,000 yuan into her ount, iming it wasmission for the case.

    [Jian Jing]: "......" never saw thating.

    She decided to treat [Kang Mu Cheng] and newly returned [Si Yingjie] to dinner.

    [Si Yingjie] felt very sympathetic: "Poor little [Jian Jing], didn''t earn much money yet has to treat us to dinner. Just make your own food next time, ah."

    [Jian Jing]: You wish.

    She had only solved two cases so far, gathered ingredients for "deathly delicacies" twice, nning to make a celebratory dinner after getting three.

    Three dishes were not enough to treat guests.

    "[Kang Mu Cheng] on the other hand, was willing to give her face. He was not very particr about food and clothing. "It''s rare to see [Jian Jing] so happy."

    [Si Yingjie]: "Happy about what? Going out and running into another murder case?"

    [Jian Jing] red at him. "Themission fee. I feel I could develop it as a side job in the future."

    "Then you''ll definitely get richer." [Si Yingjie] said.

    Her: "Is that meant to be a blessing or a curse?"

    "Definitely an auspicious wish." [Si Yingjie] sighed emotionally, "In this world, things are constantly happening every second - homicide, revenge, assault, rape... More people crying thanughing. If you can gain some damages from such misfortunate events, it''s a silver lining."

    [Jian Jing] was astonished that he could say something so philosophical.

    Curious, she asked: "Did you and [Lei Ao] have a smooth skiing trip?"

    "We almost got caught in an avnche." [Si Yingjie] said. "Luckily I was feelingzy that day and got up three hourster than nned, so I had just stepped out when I was called back."

    "What about the penguin?"

    He chuckled loudly: "I got you a penguin plushie souvenir, will send it to your hometer."

    [Jian Jing]: "......I don''t want plushies."

    "Can''t exactly sell live penguins." He facepalmed. "[Kang Mu Cheng] said you really like dolls!"

    [Jian Jing]: "???" Suddenly sabotaged.

    [Kang Mu Cheng]: "I didn''t say that."

    [Jian Jing] red furiously.

    [Si Yingjie] guffawed and continued teasing her: "Oh right, how''s that pretty boy you posted about?"

    "Who?" At first [Jian Jing] couldn''t remember, "Oh him... "

    She hesitated, then [Kang Mu Cheng] and [Si Yingjie] exchanged looks.

    [Kang Mu Cheng]''s gaze was admonishing: What are you doing?

    [Si Yingjie] justified himself: Just caring about our young friend!

    "[Jian Jing] chose a tactful description: "Looked better than actual ability." Just looking is enough.

    [Si Yingjie]: "What? It''s over already?"

    "Over what, the death penalty?" [Jian Jing] pondered. "Shouldn''t be. I think he''s not a citizen here, might get extradited and jailed for a few years instead. I don''t understand foreignws."

    [Si Yingjie] was struck speechless, taking a long time to ask: "You got him imprisoned?"

    "And his girlfriend too." She supplemented.

    [Si Yingjie]: "......"

    After the idle chatter was work time. Yes, [Kang Mu Cheng] would grasp any chance to discuss [Demon 3]''sunch ns with [Jian Jing].

    "The review results are out. Some parts are too violent, go make amendments." He said. "We should aim to release it in May. Also, I found a trantor, he has started simultaneous trantions for [Demon 3]. Feel free to discuss with him if there''s anything that needs changing."

    [Jian Jing]: "......Oh."

    End of April, [Demon 3] entered the printers. [Jian Jing] got sample copies early and posted previews on Weibo.

    Next began every author''s painful job - signing ten thousand copies.

    [Jian Jing]: Just end me already.

    A thick stack of signing sheets piled in her home like a small mountain. [Kang Mu Cheng] gave her a box of signing pens, asking her to slowly sign them all since the deadline was May.

    She had no choice but to furiously scribble away at home, writing "Jian Jing" so many times she forgot how the words looked, like drawing random symbols.

    After a few days of headaches and blurred vision, she finallypleted the austere task through exceptional perseverance.

    The printing factory had been waiting for her batch. Upon receiving the signing sheets they immediately started bookbinding and film coating. With her current poprity, the production lines were dedicated solely to [Demon Doctor 3].

    Workers worked overtime overnight under tight security to prevent leaked content beforeunch.

    After printing was done, the new book truly started its journey. They were sent to bookstores and warehouses nationwide, ready to be released.

    Various online promotions and events had already taken ce in rounds beforehand - lucky draws, giveaways, preorders...... So busy.

    [Jian Jing] sat at home with air conditioning.

    Hard to believe, but air conditioning was already necessary in early May. For some reason the temperature shot up to 30 degrees Celsius, scorching hot, making people dizzy. It was abruptly summer.

    So springwear was discarded from her wardrobe, reced by new summer clothes.

    On May 10th, [Demon Doctor 3] went on sale.

    In her final year of university, [Jiahui] had been [Jian Jing]''s loyal fan ever since getting into [Demon Doctor] in her sophomore year. Every new book was a must-buy for her.

    Although her internship work today was heavy, she still squeezed out time during lunch break to rush to the bookstore near herpany for a copy of [Demon Doctor 3].

    Flipping to the cover page, she couldn''t help but cheer: "Got a signed edition! Lucky!"

    Gleefully, she skimmed through the book and noticed the difference: "It''s bound opposite this time? Interesting."

    Initially only 60% interested, the specially bound book instantly piqued her appetite.

    Busy as she was, she rapidly read through the demon''s first story.

    Same familiar vor, plot still up to standard.

    [Jiahui] felt neither huge surprise nor disappointment, just curiosity - how would the reverse side''s hunter story read like?

    If only she could knock off work sooner! She must finish reading tonight no matter what, otherwise won''t be able to sleep.

    --

    Otaku [Yiwen] was 28 now, still a corporate ve. His biggest hobbies remained buying manga, figures and models - no change.

    The only difference was having a girlfriend now.

    Jian Jing''s girlfriend was a quiet bookworm. The two met on an online forum andter met in person to start a rtionship. Their feelings were stable, but they did not have any ns to get married yet.

    Now, the two lived together and had a cat. Their daily life was very leisurely and carefree.

    Today, as soon as Yiwen got off work, he copsed onto the sofa: "I''m starving, when is dinnering?" Since both he and his girlfriend were busy, they rarely cooked and relied on takeout to stay alive.

    "Ah!" His girlfriend suddenly looked up, "I forgot to order takeout."

    Yiwen scratched his head: "What are you looking at? Oh, Devil 3 is out?"

    "Mm-hmm," his girlfriend buried her head to continue reading, "the plot this time is especially interesting."

    Yiwen said: "Let me see."

    "I''ll let you read after I finish. By the way, I started with Devil, so you can start with Hunter," his girlfriend arranged it very clearly, "this way we can discuss the details."

    Yiwen grumbled about "being deliberately mysterious", but after dinner, he still obediently curled up on the sofa and started reading from the back cover.

    As night fell, lights lit up in households everywhere.

    One book, one story, was the bestfort after a tiring day for everyone.

    --

    Bing Shu, who had millions of followers on WeChat and was a big Weibo book influencer, went abroad on vacation with his wife and child this year.

    Running into the Golden Week rush during traveling could be extremely tiring. When he finally got home, he copsed onto his bed and could barely move for days.

    His wife asked: "Are you still going to write your article today? Don''t bezy, our daughter''s allowance depends entirely on you!"

    "I''ll write," after lying still recharging his HP bar for a few days, Bing Shu went back to his familiar chair, turned on his readingmp, "I was resting these past few days for today - to properly read Jian Jing''s new book."

    His wife didn''t like reading, she liked watching shows, but she remembered the name: "Is this the author of Rose Gold? Is the book also a romance novel this time?"

    "Mystery novel," Bing Shu opened the brand new Devil Doctor 3 and first flipped through it to check the overall quality - the gilding, binding, and paper stock - giving a silent nod of approval.

    Jian Jing was the top author under Golden Crow Publishing, and the quality of her physical books had always been high. The special binding this year also turned out well without any issues, and the pages were even designed with patterns.

    As he turned the pages, the crisp swish of paper was pleasing to the ear.

    The appearance checks out.

    Bing Shu turned to the front page where a personal note for him was written - as a major book blogger, publishers would send advance reader copies to influencers like him for reviews, sometimes with a special autograph.

    The story began.

    His expression changed from anticipation to seriousness, then intense concentration as he slowly read and flipped the book around halfway through, asionally murmuring to himself "I see" "I knew it" "this is getting interesting".

    His wife did not disturb him and went to y games instead.

    At 11 pm when she was getting ready for bed, she stopped by the study and asked: "Do you want to continue tomorrow?"

    "I''m pulling an all-nighter tonight," he replied without looking back.

    His wife was curious: "It''s that good?"

    "Well worth writing about," Bing Shu lit a cigarette and opened a new document on hisptop, "you go to bed, don''t mind me."

    "Take care of yourself."

    "I know."

    His wife closed the door, and the study became quiet again.

    Bing Shu stood by the window finishing a cigarette. As his mind raced through the plot, he gradually calmed down. Sitting in front of theputer, he started typing - the title for his next article.

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268

    "After reading this book, Bingshu''s first feeling was surprise, and then a little worried - Jian Jing took a certain risk in choosing this narrative approach. Although the reading experience has greatly improved, there is still a question of whether there are loopholes as a detective novel..."

    "Fortunately, the plot of Demon Doctor 3 is very solid. The two interlocking stories are above-par, so readers won''t think she is scraped the bottom of the barrel and is grasping at straws for eyeballs..."

    "As usual, no spoilers for detective novels. I can only vaguely introduce to everyone that the scores for the first two stories are around 7, but the third story is hard to evaluate. From the reading experience, I felt that sh of sudden realization when I read the ending, which is worth an 8. But in terms of the ingenuity of the puzzle, itcked that striking brilliance that makes you bang the table.

    "This is the only downside. However, when ites to detective novels nowadays, there are no new tricks. Being able to write the case logically and fluently is already a pass."

    "...Jian Jing''s advantage is that both the storytelling and detective elements are very strong,plementing each other. The reading process is very enjoyable and seamless without any weak points."

    "Writing up to here, the reviewer suddenly discovered an easter egg. Although the murderer''s name was not revealed in the end, it was actually told to us very early on. Even readers who don''t like brainwork can get the answer directly. However, it would be too much of a waste not to infer it yourself for such an interactive detective novel..."

    "Unconsciously wrote 3,000 words - in short, not as artistic as Hide and Seek and The Gold of Roses, but absolutely worth reading in terms of the story itself. No problem making the bestseller list this year."

    Bingshu himself has a master''s degree in Chinese literature, very refined literary taste, and used to work at a newspaper, so his writing is frank, pragmatic, and demonstrates both aesthetic sense and expressiveness. As a result, he has gained the trust and affection of many fans.

    Hismentary on Jian Jing has always been quite fair and objective. He acknowledges that her stories are well-written, but also points out from an artistic perspective that the Demon Doctor series does not have the ideological content of Hide and Seek and The Gold of Roses.

    In short, it is a very typical bestseller.

    And the little trick she yed this year is not new at all, others tried simr things long ago. Only with great confidence can such an attempt be made.

    If the story itself doesn''t work, it would be called a loophole. Only when the story itself is solid enough can the reading experience be enhanced.

    As it turns out, Jian Jing''s performance remains stable.

    Readers have responded positively to her innovation and believe it does enhance the sense of immersion. The two storylines move forward in tandem, echoing the core of the story.

    There was a thread asking for help on the Bookworm Forum:

    "Question! For Demon 3, do you start from the ck or the white?"

    rt

    1L: I suggest starting from the middle

    2L: Makes sense bro, the time of the third story is the earliest

    3L: Don''t listen to them OP, reading together is thrilling!

    4L: Actually it doesn''t matter either way

    5L: You can start from the front or back, or the middle, up to you

    ......

    And this thread:

    "Finished Demon 3, wanna discuss the easter egg"

    OP: Spoiler warning, discuss after finishing reading, strongly suggest leaving if you haven''t finished...

    ......Wrong entry please leave......

    ......Still chance to leave now......

    Okay I''ll just ask, is the easter egg the patterns on the pages?

    1L: Yes, cking out parts of the first two cases, you can see the murderer

    2L: This cipher design is so fun, too bad it would spoil it if you cked it out, sob sob

    3L: There''s another way, look at the cover pattern under sunlight, there''ll be surprise

    4L: This book is truly exquisite, Jian Jing is getting more and more prominent!!

    --

    Sales and word of mouth of Demon 3 remained stable, everything so matter of course.

    Tao, general manager of Chenxing, begrudgingly congratted Kang Mu Cheng. Other publishers also sent their congrattions to Jian Jing.

    She took some time to deal with these tedious but necessary social interactions, and did not forget to send autographed books to her mentor, fellow students, and friends.

    One of the recipients was Ji Yunyun.

    Jian Jing texted her to ask when would be convenient to pick up the book, or if she should give it to Ji Feng to pass on instead?

    Ji Yunyun immediately replied that tomorrow was Sunday, school was closed, could they meet for coffee?

    Jian Jing was taken aback for a moment.

    Ji Yunyun was her loyal fan, but also a girl who knew boundaries very well. She never made difficult requests before - after all they were not super familiar.

    Very different from her brother.

    She thought about it and replied: [Sure, what time?]

    Ji Yunyun: [Whatever time is convenient for you will be good! Me and my ssmate are very free]

    She also anxiously asked: [Can I bring my ssmate? If not convenient I''lle alone, sorry for troubling you]

    Jian Jing: [No problem, then 1pm tomorrow]

    The next day, Jian Jing brought several signed books to meet them, and found Ji Yunyun and her ssmate Xiao Xiao already waiting.

    Xiao Xiao looked vaguely familiar - she was the girl who escaped the fire together back then. The two girls sat in a corner with a cup of coffee each, seeming to have been waiting for a while based on the remaining amount.

    Strangely, they both had worried frowns, none of the vivacity of youth.

    "Good afternoon." Jian Jing greeted. "You''re Xiao Xiao right, long time no see."

    Xiao Xiao was a little nervous. "Ms Jian, you still remember me?"

    "Of course, we escaped death together." She sat down with a smile, ordered Hibiscus tea, ice cream and some snacks, then passed two new books to them. "Read after your exams!"

    Ji Yunyun solemnly thanked her, hesitating over what to say.

    Jian Jing cut to the chase. "Did something happen?"

    Ji Yunyun nodded reluctantly, not knowing where to start.

    "Feel free to tell me if you don''t mind." Jian Jing said. "I''ll keep it from your brother."

    Ji Yunyun scratched her head, seeming to steel her resolve. "I suspect our ssmate Miao Tong did notmit suicide."

    Jian Jing softly ah-ed. "Tell me the details."

    "Miao Tong was our ss vice monitor. She was very nice with good grades. We all thought she''d be rmended to college for sure but..." Ji Yunyun''s voice suddenly dropped. "She jumped off a building."

    "Go on."

    "At that time our ss was having PE - seniors get self study for PE, but from April teachers encouraged us to take walks outside, rx a bit instead of staying in the ssroom. So some were in ss, some weren''t."

    Despite all those detective novels Ji Yunyun read, when it came to narrating herself she turned a little inarticte, trying to be detailed but getting jumbled up.

    "Miao Tong went to theb building, then jumped from the top floor. I was ying badminton, at the court behind theb building."

    Ji Yunyun paused for a while, said with difficulty: "I saw her fall."

    Xiao Xiao held her friend''s arm. "We quickly called the teachers. We didn''t know it was Miao Tong then, found outter..."

    "Did the police investigate?" Jian Jing asked.

    Ji Yunyun nodded. "Looked into it a bit, there was a suicide note, her recent grades dropped a lot, so they said it was suicide from stress."

    Jian Jing nodded slowly, but also asked: "Why do you feel it wasn''t suicide?"

    "Because some strange things happened recently." Xiao Xiao said. "There''s a girl in our dorm who''s be a little weirdtely. I don''t know how to describe it well - she''s kind of high strung?"

    The girl bit her lip, describing in puzzlement: "Deep into the night, she doesn''t sleep, stands on the balcony as if about to jump. Her roommate happened to go to the bathroom, almost fell off the ˇőˇő. But when we asked her she said she was just getting some air. Also when walking she would often look back saying someone called her. We said no one did but she insisted it was Miao Tong''s voice."

    "You suspect she has a guilty conscience?" Jian Jing asked.

    Xiao Xiao and Ji Yunyun exchanged a look, nodding slightly. "She didn''t have the best rtionship with Miao Tong before."

    "I feel like the ss president is also suspicious," Ji Yunyun gradually entered the state, "He and Miao Tong arepetitors, both have the chance to be rmended for advancement, but Miao Tong''s grades have not been very stable since the beginning of the school year this year, she must be in love."

    Jian Jing finished her ice cream and asked: "With who?"

    "The ss president," Ji Yunyun said indignantly, "This could be his scheme."

    "You''re just talking about motives," Jian Jing wiped her hands and asked, "Where are the real doubts? Or do you have any evidence?"

    Ji Yunyun took out a notebook from her schoolbag, flipped it open: "Miao Tong jumped off the building on May 4th, Wednesday afternoon during the second ss. I asked several close friends of Miao Tong, they all said that although Miao Tong''s mood had not been high recently, she did not seem to be despairing, and still chatted with them about which universities they wanted to go to."

    Xiao Xiao added: "Her dorm mates said Miao Tong really liked a pop star and was going to go see his concert after the college entrance exam."

    "Her deskmate said she was still doing math homework during the lunch break, who does homework beforemitting suicide? And math homework!!"

    "Before PE ss, she also told us that the new yogurt was very delicious and rmended us to try it."

    "Besides, there was no need to go to theb building to jump, it was very far away."

    "The senior who jumped to his death two years ago jumped from the teaching building."

    The two girls rattled on about all kinds of "doubts", some made sense, some barely.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and asked Ji Yunyun: "It must be easier for your brother to investigate this. Have you talked to him about it?"

    "He would definitely tell me not to get involved!" Ji Yunyun eximed, her face full of refusal, "Ask me to study well and not get distractedˇŞˇŞHow could I not get distracted? Someone I see every day died inexplicably, who could really not care at all?"

    Hearing this, Jian Jing immediately realized that she had to take on this mission".

    With less than a month before the college entrance exam, if they kept harbouring these doubts, they wouldn''t be able to focus on the test properly.

    She asked: "What do you want me to do?"

    Ji Yunyun eagerly asked: "Can you investigate this case for us?"

    "I can," Jian Jing told her clearly, "but I''m not in a position to inquire teachers and students for statements."

    The enclosed school system did not wee outsiders, let alone near scandalous suicide cases. The school probably would not agree to let her investigate.

    Ji Yunyun understood, and her face fell: "Do you have to say it out straight?"

    "Don''t worry, I''ll talk to him. Just pretend you know nothing," Jian Jing took her notebook, "Leave this to me, you guys..."

    With less than a month before the college entrance exam, distractions were no good. However, she couldn''t say it straight out, it would only make the teenage girl more rebellious.

    She thought for a moment, pretending to admonish solemnly: "Study hard and focus on the exams, don''t let anyone notice anything unusual. He would only reveal ws if he believes it''s already been ruled as suicide."

    As expected, Ji Yunyun took the bait and revealed an excited yet restrained expression: "No problem!"

    Xiao Xiao also nodded.

    "That''s right, Watson," Jian Jing smiled.

 Chapter 269

    Chapter 269

    The sky is big, the ground is big, but high school seniors are the biggest.

    Jian Jing and Ji Yunyun parted ways and immediately called Ji Feng toe out.

    On the other end of the phone was a loud and clear male voice saying, "We must fully...maintain order...". He was probably in a lecture or training session.

    Ji Feng''s voice was very low, like a thief''s: "In a meeting, what''s up?"

    Jian Jing exined the situation from beginning to end.

    "Damn!" He cursed, "Send me the location,ing right away."

    Coming right away meant half an hour. Considering his usual situation, this was unprecedentedly efficient.

    "What the hell?" Ji Feng sat down and startedining immediately, "The college entrance exam ising up soon, what is she thinking?"

    "She knows you would say this, that''s why she''d rather investigate on her own than ask you for help." Jian Jing slowly sipped on her iced coffee as she retorted him, "Tsk tsk, big brother you''re like this."

    Ji Feng rolled his eyes and calmed down, "What''s the case?"

    "If you''re busy, just making a phone call will do," Jian Jing said deliberately, "I can investigate on my own."

    Ji Feng didn''t even take the bait. He asked directly, "Do you think it''s a homicide?"

    "Not necessarily, but if we don''t investigate, she definitely won''t be at ease. The college entrance exam ising up soon, this can''t keep preupying her mind, right?" Jian Jing took a sip of coffee and asked, "Are youing? If not, at least lend me the case file to take a look."

    "Nonsense." Ji Feng''s answer was no surprise, "I''lle pick you up tomorrow. We''ll go to the school."

    "I don''t want to go with you." Jian Jing rejected, "I have my own ways."

    Ji Feng looked at her for a bit: "What are you scheming?"

    "I''m not telling you," she said.

    The next day, Monday. Nothing happened. The atmosphere in Senior Year ss 5 was as depressing as always.

    Ji Yunyun sat in the second tost row, asionally ncing at the empty seat in the third row. That was Miao Tong''s seat. Her desk was nowpletely empty. The notebooks that used to be filled with notes, the piles of test papers, and the colorful stationery had all disappeared.

    With the crowded state of the ssroom desks, this vacancy was especially conspicuous.

    Ji Yunyun believed that she was not the only one who would stare at that desk.

    She unconsciously pressed the button of her fountain pen - click, click, click. The boy sitting next to her lifted his elbow and nudged her arm, "Annoying."

    Ji Yunyun ignored him.

    "Why do you keep staring at the ss president?" The boy next to her asked as he scooted closer.

    "None of your business." Ji Yunyun pushed him away, grabbed some test papers, and forced herself to concentrate on the math problems.

    Math is so freaking hard!

    When will Teacher Jian start investigating?

    And that annoying brother, he''ll definitely get scolded again. But as long as we can get to the bottom of this, he can say whatever he wants.

    What if Miao Tong really didn''t kill herself?

    Ugh, this is so annoying.

    She daydreamed the whole day and didn''t even finish the test papers. She had no choice but to pitifully go back to the dorm and continue under the light of her shlight.

    Several times, Ji Yunyun almost cracked and wanted to send someone a message, but she endured.

    On the third day, Tuesday, she attended ss with dark eye circles.

    During the second period, the math teacher who was their ss teacher came in and said, "Let''s switch the music ss to this period and have the safety education ss this afternoon. Everyone line up and go to the auditorium."

    Ji Yunyun''s heart shuddered as she looked at Xiao Xiao.

    The two good friends silently held hands.

    The students were not surprised. With someone jumping off a building, the school must do something - psychological counseling, safety education, parent meetings... Only some whispered.

    "Another wasted ss."

    "Boring."

    "Waste of time, might as well give us PE."

    But no matter theints, the school was very strict. All 30+ senior year sses came.

    Ji Yunyun sat down and immediately saw her brother ring at her from the stage. re all you want, I won''t lose any meat. She scolded him inwardly and red back fiercely.

    But two girls in the back row became excited, "Wow, is that police officer? So handsome!"

    Ji Yunyun: Other than being handsome,pletely useless.

    Girls: "Uniform temptation!"

    Ji Yunyun: The quality is so poor, I have to sew his loose buttons back on myself.

    Girls: "Wonder if he has a girlfriend?"

    Ji Yunyun: Obviously doesn''t.

    After a round of mental retorts, strangely, Ji Yunyun''s raised heart gradually settled down, and the anxiety that had enveloped her body swiftly retreated.

    Slowly, she calmed down.

    The safety education lecture was hosted by a sweet-voiced beauty from the security brigade, responsible for safety education at the school andmunity.

    The lecture was not long. The main point was "cherish life, study hard". The students listened drearily.

    After half an hour, the lecture ended. Everyone returned to their ssrooms for the next lesson.

    Ji Yunyun was pushed along by the crowd, returning for an English ss.

    But she knew this was not over yet.

    "I''ve repaid my favor to you this time." The security brigade beauty put her hands on her hips, "Emergency overtime, do you know howte I stayed upst night?"

    "Alright alright, thanks a lot." Ji Feng said, "I''ll treat you to a meal another day."

    "Another day means no next time." She said, "Treat me to lunch today."

    Ji Feng: "The cafeteria?"

    Beauty: "You''re taking a girl to the cafeteria?"

    "There''s more than just the cafeteria at school right?" He packed up the materials, "Then another day it is. I still have something to investigate."

    Beauty: "......"

    Just as the two were about to leave, they suddenly saw the custodian bringing in standing signs, pull straps, posters, and several boxes of new books from outside.

    "Ah! Teacher Jian''s lecture?" The beauty stopped in her tracks and quickly asked the custodian, "Is it today?"

    "Next ss." The custodian said, "But it''s for 10th and 11th grade."

    The beauty did not leave and said to Ji Feng, "Cafeteria it is then. I''ll go back after eating."

    Ji Feng: "For Teacher Jian''s autograph?"

    "Signed editions are rare, especially autographed ones. Opportunities are hard toe by. Teacher Jian holds very few signing events." The beauty happily calcted. Her anger from being made to work overtime early in the morning hadpletely disappeared without a trace.

    Ji Feng couldn''t understand the enthusiasm of fans and shook his head as he retreated.

    The Sciences building was on the other side of the auditorium, about the same height as the ssroom building, totaling 4 floors. Behind were the basketball court and badminton court, and in front was the office building.

    Theyout was approximately as follows:

    Girls Dorms.....Boys Dorms

    ..Cafeteria.....Gym.....Courts

    ssroom A.....Track.....Courts

    Auditorium....Sciences Building

    ssroom B..........Office Building

    ssroom C

    Senior ss 5 was located in Building A. At the time of the incident, they had PE self-study. For Miao Tong to rush from Building A all the way to the Sciences Building tomit suicide was indeed somewhat unreasonable.

    But there was evidence to ssify this as a suicide case.

    The colleague fromst time''s investigation had already recorded all eyewitnesses and indirect witnesses.

    No one actually saw Miao Tong jump down, but no suspicious person was seen entering or leaving either.

    There were a total of 6 people in the Sciences Building at the time of the incident.

    The chemistry teacher preparing for next period''s ss on the first floor, the custodian mopping on the first floor, and 4 10th grade students preparing for the National Chemistry Competition in theb.

    The Sciences Building had a total of 2 entrances/exits, one on the left and one on the right.

    At the time, the custodian was mopping the floor on the left side of the first floor. ording to him, he had heard footsteps about 10 minutes before Miao TongˇŻs fall.

    Afterwards, he stayed in that area until Miao Tong jumped. He did not leave or hear/see a second person enter or exit.

    The right entrance was near a long, quiet corridor connected by a overpass to the front office building. Usually no one was there.

    Two ss 5 students were there memorizing vocabry words. They said they did not see anyone enter or leave.

    Additionally, behind the Sciences Building was the badminton court. Ji Yunyun and her ssmates were there.

    They said they saw Miao Tong walking towards the Sciences Building and assumed she was going to use the restroom - the ones in the gym and ssroom buildings were too far. So they didn''t think much of it.

    They also did not see any other people entering or leaving.

    So a map can tentatively be outlined as follows:

    .....Girls ying Badminton......

    ........Sciences Building........

    ..Custodian..1st Floor...Vocab Students.

    LetˇŻs look at the 5 people inside.

    The 4 10th grade students preparing for thepetition were boys and girls unrted to Miao Tong who stayed in theb the whole time doing experiments. No suspicious.

    The teacher who was preparing for the chemistry ss was newly recruited this year to teach first-year high school students. He did not even know the student Miao Tong, let alone have a motive to kill her.

    Besides, although the dust umted from the rain the previous day was washed clean by the rainwater, and the next day''s sun had dried it without leaving any footprints or other traces, there was nothing particrly noteworthy either.

    Under such circumstances, it was reasonable to determine that Miao Tongmitted suicide.

    But if it was murder... Ji Feng was thinking, when he suddenly heard a roar of cheersing from the auditorium next door. The huge sound of hundreds of people cheering together was as if it could blow off the ceiling.

    "Tsk, the writer is as popr as a celebrity." He muttered to himself, then walked up to the rooftop on the fourth floor.

    The rooftop and the stairwell were separated by a door, which had now been reced by arge lock, but in the photos in the archives, it was just an ordinary small lock.

    The key was threaded onto a key ring along with other keys in theb, which was kept by a teacher in the office building.

    However, the lock on the scene had been pried open, and it was unclear who did it. After all, no one would run to the rooftop for no reason.

    Ji Feng scrolled to the bottom of the archives and found no mention of the two people Xiao Xiao was concerned about.

    Xiao XiaoˇŻs roommate, the nervous girl thief Tong Molli.

    The student council president of ss 5 Senior Year 3, rumored to be the victimˇŻs ex-boyfriend and herpetitor for the rmended admission quota, Wu Jingcheng.

    He decided to ask their head teacher.

    On the way past the auditorium, he could clearly hear the students'' screaming.

    Ji Feng was reminded of when he was an intern and was assigned to be responsible for a celebrity''s concert. The stadium that night was just like this, noisy enough to hurt his ears.

    He admitted that Teacher Jian was smart and beautiful and talented, but still not to this extent, right?

    "Ah ah ahˇŞ" There it was again. These kids knew nothing.

    Ji Feng raced into the teaching building. Before he reached the head teacher''s office, he heard students protesting, "Why do the first and second graders get to go, but we don''t?"

    "Yeah, we want autographs too," the girls pleaded. "Teacher, please make an exception for us."

    Those who dared toe to the office to make requests were all teachers'' darling students, top ten in grades. Their opinions were what the teachers were usually very willing to listen to.

    Considering that a student had justmitted suicide, although the teachers felt it would easily distract the students, they still said, "How about this, let me ask if we can spare a period in the afternoon for everyone to get signatures and whatnot, but on the condition that you don''t fall behind on studies."

    "Yay!!" The students cheered.

    The children filed out one after another.

    Only then did Ji Feng knock on the door and politely ask, "Teacher Chen, may I trouble you for a moment?"

    Author''s note: Sorry for thete update today, I went to the hospital.

    Mwah!

 Chapter 270

    Chapter 270

    Teacher Chen, the head teacher of ss 5 Senior Year 3, was the group leader of the mathematics group. She was a 35-year-old married woman.

    She knew Ji Feng and was aware that he was a rtive of Ji Yunyun. She had a deep impression of him. After all, it was not every parent-teacher conference where someone waste and left early, and came with blood on them once.

    "You are here to find Yunyun, aren''t you?" she asked kindly.

    To her surprise, Ji Feng said, "Sorry, Teacher Chen, I''d like to ask about Miao Tong."

    Teacher Chen was shocked instantly, "Isn''t Miao Tong..."

    "I''d like to check again," he said ambiguously, "Let''s talk about this child."

    Teacher Chen was worldly-wise. She fell silent for a moment and said, "She was a good kid, studious, with rtively stable grades. But when she came back from the winter vacation this year, her grades started to slip. We were worried that it was because her parents put too much pressure on her. We even talked to her parents about this. Her parents said it was the child who pushed herself too hard and they were also very anxious."

    "What was her personality like?"

    "A very quiet girl who was willing to help others and was quite popr in ss," Teacher Chen said. "Her ssmates were all very sad about what happened to her."

    Ji Feng nodded and asked again, "As far as you know, did Miao Tong show any signs of dating?"

    Teacher Chen hesitated and said, "It was possible. Generally when a student''s grades suddenly dropped, it was either something happened at home or it was her own problem."

    "With whom?"

    "I''m not very clear. Children have cell phones now and it''s usually hard to tell," Teacher Chen replied.

    Ji Feng asked, "Did she have any conflicts with anyone?"

    Teacher Chen cautiously answered, "Almost none."

    She didn''t lie, but seemed to conceal something. Was it to protect the students? Ji Feng asked impassively, "I''d like to chat with some students. Would that be convenient?"

    Teacher Chen said awkwardly, "Everyone thought this matter was over. There''s less than a month left until Gaokao (college entrance examination)..."

    "You are right," Ji Feng didn''t force her. Then he changed the subject, "Then let me ask something personal. How are Yunyun''s grades? Has she dated anyone at school?"

    "If Yunyun performs up to her normal level, she should have no problem getting into a college, but she''ll need to work harder if she wants to get into a key university," As she finally managed to catch a parent of Ji Yunyun, Teacher Chen nagged at great lengths, "I know your family situation is special, but this examination determines how a child''s whole life would be. No matter how busy you are, pay more attention to your sister in thisst month. Take good care of her daily life..."

    Ji Feng was lectured into a deted shape. He had no choice but to agree repeatedly, "Yes, yes. I must pay attention."

    Teacher Chen said, "Don''t put too much pressure on the child either. It''s not like Yunyun doesn''t work hard. Just take it easy and it''s most important that she performs normally."

    Ji Feng: "You are right."

    After the long speech, Teacher Chen''s caution towards the police had turned into authoritative guidance towards the parent. She spoke a bit more loosely, "It was a pity for Miao Tong. Her grades were so good before. Although they slipped a little this year, she should have had no problem getting into a first-tier college. I even thought she had a good chance for rmendation..."

    He took the chance to ask, "How does the school decide who to rmend?"

    "The final exam results from Grade 10 and 11, achievement test scores, and the mock exam results from Grade 12 Senior Year 1 and 2. Of course, teacher rmendations are needed as well," Teacher Chen said. "Among over a dozen spots, three to four students would be selected." However, our school doesn''t have spots in top universities like Peking University and Tsinghua University. The best we have is a spot in Huaping University."

    Ji Feng smiled and asked, "How many students from this ss are on the list?"

    Teacher Chen was rather proud, "Three from our ss!"

    He put on a shocked expression, "I thought ss 1 to ss 4 were the good sses?"

    "..." Teacher Chen felt speechless towards this kind of parent, "ss 1 to ss 4 are liberal arts sses. Our ss 5 is the best science ss."

    "Then," Ji Feng, the irresponsible parent,mented, "isn''t our Yunyun''s grade quite good?"

    Teacher Chen: "She ranked 78th in the grade in the second mock exam."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    Was that good or bad?

    "Who were the three students?" He asked casually.

    Every parent was curious about the top students in the ss. Teacher Chen only hesitated briefly before answering, "Wu Jingcheng, Miao Tong, and Tong Molli. But Miao Tong and Tong Molli originally didn''t stand much chance. Wu Jingcheng wonpetition awards. It''s almost fixed that it would be him."

    Ji Feng nodded and asked a few more questions about Ji Yunyun''s daily life. After dissolving Teacher Chen''s concerns, he ended the conversation.

    By this time, the lecture in the auditorium had also ended. Students streamed out of the lecture hall noisily like a flock of ducks being let out, chattering loudly.

    He went to the chemistry office of the Grade 10 and asked the chemistry teacher who was in theboratory building at that time.

    She was a girl just graduated who had just signed a contract with the school. On the day of the incident, it was her first time to lead students in experiments.

    To ensure the experiments went smoothly, she went to theboratory one session in advance to check the equipment and did the experiment herself first.

    Regarding what happened that day, she said, "I didn''t notice anything. I was focused on doing my own thing the whole time. Although it was just a small experiment, chemistry experiments can be quite dangerous. Students might run into all kinds of problems. I kept going through it in advance in my mind. I didn''t hear anyone shouting ''someone''s dead'' until someone actually shouted it."

    Ji Feng asked, "Did you see the deceased?"

    The chemistry teacher shook her head.

    Ji Feng asked, "What time did you go to theboratory building?"

    She estimated the time, "Our first afternoon ss started at 1:30. I went when the ss bell hadn''t rung yet, around 2 o''clock."

    Miao Tong jumped off the building at 2:45 pm, which was exactly during the second ss session.

    "Who else was in theboratory building then?"

    "I only knew no one was on the first and second floors. I didn''t hear any sound," the chemistry teacher said apologetically. "The chemistryb is on the second floor. I didn''t go upstairs so I don''t know if anyone was up there."

    Ji Feng thanked her and went to find the cleaningdy.

    She said she started cleaning theboratory building at around 1 pm ording to her daily routine, from the washrooms and corridors on the fourth floor all the way down.

    Therefore, she could tell the police very certainly that when the second ss session started, there were only six people in the entire building.

    The chemistry teacher arrived first. Then as soon as the second ss session started, four Grade 11 students came to do experiments. She was cleaning the second floor and about to go downstairs at that time.

    Shortly after, she cleaned the first floor corridor and was cleaning the washroom when she heard footsteps. Someone went upstairs.

    But she was mopping the floor in the washroom then and didn''te out to see who it was.

    "Are you sure it was one person?"

    "Definitely." The cleaningdy was quite old but still loud-voiced, "My ears work great. I said it was one person then it was one person. There wasn''t a second person!"

    Her statements were consistent with her previous ount.

    Next up were the badminton students and the student reciting words.

    Around lunch break, Ji Feng went to ss 5 Senior Year 3 and blocked his sister who was going to the cafeteria for lunch. "I''m taking you out for lunch. Are your friends around? Ask them to join."

    He openly took the two girls out of the school gate to a nearby restaurant.

    "I have a thing to ask you two," Ji Feng spread out the floor n drawing and asked, "Where exactly were you at the badminton court at that time?"

    Ji Yunyun pointed at a spot.

    "Which side did Miao Tong pass by from?"

    She drew a line.

    ..badminton court.....basketball court....

    .ˇŁ..x...................

    .ˇŁˇŁˇŁˇŁboratory building..........

    (Note: x is where Ji Yunyun was, .... is Miao Tong''s path)

    "There''s some distance between the badminton court and theboratory building, and there''s vegetation in between. How can you be certain that was Miao Tong?" Ji Feng asked his sister quite sharply.

    But his business-like attitude instead provoked Ji Yunyun''s pride. She said extremely seriously, "Miao Tong and I know each other very well. Although I didn''t see her face clearly, but the hairstyle, clothes, and the way she walked were all hers. I won''t mistake her."

    "Wasn''t she wearing school uniform?" Ji Feng questioned. "Girls have simr hairstyles and most wear ponytails."

    Ji Yunyun & Xiao Xiao: "......"

    "Miao Tong learned ballet before, her walking posture was especially graceful. Ordinary people can''t imitate that," Xiao Xiao said. "We all said she looked very much like a white swan."

    "And her hair is different too. Although the school requires that students do not dye or perm their hair, Miao Tong has naturally curly hair. She and another girl in our ss are the only ones with this particrly curly type of curly hair, and that other girl''s hair is not as long as Miao Tong''s," Ji Yunyun added.

    Ji Feng asked, "You mean you are absolutely sure you did not mistaken her?"

    "Yes! And I even called out to her, and she turned around and waved at us." Ji Yunyun looked at him defiantly, raring for a fight.

    Ji Feng would not indulge her. He asked impassively, "What was her state on the day of the incident? Did she behave differently from usual in any way?"

    The police had asked this question before, but Ji Yunyun still answered earnestly, "She was a little different, but I didn''t feel like she was about tomit suicide."

    "Tell me the specifics, not your feelings," Ji Feng prompted. "What did she say, what actions did she take?"

    The two girls racked their brains.

    After a long while, Xiao Xiao said, "I feel... uh, I don''t know how to put it..."

    "It''s alright, go ahead and say it," Ji Feng encouraged her. Unlike with his sister, he had to be patient with someone else''s child. "What do you feel?"

    Xiao Xiao ventured, "Miao Tong and I share a dorm room. That morning, she seemed to have something on her mind. I thought she was worried about the mock exam, so Iforted her a bit. But then she said she had been too nervous before, and after talking to her parents and teachers recently, she felt that as long as she did her best, there would be no issues. She hade to terms with it."

    "Her attitude was very positive?" he asked carefully.

    Xiao Xiao nodded emphatically. "Yes, she didn''t seem at all like she was going tomit suicide. We even talked about going out to y after the exam."

    Ji Feng fell silent in contemtion.

    "So what''s the conclusion?" Ji Yunyun was impatient. "You''ve been investigating for so long, do you have a result?"

    Ji Feng clicked his tongue and said, "The suicide note has handwriting that is verified to be hers. How do you exin that?"

    Xiao Xiao boldly spected, "Imitation?"

    "Or copied from her homework or test papers," Ji Yunyun added, thinking out of the box.

    Ji Feng exined with unprecedented patience, "Handwriting analysis is a specialized technique. Simply put, while a person can deliberately imitate another''s handwriting, the act of writing is automated. Unless you strictly control every stroke, your habits will inevitably leak through.

    "Secondly, even if you can perfectly imitate her original handwriting, writing under different conditions will definitely show some differences. Like whether the words on your test papers are smaller, while words in a diary would be bigger. If pieced together, the size andyout would be discordant.

    "Also, everyone has different vocabry andnguage habits. Of course, you are all high schoolers, so it might not seem too different. But there are also stroke orders - under a microscope, characters that look simr could have different stroke orders."

    He concluded, "Handwriting analysis is generally urate. The suicide note was written by Miao Tong herself."

    "Ah..." Ji Yunyun had a lost expression as she murmured, "Then, did she reallymit suicide?"

    "No conclusion can be drawn yet," Ji Feng said. Then his questioning turned on them, "You''re off the hook, go eat your meal then go back to ss. I asked your homeroom teacher, she said your grades make it difficult for you to test into a top university. Can you try harder, follow my example?"

    Ji Yunyun: QAQ

    Her brother was a nasty show-off. He had ended up at a top university as the first ranked student in his year. It was infuriating.

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271

    After having lunch with two little kids, Ji Feng kindly sent them back to school.

    On the way, he received a call from "Public Security Bureau-Miss Wang".

    "Didn''t you say you would treat me to a meal?" Miss Wang yelled in despair, "You stood me up even for the school cafeteria?"

    "Oh," Ji Feng just remembered, "I''m so sorry, something came up and kept me preupied. Have you eaten?"

    Wang: "No."

    "Then how about this - I''ll order some takeout to your office, so you can eat as soon as you get back," he said. "It''s tiring work, thanks a lot."

    Wang: "..." The call had already hung up.

    She furiously sent a WeChat message: [I won''t eat anymore!]

    Ji Feng: [Alright, next time I''ll treat you to milk tea]

    Wang: [If you have the guts, treat me right now]

    It was a screenshot of a takeout order, with her office address filled in.

    Wang stopped responding altogether, fuming as she got in the car and mmed her foot on the gas pedal. As she drove out of the gate, she saw him emerging from the school store with a bottle of chilled Coke in hand.

    She made a drifting turn and sshed him full of dust: "Oops, didn''t see you there."

    "Drive safely," Ji Feng shook his head. Nowadays girls drive so recklessly, "Pay attention to your image in the public vehicle."

    "Humph." Wang rolled up her window and drove away angrily.

    Half a minuteter, Jian Jing walked out of the corridor connecting the teaching buildings, curiously asking: "What did you do?"

    Ji Feng brushed the dust off his shoulders: "What could I have done?" He handed her the Coke, bribing her, "Any updates?"

    Jian Jing went into the school store, spent a long time picking in front of the fridge before choosing an ice cream cone: "Yeah, quite a few."

    Ji Feng: "There were two kids memorizing vocabry..."

    "Oh, that couple?" She bit into the chocte-coated waffle cone ice cream, unconcerned. "I asked them already, their testimonies are highly credible."

    Ji Feng flipped through the written records: "A couple?"

    It said they were memorizing on their own, marked at spots some distance apart.

    "They took initiative telling me." Jian Jing blinked, unable to hide her smugness.

    She had just drawn a very nice card - [Limited Card: Trust].

    [Name: Limited Card - Reputation +30%]

    [Description: Your social credibility rises sharply, earning more people''s trust; they believe you and are willing to help you]

    [Note: No trust, no standing]

    Trust is invisible and intangible, yet constantly influencing life.

    Just think, when a case urs, would the testimony of a loitering, unemployed vagrant or that of an officer from a government agency be more credible?

    And when people go to inquire about something, are those sneaking around more likely to obtain the truth, or polite, dignified people with good demeanor? This is credit, trust, reliance.

    Jian Jing herself was already a rather famous author, with decent name recognition in society. Adding her graceful looks and youthful charm, it was extremely easy to garner othersˇŻ favor.

    With a +30% boost in this area, the effect was immediate.

    She contacted this affiliated middle school and asked if they would be interested in having her give a lecture - authors going to schools to give talks ismonce, just the difference between a famous writer versus a no-name. It was up to the schoolˇŻs own capabilities.

    The school agreed without much consideration.

    After the lecture finished, she took the opportunity to chat with the female student, one of the vocabry memorizers, for a bit. The other party took initiative mentioning she was an eyewitness of the joint suicide case.

    Jian Jing followed up with two sentences, and the girl told her everything she knew.

    She said: ˇ°I felt stuffy after sitting in the ssroom for so long and wanted to take a walk. I wandered to the area near theb building. The wisteria there was blooming beautifully, it was quiet with no one else around, so I thought IˇŻd review some vocabry. After some time I heard someone shouting ˇ®someoneˇŻs dead!ˇŻ I hurried over to take a look, and it turned out to be someone from our ss...ˇ±

    ˇ°At that time, you were the only one there?ˇ± Jian Jing asked.

    ˇ°Later a boy came too.ˇ± The girl said.

    Jian Jing blinked: ˇ°Let me guess, boyfriend and girlfriend?ˇ±

    The girl denied it at first: ˇ°No.ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs the second tost boy in the fourth row counting from behind.ˇ± But Jian Jing nced into the ssroom and directly guessed it out. ˇ°Your shoes are the same style in different colors, and the way theces are tied is also very special.ˇ±

    The girlˇŻs eyes went wide.

    ˇ°Sherlock HolmesˇŻ deductive reasoning.ˇ± Jian Jing bluffed with a straight face. Her observation skills card wasnˇŻt that miraculous, she just knew the other personˇŻs identity beforehand and worked backwards, ˇ°DonˇŻt worry, IˇŻll keep it confidential for you.ˇ±

    The girl nodded vigorously, rather agitated: ˇ°Teacher Jian, youˇŻre so awesome!ˇ±

    ˇ°Just decent.ˇ± Jian Jing smiled. ˇ°How did you two secretly sneak out during ss?ˇ±

    The girl said: ˇ°At the time several boys were ying basketball. He went over first and stayed a while beforeing to find me, so it wasnˇŻt as obvious.ˇ±

    ˇ°Then you two mustˇŻve paid close attention to whether anyone was around.ˇ± Jian Jing pondered, ˇ°You arrived first, did you see anyone going in or out of theb building?ˇ±

    Jumping topics wasnˇŻt a huge leap by any means, but under the ovey of various conditions, the girl didnˇŻt feel it was off at all as she recalled: ˇ°I only saw a janitor, didnˇŻt see anyone else.ˇ±

    ˇ°No one going up oring down either?ˇ±

    She shook her head.

    ˇ°See Miao Tong?ˇ±

    Another head shake, regretfully saying: ˇ°If only I saw her then I couldˇŻve called out and stopped her...ˇ±

    ˇ°You and Miao Tong knew each other well?ˇ±

    ˇ°She was nice. She knew I was dating someone but didnˇŻt tell anyone. So I didnˇŻt tell others about her rtionship either.ˇ± After the girl finished speaking she realized she let something slip, an awkward expression on her face.

    Jian Jing gently squeezed her shoulder: ˇ°DonˇŻt me yourself too much, itˇŻs unrted to you.ˇ±

    The girl rxed, as if a weight had been lifted.

    The above details Jian JingˇŻs questioning of the witness.

    Ji Feng praised her: ˇ°As expected of Teacher Jian. The couple mustˇŻve paid extra attention to their surroundings, unlikely they overlooked anything.ˇ±

    ˇ°What about you?ˇ± Jian Jing finished the ice cream cone and took his no-longer-cold Coke, getting the boss to exchange it for one frozen into a slushie, ˇ°Did you bring the suicide note?ˇ±

    Ji Feng handed her his phone: ˇ°CanˇŻt disseminate this, take a direct look.ˇ±

    Jian Jing had just taken it when a new message popped up.

    Wang sent: [Thanks for the milk tea]

    She rolled her eyes, waiting for the pop-up to disappear before opening the note.

    The content was brief, just a few lines:

    I still canˇŻt ept this after thinking it over

    IˇŻve already decided to give up

    IˇŻm sorry, please forgive my selfishness

    ˇ°The handwritingˇŻs been verified?ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs her own.ˇ± Ji Feng affirmed. ˇ°Regr scrap paper, the ink is the same as what was in her pen.ˇ±

    Jian Jing pondered: ˇ°DoesnˇŻt seem suspicious, but this suicide note..cks formality.ˇ±

    Formally doesnˇŻt mean tidy formatting with letterhead and sign off necessarily. Just that as the final voice from the deceased in this human world, there is usually more genuine emotion poured in.

    Be it love or hatred, it tends to vent out at this point.

    This note was too vague and abstract, as ifcking a bit of authentic sentiment.

    ˇ°LetˇŻs try finding an opportunity to ask those two ˇ®suspectsˇŻ this afternoon.ˇ± She said. ˇ°One each?ˇ±

    ˇ°CanˇŻt do that.ˇ± He sighed. ˇ°Now we need to prioritize the studentsˇŻ mental health. ItˇŻs not appropriate for me to handle this.ˇ±

    With the most important exam in life less than a month away, randomly calling students to talk could negatively impact their mentality and sabotage the university entrance exam. No one could bear that responsibility.

    Jian Jing shot him a mocking look, as if saying when did you be so sensible.

    ˇ°See you in a bit,ˇ± he waved his hand. ˇ°IˇŻll treat you to dinner.ˇ±

    That afternoon,

    per the high school studentsˇŻ requests Jian Jing promised that during break times they coulde to her office for signatures.

    With teachers watching, the students didnˇŻt dare fool around either, obediently lining up. Some werenˇŻt interested in signatures and just observed from outside the window.

    The moment ss bells rang they would be shooed away collectively.

    When it was ss 5ˇŻs self-study period, Jian Jing asked Teacher Chen to help bring the two suspects over.

    ˇ°Jing Cheng, help me check some test papers.ˇ± It wasmon for Teacher Chen to find good students to help out with odd jobs, nothing out of the ordinary that would rouse suspicion. ˇ°Just do the multiple choice section.ˇ±

    ˇ°Alright.ˇ± Wu the ss monitor sat down to work.

    Jian Jing pretended to rest while actually observing his every move.

    The boy was tall and slender, with refined features. He couldn''t be described as handsome per se, but with good academics and family background adding to his image, the good student aura was prominent.

    Teacher Chen cared about the students: "Which round of review are you at? If you have any questions, feel free toe and ask at any time. The teachers are all here, make good use of the final time."

    Wu ss Monitor nodded.

    "How are things going in the ss?" she asked caring about the others as well.

    Wu ss Monitor hesitated for a moment, then said: "A bit oppressive. I heard things are not so good on the girls'' side, someone was crying at midnight."

    Teacher Chen was surprised and immediately became worried: "Who?"

    "I''m not too clear," Wu ss Monitor shook his head, "just heard about it, maybe someone was not feeling well. Also..."

    "Also what?" Teacher Chen was extremely nervous, attracting the attention of other teachers.

    "Uh..." Wu ss Monitor wasn''t too sure as he ratted people out, "someone has been going on about how Miao Tong didn''tmit suicide but was murdered, making many ssmates rather strange."

    After saying that, the rest of the words were not difficult to say. His speech became fluent: "Recently during self-study sses, many people chat, and some spread rumors."

    Teacher Chen frowned: "What rumors?"

    "It is said that Tong Molli and Miao Tong had an argument, and someone was saying that she drove her to death," said Wu ss Monitor. "Anyway, the atmosphere is very bad. Some ssmates asked me to help ask if we could ask for leave to review at home, the ssroom atmosphere is too poor."

    This was not a trivial matter. Teacher Chen became serious about it and said to him: "Who started spreading it first?"

    Telling on people was one thing, but Wu ss Monitor refused to snitch and spoke vaguely: "Everyone''s talking about it, I don''t know who started it first either."

    Teacher Chen did not make it difficult for him: "Go get Tong Molli. Also, don''t talk about this with anyone else."

    He nodded, his expression unchanged as he returned to the ssroom, knocked on Tong Molli''s desk: "Teacher Chen wants you."

    "What does she want me for?" Tong Molli asked, puzzled.

    "Your dorm got deducted points." He casually came up with a reason. After all, every dorm gets deducted points. Teachers asionally ask about it but no one pays much attention.

    Sure enough, upon hearing this, the others who had turned their heads to eavesdrop settled down.

    Tong Molli put down her pen and went to the head teacher''s office.

    Teacher Chen kindly asked her to sit down, gave her a chocte bar, and asked if she was ufortable or if she looked unwell, saying that she could ask for sick leave anytime if she felt bad.

    "The college entrance exam is still early, if you feel unwell anywhere, don''t force yourself," Teacher Chen gentlyforted her.

    Tong Molli said, "Thank you teacher, I''m fine."

    Only then did Teacher Chen slowly get to the point. She said the students were very concerned about her, they had heard her emotions were not very goodtely, worried that she had something on her mind, and encouraged her to speak out.

    "If you have any problems, the teacher will solve them with you," said Teacher Chen. "Is it pressure from home, exam scores? I see your mock exam scores are pretty good still. Just do your best for the college entrance exam."

    Tong Molli''s face turned pale, but still shook her head: "Really nothing, maybe I just haven''t rested welltely."

    When a child does not want to talk about something, the more you force them, the less they will say. Teacher Chen did not dare ask any further either, gave her some vagueforting words before letting her leave.

    She had just left when Jian Jing followed right after her.

    "Student," she called Tong Molli and smiled as she asked, "Could you show me where your library is?"

    Tong Molli pointed her in a direction: "Right underneath the auditorium."

    Jian Jing asked: "Could you take me there?"

    Tong Molli hesitated for a moment, but under the effect of the trust points, did not doubt her intention and quickly agreed.

    During ss time, the campus was very quiet.

    The two strolled under the shade of the trees in the light breeze. Jian Jing asked in a friendly manner, "You seem to have something on your mind, ran into some trouble? Feel free to tell me if you don''t mind."

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272

    Sometimes, people find it easier to open up to strangers.

    Tong Molli didn''t dare tell her troubles to her teacher or parents. But facing an older sister who was only a little older yet so pretty and gentle, she inevitably felt some admiration and trust.

    A famous author like her definitely wouldn''t casually betray me. Telling her should be fine, and...maybe she could even help me!

    Tong Molli struggled internally before finally buckling under the tremendous pressure and blurting out, "They''re saying I drove Miao Tong to her death..."

    Her voice already carried a sob on that short sentence.

    Her nose turned red swiftly as tears welled up in her eyes. Tong Molli said, "But I didn''t want her to die...even though I really disliked her, but...how could I want her to die? I didn''t...I didn''t..."

    Jian Jing gently patted her back, echoing, "That''s right, you were ssmates. Having some petty conflicts is very normal. What student hasn''t fought with their ssmate before?"

    Having received validation, the taut string in Tong Molli finally loosened as she sobbed, "I didn''t think she wouldmit suicide over this...I...what''s there to die over..."

    She broke down bawling.

    Jian Jing pulled her to a more secluded area and handed over a tissue, patiently waiting for her to regainposure.

    After crying for a spell, Tong Molli gradually calmed down. She wiped away her tears with a stuffy nose, "I''m sorry, I said a lot of nonsense."

    "It''s alright. Saying it out makes you feel better." Jian Jing said, "Was Miao Tong that girl whomitted suicide? Many people have mentioned her to me."

    Tong Molli ufortably asked, "Oh...is that so?"

    "Yeah. The students in your ss seem to have doubts about her death. They feel she wouldn''t havemitted suicide." Jian Jing remarked. Her tone struck a precise bnce between casual chat and not seeming flippant about the deceased. "What do you think?"

    Tong Molli mumbled, "I...I don''t know..."

    "Don''t be nervous. Just chatting, that''s all. A lot of your troubles stem from her, right? Saying it out might not be as bad as you think." Jian Jing patiently counselled.

    The girl bit her lip without answering. Instead, she shot back, "If it wasn''t suicide, then what?"

    "ident or murder." Jian Jing said. "What do you reckon?"

    Tong Molli avoided her gaze. "I don''t know."

    Jian Jing didn''t speak, just kept looking at her.

    The soundless stare was its own kind of pressure. Tong Molli crumbled step by step until she couldn''t help but defend, "I feel she probably didn''tmit suicide. I...I just wanted to scare her a bit. How could anyonemit suicide over this?"

    Jian Jing asked, "What did you do?"

    "I just threatened to tell the teacher she was dating. What''s the big deal about that? With grades like hers, the teacher wouldn''t even scold her." Tong Molli argued for herself. "And it''s not like I told anyone else. If you''ve got the guts to date, then date. Just break up if you don''t want me to tell."

    Jian Jingughed. A tinge of gossip colored her tone, "Who was she dating?"

    Tong Molli mysteriously shook her head and whispered, "Miao Tong looked like a good girl with her ballet and piano. But her boyfriend...was older, from society."

    "A small-time gangster?"

    "No, just a very mature adult." Tong Molli said. "During winter break, I went to visit my cousin and happened to see Miao Tong leaving a man''s home. So...I took a photo."

    She fell silent for a spell before suddenly bursting out as if venting her self-loathing, "I hated her. No matter how hard I try or how many questions I do, I just can''t test better than her. People always take her side when we fight. I hated her pretending to be all gracious and forgiving, even saying she didn''t me me and forgave me. Like I want her forgiveness!"

    Jian Jing listened quietly.

    "I just wanted to scare her a bit. Hoping she''d stop acting all hoity-toity in front of me. It was truly nauseating."

    At this moment, Tong Molli''s jealousy and resentment was undisguised. Yet she also realized her actions weren''t justified, desperately grasping for excuses, "It was her own business. Why would she care if others found out? Then don''t do it!"

    But such reasoning was fragile at best, unable to even convince herself. Hence, panic again took over as she mumbled, "And it''s not like I would really tell anyone. I only wanted to scare her a little. I truly didn''t think she wouldmit suicide over this. Really."

    In truth, her darkest thoughts were only to make Miao Tong crack under pressure, allowing herself to overtake by one rank.

    This was the college entrance exam, a solitary nk bridge with hundreds of thousands of horses and soldiers. A single point difference meant cement differences of hundreds of ranks. Having one less powerfulpetitor was surely advantageous.

    Death was too distant, too terrifying. Such a tragic oue frightened her directly.

    "I didn''t mean it..." The girl pursed her lips as tears fell. "I know I was wrong."

    The smug thrill of learning the secret had long faded. She btedly realized that while evil deeds might bring temporary gain, the price was a lifetime of gnawing conscience.

    She was afraid.

    "I''m sorry." Tong Molli murmured. "I didn''t want this."

    Jian Jing handed her another tissue and patted her back.

    The more one interacts with cases, the more one realizes humanity''splexity. As a detective, making fewer moral judgements and focusing more on the cases themselves is undoubtedly a simpler approach.

    "Where were you when Miao Tong jumped off the building?" She asked.

    To Tong Molli''s surprise, she actually felt relieved. She answered, "I was in the infirmary."

    "You were sick?"

    "It was that time of the month. My stomach hurt terribly so I wanted to ask the teacher for sick leave. I wanted to rest in the dorms."

    "What time?"

    "Not long after the second ss started."

    Jian Jing nodded before abruptly switching topics. "I didn''t expect Miao Tong to be dating someone outside. I heard people say it was your ss president."

    "ss president? Impossible." Tong Molli spoke like a jaded elder. "He''s really arrogant. I heard his family are officials, definitely someone important. The teachers are all really polite to him. He and Miao Tong weren''t on great terms either."

    "Why?"

    "When they both ran for ss president, they tied in votes. In the end, Teacher Chen said it''s tougher for the boy and he''d have to do more work in future, so Wu Jincheng became president. Miao Tong was resentful ever since, feeling the teacher was biased. So shepeted for the student union chair positionter but lost to the president again."

    Having no positions herself, Tong Molli viewed suchpetitions more impartially. Her assessment was far more objective than previously.

    Jian Jing asked with great interest, "So amazing?"

    Tong Molli scornfully said, "He''s useless as president. Sometimes ys favorites. If two people curse, he''d only remember those who usually ignore him instead of the ones buttering him up with endless ''President this, President that.''

    "Last month when inspecting hygiene, Ji Yunyun and Wang Ming were supposed to take out the trash but forgot so they lost points. He insisted it was all Ji Yunyun''s fault, not Wang Ming''s. Just because Wang Ming always brings him snacks and drinks every day. He thinks we''re all blind!"

    "I see. I thought he was a tall, skinny boy whom the girls adored." Jian Jing probed.

    Tong Molli scoffed like a crotchety grandma. "He''s too smarmy."

    Jian Jing guffawed. "Then who''s the most popr among the girls in your ss?"

    "For girls...Miao Tong, I guess. Ji Yunyun is decent too. She''s very...self-righteous." Tong Molli''s expression wasplicated. "Boys...uh..."

    "Who''s the popr boy?"

    Tong Molli awkwardly said a name.

    Jian Jing understood, eliminating a few possibilities involving romantic disputes.

    The bell ending ss rang.

    Tong Molli jolted awake from her reverie and looked around. "The library is..."

    "Not far. I can go myself, thanks." Jian Jing said. "Thank you for your help. Hurry back to do your homework."

    Tong Molli nodded hesitantly before getting up. She opened her mouth as if to say something but stopped.

    "Miao Tong...was it suicide?" She asked with difficulty, biting her lip.

    "We still don''t know for sure yet. But we''ll find out eventually."

    After investigation, it was found that the man was 24 years old and worked at an intepany. The school does not allow outsiders to enter and exit, so he had nothing to do with Miao Tong''s death.

    He took out the copied surveince footage again and confirmed Tong Molli''s testimony.

    She went back to the dormitory directly from the infirmary and did not leave before the second ss ended.

    Jian Jing: [I went to check the dormitory, all the windows have anti-theft measures, it''s impossible for [Tong Molli] to leave. Tong Molli did not have time tomit the crime]

    Ji Yunyun: [What about that boy?]

    Jian Jing: [Asking him]

    Her way of finding monitor U was simple and crude. She directly asked Ji Yunyun to pass on a message and brought him to a corner of the library during thest activity period.

    Monitor U looked at Jian Jing in confusion: "What can I do for you?"

    "I have a few questions that I think you wouldn''t mind answering." Jian Jing signaled Ji Yunyun to keep watch and questioned him alone, "You''re a smart kid, and you''re already 18. So I''ll ask directly."

    She stared into his eyes: "Where were you when Miao Tong jumped off the building?" Without letting him answer, she immediately said, "I know you weren''t in the ssroom."

    This aggressive attitude made Monitor U panic for a moment.

    After a short pause, he said, "Uh, I think I was around the library... What''s wrong?"

    "Tell me what you were doing that period," she smiled, showing no signs of interrogation on her face, looking more like she was happily chatting with a fan.

    Monitor U pursed his lips: "It was P.E. ss. Some people were self-studying in the ssroom, but the teacher said it''s best not to be cooped up in the ssroom all the time and go out and move around more often. So some people said they wanted to go out and y basketball, and I went with them to the gym to borrow equipment."

    "Did you y basketball too?"

    "No. The school has rules that the monitors of each ss must register when borrowing and returning equipment to prevent damage and loss."

    Jian Jing wondered: "Isn''t that the sportsmittee members'' job?"

    "It used to be the sportsmittee members, but equipment often went missing or was not returned, so it was changed to the ss monitors."

    "What happened next?"

    "I helped them borrow basketballs, badminton racquets, and shuttlecocks. I was going to find a ce to read for a while and go collect the equipment before ss ended." Monitor U said, "The ssroom was too far away. So I thought of going to the library. But before I got there, I saw a bunch of people running downstairs. I was worried someone might be hurt, so I decided to go take a look. I didn''t expect..."

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment before asking, "Were you familiar with Miao Tong?"

    "Not very."

    "Did she show any abnormal behaviors before her death?"

    "I didn''t notice. I just knew she didn''t do very well on the second or third mock exams," he answered inly. "I guess the pressure was a bit much."

 Chapter 273

    Chapter 273

    After asking the questions, it was time to eat. May was the season for eating crayfish. Thetex gloves Jian Jing carried with her came in very handy, and her +1 dexterity attribute was shining bright, vigorously eliminating the invasive foreign species.

    "This is the appraisal report," Ji Feng ordered some fried rice and finished it in three minutes. He immediately started analyzing the case. "Although there were no obvious footprints on the rooftop, the victim''s fingerprints were extracted from the guardrails."

    "Let me see," Jian Jing leaned over to take a look.

    The guardrails on the rooftop came up to about waist height and could be climbed over. There was a 50 cm wide ledge around the outside with grooves, probably to solve drainage problems.

    On the exterior of the guardrails, severalplete fingerprints could be seen. Judging by the direction, they should have been left by the victim climbing over and holding onto the railing.

    "If she was pushed, the fingerprints wouldn''t be like this," Ji Feng said. "Also, judging by where shended, this was the ce she fell from."

    Jian Jing stuffed a peeled crayfish into her mouth and asked, "So you think it was suicide?"

    "I didn''t say that," he murmured thoughtfully. "It''s just that the people investigating the case at the time were not negligent in ruling out homicide."

    At the time of the incident, theb building was in lockdown with no suspicious individuals seen entering or exiting. The six people inside had no direct connections to the victim or apparent motives to kill her. No noteworthy physical evidence was found at the scene either. Although ambiguous, the suicide note made sense and was indeed written by the victim herself.

    More evidence would be needed to overturn the conclusion of suicide.

    Jian Jing understood the implication behind his words. She couldn''t help but say, "You seem to trust Yunyun''s judgment quite a bit."

    In most cases, when people say someone couldn''t possibly havemitted suicide, it doesn''t mean something is amiss. Moremonly, people just can''t ept it or didn''t care enough in the first ce.

    Ji Feng was taking the investigation seriously purely based on what his younger sister said. This showed he considered YunyunˇŻs judgment to have some credibility.

    "Kids like to exaggerate to get adults to pay attention to them," Ji Feng sighedplicatedly. "Yunyun doesn''t do that. Something must have struck her as off."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help butugh. "So you do think she has some talent, right?"

    Ji Feng smiled too, but after a while, he suddenly said, "Professor Jian."

    "Hm?"

    He looked into her eyes and stated evenly, "I don''t want Yunyun to be a cop too."

    Jian Jing was dumbstruck for a moment. It''s understandable for someone not to want their sister to have a dangerous job, but Ji Feng''s tone concealed some more secret, unspoken emotions.

    She asked, "What do you mean?"

    "Exactly what I said," he replied. "Done eating? Two pounds of crayfish takes you that long?"

    "We have plenty of time tonight anyway," Jian Jing said. "Can''t a person eat in peace?"

    "Of course you can. Let''s go chat with Miao Tong''s boyfriend after," Ji Feng hurried her along. "Come on, want another bowl of rice? Just crayfish won''t fill you up."

    "Don''t rush me. The more you rush, the slower I''ll go," she retorted.

    He gave her a helpless look.

    Jian Jing slowly finished her dinner and downed a can of ice-cold Coke to invigorate herself. Then they went to pay Miao Tong''s boyfriend a visit.

    He had fair skin and wore professional attire with ssesˇŞthe very image of a recent college grad trying his best to seem mature, but notpletely in sync with his age and outfit yet.

    "What''s up?" he asked cautiously. "You say you''re a cop? Let''s see some ID."

    Ji Feng handed over his genuine credentials. The boyfriend scrutinized them for a long time, even looking him up online to verify authenticity before letting them in.

    "She''s not a cop though, right?" He nced at Jian Jing. "Jian Jing? Aren''t you an author?"

    Ji Feng pleasantly asked, "Want me to follow official procedures instead? We can just go down to the station if you prefer."

    The boyfriend promptly shut up.

    "Do you know Miao Tong?" Ji Feng brought up her photo. "What''s your rtionship with her?"

    His first reaction was denial. "Don''t know her. Who''s this?"

    "Then take a look at this one." Ji Feng swiped to the candid photo taken by Tong Moli. "She came out of your ce, right?"

    The boyfriend caved. "What''s the issue? She was over eighteen."

    Ji Feng: "Were you aware she died?"

    The boyfriend was shocked. "She died? When? It''s got nothing to do with me!"

    Jian Jing pressed her fingers to her temples. Whenever this happened, she reminded herself to keep a sharp eye out for red gs when finding a man in the future, lest she fall for an idiot by mistake.

    "You didn''t know? When was thest time you contacted each other?" Ji Feng waspletely unfazed, having seen far too many jerks already.

    "Two weeks ago," the boyfriend scrambled to absolve himself. "She was in high school living on campus. We didn''t meet up often. Sometimes I worked overtime, sometimes she had examsˇŞgoing a while without contacting each other was normal."

    Jian Jing cut him off with an icyugh. "I''ve never seen a boyfriend be totally fine not contacting his girlfriend for half a month, unless he had more than that one girlfriend."

    "Uh, we weren''t really boyfriend-girlfriend," the boyfriend backtracked. "We met online, you know what I mean?"

    Ji Feng immediately yed along, switching to a friendly tone. "Oh, just online friends?"

    "Yeah, she was just a young girl who found it hard to share some things with her parents, so she talked it out with strangers instead." Realizing the women were hassling him for no reason while the man could understand, the boyfriend only spoke to Ji Feng now. "Girls her age rely quite a bit on adult men, but obviously I couldn''t date a high schooler. We didn''t have much of a rtionship."

    Ji Feng asked, "What was bothering her?"

    "Little kids don''t have huge issues. Bad practice exam scores, fights with ssmates, afraid of parents finding out her secrets." The boyfriend answered.

    Jian Jing scoffed. "Right, none of those count as big deals that could make hermit suicide. I bet it was actually romantic troubles."

    Ji Feng immediately followed her lead, expression turning serious as he stared hard at the boyfriend.

    The boyfriend panicked and desperately racked his brains for ways to clear himself of suspicion. "She did tell me shecked confidence in the exams and wanted to fight for a probational admission spot. Her grades in 10th and 11th grade were pretty decent, so she could give it a shot. Thing is, their ss president had connections that made it hard topete against him."

    "How did she n to solve this probational admission issue?" Jian Jing pressed relentlessly.

    Uneasily wondering if this woman might be one of Miao Tong''s rtivesˇŞshe definitely hadn''t mentioned any celebrity kin to himˇŞthe boyfriend honestly answered, "She said she had a way, that the boy had some weakness."

    Jian Jing''s eyebrows shot up.

    Ji Feng made an obvious gesture for her to stop, then gently asked, "What exactly did Miao Tong tell you?"

    "Her parents were really strict and controlled her a lot. But as you know, the stricter the family, the more the kid rebels in the end." Everyone had their teenage years of growth; the boyfriend''s tone grew earnest as he seemed to feel men could understand boys-will-be-boys while women pestered illogically. So he only addressed Ji Feng now. "Xiao Tong had been learning ballet and piano since she was little, constantly enteringpetitions and public speaking events because her parents were fixated on sending her abroad to an Ivy League school. So she was scared to let them down. Everyone tried their hardest in 12th grade, but she didn''t improve. Her parents got anxious, which made her anxious, which made studying even harder for her."

    In his eyes, the seemingly perfect Miao Tong had an unseen side.

    "Aroundst year, she stopped going to cram school. She started following pop stars, gaming, going out to y on weekends while lying to her parents she was at the library." The boyfriend said, "It wasn''t until she bombed the mock exams this year that she panicked. Said she might as well aim for probational admission since her 10th and 11th grade marks were alrightˇŞshe could give it a shot. Thing is, her ss president had connections that made him hard to beat."

    "About a month ago, hmm, I remember we yed a mystery game that day, she suddenly told me she thought of a way to solve the probational admission problem."

    "What was her solution?"

    "I''m not clear. She didn''t exin the details to me, but from what she said, it sounded like she obtained some leverage over him." The boyfriend responded. "At the time I didn''t take it seriously. Womene up with ideas like that. I''m used to it. I truly don''t know why she would''vemitted suicide!"

    Ji Feng took out his memo pad and pen. "Since you met online,e on, write down Miao Tong''s social media handles."

    The boyfriend awkwardly said, "Personal privacy..."

    "Miao Tong''s parents probably don''t know you were dating their underage daughter." Jian Jing fully embraced her role as the viin today. "Shall I notify them for you?"

    The boyfriend reluctantly jotted down the ounts, privately resolving to delete anything incriminating from his own social mediater.

    It was past 10 PM when they left.

    Jian Jing: "I''m hungry again."

    "I told you crayfish alone wouldn''t fill you up." Ji Feng sighed. "Late night snacks?"

    She thought for a bit then shook her head. "I''ll just go home."

    Ji Feng was surprised. Teacher Jian worked hard on the case, as if she was going to work overnight. Now that there were clear clues, she actually wanted to go back and rest?

    "I''m not feeling well."

    She red at him.

    "You should have said so earlier," Ji Feng shook his head. "Let''s get in the car, I''ll take you home."

    Jian Jing reluctantly went home, feeling down.

    Knight: "Whine~~"

    Her: "..." Too tired to walk further.

    "Let me take him out for you," Ji Feng rarely sent her home, and seeing the situation, he extended his hand. "Give me the leash."

    Jian Jing was surprised: "You''re so free today, no overtime work to go back to?"

    "Teacher Jian, there is something called taking leave." He held down the jumping dog and put on its lead. "Alright, I''ll bring him backter."

    Jian Jing looked him up and down.

    Something was not right with him, did he take the wrong medicine?

    "See youter."

    The man and dog left.

    With one less task at hand, Jian Jing quickly took a hot shower. After increasing her Physique stat points, the negative effects of menstruation were not too bad, she rarely had painful cramps or sore back.

    However, hormonal changes were not something that enhancing physiological functions could change. She still inevitably felt tired, mood swings, and various strange diforts.

    She must have worked too long today and her body was starting to protest.

    Sigh.

    She''ll make herself a hot cocoa.

    And browse Miao TongˇŻs ount while at it.

    The hobbies and interests of the high school girl were quite diverse - tracking stars and analyzing data, watching dramas and shipping couples, participating in rescue groups for stray cats, helping to make posters and images. From the ounts she frequently reposted, it was not difficult to find her boyfriend''s ount. Although the other party cleverly canceled their following of each other, but social media posts cannot all be deleted immediately. Tracing the threads bit by bit, it was not hard to uncover his identity.

    However, that person was not the priority.

    Miao Tong only thought of a way to defeat ss Monitor Wu a month ago. Since that was highly unlikely to be a problem in real life - high school seniors practically spend every day in school, what handle could someone possibly have over her? The probability of it being on the inte was greater.

    Jian JingˇŻs main task was to screen the ounts that interacted the most with Miao Tong over the past few months.

    A huge project.

    Fortunately, help arrived soon.

    "Woof!" Knight, back from his happy outing, made a beeline for Jian Jing, ready to act cute.

    Jian Jing held down the dog''s head to stop the dirty dog from getting on the sofa, and pulled its ear: "Come with me to wash your paws." At the same time, she called out to her guest, "Make yourself at home, drinks are in the fridge, help yourself. This is an iPad with all the ounts I found, check them one by one slowly."

    Having known each other for a few years, Ji Feng did not stand on ceremony either. He changed his shoes and entered the house, taking the chance to survey its environment.

    She lived alone, the security system was not bad, cleaner came at scheduled times (though they tended to cut corners a little), the dog was well-trained and she normally did not cook for herself, but used small appliances frequently.

    Opening the fridge to grab a bottle of chilled mineral water, he found many Chinese and Western snacks and pastries.

    At least two people regrly gave them to her.

    "So, noticed anything?" Jian Jing silently appeared behind him and abruptly asked.

    "Eclectic pte." Ji Fengplimented her, "Eating so many high-calorie foods yet I don''t see you putting on weight, your activity level must be high."

    She rolled her eyes, but did not pursue her questioning further. Instead, she urged him to start working: "Miao Tong is very active online, so we have lots to search through."

    "It won''t make a difference searching through the night," he said. "Go rest early if you''re not feeling well, don''t force yourself."

    Jian Jing nestled into the sofa full of cushions: "I''m not tired, let''s take a look."

    "Alright." Ji Feng let her be, Teacher Jian working overtime was voluntary after all, unlike him who had to work to feed his family. If she was tired, she would know to turn in on her own.

    He started working, at a much faster speed than Jian Jing.

    She wondered aloud: "How are you reading so quickly?"

    "It''s simple, just very familiar." The true overtime work dog shared words of wisdom from life experience.

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274

    Troubleshooting work was always dull and boring.

    Jian Jing worked for a while, then couldn''t help calling Ji Feng over to rub his head and pull his ears, and order some snacks.

    Then continue reading.

    Children''s words are often one-sided and radical. When picking them up, the degree of profanity is astonishing. The more she read, the more headache she got, and couldn''t help saying, "What are kids thinking these days?"

    Ji Feng: "People who write criminal cases in high school are not qualified to criticize others."

    Jian Jing red at him and said she was good, while the other Jing Jing was not good: "You don''t know anything. It''s called exploring human nature."

    "Okay, you are profound." Ji Feng turned to the next page and scanned it at ten lines per nce. "Miao Tong is a typical double personality. In the eyes of teachers and ssmates, she is sensible and obedient, very popr, but she is very radical online. Wow, look at this sharp writing style, tsk."

    Jian Jing thought about it: "Her aggressiveness is very strong. She is not the kind of person who bes negative and suicidal when frustrated."

    "This is probably the biggest doubt about the case," Ji Feng said. ˇ°If it''s not suicide, we need to solve a more tricky problem - how the murderer disappeared from the scene.ˇ±

    It was already past midnight, but he was still energetic. He smiled and asked, "Teacher Jian, you''re good at this. Any ideas?"

    Jian Jing looked at him and said, "The murderer is Spider-Man. He flew directly from the rooftop of the office building to the top of theboratory building."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    "You really hold grudges." He said honestly.

    ˇ°Humph!"

    While chatting and working at the same time, another hour passed. Ji Feng found several screenshots: "Look at this ount. She has screenshotted it several times, but after flipping through so many, I haven''t seen anyments left."

    "They must have been deleted," Jian Jing put down her phone and went to take a closer look.

    The ount that was screenshotted by Miao Tong published some very nasty remarks, involving a lot of discordant content.

    Ji Feng sent the ount to his colleague and sent him a WeChat message: [Help me check this ount when you wake up]

    Ten minutester, the colleague was furious and replied with a string of voice messages: [F**k, I just fell asleep. Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!]

    Ji Feng: [Check it for me after you wake up then go back to sleep]

    The other party: [zzz]

    Ji Feng remained expressionless as he retrieved his phone: "We''ll have the results tomorrow morning. Let''s sleep first. I''m leaving." He rubbed Knight''s dog head vigorously. "Little guy, I gotta go."

    "Whine~" The sleepy Knight whined vaguely.

    Ji Fengughed and squatted down to stroke his back. The German Shepherd''s fur wasn''t long. Stroking it allowed one to see the undtion of the muscles, agile yet beautiful.

    "Teacher Jian, your dog..." He had just said half of what he wanted to say when there was a muffled sound of the bedroom door closing shut.

    Jian Jing had already gone into the room.

    Ji Feng chuckled to himself and shook his head. He cleaned up the snack wrappers and empty bottles of mineral water, threw them into the trash bag, and took it away.

    "Teacher Jian, I''ll see myself out and close the door for you," he said, slowly making his way home.

    The sky was filled with twinkling stars.

    On the way home, the cool breeze blew. Ji Feng pushed open the door. The house was quiet.

    He took a quick shower but wasn''t sleepy at all. Instead, he took out the photo album from the bookshelf. It was an old hardcover album.

    He tore off the paper on the inside, revealing the scraped shell, with a few thin sheets clipped inside.

    The content was already memorized, but Ji Feng still flipped through page by page.

    Read it and then go to sleep.

    The next morning, he was woken up by a colleague''s call.

    The other party ˇ°kindlyˇ± greeted him before informing him of the query results.

    As expected, it was Wu JinchengˇŻs.

    He called Jian Jing, "Are we going to the crime scene?"

    "What time is it?"

    "Seven fifty."

    "Sleep a little longer."

    "Then this afternoon. I''ll go to work this morning."

    She hung up.

    Ji Feng went to work as usual, finished questioning two people, and wrote overdue closure reports.

    Lao Gao asked him, "What''s going on between you and Officer Wang from the security office?"

    "A female student fell off a building at Yongying School," Ji Feng replied with his eyes still on the screen. "I asked her to give a safety lecture over there."

    Lao Gao: ˇ°She said you stood her up.ˇ±

    Ji Feng: ˇ°...Forgot.ˇ±

    "You, this is really out of line," Lao Gao said bitterly. ˇ°Hurry up. It''s almost lunch time. Go treat her to make up for it. Don''t break the jar.ˇ±

    Ji Feng was about to speak when the phone rang.

    Jian Jing: ˇ°IˇŻm awake. Come pick me up.ˇ±

    "Got it, be there in 20 minutes." Ji Feng hung up the phone, saved the documents, "IˇŻll definitely treat her next time."

    Lao Gao''s sharp eyes had already caught the name disyed on the caller ID. He eximed, "Yo!"

    "I''m checking out a case. That building jump case is a bit off," Ji Feng casually grabbed his drawer. "Do you have any biscuits? Give me two."

    Lao Gao said on purpose: ˇ°Why donˇŻt you go after lunch? Five or six minutes wonˇŻt make a difference.ˇ±

    "Forget it, can''t keep Her Highness waiting. I said 20 minutes. It''s best to arrive in 19," Ji Feng found a bag of freshly baked toast made by Lao Gao''s wife. It was as soft as bread from bakeries. "Sister-inw really has good skills."

    Lao Gao was exasperated, ˇ°Watch that mouth of yours. Teacher Jian''s personality is quite good, right? She doesn''t put on any airs of being a great writer at all. Very polite.ˇ±

    ˇ°Hey, hey, two is not enough? Leave some for me.ˇ±

    "To be honest, I didn''t coin the term ''Golden Crow Princess''," Ji Feng wolfed down the toast. "Won''t be back today if somethinges up. Call me.ˇ±

    He rushed out hurriedly.

    Another colleague looked up and openly gossiped, "Don''t you think he''s not been a workaholictely? He actually took normal time offst week.ˇ±

    ˇ°The college entrance exam ising up at Yongying,ˇ± Lao Gao scolded him publicly but defended him privately. ˇ°You donˇŻt understand if you donˇŻt have kids. At times like this, if you donˇŻt pay attention, youˇŻll regret it for life.ˇ±

    The colleague shook his head vigorously, "No, something''s not right. He couldn''t have found a partner, could he?ˇ±

    Lao Gao sighed profoundly and mysteriously, ˇ°ItˇŻsplicated!ˇ±

    In 18 minutes, Ji Feng arrived at Jian JingˇŻs building on time.

    She happened to stroll out slowly. Seeing him, she checked her watch, very satisfied, ˇ°Have you eaten?ˇ±

    "Have you eaten?" He asked back.

    Jian Jing: ˇ°No.ˇ±

    ˇ°Then letˇŻs eat first.ˇ±

    Jian Jing wasn''t too picky about lunch. They ate pork chops and rice at a small restaurant near the high school. The taste was neither good nor bad, just like the taste of their student years.

    Ji Feng said, "I always ate at the school cafeteria when I was a student."

    "So honest?" Jian Jing was surprised.

    Ji Feng nced at her. "Working part-time for meals? Do you know that?ˇ±

    "Sorry."

    "Silly. What''s there to be sorry about," he didn''t care. "Actually it was quite good. Big portions that made you full. The auntie who served the meals was very generous with the portions. In the end, all the leftovers were dumped into my bowl."

    Jian Jing was jealous: "Now when I go to the cafeteria to order meals, the auntie only gives me half a spoonful."

    Ji Fengughed out loud.

    After lunch, the two returned to theboratory building.

    Yesterday, Jian Jing didn''t have much time to check the scene. Today, holding a sun umbre, she went around the building, up and down, front and back.

    "Have you seen the surveince video?" She stood on the rooftop, holding onto the railing and looking down.

    Ji Feng said, "Seen it. Indeed no suspicious person was filmed, but there are many blind spots for surveince in this building.ˇ±

    The campus was too big, and surveince cameras were an expensive expenditure. Some ces were omitted whenever possible. Most cameras were installed in the teaching buildings, with two cameras on each floor covering almost all angles. Next were the office buildings, followed by theboratories, but those were installed only in the ssrooms and on the fourth floor.

    "The fourth floor is the multimedia ssroom. There are surveince cameras on both sides of the corridors. The third and second floors are the chemistry, physics and biologybs, with a lot of valuable equipment. Cameras are installed inside the ssrooms. The first floor has music rooms, also inside. "

    "So the most critical first floor stairwell surveince is fake?" Jian Jing asked.

    "Yes," Ji Feng nodded. "And not just one or two in such a big school."

    Jian Jing meaningfully said, "Must have saved quite a bit of money, huh.ˇ±

    ˇ°You bet.ˇ±

    After looking around theboratory building, Jian Jing went back to the locations of several eyewitnesses and said, "It doesn''t seem too difficult."

    ˇ°Figured it out?ˇ± Ji Feng asked.

    ˇ°Just a small part.ˇ± She checked her watch. It was still early. ˇ°ItˇŻs about time. Do you need to go back to work? If not, let''s check out the next lead."

    Ji Feng asked, "What lead?"

    "Murder mystery game." After ying a murder mystery game, Miao Tong came up with an idea to solve problems, and Jian Jing naturally wanted to find out more.

    Ji Feng: "What on earth is that?"

    "Lame." Although she looked down on it, she still properly exined this popr recreational activity.

    Then it was Ji Feng''s turn to look down on it: "What''s the point of that, just amusing yourself?"

    Jian Jing looked at him: "You can say that again after you''ve won."

    The name of this murder mystery game was "Ghost Shadow Hotel". It was expected to take 5 hours, with 10 participants. The main story was that during the Republican era, people from all walks of life gathered at the hotel, with spies everywhere and assassinations happening left and right. Moreover, a mysterious ghostly shadow appeared deep in the night, seeking the lives of the living for revenge.

    It was also Jian Jing''s first time ying this kind of costume deduction game, and she was quite looking forward to it at first.

    However, this was an emotional story.

    The ghost was a real ghost, a dead singer who used to sell her body to earn money to send her lover to college. But her lover fell in love with a rich beauty and abandoned her.

    Shemitted suicide and her lingering ghost wandered in the hotel, specifically looking for unfaithful men to take revenge.

    Then, the new singer Tong Tai at the hotel was actually a spy. She sold her art but not her body, extracting intelligence from all directions. She fell in love with a patriotic college student and covered up his oversights many times.

    The college student loved his smart and kind female ssmate.

    The ex-boyfriend who abandoned his girlfriend had already be the son-inw of a rich family, taking over the family business, and wanted to buy this hotel. But he was shot dead while escaping and fell to his death.

    The young master of a rich family was ambiguous with the singer on one hand, while also being in love with the female student on the other.

    The female student also had a friend who was the daughter of a family driver. She became a reporter after graduating from college and was nning toe interview the singer today.

    The doctor attending the medical conference actually had another identity.

    The manager was actually an undercover agent.

    The security guard at the door was a chivalrous hero in the jianghu, who heard that the deceased was a traitor and nned to assassinate him.

    An ordinary businessman was also hiding a terrible secret - he was actually an exorcist Taoist priest.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She got the identity of the female student.

    The patriotic college student loved her, the young master loved her, and the reporter also loved her.

    She was forced to ept confessions many times.

    The host also said that by epting confessions from different people, it would trigger different endings.

    The three male yers all looked at her earnestly, hoping to have a real love affair with the beauty through a mystery game.

    She said: "Let''s talk about the case."

    "The murderer was simply not in the room with the victim. We mistakenly thought the murderer fired the gun trying to kill the victim. The victim fled in panic without watching his steps and fell to his death. That''s why it became a locked room mystery. But the fact is the opposite. The murderer was not in the room at all at that time."

    While analyzing the case, Jian Jing also contemted what inspiration this plot gave Miao Tong.

    "The victim climbed over the balcony, but was suddenly startled by a gunshot and slipped to his death in shock." Jian Jing pointed at Manager Ji, "The murderer is you. Your room is right above the victim''s. Only a gunshot from such a close distance would make him mistakenly think he was being fired at."

    Busy with work, Manager Ji dismissively responded: "Where''s the evidence? There''s no gunpowder reaction on me."

    Jian Jing: "Champagne. Only your room has champagne."

    "It doesn''t have to be champagne. There are two reasons for the gunshot sound. One is the ''bang'' from the air bursting out of the gun barrel. The other is from the bullet breaking the sound barrier. So as long as there is a gun, you can mimic such a sound even without live rounds, and there won''t be any gunpowder reaction." Ji Feng calmly said, "Others could also pull this off. The evidence chain is not unique enough."

    Jian Jing mmed the script shut and stared coldly at him: "Do you admit it or not?"

    "Tsk, can''t take it huh." Ji Feng grinned and surrendered before she got angry, "Alright alright, it was me, it was me. Let''s go eat."

    The author has something to say: The content of this mystery game was made up by me, please don''t take it seriously.

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275

    Jian Jing was quite unhappy.

    They had yed the game for four and a half hours, deduced for less than half an hour, and spent the rest of the time organizing the love scenes. You love me, I love you, back and forth endlessly. Not a single decisive piece of evidence.

    The murderer was especially arrogant.

    Ji Fengforted her: "They just came to socialize, it''s normal for them to not take the investigation seriously."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips: "I can forgive the guests, but what kind of script is this? This is fraud."

    "It''s a game. It has to be hard enough that the guests can''t solve it, or it won''t be fun. Besides, the case itself isn''t too far-fetched, there''s some cleverness to it," he evaluated objectively. "There''s just too much emphasis on the love stories, the main plot and subplots aren''t distinguished."

    "That''s right. Look at the evidence they foundˇŞit''s all rted to the love stories. This so-called romance, pah!" Jian Jing was so irritated her teeth itched. "Who wrote this script? It''s garbage."

    Ji Feng had never seen her in this state before and couldn''t help an amused smile. "Alright alright, stop frowning. Ah, let me take you out for a meal."

    Jian Jing: "Eat what? We need to hurry up and solve this Miao Tong case."

    "That works too," Ji Feng nodded indifferently. "First off, Miao Tong wasn''t purely a victim here."

    Jian Jing''s expression eased as she followed his lead. "That would exin the fingerprints on the railing. Miao Tong had indeed climbed over herself before, but not necessarily tomit suicide. She could have done it to make someone else lose their footing and fall."

    "But in the end she was the one who fell. Whether it was an idental slip or homicide, I''m afraid we''ll have to ask the killer," Ji Feng sighed, rather conflicted. "This will be tricky. She''s just a student, it could affect her whole life if we don''t handle this carefully."

    "Suicide and murder would have very different impacts on the student''s life," Jian Jing mused. "Should we look for more evidence first?"

    Ji Feng asked, "Go now?"

    "Yes," Jian Jing said decisively. She still had pent-up frustration from the four wasted hours of the game and was determined to wrap this case up today. "They still have evening self-study anyway."

    Ji Feng had no choice but to apany her back to the school. After some effort, they found a piece of evidence and brought it back to the police station for analysis.

    Lao Gao happened to be on duty today. Seeing the two of theme in together, he immediately perked up. "Well, well~~"

    "Officer Gao, long time no see," Jian Jing greeted him brightly.

    Lao Gao pulled up a seat for her. "Have a seat, Teacher Jian. Where are you twoing back from?"

    "The crime scene," she said curiously. "What are you working on?"

    "A break-in robbery case."

    Jian Jing: Andiping City is as "peaceful" as always.

    Ji Feng returned after submitting the materials. "There''s a queue, we''ll get the results tomorrow. Teacher Jian, shall I give you a ride home?"

    Jian Jing pretended not to hear and wandered around instead.

    In the interrogation room, a suspect was confessing to his crimes.

    She tiptoed to sneak a peek.

    "Teacher Jian, let''s go eat, yeah?" Ji Feng quickly grabbed her and forcibly dragged her out. "You can''t watch. Don''t look, he''s confessed everything already. I''ll be damned, you should stop ying these mystery games in the future. It''s not suitable for professionals like you..."

    He barely managed to shove her into the passenger seat with great difficulty.

    Ji Feng heaved a huge sigh of relief. Of all the dozens of suspects he had arrested, none had been this much trouble.

    "What''s wrong with taking a look? So petty," Jian Jing still hadn''t vented her angerpletely.

    Ji Feng: "It''s not your ce to interfere. Go home early today, sleep early. We''ll resolve this case tomorrow morning, okay?"

    Jian Jing reluctantly conceded, "Fine."

    "What do you want for dinner?"

    "I''m not hungry."

    "It''s 11 pm, you still have to eat something. Noodles?"

    "Don''t want any."

    "Barbecue?"

    "Don''t feel like it."

    Ji Feng nced at her. "Give me a clue here."

    "Something hot, soft, savory, not greasy. No congee or noodles."

    Ji Feng: "Then we''ll have rice noodles. No objections allowed, you didn''t exclude those earlier."

    Jian Jing was baffled. "What''s the difference between rice noodles and noodles?"

    "One is rice, one is wheat. No difference?" Ji Feng was even more puzzled than her.

    "No rice noodles, no wontons, no dumplings, no pan-fried cakes."

    Ji Feng: "Rice cakes."

    Jian Jing conceded: "Your train of thought is so clear, filtering by ingredients like that?"

    "Are we getting them or not?"

    "Spicy stir-fried rice cakes."

    That''s what she said, but once they got to the Korean restaurant, Jian Jing''s appetite came back in full force.

    She ordered a te of spicy stir-fried rice cakes, a te of sweet and spicy fried chicken, a bowl of buckwheat cold noodles, and roasted pork belly.

    Ji Feng: "......"

    So all that earlier fuss about not wanting anything greasy or noodles or barbecue was just talk?

    Women really are fickle creatures.

    The next day, under the bright sunshine...

    Wu the ss Monitor came to the roof of theboratory building and saw Jian Jing smiling radiantly at him under a parasol, dressed in a flowery French-style dress.

    "We meet again," she said.

    "Teacher Chen said you wanted to see me," the ss monitor greeted politely. "How may I be of assistance?"

    "You can help me organize my thoughts a bit," Jian Jing took off her sunsses. "Is today''s weather anything like the day Miao Tong died?"

    Wu the ss Monitor: "What do you mean?"

    Jian Jing took out a stack of papers from her bag. "Take a look."

    Wu took them with stiff fingers. They were some printed screenshots of posts an ount had made on various tforms, including some bragging about his well-connected rtives.

    "You deleted thements, but Miao Tong had saved everything by taking screenshots. We found this encrypted file on herputer," Jian Jing said. "It was you, wasn''t it?"

    Wu denied awkwardly, "I don''t know anything about it."

    "Lying is not the wise choice here. With today''s technology, it''s easy to trace who it was. But you''re still just a kid, it''s understandable you''d cling on to some hopeless wishful thinking," Jian Jing continued evenly. "Let me make everything clear to you."

    "On the day of her death, Miao Tong asked you to meet her at theb building. I imagine it was to threaten you to give up your guaranteed admission spot, or she would make these public. Not only would you lose your spot, but it would also implicate your principal uncle. You had no choice but to show up."

    "At 2:20 pm, your PE ss started. You first went with your ssmates to the gym to get the equipment, then everyone headed to the basketball court together. No one would find it suspicious, it''s perfectly normal for boys to y basketball. Leaving afterwards would also seem normalˇŞyour model student image means everyone would assume you went to study. In reality..."

    As shoddily written as the mystery game''s story was, the coincidences with reality were striking.

    In the restaurant''s balcony copse case, the murderer had ingeniously created a true locked room scenario by taking advantage of the space. And in real life, the testimonies from the three witnesses also happened to establish a watched room puzzle.

    Ji Yunyun and the others behind theb building had only seen Miao Tong going in.

    The cleaner on the left side of the first floor had only heard one person''s footsteps.

    The young couple secretly meeting on the right side of the first floor had only seen the cleaner, no one else.

    At first nce, it seemed like there was simply no suspect present.

    But Jian Jing remembered the girl mentioning their meeting spot was overgrown with lush wisteria vines (this critical detail did not appear in the police''s records and had been overlooked). She inspected the scene and indeed found dense flowering vines, but only in the middle section.

    Only there would the foliage be able to block the view from the office building for their secret rendezvous.

    Simrly, the vines would have obstructed their view of the cleaner mopping on the left.

    So who was that cleaner?

    Of course, it had to be the other person who came for the meeting.

    "We found the stolen uniform you took from the janitor''s office. Luckily, we collected some hair and dander samples. A DNAparison will easily confirm it was you," Jian Jing reminded him. "Is there anything you want to say? Turning yourself in could lead to a lighter punishment. You''re still young."

    "I didn''t kill her," Wu clenched his fists, tone firm. "She fell by herself."

    Jian Jing raised her brows. "Oh? Let me remind you, we have more evidence than what I''ve told you. You should tell the truth."

    "I already told the truth," he stuck to his story. "The day before, Miao Tong asked me to go to theb building during PE ss, but at noon I saw her sneaking over there looking suspicious. I got worried and followed her over."

    Jian Jing waited for him to continue.

    Wu ss Monitor paused for a moment, then continued exining: ˇ°She snuck upstairs stealthily, pried open the lock to the rooftop, and even climbed over the railing to stick something there. I thought she was hiding stuff, so after she left, I immediately took the thing away.ˇ±

    ˇ°Then what?ˇ±

    ˇ°Then I pretended I didnˇŻt know anything. Just like you said, during P.E. ss, I secretly went upstairs again. By then, she seemed to have realized the stuff was missing. I thought the problem was solved, but I didnˇŻt expect she would take out a USB drive again and toss it outside the railing.ˇ±

    He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger: ˇ°She promised she would delete the stuff, but instead she copied it again and again. I was so angry, I asked her what she was doing. She panicked like a guilty thief, lost her bnce and fell straight down.ˇ±

    "I was scared to death." Wu ss Monitor''s voice turned hoarse, "At that time, people heard the sound and gathered around, I didn''t dare stay upstairs, changed my clothes, and pretended I didn''t know anything... But I really didn''t kill her, she fell by herself."

    Jian Jing did notment.

    So far, Wu ss MonitorˇŻs testimony matched the evidenceˇŞthe school surveince camera caught him and Miao Tong appearing near theboratory building at noon.

    But the most critical part, whether Miao Tong identally fell or was pushed down, remains to be discussed.

    "We extracted your fingerprints from Miao Tong''s clothes," Ji Feng, who had been standing in the shade behind the door because the sun was too bright, spoke up at this moment, "on the spot between her shoulder des."

    "I''m in the same ss as her, it''s not weird I patted her shoulder before," said Wu ss Monitor.

    "Why did you have to wear a janitor''s clothes to go up? You''d already taken away the evidence, you didn''t even have to show up for the meeting," Jian Jing cut to the chase, "Yet you deliberately disguised yourself, and even fabricated a suicide note afterwards."

    She took out the suicide note sealed in an evidence bag, "The edges of the paper show traces of being cut with a de. If I guess correctly, this is a sample you deliberately made Miao Tong write, then you cut off a part and made it look like a suicide note."

    The original suicide note read:

    After much thought, I still cannot ept

    I have decided to give up

    I''m sorry, please forgive my selfishness

    The content was too vague and abstract to serve as a suicide note. Cannot ept what? Give up what? Who was the note addressed to? None of these were specified.

    But if expanded, the content would obviously seem more reasonable, for example:

    Teacher X, after much thought, I still cannot ept

    the rmended admission

    I have decided to give up

    I have let you down, I''m sorry, please forgive my selfishness

    I still n to get into my ideal college by my own grades

    ...

    "I only changed clothes because I didn''t want anyone to see me, I couldn''t let this get out," Wu ss Monitor defended himself. "The suicide note was something I only thought of afterwards. She told me to write it for insurance, to prove it was written by her own hand. She would put it in the principal''s mailbox that day, she just didn''t have time to take it back... I was so scared. She inexplicably died in theboratory building, it would definitely arouse a lot of suspicion. If people knew I was there, I''d be done for!"

    He said painfully, "Since it was just an ident anyway, I just wanted...to make it seem like a suicide to get it over with...it''d be better for everyone."

    Jian Jing wrapped it up swiftly and decisively: "There is only one answer. After you saw Miao Tong fall, you first ran down to look at the corpse, then took advantage of the chaos to go back to the ssroom building, found this note, and in front of so many ssmates in the ssroom, cut off a part, faked it into a suicide note and stuffed it in Miao Tong''s drawer?"

    "Yes, everyone was badly frightened then, no one noticed. It really only urred to me after she died," Wu ss Monitor exined.

    Jian Jing sighed lightly, then sternly said, "I gave you a chance."

    "That afternoon, Miao Tong bought a box of yogurt, the new cherry vor that just came out that day." She magically took out a box of fresh yogurt, "See, it''s the peel-off kind, with a little spoon."

    Wu ss Monitor showed an expression of iprehension.

    "ording to eyewitness ounts, the yogurt Miao Tong ate before PE ss had milk stains on the suicide note detectedter. At that time, no one thought this would be such important evidence."

    When the police checked the desk drawer, there was no unfinished yogurt left, indicating she had finished drinking and thrown it away before leaving. If you put the suicide note afterwards like you imed, how did the milk stains get on it?"

    Wu Jincheng turned pale, his mind racing but not knowing how to refute thispelling evidence.

    Jian Jing concluded crisply: ˇ°There is only one answer. You already put the suicide note there before PE ss, which means at that time, you had already decided to kill Miao Tong."

    Silence filled the room.

    The author has something to say: Simple case this time, barely any suspects huh

    Sigh, every time I write about Jing Jing eating, I get hungry myself, but can''t eat these days, agony

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276

    On Friday after thest ss, Wu Jincheng started to pack up his desk, looking like he was getting ready to leave. His ssmates asked: "ss monitor, why are you packing up?"

    Wu Jincheng said: "The gaokao (college entrance exam) is only a few days away. I''ve asked for leave to review at home."

    "What!!" The ssmates eximed, "Is that allowed?"

    "Everyone, quiet down," Teacher Chen appeared in the ssroom to answer their questions, "As long as you have your parent''s signature, you can go home to review. Of course, for most students, I still rmend that you stay at school so you cane to teachers if you have any questions."

    A student raised their hand: "We just need our parent''s signature?"

    Teacher Chen said: "You also need my approval. You can only go home if someone is there to take care of you. If there''s no one watching over you, can you really review well in thesest critical days relying only on self-discipline?"

    She lectured them sternly for a while, getting through Wu Jincheng''sst bit of time left in the ss. The other students were busy discussing whether they should ask for leave and didn''t pay much attention to the monitor''s departure.

    Except Ji Yunyun.

    She caught up with him at the school gate: "ss monitor!"

    Wu Jincheng turned around calmly: "What do you want?"

    "Is it you?" Ji Yunyun asked.

    Wu Jincheng: "It''s none of your business."

    Ji Yunyun clenched her fists: "Why did you do it?"

    "Do you think you''re very righteous?" Wu Jincheng retorted, "Do you think Miao Tong is a good person? She died and you insist on finding out the truth. Have you ever thought about how she brought this on herself?"

    Ji Yunyun was stunned.

    "No one is better than anyone else. Don''t be so naive," he said coldly as he turned and crossed the street.

    Around the street corner, a police car was waiting for him.

    "Ji Yunyun," someone called her from behind. It was a tall, strong boy. "What were you and the monitor talking about?"

    Ji Yunyun rolled her eyes: "None of your business!"

    The boy said: "Are you nning to review at home?"

    Ji Yunyun: "No."

    The boy said: "Neither am I."

    Ji Yunyun: "I didn''t ask you."

    The boy said: "Are you going to the library to review tomorrow?"

    Ji Yunyun: "Why?"

    The boy said: "I live nearby. If you go I can save you a seat."

    Ji Yunyun: "I''m going."

    The boy said: "Are you going home by yourself? We can go together, I also take bus #4..."

    Before the boy could finish speaking, they suddenly heard a car horn. A car pulled up beside them.

    The window rolled down and Ji Feng sized up the boy: "Who said Yunyun is going home alone?"

    "Bro?!" Ji Yunyun''s eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. "What are you doing here?"

    "What do you mean what am I doing here? Of course I''m here to pick you up. Did you think I was just passing by after eating my fill?" Ji Feng nced at her. "Hurry up and get in the car. Are you waiting for me to open the door for you?"

    So annoying. Ji Yunyun muttered under her breath and waved her hand, then got into the car.

    The boy opened and closed his mouth, then obediently watched her leave.

    Ji Feng interrogated his sister: "Who was that?"

    "Our ss learningmissioner."

    "Oh? He looks more like an athleticmissioner to me. A learningmissioner? Is he any good?" Ji Feng looked doubtful.

    Ji Yunyun exploded: "Don''t underestimate him! His grades are excellent, top 5 in the year."

    Ji Feng snorted.

    "Hey," Ji Yunyun suddenly turned and asked him, "I just saw the ss monitor get into a police car. Was that him?"

    Ji Feng: "Yes."

    Ji Yunyun was silent.

    Ji Feng asked her: "Do you want to know why?"

    "Are you going to tell me?"

    "I will," he said. "You discovered it."

    By all ounts, Ji Yunyun should have felt excited by these words. But the reality was the opposite - she didn''t have any excitement or eager anticipation. On the contrary, she felt uneasy.

    Ji Feng looked ahead steadily as he spoke evenly: "The truth is often absurd and cruel. There is not always joy in righteousness defeating evil. But no matter what kind it is, we can only ept it."

    Ji Yunyun pressed her lips together and gritted out: "Fine, tell me."

    Ji Feng kept his word and told her the whole truth without reservation.

    Ji Yunyun: "..."

    The truth was much too different from her deductions!

    "I wasn''t originally nning to tell you before the gaokao," Ji Feng nced at her. "Teacher Jian insisted you could handle it. I even made a bet with her - for the sake of your brother''s wallet, it''s not shameful to cry."

    Ji Yunyun retorted: "You just wanted to have dinner with her, right?"

    Ji Feng: "That''s nonsense."

    His little sister exaggeratedly rolled her eyes, took out her wallet, pulled out a 100 yuan bill, and handed it to him: "Here is 100 yuan to fund you. Get some flowers when you go to dinner. Look at Teacher Jian''s romantic prospects, then look at yourself. Can you have some sense of crisis?"

    Ji Fengughed angrily: "What are you nitpicking about, brat?"

    "You, you!"

    After the weekend, Ji Yunyun returned to school as if nothing had happened.

    Ji Feng made good on his promise and called Jian Jing out to dinner.

    She asked: "Where are we eating?"

    "Don''t wear a skirt," he said.

    Following his advice, Jian Jing wore a t-shirt + hot pants + baseball cap + sunsses.

    Ji Feng judged: "You''re dressed like an undercover celebrity."

    "I''m a celebrity right now."

    Ji Feng: "Aren''t you feeling yourself a bit too much?"

    Hearing his tone, Jian Jing said coldly: "If you regret asking me out to dinner, just say it. I''ll go back right now."

    "Don''t," he grabbed her by the arm, opened the car door, "A bet is a bet. Get in."

    Only because of their history did Jian Jing reluctantly get into the passenger seat: "Where are we going?"

    "You''ll know when we get there," Ji Feng gave her fair warning. "It''s not somewhere nice though, be mentally prepared."

    Jian Jing pressed her hand to her forehead, calm andposed: "It''s fine, I don''t have any expectations of you anyway."

    After driving for half an hour, the car stopped on a shaded tree-lined alley. Ji Feng bought two bottles of water and parked in the back entrance of a small grocery.

    "Let''s go. This way we won''t get towed." He handed her a bottle of water. "Follow me."

    Jian Jing''s curiosity was piqued. This didn''t look like a ce to eat. She quickly caught up to him. Ji Feng took a small path where the trees blocked most of the sunlight, making the wind feel cool and fresh. By the roadside was a short brick wall. Bushes were growing out of the crevices between the bricks, unknown wildflowers blooming.

    He said: "Can you climb over?"

    "Who are you looking down on?" Jian Jing said. "It''s so short."

    "Nothing less expected from Teacher Jian," Ji Fengplimented her. He nimbly climbed over. "Don''t worry about climbing over. No onees here anymore."

    Jian Jing didn''t need to activate her Snow White powers. With her own strength and agility, the two meter wall was easy.

    She climbed up swiftly and looked down below. There was a cracked cement road. Although there were weeds everywhere, at least she wouldn''t step into mud. Only then did she leap down without worry.

    "Where is this?"

    "My high school. The school relocated, the developer went bankrupt, and only half was torn down before this ce was abandoned." He lifted his chin at the two teaching buildings still standing in the distance, the exterior walls gray and covered with wind and frost.

    Jian Jing gave him a look but didn''t ask why he had brought her here to eat.

    Once human traces disappeared, nature''s vitality would thrive. The grass and weeds were extremely dense, the coarse stalks and leaves easy to cut bare skin on.

    At first, Jian Jing regretted wearing shorts. But she soon felt it was very interesting. Her agility and flexibility allowed her to nimbly avoid all obstacles, as if she was on an adventure.

    But the lush bushes soon disappeared.

    The sports field was still there. No matter how hard the weeds tried, they didn''t even reach ankle height. The concrete steps poured from cement were still very firm. Only the asional stubborn weed was able to poke out a shoot to flutter in the wind.

    Ji Feng walked up to the highest level and looked out at the abandoned campus. After a while, he suddenly said, "Teacher Jian, the day I received news my dad died, the school happened to be having a sports meet here."

    In October, the bracing wind carried the sweet osmanthus scent. Even today he could still remember the principal''s opening speech at the ceremony, nonstandard Mandarin.

    "Every year at the sports meet, the monitor would find someone to sign up for the 1000 meter run. I still remember her. She had good grades and was also beautiful."

    He casually brought it up, then changed the subject. Jian Jing gave him a sideways nce but went along and asked: "First love?"

    "Curious?" Ji Feng looked at her andughed. "I won''t tell you."

    Jian Jing: "I''m not curious, thanks." You can keep talking about the sports meet."

    ˇ°Sports Day...ˇ± He thought about it, sighed, ˇ°Back then I was really too naive, a thousand meters? When I was in college I ran three thousand meters every day, plus strength training, it was miserable.ˇ±

    ˇ°Why did you choose to go to this public university then?ˇ± she asked.

    Ji Feng said: ˇ°To serve the people.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Bullshit.ˇ±

    ˇ°Believe it or not.ˇ± He turned around, ˇ°LetˇŻs go, you must be hungry. Let me think, it should be around here.ˇ±

    He took her through the precarious teaching building, and climbed over the fence next to it.

    Strangely, just across this wall, the quiet tranquility of the deserted garden instantly turned into a bustling street. Walking down this road, after less than three hundred meters, you could see a small market.

    Ji Feng found a rice noodle shop and ordered two bowls of beef tripe rice noodles, saying to her: ˇ°Come and try it.ˇ±

    ˇ°If it doesn''t taste good, I''ll beat you into a pig head.ˇ± Jian Jing sat down and picked up a rice noodle.

    ˇ°Would Ie all this way just for nostalgia if I wasn''t sure?ˇ± Heughed, ˇ°I guarantee it tastes good.ˇ±

    Jian Jing tried a bite doubtfully.

    It turned out to be really good, the kind of typical ce with poor ambience and no fancy exterior, but the boss had probably been honing his craft for decades.

    Just a regr bowl of beef tripe rice noodles, but the broth was light yet vorsome, the rice noodles were chewy and springy, the beef tripe was crispy and fresh, a rare treat.

    ˇ°When I was a student a bowl only cost 12 yuan, prices have gone up.ˇ± He finished half a bowl in one go, then waved his hand again, ˇ°Bossdy, one more order of braised beef.ˇ±

    ˇ°Coming up.ˇ± The bossdy went into the kitchen, scooped up a piece of braised beef with a spoon, chopped it on the chopping board with a few cracks, and brought out a small te of diced braised beef, ˇ°Eat slowly.ˇ±

    Ji Feng pushed the te over, ˇ°Eat more, eat until youˇŻre full.ˇ±

    Jian Jing speared a bite with her chopsticks. The braising was very vorful.

    But she still had to nitpick, ˇ°I wonˇŻt bet with you anymore in the future, youˇŻre so petty, treating me to rice noodles but no soda.ˇ±

    Ji Feng: ˇ°...One more bottle of Coke.ˇ±

    ˇ°A cold one.ˇ±

    ˇ°A cold one, a cold one.ˇ± He had a defeated look on his face.

    After eating their fill, they headed back.

    Ji Feng went back on duty, Jian Jing took a nap at home.

    Waking up from her afternoon nap, the sun was shining brightly outside. She yed with her dog for a while, tossing the ball for it a few times, then slowly wandered into the study and created a new document.

    These past two days, she had been thinking about starting a new book. There was no other way, money flowed out too easily, she had to work hard earning it back, but she didnˇŻt have inspiration for the Demon Doctor series yet, and didnˇŻt feel like writing the fourth book for now.

    Authors were just fickle like that.

    Time to write a new story then.

    It would still be a mystery, of course, but more lighthearted and fun, not too heavy.

    What to write?

    Scenes shed through her mind.

    The young couple dating under wisteria vines, the girl who fell off the rooftop, the student escorted into a police car at the school gate, and the quiet, deste old campus bathed in sunlight.

    The young know not worry or sorrow, always seeing suicide and death lightly.

    Murder and youth, that could be interesting too.

    She finally typed a new title into the document.

    - Case Files of the Sleepwalking Girl

    AuthorˇŻs note: ItˇŻs about time to start a new book, canˇŻt keep milking that Demon forever =0=

    Why do I keep wanting to write about foodtely...

 Chapter 277

    Chapter 277

    As a well-knownrge enterprise, Golden Crow was very busy every day. Although the official work hours started at 9 am, people usually started clocking in around 8:30 am. Everyone had to finish making coffee, having breakfast, going to the restroom, checking emails and other fixed routines before the 10 am weekly meeting.

    Around 10 am, departments would start meetings based on their own habits. Meetings ranged from half an hour to over an hour, and with especially demanding bosses, they could go all the way until lunch break, only allowing work to start in the afternoon.

    In private employee groups, it wasmon to see simrints:

    [President X is really annoying, every meetingsts two hours, and we still have to work overtime afterwards]

    [I know, even with overtime pay, this really sucks]

    [President Y is not bad, our department is quite efficient]

    [I''m so jealous, President Y is strict but has no other issues]

    [Howe Dai An is not saying anything? Let''s have Japanese food for lunch?]

    [Boss Kang just gave me some tasks, I can''t go]

    [Should I pack you a lunch box?]

    [Thank you, love you]

    Dai An turned off her phone and started concentrating on work. Her job was a very romantic personal secretary to the CEO, and at least 3 out of 10 romance novels from Morning Star Publishing next door had "secretary" as a keyword.

    However, being a secretary for the CEO in real life consisted of tedious andplicated tasks - scheduling meetings, making dinner reservations, replying to emails, answering phone calls. It required patience, attention to detail and prudence. An absent-minded young girl wouldn''tst three days before getting fired.

    Dai An graduated from a prestigious university and started interning in her third year, which allowed her tond this job straight after graduation. Her current sry already exceeded most of her ssmates. Other than being busy without breaks asionally, everything else was fine.

    To get back on topic, the extra task she suddenly received today was to organize documents for a meeting.

    In the afternoon, President Kang had a meeting with the executive from a newspaperpany. It was an old and renowned newspaperpany whose previous owner had retired, and his daughter took over, nning some major changes recently.

    This female president was a great beauty.

    "President Yan, wee." Kang Mu Cheng extended his hand.

    "President Kang." President Yan had short hair, but did not look masculine at all. Together with her red lips, she looked morous instead, politely shaking his hand, "We meet again."

    The two chatted while walking into the conference room to discuss cooperation.

    Dai An prepared tea and coffee and finished her job, then immediately went to the pantry to gossip with colleagues.

    "The atmosphere seems good!" She said excitedly, "I wonder if I''ll be asked to order dinner for them to get to know each other better."

    Her colleague peeked at the ss partition of the conference room, holding a coffee cup: "Wow, she''s so pretty. How old is she?"

    "Thirty. She just got back from the States. Their newspaperpany has been coborating with us for a long time. I heard her father was even an old friend of the Chairman."

    "Childhood friends of equal standing, she''s just like a destined fianc¨¦e character from a novel!"

    "Aren''t those always antagonist roles?"

    "You are not keeping up. Rich, beautiful female second lead awakening is the trend now."

    "Don''t female bosses like her usually have actor boy toys?"

    "Power couples can be exciting too... Oh no, Teacher Jian?" Her colleague suddenly noticed the voice wasn''t Dai An''s. She turned around and it was instantly awkward.

    Jian Jing was oblivious, still peeking with them: "Have they just started? When will it end?"

    Dai An said: "President Kang has other appointments in the afternoon, why don''t you go rest in the lounge for now, Teacher Jian?"

    Jian Jing nodded and familiarly made her way to the lounge.

    Dai An asked her colleague: "Which five-star hotel was that Instagrammable afternoon tea you mentioned the other day?"

    Her colleague was shocked: "You''re ordering that one? It''s super expensive, still 800+ even on Groupon!"

    "Teacher Jian drops by every time, and President Kang always asks me to order afternoon tea for her." Dai An gave her a knowing look, "Don''t worry, no matter how expensive it is, he won''t even bat an eye."

    Her colleague couldn''t help butugh, lowering her voice: "A little princess, huhˇŞ"

    While gossiping about others, others are also gossiping about you.

    Jian Jing actually overheard parts of their conversation, but didn''t take it to heart. She found a book in the lounge, by an award-winning literary author. The writing was elegant and stream-of-consciousness, making people feel drowsy.

    "Creak--" The door opened.

    Kang Mu Cheng called her: "Come have dessert."

    Jian Jing yawned and ambled to his office. The interior design was simple as always, with all books arranged alphabetically. Disyed on the shelves were award ceremony photos of various authors.

    She nced over and was slightly unhappy: "Why is mine at the very edge?"

    "It''s in order of age." Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Where do you want to put it?"

    Jian Jing picked up the framed photo of herself in a rose wedding dress epting the Dream Pen award, and ced it right in the middle.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at it several times, brows slightly furrowed.

    "No good?"

    He walked over to rearrange the other photos in alphabetical order of surnames, so J for Jian Jing was conveniently in the middle spot.

    Jian Jing: "..." Editors and their upational syndrome really couldn''t be underestimated.

    Dai An brought in coffee and the afternoon tea set,pletely covering the coffee table.

    Jian Jing tried a piece of cake, not bad, it wasn''t too sweet. The sandwiches were ordinary, but the fruit jam scones were a little overly sweet.

    "Busy?" She asked.

    "Not too busy."

    Dai An thought inwardly: Yes, pushing aside one appointment does mean you''re not busy.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Why the sudden visit?"

    "Why else does one visit the boss?" She retorted.

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "Out of money? What do you want, I can pay for you first."

    Dai An contemted: Can I get an advance to buy an apartment?

    "Of course it''s to make money." Jian Jing threw her manuscript at him, "New story, ten thousand words. Take a look."

    Dai An nced at her watch, pleased inwardly: Time to check out restaurants. I can finish work by 5 pm today.

    Sure enough, Kang Mu Cheng flipped through the manuscript and immediately said, "Dai An, please help book a table ˇŞ what do you want to eat?"

    Jian Jing said: "Home-cooked food."

    Freeloading President Kang''s treats, she was already sick of exotic cuisines. Just looking at the restaurants gave her a headache. She just wanted to freeload at his ce and eat Aunt Wang''s cooking ˇŞ ordinary yetforting.

    "Call Aunt Wang to cook more dishes." Kang Mu Cheng instructed without even raising his head.

    Dai An said: "Yes, President Kang."

    She tactfully closed the door, leaving them in peace.

    Kang Mu Cheng immediately started reading the new chapter while Jian Jing unabashedly dug into the afternoon tea. The cake was pretty good, not too sweet. The sandwiches were nothing special. The fruit jam scones were a bit too sweet.

    With only ten thousand words, it was just introducing the beginning of the story.

    Kang Mu Cheng quickly finished reading and contemted: "A female high school student who sleepwalks, mysteriously appearing at crime scenes all the time? What''s the significance of this setting?"

    Jian Jing exined: "Through her dreams, she re-traces and re-constructs the cases and eventually finds the murderer."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Isn''t that a little gimmicky?"

    "I don''t like stories that are too realistic." She sat on the armrest of the sofa, facing the floor-to-ceiling window with golden sunlight falling all over her body as if she was cloaked in golden robes. "Murder is cruel enough already. Adding a touch of surrealism isn''t so bad."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t object much: "Jing Jing, I''ll always support your decisions. But I have to remind you not to focus too much on the romance subplot."

    Jian Jing blinked: "Why do you say so?"

    "The neighbor living opposite is an old ssmate." He said, "I assume you wouldn''t randomly set up a character."

    Jian Jing pinched her fingers together: "Just this much."

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "No need to set anything in stone. As long as it doesn''t steal the show it''s fine."

    "No, it''s personal preference." She gazed afar,ughing softly, "I feel like love is like walking down a forest trail ˇŞ the hidden path ahead, the hazy morning fog, a calling from the other side. It''s uncertain yet the most interesting part. Once through the entire forest and at the destination, the story would end."

    Jian Jing continued: "By then, the reader is already satisfied and losing interest to explore further. Wouldn''t that mean poor sales for my books?"

    "Nonsense." Kang Mu Cheng shook his head, "ording to you, Morning Star''s warehouses would be filled with unsold inventory."

    She said: "I''m just saying, what do you think?"

    He gathered the manuscript and replied: "As long as you''re happy, however you write is fine."

    "Then I''ll stop worrying." She jumped off the sofa back, "Finished work?"

    "It''s 4:15 pm. What finishing work?" Kang Mu Cheng said, "Let''s put aside the manuscript first. I have something to discuss with you."

    He went to his desk and took out a stack of English newspapers: "I originally wanted to bring this up next month, but since you''re here, take a look first."

    Jian Jing picked up the newspaper, which was a news report from the United States, with a special section introducing bestselling books. In the past six months, the name "Devil Doctor" had always been on the list, with only slight ups and downs in its ranking. There were even special reviewers writing critiques for it.

    She was surprised: "It sells that well?"

    "The setting caters to their tastes very much."

    Although the Devil Doctor kept the name "Devil", it actually had nothing to do with Satan. Rather than saying it was the embodiment of the devil, it would be more urate to describe it as an aggregation of human evil.

    Jian Jing had never thought of adding any religious elements. The hunter and God were never involved either.

    But in the trantion process, the trantors naturally tranted it into the more familiar "devil" for foreigners, and its image shaping was also very simr to the demons they were familiar with.

    Foreigners epted it without any pressure.

    Without the cultural barrier, the bestselling book that was popr domestically naturally also gained love overseas. After "Devil Doctor 1" was tranted overseas, it quickly made it onto the rmendation list. Then Volumes 2 and 3 were published sessively, and overseas book fans were already addicted.

    Recently, "Devil 3" was almost simultaneouslyunched overseas, and its sales figures kept rising, very impressive.

    With high sales figures, various awards naturally favored it.

    Kang Mu Cheng flipped to thetest issue: "You won the Best Overseas Novel of the Year award. The award ceremony is next month, do you want to go?"

    It would be summer vacation by then, so of course she would go. Jian Jing asked, "I don''t need to buy a special dress this time, right?"

    Kang Mu Cheng looked up at her.

    Jian Jing: "?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Unless you get married, otherwise, I don''t want to buy you any more white dresses."

    Sheughed loudly.

    Outside the conference room, the employees exchanged nces with each other.

    In the private chat group:

    One of the employees silently opened the gossip forum page and found the bookmarked post - "The 818 Golden Crow CEO and His Little Princess".

    The post had been up for three months and already had nearly a hundred pages of replies, still a hot topic on the forum.

    OP: I finally worked up the courage to resign. I wrote about some of my insights and inside information in the publishing industry in my previous post, and got a lot of support from colleagues in the industry. This time I decided to write something more lighthearted and expose some gossip I''ve been following for a long time.

    As usual, I have already resigned and will no longer be in the publishing industry, so I have nopetitive rtionship with all of you colleagues. I''m starting this thread purely for entertainment, not to praise or criticize anyone. If you say I''m making things up or that I was ranked lowest in performance evaluation, then so be it.

    Alright, let me chat with everyone about the online novelist Jian Jing, who is known as the Golden Crow''s little princess. It''s not really other jealous colleagues trying to smear her reputation. It''s just that the sweet female protagonist herself is much more attractive than the novels by Morning Star next door (I hope President Tao next door won''t be upset, haha).

    ...

    The employee pulled the post to thetest reply, chose to post anonymously, and wrote:

    Today the little princess came to thepany again and had unobstructed ess to the CEO''s office for a day!

    In the CEO''s office.

    Jian Jing: "Achoo!"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Is the air conditioning too cold?"

    "It shouldn''t be." She was very confident in her physical endurance. After thinking it over, she could only say, "Could it be the readers urging me to write faster from behind the scenes?"

    Kang Mu Chengughed. "Then hurry up and write."

    Jian Jing: *sigh*, making money is really difficult.

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278

    Although going overseas to receive an award was no big deal, Kang Mu Cheng was somehow worried about letting Jian Jing travel alone, so he simply arranged a business trip.

    It was another long-haul flight. The only difference from before was that there were more people this time.

    Kang Mu Cheng had to meet with American publishers this time for some coborations, so he brought his assistant, secretary, trantor andwyer with him.

    The one thing Dai An was most grateful for was that her boss wasnˇŻt stingy. By all reasoning, the secretary and assistant could only sit in economy ss - heavens, a dozen hours on a long-haul flight, sitting in the cramped economy seats could really take your life - but Kang Mu Cheng had her book business ss seats.

    At that moment, the flight had been dyed by 30 minutes, and Dai An was sitting in the soft chair of the VIP lounge without feeling rushed at all. A dy of working hours, how nice.

    ˇ°Dai An,ˇ± she was too naive. How could a boss allow employees to get paid while cking off? Kang Mu Cheng said to her, ˇ°Can you do me a favor?ˇ±

    Dai An: Can I say no?

    "Okay boss." She responded mechanically.

    Kang Mu Cheng handed her an English original book: ˇ°Read this, when we meet that author, I might need your help."

    Dai An: ˇ°...ˇ± Although her IELTS score was good, she hadnˇŻt done any readingprehension for a long time.

    ˇ°Sure, Mr. Kang." Despite her inner turmoil, the corporate ve still agreed with a smile.

    Of course, in addition to arranging for people to work, the boss also opened hisptop, not knowing what material he was looking at, with a focused expression on his face.

    ˇ°What''s the difference between working overtime in the lounge and working overtime in the office?ˇ± The little princess poured condensed coffee onto ice cream balls and asked mockingly.

    Boss: ˇ°Working hours on weekdays cannot be called overtime."

    Little Princess: "..."

    Dai An: *sigh*!

    She was annoyed and flipped open the English book, painfully gnawing on the raw text.

    "Pat pat," a little brat wearing leather shoes ran back and forth in the smooth hall, giggling from time to time, like a chirping little duck.

    Dai An silently turned her head.

    A beautiful woman walked over and said to the little duck, "Baby, your mommy is calling you."

    "Mommy." The little duck turned his head to a chair not far away where an elegant and delicate woman waved at him. He giggled and rushed over with open arms.

    "Kids can be a little noisy sometimes." The beautiful woman sat down. Her jet-ck, glossy hair shone under the light like silk satin, with a subtle, lingering fragrance.

    Dai An secretly clicked her tongue. She had also seen quite a few beauties. The female president she saw a few days ago was a rare, bright and easygoing one, not to mention the little princess. But the woman in front of her had a different kind of beauty.

    Although she was already in her thirties, almost forty, she had a very feminine charm while still retaining a girlish innocence, a contradiction yet harmonious.

    "Kids, huh." She couldn''t help but pick up the thread of the conversation, feeling that she shouldn''t ignore the woman.

    The male assistant was even more awkward, abruptly interrupting: "It''s nothing, don''t take it to heart."

    The beautiful woman smiled at him: "Thank you for your understanding."

    The male assistant was at a loss, almost standing up to bow.

    Fortunately, the beautiful woman didn''t say anything more. She nced at Jian Jing and then looked at Kang Mu Cheng: "I feel like I''ve seen you before."

    Kang Mu Cheng was nonchnt: "Nice to meet you."

    "Maybe I remembered wrong." She apologeticallyughed and casually walked away.

    Dai An mocked the male assistant: ˇ°YouˇŻre blushing.ˇ±

    Male Assistant: ˇ°Cough.ˇ±

    Jian Jing smiled and asked, "Boss Kang, have you met her before?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "No impression."

    "Interesting," Jian Jing said. ˇ°This flight is going to be fun."

    At that time, Dai An just nced at her without fully understanding the implication. Only afterwards did she suddenly realize - what was so fun about this? It was more like a rollercoaster of emotions.

    "Passengers flying from Peace City to New York on XXX flight, please pay attention...ˇ±

    The broadcast rang, it was time to board.

    Those in first ss and business ss could take the VIP passage and did not need to line up. They got on board very quickly.

    It was Dai AnˇŻs first time sitting in business ss. She was very interested in getting familiar with the various functions. Her boss asked the little princess, ˇ°There are still seats avable, should I upgrade you?ˇ±

    ˇ°No need.ˇ± Jian Jing was focused on ying onest game while there was still inte, not even lifting her head.

    Kang Mu Cheng put her carry-on luggage up: ˇ°What did you bring that makes it so heavy?ˇ±

    ˇ°Snacks.ˇ±

    Dai Anmented: She made a mistake. After getting off work past 9pmst night, all the supermarkets were closed already. She only bought some sandwiches at the convenience store.

    The passengers took their seats and the ne took off, climbing, bumping, stabilizing. Some people started going to the bathroom.

    The flight attendants began handing out drinks.

    The little princess asked for a ss of champagne and drank it all in one go, preparing to sleep.

    Dai An silently put on her headphones, turned on the reading light, nning to finish the first three chapters of readingprehension while she still had the mental fortitude.

    Time flew by quickly.

    She finished gnawing through the content of the first chapter and when she looked up, the little princess was already asleep. She was covered with a small fuzzy yellow printed nket, especially cute and fluffy, with cat paw prints on all four corners.

    The nket was not properly covering her and one of the pink cat paw pads happened to fall right onto Kang Mu ChengˇŻs knee, creating a strong contrast with his crisp suit pants.

    Dai An held back augh and took a photo with her phone. The boss nced at her.

    Dai An: Look down at book.

    The boss grabbed the nket and stuffed it back into the seat beside them.

    The high-altitude environment itself made people feel drowsy and thirsty. Dai An unknowingly drank half a cup of tea and couldnˇŻt hold back wanting to use the bathroom.

    Business ss and first ss shared a bathroom. In theory, with only some thirty plus people it shouldnˇŻt require much waiting. But Dai An waited and waited, somehow managing to snag an opening only after a good long while and hurried to relieve herself.

    Coming out, she heard some passengers chatting.

    ˇ°Miss, the coffee is too weak, please rebrew another cup.ˇ± Ady said to the flight attendant, while at the same timeforting her child, ˇ°Baby, be quiet.ˇ±

    She took a nce over - crap, it was that naughty kid again.

    He covered his ears, his voice shrill: ˇ°Mommy, I donˇŻt feel good.ˇ±

    ˇ°YouˇŻre bothering others,ˇ± thedy stroked his back. ˇ°Lower your voice a bit, donˇŻt move around.ˇ±

    Dai An quite admired this kind of parent. She handed over a piece of chewing gum, ˇ°Do you want this? It might make you feel better.ˇ±

    ˇ°Thank you.ˇ± Thedy politely epted it and gave it to her child. ˇ°You canˇŻt swallow this down, you know that right?ˇ±

    The childughed and snuggled into his mother''s arms.

    On the other side, a man took a photo out from his business card holder and stuffed it into the flight attendant''s cor: "Call me if you want to get in touch."

    The flight attendant revealed an awkward yet still polite smile: ˇ°Sir, anything else I can do for you?ˇ±

    The manughed. ˇ°IˇŻll wait for your call.ˇ±

    Dai An covertly rolled her eyes and deliberately squeezed by, ˇ°Excuse me, please let me through.ˇ±

    The flight attendant conveniently walked over to the next passenger''s seat.

    ˇ°Miss, what can I do for you?ˇ±

    The woman in this seat was tall and slender, wearing red high heels and a facial mask, painting her nails, ˇ°Get me a bottle of mineral water, iced but not too iced.ˇ±

    ˇ°Of course, maˇŻam.ˇ±

    Dai An returned to her seat, sighing in relief, and continued flipping through her book.

    Next, the flight attendant began handing out meals, hers included a bread roll, vegetable sd, creamy mushroom chicken soup, fried fish, steak, spaghetti, two small cakes, a fruit cup, and a cup of yogurt. If needed, the flight attendant could also provide an ice cream scoop, strawberry or vani vored.

    To be fair, it was a pretty decent meal.

    Dai An decided to fill her stomach first before continuing to tackle the dreadful readingprehension.

    She noticed that the little princess did not get up to eat.

    Her boss said, "WeˇŻll wait until she wakes up."

    Dai An and the assistant exchanged a gossipy look.

    After they finished eating, many people chose to turn off the lights for a little nap or watch a movie. Dai An also couldnˇŻt hold out and put on her headphones to listen to music and doze off.

    She didnˇŻt know how much time had passed. This time it was the soup she dranking back to haunt her, forcing yet another bathroom trip.

    Dai An nced at the bathroom light. Red, but it quickly turned green meaning it was vacant.

    She was overjoyed and hurried over, afraid someone else would beat her to it. In her haste she seemed to have bumped into someone but she didnˇŻt care and rushed into the bathroom. Only aftering out did she remember to apologize but upon seeing the people at the seats still sleeping soundly, seemingly undisturbed, she prepared to leave.

    Just then, Dai An suddenly felt something was off. She took another look.

    The other party had their eyes closed, head resting on a soft pillow, their entire face conveying a feeling she could not describe, one that was also hard to put into words.

    Dai An felt a chill down her spine, not daring to look any further as she hurried back to her seat.

    "Dai An?" Jian Jing had woken up and was happily having her meal. She asked, "What''s the matter? You look rather ufortable."

    Dai An could not put her internal feelings into words, and was also afraid of frightening the little princess. She forced a smile: "It''s nothing."

    "Your body seems to say otherwise," Jian Jing took a sip of coffee and cut into her steak, sending it into her mouth. Perhaps finding it nd, she added a generous amount of ck pepper. "Take a rest if you''re unwell."

    She nced at the napping Kang Mu Cheng, and mouthed: "President Kang won''t say anything."

    Dai An shook her head, trying to focus her attention on her book. But the English letters jumped out at her like a disco, stubbornly refusing to enter her mind.

    She finally could not resist saying to Jian Jing: "That passenger over there is weird."

    Jian Jing stuffed some bread into her soup and asked: "What''s weird about him?"

    "He''spletely motionless," Dai An confessed. "Really creepy. Could he be sick? Should we tell the flight attendant? What if he needs medical help and we have to make an emergencynding..."

    To her surprise, Jian Jing seemed to have heard something interesting. She immediately put down her cutlery: "Which one?"

    Dai An pointed in that direction.

    Jian Jing got up, walking carefully yet swiftly over to that seat. She observed closely for a while, then took a glove out of her skirt pocket, put it on, and checked his pulse before prying his eyes open.

    Dai An watched as her expression turned grave, and she immediately called over a flight attendant.

    She did not know what was said, but snippets of conversation drifted over.

    Little princess: "He''s been dead for over an hour."

    Flight attendant: "Good heavens!"

    Little princess: "Initial assessment points to [poisoning]."

    Flight attendant: "This can''t be real."

    Little princess: "There''s something wrong with the drinks, the murderer could be on this ne."

    The flight attendant swayed unsteadily.

    "Calm down," Dai An was shocked to find the little princesspletely unperturbed, abnormallyposed. "Contact ground control first, get the police when wend. You and your colleagues should try to recall anyone who came in or out, see if we can narrow down suspects between rows 1 to 13.

    Dai An could not help but nce around the ne.

    This flight had first ss, business ss and economy ss cabins. There were curtains separating business ss and economy, with flight attendant stations in between.

    That flight attendant was also highly trained, recovering quickly from her initial panic and getting straight to work.

    Jian Jing stood at the front of the cabin, taking in the whole scene...

    Toilet...Galley...

    1...a..b..c..d..e...

    2...a..b..c..d..e...

    ...

    Rows 1-2 were first ss, Rows 11-13 business ss, 28 seats in total. But this flight was not full.

    The deceased was seated at 1b, right in the passageway to the toilet and gallery.

 Chapter 279

    Chapter 279

    "What happened?" The sound of constant pacing woke up the other people in row 1. It was the mother and son that Dai An had helped before.

    Thedy asked in surprise, "What happened?" She poked her head out to take a look at the dead person. "Dear?"

    Jian Jing asked, "Is this your husband?"

    "Yes." Thedy noticed something was wrong and immediately asked, "What happened to my husband?"

    Jian Jing and the flight attendant exchanged a nce. Then, the flight attendant squatted down and softly informed the rtive of the bad news.

    Thedy was so shocked that she couldn''t speak. She abruptly stood up wanting to shake her husband, but Jian Jing stopped her, "Madam, please do not touch your husband."

    Thisdy slumped back into her seat, her face pale, yet she did not cry out loud. She only subconsciously hugged her child.

    The sleeping child woke up and blurrily called out, "Mommy?"

    The flight attendant blocked the child''s line of sight and said caringly, "Madam, would you mind if we take care of your child for the time being?"

    She hesitated for a bit before nodding her head, but she gripped the flight attendant''s arm tightly, "What happened? I can''t believe it. Isn''t there a doctor? Call a doctor to take a look."

    "I can confirm that your husband has passed away," Jian Jing held her hand. "Please stay calm and don''t scare your child."

    She barely controlled herself and coaxed her child before handing him over to the flight attendant.

    Jian Jing sat next to her and patiently asked, "Could you briefly tell me about your husband''s identity? Why are all of you going to the US?"

    She used her trust card and soon obtained a reply.

    "We went to the US for vacation with the other people from thepany..." Thedy''s speech was slightly jumbled. She spoke haltingly for a long time before finally making clear the ins and outs.

    Turned out the deceased''s surname was Che. He was a shareholder of apany. This time, the shareholders of thepany organized a vacation and brought their family and children to enjoy a rare holiday at the beaches in the US.

    Jian Jing asked her to point out everyone''s identity and made the following summary:

    Row 1: a (empty) , b (the deceased) , c (empty) , d (Mrs. Che) , e (Che''s Baby)

    Row 2: a (President Meng) , b (empty) , c (President Bao) , d (Mrs. Bao) , e (Bao''s Daughter)

    Among them, the deceased Che, President Meng and President Bao were the three shareholders of thepany. The seven of them almost entirely upied the first ss seats.

    Rows 11-13 were the business ss seats. Kang Mu Cheng, Jian Jing and the others sat there, as well as other people whose identities were found out through observation or subsequent questioning. To facilitate understanding, they were also listed below.

    Row 11: a (Secretary of the deceased) , b (Trantor) , c (empty) , d (Female Model) , e (empty) , f (Bao family''s nanny)

    Row 12: a (Kang''s Assistant) , b (Dai An) , c (Kang Mu Cheng) , d (Jian Jing) , e (Kang''s Lawyer) , f (empty)

    Row 13: a (Kang''s Trantor) , b (empty) , c (empty) , d (Upgraded Passenger A) , e (Upgraded Passenger B) , f (Sick Passenger)

    Here, something needed exnation. Among the passengers in row 13, the sick passenger was brought over from economy ss by a flight attendant 15 minutes ago. Upgraded passengers A and B were upgraded after getting into conflicts with other passengers and the flight attendants helped resolve it. This happened within an hour.

    It could be confirmed that they were unrted to this case.

    Considering that Kang''s trantor, assistant andwyer were Green City''s seniors who didn''t know the deceased''s group, they could be excluded for now as well.

    The most suspicious people were among those in row 1, 2 and 11.

    But the deceased''s 5 year old son and President Bao''s 3 year old daughter couldn''t possibly be the murderer. They could also be excluded.

    After this screening, the suspects were among those left.

    Jian Jing was very prudent. She requested everyone to keep quiet and to not rm the sleeping passengers, especially to not cause panic in economy ss with so many people.

    A dead body was not more frightening than an airne crash. After a brief moment of panic, the crew immediately cooperated to work and obtained agreement from the ground to temporarily let Jian Jing (with unknown details on her file) assist in the investigation.

    The turmoil was temporarily under control.

    But Dai An''s heart could not calm downpletely.

    She had never thought that she would encounter a murder case on a flight.

    To tell the truth, weren''t the "Mysteries in the Clouds" fictional novels? Why did they suddenly appear in reality?

    She felt a chill down her spine and couldn''t help shivering, but at the same time also felt a bizarre excitement. Her previously muddled brain reacted differently, with countless thoughts gushing forth, scrambling to voice their opinions.

    The murderer was in the cabin?

    Heavens, could it be a serial killer?

    Would he kill again?

    Or was it also possible that it was revenge? Was there a hitman here? Like those professional ones from movies?

    She couldn''t control her wild thoughts. She simply got up and slowly made her way nearer to Jian Jing, "Teacher... Little Jian?"

    Little Teacher Jian? Was there another author surnamed Jian?

    This fleeting thought passed Jian Jing''s mind before being tossed aside by more important matters. She nodded, "Yes?"

    "That person... died?" Dai An

    She felt frustrated for some reason, wondering why she was more clumsy than usual. It looked awful.

    Jian Jing said, "Yes."

    "Was he killed by someone?" Dai An asked.

    Jian Jing looked at her curiously.

    She didn''t have much impression of Kang''s secretary. She only remembered that she was a capable girl with a middle parting and long hair, light makeup, neither good-looking nor bad-looking. She carried an LV tote bag, wore 3 inch heels, and was always dressed in ck, white or grey office wear.

    An extremely typical secretary look, to the point of being stereotypical. It seemed like she was afraid of people misunderstanding her of having an improper rtionship with her boss.

    Hering over to ask now was rather surprising.

    "Would you like to know?" Jian Jing asked back.

    Dai An unnaturally said, "Uh, being together with a murderer doesn''t seem good..."

    "Alright." Jian Jingughed. She thought for a while and said, "Have you been reading the books that President Kang gave you?"

    Dai An hesitated. "More or less."

    "Then you should understand today''s situation better than me," she said. "Want to be my assistant?"

    Dai An asked nkly, "What assistant? To record this case?"

    "Of course it''s to solve this case," Jian Jing looked at her watch. "There''s 8 more hours untilnding. I hope we can end this on the ne. Otherwise after getting off, exhausted to death, we still have to cooperate with the police investigation. Annoying as hell. Don''t you want to go straight to the hotel to sleep?"

    Who wouldn''t want to shower and crash to beat jetg right after a long haul flight?

    Although Dai An still had doubts, she agreed, "What do I have to do?"

    Jian Jing said, "Firstly as a witness, you have to answer some of my questions."

    "Ah." Dai An tensed up in a sh. "O-okay. Ask away."

    As she responded, she wondered strangely. The title of little princess was just to indicate Jian Jing''s privileges - green light throughout when publishing new books. It didn''t mean she herself was dainty andmanding. But at that moment, she felt the tension she had when facing her boss, and it was especially different somehow. Clearly she didn''t do anything bad, yet she felt anxious inside.

    Jian Jing asked, "Did you go to the bathroom after the ne took off?"

    Dai An: "I did."

    Jian Jing: "When?"

    Dai An: "Before meal service."

    Jian Jing: "At that time, did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

    Dai An told her about the three things she overheard then.

    Jian Jing matched them: Che''s Baby was unwell. Mrs. Che asked for a cup of coffee. yboy President Meng flirted with the flight attendant. The Female Model was using a face mask.

    She asked, "Did you notice anything about the deceased?"

    Dai An tried hard to recall before answering uncertainly, "He seemed to be sleeping the whole time. Even when I was talking to his wife, he didn''t react."

    "Alright. Next we''ll go ask the flight attendants," Jian Jing said.

    There were many passengers on an international flight. There were two chief flight attendants and six flight attendants. One chief flight attendant and four flight attendants were responsible for economy ss, while the other chief flight attendant and two flight attendants were responsible for first ss and business ss.

    The three flight attendants Jian Jing asked were thetter group. The former group was not investigated.

    "When was thest time you interacted with the deceased?" She asked.

    Flight Attendant A said, "Right after boarding, he asked me for a cup of water. I remember his wife said he felt a little sick and hoped to change seats to not infect their child."

    The chief attendant confirmed: "ording to the booked seats, the Che family was in 1a-1c, but there weren''t many first-ss passengers today, so we adjusted the seats for Mrs. Che and their children."

    Jian Jing asked: "Did anyone else change their seats?"

    The chief attendant said: "President Bao''s and President Meng''s families switched. 11d was originally in 11f. She exchanged seats with someone else."

    Jian Jing nodded and asked again: "Did the victim eat?"

    Flight Attendant B said: "Yes, I served him a meal."

    Jian Jing: "Including the warm milk on the table?"

    Flight Attendant B: "Yes, he said he didn''t want the meal, he asked me to bring him a cup of warm milk."

    Jian Jing: "What was his condition at the time?"

    Flight Attendant B: "Not very good. I asked if he needed help and he said he just had chills and had already taken medicine."

    Jian Jing looked at her watch: "I want to know your meal service times."

    The chief attendant said: "The flight was supposed to take off at 3 pm, but it was dyed by nearly an hour. It finally took off at 3:53 pm. It is expected tond at around 8:00 the next day. It is now 9:20 pm Beijing time. Our meal service time should be around 7 pm."

    Dai An recorded all the time points based on instinct.

    Jian Jing asked: "Besides that, did you talk to him about anything else?"

    All three flight attendants shook their heads.

    Jian Jing: "When was thest time you confirmed he was still alive?"

    Flight Attendant A said: "He was covered with a nket resting all along and said not to disturb him. We didn''t pay much attention."

    Flight Attendant B said: "He was still alive when I brought him the warm milk."

    Jian Jing: "Did you see anyone talking to him? Did he go to the bathroom?"

    The chief attendant said: "I saw him go in when we were preparing the meals. Not after that."

    Jian Jing: "Around what time was that?"

    The chief attendant: "Around 6:40 pm."

    Jian Jing: "Please let me see the passenger manifest."

    The chief attendant was visibly hesitant for a moment, but the trust card took effect and she nodded in agreement: "Okay."

    Questioning ended.

    Next was the female model.

    She asked: "Do you know Mr. Che?"

    The Female Model said: "I guess."

    "Are you close?"

    "Well enough."

    "What were you going to do in America this time?"

    "Can''t I just go for tourism?"

    "What is your upation?"

    "Model."

    "After boarding the ne, did you talk with him at all?"

    "Just greeted him." The Female Model paused, and took the initiative to ask, "Is he really dead? Heart disease?"

    Jian Jing concealed the cause of death and said, "It''s not clear yet. Did he have heart disease?"

    The Female Model said: "I don''t know, just specting. Don''t people just die suddenly from that?"

    Jian Jing smiled and ended the conversation with her.

    Dai An couldn''t help but ask: "Professor Jian, why did you ask her first? Is she a suspect?"

    "Yes, I wanted to confirm their rtionship." Jian Jing handed over the form. "Look at when she booked her ticket. It was only a few hours apart from when the victim''spany booked."

    Dai An: "Were they together?"

    "Not necessarily." Jian Jing pondered for a moment and asked, "She said she was a model. Do you recognize her face?"

    Dai An honestly shook her head.

    "This proves she''s not very famous, and from what I know, ordinary models don''t earn very high ies. But look at the stuff she uses - La Mer face cream, Dior nail polish, red-bottomed shoes. It doesn''t match her upational ie."

    Jian Jing analyzed: "Of course, she may be well-off herself, but notice her shoes are a size too small. If she has so many pairs of the same style, why pick this one that doesn''t fit? Also, the ne provides disposable slippers. Why doesn''t she wear those?"

    Dai An couldn''t help but reflect - with her own financial status, if she bought a pair of shoes for tens of thousands of yuan, would she do that?

    The answer was no.

    Some people who buy luxury goods cherish them and take good care of them. Others want to unt them all the time - both are very normal.

    But shoes are different.

    No matter how expensive, shoes that are ufortable simply wouldn''t be persisted in wearing, unless it was a special asion.

    It was too important forfort.

    "She''s quite vain," Dai An gave her own conclusion.

    "Yes, but that raises new questions again." Jian Jing smiled and said, "She''s a vain person, so why didn''t she sit in first ss?"

    Dai An blinked, hesitating to say: "The ticket was bought by someone else?"

    "Hypothesis 1: All her luxury stuff was bought by others. The other party is notcking in wealth. With her vanity, she would definitely cajole or persuade to get a seat in first ss, but she didn''t. And there were still quite a few seats left there.

    "Hypothesis 2: She bought all that stuff through gritted teeth with her own money. In that case, upgrading from economy to business ss would have been more cost-effective, but she paid full price for a business ss ticket. With seats still avable in first ss, she still didn''t go sit in front. Why not - it would have been good to at least take a picture there."

    Dai An couldn''t figure it out and honestly asked: "Why?"

    "Because she had to be in the same space as a certain person from first ss, yet she also had to keep a distance from that person."

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280

    Dai An began to doubt her own intelligence.

    She graduated from a top 985 university, studied abroad for three years and got a master''s degree, and worked at a nationally renownedpany where her sry kept rising every year - by all ounts, she was no fool.

    But at this moment, Dai An felt like a failing student who had not studied before an exam, utterly outssed by the ss genius.

    Could someone deduce all that just from a model wearing ill-fitting shoes?

    "It''s a conclusion drawn from piecing together many bits of information," Jian Jing kindly exined. "At first, I only thought she seemed a little odd."

    Dai An thought to herself that she hadn''t found the woman odd at all, just somewhat disturbed. But she didn''t dare say that out loud. Instead she asked, "Who do you think she is?"

    "The highest probability is the victim or President Bao''s mistress," said Jian Jing.

    Dai An was getting the hang of it now. She followed the logic: "Right, since President Meng was hitting on a flight attendant, he probably wouldn''t care about bringing a girlfriend. The probability is higher for one of two married men."

    She suddenly became eager. "So was it her?"

    "Can''t say for sure yet. This case is a bitplicated," said Jian Jing evasively.

    Dai An''s face fell in disappointment.

    Jian Jing couldn''t hold back an amused smile. She was relishing the satisfaction of being Sherlock Holmes. With a twinkle in her eye she said, "Next we''ll be questioning the victim''s acquaintances. But before that..." She blinked. "Let''s go through the motions."

    Dai An then watched as she went up to Dai An''s boss and patted him. "I''m borrowing Dai An."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Did something happen?"

    "Someone died."

    He rubbed his temple with a sigh. "I see."

    "So, can I borrow her?"

    "Go ahead."

    Dai An clenched her fists in sudden excitement - she had to admit, a murder case made an otherwise boring workday thrilling, like briefly stepping into another world.

    Perhaps, deep down inside, everyone has a Sherlock Holmes fantasy.

    "Let''s go, to the lounge. We need to question the others there, the flight attendant will have arranged it for us." Jian Jing headed toward the front of the cabin and climbed up the concealed staircase into the airne''s hidden interior spaces.

    The space here was small but perfectly discreet - sounds wouldn''t easily escape.

    Jian Jing was the first to call in the victim''s wife.

    She asked, "Did your husband have any major illnesses?"

    Since Mrs. Che still didn''t know her husband''s cause of death at this point, she answered, "No, he had a physicalst month and was fine, just some stomach issues if he drank too much, but otherwise no problems."

    "What were his lifestyle habits like in general?" Jian Jing deliberately created the impression that this had been a sudden death.

    As expected, Mrs. Che rxed a little and said, "He was a businessman, so how good could they be? Early to bed,te to rise, drank often when wining and dining clients. I told him to cut back..." She sighed, "If only he''d listened."

    Only then did Jian Jing gradually shift the tone of the conversation: "The three families were traveling together this time, so I imagine you have quite a close rtionship usually."

    Mrs. Che said, "Yes, we''ve known each other for years, old friends."

    "That''s so rare to hear. As I understand it, shareholders usually have some level of conflict," said Jian Jing with a smile. "Since you''re all so close, I''m sure you know the others quite well. Could you introduce me to them?"

    Mrs. Che nodded and briefly summarized each person''s background.

    It turned out that originally thepany''s founders were President Che and President Bao. At one point they ran into trouble and were close to bankruptcy, but luckily gained an investment from President Meng at the crucial moment, which allowed them to turn things around, making the three men the major shareholders.

    President Meng was 42 years old, still a bachelor known for chasing women - he had many girlfriends but was very capable at his job.

    President Bao was 40 years old, responsible for the technical aspects of the business. He had a down-to-earth personality and rarely argued with others. He doted on his daughter and was good at taking care of people - a good husband.

    Mrs. Bao was 37 years old and used to be a theater actress. President Bao had been her fan and would always make time to watch her performances whenever possible. They married and had a child two years ago - their daughter was already 3 years old now.

    "I see, that''s very helpful context, thank you," said Jian Jing. She paused briefly in a seamless transition to her next question: "So which one was your extramarital lover?"

    Dai An: "?????"

    In the cramped lounge, hugging the flight attendant''s undoubtedly genuine silk pillow - the sheen was so gorgeous in the dim lighting - she started to question her life choices.

    Did I miss an episode or something?

    Did time just freeze for a second?

    Infidelity? Why suddenly ask about infidelity? Where was the clue leading to that? The wedding ring was still clearly on Mrs. Che''s hand!

    Or did the kid not resemble his dad? Dai An wracked her brains trying to remember the child''s face but could only recall he looked rather cubby.

    So why on earth make this usation?

    Little Gu... no, Teacher Jian offered no exnation.

    She just calmly said, "Please don''t misunderstand, I''m not prying into your privacy, just asking out of necessity for the investigation. Anything you say will be kept confidential."

    Mrs. Che''s first reaction was naturally to deny it. "Don''t talk nonsense."

    "I understand your reservations," said Jian Jing incisively yet gently. "Living with a husband who cares nothing for his family must be so difficult."

    Mrs. Che paused, the wariness in her eyes fading slightly, and she softened her tone. "Marriage and romance are two different things. I hope you won''t make rash judgments about our rtionship."

    "Infidelity is a serious usation. I wouldn''t say so without certainty," said Jian Jing, stopping for a beat before sighing, "Please allow me to help you recall: before takeoff in the VIP lounge, your child kept running around no matter how many times you told him to stop."

    Dai An remembered this happening but still didn''t see the connection to infidelity.

    "In your high heels you had trouble walking over, so you wanted your husband to go get your child under control, but he ignored you. You said, ''I can''t take any more of you,'' and left the lounge. Then he followed right after.

    "You came back first about a minuteter, having calmed down already. Mrs. Bao nced at you and called your child over herself, chatting with us. When President Bao came back, at that time there was a hair the same color as yours stuck to his shoulder. And before talking to his wife, he habitually brushed his shoulder, so I figured this probably wasn''t the first time."

    Dai An was shocked.

    Had something like that really happened? She''d just been watching Mrs. Bao and totally missed it.

    Meanwhile Mrs. Che''s expression had turned quite ugly. She was silent a moment before snapping sharply, "Since you saw everything already then why ask me?"

    "I believe you must have your difficulties," said Jian Jing. "You''re a well-bred woman who cares deeply for her child, always gracious even in chaos..."

    She solemnly sang Mrs. Che''s praises while slowly continuing, "You must have at least a basic loyalty toward your marriage to have reached this point before breaking. Mrs. Che, I don''t mean to pry into anyone''s privacy. I want to help you - your husband may have been murdered, which would make you the prime suspect."

    Dai An noticed Mrs. Che''s fingers twitch involuntarily at that. She was getting nervous now.

    "That would be troublesome for you and your child," said Jian Jing,ying out the practical facts for her in a spirit of candor. "Let''s resolve this case here and now, for everyone''s benefit. What do you think?"

    Mrs. Che''s attitude thoroughly softened. Covering her face, she said mournfully, "It was a mistake I couldn''t stop myself from making."

    "I''m sure you weren''t solely to me," Jian Jing consoled her.

    The floodgates now open, Mrs. Che''s emotions came pouring out, beyond her power to restrain them. "He was always cheating! Ten years of marriage and at least five of those he cheated! What does he take me for?" She gave an aggrievedugh. "At first I only wanted revenge, but... I couldn''t end it. Maybe it''s hard for you to understand..."

    Jian Jing said gently, "Perhaps I can understand - people need love, need to feel cherished and appreciated. A cheating spouse destroys all that, so you seek it out elsewhere instead."

    Mrs. Chepletely rxed now, nodding. "Yes, sometimes the life you expect is just your own wishful thinking."

    Jian Jing asked, "Why President Bao?"

    Mrs. Che gave a wan smile. "He originally pursued me too. I suppose you only want what you can''t have."

    Dai An pressed her lips together, thinking that Mrs. Che''s husband cheated so she cheated back - fair enough. But by cheating with a married man, his poor meless wife suffered too!

    Perhaps unpracticed at interrogations still, her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Mrs. Che saw right through her.

    "Are you judging his wife?" she said coolly. "I''m only repaying tit for tat."

    Dai An: My worldview is shattered.

    Jian Jing was interested and asked, "What kind of person is Mrs. Bao?"

    Mrs. Che pondered for a moment, then said, "I can''t say she is promiscuous, she doesn''t mess around, but...I don''t know if you can understand, she enjoys being surrounded and admired, the more admirers beneath her skirt, the more it proves her charm."

    Jian Jing said, "Men are fascinated by her, she likes the way men are fascinated by her, but doesn''t love them, and won''t be obtained by them either."

    "You said it perfectly," Mrs. Che smiled.

    Jian Jing asked, "What you just said about reciprocity, could it be that in the past..."

    "She seduced my husband, but was unsessful," Mrs. Che said. "I pretended not to know, and was quite happy at the time - you have to admit, she is a charming woman. It was onlyter that I realized, it wasn''t that he was unaffected, but that he was too cunning.

    She adjusted her sitting posture, her raised neck was like a beautiful yet cold ck swan, "He was afraid of being ruined by that woman, it''s as simple as that."

    Jian Jing slowly nodded, then asked, "Final question, who do you think would be most likely to have killed your husband, or to benefit from his death?"

    Thedy was straightforward, "In terms of inheritance, of course it would be me."

    "Anyone else?"

    She was silent for a while, then singled out the first suspect, "Old Meng. He and my husband had disagreements, they had argued a few times. With my husband dead, he could take over thepany."

    "Are you familiar with thepany''s business?"

    Mrs. Che shook her head, "I''m not interested in that stuff."

    "Madam, thank you for your trust," Jian Jing ended the questioning.

    As soon as she left, Dai An couldn''t wait to say, "I don''t think it was her."

    Jian Jing asked, "Why?"

    "Having an affair was already revenge against her husband, thereˇŻs no need to kill him too," Dai An gave her opinion. "And she''s a good mother, her child is still very young, I don''t think she could bear her child not having a father.ˇ±

    "That makes a lot of sense,ˇ± Jian Jing agreed. ˇ°But the probability of spouses murdering each other is very high, we still can''t draw conclusions yet. Let''s ask others."

    Dai An asked, "Ask who?"

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment, then said smilingly, "Mrs. Bao."

    She soon arrived.

    Facing this beautiful woman once again, Dai An was still captivated by her charm. She couldnˇŻt help wondering if Mrs. Bao was well aware of her own beauty, and didnˇŻt stint on unleashing such beauty.

    "You were looking for me?" Mrs. Bao''s manner was like a cat just awoken from sleep, not as graceful and proper as Mrs. CheˇŻs, with a casual charm that revealed allure.

    Jian Jing cut straight to the chase, "Mr. Che has died, who do you think killed him?"

    The author has something to say: Anticipating a stroke of luck and a shock

    What a wondrous encounter

    Transcending over the mountain peaks ahead andyers of white clouds

 Chapter 281

    Chapter 281

    Faced with the sudden question, Mrs. Bao answered calmly, "I don''t know. In fact, I don''t think anyone wanted to kill him."

    She asked back, "Didn''t he have a heart attack or stroke?"

    "No, I can clearly tell you he was murdered," Jian Jing said inly, "In your opinion, did Mr. Che not have any enemies?"

    Mrs. Bao shrugged gracefully, "I don''t know what kind of enemies would want to kill him. Maybe none, maybe many."

    "Let me ask another way, who would benefit from his death?"

    Mrs. Bao smiled, "My husband and Meng Yu."

    Dai An asked, "Why not Mrs. Che?"

    "Hui Ying? I don''t feel like she is the murdering type. She is very tolerant," said Mrs. Bao. As she spoke, she actually took two candies out of her loose dress and unwrapped them, popping them in her mouth like a little girl, squinting, "She is a good woman, faithful and loyal, always maintaining propriety..."

    Jian Jing interjected, "Perhaps ''faithful'' is not an urate assessment."

    "Oh, you mean her affair with my husband," Mrs. Bao smiled slightly, revealing an odd perceptiveness, "She wanted to get back at me, get back at her husband. To be honest, that surprises me a bit."

    Dai An couldn''t help asking, "Aren''t you angry?"

    "Of course, she was sleeping with my husband," said Mrs. Bao, sucking on the candy nonchntly. "But that has nothing to do with murder. I would either kill my husband or kill her. I certainly wouldn''t go back and kill her husband."

    "I heard Mr. Che had a different attitude towards you than other men," Jian Jing delicately implied.

    Mrs. Bao said, "That''s what Hui Ying said, right? She really holds a grudge. But her husband isn''t exactly a paragon of loyalty himself."

    "Why is that?"

    "He likes women who are easy to control, like Hui Ying. She''s also quite clever, but he could deal with her through marriage. But when faced with someone he can''t handle..." Mrs. Bao tossed her hair, a hint of pride appearing between her brows, clearly pleased with her own allure.

    Yet her assessment of the man was quite caustic: "He gets scared, thinks not about conquering but retreating, pretending like nothing ever happened - oh, he is a gentleman who has never wavered one bit."

    She looked at the two young girls and offered a life lesson: "Men are usually selfish and stupid. They only get interesting when they fall in love."

    Jian Jing said, "But you like being surrounded by them in that state."

    "Why not?" Mrs. Bao asked back. "Isn''t it fun watching them make fools of themselves?"

    "So you don''t harbor any resentment towards Mr. Che?" Jian Jing returned to the main point.

    Mrs. Bao said, "Sacrificing your whole life for one man is like giving up an entire forest for the sake of a single tree. Maybe I''m not smart enough, but I never do anything stupid."

    Jian Jing smiled. "Thank you for cooperating. I''m finished with my questions."

    The beautiful silhouette clip-clopped down the stairs, drifting away like a white crane.

    Dai An couldn''t wait to ask, "Teacher Jian, can we believe what she said?"

    "Perhaps," Jian Jing was also uncertain.

    Dai An hesitated, "She...she doesn''t seem like the murdering type either."

    "Mrs. Bao differs somewhat from what I imagined," said Jian Jing, propping up a pillow against the wall. Her slippers spun like circus acrobats on her toes. "I thought she was an impulsive woman who, once provoked, wouldn''t care aboutw or morals, and would definitely want the other party to suffer. But judging by her tone, that doesn''t seem to be the case."

    "I thought she disliked Mrs. Che," Dai An scratched her head in confusion with a pen. "But she defended her. How strange. They should be love rivals, right?"

    "Human nature is inherentlyplicated," said Jian Jing, not bothering to define anyone, only focusing on key points. "I haven''t found any apparent motives from her for now - strange."

    Dai An immediately asked, "What''s strange?"

    Jian Jing said, "There are two distinctive traits about this case. First, poison was used. Second, the murder was carried out in an airne, a closed environment. Dai An, the criminal''s methods are their most direct expression, and can reveal many clues."

    Dai An pondered, "Does using poison mean the killer didn''t have the strength to physically kill someone?"

    "That''s a very important factor, which is why women were my initial suspects," Jian Jing nodded, analyzing in detail. "Mrs. Che was extremely familiar with the physical condition of the deceased. Moreover, her husband had been cheating for quite a few years. If she wanted to kill her husband, she could have easily used a more covert method over time, like chronic poisoning. Unless there was some extremely urgent reason she had to kill him as quickly as possible, but so far we haven''t discovered anything indicating that.

    "Then there''s Mrs. Bao. It''s possible she wanted to kill the deceased for some reason. Would she choose poison? Very likely - love and poison are often spoken of together in literature at least. But was an airne a suitable choice?"

    She sighed, murmuring to herself, "What''s most bothering me is this question - why here?"

    Of course Dai An could not answer.

    Fortunately Jian Jing did not need a "Watson" to reply. She said, "Alright, let''s hear the gentlemen''s perspectives."

    She blinked mischievously, smiling, "I dare bet the story lookspletely different through men''s eyes."

    And she was right.

    The first man to appear was President Bao.

    In his forties, he had a thin figure. His hair was shaved short, slightly greying at the temples, making him look older than his actual age, yet he seemed rather silent and reliable.

    "Please sit," Jian Jing made an inviting gesture, suddenly sighing, "This is all so awful, isn''t it?"

    Dai An nced over in surprise. The demeanor of the little princess waspletely different from when she had questioned the twodies earlier. No longer cool and sharp, she had be sentimental and gentle instead.

    President Bao seemed to fall for this act. He gave a wry smile. "Who isn''t saying that?" He paused, then asked, "The flight attendant was unclear. Did he die suddenly or was it..."

    "So far, murder cannot be ruled out," said Jian Jing, gazing into his eyes. "Do you know if the deceased had any conflicts with anyone?"

    President Bao hesitated. "Conflicts? Do you mean arguments or what?"

    "Arguments, disputes, disagreements with family, rtives, friends, employees..." Jian Jing prompted.

    President Bao said, "If I must say, he and Old Meng argued a few times recently, but that''s normal. It involved the future development of ourpany, and they had different ideas - that can''t be reason enough to kill someone."

    "You say normal? Did they fight a lot?" Jian Jing deliberately asked.

    President Bao waved his hand. "They shed because they disagreed over thepany''s ns. Neither could convince the other. It''s not that they were hostile towards each other. Of course, Mr. Che did have a stubborn temper. I''ve told him many times."

    Jian Jing asked with interest, "Oh? What did you say?"

    "Ah." President Bao rubbed his face and said, "Just that he refuses to take a loss. Actually, many things could be let go, don''t scrutinize too much - everyone has it hard. But Mr. Che would neverpromise. He had to cling to whatever was right, upromising."

    Jian Jing expressed an appropriate amount of surprise. "What things? Could you give some specifics?"

    President Bao hesitated, then vaguely said, "To put it this way, there was an employee who wasn''t too professional, and had some connections with ourpetitors. In my opinion, we could have just dismissed him. Mr. Che refused - said this man must be driven out of the industry."

    "What happened then?"

    "That man came and kicked up a row at ourpany several times. We had no choice but to call the police. He was detained for several days."

    Jian Jing pondered, then asked, "After arguing with Mr. Meng, how were things usually resolved with Mr. Che?"

    "We talked it out," said President Bao. "After all, we went way back. Everyone backs down a step, and it gets settled."

    Jian Jing asked, "So you don''t think it could escte to murder?"

    "You''re thinking too much," he replied.

    She nodded, then suddenly switched topics. "I heard the deceased had improper personal conduct. Were there still emotional entanglements?"

    "Er," President Bao said awkwardly. "Yes, he had a few...intimately connected women."

    Jian Jing said, "Like the woman sitting behind you on the ne?"

    President Bao grew even more ufortable. "Possibly."

    "You''ve seen them together before, right?" Jian Jing''s tone was mild. She did not aggressively push, but her attitude was firm, not allowing him any room to evade.

    President Bao could only nod.

    "Did they have disputes?"

    "I''m not clear. I don''t usually pay attention to things like that."

    Dai An couldn''t help cutting in, "Then what about his wife? What was his rtionship with his wife like?"

    President Bao weighed his words carefully: ˇ°Like most married couples, we had our differences as well as our support.ˇ±

    ˇ°Do you think,ˇ± Jian Jing asked bluntly, ˇ°the deceased knew about your rtionship with his wife?ˇ±

    President Bao reacted as if he''d been hit over the head with a stick, looking flustered and panicked: ˇ°What?! DonˇŻt talk nonsense!ˇ±

    ˇ°Mrs. Che has already admitted it,ˇ± Jian Jing reined in her smile, being fair and concise. ˇ°Investigating a case is not a moral trial. IˇŻve seen many extramarital affairs. You just need to answer my questionsˇŞdid the deceased know about your rtionship with his wife?ˇ±

    President Bao licked his lips, asionally covering his face. After a while, he said: ˇ°I believe he did not know.ˇ±

    ˇ°Why?ˇ±

    ˇ°He trusted Hui Ying too much. He also paid too little attention to her. She always handled everything well. He felt she was a perfect wife, so he took her for granted and inevitably overlooked her.ˇ±

    President Bao tried to defend himself: ˇ°Once Little Bao was hospitalized, Hui Ying stayed by his side alone at the hospital. She called Old Che toe over, but he said he had a very important meetingˇŞˇ®Hui Ying will take good care of the child,ˇŻ he told me, then he went on a business trip. I was worried, so I went to the hospital and happened to see her crying.ˇ±

    He was angry on her behalf and felt she was wronged: ˇ°Hui Ying is very capable. When a man marries her, he doesnˇŻt need to worry about household matters at all. But being capable and bearing responsibilities alone are two different things. I really just...I only pitied her, I don''t know how she became what she is now.ˇ±

    From hisst words, Dai An could hear a tinge of distress.

    Old mes die hard.

    "Does your wife know?" Jian Jing asked again.

    "Li Ying..." President Bao was silent for a while, speaking with difficulty, "I don''t know, she probably doesn''t."

    "Why?"

    "She''s a simple woman. Maybe she never imagined I would betray her," President Bao said bitterly. "She never overthinks. She thought I was just being nice and felt sorry for Hui Ying too."

    Dai An: "???"

    If I hadn''t just asked your wife, I might have believed you.

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you love your wife?"

    "Of course, I was once infatuated with her," he seemed to have forgotten that the person in front of him was a young girl. His gaze fell to the ground, "But love and marriage are two different things. Li Ying is like an eternal child, acting on impulse. I thought having a child would make her grow up a lot, but she didn''t change at all, not like a mother at all."

    Hearing this, Dai An couldnˇŻt help but nce over the passenger list again.

    ThatˇŻs right, the Bao family brought their own nanny, but the Che family did not.

    "When the child cries, she doesnˇŻt know how to coax him. When he has a fever, she also doesnˇŻt worry. Just giving him some medicine is good enough for her. Other people''s children have long begun looking for early education sses, but she hasnˇŻt even thought about it..."

    As President Bao spoke, he suddenly fell silent.

    Dai An was full of skepticism in her belly, but held back from speaking. In contrast, Jian Jing was long ustomed to this and asked, "So you don''t think the deceased''s death is rted to emotional disputes?"

    This sentence brought President Bao back to reality.

    He said, "I don''t think so."

    "Thank you for your cooperation."

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282

    ˇ°Men have their eyes on the pot while eating from the bowl.ˇ± As soon as the man left, Dai An couldn''t help butin.

    Jian Jing smiled and said, "That''s not the point. I have a little experience that when men evaluate women, they usually have a strange filter. Men assessing men would be more urate."

    Dai An immediately asked, "Are you referring to President Che?"

    "The deceased was unwilling to suffer losses, which could lead to many murder motives," Jian Jing concluded, "Let''s move on to ask the next person."

    She stuck her head out and asked the flight attendant to call someone over.

    President Meng came over.

    He was thirty-nine years old with the best figure and appearance among the three men. But as soon as he entered, he frowned at the environment and nced at Jian Jing in a critical manner.

    In a sh, the impatient expression disappeared. He smiled and asked, "What do you want to ask?"

    Jian Jing pretended she hadn''t heard anything beforehand, "What was your rtionship with Mr. Che? Were you familiar with each other usually?"

    President Meng was very cooperative, "Quite well, we were partners after all and knew each other pretty well, but if you ask whether I know who wanted to kill him, then I don''t know."

    "What was your rtionship with him like?" Jian Jing''s tone became casual as if chatting.

    President Meng pondered for a while and said, "To be honest, he was not bad as a partner, full of energy and ambition with guts, but as a friend, I didn''t really like this kind of person."

    "I heard you recently had some conflicts?"

    President Meng: "Yes, we argued over whether to take thepany public. You can''t think I killed him, right?"

    "Just routine questioning," Jian Jing smiled slightly.

    "I didn''t kill him. What good would killing him do? His shares wouldn''t havee to me anyway," President Meng retorted, "In my opinion, it must have been some woman who did it."

    Jian Jing curiously asked, "For example, Mrs. Che?"

    "Women can be hysterical emotionally and impulsivelymit murder, that''s not surprising," President Meng ridiculed as he analyzed it clearly, "Men are different. A death like his isn''t something a man would do."

    What a stupid prejudice! Dai An almost cursed out loud but managed to restrain herself. She turned to look at the little princess.

    But Jian Jing didn''t seem provoked at all. On the contrary, she looked at him with great interest, just like a cat eyeing a little bird quietly getting ready to hunt.

    "Then how would a manmit murder?" she asked.

    President Meng waspletely unaware and evenughed, "Run them over with a car, stab them with a knife, smash them with fists."

    Dai An rolled her eyes and interjected, "Sorry, but how do you know he was murdered?"

    "I''m not stupid," President Meng chuckled, "Although no one said it, from the situation, it definitely wasn''t a heart attack that killed him."

    "For a woman, who do you think did it? Mrs. Che, Mrs. Bao, or someone else?" Jian Jing asked.

    President Meng grinned shrewdly, "I would need evidence to say. I have no proof so I canˇŻt randomly use anyone."

    Jian Jing blinked, "Not even guessing?"

    President Meng admired her beauty openly and spoke nicely, "From my experience, the one who wants a man dead the most is always his wife."

    "I''m very curious how you would assess Mrs. Bao," she said.

    President Meng immediately obliged and candidly criticized, "An especially promiscuous woman. I dare say she survives solely relying on men. Old Bao couldnˇŻt resist a woman like her but had no choice since she had him under her spell and insisted on marrying her. Tsk.ˇ±

    Dai An turned her face, unwilling to look at him.

    Jian Jing asked instead, "Have you seen thedy sitting a bit behind you guys?"

    President Meng recalled briefly, "Maybe. Oh, sheˇŻs probably one of his girlfriends, who knows."

    Jian Jing nodded and ended the conversation, "Thank you for your cooperation."

    "You''re wee. Here''s my business card," he familiarly left his contact information andughed, "No other intentions, just making friends. Feel free to call anytime if you want to reach me."

    Jian Jing smiled, "I still need to ask you guys some questionster. Thanks."

    President Meng nced down at her fully before leaving, feasting his eyes.

    Dai An scoffed, "Lecher."

    "Everything has its pros and cons. The mouths of men like him are usually loose," Jian Jing stretchedzily and asked the flight attendant for a bottle of ice Coke. She gulped down a few big mouthfuls before letting out a satisfied burp.

    "Alright, there''s onest person left."

    She called over the female model for a second round of questioning.

    The model sounded impatient, "What do you want to ask again?"

    "I know you were the deceased''s mistress," Jian Jing got straight to the point, "You concealed your identity and tailed the deceased onto the ne. What was your purpose?"

    The model''s eyes widened in surprise as she sneered coldly, "Me? Tailing him? What nonsense."

    "Or did the deceased buy you the ticket so you could openly andwfully apany him on a tryst?"

    The model turned up her lips, "Why should I tell you?"

    Perhaps the high air pressure wasn''t right. Dai An suddenly became irritable and quickly took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

    "If the deceased was with youst night, you would be the prime suspect," Jian Jing slowly said, smiling, "By then you would gain nothing and be in significant trouble."

    "He died on the ne. What does that have to do with me? I was so far from him!" The model made a strong argument. "You should go ask his wife since she was right beside him!"

    Jian Jing stated, "Did you use the bathroom today?"

    The model challenged, "So what if I did?"

    "Leaving your seat makes you a murder suspect," Jian Jing reasoned objectively. "If I were you, I would fully cooperate with the investigation, or else the little wife facing the big wife usually ends up at a disadvantage. Right?"

    "What can she do to me?" The model mumbled but her attitude became slightly more cooperative. "It has nothing to do with me. How could killing him benefit me? It would be a huge loss."

    Jian Jing asked, "How long have you two been together?"

    The model held out her hand absent-mindedly fiddling with her own glittery manicured nails, "About three months."

    "Did he treat you well?"

    "So-so," the deceased couldn''t refuse criticizing him. "A monthly allowance of 100k for shopping, I could swipe his card for buying bags and clothes. Che only lent me the car at first and was reluctant to transfer ownership until after grinding it for a month. Stingy."

    Dai An: That''s already a lot. My sry is only 18k.

    "Right?" The model seemed to find a confidant and suddenly became spirited, "He originally said to bring me to Dubai this month but suddenly changed his mind, saying he was going on vacation with his family. What about me then? I already told my girlfriends and it would be really embarrassing if I couldn''t go now!"

    Dai An: "..."

    Jian Jing came to understand many doubts andughed, "So that was why you insisted on tagging along?"

    "He said as long as I behaved, I could freely swipe the card." The model held resentment. "The card only had 1 million in it. Pfft, how many bags can that buy? Fortunately it was more than usual so I reluctantly agreed."

    Dai An: With that money, I could immediately put down the down payment for a house... No no, can''t be so corrupt.

    She secretly warned herself not to fall into the pit.

    "So you were togetherst night?"

    The model replied, "What''s weird about that?"

    "Tell me what you guys did today."

    The model grudgingly recalled, "Nothing much. He got up early in the morning and told me to pack up. Heined I didn''t know how and called his wife, saying bring this and that. Then he said to me--don''t you think he''s sick? He felt his wife was better so why bother getting a mistress out here?"

    Jian Jing was amused by her and yed along, "Right, why indeed."

    "After 9, he left. I started packing my own things, had a meal, then went to the airport." The model drily ounted, "Then there was security check and stuff, as you know."

    Jian Jing nodded, "When he left you this morning, did he show any physical difort?"

    The model curled her lips, "He drank too muchst night and got blown by the cold wind. He said he had a headache in the morning. I took his temperature, it was just below 38 degrees Celsius, so he had a fever."

    Then she suddenly became alert, "It was his own fault for catching cold. I didn''t poison him."

    "I didn''t say that," Jian Jing replied. "After boarding the ne, how many times did you leave your seat?"

    "Two, three times. Going to the bathroom, apply face masks, things like that."

    "Before or after the meal?"

    "I went to rinse my mouth after eating, then fell asleep when I came back."

    "Did you talk to the deceased then?"

    "No, he''s not feeling well, why would I touch a sore spot?"

    Jian Jing nodded: "You can go back now."

    The female model walked away in her ill-fitting high heels, clip-clopping as she went.

    Dai An asked: "Who should we speak to next?"

    Jian Jing smiled mysteriously: "Next, I have a task I want to assign to you."

    Dai An''s eyes widened: "What task?"

    "We still have a few people we haven''t asked - the Ba family''s housekeeper, the victim''s secretary, and their interpreter." Jian Jing said, "I hope you can talk to them and find out the victim''s actions in thest 12 hours."

    "By myself?" Dai An was surprised.

    "Too many people would arouse suspicion. Just chat casually with them, like gossiping in the break room." Jian Jing said, "If convenient, remember to ask their opinion of each person involved."

    Dai An took a deep breath. She didn''t feel very confident, but was also incredibly excited. It reminded her of her first day on the job: "Okay, I''ll try."

    "I believe you can handle it." Jian Jing patted her shoulder. "You''re Director Kang''s most capable assistant."

    Dai An: "..." So it was belief in her boss''s judgement.

    That''s annoying.

    But she walked away full of motivation.

    Jian Jing finished the remaining c and returned to the scene.

    When the body was discovered, she had already conducted an initial investigation of the crime scene. Since the victim had no one on either side, and the seats in first ss had ample room, the scene was rtively well preserved.

    The victim was covered with a nket and eye mask, slumped sideways on the headrest apparently asleep. He wore the disposable slippers provided by the ne. The small side table was opened up, with a cup of warm milk on it which had been partially drunk, some undissolved powder visible on the insides of the cup.

    What is known so far: 1) The victim died of cyanide poisoning; 2) Poison was ced in the milk, with a faint bitter almond smell; 3) The victim appeared to have been sleeping with his head covered the whole time - if not for Dai An bumping into him, it would have been difficult for others to notice anything wrong.

    But the victim''s seat was in the first row, next to the bathroom. On the way to or from the bathroom, or while waiting for bathroom upants, cing poison in the warm milk would have been easy for anyone who left their seat.

    In other words, anyone who left their seat could have done it.

    Additionally, the flight had been scheduled to depart at 3:05pm, but was dyed by 50 minutes due to weather, taking off at 3:53pm instead.

    The flight attendant saw the victim go to the bathroom at 6:40pm. Dinner service started at 7pm and the victim was seated first, with the flight attendant confirming he was still alive then.

    Dai An discovered the body around 8:50pm. Rigor mortis had begun setting in, indicating the victim had been dead for over an hour.

    That means the death urred sometime between 7-7:50pm.

    In terms of rtionships - the victim had cheated multiple times, supporting a female model financially. His wife was resentful. Mrs. Bao was also having an affair with the victim. President Meng and the victim had conflict at work.

    Is the killer among these people?

    Who killed him?

    Author''s note: Hello everyone, happy Dragon Boat Festival!

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283

    Dai An sessfullypleted her mission and couldn''t wait to find Jian Jing to report.

    The little princess was about to have dessert.

    There were more than one meal served on the long international flight.

    The flight attendants thanked her for stepping up. The quantity of the meal exceeded the original allowance, with lovely cakes, steaming hot coffee, and all kinds of vored nut ice cream.

    The two chatted while eating and discussed the case.

    Dai An opened her notebook and reported concisely as if at a bigpany meeting: "I''ve already asked the deceased''s secretary, interpreter, nanny, and obtained the following information..."

    Jian Jing choked and quickly said, "Rx, no need to read the report." She alsoined about Kang Mu Cheng, "I''m not like President Kang, I don''t like omitting information."

    Kang Mu Cheng next to her heard it and nced over: "What?"

    "Nothing." She turned her head, "Speak slowly, eat a cookie first."

    After Dai An ate a chocte cookie and drank some fruit juice, her thoughts became clearer: "First I chatted with the secretary for a while. At the beginning she was unwilling to say much and chatted randomly with me. Later she was willing to blurt out a few words of truth."

    As a secretary, you definitely have to keep your mouth shut and reveal your boss''s affairs everywhere - do you still want to get by? But on the other hand, there is a wall between bosses and employees. Among employees there is an even greatermon discourse.

    Comining about overtime,ining about bosses,ining about bosses'' mistresses... Immediately be able to resonate.

    Dai An talked about her taking long flights and still having to do readingprehension. She slowly lowered the other party''s defenses. Then she pretended to reveal secrets and said things were very troublesome. ItˇŻd be best to solve the case as soon as possible to avoid everyone getting into trouble together.

    After tricking for a while, she finally got to the point.

    ording to the secretary,st night President Che attended a wine party, seemingly wanting to bring in new investments to dilute President Meng''s shares in thepany to weaken his right to speak.

    This morning at 10 o''clock, President Che went to thepany for a meeting. He had a bit of a cold and specifically asked the secretary to buy medicine for him. After lunch, he took cold medicine and the symptoms seemed to have alleviated a lot.

    But while waiting at the airport lounge, the air conditioning was blowing hard. His cold symptoms worsened again. Afraid of transmitting it to the child, he specifically changed seats.

    Jian Jing made a pause gesture: "The deceased went to thepany today too?"

    "Yes." Due to her profession, Dai An was very keen about scheduling arrangements and said, "He went to thepany at 10am, and even chaired the regr meeting as usual. At 12 noon he had lunch, and left for the airport at 1:30pm."

    Jian Jing said, "President Meng and President Bao went to the meeting too?"

    "Yes, but I heard that when President Meng learned about President Che''s social activityst night, he was very unhappy. He left halfway through the meeting, causing an ugly scene. The people below were worried that the two shareholders would split up. "

    "Then what?"

    "The deceased went straight to the airport to meet his family. President Bao picked up his wife and daughter first and arrived a littleter than him. President Meng left thepany and came here directly."

    Dai An looked at her notes and reported the times urately: "President Meng arrived at the airport around 1:30pm. Che''s wife and children around 1:45pm. The time of the deceased was most urate, 2:05 pm. President Bao and his family were thetest, arriving at 2:15 pm."

    Jian Jing couldnˇŻt help but praise: ˇ°You secretaries are so capable.ˇ±

    Dai An smiled humbly: ˇ°Just part of the job. There are chat records on WeChat too so thereˇŻs no particr need to remember.ˇ±

    ˇ°This is very important.ˇ± Jian Jing nodded, then asked, ˇ°What about the nanny and interpreter?ˇ±

    Dai An said: ˇ°The nanny said a lot of gossip about Mrs. Bao.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was very interested: ˇ°What did she say?ˇ±

    ˇ°She said Mrs. Bao was a vixen who only knew how to flirt with men all day long and rarely took care of the children. She had never seen such a mother.ˇ± Dai An lowered her voice, ˇ°She also said that President Bao had probably cheated.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°How did she know?ˇ±

    ˇ°I asked the same.ˇ± Dai An said, ˇ°The nanny said that after giving birth, President Bao was a little dissatisfied with his wife, cold and hot, but in thest six months he had be particrly affectionate again.ˇ±

    She counted with her fingers: ˇ°Mrs. Bao had her eye on an dress that was already sold out domestically. While on a business trip, President Bao ran to several second-hand stores before finally finding it. Whatever Japanese rice balls she liked, I guess dango, on her birthday he chartered a ne to Japan to buy several boxes. And this afternoon, even though they could juste by themselves, President Bao went home specially to pick them up and took care of the child all the way withoutining about his wife anymore...ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Tsk.ˇ±

    ˇ°When a man suddenly bes attentive, he must be feeling guilty. What else could he feel guilty for? Cheating of course!ˇ± Dai An stated the nannyˇŻs conclusion, admiring as well, ˇ°No wonder Mrs. Bao knew.ˇ±

    Jian Jing was overjoyed and quickly ate two bites of cake to suppress it.

    ˇ°What about the interpreter?ˇ± She handed Dai An a sandwich to prompt the next part. ˇ°Did he say anything?ˇ±

    ˇ°He works for a travelpany and isnˇŻt familiar with the three families. But he arrived at the airport the earliest at 1pm.ˇ± Dai An said softly, ˇ°When I asked him, he hesitated a bit, seeming to know something but didnˇŻt dare say. After a long while he mumbled that he seemed to have overheard someone making a phone call.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°President Meng?ˇ±

    ˇ°Should be. He said it was around 1:30pm up or down.ˇ± Dai AnˇŻs expression gradually became solemn, ˇ°He said the tone of that person on the phone call was awful. What he said was also inappropriate - something like ˇ®dare to set me up, I must make him look goodˇŻ, ˇ®thinks heˇŻs a big shot but itˇŻs not like things canˇŻt run without himˇŻ and so on.ˇ±

    Jian Jing nodded: ˇ°That should be President Meng. Knowing the deceased''s actionsst night, he must have been very angry.ˇ±

    Dai An carefully asked: ˇ°This is very strange. If he was so angry, why did he still go to the airport? Unless he had to for some reasonˇŞbut theyˇŻre going on vacation!ˇ±

    ˇ°You make sense.ˇ± Jian Jing fell into contemtion.

    Dai An wanted to say something but hesitated: ˇ°Teacher Jian...ˇ±

    ˇ°Hmm?ˇ±

    ˇ°The milk was poured after 7pm. Why don''t you check who went to the bathroom after the meal?ˇ± Dai An was puzzled, ˇ°WouldnˇŻt that quickly narrow down the suspects?ˇ±

    But Jian Jing asked instead: ˇ°Have you seen Detective In The Cloud?ˇ±

    Dai An embarrassedly smiled: ˇ°IˇŻve only seen the show.ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs the same. The discovered murder method isnˇŻt necessarily the real murder method.ˇ± Jian Jing said. ˇ°ItˇŻs hard to determine the time of cyanide poisoning. In just 2-3 minutes it can cause death. 10-30 minutes also happens. Even longer it can be a few hours.ˇ±

    Dai An choked.

    ˇ°Unless the real weapon could be found, checking the timeline is meaningless.ˇ± Jian Jing sighed, ˇ°The current situation is that anyone could be the killer, whether they left their seat or not.ˇ±

    Dai An struggled hard to think of something: ˇ°Then what should we do?ˇ±

    Jian Jing put down her dessert spoon and leaned back, pondering: ˇ°If the cause of death was that ss of milk, everything would be simple. But that doesn''t exin why the poisoning happened on the ne.ˇ±

    An airne is a special enclosed environment, arguably more enclosed than a locked room on the ground.

    Poisoning someone on a ne immediately allows authorities to lock down the range of suspects and makes it inconvenient to destroy evidence. Even if forced to do so (for example, this was the only time to get close to the deceased), slower acting poison should have been chosen, to process evidence after getting off the ne.

    But if it wasnˇŻt the milk, why go to so much trouble?

    ˇ°Ah, looks like IˇŻll have to ask another round.ˇ± Jian Jing stretchedzily and got up to work, ˇ°LetˇŻs go Dai An. LetˇŻs ask them a few more questions. With some luck, the truth will be right before our eyes.ˇ±

    Dai An: Really? I donˇŻt believe it.

    She didnˇŻt see any dawn at all.

    But at any time and ce, going against the boss is never beneficial. She obediently followed to see just what the little princess was going to do.

    Jian Jing called the deceasedˇŻs entourage and three flight attendants to the cabin to start a public questioning.

    ˇ°You should all know that Che Maocai has died on the ne.ˇ± Jian Jing skipped meaningless pleasantries and cut straight to the point. ˇ°And I have reason to suspect the murderer is among you.ˇ±

    Mrs. Bao smiled gently: ˇ°Is that so? How surprising, just like a detective novel.ˇ±

    "You''re right, this murder case is so dramatic. The high altitude is an absolute closed room, no need to consider any external factors, the murderer has nowhere to escape," Jian Jing said. "Now what I can tell you is that the victim died of cyanide poisoning, so I need to know what the victim ate today."

    She made a gesture and pointed at the female model: "You go first. What did he eat when he got up in the morning?"

    Under public scrutiny, the female model instinctively shrank back, but soon justified herself arrogantly with her chest held high, "Nothing, drank a ss of water."

    "Okay, then he went to thepany." Jian Jing looked at the secretary, "What did he eat?"

    The secretary carefully recalled: "I bought coffee and sandwiches for President Che as usual, but he didn''t eat much. Then he asked me to buy cold medicine, uh, does water count?"

    "Yes, anything else?"

    The secretary racked her brains: "President Che would usually eat quit-smoking candy. I don''t know if he ate any today."

    President Bao said: "He did, I saw it when we were in the meeting."

    "After the meeting, did you guys eat lunch?"

    The secretary nodded: "Thepany ordered meals, and several bosses ate together, but President Che seemed to have poor appetite and didn''t eat much. In the afternoon, I made him a cup of tea."

    Jian Jing looked at President Bao: "You were also in thepany. Do you remember what else he ate?"

    President Bao frowned and thought hard for a while, then shook his head: "I didn''t notice."

    "Then what about after arriving at the airport?" Jian Jing turned to Mrs. Che.

    As an omnipotent wife, Mrs. Che actually remembered it clearly: "Half a bowl of noodles, a ss of water, but he felt ufortable after eating them and threw up everything. I said his gastrointestinal disease rpsed, and starving for a while would make him better. So he didn''t eat anything else."

    Jian Jing asked: "Does he like drinking milk?"

    Mrs. Che nodded and exined: "When he was a child and got sick, my mother-inw liked to give him warm milk to drink. So every time he had gastrointestinal difort, he liked to drink this, although it wasn''t very good for the stomach either."

    "I see." Jian Jing looked around, "Anything else to add?"

    No one answered.

    Jian Jing looked at President Meng: "Did you notice anything?"

    President Meng said: "We had a fight in thepany and didn''t even talk to each other afterwards."

    "Speaking of which," Jian Jing seemed to have just remembered, "since you quarreled with him, why did you still go on vacation together?"

    President Meng sneered: "Why should I cancel my own schedule just for him? He was ying tricks on me, not that I made a move on him. Being in the same ce but minding our own business would be just fine, right?"

    "I see. I thought you were going to expose some secret of his as a tight p on his face." Jian Jing smiled without probing further. Instead, she said, "Second question, what time did each of you leave your seat today?"

    She called their names: "Let''s start by seat order, Mrs Che?"

    Mrs. Che: "After getting on the ne, I went to the restroom once, then went to the galley to make milk, then took my kid to the toilet, after lunch, I touched up my make up, so four times total."

    President Meng: "Went to the toilet before dinner, that''s it."

    Jian Jing: "What time?"

    President Meng: "Don''t remember, anyway it was before they served dinner."

    President Bao: "I took my kid to the toilet when the ne just stabilized, and went again after waking up from a nap."

    Jian Jing: "Remember the time?"

    President Bao: "Around eight o''clock I think. The screen showed 11 more hours of flight."

    Mrs. Bao: "I went to the restroom when Mrs. Che was making milk. After lunch I put on a facial mask for about 15 minutes, then went to the restroom to wash it off."

    The victim''s secretary: "I went to the restroom before dinner."

    Trantor: "Went to the restroom after the ne stabilized, walked around at the back of the cabin after dinner."

    The Baos'' nanny was very nervous: "I left my seat many times. The child ran around and I had to follow her. Oh we went to the economy cabin side, and didn''te back until before dinner."

    The flight attendant testified: "We did see her with the child."

    Jian Jing nodded slowly with a smile: "Very well, thank you everyone for your cooperation. I already know who the murderer is now."

 Chapter 284

    Chapter 284

    Do you know? Who is it? Howe I don''t know?

    Dai An had three questions in his mind. If given aic filter, three question marks would definitely be floating above his head.

    The others had simr expressions.

    Mrs. Che hesitated and faltered, "You know who the murderer is? Who?"

    "Before announcing the answer, please allow me to exin one thing. This conclusion is purely based on reasoning without any substantive evidence," said Jian Jing. "After all, tens of thousands of meters in the air, there are no autopsy reports or ways to check luggage. I hope everyone understands."

    Mrs. Che nodded slightly, "We know that."

    "Then I''m relieved," Jian Jing thought for a moment and said slowly, "The breakthrough in the whole incident lies in that cup of poisoned milk. From the moment I saw it, I determined it was not the real cause of death."

    Dai An asked everyone''s doubt, "Why?"

    "There is security check when boarding the ne. Being able to sessfully carry drugs on the ne proves that the murderer must have made adequate preparations. In other words, he came fully prepared.

    "But poisoning the milk was an extremely casual move. The victim may not have wanted a drink, or someone may have taken it away after he drank it, or he may have picked up the cup, smelled something wrong with it, but did not drink it.

    "Adequate preparation and casual poisoning are twopletely conflicting patterns of behavior. Of course, a person''s personality has both rational and emotional sides, so it''s hard to rule out such an operation at first. But when I asked each of you carefully, I found that no one had such a personality that was both cautious and crazy."

    Face-to-face questioning, in addition to taking testimony and obtaining necessary information, is also a good opportunity for detectives to analyze personality.

    Mrs. Che was elegant and well-mannered. No matter what happened, she had to maintain a proper appearance on the surface. She had good self-control and was a very rational woman. If she poisoned someone, she would definitely choose an insidious, long-term, chronic toxin that corroded the victim little by little while keeping up appearances on the surface.

    Mrs. Bao was casual and romantic, keen on flirting and enjoying the admiration and infatuation of the opposite sex. If she poisoned someone, it would mostly be on a whim, taking and giving randomly. If some time had passed, she probably would have forgotten about it long ago.

    The female model was vain and superficial, obviously greedy for money andcking a motive to kill. Even if there was a dispute over money, she wouldn''t really do it. Because she didn''t love the deceased at all. If her sugar daddy died, she would curse his bad luck and find another one.

    Jian Jing first ruled out these three women.

    President Meng, President Bao and the secretary were actually all her suspects.

    There was no need to borate on the grievances and entanglements between the deceased and the first two. Contradictions between employees and bosses were also a possibility that could not be ignored for a motive for the secretary to kill.

    But then we have to talk about the next point.

    "I encountered twopletely opposite patterns. Which one is more objective and credible? Of course it''s the poison itself. In other words, the murderer must have carefully nned the whole process. So his behavior of poisoning the milk has another exnation," said Jian Jing.

    She announced the answer, "It was to confuse the time. But this answer puzzled me very much. Does the time of death have any special meaning? Our flight today was dyed by nearly an hour. If not for this ident, the time of death should be set earlier, 6 pm-6:50 pm before dinner time."

    "What''s the significance of that? To have the flight attendant discover the death as soon as possible? No," she raised the question and denied it herself. "The scope should be greater. In other words, the murderer wanted people to believe that the poisoning took ce on the ne."

    President Meng said, "But he was fine when he got on the ne."

    "XXXX has different incubation periods under different conditions, as fast as two to three minutes, but if it is food like cassava or bitter almond, it can be as long as 4-7 hours," said Jian Jing.

    The secretary couldn''t help but ask, "Does that mean everything he ate at thepany and in the lounge..."

    "Yes, so we need to eliminate some interference again," Jian Jing said to her. "Was the lunch apany-wide order? Did the deceased make any special requests?"

    The secretary quickly shook her head, "No, the lunch boxes were all the same. Am I right, President Bao?"

    President Bao nodded, "Different positions have different standards for ordering meals, but during meetings, everyone eats meals ordered from the same restaurant, with at most two to three different set meals."

    The secretary said, "That''s right. No one knew which lunch box Mr. Che would get."

    "Alright. Next is the noodles," Jian Jing said. "I also ate something in the boarding lounge. They brought it directly to me, so unless someone left it halfway through eating, there was no chance to poison it. But I don''t think he would eat again when he came back from the bathroom given the state of his stomach, right Mrs. Che?"

    Mrs. Che nodded, "After he went to the bathroom, I had it taken away."

    "This is a testimony that is easy to verify. I don''t think you have any reason to lie," said Jian Jing, looking at everyone. "Does everyone feel like there wasn''t much chance to make a move?"

    Dai An nodded very cooperatively.

    But Jian Jing said, "Mr. Bao, you said that every time the deceased quarreled with Mr. Meng, you mediated between them. At noon today, did you chat privately with him about this matter?"

    President Bao hesitated for a moment and nodded, "I persuaded him for a bit, but since I was in a hurry to go home and thought there would be plenty of opportunities to talk on vacation anyway, it wasn''t long."

    "Did he eat anything at that time?" Jian Jing stared into his eyes.

    President Bao''s eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

    "Just checking for any loopholes," Jian Jing said. "From the timeline, it is very likely that this happened. He ate very little at lunch. Maybe after his cold got better, he might have wanted to eat something."

    President Bao licked his lips and answered, "I''m not sure. After the meeting, I went around my department and when I got back to my office, he was already there. I have food in my office. Whether he ate anything or not, I don''t know."

    Jian Jing smiled, "I think he definitely ate something, something that you gave him. I can''t confirm exactly what it was. Maybe tapioca snacks or almond cookies. Of course now if I search your office, I probably won''t find anything. You disposed of it when you went home, right?"

    "Do you have any proof?" President Bao pursed his thin lips, his emaciated face looking terrifyingly serious. "You can''t make groundless usations."

    Jian Jing said, "Pay attention to everyone''s testimony. When she (pointing to the model) woke up in the morning, she said the deceased only had some symptoms of a cold and fever. The secretary also said that after taking cold medicine at noon, his symptoms had greatly reduced. But when he was in the boarding lounge, his symptoms suddenly worsened again and he had gastrointestinal difort, which made Mrs. Che think it was a side effect of drinking too much."

    Every time she mentioned a key point, she would look to the witnesses for confirmation, and they would involuntarily nod.

    "So it''s not difficult for us to conclude that the time he was poisoned was between lunch and arriving at the airport," said Jian Jing. "President Meng left after the meeting. Among those present, the only ones who could have poisoned him were you and the secretary."

    The secretary panicked, "It wasn''t me!"

    "Yes, I didn''t find a motive for you to kill," Jian Jing waved her hand and looked at President Bao. "But you, you had already told me your motive."

    The muscles in President Bao''s cheeks twitched as he refuted, "What reason would I have to kill him? I wasn''t the one arguing with him."

    Jian Jing smiled.

    "You said the deceased was stubborn and upromising. Even for a betraying employee, he would make trouble for him until he couldn''t stay in thepany anymore. What if the betrayer was his good friend?" She spoke slowly, "You know very well that you do have a big handle."

    President Bao''s face changed drastically as he immediately looked to Mrs. Bao. Mrs. Che''s lips quivered as she maintained her calm appearance through extraordinary willpower.

    Mrs. Bao had azy expression without any surprise.

    "You have a motive to kill, you have the time tomit the crime, and most importantly, you specifically pointed out to me the time you left your seat, confirming it was after 8 pm."

    Jian Jing sighed while sitting on the armrest, "Why did the murderer poison again? Of course it was to give himself an alibi, confirming that he kept a close eye on the deceased. Only after confirming his death did he poison again to mislead. And after dinner, with almost everyone sleeping in the cabin, it was most suitable to make a move."

    "You said I poisoned him, but where is the poison?" President Bao questioned.

    "Most likely the bathroom," said Jian Jing.

    "Can you prove it was me who threw it away?"

    "Finding evidence is the police''s job," Jian Jing said. "Thepany''s surveince cameras will capture you taking away the food. Checking your ount can reveal where you purchased it from. The autopsy report will tell us exactly what the victim died from eating."

    She looked up and said, "A friendly reminder - if the victim ingested poison in a dilute solution, the gastric mucosa will show hyperemia and diffuse swelling. But if they swallowed the poison as a solid or concentrated solution, there will berge areas of corrosion on the bottom of the stomach, with significant hyperemia, edema, and hemorrhage."

    "The autopsy report will spell it out clearly for you. Don''t harbor any false hopes," Jian Jing nced at her watch. "We''re almost to New York. Your time is running out. I advise you to turn yourself in, repent thoroughly, and receive a lighter punishment. After all, your daughter is so young."

    At the mention of his child, President Bao finally lost control and copsed into his seat in despair.

    Ding dong - the PA sounded and the flight attendants brought two children back to their seats to prepare fornding.

    "Daddy!" President Bao''s daughter, as delicate and lovely as finely carved jade, showed no awareness of what had happened. She ran over happily and hugged her father''s leg. "Daddy, hold me!"

    President Bao picked up his daughter. He looked up at Mrs. Bao.

    She didn''t say anything, just took the child from him contrary to her usual self and had her sit next to her.

    The impatient child squirmed around, her puffed cheeks looking like a little squirrel''s.

    Che''s Baby asked, "Mommy, why isn''t Daddy paying attention to me?"

    Mrs. Che hugged her son without answering.

    "Your daddy is sick," Mrs. Bao said. "Be good and don''t make things difficult for your mommy, okay?"

    Her charm worked on both young and old alike. Che''s Baby obediently murmured his assent and nestled against his mother''s shoulder.

    Mrs. Che came to her senses and handed President Bao''s daughter a toy. Distracted, the child immediately stopped trying to undo her seatbelt.

    The two women exchanged a nce, then deliberately looked away from each other.

    On the other side, President Bao clutched his hair with head buried between his knees, not lifting it for a long time.

    Dai An sighed repeatedly with sorrow, quietly returning to her seat.

    The others gradually dispersed to their ces.

    The flight attendant reminded everyone to fasten their seatbelts and put up their window shades.

    "Oh my," Jian Jing grumbled as she reclined her seat again. "I thought this would be one of the longest flights ever. I could''ve gotten an extra hour or two of sleep!"

    As he closed hisptop, Kong Mucheng said, "You can sleep at the hotel."

    The Little Princess yawned deeply. "I wonder if the hotel beds will befortable. Thest ce we stayed, the mattress was so soft it made my back ache for half a day afterwards."

    "Why didn''t you tell me?" her boss immediately frowned.

    Little Princess: "It was just one night. Let it go."

    "We won''t stay at that one next time."

    As always, Dai An listened silently to their conversation.

    In the past when she overheard such exchanges, she would definitely think to herself - the Little Princess is worthy of her title. Just look at how she''s treated! Tsk tsk.

    But today...she felt a little different somehow, although Dai An couldn''t put her finger on what exactly had changed.

    "Dai An," the Little Princess called her with a radiant smile. "How do you feel after today? Were you scared?"

    Dai An thought about it and answered honestly, "I was a little frightened in the beginning, but then I forgot about it." She was even feeling a tiny bit thrilled now.

    The Little Princess asked, "Do you want to be my assistant again next time?"

    Next time? Dai An decisively shook her head. "An unforgettable flight like this is enough for my whole lifetime."

    Jian Jingughed heartily.

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285

    As the nended, airport staff who had been waiting for a long time were getting ready to negotiate. Chairman Bao admitted his guilt.

    The person in charge said, "That''s great!"

    There was no need to go through customs. They could take him directly back to China.

    To avoid unnecessary trouble abroad, the procedures went very quickly. Jian Jing and the domestic police had an international long-distance call and she gave her statement over the videowork.

    A task panel that Dian An did not know about also quietly popped up with apletion message.

    [Task Name: The Murder Case on the Green ne (Completed)]

    [Content Description: A passenger suddenly died violently at the high altitude on an international flight. Withplicated rtionships and ethics, who killed him? Please find out the truth before the nends.]

    [Task Rewards and Penalties: 20 courage points for sess, no penalty for failure]

    At the beginning, Jian Jing thought "green" referred to the paint color of the ne. Later she realized it was real "green."

    Cough, after all the twists and turns, everyone was exhausted enough without the appetite for lunch. They went straight to the hotel to sleep.

    Perhaps because they had released energy in advance, Jian Jing slept very soundly until the bright lights came on outside.

    She called room service and ordered some dishes she was interested in, then hurried to take a hot bath. Feeling refreshed when she came out, dinner had arrived as well.

    Although Western food does not suit the Chinese stomach, champagne is still nice to drink.

    She sat in a rocking chair by the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, facing Central Park shrouded in the night view, and bowed her head to check her phone.

    As always, Jiang Baiyan messaged her at the fastest frequency to show up at the very top.

    [Have you arrived?]

    [The flight should havended, right?]

    [Did you go to sleep??]

    [Nice weather today to twist your waist and go for a walk]

    [See Chairman OrangeˇŻs bath photo]

    Jian Jing replied: [Just woke up]

    Jiang Baiyan: [Jetg reversed? Want to go out and y?]

    Jian Jing: [???]

    Jiang Baiyan sent over a location that was probably a few hundred meters away from her hotel.

    Jian Jing was surprised: [When did you get here?]

    Jiang Baiyan exined: [The Chairman has an apartment here that I think he bought for Jiang XueˇŻs future studies. I originally wanted to sell it but the view is so nice I feel a bit reluctant~~]

    Jian Jing deadpanned: [I hate rich second generations]

    Jiang Baiyan: [Come hang out]

    Jian Jing: [No!]

    Jiang Baiyan: [...]

    Jiang Baiyan: [Go for a walk?]

    Jiang Baiyan: [Never mind]

    Jian Jing: [??]

    He: [I think someone fired a gun downstairs...]

    Jian Jing opened the window. Soon, she also heard two sounds simr to firecrackers amidst the cover of night. So harmonious.

    She: [You''re right, not safe]

    Jiang Baiyan: [I rmend you watch xxx series with less than ten episodes total. You can finish binge watching it to reverse your jetg at night]

    Jian Jing: [Ok]

    She took out her iPad and started watching the drama, chatting with him about the plot every now and then. It was idle talk that somehowsted past midnight.

    Not until his replies slowed down did Jian Jing notice howte it was.

    Jiang Baiyan was always like this. Perhaps there would be prejudice against his profession upon first meeting, but he was really hard to dislike after getting along for a while.

    A little too much enthusiasm was like adding alcohol to a drink, tipsilyfortable.

    She: [Have to get up early tomorrow, good night]

    [Good night]

    See, he grasped the extent so well. Even though it was one-sided effort from him, it didn''t feel burdensome.

    Jian Jing turned off her phone and continued watching the drama. After finishing the first season, it was perfect timing to sleep in a little.

    The next day at 7 AM, she was refreshed and the jetg was mostly reversed.

    Jian Jing went to the dining room to eat breakfast. Sure enough Kang Mu Cheng was already awake, unsurprisingly eating sandwiches and hot coffee.

    "Aren''t you eating anything else?" she asked.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "No need, I''m used to it."

    The years he studied abroad in America, he mostly solved meals with sandwiches. Lady Kang Lei certainly didn''t pamper her son. There was no independent apartment or housekeeper at all.

    Kang Mu Cheng was clearly not someone keen on enjoying life. Why spend time cooking when you could read two more books instead.

    As soon as his stomach went abroad it automatically switched to student mode.

    Jian Jing clicked her tongue and decided to eat well this time.

    "Did you bring all your clothes and shoes? Need to buy anything?" Kang Mu Cheng asked.

    Jian Jing: "I brought everything."

    Kang Mu Cheng: ˇ°The award ceremony is tomorrow. ItˇŻs just like an evening g to get to know people in the circles here. You can also make some friends."

    Jian Jing was unenthused, vaguely agreeing: ˇ°So whatˇŻs the n for today?

    He said, "Meeting with the publishing house we cooperate with in the afternoon, and having dinner with their editor-in-chief in the evening. Nothing scheduled in the morning. I''ll apany you wherever you want."

    Jian Jing didn''t have any ns either but was excited: ˇ°Just take a look around!ˇ±

    "Sure." Kang Mu Cheng nodded.

    And so, without any creativity, they went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

    After satisfyingly spending a whole day there and burning calories, lunch was pizza, fries, and onion rings. While happily wolfing everything down, Jian Jing criticized how unhealthy it was: ˇ°Eating like this, calories must be over the limit."

    Kang Mu Cheng picked up a slice of pizza without responding ˇŞ no need to takeints like this seriously. She was just saying it for the sake of saying, if told to eat somewhere else instead she would be unhappy.

    Sure enough, Jian Jing said one thing but her actions didn''t slow down at all, even teasing him.

    ˇ°Look at others, just t-shirts and jeans. DonˇŻt you feel weird still wearing a suit here to eat?ˇ±

    In the hot June weather Kang Mu Cheng was still shirt, vest and trousers, solemnly out of ce and the sight itself made one feel hot for him.

    Kang Mu Cheng wiped his hands clean before looking up at her.

    Jian Jing: "?"

    He: "Sit properly, your skirt."

    Young girls could bare legs recklessly without fear of cold or sun exposure. Jian Jing was the same, relying on excellent bodily conditions to dress very willfully. At least dozens of ultrashort skirts in the closet.

    However, skirts may look nice but a slight wrong sitting angle could easily lead to overexposure.

    Jian Jing changed position very unwillingly, extremely unhappy.

    Why couldn''t the system give an "absolute no exposure card"? That would be meeting a real need!

    [System: Host can try drawing a card]

    For a moment Jian Jing felt tempted but held back.

    Courage points were hard earned and using them for such a trivial matter would be too wasteful. Forget it. If she met a hooligan, two punches would do.

    In the afternoon, Kang Mu Cheng brought the team to talk business and Jian Jing loitered on the streets with nothing to do.

    Got hit on 3 times, rejected them all.

    Got targeted by thieves 2 times, caught them red-handed on the spot.

    Exceedingly annoyed, she simply went into a movie theater and picked a film not yet released domestically, happily killing time until the evening.

    The next day was the AT Book Awards ceremony.

    Here the American literary awards must be introduced. Apart from the widely known Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, Hugo Award and other prizes, there was also the AT Book Award jointly held by major print media.

    Among the many prizes this was the most market-oriented one with sales volume instead of literary merit as the judging standard.

    For example on the list there was a book on storage, cooking and finance that wouldn''t even qualify for nomination in other awards, yet still held a spot at the AT Books.

    As a result the AT Book Award was controversial, with many people believing it was just a sales ranking and could not be issued as a literary award.

    But the power of money was immense, especially in a capital controlled country. For publishers, books that could sell well were the best books, awards be damned.

    Jian Jing''s "Demon Doctor" series won AT''s Best Foreign Language Novel Award which actually couldn''tpare to the Dream Pen Award her "Rose Gold" series received domestically.

    Yet Kang Mu Cheng believed this was a good start.

    The literary value of "Demon Doctor" actually wasn''t that strong either. Being able to use it to open up overseas markets and let English readers remember her name was already enough.

    So another purpose for her to receive the prize was to gain familiarity with American publishers and fight for more cooperation opportunities to introduce other books abroad as well.

    Jian Jing understood priorities and readily agreed.

    On the day of the ceremony, she used a facial mask, ate lighter food, squeezed herself into a nice little dress, and had hair and make up done by a stylist.

    Lastly she wore the diamond ne Kang Mu Cheng gifted her in the past. Done.

    The g dinner was set at the hotel. Floodlights lit up early outside, outlining the unique extravagance and luxury of a metropolis. The red carpet was alreadyid out at the entrance and luxury cars were lined up one after another like a long dragon. There were reporters working too, asionally taking photos here and there.

    It was just that they were too arrogant. For ordinary guests, they would just nce at them and be done with it. Taking photos? Don''t even think about it.

    But when Jian Jing got out of the car, one of them raised his arm, aimed the camera, and snapped several shots in a row.

    "Asian," hispanion said disinterestedly. "What''s there to take pictures of?"

    "She won an award. There should at least be a photo." The reporter looked at the small screen and suddenly became excited. "Hey, this chick is pretty good-looking."

    A beauty is an eternal topic for men. Hispanion was fluent in words, but his eyes honestly looked over.

    The Asian girl in a ck cocktail dress, arm in arm with her malepanion, walked towards them. Her figure was smaller than Western girls by a circle, but not weak or delicate, with a natural aura.

    The two men, one in his early twenties and the other in his forties, somehow looked at her in unison.

    It wasn''t until her back disappeared that the older one said, "I actually remembered her face."

    "She''s very special," the young one nodded in agreement, trying to recall, "I remember, uh, her name is Jian."

    It was a simple and easy to remember name. Both reporters remembered it and naturally pictured her appearance when writing the news, and couldn''t help but add a few more strokes - "Miss Jian is very young, said to still be a student. Just by her looks, it''s hard to imagine that she is actually the author of ''Demon Doctor.'' In the interview, her speech and temperament left a very deep impression on this reporter..."

    The two reporters'' inner changes were of course unknown to Jian Jing.

    Her first words upon entering were toin to Kang Mu Cheng: "It reeks of capitalist decay."

    Look at this environment.

    The crystal chandelier shone brightly, the marble was as reflective as a mirror, the scent of expensive perfume lingered in the air. Men and women alike wore suits and gowns, either thetest seasonal pieces or limited editions that money couldn''t buy.

    "Hey Judy, long time no see," the mboyantly gay editor-in-chief greeted people with winks. "Oh, James, you look so charming today."

    The short-haired fashion editor, dressed entirely in masculine attire, was chatting with a famous book merchant, a ss of red wine in hand, an inscrutable smile: "Yes, my dear, I believe in your sincerity, but..."

    Luxurious sights and smells of wine, utterly reminiscent of the magnificent backdrop of The Great Gatsby.

    "Endure, you have to earn their money," Kang Mu Cheng said calmly, greeting familiar people and bringing her over.

    The editor-in-chief of the newspaper who had specifically invited them came up joyfully with open arms. "You came! This is Jian? He didn''t tell me that you were such a beautiful girl."

    "Hello," Jian Jing nodded silently, silently activating her charm card.

    Poor social skills, topped up by beauty stats.

    As expected, the dazzled editor-in-chief''s smile became a few degrees more sincere: "Come, let me introduce you to our big boss."

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286

    Jian Jing was an unfamiliar face with a familiar name. Not long after "Demon Doctor" was published, it defeated many local works and made it to the top of the bestseller charts, where it stayed for over half a year. The guests tonight were all insiders who could not ignore those rising numbers and at least remembered this name.

    In order to brush off these boring social asions, Jian Jing had activated her charm skill, intending to get by on her looks.

    But it backfired.

    She attracted most men''s attention.

    Too many men came to hit on her.

    Way too many.

    "Hi, first time seeing you, may I know your name?" A ssic pick-up line.

    Jian Jing: My name was on the big screen during the award ceremony just now.

    "Pretty girl, I really did not expect you to be the author of Demon Doctor. What goes on in that cute little head of yours toe up with such a fascinating story?" An exaggerated tterer.

    Jian Jing: The cases are based on real ones I''ve cracked personally. What, you wanna be a protagonist too?

    "Sorry, didn''t see you here. Oh heavens, please give me a chance to make up." A bad actor.

    Jian Jing: The wine doesn''t belong to you, so what''s with the apology? I almost ruined another dress.

    "Jian, nice meeting you, mind going outside for some fresh air with me?" Straight to the point.

    Jian Jing: I do mind.

    ...

    The above were all her inner thoughts. In reality, she responded politely to everyone.

    "Jian Jing, Jian is my surname, yes, Jing means quiet, but my name is one word that means concise and calm, I''m not sure if the trantion is right... Thank you for thepliments."

    "Thank you for liking my work. Yes, they are based on some real cases, no no, I''m not scared..."

    "It''s fine, my dress didn''t get wet."

    "Sorry, I feel a bit cold. It''s okay, I don''t need your jacket, I''m good."

    That was the reality.

    People kepting to chat her up, and her wine ss kept getting refilled. Jian Jing sinisterly suspected that some of these well-dressed men were intentionally getting her drunk.

    Yeah, right.

    She secretly took a sobering medicine when no one was looking.

    System-certified, drunk-proof through thousands of drinks.

    But the others didn''t seem to know. Seeing that she had drunk quite a bit, someone soon came over to chat her up.

    The man introduced himself as Smith, one of the biggest book publishers in America. Obese and already half drunk, his face flushed red like a pink pig.

    He said a lot, the gist being that he thought very highly of her abilities, and if they coborated, it wouldn''t take 3 years for him to make Jian Jing the most popr foreign author in America.

    "Sweetheart, you have a bewitching charm." Under the guise of pouring wine, he intimately moved closer, wanting to touch her shoulder.

    But Jian Jing grabbed his wrist and squeezed hard. "You''re mistaken. What bewitches is murder." Without changing her smiling expression, her tone suddenly turned slow and cold. "There is a demon in everyone''s heart - the fear of drowning in the bathtub, a knife in your sleep, and of course..."

    Her gaze fell upon his wine ss. The red wine shone under the lights, looking just like a cup of blood. "Poison in wine."

    Smith was drunk silly and blurted out in confusion, "Poi...poison?"

    Jian Jing snatched away his wine ss and shoved it against his mouth. "The wine is great, drink up."

    Smith was suddenly forced to drink a ss. His body couldn''t keep up and he coughed badly, anxious and angry. "What did you make me drink?"

    "Wine." Jian Jing picked up the ss again, her voice suddenly turning hoarse and rough, as if possessed by a demon. "Let me toast you again."

    Smith was bewildered and looked around hastily, only to find no one else within three feet of her.

    "Demons are everywhere," she said in that strange voice. "Are you afraid?"

    He stared wide-eyed at her.

    Jian Jing returned to her original voice, asking gently, "Mr. Smith, what''s wrong?"

    Smith lowered his head to look at the hand imprint surfacing on his wrist, then back at her - he knew Asian girls were weak and powerless likembs. How could she have left such a deep bruise?

    "Mr. Smith?" She looked slightly drunk, a distant look of intoxication in her eyes.

    "Are you afraid?" she asked again, smiling eerily.

    Smith understood. Damn it! This girl was possessed by a demon!

    Without another word, he turned and left.

    Jian Jing: "Tsk."

    Foreigners are so superstitious to actually buy this?

    "Hello." A spectator in her forties with dark skin came over. "What did you say to him? That just made the pig run away?"

    Jian Jing turned, a wry smile on her face but still guarded. "You are...?"

    "Doreen Oliver, just call me Doreen." Thedy introduced herself.

    Jian Jing then remembered she had won this year''s sci-fi award. "Jian Jing."

    "Then I''ll call you Jian," Doreen gestured her over. "Come sit here with me, darling, can''t have you left alone again. To those men you''re like a lostmb for them to carry away."

    Jian Jing: "...Did I overdo the charm skill?"

    She followed Doreen to a corner where a few men and women sat - all writers without publishers. They got acquainted with each other.

    Through them, she also verified her guess.

    Smith was not a good man. Taking advantage of his position to harass women wasmonce. Most endured this mistreatment for the sake of their jobs or careers.

    Doreen said, "I once threw wine in his face and yelled ''F*** off, pig!'' Dare cut me off, I''ll sue you for racial discrimination."

    Jian Jing: "...Truly a local specialty."

    "What did you do to scare him away?" Doreen was very curious.

    "He said I was a ''demon''. I told him that was my work. He walked away looking disgusted..." Jian Jing pretended her English wasn''t very good and acted puzzled.

    Others: "You got lucky, girl."

    They spent the remaining time gossiping.

    Most authors who won AT Book Awards wrote neither serious literature nor were actual writers. Some were housewives, some part-timers writing erot*ca. Sci-fi writers like Doreen were already quite "writerly", so they weren''t too aloof or exclusive and chatted quite happily.

    A bit past midnight, the banquet drew to an end.

    One writer hinted suggestively about continuing the fun at his ce. Some nodded, some declined.

    Jian Jing declined of course. She knew that wasn''t an innocent after-party and had no ns to explore their exotic customs.

    Doreen didn''t go either and asked her, "Want me to give you a ride back?"

    "It''s fine, mypanion is here."

    Doreen didn''t insist and handed her a name card instead. "Contact me when free."

    Jian Jing epted it.

    On the other side, Kang Mu Cheng was bidding others farewell after some seemingly productive talks.

    But Jian Jing sensed something off and hurriedly went to support him. "Are you alright?"

    Kang Mu Cheng collected himself and looked her up and down. Seeing her unharmed without the least bit of drunkenness, he rxed. "Nothing much, just drank too much... Call Dai An toe get us. I need the bathroom."

    He still sounded reasonable. Jian Jing felt slightly relieved and called for the car as told.

    Dai An had been on standby at the hotel. Hearing this, she immediately replied, "Coming right away, ten minutes."

    Yet when she arrived, Kang Mu Cheng still hadn''te out of the bathroom.

    Jian Jing couldn''t sit still and first knocked tentatively. "Mr. Kang?"

    No response inside.

    "I''ming in, okay?" She opened the door and entered.

    No one at the urinal or wash basin. He was undoubtedly inside a stall.

    Jian Jing pushed open the doors one by one. By now it was mostly empty here with no incidents inside. She finally reached the third one which was locked.

    "Teacher Jian, where''s Mr. Kang?" Dai An peeked in.

    "Mr. Kang?" Jian Jing knocked again. "Can you hear me? Open the door. Kang Mu Cheng??"

    Still no reply.

    Jian Jing signaled Dai An with her eyes: "Guard the door, don''t let anyone else in."

    "Oh okay, sure." After the ne incident, Dai An somehow trusted Jian Jing implicitly and obeyed right away, standing guard at the door.

    Jian Jing leapt up to cling onto the door panel and peeked inside.

    Kang Mu Cheng sat unconscious on the floor,pletely ckout drunk.

    She carefully climbed down, being careful not to step on him, opened the door, propped the person up, and notified Dai An, "He''s drunk."

    Dai An hurried to help support him.

    So heavy.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help asking, "Does he get drunk like this often?"

    "Not much in China, everyone is very familiar there," Dai An said in a low voice. "When doing business abroad and not knowing anyone, there have been a few times."

    Jian Jing sighed, money is hard to earn.

    She and Dai An worked together to send Kang Mu Cheng back to his hotel room.

    He didn''t wake up at all, fortunately he didn''t throw up either.

    Jian Jing considered for a moment, feeling it would be embarrassing to take advantage of Dai An, the secretary assistant had a bunch of work to do, and her own personal life too. It wouldn''t be realistic for her to take care of someone overnight, so she simply said, "You go back, I''ll take care of him."

    Dai An had no doubts: "Okay Teacher Jian, I''m in the next room over, let me know if you need anything."

    "It should be fine, you rest early," Jian Jing felt bad for her too, "The dark circles under your eyes are too heavy, use an eye mask, there''s one in the makeup box in my room."

    Dai An was touched: "I brought one, thank you."

    Jian Jing gently dismissed the former Watson.

    Only her and Kang Mu Cheng were left in the room.

    Jian Jing covered him with a nket to prevent hypothermia, propped up his head with pillows so he was lying on his side, and didn''t forget to dampen a towel to ce on his forehead.

    After a while, noticing his breathing was a bitbored, she suddenly remembered his tie was still on. She hurriedly took it off. Seeing the top buttons of his shirt were also buttoned up to the top, she almost couldn''t breathe herself.

    "If you sleep like this until tomorrow, you''ll be exhausted," Jian Jing muttered.

    She undid three of his buttons, also loosened his cuffs, and finally adjusted his pants to the widest setting.

    His whole body noticeably rxed as he heavily plunged into drunk dreams.

    She couldn''t resist and poked him.

    Of course Kang Mu Cheng had no reaction.

    She chuckled and curled up on the sofa to y on her phone.

    --

    Kang Mu Cheng awoke thirsty.

    Headache, nausea, dry mouth, want to vomit...the usual drunk aftereffects were all there.

    He struggled to open his eyes, wanting to get up to find water to drink. But the bedsidemp suddenly turned on, the not too bright light hurt his eyes. It took a good while before he could see clearly.

    "Jingjing?" He spoke, his voice hoarse.

    "Water?" Jian Jing handed over an opened bottle of mineral water.

    Kang Mu Cheng took it and sipped small mouthfuls before feeling his throat get a bit morefortable.

    "Sober up from the alcohol?" she asked.

    He said, "Head hurts, what time is it?"

    "Half past three, you can sleep some more," Jian Jing yawned, "But I suggest you change clothes first, isn''t it tiring to sleep like that?"

    Of course it was tiring.

    It was like being wrapped up in stic wrap like a corpse...nevermind. Kang Mu Cheng rubbed his temples, when around her, he would always have some inexplicable thoughts.

    "Clothes," Jian Jing took pajamas out from the closet for him and threw them on the bed. Then she grabbed his arm and pulled the half-reclining person up, shoving an ice towel at him, "Change then go back to sleep, I''m heading out."

    Kang Mu Cheng''s brain was muddled. He barely made out the meaning and nodded.

    Only then did she leave.

    His brain wasn''t working but his muscles had muscle memory. Kang Mu Cheng unconsciously unbuttoned buttons, after groping for a while without finding where the buttons were, he lowered his head to look and found over half were already undone.

    Reaching lower to probe, he found the adjustable tabs on his pants were also loosened to the widest setting.

    Propping his head up, he thought of Jingjing.

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287

    Still half dead from the heavy drinkingst night at dawn, Jian Jing went downstairs to eat breakfast after eight thirty. She saw the perfect and wless Kang Mu Cheng again. He was still having a cup of coffee and a sandwich.

    Jian Jing felt tired: "You don''t even rest after staying up all night drinking, aren''t you afraid you might suddenly die?"

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at her: "I''m already wide awake."

    She made a soft humming sound: "If you don''t feel well, rest more. Why get up and overwork yourself, money can''t be earnedpletely."

    Kang Mu Cheng said calmly: "It was just a little drinking. What about you, nothing happenedst night, right?"

    Jian Jing shrugged: "Nothing happened."

    "That''s good then." Kang Mu Cheng didn''t mention Smith''s email at all, and said to her, "I got the award, sort out the photos from yesterday. When the news finishes here, the domestic publicity should also follow."

    Jian Jing: "I''ll listen to you."

    "I''ll probably stay for another week. What are your ns?" Kang Mu Cheng knew clearly that letting her attend the cocktail partyst night was already very reluctant, don''t bother her with follow up matters, "Go around and y everywhere?"

    Jian Jing nodded happily: "I thought so too, since I''m here already, just treat it as a vacation."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her worriedly, hesitating: "Or else, Dai An...."

    "No need." She smiled, "With one less secretary, it''ll be very inconvenient for you. And I''m not a child anymore, no need for someone to lead me when I travel."

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "It''s not as safe here as domestic."

    Jian Jing smiled, shifted her seat, sat tightly next to him, then opened her palm. It was arge lipstick. She introduced softly: "A small toy I bought previously, it only had 1 bullet, enough for self defense."

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned.

    She sat casually back: "Worry less about me, worry more about yourself. New York has so many shootings, you should get two bodyguards instead."

    Kang Mu Chengughed: "No need."

    "There''s a need."

    As the two were arguing, Jian Jing''s phone rang.

    It was Jiang BaiYan calling.

    She felt strange and immediately picked up.

    "JingJing, the producer of the haunted house show asked if you''re in the United States now." Jiang BaiYan specially called to say, "They''re filming a movie here, and wanted to ask if you''re willing to guest star."

    Jian Jing felt strange: "Reality shows can even film movies?"

    "It''s a reality movie." He said, "If you don''t want to, I''ll find an excuse to turn them down."

    Jian Jing thought about it. Since she was out ying anyway, the haunted houses in the show were always quite fun. So she asked:

    "Where is it? Is it far?"

    "Seattle." Jiang BaiYan asked, "Do you want to go? If you go I''ll apany you there."

    She said: "Let me think about it, I''ll tell youter."

    "Ok." He hung up neatly.

    Only then did Kang Mu Cheng ask: "What''s the matter?"

    Jian Jing told him about it. He approved very much: "Go for it." With her wandering around America alone, it''d be safer and livelier to meet up with the haunted house filming crew, there''ll be more people.

    "Alright, let me see first."

    And so they decided it.

    Kang Mu Cheng was slow due to his hangover, and only asked after awhile: "Jiang BaiYan is going too?"

    Jian Jing made a face at him.

    "There''ll be no shooting overseas. Even if there is I''ll ask them to delete it." She promised.

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed.

    "Don''t sigh, it''ll age you." She passed her noodles over, "Eat something soft, the sandwich is cold, bad for your stomach."

    Kang Mu Cheng paused for a bit, then obediently put down the remaining sandwich, and picked up the fork to eat noodles.

    It wasn''t authentic, but it was hot, soft and his stomach instantly felt much better.

    Since Jian Jing decided to go y at the haunted house, she took action swiftly. She checked out at noon, and took the earliest flight to Seattle in the afternoon.

    Her travelpanion became Jiang BaiYan.

    He was much sturdier, although still looked thinnerpared to others. One must know, in order to appear on camera in the past, his usual appearance was thinner than normal people by a few sizes. All skin and bones that under camera could transform into a handsome youth.

    During the peak of his career, he gained some weight. But in reality he was still on the thinner side. Meeting today, he finally looked like a normal youth.

    "You got fatter." Jian Jing passed a bag of snacks over, "You can eat now right?"

    Jiang BaiYan immediately tore it open and stuffed it in his mouth, speaking unclearly: "I can eat, I can eat now. I can finish a big bowl of rice. Steaks, pork chops,mb chops, all no problem."

    Jian Jing sighed: "You had it so hard previously."

    "Inhumane." He curled up in the seat, reminiscing, "Carbs are so good, fats are so good. I don''t want to eat egg everyday to build muscles again."

    Jian Jing said: "Be careful or you''ll be a big fatty."

    "It won''t be that bad. I exercise everyday." He swiftly pulled up his t-shirt, showed her his abs, "Look, still maintained decently right."

    Jian Jing righteously: "The world is deteriorating."

    "I wasn''t the one who posted handsome guys on Moment." He mumbled.

    Jian Jing pretended not to hear.

    The domestic flight only took a couple hours. By nightfall, they had arrived in Seattle.

    After resting for a night, they met up with the filming crew the next day.

    Although they said the filming location was in Seattle, it wasn''t actually in the city district. But a small town two hours drive away. After arriving, upon looking, wow, it was on site filming.

    The entire haunted house took up a corner of the town. It included a farm, hostel, roads and a forest.

    There was even a creek in the woods, wooden houses and caves.

    Jian Jing thought, I want to y. Why is the haunted house in this world so fun?

    "Teacher Jian, great concept for this season right?" The director winked at her, "China-US coboration. Rare opportunity, want to guest star?"

    Jian Jing stood by the camera and observed carefully, then said regrettably: "It''s not an immersive experience."

    "That''ll be hard to create. The real haunted house is just the farm hostel. The other ces just have some small mechanisms." The director exined, "It''s too dangerous to let you run around randomly in the woods."

    Jian Jing said: "Then it won''t be realistic enough."

    "It''s still a movie even if it''s a reality one." The director said, "Although the script only has an outline, they still don''t know the specific sections."

    Jian Jing asked: "Can I take a tour?"

    The directorughed: "Of course! This farm is open to public, can stay as a regr hostel."

    Jian Jing wandered off satisfied.

    Jiang BaiYan dragged a small stool over to watch the fun. Currently a few guests were in the basement, the prearranged infrared cameras were doing their best to capture footage from every angle.

    No need for director''s guidance, no need for cameraman to follow. Everyone was free. They watched while chatting.

    The director asked: "Little Bai, want to guest star?"

    Jiang BaiYan: "I''m very expensive."

    The director guffawed, didn''t take it seriously: "Stingy, look your teacher Jian agreed already."

    Jiang BaiYan said: "I can''t appear together with teacher JingJing, don''t want to cause her trouble."

    "Huh?" The director was puzzled, "You haven''t wooed her sessfully yet? Didn''t youe together?"

    Jiang BaiYan sighed long.

    "Say it say it quick." Everyone loved gossip, gossip of stars witnessed up close during mundane work was the greatest joy.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "There''s nothing going on. I said I wanted toe to the haunted house too, so we came together coincidentally."

    The assistant director asked in surprise: "The rumors were fake?" He thought it was just the usual real thing fake denial.

    Jiang BaiYan gave him a bitter melon face.

    They had always gotten along well over the years of knowing each other. Now they couldn''t help but feel sad (and gloat) for him: "What does that mean, couldn''t woo her?"

    Jiang BaiYan leaned his cheek on his palm: "In short, I won''t guest star."

    "Yo yo, now you''re a boss yourself, got arrogant huh?" The director pretended to be displeased, "Scram scram, freeloaders aren''t weed."

    Jiang BaiYan wiped his tears: "When you needed me, you called me little sweetie. Now that you don''t need me anymore, you won''t even give me a 20 dor lunch box. I''m going to expose you guys."

    Everyoneughed loudly. The estrangement from before due to his skyrocketing worth had now dissipated amidst the joking.

    This was probably why Jiang BaiYan was so well-liked.

    He wasn''t arrogant.

    After filming for three hours, there were several breaks for the guests to use the washroom and drink coffee. By noon, the farm had prepared food. Other than a few guests who returned to their rooms to eat alone, the staff gathered at the cafeteria.

    While eating the piping hot beef burger, Jian Jing said: "This farm is pretty fun, I discovered many interesting things."

    She first wandered around the outside of the farm and discovered a blood-soaked board under a haystack. When she lifted it up, what was underneath was sealed shut. Peering through the cracks, she could see some strange patterns - a sheep and an owl.

    The decorations in the bathroom also featured those two elements.

    The tavern had a huge deer head hanging up, decorated in a style reminiscent of thest century. The music was the same, as if time had frozen at one moment.

    There was also the cabin in the woods, with bullet holes embedded in the wood as if there had once been a gunfight. The exterior walls were covered in huge scratches, suggesting some kind of wild beast had paid a visit.

    "What''s the story here?" she couldn''t help asking the director.

    The director said, "A group of college students go on a trip, get caught in a storm and take shelter at this farm..."

    Jian Jing was speechless: "Why''s it always this beginning?"

    "You don''t go on trips? You don''t get caught in storms? It doesn''t matter if the trope''s old, it helps the audience rte," the director went on. "They check into the guest rooms at night and see some unexinable things - when you look in the mirror, the person in it smiles at you; someone keeps repeating walking past your door; the farm owner somehow knows what you guys like to eat and what you can''t eat, as if you''ve been here many times already..."

    It was starting to sound like a horror movie.

    Jian Jing asked, "Then what happens?"

    "Then they go into the woods," the director dangled the bait. "What do you think, Teacher Jian? We''re filming a chase scene in the woods this afternoon - want to make a cameo?"

    Jing braced her chin in her hand: "What would my role be?"

    "The farm was going to use some NPCs, but the woman in this cabin fits best." The director patiently exined her role.

    Basically, the guests get chased by a monster into the woods during a thunderstorm. They see apletely anachronistic new cabin in the woods. There''s someone inside - a woman. She takes them in and says some mystical stuff, then goes out to get some food and neveres back.

    Jian Jing: "What a wimp."

    The director didn''t bat an eye. "There''s another storyline, remember the haunted house you didst time, with that X Club? Our universe here connects to that - want to show up in that role?"

    Jian Jing recalled the sunsses-wearing boy band that appeared at the end when she did the escape roomst time, and asked: "Would I look cool?"

    "However cool you wanna look," the director boasted. His main reason for getting Jian Jing was that she had performed remarkably well in previous seasons and the audience missed her, so he wanted to hide an easter egg with her in the movie.

    It felt right to end her haunted house show this way too. Jian Jing thought about it and agreed.

    The director was thrilled and decided to arrange for her big finale scene to happen tomorrow.

    Jian Jing: This really is a movie.

    The director said, "Let me get you an SUV, how about that?"

    Jian Jing hesitated: "Actually..."

    Everyone: "??"

    She said this and that and such and such.

    The director listened happily and pped the table: "Fine, no problem!"

    Then he told her to get ready to start filming at 4am tomorrow.

    Jian Jing was stunned: "4am?"

    The director: "Of course! This is the final scene, we have to greet the dawn and sunrise."

    Jian Jing wanted to take it back, but no one gave her the chance, all pretending to be terribly busy.

    "Teacher Jian, I''lle do your makeup at 4am tomorrow."

    "I have your costume here, Teacher Jian, try it on in a bit."

    "Get some good rest tonight!"

    Oh well, once you get on the pirate ship, it''s hard to get off.

    Author''s note: I''ll write some more daily life stuff before starting a new case.

 Chapter 288

    Chapter 288

    The farm was veryrge, really raising cows, sheep and horses.

    Jian Jing rarely saw such a ce with Western style. She took a walk in the woods that afternoon.

    There, she saw a strange old man.

    He was chopping firewood in the open space in front of the log cabin door.

    Really chopping.

    The round wood was split open by the axe and turned into uniform small blocks of firewood. Then he hugged the wood and solidly stacked it at the door as if he really nned to use it sometime.

    "Hello," she greeted.

    The old man had gray hair, but the muscles on his body were still very sturdy. He looked coldly at Jian Jing, "Need something?"

    Jian Jing asked, "I came in the morning, the door was locked, can I go in and take a look?"

    Old Man: "Nothing good to see."

    Jian Jing said, "I''m quite curious about the setting of the haunted house scene and want to visit."

    The old man said, "Kerry is not here."

    Jian Jing: "???"

    Old Man: "Remember, don''t go into the woods at dusk."

    Jian Jing thought he was an NPC who mistakenly took her for a guest, so she didn''t take it seriously.

    The old man went on chopping wood by himself.

    The triggered dialogue was over? Jian Jing walked around to the back and tiptoed to look inside.

    The log cabin was not big, with an 80 cm wide wooden nk bed, a table, and the walls were full of old newspapers that were deliberately made old and yellowish.

    She was just taking a casual look, but an astrological chart caught her attention.

    The Big Dipper.

    Do foreigners also see them as a separate astrological unit? She was curious for a moment, zoomed in with the telescope, and took another careful look.

    After this look, she felt interesting.

    The Big Dipper is called "Big Dipper" in English, but on that piece of paper, it was written in pinyin as "beidou".

    In addition, there were several old newspapers.

    One news report imed that several teenagers were brutally killed in the woods, with strange letters carved on the corpses, seemingly from some weird cult.

    The date was 1992.

    Mixed with several photos, they were already in color, but the pixels were not good, it didnˇŻt look so bloody and terrifying.

    There was also a copy of an autopsy report.

    The content imed that a letter was cut out with a knife in the palm of each teenager''s hand, which were peesh, respectively.

    sheep.

    Not far away in the corner, there was a photo taken by a film camera, blurry, it looked like a sneak shot, probably the side view of a strange man.

    Below it was a news clipping: A few days ago, a big fire broke out in the woods, causing great loss... Residents imed to have seen a strange foreign man appearing in the woods, he was lurking around, seeming to be inquiring about the owl... The police believe that this Person may be rted to the fire. If you find this person, you can call the police station...

    She was engrossed in it when footsteps suddenly sounded behind her back.

    "Kerry, dusk ising," the old man came over at some point, urgently urging, "Go quickly, don''t let him catch you."

    Jian Jing exined: ˇ°I''m not a guest, they haven''t filmed here yet.ˇ±

    But the old man was very serious, his palms gripped her arms tightly and pulled her outside, ˇ°Go quickly!ˇ±

    Jian Jing stopped and realized that he was mentally unwell: ˇ°Okay, IˇŻm leaving now.ˇ± She turned to leave, but looked back before entering the path.

    The horizon was shrouded in dark clouds, and the light in the woods suddenly dimmed.

    The old man had already hurried into the log cabin.

    Jian Jing returned to the farm and found Robert, the owner of the farm and the designer of the haunted house.

    "Hi, can Ie in and chat?" She knocked on the door, signaling the busy people inside.

    Robert was less than thirty years old, a YouTube celebrity blogger good at handicrafts. At the moment, he was busy shooting a set of mini aquarium ornaments he made.

    Hearing the noise, he said without looking back, ˇ°Come in, whatˇŻs up?ˇ±

    "I heard the director say that all the scene setups for the haunted house were done by you," Jian Jing got straight to the point, "I''d like to ask, where was the inspiration for the log cabin scene from? "

    It was only then that Robert looked up and put on his sses, ˇ°Are you interested in that? IsnˇŻt it very interesting?ˇ± He put down his work at hand and responded enthusiastically, ˇ°Oh, I remember your face, you also participated in that haunted house show, do you have any suggestions for me?ˇ±

    Jian Jing said, "No, I just feel that the content is too real, it doesn''t seem to be made up."

    Robert was very happy to talk, "I''m really d you think so. In fact, many of the scenes came from a ce I went to as a child."

    "Oh?" Jian Jing was very interested, "Were there log cabins and farms too?"

    "Yes, I often went to the Reeds'' house when I was a kid and met some interesting things there, which inspired me to design this work," Robert rubbed his nose, full of pride.

    Jian Jing asked: ˇ°What interesting things? Do you mind telling me?"

    Robert didnˇŻt really appreciate her looks, but he was happy to share his work, otherwise he wouldn''t upload videos on his channel. Hearing her asking sincerely, he nodded and said, "Of course, but they are just fleeting rumors, I hope you won''t be disappointed."

    "Compared to perfect fictional stories, real and fake rumors are more interesting," she said.

    Robert nodded with a smile and chatted with her about the creative inspiration for the haunted house.

    As he said, it all came from his childhood.

    Old Reed - his grandfather - used to live in a ce called Twilight Town at the border between Washington State and Canada. There was lush forest growing there, so strange and scary stories were often spread.

    When Robert was a kid, he had lived at ReedˇŻs house for a period of time. What left the deepest impression on him was not learning to repair cars with his grandfather or meeting his first crush. Instead, whenever he got close to the woods, adults would tell him - "Don''t go into the woods after dusk."

    But damn kids, the more you tell them not to do something, the more they wanna do it.

    At night, he pretended to sleep, turned off the lights and secretly climbed out of the window to explore the woods with newly made buddies.

    As expected, they got lost.

    Worse still, fine rain drifted in the sky.

    The local buddy said he knew of a hunter''s log cabin where they could take shelter first.

    This was the prototype of the log cabin on the farm. There was prepared rations and quilts. Several kids lit a campfire, wrapped themselves in nkets and got warm.

    Just as theyined to each other about taking the wrong path and didnˇŻt know what to do, strange cries came from the woods.

    Vaguely, it sounded like people talking.

    "Damn, why hasn''t Laurae yet?"

    "Ben, are you sure..."

    "Where did Roger go?"

    There were probably three people. Judging by their voices, they should be teenagers. They seemed to be arguing about something.

    The kids in the house looked at each other and peeked out.

    The night was dark, the wind was strong, and the rain was heavy. They saw nothing.

    More than half an hourter, the rain subsided a lot. Several children discussed whether to go back.

    The child who brought them here said it would be very tricky if they got lost again, and the forest at night was dangerous. It would be best to wait until daylight before going back.

    But another child disagreed: ˇ°Listen, if tomorrow morning, my mom doesn''t see me in bed, IˇŻm dead.ˇ±

    ps still hurt for 10-year-old kids.

    The three buddies quarreled, and the guide firmly refused to go out. The one who wanted to go home was pissed and said he knew the way himself and would rather walk alone, but he would never recognize the gang from now on.

    Robert used to live in the city and didnˇŻt realize the cruelty in rural areas. He thought there was no point in staying there waiting overnight since they came here to venture anyway.

    So he said he was willing to go back with his buddy.

    The two set off with shlights.

    Rustle, rustle, something was following them in the bushes.

    The buddy was scared with trembling voice. He asked, ˇ°Do you know someone died here before?"

    Of course Robert didnˇŻt know.

    The buddy then said, "My good friend Bach''s sister Laura and her friends, they...died in the woods, five people in total, all dead, the killer still hasn''t been caught till now."

    "Lau...Laura?" Robert stumbled over his words, "The person just now said...ˇ±

    The two panicked and quickened their pace.

    Getting messy leads to idents. Robert didnˇŻt know whether he stepped on the root system of a nt or stumbled over his own feet. He identally fell t on his face.

    At that moment, deep in the forest, he saw a shadow.

    It wasn''t a person, it was a sheep.

    He was shocked and scrambled to get up, dragging hispanion to run outside.

    Branches whipped his cheeks, cold raindrops fell on the back of his neck, the ever-present murmurings followed him...he didn''t remember how long he ran, he only knew that when he finally stopped, he was back at the little wooden house.

    The otherpanion was gone.

    Not only was he gone, the nkets and rations they had seen earlier were also nowhere to be found, as if they had never existed at all.

    The two boys looked at each other, not daring to go back out again.

    This cowardicested until the next morning, when Reed and the other parents called their names while looking everywhere for traces of them.

    Robert ran out of the little wooden house: "Reed!"

    What followed next was the wee scene of beating the children.

    He told Reed that the otherpanion had disappeared. But Reed said that he hadn''t gone out at allst night, and was getting ready to go to school that morning when he went to his house.

    Robert knew that he had returned home himself, and was only pretending that he hadn''t gone out at night, but he didn''t poke holes in his story. In his heart he cursed the traitor, and refused to y with him ever again.

    As for thepanion who had lived and died with him, of course his mother had grabbed him by the ears to take him home, punishing him by not allowing him to go outside.

    The two children didn''t dare defy her to her face, but after a few days, they forgot the lesson and began to discuss what had happened that night.

    They looked up information, and the five teenagers who died were named Roger, Teresa, Ben, Laura, and Qiao Zhi.

    Three of the names matched what they had heard that night.

    They wanted to know why there were also a Laura, a Ben and a Roger who had appeared there, so they began their own investigation.

    The result was that there were already two students named Laura in the town middle school, one named Roger, and a visiting cousin of one of the students happened to be visiting rtives in town, also named Roger.

    In short, just a coincidence.

    Robert was very disappointed, but also relieved. When summer ended he returned to his parents.

    Many years passed and he gradually forgot about the incident. Three years ago, when Reed was in poor health, his whole family went to Twilight Town to visit. Chatting with his grandfather, he happened to mention this.

    Robert joked that it was his only adventure experience.

    But Reed said, "No, you have no idea what you encountered."

    Robert shrugged and admitted he knew nothing about camping, and said that with his outdoor experience now, he could spend a month in the woods no problem.

    Reed said, "Do not go back to those woods again, I have warned you it is a cursed forest."

    Having grown up with a materialist education, Robert didn''t believe in curses at all.

    So Reed didn''t say anything more.

    Later, Reed''s illness was diagnosed as Alzheimer''s disease,monly known as senile dementia. Reed''s parents decided to take him home to care for him.

    While packing things up, Robert found a diary in Reed''s closet.

    There were clippings, photocopies, photos, scraps of paper, and that''s where it had alle from.

    Robert rekindled his interest and reinvestigated the 1992 case, confirming that the perpetrator was still atrge.

    He was an atheist and didn''t believe in the diary''s talk of "evil spirits" "possession" and "curses", but found it very interesting. Using it as a blueprint, he replicated some Twilight Town scenes to make the haunted house they have now.

 Chapter 289

    Chapter 289

    To be honest, Robert''s story is a bit clich¨¦d. Most thriller American TV shows, especially those set in small towns, start with a simr trope. But as the saying goes, even the most exciting TV show cannotpare to the alluring whispers of reality. What piques Jian Jing''s interest in particr is: "The photos all came from a diary? Could I see the original photos?"

    "Hmm, let me find them." He rummaged around his studio for a bit before digging out an old diary from his neatly categorized boxes. "Please be gentle when flipping through this."

    Jian Jing solemnly agreed and ced the diary on the table to slowly peruse page by page.

    Compared to Robert''s childhood memories, Reed''s diary was certainly more lucid and bizarre at the same time.

    It started like this:

    --

    This is the third day since Kerry went missing. I''ve decided to write everything down until I find her.

    First, I need to recount everything from the beginning: Three days ago, on May 10th, I told Kerry I was going to mow thewn that afternoon and asked if she could help me transnt some potted flowers. But Kerry said she needed to go to Anna''s house to do homework. That little liar, I know she was nning to meet up with Bill.

    But I pretended not to know. I''d already warned that rotten Bill that if he dared mistreat Kerry, I would make him experience my fists.

    In fact, that''s exactly what I did the second day Kerry went missing. I gave him a good beating. But Bill stubbornly imed he hadn''t seen her. After the sheriff investigated, they confirmed Bill was out bar hopping that night.

    That''s weird. ording to Anna, Kerry ate dinner at their ce and left very early. If she didn''t go to Bill, then where did she go? Why hasn''t shee back?

    I''m very worried, extremely worried.

    ...

    --

    Today marks the seventh day since Kerry went missing. Everyone says she wandered into the woods and got dragged away by a wolf or bear.

    I don''t believe that. Kerry would never go into the forest after dusk. She said there was something in there that creeped her out.

    But we''ve searched the whole town to no avail.

    I''m starting to suspect there''s a murderer lurking in this town, or drug traffickers escaping from the border. In any case, poor Kerry, my sister, I will definitely find you.

    ...

    --

    The next few pages detail Reed''s fruitless search for Kerry day after day.

    Eventually, the entries stopped until 1992 started up again.

    Five children went missing from town five days ago. Yesterday, we found their bodies in the woods. I''ve never witnessed anything like that scene before.

    The children were arranged in a circle like sacrificialmbs. Their bodies were deathly pale without a hint of blood, which was exactly the case. The coroner said all their blood had been drained! And their expressions were grotesquely twisted. I''ve heard that hypothermia causes strange smiles on frozen faces, but I''d bet the scene was ten thousand times more horrifying.

    ...

    The investigation turned up nothing. The grieving parents of all five children said they noticed nothing out of the ordinary beforehand. We screened many outsiders, and one drug trafficker seemed highly suspicious...

    Damn it, the drug trafficker lead turned out to be a dead end. The residents are terrified, so we had no choice but to notify everyone to keep their children off the streets at night.

    No entry into the forest after dusk.

    Just what exactly is in those woods??

    ...

    All leads have gone cold. My colleagues and I understand clearly that we may never catch the perpetrator, just like how I never found Kerry again.

    I simply cannot ept this. I went back to the forest today and guess who I ran into? Bill! I haven''t seen him since he left for college. He asked me if I had any clues about Kerry. I didn''t tell him.

    Don''t think I didn''t see the tattoo on his handˇŞmaria. She must be his new girlfriend, huh? But my Kerry, my sister, is already never...f*ck!!!

    I swear I''ll get to the bottom of this!

    The investigation stopped as we still couldn''t find the culprit. But I have one suspect in mind: Frank. I need to look deeper into this guy...he''s suspicious.

    No clues, so my spection was wrong? I met Ben''s father who asked me if I had any leads at all. Even just a tiny bit would do. Even without evidence, as long as we know who did it, he''ll take out that bastard himself.

    I couldn''t give him an answer.

    Laura''s parents moved away. I went to send them off. *sigh* I understand their feelings all too well.

    Kerry, I''ll never forget Kerry.

    Dear God, why don''t you go punish those viins?

    --

    In 1982, Reed seemed to still be in high school with a rather naive take on searching for his missing sister.

    But around 1992, he was already a Twilight Town policeman and had ess to insider information not avable to the general public. The diary contained veryprehensive autopsy reports, testimonies, and analyses. The only downside was the sloppy handwriting making things barely legible.

    The gist of it all was five teenagersˇŞRoger, Teresa, Ben, Laura, and Qiao ZhiˇŞwere brutally murdered. The scene resembled some kind of special sacrificial ritual.

    The police spent months questioning over a hundred people, locking onto several suspects that all turned out to be dead ends. The case remains unsolved to this day.

    In January 1993, the diary entries stopped temporarily.

    The next decade resumed in 2002.

    A couple went camping in the woods when the girlfriend suddenly went missing. Her boyfriend couldn''t find her anywhere and reported it to the police after leaving the mountain. My partner and I entered the woods to search for her and found both her and Kerry''s remains in a cave.

    My poor little sister whom I''ve finally discovered as nothing more than bleached bones. But I recognized her clothes that she wore the afternoon she disappearedˇŞjeans and a whitece blouse.

    I was devastated and furious and wanted to know exactly how she died. The coroner told me there were no visible wounds on the skeletal remains. She probably got lost in the woods, hurt herself, and died trapped.

    I couldn''t believe those results. No, it couldn''t have happened that way!

    Something was off.

    Why would Kerry have wandered into the forest?

    It''s been 20 years now. Will I ever uncover the truth?

    --

    Too much time had passed for the 2002 entry to contain much. Only Kerry''s autopsy report remained.

    But in October 2012 another incident urredˇŞa massive forest fire.

    It rampaged for three days and nights, scorching acres upon acres ofnd. ording to survivors, there had been a suspicious foreigner snooping around beforehand.

    On the day the fire started, witnesses imed to have seen him carrying gasoline into the woods shortly before disappearing without a trace himself.

    Reed became oddly fixated on investigating this case.

    This is how eyewitnesses described that bizarre foreign man: His face looked kind of weird and highly unnatural, as if he had restorative surgery from fire damage. He brought with him some strange itemsˇŞyellow paper, red ink, and a copper tter seemingly used to map constetions.

    We were just talking about the past incidents when he suddenly cut in iming evil spirits were the culprit behind all the deaths.

    In order to seal away the evil spirits, one must first locate the demons''ir and force them back into the depths of the earth with cleansing fire.

    In his diary, Reed wrote: "That man called himself Sky. Inside the cave, I found a scroll used for writing. It had Ursa Major sketched on it along with letters I didn''t understand."

    Sandwiched between those pages was indeed an Ursa Major diagram.

    --

    Jian Jing jerked her head up abruptly. The light had dimmed outside with the setting sun resembling spilt blood.

    Robert sipped his steaming americano and asked, "Would you like a cup too? You seem pretty engrossed in your reading."

    "Yes, please. Thank you." Jian Jing epted the coffee and took a sip to gather herposure.

    When she first saw Ursa Major in that cabin, she didn''t have too intense of a gut feeling. She simply thought the realism of the photos rather convincing, especially the dead victims appearing genuinely deceased rather than special effect makeup.

    So she became curious on a whim to dig into the story behind the scenes.

    But she didn''t expect to discover records like these!

    Sky, heavens, Ursa Major...how could she not think of Qi Tian? That warlock who used seven children to set up the Seven Star Entombment formation and also harmed Xie Wei.

    Judging by the timeline, around 2012 when he likely got stic surgery after fleeing abroad right as real-name registration systems started rolling out domestically. Yes, that matched up quite logically.

    Jian Jing made up her mind immediately and decided to find a way to take a trip to Twilight Town. But before that, she had to gather more information. So she smiled and said, "These records are truly bizarre. Now not only you, even I am brimming with inspiration."

    Robert patted his forehead andughed, "Right, I remember now. You are a writer. What do you write again? Oh yes, Demon Doctor. I''ve read the book. To be honest, itcked some religious discussion ¨C I hope you don''t mind me being direct."

    "Of course not."

    So Robert rambled on at length about his perspectives on religion. In summary, he believed that religion was a need of the human psyche rather than something that actually existed.

    Jian Jing took notes carefully, then pretended to casually ask about Reed, "I met him. Is he well?"

    "Old Reed is as strong as an ox, but his memory..." Robert pointed at his brain, "is still stuck decades ago. If he said anything strange to you, please don''t take it to heart."

    "He always cares about his sister," Jian Jing said. "Even when old, he has not forgotten to protect her."

    Robert sighed as well.

    Only then did she tentatively ask, "Could I take some photos to keep as mementos?"

    Robert hesitated for a moment, but nodded in the end with the encouragement of the trust card.

    Jian Jing did not overdo it. She only took photos of the more important information from the diary, before gratefully saying thanks, "I have bothered you for so long. I''m really sorry."

    "It''s fine. I''m d you like it here."

    After bidding Robert goodbye, Jian Jing casually caught up with dinner as if nothing had happened.

    Since there were important scenes to film at night, most of the crew members were on set. She quietly ate alone, then cited needing to rest early to prepare for tomorrow morning as an excuse to return to her room early.

    After that, she began looking up information rted to Twilight Town.

    It was located on the border between the United States and Canada, about two to three hours'' drive from Seattle. Without much going for it, few people went there, hence she could barely find any information online.

    Tsk, going alone to a remote, weird little town. No matter how she looked at it, it was like the opening to a horror movie.

    As Jian Jing thought this, she did not show any hint of retreating. On the contrary, she was even more excited, unable to fall asleep that night as she tossed and turned in bed.

    She did not know how much time had passed. In her half-asleep half-awake state, it seemed like she started dreaming.

    In the dream was a dark forest. Perched in the trees was a strange owl, and under the trees was amb. The two animals were talking.

    Owl: "There is another neer."

    Lamb: "Baa baa."

    The moon was covered by clouds. Someone walked out from a cave, lifted up his face.

    His visage was very peculiar. His face was stiff and taut, clearly showing signs of skin grafts that looked very out of ce.

    "It''s you," he said.

    Then, the dream ended.

    Outside the door were the stylists with their wakeup call service, "Teacher Jian, are you awake? It''s time to get styled."

    Jian Jing sat up, no longer remembering what she had dreamt about.

    She groggily got out of bed to open the door, "This early?"

    "It''s already 3:15. We have to hurry. It''ll be light out after 4 plus." The makeup artist had probably not slept yet as she busilyid out her kits and did Jian Jing''s hair and makeup, before bringing her well-fitted clothes.

    "Sis Jing, breakfast," Jiang BaiYan came in, surprisingly holding piping hot dumplings and milk.

    Jian Jing was astonished, "Where did the dumplingse from?"

    "I made them yesterday afternoon. I guessed you must be sick of Western food," he did not try to show off at all, only urging her to quickly eat, "Eat while they''re hot. They won''t taste as good when they turn cold."

    Jian Jing hurriedly picked up her chopsticks.

    Morning scenes were always rushed. She ate a te of steaming hot dumplings in the snippets of time she had. By the time the scene started, she was done with breakfast.

    In the deste farm in the wilderness, the morning light was still dim. The horizon only lit up with a hint of pale greyish blue. From the depths of the oppressive woods came the roar of a wild beast.

    Rustling sounds rang out as the disheveled guests stumbled and crawled out from the woods. "Hurry, hurry," you supported me with my injured leg, and I supported you coughing blood. It was a sorry sight.

    ording to the script, they had already gone through much tribtion, yet were still chased by the monster horde at the final juncture.

    The guests resisted and cried, "Leave without us first", "No, we can''t abandon ourrades,", "If we leave, we leave together."

    The contrived plot yed out in real life.

    "Roar!" The monsters and theirckeys chased up to them. It seemed someone was about to be pounced on any moment. Suddenly, an agile figure appeared in the distance.

    Gunshots rang out.

    Author''s note: Yes, Qi Tian is about to make his appearance!

    American small towns are really suitable for mystical adventures!

    Unknowingly, I''ve written over a million words...

 Chapter 290

    Chapter 290

    In the viewfinder, the director stared tensely at the sunlight rising over the horizon. Dawn onlysted a short moment. If they didn''t get the shot today, they would have to add it in post-production.

    He rubbed his hands and watched intently as a spirited horse galloped towards the rising sun, carrying the dawn on its back.

    Closer, closer. The sun rose, illuminating her face.

    Undoubtedly, this was Miss Jian who had joined the X Club. She wore a whitece-trimmed shirt paired with ck jodhpurs. The studs on her boots glinted brightly.

    Although professionals could tell at a nce that this wasn''t professional riding gear, it looked great and cool anyway!

    The cameraman shifted positions to ensure continuity of footage.

    So the audience could see Miss Jian at this moment, legs gripping the horseˇŻs belly, hands holding the most well-known [gun], aiming at the monster and pulling the trigger. Rat-tat-tat gunshots sounded and the monster was forced to retreat.

    The muffled clops of hooves behind her. The guest actors (or their stand-ins) were dressed uniformly in ck leather, holding prop guns aloft.

    (CGI to be added in post-production) The monsters had no choice but to retreat step-by-step under the tremendous firepower.

    The light grew brighter. The sun had fully risen over the horizon.

    The pitch-ck forest was illuminated.

    The monsters reluctantly retreated into the eerie woods. Everything was over.

    The camera followed Miss Jian as she nimbly dismounted and asked, ˇ°Is everyone okay?ˇ±

    ˇ°You are...ˇ± Regr guest Han Bo got his reunion line. ˇ°Jian?ˇ±

    Miss Jian nodded slightly and beckoned, ˇ°Get on a horse. We have to leave immediately, otherwise...ˇ± She gazed grimly at the gloomy forest, as if uttering some prophecy. ˇ°They could return at any time.ˇ±

    The guest stars (or their stand-ins) mounted horses.

    The farm-raised horses were very docile, merely flicking their tails where they stood.

    Miss Jian turned back, swung up into the saddle, flicked the reins: ˇ°Hiya!ˇ±

    The horses broke into a gallop, racing towards the distant rising sun. The shadows of night had receded but the demons still lurked in shaded corners, ready at any time to drag people into the abyss.

    ˇ°Cut!ˇ± The director yelled for them to stop, extremely excited. ˇ°Very good, very good. Great shooting; this could pass for movie footage!ˇ±

    Jiang Baiyan: ˇ°DidnˇŻt you say this is a movie?ˇ±

    ˇ°Oh shush, you have no lines here. Why poke your nose in?ˇ± The director was extremely displeased. As if no one knows Reality TV movies arenˇŻt real movies. LetˇŻs be real about what weˇŻre doing here.

    Jiang Baiyan harrumphed: ˇ°Next time donˇŻt invite me. Be careful or I''ll double my rate.ˇ±

    ˇ°Get lost,ˇ± the director was very familiar with him and knew he wasnˇŻt the least bit serious. He said to Miss Jian, ˇ°Professor Jian, you were amazing. YouˇŻre really talented at acting. Have you considered trying your hand professionally?ˇ±

    Miss Jian smiled, ˇ°No, I have no interest in acting. Is that enough?ˇ±

    The director had originally thought Miss Jian would need several takes, given herck of experience. He didnˇŻt expect her to be pitch perfect on camera and couldnˇŻt bear to give screen time to anyone else. ˇ°Of course, more than enough.ˇ±

    He praised her further. ˇ°Professor Jian rides very well too. Have you had professional training?ˇ±

    ˇ°I guess you could say that.ˇ± She hadnˇŻt actually used those skills in quite awhile and felt an exhrating sense of freedom at being back in the saddle today.

    She couldn''t resist, ˇ°IˇŻll go for another run.ˇ±

    The director immediately said, ˇ°Then letˇŻs get some more footage. Ready, follow along!ˇ±

    Miss Jian let them film as they wished and enjoyed a vigorous half hour ride, working up a sweat. She hurried back to wash up.

    By the time she finished, it was the real breakfast hour.

    Robert and his parents and Reed were eating together.

    Reed sat alone taking up one and a half seats, head lowered as he steadily ate cold cereal with milk. Miss Jian watched, puzzled. It wasmon for the elderly to have Alzheimer''s and experience deterioration ofnguage and cognitive abilities, resulting in loss of self-care skills.

    But Reed didn''t.

    He was as strong as an ox with no physical issues, yet his memories were frozen 40 years in the past.

    Truly bizarre.

    Miss Jian greeted the family before sitting down across from Reed with her te.

    He suddenly spoke up, "Kerry, IˇŻm going to mow thewn this afternoon. Maybe you can tidy up the flowers."

    Miss Jian paused briefly in surprise.

    Robert immediately cast an apologetic look her way and started to interrupt. ˇ°ReedˇŞˇ±

    Miss Jian stopped him and said gently, ˇ°Of course, IˇŻd be happy to.ˇ±

    Reed seemed taken aback and actually asked, ˇ°Really?ˇ±

    She gave an affirmative reply.

    He muttered, ˇ°I thought you were going to meet Bill... Okay, IˇŻll start early and, no, you are not going anywhere today. Stay home, okay?ˇ±

    It was like he suddenly remembered certain things and anxiously told her, ˇ°DonˇŻt go anywhere today, Kerry, stay home!ˇ±

    Miss Jian said, ˇ°No problem.ˇ±

    Reed seemed relieved and promised his little sister, ˇ°I can lend you my Queen cassette tape.ˇ±

    Miss Jian hadnˇŻt actually ever heard of this band but readily agreed, ˇ°You said it.ˇ±

    ˇ°Reed never lies.ˇ±

    Reed ate his cereal inrge bites, suddenly transported through time back to his youth forty years ago.

    Back then his little sister was still alive in this world and the siblings had a great rtionship.

    He was abruptly lost in memory, absently humming QueenˇŻs ˇ°Another One Bites the Dust,ˇ± and fell silent.

    Robert lowered his voice apologetically to Miss Jian, ˇ°IˇŻm sorry, Reed is saying strange things again.ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs okay. He must still be thinking about Kerry,ˇ± Miss Jian said. ˇ°Hopefully this makes him happy.ˇ±

    But Robert shook his head. ˇ°HeˇŻll forget soon.ˇ±

    Miss Jian said, ˇ°Even a minute is good.ˇ±

    However, ReedˇŻs delusion persisted for a long time. After breakfast, he pped Miss Jian on the shoulder. ˇ°DonˇŻt say IˇŻm bullying you. Come with me. IˇŻll give you that tape right nowˇŞdonˇŻt lend it to Bill or I find out, IˇŻll knock his teeth out.ˇ±

    Miss Jian had intended to ask more questions and obediently followed him.

    But halfway there Reed suddenly forgot why he was going there or that the woman with him wasnˇŻt Kerry. He asked in puzzlement, ˇ°Why are you following me?ˇ±

    They were alone, perfect for probing questions.

    Miss Jian asked, ˇ°Do you still remember that foreign man in the woods? He looked strange. He came to Twilight Town before the fire.ˇ±

    ReedˇŻs expression abruptly shifted, sharp and wary. ˇ°Why do you ask? WhatˇŻs your rtionship? What do you want to know?ˇ±

    ˇ°IˇŻm looking for someone named Qi Tian,ˇ± Miss Jian said.

    Reed stared fixedly at her for quite awhile before he suddenly said, ˇ°DonˇŻt enter the woods after nightfall.ˇ±

    ˇ°Why?ˇ± Miss Jian asked. ˇ°WhatˇŻs in the woods?ˇ±

    ˇ°DonˇŻt believe what the owl says.ˇ± He gripped her shoulders until he was nearly shouting. ˇ°DonˇŻt believe it, Kerry. DonˇŻt follow the owl...ˇ±

    ˇ°Reed!ˇ± Robert had caught wind and rushed over to rescue Miss Jian. ˇ°Let her go.ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs okay.ˇ± She easily slipped ReedˇŻs restraints and soothed him. ˇ°ItˇŻs okay. I wonˇŻt follow the owl. Kerry wonˇŻt go anywhere.ˇ±

    Reed panted heavily, taking quite awhile to slowly calm down.

    And then without so much as another look or word to her or Robert, he snatched up the axe leaning against the wall and marched into the woods.

    Robert was extremely embarrassed and seemed on the verge of saying something but hesitated.

    Miss Jian breezily asked as if nothing had happened, ˇ°IˇŻm here to participate in filming the show and have other arrangements. Do you know where I can rent a car?ˇ±

    Robert rxed and introduced her to a well-reputed local car rental shop.

    Miss Jian thanked him and returned to pack.

    Jiang Baiyan followed her in. ˇ°Leaving already?ˇ±

    ˇ°Yes, I have somewhere to go.ˇ± Miss Jian picked up her iPad to check her offline maps sheˇŻd downloaded yesterday. ˇ°Very dangerous. DonˇŻte along now.ˇ±

    Jiang Baiyan turned pale. ˇ°Where are you going? Chicago?ˇ±

    ˇ°No, an out of the way little town. The horror story type of ce.ˇ± She tried to scare him off.

    Without a second thought, Jiang Baiyan immediately said, ˇ°Then I definitely have to go with you. In horror movies anyone who goes alone generally dies horribly.ˇ±

    Miss Jian said, ˇ°What can two people do?ˇ±

    Jiang Baiyan had watched countless movies. ˇ°Couples generally can save one person!ˇ±

    Miss Jian said, ˇ°What couple?ˇ±

    ˇ°One man, one woman, the woman lives!ˇ± Jiang Baiyan ducked into the room across to hurriedly pack. ˇ°Give me ten minutes!ˇ±

    ˇ°Not waiting for you.ˇ± To avoid dragging him into danger, Miss Jian swiftly flung open her suitcase and started stuffing in clothes. Luckily she had only been there two days and hadnˇŻt fully unpacked yet. Throwing everything in didnˇŻt take long at all.

    Seven minutester...

    Jiang Baiyan was sitting on top of his suitcase, waiting for her to fit in bottles and containers.

    Miss Jian made excuses. ˇ°You have less stuff than me.ˇ±

    "I''m used to it," Jiang BaiYan obediently corrected. "When filming, I stay in hotels. I spend more than half a year each year traveling around outside, so I''m ustomed to it."

    Jian Jing sized him up.

    He said, "Take me along too. It''ll be good to have someone help you drive."

    That was true indeed. Public transportation in the United States was extremely unbearable. Almost everyone had a car, highways crisscrossed everywhere, and most of the time you had to drive yourself.

    Although Yellow Sunset Town wasn''t far, going alone would be quite boring. Moreover, for some reason, she kept having an ominous feeling about this trip, as if something bad was going to happen.

    Having a helper wouldn''t be too bad.

    "If you''re not afraid, thene along," she thought about it and said, "I''ll give you a task - borrow a car and driver from the crew. We need to go to the car rental shop."

    Jiang BaiYan gave a big "OK" sign.

    Jian Jing had nned to set off in the afternoon and arrive at Yellow Sunset Town before dark. But the bestid ns often go awry. By the time they were on the road, the sky was already pitch ck.

    With no other choice, they could only stay at a motel that night.

    Jian Jing had originally wanted to get two rooms, but after seeing the bullet holes in the walls, she tacitly agreed to getting just one room.

    Without waiting for her to say anything, Jiang BaiYan very helpfully exined, "I understand, it''s for safety."

    The condition of the motel was indescribable - it was even more run down than the zombie motel from before. That one had just been shabby, but this room was...filthy and chaotic.

    Her nose told her that illegal (but legal in some countries) contraband substances were being consumed next door.

    Her ears told her that some kind of discordant party game with multiple participants was happening in the opposite room.

    How could they even sleep here?

    "Jingjing, move over and let mey down some bedsheets," Jiang BaiYan took out disposable bedsheets and neatly covered the unsanitized bed that countless others had slept on. Then he took out his own sleeping bag and organized his toiletries, preparing to take a shower.

    He took a five minute shower, ten minutes on skincare, three minutes blow drying his hair, then crawled into his sleeping bag and went to sleep.

    Jian Jing: "You''re done already?"

    "When you''re filming until dawn, you can get ready this quickly too," he yawned, put on an eye mask and earplugs, "Good night."

    It took Jian Jing a whole hour toplete the aforementioned steps before she curled up in her sleeping bag and sent Kang Mu Cheng a message, telling him that she would be going to Yellow Sunset Town tomorrow.

    Kang Mu Cheng was baffled: [What are you going to such a remote ce for?]

    Jian Jing thought about it and told him everything concerning Qi Tian.

    Unsurprisingly, he did not approve: [It''s too dangerous.]

    Jian Jing: [I''ll be careful.]

    Kang Mu Cheng was silent for quite a while, then seeming to know he couldn''t persuade her,promised: [Send me your location every day and call to check in.]

    Jian Jing: [OK]

    Shey down. After some hesitation, afraid she might miss any strange sounds without earplugs, she gave up on them and closed her eyes to rest.

    Next door, curses in English came pouring through the wall, greatly expanding her vocabry.

    The next day, Jiang BaiYan took over driving duties from their chauffeur.

    She was so sleepy that she started dozing off in the car.

    In her drowsy state, the light around her seemed to grow very dim, as if they had entered a perpetually gloomy forest. The tall sinister trees extended their branches, intertwining chaotically like the ws of demons.

    In the barely discernible light and shadows, an owl turned its head and gazed coldly at the visitors.

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 291

    Washington State is located in the northwest of the United States. The mountains and green trees make the natural scenery quite unique. Twilight Town sits on the edge of the state bordering Canada, located remotely and not easy to find.

    Halfway there, Jian Jing had asked several people before finding the road to Twilight Town.

    At noon, the car drove into the small town.

    After a simple tour, Jian Jing realized Twilight Town was indeed not big, with just two main streets, a gas station, three coffee shops, and two bars.

    In short, a rural area.

    Jiang BaiYan wondered: ˇ°What are you doing in a ce like this?ˇ±

    ˇ°Do you still remember the first haunted house we yed in? I suspect Qi Tian has appeared here before.ˇ± Jian Jing told him about her findings and said, "This person is very strange. If you''re afraid, don''t force yourself."

    "I don''t feel anything," Jiang BaiYan scratched his face and said honestly, "Byparison, I''m more afraid that you''re acting alone. In a remote small town like this, if they see a girl like you, they might bully you."

    Jian Jing sighed.

    She knew Jiang BaiYan was telling the truth.

    In terms of physical fitness, she was definitely better than Jiang BaiYan who was always slimming down. But the reality was that when she walked alone on the street, she would definitely encounter rogue men whistling. However, when she had malepany, no matter how big he was, the deterrent was much stronger than her own.

    Unless she carried an AK, that would be another story.

    "Fine," Jian Jing was not too worried about Jiang BaiYan. He was even more cunning than her.

    The two pretended to be tourists and settled down in the best hotel in town, then asked the owner, "I heard you can hunt here?"

    There was a forest near Twilight Town with plenty of animals. When Jian Jing was researching online, she found an ad for a hunting guide service and hence had this question.

    As soon as the owner heard that rare visitors hade to this remote little town, he immediately called his old friend without hesitation and asked him toe pick up the guests.

    "Old William is a veteran hunter here. His family has lived here for generations and he knows this area very well," the owner enthusiastically introduced, "Follow him and you will definitely be able to hunt satisfactory prey."

    Old William came very quickly. He was tall and muscr with solid tattoos all over his sturdy arms. As he entered, his eyes swept over everyone, and with a hunter''s instinct, he skipped over Jiang BaiYan and his eyes fell on Jian Jing: "So you want to go hunting?"

    Jian Jing nodded.

    After looking Jian Jing up and down for a while, he nodded, "Okay."

    Jian Jing implied, "I don''t have a permit."

    The owner timely chimed in, "Five hundred dors, it''s on me."

    Jian Jing nodded, then asked again, "What about a hunting license?"

    "I can help you with that," Old William provided good service, "But there is one thing I have to make clear."

    Jian Jing made a gesture of listening attentively.

    "Go in the morning ande back in the afternoon, don''t stay overnight in the woods," he exined, probably afraid they would get suspicious, "You don''t have wilderness survival experience, it''s too dangerous."

    Jian Jing pretended to hesitate first: "Then we can only stroll around the outskirts? That''s not what I wanted. Besides, I do have outdoor camping experience, it should be fine, right?"

    Old William said, "There arerge animals here, wolves, bears and the like."

    "Don''t we have guns?" she retorted, her attitude was not firm, as if she was just saying it in passing, and quickly brushed it aside, saying tedly, "Forget it, letˇŻs y for two days first and talkter. Shall we meet tomorrow morning?"

    Old William said, "You need to pay a $3,000 deposit first."

    Jian Jing readily paid the money.

    Who doesn''t like generous guests? The owner was attentive and meticulous, and rmended two ces to eat.

    Jian Jing had been in the United States for less than a week and was already desperate for the food here, but she had to eat. She could only hope that the owner''s rmended ces were still eptable.

    Dinner was coffee, pizza and cherry pie.

    To be fair, the taste was pretty good. She patiently asked the waiter about the town.

    But the younger generation had almost never heard of any issues with the woods. When asked if hunting was safe now, they only said that people hunted prey every year and it should be fine.

    No one mentioned the 1992 case.

    She didn''t stay long, took away a hot chocte and pizza for Jiang BaiYan''s dinner.

    "I went to the department store to ask questions," Jiang BaiYan didn''t have dinner with Jian Jing, so he naturally had a task at hand. He went to the town''srgest and only department store to buy some clean clothes suitable for the outdoors as well as snacks.

    Of course, being able "to ask questions in passing" would be even better.

    Jiang BaiYan held the hot chocte and drank it slowly, enjoying the happiness from the calories: "Not many people have heard that there were issues with the woods. When I asked them if hunting was safe now, they said it was no problem with a gunˇŞthey sell guns in their supermarket, it''s really casual."

    "I know, it just feels so unsafe," Jian Jing couldn''t help butin.

    In China, after her physical fitness improved, she could walk alone in alleywayste at night without worries or fears. But after going abroad, she had to be more vignt when walking on the streets.

    It was dangerous out there, no lies about it.

    However, everything had two sides to it. At least here, Jian Jing could get some self-defense gadgets to bolster her courage to enter the woods.

    She analyzed, "In such an isted small town, close to the border, any incident would spread like wildfire. No rumors means no one has died in the past two years. But this year, itˇŻs exactly the tenth year."

    The cases recorded by Reed had an unexinable coincidence in time.

    1982, 1992, 2002, 2012, exactly ten years apart.

    Although there was only one bizarre case in 1992, if that person really was Qi Tian, there must be some inside story she didn''t know about.

    After the fire, there were no more deaths. It was possible the matter had ended, but it was more likely...waiting for the next ten years.

    And this year was 2022.

    "LetˇŻs ask William tomorrow,ˇ± she said. ˇ°He insists oning out before dark, he must know something."

    In a remote small town like Twilight Town, close to the border, supervision was not strict.

    The hotel owner helped get a gun permit, while Old William got a hunting license. Of course, ording to regtions, her hunting license could only apply to small animals, game birds, rabbits, deer and the like.

    These small animals breed very quickly and would interfere with the normal lives of residents, so hunting was allowed to control their breeding speed.

    Jian Jing pretended to be curious, "Since small animals breed so fast, there shouldn''t be manyrge wild animals, right?"

    Old William said gruffly, "There used to be a lot.ˇ± He was impatient with her endless questions and said loudly, "Alright, you donˇŻt have any hunting experience. IˇŻll teach you from the beginning. Listen carefully, I''m only saying this once."

    Despite not being as professional as a formal course, his abundant experience meant the content he taught was very practical.

    How to distinguish animal tracks and judge wind direction and distance, what were the best safety measures to protect oneself...the knowledge gained was invaluable.

    At one point, Jian Jing had even forgotten her purpose foring and concentrated on the lesson.

    At noon, the three people took a break from the teachings and started a fire to cook food.

    Old William used the wild chicken he had just hunted to demonstrate to them how to roast chicken on site.

    Jian Jing pondered and figured after hanging out for half a day they were familiar with each other now. She ventured to ask, ˇ°Can we really not camp out here after learning so much from you?ˇ±

    Without even lifting his head from dismantling chicken bones, Old William said,

    "Too dangerous."

    "What''s so dangerous about it? You saidrge wild animals were only around before and rarely seen now," Jian Jing would not easily concede and slowly refuted, "Besides, we have guns."

    Old William sneered coldly, ˇ°If you want to stay here so badly, just stay by yourself after I leave when it gets dark.ˇ±

    He was not worried about Jian Jing making trouble. In the wilderness and woods, without him to lead the way, would she dare stay alone? However, Jian Jing suddenly asked, "Are you afraid?"

    Old William: ˇ°Trying to provoke me won''t work.ˇ±

    "No no, you misunderstood. I''m just curious," she said, "I know people have died here before. Are you afraid that their ghosts will pester us?"

    Old WilliamˇŻs dismantling actions paused, and he asked back, "What dead people? Killed by wild beasts?"

    "Roger, Theresa, Ben, Laura, George," Jian Jing reported their names.

    Old William''s expression changed, the muscles on his face twitched, his thick eyebrows distorted, as if he was about to erupt at any moment to strangle her throat: "Who told you that? What is your purpose?"

    "Reed," she said, half truthfully and half falsely. "He mistook me for Kerry and told me a lot of things."

    Old William was stunned. The name Kerry seemed to trigger memories, and his expression became strange: "Reed? I haven''t heard that name in a long time."

    "Do you know Reed?"

    Old William looked at her and turned his face away: "You don''t look like Kerry, he is really getting senile."

    Jian Jing was dumbfounded.

    Jiang Baiyan poked her arm and whispered: "I think William''s nickname is Bill."

    William? Bill? What''s the connection between these two names? Jian Jing wondered and asked: "Are you Kerry''s boyfriend Bill?"

    Old William put force into the stick, spearing the plucked wild chicken through the wooden fork, stuffing it with a kind of small mushroom he had picked up on the road, and sewing it up with thread.

    The mes zed up, roasting the freshly baked lunch, sending out a wonderful aroma.

    He kept his head down, his tone t: "That was a long time ago."

    "Do you believe Kerry got lost and died in the woods?" Jian Jing asked.

    "What''s the difference between believing or not believing?"

    "I don''t think you believe it." She said, "Kerry didn''t like the woods, how could she have gone into the woods alone? You want us to leave before dark, is it rted to the legend that you can''t enter the woods after dusk?"

    Old William turned the stick to heat the chicken evenly: "Mind your own business, you just came here to hunt."

    Jian Jing sensed his wariness, and after thinking for a while, did not continue to question him.

    In the afternoon, William spoke significantly less, and all topics revolved around hunting itself. Jian Jing also temporarily put aside her thoughts for the time being,pletely immersing herself in the joy of hunting.

    But perhaps heaven was helping her after all.

    William''s n was to leave at 5 o''clock, but a little after 4 o''clock, the sky was filled with dark clouds, ominously dark.

    A storm wasing.

    "Damn it, we have to get out of here now." Old William made a decisive decision to head back immediately.

    But it was toote.

    In no time at all, the downpour drenched all three of them like drowned rats.

    Jian Jing asked: "I remember there is a farm nearby, can we take shelter from the rain there?"

    William shouted loudly: "Frank''s farm? Are you sure?"

    "I''m sure," she said, "it''s better than staying in the woods."

    William was convinced and led them running towards the overcast farm. At first, with the dim light, Jian Jing did not notice anything amiss, but the closer they got, the stronger her sense of familiarity grew.

    That stretch of connected houses, the tractors parked at the door, the smell of animal feces mixed with the scent of grass and rainwater, fused into a strange stench.

    Jiang Baiyan spoke her mind: "This farm looks like a haunted house."

    Jian Jing nodded lightly: "This is what a real farm looks like."

    Robert''s inspiration came from Reed, and Reed had conducted an extremely detailed investigation of this farm.

    The moment they stepped through the gates, the system came online.

    [New mission released]

    [Mission name: Frank''s Farm]

    [Content description: 30 years ago, five teenagers were brutally murdered, the suspect *****, the secrets of the farm ****, the depths of the forest, who is calling ********]

    [Note: Special dungeon, all gacha expenditures doubled, please be careful host]

 Chapter 292

    Chapter 292

    So far, Reed''s notebook has mentioned four incidents: the 1982 disappearance of Kelly, the 1992 murder of five teenagers, the 2002 camping trip where a person went missing, and the 2012 forest fire, which involved the appearance of a foreigner who seemed to be Qi Tian.

    Among them, both Kelly and one of the couples were believed to have been attacked by a wild animal, and their cases were considered idents. Only the 1992 case was incredibly bizarre and mysterious, and the truth remains unknown to this day.

    At that time, Reed was the sheriff of Twilight Town, and he identified three suspects.

    The first one was an addict who lived in a trailer and was involved in shady business dealings. He often associated with prostitutes, and those who knew him said he was ruthless and quick to resort to violence. However, on the day of the incident, he was working for a local crime boss, whoter implicated him after being arrested, clearing his name. Nevertheless, the man did not meet a good end and was killed by his aplices six monthster.

    The second suspect was an entric who lived on the outskirts of town and rarely interacted with people. Some imed to have seen him with Teresa, but on the nights when several victims went missing, he imed to have stayed home, although there was no evidence to support his alibi. The police searched his house and found that he suffered from a severe illness that caused fainting spells, making it impossible for him to carry out a series ofplex rituals. Six months after the incident, he moved away from Twilight Town.

    The third and most suspicious suspect was Frank. He had a farm on the edge of the woods where he raised pigs, cows, sheep, and other livestock. He used to have a wife, but she left him because she couldn''t tolerate his temper and took their child with her.

    This man was physically strong and had a violent temperament. It would have been no problem for him to overpower five teenagers with a gun. However, the police searched his farm and found no clues. They even found Frank''s lover, who confirmed that they were together at a motel on the night the children went missing. The motel owner indirectly confirmed this as well.

    Although the evidence suggested that Frank should not be the killer, Reed still conducted an extensive investigation on him. He even bought an expensive camera and took numerous photos of the farm, whichter became the inspiration for his grandson Robert''s creative work.

    Jian Jing had only caught a glimpse of Robert''s farm and already felt that it had a certain atmosphere. But now, in the real ce, she suddenly realized that no matter how cleverly the fake farm was constructed, it couldn''t replicate the eerie feeling of the real thing.

    Frank''s farm had been around for over thirty years. The house was dpidated, with a leaky roof and walls covered in mold. The wooden door emitted a rotten smell.

    Old William and Old Frank were acquainted, and they exined the situation to Jian Jing, allowing them to take shelter from the rain.

    "If it wasn''t for William, I wouldn''t let outsiders step foot on my property," gruffly said Old Frank. He was already quite old, with gray hair, cloudy eyes, and wrinkled skin that hung loosely on his body, giving him a peculiar appearance.

    "Dad, don''t say that," replied young Frank, who waspletely different from his father. He didn''t look like a Caucasian; instead, he resembled a Native American. He was introverted and only nced briefly at Jian Jing before shifting his gaze. "Let me make you some hot tea, um, and sandwiches. Would you like some?"

    Jian Jing gave Jiang BaiYan a quick nce.

    He immediately understood and said, "No need to trouble yourself, hot tea will do."

    Little Frank quickly brought a pot of hot tea and poured it for them, expressing his worry, "Uncle William, it seems like the rain won''t stop today."

    Old William seemed to feel slighted and grumbled, "The weather around here changes suddenly. The television clearly said it would be sunny."

    Little Frank smiled and quietly sat down.

    After a while, feeling bored, he started getting friendly with Jiang BaiYan, "My father lives in town and doesn''t like outsiders. Don''t mind his words."

    Who is Jiang BaiYan? He is an actor.

    He quickly got into character and portrayed himself as someone who isn''t fluent in English but is cheerful and talkative. He promptly replied, "No problem, we are the ones causing the disturbance. We originally nned to have a good day of hunting, but who knew we would encounter heavy rain."

    Curiously, Little Frank asked, "What did you manage to hunt today?"

    Jiang BaiYan shrugged, "We didn''t catch anything."

    Little Frankughed and suddenly said to William, "It''s alreadyte, why don''t you stay for dinner? I made chicken stew with rice and vegetable soup."

    Jian Jing immediately looked up and said, "Dinner?"

    William looked at her and then nced at the raindrops the size of beans outside. He nodded in agreement.

    Little Frank opened a bag of rice, poured it into the pot, added water, and let it simmer. When it was almost cooked, he added the semi-finished curry and cooked chicken, mixed it together, and the steaming chicken rice was freshly served.

    Jian Jing expressed her high praise.

    Little Frank became even happier and took out beer to offer them.

    Jiang BaiYan epted, but Jian Jing declined his kind gesture, using the excuse of not drinking.

    Little Frank wasn''t angry and simply said, "I''m very curious about China. Could you tell me about your country?"

    "Of course, I''d be delighted to," Jiang BaiYan readily agreed and rambled on without restraint.

    As they talked, it naturally grew dark outside, and the rain hadn''t stopped yet. Little Frank pped his forehead in annoyance, saying, "It''s all my fault for chatting for so long and dying your time." He paused and added apologetically, "Otherwise, why don''t you stay here for the night?"

    It was unsafe to travel in the heavy rain and strong wind. Jian Jing and Jiang BaiYan didn''t hesitate and nodded in agreement.

    The guest room was on the second floor of the farmhouse, slightly damp and old, with a strong musty smell, but it was well cleaned and had a bathroom.

    Jian Jing activated her perspective device and walked around the room, making sure there were no secret passages or hidden doors before saying with relief, "What do you think about this father and son?"

    Of course, a conversation can''t only consist of their words. Little Frank also briefly introduced their situation: Frank has been ill for a long time, and if it weren''t for William''s arrival, he wouldn''t have shown up in person. He even eats dinner alone in his room.

    "He''s curious about us," Jiang BaiYan supported his head and found that a few cans of beer couldn''t get him drunk, "but I can''t see anything suspicious."

    Jian Jing nodded, "I''ve observed the kitchen and dining room. There are indeed only traces of one person dining. There''s no problem with the separate potato soup cooked for Frank, but..."

    She slowly said, "Something is very wrong about this ce."

    Jiang BaiYan lowered his voice and asked, "Could it be that we''ve entered their of a serial killer?"

    "What if we did?" she retorted.

    "Instinct tells us that those who don''t believe in horror movies end up dead. But running away is definitely not an option; it would only alert them," Jiang BaiYan lived up to his profession and knew the tricks of the trade. "In most cases, the initial dangers are not fatal. We should take the initiative, overpower them, and interrogate them with harsh methods..."

    "Then we''ll end up getting arrested by the FBI, and it''ll turn into a scene straight out of ''The Shawshank Redemption''?" Jian Jing interrupted.

    Jiang BaiYan waved his finger, speaking mysteriously, "Jing Jing, don''t forget we''re in thend of freedom. As long as we have enough money, we are free."

    As he spoke, he opened his arms and made exaggerated gestures, adding a touch ofedy to the situation.

    "You have a point," Jian Jing couldn''t help butugh. "You should consider doing stand-upedy."

    "No, I have to maintain my status as a celebrity. I still need to fight for a role in your next film," Jiang BaiYan inserted himself with a show of loyalty, earning a disdainful look from her. He quickly regained his seriousness. "So, what should we do, wait?"

    Jian Jing shook her head. She had initially considered observing the situation, but he had joked about the conventional approach, and it actually sparked her inspiration. "Art derives from life. Since all stories start with the protagonist taking risks, why can''t we do the same?"

    Knowing that there''s a tiger in the mountains, one tends to go towards the mountains. It''s also a strategy.

    "It''s already eight o''clock in the evening," she nced at her watch and said, "Let''s stage our own death."

    The first step to risking one''s life is to actively seek trouble.

    Jian Jing found William and imed she wanted to discuss tomorrow''s hunting n. However, old William seemed unusually perceptive. "What you want to ask about is not just this matter."

    "Well," she imitated the American way of expression and said carelessly, "I want to talk to you about something. This ce is close to the woods but not part of the forest. It would be much more convenient if we could stay here ande and go as we please."

    Old William replied coldly, "I don''t think it''s a good idea."

    "I thought you were close with Frank and his son. They should be trustworthy," Jian Jing immediately continued, raising doubts. "Are Reed''s words all true?"

    Old William refused to engage further. "Ask fewer questions, do more hunting. See you tomorrow."

    With a m, he closed the door.

    Jian Jing returned empty-handed, but she believed that if Frank and his son were truly suspicious, the few sentences exchanged in the corridor would be enough to make them cautious and suspicious, prompting them to take further action.

    The second step to risking one''s life is to wander about.

    Jiang BaiYan walked along the corridor, descended the staircase, and deliberately turned into dim and secluded corners. After a series of twists and turns, he surprisingly found the back door of the building. Stepping outside, he found himself on a narrow path with only a canopy overhead, paved with gravel, leading to the sheep pen behind the farm.

    There were lights inside, but no one was present.

    A group of yellowish sheep stood ory down, looking at the intruder with a strong, pungent odor emanating from their bodies, mingled with the smell of dung and hay, making it extremely unpleasant.

    Jiang BaiYan held his breath and almost turned back.

    But soon, he felt someone watching him.

    Who could it be?

    He surveyed the sheep pen and suddenly noticed a pure whitemb among the dirty yellow sheep. Its wool was as white as snow,pletely different from the other sheep.

    "Baa~" it bleated.

    The other sheep, as if awakened, turned to look at him.

    Jiang BaiYan took a sharp breath, his whole body shivering.

    At that moment, footsteps sounded behind him.

    Frank entered, carrying a bag of feed. Surprised to see him, Frank asked, "What are you doing here?"

    Jiang BaiYan pretended to be flustered but quickly regainedposure. "I was just looking for you. Can I borrow the kitchen? I want to prepare some food for tomorrow''s hunt."

    "Of course." Compared to a suspicious guest, Frank was a hospitable host, readily agreeing.

    Jiang BaiYan asked him to buy eggs, bread, and pork, preparing to make hamburgers.

    He cracked the eggs, ground the meat, and sliced the bread with precision.

    Frank left.

    Jiang BaiYan began inspecting the knives in the kitchen one by one, as if suspecting the presence of murder weapons. However, he found no suspicious items such as bloodstains or hairs. Instead, he discovered something strange.

    At the bottom of the cupboard, numerous long, thin roots resembling hairs were growing, entwined and clinging as if a huge tree nearby had extended its roots into the foundation.

    But Jiang BaiYan clearly remembered that the surroundings of the farm were wide open, with only a few bushes and no sturdy trees.

    He crouched down and touched those roots.

    They were cold, hard, and moistˇŞnot the texture of handicrafts, but alive.

    Since Teacher Jing Jing wanted to "make a grand exit," he certainly didn''t mind being the first "unlucky one."

    Jiang BaiYan picked up a steak knife, assessed its weight, and decisively chopped it down.

    The roots fell to the ground, squirming like a worm, and theny there stiffly, no different from the withered branches by the roadside.

    Jiang BaiYan took a stic bag, picked it up, tightly rolled it, and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

    Then, "snip, snip, snip," he continued chopping.

    The evenly marbled pork was formed into patties, sizzling in the frying pan, emitting a tantalizing aroma. He busied himself with seasoning and cutting vegetables,pletely unaware that the stic bag tucked into his pants pocket trembled slightly.

    ck, sticky roots quietly emerged from it.

 Chapter 293

    Chapter 293

    After being abroad for a few days, Jian Jing was already utterly sick of Western food. But when Jiang BaiYan brought over freshly made mini hamburgers and asked if she wanted to try them, she still couldn''t resist the temptation.

    "Is it tasty? This will be our lunch tomorrow, I''ve also prepared sandwiches and seaweed rice balls." Jiang BaiYan''s ttery skills were first-ss.

    While eating, Jian Jing nodded: "What were you saying you discovered just now?"

    "I don''t know, it''s something very strange." He fished out a stainless steel chopsticks case from his pocket.

    Jian Jing took it and examined it closely under the deskmp.

    Jiang BaiYan pulled over a chair for her to sit on, while he sat at the edge of the bed and said, "Be careful, this thing is very weird, it''s alive."

    When Jian Jing opened the lid, she only saw a dried tree branch and couldn''t help but feel puzzled: "This is alive?"

    "Yes." Jiang BaiYan said, "I put it in a stic bag before, but it crawled out by itself."

    There was a difference between courting death intentionally and stumbling into harm''s way unintentionally. How could he have stuffed such an uncanny root into his pocket without any vignce?

    As soon as it poked its head out, he grabbed and flung it onto the chopping block.

    Jian Jing was very curious. She speared it with a knife to examine it closely: "There are no visible peculiarities externally, it looks no different from a withered branch."

    "Could it be something like cordyceps or a parasitic fungus?" Jiang BaiYan guessed, "Or maybe it''s just a bug in disguise, they do pretend to be nts too."

    Jian Jing nodded slightly, lighting up a windproof lighter. The tall mes slowly crept towards the root.

    Just before it was about to reach, the root suddenly sprang to life, as if awakening from hibernation. It tore itself apart fleeing, leaving only the portion speared by the knife behind.

    "My, it sure runs fast." Jian Jingughed softly, lost in thought, "It seems that it fears fire."

    Jiang BaiYan''s reasoning skills weren''t great, but his mind was quick: "Arson?"

    Jian Jing nodded: "Qi Tian was a master of metaphysics, if he did set the fire, he must''ve had a reason. But this is either fauna or flora, it has little to do with ult arts right?"

    She had encountered several special missions in the past. Often, the line between supernatural or coincidence depended on just a flick of thought.

    The seven stars sealing the coffin was murder. No one could im Qi Tian had truly attained immortality. Xie Wei''s ritual to borrow luck seemed the most mystical. Yet it was likely that he was simply experiencing a stretch of bad luck, even he himself harbored doubts, which led him tomit suicide as atonement?.

    In the case of the cursed Winter Castle, she even obtained the ring carrying the Sal family curse. However, she understood the circumstances surrounding Mnie''s death perfectly clearly, it had absolutely nothing to do with the ult, she did not die due to the curse.

    What about this time?

    "Could it be Gu poison?" Jiang BaiYan''s imagination ran wild. "It''s a kind of cordyceps that can infect people."

    Jian Jing was uncertain: "Maybe?"

    Neither of them were knowledgeable about this field. They stared nkly at each other for quite a while, fruitless.

    "Let it go, we should rest early." Jian Jing gave up pondering about the essence of the universe. The bait had already been cast out, whether they could catch any fish depended solely on their luck now.

    After putting on her clothes properly and tucking a gun under her pillow and a dagger around her thigh, she even changed into her indoor sneakers. Of course, these were newly bought. With clean soles, otherwise even if foreigners don''t mind, she would still feel ufortable herself.

    Lights off, time to sleep.

    The sound of rain poured ceaselessly outside the window.

    In the dark, Jian Jing heard the shallow breathing beside her, it sounded a little like pudding. He really enjoyed cat naps on herp during the hottest hours of the afternoon.

    He was kind of cute.

    She couldn''t help asking: "Scared?"

    "I''m good." His voice waszy too, the ends of his words dangling up, reminding her of a cat''s tail, "I used to be very afraid of the dark when I was young, not so much now."

    Jian Jing said: "So the haunted house was just for show?"

    "Of course not. Putting on a front is deceptive, I didn''t lie to anyone." Jiang BaiYan defended his professional ethics, "I only exaggerated things a little, amplified some life details."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    "Jingjing, why did you want toe here?" It was his turn to ask questions. "Do you want to avenge Xie Wei?"

    "You seem rather concerned about him."

    "I''m jealous of him. Even though you''ve only met once, you remembered him for so long."

    Jian Jingughed: "That''s not it, I..." She hesitated for a moment and sighed, "I can hardly remember what he looks like anymore."

    The dazzle and stir Xie Wei left her would be permanently etched in her heart forever.

    She would unlikely forget the various traces left in the hot spring resort, yet his visage has gradually faded from her memories over time.

    "He was like the starry sky I saw out at sea. I''ll always remember how it made me feel, but slowly I forgot what the stars actually looked like."

    Jiang BaiYan asked: "Does this count as love?"

    Jian Jing asked back: "What is love anyway?"

    He said:

    "Don''t know."

    "Me neither."

    "You wrote about it before."

    "That was fictional." Jian Jing admitted candidly, "The love portrayed in stories is but one of hundreds and thousands of guesses. It could be like this, or maybe not."

    "Would you recognize it if you encountered it?"

    She felt uncertain: "Hard to say. If it were that effortless, there wouldn''t be so many missed connections and regrets."

    "You have a point."

    The room fell silent.

    After a while, Jiang BaiYan flipped over and asked her: "Jingjing, what''s your type?"

    Jian Jing was stumped. She hemmed and hawed for a long time before answering: "Maybe... good-looking?"

    s, something as abstract as love was like a misty fog, splendid and ever-changing. People desire for what they see others possess too, yet no one knows what''s inside their own mystery box.

    The contents varied for everyone.

    It may contain roses, it may have monsters.

    Everyone had their own criteria, some picked whoever showed up at their door, some chose the ones with the shiest halos, some opted for whoever was most suitable.

    She didn''t have any particr preference for now. If she had to pick something, she wished for better looks.

    "PhewˇŞ" An exaggerated exhale sounded beside her.

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "I was a little nervous just now, thankfully I passed." He patted his chest, wearing the expression of having narrowly escaped doom.

    Jian Jing was speechless.

    "Really, even more nerve-wracking than my first audition." Jiang BaiYan knew his limits well, he didn''t stubbornly pry deeper. Instead, he moved on to sell himself: "Does Teacher Jingjing think I''m good-looking?"

    She couldn''t bring herself to lie.

    Matter-of-factly, she said: "Not bad."

    Jiang BaiYan said: "I have other merits too."

    "You can shovel shit?"

    "No no, I have one merit no one else has. You haven''t discovered it yet." He promoted himself earnestly as if in a job interview.

    Jian Jing grew curious instantly: "What is it?"

    "I don''t have to take any responsibility!"

    She was baffled: "???"

    "No need for responsibility, no strings attached, no burden." He snuggled up to her pillow and whispered as if letting out a secret, "Some people can get very serious. If you sleep with them, they expect a rtionship. Being in a rtionship leads to considerations about marriage, marriage leads to thoughts about family... But I don''t have such headaches. Anything goes, super carefree."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help asking: "Is this something you should feel proud about?"

    "I''m not saying I''m great this way, but it certainly is my advantage." Jiang BaiYan argued eloquently as if he was making perfect sense: "My name Jiang Xian literally trantes to ''river water''. Water takes the shape of whatever vessel it fills, however I wish to be, so I can be. How wonderful~"

    Jian Jing: "......"

    Weren''t those not your original interpretations for your name?

    "What do you think?" He asked.

    Jian Jing said: "Keep digging for other merits of yours."

    He sulked with bitterness: "I''m all out already. I do have lots of demerits though: young in age, no money, not smart, chaotic work environment, annoying scandals... Other than decent cooking skills, able to shovel shit, can grow nts, act, paint and sculpt a little, take photos a bit, and somehow still make money, there''s little else I excel in."

    "You left out one thing."

    "What is it?"

    Jian Jing gritted her teeth: "Full of it."

    "......" Discretion is the better part of valour. Jiang BaiYan backed down at once. He faked an exaggerated yawn sloppily and acted drowsily: "I''m sleepy now, I''ll nap first, it''s your turn to talkter ''kay?"

    Given they were in a special instance, Jian Jing was toozy to nitpick with him. She went straight to business: "Still better if I keep watch the second half of the night."

    He didn''t insist: "Sure, you sleep first then."

    Jian Jing turned her back, trying hard to fall asleep.

    But sleep evaded her.

    She couldn''t rest easy with someone staring at her, it was pure instinct.

    Jiang BaiYan noticed: "I''ll sleep first."

    "It''s rare for me to get to sleep beside Jingjing, I ought to cherish this properly."

    Jiang BaiYan rolled over and obediently buried himself in the pillow, falling asleep in less than a moment.

    Jian Jing was afraid of falling asleep and didn''t dare close her eyes, lying in bed spacing out. After a while, too bored, she turned her head to size up the human-sized pudding next to her.

    He was only 21 years old this year, still retaining the soft and gentle contours of a teenager, especially since he recently stopped dieting and had put on a little weight in his face, making him look even younger than before.

    So obedient, so young, so pitiful.

    But that was only superficial. When it came to understanding human affairs, he was more seasoned than most people older than him.

    asionally, Jian Jing would also wonder, which side was the real him? Was it the scheming viin, the secretly cunning green tea, the pretentiously pitiful white lotus, or the sincere and enthusiastic innocent?

    Now it seemed that perhaps all were true, and perhaps none were.

    These were all him, the color of water.

    In the midst of her wandering thoughts, something shed across her vision.

    Jian Jing immediately discarded all other thoughts and focused all her attention on the anomaly in the room.

    It was a shadow.

    She had deliberately left a nightlight on, and the light revealed the fleeting shadow of someone passing by outside the door.

    Who was lurking outside?

    She softened her breathing, covered Jiang BaiYanˇŻs mouth, and woke him up. His courage was also great, he pointed to her, signaling her to hide in the corner.

    Jian Jing nodded slightly and nimbly got out of bed.

    Jiang BaiYan hugged her pillow and stuffed it under the quilt, pulling the nkets tight over it. At a cursory nce, it looked like there was someone lying there.

    Jian Jing hid inside the wardrobe and waited patiently.

    The shadow outside was extremely careful, remainingpletely motionless out there for a full dozen minutes without moving an inch.

    But the people inside were even more patient than him.

    Finally, the other party couldnˇŻt hold still any longer. He gently pushed the door open and slowly walked in.

    The weak nightlight illuminated his face.

    It was Old Frank.

    He looked nothing like the old decrepit man from before. Gripping an axe in his hand, he squinted at the person on the bed, then raised his arm and swung down forcefully.

    At almost the same time, Jiang BaiYan nimbly rolled out from under the bed, while Jian Jing pushed open the wardrobe door. Her bodyˇŻs agility was fully utilized, like a hunting lioness pouncing onto Old FrankˇŻs back.

    Bang!

    The two heavily copsed onto the bed.

    "Ah - Ah -" Old Frank let out a bizarre shrieking sound.

    Jian Jing forcibly suppressed his struggles and questioned, "What are you trying to do?"

    Old Frank twisted his head back. His muddy eyes could barely see the pupils. Although he was very old, his struggles were getting bigger and more difficult to restrain.

    Jian Jing said: "Get some rope."

    Jiang BaiYan immediately went to the suitcase to find some rope. His preparations in Yellow Twilight Town had been extremely meticulous. Although there were no tall mountains in the woods, he still bought some outdoor mountaineering rope, very sturdy stuff.

    Jian Jing took the rope and was about to tie Old FrankˇŻs hands. But he suddenly jerked his head back, not the normal 90 or 120 degrees, but a full 180 degree twist.

    The head that was pressed under him twisted and snapped back to face the opposite direction, ring straight at them.

    Jian Jing held back her astonishment, her strength undiminished.

    Old Frank grinned eerily and opened his mouth to bite her wrist.

    "Damn!" Jian Jing swore and grabbed a pillow. But before she could press it over him, Old Frank was suddenly possessed with great strength, flipping her over.

    Hunching his back, he snatched up the axe and smashed it down heavily.

    ng! The axe cleaved into the bed frame, breaking the wood. The whole bed instantly copsed.

    The room was too small, easy to identally injure someone in a fight.

    Without much hesitation, Jian Jing dragged Jiang BaiYan along, "Run!"

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294

    On a rain-drenched night, an eerie old farm. A crazed, brutal man wielding an axe chases the guests seeking shelter.

    It''s a typical horror movie scene, the atmosphere right on point. But unlike the panicked protagonist, Jian Jing is remarkablyposed.

    The mission outline already hints at the case from years ago - the deaths of five teenagers rted to this farm. However, Reid''s investigation shows Frank has an alibi.

    Even if the boys didn''t die the night they went missing, with Frank away from the farm, how did he abduct and confine them? Little Frank was under 10 back then.

    Unless they sneaked onto the farm themselves, got trapped somewhere, and were brutally murdered days after they went missing. But that would raise questions.

    The 1992 autopsy reports state the boys died either the night they disappeared, or at dawn at thetest.

    Yet Frank only returned to his farm around noon.

    There are clearly strange things about this case.

    Jian Jing dodges Old Frank''s axe with a backward kick - considering America''s security situation, she upgraded her fighting skills beforeing here.

    Her fighting skill card is now Advanced level.

    [Name: Advanced Fighting Skill Card]

    [Description: Your fighting technique is very skilled, enough to take on thugs alone]

    [Note: Fists win fights!]

    This is her first Advanced card, upgraded using 25 hard-earned courage points.

    Worth it.

    Without the Advanced fighting card''s skills, she can''t handle the berserk Old Frank despite her strength and agility.

    ng! Her makeshift iron shovel and his axe collide, both deforming.

    Jiang Baiyan raises his gun, tries to aim but lowers it again. He''s only learned shooting for a month or two, his only realbat experience was shooting birds in the woods yesterday. His poor aim means shooting is too risky.

    "Ah!" Old Frank growls hoarsely like a beast, axe-wielding arms bulging, face purple, resembling a boiled lobster.

    This degree ofbat consumes huge strength.

    Jian Jing wants to conserve her energy, not going all out, just blocking and retreating, slowly luring him toward the dining room. She uses tables and chairs as cover, waiting for an opportunity.

    "Why attack us?" she probes.

    Old Frank roars and charges, axe swinging.

    Jian Jing kicks a chair at his legs to trip him. "Who are you?"

    Old Frank justughs cruelly.

    Just then, hurried footsteps sound from the other end of the corridor.

    Jiang Baiyan quickly hides around the corner.

    "Stop!" Little Frank runs over in his pajamas, distraught. "What are you doing, let go!"

    He tackles Old Frank from behind, hugging him tightly. Jian Jing seizes the chance to grab the axe and tie his limbs with rope to immobilize him.

    Knowing he can''t resist, Old Frank stops struggling after a while, copsed limply on the floor, panting heavily.

    Little Frank helps him up, apologizing profusely, "Sorry, my father had another episode. Did he hurt you?"

    Jian Jing looks shaken. "What happened to your father? He attacked us on sight, is he crazy?"

    "My father has paranoid schizophrenia. He often hallucinates he''s being chased." Little Frank sighs. "I''ll lock him in his room, absolutely won''t let him out again."

    Jian Jing reasonably doubts, "He seemed fine before, why did he suddenly have an episode?"

    "Maybe seeing strangers triggered him," Little Frank says matter-of-factly. "He doesn''t like strangers. It scares him."

    Hardly convincing without proof, but she can''t refute it either.

    "Curse this rain," Jian Jing pretends to believe him and helps lift Old Frank. "Let me help you."

    "Thanks," Little Frank rxes visibly and releases one hand to lift a trapdoor under the kitchen. "The basement here should restrain him safely until he recovers."

    "Isn''t it too unpleasant?" Jian Jing feigns concern and signals Jiang Baiyan with her eyes as she descends.

    He understands and holds his position.

    The dingy basement''s dim light reveals a small, sparse room.

    It does look like a normal basement, with electrical wiring, piping, a soft mattress, and iron rings on the walls.

    Little Frank drags his father onto the mattress and fumbles with the rope knots. But Jian Jing tied an unbreakable special knot. After struggling unsessfully for a while, he asks embarrassedly, "Jian, could you..."

    "Of course." She deftly undoes the knots, subtly activating her X-ray sses as her hand brushes his face in passing.

    No hidden mechanisms or passages, just an ordinary basement.

    She frowns inwardly but stays expressionless, asking "With your father so sick, do you n to..."

    Before she finishes, things take an unexpected turn.

    She was just wary of Little Frank''s sneak attack, but the floor moved instead.

    The uneven earth under their feet suddenly scatters, clouds of dust rising as the floor swiftly liquefies outward like melting oil.

    Prepared for anything, who could expect the inspected floor to be abnormal?

    Jian Jing nks for a second, about to fall into the sinkhole. But she is open cheat after all. At thest moment she activates White Kitten State, springs up, rebounds off the wall onto Old Frank''s mattress.

    Though her response is nearly instant, the entire basement floor continues sinking.

    The jolting mattress descends rapidly until Jian Jing finally sees what the floor actually is.

    No wonder the X-ray sses found nothing odd. The basement floor is a several-feet thick pad woven entirely from those strange ck tendrils.

    Unless she suddenly bes a gecko to climb the ceiling, escape topside is impossible. But do the tendril traps only fill this basement? Might the entire farm''s floor be dominated by the weird root system?

    Thoughts shing meteor-quick through her mind, Jian Jing decides to wait and see.

    She stops running.

    The tendril "elevator" soon halts, revealing the true underground chamber.

    "My father''s condition is very serious," Little Frank doesn''t flip his face, still exining earnestly to his guest. "He''s too strong when sick. I can only restrain him deeper down."

    Not pretending ignorance, Jian Jing is happy to keep up the act: "What is this ce?"

    Little Frank: "Secret space."

    It resembles an underground roomposed entirely of thick tree roots, walls, ceiling and floors dense with dark tendrils.

    Jian Jing has seen the curtain-like aerial roots ofrge banyan trees. But thiswork dwarfs those, motionlessly root-like yet forebodingly snakelike when active.

    "What nt do these roots belong to?" She cuts to the chase.

    Little Frank: "Giant tree."

    "I didn''t see any big trees on the farm." She ys confused.

    Little Frank just smiles silently. He drags Old Frank over and flings him in a corner. The active wall-roots swiftly bind the old man against the wall, his earlier anguished expression now serene.

    This, Jian Jing notes uneasily, reminds her of the dead boys.

    "I''ve answered many questions," Little Frank says. "How about you answer some of mine?"

    Jian Jingughs. "I like fair trades. Go ahead."

    Little Frank: "Why did youe to Twilight Town?"

    Jian Jing: "Tourism."

    Little Frank states slowly, "Tourists don''t normally ask about 30-year-old cases."

    "Feel free to ask." Jian Jing countered, "If I remember correctly, this was a sensational major case at that time. What''s wrong with me making some inquiries?"

    "Nothing wrong, but no meaning." Little Frank''s tone was subtle, with imperceptible mockery, "That was a long time ago."

    "Maybe so." Jian Jing was worried that she wouldn''t be able to get him to talk after offending him, so she hurried to interrogate him, "But indeed, investigating cases is the police''s job. What I''m curious about is another matter."

    Little Frank asked: "What matter?"

    "Have you seen a man," she asked, "who calls himself Qi Tian, meaning sky or god?"

    Little Frank changed color abruptly: "Is it him? Are you his aplice?"

    "Enemy." Jian Jing denied immediately, "Have you seen him?"

    "He''s already dead." Little Frank said coldly, "sphemers must die without a doubt."

    "sphemy?" Jian Jing felt averse inside.

    Compared to violent murderers, those who engage in sinister cults are even more inhumane.

    Little Frank looked at her and said calmly, "You have seen the servant of God. Now there are two choices: ept the grace and be a servant of God, or be amb offered to God."

    Jian Jing smiled, "What if I choose neither?"

    "Sorry." He apologized insincerely, and picked up the knife on the workbench.

    The de was stained with blood stains, having ughtered countless animals. One could still vaguely smell a bloody odor. He swung the knife and hacked at Jian Jing head-on.

    At the same time, the ubiquitous roots writhed and shoved, throwing her towards the enemy.

    Jian Jing took out her prepared gun and shot Little Frank directly. With her aim assist card, the bullet urately hit the femoral artery in his thigh.

    The bright red blood gushed out abruptly, like a fountain.

    However, the next moment, a root as thick as a finger drilled into the wound, blocking the damaged blood vessel. In just the blink of an eye, the blood spray visibly diminished, and actually stopped in less than five seconds.

    What is this stuff?

    Jiang BaiYan waited for fifteen minutes on the ground, but still did not see Jian Jing and Little Franke down. He tried to pull up on the underground room''s trap door, but it did not budge at all, as if it had fused with the ground.

    He hesitated no longer, and immediately ran to Old William''s room.

    "Bang bang bang." He pounded on the door.

    The snoring inside stopped. Ten secondster, an angry Old William opened the door and burst out cursing, "F*ck! Don''t you dare disturb me again! Otherwise I''ll throw you into the woods to feed the wolves!"

    Jiang BaiYan: "Something happened. Little Frank has abducted mypanion."

    Old William frowned, doubting his ears: "What?"

 Chapter 295

    Chapter 295

    Of course Jiang BaiYan would not tell Old William the truth, only saying that Old Frank had gone mad and Little Frank and Jian Jing had gone down to the basement and note back.

    Old William was skeptical but went with him to knock on the basement door: "Is anyone inside?"

    No one answered.

    He tried to pull on the iron ring on the door again but still could not move it.

    Old William''s expression became grave: "Let''s go out and take a look, maybe there''s another entrance down below."

    Jiang BaiYan looked at the heavy rainstorm outside and nodded: "I''ll go get rain gear."

    He went back to his room, put on the bulletproof vest he had bought in New York, concealed it under his coat, and did not forget to put a lighter in his pocket.

    The rain outside was extremely heavy, and the bean-sized raindrops hitting his body were very painful.

    Jiang BaiYan shone his shlight around erratically: "Where could the exit be?"

    "It should be on the farm, the basement usually has an indoor and outdoor entrance and exit." Old William was very experienced and led the way, "But I don''t think Little Frank kidnapped yourpanion, he has no reason to do that."

    How could Jiang BaiYan reveal the truth, he hinted ambiguously: "She''s very pretty."

    Old William paused for a beat but still shook his head: "Little Frank is a good kid. He used to live with his mother somewhere else, but came here specially to take care of Old Frank because he was sick. Although he is reclusive, he would not do anything bad."

    Jiang BaiYan asked: "Are you very familiar with him?"

    "We asionally run into each other in the woods," Old William opened up. "He is very familiar with the forest and knows a lot of small paths."

    Jiang BaiYan made an "Oh" sound, seemingly convinced, and probed further: "What''s going on with Old Frank''s illness? He wanted to kill people all of a sudden, it really scared me."

    Old William shot him a look of contempt: "I don''t know, I heard from Little Frank that he would asionally go mad, so he could only be locked up at home. But he is already very old, just an old man..."

    The sound of rain roared loudly.

    The two gradually stopped talking, standing tens of meters apart, each looking around in different directions.

    The beams from their shlights intersected and separated in the darkness. From afar, Jiang BaiYan could hear Old William shouting Little Frank''s name loudly. The coarse voice echoed intermittently, like a broken radio.

    Jiang BaiYan had to keep looking back to make sure Old William was not far away.

    He sucked in a breath of cold air and felt a profound chill.

    Compared to the borate haunted house scenes and cameras ready to capture every moment, everything here was so simple and even filthy, yet the sense of horror created was not something that artificial design couldpare with.

    He even felt that the wind blowing on his cheeks carried a faint smell of blood.

    What kind of strange ce was this?

    Where was Jian Jing?

    The sheep was bleating?? Jiang BaiYan turned his head and saw the pure white sheep again.

    Somehow it had run out of the sheep pen. It stood silently at the street corner, seeming to want to lead him somewhere.

    Should he follow it? Was it safe?

    Just as he hesitated, Old William''s cursing could be heard from behind: "Damn it, nowhere to be found, could they have gone into the woods?"

    Jiang BaiYan turned absentmindedly: "Then what do we do?"

    Old William''s face was grave: "Let''s search again tomorrow after daybreak, it''s too dangerous to go into the woods now that it''s dark. We should head back. Maybe they will show up themselves after a while."

    "But..." Jiang BaiYan nced at the corner. How strange, the sheep had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    He casually and hesitantly asked: "We really can''t go into the woods? We have guns, what is there to fear even if it''s a bear?"

    "You can go by yourself if you want, but I absolutely won''t go in," Old William said. Then feeling he was being too cold, he reluctantly exined further, "There are things scarier than wild beasts in those woods."

    Jiang BaiYan asked in feigned ignorance: "How do you know? Reid didn''t tell us that."

    Unexpectedly, Old William actually answered him, the reply quite specific: "They won''t reveal their true appearance to you. What you see..." He stared into Jiang BaiYan''s eyes. "Is a sheep."

    Jiang BaiYan was stunned and looked towards the sheep pen: "That kind of sheep?"

    "No, it''s special," Old William said in a low voice. "It bewitches people who enter the forest. If people follow it, they will unknowingly walk deeper into the mountain and never find their way out again."

    "Why?"

    "It''s a demon incarnate," Old William said. "That''s how Carrie was bewitched and entered the woods."

    Jiang BaiYan scratched his head, pretending to be slow-witted: "How do you know? Reid didn''t tell us that."

    "Reid is a cop, he doesn''t want to believe in evil spirits," Old William said coldly. "He has been obsessed with finding the murderer, but I have seen it with my own eyes. If it weren''t for Little Frank calling out to wake me up, I would have definitely been bewitched and lost my mind, never able to leave the woods again."

    In horror movies, there would always be NPCs firmly warning the protagonist not to do something, but in order to keep filming, the screenwriter would always make someone from the protagonist team recklessly charge ahead.

    Of course Jiang BaiYan was not treating this like an exploitation film, he just didn''t want to lose Old William as a panion" in this unclear situation. So he pretended to be persuaded: "Then let''s head back first."

    Old William breathed a sigh of relief. The two went back to the farmhouse.

    The house was still empty.

    Jiang BaiYan tried pulling the movable door panel again but still could not budge it.

    He was reluctant: "Being away for so long, something must have happened. If we don''t go into the woods, at least we can search around the house right?"

    Old William could not dissuade him and suggested: "Let''s split up and search, I''ll go upstairs to take a look."

    "Ok."

    "Be careful. If you see anything, yell loudly." Old William reminded him.

    "Ok!"

    The two split up to act separately.

    Jiang BaiYan first wandered around aimlessly in the hall. Only when he heard footsteps overhead did he quietly slip out the back door to the sheep pen.

    He narrowed the shlight beam and slowly walked into the sheep pen.

    In the darkness, countless glowing eyes watched him silently.

    Jiang BaiYan felt a strange atmosphere, both the eerie feeling of being stared at by the sheep as well as an inexplicable mood conveyed through the stillness that tugged at his heartstrings.

    His heart felt heavy, constantly sinking.

    He gently sucked in a breath, trying his best to ignore the strange sensation as he slowly walked to the innermost pen and lightly kicked away the hay covering it.

    The edge of a movable floor panel was revealed.

    Jiang BaiYan crouched down, hidingpletely among the sheep as he thought silently.

    Although he did not participate in filming the haunted house show this time, when he stayed at Robert''s farm, he had read through the movie script which contained many detailed setting drawings.

    And Frank''s farm was the prototype for the main scene.

    He remembered the script mentioning a basement exit that was in the innermost part of the sheep pen.

    Unexpectedly there really was an entrance here.

    Jiang BaiYan hesitated briefly before lightly lifting the iron ring and propping the door panel open a little with hay to support its weight.

    After he finished doing this, he did not go down but quietly retreated back out.

    In the darkness, the whitemb silently watched him.

    Jian Jing was surrounded by countless roots underground.

    Both fire and guns could injure Little Frank and the roots but were unable to inflict fatal damage.

    When Little Frank was shot, the roots would dig out the bullet fragments and repair his damaged blood vessels and muscles. It wasparable to top-notch medical care.

    And while the roots feared fire, she did not have any fuel. The lighter''s me was just a drop in the bucket,pletely unable to withstand the roots'' harassment.

    In desperation, she could only try drawing a card.

    [Card draw in progress (special instance, consumption x2)]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Item Card - Appraisal (Special)]

    [Content Description: Can appraise special instance creatures or items, uracy is higher but does not guaranteepleteness of information. Users please consider carefully.]

    [Note: Small chance of failure]

    At this time, who cared about sess or failure. Jian Jing immediately used it.

    Luckily the result came out:

    [Name: Giant Tree Roots (Partial)]

    [Appraisal content: This is the root of what locals call the giant tree, with great vitality. The *** of animals is its best nutrient, with extremely high regenerative ability, cannot bepletely identified as ****, afraid of fire, can cause ***** to the human body, currently unable to determine......]

    [Note: Has extremely high research value, can be further exploredˇŞ]

    Jian Jing: ???

    How to further explore? Being tied over there?

    She hesitated for a moment, and boldly said, "Okay, I admit defeat. I am willing to be a servant of God."

    Across the thick root wall, Little Frank asked, "Really?"

    She said, "Of course."

    He: "Then cut off a section of root."

    Jian Jing pulled out a dagger and cut off a section of root. The root fell into her palm, writhing, at first nce it looked like a fat centipede.

    Little Frank said, "Eat it."

    Jian Jing told a calm lie: "It''s too big."

    Little Frank: "You must eat it, otherwise you won''t be able to enter the world of God."

    Jian Jing: "I don''t understand."

    Little Frank: "This is the grace of God."

    Jian Jing: Speak human words!

    Little Frank didn''t hear her belly cursing, and emphasized, "Eat it, otherwise..." He gave a coldugh, the threat implicit.

    Eating is impossible, system? Come out and say something.

    [System: The limited pool has been opened]

    It''s about time.

    Hurry up and draw a card.

    [Limited card draw in progress]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Limited Card - Borrow Sight]

    [Content Description: Select one person and borrow their perspective to see the sights you cannot see. Basic daily time is 30 minutes, consume 1 point of courage to extend by 3 minutes, consume 5 special value points, can be projected on sci-fi sses. For mission use only.]

    [Note: Warning! The host must use this card with caution, no abuse, don''t say unforeseen words]

    Wow.

    The ninja school''s arsenal is not enough, directly to the next ninja vige. But what does thest note mean? Would she use it to peep at men bathing?

    While ridiculing, Jian Jing happily put it to use.

    After selecting him as the person to borrow sight from, her vision suddenly turned and changed, showing the world that Little Frank saw.

    On the dark roots, there was ayer of hazy red light lingering, extending far into the depths of the forest.

    She pretended to swallow the roots, actually throwing them into her storage space, swallowing emptily twice: "Cough, I ate it."

    Little Frank asked, "What did you see?"

    "Light," Jian Jing''s expression became surprised and fanatical, as her acting skills opened up. "God''s light!"

    Little Frank smiled in satisfaction: "Follow me."

    The roots dispersed, and the red lines became t. He slowly walked along a red ribbon of light towards the bizarre world in the forest.

    Jian Jing consumed 5x2 special value points to open projection mode, and touched the pearls in her hair.

    Recently it has be popr to braid pearl chains together with hair. She could not be an exception either. Long freshwater pearls were entwined in her hair, usually gentle and beautiful, and now could also serve as markers along the way.

    She pulled off a handful, throwing one every few sections of the road.

    The spherical pearls were wedged into the cracks of the roots, unnoticed by anyone.

 Chapter 296

    Chapter 296

    Jiang BaiYan met up with Old William after he finished inspecting.

    Old William asked, ˇ°Did you find them?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan shook his head, his brows furrowed with impatience, ˇ°ItˇŻs been so long, what if somethingˇŻs already happened to them? LetˇŻs go into the woods and take a look.ˇ±

    Old WilliamˇŻs tone was no longer as firm as before: ˇ°If you insist on going, thereˇŻs nothing I can do to stop you, but you have to swear to me that you wonˇŻt take matters into your own hands. When I tell you toe back, you have to return immediately.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan hurriedly said, ˇ°Alright, alright, I agree to everything, letˇŻs get going quickly.ˇ±

    Only then did Old William shoulder his [pack], and cautiously stepped into the woods at night.

    The rain had slowed to a drizzle, pattering onto their raincoats.

    Jiang BaiYan fell back a step, and seemed to ask casually, ˇ°The sheep you mentioned... was it real or could it just be a sheep that wandered away from the farm?ˇ±

    Old William nced at him, ˇ°It wasnˇŻt an ordinary sheep.ˇ±

    ˇ°Reed told me a lot about Kerry,ˇ± Jiang BaiYan said seriously but falsely, ˇ°He said Kerry really hated the forest, did she ever see sheep before?ˇ±

    ˇ°I didnˇŻt hear her talk about it, she just didnˇŻt like the woods.ˇ± Old William sighed, ˇ°Other than being bewitched by an evil spirit, I canˇŻt think of any other possibility that would make her enter the woods after dusk.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan asked, ˇ°Why would an evil spirit lure people in? Does it only lure girls? It seems only females have gone missing.ˇ±

    Old William nced at him, ˇ°You ask a lot of questions, officer?ˇ±

    ˇ°Look at my shooting skills, do I look like one?ˇ± he replied, ˇ°IˇŻm just really worried... Ah!ˇ±

    Old William tensed, his gaze piercing, ˇ°What is it?ˇ±

    ˇ°Th-there...ˇ± Jiang BaiYan swallowed, asking nervously, ˇ°Was that a shadow over there? Is that the sheep you mentioned??ˇ±

    Old William looked over, hidden in the lush bushes was a dark shadow crouching among the grass. Its round beady eyes peeked through the leaves.

    He shouted loudly and the shadow darted away swiftly with a ˇ°whooshˇ±.

    ˇ°It was a badger.ˇ± He said tly.

    Jiang BaiYan smiled awkwardly, ˇ°Well how would I know what kind of sheep you were talking about...ˇ±

    Old William shook his head, using his sickle to cut through branches blocking their way. ˇ°LetˇŻs check the cabin, maybe they took shelter from the rain.ˇ±

    ˇ°Phew...ˇ± Jiang BaiYan wiped the sweat from his brow, panting heavily, ˇ°ThatˇŻs good if thatˇŻs the case.ˇ±

    Old William red at him contemptuously and quickened his pace, ˇ°Hurry up, itˇŻs dangerous to linger in the woods for too long.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan answered with an ˇ°ohˇ±, not telling him that not far behind them, the little whitemb remained, appearing and disappearing against the tree trunk.

    He was rather curious, what exactly was thatmb?

    It seemed Old William either couldnˇŻt see it, or like him, saw it but pretended not to.

    Was it really a siren of the forest, luring passersby astray? If so, why did it appear in the sheep pen on the farm? Was that also considered part of the forestˇŻs domain?

    Also, there was a cabin on RobertˇŻs haunted farm as well...

    ˇ°WeˇŻre here.ˇ± Old William said, pointing to the small cabin in the distance.

    It was old, the wood darkened from time, thick moss and leaves covering it like mold on bread.

    Old William pushed the door open and swept the rainwater off. ˇ°Frank built this cabin, there may be an entrance.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan asked, ˇ°Why did they build a cabin out here? To hunt?ˇ±

    ˇ°Who knows.ˇ± Old William tapped around on the floor, looking for any loose floorboards that may lead underground. When he got to the innermost part of the cabin, his movements slowed.

    Jiang BaiYan shone the shlight over to help. ˇ°Here?ˇ±

    Old William strained his arm and pried open one of the stone tiles. The light revealed a dark gaping hole underneath. He stuck his head in and funnelled his hands to shout, ˇ°Frank?! Jian?! Are you guys down there?!ˇ±

    The echoes replied, with no response.

    Jiang BaiYan asked uneasily, ˇ°WhatˇŻs down there? ItˇŻs so dark.ˇ±

    ˇ°IˇŻll go take a look, you...ˇ± Old William looked him up and down critically, then waved his hand dismissively, ˇ°Just stay here and donˇŻt cause me any trouble.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan shook his head. ˇ°I need to find my friend.ˇ±

    Old William thought for a moment before conceding. ˇ°IˇŻll go down first to check if itˇŻs safe, then call you down after.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan hesitated briefly before agreeing with a nod.

    Old William jumped down the entrance, the darkness instantly swallowing the light. Cold damp air spilled from the hole, faintly smelling of blood.

    Jiang BaiYan turned his head and saw themb again.

    It stood in the corner, nuzzling against the wall, seeming to beckon him over to take a look.

    Jiang BaiYan curiously walked over and carefully scraped off the ck grime covering that area with his dagger. A line of crude carving emerged:

    donˇŻt believe owl.

    run fast.

    ˇ°Were you trying to get me to see this?ˇ± Jiang BaiYan asked themb, ˇ°Who wrote this?ˇ±

    Themb bleated softly, ˇ°Mehhh~~~ˇ±

    It headed towards the exit, seeming to indicate for him to follow.

    At the same time, Old WilliamˇŻs voice echoed from below, ˇ°ItˇŻs safe,e down!ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan shifted the stone b over and covered the hole.

    Themb slowly wandered out.

    He followed after it.

    Of course he knew it was extremely risky to follow such a mystical creature(?), but William wasnˇŻt necessarily much safer either.

    The key to Kerry''s case wasn''t her cause of death, but why she appeared in the woods to begin with.

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t understand investigations, but he believed one thing - the only person who could make a teenage girl go against her will and do something she didn''t want to do was her boyfriend.

    Girls can be silly, thinking that''s what love requires.

    But the reality is theplete opposite - a man who doesn''t care about his girlfriend''s wishes never loved her to begin with. If he insists the girl do these things, itˇŻs either to control her or show off to his friends.

    He had seen too many colleagues proudly boast about their obedient girlfriends while waving around risqu¨¦ photos of them.

    Of course, perhaps William did this just for fun, without considering the consequences, so it didn''t prove he had malicious intentions today.

    But Robert did say when he got lost in the woods as a child, he too saw amb.

    It scared him and his ymates witless, but in the end, nothing happened to them.

    Was themb really a demon?

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t know. So he decided to follow it and find out.

    Jian quietly followed little Frank, taking the stairs built along the tree roots back above ground.

    In his vision, the dark terrifying forest was illuminated in varying shades of red. The light divided up the space, warping everything.

    Clearly, a lurking snake was coiled around a nearby tree trunk, ready to strike. But as she walked past it, the snakeˇŻs keen forked tongue didnˇŻt detect her scent at all,pletely oblivious to her presence.

    And little Frank''s path seemed to have no rhyme or reason. Sometimes a deviation of just inches led to two entirely different spaces.

    If she didn''t have the "Borrow Sight" boon card, simply following him would have definitely gotten her lost.

    But now, seeing that she closely tailed him without falling behind, albeit at a slower pace, little Frank gradually believed she had be hispanion.

    He began to speak more.

    ˇ°I know youˇŻve heard many rumours about these woods.ˇ± He said.

    Jian asked, ˇ°Invaders?ˇ±

    Little Frank let out a coldugh. ˇ°Although youˇŻre not American, you should still know the cruel history that transpired on thisnd.ˇ±

    Jian remarked to herself, thereˇŻs been so much cruelty here, which one are you referring to?

    Little Frank looked up towards the empty distance, his tone ominous. ˇ°Let me think, when did rumours about evil spirits first emerge? A long long time ago? No, thatˇŻs not how it was.

    ˇ°In the 16th century, European colonizers arrived on the other shore of the Antic Ocean. They took a liking to this fertilend and started a greedy campaign of invasion and conquest. Twilight Town is very far from the Antic, so things were rtively peaceful in the early days. Only a handful of explorers dared to venture here, hoping to uncover hidden riches.

    ˇ°At the end of the 17th century, a group of adventurers heard rumours of abundant treasures hidden within these woods. They gathered a team toe and stake their im. However, as their party entered the forest, members started disappearing one by one.

    ˇ°At first, they assumed it was wild beast attacks, and with their firearms, they didnˇŻt think much of it. But one day, as they passed through a stretch of the woods, they suddenly caught sight of something in the distant treetops ˇŞ dozens of meters above ground, the missing bodies were strung up upside down on the tall branches, like ripe fruit ready for harvest.ˇ±

    "People were scared to death, rumors were flying that there were terrible evil spirits hiding in the woods that came to take lives under the cover of darkness. The ambitious were afraid, hesitating on whether to leave. At this time, a survivor escaped back, already mad and unable tomunicate. However, hispanions were surprised to discover that no matter how serious his injuries, even being shot through the belly, he would heal quickly."

    "As you can imagine, once greed takes root, even demons can''t stop the footsteps of mankind. After this, the unpredictable evil spirits in the twilight woods and the magical medicine that can heal serious injuries...all kinds of legends kept emerging."

    He spoke gently and unhurriedly, but his words were poorly hidden mockery.

    [Jian] couldn''t help asking: "Then what?"

    "In the 18th century, the gunshots of Lexington rang out and war broke out. To fight the British, the Continental Army at the time listened to the advice of a descendant of an adventurer and sent a troop of soldiers to the western frontier of the United States to find that magical medicine that could bring the dead back to life.

    "But the locals denied the existence of the magical medicine and imed that their arrival would anger the gods. The general leading the troops was very angry and arrested many locals, torturing them harshly. Finally, under threats and temptation someone told the truth - the secret was hidden in the Twilight Forest, the gods were invincible, only the mes from the sky could make Them sleep."

    Little [Frank] said: "That day, lightning struck the trees in the forest. The soldiers poured gasoline on them, and the mes spread through the entire forest at a terrifying speed. Thick smoke billowed, mes shot to the sky, animals cried out as they fled, trees turned to charcoal. The invaders conquered thisnd with firearms, but they did not know..."

    "This was not the end," he turned his head and stared into [Jian''s] eyes. "Having upied the kingdom of the gods, everyone would be punished, blood debts must be repaid in blood."

    [Jian] understood.

    She asked: "[Kerry] and the five children, as well as the people who cameter, who killed them?"

    "They were thembs offered in sacrifice to the gods," little [Frank] said indifferently. "There is no meaning in you pursuing this question."

    [Jian] said: "Since we have both be servants of the god, there should be no harm in you telling me the truth."

    Little [Frank] said coldly: "The sacrifices were naturallypleted by the servants of the god. When youplete the ritual, you must do the same."

    [Jian]''s heart stirred. She made a difficult choice: "Then...William?"

    Her answer greatly satisfied little [Frank]. He said: "He won''t do."

    "Why?"

    "His soul is no longer pure."

    What on earth is he talking about?? [Jian] pressed her fingers to her temples, forcibly suppressing the irritation in her heart, and asked: "What kind of person..."

    "We''re here," little [Frank] interrupted her question and stopped in front of a cave.

    The entrance to the cave was notrge, allowing at most one person through. A faint, damp wind blew from inside, carrying the smell of soil and vegetation - not an unpleasant smell, but with an indescribable stuffiness.

    Little [Frank] went inside. "Follow me."

    [Jian] threw down the pearl, stepped on it, and followed him in.

    It was a strange, pure white cave, as if made up of countlessrge marble blocks without impurities, with almost no visible seams.

    The passage was tall and narrow - slightly cramped by human standards, and a little too tall.

    [Jian] touched the wall, feeling the unique roughness and coldness of the rock. The texture was so smooth, with no visible tool marks, but such neat nning could not possibly be a natural formation.

    "What is this ce?" she asked.

    Little [Frank] did not speak, but continued walking deeper inside, until they entered an extremely spaciousrge cave. Overhead, a spotless ray of moonlight shone down, illuminating the underground world of darkness.

    "Wee to the white kingdom," he spread his arms. "Offer your loyalty to the god, new bride."

    [Jian] looked up. In front of her stood an impossibly gigantic tree, stretching into the firmament.

    Author''s note: I don''t know American history very well, just borrowed a few major events and made up a story around them. Anyway they like to take this part of history and make up stories themselves =0=

 Chapter 297

    Chapter 297

    In the rainy forest at night, a ghostly sheep led the way ahead, like a messenger from theherworld, beckoning one''s soul towards the gate of hell.

    Jiang BaiYan felt an indescribable fear. It wasn''t because of the creepy forest, nor was it due to the bizarre whitemb, but rather this scene triggered his deepest fear.

    Just as he told Jian Jing, his scaredy cat persona in the haunted house wasn''t all an act. He was genuinely afraid of the dark.

    Ever since he was young, his most dreaded nightmares always involved finding himself in apletely unfamiliar ce, surrounded by no one he knew, not even another person.

    Whether it be an remote dark room, a deserted countryside, or a deste mountain forest.

    No matter how loud he yelled, he could never get any response.

    The psychiatrist said this stemmed from the trauma he suffered during childhood. He feared being abandoned, and craved intimate bonds with others, like a symbiotic organism that needed to find a host.

    "Humans are very strange creatures. The more theyck something, the more they pursue it," Wang Shiji wrote in a letter to him at the time. "You''re timid and cowardly, so you desire her courage and integrity. You''re weak and ipetent, so you admire her resilience and intelligence. You hope to be like her, but know you could never achieve that, so you''re doomed to be a parasite your whole life."

    That man was very smart, but also vicious.

    "Baa~"

    Jiang BaiYan looked up.

    The white sheep led him through the dense woods, onto a narrow path. Before he realized it, the rough outlines of the farm emerged before his eyes once more.

    Somehow he was back here again.

    Had Jian Jing returned? Jiang BaiYan quickened his pace and rushed back into the house, but inside was still quiet without a sign of life.

    He wondered: "Why did you bring me back here?"

    Themb walked up the stairs. Its hooves left no prints on the wooden floorboards.

    Jiang BaiYan followed it into the room at the end of the hallway. Inside was a small bed with a faded Superman carpet on the floor. On the walls were yellowed pages of crude drawings.

    A child''s bedroom.

    The white sheep stopped by a bookshelf on the wall.

    Two fairytale books covered in dust tilted to one side. Jiang BaiYan picked them up and flipped through, unable toprehend the words. He knocked on them instead, searching for hiddenpartments.

    And there was one.

    The back panel of the top shelf was hollow. He pried open the edges with a dagger and removed the panel, taking out a photo album.

    When he opened it, there were old photographs from the previous century.

    He saw what Old Frank looked like when he was young, and a red-haired woman who was probably his wife. Flipping over, their child was born, a chubby little tot with fiery red hair running around the green farm.

    Red hair?

    This should be Little Frank, but he...had ck hair!

    Jiang BaiYan sucked in a breath, feeling a chill rush up his spine as his skull turned cold.

    Could it be...this Little Frank wasn''t the one he''d met before?

    Then who was he?

    "Baa!" Themb suddenly bleated urgently.

    Jiang BaiYan hastily closed the album and returned it to its hiding spot. At almost the same time, loud footsteps and Old William''s furious curses sounded from outside.

    "White, where the hell are you? Get out here, we need to leave right now!"

    There was only one staircase leading downstairs. He would certainly run into them if he went down. And with his physical ability, trying to escape through the window was out of the question.

    Jiang BaiYan had nowhere to hide. He could only crawl under the bed.

    "Bang!" The moment he tucked his legs in, the door was shoved open.

    Old William dripped rainwater, spewing vulgarities: "F**k! I told you not to follow that sheep, why didn''t you listen to me? We can still make it if we leave now. Let''s get out of here and go back to town,e on!"

    His heavy footsteps echoed as rainwater mixed with strange viscous fluids dripped down.

    "White!" He shouted Jiang BaiYan''s English name loudly and flung open the closet violently.

    No one was inside.

    He lifted up the bed frame and peeked underneath.

    Nothing there either.

    With no more ces to hide someone in the room, he could only vent his frustration with curses before leaving.

    The footsteps faded away.

    Under the floor, Jiang BaiYan silently let out a breath. Thank goodness he hadn''t forgotten to work out despite eating moretely, otherwise squeezing an adult man into such a cramped space between floors would have been quite difficult.

    He pushed open the hiddenpartment, andboriously crawled out, not forgetting to take the items hidden inside with him.

    A badge, a map, and an unopened letter.

    The seal on the envelope was still intact.

    Jiang BaiYan opened the letter and struggled toprehend its contents.

    It was a letter Old Frank had written to Little Frank. It read:

    "My dear son, to prevent my sudden death one day before you learn of the secrets carried in our family line, I have decided to write this letter down. If you get to read this, perhaps you will understand many of the things I have done.

    "Let me tell you, our Hansen family originated from distant Ennd. In the early 17th century, our ancestors sailed across the ocean and came to this mystical North American continent, settling down here. A hundred yearster, Frank L. Hansen became a soldier in the Continental Army and participated in the War of Independence under General M''s leadership. He took part in a secret mission - to find a life-saving panacea for the army.

    "Unfortunately, he did not leave a single word behind. Around 1947, my father received orders from the military to go to Dusk Town once more. Our family settled down there since then. But in the summer of 1972, he died on duty after failing his mission.

    "In his will, he asked me to stay here and stand guard over the demon in the woods. My dear boy, remember, there is something terrifying lurking in the Dusk Forest. We must not let it lure people into releasing it. Once the demon awakens, everyone will suffer its vengeance!"

    He held his head, feeling things have be even moreplicated.

    Gigantic Tree, a name that lives up to reality.

    Jian Jing had never seen such colossal trees before. At first nce, it resembled a skyscraper built from tree roots, yet broader and more mysterious than any tower. Compared to this behemoth, ordinaryrge trees were like people next to a Gundam.

    Borrowing Little Frank''s perspective, my god, while nowhere as titanic as the entity looming before her very eyes, the massive tree in his view was no longer just a tree either, closer to the visage of a deity.

    Red gleams flickered atop the boughs, with naturally formed textures seemingly depicting different expressions. The tree was speaking, voicing its own thoughts.

    It was like...a deformed divine icon.

    "Come." Little Frank leapt onto a thick root tendril, allowing the vine-like appendages to coil around him like snakes. "Hearken to the summons of divinity, and heed the will of God."

    Jian Jing feigned an enraptured look: "So this is...God?"

    "From time immemorial to the distant future, it shall forever shelter us." Little Frank beckoned her. "Quick,e over."

    Jian Jing took a step forward, as if just recalling something. She casually asked: "What happened to that arsonist?"

    Little Frank''s face contorted in hatred. "Why are you asking about that bastard? He''s dead! Dead! Those who desecrate divinity must pay the price!"

    Jian Jing said nothing.

    He shot back: "You don''t believe me?"

    She slowly nodded.

    "Why?"

    "Because I suspect you are him, Qi Tian," Jian Jing raised her head to stare him down. "Am I right?"

    Little Frank looked at her in surprise.

    After a while, heughed. The fanaticism faded from his face, morphing into something sinister. The madness lurking in his eyes also receded, reced by haughty condescension from on high.

    "How did I give myself away?"

    "You specifically fabricated your Native American ancestry to exin your ethnicity." Jian Jing said. "I have to admit you were very careful, but the cooking was too delicious."

    Little Frank...or rather, Qi Tian, raised an eyebrow.

    "As far as I know, foreigners don''t cook like this. Sometimes the tongue betrays one''s origin even more easily than ents. Calling yourself Qi Tian, living as long as heaven - surely you wouldn''t deny something so trivial?" Jian Jing asked.

    Qi Tian guffawed. "I see. Don''t getcent though. I''ve known about you for twenty years already."

    Now it was Jian Jing''s turn to raise her brows.

    "You destroyed my Seven Stars Coffin Seal," he said. "Back then when the coffin was buried, I divined about the efficacy of this magic, and didn''t expect it would onlyst twenty years. Twenty years, I spent ten years setting up the Seven Stars Coffin Seal, but it only extended my life twenty years. If you were me, wouldn''t you be curious?"

    Jian Jing reminded: "Twenty years ago, I might not even have been born yet."

    "Of course, I didn''t know your surname and name, only eight characters - Sunshine through the Bamboo Door, Competing Spring Beauty, at the time I didn''t fullyprehend it," he smiled, his eyes cold, "Butst year, when I saw the show you hosted, I finally understood the cause and effect."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, and asked: "Twenty years ago, you already knew the Seven Stars Coffin Seal would fail, so that''s why you came here looking for what they call a god?"

    "You''re very clever, that''s right," Qi Tian said. "Feng shui life extension is after all a temporary measure. To truly achieve immortality, you still have to follow the path walked by the ancients and search for the real elixir of immortality."

    Jian Jing frowned slightly.

    Her questioning was just probing to understand Qi Tian''s attitude. She didn''t expect him to be so polite and share with her his ns. After all, she had foiled his most important scheme.

    However, inwardly vignt, outwardly she didn''t show any surprise, but yed along looking at the giant tree,ughing: "Don''t tell me this is the thing the First Emperor Qin Shihuang was looking for, that''s too clich¨¦d. Who still uses that legend to make up stories nowadays?"

    "I don''t know what immortality elixir the First Emperor was looking for, but ording to records, there is an immortal tree on Quanqiu Mountain that bestows longevity when eaten, which aligns with the legend here."

    When disguised as Little Frank, Qi Tian spoke in an angry and aggressive tone. Shedding that persona, he now took on a different narrative angle: "The natives believe this is a divine tree that can make them immune to des and revive the dead. Indeed it has incredible properties. When I first arrived, my biological age was already over fifty, but look at me now..."

    He stroked his still smooth face and smiled, "Immortality may be wishful thinking, but longevity has never been an ethereal dream."

    Jian Jing asked, "If it''s so wonderful, why did you want to burn down the forest?"

    "Ha, what do you think it is? Just a tree? Without nearly burning it to death, how can you obtain its power?" Qi Tian scornfully mocked. "Only the foolish locals believe the divine cannot be desecrated."

    So arrogant. Could he have killed someone?

    "What happened to Little Frank whose identity you stole?" she asked.

    Qi Tian lowered his gaze, seeming to smirk, "Want to know? I''ve already answered many of your questions. There''s still a long time, no hurry."

    Jian Jing instantly grew wary, "What do you mean?"

    Qi Tian waved his hand. As if onmand, the tree roots writhed towards her, trying to entangle her.

    Jian Jing nimbly dodged, refusing to be trapped.

    "You''ve eaten its fruit, you can''t escape." He waspletely at ease. "Stop resisting. Don''t you want to meet the so-called god?"

    Jian Jing froze, scanning him up and down, "God?"

    "You''re here anyway, go ahead and meet it," the corners of Qi Tian''s lips curled into an inscrutable smile. "Meet something that transcends human imagination, an aloof and undescribable god."

    In that instant, her intuition activated, telling her he was speaking the truth.

    There really was some inexplicable, mystifying existence here.

    Author''s note: Mwah

 Chapter 298

    Chapter 298

    Have you ever seen a god?

    - Yes, I have.

    What is a god like?

    - I don''t know.

    Why have you seen one yet don''t know?

    - Those were all illusions.

    Jian Jing became aware, in a calm and clear manner, that she was experiencing an illusion.

    On the character panel, the status bar clearly indicated: [Severe Illusion].

    This was herst moment of rity, and then, a bizarre scene appeared before her eyesˇŞthe surroundingspletely transformed, and she vanished from a white cave only to reappear in an evenrger white cave.

    It was a cave, yet it resembled an immensely vast room. Being within it felt as if a hamster was living inside a human''s house, with enormous objects pressing in from all sides.

    On the far side of this towering and distant world, the god was there.

    Rationally, Jian Jing realized that it should have been just a peculiar-looking tree, exceptionallyrge in size, resembling the Leshan Giant Buddha. However, what her eyes "saw" was an incredibly lifelike statue of a god.

    A barn owl perched in the palm of the "god''s" hand, astonishingly speaking human words: "You" "Come" "Here."

    The voice stuttered, the order jumbled, as if there was a bug in the brain''s recognition system, unable to urately process the information.

    Curious and perplexed, Jian Jing couldn''t help but walk over and gaze up at it.

    Qi Tian appeared and said, "This undoubtedly is a miracle, right?"

    "I don''t know," she said, "Is it something that actually exists or just what I see?"

    "What you see is what''s real," he smiled and presented a highly tempting bait, "Since you''re lucky enough to find it, it proves that you have the qualifications for immortality."

    Jian Jing chuckled and regained some rity, saying, "There''s no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

    "Fate ys a role in matters of immortality." He seemed to know that she wouldn''t believe him, so Qi Tian changed his tone and coldly added, "Moreover, these are merely the perceived benefits people think it has."

    He didn''t mind revealing the cruelest part at this moment, "nts naturally have much longer lifespans than humans. They don''t intend to bestow us with their benefits, it''s like humans injecting drugs intob rats. It may help them ovee diseases, but it''s never a benevolent gift."

    "-Bestow grace."

    In this scene that seemed both real and illusory, the voice echoed as if passing through dense forests, as if it resounded directly in her mind, surrounding her in 360 degrees.

    Jian Jing shook her head, attempting to be more clear-headed, but Qi Tian sneered at her, "It''s toote now."

    "Whether you''re willing to ept it or not, you are already its prey." He smiled and reached out his hand, "Come, be a servant of the god."

    Everything spun around her.

    Jian Jing found herself instantly transported to the base of the tree, like a lowly ant, crawling beneath the towering statue of the god.

    At the same time, a system notification popped up.

    [System: ********]

    She didn''t catch the content, as the message disappeared.

    Then, she had a brief moment of rity and seized the opportunity to ask, "After bing its servant, what will happen? Will I have to kill people?"

    Qi Tian''s eyes shed with impatience, but he restrained himself. Thinking that Jian Jing wouldn''t notice, he continued to pretend to be kind, "Why would you say that?"

    "Every ten years, someone dies here," she said, "Who kills them?"

    Qi Tian replied, "Whoever kills them doesn''t matter."

    "What does God want servants for?"

    "Don''t you think you have too many questions?"

    "I don''t think so," Jian Jing replied calmly. "The questions I ask are very reasonable. Since you have already obtained the lifespan you desired, yet you have not left this ce and instead assumed the identity of Little Frank, there must be a reason why you have to do so."

    She asked, "Are you unable to leave this ce?"

    Qi Tian''s expression suddenly changed.

    "I guessed it right."

    People like Qi Tian, to put it nicely, were ambitious, but to put it bluntly, they were perverted, enjoying manipting human nature. If immortality was so great, would he make her consume the tree roots?

    Impossible.

    He would definitely consume them himself, then set the entire forest aze, forever guarding the secret for himself.

    "I don''t think you need to recruit me. You have been unable to leave this ce for ten years, so it must be because God is fond of your service and unwilling to let you go," she mocked, "Changing personnel at thest minute, be careful not to anger the gods and bring punishment upon yourself."

    Qi Tian''s smile vanished.

    He stared at her face and sneered, "Do you think you''re very clever?"

    Without waiting for her answer, he continued, "To tell you the truth, you have no way back. Previously, the roots you consumed contained a special substance that can prolong lifespan and cure diseases, but at the same time, it is highly addictive."

    Jian Jing felt a chill run down her spine.

    "Once any creature consumes this substance, be it a human or an animal, they will form a symbiotic rtionship with it. It is a tree and cannot move to hunt, so the symbiotic organism needs to constantly find food and bring it to the tree, enabling it to prey. As a reward, the symbiotic organism can absorb nutrients from the roots."

    Qi Tian said, "Don''t be too agitated. I''m not exaggerating when I call it an elixir of immortality. Have you seen Old Frank? He was already dead."

    Jian Jing was astonished, "Dead?"

    "His father and son tried to stop me and I killed them," Qi Tian casually mentioned, not caring about the loss of life, "Little Frank died on the spot, but Old Frank still had a breath left. After I found this giant tree, I fed him a mouthful, and his injuries immediately improvedˇŞhe was almost pierced through the heart by me, yet he miraculously recovered... Huh."

    Hisughter contained a subtle madness, sending shivers down one''s spine.

    "Unfortunately, once you take the medicine, there''s no way to quit. Otherwise, you''ll end up like Old Frank,pletely insane and devoid of reason."

    Qi Tian sighed, his tone filled with unwillingness. He had spent most of his life finally achieving his wish for immortality, but the price of freedom was too painful.

    If a long life couldn''t be squandered, apanied by power and wealth, what meaning did it hold?

    Fortunately, he had found a way.

    "If you don''t want to lose your sanity, it''s best to heed my advice. Time is running out," Qi Tian observed her, not missing any subtle expressions, "You should have felt it; it''s calling out to you."

    However, Jian Jing didn''t feel any calling other than a slight dizziness. She activated "Borrowed Sight" and switched to Qi Tian''s perspective.

    In his eyes, the tree roots resembling a godly statue had not only be towering and uncanny but hadpletelye to life.

    The owl stared at her intently, and her vision unexpectedly transformed into sound.

    Jian Jing heard its voice.

    "Step up on the road, trust in me."

    "A new journey begins, never to look back."

    Distant, hazy, vast, and majestic.

    She saw Qi Tian take a step forward uncontrobly, but he managed to restrain himself.

    Jian Jing chuckled, "You must be eager to get rid of it, aren''t you?"

    He gave her a cold nce.

    "So am I," she said. "I fell for it just now, and it was my carelessness. But whether it''s you or me, we both certainly don''t want to be trapped in this foreignnd for a lifetime."

    "What are you trying to say?"

    Jian Jing asked, "What if we join forces and destroy it? How about that?"

    Today''s night seemed unusually long.

    Jiang BaiYan nced at his watch. It was already four o''clock in the morning, but the sky remained pitch ck without a hint of light.

    He put Old Frank''s letter and badge into his pocket and unfolded the map. The content was abstract, with only simple directions and a destination markedˇŞa ce called the White Cave.

    Is that where the demon resides?

    Did Jian Jing go there?

    Creak. A faint sound of wood swaying seemed toe from outside the door.

    Is Old William back? Oh no!

    The sound was getting closer, and there was no time to hide now. Jiang BaiYan quickly came up with a n. Hey down on the spot, sping his hands on his belly, pretending to be asleep.

    The next second, the wooden door was forcefully pushed open.

    Old William entered the room with a cold air surrounding him.

    He saw Jiang BaiYan lying asleep on the bed and paused for a moment. Clearly, this scene was beyond his imagination, but he didn''t pay much attention to it. Roughly, he lifted Jiang BaiYan from the bed.

    Jiang BaiYan endured the pain and continued to feign sleep, slumping weakly to the side.

    "Wake up," Old William pped his face.

    He remained motionless.

    Old William frowned but didn''t call him again. Instead, he tied Jiang BaiYan''s hands and feet with a rope, carrying him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

    Jiang BaiYan rxed his body and continued to pretend to be unconscious.

    Old William carried him downstairs, threw him into a truck, and then took the driver''s seat, heading straight into the forest.

    "Stop pretending," Old William said, "I know you''re awake."

    Jiang BaiYan replied, "No, I''m asleep."

    Old William muttered to himself, "I thought the old man had gone crazy, but it seems he hasn''tpletely lost it. Yourpanion must have escaped, but luckily, we still have you..."

    Jiang BaiYan thought, "Old man, is he referring to Old Frank? He doesn''t look like someone who''s gone mad."

    But ording to the information in the letter, the Frank family should be part of the righteous faction that suppresses demons. Why did things turn out like this?

    "We must hurry... What''s that smell... Damn it, what did they transport in this truck?"

    Jiang BaiYan replied, "Of course, it''s sheep."

    The Frank family raises sheep, don''t you remember?

    Heined, but suddenly, an idea struck him.

    At the same time, Old William probably remembered the Frank family''s upation and silently pressed down on the elerator.

    The truck raced through the forest on a bumpy path. Old William didn''t even turn on the headlights, yet he never took a wrong turn. The ground was uneven, and the speed was fast, making Jiang BaiYan almost vomit his midnight snack.

    Just as he was about to lose control and "awaken," the car suddenly went out of control, and the steering wheel loosened. The front of the car crashed straight into the forest, neither veering left nor right, with a thud as it mmed into a tree.

    Birds scattered in rm, and the car headlights shattered.

    The truck came to a stop.

    Jiang BaiYan raised his head and looked towards the driver''s seat.

    Old William was sprawled over the steering wheel, a bruise forming on his forehead. He was still conscious, but his eyes blinked without awareness as he asked, "What... did... you do?"

    Jiang BaiYan spat out the thin film under his tongue and opened the car door.

    The smell that filled the cabin dissipated somewhat.

    He smiled and said, "A gift from someone else."

    "A gift?" Old William repeated sluggishly.

    Jiang BaiYan pped his hands to get his attention, his tone slow and deep. "Rx, take a deep breath. Don''t worry, I won''t harm you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Where do you want to take me?"

    Old William turned his eyes slowly, mechanically answering, "To the Giant... to the Giant''s ce."

    "Why do you want to take me there?"

    "Its...mand..."

    Jiang BaiYan looked up at the dim eastern sky and suddenly asked, "How did Kerry die?"

    "Kerry... Kerry, it was my fault." Old William''s eyes lost their light, his consciousness sinking into years past. "We had an argument, and I asked her to help me get something. She didn''t want to, but the authorities were after me. I told her that if she loved me, she had to do me this favor... she agreed."

    Jiang BaiYan seemed to grasp something. "In the forest?"

    "This is the border, the safest ce," he said. "Then she disappeared, I don''t know... I don''t know where she went... she hated the forest..."

 Chapter 299

    Chapter 299

    Kerry''s death was actually unrted to Old William? Then who killed her? Jiang BaiYan was even more puzzled and couldn''t help asking, "What happened afterward?"

    "I went to the woods to look for people - got lost - so many trees - I didn''t know - that cave - the white cave..." Old William mumbled incoherently in fragments of dreams, his words slurred, "Why did I go there? Oh right, it was the owl - such a huge owl..."

    Strange memories surfaced in his mind.

    Old William saw his teenage self. Back then, he was an athlete on the football team, the spotlight of the school, popr among girls.

    Kerry was tall and beautiful, admired by many boys, and he had put in great efforts and sweet-talked endlessly before managing to coax her into bing his girlfriend.

    However, Kerry was too arrogant.

    She was not like other girls, always circling around him. His friends always mocked him, saying he couldn''t subdue Kerry, and she was probably cheating with other men behind his back.

    He was so angry, and bet with them that no matter what he said, Kerry would obey.

    Back then, he had connections with some punks, selling stuff from across the border in school. A few days ago, his uncle the cop seemed to have noticed, warning him a few times implicitly.

    He definitely didn''t want to be caught by his uncle, but if he took the goods without paying, his life would be at risk. He simply asked Kerry to help him deliver the money.

    The meeting ce was in the forest.

    He didn''t know why, but the cops rarely patrolled that side of the woods, so it was safe. But no matter how he persuaded, Kerry refused to agree.

    "There is something in those woods that gives me the creeps," she would always say.

    But William paid no heed at all, feeling only anger.

    He had already spread the word that if Kerry didn''t obey, he would be aughing stock for life. So he threatened Kerry - if she didn''t go, she''d have to wait around to collect his corpse.

    Kerry gave in.

    She went to the woods at dusk.

    Night fell, but William still did not see Kerry return. He got dead drunk from his friends'' mockery. It was only the next day that he heard Kerry had not gone home.

    The first day, he was unworried, thinking she had hidden away out of spite. But on the second day, third day... she really went missing.

    Reed charged in, furious, looking as if he wanted to punch William to death. Not daring to mention it was his fault, he stubbornly denied knowing anything.

    Luckily he had been at the bar that night with many witnesses to prove his innocence, otherwise Reed might have really shot him dead.

    But there was still something else worrying him apart from this.

    The money.

    The money was with Kerry. He had no way of gathering up thousands of dors for the time being. But the other party wouldn''t care if the money was with his girlfriend or if she was dead. At least they would chop off both his arms.

    He had to get the money back no matter what.

    He couldn''t search the woods in broad daylight, or risk being found out. On the tenth night after Kerry''s disappearance, he entered the woods alone, looking for both Kerry and the money.

    Then, his life waspletely changed.

    What exactly happened that night?

    His mind turned hazy. He only vaguely recalled a few scenes - he got lost, and walking on, suddenly saw a cave with faint soundsing from within.

    Next... he walked in... calling Kerry''s name...

    Echoing sounds, shing red lights, memories shattering into fragments, skipping and stuttering.

    His vision spun violently and he fell over - he tripped over something - his leg, jutting out at a weird angle, feathers, brown feathers with yellow speckles.

    Looking up, an enormous owl looking down at him condescendingly.

    "Ah---!!" Old William let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

    The next moment, he suddenly broke free of his drug-induced stupor. His eyes bulged out of their sockets as he red dead at Jiang BaiYan.

    Jiang BaiYan turned and fled.

    "Ghost stories always say someone drowned to death, bing a water ghost trapped in the river, having to pull people down before they can be free." In the underground space, Jian Jing directly spilled all of Qi Tian''s secrets, "You tricked me, were you nning to make me your substitute ghost?"

    Qi Tian gave a coldugh, bluntly admitting: "So what if I was?"

    He was very confident in his own methods, exchanging lives being his specialty. As long as he trapped her here, he would be able to escape and return to his original life.

    But Jian Jing also held a card up her sleeve.

    "If you want to harm me, I will certainly fight you to the death. By that time, neither of us will be able to leave." She activated her Trust card to make her argument more convincing. "How about we cooperate first to deal with it, then settle ounts afterward?"

    Instead of answering, he tossed the question back. "How do you n to deal with it?"

    Jian Jing pretended to ponder: "It''s afraid of fire. How about we burn it down with fire?"

    "You think I haven''t tried before?" Qi Tian sneered disdainfully. "Back then my fire burned down so many ces, merely weakening it."

    Jian Jing suggested again: "Then how about ˇőˇő? I don''t believe that for just a tree, even ˇőˇő can''t st it to death."

    Qi Tian''s facial muscles twitched: "A waste of resources! This is truly an immortal tree. Just its astounding regenerative abilities would be a miracle in the history of human medicine!"

    Jian Jing scoffed.

    What Qi Tian wanted was only to break free of the Giant Tree''s control, not destroy it. He coveted its abilities, hoping that once the issue was resolved, he could profit hugely by bringing it out to the outside world.

    He absolutely could not be allowed to seed.

    "It seems we cannote to an agreement." Jian Jing stalled for time while continuously calling for the system in her heart.

    There was no ˇőˇő in her storage space. It had to be drawn now.

    System, draw a card!

    The scene before her blinked erratically, like aputer screengging.

    System, draw card!!

    [System: ******]

    shes of fragmented scenes rushed past, seemingly returning to the white cave from before.

    System, hurry and draw card!!!

    Colors instantly kaleidoscoped. Twisted beams of light shed chaotically in her mind. Her head abruptly grew heavier as her temples throbbed and her stomach roiled violently. Under such acute difort, the Giant Idol''s hallucinations faded away frame by frame.

    A feeling of weightlessness came over her.

    Jian Jing realized she was actually hung upside down from the tree trunk, with soft and flexible branches tightly coiled around her body, like a sundew nt that had caught an insect. Yuck!

    She shook her head to make herself more sober.

    Now she could finally see the system notification clearly.

    [System: Please choose card draw method]

    Jian Jing: Ordinary card

    [Drawing card (Courage value x2)]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Cluster ˇőˇő-Bomb (3/3)]

    [Content: Potent ˇőˇő, extremely powerful, limited to only this mission''s use]

    [Note: This special ˇőˇő can expend 5x2 special value points to remote detonation]

    Jian Jing was overjoyed.

    Reaching behind, she took out her hidden dagger and severed the roots coiled around her body. Without the hallucinations empowering them, these roots were merely ordinary nts no matter their toughness.

    Her body plunged downward. She tucked into a roll to dispel the impact, smoothly cing a bomb against the tree trunk.

    "Don''t even think about running!" Qi Tian''s enraged roar sounded.

    Raising her head, Jian Jing saw that unlike her, Qi Tian was not trapped on the trunk by roots. Rather, half his body was "swallowed" by the tree.

    His lower body was submerged in the amber-colored substance the tree secreted. At first nce, it resembled a giant parasite fused to the tree trunk.

    This way, it seemed the tree had obtained a measure of the creature''s intellect, or perhaps, man and tree had achieved some bizarre symbiosis.

    The roots began to twist wildly.

    Jian Jing turned and fled, expending special contribution points to activate the first bomb''s timer.

    Tick tick tick...

    Qi Tian saw the countdown on the timer clearly, pupils contracting violently. The amber substance started melting, like heating chocte, gradually bing a semi-liquid.

    His body slid smoothly downward.

    Countdown: 00:01

    Toote!

    In his panic, all he could do was pileyers of roots before him as shield against assault.

    The next moment, the bomb detonated.

    Vast energy gushed forth, mes roared up, setting the tree roots alight. They swiftly lost vitality, bing dried up and brittle charcoal that whispered and rustled as it fell.

    Although afraid of fire, they were extremely resilient. Hidden behind them, Qi Tian narrowly escaped disaster. The shockwaves merely left his ears ringing, filled with a muffled buzz.

    "Cough." He spat out blood, gaze ominous.

    At this point in time, if one still did not know the allure of the tree roots'' scent to living creatures who ingested them, bingpletely helpless addicts unable to resist the Giant Tree''s emitted aroma, that would be truly foolish.

    He was an exception.

    Because what he ate was not tree roots, but fruit.

    The initial ze burned away the disguises in the forest, and ordinary trees died. The root systems that survived the great fire led to this white cavern.

    When it was weak, Qi Tian plucked the fruit that was protected tightly by aerial roots.

    After ingesting it, his skin that had been damaged by the fire regrew, and the new skin fused seamlessly with the old, leaving no visible scars.

    His aging body, worn by the passage of time, was restored to its peak condition in his twenties.

    Those who have never grown old do not understand the preciousness of youth.

    However, if one left Dusk Town for 24 hours, strange changes would ur in their body - elerated heartbeat, cloudy mind, limp and sore limbs. If they did not return to the forest within 36 hours, they would lose their senses, even their life.

    Qi Tian had once been discovered unconscious in a gas station restroom. Fortunately, the person who found him drove in the direction of Dusk Town, otherwise he might have ended up a lunatic, locked away permanently in a mental asylum.

    Qi Tian was unwilling to be controlled by a single tree.

    He spent ten years finally finding a way to break free.

    The effects of the fruit and roots were different. The fruit was the "child" of the tree, extremely potent in efficacy - it could make one young again, heal any injury instantly, yet also made one utterly dependent on the giant tree. The roots were less so, like the tail of a gecko that could be severed without harm, hence the dependence was weaker too.

    As long as he spat out the fruit for someone else to consume and take his ce as the giant tree''s target, while keeping a certain amount of roots that he ingested daily to maintain his youth, it would work.

    The only tricky part was that not everyone could swallow the fruit.

    He had captured a homeless man, an injured woman, but they perished immediately after eating the fruit.

    Qi Tian guessed that the giant tree had special requirements towards the host it parasitized. Not just anyone would do.

    Women were better than men.

    The young better than the old. The strong better than the weak.

    He had attempted to find a suitable target among the youths in Dusk Town, but most of them had left for the cities. Those remaining were difficult to handle.

    Waiting and waiting, until finally - Jian Jing appeared.

    She was an outside traveler and would not be missed here. She was young and fit, and had disrupted his ns, making her an ideal scapegoat to rece him.

    Qi Tian slowly got to his feet, and took out a talisman and a tuft of hair.

    The talisman contained her date and time of birth that he easily looked up online since she was famous. The hair was cut off her surreptitiously during dinner.

    To a grandmaster of witchcraft, these two items were sufficient.

    Your life will take the ce of mine!

    Muttering incantations, he lit the talisman which suddenlybusted, but what burned was not the yellow paper, but the vermilion ink characters.

    The mes writhed oddly into ck runes.

    Then extinguished themselves.

    On the section with her date of birth.

    Qi Tian was extremely shocked. "How is this possible? She''s dead?!"

 Chapter 300

    Chapter 300

    This life-changing talisman was one of Qi Tian''s most adept evil arts, able to change one''s fate.

    For example, if someone was destined to be a lone star of heavenly disaster, with their parents, rtives, wives and children all dying because of them, by changing their fate they could pass this misfortune onto someone else, letting others bear these burdens.

    Before going abroad, Qi Tian had used this to change the fate of a wealthy man, very sessfully.

    He was confident in his abilities, but halfway through burning the talisman paper, it went out.

    The inability of the paper to burn showed that the fate-changing ritual had failed, but it going out halfway showed that the person whose fate he was trying to change did not exist.

    Jian Jing must already be dead.

    How was this possible? After blurting out the words "dead person", Qi Tian did not even believe it himself.

    He thought of a more "reasonable" exnation - her publicly known birth date and time were wrong.

    In that case, the hair was not enough. He had to capture her and bleed her. Qi Tian patted the roots beside him and they slowly moved, following the path Jian Jing had escaped along.

    Qi Tian followed closely behind.

    He was not badly injured and his speed was not slow. However, after chasing for a while, there was no trace of her.

    No, that wasn''t right. She hadn''t eaten the tree roots so she wouldn''t have been able to see the way through the caves. It wasn''t possible for her to have escaped so quickly in such a short time.

    She must still be in the caves.

    Or perhaps, right behind him.

    Qi Tian prided himself on seeing through Jian Jing''s tactics. He quietly started to double back.

    However, a few minutester, there was another huge roar from behind. Large amounts of dust like white waves gushed out and the ground shook continuously. Rocks broke off from the ceiling and ttered down.

    It was another explosion.

    Caught off guard, Qi Tian was affected. If not for the roots swiftly covering him, he would definitely have fallen over.

    Blood rushed to his head and he almost gritted his teeth out.

    How shameful! When had the great master Qi Tian ever suffered such humiliation?

    Only when wealthy nobles begged him for help, money in hand, had he never been yed around by others like this.

    She was dead for sure.

    Qi Tian was furious and immediately took out a paper cut-out shaped like a person. He bit his finger and hastily drew on it, taking out the unused hair from earlier and sticking it on with blood.

    Then he took out his gun and pulled the trigger at the paper figure.

    Bang, there was just a faint hissing sound.

    Not far away, Jian Jing froze in the middle of taking out her gun.

    [Warning: The host''s heart will have severe difort, countdown 10, 9...]

    Her: "???"

    System, make yourself clear. Is the severe difort because of poisoning from the tree or does harming the voodoo doll really work?

    [System: 8, 7...]

    Forget it.

    Jian Jing took out her gun, aimed at Qi Tian, opened the aim assist, and decisively fired.

    Bang.

    It wasn''t that the roots did not react, just that the main body had already been injured by the first bomb and its reactions were much slower than usual. Along with the bonus from the aim assist, it simply could not block the shot.

    The bullet tore through the air, breaking the sound barrier, spinning as it hit Qi Tian in the abdomen.

    Blood spurted out.

    Qi Tian turned his head and gave a coldugh: "You think you can kill me with..." Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly copsed. One hand wed at his throat while the other clutched his stomach. His expression was hideous as he violently threw up. His back arched and sour liquid, stench and murky fluids instantly poured out. His stomach convulsed and was lifted up, forcing his throat wide open, as if something was crawling up his esophagus and out.

    [System: 6, 5...]

    Jian Jing: Is there anything that can resolve this?

    [System: Special instance, curse cannot be removed]

    "Gulu - ugh -" Qi Tian''s eyes bulged red. His fingers dug into his throat, blocking his gullet, clearly not wanting what was in his stomach toe out.

    He knew very well that with such heavy injuries, if the fruit came out now, the gunshot wound would not heal so easily.

    Wait, wait a little longer.

    But the fruit did not listen to him. Like a baby at full term, regardless of whether the mother was willing, it insisted oning out. If it did note out, they would both die.

    Jian Jing: System, think of something.

    [System: Draw abination card, consume one cursed item and 10x2 special contribution points to create an item that suppresses curses]

    It still wants me to draw cards at a time like this. This must be a gacha system.

    "Draw draw draw."

    [Card draw in progress (Courage x2)]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Combination Card - Item Creation (Special)]

    [Content Description: Special type card that can be used to create special items, for use only in special instances]

    [Note: The moreplex the item, the higher the failure rate]

    Jian Jing: There''s still a probability, it''s getting more and more of a scam.

    But she had no choice and could only try. Fortunately, she had thrown the Salis family ring into her storage space just in case. Otherwise where would she find a cursed item now?

    [System: Countdown 4, 3...]

    "Combine! Quick!"

    [Item creation in progress]

    [Creationplete]

    Jian Jing''s palm grew heavy as a green emerald ring suddenly appeared in her palm. It looked exactly the same as the red ruby one, only the color waspletely different.

    She immediately put it on without hesitation.

    [System: 2ˇŞˇŞ]

    The countdown stopped.

    At the same time, Qi Tian''s vomiting reached its critical point. His neck swelled up. Something in his throat shifted and squeezed towards his mouth. His jaw could not take it anymore and dislocated with a crack.

    His mouth stretched to its limits. Yellow mucus dripped down as an apple-sized object rolled out and fell to the ground.

    This was less like a fruit and more like an egg. The surface was smooth and semi-transparent. One could vaguely see a red core inside pulsating, extremely simr to a heart encased in the rib cage.

    Qi Tian reached out to grab it. "Come back!"

    Jian Jing did not know what it was but seeing how much Qi Tian valued it and its bizarre appearance, she unhesitantly fired at it again without a second thought.

    Precisely hitting it.

    There was a faint cracking sound from the fruit.

    She had not expected such an egg-like fruit to be so hard that bullets could not shatter it, and hurriedly fired again.

    But just as her finger was about to squeeze the trigger, the hair on her nape stood up. Her body reacted faster than her brain, immediately ttening down onto the ground. At the same time, something extremely cold and sharp whizzed past the back of her head.

    Jian Jing believed that if she had been a second slower in lying down just now, her neck might be broken already.

    What was that thing?

    "Gulu -", a patch of ck cloudnded on the ground.

    It was not a flying dagger or a brick, but an owl...

    That iconic appearance would let even a grade schooler recognize it at first sight, but it was so big and tall. Its size waspletely unlike normal owls. It was more urate to call it a divine eagle or an eagle deity.

    It coldly nced over Jian Jing and Qi Tian with aggressive intent clearly hidden within its imposing gaze, obviously weighing whether it was worth attacking the prey.

    One must not show weakness when confronting wild beasts.

    Jian Jing aimed her gun at its heart, keeping her breathing calm and concentrating fully. Meanwhile, Qi Tian tightly clutched at his stomach wound while also aiming his gun threateningly. "Piss off! I will never return it to you."

    The owl turned its yellow eyeballs in a human-like disy of contempt, as if asking: In your current state, can you stop me?

    Qi Tian fired his gun in demonstration.

    Swoosh, despite the owl''s huge body, its movements were extremely agile. It pped its wings and dodged the attack, diving straight at Qi Tian.

    Their distance was very close. The owl only needed to swoop down beforending right in front of Qi Tian''s face. Brown feathers brushed past his cheeks, instantly drawing blood. They were clearly very sharp.

    But it did not take the chance to peck Qi Tian to death. It only lowered its head to pick up the fruit in its beak

    before raising its head to swallow it.

    "Damn it!" Qi Tian failed to seize back the fruit and fired wildly in frustration .

    Having obtained the fruit, the owl had no intention to fight. It immediately spread its wings spanning a few meters and took off through the still uncopsed cave passage leading to where the giant tree was deep inside.

    Leaving behind only a particrly long, high-pitched cry of "Wu".

    Jian Jing sensed something wrong intuitively.

    This long call seemed to be summoning somepanions. She did not dare linger and grabbed Qi Tian. "You have no regenerative abilities now. Behave."

    Qi Tian said: "You don''t dare kill me. Without me, you cannot get out of this cave."

    "That''s not necessarily true." She replied. "If you don''t behave, I''ll have no choice but to finish you off. We just have to spend a few days walking around this tiny ce and will eventually find the way out."

    Qi Tian sneered. "The White Kingdom is arge underground cave system the natives spent hundreds of years excavating. Do you think..."

    The gun muzzle silenced him.

    He swallowed bitterly. "Go left."

    Jian Jing quickly withdrew.

    She could use "borrowed vision" to check the route and was not afraid that he would cheat, and if he dared to use tricks, there would naturally be suffering waiting for him.

    Qi Tian sensed her murderous intent. He was certain that this was the ferocity that only those who had blood on their hands would have, and only then extinguished the misleading thoughts in his mind and temporarily cooperated.

    However, it wasn''t long before he became anxious as well.

    The red light in his field of vision was fading, once the fruit left, he would be no different from an ordinary person. Not only would he grow old and die, but he would also lose the qualification to enter the white cave.

    "Hurry up," he didn''t care about the bleeding wounds, anxiously urged, "it''s almost gone."

    Jian Jing knew what he meant and quickened her pace.

    The red light dimmed. The cave no longer had the eerie double image, at some point it reverted back to an ordinary t natural rock, but all the rocks were the same.

    Without the guidance of the red light, every fork in the cave looked ny-nine percent simr, unable to discern which one led outside and which one led to hell.

    Ten minutester, the red light was almost non-existent, a faint light appeared at the end.

    The exit was here.

    However, before the two could be enemies, gunshots sounded from the mouth of the cave. Old William appeared at the bend, his face hideous, holding a gun, obviously intending to trap them.

    "William?" Jian Jing felt something was wrong and immediately shouted for him to stop, "Put down the gun, what are you doing?"

    "Die! You will all die!" Old William sprayed bullets at the wall.

    Bullets came down like rain, dense and overwhelming. Qi Tian and Jian Jing simultaneously dropped to the ground, quickly looking for cover.

    Luckily Old William only had a semi-automatic rifle, not a machine gun, otherwise even White Kitten form wouldn''t have been able to hold on.

    After a round of gunfire, the shots slowed slightly.

    Jian Jing leaped forward, her arm clutching Old William''s neck while her body twisted midair tond behind him, avoiding the stray bullets from the gun.

    Old William used the gun as a weapon to strike Jian Jing behind him.

    Jian Jing employed her abdominal muscles, her legs twining around Old William''s body to control his movement while her arms continued to choke his windpipe with force.

    This seemingly simple move required immense physical exertion. An average person could onlyst one or two minutes before their strength dropped dramatically.

    Jian Jing was grateful she had increased her endurance stat.

    At this time, endurance yed the most crucial role, allowing her to grit her teeth and persist without being thrown off by the frenzied Old William.

    Gradually, Old William''s breathing became ragged.

    After all, he was no longer young and could notpare to Jian Jing who was in peak condition. His arms ckened and the gun slipped out. His hands firmly grabbed Jian Jing as he tried to wrench her off.

    Jian Jing did not persist. She rxed her hold and at the same time drew out her dagger, shing Old William twice.

    Unlike Qi Tian''s formidable healing ability, blood flowed freely from Old William''s wounds. His movements slowed increasingly.

    Only then did Jian Jing ask, "Why did you attack us?"

 Chapter 301

    Chapter 301

    Old William painfully propped himself up, using his elbows and legs, and crawled with difficulty into the cave.

    Thick blood dripped onto the ground drop by drop. A section of the ground swelled up, and finger-thick roots drilled out to suck up all the fresh blood like suction cups, greedily slithering towards Old William.

    Jian Jing''s heart sank.

    How could she have forgotten that the Titan Tree absorbed the blood of animals as nourishment? The previous explosion must have damaged it. Now,ing across the bleeding Old William, how could it not be like a shark catching the scent of blood, refusing to let go?

    She had to hurry and take out her gun to intercept the roots.

    "William!" she shouted, "Get away, quick!"

    Old William turned his head back. His eyes were bright red. He actually erupted with a tremendous burst of strength again, charging straight at her.

    Jian Jing dodged to the side, trying to grab his arm to drag him out.

    He was as heavy as lead, almost immovable.

    When she turned her head again, Qi Tian, who had been crouching in the corner just now, had also disappeared.

    Jian Jingughed in exasperation. One had gone mad, the other was shamelessly opportunistic. Even if she had three heads and six arms, she wouldnˇŻt be able to save them. Since this was the case, she shouldnˇŻt be med for cutting off their escape route.

    Whether you went voluntarily or got summoned, IˇŻll block your path first before we talk.

    She still had onest bomb.

    Jian Jing had originally ced it in the cave entrance, intending to detonate it after leaving, to eliminate all future troubles.

    Now, she would just detonate it earlier.

    [System: Timed bomb has been set, countdown 5, 4, 3, 2, 1--]

    "Boom!"

    The ground shook violently.

    After shaking for a bit, a huge boulder broke off from the ceiling and came crashing down. Old William let out an enraged roar, like an infuriated bear, bellowing as he charged at her.

    This was precisely what Jian Jing had been waiting for. She immediately turned and fled swiftly.

    Old William gave chase out of the cave, with rocks raining down behind him.

    The ground quaked ceaselessly with deafening rumbles. It seemed like this third explosion hadpletely overwhelmed the ancient cave. It had started copsing uncontrobly.

    As Jian Jing ran, she continued taunting, sessfully luring Old William out of the precariously swaying cave.

    The trees outside were also affected. Thick branches snapped off and fell,pletely sealing the cave entrance together with the countless rubble.

    A giant tree trunk struck Old WilliamˇŻs shoulder. He crashed heavily to the ground.

    Jian Jing heaved a sigh of relief.

    But very soon, another key problem urred to her.

    The cave was hidden deep inside the forest. She had only been able to find her way here by following Qi Tian. Now that his abilities were gone, how was she going to leave this endless expanse of woods?

    The system should have issued her a wilderness survival mission by now.

    [System: Scanning shows environment has not met mission criteria yet]

    Jian Jing: "..." Just a sarcastic remark.

    She attached a locator beacon to the back of Old WilliamˇŻs cor, deciding not to bring him for now, in case he woke up and attacked her halfway.

    As for figuring out which direction to go, was the pearl still there?

    She crouched on the ground, rummaging around. Luckily, she discovered the pearl had not been lost, still wedged in a crevice between some rocks.

    Not bad, she was pretty lucky.

    As Jian Jing searched for the marked pearls, she carefully made her way back. About half an hourter, she found the entrance to the underground passage on the farm, hidden behind some bushes.

    Once inside the root-structured underground passage, there was only one path.

    She turned on her shlight. Perhaps due to the tree entityˇŻs influence, the roots here hadpletely lost their vitality, bing dried up and brittle twigs that clung to the walls and crumbled at a touch.

    She hoped it wouldnˇŻt copse. Jian Jing prayed silently as she quickened her pace.

    After another fifteen minutes, she reached the end of the passage.

    Old Frank was no longer inside the cage in the basement.

    It must have been Qi Tian. Afraid he mightunch a sneak attack, Jian Jing immediately shifted her perspective, only to see the retreating trees and bumpy path.

    He had driven away!

    Not only did he run, he sealed up the exit too.

    Jian Jing turned on her X-ray device, confirming that not only had bolts been inserted above, heavy objects had also been overturned to block the way. Even if she immediately set her power stat to 10, the human limit, it would probably still be very difficult to push it open from below.

    Since this path was blocked, she could only look for other exits.

    Her sci-fi sses switched to thermal imaging mode.

    She discovered a human figure.

    Unsure if it was Old Frank or someone else, she cautiously approached.

    The passageway was open. Faint bleating sounds came from within.

    She pushed the movable panel open and peeked in. Shocked by what she saw.

    Jiang BaiYan was hugging a little whitemb, skillfully using his fingers tob its fur.

    "What are you doing in the sheep pen?" She climbed out of the exit and closed the movable panel, looking around incredulously. Indeed, this was the sheep pen on Frank''s farm.

    "Jingjing!" Jiang BaiYan was pleasantly surprised beyond measure, "Are you alright?"

    Jian Jing''s body was covered in dust, and the exposed skin had some scratches, but none too serious. "I''m fine, what about you?"

    He brought his face closer. "Got pped."

    Jian Jing could see it was still a little swollen. "What happened?"

    Jiang BaiYan briefly recounted his experiences, and added afterwards:

    "Old William went mad chasing me. I didn''t even know where I had run to anymore, and thought I was done for. Unexpectedly, halfway through the chase, he suddenly abandoned me and charged straight into the woods. I wanted toe back but couldn''t find my way."

    As he spoke, he stroked the littlemb in his arms, his expression distant, "Not long after, that white sheep appeared again, leading me all the way until we circled back to the farm. But I didn''t dare enter the house, afraid it might be an ambush, so I could only hide here. Uh, other than the stench, it was rather warm."

    Jian Jing''s brows furrowed.

    What kind of bizarre instance was this? Gigantic tree monsters, creepy owls, guidingmbs in the forest, where did theye from?

    "This white one?" She squatted down and poked the fluffy littlemb.

    "No, that one''s bigger. But," he lowered his voice mysteriously, "out of all the sheep here, only this one bleats."

    Jian Jing was skeptical, and poked the yellow sheep next to it.

    The yellow sheep lowered its head chewing grass,pletely ignoring her.

    She could only temporarily set aside these questions for now, and said, "Old William is still in the woods, we have to go rescue him. Did you see Old Frank?"

    Jiang BaiYan shook his head.

    The two had no choice but to call the police first.

    The small town''s police force was nothing to boast about. They had to wait over an hour before two officers came. Jian Jing didn''t make a big fuss, only saying they went hunting in the woods and met with an ident, their guide getting injured.

    With the locator beacon''s help, she quickly led them to the unconscious Old William.

    He was immediately sent to the hospital, and the police also advised them to get themselves examined.

    "There''s a fragrance on you two," said the older officer. "Did you eat any mushrooms?"

    Jian Jing thought to herself, what mushrooms, did you think this was Yunnan? But on second thought, she realized something was off.

    "What fragrance?" she asked.

    The policeman said, "We have a fungus here called the Titan Mushroom. It smells and tastes very nice, but easily causes hallucinations of gigantic objects. You really didn''t eat any?"

    Jian Jing asked, "What does it look like?"

    The officer described, "Very small, the size of a fingertip, grayish ck."

    Jiang BaiYan also recalled, "Could it be that thing Old William stuffed in the roast chicken on the first day at noon?"

    Jian Jing''s facial muscles twitched. She decisively said, "Alright, let''s get ourselves checked too."

    So together they went into the hospital to clean their wounds and get their blood tested.

    While waiting for the results, amotion erupted from the operating room. Curious, Jian Jing moved closer to the istion door, only to hear the originally anesthetized Old William loudly repeating a single word from inside.

    "Sheep!"

    "Sheep!"

    "Sheep!"

    At the start, the doctors only wanted to get him under control, not paying attention to what he was saying. But upon clearly hearing what it was, the lead surgeon, a female doctor, suddenly let out a shriek. "Teresa!"

    She pounced over viciously, hysterical with grief, "Was it you?! Did you kill my child?!"

    All while questioning him, tears streaming down her face, as if driven mad.

    Jian Jing''s heart ached with sorrow.

    It seemed like other than Old Lide, the rtives of the other victims had also never forgotten.

    "Jingjing," Jiang BaiYan asked softly, "Did he do it?"

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then said, "I think so."

    "He said he didn''t kill Kerry, that after Kerry went missing he went into the woods and met the owl," Jiang BaiYan was still confused. "What does the owl signify?"

    She shook her head, her mind in turmoil.

    Things had reached this point. The entire story had split into two parts now - one fantastical or sci-fi side, and one realistic materialist side.

    The legends of the giant tree, the curse, the owl, themb, and the Native American belonged to the former; Kerry''s disappearance, the murder of five teenagers, the disappearance of one couple, Qi Tian''s arson belonged to thetter.

    From Reid''s investigation, William had a solid alibi and no time tomit the crime. He may have lured Kerry into the forest, but did he kill Kerry?

    It should be known that after Kerry''s disappearance, the townspeople searched many times. So many people didn''t find her, but William found her quickly and killed her and abandoned her body in the wilderness?

    Unless they had a particrly secretive ce, Kerry was attacked that night and lost her autonomy, this may have caused this situation.

    However, what was the motive?

    William didn''t seem to have a motive to kill Kerry.

    This pattern of behavior waspletely different from the way the five teenagers were killedter.

    Byparison, Jian Jing was more inclined to believe that Kerry was not killed by William.

    But the five teenagers were.

    Reid''s diary mentioned that ten yearster, William had appeared at the scene of the crime.

    At that time, was he already abnormal? When he said he met an owl, did it mean he had been in the white cave and was affected by the giant tree, and a violent side of his personality appeared?

    So why did he warn them not to stay in the forest after dark?

    Was it to catch by pretending to release, or did he usually not realize his abnormality, and only vaguely remembered that something terrible had appeared in the forest?

    "How annoying." She pressed her temples, her head aching for this pitiful special task.

    Alright, let''s take a look at Qi Tian first.

    She closed her eyes and peeked at what Qi Tian saw.

    Woods.

    He was still hiding in the woods.

    After a little thought, Jian Jing asked the nurse at the reception desk to borrow a phone and called the police station: "Sorry, I suddenly remembered that little Frank went into the woods and never came back, maybe he met with an ident too..."

    Two dayster.

    The 1992 case was solved.

    The police found a knife in old William''s house stained with blood from several victims, which matched their wounds. And there were also a lot of old William''s fingerprints on the knife.

    As for the person himself, his mind had never recovered for some reason, and he just kept repeating the words "sheep" and "owl".

    But in any case, the evidence was overwhelming, and the task was consideredpleted.

    System decoded.

    [Task Name: Frank''s Farm (Completed)]

    [Content Description: 30 years ago, five teenagers were brutally murdered, the suspect was someone else, what kind of secrets were hidden underground on the farm, who was calling for the advent of demons in the depths of the forest?]

    [Task Rewards and Penalties: Sessfully finding the real murderer and capturing them alive, reward 30 courage points; damaging the giant tree, rescuing innocent souls, reward 20 special contribution points]

    This was good news, but there was also bad news.

    As soon as the special task ended, the "Borrowed Vision" limited card could no longer be used.

    Qi Tian still had not been found.

    The author has something to say: Qi Tian has had foreshadowing since the first season after all, it would be too abrupt if he just died like this

    Let him cling on a little longer and get hiseuppance next season

 Chapter 302

    Chapter 302

    After leaving Twilight Town, Jian Jing returned to Robert''s farm, and went to see Reed again.

    He still remembered her: "Kerry."

    "Reed." She walked up and held his old and withered hand, telling him concisely, "The murderer who killed Teresa and the others has been found, it was William."

    Reed''s expression froze. He was confused, seemingly unable to recall what this name meant, but very quickly, long-lost memories surged up.

    In an instant, he became his younger self again, the policeman of Twilight Town, investigating this bizarre case.

    "It was William? Oh, no." He covered his face, and anxiously asked her, "What about Kerry? Who harmed Kerry? Who was it?"

    "William asked Kerry to go into the woods to return some money for him. I don''t know who killed her." Jian Jing regretfully said, "Maybe it was the person she was supposed to meet, maybe she really got lost, or maybe..."

    Maybe she was tempted by the owls and became a sacrifice to the giant tree.

    This was a truth that could not be revealed.

    Tears welled up in Reed''s muddy eyes. He clumsily wiped away the tears, mumbling to himself: "Kerry... it was all my fault, if only I had that day..."

    He couldn''t continue.

    Jian Jing patted his back, and after a long pause, asked: "Have you been to the White Realm?"

    "White..." Reed subconsciously repeated her words, his expression confused again, "Cave, giant... owl, talking owl... Kerry!! It was Kerry!"

    His thoughts mingled again, not knowing what he was saying, excitedly repeating it for a long time, lowering his head, muddled again: "Kerry, what are you doing here?"

    "I came to see you." Jian Jing did not ask further, following along with what he said, "How are you?"

    Reed nodded, stroking her grayish-white hair, seeming unfamiliar: "Kerry, you''ve aged too, don''t leave me again."

    "Reed, you''re already married with children, even your grandchildren are grown up, so am I." She wove beautiful lies, "I also have to go back and take care of my children."

    He looked at her, slowly revealing a smile: "Is that so? You got married too, and had children, oh, I remember now, your daughter is called... De?"

    De was the name of his daughter.

    But Jian Jing said: "Yes."

    Heughed through his tears, warm tears rolling down his cheeks.

    Jian Jing pretended not to see, spending another night at the farm, chatting with Reed about the past. His memory was fragmented, sometimes even jumbled up, but even just snippets revealed quite a bit.

    She could confirm that after finding Kerry''s corpse, Reed had gone to the White Realm.

    But he did not be like William, only had problems with his memory, and was extremely averse to owls.

    As for the whitemb, he had no impression at all.

    In his words, the person who guided him out of the forest was Kerry.

    Some questions would never have answers.

    Jian Jing had to leave this journey behind with regret.

    She couldn''t be bothered going back to New York, and flew straight home from Seattle.

    However, she had been excited and thrilled about the rare high-altitude incident she encountered on her way there. On her way back, she was dejected and in low spirits.

    Oh well, nothing to be done, the trip to Twilight Town was a major loss.

    25 points upgraded to Combat Card, 10 points to Appraisal Card, 10 points to Synthesis Card, 10 points to Item Card, totaling 55 Courage Value points.

    But the Synthesis Card consumed 20 points of Special Contribution Value, the Borrow Vision consumed 10 points of Special Value, and when using the Bomb Item Card for remote control also used 10 points of Special Value.

    Not to mention the loss of 20 points of Special Contribution Value, she still had a curse hanging on her status bar.

    [Status Bar: Qi Tian''s Curse (Countdown: 2)]

    There really was a swear word she wanted to say but didn''t know if she should. Anyway she really wanted to say it.

    It was so infuriating.

    "Jingjing, my face hurts so much, what if I''m disfigured?" Next to her, Jiang BaiYan held up a small mirror, sighing long and loud.

    Jian Jing was speechless: "Your skin isn''t even broken, how could you be disfigured."

    He cupped his own face, posing anxiously: "I almost got killed by William this time, I''m totally traumatized, what if I don''t dare sleep alone at night?"

    Jian Jing: "Don''t you still have a cat?"

    He pouted: "You''re so heartless."

    "Is this your first day knowing me?" She rolled her eyes at him, but still called the flight attendant over to ask for ice wrapped in a wet towel for him to apply to his face, "The redness has mostly faded, don''t apply masks these next few days."

    "But I feel like this side of my face is a lot bigger, see?" He leaned his head over.

    Jian Jing looked it over, uncertain: "Is it?"

    "It is, take a closer look." He leaned in even closer.

    "No." Jian Jing turned her head away, but suddenly there was a cool sensation on her cheek. It was him brushing his cheek lightly against hers, transferring the lingering coldness on his skin to her face.

    She couldn''t help butugh: "What are you doing?"

    "Youughed." He nuzzled her hair, his actions extremely simr to Pudding''s, intimate yet not overly familiar, "You''re unhappy because you didn''t catch Qi Tian?"

    Jian Jing was silent.

    Jiang BaiYan judiciously kept his distance, sitting properly back in his seat, suggesting: "Let''s think of a way to lure him out?"

    Jian Jing had this idea, but didn''t want him taking risks with her, vaguely saying: "Let''s talk about itter."

    "I can help you." He volunteered readily.

    She shook her head: "This isn''t something you''re good at."

    Jiang BaiYan paused for a beat, instantly switching tactics: "I didn''t say I would personally do it, I know I''m useless, I can''t help you and would only drag you down."

    "No such thing." Jian Jing said this with utmost sincerity.

    Of course, to be realistic, he truly was useless, but he had never dragged her down. Not to mention the Wang Shi Yi case where he helped tremendously, even when she had no time to look after him this time, he also protected himself very well, and even managed to trick some words out of old William.

    He said: "What I was thinking was, you said before that Qi Tian likes dealing with the wealthy, he must be extremely greedy. Once he escapes, it''s impossible for him to live in obscurity."

    "You mean, scatter money to look for him?" she considered.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "I can''t do much abroad, but if he returns to China, you should know, the people who are both rich and superstitious belong to our circle."

    It made sense. She immediately sat up straight: "Who can get wind of his whereabouts?"

    "Hard to say for now." Jiang BaiYan cautiously promised, "I feel like it won''t be so fast, in a few months, I''ll try to subtly ask around, if there are any leads on him, I''ll think of ways to lure him out."

    Jian Jing thought it over carefully, but said: "He recognizes you."

    "Of course it won''t be me personally, I''m too famous." He snarked, "There are countless people who want fame, I''ll just casually suggest it to a few, they''ll go looking themselves."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help asking: "Does this kind of thing really work?"

    Jiang BaiYan threw his hands up: "I got famous without trying."

    She was mad, rolling up paper to smack him: "You Versailles or what? I got famous all by myself too, do you see me bragging about it?"

    He dodged left and right, protesting: "Domestic violence is illegal!"

    "Who''smitting domestic violence with you." Jian Jing''s agility stat was probably way higher than his, hitting true nine times out of ten.

    Jiang BaiYan surrendered at lightning speed: "I''m wrong I''m wrong!"

    After getting distracted by his nonsense, Jian Jing''s mood had improved somewhat. No matter what, her biggest gain this time was forcing Qi Tian out into the open and destroying his immortality ns.

    Seeing her enemy''s misfortune made her happy.

    The ne coasted along the Pacific coastline, slowly descending to its destination.

    Jiang BaiYan put on a mask and sunsses, saying to Jian Jing: "I''ll take the regr passageter."

    Jian Jing was surprised: "Aren''t you afraid of getting mobbed by fans?"

    "It''s fine, they must be waiting for me at the VIP exit, plus if they catch you with me again, it''ll start more dating rumors." His considerations were very prudent.

    Jian Jing didn''t insist.

    After getting off the ne, there were indeed many fans gathered outside the VIP passage, holding up phones and signs, eyes peeled for every single personing out.

    Jian Jing only wore sunsses to block the sun, no mask, and was recognized.

    "Teacher Jian!" Bold fans directly asked, "Were you traveling with our Little White?"

    Jian Jing took off her sunsses, looking utterly shocked: "Jiang BaiYan? You guys are waiting for him?"

    "Weren''t you two together?"

    "We were on the same flight, but seems like he left earlier than me." She looked deliberately around, "You didn''t see him?"

    "Ah! He must have taken another passage." The fans hurriedly dispersed in panic.

    Only a few fans didn''t move, lingering in ce. It was evident that they were veterans and were wary of tricks. Jian Jing pretended not to notice and pushed her suitcase along by herself.

    Two fans followed her from afar until she got into the driver''s car before confirming that Jiang BaiYan was not there.

    Jian Jing shook her head incessantly and sent Jiang BaiYan a message: "Come out now."

    Five minutester, he sent a selfie from inside the nanny van, having sessfully met up with his agent.

    When Qiu Lin saw his actions, she asked, "Give me some good news, did you make progress?"

    Jiang BaiYan copsed into the leather seat, looking up at the sky.

    Qiu Lin: "I''ve brought so many artists, you''re the only one who has ever failed at sending off thousands of miles."

    Jiang BaiYan was shot through the heart, his health bar emptied, and weakly said: "Sis Qiu..."

    "Shameful, little Bai." Qiu Lin sighed, even feeling a little resentful at the unaplished talent, "You shouldn''t have."

    Jiang BaiYan listlessly responded: "Don''t flog a dead horse, leave me some dignity."

    Qiu Lin also didn''t understand: "With your conditions, finding someone better than Teacher Jian wouldn''t be hard. Why hang yourself on one tree?"

    He argued eloquently: "Our Jian Jing is clever, beautiful, righteous, brave, practically a modern gender-swapped version of Sherlock Holmes, the youthful Miss Marple, a domestic version of Grandma A-Pang..."

    "Stop, stop, stop," Qiu Lin quickly stopped him, and asked in response, "So do we have hope?"

    "Uh," Jiang BaiYan scratched his head, spoke righteously, "As human beings, we should always have dreams."

    He envisioned a bright future: "When the artists from ourpany make it big and can make money, I''ll retire from the industry and go to Teacher Jian to apply to be her assistant. I''ll apany her in the melon fields and under the plum trees, feeding cats and walking dogs..."

    Qiu Lin ruthlessly responded: "Firstly, you have to ensure thepany survives and doesn''t go bankrupt."

    "I know, I''ll go to work tomorrow," he yawned loudly, "Send me home first today, I''m dead tired."

    Qiu Lin felt sorry for him too, and didn''t rush him anymore, sending him home to rest.

    After sleeping for a bit and getting over his jetg, Jiang BaiYan looked in the mirror the next day and saw some puffiness.

    He quickly took a photo and sent it to Jian Jing, crying out: "My face still hasn''t healed."

    Jian Jing: [Use a coldpress]

    Him: [Oh]

    There was no way he would actually use a coldpress. He put on a face mask and drove to the studio.

    Pudding meowed and circled around his feet.

    "Pudding, good boy, daddy gives you a kiss," Jiang BaiYan picked up the cat and madly inhaled its scent. As he smelled it, his nose caught an amazing fragrance, and he looked left and right: "What smell is this, it''s so nice?"

    Sister Chen pointed at his office: "Teacher Jian had someone deliver it early this morning."

    Jiang BaiYan picked up the cat, curiously looking inside.

    A bowl of congee.

    The note said: Made too much, can''t finish eating it all

    Lifting the lid, a rich, delicious aroma wafted out.

    Jiang BaiYan tried a spoonful and was greatly shocked. He immediately called to tter shamelessly: "My god, Teacher Jian you''re too amazing. It''s so tasty! How can such ordinary congee taste this incredible?? It''s practically the ambrosia of the gods, I''m so blissful!!"

    On the other end of the phone, Jian Jing paused briefly and said: "To tell you the truth..."

    Him: "?"

    "I followed the recipe, but then... messed uppletely." She awkwardly admitted.

    Jiang BaiYan: "???"

    Jian Jing exined: "Really, I got the order wrong, either put too much or too little seasoning. My hands just wouldn''t listen to me. And somehow, with this random mess-up, the taste is amazing."

    He sucked up even harder: "You must be a genius!"

    "Well, there won''t be a next time. Just make do and eat this batch," she said. "Also, my abrasions have scabbed over already. The p from you should be healed by now ba."

    Jiang BaiYan smilingly responded: "Mm mm, it doesn''t hurt anymore."

    "Bye."

    Jian Jing hung up the phone and looked down at her creation.

    This was her first attempt at using the "Death''s Delicacy" skill card. She originally wanted to make a full meal, but since Jiang BaiYan''s injury was rted to her to some degree, she would first make a get-well gift and test out the effects.

    She didn''t expect it would turn out like this at all.

    She wasn''t on auto-pilot, still having to do everything by hand, but somehow her state kept messing up.

    Sometimes she would forget to put in one thing, other times she would mess up the order, her seasoning hand just wouldn''t listen to her. And then somehow, with this random cooking, the taste was divine.

    She embraced an exploratory spirit and tried making it the exact same way again.

    Disgustingly bad.

    Therefore, this was definitely an "delicacy" that could not be replicated.

    More importantly, after drinking the congee, her status bar changed.

    [Status Bar: Qi Tian''s Curse (Countdown: 3)]

    Some time was recovered.

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303

    After returning from the United States, the domestic media publicized Jian Jing''s American Book Award. This award is rtively well-known abroad, but is more general in China. Many people got to know about this purely sales-based award only after some popr science introduction.

    Everyone was puzzled, only knowing that Jian Jing had won another award.

    At the same time, Jin Wu signed copyright agreements with several foreign authors, including science fiction writer Doreen. Dian An had tried reading her novels before, but gave up after struggling through three chapters, thinking there was no hope. Who would have thought the negotiations went very smoothly, and the contract was signed in just a few days.

    But this had little to do with Jian Jing. After returning home, her main tasks were to write her thesis and "Dream Walker Girl."

    Well, for the thesis, the early bird gets the worm. She added Doreen''s contact information. The two chatted, discussed sci-fi, talked about pop culture abroad, and eventually put together a paper for publication. Since most of the content was exclusive, with low repetition rate, her advisor believed this paper alone could earn Jian Jing her graduate degree.

    Jian Jing: Why do I feel like I barely studied in grad school, yet I can graduate already?

    Cough, in short, after finishing the thesis in a slipshod manner, it was time for the new book.

    Compared to the Devil Doctor''s cases exploring human nature, although the cases in "Dream Walker Girl" also had their sharp angles, taking ce mainly on a school campus added many details of daily campus life.

    For example, the first case based on Sao Tong''s suicide contained intricate depictions of a love triangle.

    Of course, she couldn''t write about adult rtionships. Don''t ask why. Just know it wouldn''t get past the censors.

    So the story progressed quickly. The locked room scenario was also very typical. She soon finished the draft.

    She had Kang Mu Cheng review it first. He said there were no issues, but Jian Jing considered that she and President Kang had been away from middle school campuses for years now. Some details might be outdated. She decided to have an actual high schooler take a look.

    No one was better suited for this task than Ji Yunyun.

    Ji Yunyun had finished the college entrance exam and had plenty of free time. When she heard about it, she immediately agreed and said she was avable any time.

    No time like the present. Jian Jing asked her out for coffee.

    It was the same little cafe asst time, but this time, Ji Yunyun''s expression was much more rxed. She grumbled, "I''ve been so bored thesest couple days. My scores haven''te out yet and I don''t even know what to put for my college preferences."

    Jian Jing asked, "What do you want to major in?"

    "I don''t know either. My brother said as long as I don''t apply for the police academy, anything''s fine." Ji Yunyun scratched her head, rather unconvinced. "Why does he get to do it but I don''t?"

    "It''s too tiring and dangerous," Jian Jing said matter-of-factly. Even Ji Feng the police dog had impressive work hours that deserved respect.

    Ji Yunyun knew this in her heart too.

    She hesitated. "Or maybe I''ll apply for forensics?"

    Jian Jing: "...Some crime scenes can be quite disgusting."

    Ji Yunyun: "Oh no!"

    "If you want to solve cases but with less danger, how about bing awyer? There''s courtroom deduction in mystery novels too. Though it''ll be harder to get in," Jian Jing asked.

    Able to solve cases without enduring sun and rain, upholding justice too - Ji Yunyun''s mind filled with the heroines ofwyer dramas she had seen, and she grew intrigued.

    Jian Jing said, "Think it over carefully and ask your teachers and brother for advice."

    Ji Yunyun said, "He''s been so busytely, hasn''t been home in days."

    "A lot of cases, or difficult ones?" Jian Jing asked casually.

    Ji Yunyun tried hard to recall. "When I went to deliver dinner to him yesterday, I overheard something...seems they caught the suspect on site, but can''t close the case for some reason?"

    Jian Jing grew interested. "Tell me the details."

    "Uh, I didn''t listen that closely." She had eavesdropped for a bit, but how could she admit that now? As the younger sister, she had to create opportunities. Ji Yunyun pretended to struggle over it. "Why don''t you go ask my brother yourself?"

    "Maybe next time." Jian Jing changed the subject and handed her the manuscript copy. "Take a look at this first. It''s just a draft, let me know if there''s anything that doesn''t fit school circumstances."

    Ji Yunyun instantly tossed her brother out of her mind, overjoyed. "Really, you''re letting me read it? This is the new book, right?"

    "Of course it''s real."

    She immediately dove in. "I''ll start reading right away!"

    "No rush, read slowly."

    How could Ji Yunyun take it slow? A fan reading the unpublished draft manuscript of her favorite author - she feared it would be taken away if she wasted even one second. Forgetting about her coffee, she started reading,pletely absorbed.

    Jian Jing poured herself another cup of coffee and picked up her phone.

    She messaged Ji Feng: [What are you up to?]

    Ji Feng: [Working]

    Jian Jing: [Any interesting cases?]

    Ji Feng: [Heard some inside news?]

    Jian Jing: [Don''t be petty, tell me about it]

    Ji Feng: [Tooplicated to exin over text]

    Jian Jing: [Then I''m leaving]

    Ji Feng: [Tsk e over yourself then]

    Jian Jing: [Too hot to go out]

    Ji Feng: [Bullshit, aren''t you having coffee with Yunyun?]

    Jian Jing nced at Ji Yunyun.

    She casually hid her phone under the table, pretending nothing was amiss.

    Jian Jing typed unhurriedly: [We can talk when it''s cooler]

    Ji Feng: [I''m on night shift tonight]

    She didn''t reply anymore.

    Ji Yunyun finished the first story, so excited she almost wanted to shout out loud three times. But she had to restrain herself to avoid disturbing others. "So good, I love it! The main couple has unspoken mutual pining, right?"

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "Ahem." Ji Yunyun cleared her throat and suppressed her urge to rave about the ship. "The case is amazing and the locked room is so ssic."

    Jian Jingughed in spite of herself. "Romanceester. Were there any unrealistic details about the school?"

    Ji Yunyun raised some fair critiques.

    Jian Jing made notes of them to fix during revisions.

    "Teacher Jian Jing, I need to get going if you don''t need me for anything else." Ji Yunyun felt awful yet reluctant to cut short this rare solo outing with her idol. "I, uh, have ns already."

    Jian Jing noticed her odd behavior, but misunderstood. "Going on a date with a boy?"

    Ji Yunyun reacted intensely. "No!"

    Jian Jing: "Oh."

    "Really no date! Just meeting up with some friends tonight." Ji Yunyun denied it three times decisively. "Definitely not a date."

    Jian Jing nced at her watch. Leaving a 4pm meetup before dinner time? Yeah right.

    But she kindly didn''t poke holes in her story. "Where are you going? I can give you a ride."

    Ji Yunyun: "Haunted house..."

    Jian Jingughed. "It''s too early for that now. Let me take you out for dinner, then I''ll drive you over afterwards. How''s that?"

    Ji Yunyun grew ted. "Really? Great!"

    "Friends cane too."

    Ji Yunyun crossed both arms in a big X. "Absolutely none."

    "What a pity."

    Jian Jing''s front row spectator ns were foiled, so she could only dutifully eat dinner and then drive Ji Yunyun to the haunted house. When they arrived downstairs, a boy was already there waiting for her.

    Ji Yunyun asked in surprise, "Why didn''t you just head up?"

    The boy swatted at a mosquito. "The lights on the stairwell are busted. Pitch ck. It''d be too dangerous for you to go up alone."

    "I''ve been learning taekwondo since elementary school." Ji Yunyun looked down on him scornfully.

    The boy said, "Anyway, I''ve got nothing to do. Let''s head up together."

    The two went up the elevator one after another.

    Jian Jing turned off her telescopic vision skill, very satisfied as she left.

    She decided to share this gossip with Ji Feng.

    Following the familiar route, she drove to the police station. Lots of parking spots today, easily sliding into one.

    Lao Gao was eating takeout. Seeing her, he greeted her very enthusiastically, "Teacher Jian is here? Have a seat." He looked around, didn''t see Ji Feng, and casually said, "He''s in the break room, go straight down to the end and make a left turn."

    Jian Jing gave him an "ok" sign and headed straight there to find the guy.

    The break room was at the end of the hallway. The door was thin without a lock. Jian Jing gently twisted the knob open and peeked inside. The room held a bunk bed looking identical to dorm bunks, a storage cab with the door half-open, jackets tossed on the two chairs by the window.

    Ji Feng was sleeping, chest calmly rising and falling, seemingly in deep slumber.

    Jian Jing had intended to leave right away, but a wicked thought arose. Tiptoeing in stealthily, she took out a lip liner from her bag.

    She twisted out the lipstick, holding her breath as she prepared to draw a big X on his face.

    But right as the lip liner nearly touched his face, he woke up.

    Jian Jing reacted swiftly, immediately hiding the incriminating tool behind her back.

    But she didn''t expect this guy to reach for his phone by the pillow upon waking up without even opening his eyes, likely to check the time.

    Her escape route was poorly nned. Their hands bumped right into each other instead.

    Ji Feng instantly became fully alert, reaching to grab her wrist.

    No way would Jian Jing sit around waiting to be captured. She flipped her arm, pping his hand away.

    With a loud p, the forces from both sidesbined and the back of her hand instantly turned red. Jian Jing furiously said, "You hit so hard, it hurts to death!"

    "And you hit me lightly?" Ji Feng was almost scared to death by her. He shook his hand, "Sneaking around without making a sound, what are you trying to do?"

    Jian Jing argued, "What could I possibly do?"

    Ji Feng suspiciously examined her face, "Who knows with you. Anyway, nothing good."

    "I came here to do no good?" Sheughed in anger. "Fine, I''ll get lost then."

    "Hey, hey, hey," Ji Feng hurriedly grabbed her hand. "You already came, why the rush?"

    Jian Jing tattled first, "Didn''t you say I came here with no good intentions?"

    "Teacher Jian, let''s be reasonable. I meant you weren''t nning to do anything good just now." His gaze swept over the back of her short skirt waist, "What''s that behind you?"

    Jian Jing turned her body sideways, "What is what?"

    "A pen?" Ji Feng eyed her. "Wearing a skirt so I don''t dare search you, right?"

    She shrugged.

    "Fine, I really don''t dare search you," he begrudgingly let go of her hand. "I''ll give you time to destroy evidence."

    Jian Jing said, "What evidence do I have to destroy? I have nothing."

    "If you have nothing, then I have to wear pants," he quipped. "Go on out."

    She rolled her eyes and left.

    Ji Feng watched the door crack and sighed, "Still trying to scare me? No way, I have nothing to lose."

    Bang.

    The door shut tightly this time.

    Feng shook his head, put on pants and shoes, and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

    Cold water hit his face, making him a little more clear-headed. He wiped his face and realized it wasn''t enough. He turned on the showerhead and took a three-minutebat shower, changing into clean clothes.

    He then spent another five minutes soaking his dirty clothes in a basin, scrubbing them a bit, wringing them dry, and hanging them out back on the small balcony of the break room.

    People on duty without going home usually dealt with things this simply.

    It was exactly ten minutes when he finished.

    Teacher Jian said, "You''re even slower at changing than me."

    Ji Feng, "..." Last time they went out together, the little princess took forty minutes to shower and thirty minutes to apply skincare products. She actually had the audacity to mock him.

    "Teacher Jian, aren''t you ashamed to say that?" he asked.

    Jian Jing lifted her chin, "Of course not, you''re just slow."

    Ji Feng understood, "Looking to pick a fight with me, huh? It''s tooplicated to exin clearly on WeChat, so you got this angry." He picked up the documents on the table and flipped to the case details. "Fine, I''ll go over it from the beginning with you."

    He contemted, "This case is very difficult. The suspect was discovered in an enclosed space with the victim, his fingerprints were on the murder weapon, and he had a strong motive tomit murder. Multiple witnesses confirmed that they had erupted into intense conflicts before."

    Jian Jing was astonished yet incredulous about such a dramatized case, "Is this real or are you joking around with The Judas Window?"

    "It''s pretty simr. The suspect ims he didn''t kill the victim. Instead, the victim wanted to kill him and he doesn''t know who killed the victim," Ji Feng finished recounting the case and frowned. "Although the evidence chain isplete and he could be indicted without a statement, I rarely see a suspect so stubborn. Perhaps..."

    Jian Jing said, "Perhaps there''s another possibility for this case."

 Chapter 304

    Chapter 304

    Boss Dong, whose full name was Dong, was the boss of a club. He was 40 years old, unmarried, and owned multiple businesses. One of them was a high-end club in Peace City called Jin Cui Hua Pce.

    Three days ago, he was found dead in a luxury suite at the club. His head was badly injured. The murder weapon was a ceramic art piece in the room that had shattered into pieces.

    Suspect Tan''s fingerprints were found on the shards.

    The report time was 11:12 PM. The person who reported the case was the club manager. He said the victim had told him that if a certain VIPes tonight, he needs to go greet them.

    When the manager knocked on the door, he heard the sound of breaking porcin. There seemed to be an argument inside. Then suddenly, it became quiet.

    Worried, the manager found the head of security and knocked again. Still no response.

    Finally, they decided to force open the lock. Upon entering, they discovered the victim lying on the floor with a bleeding head wound. The suspect was sitting on the sofa, expression nk. Thus they called the police.

    The police arrived at the scene at 11:40 PM and began routine investigations. They also detained the suspect, Tan.

    ording to Tan himself, he was one of Boss Dong''s lovers. He received a call from Boss Dong tonight to meet at the club.

    He arrived at 8:40 PM, chatted with some friends, and entered the suite to get ready around 9:30 PM.

    Around 10:05 PM, Boss Dong, quite drunk, entered the suite after a gathering downstairs.

    Tan said the victim was not very drunk then and still quite conscious. They had intimate rtions. Afterwards, the victim suggested drinking, but after a few sips, Tan felt extremely ufortable, thinking he was going to die.

    In panic, he seemed to have knocked something over and then lost consciousness.

    He didn''t know how much time had passed before he slowly woke up and tried to call for help. But upon entering the living room, he saw the body on the floor. Thinking they were both plotted against, his first reaction was to leave the room. However, his body had not fully recovered and his legs felt weak, so he decided to grab the phone on the sofa instead.

    Just then, the door opened and the manager and head of security charged in.

    After being arrested, Tan kept denying that he was the murderer and insisted that he was innocent.

    The coroner then conducted an autopsy.

    The autopsy report confirmed that the head wound was the fatal injury. Its shape matched the broken ceramic pieces. Time of death was within an hour, between 10:40-11:10 PM.

    During this timeframe, only the suspect and victim were in the room.

    When Jian Jing saw this, she couldn''t help but flip to the back: "Is there ayout of the scene?"

    "No," Ji Feng drew a simple sketch for her on a white paper. "Let me exin. Although the scene was a bustling club, ording to investigations, the floor the victim was on was the top level. It requires a special elevator that needs card ess. People from outside can''t get in."

    Jian Jing asked, "Were there surveince cameras?"

    "No cameras in this kind of ce," Ji Feng said. "Among the people at the club that night, only six could ess that floor, including Tan. The others were the manager, head of security, secretary, ountant, and business manager."

    He sketched theyout.

    Suite...Office...Elevator

    Lounge...

    The manager, head of security, and business manager would rest in the lounge when not patrolling. The secretary and ountant shared an office.

    But their suspicions were small because it was a locked room murder.

    The door was locked from inside so even with a key, it couldn''t be opened from outside. The police also checked for secret passages but found none. The windows were floor-to-ceiling but could only open a small crack for venttion that not even a fat cat could fit through.

    This made Tan not only the most suspicious, but the only suspect.

    Jian Jing asked, "You don''t think he''s the murderer?"

    "I didn''t say that," Ji Feng corrected. "I''ve repeatedly emphasized to him that showing remorse would lead to lighter sentencing, yet he still insists on innocence."

    Jian Jing nodded. "It is quite strange."

    Generally, with evidence clearlyid out, resistance would be pointless. Pleading guilty for lighter sentencing made more sense. A case with such clear-cut circumstances where the suspect stubbornly denies guilt would make anyone suspicious that there are additional unknownplexities.

    She flipped through the statements again. "There seems to becking information. Can we go to the scene..."

    Before she could finish, she suddenly heard Lao Gao say, "Ji Feng, the prosecutor is here."

    Jian Jing peeked out to see a woman in a blue blouse and pencil skirt walk in, hair loosely tied in a low ponytail. She wore low-heeled ck leather shoes and carried a briefcase.

    This outfit...a prosecutor?

    "Gao Police Officer, hello," Prosecutor Zhu gave a slight nod and looked straight at Ji Feng, "Has the suspect confessed?"

    Ji Feng: "Not yet."

    Prosecutor Zhu frowned. "The evidence is soplete. Why hasn''t he confessed yet?"

    Ji Feng said, "We''re still investigating. Just give me two more days, out of professional courtesy."

    "Work is work, personal rtionships are separate," Prosecutor Zhu said sternly. "Hand over what you should when you should. My schedule for closing the case is also tight, don''t waste my time."

    Ji Feng said, "There are still some doubts. I''ll give it to you as soon as I figure it out."

    Prosecutor Zhu asked: "What doubts?"

    "The murderer hasn''t confessed," he said. "Others aren''t without suspicion either. Isn''t that right, Teacher Jian?"

    "Huh?" Jian Jing was caught off guard while spectating. "What?"

    Ji Feng: "Share your opinion."

    Asked about the case, Jian Jing quickly regained her professional demeanor. She contemted: "The key to pinning the suspect is really the locked room scenario. If it wasn''t a locked room, the suspect''s ount wouldn''t seem out of the ordinary eitherˇŞby the way, didn''t you do a tox screen for the suspect after what he imed?"

    She hadn''t gotten to that part in the files yet, but surely they would test for substances if he said that himself.

    Indeed, Ji Feng said: "He imed he was poisoned but we didn''t detect anything abnormal, only a high blood alcohol level."

    "Is it possible certain things weren''t detected?" she asked.

    He answered cautiously. "Blood tests can only screen formon conditions. Rare or obscure substances may indeed be missed."

    She gestured with a hooked finger. "How about hidden passages?"

    "Impossible," he immediately denied. "The scene doesn''t allow for those conditions."

    Jian Jing asked: "What about mechanisms?"

    "Want to see the scene yourself?" he asked back.

    That was exactly what she was waiting for: "Yes, let''s go."

    Ji Feng then told Prosecutor Zhu, "See, I''m still checking out leads. Give me two more days. What if it''s a wrongful conviction case? It''s someone''s whole lifetime."

    Prosecutor Zhu contemted briefly before saying, "You''re going to the crime scene? I''ming too. If you can convince me, then I''ll give you a few more days."

    Ji Feng: "...Fine."

    The three got into the car. Jian Jing and Prosecutor Zhu briefly got acquainted.

    "Zhu Yanan. I''m with the prosecution''s investigation department."

    "Jian Jing. Just passing by."

    Unexpectedly, Prosecutor Zhu was very polite: "I''ve heard your name mentioned before regarding participation in several case resolutions. Do you think there are also doubts about this case?"

    Jian Jing said, "The suspect''s attitude is very suspicious."

    Prosecutor Zhu said: "I''ve studied this case closely. There are two keysˇŞone with security, one victim had on his person. After the victim locked the door from inside, the outside key fails to open it even with a key. Although the window can open, the room is on the 7th floor so the distance from the entrance is too far. Unless there exists some hidden contraption to engage the interior lock as novels describe, but that''s tooplex and low chance of sess."

    "Still can''t rule out such a possibility, of course," Ji Feng jumped in.

    Jian Jing said: "Let''s see at the scene first."

    The car pulled up to Jin Cui Hua Pce, still closed for business after its boss''s murder. Only the sensational neon sign on the exterior kept shing ostentatiously in gold, red, and green.

    Along the way, Jian Jing made observations about the environment. Indeed, only a designated elevator could reach the top floor.

    The upstairs was currently empty and eerily quiet.

    Ji Feng turned on the lights and lifted the caution tape so the two women in skirts could duck under. Prosecutor Zhu nimbly ducked through but Jian Jing''s borate hair ornament got caught.

    "Ouch!" Jian Jing covered her head, unable to help butin, "Bai Chang, you''re so tall, can''t you reach a little higher?"

    She had styled her hair in a butterfly knot today. In order to make the top of her head look fuller, after tying up her hair, she had to flip it out once more. The hair inside was also decorated with shiny chains, which were now caught in her strands and hurting like hell. She couldn''t just pull hard, but had to detach the strands one by one.

    "Why make things soplicated," Ji Feng blocked her hands and, making use of his height advantage, lowered his head to study for a moment before urately locating the strand of hair that was hooked. He pulled it out, "There, done."

    Jian Jing held up her phone to take a photo and carefully pulled the puffed out hair back.

    Ji Feng put on his gloves while waiting for her. Seeing that she was done, he took out his keys and inserted them into the door lock.

    Jian Jing''s attention was immediately focused: "Is that the original lock? I thought it was picked open?"

    "No, the original lock is at the police station. This is a recement of the same model." Ji Feng unlocked the insidetch, "See, there''s atch inside that can''t be opened even with a key from the outside."

    As he spoke, he also showed her a close-up photo of the lock. The outside of the lock showed signs of forced entry, but the inside only had some routine wear and tear without any particrly noticeable traces.

    She nodded and put on shoe covers to go inside.

    It was arge suite arranged in a 7-shape. Outside was the living room. Upon entering, one would first see a magnificent crystal screen. To the left of the screen was the white outline of a corpse.

    She walked closer and could make out that the corpse had been lying horizontally in front of the sofa, head down with hands over its head. Ceramic shards were scattered around it. From the photos, a piece at the bottom had blood stains on it.

    Looking around, the decor was also extremely extravagant. The TV feature wall was made of ck cloud marble, and there was a huge wine cab in the corner.

    To the left of the living room was the bedroom, and to the right a huge ss window that could only be opened a two-finger wide gap.

    Jian Jing looked up. In the center of the high ceiling hung an intricate and gorgeous crystal chandelier. Other than that, there was no particrly tall furniture around.

    She asked, "Has upstairs been checked?"

    Ji Feng answered, "I looked. There''s a lot of dust umted, no one has been up there recently."

    Jian Jing nodded. In the living room, only the chandelier was easily essible. If there were no anomalies, it would be impossible to make use of a mechanism to drop the porcin from height and kill the victim.

    Ji Feng seemed to understand her train of thought. He asked, "The technical department has done experiments based on the porcin shards. It should not have fallen from that high up."

    "You''ve thought this through very carefully," she said deliberately, "Does that mean you don''t need my help?"

    "Che, I can''t just ck off at work, can I?" He said, "I''m just eliminating some possibilities."

    "What else?"

    Ji Feng said, "I''ve searched the entire room¨Dthe ceiling, vents, window ss, roof¨Dthere are no traces of anyone having been there. So it''s impossible for someone to have lowered themselves in with a rope from upstairs, impossible to have climbed up from the floor below, and impossible to havee and gone through the venttion ducts."

    Jian Jing listened and kept nodding, "I understand. What you mean is, it''s impossible for the perpetrator to have entered the room by any means other than the front door. For the perpetrator to have killed the victim, they must have already been inside this room. It would have been impossible tomit this murder from outside the room."

    To be fair, Ji Feng''s personality was a little cocky, but his work was absolutely wless. His investigative work was dull and tedious, not like a detective''s reasoning which tended to be ingenious and unique, but it served well to reduce dead-ends.

    With the above possibilities eliminated, very few remained.

 Chapter 305

    Chapter 305

    Jian Jing walked around the crime scene twice and felt tired: "Can I sit down?"

    "Have a seat, the evidence collection is done," Ji Feng handed her a tablet.

    Jian Jing found the mostfortable spot on the sofa and tapped open the software to the statements section.

    First, let''s rify several time points.

    The victim entered the suite at 10:05, thest time others saw him alive. The autopsy report estimated time of death to be between 10:40-11:10.

    In addition, the manager saw a customer appear at the club around 10:50. He chatted with the customer briefly and after arranging for him to enter the VVIP lounge, went upstairs around 11:00 to notify the victim per his instructions.

    At that time, he heard arguing inside the room. He knocked but got no response.

    Worried, the manager found the head of security and together they pried open the door and discovered the victim''s body.

    It was exactly 11:10 then. Several minutester, the head of security called the police.

    So what was everyone else doing during that 1 hour 5 minutes?

    Jian Jing scrolled down and saw a lot more text. She asked, "Is there video?"

    Ji Feng said, "Yes, tap on the statements at the bottom to see videos."

    She opened the manager''s statement.

    He was an obese man in his thirties surnamed Zhao. He was amiable looking and very cooperative in manner.

    The manager answered: "My job is mainly coordinating work between departments - arranging manpower, clearing and cleaning venues, scheduling stage performances, things like that."

    "Talk about what you did the night of June 15."

    "Oh there was so much going on that night I can''t even count using 10 fingers. I remember right after we opened doors at 7, there was a customer insisting on booking out the venue. I told him we don''t do that but he just threw a stack of cash at me and kept at it. You can tell he was a spoiled rich kid..."

    The police had to stop his chatter: "Answer only what was asked, don''t ramble."

    The manager felt wronged: "But I''m answering the question!"

    The other officer rephrased: "Just focus on your actions between 10 and 11 pm."

    "Let me think. A little past 10, the boss finished drinking with his customer so I walked him upstairs to rest. Then I went back to work - I was running around the club nonstop, my legs were so tired! At 11, no 10:50, an important regr customer came. I hurried to greet him. Can''t slight the big boss clients even once or they won''te back - oops sorry for rambling again - after I chatted with him I went upstairs to get the boss and you know the rest."

    "borate further about what happened upstairs."

    "Okay. I went upstairs at 11 and heard activity inside the room but no one responded when I knocked. I was very worried so I got Da Qian (head of security) to open the door. It took 5 minutes at most, I knocked again when we got up there and still no response. The key couldn''t open the door either so we used tools to pry it open. Then when we got the door open I saw boss lying on the floor. Scared me half to death! I rushed over and saw blood covering his head, while Xiao Tan just sat there in a daze not knowing what he was thinking.

    "I checked for breathing and boss had already passed. So I told Da Qian let''s call the police. Then I asked Xiao Tan if he did this and he ignored me. I was worried he might harm himself so kept guard until the police came.

    The head of security was next.

    Wearing a ck suit, he had a sturdy build and looked like the chair might copse under his weight at any moment.

    "I work from 6 pm to 3 am," contrary to expectations, the big guy was very articte. "My main duties every night are patrolling the club for customer safety and keeping order. If there are drunk customers I''ll have them escorted back to their rooms or call a car to send them home, or I''ll have troublemakers removed."

    He specially rified, "We''re a proper club and don''t get violent with customers."

    The police asked: "Where were you between 10 and 11 pm?"

    The head of security answered: "I should''ve been patrolling."

    "By yourself?"

    "With colleagues." He recalled, "I remember we handled an incident that night too. A customer drank too much and caused a ruckus. It took us a long time to get him calmed down."

    "Around what time was this?"

    "Don''t remember clearly, maybe 10:20 or so."

    "What then?"

    "Chatted with colleagues, patrolled around, called cabs for customers - kept busy with odd jobs. Close to 11, I was about to go for a midnight snack break when Brother Zhao (the manager) suddenly came to get me. Then we went upstairs together."

    "Talk about discovering the victim."

    "Okay." The head of security carefully recalled before slowly answering, "At that time, Brother Zhao rushed over very anxiously saying the boss seemed to have fought with Xiao Tan. He knocked but the boss ignored him so he wanted me to open the door and check out the situation."

    The police suddenly interrupted: "Couples argue all the time. Why did you immediately agree based on this?"

    The security head sighed, "Because of Xiao Tan''s past." He revealed, "Kid''s got a record. He threatened a customer with a knife once over some conflict. Boss spent a lot of money covering it up. And also..."

    He had an indescribable, puzzled and difficult to express subtle look on his face.

    "Well, boss had really peculiar tastes. There was once before Xiao Tan came saying boss took a bad fall and lost a lot of blood down there. We rushed him barely in time to the hospital with the doc saying anyter would''ve been dangerous."

    Jian Jing: "???"

    She grabbed Ji Feng and showed him the screen: "Is this what I think it means?"

    Ji Feng: "Yes."

    Jian Jing understood. No wonder the manager panicked over no activity behind the door and went straight to the head of security. He didn''t care about interrupting the boss''s "fun".

    Turns out it was the kind of fun that could kill someone... cough.

    She continued reading.

    Next was the secretary.

    In contrast to Jian Jing''s familiar Dai An, this secretary had many shirt buttons undone, wore a butt-hugging skirt ending above the thighs, fis stockings and long sharp nails. Fake and tacky.

    "My job is listening to boss''s orders. Whatever he tells me to do I''ll do," while dressed provocatively the secretary had a coy girly voice. "Usually I don''t get off work to go home until boss goes to bed."

    "Where were you and what were you doing the night of the incident?"

    She said, "Before 8, I was resting in the office. Nothing much to do. Past 9 something my friends said they were partying at the club so I went down to sing with them for a bit. Close to 10:30 I stepped out to buy supper for boss then got back around 10:50."

    "Note night snacks at the club?"

    "There''s buns and noodles but boss doesn''t like those."

    "He orders the same every night?"

    "Drinks less so eats less. He''ll definitely want something, not necessarily every day."

    "Notice anything off when you came back?"

    The secretary said, "I knocked but there was no sound in the room. Figured boss hadn''t woken up yet so went back to the office to wait."

    "Anyone else in the office?"

    "No. Li Sister''sputer was on but she wasn''t there. She probably went for snacks," the secretary exined. "Ourte night snack time is 10 pm to midnight. Gote, there''s nothing left."

    "When did you find out something happened to the boss?"

    "Brother Qian (head of security) told me. He said police wereing so don''t wander."

    "Before that, you heard nothing?"

    "The club has excellent sound proofing and I was on my phone so didn''t notice anything. I have nothing to do with this and know nothing."

    Then it was the ountant''s turn.

    A woman in her forties wearing loose top and pants with grey ts. She appeared apprehensive and a bit nervous.

    "That night I was working overtime on the books. In the office before 10:30. After finishing I went downstairs for snacks and didn''t return upstairs until 11:15. That''s when I found out about the boss."

    Her timeline was very simple. "Anyone able to verify your downstairs whereabouts after 10:30?"

    She shook her head: "I was originally going to go back to the office, but the room on the top floor was stuffy, so I got some fresh air outside for a while without running into anyone."

    In other words, she had no alibi.

    Thest one was the business department manager.

    The so-called business department was actually responsible for apanying drinking and singing. The manager was in her thirties and female. Contrary to the unprofessional image I had, this manager was dressed very inly, with light makeup, wearing a ck diagonal shoulder long skirt, not deliberately trying to be provocative, but rather giving off an elegant feel.

    "I am the business department manager of Jin Cui Hua Pce. My daily job is to arrange for our waiters to serve customers in private rooms."

    The manager said unhurriedly: "On the evening of the 15th, as usual I started working at 7 pm until after 9 pm. I was chatting with customers in private rooms the whole time and many people can testify for me. Oh right, that evening a colleague had a conflict with a customer and got injured. I took her to the hospital but because I was busy, after paying I went back to the club."

    "What time was that?"

    "I remember when I left the hospital it was 10:10 pm. Considering themute, I should have gotten back to the club around 10:40 pm, I don''t remember exactly."

    "Did you drive there yourself?"

    "I don''t know how to drive, I just took a taxi."

    "What happened after you got back to the club?"

    "I wanted to report the incident to the Boss so I went upstairs. On the way I ran into Brother Zhao and he told me that Xiao Tan hade. So I wasn''t in a hurry to find the Boss and took a break in the lounge."

    "When did you find out what happened to the victim?"

    "Da Qian came and knocked on my door, telling me that the Boss was dead. That''s when I found out."

    "Did you hear any movement beforehand?"

    "I didn''t notice."

    --

    As Jian Jing was fully focused on watching the surveince video, Ji Feng once again surveyed the crime scene.

    He carefully examined the lounge and office outside, confirming the sound instion between the two rooms. Unless it was a loud noise, with both doors closed it would indeed be difficult to hear anything. But if there was only one door in between, one could still vaguely hear some sounds.

    From this perspective, none of the suspects seemed to have lied.

    So did they really have no suspicion?

    "I still don''t quite understand." Prosecutor Zhu interrupted his train of thought and questioned, "Although several people have no alibi, the motive for Xiao Tan tomit murder is very clear, while the others don''t have an obvious motive."

    Ji Feng nodded: "Yes, Xiao Tan and the victim had emotional disputes and had shed over it many times. The victim had said that she would take back the things she gave him, so whether for money or love, he had sufficient motive tomit murder."

    Prosecutor Zhu said: "I know you insist on investigating because you''re afraid of wronging a good person, but from what I can see so far, I don''t notice anything suspicious."

    "It''s intuition," he said, "or you can call it experience."

    She raised her eyebrows.

    Ji Feng said: "I''ve seen many homicide cases, some with borate ns but failed executions, some dismembering the body yet still able to sleep in the same room with it, but most are crimes of passion where the perpetrator kills on impulse then worries about covering it up afterwards - judging from the crime scene, there''s no doubt Xiao Tan was this kind of person, right?"

    Prosecutor Zhu nodded: "Yes."

    "For such a perpetrator," he continued, "before being caught, they may hold out hope. But he was caught red-handed at the scene with the weapon. Think about it, he kills on impulse without considering anything, yet is able to withstand so many days of interrogation, insisting he''s not the murderer...isn''t that strange?"

    "But that''s just your psychological analysis of him, there''s no evidence to prove he''s not the murderer."

    Ji Feng said: "That''s why we''re still investigating. Jian Jing is the best at this." He called to Jian Jing, "Teacher Jian, are you done? Give us some feedback."

    "Why the rush," Jian Jing sauntered over, simrly examining the office and lounge carefully. Finally she said, "I''m hungry, let''s go."

    Prosecutor Zhu: ??? I was waiting to hear about suspicious points, how can we just leave?

    Ji Feng: "Alright, let''s go."

    She was puzzled: Go, just like that? Are these twomunicating telepathically?

    Author''s note: Prosecutor Zhu: Why don''t you take me to y along?

    I''ve lost my enthusiasm for gambling.

 Chapter 306

    Chapter 306

    The weather was hot, and barbecues had lost their appeal.

    Jian Jing found a roadside cold drink shop and ordered a matcha ice smoothie. Zhu Yanan spent a long time choosing before settling on a jasmine green bean soup. Each was curious about what the other had ordered.

    "Is the matcha bitter?"

    "It''s alright. Is the green bean soup sweet?"

    "No sugar added, still not bad."

    Ji Feng: "..." Women.

    He tapped the table, hurrying her: "Ms. Jian, hurry up."

    Jian Jing sipped her ice smoothie, pondering: "From what I can see so far, both the person in charge and the head of security, the first two discoverers, have alibis prior to the incident."

    The jobs of the person in charge and head of security required them to walk around the club frequently. And there could be emergencies at any time, so no one could confirm whether someone might look for them during a certain period of time.

    Therefore, their statements were quite credible.

    "The manager, secretary and ountant happened to be alone for different reasons during that period of time," she counted off on her fingers. "The secretary was in the office, the ountant was outside, and the manager was in the lounge. They didn''t run into each other and none of them noticed any movement from the suite."

    Ji Feng: "Do you think there''s something wrong with them?"

    "Hard to say. I also ignore my surroundings when I''m on my phone," Jian Jing thought about it and said worriedly, "Actually there''s a ssic solution for this kind of locked room mysteryˇŞthe victim didn''t die in the room."

    Zhu Yanan was puzzled: "What do you mean, the body was moved?"

    She shook her head: "No, it means the victim was attacked outside, but walked into the room alive and locked the door themselves, identally creating the illusion of a locked room."

    Ji Feng said: "The murder weapon was still at the scene."

    "Let''s adapt it a bit." Jian Jing rolled her eyes. "The person was killed by having their head smashed in the room. After the murderer left, the victim locked the door and then copsed back down."

    Ji Feng was speechless: "Why would they do that?"

    "True love."

    "Ms. Jian, let me remind you that he was gay, but the three suspects with opportunity were all female." He said gently, "How true would this love have to be for him to cover up for the person who killed him?"

    "You reallyck imagination. What I just described was only a temte that could evolve into countless possibilities depending on the rtionships between characters."

    When ites to making up stories, the writer is a professional.

    Jian Jing said, "For example, what if one of them was his daughter? Would it be possible for him to cover up for his only bloodline? Or the daughter of his white moonlight, the old me he owed for many years, his half-sister by the same father..."

    Ji Feng raised his hand: "Stop. Those are all your fantasies. Give me some practical evidence."

    "What do you expect, that I can spot evidence you guys missed just by looking at the scene once? If it''se to this point you might as well quit too." She argued forcefully, "I''m giving you examples to help broaden your line of thought and consider another possibilityˇŞthe existence of the locked room could just be a coincidence."

    Ji Feng contemted.

    Jian Jing went on: "Do you feel like what I just said is unreliable because it''s too sensational?"

    He gave her a look that clearly asked, what else?

    "That''s discrimination against crimes of passion." She sneered, and immediately gave another example: "Then let me put it this wayˇŞwhat if the murderer had originally nned to kill both of them?"

    "It''s true that Tan Hao was drugged, and that the victim''s head was smashed. He locked the door not to cover up for anyone, but because he was afraid the murderer woulde back. Wouldn''t that make more sense?"

    Zhu Yanan couldn''t help nodding along: "It really would."

    Jian Jing turned to look at her.

    Zhu Yanan was confused.

    Ji Fengughed: "Ms. Jian, you''ve bamboozled our prosecutor silly."

    Zhu Yanan retorted: "What she said makes a lot more sense than your spections about the suspects."

    Ji Feng: "......"

    "Ahem." Jian Jing was used to teasing Ji Feng, but felt a little bad about deceiving the honest Zhu Yanan. She volunteered: "I''m just specting randomly. There are still wsˇŞTan Hao''s fingerprints are on the porcin. If the murderer had already nned to kill him from the start, there would be no need to fabricate fingerprints."

    Zhu Yanan realized her mistake and felt awkward for no reason.

    Jian Jing changed the subject: "I think you should still investigate the rtionships between the others and the victim. Also, if it really was a frame-up, the murderer should also resent Tan Hao quite a bitˇŞwas the victim really just gay?"

    "Look at the amount of work needed." Ji Feng sighed and looked to Zhu Yanan: "Prosecutor Zhu, you heard all that too. We''ll need some more time."

    Having been bombarded by all these possibilities from Jian Jing, Zhu Yanan''s mind was also shaken. She didn''t want to wrongly use a good person or let a criminal slip through either, so she said: "Two more days at most. I''m also under pressure."

    "Alright, two days it is first." Ji Feng wouldn''t haggle. Get it settled first before discussing more. "Thanks."

    Zhu Yanan was also efficient. She looked at her watch and decisively said: "Then it''s decided. I should head back first."

    "Should I give you a ride back?" he asked.

    Zhu Yanan said: "No need, I''ll just take a cab."

    "That''s not very safe." Jian Jing was shocked and hurried to say to Ji Feng: "Send her back. I''ll take a cab."

    "I''ll send you back instead." To Zhu Yanan, Jian Jing''s outfit and looks meant she had a much higher chance of running into danger. She had learned boxing for two years herselfˇŞif something really happened, at least she would have some ability to fight back.

    Ji Feng couldn''t help wondering: "The robbery rate around here isn''t that high. Why are you two so worried?"

    "You don''t understand crap." Jian Jing vehemently shook her head and said to Zhu Yanan: "Don''t worry about me. Most men, I can tten with one hand."

    Zhu Yanan was surprised.

    "It''s true. Don''t judge Ms. Jian by her looks." Though he said so, Ji Feng still said: "Alright, it''s just a little detour. I''ll send you both back so people at the bureau don''tugh at meter for letting a woman go home alone."

    It wasn''t that big of a deal originally. But hearing him put it that way made Jian Jing feeling rebellious: "I said no need, so no need. I''d like to see who''s tired of living and tries to rob me."

    Ji Feng reacted quickly as well: "Don''t say that. You''re a famous author, it wouldn''t look good to take a cab yourself." He held onto her arm. "Get in the car. Prosecutor Zhu has work tomorrow. Don''t dy her rest."

    Jian Jing had tricked Zhu Yanan earlier so she already felt guilty. With him putting it like that, she really couldn''t refute further and got in the car angrily.

    Ji Feng asked: "You''re still living in your previous ce?"

    Zhu Yanan nodded.

    "You should move. More casese up, be careful of people keeping tabs on you." He said.

    "Too busy recently. No time to move." Zhu Yanan also had no choice. Work at the procuratorate was busy and she often needed to work overtime or go on business trips. She really had no way to spare the time to look for a new ce and move.

    Ji Feng asked: "What about your boyfriend?"

    "We broke up."

    "Then how about this. I''ll introduce you to a roommate." He said. "Ms. Jian, Liang Yi''s looking for someone to split rent recently right?"

    Jian Jing checked her Moments feed and said yes. "Just posted about it yesterday."

    Ji Feng said: "I''ll give you her business cardter. She''s my college ssmate and also a police officer. It should be safer if you two live together."

    "Thanks for arranging this." Zhu Yanan appreciated his good intentions. The criminal cases she supervised at the Supervision Division were often extremely cruel. Without a reliable roommate, she really wouldn''t feel assured.

    Her ce wasn''t far from the procuratorate. Ji Feng was very familiar with the area and dropped her off downstairs, waiting for a bit even after until he saw the lights upstairse on before driving away.

    Jian Jing noticed and asked: "Is she in some kind of trouble?"

    "A man was caught following her yesterday." Ji Feng said. "I went over to ask and he said he was a victim''s family member of some case, anxious to know the verdict, which was why he kept following to ask about it."

    Jian Jing''s eyelid twitched strangely: "That''s so creepy. What happened next?"

    "Just tailing her, didn''t do anything. What could be done? Gave him a talking-to and let him go." He said. "This is exactly why I really don''t rmend Yun Yun go into this profession either. Too dangerous."

    Speaking of which, Jian Jing suddenly remembered the gossip from today and told him about Yun Yun going on a date with a boy.

    "Must be that ssmittee kid from her grade." There was a hint of sourness in Ji Feng''s tone. "Girls don''t stay at the best schools."

    "Dating after the college entrance exam period is over is only natural." Jian Jing spoke up for her. "You''re being salty. I bet you got rejected when you confessed to your crush after your own college entrance exams."

    Ji Feng: "Do you feel unhappy if you don''t step on me a few times?"

    She said: "I''m just logically reasoning."

    "Oh really? Let''s hear this reasoning of yours then."

    "Prosecutor Zhu was your high school ss president right? The good grades, pretty one. Am I right?" She said.

    Ji Feng looked at her amused. "How''d you guess?"

    "You two are quite familiar. Generally, prosecutors don''t assign cases to the same person every time, so it proves you have some personal connection. She also mentioned you were acquaintances. However, she doesn''t know Liang Yi, so Liang Yi is not your college ssmate. Being able to be a prosecutor means she had very good grades, and adding to that her good looks, the range is quite small."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and added, "Also, she has a certain aura with you. I guess you didn''t get punished by her less when you were studying together."

    "Not bad for Teacher Jian." Ji Feng readily admitted, "But can you exin to me how you made the correct deduction yet arrived at the wrong result?"

    Jian Jing: "You asked if she had a boyfriend."

    "Is it not normal for me to ask this?" Ji Feng shook his head, "Teacher Jian, you have crashed."

    She kept her head in the face of danger and asked back, "Do you swear you asked this casually?"

    Ji Feng nced at her, curious: "What''s the difference between asking casually or not?"

    "No difference," Jian Jing shrugged, "Tricking you causes me no loss."

    "..."

    Ji Feng understood. Teacher Jian was just bored and looking to tease him a bit for fun.

    He simply didn''t take her bait: "What time should Ie to pick you up tomorrow?"

    "I''ll call you when I wake up."

    The next day.

    Jian Jing woke up after 8 AM and nced at her phone.

    Ji Feng left a message saying he had an operation in the morning and would call her when he was free.

    Since that was the case, Jian Jing was in no hurry to get out of bed. She tossed her phone aside and lounged a bit more before slowly getting up. The knight outside could not wait any longer and whined for her to go out.

    "Coming,ing." She took the leash and casually bit into a slice of bread to take the dog out for a walk.

    The knight happily ran out, panting with his tongue out halfway to death when he came back.

    It was too hot.

    Jian Jing was afraid he would get heat stroke, so she fed him an icy yogurt.

    Knight: "Woof!" Fully revived!

    Ji Feng''s call also came: "Are you awake now?"

    "It''s almost lunchtime."

    "I''ll be right there."

    He arrived quite quickly. Other than his slightly messy hair, he seemed fine. But as Jian Jing barely picked up her keys, she sensed something wrong: "Why do you smell of blood?"

    Ji Feng was puzzled for a moment: "Really? I didn''t fire my gun today."

    Jian Jing circled around him.

    His clothes were undamaged. There was some dust on his shoulder, clearly from brushing against something. Faint bloodstains seeped out from his back: "Your back."

    He looked over his shoulder.

    "You went to catch someone this morning?"

    "Yeah, luckily no guns, but he had a knife and was quite fierce." He couldn''t reach his back so he gave up, "It''s nothing. I probably scraped the ground a bit while subduing him."

    He took it for granted, not making a big deal: "Let''s go. Had lunch yet? Who do you want to investigate first?"

    "Thinking your body is made of iron?" Jian Jing took out a first-aid kit. She left no room for objection, "Come over. I''ll dress your wound."

 Chapter 307

    Chapter 307

    Ji Feng did not have any knife wounds or gunshot wounds. In Jian Jing''s eyes, his other minor injuries were not worth treating. He started to refuse: "Teacher Jian, don''t bother..."

    Before he could finish his sentence, he stumbled.

    Jian Jing grabbed his cor and dragged him to the sofa.

    Ji Feng was shocked: "Let go!"

    Jian Jing red at him disdainfully. What was he making such a big fuss about? But the next moment, there was a "rip" sound as a tear appeared in his cor.

    She: "???"

    How did this happen? She didn''t use much force!

    There was a twitch at the corner of Ji Feng''s mouth: "Last year''s, washed many times, no longer durable."

    He only had two summer shirts tost the whole summer. With all the washing, wearing, and sun-drying, plus the fabric itself was not very durable, losing buttons, fraying hems, snapping threads - it was all normal.

    It had just been [censored] this morning, and now with Jian Jing yanking it, no wonder it tore.

    "Uh, sorry." Jian Jing slowly let go, trying to pretend nothing had happened.

    Ji Fengughed at her expression: "I was going to throw it away anyway, it''s fine." Since it was already damaged, he was not being pretentious. He took it off directly and looked over his shoulder, "It''s not serious right? Just some scraped skin."

    After the awkwardness was sessfully ovee, Jian Jing quickly changed the subject: "You call this not serious?"

    Although it was just an abrasion, it covered almost a third of his back. He must have been dragged to cause such arge area of skin damage.

    And judging by the depth, it went beyond the epidermis to the dermis in some ces.

    "Let me clean it up." She took out saline, dampened cotton balls to wash away the dust and blood around the wound, disinfected the area around the wound with iodine after cleaning it up.

    Ji Feng stood still and let her treat him.

    "Done." The first aid card was very useful. Jian Jing skillfully treated the injury and started worrying, "Wait here, I''ll go buy you a new shirt to change into?"

    "No need." Ji Feng handed her the car keys, "There''s a travel bag in the trunk, there are spare clothes inside, just grab me anything."

    "Okay."

    Then Jian Jing directly brought him a whole new set of clothes.

    "Covered in dust." She was very disgusted.

    Ji Feng: "......let me borrow the bathroom."

    "Go ahead."

    Ji Feng changed into the new clothes, bundled up the dirty ones and stuffed them back into the bag, and washed his face while he was at it. He didn''t know if it was psychological, but he felt like the wounds didn''t hurt as much anymore.

    He was in great condition.

    "Teacher Jian, where do you want to go first this afternoon?"

    "Let''s eat first, I ordered takeout."

    Ji Feng: "......Okay."

    He rested properly for an hour. In the meantime, he "let" Teacher Jian borrow the washing machine and dryer in her home again. After eating lunch and getting his clothes washed and dried soft and fluffy, he took them away directly instead of washing them himself back at the duty room.

    Man, these clothes got ruined in such a worthwhile way.

    In the afternoon, the two started investigating suspects as nned.

    First was the secretary.

    She shared an apartment in an average old residential area. Ji Feng showed his ID. The secretary hesitated, but still let them into the house, asking: "My boss''s case has been solved right? What else do you need from me?"

    Ji Feng said: "The case is still under investigation. There are some questions that need your cooperation."

    Without much exnation, he was in charge of questioning while Jian Jing observantly examined the state of the room. The living room was small with poor lighting. It was dark even during the day. There were many paper bags piled at the door, still unsealed, and pantyhose could be seen inside, probably to be mailed out.

    Peering through the door gap to the bedroom, there was supplemental lighting, curtains, microphones - very typical livestreaming equipment.

    The secretary noticed her gaze and exined: "I do this as a side job."

    "Micro merchants need to livestream now too?" She was surprised.

    The secretary smiled, nced at her, and did not exin further. She lit a cigarette and asked Ji Feng: "Officer, if there''s anything you want to ask, ask quickly. I''m off work these two days and need to earn money urgently."

    Ji Feng asked: "When did you start working at Golden Jade Pce?"

    The secretary was chatty, probably due to her job as a livestreamer: "A friend introduced me there half a year ago. She said the boss wanted a secretary who could drink and socialize for him. My alcohol tolerance is decent so I gave it a try and got hired."

    "What friend?"

    "A former colleague from a club. She doesn''t work there anymore." The secretary said, "What does this have to do with me and this case?"

    "You were the victim''s secretary and knew most about him. We want to investigate more about his personal matters." Ji Feng said. "To your knowledge, was the victim homosexual or bisexual? Did he have any other ambiguous rtionships?"

    The secretary flicked some ash and pondered: "He didn''t seem to like women. I threw myself at him and he had no reaction."

    "How long were he and Tan Hao together?"

    "Three or four months I guess."

    "How did they meet?"

    "At a dinner party. Little Tan is a model. He came to toast that night with someone. They took a liking to each other and hooked up the same night."

    "What was their rtionship like?"

    "Hard to say." The secretary shrugged. "The boss had a wild time. And Little Tan lived off his youth and looks with a hot temper and a bit narcissistic too. I mean at his age, he still dreams of bing a star without looking in the mirror and seeing what he looks like."

    Jian Jing silently nodded.

    Suspect Tan Hao was 26 this year. He kept his body in shape but his looks were mediocre. Barely making a living as a model, he had no chance in the entertainment industry.

    She asked: "Did they fight because of this before?"

    "Yeah. Little Tan wanted the boss to invest money into filming a web drama for him. The boss gave in at first and said he''d find investors butter regretted it. Recently they''ve been very unhappy over this."

    "What kind of person is Little Tan?"

    "Aiming high butcking skill. Living off his youth and looks with a hot temper and rather narcissistic."

    Ji Feng nodded and asked about her impression of other people.

    "Brother Zhao (Manager) is a bit of a lecher who likes to cop a feel. Of course he''s opportunistic. But other than that he''s not too bad."

    "Brother Qian (Head of security) is pretty decent, righteous and hardworking. I heard he used to be in a gang and spent a few years in jail but you can''t really tell nowadays that he used to be that fierce."

    "I''m not familiar with Sister Liu (ounting). She onlyes to the office a few times a month since she doesn''t just work for us. The boss had her handle the books. As for private matters, who knows."

    "Sister Minmin (Business Manager)? Tsk, she''s capable. She used to be the top hostess at another ce. The boss spent a lot to poach her. She''s very shrewd and has all the clients eating out of her hand."

    Jian Jing pondered briefly before cutting in: "Is Manager Minmin married?"

    The secretary looked at her as if she were an elementary school student: "How could she be? She''s the boss''s woman."

    Clearly a different boss than the deceased one. Jian Jing understood and asked: "All outsiders? No one from the club?"

    "I shouldn''t say." The secretary looked bored. "Anyway, Brother Zhao sucks up to her a lot. I''ve seen theme out of a room together before."

    Jian Jing nodded without further questions.

    The secretary chased them out: "That''s enough Officer. I need to work. Don''t get in my way."

    "Then we''ll get going. Thank you for your cooperation." Ji Feng bid farewell.

    The two left the secretary''s home but did not immediately leave. Instead they went to the property management office to inquire about the secretary''s housing situation.

    The property manager said the secretary had been living there for over a year, and so had her roommate. They left early and returnedte with heavy makeup. Neighbors hadined a few times, finding their conduct unvirtuous. But in order to collect rent, thendlord kept letting them stay.

    "It seems her financial situation is quite stable without huge ie." Jian Jing analyzed. "I saw the room setup. It''s rental furniture with an off-brand washing machine. The clothes hanging outside were very low quality too."

    She was also doubtful: "Shouldn''t club wages be higher? Could she be in debt?"

    "She has a rural residency permit. Her family is probably average. The money is likely sent home." Having seen many simr cases, Ji Feng said: "She earns money fromgrey area means. Probably no rich backer."

    "Grey area? That kind of livestreaming?"

    Ji Feng: "What she sells."

    "The pantyhose quality is awful." Jian Jing hated pantyhose that broke easily. "I saw some worn ones inside with holes... "

    She trailed off and clued in btedly: "No way, for real? What do buyers use those for??"

    "Teacher Jian, stop imagining." Ji Feng opened the car door and ushered her in. "That kind of life is far from you. Don''t worry."

    Jian Jing still felt nauseous, with goosebumps all over.

    Ji Feng redirected her attention: "I''ve seen many women in debt before. Usually it''s because of the rolling interest on their loans. And when they encounter debt, their first choice is to continue borrowing money. She lives frugally, not like those kinds of people."

    "She hasn''t been working here long, and so far there''s no sign of conflict of interest. Her motive for murder is very small," Jian Jing said. "Judging from her evaluation of other people, there doesn''t seem to be any emotional entanglement either."

    "Let''s listen to what others have to say," Ji Feng suggested.

    The second interviewee was the ountant.

    As the secretary had said, the ountant not only kept the books for Jin Cuihua Pce, but also worked part-time at anotherpany. Because she was so busy, she could only spare twenty minutes for questioning.

    Ji Feng asked the same questions as before, about the ountant''s understanding of the victim and her views on the other people.

    "I''m not clear about the boss''s personal situation, nor do I care," the ountant was very nervous and cautious, fearful of saying something wrong. "Ie in mid-month and end of month for three days each to go over the books. I don''t normally go there much and am unclear about many matters."

    "What was the rtionship between the victim and Tan Hao like?" Ji Feng asked.

    "I heard it wasn''t very good. I''ve run into them arguing before," the ountant said. "At the time I didn''t even know his rtionship with the boss. I wondered who this was, to actually m the table at the boss. But then I found out..."

    She made a hard to describe subtle expression.

    "What about the others?"

    "Brother Zhao is quite polite to me. Xiao Qian is decent. If I workte he helps me call a car. As for that Na Na (the secretary), I don''t know her very well. Frankly speaking, I don''t like that kind of unprofessional woman, either always on her phone when free or video calling different men."

    "What do you make of Manager Min?"

    "Oh her! You wouldn''t think she does this kind of work from looking at her. She''s polite and articte, what a pity that she does this... I heard from the young girls working under her that she makes quite a lot, several hundred thousand a year, incredible."

    "What are her rtionships with the others like?"

    "Hard to say, that kind of ce..." The ountant shook her head and refused to say more.

    The twenty minutes were soon up. She declined to chat further and hurriedly went back.

    Jian Jing remarked: "Her outfit is very in, ie seems a little lower. But with kids that age, would need money for all sorts of things. She kept looking over at that tutoring center next door."

    Ji Feng made an affirmative "mn" sound, lost in thought: Teacher Jian doesn''t understand the lives of ordinary people, no wonder, she became famous young and has always been well-off economically. She didn''t spend her formative years with Kang Mu Cheng, so her standard of living must have been among the best in the country.

    Yet her judgment of ordinary people''s standard of living is very urate.

    Which is quite strange.

    The lives of ordinary people and underprivileged people should both be rather distant from her.

    So many secrets. He looked at her, smiling. "Next?"

    The ountant had chosen a small park near herpany, an open-air location. Jian Jingined: "So hot, I want ice cream."

    "Is McDonald''s or KFC ice cream tastier?"

    "Can''t we get something else?"

    "There''s no other shops around here."

    "Either is fine I guess. Taste is probably simr."

 Chapter 308

    Chapter 308

    The club was open for business at night. In the afternoon, Min Manager happened to be at home.

    She lived in a high-end residentialmunity, with housing prices over 100,000 yuan. The property management was very strict, requiring identity checks before allowing entry. Ji Feng showed his ID and asked about the situation of the suspect.

    After checking the information, they learned that the house Min Manager was currently living in was registered under her own name two years ago.

    As for impressions of Min Manager, the property management staff unanimously gave her good reviews: "The owner of Unit 1901 is very nice and polite. When we help her with small things, she speciallyes to thank us, so everyone is willing to help her."

    "This woman is not simple," Jian Jing said. "We need to take a closer look."

    They went to visit her without prior notice, aiming for a sudden attack.

    Min Manager happened to be at home, cooking. Seeing them arrive, she reacted with an appropriate amount of surprise: "May I ask what brings you here?"

    Ji Feng repeated the excuse to cooperate with the investigation.

    She seemed puzzled but still invited them in. Jian Jing paid close attention to observing the shoe cab and saw only women''s shoes, without any men''s or children''s shoes. However, there were several pairs of slippers in different colors.

    The room was furnished in a clear, elegant and cozy style, with fabric sofas, soft lighting, lilies and lotus flowers in vases, all disying the owner''s taste.

    And her casual at-home outfit was also very simple and in - a pearl white dress, hair pinned up with a pearl clip, a few strands left loose at the temples, gentle Korean style.

    Jian Jingplimented, "Your dress is so beautiful, itplements yourplexion very well."

    "Thank you." No woman dislikes being praised, and Min Manager was no exception. She poured lemon water for the two and asked, "Is there anything else you need my cooperation on?"

    Ji Feng asked, "What kind of person was the deceased?"

    Min Manager thought about it and replied, "He had a bad temper, and would scold people over minor things. Sometimes when his temper red up, the words he said were extremely offensive. Butpared to my previous boss who was all empty ttery, he had one advantage - he was quite generous with money."

    "Did the staff have grievances against him?"

    "Yes, certainly." Min Manager gave an example, "I have a girl under me who offended a customer, and got pped twice in the face by the boss, made to kneel down and apologize to the customer."

    Jian Jing frowned.

    Ji Feng asked, "Who contradicted him the most?"

    Min Manager shook her head: "I had just switched jobs here, so I''m not clear about things in other departments."

    "Why did you jump to Golden Jade Pce?" Jian Jing asked abruptly. "The pay is very high, or was there another reason?"

    Min Manager smiled and answered calmly, "My previous boss was nning to have neers rece me. If I didn''t leave, I would have had to wait to be disgraced right? So why did you choose this one?"

    "The boss prefers men, so I would face far fewer troubles." Min Manager fiddled with the flowers in the vase and said lightly, "Having to deal with customers is already exhausting enough every day. To have to continue putting on an act to please the boss would be too troublesome."

    The reason seemed very convincing.

    Ji Feng continued to ask about her views on others, ording to n.

    "I don''t know the ountant. We don''t interact much with her unless necessary. It would not look good if the boss found out. If I must say, she probably looks down on us a bit, feeling that we are not decent people."

    "That secretary...I think her name is Nana. Still young and fickle. I don''t even know where she spends all her money. I overheard her talking on the phone once, it sounded like her family was asking her for money. She is also pitiful. People in this industry basically eat their youthful meals. When they get old and have no car or house, it bes difficult for them to find someone to marry."

    "Xiao Qian looks fierce but she''s actually not bad. Sometimes she helps handle difficult customers."

    "Brother Zhao..." When speaking of him, Min Manager hesitated slightly and said, "I don''t know if you''ve heard anyone say this, but actually, Golden Jade Pce originally belonged to Brother Zhao."

    This was really new information.

    Ji Feng said, "Please exin in detail."

    "I only heard bits of gossip, if I get anything wrong, please don''t me me."

    "Of course not."

    Min Manager carefully recalled and slowly said, "In the past, Golden Jade Pce was just a small club, one I hadn''t even heard of before, also not doing business on the same scale as now. The people who came were a mixed bunch, inevitably causing trouble. Later I don''t know who reported it and they were directly shut down and seized. To avoid imprisonment, Brother Zhao had no choice but to sell the club. That was when the current boss took over."

    "Actually, I was also quite surprised that Brother Zhao still stayed on. Maybe he has feelings for this ce and can''t bear to leave it." She implied meaningfully, "Possibly also because of money. But I don''t know the specifics."

    Ji Feng nodded: "Thank you for your cooperation, this will be very helpful for us."

    "I''m d I could help."

    From entering to finishing the questioning, the whole process took forty minutes and yielded quite a bit.

    The two sat in the car with the AC on, exchanging views.

    Jian Jing spoke first: "On the surface, the three don''t seem to have any entanglement with the deceased. But Min Manager is the most suspicious."

    They had each asked around about the situation of the others. But gathering information was secondary - observing attitudes revealed the truth. Although the secretary provided information on conflicts between Tan Hao and the deceased, the focus still centered on Tan Hao herself.

    The ountant''s attitude was also fine. Having some opinions about colleagues behind their backs was normal between people.

    Only Min Manager clearly provided Brother Zhao''s motive.

    She may have spoken out of goodwill, or unintentionally, or perhaps with another objective in mind.

    "I''ll go back and check on those two first," Ji Feng said.

    Jian Jing said, "Plus the head of security."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You just need to check. I want to know if the two people who discovered the body first, and the three females, have any still undiscovered connections."

    Ji Feng understood: "Your spection is a bit bold."

    "The most unlikely guess could just be the simplest answer," she thought about it and said, "Does Golden Jade Pce open for business at night? I want to go take a look."

    "It should be open today." Ji Feng looked at her with a smile, "But they might not let you in."

    Jian Jing knew that some clubs yed it risky, not epting female patrons, but that was fine: "I have my ways."

    As night fell, the lights came on and luxury cars filled the parking lot outside Golden Jade Pce.

    Jian Jing simply took a taxi there and headed straight for the entrance.

    The security guard dutifully blocked her path: "Miss, who are you looking for?"

    "I can''t go in?" Jian Jing asked in surprise.

    The security guard said, "Sorry, we don''t serve female guests. If you''vee with friends, please give us the room number for verification before we can escort you there."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows without speaking.

    Just then, a middle-aged man walked over about to enter. He nced at her with a smile and said, "Thisdy is with me."

    The security guard looked at Jian Jing doubtfully: "You two came together?"

    Jian Jing said, "Yes."

    The guard let them pass.

    The man put his arm around her shoulder as they went inside,ughing, "Who are you looking for, Miss? We don''t allow girls in here. Want toe to my room for a drink first?"

    "Let go," Jian Jing said.

    The man certainly wouldn''t let go. A young girl''s smooth fair skin felt delicate and soft to the touch. Heughed, "What''s with the act? You just want to sneak in to hook a rich guy..."

    Before he finished speaking, his throat was tightly squeezed, instantly blocking his trachea, making it impossible to breathe.

    His face swelled bright red.

    "What did you just say?" Jian Jing used force skillfully, strangling only his windpipe while avoiding leaving fingerprints. "Say it again, I want to hear clearly."

    The man was ferocious on the outside but timid within: "What...what are you trying to do?"

    "If you obstruct me from catching someone cheating one more time, you''ll be sorry." She released her hand and said coldly, "Scram."

    "Humph! You think I''m afraid?" The man pretended to be tough, but had already started chickening out inside.

    He was just an ordinary rich second generation used to throwing money at girls. Now running into one who directly resorted to violence made him flustered, even if he wouldn''t admit it. But to let her off just like this would be losing face too: "Who''d believe you,ing to this kind of ce?"

    Jian Jing hadn''t expected to run into such an annoying idiot who refused to buzz off. She could only put on an arrogant act: "Do you know who I am?"

    How could the man possibly know? But he backed down anyway.

    People who dared talk like this generally had strong backup.

    "Better stay out of my way, or you''ll regret it." Her bluff worked perfectly for this scenario. The more aggressive she acted, the more nervous he became. "Got it?"

    Jian Jing stared him down.

    "Damn it, just my luck." Feeling like he''d made himself enough of a fool, the man spat some harsh parting words and hurried away.

    His steps slightly unsteady.

    Jian Jing was toozy to bother with him either, and simply walked in the opposite direction.

    There were usually no surveince cameras installed inside high-end clubs to avoid leaving guests'' privacy. She walked in boldly, looking like a justified guest, so people who saw her thought she was a femalepanion of some guest and did not look twice.

    After some effort, Jian Jing finally found Min Manager who was working.

    She looked very beautiful today too, wearing a light gray off-shoulder long dress and exquisite, gentle makeup. The color of her lip ze was the timeless color of brown sugar. Although other girls were younger than her or even prettier, her temperament was unique.

    Guests really liked her. Many kept greeting her and inviting her to drink. Her colleagues also weed her with smiles. She seemed very popr.

    And in terms of who was closest to her, none couldpare to the person in charge, Brother Zhao.

    The two chatted at a corner of the staircase for a long time. Brother Zhao still had his hand on her shoulder, and it would slide down asionally.

    "Brother Zhao, the boss is gone. You should focus more on the club," Min Manager sighed and persuaded tactfully. "I can go anywhere, and guests will follow me, but what about you?"

    Brother Zhao frowned and mumbled, "What more can I do? I don''t know how many people have asked me about this the past couple days. What could I say?"

    "Who will take over in the future?" Min Manager asked directly. "Are you confident?"

    "I won''t hide this from you, but I do have some ideas. After all..." He hesitated and lowered his voice. "What do you think? Can I take over?"

    Min Manager smiled indifferently. "As long as you have money."

    "Can''t do without funds huh," Brother Zhao rubbed his hands andughed. "Min Min, I know you''re pretty well off. What do you think, do you want to be the club owner''s wife?"

    Min Managerughed. "Don''t tell me you''ve had this idea all along?"

    "We''re not young anymore. It''s time to settle down. And I don''t look down on you either." Brother Zhao said sincerely. "Think about it carefully."

    But Min Manager was ambiguous. "Let''s talk about it after you take over the club."

    "I''m eighty percent confident about this," Brother Zhao bragged. "Just watch me pull it off."

    Min Manager looked surprised. "Not bad, Old Zhao. You''ve already got ideas in just a couple days?"

    "Of course I started thinking a long time ago..." He seemed to realize he had misspoke and quickly shut his mouth. "Oh, you''ll know when the timees."

    The two were talking very softly, but with her five senses card turned on, Jian Jing could still make out most of it.

    She edited a text message with what she heard and sent it to Ji Feng.

    Keep watching.

    Afterwards, it was the club''s peak hours. More and more guests kepting. Brother Zhao and Min Manager were so busy they barely got a break. Team Leader Qian was busy directing his security guards. Jian Jing only caught glimpses of them a couple times.

    After 1 am, the crowd thinned as the guests left one by one.

    Jian Jing saw Brother Zhao take a girl into his office with his arm around her. Min Manager had taken off her off-shoulder work dress and changed back into her own in and conservative shirt and calf-length skirt. She asked Team Leader Qian to call her a car.

    "Let me give you a ride," the security team leader was apparently not immune to her charm and eagerly fawned over the beauty.

    But Min Manager declined, "Just help me call a car. You go mind your own business. I''ll be fine."

    The team leader could only back away.

    At two o''clock, Ji Feng met the drowsy Jian Jing and asked her, "Find anything?"

    "What about you?"

    "Brother Zhao has shady dealings. There''s an unexinable huge sum of ie in the books every month. I suspect something fishy with the club''s ounts."

    Jian Jing pondered, "If the victim discovered his actions, that would be a strong motive for murder. But he was the one who discovered the body first, so there was no time for him tomit the murder, right?"

    "That''s the key point," Ji Feng looked at her and smiled. "Teacher Jian, time''s up for youˇŞwhat exactly is the secret behind this locked room case?"

 Chapter 309

    Chapter 309

    "Secret room." Jian Jing yawned, drowsy, "Do you think this secret room is a mechanism murder?"

    Ji Feng said: "No." He has been in this business for so many years and has only encountered a handful of mechanism murder cases. The making was quite simple, yet even so, there was still one unsessful attempt.

    It can be seen that the tricks of mechanism murders are cool enough in novels, but the sess rate in reality is very low.

    Jian Jing said: "I think so too. So at first, I wondered if this secret room was caused by ident."

    "No, Tan Hao''s framing must have been premeditated." Ji Feng remembered something and quickly said, "I checked his medical records. Three years ago, he was hospitalized for anaphctic shock. Because the treatment was timely, there were no seque. There were no recurrences afterwards."

    Jian Jing asked: "What was the allergen?"

    "Unclear, it should be something quite rare." He said, "I arranged for him to be tested to see what caused him to lose consciousness back then."

    "Did he mention this to anyone?"

    Ji Feng smiled: "The coincidence is here. The victim had arranged physical examinations for them, high-risk groups, you know. He said he had casually mentioned it to others at the time, but no one took it to heart."

    "That is to say, anyone could have known he was allergic to something." She yawned again, "How about the scene?"

    "Wait until the allergy testes out, then ask them to check." The criminal technology department was also a high-incidence ce for overtime. Asking them to re-investigate without solid evidence would get him beaten up by colleagues.

    Jian Jing nodded hastily, half-closed eyes: "I still stand by what I said earlier, the secret room was not originally like this..."

    Ji Feng: "Leaving me hanging?"

    "No--" She dragged out the tone, "Sleepy."

    "Go ahead and sleep, I''ll wake you when we arrive." Ji Feng shook his head, thinking that Professor Jian''s endurance was not great. Fortunately, she was not a policeman, otherwise how could she endure several consecutive all-nighters.

    Jian Jing responded, her head resting on the soft pillow, and fell asleep in no time.

    Outside the car window, the night was deep.

    Ji Feng turned down the air conditioner and slowed down the car.

    The street lights in the distance emitted a soft, warm light, illuminating the road ahead.

    About twenty minutester, her home arrived.

    Ji Feng parked the car in the underground garage, parked in the space closest to the elevator, before calling her: "Professor Jian, we''re home."

    Jian Jing woke up groggily, with a big yawn, bleary-eyed, and still had physiological tears in the corners of her eyes: "We''re here, so fast."

    "Go back to sleep, I''lle by tomorrow afternoon." He said.

    She nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt.

    It didn''te off.

    "Let me do it." Ji Feng leaned over, tugged at the buckle, "It''s a little stuck."

    Jian Jing asked: "Is your wound better?"

    "The scabs have formed, it''ll be fine in a few days." He unbuckled her seatbelt and smiled at her, "Don''t worry."

    "Who''s worried." She retorted, "Thick-skinned as you are, I know you won''t die. I''m off."

    She pushed open the car door and left breezily.

    Ji Feng watched her back until she disappeared from sight before turning the car around to leave.

    He was too tired tonight, time to go home and sleep.

    The next day. 7:40 a.m.

    Ji Feng was woken up by the ringing of his phone. It was Old Gao calling, saying the criminal arrested yesterday confessed, and they were going to arrest another aplice this morning.

    He had no choice but to reluctantly crawl up, wash up hastily, put on his clothes, and hurry to the police station to report.

    At 8:30, they set off. After staking out for over an hour, they officially arrested the criminal at 10 o''clock.

    The interrogation began.

    At 11, he switched shifts with his colleagues and had lunch.

    After the meal, he was too sleepy, so he dozed off on the table. He probably slept for fifteen minutes before he felt refreshed. As soon as he opened his eyes, he wanted to get back to work.

    What came into view was a pair of legs.

    Sparkling jelly shoes, peach-colored manicure done at a beauty salon, a hazy light blue dress, the fabric slightly wrinkled, like a fluffy cloud.

    Ji Feng looked her up and down andughed: "Solved the case?"

    "Who said that?" Jian Jing wondered.

    "Dressed like this, you wouldn''t be running around everywhere." He picked up his phone to check the unread messages, "The hospital test results are out."

    Jian Jing''s spirit was shocked: "What was it?"

    "Mold." He said. "Want toe with me to the technical department to take a look?"

    Being overly courteous without reason, it was either wickedness or theft. Jian Jing was suspicious: "Why are you taking me there?"

    "Of course it''s for your prestige." Ji Feng said, "We only have two days left, half of which is already gone, we have to hurry."

    Jian Jing snorted: "Do I have much prestige?"

    "Of course, you are a famous writer." Ji Feng pulled the half-pushing and half-unwilling writerdy up, "Don''t you want to visit the neighboring department?"

    Jian Jing reluctantly said: "Fine."

    Ji Feng didn''t lie to her. As soon as they arrived at the Criminal Technology Department, they immediately received white eyes from colleagues.

    "You''re here again?"

    "Haven''t done it yet."

    "Get out, get out, get out."

    Everyone was furious.

    But when everyone saw Jian Jing following behind Ji Feng, they calmed down a lot.

    "This is Professor Jian, right?"

    "I''ve heard your name before."

    "Wee, wee, my child is your fan. Can I get an autograph?"

    Taking this opportunity, after flipping through, no obvious traces of mold were found.

    He considered and said, "Professor Jian, sit for a while, I''ll grab something."

    Jian Jing despised Mr. Ji: "ttering for favors."

    "What favor, I''m looking for clues."

    He came and went in a hurry, and soon found Tan Hao''s changed clothes where he was detained. At that time, he was arrested in a bathrobe, and his clothes were still at the police station.

    "Please help check this out, it''s urgent." Ji Feng went around persuading.

    Colleagues looked coldly: "Which job isn''t urgent?"

    "Do me a favor since I brought the famous writer here." He pleaded until they finally relented.

    Ady pushed up her sses meaningfully and said, "Remember to invite me to your wedding banquet."

    Jian Jing: "???"

    Ji Feng kept a straight face: "I will definitely invite you to my daughter''s school enrollment celebration banquet."

    "Get out."

    Ji Feng fled the scene.

    Jian Jing was toozy to quibble with him. When she got in the car, shemanded: "Go to the crime scene."

    "Map it out first?"

    "Then I''ll go over my thought process from start to finish with you." Jian Jing sorted out her thoughts, "First of all, you''ve ruled out the ceiling, outside the window, venttion ducts and other ces. So I thought it was no longer realistic to use mechanisms or create a sealed room for murder."

    "Next, I considered the simplest situation - the victim locked the door for some reason and identally created a sealed room situation. But this does not match Tan Hao''s scheme to frame someone. The other party must have nned in advance to create the situation of him passing out and coincidentally waking up again."

    "Moreover, there were a total of two people who discovered this incident. The victim''s fatal injury was also to the back of the head. This ruled out the possibility that when they entered the room, the victim was still alive, and when one person left to call the police, the other killed him. Plus, Tan Hao was in the room the whole time, so the three of them could testify for each other."

    "That being the case, thest remaining possibility, although highly improbable and incredible, may just be the real answer."

    Jian Jing looked at him, arching her brow: "Test your knowledge, what is this most ridiculous answer?"

    "The killer was in the room?" Ji Feng had already guessed her line of thinking and immediately pointed out the doubt, "But since he nned to frame Tan Hao, it doesn''t make sense for him to choose such an oundish method at the most critical point--" He stopped.

    Jian Jing''s tone slightly rose, pleasantly saying: "Right, this was not the original n. The person in charge came to call the victim because an important client had arrived. It was just a coincidence."

    "The killer''s original n may have been twofold: First, she would y the role of the person in charge, pretending to be the first discoverer who came to call the door but got no response. This way, whether the door could be opened would be entirely up to her words to determine, and a fake sealed room could also be a real sealed room; Second, time Tan Hao''s awakening so that he opens the door from the inside. He would be the prime suspect, and even if he said the door was not locked when he opened it, the credibility would still be very low."

    Ji Feng said: "But the arrival of the person in charge disrupted her n."

    "Right. At 11 o''clock, she was still at the scene, but the person in charge suddenly came to knock on the door. In a panic, she locked the door and yed a recording to create the illusion that the victim was still alive. However, although the person in charge left, she knew he would be back soon, so she couldn''t leave."

    At this time, she could only take the risk and stay, and create a chance to escape for herself. Do you remember, I sat on the sofa for a while that day, and I realized then that the position of the sofa was wrong, it had been moved by someone.

    "The murderer deliberately moved the position of the sofa. This way, when someonees in from outside and sees the victim, their first reaction must be to go over and check it out. With the sofa blocking the way and the coffee table on the other side, he would have to turn his back to the door."

    By the time the analysis got to this point, the scene had arrived.

    The scene of the crime was still maintained in its original state. Ji Feng blocked the person in charge who tried to find out anything.

    The two of them stood at the door of the luxury suite, trying to recreate the situation at that time.

    Ji Feng stood next to the corpse and looked back over his shoulder. Because of the screen blocking the entrance, he really couldn''t see the movement at the door clearly. But he said, "There were two people who came in."

    "The Security Team Leader is suspicious." Jian Jing walked back and forth, the thin heels of her slippers clicked crisply on the smooth marble floor. "Remember, I sat on the sofa for a while that day, and I realized then that the position of the sofa was wrong, it had been moved by someone.

    The suite''s curtains were made of expensive velvet, covering the entire right wall of the living room. The fabric was thick and heavy, and if you didn''t look closely, it would be very difficult to notice someone hiding behind it at first.

    She said, "When Tan Hao woke up from shock, it''s normal that he was confused and didn''t notice anything. But the Security Team Leader had a high probability of seeing here out from behind the curtains."

    "He must have lied. If not for his cover up, she should have been the third person to discover the body." Ji Feng affirmed her spection.

    There was nearly ten meters between the curtains and the door. Escaping was far too risky. Pretending to hear a noise anding out was undoubtedly a better disguise. But the murderer did not be the third person, instead she was only notified afterwards. This meant that when she escaped, the security guard didn''t hear any movement at all.

    The feasibility was too low.

    "Now it''s just a choice between two," Jian Jing said. Although she spoke like this, her mind already had an inclination.

    The secretary and Min Manager both said that they were notified by the person in charge before they knew about the victim''s incident, which was after 11:12. And the finance staff came back at 11:15, she was thest one timeline-wise.

    In addition, ording to the murderer''s original n, she needed to pay attention to the situation in the room at all times, in order to respond ordingly. The finance staff''s actions did not fit with this.

    The secretary and Min Manager, who had been in the rest area and office the whole time, both met the criteria.

    Considering Min Manager''s actions in shifting me eastwards, her suspicion was greater.

    The problem was, "What about evidence?" Ji Feng asked. "What''s the motive?"

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and said, "The security guard''s testimony is key, we have to trick the truth out of him."

 Chapter 310

    Chapter 310

    Qian Lei, the captain of the security team, had an ordinary name and an ordinary life. He only attended one year of junior high school before dropping out due to family reasons.

    Afterward, he worked as a waiter in a billiards hall, mingling with his elder brother and getting into fights everywhere. One time, in a confused state, he ended up killing someone with a knife and was sentenced to ten years, starting his time in prison.

    During the years of imprisonment, he received education and underwent rehabilitation. Eventually, due to his good behavior, he was granted an early release.

    However, with a criminal record, it was difficult for him to find a job. Finally, with the help of a fellow viger, he managed to secure a job as a security guard in a residential area. Even though the sry was low, he worked diligently for several years.

    Just when he was about to be promoted, his criminal record was anonymously exposed in themunity owners'' group.

    The homeowners protested to the property management, and he was dismissed from his job.

    Qian Lei felt extremely frustrated, but he had no choice. Some mistakes should never be made, as they can affect one''s entire lifetime. He realized this toote.

    Fortunately, not long after, a homeowner he had interacted with before helped him by rmending a job at the Golden Emerald Pce. When Mr. Dong, the boss, heard about his history, he not only didn''t mind but thought that''s what it takes to keep people in line. Qian Lei was promoted to captain of the security team after only three months of work.

    Qian Lei cherished this job immensely, but now that his boss had passed away, he didn''t know what the future held.

    "Qian, someone is looking for you," his roommate called from their rented room.

    "I''ming." Qian Lei quickly finished the instant noodle soup in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and walked to the door. "Who''s looking for me?"

    Ji Feng showed his identification.

    Qian Lei paused, his expression slightly tense. "Officer, is there something I can help you with?"

    "We have some follow-up questions about the case at the Golden Emerald Pce. Pleasee with us for an investigation," Ji Feng said.

    Qian Lei instinctively licked his lips and said, "Oh, alright. Can I change my clothes first?" He gestured to his tank top and shorts. "It''s not very polite like this."

    Ji Feng said, "You can, but I suggest you not make any unnecessary movements."

    Qian Lei was taken aback but pretended not to understand. He turned around and put on his security guard uniform, a shoddily made ck suit. It was his life experience that if you dressed a bit more decently, people wouldn''t easily discriminate against you.

    Ji Feng took the opportunity to nce around the rented room.

    It was a shared room, with seven or eight big guys squeezed into a two-bedroom apartment. The fan was blowing loudly, and the room was filled with the smell of sweat and foot odor. On the floor, coffee table, and small table, there were electric stoves and jars of spicy sauce, as well as several boxes of instant noodles.

    He couldn''t help but feel relieved: it''s a good thing he didn''t bring Teacher Jian along.

    Qian Lei quickly changed his clothes, got into the police car, and once again stepped into the gates of the police station.

    As a former criminal with a record, he naturally had a fear of being taken into custody. When he sat at the interrogation table, his back instantly straightened and became incredibly tense.

    "Name."

    "Qian Lei."

    "Gender."

    "Male."

    "Age."

    "36."

    Unlike the previous questioning for his confession, this time the police were noticeably more severe. The stern expression in their eyes seemed to imply that they had concrete evidence.

    Qian Lei''s lips became even drier.

    He couldn''t help but take a sip of water.

    Sure enough, they specifically asked about the events of the night on the 15th.

    Qian Lei cautiously said, "Um, I''ve already exined multiple times..."

    "Tell me, just tell me." The interrogating police officer was cold and stern. His gaze was vignt and ruthless,pletely reflecting his attitude towards the criminal rather than that of a cooperative witness.

    --

    Outside the interrogation room, Jian Jing held Cheese Grapes in her arms, surrounded by spectators in the front row. Shemented, "I can''t believe Officer Gao can be so fierce."

    Lao Gao had always been gentle and smiling towards her, but she didn''t expect him to disy such amanding presence when facing the suspect. Qian Lei was already frightened by it.

    Ji Feng remarked, "Control yourself." He was truly enjoying the spectacle.

    Jian Jing sipped her iced drink, pretending not to hear.

    --

    Inside the room, the interrogation continued.

    Qian Lei tried his best to repeat what he had said earlier, "Zhao and I went upstairs. He knocked on the door and called the boss''s name, but there was no response..."

    Officer Gao interrupted, "What did he call? Tell me."

    "Um, something like ''Boss, Mr. Wang is here,'' ''Boss, are you there?'' ''Xiao Tan, open the door.''" He recalled.

    "Go on."

    "There was no sound inside, and we were worried that something had happened, so we found something to pry open the lock. The door opened, and we saw someone lying on the sofa, who looked like the boss."

    Officer Gao interrupted again, "Who went in first?"

    Qian Lei hesitated before saying, "It was Brother Zhao."

    "And then?"

    "We ran to the boss''s side and saw that his head was covered in blood. He was lying there motionless. Xiao Tan was in shock, no matter how we asked, there was no response. Brother Zhao told me to call the police."

    "Show me where you two were at the time." Officer Gao handed over the crime scene photos.

    Qian Lei pointed to the position near the feet of the body.

    --

    In the observation room.

    Ji Feng clicked his tongue.

    Two days had passed, and Zhu Yanan, who came specifically to review the progress, asked, "What''s wrong? Is there a problem with this position?"

    Jian Jing took the photo and exined to her, "The body was between the sofa and the coffee table. The sofa was at an angle, with a narrow space for the head and arger space at the feet. To see his head, one would have to walk inside. The line of sight of the person in charge would definitely be blocked, but Qian Lei is a big guy and couldn''t squeeze in too far. He would usually be near the feet, but he could see the door clearly."

    A pair of feet appeared outside the folding screen, obviously hoping to quickly attract the attention of the iing people, so they wouldn''t search the room and identally discover the hiding person''s traces.

    But the person who enteredter would generally stand behind the first person, near the feet of the body. Qian Lei, being tall and robust, already had limited space next to the sofa. It was highly unlikely that he would stand too far inside.

    Therefore, even though the folding screen blocked part of the view, they would definitely be able to see if someone entered or left the doorway.

    Zhu Yanan understood and her expression turned serious.

    --

    Officer Gao looked at Qian Lei, now having a clear understanding. In a cold tone, he said, "Think back carefully, how many people were in the room at that time?"

    Qian Lei''s heart raced, and his palms sweated. "Three people, Xiao Tan, Brother Zhao, and me."

    Officer Gao said meaningfully, "Are you sure?"

    Qian Lei grew even more anxious, "Yes."

    "After calling the police, what did you do?" Unexpectedly, Officer Gao looked at him for a few seconds, then moved on from that topic and continued questioning.

    Qian Lei let out a sigh of relief, took a sip of water from a paper cup, and answered, "I informed the others."

    "Who was the first person?"

    "Nana."

    "Where was she at that time, and what was she doing?"

    Qian Lei replied smoothly, "She was in the office, it seemed like she was on a video call, no, actually, a live stream."

    "What did you say to her?"

    "I said, the boss is in trouble, I called the police, and they told everyone at the scene not to leave. I told her not to wander around."

    "How did she respond?"

    "She asked me what happened, if it was a small talk, and if an ambnce should be called."

    "How did you respond?"

    "I said I didn''t know anything."

    "Did you tell her that the boss was dead?"

    "No, I didn''t know if the boss was dead or not."

    "Did you call an ambnce?"

    "Yes, I did."

    Officer Gao asked in great detail, almost probing every detail, asionally throwing in a curveball to disrupt the suspect''s thoughts.

    Qian Lei''s answers were wless, simr to what he had instructed the secretary.

    "Who did you inform next?"

    "Min Sister."

    "Where was she?"

    "In the lounge."

    "What was she doing at the time?"

    "Um, it seemed like she was looking at her phone."

    "What do you mean by ''seemed''? Was she ying games or making a phone call?"

    "She was ying games."

    "What did you say to her?"

    "The same as Nana, I told her the boss was in trouble and not to wander around."

    "How did she react?"

    "She just said she knew."

    "Didn''t she ask anything else?"

    "No."

    "And then?"

    "Then I saw Sister Liue up, and I told her about it too." Sister Liu is the finance manager.

    "How did she react?"

    "She was a bit shocked, said she didn''t know anything, and wanted to go home. I persuaded her for a while before she calmed down."

    Officer Gao''s face turned cold. "So, you think nothing else happened that night?"

    "No, nothing," Qian Lei wiped the sweat off his sleeve.

    Officer Gao shook his head. "Do you know that perjury carries a prison sentence? You spent eight years in prison, finally started a new life after getting out, and now, for the sake of a woman, you''re willing to go back in for a few more years. What''s the point?"

    Qian Lei''s heart jumped into his throat.

    A woman.

    The police knew? They really knew? How was that possible? Could it be...

    "We have already arrested He Xinmin," Officer Gao bluffed, "and she has confessed."

    Qian Lei''s face immediately turned pale.

    Officer Gao said, "Think about it carefully. When you went to find her, where was she? What was she doing?"

    Don''t panic, stay calm. The inmates had said that the police liked to bluff people. Wasn''t he the same before? As soon as they scared him, he would obediently confess everything.

    Qian Lei desperately reassured himself, clinging to a glimmer of hope. "I didn''t lie."

    "Ah," when being tough didn''t work, Officer Gao switched to a gentler approach, annoyed that he couldn''t forge steel out of iron, "You''re still being stubborn at this point?"

    Qian Lei remained silent, protesting through his silence.

    Officer Gao said, "Don''t believe what I said, right? Fine, let me make it clear to you then. When you entered the room, you actually saw her. She was in the room, secretly preparing to leave, but you caught her. ording to her confession, when you went to find her, she wasn''t ying with her phone, but taking care of herself."

    "She had your boss''s blood on her."

    In the observation room, Zhu Yanan asked in surprise, "Did He Xinmin confess?"

    Ji Fengzily replied, "No."

    "Then how did you know there was blood?" she wondered, "It''s not mentioned in the physical evidence, right?"

    Ji Feng pursed his lips and said, "Of course not, it was a guess by Teacher Jian."

    Zhu Yanan looked at Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing cleared her throat. It was time for her favorite part, where she couldn''t personally expose the suspect, but exining the details was fine. "Based on the situation at the time, the killer didn''t have time to change clothes. The clothes she was wearing during the crime were the same as the ones she wore during her recorded testimony. But there was something off about that dress."

    She yed the video of the testimony and analyzed, "When I watched the testimony, I felt that the dress was very strange."

    In the video, Manager Min was wearing a ck off-shoulder long dress.

    Zhu Yanan watched carefully for a moment and asked in confusion, "I didn''t see anything wrong. Was there blood on it?"

    "On that day, when we visited her, Iplimented her dress. Do you remember?" Jian Jing didn''t answer but instead asked Ji Feng.

    Ji Feng replied, "I remember. Is that relevant?"

    "At first, I just felt that the ck dress didn''t suit her. Her style was gentle and elegant, and the decoration in her house was also fresh and tasteful. It was the best fit for her. ck color is too dusty, simr to a secretary''s outfit. It should have been something she tried to avoid."

    Jian Jing continued, "But at that time, I couldn''t be certain. Maybe it was her work uniform. So, I went to the club again, and she was indeed wearing a white dress, looking incredibly elegant. Shepletely outshone the young girls there. If it were me, I would also like a gentle and kind sister like her."

    "Ahem." Ji Feng cut to the chase and revealed the mystery, "So, wearing ck clothes specifically meant that she knew she might get bloodstains today."

    Zhu Yanan was skeptical, "Is that all?"

    Jian Jing red at Ji Feng and said, "You tell her, continue."

    Ji Feng closed his mouth and made a gesture of surrender.

    "Half a bottle of water." Jian Jing found the club''s website, opened the photo of the business department, and found the same dress on the young girl next to the person in the center. "This dress is not an off-shoulder dress; it originally had a strap on the right shoulder, but she tied it into a bow."

    Zhu Yanan understood, "The strap got stained with blood, so she tied it into a bow to hide it."

    "Bingo," Jian Jing raised her hand and high-fived Zhu Yanan, "That''s exactly what I guessed."

 Chapter 311

    Chapter 311

    Jian Jing carefully investigated and the bold deception strategy was sessful.

    In Qian Lei''s opinion, apart from himself, only Min Manager could have known the details at that time - when he went to the rest area and found her wiping her shoulders with a tissue.

    He was mentally defeated and came clean.

    Armed with his confession and evidence, Ji Feng began to question Min Manager.

    Unlike Officer Gao''s pressure on Qian Lei, Min Manager had exceptional psychological resilience that couldn''t be resolved with just cold res and shouting. To cross swords with her required a gradual, step-by-step approach.

    Ji Feng was skilled at this task.

    As he entered, he greeted her with a smile, "Ms. He, please sit. Would you like some water?" As he spoke, he naturally poured her a ss of warm water. His casual, rxed attitude easily lowered the defenses of the person being questioned.

    Min Manager smiled gently, "Thank you."

    "I called you in today mainly to ask you a few more questions. Don''t worry, just answer truthfully," said Ji Feng calmly.

    Min Manager hesitated slightly before slowly answering, "Alright."

    Ji Feng asked, "What was your rtionship with Zhao Liqiang?"

    "Colleagues," Min Manager replied without thinking.

    Ji Feng revealed a hint of aggression, "But ording to our investigation, you two were on good terms privately. Otherwise, you wouldn''t know so many of his secrets."

    Min Manager paused, seemingly embarrassed, "We were just colleagues. Sometimes when he drank too much he would talk nonsense and I didn''t take it seriously."

    "What did he say?"

    "Justints, like someone wanted to sabotage him back then, they were envious of his territory," she said. "It was onlyter I realized he was talking about our club."

    Ji Feng nodded, "Do you think he had a motive to kill Dong Liang?"

    Min Manager shook her head, "I don''t know."

    "I hope you can recall again what happened on the night of June 15. What time did you return to the club that night?" he asked.

    Min Manager answered without hesitation, "I really can''t remember clearly, just that it was before 11 o''clock."

    Ji Feng said, "We checked the intersection cameras and didn''t capture the taxi you mentioned."

    "The driver didn''t take the main gate road. I got out at the back door," she exined seamlessly. "Check again, you''ll see."

    She was sincere in her manner, gazing gently at Ji Feng with clear eyes.

    --

    Observation Room

    Jian Jing leaned against the ss and asked, "What contact lenses is she wearing? The effect is too good."

    In contrast, Zhu Yanan was tense, "She seems confident. Could we have made a mistake?"

    Lao Gao: "..."

    --

    Outside the One-Way Mirror

    Ji Feng didn''t dwell too long on her arrival time. Working at the club every day, she was certainly familiar with the nearby cameras. Finding a drop off point without surveince wouldn''t have been difficult.

    He briskly moved on from that question, "After you got to the break room, you didn''t leave again, right?"

    Min Manager said, "No, I didn''t."

    "That''s not right," said Ji Feng. "We have an eyewitness who said they went to the break room between 11:50 and 11 o''clock and didn''t see you there."

    As an experienced hostess from the entertainment scene, Min Manager was meticulous and cautious. She didn''t immediately reveal any ws but was dubious, "Looking for me? Who?"

    She had her suspicions. If it was Old Zhao, he would have taken the opportunity to probe or even threaten her beforehand. Qian wouldn''t say anything without cause, and she and Zhengjie didn''t have that kind of rtionship. Auntie Liu had always looked down on women like her, so she wouldn''t havee to find her for no reason.

    It was most likely the police tricking her.

    "We can''t disclose the identity of the witness, but Ms. He, not only were you not where you should have been, you also appeared somewhere you shouldn''t have been." Ji Feng slid over a photo, "Look, are these the clothes you wore that day?"

    Min Manager nced at it and said, "It looks like them."

    "ording to our investigation, you usually wear skirts you prepare yourself, but on the 15th you said your skirt was stained with red wine and temporarily changed into this ck dress from the changing room, right?"

    She asked in response, "What''s the issue?"

    "Do you know if there were any bloodstains extracted from the shoulder straps of this dress?" Though the DNAparison wasn''t back yet, we have reason to believe it''s the victim''s blood."

    Blood could be washed away with bleach, detergent or special cleaning agents, but it tended to fade. So this ck dress had only been rinsed with in water, leaving enough blood traces to be extracted.

    Min Manager remained unruffled, "That doesn''t prove anything. The dress wasn''t only worn by me. Even if it''s the boss''s blood, it could have been stained previously."

    Ji Feng asked her for confirmation, "You''re not clear where the bloodstains came from, right?"

    Min Manager slowly nodded.

    "Then do you know if Tan Hao had a history of allergies?" he began to close in.

    She grew increasingly cautious, "I think I''ve heard that, but I don''t remember clearly."

    "That''s unlikely," said Ji Feng. He pped a piece of paper on the table and slid it over. "This is a physical exam report from a private hospital. The patient''s name is Tan Hao and it includes allergy testing. Please exin."

    Min Manager didn''t expect them to move so quickly. She nced at it and said, "Xiao Tan wanted to get tested but didn''t want to go to a public hospital. I happened to know a doctor friend and referred them to get a physical exam together."

    "Tan Hao said you brought him this report and that you''d seen it," said Ji Feng. "Did you look at it?"

    "No," she denied firmly.

    Ji Feng patiently asked, "So you didn''t know he was allergic to mold and hadn''t touched the robe in the suite?"

    Early this morning, the technical department''s report came back. Arge amount of mold was detected on the robe Tan Hao had been wearing. With the recent rainy weather, it was normal for clothing to be damp and moldy, so it hadn''t been noticed before.

    Min Manager shifted slightly, adjusting her stiff sitting posture.

    "Xiao Tan mentioned to us that he''d been hospitalized for allergies before, but it was just in passing. As for the robe, I''m even more confused," she asked back calmly. "Officer, why do you seem to be treating me as a suspect?"

    She shook her head and sincerely said, "I have my own business, I would never do anything illegal for a man I barely know."

    "Ms. He, I don''t want to suspect you either," said Ji Feng earnestly. "But we have witness testimony that you appeared in the victim''s room that night, and the clothes you wore have the victim''s bloodstains. That''s too much of a coincidence."

    Min Manager pressed her lips together, her thoughts racing.

    Was it Qian or Xiao Tan?

    "Could Xiao Tan have been mistaken? When I called for the boss outside the door, he probably heard me and thought I was inside," she offered a reasonable exnation.

    Ji Feng asked, "So you mean he framed you?"

    "Of course not, but Xiao Tan wasn''t himself that night. Making a mistake is possible," she said.

    Ji Feng shook his head and abruptly changed the subject, "Let me ask you again, what was your rtionship with Zhao Liqiang?"

    Min Manager was taken aback.

    From his tone, it was Old Zhao? So that''s why they kept asking about their rtionship?

    This was bad. Based on what she had said before, she and Old Zhao were close. Old Zhao had even made drunken slip-ups. There was no discord between them.

    "Did Old Zhao say he saw me?" she probed. "When was this? I don''t know about it."

    --

    Observation Room

    It was obvious Zhu Yanan had rxed, "She took the bait."

    Jian Jing sat in the chair drinking coffee andined, "So slow, an hour to get a statement."

    "The enemy is crafty," Lao Gao exined the process. "First be friendly, then attack. Finally, fake them out so they fall into disarray before striking the fatal blow."

    Jian Jing remarked, "Ji Feng''s not good at much, but he''s the best at setting traps."

    "Interrogation is a technical skill," Lao Gao righteously defended his colleague. "It would take me three hours."

    She made a face and continued watching.

    --

    Ji Feng began to analyze the case: "Now, there is this possibility about the case. Listen to this.

    "Around 10:50, you entered the victim''s room, tricked him into the living room with some excuse, and then used a prepared ceramic object to strike his head. The victim was drunk and unable to resist, was severely injured and fell to the ground. Then, you entered the bedroom and injected an anti-allergy medication into Xiao Tan''s body and pressed his fingerprints onto something. Of course, it''s also possible you had already figured out a way to leave his fingerprints on it beforehand.

    "However, when you wanted to leave, you heard footsteps outside the door. You locked the door and heard Zhao Liqiang''s voice. Fortunately, you had recorded an audio clip beforehand - which was supposed to be something you and someone else heard after you left, to help establish your alibi - and you decided to use it prematurely to create the illusion that the victim was still alive.

    "Unfortunately, Zhao Liqiang heard the sounds of an argument and was afraid something bad had happened, so he immediately went to find Qian Lei to open the door. You knew your n had gone awry, so you decided to take a risk and stay in the room, adjusting the angle of the sofa to create a visual blind spot for yourself.

    "Everything went as you expected - when the people outside came in, their attention was drawn to the corpse, and you took the opportunity to slip away. But you didn''t expect that someone would notice your tracks."

    Ji Feng ced a file on the table. "This is his confession. Do you have anything you want to exin?"

    Min Manager said with difficulty, "Is there any evidence?"

    "There is a witness."

    "What if his testimony isn''t credible enough?" Min Manager retorted.

    "You mean he''s falsely using you?" Ji Feng asked in surprise. "Why would he do that?"

    With things having reached this point, Min Manager didn''t care much anymore. She took a risk and said, "Zhao Liqiang had been pursuing me, hoping I would be with him. I rejected him several times. Because of this, he resented me in particr."

    As she spoke, her train of thought became smoother.

    Now that she thought about it, it was possible that when Zhao had suddenly proposed to her earlier, he had already nned things out. If she refused, he could say a few words to the police to apply pressure and force her to agree.

    Yes, that must be it. He was short on money but was convinced he would seed with Jin Cuihua Pce.

    Min Manager raised her head, looking straight into the eyes of the policeman opposite her, eyes unwavering.

    He had a grave expression, brows slightly furrowed, seeming to be judging the truth of her words. Seeing him like this, she couldn''t help but feel a glimmer of hope - if they had solid evidence, the police certainly wouldn''t be acting this way.

    It was worth gambling on.

    "I remember two people discovered the corpse. It doesn''t make sense that he saw it but Qian and Xiao Tan didn''t, right?" Min Manager went all in and directly said, "He''s talking nonsense."

    Ji Feng looked thoughtful. "What are your rtionships with Xiao Tan and Qian Lei?"

    Min Manager said, "My rtionship with Xiao Tan is quite close, but I''m not familiar with Qian Lei, we''re just ordinary colleagues. He had no reason to cover for me at all."

    "Is that so?" Ji Feng smiled slightly. When forced into a corner, a desperate man will do anything. "But the one providing testimony is Qian Lei."

    Min Manager''s smile froze.

    "You two aren''t unrted either." He continued unhurriedly. "He used to work as a security guard at theplex you lived in. ording to the property management office, he helped you find lost items before, and you specially thanked him. Later, he was fired because of his criminal record, and you also spoke on his behalf."

    "Qian Lei said he was grateful to you for not discriminating against him, and for helping him find a job. So when he saw you appear in the victim''s room, not only did he pretend not to see you, he also helped block the view of the other people."

    Ji Feng asked, "Do you have anything else you want to exin?"

    The interrogation room was silent as the grave.

    Author''s note: Min has evil intentions when digging for gossip, while Ji Feng sets traps when he does it.

 Chapter 312

    Chapter 312

    Min Manager''s interrogation continued for two days.

    The reason was simple. She had a stubborn head. When contradictions in her confession were pointed out, she went silent and refused to cooperate, dragging it out with the police.

    Lao Gao had originally proposed that he y the bad cop role to scare her a bit, but Ji Feng said, "This woman is not simple. Without solid evidence, if she sees through you, she may think she has a chance."

    "It''s rare to see such a tough woman," Lao Gao sighed. Appearances can be deceiving. After working at the police station for a while, he had often seen big men who would burst into tears or shirk responsibility after just a little intimidation. Women''s resilience was actually stronger than men''s.

    Ji Feng said, "He Xinmin didn''t graduate and went straight into working as a hostess bar girl. She''s suffered hardships and seen things, so she won''t bend easily."

    Lao Gao readily agreed, "Then you take over."

    Ji Feng''s approach was to y the sympathy card, presenting evidence to nail down the facts of the murder, while speaking gently to persuade her to repent.

    "Ms. He, we''ve already looked into your connections with the deceased," he said, bringing her lunch the next day and taking the chance to chat with her further. "Your brother once worked at hispany andter became its legal representative. But then the deceased ran abroad with debts he owed, and your brother was forced to take responsibility, finallymitting suicide by jumping off a building."

    After days of interrogation, Min Manager looked haggard and much older.

    Hearing this, she gave a coldugh. "You already know everything, so why keep asking?"

    "I''d like to hear your side of the story," said Ji Feng.

    "There''s nothing much to say."

    Ji Feng smiled. "Let''s chat, don''t be nervous." He brought up a topic. "Your brother was the same age as you, and it seems like he didn''t go to college?"

    Min Manager''s eyes darkened, clearly affected. "My parents died early, and our family circumstances were poor. My brother and I took the college entrance exam the same year. I tested into a first-tier university, while he only made it into a third-tier one. But our family didn''t have money to support us both going to college. At that time, there were no student loans or financial aid options. My brother said since I had tested better, I should be the one to go. He would work to pay my tuition."

    "That''s a lot like my family," said Ji Feng. "I have a younger sister who just took the college entrance exam this year."

    "Oh?" Min Manager was skeptical. "Your parents also..."

    "Passed away," he said.

    The room was quiet for a moment. Slowly, she began recounting her own story: "Those years were hard for both of us. I worked part-time jobs while going to school, sleeping only four to five hours a night. My brother worked at an antique shop, one of those ces that sells fake antiques targeted at seniors. He was able to earn a few thousand yuan each month.

    "I know he wanted to earn more money so I wouldn''t have to work so hard. He said as a man, it was his duty to make money to support the family, and told me not to worry about anything.

    "One day, he came happily to tell me that hispany boss thought highly of him. Because thepany''s business was changing, they needed to change the legal representative, and had asked if my brother would be willing to represent thepany and also receivepany shares. We were young and naive back then, so we thought it was a good thing. We even went out for a celebratory seafood buffet."

    Ji Feng nodded, listening patiently.

    "But not long after, things went wrong," she said, her expression turning cold. "The boss ran away with all the money in the ounts. The seniors who bought antiques from the shop came to make trouble, saying they wanted to find the boss to settle ounts. My brother was the legal representative, so who else could theye after? He was beaten and hospitalized several times. Then they reported it to the police. Not only did my brother have to pay them back, he also faced jail time. Overwhelmed, he jumped off a building and killed himself."

    "You had been nning this for a long time, right?" Ji Feng asked.

    "Yes," Min Manager replied. "I recognized that man as the one who caused my brother''s death six months ago when I saw him again. So I specifically switched jobs to his club because I wanted to find a chance to kill him."

    "I nned very carefully: First, I needed a scapegoat. I had originally chosen Old Zhao. I had a friend investigate his background long ago. He was the one who reported my brother back then. But Zhao was too cunning, and it was hard to control his nighttime activities, so I had to keep waiting.

    "Then Xiao Tan came along. He was arrogant and bad-tempered, with terrible interpersonal rtionships. It didn''t take much effort for me to get close to him. He had allergies but didn''t know what he was allergic to. He also had contracted an STD without knowing if he infected the boss or vice versa. But it didn''t matter. This was already enough motive for murder."

    She recounted all this unhurriedly and dispassionately, as calmly as if she were talking about how to prepare the fish for dinner tonight.

    "I thought I had nned foolproofly: the allergy medication, the moldy clothes, the pottery, the fingerprints - everything was ready. But human schemes are inferior to those of Heaven. I was caught off guard when Wang Boss suddenly showed up a day early. He was supposed toe tomorrow. Fortunately Xiao Qian yed dumb and deaf, otherwise I thought we were done for. But I didn''t expect..."

    She took a deep breath without continuing.

    Ji Feng nced at his colleague who was transcribing. She printed out the confession and handed it to him.

    "This is your statement. Take a look and see if there are any issues. If not, go ahead and sign. Copy thest line verbatim so you don''t make a mistake," said Ji Feng. "The food is getting cold."

    Min Manager pulled up the corners of her mouth and signed her name.

    Ji Feng asked, "Want anything to drink? We''ll take you to the detention center shortly."

    Min Manager shook her head.

    He took the statement and left the room.

    Upon entering the office, the words stuck in his throat. He looked at his desk incredulously and asked Lao Gao, "There were only two coffee cups here yesterday. What''s all this stuff today?"

    Looking at his workspace, the documents messily stacked to one side, the pen holder shoved into a corner, the majority of the desk surface upied by a thinptop, a pile of cute colorful pens, super cute sticky notes, fidget toys, two water cups - one with soda water, one with cold brew coffee.

    There was a back cushion on the chair now, along with an ice pad and anotherrge living person.

    Jian Jing, Teacher Jian, sat with wireless earbuds in, fully focused on typing on the keyboard.

    "Woof!" A ck German Shepherd came rushing over to greet him around his legs.

    "You brought your dog too?" Ji Feng sucked in a breath. "What''s going on, did our bureau issue Teacher Jian a letter of appointment for her to officially start working here?"

    Lao Gao cleared his throat. "Teacher Jian is a warm-hearted member of themunity. Not only did she bring us milk tea this morning, she also helped settle an emotionally unstable victim for us."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    He walked over, wanting to pat her shoulder, but as soon as he reached out, she immediately lifted her hand and pped the back of his. "What do you want?"

    "I should be asking that," Ji Feng sucked in another breath, as if a wisdom tooth had just erupted. "Couldn''t wait to rece me? My sry is just over 8,000 yuan. You wouldn''t even want it if I handed it to you for free."

    "Who said that?" She held out her hand. "What''s money for if not to take? Hand it over."

    Ji Feng tossed the case file over.

    "Oh?" Jian Jing immediately took off her earbuds. "She confessed?"

    She flipped through the contents and went silent when she got to the motive behind the murder.

    Some homicide cases were like this - sensational plots hiding heartbreaking stories.

    She let out a sigh, tilting back limply in her chair.

    "Move over, forget it," Ji Feng gave up trying to kick her out and instead took over Lao Gao''s spot. "Don''t you have work to do? I''ll write up a closing report."

    Lao Gao scoffed sarcastically, "Bullying the meek while fearing the strong."

    Ji Feng rolled his eyes.

    Jian Jing also felt bad about upying someone else''s nest, and started packing up her things. "Alright, stingy, I''m going." She looked at the mess on the table, toozy to clean it up, and just shoved herptop and cups into her canvas bag. Done.

    "Come on, Knight, time for school." She called to the dog.

    Ji Feng: "Ha, dogs go to school too?"

    "Dogs go to work too."

    Office crowd: "PfffˇŞ"

    "I was worried it would get bored at home, so taking it to school allows it to y with other dogs," Jian Jing exined. "They have training areas and a swimming pool there. The school bus drops them home at night."

    When she wasn''t busy, she would take Knight to a nearby park every day, but as the weather grew hotter, she gotzy about going out. The German Shepherd needed plenty of exercise though, so she looked for a school to board it at.

    Knight loved going to school, and would wag its tail excitedly at the words.

    Jian Jing put on its leash, and breezed out swaggeringly.

    "What about all this stuff?" Ji Feng called after her.

    Jian Jing: "Gifts for you~~"

    Ji Feng looked at the dazzling variety of things on the table, twitching his mouth. "She''s not pranking me, is she?"

    After a while, "This spinning top is pretty fun."

    Mm, smells delicious.

    Jian Jing sent Knight off to school, then went home to continue working on her manuscript.

    Although I have only been at the police station for a few hours today, the atmosphere is really good and my inspiration is flowing like a spring. Anyway, I left all my equipment there, so next time I have writer''s block I can consider going back to absorb some feng shui.

    The outline for the second story is based on this case.

    Of course, a ce as discordant as a club is not suitable for high school students to frequent, changing it to a KTV makes much more sense.

    The female protagonist attends a ssmate''s birthday party and gets drunk for the first time, falling into a stupor. When she wakes up, she finds herself outside the door of the crime scene.

    Blood seeps from beneath the door.

    She is taken away by the police as an eyewitness and suspect. This is also her first face-to-face encounter with the police.

    I have to say, observing the interrogation this time has allowed Jian Jing to grasp the atmosphere even more precisely, almost in one go.

    The only part I modified was the character of the police officer. Should I write someone down-to-earth like Senior Officer Gao, or someone heroic like Liang Yi?

    Such a dilemma.

    If I don''t make Ji Feng a fat guy, that''s already going easy on him.

    For this reason, she made a special call to ask Kang Mu Cheng.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "A positive image?"

    "Yes," she replied. Without a positive image, there would be no way to cooperate afterwards.

    "Go with a woman," he said. "Otherwise there may be suspicions of a love triangle."

    Jian Jing was suddenly inspired: "A melodrama..."

    Kang Mu Cheng immediately poured cold water on the idea: "A high school girl can''t have any ambiguity, especially with an adult male in a position of authority."

    "...Oh."

    These kinds of things are just inevitable when creating. Get used to it.

    Since the decision was made to go with a female police officer, Jian Jing wanted to chat with Liang Yi and see if she could supplement some more details.

    She messaged Liang Yi to meet for a meal. Liang Yi was very happy and said, "I was just about to look for you! I finished moving, are you free this weekend? Come over to my ce for dinner. Zhu Yanan can cook, let''s have hot pot!"

    Jian Jing readily agreed.

    But then there was a fourth person who showed up that day.

    Before heading out, Ji Feng called and said, "Liang Yi bought alcohol, so I''lle pick you up."

    He arrived on time and drove her to the ce Liang Yi and Zhu Yanan were renting.

    The house wasn''t big, just two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, but the two girls had decorated it to be very cozy and clean.

    What was most eye-catching in the living room was theyout - tworge desks and chairs ced back to back.

    Both desks were piled high with thick stacks of documents, but Liang Yi''s desk looked messier, with cups, chargers, folders, pens strewn about, and beside the chair were two small dumbbells.

    Zhu Yanan''s desk looked much neater, with the documents neatly lined up vertically, the cables tucked neatly along the edges of the desk, post-it notes stuck on herptop, and a ss teapot steeping herbal tea.

    Jian Jing felt sour.

    Why did this look just like a modern gender-swapped Baker Street?

    The two of them looked like a great match.

    While I only have one dog.

    The author has something to say: Ji Feng: Dogs go to school too?

    Jian Jing: Dogs go to work too!

    Case closed, time to write some daily life~~

 Chapter 313

    Chapter 313

    The dinner was very sumptuous. Zhu Yanan cooked boiled shrimp, sweet and sour fish, mapo tofu, and steamed baby cabbage. Liang Yi bought braised chicken feet and braised lotus root slices. Adding the hot pot with two sides, there was more than enough food.

    Then we turned on the air conditioner and took out the frozen beer from the fridge. It was sofortable.

    "Come on, let''s toast the seasonal wind. He finally did something good." Liang Yi opened a can of beer and said breezily: "It''s not easy to find a good roommate these days."

    Zhu Yanan also raised her ss: "Yeah, with Liang Yi here, I feel much more at ease sleeping at night."

    Ji Feng said listlessly: "You two are exaggerating."

    "You don''t understand."

    Neither Liang Yi nor Zhu Yanan were locals, and both were currently single. Usually living alone, when they got off workte and went back to a cold, dark room, they would just sleep, shower, change clothes, nothing else.

    Plus both of them were busy with work, their rest times were not necessarily weekends. asionally free for an afternoon, they couldn''t even find friends to hang out with.

    But with roommates, getting off work early, they could go out to see a movie or have a meal. Buying daily necessities, they could ce abined order for convenience. They could also bring food to share.

    Most precious of all was that they were in the same field of public security andw, so they couldpletely understand and support each other.

    Roommates like these were not easy toe by.

    Liang Yi boasted about Zhu Yanan: "Yanan''s living habits are especially good. You don''t know, my previous roommate, loved to throw things around and not clean up, the room was aplete mess. Not like Yanan at all, the fridge is neat and tidy, she even tells me which things I bought earlier to eat first."

    Zhu Yanan returned thepliment: "Liang Yi is great too. When I work overtime toote, she waits for me at the gate of thepound. And my packages are very heavy, she helps carry them up every time."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    "How nice." Jian Jing said gently: "You two must be very happy, able to eat together, watch TV shows together, ce group orders together."

    Liang Yi, simple and honest, nodded heavily: "Yeah, feels great."

    Zhu Yanan, reserved: "It''s just a little more convenient."

    Jian Jing turned her head, not wanting to keep looking.

    Ji Feng saw her expression and held in augh: "Alright, that''s enough. Look at Teacher Jian''s face, sour as a lemon."

    Liang Yi put her arm around Jian Jing''s shoulders breezily: "Teacher Jian can sleep over tonight, let''s sleep together!"

    "No need." She lifted her chin and announced coldly: "I''ve decided not to use you as the model for my female supporting character, you''ve hurt me too deeply."

    Liang Yi panicked: "No, don''t! I want to show my face too, I can brag about it for a long time."

    "Hmph." Jian Jing ate and drank wine, firmly refusing to change her mind.

    Liang Yi drooped dejectedly.

    After Jian Jing let out her resentment, she was finally able to eat calmly.

    Of course, with two police officers, one prosecutor, and one mystery novelist present, the dishes were not just mundane fare like beef rolls,mb rolls, shrimp balls, honeb tripe, etc.

    How could theyck interesting cases?

    Everyone contributed and brainstormed a full table of cases.

    Exciting!

    Thrilling!

    Brilliant!

    Jian Jing listened, ate and drank at the same time. Listened until she was full, ate until she was full, drank until she was drunk.

    Liang Yi banged the table excitedly, venting her frustration: "I''ve always wanted to encounter a locked room case, why do I never get one?"

    Jian Jing: "Locked rooms are no fun at all. They''re always fake locked rooms, I''ve never encountered a mechanical locked room."

    Zhu Yanan listened with great speechlessness. She hatedplicated cases the most. Verifying them was extremely troublesome, taking up days at a time.

    Liang Yi continuedining: "Especially unlucky these two months, only ran into ordinary cases. Teacher Jian, why do you always get especially good cases?"

    Jian Jing blinked innocently: "Do I? I don''t think so, I''m not Edogawa Ranpo."

    Liang Yi turned to ask for support: "Ji Feng, am I right or not?"

    "Right about what, you two are drunk." Ji Feng took away Jian Jing''s wine ss - youngdies these days were extraordinary, drinking a case of beer was not enough, she had started on red wine instead.

    The wine was brought by Teacher Jian too, calling it a housewarming gift when she clearly had ulterior motives all along.

    But from the looks of it, Teacher Jian must feel quite lonely on ordinary days too.

    However lonely, she had drunk quite enough.

    "It''s 11:30."

    He earnestly advised, "You have overtime and a shift tomorrow, call it a day.

    Liang Yi banged the table angrily: "Don''t be a wet nket! If you want to leave, then leave. Teacher Jian can stay over and sleep."

    "In your ce?" Ji Feng looked over her 10 square meter bedroom and said boldly: "Too shabby for Princess Pea."

    Liang Yi was furious: "What did you say? What''s wrong with my room?"

    So what if it''s a little messy, some clothes on the chairs, charger wires strewn about?

    "Who''s Princess Pea?" Jian Jing red at him. "Say that again."

    Ji Feng shrugged.

    "Damn you!" Liang Yi got up angrily, then staggered and flopped headfirst onto the sofa, iling her limbs but unable to get up at all, just like an upturned little turtle.

    Jian Jing: "Uh..."

    Zhu Yanan hurried to help prop her up.

    Liang Yi suddenly lifted her head and waved a hand: "I''m fine, I can still drink!"

    Jian Jing: Clearly drunk.

    Since the host was drunk, it was inappropriate for the guests to remain. She said: "That''s enough, let''s not drink anymore."

    Zhu Yanan knew her own low alcohol tolerance. She hadn''t drunk that much today, just feeling a little dizzy now.

    But remembering the overtime tomorrow, she didn''t dare keep the guests either: "Alright, I''ll see you guys off."

    "You take care of Liang Yi." Ji Feng helped out by pulling Liang Yi up. "Auntie, time to call it a night, go to bed."

    Liang Yi absolutely refused, grabbing Jian Jing''s hand: "Teacher Jian, let''s keep drinking and chatting more!"

    Jian Jing was yanked stumbling by her and gave her a ck look: "Next time, next time."

    "Fine." Liang Yi reluctantly let go, then red fiercely at Ji Feng again: "Take good care of Teacher Jian, I''m warning you, no taking advantage of her."

    Ji Feng almost coughed up blood: "What are you thinking?"

    "Can''t trust men." Liang Yi hupped drunkenly, spouting nonsense. "Oh, where''s Yanan? Where are you?"

    The Yanan propping her up was speechless: "She really is drunk."

    Jian Jing nearlyughed to death.

    Finally everyone clumsily shoved the raving drunk Liang Yi back into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she sprawled out her limbs and passed out.

    Ji Feng sent Jian Jing home.

    "Teacher Jian, still sober?" He helped her into the passenger seat. "Feel like throwing up? Do it before getting in the car."

    Jian Jingzily said: "I''m fine, wide awake."

    With the increase in her immune functions, her alcohol tolerance had also increased somewhat. She couldn''t say she could drink thousands of cups without getting drunk, but at least she wasn''t ckout drunk yet.

    However, she didn''t n on taking sobering medicine this time. Drinking with friends was for rxing. Sobering up right away would defeat the purpose.

    Seeing her gaze still fairly clear, Ji Feng didn''t insist. He helped her buckle her seatbelt and slowly started the car.

    The speed stayed at 60 km/h, very steady.

    The drunkenness slowly set in. Jian Jing propped up her face andined: "So thirsty, is there any water?"

    "Wait a moment." Ji Feng checked the road conditions, then stopped at a 24-hour convenience store to go in and buy water.

    "Here." He held the half-melted mineral water bottle to her face. "Feel better?"

    She nodded slowly.

    The car got back on the road.

    Jian Jing unscrewed the cap and drank a mouthful, quenching her thirst. Then she started chatting: "Why aren''t you talking?"

    "What do you want me to say?" he asked.

    "Chat about anything, or I''m going to fall asleep." She mumbled.

    Ji Fengughed and said: "Okay, I happen to have a question for you."

    "What is it?"

    "The green pendant you''re wearing around your neck, it''s real right?" Ji Feng said. "I''ve never seen you wear something so valuable before, any special reason?"

    Having known each other for years, he believed that he understood Teacher Jian Jing quite well. She could afford expensive jewelry, but preferred exquisite essories and disliked heavy, cumbersome designs, finding them burdensome.

    But this time she was wearing not a ring, but had deliberately found a chain to hang the ring from, which was visibly heavy. She had been wearing it for several days without changing it to match her outfits, which was rather odd.

    Jian Jing took out the emerald ring from deep within her cor: "This one?"

    "Mm."

    "You could find it even though I hid it so well, huh." She yawned.

    Ji Feng said, "This proves that I pay attention to you."

    Jian Jing fiddled with the cursed ring, murmuring indistinctly, "It''s a kind of talisman I guess. I''ve run into a bit of trouble."

    "Tell me about it."

    "I''m not telling you." She put it back. "You don''t tell me anything, so why should I tell you."

    Ji Feng: "So you''re still thinking about my case, hm?"

    "Huh." She said, "Experience it yourself."

    "Then let''s do this - one question each, you go first." He was easygoing.

    Jian Jing made a "tsk" sound, but unexpectedly said, "You have to answer whatever I ask?"

    Ji Feng: "Mm-hmm."

    Jian Jing: "I heard Chief Gao say you''ve gone on over 20 blind dates, and every one failed. Why?"

    "Teacher Jian, weren''t we talking about cases?" Ji Fengughed. "You''re not being fair."

    Jian Jing turned her head, loose strands of hair falling at her cheeks. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, eyes dazed and innocent like a little white rabbit''s: "Cases? What cases?"

    "Don''t try to take advantage just because you''re tipsy. That''s cheating." He smiled and pondered, "Alright, fine. Telling you is no big deal."

    She waited to hear his response.

    Ji Feng said, "My father''s case was solved long ago. The perpetrator was arrested on the scene and readily confessed. Not long after I joined the force, I reviewed it and that was indeed the case."

    "Hm?"

    "But the case that led to his murder remains unsolved to this day. " he said. "I believe the real murderer could still be atrge."

    Jian Jing propped up her forehead, feeling muddled. "Unsolved case, not cold case?"

    Ji Feng looked amusedly at her. "That was more than one question. It''s your turn now."

    Still looking dazed, Jian Jing protested, "Say what?"

    "Cheapskate." Ji Fengughed, but he wasn''t angry or impatient.

    Jian Jing was unhappy. "How am I cheap?"

    "You''re cheap in every way."

    "I''m not cheap at all. nder me again and I''ll punch you." She threatened.

    "Threatening violence after just a couple sentences, and you say you''re not petty?" Heughed. "Alright alright, you''re not petty, I take it back."

    Jian Jing reluctantly stayed her hand.

    In the deep of night, the streets were empty and quiet. The two chatted idly as they quickly made their way home.

    Jian Jing was lively in the car, but after getting out she felt something was off.

    The world was spinning.

    "Whoa, tipsy are we?" Ji Feng held her shoulders to steady her, pressed back the dog leaping forward, and guided the disoriented woman into the bedroom.

    Knight crouched at the edge of the bed, furiously wagging his tail.

    "Stop shaking, stop shaking." Jian Jing copsed onto the bed, painfully clutching her temple. "You''re making me dizzy."

    Knight''s fluffy tail drooped dejectedly as he whimpered.

    Ji Feng brought slippers to the door, tidied away the scattered sandals, hung up the fallen handbag, and went to the kitchen to pour a ss of warm water to ce at her bedside. He even asked, "Do you need a trash can?"

    She shook her head, the back of her hand rubbing her eyes.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked.

    "There''s something..." She blinked forcefully, trying to think. "Did my double eyelid stickers fall off?"

    Ji Feng lowered his head to look. There did seem to be something stuck to her eyelids, as well as glittery fragments clinging to the corners of her eyes, like silvery tears.

    "Girls..." He sighed, and went to the bathroom to wet a towel for her to wipe her face.

    Jian Jing scornfully red at him. "Bring the makeup remover wipes from the bathroom." She told the dog.

    As if on cue, Knight dutifully fetched a box of wet wipes in his mouth.

    "You''re less useful than my dog." She criticized.

    Ji Feng didn''t bother arguing with the drunk. He snatched the wipe she had taken out.

    Jian Jing was incensed. "What are you doing?"

    Amused, Ji Feng said, "Teacher Jian, this says ''Wet Toilet Tissue''. Are you sure you want to wipe your face with this?"

    Jian Jing: "???" She squinted hard at the packaging, trying to make out the words, but her dizzy head could only tell that it was blue.

    Were these makeup remover wipes or toilet wipes? She struggled to remember.

    After a while, Ji Feng brought over a moist wipe and ced it on her face. "Wipe off with this."

    Lying crooked on the pillow, Jian Jing slowly wiped her face.

    Ji Feng watched her for a bit, then suddenly chuckled. Crouching down, he asked, "Something on your mind?"

    "Are you afraid of death?" she asked.

    He answered, "Of course I''m afraid."

    "Do you think people who have died before be more afraid of death, or less afraid?"

    Ji Feng said, "More afraid I''d think. Each time I woke up in the hospital, I was scared out of my wits afterwards."

    Jian Jing didn''t respond, only threw the dirty wipe in the trash.

    "If you''ve run into some trouble, tell me about it." He said, "Maybe I can help somehow."

    She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I don''t need your help, I can handle it."

    "Teacher Jian, you''re far too eager topete with me." Ji Fengughed. "What for? Just because when we first met, I intimidated you a bit and you lost face?"

    Jian Jing turned her head away dismissively, waving her hand to shoo him off. "You can leave now, your yapping is making my head hurt."

    "You''ve still got stuff on your eyes."

    "What?" Extremely vexed, she struggled to sit up. "Help me up."

    "Don''t move."

    Ji Feng tilted his head and reached out to peel off a transparent film. Eyeshadow residue still clung to it, looking remarkably like a peach blossom petal in March.

    "What is this stuff? Double-sided tape?" He held it under themplight to examine, baffled.

    "None of your damn business." The missing eyelid stickers made her eyes feel much better. Jian Jing wiped her face with the damp towel, impatient to be rid of him. "You can get the hell out now."

    "Alright, alright." Ji Feng gave up investigating. He pulled the nket over her. "I''ll close the door for you, go to sleep."

    She yawned, already growing drowsy.

    Ji Feng found the light switch and turned it off, leaving as quietly as he could.

 Chapter 314

    Chapter 314

    In Dream Traveling Girl, Jian Jing added two female characters, a policewoman and a female prosecutor. But for the sake of dramatic conflict (she did it on purpose, in fact), she made them out to be mutually antagonistic sisters.

    Regarding the emphasis on the case, she also had a different tendency this time.

    The setting of The Devil Doctor was already leaning towards the metaphysical, and was not rigorous from the perspective of reasoning. The Rose Gold focused more on decryption, investigation, and adventure.

    So for this Dream Traveling Girl, she intended to have some real reasoning, with the twists and turns of the case as the main thread.

    But to win with ingenuity, polishing the case itself was essential. Jian Jing spent most of July at home conceiving the content.

    However, one afternoon, she suddenly received a call from Si Yingjie.

    "Jingjing, are you home?" Si Yingjie''s tone was unusually serious, rarely seen.

    "Yes." Jian Jing wondered, "Looking for me?"

    Si Yingjie said, "I''m in trouble, you have to help your brother out."

    Jian Jing was on alert at once: "If it''s about getting dumped by your girlfriend and wanting me to help you save face, that''s absolutely out of the question."

    "No." Probably because the situation was really urgent, even Si Yingjie couldn''t bother with joking, and said solemnly, "My sister''s son has been kidnapped. The kidnappers won''t let us call the police. I don''t feel at ease."

    This gave Jian Jing a shock. She immediately said, "Come pick me up."

    Si Yingjie: "I''ll be at your house in ten minutes."

    Jian Jing hurriedly tidied up a bit, and also sent a text to Kang Mu Cheng, asking him to help take care of her dog for a couple of days.

    Just as she finished, Si Yingjie arrived with a ticket.

    Jian Jing got in the car with him and cut to the chase: "What happened?"

    "This was yesterday''s matter." Si Yingjie spoke very quickly, and quickly exined from the beginning.

    Si Yingjie''s second sister married the son of a tycoon. The couple was quite capable, taking over the family business, and was considered a fairly affluent family.

    They had only one child, nicknamed Cong Cong, six years old this year, and still in kindergarten. Every day he was picked up and dropped off by a chauffeur and nanny. On weekends, the nanny would take him to amusement parks or parks to y.

    Yesterday, Saturday, Cong Cong pestered to go y skateboarding - he had recently be obsessed with it - although Si Second Sister didn''t approve of her son ying such a dangerous sport, his dad loved him and secretly agreed.

    The nanny had no choice but to take him to the skate park.

    Of course, for the sake of the young master''s safety, helmets, knee pads and all that were provided. And there were coaches there to supervise, so the nanny wasn''t really worried either.

    But something just had to happen.

    The nanny went to the bathroom, gone no more than ten minutes. When she came back, Cong Cong was missing, and the coach was nowhere to be seen either.

    She thought the coach had taken Cong Cong somewhere else to train, but a few minutester when the coach came back, he said his girlfriend hade to find him and he''d been away for a few minutes.

    At that time, the two had not yet realized the severity of the matter, because the skate park was not an open-air facility, but an indoor training hall, outsiders could not get in.

    But then they looked around several ces and couldn''t find anyone, and became worried, hurriedly checking the surveince footage.

    The surveince showed a ten-twelve year old boying into the hall holding a skateboard, saying a few words to Cong Cong, then the two leaving together.

    Checking the corridor footage further, the two children, one big one small, walked to the door chatting andughing. Then the teenager turned back, Cong Cong ran outside, and got into a ck sedan.

    The nanny knew it was bad and immediately notified the parents.

    Cong Cong''s parents had wanted to call the police right away, but soon received a call iming the child was in his hands, demanding they not call the police.

    Si Second Sister and her husband had an argument. Her husband thought they should report to the police as soon as possible to seek help in finding their son, but Si Second Sister was afraid of provoking the kidnappers and refused to call the police. Instead, she wanted to find experienced professionals to rescue the child when the captors'' guard was down.

    Si Yingjie happened to be in Heping City these past two days. Hearing about his sister''s troubles, he immediately thought of Jian Jing.

    He persuaded his sister and brother-inw like this: "The kidnappers must have watched Cong Cong for a period of time, and certainly know your family well. Whether it''s the police or the securitypanies you mentioned, at one look you can tell they aren''t ordinary people, right? If the kidnappers have people monitoring you, or there are moles in the house, it would be disastrous!"

    Si Second Sister hesitated: "That girl you mentioned will do?"

    "Do you think she looks suspicious? The kidnappers will think she looks suspicious?" Si Yingjie argued eloquently, "I''ve seen with my own eyes her crack many cases. If you don''t believe in her, don''t you believe in me?"

    Si Second Sister still knew her little brother well, and knew he wasn''t one to boast idly. She finally nodded.

    And when Jian Jing heard the cause and events, the first thing she asked was, "Why did that boy call Cong Cong out? Had he seen the kidnappers before?"

    "He said the other party asked him to help call someone in, saying it was Cong Cong''s auntie who had brought him snacks. " Si Yingjie replied.

    Jian Jing nodded. This kind of obvious trick could only fool little kids, and it was precisely because the messenger was a half-grown child that the other people at the venue did not get suspicious.

    "Was he a regr?"

    Si Yingjie nodded: "My sister checked - he''s the son of a small business owner and has been learning skateboarding for years."

    Jian Jing asked again: "What demands did the kidnappers make?"

    "Fifty million in cash." Si Yingjie said.

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "How much money is that? Can a truck carry it?"

    "About 750 kg." Si Yingjie said. "Definitely fishy."

    Of course a truck could carry fifty million, but who would flee with a truck full of cash? The kidnappers'' demandpletely defied reality.

    Why did they do that then? One possibility was that they had never done this before and thought, like in gangster films, that tens of millions would fit in a briefcase. Another possibility was that this was just a test, to gauge the obedience of the family, and they would surely change the termster.

    Jian Jing inclined towards thetter.

    "Let''s see first." She said.

    When they arrived at Si Second Sister''s vi, Jian Jing met Si Yingjie''s second sister. The siblings looked very much alike, butpared to her casual and rxed younger brother, Si Second Sister was a typical woman in power.

    She got straight to the point: "Yingjie must''ve told you all the ins and outs already, what are your thoughts now?"

    "Do you have any guesses about the kidnappers'' identity?" Jian Jing also didn''t bother with pleasantries, and immediately raised questions.

    Si Second Sister replied: "Either businesspetitors who want to strike at and get back at our family, or they saw our family has a bit of money and want to make a fortune."

    Jian Jing asked: "Any specific names?"

    The couple both shook their heads.

    "Did you investigate the license te?"

    Sister''s husband said: "I had a friend help check it, [te number], the car turned onto a road without surveince and never came out after, probably switched cars."

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment, then asked again: "In your understanding, who could trick your child into following them without any doubts?"

    The couple revealed a helpless look.

    Exchanging a nce, Si Second Sister finally answered: "Many people."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    They didn''t want to say it, but Si Yingjie didn''t care and stated bluntly: "My nephew has never gone out by himself before, or been home alone either. He''s always had driver and nanny around, sometimes my sister and brother-inw will also send assistants and secretaries to pick him up. He''s not afraid of strangers."

    Jian Jing sighed, and finally said: "Do you have recordings of the calls? Let me listen."

    "Recorded, recorded."

    The recording was very short, just over ten seconds. The kidnapper used an electronic voice, enunciating word by word in a strange tone: "Your son is in my hands. If you want to protect his life, prepare fifty million in cash. Do not call the police, or you will never see your son again."

    Si Second Sister asked: "Who are you? What proof do you have that my son is in your hands?"

    The other end of the call did not answer and directly hung up.

    After that, Si Second Sister received a text message with a photo attached.

    The photo showed the sleeping Cong Cong, wearing the clothes he had on when he disappeared.

    Si Second Sister said: "I asked the nanny, the clothes were newly bought, worn for the first time. The photo is real."

    Jian Jing erged the image to study the details.

    Nothing could be gleaned from the child''s clothing. The background was also very sparse, only a sofa and white wall could be seen, also ordinary objects without anything special.

    Under these circumstances, there was only one thing left she could do.

    "I''d like to chat with your family''s nanny."

    Second Sister Si sneered coldly, ˇ°Call the police? If we anger the kidnappers, Cong Cong may get hurt. What should we do then?ˇ± She turned to Jian Jing, ˇ°Ask whatever you want to ask. Let Ying Jie take you. Saving my son is the most important thing, no matter what.ˇ±

    With the mistressˇŻ support, Jian JingˇŻs questioning became much smoother.

    First, she sorted out the people around little Cong Cong: a driver responsible for picking up and dropping off the boy, a nanny taking care of his meals and daily life, and a tutor teaching him elementary knowledge.

    Jian Jing asked the driver first.

    He was the family driver, mainly picking up and dropping off the young master to and from school, picking up and dropping off the tutor who came to teach, and sometimes picking up and dropping off guests if they came to visit. He was not dedicated to serving just one person.

    Jian Jing asked him, ˇ°Have you noticed anyone following you recently?ˇ±

    The driver thought carefully for a while before saying, ˇ°It seems so. Probably half a month ago, I passed a Volvo and noticed it. At the time I didnˇŻt pay much attention, but thinking back, I seemed to have seen it twice more, so it left an impression.ˇ±

    ˇ°Do you remember the license te?ˇ±

    He smiled wryly and shook his head, ˇ°Volvos are all over the ce. If it wasnˇŻt for that scratch I got on it that day, I wouldnˇŻt have noticed it.ˇ±

    Jian Jing nodded and did not press him, but changed the subject, ˇ°Is your job usually smooth sailing?ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs alright. Not too much work, and the boss and madam are quite generous,ˇ± the driver answered evasively.

    ˇ°What about your colleagues?ˇ±

    ˇ°We get along fine.ˇ±

    ˇ°How long have you all been working here?ˇ±

    ˇ°Yuan Sister has been here over four years I think. Zeng has only been here half a year. IˇŻm just short of three years. IˇŻm not familiar with the others, so IˇŻm not too sure.ˇ±

    ˇ°Do Yuan the nanny and Teacher Zeng get along well with the little one?ˇ±

    The driver nodded.

    Having gotten a general sense, Jian Jing finally asked about his schedule on the day of the kidnapping.

    The driver said, ˇ°I dropped off Yuan Sister and Cong Cong, then went back. The madam asked me to pick up Master Si, so I brought him here. When I went to pick them up again, thatˇŻs when I found out what happened.ˇ±

    ˇ°I see. Thank you for your cooperation,ˇ± Jian Jing closed her notebook.

    The second person was Teacher Zeng.

    She was twenty-six years old, a graduate of a prestigious university, working full-time as a private tutor for wealthy families. She was quite presentable in looks and speech.

    Jian Jing asked her simr questions as the driver.

    Teacher Zeng said frankly that although she had only been working for half a year, she got along fine with the little one.

    ˇ°Cong Cong is very clever, but since his parents spoil him too much, he can be quite self-centered and mischievous,ˇ± she critiqued candidly. ˇ°On my first day of work, he threw bugs into my cup. When I asked him why he did that, he suddenly burst into tears and caused me great embarrassment.ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°What about now?ˇ±

    ˇ°After I spoke with his parents, they also understood my work, and it has improved a lot recently. At least he doesnˇŻt prank the servants anymore.ˇ±

    Jian Jing raised her brows, ˇ°He bullied the servants?ˇ±

    Teacher Zeng was very tactful, indirectly acknowledging, ˇ°Yes, he was indeed naughty before.ˇ±

    Jian Jing also asked her opinion of the family.

    Teacher Zeng said, ˇ°A typical strict mother, kind father family. The mother is stern and the child fears her the most, listening to her the most as well. The father dotes on him a bit more, feeling that as long as the child is healthy and happy, nothing else matters much, and he can be taught slowly.ˇ±

    ˇ°So the child likes the father more?ˇ±

    ˇ°Of course, the father and son are very close.ˇ±

    Jian Jing then asked about her whereabouts on the day of the incident.

    Teacher Zeng said, ˇ°I work Monday to Friday. I was resting at home on Saturday and Sunday.ˇ±

    ˇ°Recently, have you been preupied with anything?ˇ±

    Teacher Zeng thought for a while, then slowly nodded, ˇ°Yes.ˇ±

 Chapter 315

    Chapter 315

    What Zeng Teacher cared about was a small matter.

    About half a month ago, she took Cong Cong to the Science and Technology Museum, when suddenly a young woman with children came over to chat with them. Because there was a seven or eight-year-old girl with her who was very cute, she didn''t pay much attention and let the two children y together.

    But soon after, a middle-aged man rushed over to take the girl away, thanking the young woman for taking care of the child. She only knew then that they were not mother and daughter.

    This was nothing in itself, but now Zeng Teacher thinks about it and feels very suspicious.

    Jian Jing agreed: "What you said is very valuable. If it was for no reason, the child would definitely not leave with a stranger immediately. Do you still remember what she looked like?"

    Zeng Teacher described: "Wavy brown hair, heavy eye shadow and blush, heavy makeup, wearing leopard print sses, a Dior bag..." As she spoke, she became embarrassed first, "It seems useless."

    "At least there''s a rough impression."

    Jian Jingforted, without revealing her thoughts.

    Then she began to ask the nanny who was directly involved in the matter.

    Regarding the narrative of what happened, Si Yingjie had already conveyed it once, and there was nothing new. What Jian Jing mainly wanted to know was her opinion.

    Yuan Nanny said the driver was diligent and responsible, but he liked to bezy,ughed at Zeng Teacher as a college student, and couldn''t understand why she would take care of children like her. There was contempt mixed with iprehension. She said Second Sister Si was too overbearing and the strictest employer she had ever worked for, while Sister''s husband had a good temper and loved children, he just spoiled them.

    Then she talked about Cong Cong - "Very naughty, hard to take care of." The nanny told the truth.

    "Have any strangers talked to you recently? Or have there been any weird things that caught your attention?"

    Yuan Nanny''s answer was unexpected: "The day before yesterday, the boss and his wife had a fight that was overheard by the child."

    Jian Jing asked, "What was it about?"

    "How to discipline the child." Yuan Nanny said, "The boss''s wife wanted to be stricter, not to continue spoiling him, making him fearless. The boss couldn''t bear to, since the child was hard to conceive, thinking it would be fine when he grew up."

    "How did Cong Cong react?"

    "The child didn''t really understand, he was just scared and well behaved for two days. But seeing his mother didn''t change towards him, he became fearless again. This time when he wanted to go skateboarding, he asked his dad instead of his mom."

    "The mother doesn''t like the child skateboarding?"

    "She thinks it''s too dangerous, she never allows him to go."

    Jian Jing''s mind stirred: "So Cong Cong doesn''t go to the skate park often?"

    "Yeah, at most three or five times. Without orders from the boss and his wife, I don''t dare take him there either."

    Jian Jing nodded, ending this inquiry.

    Si Yingjie immediately came over, full of anticipation: "How was it?"

    "What about you? Did you find out everything clearly?" She asked back.

    Si Yingjie said, "I asked, nothing special."

    Under Jian Jing''s request, he had probed the background of the three employees from Second Sister Si.

    The driver was a distant rtive of Sister''s husband''s family, from poor circumstances, so he gave him an easy job with good pay and no bad habits other than beingzy and loving to y games.

    Yuan Nanny was found through a domestic servicepany and had taken care of children from wealthy families before, with a decent reputation, no stealing or petty tricks, just a little gossipy.

    Zeng Teacher had just graduated not long ago, introduced by a professor''s student, smart and capable, from a moderately well-off family.

    "My sister is very meticulous in her work, Cong Cong was hard for her to conceive, there must be no problem."

    Jian Jing agreed.

    In the conversation just now, she did not find anyone acting suspiciously or problematic, they did not seem to be aplices in the kidnapping. But in that case, did the kidnapper rely on his own skills to figure out Cong Cong''s whereabouts?

    The nanny did say Cong Cong didn''t go to the skate park often, yet the other party chose such a ce.

    If no one informed, then the kidnapper followed him all the way there, took advantage of the loose management of the skate park, and decisively decided to carry out the kidnapping.

    "It seems now," Jian Jing said slowly, "the kidnapper is a professional."

    Si Yingjie gasped: "What do we do now? Report to the police?"

    Jian Jing thought for a long time andughed, "Let''s ask them for technical support, but don''te in person, and see how far the kidnapper has monitored this ce."

    After she said this, Si Yingjie helped persuade Second Sister Si.

    Second Sister Si was still worried about her child, and reluctantly epted thispromise.

    At noon, the kidnapper called again.

    Second Sister Si picked up: "Hello."

    "Is the money ready?" Still an electronic voice.

    "There is not so much cash in the bank, it needs to be booked in advance." Second Sister Si, as a strong woman, seized the initiative and said, "If you give me an ount number, I''ll transfer it to you immediately. How is my child?"

    The kidnapper said, "If there is no cash, it will be more than 50 million, one billion."

    Second Sister Si frowned: "You asked for cash, it takes time for us to raise funds too, one billion is too much."

    "One billion, not a penny less." The kidnapper said, "I''ll call again tonight."

    He hung up the phone, and soon after, received a new photo.

    Cong Cong had woken up, curled up in the corner of the sofa wiping away tears, his little face flushed, and some abrasions on his legs.

    Second Sister Si gritted her teeth.

    Sister''s husband looked at the technician from the public security information security department, full of expectation: "How about it?"

    "The IP is overseas, hard to trace in a short time." The technician regretfully replied.

    Jian Jing: "What about the voice?"

    "Electronically synthesized, basically no background noise."

    She couldn''t help frowning. She had hoped to determine the kidnapper''s location by distinguishing background sounds, but unexpectedly it was so watertight.

    The air stagnated for a moment.

    Sister''s husband was anxious and asked his wife, "What do we do now? One billion? What if it bes three billion after we raise it?"

    "What can we do? Our son is in their hands!" When her son was in danger, how could a mother feel good? Second Sister Si also couldn''t control her emotions, "You yelling at me here doesn''t help, go raise money instead."

    "Money is a small matter." Sister''s husband took a deep breath, trying to calm down, "If he releases Cong Cong after getting the money, would I begrudge this little money?"

    He turned his head to look at Jian Jing: "Yingjie praised you as amazing, now I''m asking you, will the kidnapper really let him go?"

    Jian Jing spoke matter-of-factly: "No one knows. But no matter what he ns, you can only raise money now."

    "Then there is no way." Sister''s husband''s face was gloomy, "I''ll go to the bank to see if I can raise it today, it shouldn''t be a big problem."

    Second Sister Si nodded, no longer wanting to argue.

    While Si Yingjie paced back and forth anxiously in the living room, hoping he could do something but finding he could do nothing, extremely frustrated: "Jingjing, can we only sit and wait?"

    Jian Jing was calm and unhurried. After thinking for a moment, she said, "You''re right, just waiting is not a solution. I''ll ask a friend for help."

    She went outside to make a call, asking Ji Feng to check the surveince footage of the Science and Technology Museum to see if any clues could be found from that woman.

    Ji Feng disapproved a little: "Teacher Jian, kidnapping should still be reported to the police."

    "It''s been reported."

    He said solemnly: "Bargaining with kidnappers should be handled by professionals."

    "No." She denied it outright, "The kidnapper is very professional, he can recognize if the other party is the police. He may have dealt with the police long ago. If he sees through it, can you guarantee the child can definitely be found?"

    Ji Feng sighed andpromised: "Fine, wait for my message."

    Jian Jing hung up the phone and turned around, only to be startled to see Si Yingjie behind her: "What are you doing?"

    "Who was it?" Si Yingjie asked gossipingly.

    "A friend."

    "The police that Murong..." he swallowed the second half, and Si Yingjie btedly mumbled vaguely, "Is it that person?"

    Jian Jing ignored him and instead asked, "Is your sister and brother-inw''s rtionship good?"

    "It''s ok, not great but not bad either, it was an arranged marriage after all, this is already good." Si Yingjie said, "Why do you ask?"

    "Don''t worry about why, just answer." Jian Jing asked, "Does your sister or brother-inw have someone on the side?"

    Si Yingjie was tongue-tied, and after a long pause said: "Probably not."

    "Are you sure?"

    He smiled dryly.

    "I see."

    Two hourster, Ji Feng called. He found the surveince footage from the Science and Technology Museum. Fortunately the retention period was one month, and he could still find some blurry images.

    Jian Jing asked Second Sister Si to identify: "Do you recognize this person?"

    Second Sister Si stared at the blurry photo carefully, frowning: "Who is this? Is Cong Cong next to her? Do you suspect she did it?"

    The rapid triple questioning made Jian Jing quite helpless. Because of Si Yingjie''s sake, her position was bound to be more inclined towards Second Sister Si, but the families of the victims were too aggressive, which more or less hindered the investigation.

    "You don''t recognize her? Haven''t seen anyone simr before?" Jian Jing answered with a question.

    Second Sister Si was about to ask again, but was interrupted by Si Yingjie: "Sister, do you recognize her?"

    Only then did she say: "I don''t know her, I don''t remember seeing this woman in my impression."

    Then asked the driver, nanny and Teacher Zeng separately.

    Teacher Zeng confirmed that this woman was the woman they met at the Science Museum. The driver and nanny both said they did not know her and had never seen her before.

    In the evening, Sister''s husband came back and said he had already raised the funds and could transfer at any time, and the bank also agreed to cooperate with the police to investigate the flow of funds.

    Jian Jing took the opportunity to ask him to identify the mysterious woman.

    He also said he did not recognize her.

    In other words, after a day of investigation, there was not a single clue.

    When it gotpletely dark, the kidnapper called again.

    He started with usations: "I told you not to call the police."

    Second Sister Si said, "We didn''t call the police."

    "Whether you did or not, you know it in your heart." He said coldly, "Your son had nothing to eat today."

    Second Sister Si immediately softened and pleaded, "The child is still young and doesn''t know anything. If you have anything,e at us adults, don''t torture him."

    The kidnapper ignored herpletely and went on to say, "One billion is not enough anymore."

    Sister''s husband couldn''t help but defend, "Although we have some assets, they are scattered everywhere, and our cash flow is really tight."

    "I don''t need cash. I know you own a jewelry store. I want diamonds worth 2 billion yuan." The kidnapper was well prepared, calm and unhurried. "I''ll give you one night."

    Seeing a chance, Second Sister Si quickly said, "Let me hear the child''s voice."

    "You''ll see his photo."

    As before, after stating his demands, the phone was abruptly disconnected.

    The photo arrived immediately.

    Their precious son, who had to be coaxed for half a day at every meal, was licking crumbs from a bag of chips like a hungry puppy.

    Seeing this, Second Sister Si was heartbroken and asked, "Can you take out that much?"

    Sister''s husband shook his head and said, "We don''t have that much. At market price, we have a little over 100 million at most here. Anything more would just be making up the numbers with cheap diamonds."

    "My father once gave me a blue diamond, worth about 80 million." Second Sister Si took a deep breath and said decisively, "Let''s each contribute half."

    Sister''s husband sighed helplessly, "This is all we can do."

    However, Jian Jing said, "Don''t immediately satisfy all his demands. Negotiate with him, can diamonds and 100 million in cash work?"

    Second Sister Si looked at her younger brother, she really couldn''t feel assured, and asked, "What if he raises the price again after seeing us make demands?"

    "That would prove he was going to raise the price anyway." Jian Jing said, "Isn''t this about your bottom line?"

    Sister''s husband hesitated, "About that, we really don''t have much spare cash."

    She smiled, "That''s right then. The other party is very professional, they must have investigated you in advance and know roughly how much you can take out. They won''t push too hard."

    "Of course," she added calmly, "if you feel it''s too risky, just stick to your own n and don''t provoke the kidnapper. I''m only making a suggestion."

 Chapter 316

    Chapter 316

    The next morning, Jian Jing went to Second Sister Si''s house and chatted privately with her for a while.

    Second Sister Si''s face was pale, with dark circles around her eyes. Her eyeballs were covered in red veins, looking as if she hadn''t slept well all night. Even her voice was much hoarser, no longer as tough as yesterday: "Miss Jian, please tell me the truth, will he hurt Cong Cong?"

    "The probability is low," Jian Jing analyzed. "Yesterday when he knew you called the police, he only starved Cong Cong instead of immediately taking action. Before achieving his goal, he probably won''t tear up the deal."

    Second Sister Si was visibly relieved. She didn''t actually fully believe Jian Jing''s judgment, but needed someone to keep emphasizing this for her heart to stop twisting into a clump and struggling to breathe.

    "So we should keep waiting? We can''t find someone directly?" She asked full of hope, "I heard from Yingjie that you helped Fang Liming find his kidnapped son before. Can you also directly find where Cong Cong is?"

    Jian Jing shook her head.

    When Boss Fang''s son was kidnappedst time, first, it was done in a hurry, leaving many clues behind. Second, the two kidnappers weren''t professionals, full of mistakes and oversights, so she just got lucky and caught them red-handed.

    But the one who kidnapped Cong Cong was crafty and cautious, without any ws so far. Other than fight back when attacked, there was no other way.

    Disappointment was written all over Second Sister Si''s face.

    "Sis, no news is good news right now," Si Yingjieforted. "Let''s eat breakfast first. You barely ate anything yesterday. If you don''t eat again today, you really won''t be able to carry on."

    Second Sister Si gave a bitterugh. "Your uncle alwaysined that your dad was spoiled by his parents since he was little, hard to deal with during meals. I almost got mad at him for being so picky about food. Now I wish I didn''t restrict him so much. If only I knew earlier..."

    Her voice was choked with sobs.

    Si Yingjie hurried tofort her.

    Jian Jing tactfully exited. She encountered Yuan Nanny head-on. Yuan brought Jian Jing a te of freshly cut fruits, hesitating over whether to speak.

    "What''s the matter?" Jian Jing asked curiously.

    Yuan Nanny asked, "When will Cong Conge back?"

    Jian Jing shook her head and said, "Aren''t you guys on vacation now? Why are you still here?"

    "Oh dear," Yuan Nanny gave a wry smile. "I just can''t stop worrying about Cong Cong. Although the child was a bit mischievous, after all, I took care of him for so many years. Now like this..."

    She was visibly worried. "Who could hold a grudge against a child? Dear me."

    "I also find it strange," Jian Jing pretended to be puzzled. "Money isn''t a big deal after all. Just hope he doesn''t tear up the deal. I heard Cong Cong is the only child. This family would be too pitiful if anything happened to him."

    The nanny deeply agreed. "It took them seven or eight years to have him. Don''t know what they''ll do if they really lose him."

    Jian Jing was curious. "How did this happen?"

    The nanny lowered her voice and revealed gossip. "I heard it was a physical problem. They did IVF."

    "The father or the mother?"

    "You wouldn''t know about this," the nanny spoke matter-of-factly. "It was the mother''s problem. They divorced long ago. Must be the father who insisted on doing IVF."

    Jian Jing: "That makes sense."

    This could exin why the father doted on the child so much while the mother was stricter.

    "Jingjing!" Si Yingjie ran downstairs quickly and waved to her. "Phone call."

    Jian Jing immediately let go of her thoughts and leapt up the stairs in a sh.

    Si Yingjie only felt a shadow sh across his eyes. In a blink, she was already in the living room upstairs.

    Only when Jian Jing arrived did Second Sister Si nervously pick up the phone.

    Kidnapper: "Got the stuff ready?"

    "It''s too rushed to take out so much. Around 100 million worth of diamonds plus wire transfer, okay? We won''t shortchange you one cent. Don''t hurt Cong Cong. Let me hear his voice." She nced at Jian Jing, sincere emotions flowing out. "Let him say something to me. What can a photo prove?" Her tears as a mother were almost instantaneous. "I want to hear him call me! If you don''t let me talk to him, I won''t give you a single cent. Who knows if he''s even...even..."

    Her voice was already choked with sobs.

    The kidnapper was silent for a while, then tly said, "You think I don''t know wire transfer will leave a paper trail for you to track me down? No way it''ll be that easy."

    Second Sister Si tried hard to exin, "It''s really impossible. Ask anyone in the industry. What family has this much inventory on hand? The next batch from Botswana won''t arrive for another month."

    The kidnapper paused, thenpromised, "No diamonds, gemstones will do too. A wealthy madam like you must have some valuable jewelry, right?"

    Second Sister Si looked to Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing wrote a few lines on paper.

    "If it''s jewelry..." Second Sister Si carefully said, "How about antiques? I have a Southern Song dynasty painting bought for over 90 million. It must be worth over 100 million now. One of a kind."

    The kidnapper coldly said, "Antiques are all unique. Too eye-catching. Let me repeat myself onest time. I only want jewelry, gemstones, pearls, jade. All fine. Madam Si, I''ve already been very lenient with you. Don''t make me cut off your son''s ear before you can take out the ransom."

    Second Sister Si''s breath hitched.

    After a while, she finally said, "I''ll try my best...please let me hear my child''s voice...I''m begging you."

    The other end of the call was quiet for several seconds, before the kidnapper finallypromised.

    Soft footsteps, the squeak of a door opening, followed by Cong Cong''s heart-wrenching wails. "Wah--" His crying voice was hoarse, vocal cords dry and harsh, clearly from crying too much.

    Second Sister Si was desperate to speak, heart nearly jumping out of her throat before her words, "Baby? Cong Cong, can you hear mommy''s voice?"

    "Mommy--" Cong Cong hupped from crying so hard, "I don''t want to stay here, I, I''ll be good--"

    Second Sister Si forcefully held back her grief,forting him, "Mommy wille get you very soon. Listen, listen to uncle."

    Cong Cong: "Mm, I--I will listen--"

    Snap. The call abruptly ended.

    Second Sister Si looked around in panic, "What happened? Bad signal?"

    Jian Jing shook her head. "He got suspicious."

    "What do we do now?"

    Jian Jing asked back instead of answering, "Any texts?"

    Second Sister Si looked down and indeed there was a new message: [Be at the People''s Park at 2pm today with the stuff ready, only one person cane. If anyonees with you, the deal is cancelled immediately.]

    And another: [Your son still hasn''t eaten today.]

    She immediately called her brother-inw and told him about today''s contact.

    The brother-inw was also very anxious, "The goods are ready. I''ll head back right away and we can discuss more."

    Second Sister Si could no longer speak. She arduously responded in acknowledgement, phone in hand, looking around nkly.

    Si Yingjie asked, "Jingjing, what''s next?"

    "Make the exchange." Jian Jing answered without hesitation. "You go."

    Si Yingjie was baffled. "Me go?"

    She nodded.

    But Second Sister Si said, "No, I''ll go. I''ll go in person."

    "You can''t," Jian Jing vetoed. "You''re not in the right state of mind. If the kidnapper threatens you, can you guarantee you''ll make rational choices?"

    "Rational? Of course I can''t be rational," Second Sister Si suddenly stood up in hysterics. "My son could be in danger any time. How can I be rational? I don''t want to be rational. I just want my son back safe and sound."

    "He won''t hurt your son for now. That''s his trump card," Jian Jing said.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Why is he starving Cong Cong? Just to threaten you? Anyone knows not eating for two or three days won''t kill you," Jian Jing calmly analyzed. "But after some time, who knows. As long as no one knows where the child is, he can keep bargaining with you."

    Si Yingjie understood, "You mean he wants to drag this out so we don''t dare get the police to catch him?"

    "Yes, it''s a dy tactic. If the child was injured and could die any time, the parents might go all in to catch him first then interrogate. But if it''s just starvation without immediate danger, you wouldn''t dare take the risk."

    Second Sister Si slowly nodded, finally calming down, "You''re right."

    Soon, the brother-inw rushed back, holding a security box. Inside were dozens of diamondsrge and small. The big ones were 5 or 6 carats, the small only 2 or 3 carats. They weren''t cut yet so the brilliance wasn''t high.

    Second Sister Si said, "I''ll have Yingjie go to the bank to get the gems. He''ll make the exchangeter."

    "Or I should go," the brother-inw said. "I''ll go in person, avoid the kidnapper getting suspicious."

    That was also reasonable. She looked to Jian Jing, seemingly seeking counsel.

    Jian Jing said, "There is no need to argue. I feel the People''s Park is just a decoy. Given the professionalism of the kidnappers, it is impossible for them to reveal the real location outright."

    "Are you saying they might switch locations midway?" Sister''s husband asked.

    She said, "It''s very likely. They may jerk you around for a long time. Both of you are not in good condition, and the kidnappers only asked for one person to go. If anything unexpected happens along the way, it''s prone to idents."

    Sister''s husband hesitated, "It''s not that I don''t trust Yingjie, but that''s still my son after all. I want to go personally. Otherwise, asking me to wait idly here, I really..." He smiled wryly, "I really can''t stay put."

    Since the father said so, Jian Jing could not say much more, and nodded in agreement.

    After a hasty lunch, at 1 pm in the afternoon, Jian Jing informed everyone, "I''m going to the People''s Park to see if I can helpter."

    Si Yingjie said, "I''ll go with you."

    "You stay home with Sister''s husband and wait for any news. Contact me anytime." Jian Jing rejected him and left alone.

    At 1:30 in the afternoon, Sister''s husband also set off.

    He wore a microphone and locator, put a signal transmitter in the safe box, and slowly drove towards the People''s Park.

    At 1:50, he arrived at the parking lot to wait for the next instruction.

    Right on time at 2 o''clock, the phone rang.

    "Hello?"

    He picked up nervously.

    The kidnapper got straight to the point, "Come to the bridge over the centralke in the park alone. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

    Sister''s husband immediately got out of the car, holding the box, and hurried to the designated location.

    It was now the scorching summer. The park was rarely visited during the day. As he walked along the path, he hardly encountered anyone. When he arrived at the bridge and looked around, there was only the buzzing of cicadas. He couldn''t see anyone to make the exchange with at all.

    The phone rang.

    "Are you there?"

    "I''m here, I''m here." Sister''s husband wiped his sweat.

    "You are very cooperative." The kidnapper''s tone eased up. "Now, walk forward, turn left, and under the second row of seats on the right, there is a box. Take it out."

    Sister''s husband did as he was told. He fished out a box about the size of a palm from under the seat.

    "Open the box and put the diamonds in."

    Sister''s husband couldn''t help but look around, but found nothing. He had no choice but to do as told, opened the safe box he brought, and poured in the prepared jewelry.

    "Put your box in and take mine."

    Sister''s husband swapped the two boxes.

    "In half an hour, deliver the box to Cherry Blossom Avenue. When you get there, I''ll tell you what to do."

    The phone hung up.

    Sister''s husband hurried back to the parking lot and called his wife to update her on the progress.

    "I heard everything," said Second Sister Si, sping her hands. "Seeing there''s no police, he should feel more at ease. Maybe after handing over the money this time, Cong Cong cane back."

    Sister''s husband heaved a sigh, "Alright, I''m going over now. Any news from Ms. Jian?"

    "She just called us saying she found traces of suspicious figures and ns to tail them. Should I notify her to go to Cherry Blossom Avenue?" Second Sister Si ryed.

    After thinking about it, Sister''s husband said, "Forget it, let her keep following. What if she can find the ce?"

    "You''re right," said Second Sister Si.

 Chapter 317

    Chapter 317

    Sakura Avenue was one of the new cityscape projects in Peace City. It was nted with the most well-known Somei Yoshino cherry trees. At the end of March when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the entire avenue would be upied by pink petals, like a dream.

    But now it was summer, and the cherry blossoms had long withered. The location was also rtively remote, with few pedestrians on the road, only a small number of vehiclesing and going.

    The reason why the kidnappers chose this ce was not hard to guess - there were few people here, and the surveince was not yet fully covered.

    After Sister''s husband arrived, he randomly found a ce to park and waited for the kidnappers to contact him.

    The sunlight was ring. He sat nkly in his seat, spaced out for a while, not knowing what he was thinking about, until the ringtone of his cell phone sounded, and he was startled awake as if from a dream.

    "I''m here," he swallowed with a hoarse voice.

    The kidnapper said, "Drive from south to north, and stop by the sixth trash can."

    Sister''s husband started the engine and found the ce.

    The sixth trash can was no different from the other trash cans, the only anomaly being a special hook above it.

    "Hang the box on it, then you can leave," said the kidnapper.

    The box''s handle fit perfectly with the hook. As soon as it hung on, the concealed mas clung tightly, difficult to detach. Then, whether by remote control or automatic sensing, the hook''s wire began to automatically retract, lifting the box, gradually rising until it was hidden in a patch of lush greenery.

    Not to mention a passerby that happened to pass by, even Sister''s husband, after staring under the tree for half a day, could not see where the box was hidden.

    "Okay," he tentatively asked, "then my son..."

    "Wait for notice," said the kidnapper, before promptly hanging up.

    Sister''s husband lingered under the tree for a while, but still obeyed orders and drove away.

    He called his wife, "I''ve given the stuff."

    "What about the child?" Second Sister Si anxiously asked.

    Sister''s husband uneasily said, "He said he''d notify us..."

    Second Sister Si suddenly raised her voice, "What?"

    Sister''s husband was embarrassed, "That''s it, he hung up the phone."

    "You--" Second Sister Si wanted to say something, but didn''t know what she could say. Si Yingjie, who was next to her, advised, "Money can be earned again, just do as the kidnapper says for now, Cong Cong''s safety is most important."

    Second Sister Si reluctantly nodded, "Yes, thene back. We--we''ll wait a little longer."

    "It''ll be fine," Sister''s husband reassured powerlessly, but even he didn''t believe it himself.

    Cong Cong... can he reallye back safely?

    As the car drove away, the clouds obscured the ring sun, and the light suddenly darkened.

    For a time, the road was empty, with only the asional car speeding by.

    The wind blew through the treetops, and noisy sounds arose, apanied by a few green leaves falling. A drone emerged from the foliage, circling twice in the air. After making sure no one was around, it suddenly ascended and flew towards the nearest tall building.

    However, the drone only stayed on the building''s rooftop for a while. Ten minutester, it took off again, flying back in the direction it came from. It crossed over Sakura Avenue and turned into the intersection.

    A nondescript ck sedan had been waiting there for a long time.

    The dronended and was taken back by the person inside. But after unloading the wooden box, he put an identical box back on and started it up again, flying in another direction.

    At the same time, the car drove away.

    It looked like the most ordinary car on the road, slowly stopping in front of a cheap motel.

    The driver didn''t get out. Instead, he took apart the wooden box, poured out the diamonds inside, and checked them one by one. They all looked fine, but when he touched thergest blue sapphire, his fingertips seemed to touch something foreign.

    He was shocked and immediately held it up to the sunlight to examine.

    The blue sapphire was amazingly beautiful, like a pool of seawater. But in the light, one could vaguely see what appeared to be a thin, transparent film on the surface, with a slight difference in luster.

    He carefully nudged it, and quickly tore off a small circr piece, as thin as a sticker. When he pinched it between his fingers, he didn''t feel any traces of a chip, unlike any device. But to be safe, he immediately rolled down the car window to throw it out.

    But the instant the window lowered, a pungent odor rushed in through the crack.

    His eyes stung badly, unable to open at all. If it was an ordinary person, they would surely lose mobility. However, this man reacted quickly, immediately covering his eyes with his arm, starting the car, and recklessly reversing.

    At the same time, he opened the car windows and air conditioning to quickly dissipate the mist.

    To be fair, his speed was not slow, but at the same time he started the car, the attacker had already reached in and opened the door from the inside.

    As the car reversed, the attacker also grabbed his cor.

    "Don''t move," the opponent threatened. "My knife is on your neck."

    He could feel it.

    The sharp de pressed against his throat, giving him goosebumps.

    "Stop the car," said the attacker, using the car door for support while stepping into the car, maintaining this difficult stance like in an action movie to keep the advantage.

    He had no choice but to hit the brakes and discerned the attacker''s identity from his limited field of vision.

    It was that female writer the family had brought in.

    Wasn''t she led away?

    "If you catch me, the child will be killed immediately," he reacted quickly and threatened. "Which is more important, money or life? You figure it out."

    "So you have an aplice?" Jian Jing smiled.

    The kidnapper nced at her but didn''t answer.

    "It doesn''t matter if you have an aplice," she said casually. "After all, money is the kind of thing that''s definitely more addictive to keep for yourself rather than split with someone else."

    The kidnapper sneered.

    "Where''s the child?" Jian Jing asked. "If you don''t say, consider the consequences."

    "This is the city center. You''re also a public figure. Are you going tomit murder?" said the kidnapper dismissively.

    "Quite the attitude," said Jian Jing. "Aren''t you afraid of the police station?"

    The kidnapper was fearless. "If I get caught, my partner will immediately move the hostage. You''ll never find the child again."

    Jian Jing nced at him and reached for his phone he had left to the side.

    The kidnapper immediately seized the opportunity, decisively elbowing her sr plexus, while pushing off the front of the car to twist and lift his hand, actually trying to take advantage and strangle her neck to subdue her in one go.

    Unfortunately, he really picked the wrong person.

    Jian Jing''s closebat skill was already high-level.

    Was that one high-level skill card just for fun?

    She lowered her head to avoid his arm, her abdominal muscles highly tensed, arching back in an instant, and lifting her elbow to smash his nose bridge fiercely.

    The kidnapper underestimated herbat ability. Caught off guard, his nose bridge was broken, blood spurting.

    But his response was not weak either. He had already unfastened his seatbelt and rolled sideways to the passenger seat. The increased space gave him more room to maneuver.

    With one hand he grabbed the seat cushion and smashed it at Jian Jing''s face, buying himself half a second. At the same time he pushed the car door open and leapt out.

    Jian Jing said, "Stop, or I''ll shoot."

    The kidnapper didn''t believe a word of it. Let alone it being impossible to get a gun domestically, even if she did get one, during their earlier scuffle he had already observed that the girl cared about looks - she wore hotpants and a crop top, how could she have a gun?

    Jian Jing sighed. "Oh well."

    Why didn''t he believe it?

    She casually grabbed a pendant from the car, the weighty amulet, perfect for using.

    The aiming skill activated.

    She threw it.

    "Thud!" The kidnapper only felt a pain in the back of his head, instantly dizzy and seeing stars. By the time he came to his senses, he had already copsed to the ground.

    Jian Jing tsked.

    This skill was more useful than kicking a ser ball.

    She found a stic bag in the car and put it over his head, tying it tight, leaving just a hole at the neck. She aimed and sprayed anesthetic gas. It was for veterinary use (Knight: Woof??), so the effect was of course not as good as proper stuff, but in an enclosed space it was enough to knock out an adult.

    The kidnapper waspletely unconscious.

    She searched him.

    His pants pocket contained a leather cardholder, stuffed with a bit of cash, a pack of tissues, a mask, a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes.

    Men''s pockets sure could fit a lot. She sneered inwardly, then went to check his shirt cor and shoe soles.

    There were a few coffee stains on the cor, the soles were ordinary, no unusual mud stuck, just regr dust. But there was a bit of mud stter on the cuffs of his pants.

    After finishing her observations, she stuffed the man in the trunk.

    Kidnapping...uh, no, arrestpleted.

    Jian Jing casually sat back in the car, turning on the navigation and dashcam.

    Today''s starting point was a mall parking lot.

    "Pretty cautious, yeah. Also, this is my first time seeing ransom transferred by drone," she muttered to herself. "Let''s go check out that spot first."

    She started the car, parked it back at the original location ording to the navigation route.

    Then, she checked the kidnapper''s phone.

    Other than the contacts with Second Sister Si and Sister''s husband, there was only one phone number.

    She called the number around 2pm. The other side picked up quickly with a thick ent: "Hello?"

    "Hi, I''d like to make a reservation for dinner."

    "Sorry, you got the wrong number."

    "Oh, I think I called you before?"

    "I run errands."

    "Oh I see. Sorry about that," she apologized. "You went to the park for me, right?"

    "Yeah, yeah."

    "Okay, thanks."

    Jian Jing hung up, and verified her guess. It looked like after she said she''d ambush in People''s Park, the kidnapper specifically got someone to fake it and lure her away.

    However, she bet the park was not the real destination. He didn''t even go there at all.

    Let''s check other info on the phone.

    There was not even a payment record, let alone bank cards. No othermunication apps either. Even the map was gone.

    The car had navigation on, which meant he was not too familiar with the roads. No map on his phone showed that the route from the parking garage to his home was not tooplicated.

    It was either walking distance or a bus ride.

    She had to look for more clues.

    Jian Jing turned the car upside down and found a few things: mineral water, bread, parking ticket, coins.

    The parking ticket was issued by the parking garage. Parking duration was 26 hours, from 8pmst night to 10am this morning.

    She picked up the coins and used her five senses to smell them.

    A scent of scallion pancake.

    Looks like bread was for lunch and scallion pancake for breakfast.

    She quickly searched the map for breakfast ces nearby. To be honest there were quite a few, a total of five.

    The area was too big. Were there other clues?

    Jian Jing thought for a bit: First, Cong Cong was clearly awake during thest call. He bawled loudly. Wouldn''t the neighbors be suspicious?

    Considering how cautious this kidnapper was, he definitely wouldn''t choose an oldmunity. Otherwise the nosy aunties and uncles would notice a child at home and might even call the police thinking it was domestic violence.

    It was impossible to hold the child at his own home either.

    He nned to escape after getting the ransom. If the police found his home, his identity would be exposed.

    So, able to rent short-term, with neighbors who minded their own business, a ce where unfamiliar faces did not easily draw suspicion, nothing was more suitable than a homestay.

    Jian Jing immediately checked homestay apps, and located ones near the parking garage.

    There was a rental apartment only 10 minutes walk away. The room designs were INS style, very exquisite, suitable for aerial shots. ess was also strictly controlled and it was expensive.

    Another one had rooms for short-term rental, low prices, but judging by theyout in the photos, many were probably not solid walls. Sound instion was probably not great.

    Neither seemed right.

 Chapter 318

    Chapter 318

    Jian Jing checked the nearby bus stop and found that three bus routes passed through here.

    Routes 01, 07, and 18. Since it would be inconvenient to go any further, she decided to expand her search to three stops. She also discovered four or five homestays.

    At this point, the value of scallion pancakes didn''t seem significant anymore since they could be found anywhere in this bustling area.

    She decided to try a more direct approach and started making phone calls one by one.

    "Hello, I reserved a room at your ce. Yes, thest four digits of my phone number are ****. Oh, you didn''t receive a reservation? I must have made a mistake then."

    "Hello, hey, yes, that''s right. Do you have my number saved? That''s good. Well, I forgot the address over there. What''s the street number again? The 26th? Okay, thank you."

    Jian Jing happily hung up the phone and headed straight to her destination.

    She also dialed Ji Feng''s number.

    He seemed busy and spoke in a hushed tone, "I''m outside. Did you find it? Can''t go back? In that case, call the police station... Jian Jing, just give them your name. Don''t worry, they know you, but they might not recognize me."

    "If that''s the case, what use do I have for you?" As soon as she heard his unclear response, Jian Jing ruthlessly hung up and dialed 110 directly.

    As Ji Feng predicted, she gave her name, and the police dispatcher took it seriously and immediately promised to send someone to investigate.

    Fifteen minutester, Jian Jing arrived at the homestay and coincidentally encountered a police officer carrying a rescued child.

    An ambnce was parked downstairs.

    She was startled. "What happened to the child?"

    "It seems like the child ate something, possibly poisoned by rice noodles." The police officer was sweating, and together with the medical staff, they ced the child in the ambnce. "Luckily, we discovered it early."

    Jian Jing''s expression changed abruptly.

    "You take the child to the hospital, and I''ll notify the parents." She opened the trunk, where the unconscious kidnapper was still tied up. "This is the kidnapper. Please take him to the hospital as well; he''s injured."

    The police officer gasped, "In that case, you and I should go to the police station..."

    "I have something else to do. I''ll goter," Jian Jing interrupted and hailed a taxi, providing the address of the vi.

    The taxi driver, curious upon seeing the ambnce and police cars, asked, "What happened? Did someone die?" As he spoke, he nced at the passenger in the back seat.

    Jian Jing''s face darkened, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

    He wisely kept his mouth shut.

    Forty minutester, Jian Jing returned to Cong Cong''s house. Si Yingjie anxiously approached her. "The kidnapper still hasn''t called. It''s been two hours, Jing Jing..."

    Jian Jing nodded absentmindedly, ignoring him, and headed straight to the living room, where she fixed her gaze on Sister''s husband and Second Sister Si. She spoke directly,

    "I caught the kidnapper."

    Both of them were startled.

    Second Sister Si blurted out, "Where''s Cong Cong? Where is he?"

    "Is the child okay?" Sister''s husband asked.

    "I found the child too," Jian Jing surveyed their faces and spoke slowly, "but when I arrived, he had already been taken into the ambnce."

    "What?" Second Sister Si eximed, suddenly losing her bnce and copsing.

    Sister''s husband also panicked, "What''s going on? Did something go wrong? We already paid the ransom."

    Jian Jing looked at him and suddenlyughed as if nothing were wrong. "Don''t worry, it''s just food poisoning. They took him to the hospital promptly, so there shouldn''t be any life-threatening danger."

    Sister''s husband was taken aback, and then he sat down heavily. "You scared me. I thought..."

    "I know," Si Yingjie''s face turned pale with fright. "Jing Jing, next time please make yourself clear. My heart almost stopped."

    "I was also terrified. How could the kidnappers be so ruthless?" Jian Jing said.

    "By the way, where are the kidnappers?" Sister''s husband asked.

    Jian Jing looked embarrassed. "I think they went too far. They should have been taken to the hospital. I don''t know if they''ll wake up."

    Sister''s husband nodded. "Let''s not worry about them for now. Which hospital? We''ll go there immediately."

    Second Sister Si also regained herposure and struggled to get up. "I''ll go too."

    "I''ll drive," Si Yingjie said.

    Jian Jing got into his car and lowered her head to send a message on WeChat.

    The others were too preupied to notice her actions. They rushed to the hospital as soon as they arrived.

    Jian Jing held onto Si Yingjie. "I need to tell you something."

    "What is it?" Si Yingjie looked confused.

    She whispered in his ear, saying this and that for a couple of sentences.

    Si Yingjie''s expression changed drastically. "Is it true? Don''t scare me."

    "I''m about seventy percent sure," Jian Jing said. "I can''t handle this matter myself, so I can only entrust it to you."

    Si Yingjie hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded. "Alright, I''ll go right away."

    He hurriedly left.

    Cong Cong had already had his stomach washed.

    The doctor said they arrived in time, and the child hadn''t consumed much rice noodles, so the poisoning wasn''t severe. After a few days of treatment, he would be fine.

    Second Sister Si felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She almost copsed into a chair, unable to lift a finger.

    At this moment, she had forgotten about her younger brother, her husband, and the kidnappers. Her heart and mind were filled with thoughts of her son lying in the hospital bed.

    Her little child had endured such a great hardship.

    No matter how strong Second Sister Si usually was, she couldn''t help but cover her face and shed tears.

    "Ying Mei," her husband spoke up with a serious expression. "I''ve thought about it. We can''t let that guy off so easily. If we turn him over to the police, he won''t be sentenced to death."

    Second Sister Si mustered her spirit. "What do you want to do?"

    Sister''s husband didn''t answer, but stared fixedly at her.

    Second Sister Si pondered for a while, then shook her head. "If we get exposed..."

    "Are you willing to let it go then?" Sister''s husband asked in return.

    Second Sister Si fell silent.

    "If you can''t do it, I''ll do it. Just don''t reveal anything when the timees," Sister''s husband said in a low voice.

    Second Sister Si struggled with difficulty. She didn''t want to do this, but when she looked at her son''s weak and pale face, she couldn''t find the words to refuse.

    She could only acquiesce, silently and reluctantly.

    Sister''s husband understood her very well. He knew that her attitude was already a form of support. He left without saying a word.

    He inquired about the kidnapper''s hospital room from a nurse and patiently waited until there was no one around before quickly and stealthily entering.

    The kidnapper''s head was wrapped in bandages, still under the influence of anesthesia, sleeping soundly.

    Sister''s husband clenched his fist, turned around, and locked the door. Then, he picked up the pillow nearby, about to press it down with force. However, he was too nervous andpletely failed to notice that there was another person hiding under the bed.

    "I advise you not to do this," Jian Jing calmly got up as if she had just crawled down to pick up something, holding a pen in her hand.

    Sister''s husband was momentarily panicked but quickly regained hisposure. "I just can''t swallow this anger."

    "Oh, isn''t it a matter of killing someone to silence them?" Jian Jing asked curiously.

    Sister''s husband was greatly surprised. "What are you talking about?"

    Jian Jing twirled the pen in her hand, sat down in a nearby chair, crossed her legs, and assumed a rxed posture. "I''m saying, you want to kill someone to silence them - kidnapping was your suggestion, right?"

    Sister''s husbandughed in anger. "Miss Jian, I''ve been polite to you because you''re a friend of Yingjie. But you can''t nder me like this, can you?"

    "Is it nder?" she retorted. "Are you sure?"

    Sister''s husband said, "You say I''m the mastermind, where''s the evidence?"

    Jian Jing pointed to the cab across the room. "I recorded all your actions just now. If I show it to him," pointing at the kidnapper, "do you think he will identify you?"

    "If I''m going to kill him, what''s so surprising about him ndering me?" Sister''s husband remained calm.

    Having seen many cases, nothing surprised Jian Jing anymore when it came to encountering stubborn suspects. She calmly said, "So, you haven''t had any contact with the kidnapper these past few days?"

    Sister''s husband''s tone faltered for a moment, about to say something in rebuttal, but the door behind him was lightly knocked. "Yaoming, it''s me," it was the voice of Second Sister Si.

    Sister''s husband took the opportunity to open the door and let Second Sister Si in.

    Seeing Jian Jing here and the kidnapper still breathing, Second Sister Si didn''t know whether to feel disappointed or relieved. She asked, "What are you all talking about?"

    "Yaoming, you came at the right time," Sister''s husband closed the door and whispered, "Miss Jian caught me red-handed. She thinks I came here to kill and silence someone. She wants to call the police."

    Second Sister Si froze, unable to hide her embarrassment on her face.

    Jian Jing smiled and asked, "So, you two have reached a consensus?"

    "Ahem," Second Sister Si struggled with her words, "Miss Jian, I hope you don''t misunderstand. It was just a momentary impulse as parents. Cong Cong almost lost his life, and we just couldn''t let it go."

    Jian Jing replied, "So, you''re just seeking revenge?"

    "In fact, I regretted it just now," Second Sister Si sincerely said, "We were confused for a moment. Pretend you didn''t see anything, nothing really happened, let''s just leave it at that."

    Her attitude was undeniably sincere, her remorse genuine. However, Jian Jing still said, "I don''t think that''s possible."

    Second Sister Si was surprised. "Why? Shouldn''t we consider this a suspended crime?"

    "No, the crime has already urred, or rather, it''sing to an end," Jian Jing looked past her, toward her husband.

    Sister''s husband frowned. "Yingmei, Yingjie doesn''t know what kind of friends he''s made. He actually said that I orchestrated the kidnapping, that I kidnapped our own son?"

    Second Sister Si was momentarily stunned. She was about to defend her husband when someone burst into the room.

    "Kidnapping our own son would certainly be strange, but it wouldn''t be strange if he''s not our own son, right?" Si Yingjie barged in, refuting loudly as he threw a stack of documents onto the hospital bed.

    Raising her head, Second Sister Si saw the sign of the XX Medical Laboratory, with the title "DNA Test Report."

    She nced at her husband with aplicated expression.

    "I''m sorry, Brother-inw. I went to your office," calmly said Si Yingjie, "Please exin."

    Sister''s husband remained silent.

    Second Sister Si took a deep breath. "When did you find out?"

    "Last year, when he fell ill and was hospitalized. You hid the report, so I became suspicious," Sister''s husband sighed. "Yes, I admit I was petty. I needed to investigate to put my mind at ease. But I truly don''t me you, and I intended to always treat Cong Cong as my own son."

    He sincerely said, "Just because I know he''s not my biological child, I shouldn''t reject him. What does that aplish? Did I not provide financial support? Did I not lose a batch of diamonds? Won''t mypany be unaffected?"

    Second Sister Si''s expression flickered, and she didn''t know how to respond at that moment.

    She always harbored guilt towards her husband. Despite resorting to this desperate measure, it was truly unavoidable. The process of in vitro fertilization was agonizing. Over the years, she had consumed countless medications, endured countless injections, and suffered excruciating pain. And even then, sess wasn''t guaranteed with just one attempt.

    After the third egg retrieval, lying on the hospital bed, she felt her body gradually weakening, as if she could die at any moment. But her husband only cared about the oue, reassuring her that this time it would work, it had to work.

    But she had had enough.

    The process was too painful, too unbearable.

    It wasn''t her fault. Why should she endure so much suffering?

    She had done everything she could, and she didn''t want to go through the hellish torment again. So, after yet another failed attempt, she asked the doctor to seal her records and found someone else to conceive the child, that child being Cong Cong.

    This child liberated her from endless torment and fulfilled her wish to be a mother.

    asionally, Si Yingjie felt a bit guilty towards her husband.

    If he wanted a divorce, she wouldn''t object.

    However, she never expected that her husband would want to kill their own child.

    The author has something to say: The news didn''t create any ripples in this case... an indifferent face.

 Chapter 319

    Chapter 319

    Here is the English trantion of the Chinese novel excerpt using the provided glossary:

    <document>

    The closest of rtions and the most distant as husband and wife.

    Si Yingmei and her husband had been married for ten years. Their feelings towards each other were neither intensely loving nor bitter, and could be considered harmonious and affectionatepared to other business marriages.

    No matter how reasonable her husband''s exnations were - yes, since he couldn''t have children, why couldn''t he treat Cong Cong as his own child - Si Yingmei knew that he was fully capable of doing such a thing.

    "Yingmei, believe me," pleaded Sister''s husband. "I had nothing to do with it."

    Second Sister Si pursed her lips, but looked to Jian Jing instead.

    Jian Jing understood and began to analyze: "The nanny said it was a spur of the moment decision for the child to go to the skate park. Without his father''s consent, he couldn''t have gone that many times. If the kidnapper had observed and judged for himself, he would have been more likely to target somewhere the boy went more frequently."

    Sister''s husband argued: "Why couldn''t he have followed him the whole way and seized the opportunity?"

    "The car avoided numerous surveince cameras, so they must have mapped out points in advance. It was a premeditated location, and the only ones who could have influenced Cong Cong''s actions were the nanny or the father. " Jian Jing exined unhurriedly. "So I have suspected all along that there was an insider in your family, I just couldn''t bepletely sure."

    "So I set a trap by having Mrs. Si change the ransom from jewelry to antiques. I figured the kidnapper wouldn''t be so omniscient as to have thoroughly investigated her private collection, right?"

    Sister''s husband stubbornly resisted: "He wanted the jewelry to begin with. Antiques are hard to sell off, how does that prove anything?"

    "The second trap," Jian Jing continued. "I told you that I had identified a suspect in People''s Park and decided to follow him to investigate - this was false, I predicted he would send someone or an aplice to create a diversion, so I tricked you all."

    "Having received false information from the insider, he knew I had no backup and boldly collected the ransom on Sakura Avenue.

    "To verify this conjecture, all that needs to be checked is the number of drones he purchased. If it is indeed more than one, it goes some way to corroborating my thinking, doesn''t it?"

    Jian Jing threw back a rhetorical question, not expecting an answer, and went on: "Of course, this is all circumstantial. What truly convinced me to confirm it was you who wanted him dead was the food poisoning, such an irrational way to tear up the ticket."

    "If the kidnapper wanted to tear up the ticket to prevent the child from revealing information after being rescued, he should have decisively finished it, not left a bowl of stale river noodles gambling on poisoning him. That would only enrage the family and force you to call the police, seeking vengeance for the child."

    Sister''s husband gave a coldugh: "Your reasoning is too far-fetched. I say it was just bad luck that he bought stale noodles, didn''t eat them himself, and Cong Cong happened to eat them identally."

    "You''re the one being unreasonable. The kidnapper''s purpose in starving the child was to buy time to escape. Why would he go out of his way to leave a bowl of noodles for him? Out of kindness? Would someone kind leave noodles that have been sitting for days?"

    Her rapid-fire questions were logical and persuasive, leaving Sister''s husband momentarily lost for words.

    Jian Jing continued: "I believe that ording to the employer''s instructions, the kidnapper abducted and killed the child, but he left himself room to maneuver, unwilling to personally take a life, since the sentencing for murder and kidnapping differs greatly. So he deliberately starved the child and left a bowl of tainted food, luring him into eating it of his own ord."

    "You..." Si Yingjie couldn''t stand to listen any longer. He rushed over to grab the man''s cor. "Are you even human? If you didn''t want the child just get a divorce. Can''t the Si family support one little kid? You had to do this?"

    Sister''s husband silently pried his fingers away, a fierce look shing through his eyes.

    Jian Jing paid him no more attention. When she returned today to report on Cong Cong, this man''s identity was already unquestionably clear in her eyes. She only turned her head to Second Sister Si: "Apart from the video from earlier, there is currently no other evidence. It requires further investigation and evidence collection by the police. Whether to report to the police or cover it up, that''s for you to decide."

    Second Sister Si did not give a direct answer, but asked her husband instead: "Why?"

    Sister''s husband was silent.

    She pressed him: "A lifetime as husband and wife, and you don''t cherish our feelings at all?"

    "It was for the sake of our feelings that I did this," replied Sister''s husband. "Yingmei, believe it or not, I never thought about divorcing you."

    Si Yingmei was stunned, and understood everything. He could neither ept a child that wasn''t his own, nor did he want the marriage alliance between the families to be affected.

    The best solution was for Cong Cong to "identally" die.

    He was "saving" this marriage.

    Si Yingmei closed her eyes for a moment, and left the ward to make a call.

    After connecting, she spoke in a low voice: "Dad, I..."

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes. She thought to herself, not only is this a marriage alliance, even filing a police report has to consider the impact and seek the patriarch''s opinion.

    Fortunately the Si family did not disappoint too much. Soon after, Second Sister Si returned and crisply notified her: "You should prepare to find awyer. I''ve called the police."

    That''s more like it.

    Jian Jing let out a breath and kicked the hospital bed, snarling: "Hey, time to get to work!"

    As soon as the kidnapper opened his eyes, he saw police officers in uniform. He immediately knew things were beyond salvaging and chose to cooperate, exposing Sister''s husband.

    It turned out they were college ssmates and both basketball team members.

    Half a year ago, due to some irregr operations, he had been fired from the securitypany. Later, he happened to meet Sister''s husband again. Upon learning about his previous job, Sister''s husband deliberately got close to him, directly and indirectly divulging information about the child.

    The kidnapper understood his insinuations and secretly made ns for the kidnapping.

    He thought the old ssmate only wanted revenge on his cheating wife. But after taking action, Sister''s husband called again, implying - "If the child was gone, the things I''m worried about won''t happen, right?"

    The person was already kidnapped, what if the old buddy turned around and sold him out?

    The kidnapper was riding a tiger and couldn''t get off, and was truly greedy for the huge 200 million bounty, steeled himself to pull off this job. But just as Jian Jing said, he was not without self-interest either. The crime of murder carried a much heavier sentence than kidnapping. He had to find a win-win way.

    Thus he decided to have the boy "identally ingest" some spoiled river noodles, creating the appearance of idental death through negligence.

    Everything had been going very smoothly at first.

    With eight years of experience in the security industry, he had excellent physical fitness and anti-reconnaissance capabilities, and some technical know-how. Together with the inside man, he thought there wouldn''t be big problems, and didn''t even need an aplice.

    Who could have expected to be tailed and directly taken out like that!

    What a huge blunder.

    On the other side, Sister''s husband also confessed his "difficulties".

    He did not admit to attempted murder, only admitting to nning the kidnapping, and imed he never intended to harm the child: "The son I waited so long for, it turns out isn''t my own flesh and blood ording to the DNA test. If it were you, could you swallow this insult? I was just blinded by rage and wanted to get back at my wife."

    As for why he didn''t get a divorce, he said he couldn''t bear to part with his wife after ten years together, and he got along well with his father-inw''s family too. Neither set of parents would have agreed.

    The police recorded truthfully, whether it was believed or not was for the judge to decide.

    In any case, Jian Jing''s work was fullypleted.

    She returned the 20 million RMB worth of jewelry, and shamelessly extorted Si Yingjie: "Treat me to a meal."

    Si Yingjie: "Oh!"

    Then asked Kang Mu Cheng to apany her.

    Only then did Kang Mu Cheng realize she had once againˇŞuh, why again...nevermind, not importantˇŞanyway she had righteously intervened once more.

    Such news could no longer make Chairman Kang raise a single brow these days. All he said was a simple: "Eat more."

    Jian Jing would not be polite about extorting Si Yingjie, picking an upscale Japanese restaurant with a 5000 RMB per person average spending. The ambience was elegant and quiet, with rock gardens, kimono-d women, shamisen music, and a thick Japanese atmosphere.

    As she ate, sheined: "Not your own biological child and you want to kidnap and kill him, a green hat really is a lifelong sore point for men."

    Kang Mu Cheng & Si Yingjie: "..."

    Freshly fried tempura was served, the coating fried to a golden brown.

    She angrily speared a shrimp and devoured it, sincerely advising: "Don''t be so obsessed with reproduction, an individual''s genes aren''t that important!"

    "Ha ha." Si Yingjie gave a dryugh and changed the subject. "Mu Cheng, when is Jingjing''s new booking out?"

    "The new book is still early, the movie is almost ready." Kang Mu Cheng replied.

    Si Yingjie was greatly surprised. "Wow, little Jingjing is getting ahead in the world, even starring in movies now? What film?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Jungle Fright in the Haunted House."

    Si Yingjie was confused: "What''s that?"

    "A cameo in a variety/reality movie."

    Si Yingjie: "Oh."

    </document>

    Jian Jing was not very happy: "Oh, what do you mean?"

    "It means, brother will definitely watch, book the whole venue to watch." Si Yingjieughed loudly.

    Jian Jing was frustrated, she flipped open the menu on the side, and ordered a few more of the most expensive dishes, plus a top-tier performance by a courtesan, costing thirty thousand for twenty minutes.

    Si Yingjie was very conscious of being the big brother, he acted as if it was nothing: "Not exactly authentic, but since Jingjing likes watching, I''ll book it, brother doesn''tck that bit of money."

    Jian Jing: I hate rich second generation.

    She also wanted to be a rich second generation qaq

    After eating and drinking enough, Si Yingjie went out to have fun alone, Kang Mu Cheng sent Jian Jing home.

    But before that, he had to go to the Kang family to pick up Knight.

    Since he was going anyway, he might as well take a turn around the new house.

    The little Western-style house Jian Jing bought had been renovated for a few months, the hard furnishings were already seventy to eighty percent done, so it was a good day to go see the results.

    The wiring for water and electricity had all beenid out, with a flick of the switch, the halfway furnished rooms instantly came into view.

    The rooms with brick wallpaper already looked proper, the style tending towards British, echoing the exterior of the Western-style house. Because the furniture had not yet been ced, at first nce, it was as if they had returned to the British countryside from a hundred years ago.

    "It''ll look more modern after it''s done." Jian Jing walked to the window and looked left and right for a bit, then suddenlyughed, "Chairman Kang, isn''t that your house over there?"

    Kang Mu Cheng went over to take a look, and it really was the balcony of his house.

    "The garden and enclosing wall haven''t been built yet, maybeter it won''t be visible." She thought for a bit, then said, "But the balcony upstairs can definitely see it, shall we go up and take a look?"

    He nodded, and casually asked: "How did you arrange it?"

    "Downstairs is the living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, plus I added a cafe and half a dog house, the dog house connects to the outside, a room for Knight." Jian Jing shared her ideas, "Upstairs is the study, bedroom and a deduction room."

    Kang Mu Cheng was puzzled: "What deduction room?"

    "Come this way." She turned into the room at the end of the corridor.

    Kang Mu Cheng saw the pasted red floral wallpaper and antique-style ck firece.

    At first nce it looked rather gaudy, but this color scheme was also very familiar... "Baker Street?" He remembered.

    Jian Jing nodded happily: "That''s right."

    "In the future, my study will be used exclusively for writing. The cases I''ve handled before, the information I''ve collected, I''ll arrange it all in this room like Holmes'' habits." She made a vague gesture, "Put two high-backed chairs here, one is mine, one is Watson''s... Oh no, or just put in an armchair instead?"

    With soft furnishings still a hundred thousand miles away, she was already agonizing over these details.

    Kang Mu Cheng shook his head, toozy to critique her fan mentality.

    He went out for a turn, the study was standard and bright, with a nice open view, looking directly at the garden and front gate, if he got tired from writing he could gaze into the distance anytime.

    The bedroom was oriented in the opposite direction, standing on the balcony, one could see a corner of the nearby park, even more quiet and private.

    "What do you think?" Jian Jing asked for his opinion.

    Kang Mu Cheng pondered for a while, then suddenly asked: "You didn''t n a spare bedroom?"

    Jian Jing was surprised: "What''s the spare bedroom for?"

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her and sighed: "Nothing."

    The author has something to say: Quickly resolve the kidnapping case

    A bit defeated, a fictional case is still not as sinister as real news...

    I won''t write this kind of case in the future qaq

 Chapter 320

    Chapter 320

    The big movie "Haunted House Adventure" was released.

    On the movie theater posters, there were not only the names of several main actors, but also a line "Friendly Appearance: Jian Jing", with a font size not inferior to the protagonists, very prestigious.

    She suspected this had something to do with "Demon 3" about to start filming.

    Now the Demon series was already a very mature and well-known IP, Qi movie star signed up for the third season, and other supporting roles were notcking actors.

    Xu screenwriter asked when the fourth part would be written, Jian Jing was extremely frank in telling him: "Postponed."

    "Dream Walker Girl" was not even finished writing, what "Demon 4" did he want.

    Xu screenwriter could only start writing the fourth season himself, anyway as long as he didn''t involve the main storyline of the demon and the hunter, there was a lot of room for the unit cases of the side stories to develop.

    Jian Jing felt that at the current rate, the drama might be filmed all the way to the grand finale, and she herself still hadn''t started writing.

    This kind of thing...was also very normal.

    Speaking of which, back to the haunted house movie.

    To be honest, anyone with eyes could see that this was not really a movie, just a money-making work, and the audience was either fans of Haunted House or fans of the guests.

    Everyone''s psychological expectations were not high, just brush through it on the weekend, have some fun, kill time.

    Who would have thought at first nce, it was actually not bad.

    After all, it was filmed on location in Seattle, not a studio set or special effects, the farm scenery across the ocean was real, and Robert''s set design was also extremely good, the sense of environmental immersion came up at once.

    This was the audience''s first key point for scoring: it had vor!

    Secondly, although the guests all had scripts, the director still retained some integrity, they only had a rough script, knowing roughly the direction of the story, as well as the conflicts between characters, mechanisms and decryption in each section, the part about the mechanisms and decryption was kept secret at first.

    This way, the guests'' performances were much more authentic, less acting, and didn''t look so awkward.

    Of course, if they got stuck, the director would give a more detailed script to facilitate their performance, andbine it with the plot conflicts - for example, the male and female leads disagreed at the beginning, broke out in disputes, andter the two cooperated to solve the puzzle and developed feelings for each other.

    In short, they were all clich¨¦s.

    There were also those specifically responsible for being funny, asughters, pretending to be tough but soft-hearted, with clearly defined character settings.

    Therefore, although the plot of the film was a bit "fake", it also avoided the cumbersome boredom of variety shows, and the storyline was more intense and exciting.

    This part could barely get a 5 out of 10.

    What really brought the score down were the special effects, also where the movie production spent the most money - the monsters were all made with the help of Americanpanies, part props, part CG, with extremely high realism in close-up shots, not breaking the atmosphere at all.

    The audience''s second point for scoring was: the special effects of this variety show movie were better than real horror films, it worked well as a monster movie too.

    Finally, of course, it was Jian Jing who appeared for two and a half minutes, didn''t get paid a penny, but pulled up the score like crazy.

    Just think about it, while the guests were all handsome men and beauties, they couldn''t withstand crawling and rolling in the woods, confronting monsters, falling into traps and escaping, and were covered in mud and embarrassed at the end.

    But Jian Jing? She rode in against the sunrise, instantly killed the monster, said indescribably heroic and vigorous, shining and dazzling in the background music.

    In this segment, Jian Jing didn''t even use her acting skills, just acted as herself.

    The audience scored: 7 points, of which 3 points for the plot, 1 point for the scenery, 2 points for the special effects, and 1 point exclusively for Jian Jing.

    There were quite a few who agreed.

    Many of the online reviews were like this:

    Weibo A:

    Giving a thumbs up beforementing

    It''s purely a variety show movie, the plot is not particrly crappy, the actors probably had limited scripts and were not particrly awkward, the special effects and scenery were original, thumbs up +1

    Jian Jing''s appearance at the end pulled up the score, too cool, want to watch it again for her

    Weibo B:

    Hurry up and release Jian Jing''s exclusive solo shots! I want the one of her riding a horse!

    Haunted House Adventure Haunted House Adventure Haunted House Adventure

    Weibo C:

    Awesome! Stanning an author, not only can you see her write books, produce dramas, be on police notices

    She even made movies now! Dare you make a real one, stop making cameos, wasting your beauty

    ...

    Jian Jing was quite surprised.

    She had not originally nned on watching the movie, after all with a two to three minute part, it was embarrassing to even mention it, but the audience was so enthusiastic, not watching would be hard to exin.

    However, when she asked Si Yingjie, he was extremely unbrotherly: My sister''spany booked the theater, bro is not going, I don''t like watching such superficial movies.

    Jian Jing: "..." Who didn''t know it was superficial, was it necessary to point it out.

    Did she not want face?

    With Si Yingjie not going, it was also not good to ask Kang Mu Cheng to go.

    He definitely wouldn''t like watching it.

    Finally, it was the most thoughtful Jiang BaiYan who came over and asked, "Jingjing, are you watching Haunted House? Ourpany booked the theater, to support Director Zhang."

    Jian Jing: "Going."

    After meeting up, Jiang BaiYan startedining at once: "Director Zhang specially called me yesterday to ask if I had time to show support, isn''t that looking down on me? As if he made a movie, and I wouldn''t watch it? I booked it early on."

    Jian Jing nced at him: "Booked early and didn''t call me?"

    "Cough, I wanted to watch it first." He said in a small voice, "In case your part got cut, how awkward for you."

    Jian Jing: "..." She hadn''t thought of this problem at all!

    "But no need to worry about it now, I heard Jian Jing''s part was particrly good." Jiang BaiYan handed her a can of Coke and a bucket of caramel corn, while he started drinking water himself.

    The movie had already started, but there were few people in the theater, all sitting in front, not disturbing their chat in thest row.

    Jian Jing took a sip of Coke and curiously asked: "You''re not eating?"

    "The sugar content is still too high." He grievously said, "I''m starting a project soon."

    "What movie?"

    "A spy war movie, ying the fool son of andlord family." He said, "Luckily it''s andlord''s family, if it was a peasant family''s child, I''d have to lose another 10 pounds."

    Jian Jing sincerely sympathized: "You have it so hard."

    "Sigh." Jiang BaiYan nced at the bucket of caramel corn, resisting the urge to sneak some, and diverted his attention, "Oh right, I asked someone earlier about redecorating ourpany office, asked if there were any particrly good fengshui masters."

    Jian Jing perked up: "What then?"

    "Asked three, all rmended by friends in the circle." He said, "Two from Hong Kong, one from Taiwan, I went to all three for fortune telling."

    "What was the result?"

    "One said I should raise some fish in the office, and put some nts opposite, quite reasonable, I''ve already changed it. One said I have bad fortune, hardship since birth, best to be vegetarian and recite scriptures, do more good deeds, in order to eliminate karmic obstacles, so I donated 1 million to poor rural viges. Thest one said my marriage fortune was bad, I must find a girl with a special birthdate and eight characters to date..."

    Jian Jing got a headache: "What the."

    "All quite normal." Jiang BaiYan didn''t find it strange at all, "Remember two years ago, a female actress was told she didn''t sincerely worship Buddha so she wasn''t getting popr, she straight up went to Southeast Asia to endure ascetic training for three months."

    Jian Jing: "Did she get popr?"

    Jiang BaiYan: "Uh, she was exposed to be a tycoon''s mistress, got beaten on the street by the legal wife, does that count?"

    Jian Jing was surprised: "How did I not see this news?"

    "Because she wasn''t popr!"

    Her: "..."

    "Any news on Qi Tian?"

    "Asked around, haven''t heard of any big masters showing up recently." Jiang BaiYan thought about it, and added, "Maybe different social circles, I''ll try to find a way."

    Jian Jing pondered: "Is it possible he hasn''t returned to China?"

    Jiang BaiYan quickly nodded: "I feel Southeast Asia is more likely, that area is into this stuff, and he might not daree back openly in China."

    This ttery was... Jian Jing cleared her throat with propriety: "He''s probably overseas getting medical treatment."

    Back then in the cave, Qi Tian spat out a huge thing, don''t know if it damaged his body, if he would revert to his previous aged appearance.

    Can''t rule out he''s currently on his deathbed in the hospital, just waiting to kick the bucket.

    Jian Jing secretly poked voodoo dolls for a bit, but faced reality - Qi Tian probably wouldn''t gg so quickly, since he could borrow others'' lives, he would definitely find ways to prolong his own life.

    "Alright, stop thinking about it." Jiang BaiYan stuffed some caramel corn in her mouth, "Watch the movie, watch the movie."

    Jian Jing nced at the screen.

    They were being chased by monsters.

    "So fake." Jiang BaiYan finally couldn''t resist, popped some caramel corn, slowly sucking the caramel sweetness, "Doesn''t have that kind of creepy feeling."

    "Don''t eat sneakily," Jian Jing pinched his face, soft and very stic, the feel was not too different from a cat''s, "You weren''t this weak-willed before."

    Jiang BaiYan blinked, trying to get through smoothly: "Just one..."

    "So difficult, why bother acting, wouldn''t being a behind-the-scenes boss be better?" She was joking to begin with, and let go after pinching lightly.

    "Making money is making money, career is career." He swallowed the popcorn, gazing at the various faces on the big screen, lost in thought, "If I don''t act, there will only be money left in my life,pletely meaningless."

    Jian Jing opened her mouth, wanting to speak but stopped.

    The reasoning made sense, but why was it so annoying?

    "However," Jiang BaiYan added, "If my life had another anchor, I could do without acting too."

    "Spending money?" She was exasperated.

    "That''s not as good as making money." He had the mindset of a responsible head of household, "I want to leave an inheritance for Pudding."

    Jian Jing looked at him silently.

    Jiang BaiYan: "?"

    She said carefully: "It...got neutered, right?"

    Jiang BaiYan: "!!!!"

    Too sad, turned his own child into a eunuch with his own hands, no third generation anymore.

    What use is a billion dor inheritance to me? He was grieved beyond measure, and quickly snatched another popcorn.

    On screen, the plot continued on, after the boring quarrel, making up and being moved, the movie finally approached the end.

    In the bright sunshine, Miss Jian walked out leading the reins, radiant and valiant, bing the most ssic shot in the movie.

    Jiang BaiYan took out his phone, and smoothly logged into his alt ount.

    Bai XiaoHuo v:

    Long live Teacher JingJing, Teacher JingJing is omnipotent

    Too cool riding a horse, too cool shooting, too cool killing the monster

    Teacher JingJing is a fairy maiden, no objections allowed

    ---

    Thements below were very cold.

    Comment 1: Star chaser, have you forgotten you''re an actor?

    Comment 2: Chasing stars has made you lose professionalism dear!

    Comment 3: Is this the perspective of a Best Actor nominee?

    Comment 4: Just like how I chase stars...

    Comment 5: Previously I was suspicious about the scandal, now I''m certain it''s a rumor, just a braindead fan

    Comment 6: Bai, time to work, stop chasing stars ok?

    Comment 7: (Perfunctory) Ok, Teacher JingJing is great, can you do your promotional work now?

    Comment 8: If you don''t take on any more shows, you won''t have money to buy Teacher Jing''s new book!

    Comment 9: Little Bai, spend some money to act together with Teacher Jing, let us have some rice to eat too

    Comment 10: Mom, the star''s fans are more exaggerated than me...he has no shame already...

    Jian Jing saw one of thements and was surprised: "Best Actor nominee?"

    "Yeah." He said, "The Golden Blossom awards will be presented in the second half of the year, the nominees have been announced already."

    Jian Jing realized: "Rose Gold?"

    "Mm." Jiang BaiYan waspletely nonchnt, "No realpetitors this year, it''s practically guaranteed."

    "Are you going for the awards ceremony?"

    Jian Jing considered the timing: "I''ll go if I''m free."

    "Go, be there to support me." He pleaded pitifully, "Otherwise I won''t feel assured."

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes: "Ok ok, I''ll go go go."

    He made a big heart sign.

 Chapter 321

    Chapter 321

    The Golden Flower Awards are the formal major awards of the film industry. They have high standards, great reputation, and are well known. Even people who don''t pay attention to the entertainment industry have heard of them. They are known to every household.

    Before the award ceremony, the nominated works had already caused a wave of enthusiasm online. Naturally the Best Actor and Best Actress awards received the most attention.

    Who doesn''t want theurel crown of Best Actor and Actress?

    Since "Rose Gold" was nominated, the organizers would definitely send an invitation to Jian Jing, even if Jiang BaiYan doesn''t ask her.

    The same goes for Kang Mu Cheng. He was the investor of the film.

    Jian Jing asked, "Are you going?"

    Kang Mu Cheng''s stance on business engagements was that they were just work: "Of course. You?"

    "I''m going--- but I''ll have to buy a dress again." She was troubled.

    Kang Mu Cheng only had one requirement: "Don''t wear white again."

    Jian Jingughed loudly, "Do you have ptsd or something?"

    "Wear something else. If you wear white, I won''t buy it for you." Kang Mu Cheng said.

    "Okay, I won''t wear white." She smiled and said, "Anyway I''m just going for fun. Any dress will do."

    However, Kang Mu Cheng wasn''t the only one concerned about her dress.

    Jiang BaiYan called and asked if she wanted a new designer grey-blue summer dress: "It''s very suitable for you. It doesn''t constrict the chest or stomach. I''m their spokesperson, so I can get it for 30% off."

    Jian Jing was attracted by his "doesn''t constrict the chest or stomach".

    What''s the most annoying thing about wearing formal dresses? The chest and stomach being constricted too tightly, making it extremely ufortable. Many celebrities can''t even drink water before wearing formal dresses, let alone eat.

    "Really?" She shamefully felt tempted.

    Jiang BaiYan swore: "Absolutely."

    "Let me try it on."

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t lie to her. The dress was light and breezy, not overly emphasizing slenderness. Although it wasn''t asfortable as a suit, at least it wouldn''t dig into her stomach after drinking a sip of water.

    Moreover, it was 30% off.

    30% off!

    She bought it.

    Everything was ready, just waiting for the award ceremony.

    The summer night temperature was veryfortable. A bare shoulder dress was just right. The celebrities were in no hurry to walk the red carpet, leisurely posing for photos.

    Just across the street, fans of each celebrity held up signs and shouted their idol''s names, the sound deafening.

    Jian Jing was toozy to join the hubbub and went straight to the indoor venue with Kang Mu Cheng.

    The interior wasvishly decorated, the stage glittering with gold and jade. But to be honest, award ceremony sets were all impressive nowadays. What was truly eye-catching were the invited guests.

    This was the group with the highest looks in the country. The men were handsome and the women were beautiful, each with their own distinct attractiveness.

    So pleasing to the eye!

    Jian Jing greeted familiar faces and slouched in her seat ying on her phone.

    Some people came looking for her, saying their younger sister/son/cousin liked her books and asked her to sign them. Jian Jing believed in mutual courtesy, so she also took signatures from whoever came to her.

    "You''ve never asked me for an autograph before." Jiang BaiYan sat down next to her andined, "Don''t I qualify?"

    "These are for other people." Jian Jing nced at him. "Why aren''t you in high spirits? Did someone scold you on the red carpet?"

    "I heard a rumor that ''Rose Gold'' might win Best Picture." He said resentfully, "Then I''d have no chance at Best Actor."

    Jian Jing immediately sympathized.

    "Hide and Seek also won Picture." Jiang BaiYan listlessly said, "I''m so unlucky."

    Jian Jing was at a loss, not knowing how tofort him. She changed the topic: "Just now, coco walked past giving me the stink eye several times. What''s that about?"

    Jiang BaiYan casually said: "She originally wanted to borrow your dress but I got to it first."

    Jian Jing was surprised: "You''d do that kind of thing?" She always felt he handled things smoothly, never offending others. She didn''t expect him to be at odds with coco.

    "It''s different being an actor than a boss. In the past I''d avoid offending people if I could, but now if they step on you and you don''t fight back, they''ll think I''m a pushover." Jiang BaiYan turned and asked, "Right, Chairman Kang?"

    Kang Mu Cheng had just returned from socializing. He sat down on Jian Jing''s other side and responded: "I suppose so."

    Jiang BaiYan felt emotion: "It''s so hard being a boss."

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at him: "You''re still young, you''ll learn slowly."

    "Chairman Kang, do point out areas I can improve on." He smiled and said, "I''ll learn well."

    Kang Mu Cheng tly said: "No pointers to give, the cameras are on you."

    "Oh." He instantly sat up straight and made a heart to the cameras.

    Jian Jing continued ying her game.

    Candy Crush was so fun.

    After a while, the award ceremony officially started. The lighter awards like Best Neer and Best Screenwriter were given out first.

    Jiang BaiYan asionally chatted with Kang Mu Cheng, critiquing the films.

    "The Lonely Me had a good script but the actors didn''t carry it. Their acting was too forced. The director''s style didn''t seem to match."

    "Funding issues, they changed directors."

    "The investor''s fault."

    "Best Neer should have been xxx. She doesn''t seem to have signed with apany yet."

    "You want to sign her?"

    "Didn''t get her. The bigpanies were too aggressive."

    Next were Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress. These were all familiar faces.

    Jian Jingmented: "I saw that show. The supporting actor was more good-looking than the main actor."

    Jiang BaiYan immediately dished: "He has a godfather you know, that old man over there."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    After the much anticipated Best Actress, it was time for Best Actor. Best Picture had yet to be announced, so Jiang BaiYan''s fate was still uncertain.

    He was in no mood to chat now, sitting upright and staring solemnly at the screen.

    Clips from the Best Actor nominees were shown in order. The host slowly introduced each film''s name and cast.

    Jian Jing had seen some of these films, not others, but they all left a good impression.

    "Let''s wee Best Actor Qi to announce the Golden Flower Best Actor winner."

    Amid thunderous apuse, Best Actor Qi took the stage and was handed the envelope with the winner''s name.

    He joked: "I remember eight years ago, I also stood on this stage, only I was a nervous nominee then. Time flies, and today I finally get to watch others fret."

    "Let''s see who-"

    As he spoke, he opened the envelope and read the name.

    "Oh, hard to believe. My feelings are suddenlyplicated. I was 27 eight years ago and considered aplished for my age. But today-"

    Jian Jing noticed Jiang BaiYan''s breathing hitch for a moment.

    She couldn''t help smiling.

    "Today''s winner is actually so much younger than me. Okay, I''m a little jealous now." Best Actor Qi guffawed. "The Golden Flower Best Actor goes toˇŞJiang BaiYan. Congrattions."

    Jiang BaiYan slowly exhaled and got up to bow all around without losingposure.

    "Pleasee on stage."

    He smiled and walked up. "Senior."

    "The younger generation keeps exceeding the previous. Young people get more outstanding every generation." Best Actor Qi shook his hand. "Keep up the good work."

    "Thank you for your praise. You''ve always been my role model." Jiang BaiYan paid him lip service, his smiling expression joyful but not frivolous, keeping his emotions in check perfectly.

    His eptance speech was simrly well-handled.

    "Thank you everyone for your care. I wouldnˇŻt have won today without not just my own efforts... Thank you to the director, screenwriter, cinematographer, all the crew... also to Jian Jing for writing such a great work... And of course my fans..."

    He spoke clearly and fluently without needing to jog his memory, modted his emotions without needing to fake excitement. More would have been too much, less too little. This humility and propriety were just right.

    The reporters kept snapping photos,peting to capture every moment.

    "Thank you again for your unchanging support. I will keep working hard." Jiang BaiYan ended his speech with a deep bow.

    As the shes went off, a thought struck him suddenlyˇŞI actually still like acting.

    After the award ceremony was the banquet, mainly for celebrating achievements,working, and discussing business.

    The Best Actors were naturally the centers of attention, ttered by everyone. Kang Mu Cheng used the asion to socialize with severalpany presidents.

    Jin Wu had been in the domestic industry for so long, the path was not as difficult as overseas. Jian Jing wasn''t worried about Kang Mu Cheng being plied with drinks.

    She had wanted to slip away.

    But she was caught by Screenwriter Xu and Director Huang and dragged to a private room to discuss Evil Spirit 3.

    Why wasing up with a manuscript so hard?

    "Since everyone is here today, let''s chat about the actors." By the third installment, the crew''s work was already on track, and Director Huang''s temper had be much more affable.

    Jian Jing: "No ideas."

    Screenwriter Xu immediately said: "How about the plot? Did you read the script I sent you?"

    Jian Jing: "I did, I did."

    "Tell me your thoughts." Director Huang called on her as if a teacher in ss.

    Jian Jing was forced to pitch in with champagne in hand.

    It went on for three to four hours, with people constantlying over to schmooze and promote themselves overtly and covertly.

    She was finally rescued by Kang Mu Chenging over to say hello.

    "I came to attend a wine reception." Jian Jingined, "But it turned into an audition."

    Kang Mu Cheng smiled.

    "How are things on your end?"

    "Not bad. Many asked me when your new work wille out and if you''re considering adapting it."

    Jian Jing covered her ears, pretending not to hear the cries for her to write.

    "I won''t rush you." Kang Mu Cheng shook his head and removed her arms, "Let''s go back. I''ll have the driver drop you off too."

    However, "Teacher Jian." Sister Chen staggered over to block her, face flushed and reeking of booze, "Do you have a moment?"

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "What''s up?"

    Sister Chen whispered over, bbering on.

    She held inughter: "Really?"

    Sister Chen hupped from the alcohol and nodded helplessly.

    "Alright." Jian Jing told Kang Mu Cheng, "You go first, I''ll head back myself."

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at Sister Chen, seeming to know what was up. He told her: "Be careful, go home early."

    "Don''t worry." She pushed him into the car and nagged in return, "You rest early too." She also told the driver to go slowly so the drunk wouldn''t feel sick.

    After sending off the worrisome guardian, she went with Sister Chen to sober up another drunk.

    Jiang BaiYan sat in the van, pitifully saying: "I want to go pick up Pudding."

    "Pudding is at school, you should go home." Qiu Lin had pulled an award-winning performance from the actor, and hadn''t drank any less red wine, slightly irritable from tipsiness, "Don''t make me angry, go home."

    Jiang BaiYan clutched his trophy tightly, clinging onto the car door, softly pleading: "Pudding."

    Qiu Lin: "..." First time seeing a drunk throwing a tantrum for a cat.

    "What''s going on?" Jian Jing came to defuse the situation.

    Sister Chen was quite embarrassed: "Teacher Jian, say a few words to him. Pudding got fat again, so we sent him to school to lose weight the day before yesterday. He was fine before, but got drunk and forgot about that."

    She exined while trying to push Jiang BaiYan into the car, but drunk people are heavy to begin with, and they had all drank quite a bit, unable to budge him at all.

    Jian Jing looked at him and silently sighed: "It''s fine, I''ll go with him." She pried him from the car door and stuffed him into the leather seat, waving them off, "You guys head back and rest."

    Sister Chen and Qiu Lin looked at each other.

    Jian Jing closed the door and asked: "Is someone on duty at the school?"

    "Mhm mhm." Jiang BaiYan nodded profusely, "Pick up Pudding."

    "Drive." She told the driver.

    The driver knew the way and quickly brought them to the school entrance. Inside was pitch ck, only asionally hearing meows and barks.

    Jian Jing took Jiang BaiYan''s phone, found the number, and called from the manager to the duty office, finally getting the door open and picking up Pudding who had only been in school for two days.

    It was overjoyed, lying in its crate and meowing.

    "Pudding." Jiang BaiYan took it out and hugged it tightly in his arms.

    Jian Jing''s eyes showed pity.

    He stroked the cat''s back and bragged to it: "Pudding, Daddy won an award." He also kissed its head and said, "Let''s go home okay, we''ll go home and celebrate with canned food."

    Pudding softly meowed: "Meow~~"

    Heughed and held his cat and trophy tightly.

    It was as if that was his whole world.

 Chapter 322

    Chapter 322

    "Kettle," Jian Jing ordered.

    The knight brought over his own kettle in his mouth.

    "Backpack," she said.

    The knight fetched his own cute little backpack in his mouth.

    "Dog food."

    The knight brought over the dog food that wouldst him for one meal.

    "Anything else?" she asked.

    The knight twisted his head and brought over his little toy and leash.

    Jian Jing packed them into the mini suitcase and asked again, "Anything else?"

    It whimpered twice and brought over its little cup as well.

    "Got everything?"

    It nodded and stayed still next to the suitcase.

    "You call that everything? Where''s the pooper scooper?" Jian Jing red angrily at him.

    The knight leapt up in a sh, swiftly fetched the poop bag, ced it ingratiatingly into the box, and wagged his tail vigorously.

    "That''s more like it," Jian Jing counted and felt there probably wasn''t anything missing. She then closed the suitcase and tossed it aside.

    With the dog stuff packed up, it was time to pack her own things.

    Clothes, sun protection clothes, makeup bag, mosquito repellent, portable mosquito...things were tossed duang duang into the 28-inch suitcase.

    The knight nced at his little box, then at his masterˇŻs big box, and sighed.

    After what seemed like forever, Jian Jing finally packed up her things rather adequately, put on a face mask, and went to bed.

    Tomorrow morning, she would be going on vacation with her dog.

    Where were they going this time?

    Southeast Asia.

    The edge of the jungle.

    Travelpanions: Kang Lei and Kang Mu Cheng.

    To be more precise, Madam Kang really wanted to spend a couple days ying in the tropical rainforest, challenge herself, and get close to nature. However, Kang Mu Cheng would absolutely not let his mother go alone, so he had no choice but to go with her.

    Plus, when they went to the Amazon rainforestst time, Jian Jing was left out miserably. So this time, they asked if she wanted toe along.

    Jian Jing agreed right away.

    Since the mother and son pair from the Kang family were going, there would be no one to take care of the dog. Jian Jing also didnˇŻt have the heart to board the knight at a pet hospital. So she decided to take time off earlier to bring the dog along on the trip.

    She was very much looking forward to this trip and unusually did not sleep well that night. She woke up early the next morning, and casually nibbled on some bread. She also fed the knight dog food and water, urging it to relieve itself ahead of time.

    "Get in," she opened the pet airline crate, and put food, water and a pee pad inside. "You''ll have to stay put in there for a long time, so endure it, alright?"

    The knight was very obedient and tolerant. It obediently crawled inside.

    Then came the car ride, check-in, waiting at the terminal, boarding, and flying.

    An amusing incident happened during that time.

    A male passenger tried chatting up Madam Kang,plimenting that she and her daughter looked like sisters rather than mother and daughter.

    Kang Xiao Er Mu Cheng: "..."

    Jian Jian Nv Er Jing: "Hahahaha."

    Having said that, Kang Lei was in her fifties this year, but maintained herself well. Her wrinkles and spots were not obvious. Plus she was wearing a white shirt and jeans, dressed like a college student. She did indeed look rather young.

    After a few hours, the nended at its destination.

    The sizzling heat blew everyone''s tops off. Billowing heat waves seemed like they could roast someone at any time.

    Jian Jing nced at the character status panel several times, barely holding back from adding a point to Adaptability.

    It was too damn hot.

    So the group made a beeline for the hotel, with the knight lying under the AC without getting up.

    On the first day, they enjoyed the AC, munched on fruit, and drank coconut water.

    When night fell and the temperature cooled a bit, Jian Jing settled the dog and snuck out to watch an unspeakable show.

    Then at the hotel entrance she ran into the equally sneaking out Madam Kang.

    Jian Jing: ???

    Kang Lei pretended not to see her.

    Well...Jian Jing also had to pretend not to recognize her.

    Both tacitly did not ask where the other was headed.

    On the other side.

    "Knock knock," Kang Mu Cheng knocked on his mother''s door, "Mom, want to eat dinner?"

    No response.

    He knocked on Jian Jing''s door again: "Jing Jing?"

    Click, the door opened. It was opened by the dog. He went in and looked around but couldn''t find anyone either.

    Lowering his head, the knight wagged his tail at him.

    Kang Mu Cheng knitted his brows.

    The next day, the tour guide arrived at the hotel to pick them up and take them to the National Wildlife Park.

    It was one of the oldest rainforests in the area, with a rather abundant variety of wildlife. All sorts of animals like elephants, pythons, crocodiles, rhinos... As long as luck wasnˇŻt too bad, you could basically see some kind of animal for sure.

    Not to mention the natural environment did not mean primitive living conditions. In fact, their lodging ce this time was quite nice. It not only had TV, inte, fridge, AC, but even had a 270ˇă panoramic view bathroom facing the valley (......)

    Yes, this was actually a mping hotel, meaning even in the purely natural outdoor environment, you could still enjoyfortable modern living.

    What was even more interesting was that this hotel was not a cement building but arge tent. The interior design had a very jungle adventure vibe. Hammocks were hung right under a waterfall by the stream. Lying on them, you could feel the cool water droplets sprayed onto your body.

    After checking in, the first thing Jian Jing did was toss aside her luggage and whistle, "Knight, let''s go y in the water!"

    "Woof!" The knight could usually only fool around at the dog park. When had he ever been to a tropical rainforest before? He had been excitedly raring to go for a while now.

    Without another word, the owner and pet leapt into the creek attacking each other.

    The knight swung his tail, sshing water. Jian Jing didn''t stand on courtesy. She took out her gun...cough, water gun, and started spraying him.

    "Woof!" The knight admitted defeat. He fetched a frisbee with his mouth.

    Jian Jing flung it out. The knight doggie paddled to get it and brought it back. They continued.

    In the tent next door, Kang Lei poured herself a ss of champagne. She flung her body onto the soft sofa, took a sip of the chilled wine, and eximed emotionally, "Getting old, getting old. If I were ten years younger, I would''ve joined Jing Jing."

    Kang Mu Cheng was unpacking.

    "Jing Jing,e have a drink!" Kang Lei waved at the person in the stream.

    After ying fetch with the knight a few rounds, Jian Jing was drenched but her movements weren''t hindered in the slightest. Stepping on the slippery rocks, she made her way up to the veranda and epted the ss of wine passed to her by Madam Kang. She refreshingly downed it in one go.

    "Refreshing," she exhaled in satisfaction. Seeing that Kang Mu Cheng was actually folding clothes, she couldn''t help but call out, "President Kang!"

    Kang Mu Cheng looked back.

    She aimed the orange water gun upward and pulled the trigger. A thin jet of water shot out, hitting him square in the chest.

    "Congrattions on the chicken dinner(1) tonight," she made a victory sign.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "......"

    Kang Lei: "Hahaha."

    "Jing Jing!" He could stand it no longer.

    Jian Jing turned and ran.

    Kang Leiughed until her stomach hurt.

    "Mom," Kang Mu Cheng turned the muzzle. He couldn''t control that one, but he could still control this one. "Drink less alcohol. Don''t forget what the results of your gastroscopy were this year."

    "Alright alright, I''ll drink less." Kang Lei put down her wine ss, but said, "We''re on vacation, so we should rx a bit. Why don''t you go y with Jing Jing?"

    "She''s childish. How could I act like her?" Kang Mu Cheng said impatiently.

    ying water guns of all things, trust her to think that up.

    However, Kang Lei disagreed. "What''s wrong with water guns? Look over there."

    She pointed into the distance.

    Kang Mu Cheng turned to look. Good heavens, the immature one wasn''t just little miss Jian Jing. An uncle came running out of a cabin in the distance, holding an extra jumbo sized water gun. Without showing the slightest chivalry, he opened fire on Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing was also quite surprised.

    ˇŞTwo minutes ago.

    The knight went to fetch the frisbee but halfway there, he yelped "Oww!"

    Fearing it was some python, she rushed back to rescue the dog. But when she looked, d*mn it, it was actually just a monkey wearing a bright yellow tank top. It had picked up rocks to throw at her dog.

    How outrageous!

    She immediately fired back with her water gun.

    The monkey with the yellow tank top got sprayed all over its face. It screamed and caused the uncle from the next tent to rush over.

    The uncle grabbed a colossal water gun and charged over, aiming straight at Jian Jing without an ounce of chivalry, and attacked.

    Jian Jing: Scared of you?

    The two sides immediatelyunched into intense guerri warfare after a disagreement.

    The monkey continued picking up rocks to ambush Jian Jing from behind. The knight swam to the tree, climbed onto the trunk, and barked wildly, "Woof woof woof!"

    Shortly after, Jian Jing''s water gun ran out of ammo.

    She was furious. She charged into her own tent, rummaged out another one, filled it with water, and held up both guns against them.

    One hand sprayed the uncle while the other sprayed the monkey.

    The monkey screeched ˇ°Eek eekˇ± angrily in the tree.

    The knight howled even more vigorously without faltering.

    As the chaos escted, the peacemaker finally emerged. A blonde girl hurried out, "(English) Dad, what are you doing? Stop it!"

    "(English) Damn it, she shot Bolly with her gun!" the uncle bellowed.

    Jian Jing retorted, "(English) This d*mn monkey threw rocks at my dog!"

    Knight: "Woof!"

    "(English) Oh my god,ˇ± the girl covered her face. ˇ°Bolly, I knew it was you. Come down!"

    The monkey swiftly scurried down and hid behind the uncle, making faces at her.

    The girl was furious.

    (1) Eating chicken is ng for winning in video games.

    "It''s just a misunderstanding," Kang Lei said with a smile as she came out to greet them. "Hello, long time no see, Professor Lao."

    The big guy put his hands on his hips and said in fluent Chinese: "Madam, you should teach your daughter proper manners."

    "She''s not my daughter. I only have a son," Kang Lei said, trying not tough. She quickly introduced them.

    In fact, this hotel was not purely a hotel, but rather a wildlife observation station built by the famous zoologist Professor Lao, the red-faced white man standing before them.

    He was an American who had been married once years ago but got divorced not long after. He then went to South Asia to do research and ended up staying for many years. That''s how he met his second wife.

    She was a university professor. After marrying Professor Lao, she wrote a diary about protecting wildlife. The copyright owner who introduced the diary to China was CEO Kang.

    That''s how the two parties met and became friends.

    Last year, apany took interest in Professor Lao''s wife''s diary and bought the rights to make it into a movie. The couple thus obtained a considerable amount of royalties. After discussing it, they decided to rebuild the observation station and hired designers to build five tent campsites into a hotel, so they could use tourism revenue to subsidize research expenses.

    When CEO Kang heard about this, she decided toe for a visit, to enjoy the natural scenery while supporting her friend''s business.

    Currently there were three employees at the observation station: Professor Lao, his daughter and assistant Fei Na, and a forest ranger.

    Oh yes, there was also the monkey Bolly that Professor Lao had rescued.

    "Bolly is very naughty," Fei Na said in clumsy Chinese. "I believe he was bullying your dog, but my father is very biased towards that little guy..."

    Jian Jing suffered no loss, so she generously said, "It was just a misunderstanding, don''t worry about it."

    But Fei Na still felt very guilty. She invited Jian Jing into the observation station and found some beef bones aspensation. She also served coffee and cookies to Jian Jing, "You shot very urately. Bolly is so sly I can''t even catch him."

    "Well, he''s a monkey after all," Jian Jing said, nibbling on a cookie. Curiously she asked, "Are there really crocodiles here?"

    "You want to catch crocodiles?" Fei Na asked.

    Jian Jing was startled: "We can''t catch them, can we?"

    "Oh, that''s not what I meant," she blinked. "I often catch those little guys to put tracking devices on them. If you''re interested, I can take you along next time."

    Jian Jing immediately said, "Please take me along."

    Fei Na gave a thumbs up: "I can let you hug one and take pictures."

    Jian Jing: =żÚ=

    "Is that not against thew?"

    "Killing wild animals is against thew," she said. "You need to be careful not to hurt them."

    Jian Jing swore: "I''ll be very careful."

    Kang Mu Cheng, standing on the side: "..."

    Two girls not even 25, talking about not hurting crocodiles? Seriously?

    Author''s note: Jian Jing is on vacation, and so am I

    Amitabha, unexpectedly (I) also went to Jian Jing''s ce (?), May everything go smoothly for me

 Chapter 323

    Chapter 323

    It must be admitted that with monkey Bolly around, Jian Jing''s vacation had be much more interesting. Lunch was full of ups and downs, with the need to fend off the naughty monkey''s surprise attacks throughout, while also watching out that it doesn''t steal hats, cellphones and more. Otherwise finding it in the vast jungle would require cheats!

    Fortunately the knight lives up to its name, loyal and brave with first-rate vignce. It would bark wildly if the monkey got close, stubbornly not allowing the fellow within half a step.

    "Finally someone who can teach it a lesson!" The one apuding was another hotel guest, wearing a t-shirt and shorts while holding a long-focus camera. "Hello, I''m Li Min."

    His pronunciation sounded simr to dawn, and when Jian Jing turned to look, she found the upper half of his face did resemble a celebrity''s, but the lower half more ordinary. Combined he was just a regr handsome guy.

    "Hello, Jian Jing."

    Li Min was very familiar, introducing his background.

    He was a magazine reporter, here to interview Professor Lao about wildlife conservation for an issue, and coincidentally found out about their hotel.

    After writing the story he couldn''t forget this ce, so decided toe again and dedicate an entire issue on luxury wildlife hotels to help promote the couple''s business.

    "I''m trying to help their business, yet it still throws acorns at my window every morning!"

    Jian Jing chuckled.

    Li Min sighed deeply, naturally sitting next to her. "Your dog is really great."

    The knight knew he was being praised and held its head high, ears twitching.

    Jian Jing patted its back, also proud: "Of course."

    "So you''re not President Kang''s daughter?" His features were clearly local, yet his English was extremely fluent, nearly native-level.

    "No."

    "Nor her daughter-inw?"

    Jian Jing nearlyughed to death: "No. Do I look that much like President Kang?"

    "You are both very beautiful." Heplimented.

    Jian Jing had to admit, in her prime youth while President Kang was at least two generations above, yet malesplimenting President Kang were no fewer than herself. A woman''s charm was clearly not tied to age. President Kang at her age yet still appearing 30, she really had a kind motherly nature.

    "Uh, Fei Na," an tall,nky young man came in, stiffly asking Fei Na, "Would you like to go get the infrared cameras with me?"

    "Sure!" Fei Na readily agreed, also asking Jian Jing: "Would you like to take a walk in the woods with us?"

    Jian Jing asked: "Can I bring the dog?"

    "Of course, I quite wee this little fellow." She affectionately ruffled the knight''s head, suggesting: "You should change into some pants."

    "Alright!"

    Jian Jing informed Kang Mu Cheng, changed into long sleeves and pants, donning a hat and water jug while leading the dog to set off.

    Fei Na introduced the apanying man. He was a forest ranger stationed here,st name Chen. Everyone just called him Chen. Aside from assisting Professor Lao he also patrolled the area.

    Jian Jing curiously asked: "Patrolling means...there''s poaching here?"

    "Very little in this area. We''ve set up lots of monitoring so it''s hard to say about deeper in." Fei Na parted some thin, sharp branches. "You''d best be very careful and not wander too far from camp."

    "What do they usually poach? Rhinos?"

    "Yes, but mostmonly pangolins." Fei Na instead asked: "I''ve heard people from your country like using them in medicine for sale?"

    Jian Jing: "......" Her face hurt.

    She changed the topic: "What does your daily work consist of?"

    "Observing the animals within sample plots. We set up infrared cameras to monitor species numbers and types, mainly mammals. For fish we take samples to estimate poptions in an area. With crocodiles we need to capture and tag them with GPS..."

    Fei Na chatted tirelessly about her work, highly knowledgeable and clearly loving her job a lot. Jian Jing listened attentively, very admiring inside.

    In contrast to its owner''s patience, the knight grew overly excited, unable to resist running over to sniff small creatures, scaring away some poor residents. It also eyed mushrooms covetously, appearing to badly want a bite.

    Unable to watch further, the ranger gently patted its head: "Poisonous."

    It shrank back.

    In the woods for over an hour before reaching the sampling site. The ranger skillfully removed the infrared camera tied to a tree trunk, recing batteries and memory card while inserting his own device to review.

    Momentster he excitedly spoke a long string of native words. Jian Jing couldn''t understand.

    Fei Na tranted: "Oh! A few days ago there was arge Indian civet sighting. Do you know that animal?"

    Jian Jing: "The coffee one?"

    "Yes, look." She passed the camera over.

    Jian Jing saw a strange viverrid, entirely ck-furred. Judging by size it didn''t resemble a cat, more like a civet. Big round eyes shone green in night vision.

    "It''s endangered! Great to see it appearing here." Fei Na walked all around, seeking animal tracks and droppings.

    She taught Jian Jing: "Sometimes we also deduce animal trails and numbers from feces. Look at this footprint, I think it''s a otter civet."

    Jian Jing couldn''t make it out at all, but still felt they were so impressive.

    Speaking with increasing enthusiasm, Fei Na brought her deeper into the woods, adding some nt knowledge: "This is yellow jacaranda, the bark can be medicine for animal gastrointestinal issues, the leaves are edible and can be tea substitutes..."

    Jian Jing looked around, following the "can eat is best" principle and asking: "Which ones here are edible, delicious, and can be directly eaten?"

    Fei Na blinked, looking puzzled: "Are you hungry?"

    Jian Jing: "Just curious."

    "Try this." The ranger handed over a white grass, exining not too fluently: "When little, family poor, I often dig this as...food." Unable to recall the word, he simply said "food".

    Jian Jing epted and tentatively bit off a piece.

    Sweet.

    The knight also stretched its neck over.

    She generously split half with the dog. It chewed with "badag badag" sounds, appearing to quite like it.

    So Fei Na also took a stalk, beckoning her to keep up.

    The trio plus dog continued through the woods.

    As an outsider there for the excitement, Jian Jing took photos everywhere with her phone. Abruptly a long, winding shadow shed through the frame. Looking closely she was shocked: "Is that a snake? It''s flying!"

    "Flying snake, also called gliding snake. Mildly venomous. If you like I can have Chen catch one to show you, he''s good at catching snakes...Chen?" Fei Na nced around to find the ranger Chen standing not far away, face very serious as he stared fixedly at...a pile of poop, deep in thought.

    Hearing her call Chen looked over, said something then tranted to English for Jian Jing''s benefit: "Indochinese leopard prints and droppings."

    Jian Jing: "......" Keywords exceeded her basic vocabry span.

    Fei Na tranted: "Indochinese leopard. No way, are you sure Chen?"

    "Look."

    The two discussed fiercely around the pile of poop before reaching consensus and telling Jian Jing: "We need to head back now."

    Jian Jing: "What happened?"

    Fei Na said: "We mainly study birds and amphibians since mammals avoid this area due to high human activity. Especially the indochinese leopard has a fixed range, appearing in unfamiliar zones is very strange."

    "Why?"

    "Unclear, maybe a stronger animal imed its territory or it was frightened. Anyway we need to closely monitor it."

    Jian Jing nodded without further questions, secretly pondering that losing to animals and being driven from one''s turf wouldn''t warrant such gravity. The key seemed to be the fright.

    Could it be...poachers?

    The trip going in was slow, taking nearly an hour and a half. The rushed return took just over forty minutes. Fei Na and Ranger Chen immediately started working so as to not disturb them, Jian Jing returned alone to rest in her room.

    "Knight, want to nap?" She called the dog.

    The knight slowly swayed, hind legs scratching fur.

    Jian Jing red at it.

    The knight: "Whine whine."

    Oh no! Just that bit outside already got infested?

    "Fortunately, I brought insect repellent powder." She didn''t care about her afternoon nap, grabbed German Shepherd by the ears, and took it outside to brush off insects.

    Next door, Kang Mu Cheng poked his head out, "You''re back?"

    "Yeah." She asked, "What are you guys doing?"

    Kang Mu Cheng wanted to say something but hesitated. After a while, he beckoned Jian Jing over.

    Jian Jing took a peek next door and saw the president Kang lying in a rocking chair while a tall doctor was treating her swollen ankles.

    "Madam, your injury is not serious, just a sprain. It will be fine after coldpresses for two days." The doctor was probably in his forties or fifties, with slightly white sideburns, but his facial features were distinct and refined.

    President Kang couldn''t help sighing.

    "President Kang, what''s wrong with you?" Jian Jing wondered.

    "Oh my, seeing you having so much fun in the water, I couldn''t help but want to go down and take a picture too." Kang Lei said bitterly, "Who would have thought I stepped on a crab, it startled me and I sprained my ankle."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    Kang Mu Cheng expressionlessly said: "Got stung by insects in the tropics, sprained while hiking, fell ill abroad due to change in diet, suffered from heatstroke, altitude sickness... "

    Kang Lei smiled dryly.

    Jian Jing: =żÚ=

    What a pitiful president, her physical condition is also hopeless.

    "Lei." A mature woman with tan skin came in carrying a tray, bringing with her the aroma of beef rice noodles, "I made this specially for you, don''t be upset."

    President Kang couldn''t help but grasp her hand, "Xiang Cao, you understand my heart so well."

    She is Professor Lao''s current wife, named Xiang Cao, as fragrant and unadorned as her name suggests.

    "Mu Cheng, long time no see, I wonder if you still remember me." Mrs. Lao spoke fluent Chinese with a warm attitude, "This must be the leading actress of your Golden Crow, Miss Jian Jing. I have seen your work Rose Gold, Hide and Seek Child, and the movie version was also very good."

    She was well-informed and even said to the doctor: "Cha Li, your room is ready, same as before. I have prepared an espresso machine and the best coffee beans for you."

    "That would be great." The doctor nodded, epting her kindness.

    Mrs. Lao inevitably had to introduce them to each other again: There were usually only a few staff members staying at the observation station. When someone fell ill, they would go to the hospital in the city. But considering hotel guests were often not ustomed to the outdoor environment, they would invite Dr. Cha Li to stay at the hotel for a few days whenever there were guests staying over, just in case.

    President Kang said it was very necessary.

    "Whine." Knight kept nudging Jian Jing''s hand with its nose.

    She pressed it down.

    Dog: "Aw."

    Mrs. Lao noticed: "What''s wrong with the dog?"

    "(It''s) just hungry." Jian Jing grabbed its big ears, resenting the dog''sck of self-awareness, "I was about to prepare lunch for it."

    "That works out great, there are leftover beef bones in the kitchen." Who could resist the innocent eyes of a dog? At least not Mrs. Lao.

    Beef bones boiled with spices were used to make the broth for rice noodles. Raw beef rolled in the broth until cooked thoroughly. The bones fished out were soft and crispy, incredibly delicious.

    Knight buried its head in the food bowl.

    Jian Jing held her rice noodles.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Sigh."

    Note from the author: Seems like a windless and waveless day...

    President Kang''s scenes this season are too few, time to work overtime!

 Chapter 324

    Chapter 324

    At dinnertime, Jian Jing saw all the members of the observation station: Professor Lao and his monkey, Mrs. Lao Herb, Professor Lao''s daughter Fei Na, forest ranger Chen, Li Journalist, Cha Li Doctor.

    Everyone enjoyed a sumptuous dinner prepared by Mrs. Lao.

    Fried rice with chicken, satay skewers, cheese and potato curry, bone tea, steak, egg sandwiches, the drinks were freshly opened coconut juice.

    People were undivided, sitting on both sides of the long table in the dining room, outside the window was the primeval forest from hundreds of millions of years ago.

    During the meal, Fei Na mentioned the leopard feces she had discovered that afternoon and spected on poaching.

    At the same time, Li Journalist provided a new message: "Is it possible that there was a gunfight?"

    Professor Lao was feeding the monkeys, nced over at the words: "Who?"

    "Our neighbors." Li Journalist cut the steak and said casually, "Didn''t we say we signed an agreement, maybe it was a joint operation."

    "It''s possible." Professor Lao frowned, "That would be too bad."

    This national wildlife park happened to be located at the junction of two countries. Byparison, public security was better in this country, and the tourism industry was also more developed. The neighboring country was not the case. That side was a chaotic area, with rampant smuggling and drug trafficking gangs.

    Every time there was a cleanup operation, some cunning individuals escaped pursuit and dove into the forest. People unfamiliar with the forest didn''t even dare to go in. After a few months, when the wind died down, they emerged again, one bunch after another, and could never be cleaned uppletely.

    Jian Jing nced at Kang Mu Cheng and saw his expression solemn. He probably remembered the tragic trip to Paris again, and she couldn''t help but feel very sympathetic.

    "Chairman Kang, eat more." She handed over a skewer, "Calm down."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    "Don''t worry, even if someone escapes here, we are not afraid." Fei Na pointed to the weapons hanging on the wall, "We have guns. Chen is a good shot, he even shot and injured a poaching bastardst year."

    At the other end of the long table, the forest ranger bowed his head in embarrassment and stuffed a piece of steak into his mouth.

    Jian Jing looked at the knight at her feet, pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "I have a dog."

    "Yes, this is great." Fei Naughed and teased the monkey, "More useful than Bolly."

    Monkey: "Eek Eek!"

    "Hey, don''t bully your brother." Professor Lao red at his daughter, and said to his wife, "Dear, get me some beer."

    Mrs. Lao handed Professor Lao a can of beer, and poured Cha Li Doctor a cup of tea.

    Bolly sneaked up and picked up a piece of steak bone, and when no one was paying attention, he raised his hand and smashed it at Jian Jing''s forehead.

    Danger came, intuition triggered, Jian Jing reacted instantly and dodged to the side.

    Then the bone hit Kang Mu Cheng next to him.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s movements stopped, he looked down at the oily shirt cor, and his brows furrowed slightly.

    "Why did you hit him?" Jian Jing was angry, immediately picked up a lychee from the table, weighed it, and threw it out violently.

    Of course, the monkey''s speed was not slow, butpared with the system''s aiming rate, it was still too tender. As soon as the aiming card came out, whether it was an ordinary monkey or a mutant monkey, one hit one shot.

    It hurt, and immediately jumped up.

    Jian Jing''s actions didn''t stop, all the lychees on the table became her weapons, and each one urately hit Bolly''s forehead.

    It covered its head, dodged left and right, but still couldn''t escape the lychee.

    In no time at all, it was full of bumps.

    Professor Lao wanted to say something but stopped. He naturally knew that it was his own monkey causing trouble, and the other party was just retaliating, but seeing it crying out in pain, he felt heartbroken.

    "Come to me." He decided to protect his pet.

    "That''s enough, Jingjing." Chairman Kang said unhurriedly, "One smashed, tenpensated, we didn''t lose out."

    Jian Jing red fiercely at the monkey.

    Knowing the times makes a hero. Although Bolly was a monkey, he also knew he was formidable and didn''t dare provoke her directly. He crawled behind Professor Lao and squeakedints.

    "I still have some work to finish." Professor Lao put down his fork and fled with his pet.

    Li gave Jian Jing a big thumbs up, full of admiration.

    Dr. Cha smiled rarely.

    Fei Na: "It should have been taught a lesson long ago."

    Even the taciturn Chen nodded.

    This monkey was so unpopr, tsk.

    Jian Jing was very curious: "Why does Professor Lao dote on Bolly so much?"

    "Bolly''s mother was killed by poachers. He was raised by my dad." Fei Na exined, "Dad has always said that he is my little brother."

    Mrs. Lao said: "It''s not too much, it saved your dad."

    "What happened?"

    "Bolly is very smart, and spends all day in the trees, so he can see things we don''t notice." Fei Na said, "Two months ago, when Dad was patrolling in the forest, someone shot him. Fortunately, Bolly alerted him and he discovered it in time."

    Chairman Kang asked, "Was the person caught?"

    Fei Na regretfully shook her head.

    "Poachers?" Chairman Kang guessed casually.

    But Mrs. Lao said, "Maybe locals."

    "Why?"

    "Not everyone agrees with animal protection. Hunting used to be a major source of ie for locals." Dr. Cha Li said, "One kilogram of pangolin scales can sell for $10,000 US."

    The first day of vacation was full of ups and downs, very exciting.

    That night, Jian Jing had a strange dream, dreaming that she was tracking a big leopard in the forest. Chasing and chasing, the leopard suddenly turned into a monkey.

    The monkey picked up a stick and struck a pose: "Eat my stick!"

    Then she woke up.

    She yed with her cell phone for a while, urged by the knight to get out of bed to feed and walk the dog.

    Breakfast was still prepared by Mrs. Lao, fresh sandwiches, fried eggs, bacon and cold drip coffee.

    She asked Jian Jing: "Lei said she wanted to take a boat, would you like to go together?"

    "Go."

    The observation station is located upstream of the river. Taking a small boat downstream is the most beautiful valley in the park, where you can see many wild animals.

    Since Professor Lao and his daughter still had their own work, the leader was Mrs. Lao. She called Dr. Cha Li and took Jian Jing and the three of them, as well as Li Journalist, nning to take a round trip of four hours, and have lunch in the wild.

    Considering theplexity of the terrain, the most lightweight and flexible speedboat was chosen. Of course, this was at the expense of somefort.

    However, Chairman Kang didn''t mind at all: "I''ve been looking forward to taking this kind of small boat. Last time I toured the Amazon, I was always on big boats, which was boring."

    Kang Mu Cheng was toozy to mention her ck history, and only advised: "It''s dangerous on the side, you sit in the middle."

    "Annoying, do I need to worry about your mom at this age?" Chairman Kang couldn''t stand it, and simply sat with Mrs. Lao, "Jingjing, I''m giving you a task, keep an eye on Kang Mu Cheng, don''t let him bother me."

    Jian Jing was happy, pulled his arm to make him sit next to her, and put her other arm around the knight: "Is this okay?"

    Kang Lei immediately took out her phone and took a group photo for them, quickly posting it to Moments.

    Li assembled the lens and pointed it at the scenery by the river to start working.

    The speedboat started up and entered the shimmering river.

    A refreshing breeze from the primeval forest blew in.

    Jian Jing saw monkeys peeking out in the jungle, saw little muntjacs drinking water by the river, and even had amazing luck. Using binocrs, she saw a rhino leading its young to drink water.

    Li Journalist kept taking pictures. He had great eyesight, capturing many small animals hiding in the woods, and took many photos for Jian Jing and Chairman Kang.

    At noon, the sunlight was too hot, so they went into the forest to rest.

    They saw buffaloes covered in mud again, a little guy who looked a lot like a Zootopia actor. Mrs. Lao said it was a binturong.

    There were also various birds, exotic orchids (said to be new species), and the most ssic toxin in ancient detective novels.

    The poison arrow tree.

    Having experienced the giant trees, the mere poison arrow tree could not scare Jian Jing. She walked around the tree twice, terribly itchy: "Can I... get a... souvenir?"

    Mrs. Lao: ˇ°ThatˇŻs too dangerous.ˇ±

    Jian Jing certainly knew that, but just thinking that if she could put poison arrow tree venom in that room, it would be such a great thing.

    "Just a little bit, please."

    "This can''t get through customs." Chairman Kangughed.

    "I''ll just look at it for two days, not take it back." She said.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "It''s very dangerous, what if you identally touch it?"

    Dr. Cha Li also shook his head in disapproval.

    Jian Jing didn''t dare defy the anger of the crowd, so she could only regretfully give upˇŞpretend to give up.

    They returned by boat after 3pm.

    Mrs. Lao had been a tour guide all day and had no time to prepare dinner, so she decided to have a barbecue. This required no preparation at all - just cut the meat into small pieces and skewer them, slice the vegetables, and catch the fish directly from the river.

    Jian Jing and Knight cooperated seamlessly, one driving and one grabbing, and caught several fish.

    When she turned around, she saw Kang Mu Cheng holding a fishing rod.

    She said, "Hahahahaha."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "..."

    She teased him further: "Mr. Kang, have you reached the age where you like fishing?"

    "Shut up," he replied concisely.

    "You weren''t this grumpy before," sheined.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "You weren''t this annoying before."

    Jian Jing stepped out of the water onto the shore, slipped on her slippers, and asked, "So, did you prefer the original Jian Jing?"

    "You''re still great now," he said.

    She smiled and called to Knight, "Let''s go, time to eat grilled fish." She asked Kang Mu Cheng curiously, "When did you learn to fish?"

    He replied calmly, "Naturally, when I reached this age."

    Jian Jing said, "...That''s such a cold joke."

    "You said it," he responded.

    "I didn''t mean you were a middle-aged man," she rified seriously. "Professor Lao would protest - he still ys with water guns."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    "You''re just too serious," she said. "No sense of humor."

    Kang Mu Cheng finally lost his patience and knocked on her forehead: "Miss Jian Jing, don''t forget you still have a manuscript to submit."

    Jian Jing was shocked.

    Heughed coldly.

    "I was wrong," the pigeon had no dignity.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked down at her for a moment, then couldn''t helpughing out loud.

    The barbecue that night was rustic and fun. They didn''t use a metal grill at all. They chopped wood on the spot for a bonfire, stuck forked branches into the ground, and skewered the food directly over the mes.

    As the oil dripped into the fire, amazing aromas drifted up.

    After being teased by Jian Jing a couple times, Kang Mu Cheng also loosened up. He drank beer and grilled meat, chatting idly with everyone.

    Jian Jing didn''t just feed herself but took care of the dog too. Still, she kept an eye on her surroundings: "Where''s Professor Lao?"

    "Dad''s working, don''t worry about him," Fei Na answered.

    But Jian Jing wasn''t reassured. The one she was really guarding against was Bolly.

    As the sky gradually darkened, the bonfire grew brighter. Just as everyone was eating, drinking, and chatting happily, Professor Lao suddenly appeared with a monkey perched on his shoulder. He held instruments and a gun, cursing as he walked out.

    "Dad? What''s going on?" Fei Na asked in surprise.

    Professor Lao replied, "The monitoring of Number 21 is off. I suspect it''s in danger."

    Mrs. Lao looked up in shock: "Pseudoryxnghetinhensis?"

    Professor Lao nodded.

    "It''s so dark out. I''ll go with you," she said.

    "Chen wille with me," Professor Lao replied.

    Fei Na had already stood up: "I want to go too. Oh no, I hope it''s not hurt!"

    They strongly insisted on going together, so Professor Lao had no choice but to agree: "Alright, hopefully it''s just an ident."

    Jian Jing was totally confused, but still asked, "Do you have some trouble? Is there anything we can help with?"

    Professor Lao said solemnly, "Please stay here in your rooms and don''t wander around. If you hear any sounds, don''t go outside. Stay quiet."

    Jian Jing stared, dumbfounded.

    But Professor Lao had no intention of exining further. He called to the others, "Bring guns, we''ll go ande back quickly."

    The four guests were totally lost, only Bolly squatted and made a huge grimace at Knight.

    Knight sneezed. His nose was so itchy.

    The crescent moon shone in the night sky.

    Author''s note: It doesn''t look like anything happened the next day.

    Mwah.

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325

    The nights in the jungle can be beautiful and moving, or full of hidden dangers.

    Jian Jing upied thezy person''s sofa, her bare feet resting on the back of the dog - taking advantage of someone when they need it most. She yawned as she watched gue of the Pythons.

    Kang Mu Cheng sat next to her, replying to emails while watching the movie with her.

    "Go back if you''re sleepy. I''ll be fine here." Kang Mu Cheng knew very well that she was worried something would happen, which was why she insisted on staying with him.

    But the Paris incident had happened a long time ago. How often did a person experience simr incidents in their lifetime? He didn''t think anything unusual would happen.

    Although they had mostly been on the boat today, they had also done some walking. His mother was already too tired and had gone to bed. It would be too tiring for Jian Jing to wait until the others got back.

    Kang Mu Cheng urged her to leave, "I''m going to sleep soon too. You should go back."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and asked, "Let Knight stay with you."

    "If anything happens, won''t it be faster for it toe find you?" he retorted.

    That made sense to her, so she epted it. She grabbed the German Shepherd''s big ears, "Then we''re going back to sleep."

    Knight: "Whine." Having big ears wasn''t for the owner to pull.

    "Good boy," Jian Jing rubbed the dog''s head and took it back to the room with her.

    It was already ten o''clock by this point. Professor Lao and the others had left around seven, over two hours ago. She lowered the curtains and saw that the lights were still on in the rooms of both Li Journalist and Cha Li Doctor.

    Maybe I''m overthinking this.

    That unknown animal they saw was probably injured after losing a fight, and they rushed over to treat it.

    Jian Jing yawned and went to bed.

    Knight: "Woof~"

    Reluctantly, she asked, "Where''s the towel?"

    Knight brought over his own Superman beach towel.

    Jian Jing spread it on the floor next to the bed and allowed the dog toe up and sleep there for the night.

    Half an hourter, she kicked the dog off the bed.

    Knight: "Whine~"

    Jian Jing turned over and pretended not to hear - sleeping next to a person was still very different from sleeping next to a dog.

    At eleven, just as she was starting to drift off, Knight suddenly sat up and put his nose against her hand, poking her awake.

    Jian Jing was jolted fully awake.

    Knight would never bother her while she was sleeping unless he was hungry. For him to wake her now, something must have happened.

    She listened carefully.

    In the distance, she could hear hurried footsteps, then not long after, Fei Na came running over crying, yelling, "Doctor Cha Li!"

    On the other side, Cha Li Doctor rushed out in his clothes, "What happened?"

    "My dad..." Tears streamed down Fei Na''s face. "Hurry, look at my dad!"

    Jian Jing also went over. She saw that Chen was carrying a bloody corpse on his back, drenched in sweat. "Save him!"

    Cha Li Doctor quickly examined the situation, but almost instantly determined the oue. "I''m sorry..." He said with difficulty, "The professor is already dead."

    "Oh my god." Fei Na copsed to her knees, covering her face as she wept bitterly.

    [System: New mission released]

    [Mission name: Murder in the Jungle]

    [Content description: In the primordial jungle millions of years ago, humans shared thend with wild animals and nts. The blistering sun,kes, forests, hunting - the bloody dangers lurking beneath the surface. Please uncover the truth and defend the dignity of life.]

    [Rewards and penalties: To be determined based onpletion of the mission]

    It had been a long time since there was a new mission.

    Jian Jing snapped to attention and asked, "What''s the situation? How did he die?" Without waiting for them to answer, the blood on the corpse had already exined everything, so her third question became, "Who fired the shot?"

    Fei Na shook her head and said tearfully, "I don''t know. God, I thought it was my dad who shot someone. Why was it him??"

    She was too distraught to calmly answer. Jian Jing had no choice but to look to Mrs. Lao.

    "I''m not clear either," she said, herplexion also very pale. "We didn''t find the shooter, he ran away."

    Jian Jing frowned, "What kind of person was it? Should we call the police?"

    Chen shook his head, "Don''t know if it was a poacher or smuggler. Let me make some calls to ask."

    "First take him back to the room," said Jian Jing. "Let me examine him."

    Mrs. Lao looked shocked. "Examine what?"

    "I want to figure out what caused his death. That could help us understand how many people there were and what guns they had."

    Her reasoning was sound, but Mrs. Lao knew Jian Jing was just a writer. She gently said, "Doctor Cha would be more suitable for this."

    "We can do it together," Jian Jing said, turning to the doctor. "What do you think?"

    Doctor Cha had no objections.

    The body was temporarily moved to the medical room and ced on the only bed.

    The medical room didn''t have much equipment, but it had the basic tools so Jian Jing didn''t need to dig through her own makeup bag. She put on rubber gloves and turned on voice input to begin the autopsy.

    She cut open the deceased''s clothes to observe the wounds on the body.

    "There are three wounds total. Two on the left arm, one on the chest. The skin edges have a circr pattern, and there is a circr contusion ring around the wounds. Some subcutaneous bleeding, no smoke halo or particte burns..." She muttered to herself, "This was a long distance shot."

    The shooting distance could be determined from the wound markings.

    If the gun was pressed right against the body when fired, the smoke, gunpowder residues and metal fragments spraying out of the barrel would be driven into the subcutaneous tissue under the wound, causing burnt and charred markings around the injury.

    This was called a contact shot, with a distance of 0.

    If the muzzle was partially in contact with the skin and partly away, this would be a rtive contact shot. The distribution of smoke and gunpowder particles on the skin would be elliptical rather than star-shaped, generally 1-6cm.

    There were also close range shots where the muzzle did not touch the skin but was very near, so the gases and gunpowder from the muzzle could still adhere to the skin''s surface.

    In such cases, thepression and shearing action of the bullet would drive the skin inward into a funnel shape, with the edges rolled inward. Afterwards, as the bullet entered the tissue, the soot it carried would stick to the wound edges as a seared, abraded rim. This was called an abrasion rim.

    These situations could be further divided - close range was 6-30cm, intermediate range was 30-60cm. The specifics could be determined by examining the diameter and color intensity of the soot, but there was no need to go into more detail now.

    Looking at Professor Lao''s wounds, there was no smoke halo or particte burns, so the shooting distance was over 60cm. This was called a distant shot.

    Jian Jing carefully examined the three wounds on the corpse again.

    The two wounds on his left arm were one inward curling and one everted, almost in a straight line - these were likely perforating bullet wounds where the bullet passed straight through the arm.

    The fatal wound on the chest was a blind bullet wound, where the bullet slowed down after entering the body and remained lodged inside.

    Jian Jing dug out the bullet that was stuck in the body.

    She measured it.

    "For a bullet of this type, what guns are they usually used with?" Jian Jing asked humbly.

    Cha Li Doctor had gone from leading in the beginning to cooperating in the back, and was nowpletely lying down on the job: "I''m a doctor, how would I know?"

    "Uh, okay, I''ll look it up."

    That wasn''t a problem as long as she had inte ess.

    Jian Jing quickly searched and found that 7.62mm bullets were mostmonly used in the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle.

    She verified this with Chen.

    He definitively told Jian Jing that the mostmonly used gun around here was the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle and the Type 97 assault rifle.

    So if there were no surprises, it would be the Type 56.

    The Type 56 semi-automatic rifle was Chinese made and had flooded Southeast Asia inrge quantities at the end of thest century. The gun was 1,025mm long with an effective shooting range of 400m, and a magazine capacity of 10 rounds.

    Jian Jing asked again, "Earlier you said you were going to call someone. Did you? What''s the situation?"

    Chen stiffly answered, "I asked the border guards and police stations. They all said they haven''t seen any suspicious people recently. The only ones who escapedst time were two people. One was arrested half a month ago, and the other one might still be hiding somewhere. I don''t know if it was him."

    Jian Jing fell silent in contemtion.

    Slowly, her gaze shifted to the cab next to them where Chen had casually left a Type 56.

    She said, "If you don''t mind, could you please go through everything that happened tonight from the beginning?"

    Chen agreed and gave a simple English ount: "We went into the forest, following the GPS navigation, halfway through, the signal was lost, but we split up to look around. After some time, I heard gunshots and went to check it out. The professor was already dead."

    Jian Jing: "Could you...be a bit more specific?"

    "Let me tell you," Fei Na walked into the room, her eyes as red as a rabbit''s, "at dinner, my father suddenly said there was a problem with Number 21..."

    Jian Jing interrupted her: "What is Number 21?"

    "It''s an ID number," Fei Na hesitated for a moment, and probably felt there was no point hiding it anymore. She told her, "pseudoryxnghetinhensis, hmm, let me think of the Chinese trantion, yes, the Chinese mid-saiga antelope."

    Jian Jing immediately searched for it.

    The Chinese mid-saiga antelope, also known as the Saiga tatarica, and called the Asian unicorn, is a critically endangered species, rare and precious. Since its discovery in 1992 until now, it has only appeared a few times.

    No wonder they were so anxious back then.

    Fei Na said: "Number 21 is extremely precious. Three years ago, my father cooperated with the local government and hired professional hunters to find it before catching Number 21 and putting a tracking device on it. We never made this public, afraid that poachers would find out ande to hunt it."

    "Today, a little after 7pm, my father noticed Number 21''s GPS had stayed still for a long time. He was worried it had fallen into a trap or gotten stuck somewhere, so he hurried to go find it."

    "I see. What happened next?"

    "At first, we followed the GPS. The route was familiar, no problems. But halfway there (Jian Jing: Around what time was this?), 9pm? Sorry, I didn''t check the time. The signal disappeared. This was a very bad situation. We didn''t know what happened and lost our direction."

    At this point, Fei Na''s tone suddenly became somber.

    "We were all very nervous, but my father said it was probably just an idental malfunction of the tracking device, and insisted we go to the original location. But when we got there, we only found this."

    She handed Jian Jing a silver tracking device. There was a dent on it. "I''m not sure how this got damaged, but it definitely can''t be used anymore."

    Jian Jing wasn''t very knowledgeable about electronics either. She checked it briefly then set it aside.

    "What happened next?"

    "My father suggested we split up to search, and meet back at Spot 3 in an hour." Fei Na said, "Spot 3 is one of the observation points we set up in the woods. Sometimes we observe animals there."

    "Is that where the body was found?"

    Fei Na nodded, looking grieved. "I heard gunshots and thought my dad found them. But when I rushed over, he was already..."

    "From when you split up to when you found the body, how much time passed total?"

    Fei Na hesitated. "40-50 minutes, but definitely less than an hour."

    Jian Jing nodded and probed as if inadvertently. "Speaking of which, you all brought guns, right? What guns?"

    Still immersed in grief, Fei Na didn''t notice the implication and absentmindedly answered her: She had a revolver, Professor Lao and Chen had Type 56 rifles, and Mrs. Lao used a [nk].

    Jian Jing said, "I saw another Type 56 hanging outside."

    "Type 56s are mostmon. My dad and Chen know how to use them, and we''d sometimes prepare a spare at the observation points too."

    "Was there one at Spot 3?"

    Fei Na thought about it, uncertain. "Probably, I think."

    Jian Jing wanted to go to the crime scene even more now.

 Chapter 326

    Chapter 326

    Before dawn, although the people at the observation station were grieved, they showed no unusual colors, apparently all believing that Professor Lao had been killed by uwful elements, thinking about how to find the murderer, best to give him a shot as well.

    However, things changed in the morning.

    Chen received a call from the police station, informing them that the guy who had slipped through the before had been caught, just on the night beforest. The police forces of the two countries jointly carried out a crackdown, rounding up a gang of smugglers and catching quite a few people.

    Among them was the suspect mentioned earlier, but when Professor Lao was killed, he had already been under police control.

    Chen further confirmed whether anyone had escaped, hiding in the woods in the chaos. The other party could not confirm, only saying that the border guards had not found any suspicious traces.

    He also asked if there had been any news about poachers recently.

    The other party clearly denied. In June this year, the Southeast Asian countries signed a joint document on protecting wildlife and cracking down hard on illegal poaching. The wind was very tight.

    The originallywless merchants who took pangolin scales, rhino horns, and crocodile skins had been severely caught inrge numbers, and others didn''t dare to stick their heads out these two months.

    Chen was very uneasy.

    If it wasn''t done by criminals, who killed Professor Laost night?

    He asked the police toe and investigate, but unfortunately, the surrounding police force had been transferred to participate in this operation, and there was insufficient manpower left, I''m afraid it would take two or three days toe over.

    A tropical blizzard mountain lodge - birth.

    And more disturbing than the environment was the cause of Professor Lao''s death.

    Fina repeatedly confirmed with Chen: "Could they have gotten it wrong? Otherwise who shot my dad?"

    Chen shook his head and did not change his words.

    Mrs. Lao was much calmer than her stepdaughter: "If it wasn''t someone from outside, then it means the shooter is among us?"

    Chen looked at her and didn''t say anything either.

    Li Journalist was still a little confused: "What does that mean? There are no suspicious people, we are the suspects?" He lookedpletely uprehending, "We didn''t join your operation at allst night, what does it have to do with us?"

    Kang President was equally confused: "Did they encounter poachers? Who was that?"

    "Anyone could be possible." Jian Jing said calmly, "I think we can''t rule out the possibility that criminals sneaked into the woods and Professor Lao found them and silenced them, but at the same time, we who are present are also suspected of killing the deceased. "

    Li Journalist was stunned: "We were all at the hotel yesterday, we didn''t even know where they went."

    "But everyone had enough time tomit the crime." Jian Jing looked around at their faces, "After the professor and the others left yesterday, we immediately dispersed, and until they returned, did you see each other again?"

    Li Journalist hesitated for a moment, unable to refute.

    Zha Doctor said: "I stayed in my room all the time."

    "Me too." Li Journalist said again, "It was the professor who told us not to wander around."

    Jian Jing said calmly: "Everyone, I don''t mean to use one of you of being the murderer, it''s just that the professor died suddenly. Although it may have been done by criminals, has anyone seen a stranger?"

    She looked at Fei Na and asked, "Did you see any strangers?"

    Fei Na shook her head.

    She looked at Chen again: "Have you seen any strangers during your patrols every day?"

    Chen thought about it for a long time, and slowly shook his head.

    Jian Jing: "Also, who of you saw the monkey?" "I haven''t seen it sincest night."

    Fei Na was stunned for a moment, as if waking up from a dream: "Yeah, it seems like Polly didn''t follow Dad yesterday, where did it go?"

    Mrs. Lao frowned and said, "Come to think of it, I haven''t seen it today either. Usually it wouldn''t miss breakfast."

    "There are many doubts now." Jian Jing analyzed, "In the morning I checked all the 56s. Professor Lao''s gun had 9 bullets, Chen''s gun had 6, and the gun left behind had 10. I want to ask, were your bullets all full?"

    "Mine was full." Fei Na was quite embarrassed, "I haven''t fired a shot since I came here."

    Chen said: "Mine wasn''t."

    Jian Jing: "Why?"

    "Bullets are expensive." Chen replied.

    Jian Jing didn''t understand, so he had to say a long string of words in his nativenguage. Fei Na tranted: "Chen said that the deterrent effect of guns is greater than their lethal effect. You don''t need full ammunition every minute in normal times. In an emergency, he would take a clip of bullets."

    "Did you fire your gun yesterday?"

    Chen shook his head.

    "Do you know how many bullets the professor''s gun had?"

    He gestured 10 with his hand and said a string of words.

    Fei Na continued to trante: "My dad is different from Chen. He likes to shoot a whole magazine at once, and he also likes to use the 97 - usually he would take enough ammunition and it should have been full."

    Jian Jing nodded slightly.

    The 56 semi-automatic rifle fires one bullet per trigger pull, but the 97 assault rifle keeps shooting as long as you hold the trigger, emptying a magazine in no time.

    This actually matched Chen and Professor Lao''s personalities.

    Bullets are expensive, only Americans are so extravagant.

    She thought about it and said, "Fei Na, can you take me to where the professor was found and take a look?"

    "I...I''m sorry, Jian, I don''t want to go back there again." Fei Na politely declined.

    "Sorry." Jian Jing paused for a moment, looking at Chen. He nodded, neither asking why nor doubting: "I can take you there anytime."

    Jian Jing: "Anyway there''s nothing else to do now, let''s go now."

    She was very worried that the longer the dy, the more the clues would disappear.

    Chen had no opinion, took his gun, water bottle and satellite phone, and informed her: "The road is not easy to walk, we can''t get back before lunch."

    Jian Jing took the advice, put on her backpack, put the leash on Knight, and prepared to take the dog with her.

    However, just as they were leaving, Kang Mu Cheng said he would apany her.

    Jian Jing: "You should stay with the president."

    "She''s with Mrs. Lao, I''ll go with you." Kang Mu Cheng nced at Chen. He really didn''t feel at ease letting her go alone into the deep woods with a strange man.

    Knight: "Woof?"

    Jian Jing patted the dog''s head, and she didn''t have any opinion either.

    The three entered the woods.

    Jian Jing asked: "Are we taking yesterday''s route or the shortest route?"

    Chen: "The fastest route."

    She nodded and started timing.

    Trekking through the primal forest was far more difficult than walking on t ground. There were tiny branches everywhere, asionally scraping across hair and cheeks. The mud underfoot was either hard and hurting the feet, or slippery and almost tripping. And ubiquitous stones and tree roots required extra care when walking.

    Chen was already used to such an environment, striding like flying. Knight with his four feet was steady and far ahead of humans. Only Jian Jing and Kang Mu Cheng were observing the environment while walking, unable to speed up.

    After about 1 hour and 20 minutes, they finally arrived at Observation Point No. 3.

    It was a small wooden hut built in the woods, looking in and ordinary. The space inside was also very narrow, with only one window and one chair.

    The floor in front of the window was slightly sunken, with obvious traces.

    "What used to be ced here?" Jian Jing asked.

    Chen said: "Camera." He opened the window and pointed outside, "Can shoot animals."

    She suddenly realized, and asked again: "It was said there was a gun?"

    Chen signaled her to move aside, then pried open the floor below with his bare hands, revealing a small amount of clear water, cookies and a 56 semi-automatic.

    Jian Jing put on gloves and checked the number of bullets inside.

    10 rounds.

    "Has this gun always been full?" she asked Chen.

    Chen nodded and added: "This is a spare gun. I check it every time Ie and replenish it if there are fewer bullets."

    "When was thest check?"

    "The day before yesterday."

    Jian Jing pondered, and abruptly asked again: "Where do you guys keep your bullets, can others get them?"

    "Safe, only Professor Lao and I have the keys." Chen paused and then said, "Fei Na''s gun was hers, I don''t know."

    She nodded, and began to examine the scene: "Where did the body fall?"

    Chen took her outside the hut, not far away, to a clearing where bloodstains were scattered, and some flies hovered and danced, unwilling to disperse even at the sight of people.

    The footprints around were chaotic, leaves were flying, and there were rat prints.

    Jian Jing took pictures from various angles, but unfortunately there were too few valuable clues.

    She could only determine the position of the corpse at that time based on the traces of bloodstains.

    "Were you the first person to arrive?" she asked Chen.

    Chen nodded.

    "Was the professor lying face down?"

    He made a gesture of falling over on his back.

    "Second Fei Na,st Mrs. Lao?"

    He nodded.

    Jian Jing sighed, questioning a witness without amonnguage was too difficult. But so far, she still had a rtively high level of trust in Chen.

    Because his gun only had 6 bullets.

    If he had killed Professor Lao, he probably wouldn''t have chosen to use the same type of gun that he owned, unless it was a crime of passion. But from what was seen so far, there didn''t seem to be any conflict between him and the deceased.

    In fact, he was the first to discover the body.

    The conditions formitting the crime were too abundant, which made him less suspicious instead.

    Jian Jing thought for a while, took out the little monkey''s clothes from her backpack: "Knight,e."

    The German Shepherd came over, smelled the scent of the clothes, and showed a look of disgust on its face.

    "Find that monkey." With no other choice, the master had given an order, even if the dog disliked that dead monkey, Knight still dutifully started sniffing around.

    Jian Jing picked up a wooden stick, pushed aside the surrounding bushes, and checked very carefully.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "What are you looking for?"

    "The other bullet." Jian Jing said, "The professor was shot twice, one was a through-and-through wound, I want to see where the first bullet hit."

    What''s the difference between two bullets? Weren''t they all from the same gun?

    As Kang Mu Cheng thought this, he suddenly froze.

    He had read all her works, and often with just a few strokes of the pen, he could see the meaning and even emotions behind them. However, if a situation like the present urred, it seemed like he had lost something, and could not read her mind.

    "Mr. Kang?" She wondered, "Do you want to help me find it?"

    Kang Mu Cheng suddenly snapped back to his senses, nodded in agreement, and also began looking around.

    Chen, after circling the perimeter, would asionally squat down to distinguish footprints, and other times move aside bushes to search. After a while, he said: "No outsiders have been here recently."

    Jian Jing asked: "How do you know?"

    "I''ve encountered them before." He tried his best to organize his words, "They need food and water. They didn''t take anything from the house, and would also hunt and make fires, but there are no such traces nearby."

    Jian Jing gazed at his simple face, and asked: "So you agree with my guess that the murderer could be someone from the observation station?"

    Chen nodded.

    "Who?"

    He thought for a bit, but shook his head, not knowing if he couldn''t guess, or didn''t want to say.

    Jian Jing spent the next hour entirely focused on looking for physical evidence, but came up empty-handed, and somehow didn''t manage to find where the second shell casing went.

    Did the shell identally hit a rock and ricochet up into the tall treetops? Jian Jing craned her neck looking upwards for a long time until it was sore, but didn''t find any shell casings up there either, and could only give up regretfully.

    Knight had much better luck.

    It came bounding over, biting Jian Jing''s pant leg to get her attention and signal her to follow it.

    Jian Jing''s spirit was roused.

    Knight nimbly threaded its way through the bushes, stopping to wait if its owner didn''t keep up, and soon its brown fur was covered in grass clippings.

    After about ten minutes, it stopped in front of a pile of brightly colored fabrics.

    Author''s note: Knight: Finally there''s a chance for me to help out!

    Not revealing anything this time, I''m tired==

 Chapter 327

    Chapter 327

    Bolly, Professor Lao''s beloved "youngest son", always wore different children''s vests every day, not to mention how pretentious it was.

    Jian Jing remembered that yesterday morning, it had changed into a red and blue patchwork little outfit, and deliberately ran in front of the knight to show off. She was so angry that she immediately changed her own dog''s vest into a suit vest.

    And now, the gray fabric on the ground was the little outfit that Bolly had just put on.

    She picked it up and shook it, and a silver ankle ring fell off.

    This was also Bolly''s, the surface was engraved with the name of the observation station, and the back was a phone number. At the same time, it contained a GPS positioning chip for the convenience of Professor Lao to find it.

    Looking around, there was no trace of the monkey.

    "It was taken away," Chen said.

    Jian Jing carefully collected the evidence: "This is interesting. The perpetrator took Bolly away in advance. It seems that he knew it might ruin his n. But he did not directly kill the monkey, why?"

    Chen closed his mouth tightly, but his eyes revealed some confusion.

    Jian Jing said, "Knight, look again and see if you can find that monkey."

    The knight obediently lowered his head and sniffed around everywhere.

    It seemed to have discovered something, but it was also very confused. After turning two circles, it returned with drooping ears unsessfully.

    "It''s okay, you did very well," Jian Jing took out some dried meat to feed it.

    The knight immediately cheered up andy down to gnaw on the dried meat.

    "Chen, how long does it take for someone familiar with the road conditions to get from the hotel to this observation point?"

    "50 minutes."

    "Take me to see where you split up."

    The ce where the four split up was not far from Point 3, about 20 minutes. Someone walking fast could probably make it in 15 minutes.

    "How many gunshots did you hear?"

    Chen was very certain: "One."

    "Professor Lao''s gun was missing one bullet, but there were three bullet wounds on his body." She pondered, "But you only heard one gunshot."

    Chen: "The other side had a silencer."

    "That seems to be the only possibility for now," Jian Jing muttered to herself. "This was premeditated. But the guns at Point 3 and the ones left at the observatory both had 10 bullets, not one less."

    To be honest, if Chen hadn''t insisted there were no intruders, and the police had corroborated that as well, by all appearances this was the doing of malicious trespassers.

    After painstakingly examining the scene, Jian Jing and the others returned along the path they tookst night.

    "Going up and down this path doesn''t feel right," Jian Jing couldn''t help but say after stubbing her toes for the nth time.

    Chen said, "The GPS only has locations, no elevation, so we can only walk like this."

    "..." She couldn''t help but ask, "Then how long would it take to go directly back to the hotel?"

    "30 minutes. For you, 45 minutes," Chen gave a definite reply.

    Jian Jing held her waist, exhaled sullenly, "Fine."

    She had chosen to retrace their route herself, now she''d have to see it through even if she had to crawl.

    After spending two hours, they finally saw the tents of the hotel.

    Kang President came over with pancakes and coconut juice to offer condolences: "How are things?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "The monkey is gone."

    "You didn''t find the murderer?"

    Jian Jing blinked: "To quote an old saying, the murderer is among us."

    Kang President was worldly and unperturbed. He shrugged, "It seems there are things we don''t know about." Then holding the coconut juice, he went about his business.

    Jian Jing took off her sneakers and rubbed her toes whileining, "The road was too hard to walk. I have to go soak my feet."

    She jumped off the porch. While there was still daylight, she ran to the pond to soothe her toes.

    The knight leapt down closely following her.

    "Don''t want pancakes anymore?" Kang Mu Cheng asked her.

    She said, "Bring them down to me."

    Kang Mu Cheng was dragged into the water.

    It had to be said, the creek water was cool and refreshing. Soaking her feet that had been walking all day in the transparent water felt extremelyfortable. She happily wolfed down the pancakes, not forgetting to feed the dog half a piece.

    Kang Mu Cheng gazed at her face and suddenly asked, "Do you really think the murderer is here among us?"

    "Intuition," she replied indistinctly while chewing the sweet pancake. "If they were smugglers or poachers, and ran into Professor Lao at Point 3, their first reaction would definitely be to run away rather than kill, right? Their goal was to keep a low profile. A death would only attract police to search the mountain instead."

    After swallowing the food, she continued, "Moreover, the observation station has been open for so long. They were familiar with the terrain. How could they not know there were people here?"

    "Why would the murderer kill the professor?" he asked.

    "I don''t know," Jian Jing sucked on some coconut juice and dug out the coconut meat at the bottom with a straw. "There are a lot of things that don''t make sense right now. I don''t have a direction. I have to investigate more carefully."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed.

    She was curious: "Howe you''re asking about this?" He''d never had any interest in cases before. Could it be because Kang President was involved, so the good son had to show more concern?

    "I''m very worried," he said.

    "Worried about what?"

    "Like you said, if the murderer is one of the people here, he must hope that everyone believes the gunshot came from some unknown criminal. But you said no." Kang Mu Cheng gazed at the lush forest in the distance and said, "Aren''t you afraid that someone who could kill one person could also kill a second?"

    Jian Jing: "Are you afraid the murderer will sneak into my room in the middle of the night and shoot me in the head?"

    Kang Mu Cheng retorted, "Is that not possible?"

    "It''s possible," she admitted, her gaze falling on the knight. "You reminded me, I have to prepare the knight''s dinner myself, lest the perpetrator gets desperate and takes it out on my dog."

    The knight shuddered and looked at its owner with dark round eyes.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle as she pulled it into her arms, "Don''t be scared, don''t be scared. I''m here."

    "Whine," the knight whimpered twice, resting its head on her arm, warm.

    The sun had set.

    The rainforest shed its verdant daytime appearance and took on a sinister nighttime mystery.

    Mrs. Lao had no heart to cook, so dinner was just sandwiches and cold milk.

    Jian Jing ate a few casual bites, fed some raw meat to the dog, and sent it back to guard her room while she went to find Fei Na. She said she had something to ask her.

    Fei Na was very apologetic. "I said I''d take you to catch crocodiles, but I..." Her eyes brimmed red and she choked up, "I still can''t believe he just left me like this... Good heavens... I really..."

    Jian Jing patientlyforted her for a long time before slowly bringing up her intention.

    "Could you chat with me about Cha Li Doctor?"

    "Doctor Cha?" Fei Na didn''t know why she was asking this. But right now, she was very willing to confide in someone about something, rather than closing her eyes and immediately envisioning her father''s bloodied body. "I don''t know much about him."

    "Anything is fine. For example, how did you get to know each other?"

    Fei Na answered, "He''s Xiang Cao''s friend. As you know, my dad has always worked here. When he gets busy, he won''t leave the observation station for months. But Xiang Cao doesn''t always stay here. She has her own work and has to go back to school and teach sses when she''s not on vacation."

    Jian Jing knew Mrs. Lao was a university professor. Her schedule was probably simr to China''s, only able to go home during summer and winter breaks.

    "I heard he used to work at a university too, but quit. Xiang Cao invited him toe stay with us for a while. It just so happened another guest got bitten by a snake then. He helped treat the wound, so Xiang Cao asked him if he was willing toe work part-time since we needed a doctor here."

    "Why don''t you just directly hire a doctor to be here full time? It''s dangerous out in the wilderness, isn''t it?"

    "Too expensive. Maintaining the observation station takes a lot of funding," Fei Na exined. "To be honest, I thought it was a good idea, but my dad didn''t like Cha Li."

    Jian Jing was surprised. "Why?"

    Fei Na said, "Male jealousy."

    "Huh?"

    "Because Xiang Cao was always praising how smart, modest and diligent Cha Li was." Fei Na shrugged. "You have to admit Doctor Cha is a charming man."

    Jian Jing thought: He is charming, just a bit old.

    "So your dad was jealous?" she asked.

    "Xiang Cao spent more time with Cha Li than with my dad. They used to be colleagues. Who knows, maybe they chatted over coffee every day." Fei Na said, "But she would only be with us during vacations."

    Jian Jing heard the calmness in her tone and couldn''t help but be curious, "You don''t seem angry at all."

    "A few years ago, when Xiang Cao didn''t have her university job yet, she stayed with us the whole time. Back then, she kept telling me my dad didn''t care enough about her. He spent more time looking at rhinos and crocodiles every day than being with her."

    Fei Na smiled: "Isn''t it the sameint? So I strongly support her fighting for a job at the university. Staying here is really too boring for her."

    Pausing for a moment, she pretended to be lighthearted, "My boyfriend and I broke up like this too."

    Jian Jing asked: "So how is their rtionship now?"

    "I think it''s better than before. In the past, there were always a lot ofints and many quarrels. But now, Xiang Cao won''t get angry at her father for not apanying her because of his work. Apart from Dr. Zha, they don''t fight."

    Fei Na was very empathetic.

    Jian Jing liked her a bit more, but she still had to ask what she needed to: "To what extent was the conflict between your father and Dr. Zha?"

    "It''s like apetition between little boys," Fei Na said distressingly. "For example, if Xiang Cao prepares coffee for Dr. Zha, my dad must ask her to make a pizza for him - men are so childish, right?"

    "Too right," Jian Jingughed. "Well then, what does Dr. Zha think of your dad?"

    Fei Na spread her hands: "Dr. Zha is a pure workaholic. I mean, he may not even know why my dad dislikes him. However, he also dislikes my dad."

    "And why is that?"

    "Xiang Cao got a rare overseas opportunity, but she gave it up," Fei Na said. "Dr. Zha was very angry, thinking that my dad hindered her development. So although he agreed to Xiang Cao''s invitation, they rarely speak to each other."

    Jian Jing nodded, understanding the troubles of middle-aged people.

    "Tell me about Li Journalist."

    "The journalist? He''s just an ordinary person, very curious about everything here. In the past few days, he kept asking me to take him around to see everything, took a lot of photos, and asked a lot of questions - maybe he''s an excellent journalist?"

    There is always some subtle perception between girls. Perhaps it''s the words, perhaps it''s the expression, but in any case, it''s not difficult to see the other''s true psychology if you pay close attention.

    Jian Jing went straight to the point: "You don''t seem to like him?"

    "He''s too enthusiastic, just like my friends in America," Fei Na said distressingly. "But I''m already used to the tranquility of the forest. He makes me feel ufortable."

    Jian Jing understood: "Do you like Chen?"

    Fei Na almost jumped up: "What?" Shocked out her mother tongue.

    Jian Jing: "No?"

    "Uh..." After all, she was an American girl. Fei Na was shy for a moment, thenughed and admitted it.

    Taking the opportunity, she asked: "What kind of person is Chen?"

    Fei Na said: "He works very hard. When he first arrived, he could only say ''hello'' and ''bye'', but now he canmunicate with us in daily life. Very reliable - he grew up in the countryside, so he is as familiar with the forest as his own backyard. I feel safe with him."

    "How long has he been a forest ranger?"

    "Five years. Two years earlier than me," she said. "I heard my dad say, at first there were three rangers, but the other two couldn''t stand the hardship and resigned one after the other. Only he persisted. Jian, do you know? He loves this forest as much as I do."

 Chapter 328

    Chapter 328

    The chat with Fei Na was very enlightening.

    Jian Jing got a preliminary understanding of the people at the observation point, but that was not enough. Next she went to talk to Mrs. Lao.

    As a middle-aged widow, Mrs. Lao was naturally not in a good mood. Kang President was apanying her, chatting about this and that, and discussing life going forward.

    "I''ve invested so much money, I have to think of a way to make it work." Kang Lei''s business mind was cool and objective. "It''s not easy to find someone to take this ce over, you need to think it through."

    Mrs. Lao smiled bitterly. "I didn''t expect to make money anyway. Lao''s work was very difficult, we didn''t always get funding, and the government support was a drop in the bucket. I just wanted to support his work a little."

    Kang Lei said, "Lao''s work was very meaningful, money can''t measure that."

    "Yes, that''s what I thought too. I was moved by his persistence at the time..." Mrs. Lao took a sip of champagne and said, "Although we also had disputes, I... I never thought he would leave me like this."

    Kang nodded sympathetically. "This is too unfortunate."

    "I really wish this nightmare wouldn''t end," Mrs. Lao said, holding her temples. After hesitating for a while, she asked, "Lei, tell me the truth, is Miss Jian telling the truth?"

    Kang Lei asked: ˇ°The murderer is among us?ˇ±

    "ThatˇŻs too scary,ˇ± Mrs. Lao murmured. ˇ°Who would want to kill him?ˇ±

    Outside the door, Jian Jing knocked. ˇ°Can Ie in?ˇ±

    ˇ°Please do.ˇ±

    She came in with hot milk, cookies and some candy, borrowing flowers to present the Buddha. "You don''t seem to have eaten dinner, have some sugar first."

    "You came right on time." Kang PresidentˇŻs hand hovered between the cookies and milk for a while, but didnˇŻt dare eat the high calorie stuff in the end. She chose the hot milk. ˇ°Jingjing, chat with us. Do you really think the professor''s death was murder?ˇ±

    "I don''t rule out that possibility." Jian Jing sat down and joined the conversation. "But to be honest, I can''t figure out who would want to kill him either. Mrs. Lao, did the professor have conflicts with anyone?"

    Mrs. Lao hesitated. "I don''t think so."

    Jian Jing pretended to ponder: ˇ°In the past two days, I was probably the only one who conflicted with the professor. He didn''t care much about others, except that he was rather cold to Zha DoctorˇŞwhat do you think?"

    "Yes, Lao was very concerned about Cha Li,ˇ± Mrs. Lao admitted. ˇ°Cha Li is my good friend, we have so much inmon, watching song and dance performances, visiting exhibitions, talking about international politics, Lao wasnˇŻt interested in those things at all. He always thought Cha Li had ulterior motives.ˇ±

    Kangzily said, ˇ°A man''s guts are much smaller than a woman''s.ˇ±

    ˇ°That''s a trait of male animals. Only with possessiveness can they ensure their genes are passed on to the next generation,ˇ± Mrs. Lao, wife of the zoologist,mented sharply. ˇ°When you''re with him, he ignores you. When youˇŻre with another man, he gets nervous right away.ˇ±

    Kang raised her eyes and nced at Jian Jing, asking casually, "So, yes or no?"

    Jian Jing: "???"

    "Just once."

    "Did the professor know about this?"

    "If he knew, with his temper, he would never have allowed Cha Li toe over." Mrs. Lao said.

    Jian Jing interjected, ˇ°Then what was Zha Doctor''s attitude towards Professor Lao?ˇ±

    Mrs. Lao was stunned, then helpless. ˇ°They weren''t friends and didn''t have much interaction.ˇ±

    ˇ°So?ˇ± Jian Jing was even more confused now.

    ˇ°You have to forgive a young girl''s ignorance, vani,ˇ± Kangughed. ˇ°WeˇŻve all been like this before. Jingjing, vani means men don''t care.ˇ±

    Jian Jing looked pensive. ˇ°You mean Zha Doctor didn''t love you?ˇ±

    "Oh no,ˇ± Mrs. Laoughed. ˇ°He''s an anti-marriage advocate. I never thought about being with him either. IˇŻve always loved Lao."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    Kang patted her shoulder affectionately and said, "Most of a man''s infidelity stems from desire, but a woman''s affair may not necessarily mean she has fallen for someone else. It could be boredom, depression, retaliation, everthing."

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment.

    ˇ°Jingjing, in your works love is always very pure. You only cheat when you fall out of love. When love is extreme and unattainable, youˇŻd even kill for love ˇŞ life and death rifies everything, separating the clear from the muddy. But the norm of love is chaos, good and bad, noble and despicable, all mixed up together."

    Although Kang hadnˇŻt been an editor for many years, she was after all the woman who founded Jinwu. She could still see through every writer''s state of mind at a nce.

    "Works are a reflection of life. When readers read your works, they are not only epting your confessions, but also examining themselves. Extreme life and death has a sense of distance from ordinary people that makes it easier to handle. But you can''t settle for that if you want to achieve higher literary aplishments, you still have to work harder."

    After Kang finished speaking, sheughed again: ˇ°Don''t tell Mucheng what I said. He thinks youˇŻre still young and trying to write something more profound andplex may make things worse. I agree with him, but you should know, there''s still a long way to go ahead. Don''t rx.ˇ±

    Jian Jing couldn''t help nodding.

    ˇ°Alright, went off topic,ˇ± Kang changed the subject. She asked outright, ˇ°Vani, do you think Cha Li has reason to kill the professor?ˇ±

    "Uh..." Jian Jing almost choked.

    The president is too aggressive.

    Mrs. Lao retorted, ˇ°He wouldnˇŻt even give up his anti-marriage stance for me, why would he kill for me?ˇ±

    ˇ°...Last question,ˇ± Jian Jing said. ˇ°Why did Zha Doctor resign?ˇ±

    Jian Jing ran into Zhen outside ZhaˇŻs room. The two seemed to be arguing, but stopped fighting when they saw hering.

    "What are you talking about?" She asked curiously.

    Zha Doctor: "Nothing."

    Jian Jing looked at Zhen, but he refused to answer too and walked away.

    ˇ°Doctor,ˇ± Jian Jing didn''t chase Zhen. Instead, she took the opportunity to stop Zha. ˇ°What do you think about the professor''s death?ˇ±

    Zha Doctor: ˇ°He died from gunshot wounds, I don''t know anything else.ˇ±

    Jian Jing pretended to be surprised and tricked him. ˇ°But I heard you two had a heated argument.ˇ±

    ˇ°Who said that? No such thing,ˇ± he replied coldly.

    How could Jian Jing be stumped by these questions? She continued the offensive. ˇ°Because of Mrs. Lao.ˇ±

    Zha''s expression changed subtly.

    ˇ°We didn''t argue. We just said a couple of words,ˇ± Zha said. ˇ°This is not the first time anyway. He was always making mountains out of molehills.ˇ±

    ˇ°Was it just making mountains out of molehills? I think he got real evidence.ˇ± Jian Jing lowered her voice. ˇ°This isnˇŻt good news for you.ˇ±

    Zha pushed his sses up and asked sharply, ˇ°Are you implying that I killed Lao?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Obviously you deny this.ˇ±

    "Of course I didn''t kill him," Zha said firmly.

    Jian Jing asked: ˇ°What were you doing after 8pm yesterday?ˇ±

    ˇ°Are you interrogating me?ˇ± He angrily used, ˇ°Listen, you have no right to interrogate me. I have the right not to answer your questions.ˇ±

    Jian Jing shrugged. ˇ°Doctor, you don''t have to emphasize things everyone knows. In fact, I''m just suspicious for personal reasons and want to verify my own judgment. And your performance...was pretty terrible, I have to say.ˇ±

    Zha''s brow furrowed deeply, and the corners of his mouth were pressed tightly together. Clearly his master was trying hard to restrain his anger.

    ˇ°Let''s talk calmly,ˇ± Jian Jing yed the trust card. ˇ°The deceased was a professor of some renown. The police will surely investigate thoroughly. You donˇŻt want to be a suspect now, Doctor.ˇ±

    Zha gave a coldugh. ˇ°Are you threatening me?ˇ±

    ˇ°We just met yesterday. How does threatening you benefit me?ˇ± Jian Jingughed. ˇ°I want the truth, and what you want, Doctor, is a job offer from an overseas university. We don''t conflict.ˇ±

    She learned from Mrs. Lao that the reason for ZhaˇŻs resignation was that the subject he studied was very unpopr. The university refused to give him more funding and told him to either change his research direction or raise money himself.

    Furious, Zha resigned. But he did not want to give up his research. He sent resumes to overseas universities researching the same subject and was currently waiting for a response.

    If he became a suspect in a murder case, the offer he had been dreaming of would likely slip away.

    Zha was silent.

    After a while, he said, "I stayed in my room writing papers all the time, I didn''t go out."

    "Is there any way to prove it?"

    "You can ask the guy living next door to me," Cha Li said. "He can see into my room from his side."

    The one living next door was Li Journalist.

    His tent was close to the outermost cabin of the wooden houses. If the curtains weren''t drawn, he could indeed see part of the doctor''s room.

    It was now 9:40 at night, very close to the time the incident urredst night.

    Jian Jing worked up her courage and headed straight to Li Journalist''s room.

    He was startled by the guest''s visit. His expression was ambiguous: "Miss Jian? It''s sote, do you need something?"

    Jian Jing got straight to the point: "Zha Doctor has run into some trouble. He wants to know if you can confirm that he stayed in his room all ofst night."

    Li Journalist was shocked. It took him a long time to say: "How could I possibly do that?"

    "Your room can see into his, right?" Jian Jing peeked inside.

    Although the tents had adjustable curtains, the view wasn''t very clear. But as long as the inner shade curtains weren''t drawn, one could still vaguely see the inside of the wooden houses.

    However, Li Journalist regretfully said: "I didn''t pay any attention to that side. I was very tiredst night and went to bed early."

    "You didn''t see anything at all?" she asked.

    Li Journalist spread his hands helplessly. "I''m afraid not."

    Jian Jing said disappointedly: "That''s too bad."

    "No way. Just because I didn''t see anything, Zha Doctor would be considered the murderer?" Li Journalist looked skeptical. "Miss Jian, do you really think the murderer is one of us?"

    Jian Jing asked: "Don''t you think so?"

    Li Journalist said: "Why would any of us have a grudge against the professor? You came here on vacation. Mrs. Kang and the professor are longtime good friends. I came to take photos and hardly knew the professor. Zha Doctor is Mrs. Lao''s friend. Chen has worked here for many years. I can''t think of a single reason at all."

    On the contrary, he advised Jian Jing: "Miss Jian, I heard you''re a writer. I know writers have rich imaginations, but novels are novels and reality is reality."

    "So you think the murderer was an outside criminal?" Jian Jing asked back.

    Li Journalist shrugged. "That seems like a more obvious answer."

    Jian Jing nodded without arguing further with him. She nced around his room and said, "Routine questioning - you were in your room allst night, correct?"

    "Yes, I was very tired and went to bed early." Li Journalist sighed helplessly, "If you need my alibi, I''m afraid I don''t have one either."

    "Thank you for your cooperation."

    Jian Jing turned around and left.

 Chapter 329

    Chapter 329

    After a night of questioning, hunger gnawed at her stomach.

    Jian Jing decided to indulge herself with a "delicious taste of death" and cook a meal to reward her stomach. She gathered rice, eggs, curry, peas, and ham. As soon as she activated her special ability, her body entered a strange state. Although she was still in control of everything, there were always some small mishaps.

    For example, while she was contemting whether to cook with a cold pan and cold oil, or a hot pan with cold oil, or a hot pan with hot oil, her hand had already moved and poured the oil. She intended to use less oil for a healthier option, but the bottle tilted and she lost control.

    The rest of the process went more or less the same. Her actions with the frying pan were clumsy, as if a child was learning to use chopsticks for the first time. The spat felt more like a weapon than a tool, as if each stir-fry was an attempt to dissect someone.

    But little by little, the aroma began to waft out, making people uncontrobly salivate. Her stomach growled impatiently.

    She finished cooking and transferred a pot of fried rice onto a te. Each grain of rice was distinct, glistening with the oil from the curry powder. The peas were vibrant green, and the ham exuded a fragrant aroma. Even the eggs were perfectly bnced between being slightly charred and not overcooked, resulting in a delightful vor.

    Jian Jing thought to herself, "After using so many special abilities, this ''delicious taste of death'' is truly unparalleled." She grabbed a spoon and immediately took a mouthful.

    Delicious! Qaq

    This was definitely heaven''s way of sympathizing with detectives, speciallyforting them.

    "Having ate-night snack?" Kang Mu Cheng approached, pouring coffee, and was immediately greeted by an astonishing aroma. "Who made this?"

    "I followed a recipe and went all out." Jian Jing replied vaguely. "Want to try it? It''s delicious."

    He shook his head. "You eat it."

    "Just try a bite." She took out a new bowl and filled it halfway for him. "Give it a taste."

    Kang Mu Cheng didn''t want to dampen her enthusiasm, so he epted and took a bite.

    Immediately, he was astonished. "You made this?"

    "I went all out, I went all out." Jian Jing modestly boasted. Although the meal was made with cheats, she was the one who cracked the case.

    Rounding it off, it was essentially her own doing.

    Kang Mu Cheng uttered a nomittal "Hmm" but then asked, "Is it because your aunt raised the price and refused to cook for you? Should I help you find another live-in auntie?"

    Jian Jing replied, "...No."

    She didn''t like having people frequentlying in and out of her home, so she only had her aunte three times a week to clean and cook for the whole week, portioned and stored in the refrigerator. If she wanted to eat, all she needed to do was heat it up in the microwave. If there were any leftovers or takeout, her aunt would help take care of it, or she would bring it home herself.

    What was Kang Mu Cheng imagining?

    "Is it delicious?" She changed the subject.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "Not bad."

    "Just ''not bad''? I think it''s fantastic." She muttered.

    He chuckled. "Alright, it''s fantastic."

    She suddenly broke into a smile.

    After finishing their meal, Kang Mu Cheng started making tea again.

    Jian Jing asked, "Aren''t you going to sleep?"

    "It''s for my mom. I''ll sleep in a bit. How about you?" he asked. "Are you done with all your questions?"

    "More or less. I''m going to sleep first. I''m dead tired today." She yawned, waved her hand, and said, "Goodnight."

    "Goodnight."

    Jian Jing went back to her room to take a shower. Without ying with her phone, she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

    The next morning, a torrential rain suddenly arrived, and there were no dense forests around the observation station to provide cover. Raindrops fell unimpeded, creating a daunting scene.

    The water level in the stream surged, and the waterfall roared with sound.

    However, the location of this ce was quite clever. Although the water level continued to rise, it eventually flowed down to the forked mountainside, never managing to submerge the hotel''s floor.

    Knight crouched under the rain shelter, watching the small frogs invading the floor.

    Tworge geckos crawled on the walls.

    A snake slithered past the elevated tform beneath the tent.

    Jian Jing hung on the hammock, feeling deste and devoid of joy.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Are you feeling sick?"

    "I want to go home," she said. "I hate rainy days in the rainforest."

    Listening to the sound of rain in tall buildings and skyscrapers was a rare moment of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle, but the heavy rain in the rainforest... it was an animal paradise.

    She would rather go catch crocodiles in the river than stay here and keeppany with amphibians and insects.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "The culprit hasn''t been caught yet. Are you willing to leave?"

    "Ah," she sighed heavily, realizing that leaving was impossible. She struggled to climb out of the hammock and said, "I''ll find something to do instead."

    She wanted to go and ask Chen again.

    However, when she inquired, neither Chen nor Fei Na were there. They had left before the rain started.

    Nevertheless, Jian Jing didn''t have to wait long. Before lunchtime, the two of them returned dripping wet, still holding the huddled Bolly in their arms.

    The little monkey had lost its previous mischievousness and liveliness. It curled up sullenly, its eyes dim and pitiful.

    Jian Jing was taken aback. "Where did you find the monkey?"

    "Not far from where we parted the day before yesterday." Despite Fei Na''s previous dislike for Bolly, she now held the little monkey tightly in her arms, providing it warmth with her body heat. "It was frozen. I hope it doesn''t get sick."

    She gently stroked Bolly''s head. The little monkey struggled to open its eyes, trembling. Jian Jing felt heartbroken and called out loudly, "Cha Li,e quickly and take a look at Bolly!"

    Cha Li frowned, clearly reluctant to y the role of a veterinarian, but he didn''t refuse either.

    Bolly was ced in a temperature-controlled box, and Mrs. Lao fetched a nket, tightly wrapping its body. It seemed as if the monkey had transformed into a newborn baby, obediently curling up in the corner.

    Jian Jing found Chen and asked him about the specific location of the discovery.

    Chen was unable to exin clearly, so he hastily drew a map and marked the direction for her.

    ...........GPS disappearance point..

    Observation Point No. 3.........Bolly

    .......................

    ............Hotel.......

    Jian Jing reorganized the route in her mind.

    Two nights ago, Professor Lao and his group searched for No. 21. Due to the height difference, it took a long time, about 90 minutes, to reach the GPS disappearance point.

    However, it would take approximately 30-45 minutes to return directly to the hotel from the GPS disappearance point.

    From the hotel to Observation Point No. 3, it would take 50-80 minutes.

    Walking directly from the GPS disappearance point to Observation Point No. 3 would only take 15-20 minutes.

    Of course, these estimates were based on being very familiar with the route. Without knowledge of the terrain and someone to lead the way, it would take an entire day to get there.

    Professor Lao separated from the others and was found dead about 40-50 minutes after the gunshot.

    So, let''s analyze the possible scenarios for the professor''s death.

    The first possibility is that the culprit was among Fei Na, Mrs. Lao, and Chen.

    After parting ways with the professor, the killer followed him closely until he returned to the vicinity of the observation point, where he suddenly fired a shot. The first shot hit the professor''s arm, and he retaliated by returning fire (which is what others heard as gunshots). However, the killer''s second shot struck the professor''s chest, causing his immediate death.

    The second possibility is that the killer is Li Journalist or Cha Li, the doctor.

    They trailed the professor and his group, waiting for an opportunity to strike, and followed them to the vicinity of Point 3.

    But there is an inconsistency here. If they were tracking the professor, they would have overheard his arrangement with the others to meet near Point 3 in one hour. Choosing this location for the attack, so close to the designated time, would have increased the likelihood of being discovered by the people gathering there.

    Therefore, it is more likely that the killer was lying in wait near Point 3 in advance, which would have made it more convenient tounch the assault.

    However, this raises a new question.

    How did the killer know that the professor would go there?

    There are two possibilities: 1) The anomalies on the 21st were the killer''s doing, and based on the GPS location, it was predicted that the professor and others would appear near Point 3, or 2) the killer had arranged to meet with Professor Lao at Point 3.

    The former option is more challenging to execute. ording to what Fei Na said, the Asian unicorn''s movements are unpredictable, and it has rarely appeared. The killer would have had to intercept the GPS signal from the 21st in advance to make any calctions, which means they either understand wildlife or possess hacking skills.

    It is not difficult to screen Cha Li''s resume, and he should have no knowledge in this area, so the focus points to Li Journalist.

    Thetter option would require a special reason to make Professor Lao meet him alone in such a remote location. It is evident that this points to Cha Li, who has a conflicting rtionship with the professor regarding the green hat issue.

    In addition to these points, there are two more doubts.

    1) The murder weapon doesn''t make sense.

    The bullet was from a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, and apart from the missing bullet fired by Professor Lao, which Chen mentioned, there were no other bullets found at the scene.

    2) What about the monkey Bolly?

    Previously, Bolly had saved Professor Lao once. Did the killer eliminate the monkey because of that reason? How did they manage to do it?

    Monkeys are alert and sensitive; they don''t eat food given by strangers, and only familiar people can tamper with their food. Alternatively, did the killer use something like anesthesia? The observation station does have supplies of tranquilizers.

    Jian Jing carefully analyzed everything andpared them one by one, only to realize that most of the evidence pointed towards Chen.

    She wanted to test it out, so she shared her analysis with Fei Na.

    Without hesitation, Fei Na said, "Chen couldn''t have done such a thing, it''s definitely not him."

    "But he''s hiding something from everyone, and even when I asked him, he refused to say," Jian Jing said. "This is not good for him. Maybe you can get something out of him?"

    Fei Na couldn''t sit still and replied, "I''ll go find him."

    Facing Jian Jing, Chen''s mouth was as tight as a mshell, but when confronted with the girl he had silently loved all this time, even the most stubborn man would surrender.

    Chen finally opened up, saying, "I didn''t mean to keep it from you, it''s just... I don''t know who it is."

    "Perhaps it''s your mother," he added.

    Fei Na was extremely surprised: "Are you suspecting Xiang Cao killed my father?"

    "No," Chen hesitated for a moment and slowly said, "Some data was stolen."

    "What data?" Jian Jing pretended to coincidentally pass by and joined the conversation.

    Chen: "The GPS records from the 18th."

    "What happened on the 18th?" Jian Jing asked.

    "A white Bengal tiger," Chen''s expression turned grave, "Many wealthy individuals from the Middle East have offered arge bounty for a live white tiger."

    Jian Jing gasped, "Are you saying that someone stole the data to capture this rare white tiger?"

    Chen nodded.

    "Do you suspect Mrs. Lao?"

    "No," Chen denied that possibility and exined, "I have ruled out the professor, Fei Na, and myself. The remaining people are all suspicious."

    Jian Jing pondered, "When did this happen?"

    "Was it two months ago?" Fei Na seemed to recall something.

    Chen nodded.

    Fei Na said, "Two months ago, my father was injured and he refused to leave here for the town. Xiang Cao brought a doctor to check on himˇŞwas that when the data went missing?"

    Chen replied, "Yes, it was only during those days when the professor was sick and didn''t check it in time."

    Jian Jing then asked, "Since the data was lost once, were you all extra cautious? Is it possible for the content to be stolen again?"

    "The system has been upgraded," Chen stated firmly, "Only the professor has the encryption key. I don''t think anyone can crack it, at least not in the short term."

    Jian Jing nodded slowly, "I see."

    Fei Na anxiously asked, "Who stole the data? It can''t be Xiang Cao. Why would she do such a thing?"

    "Fei Na, I didn''t suspect her. I suspected Cha Li," Chen said seriously, "But he denies it."

    Jian Jing curiously asked, "What about Journalist Li? Didn''t he alsoe once?"

    "Yes," Fei Na quickly responded, "It was him who said he wanted to take pictures of the spectacled monkeys, and that''s when my father was attacked."

    Chen immediately added, "It could also be him, but I''m not certain."

 Chapter 330

    Chapter 330

    The puzzle of No. 21 was still unsolved, and now the question of No. 18 was added.

    On that rainy afternoon, Jian Jing curled up on thezyboy sofa, tugging at her dog''s ears, stroking its fur, munching on chips and sipping c.

    Kang Mu Cheng visited her twice and saw her lost in thought. He didn''t interrupt her, only brought her hot tea instead of the ice-cold c, and a tter of fruits instead of the high-calorie, high-sodium bag of chips.

    Jian Jing chuckled, "What are you doing?"

    "Can''t help you crack the case, so I can only provide some logistical support," he cut up the mango and gave half to the knight who was wagging its tail madly. "Any ideas yet?"

    She said, "A little."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Care to share?"

    "No, this isn''t a novel. It wouldn''t be interesting to spell everything out," afraid that he would be disappointed, Jian Jing added, "Besides, for a detective, the moment of identifying the murdereres when confronting the culprit in person."

    Kang Mu Cheng had tough, "You''re so reasonable."

    Jian Jing narrowed her eyes without answering.

    The rain continued. After standing by the window for a while, Kang Mu Cheng turned around to look at her.

    At this moment, Jian Jing the detective naturally exuded an aura different from Jian Jing the writer. There was a hint of sharpness, like a cat showing its ws.

    Kang Mu Cheng found this unfamiliar yet familiar side of her intriguing.

    Unfamiliar, of course, because he was more used to writer Jian Jing. But familiar...why did she look so familiar?

    Noticing his gaze, Jian Jing touched her cheek, "Got chip crumbs on my face?"

    "No." He said, "Just thought of something."

    "What is it?"

    Kang Mu Cheng just smiled without answering.

    "So mysterious." She muttered.

    His smile widened. It wasn''t anything special, he just suddenly realized he had seen this Jian Jing a long time ago.

    Back then, one Jian Jing was outside the book, the other was inside.

    Have they switched ces now?

    The heroine of his book "Sleepwalking Girl" was an introverted girl who lost her parents early and lived with her grandmother who had a bad leg.

    Thetest chapter revealed the cause of her sleepwalking disorder.

    Her parents died in a car crash. The car that caused the ident fled the scene. She kept going back to the crash site in her dreams, looking for the red sedan that sped away.

    Gradually, her sleepwalking destinations expanded beyond home. She was led by some mysterious force to appear at real crime scenes, again and again.

    "You have to finish thetest chapter before September," he urged her, "or you won''t make the New Year''s release next year."

    Jian Jing lowered her head tugging the German Shepherd''s ears, pretending not to hear.

    "Solve the case quickly and get back to writing," he said.

    "Looks like it''s almost dinner time," Jian Jing changed the subject. "There''s something I still need to do. Oh dear, gotta hurry."

    Mumbling to herself, she dashed off swiftly.

    At dinner tonight, everyone arrived on time.

    The gathering was called by Fei Na. The grief over losing her father didn''t defeat this strong girl. She wanted to bring everyone together to uncover the murderer''s identity.

    Dinner was a simple spaghetti, instant meal, done in less than half an hour. With the fruit tter, chicken nuggets and other items, it barely made a decent spread.

    Except for the health-conscious Kang President, no one paid attention to the food.

    Everyone seemed preupied.

    Fei Na wolfed down a couple mouthfuls of spaghetti quickly to fuel up. Then she suddenly put down her fork and bluntly dered, "I think the person who killed my dad is here today."

    Her words shattered the quiet at the dinner table.

    All eyes turned to her, reactions varied.

    Mrs. Lao looked mildly surprised then frowned slightly. Chen gave her a concerned look without a word. Cha Li''s mouth pressed tight, face taut, very grave. Li Journalist was shocked, looked left and right, wanted to speak but hesitated.

    Kang President sipped coconut juice thoughtfully. Kang Mu Cheng nced at Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing said decisively, "I agree."

    She gave Fei Na outright support, which clearly took a huge load off Fei Na''s shoulders.

    But Mrs. Lao asked, "Who here has a motive to kill him? Me? For the inheritance?"

    Thest question carried a tinge of self mockery.

    Fei Na said, "If for the inheritance, wouldn''t I have motive too? But we all know Dad didn''t have much money. He poured all he had into this ce."

    It was true that Professor Lao was a renowned animal conservation expert, but he was also a poor man. His funding came from grant applications and charity donations.

    So Fei Na and Mrs. Lao, both privy to his financial circumstances, would have no reason to kill for inheritance.

    As for insurance... "Even Bolly''s insurance premium is higher than Dad''s."

    The astronomical premium also ruled that out.

    "It seems you think it''s me," Dr. Cha Li spoke up. "But your father died from a gunshot. I don''t even know how to use a gun."

    Mrs. Lao said, "I can attest to that."

    Fei Na argued, "No, just because you haven''t fired a gun in front of her doesn''t mean you can''t. Getting a gun isn''t that hard. Chen said he learned to use guns when he was very young."

    Guns are banned here, yet bans can''t keep them away. With rampant crimes, people get guns for self-defense or work needs, so those proficient with guns are not rare.

    Cha Li mocked, "Then why not suspect him? He''s the best shot. And he''s missing bullets, so why can''t it be him?"

    Fei Na was momentarily tongue-tied. She turned to Jian Jing pleadingly.

    But instead of addressing their debate, Jian Jing asked, "Dr. Cha Li, do you have Bolly''s test results?"

    Cha Li said, "It has a fever, possibly an infection. Nothing else abnormal."

    "Was it anesthetized?"

    The doctor said coldly, "I''m not a vet. Didn''t run those tests."

    Jian Jing could only ask Fei Na, "Can you check if any anesthesia here is missing?"

    Having first-aid training, Fei Na was in charge of the medical storeroom. At the question, she immediately said, "Let me go see right now."

    Five minutester she rushed back, face strange. "You''re right. The anesthesia is short. Someone must have stolen it from here to drug Bolly. But why?"

    As she asked, her voice involuntarily rose, shrill and grating.

    Jian Jing stayed calm. "Let me analyzest night''s situation: First, the issue with No.21 happened by chance, or could it have been manipted?"

    Chen said, "The encrypted GPS means chance urrence."

    Fei Na added, "Unless someone captured No.21 and removed its tracking cor, but it''s so familiar with the jungle, rarely venturing into human inhabited areas. Ordinary people would have great difficulty finding it."

    Jian Jing nodded, "So this was a random event. Then logically, where Professor Lao would best night was also utterly unpredictable, right?"

    Everyone looked at each other then nodded in session.

    "To kill Professor Lao, the murderer must first locate him." Jian Jing continued posing questions and asking, "I want to ask, is it easy to track someone in the jungle?"

    Fei Na hesitated. "I don''t know how to put it. It''s not difficult in that people leave traces that hunters can follow based on footprints to deduce direction. Also there''s ample cover to easily remain hidden. But..."

    Jian Jing finished for her, "It means needing jungle experience and physical fitness to keep up with you.

    "So we can rule out me, Kang President and Kang Mu Cheng," she deduced.

    Mrs. Lao said, "I think Cha Li couldn''t do it either. On a school tripst year his performance was just awful."

    "Let''s not rule out Dr. Cha Li yet, I''ll exin whyter," said Jian Jing. "Not only must the killer locate the professor, he must possess the murder weapon. Troublingly, we don''t seem to have found the weapon so far."

    She tallied, "Professor Lao is missing 1 bullet. Chen is missing 4 bullets. The rest of the guns are fully loaded."

    Li Journalist finally found a chance to cut in, "That makes Chen the prime suspect."

    "No. He has the key to the bullet safe. No one keeps close count there. If he''s the killer why not take more bullets instead of using his own Type 56 rifle?" Jian Jing refuted.

    Mrs. Lao said, "If that''s the case, perhaps it really was someone else?"

    Chen said, "Yesterday and today, I used drones to look around, there was no smoke. The food at the observation point was untouched either."

    Jian Jing was slightly surprised, she didn''t expect he had done so much work, then showed an appreciative look.

    It had to be said, this was convincing evidence - if someone was hiding in the woods, they wouldn''t be able not to eat, either stealing the reserve rations at the observation point, or making their own fire to hunt animals.

    No smoke proved there was no fire.

    The probability of someone being there greatly decreased because of this.

    Fei Na also found it confusing because of this: "The bullets were deep inside the researchb. Last night, Cha Li, Xiang Cao, Chen and I went to get guns, none of us touched the safe, we only checked our own guns before leaving."

    The other two nodded, confirming what she said was true.

    Dr. Cha Li said sarcastically, "So where exactly did the murderer get the murder weapon from? Miss Jian, why don''t you answer the question you brought up yourself."

    "Of course I can answer, it''s not difficult at all." Jian Jing put down her fork, satisfiedly drank some coconut juice, before slowly saying, "The key to this baffling case is that we got the conditions of the murderer wrong."

    "What do you mean?" Kang President asked with interest, "Could it be the murderer didn''t need a gun, and faked it to look like a shooting?"

    "No," Jian Jing said, "I think the murderer acted on impulse, deciding to shoot Professor Lao, not that it was premeditated."

    Everyone was surprised, not understanding.

    She said, "Confirming my guess is Bolly. Think about it everyone, what kind of person would use a tranquilizer on Bolly, instead of just shooting it directly?"

    "Someone familiar with it," Mrs. Lao said calmly, "Bolly is very clever, only someone familiar could get it to lower its guard and be shot by a tranquilizer."

    Li Journalist said, "Uh, that would be you all..."

    "But Mrs. Lao, Fei Na and Chen all have inconsistencies, what happened on the 21st was a chance urrence, they couldn''t have prepared beforehand, hid a gun somewhere, and timed it exactly for when Professor Lao would be at observation point 3. Even if it was an incredible coincidence, could they have also coincidentally found a tranquilizer?"

    Jian Jing paused, then continued, "Also, Bolly was found near where they split up, some distance from point 3. If the murderer tranquilized Bolly first, wouldn''t the professor retaliate immediately? Why did he only fire one shot over such a long distance?"

    Fei Na nodded in agreement.

    Kang President had already lost patience, directly saying, "Jian Jing, I don''t want to guess anymore."

    Of course she had to reveal the answer to satisfy the president. Jian Jing promptly decoded: "So the answer is very simple, the person who tranquilized Bolly was the one Bolly trusted the most, and would never be on guard against."

 Chapter 331

    Chapter 331

    Fei Na was stunned for a moment, and her face changed drastically: "You mean...my father? How is this possible!"

    "Nothing is impossible," Jian Jing said calmly. "Why is the case soplicated? Because we got the premise all wrong. Everything that happened that night was not a coincidence, but was arranged by the professor."

    She looked around at everyone and emphasized word by word: "It was a murder night nned by the professor."

    The air suddenly became silent. Everyone was speechless and did not know what to say.

    Jian Jing said, "Because of the previous ident, the GPS system was upgraded again to prevent outsiders from invading, but this was not difficult for the professor. He could easily fake the records of Subject 21, right?"

    Chen thought for a moment and nodded silently.

    Fei Na could not ept it: "Why would my dad do that?"

    "He needed an alibi," Jian Jing said slowly. "That night, he was going to kill someone."

    Fei Na''s heart was hanging high: "Who?"

    Jian Jing did not answer this question, but went on to say, "Murder is not an easy thing to do. The professor is good with guns, but if he acts rashly, it is very likely to be traced back to him. He needs a suitable scapegoat, an alibi. It just so happened that day, Chen discovered abnormalities in wildlife, and Li Journalist provided a piece of news - neighboring countries exchanged fire, and some illegal elements may have fled into this forest."

    Li Journalist gasped. "Yes, I did say that."

    "This was a perfect opportunity," Jian Jing said. "The professor faked Subject 21''s records so that everyone would think he was not at the observation point. This way, as long as he found a chance to separate from the others, he coulde back here secretly and carry out his own n."

    Speaking of this, Mrs. Lao seemed to have understood something, and was hesitant to speak.

    "But the assembly time was 1 hour. To return from the separation point to here, and then go to Point 3, it would take at least 80 minutes. The professor obviously could not make it back in time. So he needed an excuse to dy himself for 20 minutes.

    "He decided to take advantage of Polly. Injecting Polly with anesthetics would create the illusion that it was hit by an anesthetic bullet. This would not only fabricate a non-existent offender, but also exin why he was dyed - and this n also proved that the person he wanted to kill was neither Mrs. Lao, Fei Na or Chen, otherwise there would be no need to take action against Polly.

    "The n was very clear up to this point, but it seemed that something was still missing, right?"

    Her tone suddenly became cheerful, revealing her master''s happy mood: "A gun. It was gunshots. He discovered the enemy. How could he not open fire? So at least, the professor needed to prepare one more bullet."

    "The first one was used to kill, the second one was used to fabricate the illusion of discovering the enemy." Jian Jing exined very carefully, "So he had to have 11 bullets. More or less would not work."

    Fei Na bit her lip: "But that is still one bullet missing."

    "Be patient," Jian Jing smiled. "Let us continue to analyze along the line of thought just now. The professor should have returned to the hotel to kill the person he wanted to get rid of... But why did he appear at Point 3 so much earlier?"

    Mrs. Lao asked: "Why?"

    "There are two possibilities. First, his n was discovered by someone, which could only be one of you three. However, as I said before, you would not be able to prepare to kill the professor in advance. So, the professor would have no need to fire that shot either.

    "So only the second one remainsˇŞhe took the initiative to change his mind. Although the professor was an extremely jealous man, he was also a wildlife conservationist. I think the only thing that could make him give up his personal interests and change his mind should be his career."

    Jian Jing looked around at everyone and said slowly, "He discovered someone."

    Chen''s eyes fell on Cha Li and Li Journalist.

    But Kang President firmly said, "It was not the doctor."

    Jian Jing nodded: "If it was the doctor, the professor would feel that he had failed to live up to Heaven''s gift of opportunity by not opening fire. He prepared one more bullet. As long as he returned to Point 3 on time and swapped the two Type 56 rifles, the murder weapon would be the rifle that anyone could getˇŞyes, this should also be the reason why the professor arranged to meet at Point 3. He needed to swap the two rifles."

    "But unfortunately, that person was not the doctor," she sighed lightly and looked at Li Journalist. "It was you."

    Li Journalist was startled: "Me? How is that possible? I was long asleep that day."

    "There was an ident with the wildlife. As someone who had written exclusive reports, how could you not be the least bit curious about the results and went straight back to your room to sleep soundly? Is that scientific?"

    He said, "I was too tired that day. You can''t suspect me just because I went to bed early, can you?"

    "I used a process of elimination. The doctor said he could not provide his own alibi and asked me to ask if you saw him. If he was not at the hotel at that time, it would be easy to see through what he said. Moreover, I remember your room light was on all the time."

    "What kind of evidence is this? Is it wrong that I forgot to turn off the light?" Li Journalist retorted: "As for the doctor, perhaps he used a dummy, thinking I would give him an alibi. In my opinion, maybe the doctor knew the professor wanted to kill him and made an appointment with him somewhere to talk, taking the opportunity to kill him."

    To his surprise, Jian Jing actually said, "I also considered this possibility, but I''m afraid not. I have a tiny bit of forensic knowledge."

    She made a tiny gesture with her hand: "Through the wounds caused by bullets, using trigonometric functions, the angle of the shot can be calcted."

    Li Journalist''s eyebrows moved slightly.

    "I won''t repeat the specific calction process. To put it simply, ording to the calction results, I found that the killer''s angle of incidence was 60ˇă downward from the horizontal. Then, theplementary angle of emission would be 30ˇă."

    Jian Jing made a gesture of raising the gun barrel and said, "The professor''s wound was in the chest. The 30ˇă angle means the position of the gun was lower than his chest, but Dr. Cha Li was taller than the professor. "

    Mrs. Lao suddenly realized.

    "If it was Dr. Cha Li, his gun should have pointed downward rather than upward," she said. "The murderer was a little shorter than my husband, but..."

    Mrs. Lao looked at everyone present and smiled wryly: "The only ones shorter than him are me and Fei Na."

    "Height is not the conclusion," Jian Jing overturned their ideas for the nth time and analyzed: "If it was a sudden attack by an acquaintance, would the professor have a chance to fire back?"

    Everyone thought about it and shook their heads.

    It would be normal for Chen, Fei Na and Mrs. Lao to hold guns. Professor Lao was unlikely to be suspicious, so if they suddenly opened fire, the professor would most likely die instantly without a chance to fire back.

    However, if he encountered Dr. Cha Li or Li Journalist and found them holding a gun, especially the former, the professor would not possibly be unwary.

    If the two sides exchanged fire, they would definitely seek cover immediately.

    Under such circumstances, it would be normal for the professor to be shot in the arm, but how could he be shot in the chest unguarded?

    Also, considering the professor''s violent shooting habits, why did he only fire one bullet during the exchange of fire?

    Chen said, "Ambush."

    "ThatˇŻs what I thought too. The professor secretly followed the suspect and was led by him all the way to near Point 3. Then the murderer found favorable terrain andunched a sneak attack on him."

    Speaking of this, Jian Jing paused briefly before saying, "Of course, this cannot determine whether it was the doctor or the reporter, but don''t forget one thing, everyoneˇŞthe professor only brought one extra bullet."

    Fei Na asked in puzzlement: "What do you mean?"

    "Why did he only need to bring one extra bullet?" Jian Jing repeatedly emphasized, "It''s simple. Although bringing more bullets and fabricating someone else firing shots is not difficult, as long as the shells are investigated, it can be distinguished which gun they came from."

    DonˇŻt think they are all Type 56 rifles and the spent shells would be no different after firing. In fact, the differences are huge.

    There are four types of marks on the bullets:

    1. Nicking marks: Marks formed by the collision between the bullet tip and the internal structure of the gun when the bullet enters the chamber. Different gun structures result in different nicking marks.

    2. Stripping marks: Marks left when the bullet is stripped out of the cartridge mouth under the thrust of the propent gas.

    3. Rifling marks: Scratch marks on the bullet from the bore showing the characteristics of the barrel surface.

    4. Bore scratches: After the bullet is pushed forward in the barrel, it rotates and moves forward, forming a series of scratches. These include what are called positive bore scratches, negative bore scratches, main edge scratches, secondary edge scratches, and so on.

    When the shell is ejected, the bullet will also be deformed under force, resulting in new marks.

    Based on this information, it can also be determined whether it was a Type 56 rifle that caused it, and specifically which Type 56 rifle, without any confusion.

    Since Professor Lao knew to switch the two rifles, he naturally wouldn''t forget this point.

    "If he had used his own gun to mimic the other''s gunshot, if the shell was picked up, things would getplicated. So the best approach is to im the other side had a gun."

    Jian Jing said, "Since the other side had a gun, then when he was murdering someone, he would naturally also need to use this thing."

    Fei Na finally understood: "Dad brought a gun? Then the gunshot..."

    "That''s right, the gunshot you heard wasn''t Professor Lao''s, it was the murderer''s."

    "We only heard one shot..." Mrs. Lao said in surprise, "But weren''t there two wounds?"

    "Three, but it really was just one shot. The bullet passed through his arm and entered his heart," Jian Jing said. "This can also exin why no bullets were missing from the other guns. The one used was the one Professor Lao had brought, the bullet prepared for murder."

    She had examined the professor''s corpse carefully earlier. Although the posture was hard to judge, after carefulparison, it wasn''t difficult to discover the three wounds were in a straight line.

    There was the soft sound of sharp inhales in the room, whether ofment or grief it was unclear.

    Chen said, "With one shot, his marksmanship is very good."

    "Not only was his marksmanship good. Although there was moonlight that night, the forest was dense with trees, so the lighting through must have been extremely limited. To take a lethal shot in this kind of environment with one bullet, auxiliary equipment is needed."

    Jian Jing looked at Li Journalist and smiled, "Like a camera, and like the infrared sight on the camera."

    Cameras equipped with infrared devices were no longer anything novel, especially for outdoor bird photography. Infrared sights could help a lot with resolving the issues of excessive focal length.

    It was perfectly normal for Li Journalist, who imed he was photographing wildlife, to have this kind of infrared device. She had seen earlier that one of his cameras had a built-in infrared sight when they were on the boat taking photos.

    "I think this can also exin when Professor Lao fired that shot," she said. "He saw the infraredser and immediately fired back, but at the same time, the bullet entered his chest."

    "Oh my God," Fei Na cried out softly, painfully covering her face.

    "Perhaps the murderer also didn''t expect his work to be so perfect. He examined the professor''s corpse, discovered the gun and extra bullet, and then had the inspiration to load his own gun and take the professor''s gun, creating the illusion that he had been shot twice, which also conveniently hid his own involvement."

    Jian Jing said, "As for the murder weapon, I think it was that one at observation point 3. Only this would better fit the story of the intruder identally killing the professorˇŞright? Li Journalist, this was the news you told everyone originally."

 Chapter 332

    Chapter 332

    Li Journalist sat on a chair, his body stiff as wood, but his eyes darted around swiftly, observing the surroundings.

    On his left was Chen, on his right Mrs. Lao, and Jian Jing sat across from him.

    At that moment, he suddenly remembered that today at dinner, Jian Jing had arrivedte. Originally it was Kang Mu Cheng sitting across from him.

    But she insisted on switching seats andined to him, "The view is not good over there, I want to switch with you."

    At the time, Li Journalist thought it was just a young girl''s pretentious whim. But now... He nced down and what he saw was the pitch-ck muzzle of a gun.

    "Put your hands up," Jian Jingmanded, her own hands still steady under the table, aiming at his abdomen, "Answer some of my questions."

    Li Journalist smiled and slowly put his hands on the table, "You say I''m the murderer, do you have any evidence?"

    "Doing a gunshot residue test on your camera and infrared sight will make it clear," Jian Jing said, seeming expectant, "Want to try?"

    "I''ve yed with guns before, it probably won''t show anything..." Li Journalist said unhurriedly, though his body made apletely contrary move.

    He suddenly yanked the tablecloth spread on the table, brushing all the tes away in one sweep, obscuring their view while grabbing Mrs. Lao next to him and holding a fruit knife to her neck artery.

    "Don''t move, or I''ll kill..."

    He didn''t get to finish the ssic hostage-taking line before Jian Jing fired at his arm.

    No need to negotiate conditions. Aiming for vitals and firing was simpler.

    Blood sprayed out, sttering all over Mrs. Lao''s face. But she was also nimble enough, rolling away on the spot and neatly escaping the other''s control.

    Chen pounced over to twist his arm.

    Jian Jing said, "Move again, and I''ll shoot you where the professor was shot."

    It was well known that people usually aimed for the torso when firing guns. Even at close range, the chances of hitting other areas were very low.

    But in just an instant, she had precisely and unerringly shot his arm without harming Mrs. Lao. Her marksmanship was clearly no joke.

    Li Journalist did not want to challenge the uracy of the sharpshooter.

    He slowly raised his hands, "Ok, I surrender."

    Jian Jing: "Why did you kill the professor?"

    "He was in someone''s way." Li Journalist had no personal grudge against Professor Lao. He confessed readily, "Because of the existence of this observation station, our hunts failed many times. My boss was very angry. I had no choice, we all had to get started, so I could only ask him to die."

    Fei Na was enraged to the point she wanted to rush over and punch him, "You despicable poachers deserve to die."

    Li Journalist was unmoved, "People die for money, birds die for food, say what you want."

    Jian Jing pressed her lips together, suppressing her anger, and continued asking, "That night, why did you follow him?"

    "I wanted to see if I could get Number 21."

    Chen asked, "Did you steal the data on Number 18?"

    Li Journalist nodded indifferently, "Originally after getting rid of the professor, we were going to prepare to hunt Number 18. A big boss had paid a 100,000 deposit, just waiting to take action."

    At this, everyone furrowed their brows tightly.

    "I''m going to kill you, damn it," Fei Na grabbed the fruit knife from the table and stabbed at him.

    But Jian Jing stopped her, "Don''t do this, he''s not worth it."

    "You don''t know, this country is rotten through, even if people like him go to jail, they won''t get the death penalty. His boss could probably get him out soon after." Fei Na stared at him through gritted teeth.

    Li Journalist just smiled, not denying it.

    Jian Jing hesitated, but still did not let go, "It''s not worthmitting a crime for him."

    Fei Na wanted to say more, but Mrs. Lao came over and put her arm around her shoulder, "We can appeal, demand the government increase punishments. You can''t..." she said softly, "You can''t kill someone."

    Only then did Fei Na reluctantly lower her hand and silently sit back down.

    Jian Jing was exhausted, "Tie him up and hand him to the police. Did theye yet?"

    "Soon probably." Chen was uncertain.

    "Tie him up well and lock him first," Jian Jing said. "Li Journalist, I''m warning you, I''ll be watching you myself tonight. If you try to escape, I won''t be polite."

    Li Journalist shrugged, not resisting.

    He was locked in the bathroom with his hands and feet bound behind his back to the pipes. At the door was the young knight on his first shift, ears pricked high, looking his way at every sound.

    Li Journalist bided his time stealthily, waiting patiently.

    The sounds outside continued one after another - the dragging of chairs, voices, pouring water... Lying on the floor, he observed the situation through the crack under the door.

    He kept waiting until it was almost 1am, when a man came over and asked, "Hungry? Want to eat something?"

    "Hungry," the young girl he was wary of dragged out the word, like a spoiled child, "Didn''t eat much for dinner, the instant noodles were so gross."

    "Sandwich?" the man intimate with her asked.

    She said, "No."

    He said, "Cookies?"

    "Can I have instant noodles?" she asked pitifully.

    He said, "Then wait a bit."

    After five or six minutes, the smell of instant noodles wafted over.

    Li Journalist heard her footsteps moving away, she had probably gone to the dining area outside to eat.

    He couldn''t help a sneer - the bathroom and dining area were only separated by a corridor. She must have thought he couldn''t escape.

    Big mistake.

    Between Li Journalist''s fingers appeared a small razor de that had cut through the binding ropes. Then his body suddenly darted out. In the split second the dog was startled, he yanked down the shower curtain and wrapped it over its head.

    The knight had not received professional training after all. Disoriented with its body wrapped up, it could only bark madly.

    Li Journalist seized the time and immediately opened the bathroom window to slip out through the narrow gap.

    Hurried footsteps sounded behind him.

    Someone had caught up.

    Li Journalist rolled forward low to the ground, not escaping into the woods but crawling into the hollowyer under the cabin instead. The hot and humid southeast Asian climate meant most buildings had an undeyer. He crawled ahead and emerged from another direction.

    "Bang."

    Just after escaping a few steps, an obstruction came out of the corner. Chen had caught up with a gun.

    Li Journalist broke into a run.

    In the dark night, theplex terrain of the forest meant having to shine shlights and search slowed people down considerably. As long as he could get through this wave of pursuit, it would be much easier to slip away after.

    "Bang," another shot, from the left rear this time, apanied by the continuous furious barking of a dog.

    He couldn''t run into that girl surnamed Jian.

    Without hesitation, Li Journalist ran towards the front right.

    Like Chen, he had also grown up in the forest, used to running through the bushes. However, he did not wish to protect this primitive jungle like Chen did.

    What was good about this remote backwater? He was already sick of it.

    Li Journalist yearned for the city, for mor. He wanted lots of money, wanted to make something of himself, to be looked up to by others. The forest could not give him that.

    So he became a guide, specially receiving wealthy tycoons. They sought thrills, wanting to satisfy a conquering impulse in the jungle.

    Li Journalist fulfilled their desires, and in return, obtained huge sums of money, with one transaction easily surpassing Chen''s decade of dull work.

    The footsteps pursued relentlessly, like ghosts in lockstep.

    Li Journalist struggled to get his bearings.

    He was unfamiliar with this area, after all it was within range of the observation station. If he trespassed recklessly, he could easily be discovered by the veteran hunters, and could only rely on previously gathered intel to orient himself.

    East were the monkey territories. The monkeys liked to toy with humans, so he couldn''t go that way. South had crocodiles, withplex water systems, very dangerous. He could only go north.

    It was also near Point 5, hispanions should arrive to help soon.

    Gradually, the footsteps faded away, the pursuer seeming to have been shaken off.

    Li Journalist remained cautious, not daring to be careless, still hurrying to leave as fast as he could.

    After another half hour, his strength was spent.

    He had no choice but to stop and rest.

    Up ahead was a lush, thick-foliaged big tree. He decided to climb up to rest and conceal himself while observing the terrain.

    After a cursory look at his surroundings, Li Journalist started climbing the tree.

    This was something he had done since young, getting one and a half meters up in just a few moves. But suddenly, the hairs on his neck stood on end, and goosebumps popped up one by one.

    He couldn''t help an involuntary shudder, a massive sense of crisis rising from his heart.

    His jungle survival experience told him something was off.

    He had missed something.

    Something that could take his life.

    Go down.

    The brain issued the order.

    Li Journalist fell down awkwardly, letting go. His body heavily fell to the ground, his head all muddy. But he didn''t care much about that, he turned around wanting to escape, but it was already toote.

    There was severe paining from his thigh, and a bloody stench came from behind his neck.

    He nervously looked back, and saw a pair of shining phosphorescent eyes.

    Then, in the darkness floated up a round and small head, yellow fur, ck spots, a mouth lined with whiskers.

    A leopard.

    The top predator of the jungle.

    Yes, Li Journalist suddenly remembered, Chen had mentioned earlier that there seemed to be an Indochinese leopard prowling around nearby.

    Number 21''s whereabouts were fabricated by the professor, the criminal''s escape was made up by him. How ridiculous, the conspiracy to murder was all fake, only the leopard droppings were real.

    Despair welled up in his heart.

    In the next moment, the pain of torn flesh spread all over his body. Li Journalist painfully wailed "Ah!!"

    He wanted to struggle, but how could a mere human resist against the leopard''s agility and strength?

    The leopard tore at his body.

    It hurts, it hurts too much. Li Journalist screamed, struggled, copsed. In extreme fear, his brain waspletely unable to think.

    At this time, even regret was toote.

    The police would listen to your sophistry, the judge might spare you because of your repentance, but what would wild animals know?

    In their eyes there was only prey to hunt and kill.

    After some unknown amount of time, several vague shadows appeared in his vision.

    "Save me!" Li Journalist begged feebly.

    Chen didn''t say anything, neither did Fei Na. Holding guns, they hesitated and slowly backed away, exchanging a nce. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to save a person. No matter how much they hated Li Journalist, normal people would not sit by and watch as he was eaten alive.

    However, they were holding real guns without tranquilizer darts.

    It was either save this scumbag, kill the protected animal, or...

    "Jian." Fei Na mouthed to Jian Jing, obviously wavering, "What should we do?"

    Jian Jing showed hesitation.

    Of course she didn''t have any tranquilizer darts either, but... cough, the system always provided cheats at the right time.

    [System: Limited pool unlocked. Draw card?]

    Draw, of course draw.

    [Limited card drawn]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Status Card - Favor of Animals]

    [Description: You caught a criminal who specifically hunted wild animals, avoiding more animal deaths, gaining their heartfelt gratitude and greatly increasing favorability.]

    [Note: Try calling them when needed, maybe you can get help]

    Jian Jing: What the.

    This works too??

    She was dumbfounded, slowly putting down the gun in her hand.

    The leopard''s paws pinned down its prey, fangs covered in crimson flesh and blood, barbed tongue curled out, eyes curiously watching her.

    Jian Jing squatted down and called out very unconfidently: "Kitty kitty?"

    Leopard: "???"

    "Uh," she started negotiating, "Spare him, I''ll bring you pork chops tomorrow."

    The leopard tilted its head.

    Fei Na was scared into a cold sweat: "Jian,e back!"

    "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine." Jian Jing said in a low voice, continuing to try summoning, "People don''t taste good, I''ll give you half a fat pig."

    The leopard stopped its tearing.

    Jian Jing: "I swear, same time tomorrow, half a fat pig."

    The leopard looked at her, whether it understood the deal, or felt three humans were not easy to take on, it actually stopped gnawing Li Journalist, slowly retreating backwards instead.

    Jian Jing likewise slowly retreated backwards, taking small steps.

    When both parties retreated a certain distance, the leopard darted into the bushes in a blur, its tracespletely disappearing.

 Chapter 333

    Chapter 333

    Chen carried the blood-covered Li Journalist back to the hotel on his back.

    Zha Doctor gave cursory treatment, fulfilling the professional ethics of a doctor, and that was it. Meanwhile, Jian Jing, Fei Na and Chen sat outside drinking coffee, exchanging wry smiles.

    Fei Na: ˇ°I thought he would fall into the crocodile pond...ˇ±

    Chen: ˇ°HeˇŻs unlucky.ˇ±

    Jian Jing sighed.

    Everyone wasnˇŻt really illegally fishing, after all the jungle was so big, it was hard to prevent someone from really running away. However, they did make a n B, that if anyone ran away, they would chase him to the crocodile pond - this idea was proposed by Fei Na, but no one else objected.

    But ns can''t keep up with changes. Li Journalist had probably scouted the surrounding terrain and avoided several pits.

    Just when they thought things were going to get bad, retribution came.

    The South China leopard that had wandered away from its territory wandered nearby, and it was just the right time of night for it to hunt.

    Who is to me?

    ˇ°He deserved it,ˇ± Fei Na let out her resentment, feeling refreshed. ˇ°Since we saved him anyway, it''s just his bad luck if he doesn''t make it through.ˇ±

    She looked forward to the meeting tomorrow: ˇ°We really have to deliver the pig.ˇ±

    ˇ°Yeah, we canˇŻt trick the cat...I mean trick the leopard.ˇ± Jian Jing was also very much looking forward to it.

    Chen: ˇ°IˇŻll go.ˇ±

    ˇ°No one can rob this from me,ˇ± Jian Jing said, ˇ°I want to personally deliver it.ˇ±

    ˇ°Deliver what?ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng walked in, just in time to hear this sentence.

    Jian Jing quickly said: ˇ°ItˇŻs nothing. Ah, itˇŻs past three o''clock, I''m going to bed. He won''t be able to run away again.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng was skeptical, but seeing her tired face, yawning again and again, he naturally didn''t ask further: ˇ°Then go to bed quickly.ˇ±

    She hastily slipped away.

    The case was solved, the suspect was in the hospital bed, there really wasnˇŻt anything left to worry about. As soon as Jian Jing got into bed, she fell into a deep sleep, without even noticing Knighting over with a small nket in his mouth.

    The girl and the dog had a good sleep until noon the next day.

    When she woke up, Li Journalist had already been taken to the hospital by the police who arrived early in the morning.

    The system alsopleted the settlement in a timely manner.

    [Task Name: Murder in the Jungle (Completed)]

    [Task Reward: Cracking the case +20 courage points, Bringing poachers to justice +10 special contribution points]

    [Note: Courage value can be used to draw cards (ordinary), costing 5 points each time; Contribution value can be used to draw cards (special), costing 10 points each time]

    After that, Mrs. Lao took Professor LaoˇŻs body to the funeral home. She was responsible for cremation, funeral and other arrangements. Zha Doctor stayed behind and continued his part-time job.

    With nothing to do, Jian Jing and Fei Na decided to go whitewater rafting.

    When two girls got together, of course they would gossip.

    Jian Jing asked: "Will Zha Doctor and Xiang Cao get married?"

    "No," Fei Na said, "they don''t really love each other."

    "They admire each other."

    "As friends they admire each other, but not necessarily as husband and wife," said Fei Na. ˇ°Perhaps this is the best, more than friends but less than lovers."

    Jian Jing: ˇ°...Your Chinese is quite good.ˇ±

    Fei Na: "I hope I can go to China next year. Your country is so big, with endangered animals everywhere."

    "Wee to China," Jian Jing said.

    Fei Na was delighted: "Thank you, we''re friends now, aren''t we?"

    "Of course." Jian Jing paused for a moment, suddenly hesitant, "Since we''re friends, I have a, uh, small request..."

    Fei Na: "?"

    Jian Jing signaled with her eyes.

    She understood instantly, giving an "ok" gesture.

    A girl and a dog yed in the water all day. At night, Knighty down and Jian Jing still had to go feed the leopard.

    She fulfilled her promise and brought half a frozen pig.

    Kang Mu Cheng was shocked: "What are you going there for?"

    Jian Jing: "BBQ?"

    Him: "Jing Jing."

    "Going out to y, Fei Na and Chen will be with me." She said.

    Kang Mu Cheng was already suspicious. He deliberately asked, "What activity, I''ll go too."

    Fei Na couldn''t help but giggled.

    Jian Jing had no choice but to say, "Feeding the cat."

    He slightly frowned, but seeing her and Fei Na making faces at each other, he barely held back what he wanted to say: ˇ°Come back soon.ˇ±

    She heaved a sigh of relief.

    The forest was as quiet as ever, the faint moonlight filtered through the sparse foliage, sprinkling the hazy shadows among the woods, as if entering another world.

    Fei Na asked, "Jian, are you very afraid of Kang Mu Cheng?"

    "He''s always afraid I''ll encounter danger. I don''t want him to worry," said Jian Jing. ˇ°Although this is not very good, but I can''t think of a better way.ˇ±

    Fei Na: ˇ°Why not tell him honestly?ˇ±

    Jian Jing did not answer this question. She kicked away the annoying branches under her feet and walked on.

    After walking for an hour, they finally reached the ce where they had parted yesterday.

    The three people waited for a while without the leopard appearing.

    Fei Na then said, "We''re here, it doesn''t dare toe out."

    ˇ°LetˇŻs move aside a little bit.ˇ± But Jian Jing wanted to try the power of the limited edition card. ˇ°Maybe if I''m alone, it wille over.ˇ±

    Fei Na: ˇ°This is too dangerous.ˇ±

    ˇ°I have a gun.ˇ± Jian Jing borrowed Fei NaˇŻs revolver, which was just behind her waist. ˇ°You also have tranquilizer guns, it''s okay.ˇ±

    Fei Na wanted to say something more, but Chen stopped her: ˇ°She will be fine.ˇ±

    ˇ°Why?ˇ±

    "That South China leopard was very close to her yesterday," said Chen. ˇ°I''ll go up that tree over there, it''s okay.ˇ±

    Fei Na had great confidence in his judgment, she did stop objecting and retreated far away to hide well. Chen climbed a tree and mounted a ˇőˇő with the cover of the canopy.

    Ten minutester, a slight rustle came from the bushes.

    The South China Leopard leaped lightly out, graceful and agile under the night sky. Its unmatched beauty was like a forest elf.

    Jian Jing held her breath, afraid to disturb it.

    The leopard strode with ease, without any hunting actions, but seemed to be taking a casual stroll. It slowly walked to Jian JingˇŻs side, lowered its head to look at the thawed pig meat.

    It had never eaten frozen food before. After fiddling with it back and forth a few times, it tentatively bit into it. Once confirming it was food, the leopardy down there and started to eat with great relish.

    While marveling ˇ°IˇŻm really looking for trouble hereˇ±, Jian Jing stretched out her hand, slowly, gently, lightly, stroking its head.

    Fei NaˇŻs heart almost jumped out: this was not a zoo-bred leopard, but a wild one!!

    But even so, the excitement in her heart had already prompted her to raise her camera and quietly record these less than 30 seconds of footage.

    Hmm, only 30 seconds.

    After stroking it, Jian Jing got scared and ran away too.

    Fei Na: ˇ°You scared me to death!"

    Jian Jing: ˇ°No crocodile avable, but worth it to touch a leopard!"

    "I want to...no!" Fei Na vigorously shook her head, dismissing the terrible idea. ˇ°This is an extremely dangerous behavior, very likely to cause loss of life. I can''t do such unprofessional things."

    Jian Jing: Immersed in immense happiness.

    Fei Na: Crying emoji Crying emoji

    Jian Jing: "Remember to copy me the video."

    Fei Na: "You can''t publish it publicly. It would be bad if it misleads others."

    Jian Jing swore and pledged not to spread externally.

    The two returned to the hotel full of excitement. Kang Mu ChengˇŻs tent was still lit.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, and took the initiative to greet him: ˇ°IˇŻm back.ˇ±

    ˇ°Hmm.ˇ±

    He''s angry.

    Jian Jing pursed her lips and went straight to bed.

    Ms. Kang soon discovered that a small unpleasantness had urred between Jian Jing and Kang Mu Cheng.

    Her son took care of people as usual, but talked less. The girl''s performance was more direct ˇŞ she had been ying on her mobile phone all the way back without saying much.

    "Did you two have a fight?" Mrs. Kang asked her son. "Because of the new book?"

    Kang Mu Cheng tly denied: "No."

    "Uh-huh." Mrs. Kang patted him on the shoulder. ˇ°Men need to be more generous. WhatˇŻs the point of arguing with a girl?ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng said: ˇ°I told you we didn''t argue."

    ˇ°Yes, no fight, just a cold war huh,ˇ± Mrs. Kang rolled her eyes. ˇ°DonˇŻt mince words with me."

    She was quite interested: ˇ°Tell me, what did you do to upset her like this?ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng kept quiet and continued to check emails.

    "Jing Jing, how did Mu Cheng bully you?" Mrs. Kang changed targets again and smiled. ˇ°Tell auntie and IˇŻll scold him for you.ˇ±

    ˇ°He was unhappy yesterday because I didn''t take him out to y,ˇ± Jian Jing nced provocatively at him. ˇ°Madame, arenˇŻt menˇŻs minds especially hard to guess?ˇ±

    Mrs. Kangughed so hard: ˇ°ThatˇŻs so true, just ignore them.ˇ± Kang Mu Cheng didnˇŻt even look up. Jian Jing suddenly lost interest. She closed the magazine, ˇ°IˇŻm going to buy a cup of coffee. Do you want one, Madame?ˇ±

    ˇ°Americano iced.ˇ±

    ˇ°Ok.ˇ±

    The airport coffee shop was always crowded, especially since todayˇŻs flight was dyed. Jian Jing lined up a long queue before finally buying coffee and snacks. When she brought them back to the VIP lounge, she brushed shoulders with several tall men walking by.

    Jian Jing''s sixth sense was touched, and she nced at them.

    It was just the curious eyes of passersby, but it attracted the other party''s attention in an instant. They suddenly turned back and looked at her coldly.

    Jian Jing blinked, pretending to be ignorant.

    Seeing that she was holding coffee and dressed fashionably and beautifully,pletely harmless, they finally turned around coldly and continued to look around at the passersby.

    "Who was that?" Jian Jing returned to her seat and asked Kang President in a low voice.

    Kang President took a sip of coffee and said, "A guest who just arrived, mysterious, with such tight security, must be some important person."

    "No wonder." Jian Jing didn''t take it to heart. She looked up at the screen, "Has our ne taken off?"

    Kang President''s face suddenly darkened: "It became 5 hours."

    As the saying goes, there are unexpected storms in the sky. The flight was fine, but who would have thought that a typhoon in the Pacific was attracted by something for some reason. It didn''t move ording to the nned route this morning, and turned towards coincidentally right on the scheduled route of the flight.

    So the ne went from being on time to a 1 hour dy, a 150 minute dy, a 240 minute dy.

    Endless.

    However, humans are also very insignificant when they say insignificance. No matter how unhappy they are, they canˇŻt influence a typhoon. They can only obediently ept the arrangement and wait slowly.

    Jian Jing lost spirit: "What time is it going to be?"

    "Don''t be impatient, the more impatient, the longer it takes." Kang President stretched outzily and said arrogantly, "I''m going to take a nap. The boarding flight attendant wille to notify me. You guys go find something fun to do."

    Without waiting for their reply, she picked up her bag and went to rest in the room decisively.

    Jian Jing was killing time by continuing to y with her phone.

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her: "Don''t want to write even when you''re free?"

    "No inspiration." she said.

    He: "Want to chat about the plot?"

    She: "Don''t want to chat."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed: "Jingjing."

    Jian Jing lowered her head to touch Knight''s head: "Are you happy? You can sit in the cabin today."

    ording to regtions, only one pet can enter the cabin. On the way here, Knight was not lucky enough to get into the cabin. He was very aggrieved to be transported for several hours and suffered a lot. So on the way back, Jian Jing spent a lot of effort and finally grabbed a spot to get in the cabin.

    ThatˇŻs why she didnˇŻt intend to change flights, for fear that the dog would suffer again.

    Knight: "Aw."

    "Do you want lunch?" she asked.

    Knight looked at her, then at Kang Mu Cheng, andy back down on the floor: "Aw."

    "I''ll go buy you lunch," she said. "You have to be good and don''t run around."

    Knight wagged his tail to indicate that he had heard.

    Although there was a lot of food in the VIP restaurant, they were all featured dishes, and there was nothing the dog liked to eat. Jian Jing decided to find a steakhouse and order a medium rare steak for Knight as lunch.

    The airport was huge, and it took her some time, but she finally managed to find a restaurant with steak.

    While waiting, she repeatedly watched her video of petting the big cat, considering who to share the happiness with.

    Ji Feng? No, although he doesn''t care like Kang Mu Cheng does, he probably wouldn''t approve of her taking risks eitherˇŞcontact with wild animals is too dangerous after all.

    Jiang BaiYan? His response was predictable to certainly be a wave of ttery. But Jian Jing was afraid of misleading him into thinking there was nothing to be afraid of. In case he goes up to pet animals while filming some variety show in the future, how would that turn out?

    Afraid of being lectured and afraid of misleading people, after thinking it over for a long time, she was aggrieved to find there was no one she could share with.

    Jian Jing put down her phone and spaced out.

    The next moment, her body suddenly tensed up. Before she could even turn her head, her elbow was already swinging back. Empty.

    Someone hugged her from behind and whispered with augh:"Long time no see, Miss Bunny."

 Chapter 334

    Chapter 334

    Jian Jing twirled the fork in her hand, her tone subtle: "Why is it you again?"

    "We are fated to meet," Zong Ye sat down in the booth across from her, using the potted nt beside him to hide his figure. "Every time I run into you, I have good luck."

    She said coldly: "It''s theplete opposite for me."

    The first time Jian Jing met Zong Ye, Si Yingjie had suffered a fiasco. The second time she met him, the Paris terror attack happened, resulting in countless casualties. The third time she met him, she had spent 7 million.

    This fourth time... "I should still keep my distance from you," she said.

    Zong Ye smiled. His fox-like pheromones disseminated again. "It won''t be toote to listen to what I have to say."

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "If an explosion is about to happen here immediately, I would be grateful to you and then leave right away."

    "This time it has nothing to do with civilians, but you will thank me," Zong Ye said surely.

    She was alerted and guessed: "That guest in the VIP room?"

    He nodded slightly.

    Damn it! Jian Jing cursed silently. She got up at once. Kang Mu Cheng was still in the lounge.

    "Don''t rush, hear me out first," Zong Ye held her back and went straight to the point, "That''s a high-ranking military official from a certain country. He ns to take a secure flight home."

    An official? Jian Jing frowned slightly.

    "We believe one of the people around him is..." The name was about toe out but he swallowed it back. Zong Ye smiled, "A person with the codename A."

    However, Jian Jing was curious not about A, but ˇŞ "You guys?" She weighed the word, "Who are you?"

    Zong Ye didn''t answer. He just took out a newspaper, "Take a look at this."

    Jian Jing received it.

    It was the English version of a local newspaper. In a corner column, there was a headline that read: "A Super Drug Lord Flees Again After Sudden Gunfight in Vige Last Night."

    The gist was: There was a drug lord in the Golden Triangle who hadmitted numerous crimes in the past decade with multiple lives on his hands. The drugs made by his gang had led countless families to break down.

    The police had tried to arrest this person many times, but he always slipped through their fingers, shuttling back and forth across borders, causing the arrest operations to fail due to various reasons.

    So far, the police still didn''t know whether this person was male or female, fat or thin, or how old he was. ording to gang members who were arrested, he was called "Boss" within the group. Only the second and third-inmand knew what he looked like. Very mysterious.

    At the end of the report, the editor said that although the case was still under investigation, the "Boss" was extremely cunning. Perhaps the police woulde away empty-handed this time as well.

    After reading the report, Jian Jing''s eyebrows were tightly knitted together.

    Zong Ye said: "I can tell you this arrest operation is extraordinary. It must seed and cannot fail."

    "Why?"

    He told Jian Jing more details.

    It turned out when the Boss entered Yunnan, he had been pursued by Chinese police several times. He had almost lost his life once and harbored a grudge, determined to retaliate against the Chinese police and show off his capabilities to various factions in the Golden Triangle.

    Earlier this year, when he heard outsiders were inquiring about him, he devised a retaliation n.

    He lured the investigating police officer into hisir and killed him in an extremely cruel way. He then ordered his subordinates to uncover the officer''s identity and kill his wife and children.

    For a while, his notoriety grew in the Golden Triangle, attracting countless followers.

    The Chinese side was naturally furious and determined to eradicate this person to serve as a warning at the border.

    Jian Jing shivered. She immediately asked, "The Boss is A?"

    "The first-inmand is A, second-inmand is B, and third-inmand is C," Zong Ye said slowly. "C was arrested and interrogated for half a month before he was willing to identify A, but it was a trap."

    His ount was as concise as possible, but just a few sentences were enough to make oneˇŻs hair stand on end and send chills down one''s spine: "Almost the entire team was wiped out. Three died on the spot. The rest are still in the ICU and have yet to be out of danger."

    After a brief pause, he added: "So far, the death toll has exceeded 10 people."

    Jian Jing sucked in a breath of cold air.

    "The operation was basically deemed a failure, but an undercover agent risked his life to send a message that A had crossed the border. He is highly likely to try to meet up with a senior official to secretly escape home on an official flight."

    Amidst the hubbub at the airport, Zong Ye''s voice floated gently, too soft to be clearly heard without straining to listen carefully.

    "That was the messagetest night. When I rushed over this morning, there were only 15 minutes left before the flight took off. I thought I wouldn''t make it, but luck was really on my side." Zong Ye said, "This is the best opportunity."

    He wrote a few words on the table: "Wherever one gets arrested is where he gets tried. Once A flies back home, even if he gets caught, people behind him can get him out on bail. Only by capturing him in a third-party location can we avoid his power and extradite him back home for trial."

    Jian Jing kind of understood.

    She asked, "You want me to help you find this person?"

    "Yes," Zong Ye acknowledged. "The VIP room is already under close surveince. The slightest stir may startle the target. I need an aplice."

    Jian Jing fell silent.

    To be fair, she didn''t have any reason to refuse. The world would be better off with one less person like A. Her only concern was Zong YeˇŻs position.

    "Why should I believe you?" Jian Jing asked bluntly.

    Zong Ye nodded, "Reasonable doubt."

    She spread her hands.

    Lost in thought for a moment, he said, "Wait for me. You''ll know in a bit."

    "You''d better be quick then," The steak was ready. Jian Jing took the takeout box and left. While she didn''t really trust Zong Ye, his information was unlikely false.

    It would be best to get Kang Mu Cheng away as soon as possible.

    But when Jian Jing returned to the VIP Room, she started worrying ˇŞ how was she going to tell Kang Mu Cheng?

    Kang Mu Cheng noticed her struggling expression.

    Perhaps she had never paid attention to it herself. Whenever she wanted to do something but didn''t know how to exin it to him, or when she was afraid of him finding out about something, she would reveal such an embarrassed look.

    Her brows furrowed slightly. It was hard to detect this subtle change without looking closely. She pursed her lips tightly, the corners drooping like a sagging little tail, very simr to a sullen child''s expression.

    Such unique micro expressions were one of a kind. Kang Mu Cheng knew what was up as soon as he saw it.

    What did she want to do again?

    Kang Mu Cheng waited for her to speak, but after hesitating for a long time even taking a phone call in between, she still didn''t say anything.

    "What do you want me to do?" He closed hisptop and took the initiative to rify things.

    Jian Jing sized him up.

    "Tell me. I''ll do it if I can." His tone was calm.

    Jian Jing struggled: "If the Director stays alone in the room..."

    The VIP lounge at the airport provided services at several different levels: Ordinary VIP customers could use the public lounge with free ess to the business area, children''s area, dining area, and entertainment area to meet most passengers'' needs duringyovers.

    If they were VVIP customers, they could request a private room or family room, but avability was limited and it was firste, first served. Once full, they would have to wait.

    Finally, there was the ultra VIP level. They were usually royalty, senior government officials of certain countries, or ultra high worth individuals. They could get independent suitesparable to 5-star hotel suites.

    There was no doubt Kang Mu Cheng belonged to the top tier in terms of wealth. However, her personal interest lied in real estate. If properties had different sses like airlines, she would undoubtedly be an ultra VIP mega customer.

    In daily life, the Kang family lived very simple lives and were still at the second level after so long. However, Kang Mu Cheng held the title of cultural ambassador. She had received invitations from the governments of many countries. As long as conditions allowed, she was always treated well.

    Today, the only suite was upied by the senior official, so Kang Mu Cheng was arranged to the family lounge. There was a bedroom, a living room, and a private bathroom.

    Even if chaos broke out, it was unlikely to affect the lounge. It was rtively safe.

    Kang Mu Cheng knitted his brows together, "Did something happen?"

    "Nothing has happened yet," she said truthfully.

    He looked deeply into her eyes.

    Jian Jing felt bothered, "I didn''t lie to you."

    "I know," he fell silent for a moment, then said, "Alright. I''ll go over right away. And you?"

    She said, "Go grab a cup of coffee."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "What about the dog?"

    "Take him with you."

    He nodded, gathered his belongings, and left.

    Jian Jing heaved a long sigh, slumping dejectedly onto the sofa. She felt depressed.

    To her, Kang Mu Cheng''s care and affection were invaluable. In this world, he was thest person she wanted to hurt.

    Yet, it is easier said than done.

    Kang Mu Cheng did not want to experience the pain of losing her again. He hoped that she would be safe and happy, but she couldn''t help taking risks over and over again, and she had no intention of stopping.

    What should he do?

    She could not give up her ideals and pleasures for others, so she expected him topromise, just like every time in the past.

    But this time, would he still give in?

    If not...

    He felt annoyed.

    "Miss, here''s the lemon mint sparkling water you wanted." The waiter in uniform brought over an iced drink.

    Jian Jing looked up and saw a wireless earbud tucked under the tray.

    She took it and secretly put it in her ear under the guise of tidying her hair. Soon, Zong Ye''s voice came through: "Let me get right to it. The target has a family of four, with twelve entourage members. We need to identify a as soon as possible."

    Jian Jing asked, "What kind of people are they?"

    "The target has four male bodyguards, two female guards for his wife, as well as a nanny, private tutor and four hired professional bodyguards."

    Voices continued in her earpiece as photos were sent to her phone simultaneously.

    Jian Jing studied the airport surveince footage carefully.

    The key figure, a high-ranking military official from a certain country, was a middle-aged man between fifty and sixty years old with medium build and darkplexion, without any distinctive features.

    Before he entered the airport, two professional bodyguards went in first to check for anything unusual.

    Then two male guards cleared the way in front while two others protected the target on both sides. All four were military guards in inclothes, tall and sturdy, looking vignt.

    Behind them was the official''s wife. Compared to her ordinary-looking husband, the wife was much more beautiful - proportional figure, well-defined facial features. She held a child in each hand, looking gentle and virtuous.

    The children were a boy and a girl. The girl was older, about eleven or twelve years old while the boy was younger, around five or six, still hopping around as he walked.

    Two female guards followed closely behind the mother and children, also doing their job diligently.

    After them were the nanny and private tutor, both female. The nanny was in her forties, honest-looking. The tutor was fashionably dressed, efficient and capable. The two chatted lightly, looking natural.

    Finally, there were two other hired bodyguards. They walked while scanning their surroundings for anyone following or signs of ambush.

    From the footage, everyone appeared natural without acting clumsy, drastically different from their profiles, or overly anxious and nervous.

    Jian Jing watched several times but couldn''t identify the suspect: "I can''t see who it is."

    "That''s not surprising. a is very good at disguising himself and hasn''t been caught on camera for over ten years." Zong Ye said, "But we''re running out of time and have to take action before the flight departs."

    Jian Jing asked, "What do you know about a?"

    "Twelve years ago, a joined a drug trafficking gang. Eight years ago the leader was killed in a crackdown and he was shot but managed to escape. He took over the leader''s men and started his own business. He made a name for himself in just five years because of his close ties with high-ranking officials.

    "He is cruel by nature, once torturing and killing subordinates and rtives who betrayed him. Undercover agents are immediately executed if suspected. But at the same time, he builds roads and factories back home, winning over locals. Many vigers work in his factories so their rtives also be his informants.

    "Last year the police nned a raid on his base but there was a leak and it was called off."

    She sucked in a breath.

    Zong Ye said, "From what we know so far, a is at least thirty years old, gender unknown. Skilled at disguising himself and has been shot before. Close ties with officials, even rumored to have bribed the royal family."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment then asked, "What''s the background of this high-ranking military officer?"

    "His service record is very ordinary but the King trusts him greatly. His wife is the Queen''s cousin and often visits the pce."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    No wonder they had to act before the ne took off. If he got away, there''d be no catching him.

    "Is there anyone who can be ruled out?"

    "Unfortunately no."

    Looks like this would be tricky.

    Jian Jing drank some lemonade and got to work.

 Chapter 335

    Chapter 335

    As a woman, the easiest temptation was of course other women, after all going to the same restroom.

    Apart from the target''s wife and daughter, there were a total of five people: two female guards, a nanny, a home tutor, and a professional bodyguard.

    Jian Jing found the nanny in the children''s area.

    She was ying with the little son. The child giggled as he slid down the slide, and the nanny spread her hands to protect him, lest the naughty child fall out the side of the slide.

    Jian Jing sized up the nanny inconspicuously, making the most of the intermediate observation card.

    She wore a white shirt with a turnover cor, a knee-length turquoise skirt, her jet-ck hair tied up with a hai at the back, a very typical nanny outfit.

    There were a few stains on the cor and shoulders, activating the five senses card to sniff, it was a mixture of vegetables and milk, like some kind of baby food.

    Since she kept her palms spread open, you could clearly see the thin calluses on her palms, and there were a few slight scratches on her exposed arms.

    Jian Jing walked casually past her and took the opportunity to nce at the back of her cor.

    Under the shirt cor, the skin color was noticeably lighter than her face and neck.

    "She''s not a nanny," she pressed the earpiece and said inaudibly, "The difference in her skin color matches the clothes, it''s impossible for her to always wear shirts and skirts."

    It was scorching hot in this part of Southeast Asia, if you had to walk outside, you''d hate to wear anything more than hot pants and a bandeau top. Only people who lived in an air-conditioned indoor environment could wear shirts and medium-length skirts all the time.

    Since she had been hunted down by the police before, constantly fleeing through the rural mountains, her skin must be on the darker side.

    However, Zong Ye said, "Maybe it''s makeup."

    "The child is very close to her, she even fed the kid earlier, I don''t think she would go to such lengths," Jian Jing said.

    Zong Ye pondered briefly and said, "I see, next one."

    The second suspect was the home tutor.

    Coincidentally, she went into the bathroom to touch up her makeup in front of the bright makeup mirror.

    Since Jian Jing was taking a ne today, she went bare-faced, but as a precaution, she always kept cushion foundations and lipstick in her bag. So she pretended to put on makeup and went next to the home tutor, scanning her from head to toe out of the corner of her eye.

    All of her makeup was branded, her nails neatly manicured, and she gave off a faint scent of perfume.

    She happened to be taking off her makeup, so Jian Jing took the opportunity to carefully inspect the condition of her skin. Her pores were very fine, with a nice luster.

    Jian Jing pretended to inadvertently adjust the lighting of the mirror, soft light shed across the other''s face, and you could vaguely see the translucency of her nose ridge.

    Prosthetic.

    Jian Jing looked at her palms again, not a single callus.

    This image was too different from that of a drug dealer, there was hardly any simrity. But considering her disguise skills, she still decided to probe further.

    She rxed her fingers and let the lipstick roll off the counter.

    Jian Jing bent over to pick it up, but pretended to slip on the sshed water, her body tilting to the side and falling straight towards the tutor.

    The tutor didn''t notice and was bumped head-on.

    "Sorry," Jian Jing quickly apologized.

    The tutor frowned, looking quite displeased, but when she saw Jian Jing''s appearance and outfit clearly, her expression abruptly changed. People were always exceptionally tolerant towards those of equal status and identity, she amiably said, "It''s ok."

    Jian Jing smiled at her, smeared a couple strokes messily on her lips, and leisurely left.

    "The tutor doesn''t seem like her either," she told Zong Ye. "She has an ordinary person''s body, untrained."

    There is a saying in romance novels that rings true - the human body is definitely more honest than the mouth. The mouth can lie, but the body''s conditioned reflexes cannot.

    A body that has undergone training, its reflexes will always be faster than the brain. Just now when she bumped into the other party, what she felt was soft and bby flesh, the bodypletely unguarded.

    Even if she looked calm on the surface, would she really be so undefended against a stranger?

    Zong Ye acknowledged, "Understood, be careful from now on."

    The nanny and tutor were ordinary people, not difficult to distinguish. Then the female guards and female bodyguards had all been trained, their physiques must match the circumstances of A.

    Wanting to discern whether they were A in disguise would not be easy.

    Jian Jing said, "Got it."

    The professional''s vignce went without saying, she didn''t n on getting close, only observing from afar.

    The high-level family was resting in the suite, the guards and bodyguards worked together in shifts, two guards stood at the door of the suite, two sat on the sofa near the door keeping watch, the rest took turns eating and resting.

    Jian Jing sat far away in a corner of the business area, using binocrs to zoom in.

    Zong Ye, disguised as a waiter, went over to deliver water and drinks, then a new channel appeared on the earpiece.

    Chirp chirp, not sure if it was Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese or Lao.

    Jian Jing: Damn it.

    Dare you speak English??

    French is fine too!

    But though sheined, she also knew there might be important information in the conversation, she really didn''t want to miss it, so she could only draw a card for help.

    [Drawing card...]

    [Drawplete]

    [Name: Prop Card - Language Pack (12h)]

    [Description: Understand all spokennguages and written expressions in anynguage for 12 hours, but unable tomunicate or express content oneself]

    [Note: For beings of the same species,munication barriers are truly mystical]

    Jian Jing: Turns out the system isn''t human, just openly mocking, huh?

    She grumbled inwardly, and honestly chose to use it.

    The birdnguage instantly became human speech.

    "The airport curry isn''t spicy at all, it''s disgusting."

    "Only you like eating this vomit."

    "Damn it, say that again?"

    "All of you shut the fuck up, don''t forget we''re on a mission."

    These four were the guards supplied by the military, the three speaking were male, familiar with each other. The remaining female guard sat at the next table, finished eating early, and was coating her lips while holding up her phone.

    Jian Jing listened for a while but didn''t feel any of them were like A, on the contrary, she started doubting these people''s professionalism.

    Especially the female guard putting on lipstick, it was hard not to associate her with the country''s royal scandals.

    Just, didn''t seem quite right.

    On the other side, the three professional bodyguards (the remaining one was on duty at the door) ate in silence, barely conversing.

    Among them, the female bodyguard was about 1.7 meters tall, with short choppy hair, bare-faced, eyes vignt. The two male bodyguards were over 1.9 meters, shaved bald, faces and necks tanned from the sun, knucklesrge and thick, clearly having undergone harsh training with one look.

    Looking again at the two on the sofa keeping watch, they were both guards, also serious about their work. Though they held magazines and flipped through them, their eyes continuously patrolled the area around the suite, if there was any movement in the distance, they would surely size it up.

    Jian Jing was unable to determine if their vignce was just work, or caution about their own safety.

    The two standing at the door of the suite, one female guard and one male bodyguard, were clearly unfamiliar with each other. Although both stood with hands sped, dutifully guarding the door, their eyes rarely met.

    She tried hard for a long time, yet returned empty-handed, a rare urrence.

    Hard to discern.

    "You''ve been looking that way for too long," Zong Ye''s figure blocked her line of sight. He bent over and delivered a cup of coffee and a power bank, his posture and movements exactly like a waiter''s, almost making one think he used to work in this profession.

    Jian Jing retracted her gaze, unwillingly said, "No other clues?"

    He smiled.

    "Who do you suspect?" she asked.

    Zong Ye discreetly pointed at the female guard putting on lipstick.

    Jian Jing was greatly surprised. "Why?"

    "I passed by their table twice, she noticed me," Zong Ye said. "She used her phone''s reflection to observe me for quite a while."

    Jian Jing lightly bit her teeth together.

    She hadn''t noticed.

    She had also seen this action, yet the other did it so naturally, she didn''t realize at all that she was watching someone.

    "Then there''s him," Zong Ye pointed to the male bodyguard standing at the door.

    Jian Jing: "Why?"

    Zong Ye gathered up the napkins she had used to wipe the table, naturally turning to leave, only exining via the earpiece: "Cooperation between personnel is very important in security work."

    "Ah!" Jian Jing immediately understood his implication.

    For guard duties like this, partners needed tacit understanding, otherwise if one signaled "something''s wrong" with their eyes, and the other dismissed it as their partner''s eye twitching, that would beughable.

    From the process of entering the airport earlier, this group were all professionals, so it made no sense to pair the female guard and male bodyguard together.

    They were clearly unfamiliar with each other.

    But if the altered allocation was to facilitate a''s actions, then the male bodyguard was not the only one with issues.

    It could have been the female security guard, or one of the two lookouts sitting separately.

    Why did Zong Ye suspect the male bodyguard more?

    She pondered for a moment, and asked: "Was it the position?"

    His low chuckle came through the earpiece, feeling like feathers tickling her, rustling and itchy.

    Jian Jing knew she had guessed right.

    The standing position was very important.

    The positions the two male guards had chosen on the sofa were fine, allowing them to keep an eye on the suite entrance while also watching the surroundings.

    However, the airport''s executive lounge was not enclosed. Many areas were partitioned off with ss walls, with sofas generally ced in central locations within each area.

    In other words, the two male guards had exposed their backs to some extent. They entrusted their blind spots to each other, which was also why two people were assigned to stand watch together.

    With a''s cautious slyness, how could he possibly trust others?

    Therefore, the position with his back to the suite door and facing outside to stand watch was better for being vignt and observant.

    But that was still not the answer.

    Jian Jing leaned her head on her hand, pondering Zong Ye''s reasoning: why did he determine it was the male bodyguard?

    What had he noticed that she had overlooked?

    "You said earlier that you passed by twice," she asked. "What happened?"

    At the bar, Zong Ye wiped a ss, his lips barely moving, yet his voice still came through clearly in her ear: "That woman stared at me for a while."

    Jian Jing: "Suspicious of you?"

    "I don''t think so."

    She was puzzled.

    Zong Ye was currently in disguise. His appearance was merely handsome and refined, without any aura of a sly fox spirit. Why did he feel suspicious just because someone looked at him a few more times?

    Shouldn''t it be the opposite?

    "Watch out," Zong Ye said softly. "Someone''s about to go over."

    Jian Jing quickly looked over.

    A female server was slowly pushing a trolley toward the suite door. She fluently said in English: "I''m a server from the executive lounge. This is the lunch ordered by the guest."

    The female guard lifted the food covers one by one to check for hidden dangers before saying: "I''ll take it in."

    The female server''s disappointment was obvious, but she didn''t dare say anything. She turned and left.

    Jian Jing asked: "Is she one of your people?"

    "No, just an ''eager'' temporary colleague," heughed softly. "Well?"

    Jian Jing had to admit: "It does seem suspicious."

    The female server was probably fooled by Zong Ye into thinking she could get close to the boss if she tried. Her cor buttons were deliberately left undone, revealing an ample, rounded curve.

    Even women couldn''t help but nce when a busty sister walked by, let alone men.

    But the male bodyguard only swept his eyes over her briefly, not paying any attention at all.

    His mind was upied.

    Or rather, something more urgent and pressing filled his mind, overwhelming his male instincts.

    "But he could also be gay," she mocked.

    Zong Ye said: "But when I walked by, the woman looked at me, the man didn''t."

    Jian Jing btedly lifted her head and nced at him.

    He obligingly bent down, pretending to reach for the ice bucket.

    She understood.

    It was reasonable and convincing.

 Chapter 336

    Chapter 336

    Dark clouds loomed overhead, with a fine drizzle falling lightly. The typhoon had yet to sweep over, but the wind had already brought the scent of the ocean.

    Jian Jing pondered the current situation.

    As a detective, her method was to narrow down the range of suspects before making deductions. Zong Ye had a different approach - he preferred to strike directly and swiftly lock onto a suspect.

    She had eliminated the nanny and teacher with a fair degree of certainty. Meanwhile, Zong Ye had deployed a honey trap (...) to identify the female guard and male bodyguard.

    The difficulty was that the behaviors of the guard and bodyguard ovepped significantly with those of A''s, making it hard to ascertain who the real wolf was.

    "Do you have A''s fingerprints?" Jian Jing thought of the most reliable solution.

    "We collected some suspicious prints from hisir, but there''s no way to know which belongs to A. Collecting them individually won''t be easy either." Even Zong Ye felt helpless.

    The lounge area was in a semi-open format. Taking their cutlery away wouldn''t be difficult, but they couldn''t remove the bowls beyond the boundaries of the kitchen without drawing attention.

    If they deviated from the route, the female guard tailing them would likely grow suspicious.

    She rested her chin in her hand. "Is there any other information avable? Anything is fine."

    "Just some unverified rumors," he said.

    Something was better than nothing. "Let''s hear them," she replied.

    "I heard that when A first joined, the original leader took a liking to him and assigned ta several extremely difficult tasks, all of which tapleted very well, earning fame quickly. But even back then, ta was a recluse, rarely interacting with others, only following the leader''s orders."

    Jian Jing was puzzled. "A couldn''t have known he would be leader. Why keep such a low profile?"

    "Two guesses," Zong Ye said. "Either ta had personal reasons, like disfigurement, for avoiding people, or ta had an issue with identity - maybe a public figure or rted to one."

    She furrowed her brow in thought.

    "So many specte A is a woman closely tied to royalty, possibly someone''s mistress. The assets ta umted actually flowed into the royal coffers. That''s why previous crackdowns kept failing - someone tipped ta off beforehand."

    Jian Jing: "Are the rumors credible?"

    Zong Ye replied, "The leaks were real. The mistress im needs verification. For those people, the background didn''t matter as long as the front was clean. Consorting openly with an infamous character would end their political career."

    He paused before continuing, "And I have reliable intel that A got in by masterminding an assassination of someone cooperating with the military."

    "Assassination?"

    Zong Ye briefly recounted the events.

    In summary, a foreign senior official was visiting to send friendly signals, but another superpower didn''t want the countries to align and hinted privately at cooperation with the local military top brass.

    Burdened by diplomatic ties, they couldn''t act openly and only voiced hints in private settings.

    A got wind and plotted the assassination. The visitor died on the spot, directly rupturing the alliance.

    The superpower was satisfied. The subordinates thought A''s skills useful for handling unsavory business, so they took him in, forging ties unrted to colorful rumors.

    Jian Jing gaped in shock.

    She''d never heard of such news - oh right, parallel world, anything could happen.

    Regaining her thoughts, she analyzed, "So the wife is ruled out?"

    "She has aplete foreign record. Likely not A," Zong Ye said. "Interrogations show Acks higher education, mediocre cultural level."

    A thought struck Jian Jing. "How manynguages does ta know?"

    "A lived in the Golden Triangle region - not just English, Thai, Burmese, Lao, even some Chinese," Zong Ye replied then asked, "Trying that angle?"

    "Unless you have a better idea?"

    "Riskier with low uracy. Corporate security getsnguage training. Could alert them."

    "Alerting them isn''t bad. Wouldn''t it be better if ta fled voluntarily?"

    But Zong Ye said, "Ta won''t run with diplomatic immunity."

    As long as senior officials insisted A was an attache, part of the visiting team, local authorities couldn''t arrest or detain them per agreements.

    "The trouble was never A but those shielding ta," Zong Ye murmured. "We must discretely remove A before raising suspicions."

    "Then what after removing A? Can''t detain right?" Jian Jing was confused.

    Heughed. "That''s why I''m here."

    She blinked in startled awe. "No way?!"

    "To avoid rousing others, A and the target won''t interact more than necessary. It''s only a two and a half hour flight." Zong Ye was calm. "As long as I return in ta''s stead, it gets resolved smoothly."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Damn.

    "So Miss Rabbit, can you help with anything?" he asked.

    Unsure, Jian Jing hesitated. "Not that hard actually..." She cleared her throat. "Of course, pretend. Pretend someone died."

    Zong Ye looked thoughtful.

    "If someone died unexpectedly with all the attendants present, requesting their cooperation in investigating would be normal right?"

    With crime rates so high in parallel worlds, it would be a waste not to leverage some local color.

    "My criminal case knowledge iscking," Zong Ye said.

    "No problem. I''m an expert," Jian Jing replied.

    Zong Ye put down the prop bar ss and sighed softly. "Well, looks like I''ll be busy for a bit."

    He removed his apron and walked smoothly away.

    That afternoon, the typhoon arrived as expected, the raging winds and torrential rains battering the airport, grounding all flights.

    Stranded passengers instantly crowded the terminals.

    The VIP lounge had criteria but still saw vip customers trickling in.

    First was a family of five - couple with three kids. The noisy children quickly disrupted the tranquil atmosphere.

    The guards were extremely annoyed but recognized the celebrity couple and didn''t dare offend them. They could only steel themselves against the unruly children disturbing their boss.

    After a while, an ultra fashionable, rail-thin woman came demanding a lounge room. The staffer regretfully informed her there were no vacancies left.

    Clearly unhappy, she unleashed a torrent of French.

    The staffer had to call out a supervisor to politely dissuade her.

    Finally, a besuited businessman lugging aptop arrived. Seeing the noisy family and arguing woman, he chose to sit not far from the bodyguards.

    Very quiet, he immediately opened his notebook and buried himself in work, asionally sipping some coffee. After half an hour, he got up to use the restroom.

    Five minutester, the guards changed shift.

    Soon, the businessman returned to his seat and took another sip of coffee.

    Jian Jing got up, seemingly to use the restroom.

    Their eyes met.

    The next instant, the man copsed, teeth clenched tight, limbs iling as breathing grew extremelybored.

    "Ah!" Jian Jing yelped softly and immediately knelt down. "What''s wrong?"

    Everyone there threw them puzzled looks.

    She pantomimed examining him, busying about before telling the staffers rushing over, "Get me a jacket, he''s hypersensitive to light." And, "Hurry, call an ambnce! It''s poisoning!"

    Even as she covered his face with the jacket, "Shh, quiet now."

    The staffers panicked. "What happened?"

    "Poisoned," Jian Jing stated firmly to gain trust, "Report it to the police too."

    "What poison?" A bodyguard materialized silently. "How do you know it''s poisoning?"

    "The convulsions, opisthotonos, facial spasms, breathing issues - typical strychnine poisoning symptoms." Jian Jing held up the coffee cup. "Preserve this for analysis."

    Jian Jing calmly sought help: "Does anyone have secobarbital? Short-acting barbiturate drugs are also okay?"

    No one answered.

    Fortunately, the airport''s emergency team arrived quickly. They hurriedly carried the person onto a stretcher and sent them to the ambnce. The siren sounded as the ambnce''s lights shed, speeding away from the airport.

    Half an hourter, the police arrived.

    Jian Jing truthfully answered their questions.

    Like countless previous case experiences, the police quickly learned through a brief investigation that the person who could have poisoned them was in the VIP lounge.

    The suspects in order of time were:

    The honeymoon couple, Jian Jing, the target''s entourage, the celebrity family of five, and the fashionable woman.

    The police were under tremendous pressure. They had just received a call that the poisoning victim was a subordinate of a business tycoon. The group hade to negotiate a project worth hundreds of millions of dors.

    Government officials friendly with the target pressed the police to arrest the culprit as soon as possible.

    But look at who the suspects were!

    The couple were rich second generation. They had the least status. Jian Jing was now a famous writer with bestselling books. Her novels were even tranted and sold in Southeast Asian bookstores. The European and American celebrity was quite famous. The fashionable woman turned out to be the Asian regional director for a magazine.

    Nothing more needed to be said about the target''s entourage. He himself was not important, but the man he protected was!

    Yet the case had to be investigated.

    It was impossible to take them back to the police station for questioning. They could only politely request cooperation at the airport.

    With such a bigmotion, there was no way the higher-ups hadn''t heard.

    He asked the guard, "What happened?"

    The guard truthfully exined.

    The superior was very vignt and immediately said, "Verify it."

    The guard immediately obeyed.

    After a while, he reported back: "The hospital has indeed received a patient poisoned by secobarbital and is having their stomach pumped. The person''s identity is also correct. He is the second boss of XX Company. They are negotiating with the government to build a railway, so they attach great importance to this."

    The superior''s tightly knitted brows rxed slightly. It seemed this was not targeted at him.

    But he couldn''t help pondering. After all, this was not his own country. The police had not demanded his personal cooperation, only his entourage. If he adopted too tough an attitude, it might arouse suspicion instead.

    The guard asked, "Commander, do you need us to cooperate?"

    The superior nodded. "Superficially cooperate for now. Don''t make them suspicious. If they want to take someone away, you know what to do."

    The guard replied, "Yes, sir."

    The wind and rain were bleak. Jian Jing finished giving her statement and leisurely sat by the window watching the downpour.

    "Would you like some waffles?" asked the server who had disappeared for two hours and now reappeared.

    Jian Jing readily agreed.

    Zong Ye brought the waffles and hot tea and said, "We don''t have much time left, at most four hours."

    "But we still have to eat first," she said, cutting into a waffle. Curiously she asked, "No issues at the hospital?"

    "The person sent away in the ambnce was indeed poisoned."

    "Who?" Jian Jing was shocked. That was too big a sacrifice.

    Zong Ye pointed at his own face.

    She: "......"

    "Don''t worry, no one will die. They''ll just suffer a bit," he said with a smile. "Also, this guy isn''t only a server at the airport but also an inside man for drug smuggling."

    Jian Jing immediately stopped sympathizing.

    Well done.

 Chapter 337

    Chapter 337

    After a flirtatious interaction, Jian Jing had gained the upper hand.

    Originally, she could only secretly observe and discreetly investigate. But now, she was able to openly take advantage of the situation.

    This was the benefit of getting everyone involved - celebrities, famous writers, executive directors were all questioned. As an apanying staff member, why shouldn''t she cooperate?

    Through listening devices nted on the police, Jian Jing and Zong Ye heard all the questioning.

    But since this was a fake case, the questioning of irrelevant personnel was omitted. Only the key figures'' situations were described.

    First were the female bodyguard and male bodyguard that Zong Ye was suspicious of.

    The police asked, "Do you know the poisoned person?"

    Female bodyguard: "I don''t know him."

    They asked again, "Did you notice anyone in conflict with the victim earlier?"

    Female bodyguard: "No."

    They also asked, "Did you notice anyone lingering around his desk?"

    Female bodyguard: "No."

    The answers to other questions were the same.

    I don''t know, I''m not familiar, I didn''t notice.

    These answers had no value in themselves. What was valuable was her demeanor and choice of words.

    When the police asked questions, they observed her, and she also quickly sized them up. Then, a trace of contempt emerged from her brow and eyes.

    Very obvious contempt.

    It was clear she didn''t think much of these people at all. Her answers were concise and to the point. But it wasn''t careful, cautious phrasing. Rather, it was the arrogance of someone toozy to say another word.

    At first, Jian Jing couldn''t figure out the source of her arrogance. Was it pure disdain, or was it the confidence that they wouldn''t discover anything unusual about her? Or was it a murderer''s enjoyment of openly mocking the police right to their faces?

    But soon, she realized the female bodyguard was not alone.

    All the bodyguards questioned had this same arrogance.

    The female bodyguard was already quite restrained. The one who hadpared the curry to vomit was even more brazen, directly insulting the local police as being like house pets.

    There was another one who was just messing with them.

    When asked if she had noticed the victim in any disputes, she answered "I think so". When asked who it was with, she then said "I didn''t see clearly, who knows" with an air of nonchnce. When they asked again, her answers flip-flopped between "yes" and "no",pletely toying with them.

    Jian Jing was immediately frustrated, "What the hell?"

    Thankfully this was a fake case. If it had been real, encountering suspects like these, she would''ve wanted to give them a beating.

    Zong Ye said, "In their country, the military''s status is very high. They only take orders from the king. The police station is much lower status than them. This is probably normal for them."

    Jian Jing tried her best to calm her emotions, "So you mean this isn''t an act?"

    "Yes."

    In the Golden Triangle region, high level bosses and low level bosses were very different. High level bosses had legitimate identities and regr subordinates. They were powerful forces unto themselves. Low level bosses needed to cozy up to backers everywhere and werepletely different.

    The assassination order as a petition made it clear this was not the former. And as thetter, no matter how many people he had killed, it was impossible for him to arrogantly mock the police.

    In addition, it would be hard to fake this uniform contempt. The female bodyguard and her colleagues were too simr. It really didn''t seem like an act.

    Next was the male bodyguard.

    Compared to the bodyguards'' rampant arrogance, the professional bodyguard didn''t have that kind of nerve.

    They were more cooperative.

    Of course, this didn''t mean they readily answered every question, only that their attitude was more proper.

    Do you know the victim?

    No.

    Why are you here today?

    I was hired, can''t disclose the details.

    Did you notice the victim in any disputes with anyone?

    No.

    Have you interacted with the victim?

    I ran into him once in the bathroom.

    How was he then?

    He seemed normal.

    Did you talk?

    No, we didn''t speak.

    After listening, Jian Jing hesitated, "He doesn''t seem suspicious either."

    The male bodyguard that Zong Ye highly suspected had actually voluntarily told police that he had interacted with the victim once before.

    One had to know, Zong Ye had pretended to be a businessman earlier specifically to test him, intentionally going to the bathroom when the other person went.

    If he was the assassin, why would he voluntarily bring up this matter?

    The less said, the better. Having interacted with the victim before meant at minimum slightly more attention from the police, regardless of suspicion. Yet he had spoken up about it.

    Zong Ye could do nothing but sigh, "Let''s keep watching for now."

    The questioning kept going.

    The rest of the bodyguards were questioned one by one, but their responses were shockingly uniform.

    Concise, cautious, wouldn''t say more than necessary but also didn''t deliberately conceal anything. Even the female bodyguard was observant, mentioning that it seemed like the victim had something on his mind. Every so often he would look here and there, as if waiting for someone.

    This was of course also bait that Zong Ye hadid, wanting to see if anyone woulde investigate further.

    The result was indeed that someone had noticed, but they showed no signs of rm.

    It was rare for Jian Jing to feel stymied, "I can''t make out who has a problem."

    Silence over the earpiece.

    "Perhaps our line of thinking has gone into the wrong branch," she said. "Since you can disguise yourself, isn''t it possible that the assassin disguised himself as the target couple?"

    Their earlier analysis had all been based on the assassin being among the apanying staff. The high level couple''s identities were sensitive, difficult to interrogate or question. Being them was actually the safest option.

    Zong Ye pondered for a long time before responding, "We cannot deny that possibility."

    "But difficult to verify," Jian Jing spoke the hard truth for him. When even the followers needed the pretext of a case to be questioned, not to mention questioning the high level couple themselves.

    They had diplomatic immunity granting them the right to refuse cooperation, and no one could do anything to them.

    The two fell silent together.

    The police questioning was still ongoing, but each word that passed through her ears was unable to prate her mind.

    Jian Jing undid her fish bone braid, massaging her aching scalp to relieve the pent up tension in her nerves. To be honest, she felt a little disheartened.

    In solving cases before, even if one or two suspects did not cooperate, they could still use the authority of the police or the persuasion of the cards to coerce some words out of them. But this time the conundrum involved politics, entering an unfamiliar sphere where she was powerless.

    An annoying feeling.

    In the silence, Zong Ye spoke, "Give me ten minutes."

    "Do you have a n now?"

    "No." His calm tone contained a hint of icy sharpness, "But anyhow, doing something is better than nothing. We don''t have much time left."

    Jian Jing looked out the window.

    The wind had quieted and it seemed to be raining less heavily.

    The typhoon could pass by at any moment. The high level couple''s guaranteed flight would certainly be the first to take off. Zong Ye was not mistaken, there was not much time left for them.

    "Think of something," she murmured to herself and closed her eyes.

    Twenty minutester, the high-leveldy came out and said to the server, "The bathroom is broken."

    The server bowed and apologized, "Sorry, we''ll send someone immediately to fix it for you."

    "Forget it," the high-leveldy didn''t seem to want other people barging in. Although unhappy about it, she didn''t agree to letting them enter, and directly walked to the external bathroom.

    Jian Jing took the opportunity to follow her.

    She had already gone to the bathroom once before. But even repeatedly going in a short amount of time wouldn''t arouse too much suspicion.

    The reason was simple. The VIP lounge''s bathroom was just too high-ss.

    Humidifier, Jo Malone fragrance oils, smart makeup mirror, face steaming machine - meeting every demand a woman could have. The vanity even had a whole set of cosmetics andmon moisturizing face masks, allowing one to rx in a rattan chair anytime for a little bathroom spa treatment.

    Word was with a request you could even have a Thai masseusee for a massage.

    So in a situation of indefinite flight dys, it wasmonce for women to go rest and freshen up in the bathroom.

    Jian Jing tore open a sheet mask and casually grabbed a magazine, flipping through a couple pages. She discovered the person on the front cover was the female celebrity steaming her face next door.

    Lucky coincidence.

    She casually struck up conversation, "Miss, is this you?"

    The female celebrity nodded, her manner not arrogant at all, "Would you like an autograph?"

    "I''m not a fan, but I quite like this outfit of yours," she pointed at the magazine and asked, "Do stores in this region have it for sale?"

    The female celebrity shrugged her shoulders, "I''m afraid not."

    "That was a style the designer tailor made for Asia," the fashion executive director happened toe in to touch up her makeup, immediately answering her question, "See, it has a distinct Thai style."

    Jian Jing naturally nced towards the high-leveldy, "Like what she''s wearing?"

    The executive director nodded.

    Suddenly pulled into conversation, the high-leveldy''s hand applying powder paused briefly before she responded with a friendly smile.

    Jian Jing activated her Trust Card and Acting Skills Card, ying a girl curious about fashionable things, "Is your skirt Thai silk? The color looks a lot brighter than regr silk."

    Thedy replied, "Yes it is."

    "A new and ssic design, with many elements of Thai tube skirts," the female director had a sharp eye. "This style should be..."

    She reported a name that Jian Jing had not heard before, but the high-leveldy was already convinced, with a surprised look on her face.

    Jian Jing pretended to know nothing about the identity of the high-leveldy and asked, "A famous designer? Where can I buy it?"

    "She customized it for me," the high-leveldy unconsciously joined the conversation.

    Jian Jing casually took a face mask out of the refrigerator and handed it over.

    Thedy hesitated for a moment, probably also had aspirations towards fashion circles and entertainment circles, and did not interrupt the casual chat.

    While Jian Jing was outputting her shallow fashion knowledge, she observed the other party out of the corner of her eye.

    Just now, she had upgraded her observation card.

    [Name: Skill Card - Famous Detective''s Observation (Advanced)]

    [Content Description: An advanced form of observation that notices details that ordinary people don''t notice, with improved perception and eptance of information.]

    [Note: Please note that the observation card is a skill card and must bebined with knowledge cards to maximize its effectiveness. Please do not blindly follow or mythologize this card.]

    What is observation?

    Observation is a hardware upgrade. If you use a camera as an analogy, the basic observation card is like a ck and white camera, which can capture the overall image with the main focus on the overall appearance.

    The intermediate observation card has already made a huge leap in quality, simr to a film camera, with greatly improved control over color and detail, able to see information that ck and white cameras do not have.

    The advanced observation is another step forward.

    It''s like it has be a digital camera, not only seeing colors, but also seeing pores and textures on people''s faces clearly, with a greatly increased degree of eptance of information, and naturally more and more content observed.

    At this moment, every move of the high-leveldy can reveal a lot of information.

    She is very used to wearing skirts, her pace is neither too big nor too small, neither shy nor rude, her knees are slightly bruised, but a thinyer of foundation has been applied, the heels of her high heels are snugly stuck to the back of her feet, and there are no calluses or red marks caused by friction on the heel - this means that she is used to wearing high heels and matches this pair of shoes perfectly, custom made exactly ording to her size.

    At first, she paid more attention to female celebrities, but after figuring out the identity of the female director and knowing that she was a heavyweight in the fashion world, her eyes frequently shifted to her.

    Obviously, thisdy is very interested in the fashion world.

    And this is not something that disguise can achieve.

    A drug dealer, perhaps to conceal chatting with the female director, but the focus of the eyes will not lie, nor the words thate out of her mouth.

    She is not a drug dealer.

    After Jian Jing confirmed, she took off her face mask and smiled at everyone, then calmly exited the scene.

    Next, she had to confirm the identity of the target. But he was very careful and never left the suite. Except for the airport surveince when he entered, she hadn''t seen him at all.

    But it was okay, she had already thought of a way to test.

 Chapter 338

    Chapter 338

    Of the entire traveling party, who was the simplest yet most difficult breakthrough? Without a doubt, the children.

    Children were the apple of their parent''s eyes. Even for ordinary families, strangers approaching the children would arouse vignce, let alone for a family like this. But children didn''t know how to disguise themselves, and it was extremely easy to extract information from them.

    Now that things hade to this, Jian Jing decided to take the risk.

    She quietly paid attention to the actions of the two children: the older sister was eleven or twelve years old, wearing a little flowered dress and Mary Jane shoes. Her medium length curly ck hair cascaded down, obediently hanging on both sides. She wore a pair of cool pink Mickey Mouse patterned sunsses and was ying with Legos in the children''s area.

    Her younger brother was four or five years old. After previously ying on the slide, he had now started jumping on the trampoline.

    He had made two new friends, the children of Western celebrities,municating in English and asionally shouting out. Their nannies were nearby watching them, to make sure they didn''t get into any danger.

    To be honest, Jian Jing had only paid attention to the children at first, wanting to see if the nannies were imposters in disguise. But the young boy was very intimate with his nanny, and the nanny''splexion didn''t seem like someone who was always traveling outside. So she hadn''t paid them any more attention afterward.

    But now, looking back, she couldn''t help but feel puzzled.

    The ne had been dyed three or four hours already, yet their parents hadn''te out to check on them even once, nor had they brought the children inside to rest.

    Could it be that the assassin had impersonated their father''s identity?

    Jian Jing decided to try to extract information about their fathers from the children''s mouths.

    However, ahem, just like Tang Chuan, she also didn''t like dealing with children either - they acted on impulse,pletely illogically. When they were kind, they were little angels, but when they were nasty, they were just brats. Yet one couldn''t bully children no matter how annoying they were - how frustrating!

    Of the two, she considered it and chose the older little girl.

    Older children had strongernguage expression abilities - they were a species that couldmunicate.

    She went to the children''s area and took away a box of Legos.

    This wasn''t just a child''s toy, it was also an adult''s game. Her being young and beautiful while enjoying Legos was very normal. The bodyguard on duty nced at her, but didn''t get suspicious.

    And Jian Jing wouldn''t go over like a weird aunt to strike up a conversation either.

    She went straight to the corner, sat cross-legged on the soft cushion, swept away the picture books and writing brushes that were in the way, and piled all the Legos up on the table.

    Crackle crackle, the crisp pouring sound attracted the little girl''s attention.

    Jian Jing activated her acting skills card and started assembling the Legos.

    Her goal was to build Jurassic Park''s Tyrannosaurus Rex.

    The little girl looked over at her several times, then slowly sidled over, staring at her actions.

    Jian Jing nced at her fiercely, "You can look but don''t touch."

    "I can build better than you," the little girl said.

    Jian Jing raised her head to look. As if she had just noticed the Frozen castle that the girl had built.

    She asked, "Do you like Anna or Elsa more?"

    "Elsa."

    "Why?"

    "Elsa is more powerful," the little girl asked back, "Why do you like Jurassic Park?"

    "Dinosaurs are so cute," Jian Jing said.

    The little girl tilted her head. "I heard you''re a writer."

    Jian Jing was surprised. "How did you know?"

    "I heard the police ask you just now," the little girlughed. "You saw that person get sick, and weren''t scared at all. You''re so powerful."

    "He didn''t die, he just got sick," Jian Jing turned her eyes back, concentrating on assembling the dinosaur.

    The little girl picked up a Lego block, pestering her to chat. "Are you Chinese?"

    "Yes."

    "I haven''t been to your country yet," she said curiously. "Is it fun?"

    Jian Jing said, "Of course it''s fun."

    The little girl volunteered, "But my dad can''t go."

    "Why not?"

    The little girl shrugged, making a "I don''t know either" gesture, extremely cute and lifelike.

    Jian Jing looked at her, a trace of doubt surfaced in her eyes, hesitating over whether to speak.

    As expected, the little girl couldn''t hold back and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "It''s nothing," she concealed it.

    The little girl rolled her eyes, and actually took the initiative to say, "Is it because my brother and I don''t look alike?"

    Jian Jing was instantly embarrassed, and perfunctorily said, "Looking like the mother or looking like the father is very normal, don''t overthink it."

    "My brother and I don''t have the same mother," the little girl was very open about it. "I''ve always hoped I could look more like Mom - you''ve seen her before, right?"

    Jian Jing nodded, "Her dress is so beautiful, it seems to be custom-made by some designer."

    "Your clothes are also very beautiful. Oh, you''re also very pretty." At the right time, the little girl was curious, "Why are you always alone, don''t you have a boyfriend?"

    Jian Jing was rendered speechless, "...Is it that strange?"

    "It''s rare for tourists to travel alone," the little girl crossed her arms authoritatively, like an old man. "Did you get dumped?"

    Jian Jing said, "That question is very rude."

    Sheughed merrily, not minding at all, and asked again, "You''re a writer, what books have you written?"

    "Not suitable for children."

    The little girl was frank, "Could it be you haven''t published any books yet?"

    Jian Jing: "......"

    "I''m right?" Her tone lifted up.

    "To be honest, I''m a little disappointed," Jian Jing pressed her lips together. "I thought I would have some fame in Asia, you really don''t recognize me?"

    Now it was the little girl''s turn to be rendered speechless.

    "Alright,e with me," Jian Jing seemed angry, getting up and putting her arm around the girl''s shoulder. "I''ll prove it to you."

    The little girl hesitated for a moment, but couldn''t restrain her curiosity and followed her out.

    The bodyguard came over to stop them right away.

    "You cane along," Jian Jing waspletely unperturbed. "We''re just going to the front."

    The bodyguard immediately followed.

    Jian Jing didn''t actually lie or deceive. After leaving the VIP lounge, they entered the airport bookstore. She took down a copy of Demon Doctor 2 tranted into Thai.

    She flipped open the front page and showed the little girl the author''s photo, "Look familiar?"

    The little girl immediatelyughed, "It really is you, Jian Jing."

    "Want me to sign for you?" she generously offered.

    The little girl thought about it and nodded.

    Jian Jing bought the book. She took her back to the lounge and asked the server to borrow a ballpoint pen, "What''s your name?"

    "Lai Lai," the little girl said.

    Jian Jing let out a "huh" sound and handed her the pen, "I can''t write in Thai, can you write it yourself?"

    The little girl took the pen and clumsily wrote out the four letters la".

    Jian Jing smiled and signed her name in cursive, then handed the book to her, "For you."

    "Thank you," the little girl hugged the book and left.

    Jian Jing said to the server, "Get me a ss of water."

    Zong Ye turned around.

    She said, "It''s her."

    He nodded, and his palm brushed over the tabletop, deftly slipping the ballpoint pen into a stic bag.

    Jian Jing softly exhaled.

    At first, she really hadn''t noticed anything abnormal about Lai Lai. No matter how amazing observation skills were, like a camera, it had to focus first before it could take a picture.

    If rough nces could obtainrge amounts of information all at once, that would be AI, not the human brain.

    The brain would explode.

    But she wanted to draw Lai Lai into conversation, and coincidentally started observing her, noticing something off, so that was how it naturally progressed.

    Although Lai Lai''s disguise was extremely meticulous, with makeup applied to the exposed skin to conceal sun-darkenedplexion, some details couldn''t withstand scrutiny.

    First was her walking posture.

    Although she had tried her best to pretend to be an ordinary little girl, unfortunately, she was too ordinary.

    Viewing her alone, it wasn''t very noticeable, but the mother had a graceful bearing, the Western celebrity also had a daughter, and their gaits were elegant and casual. Compared to them, Lai Lai''s seemed too unrefined.

    Her back wasn''t straight enough, her shoulders not rxed enough. It was clear she hadn''t taken deportment sses before.

    With a militarymander father and a princess aunt as mother, such inferior manners - how did she get into the pce to mingle?

    Also, the mother had a bruise on her knee, but she didn''t.

    Don''t get the wrong idea, the bruised knee wasn''t some jarringly out of ce element. It was just that in their country, meeting the royals required performing a kneeling courtesy that could take up to half a day.

    Of course, perhaps the mother had gone to the pce while the child hadn''t, so it wasn''t a decisive factor.

    What further aroused Jian Jing''s suspicions were her hands.

    Lai Lai''s hands and arms matched her face in color, nothing out of the ordinary, but her finger joints were far thicker than an average child''s, slightly deformed.

    When she talked, her teeth could vaguely be seen growing in neat rows - they were all permanent teeth, clearly having gone through the tooth recement period. But there was distinct excessive overbite.

    It should be known that childhood is the most suitable period for orthodontic treatment. With Lai Lai''s family background, and her mother''s attentiveness to fashion, why didn''t she get braces for her child?

    In summary, Lai Lai''s appearance and background did not match.

    Jian Jing became suspicious.

    Especially when others had been verified, even the slightest anomaly was crucial.

    Then, Lai Lai deliberately struck up a conversation with her. At first listen, she seemed to be just an ill-mannered little girl, but on careful consideration, it was not difficult to discover that she was fishing for information.

    She was wary of Jian Jing''s arrival and when she clearly noticed the difference in appearance, she took the initiative to say that she and her brother were not biological siblings, to dispel others'' doubts.

    All of this was too unusual.

    Jian Jing decided to confirm it thoroughly.

    The first confirmation, grabbing her shoulder, the little girl''s body stiffened, which could be exined as not being used to contact with strangers; the second confirmation, through the height difference, nced at her eyes, there were fine white lines, which werepletely traces of caking powder.

    The third confirmation, the five senses card opened, and various smells rushed up.

    The smells of perfume, qigong, soap, and gunpowder.

    She must have washed her hair and used a strong smelling shampoo, but the distance was too close, and Jian Jing also used the five senses card, and had been exposed to guns many times, so she was very familiar with the smell of gunpowder, and was certain it was gunpowder.

    If she hadn''t guessed wrong, she had crawled behind a bunker, crawled and fired her gun, which led to traces of gunpowder sshing onto her head.

    Confirmationplete, the next step was to draw the snake out of its hole.

    Lai Lai wanted to verify her identity, thinking that she had control, and when she learned that she really was a public figure, she would inevitably rx her vignce. At the same time, this was the pit she had dug, so she would not have too many doubts.

    When Jian Jing said she wanted to give an autograph, she would most likely readily ept it to cover up her actions.

    The name was definitely fake, and the handwriting must also have been disguised, but fingerprints could not be faked.

    The truth was about to surface.

    Twenty minutester.

    The rain outside had clearly diminished a lot, Jian Jing nced at the weather forecast, the typhoon had veered off course, and the flight should be about to take off soon.

    She was anxious and urged: "Are the results out yet? Is it her?"

    Zong Ye nodded.

    But Jian Jing still did not rx, frowning and asking: "Her physique would be hard to mimic, right?"

    Zong Ye''s original n was to deal with A, then substitute B for A and return home together. After the nended, he would immediately disappear without a trace.

    That way, even if the target was furious, there was no way to get A back, after all, customs records showed that she had returned home.

    As a result, the n could not keep up with the changes. Lai Lai was clearly a patient with dwarfism, her body was smaller than normal people, unless Zong Ye had practiced shrinking bone kung fu, otherwise he probably wouldn''t be able to transform from an (average height) adult male into a little girl.

    "Yeah." Zong Ye''s tone also sounded very helpless.

    "Then what should we do?" She was half worried and half curious.

    He said: "n B."

    The author has something to say: Some readers guessed it right from the beginning of this case... Did I be stupid from being in istion too long?

    Why was it so easy to guess...

 Chapter 339

    Chapter 339

    The boarding announcement sounded in the broadcast.

    The flight a was on was about to take off.

    The entourage suddenly became busy, the pathfinders made way, the bodyguards protected, and the nannies held the children. Then, the door of the suite opened, and the dignitary and Madam walked out one after the other.

    Jian Jing noticed that when the dignitary came out, he nced in Lai Lai''s direction before nonchntly striding forward.

    Madam held the hands of the two children.

    The little boy was a bit tired. After taking two steps, he stretched out his arms for the nanny to hold him. Madam didn''t stop him, while Lai Lai searched for Jian Jing''s figure in the crowd.

    Unfortunately, before she looked over, Jian Jing had already taken out her phone to y games.

    Lai Lai deftly retracted her gaze, though her heart sank slightly.

    She was very careful. Those who could live to this day all had a trace of ominous premonition honed at the edge of life and death. At that moment, she already felt the chill of the Grim Reaper''s scythe sweeping past her neck.

    However, everything around her was normal, as if she was just being paranoid and neurotic.

    The boarding gate was crammed with waiting passengers.

    The dignitary''s group directly went through the VIP passage, bypassing the noisy crowd and smoothly entering the jet bridge.

    The ne was right in front, and once it took off, she would be safe.

    Lai Lai''s palms were sweaty. She didn''t dare rx her vignce, looking left and right, afraid someone would suddenly stop them for whatever reason and prevent the ne from taking off.

    Her heartbeat gradually quickened. The cartoon sunsses slid down to the bridge of her nose, and her overly worldly-wise eyes scanned alertly.

    The jet bridge wasn''t long or short, L-shaped, so they had to turn a corner.

    When they reached the stretch that ran parallel to the airport, Lai Lai saw a figure standing in front of the airport''s floor-to-ceiling ss.

    That female writer.

    Lai Lai was extremely conflicted.

    When interrogating her earlier, she had nced at Jian Jing''s backpack, which contained a ne ticket from a few days ago, tickets to adyboy show, and duty-free sprayˇŞhow could an imposter be so meticulous? She must be here for tourism.

    Her rationality and experience didn''t detect anything out of the ordinary. Her showing up here today was just a coincidence.

    However, her intuition mored loudly, her hackles rose, and an abnormal, ominous premonition still shrouded her heart.

    As she hesitated, a small ident urred in the group.

    "Put me down!" The dignitary''s young son seemed to find the jet bridge interesting. He didn''t want the nanny to carry him anymore and insisted on getting down to run around.

    The nanny could only put him down in a panic.

    Madam let go of Lai Lai and turned to grab her son''s hand, scolding him softly, "Don''t run around. We''re about to get on the ne."

    The boy pouted sullenly and twisted his body, unwilling.

    Just as Madam was about to say something, she suddenly noticed the bodyguards tensing up. She grabbed her son and looked around nkly and helplessly.

    Not far away, on the round roof, a ck figure stood at the edge of the white exterior wall.

    In the dim daylight, a redser dot flickered in and out of view.

    Lai Lai knew it was bad. She immediately ducked down, nted her toes toward the cabin, tensed her body like a drawn bow, and lunged forward several meters in one stride. At the same time, the bodyguards also reacted, surrounding the dignitary and his wife and pushing them toward the cabin first.

    This choice was undoubtedly wise, but the obstruction also dashed Lai Lai''s chance at life.

    The jet bridge was narrowˇŞshe couldn''t get through.

    "Crack!" The crisp sound of shattering ss.

    The bullet pierced through the ss of the jet bridge and urately shot into her chest.

    Blood sttered.

    Her face twisted in agony as her body fell uncontrobly, and blood quickly soaked the floor.

    The cartoon sunsses dropped to the ground, revealing a pair of twisted, furious eyes.

    "Ah!" She stretched out her arms, struggling to crawl forward, the blood under her body leaving a long bloody streak.

    Footsteps scrambled by without anyone stopping to help her.

    Whether they were guards or bodyguards, they all knew very clearly who they were supposed to protect.

    On the roof, Zong Ye didn''t linger. He put away the sniper rifle swiftly and nimbly disassembled the firearm, rapidly stuffing the parts into a prepared gym bag.

    At the same time, he ripped off the face mask he was wearing, took off the highly recognizable ck jacket, revealing a fashionable branded t-shirt underneath. With a flick of his wrist, he put on a stylish sports watch for young people and donned sunsses. In just a few seconds, his disguise wasplete.

    But the danger hadn''t passed. More important than the costume change was getting rid of the incriminating evidence in his hands.

    At the same time, the dignitary was surrounded into the cabin, temporarily safe. Without pausing to catch his breath, he yelled, "Damn it! Catch that guy for me! We absolutely can''t let him get away!"

    "Yes, sir!" Two guards and two bodyguards stayed behind while the other six people rushed out of the jet bridge into the boarding hall to pursue the unidentified sniper.

    Fury churned inside the dignitary. To dare kill someone right in front of himˇŞwould they try to assassinate him next?

    "Give me the phone!" He held out his hand.

    The guard handed him a cellphone. He dialed a number and yelled angrily, "Seal off the airport! Don''t let anyone leave until you''ve found the shooter! Giving me trouble? Do you know someone just tried to assassinate me? This concerns the diplomacy between our two countries. I need an exnation!"

    He roared without listening to the other side''s excuses at all, then violently smashed the phone on the ground when he was done.

    The screen cracked.

    The flight attendants exchanged looks, carefully backing away.

    Madam didn''t dare speak up to try and soothe him either, just hugging her son tightly.

    The cabin was deathly silent.

    A hundred meters away, the boarding gate had already descended into chaos.

    The passengers were already irritable and upset because of the dys. Just as boarding was finally restarting, they suddenly saw several uniformed men rush out with guns, charging around recklessly looking for someone.

    Everyone was angry and afraid, pointing and whispering to each other.

    One guard identally bumped into a muscr man who was making a phone call.

    Thetter turned and spewed a stream of profanities at him.

    This guard already had a bad temper to begin with, plus he knew hismander''s temperˇŞif he didn''t catch the perpetrator, he was sure to face dire consequences. Understandably anxious, he wanted to apprehend the criminal as quickly as possible to atone for his mistakes.

    Yet this muscr fellow was cursing him out, and his anger red up. He whipped out his gun and fired at the ceiling.

    Bang!

    This wasn''t Zong Ye''s silenced sniper rifle, and there was no ss barrier either. The deafening bang echoed clearly indoors.

    Nearby passengers froze in ce.

    When faced with danger, remaining motionless was instinctual.

    But passengers who were farther away and didn''t hear it clearly still retained their mobility.

    They whispered to each other, discussing spiritedly.

    "What''s going on?"

    "Was that a gunshot just now?"

    Those with wild imaginations or a strong sense of crisis immediately blurted out the most fearful spections.

    "My god, I think someone''s been shot!"

    "When can we take off and get out of here?"

    "Help!"

    Panic and chaos spread with frightening speed like a gue.

    Some stood frozen in ce, some turned to flee, while others deliberately caused a disturbance: "Help, murder! Run for your lives!"

    It was madness, utter chaos.

    The surging crowds unleashed terrible destructive power. Those who didn''t react in time were ruthlessly trampled underfoot.

    Jian Jing cursed them out in her head.

    Opening fire here? Are they crazy, shooting guns in an airport?

    She had no time to ponder. Her first reaction was to return to the lounge.

    People bumped shoulders as they scrambled by. Some fell, some screamed, some ran. A tour group ran straight toward her.

    Jian Jing mmed on the brakes and snatched the tour guide''s bullhorn.

    She turned the volume to max, then flipped the charisma card to max as well.

    "Don''t move! Stay where you are!" she yelled loudly in Chinese, English, and French on loop. "It''s just filming! Everyone please don''t panic, just stay put! There are no dead, no shots fired! Please don''t be rmed! Remain where you are and don''t move!"

    As she spoke, she jumped onto the high chair back and shouted with all her might.

    "Nothing is happening! It''s just a film crew shooting!"

    "Please stay where you are and don''t move!"

    "Look after elderly and childpanions."

    "Everything is okay!"

    "Stop running!"

    "No shoot!"

    Amidst the chaos, clear, definite information was most crucial. Along with the charisma card boost, the swarm of passengers finally stopped in their tracks, scrutinizing dubiously.

    At this timely moment, an announcement sounded over the inte.

    "Dear passengers, the noise just now was due to an equipment malfunction. Please do not panic and remain where you are.

    Please refrain from moving about randomly. The ne will be taking off shortly.

    Passengers who feel unwell may proceed to the medical office."

    The calm, robotic announcement had an even better pacifying effect, aying the doubts of the passengers.

    Jian Jing let out a breath, hurriedly returning to the lounge.

    Halfway there, she saw a figure approaching her, a coat draped over his arm concealing some disassembled props underneath.

    He signaled to her with his eyes.

    Jian Jing walked at the same speed, but changed hands to carry her backpack, leaving the zipper half open.

    The two passed each other.

    The bag in her hand suddenly became heavier.

    Jian Jing went around the corner, skillfully zipped up her backpack, and moved it back to her left hand.

    The lounge was within sight.

    "Are you guys okay?" she asked casually.

    Kang Mu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, looking up and down repeatedly: "Where did you go? What just happened?"

    "It''s almost time to board, I went to buy something to eat," she put on her backpack, "Then I met a psycho who inexplicably fired a shot at the ceiling - he thought he was filming a movie! There''s something wrong with his brain."

    The CEO Kang shook his head andmented, "These ces are chaotic enough."

    "That''s right," she agreed profoundly, andined again, "It finally stopped raining, then this happened, don''t even know if we can fly."

    Everyone looked unlucky, but soon, the waiter came to tell them that they could board now.

    Jian Jing became suspicious: "The chaos just now..."

    "It was a misunderstanding," the waiter said, "We will ensure your ne takes off as soon as possible."

    Since the airport had said so, of course no one would decline, and followed the staff to check in.

    Ahead was a security checkpoint.

    Jian Jing: Hmm.

    "Sorry, for everyone''s safety, we have to do another security check," the staff exined, "The ne can take off if there are no issues."

    By now, the dy had exceeded 5 hours, even the biggest celebrities could not refuse security checks and dy their own flights.

    No one objected.

    The security check began.

    A tall woman stood by the security checkpoint, her sharp eyes scanning the passengers one by one. She was the female bodyguard Zong Ye had strongly suspected before, and now it seemed his judgment was very urate.

    This woman was not simple.

    She realized at first that the attacker was probably in the VIP lounge, one of the passengers. So, taking off on time would both avoid offending VIP guests and quickly identify the suspect.

    In just ten minutes, the perpetrator would not have time to dispose of the murder weapon. If he thought he could get on the ne first and slip away, now, he might be carrying the fatal evidence.

    Impressive.

    Jian Jing thought, and smiled at her slightly.

    The policewoman noticed and stared at her oppressively.

    Jian Jing suddenly made her move: "May I ask why thisdy is here? She doesn''t seem to be a security guard, is she qualified to search our luggage?"

    Hearing this, others also looked over.

    The policewoman''s eyes shed sharply as she pressed on aggressively: "Hand over your bag!"

    "Are you a public official of this country?" Jian Jing still asked that question, questioning the security inspector, "Why is your country''s security check being conducted by people from other countries?"

    The security inspector stammered.

    What could he know? It was all the leaders'' orders.

    The policewoman ignored him and pushed the man aside, reaching out to snatch Jian Jing''s bag.

    Jian Jing grabbed her wrist.

    As soon as the two shed, they immediately knew each other''s strength.

    Thinking she had caught the culprit, the policewoman''s adrenaline surged, and her other hand immediately went for her gun, intending to control Jian Jing first.

    Jian Jing took out her passport and slowly tucked it into the front pocket of her pencil skirt.

    The pitch-ck muzzle was aimed at the corner of the red passport.

    "Are you going to shoot?" she asked calmly, "Go ahead and try."

    The policewoman''s finger was on the trigger, but she didn''t dare pull it for a moment.

    The writer has something to say: the n B, of course, is to get rid of her directly and be done with it~

    Jian Jing and Zong Ye''s cooperation has been great so far, this round was very exciting.

 Chapter 340

    Chapter 340

    Strange changes urred, and other security guards quickly surrounded them, sizing up Jian Jing, who was being aggressive.

    On Jian Jing''s side, she also attracted the support and attention of other passengers.

    The fashionable female executive, the Hollywood celebrity couple, the honeymooners, and other VIP passengers taking this flight, all cast their attentive gazes over.

    Jian Jing said, "I''m willing to cooperate with security, but do you have the authority to pull a gun on me?"

    "Jingjing, don''t waste words with her," Kang President said coldly. "Just call the conste directly and have them handle this. I''d like to see your country dare to make transnational arrests of foreigners."

    The Hollywood celebrities finally understood what was going on. Unable to distinguish between Asian people, they had assumed the female guard was a local. Now hearing that she was foreign too, they immediately spoke up, "You don''t have the right to search our luggage."

    "People who don''t know any better would think you were a colony," Jian Jing struck back precisely.

    Now the security guard had no choice but to stand up. He decisively chose to defend the country''s reputation: "Misunderstanding. Thisdy has nothing to do with our work."

    "Is that so?" Jian Jing asked.

    The other staff looked at each other and echoed one after another: "That''s right."

    "We are an independent country."

    "We''re just doing this for safety, not searching luggage."

    But Jian Jing did not let up, asking again: "Then why don''t you arrest her for pointing a gun at me? Or does your country have the freedom to carry guns?"

    Hearing the news, the arriving security guards looked at their batons, not daring to step forward or back down.

    The two sides were at an impasse.

    "I''ve already called the conste," Kang President said.

    "This is a misunderstanding," the other guard pressed down the hand of his colleague holding the gun, pretending that nothing had happened. "She doesn''t understand English and thought you were provoking her."

    Jian Jing sneered. "What did you say, provoking? Who''s provoking who?"

    "No, what I mean is, she misunderstood." The guard made a cating gesture. "Please continue with security."

    Jian Jing scoffed disdainfully. She unzipped her bag and dumped everything out on the table.

    Power banks, lipstick, tissues, hydrating spray, sheet masks, earphones, beef jerky, preserved plums... Everything was just small, scattered items.

    She stared at the female guard and said slowly, "Are you deaf or just blind?"

    The guard was furious. "You--!"

    Her colleague held her arm tightly.

    "Go to hell," Jian Jing scooped her things back into her bag, then pped it shut and flipped a middle finger. "Bastard."

    She stomped angrily up the boarding bridge, the steel tes under her feet booming with each step.

    However, as soon as she was out of sight of the crowd, the angry expression disappeared without a trace.

    She looked back towards the boarding gate.

    The man dressed as a business elite turned his face slightly and gave a faint smile.

    Jian Jing left without looking back.

    Behind her, the passengers surged like a tide onto the steel bird.

    Just like countless other takeoffs, the passengers busied themselves finding their seats, the flight attendants checked luggage, and the captain followed themands from the control tower to prepare for takeoff.

    Jian Jing closed her eyes.

    The ne rumbled, taxied, and took off.

    Finally, they had smoothly left thisnd.

    She couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, her shoulders rxing.

    "Weren''t you afraid she would really shoot?" Kang Mu Cheng asked.

    "She wouldn''t dare," Jian Jing said.

    He suppressed his anxiety. "What if the gun went off by ident?"

    She paused, then said frankly, "I didn''t think that far. There''s always danger, the probability of a misfire is only slightly higher than a ne crash, not much more likely than a car ident."

    "Jingjing," Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath, trying to reason with her. "There are some dangers we can''t avoid, but some we can steer clear of. If you keep this up, something will happen sooner orter."

    Jian Jing pressed her lips tightly together.

    Kang Mu Cheng wanted to say more, but Kang President beside them cleared his throat. "Mu Cheng."

    "Mom, I..." He wanted to say something, but Kang President didn''t give him the chance.

    She yanked over her son. "Come over here and sit by me."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at Jian Jing, who had turned her head away ignoring him, then at his insistent mother. He could only break off the conversation and sit in the seat next to his mother.

    Jian Jing flicked the privacy screen shut with a snap and turned on the "Do Not Disturb" sign.

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed helplessly, slumping back in his chair.

    "Why are you bullying Jingjing?" Kang Lei asked. "Aren''t you ashamed to bully a young girl like that?"

    Kang Mu Cheng exined, "I didn''t mean to reprimand her. I''m just worried...what if that woman had really fired her gun just now?"

    In that brief few minutes of confrontation, his heart rate had shot up to at least 150. He couldn''t hear what they were saying at all, only remembered breaking out in a cold sweat, terrified that the other would hurt her at the slightest provocation.

    That feeling of fright even exceeded what he had felt in Paris.

    At least back then, the thugs weren''t targeting her specifically, weren''t pointing a gun at her head.

    "I really..." He knitted his brows, his chest aching slightly, reminding him of the anxiety from before. "This is not the first time. If this continues, what if one day..."

    It was rare for Kang Mu Cheng to be at a loss for words, not knowing how to express himself. "Can she really defuse danger every time?"

    Kang President looked thoughtful as she regarded her son. "Do you feel like, since Jingjing has no parents, you''re responsible for caring for her, worrying about her, and advising her?"

    He asked back, "Shouldn''t I?"

    "That will only have the opposite effect," Kang Lei said calmly. "I can see Jingjing has tolerated you again and again. Don''t squander her feelings for you, Mu Cheng."

    Kang Mu Cheng fell silent.

    "The year I first started my business, I was cheated," Kang Lei said, unexpectedly bringing up apletely unrted memory from the past instead ofmenting further on their rtionship.

    "Back then my ounts had not a penny, I owed debts to several rtives. Then that bastard ran off with the money. I was so angry and regretful, somehow I was blinded and believed his lies, ending up in that awful situation. I''ll be honest with you, son, I really felt I had reached the end of my rope."

    Though it had happened decades ago, Kang Lei still sighed with emotion as she recalled it.

    "At that time, I thought, even if I have to die, I''ll drag that bastard down with me, I can''t let him get away. I went through great pains to find his address, and the next day I took a cleaver straight to his family home."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    "The bastard yed dumb with me, said he didn''t have a penny, and killing him wouldn''t get me anything. To tell the truth, when I went I still hoped I could intimidate him into giving back at least some money. Who knew when I got there, other than a ragged bed, he didn''t even have a TV, I certainly wasn''t going to take it out on his 80 year old mother.

    "I waspletely disheartened. I just put the cleaver right against his neck and told him, either the money or your life, since I owed a mountain of debts anyway, at least I wouldn''t go to jail if I jumped off a building after taking him with me."

    Kang President pulled up the corners of her lips in a smile. "Then guess what happened?"

    "He paid you back," Kang Mu Cheng said.

    "That''s right, he got scared and called his mistress to bring money over." Kang Presidentughed but continued, "I''ve told you this story before, but you don''t know, actually after you were born something simr happened again."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked surprised.

    "Someone from thepany embezzled money and ran off," she said. "It was right after I had given birth to you. I had a difficultbor, was inexplicably irritable all the time, couldn''t concentrate, and couldn''t handle a lot of matters, so I handed them over to subordinates. I was wrong to think that he was a long-time employee who wouldn''t stab me in the back after I treated him well. In the end, the human heart truly is hard to fathom..."

    She shook her head, not dwelling on it further, simply saying, "As soon as I heard about it, I saw red. Little Nie said he thought I was having a stroke from how the blood rushed to my head, and his own legs went soft from fear. But am I that kind of person? My first thought was to kill that bastard."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    "But I didn''t go," Kang Lei pivoted, asking her son, "Do you know why?"

    He said, "Uncle Nie stopped you."

    "Bullshit, as if he could''ve!" Kang President scoffed. She looked at her son, eyes brimming with soft radiance. "It was because of you."

    "You were this small." She gestured the size of a baby. "Just a few months old. If I didn''t carry you, you wouldn''t sleep. Tell me, how could I go pick a fight with someone?"

    Kang Mu Cheng was stunned.

    Kang Lei said, "You feel responsible for taking good care of Jingjing. Even if she resents you, as long as she''s alright, it''s worth it. Isn''t that right? Have you considered how Jingjing herself feels?"

    "I don''t know what she is thinking anymore," he said self-deprecatingly.

    "Yes, you can''t understand, because you haven''t lost everything like her," Kang Lei said incisively, "But I can understand her feelings - with her parents gone, no matter how good you are to her, you have your own life, she only cares about herself, others don''t need her that much, so what''s wrong with her doing some things she likes?"

    Kang Mu Cheng was silent.

    "No matter how many times you say it''s dangerous, it''s no use at all, she''s not afraid of danger or death," the mother said pitifully, looking at her son, sincerely saying, "Mu Cheng, you got it wrong. The only way to stop someone from taking risks is to make them not want to themselves, do you understand?"

    Without attachments there is no fear, only when there is someone in your heart that you care about, will you be afraid to die.

    Kang Mu Cheng understood this reasoning.

    So he felt bitter inside.

    The ups and downs before boarding the ne, but the flight was calmly smooth, no thunderstorms, no air currents, andnded in his homnd very smoothly.

    Jian Jing felt very tired.

    Perhaps it was because the two events were too close together,

    Or looking for a was especially draining, when she got off the ne, her whole being was listless.

    With low spirits, vignce was naturally not very high either.

    It wasn''t until Kang Mu Cheng beside her suddenly stopped that she noticed something wrong.

    A bright bunch of red roses appeared before her eyes.

    An extremelyrge bouquet, muchrger than a washbasin, probably the ny-nine rose package. Straight to her, blocking her entire view, the rich fragrance rushed to her face, dewdrops glistening.

    Jian Jing: "???"

    First reaction: So fresh.

    Second reaction: It is indeed roses, not peonies.

    Third reaction: Who did this?

    She looked up and saw Zong Xunmei''s smile.

    People around started taking out their phones to take pictures, girls suppressed their excitement, all kinds of onlookers, whispering to each other: "Is this a proposal?"

    "Ah, this man is so handsome, like a celebrity."

    "God, so blissful."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She looked up at him with difficulty: "What are you doing?"

    "Expressing my gratitude," he opened his arms and gave her a solid hug, his lips touched her cheek, "Thank you."

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes: "It wasn''t for you."

    "That''s exactly why I''m most grateful," he released her, smiling, "I owe you another favor."

    Jian Jing looked at him andughed: "A bunch of roses is your sincerity? I have nock of men sending me flowers."

    Zong Ye smiled helplessly.

    "Ok, I see," he magically took out a greeting card, still in the shape of a rabbit. He put the card in the flowers, smiled, "I''ll be ready anytime within three days."

    Jian Jing couldn''t restrain her curiosity and reached for the greeting card, but he immediately took hold of her fingers.

    He lifted her hand and kissed the back lightly, smiling, "I''ll wait for you."

    The author has something to say: The event is over, now to get to the fun stuff~~

    When ites to flirtatious actions, Zong Ye still has the most ir~~

 Chapter 341

    Chapter 341

    Zong Ye had a line that said, "asecretmakesawoman."

    Among all the men Jian Jing had met, Zong Ye was the most charming one.

    It was because he had the most secrets.

    His identity, his job, his backgroundˇŞeverything was a mystery. After a few encounters, some glimpses of the truth emerged, but instead of unraveling the puzzle, it made him even more elusive.

    Jian Jing had a strong curiosity about him.

    It was like a leopard in the Southeast Asian forest. She knew it was dangerous to touch it, yet she couldn''t resist poking it to see.

    She was supposed to meet him in three days, but she went on the second day.

    Zong Ye gave her the address of a hotel.

    It was a high-end suite facing a park, with top-notch surroundings and location.

    After having breakfast and taking her dog to the park to find its ymates, Jian Jing leisurely made her way to the hotel.

    As expected, Zong Ye was waiting for her. As soon as she knocked on the door, he responded, "Wee."

    Jian Jing stepped inside and openly looked around, saying, "Is this where you live?"

    "The hotel is convenient," he said. He was wearing loose andfortable home clothes, appearing more rxed than their previous encounters. "Please, have a seat."

    Jian Jing had no intention of missing the opportunity to observe, and she unabashedly looked around.

    There was arge bed, only one person, and very minimal luggageˇŞjust clothes and toiletries. The cab was closed, and there was a sports bag under the bed; who knew what was inside.

    She remarked, "It''s simple."

    "The fewer clues, the safer," Zong Ye said as he boiled water and made her a cup of hot tea.

    Jian Jing looked at the disposable paper cup and the tea bags provided by the hotel, remaining silent.

    "We don''t have much time," he said, opening the wardrobe and taking out a stic bag from inside. "Your interest in me is probably not as significant as this, so let''s get to the point."

    Jian Jing replied, "...There''s no need."

    But since he had said so, she naturally responded, "I thought you would never speak."

    "You are special, and I always treat special people differently," he said with a gentle smile.

    A fox is always a fox.

    Jian Jing nced at him, decisively putting aside his good looks, and asked, "Where do I start learning?"

    "First, the rules," Zong Ye approached, cupping her face in his hands, carefully examining it. "The human body has a basic structure. Shapeshifting cannot be arbitrary; it must align with the growth of the bones. Children are different from adults, and teenagers are different from the elderly. If the changes are too extreme, it not only fails to conceal your appearance but also exposes your abnormalities."

    "I see. I''ll remember that," Jian Jing quickly grasped the concept and immediately reached out to touch back, "Your transformations are wless. Is it because your bone structure is exceptional?"

    Zong Ye burst intoughter, bending down and allowing her to "learn."

    No matter how good-looking a man is, he can''t turn into a flower. Skills are more important.

    Jian Jing withdrew her hand and asked, "What''s next?"

    "Second, harmony," he said. "You should understand this. Laborers who do hard physical work cannot have fair and delicate skin, and pampered youngdies will not have deformed fingers. But sometimes, we can''t avoid such issues."

    He held her wrist and lifted it up for observation. "Your hands are peculiar."

    Jian Jing remainedposed and asked, "What''s peculiar about them?"

    "There are not many traces of training, and hardly any calluses." His finger pinched her fingertips, gliding over the lines in her palm, inch by inch exploring. "Maintaining the physical abilities you''ve disyed is not an easy task."

    She said, "I''ve spent a lot of money."

    Zong Ye smiled and admitted, "You have more room for disguise than others. However, this advantage is not significant. Miss Rabbit, if I''m not mistaken, you have trained your fingers and they are more agile than on Mermaid Ind, right?"

    Jian Jing remained silent.

    "It seems I guessed correctly," he said. "Now you understand that actions are more likely to give you away than appearances."

    She pondered for a moment, activated her acting card, and held his hand in return.

    Her fingers were soft andcked strength, the movements clumsy.

    "Right," he said. "These hands look like an ordinary girl''s. Disguising oneself is easy momentarily, but it''s too risky for a prolonged performance. If it were me, I would adopt the persona of a pianist."

    Jian Jing said, "Rationalizing the irrational."

    "Yes," Zong Ye said. "The third point is naturalness."

    "Wearing disguises is not as easy as you may think. A skinny person pretending to be fat requires more than just a change in appearance; your actions and habits must align with your appearance."

    He took out a heavy silicone prosthesis. "The best disguise for a woman is pregnancy. Would you like to try?"

    Jian Jing eagerly stood up.

    "ying the role of a pregnant woman is not as simple as stuffing something in your stomach," he said, wrapping the silicone prosthesis around her abdomen with bandages. "Pregnancy is not just a swollen belly; the changes ur inside your body. You have to disguise everything from head to toe."

    She curiously asked, "Can you create the appearance of swelling?"

    "It''s possible, but it would be very cumbersome, and you would have to wear long clothes and pants," he tightened the straps, firmly cinching her waist. Jian Jing immediately felt the pressure around her waist, feeling unnatural all over.

    Zong Ye continued, "This brings me to the fourth point, integration. For example, being pregnant is not suitable in the summer. Your clothing, diet, and behavior must align with the environment you''re in. Failing in such a ce is the biggest failure."

    She nodded and took note.

    "Alright," he released her. "Now you are a pregnant woman. Walk towards me."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and still relied on her acting card to y the role.

    She supported her belly with her hands and moved slowly, asionally pausing and dodging to the sideˇŞshe was afraid of reckless pedestrians or vehicles colliding with her. asionally, she discreetly supported her lower back, relieving the pressure on her spine.

    However, the acting card was not all-powerful.

    She sensed some subtle unnaturalness.

    Her evasive movements were too agile, her muscles not obeying themands of her brain but following muscle memory, running in the most safe and efficient way possible.

    Suppressing instinctive training was much more challenging than resisting the urge to eat ice cream.

    She felt frustrated.

    "You''ve already done well," Zong Ye chuckled. "You must observe others frequently and know where to be cautious, but your body can''t adapt to these burdens in a short time."

    Jian Jing asked, "How long will it take before it''s not noticeable?"

    "After wearing this equipment for ten hours every day, there will be noticeable improvement after a week," he said. "The human body has strong adaptability, but you must tap into your own potential."

    Jian Jing let out a sigh of resignation.

    "Alright, that''s enough theory," he said. "Now I''ll teach you the simplest disguise. Can you guess the different levels of disguises from shallow to deep?"

    Jian Jing replied, "Clothing and hairstyle, facial features and skin, body posture and movements."

    "Exactly right," he apuded and smiled. "As a reward, let''s skip the first step and directly move on to the second step, how about that?"

    She said, "I have no objections."

    Zong Ye said, "Ordinary foundation can only change the skin color. To achieve a special skin texture, you need to apply ayer of simted skin."

    He cut open a piece of colorless transparent film, dipped it in water, and stuck it to the outer side of her arm. Jian Jing curiously touched it. The texture was simr to medical dressings, breathable and thin, and not ufortable at all.

    "Use this to make your skin rough, and then apply the foundation evenly," he said. "Remember, it shouldn''t be an exact match. The outer skin color should definitely be darker than the inner skinˇŞdetails make all the difference."

    Jian Jing happily said, "I understand, what''s next?"

    "The adjustment of the body''s skin is rtively simple," Zong Ye said. "Adjusting the facial features is moreplicated."

    He touched her cheek and smiled, "Do you want to give it a try?"

    "Yes," she said, "I want to be Marilyn Monroe."

    Zong Ye couldn''t help but chuckle, "Crossing races is the mostplicated disguise, you''re overestimating me."

    Jian Jing blinked innocently.

    But she couldn''t be med. Only a sexy beauty could suppress a vixen.

    "Miss Rabbit, the highest level of disguise is being ordinary. The key to avoiding attention is mediocrity," he held her chin, slightly raised it, and sighed, "But with this face of yours, it really makes it difficult for me toy a hand on you."

    She asked, "Is that apliment?"

    "Without a doubt," he said, or rather, he was already bluntly taking out a set of dental braces, "Open your mouth and bite on it."

    Jian Jing felt her mouth being forced open, her tongue and teeth restrained, very ufortable.

    She spat and said, "It''s so ufortable."

    "This is the easiest prop," he looked left and right,ughing, "Maybe it''s too big, it doesn''t quite fit your size, but let''s make do."

    "My teeth hurt," Jian Jing''s expression was pained, and her words were slurred.

    "Sorry, sorry, let''s try another one," Zong Ye spread his hands, "Spit it out."

    She forcefully pushed against the edge of the dental braces with her tongue but couldn''t get it toe loose. Jian Jing pressed her cheek with force for a while before finally managing to take it out.

    She grumbled, "Why is this thing so secure?"

    "The method was wrong," Zong Ye took the prop she failed with and directly ced it in his mouth. He lightly tapped his teeth, and it immediately locked in ce, natural and effortless.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Then he pinched the position of her gum from the outside, pushed up, and immediately took it out, without any difficulty.

    "I''ll have a smaller one custom-made for you," he chuckled lightly, "Next."

    Next was the use of adhesive tape.

    "I know this one," Jian Jing said, "It can change the contours of the face." She pressed it against her own cheek and forcefully stuck it to the back of her head, the face...

    Zong Ye''s muscles instantly tightened, as if carved from stone, showing immediate results.

    "It looks too unnatural," Zong Ye leaned closer, peeling off the tape from her face. His fingertips asionally touched and separated, like the spring rain dripping on her face, faint and elusive.

    He exined, "Usually, I use silicone gel and tape together to alter the appearance of the upper half of the face."

    Silicone gel widened the nose wings, tape narrowed the eyes, and a few e patches were added. Lastly, he casually patted on some foundation, giving her a slightly tanned forehead and a round, plump face. A nce at her face revealed that she was a slightly chubby girl.

    Jian Jing could almost immediately identify the matching elements: ck-framed sses, medium-length hair, a love for milk tea, a few shy dolls hanging from her backpack, a passion for idol chasing, and frequently saying, "I really need to lose weight."

    ˇŞThe writer had no trouble imagining the character''s appearance.

    However!

    "It does indeed look mediocre," she had mixed feelings. "If I walked on the streets with this face, the world would probably bepletely different."

    Zong Ye smiled. "Having a lower perspective isn''t necessarily a bad thing."

    Beauties always enjoyed privileges. When they entered a store, someone would open the door for them, and the shopkeeper would always be patient when they made purchases. Even the smiles of the waitstaff during meals became more genuine.

    However, the vast majority of people couldn''t enjoy such conveniences.

    asionally bing an ordinary person would provide a more genuine understanding of the world.

    "Behind the mask, you can see things that are usually unseen," Zong Ye supported his head, gazing at her with a smile. "Do you want to give it a try?"

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow.

    "Go and meet the people you''re familiar with in your current appearance," he tempted. "Perhaps something interesting will happen."

    She took a gentle breath and suddenly felt a thrill.

 Chapter 342

    Chapter 342

    From a youthful and beautiful girl, it was much more challenging than expected to transform into an ordinary young woman through disguise.

    Jian Jing put on a wig and adjusted her facial features, slightly adding some weight and widening her shoulders, waist, and back. Her posture instantly transformed, making her inconspicuous in the crowd.

    Zong Ye prepared a pale yellow blouse and a blue long skirt for her, both with low saturation, blending in with the crowd. After getting ready, he stood at a distance and observed for a while, smiling as he tapped his forehead, saying, "There are too many ws."

    However, Jian Jing was already satisfied. "For a first attempt, let''s not set the bar too high." She twirled in front of the mirror, eager to give it a try. "I''ll make some adjustmentster, and I should be able to deceive them."

    "Well, I''m looking forward to it." Zong Ye opened the door for her, smiling. "Princess, remember toe back before twelve o''clock, or the magic will disappear."

    Jian Jingughed heartily. "A Cindere journey?"

    "Have a pleasant journey."

    She put on a duckbill cap to avoid being captured by hotel surveince cameras and took the elevator downstairs.

    Once downstairs, she bought a city-themed canvas bag from a souvenir shop and hid her Chanel bag inside it. Then she switched to a wide-brimmed straw hat, which matched her outfit better.

    She walked into the subway station and picked a cheap phone case from a street stall to rece the original one. Afterward, she found an affordable nail salon and bought a set of nail pieces to cover up her well-done manicure.

    Her high-tech watch was temporarily taken off, leaving her wrist feeling empty, so she bought a wide silver bracelet.

    The subway arrived swiftly.

    She nced at her reflection in the ss and felt satisfied with her overall appearance, so she happily stepped into the train.

    The first stop was Jinwu.

    It was now a little after two o''clock in the afternoon, and the train was rtively empty, with two or three avable seats.

    Jian Jing headed towards the nearest seat, but to her surprise, a young man who boarded the train at the same time quickened his pace and sat down first, giving her a smug look.

    She was speechless and chose to sit in the next train car.

    Most peoplepletely ignored her.

    Jian Jing felt a bit ufortable. When she went out normally, she received more attention than being ignored. Girls would notice her essories and clothing (there were often girls approaching her, asking where she bought things), and boys would simply take a nce, and the more courageous ones might ask for her contact information.

    Of course, as a writer, being asked for autographs by fans was also amon urrence.

    But now, no one paid attention to her.

    It felt rather pleasant.

    She seemed like a drop of water, silently merging into the water, and people wouldn''t particrly notice her actions or leave asting impression in their minds.

    For a detective, this was undoubtedly an excellent form of concealment.

    Jian Jing tried walking close to someone, shook her body, and then moved away. However, the person remained engrossed in their phone the entire time,pletely oblivious to her presence.

    Interesting.

    She couldn''t help but wonder if Mr. Kang would recognize her when they metter.

    Ding-dong, it was her stop.

    Jian Jing got off the train and, being familiar with the route, found the business building where Jinwu was located.

    And then... she couldn''t get in.

    Ahem, the security at the Jinwu building was strict. ess required a key card, and if you were a visitor, you needed to register specifically and verify with the relevant department.

    In the bright and spacious hall, white-cor workers hurriedly came and went. Although it wasn''t as morous as a workce drama, it still had the busyness and efficiency of arge corporation.

    "Excuse me, please." Walking towards her was Jian Jing''s former ssmate and secretary, Dai An. She hurriedly descended the stairs, still holding her phone. "Teacher, I''ll be there soon. I''lle down to pick you upˇŞcan we meet at the caf¨¦? Alright, let me ask President Kang first."

    She hung up the phone and dialed Kang Mu Cheng''s number. "Professor Wang doesn''t want to go upstairs. He feels dizzy in elevators. Can we meet at the caf¨¦... Alright, alright, I''ll go first."

    While Dai An was talking, she brushed past Jian Jing without even noticing her.

    Jian Jing took a few steps back and changed her ns ordingly.

    There was a cultural caf¨¦ near the "Golden Crow," with a romantic and stylish ambiance that was quite popr. Since she couldn''t go into the "Golden Crow" (it felt quite awkward), she decided to try her luck at the caf¨¦ instead.

    She arrived a step earlier than Kang Mu Cheng and chose a seat next to his.

    Kang Mu Cheng came down quickly and met with Professor Wang.

    The conversation was unremarkable.

    Professor Wang and President Kang were from an older generation, preparing to retire and nning to publish a collection of their prose works. As respected seniors, it was only fitting for Kang Mu Cheng to personally engage with them. They discussed not just royalties, but also emotions.

    Jian Jing found herself dozing off while listening, but fortunately, they didn''t intend to engage in long discussions. The conversation ended after just half an hour.

    Dai An paid the bill, and Kang Mu Cheng left with Professor Wang.

    Jian Jing followed behind.

    The caf¨¦''s ss door wasrge and heavy. Kang Mu Cheng opened the door and let Professor Wang go first. But when it was his turn, Jian Jing followed him outside.

    He paused and let the girl leave first.

    "Thank you," Jian Jing said in a soft and gentle voice, using a voice changer.

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded, but didn''t pay attention.

    Professor Wang left, and Kang Mu Cheng prepared to return to the "Golden Crow."

    On the way, they passed by the gship Lego store located at the corner.

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at it and suddenly stopped.

    Jian Jing was surprised.

    He pushed the door open and went in, directly selecting a few sets disyed in the center. He asked, "Can you deliver them to my doorstep?"

    "Of course, sir. Where would you like them delivered? Do you need a card?" The staff was very considerate.

    Jian Jing leaned over to eavesdrop.

    Kang Mu Cheng mentioned the name of a residential area without a doubtˇŞit was her home.

    The staff took note of it and brought a greeting card for him to write on.

    He hesitated for a while before finally writing a few lines.

    Jian Jing didn''t sneak a peek.

    Kang Mu Cheng paid, left, and as he passed by her, he nced at her a little longer.

    Jian Jing acted as if nothing had happened, not believing that he recognized her.

    And indeed, Kang Mu Cheng didn''t think much of it. The concept of disguises was unfamiliar to ordinary people. He just felt it was a coincidence that this girl seemed vaguely familiar, so he took a second nce.

    Sometimes, intuition is more urate than the mind.

    Without dwelling on it, he checked his watchˇŞthere were still fifteen minutes until the video conference. In an instant, he cast aside all distractions and began to formte his meeting n in his mind.

    Jian Jing watched him leave and secretly smirked.

    When Mr. Kang returned this time, it was impossible for him to leave the office without working untilte at night.

    Let''s move on.

    Jian Jing opened WeChat and, as expected, the first message was a news update, and the second one was from Jiang BaiYan.

    He had sent a photo in the morning, a selfie taken on the set of a drama. He mentioned that the weather was hot and the makeup was prone to smudging, but luckily there was a restaurant nearby where the crew could take a break in the air conditioning.

    Jian Jing searched for the restaurant''s name and quickly found the address.

    It was an old neighborhood that was still undergoing renovation; the housing was dense, and the buildings were several decades old, with some even being dpidated.

    She took a taxi there and checked their chat history along the way.

    Jiang BaiYan mentioned that the espionage drama he had previously agreed to had been postponed. The production team heard some rumors about the actor they had cast as the second male lead and decided not to start filming for the time being. They were stuck because they had already signed the contract, and if they broke it, they would have to pay a hefty sum. But if the actor himself backed out, they wouldn''t have to pay anything.

    So, his schedule became free, and he decided to take on a movie instead.

    The plot was quite funny: the male protagonist woke up one day and found that he had changed sex, bing a female version of himself. In the memories of his family and friends, he had always been a girl, but only he felt like a boy.

    And so, his extraordinary life began.

    The world became both unfamiliar and familiar. Even though it was the same person, the same face, after switching genders, different aspects of his personality emerged.

    Jiang BaiYan described it as seventy percentedy, twenty percent heartwarming, and ten percent thought-provoking.

    Jian Jing saw her own reply at that time: "[Do you dress up as a woman?]"

    Her interest was piqued, but she didn''t rush to approach when she arrived. Instead, she stood at a street corner and used a telescope to observe.

    Jiang BaiYan was having dessert with a girl.

    His appearance was naturally androgynous, and at the moment, he was wearing loose t-shirt and pants. Only his hair was slightly longer, but it didn''t look exaggerated. However, his backpack, essories, and jewelry were all cute and pink, revealing the reversal of his gender.

    Perhaps his acting skills were too good, as his expression of despair seemed too real. Jian Jing couldn''t help but want tough as she watched.

    "Cut!" the director called, reying the scene and nodding in satisfaction. "That''s a wrap."

    A few lucky fans hurriedly approached, asking if they could get an autograph.

    Jian Jing blended in with them.

    Jiang BaiYan was always approachable and, of course, he wouldn''t refuse. He found a shady spot and signed for them.

    The fans suppressed their excitement and asked, "Can we take a picture?"

    "Sorry, but I can''t," he said skillfully, drawing his own name. "I''m working, so it''s not convenient to take photos."

    "Aw," the girls sighed with regret but didn''t insist.

    It was Jian Jing''s turn.

    Jiang BaiYan signed his name without even looking up and asked, "What should I write?"

    Jian Jing replied, "Jin Ji''an?"

    It was a perfectly normal name. Jiang BaiYan didn''t think much of it when he started writing, but after finishing, he felt that something was off and nced at her.

    He didn''t recognize her.

    "Are you my fan?" he casually asked.

    Jian Jing replied, "Sort of."

    "Hey, are you a spy from another fan club?" He tilted his head and, surprisingly, drew a little stick figure that perfectly depicted her current appearance. He even said, "Since you''re here, remember to support me more in the future. I''ll draw two little hearts for you."

    Seeing how adorable he was, Jian Jing couldn''t help but suppress herughter. She almost burst outughing.

    "Sister Chen approached and said, ''Xiao Bai, your scenes for today are over. Are you going home?''"

    Jiang BaiYan handed back the autograph and casually asked, "Did you bring it?"

    "It''s in the car."

    They returned to the nanny car while Jian Jing pretended to walk away but secretly listened in. However, Jiang BaiYan didn''t mention anything like "that fan is strange." Instead, he started talking about himself.

    Sister Chen said, "Is it for Teacher Jian? I''ve wrapped it up for you."

    Jian Jing perked up her ears. Huh?

    As Sister Chen spoke, she picked up the paper box in the car. It was a pink box with a satin ribbon tied around it, wrapped with great care and thoughtfulness.

    "Is this okay?" The manager fretted.

    Little did they know, Jiang BaiYan vigorously shook his head, removed the ribbon in three quick motions, and opened the box, messing up the arrangement of the lipstick, sunsses, and perfume inside. It looked as if they were haphazardly thrown in.

    Sister Chen was speechless. "Stop, stop, stop! How can you give it like this?"

    "You made it too much like a gift. Teacher Jing will find it strange," heined. "It should look more casual, as if I randomly took some things. It shouldn''t seem like the brand sent too many."

    Sister Chen remained silent.

    After fussing around, he was satisfied and lowered his head to send a message.

    Jian Jing''s phone vibrated.

    She took it out, and he had written: [I''ve been endorsing too many brandstely. I received a bunch of stuff that I can''t use up. I''ll send some to you. Are you at home?]

    Jian Jing replied: [I''m not at home.]

    He asked: [Should I leave it at the entrance?]

    Jian Jing responded: [Okay.]

    At the same time, Jiang BaiYan''s voice reached her ears. He said to Sister Chen, "Did you see that? The more casual, the better. That way, she''ll ept my gift."

    Jian Jing thought, "..."

    Sister Chen couldn''t help butin, "Is it necessary?"

    Jiang BaiYan said, "When starting from the bottom, you have to work harder than others."

    "But what if Teacher Jian thinks you''re not sincere?" Sister Chen countered.

    "Jing Jing isn''t foolish. These are all the styles she likes. How could she think I''m not sincere? She''ll know at a nce," he said confidently.

    Sister Chen couldn''t understand. "If she can see through your intentions, your scheming might backfire, won''t it?"

    "You don''t understand. The intentions that can be seen through are just petty tricks," he casually exined. "I want her to see that no matter how much I struggle, I can''t escape her grasp."

    Sister Chen remained silent.

    Jian Jing rested her hand on her temple and silently walked away.

 Chapter 343

    Chapter 343

    The setting sun flooded the sky, and a gentle breeze blew.

    Jian Jing decided to go to the fast food restaurant at the entrance of the police station to have dinner, to see if she could run into another overtime dog.

    To be honest, she was mostly curious and excited to meet Kang Mu Cheng and Jiang BaiYan, but she had high hopes for Ji Feng.

    If she could fool him, it would prove her disguise today was quite sessful.

    Of course, it would be even better if she could y a trick on him.

    Luckily for her, she had just ordered when Ji Feng and his colleague came in for dinner. They were regrs and greeted the owner before sitting down with their trays.

    On this ordinary day, the police chatted about mundane things.

    Lao Gaoined, "Little Child and Little Baby are getting more and more difficult to handle. What are elementary school kids thinking about these days?"

    "What school does your kid go to?" another dad asked.

    Lao Gao: "Public school, we really can''t afford private."

    "Elementary doesn''t matter, but you have to pay attention when entering middle school." The experienced dad chimed in.

    Lao Gao: "Sigh, my wife is already looking at which middle school to go to. Our school district isn''t great."

    "Oh, that''s a big problem alright."

    Everyone began to discuss schools, which middle schools were good, which high schools had high college eptance rates. This naturally cued to Ji Feng: "Yun Yun goes to the affiliated high school right? How is it?"

    "Not bad, I think the first-tier university rate is 30% this year," Ji Feng replied. "The college rate is 80%."

    "Oh, that''s pretty good!" The parents all mentally added it to their list of options.

    The obviously fresh-faced newbie looked shocked and said, "I thought Brother Ji wasn''t married yet. Your kid is already in high school?"

    Jian Jing: "Pfft, coughˇŞ"

    She almost couldn''t hold in herughter. That was close.

    Ji Feng had a ck line on his forehead.

    The othersughed raucously. "Haha, Little Li, your instincts need some work. Brother Ji is still a bachelor, he doesn''t even have a girlfriend yet."

    Little Li was even more shocked and foolishly asked, "Why?"

    "Whaddya mean why," Ji Feng rolled his eyes. "Do you have one?"

    Little Li: "I do!"

    Ji Feng: "..."

    Little Li scratched his head and happily shared, "We''re nning to get married next year!"

    The other seniors looked at him appraisingly. "Not bad Little Li, you move fast. We won''t have to worry about you in the future."

    "Hehe, I''ll treat everyone to a wedding banquet then." Little Li grinned foolishly. He was also very proactive, "Brother Ji, let me introduce you to some girls. My girlfriend knows a lot of people, they''re willing to date cops, they say it makes them feel safe."

    Ji Feng was hopeless: "I''m very grateful to you."

    Lao Gao maliciously poked, "Little Li, you don''t know this, but don''t bother introducing anyone. He''s already gone on at least 20 blind dates, all failures. Best not to offend people."

    Little Li was stunned into silence, hesitating on what to say.

    "What are you imagining?" Ji Feng frowned.

    Lao Gao disingenuously helped exin, "It''s not what you''re thinking... Cough, he''s just shy, doesn''t dare pursue the girl."

    Little Li looked at his senior in surprise, re-evaluating him.

    Ji Feng: "..." His reputation was smeared.

    "Gonna use the bathroom." He was toozy to bicker with them further. He got up and walked toward the washroom around the corner.

    Jian Jing immediately looked away, pretending to pick at her rice.

    As Ji Feng walked past her seat, his professional instincts kicked in and he casually nced at her.

    Tsk, he thought idly, her picky eating habits could rival a little princess''s.

    Whye to this kind of ce if you don''t like the food?

    As soon as he had that thought, his guard went up a notch.

    He nced at her again from the corner of his eye.

    She was looking at her phone.

    Oh, she was eating slowly because she was on her phone ˇŞ the behavior now had a reasonable exnation, and his sense of unease disappeared. His gaze swept over her and moved on to observe other customers.

    Jian Jing silently breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn''t help wondering: where did she reveal a w?

    Miss Jin Jia''an was poor, she hadn''t ordered much, just a meat dish, vegetable dish, and free soup, reasonably priced. Why would he be suspicious?

    Plus, although she was eavesdropping, she kept her head down looking at her phone the whole time, never directly looking their way.

    Strange.

    It''s not like he thought he was so handsome that a nce from him was necessary for things to be normal, right?

    Jian Jingined inwardly, and immediately refocused herself.

    Ji Feng soon returned.

    But this time, his attention lingered on the table diagonally behind her.

    What was over there?

    With her back to them, Jian Jing couldn''t directly observe. She picked up her phone and tilted it to look at the selfie screen. But selfie mode was too obvious, and the ck screen didn''t show a clear enough view. After squinting for a long time, she could only tell it was a man and woman.

    They acted intimate, likely a couple.

    Their conversation wasn''t very substantive.

    The woman said the weather was too hot, she wanted to buy an ice pad for her pet at home. The previous one broke too quickly, bad quality, she would definitely give the store a bad review.

    The man sounded impatient, urging her to hurry up and eat so they could go back home and y cards. He also said she shouldn''t havee so far just to eat, they''d have to sit on the subway for a long time to get home.

    The woman retorted, saying she came here to save him money. If they ate at the mall they were at earlier, it would''ve cost over 50 RMB per person. This fast food ce was cheap andrge portions, nothing wrong with it.

    Jian Jing was certain they were just an ordinary couple, mundane and trivial,pletely normal.

    If she had to say something was off, it was that the man seemed impatient to leave this ce.

    But many men were like that, not too strange.

    What was interesting was that after Ji Feng returned to his seat, he whispered with his colleagues for a bit. The others also surreptitiously watched the couple.

    Jian Jing: Tsk, don''t tell me they''re wanted fugitives?

    She picked up two grains of rice and waited to see what would happen next.

    Five minutester, the man went to pay. Lao Gao and Little Li got up one after the other, pretending they were also going to the counter. Once they got to the man''s side, with lightning speed, they nked him from both sides and restrained him.

    Lao Gao barked, "Don''t move, police!"

    Little Li nervously cuffed the man, almost slipping because he was too excited.

    The owner nced up, "What''s going on?"

    "Fugitive." Lao Gao said.

    "Oh." The owner casually sat back down.

    The man surrendered in disappointment.

    His girlfriend was stunned, unbelieving as she asked, "Why are you arresting my husband?"

    "Fugitive," Ji Feng took out his phone and politely exined, "See, involved in ck crimes. Look him up when you get home and you''ll understand."

    The girlfriend was confused.

    Lao Gao patted Little Li''s shoulder, "Young man, get more experience. Come on, take him back."

    Little Li was participating in an arrest for the first time and was thrilled about it. He was so excited that hepletely forgot about his dinner. Raring to go, he prepared to take the man away. But his mentor clearly remembered that catching criminals didn''t mean forgetting food. He called out to Lao Gao, "Pack up my food for me."

    "Got it."

    Lao Gao and Ji Feng continued eating.

    They hadn''t eaten lunch today, and really didn''t want to miss this meal.

    After eating, Lao Gao helped pack up his coworker''s food and advised Ji Feng, "Rare to have all your current cases wrapped up, get off work early today."

    Ji Feng: "Nothing to do when I get home anyway."

    "Go catch a movie with Teacher Jian, that''s not bad right." He refused to give up. "You have to take more initiative."

    Ji Feng retorted, "What if a calles saying there''s a new case? Then what?"

    "What''s the big deal, Teacher Jian isn''t my wife. She''d probably get scared to death seeing a dead body." Lao Gao didn''t think it was an issue. "Who knows, she might even want toe along."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    "Go on, give it a try." Lao Gao was more anxious than him.

    "Try my ass." He said, "I remember my sister-inw loves cooking. Ask her, if you told her you were going out to eat but got stood up at the door and had to cook yourself, would she beat you or not?"

    Lao Gao was rendered speechless.

    Ji Feng took out his phone again, seemingly casual as he scrolled around before putting it back in his pocket. "Alright, it''s not like Teacher Jian can''t watch a movie herself if she wants to. No need to force me into it if it''ll make her unhappy."

    He picked up the packed meal boxes and waved his hand. "I''ll take this over. You head back first."

    Lao Gao sighed.

    Ji Feng crossed the street but didn''t immediately go in. He first went to the small supermarket next door and bought a pack of cigarettes and two cans of instant coffee.

    When he came out, he saw the girl from the restaurant again.

    She was standing across the street, seeming to have been watching this side the whole time.

    Ji Feng thought for a moment, then walked back and asked, "Student, were you wanting to call the police?"

    The girl looked him over but didn''t say anything.

    Pretty cautious. He took out his badge and casually asked, "Did you run into some trouble? Got your stuff stolen? Boyfriend hit you? Creep took pics of you? Or got scammed by an online date?"

    "No." She said angrily, "I''m not that unlucky, don''t curse me."

    Ji Fengughed and looked at her, "Really nothing?"

    She shook her head.

    "Okay, then go home quickly." He pointed the way, "Turn left in front, take the bus, or go straight, there is a subway station at the second intersection."

    The girl made an "Oh" sound, and indeed prepared to leave.

    Ji Feng narrowed his eyes and looked at her for a good while.

    This ssmate was a little strange, her eyes dodged several times, avoiding eye contact with him, as if afraid of being discovered, but not like a fugitive, her bodynguage did not show fear.

    At first, he was worried that she wanted to call the police, but didn''t dare to call the police for some reason.

    But after asking, it didn''t seem to be the case.

    Weird.

    He thought about it for a while, and suddenly made a call: "Xiao Li?"

    Xiao Li: "Brother Ji?"

    "What does your girlfriend look like?" he asked.

    Xiao Li was puzzled: "Ah, what''s up?"

    "I just saw a girl who seemed to be looking for someone, I don''t know if she was looking for you."

    Xiao Li was dumbfounded: "Ah, I don''t know, she didn''t say she wasing!"

    Ji Feng asked, "Describe her appearance."

    Xiao Li described: "Her hair is not long or short, she is of medium height, very cute, and has dimples when she smiles."

    Ji Fengpared it, but he wasn''t sure. Girls all looked like this, and it wasn''t Teacher Jian.

    "Bro, did my girlfriende?" Xiao Li asked again.

    "I don''t know if it was her or not, she left." Although Ji Feng said so, he felt it was highly likely.

    She was obviouslying to the police station, eating, but not very interested in eating, afraid of being discovered by others, but not nervous, and did not pay attention to the guards.

    Based on past experience, most likely she came to see her boyfriend.

    But those in the bureau who were married or about to be married were basically old couples, they could juste in and drag people out directly, how could they hesitate and linger repeatedly at the door?

    It must be Xiao Li.

    Otherwise, why did she keep her head down at the restaurant just now? Hmm, Xiao Li''s vignce was not good, he actually didn''t notice all along?

    Ji Fengined inwardly, although he still felt it was strange, it was a small matter, not worth thinking too much about, and soon forgot about it.

    "You can ask him yourselfter."

    He hung up the phone, and like every other day, returned to the brightly lit building.

    Around the corner, Jian Jing saw him return and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

    His questions were too outrageous, she almost lost her temper, fortunately she got through it.

    For her first attempt, this result was satisfactory enough.

    Jian Jing went back to the hotel to finish homework.

    Before she could knock, Zong Ye opened the door first, and said, "You''re back a little earlier than I expected."

    "I was afraid it would be toote toe back, and the ce would be empty, what would happen to my face then?" Jian Jingined half-jokingly.

    Zong Yeughed softly: "So in your heart, I''m such a heartless person." He touched her cheek, "Don''t worry, I''ll solve your troubles right away."

    He washed his hands clean and started to remove her makeup.

    The vanity mirror cast a warm glow.

    Zong Ye looked focused, his dexterous fingers gliding over her face, barely tugging at her skin, extremely gentle.

    The adhesive tape peeled off, apanied by a slight sting and intermittent hot breath. The silicone came off, and the soft cheek bounced back, regaining its full curve.

    The makeup cotton wiped over her eyes and brows, revealing fair skin under the dark foundation.

    "Done?" she asked.

    "Just a little bit left."

    Zong Ye reached out, his fingertips wiping away the faint white lipstick on her lips, restoring her rosy lip color.

    Jian Jing looked up to see the person in the mirror.

    Her heart began to pound.

    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    ThenˇŞ

    System, draw a card.

    [Name: Disguise Skill Card (Beginner)]

    [Description: With skillful hands, a thousand faces with one person, able to disguise oneself usingmon props, unfamiliar ordinary people cannot see through your true appearance.]

    [Note: Dangerous skill, please use cautiously, do not go astray]

    Ah. She happily curved her lips.

    The long-coveted magic was finally obtained.

 Chapter 344

    Chapter 344

    The hazy shadows lingered at the edge of the sky. The traffic was endless, and the lights and shadows were elongated on the infinite road. Tiny raindrops were sprinkled on the ss windows, blurring the neon lights into colorful glows.

    It was illusory yet dreamlike.

    Zong Ye stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the skyline in the distance.

    At one moment, someone''s taillights shone into the room, cutting across the walls and mirrors, and falling on Jian Jing''s tranquil face. She was suddenly woken up from her dreams: "Ah, I fell asleep."

    Zong Ye looked back: "It''s alright, I''m done."

    Jian Jing immediately became alert, her gaze fixed on the ˇőˇő on the table. She picked it up, feeling the thin, silky silicone texture, and slowly pressed it against her cheek as she faced the mirror.

    In a sh, apletely unfamiliar face appeared.

    "Amazing." She couldn''t hide her delight.

    Today was the third day she had arranged to meet Zong Ye, and it was also thest day. He had made this magical gadget for her.

    Compared to the delicate and intricate makeup, the naturalness of the mask was far from enough - she still had to pair it with sunsses and a face mask for it to work. But it was so convenient. Just get it wet and p it on your face, adjust it slightly, and you could instantly change your face. For a newbie, it could be done in ten minutes, extremely user-friendly.

    "Satisfied?" he asked.

    Jian Jing was reluctant to let go of it: "Of course."

    "Then I''ve fulfilled my promise to you," Zong Ye said.

    "Hm?" Jian Jing looked up, showing no surprise, "You''re leaving?"

    Zong Ye said, "I told you, just three days. The time is up."

    "Oh." She heaved out a long sigh.

    "We''ll see each other again," he said. "I firmly believe that."

    Jian Jing asked curiously: "Soon?"

    "It might be a little long this time," Zong Ye said meaningfully. "People always have to pay the price for their choices."

    She let out an "Oh", and looked at him intently.

    Heughed. "Don''t observe me, analyze me, probe me. It won''t do you any good."

    Jian Jing said: "Curiosity is human nature."

    Zong Ye still shook his head.

    She hesitated for a moment, then conceded: "Alright."

    Men, mysterious or not, it didnˇŻt matter. Every time she could get some skills out of him, he was a good man!

    "So, goodbye?"

    Zong Ye couldn''t helpughing. Sometimes, when a woman was heartless, she could also be very heartless.

    This was especially true for pretty girls.

    He bent down and whispered in her ear, "You have a way to find me."

    The breath tickled her ears, and Jian Jing blinked innocently: "Do I?"

    He justughed.

    "Goodbye."

    When she returned home, the rain had stopped.

    Jian Jing ruffled her energetic puppy. She saw the gift at the door.

    The gift from Jiang BaiYan was something he happened to drop by with. He just left it on the front entrance cab - she had given him the dynamic password for temporary entry. He had also helped her tidy up the nts on the balcony, sunning those that needed sun, changing the pots for those due for new homes.

    She texted Jiang BaiYan: [Received it, thanks!]

    Jiang BaiYan: [You''re wee, it''s nothing expensive anyway]

    Jian Jing paused for a while, deciding it was still better to keep yesterday''s incident from him.

    It would be too pathetic to die alone.

    She sent him a meaningless emoji and started unwrapping the gift.

    In addition to the box she saw at the filming site, there was also a box of imported dog treats, still sealed, probably enough to feed Buding for a while.

    Jian Jing tore open a pack and let Knight have a taste.

    He really liked it, kept wagging his tail with his big floppy ears pping about, extremely cute.

    "Good boy," she stroked the puppy, but suddenly recalled something else, instantly pissed off again.

    Some distance away, Ji Feng, Lao Gao, Xiao Li and a certain senior had just finished an investigation and were having breakfast at a small shop by the roadside.

    A phone buzzed.

    He had a spoon in one hand and a meat sandwich in the other, so it was inconvenient to pick up. He just tapped to open it directly.

    It was a voice message. From Teacher Jian.

    "You bastard!"

    EveryoneˇŻs gazes instantly turned to look at him, including the shop ownerdy.

    Ji Feng: "???"

    The voice messages yed non-stop, not giving him a chance to cancel them.

    The second one: "Who got robbed? Who got abused? Who got secretly photographed? Who got scammed online?"

    He couldnˇŻt help cursing, feeling that he was doomed.

    "Do I look like that to you?" was the soul-searching third question.

    Ji Feng: "......"

    Lao Gao was super curious: "Yo, what did you do to piss Teacher Jian off so badly?"

    Ji Feng went outside with an indescribable look on his face to make a call.

    She picked up quite quickly.

    She gave a coldugh: "Heh heh."

    "I really didn''t recognize that it was you," Ji Feng said in disbelief. "I honestly didn''t realize it was you at all. Impressive, Teacher Jian, where did you learn that?"

    "Hmph."

    "I waspletely unaware," he said sincerely. "You acted it out so realistically that I really can''t me myself for it."

    "You really didn''t suspect anything?" she asked doubtfully.

    Ji Feng held back hisugh and said, "Aplete transformation into another person, what was there for me to suspect?"

    Jian Jing questioned: "You looked at me several times."

    "The patrons there were all regrs. Naturally IˇŻd look more at an unfamiliar face," Ji Feng exined. "It wasnˇŻt just you I looked at. I checked out the one I caught yesterday too."

    Her tone turned cold again: "Oh, so you also suspected yesterday that I was a fugitive?"

    "Of course not," Ji Feng said sincerely. "The temperament waspletely different."

    There was silence on the phone for a moment.

    After a while, she asked: "Did I have any loopholes? Tell me the truth."

    "Uh..." Ji Feng recalled and said, "Hard to say."

    "What does ˇ®hard to sayˇŻ mean?"

    "Probably no loopholes." He said, "But at that time, I felt you were there looking for someone."

    Jian Jing: "Really?"

    "Yeah."

    "Then why did you say you didn''t suspect anything at all?" Her voice suddenly rose high again as her anger red up. "Liar!"

    "I didn''t suspect it was you."

    "You can''t recognize me after a change of face. Men really only care about looks," Jian Jing rolled her eyes. "Bye."

    She angrily hung up the phone.

    Ji Feng was rendered speechless. He looked at the phone, then at the sky, sighed, and went back in to continue breakfast.

    Lao Gao gossiped: "Managed to coax her?"

    "Is this the Teacher Jian you guys mentioned several times before?" Xiao Li enthusiastically participated. "My girlfriend is her fan. I didn''t expect her to be so fierce in private. I thought she was a very quiet and gentle teacher."

    Lao Gao immediately defended her: "No, Teacher Jian is very nice to us, always polite and never refuses to help when she can."

    "Then why is she so mean to Brother Ji?" Xiao Li wondered.

    Lao Gao: "Because some people are being a jerk."

    "I really didn''t do anything this time," Ji Feng felt utterly helpless.

    He said Teacher Jian must be unhappy that he discovered loopholes, so she wanted to win against him once. If he said he didn''t notice anything, it became that men only cared about looks and changed attitudes depending on attractiveness.

    Princesses will be princesses after all, what a temper... He shook his head, and suddenlyughed.

    In the afternoon, the LEGOs were delivered. Jian Jing had just gotten up from a nap, feelingzy and unmotivated. She didnˇŻt have the interest to start building yet, only piling them to the side. Instead, she dawdled for a long while before finally opening the included card from Kang Mu Cheng.

    What did he write?

    She struggled over it for quite some time before slowly tearing it open.

    A line of words.

    [I''m sorry, won''t happen again next time]

    Jian Jing: "PfftˇŞ"

    Totally unexpected.

    It looked just like a primary school kid''s apology, not just simr - identical.

    She took out her phone and texted Kang Mu Cheng: [Received the delivery]

    Kang Mu Cheng: [Okay]

    Her: [Your apologycks sincerity]

    He immediately called her phone, but after picking up, there was only the sound of breathing for a while.

    Jian Jing chuckled and slowly drawled, "President KangˇŞ"

    "Want toe out for dinner?" He quickly adjusted his state and tried suggesting, "I''lle get you."

    "Where to?"

    "Anywhere is fine."

    "Don''t want to go anywhere," she yawned. "How about you get off work ande over to apany me building LEGOs instead? The one you sent over - whenever we finish building it is whenever I''ll forgive you."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "......"

    "If you don''te, I''ll continue being pissed at you," she threatened menacingly.

    Instead, Kang Mu Chengughed and gently said, "Alright, I''ll get off work early."

    "That''s more like it," she hung up, satisfied.

    It wasnˇŻt even six yet and he hadnˇŻt had dinner, yet Kang Mu Cheng was already here by past six.

    Jian Jing opened the door in surprise: ˇ°I thought the earliest youˇŻde was past eight.ˇ±

    Kang Mu Cheng smiled, patted KnightˇŻs head, holding a food container: ˇ°Had dinner yet?ˇ±

    ˇ°Not yet.ˇ±

    ˇ°Then letˇŻs eat together.ˇ± He said.

    Jian Jing ordered sweet and sour fish tonight. Kang Mu Cheng brought Cantonese cuisine from a restaurant, the spread nearly filled half the table for the two of them - already very abundant.

    Kang Mu Cheng broached it first: ˇ°How much have you written?ˇ±

    "Don''t rush me," she said. "I''m busy these days."

    He asked, "Did you run into a case again?"

    "No," she curved her lips happily. "Anyway, it''s not dangerous."

    Kang Mu Cheng paused slightly, looking at her face. Not dangerous... Since when did she start habitually adding this sentence?

    Many times, in these two years, he always heard these three words from her mouth, but he knew it wasn''t true.

    She kept appearing at the crime scene, kept fighting wits and courage with the murderer, and even confronted extreme dangerous elements face to face more than once.

    Too dangerous. Every time he saw the police bulletin, saw the vague "Jian" two characters, his heart would be suspended high.

    Of course, being able to see the bulletin, he knew she was safe and sound, but he couldn''t help feeling lost again and again because of her concealment.

    Why did they get to this point, just because she had changed and became keen on taking risks?

    It didn''t seem so.

    He knew he was also responsible, but didn''t know how to resolve it.

    "Mr. Kang?" Jian Jing asked hesitantly. "I didn''t lie to you."

    "I''m sorry," Kang Mu Cheng came back to his senses, paused slightly, and went straight to the point. "Jing Jing, now there are many things you don''t want to tell me, are you afraid that I will stop you?"

    Jian Jing was surprised that he was so direct. After a moment, she said, "No, I just...just don''t want you to worry."

    "How can I not worry when you are in danger?"

    She showed a helpless look. This was the crux of the matter. No matter what, he could never let go of his concern, while she couldn''t give up because of his worries.

    "In fact, there is nothing wrong with it," she tried to convince him. "I can handle it. Not knowing also saves unnecessary worrying. If I can''t handle it, worrying is useless anyway."

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "I don''t want to be kept in the dark."

    Jian Jing was silent.

    He couldn''t help sighing and tried to negotiate, "At least let me know what you are going to do."

    "Then what?" She asked back. "The danger won''t increase or decrease."

    "Right," Kang Mu Cheng nodded, but said, "At least you know someone is worrying about you, missing you. When making decisions, maybe you will think a little more."

    She was stunned.

    He said earnestly, "Jing Jing, I''m not asking you to give up anything for me, but as long as you can consider it a little more, I won''t be worrying about you in vain, right?"

    The words also made sense. She hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

    Kang Mu Cheng said calmly, "In your heart, I should be worth a second of hesitation, right?"

    "Not that little," Jian Jing couldn''t helpughing. "Mr. Kang, you need to have more confidence in yourself."

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at her.

    She: "?"

    "From today on, call me by my name," he said.

    Jian Jing was full of questions: "Why?"

    "For you, the CEO of Jin Wu is probably not worth a second," Kang Mu Cheng said. "I hope I can be."

    She: "Uh..."

    "Aren''t we going to build with Lego?" He said. "It''ste, let''s start."

    The Lego boxes were piled nearby. Kang Mu Cheng cleared out the living room area and poured the bricks on the floor. He didn''t move the chairs either, but took the wicker mats and started studying the patterns.

    He had never yed with this toy before. He just preferentially chose the most suitable retro typewriter for her.

    Thousands of parts.

    Kang Mu Cheng started assembling ording to the instructions.

    Jian Jing joined in immediately.

    At first, Kang Mu Cheng chatted with her a few sentences, asking her where she was going to put it after finishing it, but after getting it wrong twice, he frowned and treated this game with a work attitude.

    Jian Jing: s.

    A workaholic is a workaholic wherever he goes.

    She watched helplessly as Kang Mu Cheng sat upright, studying the instructions while looking up information online from time to time, stopping asionally to think for a while, totally in the spirit of doing a big project.

    "Mr. Kang, want a midnight snack?" She slumped on the knight''s back without proper sitting posture.

    "Call my name," Kang Mu Cheng corrected, then answered, "Okay, order what you want."

    Jian Jing ordered pizza for supper while ying mobile games.

    "Yours is not done yet," Kang Mu Cheng reminded.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Why do you have to assign tasks when assembling Lego!

    She crawled up unwillingly and started toplete her part.

    At twelve o''clock.

    She got up to stretch, walked around, drank some water, yed with the dog, and tried to persuade him: "Why don''t we just forget it, I think this is quite difficult, let''s talk about it next time."

    "Didn''t you say you wanted to finish it?" Kang Mu Cheng had already taken off his suit jacket, sleeves rolled up, still showing no sign of giving up.

    Jian Jing: "...I was just kidding."

    "I promised you," he looked at the remaining parts and estimated, "It should be done before work."

    Jian Jing: "Staying upte can easily lead to sudden death."

    "Maybe, now you can also experience my usual worries," his tone was t.

    Jian Jing: "But I want to sleep."

    "You go in and sleep, I can finish it."

    She waspletely defeated and had to sit back down to continue working.

    At three o''clock in the morning, the typewriter waspleted.

    Jian Jing heaved a sigh of relief and announced, "Kang Mu Cheng, I never want to work with you again."

    He chuckled lightly.

    "Dream on," he said. "Submit thest chapter by September."

 Chapter 345

    Chapter 345

    Under the urging of President Kang, Jian Jing finally submitted the manuscript of "Dream Roaming Girl" before the start of school. The quota for this year has beenpleted.

    What is Demon 4? Is Demon 4 something delicious to eat?

    Of course, out of the sense of responsibility as the original author, Jian Jing made a routine visit to check up on the set of Demon drama. Familiarityes with repeated interactions. By the third installment, everyone had be familiar enough to poke fun at each other.

    Director Huang asked: "When will the fourth installment be written?"

    Jian Jing: "Postponed."

    Xu Scriptwriter wanted to m her: "Having time to publish new books but no time to write the fourth installment."

    She looked around awkwardly.

    "President Kang also asked me not to pressure you." Xu Scriptwriter rolled up the script and said angrily: "Tell me, can this be called pressure? I''m trying to make you wealthier here, don''t you know our ratings were number one again this year?"

    He continued dramatically: "Do you know how much hair I''ve lost trying to keep that top spot?"

    Jian Jing pretended to be deaf: "Looks like you guys are very busy, I''ll get going then. Bye!"

    "Come back here." Xu Scriptwriter stopped her. "Since you''re already here, why not stay for a day before leaving?"

    Jian Jing nced at her watch: "No, I still need to go to Ning County. It takes about an hour to drive there from here, right?"

    "Why are you going there? Oh right, I remember Jiang BaiYan is filming there." Xu Scriptwriter gossiped. "Going to check up on him? What''s going on between you two?"

    She said: "He said there are ghosts haunting the ce."

    Xu Scriptwriter was stunned.

    "I haven''t seen a ghost before." Jian Jing said enthusiastically. "I''m going to see what the fuss is about."

    Xu Scriptwriter: "..."

    Director Huang asked: "What ghost? Isn''t that a tourist destination?"

    Ning County is not far from Peace City. It retains many old buildings from the Ming, Qing dynasties and Republican era and can be considered a tourist city. However, it is not very famous and only enthusiasts of ancient architecture would know about it well.

    The local government has opened up a batch of restored old buildings and allowed filming crews to use them, partly to earn restoration costs and also to promote the buildings.

    Jiang BaiYan had finished filming the movie and went straight into filming the spy war drama.

    Originally, Jian Jing had no interest, butst night he called her and said the old houses were haunted, asking if she wanted toe investigate.

    She asked: "Are there real ghosts or someone deliberately creating a scary atmosphere?"

    "Don''t know." Jiang BaiYan answered honestly. "The crew said they wanted to hire someone to exorcise ghosts. Do you want toe take a look?"

    Jian Jing had always scoffed at supernatural affairs, but ever since her encounter with that scamming Qi Tian, her worldview had been shaken more than once.

    Although she didn''t really understand, using magic to defeat magic can''t be wrong, right?

    Might as well go take a look.

    Xu Scriptwriter advised solemnly: "For things like this, it''s better to believe than not. Didn''t the crew do the proper rituals when they started filming?"

    "For filming in old houses like these, you must inform the premises beforehand." Director Huang imparted his experience. "Be polite about it. You don''t bother me, I don''t bother you."

    Jian Jing: "So you guys actually believe it?"

    "Sometimes you have to believe." Xu Scriptwriter said.

    Director Huang nodded.

    "Well, if I catch something, I''ll bring it back to show you guys." She smiled amiably. "Wait for my good news."

    Xu Scriptwriter made ast ditch attempt: "Demon 4?!"

    Jian Jing turned around and ran off.

    Director Huang sighed: "Forget it, it''s better not to write just for money."

    "From this perspective, Jian Jing is really lucky." Xu Scriptwriter shrugged and gossiped softly. "Let me tell you old Huang, the other day I called Gold Crow''s President Kang and subtly probed him. You know what his reaction was?"

    He shook his head exaggeratedly: "He nearly blew up at me, as if I wanted to taint Jian Jing''s spiritual nature with money. Oh my, he was furious."

    Even someone as conservative as Director Huang couldn''t help butugh: "I heard Jian Jing has a nickname, Gold Crow Princess."

    "Absolutely true." Xu Scriptwriter hit the nail on the head.

    The twoughed teasingly.

    On the other side, Jian Jing slowly drove to Ning County.

    The ce is divided into old town and new town. The old town consists of ancient architecture and old residential blocks while the new town was nned and built over the past decade or so with better environment and transportation.

    Normally filming crews would stay in the new town, but this was an exception.

    The crew found a homestay in the old town just half a street away from the set, not only convenient but more importantly for the historic ambience.

    The homestay owner''s ancestors were the wealthiestndlords in the county. His great grandfather participated in the War of Resistance against Japan but sacrificed early in a foreignnd.

    His experience had a lot inmon with the male protagonist role portrayed by Jiang BaiYan.

    For example, both came from wealthyndlord families. Both studied abroad when young to take in new ideas, then returned to China wanting to save their declining homnd.

    The director arranged for several actors to stay nearby, not just for experiencing more but also to stimte their thinking.

    Jiang BaiYan was hardworking and rarelyined about tough filming conditions. Although the homestay was a bit old, it had running water and electricity. The conditions were not too bad and he did not have any objections.

    But the other actors had plenty to say.

    Over the past couple days, his chat with Jian Jing went basically like this:

    Jiang BaiYan: [Work''s over, eating fruit and ying on my phone. The stars are so bright tonight!]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Oh my gosh, the second male lead went out drinking again, so noisy.]

    Jiang BaiYan: [He brought a girl back.]

    Jian Jing: [Who? Girlfriend??]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Let me eavesdrop a bit.]

    Jian Jing: [Didn''t he previously deny rumors?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [!! Looks like a fan girl...his manager already left.]

    Jian Jing: [Ew.]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Sleeping now, good night.]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Jingjing I''m up, just had breakfast. Sister Chen told me she saw that fan girl this morning too.]

    Jian Jing: [She spent the night?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [My crew is so messy _(:3ˇąˇĎ)_]

    Or something like:

    Jiang BaiYan: [Taking a nap.]

    Jian Jing: [??]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Scene with the female lead got stuck. Reshoot tomorrow.]

    Jian Jing: [I heard she''s pretty good at acting though. How so?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Looks like her husband came to visit the set and hooked up with female role #4, got caught in bed cheating...]

    Jian Jing: [...]

    Of course, these conversations were normal.

    The abnormal stuff started happening a week ago.

    Seven days ago, Jiang BaiYan said: [Feel so sleepy, look at my eye bags.]

    Jian Jing: [?]

    He: [Someone kept crying all nightst night, couldn''t sleep well. The window sounds broken, kept making creaking noises. I''m so miserable, need hugs from Jingjing before I can get up!]

    Jian Jing: [You don''t think someone was assaulted?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [...]

    Five days ago.

    Jiang BaiYan: [Second male lead''s car got sshed with dog''s blood. Don''t know what''s going on.]

    Jian Jing: [Crazy fans?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [Not necessarily.]

    Three days ago.

    Jiang BaiYan: [image attachment]

    Jian Jing: [Where''s this? Why so many bloody handprints?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [My room...]

    Jian Jing: [Are you okay?]

    Jiang BaiYan: [I''m fine qaq, I changed rooms. Jingjing, this ce feels weird.]

    He described: [The homestay owner said, this used to be part of his ancestral home, considered the back section of the residence. Someone died here before!]

    Jian Jing: [The young missusmitted bizarre suicide, and now her red dressed female ghost wanders everywhere?]

    He: [No, it was the wealthy family''s precious daughter who got tricked by a heartless yboy. She hung herself in pregnancy and swore to kill all heartless men in this world from now on.]

    Yesterday.

    Jiang BaiYan: [Really haunted. Second male lead saidst night he woke up at midnight to someone touching his face...]

    Maybe it was psychological suggestion, but as Jian Jing stood outside the homestay, she felt it did look rather gloomy with old walls covered in years of historical charm.

    The eaves had been repaired with new roof tiles, and the path leading to the front door was paved with cement. Few green bricks remained in the corners, covered in moss.

    The homestay consisted of front and back sections with a central courtyard in between for leisure and extra shaded areas. Rooms had separate entrances and private bathrooms.

    "Jingjing!" Jiang BaiYan poked his head out and waved to her. "Hurry up, I ordered fruit tea for you."

    She walked into his room and looked around: "Seems this isn''t your previous room?"

    "Yeah I switched." He took out a chilled ss of fruit tea from the mini fridge. "Luckily there were still rooms avable."

    Jian Jing sipped the iced tea. The cooling fruit juice greatly reduced the oppressiveness of lingering summer heat. She examined the room curiously but did not notice anything out of the ordinary.

    "Just an old house." Shemented. "Let''s go, take me to see your previous room."

    Jiang BaiYan fanned her with a paper fan: "Rest a bit first, hot? Let''s go eat at a really tasty restaurant tonight."

    "Ghosts first." Jian Jing just wanted to know what that bloody handprint was about.

    Jiang BaiYan scratched his face and hemmed and hawed: "Actually..."

    Jian Jing stopped in her tracks, staring at him: "That''s it?"

    "Thendlord had peoplee and paint the walls," he said with his head lowered, looking utterly guilty.

    Jian Jing: "......"

    She heavily put down her fruit tea, reached out, and pinched the soft flesh of his cheeks: "Too much!"

    "Ow!" He exaggeratedly cried out in pain, "Go easy, go easy, if you leave a mark the makeup artists will scold me."

    Jian Jing maliciously said: "It won''t be as noticeable if both sides are swollen."

    Jiang BaiYan: qaq

    "What about the car that was sshed with dog''s blood?" she asked.

    Jiang BaiYan: "Of course they washed it off, and he even changed cars."

    Jian Jing was out of patience: "So what do I get to see, an exorcism ritual?"

    "That''s real, it''sing tomorrow," Jiang BaiYan said, "I heard it''s a very famous master in the industry, the director had to call in a personal favor to get him."

    That''s more like it.

    "Little Bai," Sister Chen said in a rush, "The director is asking if you can film night scenes tonight, he wants to hurry and get ahead of schedule."

    Jiang BaiYan was very agreeable: "Sure, but can it be a littleter? I want to go eat dinner with Teacher Jian first."

    Jian Jing didn''t care: "I can go myself."

    "Go with me," he pleaded, "I don''t have a choice, the director won''t let me leave. The boxed meals from the crew are really nasty."

    Sister Chen: Lying again.

    He just won Best Actor, started his own studio, has shares in a business conglomerate, and though he can''t outright control the industry, he''s still one of the top dogs. Forget going out to eat, if he staged a strike the director would have to coax him back.

    He just knows to act pitiful in front of Teacher Jian.

    However, Jian Jingcks some of themon knowledge about the entertainment industry, and her sympathies as a working ss woman were stirred up. She actually felt bad for him: "Alright, we''ll eat first."

    "Sister Chen, quickly get us a reservation," he said.

    Sister Chen: "Oh...okay."

    It was booked days ago, what''s the rush?

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Then I''lle by at 7:30 tonight."

    "Okay." Apetent manager never third-wheels, so Sister Chen decisively retreated.

    Jiang BaiYan nudged his little stool closer: "Jian Jing, where are you staying tonight?"

    "Are there empty rooms here?" Jian Jing of course wanted to stay here for close observation, "Where is the boss?"

    He said: "There''s only the ce that''s haunted."

    "Then I''ll stay there."

    "They just painted it, there''s formaldehyde." He reminded her.

    Jian Jing gave him a sideways nce.

    Jiang BaiYan revealed an obedient and harmless smile.

    "We know each other so well now," she said, "Or how about you go stay in a hotel and give me your room instead?"

    Jiang BaiYan gloomily wondered if he was being doubted: "Do I look that young?"

    Jian Jing admitted: "A little."

    "Oh dear," he copsed onto the wicker chair, sighing, "It''s so hard for me."

 Chapter 346

    Chapter 346

    Jiang BaiYan''s private restaurant was also an old building with over two hundred years of history. Although it was inevitably decorated like an ancient costume drama set, setting aside the overdone furnishings, the architecture itself still exuded the charm of time.

    Another plus was the cuisine.

    Jiang BaiYan said this private kitchen was actually quite well-known nationwide among foodies, belonging to the category of ces passed down by word of mouth among gourmands, but did not advertise to the general public.

    Jian Jing inevitably felt the restaurant was a bit pretentious, but after tasting the food she immediately understood.

    With the culinary level of this restaurant, they simply didn''t need advertisements.

    It really was delicious.

    Jiang BaiYan was currently filming so except when required by the role, he strictly controlled his diet. Today was no exception.

    He only ate some protein throughout, barely touching any carbs or meat. He ate the most vegetables.

    Most of the time he was helping Jian Jing debone her food.

    Fish had a lot of small bones. He used a small fork to remove the tiny bones, basically without damaging the texture of the fish meat, so when eaten it still retained the original mouthfeel of the dish.

    After dissecting the fish, he put on gloves and swiftly began peeling shrimp, quickly piling up half a small bowl, while Jian Jing hadn''t even finished half her fish.

    Worried she felt pressured, after peeling the shrimp Jiang BaiYan didn''t continue, instead slowly picking out a few stems of greens, chewing them thoroughly before swallowing. He even said, "I really love the veggie dishes here, they''re as tasty as the meat."

    Jian Jing looked at him sympathetically. "You''ll be able to eat normally again after filming wraps."

    "I told Agent Lin, from now on I''ll only do one movie a year, one TV series a year," Jiang BaiYan reported his work ns. "That way I''ll work at most half a year, the other half I can take it easier."

    Jian Jing strongly agreed. "I think only working a few months a year sounds pretty good."

    Jiang BaiYan naturally asked about Dream Wandering Girl, "When''s iting out? Can I get an advance look?"

    "Sure," Jian Jing was very open about it, "should I send you the file?"

    Jiang BaiYan pleaded, "Can I get the first signed copy of the actual book?"

    She nodded. "They''ll send me sample copies, I''ll bring one for you then."

    "Jian Jing is so nice," he diligently refilled her drink. "Take your time eating, I''m in no rush."

    But Jian Jing still finished before 7:30.

    Too full, she decided to just walk over to digest, doubling as exercise.

    The sun had already set, blood red twilight glowed on the ancient rooftops, adding a hazy red veil that looked both gorgeous and eerie.

    The set lights brightly illuminated the filming location rented by the crew.

    The staff were taking the chance to hurriedly eat dinner while Director Li sat smoking, discreetly ncing at his watch.

    7:28, right on time.

    He was satisfied inwardly. Although Jiang BaiYan also took star privileges and didn''t share the same hardships as the crew, he always performed his main job very well, taking his acting seriously withoutining about difficulties, doing multiple takes without throwing tantrums.

    That was good enough.

    "Director Li, I''m here," Jiang BaiYan greeted him all smiles. "What are we filming tonight?"

    Director Li also put on a smile. "It might rain in a couple days, let''s get the night scenes done early, Scene 18. Take a look."

    Sister Chen handed over the script. Jiang BaiYan flipped through it, just moving up scenes originally scheduled for the next two days. He had previewed that section''s lines already so it wasn''t unfamiliar.

    "Let me review again." He took the initiative to sit in a folding chair and start going over his lines.

    Director Li nced at Jian Jing wandering around. He seemed to recognize her but didn''t say anything. As long as she wasn''t some star bringing crowds of fans to massively disrupt filming, rtives and friends dropping by was normal human sentiment.

    Moreover Jian Jing was a famous author, backed by the powerful Golden Crow Company, nobody wanted to get on her bad side over nothing.

    He pretended not to see her.

    With the supreme director not saying anything, nobody else would make thoughtlessments either, at most taking a couple extra peeks for gossip''s sake.

    Jian Jing asked Sister Chen, "So who''s ying who here?"

    Over the past couple years Sister Chen''s attitude towards Jian Jing had changed again and again. Now she was even more attentive than to an actual boss. She immediately introduced who was who on the crew this time.

    Jiang BaiYan was the undisputed male lead, no further exnation needed. The second male lead was the one who brought fans back to his trailer,ter sshed with dog''s blood, surname Qu, 26 years old, film academy graduate, decent acting skills, quite popr, considered second-tier. He could be referred to as supporting male role Qu for short.

    The female lead Ms. Bei was 32 years old. A current popr A-list actress, married. Her husband visited set earlier resulting in flirting with the actress ying Female Role #4, caught by the wife, leaving Ms. Bei in an awful moodtely.

    Jian Jing didn''t see Ms. Bei on set, Sister Chen said she didn''t have scenes tonight and was resting in her room.

    As per convention she could be called female lead Bei.

    Female Role #2 had scenester on and hadn''t started filming yet, no details for now. There were also some familiar veteran actors in supporting roles who had done many spy dramas before, but all filming at Studio B located hours away by car.

    Other than the actors, the only people who could get close to the stars and freely ess the guesthouse were crew staff.

    Some staff lived with the actors in the supposedly haunted guesthouse, others stayed at a hotel. Due to work they also frequently went between various locations, impossible to closely investigate and screen.

    Jian Jing pretended to recognize someone, recalling some gossip.

    "Didn''t they say something was up with the second male lead, his contract got cancelled and filming postponed to take care of it?" She was puzzled.

    Earlier Jiang BaiYan said he left temporarily to film a movie because word got out about an issue with the second male lead of this spy drama. Worried a scandal erupting mid-shoot could halt filming, the crew directly postponed production.

    But now it seemed supporting male role Qu was perfectly fine?

    Sister Chen nodded and whispered, "It got smoothed over, the boss personally spoke to the director wanting to give him a chance with this drama to rebuild his reputation, so..."

    Jian Jing showed a speechless expression.

    "Ms. Jian don''t worry," after a moment memorizing lines Jiang BaiYan was done. He leaked inside news, "Although he''s still Male Lead #2, his scenes got cut way down. The screenwriter gave all the key plots to Male Lead #3 instead, super unlucky, could cut him entirely without affecting the story."

    He said, "Most of that guy''s scenes are in the first half,peting with me for the female lead''s affection, romance romance romance. Wouldn''t change much without them."

    Jian Jing: "......"

    Aren''t you quite the schemer yourselves.

    Hearing this she was even more curious though. "What exactly happened with him?"

    Jiang BaiYan opened his mouth about to exin, when a voice suddenly interrupted, "Little Bai, you''re here so early?"

    Jian Jing turned to see supporting male role Qu''s face.

    Truthfully, anyone good-looking enough to be a star would naturally stand out in a crowd. Supporting male role Qu gave off a stylish, cool handsomeness, strong brows and high nose, very three-dimensional features, extremely eye-catching among people.

    "Finished eating so came right over," Jiang BaiYan greeted him all smiles, not the slightest awkwardness from gossiping about someone just now. "You have scenes tonight too?"

    Obviously the script clearly wrote whether they had scenes together or not.

    "Yeah." Supporting male role Qu nodded, gaze falling onto Jian Jing. "You''re...Ms. Jian Jing? Very nice meeting you, you''re even prettier in person than in photos."

    He reached out wanting to shake Jian Jing''s hand.

    Jian Jing smiled politely, "I''m getting in the way of your filming, just passing through on vacation and dropping by to visit the set."

    "Jian Jing is a good friend of mine." Jiang BaiYan said.

    Supporting male role Qu smiled without pushing further, simply turning to leave instead.

    "Jian Jing, this guy isn''t a good person," Jiang BaiYan told her. "Don''t let him fool you."

    Jian Jing replied, "No worries, certainly won''t be as easily fooled as by you."

    Jiang BaiYan: "......"

    "Bai Yan," Sister Chen reminded, "the makeup artist is here, you still need styling done."

    "Going right now." He hurried off to get ready.

    The Republican era clothing was simr enough to modern wear that not much adjustment was needed beyond changing into costume and simple makeup.

    Spectating once or twice was fun but got old after too many times. After watching a short while Jian Jing told Sister Chen she was heading back to the guesthouse.

    At this time the crew were all still on set. The guesthouse was deathly silent, only one room had lights on, should be female lead Bei''s ce.

    She followed the smell of paint to the room Jiang BaiYan previously stayed in.

    Flipping on the lights revealed pinkish-white walls.

    She carefully inspected every nook and cranny, disappointed to find the owner had been extremely diligent. Nearly the entire room was scrubbed sparkling clean, tables and windowsills wiped spotless, the bedding all reced with brand new sets. Not a single trace remained of the supposed ghost encounter.

    With no choice she could only check against Jiang BaiYan''s photos.

    But...those were selfies.

    Although only half of his face was captured in the photo, it looked like an unintentional selfie, but there was no doubt that it was a selfie, otherwise why would he use a front-facing camera?

    So, limited information.

    Jian Jing could barely judge that the bloody handprints were mainly concentrated in front of the door, covering the entire wall. There were few on the other walls, including the one next to the window.

    In addition, none of the handprints had fingerprints. The sizes were simr, but the positions of the five fingers were different. It was obvious that they were not imprinted directly using some kind of tool, but rather smeared by someone using their own hands.

    No matter how you looked at it, it was a fake ghost story. The system did not prompt either.

    Jian Jing wandered around for a while longer, but still did not find anything abnormal. She regretfully went back to the hotel to rest.

    The next day, the crew stopped working for half a day, and the exorcism activity began.

    It was a ceremony that was both public and private. It was public in that everyone knew about the exorcism. Even if many people did not know about the previous incidents, doing some superstitious activities in the old house during filming had an extremely reassuring effect.

    It was private because the entire ceremony did not allow too many people to participate.

    The master said that with too many people around, the strong yang energy would scare away the ghosts and monsters and prevent them from appearing, making it impossible to truly exorcise them.

    Whether you believed it or not, since he said so, the crew could not insist otherwise. Naturally, they agreed that only a few main creative staff could attend.

    As Jiang BaiYan''s friend, Jian Jing had the good fortune to observe it happen.

    The master was in his fifties, wearing gorgeous Taoist robes. His outfit looked very professional, giving the impression that he was quite capable. Jian Jing curiously asked, "Does he have a certificate?"

    "Master Long is from Hong Kong and holds Mysian citizenship," Director Li introduced. "The Taoists in China don''t do this anymore. We could only invite someone from overseas."

    Jian Jing nodded, indicating that she was learning: "Has he done this before? Were the results good?"

    Director Li said solemnly, "What Master Long specializes in is exorcising little ghosts and inviting fox fairies. I''ve seen it once before. He is really quite psychic."

    Jian Jing made a gesture showing she was listening attentively.

    Director Li told a secret story.

    He had a friend who married into a wealthy Hong Kong family. In recent years, she enjoyed afortable life. But after getting pregnant, her husband''s family business plummeted almost into bankruptcy. She sought deities and Buddha everywhere. By chance one day, she met Master Long.

    The master said she was being harassed by a little ghost and asked if her husband had ever raised a little ghost in Thand.

    She did as he said and asked her husband. He was quite surprised and asked how she came to know about it. So she introduced Master Long to him. Master Long said that he had once promised to treat that ghost like his own child, but now that his wife was pregnant, the ghost wanted revenge.

    The husband asked what should be done. The master said, either you give up your unborn child or give up the ghost.

    Men care deeply about continuing their family line. Naturally, he chose to expel the little ghost.

    The exact process was unclear. In any case, after the exorcism, the husband''s family got a chance to catch their breath and slowly recovered.

    There was another piece of gossip. He said a certain female Taiwanese celebrity, with Master Long''s help, invited a fox fairy to possess her. Not only did her career take off, but she also had a group of wealthy suitors pursuing her and eventually married into a wealthy family, making others extremely envious.

    However, no matter how seriously Director Li spoke, such rumors were too outrageous to believe.

    Jian Jing was still doubtful. She tentatively approached Master Long.

    As soon as Master Long saw her, he was shocked and eximed, "You are actually still alive?"

 Chapter 347

    Chapter 347

    Jian Jing was just there to watch the fun at first, but as soon as they met, the other party immediately made a big move.

    "What do you mean I''m still alive?" She was surprised, "Should I be dead?"

    Master Long then seemed toe back to his senses, awkwardly said: "It was just a slip of the tongue, don''t take it seriously, don''t take it seriously." Then it was as if nothing had been said at all, and he continued busying himself with what was in his hands.

    Director Li wanted to say something but stopped, while Jiang BaiYan was very unhappy: "Teacher Jingjing, don''t listen to his nonsense, you''ve seen more dead people than ghosts he''s seen."

    Jian Jing: "???"

    What do you mean, taking revenge on her for saying he was a liar?

    Petty.

    After a series ofplex preparations, the exorcism ritual officially began.

    Master Long held the dharma bell in one hand, swung it with one hand, and the crisp sound of bells echoed in the gloomy old building, quite eerie.

    He chanted spells in his mouth, and soon took out a copper bell and struck it with a "ding".

    The echo was endless, lingering in the air.

    The incense on the incense case went out abruptly.

    The talismans ced on the case changed, and the originally bright cinnabar quickly became dark, as if they were losing power. Beads of sweat emerged on Master Long''s forehead.

    His face was pale, and he chanted the scriptures faster and faster.

    The talismans began to smoke.

    Wisps of blue smoke diffused, giving off a strong and strange bloody smell.

    Master Long spat out, "Yin and yang have different paths, evil spirits retreat, I order you to leave quickly--" Before he could finish speaking, he spit out blood, staggered a few steps, and almost fell to the ground.

    Director Li was shocked: "Master?"

    "I''m fine." Master Long wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, said bitterly, "I''m ashamed, I let that female ghost get away."

    Director Liforted: "You did your best, it''s just..." He hesitated uneasily, "Is that female ghost so powerful?"

    "She died with injustice, her resentment pierced the sky. After hundreds of years, she has long been a overlord here, extremely difficult to deal with." Master Long said hesitantly, "Besides, she seems to hate men extremely. Just now when I looked at the yin qi here, there were more men and fewer women, especially him."

    He nodded at the supporting male role Qu, with a strange expression: "The concentration of Yin Qi is so thick that I have rarely seen in my life. I''m afraid there is more than one female ghost."

    Jian Jing curiously asked, "Are there other ghosts around him?"

    "Hard to say." Master Long sighed lightly and sighed, "I''m just average in talent and haven''t opened my heavenly eyes, so I can''t see clearly."

    "Then how did you know?"

    "Unless you are gifted, ordinary people simply cannot see fox demons, gods and ghosts in their eyes." Master Long said, "I rely on my sense of qi. Cultivators have keen perception, just like chefs with excellent taste buds who can discern smells that are overlooked by ordinary people."

    He pointed at the ugly-looking supporting male role Qu and talked eloquently: "For example, he has mixed smells on him, but with strong unwillingness and resentment. The most pungent one does not seem to be directly rted to him, seeming vague."

    "What about him?" Jian Jing casually pointed to Jiang BaiYan.

    Master Long hesitated and said, "Hard to say. Yin qi also lingers around him, vaguely, I''m afraid he will get involved."

    Sister Chen who believes in superstition nods her head and says, "That''s right!"

    "What about me?" Jian Jing continued to ask.

    Master Long suddenly shut up.

    She urged: "Why don''t you say it?"

    "I don''t want to cause trouble." After leaving this sentence, Master Long refused to pay attention to him anymore. Instead, he said to supporting male role Qu, "If you don''t make preparations early, I''m afraid your life will be threatened."

    The supporting male role Qu didn''t believe in these things at all. He mocked, "How much do you want to get from me to resolve this? One thousand? Ten thousand? Or one million?"

    Master Long''s expression changed drastically. He said coldly, "How can this be! Do you think I''m one of those swindlers?" Heughed angrily and threatened, "Okay, just for what you just said, even if you kneel down and beg me, I will never save you."

    He walked away angrily and said directly to Director Li, "I won''t charge you money this time, let''s just forget about it."

    Director Li was shocked and quickly spoke kind words to keep him.

    After much efforts Director Li finally eased Master Long''s expression. Master Long earnestly said, "This was originally the haunt of the female ghost. You guys came here to film, you should exin things nicely and make peace."

    So Director Li asked what should be done.

    Of course, Master Long''s method was also very simple: burn more spirit money, offer some tributes, and most importantly, do not anger the female ghost, otherwise there will definitely be crazy revenge.

    Director Li agreed to everything and asked him to be sure to go to the best restaurant in town to eat.

    It was hard to refuse his hospitality. Master Long reluctantly agreed.

    After the two left, the supporting male role Qu spat twice, and said to his agent, "If they want to plot against me, it won''t be so easy." He looked around and sneered coldly, "Whoever makes my life difficult, I will make his life difficult too."

    The agent opened his mouth as if he wanted to advise something. But the supporting male role Qu ignored him at all, turned and left. The agent had no choice but to hurry to follow him and whispered, "Be patient, there are so many people here..."

    I didn''t hear the rest.

    "I have something to do, I have to go first."

    The female lead Bei perfunctorily said goodbye, also full of worries on her face as she left.

    Jiang BaiYan scratched his cheek and asked Jian Jing, "Jingjing, what do you think?"

    Jian Jing shook her head: "Hard to say."

    Master Long looked like a liar, but after walking many nights, she was inevitably suspicious now. She didn''t dare to say that the other party really had no skills--Since there is a Qi Tian who can do it, can''t others have true talents?

    However, the system did not prompt anything throughout.

    That''s very tormenting.

    "Let''s wait and see. Anyway, I have nothing to do since I''ve submitted the manuscript." People who have handed in their manuscripts have the right to be willful. Jian Jing decided to stay in Ning County for a few days as a tourist.

    She thought, "What do you think, should I write a ancient version prequel about the demon''s past for Demon 4?"

    Jiang BaiYan immediately asked, "Can you leave me a role?"

    Jian Jing said, "You have to ask Director Huang about this."

    "No need to ask, he must be willing." Jiang BaiYan knew his status well. "If I don''t mention it, he definitely won''t take the initiative to find me. But I really want to act in your book!"

    He said bitterly, "Is Demon 4 about to end? Thest time."

    "Uh, how do you know I n to finish it?"

    "Fickleness is the nature of women..." Before he could finish speaking, his cheeks were pinched again, "I''m wrong."

    Jian Jing regretfully retracted her hand.

    Cats are cute, but when they stick their paws in cups on purpose to make trouble, they really deserve a beating.

    In the next few hours, Jian Jing visited some ancient buildings in Ning County, the most valuable of which were formerly owned by local rich families.

    Among them, the most famous was the Zhang family. They were the leaders in Ning County. Their biggest house upied half a street. The houses of other nsmen surrounded the ancestral hall in the middle. The entire northeast corner of thend used to be surnamed Zhang.

    Currently, only three parts of the Zhang family old house have been preserved.

    One is the ancestral hall. Ancient people valued ns. When they encountered wars, they would first gather their nsmen in the ancestral hall. The rich people in the n would also often donate money to repair it. It was repaired from the Ming Dynasty to thete Qing Dynasty, with vivid details.

    Second is the family house of the Zhang n leader, which is also the filming site for rent.

    The third is the Zhang family garden, which used to be thendlord ancestorˇŻs house along with the B&B. Compared with the homes of the n leader and ancestral hall, the style of this mansion is more Western, incorporating many Western elements.

    ording to thendlord, his ancestors had studied abroad and rebuilt the old house when they returned home. At that time, it was the most fashionable household in the county.

    In a small corner of the garden, Jian Jing saw the story of a rich family''s daughter who died.

    It is said that influenced by new ideas, she opposed arranged marriage and refused to marry the man her family had found for her. Instead, she secretly married a schr.

    The schr said he would marry her, but after bing famous all over the country for his articles, he abandoned the rich man''s daughter--no matter how rich the daughter''s family was, they were justndlords, while the one he marriedter was the younger sister of a senior official in the political circle at that time.

    Not long after he left, Ms. Zhang was pregnant.

    At that time, the concept in the county was still very feudal. Premarital pregnancy was a disgrace even in big cities, not to mention small ces. The Zhang family was a big n, and the head of the n held the power of life and death. Under the strong demands of the n elders, she only had two choices.

    Eithermit suicide to preserve the Zhang familyˇŻs reputation, or be expelled from the family and never be able to return home.

    Ms Zhang had a tough personality. She hanged herself at home.

    The case was recorded in the countyˇŻs chronicles. When the Zhang family garden was restored, she was portrayed as a typical figure who resisted arranged marriages and criticized feudal rituals and teachings. Only then couldter generations see this story.

    In the afternoon, filming at the scene resumed normally.

    This scene is very important, rting to the male lead''s change in mentality, while also serving as a confrontation scene between the male lead, female lead and supporting male role, with all three appearing in the same shot.

    The process does not go very smoothly.

    Bei, the female lead, is a famous diva, and is not of the same style as Zheng Keyan, but their poprity isparable, and in recent years there has been no shortage of hype about her acting skills. She does not want to be outshone by Jiang BaiYan, 10 years her junior.

    She acts very forcefully.

    Jiang BaiYan has no choice but to keep up.

    The two do not give way to each other, making things very difficult for supporting male role Qu, who cannot get a word in edgewise and ispletely overwhelmed.

    Director Li is furious.

    He has no choice but to speak to them individually, and Bei promises to rx a little, while Jiang BaiYan promises to respect his senior. No one knows what was discussed with supporting male role Qu, but they overhear him utter threats: "You just don''t want me to act, don''t think I don''t know about what happened before?"

    With that he storms out, and says to the onlookers, "Don''t think you can trick me so easily."

    The set falls silent.

    He strides off arrogantly.

    Director Li charges out, red-faced with rage, and everyone is afraid he will erupt, so they all avoid his gaze.

    Sure enough, the next instant, his roar resounds to the heavens: "What are you looking at? Get back to work! Who do you think you are, expecting to get paid for doing nothing?"

    The crowd he implicitly scolds does not dare to talk back one bit.

    The director is in a bad mood, so naturally the atmosphere on set grows increasingly oppressive, and it is past 10 pm by the time they finish shooting.

    Returning to his room, Jiang BaiYan hurriedly showers then video calls Jian Jing.

    "I have a very bad feeling, if this keeps up, this drama is going to tank." He is dejected, "The script and director are good, it''s just my bad luck to have to work with him. If he knows they don''t want him to act, why can''t he take the initiative to quit?"

    Jian Jing is curious: "What exactly did he do that you all have to tiptoe around him so much?"

    "Some over the top things." Jiang BaiYan gives evasive answers, moving the camera farther away, "Can you hear that, there''s a woman talking outside, he must have brought another girlfriend back again."

    Jian Jing expresses her sympathy, but is powerless to help.

    The two chat about this and that for a while, and just past midnight Jiang BaiYan falls asleep.

    The video call is not ended, and through the phone camera one can see his sleeping face nestled into the pillow, his messy bangs, his rhythmic breathing, his longshes. Even just the frontal camera view looks amazing enough for him to be a celebrity.

    Jian Jing sneaks a couple glimpses at the screen, but does not hang up the video.

    Who knows, maybe she''ll catch something interesting on tape.

    She opens up "The Fog", and tears open a bag of shrimp chips.

    Crunch crunch, just as she is engrossed in her drama, the video suddenly transmits a shriek, giving her a fright and causing her to spill all the shrimp chips onto her bedsheet.

    "Help!!" Despite being separated by the inte, the cry over there is still clear as day, "Ahhh!!"

    Jiang BaiYan is jolted fully awake, wiping the corners of his mouth in confusion: "Who? Jingjing?"

    "Who''s screaming?" Jian Jing haspletely abandoned her TV show, volume turned up max, "A woman?"

    Jiang BaiYan''s courage was tempered in Yellow Dusk Town, he steels himself and smartphone in hand, opens the door.

    The screams grow even clearer.

    "It''sing from Qu Jie''s room." Jiang BaiYan says softly.

    Jian Jing urges: "Go take a look."

    "Hold on, let me get Director Li first." He cuts through a side door, and finds Director Li''s room to knock, "Director, are you sleeping? Wake up."

    Director Li flings the door open full of irritation: "What do you want? Who''s making a ruckus in the dead of night?"

    Jiang BaiYan points at supporting male role Qu''s room.

    Director Li presses at his temples, anger welling up: "What''s his deal now? Will it ever end? Does he think this is his home?"

    "Let''s go take a look." Jiang BaiYan suggests, "In case something happens."

    Director Li reluctantly nods, and strides over to the opposite room, shouting loudly, "Little Qu, it''s the middle of the night, quiet down."

    "Help..." A female voice cries out intively from within, the lights are on clearly.

    Director Li and Jiang BaiYan exchange a look, both sensing things are not good, and hurriedly push open the door.

    It''s locked.

    "Open the door." Jiang BaiYan pounds at the door, "Unlock it first."

    Half a minuteter, the door opens a crack, revealing a pale face. The girl leans against the doorframe, her body continuously slipping downward, stammering in fright: "There''s a ghost, help...there''s a ghost!"

    Jian Jing is already impatient from waiting, urging him: "Point the camera inside, let me get a look."

    Jiang BaiYan turns the camera around, not daring to step in himself, stretching his arm in to shine the light.

    "Is there a ghost?" He asks apprehensively.

    For a long while, there is only silence from the other end of the video.

    The author has something to say: Conan''sw, arrogant characters will alwayse to a bad end...

    Little Bai is really working hard, kids with nothing always strive the most.

 Chapter 348

    Chapter 348

    Whether there were ghosts was hard to say, but supporting male role Qu was indeed dead, and his death was quite tragic.

    Hey on the bed,pletely naked, his face purple and swollen, with obvious finger marks on his neck. This way of dying was scary enough for a horror movie, and even more terrifying was that the entire bed was soaked in bright red blood water.

    The rich smell of blood drifted in the air, thick and pungent, flowing from the bed to the floor, dripping, with a strong visual impact.

    Director Li poked his head in and nearly died from fright: ˇ°What, what is this?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan sincerely shook his head. He was very tactful and didnˇŻt even nce at it, just waiting quietly for Jian Jing to arrive.

    She was at the scene of the crime within ten minutes.

    The first thing she did was examine the corpse.

    Without a doubt, the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation, specifically strangtion. From the condition of the corpse, the time of death was no more than 2 hours ago.

    It was now 1:40 AM, so the time of death should have been between 11:40 PM-1:40 AM.

    As for the blood... She put on gloves, dipped her fingers in it and felt it, the texture was strange. She smelled it again, a strong bloody smell.

    ˇ°This doesnˇŻt seem to be a blood sma bag,ˇ± since Jiang BaiYan could only stand in the doorway and peek in so as not to contaminate the scene.

    ˇ°Right, itˇŻs blood,ˇ± she guessed, ˇ°maybe with an anticoagnt added, so it canˇŻt coagte normally.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan asked, ˇ°Human blood?ˇ±

    Jian Jing: ˇ°Most likely not.ˇ±

    ˇ°ItˇŻs a ghost!ˇ± said the girl who had been pulled outside to sit in the courtyard, shivering in fear, ˇ°Definitely a ghost!ˇ±

    Jian Jing looked at her inquisitively. The girl was very young, no older than 20. She had a bath towel wrapped around herself, with blood stains on her exposed thighs and arms, in the shape of prints.

    ˇ°You are...ˇ±

    The girl was pale, with a dazed look repeating: ˇ°ThereˇŻs a ghost.ˇ±

    ˇ°DonˇŻt be afraid, thereˇŻs no ghost now, youˇŻre safe,ˇ± Jian Jing turned on her Trust Card and held the girl by the shoulders, discreetly observing her, ˇ°Can you tell me what you saw?ˇ±

    The girl swallowed a few times, her lips moving: ˇ°The ghost killed someone.ˇ±

    "Did you see it?" Jian Jing nced at the girlˇŻs palms, her nails were long with nice manicures, slender finger bones, with a ring set with red and blue gems on the middle finger of her left hand, cute in style.

    ˇ°She touched my face,ˇ± the girl said in horror, ˇ°I woke up feeling all sticky, opened my eyes and saw blood - blood everywhere!ˇ±

    She babbled incoherently: ˇ°So much blood, heˇŻs dead.ˇ±

    Jian Jing asked: ˇ°Touched your face? How did she touch you? Are you sure it was a hand?ˇ±

    "It was a ghost!ˇ± she was about to cry, ˇ°I thought it was a prank at first, but it turned out to be real...too scary...will I be killed too?"

    Jian Jing was at a loss whether tough or cry, and quickly soothed her.

    But the girl was too shocked to calm down, so Sister Chen could only apany her to rest on the side.

    She and Jiang BaiYan reviewed what happened tonight.

    Around 11:30 pm, supporting male role Qu brought the girl back to the room, both seemed to be drunk and making a lot of noise.

    At 12:05 am, he fell asleep without turning off the video, so Jian Jing could see him the whole time.

    At 1:20 am, a sharp scream that pierced the clouds suddenly came from outside, waking him up from his sleep in fright. He opened the curtains to see what was going on.

    At 1:30 am, he found Director Li and they went to supporting male role Qu''s room together.

    Jian Jing saw the dead supporting male role Qu through the video.

    At 1:40 am, she arrived at the scene and examined the corpse, confirming the time of death.

    Jian Jing confirmed several questionable points: ˇ°The door must have been locked at that time?ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan was very certain: ˇ°Yes, I tried to open it but couldnˇŻt. It was lockedˇ±

    The second question was: ˇ°Who came by in the 10 minutes before I got here?ˇ±

    "Everyone came to ask about the situation. After finding out someone had died, they went back to their rooms,ˇ± Jiang BaiYan said. ˇ°No one went into the room.ˇ±

    With locked doors and windows, mysterious blood, and a man strangled alive, plus a witness who imed her face was touchedˇŞthis killer was quite capable.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and said, ˇ°Call thendlord, I saw there were surveince cameras here. LetˇŻs check first to see if anyone went in and out of this ce today.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan gave an ˇ°OKˇ± sign and went out to make the call.

    Thendlord lived right next door and arrived very quickly, immediately checking the surveince footage: ˇ°There are only two cameras here, one at the front door and one at the back. Here they are.ˇ±

    Then he asked anxiously, ˇ°Was it really a female ghostmitting murder? No one has ever died here before!ˇ±

    Jian Jing asked, ˇ°Have there been rumors of ghosts before?ˇ±

    ˇ°Yes, it''s said that people have seen a pregnant woman in traditional clothes wandering around the scenic area at night. When you glimpse at her, she disappears. A dead person is definitely the first time though.ˇ± He felt very ominous, and couldnˇŻt help but ask Director Li, ˇ°Director, is the master you invited still here? Please perform an exorcism ritual on my ce, otherwise how can I continue running this business? "

    Director Li also looked uneasy. For one of the actors in his crew to suddenly die such a tragic death, who knows what the media would rumor it into if they caught wind of this. ItˇŻd be fine if it became viral and brought them publicity, but what he feared was... Also, heˇŻd have to exin to the investors...For a moment, he had thousands of things on his mind, and his temples bulged with veins.

    ˇ°Little Bai,ˇ± he called Jiang BaiYan. ˇ°LetˇŻs step out for a minute to talk.ˇ±

    Jiang BaiYan was clever enough to take the hint. He immediately followed Director Li outside.

    The two whispered to each other in the courtyard, but Jian Jing didnˇŻt eavesdrop. Instead she focused on fast forwarding through the footage of the homestay.

    Theyout of the homestay was neat and symmetrical, sitting north and facing south, structured as follows:

    .....Room 1....Room 2....

    Room 3...Room 4....Room 5

    Room 6.....Yard......Room 7

    Room 8.....Courtyard..Room 9

    Kitchen....Dining..Doorway..

    To put it simply, the front yard was divided into three rooms, the east and west side rooms into two rooms each, the back wing into two rooms, and the inverted room used as dining room and kitchen, totaling nine guest rooms.

    The guests staying in each room could also be listed:

    Room 1: female lead Bei

    Room 2: Jiang BaiYan (current residence)

    Room 3: supporting male role Qu

    Room 4: Bloody Handprint Room, formerly resided in by Jiang BaiYan, now vacant

    Room 5: Director Li

    Room 6: Photography Director

    Room 7: Art Director

    Room 8: Production Manager

    Room 9: Producer

    First, Jian Jing dragged the timeline back to 11:30 pm and, as expected, saw the drunken supporting male role Qu returning with the girl. He had one arm around her waist, gesturing and staggering as he mumbled something.

    The Producer was supporting him on one side, seeming to persuade him, but supporting male role Qu waspletely ignoring it,ughing and flirting with the girl. Both were quite drunk, nearly falling headfirst as they crossed the threshold.

    She made a note of the time in her memo pad: 23:35,st time the victim was seen alive.

    Going further back in time, she searched for when each guest returned:

    22:15, female lead Bei returned

    22:40, Jiang BaiYan returned

    23:10, Production Manager returned

    23:35, supporting male role Qu, girl, and Producer returned

    23:50, Art Director returned

    00:15, Photography Director returned

    00:40, Director Li returned

    Checking the back door surveince, there was no one going in or out the whole night.

    Looking at this, of the nine guest rooms, eight were upied. One person died, leaving seven suspects.

    There was also the ˇ°eyewitnessˇ± girl who couldnˇŻt be ruled out as a suspect either.

    But after examining the handprints on the victimˇŻs neck, they seemed bigger than the girlˇŻs palm, unlikely a femaleˇŻs hand. Also, upon pressing the sides of the neck, she could feel the hyoid bone was fractured, a typical sign of strangtion.

    It would be difficult for a female to aplish this.

    In addition, the nails on supporting male role Qu''s fingers were very clean, with no visible skin or fabric residue. There were also no signs of struggling or fighting back on his skin.

    He was killed without any resistance.

    Of the few guests:

    Jiang BaiYan was in her line of sight the whole time, he could be ruled out. Director Li, Producer, Production Manager, Photography Director were all men, under greater suspicion. While female lead Bei and Art Director were women, under less suspicion.

    But the possibility of coborating tomit murder couldnˇŻt be eliminated.

    She made a special note of the order each person returned, preparing to inquire with them one by er.

    Next should be investigating the scene of the crime.

    But Jian Jing felt like waiting until the police arrived before proceeding. It wasnˇŻt that she waszy, but rather when she first entered the room to examine the corpse earlier, the chaotic state frightened her.

    She had never seen such a messy crime scene before.

    The bed was already soaked in blood, and most of the traces could not be discerned by the naked eye. On the floor, in addition to the blood that had flowed down, there were also randomly discarded clothes, bathrobes, underwear, panties, wrinkled, emitting a strong smell of alcohol and sour odor.

    The hostel hadn''t cleaned the rooms, [glossary]supporting male role Qu[/glossary]''s hygiene habitspared to [glossary]Jiang BaiYan[/glossary] were worlds apart. The trash can was full of tissues, condoms and other trash overflowing, drinks spilled on the bedside table, makeup brushes, beauty eggs, and lipsticks had fallen and no one picked them up.

    There were strange stains on the carpet, as well as different hair loss: long curly red-brown hair, long straight ck hair, and short smog blue hair.

    The bathroom was also a mess, the water in the bathtub had not been drained, there were several crumpled paper balls on the floor, skin care products were left helter-skelter, and the toilet still smelled.

    In this situation, it is certainly better to have professionals take responsibility for the cleanup!

    However, waiting left and right, the police waste.

    "Did you call the police?" she asked [glossary]Jiang BaiYan[/glossary].

    He honestly said, "Director Li won''t let me."

    She red at him.

    "[glossary]Director Li[/glossary] and I talked, I understood his concerns that if the police got involved, gossip would fly everywhere which would greatly impact the crew," [glossary]Jiang BaiYan[/glossary] exined quickly, "So we allpromised, you investigate, and once the truthes out, we will announce the news from our end."

    That made more sense.

    [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary]''s drowsiness had long since vanished, after looking around, she discovered a new face.

    "That''s [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary]''s agent," said [glossary]Jiang BaiYan[/glossary].

    Better early thante, [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary] decided to ask him first.

    She went up and introduced herself. At first the agent was unwilling to respond, but with [glossary]Director Li[/glossary] and [glossary]Jiang BaiYan[/glossary] speaking on her behalf, he reluctantly agreed.

    "What do you want to ask?" The agent started off aggressively, without the slightest hint of grief or panic, but rather irritably.

    [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary] remained calm: "What do you think about [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary]''s death?"

    The agent said, "ident."

    She was surprised. "Strangled to death is an ident?"

    "Listen to me, I know this sounds far-fetched, but it''s actually quite normal - they got carried away," the agent said calmly. "[glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary] liked to fool around openly, he was well known for it in the industry, so I''m not too surprised he ended up like this."

    [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary] uttered an "oh," and asked, "Do you know that girl?"

    The agent said, "Not well. I''ve seen her, she''s [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary]''s fan, quite generous usually, likes to stalk him. [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary] doesn''t have a girlfriend right now, being with female fans is normal."

    "Was it her thest few days too?"

    The agent replied indifferently, "No, other fans he met at the bar. Ms. Jian, [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary] is a celebrity, wherever he goes there are frenzied fans that swarm him everywhere."

    "But she was drinking, with her strength how could she strangle a man to death easily," said [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary].

    "When drinking it''s easier for things to happen," the agent sighed, sincerely saying, "I don''t know what [glossary]Director Li[/glossary] thinks, but ourpany has more artists than just [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary]. I will be responsible to negotiate with his family, provide a waiver, so things don''t get out of hand."

    [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary] neither agreed or disagreed, but instead asked, "Isn''t there anyone who wanted [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary] dead?"

    "Of course,petitors are enemies," the agent paused and smiled, "But [glossary]Jiang BaiYan[/glossary] wouldn''t need to."

    [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary] felt he was implying something, not taking the bait, and continued asking, "How about rtionship disputes?"

    "He broke up with his girlfriend a long time ago," the agent tried persuading again, "This is just an ident, Ms. Jian, you shouldn''tplicate a simple matter."

    "I don''t think so," she said. "In the afternoon he quarreled with quite a few people."

    In fact, after being mocked by Master Long in the morning, [glossary]Qu Jie[/glossary] had already been very unhappy. In the afternoon while shooting scenes with the three main leads, he was beaten badly, scolded by [glossary]Director Li[/glossary],ughed at by countless crew members, and his mood had hit rock bottom.

    While getting his makeup touched up, he felt his eyebrows were not drawn well. He threw a whole cup of iced coffee at the makeup artist, and said the car that logistics had arranged for him was no good, causing him to not even be able to rest in the car. He mocked the gaffer for ying favorites, saying his skin tone was obviously a whole shade darker than the male and female leads.

    In the end he had an argument with [glossary]Director Li[/glossary] and they parted on bad terms, with everyone hearing it with their own ears.

    Of course this isn''t to say the staff developed a motive from this, but the agent''s attitude of smoothing things over left [glossary]Jian Jing[/glossary] very puzzled.

    She smiled and said, "Human life is invaluable, I still should investigate carefully. If you don''t trust me, you can report to the police yourself."

 Chapter 349

    Chapter 349

    It was unknown whether the entertainment industry was too cruel, or Qu Jie was too much of a failure in life. After his death, instead of investigating to let the deceased rest in peace, his agent demanded to minimize the incident. Jian Jing was speechless but also wondered.

    With this attitude, was the agent trying to cover up some truth?

    However hard she tried to probe, the agent refused to provide any suspects. Jian Jing had no choice but to let him leave first and went on to inquire the most important eyewitness.

    The girl''s condition had improved somewhat. Wrapped in a thick bathrobe, holding hot water, she sat in the dining room in a daze.

    Jian Jing said gently, "I know you''ve been frightened, but I have to ask some questions. Can you help me?"

    The girl nodded reluctantly.

    "What''s your name?"

    "Shao Mai."

    Jian Jing: "Is that your screen name?"

    She nodded and introduced herself as the vice president of Qu Jie''s fan club. She had been his fan for years and often visited him on set or variety shows. She was quite familiar with Jie.

    One thing led to another, and the two sides had developed a rtionship that went beyond idol and fan.

    "Jie told me that he couldn''t date during his rising career," Shao Mai sobbed as she recounted their story. "I understood him. It wasn''t easy for him to get to where he is today. The entertainment industry is toopetitive..." She sniffed, "I''m already very content like this. I''m willing to be his fan forever and always support him."

    Jian Jing thought of the hair on the floor, was silent for a moment, and changed the subject: "Tell me what happened today?"

    Shao Mai: "In the afternoon after finishing the shoot, I went with Jie to a bar. He wasn''t very happy. He said..." She hesitated for a moment and nced at Jian Jing, but still bravely went on, "He said someone in the crew was targeting him. First blood sma was poured on his car, leaving him without a trailer to rest. Then they deliberately arranged scenes he wasn''t familiar with and embarrassed him in front of everyone..."

    When interviewing witnesses, unless interrogating, Jian Jing rarely argued with them. She looked at the girl encouragingly.

    Thinking she agreed with her, the girl''s tone gradually became indignant: "This circle is so biased. Jie worked so hard, but no one wants to see his progress or give him more opportunities."

    Jian Jing listened patiently.

    After defending her idol for a long time, Shao Mai finally got to the point.

    "Tonight, he drank a lot and said someone was targeting him. His agent kept asking him to cherish the opportunity to shoot, but Jie got even angrier and kicked him out halfway." Shao Mai recounted, "Not long after he left, a middle-aged man came. Jie said he was the producer... They chatted a lot. I was drunk and groggy at the time and didn''t hear clearly. I don''t know how long it was before we left."

    Jian Jing asked, "Then what happened after you went back to the room?"

    Shao Mai embarrassed: "Actually, I don''t have a good alcohol tolerance. I cked out after drinking today and only remember going into the room with Jie, then nothing."

    "When did you wake up?"

    "I don''t know... I was half awake half asleep. Suddenly my face felt very itchy and someone was touching my face. When I opened my eyes, oh my god, it was all blood." She shivered, looking frightened. "Jie... Jie was already killed by the female ghost!"

    Jian Jing held her hand and said gently, "How do you know it was a female ghost?"

    "Wasn''t it?" Shao Mai''s eyes widened innocently.

    Jian Jing said, "I don''t know. Maybe it was a male ghost. Who told you it was a female ghost?"

    Shao Mai tried hard to remember: "Jie told me. He said a fraud was pretending to be a ghost, saying a female ghost in the old house was haunting him, definitely wanting his money. He also said Director Li was so bad, using this sinister scheme to force him out, actually wanting to promote the second male lead who was the director''s rtive."

    "It doesn''t sound like he believed the ghost story," Jian Jing said.

    "Yeah, he said he didn''t believe it, but..." Shao Mai was a little confused, couldn''t think straight. As if also puzzled about why she thought it was a ghost, she asked nkly, "If not a ghost, where did all the bloode from?"

    "I want to know too," Jian Jing said lightly, then smiled, "By the way, I forgot to ask, how long have you and Qu Jie been dating?"

    Shao Mai was a little shy: "Sister, we weren''t boyfriend and girlfriend."

    "I mean, when did you get close?" Jian Jing rephrased.

    Shao Mai held up three fingers.

    "Three years?"

    "Three months," she said embarrassed. "Jie had principles. We only got together after I became an adult. Before that we were just friends."

    Jian Jing jokingly asked like a confidante: "Then how long were you friends?"

    "Less than a year," Shao Mai said happily. "I only added him on WeChatst year. Our president gave me his contact."

    "You all have his WeChat?"

    "Of course not. You have to be a long-time fan who has made contributions to Jie''s career, and haven''t tried to climb the wall for at least three years." Shao Mai said, "We have strict management."

    Jian Jing thought to herself, it wasn''t this troublesome for me to get a top actor''s WeChat.

    But she didn''t show it on her face: "Did Qu Jie ever tell you that someone wanted to harm him or something like that?"

    "Yes," Shao Mai nodded firmly. "Didn''t I say so, sister? Showbiz is very dark." She seemed to think Jian Jing was an undercover policewoman.

    Jian Jing helplessly thought this was funny: "I don''t mean his career. I''m asking if someone wanted to murder him."

    Shao Mai was stunned for a good while before saying, "No way, I didn''t know that." She racked her brains but had absolutely no relevant memory. "Someone killed Jie?"

    She got angry almost instantly, "That person must be jealous of him!"

    "That still needs investigation," Jian Jing appeased. "What I want to know is, when you were asleep, did you hear any sounds, anything at all."

    Shao Mai shook her head: "I have a really bad alcohol tolerance. Once I drink, I pass out and don''t remember anything."

    Jian Jing nodded. Seeing she had no clothes, she said, "Your clothes are all dirty. I''ll lend you mine, don''t worry, they''re all new."

    Shao Mai was still a little embarrassed: "I want to take a shower first, I feel so ufortable."

    "Thene back with me to the hotel and rest in my room."

    "Thank you, sister."

    Jian Jing sent Shao Mai back to the hotel, gave her a set of spare clothes to change into, and arranged for her to rest in the room while she herself went back to the inn.

    The next round of questioning would be more tricky.

    The first to return was female lead Bei, but she had gone to bed. Jian Jing could only skip her for now and go directly to ask the third person back, the production manager.

    He was a man in his fifties, lean, with white hair. He sat on the doorstep smoking.

    Jian Jing said, "Director Li told you right, I''m here to ask some questions."

    The manager nodded, brief and to the point: "What do you want to ask?"

    "These two days, did Qu Jie quarrel with you?" Jian Jing cut to the chase.

    The manager admitted: "Yes. His car got sshed, right? He asked me to arrange another car for him. I did arrange one. But we only havemercial vehicles, certainly no match for his personal trailer. Then he said I was deliberately making things difficult for him. We quarreled over it briefly."

    Thinking for a moment, he added: "It was yesterday''s matter. Oh no, the day before yesterday." He mocked himself, "Old already, bad memory."

    Jian Jing said, "I feel like he wasn''t very popr with the crew."

    "Some people know they are here to work, polite to each other. Some think they''re here to be the boss. We aren''t ves, of course we don''t have to cater to him." The manager spoke bluntly.

    "Does this happen often?"

    "There are always a few like this."

    "How many have you encountered?"

    "Five or six for sure. But like him, probably top three."

    Jian Jing nodded. Changing the subject, she asked, "Was work heavyst night? I see you all came back veryte."

    "I was fine," the manager said. "Got everything arranged. Old Li was more bothered since the ns were disrupted."

    "What time did youe back?"

    "After eleven, didn''t pay attention to the exact time."

    "Then you stayed in your room the whole time?"

    "Where else would I be? You can''t suspect I killed him right?" The manager retorted, "Just because of the car thing?"

    "Can''t say suspect or not, everyone has to ount for their whereabouts. You just need to answer me," Jian Jing exined calmly.

    The production manager said: "Like you said, I rested in the room and fell asleep after a while."

    "Did you call or video chat with your family?"

    He shook his head.

    "I see."

    The next one was the producer who came back with Qu. ording to Shao Mai, he went to the bar specifically to talk to Qu.

    "Yes, I went to find him on purpose." The producer was in his thirties, not yet forty, slightly fat, with a very stylish shaved head, "I had no choice, after the fight with Old Li today, someone had to smooth things over."

    Jian Jing asked: "Are you close with him?"

    "We''re alright. His boss and I are drinking buddies, so I know the kid pretty well." The producer chattered away. "Actually I have a good impression of him. In this industry you canck acting skills, but you can''tck sensibility. I was very surprised by what happened today."

    He shook his head ruefully: "It must have been because of what happened this morning that provoked him. Young people are hot-blooded, and seeing a younger co-star who got the male lead must have frustrated him."

    Jian Jing feigned surprise: "What happened this morning? Why would he get upset over that?"

    "Oh, like the old saying goes, ''Wind without cause, there must be a hole.'' " The producer looked ready to talk endlessly, especially to a pretty girl. He said mysteriously, "Old Li didn''t want Qu for the role initially, but the contract was signed so he had no choice. He pulled some tricks which Qu found out about. That made Qu feel even more targeted."

    "Let me tell you, running into this kind of thing is inevitable when you enter society. No one is family, so of course we look out for our own interests. Should we be talking about empathy? We''re all in the same circle, we see each other all the time. If everyone talked about empathy, how would anything get done?"

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She swallowed her distaste at being lectured and asked: "Did he listen?"

    The producer pped his thigh andmented: "He wouldn''t take it in. I persuaded him every which way until he finally agreed to apologize to Old Li tomorrow - the show must go on, right?"

    "I remember you came back together." She got to the point. "Did you take him back to his room?"

    "Of course." The producer said. "As drunk as he was, if he fell over, what then? A star''s face is how he makes a living."

    Jian Jing: "Was everything normal in the room at that time?"

    "Other than being messy, it was pretty normal." The producer said. "I didn''t see any blood at all, no idea where that came from."

    "Was Qu Jie still lucid?"

    "More or less, he drank quite a bit."

    "Did you chat for a while longer, or leave right away?"

    The producer said: "I persuaded him some more before I left."

    "Do you remember what time it was?"

    "Around midnight, just before 1 AM."

    "How was the girl, was she drunk?"

    "She was alright, babbling nonsense."

    Jian Jing: "I understand, thank you."

 Chapter 350

    Chapter 350

    The producer was followed by the art director.

    She was in her thirties, with messy hair tied in a bun. Her face looked rather stern, even harsh.

    "What''s the matter?" The art director asked irritably, "I just slept, can''t we talk about this tomorrow?"

    "I''m afraid there won''t be work tomorrow, just to dy you for a while." Jian Jing continued to use trust to bring the two sides closer, "Let''s just chat."

    The art director frowned and reluctantly agreed to let her in.

    Jian Jing looked around. Qu Jie''s room was also very messy, with sketches and drafts piled full on the desk and bed. Aptop was running simtion software.

    The ashtray was filled with cigarette butts, the window was open, but there was still a strong smell of smoke.

    "Have a seat anywhere." The art director sat in the armchair, crossed her legs, lit a cigarette, "What do you want to ask?"

    Jian Jing got straight to the point: "What do you think of Qu Jie''s death?"

    The art director said indifferently: "No opinion, it wasn''t me who died."

    "I heard Qu Jie wasn''t very popr."

    "There are always stupid people in the world." The art director swore nonchntly, "It doesn''t matter if people like him die, don''t expect me to sympathize with him - I have to sympathize with myself, preparing for this drama for years and then this happens as soon as shooting starts, don''t know what to do next."

    Jian Jing said, "Who do you think would have this kind of motive to kill Qu Jie?"

    The art director shrugged: "I don''t know, maybe a lot of people."

    "You came back at 11:50 tonight, did you hear anything?" she asked.

    "I didn''t notice." The art director answered without thinking, "After I came back I took a shower, then I was busy with my work, didn''t pay attention to anything."

    "I see..." Jian Jing looked at her window, "Has this window been open all this time?"

    The art director said: "It''s been open for a while."

    "Do you still remember the time?"

    She thought for a moment and said, "I remember it was just past 12. I felt stuffy, so I smoked at the window, then I just left it open."

    Jian Jing was immediately interested: "So if someone walked past the window, you should have noticed?"

    "Maybe." She didn''t give a definite answer.

    Jian Jing went to the window and leaned out.

    A momentter, she got her answer and said goodbye to the art director: "Thank you for your cooperation, sorry for disturbing you."

    The one who came back after 12 was the cinematographer, who was also the director of photography. He was 46 this year. Like many cinematographers, he was muscr, tall and big, standing there like an iron tower.

    However, in contrast to his appearance, this cinematographer spoke slowly and even teased her.

    "I didn''t expect Teacher Jian not only to write detective novels herself, but also to really be able to solve cases." He said, "When old Li told me, I didn''t believe it."

    Jian Jing: "I just happened toe up with some ideas, hoping to help."

    "This is the best. If we called the police, the media would definitely swarm like flies smelling something, endless inquiries, plus fans..." He shook his head, seemingly troubled, "Forget it, let''s get to the point, what do you want to ask?"

    Jian Jing: "What do you know about Qu Jie?"

    "I wasn''t very close with him, never worked with him before, only heard some news about him, reputation wasn''t great." The cinematographer spoke bluntly.

    Jian Jing pretended to be curious: "Not good in what way?"

    "Not much talent, bad temper, likes to think highly of himself." He said, "But to be honest, there are so many people like this, so many that I''m not surprised at all. If they couldn''t make money, they would have been out of the business long ago."

    "But I think his acting is quite mediocre." She was genuinely surprised.

    "Times have changed. Whether stars can make money or not has nothing to do with whether they can act." The cinematographermented, "If fans are willing to spend money on them, producers treat them like treasures."

    Jian Jing said: "Would anyone resent him for this?"

    "Colleagues definitely would, but no one here had any conflicts with him. If I must say, only Little Bai, but you know better than me, he wouldn''tpete with an artist. Now making dramas is just ying around." He was straightforward, "I also wonder who would have such deep hatred to actually want to kill someone."

    "In your opinion, no one in the crew had grievances with him to that extent?"

    The cinematographer said slowly: "If it was just because of work, there was no need. I can''t say everyone in our crew is very experienced, but there are more weirdos in the circle than you can imagine. Who hasn''t encountered them before? Murder? Completely unnecessary, everyone will go their separate ways in three months."

    Jian Jing heard the subtext: "What if it wasn''t just because of work?"

    "Then I wouldn''t know." The cinematographer said, "Anyway I had no dealings with Qu Jie, his death causes me more trouble than benefits."

    "Your room is very close to his. When you came back, did you hear anything?"

    "No."

    "Any sounds over there?"

    The cinematographer thought about it and still shook his head.

    "Very quiet?"

    "Anyway nothing special."

    "From when you came back to when you found the body, were you in your room the whole time?"

    He raised his eyebrows: "Suspecting me? Or do you need an alibi?"

    "To be honest, you''re not a small suspect." Jian Jing said seriously, "Qu Jie was strangled to death, the probability of the killer being a strong man is higher."

    The cinematographer sucked in a breath and repeatedly denied: "I didn''t kill him."

    "Do you have an alibi?"

    He regretfully shook his head: "Middle of the night, who can testify?"

    "Did you make any phone calls to friends or family?"

    He shook his head.

    "Seeing other people''s movements would work too." She prompted again.

    But the cinematographer said: "I closed the doors and windows, didn''t see anything."

    Getting nowhere, Jian Jing could only regretfully leave.

    Director Li was thest one.

    When she got to him, it was already light out.

    Director Li looked dispirited, sitting under the pavilion in the courtyard smoking. He opened his mouth and asked directly: "When can the investigation be over?"

    Jian Jing: "...Not that fast."

    "It''s almost dawn. We have to re-arrange work this morning, only able to start shooting in the afternoon." He was very annoyed, "Now that he''s dead, we might as well re-shoot everything from scratch, another huge expense."

    Jian Jing covertly observed him.

    Director Li muttered to himself: "I should have been more firm, shouldn''t have let Qu Jie join the crew. Sigh."

    "Should have known?" She was surprised, "You knew something would happen to him?"

    Director Li reacted and quickly exined: "No no, I didn''t mean that. Just, sigh, I met with Grandmaster Long before, he said my career would be sabotaged by evildoers and to be careful. I felt then it might be little Qu Jie, there were some rumors at the time..."

    He vaguely said: "So I thought to dy it for a bit, who knew it would still...sigh!"

    "When was this before?" Jian Jing asked, "Before shooting started?"

    Director Li said: "Around July, August, when I was vacationing in Mysia."

    Jian Jing had a subtle expression.

    No matter how you looked at it, Grandmaster Long seemed like a fraud. After all, vague predictions like "sabotaged by evildoers" or "cursed by resentful spirits", were like horoscopes, you could always find something to fit.

    But his uracy was a bit high. He said yesterday Qu Jie would run into trouble, and he died at midnight. Was it coincidence, real skill, or...the mastermind behind the murder?

    With thoughts racing, Jian Jing couldn''t help probing: "What do you think about Qu Jie''s death?"

    Director Li hesitated to speak.

    "I''m not the police, nothing you say is testimony, don''t worry." Jian Jing skillfully reassured.

    Only then did Director Li lower his voice and half-reveal: "It''s ghosts."

    Jian Jing: "..." Although people in the entertainment industry generally held the belief "better safe than sorry" towards ghosts and spirits, someone so superstitious was still the first she had seen.

    "Why is that?" She patiently asked.

    Director Li spoke confidently: "I heard that female ghost specifically kills unfaithful men. She must have targeted little Qu Jie, knowing he fooled around, so got him killed."

    Jian Jing''s gaze changed subtly as she meaningfully asked: "Fooled around to the extent of being killed by a female ghost?"

    Director Li sighed and revealed an indescribable subtle expression.

    "The female ghost was abandoned while pregnant. Did Qu Jie do something like that too?" She keenly grasped the key point, "What all do you know?"

    Director Li hesitated slightly, and said tactfully: "Little Qu is young and knows how to have fun. In my estimation, he must have gotten a girl pregnant before. This is nothing unusual."

    "Are there girls like that in the crew?"

    Director Li shook his head: "I''m not clear about that. You might as well ask his agent."

    "Apart from moral issues, did he have any other conflicts with people in the crew?"

    Director Li smiled wryly: "If I must say so, it was probably me. I scolded him this afternoon. But killing him, what''s the use? Now I still have to find someone to rece him."

    "What about other people?"

    "There were some quarrels, but I don''t think they were serious enough to kill someone." Director Li said fairly, "There are many temperamental celebrities. Everyone just has a working rtionship, it wouldn''t go that far."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment. So far, everyone in the crew had simr ounts, believing that Qu Jie''s death would instead affect filming progress, creating extra trouble for no reason. They had no need to do this.

    "What was the rtionship between the female lead and Qu Jie?" She found a new entry point.

    Director Li said: "A little ambiguous."

    Jian Jing made a "go on" gesture for him to exin in detail.

    "It was when they coborated before," Director Li said vaguely. "I only heard about it."

    Jian Jing checked the time on her phone.

    Female lead Bei got married three years ago, and worked with Qu Jie one and a half years ago.

    Wow.

    It looks like it''s necessary to ask female lead Bei right away.

    The sun hadpletely risen. Jian Jing finished the breakfast Jiang BaiYan brought and knocked on female lead Bei''s door boldly.

    She was applying a facial mask: "What''s the matter?"

    Jian Jing informed her that she had taken over the investigation of this case.

    Female lead Bei had no interest, and absentmindedly said: "Oh, I see."

    "I have a few questions I want to ask you," Jian Jing sat down on her own and looked her over for a moment. She decided to throw out a shock bomb as the opener, "Have you been in a bad mood recently because of Qu Jie?"

    Female lead Bei looked over in surprise: "What?" She seemed very shocked. "I don''t understand what you mean."

    "Just guessing," Jian Jing smiled. "I''ve seen your previous shows. Your acting is quite good, but your condition has been obviously off these past two days, NG-ing many times."

    Female lead Bei''s expression suddenly darkened: "That has nothing to do with Qu Jie."

    "That''s strange then," Jian Jing murmured to herself. "I thought those vicious words he said yesterday were directed at you."

    Yesterday, Qu Jie spat vicious words twice, once after the exorcism ritual, and once after arguing with Director Li. On the surface, it sounded like he was just venting anger, but Jian Jing was an advanced observant and would never miss the nce he stole at female lead Bei.

    Plus, she just "consulted" with Jiang BaiYan earlier, and he confirmed that female lead Bei and her husband were party animals. Flirting while filming wasmonce, and they had even been caught by paparazzi before. But the couple still maintained a loving public image.

    A married couple who had both cheated, if the wife was this distracted for so long just because the husband fooled around once?

    Jian Jing boldly guessed that she wasn''t depressed because of her husband''s infidelity. The real reason was very likely Qu Jie.

    "He didn''t really threaten or ckmail you, did he?" she asked.

 Chapter 351

    Chapter 351

    The female lead Bei refused to answer Jian Jing''s question. She did not admit to having any rtionship with Qu Jie, nor did she admit that he had ever threatened or extorted her.

    With no evidence at hand, Jian Jing did not press further. She changed the subject: "You came back the earliest yesterday, right?"

    "Mm-hmm." Bei was neither cold nor warm in her response. "Is there a problem with that?"

    "What did you do aftering back? Did you notice anything going on with Qu Jie''s side?" Jian Jing asked.

    Bei said: "What else could I do? Take a bath, put on a face mask, do yoga, I was very busy, how could I have the time to care about other people''s business?"

    Jian Jing asked: "You didn''t notice anything?"

    Bei: "No."

    "His return made quite a bit of noise, did you hear it?"

    Bei brushed it off: "I guess so, I wasn''t paying attention."

    "Did anything tonight leave a deep impression on you?"

    "A deep impression?" She said in a mocking tone, "Isn''t a person dying impression enough?"

    Jian Jing did not respond, only looked at her searchingly.

    At first, Bei wanted to say something more, but soon became ufortable under the gaze. Jian Jing''s eyes were not strict or intimidating, on the contrary they could be described as calm, but being shrouded under such a look made her inexplicably recall the feeling of standing in front of a high-definition camera for the first time.

    Being examined, analyzed, judged, it made one very ufortable.

    "What are you looking at?" She tried to break the tension.

    "Nothing." Jian Jing smiled. "Let me change the question, what do you think of Qu Jie as a person?"

    "We''re not familiar with each other."

    "You''ve worked together before."

    "Just acting together, no interactions outside of the scenes." Bei argued, "I don''t understand him well, you''ve asked the wrong person."

    "Then you have no clues about his death either?"

    She nodded decisively.

    It seemed for now there was no way to dig out any inside information, so Jian Jing did not waste any more time: "Thank you for your cooperation."

    Daybreak shed light on every nook and cranny of the homestay, revealing its true appearance.

    Jian Jing spent half an hour carefully exploring the enclosed space, and discovered some interesting things.

    The originalyout of the homestay was a square courtyard. Aside from the main entrance - courtyard - main hall, behind the east and west wing rooms was an alley that was originally used for servants to move around.

    The four rooms in the east and west wings faced the courtyard, with windows facing the alley, actually interconnected in every direction.

    And the room in the main hall that Jiang BaiYan had stayed in was rebuilt into a "»Ř" shape in order to connect the courtyard with the two rooms in the back garden. In the middle was the room itself, with passages on both sides that could directly connect to the back.

    Therefore, matching up the list of suspects with their rooms, and adding in theyout of passages, made the situation at the homestay extremelyplex.

    West - East

    ....Bei.....Jiang BaiYan..

    *.****.********.*****.*.

    *The victim..*Empty room*...Director Li*

    *Photographer.....Courtyard......Art director*

    *Production manager.....Well......Producer*

    Kitchen....Dining room...Door......

    The victim''s room was part of the main hall, with the door to the east and window to the west. The production manager and photographer''s rooms were part of the west wing, also with windows facing west, right behind the alley, able to directly connect with the victim''s room.

    Director Li''s room was symmetrical to the victim''s, with the door to the west and window to the east. The art director and producer''s rooms had the same orientation, with an alley to the east. By going through that path, they could circumvent surveince from the courtyard.

    There was no need to borate - the murderer could not have openly walked through the courtyard to kill someone, aside from Bei and Jiang, anyone going that way risked being seen. But the alley did not directly connect to the victim''s room. After entering the back area, one would appear outside Jiang BaiYan''s door. To stealthily make it to the victim''s location while avoiding notice, one had to pass through Director Li''s room.

    In other words, if the art director wanted to kill someone, it had to be before 00:40. Simrly, if the producer wanted to go through the alley, they had to pass the art director''s room first.

    Here it should be noted, Jian Jing had stuck her head out before to check the state of the alley. It had floormps installed that shone light upwards, even if one crouched down, themps right on the floor would cast a shadow onto the windows.

    Whether the person inside noticed or not, this was still an extremely risky action.

    Tomit murder without alerting others, it had to be done before the other person returned. Director Li did not have this issue, since the middle room was unupied during renovations. He only needed to go out and around the corner to get there.

    This allowed deducing of the suspects'' possible windows of opportunity:

    Director Li: 00:40-1:40

    Art Director: 23:50-00:40

    Producer: 23:35-23:50 (orter, he stayed in victim''s room for a period, unable to determine)

    Simrly, if the production manager wanted to kill the victim, he had to do it before the photographer came back. The photographer did not have this restriction. His room shared a wall with the victim''s, and there was no third person between them in the alley.

    Therefore, Production Manager: 23:35-00:15, Photographer: 00:15-1:40

    Bei and Jiang BaiYan''s circumstances were different yet again.

    They did not need to pass through the courtyard to ess the victim''s room.

    On Bei''s side there was no alley, only normal lighting. As long as she confirmed Jiang BaiYan''s window was closed and she herself avoided the light sources carefully, there would be no sign of her movements at all.

    So her window of opportunity tomit murder was very long - 23:35-1:40, she could act at any time.

    Director Li: 00:40-1:40

    Art Director: 23:50-00:40

    Producer: 23:35-23:50

    Production Manager: 23:35-00:15

    Photographer: 00:15-1:40

    Bei: 23:35-1:40

    Could the above times help narrow down the murderer? No.

    Not only that, Jian Jing also faced several difficult questions. The victim''s door and windows were all locked from inside, how did the murderere and go? Where did the bloode from? What was with the handprint on the steamed bun girl''s face?

    Especially thest point - it appeared the victim had faced something simr before too.

    However, to resolve the above questions, she would have to revisit the scene.

    This was a scene that Jian Jing did not particrly want to go back to, but there was no choice, since Director Li refused to call the police. Without professional personnel getting involved, she had no choice but to go.

    She went fully prepared, bravely stepping into the chaotic space with nowhere to stand.

    First taking photos, then recording video, she checked the door locks.

    The windows were top-hung, pushing the handle below outward allowed the window to fully open outwards. Since it wasn''t a high level, opening the window wide enough for an adult to get through was not difficult at all.

    The door used a ss B lock and required a key. Thendlord said every room only had one key, and if lost it required someone to break in the lock. But there were no signs of forced entry on the victim''s door lock.

    The key was on the tea counter just inside the room entrance.

    She began searching the room for fishing line.

    Did not find any.

    Obviously the murderer had not used fishing line.

    Jian Jing felt a faint sense of regret at missing out on this trope.

    Back to business - actually there was no need for fishing line (that would be too obvious), plenty of rope-like objects were avable: bathrobe ties, belts, phone charging cables... Even non-rope shaped items could work.

    With so many messy items scattered about the scene, the setup could be improvised in several ways.

    She was at a bit of a loss where to start, and pondered for a long time, attempting to reconstruct the murderer''s movements: The lights were on in the room when he climbed in through the unlocked window. Seeing Qu Jie fast asleep,pelled by some strong murderous impulse, he approached the bed and strangled him. Qu Jie was drunk and unable to resist, dying just like that...

    No, that wasn''t right.

    Generally if someone saw lights on in a room, they would assume the upant was still awake. If that was the case, why did the murderer still carefully sneak around the courtyard on the way to the room?

    Also, even if the murderer thought Qu Jie was dead drunk beyond awareness, upon seeing another person there, how could he be certain the steamed bun girl would remain asleep throughout?

    Unless he was absolutely confident the people in the room would not wake up halfway.

    This implied two different possibilities: either the murderer saw, or the murderer set things up that way.

    Was there anything at the scene capable of rendering one unconscious?

    There was an opened bottle of mineral water, with two sips taken, by Qu Jie''s bedside table. But it would be difficult to tamper with such a sealed bottle of mineral water, and tough to guarantee Qu Jie would certainly drink it.

    Humidifier? Had not been used, the plug wasn''t even inserted.

    Central air conditioning? She climbed up to check it. Theyer of dust on the vents was very evenly ttened, with no signs of being scraped or disturbed, and no suspicious items discovered either.

    However, on the chandelier in the room, she saw a few trailing bloodstains.

    Jian Jing carefully climbed down thedder and frowned in deep thought.

    "Jingjing." Jiang BaiYan wandered over and peeked in, "Any clues yet?"

    Jian Jing nced at him.

    Jiang BaiYan: "???"

    "What exactly did Qu Jie do?" She went straight to the point, "Do you know who wants to kill him the most?"

    "Hard to say specifically, I just heard a little gossip, probably drugs or triads." Jiang BaiYan said, "The one who wants to kill him the most...probably his ex-girlfriend."

    "Why?"

    "Cheated on her feelings." He said, "Before Qu Jie became famous, he got a few roles through her introduction. Later when he became popr, he dumped her. She said she wanted revenge, and soon after there was an ident on set and she broke her leg and retired from the industry."

    Jian Jing asked: "What''s her name?"

    "I don''t remember." Jiang BaiYan scratched his face, "Let me ask around for you."

    "Speaking of which, are you familiar with the producer?"

    "So-so, Director Li found me this time." He sighed, "I''m already regretting it a little. Wang Producer''s capabilities fluctuate, if he loses the gamble I''ll suffer."

    "What do you mean?"

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Look at the works he''s produced, some have decent reviews, some are a mess." He listed the names of several major productions that even Jian Jing had heard of.

    She said: "I remember the news said these were investments of several hundred million."

    "Right, he''s very good at attracting investment." Jiang BaiYan said, "That''s how he''s gotten to where he is today. Who doesn''t like a producer who can bring in money?"

    "I see." She said, "Let me talk to him again."

    At noon, Jian Jing stopped the producer just as he was about to leave and said she wanted to speak with him alone.

    The producer had an "why do you have so many issues" expression, but Director Li didn''t dare offend her now and helped persuade him to reluctantly agree.

    "What else do you want to know?" Being questioned a second time, the suspects were generally wary. "I''ve told you everything I know."

    Jian Jing asked, "I''d like to understand in more detail what you did after you went to the victim''s roomst night."

    "I chatted with little Qu for a bit - didn''t I already tell you this?" The producer frowned. "Don''t ask repetitive questions, my time is precious."

    Jian Jing: "You only chatted?"

    Producer: "What else?"

    "So far, you seem the most suspicious." She said, "If you don''t tell me the truth, I''ll hand the investigation back to the police. Even if you''re not the murderer, you should be prosecuted."

    The producerughed in anger: "What kind of nonsense is this? What did I do?"

    "When Qu Jie came back at 11:30st night, he was already so drunk he couldn''t stand steadily. You''re a man, tell me, can a man that drunk still have intercourse like normal?" Jian Jing stared into his eyes. "You said you stayed in his room for a while, what exactly did you do?"

    The producer''s expression fluctuated unpredictably: "Miss Jian, you can mess around with food, but you can''t speak recklessly."

    He sternly said: "You have to take responsibility for your words. Don''t think you''re amazing just because your book was adapted. I know many authors like that, I''m very familiar with Old Huang, and I often coborate with Fei Niao too. I just need to give them a call, do you think they''d still work with you?"

    "Are you threatening me?" Jian Jing was very surprised.

    "I''m telling you not to talk nonsense and defame others'' reputations." The producer said coldly. "I''ll let it slide this time, next time I''ll go directly to your boss."

    Jian Jing was speechless with anger: "Go ahead, talk to them now. Who do you want to find, Kang Mu Cheng or Kang Lei? Do you want me to call them for you?" Sheughed coldly again. "I would never falsely use someone. What, you think just because the sheets were stained with blood, you can''t extract DNA evidence?"

    "To tell you the truth, I obtained evidence from that ssmate long ago." She said furiously, her voice unusually loud. "All I need to do is hand it to the police for DNAparison. Do you think the prosecution would charge you with rape?"

    The author has something to say: as we all know, drunk men can''t perform...

 Chapter 352

    Chapter 352

    After seeing Qu Jie''s performance on the surveince footage, Jian Jing began to have doubts about what happened to Shao Mai.

    When Shao Mai appeared, she was stark naked, only wrapped in a bath towel. It looked like she didn''t have time to get dressed (or her clothes werepletely unwearable). At first nce, there didn''t seem to be any issues.

    But in the surveince video, both Qu Jie and her were very drunk. From Jian Jing''s personal experience, when drunk, one just wants to lie in bed and sleep, not do anything indecent.

    Moreover, her knowledge of forensic medicine also told her that overconsumption of alcohol not only kills the mood but also inhibits those kinds of functions.

    How could Qu Jie and Shao Mai, being so drunk, still enthusiastically apud each other for love after going back to the room? It was even more touching than people with disabilities but strong willpower.

    So initially, she suspected Shao Mai was lying.

    However, theirter conversation dispelled her doubts. Shao Mai had some residual traces on her body, and the five senses card also indirectly proved that she''d had sexual activities.

    And her words and behavior were very innocent. At most she was a freshman in college. Her family conditions were not rich but decent. Her defense of Qu Jie also came from the bottom of her heart.

    She was not lying. Then where was the problem?

    Going back to the previous questions, why would the murderer dare tomit murder with the lights on and a stranger present, without any scruples?

    Either he had administered anesthetics, or he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

    The suspicion of the producer immediately rose to the highest level.

    "You have two options," Jian Jing held up her index finger, "First, tell the truth. Second, I''ll call the police and you can exin it to them. Pick one."

    The producer was still unwilling to admit defeat, but for some reason, his eyes revealed some apprehension. He did not immediately refute.

    Jian Jing did not give him a chance to hesitate: "I''ll count to three," she said while tapping the keyboard. The number "1" shed as it made a crisp "du" sound.

    "2."

    Another "duuˇŞ" sound.

    "You don''t need to threaten me," the producer finally spoke, pretending to be disdainful. "So what if it''s true? She voluntarily came back with us, didn''t resist either. Even if you sue me, can you win?"

    Jian Jing looked at him and immediately judged that he was not lying.

    In a sh, four words shed through her mind:cent and fearless.

    No, perhaps it was ˇŞˇŞ used to it.

    "What about the murder then?" she asked.

    "I didn''t kill him," the producer denied. "Why would I kill him? Do you think he doesn''t know about this stuff?" He spoke in a subtle tone: "Do you think he can mess around everywhere and still have a bunch of bosses willing to promote him for no reason?"

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment, almost doubting her own ears.

    "Many things don''t need to be stated clearly. Everyone knows but doesn''t say it explicitly," the producer had nothing to lose and spoke bluntly. "I didn''t lie to you either. He happily scolded when angry but soon regretted it afterwards. His boss also invested in this project this time. If the project was ruined, he wouldn''t end up much better."

    At this moment, theposure card yed an extremely important role, allowing her to calmly ask, "Then what?"

    "He wanted me and Old Li to put in a good word for him ˇŞˇŞ Old Li is quite superstitious. The master''s words have already shaken him quite a bit. And with this incident happening afterwards, who knows if he''ll really drive the director away ˇŞˇŞ the director still has some influence after all. But like I said, society cares about rtionships and interests. Why should I help him? He had to show some sincerity."

    The producer shamelessly said.

    Jian Jing was still incredulous: "How could you treat a person like this?"

    He was impatient. "Exactly how naive are you? Does this kind of stuff not happen in the literary circle either? Without any rhyme or reason, why would a big star like Qu Jie be with her? Are there ack of beautiful women in the entertainment industry? I''m notcking one or two women either, but there are rules. Do you understand what rules are? This is adult society. If you don''t obey the rules, who would be willing to y with you?

    "Would bossesck women? No. But Qu Jie understood the rules. He knew he wasn''t the one making the most money so if he wanted more opportunities, he had to show some sincerity. Being a celebrity has one advantage. Young girls are willing to follow him voluntarily.

    "This was his skills. He knew how to make the bosses happy, so his career took off. Am I as undiscriminating as you imagined? But it was like how ancient literati had to visit brothels to chat ˇŞˇŞ not going meant not fitting in to the group. I was just following the rules."

    Jian Jing took a deep breath.

    "You guys made a ''transaction''?" She mocked. "Then why did he die?"

    The producer said, "It wasn''t me who killed him. Why would I kill him? Everything was fine when I left, he was still alive and well."

    "Was he still sober?"

    "He was dead drunk." The producer said. "I called out to him a few times but got no response. So I just went back by myself."

    "Were the doors and windows locked?"

    He recalled, "I don''t remember about the windows, but I took the door with me when I left. Anyway I didn''t lock it."

    "Even though you said that, you''re still the prime suspect right now," Jian Jing emotionlessly threatened him. "If you can''t provide more clues......"

    When suspects bite others, they be the most enthusiastic. Although the producer imed verbally not to be afraid of prosecution, he probably didn''t wish to be detained either.

    He thought for a while and said, "Did you ask Bei Han?"

    "Does she have a motive?"

    "It was something Qu Jie told me about." The producer smiled and said, "She had something that fell into his hands ˇŞˇŞ most likely photos."

    After a conversation with the producersting no more than fifteen minutes, Jian Jing suffered from Chernobyl levels of mental pollution.

    She was too winded to continue the investigation, so she simply went to buy a milk tea to drink.

    "Jingjing," Jiang Bai Yan followed behind her with a baseball cap on. "I''ll go too."

    Jian Jing had no reason to disce her anger onto him, so she just red at him.

    "Don''t look at me like that," Jiang Bai Yan said. "I''m innocent."

    Jian Jing: "You really don''t know what they''re messing around with?"

    "I''ve heard things, but no one exined it to me clearly. I just guessed myself, no evidence, so I shouldn''t gossip randomly." He honestly confessed.

    Jian Jing asked: "So what exactly is going on? Is Qu Jie an isted case or......"

    Jiang Bai Yan ordered two milk teas and pulled her into an alley, lowering his voice: "Jingjing, calm down a bit. If everyone was like this, why would we want to get rid of Qu Jie?"

    She was startled, as if suddenly awakened from a dream, and pped her forehead: "I really went stupid from anger."

    The producer had been so righteous, as if she was the only one unaware this was the default rule known all over the world. It made her suspicious and doubtful, unable to think straight.

    Jiang Bai Yan said seriously: "Jingjing, my industry is chaotic and many people have no bottom line, but there are also quite a few with a conscience. Power-for-sex transactions definitely exist, but decent people wouldn''t do things like what Qu Jie did, I dare say."

    The entertainment industry and celebrity scene had no shortage of people who lived on the edge of thew. Most people only evaded taxes with some small-scale embezzlement of funds, or hooked up with others. But not everyonecked a moral baseline so much.

    Like the saying goes, if you''re notcking money, you generally won''tck willing people for transactions. And yet, for some reason, using such despicable means ˇŞˇŞ Normal people all looked down on this.

    "Are people like thismon?" Jian Jing wondered thoughtfully.

    Jiang Bai Yan opened his mouth and diffused the me under her piercing gaze with difficulty: "You...... should go ask Kang?"

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "I''m just a small-time actor, the middle-lower part of the food chain." He miserably said. "The big bosses are the ones at the very top of the food chain. People below them rack their brains mostly to serve them."

    Jian Jing gave him a sideways nce. "How would he know about this kind of stuff."

    "Your bias is just too obvious." Jiang Bai Yan pretended to be injured with eyes brimming with tears. "ItˇŻs fine to interrogate me, but not him."

    She casually distracted him: "The milk teas are done."

    Jiang Bai Yan had to shut up and ept the milk tea. Together, they squatted by the roadside drinking milk tea and petting stray cats passing by.

    The sugar and calories from the milk tea brought delight. A stray cat squatted by her shoes, exposing its belly and meowing while asking for handouts.

    The sunlight was ring, but Jian Jing''s mood had slowly calmed down.

    There were always disgusting things happening, but the investigation still had to continue.

    As she stroked the soft belly of the cat, she asked: "Any news found about Qu Jie''s girlfriend?"

    "Got it." Jiang Bai Yan told her a name.

    Jian Jing opened the WeChat interface and hesitated for a moment. She skipped past Ji Feng''s name and directly tapped into a group.

    Sisterhood of crime solvers:

    Jian Jing has posted: Busy?

    Liang Yi wants to solve cases: On stakeout

    Ya Nan is working overtime: Court just ended, what''s up?

    Jian Jing has posted: Ran into a case and wanted your help

    Liang Yi wants to solve cases: Tell us quickly!

    Ya Nan is working overtime: Public prosecution or private prosecution?

    Jian Jing exined it all in this way and that.

    Liang Yi wants to crack the case: I can ask around for you, but this is not my jurisdiction.

    Ya Nan is working overtime: Rape is a public prosecution case, let''s talk moreter.

    Jian Jing has submitted the manuscript: Ok

    --

    After drinking milk tea, continue working.

    The producer hinted that the female lead Bei is very suspicious, however, Jian Jing observed her hands, to be honest they don''t look good, her skin is very white, but her fingers are naturally round, average in length, not meeting the criteria for "slender jade hands".

    Precisely because of this, her palms and handprints do not match. But judging from her previous performance, she must have concealed some things.

    "I found this in Qu Jie''s room." On the second visit to inquire, Jian Jing was more direct, not waiting for the female lead Bei to speak, she directly revealed the USB drive in her hand.

    The words on the verge of the female lead Bei''s mouth were swallowed back.

    Under the effect of the advanced observation card, Jian Jing saw twopletely different emotions of "vignce suspicion" and "nervous panic" on her face.

    "In fact, I''m not sure if this is what you want." She said on purpose, "Why don''t we take a look together?"

    There was struggle shing in the female lead Bei''s eyes.

    Jian Jing felt a little remorseful and took the initiative to say: "I am not interested in your privacy, Ms. Bei. What I want to know is the truth behind the murder."

    Female lead Bei: "I didn''t kill him."

    "You''ve been to his room." Jian Jing affirmed, "And you took something away. He kept threatening you with it, didn''t he?"

    The female lead Bei bit her lip and was silent for a while.

    "I understand your concerns. You''re afraid of bing a suspect." She said, "But now it''s me investigating the case, not the police. You won''t get into too much trouble - on the premise that you are frank enough with me."

    Female lead Bei asked: "What do you want to know?"

    Jian Jing: "When did you go to the victim''s room?"

    She said: "Half past ten."

    As expected. Jian Jing asked, "How did you get in and what was the situation in the room?"

    "The window in the room was open. I saw that everyone hadn''te back yet, so I decided on a whim to go in and take a look." The female lead Bei was concise and to the point, "I found something in the safe box in the closet, then I came back."

    "What time?"

    She recalled: "Not yet 11 o''clock."

    "These are photos of the crime scene." Jian Jing deliberately selected a few that showed the scene without the corpse, "Is there any difference from when you went in?"

    The female lead Bei took a few nces with disgust and shook her head, "I can''t tell, his room was too messy."

    Jian Jing nodded without forcing her, and asked again, "As far as you know, besides you, who else wanted Qu Jie dead?"

    "I don''t know." The female lead Bei subconsciously denied it.

    Jian Jing smiled and shook the USB drive at her.

    The female lead Bei took a deep breath and softened a little, "I can''t be sure..."

    "It''s okay, we''re just chatting casually." Jian Jing gave the universal response.

    Only then did she stammer open her mouth: "A few days ago, it seemed that the production affairs had also gone into Qu Jie''s room."

    The production affairs need to arrange all kinds of things for the crew up and down, so it''s normal for him to go to Qu Jie''s room, just like going back to his own room.

    Jian Jing asked, "Why do you pay so much attention to this?"

    "He looked sneaky, as if he didn''t want anyone to find out." The female lead Bei answered softly.

    "When did this happen?"

    "The day before yesterday."

    Jian Jing looked pensive, "Do you know the reason?"

    She shook her head and reached out her hand, "I''ve told you everything I know, can you give me that now?"

    "No." Jian Jing retracted her hand.

    The female lead Bei red at her angrily, "Are you going back on your word?"

    "I never promised to give it to you." She said, "This is my draft."

    The author has something to say: I have tried my best to write in a narrative tone, but apologize in advance if it still causes difort.

    The content is made up, please do not associate it with anyone.

 Chapter 353

    Chapter 353

    Production affairs was a busy man, spending the entire morning arranging the work of the crew. With the male second lead dead, there was a need to have the scriptwriter revise the plot, modify tomorrow''s shooting schedule, and reassure the staff, keeping him spinning with tasks.

    Jian Jing finally got a chance to ask her question when he was free.

    "Did I cause the haunting?" Jian Jing asked, catching him off guard. "Why do you ask?"

    "Your actions weren''t that meticulous," Production affairs replied, looking embarrassed.

    Jian Jing bluffed, "With the amount of blood at the crime scene, you''re probably the prime suspect."

    Production affairs immediately defended himself, "I didn''t kill anyone."

    "Then did you create all that blood on the bed?" she asked. "Why pretend there''s a ghost?"

    Production affairs awkwardly pulled at his mouth, seeming to want to say something but finding it hard to articte.

    "What do you want to do?" Jian Jing asked.

    "Well..." Production affairs avoided her gaze for a moment, finally giving in. "We have a reason for doing this."

    "We?"

    "Uh," Production affairs vaguely brushed it off, quickly getting to the point. "We hope Qu Jie can withdraw from the shooting."

    Jian Jing was puzzled. "What does Qu Jie''s participation in the shoot have to do with you?"

    "It doesn''t have anything to do with us, but Director Li..." Production affairs hesitated for a moment, as if giving up the struggle, then confessed with a bitter smile, "He previously treated his wife''s illness and signed an agreement with someone. If this film doesn''t meet the target, he''ll have to pay out of his own pocket."

    Jian Jing had heard of the betting agreement, and it suddenly made sense.

    "We''ve known Director Li for many years, especially me. He''s helped me several times, and I can''t bear to see him fail. After all, his wife''s illness hasn''t been cured yet. If he loses more money, what will happen in the future? Originally, we were confident in this film, but who knew..."

    Disgust crossed his face. "To put it bluntly, I''d rather Qu Jie''s acting be a bit worse; that can bepensated for with the script and camera work. But what he''s done isn''t right; any trouble he causes affects the film''s release."

    "Why not just terminate the contract directly?" Jian Jing asked.

    Production affairs chuckled bitterly. "Director Li is a bit indecisive. We''ve talked to him, told him to bite the bullet and pay up, but he can''t make up his mind. He keeps dying, and in the end, the investors personally intervened and couldn''t refuse."

    "So, you came up with this n?"

    "Sigh, you don''t understand Director Li." Production affairs said, "Once everyone''s here and shooting has started, with his personality, he''d rather take a chance, unable to make a decision."

    She smiled. "But he''s very superstitious, isn''t he?"

    Production affairs coughed twice, nodded helplessly, but still defended his friend, "He didn''t believe before, but after his wife''s illness got so bad, he prays to the gods every day. Now that the treatment is effective, he believes even more."

    "But if you decided to fabricate the illusion of a haunting to make Director Li terminate the contract, why would Jiang BaiYan''s room also have it?"

    Faced with Jian Jing''s question, Production affairs avoided her gaze, hesitating and stammering, "Just Qu Jie, it''s too obvious... we were worried he''d figure it out..."

    Jian Jing narrowed her eyes. "Did you bribe Master Long?"

    Production affairs froze, astonished. "How did you know?"

    Master Long''s implications were so obvious, it''s hard not to see through them. She thought to herself, probing deeper: "So, the master''s warning about him getting into trouble, was that something you all discussed?"

    "Yes, but not in that way," the production affairs hurriedly exined. "It was just to prompt him to propose leaving on his own and to put some pressure on Old Li. No one thought someone would actually die."

    Jian Jing looked at him for a while before asking, "How did you fake that effect?"

    "It''s actually quite simple," the production affairs said. "There are many blood packs in the crew, and Qu Jie also has a habit of leaving the window open. I entered through the window and installed a mechanism on the ceilingˇŞyou should have noticed, the roof was modified, originally in the shape of a ''person,'' but it was changed to a t roof for installing central air conditioning, leaving some space above."

    "Qu Jie has acted before, he can tell if it''s a blood pack used for filming, so I specifically bought chicken blood and pig blood from the ughterhouse. Xiao Gu handled the effects, using a timing device to make the blood flow down in the middle of the night."

    He confessed, "It was just to scare him, there was no poison inside, it couldn''t kill anyone."

    "I checked the venttion ducts and didn''t find the mechanism you mentioned."

    "I removed it," the production affairs said.

    "When?"

    "Around one o''clock."

    Jian Jing looked at him and asked slowly, "Did the cinematographer also participate?"

    "It wasn''t mentioned, but he should have known."

    "When you removed the mechanism, didn''t you notice anything unusual inside the house?"

    The production affairs shook his head and pointed in a direction, "I was behind collecting the wires, I didn''t look inside the house, afraid of being discovered." After a pause, he added, "At that time, the little girl was screaming, I thought they had seen the blood and were just scared, I didn''t expect someone to actually die."

    "Can you tell me the truth now?" she asked, "Who do you think killed him?"

    The production affairs tightly closed his mouth.

    "You suspect Director Li," she stated, "Why?"

    After a long silence, he finally said uncertainly, "Terminating the contract requires paying a hefty penalty, and it''s not easy to exin to the investors..."

    Jian Jing nodded.

    A hefty penalty for termination, a bet agreement, a seriously ill wife... enough to provide a motive for murder.

    Could it be Director Li?

    She pondered for a moment and asked, "Does Director Li know the truth about the haunting?"

    "Of course not," the production affairs said, "If he knew, it wouldn''t have the desired effect."

    Jian Jing frowned.

    So far, Director Li was indeed the most suspicious person.

    On the day of the incident, he had a heated argument with Qu Jie. Qu Jie made bold threats, iming he was not easy to bully and could bring trouble to the crew or even Director Li himself at any time. Additionally, if his negative news were to be exposed, the film would most likely not be released.

    Director Li might have to bleed heavily for this, and it could even affect his wife''s medical treatment.

    And looking at the timing, he was thest one to return, and he lived right across from the victim, making it very convenient to strike, with ample opportunity.

    But there''s one ring question here.

    ˇŞWhy would the killer create such a scene at the crime scene?

    Rather thanplex motives, the killer''s actions are the key to solving the case.

    If he intended to capitalize on the rumor about the wealthy daughter and create the illusion of a female ghostmitting murder, then thebination of a locked room and bloodstains would be absolutely perfect.

    But now that the production affairs have already admitted that the effect of the blood-soaked bed was his doing, it''s clear this wasn''t part of the original n of the culprit, but rather something they took advantage of.

    Consider this, a superstitious director who sees blood dripping from the ceiling aftermitting a murder, what kind of reaction would they have?

    Even a normal person would be terrified, let alone him. Even if he managed to keep hisposure despite his fear, would he have the courage to further exploit the situation by using the blood from the fake ghost to stage the scene?

    Director Li doesn''t seem like that kind of person at all.

    Furthermore, he returned veryte, presumably unaware of Qu Jie and the girl''s situation. So why would he still choose to act upon seeing not just Qu Jie alone in the room, but another person too?

    The level of drunkenness of Shao Mai is unpredictable, wasn''t the culprit afraid of being caught by her?

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment, then went to ask the production affairs another question.

    He said, after returning to his room yesterday, he quickly fell asleep and didn''t talk to anyone else.

    With this in mind, the identity of the culprit bes apparent.

    Jian Jing spent some time deciphering the mechanism of the locked room.

    In the afternoon, she gathered all the suspects of the case and announced that she had found the culprit.

    Director Li couldn''t wait: "Who is it?"

    "Don''t be in a hurry." Jian Jing didn''t immediately point out the culprit, but instead looked around at everyone and said, "I want to ask everyone here first, who knows the truth behind the haunting, anyone who knows or has a guess, please raise your hand."

    Director Li was stunned: "The truth behind the haunting?" He turned his head and saw the other main creators exchanging nces, immediately bing suspicious, "Could it be..."

    The production affairs director avoided his gaze and silently raised his hand.

    Then, the art director also reluctantly raised the back of his hand.

    "No one else knows?" Jian Jing smiled, "Don''t lie to me."

    The female lead Bei hesitated slightly, afraid Jian Jing would expose her, and had to reluctantly raise her hand in cooperation.

    Jiang BaiYan scratched his face and obediently raised his hand too.

    Director Li looked at them incredulously, then looked at the cinematography director and the producer.

    The cinematography director cleared his throat and shrugged, saying, "Okay, I guessed."

    But the producer, just like Director Li, was shocked and suspicious, "Is it you guys? What are you trying to do?"

    "Nonsense! We just don''t like that kid, vented a bit, what''s wrong with that?" The art director shrugged, pretending to be indifferent.

    The producer was furious, "Ridiculous! Your messing aroundpletely disrupted the shoot!" Then he suspected, "Did you guys kill him?"

    The production affairs director quickly said, "No, we just wanted to teach him a lesson."

    "Murder isn''t necessary," the art director added.

    "Who exactly did it?" the producer took charge and questioned Jian Jing.

    But Jian Jing didn''t even want to bother with him, and continued on her own, "The second question, on the night of the incident, did anyone see someone leave their room?"

    Everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads in session.

    "Good." Jian Jing didn''t exin the reason for her inquiry, then shifted the conversation to the main topic, "Now, let me reconstruct the sequence of events."

    She organized her thoughts: "Qu Jie died of mechanical asphyxiation, meaning he was strangled to death by the murderer''s bare hands. Judging by the handprints left on the body, the murderer is a male with considerable strength. After killing Qu Jie, the murderer locked the door, exited through the window, and used a mechanism to create the illusion of a locked room."

    Jiang BaiYan, ever the diligent student, raised his hand: "What mechanism?"

    "The murderer hung a clothes hanger on the window handle. When the window opened upwards, the handle would point upwards, and when it closed, the handle would break off." The scene was too gruesome for a demonstration, so Jian Jing described it as best she could. "A dry makeup sponge was ced beneath the hanger, along with an absorbent bath towel. When blood dripped down, the towel absorbed the moisture, causing the sponge to expand, lifting the hanger and shifting its center of gravity, thus hooking the handle."

    Jiang BaiYan, a top-notch Watson, asked earnestly, "Wouldn''t the hanger stay hooked on the handle this way?"

    "It would, which is why apressed wet wipe and a block of ice are also needed," Jian Jing exined. "The wet wipe is small enough to get wedged between the handle and the ss. cing a few ice cubes on it, the melting ice expands, pushing them off the handle. The wipe and hanger fall to the ground,pletely inconspicuous."

    Thanks to Qu Jie''s sloppy habits, wet wipes, hangers, towels, and sponges littered the floor, unnoticed by anyone, because that was just how messy he was.

    "I understand now," Jiang BaiYan chimed in cooperatively. "The fact that the murderer could set up this mechanism shows that they were aware of the haunted house setup and nned ordingly."

    The producer visibly sighed in relief. "So, I''m not a suspect anymore, right? Geez, I''ve been saying all along I didn''t kill anyone."

    The female lead, Bei, spoke coldly, "Wouldn''t the murderer lie?"

    "True," Jian Jing agreed, unwilling to let the producer off easily. "Whether they were aware or unaware, it''s all based on your own words; there''s no evidence. At the moment, we can''t rule out anyone as a suspect."

 Chapter 354

    Chapter 354

    The producer frowned, half-impatient and half-sneering: "So do you know who the killer is or not?"

    Jian Jing remained very calm, unhurried: "I just said the first necessary condition for the killer. Now I''ll say the second important condition - the killer will be confident that they won''t disturb the other person in the room when theymit the murder. After all, most people nning a murder don''t want a witness present."

    Jiang BaiYan raised his hand again that he had just put down: "Why can''t it be a crime of passion, where they acted without thinking it through?"

    Good question.

    "That possibility can''t be ruled out, but the probability is low," she said, "Crimes of passion generally happen right after a conflict with the victim, when the anger builds up until they can''t hold back. The biggest conflict Qu Jie had was with Director Li, but he didn''t know the haunting was man-made."

    Director Li nodded repeatedly.

    "Plus, the killer''s use of the trap was very ingenious. To say it was a spur-of-the-moment thing would be a stretch, so I''m inclined to think he came prepared, with a n."

    She exined slowly: "But that''s quite strange - how would the killer know the states Qu Jie and the girl were in?"

    The producer shifted ufortably, hands on his hips, taking the initiative: "You''re not going to say it was me, are you? Why would I kill him?"

    "The motive for murder is only useful for narrowing down suspects, it''s not always that important," Jian Jing shrugged, continuing at her own pace, "Two possibilities: the killer knew Qu Jie and the girl''s situations very well, knew they wouldn''t wake up, or the killer used some means to ensure they wouldn''t wake up."

    She said, "I examined many things at the crime scene, but found no trace of anesthetic gas or tainted drinks. This puzzled me for a while, but then I realized - the answer might be very simple: the killer was already in Qu Jie''s room."

    The female lead Bei''s heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "What do you mean?"

    "The killer entered the room before Qu Jie returned, witnessed his state, and then boldlymitted the murder with a third person present," Jian Jing''s gaze fell on the Production Manager, "The only person capable of that and with intimate knowledge of the haunting truth is the one who returned to the inn at 11:10 - the Production Manager."

    The Production Manager fell silent.

    "You readily admitted to the trap, probably afraid I''d find your footprint climbing through the window or your fingerprints, and wanted to use that as a cover. The haunting incident was something you nned with others, so the suspicion on you would be lower.

    "However, you didn''t expect Qu Jie to bring someone back today, which should have changed your n. But you found the girl waspletely unconscious, and wouldn''t interfere with your actions, so you still decided to strike..."

    She slowly spoke, then shifted, "Or is the truth a bit more noble - you originally just wanted to scare Qu Jie, but when you saw the atrocity at the crime scene, you couldn''t hold back and decided to eliminate the evil?"

    "No," the Production Manager said, "I''m not as noble as you think."

    He took two steps forward, exhaling deeply: "From the moment I heard the rumors of the haunting here and proposed scaring him, I had the whole n figured out. If there was any unexpected thing, it was that the fake bloodied hand print made with a blood pack got Bai to call you here."

    Jiang BaiYan looked surprised, as if he hadn''t recognized the prop blood pack.

    But the acting was too fake for Jian Jing to bother with.

    "I was actually really afraid of you finding out," the Production Manager admitted, "But after thinking it through, I couldn''t bear to give it up, so I had to act quickly. I didn''t expect that I wouldn''t be the only one wanting to kill him."

    Jian Jing''s expression didn''t change, grave: "What do you mean?"

    The Production Manager said, "You''ll have to ask Director Wang about that - what did he put in Qu Jie''s cup?"

    The producer was suddenly implicated, flustered: "What nonsense are you making up?"

    "I''ve already admitted to the murder, why would I frame you?" The Production Manager sneered, "Okay, let me repeat your conversation again."

    He mimicked vividly:

    "He won''t wake up, right?" - Director Wang''s voice.

    "No, I poured half a bottle, enough for her to sleep till morning." - Qu Jie''s reply.

    "She''s vomited." - Director Wang, still a bit worried.

    "Don''t worry, Wang-ge, don''t you trust me? Even if she wakes up, she won''t be able to tell shit." - Qu Jie''s drunken tone.

    The producer''s face immediately turned deathly pale.

    The Production Manager: "After you were done, while Qu Jie was undressing, you handed him a ss of water, and he drank it and fell asleep quickly. I didn''t think much of it at first, just cursed you as a bastard. But then I got suspicious - hey, Old Wang, what did you put in there?"

    The producer forced himself: "I didn''t put anything in. Stop dragging others down with you."

    "It doesn''t matter if you admit it. The body will speak for itself," Jian Jing finished, "Oh, and if you think leaving it for a day would mean the drug residue can''t be detected - I always take a blood sample for cold storage when I do autopsies."

    This was like a punch to the producer''s face, dazzling his eyes.

    Director Li truly couldn''t understand: "Old Wei, why did you have to kill him? Qu Jie''s temper is bad, but we were just cooperating on a film. If you really didn''t want to work with him, you could''ve just told me to terminate the contract. Why did you have to kill him?"

    He stomped his foot angrily: "What on earth made you have to kill him?"

    The Production Manager remained silent, only saying to them, "Call the police. You can resume filming tomorrow."

    "No." Director Li grabbed his hand, anxiously, "Are you taking the me for someone else? I really can''t think of a reason for you to kill him, Old Wei, we''ve known each other for so long, surely I know your character?"

    He unusually took a firm stance: "Miss Jian, you can''t frame an innocent person."

    "Old Li." The Production Manager sighed, smiling wryly, "It''s fine, I don''t regret it."

    He looked at the producer and said, "I guessed that even if I didn''t do it, he might still die. But I was afraid, afraid I''d guess wrong and he wouldn''t die. So I did it myself, I wanted to kill that bastard with my own hands."

    The producer was in a cold sweat, his mind in a knot, only able to repeat the same words: "You''re making things up."

    The Production Manager spoke calmly: "I''m not that selfless, I did it to expose you and get you to admit to the murder. But now that I''m caught, I won''t help you cover it up either."

    The producer swayed unsteadily.

    Jian Jing didn''t even look at him, taking out her phone to call the police.

    For once, she hoped the aplice would go to prison, more than the real culprit.

    *

    With the Production Manager''s testimony, along with the towel Shao Mai had used left at the scene, and the other evidence, the case against the producer was airtight.

    However, even with a female detective and prosecutor handling the case, after learning the truth, Shao Mai still copsed.

    She refused to believe anything they said, unwilling to ept that Qu Jie had done such a thing.

    "Impossible, you''re lying!" Shao Mai reacted strongly. "Qu Jie was very good to me. He gave me gifts, remembered my birthday. You''re all lying! I don''t believe you, you''re all deceiving me!"

    She stubbornly insisted, "Did someone pay you to smear Qu Jie? He''s a celebrity, how could he possibly deceive me? It must be... it''s you... deceiving me..." By the end, she couldn''t hold back her tears, her voice filled with helplessness and panic.

    The police officers across from her did not use her. They knew the girl did not truly disbelieve, but was afraid.

    She could not face what had happened to her.

    She felt fear, panic, terror.

    She struggled.

    "Please," Shao Mai said, her eyes and nose red, her voice trembling. "Tell me this isn''t true, that you''re deceiving me, please..."

    Those present exchanged nces, maintaining a difficult silence.

    Shao Maipletely broke down, covering her face as she wailed, "No... why... why me? What did I do wrong?"

    "You..." The policewoman had not finished her words when another voice ovepped.

    "You did nothing wrong!" someone answered firmly and powerfully.

    Shao Mai lifted her head, looking at the speaker with surprise and bewilderment. "You are..."

    The person did not answer, instead continuing, "My daughter was like you, did nothing wrong, but she encountered a scumbag who deceived her. She thought it was her fault and foolishlymitted suicideˇŞyou did nothing wrong either, the one at fault is that bastard Qu Jie. He''s dead now! I killed him with my own hands."

    Shao Mai was frightened by the ferocity in his words, temporarily forgetting how to speak.

    "I know many wanted him dead. He didn''t clean up properly, word got out, sooner orter someone would investigate him. At that point, prison would be the lightest punishment, maybe someone would make sure he stayed silent forever."

    The Production Manager''s gaze passed through Shao Mai, falling onto a scene from half a year ago that tore his heart apartˇŞhis daughter locked herself in at home, not responding even to her mother''s calls. When they pried open the door, she had fallen from the balcony, like a butterfly with torn wings.

    Falling, shattering, blood and flesh a blur.

    What had she done wrong?

    She was just a young girl who, through her biological father''s connections, got the WeChat of her idol, originally just wanting to exchange a few words. But unexpectedly, the idol was kind to her, chatting with her continuously.

    Then, the brilliant, shining idol revealed bloody fangs, devouring her life.

    The Production Manager''s eyes brimmed with the thrill of revenge, "I''d rather kill him myself, strangle him with my own hands. Only then can I vent this angerˇŞ" He tapped his rock-hard chest,ughing maniacally, "Only then can I go see my daughter!"

    Shao Mai moved her lips, staring at him in bewilderment, "You... you killed Qu Jie..."

    "He deserved to die," the Production Manager told her. "He was the one who did something wrong, it had nothing to do with you."

    Hot tears immediately welled up in Shao Mai''s eyes. "I didn''t know," she murmured. "Why me? What should I do? What should I do??"

    The policewoman put her arm around Shao Mai''s shoulders, passing her some tissues.

    Shao Mai leaned against her shoulder, crying loudly.

    "Time to go," the escorting officer gripped the Production Manager''s arm, speaking gently. "You shouldn''t have contact with the witness. This time is excused, but it won''t be allowed again."

    The Production Manager clenched his jaw, leaving expressionlessly.

    *

    The Detective Sisters.

    Jian Jing annoyed: [Did you find out?]

    Liang Yi wanting to curse: [As expected, it''s a new kind of drug, appearing frequently in cases these past two years. Odorless, tasteless, takes effect quickly when dissolved in alcohol, causes unconsciousness for six to eight hours, damages nerves, causes memory loss. Many victims can''t recall what happened.]

    Ya Nan wanting to sue: [I''ve handled simr cases before. If the victim ingests too much of this drug, it''s easy for them to die.]

    Jian Jing annoyed: [Looks like Wang Producer did want Qu Jie dead after all.]

    Liang Yi wanting to curse: [I checked the confession, no clear motive.]

    Ya Nan wanting to sue: [Silencing him.]

    Jian Jing annoyed: [Qu Jie must have had something on him.]

    Since he could ckmail the female lead Bei, it proves he''s the kind of scumbag who would secretly keep dirt on important people. But his ckmail failed, so he got killed.

    Liang Yi wanting to curse: [The rape charge should stick, right?]

    Ya Nan wanting to sue: [The evidence chain isplete, Teacher Jian''s physical evidence was very important. Three years minimum.]

    Jian Jing annoyed: [Too bad we can''t dig up all of them, I dare say this wasn''t an isted case.]

    Liang Yi wanting to curse: [We''ll catch them one by one.]

    Ya Nan wanting to sue: [Convict them one by one.]

    Jian Jing annoyed: [Kill them one by one.]

    Liang Yi wanting to curse: [You''re still the most hardcore.]

    Ya Nan wanting to sue: [Thew is supreme.]

    Case closed.

 Chapter 355

    Chapter 355

    As dusk fell, the sky was aze with red clouds, and a gentle breeze blew.

    Jian Jing walked along the alley until she reached Zhang Family Garden. This scenic spot was already off the beaten path, rarely visited by anyone other than tourists taking photos, especially as dusk approached.

    She avoided the security guard at the entrance and slipped into the rear courtyard.

    This was the former residence of the Zhang family heiress, also known as the home of the legendary female ghost. At this moment, in the courtyard outside the rear building, incense was set up on the altar, and Master Long, who had previously imed he was leaving, was there preparing the ritual tools.

    "Master, are you nning to try exorcism again?" she asked.

    Master Long replied, "Once I''ve taken the money, I have to perform."

    Jian Jing nodded and nced at the deserted room. Honestly, although these scenic spots generally retained their original framework, they were mostly renovated. Some craftsmen were skilled enough to maintain the old charm, while others were not, making the buildings look even newer than her family''s old house.

    The Zhang family heiress''s former residence was no exception. The embroidered tower of the past had long been destroyed by war, and the renovated ancient buildings had never been inhabited.

    But why did Master Long choose to hold the ceremony here?

    Jian Jing wondered but didn''t ask.

    As the sun sank, the sky darkenedpletely, and the hustle and bustle of tourists were carried away by the evening breeze, leaving only the tranquility of the courtyard. Lights in the bushes flickered, seeming to be malfunctioning, shing on and off, asionally making a "crackling" sound.

    Master Long arranged the incense on the altar and turned to look at her.

    Jian Jing smiled and stayed put.

    Master Long didn''t say anything either and began the ritual on his own.

    Today''s exorcism procedure was exactly the same as two days ago, with the same scriptures and gestures, but unlike that day when smoke changed and cinnabar disappeared, nothing happened this time.

    Yes, there was no eerie wind, no foul smell, no spitting blood, just a calm beginning and an uneventful ending.

    Master Long remained calm throughout.

    Jian Jing thought to herself: So, that day was all just a performance?

    "Not bad," Master Long suddenly spoke, seemingly seeing through her thoughts, "I wasn''t actually attacked by the female ghost; it was all staged."

    Jian Jing wasn''t too disappointed. "Why?"

    "I''ve been paid to do a job," Master Long reiterated.

    "I know who paid you and for what on the previous asion. But what about today?" Jian Jing asked. "All the previous haunting incidents were staged by humans. So, what ghost are you exorcising now?"

    Master Long replied calmly, "Li Pei asked me to exorcise whatever ghost, so I am exorcising whatever ghost."

    "Is it gone now?"

    "If it stops causing trouble, then yes."

    Jian Jing remained silent.

    It was hard to say whether this person actually had real skills, but his experience in the martial world was definitely top-notch.

    "You mentioned that I''m still alive as if it has some significance," she cut to the chase, "Don''t tell me it was just a slip of the tongue; you clearly said it for my benefit."

    Master Long neither confirmed nor denied, only softly said, "You''re in big trouble."

    "And?"

    "Somebody wants you dead," he stated bluntly, "In my experience, you should already be dead, but for some reason, you''re still alive."

    After a moment''s pause, he added, "But I can sense that it won''t be for long."

    "What?"

    Master Long looked at her, with a hint of unfathomable meaning flickering in his eyes, almost prophetic, "Death is closer to you now."

    Crackle.

    The streetlights in the grove all flickered simultaneously and then went out, the boundless shadows drawing closer.

    The world was engulfed in darkness.

    *

    Jian Jing did a quick check on Master Long''s background and found that he indeed had some reputation in the Nanyang region, with many urban legends mentioning him. Even the ugly cow she encountered at the auctionst time, whose real identity was a wealthy merchant from Nanyang, mentioned Master Long''s great fame and exceptional uracy, seldom making mistakes.

    He had many legendary experiences, capturing little ghosts, consulting fox spirits, exorcising evil spirits, and could piece together a series of ghost movies.

    However, Jian Jing remained skeptical, including his final warning.

    Death is closer to you now.

    It sounded frightening, but upon careful consideration, who wasn''t closer to death? So she fell into a Schr?dinger''s idealism.

    If you really believed it, it seemed usible, and if you didn''t, it could be dismissed.

    [System, why is this happening? Please exin.]

    [Sorry, this is beyond the scope of the system''s work. Please explore on your own.]

    Jian Jing was slightly conflicted.

    The countdown of the curse was frozen, she wasn''t exactly anxious, but no one could truly ignore carrying such a time bomb.

    Yet, going earnestly to seek divine help to remove the curse felt a bit odd.

    After much thought, Jian Jing decided to make a trip to Dragon Tiger Mountain, where she had contacted He Daoist several times before.

    And there, He Daoist was live streaming.

    He was not only a Taoist priest but also a writer. In recent years, short videos had be popr, and he also started making videos exining Taoist culture, bing a well-known inte celebrity.

    "Today, let me tell you about the history of the Celestial Master Residence on Dragon Tiger Mountain..." He Daoist spoke eloquently in front of the camera, effortlessly recounting historical anecdotes, attracting the attention of many tourists.

    Jian Jing went with the flow, standing nearby to listen to thementary.

    Half an hourter, the live stream ended.

    He Daoist turned his head and saw Jian Jing, after a moment of recognition, he hesitantly asked, "Jian Jing, right?"

    "Hello, Daoist He." Jian Jing smiled faintly.

    "I almost didn''t recognize you, you look even better in person than on screen." They had chatted a few times, considering themselves inte friends, so He Daoist was quite casual, "Are you here for tourism?"

    "Sort of." Jian Jing looked him up and down, also smiling, "I didn''t expect you, Daoist He, to be so..."

    "Trendy?"

    "Handsome."

    Jian Jing wasn''t ttering, He Daoist was in his early twenties, with rosy lips and white teeth, dressed in a blue robe, appearing dashing and could directly cameo as a character in a fantasy drama.

    "Thank you, thank you." He graciously epted thepliment, "Since you''re here, Jian, you should take a good look at the scenery on our mountain. Would you like me to be your tour guide?"

    Jian Jing hade to see him, so his offer was weed, "I couldn''t ask for more."

    He Daoist adjusted his sleeve and became an impromptu tour guide, leading her to explore the picturesque scenery of this famous mountain. To avoid the crowds, he deliberately chose areas with fewer tourists, and the two strolled along, chatting casually.

    Jian Jing asked him if there was anything different about herself.

    He Daoist pondered for a moment, pretending to suddenly realize, "Have you undergone cosmetic surgery?"

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "A bit of metaphysics," she hinted.

    He Daoist had to exin again that he didn''t engage in feudal superstitions.

    Jian Jing said, "I met a master from Southeast Asia before, and he said I would encounter major trouble."

    "And then?" He Daoist was cynical. "How much did he trick you out of?"

    Jian Jing shrugged. "Didn''t spend any money, didn''t ask for donations or buy anything."

    "Not swindling money, then preparing to swindle something else," He Daoist sighed, concerned. "Don''t believe these things. If you''re really interested in Taoist culture, why note to our Dragon Tiger Mountain to study for a few days?"

    She chuckled. "But I''m already here."

    He Daoist nced at her, his face full of disbelief.

    "Fine," Jian Jing admitted frankly, "I came because of the aftermath of the Seven Stars Coffin Seal."

    At the mention of this, He Daoist immediately became alert. He had written some books on geomancy and metaphysics, of course, not advocating disharmony, but introducing past burials and culture from a folk perspective.

    Evil arts like the Seven Stars Coffin Seal were extremely rare even in the history of geomancy.

    "Have you found simr burials again?" he asked eagerly.

    "It''s the practitioner," Jian Jing hesitated, still saying, "He ced a curse on me."

    He Daoist stopped in his tracks, turning to look at her.

    Jian Jing spread her hands.

    He scrutinized her from top to bottom, left to right, for a good three to five minutes before asking, "Have you been particrly unluckytely?"

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "Have you felt like someone was watching you? Or someone calling your name? Feeling inexplicably uneasy and anxious?"

    Her: "... no."

    He Daoist was actually surprised. "None?"

    "I don''t have any special feelings," she said expressionlessly, "so it''s not psychological, don''t worry."

    He Daoistughed awkwardly.

    "Of course, if you say I want some psychologicalfort, that''s fine too," Jian Jing pondered, "I want to hold a ritual."

    Performing rituals was a basic skill for Daoists, and He Daoist agreed readily, "No problem."

    The rituals at the Celestial Master Residence were naturallypletely different from those of Master Long''s exorcism and demon-catching, filled with the word "formal."

    The venue was dedicated, the high achievements were certified, the incense and incense burners were special, and the rhetoric was either poetry or ancient prose, soundingpletely iprehensible at first listen.

    What impressed Jian Jing the most was the Pace Void Sound. Although she didn''t understand the words, the melody was beautiful, sounding like celestial music, extremely enjoyable.

    Then, the system quietly came online.

    [Status Bar: Qi Tian''s Curse (Countdown: 10)]

    Jian Jing: "..."

    After the ritual, He Daoist asked her, "How do you feel?"

    She said, "Much better."

    He couldn''t help but chuckle, "That''s good, that''s good." As he spoke, he nodded earnestly, looking serious.

    Jian Jing waited for him to finishughing before saying, "But the curse hasn''t disappeared."

    He Daoist''s muffledughter abruptly stopped, looking at her in astonishment.

    "Since the ritual can''t dispel the curse, what should I do?" she asked.

    He Daoist blinked rapidly, with a slight furrow of his brow.

    Actually, he never thought Jian Jing''s curse was that serious. Firstly, he didn''t believe in it, and secondly, she herself seemed very calm, as if she wasn''t afraid at all, just preferring to err on the side of caution and perform a ritual for peace of mind.

    But at this moment, her attitude made him realize that things might not be so simple.

    He had to seriously consider it for a while before saying, "The curse you mentioned is actually witchcraft. Although I''m not very familiar with this area, generally speakingˇŞahem, please note, this is just a general statement."

    Jian Jing listened attentively.

    "The art of witchcraft in history, rather than being supernatural powers, is more like diseases or poisoning. ''Gu'' originally refers to insects, so-called ''being under gu'' is actually a parasitic disease, the most famous of which is schistosomiasis," He Daoist exined, "This is an objective existence. Ancient people didn''t understand it, so they called it ''gu''. You can''t deny its existence."

    Jian Jing nodded in agreement.

    He continued, "But if we talk about the technique of oveing enemies, I think the element of psychological suggestion is greater. Because of emotional instability, anxiety, and depression, it indirectly triggers physical illness."

    "You make a good point. To sum it up in one sentence, believe in science," she sighed.

    Scratching his head, He Daoist said, "So what do you want to hear?"

    "If there really is an unscientific curse, how do you solve it?" Jian Jing cut to the chase. "Just pretend I''m providing material for a novel, setting is everything."

    "In that case," He Daoist thought for a moment, "either destroy the carrier of the curse, such as the effigy or puppet used for casting spells, or eliminate the person who cast the spell."

    "Oh," Jian Jing suddenly sounded cheerful, "I knew it, just kill him."

    "Yes," He Daoist nodded before realizing something was off, looking at her in shock and stuttering, "Wait, what do you mean ''just kill him''?"

    Jian Jing casually turned her head,menting, "The scenery at Dragon Tiger Mountain is really nice."

    He Daoist said, "Jian Jing, viting thew..."

    "I have to take a call," Jian Jing took out her phone, "Hello, President Kang, I''m going on a two-day trip, alright, I''ll be back soon, I''lle home tomorrow."

    She looked apologetic, "Daoist, sorry, President Kang is urging me to return for a deadline. Thanks for this time, I''ll transfer the expenses to your ount, see you next time."

    He Daoist: "..."

 Chapter 356

    Chapter 356

    After returning from Dragon Tiger Mountain, the tail end of summer vacation came to a close.

    September arrived slowly, and Peace University weed another batch of new students. This year was not much different from previous years, except for one thing: Jian Jing''s name appeared in the "Prominent Alumni" section of the enrollment brochure.

    The building of the Chinese department was newly renovated, and after repainting, the walls were adorned with photos of celebrities.

    Naturally, the front row featured well-known figures in the industry, but at the end of the corridor, Jian Jing, holding the Dreampen Award trophy, was the youngest and most stunning presence among the photos.

    Regarding this, Jian Jing felt... a bit embarrassed.

    After all, she hadn''t graduated yet.

    Every time she passed by this corridor and saw her own face, she couldn''t help but feel a bit strange.

    But on the first day of school, she had toe, even though her advisor rarely sought her out after her thesis was published. But it wouldn''t be right to skip the start of the new semester.

    In the new year, there were two new junior sisters.

    The first thing her advisor said to her when he saw her was, "Hey,e sign your name for your two junior sisters, they''ve been asking me for half the day."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Today, she was a novelist under duress.

    Signing autographs for her junior sisters, chatting with her advisor about recent books, agreeing to get Jiang BaiYan''s autograph for the advisor''s daughter, and giving some books to the literary society (which the advisor brought) as gifts.

    The advisor was very satisfied and tentatively made onest request: "You won the Dreampen Award, do you know Doreen from the United States? The school wants to invite some foreign writers for lectures."

    Coincidentally, none of the other Dreampen Award winners knew her, but Doreen had changed her contact information.

    Jian Jing immediately agreed and went back to send an email to Doreen.

    Doreen received the invitation and didn''t hesitate much before agreeing. She had signed her domestic publishing affairs over to Golden Crow, so she couldn''t wait for the opportunity toe to China.

    Of course, since she chose to help the school make connections, Jian Jing couldn''t avoid treating her to dinner and acting as a tour guide for a few days.

    Kang Mu Cheng specifically called to ask about this.

    She wondered, "What''s up?"

    "Don''t go on long trips alone with Doreen," Kang Mu Cheng reminded her, "You can apany her around the area, but if it''s real travel, I''ll specially arrange someone to apany her."

    Jian Jing: "Why?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Her orientation is in the minority."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Although she hadn''t thought about it before, after Kang Mu Cheng mentioned it, Jian Jing always felt something was off when she met Doreen.

    "Hi, darling," Doreen greeted her with a hug as soon as she approached, "Long time no see, thank you for inviting me."

    Jian Jing quietly pulled away: "I''m d you coulde."

    Doreen was very chatty, telling many Chinese stories her grandmother had told her along the way, half of which were stereotypes, and unsurprisingly, she was a fan of Bruce Lee.

    Without the impetus of a case, Jian Jing was a bit tired of socializing. She forced herself to get through the day and quickly took her to a restaurant for dinner.

    Doreen praised the dishes, then took out her phone, snap, snap, snap, and affectionately sat beside Jian Jing, with her hand on her shoulder: "Let''s take a picture together."

    Jian Jing quickly activated her acting skills.

    Click, click, click, after several continuous shots, Doreen released her with satisfaction, edited the photos with filters, and posted them on social media.

    "Jian, you have no idea how popr you are," she said, "The Demon Doctor is selling like crazy. Many TV shows want to invite you, but unfortunately, they can''t reach you."

    Jian Jing thought she was just being polite and smiled in response.

    "I wasn''t lying," Doreen blinked, her cheeks flushing even more brightly, "You ranked eighteenth in the Asian Celebrity Poll before."

    Jian Jing: "What the heck? There''s such a ranking list??"

    "Wow, look, you already have hundreds of likes," Doreen showed her the screen of her phone, withments piling up below the new post.

    [Is the author of "The Demon Doctor" Jian Jing?]

    [She''s so pretty.]

    [Doreen, did you go to Japan?]

    [It''s Korea, right? The dishes on the table are Korean kimchi.]

    [It''s China, Jian Jing is a Chinese author.]

    Jian Jing: "Instagram, right? I''ll register an ount right away!"

    She downloaded the app, registered, uploaded her profile picture, and posted a series of "Demon Doctor" posters. Then she switched to Twitter and posted a bunch of promotional materials in Chinese.

    All written in Chinese: "Hello, everyone, I''m Chinese author Jian Jing."

    Before long, she received arge number ofments.

    Fans from all over the world weed her and asked when "The Demon Doctor 4" would be avable in English. Jian Jing regretfully informed them - "The Demon Doctor 4 has be a pigeon."

    A group of puzzled emojis filled thements below.

    Apart from book fans, she surprisingly had many variety show fans as well, asking her when she would shoot another haunted house variety show, as they were looking forward to the club''s sequel.

    But Jian Jing had lost interest in the haunted house series.

    Robert''s set was already world-ss, but it still couldn''tpare to one-tenth of Twilight Town.

    Real fear prated the soul, while fake fear just couldn''t excite.

    This was probably another case of "luxury leads to frugality."

    She replied: "If the situation is right, I will consider cooperating again."

    The fans were very disappointed.

    "If only you could participate in a few more shows."

    "Even without the haunted house, there can still be great adventures."

    "I hope you can participate in ''The Reasoning King,'' then I''ll definitely subscribe."

    "Even if it''s paid, I''ll support you."

    "Can you participate in xxx''s talk show?"

    "I''m a producer of xx program and would like to interview you."

    All kinds ofments flooded in like a tide, from shows, media, inte celebrities... countless names flew over, making one''s head spin. Who would specifically pay attention to the name of a variety show?

    Jian Jing nced over andpletely forgot about "The Reasoning King."

    This was her first "encounter" with the show.

    And then, the second one came quickly.

    A few dayster, Doreen returned to the United States and asked her before leaving, "Will you participate in ''The Reasoning King''?"

    Jian Jing found the term slightly familiar but couldn''t recall it, so she replied, "I don''t think so, I haven''t been invited."

    As she answered, she pondered, what was "The Reasoning King" again? A magazine? No, she remembered the most famous detective magazine was called "EQMM," tranted as Ellery Queen''s Mystery Magazine.

    Could it be exclusive to a parallel world?

    Doreen, however, thought she knew, after all, "The Reasoning King" was extremely popr in the United States, and she sighed, "That''s too bad, I thought they would invite you."

    But Jian Jing didn''t mind, no invitation meant no invitation, it wasn''t a big deal.

    "Maybe next time, perhaps next time," Doreenforted her.

    Jian Jing smiled politely, "Thanks for your kind words."

    Doreen gave Jian Jing a hug before turning to board the ne.

    Jian Jing watched her go through security, breathed a sigh of relief, then called Kang Mu Cheng: "Doreen''s gone."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "She didn''t do anything to make you ufortable, did she?"

    "No, not at all. You''re overthinking it. She never had any intentions towards me," Jian Jingined. "It''s all because of you, making me paranoid."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed, "I just worry you might not be aware and end up getting hurt."

    "What could possibly hurt me?" she muttered.

    Kang Mu Cheng habitually ignored herment, "That''s good. I''m not working overtime today, want toe over for dinner?"

    "Sure."

    "I''ll bring your manuscript back," he said. "There are a few parts that need some changes, and also the cover. They''ve sketched a few options, we can pick er."

    Jian Jing thought to herself, So, this doesn''t count as overtime?

    "Hmm?"

    "I want somete-night snacks," she pouted.

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t help but chuckle, "Alright."

    Jian Jing reluctantly headed back to work.

    Luckily, there weren''t many changes needed for the manuscript. After discussing some plot points with Kang Mu Cheng, she had a n. As for the cover sketch, she chose a watercolor set.

    A pink silhouette of a girl, a bright red crime scene, a cyan-d young man, a mysterious purple shadow, ovepping colors, creating a dreamy and mysterious tone.

    Kang Mu Cheng said, "It''s good."

    "Yes, off work," Jian Jing tossed the manuscript aside and happily propped her legs up, scrolling through her phone.

    "The Reasoning King" made its presence felt for the third time.

    "Huh," she scrolled through Twitter''s messages, "Doreen was telling the truth, they actually invited me."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked curiously, "Who?"

    "A Twitter ount called ''The Reasoning King,'' wow, so many followers, is this like a magazine?" she asked.

    "The Reasoning King?" Kang Mu Cheng frowned, leaned closer to carefully look at the ount''s ID, then said, "It''s not a magazine, it''s a reasoning program."

    Jian Jing instantly lost interest, "Is it like a murder mystery?"

    "No, it''s a reality show," Kang Mu Cheng exined, "They im it''s the highest IQ program in human history."

    "Ah?" like those brainy quiz shows?

    "A group of people are gathered in a closed environment, where one or several murders ur. Those who sessfully find the murderer win a prize, but if no one finds them, the prize goes to the culprit."

    At this point, Kang Mu Cheng paused slightly, his expression subtle, "Whether it''s truly the highest IQ, it''s hard to say, but it''s the hottest reality show in America."

    Jian Jing scoffed, "I''m definitely not going to America to participate in a show."

    "Not necessarily," he shook his head, "Maybe they''re nning an Asian edition."

    "??"

    She quickly searched for information about "The Reasoning King."

    Turns out, the show is produced by a team called "The Door of Wisdom," sold to thergest media tform in America, and has already filmed five seasons.

    The first three seasons were set in North America, featuring not only well-known hosts, actors, and models from the industry but also retired professionals from the FBI and CIA, as well as graduates from Ivy League schools like Harvard and MIT. With its excellent production and captivating plot, it sparked a frenzy from the moment the first season aired, and each subsequent season was shot with even greater ambition and scale.

    Some participants were just ordinary retired special agents, making a living by investigating infidelities before joining the show. But after filming, they became household names, constantly receiving invitations to other shows, and even publishing professional books.

    However, if that were all, it would just be another high-rated ordinary program.

    "The Reasoning King" ascended to greatness when, afterpleting the third season and feeling that America had be less thrilling, they boldly flew to Europe,unching the European Special Edition.

    So, what sets the special edition apart from regr episodes?

    Firstly, while regr episodes are filmed in the United States, eachsting 80 minutes with four episodes per season, the guests typically spend 10-12 hours filming, and the audience only sees the end result after post-production editing.

    But the special edition is broadcast live.

    That''s right, during the filming of the European edition, the production team decided to make it a three-day, two-night live broadcast. Viewers could follow different guests'' perspectives, explore clues, listen to interrogations, and engage in real-time deduction throughout the entire process.

    With this setup, the sense of participation was undeniable.

    In 2019, "The Reasoning King: European Edition" took the world by storm. During the live broadcast, Twitter, YouTube, and even Weibo were abuzz with discussions about who the culprit might be, sessfully bringing an American show to every corner of the globe.

    In 2020, the fourth season; 2021, the fifth season.

    On August 22, 2022, "The Reasoning King" announced its ns to film a special edition in Asia. At the same time, the official websiteunched a poll for Asian celebrities.

    Although rankings don''t necessarily guarantee invitations, they can at least provide the production team with some reference. Jian Jing found herself ranked eighteenth on the list.

    She didn''t know why so many people voted for her, considering that those ranked ahead were the top idols and stars in Asia. However, whether they received invitations or not was uncertain, but Jian Jing had already received a message from the production team.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked, "How do you feel?"

    Jian Jing replied, "Slightly excited."

 Chapter 357

    Chapter 357

    During the live broadcast of the European chapter in 2019, Jian Jing hadn''t arrived yet, and by the time she was reborn the following year, the hype had mostly died down. She wasn''t a big fan of detective shows, and [obscene] somehow, she only just learned of the existence of "King of Reasoning".

    Over the next few days, she quickly caught up on the previous episodes.

    The plot was quite good, but the constant twists and turns - if there was no script, only a fool would believe it.

    Inparison, the live broadcasts were much more enjoyable to watch.

    Jian Jing never expected parallel worlds to be so much fun, with several consecutive days of live broadcasts where everyone worked together to find the culprit.

    She followed a male guest, but unfortunately, he wasn''t very helpful, and after much effort, they still couldn''t find any clues, so she had to reluctantly switch to someone else.

    Sigh, the handsome guy was all show and no substance (?), and in the end, it was an old man who found the crucial clue.

    However, she didn''t want to just watch the ending directly, and instead carefully examined the investigation videos of the other participants before deciding on the culprit.

    The result was as expected, but the process was truly so much fun.

    Jian Jing binge-watched the entire series over two days, and then immediately replied to the person, expressing her willingness to further engage and possibly coborate.

    The officials said that the show''s scouting team had already set out, and they would contact her when the time came.

    Jian Jing had no objections; the invitation was just the beginning and did not necessarily mean she would actually be on the show. Just like the European chapter, where over 50 guests were invited, but after assessment, only 15 ended up participating in the program.

    The others either had schedule conflicts, were sick at home, or had to care for their 80-year-old mothers - all sorts of excuses.

    The reality was unknown.

    Therefore, Jian Jing kept quiet, as if she said anything about the invitation, but then didn''t end up going, it would be embarrassing.

    She remained silent and waited for further developments.

    It wasn''t long before the news spread, and the entertainment industry was abuzz with excitement.

    The marketing ounts asionally released seemingly true but false information, about how a certain big-name celebrity had been invited to "King of Reasoning", or how a certain young star had already been confirmed as a guest.

    The fans were overjoyed, hyping it up to the max.

    Bystanders were reminded of the hype surrounding the 2019 event and eagerly discussed the previous grand spectacle.

    Andpared to the distant Europe, the Asian chapter was undoubtedly more anticipated.

    People started specting on who was qualified to receive the invitation, with some suggesting the winners of high-IQ shows, and others proposing inte celebrities, as some of them were truly exceptional.

    Jian Jing''s brilliant performance on the haunted house variety show was also mentioned, and the general consensus was that Teacher Jian was absolutely qualified.

    However, no matter how much the spectators guessed, the production team didn''t reveal anything, only saying that the program was in preparation and that everyone should look forward to it.

    Of course, that was just the surface.

    The Wisdom Gate team has been quite busytely.

    Although the show was sold to a major tform, which provided a substantial amount of funding, to create a globally sessful live-action reality show, the expenses were a bottomless pit.

    How could the team possibly foot the bill themselves?

    Compared to inviting guests, securing sponsorships was the top priority.

    Jian Jing heard a lot of insider information from Kang Mu Cheng. Apparently, due to the huge sess of the European chapter, the show''s sponsorship was going smoothly, with manyrgepanies expressing interest.

    But for some well-known reasons, the production team''s preferences were quite evident.

    Among them, the 3Q Group from South Korea was the most enthusiastic, and they were the first to sign a contract. Not only did they provide a substantial amount of funding, but they also generously offered a cruise ship as the filming location for the Asian chapter.

    As soon as the news was out, the audience was immediately excited.

    A cruise ship in the Pacific Ocean - it''s not just about a snow-capped mountain vi this time, they could totally incorporate elements like mutant sharks, sea monsters, and ancient giant crocodiles.

    The European chapter was filmed in a castle, with the setting of vampire murders.

    The Asian chapter can''t lose out.

    Following closely was a high-end Japanese cosmetics brand, which would provide the guests with a full range of skincare, makeup, and bath products.

    On the Chinese side, however, there was no movement for a long time. The official exnation was that a few popr brands couldn''t meet the production team''s requirements and thus couldn''t coborate.

    But some insiders revealed that the real reason was politics.

    In the end, they only managed to partner with a beverage brand.

    Jian Jing was quite dissatisfied and had considered refusing to participate, but after careful thought, she changed her mind.

    Since the entire process would be live-streamed without a script, they''d have to rely on their own merits.

    In early October, the production team finally contacted her, giving her an address and asking her toe at the scheduled time for the entry test.

    This did note as a surprise to Jian Jing, as she had already figured out their selection process:

    First, they would screen a batch of guests with special characteristics, such as top-tier celebrities, expert professors, or inte influencers - basically, people who excelled in certain areas.

    They would then widely invite these individuals, and those who agreed would participate in the selection, which was the entry test.

    For the European chapter, the test was a treasure hunt game, where the guests received a treasure map and had to follow the clues to find the treasure within 8 hours. Those who seeded would earn the right to participate, and their footage would be edited into the preview, while the failures would be deleted, never to be seen by the audience.

    The Asian chapter''s test, it seems, would be different.

    On October 10th, Jian Jing arrived at the location provided by the production team.

    An abandoned factory.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    The area was eerily quiet, with the dpidated wooden structures frosted by autumn. The migrating geese were not in a clear sky, but under the heavy, gloomy clouds that seemed ready to pour rain.

    Jian Jing exhaled, thinking that the production team had definitely checked the weather forecast.

    The atmosphere was clearly orchestrated.

    She entered the dimly lit old factory: "Is anyone here?"

    Is anyone there - is anyone there -

    The echoes ovepped.

    "Creeeeak."

    "Boom."

    The heavy iron door closed.

    Suddenly, the visibility was reduced, with only a few small windows high on the walls allowing in weak light, barely enough to make out the scene inside.

    About 10 meters high, around three stories tall, but the stairs had all been removed, and a smooth column stood in the center, wrapped with a rope and topped by a giant balloon.

    They were saying: Come, climb me.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    So the production team is doing an obstacle course show?

    She mused, not rushing to scale the column, but instead carefully examining the scene. As expected, she found a password pad behind the door.

    In other words, the key to this game must be a numerical password, and the answer shouldn''t be directly ced in the balloon, right?

    Jian Jing strolled around and soon spotted a hidden clue on the left wall - an intentionally aged graffiti puzzle.

    10+26+3=2

    11+70-9=0

    84-50+6=?

    Jian Jing: Elementary math puzzles?

    This must equal 3.

    Looking at the other wall, well, this was interesting - six thin ropes with bells of various sizes hung unevenly, and the wall was scribbled with numbers from top to bottom: 4, 9, 2, 5.

    Jian Jing guessed it was a bnce problem.

    She adjusted the positions of the different bells to achieve bnce, and the lowest bellnded on the 5 mark.

    Finally, thest wall.

    xfmdpnfuppvshbnf

    Oh, a cipher.

    The key is 1.

    Alright, so thest digit must be on the balloon.

    Jian Jing went to the column, tied the rope around her waist and thighs as a safety measure, bounced a few times, nced at the camera in the corner, and began her ascent.

    --

    After the preview aired:

    Thements on the Chinese tform:

    [Thank you all for the support for my wife]

    [Go, my wife!]

    [The show crew is involved in shady dealings, but why does our teacher Jian have to do physical challenges?]

    [Protest, aren''t the questions supposed to be about the profession?]

    [Yeah, that woman from next door is a kendo practitioner, but our teacher Jian is a writer!]

    [Writers can also beat the stic surgery nation next door]

    [The hostility is so strong, thements section has been closed]

    [Never mind, teacher Jian is the best! Support her!!]

    [Teacher Jian, go for it, show them what you''ve got!]

    ...

    --

    Jian Jing had deliberately hidden her abilities and only revealed her ordinary level of fitness after training. It took her about 2 minutes to finally reach the top.

    She popped the balloon, and the crisp sound made the confetti inside scatter all over her.

    "Cough." Jian Jing waved away the dense confetti, quickly descending to the ground.

    There were no notes on the ground.

    She pondered for a moment and understood.

    Walking to the door, she entered the code: 3510

    The thick door opened, revealing the dark sky.

    The time disy in the corner of the screen showed: 14:25:08.

    This meant that the challenge had beenpleted in less than 15 minutes.

    --

    After the preview was aired.

    On the foreign tformment section:

    oliver: Support the youngdy!

    arabe: She is my favorite writer!

    Sakura: She is beautiful

    li: Jing Jian is so sexy!!

    wang: Jane is so sexy!!!

    Tengu: Kumiko is the best

    ...

    --

    The door opened, and the crew''s car was parked outside.

    "Jian, hello, I''m Masha." A capable woman approached her and extended her hand, "Wee to the game of the King of Reasoning."

    Jian Jing politely shook her hand but said, "I need to review the contract before deciding whether to participate."

    "Of course, that''s only proper." Masha said, "But I believe you won''t miss this opportunity."

    Jian Jing smiled.

    Masha invited her into the car, and during the short trip, she briefly introduced the filming situation for this time.

    Just as rumored, the location of this reality show was on a cruise ship, provided by the 3Q Group,sting seven days. The first day was for check-in and familiarization, and on the second day, the guests would receive their identity information.

    The third day would be the start of the plot, continuing until the sixth day. The seventh day was the celebration party and banquet, and in the evening they would return to the dock, marking the official end of the event.

    Jian Jing remained nomittal, saying she wanted to review the contract first.

    Masha agreed.

    She turned and went to find Kang Mu Cheng.

    "It''s okay." He read through it word by word and gave his initial opinion, "But there are a few ces I can''t agree with, so let Jin Lawyer draft an opinion for you, and have him negotiate it."

    Jin Lawyer was Kang Mu Cheng''s personalwyer, asionally serving as Jian Jing''s legal advisor.

    Of course, Kang Mu Cheng was the one paying the consultation fees.

    Jian Jing had never paid a single consultation fee.

    "I''m not worried about the contract," she said, "ck and white words, it''s not easy to have problems."

    Kang Mu Cheng picked up on the subtext: "What''s wrong?"

    Jian Jing frowned, her tone uncertain: "I''m not sure if it''s just my imagination, but I feel like they''re targeting me."

    The intelligence challenges were really not difficult, just brain teasers at the level of domestic variety shows, but the physical challenges seemed a bit excessive.

    Normally, physical challenges are team tasks, requiring the guests to coborate or assign a physical champion toplete. Jian Jing''sbel is "writer", not a retired soldier, not a karate champion, nor a rock climber. To immediately hit her with both physical and intellectual challenges, it just feels like she''s being targeted.

    "Maybe I''m overthinking it?" She couldn''t be sure.

    "The show crew has a very obvious bias." Kang Mu Cheng held a different opinion, cautiously saying, "Jing Jing, this show is not that simple, you need to think it through carefully."

    Jian Jing: "They don''t want us to win?"

    "It''s obvious."

    "Then I''ll go even more." She inwardly sneered, "I''m going to win."

    If the show crew was ying fair, everyone would have fun with the game and let ability speak. But if they want to y dirty... Well, who doesn''t have some tricks up their sleeve?

 Chapter 358

    Chapter 358

    After a 3-month promotion, the casting waspleted in a week. The production team divided into three groups and announced the guest list for the Asia edition by the end of October.

    Japan: Kumiko Terauchi (renowned actress, karate champion), Wataru Kojima (mystery manga artist, known for "The Mystery of Spring Day"), Hiroto Ishikawa (renowned Noh actor)

    South Korea: Min-cheol Park (TV journalist, celebrity in the social news circle), Liu Sau-chi (idol group leader, #1 on the Asia Celebrity List, phenomenal male singer), Ran-er Kim (heiress, new actress, studying in the US)

    Thand: Linnaer (transgender singer, actress)

    India: Raj Sharma (Yale student, YouTube celebrity, medical student)

    Singapore: Connor Lee (Asian actor, familiar face in American TV shows)

    Russia: Andrei (athlete, Olympic shooting champion), Valeriya (ballet dancer)

    China: Jian Jing (writer), Jiang BaiYan (actor), Zhang Xue''er (model), Wu Lie (renowned martial arts actor, stunt coordinator, working in Hollywood)

    In total, 15 people.

    Intense criticism arose domestically.

    [So manyints]

    [As expected, most of them are celebrity actors, this is just a variety show]

    [I don''t know what to say, they are all unfamiliar faces that the public doesn''t recognize, but they brought in a bunch of stars, will the reasoning still work?]

    [How did they select the participants? Why didn''t they invite the champion of our ''The Ultimate Challenge''? They would smash it!]

    [Something just feels off, but I can''t put my finger on it]

    [Only two Russians? What was the basis for the allocation ratio??]

    [The bald eagle''s PTSD from the Russians still hasn''t healed, huh]

    [I can only say, not enough LGBTQ representation]

    [But they have a transgender person though (smiley face)]

    [No need toin, just do it]

    [Small fry like me, forget it, at least Zhang Xue''er has won a major acting award, what is she? She''s not even a supermodel!]

    ...

    In short, it stirred up a storm.

    Not only was there discussion domestically, but there was also heated debate internationally, with many protesting that the invited guests did not represent the true strength of their respective countries.

    Actors, singers, inte celebrities... in the public''s eyes, these are not industries that demonstrate representative intelligence.

    In response, the production team stated that "The Reasoning King" is a reality show, not a math olympiad or the Olympics, and they are not selecting top talents topete.

    They considered entertainment value and viewability, not professionalism orpetitiveness.

    If people are pursuing that, why not take online courses? Aren''t the public courses from Harvard and MIT highly professional? Look at our local dramas, they also invite stars, hosts, and singers, without any bias.

    Jian Jing: I don''t believe you.

    Your local dramas at least have scripts.

    But regardless, as a reality show, they can invite whoever they want, even if it''s a little shady, there''s nothing you can criticize.

    What she''s curious about is why Jiang BaiYan ended up there.

    She called to ask him.

    Jiang BaiYan: I don''t know, they invited me, so I just participated.

    "What''s your test?"

    "Puzzles and nitpicking with everyone." He said honestly.

    Jian Jing: ... I knew they were messing with me.

    "What about the others?"

    "Zhang Xue''er has connections, she''s a spokesperson for a certain brand, and that brand has a good rtionship with the production team. As for Teacher Wu, the production team chose him, they need a familiar face for international viewers, and China would be the first thing they think of."

    He analyzed: "Jing Jing, your poprity is high, and you''re rted to reasoning, they must have invited you. The rest are probably big-name artists."

    The production team''s screening was very crude - first, you must have fame, at least be well-known domestically, and if you have some international recognition, even better.

    And Jiang BaiYan''s award-winning film "The Child Who Hides" and his overseas box office sess with "Rose Gold" met the criteria.

    "I know several colleagues also received invitations, but some were too busy, and some didn''t pass the test."

    As everyone knows, big-name artists have very tight schedules, constantly receiving invitations, booking up to half a year in advance. But "The Reasoning King" was announced 3 months prior.

    Moreover, some artists, though famous and high-traffic, are fairly ordinary in intelligence, the production team couldn''t afford to ruin their own brand. Especially for this reality show with guests from diverse nationalities, they had to quickly weed out those who couldn''t even write a decent essay.

    In summary, with no work lined up after his spy drama, Jiang BaiYan, who has decent fame and passable English, naturally made the cut.

    "Jing Jing, is it that you don''t want to see me?" He exined, intivelyining, "You haven''t been very attentive to metely."

    Jian Jing: "Really?"

    "Yes." He affirmed, "I know the previous case made you unhappy, but that wasn''t my doing, I didn''t know they were so ruthless."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but say, "It''s not about being happy or unhappy, it''s spiritual pollution."

    "So you''re taking it out on me."

    "Can''t I?" She said sternly.

    Jiang BaiYan backed down: "Okay, okay, it''s my fault. Please vent your anger on poor Zi Shu, I won''t resist."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "See you on the cruise." She shook her head, banishing the strange images from her mind, and decisively hung up the phone.

    The shooting for the Asia edition of "The Reasoning King" was from November 14th to November 20th, a week-long period.

    Jian Jing breathed a sigh of relief, as she wouldn''t be able to usemunication devices during the shooting. Missing Double Eleven would be disastrous. Her vi was nearingpletion, and there was a pile of packages waiting to be collected.

    The day before departure, Daniel came to her house to take the Knight.

    "Do you really not need me to apany you?" He asked.

    Jian Jing said, "Just watch the live stream calmly, it''s just a recording, what danger could there be?"

    Daniel calmly replied, "That sentence makes me feel particrly dangerous."

    "The recording time is a total of 7 days, with 3 days and 2 nights of real-time live streaming, at least 10 hours per day." He checked the details in the contract, furrowing his brow, "That means, aside from sleeping, you''ll be under constant surveince, is that really okay?"

    Jian Jing shrugged, "The 3 days should be fine."

    Daniel sighed, a vague sense of unease stirring in his heart again. It felt like one of those afternoons when he forgot to eat, suddenly gulping down a shot of espresso, the stomach stimted and slowly burning with a dull ache.

    But he said nothing, because saying it wouldn''t change anything. He just reached out and patted her head.

    She turned her head, and the soft strands of her hair obediently clung to his palm.

    He felt somewhat relieved, the helpless emotions from earlier dissipating.

    "Remember what I told you." Daniel said, "I''ll be satisfied with even 1 second."

    "That''s an exaggeration." Sheughed, "Don''t worry, Daniel."

    He looked at her.

    Jian Jing dramatically sighed, grasping his hand, "Don''t worry, Muchen."

    Daniel finally smiled, but still couldn''t shake his concern, insisting on reminding her, "Contact me if anything happens, it doesn''t matter if you win or not, your safety is the most important."

    "Okay."

    "Don''t let them bully you." He said, "If they make unreasonable demands, call me immediately, we''ll sue if necessary."

    "Got it."

    Daniel looked around, then asked, "Do you have enough clothes? Do you want to bring some jewelry?"

    Jian Jing: "I''ve packed for 10 days, it''s enough."

    He: "I''ll take you to the airport tomorrow."

    "You should take my dog home first." Jian Jing couldn''t bear it any longer and pushed him away. "I need to sleep, I have to get up early tomorrow."

    Jiang BaiYan finally swallowed the words he was about to say.

    "Alright, alright, don''t worry, remember to watch the livestream." She threatened, "If you don''t watch, I''ll never talk to you again."

    He couldn''t help butugh: "I''ll watch, definitely."

    "Good night."

    "Good night."

    That day, Jian Jing slept well.

    The next day, filming began.

    The content for the first day was just the characters'' introductions, chatting about their thoughts on the show, whether they were confident, whether they were looking forward to it, and so on. Their introductions would be addedter to help the audience recognize their faces.

    It was uneventful, except that their mode of transportation was a helicopter.

    Yes, the team had deep pockets and was well-sponsored, making a grand entrance by gathering everyone via helicopter.

    After nearly an hour of flying, Jian Jingnded on the helipad of a cruise ship.

    This cruise ship was called the "World Cruise Liner", sponsored by the 3Q Group from South Korea. It could amodate over five hundred people and was luxurious beyond imagination.

    Allegedly, this cruise liner had hosted many celebrities and VIPs, and even some unharmonious parties, ording to rumors from South Koreanizens. The truth was still unknown, but Jian Jing thought it might be true, because this cruise liner was even morevish than the one she attended the auction on previously by many times over.

    Come to think of it, that was only a rented ship, but this was the private property of a South Korean business tycoon, so it was bound to be extravagantly luxurious.

    The guest rooms were extremely spacious, with balconies overlooking the blue ocean, and bathrooms spanning over a dozen square meters where one could bathe while watching TV and enjoying the ocean view.

    All the bedding was brand new silk products, with even a random bottle of wine in the cab worth tens of thousands.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    It felt like she had stumbled into the wrong show.

    But this was indeed "The Reasoning King".

    After settling in, the fifteen guests had a day to get acquainted with each other. You could choose to chat with others, observe their personalities to better deal with themter, or remain aloof and keep an air of mystery.

    Simrly, the more you did, the more material you''d have, and the higher your screen time would be.

    Jian Jing decided to lie down first.

    At two in the afternoon, Jiang BaiYan arrived and greeted her.

    At three, Zhang Xue''er came over and chatted briefly.

    At five, Wu Lie found her, and they acknowledged each other.

    Well, it was quite obvious that everyone was sticking to their cliques.

    The next morning, the fifteen guests made their first group appearance.

    Jian Jing saw herpetitors for this round, but due to therge number of characters andplex situation, she didn''t introduce them for the time being. In short, everyone nodded politely at each other, then sat around the long table in the dining room.

    The host introduced himself: "Hello everyone, I''m the host Daniel, wee to ''The Reasoning King''."

    Apuse.

    Daniel introduced the identity information of each guest one by one.

    After introducing one person, that person would stand up, bow, and express sentiments like "I''m happy to participate in the show, and I will definitely win."

    It was Jian Jing''s turn.

    "Jian Jing, a renowned Chinese author, with representative works ''The Child Who Hides'', ''Rose Gold'', and ''The Demon Doctor''." Daniel''s introduction was concise and clear. "Wee Jian, do you have anything you''d like to say to everyone?"

    Jian Jing stood up and looked around, then smiled and said, "Although I''m just a novelist, not a professional detective, I will do my best. Thank you."

    Jiang BaiYan apuded vigorously.

    Zhang Xue''er and Wu Lie apuded politely.

    The Japanese and Koreans apuded halfheartedly.

    The Thai, Indian, Singaporean, and Russian contestants apuded unremarkably.

    After the round of introductions, Daniel moved on to the main event: "Now, let''s begin the role assignment. You all see the two urns in front of me, right? The one on the left is for gentlemen, and the one on the right is fordies. Please draw your numbers."

    The guests took turns drawing numbers in alphabetical order of their surnames.

    Jian Jing drew the number "4", a very suitable number for lying down.

    "Please go to your rooms on the seventh floor ording to your numbers. Your role information will be there." Daniel''s lips curved into a mysterious smile. "The story will officially begin the next time we meet."

 Chapter 359

    Chapter 359

    The cruise ship had a total of 10 floors, with the livestreaming location being on floors 7 to 10.

    The 7th floor was the guest room area, the 8th and 9th floors had various settings like conference halls, ballrooms, and gyms, while the 10th floor had a swimming pool, a helipad, and a superrge terrace.

    The guest rooms were both where the guests would stay during the livestream as well as pre-arranged settings.

    During the livestream, the camera crew would not follow the guests into their own rooms, as those werepletely private areas. However, if a guest entered another guest''s room, the viewers could see the other room from that guest''s perspective.

    As such, viewers did not have an omniscient viewpoint, and could only choose to follow a particr guest, having a limited perspective.

    If they chose the wrong person to follow, they might end up watching nothing for a long time.

    The camera followed Jian Jing to Room 4, and once she entered, the shooting ended.

    Jian Jing closed the door and first observed the overall environment.

    Compared to the formal guest rooms downstairs, the setting guest rooms were equally luxurious, but had some intriguing details: a Buddha statue, lush greenery, an old radio, a brassmp, and some woven objects.

    There was no television or WiFi, only andline telephone.

    It had a strong retro vibe.

    Jian Jing walked to the window and saw a paper bag on the desk.

    Opening the bag, she found the background setting and character information.

    The story took ce in November 1982, and the well-known Asian tycoon Dan was about to celebrate his 70th birthday.

    He had been married once before, with histe wife leaving him two sons and a daughter. Sadly, his wife passed away from an illness ten years ago, and not long after, the tycoon took a young and beautiful second wife.

    Additionally, he had a deceased sister who left behind an adorable nephew, and her husband with whom Dan was close and often visited. His former wife''s brother and family also maintained contact with him, frequently visiting his home.

    Dan also had several long-time friends, whom he invited to attend his birthday celebration.

    Jian Jing''s character was the fianc¨¦e of Dan''s younger son, a former dancer and a socialite who moved among the wealthy elite. She had worked her way up to be the younger son''s fianc¨¦e through much scheming. However, Dan did not approve of this marriage, threatening that if his son married her, he would receive none of his inheritance.

    But the younger son remained headstrong and brought his fianc¨¦e to his father''s birthday party nheless.

    Jian Jing: *confused ck person emoji*

    What luck, to draw such a character.

    She opened the closet with a nk expression to find it filled with revealing and provocative outfits, the kind of trashy attire that would get a side character killed off in the first three episodes of a thriller.

    But since she had already drawn this role, she couldn''t back out.

    Jian Jing pinched her nose and tried on the clothes, finding that most fit her well, except for the evening gown. But it didn''t matter, as filming would start tomorrow, so she could have the props team alter it tonight.

    The next step was to familiarize herself with the room.

    She rummaged around, finding some files.

    After reading through them for a while, she had a good grasp of the situation and hid them again.

    In the meantime, a staff member knocked on the door and handed her a list detailing the new identities of all the guests.

    She thanked them and took out a pen and paper to review the story setting.

    Dan - NPC.

    If she guessed correctly, this was probably the character yed by Daniel, and there was an 80-90% chance he would be the victim.

    She went through the others, matching them to their roles.

    Wife: Kumiko Terauchi [Japanese] (Persona: High society wife)

    Sister-inw: Ran-er Kim [Korean] (Persona: Student)

    Eldest son: Connor Lee [Singaporean] (Persona: One of the financial group leaders)

    Eldest son''s wife: Valeriya [Russian] (Persona: High society wife)

    Second daughter: Zhang Xue''er [Chinese] (Persona: High society heiress, painter)

    Second daughter''s husband: Liu Sau-chi [Korean] (Persona: Art gallery owner)

    Younger son: Min-cheol Park [Korean] (Persona: Spoiled rich kid)

    Younger son''s fianc¨¦e: Jian Jing [Chinese] (Persona: Dancer, socialite)

    Sister''s husband: Wu Lie [Chinese] (Persona: Lawyer)

    Nephew: Jiang BaiYan [Chinese] (Persona: Financial group executive)

    Former wife''s brother: Andrei [Russian] (Persona: Unemployed)

    Former wife''s brother''s son: Wataru Kojima [Japanese] (Persona: College student)

    Dan''s friend: Hiroto Ishikawa [Japanese] (Persona: Retired military)

    Dan''s friend and singer: Linnaer [Thai] (Persona: Famous singer)

    Dan''s friend''s son and personal doctor: Raj Sharma [Indian] (Persona: Doctor)

    Those were all the people attending Dan''s birthday party.

    Unless there was a surprise, they were all potential suspects, likely with inheritance as the motive for murder.

    Just look at who they were - the former wife was gone, but her brother and family were still hanging around; the sister was gone, but her husband and family were still leeching off Dan; the three children and their spouses; the new wife and sister-inw... even more dramatic than the Jiang family feud.

    Not bad for a reality show, the conflicts were set up quite nicely.

    Jian Jing mocked as another knock came at the door.

    This time, a staff member brought in arge box: "Please draw a capsule toy."

    Capsule toys? Interesting, they were really embracing the cultural experience.

    Jian Jing felt around the box, confirming the capsules were roughly the same size and weight, before randomly selecting one.

    "Enjoy the game," the staff member said as they closed the door.

    She tossed the capsule toy, twisted it open, and out fell a chocte.

    She peeled it open and tasted it - overly sweet.

    The chocte had way too much sugar, definitely made by Americans.

    She twisted open a bottle of mineral water and drank while opening the peephole on her door.

    Outside, staff members were knocking on each door, having every guest draw a capsule toy. All the capsules looked identical, indistinguishable to the naked eye.

    She gulped down two mouthfuls of water, thinking that the selection of the murderer was beginning.

    Based on the previous European season, the producers imed they didn''t know who drew the murderer role, making it an open-ended game. But was this really okay to do?

    As everyone knew, reality shows always had scripts.

    She would need to be careful and not overestimate the producers'' sense of propriety.

    Before the official livestream, a preview yed.

    The host introduced their process: "To make the show more exciting, dear viewers, we''ve designed the best confidentiality procedures."

    "First, please watch as each person draws their role number, filmed in one continuous take, with the drawingspletely random and no one knowing which number they would get," the host said as the screen showed the guests drawing numbers.

    "This number not only represents their identity but also determines the order for the second drawing," the host continued. "The identity of the murderer is hidden among the fifteen capsule toys - oh, I''m sure you''re very curious about how we decided on the murderer. This was randomly selected by our consultant, Scott, the winner of the King of Reasoning award."

    A recording began to y.

    November 1st, Scott''s home.

    "Hi, I''m Scott, wee to my home." Scott held up a specially made key. "Do you see this key? This safe can only be opened with this one key. If forced open, the safe will lock permanently and be impossible to open."

    He shook the unique key: "Next, I will randomly select one of the balls. The person who draws that ball will be the murderer."

    The camera filmed from 360 degrees to ensure the lock and safe were intact.

    Then, Scott carried the small box into a room.

    Fifteen minutester, he emerged, letting the staff move out the re-locked box, and in front of the camera, ced the only key into a specially made container.

    That container was then also locked.

    "This box will be sent to the headquarters of ''King of Reasoning'', where the director, screenwriter, and producer will each lock it before it''s sent back. I''ll open my own lock," Scott pushed up his sses with a smile. "This ensures that no one will know the real answer until the truth is revealed."

    The camera panned, beginning to show the subsequent encryption process.

    The locked safe was sent to headquarters for storage, while the box was sent to the office, where the director, screenwriter, and producer each locked their own lock. They kept their respective keys, with the entire process supervised by notary officials.

    Finally, security seals were applied, and each person signed their name.

    Afterwards, the box was returned to Scott''s house, where he unlocked his own lock, leaving the remaining three locks in ce.

    The camera cut to the next day.

    From every angle, the wooden box was verified to be intact, with the security seals on the front exactly the same as before.

    The three people unlocked their own locks, and the director took out the only key to open the safe, retrieving the box with the security seal still intact.

    The camera followed the crew members all the way to the door of the guest who drew number 1.

    Valeriya, who drew number 1, untied the security seal as instructed and drew a capsule toy.

    Next came numbers 2, 3, 4... and soon, number 15 had also drawn their capsule.

    The screen flickered with a "zzzzt" sound, and a countdown appeared.

    The story was about to begin.

    The next day''s afternoon was free time.

    Guests could freely explore the sets on floors 7-10, familiarize themselves with their scripts, and rehearse with their co-stars as needed.

    Jiang BaiYan was lucky, having no troublemunicating with Wu Lie, and the father and son pair quickly finished their few scenes together.

    Jian Jing, on the other hand, was in agony. Her fianc¨¦ was Korean, and while they could barelymunicate in English, he was a man nearly forty years old.

    Apparently, there was quite a gap between being in one''s thirties andte thirties.

    Min-cheol Park, thirty-seven, was a handsome and aplished man with a sessful career. Apart from working a bit too much overtime and being a bit too strict with deadlines, he was almost wless.

    Yet, no matter how well he dressed in a suit, there was always an inescapable sense of generation gap.

    She wanted to call him "Agassi" (young man), not "Oppa" (older brother/boyfriend).

    "Miss Jian, nice to meet you," was the first thing he said to Jian Jing. "I never expected to have such a beautiful fianc¨¦e."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Min-cheol Park shamelessly examined her, though thankfully not with too much aggression. However, his skeptical and suspicious gaze was also unpleasant. "Perhaps the game has already begun."

    "So?" Jian Jing replied reluctantly.

    "Who could be the killer?" he asked.

    Jian Jing dryly replied, "It''s meaningless to discuss the killer before a case has even urred."

    "No, no, I think this is when the killer is most likely to reveal themselves." Min-cheol Park showed a reporter''s keen observational skills as he scanned the crowd. "Those who disappear are far more suspicious than those willing to socialize."

    "Because they''re plotting?" Jian Jing thought about it and became interested in the conversation. "Do you think the person who drew the killer role has a script?"

    Min-cheol Park smiled wryly. "Are you trying to probe me? If I had to guess, even if there is a script, only the killer would have it. What do you think?"

    Jian Jing was nomittal. "Perhaps."

    "Why are you curious about this?" Min-cheol Park asked her in return.

    "Just asking."

    Mr. Park smiled, clearly not believing her, but he didn''t probe further. After chatting briefly, he left.

    Jian Jing walked into the dining hall and poured herself a ss of champagne.

    There, her group of friends were also bonding, though their settings as longtime acquaintances shed with the Japanese English and Thai English, leaving both looking a bit contorted.

    "Hey, can I get through?" The Russian girl Valeriya asked.

    Jian Jing stepped aside.

    Valeriya grabbed a bottle of vodka, swiftly opened it, and took a swig straight from the bottle.

    Jian Jing: "Tsk."

    "Want some?" Valeriya offered amiably.

    Jian Jing shook her head, unable to resist asking, "Can dancers drink alcohol?"

    "No problem, I don''t have any performancesing up." Valeriya answered breezily. Then she spotted the other Russian, Andrei, and waved. "Want some?"

    Andrei shook his head and asked, "Have you guys seen Wataru?"

    The two girls shook their heads in unison.

    The tall and burly man said irritably, "I can''t find him anywhere."

    "Were you looking for Mr. Wataru?" Kumiko Terauchi, ying the wife, joined the conversation with an apologetic smile. "He seems to be feeling unwell and has been resting in his room."

    "Unwell?" Valeriya brushed back her bangs, half probing and half joking. "He didn''t draw the killer role, did he?"

    Jian Jing recalled her impression of Wataru Kojima and quipped, "It''s also possible he''s just being a recluse."

 Chapter 360

    Chapter 360

    The afternoon hours passed quickly.

    Jian Jing briefly met and exchanged a few words with a few guests, but she didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary. As she said, specting who might be the culprit before the case urred was meaningless.

    At 7 p.m., filming of the prelude began.

    --

    The cruise ship sailed into the vast Pacific Ocean, lights aze, illuminating the night sea.

    Dan the billionaire''s birthday celebrationmenced.

    He was in his seventies, withpletely white hair and wrinkly, sagging skin covered in dark age spots, resembling a mangy dog.

    Yet the woman on his arm was merely thirty years oldˇŞyoung, beautiful, and graceful, as if from another world. Standing together, they gave an absurd sense of discement.

    "Uncle." Speaking before anyone else was Dan''s nephew. He was the only son of Dan''ste sister, and after graduating he began working at his uncle''spany. "The matter you asked me to handle is done."

    The handsome young man obediently said, "Everything is as you wished."

    Dan shed a satisfied smile, turning to the man in his forties beside him. "Compared to Bai, my few children really don''t give me much peace of mind."

    Brother-inw Wu pretended dissatisfaction, "He''s only obedient in front of you. He''s given me no shortage of trouble otherwise."

    Danughed heartily, but the strain caused him to cough violently. "Cough, cough, cough, children, children are all like that, they''re still young."

    His gaze swept over his nephew Bai, his two sons, and many others, his eyes flickering.

    "Young... how nice," Dan seemed to mutter wistfully.

    Brother-inw Wu didn''t respond.

    On the other side, Miss Lan Er, the sister of Kumiko''s sister-inw, was whispering to her sister, "If we didn''t know better, we''d think the nephew was the son."

    Lady Kumiko said, "After all, he''s the child of a blood-rted sister. Blood ties are an unbreakable bond."

    "If that''s the case, then what about him?" Miss Lan Er tilted her chin, indicating the attentive Russian man. "Your sister has passed away, yet he still acts like family, shameless."

    Lady Kumiko cast him a nce.

    After the niece''s husband and son, the next to eagerly fawn was the younger brother-inw and his son. Andrei, thete wife''s brother, made an opening before indirectlyining about his difficult life.

    "Brother-inw, how enviable your life is," Andrei bluntly said. "With just a word from you, everyone is willing to attend your birthday celebration. As for me, even my own son looks down on me."

    "Father, that''s enough," Nephew Wataru rudely interrupted him, seeming embarrassed. "Uncle, please disregard his words. I''m angry with him because he went gambling again."

    Andrei was unapologetically shut down by his son. "So what if I gamble a bit? I''ve won quite a lot before. Where do you think your tuition came from?"

    "Uncle paid for it," Nephew Wataru refused to back down.

    "Alright, that''s enough." Seeing the father and son arguing in front of everyone, Kang Na, Dan''s eldest son, spoke up. "Today is Father''s birthday, let''s not say anything unpleasant."

    Dan smiled faintly, brushing it off, "There are no overnight grudges between father and son. You two talk it out."

    Nephew Wataru stiffly said, "We have nothing to discuss."

    The atmosphere grew tense.

    "Dad." At that moment, the second daughter Xue Er arrived, arm-in-arm with her husband Sau-chi, smiling brightly. "Happy birthday."

    Dan''s expression softened as he gently said, "You''re pregnant now, so you can''t drink today. Sau-chi, you''ll need to keep an eye on her."

    His son-inw Sau-chi nodded and smiled, "Don''t worry, Dad."

    The second daughter Xue Er asked, "By the way, where''s Min-cheol?"

    "Don''t mention him," Dan coldlyughed. "Let him be."

    The second daughter seemed surprised, ncing towards her elder brother.

    The elder brother Kang Na shook his head.

    "Dan, we''rete." The next to arrive was Dan''s friend Ishikawa. He was in his sixties but still carried himself with elegance, a charming woman on his arm. She smiled coyly, looking lovely as she said, "Oh, Dan wouldn''t mind us at all."

    Dan quickly adjusted his expression, smiling. "Ishikawa, Linnaer, I''m so d you could make it."

    "We''ve been friends for thirty years, how could we miss this?" Ishikawa then greeted another young man. "Raj, you really resemble your father."

    "Thank you for the kind words," Dr. Raj smiled. He was the son of Dan and Ishikawa''s mutual friend, Dr. Sharma, and had followed in his father''s footsteps to be a doctor as well.

    Linnaer added, "You look just like Sharma when he was young. Time really flies."

    "Indeed," Dan mused. "In the blink of an eye, we''ve all grown old."

    As the old friends reminisced, the second daughter Xue Er didn''t forget her earlier question, asking her elder sister-inw Liya, "Did Min-cheol upset Father?"

    The graceful, blonde sister-inw Liya said, "Yes, he brought back his fianc¨¦e. But Father doesn''t approve of their marriage."

    The second daughter Xue Er, hand on her belly, was very surprised. "His fianc¨¦e?"

    "She really is a dreadful girl," Liya lifted her chin, gesturing towards thest couple to arrive.

    The third son Min-cheol wore an expensive tuxedo, but it couldn''t conceal his casual, unkempt air. And his fianc¨¦e was even more excessive - a gold backless mini dress, gaudy diamond ring, feathers and flowers in her hair, heavily made up with bright red lips and shimmering eyeshadow.

    "Oh, you''re absolutely right," Xue Er lightly gasped.

    "Hi there." Speak of the devil - Min-cheol''s fianc¨¦e, Miss Jian, sashayed up, her eyes flickering as she appraised their jewelry.

    "I''m Jian," she affectedly said. "I''m sure you''ve all heard of me. Soon, we''ll be family."

    Sister-inw Liya coolly averted her gaze.

    The second daughter Xue Er wrinkled her nose in distaste.

    However, the men present couldn''t help but surreptitiously look her over.

    A flirtatious girl, but also a beautiful, young one. Her skin was smooth as silk, her eyes bright as gems, her body fresh and alluring like amb.

    Once all the guests had arrived, the banquet began.

    Seated at the long dining table beneath a crystal chandelier, servants brought out delicious dishes. Dan sat at the head, quietly observing everyone.

    His gracious wife Kumiko conversed with Xue Er about pregnancy restrictions.

    The eldest son Kang Na and son-inw Sau-chi discussed stocks in hushed tones,ter joined by nephew Bai. The younger brother-inw Andreiined to the youngest nephew Min-cheol aboutcking funds, hoping to go into business together.

    Sister-inw Liya and younger sister-inw Lan Er chatted about fashion.

    Nephew Wataru ate in silence, ignoring others.

    Friends Ishikawa and Linnaer reminisced about youth with Dan.

    The flirtatious Miss Jian made overtures to Dr. Raj, bluntly probing.

    "I heard Dan is ill. Will he be making a will?"

    Raj said, "I''m not certain, Miss."

    "Oh, he must have told you something," she batted hershes. "Tell me, has the old man threatened Min-cheol at all?"

    Unshaken, Raj replied, "I don''t know anything about that."

    Jian Jing tried repeatedly but failed, and she was furious.

    At 8 PM, the dinner ended.

    Dan was tired and left early to rest in her room, while others didn''t n to disperse yet.

    Someone suggested ying mahjong.

    But many didn''t know how to y, so eventually one table yed mahjong, and another table yed poker.

    The remaining people went to the deck to enjoy the breeze, wandered around, or chatted and drank with others.

    At 10 PM, the games ended.

    A close-up shot of the clock.

    --

    The filming was over.

    Next was editing and post-production. Tomorrow, or rather the third day in the afternoon, the preview would be aired to introduce the opening of the story to the audience.

    Everyone was exhausted and quickly returned to their rooms downstairs to wash up and sleep.

    Jian Jing slept until past 10 AM the next day before eating lunch with a fatigued look on her face.

    "Jian Jing, you look so tired," Bai Yang said with an exaggerated tone, leaning closer. "Those dark circles are so prominent."

    Jian Jing became alert. "Really?"

    He nodded.

    "s." She rubbed her face andined, "Acting is much more tiring than filming a reality show."

    She had a knack for acting and could usually get it right in one take, but the co-stars who weren''t professional actors kept messing up, and by the end, her face went numb.

    Bai Yang smiled and said, "This is my daily routine. I''m used to it."

    Jian Jing raised her eyebrows and reached out to pinch his face.

    Heid there and let her pinch.

    A cat that doesn''t resist isn''t fun to pinch.

    She reluctantly let go. "You''re no fun anymore."

    "That''s because you haven''t unlocked the new gamey yet." He made a silly face.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    After lunch, the crew asked them to hand over their phones. For the next few days, they wouldn''t be able to contact the outside world, further preventing any possibility of cheating.

    They were also informed that from now on, they would start the game on floors 7 to 10.

    Today''s content would be to recreate yesterday''s storyline ording to the script. The production team would also provide real food (the props used in yesterday''s filming), and all guests must strictly follow the script''s schedule.

    This information had been mentioned before, so it won''t be repeated.

    At 10 PM sharp, the time on the screen matched the real time.

    The game officially began.

    At 10:20 PM, thendline in Jian Jing''s room rang.

    "Hello," she answered.

    It was Dan''s voice. "I need to talk to you."

    Jian Jing: "There''s nothing for us to talk about."

    But Danpletely ignored her and coldly delivered her lines: "12:30 AM,e to my study. Don''t tell anyone, or I''ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish. I mean what I say."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Alright then. She agreed, "I understand."

    After a while, the call ended.

    She found it fascinating and studied thendline for a bit. It was a cordlessndline with a small screen disying the current date: 19821116.

    The time was: 10:22 PM.

    The phone had buttons for speakerphone, auto-answer, and yback, but no caller ID.

    It was indeed Dan''s voice, but there was no way to prove it... Well, it was probably part of the setup. Otherwise, if there was evidence of absence, what would be the point of the game?

    Jian Jing put down the phone and, out of boredom, opened the tape recorder, which surprisingly still had a cassette tape inside.

    Pressing y, Teresa Teng''s voice floated out: "Sweet, sweet, you smile so sweetly..."

    Suddenly, she had a feeling of the 80s.

    --

    12:32 AM.

    Jian Jing stood in front of Dan''s body, feeling conflicted.

    Truthfully, she had anticipated this scene, thinking that with her knowledge of forensic medicine, she could seize the advantage by identifying clues first.

    However, the production team didn''t give her that opportunity.

    The body was a dummy.

    Time of death? Sorry, with your persona, you can''t tell.

    Cause of death? Sorry, you can only guess.

    Well... she could only examine the scene then.

    12:40 AM, Jian Jing left the study and returned to her room to sleep.

    --

    The next day at 8:30 AM, she woke up, changed into clothes fitting her persona, and applied makeup using the sponsored cosmetics. Just as she wondered when the production team would notify them to start, she heard amotion outside.

    "Something happened!" The NPC butler rushed over and announced loudly, "Something happened."

    Jian Jing tidied her hair and opened the door.

    The camera following her almost hit her face.

    "What happened?" she recited the universal line.

    The butler said anxiously, "The master is dead!"

    Jian Jing feigned a shocked expression (her acting skills had improved significantlypared to her first reality show), repeating, "Dead?"

    "What happened?" Min-cheol Park (Third Son) also pretended to be surprised from the next room. "Did something happen to Dad?"

    The others also emerged, some dressed, some in robes, but all very immersed in their roles: "Who died? Oh my god, that''s impossible!"

    The butler: "You all go and see for yourselves!"

    The camera focused on everyone''s faces.

    The live broadcast had begun.

 Chapter 361

    Chapter 361

    At 8:30 AM, Kang Mu Cheng arrived at the office on time and immediately opened hisputer to enter the livestreaming tform of ''King of Reasoning''.

    At 9 o''clock sharp, the livestream room was opened. After a briefwork hup, he quickly entered the livestreaming page.

    He found Jian Jing''s number "4" and clicked on it.

    At first nce, he frowned deeply.

    What was she wearing? It looked gaudy and ostentatious.

    However, upon seeing her expression, his concerns eased a little. In the high-definition camera, Jian Jing''s face was radiant and glowing, looking absolutely stunning. The shimmering sequins on her eyelids sparkled in the sunlight, resembling the shimmering scales of a mermaid.

    She looked excited and eagerly followed the others into the study.

    The camera zoomed in, and everyone saw Dan''s body lying on the floor. He was sprawled on the carpet, drenched in fresh blood, but his head was nowhere to be found.

    "Ah!" Ran-er Kim let out an exaggerated scream and performed a dramatic fainting act.

    Inparison, Jiang BaiYan was more professional. He wore a look of horror, but there was a subtle glimmer in his eyes as his gaze swiftly scanned the faces of the others, pondering something unknown.

    Wu Lie also contributed his acting, his expressionplex, not quite conveying shock or bewilderment, but something else.

    "Dad!" Connor Lee chose to express his emotions through actions. He rushed towards the body, helplessly examining it, "Oh God, is this really my father?"

    Jian Jing''s reaction went beyond what he had expected.

    Was the headless body she sawst night the same as the one now?

    If the body was real, that would be fine - the physical features were so obvious that with her keen observational skills, it wouldn''t be difficult to discern truth from fiction.

    But now it was a dummy.

    Could the dummy wearing Dan''s clothes prove it was the same person fromst night?

    Just like her character persona, she looked utterly bewildered, unable to confirm anything.

    "Ahem." Since the scene was already set, she decided not to y the dumb act any longer and cut straight to the chase, "Who here has medical knowledge and can examine the body?"

    The role of the doctor was given to the Indian guy, Raj.

    He clearlycked acting skills and upon receiving the script from the crew, he began reading, "Based on my assessment, the deceased is an elderly male, matching Dan''s description."

    "Matching doesn''t mean it''s him," Jian Jing was extremely cautious - the identity of the victim was the easiest aspect to manipte with a headless corpse. "What about the cause of death?"

    Raj: "...That would require further examination."

    The subtext: He hadn''t received that part of the script yet.

    Jian Jing''s mouth twitched slightly, "So what can we know?"

    Raj bluntly stated, "The killer is among us."

    "Say something valuable," Min-cheol Park, the Korean elder, entered the room and examined the dummy''s body, "It doesn''t seem like there are any other wounds on him. Let''s turn him over and take a look."

    "Aren''t you going to try to find fingerprints?" Jian Jing asked.

    Min-cheol Park said, "We''ve alle into contact with Dan before. No matter whose prints we find, there would be a reasonable excuse to exin it."

    "Alright then," she shrugged and joined in the search.

    "Senior, you and Miss Jian really have great chemistry," said Liu Sau-chi, a popr idol from a boy band who had participated in simr variety shows before, his attitude rxed. "You two have the vibe of a married couple."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    The chat room erupted with a flurry of messages.

    [Get out of here, you Korean cabbage! Don''t even think about my wife~]

    [Miss Jian''s expression screams rejection]

    [The goddess is so pitiful, her luck with the role assignments isn''t great]

    [The Jian-Bai faction expresses disappointment, Xiao Bai, why didn''t you fight for a better role?]

    [Reject shipping, Miss Jian is beautiful on her own]

    [This is a deduction show, let''s not make it a romance drama, annoying]

    Seeing the chaos brewing, Kang Mu Cheng quickly closed the chat room.

    Thework seemed to have stabilized slightly.

    The guests began searching the scene, but apart from a locked safe and a desk phone, there were no other noteworthy clues.

    Since the safe couldn''t be opened, they focused their attention on the phone.

    Liu Sau-chi pressed the redial button, calling thest dialed number.

    "Ring ringˇŞ"

    An automated voice answered from the other end, "Hello, this is the restaurant, your call is being connectedˇŞ"

    "A restaurant?" Everyone was taken aback.

    "This call was made by the killer," Min-cheol Park confidently concluded as he pushed up his rimless sses.

    Ran-er Kim: "Why?"

    "The call was made at 11:47 PM," the elder journalist disyed keen attention to detail. "I remember we wrapped up at 10 PM, and the restaurant was also getting ready to close. Dan should have known that at this hour, no one at the restaurant would answer his call. If he needed something, he could have easily contacted the butler."

    The NPC butler said, "Yes, if the master needed anything, he would call my room."

    The others exchanged nces, saying, "So the killer dialed a number that was guaranteed to have no response, just to cover up the fact that Dan had called them?"

    "Not necessarily," Hiroto Ishikawa countered. "Or perhaps it was to create the impression that Dan was still alive at 11:47 PM."

    "Makes sense," many agreed.

    However, Jiang BaiYan looked at Jian Jing and asked, "Jing-jing, what do you think?"

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment and said, "It does seem unreasonable for Dan to call the restaurant''s number around midnight. But it''s too early to specte about the implications of this number."

    "Do you have another hypothesis?" Wataru Kojima, the young mystery manga artist who had remained silent, looked her way.

    Jian Jing met his gaze. Wataru Kojima was very young, reportedly only in his twenties, yet he had created one of the most popr mystery manga series in Japan. His appearance was a bit unkempt (though the makeup artists had given him a basic styling) - his trimmed hair was still messy, and his eyes behind the sses were half-open, as ifcking energy.

    In a nutshell, he exuded the aura of a reclusive detective.

    "Rather than a hypothesis, I can''t draw any conclusions," she admitted candidly. "Based on the blood stains at the scene, the amount of bleeding from the victim is too little."

    Wataru Kojima immediately nodded, "I agree. If this were the primary crime scene, there''s no way the blood stains would be this sparse. When a head is severed, the pressure in the blood vessels would cause the blood to spray everywhere."

    He extended his finger, "There are two possibilities: First, the victim''s head was severed after death. Second, this is not the primary crime scene. Miss Jian, that''s why you''re hesitant to make definitive ims about the phone, right?"

    "Correct," Jian Jing crouched down to carefully examine the desk phone. This study phone was quiterge and didn''t have a separate handset and keypad - it was just a standard rotary dial. "If the killer had a confrontation with the victim, they might have identally pressed something or left behind some evidence..."

    "I see," Wataru Kojima paced back and forth, constantly observing. "The rotary dial has been wiped clean."

    Min-cheol Park caught up with the train of thought, "The killer might have wiped away blood or fingerprints, which is why they intentionally made a call to mislead us. Or they could have dialed a number during the struggle, and to cover up the real time of death, they made another random call."

    The others: "..."

    --

    In the chat room:

    [Damn, they''re already going at it within an hour of the livestream]

    [So many possibilities from just one phone call]

    [This is getting exciting]

    [Why isn''t ''dialed the wrong number'' one of the possibilities...]

    [If the dead were hungry and wanted to eat instant noodles, how would they go about it (ludicrous)]

    [Based on my intuition, this phone call must have some ulterior motive]

    --

    After intense discussion, the guests found the phone call to be highly suspicious. But currently, there were too few clues to make any judgment.

    Jian Jing urged Raj (the staff member behind the scenes), "Quickly perform the autopsy, the corpse is the most important evidence."

    "Time of death," Wataru Kojima said, "That is the most crucial."

    Raj said matter-of-factly, "The earliest will be around two in the afternoon before we have the results."

    Jian Jing: "...Alright then."

    Min-cheol Park said, "We can first go through the alibis."

    Thus, the guests gathered in the restaurant and, in numerical order, each narrated their actions from the previous night.

    "Ladies and gentlemen," Hiroto Ishikawa, the eldest and of highest social standing, voiced his opinion, "We need to know thest time Dan was seen alive."

    Connor Lee also asked, "After the eight o''clock banquet ended, did anyone see Dan?"

    The air was thick with an awkward silence.

    Min-cheol Park suddenlyughed, cutting right to the chase, "From what I know, more than one person saw Dan, but no one wants to be the first to speak up now. This is understandable, as you wouldn''t want to be the prime suspect."

    "Would Mr. Park like to go first?" Kumiko Terauchi spoke up unexpectedly.

    But Min-cheol Park said, "I think it would be better to proceed in order."

    Valeriya, who drew number 1, nodded gracefully, "Very well."

    She contemted briefly, then began her ount, "After eight o''clockst night, I yed cards with Mr. Ishikawa, Liu Sau-chi, and Professor Wu. At nine, Zhang Xue''er reced me. I went to the deck for some fresh air and returned to my room around nine-thirty."

    Number 2, Liu Sau-chi.

    He said, "I yed cards until nine-thirty, then ran into Miss Jian. I went back to my room to rest at ten."

    Number 3, Raj.

    He said, "After dinner, I was just wandering around the cruise ship. From eight-thirty to around nine-fifteen, I was reading in the lounge. Oh, and I also saw Miss Jian and Mr. Lee."

    Number 4, Jian Jing.

    She pondered for a moment, struggling to remain calm as she recounted, "Um, from eight to ten, I was quite busy." She paused briefly, hinting tactfully, "I was probably just chatting about life with some people of the opposite sex."

    The other guests couldn''t help but snicker.

    Only Wataru Kojima was utterly serious, jotting down notes and asking, "Who were they, specifically?"

    "Mr. Lee, Mr. Liu, and Mr. Jiang BaiYan."

    "And the reason?"

    Jian Jing tly replied, "Private matters."

    Number 5, Wu Lie.

    He said, "I started ying cards at eight-forty and finished around nine-thirty."

    "What were you doing before that?"

    "Taking a walk to aid digestion."

    Number 6, Kumiko Terauchi.

    She said with great theatricality, "I went to visit my husband in his room. He said he wanted to be alone for a bit, so I returned to rest. Around nine, I joined the others in ying mahjong."

    Number 7, Andrei.

    "I yed mahjong until nine, but I was losing too much, so I stopped," he said. "Mrs. Terauchi took my spot."

    Number 8, Ran-er Kim: "I was very interested in mahjong, so I kept ying at the table until nine forty-five, then I went back to my room to rest."

    Number 9, Linnaer: "My throat was a bit sore, so I returned to my room to rest quite early. Oh, at nine, I ordered the restaurant to send me some bird''s nest soup."

    Number 10, Jiang BaiYan: "ying mahjong. Around eight-fifty, I stepped away for a few minutes to chat with Jian Jing."

    Number 11, Min-cheol Park: "I was wandering around the cruise ship. At nine-fifty, I went back to my room."

    Number 12, Wataru Kojima: "Learning to y mahjong."

    Number 13, Connor Lee: "At nine-ten, I went to find my father and discussed some matters with him. I left at nine-thirty and returned to my room to rest."

    He added, "At eight-twenty, I ran into Miss Jian."

    Jian Jing rested her head in her hands, wearing an expression of utter mortification.

    Number 14, Hiroto Ishikawa: "I yed cards until nine, then went to rest as I could no longer stay up."

    Number 15, Zhang Xue''er: "After dinner, I returned to my room to rest for a while. At eight-forty, I found my father to chat. At nine, I reced Valeriya and yed cards with the others until nine-thirty."

 Chapter 362

    Chapter 362

    From 8 to 10 p.m. was the transition period before the actual plot began.

    The shots were filmed the previous night, with minimal dialogue, just a few simple actions to be performed. However, the real 8 to 10 p.m. yesterday yed out quite differently for the cast.

    For instance, Jian Jing''s script read, "You know, marrying into a wealthy family isn''t as simple as it seems, so seize every opportunity to n for your future. After all, your fianc¨¦ isn''t the only man out there, is he?"

    The implied meaning was for her to flirt with other men.

    So during filming, she strutted around freely. But in the actual 8 to 10 p.m. timeframe, she couldn''t just lounge in her room.

    This behavior was out of character for her.

    Of course, without cameras rolling, she didn''t have to act seriously and could ck off.

    Yesterday, she ran into Jiang BaiYan in the restroom and called out to him, casually saying, "Chat with me for five minutes."

    Jiang BaiYan checked his watch curiously, "What''s the plot here?"

    "Flirting with you," she replied with a cold face.

    "I''m game!" He rolled up his sleeves. "Can we make it more than just acting?"

    "Buzz off."

    "You''re so heartless." He pretended to wipe away non-existent tears. "If you won''t marry me, why tease me?"

    Jian Jing didn''t bother entertaining him further.

    Failing to gain sympathy, Jiang BaiYan wisely changed the subject. "Jian Jing, what do you think the killer is up to right now?"

    "Hard to say," she said. "But they''re definitely not killing anyone."

    Based on the European episodes, the producers likely provided the killer with an undisturbed period tomit the crime, but the specific method was left for the killer to devise alone, unknown to others.

    Of course, that was the content shown on-screen; the behind-the-scenes details were hidden from viewers and other guests.

    But even if the producers assisted covertly, Jian Jing didn''t think the killer would strike during these hours.

    These two hours were the most subtle, crucial moments in a detective story.

    Maybe the killer did something, maybe the victim did, but everyone was undoubtedly watching each other''s actions closely.

    For a killer to act during this time would indicate extreme confidence or recklessness.

    So did these two hours serve no purpose?

    Of course not... right?

    --

    At noon, the Police Forensics cafeteria.

    Lao Gao carried a stainless steel basin around, finally catching Ji Feng in the corner. Unusually, he hadn''t wolfed down his lunch in five minutes, instead intently staring at his phone screen as if watching a show.

    "What are you so focused on?" Lao Gao mmed down his tray, peering over. "Hey, isn''t that Jian Jing? She''s in a movie now?"

    "You mean that cheesy horror flick she was in for like three minutes?" Ji Feng scoffed.

    "What nonsense is that?" Lao Gao was puzzled.

    "It''s a deductive reality show, Lao Gao," Xiao Li excitedly joined the seniors'' chat. "My girlfriend and I are both watching it. Didn''t the first day start streaming today?"

    A guy at the next table chimed in, "Xiao Li, can''t you go three sentences without mentioning your girlfriend?"

    "Yeah, what''s so great about having one?" Ji Feng added.

    Xiao Li innocently replied, "Of course it is, it''s not like you have one, Ji Feng."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    "What''s a deductive reality show, like solving cases?" Lao Gao forcibly snatched Ji Feng''s phone to watch along, but was quickly confused. "Hey, they''re not even eating! Whoa, the young guy sitting next to Jian Jing looks familiar - who is he?"

    Xiao Li mumbled through a mouthful of food, "Jiang BaiYan. My girlfriend has a crush on him."

    "Tsk tsk tsk." Lao Gao made a meaningless clicking sound with his tongue.

    Ji Feng ignored them, interested in the subtitles showing on screen.

    The reality show required conversing in English, but the tform provided automatic trantion, albeit imperfect but understandable.

    At this moment, the guests at the dining table were discussing the afternoon''s search.

    --

    The topic was raised by Min-cheol Park.

    This experienced Korean uncle had written a series of articles exposing corporate scandals and took an aggressive approach in his investigations.

    Halfway through the meal, he abruptly spoke up, "Before the autopsy reportes out, why don''t we search everyone''s rooms?"

    The others turned their heads toward him.

    Linnaer brushed her long curled hair aside and agreed first, "I have no issue with that."

    "But the killer probably wouldn''t leave evidence in their own room, right?" Connor Lee raised a doubt.

    "We might uncover some clues," Wataru Kojima said, "like potential motives for the murder."

    Andrei was indifferent, "If we''re searching, then search. But how do we do it?"

    Raj suggested, "Obviously, go to the rooms you''re interested in."

    "Er," Jiang BaiYan looked around cautiously. "Thedies haven''t voiced their opinions yet."

    Min-cheol Park nced around, "Any objections?"

    "Yes, plenty," Jian Jing bluntly stated. "Room searches are fine, but women search women''s rooms, and men search men''s rooms."

    Hiroto Ishikawa frowned, "Is that really necessary?"

    "In any case, I don''t wee any men searching my room," Jian Jing''s tone was firm.

    Zhang Xue''er agreed, "Searching same-genders is more convenient."

    Kumiko Terauchi politely added, "Please understand, gentlemen, we have private matters not suitable for the opposite sex to witness."

    "I concur," Liu Sau-chi said respectfully. "As gentlemen, we should not rummage through ady''s belongings."

    The game had just begun, far from any desperate situations, so the men saw no need to antagonize all the women over this. However, one person studied Jian Jing intently for quite some time.

    Jian Jing''s mouth twitched, "Mr. Kojima, you''ve been staring at me this whole time. Do you think I''m trying to hide something?"

    "Yes," the socially-inept manga artist admitted without reserve. "You''ve sessfully reduced your risk by two-thirds."

    "Even if you say that, I won''t change my stance," she tly stated. "Feel free to suspect me."

    Wataru Kojima nodded seriously, "I will."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    --

    At the cafeteria, Lao Gao found himself engrossed in watching, asking in bewilderment, "This kid... What''s his deal? Suspecting Jian Jing? There''s no autopsy or crime scene analysis yet, and he''s already suspecting people?"

    "You''re missing the point - this is a mystery game, not a real case. Analyzing the plot and reading people are crucial, just like ying Wink Killer," Ji Feng exined.

    Xiao Li rified, "That guy thinks Jian Jing is acting too suspicious, so she might be the deceptive killer."

    Lao Gao shook his head, unfamiliar with the youth lingo, and asked Ji Feng, "What do you think?"

    "What''s there to think about? It''s her own living space, of course she wouldn''t want strange men going through it," Ji Feng said matter-of-factly. "You see, all the women feel the same way."

    Lao Gao nodded in agreement, "Women sure are troublesome."

    "Troublesome?"

    "Yeah, I waste so much time before going out - I can''t squeeze the toothpaste from the middle, can''t take my socks off inside out, and I''m not even allowed to put my feet on the coffee table while watching TV..." Lao Gao''s voice grew weaker and weaker until it was almost inaudible.

    Ji Feng announced his death sentence with pity, "Hello, sister-inw."

    Lao Gao immediately fell into despair.

    --

    Since the search directive was established, there''s no need to borate on the following procedure.

    Men and women split into groups, with each person searching two rooms, both to double-check for any oversight and to prevent anyone from intentionally concealing evidence.

    At two o''clock, everyone gathered in the conference hall to take turns presenting the clues they had found.

    This segment was no different from most reality shows, so it won''t be described in detail. Instead, the results of everyone''s searches will bepiled and summarized.

    Suspect 1: [RUS] Valeriya (Character Identity: Elder Daughter-in-Law)

    Search Results:

    In the elder daughter-inw''s room, several Buddha statues were found. The incense burner in the Buddha shrine was filled with a lot of ash, indicating that the owner burned incense daily, and they were not just for disy. In a corner of the balcony, there was a medicine bottle containing a residue of unknown liquid with a very strong odor.

    A drawer contained this year''s medical examination report, but the pages were out of order, with one page missing.

    A hidden bankbook behind a hanging painting showed that she frequently gave money to someone, but not to the same ount. The expense descriptions in the ount book were: "Medicine fees."

    Hiroto Ishikawa asked, "Excuse me, was the liquid in the bottle medicine?"

    Valeriya smiled and said, "I think so."

    "What illness do you have? Why is there a page missing from your medical report?" Min-cheol Park asked.

    She shook her head and raised her chin, "Since this is a deduction game, why don''t you deduce it?"

    Liu Sau-chi said, "This could save us time."

    "I said that, but others may not say it," Valeriya said seriously. "As the first speaker, I think it''s better to be cautious."

    Min-cheol Park said indifferently, "Whatever you say, but I have a suggestion. Considering the continuity of information, it might be better to introduce the suspects ording to their character identities. What do you think?"

    The guests looked at each other, with no one agreeing or disagreeing.

    Jian Jing then spoke up, "I agree, it would be easier to sort things out that way."

    After considering it, Connor Lee didn''t see any issue with it, so he said, "Okay, then I''ll go next."

    Suspect 13: [SGP] Connor Lee (Character Identity: Elder Son)

    Search Results:

    In a hiddenpartment of the desk, several letters were found, written by two different women, with fiery and mushynguage like "my darling," "my dearest man." One of the letters even included a photo of a baby around 9 to 10 months old.

    A drawer contained a medical examination report, simrly missing a page.

    Unlike his wife''s report, his report also had an extra sheet inserted, which didn''t belong to the medical examination. Many parts of it were cked out, but the words "DNA" could be vaguely seen.

    In a music cassette tape, a voice recorder was hidden, and Dan''s voice could be heard when yed:

    Dan: "Regarding the will, I need to think about it carefully."

    Stranger: "Would you like to modify your will?"

    Dan: "In Asia, blood ties are the most important, do you understand?"

    Stranger: "Yes, I understand. So your intention is..."

    Dan: "Perhaps... no, I can''t be sure yet... we''ll discuss itter."

    Stranger: "I understand."

    Raj asked, "I''d like to ask, who is this stranger?"

    After identifying his ent, Connor Lee answered, "Obviously, it''s awyer."

    "You secretly recorded their conversation?"

    Connor Lee: "I didn''t record it."

    "Then where did you get it from?"

    He imitated Valeriya and refused to answer.

    Min-cheol Park smiled, "It seems our elder son and daughter-inw have quite a few secrets. Next, let''s hear from the younger daughter and son-inw, starting with the younger son-inw."

    Suspect 2: [KOR] Liu Sau-chi (Character Identity: Younger Daughter''s Husband)

    Search Results:

    In a hiddenpartment of the bedside table, some threatening letters were found, all written in dripping red letters.

    [If you don''t pay the money back this month, I''ll kill you], [It''s no use hiding anywhere], [I know where your parents live], [I know your secret], and so on.

    His bankbook didn''t have much money, but was stuffed with many IOUs instead.

    At the bottom of a trunk, a ssmate yearbook had a corner of the group photo cut out.

    "Looks like you''re deep in debt," Min-cheol Park said. "Sau-chi, care to exin?"

    Liu Sau-chi candidly replied, "Gambling debts, the letters are from my creditors. I could get my hands chopped off at any moment."

    "What about the yearbook?" Jian Jing asked curiously. "Who''s missing?"

    Liu Sau-chi just smiled, keeping that a secret too.

    Next up was his wife.

    Suspect 15: [CHN] Zhang Xue''er (Character Identity: Younger Daughter)

    Search Results:

    In her room, numerous talismans were found - one under the pillow, one in the closet, strange cloth strips hanging by the bedside, and even a kitchen knife hidden under the mattress.

    A thick stack of prenatal examination reports was found in a drawer, along with new ultrasound photos showing the fetus was male.

    Inside an open safe, apart from jewelry, there were also medical examination reports hidden in a jewelry box.

    Yes, these were the two missing pages from the elder son and daughter-inw''s reports.

 Chapter 363

    Chapter 363

    What was written in the medical report that the second daughter hid?

    The answer is not difficult to guess - it was a report about the fertility of the eldest son and his wife: the eldest daughter-inw Liya is healthy, but the eldest son has been diagnosed with infertility.

    "Brother, this is too terrible," Andrei said sympathetically.

    Connor Lee, as an actor, started his performance on cue: "Now you understand why I kept it a secret."

    "How regrettable," said Wu Lie, both being Asians working in Hollywood, sharing a kinship of sorts, he yed along.

    After theughs, the investigation continued.

    Suspect #4: [Chinese] Jian Jing (Role: Third son''s fianc¨¦e)

    Search results:

    In the hiddenpartment of her suitcase, there was an adoption certificate with some words cked out. In the inner pocket of a coat in the closet, they found an expensive men''s watch and a jade ring.

    On the desk were stacked some strange books like ''Win a Man''s Heart in 100 Days'', ''Rules of High Society'', and ''101 Hidden Phrases to Understand Men''.

    Among them was an out-of-ce notebook, seemingly handwritten, with peculiar drawings.

    The stationery showed signs of use.

    "I revealed the writing on the stationery with a pencil," said Kumiko Terauchi, who searched Jian''s room. She exined meticulously, "I discovered that Miss Jian had written a very mushy love letter, but the addressee was not her fianc¨¦. Could you exin who this man receiving the letter is?"

    With her personaid bare, Jian Jing didn''t mind rifying: "I have three backup ns, a, b, and c. The watch is from a, the ring is from b, and the love letter is for c."

    Min-cheol Park scrutinized her: "It seems my fianc¨¦e is not so pure."

    "And who says I''m the only one who''s not pure?" Jian Jing retorted.

    "What was cked out on the certificate?" Kumiko Terauchi politely asked. "Would you mind telling us?"

    Jian Jing smiled, "I can only tell you that the answer is not difficult to guess."

    Next was Min-cheol Park.

    Suspect #11: [Korean] Min-cheol Park (Role: Third son)

    Search results:

    A stack of bills with huge expenses, a contact list with shockingly influential names, and several drawers of explicit videos.

    Under the bed, there was a pot of ashes, with an unburned paper figure in the ashes written with the numbers 192111.

    Under the pillow, they found a package of powdered drugs wrapped in yellow paper, with two characters "ˇőˇő" written on it.

    A box of tapes, ying Dan''s voice:

    "If you keep going like this, I''ll disown you."

    Min-cheol Park''s voice answered: "It''s just because you hate me, so why did you even have me?"

    "I really regret not strangling you to death back then."

    "It''s not toote now."

    Wu Lie said, "Did you record this?"

    "No."

    "Another tape," Jian Jing pondered. "Doesn''t Xue-er have one?"

    He shook his head.

    Wu Lie said, "I''m more curious about the numbers on the paper figure. Is it someone''s birthday?"

    "It should be Dan''s," said Wataru Kojima. "Based on the age, only he fits - do you hate your father?"

    Min-cheol Park nodded.

    "Why?" everyone asked curiously.

    Min-cheol Park said calmly, "It seems to be because of my mother''s death. When the third son was born, Dan''s wife died fromplications during childbirth. He believed the third son had caused his wife''s death, so he neglected him. Although the child had wealth, he constantly faced his father''s cold treatment, so he harbored resentment and tried to defy his father in every way."

    Jian Jing realized, "So that''s why you''re with your fianc¨¦e?"

    She had always found it strange that even a rich and spoiled heir would marry a girl of such lower status, but if it was to get back at his father, it made sense.

    "Yes," Min-cheol Park confirmed her guess.

    After the three couples, it was Dan''s two sets of rtives.

    Suspect #5: [Chinese] Wu Lie (Role: Brother-inw)

    Search results:

    In his briefcase, they found the financial report of thew firm he founded - the financial situation was not optimistic, nearing bankruptcy.

    Under the pillow were letters from an unknown woman frequently asking him for money. ording to the bank records, he had been sending her money every month for seven or eight years.

    In a drawer, carefully hidden, was a warning letter from the judicial department, sternly stating that he had previously instigated a client to threaten someone, viting thew. Any further infractions would result in the revocation of hisw license.

    "It seems your situation is quite dire," Min-cheol Park wrote in his little book. "Who is that woman?"

    Wu Lie hesitated, then said, "She''s my ex-girlfriend."

    Jiang BaiYan looked up: "Ex-girlfriend? ckmailing?"

    "A child fell ill," Wu Lie exined. "She needed money for the child''s treatment."

    "But your financial situation is very poor."

    "Yes."

    The next suspect.

    Suspect #10: [Chinese] Jiang BaiYan (Role: Nephew)

    Search results:

    A thick stack of business ns, all marked with an X.

    A notebook filled with resentful words like "The eldest just puts on airs," "What''s so great about him," "The third son is useless," "Why am I not as good as them," etc.

    On thest few pages, Ran-er Kim''s personal information was pasted, with a question mark and the word: Marriage?

    On the bookshelf were many trophies - invention awards, poetry awards, football championships.

    In a hiddenpartment, they found some tapes.

    "Whoa," Andrei gestured dramatically with his hands, speaking in a rough tone. "Looks like a puzzle has been solved."

    Connor Lee said, "You sent these tapes to me and the third son?"

    Jiang BaiYan made a face.

    "How terrifying," Valerie joked. "Marrying Ran-er was also your n?"

    Ran-er Kim made an exaggerated expression: "I never imagined."

    "Utilizing talents well, putting the capable in their ce," Jiang BaiYan adjusted his sses solemnly. "A soldier who doesn''t want to be a general is not a good soldier; a nephew who doesn''t want to be heir is not a good nephew."

    Everyone tried to stifle theirughter.

    "I see," Connor Lee said. "You want to be the heir."

    Jiang BaiYan said with a grunt, "Mm-hmm."

    Then came the rtives of the former wife.

    Suspect #7: [Russian] Andrei (Role: Former wife''s brother)

    Search results:

    Gambling debts, gambling debts, gambling debts. Owing a massive amount of debt. A drawer full of gang threats and gruesome photos. Inappropriate magazines, a pile of collection notices.

    From head to toe, he reeked of being broke.

    A knife was hidden in the cab.

    "You''re just a scoundrel," Ran-er Kim summarized.

    Suspect #12: [Japanese] Wataru Kojima (Role: Nephew)

    Search results:

    The most eye-catching thing in the room was the photographs - on the desk, walls, and bed, piled with different pictures. On the shelves were various cameras, camcorders, and photography collections of all kinds.

    The walk-in closet had been turned into a darkroom, lined with film rolls.

    In contrast, his wallet only had a few bills, and his bank statement showed he had almost no savings.

    The photography association sent a letter saying his previous photos had won a major award, hoping he would attend the award ceremony.

    "Nothing else?" Jian Jing asked in surprise.

    Raj and Ishikawa, who searched his room, shook their heads.

    She suddenly became interested, scrutinizing Wataru Kojima carefully: "Kojima-kun, you don''t seem to have any issues at all."

    In a deduction game, unless one drew the detective role, every suspect would have some issues, big or small, to ensure fairness and entertainment.

    But this nephew''s identity, at first nce, seemed to be just that of a poor photography enthusiast with no apparent motive for murder.

    "No, I also have a motive for murder. But if the clues were found so easily, it would be too perfunctory," Wataru Kojima said frankly without avoiding the subject. "For my own amusement, I have adjusted the evidence that should have been presented to you all at this stage. I hope you will make more of an effort to uncover my clues."

    The other guests: "..."

    Min-cheol Park sneered and looked at him, "Kid, you''re quite arrogant."

    "Too exaggerated," Xu Zhizhiughed in agreement.

    "Since it''s an intellectual game, we should give it our all," Wataru Kojima turned to Jian Jing. "Don''t you agree, Miss Jian?"

    Jian Jing blinked, "What?"

    "Just now, I asked Miss Terauchi for evidence about you," Wataru Kojima raised the paper bag in his hand and took out the altered adoption certificate.

    He held the paper facing the camera for the others to examine.

    "Although the adoptive parent''s name is cked out, if you look closely, you can see a slight roughness at the bottom right corner of the ''Wang'' character in the birth parent''s signature box, as if something had been smudged. I think the most important thing in this evidence is not who the adoptive parent is, but the identity of the birth parent - Miss Yu."

    "What?" The others took turns examining it, "It''s true, it looks a bit rough."

    Wataru Kojima asked Jian Jing, "You did this, didn''t you?"

    "Yes," Jian Jing admitted frankly. "No matter what game it is, defense and offense are equally important. Consuming others'' time and effort is how one gains an advantage - is that what you mean?"

    Wataru Kojima said, "Of course. Weren''t you thinking the same thing?"

    "If Ipletely denied it, it would make me seem like I dare do something but not own up to it," Jian Jing smiled slightly but said, "To be honest, I didn''t see anyone as apetitor. For a detective, a puzzling case is the greatest challenge, and everything else is just an adjustment."

    She shrugged, "Whether you believe it or not, I actually did it out of boredom."

    Wataru Kojima frowned.

    --

    On the live streaming tform, in thement section:

    [The game has only been on for 6 hours, and there''s already so much tension!]

    [I don''t like the little bird, he''s so smug.]

    [This is how an intellectual game should be yed. It''s too boring if the clues are discovered so easily.]

    [This guy has an eye for talent, he saw through Jian Jing''s strength right away.]

    [Speaking of which, they''re both mystery writers.]

    [What''s so great about that? Is Jian Jing really that impressive?]

    [Wataru Kojima has only oneic work, but he''s the heir to the XX Group.]

    [Yes, the heir to the group that sponsors that brand. If hisics don''t sell well, he''ll just inherit the billion-dor family business.]

    [Protect our golden phoenix princess!]

    [Wah, my little white-haired boy is getting some air time.]

    [I ship the golden phoenix CEO x little princess!]

    [Those must be industry insiders up ahead.]

    [Hiding their interests, hiding.]

    [Stop bringing that romance stuff into an intellectual show.]

    [Shipping people is so disgusting!]

    [You go die!]

    ...

    Ten minutester, a group of ounts were banned.

    --

    Regardless of the storm raging outside, the investigation continued on the isted cruise ship.

    Suspect #3: [India] Raj Sharma (Character role: Doctor)

    Investigation results:

    On the bedside table is a group photo of the younger Dan, Linnaer, Ishikawa, and Dr. Sharma. They were all students who graduated from the same university.

    The desk is filled with medical journals, especially ones about the brain. The medicine cab contains manymon items, including some legal but potentially lethal drugs if taken in excessive amounts.

    A letter from his mother, saying she often dreams of his father covered in blood, looking at her sadly. She went to ask a fortune teller, who said this is because the deceased cannot rest in peace, which is why he frequently disturbs the living.

    "Dear son, when will you finally uncover the truth about your father''s death?" the letter asked.

    After hearing the contents of the letter, Min-cheol Park said meaningfully, "It seems the older generation has its own stories too."

    Raj said, "Yes, and they''re quite fascinating."

    "Then let''s hear the other two''s stories quickly," he said.

 Chapter 364

    Chapter 364

    Suspect #9: [Thai] Linnaer (character identity: famous singer)

    Search result as follows:

    The wall is stered with her own posters, titled "Asia''s Number One Female Singer" and "Eternal Rose". There is a box of music tapes and a closet ofvish clothing. On the bedside table is a photo of her with Dan at a birthday party.

    There is a scrapbook carefully arranged with evaluations of herself from newspapers around the world, covering most of her life: born into poverty, her father died young, her mother remarried, she entered beauty pageants from the age of 12 or 13, and struggled in the music scene. She released many well-known songs, but due to someone deliberately luring her, she became addicted to alcohol, ruining her voice and damaging her liver, hitting rock bottom in her life.

    Yet ten yearster, she not only overcame her alcoholism, but returned to the music scene and reached the top again.

    "What a legendary life," Jian Jing remarked.

    Min-cheol Park: "It seems there''s no problem, except for that setback at 30. Who made you end up like that?"

    Linnaer said, "It was my rival, Yu Meng."

    "Miss Yu?" they echoed in unison.

    "You two were rivals?"

    "She was my opponent," Linnaer gave an affirmative answer.

    Wataru Kojima asked, "How is Miss Yu doing now?"

    Linnaer: "She''s dead."

    "Who helped you quit drinking?" Jian Jing asked curiously. "Hiroto Ishikawa, or Dan?"

    Linnaer said, "They both helped me."

    Jian Jing pondered, "Mr. Ishikawa, it''s your turn."

    Suspect #14: [Japanese] Hiroto Ishikawa (character identity: Dan''s friend)

    The room has many books, with the logo of XX University on many items, as well as a library borrowing card identifying him as a folklore professor at XX University.

    He has published some books on folklore, such as "The Spiritual Influence of Witchcraft on Southeast Asia", "Evil Spirits are Everywhere", and "The Century-Long Impact of Superstition on Families", etc.

    The clothes in the closet are exquisite, paired with expensive watches and belts.

    His wallet contains a precious photo of him and Linnaer, but it is iplete, with what appears to be a cut-off portion on the side.

    "You were infatuated with Linnaer," Kumiko Terauchi said.

    Ran-er Kim: "But Linnaer liked Dan, right? Wait, if you and Yu Meng were rivals, does that have something to do with Dan? Could Jian be the fourth child from a different mother?"

    Jian Jing nced at her, thinking: It''s clear she hasn''t starred in a few Korean dramas.

    Hiroto Ishikawa said, "I did harbor feelings for Linnaer."

    "Dan helped me a lot when I first debuted," Linnaer said. "Now, I only see him as a good friend."

    Finally, the young wife and sister-inw pair remained.

    Suspect #6: [Japanese] Kumiko Terauchi (character identity: wife)

    Search result as follows:

    The room is filled with countless luxury jewelry and expensive dresses. In a drawer, there is a wad of cash carelessly stuffed in, along with many fashion magazines and letters.

    The drawer also contains several simr medical examination reports, about one every six months, all checking for pregnancy.

    Under the mattress, there are a few strange pieces of paper, iming to be letters but without a header or signature. The content is also bizarre, full of romantic and dreamy tones - "When my house is decorated, with the sound of flutes andughter echoing, let me forever feel that I have not yet invited you."

    "Miss Terauchi''s room is the one I searched," Jian Jing introduced. "In addition to the aforementioned items, I also found burned paper in the flower pot on the balcony."

    She pressed the page turner, and a photo she had taken as evidence appeared on therge screen.

    "I was quite curious about the content, so I burned it again." She yed a video clip of her burning the destroyed paper on a candle, with a fleeting glimpse of the text.

    Wataru Kojima: "The Murder on the Orient Express."

    "Correct answer, but no points awarded." Jian Jing froze the video to allow everyone to see the words clearly.

    dear, when that old man dies...

    Kumiko Terauchi gasped in dismay, then smiled bitterly, "You really are too amazing."

    "You had a lover, and either you were nning to kill, or you knew someone was going to kill," Jian Jing said. "But to be honest, who doesn''t have a motive for murder? What intrigues me more is the hidden room in your walk-in closet. Sorry, the traces on the floor were a bit obvious; hardwood is just so hard to keep clean."

    Sheined in a Versailles manner, then got to the point: "This is a Buddhist altar, where you secretly worship a Buddha statue."

    Kumiko Terauchi revealed a helpless expression, only able to admit, "Yes."

    Wataru Kojima wanted to say something but held back.

    Jian Jing interrupted him, "Let''s hear thest one, then everyone can summarize."

    He nodded silently.

    Suspect #8: [Korean] Ran-er Kim (character identity: wife''s younger sister)

    There are many luxurious dresses, and the walls are stered with posters of famous actresses from the 1980s. The books include "How to Be an Actress", "Hollywood Stories", "What You Don''t Know About Hollywood", etc.

    Some letters from various filmpanies, some rejections, some notifications, and invitations to fashion magazine events.

    Her wallet is t, with only a pitiful amount of savings in her bankbook.

    The calendar has multiple "dates" written on it, with different potential dates crossed out in red for each page.

    "A girl dreaming of Hollywood," Valeriya summarized.

    Ran-er Kim wrinkled her nose, looking cute: "Also a girl who hates blind dates."

    It seemed to be a topic that resonated easily, as the usually quiet Zhang Xue''er also spoke up: "Who''s forcing you to go on blind dates?"

    Ran-er Kim: "Of course, it''s my brother-inw. He wants me to marry his chosen prot¨¦g¨¦."

    "So that''s your motive for murder?" Liu Sau-chi joked.

    "You guess."

    Min-cheol Park flipped through his notebook and spoke: "Based on what we have so far, some people have obvious motives for murder, while others are still unclear. Let me summarize the search results for each person:

    "The wife seems to have a lover, and we can''t rule out the possibility of killing her husband for inheritance and being with her lover. The sister-inw dreams of the entertainment industry and hates the blind dates arranged by the deceased.

    "The eldest son and his wife have been unable to conceive, and Dan seems to want to modify the will. The husband has a mistress on the side and a suspected child, but he did a DNA test with an unknown result. The eldest daughter-inw has been constantly praying to Buddha and taking medication.

    "The second daughter is pregnant and ces great importance on her child, and she knows about the eldest son''s infertility issue. Her husband is deeply in debt and in dire need of money, and he also has a secret.

    "The third son harbors resentment toward his father due to his mother''s death and wants to take revenge. His fianc¨¦e is greedy and promiscuous, seeminglycking deep feelings for her fiance, but her own background is unclear and she intentionally conceals her origins."

    "My brother-inw is awyer, but his career and finances are not going well. He desperately needs a sum of money, and he also has a child with a serious illness that needs treatment. My nephew has been envious of Dan''s two sons since childhood. He secretly recorded audio, with unclear intentions, hoping to be Dan''s heir.

    "My cousin is unemployed and apulsive gambler. He has repeatedly asked the deceased for money and valuables, but the result was not as he wished. The nephew is a photography enthusiast with poor financial circumstances, but nothing unusual has been discovered about him.

    "Dan''s friend Hiroto Ishikawa secretly loves another friend, Linnaer. Linnaer likes Dan, but they never got together because of Yu Meng''s scheming, which caused Linnaer''s career to plummet. The doctor''s father used to be friends with Dan, Hiroto Ishikawa, and Linnaer, and the cause of his death seems questionable. I suspect it may be rted to Dan. The doctor wants to investigate the situation from back then."

    Min-cheol Park finished his summary.

    Connor Lee added, "In my opinion, the wife, three children, brother-inw and his son, and the cousin all had motives rted to money, specifically the inheritance and who would be the heir. The situations of the two friends and one friend''s child are unclear, including the unmarried partner. Perhaps they are entangled in a feud from the previous generation, which would be revenge."

    "Money and revenge are eternal themes of murder," Kumiko Terauchi sighed. "Soplicated."

    "Not quite," Wataru Kojima said. "There''s another key factor: witchcraft. Many people''s rooms contained items rted to witchcraft - Buddha statues, notebooks, books, amulets, paper dolls..."

    "Indeed," Hiroto Ishikawa pondered for a moment, agreeing. "Beyond the clues already discovered, there are deeper undercurrents, and behind the masks, there is anotheryer of mystery."

    Wataru Kojima nodded and looked at Jian Jing. "Miss Jian, do you have anything to add?"

    Jian Jing said, "Although everyone''s clues vary in quantity, in the end, everyone has a motive for murder. It''s just a matter of how urgent it is."

    He nodded in agreement. "There are three key points in deduction: why, who, and how. Are you more interested in how?"

    "This is a headless corpse, after all," she said.

    Wataru Kojima understood deeply. "Indeed, it''s very important why the killer decapitated the victim."

    "Has the autopsy reporte out?"

    "It just came out." The AI assistant Raji took out a small paper slip and began reading the results. "The victim''s body did not have any obvious wounds. The blood was dark red, the internal organs were congested, the lungs were edematous, and urine was discharged. The initial determination is that the cause of death was asphyxiation."

    "Asphyxiation?"

    This was a great surprise to everyone present.

    Jian Jing immediately asked, "Was the deceased really Dan?"

    "ording to fingerprints and physical characteristics, the deceased is Dan," Raji answered.

    "What was the time of death?" Jian Jing asked.

    "Between 11 PM yesterday night and 2 AM this morning."

    "I have a question," Zhang Xue''er raised her hand and asked. "If the person died of asphyxiation, as mentioned earlier, why decapitate them?"

    Wataru Kojima said, "There are many possibilities, the most ssic being that the identities of the perpetrator and the victim are reversed. But in this case, we can confirm the victim''s identity through fingerprints. The killer must have had a morepelling reason to do this."

    "Such as?"

    Jian Jing gave an example, "There may have been something on the head that would directly reveal the victim''s identity."

    "What could be on the head? Hairstyle?" Jiang BaiYan was full of questions.

    She said, "The victim died of asphyxiation, and there are many ways to asphyxiate: disease, drowning, choking, smothering, strangtion, hanging... Assuming the victim was smothered, the murder weapon might have been a special item, such as a shawl that only a certain person owns. The killer may have been afraid that the victim''s mouth and nose would leave clues, so they chose to cut off the head and take it away."

    "The head was severed by the fruit knife in the study, with a rough, blurred cut surface," Wataru Kojima added. "It''s also possible that the killer wanted to destroy the neck area - because the killer left a distinctive mark when strangling Dan."

    He paused, then continued, "Of course, we also can''t rule out the possibility that the killer hated the victim so much that they had to decapitate them, perhaps as part of a ritual."

    It was Jian Jing''s turn to add to his perspective. "In different cultures, decapitation has different symbolic meanings: the honor of a victor, the punishment for a crime, a superstitious belief to prevent the deceased from being resurrected, or a science fiction concept that decapitation is necessary to truly kill someone."

    Connor Lee asked, "...Are you talking about zombies?"

    "The concept of zombies originated from voodoo in the first ce," Wataru Kojima said. "Of course, without more evidence, this is just spection. But I believe we can''t limit ourselves to a certain line of thinking."

    "Yes, and a headless corpse has another interpretation - that the victimmitted suicide, and someone staged it as a murder afterward. The killer wanted to create the impression of a serial killer case, using this case as a cover-up," Jian Jing said. "It''s too early to draw conclusions now."

    Everyone: "..."

    Then why did you say so much?

 Chapter 365

    Chapter 365

    The first murder investigation meeting concluded.

    The guests scattered like birds and beasts, separating to find new clues. For instance, Dan''s bedroom and library, which were originally restricted private areas, were now open for ess, and the butler,wyer, maid, and other NPCs could be conversed with to obtain clues.

    Jian Jing chose to chat with the butler, hoping to reconstruct the deceased''s actions from the previous day as urately as possible.

    Liu Sau-chi, Valeriya, and Hiroto Ishikawa apanied her.

    The butler cooperatively provided the following information: "After the banquetst night, the master seemed fatigued and wished to rest, so I escorted him back to the lounge."

    Jian Jing asked, "Is this his regr lifestyle habit?"

    "Yes, the master usually naps in the lounge and only returns to the bedroom at night to sleep," the butler affirmed.

    Liu Sau-chi pointed out, "But the corpse was found in the study."

    "When does he usually use the study?" Hiroto Ishikawa inquired.

    The butler replied, "There is no fixed time. He would go to the study when he needed to handle work."

    "Would he choose to talk with people in the study?"

    "The master preferred to meet people in the lounge. The study was his prohibited area where he liked to be alone. Even his wife was not allowed to enter freely."

    Jian Jing asked, "When was thest time you saw the deceased?"

    The butler pondered, then said, "The master enjoyed drinking a bowl of ginseng chicken soup before going to bed at night. Last night around 10 PM, I delivered the chicken soup to him, and he was fine."

    "How did the deceased seem at that time? Happy, angry, or worried?"

    "He seemed a bit anxious," the butler said. "I felt he was worried about something, but it wasn''t seriousˇŞyou understand, it was just an ordinary concern, not a major issue."

    Hiroto Ishikawa asked, "Was it rted to someone?"

    The butler said, "I guess it had to do with his sons and daughters. As one grows older, one''s greatest concern lies with one''s children."

    "Did he mention needing to discuss anything with certain people yesterday?"

    "Yes, the master said that since his age was advanced, he wanted to take this opportunity when everyone was present to properly discuss matters regarding the future."

    Jian Jing asked, "Do you know how he arranged it?"

    "No, I''m not aware. The master didn''t like to confide family matters to us."

    The above was the information revealed by the butler in the first stage.

    Next, while others sought more NPCs, Jian Jing returned to the crime scene.

    A brief description of the cruise ship''s roomyout is necessary here.

    The 7th floor housed the guest rooms, with the 15 guests'' rooms evenly distributed across the entire floor. In the middle were the elevators and stairs, allowing ess to other floors. Theyout was as follows:

    0102030405060708 (Room Numbers)

    Dining Area Stairs & Elevators Conference Hall

    09101112131415 Emergency Exit

    The 8th floor was divided into two areas, separated by the central stairs and elevators. The bow section on the left was Dan''s private domain, while the right side housed the conference hall, ballroom, banquet hall, and other public areas.

    Dan''s private area, which included his bedroom, living room, study, and lounge, was extremely spacious.

    Observation Deck

    Bedroom Walk-in Closet

    Living Room Door

    Lounge Door

    Study

    Balcony

    As you can see, Dan''s area was open at both the north and south ends, withrge balconies on both sides. Additionally, two different doors separated his daytime and nighttime living spaces.

    The living room was the living area connected to the bedroom suite. Generally, Dan would only enter through this door when going to sleep. The lounge and study were his daytime activity areas, where he would take naps in the lounge and work in the study.

    The two areas were separated by walls, requiring passage through the living room to ess the bedroom and walk-in closet, and through the lounge to enter the study.

    "Any new discoveries?" Wataru Kojima sat in a chair in the lounge, looking at Jian Jing as she entered.

    Jian Jing ryed the information she had obtained from the butler.

    Wataru Kojima immediately seized upon the key point: "The deceased preferred to be alone in the study?"

    "Yes, so the first crime scene might not have been the study," Jian Jing said.

    Wataru Kojima examined the door separating the study from the lounge, which could typically be opened freely, while locking it required an extra twist of the lock mechanism.

    "If the study wasn''t the first scene, why would the killer move the body and decapitate him in the study?" Wataru Kojima posed the question.

    Jian Jing shook her head, unable to provide an answer for the time being.

    "And there''s the phone..." Wataru Kojima fell into contemtion.

    Last night, Jian Jing had already surveyed this area, but she feigned touring it again, heading straight for the adjacent bedroom suite.

    There were people inside as well.

    Raj, Linnaer, and Kumiko Terauchi were all searching the bedroom area.

    Jian Jing casually asked, "Any discoveries?"

    Linnaer said, "The old man''s health was very poor; there were a lot of medications. And he couldn''t, you know, Mrs. Terauchi?"

    "Oh my, let''s not discuss such private matters," Kumiko Terauchi waved her hand dismissively.

    Linnaer shrugged and told Jian Jing, "I dare bet the old man knew she had a lover."

    Jian Jing curiously asked, "Why?"

    "I understand men very well, and I also understand women," Linnaer replied enigmatically. "No doubt about it."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She then turned her gaze toward Raj. However, he nonchntly shoved the item in his hand back into the distance, saying, "It seems there are no other clues here. I''ll go check elsewhere."

    With that, he left.

    Thepetition had arrived rather swiftly. Jian Jing silently mused, yet she was in no hurry to search. Instead, she sat down on the single sofa in the living room and pondered.

    The Chinese-speaking cameraman interacted with her, asking, "What are you thinking about?"

    "Oh, can you talk?" Jian Jing was startled. She had always assumed the cameraman was merely a tool, just a lens following her around.

    The cameraman replied, "Well, it''s a live broadcast after all. You can also share your thought process with the audience. Did you just think of something?"

    Jian Jing said, "I''m thinking about what kind of person Dan was."

    The cameraman offered, "First of all, he''s a man."

    "A man who values bloodlines and favors sons over daughters," Jian Jing added. "He possesses immense wealth, but his most prized eldest son cannot reproduce. His daughter, however, is pregnant, his third son caused his wife''s death, his talented nephew shares half his bloodline, and his aplished nephew is not even of his surname."

    The cameraman prompted, "So?"

    Jian Jing asked, "If you were Dan, how would you resolve this issue?"

    The cameraman considered for a moment, then cooperatively replied, "Have another child?"

    "Linnaer just said he might not have the ability anymore. Even if he could have a test-tube baby, would he live long enough to see the child grow up?" Jian Jing pondered aloud. "His vast fortune requires an heir, but who would be the most suitable choice?"

    The cameraman did not respond.

    "In theory, the eldest son has the greatest motive. If Dan is dead, he will not be stripped of his inheritance rights," she analyzed to herself. "But I believe Dan would still choose the eldest sonˇŞthis is the deep-rooted belief of the older generation, especially since the eldest son''s w is just a child. To Dan, whether the grandson is born to the eldest son or not is of little importance..."

    --

    On the livestreaming tform, in thements section:

    [A great drama in the manor, a pce intrigue mystery!]

    [My kingdom is falling apart...]

    [Is Professor Jian''s thinking wrong? Shouldn''t we be looking for suspects now?]

    [There''s no absolutely urate direction, everyone has their own focus for the investigation]

    [If you want to watch the evidence gathering, go to a different livestream, why bother my wife?]

    [Evidence gathering doesn''t really matter, the producers will only give out the motive for the murder, not determine the killer]

    [That''s right, everyone could be the killer, the key to pinpointing the suspect is still at the crime scene]

    [Really curious who did it]

    [I want to know, where did the head go?]

    [Why is Professor Jian trying to infer Dan''s thoughts?]

    ...

    "What is Professor Jian trying to do?" Before they knew it, it was already past 5 PM. Lao Gao and Ji Feng had returned from the crime scene and started watching the livestream.

    Ji Feng opened his meal box and said, "She has no choice, the guests'' personalities differ from their characters, and they approach it with a mindset of ying a game, so their input on the case has no reference value. But the victim is different, his actions are the most reliable evidence."

    Lao Gao asked with concern, "Will it work?"

    "Not sure," Ji Feng broke apart his disposable chopsticks. "This isn''t about someone being randomly assigned as the killer. The participants'' true personalities revealed may not match their assigned roles."

    "I hope Professor Jian wins, that''s a million US dors," Lao Gao smacked his lips, then added, "What do you think of that painter guy?"

    Ji Feng replied tly, "Not much."

    Lao Gao nced at him and struggled to hold back hisughter.

    --

    Morning stage performance and crime scene visit, afternoon evidence gathering and meeting, followed by another tour of the crime scene.

    Jian Jing was exhausted and decided to lie down.

    She was the first to arrive at the restaurant and was delighted to see the sumptuous buffet spread. She immediately filled her te with steak, chicken wings, fried eggs, seafood fried rice, and didn''t forget to get a bowl of goji berry and ck chicken soup.

    The cameraman was astonished, "You''re eating that much?"

    "Don''t worry, I won''t waste any," Jian Jing grabbed an iced c and began eating.

    The deduction game turned into a live food show.

    She first sipped the ck chicken soup, the delicious warm broth warming her stomach, then had a few bites of the fried rice, as carbs were essential. After that, she started on the meat and protein.

    "Jing Jing..." Jiang BaiYan dejectedly sat down with his sd te, "you''re so arrogant."

    Jian Jing feigned sympathy, "Dieting again?"

    "Ah..." He listlessly put lettuce leaves into his mouth, indulgently cutting a small piece of tuna, chewing it slowly, unable to swallow it all at once.

    Jian Jing cut a piece of steak and waved it in front of him, "Want some?"

    "No," he lowered his head and munched on the lettuce heart.

    Jian Jing lifted her c cup, the straw making a crisp "gurgling" sound.

    "Sorry," she pretended to realize afterward.

    Jiang BaiYan warned, "...If you bully me again, I won''t share the clues with you."

    Jian Jing immediately straightened up, "What clues?"

    He took out a small notebook, "I asked the NPCs on the ship, and they provided me with some clues."

    "Thewyer said that in the past three months, Dan had repeatedly mentioned his will to him, as if worried about his heirs. He also had someone investigate the third son''s whereabouts and the women he had been involved with.

    "The chef said Dan had almost obsessive requirements for his diet. All the menus were designed by a nutritionist, and he had to eat many expensive supplements every day. But they were never prepared by the chef, always cooked in secret by the old servant woman. The eldest son''s wife and second daughter also liked to eat fertility-boosting supplements like bird''s nest and deer antler.

    "The cleaningdy said she had seen Dr. Raj secretly enter the deceased''s room before.

    "One of the crew members said thatst night, while he was smoking outside, he overheard the second daughter and her husband talking, mentioning something about ''property'' and ''inheritance''."

    Jian Jingmented, "You''re quite efficient."

    Jiang BaiYan humbly said, "Not really, the clues don''t have much value, and many of them ovep with our evidence gathering results."

    "That''s not necessarily the case," Jian Jing remarked. "Dan''s actions are valuable."

    In her view, the other evidence might not be rted to the case, but only Dan''s actions directly concerned the reason for his death.

    She stirred the ice cubes in her cup and smiled, "The case is moreplicated than I thought, this is getting interesting."

 Chapter 366

    Chapter 366

    At 8 PM, Jian Jing ended her live stream and returned to her room to sleep.

    The cameraman stopped her, suggesting, "Why don''t you summarize today''s investigation?"

    She thought for a moment, then said, "I currently have three questions: 1. Why did the killer decapitate the victim when he clearly died of asphyxiation? 2. Was there any significance to the phone call made to the restaurant? 3. What was Dan''s rationale for choosing his sessor, and was it rted to witchcraft?"

    "I can understand the first two," the cameraman yed along, "but what do you mean by the third question? Did the deceased choose an heir based on divination results?"

    Jian Jingughed, "No, what I meant was that people who believe in fortune-telling often have peculiar beliefs. In the past, people thought giving birth to a firstborn daughter would bring misfortune, so they drowned them... Who knows what unimaginable taboos Dan''s religion might have."

    The cameraman nodded, causing the camera to bob up and down.

    "Does Miss Jian also think witchcraft is very important in this case?" Wataru Kojima had returned.

    Jian Jing asked, "Also?"

    Wataru Kojima said, "Isn''t it strange? Not just one person''s room had traces of witchcraft. I think there are secrets about this family that we haven''t discovered yet."

    "That''s certainly possible." She opened the door, apologizing, "But that''s for tomorrow."

    "Please wait." Wataru Kojima stopped her, "You haven''t searched my room yet."

    Jian Jing: "?"

    Arge question mark slowly appeared over her head.

    "I''vepleted the challenge left by Miss Jian, so please take on the puzzle I''ve prepared," he said seriously.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    For a moment, she couldn''t tell if he was driven by a love for deduction or simply trying to attract her attention.

    "That''s not a challenge, okay? Although I''m very curious about your story and willing to try, it''s toote now." Jian Jing politely declined, "Tomorrow, maybe."

    Wataru Kojima said, "Then I''ll definitely wait for Miss Jian toe."

    Jian Jing was dumbfounded, thinking to herself: This script doesn''t have a romance subplot, does it?

    --

    The Golden Crow office building.

    With dozens of offices, two-thirds of the rooms were dark, while the rest remained lit as employees worked overtime. Among them, the CEO''s office was especially bright.

    Clearly, Kang Moo-sung hadn''t left yet.

    However, he wasn''t working today, but watching a live stream instead.

    At that moment, he typed "Wataru Kojima" into the search bar and frowned at the results.

    Wataru Kojima, mystery manga artist, best known for his work ''The Spring-time Reasoning,'' which depicts the beautiful female detective Haruna Nakamori solving cases.

    However, the protagonist of the novel is not Haruna, but rather an otaku. By chance, he bes an assistant at a detective agency and goes from initially questioning "How can such a beautiful girl be a detective?" to adoring "It feels so good to solve cases with Haruna!"

    Do the male and female leads have a romantic plot? In the currently serialized work, the otaku is about to confess his love.

    Here are somements from Japanese websites:

    [Jian Jing really does look like Haruna, doesn''t she?]

    [A dream cob]

    [Kojima must be excited]

    [What an awesomebo, I''ve decided to follow you guys!]

    [Wow, the beautiful detective girl is so cool]

    [I''m a fan of Jian Jing now!]

    [Kojima got cruelly rejected, huh...]

    Kang Moo-sung turned his head away and scrolled down to Wataru Kojima''s information.

    The eldest son of the Kojima Group''s chairman, originally set to inherit the family''s billion-dor fortune. However, from a young age, he loved manga and ran away from home toplete two niche mystery works while living in a rented apartment. Five years ago, ''The Spring-time Reasoning'' began serialization in a magazine and became one of the most popr hit manga series.

    The Japanese... He closed the page.

    --

    Jian Jing slept well and was woken up by a knock on her door from a staff member at 8 AM the next day.

    "Miss Jian, may Ie in?"

    "One moment." She grabbed a small mirror nearby, nced at her face - no issues - then got out of bed to open the door. "So early?"

    It was the familiar cameraman with his familiar smile. "Everyone else is already up."

    Jian Jing waved her hand. "Fifteen minutes."

    She closed the door and started getting ready for the day.

    At 8:15 AM sharp, she opened the door to work.

    The cameraman: "Um..."

    "Yes?"

    "There''s been no activity from Linnaer''s room."

    "What?" Jian Jing was surprised and quickly went to check.

    By then, a few people had already gathered in front of Room 9, where Linnaer was staying. As soon as Jiang BaiYan saw Jian Jing, he rushed over to share the news, "We haven''t seen her all day, and her cameraman didn''t show up either."

    Not being in the room was normal, but her cameraman also didn''te... which was a clear indication.

    Jian Jing: "Where''s the key?"

    "I have it." The NPC butler came running, out of breath, and used ˇőˇő to open the door.

    Unable to restrain her curiosity, Jian Jing was the first to peek inside.

    "Tsk." Her tone was strangely satisfied, as if she had expected this. "Here we go."

    "What''s here?" Min-cheol Park maintained his professional demeanor, staying at the front line. "Did you know she would be in trouble?"

    Jian Jing said, "The trick of the headless corpse lies in having multiple bodies. One corpse is meaningless."

    "Miss Jian is correct." Wataru Kojima also squeezed in and nodded in realization at the sight of the headless female corpse on the floor. "Things have gotten interesting."

    Zhang Xue''er looked confused. "Interesting? All I feel is terror..."

    Jiang BaiYan remarked, "Because we''re not detectives."

    Wu Lie also asked, "Does an additional death make the case simpler?"

    Jiang BaiYan: "Exactly, at least we can rule out one person now."

    "Not necessarily," Wataru Kojima corrected. "The killer who murdered Linnaer may not be the same one who killed Dan. This could also be a copycat murder."

    Jiang BaiYan nced at him. "If it was a copycat crime, why would the first killer decapitate the victim? To set an example for others?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but snicker: "Pfft."

    "What do you think, Jing Jing?" He immediately asked her.

    Jian Jing sighed, "I don''t know, we''ll need to see the autopsy report first."

    She had never realized how crucial the coroner''s role was; without being able to gather clues from the body, the information was instantly cut in half. She felt very unfamiliar with this situation.

    However, Wataru Kojima had already gotten into the groove, specting, "This should be the first crime scene. The killer must have lured Linnaer to open the door before entering and killing her."

    Jian Jing: "Not necessarily."

    Compared to the study, Linnaer''s room was much more horrifying - the sofa, coffee table, and floor were covered in fresh blood mixed with shards of ss. The furniture had also been significantly disced, indicating an intense struggle had taken ce.

    "However, the two crime scenes arepletely different styles, so they''re likely notmitted by the same person." She thought for a moment, seeming enlightened, "This case is worth a thorough analysis."

    Wataru Kojima agreed.

    Turning around, Min-cheol Park was already calling everyone to gather for a meeting.

    This time, they could skip the alibis, as none of them had one - from 10 PMst night, everyone returned to their rooms to sleep.

    From 10 PM to 6 AM the next day was the "night" time, when the Werewolves could take action.

    "It''s the second day now, does anyone have any thoughts?" After the first day of incubation, many guests became active on this day, with Connor Lee being the first to speak up.

    Jiang BaiYan immediately spoke: "Are the two casesmitted by the same killer, or are there two different killers? If there are two people, did they conspire together?"

    Jian Jing thought: This is a good question.

    ording to the game rules, there is only one Werewolf card. So why would there be two killers? The previous European chapter told us that this is a setting-based deduction game.

    The setting for the European chapter was that there were Vampires - they were the killers. The killer could turn others into their minions by embracing them, manipting them tomit murders.

    Does this make sense?

    Of course not.

    But the rules of a setting-based game work like this - if the setting has zombies, you must follow zombie rules for deduction; if the setting has mediums, you have to ept the information given by ghosts.

    "Today, we should still look for clues about witchcraft," Ran-er Kim chimed in.

    "Wait," Min-cheol Park said, flipping open his notebook to bring up past events, "I have a few questions I want to ask."

    He said, "Yesterday, during the interrogation, the wife, eldest son, and younger daughter all said they spoke with Dan. Based on the timelines, the younger daughter was at 8:40 PM, the first one. Please tell us what you talked about."

    Zhang Xue''er thought for a moment, "It wasn''t much, I just had some casual conversation with my father. He cared about my health a lot."

    Min-cheol Park asked, "Did you mention the will?"

    Zhang Xue''er hesitated, then said, "He said his health wasn''t good, and he didn''t know when he might die. He was very happy that I''m pregnant and had prepared some things for me."

    "Did he mention anything about the heir?"

    She shook her head and exined, "My father is a very traditional man. He believes that a married daughter is like water poured out - no longer part of the family. Since I''m already married, in his eyes, I''m an outsider. The family''s assets have nothing to do with me."

    Min-cheol Park epted this exnation and turned to Kumiko, "Madam?"

    Kumiko replied, "I only asked him about the arrangements for tomorrow and my sister''s matter."

    "How did Dan respond?"

    "He said that if Ran-er really doesn''t like the person he introduced, then so be it, but she''s absolutely not allowed to be a singer or actress." Kumiko carefully recounted the scene, "He seemed to really dislike that idea."

    "But Linnaer is a singer, didn''t he seem to appreciate her singing at the banquet the night beforest?" Ran-er Kim asked, puzzled.

    Wataru Kojima said, "Perhaps Dan''s dislike wasn''t aimed at Linnaer, but at Yu Meng. Jian Jing, do you have any clues to share with us?"

    Jian Jing was toozy to exin her broken character setup, "There are old magazines about her upstairs in the library, see for yourselves."

    Everyone made a mental note, then turned their attention to the third person.

    Connor Lee said, "My father only told me that his health hasn''t been good recently. If anything were to happen to him, I should take good care of my younger brother and sisters, as they are my blood rtions."

    The crowd noted that down too.

    "Blood rtions," Valeriya said, "It seems Dan really values that."

    "Many witchcraft rituals are based on blood ties," Connor Lee added. Having been born in Singapore, he had heard plenty of tales about feudal superstitions as a child.

    Wu Lie suggested, "Should we search Dan''s room again more carefully? Jian Jing, you mentioned finding a secret room in the madam''s quarters. Maybe Dan''s room has one too."

    This suggestion received unanimous approval from the group.

    So therge crowd squeezed into Dan''s bedroom and lounge, searching every nook and cranny for a switch to a hidden room.

    Only a few people didn''t join in.

    Min-cheol Park held back the butler, seeming to want to ask him something. Wataru Kojima went to the library to search for magazines about Yu Meng. As for Jian Jing, she had intended to look for the secret room, but Wataru Kojima simply handed her the key to his own room instead.

    With the challenge thrown right in her face, how could she not take it?

    She could only ept and go search room number 12.

    Opening the door, the decor was just as described before - all sorts of photographs densely covering the walls, making the entire room look like arge darkroom.

    Jian Jing squinted at the photos for a while, then reached out and tore one down.

 Chapter 367

    Chapter 367

    Wataru Kojima''s puzzle wasn''t difficult.

    He cleverly hid the clues within hundreds of photographs, but the previous guests who searched for evidence focused on things like letters and passbooks,cking the patience to discern them, so they failed to notice anything unusual.

    However, if the photo series were categorized, and the award-winning works singled out, one would find the subjects behaving strangely: some gazing upwards, some to the left, some to the right, their eyes bulging as if dead.

    Arranging the photos chronologically, taking the first as the origin and plotting their directions, would yield a single word: liveforever.

    Live forever.

    "It seems you''ve found it," Wataru Kojima returned, still holding a magazine.

    Jian Jing nced at him, "You''re not slow either."

    "I finally understand," Wataru Kojima said, "Yu Meng''s hometown is Wu Vige, where the people practice the Shaman Religion. My ''Shaman Poison'' series was shot there."

    Jian Jing nodded, "Hiroto Ishikawa''s folklore research materials should also have records on Wu Vige."

    "This supernatural magazine has published a report on Yu Meng, iming she cursed Linnaer, stealing her fate and causing her career to plummet, but the curse backfired, killing Yu Meng instead." Wataru Kojima flipped through the magazine, stating firmly, "But there''s no mention whatsoever of her having a daughter."

    Jian Jing shrugged.

    Wataru Kojima asked, "Shall we be candid? Do you know Yu Meng''s true identity?"

    "''I'' am unaware of Wu Vige matters. I only know Yu Meng was a celebrity, and obtained her belongingsˇŞthat notebook," Jian Jing said. "To ''me,'' Yu Meng''s origins don''t matter. What matters is what I want."

    Wataru Kojima cut to the chase, "What do you want?"

    "To marry into a wealthy family," she replied bluntly, once again despising her poor luck.

    Wataru Kojima inquired, "Does it involve shamanism?"

    Jian Jing nodded, "As far as I know, there are two types of shamanism: curses and blessings. ''I'' likely used thetter, making Dan fall for me and agree to our engagement. But the entire notebook never mentions living forever. Where did you get those photos?"

    Since Wataru Kojima had suggested candor, he responded honestly, "When I visited Wu Vige for fieldwork, locals told me the most powerful shamanic art was the technique of immortality, allowing one to escape the cycle of death and rebirth."

    "And then what?"

    "Nothing more. By the time I arrived, the shaman of Wu Vige had already disappeared. The other vigers only knew rumors."

    "Why did you go to Wu Vige? Who told you about it?" Jian Jing wondered.

    A faint smile crossed Wataru Kojima''s face, "No one told me. I saw Wu Vige''s emblem in Dan''s study and got curious, deciding to check it out on a whim."

    A coincidence? Jian Jing eyed him suspiciously but didn''t question it further.

    Whether it was a coincidence didn''t matter.

    Then it was Wataru Kojima''s turn to ask, "Are you Dan''s child?"

    Jian Jing replied, "What do you think?"

    Wataru Kojima''s gaze flickered as he ventured, "Dan vehemently opposes your marriage to his son, so it''s quite possible."

    "I don''t think his attitude is like dealing with his own daughter," Jian Jing stated. "Why did the culprit kill Linnaer?"

    In reality, simr cases could involve copy-cat crimes, but in this game, there was only one true culprit. Even if the killer wasn''t the person themselves, it was motivated by them.

    Wataru Kojima said, "There are too many possible reasons. The most likely is to divert attentionˇŞfar fewer people would want Linnaer deadpared to Dan."

    "Perhaps Linnaer had obtained some unfavorable information about the true culprit," Jian Jing pondered for a moment, suddenly dismayed, "Doesn''t that make me a suspect?"

    If Linnaer knew something others didn''t, it was most likely rted to Yu Meng''s story.

    Wataru Kojima looked at her, candidly remarking, "Miss Jian, your situation is rather unfavorable."

    Jian Jing muttered, "...I''ll check how they''re doing with the hidden room."

    The hidden room was discovered after lunch, taking an hour and a half.

    The method to open it involved rearranging the constetion chart on the wall in the order of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, revealing the centerpieces converging into a line pointing to a specific spot on the floor.

    That wooden floor panel could slide, moving like a sliding puzzle until a particr piece could be removed, revealing a switch underneath.

    Jiang BaiYan voiced everyone''s thoughts, "This is too difficult."

    As they marveled, they entered the hidden room behind the bookcase.

    Insidey the third corpse.

    Hearing this, Jian Jing arrived munching on a sandwich, "A third corpse? Not bad."

    Jiang BaiYan eximed, "What''s not bad about it?"

    "The more the culprit acts, the more they expose themselves," she quickly finished her lunch and got to work.

    The hidden room wasn''trge but connected to the bedroom and study. On the map, it roughly appeared as:

    Viewing Balcony

    Bedroom Wardrobe

    Living Room Door

    Lounge Door

    Study

    Balcony

    The hidden room area was apletely enclosed space with scattered, extinguished candles strewn about in disarray.

    Jian Jing kicked aside the candles, revealing solidified wax, "They formed a circle earlierˇŞan altar."

    The third corpsey in the center of the altar, also a dummy and headless with the cause of death unclear. It wore gaudy, disheveled clothing.

    "Looks like there was a struggle," she lifted the dummy''s arm, as usual unable to discern anything. "But we still need the autopsy report to check for defensive wounds."

    Wataru Kojima asked, "Who is this person?"

    The ever-diligent manservant NPC replied, "It''s Granny."

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow, "Give us her profile details."

    The manservant provided the character''s background: Granny, name unknown, origins unknown. Reportedly from Dan''s hometown, skilled in traditional Chinese medicine. Dan had invited her to treat his illness.

    "Granny is very mysterious, rarely seen by anyone except the Master," the manservant added.

    Jian Jing asked, "How old is she?"

    The manservant considered, "At least seventy or eighty years old, perhaps older."

    "She''s from Wu Vige," Wataru Kojima pointed out a tattoo on the dummy''s backˇŞthe emblem of Wu Vige shamans.

    Jian Jing made an acknowledging sound, unsurprised, "Dan was pursuing immortality."

    Throughout history, those who attained wealth and power would inevitably seek elusive longevity as they neared life''s end.

    A little superstition led to the pursuit of immortality elixirs, a more scientific approach involved gene cloningˇŞthe essence was the same.

    "But he still died," Andrei stated. "The shamanic arts failed. Someone sabotaged Dan''s ns."

    Zhang Xue''er announced, "There''s a box of cassette tapes here."

    "Listen to them quickly," the others urged.

    Jiang BaiYan fetched the tape recorder from the bedroom and inserted a cassette. After some static, Dan''s voice emanated from the speakers.

    "Is there really a way to achieve immortality?"

    "Yes." An elderly voice answered, confirmed by the butler''s nce - it was the witch''s voice. "Everyone wants to escape death."

    Dan: "But I''m already about to die, the medicine you gave me has no effect."

    The witch said: "The medicine is not to cure your body, but to cleanse your soul."

    Dan: "Soul?"

    The witch: "The physical body is just a vessel, no matter what, it will be damaged. Only the soul can live forever."

    Dan: "But I want a young body, I crave to go back to forty years ago, with endless energy and time to spare."

    The witch: "Then, you need a new vessel."

    The recording abruptly stopped.

    Hiroto Ishikawa said: "I see, Dan wanted to reincarnate into another person''s body to achieve his dream of immortality. But judging from the scene, the ritual must have been disrupted."

    Liu Sau-chi said: "Then we should find out who Dan chose as the vessel."

    Wu Lie frowned: "I think it must be one of the two sons."

    "Dan definitely wouldn''t give up his fortune, I believe the one more likely to inherit the estate has a higher chance," Kumiko Terauchi weighed in. "And considering his preference for males over females, the probability of choosing a woman is very low."

    The suspicion immediately fell on Connor Lee, the eldest son.

    He had to defend himself: "Is reincarnation just a matter of choosing any person, without any special requirements for birth dates or horoscopes?"

    "Blood rtion," Min-cheol Park added, "Dan said blood rtion is very important."

    The air instantly froze.

    On the second day of the livestream, the first major suspect emerged.

    --

    Livestream tform,ment section:

    [The eldest son is most likely to have done it, whether he knew about the reincarnation or not, for Dan to die and inherit the estate]

    [It''s too early to conclude now, this could be a trap set by the killer]

    [It''s too obvious, it can''t be him]

    [Don''t forget, the eldest son can''t have children, the reincarnation would definitely take that into ount, right?]

    [I think the third son is more likely]

    ...

    --

    After a messy search of the crime scene, everyone headed to the conference room. Linnaer''s autopsy report from the morning was already out.

    She had signs of struggle, died from excessive blood loss due to a severed artery - in other words, cause of death was decapitation. Time of death was between midnight and 1 AMst night.

    Wataru Kojima analyzed: "The murder weapon was the steak knife from the kitchen. The killer came prepared, decided early on to decapitate Linnaer, but didn''t expect her to still be alive after losing the ability to resist."

    "Could it be a copycat crime?" Min-cheol Park asked.

    "Since we all know about it, the second killer must be rted to the first one. Could there be some supernatural influence involved?" Valeriya cautiously asked.

    Jian Jing retrieved her notebook, carefully flipped through it, then said: "In my impression, Shaman magic cannot achieve this kind of hypnosis-like effect. What about you all?"

    Hiroto Ishikawa said: "In Asian culture, Shaman magic can drive people insane, cause serious illness, or even death, but the killer did notmit the murder in a frenzied state, but rather with a clear n. Shaman magic probably can''t do that."

    The air fell silent for a brief moment.

    --

    The camera cut to an unscheduled recording.

    Tip: In this round of the game, the real killer can trigger other people''s (aplices) murderous ns through reasonable means. The newly appeared killers may or may not know the true killer''s identity, depending on the game mode.

    If an aplice is caught, they can choose to conceal or defect.

    Choosing to conceal, the real killer sessfully hides their identity, and the aplice can receive a $100,000 reward.

    Choosing to defect, helping to track down the real killer, they can receive a $200,000 reward if sessful, or no reward if unsessful.

    If the aplice is not caught and the real killer sessfully hides their identity, they can receive a $100,000 reward.

    If the real killer is caught, and the aplice is not caught, then the aplice can im the entire $1,000,000 reward alone.

    Comment section:

    [A hidden gamey element has appeared!]

    [Damn, more impressive than thest vampire game]

    [Last time with the vampire, no one knew who the prince was either]

    [Is it better to choose to conceal, or defect?]

    [If it were me, I''d definitely choose to track down the real killer and take the $1,000,000]

    [This is even crazier than the vampire setting, well done!!]

    [More realistic than the vampire setting, nice!]

    ...

 Chapter 368

    Chapter 368

    The audience watched the recordings, while the guests were also educated on the above content.

    "It seems quite realistic," Jian Jingmented.

    "Cut the chatter, let''s move on," the director instructed.

    So everyone naturally skipped over the banter and continued with their deductions.

    "Now it''s quite clear that the culprit (the second culprit) is imitating the true culprit (the first culprit)," Jian Jing said. "The person who killed Linnaer and the one who killed Dan are not the same individual."

    "Why not?" Jiang BaiYan chimed in to keep the conversation going.

    "Their modus operandi arepletely different. The first culprit was meticulous in their nning; aside from the telephone call, they left behind almost no clues. The second culprit seemed more frantic, didn''t even check if Linnaer was truly dead before dismembering her body, leaving the scene in total disarray. Generally speaking, culprits tend to be more nervous during their first crime and moreposed during subsequent ones - these two cases are the opposite."

    Jian Jing exined her reasoning, which was unanimously epted.

    - Though dissent was meaningless at this point, as the new gamey mechanic of an aplice had already been triggered, confirming there were two culprits.

    With the premise established, the analysis continued.

    "Since this is a case of imitation, we must analyze the two cases separately," she pondered. "First, we can rule out the possibility that the culprit chose the victims at random out of admiration for the true culprit - the true culprit only killed one person, at least that''s all we know of so far, and they haven''t disyed any particrly charismatic personality. They killed Linnaer for their own motives."

    Wataru Kojima asked, "Who would have a motive to kill Linnaer?"

    "Hard to say. Raj might have resented her because of his father''s death. Kumiko might have discovered Linnaer''s rtionship with Dan. Ishikawa might have wanted to conceal some truth. I might even harbor resentment toward Linnaer because of Yu Meng," Jian Jing said nonchntly while twirling her pen. "Expanding the scope further, Wu Lie and Andrei might have known something and ckmailed her."

    Wu Lie immediately spoke up, "I had no contact with Linnaer."

    Andrei echoed, "Neither did I."

    Kumiko, however, said, "Although I knew Linnaer liked Dan, I had no reason to kill her. The one I love is not Dan, and she couldn''t have taken away my inheritance."

    Given her established lover, this reasoning seemed sound.

    Raj defended himself, "I still don''t know the circumstances behind my father''s death, but based on the evidence so far, it seems more likely to be rted to Dan."

    Ishikawa added, "If I wanted to kill Linnaer, I could have done so much earlier. There was no need to kill her now."

    It was Jian Jing''s turn.

    "Yu Meng died due to a backfiring ritual. I don''t think ''I'' had a motive to kill, as Linnaer''s death doesn''t benefit ''me'' in any way. Most importantly... I think the culprit is quite easy to guess."

    Everyone turned their gaze toward her.

    "The culprit brought a butcher knife to Linnaer''s room - there''s no doubt about that, right? If they had gone to retrieve the knife after the fact, Linnaer would have had enough time to wake up or call for help. So the culprit''s intent to kill was clear, not a confrontation or a threat, but a determined motive to end her life."

    Jian Jing continued, "Now look at the victim. Linnaer died in her own room, which means she willingly invited the culprit in - a very obvious signal. Given that someone had already been killed, it''s unlikely she would have been alone with an unfamiliar person. So for now, we can rule out Wu Lie and Andrei, the two unfamiliar adult males who pose a potential threat."

    Wu Lie and Andrei both nodded in agreement, relieved to have their suspicions cleared.

    "As for Kumiko and myself, although we''re not well acquainted, we''re of the same gender, so she might have let us in, or she might not have. The suspicion remains. Raj is the child of a good friend, a junior; Ishikawa is a long-time friend. As long as there was a legitimate reason, she could have allowed them in as well.

    "You all saw the scene. Linnaer struggled with the culprit before her death - isn''t that strange? Dan died on the 8th floor, no matter how the culprit made him suffocate, they could be certain no one would hear. But Linnaer''s room is right next to ours. The culprit came up and attacked her directly, not afraid of themotion being heard next door?"

    Min-cheol Park reacted swiftly, "Yes, that''s crucial. Why did the culprit choose Linnaer''s room tomit the act?"

    The other guests: Of course, it''s because the non-culprits couldn''t leave after 10 PM.

    Scratch that.

    "The culprit made a mistake," Wataru Kojima had already understood. "The broken ss at the scene."

    Those two sentences were disjointed, leaving the others utterly perplexed. But he didn''t seem keen on stealing the spotlight, his gaze indicating for Jian Jing to continue.

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes but proceeded with her exnation, "To kill silently, the best approach would have been to knock her unconscious, either by catching her off-guard and striking her head with a heavy object, or by slipping her something to drink."

    The others exchanged nces.

    "Actually, when I first saw the scene, I thought we were dealing with a decent ruse." Unexpectedly, she made a tangentialment before continuing with something seemingly unrted, "Why behead her? Was it merely an imitation, or could the bloody scene be an attempt to fabricate the first crime scene? I was quite disappointed to find out the truth."

    Wataru Kojima nodded in agreement, their brainwaves in sync, "A headless corpse would have echoed yesterday''s events more effectively. It was rather wasteful."

    The others: "..." No, we don''t think so.

    Jian Jing exined, "Fortunately, the culprit had a sh of brilliance and provided us with a ssic move - hiding in in sight. There was a lot of broken ss on the floor, making it seem like the result of a struggle. However, unfortunately for the culprit, I searched Linnaer''s room yesterday and distinctly remember that the tray holding the sses wasn''t on the coffee table. The culprit moved the six sses to conceal the fact that Linnaer had used one of them."

    "The sses... so, was poison involved?" Ran-er Kim asked.

    Jian Jing readily revealed, "I suspect the culprit spiked the red wine with drugs, thinking Linnaer would fall unconscious, allowing them to kill her. But the drug''s effects were weaker than expected, leading to a physical altercation. In the end, the culprit managed to knock Linnaer out but didn''t realize she wasn''t dead yet, resulting in the bloodshed.

    "Realizing things had gone awry, with shattered sses and possibly spilled wine during the struggle, the culprit had to move the other sses to conceal these abnormalities and use the blood to cover up any wine stains."

    Wataru Kojima remarked, "The culprit went through so much trouble just to hide the fact that they drugged her, so this is the most revealing clue to their identity."

    As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Raj.

    Min-cheol Park flipped through his notebook and announced, "Yesterday, we searched everyone''s rooms. Dan and the elder wife had herbal medicines, my room had arsenic, but only you, Raj, had a fully stocked medical kit with all kinds of drugs."

    Raj took a deep breath.

    "You definitely got blood on you yesterday. Even if you washed your clothes clean, Luminol would still be able to detect a reaction," Connor Lee said. He must have acted in crime drama shows before, as he was quite familiar with this. "Should we look into it?"

    "No need," Raj said with a wry smile. "It was me."

    Jian Jing nced at her watch.

    The body was discovered at 8:15 AM, and now it was 4:05 PM. The second case had already been solved.

    The progress was decent.

    She asked with interest, "So, do you choose to defect or continue being an aplice?"

    Raj: "Let me think about it."

    "Okay." After sitting for a few hours, her back and waist ached. Jian Jing stood up to stretch her neck and reminded him, "I suggest you figure it out before 10 PM, don''t drag it to tomorrow night."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Yes, tell us any clues you find right away, don''t go investigate yourself."

    Zhang Xue''er: "Don''t act alone."

    Kumiko Terauchi: "And don''t talk to anyone alone either."

    Liu Sau-chi: "If you get killed, make yourst words clear."

    Min-cheol Park: "Just write the initials of your surname."

    Raj: "..."

    --

    On the livestream tform,ments:

    [Hahaha, they''re all veteran detectives]

    [Too many inside jokes, it''s inappropriate]

    [Indian guy: Are you being polite?]

    [He won''t actually be killed, will he?]

    [Please write your will in advance]

    ...

    --

    After solving a case, the guests were in a good mood and happily enjoyed a buffet dinner.

    At 7 PM, Jian Jing took a te of fried shrimp and visited the "imprisoned" Raj.

    "Have you decided?" she asked. "Which side are you choosing?"

    Raj said, "Of course, the side of justice."

    He could get paid for helping the real culprit hide, or for catching the real culprit. Naturally, he chose the option with a better grasp.

    "Not bad, young man, you''re quite sensible," Jian Jing said and called the others.

    The guests crowded over, listening to his full confession.

    Raj said, "I killed Linnaer to avenge my father."

    Kumiko Terauchi: "What happened back then?"

    "Twenty years ago, Dan, Linnaer, Ishikawa, and my father went to see the northern lights together in the Arctic. But my father never came back. They said he slipped on the ice and drowned in a crevasse," Raj started recounting an old story.

    "My mother always doubted that version, because my father was a doctor and very cautious about safety issues. He also disliked winter and would be unlikely to go ice skating outdoors voluntarily. But we had no evidence.

    "Yesterday afternoon, I searched Dan''s room and found evidence hidden between the pages of a book. Dan had been paying Ishikawa money, around the same time my father died. I don''t think it was a coincidence, so I checked their correspondence and found letters between Dan and Linnaer.

    "The letters were written many years ago. Linnaer and Dan said their careers were not going well. They consulted a fortune teller who told them they were bearing the consequences of their sins. Linnaer was very afraid, fearing my father wouldn''t let them off. But it wasn''t intentional; they just wanted my father to go ice skating with them, a silly idea that went wrong, leading to my father''s ident," Raj exined.

    Jian Jing: How clich¨¦d.

    "Then what happened?"

    "The prank was Linnaer''s idea, carried out by Dan, while Ishikawa was aware of it," Raj said. "That''s why Dan was paying Ishikawa so much hush money, right?"

    Ishikawa nodded silently.

    Raj: "Since I knew the truth and Dan was already dead, I couldn''t let Linnaer off. Yesterday night, I pretended to have found the culprit''s traces and tricked her into opening the door. Then, as Jian Jing deduced, I drugged her wine, expecting her to pass out. But an ident happened... In the end, I killed her."

    The mystery was solved.

    Min-cheol Park asked, "But do you know who the real culprit is?"

    Raj shook his head with a wry smile, "I have no idea."

    "The real culprit manipted the doctor," Wataru Kojima said. "Given Dan''s cautiousness, he wouldn''t have left the letters in his bedroom. It''s more likely they were hidden in a secret room. I think the real culprit brought the letters out and let you find them intentionally, using you as the murder weapon."

    Jian Jing nodded, "I agree. But Raj found the letters yesterday afternoon, meaning the real culprit had already set everything up on the first night, before we began our initial investigation."

    "The real culprit knew about Raj''s father all along and was certain Raj would choose revenge after seeing the letters," Wataru Kojima continued naturally. "Who could have known about the doctor''s case?"

    Everyone looked at Ishikawa.

    Jian Jing looked at Kumiko.

    Wataru Kojima frowned in confusion, "Jian?"

    Jian Jing asked Raj, "Anything else to confess? Like having an affair with a married woman?"

    It seems 400 chapters won''t be enough to conclude this, damn I''m gonna go crazy.

 Chapter 369

    Chapter 369

    Raj was genuinely shocked.

    "Why... you..." he stammered, "How could you possibly..."

    Jian Jing said calmly, "I guessed."

    Kumiko Terauchi asked curiously, "Could you exin your reasoning?"

    "Mrs. Dan is a housewife. If her lover was an outsider, she would have to go out frequently, making it hard to hide from Dan''s eyes. So it would be more convenient to choose someone closer as the thrill."

    Jiang BaiYan looked up and said gloomily, "Thrill? You''re not right."

    Jian Jing pretended not to hear and continued, "There were not many eligible choices. The eldest son is neither young nor handsome, and he still hasn''t had a childˇŞMrs. Dan probably wants a child to inherit more of the property. The third son is an unreliable yboy, not a top choice for health reasons. That leaves only the son-inw and the doctor."

    Raj asked, "Why me?"

    "You have a motive. Getting close to Mrs. Dan, you could ask her to help investigate the truth about your father, which the son-inw would not have. As an outsider, if he was caught by Dan, he would likely lose his marriage, with high risk and little gainˇŞa man might not take that chance."

    Min-cheol Park said, "Just based on such a guess?"

    "No, it''s not a guess, just gossip," Jian Jing said frankly. "The basis for my guess is the love letter Mrs. Dan received, which was from Tagore, and the doctor''s room had his poetry collection, so I just took a random guess."

    As a Chinese literature student, she rarely used her expertise in reasoning, so she finally got to show off her knowledge this time.

    Kumiko Terauchi cleared her doubts and admitted admiringly, "Your guess is correct, that''s exactly how it is."

    Jian Jing asked curiously, "Did you know about Raj too?"

    "He told me," Kumiko Terauchi smiled. "But I''m not the killer."

    "Jian, I have a question," Wataru Kojima suddenly spoke up. "Is it possible that the real killer only discovered the secret room after the fact, rather than already knowing about it?"

    Jian Jing nodded, "That possibility can''t be ruled out, but if the killer had time to search through things after the murder, looking for something, that would be too bold. So if it were me, I would further suspect those who already knew about the secret room."

    Wu Lie asked, "Who would know about the secret room?"

    "Many people," Jian Jing pondered. "Let me remind everyone, don''t just focus on those two possibilities, it can limit your thinking. It''s possible someone saw the blueprints of the secret room and learned its location that way. To find the killer, we still need to start from the case itself."

    Wataru Kojima said, "Jian is right."

    But Ishikawa spoke up, "We should also analyze the killer''s intentˇŞwhy did he lure Raj intomitting the murder?"

    Connor Lee also agreed with this line of thinking, analyzing from a game perspective, "The first goal was to kill Linnaer. She might have had unfavorable information about him."

    Kumiko Terauchi said, "Looking at the consequences, Raj is out of the picture, and Ishikawa is under suspicion."

    However, Valeriya raised a new angle, "Is it possible the real killer wanted to mislead us, reducing his own suspicion?"

    "Yes, that''s also very possible," Liu Sau-chi asked. "Who, other than the family members, would know about Raj''s revenge and the secret room?"

    Andrei said, "Outsiders probably wouldn''t know."

    "Then it''s the uncle, nephew, brother-inw, niece, and fianc¨¦e," Connor Lee looked at them.

    Jiang BaiYanmented sarcastically, "Looking at it directly, that group is suspicious. Looking at it inversely, that group is suspicious. In summary, everyone is suspicious."

    Jian Jing almost burst outughing.

    But she also understood their choice. The spotlight for reasoning had mostly been taken by her and Wataru Kojima, so the others had to participate in the reality show in their own way.

    Since they couldn''tpete in reasoning, they might as well y the game.

    Like ying poker, like Werewolf, using the mindset of games to y the game is also a valid approach.

    "If we go by the inverse suspicion, then I can''t exin it anymore," she said amiably, providing an opportunity to change the direction, then nced at her watch. "If there''s nothing else, I''ll go rest."

    Zhang Xue''er wasn''t particrly close with her, but as the two Chinese women, they could still chat. "So early?"

    Jian Jing took out a small mirror and examined her face. "No choice, my makeup ising off."

    Zhang Xue''er said, "Didn''t you use a setting spray?"

    "It always makes my face feel too tight," Jian Jing carefully wiped her eyelids with her fingertips. "The double eyelid stickers are also ufortable after wearing them for a long time."

    She originally thought the hardest part of participating in a reality show would be socializing, but she had no problem diving into the game like it was a case to solve. Instead, wearing makeup for over ten hours a day had be quite a burden.

    Yesterday, she even wore false eyshes, but today she gave uppletely.

    Zhang Xue''er encouraged her, "You''ll get used to it."

    "Tomorrow is thest day," Jian Jing finally couldn''t bear it and tore off the double eyelid stickers, immediately feeling much better. "I''m going back to wash my face and shower. See you tomorrow."

    "See you tomorrow."

    --

    On the live streaming tform, in thements:

    [Hahaha, Jian the teacher has such a big difference before and after!]

    [A queen one second, a delicate princess the next]

    [My wife is unbeatable in cuteness]

    [As expected, schrs sleep early]

    [Us ckers tremble in fear]

    [Come, ce your bets, will the doctor be eliminated tonight?]

    [It''s getting dark, please close your eyes]

    --

    Jian Jing returned to her room, washed her face and showered, and changed into casual wear.

    At 9:40 pm, she was hungry.

    So she hurried to the dining hall and ordered an ice cream waffle.

    Jiang BaiYan was in the dining hall, eating porridge.

    "What is that?" She looked at the green stuff in his bowl, her appetite gone. "How can you eat that?"

    Jiang BaiYan made a bitter face. "Vegetable juice. I''m hungry."

    Jian Jing held up the waffle. "Have a bite."

    After struggling for a minute, Jiang BaiYan took a bite of the waffle from her hand.

    The sweet sugar and carbs finally quieted his rumbling stomach and slowly digested the rare delicacy.

    "This is too hard for me," he sighed deeply.

    Getting the opportunity for ''King of Reasoning'' was not easyˇŞit was a global show. To open up recognition and venture into the overseas market, he had to seize this chance firmly.

    To retire at thirty, Jiang BaiYan was under immense pressure. He couldn''t afford to gain weight, nor could he indulge like some people on camera.

    But he was so hungry.

    The game drained not just his mental energy but also his physical stamina.

    Jian Jing scooped up a spoonful of ice cream, happily popping it into her mouth. "Want some?"

    "Can''t eat any more." Jiang BaiYan gulped down the unappetizing vegetable mush with determination, wiped his mouth, and said, "I''m going to sleep. Good night."

    "Night." She waved her hand.

    His figure disappeared out the door.

    Jian Jing chewed on her spoon pensively: For the past couple of days, Xiao Bai hadn''t really talked to her much.

    At 10 o''clock, the main door closed and the live stream ended abruptly.

    Jian Jing finished her ice cream, but found herself wide awake and bored. She idly poked at the tape recorder to y with it. The tape was Teresa Teng''s, the crackling melody floating in the air.

    "I''ll walk you to the edge of the little vige, there''s something I must say, though it''s the season of full bloom, don''t pick the wildflowers by the road..."

    She thought, "???"

    --

    Jiang BaiYan''s room.

    A faint white mist wafted out of the bathroom, water droplets cascading down his body. The shower gel had a sweet fragrance. He quickly washed his hair and body, then donned a bathrobe and settled into a lounge chair.

    He stared nkly ahead, seeming deep in thought about something.

    --

    Zhang Xue''er''s room.

    She had a face mask on, using a massageb to vigorously work the meridians in her legs. Soon, her snowy skin turned a flushed red.

    --

    Wu Lie''s room.

    He did push-ups on the floor, one, two... Habituallypleting twenty, he went into the bathroom to shower.

    --

    Liu Sau-chi''s room.

    He held a wine ss, gazing out at the inky ck sea. The gentle, schrly smile from daytime had vanished, reced by a brooding, gloomy air.

    After a while, he grabbed the ashtray from the coffee table and hurled it into the water with force.

    "Plop."

    --

    Ran-er Kim''s room.

    She stretched her body, bending forward as far as possible into a difficult yoga pose.

    After 30 seconds, she released and moved to the next set.

    --

    Min-cheol Park''s room.

    The deskmp was on, and he flipped through the half-written notebook, tracing lines of clues on the nk pages. His brow was furrowed, asionally biting the pen as if stuck on a puzzle.

    --

    Wataru Kojima''s room.

    He was drawing. Any anime fans watching would surely be delighted - the mangaka who had missed a few episodes was finally illustrating the new installment of the series.

    --

    Kumiko Terauchi''s room.

    She was asleep, her even breathing indicating a decent slumber.

    --

    Hiroto Ishikawa''s room.

    He had also chosen a cassette tape, but not Teresa Teng''s - it was Sayuri Ishikawa''s "Evil Woman."

    Ah, what a nostalgic era, he thought.

    --

    Valeriya''s room.

    She pointed her toes, slowly lowering her legs. After a while, she switched legs.

    Though the simplest of movements, she carried an unparalleled elegance and beauty.

    --

    Andrei''s room.

    He had vodka forpany.

    --

    Connor Lee''s room.

    He lounged in an expensive silk pajama set, flipping through a notebook. The soft rustle of pages had a soothing effect - soon, the lights were out.

    --

    A private room on the live streaming tform.

    Host: "Hello everyone, I''m Daniel. Yes, I died, but I''m alive again. Fortunately, I''m not the only one who''s had this experience. Linnaer, why don''t you say hello?"

    Linnaer: "Good evening,dies and gentlemen. I''m Linnaer, an unfortunate soul who was killed for no apparent reason."

    Host: "I imagine the audience has many questions for you."

    Linnaer: "If you want to know who the real killer is, I''m sorry, I truly have no idea."

    Host: "What was it like to be killed?"

    Linnaer: "It caught mepletely by surprise. Around 1am, I was suddenly woken up. The staff told me I''d been killed. Oh my, what a nightmare."

    Host: "Did you ever suspect Raj might try to harm you?"

    Linnaer: "There were suspicions, given my character''s unsavory past in the story. For that, I''m very sorry. No matter the reason, one cannot disregard the value of life."

    Host: "Do you think the real killer thought you knew something, which is why they had Raj kill you?"

    Linnaer: "To be honest, I don''t know what I knew."

    Host: "Or perhaps you had some secret you didn''t share with anyone?"

    Linnaer: "Oh, yes, the day before yesterday around 11pm, I went to see Dan. He was still alive then."

    Host: "It seems I wasn''t dead yet at that point. Oh, allow me to exin to the viewers - as the first person to die, I also don''t know who killed me. I recorded a few audio clips that would automatically delete if my avatar was tampered with. Once yed, they''ll be deleted too, so there''s no way to determine the time of death from them.

    "As for Linnaer, her death process was initially written by the killer and submitted for review by the consultant. Raj made a mistake here - the drug dosage he specified wasn''t enough to subdue an adult, so ''Linnaer'' woke up midway and tried to escape. In the 10-second response window, Raj ultimately chose to kill her outright."

    He yed the consultant''s response video, exining the case setup process.

    Linnaer: "So the show still doesn''t know who the killer is?"

    Host: "That''s right, we don''t know either. It''s absolutely fair for everyone."

 Chapter 370

    Day 6 of recording the show, Day 3 of the live broadcast, and the final day of solving the case.

    At 8 AM, Kang Mu Cheng left home on time, got into his car, and opened hisptop. The sleepingputer instantly awoke, disying the live streaming tform''s webpage.

    The driver stepped on the gas, starting smoothly.

    The live broadcast began.

    He heard Little Princess''s voice: "Morning, is Raj dead yet?"

    The cameraman said: "He''s alive and well."

    "Then I''ll sleep a bit more." The sound of a door closing.

    At 8:20, Kang Mu Cheng arrived at thepany. Dai An, who had recently received a pay raise, came running over. She skillfully took his briefcase and handed him a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee.

    She nced at the screen.

    "Oh, Teacher Jian looks so beautiful today," Dai An said, "Even though she said yesterday that makeup was ufortable."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked his secretary: "You''ve been watching too?"

    Dai An: "Of course, I''ve always followed Teacher Jian. She was amazing yesterday."

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded. Knowing there was no danger in filming the show, his mindset was much more stable than usual, allowing him to view her performance more objectively.

    As Dai An said, she had indeed performed remarkably well.

    Meticulous yet bold, intelligent and resourceful, she had unknowingly risen above the others.

    Today was thest day.

    Lost in thought, he had already entered his office. Dai An handed him the printed schedule and presented him with freshly baked bread bought from the caf¨¦ downstairs.

    Kang Mu Cheng nced at it; the meeting was at 10 o''clock.

    He decided to check the onlinements about Jian Jing first.

    On the Weibo super topic "King of Reasoning":

    [Teacher Jian is the best!! No one is worthy of my wife!!!]

    [So awesome, crush the other representatives, China is the coolest!]

    [It''s thest day, so excited, can''t wait]

    [Beautiful pictures of Teacher Jian, image attached.JPG]

    [Yesterday was so thrilling, looking forward to today]

    [I hope there won''t be any plot twists today]

    [Games are about experience first, winning second. Hope everyone doesn''t put too much pressure on Jing Jing]

    [Jing Jing is already doing great]

    ...

    Although there were asional shippers, pessimists, and doubters, overall, people were generally hopeful for Jian Jing, wishing she could find the culprit and win the prize money.

    Then he checked foreign websites.

    Well, it was much more intense there.

    Korean celebrities were cheering for their own people on Twitter while dissing Japan. Japan was boasting about their representative''s abilities and suggesting that Wataru Kojima should propose to Jian Jing to have genius babies, which made Kang Mu Cheng frown deeply.

    Countries like Singapore and Mysia had a rtively high favorability towards Jian Jing, but they didn''t forget to cheer for Connor Lee, Wu Lie, and others as well.

    Europeans were just enjoying the show.

    Most people couldn''t tell who was who, except for Jian Jing. Because she was the only one with ashy xen hair, standing out among the dark-haired crowd, easy to recognize.

    And because they weren''t invested in celebrity culture, unrted to the grudges between European countries, they focused more on discussing the reasoning.

    Of course, there was also criticism. Many people thought that the Asian edition''s reasoning wasn''t as good as the European edition, and the witchcraft setting was a bit confusing.

    --

    At 9 o''clock, in the dining room.

    After breakfast, the regr meeting began.

    "Today..." Min-cheol Park was about to say something when Jian Jing raised her hand.

    Everyone was curious: "What''s wrong?"

    Jian Jing said: "We only have 13 hours left. I think there''s something I must say to ensure everyone has all the clues."

    Wataru Kojima: "The persistence of a mystery novelist?"

    "You could say that," Jian Jing said, "Of course, I''m well aware that this will put me at risk. Perhaps you''ll suspect that I''m the murderer, making up lies to mislead you. That''s up to your judgment."

    Min-cheol Park: "What do you want to say?"

    Jian Jing: "On the first night, around 10 PM, Dan called me and asked me to meet him at 12:30. But when I got to his study, I only saw a headless corpse."

    The air suddenly froze.

    She said: "That''s why I''ve been so concerned about the headless corpse. Both the witch and Dan are old people, with shriveled and skinny bodies. If they were wearing the same clothes, I couldn''t be sure whose body it was."

    "One''s a man and one''s a woman..." Andrei muttered.

    Jian Jing with a cold face: "I didn''t dare to look closely."

    ording to the setup of mystery stories, people who see a headless corpse usually get startled, then flee or faint on the spot. In any case, they don''t usually go over to touch or look closely to verify who it is.

    Otherwise, what''s the point of the trick?

    But if it were a real person... ahem, no, no, let''s stick to the game.

    Wataru Kojima: "What was the state of the corpse?"

    Jian Jing returned to normal: "No different from what you all saw. ''I'' was so scared at the sight that I ran away immediately (theoretically speaking), unable to confirm the identity of the corpse."

    She paused, then added, "Also unable to determine if there was a third person present at the time."

    The others looked at each other.

    After a moment, Wataru Kojima spoke: "At 1:30 AM, I went to the deceased''s room and also saw the corpse."

    Jian Jing was surprised: "Did Dan ask you to go, or..."

    Wataru Kojima shook his head: "I wanted to sneak in secretly, to look for anything rted to witchcraft."

    "How much do you know about immortality, and how much do you know about Dan''s n?" she asked.

    Wataru Kojima thought for a moment, then started from the beginning: "I happened to see the symbol of Wu Vige at my uncle''s ce. Once when I went out for inspiration, I happened to pass by Wu Vige and decided to take a look. By asking the local vigers, I learned some knowledge about witchcraft and became deeply curious about it.

    "However, the more I learned, the more confused I became, and also... more tempted."

    After he finished, he looked at Jian Jing, his gaze intense.

    Jian Jing was exhausted: "I have a friend who also likes to give me puzzles. Do you know how he is now?"

    --

    "Ahem." Season Wind, who had just sat down after the meeting, heard this conversation and almost choked on his bun.

    Old Gao said softly: "Oh my, I have a friend, who could it be, who could it be, who''s so mean to like testing Teacher Jian?"

    Season Wind: "Cough cough cough cough."

    Old Gao quickly handed him a ss of water, afraid that grass might really grow on his grave.

    --

    "This is thest time," Jian Jing responded to Wataru Kojima''s challenge, "You want to save your girlfriend, the girl in white who appeared multiple times in the photo exhibition."

    However, answering questions aside, she still had to make ament: "Why do I always discover some juicy gossip?"

    The guests who had been looking serious just moments ago all burst intoughter.

    "Haha haha."

    "If Teacher Jian is like this, her future boyfriend will be under a lot of pressure."

    "Girls are indeed particrly sensitive to these things."

    After a round of jokes, they got back to business.

    Wataru Kojima said: "Yes, I wanted to steal information about witchcraft to resurrect the person I like."

    "Can you describe the scene you saw at that time?" Jian Jing asked.

    Wataru Kojima recalled: "The corpse was lying on the ground, with a pool of blood nearby. The room didn''t seem to be in disarray. At that time, I didn''t discover the secret room, I just took a quick look at the scene."

    Realizing this didn''t quite fit his character, he quickly added, "Unfortunately, I didn''t find any information rted to witchcraft, so I left."

    Jian Jing nodded, believing him. Wataru Kojima''s deductive skills were not bad, but he waspletely an armchair detective, not good at discovering clues at the scene, more adept at using information for logical deduction.

    "We''ve both said our piece. Did anyone else see the deceased that day?" she asked.

    After a moment of silence, Andrei spoke up: "I went there, at 11:15 PM."

    "Why?"

    Andrei shrugged: "For money, of course. I told him I really had no money recently and asked him to help me pay off some debts for the sake of my deceased sister."

    "Did he agree?"

    "He did, but he wanted me to promise not to gamble anymore," Andrei answered, "I agreed, of course. He said he would have someone transfer money to me tomorrow, so I left."

    "What time?"

    "11:30 PM."

    Jian Jing pondered: "Did anyone go there after 11:30?"

    Wu Lie: "I went earlier."

    He said: "Dan called me around 10:30 PM, asking me toe over, so I did."

    "What did he want from you?"

    "He said I looked like I had something on my mind, and asked if I was in trouble. So I told him about my financial problems, and he promised to help me solve the trouble and was willing to lend me some money to get through the crisis," Wu Lie exined in detail, "I left around 10:50 PM."

    Jian Jing frowned: "What exactly did Dan say on the phone? Did he ask you toe over immediately?"

    "Yes, he said if I wasn''t asleep, to find him in the lounge," Wu Lie asked, "Is there a problem?"

    She replied, "It''s not your problem, it''s mine. Dan called me after 10 PM, but asked me to go at 12:30 AM..."

    "That''s quite a time gap," Wataru Kojima agreed. "Even if he was worried about waking you, two hours'' notice is too much, unless he didn''t want anyone to know he was meeting you."

    Jian Jing lowered her head in thought for a moment, notmenting yet, and continued asking, "Was there anyone else?"

    No one responded.

    Jian Jing was surprised: "No one else?" She looked at Min-cheol Park, "The eldest son and second daughter both talked with Dan, so it''s understandable they didn''t go again. He didn''t call for you, and you didn''t seek him out either?"

    Min-cheol Park answered, "No, I had nothing to discuss with him."

    "You prepared arsenic," Wataru Kojima hadn''t forgotten this crucial information.

    Min-cheol Park said, "Yes, I wanted to poison him, but I couldn''t find an opportunity to do it that night."

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "You wanted to poison him at the banquet?"

    "Of course," Min-cheol Park exined logically. "If we were alone, even an idiot would know it was me. Only by acting when everyone was gathered would it be less likely to arouse suspicion."

    Kumiko Terauchi couldn''t help but say, "That seems a bit odd."

    Liu Sau-chi: "It doesn''t sound very convincing."

    "But at least I had a n. What about you?" Min-cheol Park countered, "Son-inw, sister-inw, daughter-inw, nephew - none of you had any ns?"

    Liu Sau-chi: "Although I encountered trouble, Dan wasn''t my first choice. I would certainly want to discuss it with my wife first."

    Ran-er Kim: "I just hated the arranged marriage Dan set up, I had absolutely no reason to kill him."

    Valeriya: "My issue was about the children. Dan''s death wouldn''t benefit me; on the contrary, I needed his help."

    "What do you mean?"

    Valeriya exined: "My husband has children with someone else. If Dan died and he divorced me, I would be left with nothing. So, not only would I not kill him, I hoped he would live well."

    This reason seemed usible.

    Jiang BaiYan: "I wanted to be Dan''s heir. His death now wouldn''t benefit me. The people I wanted to eliminate were his two sons."

    "What about Mr. Ishikawa?"

    Hiroto Ishikawa said: "''I'' was Dan''s good friend, he was sort of ''my'' investor. Besides, Dr. Sharma''s death wasn''t caused by me. I had no motive to kill him."

    Finally, everyone looked at Raj.

    Raj: "I didn''t go to find Dan, nor did I think about killing him, because..." He looked around at everyone, shrugged, and said in heavily ented English, "I felt he was about to die anyway."

    Everyone was surprised: "Why?"

    "At 10 PM, I escorted him back to his room to rest. Dan told me that I had worked hard for himtely, that I reminded him very much of my father, bringing back memories of years past. But he knew clearly that his time was running short. He was already very happy to be able to see his family and friends at this birthday banquet."

    Raj said: "I felt like he already knew when he was going to die. So even if I had suspicions about him, there was no need to kill an old man who was already near death, right?"

 Chapter 371

    The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat delicate.

    Those who wanted to confess had done so, while those who didn''t had reasonable excuses.

    Min-cheol Park summarized: "So, at 10:20 PM, Dan called his fianc¨¦e (Jian Jing), asking her toe over at 12:30 PM. Then at 10:30 PM, he called his brother-inw (Wu Lie) toe over, who left at 10:50 PM. After that, he met with his brother-inw (Andrei) from 11:15 to 11:30 PM."

    "This timeline is very strange. If what Raji said is true and Dan thought he was going to die today, he wouldn''t have possibly not seen his son. And what about his nephew? He was very fond of Bai, wasn''t he?" Zhang Xue''er furrowed her brows. "Moreover, calling Jian Jing first doesn''t make sense. Did he not want to see anyone during that one hour between 11:30 PM and 12:30 AM?"

    Ishikawa Kan said concisely and forcefully: "Someone is lying."

    "Who?"

    "Jian Jing was the first to state her timeline. The probability of her lying is very low," Valeriya wrote a string of Russian in her notebook and analyzed, "It would be too easy to expose."

    Everyone agreed.

    "Mr. Kojima''s suspicion has increased," Kumiko Terauchi said, "He could have just followed Jian Jing''s statement. At such ate hour, the probability of ovepping with someone else''s time is low."

    Hiroto Ishikawa: "I''m more suspicious of the son. It''s too strange not to see your own child. I think after 10 PM, Dan should have notified his son first."

    Connor Lee asked: "Is there a possibility that the one-hour nk was when the murderer was killing? He was afraid that his crime time would be discovered by the next person to arrive, so he cut off the head of the corpse to create the illusion that the body might not be Dan''s, to mislead us?"

    Jian Jing: "Is the coroner''s report for the witch out yet?"

    Utility Man Raji: "It''s out. The witch''s time of death was between 10:00 PM and 1:00 AM. No signs of homicide have been found so far."

    Wataru Kojima: "Witchcraft."

    The case became moreplicated.

    "Let''s use the testimonies as reference, but it''s better to look at the evidence," Jian Jing suggested. "Assuming witchcraft exists and Dan was preparing for immortality, he would need a new vessel. So now we have a new question: did the immortality spell seed?"

    Ran-er Kim gasped: "If it seeded, is Dan still alive?"

    "Oh, that''s scary," Kumiko Terauchi looked around, joking, "If Dan is still alive, why don''t we ask him directly who the murderer is?"

    No one responded.

    Jian Jing, not wanting her to feel awkward, smiled and said: "Perhaps Dan didn''t sessfully transfer his soul."

    Wataru Kojima: "If Dan had already transferred his soul, the killer wouldn''t need to kill him again. I think the killer''s most likely motive for killing Dan was to prevent him from bing immortal."

    Jian Jing nodded: "I also lean towards this motive."

    "Who would want to stop him?"

    Valeriya answered without hesitation: "Of course, the person he was going to rece."

    "Then we''re back to the old question, who did Dan choose as his vessel?" Connor Lee said, "Me, Reporter Park, or someone else?"

    "There must be other clues," Jian Jing said, "Where is the witch''s room?"

    NPC Butler: "On the 9th floor."

    The 9th floor was the leisure area, with a cinema, billiard room, indoor golf, wine bar, gym, and indoor pool. Because of the incident on the first day, no one had really been here.

    This time, everyone gathered on the 9th floor to look for the witch''s room.

    The butler said: "I don''t know where the witch lived either, only that she was on the 9th floor."

    Implying, please find it yourselves.

    Everyone split up and roughly searched the rooms with doors, but found no signs of habitation.

    "Another locked room," Wu Lie looked at Jian Jing and asked, "Any ideas, Professor Jian?"

    She smiled wryly: "This ce is too big, and I''m not an architect. At least give us a range."

    Butler: "The captain has a floor n."

    "Phew," Ran-er Kim exhaled dramatically, "Let''s go borrow it now."

    With the floor n in hand, everyone gathered around the table to study it.

    Jian Jing hadn''t drawn an architecture card, so after studying it for a while, she couldn''t see anything unusual. The others were the same, so they finally decided to split into groups to verify if any room looked particrly small.

    This took everyone quite some time, plus eating, resting, touching up makeup, and using the bathroom. By 3 PM, they finally found a door behind the cinema''s screen wall.

    "It''s not easy for a 70 or 80-year-olddy to go in and out of here every day," Min-cheol Park remarked.

    Connor Lee: "Let''s see what secrets are inside."

    Thest piece of the puzzle finally appeared.

    Pushing the door open, inside was a dark room with strange colored papers hanging from the ceiling, covered in iprehensible symbols. Many threads hung from the ceiling, each with a doll''s head tied to it.

    In the center of the room was a rug and a low table, like a living room, with a door behind it.

    Jian Jing: "This is creepy."

    "This is too scary," Zhang Xue''er unconsciously moved closer to her, her 5''11" height putting her almost at eye level with the doll heads.

    Making eye contact, she shuddered and hugged Jian Jing''s arm: "What was the witch trying to do?"

    Jian Jing: "You''ve hit the key point. Why did the witch help Dan? Looking at the scene, it seems she even gave her life for this spell."

    She ignored the surroundings and went straight to the inner room.

    The inner room was just a tiny bedroom, with a very small wooden bed, an old cab, and bottles piled in the corner containing unknown liquids.

    "Jian-san, your background is here," Wataru Kojima called to her.

    Jian Jing turned to see the photo he was holding.

    A young woman holding a little girl, both photographed in a hospital. On the back of the photo was written: With my daughter Little Yu in 1940.

    "Yu Meng is the witch''s daughter," Jian Jing realized. "Wait, there''s small text on the photo."

    She took it to the light and squinted to make it out: "Daniel Charity Hospital, the name on the medical record is Little Yu."

    Kumiko Terauchi: "Could it be that Yu Meng was sick, Dan saved her, so the witch was willing to help him with the spell to repay the favor?"

    "I remember the reports saying Yu Meng''s parents were ordinary workers," Wataru Kojima said. "Oh, she was adopted too."

    "It was probably an out-of-wedlock birth," Jian Jing said. "This was scandalous. To let her daughter grow up well, the witch entrusted her to a working-ss couple. But Yu Meng inherited the witch''s powers and knew some witchcraft, just not well enough, leading to her death by bacsh. Looking at it this way, I''m probably not Dan''s child, but he might know about my background."

    That cleared things up.

    Next was to search through everything.

    With over a dozen people rummaging through a small room, even the best-hidden secrets would be uncovered.

    A quarter of an hourter, they dug out a diary hidden under the floorboards.

    All secrets were about to be revealed.

    The diary''s opening, as expected, recounted the witch''s own experiences: As a young girl, she was deceived by a scoundrel and unfortunately became pregnant. The tradition in Wu Vige was that only unmarried women could be shamans. After losing her virginity, the vigers wouldn''t allow her to stay, so she had to leave her hometown.

    Life wandering outside was difficult, but fortunately, her daughter was born safely, and the mother and daughter relied on each other. However, when the child was three years old, she was diagnosed with a rare disease that required arge sum of money for treatment.

    The witch was at her wit''s end, almost jumping into the sea with her child, but fate intervened, and she met Dan, who was doing charity work. Dan paid for her daughter''s treatment and also developed a strong interest in witchcraft.

    To repay the kindness, the witch agreed to be a nanny at Dan''s house. But considering her child''s future, not wanting her to be called a bastard without a father, she entrusted her to a family to raise.

    Many years passed, and Yu Meng somehow learned about her background and found her, wanting to learn witchcraft, but was refused.

    However, Yu Meng didn''t give up and stole one of her notebooks, ultimately dying from the bacsh.

    She felt she had nothing to live for, but Dan told her that Yu Meng had a daughter. For the sake of her granddaughter whom she had never met, she persevered.

    Twenty yearster, she was old and wanted to meet her only rtive.

    Dan verbally agreed but kept putting it off until the granddaughter appeared as the son''s fianc¨¦e.

    She begged Dan to treat her rtive well, but Dan proposed a deal: he would agree to the son''s marriage, but the witch must help him transfer his soul.

    The witch agreed.

    She told Dan that the soul transfer ritual required several necessary conditions:

    1. The spellcaster must sacrifice their life. Reincarnation is a forbidden technique, and the witch serving as a medium will definitely be dragged into hell as the price for defying fate. She was old and had no more attachments, willing to die for Dan as long as her granddaughter''s future was secure.

    2. The new vessel must have a blood connection with Dan. Blood ties are the bridge for the soul; only with the same blood can the soul travel from the old body to the new one.

    3. The spell must be cast at midnight every night.

    4. The materials needed for the reincarnation spell are: Dan''s blood, the new vessel''s blood, an altar, the midnight bell toll, some yellow paper, cinnabar, and y.

    "As expected, it requires a blood rtion." Everyone wasn''t surprised by this, but was more concerned about the timing. "The ritual at midnight, that''s quite strict."

    Wataru Kojima asked, "What happens to the original body if the ritual is sessful?"

    "It says here that the old vessel loses its soul and will naturally die. The new vessel''s soul, unable to find a ce to reside, will dissipate,pletely destroyed and not entering the cycle of reincarnation."

    Kumiko Terauchi drew in a cold breath, "That''s cruel."

    "It''s terrifying," Ran-er Kim rubbed her arms, "Blood rtions are family, how could Dan bring himself to do it?"

    Andrei: "So, is the killer the vessel Dan chose?"

    "It should be him, right? He didn''t want to be reced by Dan, and killed Dan during their struggle."

    "Is it possible that it''s the other way around? The ritual seeded, he entered Dan''s body, Dan killed himself, and is now disguised as someone else."

    "That''s possible too."

    The group continued discussing as they returned to the conference room.

    Now that they had gathered most of the clues, they could enter the final deduction phase.

    Jian Jing held a cup of c, the caffeine and sugar making her mind three times clearer. She picked up a pen and wrote the key points on the whiteboard.

    First corpse: Dan (Cause of death: Suffocation; Time of death: 23:00-02:00)

    Second corpse: Witch (Cause of death: Natural causes; Time of death: 22:00-01:00)

    Reincarnation ritual: Midnight, blood rtion, vessel

    Did the ritual seed? Big question mark.

    "Let me summarize briefly. The main question we''re facing now is whether Dan''s ritual was sessful or not. The suffocation death could be homicide or a natural death due to a medical condition.

    "If it seeded without any idents, Dan''s ''natural death'' would be normal and wouldn''t require beheading or creating a mystery. So, if it seeded, there must have been an ident. For example, the chosen person entered Dan''s body, they conflicted, Dan killed himself, and the other person couldn''t be the murderer, so they beheaded the body to disguise it. This requires us to find out who has be Dan now.

    "If it didn''t seed, then the killer is still themselves, and we just need to find their identity."

    Valeriya asked, "Can we rule out some people now? Those without blood rtions?"

    "We can''t," Jian Jing said, "The vessel''s rtives might also kill to protect them. It''s also possible that the killer knew nothing about witchcraft and just wanted to kill him, but coincidentally matched the circumstances. Judging suspicion based on motive alone isn''tprehensive enough."

    Her reasoning was logical, and the guests who had their own ideas now had to reconsider.

    But Min-cheol Park said, "You''ve considered it very thoroughly, but from the current situation, witchcraft seems to be the most likely direction. So I''d like to share my thoughts along this line of thinking with everyone."

    "Of course," Jian Jing returned to her seat, yielding the whiteboard.

 Chapter 372

    Min-cheol Park took her ce: "I''d like to share Dan''s thoughts on who he would choose as his heir. We''ve discussed this before, but now the clues are clearer - blood rtion. Who has a blood rtionship with Dan?"

    "The eldest son, second daughter, third son, and nephew. First, we can rule out the second daughter. From a man''s perspective, I wouldn''t want to be a woman, especially when I have three other choices."

    Several men in the room nodded subconsciously.

    Thedies: "Hmph."

    Min-cheol Park, however, didn''t seem to notice this issue and continued: "First is the eldest son. He''s the most logical heir, and choosing him would be very convenient. But does Dan really have no doubts about his fertility? If he does, he won''t have another heir."

    "Moreover, the eldest is the oldest, almost 40 now. Would an old man really be satisfied with a middle-aged body? I certainly wouldn''t be. If you''re going to do it, you''d definitely want to do it once and for all, choosing a young body."

    "So I seem to be the most suspicious, but don''t forget, Dan thinks I have bad luck. If he believes in witchcraft, he can''t ignore that about me. What if I end up bringing death to someone? Besides, even a vicious tiger won''t eat its cubs. No matter what, it''s still his own son. Could Dan really bring himself to do it?"

    "Lastly, there''s the nephew. He''s an outsider, but still has a blood rtion to Dan. He''s young and excellent,pletely meeting Dan''s requirements. Plus, he''s been working in thepany, so taking over would be very convenient."

    Admittedly, Reporter Park''s analysis was logical and convincing.

    But everyone also gave Jiang BaiYan a chance to defend himself.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "You''ve overlooked one candidate."

    "Who?"

    "The grandson," Jiang BaiYan asked Zhang Xue''er, "How old is ''your'' child?"

    Zhang Xue''er recalled: "7 months."

    "You should know the gender by now, is it a boy?"

    She nodded.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "I think everyone has overlooked the issue of sess rate. The essence of reincarnation is like a cuckoo taking over a magpie''s nest. Even with the aid of witchcraft, can an aging soul overpower a young, healthy one? What if it fails? To ensure sess, it''s best to choose a soul weaker than your own."

    "In Eastern folk culture, an infant''s soul is very unstable and fragile, rtively easy to rece. Dan is very likely to choose the third generation as a vessel. Everything would be new, wouldn''t that be better?"

    This... seemed to make sense too.

    Kumiko Terauchi said: "I think what Mr. Jiang says makes sense. The witch''s diary clearly states that after the reincarnation, the soul still exists, indicating that reincarnation isn''t 100% sessful. Following this logic, the second daughter bes highly suspicious. As a mother, it would be hard to ept her child being reced by her father, right?"

    "The same goes for the father," Ishikawa said. "The second daughter might still have reservations due to family ties, but the son-inw wouldn''t. Moreover, if Dan chooses the grandson as his heir, the parents would have proxy rights over the property for a long time. He could get arge sum of money."

    Liu Sau-chi, not expecting the fire to reach him, was greatly surprised: "But I didn''t know about this."

    "That''s just your side of the story," Wu Lie said. "I''m not doubting you, but your story has an obvious w - you needed money and were being threatened, but you did nothing. That''s very strange."

    Every character had a crisis, and everyone took action, except for the son-inw who, despite needing money, didn''t make any requests to his father-inw. This inevitably seemed a bit incongruous.

    In his panic, Liu Sau-chi couldn''t think of a defense and deflected: "Ran-er didn''t take any action either."

    Ran-er Kim: "Uh, Ishikawa didn''t do anything either."

    Hiroto Ishikawa: "...That''s true, but I didn''t need to do anything."

    --

    Live streaming tform,ment section:

    [The game has entered the backstabbing phase]

    [ssic game theory: Prisoner''s dilemma about to unfold]

    [Damn, I think everyone makes sense]

    [Don''t know who to side with]

    [Is the witchcraft approach right or wrong? Have we all been led astray?]

    [Setting-based reasoning, the world setting must be used in reasoning, it''s usually not wrong]

    [Yeah, with so many details, it would be a waste not to use them]

    [So annoying, why suspect our little Bai? It must be that uncle]

    [Vote for the uncle!! Protect our Bai!!]

    [Sisters, let''s form ranks, protect little Bai!!!]

    [Are you crazy? Turning a reasoning game into a poprity contest?]

    [Fans are brainless]

    [What gives you the right to insult people?]

    ...

    --

    Once the chain of suspicion appears, it''s hard to make it disappear.

    Jian Jing twirled her pen, resting her chin in thought.

    Wataru Kojima directlymunicated with her: "Does Ms. Jian have any thoughts?"

    "I have a doubt," she said frankly. "Why did Dan want me to see him at 12:30? By that time, even if the ritual went smoothly, he should have been dead."

    Wataru Kojima said seriously: "The only reason I can think of is that Dan hoped someone would discover his body quickly, not waiting until tomorrow morning."

    Jian Jing: "The reason?"

    He fell silent.

    "It''s strange, isn''t it? If this wasn''t my own experience, I would suspect it was a lie. But I know it''s not made up, so Dan must have had a reason for doing this."

    Jian Jing propped up her pen, the tip blotting a dot of ink on the white paper.

    "I have two thoughts. First, Dan believed that after the reincarnation ritual, the vessel''s soul would enter his body, so he hoped I would discover it quickly to provide timely help."

    But Wataru Kojima immediately refuted this idea: "The witch''s diary doesn''t mention anything like that. If it was a soul exchange, the ritual would surely have specified. Besides, since Dan decided to steal someone else''s body, he wouldn''t be so kind. The diary also says his body would die."

    "Then only one possibility remains," Jian Jing said gravely. "He wanted me to appear with the corpse. To make me a suspect."

    Others, hearing their discussion, couldn''t help but ask: "Why?"

    "Because I''m of the witch''s bloodline," Jian Jing exined. "He wasn''t sure if I knew about the immortality technique. If I did know, or if the witch had secretly told me, then I might have guessed what he had done, which would undoubtedly be very dangerous for him."

    Everyone had a moment of realization: "That makes sense."

    Jian Jing said: "If no murder had urred, when I arrived at the study, Dan would have already died naturally. To others, it would look like we had a conflict, causing his heart attack, and I wouldn''t be able to exin."

    "Wait," Hiroto Ishikawa suddenly had an inspiration and blurted out, "So, you cut off his head?"

    Jian Jing: "?"

    "Completely unnecessary," Wataru Kojima spoke for her. "Ms. Jian could have simply pretended not to go, not mentioning that Dan had asked for her. No one would have known she was there."

    Hiroto Ishikawa felt a bit embarrassed: "That''s true."

    "The phone call," Min-cheol Park remembered something and asked Jian Jing, "Did you make the call to the restaurant?"

    She shook her head and exined: "I don''t think covering up the call would be a good idea. I couldn''t be sure if Dan had anyone with him when he made the call. If someone was there, and I said there wasn''t, it would only invite suspicion. Also, even if I covered up the call, I couldn''t remove all traces. If fingerprints or hair were left, I couldn''t exin it, since I hadn''t had the opportunity to go to the study before."

    After a pause, she added, "Moreover, a shallow, money-loving young girl''s first reaction upon seeing a headless corpse would definitely be to leave in fear, not to consider whether she might be the prime suspect and try to cover up traces of her visit."

    Jian Jing''s analysis of both the character setting and the game mentality was reasonable and quickly gained everyone''s approval.

    Wataru Kojima said: "Ms. Jian''s analysis of Dan should be pretty urate. It fits his personality of not leaving loose ends. But that''s not the main point. We still don''t have a clear idea about the killer''s identity."

    "I think we should stop focusing on motives," Jian Jing rubbed her brow, trying to correct the direction. "What really determines the killer''s identity is never the motive, but their actions - beheading is a time-consuming andborious act. The killer stayed at the scene to do this, which must have had a purpose."

    Min-cheol Park flipped through his notebook and said: "I think it''s because the killer was afraid. They feared Dan''s soul might return to his body, so they decided to cut off his head, solving the problem once and for all."

    "But the witch''s head is also missing," Kumiko Terauchi reminded.

    Valeriya boldly spected, "Could Dan''s soul have entered the witch''s body?"

    "That''s not possible, the vessel requires a blood rtion," Ran-er Kim said.

    "What if the killer didn''t know this?" Liu Sau-chi offered a contrary opinion.

    Wu Lie thought it made sense: "If the killer hastily learned about reincarnation, they might indeed not know the specific conditions. The witch''s diary was in her room, so the killer might not have known the exact details of the ritual. They might have thought anyone would do, so just to be safe, they cut off the witch''s head too."

    "Aren''t you overthinking this?" Andrei said. "Maybe the killer did this just to vent their anger."

    "That seems unlikely," the others weren''t very convinced.

    After all, this was a game. In reality, killers dismembering bodies wasn''t umon, but it was hard to imagine someone getting so emotionally invested in a game.

    But Jian Jing said, "There''s another possibility: provocation."

    "Towards whom? Us?"

    She nodded: "Some criminals, like the well-known high-IQ offenders, sometimes deliberately do things like leaving coded messages or sending letters to the media as a way to taunt the police or detectives. There are also serial killers who use the same method of killing as their identifying feature, intentionally letting people know the cases are their work."

    The guests thought about it and felt it wasn''t impossible.

    Drawing the role of the killer was certainly challenging, but it was also the focus of the entire livestream. Whether showing off skills or being deliberately mysterious, this kind of intentional behavior couldn''t be ruled out.

    After all, this wasn''t just deduction, it was also a game, and games have their own strategies.

    Wataru Kojima: "Since Jian-san brought it up, why don''t we analyze the significance of the headless corpse?"

    He looked to Jian Jing for approval, and she made a "go ahead" gesture.

    "First, the most familiar headless corpse trick is the swapping of victim and perpetrator. If the body''s clothes belong to A, people assume A is dead, while B is missing and suspected of murder and fleeing. In reality, A is the killer who has already escaped wearing B''s clothes.

    "Second, the head is needed to create a misdirection. For example, using a head and clothes to create the illusion that the victim is in a locked room with only a venttion duct too small for a person to pass through, yet the victim has vanished. In reality, the killer used a mechanism to remove the head from the locked room and dumped the body elsewhere."

    Jian Jing: "That''s a good trick. Have you written about it?"

    "Yes, in the third volume of my humble work," Wataru Kojima said politely. "If you''d like, I can send you a set."

    "I''d be honored," she said. "Please continue."

    "Third, the needs of serial killing. The killer cuts off the first victim''s head and ces it on the second victim''s body, creating confusion about the number of bodies and the timeline. I won''t borate further on this.

    "Fourth, human body puzzles. The killer murders multiple victims, cutting off parts of their bodies to assemble a corpse in their desired image. Or they use this to confuse the body count, pulling the wool over everyone''s eyes.

    "Fifth, trophies or souvenirs. I noticed many doll heads in the witch''s room. Perhaps heads have special significance in certain cultural customs, and the killer keeps them as medals of achievement.

    "Sixth, simr to faceless corpses, it''s just to hide the victim''s identity. This was Jian-san''s earliest suspicion, right? Worried that the body you saw might not actually be Dan''s."

 Chapter 373

    "Yes." Jian Jing admitted frankly, "That was my first reaction. Is the body really Dan''s? Could someone be hoping I''d testify that Dan was already dead by 12:30? So the time of the crime would be before that, when in fact it was the opposite - he was still alive then, and the killer acted after I did."

    "But ording to the witch''s diary, the ritual had to be performed at midnight," said Zhang Xue''er.

    Jian Jing: "That''s a clue we only got this afternoon. Now I''ve basically ruled out Kojima''s suspicion."

    She sat up straight, stretched, and continued.

    "There''s also the seventh point, which I mentioned earliest - perhaps the killer left clues on the head, so they had no choice but to decapitate. And cutting off the witch''s head was to cover up this fact."

    Wu Lie asked, "So which do you think is most likely?"

    "Witchcraft concerns, concealing clues, showing off skills - all three make sense," she pondered. "So, to doubt the first point, we need to analyze each person''s situation specifically. The second point requires returning to the scene, and the third point depends on how well we understand each other."

    It was now 7 PM, with 3 hours left until the 10 PM vote.

    Jian Jing: "Let''s not waste time. I n to go check out the scene. What about you all?"

    Min-cheol Park: "I want to chat with everyone individually."

    "My head is about to explode. I''d better go to the deck for some fresh air," Liu Sau-chi said with a wry smile. "Everything''s a mess right now."

    Connor Lee: "Alright, let''s each do our own thing."

    The group dispersed.

    ¨D¨D

    Liu Sau-chi arrived on the deck. It was already dark, with a starry sky overhead.

    He sat at the bar by the pool and ordered a martini.

    The waiter brought over the tray, blocking the camera with his body as his lips moved silently a few times.

    Liu Sau-chi nodded imperceptibly.

    -

    Hiroto Ishikawa walked to the end of the corridor and waved at the cameraman.

    The cameraman understood, temporarily pausing the live broadcast to switch tomercials.

    Hiroto Ishikawa entered the bathroom and ran into a staff member.

    "Mr. Ishikawa, I''m a huge fan of your performance," the staff member said enthusiastically. "Could I get your autograph?"

    Hiroto Ishikawa was a bit surprised but quickly agreed: "Of course."

    The staff member handed over a prepared pen and paper.

    He took the pen, suddenly noticing a line of text on the paper. He froze for a moment, but within a second, he signed his name as if nothing had happened.

    "Thank you," he said.

    Staff member: "I''m Japanese. I hope my country wins."

    Hiroto Ishikawa: "I''ll make sure of it."

    ¨D¨D

    At the buffet.

    Connor Lee was holding a te waiting for steak when he saw Wu Lie approach. He smiled, "I''m starving. My brain can''t function normally at all. Want some?"

    "Sure, I''ll have the same," Wu Lie told the chef.

    While waiting, the two chatted casually.

    "The xiaolongbao this morning was really good. I wonder if they''ll have it again tomorrow," Wu Lie said. "When I was little and visited my grandmother''s house, xiaolongbao left the deepest impression on me."

    Connor Lee: "It''s hard to find authentic Chinese food in America."

    The two chatted about food. The cameraman wouldn''t follow them constantly - that would be too tiring. In the restaurant or conference room, they generally used fixed cameras with just a few angles, which also allowed for some rest.

    Now, the cameraman gestured to them and sat down at a distance to continue broadcasting.

    Connor Lee nced at the camera and mouthed something.

    Wu Lie smiled and nodded helplessly.

    Connor Lee continued as if nothing had happened: "I usually cook at home, but it never tastes quite the same as before."

    "I know a good Chinese restaurant in New York..." Wu Lie also showed no signs of anything unusual.

    ¨D¨D

    At 8:30, the main event began.

    The thirteen guests gathered in the conference room, with an atmosphere as heavy as the Last Supper.

    "Ahem." Min-cheol Park habitually spoke first, "Everyone should have some thoughts by now. I suggest we take turns speaking. Who wants to go first?"

    He looked at Jian Jing, but for some reason, she seemed distracted and showed no intention of speaking.

    Connor Lee took the initiative: "I''ll start by sharing my thoughts. The motive for this murder is undoubtedly the reincarnation ritual. From the clues we''ve gathered, I believe the killer is the person chosen by Dan. Considering the infant mortality rate, I rule out the children, which leaves me, the third son, and the nephew.

    "I know it''s not me, and the nephew''s behavior has been a bit strange. He said he didn''t go to find Dan, which I didn''t believe at first, but thinking carefully, if Dan had chosen him, he would surely have named him as his heir to facilitate the takeover and lower his guard. However, we haven''t found any clues in this regard.

    "So I think the third son is still the most likely candidate. A father passing on to his son is natural. As for the talk of fate, it''s always been him saying it, and we haven''t found any evidence, so I can''t believe it."

    This speech was concise, logical, and quite convincing, setting a good start.

    "My thoughts are simr to Lee''s," Wu Lie said. "What concerns me most is actually the decapitation. Although Professor Jian and Kojima gave a long list of things about headless corpses, it all seems too... how should I put it, unrealistic. I think the killer''s purpose in decapitating was simple: venting anger. He hated Dan, and among all of us, the only one who really hated him and is suspected of being the vessel is the third son."

    Min-cheol Park received two votes, suddenly under great pressure.

    He had to defend himself: "I''m not the killer. I''ve thought about it carefully, and the killer probably decapitated to guard against witchcraft, including the witch''s head, which proves he doesn''t know everything, just bits and pieces. But one thing is certain - he knows about the secret room, so the range narrows down to family members.

    "Something Professor Jian said earlier reminded me that the killer might not be the vessel themselves, but someone who deeply loves the vessel, or someone with rted interests.

    "Allow me to remind everyone that in the rooms of the wife, eldest daughter-inw, and second daughter, there were witchcraft-rted items. They belong to the group with partial knowledge. So, would the wife''s interests be harmed after Dan''s death? No, on the contrary, she could be with her lover. What about the second daughter? No, Dan wouldn''t choose her or her husband, and the child isn''t born yet, too risky. So, in the eldest daughter-inw''s view, the most likely candidate would be her husband.

    "If the eldest son became Dan, she would certainly not ept it emotionally. Moreover, the couple has been childless for years but hasn''t divorced, proving their deep affection. She wants to protect her husband and maintain her own status, so choosing to kill Dan isn''t surprising."

    He took a breath and continued.

    "Regarding the decapitation, I agree with Professor Jian''s guess that the killer wanted to conceal evidence. In case of death by suffocation, strangling requires strength, and the back of the hands could easily be injured. Strangtion is more logical, but this might leave certain marks on the neck - a ring, which only married people wear on their fingers."

    Min-cheol Park looked at Valeriya''s finger, which bore arge diamond.

    The eldest daughter-inw received the first vote.

    Valeriya waspletely unprepared to be a suspect and immediately defended herself: "I find this usation entirely unreasonable."

    She gathered her thoughts: "What''s relevant to my interests is my marriage, not my husband''s soul. Even if Dan became the eldest son, it wouldn''t be a loss for me. I agree with the ring theory, but I''m not the only one wearing a ring. Others are just as suspicious, so it''s strange to conclude it''s me based on just that."

    Min-cheol Park nodded: "Perhaps the evidence isn''t sufficient, but I have another reason for focusing on you. Throughout the entire investigation, you''ve had very little presence. Although you seem to have been actively participating, you rarely express clear opinions, just following others'' spections. Earlier, you even tried to clear your name by making us think the suspect was one of the vessel candidates, diverting our attention from those closest to them."

    Valeriya pressed her lips together: "Everyone has their own way of ying."

    "True, but my instinct tells me the killer is hiding very deep," Min-cheol Park said.

    The air was quiet for a moment.

    The next to speak was Hiroto Ishikawa.

    He said, "Unlike Park''s idea, I think we''ve oveplicated the case. The situation is very clear now. Dan wanted to reincarnate into someone else''s body to achieve immortality but was killed instead. Think about it, everyone. The ritual was scheduled for midnight, and the butler said Dan usually rested at that time. If he called someone over, wouldn''t they be suspicious? Especially the third son, given their strained father-son rtionship.

    "Considering that choosing a female is unlikelyˇŞhis wife isn''t blood-rted, his daughter has a different surname, and it would be strange to call the eldest daughter-inw in the middle of the nightˇŞI believe the only person who would go see him without suspicion is his nephew. Think about it: Dan knew he was going to die, and he saw so many rtives before his death, but not his nephew? He''s lying."

    Hiroto Ishikawa spoke thest few words with particr certainty.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but nce at him, noticing confidence emanating from every hair on his head.

    She frowned.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "You say I''m lying, but do you have any evidence? You think Dan would see me, but have you considered that I had already talked to him before the dinner? Besides, he saw others because they had problems, which I didn''t. Moreover, Dan knew he would reincarnate into someone else, so was there any need to givest words to everyone?"

    Hiroto Ishikawa shrugged, not arguing further, but also not changing his mind.

    The next to speak was Andrei.

    He said frankly, "You''ve all said what I was thinking. Either the third son or the nephew is possible. I need to think more about which one specifically, but it''s definitely one of you two."

    Kumiko Terauchi: "I''m sorry, but I might have a different perspectiveˇŞthe witch''s diary never mentioned that the vessel must be present at the scene. If I were Dan, why would I call the vessel over? What if they resisted? The safest approach would be to let them stay in their room, unaware, waiting for the ritual toplete."

    Several people looked thoughtful.

    She continued, "So, the nephew saying he didn''t go there not only isn''t a lie but actually proves that he was Dan''s chosen vessel. However, he''s not the killer."

    Kumiko was beautiful, gentle, and graceful, appearing at first nce to be an ordinary Japanese woman. But after spending some time with her, one could easily discover her intelligence and attentiveness, often noticing small details.

    Therefore, everyone listened attentively to her speech.

    "I believe the killer is his father. Although Mr. Wu said he went there at 10:30, that''s just his side of the story. Perhaps he wanted to borrow money from Dan but identally overheard everything. To protect his only childˇŞremember, the original child was seriously ill and wouldn''t live longˇŞand to transfer Dan''s assets to the child, he decided to kill Dan."

    Kumiko Terauchi calmly continued, "Most importantly, there''s that phone call. I''ve been wondering for a long time why the killer would call the dining room. I couldn''t figure it out until I looked at the phone book and suddenly realized I was wrong. The call might not have been made by the killer, but by Dan."

    "Why would Dan call the dining room?" everyone wondered.

    She said, "Dan wanted to make the killer think he had hastily dialed the wrong number in an attempt to call for help but failed, so the killer wouldn''t be suspicious."

    "Ah," Wataru Kojima eximed, as if suddenly enlightened, "It''s the internal extension number."

    Kumiko Terauchi nodded: "The dining room has an automatic answering system. We all heard, ''Hello, this is the dining room, connecting your call''... The killer breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing that the dining room''s internal extension number isˇŞ56."

    "56, Wu Lie," Zhang Xue''er gasped, suddenly understanding.

    Wu Lie objected: "Anyone could have made that call. Why couldn''t it be the killer trying to frame me?"

    "I don''t have conclusive evidence," Kumiko admitted frankly. "I''m just filtering based on possibilities, and you fit the profile best. If someone were to give you a hint, the killer must understand Chinese."

    Jiang BaiYan: "The pronunciation of Arabic numerals is simr in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, you know."

    "The possibility of it being a Chinese person is still higher," Ran-er Kim argued.

    Andrei and Valeriya exchanged nces, both feeling less suspicious: numbers aren''t pronounced that way in Russian.

 Chapter 374

    Subtle undercurrents were stirring.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After a while, Liu Sau-chi spoke: "Miss Terauchi has discovered a very important clue. However, I don''t think the killer was unaware of it. This is undoubtedly a frame-up, and the killer is Chinese."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He looked at Jiang BaiYan with certainty: "You are the vessel. Perhaps you orchestrated this yourself, with the aim of having Dan name you as his sessor, and then killing him. This way, you could be the rightful heir."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan asked dryly, "How would I know about the reincarnation technique?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "The witch."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "ording to your logic, if the witch wanted to betray Dan, she wouldn''t do it for my sake. She''d more likely make a deal with the third son. He could marry her granddaughter, and she''d reveal the secret." Jiang BaiYan once again directed the usation towards Min-cheol Park.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Liu Sau-chi: "You''re lying."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan smiled. He hadn''t smiled muchtely, but now he curled his lips upward, smiling particrly sweetly and sarcastically: "Why do you think I''m lying?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Liu Sau-chi hurriedly said, "I''m telling the truth, please don''t be angry."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Why would I be angry? I''m just curious," Jiang BaiYan said with a smile. "I think my reasoning is very sound. Dan wouldn''t approach me because I''m not of his bloodline. No matter how well he treats me usually, it''s still limited. You should understand the mindset of these old people, right? If you don''t share the same surname, you''re not family."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Even if he didn''t approach you, you would approach him. Dan''s health was already very poor. If you wanted to be the heir, shouldn''t you seize the opportunity to prove yourself?" Liu Sau-chi said. "Moreover, you only answer when others ask you, always on the defensive, hoping others won''t suspect you. You haven''t really investigated the killer."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan argued eloquently: "I think everyone makes good points."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Having said this, Liu Sau-chi was at a loss and smiled apologetically: "I was just sharing my personal opinion, I didn''t mean anything by it."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It''s alright, I''m not angry," Jiang BaiYan said sincerely, his tone dripping with sarcasm.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Zhang Xue''er tried to mediate: "Then let me share my thoughts. Kumiko has a point. Dan might not have summoned the vessel, but there is one person who would definitely go to find him, and who reported their intention to kill."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She looked at Min-cheol Park: "Of all the people here, only you prepared poison, showing clear murderous intent. I strongly suspect you. And your beheading of the witch could very well be because she told you that you had bad luck, and you harbored resentment."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Min-cheol Park opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to defend himself, but quickly closed it again.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Indeed," Wataru Kojima nodded. "Of everyone here, you''re the only one who both had murderous intent towards Dan and reason to hate the witch."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ran-er Kim asked, "Mr. Kojima also thinks Mr. Park is the killer?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "He''s highly suspicious in my book, but I haven''t made up my mind yet," Wataru Kojima replied.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ran-er Kim wrinkled her nose in frustration, looking quite adorable: "Everyone''s arguments sound so convincing. I don''t know who to vote for now."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Go with your intuition," Zhang Xue''er said. "Whoever your gut tells you, that''s the one."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ran-er Kim thought for a moment, then said sheepishly: "To be honest, I suspect Mr. Jiang."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan: "Why?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Intuition. I feel like you''re hiding something," she said. "Generally speaking, my intuition is quite urate. You understand what I mean, right? The sixth sense isn''t some superpower, it''s your brain telling you something doesn''t add up, so I trust my feelings."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He sighed and fell silent.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Oh, and the most important point," Ran-er Kim said. "I''ve noticed you very much avoid Miss Jian''s gaze. When she looks at you, you look away. It''s very strange. If you''re not guilty, what are you afraid of?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan shrugged, choosing not to answer.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Now only two people hadn''t expressed their opinions.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wataru Kojima looked at Jian Jing and asked, "Who does Miss Jian think is the killer?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing didn''t answer directly, instead saying: "From what we''ve seen so far, everyone has basically focused on witchcraft. The difference in suspects is whether the killer is the vessel or the vessel''s rtive or lover. For me, as long as there''s a motive, the restes down to physical evidence.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I don''t know if anyone has noticed, but the witch''s clothing was a bit disheveled, and the candles on the altar were scattered. If there had been a struggle, this wouldn''t be strange, but the witch died of natural causes, so why is the scene so messy? Usually, deliberately disturbing a scene is done to disguise it as a burry, but that doesn''t work in a locked room.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Considering Raj''s testimony, I believe that after the murder, the killer remained at the scene for some time, searching the area and the witch''s body. What was their purpose?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Looking for something?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I remember reading before that messing up a scene can be to hide something, or to make people overlook that something is missing."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "What exactly?" Zhang Xue''er asked directly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing paused, then said slowly: "Normally, as a detective, I would certainly exin everything clearly, allowing the culprit to confess and face justice with full understanding, but..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She took a breath and looked at everyone: "Today, we''re all detectives. I''ve already shared my thoughts. If I say more, it might confuse your thinking. Please vote for who you think is the suspect."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "That''s all."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing closed her notebook and leaned back in her chair.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wataru Kojima looked at her, then suddenly said: "I originally had two suspects, the third son and the nephew. Before, I was leaning towards the former, because Dan chose his fianc¨¦e as the first to discover him. Miss Jian said that Dan wanted her to bear the suspicion of his death, thus keeping the secret of eternal life. I fully agree with this point.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "This alone is not enough to convict, but what if the third son used her? The fianc¨¦e''s only support would be her fianc¨¦. So, reasoning backwards, since Dan chose her, the possibility of him being the third son is extremely high.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "My primary suspect was Mr. Park. But just now, I changed my mind. As a detective, bringing the culprit to justice is only right and proper. Miss Jian''s reason doesn''t convince me at all. Why would you do this?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Without waiting for Jian Jing to answer, he voiced his own guess.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Because you don''t want to use your friend," Wataru Kojima said. "I believe you would choose the truth, but out of loyalty to your friend, you can''t publicly use him, right?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing looked at him and said, "This is just a game."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I know," Wataru Kojima nodded and turned to the others. "I''ve said my piece. Let''s vote."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    --<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    On the live streaming tform, in thements section:<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Holy crap, is it really Xiao Bai?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Panicking, can he handle this?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Xiao Bai is definitely acting weird, have you seen him in the haunted house? Totally different person]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Xiao Bai doesn''t follow celebrities, definitely suspicious]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Oh God, please don''t let it be Xiao Bai]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [I think that Korean pretty boy is acting strange]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [There must be some behind-the-scenes maniption]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Timid before, nowing out swinging, what the hell?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [I''m so nervous...]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [My heart is racing]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Go Teacher Jian, we believe in you!]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [That Kojima guy is so annoying, thinks he''s so smart?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    ...<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    --<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The voting process was simple. Each person got a piece of paper, wrote their vote, and put it in the box. Then they would count the votes immediately.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was all about the suspense.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    They went up to vote in order of their numbers.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Five minutester, it was over.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel suddenly appeared: "Hello everyone, did you miss me?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You''re not reincarnated, you''ve risen from the dead," Connor Lee joked with him.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel smiled and said: "That''s right, but unfortunately I don''t know who the killer is either."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The others were a bit nervous and urged him: "Hurry and check the results."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel made a calming gesture and faced the camera: "Although everyone is eager to know the results, I still need to reiterate our rules. Now, excluding Rinae who died and Raj who was eliminated, there are thirteen detectives eligible to vote.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "The oue of the voting is determined by the number of votes. The guest who receives the most votes is the identified suspect. If the suspect is indeed the true culprit, those who voted correctly will split $1 million, with a minimum guarantee of $100,000 each. Those who voted incorrectly face no punishment. If the suspect is not the true culprit, the real killer will enjoy the $1 million prize alone."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The rules were written in the contract, and everyone already knew them, but Jian Jing still couldn''t help but grumble internally.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The cunning part of this gamey in the prize money. If someone were to step forward and guide everyone to vote for the correct killer, the money each person would receive would be pitifully small. So, maximizing one''s interests wasn''t just about finding the killer, but also ensuring that the number of people voting the same way was neither too many nor too few.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Exceptionally skilled yers could even mislead others to vote incorrectly while they and their allies vote correctly, earning 500,000 each.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Converted to Chinese yuan at a 6:1 exchange rate, that''s the difference between 600,000 and 3 million.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    With 3 million, she could buy plenty of nice furniture for her little vi.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing, the humble homeowner, let out a soft sigh.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Now, let''s reveal the results," Daniel said, having built up enough suspense. He pulled out the paper balls one by one, announcing the votes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Valeriya uses Wu Lie."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Valeriya blinked. Wu Lie smiled bitterly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Liu Sau-chi uses Jiang BaiYan."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Liu Sau-chi''s expression remainedposed. Jiang BaiYan''s face was expressionless.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Kumiko Terauchi uses Wu Lie."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Kumiko Terauchi gave Wu Lie an apologetic look. Thetter sighed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Min-cheol Park uses Jiang BaiYan."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Min-cheol Park inteced his fingers. Jiang BaiYan remained expressionless.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Wu Lie uses Min-cheol Park."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wu Lie was calm. Min-cheol Park was also calm.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Andrei uses Jiang BaiYan."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Andrei shifted his sitting position. Jiang BaiYan changed his posture, propping up his head.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Zhang Xue''er uses Min-cheol Park."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Zhang Xue''er smiled. Min-cheol Park frowned.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Connor Lee uses Min-cheol Park."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Connor Lee appearedposed. Min-cheol Park''s frown deepened, seeming uneasy.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Hiroto Ishikawa uses Jiang BaiYan."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Hiroto Ishikawa nodded, his posture rxed. Jiang BaiYan slumped onto the table, looking lifeless.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Jiang BaiYan uses Min-cheol Park."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan raised his head, as if regaining some hope. Min-cheol Park''s expression grew serious.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Ran-er Kim uses Jiang BaiYan."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ran-er Kim made a face. Jiang BaiYan once again gave up hope.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel took a breath, intentionally saying, "The votes are quite concentrated. Jiang BaiYan has 5 votes, Min-cheol Park has 4, and Wu Lie has 2. It seems the next 2 votes will be crucial."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He opened the second-tost paper slip.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Wataru Kojima uses Jiang BaiYan."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wataru Kojima looked relieved, offering a faint smile.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan slumped down, weakly saying, "So I''m already the murderer? Not even a chance for a tie."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Min-cheol Park also breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, even if thest vote was for him, it wouldn''t change the oue. He couldn''t help but feel relieved, "That was close, so close."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Andrei asked, "Did I guess correctly?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ran-er Kim''s tense face rxed, breaking into a smile.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Liu Sau-chi adjusted her expression, ready to face the camera at any moment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Kojima''s vote was very important," Hiroto remarked, "It directly determined the oue."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, Wataru Kojima looked at Jian Jing and said, "There''s still one vote left to be revealed."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel opened the paper slip, nced at Jian Jing, and looked surprised: "Miss Jian, are you sure you didn''t write this by mistake?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing replied calmly, "Of course."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "This is truly an unexpected choice," Daniel said, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan suddenly sat up straight: "Could it be Rina?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing smiled: "Why do you think that?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "As long as the murderer isn''t found, they get the prize money," he said slowly. "Rina is dead, so no one would suspect her. That would be the safest oue."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His words caused a stir among the others.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Many people looked doubtful, but Wataru Kojima said, "Rina had no motive."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan shook his head: "Murder needs a motive, but a game doesn''t."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He fell silent.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel, being the seasoned professional he was, heard their heated debate but didn''t reveal the vote. Instead, he put the paper slip back in his pocket, smiling as he said, "I''ve decided to announce this voteter. It might be a surprise."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The others felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ran-er Kim asked, "It couldn''t be that we were all wrong, and only Jian guessed correctly, could it?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel just smiled and moved on to the next phase: "Hand over your identity proof."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan reached into his pocket and took out his capsule toy.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel said, "Let''s send our murderer to the electric chair."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Two tall, burly men in ck came on stage, grabbed Jiang BaiYan, handcuffed him, and pushed him into the electric chair that had risen from the center of the stage.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was a retired real electric chair, with fingernail marks left by prisoners on the armrests, stains of unknown origin on the backrest, and exposed wood covered in scratches, making it a terrifying sight.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    As Jiang BaiYan was pushed into it, he immediately gasped, his face turning pale.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The men in ck strapped him in tightly, leaving himpletely immobilized. Jiang BaiYan tried to struggle a bit, but his wrists immediately turned red from chafing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The lights came on, making his already pale face look even whiter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel put on a serious face: "Mr. Jiang BaiYan, you are charged with the murder of Dan and with inciting Raj tomit a crime. You have been sentenced to death. Do you have anyst words?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan: "...I''m innocent."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Anything else?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "No."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel said, "Proceed with the execution."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The fully armed men in ck pulled out two guns.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "3, 2, 1ˇŞ"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Bang!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The muzzles of the two handguns spewed out blood-red smoke, which at first nce looked like real blood spatter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Bloody yet beautiful.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan''s body convulsed once, then his neck went limp and dropped.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Daniel opened the capsule toy and took out the paper inside. Then, with a deeply sorrowful tone, he announced: "We have sent an innocent man to the electric chair."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 375

    Live streaming tform,ment section.

    [Ah, I knew it wasn''t a novice!]

    [It''s over, we lost]

    [There''s still Ms. Jian''s vote]

    [What use is one vote, it can''t turn the tide]

    [Unless...]

    [Unless...]

    [Unless... wait, unless what?]

    [I don''t know why, but I feel it''s like that]

    [Me too...]

    [What''s with this strange premonition?]

    [It must be that way!]

    [It is that way!]

    [Is it really that way?]

    [Which way are you talking about?]

    [Those who know, know]

    [If you don''t know, you''ll understand soon]

    [Death to riddlers]

    ...

    ¨D¨D

    "How can this be?" Andrei was the first to speak, asking in disbelief, "I bet wrong?"

    Liu Sau-chi also said: "No way, is there a mistake?"

    Connor Lee looked at Min-cheol Park, who shook his head: "It''s not me either, really not."

    "It must be you," Ran-er Kim said, "Agassi, you''re too good at acting."

    Min-cheol Park, at a loss for words, simply took out his capsule toy: "Look for yourself."

    Ran-er Kim opened it and saw the paper was nk too.

    "It''s really not you?" She looked at Wu Lie, who ranked third in votes.

    Wu Lie was also direct, opening his own, which was, of course, equally nk.

    Everyone became restless. The top three in voting weren''t the culprit? This... Zhang Xue''er had a thought and looked at Jian Jing: "Who did Teacher Jian vote for?"

    Daniel said: "I guess Ms. Jian is the only one who voted correctly. I wonder if I''m wrong."

    "You guess," she smiled.

    Danielughed and took out the paper: "I think everyone is waiting for the answer in my hand." His gaze swept over the guests with varying expressions, "Now, let me announce the final vote."

    He cleared his throat: "Jian Jing identified..."

    "Jian Jing," he said.

    Time froze instantly.

    When Jiang Baiyan was dered innocent, some people had already had a premonition, but even when that premonition was triggered, this answer was still unimaginable.

    Yet reality was precisely so.

    There was a buzzing in their ears, as if the brain couldn''t immediately process the audio captured by the ears, couldn''t provide feedback, and thoughts drifted to the distant universe.

    What? What was just said?

    They instinctively doubted, was it an auditory hallucination? How could the answer possibly be this?

    However, reason and intuition said, yes, it is so, this is right.

    Of course she won.

    It could only be in this way, of course it was this way.

    Wataru Kojima blinked and asked a foolish question: "Are you serious?"

    Jian Jing stood up, bowed slightly to everyone, and said happily: "Thank you all, especially you, Mr. Kojima."

    ¨D¨D

    The live streaming tform exploded, the page became extremelyggy, and manyments and bullet screens became jumbled.

    [What does this mean? I don''t understand?]

    [Why did Teacher Jian identify herself??]

    [Did I miss something?? What''s going on???]

    [Ahhhhh I knew it!!]

    [Damn, sure enough!!]

    [Teacher Jian is the murderer???? I don''t believe it!!!!!]

    [How can a detective be the murderer???]

    [I''m dumbfounded]

    [Ah, for viewers following Teacher Jian, what a huge narrative trick!]

    [Am I the only one who cares that Teacher Jian won?? Damn, so cool!!]

    [Put "Jian Jing is awesome" on the public screen!!]

    [Teacher Jian is awesome]

    [Goddess rules!!]

    [From now on, I can''t call her little princess anymore, I have to call her Queen]

    [So satisfying!!!!!!]

    [Extremely satisfying!!!!!!!!]

    [Blown away!!!!!]

    Everyone wanted to continue discussing, but the server couldn''t handle it and crashed.

    The page wentpletely white.

    ¨D¨D

    The scene was extremely quiet, everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

    Daniel heard the viewership numbers through his earpiece, his smile impossible to suppress: "It''s unbelievable, my heart is racing now. So, is the answer as we thought?"

    He stepped forward and picked up the capsule toy she had handed over.

    He opened it, inside was only a piece of paper.

    It was a candy wrapper with writing on it:

    Life is like a box of choctes, you never know what vor you''re going to get.

    On the back was another line of text.

    Congrattions, murderer.

    ¨D¨D

    Time went back to a few days ago, when they were drawing capsule toys.

    Jian Jing ate an extremely sweet chocte, peeked at others drawing lots, thought nothing had happened, but unexpectedly, the next second, she saw words on the candy wrapper.

    This luck, she didn''t know whether to call it bad or good.

    But... having been a detective for so long, being the murderer was also exciting, her thoughts immediately became lively, eager to try.

    This time, the opponent was no longer just one murderer, but fourteen detectives.

    Exciting, too exciting.

    -

    At 11:30, Jian Jing came to Dan''s rest room.

    There was only a stic mannequin on the sofa, with a tablet on itsp, ying audio, but only static, indicating Dan was resting.

    She wrapped her fingers with a handkerchief and turned off the yer.

    The operation interface popped up, disying: You have murdered Dan, please write down your crime process.

    Jian Jing entered a few lines of text.

    Five minutester, a notification popped up.

    [Passed review, please ce the body in thest position and leave within 10 minutes]

    The stic mannequin was light, Jian Jing had no trouble moving it.

    At 11:45, she left the study.

    ¨D¨D

    12:32.

    Jian Jing came to the study for the second time, the stic mannequin on the ground had turned into a realistic silicone dummy.

    It had no head.

    Her feelings were quiteplex.

    ¨D¨D

    "Congrattions, Murderer," Daniel announced the result loudly.

    Pop.

    The colored balls above burst open, golden confetti fluttered down like snowkes,vish and luxurious, stimting everyone''s hearts.

    The color of gold always easily provokes heartbeats.

    Is this confetti? No, this is money!!

    One million, dors!

    Jian Jing, with exceptionalposure, smiled and greeted everyone: "Thank you all."

    "I told you, didn''t I, sweetheart, you''re a big, big surprise." Daniel hugged her, praising enthusiastically, "You hid it so well, I think at least tens of millions of people now want to know how you did it."

    Speaking of this, Wataru Kojima had something to say: "All the clues didn''t point to you, what did you do?"

    "Mr. Kojima, this is the puzzle I set," Jian Jing sat back in her chair, smiling, "Given that I am the murderer, deduce it."

    Revealing the murderer''s identity at the beginning, like narrative tricks, are ssic tropes in detective fiction.

    Wataru Kojima''s DNA was triggered, and he unconsciously began deducing: "From the start, you knew about the reincarnation technique, that notebook."

    His thoughts gradually became clear: "The adoption certificate was your deliberate misdirection, you erased a line, making us notice this certificate, and also altered Ms. Yu''s details. We discovered the ws in this, subconsciously believing that what you wanted to conceal was your background, but in fact, the evidence that would truly betray you was still the notebook."

    Jian Jing''s strategy was ultimately very simple, sell you a w that''s not easy to discover, misdirect attention, while at the same time handing the fatal clue right under everyone''s noses, openly and frankly.

    "I should have looked at that notebook carefully," he regretted.

    Jian Jing forted" him: "Even if you looked carefully, you wouldn''t have found the problem. The page I removed, I actually told you all about it already, it was about love spells."

    Was there an immortality technique in the notebook? Yes, but the show team couldn''t carelessly write it out, otherwise it would be too unfair for the person who drew number 4.

    They cleverly hid it in the page numbers, only by taking apart the entire thread-bound book and piecing together the patterns at the bottom of the pages could one obtain a string of codes.

    Following the code''s hints, searching for the corresponding text in the book pages would reveal the introduction to the immortality technique.

    Removing the page about love spells not only concealed it from view but also ensured they couldn''t piece together the truth.

    "If not the murderer, the notebook is an advantage for number 4, if the murderer, it''s a hint," Jian Jing praised the show team, "An amazing idea, you''re really too good."

    Daniel: "It''s you who''s too great."

    (Show team: F*ck, what luck!)

    Mr. Kojima sighed: "This is a nested trap."

    She had dug countless pitfalls. While others thought the problemy with the adoptive parents, he discovered the birth parents, believing he had cracked the key to the puzzle. Who could have imagined there was still a series of backup ns?

    One couldn''t help but be impressed.

    "Even if you knew about the elixir of immortality in advance, how could you be sure Daniel would use it?" Wataru Kojima asked. "This should have been a secret. You and Daniel had only just met. How did you know something even his family wasn''t aware of?"

    Jian Jing smiled slightly. "Why don''t you guess?"

    When ying the detective, it was thrilling to reason step by step. Now, as the culprit, appreciating her own work had its own unique vor.

    Ah, she could somewhat understand Wang Shi''s feelings now.

    Crime was indeed an art form.

    Wataru Kojima had to guess: "Did the witch reveal herself to you?"

    She shook her head.

    Daniel testified: "The witch never appeared." The implication was that there wasn''t even an actor; it was just a plot device.

    Wataru Kojima frowned in thought, unable toe up with an answer for the moment.

    Jian Jing looked at the other guests and said with enthusiasm: "What about you all?"

    Support had toe from her own people. Zhang Xue''er boldly spoke up: "I''ll take a wild guess. That night, did the fianc¨¦e also go to see Daniel?"

    She continued, "Although it''s a bit clich¨¦, considering the character setup, it''s not impossible."

    Jian Jing was as gentle as a spring breeze towards the girl, encouraging her: "You''re on the right track."

    Wu Lie also joined in, pondering: "The fianc¨¦e is materialistic and vain. Was she trying to please Daniel and identally discovered the problem?"

    "The fianc¨¦e really longed for a life of luxury. Her outfit when she appeared was particrlyvish," Kumiko Terauchi, being attentive, tried hard to recall, finally remembering some details. "But when I went to your room, I saw that all the jewelry was very cheap. Were you trying to get something nice from Daniel and ended up discovering the secret room?"

    Jian Jing nodded: "That''s correct. My character isn''t just materialistic; she also has a habit of petty theft, sometimes pilfering small pieces of jewelry. She''s also very skilled at picking locks. That''s how she snuck into Daniel''s bedroom and discovered the secret room."

    "I see," everyone realized.

    However, Liu Sau-chi frowned slightly and said, "If this was part of your character setup, there should have been clues to hint at it." He looked at Daniel, subtly questioning, "Why didn''t we notice this?"

    Daniel said, "There must be hints for key character clues."

    Jian Jing nced at him casually and smiled, "Mr. Liu, you''re wrongly ming the production team. In my room, there were many mismatched pieces of jewelry ¨C emerald earrings, a ruby ring ¨C corresponding to what the madam and the second daughter wore at the banquet that evening. This hinted at my actions."

    But Kumiko Terauchi shook her head: "I didn''t notice the things you mentioned."

    "I returned them," she winked, saying with pleasure, "Remember? After the banquet, I was looking for people everywhere. Yes, I was trying to chat with the gentlemen, but I didn''t forget to slip into your rooms and return things that didn''t belong to me."

    Min-cheol Park gasped in disbelief: "You dealt with the evidence that early?"

    "The game began the moment we arrived on the cruise ship," Jian Jing said calmly. "After receiving my character profile, I started understanding her background, personality, and hidden secrets. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. When I found out I was the murderer, the first thing I nned wasn''t how to kill, but how to eliminate the most damning evidence."

    She paused, then added, "A person without suspicion would actually draw attention. Having suspicion but being unable tomit the crime is the best cover."

    Valeriya couldn''t help but agree: "It''s true. I never suspected you because you were here for the first time."

    Although Jian Jing demonstrated extraordinary perceptiveness, when considering who might know about the secret room, everyone''s deductions were based on character profiles.

    The fianc¨¦e, meeting everyone for the first time and boarding the cruise ship for the first time, couldn''t possibly know about the secret room.

    The chain of evidence was missing the most crucial link. Unable to connect the dots, people''s suspicions about her always remained on the periphery, never delving deeper.

 Chapter 376

    Connor Lee asked, "What about the motive? What was your motive for murder?"

    Kumiko Terauchi was genuinely puzzled. "With the role of a fianc¨¦e, even if the vessel was the third son, she wouldn''t have the idea to kill to protect him."

    Jian Jingughed.

    She found it extremely amusing: "I''ve already told you the motive."

    Wu Lie suddenly realized: "Daniel wanted you to be a suspect?"

    "Correct," Jian Jing readily admitted. "Before the dinner party, ''I'' snuck into Daniel''s room and faintly heard him talking to a woman, but it wasn''t clear."

    This was a line from the character script, with a note. If a careless guest read it, they might only associate it with his wife or daughter.

    But Jian Jing remembered it at the time.

    "I decided to find an opportunity to check Daniel''s room," Jian Jing said. "''I'' am a habitual thief, with a special master key, and coincidentally, I know a little about that too. There, I discovered Daniel''s secret room. After seeing the altar, videotapes, and other things, I knew Daniel wanted to reincarnate into someone else."

    "If Daniel hadn''t called me, I would have had no reason to kill him. What difference does it make to me whether my fianc¨¦ is a son or a father? But he asked me to go over at 12:30, and I immediately understood that he wanted to get rid of me."

    She smiled, calmly analyzing the "murder" motive, feeling strangely satisfied.

    "Daniel never agreed to the marriage in the first ce, and now he wanted to harm me. Naturally, I couldn''t just sit and wait for death. The best way was to turn the tables on him and kill him. After his death, the person obstructing my marriage would be gone, and I might even benefit from it."

    Everyone understood and felt somewhat regretful.

    Hiroto Ishikawa said, "Miss Jian, I suspected you."

    Jian Jing wasn''t kind to him, gently twisting the knife: "Then why weren''t you more confident?"

    Hiroto Ishikawa said, "What I mean is, your n wasn''t perfect."

    "There might be lucky individuals in the world who escape thew''s, like myself," Jian Jing suddenly turned serious, "but there''s no such thing as a perfect crime."

    Wataru Kojima hadn''t realized her targeting yet and agreed: "Yes, once something is done, traces are left behind. Miss Jian''s sess wasn''t due to ack of loopholes, but because you exploited the blind spots in those loopholes."

    Jian Jing''s expression softened, and she asked gently, "What have you deduced?"

    "The phone call," Wataru Kojima said. "You used a number that sessfully cleared your suspicion."

    Jian Jing assumed a listening posture.

    Wataru Kojima said, "The call to the restaurant seemed like the killer was trying to hide something. The homophone for 56 was also very clever, focusing attention on whether it was a frame-up. If the brother-inw had a grudge against someone, it would be unclear, but its real purpose was to contrast with your honesty."

    He continued, "You proactively, even first, mentioned the call Daniel made to you, and you told theplete truth. This created a strong contrast with the killer''s behavior,pletely separating your image from that of the killer."

    Jian Jing nodded: "Correct."

    A mysterious phone call would definitely attract everyone''s attention. People would think about who thest call was made to, when, for what purpose, and if it was a code, whether it was Daniel''sst words or the killer''s attempt to frame someone.

    But in reality, the key wasn''t the content, but the action itself.

    "But the headless corpse... was that your precaution?" he asked. "Were you afraid someone might discover the bodyter, so you created a red herring to make it impossible to determine the time of death?"

    Jian Jing shook her head: "Everyone would eventually discover the secret of midnight. Misleading about the time of death was pointless."

    Wataru Kojima: "Then was it to cover up clues?"

    She smiled without answering.

    Zhang Xue''er couldn''t help but ask, "How did Daniel actually die?"

    Jian Jing: "Strangled with a hand towel, the kind used in the restaurant." Of course, she was careful and meticulous in her actions. How could she possibly use something with special significance as a murder weapon?

    It had to be an ordinary item that anyone could get their hands on.

    "What about the witch?" Valeriya chimed in.

    Jian Jing: "The reincarnation ritual was performed at midnight, but once the altar was prepared, whether sessful or not, the witch had already offered her life and was destined to die. I didn''t kill her."

    Wataru Kojima hesitated for a moment: "If that''s the case, was the headless corpse also a diversion?"

    "You''re right, the headless corpse itself had no meaning. It was a trick I prepared for myself."

    She finally revealed the mystery: "To y the detective, one must act like a detective. Being too silent would arouse suspicion, while guiding the direction would be easily noticed. I had to be factual and investigate properly. But saying too much would expose myself, and saying too little wouldn''t match my abilities. So, I had to prepare a few puzzles for myself.

    "The headless corpse is a ssic trope in detective stories. I became interested in it and had been pondering its mysteries. Who would suspect me?"

    As she spoke, she criticized herself: s, she could only me herself for getting too carried away during the haunted house recording, making everyone aware of her abilities, forcing her to arrange this extra step.

    Fortunately, she always stuck to the facts, neither targeting anyone nor being entirely defensive, making her seem more like a detective than others.

    "Besides, this was also the trump card to deal with Mr. Kojima," she joked. "You''re so clever, if there wasn''t a headless corpse to attract your attention, who knows if you might have started digging into my secrets."

    "Uh," Wataru Kojima suddenly became flustered and said awkwardly, "You''re giving me too much credit, Miss Jian. I didn''t discover your trap at all."

    Jian Jing was very friendly towards him: "A detective always knows what another detective is thinking."

    Wataru Kojima regained hisposure a bit and said, "You truly are a detective." He raised his head and looked directly into her eyes. "You chose yourself."

    "Maybe I just wanted to win," she smiled. "I won as the killer, and I want to win as the detective too."

    "No," Wataru Kojima denied this exnation. "A perfect crime is one that leaves no traces until the very end, but you made yourself a suspect, leaving an indelible stain. This isn''t what a criminal wants, but it''s the justice that a detective relentlessly pursues."

    "Justice..." Jian Jing savored the word, but then said, "No, it''s not justice."

    She raised her eyes, a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu shing through her mind.

    Flowing water, under the begonia flowers, a dark shadow wandering in the hot spring inn enveloped the houses. Thunder and lightning, pouring rain, omnipresent phantoms crawling on the floor, creeping in through door cracks and window gaps, like horrifying ghost stories, slowly devouring the heart.

    Darkness dragged people into hell, the souls of those brutally murdered wailing in despair.

    The world turned dark.

    The body sank uncontrobly, falling, struggling desperately, resisting, yet the limbs had no strength, as if wandering like a lost soul.

    Will I be discovered?

    Did I really kill someone?

    Is this... right?

    What does a human life really count for?

    At this moment, she seemed tomunicate with the deceased.

    "I believe that the fate of every criminal is predetermined," Jian Jing said. "Some are judged by thew, some by conscience, some escape the of justice and blind themselves to the reproach of conscience, thinking they''re clever, not knowing that sooner orter, they''ll die by their own hand."

    She had encountered many criminals. Most were of the first type, Xie Wei was the second, and Wang Shi was the third.

    But they all met the same end.

    She said, "The reason I chose myself is not out of a detective''s pursuit of justice. On the contrary, I did it entirely as a criminal."

    Wataru Kojima understood: "Is this your perfect crime?"

    "Yes, a criminal caught by a detective is too pathetic," Jian Jing smiled, moving past the previous heaviness. "No one can judge me, I want to judge myself."

    She walked to the front of the stage with her hands behind her back and said to Jiang BaiYan, who was ying dead: "Get down, this position is mine now."

    Jiang BaiYan, fully in character, said emotionally: "I''m already dead, you can''t let my sacrifice be in vain. You should live a good new life, with cats and dogs, surrounded by children and grandchildren."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "I''ll give you three minutes to perform ''vomiting out your soul''," she said with her hands on her hips. "Then get down."

    The restraining straps had long been untied. Jiang BaiYan sheepishly said, "No, no, I''ll get down right away." He slunk away, hunched over.

    Back in his seat, heined to Wu Lie: "My life is so hard."

    ¨D¨D

    On the live streaming tform, in the bullet screenments:

    [Lol, Little White suddenly made meugh]

    [It was so heavy just now, then turned silly in a second]

    [You''re getting addicted to sitting there, aren''t you?]

    [Even the electric chair can be addictive, I''m impressed you can sit there without support]

    [Honey, wait, that''s an electric chair, not a throne!]

    [When a newbie sits in the electric chair, they cry; when my wife sits in it, it''s like an enthronement]

    [This is my royal throne!]

    [The new empress ascendsˇŞ]

    [MajesticˇŞPowerfulˇŞ]

    [I''m dying ofughter]

    [It''s surprisingly harmonious??]

    Inte users went wild, but the filming scene remained solemn.

    Jian Jing shooed away Jiang BaiYan and sat down on the cold electric chair. Her powers of observation were stronger, and the physical object gave her more intense sensory stimtion.

    For a moment, her nose seemed to truly smell the scent of hell.

    Cold, dark, foul, terrifying.

    She closed her eyes, carefully feeling the fear of this moment.

    A momentter, Jian Jing smiled and stretched out her hand: "Give it to me."

    Instructions came through the earpiece, and two burly men in ck (who may have previously been onedy shows) knelt on one knee in perfect sync, offering up the guns in their hands.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but chuckle, taking the gun and spinning it around her finger in a ssic Western cowboy move.

    Then, she pulled the trigger.

    Bang.

    Red mist swirled, crimson flowers bloomed.

    She raised the corner of her lips in the vivid blood color, smiling slightly: "Game over."

    On the live streaming tform, in the bullet screen area:

    [Crown the princessˇŞ]

    [World famous painting, Queen''s Coronation.JPG]

    [False execution, real coronation]

    [I swear, I offer my loyalty to Your Majesty, never to betray]

    [I swear, I will forever serve my master, expanding territories]

    [I swear, the direction you point is where my sword will aim]

    [So cool, so cool, so cool!!]

    [Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!]

    [Ah Wei is dead]

    [Goddess!! (voice cracking)]

    [Converted fan, converted fan, I''m now Teacher Jian''s die-hard fan]

    [The little princess''s knight squad has gained another member]

    [From today on, she''s Her Majesty the Queen]

    On foreign websites, in thement section:

    [She''s just amazing]

    [Incredible girl]

    [Calm down. She''s a criminal]

    [She won]

    [I''m proud of her]

    [pretty cool]

    [She can''t be that good. Game shady!!]

    [She was the chosen winner]

    [Protest! She must have cheated!]

    [It''s not a fair game]

    [You''re just jealous.]

    [A win is a win]

    [This is not a just ending]

    [I will write to protest]

    [Vile oriental]

    [Westerners are bandits]

    [Racial discrimination]

    The war of words became increasingly fierce, with increasingly sensitive vocabry being used, and thement section was closed.

    Warm apuse erupted at the scene, and at this point, the live broadcast was about to end.

    Daniel said his lines, something about "a very exciting game," "an unforgettable twist," "everyone is emotionally moved," "tomorrow night is the banquet," and so on.

    Everyone apuded politely, but probably didn''t listen much.

    At 10:15, the live broadcast finally ended.

    Meeting adjourned.

    Jian Jing let out a long sigh: "Shall we have ate-night snack?"

    "Yes!"

    Except for models like Zhang Xue''er, everyone was hungry.

    The production team preparedte-night snacks for everyone and informed them: "We still need to record individual interviews. After you finish eating, find a ce to start on your own."

    Everyone: "..."

    Nobody likes overtime work.

    But for now, it''s better to eat.

    Jiang BaiYan, holding a bowl of precious chicken soup with small wontons, squeezed next to Jian Jing and asked with a smile: "Jing Jing, wasn''t I great?"

    Jian Jing, gnawing on a meat skewer: "Hm? Mm." She nodded and asked vaguely, "When did you figure it out?"

    Jiang BaiYan taking the me for her wasn''t something they had nned together; it was entirely his own improvisation. They had barely spoken to each other these past few days.

    And if he hadn''t jumped out to mislead everyone, it wouldn''t have been so easy for Jian Jing to escape with zero votes.

    This coordination was truly brilliant, just a bit puzzling.

    Could he have deduced her crime?

 Chapter 377

    "I felt something was off from the first day," said Jiang BaiYan. "You were too happy."

    Jian Jing: "??"

    He took a sip of chicken soup, savoring it for a moment before continuing, "You''ve seen big scenes before. This is just a reasoning game. I didn''t think you''d be that happy unless something special happened."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    "Then the headless corpse, the password, it was all too detective-like. I thought, either it''s you and Kojima, or the production team wrote their own script," he said. "After drawing lots, I knew I couldn''t win, so I had to make sure you could."

    Jian Jing started munching on corn with relish: "Why?"

    "We can''t lose," Jiang BaiYan lowered his voice. "If we lose, Zhang Xue''er can go mix in France, Teacher Wu mainly has America, but we''d be in a terrible situation."

    He emphasized: "Extremely terrible."

    "I was sure I''d win," said Jian Jing. "Never doubted it for a second."

    She had already nned it out. If the production team yed fair, she''d rely on her skills and ept defeat if it came to that. If they didn''t y fair, she''d immediately draw cards to mess with them.

    Jiang BaiYan nodded: "I thought the same."

    He ate a small wonton, swallowing it warmly, then said: "But Jing Jing, no matter how amazing you are, you can''t handle others cheating. I guess the production team will give some people hints."

    This guess had no evidence, purely a feeling. But Jiang BaiYan had grown up in a ce where people judged by appearances, and his intuition was always sharp.

    He felt that Liu Sau-chi and several staff members were exchanging meaningful nces.

    Therefore, they had to deceive not just the guests, but also the omnipresent production team.

    He wanted to make the production team think it was him.

    "Actually, Dan called me too," Jiang BaiYan said. "I deliberately didn''t admit it."

    Dan''s behavior was scripted, meaning the production team knew he should have gone, but he never admitted it from start to finish, which became a very obvious loophole.

    "You were deliberately avoiding me too, right?"

    He smiled and said: "I couldn''t let them suspect we were in cahoots. The more righteous you appeared, the better."

    The "Haunted House" series was very popr, and they had even been rumored to be in a rtionship. The production team couldn''t possibly not know about their connection. If the two interacted frequently, who knows who might have a wild idea and suspect they were working together.

    So, he had to act very guilty, retreat at the sight of her, but not too obviously. It had to be at a level that seemed fine at first nce but felt off upon closer inspection.

    "But Jing Jing, we really were in sync," he said gleefully. "How well did I cooperate?"

    Jian Jing stated matter-of-factly: "Extremely well."

    The production team had the script, equivalent to having admin rights. If there were obvious discrepancies in testimonies, it would inevitably arouse their suspicion. Although she had tried her best to do well, she couldn''t guarantee that someone wasn''t watching her closely and discovering anomalies.

    But Jiang BaiYan actively sold a big loophole, which changed things.

    There wasn''t just one person in charge, and it wouldn''t be easy to bribe everyone. Cheating wouldn''t be too obvious either, and the hints guests received were probably limited. Jiang BaiYan''s loophole was much bigger than hers, so they would definitely prioritize providing his.

    During voting, him being surrounded and attacked by a group of people was the best proof.

    They were convinced he was lying and ced their bets on him.

    Then, they fell for it.

    "Best performance this time," she said.

    Jiang BaiYan was satisfied but still verbally humble: "I''m an actor, it''s my job."

    Jian Jing offered her baked potato: "Want a bite?"

    His expression froze.

    "It''s okay if you can''t eat it," she consoled without much sincerity.

    "Who says I can''t eat it," Jiang BaiYan muttered as he took it, peeled off the thin potato slices, put them in his water cup to wash and rinse, removing all the oil and salt.

    Now he could eat it.

    Although the vor was as nd as could be, the aroma of barbecue still lingered, barely enough to fool his stomach.

    He encouraged himself: "Just hang on for one more day. As long as tomorrow is over, I can go back to eating the day after."

    Jian Jing: "Pfft."

    Jiang BaiYan: "??"

    "Don''t jinx it," Jian Jing rubbed her arms. "My hair is standing on end."

    Jiang BaiYan: QAQ

    After finishing thete-night snack, the guests could choose to return to their rooms downstairs to rest.

    Naturally, Jian Jing didn''t want to stay in Room 4 either, so she quickly packed up her things.

    The luxurious guest rooms downstairs were morefortable.

    But she couldn''t rest yet. The production team could let everyone else go, but not Jian Jing, the winner.

    She had to be interviewed tonight so it could be broadcast tomorrow.

    The questions were somewhat boring.

    Q: Summarize your performance in thispetition.

    A: Not bad.

    Q: What are you most satisfied with about your normal gamey?

    A: I had a lot of fun.

    Q: Is there anything you regret?

    A: I didn''t like the style of the character costume I drew.

    Q: How do you think the others performed?

    A: All very well, each with their own characteristics.

    Q: Who was the best?

    A: Everyone was excellent.

    Q: But who was the very best?

    A: Daniel.

    Q: Why did you choose to turn yourself in at the end?

    A: To spread positive energy, call on criminals to voluntarily surrender, confess for leniency, and seek lenient treatment.

    Q: That''s not what you said before.

    A: I was still in the game then. I had to be responsible for the character I was ying. A criminal has to act like a criminal.

    Q: You won one million US dors. How do you n to spend it?

    A: Reasonable consumption.

    Q: Don''t you want to fulfill any dreams?

    A: My dream is world peace. I work towards it every day.

    Q: You mean?

    A: So far, of the criminals I''ve encountered, ny percent have been sent to prison by me.

    Q: What about the rest?

    A: They met God.

    In short, the production team was always trying to dig a pit for her to fall into.

    Jian Jing: No way.

    It wasn''t until nearly one in the morning that she returned to her room, by which time she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.

    *

    At seven in the morning, Ji Feng arrived at the office on time.

    Brewing a cup of instant coffee and munching on arge bun bought from a street vendor, he turned on hisputer and skillfully clicked into the "King of Reasoning" website.

    Everyone''s interviews had been updated.

    He had watched until 10 o''clock yesterday, confirming the murderer before stopping. Today he was catching up.

    Of course, he watched Teacher Jian''s first.

    Heughed after watching for 3 minutes.

    Hmm, the young woman showed no excitement at all about just receiving one million US dors. Her face was all seriousness, answering questions as if doing an essay exam.

    "What are youughing at?" Lao Gao had arrived too.

    Ji Feng reyed that segment, clicking his tongue in wonder: "Look at Teacher Jian, so conscientious, calling on criminals to turn themselves in."

    "As expected of Teacher Jian," Lao Gao sighed. "My wife and I watched the live broadcast togetherst night. Goodness, I never guessed it was Teacher Jian until the very end."

    He eyed Ji Feng: "Did you guess?"

    Ji Feng: "No."

    Lao Gao: "Be honest."

    "Half," he changed his tune. "The murderer left so many clues, both codes and passwords, but when really investigated there wasn''t much substance. It was obvious they had good anti-detection skills."

    Lao Gao: "Couldn''t it have been someone else?"

    Ji Feng: "That''s why I said half. This group can act very well."

    As the two were chatting, the new egg Xiao Li also arrived, eagerly bringing two tea eggs for his seniors. Catching a glimpse of Ji Feng''sputer screen, he joined the conversation: "I also followed the live broadcast with my girlfriend yesterday."

    Ji Feng: "..."

    So what if Yun Yun had gone to university and he was alone at home?

    Lao Gao: "Teacher Jian is really amazing, right?"

    "Mm-hmm, I never expected it," Xiao Li marveled. "I thought it was that Wataru Kojima. Uncle Gao, who did you suspect?"

    Lao Gao: "To be honest, I suspected Jiang BaiYan."

    Xiao Li''s eyes widened: "Ah, why? I thought since so many people suspected him, it couldn''t be right."

    "Because my wife said it definitely wasn''t him," Lao Gao said, half-jokingly, half-seriously.

    His wife and daughter had indeed insisted that Xiao Bai was innocent, which annoyed him greatly, but the real reason was that he had met Jiang BaiYan in person.

    That guy... was very dangerous.

    However, Xiao Li had never interacted with Jiang BaiYan. He only knew he was a celebrity, so he just smiled and asked Ji Feng: "Who did you guess, Brother Ji?"

    Ji Feng: "That Japanese woman."

    "Kumiko? I''ve seen Japanese dramas she''s acted in, many as viins. I didn''t expect her to be so gentle in real life," Xiao Li chattered on, bringing much amusement to his seniors.

    It wasn''t officially work time yet, so everyone huddled together to watch the other interviews.

    The questions were all simr - what left the deepest impression, what they regretted most, who they thought performed best, and so on.

    Wataru Kojima spoke the most sincerely.

    "Although everyone performed well and worked hard, I still think Jian Jing was the most outstanding. She made good use of everyone''s psychological blind spots, excelling not only in reasoning but also in strategy. I lost fair and square."

    Liu Sau-chi was a bit insincere.

    "It''s quite regrettable this time. I didn''t perform very well and missed a lot of information. In the end, I couldn''t find the murderer, which disappointed my fans. If I have the chance to participate in such a game again, I will definitely be more careful, maintain sufficient vignce, and never easily believe others'' performances."

    He has many fans, with quite a few sympathetic people in thement section.

    Hiroto Ishikawa seemed a bit serious.

    "I''ve reflected on this failure. The main oversight was being too rxed in the early stages. The murderer had already begun their n at that time, and we were oblivious. The key clue in the notebook was right there, but we were misled by a few words and kept chasing her background, ignoring the main point. I shouldn''t have trusted others so easily. I''m truly sorry."

    Ran-er Kim was very generous.

    "It was a brilliant game. I had a lot of fun, even though I didn''t guess the murderer at all. I contributed a bit of inspiration, so I''m already very satisfied. Teacher Jian is, after all, a semi-professional. I hope there will be more opportunities to participate in such shows. Oh, and next time I want to be the murderer."

    Kumiko Terauchi reviewed the process.

    "I''ve gone over everything that happened these past few days, and I can only say that Jian Jing was indeed very impressive. For three days and two nights, she never showed a single w. I interacted with her several times and never noticed any strange behavior. She was extremely cautious in handling details. It''s not that we weren''t careful enough; she just did it too perfectly. The winner is definitely her."

    Manyments said that Kumiko''s attitude was the right one, acknowledging her own excellence without denying others''. Some people, when they fail, grumble about being careless or deceived, which just shows they can''t ept losing.

    Liu Sau-chi''s fans almost got into an argument with them.

    Min-cheol Park was more calm.

    "I was bewitched by sorcery and got trapped in the cycle of reincarnation in the end. In reality, the true motive for murder was simple - just interest and desire. The story was fake, but human nature was real."

    Zhang Xue''er, Wu Lie, and Jiang BaiYan were even more straightforward.

    "Teacher Jian is really amazing." "These few days were very exciting." "Xiao Bai''s acting was also quite good."

    In a word, they supported their own people.

    The Russian, Singaporean, Indian, and Thai contestants were outnumbered and didn''t want to offend anyone, so their answers were highly simr.

    Either "Everyone performed excellently and showcased their talents" or "The winner''s ability is beyond doubt" and "It was a very exciting game, thank you to the production team for giving me this opportunity."

    After watching the interviews at several times the normal speed, it was time for work.

    Ji Feng started another day as a corporate ve.

    At noon, while eating in the cafeteria, he nced at his phone.

    "Hmm? No update." He wondered, "I remember there was supposed to be some intelligence quiz today. Why isn''t it there?"

    "Probably not edited yet," Lao Gao casually replied.

    Ji Feng wasn''t familiar with the program''s recording process, so he thought about it for a moment and then let it go.

    At 8 PM, he made some instant noodles, nning to watch the show while eating.

    Still no update.

    Ji Feng felt something was off.

 Chapter 378

    The World Cruise Liner faced a major crisis.

    To be honest, Jian Jing hadn''t expected things to turn out this way. On the evening of the sixth day, she returned to her room after finishing an interview, her mind still preupied with thoughts of revenge.

    Yes, revenge.

    Even though she had won, cheating was cheating. She couldn''t let them get away with it, could she?

    There was something she hadn''t told Jiang BaiYan.

    Some areas on the 8th floor had night vision cameras installed. Before 10 PM, the cruise ship was brightly lit, so what were these for? Obviously, they were prepared for after the lights went out at 10 PM.

    The production team said they didn''t know about it, which was true, but it had inadvertently created a fair ying field.

    [Mission Name: A Detective Game with Undercurrents]

    [Description: You''ve joined an international reality show game. It was supposed to be a fair duel, but some people are manipting things behind the scenes, trying to influence the oue. Please win this game.]

    [Task Reward/Punishment: 10 Courage Points]

    Well, the Courage Points weren''t worth mentioning, but with the appearance of a task, Jian Jing could now use some props.

    She used a see-through device to screen the cameras, and before taking action, she used her aiming skill to throw chewing gum at them, perfectly obscuring the lenses.

    Tomorrow''s intelligence quiz would teach those cheaters a lesson.

    With these thoughts, Jian Jing drifted off to sleep.

    For the past two days, she had appeared calm and collected, but she had been cautious at every turn. As her tightly wound nerves finally rxed, she inevitably fell into a deep sleep.

    Her consciousness seemed to sink to the bottom of the sea, drifting and swimming in a blue world.

    The dream was deep, the sleep was heavy.

    Jian Jing thought she was sleeping well until an abrupt change urred in her dream.

    A shark intruded. Lacking relevant knowledge, she couldn''t identify the species, but from its appearance, it looked exactly like the former horror movie star - the great white shark.

    Its bloody maw opened and closed, swallowing her in an instant.

    Jian Jing: "???"

    The next moment, the great white shark disappeared.

    Then, a transparent panel shing with red light appeared in her mind.

    [System: Special Dungeon Opened]

    [System: Emergency Task Issued]

    [Task Name: The Silent Cruise Ship (Special Dungeon)]

    [Description: A spectacr performance has just ended, but a new crisis has already arrived. This time, it''s no longer as simple as a game... Who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes? Who is nning this horrifying tragedy? Please try to survive and uncover the truth.]

    [Task Reward/Punishment: Depends onpletion status]

    Jian Jing: ?

    Jian Jing: Damn!

    She woke up startled from her dream.

    For the first second, she still held onto the beautiful wish that "it was just a nightmare," but the next second, she saw the highlighted task prompt.

    It wasn''t a dream.

    It wasn''t an illusion.

    It was an emergency task, the kind you''d die if you didn''tplete.

    She tumbled out of bed, quickly put on the mostfortable and lightweight clothes, stuffed important items into her carry-on bag, and threw it into her storage space.

    Carefully turning the doorknob, she found the corridor eerily quiet. Everyone was tired and surely asleep.

    She decided not to wake anyone else yet, preferring to assess the situation first.

    Her first stop was the bridge.

    A crew member was on duty. With all the high-tech equipment nowadays, the crew didn''t need to constantly man the steering wheel, they just needed to keep an eye on the instruments.

    He was sipping coffee and flipping through a magazine. All the readings on the dashboard were normal, with no rms.

    Jian Jing nced outside. The night sky was clear, without a drop of rain.

    She pulled out her phone and checked the local weather forecast. It predicted partly cloudy turning to clear, with light winds.

    It seemed there was no problem with the cruise ship itself. The route was also well-established, a tourist line between China, Japan, and Korea that ran several times a year.

    So where was the crisising from?

    Her high-tech watch showed it was 2:45 AM.

    From the rest room next to the captain''s cabin, she could hear a conversation between two people.

    "Jenny, you''ve been so cold towards metely. What''s on your mind?" a man asked. "We''ve achieved great sess, even greater than the European series. The Asian market will bepletely open to us."

    Jian Jing recognized him as Marlon, the executive producer of the production team, and the woman named Jenny was his girlfriend and also the overall director for this Asian series.

    Jenny said, "But the result isn''t what I wanted."

    "We''ve done our best," Marlon shrugged, unconcerned. "Our agreement with the 3Q Group was just to help Liu Sau-chi, we never said we''d guarantee his victory."

    But Jenny said, "That girl gives me an ominous feeling."

    "Jian?" Marlonughed loudly. "She might be a bit smarter than the average girl, but so what? Even if she discovers our deal, what can she say? She''s won a million-dor prize! If the showes under scrutiny, she won''t benefit either."

    Jenny''s gaze seemed to prate the wall, as if she could see Jian Jing hiding outside.

    Or perhaps not.

    "Darling, rx a bit, enjoy our sess," Marlon said drunkenly. "And also, don''t get too close to the 3Q people. Although they''re generous with money, but..."

    His bloodshot eyes showed a moment of rity: "Rumor has it they''re part of the Spirit Descending Cult. I don''t like those folks who y with supernatural stuff."

    Jenny nced at him: "You don''t believe in God."

    "I believe in money, in dors," Marlon''s voice grew louder as the alcohol took effect. "I''ve even given up on God. No, God gave up on us first. Our poor Nina..."

    Jenny''s face immediately darkened. She ignored the drunken fool and left the rest room.

    Marlon mumbled a few words and fell asleep with his head tilted.

    Jenny walked down the empty corridor. In the dead of night, her footsteps were clearly audible.

    Jian Jing cautiously followed.

    However, Jenny didn''t go to the captain''s cabin. She went up the stairs, her high heels making no sound on the thick carpet.

    One floor, then another.

    She went to the 9th floor.

    Entered the cinema.

    Entered the witch''s secret room.

    Jian Jing''s scalp began to tingle, goosebumps rising all over her body. She wanted to rush out and stop Jenny, but worried about alerting her, so she suppressed the urge and continued to follow stealthily.

    Fortunately, her fame value had skyrocketed recently, and before joining the show, she had drawn a very useful limited card.

    [Name: Status Card - Concealment]

    [Description: Using this card can weaken your presence, hide your aura, and reduce the probability of being discovered. Basic time of 1 hour per day, can be extended using Courage Points.]

    [Note: Although being stalked by paparazzi is pitiful, it cannot be used outside of tasks]

    From the note, it was clear she had drawn this when escaping from entertainment reporters - at that time, the guest list for "King of Reasoning" had just been announced, and many reporters had camped out to catch her, which was annoying.

    Who would have thought that it wasn''t needed then, but woulde in handy now?

    Jian Jing tiptoed to the door, observing Jenny''s every move.

    The witch''s room had been ransacked, with dolls and paper charms scattered everywhere. Jenny ignored this, simply sat down cross-legged, and ced a strange root carving she had been hiding in her bosom into the shrine.

    She muttered to herself, as if chanting.

    After a while, she took out a fruit knife and began to draw patterns on her arm.

    Jian Jing tensed for a moment, but quickly realized nothing was happening.

    No ominous wind, no ghostly wails, just a foreign woman neurotically self-harming.

    Had she followed the wrong person? Was the crisis unrted to her? Should she switch to tailing someone else?

    Several thoughts shed through Jian Jing''s mind.

    The next moment, she heard a rolling thunder, and the room tilted dramatically. The scattered objects rolled across the floor as the ground heaved and fell.

    A massive wave.

    Jian Jing barely managed to steady herself against the wall when the corridor lights flickered and suddenly went outpletely.

    A power outage.

    Below, the emergency exits opened, emitting an eerie green glow.

    She rushed to the window. A thick bolt of lightning cut across the sky, looking like a descending thunder dragon with its ws outstretched.

    The waves surged, one after another crashing against the ship.

    The luxury cruise liner, which seemed no less impressive than a building when docked, now appeared small and fragile in the endless ocean, passively enduring the pushing and shoving of the waves.

    Rocking left and right, the world tilted.

    Jian Jing didn''t linger to watch. She quickly went downstairs, found Jiang BaiYan''s cabin, and knocked on the door.

    Jiang BaiYan opened the door, rubbing his eyes. The moment he saw her, his eyes widened: "Jing Jing? In the middle of the night... Come in quickly."

    He was extremely enthusiastic.

    "The wind and waves are strong, don''t fall asleep," Jian Jing ignored his flirtatious remark and said in a low voice, "Be alert, pack your things. If anything happens, go to the stern. The lifeboats are there."

    Jiang BaiYan drew in a sharp breath: "It''s just strong wind, surely it''s not that serious."

    Jian Jing said: "Bring enough water and food."

    He nodded quickly and asked: "Should we call others?"

    "Let''s not rm everyone just yet," Jian Jing said. "If the situation worsens, we can always call themter."

    Jiang BaiYan had his merits. In urgent situations, he didn''t ask for details or try to dissuade her. He simply epted: "Understood."

    Jian Jing decided to look around elsewhere.

    The mission prompt mentioned nning a tragedy, indicating there was a mastermind behind this. It wasn''t just about surviving a natural disaster. But she still couldn''t figure out what might happen.

    A serial killer''s indiscriminate massacre?

    Impossible.

    Such scenes only appear in American blockbusters.

    Pirate hijacking?

    Impossible. Where would piratese from in the Yellow Sea? Did they think cruise ships were toys?

    Terrorist attack?

    Impossible. The passengers on this cruise ship were of various nationalities, including Chinese, American, and Russian. Even if they were in a rush to go to hell, there was no need to be this hasty.

    Jian Jing pondered while moving through different floors of the ship.

    As she eliminated one guess after another, the cruise staff gradually woke up and started their work - controlling the ship, checking equipment, andmunicating with the maritime bureau.

    ording to the n, they wouldn''t reach China until tomorrow night. The closestnd tonight was South Korea.

    Jian Jing overheard the captain making a phone call.

    No one answered.

    She knocked and entered, getting straight to the point: "The ship is shaking violently. What''s happening?"

    "I don''t know." The captain hung up the phone irritably, forcing a smile. "Miss, please return to your cabin. We''ll handle this."

    Jian Jing: "I can''t sleep. Is there anything I can help with?"

    The first mate, possibly her fan, answered: "The situation is unclear. The weather forecast didn''t predict a storm tonight. Strangely, we''ve been trying to call the police, but no one''s answering."

    Jian Jing''s eyelid twitched.

    She asked: "Can we ask 3Q for help?"

    The captain, restraining his anger: "I''ll try."

    He dialed the satellite phone.

    Someone answered but said: "The CEO has retired for the night. Any matters can be discussed tomorrow."

    "It''s an emergency," the captain said. "Please help us contact..."

    Before he could finish, the other party hung up.

    When he called again, the line was busy.

    Only emergency lights cast a faint glow in the captain''s cabin.

    [Beep--]

    A sharp rm sounded.

    An English warning shed on the screen, tranting to: "Power propulsion system malfunction, problem diagnosis in progress."

    The engine was having issues.

    Soon after, another rm sounded.

    The hull was damaged, and water was entering the bottom of the cruise ship.

    "What is it?" The captain''s face turned ashen. "Can you see it?"

    After some operations, the technician obtained a blurry thermal image. After struggling to identify its shape, everyone agreed that the thing looked like... a squid.

    It had many tentacles.

    The captain''s emotions stabilized somewhat: "First, let''s fix the engine room problem."

    The system automatically detected faults.

    However, the nightmare was far from over.

    A few minutester, all instruments gradually went dark, with only one device still lit.

    Jian Jing was confused, but heard the first mate say: "The emergency power source is also having issues. This is trouble."

 Chapter 379

    After the tragedy, survivors invariably asked themselves, "How did things turn out this way?"

    At first, the cruise ship had merely encountered a storm.

    Though the rain came suddenly, changeable weather at sea wasn''t umon, and the subsequent power outage was normal. As for the engine room problems, they weren''t unheard of, and encounters with sea creatures like squid had made the news before.

    The only one slightly flustered was the captain. He was an acting captain; the World Cruise Liner belonged to the 3Q Group and had no permanent captain, hiring professionals only before sailing.

    The captain had previously worked Southeast Asian routes and wasn''t particrly familiar with the Yellow Sea area, though it wasn''t entirely foreign to him. After a brief bout of agitation, he calmed down and handled the situation based on past experience.

    Other staff members, though cursing their bad luck, showed no signs of panic. Everyone had been trained and wasn''t new to sea voyages, so they knew what to do.

    Seeing everything under control, Jian Jing used the pretext of notifying passengers to check on the situation in the cabin area.

    The passengers, all awakened, opened their doors to inquire.

    "What''s happening?"

    "Is it windy? The waves are huge."

    "Do you have seasickness pills? I think I''m going to be sick."

    "Oh my God, what''s going on? Why is the ship rocking so much?"

    Jian Jing, feigning authority, announced: "There are life jackets in the rooms. Put them on and gather in the main hall."

    "What? Is the ship sinking?" someone screamed.

    "Stay calm, it''s just a precaution," Jian Jing said. "Isn''t it scarier to stay alone in your room?"

    "That makes sense. Let''s gather first." The ship was rocking, but humans, relying on technology, had conquered nature multiple times. Most people remained calm and returned to their rooms to pack.

    Before boarding the cruise, everyone had to attend a rescue ss to learn how to wear the life-saving equipment in the cabins. So, although rmed, no one was at a loss, and all managed to put on their life jackets properly.

    At this point, Jian Jing noticed a problem.

    "Have you seen Jenny?" she asked, grabbing a familiar-looking photographer.

    It was the cameraman who had been following her. He hesitated, then shook his head. "No, hey, has anyone seen Marlon and Jenny?"

    "Marlon''s drunk," someone said, dragging the heavily intoxicated director out of the lounge. "I haven''t seen Jenny."

    She couldn''t still be on the ninth floor, could she?

    Jian Jing hesitated but decided to return upstairs.

    The ship swayed back and forth, seemingly worse than before. Fortunately, allrge objects on the cruise were secured, preventing idents.

    Jian Jing returned to the restaurant as quickly as possible.

    The moment she stepped onto the floor, her intuition was triggered.

    An extremely cold, shivering sensation rose from the top of her head, crawling down her spine. Her hair stood on end, pulling her skin painfully.

    Jian Jing slowly looked down and lifted her foot.

    The sole of her sneaker pulled out thin, transparent threads.

    The carpet in the hallway looked like hairy jelly, covered in ayer of crystal-clear adhesive. A strange yet familiar smell wafted through the air.

    Jian Jing held her breath and nimbly jumped onto the stair railing, using her night vision device to observe her surroundings.

    There was something under a distant decorative painting.

    She switched her high-tech sses to telescope mode and zoomed in.

    A tentacle (possibly from a squid, cuttlefish, or something simr), with long suction cups secreting mucus, was clinging to the corner and moving outward. Its motion resembled that of an earthworm, arching and stretching, thick yet agile.

    Jian Jing: "Shit!"

    The tip of the tentacle immediately stiffened, as if it had also caught her scent.

    Their eyes (?) met, and the air instantly became tense.

    Half a secondter, both parties moved simultaneously.

    Jian Jing took off running. The tentacle slid across the floor like a smooth snake, reaching the staircase in the blink of an eye. The tip of its tail curled slightly, reaching for her waist.

    She grabbed the handrail, leaped into the air, and simultaneously pulled out a gun from her storagepartment, aiming it at the tentacle and firing.

    The tentacle flinched in pain, retracting slightly.

    Jian Jing''s face changed dramatically.

    A single bullet could only make it bleed a little. How was she supposed to deal with this? Better to run.

    Relying on her agile body, she slipped through the gap between the stair railings, dropping two floors at once to the seventh floor area.

    Having yed games for several days, she was familiar with theyout and headed straight for the kitchen of the buffet restaurant.

    There were some very sharp knives there.

    Jian Jing chose a suitable one and squinted at the pursuing tentacle. It was thicker and longer than she had imagined, following her all the way from the ninth floor, its length astonishing, and still no sign of the main body.

    She slowly backed away, hiding behind a stainless steel table for cover.

    The tentacle curled its tip, moving left and right for a while, then suddenly darted out.

    Jian Jing was about to throw the steak knife when she saw it make a turn, not attacking her but instead attaching to a tuna fish kept in the sink.

    It was unclear how its suction cups worked, but the nearly half-meter-long tuna was reduced to just skin in an instant, with no flesh left.

    The tentacle flicked its pointed tip contentedly, then suddenly split in two, like a forking tree branch, and jabbed fiercely towards Jian Jing.

    Even more hair-raising was how flexible the forked tips were, resembling a two-headed snake from a supernatural film, nking left and right to cut off her escape routes.

    Jian Jing leaped to dodge, stepping onto the dining table and swinging her arm down forcefully.

    It got stuck.

    The de that could cut through beef bones was lodged in the tentacle, and she could feel it embedded in something hard.

    A soft-bodied creature with bones inside?

    This was absolutely ridiculous!

    Jian Jing let go and retreated, her worldview shaken once again.

    She had thought it was a giant squid like in disaster movies, but now it seemed this was no mere oversized squid ¨C it was more like a tentacled version of the Alien.

    This was big trouble.

    She thought, quickly summoning her cheat: "System, draw a card, special card."

    At this point, ordinary cards were useless; she needed the expensive ones.

    [System: Special card drawing in progress]

    [Name: Special Card - Multifunctional Army Knife (Cold Weapon)]

    [Description: A versatile tool from the multifunctional series, an anti-fouling, rust-resistant, unbreakable multi-purpose army knife made of special materials. Extremely sharp, capable of cutting diamonds. Includes basic forms such as bottle opener, nail clipper, screwdriver, tweezers, scissors, saw de, etc. When not in use, it appears as a ck hairpin. Special contribution points can be consumed to add more forms.]

    [Note: After binding to the host, it is locked and cannot be used by others]

    The default de of the army knife was too short for monster-ying, so Jian Jing had no choice but to spend 5 special contribution points to add a katana form.

    It felt perfect in her hand.

    Jian Jing looked up at the restless tentacle and decided to use it as her first target.

    The tentacle seemed to sense her killing intent. Its head, which had been moving towards the refrigerator, paused and turned to stare at her.

    "Come on," she taunted.

    The two-headed monster reared up like a snake and darted towards her.

    Jian Jing wanted to end this quickly. She activated her White Kitten State, leaping and dodging in mid-air while wielding the katana. Its weight was just right, swinging with a cold, hard gleam that followed her movements.

    The snow-white de sliced through the vicious tentacle.

    The mucus-covered skin burst open, flesh separated, and the second tail that had just grown after devouring the tuna fell to the ground.

    The severed tail writhed on the spot, sheddingyers of red and white flesh, revealing a thinner entity inside.

    Jian Jing stared at it, feeling it looked somewhat familiar.

    But the main tentacle didn''t give her a chance to pick it up for a closer look. Starting from the upper trunk, its form suddenly expanded, as if some nutrient had been pumped into it, swelling from the thickness of a bucket to that of a water tank in an instant.

    It thrashed its body, overturning knives, forks, tables, and chairs in the kitchen, all sweeping towards her.

    Jian Jing, being mere flesh and blood, couldn''t withstand such an assault. She quickly retreated.

    Faint footsteps sounded from behind.

    "Run!" she warned the unfortunate soul who had stumbled in, without looking back.

    Instead of the expected scream, her warning was met with a gunshot.

    The bullet broke the sound barrier with a sharp whistle.

    Her intuition yed a crucial role at this moment. Before her brain could process the direction and speed, her body had already reacted, rolling on the ground to avoid the sneak attack.

    Looking back, sure enough, it was Jenny.

    "I knew you''d cause trouble," she said, her face contorted, mercilessly pulling the trigger again.

    The bullets sprayed continuously, with some even ricocheting off the walls, nearly hitting Jian Jing in the calf. Furious, sheughed sardonically, "Have you gone mad?"

    Jenny didn''t respond, emptying an entire magazine in one go.

    Jian Jing had been waiting for this opportunity. She immediately lunged forward, grasping Jenny''s arm and twisting it outward. Simultaneously, she exerted force with her leg and waist, sweeping Jenny off bnce and bringing her to the ground.

    While Jenny was skilled with a gun, her hand-to-handbat abilities were ordinary. She was no match for Jian Jing''s advanced fighting techniques and was swiftly subdued.

    But Jenny proved to be a fierce opponent. She sank her teeth into Jian Jing''s fingers, mping down with all her might.

    The pain was excruciating ¨C Jian Jing had never experienced such agony before. Unable to endure it, she reflexively released her grip.

    Jenny quickly broke free, but this time, instead of attacking Jian Jing, she lunged towards the tentacle.

    "Hey!" Jian Jing''s face paled as she reached out to grab her.

    However, Jenny seemed to have taken a potent stimnt, her speed surpassing that of an Olympic champion. In the blink of an eye, she appeared beneath the tentacle.

    Jenny spread her arms wide, fervently shouting, "Cleanse the world of its sins..."

    Before she could finish her promation, the tentacle, unable to contain its eagerness, pierced through her torso. Its countless suction cups acted like powerful straws, drawing her flesh and blood into its core.

    Jenny transformed from a robust, healthy woman into an emaciated figure, and then into a desated corpse.

    The entire process took no more than five seconds. Death came so swiftly that it left Jian Jingpletely stunned.

    Realizing the danger, she turned and ran.

    Thanks to her quick thinking, she narrowly escaped as the tentacle''s size exploded in the next second.

    Its dimensions grew to the width of several people embracing, almost instantly blocking the corridor. More terrifyingly, its intelligence seemed to have grown along with its size. Realizing its body couldn''t pass through, it immediately split into three parts, pursuing the fleeing Jian Jing from different directions.

    With everyone else downstairs, Jian Jing dared not lead the tentacle there. She ran upstairs instead.

    The tentacle followed relentlessly.

    She remained incredibly calm, first using her White Kitten State to leap up to the ninth floor using the staircase railing. The stairwell was even narrower than the corridor, forcing the tentacle to split into two more tails to reduce its size.

    As the tentacle divided to give chase, Jian Jing grasped the handrail and, like any cat would do, adjusted her direction mid-air, leaping back down.

    Her sword struck mercilessly at the nearest tail.

    One was severed.

    Shended on the eighth-floor railing, spun around again, and repeated her tactic, jumping down once more and cutting off another tail.

    The bnce of power shifted slightly in her favor.

    But at that moment, Jian Jing heard the voice of a crew member.

    "Everyone, please remain calm. The lifeboats are located at the stern of the seventh floor."

    This was quickly followed by passengers attempting to maintainposure: "Don''t panic,dies first. We''re just taking precautions, we may not need to abandon ship."

    Yes, everyone was still maintaining theirposure, still able to think rationally, still showcasing the brilliance of human nature.

    But this was the final second.

    First came the stunned silence.

    For about 0.3 seconds, nobody reacted. Those who saw it first froze, while those behind who couldn''t see pushed forward, asking, "Why aren''t we moving..."

    Then, silence fell.

    The tentacle, too, seemed unprepared for encountering so many "meals".

    Or enemies, one could say.

    It couldn''t assess theirbat capabilities and even recoiled slightly. But it wasn''t the first to retreat. While it was still evaluating its opponents, the humans were the first to falter.

    me it on horror movies, perhaps.

    To varying degrees, everyone had seen tentacled monsters, had seen alien squids. They didn''t need to analyze; they instinctively knew this thing was extremely dangerous.

    "Aah!" Reason shut down, instinct took over.

    The wisdom etched into human genes said: Danger, run!

    As their strength scattered, the enemies became prey.

    The tentacle became thoroughly excited.

 Chapter 380

    In the face of danger, everyone makes different choices.

    The once arrogant, nose-in-the-air director let out a scream and turned to run. The usually quiet intern suddenly shed their meekness, running headlong and knocking over the harassing supervisor.

    The burly cameraman, raised on superhero movies, felt a surge of courage despite his fear. He grabbed a chair and hurled it straight at the monster.

    The tentacles nimbly avoided it but didn''t retaliate. Instead, they chased after the fleeing people with increased fervor.

    The more they ran, the more excited it became. With a sudden dive, it enveloped the director in its mouth. The suckers pulsated, and within seconds, the person became a dried-up corpse, just like Jenny.

    Many had seen mummies before, but few had witnessed a familiar face turn into a bag of bones in the blink of an eye.

    "Ahhh!" Thest vestiges of reason began to dissipate.

    Jian Jing flexed her wrists. She usually practiced shootingˇŞthe most practical skill in modern societyˇŞand rarely used melee weapons, unsure of how to apply force. But now, firearms couldn''t be used recklessly. The ship was already in a precarious state; if bombed or shot at, they might sink even if they killed the monster.

    "Get out of the way!" she shouted a warning as she took a running jump.

    Though the tentacles were huge and terrifying, their size was both an advantage and a weakness.

    It couldn''tpletely dodge.

    Jian Jing didn''t aim for the tip but chose a vulnerable spot and shed.

    Blood sprayed as the system-produced weapon proved its worth, cutting through as easily and cleanly as chopping squid.

    However, Jian Jing noted the difference in sensationpared to earlierˇŞit was like cutting meat versus cutting tofu.

    It was getting stronger.

    "We can''t let it eat any more people," Jian Jing told the few who hadn''t fled. "Let''s chop it up."

    Andrei, the RussianˇŞno, the bear... well, the typical Russian manˇŞwas a shooting athlete who enjoyed wrestling bears in his spare time.

    When evacuating, he hadn''t forgotten to bring his bow and arrows (why bring these to a reality show? Well, what if he ended up being the murderer?).

    He wrapped cloth around the arrowheads, doused them with half a bottle of strong liquor from his bag, and lit them with a lighter.

    He nocked an arrow and fired.

    With a "whoosh," a ball of mended on the monster''s body.

    Flesh peeled off again inyers, like some strange molting ritual. Something wrapped inside the tentacles shot out like a startled snake and vanished in the blink of an eye.

    "It''s afraid of fire!" Andrei announced loudly. "Let''s lure it to the oil storage!"

    "What about the ship?" Wu Lie, being a martial arts actor, might not have outstandingbat skills, but his sense of chivalry, drilled into him by his mentors, wouldn''t allow him to leave alone.

    Jian Jing made a decision: "We''ll kill it in the oil storage. Everyone else, get to the lifeboatsˇŞare there enough?"

    "Not enough," Ran-er Kim appeared out of nowhere, screaming, "I heard them say many lifeboats are unusable!"

    "What?!" Everyone paled. "Then we should leave quickly."

    "It has squid-like characteristics and can move underwater. If we abandon ship, we''re as good as dead," Jian Jing reasoned. "We must kill it before escaping. Who''s willing to stay?"

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t hesitate: "I''ll stay."

    "No," she quickly said. "You can''t all stay. In case we fail and have to jump into the sea, we need at least one lifeboat willing to rescue people."

    Her words made everyone pale again.

    Wataru Kojima asked, "Are you saying they might not let us board?"

    "The distress calls went unanswered earlier," Jenny, looking like a sacrificialmb, said. "With the lifeboat problems too, we can''t help but be suspicious."

    Jian Jing looked at the familiar faces and said, "Baiyan, you go with Kojima and Ran-er. Try to secure a lifeboat for us."

    Jiang BaiYan nced at the group, understanding.

    He was on her side and would fight for her even in extreme situations. Ran-er Kim and Wataru Kojima came from powerful backgrounds, which the mastermind behind this would have to consider.

    "Alright," he agreed immediately.

    "I don''t want to stay here," Liu Sau-chi said, face pale. "I want to leave too."

    "No one''s stopping you," Jian Jing looked at Kumiko Terauchi, Valeriya, and Zhang Xue''er. "Butdies first."

    Valeriya and Ran-er Kim supported each other, not refusing. She had two children and was long divorced from her husband, so she dared not stay.

    Zhang Xue''er also said shamefacedly, "My hands and feet are weak now, I might not be able to help."

    "Protecting yourself is helping," Jian Jing reassured her.

    Kumiko Terauchi, however, said, "I''ve learned karate, I might be able to help."

    "Okay," Jian Jing urged the others, "Decide quickly, if you''re leaving, leave now. We can''t dy."

    In the end, Connor Lee, Hiroto Ishikawa, and Linnaer wanted to leave, while Min-cheol Park and Raj were willing to help.

    The lifeboats were at the stern on the seventh floor. Most people had headed there during the earlier chaos, so the tentacles were probably having a buffet there.

    Jian Jing told the others to go to the eighth floor and descend from there.

    "The monster''s main body should be on the ninth floor," she exined the situation to herpanions. "It can grow through feeding, both in size and intelligence, so we must act quickly."

    Min-cheol Park asked, "Where did this thinge from?"

    "Not sure," Jian Jing lied, "Let''s kill it first, then talk."

    "Are we really using the oil storage?" Wu Lie worried, "If we blow it up, the ship will definitely capsize. What about the people who can''t get to the lifeboats?"

    This was Jian Jing''s concern too: "Let''s see if we can kill the main body first. If not, we''ll blow it up together."

    Surviving at sea would be miserable, but better than being sucked dry by the monster. At least there was a chance of survival.

    However, at that moment, everyone''s center of gravity shifted, and they all involuntarily tilted to one side.

    "Is the ship capsizing?!" Raj''s face turned ashen.

    "The bnce has shifted," Min-cheol Park leaned against the wall. "Did the monster move to that side?"

    Jian Jing worried about this too and quickly climbed to the ninth floor, but she couldn''t get through.

    In just a few minutes, the tentacles had grown to an extremely exaggerated extent, blocking most of the passages on the ninth floor. Slime covered the walls, making it difficult to walk.

    Left with no choice, Jian Jing spent another 5 special contribution points to unlock an axe form.

    As she chopped down, she found the outer skin even tougher now, requiring more effort to cut through the flesh. When the de made contact, she could feel the resistance and viscosity of the slime.

    "Unbelievable," the others had caught up, and upon seeing the corridor that resembled a dragon''s den, they were shocked. "What on earth is this thing?"

    Jian Jing: "Never mind that, burn it."

    The group scrambled to cooperate, using wooden tables and chairs as fuel, expensive red and white wines as elerants. They didn''t need archery skills now; they just got close and set it on fire.

    After much effort, they finally managed to injure this section of tentacles, leaving them in tatters.

    "Fortunately, although this thing is big, it''s not too hard to deal with," Raj sighed in relief.

    So far, it seemed the most dangerous part was the tail (or possibly the head). While the other parts of the trunk were huge and bloated, they couldn''t fight back and could be dealt with using tools.

    But Kumiko Terauchi stepped back, looking tense: "No, look!"

    They saw the flesh at the wound sites writhing continuously,pressingyer byyer until they formed familiar points.

    The two wounds had be two tails, with eerie suckers popping out like goosebumps.

    Andrei cursed, then shouted: "Run!"

    The others quickly retreated, but Jian Jing picked up a wooden stick from the ground. The mes had been extinguished by the blood, leaving only charred parts.

    She lit her lighter.

    [Name: Special Card - Red-White Lighter]

    [Description: Red-White Series Props, extremely durable, can be lit in harsh environments, suitable for various extreme conditions, me not easily extinguished. Can be remotely controlled via red and white buttons: red button ignites, white button extinguishes, effective range: 100 meters in diameter, consumes 5 special points.]

    [Note: Fire can save lives, but it can also kill. Please do not use for evil]

    The me ignited the wooden stick, bursting into a fierce ze.

    The tentacles shrank back in fear, but Jian Jing stepped forward, unhesitatingly activating her White Kitten State. Using the powerful jumping ability of felines, she leaped up.

    It immediately mobilized its trunk, mimicking a snake''s movements, trying to constrict her tightly.

    Jian Jing shed backwards with her knife while activating her targeting card. Despite her less dexterous left hand, she urately threw the torch.

    The mes seared the wound.

    The tentacle writhed, squeezing internal fluids to extinguish the fire. But the system-produced special card was incredibly powerful. Even asyer uponyer of slime covered it, the me stubbornly continued to burn.

    The wound finally burst open again.

    This time, its regeneration speed wasn''t as fast.

    Jian Jing caught her breath, but remained pessimistic: from what she could tell, the monster''s core was still the object Jenny had been worshipping on the ninth floor. But breaking through multiple barriers to eliminate the core would certainly not be easy.

    She was only human after all, prone to exhaustion and fatigue, while the monster could sustain itself by consuming living creatures.

    Once it finished with the humans, there was plenty more in the sea.

    Time to blow it up.

    She headed downstairs to discuss options with the others: "How can we lure it to the oil storage?"

    "Can we use food as bait?" Kumiko Terauchi asked.

    Jian Jing: "That could work, it eats fish too."

    "Why eat dead food when there''s live prey?" Min-cheol Park said.

    Raj: "We can''t be picky. Once everyone else is gone, we''ll be the bait."

    "Raj is right," Jian Jing pondered. "Let''s do this: we''ll go to the kitchen first and use raw meat to lure it down. Then you all keep your distance, ready to jump into the sea, while I set the fire."

    Kumiko Terauchi said: "I don''t think that''s safe enough. If we only blow up part of it, it might not die."

    Jian Jing: "Then we''ll pour fuel oil on the upper floors too."

    "Good."

    Time was short, leaving no room for careful deliberation. After roughly finalizing the n, everyone got busy with their tasks.

    Raj and Andrei were responsible for moving the oil. The fuel storage had plenty of oil, but it couldn''t be operated byputer and had to be extracted manually, which took some time.

    After sessfully obtaining the fuel, they carriedrge and small barrels to the seventh floor to pour it out - the monster had expanded again, and the eighth floor was now inessible. They spread the fuel as much as possible in mmable areas, especially near passageways, to preemptively cut off the tentacles'' retreat.

    Jian Jing, Wu Lie, and Kumiko Terauchi, who all had some physical training, were more agile. They split up to move meat from the kitchen''s freezer area, scattering it in the corridors to lure the tentacles to feed.

    This job was more dangerous, as the monster could catch the scent at any moment and show up early.

    As a precaution, Jian Jing specifically brought a bucket of oil, pouring it at stairway entrances and other areas, nning to ignite it if danger arose to create an escape opportunity for the others.

    However, Raj and Andrei were the first to encounter danger.

    They met the lone Screenwriter on the sixth floor.

    "Hey, help me out," the Screenwriter called to them, limping as he spoke. "I''m injured, wait for me."

 Chapter 381

    Raj, not particrly brave but quite cunning, asked in surprise, "Why haven''t you gotten on the lifeboat yet?"

    "Lifeboat? Good heavens, what happened?" The Screenwriter, carrying a small bag and sporting a bruise on his forehead, looked even more surprised. "I woke up to hear that the ship was sinking and we were told to gather. While going upstairs, something hit me out of nowhere, causing me to twist my ankle. Why do we need to go to the lifeboats now? Is the ship about to capsize?"

    Not knowing what to imagine, he suddenly panicked: "Titanic? Are there icebergs here too?"

    Just as Raj was about to exin, he felt a sudden tremor above his head, and debris from the ceiling began to fall.

    Turning around, he saw a thick, strong tentacle piercing through, aiming directly for his face.

    Raj was so frightened his legs nearly gave out.

    It was Andrei who kept hisposure, grabbing the oil at hand and throwing it, then lighting it with a lighter.

    The force of the burning oil was iparable to wood or fabric. The tentacle, startled, retreated behind the wall of fire, peeking out cautiously. After a moment, it seemed to have found a solution, its tail drilling through the floor, circumventing the burning area, and emerging from another end.

    But it was toote.

    Andrei grabbed the Screenwriter like a chicken and, along with the panicked Raj, ran down the stairs.

    "I''m terrified, absolutely terrified," Raj said, still shaken. "I quit. Why should I risk my life like this? I''m done. Let''s go to the stern, there are lifeboats there."

    He sought support: "Are youing?"

    The Screenwriter nodded quickly.

    Raj looked at Andrei, but he shook his head: "I''m going to help Jian."

    They parted ways.

    The Screenwriter clung to Raj, his face pale: "What''s going on? What was that monster? Oh god, could it really be a giant squid?"

    "You''re asking me? I don''t know either!" Raj snapped. "Let''s just get out of here quickly."

    The two rushed towards the stern.

    Fortunately, they didn''t encounter any more monsters on the way.

    But the lifeboats were gone.

    The cruise ship had 8 lifeboats, each capable of holding 30 people, plus 5 life rafts, which should have been enough for everyone on board.

    But now, looking around, only one life raft remained.

    They hurriedly lowered the life raft, which drifted on the waves.

    The heavy rain beat down on them, cold and painful.

    An orange life raft tried to approach, carrying Jiang BaiYan and others. They asked in a jumble of voices: "Where are the others? Should we move further away?"

    Raj hesitated, but still said: "No, they''re still up there."

    "What about the monster?" Zhang Xue''er asked, "Is it still on the ship?"

    "This life raft was left for you few..." Ran-er Kim began, then trailed off.

    Wataru Kojima was more direct: "You came down, what about the others?"

    In a life-or-death situation, there was no room for politeness. Raj retorted mercilessly: "If you''re so concerned, you should have stayed behind. At least I helped out. What right do you have to criticize me?"

    The others were immediately silenced.

    But Jiang BaiYan said: "Without the life raft we secured, you wouldn''t have been able toe down either."

    Raj nced at him but said nothing.

    The wind, carryingrge raindrops, violently assaulted the small life raft.

    "With only two of you, it''s too easy for the waves to push you away," Jiang BaiYan seemed to have forgotten the conflict, expressing concern for them. "We''ll share some of our people with you, to bnce it out."

    Wataru Kojima said: "I''ll go over." He acted immediately, not waiting for Raj and the Screenwriter to react, grabbing onto their raft and climbing over.

    Liu Sau-chi hesitated, then went over too.

    Hiroto Ishikawa was the third.

    Zhang Xue''er, Ran-er Kim, and Valeriya exchanged nces, each seeing wariness in the others'' eyes.

    They all remained silent.

    A few minutester, Zhang Xue''er couldn''t help but speak up, her voice slightly trembling: "Is the ship going to capsize?"

    On the dark sea surface, the cruise ship was visibly tilting to the left, with water already flooding the third floor and continuously rising to higher levels.

    On the same left side, on the upper floors, ss windows had been shattered, and thick tentacles extended from the openings, like an octopus stretchingzily, firmly gripping the top of the ship.

    Its weight was astounding, and being on the upper floors, the cruise ship was inevitably being pressed over by its weight, further tilting into the sea.

    However, just as everyone was anxious about this, fearing it might sink the ship, something unexpected happened. As it felt the shift in center of gravity, the windows on the right side also shatteredpletely, and agile tentacles poured out,peting to adhere to the starboard side of the ship.

    The ship''s sinking momentum stopped.

    "PhewˇŞ" Everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    The rain fell in sheets.

    More and more tentacles emerged, coiling densely on the upper decks of the ship. From a distance, they looked like oil-slicked earthworms, tangled in clumps, disgusting and terrifying.

    "What on earth is this thing?" Ran-er Kim couldn''t help but ask, "A deep-sea monster?"

    Wataru Kojima said: "It''s more like an eldritch god."

    "A god?" Hiroto Ishikawa''s face was full of disbelief, "Is this the deity that rules the sea?"

    "Not Watatsumi, I''m referring to the fictional eldritch gods from the Cthulhu Mythos," Wataru Kojima exined. "Created by American novelist H.P. Lovecraft, the name is pronounced simr to ''Cthulhu Fhtagn'', sleeping in the Pacific Ocean, with a form based on an octopus and a bat, but actually of extraterrestrial origin."

    Ran-er Kim was dumbfounded: "So you''re saying the fictional god from a novel is real?"

    Wataru Kojima shook his head slightly: "I don''t believe in the existence of gods in this world. It''s probably an undiscovered new species from the deep sea. As far as I know, deep-sea creatures tend to look frightening due to their environment. They evolved that way to withstand the pressure at the bottom of the ocean."

    "No, gods do exist," the Screenwriter objected. "Just because you haven''t seen them doesn''t mean they don''t exist."

    Jiang BaiYan asked: "Have you seen one?"

    The Screenwriter reflexively answered: "A god that can be easily seen is not a god."

    However, Jiang BaiYan didn''t follow the script: "I have seen one."

    The others looked at him in surprise.

    "The gods in human mythology are just humans, because people can''t imagine things beyond their understanding. Perhaps, true gods are beyond imagination." He looked into the distance and suddenly asked, "The question is, who summoned this deity?"

    The wind and rain howled, with no one answering.

    *

    Andrei returned alone, and Jian wasn''t too surprised.

    Their group, tasked with setting up bait, hadpleted the preparations, dropping lots of raw meat on the stairs, leading down to the oil storage below.

    But just then, the ship tilted sharply to the left, and after a while, it slowly leaned back to the right.

    Kumiko Terauchi pressed herself against the corner: "What''s happening?"

    "The monster is moving," Wu Lie said. "Is iting down?"

    Outside, the rain was pouring, and the sound of rain and waves almost drowned out everything else. Jian ced her hand on the wall, using the touch sense of her Five Senses Card to carefully feel the vibrations of the ship.

    After a moment, she said: "No, it''s still up there, and it''s not moving anymore."

    The others also closed their eyes to listen, and indeed, after the ship slowly regained its bnce, all was quiet, with only the sound of rain outside.

    Quiet, too quiet.

    Everyone''s nerves unconsciously tensed, their hearts pounding, almost bursting out of their chests. Min-cheol Park took a deep breath, striving to remain calm: "What do we do now?"

    "Has it eaten its fill?" Wu Lie said softly. "Animals be less aggressive after feeding, like snakes, they''ll find a ce to slowly digest."

    Jian nodded slowly, not hesitating much: "If the mountain won''te to us, we''ll go to it. How much oil is left?"

    "Plenty," Andrei suggested. "After spreading the oil, I can find a suitable ce to start the fire. It''s no problem within 70 meters, much safer than you taking the risk."

    Although the Red-White Lighter could be controlled remotely, it was best not to expose their tools if possible. Jian immediately agreed: "I remember there''s flour in the kitchen, we can sprinkle some of that."

    Because the monster was temporarily resting, the process went very smoothly. In no time, the sixth floor was covered in oil, withrge amounts of flour scattered in the rooms.

    However, they were powerless to do anything about the floors above. The corridors and rooms werepletely filled with newly grown tentacles, making it impossible to enter.

    But while pouring oil, Kumiko Terauchi found a drone left behind by the film crew.

    "That''s useful," Jian immediately started operating it, tying on a fuel barrel and controlling it to fly up and pour oil.

    The wind was strong, making the drone fly erratically, as if it might be blown into the sea at any moment.

    Jian didn''t dare let it fly for long, so she quickly released the switch, allowing the fuel barrel to free fall. As expected, this small disturbance attracted the tentacles'' attack.

    A tentacle shot out like an arrow, its tip instantly piercing the stic barrel.

    Fuel sshed all over.

    Jian inwardly cheered, but then saw that the monster seemed to realize the danger of the fuel. Another tentacle chopped down, severing the oil-soaked tentacle and flinging it into the sea.

    She drew in a sharp breath: "We need to act fast. Its intelligence is increasing rapidly; it already knows that oil is bad news."

    The group quickened their pace.

    Jian struggled to make out the images transmitted by the drone.

    The monster was mainly coiled around the bow of the ship, corresponding to the location of the ninth-floor cinema below. There were noticeably fewer tentacles at the stern. Although the top deck was covered in tentacles, there was no sign of anything resembling a main body.

    She wanted to maneuver the drone to fly forward for a clearer look, but the tentacles had already grown wary of the moving drone. Another tentacleshed out, piercing right through the machine.

    The video feed cut off.

    Jian tossed aside the drone and ran ahead to lead the way: "Let''s go to the stern." After days of gamey, she was thoroughly familiar with the cruise ship''syout. "There are fewer tentacles there, and we can use the stairs."

    The others nodded.

    To avoid alerting the monster, they moved as quietly as possible, slowly making their way from the sixth-floor deck to the seventh floor via the stairs.

    The upper deck was inessible,pletely blocked by tentacles.

    Jian climbed up one more level to survey the area, confirming that there were no more lifeboats.

    "They''re over there," Kumiko Terauchi''s sharp eyes caught sight of shing white lights on the sea, surely someone using a phone shlight to signal them.

    Wu Lie: "Should we light the fire?"

    "Not yet, we need to get further away," said Andrei. "The monster will make big movements, and the ship will likely sink. The suction could drag us all to the bottom of the sea."

    Jian: "That''s easy, we''ll make a fuse."

    She tore down the curtains and twisted them into a rope, then said: "You all go down first. I''ll go up to set it, and after we''ve all retreated, Andrei can light it remotely."

    Kumiko Terauchi: "OK."

    Jian tied the long fabric strip around herself and continued climbing along the outside of the ship. This required extreme caution to avoid disturbing the dormant tentacles.

    After carefully considering for a long time, she finally found a suitable spot. She knotted the end of the fabric, activated her targeting card, and threw it into the room.

    Itnded right in a pool of fuel.

    Perfect.

    "Retreat!" she called as she jumped down.

    The others used ropes to quickly descend to sea level.

    Kumiko Terauchi went first, followed by Min-cheol Park, then Wu Lie, and finally Andrei.

    As he went down, Jian lit the arrow before handing it to him: "Be careful."

    Andrei thought she was worried about lighting it in the rain, so he cupped the me carefully as he descended. Wu Lie and Min-cheol Park helped adjust the position of the life raft, catching him safely.

    The me was weak but didn''t go out.

    Andrei sighed in relief. He took out his bow, nocked the lit arrow, his face covered in what might have been rain or sweat: "This is terrible, the conditions are even worse than I imagined."

    "What''s wrong?" the others asked anxiously.

    "The wind and rain will seriously affect my uracy, and the bow and arrows are damp," he gritted his teeth. "Jian,e down quickly, we can''t wait any longer."

    Jian didn''t hear him, but feeling there was nothing more to do, she slid down the rope to the sea.

    Jiang BaiYan grabbed her and pulled her onto the raft.

    At the same time, Andrei released the burning arrow.

    The arrow wavered in the wind and rain, everyone''s hearts suspended with it.

    With a "whoosh," the arrowhead''s me urately ignited the fabric strip.

    The alcohol-soaked fabric immediately caught fire, its bright red glow dazzling in the darkness.

    "Yeah!" Andrei couldn''t help but cheer, then quickly started rowing. "Let''s get out of here."

    He didn''t need to say it; everyone was already working together to paddle the life raft, those with oars used them, those without used their hands. In a life-or-death situation, no one was holding back.

    But just then, Kumiko Terauchi screamed: "It''s putting out the fire!"

 Chapter 382

    Without a doubt, the monster possessed intelligence.

    It had suffered at Jian Jing''s hands before, so given a choice, it would not confront her directly, preferring instead to hunt other yers.

    Having been burned by fire and oil several times, it naturally learned its lesson.

    As soon as mes appeared, its tentacles sprang into action. The burned tentacles were instantly severed and discarded, while the intact ones swayed back and forth, piling up objects in the room to serve as shields.

    However, its survival instincts were still too limited, or perhaps itcked experience dealing with fire, not realizing that more fuel would only make the mes burn more fiercely.

    The bed, table, chairs, cabs, and other furniture were mostly wooden. Throwing them into the fire not only failed to extinguish it but caused it to burn even more intensely.

    Numerous tentacles were charred by the raging fire.

    The monster awakened.

    Its movements became swifter and more decisive: resolutely abandoning useless tentacles, contracting its body, and merging the split tentacles into a single, more powerful limb.

    The cruise ship swayed again with its movements.

    From the distant liferaft, Jian Jing used the telescope function to clearly observe the monster''s response.

    It seemed to have discovered that water could extinguish fire, so it retracted its entire body to one side. The ship''s center of gravity shifted, and with the lower decks already flooded, it began to sink faster than before.

    In the blink of an eye, seawater engulfed the areas below the fourth floor, advancing towards the upper levels.

    The broken windows became the greatest aplice, as seawater rushed in, sweeping through rooms, expanding into corridors, and carrying away everything that wasn''t securely fastened.

    The Titanic took 3 hours from hitting the iceberg to sinking into the Antic. This cruise ship was much smaller, and it was sinking even faster.

    Soon, seawater flooded the sixth floor, extinguishing the mes on that level.

    "How is it?" Wu Lie asked Andrei, "Is the fire out?"

    "No," Jian Jing increased the magnification of the telescope, seeing orange mes flickering in the seventh-floor rooms. "It''s burning on the seventh floor now."

    There was oil on the seventh floor as well. Despite the extreme humidity, it burned fiercely. Moreover, fire naturally tends to spread upwards, finding any avable opening. Originally, the ceiling was reinforced concrete, difficult to prate, but the monster had created numerous holes for its predatory activities. Now it was paying the price, losing ground rapidly.

    The onlookers seemed to be watching an intensepetition.

    Seawater continued to pour in, submerging the mes, while the fire burned on relentlessly, desperately seizing the monster''s territory upwards.

    Water and fire fought to a standstill, with no one able to predict the oue.

    Jian Jing turned her head: "Row further away."

    Everyone paddled with all their might once more.

    By now, the cruise ship hadpletely capsized, its hull gradually sinking below the sea''s surface, and the burning mes were no longer visible.

    The monster, like a giant starfish, clung to the part of the ship still above water, its tentacles hanging naturally, its flexible tail searching for any remaining food.

    They couldn''t wait any longer.

    Jian Jing took a deep breath and detonated the bomb hidden in the fuelpartment.

    [Name: Item Card - Bomb (1/1)]

    [Description: A bomb of tremendous power, remotely controlled, for use only within the scenario]

    [Note: This item is extremely dangerous, please use with caution]

    "Bang!"

    A massive explosion echoed, apanied by a blinding, scorching light. Waves of intense mes rolled out, disintegrating the monster''s extended tentacles into dust.

    Simultaneously, the cruise ship shattered into pieces, sinking at a visibly rapid pace.

    The monster frantically tried to escape, desperately clinging to fragments of the ship to prevent itself from sinking, its size drastically reduced to only about the size of a basketball court.

    A whirlpool formed, its immense suction pulling in all surrounding life forms, dragging them to the ocean floor.

    Jian Jing and the others'' liferaft had already moved over a hundred meters away, but they had still underestimated the power of nature. The waves, like the hands of a giant, mercilessly pushed the raft towards the whirlpool in the sea.

    The world spun, and in the vast ocean, humans were utterly powerless.

    Even Jian Jing, whose physical abilities had been enhanced and who was among the most elite of humans, was equally helpless, only able to cling to the liferaft.

    "Help!" She heard someone cry out.

    Turning her head with difficulty, she saw that the neighboring liferaft had broken, taking on water and capsizing. Wataru Kojima had fallen into the sea.

    The otaku just couldn''t handle it.

    Jian Jing seized the opportunity, grabbed his cor, and pulled the struggling otaku over. "Don''t move, rx," she said.

    "I-I can''t swim," Wataru Kojima''s face was paler than a ghost''s.

    "You''re wearing a life jacket," Jian Jing wiped the rain from her face. "Stay calm, don''t choke on water."

    Kumiko Terauchi also reached out, grabbing his belt.

    With the added weight on their side, when the next wave came, Ran-er Kim on the other end couldn''t withstand the powerful force and was thrown off.

    "Save me!" She reached out her hand.

    Jiang BaiYan and Connor Lee tried to reach her, but the waves piled up, increasing the distance between them. Instead, another liferaft was closer.

    Ran-er Kim, wearing a life jacket, choked on a few mouthfuls of water but didn''t sink. She called out to the familiar Liu Sau-chi for help: "Sau-chi, help me!"

    Liu Sau-chi hesitated for a moment, then extended his arm towards her.

    A faint low voice reached his ears: "Our liferaft is leaking, we can''t take on any more people."

    He turned his head, but in the howling wind and rain, some were wiping their faces, others looking down. It was impossible to tell who had spoken, or perhaps everyone shared the same thought.

    The liferaft spun with the waves, moving Liu Sau-chi further away.

    He took the opportunity to lower his hand.

    Ran-er Kim looked at him in disbelief, trying to speak, but her mouth filled with salty, bitter seawater. Then, she found herself pushed far away.

    Wave after wave crashed over her. Without the weight of others and the protection of the liferaft, she was utterly defenseless, swept into the whirlpool in the blink of an eye.

    Her body was torn at by the currents, and she instinctively struggled against them. The icy seawater numbed her limbs.

    The life jacket tried to keep her afloat, but she would sink again shortly after.

    "Help me..." she cried out, a string of bubbles escaping from her nose.

    Someone save me!

    Ran-er Kim fought desperately, her iling hands grasping onto something. She kicked her legs with all her might, finally managing to surface with great difficulty. As fresh air rushed in, she gasped for breath.

    "Ran-er Kim?" Someone called her name.

    She turned her head to see Jian Jing swimming towards her.

    "Save me," she said.

    "Are you fully conscious?" Jian Jing asked.

    Ran-er Kim nodded.

    "Let go," she said.

    Ran-er Kim looked down and realized she wasn''t holding Jian Jing''s hand, but Andrei''s bow. She released her frozen fingers and floated on the surface.

    Jian Jing swam over, draped Ran-er Kim''s arm over her body, and slowly swam towards the liferaft.

    The people on the raft pulled her up.

    "Jing?" Jiang BaiYan tried to pull Jian Jing up, but she refused.

    "The liferaft is overloaded with 8 people," Jian Jing said. "If I get on, it will capsize."

    With fifteen guests plus the scriptwriter, there were exactly 16 people, barely fitting into two lifeboats. But when Wataru Kojima fell into the water and boarded Jian Jing''s raft, they now had 9 people.

    If one more person got on, everyone would end up in the water.

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t hesitate: "I''ll get in the water and swap with you."

    "Not necessary for now," Jian Jing looked towards the center of the whirlpool, her expression uncertain. "I''m going to take a closer look."

    The turbulence from the explosion was gradually subsiding. By now, most of the cruise ship had sunk, with only a portion of the bow still visible above the water.

    The monster had vanished from sight. She wanted to get closer to see if she could catch its main body and finish it off with one strike to be sure.

    She let go and dove underwater, approaching the site.

    The sun was slow to rise, and in the gloomy pre-dawn darkness, visibility underwater was terrible.

    Jian Jing activated her x-ray vision, searching for traces of the sunken ship in the green world.

    A distinct dark shadow was rapidly sinking.

    She held her breath and swam desperately towards the cruise ship.

    The monster seemed to sense something, and arge number of its remaining tentacles swam towards her, looking like a group of sea snakes moving in unison.

    Jian Jing felt a chill run down her spine and quickly swung her de.

    The knife cut through the water, with less force than onnd, but still sessfully severed the approaching tentacles.

    They weren''t exactly in their element, their movements not particrly agile, but they weren''t significantly weakened either. They still retained a certain degree of flexibility, working together to surround Jian Jing.

    Although Jian Jing didn''t think the tentacles resembled mutated mollusks, she dared not pit human physiology against them. She would cut through a batch and then quickly surface to catch her breath before diving again.

    The tentacles struggled desperately, nearly capsizing the lifeboat. Everyone struggled to keep it steady, but some people still fell overboard, disappearing in an instant.

    No one could afford to save them, as they frantically paddled the boat, trying to get as far away from the struggling tentacles as possible.

    Jian Jing had no idea how many times she had shed with her knife. Countless ck tentacles sank to the bottom of the sea, like a tangled mass of hair.

    Momentster, it slowly sank to the bottom, and Jian Jing was too exhausted to pursue it further.

    Her strength was depleted, and she dared not risk anymore.

    Just then, someone shouted loudly. She surfaced, tapped her ears to hear more clearly: "A ship!"

    "A ship ising!" Someone on this side also spotted the bright beam of light and shouted excitedly, "The people who left first called for a rescue team!"

    Jian Jing looked in the direction they were pointing. In the distance, a bright light gradually approached, faintly outlining the silhouette of a ship with a red and blue national g hanging from its mast.

    It was indeed a ship.

    She asked, "Who called for rescue?"

    "The group that left first. I saw them take a satellite phone, so they must have gotten through."

    "It''s the production team," Connor Lee said. "The captain is with them too."

    "No wonder."

    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere from earlier vanished. People''s morality and kindness suddenly returned. Seeing someone clinging to a wooden board in the distance, they paddled over to pull them up.

    This unfortunate soul was the screenwriter, clutching a metal box and gasping for air.

    Raj asked, "Why did you keep that thing?"

    "This box is worth over 3 million," the screenwriter said. "Borrowed it from the insurancepany."

    Raj immediately fell silent.

    The ship slowly approached. Several crew members pointed from the deck, and soon after, one of them threw down a ropedder, tossing it to the nearest lifeboat.

    People from the lifeboat climbed up one by one.

    After they were aboard, more crew members lowered lifeboats to pull in those in the water, then sent them up the ropedder, with crew members above responsible for pulling people up.

    Jian Jing and her group''s life raft was the farthest away. Although everyone knew that since the fishing boat had started rescuing people, they couldn''t possibly miss them, they couldn''t help but worry about being overlooked.

    This anxiety, though unspoken, lingered in their minds, impossible to shake off.

    They could only make small talk to distract themselves.

    "We''re lucky there was a ship nearby."

    "The fishing ban period is over, so there are many fishing boats at sea now."

    "I was terrified. Thankfully the police didn''t arrive at the very end."

    "Movies are movies, reality is reality. With modern technology so advanced, it''s impossible not to contact rescue."

    "It''s been decades since the Titanic, there must have been some progress."

    "It''s truly fortunate."

    While reassuring each other, they waved their rescue sticks, afraid of being missed.

    Half an hourter, those furthest away had been rescued. The fishing boat headed in their direction, simrly dropping a ropedder for them to climb aboard.

    "Ladies first," Hiroto Ishikawa made way.

    Ran-er Kim sarcastically remarked, "It''sdies first when there''s no danger, but equality when there is."

    The gentlemen pretended not to hear.

    Ran-er Kim didn''t hold back, pushing past them to climb up. The moment her feet touched the deck, she felt her limbs go weak, almost copsing to the ground.

    "Have some hot water," crew members distributed nkets and hot water. "Are any of you injured?"

    "My face is cut," Liu Sau-chi said.

    A crew member gave him a bandage.

    Others were also numb with cold, hanging on by theirst bit of strength to climb aboard, copsing on the deck, unable to get up.

    Jian Jing was thest to be rescued.

    As she boarded, she looked back at the sea. The cruise ship hadpletely sunk, the severed tentacles had vanished without a trace, as if nothing had ever happened.

    The sun was slowly rising on the horizon.

    The view brightened, and the undting sea didn''t seem as treacherous anymore.

    "Rest for a while, we''ll return to shore soon," the crew members escorted the shivering survivors to the cabins, constantly reassuring them, "You''ll be onnd after a short nap."

    Having survived a disaster, everyone was exhausted beyond words, not wanting to speak, only nodding briefly.

    Seeing this, the crew members didn''t say much more, arranging for them to rest before leaving.

    The fishing boat had limited rooms, with three or four people squeezed into one. But at this moment, even the pickiest person wouldn''tin about the conditions, with people of the same gender huddling together to sleep.

    Jian Jing turned off the lights andy down on the sofa.

    Heavy breathing could be heard from Zhang Xue''er and Ran-er Kim on the bed. They were exhausted and terrified. Who could have imagined that participating in a reality show would lead to a scene straight out of a disaster movie?

    They hade so close to death.

    So close to starring in their own horror film.

    Fortunately, it was all over now. All horror movies have survivors in the end, with the main characters usually safe and sound, and if lucky, even some supporting characters manage to escape with their lives.

    As Jian Jing pondered this, she heard a soft sound by her ear.

    The door was pushed open a crack, letting in a salty sea breeze that caressed her face, refreshingly cool.

    "Click," in less than 3 seconds it closed again, and the room returned to its stuffy heat.

    Jian Jing opened her eyes and slowly sat up.

 Chapter 383

    You participated in a reality show, thinking it was a game for a million dors, but little did you know that the story would take a 180-degree turn at the end.

    Terrifying tentacles appeared on the luxury cruise ship, seemingly a mutant squid monster that went on a killing spree, treating people as food. It could suck a person dry in one gulp, worthy of the name "corpse-sucking octopus."

    Hm? Don''t ask why it''s sometimes a squid and sometimes an octopus, either works.

    Which movie monster isn''t a patchwork creature?

    Faced with this bizarre scenario, you and yourpanions worked together, going throughmon plot points like infighting, drama, and cooperation, before finally sinking it in the ocean.

    However, the erupting waves engulfed the survivors. Some were abandoned, some retained their kindness, everyone holding on to theirst breath, enduring the tragic end of drowning.

    Dawn broke, a ship came, and you were rescued.

    Sunrise, fishing boat, hot water, nkets, bed.

    What a ssic ending scene, the next second the credits could roll.

    ButˇŞ

    Isn''t this strange?

    Is reality really like a Hollywood movie, with such a perfect plot structure? If anything, it''s more like a Korean disaster film. The initial distress call was odd, the power system failure came without warning, not to mention Jenny''s sacrifice...

    There''s a conspiracy.

    Jian Jing felt the ship arrived too conveniently, so much so that she wouldn''t be at ease without investigating.

    She didn''t drink a drop of the water the crew gave her, but instead drank the freshwater from the life raft before boarding. She even munched on the meal recement bar she had won at the gym years ago and never had the chance to eat, somewhat regaining her strength.

    Someone was patrolling outside.

    Jian Jing wiped the cookie crumbs from her lips and rolled her eyes: You call yourself a fishing boat? These crew members exude an aura of toughness, could they really be fishermen?

    It''s not like it''s a pirate ship.

    She muttered to herself, bing more cautious in her movements, clinging to the railing as she carefully crept towards the most heavily guarded room.

    She activated her heightened senses, amplifying her hearing.

    Korean, she couldn''t understand. Quickly, she used a card and once again received the system''s thoughtful [Prop Card - Voice Pack].

    "Have you confirmed everything?"

    "Yes, all survivors are asleep."

    "What about that Chinese girl?"

    "She''s sound asleep. I saw her drink the water with my own eyes."

    "Good, the boss specifically mentioned to keep a close eye on her."

    "She''s just a woman, how smart could she be?"

    "Better safe than sorry."

    "Understood."

    The unidentified individuals disguised as crew members finished their conversation. The one with higher status entered the room to report: "Boss, everything is ready. We can begin at any time."

    "Very good," an elderly voice replied.

    Jian Jing couldn''t identify who it was. She hooked her toes onto the railing, bit her braid, and flipped upside down to take a peek.

    The old man was short, his hair seemingly ck but with snow-white roots. His plump face sagged slightly, and the air he exhaled carried the decaying scent of rotten cotton.

    This old geezer looks familiar.

    She rememberedˇŞhe was the Chairman of 3Q Group.

    Let''s repeat that: 3Q Group, one of the sponsors of this "The Reasoning King" show, a well-known Korean chaebol. The sunken "World Cruise Liner" was his private yacht.

    Alright, following the Korean drama form, he''s definitely the mastermind behind all this.

    But Jian Jing still didn''t make a move.

    The Chairman of 3Q said, "Start the preparations."

    "Father," a middle-aged woman in a suit next to him, with short hair and diamond earrings, her face seven or eight parts simr to his, spoke humbly, "Do we really have to do this?"

    The Chairman gave her a stern look, his severity incongruous with his aged body: "What are you trying to say?"

    "I absolutely do not mean to question you, Father," the middle-aged woman said, terrified. "It''s just... is it alright to entrust such an important ritual to outsiders?"

    The Chairman''s expression softened slightly: "You''ve witnessed the Master''s power with your own eyes. If it weren''t for him, I would have been dead already. Besides, I have no other choice left."

    A deathly pallor crept across his face: "Of the three-month time limit, only ten days remain."

    "I understand," the woman said respectfully. "I''m willing to sacrifice everything for Father''s cause."

    "Very good," the Chairman nodded, closing his eyes to rest.

    More people gradually entered the room, all dressed in identical ck suits, impably groomed as if ready to embark on an international diplomatic visit at any moment.

    They nodded to each other, apparently familiar with one another.

    The middle-aged woman picked up a te from the table and distributed prepared white strips to everyone.

    They epted them, tying the red-striped handkerchiefs around their wrists, binding their hands tightly together. Then, following a certain order, they silently knelt on cushions.

    Forming a circle.

    The middle-aged woman drew the curtains, lit candles and incense in the room. A hazy fragrance wafted through the air, rich and intoxicating, involuntarily creating a sense of dizziness.

    The elderly Chairman rose, leaning on his cane, and sat at the twelve o''clock position of the circle. He slowly said, "Today is the most important day in the history of the Spirit Descent Society. I''m very grateful that you all were willing to participate in today''s prayer."

    The others bowed low, showing utmost respect: "Our reverence for the divine has never wavered."

    The Chairman nodded and said hoarsely, "Perhaps you''ve already heard. Three months ago, my heart suddenly stopped beating. They couldn''t resuscitate me for half an hour. Fortunately, a Master intervened and saved my life."

    His slow, measured tone, mingling with the sweet, stuffy incense, carried a peculiarly persuasive power.

    "Which Master was it?" asked a middle-aged man to the left. "The Spirit Descent Society must thank him."

    "He is already a member of the Spirit Descent Society. The elders should remember, twenty years ago..." the Chairman alluded vaguely, "Back then, the Spirit Descent Society was still called the Heart Redemption Society. Under my father''s guidance, we once held a ceremony to cleanse our sins. He was the officiant."

    Several older members suddenly realized: "So it was Master Qi Tian."

    "He''s been gone for too long," sighed an olddy with sleek white hair. "I had almost forgotten about him."

    The Chairman said, "Master Qi Tian traveled across the ocean, all to seek traces of the divine. Although he paid an unimaginable price, he still seeded."

    The others immediately became excited.

    "He seeded?"

    "Did he sessfully perform the ritual?"

    "Did the divine descend?"

    The Chairman said, "Yes, he seeded. I witnessed the miracle with my own eyes." He looked around at everyone and slowly said, "I know you have doubts. I will prove it to you."

    He coughed twice, unbuttoning his shirt. One button, two buttons, the expensive custom-made shirt opened, revealing the old man''s aging body, and the "heart" exposed on his chest.

    It must be a heart, it was connected to all the blood vessels in the body, beating rhythmically, pumping blood throughout the body. But it was certainly not the heart people were familiar with.

    ck roots coiled around it, like welded metal parts, connecting the heart to the major blood vessels. Blood soaked the roots, making them shine red and ck, with newly grown roots still quivering slightly with each heartbeat.

    "This isˇŞ"

    The Chairman buttoned up his shirt and slowly said, "Ladies and gentlemen, from the time my father established the Heart Redemption Society forty years ago until today''s Spirit Descent Society, we have been through so much. People have joined, some have betrayed, some have doubted, but only we know that all sacrifices will be rewardedˇŞthe divine will not abandon anyone. As long as you are devout and humble enough, you will surely receive guidance when the timees, leading us to thend of bliss."

    He drew a circle on his chest with his hand, then clenched it into a fist and pressed it against his chest.

    The others made the exact same gesture.

    "Today, as written in the Holy Scripture, I will spread the divine''s gospel to every devout person," the Chairman said. "Let''s begin."

    "Yes, Father," the middle-aged woman went out for a moment and brought back a familiar face.

    It was the screenwriter who had been saved earlier by Raj and Andrei. He was specially hired by "The Reasoning King" in Asia to localize the story, and he was responsible for writing the witchcraft parts of the content.

    He addressed the Chairman as "Uncle."

    "Did you get it?" the Chairman asked.

    The Screenwriter nodded nervously and pulled out the safe from his chestˇŞthis was the box used to draw the capsules at that time. For the sake of creating a secretive gimmick, "The Reasoning King" had specifically chosen this safe, touted as the world''s most secure, to store the items.

    After the drawing was over, the safe was set aside and hidden by the Screenwriter.

    He opened the safe, revealing a mass of struggling tentacles. No, at this moment, it wasn''t difficult to see that the so-called tentacles were actually still roots.

    The roots had parasitized a soft-bodied creature simr to an octopus. The tentacles were merely ayer of armor, now tattered and transformed into rags, unable to conceal the parasitic entity inside.

    "What is this thing?" the Old Lady asked.

    The Chairman said, "The awakened divine guide. It''s the only medium for summoning the god." He was reluctant to say more and gestured for the Screenwriter to bring the thing over and ce it on the altar.

    "Let''s begin."

    Soft music filled the room, and a new stick of incense was lit.

    The elderly people chanted the scripture in unison: "Oh ancient and distant deity, please bless your faithful followers on earth. We have cleansed ourselves of sin, and we yearn for the holy kingdomˇŞ"

    Wisps of white smoke rose, enveloping the room in a hazy mist.

    Those participating in the ritual fell into a dreamlike state.

    The roots broke free from the soft-bodied creature''s armor, expanding in all directions, quickly growing from the size of a basketball to an unfurled fishing.

    The tendrils wrapped around the seated people, who remained motionless, their faces adorned with dreamy smiles.

    The Middle-aged Woman kneeling behind the Chairman slowly raised her head, her hands sped tightly together, blue veins bulging on the back of her hands, indicating her effort.

    After about two breaths, she slowly stood up and walked to the door, opening it.

    She bowed low: "Master."

    The Screenwriter, who had disappeared at some point, pushed in a wheelchair. Seated in it was Qi Tian, wrapped from head to toe like a burn victim, watching with interest as the roots enveloped his food.

    They had fallen into a deepa, feeling neither pain nor consciousness. The anesthetic contained in the roots was enough to let them die without knowing or feeling.

    "Master," the Screenwriter asked, "shall we proceed?"

    "No rush," Qi Tian waved his hand. They were just a bunch of greedy and shameless old fools, flocking to him like flies at the slightest hint of sweetness, extremely stupid.

    He was more concerned about another matter: "Did you get what I asked you to bring?"

    Without hesitation, the Screenwriter took out a sealed bag from his chest: "As you instructed, I found Jian Jing''s hair in her room. As for blood, I''m sorry, I couldn''t obtain it."

    "This is enough," Qi Tian pinched the strands of hair in the bag. After several days of game time, there would be no less than a hundred naturally shed hairs.

    He took out a pre-cut paper doll from his sleeve, pressed the hair with his fingertip, bit his finger, and dripped a few drops of blood onto the paper doll. Strangely, his blood did not soak through the paper, but instead formed a water-repellent film on the doll.

    "This time, you won''t escape," Qi Tian said, his face contorted as he firmly stabbed the golden needle in his hand.

    Almost simultaneously, an arrow pierced through the gap in the window, passing between the curtains, and urately struck his chest.

 Chapter 384

    [System: You are under attack by an unknown force, your heart will be under great pressure]

    [System: Countdown 10, 9...]

    The Taste of Death added two points, the Dragon Tiger Mountain ritual added 7 points. Jian Jing was 10 seconds away from death.

    In the 1st second, she shot an arrow from the right position. The bow and arrows belonged to Andrei, who had lost them on the life raft. She had brought them along.

    Although the bowstring was damp and the arrow slightly crooked, it didn''t matter. The aiming card could solve these problems.

    She shot the arrow with perfect uracy and saw it pierce Qi Tian''s chest.

    In the 2nd second, the countdown still hadn''t disappeared.

    This proved that Qi Tian wasn''t dead.

    He pulled out the arrow that had pierced his heart, bringing out wisps of tendrils mixed with blood.

    Severely wounded again, Qi Tian had no strength to retaliate. He tersely ordered his two subordinates: "Kill her."

    In the 3rd second, the Screenwriter rushed out to intercept them.

    Jian Jing paid him no attention at all. She climbed over the railing and jumped in directly from outside the window, lunging towards Qi Tian in one swift move.

    Qi Tian staggered back. At the same time, the awakened tendrils raised their branches like disturbed snakes, converging on her one after another.

    Jian Jing took out her Tang sword and swiftly cut them into pieces.

    In the 4th second, the Middle-aged Woman pulled out a gun, its ck muzzle aimed at her.

    The safety wasn''t even off. Who was she trying to scare? Jian Jing stepped sideways, grabbed her wrist and twisted, easily taking the gun for herself.

    "Get out," she said in English.

    The Middle-aged Woman hesitated, only backing away without leaving.

    In the 5th second, the tendrils made aeback.

    Qi Tian asked with a cold smile: "Do you dare to blow it up this time? There''s no second ship to save you."

    Jian Jing didn''t speak. The show''s survivors were still asleep in the guest rooms. The old men and women in the room had inhaled an unknown gas and sat like y statues on meditation cushions, their minds unclear.

    Whether blowing up the ship or shooting up the room would inevitably harm bystanders.

    Qi Tian knew she wouldn''t dare.

    But so what?

    In the 6th second, Jian Jing inserted the tip of her sword into the center of the tendrils. Her left hand lit a lighter, and the me immediately ignited the long tendrils wrapped around the sword hilt.

    The tendrils, damaged, immediately devoured the nearest old man, converting his flesh and blood into nutrients for repair.

    Qi Tian''s vocal cords were damaged, his voice as hoarse as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, rough and dry: "To kill me, they all have to die."

    "Who cares," Jian Jing didn''t hesitate at all and fired at the twisted tendrils.

    There were seven bullets in total. She showed no mercy, giving them all to the tendrils.

    In the 7th second, it began desperately devouring the surrounding elderly, trying to repair itself with their life force.

    But Jian Jing wouldn''t give it a chance. Her Tang sword rose and fell unpredictably, cutting off all the tendrils that intended to devour.

    In the 8th second, her heart felt slightly ufortable, as if an invisible hand was gripping the fragile organ. The external pressure made it beat rapidly.

    "It''s over," Qi Tian revealed the weapon hidden in his wheelchair armrest, his withered finger on the trigger.

    Jian Jing turned to look at him, her expression mocking.

    Qi Tian suddenly became aware of something unusual.

    The 9th second.

    His heartbeat gradually slowed, as if he had been anesthetized. His body''s efficiency plummeted, the muscles began to rx, and his fingers werepletely unable to pull the trigger, frozen in ce.

    The gun slipped to the ground.

    Jian Jing picked up the gun and aimed it at his forehead.

    Her teeth lightly clicked.

    The 10th second.

    She pulled the trigger.

    The bullet spun, urately entering his forehead and exiting through the back of his skull, bringing out some minute gunpowder and red and white brain tissue.

    However, at the same moment, ck tendrils covered the wound.

    Qi Tian''s throat made a "ho ho" sound. He wasn''t dead yet: "Killing me... isn''t... that..."

    She raised her Tang sword, the snow-white de slicing through his neck as smoothly as cutting tofu.

    Blood sttered, and the head flew off, the eyes blinking rapidly.

    "In witchcraft culture, only beheading prevents resurrection," Jian Jing smiled. "Thank you for your story, it was quite good inspiration."

    In the 11th second, the severed head rolling on the ground faced her, the corners of its mouth splitting into an eerie curve.

    Tendrils extended from the severed neck, and arge number of roots grew from the body''s cross-section. The two intertwined in the air, tightly entangled.

    The tendrils contracted, pulling the fallen head closer to the body, somehow still maintaining its life.

    The 12th second.

    The smile froze on the severed head, the movement of the tendrils suddenly halted.

    [System: Countdown 1--]

    [System: Curse lifted]

    In the 13th second, Qi Tian died.

    On the lonely head, the eyes were wide open, as if disbelieving his own death until the veryst moment. However, his withered body, like a dried-out tree scorched by fire, suddenly lost its vitality and crumbled to the ground.

    Grey dust rose from the floor.

    The tendrils gradually quieted, falling off the bodies of the old men and women, curling up to the size of a fist.

    Jian Jing exhaled softly.

    Actually, the first arrow she shot at Qi Tian had been poisoned.

    She was aw-abiding citizen and would never purchase poison herself, nor would the system provide her with poison.

    She had used the strychnine from Mnie''s poisoned taxi driver and the curare she had stolen in the Southeast Asian jungle. Thebination of the two worked wonders.

    Although the tendrils were supernatural, after several encounters, she had figured out their working principle.

    Just as they resided in the tentacles, the tendrils parasitized the human body, repairing tissues through blood vessels. They couldn''t move through muscles or bones - otherwise, the parasitized body would have been riddled with holes long ago.

    Blood vessels were their pathway. To block their repair, one had to obstruct the blood vessels.

    The poison from the curare tree could paralyze the heart and close off blood vessels, making it perfect for dealing with Qi Tian.

    Moreover, worried that Qi Tian might have some sense of the cursed time, she hadn''t extended her seconds in advance. She had only stuffed a soft candy made from the Taste of Death into her mouth as a precaution.

    As expected, 10 seconds weren''t enough. She used 3 more seconds.

    But the result was very satisfying.

    The arrow wound, the poison, the sword wound had absolutely critically injured Qi Tian. Add to that the burning of the tendrils and the cutting off of the branches, the tendrils'' abilities were greatly weakened. Finally, they were unable to repair Qi Tian''s body before death.

    The immortal tree could only repair the body, not bring the dead back to life.

    Qi Tian''s brain was destroyed, his head cut off, his heart damaged. Even the greatest immortal couldn''t save him now.

    The curse finally disappearedpletely.

    Jian Jing felt light-hearted, as if a great burden had been lifted.

    With the person dead, everything else would be easy to handle.

    She looked at the Middle-aged Woman, the only conscious person at the scene, and smiled slightly at her frightened gaze: "How about we make a deal?"

    *

    At noon, the fishing boat docked at Busan, South Korea.

    The guests who had been terrified for an entire day, along with some surviving staff members, finally let their guard down slightly as they set foot onnd.

    Everyone was eager for an exnation.

    But the Korean Police Agency sent them to the hospital, suppressing the news under the pretext of recuperation.

    "Why aren''t we allowed to contact the outside?" Raj protested vehemently. "We almost died this time, we must be given an exnation!"

    The police officer assigned to receive them said: "The incident is still under investigation. Please cooperate with the examination."

    "What''s there to investigate? Everyone on the ship saw it, a huge monster," said Linnaer. "What you should do is send us back, not detain us!"

    The police officer: "I''m sorry, I''m just following my superior''s orders. Please don''t make it difficult for us."

    Unable to get any answers, the group could only probe each other for information.

    "The fishing boat that rescued us was strange," Min-cheol Park said. "From the crew''s tone, they didn''t sound like seafaring people."

    Wataru Kojima: "Was there a problem with the ship?"

    "No, the ship was definitely a fishing boat, but the people might not have been."

    Min-cheol Park demonstrated the acumen of a frontline reporter, pondering: "When we first boarded the ship, I asked a crew member to borrow a phone to call my family, but he refused, saying he didn''t bring a phone. I was too tired and hungry to think about it at the time, but now that I consider it, it doesn''t seem quite reasonable."

    Wataru Kojima also said: "Indeed, if the satellite phone could get through, they should have called for help right away. Why did the director''s team still bring the phone when they boarded?"

    They all sensed something amiss but couldn''te up with a reasonable exnation at the moment.

    At this point, Connor Lee suddenly said: "Have you guys ever seen a movie where the captain deliberately hired people to attack his own ship to im a huge insurance payout?"

    "I remember that, but the production team has no reason to do this," Wu Lie said. "I heard from the staff that the ratings for this episode were very good, so they have no need to do something like this."

    The air fell silent.

    After a moment, Kumiko Terauchi said, "Maybe I''m overthinking it, but when we disembarked, I felt like there were far fewer crew members than before."

    She was known for being observant, so the others didn''t dismiss her concerns. Instead, they tried to recall: "You''re right, there weren''t many people left. Could they have disembarked before us?"

    This... didn''t make sense, did it?

    Even if it was for the sake of secrecy, the first people they should control would be the survivors like themselves. Why would the unrted crew members be controlled before them?

    Unless they were more important.

    Wataru Kojima was silent for a while, then asked, "Has anyone seen Jian Jing?"

    Jiang BaiYan replied, "No, Jing Jing didn''te with us."

    Wataru Kojima became anxious: "Was she taken away? Is she in danger?"

    "If we''re not in danger, Jing Jing is even less likely to be," Jiang BaiYan calmly said. "She might have gone to investigate the issues you mentioned."

    Another silence fell.

    Min-cheol Park walked to the window and looked out, but seeing only guards, he said, "We don''t have any other options now, but we shouldn''t worry too much. The live broadcast just ended, so our personal safety should be guaranteed."

    ording to the schedule, the program recording wasn''t over yet, with a celebration banquet nned for tonight. The whole world was watching them, so the Korean authorities wouldn''t dare to do anything too extreme.

    Especially since this was an American program.

    The group was convinced and returned to their hospital rooms to rest.

    Soon after, a nurse came to draw blood and perform a routine physical examination.

    Around 5 PM, someone brought their personal belongings.

    Min-cheol Park checked his luggage and, as expected, found that everything in his personal camera had been deleted.

    "Why did you delete my videos?" he demanded of the guard.

    The security personnel didn''t answer his question.

    At 6 PM, dinner was served ¨C typical Korean cuisine.

    At 8:30 PM, Jian Jing returned.

    The guests immediately surrounded her, asking with concern, "What exactly happened?"

    Jian Jing said, "Water source pollution causing marine life to mutate, or the military conducting secret experiments leading to test subjects escaping and colliding with our cruise ship ¨C which one do you want to believe?"

    The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

    Both exnations were quite shocking.

    Liu Sau-chi asked, "By ocean pollution, do you mean nuclear waste contamination?"

    Hiroto Ishikawa reacted strongly: "Don''t talk nonsense, all discharged water is properly treated."

    "Everyone knows what''s really going on," Raj shrugged.

    Andrei said, "I think it''s the US military bases conducting experiments. They''ve always done things like this."

    Connor Lee cautiously stated, "This is an international issue."

    But some weren''t so easily fooled. Min-cheol Park gestured for her to speak privately: "Miss Jian, please answer me honestly, does this incident have anything to do with the 3Q Group?"

    Jian Jing looked at the veteran reporter curiously and asked, "Why would you ask about the 3Q Group?"

    "To be frank, this incident feels very familiar to me," Min-cheol Park hesitated, then chose to trust his instincts and told her, "Something simr happened twenty years ago. In recent years, there have been constant scandals surrounding the 3Q Group, and I''ve heard their chairman is associated with a certain religious sect."

    Jian Jing answered his question with another question: "Do you know about the Heart Redemption Society?"

    Min-cheol Park nodded slightly: "It used to be a very famous religious group, with many high-ranking officials as followers. Then, for some reason, they suddenly vanished without a trace."

    Jian Jing seemed lost in thought for a while, then said, "Now isn''t the right time to discuss this. Let''s keep in touchter."

    Min-cheol Park understood and didn''t pursue the matter further.

    After he left, Wataru Kojima approached.

    "Jian Jing, are you hiding something from us?" he asked directly. "The two exnations you gave don''t seem to be the whole truth."

    Jian Jing looked at him and let out a soft sigh.

 Chapter 385

    What is the truth?

    Twenty years ago, Qi Tian was already a famous master of dark arts in China. He performed the Seven Stars Coffin Seal ritual to extend his own life, going so far as to murder many innocent children in the process.

    After seeding, he went to South Korea, where he met the father of the 3Q Group chairman and participated in establishing the Heart Redemption Society, acquiring arge sum of unexined wealth.

    Later, sensing that the Seven Stars Coffin Seal would fail in about a decade, he traveled far to the other side of the world, to the Americas, in search of the legendary immortality tree.

    In Twilight Town, he found the mysterious immortality tree, killed young Frank, took his ce, and sessfully restored his aging body.

    However, he was simultaneously bound by the immortality tree, unable to leave Twilight Town, and could only patiently lie low, searching for a substitute.

    Jian Jing used three bombs at the time, sessfully destroying the immortality tree''sir, the "White Kingdom," but this also freed Qi Tian from his constraints.

    He fled without a trace.

    For a while, Jian Jing suspected he had gone to Southeast Asia, where witchcraft was most prevalent, but this was not the case.

    Qi Tian secretly rushed to South Korea and approached the Spirit Descent Society, which was originally the Heart Redemption Society. He intervened to save the chairman, who was on the brink of death, making him deeply believe in Qi Tian''s abilities.

    He deceived the chairman, iming he was willing to spread God''s gospel to every believer. In reality, he had already formed an alliance with the chairman''s daughter, nning to turn the old folks participating in the ritual, along with the people on the cruise ship, into sacrifices for their god.

    This was the confession of the chairman''s daughter.

    Jian Jing believed she wasn''t lying, after all, her knife was still at the aunt''s throat at the time.

    Qi Tian''s motives weren''t hard to guess.

    After losing the fruit of the immortality tree, his body had severely deteriorated, barely sustaining itself on stolen branches of the immortality tree. To fully recover, he needed to revive the stolen parts.

    Reviving nts is simple ¨C just add fertilizer.

    The immortality tree fears fire, so Qi Tian set the location at sea.

    An absolutely sealed environment where sacrifices couldn''t escape, and the cause of death would be difficult to investigate ¨C it was perfect.

    Moreover, Qi Tian nned to kill two birds with one stone ¨C using the sea disaster to eliminate Jian Jing, and having herplete the most important step for him.

    Severely damaging the revived immortality tree.

    After absorbing the power of the sacrifices, the immortality tree would experience its first rapid growth. In Qi Tian''s current state, he was no match for it. The Spirit Descent Society members were willing to die for their god and ept divine gifts without reservation ¨C how could they harm their god?

    He had no legitimate reason to make others take action.

    But Jian Jing certainly would.

    Qi Tian knew that whether or not she recognized the tentacles as the immortality tree, she would certainly choose to destroy it.

    If he timed it right, he could achieve the result of them both being severely injured.

    By then, Jian Jing would surely die, and he could easily subdue the badly injured immortality tree.

    The n was perfect, but unfortunately... Jian Jing had also wanted him dead for a long time.

    With Qi Tian gone, the shrewd middle-aged woman naturally wouldn''t continue to work for him.

    "How about we make a deal?" Jian Jing asked her.

    And she had no choice.

    Jian Jing not only held a knife but also a phone, with the camera recording the scene of their father-daughter engaging in superstitious practices. The faces and voices were crystal clear ¨C if leaked, the 3Q Group would be finished.

    She had to agree to Jian Jing''s demands, first letting the fishing boat return to port and allowing the survivors to leave.

    In exchange, Jian Jing would hand over the video to them.

    On their side, the 3Q Group''s efficiency was naturally notcking. They sent the survivors to the hospital, using this to contain the news and examine everyone''s bodies.

    Oh, and the chairman was also hospitalized.

    With Qi Tian dead, the root''s constraints disappeared, and the old man had breathed hisst before disembarking.

    The other elderly, though uninjured externally, seemed somewhat mentally unclear and were also kept in the ward for observation.

    This was the middle-aged woman''s opportunity.

    How fierce the internal struggles ofrge consortiums can be ¨C just look at the Jiang family. She was busy seizing power and had neither the courage nor the time for small maneuvers.

    The next day, the foreign survivors were searched, confirming that apart from Min-cheol Park, no one had taken photos of the relevant scenes or secretly kept any items from the scene.

    They were directly transferred to the airport and boarded the earliest flight back to their countries.

    Jiang BaiYan, Zhang Xue''er, and Wu Lie sat together, their expressions a bit peculiar.

    Jian Jing didn''te.

    She had disappeared again.

    Even a fool would know something was wrong.

    But this was a South Korean airline, and although it seemed nothing special, out of some intuition, the three tacitly agreed not to discuss this. They went to sleep as soon as they boarded the ne, not even eating the in-flight meal.

    Several hourster, the nended in Beijing.

    As soon as Jiang BaiYan got off the ne, he sprang into action, heading straight for a phone store to buy a new phone, get a SIM card, and then dialed Kang Mu Cheng''s number.

    "Jing Jing?" He answered quickly.

    Jiang BaiYan: "It''s Jiang Yan."

    "Where''s Jing Jing?"

    "She was left behind in South Korea," he said rapidly. "Before I boarded the ne, she told me not to worry, that she would find her own way back, but I''m concerned."

    Once bitten, twice shy ¨C this must have been the tenth or twentieth time by now. Kang Mu Cheng''s heart had been well-tempered and he asked quite calmly: "Is she alright?"

    "She''s fine," Jiang BaiYan gave a definitive answer.

    Kang Mu Cheng''s tone rxed: "I saw an announcement saying the ship encountered a storm and returned to Busan early, and the show''s recording was postponed. Did something happen?"

    "It''s a bitplicated, I''ll tell you in person," Jiang BaiYan said. "See you soon."

    He then called Qiu Lin, reassuring his manager, before logging into his Weibo ount. After pondering for a moment, he posted a new message.

    Jiang BaiYan V:

    The ship encountered an ident at sea and returned to Busan early. Now @Model Xue''er, @Actor Wu Lie and I have safely returned to Beijing. Everyone is safe, thank you all for your concern.

    Hope Teacher Jing Jing cane back soon~

    Posted.

    Then, without looking at thements, he immediately bought the earliest flight ticket to Peace City.

    During the wait for his flight, he felt the inside pocket of his jacket.

    This morning, when Jian Jing bid them farewell at the airport, saying she had something to attend to and couldn''t return yet, she had slipped a Corgi butt-shaped USB drive into his cor while the surrounding guards weren''t paying attention.

    What was inside?

    Jiang BaiYan took out the USB drive and plugged it into his new phone.

    Two videos.

    One was footage captured by a drone, only a few seconds long and very shaky. The other was filmed in a room on the fishing boat, showing an evil ritual.

    He put on his earphones and used automatic trantion software to barely understand what they were saying.

    So that''s what happened. Jiang BaiYan turned off his phone, pondering what to do.

    If leaked, Jing Jing would surely face retaliation, but if they remained silent, the 3Q Group, who now held this leverage, would certainly find ways to eliminate Jing Jing.

    He called Sister Chen.

    "Xiao Bai, are you alright? When are youing back?" the manager asked anxiously.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "I''ming back soon. Sister Chen, which nningpany did we use for my overseas promotion?"

    Sister Chen gave him a name.

    "Find a water army studio to buy an ount, and contact their people, saying there''s big news to break." Jiang BaiYan cropped out a photo of the tentacles, deliberately cutting out the huge World Cruise Liner logo to make it look like a movie special effect.

    Sister Chen asked, "What are you up to?"

    Jiang BaiYan: "Tell them that the U.S. military is secretly researching biological weapons at a base, and South Korea is sending death row inmates to participate in experiments in exchange for benefits."

    Sister Chen was dumbfounded: "Huh??"

    "Just make up something sensational, more conspiracy theory-like," he said. "Get the water army to promote it a bit, someone''s bound to believe it."

    Sister Chen still didn''t understand: "What are you doing this for? This isn''t something to joke about."

    "Don''t worry, there will definitely be even more outrageous stories," Jiang BaiYan said. "Contact them soon, find a few professionals, just don''t get caught. After it''s posted on foreign websites, find some marketing ounts to repost it domestically, but don''t take it too seriously, just make it seem like a joke."

    Sister Chen hesitated for a moment but still agreed, though she couldn''t help but worry: "Don''t do anything rash."

    "Boarding now, I''ve got to go," he hung up the phone.

    *

    As Jiang BaiYan had predicted, his news wasn''t the first, nor was it the most outrageous.

    The Reasoning King was an American show. When the production team evacuated, who could guarantee no one had taken photos? Moreover, many people in the production team had been in cahoots with the Spirit Descent Society for a while and weren''t under strict supervision.

    And those who believe in God can also believe in money.

    For example, director Marlon, whose wife Jenny is a member of the Spirit Descent SocietyˇŞyes, this cult has expanded internationally after decades of developmentˇŞmet with people from the 3Q Group after being rescued. Through fragmentary clues, he vaguely guessed part of the truth.

    As soon as he returned to the United States, he leaked this information.

    In his version, there was evidence of a deal between a Korean consortium and a mysterious military force on the "World Cruise Liner," and the 3Q Group deliberately caused a maritime disaster to silence everyone, intending to sink the cruise ship into the Pacific Ocean.

    He said this not to conceal anything, but because he was drunk and didn''t see the monster. He was convinced that the monster was just an excuse, and the whole incident was a conspiracy.

    The reason his wife Jenny was involved was that she had joined the Spirit Descent Society and identally learned about the military''s secret, so she was also silenced.

    Then, Jiang BaiYan''s screenshots were leaked.

    Manyizens believed that the monster in the picture was a biological weapon, specifically developed by another country to target them.

    Which country?

    They could tell by looking at where the ship came from and where it ended up.

    Koreanizens disagreed, but they discovered that Ran-er Kim, Liu Sau-chi, and Min-cheol Park, who participated in the show''s recording this time, hadn''t spoken out on social media tforms.

    It wasn''t until the public opinion reached a boiling point that Liu Sau-chi and Ran-er Kim appeared, stating that they were safe and that the cruise ship had only encountered a rare storm, and nothing like what was being said online had happened.

    On the same day, the TV station where Min-cheol Park worked received news of his death.

    Outside of Korea and the United States,izens from other countries were generally calmer. Japaneseizens were protesting against Koreanizens'' spection about nuclear waste, while domesticizens were generally concerned about Jian Jing''s safety.

    As the winner of the Asian chapter of "The Reasoning King," Jian Jing''s whereabouts and safety undoubtedly caught the attention of audiences worldwide.

    Everyone wanted to know: Was she still alive? Was she being held captive? Did she know some secret?

    *

    If Jiang BaiYan could guess that the 3Q Group would surely cause trouble, how could Jian Jing not know?

    She sent the others to board the ne, then immediately went to the bathroom.

    The bodyguards watching her exchanged a nce and immediately sent a female bodyguard to follow her.

    Jian Jing quickened her pace, squeezing into the crowd, seemingly trying to shake off her follower. But the bodyguard was well-trained and always managed to keep her in sight.

    She pushed through the crowd and stepped out of the bustling airport.

    Outside, people were busy boarding, and there were many taxis. She randomly got into one and told the driver, "To the duty-free shop."

    The driver stepped on the gas and sped away.

    The pursuers'' car cut in.

    The driver noticed and asked, "Why is that car behind us following us?"

    Jian Jing remained calm and said, "Ex-boyfriend, don''t mind him."

    But the bodyguards'' car was much better than the taxi, and they quickly overtook them.

    The driver nced and suddenly doubted, "Which one is your ex-boyfriend?"

    "None of them. He''s the son of a wealthy family, and those are his family''s bodyguards," Jian Jing said, seeing an intersection ahead. "Never mind, you can drop me off at the roadside. I''ll clear things up with them."

    The driver, not wanting to get involved in trouble, believed her and stopped at the intersection.

    Jian Jing didn''t have Korean currency, so she left US dors to pay, then jumped out of the car at top speed and dashed into a small alley.

    She moved nimbly and swiftly. Although the bodyguards stopped their car and gave chase immediately, they still fell behind by a distance, barely able to see which direction she went.

    Jian Jing ran aimlessly, specifically looking for ces with many intersections, and soon saw a park.

    There was a public toilet at the entrance.

    She quickly slipped in, took off her wool coat, revealing a loose sweater and jeans underneath, then put on the mask Zong Ye had given her from the storagepartment, and inserted the specially made dental prosthesis into her mouth.

    She put on a wig, switched her sses to contact lenses, changed the color of her high-tech watch, and applied a bean paste-colored lipstick.

    It took her 2 and a half minutes.

    Stepping out of the toilet, her aura instantly dissolved.

    Two bodyguards rushed up to her, almost colliding with her.

    "S-sorry," she said, using the voice changer, bowing repeatedly, her voice filled with panic.

    The bodyguards nced at her.

    In their impression, Jian Jing was: a gray-haired girl, with silver-framed sses, fair skin, agile as a cat.

    The girl before them: chubby-cheeked, ck short hair, dressed in Japanese autumn style, light makeup, no different from Korean girls on the street.

    They peered into the toilet stalls again, which were clean and empty, with no clothing left behind. The girl only had a shoulder bag, which couldn''t hide a thick coat.

    "Keep searching," the lead bodyguard gestured, ordering his subordinates to split up and search the park.

    The girl curiously watched them for a while, then walked into a convenience store by the road and ordered an iced coffee.

    When she came out, the lead bodyguard shifted his gaze away and strode into the park.

 Chapter 386

    Using the disguise items from her storagepartment, Jian Jing shook off her pursuers at the fastest speed possible.

    But she still couldn''t rx.

    Although South Korea didn''t have a real-name system, she would need to use her passport to fly back home. As long as the 3Q Group tipped off customs, she would be detained as soon as she arrived at the airport.

    Otherwise, should she seek help from the embassy?

    Jian Jing thought about it but decided against it. She wasn''t familiar with Koreanw. If they fabricated some charges to detain her, the embassy would be powerless, and extradition wasn''t so easy.

    Who knows what would happen if she fell into their hands.

    It was better to find her own way out.

    But being unfamiliar with the ce, she had no clue where to start and needed to find someone to help.

    Uncle Min-cheol Park was the best choice.

    Jian Jing figured they wouldn''t be let go so easily, so she went back to the hospital to find him. To her surprise, she saw the reporter uncle climbing down from the air conditioner''s outdoor unit.

    Two bodyguards drew their guns and opened fire.

    The reporter uncle fell with a ssh into the small river behind the hospital.

    Blood rose to the surface, and after observing for a moment, the bodyguards retreated.

    Jian Jing wrapped a cheap scarf she bought on the street around herself and slowly walked towards the downstream of the river. After a while, she saw a dark shadow slowly floating up. After cautiously observing for a moment, it crawled onto the shore, shivering.

    "Agassi," she leaned on the railing, smiling, "We meet again."

    Min-cheol Park was startled and almost tumbled back in. However, Jian Jing had already removed her disguise mask, only wearing heavy makeup, and her familiar voice made it easy to recognize her features.

    "Miss Jian?" He sighed in relief, "Give me a hand."

    Jian Jing reached out and pulled him up: "Looks like you weren''t shot."

    "Almost, luckily I padded my clothes with rice bowls." Min-cheol Park was quite resourceful. The hospital provided stainless steel bowls for meals, and he had hidden two, padding them on his chest and back as makeshift bulletproof vests, which saved him from being shot dead.

    Jian Jing looked at the bloodstains on his clothes: "Blood bags?"

    Min-cheol Park nodded.

    "Clever," she praised, "You''re quite experienced."

    The reporter smiled bitterly: "With all I''ve been through, I have to be."

    Jian Jing: "We can''t stay here long. Do you have a reliable ce to go?"

    "Follow me."

    Min-cheol Park had entered the TV station at 22 and worked there until 37, reporting countless news stories, including many scandals involving big conglomerates.

    Of course, this couldn''t be obtained through normal channels and always involved some gray areas.

    Min-cheol Park used a public phone to contact a friend, asking him to drive to Busan to pick them up.

    Jian Jing asked if he could get fake IDs, as she needed one to buy a ticket back home.

    "I can ask around, but I can''t guarantee anything," Min-cheol Park said. "To be honest, Miss Jian, our situation doesn''t look good."

    He got straight to the point: "As far as I know, the 3Q Group has connections with manywmakers. Once they decide to silence us, we''ll face serious trouble."

    Jian Jing asked: "What do you want to do?"

    "Ran-er Kim and Liu Sau-chi have backing to protect them, so they probably won''t be as unlucky as me." He wiped his sses, thought for a moment, and said, "My first priority is to stay alive, of course, but honestly, if 3Q Group doesn''t fall, even if I can return to the TV station, I''ll always have to worry about being ''suicided'' at any time."

    "So?"

    Min-cheol Park was straightforward: "I want to know the truth about this shipwreck."

    "It''s a conspiracy by the Spirit Descent Society," Jian Jing said. "An evil sacrifice."

    "I knew it," he exhaled. "Do you have evidence?"

    Jian Jing smiled: "Of course, do you want it?"

    "If you trust me," he said seriously, "I want to report this. Not just for myself, but for the people on the ship. They can''t die without anyone knowing why."

    Jian Jing asked instead: "Will the TV station dare to report it?"

    He paused.

    "You should know that the Spirit Descent Society isn''t just connected to the 3Q Group. The captain tried to make a distress call earlier, but couldn''t get through at all," she gently reminded him. "The situation is moreplicated than you think."

    Min-cheol Park nodded, not looking particrly surprised, and insisted: "Even so, I have to try."

    "Alright," Jian Jing said frankly. "I''ll send you the information I have, but I don''t rmend taking action now."

    Min-cheol Park agreed with her: "Let''s leave this ce first."

    Busan and Seoul look far apart on the map, but they''re actually quite close. In China, it wouldn''t even be crossing provinces. In about two hours, Min-cheol Park''s friend arrived.

    He didn''t ask what they needed the car for, just delivered it and left.

    Min-cheol Park asked Jian Jing if she wanted a passport or a resident registration card. The former would require going through customs, which was a bit more troublesome, while thetter could be bought as a genuine one.

    Jian Jing said: "I want a real one."

    Min-cheol Park found another friend and bought a genuine resident registration card from him. Its origin was unclear, possibly lost or belonging to a deceased person, but the age was simr to Jian Jing''s. For an extra fee, they could even get a fake passport.

    He got one for himself too. With a beard, the middle-aged uncle looked just like the photo.

    "Now 3Q is checking strictly in Busan, we can''t leave directly," Min-cheol Park said. "Let''s go to Jizhou Ind. There are many Chinese people there, and it''s visa-free. It''ll be most convenient for you to leave from there. It''s best not to use the passport if you don''t have to."

    Jian Jing agreed.

    They couldn''t fly to Jizhou Ind either, so they had to drive. On the way, they encountered traffic police checking driver''s licenses, but luckily the system wasn''tworked, so they were let go after showing their IDs.

    However, upon reaching Jizhou Ind, Jian Jing discovered that all flight and ferry tickets to China had been suspended.

    "This is troublesome," Min-cheol Park looked at Jian Jing, asking what to do.

    Jian Jing decided to turn the situation to her advantage.

    She borrowed the bathroom of a coffee shop, removed her makeup and changed clothes, returning to her original appearance. She boldly showed her face, even arrogantly posting on Weibo to report her safety.

    Jian Jing V:

    The scenery of Jizhou Ind is really nice.

    [Selfie.JPG]

    She set it to post half an hourter, then quickly retreated.

    "Back to Busan," she told Min-cheol Park.

    ¨D¨D

    Jian Jing''s Weibo post reporting her safety relieved many people. At least it proved she was still alive and didn''t seem to be under house arrest.

    Netizensmented one after another, hoping she would return to China soon, preferably exining what happened on the cruise ship.

    But she didn''t reply to any of these messages.

    Kang Mu Cheng called her, but her phone was still powered off.

    He wanted to try again, but a call came in.

    "Don''t bother, Teacher Jian doesn''t dare to turn on her phone in Korea," Ji Feng seemed to know what he was doing and got straight to the point. "She''s afraid of being located, so it''s certainly off most of the time."

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Can shee back safely?"

    Ji Feng: "Since she managed to escape, it''s unlikely she''ll be caught again. Korea may be small, but it''s still 100,000 square kilometers. It''s not that easy to find someone."

    "She''s alone in a foreign country..." Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath. "Can we bring her back through the embassy?"

    "If she wanted to contact them, she would have done so already," Ji Feng wasn''t optimistic. "In my opinion, she can''t leave from Jizhou Ind. There''s an 80% chance she''ll return to Busan and take a boat to Japan from there. If you''re worried, you could go to Fukuoka. You might run into her."

    There was no other option now, so Kang Mu Cheng immediately said: "Alright, I''ll go right away."

    Ji Feng hung up the phone.

    ¨D¨D

    The next morning, Jian Jing boarded a ferry to Fukuoka, Japan.

    As Ji Feng had guessed, she posted on Weibo to lure 3Q''s people to Jizhou Ind, making them think she didn''t have a passport and could only smuggle back to China this way.

    In reality, she disguised herself as the girl on the resident registration card, traveling to Japan as a Korean citizen.

    Korean passports have a 90-day visa-free period for Japan, even more convenient than China.

    Of course, her passport was fake, so when going through customs, she had to stuff all her spare US dors as a tip, and only then did they turn a blind eye and let her pass.

    After all, the authorities were looking for a Chinese girl, but the one bribing them spoke fluent Korean and behaved exactly like a local girl, not suspicious at all.

    And so, she sessfully cleared customs.

    The temperature in November was already very low, and the sea breeze was harsh, feeling like steel knives scraping against the face. But no matter how biting the outdoor air was, it was morefortable than the warm air inside mixed with human odors.

    "I can''t believe you dare to take a ferry," Min-cheol Park stood far away, almost afraid to approach the railing. "I''m traumatized."

    Jian Jing was unfazed: "What''s there to be afraid of? Do you think there are monsters on this ship too?"

    Min-cheol Park smiled bitterly and slowly walked over: "Yes, I''m scared. I never want to experience something like that again in my life."

    Jian Jing smiled: "There won''t be a second time."

    "I hope so." He took out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. The nicotine took effect, and he appeared to calm down a bit. He asked her, "What was that monster? Something summoned by the Spirit Descent Society?"

    "You could say that," she replied.

    He asked, "What do they want?"

    Jian Jing said, "Isn''t it clearly written in the script? Immortality."

    "The script..." Min-cheol Park pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "It was only three days ago, but it feels like a lifetime. I can''t remember any details. Isn''t that strange?"

    "People have self-protection mechanisms. It''s normal to forget frightening things," Jian Jing said, brushing her wind-blown bangs. She suddenly asked, "By the way, do you have a terminally ill wife or child?"

    Min-cheol Park was taken aback. "Why do you ask?"

    Jian Jing countered, "What do you think?"

    "I see," he said, tapping off some ash. "You suspect me."

    "Immortality is an old clich¨¦. Asia has the elixir of life, Europe has vampires, and America wraps it in a sci-fi coating and calls it gic engineering. But it''s all the same," Jian Jing said slowly. "Since ancient times, health and longevity have been things humans constantly pursue."

    "Everyone wants to be healthy, but not necessarily immortal. Besides, I don''t believe in it," Min-cheol Park said. "Only those superstitious types believe in deities."

    "You don''t believe?"

    "I don''t."

    "Then do you want money?" she asked. "Do you want to be a top executive at the TV station? Do you want to enter politics? Do you want to be at the top of society?"

    Min-cheol Park froze, turning to stare at her.

    Jian Jing asked, "Did the 3Q Group promise you these things?"

    "They did," he admitted, but added, "I didn''t agree. Do you believe me?"

    Jian Jing looked at him and smiled. "I do."

    Min-cheol Park raised an eyebrow.

    "If you were a pawn arranged by the 3Q Group, I wouldn''t have been able to board this ship," Jian Jing said casually, brushing off all her probing. She looked towards the faint horizon in the distance. "We''re almost at Fukuoka."

    Min-cheol Park grunted in acknowledgment, stopping about a meter and a half away from her.

    Jian Jing turned her head.

    He said, "The ship''s engine is so loud. If someone fired a gun, no passengers would hear it."

    "So?" she asked curiously.

    "I was wondering if you would shoot."

    Jian Jingughed. "You suspect me too."

    "Why wouldn''t I?" Min-cheol Park said coldly. "You know what that thing is, you were cozying up to the 3Q Group people as soon as you boarded, and you just happened to appear where I was escaping. Is it strange to suspect you?"

    "Not at all," she said, feeling an inexplicable urge tough. "Then shall we maintain this distance until we reach Fukuoka?"

    Min-cheol Park replied, "That would be best."

    So, the two maintained a distance where they could see each other, braving the cold wind on deck for nearly an hour before finally setting foot safely on Japanese soil.

    Jian Jing said, "Let''s part ways here. Give me an email address, and I''ll send you the information."

    Min-cheol Park tore open a cigarette pack and wrote down a Gmail address.

    Jian Jing pocketed it. "Goodbye."

    He didn''t hesitate to disappear into the sea of people.

    Jian Jing was moreposed. She wandered around the port for twops, making sure she wasn''t being followed, before changing into a disguise mask in the bathroom, altering her appearance, and taking a taxi to leave.

    The driver asked, "Where to?"

    Jian Jing randomly chose a caf¨¦.

    The distance wasn''t far, but the fare was so high it left her stunned.

    "Um," she felt her pockets. She had given all her US dors to customs earlier, and the remaining change wasn''t enough. "Can I pay by QR code?"

    The driver looked wary. "Cash only."

    "Then wait for me a moment." She went straight into a drugstore and found a young woman from a tour group, borrowing their inte to log into her own ount, intending to find someone to exchange some cash.

    There was a pile of unread messages on WeChat, and one of them was surprisingly useful.

    Ji Feng: [199XXXXXXXXX, the password is the day you pranked me. If it''s inconvenient to use your own identity, scan this one]

    A WeChat sub-ount!

    Just in time.

    Jian Jing quickly switched ounts and effortlessly found a young woman to scan the code and exchange for cash.

    She sessfully paid the fare.

    A message popped up on the sub-ount: [Are you in Japan?]

    This speed meant he must have linked a bank card.

    She replied: [I''ll pay you back when I return]

    Ji Feng: [Kang Mu Cheng went to find you. Be careful, don''t let them catch on to you]

    She: [Aren''t you curious?]

    Ji Feng: [Not curious]

    She: [Then get lost]

    Ji Feng didn''t reply, almost making her block him out of anger.

    Aliali: 6720f54c2bffb2b7bc4c0e56

    But on second thought, blocking was too lenient. She decisively went back to the drugstore to buy things.

    --

    Ding dong, [Your ount ending in XXXX has been charged 748 yuan]

    Ding dong, [Your ount ending in XXXX has been charged 481 yuan]

    Ding dong, [Your ount ending in XXXX has been charged...]

    Ji Feng set his phone notifications to silent, tired of the endless vibrations.

    Lao Gao asked curiously, "Why do you have so many messages?"

    Ji Feng replied, "Things I bought on Singles'' Day, asking me to leave reviews."

    Lao Gao had just asked casually and quickly returned to worrying about Jian Jing. "I wonder if Professor Jian is alright. This situation with her is a bit strange."

    "She''ll be back soon," Ji Feng said. "Don''t worry."

 Chapter 387

    Upon arriving in Japan, Jian Jing felt half relieved.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The beauty stores in Japan were well-stocked. She browsed and shopped, applied Japanese-style makeup at the counter, and changed into a new outfit,pletely transforming her appearance from when she had disembarked.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This way, even if Min-cheol Park had an issue, he wouldn''t be able to find her quickly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Next, she bought a phone and an anonymous SIM card, then finally called Kang Mu Cheng.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point: "Where are you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Where are you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Fukuoka."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Which hotel?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He gave her the address, then finally couldn''t hold back: "Are you okay?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m fine, very good," Jian Jing tried to reassure him. "I''ll contact you once I''m sure it''s safe. Help me book a ticket."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "No need, we can leave anytime. I borrowed Yingjie''s ne."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The Kang mother and son were practical people, not very interested in big toys like private nes and luxury yachts. It was Si Yingjie who had everything - nes, helicopters, yachts.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This was an unexpected boon. With a private ne, they just needed to apply for a flight path andplete entry-exit procedures to leave.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Before setting sail, Jian Jing wasn''t sure if the cruise ship could dock, so thinking she might need to buy something onshore, she had applied for Japanese and Korean visas in advance.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Now it was a big help.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''ll contact you as soon as possible," she hung up the phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There was only one reason for not rushing to meet Kang Mu Cheng - to avoid bringing danger to him.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    How powerful was the 3Q Group? Did they only have followers in Korea and the US? What about Japan? Qi Tian''s abilities were mysterious and unpredictable, did the Spirit Descent Society have other such bizarre characters?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Better to be cautious.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing carefully located the hotel where Kang Mu Cheng was staying, observed for a few days, and never saw any suspicious peopleing or going. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It seemed Min-cheol Park hadn''t betrayed her, otherwise if 3Q Group knew she was in Fukuoka, they definitely wouldn''t have missed Kang Mu Cheng.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing made the call: "Let''s meet at the airport tomorrow morning."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She spent that night in an inte cafe.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Eating snacks, reading manga, ying games, time flew by quickly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Early the next morning, she took a good shower in the bathroom. With a facial steamer, hair dryer, and makeup mirror all avable, it was no wonder people could live in these inte cafes - the facilities weren''t much worse than a hotel.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Returning to her original appearance, she put on a scarf and mask, and took the subway to the airport.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She arrived smoothly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She found Kang Mu Cheng in the VIP room, and he immediately took her toplete the entry-exit procedures.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Whether it was because Japan''s fax machines were slow, or the Spirit Descent Society''s reach wasn''t so long, the departure process was uneventful apart from being a bit tedious.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A quarter of an hourter, the ne took off.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing finally rxedpletely, lying on the spacious sofa unwilling to get up.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "What happened?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Met a bunch of lunatics," she was extremely frustrated, but thinking of Qi Tian''s demise, she couldn''t help feeling happy, "But I solved a big problem, so it wasn''t a loss."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If Qi Tian hadn''t popped up on his own, finding him would have been quite difficult. But he brought about his own demise, so all''s well that ends well.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing asked him: "Are they still nning to give me the million?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "We''ll contact them again when we get back," Kang Mu Cheng was very concerned, "There are all kinds of rumors online now, you didn''t really get involved in some conspiracy, did you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "What are they saying online?" she was surprised, "Let me see quickly."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She grabbed Kang Mu Cheng''s phone and scrolled for a long time, finally catching up on thetest gossip.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    No wonder 3Q Group''s tracking wasn''t effective - the waters had been muddied, and they didn''t dare act rashly for fear the other side would release more bombshells.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    By the time she finished catching up on the recent hot topics with great interest, the ne wasnding on the runway in Peace City.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Back in the familiar city, a sense of security welled up spontaneously.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Although Peace City wasn''t peaceful, with murder cases every now and then, worthy of being called China''s Gotham, a parallel Beika, living there for a long time still produced a hometown-like attachment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Home was here, important people were here - if not a hometown, it was close enough.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing sighed and went online to post on Weibo.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Quick, take an airport photo for me," she instructed Kang Mu Cheng.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    10 minutester.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Never mind, I''ll just take a selfie."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Anyway, she was back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    First she called Jiang BaiYan and told him: "It''s about time to stop, it''ll be troublesome if we''re noticed."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan''s voice was sweet: "You''re back~~ Dinner together tonight?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Let''s meet tomorrow, I need to take Knight for a bath. Want toe?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Sure, see you at the usual ce."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Then she posted a message on WeChat Moments to report her safe return.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Before she could reply to everyone individually, her Weibo notifications exploded. She clicked in to see - wow, Wataru Kojima had actually registered a Weibo ount and was anxiously asking if she was alright.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She followed him back and sent a private message.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Safely home, are you all okay?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wataru Kojima replied quite quickly: [Mr. Ishikawa, Miss Terauchi and I are all safe and sound]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    That''s good.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She felt even more relieved.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Dinner was naturally at Kang Mu Cheng''s home, and afterwards she took Knight home. After being gone for half a month, the dog saw her and leapt over, nearly knocking her to the ground.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Alright, alright, I''m back," Jian Jing hugged the German Shepherd''s neck, stroking its fur. "Did you miss me? We''ll go for a bath tomorrow."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Knight wasn''t afraid of baths and wagged its tail even more happily.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    At home, Jian Jing could finally put her worries aside and have a good sleep, not waking up until the afternoon the next day.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She met with Jiang BaiYan, took the pet to the hospital for a bath and grooming, and had afternoon tea.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan returned the USB drive to her and informed her of thetest overseas gossip: "I don''t know what those Americans did when they went back, but it seems the military really went to investigate."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing gloated: "Really? 3Q Group is in trouble."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But Jiang BaiYan was very worried: "Will it be traced back to you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It won''t. Even if 3Q people want to implicate me, who would believe them?" Jian Jing said, "The entire show had nothing to do with me from beginning to end, and besides, I''m just a novelist, what ability would I have to do something like this?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    That made sense.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan rxed a little, half serious and half joking: "I was so scared these past few days, worried you wouldn''te back. If that happened, I''d have to go all in and we''d all go to hell together."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing nced at him.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He: "?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Nothing," she stirred her coffee and said, "Thank you."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan: "...Oh."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m a bit happy," Jian Jing rested her chin on her hand, looking at the bustling street outside, and suddenly said, "Those few days in Korea, I didn''t have time to think about this and that, I was always guessing 3Q''s reactions. It wasn''t until I got home yesterday that I suddenly felt very happy."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She said: "People care about me, help me, I came back, and everyone is happy for me... It turns out I''m very important in this world too."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Of course you''re important."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing smiled and shook her head slightly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Important" wasn''t the key, the key was being important "in this world".<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Three years. In the blink of an eye, it had been three years since she woke up in this world.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She had gained some fame, earned decent money, and lived a better life than in the other world. She found joy in solving cases, and received recognition, praise, and even worship for her writing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But these things were like the foam on a cappino, floating only on the surface, not truly blending into the coffee.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Now it was much better.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She picked up her coffee cup and drank the well-stirred coffee in one gulp.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The foam, milk, and coffee liquid mixed, spreading a rich aroma in her mouth.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The creaminess of the milk, the bitterness of the coffee, the lightness of the foam.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Waiter, another cup please," she smiled.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan looked at her, unable to understand the reason for a moment, but he didn''t ask anything, just raised his hand: "I''ll have one too, and an order of fried chicken."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Not dieting anymore?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He raised both hands in an exaggerated gesture: "I''ve finished this year''s work!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Then let''s go for hotpot tonight!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Sounds great!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    And then, they were photographed by paparazzi.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A dark alley, dim streetlights, an intercepted car.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing held the other party''s camera, looking at the photos they had taken one by one: "How much do you get paid per photo?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Uh." The two entertainment reporters smiled sheepishly, "Not much, just enough to make ends meet."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was quite interested: "Are you photographing me or Little Bai?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Ms. Jian, you''ve been very popr recently, so..." The reporter didn''t mince words and got straight to the point, "Twenty thousand yuan, and you can take all the photos."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing looked at Jiang BaiYan, who was crouched by the roadside feeding stray cats: "So should I pay?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He was experienced: "Contact my agent, we can bill it through the studio."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Good point," Jian Jing said, "This photo of me looks really good, send it to me."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Where? Where?" Jiang BaiYan leaned over to look. It was a photo of her walking a dog. "It''s very handsome."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But Jian Jing was still a bit unsatisfied: "It''s too blurry. Street shots usually look much better."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan rolled up his sleeves: "I''ll take photos for you."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He grabbed the paparazzi''s DSLR camera, ying the role of a temporary photographer: "The light is good under the streetmp. Hey, don''t move! There''s a cating towards you. Don''t move, look at me!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the alley, under themplight, a girl and a group of stray cats.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Nothing could be more beautiful or adorable than this.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan took many shots, eventually lying t on the ground. The two entertainment reporters were itching to take pictures but didn''t dare to pull out their phones to snap secretly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m taking the camera," he said, not bothering to transfer the photos and simply taking it away. "Contact my manager for reimbursement."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The entertainment reporters: "...Alright."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He was a wealthy patron, not someone they could afford to offend.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    They yed like this until after 10 PM before going home.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had thought if it was early enough, she''d return the money on the way, but it was toote now, so she''d have to do it tomorrow.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The next day while walking the dog, she turned towards the direction of the police station. At the corner, she ran into Lao Gao, who said Ji Feng had taken a day off.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing doubted her ears: "He took a day off? Did something happen to Yunyun?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "No," Lao Gao said. "He said an acquaintance was being released from prison, so he went to pick them up."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Released from prison? She frowned but didn''t say anything: "Okay, I''lle another day."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Lao Gao was enthusiastic: "If you need anything, you can tell me too."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It''s nothing, I was just passing by while walking the dog," she said.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Lao Gao didn''t ask any further.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    *<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Heping City Third Prison.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A thin, small woman carrying a tattered travel bag slowly walked out of the prison''s iron gates.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The weather was very cold, with heavy clouds pressing down overhead. A chilly wind howled, stirring up a ground full of withered yellow sycamore leaves.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The old woman squinted, observing the unfamiliar surroundings. After a moment, she spotted a bus stop in the distance andboriously picked up her luggage to walk over.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "The buses here don''t go to the west side of the city," someone said to her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The old woman slowly turned her head, her voice hoarse: "Thank you."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You want to go back to Anju Residential Community, right?" Ji Feng said. "I''ll take you."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The old woman''s hunched back suddenly straightened, and her gaze became wary: "You know me?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "My name is Ji Feng," he said. "Ji Liming''s son."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Oh, that policeman''s son." The old woman sneered. "Today, is it your turn to seek revenge on me?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng asked: "Why would I seek revenge on you? Because you killed my father?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He extinguished his cigarette and tossed it into a nearby trash can: "Mrs. Zhang, you were sentenced to 15 years in prison for intentional homicide, had your sentence reduced three times for good behavior, and are being released today after serving your full termˇŞI no longer have any reason for revenge."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After a long moment, the old woman spoke: "You certainly didn''te to find me without reason."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Of course not," Ji Feng said. "It''s been ten years. I''m here to fulfill my father''s dying wish."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The old woman said: "My husband is already dead."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "But the real culprit might not be," he said. "Who was truly wrongedˇŞyou and I must reach a conclusion about this."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 388

    Compared to November, with its international programs and thrilling movie premiere, December was much calmer.

    Jian Jing was mainly busy with two things: signing 3,000 printed copies of "The Sleepwalking Girl" in preparation for the uing New Year''s release, and pampering herself - buying clothes, getting her hair done, and enjoying spa treatments.

    As the year-end approached, Kang Mu Cheng was swamped with overtime work. Yet every night, without fail, he would ask her where she''d been and what she''d done that day. It was clear that the strange incident at sea and being hunted by a foreign group had once again challenged his nerves.

    Jian Jing, not wanting to agitate him further, answered all his questions dutifully.

    Jiang BaiYan, unfortunately, found himself at the other extreme of dieting: social obligations.

    As both an actor and a boss, he had to attend numerous social events. The entertainment industry was full of such gatherings, and he couldn''t afford to miss them. Without connections, one had no friends, and without friends, navigating the industry became an uphill battle.

    Sometimes, when he drank too much, he''d call her to vent.

    He''d gossip about how some couple had long been divorced but pretended to be loving spouses for a marriage-themed show.

    Or how someone had sessfully sold themselves to a big shot.

    Or how someone''s investment had gone down the drain, leaving them in a dire situation with enemies kicking them while they were down.

    ...

    It was a lot of gossip to digest.

    More often than not, he''d fall silent mid-conversation. Jian Jing would nce at the video call to find him sound asleep, with only Pudding''s tail wagging adorably in view.

    With both of them so busy, who had Jian Jing been hanging out withtely?

    The answer was... Wataru Kojima.

    She had been following Wataru Kojima''s manga, while he was catching up on her novels.

    As two mystery writers, they had much to discuss in terms of their craft. They debated new works, helped each other refine plot twists, and even exchanged their creations.

    Jian Jing sent him some domestic mystery novels and asked him to buy her some manga that were hard to obtain.

    Ahem, the kind of risqu¨¦ works she could never hope to get from Kang Mu Cheng.

    Wataru Kojima, being a straightforward person, sent over arge box.

    The day she opened it, Kang Mu Cheng happened toe by with some soup.

    The housekeeper had been simmering it for hours, and even with the lid on, the rich aroma wafted through the air, making her stomach growl. She hurried to the kitchen to grab a bowl.

    When she came back, she saw Kang Mu Cheng flipping through her manga.

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Social death.

    However, Kang Mu Cheng didn''t ask anything. He even deliberately avoided her gaze, putting the manga back as if nothing had happened.

    "How''s the soup?" he asked.

    "It''s great," she quickly changed the subject.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Have you finished the book signings?"

    "Yes, and my hand is about to fall off," sheined, remembering the pain. "3,000 copies? What were you thinking? Are you trying to kill me?"

    Seeing her shake her hand, Kang Mu Cheng''s brow furrowed immediately. He took her hand to examine it closely: "Is it your wrist or your joints? Tendinitis? We should make an appointment with a doctor tomorrow."

    Jian Jing quickly withdrew her hand: "It''s not that bad, really."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed.

    "It''s mainly because I have to sign for the New Year''s release too," she said. "Last time it was almost 10,000 copies. I don''t know how many it''ll be this time."

    "Let''s prepare 8,000. We''ll stop when they''re sold out," Kang Mu Chengpromised. "It''s just one day every two years."

    Jian Jing: "Do you think it''d be okay if I just signed my initials?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "J.J?"

    Jian Jing: "...Forget I said anything."

    After a while, she pushed her luck: "How about 7,000 copies?"

    Kang Mu Cheng, who had been about to leave, sat back down: "Afraid your hand will hurt?"

    Without waiting for her answer, he said, "Jing Jing, you can''t do this. Even though you''re famous now and readers will indulge you, whether it''s 7,000 or 8,000 copies, I don''t want you to be like this."

    His tone was gentle, as if afraid of scaring her, but his attitude was very serious. It was like he was polishing a precious antique vase ¨C gentle yet cautious.

    "An author can be capricious. When you''re creating, write whatever you want. If you don''t feel like writing today, then don''t. I will never force you to write something you don''t like just to meet a deadline. But once the creation is finished, the rest is work. Not doing it well is a matter of ability, and not taking it seriously is a matter of attitude.

    "I used to tell you that to write good works, you can''t pander to readers. Now, I want to tell you something else. Readers like you because they like your work, not you as a person. They are your equals, not your fans, and not your tools. You need to respect them."

    Jian Jing was stunned, utterly embarrassed.

    She hadn''t really thought that far, but when Kang Mu Cheng put it like that, it seemed terribly serious.

    "Um, then let''s go with 8,000 copies," she scrambled for a way out. "I was just kidding, really."

    Her rare disy of awkwardness made Kang Mu Cheng feel guilty. He regretted being so serious ¨C she hadn''t meant any harm, just wanting to be a bit spoiled. What was wrong with that?

    Any author with a bit of clout had the right to negotiate, let alone her.

    Without any special privileges, she wouldn''t be a bestselling author.

    He had taken it too seriously.

    So he quickly tried to make amends: "I didn''t mean to criticize you. If your hand hurts, you can sign fewer."

    "No, let''s stick with 8,000," Jian Jing tried hard to prove she hadn''t gotten carried away. "8,000 is fine, even 10,000 would be okay."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Alright then. I think at least 10,000 would be good."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t hold back anymore and chuckled: "Having regrets?"

    "I think a total of 10,000 would be more reasonable," she said dejectedly.

    "Hmm, a total of 10,000. You''ve already signed 3,000, so let''s make it 7,000 for the New Year''s event. If we finish early, I''ll take you to a newly opened restaurant for dinner."

    As he spoke, Kang Mu Cheng was still concerned about her hand. He held it, examining it closely. Although it wasn''t swollen or red, he was still worried: "If it hurts again, go to the hospital. And y fewer video games."

    Jian Jing: "I haven''t been ying many gamestely."

    "Been solving cases again?" He asked, unsurprised.

    "No..." Jian Jing hesitated, "I haven''te across any cases recently."

    "That''s good news. It''s the New Year, peace and safety are what we want," Kang Mu Cheng said. "If you have nothing else to do, think about what to write for your next work. Readers have been asking about Demon Doctor 4 for a long time."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and said, "That''s a good idea. Recent events could be good inspiration. By the way, Demon Doctor 4 will be thest book in the series. Four books for the murder series is just right."

    "Will you write seven books for the magic story series in the future?" He joked.

    Jian Jing caught on to the reference andughed, "If there''s that much money to be made, I definitely will."

    "You will," Kang Mu Cheng''s expression softened. "Keep up the good work."

    *

    It was truly strange. In the past, cases hade one after another, often without a break. But as December flew by, Jian Jing hadn''te across a single one.

    Her only act of bravery was punching a man who was beating his girlfriend on the street.

    Then she was reported to the police by that guy and ended up at the police station.

    The man insisted he had been badly hurt and demandedpensation.

    Jian Jing couldn''t even be bothered to look up: "Get your facts straight. This doesn''t even count as a minor injury, and I was acting in righteous defense of others."

    "I''m going to sue you."

    "Contact mywyer."

    It took over half an hour to resolve this trivial matter.

    Jian Jing left the station feeling irritated. As her car turned the corner, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the rearview mirror. Adjusting it, she confirmed it was indeed someone who had been missing for a while.

    Well, not exactly missing. There had been no news of him taking leave, and he still showed up for work every day on time.

    But as soon as work ended, he would vanish without a trace.

    Lao Gao had thought he was going on dates, but when Jian Jing came to repay a debt, his expression was extremely odd, blurting out: "He went to investigate a case."

    If he hadn''t said that, Jian Jing wouldn''t have suspected anything. But Lao Gao''s poor acting skills made her feel something was off: "Aren''t you two usually partnered up for cases? If he went, why didn''t you go?"

    Lao Gao had no choice but to say he had left early for personal reasons.

    Jian Jing wasn''t too happy at the time. She had been thinking about repaying the debt multiple times but couldn''t find the creditor. She decided to forget about it and left.

    Thinking about itter, it really didn''t add up.

    While she was hesitating, Ji Feng had already gotten out of his car and was hurrying into the police station.

    Jian Jing nced at her watch. It was 5:45 PM, just at the end of the workday. There was only one person in the car, which meant it definitely wasn''t normal work.

    But if it wasn''t work, why was he at the police station?

    This question was like a mosquito buzzing in her ear at night ¨C invisible and hard to swat, yet irritatingly distracting, piquing her curiosity.

    She had nothing else to do anyway.

    Jian Jing quickly parked her car and snuck over to his vehicle, peeking inside.

    The passenger seat was piled with some materials, with a map of Peace City on top, though it was a 2000 edition that had long been outdated.

    Investigating an old case? She pondered, easily connecting it to what he had vaguely mentioned before.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but be curious, but she also knew it was a private matter. If Ji Feng didn''t want to talk about it, an outsider had no right to pry.

    But she was still unhappy. If you don''t want to say anything, then don''t say anything at all. Why drop one or two hints? What was that about?

    She hated people who only told half the story the most.

    The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She gave the tire a hard kick.

    Passersby nced at her.

    She swept her eyes over them, not feeling the least bit embarrassed as she walked away.

    Five minutester, Ji Feng came out carrying a stack of materials. As he touched the door handle, he felt something was off. Looking down, he picked up a light gray hair.

    "Tsk." He pretended not to see it, casually brushing it away before getting in the car and driving off.

    Then, Christmas arrived.

    *

    For some reason, the Christmas atmosphere had be increasingly strong in recent years. Christmas trees, reindeer, and Santa us could be seen everywhere on the streets.

    Jian Jing decided to go with the flow and bought a Santa us costume.

    For Knight.

    Then she took it with her to record the awards ceremony for "The Reasoning King."

    Originally, the production team had hoped she would fly to the United States, but Jian Jing said she was about to release a new book and didn''t have time for the round trip. She hoped they coulde to Peace City instead.

    After consideration, they agreed. Not only did they rent a huge studio, but they also invited guests.

    However, Valeriya had a performance, and Andrei needed to return for training, so neither could make it. Linnaer and Raj, for whatever reason, didn''t agree toe either.

    Liu Sau-chi and Ran-er Kim both declined to attend, citing busy work schedules. Min-cheol Park was currently missing, with rumors suggesting he had met with misfortune.

    Hiroto Ishikawa stated he had a performance that couldn''t be rescheduled and politely declined. Wataru Kojima and Kumiko Terauchi were both willing to attend.

    Connor Lee was filming in Hollywood, with his current show being a hit, so he couldn''t spare time for the trip and regrettably missed it.

    Zhang Xue''er, Wu Lie, and Jiang BaiYan, needless to say, wouldn''t miss out on the domestic market.

    On the day of the recording, the studio was extremely lively.

    Jian Jing finally received her one million US dors.

    During the photo shoot, she held Knight in one arm and the check in the other. Dazzling gold confetti scattered all around, like a shower of golden rain, both luxurious and dreamy.

    If this wasn''t the epitome of a life winner, what was?

    It topped the Weibo hot search.

    #"The Reasoning King" Awards Ceremony#

    #If I Had One Million US Dors#

    #What a Life Winner Looks Like#

    #Talented, Beautiful, with a Dog and Money#

    A few dayster, New Year''s Day arrived, and the Golden Crow New Year began.

    "Case Files of the Sleepwalking Girl" hit the shelves on the first day, with sales exceeding 300,000 copies.

    On the second day, 500,000 copies.

    On the third day, 800,000 copies.

    On the fifth day, 1 million copies.

    Sess seemed so simple that it could give people the illusion that being a bestselling author wasn''t worth much, that anyone could easily achieve it.

    Of course, that''s not the case.

    In the writing profession, talent is required just to get started. Only with talent do you have the right to work hard, and those with talent who work hard must also add a bit of luck to achieve sess.

    Jian Jing published "White Cat Detective" at the age of 15, and it had been 7 years since then.

    This is what you call well-deserved sess.

 Chapter 389

    The phenomenon of a new book bing an instant hit is like this: the first time, you''re nervous and sleepless; the second time, you''re encouraged and joyful; the third time, you''re confident andposed.

    The fourth time... you can''t be bothered to look anymore.

    After breaking the million mark, Jian Jing stopped checking sales figures and only asionally nced atments to see readers'' feedback.

    Most of the reviews were positive.

    "From ''The Sleepwalking Girl'', we can see that Jian Jing''s writing is bing increasingly mature: the mystery plot, narrative style, and emotional depth are all well-bnced, each scoring above 8 points. If she continues to write, she''ll definitely make her mark in the history of detective fiction."

    "I love Jian Jing! Some mystery novels have brilliant plots but terrible narration, making you abandon them before the reveal. But Jian Jing''s works are impossible to put down! Honestly, a novel being enjoyable is the most important thing."

    "What touched me most about the new book was the delicate portrayal of emotions. Both feature teenagers, but while ''Hide and Seek'' almost depressed me, ''The Sleepwalking Girl'' is much more vibrant. I bet five cents there''s a romance subploting up, childhood sweethearts for the win!"

    "Ah, the innocent and hazy youngsters... For the first 10 pages, I thought it was a teen romance, but then I was proven wrong. Jian, are you reallymitted to only writing mysteries and murders? Have you considered writing romance?"

    "Kudos to Jian Jing''s outline. The case length is just right - not too short to be full of plot holes, nor too long to be tedious. The trick isn''t overlyplex or showy, but rather ingenious, giving you that ''aha'' moment. Her writing has truly matured, definitely worth getting into."

    "Jian Jing keeps getting better!"

    "Consistently good performance, worth purchasing."

    There were also more critical readers.

    "As a seasoned mystery reader, I''m a bit disappointed. While ''The Sleepwalking Girl'' doesn''t have many logical errors, itcks a dazzling, heart-stopping twist. It doesn''t leave you gasping after finishing. I''d give it 4 stars; it falls short of 5."

    "No significant improvement, but no regression either. Just average."

    "It''s okay. No problem bing a bestseller, but far from a ssic."

    Of course, even the best works have readers who dislike them, and this part is unavoidable.

    "Pretentious youth literature, just dressed up as a mystery to seem sophisticated. Actually, it''s nonsense."

    "Mediocre, not enjoyable at all."

    "Gave up after 3 pages."

    ...

    Overall, the response was quite good, with the rating on Book Worm website steady between 8.5-8.9.

    One day, Jian Jing was at home packing her new books, preparing to ship them.

    The book she promised Jiang BaiYan hade from the printers three days ago, and he had alreadye to collect it himself. He even went so far as to post a review (full of praise) before the official release, irritating Jian Jing''s fans who used him of showing off.

    For others, she still had to pack and mail them out.

    For example, Lei Ao, Fei Na, Wataru Kojima, Doreen, scattered around the world, and many domestic recipients like Zuo Xin, Liang Yi, Zhu Yanan, as well as close contacts like Xu Scriptwriter, Director Huang, Director Ding, and so on.

    Previously, Kang Mu Cheng (or rather, his secretary) had been doing this, but now that she had made so many random friends, of course she had to do it herself.

    Oh right, she hadn''t forgotten Ji Yunyun.

    She had gone to the capital for university and missed the New Year''s release, but Jian Jing had promised to send her a signed hardcover edition as thanks for her past help.

    Jian Jing: [Yunyun, should I send the book to your school or home?]

    Ji Yunyun: [Thank you, Jian. I''ve already bought and finished the paperback, I want to keep the one you''re sending me as a collectible]

    Ji Yunyun: [There''s no one to receive packages at home, and the doorman will leave it in a mess. Could you give it to my brother?]

    Jian Jing: [...Alright then]

    Ji Yunyun: [Grateful.JPG]

    However, Jian Jing didn''t want to go find him again.

    How many times had this happened? She dialed the number directly, deciding to have Ji Fenge pick it up himself.

    It took a while for the call to connect.

    "Jian, what''s up?" he asked.

    Jian Jing: "If I call you without a reason, will your phone explode?"

    Ji Feng: "...I didn''t do anything to offend you."

    "When are you free toe pick up Yunyun''s book? She doesn''t trust courier services," she said, not bothering with small talk.

    Ji Feng said: "Tch, tell her toe get it herself during the holidays. I''m busy."

    Jian Jing narrowed her eyes.

    "Anything else? If not, I''m hanging up," he asked.

    Jian Jing: "Don''t you want your money?"

    Ji Feng paused, and after a moment, seemingly having moved to a quieter ce, said: "I''m not in Peace City."

    He finally said something sensible, so Jian Jing decided to chat a bit more: "Where did you go?"

    "Somewhere far away," he said, "I watched your award ceremony. Everything okay?"

    Jian Jing: "Mm-hmm."

    After the award ceremony, there was a celebration party. Director Marlon had probed indirectly, asking if she knew something, why she had stayed in Korea.

    She said, 3Q Group was after the championship of "King of Reasoning".

    "They kept saying the victory should belong to Korea, and that I stole their fruits ofbor," Jian Jing pretended to be confused, her words barely concealing her anger, "I won fair and square, but they used me of cheating. So I let them confront whoever they wanted, but they couldn''t find anyone, so they had to let me go."

    Then she turned the tables, pressing Marlon: "Why should the victory belong to Korea? Did you reach some agreement with them?"

    Marlon became flustered and changed the subject with some vague excuses.

    "Don''t go to Korea for the next couple of years," Ji Feng said, "And be careful. This kind of thing is harder to deal with than violent criminals."

    Jian Jing was greatly surprised and couldn''t help but look at the call screen again.

    That''s right, it was Ji Feng, not Kang.

    "Did you take the wrong medicine?"

    "I haven''t eaten," he said, "I''m hanging up. Don''t worry about the money, I''m not that petty."

    Then before Jian Jing could react, there was only a busy tone on the other end.

    To be honest, at that moment, she felt a certain unease, but Ji Feng was so irritating that it made her very upset, so she didn''t think about it too deeply.

    Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

    Ji Yunyun called, saying: "Jian, do you know where my brother went?"

    Jian Jing: "I don''t know."

    "I''ve been trying to call him for two days, but can''t get through," the sister was very worried, "I don''t have his colleagues'' numbers, do you?"

    Jian Jing gave her Lao Gao''s number.

    Half an hourter, Ji Yunyun called back, saying: "Officer Gao said my brother went on a business trip, seems like he went somewhere remote, might not have signal."

    She was quite embarrassed: "I''m sorry, Jian, for bothering you."

    "It''s okay, it''s not your fault," Jian Jing quickly reassured her.

    Ji Yunyun apologized a few more times before hanging up.

    Jian Jing immediately called Lao Gao.

    "Hey, Jian?" Lao Gao''s voice was as hearty as ever, "What''s up? Run into a case, or found a body?"

    Jian Jing got straight to the point: "Where''s Ji Feng?"

    "He went on a business trip," Lao Gao pretended toin, "He didn''t tell you? Geez, this guy is getting worse and worse. I''ll scold him when he''s back."

    She said: "On January 3rd, you posted photos of you and your daughter at Disnend on social media. He was already out that day. Are you two not partners anymore?"

    Lao Gao: "Right, I couldn''t get away, so of course the unmarried one goes on business trips."

    "Officer Gao, I don''t have the right to demand an exnation from you," Jian Jing said, "But we''re all friends here. Aren''t you worried something might happen to him?"

    Lao Gaoughed: "When is our job not dangerous?"

    Jian Jing: "Then I''ll investigate on my own."

    The breathing on the other end suddenly stopped, and after a while, Lao Gao said: "Actually, I haven''t been able to reach him either, but I also don''t know where he is."

    Jian Jing said: "What is he investigating?"

    Lao Gao: "I''m not sure, he didn''t tell me anything."

    "I see."

    Jian Jing hung up the phone, thought for a moment, and decided to go out. She put on her wool coat, scarf, and hat, and drove to the police station.

    Lao Gao happened to be there and was very nervous when he saw her: "Jian, I really can''t tell you."

    "I''m here to pick up something," Jian Jing said, "I left some things here before, you haven''t thrown them away, right?"

    It took Lao Gao a moment to remember it was from the nightclub case. At that time, Jian Jing was waiting for the suspect to speak, observing them take statements, and had brought a bunch of things that she left behind, all dumped on Ji Feng''s desk.

    He hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, it''s all there. Feel free to look."

    Jian Jing began to rummage through Ji Feng''s desk.

    A cheap, ordinary table and chairs. Most of the table was covered with blue folders, and theputer model was somewhat outdated.

    Lao Gao whispered, "We can''t look at work-rted stuff, and he definitely wouldn''t put it there anyway."

    Jian Jing grunted in response and pulled open a drawer.

    The firstyer contained stationery like pens, clips, and draft paper, along with some snacks - biscuits, sausages, instant noodles, instant coffee, candy, and cigarettes.

    The secondyer held a box, pink with hearts, looking at first nce like a gift from a girlfriend. The side of the box read "A Hundred Years of Happiness," but it was actually a wedding favor box, probably from a colleague''s wedding.

    Opening it revealed the things she had left behind - some fancy pens, sticky notes, stress relief toys, and a shiny hair tie that seemed to be hers, though she had no memory of it.

    The cab below contained a nket and a coat.

    Jian Jing sat down in the chair, staring at the box for a while before suddenly picking up one of the stress relief toys.

    It was a puzzle toy she had bought, with a smooth wooden exterior. You could see the seams, but no amount of twisting or pulling could open it.

    She shook the box next to her ear, listening to the steel balls rolling inside. Three turns left, three turns right, shake it downwards, hear a faint click, then suddenly p the topyer.

    With a "pop," the wooden box fell apart, revealing an inner box nestled inside.

    The box should have been empty, but now a keyy there, as if it had been waiting for a long time.

    Jian Jing picked up the old key, gritting her teeth.

    "I''m going to kill you," she muttered, abruptly pushing back the chair and turning to leave.

    Lao Gao, who had been watching, was speechless.

    Xiao Li, confused, asked, "Uncle Gao, why is Brother Ji so upset?"

    "Ah." Lao Gao sighed deeply, his tone quiteplex. "You''re still young, you wouldn''t understand."

    *

    Small snowkes drifted from the sky.

    Jian Jing sat in her car with the heater on, pondering: Ji Feng had left her a key, but where would the lock be?

    It wouldn''t be at home; he''d be afraid of involving Ji Yunyun, so he definitely wouldn''t put sensitive things there. But other ces... he didn''t really have anywhere he liked to go.

    Jian Jing frowned in concern.

    She realized that although she had known Ji Feng for several years, he rarely revealed his true self.

    This was too strange - police officers were people too, after all.

    Lao Gao liked to show off his daughter, his social media always reposting home-cooked recipes. Liang Yi loved gaming and shopping, sometimes sharing coupons in the group chat just to get a measly three-yuan red packet.

    Ji Feng''s social media... only had police announcements and press releases, clearly meeting the precinct''s task quotas.

    He didn''t seem to have any hobbies.

    After pondering for a while, Jian Jing finally called Zhu Yanan.

    Zhu Yanan: "Teacher Jian?"

    "Yanan, weren''t you and Ji Feng high school ssmates?" she asked directly.

    "Yes, why?" Zhu Yanan joked, "Want me to sell you some dirt on him?"

    Jian Jing asked, "Which ss were you in?"

    "ss One." Zhu Yanan was puzzled. "Why are you asking this?"

    "Just something I need to know," she said vaguely. "Are you free for dinner today?"

    Zhu Yanan nced at her current work, then replied cheerfully, "Sure, you pick the ce. I''lle right after work."

 Chapter 390

    Zhu Yanan didn''t get off work until 6 PM, so Jian Jing took a detour to a certain ce first.

    Amidst the overgrown weeds and crumbling bricks, Ji Feng''s old school stood in the winter wind, as eerie as a ghost school.

    She arrived at the small alley she once climbed over, scaled the wall and jumped in, made her way through waist-high grass, and reached the teaching building. On the ground floor, some ssrooms still retained their ss signs, reading "ss 13."

    That wasn''t it.

    Jian Jing carefully stepped on the stairs, daring only to ce her feet on the steel reinforcements, avoiding the concrete bricks for fear they might give way and cost her life.

    Before climbing, she hesitated slightly, wondering if she had guessed wrong. But upon seeing the broken desk left on the stairs and the footprints beside it, she knew she was right.

    The desk wasn''t very dusty and was perfectly wedged in a broken section, clearly ced there intentionally.

    Strangely, there were only handprints from moving the desk, no footprints, as if it had been brought over specifically for her to step on.

    Jian Jing suspected this was a challenge: the item is up there, can you get to it?

    If you can, why can''t I? Herpetitive spirit surged. She tied up her hair, lifted her coat skirt, and nimbly jumped onto the desk.

    She had to admit, the desk was necessary.

    Carefully avoiding the debris, she slowly made her way upstairs, finally finding ss 3-1 on the fourth floor.

    All the desks inside had been removed, leaving only an old podium. She shone her shlight, scanning the dusty floor, and quickly found several faint footprints.

    Following them to the edge of the podium, she crouched down.

    The beam of light swept back and forth inside the podium, falling on a hole.

    Jian Jing kicked twice, scaring away the bugs hiding inside, before reaching in.

    Sure enough, there was a box inside with a small rusty lock.

    She inserted the key and turned it.

    Inside was a dark blue stic folder with abel stuck on it.

    The gaudy gradient color was just like the stack she had left at the police station.

    There was a smiley face drawn on the paper: :)

    The winter sky darkened early, but Jian Jing wasn''t in a hurry to look. With the item in hand, she headed downstairs.

    Going down was even steeper, the bricks beneath her feet wobbling precariously, tiny pebbles falling with a pitter-patter, oddly thrilling.

    Jian Jing deliberately bounced down, and by the time she reached the bottom, even more of the stairs had copsed.

    She felt exhrated.

    On a cold winter day, the meeting ce with Zhu Yanan was, of course, a hot pot restaurant.

    Liang Yi was there too, saying bluntly, "Don''t worry, I''m not freeloading. I''ll tell you everything I know about Ji Feng."

    "In that case, you''d better eat a lot." Jian Jing ordered without even looking at the menu, going all out.

    Beef,mb, shrimp balls, fish slices, egg dumplings, vermicelli, vegetable tters... until the table could hold no more.

    None of the three women were dieters, so they ate with abandon.

    Liang Yi was starving and wolfed down her food, while Zhu Yanan ate more gracefully, asking between bites, "Ms. Jian, what exactly did you want to ask me? Just to be clear, Ji Feng and I weren''t particrly close in high school, but our families lived near each other, and our moms used to work together. We did go to the same kindergarten."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then asked, "Was he always like this?"

    "Of course not," Zhu Yanan rolled her eyes dramatically. "He''s much better now. Back in school, I can''t tell you how much I disliked him."

    Liang Yi, curious: "What did he do?"

    Zhu Yanan exined, "He''d show off because he was smart. I remember it clearly, in kindergarten, we were doing puzzles, and the teacher said we could take them home for our parents to help if we couldn''t finish. He insisted on finishing before school ended and then asked us, ''Why can''t you all do something so simple?''"

    Liang Yi: "Makes me want to punch him."

    "My mom said I burst into tears and went home asking if I was stupid because I couldn''t do such simple puzzles," Zhu Yanan recalled the childhood trauma vividly. "As if he was so brilliant. People who didn''t know better might have thought he was Einstein or something."

    Jian Jing chuckled and asked, "What about high school?"

    "High school was better," Zhu Yanan thought for a moment before continuing, "Actually, when we first got into the same ss, I didn''t even recognize him, but he remembered me. He said I''d gotten smarter since we were kids."

    Liang Yimented, "After being beaten down by society, he learned to speak like a normal person."

    "He was still annoying though, always skipping homework because his grades were good," Zhu Yanan said. "He''d read books during ss, chat during self-study periods, constantly disrupting ss order. No one could control him."

    Jian Jing: "That''s hard to imagine. I''ve never even seen him speed while driving."

    "Come to think of it, he suddenly changed in our senior year," Zhu Yanan reminisced, tilting her head. "Let me think... yes, it was the first semester of senior year. He suddenly became different."

    Jian Jing perked up: "Tell me more."

    "He stopped attending evening self-study sessions," Zhu Yanan exined. "In our senior year, the rules were very strict. Day students could leave early, but they had to attend at least two evening sessions. He would leave right after afternoon sses ended. I remember this clearly because not only did he skip evening sessions, he also missed morning ones, arriving just in time for the first ss bell every day."

    She was certain: "He was the only one who stood out like that. I''m sure I''m not mistaken, it was our senior year after all."

    "Did something happen?" Liang Yi interjected.

    Zhu Yanan frowned, saying uncertainly, "I heard from my mom that something happened at home, but by then, his mother had passed away years ago, and we didn''t keep in touch much, so it was just hearsay."

    Jian Jing asked, "When did his mother pass away?"

    "During middle school, I think," Zhu Yanan said. "It was cancer, I believe. My mom''s workce even went to visit her."

    Jian Jing nodded: "Around what month did this happen in senior year?"

    "September or October... it''s been a while, but I remember it wasn''t cold yet," Zhu Yanan said, then asked, "Are you trying to find out what happened to him back then?"

    Liang Yi: "Why not ask him directly? Won''t he tell you?"

    Jian Jing didn''t know how to exin, so she just smiled and said, "It''splicated. Anything else?"

    Zhu Yanan racked her brain and finally said, "I was so busy with revision in senior year, I didn''t pay much attention to other things, but there''s one thing I remember clearly: he only filled in one choice on his college application."

    Jian Jing: "Police University?"

    She nodded: "I collected the application forms, and everyone else filled in all five choices, but he only wrote one. I remember reminding him that it wasn''t safe to only choose one, asking what he''d do if he wasn''t epted, and suggesting he write a few more."

    "And then?"

    "I thought he''d say something like ''I''ll definitely get in,'' but instead he said..." Zhu Yanan paused, "If I don''t get in this year, I''ll study for another year. No matter what, I have to get in."

    Liang Yi: "That''s odd."

    Having eaten her fill, she had the energy to dig deeper: "Ji Feng was quite famous in our school, partly because our school beauty once pursued him - hey, Ms. Jian, has he told you this gossip?"

    "No," Jian Jing said, incredulous. "Someone actually pursued him?"

    "Listen to me," Liang Yi said eagerly. "You can''t me our school beauty for being blind. He looked quite deceiving back then - excellent grades in all subjects, presentable, and single. We were all naive then, not caring about family background or conditions. If we liked someone, we just went for it."

    Jian Jing asked, "Then what happened?"

    "He rejected her," Liang Yi said. "Then he got beaten up, or well, maybe he beat someone up. Anyway, they all ended up in the school infirmary."

    She shrugged: "It was big news. Everyone in our grade knew about it."

    Jian Jing asked curiously, "Why did he reject her? What reason did he give?"

    "I''m not sure about that, but it probably wasn''t anything nice," Liang Yi said. "The school beauty cried her eyes out back in the dorm."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    She picked up a shrimp ball and dropped it into the soy sauce, asking slowly, "Did he have any close friends in college?"

    Liang Yi thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Come to think of it, he had quite a few friends, but as for anyone particrly close..." She swallowed two slices of beef, then shook her head, "I don''t think so - maybe you count as one?"

    "Who''s particrly close to him?" Jian Jing rolled her eyes. "We''re just acquaintances."

    Liang Yi disagreed: "I think Ji Feng treats you quite well, don''t you think so, Yanan?"

    Zhu Yanan nodded.

    Jian Jing was shocked: "You ship this kind of pairing?"

    Liang Yi & Zhu Yanan: "..."

    "Let''s be serious," Jian Jing got back on topic. "I want to know, if he needed someone''s help, who might he turn to?"

    Liang Yi pointed at her with her chopsticks.

    Jian Jing: "Me? No." She shook her head, "He always tells me half and hides half. If I knew, why would I be asking you?"

    "Half the story is good enough," Liang Yi mumbled through a mouthful of dumpling. "We''re still in the dark here. Has he gotten into trouble?"

    Jian Jing thought for a moment and said, "At this point, we can only say he''s out of contact."

    "How so?"

    "His phone is unreachable."

    Liang Yi rolled her eyes. "It''s not unusual for his phone to be unreachable... Oh, wait, actually it is unusual." She made a face at Zhu Yanan and said with a grin, "Usually we have to turn off our phones when we''re on a mission."

    Jian Jing shook her head, her expression turning serious. "It''s not work-rted."

    "Are you sure? It could be a secret mission." Liang Yi, having great trust in Ji Feng, didn''t think too much of it.

    Jian Jing frowned. "Something doesn''t feel right. Why don''t you try calling him and see if he answers?"

    Liang Yi readily agreed and called immediately. As expected, she got the "The number you have dialed is switched off" message.

    She scratched her head. "So what now? Are you going to look for him?"

    "First, we need to rify the situation," Jian Jing said. "Have you heard him mention any old cases?"

    Zhu Yanan made a helpless gesture. "We''re not in the same department."

    Liang Yi, however, thought for a moment and said, "Speaking of old cases, I remember something. At our graduation dinner, when everyone was drunk, he suddenly asked Brother Yang - um, he''s sort of Ji Feng''s buddy, they were roommates - if he''d heard of the November 2nd Incineration Case."

    Jian Jing made a mental note of this.

    The three of them ordered some ramen and ate tomato beef noodles with the hotpot broth and beef slices before heading home.

    Before leaving, Liang Yi said, "We''ve done our best to answer your questions about Ji Feng''s personal matters. If there''s anything else, we''ll help as much as we can. Don''t hesitate to ask."

    Jian Jing thanked them. "You''ve already been a great help."

    "When you catch that guy, give us a call," Liang Yi said. "Yanan, we''ll treat him to another hotpot then."

    Zhu Yanan smiled and added, "I just remembered something you might want to know - Ji Feng''s father is called Ji Liming, and he used to be a police officer too."

    *

    Back home, Jian Jing immediately went online to search for the case.

    The November 2nd Incineration Case, also known as the "Peace City Serial Killer Incineration Case," was a major case that hadsted for many years.

    It all began on November 2, 2002.

    That day, a sanitation worker named Chen Dagang went to the police station to report that he had found a burned corpse.

    Following his directions, the local police found a charred female body in an abandoned chemical factory. The victim''s face, fingerprints, and clothes werepletely destroyed by fire, making identification impossible. The skeleton was rtively intact, and after forensic examination, it was determined that the victim was a young woman between 20 and 28 years old who had never given birth.

    The crime scene didn''t yield many clues. Only half a shoe print was found, size 40, which afterparison, was identified as a verymon type of rubber shoe avable in the market.

    The tread pattern on the sole was heavily worn, suggesting it wasn''t a new shoe. Considering the shoe''s low price, the killer''s economic situation was likely not very good.

    Besides this, there were no more leads.

    The police were at a loss when on the evening of November 8, a truck driver called 119, reporting that he had seen mes by the riverside construction site and requested firefighters to check the situation, fearing a fire.

    Fully equipped firefighters arrived at the site but found norge fire. Instead, they discovered another incinerated corpse.

    Like the charred body in the abandoned factory, this corpse''s exterior was destroyed, leaving no useful information. Only the skeleton could be used to determine that it was a young woman in her 20s.

    Additionally, because it was discovered earlier, some unburned fuel remained at the scene. After testing, it was identified as No. 0 diesel fuel.

    The two cases were highly simr, both extremely cruel in method. This quickly drew the attention of higher-ups, and under the leadership of the city''s Public Security Bureau, arge number of personnel were assigned to investigate.

    However, this was only the beginning.

 Chapter 391

    From November 2002 to February 2003, over a period of 5 months, Peace City witnessed 4 extremely simr cases of burned corpses.

    All victims were young women who had never given birth. The bodies were abandoned in secluded locations: abandoned factories, temporarily closed construction sites, suburban wilderness, and unfinished buildings. All corpses were burned, making it impossible to identify faces or fingerprints.

    After investigation, the police obtained the following clues:

    November 2, 2002 - First case: Size 40 rubber shoe print

    November 8, 2002 - Second case: Diesel fuel used

    December 29, 2002 - Third case: Light snow fell that day, tire tracks left by the killer''s car

    February 18, 2003 - Fourth case: Victim''s identity discovered

    This was purely coincidental.

    The fourth case urred in February of the following year.

    By then, a month and a half had passed since the third case, and the police still hadn''t uncovered the killer''s true identity. They even wondered if he had stopped.

    Everyone was under immense pressure, especially after news reports of the first three cases caused public panic. During those months, as soon as it got dark, young women were nowhere to be seen on the streets.

    Streets andmunities were mobilized to remind residents not to go out at night, and lone women were advised to be especially careful and to call the police station if anything happened.

    For a time, tension was high. The police station received several emergency calls, with women tearfully begging for help. However, when they arrived at the scene, eight out of ten cases turned out to be burries or robberies.

    On February 18th, around 2 PM, several middle school students called 110 (emergency number), saying they had found a dead body in a haunted house, which was very scary.

    The police rushed to the reported location, which was an unfinished vi by the river, as dark as a haunted house.

    Inside the housey a simr ckened, charred corpse. The difference was that this body''s bones had been fractured and had several steel pins in them. The police immediately contacted the hospital and showed the autopsy photos to orthopedic doctors.

    Finally, one doctor recognized the body as his former patient.

    The police finally confirmed the victim''s identity.

    Her name was Wang Zihui, 24 years old, working as a hall manager in a restaurant. A few months ago, she had identally fallen down the stairs, breaking her leg, and had been in a cast for several months before recovering.

    When inquiring at her workce, everyone said she had been missing for almost a week.

    The boss said, "I heard she was dating a rich boyfriend, so I thought she had quit."

    A colleague said, "She said she was going back to her hometown for a few days. Who knew she would end up dead? Sigh!"

    Her roommate said, "Xiao Hui is dead? Oh my God, I didn''t know. I''ve been busy packing to move these past few days, so I wasn''t aware of her situation."

    This was the only victim whose identity could be confirmed. The police investigated very carefully and quickly uncovered her social rtionships.

    Wang Zihui wasn''t a local of Peace City; she hade from elsewhere to work. She didn''t know many people, mainly just her boss and colleagues at the restaurant. Her roommate wasn''t her friend; they only knew each other because they shared an apartment and didn''t care about or understand each other''s lives.

    ording to a colleague, Wang Zihui had been seen getting into a man''s car, which they guessed belonged to her boyfriend. However, her close female friend denied this, saying she had never mentioned dating anyone.

    The suspicion surrounding this mysterious man suddenly increased.

    After a detailed investigation, the police finally uncovered the identity of this mysterious car owner.

    His name was Wu Bing, from the same hometown as Wang Zihui. He had made some money in the building materials business over the past two years and immediately bought a car, intending to drive it back to his hometown during the New Year to show off his sess.

    When asked about his rtionship with Wang Zihui, he said, "We''re from the same vige. This girl didn''t go homest year, and her parents were very worried, so they asked me to look after her."

    The police asked, "Did you ever drive to see her?"

    "Just once, to treat her to a meal and give her some advice. Nothing else," Wu Bing was quite nervous at the time. "Officer, this girl hasn''t done anything wrong, has she? I''m not close to her, we don''t have much contact usually."

    The police, of course, didn''t believe him.

    With just this one suspect, they naturally investigated him thoroughly.

    As a result, they uncovered bribery, hiring someone tomit murder, and using substandard materials in ce of good ones. However, no matter how they investigated, it seemed unrted to the previous three cases.

    Wu Bing''s car ran on gasoline, his shoe size was 42, and he had been socializing and drinking heavily almost every day for the past few months. How could he have had time to kill and dispose of bodies?

    The case reached a deadlock.

    After the Wang Zihui case, although the killer wasn''t caught, he also ceased his activities and didn''t strike again.

    With limited police resources, they couldn''t continue investing indefinitely. After another month, the case gradually cooled down. Half a yearter, the case files began to gather dust.

    A yearter, this serial killing and corpse burning case became just one of many unsolved cases, gradually fading from mention.

    Until 2007, when the killer struck again, the police finally caught a break.

    In January 2007, during a bitterly cold spell, Peace City experienced an unprecedented heavy snowfall.

    Perhaps it was this snow that disrupted the killer''s ns. When the fifth body was discovered, it had only been burned on the outer clothing and face, with the body remainingrgely intact.

    Nearly five years had passed, and forensic technology had continued to advance.

    The medical examiner sessfully extracted some key physical evidence from this body: the soles of the shoes had traces of beech wood chips and cigarette ash, the stomach contained undigested hamburger, chicken, and some fried fish, and there was paint under the fingernails.

    Afterparison, it was found to bemon acrylic paint. Combined with the youthful style of the remaining clothing fabric, the police suspected the victim was a student or teacher from an art school.

    After investigating, they found someone matching the description.

    Li Xiaonuan, a senior student at the Academy of Fine Arts, was due to graduate in a few months but hadn''t found a job yet, only taking on asional frence work.

    These past few days, she had taken on a job to paint severalrge murals for a shop. She would leave at eight or nine in the morning and return at six or seven in the evening.

    The day before the incident, she left at nine in the morning as usual but hadn''t returned by lights out. Her roommates found it slightly strange but didn''t worry too much, as it was normal for college students to stay out overnight. They assumed she had spent the night at a friend''s ce.

    Based on the school''s provided physical examination report, the police believed the fifth body closely matched Li Xiaonuan''s information. They collected DNA samples from her family and finally confirmed that the deceased was indeed Li Xiaonuan.

    Her parents were devastated, kneeling on the ground and begging the police to find the killer and bring him to justice.

    The officer in charge of the case at the time solemnly promised to do so.

    His name was Ji Liming.

    --

    Compared to the previous four cases, the fifth case had a unique advantage: the victim had disappeared yesterday and the body was discovered the next day. The snow had extinguished the mes, preserving the body well, and leaving behind a wealth of physical evidence at the scene.

    The police were very excited and conducted an extremely thorough investigation.

    The paint under the fingernails confirmed the identity, and after investigation, the stomach contents were determined to be from a nearby hamburger shop. This shop''s specialty fried fish used small yellow croakers instead of cod or dory, making it very distinctive and unlike any other ce.

    The shop owner''s wife remembered a girl in a red coating to buy food in the evening, but couldn''t recall the exact time. However, the cash register records showed two orders of chicken burger and fried fish, one with an extra beef patty, at 5:30 PM. Since Li Xiaonuan''s stomach didn''t contain beef, this confirmed the purchase time.

    The red coat matched the remnants of Li Xiaonuan''s clothing. Based on the state of digestion, the time of death was estimated to be 2-4 hours after the meal.

    So, when did Li Xiaonuan eat?

    The shop owner''s wife provided a valuable clue. She said the young girl who bought the food seemed not to have eaten lunch (which corroborated with thendlord''s statement that Li Xiaonuan often skipped meals when busy). She was very hungry and took a bite of the fried fish as soon as she got it, burning her tongue, and then asked for an iced c.

    The cash register records confirmed this.

    Thus, it could be determined that Li Xiaonuan''s time of death was between 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM.

    Then there were the beech wood chips.

    Beech wood is rare in China, mostly imported from abroad, and is generally used more for furniture. The dormitories at the Academy of Fine Arts certainly wouldn''t use such wood, and the shop where she was painting had alreadypleted its interior decoration, with the floors swept clean, leaving no wood chips.

    The probability that the wood chips came from the killer was very high.

    However, beech wood isn''t that umon. It could be found in renovation work, furniture making, transportation, and who knows where else it might have fallen.

    Ji Liming found a map and circled the Academy of Fine Arts in the south of the city and the shops in the west. He marked out the bus and subway routes to both ces.

    Finally, he drew arge circle around the garbage incineration nt, also in the west.

    He drove to the Academy of Fine Arts and circled the area a few times. The academy was in a remote location, with a park nearby. The scenic environment was suitable for sketching, but equally suitable for disposing of a body.

    Therefore, he concluded that the killer had targeted Li Xiaonuan in the west of the city, not at the academy.

    Back in the western part of the city.

    He drove down each street, notebook in hand, recording all the shops under renovation. He then assigned tasks to eachmunity police station to inquire door-to-door about the use of elm wood.

    He also had people check with transportationpanies to see if anyone had taken on a job transporting wood.

    With arge police force deployed, it was like casting a tight, bringing all suspicious individuals to the surface.

    The police locked onto a suspect.

    Wu Honglin, male, 35 years old, a truck driver. In early January, he had taken on a job transporting wood and returned to Peace City around the 15th.

    He and his wife rented a small apartment of 30-40 square meters in the west of the city, living in tight financial circumstances. Usually, Wu Honglin drove long-distance trucks, while his wife operated an electric tricycle to transport passengers. Back in 2007, the transportation market was still quite unregted, with many such unlicensed vehicles visible everywhere on the streets.

    When the police came to their door, his wife thought it was a crackdown on illegal taxis. She smiled apologetically, saying she had a license, while offering them a cigarette, hoping they would let her off.

    "Officers, we''re just trying to make a living," the woman in her thirties said, wringing her hands nervously, afraid they would take away her tricycle.

    This was something she had bought for seven or eight hundred yuan, having used it for less than two years. It was still quite new.

    But the police paid no attention to her concerns and asked, "Where''s your husband?"

    "He''s out earning money," the woman said, growing increasingly uneasy. She tentatively asked, "Officers, did he hit someone? We''ll paypensation, definitely."

    The officer in charge said, "Sit down first, we have some questions for you."

    The woman asked anxiously, "What''s this about?"

    "Where was your husband on the evening of January 17th?"

    "The 17th... he was out picking up passengers."

    "But the transportationpany said he returned on the 15th."

    "Yes, yes, that was for long-distance trips. It''s different. When there''s no work, he tells me to rest and takes my tricycle to pick up passengers."

    "Was he out all night on the 17th?"

    "Yes."

    "Were you with him?"

    "No, I remember it was very cold those days. I''m not in good health, so he told me to stay home and rest." At this point, a happy smile appeared on the woman''s face.

    The police asked a couple more questions and then left.

    Next, they found Wu Honglin picking up passengers on the street and brought him to the police station for questioning.

    Wu Honglin admitted that he was out on the night of the 17th and didn''t return home, but he denied picking up Li Xiaonuan, let alone killing her.

    However, the situation looked unfavorable for him.

    Near the shop where Li Xiaonuan had been painting, there was a mid-range tobo and liquor store. The owner, worried about thieves, had installed a surveince camera at the entrance.

    The camera captured Wu Honglin''s electric tricycle passing by around 5 PM.

    The police asked him where he was between 7 PM and 9 PM on the 17th.

    Wu Honglin said that because traffic police were strict in the city center, he usually just circled around the factories in the west of the city, and that day was probably the same.

    "Tell us honestly, did you pick up a young woman that day?"

    "No, really no. Young girls don''t ride these kinds of vehicles. On the 17th... I think the weather was bad. I picked up a woman who was going to school to pick up her child. It was still light out then, definitely not the one you''re asking about."

    "No business after dark?"

    "Yes, but just one fare, quitete, probably around 8 or 9 o''clock."

    This was a crucial time point, and the police asked, "Do you remember the location?"

    "Yes, I''ve been picking up passengers in that area these past couple of days. It was a woman with long hair, wearing a suit. I think she was a real estate agent. I saw she was carrying arge handbag full of documents. She was very polite. I said 15 yuan, and she didn''t have change, so she gave me 20 and wouldn''t let me give her change."

    The lead was quite clear, and since it was a newly developed area with only two or three real estate agencies, they quickly found the passenger after asking around.

    She said, "Yes, I worked overtime on the night of the 17th. It was toote for the bus, so I called an unlicensed tricycle. What did the driver look like? How would I remember that? I think he wasn''t very tall and had a bit of an ent."

    The police showed her a photo of Wu Honglin. She couldn''t be certain, but she recognized the tricycle.

    "It was this vehicle, I''m sure. It had green curtains and was quite clean inside."

    The police asked, "Do you remember what time it was?"

    "I got home around 9:20 PM, so I probably got on the vehicle around 8:50 PM."

 Chapter 392

    As mentioned earlier, it snowed heavily on the evening of the 17th. ording to the meteorological station, the snow started around 9 PM and continued until about midnight.

    On the morning of the 18th, when sanitation workers discovered the body, there were no footprints around it.

    It is now known that the victim''s time of death was between 7 PM and 9 PM. If the body was dumped after 9 PM, the killer would have had no reason to choose an open-air location to burn the corpse.

    After all, the purpose of burning the body was to destroy physiological information. The killer wouldn''t have been careless enough to choose a ce where snow would umte to burn the body after it had started snowing.

    If the body was dumped after midnight, firstly, it would have been impossible not to leave footprints at the scene, and secondly, it would not have been suitable for burning the body.

    Therefore, the killer must have dumped the body before 9 PM when it started snowing.

    The heavy snowfall at 9 PM disrupted the killer''s ns, but he couldn''t have gone to the scene after it started snowing, otherwise clear footprints would have been left in the snow.

    A passenger said he boarded Wu Honglin''s vehicle at 8:50 PM and arrived home at 9:20 PM, by which time it had already started snowing.

    Wu Honglin was photographed near Li Xiaonuan''s workce at 5 PM, but at 8:50 PM when he picked up passengers, he was on a street not far from the dump site.

    From the route, he perfectly matched the killer''s movement pattern.

    The police detained the suspect and further searched Wu Honglin''s home.

    The situation looked extremely unfavorable for him.

    Wu Honglin was short in stature, wore size 40 shoes, used diesel fuel in his truck, and owned an electric tricyclemonly seen on the streets.

    "These illegal taxis are everywhere on the streets, going through alleys. No one would give them a second nce. Even if someone noticed a person sitting inside, they''d just assume it was a passenger. It''s very suitable for dumping bodies," analyzed veteran police officer A.

    Some cheap pornographic magazines were found in the truck, with explicit descriptions and provocative images.

    "You can''t judge a book by its cover. Truck drivers are on the road for long periods, unable to satisfy their desires. Gradually, their frustration turns into resentment towards women, which is why they keep targeting young women," new police officer B exined confidently.

    Ji Liming refuted him: "Wu Honglin has only been driving trucks for a little over three years. In 2002-2003, he wasn''t even a truck driver."

    "Driving a taxi is the same."

    Indeed, Wu Honglin had no other skills except driving. Before buying the big truck, he drove a taxi. The taxi belonged to apany, and he shared shifts with another driver, alternating between day and night shifts every few months.

    And taxi tires were of the mostmon type, the same as those found near the third body.

    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that Wu Honglin matched every characteristic of the suspect.

    But Ji Liming didn''t jump to conclusions. Instead, he asked, "Where''s the murder weapon? We haven''t found the crucial evidence."

    Forensic tests determined that there was no carbon residue in the stomachs or respiratory tracts of the five bodies, indicating that they were burned after death, not burned alive. However, due to severe damage to the bodies, the exact cause of death was difficult to determine.

    Only Li Xiaonuan''s body was rtively intact. An autopsy revealed damage to the back of her head, likely caused by a blunt object.

    No suitable murder weapon was found in Wu Honglin''s home or truck.

    "The killer doesn''t necessarily keep the weapon with him," another police officer offered his opinion. "It could have been a stone or stick picked up from the roadside, wiped clean, and casually discarded. Who could find it?"

    That made sense too.

    They had to continue digging deeper.

    Setting aside the fifth victim, Li Xiaonuan, did Wu Honglin have any connection to the other four victims?

    There didn''t seem to be any connection with Wang Zihui. But his identity as a taxi driver was enough to allow him brief contact with anyone without being noticed.

    Soon after, it was discovered that Wu Honglin''s wife had fallen ill in 2000 and needed surgery. Their savings werepletely depleted, and they were in debt.

    An old police officer who had been involved in investigating the 2002 case took a sip of his wolfberry tea and said gravely, "I don''t understand all this fancy talk about criminal profiling. In my experience, money is the biggest motive for murder."

    A young officer interjected, "It''s called criminal psychological profiling, a new academic discipline that started in 2005."

    "Don''t interrupt," the old officer said. "Anyway, I think all this talk about psychological disorders and repressed desires is nonsense."

    He continued seriously, "Why does the perpetrator specifically target young women? Because they''re easy to deal with. They''re young, inexperienced in society, so they''re easily tricked. They get into cars when asked, they''re physically weaker, easy to subdue, but they''re already working, so they have some money on them. Unlike students who only have a hundred or so yuan in pocket money, it''s not worth the risk."

    Ji Liming nodded slightly.

    He agreed with the old officer''s view. There must be a reason why the perpetrator chose a certain type of victim. But the young officers'' earlier discussions about misogyny, Oedipusplex, and repressed desires all seemed too far-fetched.

    During the years when motorcycle snatching was rampant, many victims were women. Does that mean all those thieves were perverts?

    No, targeting women was simply because they were easy targets.

    Men are sturdy, children have no money, and the elderly have children who would quickly notice their disappearance. But young women living alone in the city might not be missed for some time if they disappeared.

    Although... Wang Zihui had a roommate and a job.

    Ji Liming thought for a moment, then said, "The probability of it being for money is high, but since they''re all young women, we can''t rule out sexual motives. With the bodies burned, we can''t extract any evidence."

    "Rapists rarely go to such extremes," the old officer said. "Besides, Wu Honglin has a wife. A one-time crime of passion is understandable, but doing it several times is too much. How much does it cost to go to a massage parlor?"

    Ji Liming tapped the table, reminding him, "We can''t presume guilt."

    "I''d say there''s a ny percent chance it''s him," the old officer said. "I''ve been following this case from start to finish. You know how many people and resources we''ve invested. After all our investigations, he''s the most suspicious."

    The police officers participating in the discussion nodded in agreement.

    They had no personal grudge against Wu Honglin and absolutely no intention of framing him. But at this point in the investigation, he was the only suspect, and he perfectly matched the profile derived from the previous cases.

    Therefore, even without direct evidence, Wu Honglin remained the prime suspect.

    Ji Liming still had doubts. For some reason, the image of Wu Honglin''s wife suddenly appeared in his mind - if her husband was a serial killer, would that woman have such a happy expression?

    Was his psychological control so strong that he showed no signs even to his bedmate?

    It wasn''t impossible.

    Ji Liming had been a police officer for quite a few years. He had seen people who acted as if nothing had happened after killing someone. Some people are born with a rebellious nature and don''t value human life.

    Perhaps Wu Honglin was like that.

    Ten dayster, the prosecutor''s office made the decision to approve the arrest.

    But Wu Honglin didn''t live to see the court trial.

    The day after his formal arrest, he died.

    When the detention center guards brought dinner, they saw him lying motionless. They knocked on the iron door, and when there was no response, fearing something was wrong, they quickly opened the door and went in. He was already dead.

    The forensic pathologist determined it was sudden death, specting that the demanding work of a truck driver,ck of sleep, and fatigue, coupled with the immense psychological burden of murder, had overwhelmed him.

    Some said hemitted suicide out of guilt.

    This was somewhat incredible, but reality can be absurd at times, regardless of whether people can ept it or not.

    So, despite whatever doubts people might have had, Wu Honglin''s unexpected death brought the November 2nd major serial burning case to a close.

    *

    That''s all the publicly avable information about the case.

    From Jian Jing''s perspective, there were indeed many questionable points in this case. All the evidence was circumstantial and didn''t form aplete chain of evidence.

    However, the body-burning case had its peculiarities. It was normal for physical evidence to be difficult to preserve under high temperatures,cking blood, hair, skin kes, and other such evidence. Wu Honglin''s background and timeline were highly suspicious.

    There was nothing unusual about the prosecutor''s arrest, and the man had died... Why did Ji Feng ask about this case?

    Was it rted to his father''s death?

    Jian Jing searched for Ji Liming''s name on the public security website and found an obituary: Ji Liming died in the line of duty on September 23, 2007, at the age of 41.

    The time matched what Zhu Yanan had said.

    But Wu Honglin''s case was in January, and Ji Liming died in September, six months apart. How could they be rted?

    The more Jian Jing looked, the more confused she became. She could only turn her gaze to the file folder Ji Feng had left behind.

    Although he hadn''t said anything, she had an inexplicable premonition that this wasn''t going to be a pleasant answer.

    "Let''s see what you''re up to," she decided to open it.

    The file folder wasn''t deliberately sealed, and there weren''t many items inside, all neatly organized with clips. On top was a printed court judgment.

    ---

    Criminal Judgment of First Instance for Zhang XX''s Intentional Homicide

    January 2, 2008

    Peace City People''s Court

    The defendant Zhang XX, born in 1978 in a certain province and ce, with primary school education, was criminally detained by the Peace City Public Security Sub-bureau in September 2007 on suspicion of intentional homicide, and is currently detained in a certain detention center.

    In 1999, Zhang XX met and married Wu XX. In 2007, Wu XX was approved for arrest by our provincial procuratorate for the crime of intentional homicide. On March 4, 2007, due to a sudden heart condition, he died despite attempts to save him.

    ording to the procuratorate''s usations, after learning of Wu XX''s death, Zhang XX harbored resentment towards the police officers involved in investigating Wu XX''s case. On September 12, 2007, Zhang XX bought a steak knife and a fruit knife at XX Supermarket. At around 10 AM on September 23, she came to the entrance of the Public Security Sub-bureau, asking to see Ji XX, a person rted to the case.

    Ji XX was working outside. Zhang XX waited until 3:40 PM and, iming to have something to tell him, asked to speak with Ji XX alone when he returned.

    As they walked to the street corner, Zhang XX suddenly pulled out the steak knife and stabbed Ji XX, wounding him in the abdomen. Ji XX used his right hand to block Zhang XX''s second strike.

    Seeing that she couldn''t kill Ji XX, Zhang XX immediately raised the knife tomit suicide. Ji XX immediately intervened, holding down Zhang XX''s right hand. At the same time, Zhang XX took out the fruit knife and stabbed towards Ji XX''s heart.

    At this point, nearby personnel noticed themotion and intervened. Ji XX was sent to the hospital but died despite treatment.

    ...

    Zhang XX confessed that she believed there were hidden circumstances surrounding her husband Wu XX''s death, and that her husband was not the culprit in the immtion case. She felt that the police had arrested him without sufficient evidence, indirectly leading to his death. Therefore, she was full of hatred towards the personnel involved. After her petitions were unsessful, she decided to take revenge personally.

    Zhang XX''s actions vited Article 232 of the Criminal Law of the People''s Republic of China, and she is being held criminally responsible for intentional homicide... After being detained, Zhang XX actively cooperated with the investigation and showed a good attitude in admitting her guilt...

    In ordance with the Criminal Law of the People''s Republic of China, Zhang XX is sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

    ---

    Jian Jing couldn''t take in thest few lines at all.

    She never imagined that the truth of the matter would be like this.

    No wonder Ji Feng had doubts about his father''s death, yet said the killer had been arrested and brought to justice. Yes, Zhang XX had indeed been arrested and was probably still in prison, but the real cause of Ji Liming''s death was likely still rted to the immtion case.

 Chapter 393

    The winter night was bitterly cold, with a chilling wind that felt like steel needles piercing through the skin, prating into the bones, freezing the blood into ice shards.

    Ji Feng sat in his car, unable to keep the heating on continuously, so he wrapped himself in an extra nket and closed his eyes to rest.

    A few days ago, his phone had broken down. Although he quickly bought a new one nearby, he didn''t have time to wait for the service center to open and reissue his SIM card due to time constraints, so he had to give up.

    However, Yun Yun, who was attending university in the capital, called him every week. If she couldn''t reach him for two consecutive days, she would definitely worry. She didn''t have many people to ask; Lao Gao was one, but he wouldn''t tell the truth. Nine times out of ten, she would ask Teacher Jian.

    Teacher Jian... Teacher Jian had a bit of a temper.

    With a good reason, she wouldn''t mind initiating a conversation, but without one, it was "if you don''t reach out to me, I won''t reach out to you. Who do you think you are?"

    A true princess attitude.

    But she had the right to be proud.

    Even if she wasn''t interested, even with a standoffish expression, there were plenty of men willing to revolve around her, begging for her attention, for a chance to chat.

    There was no help for it; society was just that realistic. Pretty girls nevercked suitors, and if they were both pretty and rich, it was even more extraordinary ¨C seven out of ten men would be interested.

    The remaining three prided themselves on not being shallow, thinking that while a beautiful appearance was nice, inner beauty was more important.

    And Teacher Jian? Upright, kind, intelligent, brave... To say she had inner beauty would be an understatement; her very soul shone brightly.

    So, to sum it up, whether you were vulgar and coveted beauty, or considered yourself discerning and demanding, the result was the same.

    He had gotten distracted.

    Given Teacher Jian''s personality, as soon as Yun Yun called, she would certainly want to get to the bottom of things. Lao Gao wouldn''t dare to fool her and might even let slip a word or two.

    As long as she went to the office, Ji Feng was sure Teacher Jian would be able to find the key.

    Once she had the key, she would undoubtedly curse him a hundred times or so, then go looking for the lock. If she remembered the school, the things wouldn''t be hard to find. If she had forgotten about this matter... it might be better not to get involved.

    Ji Feng couldn''t decide whether he hoped she would find it or not.

    To be honest, the matter of his father was quite delicate.

    If the killer had been a vicious criminal, the sacrifice would not have been so hard to ept. Especially after bing a police officer himself, Ji Feng was always prepared for the day he might not return.

    His father must have thought about that day.

    But was Zhang Peiru a ruthless viin?

    No, she wasn''t.

    In 2007, Ji Feng was already in high school, and he even remembered his father mentioning this case.

    Ji Liming was full of sympathy for Zhang Peiru and spoke of it with great regret.

    "In March, she came every day, without fail. She sought me out, sought out Old Tan, Old Huang. In April, when the leaders came down for an inspection, as soon as they got out of the car, she was kneeling there, crying ''injustice'' with every breath, swearing to heaven that Wu Honglin would never kill anyone, begging us to continue investigating, to clear her husband''s name."

    With his daughter still young and his wife already passed away, Ji Liming felt suffocated and could only confide in his precocious son.

    He said, "Xiao Feng, I''m not sure about this, you know?"

    At that time, Ji Feng was still quite immature and immediately retorted to his father, "Is Wu Honglin really the killer or not?"

    Ji Liming asked in return, "If it''s not him, then who could it be? People don''t just die by themselves, and the killer couldn''t havemitted the crime and then dropped dead, could they?"

    Ji Feng: "Maybe the fifth case was a copycat."

    Ji Liming shook his head: "That''s unlikely. The same method of disposing of the body, the same type of diesel fuel, female victims of about the same age."

    Ji Feng: "What are you suspicious about?"

    Ji Liming: "The motive. If you say it was for money, truck drivers don''t earn much, but if he wanted tomit a crime, whye back to Peace City? He could have done one job out of town and run, who could have found him? But if you say it was for the person..."

    He shook his head and said, "His rtionship with his wife doesn''t seem fake."

    "Do you want to reopen the case?" Ji Feng asked casually. "Even if you want to, they probably won''t agree."

    Unsolved murder cases were not good for KPIs. Back in 2003, the police responsible for the case, regardless of their position, were all berated like children. But when they couldn''t solve it, they just couldn''t solve it. Even if the whole team was disciplined, there was nothing they could do.

    This time, they finally had a lead and made an arrest. Although the sudden death was unexpected, to reopen the case, forget about what colleagues and superiors might think, did they have any evidence?

    Without new evidence, talking about reopening the case would be insane.

    Ji Liming only sighed at home, then went back to work as usual. There were other cases, not just this one, with other cases lining up waiting.

    However, many yearster, when Ji Feng thought about it, he still regretted it.

    Even if they couldn''t reopen the investigation, if only Ji Liming could have revealed a thing or two to Wu Honglin''s wife, he might not have been stabbed to death on the street.

    Being killed by a small, thin woman with a knife, what kind of end was that?

    Was it the frustration of being revenged upon, or the retribution for wronging an innocent person?

    And as a son, what could Ji Feng do? The criminal was subdued on the spot, the court passed sentence, and she epted her punishment, serving more than ten years in prison.

    As a police officer who studied and understood thew, he couldn''t seek revenge like the killer, could he?

    But to swallow this anger was simply impossible.

    Ji Feng thought that the only thing he could do for his father was probably to uncover the truth. If it really was Wu Honglin, he could tell Zhang Peiru straightforwardly that she had killed his father in error, that he had done nothing wrong.

    If it wasn''t... then it would be up to him, as the son, to uncover the truth for his father, toplete what he had left unfinished.

    However, the case wasn''t so easy to investigate.

    Although there were some news reports online, they all omitted key clues. To reconstruct the case, he would need to ess the original case files from that year and examine the few pieces of physical evidence that remained.

    This could only be done after bing a police officer.

    In the third month of his internship, Ji Feng was named for transfer to the branch office due to his outstanding performance in handling cases. He first spent half a year in the public security squadron, and then was transferred to criminal investigation, where he had remained for all these years.

    He pieced together bits and pieces, slowly getting in touch with the people and events of that year, only to find that the case was even more tricky than he had imagined.

    First, there was too little physical evidence.

    The bodies had been burned, destroying all traces of the killer. It was even difficult to determine if there had been sexual assault. For Wang Zihui and Li Xiaonuan, whose bodies were rtively intact, the use of condoms meant no semen was left behind, and any hair that might have fallen was burned away, leaving nothing to investigate.

    Then, there were three unidentified victims.

    In serial killing cases, the first victim is crucial. In the Ice and Snow Corpse case, the killer had gone to great lengths to switch the order in which the bodies appeared to cover up his rtionship with his wife.

    The first three victims were burned beyond recognition, making it impossible to identify them. They didn''t match any of the reported missing persons cases, and to this day they remain Jane Doe No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.

    Finally, there was the question of who the killer really was in Li Xiaonuan''s case.

    This was the most important breakthrough point, and also the key case that locked in Wu Honglin.

    He had copied all the testimonies to take home, looking at them whenever he had free time, but still couldn''t reach a conclusion. Soter, he changed his approach, not focusing solely on the original records, but looking for new evidence himself.

    If a problem is missing key information, no amount of effort will produce an answer. Not everyone can pull off the kind of novel-like deductions that Teacher Jian does.

    Teacher Jian... Teacher Jian should have gotten the things by now, right?

    What would she do?

    Without a doubt, she would go looking for Zhang Peiru. Thinking about it, Ji Feng couldn''t help but smile slightly.

    *

    Jian Jing looked at the verdict, thinking Zhang Peiru was still in prison, but when she called, she was told that Zhang had already been released. Counting the time, it had only been a little over half a month.

    This made things difficult.

    After much consideration, Jian Jing decided to try her luck at the Anju Residential Community. This was where Wu Honglin and Zhang Peiru had lived. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the already run-downmunity looked even more dpidated.

    The buildings were dim andckluster, with bicycles, cars, and electric scooters parked in a mess. The old man guarding the gate had his eyes closed, listening to Peking opera on the radio,pletely ignoring peopleing and going.

    With such chaos, asking the property management would probably be useless.

    Jian Jing had no choice but to walk into a nearby real estate agency, pretending to look for a house. The young agent was extremely enthusiastic, saying he had several rental properties avable, and she could have whatever type she wanted.

    "Let me take a look first," she said, pointing at the Anju Residential Community. "Are there any vacant apartments there?"

    "Yes, yes," the young man said, grabbing some keys and leading her over.

    On the way, Jian Jing finally revealed her intentions: "Do you have listings for all the rental properties in thismunity?"

    "Yes, ourpany handles this entire area."

    Jian Jing took out two yuan notes and asked, "I''d like to know if a middle-aged woman, around fifty years old, with the surname Zhang, has recently rented a house in this area?"

    The young man was taken aback.

    "She might have a preference for Building 4," she added three more notes and used her trust card, "Is there anyone like that?"

    The real estate agent rubbed his hands together, not questioning her motives, and said, "What a coincidence, I actually do know about such a person. Half a month ago, I received a middle-ageddy who specifically requested the east-facing apartment on the third floor of Building 4. But that one was already rented out. Only the sixth floor had a vacant apartment with the same orientation, so she rented that one. And yes, her surname was Zhang."

    Jian Jing handed him the money.

    "Miss, I don''t want the money. Let''s add each other on WeChat and be friends instead," the young agent said.

    Jian Jing casually opened her WeChat and let him scan her code.

    The agent happily added her and left, beaming with joy.

    Jian Jing thought to herself: It''s not my real ount anyway.

    The old residentialplex had no elevator. She climbed to the sixth floor, worried that no one might be home when she knocked.

    To her surprise, the door opened immediately after knocking.

    "Who is it?" The person answering the door was an elderly woman. She should be only in her early fifties, but she looked like she was in her sixties, with severely grayed hair.

    However, she was neatly dressed, clean and tidy ¨C a lean and agile woman.

    Jian Jing smiled and asked, "Are you Ms. Zhang Peiru?"

    "Are you from themunity?" Zhang Peiru''s attitude was neither particrly good nor bad.

    Jian Jing asked, "May Ie in?"

    Zhang Peiru wasn''t particrly wary of the young girl and stepped aside to let her in.

    Jian Jing looked around. The furnishings were sparse, with hardly anything there. In the kitchen, there was only a small pot boiling some white noodles with two small pieces of bok choy.

    "Let me introduce myself. I''m a writer who specializes in crime and mystery stories," Jian Jing had prepared her excuse. "I''m also very interested in real-life cases and enjoy investigating the details and hidden stories behind them."

    Zhang Peiru frowned and said stiffly, "Then you''vee to the wrong person."

    Jian Jing smiled and said, "Please, let me finish. I''m not interested in your case, but rather in the serial killing case that your husband was involved in. It remains unresolved to this day, doesn''t it?"

    After a brief pause, she went straight to the point, "Ms. Zhang, I don''t believe your husband is the killer. I want to investigate this case."

    Zhang Peiru was stunned.

    She appeared slightly defensive, disbelieving, and apprehensive: "Is that so?"

    Jian Jing put on the air of a youngdy from a wealthy family, nodding gracefully and continuing, "Of course, I wouldn''t disturb your peace for nothing. I''m willing to pay you for your time. Please name your price."

 Chapter 394

    Zhang Peiru looked at Jian Jing suspiciously, sizing her up.

    To be honest, she didn''t believe such a young girl could uncover the truth. This little miss, what did she know about murder? She probably hadn''t even killed a chicken before.

    But still, Zhang hesitated and wavered.

    After ten years in prison, Zhang Peiru no longer had any familiar people or friends, and she knew the police wouldn''t reopen her husband''s case.

    Although Ji Liming''s son said he would investigate, she didn''t trust him.

    Yet investigating on her own was simply impractical.

    This time, upon leaving prison, she felt the world had be very unfamiliar. She couldn''t understand anything people around her were saying.

    Having been disconnected from society for so long, she had no idea where to start.

    After much deliberation, Zhang Peiru finally nodded.

    Jian Jing, keeping up her act, immediately pulled out a thousand yuan from her bag: "This is a deposit. I''d like you to tell me about what happened back then."

    Zhang Peiru took a deep breath: "Please sit down, I''ll get you some water."

    She went to the kitchen and brought back a cup of hot water. Jian Jing epted it but didn''t drink. She could tell that Zhang Peiru didn''t really want to pour water, but just needed a moment to prepare herself, so she waited patiently.

    After a brief silence, Zhang Peiru began: "Since you were able to find out about me, you must know what happened. I''ll just say one thing - Honglin absolutely did not kill anyone, I swear on my life."

    Jian Jing asked: "What are your reasons?"

    "He''s not that kind of person," Zhang Peiru said firmly.

    Jian Jing shook her head: "Feelings don''t count as evidence. Do you have any proof?"

    Zhang Peiru looked at her, her tone not very friendly: "If I did, I would have given it to the police long ago."

    "Please don''t be angry," Jian Jing said, unfazed. "Then just tell me about your rtionship."

    Zhang Peiru closed her eyes, aplex expression crossing her face: "Honglin and I met in early 1999. At that time, many people had beenid off, including me. I was selling goods at a street stall with a friend. We met when I was restocking inventory. He was working at a repair shop, fixing cars for people. He was quite skilled, and gradually people started asking if he did private jobs. He was tempted by the idea of keeping all the money instead of giving it to his boss, but soon the boss found out and fired him.

    "As it happened, my friend found getting up early and workingte too tiring and quit. I couldn''t manage on my own, so he offered to help me. One thing led to another, and we got together. We married at the end of that year."

    At this point, her expression naturally softened.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but mutter to herself how strange it was. Zhang was in-looking, thin and aged, yet at this moment her demeanor was so touchingly beautiful.

    Is love really that magical?

    Perhaps it is.

    Zhang Peiru paused for a full two or three minutes before snapping out of her sweet memories and continuing: "In 2002, I got pregnant, but we were unlucky. It was an ectopic pregnancy, and during the surgery, they found a uterine tumor that had to be removed. All our money went into that, and our ns to save up and open a shop went up in smoke.

    "The operation went fairly well, but the doctor said I couldn''t do any strenuous work. So from 2002 to 2003, I stayed at home to rest while Honglin drove a taxi. He''d drive during the day and sell beer at outdoor food stalls at night, or drive at night and carry sandbags at construction sites during the day. He was so thin, just skin and bones. Youngdy, if he went to such lengths, how could he possibly kill for money?"

    Jian Jing couldn''t answer this question.

    "In 2006, he said driving a taxi wasn''t making enough money, so he decided to do long-distance trucking. We had saved 100,000 yuan, borrowed some more from rtives and friends, and took out a loan to buy a truck. I bought a second-hand tricycle from a friend and would give rides near the school. We thought things were starting to look up, but then suddenly..."

    She choked up and covered her eyes, saying, "Suddenly it all fell apart. What did we do wrong? The police insisted Honglin was the murderer, but I know he wasn''t. He''s not that kind of person."

    Jian Jing asked: "Is that what your husband said? That he was wrongly used?"

    "Of course," Zhang Peiru reacted strongly. "He told me that if he had ever done such a terrible thing, may heaven strike him down and he die a horrible death."

    Jian Jing asked: "What kind of person do you think your husband is?"

    "We''re both honest people. He doesn''t smoke or drink, he doesn''t beat his wife. He just likes to listen to the radio sometimes. He has no bad habits at all," Zhang Peiru said. "We''ve never earned a dishonest penny. In 2004, he gave a ride to a businessman who left 30,000 yuan in the car. We didn''t keep a cent of it. We spent half a day looking for him to return the money."

    She argued vehemently: "If he was after money, why wouldn''t we have kept it? Don''t you think that makes sense?"

    "You have a point," Jian Jing agreed, showing some goodwill. "By the way, did your husband have any enemies?"

    Zhang Peiru shook her head: "We never made enemies with anyone. How could we have enemies?"

    "That doesn''t add up. Think about it, your husband happened to be there by chance, which could be a coincidence, and everything else matches up, especially the shoe size - the police must have told you about the size 40 shoes, right?"

    Jian Jing asked, "Haven''t you ever suspected that someone might be framing your husband as a scapegoat?"

    Zhang Peiru fell silent.

    To say she had never thought about it would certainly be a lie.

    In ten years, she had considered everything and suspected everyone, but she had never wavered in her trust in her husband.

    "Mrs. Zhang, your husband has passed away. To clear his name, you can''t overlook any clues," Jian Jing pressed. "Is there really no one who fits this description?"

    Zhang Peiru said: "No, there is one person."

    "His name is Jia Long. He was the manager of the taxipany where Honglin used to work. We didn''t have much to do with him originally, but one time, my husband caught him sneaking into the boss''s office and taking money from his safe. Honglin was a simple, honest man, and the boss had been good to him, so he felt guilty and wanted to report it."

    She sighed, saying resignedly, "I advised him that it''s better to mind his own business. Even a low-level manager still outranked him. But he wouldn''t listen and reported it anyway. The man was fired, and the boss even rewarded Honglin with 5,000 yuan, but Jia Long held a grudge against him."

    Jian Jing asked: "Did he ever retaliate against you?"

    "Of course he did. He smashed up Honglin''s car and said things like ''That''s what you get for meddling, next time I see you I''ll run you over.'' He said a lot of nasty things," Zhang Peiru suspected him the most. "I heardter that he wasn''t doing well. Once, while drinking with friends, he swore he''d make Honglin pay. One of Honglin''s friends was there drinking with them and secretly told him to be careful."

    Jian Jing asked curiously: "Did you mention him to the police?"

    "I did, but they didn''t take it seriously," Zhang Peiru''s eyes shed with resentment. "Don''t think I don''t understand. They just wanted to close the case quickly, and since they couldn''t find the real killer, they made my Honglin the scapegoat."

    Her teeth gritted audibly: "They''re all no good."

    Jian Jing didn''t respond.

    In the current situation, nothing she could say would help. Zhang Peiru wouldn''t believe her. Only finding the real culprit could put all the grievances to rest.

    So, she patiently waited for Zhang Peiru to vent before saying: "Do you remember anything that happened in January? Anything your husband mentioned to you, big or small, it doesn''t matter."

    So many things happened in January 2007 that Zhang Peiru couldn''t forget even if she wanted to. In the quiet of the night, she often found herself involuntarily recalling those days.

    "At the beginning of January, he told me he had taken a job transporting timber to the south. I asked when he''d be back, since the Chinese New Year was early that year, and it wouldn''t be good to be dyed on the road. He said the ce wasn''t far, he could make the round trip in half a month. The temperature in the south wasn''t low, the roads were good for driving, and earning an extra bit of money would mean a better New Year for us.

    "He came back on the evening of the 14th and told me everything went smoothly. He delivered the goods, but the timber was a bit damp, so they docked him 500 yuan. There was nothing he could do about it, so he just had to ept it. The next day, he rested for a day, paid some utility bills, and on the 16th, he started driving the tricycle for me.

    "You look well-off, so you probably don''t know how brutal it is to ride a tricycle in winter. Once you start moving, the cold wind whistles down your neck. He was worried about me, you see. Plus, the schools were out in January, unlike usual times when I''d just ferry kids around the neighborhood. He had to go further afield. I couldn''t stand the cold wind and didn''t dare go far, but he didn''t mind. He was willing to take fares anywhere."

    "In 2007, the western part of the city was quite deste, with few taxis, but business was still good. Especially at night when the buses stopped running, many people were willing to take tricycles. He would leave early and returnte, and he happily told me that some customers asked if they could hire him for round trips. If he could secure this business, he could earn an extra 200 yuan before the New Year."

    Zhang Peiru looked up, holding back tears.

    "You know what happened next. On the 22nd, the police came to our door."

    Jian Jing nodded gently: "I understand."

    She thought for a moment and said, "I need to investigate further. I''ll contact you if I have any questions."

    Zhang Peiru pursed her lips and after a while, asked, "Do you really believe Honglin didn''t kill anyone?"

    "Your belief in his innocence doesn''t change anything," Jian Jing said. "What I believe isn''t important. What matters is that I''m willing to investigate. Mrs. Zhang, do you have any other hope?"

    Zhang Peiru fell silent.

    "You don''t trust the police anymore, do you?" she asked again.

    Zhang Peiru said, "They simply don''t care."

    No, someone does care.

    Jian Jing denied this in her heart, but her face remained impassive.

    "Let me remind you, overturning a verdict requires new evidence. For your husband''s case, if we could find even a small piece of crucial physical evidence, it would be tremendously helpful," she said. "Did your husband leave any personal effects behind?"

    She nodded.

    "Then you should search thoroughly," Jian Jing said. "Perhaps the key lies in something seemingly insignificant."

    These words moved Zhang Peiru. The frail old woman regained her spirit: "I will look."

    Jian Jing left her phone number: "You can contact me about anything you''re concerned about or any items you find."

    Then she left.

    *

    After saying goodbye to Zhang Peiru, Jian Jing sat in her car and picked up a sheet of paper from the file folder again.

    This was Ji Liming''s note, written in a messy scrawl. It wasn''t a diary, but more like an investigation report. The subject of the investigation was Jia Long, the enemy Zhang Peiru had mentioned.

    It seemed that after Wu Honglin''s death, although Ji Liming didn''t say anything, he still felt uneasy. He had somehow dug up information on this guy and conducted a proper investigation.

    But his investigation results showed: Jia Long wore size 42 shoes, was tall and well-built, and made a living through fraud in 2007, targeting wealthy widows. Moreover, he drank with friends every night, mostly throughout January, leaving no time tomit the crime.

    So, there was no need to investigate Jia Long further.

    A veteran detective of over a decade, Ji Liming''s skills in this area surpassed hers.

    Jian Jing remembered the old map in Ji Feng''s car and decided to talk to the boss who had hired Li Xiaonuan. The shop he was renovating in the western part of the city in 2007 was still open, now a training center.

    On the way there, she specifically observed the surrounding environment.

    Honestly, it looked nothing like the deste and remote ce described in the case files. It was bustling, withmercial streets full of bubble tea shops and fried chicken restaurants, teeming with people and noise.

    She found the training center, but the receptionist said the boss wasn''t in and would return in the evening.

    Not wanting to make another trip, since she was already there, Jian Jing decided to visit all the locations rted to Li Xiaonuan''s case.

 Chapter 395

    The ce where Li Xiaonuan was discovered was a garbage dump. Unlike the messy scene in the photo, it''s nowpletely unrecognizable.

    It''s now arge shopping mall, about three streets away from the training center, less than a five-minute drive or about a ten-minute ride on an electric tricycle.

    Walking south along this street and turning a corner, you''d reach the agency where Wu Honglin''s car was previously taken. It would also take about ten minutes by tricycle, making the 8:50 time point very consistent with the killer''s route.

    Back at the training center, the owner had returned.

    The pot-bellied middle-aged man hadn''t expected anyone toe asking about events from over a decade ago.

    However, the visitor was a beautiful woman, and a celebrity at that, so the owner weed her warmly.

    "Teacher Jian, I''ve read your book. Are you gathering material?" he asked in surprise, thinking he''d figured it out. "I didn''t realize your cases were based on real events."

    That wasn''t wrong, actually.

    Jian Jing smiled and asked, "Do you remember what happened back then?"

    "Of course, how could I forget someone I knew?" The owner did indeed have a strong impression of Li Xiaonuan. "The girl who died was called... Li Xiaonuan, right? She was thin, very pretty, with two dimples when she smiled."

    He fell into reminiscence: "It was 2007, I had just scraped together some money and decided to open a tutoring center for elementary school students. I wanted to make the ssroom look nice, so I specifically sought someone to paint the background wall. That girl was from the art academy. She showed me her practice sketches, which were quite good, and her fee was cheap, so I hired her.

    "Those days, I was busy with the renovations, so I just gave her the key and asionally came by to check. I must say, the youngdy worked very diligently. She''d just eat a couple of biscuits for lunch, not even a proper meal. I felt bad about it, so I left some snacks in the shop and told her not to be shy. She was quite embarrassed and said she often ate like that, so her stomach wasn''t good, but she was used to it... You know, if her parents knew how poorly she took care of herself, they''d be heartbroken... Sigh...

    "To be honest, I still regret it when I think about it. I never imagined she''d be harmed like that. If I had known, I definitely would have made her go back to school earlier. She was only twenty years old."

    The owner was quite emotional, sighing deeply after just a few sentences.

    Jian Jing interrupted him: "Can you tell me what was around here in the past?"

    "In 2007, this area had just been built up. The shops on our street were the first to open. It was very cheap. I bought three units at once for just a few hundred thousand. Now, a single storefront costs over a million, and that''s not even in a good location."

    Like all men, the owner had a bad habit: he loved to show off in front of pretty girls.

    He was no exception, constantly emphasizing his foresight: "I set up early. At that time, there weren''t many open shops on the street. I remember the busiest ce was an inte cafe for gaming, then there was a cinema, a burger shop, and a wholesale clothing store at the corner where young girls liked to buy clothes on weekends. The rest were waiting to be rented."

    He looked smug: "These peoplecked vision. Buying shops and waiting to rent them out, how many years would it take to recoup the investment? Me? I made it back in three years."

    Jian Jing asked, "So at night, there weren''t many people on the street, right?"

    The owner nodded slowly and added, "It gets dark early in winter. By seven or eight o''clock, only a few lights were on in this street. Everywhere else was pitch ck. There weren''t many buses, and the subway hadn''t even been built yet."

    She nodded and asked another question: "What was Li Xiaonuan wearing thest time you saw her?"

    The owner answered without hesitation: "A red coat, quite pretty." He paused, then sighed, "I heard it was burned? All her clothes were burned too? What a sin. I don''t know what kind of inhuman beast did it."

    She had a good idea now.

    "Thank you for your time. Sorry to bother you."

    Leaving the training center, Jian Jing''s mind was full of questions.

    Li Xiaonuan''s behavior was too strange.

    Think about it: in a quiet, deserted new district with barely any lit shops, how could a girl get into an unlicensed taxi without any caution?

    Her roommate''s statement was clear: during those days of painting, Li Xiaonuan would leave at eight or nine and return by six or seven, indicating she intentionally caught thest bus back.

    Assuming Li Xiaonuan really lost track of time, her first priority shouldn''t have been going to the burger shop to buy food.

    Moreover, she bought the burger at 5:30 PM.

    The folder contained a bus schedule copied by Ji Liming. Thest bus to the west side of the city was at 5:50 PM. Although it didn''t go directly to the art academy, it passed through the city center.

    Jian Jing put herself in Li Xiaonuan''s shoes. She would definitely choose to take the bus first, then buy food to fill her stomach while transferring in the city center.

    Especially since the burger shop wasn''t cheap. The copied receipt showed that one burger, one fried fish, and one c cost 28 yuan.

    28 yuan in 2007.

    Li Xiaonuan''s family wasn''t well-off, otherwise she wouldn''t have taken on frence work.

    After buying a burger, taking an unlicensed taxi would cost how much more? So, the fact that Li Xiaonuan, close to missing thest bus, didn''t rush to catch it but instead bought a burger, could only have one other exnation.

    She didn''t need to worry about getting back to school.

    Someone would take her.

    Who? The most likely suspect was the owner.

    By the time of her death, Li Xiaonuan had been painting for a week and was quite familiar with the owner. The owner even said he would bring her snacks, indicating a basis of trust between them.

    If he offered her a ride, Li Xiaonuan would very likely have epted.

    However, the police hadn''t overlooked this possibility.

    To be precise, the owner was the first person they investigated after Li Xiaonuan''s death.

    But the owner had an alibi. He had gone to dinner with people from an educational institution. The dinner started at 6 PM and ended after 9 PM. The restaurant owner, waiters, and other people at the dinner could all testify to this.

    Ji Liming''s notes read:

    Remote location, alone, willing to get in the car, acquaintance (?)

    Owner (XX Restaurant, alibi)

    ssmate (? Not heard of)

    Other acquaintances (?)

    Zhang Peiru''s statement, chartered car?

    Yes, the police at the time believed that although the possibility of Li Xiaonuan taking an unlicensed taxi in that environment was low, if the driver was familiar, she might have let her guard down.

    About a twenty-minute drive (by tricycle) from the training center was the subway station.

    It was entirely possible that Li Xiaonuan wanted to take an unlicensed taxi to the subway station, and having ridden in Wu Honglin''s car before, she recognized him and therefore got in.

    This guess was reasonable and based on evidence. Jian Jing couldn''t find any ws in it.

    But she didn''t have the professional standards of the Ji father and son. She didn''t need evidence to prove Wu Honglin wasn''t the killer.

    Her current investigation was based on one principle: What if Wu Honglin wasn''t the killer?

    First, it could be determined that the real killer deliberately framed him. After all, no one could be so unlucky as to identally match the characteristics of several cases.

    Why would he do this? In 2003, he had already escaped thew, so whymit another crime in 2007? Because he couldn''t resist the urge? To avoid being caught by the police, did he n to find a scapegoat when he acted?

    But once Wu Honglin was arrested as the killer, the real killer absolutely could notmit another crime, otherwise the framing would fall apart.

    A scapegoat is a one-time consumable. Why be in such a hurry?

    In 2002-2003, the killer murdered four people in quick session before stopping. In 2007, he couldn''t hold back, but one kill was enough?

    Jian Jing had dealt with many serial killers. Those born antisocial like Wang Shi, originally ordinary people who became addicted to the satisfaction of killing like Zhu Guoliang (the killer in the Ice and Snow Corpse case), they all had one characteristic.

    The more they killed, the more addicted they became.

    The thrill of depriving others of life might surpass that of power or aphrodisiacs.

    Could it be a copycat crime?

    No. The size 40 shoe print had never been made public. All news reports had a unified statement, only mentioning that footprints were found.

    So why did Li Xiaonuan appear like a sh in the pan?

    Was she killed to silence her because she had discovered the killer''s identity? But she was only 20 when she died, just 15 in 2002, and not a local of Peace City. There was no one around her who seemed likely to be the killer.

    At this moment, Jian Jing truly realized the difficulty of this case.

    --

    As soon as the service center opened, Ji Feng immediately topped up his phone card and bought a new phone.

    After inserting the card, missed call notifications flooded the message channel, dozens of them. Most were from Ji Yunyun, then Lao Gao, and some from Liang Yi and Zhu Yanan.

    He drew a sharp breath.

    It seemed Teacher Jian had gone to ask his old ssmates for information.

    He hesitated for a moment, but decided to call his sister first.

    Ji Yunyun was almost in tears: "Brother!"

    "Give me a break, I was on a business trip and my phone got smashed," Ji Feng said. "Why are you calling so many times? Don''t phone bills cost money?"

    Ji Yunyun''s voice was nasally: "It''s your fault for not answering your phone."

    "What are you imagining?" he said in his usual mocking tone. "I went to take care of some personal business. Don''t worry, if anything happened to me it would be work-rted. If there really was an emergency, Uncle Gao would definitely notify you."

    After a pause, he continued: "You''re neen now, a college student. Don''t think you''re still a child who needs to check in with me for everything."

    Ji Yunyun angrily retorted: "You''re my brother, what''s wrong with me contacting you?"

    "It''s annoying," Ji Feng said. "From now on, just call once a month. I can''t be bothered to ask about your final exams either. Handle it yourself. If you run out of money, get a part-time job. Don''t ask me for any."

    Ji Yunyun nearly cried from anger: "Fine, I won''t call. As if I care!"

    Ji Feng: "Hanging up now."

    He ended the call and let out a soft sigh.

    The next one was Lao Gao. He didn''t call, just sent a WeChat message: [Phone broke]

    Lao Gao only replied: [Teacher Jian came by]

    He responded: [Okay]

    Teacher Jian''s call was one he had to make no matter what.

    The first try, it connected and then was hung up.

    As expected, Ji Feng immediately dialed a second time.

    It was hung up again.

    Ji Feng switched to texting: [Busy? I''ll call backter]

    Still no response.

    This was certain. Teacher Jian wasn''t the type to call you back just because you said you wouldn''t call.

    So he immediately dialed a third time.

    She answered.

    With a sarcastic tone: "Weren''t you going to call backter?"

    "If I didn''t say that, would this call have gone through?" he said amusedly.

    Then... "Beep¨D" She hung up.

    Ji Feng: What a temper.

    He called a fourth time.

    "Let''s stop ying and talk seri¨D"

    Before he could finish, she hung up again.

    Ji Feng sighed, resigned to call a fifth time: "Don''t you want to know the identity of the third victim?"

    "I don''t," she said coldly. "What third victim? I don''t understand what you''re talking about."

    Ji Feng didn''t believe her: "The third victim is called Liu Ta. A while ago, one of her cousins was arrested. His DNA was entered into the database and matched her sample. I went on this business trip to investigate her identity."

    She continued to pretend: "Don''t report your work to me. I''m not your superior."

    "Liu Yan wasn''t particrly beautiful, but she had a great figure. I have some magazine photos of her here, I''ll send them to you in a bit. She''s not originally from Peace City. Although she''s a model, she''s not very famous and her financial situation was average."

    "Hmm?"

    "A couple of days ago, I found out she had an ex-boyfriend, so I wanted to ask him some questions. But it turns out," he said helplessly, "this guy is now involved in tel fraud. When I showed up, his aplices recognized me. They thought they''d been caught and immediately got physical with me, even smashing my phone. That little punk heard themotion and jumped out the window to escape. I was in a hurry to keep an eye on the situation, so I didn''t have time to buy a new phone. That''s why it''s been dyed for a few days."

    "Are you done?" she asked gently. "I''m hanging up now, okay?"

    Ji Feng: "Alright then."

 Chapter 396

    Ji Feng''s loose tongue forced him to make the sixth, seventh, and eighth phone calls.

    Bit by bit, he finally managed to exin the third case clearly.

    Let''s review the key points: On December 29, 2002, the third burned corpse case urred in Peace City. It had snowed lightly that day, and the perpetrator left behind tire tracks.

    The victim''s body was burned beyond recognition, but forensics was still able to extract DNA from the internal organs. At the end of December this year, Liu Jian was arrested for intentional injury, and after collecting his DNA, it matched with Jane Doe No. 3 in the database.

    Ji Feng first went to see his cousin and got some fragmentary information.

    "My third uncle''s daughter did indeed go missing. We only heard about itter. Her mother died early, and my third uncle was a gambling addict who only cared about ying cards every day, never paying attention to his child. During the New Year in 2008, my mom asked him about Liu Mei, why she didn''te home. He said she ran off to Taiwan to be some rich man''s mistress and didn''t care about him anymore."

    The cousin added: "If even her own father didn''t care, of course we didn''t think much of it. Although we never saw her after that, we assumed she looked down on us poor rtives and didn''t want anything to do with her gambling addict father. Officer, if you hadn''t told us she was dead, we still wouldn''t have known."

    Unable to learn anything from the family, he had to go to her hometown to inquire.

    Liu Jian''s father was still around. Ji Feng''s timing was good - the man was in detention for drunk driving, so he questioned him directly at the detention center.

    "That girl? How should I know where she went to make her fortune?" Liu''s father spat, his face full of disdain. "She''s been defying me since she was little. After her mother died, she kept giving me the cold shoulder every day. I''m her father! I told her to stay in our hometown and get married early, but she had to run off and mess around outside. Who knows which stinking man she ran off with. She never gave me a penny. Damn it, I should have sued her in court for being unfilial, not even paying me alimony."

    Ji Feng: "Around 2007, did Liu Mei have any close acquaintances that you know of?"

    Liu''s father: "How would I know that? She never told me anything anyway."

    "Is there anyone who might know more about her situation?"

    Liu''s father: "Did that girl get in trouble?"

    Ji Feng: "Liu Mei was murdered and her body burned at the end of December 2007."

    Liu''s father fell silent.

    After a moment, he said: "She has a cousin. I think she went to stay with her back then. You can try asking her."

    Ji Feng went to find the cousin next.

    The cousin was already married and ran a nail salon. When talking about Liu Mei''s news, she was also very surprised.

    "I thought Liu Mei ran off with a boyfriend. I can''t believe she..." Her eyes reddened. "Who did it?"

    Ji Feng asked: "Were you close with Liu Mei at the time? Who did she usually associate with?"

    The cousin told him that Liu Mei had a very tough time at first. With only a middle school education, she couldn''t find good work. Most of her jobs were handing out flyers on the street or dressing up as mascots at amusement parks. She lived in group rentals with over a dozen people, and her life was a mess.

    Fortunately, sheter met an agent who, although demanding and handsy, found her a job as a model.

    Liu Mei was pretty and worked hard, so she quickly got some opportunities. Her life gradually improved, and she even got a boyfriend.

    "In 2007, she told me her boyfriend was determined to go develop his career in Vietnam, saying there were more opportunities there. He wanted her to go with him. She was hesitant. Officer, Liu Mei didn''t have it easy. She lost her mom early, and her dad was a deadbeat. She really wanted a family of her own, so when that man said he''d marry her, she was tempted."

    The cousin sighed wistfully: "At the end of 2008, I went back to our hometown and wanted to ask if she wasing back. But her phone was already disconnected. I thought she had already gone abroad and wasn''t in contact with us anymore, probably afraid her dad would find out ande after her for money."

    Ji Feng learned the identity of the boyfriend from her.

    Then he went to find the boyfriend.

    This man had indeed been to Vietnam, made some money, then lost it all. He returned to China in 2018 and got involved in tel fraud. When Ji Feng showed up at his door, tensions were high, and seeing he was alone, they immediately got rough with him.

    Then they were busted.

    The remaining aplices fled into the deep mountains and forests, intending toy low for a while. Who knew Ji Feng was specifically after him, tracking them into the mountains to make the arrest.

    Liu Jian was caught.

    He said: "I don''t know what happened to Liu Mei. That was years ago, almost twenty years now. You shouldn''t be asking me about this."

    "Liu Mei died at the end of 2007," Ji Feng said lightly, frightening him with just one sentence. "So I should be asking you."

    Boyfriend: "It wasn''t me! I didn''t hurt her!! She dumped me."

    Then without waiting for Ji Feng to ask, he spilled everything like beans from an overturned bamboo tube: "I asked her if she wanted to go make money in Vietnam. She said no, so we broke up. That''s it."

    Ji Feng sneered: "Who knows if you really wanted to make money or just run away."

    The boyfriend realized he was in deeper trouble and continued to confess: "It really wasn''t me. I had talked about this with some friends back in October. You can go ask them if you don''t believe me. I wasn''t running away. Besides, what would I gain from killing her?"

    "You two didn''t have any conflicts?"

    "No, Liu Mei was good." This was an unexpected answer.

    "She was capable and considerate. Those years I worked at an inte cafe, she often came to see me and cooked for me. I was quite reluctant to leave her, but a man has to make something of himself. I couldn''t be an inte cafe manager forever, right? It just so happened that a ssmate of mine was doing well in Vietnam and asked me to go help him, so I was tempted."

    Ji Feng thought to himself, your "career" sure is special.

    "I wanted her to go with me, but Liu Mei said she had just gotten a foothold. Being a model wasn''t easy, and that agent was always taking advantage of her. She had been through a lot and didn''t want to give up halfway. I understood her. Later when she didn''t contact me, I took it as a clean break and bought a ticket to leave on my own."

    "After Liu Mei left you, did she have any other close friends?"

    "She had a cousin who was nice to her, often inviting her over for meals. She didn''t get along well with her roommates, always arguing over trivial things. Then there was the agent. It must have been him. He had his eye on Liu Mei, tried to force himself on her when she refused, and ended up killing her."

    The boyfriend wracked his brains to clear himself of suspicion, thinking hard before finally digging up the name of Liu Mei''s agency from the depths of his memory. He also said the agent''s surname was Li, and he was absolutely certain about that.

    Ji Feng made a note of it.

    He actually didn''t suspect the boyfriend. Firstly, visa records showed this man went to Vietnam in January 2008, which had no connection to the fourth case in February. Secondly, this man wore size 43 shoes and only got his driver''s license when he returned in 2018.

    In 2002, he probably didn''t even know how to drive.

    Could the agent be suspicious?

    Ji Feng said: "This person is in Beijing. I''ll go there and let you know the results after I ask him some questions."

    He paused, then added: "Answer the phone, don''t hang up on me."

    "You don''t have to call." Though invisible over the phone, Jian Jing''s eye roll nearly reached the sky. He used to not say anything when she asked, but now he''s talking so freely, yet not listening. It''s infuriating.

    Ji Feng: "I know you''re curious."

    "I''m not curious."

    "Five cases, three victims identified. Any thoughts?" he asked, not waiting for her answer before continuing, "I think the killer didn''t choose victims randomly. They must have had contact with these people and known about their situations."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but interject: "Li Xiaonuan is strange."

    Wang Zihui and Liu Ao weren''t locals of Peace City, but even though Wang Zihui and Liu Mei were models, their families wouldn''t have been too concerned if they couldn''t contact them for a while. Li Xiaonuan, however, was a student. If she disappeared for long, her roommates would find it odd, and her counselor would inquire.

    "Something must have happened in those 5 years," Ji Feng asked, "What do you think?"

    Jian Jing looked down at her notes and said: "There''s one thing that bothers me."

    "Why did the killer choose winter?" she asked bluntly. "It''s freezing cold in the dead of winter, isn''t it too cold to even take off your pants? The girls wouldn''t have been dressed provocatively either, so it''s a stretch to say it was lust at first sight."

    Ji Feng: "So far, there''s no evidence of sexual assault."

    "Robbery is even less likely," she said. "They clearly didn''t have much money."

    Ji Feng agreed.

    In this case, the killer''s psychological motive has always been difficult to define. Whether the body burning stemmed from hatred or was purely to destroy evidence, everyone had different opinions.

    He first ruled out robbery, as the victims'' financial situations weren''t good. He leaned more towards a hatred of women, but that wasn''t certain either.

    "Actually, I haven''t really thought about the motive," Jian Jing pondered. "I just feel that the timing in winter is strange. Is it appropriate to cremate bodies in such cold weather?"

    Ji Feng mused, "Indeed. Although the dry air makes things burn faster, the clothes would all burn together... A heavy coat isn''t easy to burn, and it would smell."

    Summer clothes are mostly cotton and linen, with less odor, while winter clothes are thickˇŞwhether wool or synthetic, they''d definitely smell stronger.

    Wouldn''t the killer be afraid that the smell would attract passersby, leading to an early discovery of the body?

    "The frequency of the crimes is also odd," he said. "They were clustered at first, but the gaps became longerter on."

    Jian Jing sighed.

    Everything about this case was strange, but no matter how they looked at it, it was like a turtle retreating into its shellˇŞthey simply couldn''t find a weak point.

    Frustrating.

    As her heart grew irritated, her stubbornness kicked in. She didn''t bother to keep arguing with Ji Feng: "I must dig this person out no matter what."

    Ending the call, she walked to the window and gazed at the grey sky in the distance.

    All the cases happened on such winter nights. Why?

    Even as she went to bed, Jian Jing was still thinking about this. As a result, she had a night full of chaotic dreams, waking up feeling exhausted but unable to remember any of the content.

    Outside, a fine snow had begun to fall.

    The heating was on inside, making it warm, of course, but Jian Jing couldn''t sit still. She decided to take Knight out for a walk.

    The snow was light, so there was no need for an umbre. They strolled leisurely along the riverside path.

    Her thoughts scattered once again.

    Winters in Peace City usually hover around freezing, asionally dropping to seven or eight degrees below zero, with a damp chill that''s unbearable without heating.

    Rain is scarce, but it snows a few times every two or three years. When particrly strong cold fronts hit, snowfall ismon.

    The temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is significant. Whether a body is preserved inside or outside could result in several days'' difference in the estimated time of death.

    No matter how Jian Jing thought about it, she felt that temperature was the key factor.

    But cremation added another step.

    She furrowed her brow.

    "Crunch, crunch," Knight walked ahead, his paws leaving a trail of muddy footprints in the thinyer of snow.

    Tire tracks.

    Footprints.

    Snow umtion.

    Time of death.

    Time... She suddenly stopped in her tracks and immediately took out her phone to make a call.

    The call connected instantly.

    Ji Feng asked, "I was just about to call you. What''s up?"

    Jian Jing said, "I have a theory."

    "Go on."

    "The killer chose to act in winter probably to interfere with determining the time of death."

    Ji Feng had considered this point as well, so he wasn''t surprised: "Very likely."

    "Cremation serves another purpose besides destroying evidence," she said. "It creates an alibi."

    He repeated, "An alibi?"

    "Have you considered that Li Xiaonuan might not have died in the evening?" Jian Jing''s thoughts suddenly crystallized. "Her time of death was entirely based on stomach contents and the heavy snow."

    On the other end of the phone, Ji Feng silently agreed, two words shing through his mind.

    Trickery.

 Chapter 397

    "If the killer knew it would snow at night, they would have killed the person in the afternoon, partially burned the body, hidden it in a garbage dump, covered it with stic sheeting, tied the four corners with fishing line, and secured it to something heavy -- shut up, what are youughing at? What''s wrong with fishing line? I like fishing line -- then after it snowed, they''d untie it, and the wind would blow away all traces.

    "This way, it would seem like the body wasn''t fully burned because of the snow, when in fact the person had died much earlier."

    Ji Feng didn''t react, so Jian Jing continued: "The lunch is even simpler to exin. It was bought in the evening, so who can prove it went into Li Xiaonuan''s stomach? Given Li Xiaonuan''s circumstances, it''s illogical for her to eat such an expensive burger. I think the person who deliberately scalded themselves to leave an impression on the shop owner wasn''t actually the victim.

    "The killer bought Li Xiaonuan a burger for lunch at noon, killed her in the afternoon. Then they put on her clothes, went to that shop in the evening and bought an identical meal, intentionally leaving an impression on the shop owner to create the illusion that the victim was still alive in the evening."

    "The way you describe it, is the killer a woman? Or do they have an aplice?"

    Ji Feng was unsure.

    The victims were all of medium build, weighing about 90 to 100 pounds, which isn''t particrly light. It wouldn''t be easy for an ordinary woman to dump a body in the wilderness, and women who wear size 40 shoes are umon.

    Jian Jing: "It could also be a man. Wrapped in a thick coat, wearing a scarf and a wig, they''d generally be unrecognizable. A man who wears size 40 shoes is definitely not tall."

    Ji Feng made a sound of agreement, grasping the key point: "You think it''s a man?"

    "It''s hard to say," she hesitated, "The way the killer handled the bodies gives me the impression of a man."

    He pondered.

    In this case, the killer''s psychological motive was also a focus of police discussion.

    The older officers said that young women might have been chosen simply because they were easy targets and less likely to be missed. The younger officers suggested that the killer might hate women, stemming from his childhood. He might have had a wicked stepmother, or perhaps suffered sexual abuse as a child.

    There was another theory: the killer was impotent, and could only regain his confidence as a normal man through murder.

    From what they could see, the killer didn''t choose victims at random. They carefully selected targets who wouldn''t be easily missed if they disappeared.

    So, the fact that all the victims were young women seemed too coincidental. Even if the killer chose women because of their small build, the ages shouldn''t be so simr.

    The first theory could be ruled out.

    The second... there was no evidence. While burning the bodies was cruel, it was done post-mortem, and burning wasn''t the cause of death. There was no evidence that the girls had been tortured before death.

    The third seemed most likely, and this might also be the key reason for burning the bodies -- he wanted to remove any possible hair or skin cells left behind.

    However, psychological motives were ultimately just spection.

    Professor Jian''s alibi theory seemed more reliable.

    Ji Feng said, "As for Li Xiaonuan''s case, only the shop owner has an alibi."

    "Should we check his rtionship with the other victims?"

    "I''ll ask Lao Gao to help."

    Lao Gao was a veteran, and checking social connections was child''s y for him. He quickly found the information.

    The owner who employed Li Xiaonuan was named Huang Sheng. He was 25 years old in 2007, having graduated from college a few years earlier. He used to be a teacher at a private school before deciding to open his own tutoring center.

    From 2002 to 2003, he was studying at a teachers'' college in his hometown, with no connection to the other victims.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help asking: "In Li Xiaonuan''s case, is there anyone else who is highly suspicious but has an alibi?"

    Lao Gao: "No one."

    She: "..."

    The fox had hidden its tail too well.

    Fortunately, by this time, Ji Feng had arrived in Beijing, found the agent, and obtained a statement. Fearing he might miss something in retelling, he sent Jian Jing an audio file of their conversation.

    Agent: "Officer, I heard you were looking for me? I''m aw-abiding citizen."

    Ji Feng: "Don''t worry, I just want to ask you some questions today. Just answer truthfully."

    Agent: "Hehe, I''ll definitely cooperate with your work."

    Ji Feng: "Do you remember Liu Yan?"

    Agent: "Liu Yan? Sorry, I see many people every day. Do you have a photo?"

    Sound of rummaging in pockets.

    Agent: "This woman... looks familiar, I might have seen her, but I don''t know her well."

    Ji Feng: "In 2007, she was a model under your management."

    Agent: "2007?! That''s ancient history, I''ve changedpanies three times since then. Oh my, you''ve got the wrong person."

    Ji Feng: "She was killed in December 2007. You had a good rtionship with her at that time, right?"

    Agent (voice bes nervous): "I didn''t kill anyone."

    Ji Feng: "When was thest time you saw Liu Yan?"

    Silence for a moment.

    Agent (uncertain): "Probably a few days before Christmas, the 23rd?"

    Ji Feng: "Tell me more specifically."

    Agent: "It''s been over a decade, I really can''t remember clearly... Liu Yan, her work attitude was good, she rarelyined about hardships, so I was willing to give her a boost. In 2007, let me think... oh right, there was a New Year''s special issue cover, which I had struggled to get. Although it wasn''t a big magazine, it was still a cover. She promised me she''d do a good job, but on the day of the shoot, she didn''t show up."

    He pped his thigh, the sound sharp and loud: "Right, she didn''te, forcing me to find a recement at thest minute. Always causing me trouble."

    Ji Feng: "What date was that?"

    Agent: "New Year''s is January 1st, it goes to print on the 30th, let me calcte... the cover shoot must have been before the 27th. Probably the 26th or 27th, I don''t remember the exact date."

    Ji Feng: "Didn''t you try to find her?"

    Agent (disdainful): "Why would I look for her? If she didn''t want to do it, plenty of others would. Should I indulge them? They''re not my ancestors."

    Ji Feng: "You didn''t try to contact Liu Yan afterwards when you couldn''t reach her?"

    Agent: "Officer, I currently have contact information for hundreds of girls, and back then it was probably seventy or eighty. If you ask me if I tried to contact her, I can''t say for sure, but after a few failed attempts, I definitely wouldn''t bother anymore. We were just in a business rtionship. Maybe she got tired of the work and didn''t want to do it anymore? Peoplee and go."

    Ji Feng: "You just said she wasn''t afraid of hard work."

    Agent: "I was just saying that offhand, and it''s not contradictory. I''ve seen many girls quit halfway, not because they don''t want to make money, but because they found better opportunities. It''s normal if Liu Yan caught someone''s eye and decided to be a mistress."

    Ji Feng: "Did anyone express such interest in her?"

    Agent: "I can''t remember. Maybe one or two at dinner parties, but bosses neverck for willing girls. They probably wouldn''t even remember Liu Yan''s name the next day. Wait, now that I think about it, Liu Yan seemed close to that photographer, what''s his name... Wang Zihui, you should ask him."

    Ji Feng: "I''m asking you. Did Liu Yan have any close friends?"

    Agent: "No impression."

    Ji Feng: "Where were you on the night of the 27th?"

    Agent: "At the photo studio. We''re very busy during New Year''s and Christmas, at least two weeks straight, working day and night non-stop."

    Ji Feng: "Were you with others the whole time?"

    Agent: "Yes, I can swear to that. There was so much work, taking them to the studio, coordinating, attending dinner parties with bosses, bringing people to socialize. If you ask me who I was with on which day, I definitely can''t remember, but I''m sure people saw me those days. You can check if you don''t believe me."

    Ji Feng: "Did Liu Yan ever mention being pursued or stalked by someone?"

    Agent: "No."

    Ji Feng: "Around the time she disappeared, did anything strange happen? Anything at all."

    Agent: "I have absolutely no recollection. You''ve got the wrong person."

    After that, Ji Feng jumbled up the questions and repeated them several times. The agent''s answers asionally flip-flopped, but there were no major contradictions.

    The recording ended.

    He called right on time: "Finished listening?"

    Jian Jing: "Mm-hmm."

    "Any thoughts?"

    "The fact that people around her have no impression is also a characteristic," she said. "It''s the type of person who appears around the victim but doesn''t draw attention."

    Ji Feng continued: "Taxi drivers, delivery men, insurance salesmen..." In a sh of inspiration, a hidden clue surfaced in his mind, "Real estate agents."

    Wang Zihui''s roommate had mentioned she was moving, so Wang Zihui would likely need a new roommate, and Liu Yan might also be looking for a new ce to live.

    They might both be in contact with real estate agents, without drawing attention.

    Jian Jing: "In the Li Xiaonuan case, wasn''t the person riding in Wu Honglin''s car also a real estate agent?"

    Ji Feng: "Yes."

    "I''ll go talk to her," Jian Jing said, pulling out the files.

    The passenger was a key witness, with her identity information and signature on the statement. Her name was Yu Can, 28 years old in 2007, now approaching 40 and middle-aged.

    Through her ID, they found her social security records and her current workce - she was now a manager at a home furnishing store branch.

    Jian Jing observed her from afar for a few minutes.

    Yu Can had a neat, short hairstyle dyed burgundy. She wore a tight-fitting wool dress and knee-high boots. With her attractive figure and fashionable attire, she looked much younger than her age.

    "Hello, Ms. Yu," she said. "Do you have a moment to chat?"

    "Hello, is this your first time here?" Yu Can greeted warmly. "Please,e in and have a look around." She called for an employee to bring hot tea. "Did a friend rmend us? How far along is your home renovation? What style of furniture do you prefer?"

    Jian Jing, who actually needed to buy furniture, wasn''t in a hurry and casually asked a few questions.

    Yu Can, however, said, "Miss, the items you''re looking for are quite high-end. We mainly deal in mid-range furniture, which might not meet your requirements."

    Her honesty was admirable.

    Jian Jing smiled, "That''s alright if you don''t have what I need. I''m actually here to ask about something else - did you experience a major incident in 2007?"

    Yu Can was surprised, "Yes, how did you know?"

    "I''m a rtive of that girl," she said. "I wanted to ask if you had seen her before?"

    Yu Can replied, "You''ve got it wrong. The police contacted me because I had ridden in an unlicensed taxi." She shuddered, still seeming shaken by the memory. "It terrified me. I''ll never forget it. I heard that the driver had just killed someone before picking me up. My friend said I might have been the next victim if things had gone differently."

    She was talkative, sharing a lot without Jian Jing having to ask.

    Jian Jing inquired, "You were working as a real estate agent in that area at the time. Didn''t you ever see the victim?"

    Yu Can shook her head, "The police showed me a photo, but I didn''t recognize her. She wasn''t our client either. In 2007, the west side of the city was just starting to develop. We had few rental inquiries - half of those who came were small business owners or investors."

    "If you don''t mind me asking, why did you take an unlicensed taxi that day? Weren''t you afraid, especially sote?"

    Yu Can said, "Of course I was afraid, but I had worked veryte that day."

    "Our branch had just opened with only three people. Everyone was trying to close big deals, running around all day. I remember clearly, on the 17th, I helped two clients sign contracts in the morning, showed apartments to potential tenants in the afternoon, and by the time I finished, it was almost dinner time. I still had to go back to organize documents. Computers weren''t asmon then, so we had to manually track which properties were sold, which needed tenants, and so on.

    "My colleague and I worked until veryte. All the lights outside were off, and there was no public transport. I asked my colleague if he could drop me at the subway station, but he said he had to pick up a friend and wasn''t going that way. He suggested I take a taxi.

    "To be honest, I was reluctant to take an unlicensed taxi. I was worried about safety. But my colleague said he had taken them a few times. Seeing my concern, he went with me and asked the driver to make sure I got home safely. Nothing happened, and I felt I had overreacted. Who knew that just a few dayster, the police woulde knocking."

    She looked relieved, "I was terrified. I immediately quit my job as a real estate agent. Making money is good, but you need to be alive to spend it."

    Jian Jing: "What was your colleague''s name?"

    Yu Can thought for a moment and said, "I think it was Zhao Bin."

    "What kind of person was he?"

    Yu Can''s memories were vague, but she shared what she could: "He was quite quiet, not very tall, and seemed a bit insecure. He was very polite, always calling me ''Sister Yu'', and he was hardworking, not afraid of doing odd jobs."

    Jian Jing nodded and wrote down a phone number: "Thank you. If you remember anything else, please call this number."

 Chapter 398

    The intelligence Yu Can could provide was very limited. She only remembered a name, Zhao Bin, but there were at least tens of thousands of people in the country called that, making it impossible to find him.

    Ji Feng said he would go ask Liu Ao and the others again to see if they had any impression of this name.

    Jian Jing was more direct. She went to find Zhang Peiru.

    "Does the name Zhao Bin ring any bells for you?" she asked.

    Zhang Peiru hesitated. "Is this person important? I think I''ve heard of him..." She wracked her brains trying to remember. "Zhao Bin, it sounds familiar. Is he perhaps from our hometown? Could it be him?"

    Jian Jing realized she had taken the wrong approach and changed tack: "No, actually what I want to know is, in the months before the incident, were there any realtors or salespeople who came to see you?"

    "Realtors..." Zhang Peiru thought for a moment, then said, "Earlier when you told me to look for Honglin''s belongings, I got the things back from our rtives. Let me show you."

    She brought out many old items - Wu Honglin''s and her old clothes, old wallets, bankbooks, documents, and a box full of receipts and papers.

    Jian Jing put on gloves and picked up each item to examine.

    Most had no value, but there was a flyer for a new property development that said they could get a free box of eggs by going to the sales office on January 20th.

    Attached to the flyer was a business card: Warmheart Real Estate Agency, Zhao Bin, Phone: XXXX-XXXXXX.

    "Honglin brought this home, saying we could get free eggs, which would be perfect for making meat and egg stew for the New Year," Zhang Peiru said, stroking the yellowed old flyer. She had forever lost the chance to eat that meal with her husband.

    Jian Jing took a photo of it.

    The phone number was andline, likely not Zhao Bin''s personal number, so it wasn''t very useful. But at least this proved he had been in contact with Wu Honglin.

    "Is this helpful?" Zhang Peiru asked anxiously. "If it is, you can take it."

    "Alright," Jian Jing said after a moment''s thought, and took the flyer and business card, putting them in a sealed stic bag. Though she knew that even if there were fingerprints, they would have long since faded over the years.

    Had the killer anticipated this from the beginning?

    The next day, Ji Feng told her he nned to visit Wang Zihui''s hometown.

    Her identity had been discovered in 2003, and the people around her had been investigated by the police more than once. The information wasplete, and those involved still had fairly clear memories.

    Perhaps they could provide some intelligence.

    Jian Jing wasn''t optimistic, though. "The killer has hidden so well. Even if someone saw him, they might not remember now."

    Ji Feng sighed. "We have to try, don''t we? What if there''s something?" Most investigative work was tedious and useless, but if they didn''t look, they''d never know if they missed something.

    Jian Jing said, "Well, I don''t think it will work."

    "How do you want to investigate?" He understood her meaning.

    She smiled, somewhat smugly. "I''m not telling you, but I''ve thought of a way." She paused, then challenged him, "What if I find the killer first?"

    Ji Feng replied, "Nominate you for another Good Samaritan Honorary Citizen award?"

    Jian Jing said, "...I don''t care about that."

    Ji Feng said, "True, you already have one. I''ll see what other honorary titles there are then."

    Click. She hung up on him again.

    He shook his head, amused, and bought a bottle of coffee from a nearby convenience store.

    Halfway through drinking it, his phone pinged with a notification: [Jian Jing posted a new Weibo]

    "Pffft¨D"

    She couldn''t be nning to... Ji Feng didn''t even bother wiping off the coffee, rushing to open the app.

    Sure enough, Jian Jing had made a big move.

    Jian Jing V:

    While gathering material, I came across an interesting cold case and want to investigate. But due to the time that''s passed, information is iplete, and the investigation isn''t going well. I''ve decided to ask readers for clues.

    Between November 2002 and February 2003, four burned body cases urred in Peace City. Two victims have been identified:

    Wang Zihui, female, born March 4, 1981, from XXX, working as a restaurant manager in 2002;

    Liu Ta, female, born August 29, 1982, from XXXX, working as a magazine model in 2002.

    If you or someone you know was acquainted with these two victims, especially if you had contact with them around the time they went missing, and are willing to tell me anything about them, please submit to my email at

    If your information proves useful, you''ll receive a reward of 1000 or more, plus a signed book of your choice.

    ¨D

    In just a few minutes, the reposts andments skyrocketed to astonishing numbers.

    It couldn''t be helped, given her massive following.

    Since participating in "King of Reasoning," Jian Jing''s follower count had nearly reached 9 million, most of them active fans. Even her most mundane posts got hundreds of thousands of likes.

    When she said she wanted to investigate a real case for research, it immediately piqued her fans'' curiosity.

    Comments poured in.

    Comment 1: I have a friend named Wang Zihui, is the ''hui'' character correct?

    Comment 2: There''s an auntie in my hometown with a name like that

    Comment 3: Read carefully, Ms. Jian means these two people went missing in ''02

    Comment 4: What kind of case is this? Has the killer been caught?

    Comment 5: Ms. Jian''s range of work is expanding again...

    ...

    Jian Jing didn''t read a singlement.

    Even if there were people who knew something and saw this Weibo post, they''d probably think twice before contacting her. Casting such a wide to millions, she''d be lucky to get two or three useful responses.

    The key wasn''t online.

    She had thought it through. The killer had hidden so well, and over ten years had passed. Searching for a needle in a haystack would be time-consuming andborious - she didn''t have that kind of patience.

    Better to use her old tricks and let the killere to her.

    Tell the killer: I''m investigating your old case. Don''t think you can really get away with it. Once I catch your trail, your good days are over.

    Are you scared? If you''re scared,e try to kill me.

    As long as they made a move, Jian Jing was confident she could catch them.

    Her phone rang.

    She answered impatiently: "Objection overruled."

    Before she could speak, she was abruptly cut off. Ji Feng nearly choked on his saliva before slowly saying, "Ms. Jian, that''s the second time."

    "Oh."

    "After all, this is a serial killer who''s been free for ten years. We don''t know how they might appear," Ji Feng said. "Let''s make a deal. If you get any leads, call me."

    Jian Jing said, "I don''t want to."

    Ji Feng said, "Cooperate a bit, and I''ll take you somewhere nice in the future."

    She replied, "Is it to sell rice noodles or tbread this time?"

    Unable to fool her, he had to promise: "If there are any special cases, I''ll tell you about them."

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes, but she understood. Ji Feng wanted to investigate himself, partly out of responsibility, not wanting her to put herself in danger, and partly because he wanted to solve this case with his own hands.

    Delegating the task wasn''t about distrust; it was just that having someone else do it versus doing it yourself was different.

    "Fine," she said. "You go, I''ll eavesdrop, OK?"

    "OK."

    Having reached an agreement, they sat back and waited for the fish to take the bait.

    To create opportunities and put pressure on the killer, Jian Jing spent all day wandering around the various body dump sites.

    She had already delegated the task of checking emails to her three assistants.

    They were fourth-year interns, rmended by their professor to intern at Golden Crow. When Jian Jing asked the editor for someone to check emails, the chief editor dumped all three interns on her, calling it "training," but they were really just doing odd jobs.

    But checking emails didn''t require much professional knowledge, so interns were sufficient.

    They helped Jian Jing with the initial screening of iing mail, filtering out requests for rtionship advice, fan letters of praise and admiration, harassment emails with photos, and requests for her to edit manuscripts. Only emails rted to the case would be forwarded to her.

    Two dayster, she received a special email in her inbox.

    "Dear Ms. Jian,

    Hello, I am Liu Ta''s older brother. Since she mysteriously disappeared in ''02, I had a feeling that something might have happened to her, but I never heard anyone mention it. So I clung to false hope, pretending she just didn''t want to contact us anymore.

    "Yesterday, when I saw your Weibo post, I finally learned that she had died. This shocked and pained me deeply. After careful consideration for a long time, I decided to write this email. I''m not sure if what I know will be of any help to you, but I hope to do something for her. This is myst act of care for her.

    "I had always had a secret crush on Liu Ta. She was a good girl, hardworking and sincere to others. But she had a boyfriend, so I couldn''t pursue her too much. In December ''02, I sensed that something was bothering her, and she mentioned having some conflict with her boyfriend. Christmas wasing up, so I offered to treat her to a meal, and she agreed.

    "We agreed to meet on the 25th at 4 PM, but she never showed up that day. I waited until after 8, leaving the restaurant with disappointment only when it closed.

    "That night, I wanted to ask her what happened, but she didn''t answer my calls. I thought she didn''t want to contact me anymore, so I didn''t dare disturb her. But from that day on, I never saw her again."

    Jian Jing replied with a letter, inquiring about his identity and if he had any suspects in mind.

    The response came quickly.

    "I used to work at a magazine. Liu Ta and I did a few photo shoots together, that''s how we met. I don''t want to reveal my specific identity; my wife and children don''t know about this.

    "As for suspects, I''m most concerned about her boyfriend, of course. Then there''s her agent and my boss. They''ve both gotten handsy with Liu Ta more than once, especially my boss. He''s always tried to use the excuse of shooting magazine specials to take advantage of Liu Ta. But on the 25th, which was Christmas, the magazine had an event. I''m just a junior editor, not important enough to attend, but my boss was definitely there, so I don''t think it was him.

    "I don''t know much about the agent and don''t have his contact information. You could ask others about him. I''m not sure what else I can do to help you."

    If the first email could have been fabricated, the content of the secondpletely matched the investigation. The sender indeed knew Liu Ta and was familiar with some of her affairs.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then asked him:

    "Around December, did Liu Ta contact any real estate agents about moving?"

    The reply came:

    "Yes, her lifestyle didn''t match her roommate''s, so she nned to move to a new ce at the start of the new year. I''m not sure about real estate agents."

    Once again, her guess was confirmed.

    Jian Jing thanked him and asked for his ount details to send him some money. But he politely declined.

    She forwarded both emails to Ji Feng, asking: [Does this sound like the killer?]

    Ji Feng: [It does]

    Jian Jing felt the same way.

    The sender kept saying he admired Liu Ta, but his description of her was limited to just a few words - hardworking, sincere - like a teacher writingments for an elementary school student.

    Jian Jing was a writer, dealing with words day in and day out. Her instinct for literary creation wasn''t for nothing. She instinctively felt this wasn''t a heartfelt outpouring.

    Looking further, the details about Liu Ta''s work, personality, and rtionships were extremely vague, while there was more content about her disappearance.

    She reasonably suspected that this was the killer probing to see how much she knew.

    So, Jian Jing also very readily threw out some bait.

    Now it was time to wait for the killer''s next move.

    But as the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. Perhaps because there were too many verified ounts in Jian Jing''s fan list, or because "Ms. Jian" appeared too frequently in various police announcements, the killer didn''t approach her.

    Instead, they chose someone rted to the case who had indirectly exposed themselves.

    Yu Can''s daughter.

    That day, Yu Can called hesitantly, saying: "Is this Ms. Jian? I''m Yu Can, from the furniture mall... You remember me, right? That''s great. There''s something bothering me, and I don''t know who else to talk to."

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "What is it?"

    "Well," she hesitated, "my daughter told me that someone came to her school looking for her, but wouldn''t say why. It was strange. From her description, it sounded like that colleague you asked me about."

    Jian Jing was shocked: "Looking for your daughter? Is she alright?"

    "She''s fine. It''s almost the New Year, so I sent her back to our hometown." Yu Can was confused, "What''s going on here..."

    Instead of answering, Jian Jing asked: "Could you ask her about the specific time and ce?"

    "I can, I''ll call her once her flightnds." Yu Can paused, still worried, "Ms. Jian, Zhao Bin... he''s not... you know, is he?"

    Jian Jing replied: "I don''t know either."

    Yu Can seemed to have more to say but held back.

    Not long after, her daughter''s body was found in an abandoned building on the outskirts of Peace City.

 Chapter 399

    This was destined to be a long night.

    At 7 PM, Yu Can called Jian Jing, saying she couldn''t reach her daughter and was a bit worried: "Her flight was supposed to be around 4 PM, so she should have arrived by 6 PM. I thought it might be dyed, but when I checked, it seems the flight has alreadynded."

    Jian Jing immediately said: "Don''t worry, ask the airline if there''s a record of her boarding."

    A momentter, the call came back, saying there wasn''t.

    Jian Jing calmly said: "Don''t panic yet. If it''s a kidnapping, she''s not in danger right now. When was thest time you saw her?"

    Yu Can mumbled: "At 3 PM, I took her to the subway station..."

    "Where are you? I''lle find you."

    She said she was at the home furnishing mall.

    But halfway there, Yu Can called Jian Jing to say "everything''s fine."

    "It seems she went to a ssmate''s house," Yu Can''s voice was a bit panicky, trying to sound calm. "She had mentioned it before, but I forgot. I''m sorry for making you worry too."

    Then she hung up.

    This excuse was too clumsy; Jian Jing didn''t believe it at all. But she could guess why Yu Can did this ¨C she must have received some kind of message and was lying to protect her daughter from harm.

    Fearing phone tapping, she didn''t call back and instead headed straight for the home furnishing mall.

    Yu Can''s store was still open. The staff said the boss had just left in a hurry, not knowing where she went.

    Jian Jing tried calling from the store''sndline, but Yu Can had already turned off her phone.

    She had no choice but to find Ji Feng.

    "You''re not actually a police officer, so you don''t have much persuasive power," Ji Feng said at 8:30 PM, just getting off the highway and reaching the elevated road in Peace City. "I''ll talk to her. Do you have her address?"

    Jian Jing got Yu Can''s residential area from the store staff and passed it on to him.

    At 10:20 PM, Ji Feng arrived at the location and got Yu Can''s exact address from the property management. At 10:30 PM, he knocked on Yu Can''s door.

    She cautiously asked: "Who is it?"

    "Police." Ji Feng showed his badge. "I''d like to talk to you about Zhao Bin and your daughter."

    Only then did Yu Can open the door.

    Ji Feng exined the situation and asked if someone had contacted her.

    She said "yes."

    "What did they tell you?"

    "If I don''t want anything to happen to Xin''er, I should mind my own business." Yu Can looked regretful. "I really didn''t know that what I told Miss Jian was so serious..."

    She gave a bitter smile and pleaded: "Just pretend I never said anything, officer. Please don''t ask me anymore. Xin''er is my only family..."

    Ji Fengforted her a bit, then asked: "How did they contact you?"

    Yu Can took out an A4 printed paper: "I went to pick up my takeout dinner, and this was in the bag."

    "What''s the takeout phone number?" Ji Feng asked.

    Yu Can found the order and gave him the delivery person''s number.

    Ji Feng called and asked if he remembered delivering a meal to the home furnishing mall. The delivery person said he did. Ji Feng then asked if anyone had tampered with the food. He replied: "We''re not allowed to enter the mall, so we always leave deliveries at the back door. Was your food taken by mistake?"

    "It''s nothing." He hung up the phone, silently sighed, and instructed Yu Can, "When the childes back, call this number to inform me. If they contact you again or make any demands, it''s best to contact us as soon as possible."

    Yu Can hesitated for a long time before agreeing.

    At 11:30 PM, the local police station received an emergency call.

    In the early hours of the morning, Ji Feng arrived at the scene.

    The location where the body was burned was an unfinished building. However, the main structure wasplete,cking onlyndscaping, green areas, and fire safety facilities. Some residents had already moved in.

    They had taken on huge debts to buy homes here, paying monthly mortgages. But the developer went bankrupt, leaving their dream homes without basic utilities like water and electricity.

    It was a devastating blow. Their money was gone, but they still had to pay rent elsewhere and keep up with bank loans. With no other choice, many simply moved in, at least saving on rent.

    Without water, they tapped into the neighboringmunity''s supply. Without electricity, they used sr panels.

    Currently, nearly ten households were living in theplex.

    The body was discovered by a mother and son. The son was a delivery driver, out early and backte every day. His mother was ill, resting at home.

    Last night, just before 11 PM, the delivery driver returned from work and noticed a fire flickering in one of the building''s openings. The mes danced in the pitch-ck hole, creating an eerie scene.

    Startled, he rode his electric scooter over to confirm it was indeed a fire, then quickly called 119 for emergency services.

    The fire truck arrived fully equipped, and the firefighters were initially relieved to see an empty, unfinished building with few mmable materials. However, upon entering, they found a body on the ground, already burned beyond recognition.

    They immediately called 110 for the police.

    Because it was discovered early, the body wasn''tpletely destroyed. While the skin was unrecognizable and horrifying to look at, the internal organs were still intact.

    The scene was covered in dust, with several faint footprints visible. There was no tread pattern, suggesting the perpetrator wore shoe covers. Rough calctions put the shoe size between 40-41.

    The forensics team couldn''t find any fingerprints. The remaining hair in the room was identified as either cat hair or from other rodents.

    The killer had been very careful, trying not to leave any clues behind.

    But he still made one mistake.

    When moving the deceased, she might not have been dead yet and intentionally dropped some personal items. Or perhaps the stray cats in the area were too mischievous ¨C the victim''s phone was found in a cat''s nest.

    Two kittens were pawing at the rhinestones on the phone case, their sharp ws leaving scratches. The screen was already beyond repair.

    But the phone still worked.

    A few hourster, Ji Feng received the autopsy report from the forensics department. It stated: The deceased was a young woman between 18-22 years old, had never given birth, and her stomach contents included bread, vegetables, ham, and cassava.

    Traces of arsenic and sleeping pills were detected in her blood. The former likely came from pearl milk tea, while thetter was probably administered by the killer.

    Based on the digestion progress, she died 2-3 hours after eating.

    Next came the victim''s identity.

    The phone was confirmed to belong to Yu Can''s daughter, Cai Xin. The remains of her clothes also matched what she was wearing when she disappeared: a camel-colored woolen coat, jeans, and brand-name sneakers.

    Regarding physical characteristics, since Cai Xin was born to Yu Can''s husband and his ex-wife, they had no blood rtion, so DNA verification wasn''t possible. However, she had medical insurance records showing that she had a wisdom tooth extracted a year ago, with an X-ray indicating anotherrge wisdom tooth on the left side.

    This matched the characteristics of the body.

    Yu Can, as the victim''s family member, was questioned by the police.

    She seemed dazed and took a while to speak: "I don''t understand... Did I cause Xin''er''s death? Her father was most worried about her before he died... This child had a hard life. Her birth mother had high blood pressure, and the doctor advised against pregnancy, but she couldn''t bear to give up the baby and passed away six months after giving birth.

    "Her father was a good man, ying both father and mother roles. When he married me, he said he wouldn''t have more children, fearing a stepmother might mistreat the child. I had health issues, and doctors said I could never have children, so I didn''t mind. All these years, I''ve treated Xin''er as my own child... Then her father died, and we only had each other..."

    As she spoke, tears fell one by one.

    "I told her grandmother that Xin''er would be home tomorrow. She was nning to cook her favorite dishes... How am I supposed to exin this to the olddy? Her grandmother is elderly, if she finds out something happened to Xin''er... Officer, please don''t let anything slip. Otherwise, I really can''t face... can''t face my husband..."

    Yu Can broke down in tears.

    Lao Gao waited for her to finish crying before asking about the key matters: "When was thest time you saw the child today?"

    "Just after 3 PM, I took her to the subway station." Yu Can regretted again, "If only I had known, I would have taken her to the airport. The child was considerate, worried that I couldn''t leave the store, so she said it was enough to take her to the subway station."

    Lao Gao: "Do you know the child''s schedule for today?"

    Yu Can said: "She was at home in the morning, came to my store after lunch to pick up some things to take back to her grandmother. Around 2:45 PM, I saw her off."

    Lao Gao: "So she visited your store today?"

    Yu Can: "Yes."

    Lao Gao: "Oh, did she eat anything there?"

    Yu Can: "Yes, I was worried she might miss dinner, so I ordered some food for her to eat before leaving."

    Lao Gao: "What did she eat?"

    Yu Can: "A sandwich and milk tea."

    Lao Gao silently noted this information.

    After questioning Yu Can, he sent Xiao Li to run an errand, going to Yu Can''s store to verify this information with the staff.

    The staff confirmed that around 2 PM, the boss''s daughter came by and they had afternoon tea together. At 2:40 PM, Yu Can saw her off, and returned at 3:25 PM.

    The travel time from the home furnishing mall to the subway station with direct ess to the airport is about 20 minutes.

    From this, it can be deduced that the time of death was between 4 PM and 6 PM.

    After 7 PM, Yu Can received a note from an unknown person, telling her to mind her own business.

    The person was already dead, yet they were putting up a show of force... Could it be that the killer thought the body wouldn''t be discovered for a while, thus buying some time?

    What use would that be?

    *

    Twelve hours after the body was discovered, Jian Jing arrived at the crime scene.

    Her first words upon seeing Ji Feng were a firm rebuttal: "This doesn''t make sense. What does Yu Can''s daughter know? Whye to kill me, but kill a girl unrted to the case instead?"

    Ji Feng had been running around for half a month, not eating or sleeping well. He had been busy all night yesterday, and his eyeballs were full of red blood vessels, looking terrifying.

    But he still patientlyforted Jian Jing: "It''s not your fault."

    Jian Jing said stiffly: "I didn''t say it was."

    "I''m not justforting you, you''re right, there''s no reason to go after Cai Xin," Ji Feng said. "Killing Yu Can would make sense, but what''s the point of killing her daughter? Intimidation? When the letter was sent, the person was already dead."

    Jian Jing said: "Either Cai Xin knew something she shouldn''t have, or it''s a provocation."

    Let''s not talk about the former for now, but the provocation... it''s actually not quite right.

    Her sessful provocation of Wang Shineng stemmed from his special feelings for her, and the two had an intricate emotional game.

    But the message posted online was quite ordinary. Upon seeing it, a timid person might disappear without a trace, while a bold one might just kill her outright.

    Why Cai Xin?

    What significance does her death hold?

    Jian Jing stared at the cordoned-off scene, where there were still scorch marks on the ground. The position of the female corpse was outlined in white, giving off an inexplicably eerie feeling.

    "Can we confirm now that the killer is the same person?" she asked.

    Ji Feng nodded: "Some details are not convenient to leave in the files, but the method of burning the corpse is exactly the same."

    While both involved post-mortem burning, different people would do it in different ways, including the cement and treatment of the body. In these cases, the bodies were all fully clothed,id t on the ground, with oil poured in a circle around them, carefully avoiding the body itself, and no other elerants nearby.

    The ignition device was unknown, but it wasn''t matches or cigarettes, as no traces were left.

    These details were never made public, making it impossible for a copycat to replicate so precisely.

    Jian Jing tilted her head and said: "Then, this case must serve a purpose, just like many years ago when he suddenly killed Li Xiaonuan. It''s just that we haven''t found the motive yet... no, perhaps the motive is..."

    She looked up, meeting his eyes: "An alibi?"

 Chapter 400

    In the case of Li Xiaonuan, Wu Honglin was considered the prime suspect because he was seen near the crime scene during the estimated time of death.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, Cai Xin''s death essentially cleared him of suspicion.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This greatly increased the likelihood of Jian Jing''s earlier theory about Li Xiaonuan''s time of death.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Perhaps Li Xiaonuan didn''t actually die at night.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    By having her eat lunch, the estimated time of death could be confused. Add to that the freezing conditions - the body being frozen first then burned - making it impossible to determine from the corpse''s reactions. With a few clever tricks, it could create the illusion that the killer couldn''t have arrived after the snowfall.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The killer''s borate efforts to establish an alibi were undoubtedly aimed at clearing themselves of suspicion.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Therefore, those without alibis for the afternoon but with alibis for the evening were most suspicious.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Unfortunately, after ten years, the relevant personnel''s memories of the case had be hazy, and many leads once missed could not be recovered.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But could the same line of thinking be applied to this case?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The circumstances were so simr.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Both used gastric contents digestion as a basis for estimation. Was it possible that Cai Xin''s time of death was incorrect?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It seemed unlikely.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Between 2:00 and 2:40 PM, Cai Xin was seen at Yu Can''s shop, confirmed alive by more than one witness. Even if the killer was silver-tongued enough to convince her not to board the ne temporarily and to eat dinner, there should have been traces of other food in her stomach.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Unless the dinner was identical to the afternoon tea.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Who knew what was eaten for afternoon tea? The people at Yu Can''s shop, including Yu Can herself.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In terms of alibis, Yu Can was undoubtedly the most suspicious.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Though it might seem cold to think this way, the fact was that she was currently the only person besides Zhao Bin involved in both Li Xiaonuan''s case and Cai Xin''s case.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Of course, it was also possible that the former led to thetter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But investigations must be objective. Did Yu Can have any motive?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She returned to her shop at 3:20 PM and didn''t leave until 7-8 PM, making it impossible for her tomit murder during that time. Assuming she acted with utmost speed, finding Cai Xin immediately after work and making her eat a dinner identical to the afternoon tea, she couldn''t have acted until 10 PM-12 AM at the earliest.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Let''s say she killed at 10 PM. By 10:25 PM, Ji Feng had found her at home.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The body dump site was at least a 40-minute drive from Yu Can''s home, assuming no traffic.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This alibi was too airtight. Even if Yu Can were confirmed as a suspect, it would be hard to break, let alone now when she wasn''t even that suspicious.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Didn''t the autopsy report mention traces of sleeping pills?" Jian Jing rubbed her forehead, changing tack. "The person who could make her drink it without suspicion must have been someone familiar to her. Did the subway station cameras catch anything?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng replied, "You can''t park at the subway station, Yu Can said she parked at the intersection ahead. I checked the traffic management office''s footage, it matches her story. Cai Xin was in the car then, still alive and well."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing fell silent for a moment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After a while, she said, "I''m sticking to two points. First, the killer is someone Cai Xin knew well, otherwise there''s no need to use the exact same method of murder. A stranger would be hardest to trace, right? Only a serial killer could divert the police''s attention away from people close to the victim."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng nodded.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Second, the killer wants to use this case to clear their own suspicion. Who''s suspicious now but has an alibi?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng sighed, "We haven''t even started investigating her social circle yet. Yu Can''s statement mentioned Zhao Bin, the higher-ups want us to check him out first, he''s very suspicious."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said, "Maybe that''s what the killer wants. But what''s the use?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She wondered, "The case had already gone cold, another death would definitely reopen the investigation. It''s not like 2007 anymore, what is is, what isn''t isn''t. We can''t find another Wu Honglin to take the me. What''s the point of buying a little time?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "To flee," Ji Feng nced at the gloomy sky and patted her shoulder. "It looks like it''s about to snow. I''ll keep an eye on Yu Can, you go home. I''ll call if anythinges up."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing gave him a sidelong nce and couldn''t help saying, "I''m not trying to steal your job, but look at yourself." She pulled out a small mirror and held it up to him. "You look like you haven''t slept in two weeks."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng rubbed his chin.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She asked, "...You haven''t really gone two weeks without sleep, have you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''ve slept, I''ve slept. It''s no big deal," he smiled.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing warned, "Staying upte will shorten your life."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Fengughed, "What''s the point of living that long? Good enough is good enough." He checked his watch. "There''s a meeting at 5, I should head back."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said, "I''ll take another look at the scene. You go ahead."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng didn''t press her, "Leave early, and be careful not to catch a cold."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She impatiently waved him off, telling him to scram.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng left and returned to the precinct for the meeting.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Every time there was a major case, senior leadership woulde down to organize the investigation. Before that, they needed to rify some basic information, exin it clearly in the discussion meeting, and then set the direction for the investigation.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Because it involved an old case, this meeting was extremely long.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The medical examiner discussed the autopsy report, forensics talked about trace evidence at the scene, Old Gao started from the 2002 case, introducing each of the four previous victims one by one.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng reported on Liu Jian''s situation, and incidentally mentioned Jian Jing''s views on the Li Xiaonuan case.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The leader listened very attentively, holding a thermos cup, but didn''t say a word, making everyone feel uneasy.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was already past eleven when it finished.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng could barely keep his eyes open. He hastily wolfed down some instant noodles and went to the on-duty room to sleep.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The dream was deep, the world a cold, silvery-gray.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After a long while, he realized it was snowing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The umted snow was gloomy, like uncured cement. Several charred corpsesy in the ruins, looking like burned firewood.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He just stood there, silently watching, watching, until he woke from the dream.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His whole body ached.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After rushing about for half a month and then working non-stop upon return, even an iron man would be exhausted.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng struggled to get up, his bones creaking.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He took out his toothbrush and toothpaste from the cab and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Just as he was brushing his teeth, Old Gao came in, his expression a bit stiff.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng nced at him and continued brushing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Old Gao stammered, "Uh, there''s something this morning..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Ptui." He spat out the toothpaste foam and calmly asked, "Want me to recuse myself?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Old Gao nodded with difficulty.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    When he reported on the case yesterday, he deliberately omitted the matter of Zhang Peiru, but the case files were right there. As long as the leaders weren''t blind, they would certainly understand this situation.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng''s rtionship to the Li Xiaonuan case was still unclear, and his father had a clear stake in it. Considering the rigor and impartiality of the investigation, he had to be recused.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Alright, I guessed as much." He closed his eyes briefly. "I''ll just take it as paid leave then."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Old Gao''s face fell. "Dream on, there are other cases too."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m not in the mood to investigate. I''ll just take a couple days off then," he said, working out the kinks in his stiff neck. "This hard bed has nearly given me a crick."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He appearedpletely normal, but Old Gao knew better than to take it at face value. He hesitated, "How about... I apply to have Professor Jian participate a bit?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng shook his head.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Old Gao sighed and patted his shoulder. "Alright then, go home and rest for two days. It''s rare to have time off."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng grunted in assent without saying more.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, despite saying he''d go home to rest, he still dutifully stayed in the office that afternoon, making calls, typing on the keyboard, not much less busy than if he''d gone out.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He left work promptly at 5:30, unusually encountering the evening rush hour.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    On the congested street, Ji Feng gazed at the gorgeous sunset in the west, memories from long ago surfacing in his mind.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    That day, his father and mother divorced.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Yunyun was too young to understand and was left with rtives. Only Ji Feng apanied them.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His mother said, "Xiaofeng, don''t me me."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He replied, "I don''t me you."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He really didn''t.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Unlike his father who knew nothing, he had actually discovered his mother''s condition very early on. She had cancer and needed long-term treatment and recuperation.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Liming was a police officer who couldn''t take care of the family. She used to be able to look after the children, but what about after falling ill? So she very forcefully proposed divorce and didn''t ask for custody of either child.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The second month after the divorce, she married another man.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    That man had pursued her for a long time and knew about her illness but didn''t care. He only hoped to spend thest days of her life together.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She wanted to spend the final years of her life apanied by loved ones, and had no reason to refuse.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It wasn''t until Ji Liming''s wife passed away that he realized she had been suffering from such a severe illness.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He felt regret, but also a sad relief. At least they had divorced - how much time would he have had to apany her anyway? If a husband wasn''t by his wife''s side in her final moments, that would be too heartbreaking.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Was there a sunset like this on the day of the funeral?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng thought for a moment, then shook his head. He couldn''t remember either.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The car inched forward slowly as traffic lights changed. After over an hour, the sun hadpletely set by the time the car finally managed to reach home.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There were people at the entrance, all quite tall.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yunyun and who else? Yu Can?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng frowned and immediately parked the car to walk over.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Ms. Yu, why are you here?" He scrutinized Yu Can.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She was wearing a long ck down jacket and t boots, carrying an LV handbag. Her stylish and attractive appearance caught the eye of the security guard.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can hurriedly said, "Officer, I heard about what happened with your father... I''m so sorry." She looked ashamed, "I had no idea my testimony would lead to such a result..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said, "That''s all in the past." He gave his sister a look, and Ji Yunyun immediately said, "Yes, you''re too kind. We can''t ept this."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    As she spoke, she tried to push back the foam box.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It''s nothing expensive, just some strawberries my friend brought from the countryside," said Yu Can. "I originally wanted to give them to my daughter, but..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her eyes reddened, and she quickly lowered her head to wipe away tears. "Please take them, don''t be polite."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But Ji Feng said, "We can''t ept them."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Once a gift is given, how can it be taken back?" Yu Can waved her hand, forcefully handing the box to Ji Yunyun. Then she said, "Officer, actually I came today because I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you think we could..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She gestured at the neighbors who were watching curiously, smiling bitterly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng didn''t know her intentions, but after brief consideration, he was still unwilling to miss a potential lead. He nodded and said, "Alright." He made a gesture to wait and said to Ji Yunyun, "You go home first."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Yunyun asked in a low voice, "What about this box of strawberries?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After a moment''s hesitation, he said, "Put it in the bike shed."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She nodded.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng didn''t give her a chance to ask further questions. He waved his hand and followed Yu Can.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can invited him to get in the car.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "That won''t be necessary, will it? If you have something to say, just tell me," Ji Feng got straight to the point when they reached a quiet street corner. "As it happens, I have some questions I''d like to ask you too."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can shook her head, "Let''s still get in the car. I want to take you somewhere."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng raised an eyebrow and suddenly said, "Why don''t I ask my questions first?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She smiled, "Sure."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I called and asked Mr. Huang - oh, the owner of the training school that hired Li Xiaonuan - why he wanted to hire Li Xiaonuan in the first ce, and how he found her. Guess what he said?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can asked curiously, "What did he say?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said, "He said it was suggested by an agency, who also gave him some flyers."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 401

    Yu Can disyed a hint of surprise at just the right moment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She asked, "Is it Zhao Bin?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said, "He said it was a woman."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Is that so," Yu Can pondered, "Perhaps it''s Sun Fangfang. She''s always been on good terms with Zhao Bin."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng smiled, his gaze sharp: "And you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m on good terms with Zhao Bin too," she said. "Officer, do you suspect me?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said, "Ms. Yu, perhaps you don''t know, but now the police database is connected with social security and medical insurance. I''ve checked your past. You started working as a real estate agent back in 2002 and 2003."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "That''s right," Yu Can nodded. "My family was poor, and I had younger siblings. I started working at 18. With my limited education, I couldn''t find office work, so I became a real estate agent. Back then, houses weren''t worth much, and times were tough."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said, "Do you know Liu..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can tilted her head in thought: "It sounds familiar. I need to think about it." She brushed her hair and smiled, "Would you like some tea?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her demeanor was so natural,bining both girlish directness and the allure of a mature woman. As it was dark, passersby couldn''t discern her age, mistaking her for a bold, passionate woman extending an invitation.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng stared at her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    More precisely, he stared at the key ring hanging from her hand.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    One was a BMW key, and the other was... a strange red switch.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Get in the car," she opened the door. "I''ve invited someone else. You''ll want to meet her."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng smiled: "Who?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can said mysteriously: "What do you think?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Well, you can''t possibly have invited Teacher Jian," he sat in the passenger seat, fastening his seatbelt. "Anyone else is the same."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can said: "Well, you''re in for a disappointment then."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You can''t fool me," Ji Feng said. "What''s in the strawberries?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can: "Don''t worry, they''re real cream strawberries. Even if you left them by the roadside, someone couldn''t resist taking them home."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng chuckled.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He had guessed this point, which was why he had no choice but to get in the car.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There were no houses near the carport, but at this twilight hour, the uncles and aunties from the neighborhood would be out for their evening stroll. They were all used to being frugal, and if they saw a box of fresh strawberries left there, they might either try to find the owner or, tempted by the small gain, take them home themselves.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Of course, it was possible that no one would care, but he couldn''t take that risk.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Many residents in theplex were families of police officers. Rather than letting them bear the risk, Ji Feng preferred to take it upon himself.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Oh, I forgot to mention," Yu Can said casually, "To get your sister toe down, I also gave the security guard a box of tangerines. He seemed to like them."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng''s movements suddenly froze.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The phone rang.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng nced at it, unsurprised to see it was from Teacher Jian.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Answer it," Yu Can said. "We have a long drive ahead."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng answered the phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Where the hell have you gone?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: "There''s something..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Ahem." Yu Can cleared her throat, shing the remote control hanging from her finger at him. "Give me the phone."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng cooperated, handing over the phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can spoke: "Teacher Jian."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Yu Can?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "What a coincidence, I was just chatting with Officer Ji when you called," she said. "Has there been any progress in Xiao Xin''s case? Can you tell me who killed her?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said: "I don''t know."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can: "Is that so?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Do you have any clues you can provide me?" she asked.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can said: "No." She paused, then smiled, "I''m sorry, I''d like to chat with Officer Ji alone. Goodbye."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She hung up the phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng asked: "Are you a bit scared?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "What do I have to be afraid of?" Yu Can steered with one hand, the other always gripping the remote control. "You''re the one who should be afraid."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng smiled and said: "It''s normal to be afraid. Many people are scared when they see Teacher Jian."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can didn''t respond.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A ringtone sounded, this time it was Yu Can''s phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She pressed the car''s hands-free button.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said: "Ms. Yu, hanging up on me wasn''t very polite."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can said: "Is that so?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Making me angry has serious consequences," she said. "Where are you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can: "Guess."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jingughed instead of getting angry: "Then you guess where I am."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But Yu Can said: "I''m not interested in Teacher Jian''s whereabouts."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Listen to this," Jian Jing moved the phone away.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng listened carefully. There was amotion on the other end, as if someone was arguing about hair in the bathroom, with asional vulgarnguage.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "This is Fragrant Garden," Jian Jing didn''t bother keeping it a secret, implying something. "I came here to find a girl named Shi Zhaozhao."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can''s hand on the steering wheel tightened slightly, then she suddenly looked at Ji Feng: "What Teacher Jian is saying seems quite interesting. Officer Ji, don''t rush, listen to her patiently."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said indifferently: "Is that so?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can said: "Teacher Jian, please continue."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I asked your shop assistants if they knew which colleague had grown wisdom teeth. One remembered that Shi Zhaozhao had them before, her teeth hurt for a long time, and she specifically took time off to have them removed. I asked if this person was still working in your shop, and they said she had just resigned a few days ago. One of them knew whichplex she lived in, which is where I am now."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing spoke slowly and deliberately, asking: "Isn''t that a coincidence?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can: "It is a bit."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said: "There''s an even bigger coincidence. Shi Zhaozhao''s roommate said she hasn''t been home for several days. Do you know where she went?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "How would I know if she''s resigned?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Then let me tell you," Jian Jing was extremely forthright. "You killed her and disguised her as Cai Xin. This is your usual method, creating an alibi to exonerate yourself."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She continued: "In the Li Xiaonuan case, you checked the weather forecast and chose to buy lunch and visit her on the 17th. You tricked her into eating foodced with sleeping pills, killed her in the afternoon, and dumped the body in the garbage dump, covering it with objects. It snowed that night as predicted. You waited until midnight when the snow stopped, then returned to the dump and untied the ropes. This way, you wouldn''t leave footprints nearby, thus directing suspicion to the innocent Wu Honglin.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You had ridden in his car before, which is when you picked up the wood shavings. You specifically chose him as a scapegoat, probably because you knew he wore size 40 shoes. Moreover, you were foresighted enough to arrange Zhao Bin as a backup n in advance. The business card left at Wu Honglin''s house was his."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But Yu Can said: "Do you have any evidence for what you''re saying?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It might be hard to prove the previous evidence, but isn''t it obvious now?" Jian Jingughed, her tone suddenly turning cold.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You arranged to meet Shi Zhaozhao a day in advance, had her eat a drugged sandwich and milk tea, killed her after she fell unconscious, then hid her body in a cold environment to confuse the time of death. The next afternoon, you called Cai Xin to the shop, had her eat the exact same afternoon tea, letting the shop assistants confirm her eating time, then took her to the subway station. But Cai Xin didn''t get on the subway; you took her somewhere else.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "At eight in the evening, you pretended to receive a threatening letter, avoiding me when I came to your door, while you quickly went to the abandoned building to burn the body, creating the illusion that the victim was killed between 4 and 6 pm that day.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You asked if I knew who killed Cai Xin. I really don''t know - is she even still alive now?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, Yu Can said: "Of course I hope she''s still alive."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng nced at her from the corner of his eye, thinking: Imprable. What is she trying to do?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing probably realized this too and asked: "What do you want?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I want to talk with Officer Ji," Yu Can said. "Or does Teacher Jian want toe too?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Where?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "There''s a newly built amusement park in the new district. It''s empty now, very quiet. We can have a good chat there," Yu Can said. "Are youing?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''ming," Jian Jing hung up the phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But she sat in her car, with no intention of going to the amusement park.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can was treating her like a fool. Even if a newly built amusement park had no visitors, there would still be staff testing the rides daily. Cai Xin couldn''t possibly be hidden there.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She was just making up a ce to try and lure her away.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    They were truly birds of a feather. Just as Jian Jing wasn''t actually at Fragrant Garden now.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What she had yed earlier was a recording.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But the current situation remained unclear.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It wasn''t surprising that Yu Can had kidnapped Cai Xin. When she found out about Shi Zhaozhao, she had sensed there was a hostage. But why take Ji Feng hostage?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A suspect actually taking a police officer hostage?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What was she trying to do? No, more urately, what had she done?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had a sudden realization and immediately called Lao Gao. It took Lao Gao a long time to answer, and his tone was serious: "Teacher Jian, please don''t put us in a difficult position. The case is still under investigation, and we can''t disclose information to outsiders."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Go to Ji Feng''s house and bring Yunyun to the police station," she cut to the chase. "The perpetrator of these cases..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In a sh, something crossed her mind.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Damn it," she cursed, ignoring Lao Gao''s startled questioning, and said, "Yu Can still has a hostage. Keep that in mind."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Then she hung up the phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the office, Lao Gao ignored the frequent nces from his superiors and said anxiously, "Teacher Jian called me and asked me to bring Yunyun over."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The superior''s face immediately changed: "What?! Go quickly!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Many times, police officers forget about their own safety and disregard their own lives. But no matter when, the safety of family members is always the greatest hidden pain in their hearts.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This is a taboo.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Lao Gao and his colleagues got into the car as quickly as possible, calling Ji Yunyun on the way to understand the situation.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Yunyun was bewildered, looking confused as she came downstairs with her schoolbag, and was stuffed into the police car by Lao Gao and others: "Uncle Gao, what''s wrong? Did something happen to my brother?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Where are the strawberries Yu Can sent you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "My brother told me to put them in the bike shed."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Lao Gao, fully armed, rushed to the bicycle shed, not daring to approach. He had his colleagues bring in the sniffer dogs. The bomb-sniffing dog cautiously approached the box, then sat down.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Shit," Lao Gao quickly called for backup.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Their police car was only equipped with some ordinary police gear, unable to defuse bombs. They had to call in a specialized department.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Meanwhile, the sniffer dog found another identical fruit box in the security guard room.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The security guard said it was also given by the woman who was delivering gifts to the Ji family.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The police had no choice but to search the entiremunity, spending nearly two hours before confirming that there were only these two boxes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The bomb disposal team also arrived, cautiously approaching and opening the boxes. The result, however, was unexpected.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The secondyer of the fruit boxes indeed wasn''t fruit, but it wasn''t a bomb either.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was fireworks.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Peace City had banned fireworks for a long time, and there weren''t many stores selling them in the market. The fireworks in the boxes were crudely packaged, with even some damaged paper. Upon opening, one could smell the gunpowder. Many rural areas still sold these.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The situation suddenly became awkward.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Although a false rm was a good thing, Lao Gao felt extremely frustrated.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Making such a strange fuss, who would believe it was just a misunderstanding? But sending people fruit and fireworks wasn''t against thew.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What the hell was going on?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He wanted to get to the bottom of it, but found that he couldn''t reach Ji Feng''s phone, and Yu Can couldn''t be contacted either.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What exactly had happened?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 402

    When the police were distracted by Yu Can''s two boxes of fruit, many other events were unfolding simultaneously.

    For instance, Ji Feng. He was well aware that there might not be any bombs in the fruit boxes at all, that the remote control could be just a bluff, but he couldn''t afford to take that gamble.

    There were far too many deranged individuals out there. Some criminals, knowing they couldn''t escape, would try to take as many people down with them as possible. Who wouldn''t feel wronged if they encountered such a situation? But once you''re dead, you''re dead.

    Everyone only has one life.

    And he only had one sister as family.

    Moreover, Yu Can still had another hostage in his grasp.

    But he still couldn''t understand what Yu Can was trying to aplish. Did he think he could escape by taking him hostage?

    The car veered off the main road, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

    Night had fallen deeply, and the white glow of the streetlights was bitingly cold, like winter snow, suddenly stinging the eyes. Ji Feng closed his eyes and suddenly said, "You threw away the phone. Can you tell me the truth now?"

    Yu Can asked, "What truth?"

    Ji Feng: "Why Li Xiaonuan?"

    Yu Can countered, "Are you concerned about her because your father died in this case?"

    "Because Li Xiaonuan is special," he replied calmly, not provoked. "She was the killer''s first victim after five years of inactivity. They even prepared a scapegoat in advance, struck once, and quickly retreated. It''s very different from the previous four cases."

    Yu Can asked, "What do you think?"

    "I can''t figure it out, that''s why I''m asking you," Ji Feng said. "You won''t even answer this?"

    The car turned onto a dirt road, with the scenery on both sides changing from highway railings to waist-high wild grass. As the tires rolled over the bumpy road, the car asionally shook. After a while, Yu Can said, "She knew something she shouldn''t have known."

    As expected.

    "What about the others?" Ji Feng asked. "Who were they, and why did you kill them?"

    Yu Can didn''t answer.

    He continued, "They were all ordinary, decent people. Though young, you were also young in 2002. You can''t have children, but they didn''t have children either. Their financial situations weren''t good, they weren''t promiscuous, they worked hard... Ms. Yu, I don''t understand, what was your motive?"

    "Ordinary. Decent." Yu Can softly repeated these words, then suddenlyughed, his expression cold. "You think I was jealous, but can''t find a reason for the jealousy, right?"

    Ji Feng frankly replied, "Yes, that''s why I''m curious."

    Yu Can''s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, veins protruding on the back of his hands: "It''s simple. Some things that seem ordinary and unremarkable to most people are things that some people can never have."

    Ji Feng furrowed his brow, quickly running through the lives of the victims in his mind.

    Liu Jian''s mother died of cancer, Li Xiaonuan''s parents were both alive but poor, Wang Zihui''s father was a farmer working at home, and her mother was said to have run off with someone, whereabouts unknown... What was themon thread?

    The onlymonalities among all the victims were three: young women, unmarried (this was just a guess), and childless.

    After eliminating the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

    He couldn''t help but look up at Yu Can.

    "Don''t bother looking, you won''t be able to tell," Yu Can said, puffing out his chest. Even under the bulky down jacket, his figure was still curvaceous, a body that many women would envy.

    Ji Feng stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Was the first victim actually Yu Can?" Though it sounded like a question, his tone was certain, as if he had figured out the most puzzling part. "The time between the first and second cases was too close, which doesn''t fit the usual behavior pattern of serial killers, unless there was a clear logical connection between these two cases."

    His thoughts flowed smoothly: "Are you Yu Can''s older or younger brother? She was your sister, so you could take over her identity without arousing suspicion. What about the second victim? Was she your sister too? Did you kill her to silence her because she discovered your actions?

    "You were afraid that their deaths would lead the police to you, so you killed Liu Jie and Wang Zihui to confuse the investigation. Very clever. Of course, by 2007, you had be even smarter."

    As he spoke thest sentence, a hint of anger finally seeped into his tone.

    The headlights illuminated the deste path ahead, gray snow falling,nding on the windshield, wiped away by the wipers, leaving faint traces of water.

    The light was dim, shadows danced in the grass.

    "When I was very young, I often walked roads like this at night," Yu Can began speaking, as if he too had been waiting a long time for this moment. "In the countryside, we were poor. We didn''t get electricity until 2000. As a child, I would go with others to catch frogs by the pond, and on the way home at night, we''d walk a road just like this."

    He fell into reminiscence: "Back then, Eldest Sister would walk in front, I''d be in the middle, and Younger Sister at the back. The frogs in our pockets would croak incessantly, very noisy. When we got home, Eldest Sister would busy herself grinding flour and cooking noodles. But when it was ready, they''d eat steamed buns, while I ate noodles, even with a fried egg on top. Younger Sister would keep swallowing her saliva, but Eldest Sister said only I could eat it because I was a boy.

    "From a young age, I knew boys and girls were different. Men were to carry on the family line, to continue the bloodline. Women couldn''t do that. The meat and eggs at home were also for the men to eat. Women could only eat brown sugar and eggs after giving birth. But for some reason I don''t know, I always wished I was a girl.

    "Eldest Sister''s floral dress was very old and tattered, but I liked it, even more than my own new clothes. Younger Sister and I were close in age. Once I tricked her into swapping clothes with me. Who knew my father would discover it and beat her so badly she couldn''t get out of bed for days. But he didn''ty a finger on me, even praised me for caring for my sister. So I didn''t dare tell the truth.

    "But people are strange like that. The more you''re not supposed to think about something, the more you can''t forget it. When I hit puberty in my teens, seeing my Adam''s apple made me feel terrible, and I hated how my voice changed. I liked Younger Sister''s body, sometimes I would secretly look at her, imagining it was my own..."

    At this moment, his thoughts traveled through the corridors of time, back to those gloomy teenage years.

    Yu Can found he could still clearly remember how desperately that boy, hiding behind the bathroom door, longed for a body that didn''t belong to him.

    "What happened then?" Ji Feng asked. "Did you do something?"

    "I got married when I was eighteen," Yu Can said instead. "It was arranged by an acquaintance. We didn''t get a marriage certificate, everyone did it that way. Just having a wedding banquet was considered done. Once married, in my hometown you were considered an adult. When I said I wanted to go work outside, my family agreed quickly, so I brought my wife here."

    "When we first arrived, we were very poor and couldn''t find good jobs, so we lived with Eldest Sister. My wife was a sensible woman, like many women from my hometown - obedient, decent. But there was one thing I was afraid she would tell others."

    He narrated inly: "I never slept with her. Eldest Sister was worried she couldn''t have children, so she told her to see a doctor. That''s when she told Eldest Sister. Eldest Sister was worried I had a disease and wanted to find a chance to talk to me alone, but then..."

    A series of uncontroble coldughs escaped his throat, gloomy and violent.

    "She saw me, saw me wearing my wife''s clothes. She was terrified, rushed in to try and strip the clothes off me... When I came to my senses, I had already strangled her."

    He glossed over the most horrifying part as if it weren''t important at all.

    "I don''t know how to exin my feelings to you. You wouldn''t understand. She was lying there, her body so soft and beautiful. I couldn''t control myself at all. I immediately took off her clothes and put them on myself. It looked so good, so beautiful. I look a lot like Eldest Sister, and in the mirror, it was as if I had be her."

    Twenty years had passed since the first case in 2002, but at this moment, recalling that instant, Yu Can could still feel the tremors from back then.

    He immediately made up his mind to rece Eldest Sister and be Yu Can.

    Ji Feng asked timely: "Then what? How did you dispose of the body?"

    "I thought about this question for a long time," Yu Can raised his head, recalling his feelings bit by bit. "To rece my Eldest Sister, I had to destroy her face. At that time, I didn''t know about things like sulfuric acid. I only knew that after being burned by fire, you couldn''t recognize a face anymore, so I decided to burn her."

    Ji Feng nodded, thinking, this was the origin of everything.

    "Who was the second victim? When did you act?" he asked, while an interesting thought suddenly shed through his mind.

    If Teacher Jian were here, he would surely say: "The second victim must have been your wife. She discovered some unusual traces, otherwise you wouldn''t have acted against her so quickly..."

    In short, speak the criminal''s words, leaving the criminal speechless.

    Perhaps this is the biggest difference between detectives and police officers.

    Yu Can continued: "I hid the body in the woodshed behind the rental house. From that day on, I didn''t let my wife go in there. But she didn''t listen. That day, I went out to get gasoline, and the window was broken by the neighbor''s kid. The wind kept rushing in, so she went to the woodshed to find wood to fix the window, and then she saw..."

    He paused for three or four seconds before his voice resumed, emotionless, as if it had all been an illusion.

    "She was a good woman, loyal to me. She didn''t dare to say anything, pretending not to know, but I still found out. To be honest, I was very conflicted those days - every night, I would sleep holding her, and when I was drowsy, sometimes I felt it was just my body, but when I was awake, I was insanely jealous.

    "I didn''t want to kill her, but since she had discovered it, she would eventually speak out. So that night, when she came back from her night shift, I made her a bowl of instant noodles, added an egg and ham, and poisoned her to death."

    He exhaled and said: "As for the two women afterward, just as you said, I was afraid of being discovered, so I decided to kill two more. I didn''t think much when choosing them, just picked ones who looked simr to my eldest sister and my wife. Oh, right, that was also the first time I dressed up as a woman. In winter, with thick clothes on, and me being thin, it wasn''t noticeable at all. My sister had a uniform issued by their agency, looking quite authentic, and they fell for it quickly."

    Ji Feng asked: "What about Li Xiaonuan?"

    "After 2003, I actually didn''t want to kill anymore. There was no need," Yu Can voluntarily unveiled another mystery of the case. "I lied to my mother, saying my wife ran off with someone, and my eldest sister found a husband far away and wouldn''te back. I sent some money back, and they didn''t ask much. Everything was going smoothly, but I had a bold idea in mind - I wanted to be a real woman."

    "In 2007, I saved some money and went to the hospital for a check-up, thinking about having surgery. But unfortunately, I was hit by a car on the way. A kind-hearted young girl helped me gather my things and took me to the hospital. I wasn''t careful, and she took my report. She returned it the next day.

    "Although she said she hadn''t looked at it, I wasn''t at ease. The report was just a few pages, and you couldn''t tell if it had been flipped through or not. But I pretended not to mind and managed to get her name. I found out she was studying painting, so I said I''d introduce some business to her... Then you know the rest. I found a suitable ce and person, lured her there, and on the day it was about to snow, I went to check on her while buying lunch... It was that simple."

    As the story of the past ended, so did the road.

    The car stopped in the wild grass, with a dpidatedrge building ahead.

    Ji Feng, having studied old maps for the Li Xiaonuan case, thought briefly and recalled what this ce was.

    An abandoned thermal power nt.

    "Get out of the car," Yu Can said. "Don''t try any tricks. Your younger sister..."

    Before he could finish, Ji Feng had already made his move.

 Chapter 403

    Just as Yu Can was slowing down to park, Ji Feng reached out and yanked the steering wheel, causing the entire car to veer uncontrobly to the right.

    Yu Can had been keeping half an eye on him and reacted quickly, mming her foot on the elerator.

    The car lurched forward violently.

    But Ji Feng refused to let go, even unbuckling his seatbelt to lunge at her arms. Yu Can was equally prepared, immediately grabbing the spray can beside her and shooting it in his face.

    The potent pepper spray hit him directly, making his eyes burn red and tears stream uncontrobly.

    But in the enclosed space, they both suffered. Yu Can only gained two or three seconds before stumbling out of the car door to escape.

    Ji Feng chased after her.

    "Don''te any closer," Yu Can unzipped her down jacket, revealing something strapped to her body. "Or we''ll all die together."

    Ji Feng took a sharp breath, his teeth aching inexplicably.

    It was so cold, yet Yu Can hadn''t turned on the heat in the car. He had already suspected something was wrong, which is why he tried to subdue her when she wasn''t paying attention. He guessed her n correctly, but underestimated her madness.

    The amount of explosives was far too much.

    One st would leave nothing but ashes.

    "Are you insane?" Seeing him hesitate, Yu Can secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but demanded harshly, "Aren''t you afraid of what I left for your sister?"

    Ji Feng tapped his watch. "It''s been thirty minutes."

    He understood Jian Jing and his colleagues well. Half an hour was enough time for them to move Yunyun to a safe ce and evacuate any bystanders.

    Two boxes of explosives were manageable, just a bit troublesome to disarm.

    Using them as a threat? Tsk, toote now.

    Yu Can didn''t know what the 30 minutes meant, but realized one of her trump cards was now useless. She said frankly, "You''re clever. I''ll tell you, what I gave your sister isn''t anything bad."

    She pointed to the explosives strapped to her body, "It''s all here." Then she pointed to the thermal power nt, "And there."

    Ji Feng asked, "Is Cai Xin inside?"

    "Yes," Yu Can replied. "Will you save her?"

    "You''re thinking too much," Ji Feng said. "Since my father was involved in the previous cases, this case has nothing to do with me. If you have any demands, I can pass them on to my colleagues."

    "Is that so?" Yu Can neither agreed nor disagreed, only saying, "It takes 40 minutes to drive here from downtown, but you only have 20 minutes."

    She said, "Let''s begin."

    She pressed the remote control in her hand.

    Boom!

    A massive st of heat and mes erupted from the back seat of the car. Raging fire burned fiercely, shockwaves sting outward, uprooting surrounding soil and vegetation. The heat spread to their backs, searing hot.

    Ji Feng had leapt away the instant she moved, but the force of the explosion still hit him heavily, like a fierce beast pouncing from behind.

    His internal organs feltpressed by an invisible force, his ears rang, and his vision blurred.

    Fortunately, Ji Feng had protected himself, lying on the ground for a while before slowly getting up.

    He understood why Yu Can blew up the car - she wanted to prove to him that she really had explosives and was absolutely willing to detonate them.

    At least now, he couldn''t just walk away.

    Was Cai Xin inside? Definitely.

    If Yu Can had brought him here just to kill him, she could have done it earlier.

    Ji Feng coughed a couple times, feeling less dizzy as his hearing gradually returned. He ducked into the dense wild grass, contemting how to find his target in this massive building.

    Yu Can had tossed his phone, and his service weapon was kept at the station, only issued for missions and returned after shifts, not allowed to be carried personally.

    Regr batons, shields, and handguns were standard equipment, but they were all in the police car. He had nothing on him.

    Patting himself down, he found only a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a set of keys.

    What a hassle.

    *

    Ji Feng''s phone was turned off.

    Jian Jing wanted to know where it had been switched off, which wasn''t difficult to check, but required cooperation from the telpany. However, the police didn''t have time to get official approval now, as thepany had already closed for the day.

    By the time they went through the proper channels and asked them to work overtime to locate the phone, it would be toote.

    She had to rely on herself.

    Jian Jing bought a map from a roadside newsstand, preparing to use a new technique.

    After "The Reasoning King" aired, her fame level had instantly broken through "renowned" to reach just below "world-famous."

    The highest level was probably unattainable unless she won a Nobel Prize in Literature. Being renowned was likely the peak an ordinary person could reach.

    The newly opened limited card pool gradually shifted towards the supernatural.

    [Name: Limited Card - Divination]

    [Description: You gain the ability to divine. The more specific the conditions and smaller the scope, the clearer the answer, but with longer cooldown times. Please use with caution.]

    [Note: Illegal profits will freeze this card. Not rmended for divining lottery numbers.]

    The system imposed many restrictions as usual, but Jian Jing didn''tck money. Saving the divination for a time like this was undoubtedly more appropriate.

    She took out thememorative gold coin the bank had given her years ago.

    She used the card.

    "I want to know where Ji Feng is," she silently repeated the request three times, then tossed the coin.

    It flipped in the air,nding on the spread-out map.

    It spun, slid, and stopped.

    The gold coin hadnded on a spot downstream of the river.

    Jian Jing zoomed in on her phone''s map,pared and eliminated options, finally locking onto an unnamed building at 25 Fujia Road.

    She stepped on the gas and activated voicemand: "Open browser, search for 25 Fujia Road, Peace City."

    The AI assistant responded: "Searchplete. 25 Fujia Road, Peace City, formerly the Peace Thermal Power nt, established in 1985, officially abandoned in 2014."

    Thermal power nt.

    Jian Jing pressed her lips together, the ominous feeling in her heart growing stronger.

    She gently pressed the elerator, and the high-performance luxury car left a blur on the highway as it sped towards the remote outskirts.

    30 minutester, Lao Gao called to say they had picked up Ji Yunyun, and the fruit boxes contained no explosives, just firecrackers.

    "What does this mean?" Lao Gao was puzzled.

    Jian Jing didn''t answer, instead shuddering involuntarily as a terrible guess gradually surfaced in her mind.

    Lao Gao grew anxious and urged, "Professor Jian?"

    She slowly said, "Using firecrackers means she didn''t want to leave evidence."

    "That doesn''t make sense," Lao Gao pondered. "From what you said earlier, she used this to lure Ji Feng away, right? Even if it''s not real, we''d definitely investigate her afterward. Could she be under coercion from the real culprit, helping them buy time to escape?"

    "No," Jian Jing said with certainty. "Yu Can is the culprit."

    Lao Gao said, "Now you''ve lost me. If Yu Can is the culprit, what''s the point of kidnapping Ji Feng? To drag someone down with her before she dies?"

    "No," she denied again. "If she wanted to take others down with her, she wouldn''t have used firecrackers. Wouldn''t more deaths be better? She made a feint, leaving no loose ends. She has only one goal."

    Jian Jing stared ahead as the car entered a country road, ghostly shadows flickering all around as if a hundred spirits were watching.

    "She wants to escape punishment."

    Lao Gao: "Huh?"

    "Once a case urs, there must be a culprit to end it," Jian Jing said. "Last time it was Wu Honglin, this time it''s Ji Feng."

    It was clear that Yu Can''s methods were constantly improving.

    Between 2002 and 2003, she murdered four people but feared the police would trace her through their identities. So she tried her best to destroy their identifying information, perfectly concealing herself.

    If Wang Zihui hadn''t broken a bone before, they might never have discovered her identity back then.

    In the 2007 Li Xiaonuan case, she became much bolder, arranging an alibi and providing a scapegoat, pinning all the old cases on Wu Honglin topletely extricate herself.

    If Zhang Peiru hadn''t killed Ji Liming and instead epted her fate, who would have sought justice for a dead man?

    Everything would have ended.

    But Yu Can hadn''t anticipated that Zhang Peiru would have unwavering faith in her husband, insisting he wasn''t the killer. And Ji Feng, whose family had been destroyed by her, persisted for ten years to resolve his father''s case.

    When the old case was reopened, Yu Can was found by Jian Jing because she had previously testified.

    She had to make other preparations.

    "Officer Gao, don''t you think Ji Feng is more suitable than the elusive Zhao Bin?" Jian Jing said softly. "Outsiders couldn''t imitate the crime, but he''s seen all the case files and naturally knows the details of the corpse burning. He also has a motive."

    She could easily guess Yu Can''s next move: "His biological father died because of this case, so he wants to find the real culprit. But the killer has been hiding for years. To lure him out, the best way is to kill in his name."

    On the other end of the phone, Lao Gao lost his ability to speak, his hands and feet turning cold.

    Too ruthless.

    He thought, this is just too ruthless.

    "The living can defend themselves, the dead cannot," she said. In the distance, under the night sky, the abandoned thermal power nt loomed like a giant beast lurking in the abyss, ready to devour any unwee guests. "If it were me, I would die there, beating the killer to death."

    Jian Jing stepped on the brake and got out of the car.

    "I''ve arrived at the location, the old thermal power nt in Peace City. You guys cane now," she said, pausing slightly. "Officer Gao."

    Lao Gao swallowed hard, suddenly nervous: "What?"

    "Don''t bete." She smiled and added, "But don''te too early either."

    Silence.

    "That''s it, I''m hanging up." Jian Jing ended the call and gazed at the explosion marks not far away. She could still smell the acrid scent of gunpowder particles suspended in the air, making her want to sneeze.

    She turned on the night vision function of her sses, thinking, Yu Can, you''d better have been caught already.

    *

    12 minutes ago, Ji Feng had found Cai Xin.

    Yu Can thought that the thermal power nt was big, with many rooms, making it difficult to find someone. He was terribly wrong. Bringing someone in from outside, it was impossible not to leave any traces.

    Abandoned ces have the most dust, which also means the most obvious clues.

    Ji Feng used the small shlight on his keychain, shining it on the dusty floor, and quickly found the remaining footprints.

    There was only one pair, size over 40.

    This made Ji Feng feel something was off. He sped up, following the trail of clues deeper into the nt, finally stopping at the boiler room.

    Cai Xin was on the floor.

    She was unconscious, with a bomb strapped to her body as well.

    Ji Feng observed from the shadows for a moment, not seeing any trace of Yu Can, while the timer on the bomb showed only 8 minutes left.

    He had no other choice.

    Bomb disposal was a required course for counter-terrorism specialists, but not for criminal investigation majors. Fortunately, when Ji Feng was in school, he wasn''t yet a corporate ve like now, had plenty of time, and took quite a few electives, including this one.

    His grades were good, well, to brag a little, they were excellent.

    It''s just that in all the years since graduation, he never had a chance to put it into practice, so he wasn''t sure if he was rusty.

    Let''s hope our luck holds out, he thought.

    Ji Feng used his key to unscrew the cover, exposing the internal structure.

    It was homemade, not tooplex in structure, still within the realm of solvable problems.

    He let out a genuine sigh of relief, dividing his attention between monitoring the environment and focusing on dismantling the circuitry.

    For the first five minutes, he worked very slowly, triple-checking every step, afraid that he had forgotten everything he had learned. But as he progressed, muscle memory kicked in.

    One by one,ponents were removed and carefully set aside. The core wasn''t the explosive, but the timing chip. He had to be extremely careful in cutting the circuits to ensure it wouldn''t detonate.

    Beep, beep, beep.

    The countdown timer kept beeping incessantly, inexplicably irritating.

    But Ji Feng didn''t make a single mistake. He disyed rare patience and meticulousness, his hands not shaking at all.

    "Click."

    The thin wire was cut, and the countdown suddenly stopped.

    Ji Feng quickly removed the dangerous explosive material, hoisted the unconscious Cai Xin onto his back, and prepared to evacuate immediately.

    At that moment, he noticed blood on the ground.

    Cai Xin had a wound on her forehead, not deep, with a scab formed, as if she had identally hit something.

    But don''t forget, there was only one set of footprints on the way in, proving that she wasn''t tricked here by Yu Can, but was carried in while unconscious.

    She couldn''t have been awake.

    Where did the bloode from?

    In a sh, Ji Feng understood everything.

 Chapter 404

    "It seems you''ve figured it all out," Yu Can appeared on the second floor of the boiler room, where there was a small window that allowed her to observe the situation below.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The space was vast and silent, amplifying even the smallest sound. She asked, "Do you think you still have a chance to turn the tables?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng chuckled.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If his guess was correct, this ce would soon be an inferno. The police would find two charred bodies, perhaps distinguishable as male and female, but the high temperature would destroy the DNA, making it impossible to confirm their identities. They would have to search the scene for clues.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What would they find?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Shoesrger than size 40, belonging to a tall man, like him; a pool of blood that would perfectly match the hair found in Yu Can''s home.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    So, the deceased would be him and "Yu Can."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His fingerprints were left on the bombponents he had just disarmed, and Yu Can was a "weak woman." It wouldn''t make sense to say she had taken him hostage and they both perished together.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Conversely, if he imed Yu Can was the culpritˇŞtraces of his afternoon investigation were still at the police stationˇŞit would be reasonable to assume she killed the suspect to avenge her father.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    And if the n seeded, Yu Can would be dead, and the case would be closed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This script was well-written, he thought to himself. It was intricately plotted, rivaling even Teacher Jian''s work.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But he couldn''t ept such an ending.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It''s one thing if you want to kill me, but don''t you have any feelings for Cai Xin?" Ji Feng said. "How about this: say I was responsible for her kidnapping, and let her go."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can found this both amusing and surprising. "At this point, you''re still trying to save someone?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng replied, "The child is innocent."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can suddenly became alert, and her head disappeared from the small window.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Then, the sound of cans ttering to the ground could be heard from outside, and the smell of gasoline wafted through the air. Yu Can''s voice came from outside, "Aren''t you going to run?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    How could he not run?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Running might mean being burned to death outside, but not running would definitely mean being burned to death inside. A dead person can''t seek justice, so even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, he had to stay alive.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng picked up Cai Xin, feeling her breath grow even fainter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    An overdose of anesthetic can be fatal, and Yu Can must have used arge dose to keep her unconscious. They needed to get her to a hospital quickly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He put Cai Xin on his back, using his jacket as a rope to tie her in ce. Instead of going through the door, he climbed directly up thedder in the boiler room.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Thisdder was for maintenance workers and led to the pipeline opening on the second floor. During coal burning,rge amounts of coal dust were transported through this opening.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    With gasoline outside the door, passing through was impossible, so he nned to escape through the pipeline.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The metaldder had long since corroded, with some welded joints already loose and shaky. Ji Feng was already heavy, and with another person on his back, theirbined weight was certainly not light. As he climbed, screws popped out with each step, causing them to sink slightly with every lost bolt.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng dared not move too slowly, fearing Yu Can would discover them, but he also couldn''t go too fast, lest they fall and suffer a terrible fate.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He climbed with trepidation. At about three meters high, a section was missing, forcing him to grip a protrusion on the nearby wall for support.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Thankfully, the police department regrly conducted physical training; otherwise, after being a desk jockey for so long, he might have had the will but not the strength.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    At a height of four to five meters, it took Ji Feng nearly half a minute to climb. His palms were pierced twice by twisted, rusty nails, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But at least they made it up.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The coal dust transport pipeline was still there, just big enough for a person to pass through. He crawled in first, then supported Cai Xin''s head and pulled her in.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    By this time, Yu Can had discovered something was amiss.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She had hoped to preserve the "crime scene" as much as possible, so she didn''t ignite the fire immediately, nning to wait until Ji Feng ran out before setting it ame.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But after more than a minute, he still hadn''te out.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can immediately knew something was wrong. She rushed in and looked, just in time to see Cai Xin''s legs disappearing into the pipeline. She immediately turned and ran towards the second floor.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He had chosen this ce as the final stage, of course not without preparation.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Before bing "Yu Can," he had worked at a thermal power nt for two years. Although it was the toughest and dirtiest job, spending every day covered in coal dust, it had given him a thorough understanding of thisrge building.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He knew where the pipeline ledˇŞto the coal grinding room.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There used to be arge machine there that ground coal into fine powder, but it was gone now. From the coal grinding room, down the stairs and left was the back door of the power nt, where coal trucks usually entered.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can didn''t want toe this far only to fail at thest step.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There was no choice, he thought, he had to end this quickly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    *<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Most of the time, Jian Jing found the system quite thoughtful.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Some cards had powerful effects but were limited to use in specific scenarios or missions, effectively preventing her from straying off course. For example, the hypnosis card she drew when dealing with Wang Shi was too useful. Even if she didn''t use it for evil purposes, wouldn''t she be tempted to use it on suspects who refused to confess, making them voluntarily admit their crimes?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It''s worth noting that many crimes initially start with the perpetrator believing they are "doing justice."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Compared to pure evil, crimesmitted in the name of justice are actually more terrifying.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, there were a few times when she wished she could use these abilities outside of missions.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Like now.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Whether it was rescuing Ji Feng or capturing Yu Can, the system never issued missions for cases unrted to her personally. So the superpowers she could use now were really limited.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If only she had x-ray vision, she could immediately locate their positions instead of running around like a headless chicken.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Where on earth did they go?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing tried hard to distinguish the footprints on the ground but couldn''t tell which ones belonged to Ji Feng, as they were all about the same size.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Perhaps the heavens heard herint, for in the quiet night sky, a gunshot rang out.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had already activated her enhanced senses card and immediately discerned the direction, sprinting with all her might.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her physical attributes were already maxed out, and while her burst speed couldn''t match Olympic sprinters, it wasn''t far off. With a leap, she shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, covering the distance in the blink of an eye.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was the original hall of the power nt, quite grand with two floors and a circr atrium in the middle. The original construction was solid, with cement and steel bars still in ce, allowing the roof to remain supported.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Dust was everywhere, and the cement pirs were covered inrge patches of white cobwebs, giving an old and dpidated appearance. Behind the doors leading to other rooms, mes were rising fiercely along the spilled gasoline, with waves of scorching air constantly billowing out, the dazzling mes making one''s eyes ache.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    When Jian Jing arrived, she witnessed a perilous scene.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng was backed against the railing, one hand gripping a girl''s wrist, the other grasping Yu Can''s hand as they struggled over a homemade hunting rifle.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Without hesitation, Jian Jing ran to the bottom of the railing and shouted, "Let go!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng immediately released Cai Xin''s wrist.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The unconscious girl fell, and Jian Jing caught her with outstretched arms.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her palm felt something wet and sticky.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was blood.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Quick, go," Ji Feng said. "She''s in critical condition."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing nced at him, thinking that a man should be able to handle a woman, and promptly ran off carrying Cai Xin. The heat from behind continuously pushed against her body, causing a fine sweat to break out on her back despite the cold winter air.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Cai Xin''s breathing was bing weaker and weaker.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing carried her to a ventted area outside, unbuttoned her sweater, and carefully listened to her heartbeat and breathing. Sensing the gravity of the situation, she immediately dialed 120 for emergency services.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She opened the car door, turned on the heater, and tried to ce Cai Xin in a spot that was both well-ventted and warm. Then she retrieved the first aid kit from the trunk, preparing to treat her wounds.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Pulling back the sweater, the blood was already half-dry, but the thermal underwear beneath was dry.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Lifting anotheryer, there was still no sign of the expected wound.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing suddenly had a realization and grabbed the first aid kit, running back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yes, the injured person wasn''t Cai Xin, it was Ji Feng.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He had emerged from the pipeline with Cai Xin, barely catching his breath when Yu Can appeared with a gun. From the sound of the gun, it was clear it was homemade, with poor uracy and impure gunpowder.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But even so, at such close range, it was enough to kill.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    With someone chasing from behind, Ji Feng couldn''t risk carrying Cai Xin on his back. In her current condition, even a graze from a stray bullet could be fatal.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He could only run while holding her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can had undergone breast augmentation surgery but hadn''t fully transitioned, so physically, he still had a man''s stamina. He quickly caught up with them, using the advantage of his firearm to suppress them from a distance.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng knew how to dodge bullets, but insiders knew that the hardest to avoid were not the direct shots, but the stray bullets flying erratically.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can''s gun was terrible, with bullets jumping chaotically when fired. One ricocheted off the wall and shot straight into Ji Feng''s lung.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Not fatal, but very troublesome.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng hoped for a quick resolution, but Yu Can, having killed so many, had excellent psychological fortitude if nothing else. He knew Ji Feng wasn''t easy to deal with, so he deliberately aimed at Cai Xin.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The railing was rotten and couldn''t bear the weight. Cai Xin was struck by Yu Can''s gun butt and nearly fell over.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Fortunately, Ji Feng was quick-witted and reached out to grab her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But this also caused his wound to be pulled, with blood foam from his lungs flowing into his trachea, filling his mouth with the taste of rust. More problematic was that lungs are responsible for air exchange, and once damaged, oxygen levels drop dramatically, affecting the body''s entire supply system.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Luckily, Jian Jing arrived.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    As soon as he let go, he could focus on dealing with Yu Can.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The two struggled over the gun for nearly 20 seconds. Yu Can hoped to reim it, while Ji Feng naturally wouldn''t give an inch. He was injured, and with blood loss and oxygen deprivation, the longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for him. So he acted decisively, using his body weight to pin down Yu Can, finally wresting the gun away.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, in closebat, the gun wasn''t very useful. But if he backed away to use it, theplex terrain here was more familiar to Yu Can, making escape all too easy.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    So after consideration, Ji Feng decisively abandoned the gun, tossing it down to the floor below.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The mes below were now out of control, desperately licking upwards. Waves of heat rushed up, and the air was thick with smoke. Oxygen levels plummeted asrge amounts of burning particles entered the airways, clogging them.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This was the most lethal danger in a fire.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Cough, cough, cough." Ji Feng was already oxygen-deprived, and with the thick smoke, he couldn''t control his body''s instinctive reaction. He coughed incessantly, relying solely on willpower to keep Yu Can subdued.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Controlled by Ji Feng, Yu Can felt his lungs burning with every breath. The more oxygen-deprived he became, the more he wanted to breathe deeply, unable to resist.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I... I''ll..." he said brokenly, "surrender. I don''t... don''t want to die..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng didn''t want to drag things out either. He habitually felt for handcuffs in his pocket, but finding none, he had to use his belt as a substitute, binding their wrists together. "Let''s go."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Both men tried to keep low, covering their mouths and noses as they stumbled down the stairs.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Smoke above, mes below, the ground floor was no better. Bright fire surrounded them, making it difficult to discern directions.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "This way," Yu Can, more familiar with theyout, led him into a small side room with a fire door that could block most of the mes when closed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng''s vision alternated between bright orange light and near-total darkness, but he dared not show any weakness, trying his best to slow his breathing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The old fire door slowly closed, suddenly reducing the heat.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Almost simultaneously, Yu Can pulled out a knife hidden in his clothes and stabbed it into Ji Feng''s chest.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 405

    Jian Jing wanted to return the way she came, but her path was blocked by raging mes. This misfortune turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as upon entering the fire zone, the system immediately issued an escape mission, allowing her to use the x-ray device.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Guided by the advanced technology, she quickly found Ji Feng and Yu Can.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    They both looked terrible.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can''s right arm was dislocated, hanging unnaturally, and the fingers on his left hand were twisted and deformed. He was pinned to the ground, with a fallen knife beside him.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The knife wasn''t long, with a narrow de, but it was covered in blood.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng was leaning against the wall on his side, his left hand clutching his chest to minimize blood loss. His right hand held Yu Can''s wrist behind his back, while his knee pressed firmly against Yu Can''s lower back, preventing him from getting up.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can was still struggling.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He seemed to know that Ji Feng couldn''t hold out much longer, constantly arching his back. But each struggle inevitably consumed a great deal of energy and tore at his vital wounds.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing drew her gun and aimed it at Yu Can''s head. "Get up."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Don''t," Ji Feng said, each word causing his lungs and heart to tremble with pain. "I''ve already... he can''t resist... don''t..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Police can''t shoot at criminals who have already been subdued.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing couldn''t use force against a dangerous individual who no longer had the ability to resist.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This wouldn''t qualify as self-defense; if not handled carefully, it could be considered manughter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said, "Take... cough... him away."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing red at him, walked over, and lifted the first aid kit, smashing it against Yu Can''s head.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The impact to the back of his head immediately made him dizzy and disoriented. Hey motionless on the ground, stunned.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    On the other side of the fire door, the intense mes were already beginning to warp the metal.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing hoisted Ji Feng onto her back and retreated as quickly as possible. Blood soaked her clothes, sticking mmily to her skin, with warm streams flowing down her spine.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She had never run so fast before. Upon reaching the outside, she immediately set him down and took out a tourniquet to bandage him.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng said, "Didn''t hit... vital organs... Yu Can, bring him out."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Wouldn''t it be better to let him die in there?" she asked angrily.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He smiled, "People can... run... there''s... a back door."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Death was eptable, escape was not.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing roughly stuffed gauze into his wound. Seeing the blood flow significantly decrease, she ran back inside, filled with fury. As expected, Yu Can hadn''t given up hope and was staggering towards the exit, supporting himself against the wall.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She didn''t bother with words, picking up a stone she found and aiming at his legs.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Yu Can was hit in the back of his knees and stumbled to the ground.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Thick smoke was approaching, and the old fire door could no longer hold. Bright mes were constantly pushing outward.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    To be honest, Jian Jing hesitated for a moment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wouldn''t it be better to let him die in the fire?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Those people he had killed, those lives wasted, those victims whose lives had ended for no reason - wouldn''t it be good to let him experience their pain?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But in the end, she didn''t do it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She understood why Ji Feng had stopped her from shooting.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    -- Don''t be someone who takes lives in the name of justice.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This wasn''t for some lofty reason, not for the greatness of thew or the justice of due process. These things, while correct, were too broad and abstract.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The real reason was simple.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Legal judgment can remove personal guilt.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    To date, Jian Jing had sent countless criminals to prison, some of whom had already been executed. But she never cared about their deaths; if she heard about it, she might even curse, saying they deserved it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But for those who died by her own hands... even for heinous criminals like Wang Shi or Qi Tian, no matter how much she tried to convince herself they deserved it, the moment she acted, the scar remained forever in her heart.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Don''t add more burdens to yourself.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If you can avoid killing someone, don''t kill them.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing took a deep breath, grabbed Yu Can by the cor, and dragged him out of the raging fire, throwing him heavily onto the snowy ground.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The snow had already fallen so heavily.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the depths of night, everything was a vast expanse of white.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing rushed to Ji Feng''s side; he had already closed his eyes. She quickly went over and patted his face. "Hey, you can''t... Ji Feng?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    At that moment, her intuition had already told her what had happened, but Jian Jingpletely ignored it, reaching out to feel his neck.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There was no pulse.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    --<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    90 seconds earlier.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng watched Jian Jing disappear into the fire zone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It''s strange, isn''t it? Due tock of oxygen, the brain''s processing speed for information slowed down considerably. The scenes he saw couldn''t be transmitted to his brain; all he could see were shadows and stars.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But he knew clearly that Jian Jing had left.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He let out a sigh of relief.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    With that sigh, his tightly held spirit instantly dispersed, his consciousness plunging rapidly, falling all the way to the bottom of the abyss.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng had experienced severe injuries twice before. He knew that when a person first receives an injury, losing consciousness isn''t necessarily a bad thing. It proves that the body is protecting itself, discarding unnecessary functions and concentrating all its energy on maintaining life.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But he had held on, preventing his body from protecting itself. He had fought with Yu Can, escaped from the fire, subdued Yu Can, and even tricked Jian Jing into leaving.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The potential of life had been exhausted, like a snowball that had grown toorge, now impossible to stop.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    So, even though he knew it didn''t matter if she didn''t go after Yu Can, that he couldn''t run far, Ji Feng still used this excuse to send Jian Jing away.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Otherwise, should he let her watch him die?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What was the point?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He had no intention of dying in the arms of his loved one, nor did he want to leave behind words of regret for the living.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Don''t be sad for me, it''s not worth it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    --<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    10 secondster, at this very moment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing immediately began emergency treatment, but as soon as she pried open his hand, she suddenly fell silent.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    You can''t perform CPR on an external chest wound.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Should she draw a medical card to treat him? There was nothing here, and even if she could draw a special card, with such massive blood loss, where would she find blood bags for transfusion?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But now his heart had stopped beating. She couldn''t just do nothing, could she?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, deciding to clear his airway and try to make an incision in his trachea.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There was a surgical de in the first aid kit.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She located the trachea and carefully cut a small slit to allow air into the lungs.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But after one or two seconds, she remembered that he probably had more than just the chest wound from the sharp object. After checking, she confirmed that there was also a gunshot wound on his back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Judging from the position, it was in the lung.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    And it wasn''t a through-and-through wound; the bullet was still in his lung.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing hadn''t felt such a strong sense of despair in a long time, but she held back her emotions, maximized herposure card, and thought calmly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the worst-case scenario, Ji Feng had stopped breathing as soon as she entered, which was now over two minutes ago.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If she could perform CPR, there might still be hope to save him, but now with his lung injury and obstructed airway, there was no way to proceed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The only way... the only...<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She took a deep breath, trying not to overthink, and took out the root from her storage space.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This wasn''t the root that Qi Tian had sacrificed on the World Cruise Liner -- back on the fishing boat, she had held a knife to the throat of the 3Q chairman''s daughter with one hand, and with the other, lit a lighter and burned the root to ashes right in front of them, grinding the bones to dust.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A monster born from eating living humans shouldn''t continue to exist.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But back in Twilight Town, Qi Tian, disguised as little Frank, had cut off a section of the root and tricked Jian Jing into eating it. She had pretended to consume it but actually threw it into her storage space, never dealing with it since.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Taking it out now, the effect of the identification card from back then was still active.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Name: Giant Tree Root (Dormant)]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Identification: This is a root from what locals call the Giant Tree. It possesses powerful vitality, with animal flesh and blood being its best nutrients. It has extremely high regenerative abilities and cannot be fully ssified as a nt. It fears fire and can have a significant impact on the human body. The source is currently undetermined.]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Note: Has extremely high research value, further exploration rmended]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "System, how can I use this?" she asked. "Preferably without side effects and something that can be terminated at any time."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After several seconds, the system finally said: [Abnormal item, not rmended for host use]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Then tell me, how can I save a person?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    System: [... Spend 100 Courage Points to draw a ** card]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Thank you, draw the card."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    System: [Host''s Courage Points insufficient. Forced card draw will deduct all Courage Points. When Courage Points are negative, a Punishment Instance will be triggered]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "It doesn''t matter, draw the card."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [** Card drawing in progress]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Drawingplete]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Name: ** Card - Nutrient Solution (1/1)]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Description: Can provide arge amount of nutrients in a short time. Effectsts for 3 minutes. After the time limit, the user/object will rapidly die]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    [Note: Always use as directed, not rmended for human consumption]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Honestly, Jian Jing sometimes felt that the system might not only have operations in this world.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But regardless of its origins, after years of interaction, she had developed a certain level of trust in the system and decided to give it a try.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She applied the nutrient solution to the root.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Then, the finger-sized root began to grow slowly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Unlike the explosive growth on the cruise ship, this root grew slowly and robustly, like a thriving seedling, thick, shiny, and moist, reminiscent of tropical rainforest leaves saturated with water, giving the impression of particrly pleasing growth.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But this was precisely what made it wrong.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Newborn babies are always bumping into things, easily ufortable here and there, extremely fragile. But wouldn''t it be frightening if someone''s baby was born plump and sturdy, resistant to falls, epting all food without fussiness, never getting diarrhea, rolling over at three months, sitting up at six months, and speaking English within half a year?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This root was just like that, growing too well, making one''s skin crawl.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing cautiously gripped its base, letting the thinner end fall onto Ji Feng''s wound.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The tip of the root probed the damaged flesh, seemingly realizing this was a body highly suitable for parasitism. Its vigor immediately surged, swiftly and deftly burrowing into the skin and flesh, repairing the damaged organs.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing stared intently at its movements.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Previously, she had been too focused on resenting Qi Tian for cheating, and hadn''t paid close attention to it. Now, looking again, she made a different discovery: the root was unexpectedly "intelligent". It initially started repairing the wound on the skin, but quickly realized this organ wasn''t the most important.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The heart and lungs were crucial.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    So, it immediately changed direction and began repairing the damaged arteries and ventricles.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This process was very simr to surgery. The root branched into fments finer than hair, diligently weaving between blood vessels and muscles, mending the broken parts.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The rate of blood loss slowed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing took off her jacket and covered his torso, trying to prevent heat loss. She even lit the red and white lighter and ced it nearby as a makeshift heat source.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But his breathing still hadn''t resumed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She began to feel anxious, uncontrobly speaking: "Can you do it or not? Take a breath!" Feeling her tone wasn''t urgent or stern enough, she tried to provoke him, "Yun Yun is dating someone!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Of course, there was still no reaction.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What did he care about most? What could awaken his will to live?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Your house is going to be demolished! You''ll bepensated millions!" she tempted.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He remained unmoved.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Wake up! There''s a case! The boss wants you to work overtime!" she said.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His hand was as cold as ice.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Taking annual leave?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Only the sound of whistling wind could be heard.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She thought, surely you haven''t really worked yourself to exhaustion and decided to take a permanent holiday from now on, have you?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 406

    The cold wind howled, blowing mes that lit up the night sky in a golden hue.

    Jian Jing heard the "woo-woo" siren of an ambnce.

    "The ambnce is here," she said immediately. "Hang on a little longer."

    She wasn''t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt the pulse under her fingers flutter slightly.

    Jian Jing persisted.

    "The closest is a private hospital," she said. "I''ll have the ambnce take you there, and you''ll be in surgery within five minutes. The doctors are definitely the best, charging ten thousand yuan per operation. Expensive, right? If you die, it''ll be a waste of money. I''ll cover it for you at most, but I absolutely won''t pay for it."

    "WooˇŞwooˇŞwooˇŞ"

    The ambnce siren grew closer, and the speed of the root''s repair began to slow. The thick, sturdy branches quickly became fragile and rough, like yellowing autumn grass that would snap with any force.

    Jian Jing said softly: "You''ve finally found the culprit. You have to give Zhang Peiru an answer, and tell your father that everything has been resolved."

    After a moment''s thought, she added, "It''s almost New Year''s. Don''t you want your year-end bonus? To buy a new house... a new car!"

    The roots disintegrated in her palm, turning into charred carbon. The cold wind blew it away like a wisp of ck smoke, like a lingering ghost.

    Jian Jing waved her hand, dispersing the oddly scented smoke.

    She racked her brains, thinking of what else could rouse a person who had given up.

    When Lao Gao jumped out of the police car, this was the scene he saw.

    mes licked the sky, melting the falling snowkes. Jian Jing''s car was running, with someone lying inside. He called for the doctor to hurry over, while he jogged to Jian Jing''s side, hearing her say: "Assembly time! Dinner''s ready! It''s raining, bring in theundry!"

    He drew a sharp breath, his hair standing on end, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

    His throat tightened as he forced out each word: "Teacher Jian?"

    "He''s not breathing," Jian Jing said calmly. "Where''s the doctor? Where''s the venttor?" Seeing the doctor prepare to save Yu Can, she interrupted rudely, "Don''t bother with him, he deserves to die. Save him!"

    Lao Gao rushed over to pull people away.

    Don''t me him for being biased; everyone knows how to choose between a criminal and a colleague.

    The doctor quickly examined Ji Feng''s wounds and sighed in relief: "It''s okay, the heart was missed by half an inch."

    Jian Jing thought: It wasn''t missed, I just fixed it.

    Looking at the lungs, the doctor said: "There''s blood in the lungs. Gunshot?" He quickly called for a stretcher. "What happened to his face? Smoke?"

    Jian Jing: "Yes."

    The doctor inhaled sharply. Cardiopulmonary injury, excessive blood loss, respiratory tract filled with smokeˇŞthis was life-threatening. He shouted: "Hurry, get him to the hospital!"

    A group of people frantically lifted him onto the ambnce, attaching blood pressure monitors and ECG machines. The machine''s readings were much clearer than feeling for a pulseˇŞhis heartbeat was almost non-existent, his blood pressure dangerously low.

    Lao Gao''s heart turned to ice. He couldn''t help telling the doctor: "He''s still young, unmarried, no kids. His parents are gone, he just has a sister in school. You must save him."

    The doctor''s face was grave as he called the hospital, asking them to prepare for surgery, especially blood smaˇŞthe blood loss was severe.

    Jian Jing felt ufortable all over.

    Lao Gao noticed her restlessness and tried tofort her: "Teacher Jian, it''ll be alright."

    Jian Jing nced at him, thought for a moment, then rushed to the driver''s seat: "Move over, I''ll drive!"

    The driver: "I''m already going as fast as I can."

    "Let me do it," she said. "You''re too slow."

    The driver thought she was being irrational, as family members sometimes are, and didn''t want to argue. But Jian Jing, seeing the area was sparsely popted with wide roads, actually yanked the driver away and sat down herself.

    "Are you crazy?!" The driver, inexplicably shoved into the passenger seat, was furious.

    Jian Jing ignored him, fastened her seatbelt, and called out: "Everyone hold on tight!" Then, she floored the elerator.

    The ambnce shot forward like a bullet.

    The hospital-hired ambnce drivers'' skills were neither too good nor too bad, but Jian Jing was different. Her driving skills were average, but her reaction speed was top-notch.

    She pushed the speed to the maximum, ignoring traffic lights. She paid no attention to other vehicles on the road. She squeezed through any gap she saw, dodged other cars, relying entirely on instinct enhanced by her heightened senses.

    She didn''t think about how to drive, her eyes fixed solely on the road ahead.

    Jian Jing thought, I won''t just sit and wait for the result. Any chance to improve the odds, I won''t let it slip by.

    Even ten seconds earlier would be good, a minute would be better. Three minutes, five minutesˇŞmaybe the oue would bepletely different.

    The speed was so high that the vehicle began to float.

    Lao Gao held onto the gurney for dear life, sitting on the floor, his stomach churning, but he held on and shouted: "Teacher Jian, drive without worry, everything''s fine back here."

    Jian Jing didn''t hear a word.

    At this moment, she felt like she was ying a driving game. All she saw were the car and the road, nothing else mattered. In her hands, the bulky ambnce became an agile fat man, dodging through traffic that couldn''t move out of the way in time, squeezing through narrow gaps, taking any avable route, turning corners without slowing down, barreling through in the blink of an eye.

    Although other drivers were startled, they were prepared for the approaching siren. No idents urred, at most some grumbling: "Driving so fast, must be serious."

    More drivers, upon hearing the siren, voluntarily stopped to make way.

    For various reasons, what should have been a ten-minute drive waspressed by Jian Jing into just over six minutes.

    The ambnce stopped at the emergency entrance. Doctors and nurses were all waiting there. Before the vehicle had fully stopped, they were ready to take the patient into surgery.

    Jian Jing watched as they wheeled Ji Feng into the operating room, feeling empty inside.

    His life was now in others'' hands; she could do nothing more.

    She felt very dissatisfied.

    It wasn''t that she couldn''t enter the operating room that bothered her, but rather looking back, she felt she had many opportunities that she had wasted.

    The first time she went, why did she save Cai Xin? She should have dealt with Yu Can first.

    Without thatst stab, the situation wouldn''t have been so dire.

    Jian Jing thought this way, but she also knew that if she had dyed any longer, Cai Xin might have died. The fire scene was alreadycking oxygen; even a healthy person would have suffocated, let alone her.

    Ji Feng''s decision was true to himself and his profession.

    Jian Jing couldn''t me him, so she could only me herself for not handling Yu Can sooner.

    The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

    Meanwhile, Lao Gao sent Ji Feng into surgery, then called colleagues to watch Yu Can, and asked the leader how to handle Cai XinˇŞit was good that she didn''t die, but with her stepmother being the culprit and in the hospital, it would be troublesome to deal with.

    After finishing, he quietly adjusted his mindset, preparing tofort Jian Jing.

    Thank heavens, Teacher Jian wasn''t crying.

    Her face was dark, but she tried to speak gently to someone on the phone: "He''s still in emergency treatment, we don''t know the result yet. Yes,e over, take a taxi."

    Lao Gao tentatively asked: "Did you tell Yunyun? Can she handle it?"

    "She''s all we have left, she has to handle it whether she can or not," Jian Jing said. "It''ll be fine, don''t underestimate her."

    Indeed, it was so.

    Ji Yunyun arrived with her schoolbag, fully prepared: "Teacher Jian, I''ve brought all the cards from home. Where do I pay?" She added, "Is there anywhere I need to sign?"

    Jian Jing said: "I''ve already paid for everything. Wait here with me."

    She nodded, thoughtfully ran to the convenience store outside, bought two cups of hot coffee, and urged her to drink: "It''s too cold here, drinking something hot will make you feel better."

    Jian Jing epted it and took a sip. It was instant coffee, not very tasty, but she finished it.

    Ji Yunyun did the same, forcing herself to drink it like medicine.

    Then, clutching the paper cup, she asked: "Can you tell me what exactly happened?"

    Jian Jing said: "Sure."

    She started with the case from 2002, talked about Li Xiaonuan''s death in 2007, Wu Honglin being suspected and then dying suddenly, Zhang Peiru mistakenly believing the police were inactive and killing Ji Liming, who was in charge of the case.

    Ten yearster, Zhang Peiru was released from prison, Liu Jian received a letter, and Ji Feng reopened the investigation.

    Yu Can surfaced.

    Knowing the case had been reopened and fearing discovery, she repeated her old tactics, killing Shi Zhaozhao, disguising herself as Cai Xin, then using hostages and bombs to force Ji Feng to go to the power nt voluntarily.

    Then, she framed others.

    The story was long, and it took Jian Jing two hours to finish telling it.

    Ji Yunyun had been listening very attentively. When it was over, she said, "Was I really childish before?"

    Without waiting for Jian Jing to answer, she continued confessing to herself: "I always thought being a police officer was great. When my dad passed away, I have a vague memory of many uncles and auntsing over, hugging me and saying that my dad was a great man, and that I should be proud of him. I was too young to understand and thought this was something good, so I set my heart on being that glorious too."

    The more she thought about it, the more upset she became: "Maybe for my brother, he''d rather not have this kind of glory if it meant our dad could still be alive. I didn''t understand before, but now..."

    Now she understood.

    If Ji Feng died, what good would honors do? What difference would a grand funeral make?

    A person can nevere back.

    "My brother doesn''t want me to be a police officer. I''ll never mention it again," she said, sniffling and choking up.

    Jian Jing looked at her.

    Ji Yunyun: "?"

    Jian Jing: "If you''re this sensible, what if he stops worrying about you?"

    Ji Yunyun: "!!!"

    "When hees out, you should tell him that if he dies, you''ll inherit the family business. After graduation, you''ll be a police officer and go wherever it''s most dangerous. You can''t let down your family''s reputation," Jian Jing said mischievously. "Also tell him that you''ve recently fallen in love with a married man who promised to divorce his wife for you. Tell your brother you''re waiting for this man because you feel lonely and want a family."

    Ji Yunyun: "...And then that man also has a child, so if I marry him, I''ll suddenly be a mom?"

    Jian Jing: "Exactly!"

    Ji Yunyun: =o=

    Brother, what on earth did you do to offend Teacher Jian?

    As they were chatting, the light in the operating room went off. Ji Yunyun sprang to her feet, nervously watching the doctors and nursesing out.

    "Is Ji Feng''s family here?" a nurse asked.

    Ji Yunyun''s voice cracked: "Me, I am. I''m his sister. How''s my brother?"

    The nurse said: "The surgery isplete, but he''s not out of danger yet. He needs to go to the ICU. Go pay the bill, and the doctor wille talk to you in a bit."

    Ji Yunyun: "Okay, okay."

    She bustled about, while Jian Jing was now free and followed her all the way to the ICU entrance. The nurse at the door said they couldn''t go in, and she didn''t insist.

    There was no point in going in anyway. From now on, it all depended on him.

    Will you survive? Jian Jing wondered. Do you really have nothing tying you to this world?

    Ji Yunyun came back after paying the bill. Seeing Jian Jing still there, she hesitated before saying, "Teacher Jian, it''s veryte. Why don''t you go home first? I can handle things here."

    Jian Jing nodded: "Call me if anything happens."

    Ji Yunyun also said: "Don''t worry, I can manage."

    Only then did Jian Jing go home. Knight rushed over to lick her face, but she pushed him away: "Busy, go y by yourself."

    Knight: QAQ

    But Jian Jing really wasn''t in the mood to y with the dog.

    She was exhausted. After a quick shower, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

    Her sleep was light, and she seemed to see many people and hear many screams, but upon waking, she forgot it allpletely.

    Jian Jing hugged her nket, sitting on the bed for a very long time, then got up to get ready and took a taxi to the notary office.

    She paid the fee and requested to have her will notarized.

 Chapter 407

    Jian Jing had already decided on the contents of her will.

    She had no rtives or spouse, so it was very simple:

    1. After her death, all copyrights to her works would go to Kang Mu Cheng.

    2. Her book collection, manuscripts, and dog would be entrusted to Jiang BaiYan.

    3. Her assets, including houses, stocks, and funds, would be managed by Kang Mu Cheng, with the proceeds used to establish a mystery novelpetition.

    4. Her sses, watch, and lighter would be left to Ji Feng, provided he was still alive. If not, they would be ced in her urn for burial.

    5. Herputer was not to be opened, and all hard drives and memory cards were to be burned.

    6. Jewelry and watches would be given to female friends, and other personal items could be taken by friends who wanted them.

    7. She wished to be buried next to her parents, and when Knight (her dog) died, it could also have a nearby burial plot.

    Everything was so simple.

    Jian Jing felt as if she had be more rxed.

    Looking at the system panel, there was a big red warning:

    [Punishment task countdown: 54:35:09]

    The system had given her three days.

    How considerate.

    In reality, she didn''t have that much to do.

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, then went to the hospital for a look. The patient hadn''t woken up yet, and many colleagues hade, each stuffing red envelopes into Ji Yunyun''s hands.

    She didn''t go up, instead turning to go shopping at the mall.

    The scariest thing in the world is when a person is gone, but their money hasn''t been spent.

    Hurry up and spend a little.

    Buy a few new season clothes and bags, even if they won''t be used, the act of shopping itself is joyful. Then go to the nail salon for a New Year''s manicure, get a hair treatment, and finish with a spa day at the beauty salon.

    The next day, take Knight to the park to y frisbee, and when tired, go to the pet groomer for a bath and trim.

    After that, it was just in time to go to Kang''s house for dinner.

    Kang Mu Cheng had no idea what she had been doing during this time, and talked about the new book: "There''s been an inquiry about a manga adaptation. Would you like it to be an anime?"

    Usually, Jian Jing would get a headache when he talked about work, but at this moment, these troubles seemed endearing: "I thought it would be for film or TV?"

    "Manga adaptations are popr now too," Kang Mu Cheng said. "Want to sell?"

    She said, "I''ve only written one book."

    Kang Mu Cheng smiled: "It''s cheaper to act quickly. If we wait, I''m afraid they won''t be able to afford itter."

    Jian Jing thought for a moment, but still said, "I haven''t thought about it, let''s talk about itter." Fearing he would see through her, she deliberately added, "Can''t we discuss it after the New Year?"

    With only a few days left until the New Year, anything could be postponed until after.

    Kang Mu Cheng immediately epted her reason and changed the subject: "How do you n to spend this year?"

    "Eating hotpot and sleeping at home," she said without originality.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Yingjie invited us to Africa, want to go?"

    Jian Jing blinked: "To see lions?"

    "I don''t think you''d want to go hunting," he said. "The Nile, pyramids, diamonds."

    She said: "I don''t want to go." Racking her brain for an excuse, "It''s too dirty..."

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "I thought you might want to cruise on the Nile."

    "And then someone really dies," Jian Jing joked. "Forget it, you guys have a peaceful New Year. Wait until I graduate and then you can take me traveling."

    This July, she should be graduating with her master''s degree.

    Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Where do you want to go?"

    "I haven''t thought about it, we can ask Brother Yingjie when the timees," she said. "How has he beentely?"

    Kang Mu Cheng calmly replied: "He''s doing well, has a new girlfriend."

    Jian Jing made an "oh" sound: "That''s good."

    Yang Xiao had been dead for a long time, and Yao Yao was in prison reflecting on her mistakes. No matter how much pain and tears, time would slowly heal andfort. It took Si Yingjie three years to walk out of his grief, which wasn''t too long or too short. It was time to start a new life.

    If she couldn''te back... Jian Jing''s thought arose and was quickly suppressed.

    On the third day, she took Knight to Jiang BaiYan''s studio.

    They hadn''t started their holiday yet and were busy with Spring Festival G promotions.

    Jiang BaiYan was going to perform on stage again this year, but instead of aedy skit, he was going to sing. He had been practicing behind closed doors recently.

    As soon as Jian Jing entered, she let Knight go and picked up Pudding from the shelf, petting the cat: "Pudding, did you miss me?"

    Pudding: "Meow~"

    "Jing Jing~" The owner used the same tone,ing out of the practice room to greet her, "Why did youe by yourself? If you needed something, you could have called me, I would havee over."

    Jian Jing said: "Just came to y."

    "Have a seat." Jiang BaiYan called out, "Hey, you, go down to the coffee shop and buy some snacks. Jing Jing, would you like a Spanishtte? It tastes pretty good."

    She nodded.

    Jiang BaiYan then showed her around the newly built sunroom. Even in the dead of winter, the green nts inside were growing exceptionally well, lush and pleasing to the eye.

    Although Jian Jing didn''t understand feng shui, anyone who saw such a scene would naturally think: the studio must be thriving.

    "Did you have someone look at this ce?" she asked curiously.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Yes..."

    He actually didn''t really believe in fate or feng shui, but many people in the industry did, so he went along with it, having masters look at the feng shui and do fortune-telling, asionally visiting temples to burn incense and make donations.

    Then, for some reason, his career had indeed developed well over the past two years, so the superstitious became even more superstitious...

    "I keep cats, and now everyone''s starting to keep cats," Jiang BaiYanmented. "But my Pudding has been neutered, and he''s more interested in cat toys than female cats. I really regret it."

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but smile.

    After chatting idly for a while, he finally asked: "Jing Jing, did youe to see me for something?"

    "I n to seclude myself to write The Demon Doctor 4 over the New Year," Jian Jing said, using her prepared excuse. "There''s no one at Kang''s house for the holiday, so I was hoping you could help me take care of Knight."

    Jiang BaiYan agreed immediately: "Sure." Then he tentatively asked, "Do you want me to bring you meals every day?"

    Jian Jing: "The hotel will deliver meals."

    She was a member of a five-star hotel, not from staying there, but from ordering food. Previously, she just ordered takeout, but after doing it frequently, it became a meal subscription.

    During the New Year period, the hotel would be responsible for her five meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, andte-night snack. Regr meals included two meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, one soup, one dessert, and one fruit. Both Chinese and Western options were avable, and she could order the day before. Hotpot and barbecue were also options.

    If she weren''t toozy to clean herself, she wouldn''t even need the housekeeper toe.

    Jiang BaiYan was immediately disappointed but didn''t say anything: "Don''t worry, leave Knight to me. He can keep Puddingpany."

    The assistant bought coffee, and Jian Jing had afternoon tea with everyone. Jiang BaiYan dragged it out until evening, naturally inviting her to have dinner together.

    Considering the cats and dogs, they chose to have barbecue.

    Knight ate until his belly was round,pletely satisfied. Jian Jing patted his head: "Be good these few days, and get along well with everyone, okay?"

    The German Shepherd wagged his tail and licked her hand.

    Jian Jing: "Exercise more, don''t get as fat as Pudding who has to go to school to lose weight."

    Knight: "Woof!" Very spirited.

    She smiled.

    Finally, she went to the hospital one more time.

    The nurse allowed her to visit for ten minutes.

    Jian Jing didn''t use that much time.

    She walked into the ward and said to Ji Feng: "If I die, you..." You what?

    In the ICU, various machines beeped, like a symphony of life.

    So Jian Jing swallowed the rest of her words and patted the nket: "I hope we can both survive."

    Then she left.

    In the evening, she chatted on WeChat while taking a bath.

    She was chatting with several people at once, though all were girls.

    Zuo Xin said: [I broke up with my boyfriend]

    Background: In the second half ofst year, unable to resist her family''s urging, she went on a blind date with a civil servant they had arranged. The guy was quite handsome and from a well-off family, but as they spent time together, problems arose.

    Zuo Xin wanted to date for two years before getting married ("I''m only 24, and I''m supposed to get married and have kids?" she had eximed incredulously on the phone), but the man wanted to get married this year and have a baby in the second half of the year.

    Unable to reach an agreement, they broke up.

    Zuo Xin: [He thought his conditions were so great that if I didn''t stay with him, no one would want me. Pah! It''s better we broke up. I don''t want my future life to be all about family and kids. That would drive me crazy!!]

    Jian Jing: [Agreed]

    Fei Na (Professor Lao''s daughter, a Southeast Asian animal conservationist) said: [Chen and I are in China. We''re in Yunnan and nning to get married next month. Come if you can]

    Jian Jing sent a red envelope in advance, saying: [I''ll see about work arrangements. Here''s my wedding gift first]

    In the crime-solving sisters'' group chat.

    Liang Yi: [@Jian Jing, how is Ji Feng doing? Is he bedridden?]

    Jian Jing: [ICU]

    Ya Nan: [Is it serious?]

    Jian Jing: [Yes]

    Liang Yi: [Shall we go visit her tomorrow? Are youing?]

    Jian Jing: [I''ve already been, I won''t go again]

    ...

    Skipping the writers'' group.

    Skipping the ssmates'' group.

    Lao Gao: [Teacher Jian, let me update you on Yu Can''s situation. His real name is Yu Yao, he''s the second child in the family. He had an older sister named Yu Can whom he killed, and a younger sister who married and moved away but is still in contact. We collected his hair samples and confirmed that the unidentified charred body from November 2nd is rted to him, but not the one from November 8th. Once he regains consciousness, we should be able to rify the identity of thest victim.]

    Jian Jing: [He''s not dead?]

    Lao Gao: [The wicked live long, he still wants to live]

    Jian Jing: [What about Cai Xin?]

    Lao Gao: [She was resuscitated, it was a close call. The doctor said the anesthetic levels in her body were dangerously high, a little longer and she wouldn''t have made it. Thanks to you]

    Jian Jing: [d she''s okay]

    It wasn''t until after eleven at night that she turned off her phone andy down on the bed, still fully clothed.

    [System: Punishment task officially begins]

    [System: All cards are forbidden during the task period]

    [Task Name: Punishment ? Mystery of Death]

    [Description: You were killed, find the murderer]

    [Time Limit: 3 days]

    Jian Jing''s consciousness sank to the bottom of the sea.

    It was an extremely peculiar sensation, floating on the sea, feeling both the buoyancy of the water and gravity''s pull on the body.

    Sinking deeper and deeper, for an unknown time, the seawater formed a vortex with a hollow center.

    She fell through, then suddenly sprang up from the bed.

    "Scattered moonlight pierces through the clouds, hiding from the crowd, spreading like scales on the sea, waves dampen the white dress, trying to push you back..." Her phone was ying music.

    Jian Jing blinked slowly, her gaze falling on the phone beside her pillow. It was the rm, showing 7:00 AM. Morning light seeped through the gaps in the curtains, casting a faint golden glow on the floor.

    She looked around.

    A room of about twenty square meters, a wardrobe, a desk, a chair.

    On the desk were a notebook and some textbooks, a coat and bag hung on the chair, the back of the bedroom door was covered with various items, and behind it was a simple shoe rack stuffed with several pairs of shoes.

    Opening the wardrobe, there was a mirror inside.

    Reflected in it was a 23-year-old girl with long ck hair, fair skin, slight dark circles under her eyes, a thin frame, arms and legspletelycking muscle definition.

    Jian Jing''s emotions were veryplex.

    She was familiar with the self she saw before her, because this was her "true self."

    She had returned to her own world.

    In fact, the moment she saw the punishment task, she had a premonition, but didn''t expect it to be exactly like this.

    She was back.

    ncing at the date on her phone, May 5th. That confirmed it, she died on May 8th, perfectly aligning with the task''s time limit.

    The task required finding the killer.

    This wouldn''t be easy.

    Jian Jing died at their hands, and she didn''t even know who they were.

    Three days left, take it slow. She thought calmly, rather than investigating, she needed to go to school for work first.

    In this world, she was a proud member of the teaching profession. Originally, ording to her parents'' n, she should be teaching while going on blind dates, getting engaged this year, married next year, and having a baby the year after.

    Just like Zuo Xin.

    But Jian Jing, who hadn''t rebelled since her failed childhood attempt to run away from home, finally exploded after being forced into numerous blind dates.

    She moved out of her family home, rented a ce near the school, with the attitude of "push me further and I won''te home," finally getting some breathing room.

    However, her former self was still too sweet.

 Chapter 408

    Peace City Affiliated Middle School.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was an ordinary day. Boarding students had finished their morning exercises and were preparing for self-study. Day students were hurriedly cycling through the school gates. Teachers arrived for work, some driving cars, others riding electric scooters.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The security guard at the gate greeted the teachers as usual: "Wang Teacher. Teacher Li. Teacher Zhao." Then his eyes lit up, and his tone became noticeably more eager, "Teacher Jian."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing walkedzily through the school gates.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Although her rented apartment was only a ten-minute walk from the school, less than 1000 meters away, she was still tired.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After not working for several years, getting up early to clock in again made her feel utterly hopeless.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Hearing someone call her name, she merely smiled, not wanting to speak at all.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The security guard didn''t mind and concernedly said, "Teacher Jian, did you not sleep well? Do you have sses this morning?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Yes."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Then try to take a nap before ss starts."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She ambled away slowly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The security guard turned to his colleague and said, "Teacher Jian seems to be in a bad mood today?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Ah, it must be because of Teacher Jin''s situation," the other guard replied with a gossipy look. "It''s caused such amotion..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The two exchanged knowing nces.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was lost in thought all the way, constantly pondering who might want to kill her. As she entered the office and met her colleagues'' gazes, she suddenly had her first suspect.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Teacher Jian," a friendly female teacher asked with concern, "you don''t look well. Did you not sleep well?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She nodded.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The female teacher nced at the male teacher sitting in the far corner and hesitantly asked, "So, you and Teacher Jin..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing smiled, surveying the young man who was tidying up his teaching materials.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She had graduated with a degree in Chinese literature and taught Chinese. Everyone in the office was a Chinese teacher. Teacher Jin was one of only two male teachers in the high school Chinese department. He was refined and fair-skinned, with parents who were a civil servant and a retired state-owned enterprise employee, respectively. His family was well-off.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A man with such credentials was highly sought after in the marriage market.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Since the first half ofst year, Teacher Jin had been introduced to many excellent young women. After being picky for a long time, he finally found a girl who met his requirements.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the second half of the year, Jian Jing signed on at this school.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Compared to her parallel universe counterpart who was a bestselling author, Jian Jing as an ordinary teacher was undoubtedly more... how should one put it, attainable in the eyes of men.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her family background was ordinary, her origins unremarkable. Apart from a pretty face, she wasn''t particrly outstanding in any other way.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    As a result, many men had their eyes on her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Teacher Jin was one of them.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His girlfriend had good credentials - she had studied abroad and her father was also a civil servant. The only drawback was that she wasn''t very pretty. And men, being the creatures they are, want both a father-inw who can save them ten years of hard work and a beautiful girl.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Teacher Jin himself had decent qualifications and supportive parents, so he wasn''t particrly desperate for a father-inw''s advancement. Therefore, between a capable but not-so-pretty girlfriend and the beautiful but ordinary Jian Jing, he chose thetter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Well, if that were all, it might have been fine. But the problem was that he didn''t break up with his girlfriend before pursuing Jian Jing. Instead, he was maintaining a rtionship with his girlfriend while also flirting with Jian Jing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The Jian Jing of that time was... rather "gentle".<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She had no interest in Teacher Jin, but out of consideration for maintaining a cordial work rtionship, she would always respond with a word or two whenever he spoke to her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In his girlfriend''s eyes, this looked like mutual affection!<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She became furious and stormed into the school, causing a scene.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Everyone found out about it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Could the girlfriend... be the one who wanted to kill her?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing nced at Teacher Jin and smiled slightly, "Teacher Jin, my phone is out of battery. Could I borrow yours? I need to make a call."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After falling out with his girlfriend, Teacher Jin had been nning to pursue Jian Jing anyway. Hearing this request, how could he refuse? He coolly handed over histest iPhone model, saying, "I''ll go check on my ss."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing took the phone and pretended to dial a number.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But as soon as he left, she immediately found his girlfriend''s number.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The other party answered, fuming, "Jin, don''t even think about me forgiving you. I want to break up."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said, "Hello, Miss Chen, this is Jian Jing."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Miss Chen became cautious, "What do you mean by this?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Nothing much," she replied. "I just wanted to tell you that I''ve never been interested in Teacher Jin. This man, he might look refined and proper, but as a teacher, he doesn''t act like one at all. He''s only willing to speak to students from well-off families,pletely ignoring those from poorer backgrounds. He follows a bunch of inte celebrities online, and they call him ''brother''. Who knows if there''s anything inappropriate going on."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The office fell silent.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing continued, "Your visit yesterday really helped me out. When I tell him ''I''m not free,'' he never seems to understand. Now it''s much better. I should really thank you. How about I treat you to dinner tonight?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    On the other end of the line, Miss Chen struggled to speak for a while before saying, "That''s not necessary -- you really have nothing going on with him?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Teacher Jin is right in front of me now," Jian Jing said, looking at the man standing at the office door with an incredulous expression. She smiled slightly and said, "Would I dare to say such things if I was going to contradict myself? Isn''t that right, Teacher Jin? After my sincere words, you won''t bother me anymore, will you?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Teacher Jin''s face turned ashen, "Who''s throwing themselves at who is yet to be seen. Who do you think you are?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said to the person on the phone, "Did you hear that?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Miss Chen remained silent.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "With a man like this, I don''t even have the interest to toy with his feelings," Jian Jing said. "I''m hanging up now."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She ended the call and tossed the phone back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her aim wasn''t great as the screen lock wasn''t on. It hit the desk with a dull thud.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Oops, my mistake," Jian Jing shrugged, turned on herputer, and tried hard to remember what she was supposed to teach today.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Teacher Jin''s face alternated between shades of green and white.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Teacher Jian, how could you say such things about Teacher Jin!" The man himself didn''t speak up, intent on maintaining his image, but it didn''t matter. In one breath, two smart individuals immediately seized upon the opportunity, using her as a sacrificial pawn.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A female teacher from the neighboring English department office stood up indignantly, "That''s such nasty talk. Don''t be so excessive!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Teacher Wang, have you set your sights on Teacher Jin now?" Jian Jing asked curiously, unfazed. "What about that PE teacher... Teacher Zhang? No luck there?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Teacher Wang was at a loss for words.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her family wasn''t well-off, so she wanted to find a husband within the system, preferably from a wealthy family. The PE teacher, Teacher Zhang, came from money, and she had been pursuing him before. But that was new money from relocationpensation, not as "noble" as Teacher Jin''s family background.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Teacher Jin''s face darkened even more.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing looked at him and asked, "Teacher Jin, am I being excessive?" She leaned back in her office chair and asked nonchntly, "Do you want to kill me?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You''re crazy," Teacher Jin cursed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said, "Indeed, you don''t have the guts for that."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Miss Chen didn''t seem likely either.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    When she had called to test the waters earlier, Miss Chen''s immediate response was about "breaking up," not "cut ties with that woman," proving that she clearly understood the root of the problem was the man himself, not Jian Jing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She also didn''t say things like "you''re a shameless homewrecker" or "you vixen." Even when she came to the school to make a scene yesterday, she mainly pped Teacher Jin and only indirectly criticized Jian Jing with a few words.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Even at the height of her anger, she didn''t redirect her fury towards Jian Jing, so it was unlikely she would resort to murder afterwards.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But now that she was just an ordinary teacher, if it wasn''t about romantic entanglements, what reason could there be for someone to want her dead?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Who wants to kill me?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Who dares to kill me?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Who can kill me?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She pondered these questions for an entire ss period. For the second period, she had to work.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Sigh, I hate working," Jian Jingined to her friendly female colleague. "I really hate going to work."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The female teacher handed her a piece of chocte: "Have something sweet, it''ll cheer you up."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing ate the chocte made with cocoa butter substitute and dejectedly went off to her job.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After she left, the female teacher immediately said to another colleague, "Don''t you think there''s something different about Teacher Jian?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Did she get cosmetic work done?" the female colleague asked. "I wonder which clinic, I''d like to go too."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The female teacher replied, "No, it''s just... she feelspletely different."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    To be fair, except for teachers like Wang who saw Jian Jing aspetition in the marriage market, most people had a good impression of Jian Jing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She wasn''t vain, petty, or boastful, and she didn''t take advantage of others. Her conduct clearly showed she was a decent person, so her beauty didn''t provoke resentment. In fact, the older teachers were even enthusiastic about setting her up on blind dates.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The female teacher, who also teaches Chinese literature, is quite artistic and fond of using metaphors: "Let me put it this way, Teacher Jian''s aura used to be like jade - smooth and soothing, veryfortable. Now it''s like a diamond - beautiful but sharp enough to cut."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The female colleague chuckled and winked: "Not cut, more like scratch the face."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    As Jian Jing said, no matter how good Teacher Jin''s conditions are, if there''s a w in his character, people will look down on him to some extent, as long as they''re not trying to take advantage.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Meanwhile, Jian Jing walked into the ssroom.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Teacher Jian." The students warmly weed the beautiful teacher, with a hint of gossip in the air.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing said, "We''re watching a movie today."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The unit was supposed to cover "Lin Daiyu Enters the Jia Mansion," but she wasn''t in the mood to teach, so she directly put on the 1989 TV series version, freeing her hands to browse her phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Most murders are revenge killings or crimes of passion. For the former, there really were no suspects, but for crimes of passion... she truly couldn''t be sure.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Teacher Jin wasn''t an isted case. Before him, she had already encountered many bizarre incidents. For instance, during college, there was a male student. They were in the same club, often going out together and participating in activities.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The boy thought they were dating.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was shocked: Howe she didn''t know about this?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The boy said, "I asked you out, and you always agreed."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing replied, "Those were all club activities OR ss activities."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The boy continued, "I bought you milk tea, and you didn''t refuse."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Didn''t you buy it for everyone?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The boy: "I bought it for friends because of you, didn''t I?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Is there a difference between you buying 5 yuan milk tea and the ss monitor buying 7 yuan water?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The boy: "The ss monitor is rich, you''re just after money."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Inparison, the little Jing Jing next door who became famous at a young age indeed had fewer troubles.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Getting off track here, anyway, Jian Jing couldn''t guarantee that there wasn''t some deranged man she had rejected who might decide to kill after failing to win her love.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was now just past 9 in the morning, and several chat records had already appeared on WeChat.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Mr. A: [Are you free this weekend? I''d like to invite you to watch a movie]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Scrolling through the records, they were mostly daily invitations - movies, board games, meals. Jian Jing had refused all the movie and dinner invitations, only attending a few board game sessions.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She tried to recall his identity, seemingly a teacher from another school.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    ncing at his Moments, his daily life seemed quite rich.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Mr. B: [There''s apany cocktail party tonight, want toe and join the fun?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing pondered. This man had the best conditions among all her suitors - a second-generation rich, his family definitely worth hundreds of millions. He was also capable himself, having started an intepany after returning from studying abroad.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His pursuit of Jian Jing was quite serious; it was clear he was looking for a girlfriend, not just a fling. After all, a young and beautiful female teacher, working in the system, with a clean background and simple personality, was very suitable for a serious rtionship.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing never thought that her former self was so "wife material."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She had no desire to attend any cocktail party and was about to refuse when another message popped up.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Mr. B: [There will be celebrities too]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing pondered.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She remembered attendingst time; they had invited a currently popr young actor. Her colleagues and friends all hoped she could bring back an autograph.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In this unclear situation, maintaining the status quo might be the best choice.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    So she replied: [Alright then]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 409

    After dealing with Mr. B, there was still Mr. C to handle.

    Mr. C was introduced by a rtive, the son of a wealthy businessman. He had no particr hobbies except for ying video games and was quite extravagant, always willing to buy things for girls.

    Jian Jing was forced to add him on WeChat, initially nning to delete him after a day. However, they ended up ying the same mobile game and asionally teamed up to climb the ranks.

    The man himself was indifferent about marriage and still wanted to y the field. Jian Jing thought of him as a way to appease her rtives, and they were currently half-friends at best.

    Mr. D was a WeChat contact added during a school training session to share materials. He then started forwarding various random articles from public ounts to her.

    In the past, she might have been more lenient, but now, Jian Jing immediately blocked him.

    She spent an entire ss period filtering through her social connections, yet still couldn''t figure out which acquaintance might want to kill her.

    Murder isn''t something that happens overnight.

    Unless the killer is mentally ill, they should be well aware that the price of murder is extremely high. Unless absolutely necessary, one shouldn''t take this step.

    If the killer was acting out of rage due to unrequited love, they should have done something prior to the murder. For instance, stalking her, following her, or even breaking into her home.

    Jian Jing repeatedly tried to recall if there were any such signs in her life, but the answer was: none.

    Given the number of cases she had encountered, this intuition was at least 80% reliable.

    So, was it possible that the murderous intent wasn''t in the past, but in something she would do in the next few days?

    That didn''t seem right either.

    Today was Friday, tomorrow Saturday, and the day after Sunday.

    Although she couldn''t remember exactly what she did, given her mundane daily routine, how could she possibly provoke someone to murder?

    Could it be that she was simply unlucky and stumbled upon a random killing?

    As the ss ended, Jian Jing packed up her things and left.

    The students were buzzing with gossip.

    "Teacher Jian seems to be in a bad mood today."

    "Did she break up with someone?"

    "It must be because of Teacher Jin."

    "I heard she''s the other woman."

    "Bullshit, I just went to the bathroom and overheard Teacher Jian scolding Teacher Jin," the well-informed girl immediately came to her defense, imitating Jian Jing''s tone perfectly, "She said, ''I don''t even have the interest to toy with the feelings of a man like that.''"

    The girls eximed, "Teacher Jian is so cool!"

    A boy objected, "Isn''t that wrong? How can she talk about toying with someone''s feelings?"

    The girls emphasized, "She said she doesn''t even have the interest to do so."

    They began to criticize Teacher Jin,pletely derailing the conversation.

    Meanwhile, Jian Jing opened the schoolputer, ignoring the numerous chat windows on QQ, and searched for news online.

    Random killings fall into two categories: one where the killer is mentally disturbed and goes on a stabbing spree in public, and another that she was more familiar with ¨C serial killings.

    Thetter was easy to distinguish by the method of killing.

    However, Jian Jing had died once, yet she had no idea how she had died.

    She only knew that she had been knocked unconscious, and in a hazy state, felt the de piercing her flesh. The next moment, shepletely lost consciousness.

    Was she stabbed to disguise it as a robbery, or was the killer nning to dismember her, or perhaps trying to make it look like suicide?

    Sigh, the downside of having too much experience was that she could easilye up with countless possibilities.

    After searching for a while, she found two police announcements worth considering.

    Five days ago, police discovered a drowned female body by the river, identity unknown, and were seeking information from the public.

    Such unidentified bodies were also troublesome for killers to investigate, as it was impossible to rule out the victim''s social connections.

    Three days ago, a woman was found stabbed in her home, fortunately discovered by neighbors in time and sent to the hospital for treatment. The police considered her boyfriend a prime suspect and were currently in hot pursuit.

    Jian Jing searched further.

    Nothing more.

    Yes, nothing more.

    This peaceful city was truly peaceful. Most police announcements were about subway upskirt photography, molestation on buses, or lost dogs finding their way to the police station by themselves.

    Homicides? One per month would be considered serious.

    Jian Jing closed the page, feeling strangely unustomed.

    "Teacher Jian, want to have lunch together?" a female teacher called out.

    Jian Jing replied, "Sure."

    She filled her tray with her usual portion of food.

    The female teacher was shocked: "Teacher Jian, you''re eating this much? Not dieting anymore?"

    Jian Jing retorted, "To hell with dieting."

    In fact, her previous dieting attempts were mostly just talk, a sort of social activity among women ¨C discussing which snacks had lower calories, which meals were less fattening. She never really restricted her diet intentionally.

    But now, she hadpletely abandoned the idea of healthy eating and dieting. She ate what she wanted, at most controlling her sugar intake.

    A male teacher at the next table chimed in, "Men don''t like women who are too fat, you know."

    Jian Jing scoffed, "Please, men just like pretty women." She paused, then admitted, "Women like good-looking men too."

    "Men shouldn''t just look at appearance. They should consider responsibility andmitment to family," the male teacher expressed his different opinion.

    Jian Jing retorted, "Is that your principle for choosing men?"

    The male teacher rified, "I mean for you women."

    "Oh, so you''re teaching me how to choose a man?" Jian Jing questioned, "You have experience in that?"

    The male teacher immediately backpedaled, "I was just saying. Why are you being so aggressive?"

    The female teacher, annoyed, countered, "You butted into our conversation and started lecturing..."

    She wanted to argue further, but Jian Jing pulled her back.

    This topic would never be resolved. If they couldn''t win the argument, they would just say, "No man will like you if you''re this fierce," and im a moral victory.

    So Jian Jing just raised an eyebrow and gave him a look, saying, "Is it any of your business?"

    It was strange. Earlier, she was having a pleasant conversation, and the male teacher couldn''t resist giving his unsolicited advice, acting somewhat superior. But now, as she nced at him with more white showing in her eyes than ck, making her gaze appear even more bright and beautiful, he suddenly became timid.

    Heughed awkwardly, "Oh, I was just kidding. Don''t be angry, Teacher Jian."

    The female teacher, witnessing the whole scene, felt both annoyed and amused, and had a moment of realization.

    When men encounter a beautiful woman who seems approachable, they tend to adopt a condescending attitude and try to take advantage, regardless of their own worth. But if the beauty proves to be thorny and not easily bullied, they suddenly be self-aware, realizing they''re out of their league, and turn into fawning sycophants.

    She had learned something new.

    Jian Jing ignored him, finished her lunch, and even went to the small shop to buy an ice-cold c.

    She taught another ss in the afternoon and then was called to a meeting.

    By the time the meeting ended, it was almost time for school to let out.

    Mr. B called, saying he was already at the school gate, and asked when she would be off work.

    Jian Jing said, "Right now."

    There was no evening self-study today, so she quickly packed up and left.

    At the school gate, a Lamborghini attracted the attention of many teachers and students.

    "Teacher Jian," Mr. B, oh, his name was Zhou Zisheng, waved at Jian Jing, "Over here."

    Jian Jing struggled to cross the crowded street. She missed her body with 8 points in agility, feeling indifferent to the people around her. Shemented absent-mindedly, "Parking here is a bit congested."

    "It''s fine, we''re not in a hurry," Zhou Zisheng looked at her outfit, "Is this what you''re wearing? Let me take you to buy a cocktail dress."

    Jian Jing was casually dressed in a shirt and jeans, with no makeup, relying solely on her natural beauty.

    "Aren''t you guys an intepany?" She detested the idea of wearing waist-cinching, chest-squeezing dresses for every award ceremony and firmly refused, "Isn''t wearing cocktail dresses a bit old-fashioned?"

    Zhou Zisheng was taken aback.

    Today''s party was just a casual cocktail reception, not requiring such formal attire. But by suggesting it, he was subtly trying to show off his status and position. He didn''t expect her to shut him down with one word: "old-fashioned."

    But he recovered quickly: "It''s not about being old-fashioned or not. It''s about dressing appropriately for the asion. You might not understand, given the simple environment at school."

    Jian Jing inwardly scoffed. If it weren''t for her need to investigate the source of the murderous intent, she would have gotten out of the car right then.

    Zhou Zisheng nced at her, feeling a bit unsettled. After a while, he said, "There will be quite a few people at the event today. That small-time celebrity, what''s his name... oh, Xue Zhe, he''s quite popr recently. There will be a few other friends too. Don''t worry, it''s not a business meeting, just a casual dinner and chat."

    Jian Jing mused, "Xue Zhe..." The name sounded vaguely familiar, but who was he again?

    She couldn''t recall.

    He probably wasn''t that famous then.

    The reception was held in a restaurant at a five-star hotel, decorated elegantly with flowers, champagne, and hors d''oeuvres.

    The waitstaff moving about wore ck and white uniforms and spoke politely. Soft background music yed as guests dressed casually - some in smart-casual zers and dresses, others in id shirts and khakis.

    The May weather was getting warm. As soon as Jian Jing entered, she drank a ss of ice water before observing those around her.

    Without her high-level observation card, information gathering was much slower.

    She saw: a female executive in a Chanel suit, Zhou Zisheng''s partner; a forty-something man with graying hair, reportedly an investor; a trendy young man with slicked-back hair and an expensive watch; a portly middle-aged man, unremarkable in all aspects but treated deferentially by others, who nced at Jian Jing several times; and a shy young man in a id shirt, keeping to himself in a corner while eating.

    Some broughtpanions, others came alone. With their employees, matchmaking friends, and friends of friends, it was quite lively.

    Was this where the murderous intent originated?

    Jian Jing reflected on her actionsst time.

    She disliked such gatherings and wanted to leave early, but the celebrity hadn''t arrived, so she couldn''t get an autograph and had to sit idly.

    Who would want to kill her for that? Unable to make sense of it, she decided to mingle and investigate.

    The banquet hall wasn''trge. Turning left for a drink, she overheard the investor trying to poach the female executive partner, who politely declined.

    The investor said meaningfully, "You''re so loyal to Zhou Zisheng, but he doesn''t want to make you his wife."

    "Being a partner means dividends. Being a wife doesn''t necessarily guarantee that," the executive smiled slightly.

    Turning right, she saw the portly middle-aged man asking Zhou Zisheng, "Young Zhou, won''t you introduce us?"

    Zhou Zisheng said, "This is Jian Jing, my friend. She''s here to enjoy the party."

    "Oh, what do you do, Miss Jian?" the man asked eagerly.

    Jian Jing replied, "I''m a teacher."

    "Ah, teaching is such a stable job for young women," he praised, then probed, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

    Zhou Zisheng interjected, "I''m still working on it."

    The middle-aged man said, "Young Zhou is sessful. You''d make a handsome couple." Then, seeing Zhou Zisheng engaged in conversation with others, he handed Jian Jing a business card, "Miss Jian, I''m Zhao from XX Law Firm. Feel free to call me if you need anything."

    Jian Jing asked, "What kind of cases do you handle?"

    The middle-aged man replied, "I mainly deal with civil cases."

    Jian Jing looked disappointed, "I''m only interested in criminal cases."

    Surprised, the man asked, "Why would a young woman like you be interested in such things?"

    "Personal interest," she said evasively. "I''m going to stand over there for a bit."

    Without taking his card, she walked away.

    She had just reached the window to rest when someone approached with a champagne ss, saying casually, "Lawyer Zhao is a renowned attorney in China. Most people have to pay just to meet him."

    Jian Jing replied, "My time is valuable too. I don''t want to waste it on people I''m not interested in - who are you?"

 Chapter 410

    The man who approached her was wearing trendy brands. He seemed interested in Jian Jing and asked, "You came with Zhou Zisheng, but you''re not staying with him. And when Lawyer Zhao tried to talk to you, you ignored him."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The implication was clear: Are you trying to use Zhou to catch a rich man, but then ying hard to get when one actually approaches you? What game are you ying?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had a mature strategy for dealing with this kind of situation. She simply replied, "How is that any of your business?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Just trying to chat," the trendy man said, unfazed by her coldness. "Don''t let Zhou Zisheng fool you. He probably told you he''s self-made and still needs loans for his business, right? Tsk tsk, his family is actually quite well-off."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Seeing that Jian Jing still showed little interest, he started talking about the investor: "You may not have heard his name, but you''ve definitely heard of thepanies he''s invested in."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He then rattled off the names of several big enterprises.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "He has good rtionships with many big bosses," he continued, dropping several namesmonly seen in financial magazines.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing''s curiosity was piqued for a moment. "Do you know Kang Mu Cheng?" she asked.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You mean Mr. Kang from Golden Crow? You''re aiming high, aren''t you?" The trendy man looked at her with newfound respect. Then he shared a piece of information that shocked her, "When I arrived, I saw his car. He should be in the hall upstairs. It''s not easy to catch this busy man, you''re quite lucky today..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He hinted meaningfully.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing smiled too.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She thought this man was quite capable, able to talk about all the big shots as if they were his friends. Although he misunderstood her intentions, he could be a good breakthrough point at the moment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I was just asking," Jian Jing said. She didn''t actually want to meet Kang Mu Cheng. If her mission seeded, everything would be fine; if it failed, what was the point of another meeting? Instead, she asked, "Tell me about the others. Who''s that guy in the checkered shirt?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The trendy man replied, "That''s Zhou Zisheng''s cousin. He''s just here to have fun, but his family background should be quite good too. Otherwise, Zhou Zisheng wouldn''t have brought him."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing asked, "You seem to know a lot about Zhou Zisheng?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "My cousin and he are childhood friends, so I''ve seen him quite often," the trendy man said. "He''s quite a celebrity in our social circle."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing assumed a posture of attentive listening.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The trendy man continued, "He has family background, ability, and he''s sessful on his own. Any parent would be thrilled to have a son like him - it''s like their ancestral graves are smoking with good fortune. But he has one w - he doesn''t like the blind dates arranged by his family. He prefers to chase women on his own... Let me be frank, girls from families of equal status might not be willing to put up with his temper. Those below his status are more likely to submit and y small. You should be careful-- Oops, toote, he''sing over."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He raised his ss in greeting, then turned and slipped away, leaving Jian Jing to face Zhou Zisheng.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Zhou Zisheng approached with a hint of anger.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He had brought Jian Jing here with the intention of impressing her: a high-end party, mingling elites, talks of stocks and investments... This was a worldpletely out of reach for an ordinary high school teacher. Most people would be intimidated by the material desires and dazzling luxury, developing a mix of longing and fear.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Of course, on the other hand, he also wanted to use Jian Jing''s beauty to gain some face for himself.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Inte celebrities and socialites were beautiful too, but how could theypare to a girl from a respectable family? Zhou Zisheng prided himself on being a man of taste, looking down on those packaged women.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, Jian Jing''s behavior was a p in the face.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She seemed interested in other people too.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Having fun?" Zhou Zisheng smiled.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "No, not really," she said. "I don''t want to see the celebrity anymore. Xue Zhe..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had searched for photos and now remembered who he was - wasn''t he the boy hugging a cat at the hot spring inn? Poor kid, with Xie Wei and Jiang BaiYan at the inn back then, he really didn''t leave much of an impression.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "He''s not someone I absolutely must meet," she said, scanning the other people present with a bored expression, not catching sight of anyone suspicious. Feeling annoyed, she said, "You''ve been drinking, so you don''t need to send me home. I''ll just take a taxi."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Zhou Zisheng was caught off guard by her words. He repeatedly confirmed, "You want to leave now?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Yes," she said. "I''ve seen some people leaving already."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After all, this was just a social gathering. Those who wanted towork stayed, those who didn''t left after making an appearance. It wasn''t a big deal.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Zhou Zisheng stared at her for a long moment, then sneered, "Fine, then go."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    His pride hurt, he naturally wouldn''t stoop to begging her to stay. He turned and left with a lingering anger on his face, making it clear to onlookers that they had quarreled.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The trendy man reappeared with a knowing smile. "I told you so," he said, then invited her, "Want me to introduce you to some other people?" This was clearly his intention for approaching her in the first ce.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m tired," Jian Jing waved him off. "Goodbye."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She left.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Thest time, she had also left around this time: because the party was too boring, too out of ce for her. Whatever Zhou Zisheng''s intentions were, Jian Jing felt ufortable staying and made an excuse about having a headache.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He was equally angry then, and they parted on bad terms.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, based on her observations and the trendy man''s hints, Zhou Zisheng didn''t seem like someone who wouldmit murder.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It wasn''t worth it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had more than one fish in her pond, and the women Zhou associated with surely weren''t limited to just her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It didn''t make sense.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was troubled. When she first received the mission, she had been quite confident. Although all her cards were disabled, the thinking and experience she had honed wouldn''t disappear.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She was confident she could find the killer.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But now, she didn''t even have a single suspect.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Peace City was too peaceful [doge]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She took the elevator down. After a while, someone else entered.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was Kang Mu Cheng.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing hadn''t expected to see him in this world and nced at him curiously.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Kang Mu Cheng had been drinking, his breathing a bit heavier than usual. His jacket was draped over his arm, and his expression was very serious. He nced at Jian Jing once, then took out his phone only to put it back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing didn''t speak to him either, but the corners of her lips curved slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of joy.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ding dong, their time in the elevator passed in the blink of an eye.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The elevator doors opened to reveal dazzling white light.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Kang Mu Cheng had pressed F1 earlier. Out of habit, she had followed him, forgetting to press her own floor. Now she had directly arrived at the parking lot.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Since she was already here, going back up would seem like she was deliberately following him, which would be weird.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She took a few steps towards the exit. The ring white lights, the newly painted floor, the rows of luxury cars - a memory suddenly flooded back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What a coincidence, it was the same pathst time.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The entrance to this five-star hotel was on the second floor, so F1 wasn''t actually the first floor, but the first basement level. The real first floor housed the swimming pool and gym, inessible from the outside elevator - you had to go through the back from the guest rooms.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    So when she leftst time, unaware of the situation, she had pressed F1 and ended up directly in the basement.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The underground space was empty and echoing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing walked slowly towards the exit. As she turned a corner, she suddenly saw someone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The man in the checkered shirt.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Uh, you''re..." The man in the checkered shirt recognized her and spoke first, "Why are you alone?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing nced at his open car trunk and smiled slightly, "I found it boring, so I left early. You are...?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She put on a very confused expression.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He wiped his palms and said shyly, "Zhou Zisheng is my cousin... Should I give you a ride home?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "No need, I''ll just take a taxi. It''s fine."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The young man didn''t insist further.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing walked out of the parking lot, turned the corner to the street, and hailed a taxi home.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She was in quite a good mood.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If she wasn''t mistaken, the anomaly in the cousin''s trunk was blood.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Back home, she took a shower and checked the notice about the unidentified female corpse again. There was a pixted photo, but she could vaguely make out that there were no external injuries.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The clothing photos released by the police also showed no blood stains.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Based on the norm in this world, it was likely either a drowning or a suicide by drowning. Murder was rare.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Would the man in the checkered shirt decide to kill her just because she saw the blood today?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing pondered for a moment, slowly getting a sense of the situation. She went to bed feeling satisfied.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The next day, Saturday, she woke up early and went to visit her parents.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Mr. and Mrs. Jian were startled, not knowing why she hade so early. "Is something wrong?" they asked.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m here for lunch," Jian Jing said, curled up on the sofa, casually scrolling through Weibo and her social media feeds.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian''s mother breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her shopping basket to buy some good food. Jian''s father, not yet retired, had gone to check on things at his workce that morning and had just returned home.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    During lunch, the couple brought up old topics again.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "You''re not getting any younger," Jian''s mother said. "How did it go with the ones we introduced you to earlier?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing replied bluntly, "I blocked them all."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian''s mother became anxious, "What are you doing?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Didn''t like them," she said. "From now on, don''t introduce me to unattractive men. They just irritate me to look at."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian''s father tried to persuade her, "For men, looks aren''t the most important thing. You should focus on their abilities."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Having experienced death once, Jian Jing''s attitude towards her parents hadpletely changed. She said affectionately yet firmly, "Come on, I don''t want to force myself. As for men, if one doesn''t work out, another wille along eventually. If you have no patience at all, what''s the point of even trying?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian''s mother was shocked, "Youngdy, what are you saying? What do you mean by ''trying''? Marriage is a lifelongmitment."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "To be honest," she said calmly, "stop pushing me, and stop trying to set me up. It''s useless."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian''s parents exchanged a nce, both feeling a bit uneasy.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    They tried to convince her again, "Jing Jing, we don''t have any other expectations for you. We just want you to live a safe and peaceful life. Now, while your father and I can still help, it''s better if you get married and have children soon. We can still assist in taking care of them."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing smiled and continued eating.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her parents persisted, "It''s okay if you didn''t like the ones we introduced before. We''re not trying to force you..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    As they were talking, a new message suddenly popped up on her phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing opened it. It was a group message from a female teacher: [Have you heard? They found severed hands and feet near Nanhua Residential Area...]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was followed by a blurry video showing police yellow tape cordoning off an area, with arge crowd of onlookers gathered around.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Here ites.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If it were just bloodstains, there wouldn''t be a need to kill someone, as that would make it easier to get caught.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But what if the day after stumbling upon something, a dismemberment case urred?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Interesting. This world even has dismemberment cases.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing bit her chopsticks and smiled, saying, "I''m full. I''m leaving."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her parents, who were about to suggest another blind dateˇŞafter all, wasn''t it a waste not to have one on the weekend?ˇŞhurriedly asked, "Where are you going?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Busy," Jian Jing said as she changed her shoes at the door. For some reason, she suddenly paused, turned her head and said, "Dad, Mom."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The couple responded, "Yes?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''ll take good care of myself. Don''t worry about me," she said. "I know what I''m doing and what I want to do."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing looked at her parents, at her strange yet familiar home, and smiled slightly, repeating, "Don''t worry about me."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Then, without waiting for their response, she left without looking back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 411

    Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Jian Jing''s mood was unexpectedly calm.

    She had thought that seeing her parents again would make her cry uncontrobly and rush into their arms, but reality wasn''t so sentimental.

    The moment she stepped through the front door, her heart was already soothed.

    Her parents being alive and well was all she had hoped for. As for getting along with them... honestly, that was another matter entirely.

    In the past, Jian Jing had actually been a bit afraid of going home. Her parents always wanted her to follow their path, to live a steady, ordinary life.

    But she didn''t know how to rebel, or rather, hadn''t made up her mind to rebel.

    She resisted, so she moved out, but she hadn''tpletely solved the problem, so she had no choice but to juggle rtionships with so many men on WeChat.

    However,ing home today, her mood was calm. Even if her parents brought up old issues, she didn''t find it annoying.

    Because it was all useless now.

    She already knew what kind of person she was and what kind of life she wanted. No matter what her parents said or did, they couldn''t change her mind.

    Lost in these thoughts, she arrived at her destination.

    Jian Jing paid the fare and found a high spot to squeeze into the crowd of onlookers.

    It was really crowded at the scene.

    Many self-media personalities were filming videos at the entrance of the residential area. Those shooting short videos were fine, but some were even live streaming: "Folks, in the residential area behind me, a dismembered body was discovered this morning. It''s said that the body was cut into one hundred and eight pieces..."

    Jian Jing''s mouth twitched, and for a moment she didn''t know whether to criticize the high crime rate of the parallel world or the vultures feeding on tragedy in this world.

    Fortunately, the body had already been taken away, so there was actually nothing to see at the scene.

    What was intriguing were the police searching the residential area.

    They wore gloves and masks, carefully searching every corner, revealing an obvious message: the body hadn''t beenpletely found.

    A dismemberment case.

    Jian Jing felt a chill run down her spine.

    How to put it... At first, she thought she was dealing with a crime of passion, which, although unjust, wasmon. She never imagined it would turn out to be a dismemberment case.

    Such a serious case happening in this world was more unsettling than in the parallel world, but undoubtedly, it also excited her more.

    She walked around the entrance of the residential area, getting a general idea of the situation.

    The residential area was newly built, mid to low-end, upied by tenants, with aplex mix of people. Neighbors didn''t know each other, everyone was a stranger.

    The property management was also mediocre, usually collecting garbage only once in the morning and evening - ording to the residents watching themotion. The ess control wasn''t strict either, withints about stolen packages. Advertisements were stered everywhere, for drain unclogging,puter repairs, and even some unsavory content.

    In short, anyone coulde to such a residential area and be sure not to attract attention.

    Jian Jing walked around to the back door, where the police were checking water meters.

    Dismemberment would leave a lot of blood, and washing away the traces would require water.

    Whoever''s water meter had been unusually active in the past couple of days would be a major suspect.

    "I''m sorry, you can''t enter here," a police assistant politely turned people away.

    Jian Jing nodded cooperatively: "I''m just looking around. Anyway, the killer probably isn''t in this residential area."

    Someone inside seemed to look out, and then a tall man came out.

    Jian Jing was about to leave when she saw him and was shocked as if she''d seen a ghost.

    "Are you a resident?" he asked.

    Jian Jing closed her eyes and took a deep breath: "...No."

    He sized her up, his demeanor friendly, except for his eyes which analyzed her impassively, as if pondering the reason for her presence and the purpose of her words.

    Jian Jing suppressed her urge to make a sarcasticment and deliberately baited him: "Have you found all the body parts?"

    "Why are you concerned about that?" Ji Feng of this world asked, his tone gradually bing stern, "What do you do?"

    Jian Jing nced at him and turned to leave.

    Ji Feng found her a bit strange, but there were too many people feeding on the tragedy, and he couldn''t pay attention to all of them. After memorizing her face, he went back to work.

    The water meters showed no abnormalities.

    The search area expanded to the surrounding areas.

    Two hourster, he saw her again in the park.

    Once could be a coincidence, but now that the media clearly hadn''t gotten the news yet, her appearance again was hard to ignore.

    Ji Feng''s approach was simple. First, he intimidated: "This is a crime scene, unrted personnel cannot linger." Then, pretending to be kind, he said amiably, "This isn''t a good ce to be. Why do you keeping here? Did your boss send you?"

    Jian Jing smiled and said: "I''m looking for the remaining body parts."

    Ji Feng also smiled: "Why do you think they''re here?"

    "If you don''t want a body to be found, you wouldn''t dump it in a residential area." Even in the worst residential area, there would certainly be cleaners regrly emptying the trash bins. "Since only part of it was found in Nanhua Residential Area, the rest is probably in nearby crowded ces."

    Ji Feng: "And then?"

    "I''ve seen the photos of the limbs."

    Nowadays, when people see something newsworthy, their first reaction is to take photos and upload them. Before the police arrived, someone had already taken photos of the body parts. Jian Jing, being in the system, had ess to information and it wasn''t difficult for her to find an uncensored photo.

    The body parts discovered in the morning belonged to the limbs, cut crudely but not too damaged.

    She pondered: "The killer chose these ces to dump the body, obviously hoping for quick discovery, especially prioritizing the limbs over the torso. The dismemberment might not just be for the sake of dismemberment."

    Ji Feng: "Then what was it for?"

    "Curious?" she said, "I''m not telling you."

    Ji Feng: "..." Who did this girl belong to? Her temperament was too prickly.

    He put on a serious face, half-jokingly said: "Saying all this in front of me, do you know something, or are you trying to find out something?"

    "Both, I suppose," Jian Jing said. "Can you tell me?"

    Ji Feng: "Of course not."

    She didn''t push it, carefully examining the cordoned-off crime scene, when suddenly inspired: "I''ll bet the head appearsst."

    Ji Feng: "Heh."

    He had already figured it out. This girl wasn''t filming videos for views, but probably a mystery enthusiast who couldn''t resist showing off when encountering a case.

    Jian Jing reminded him: "You should pay more attention to serial killer cases."

    Ji Fengughed, with a hint of disbelief: "Don''t watch too many American TV shows in your spare time."

    "Don''t think I''m fear-mongering," she said. "I''m next."

    Ji Feng was stunned.

    Jian Jing asked: "Want to bet?"

    Ji Feng looked at her, and with a just-in-case attitude: "Alright, shall we exchange contact information?"

    This was exactly what Jian Jing wanted. She took out her phone: "Deadline is midnight."

    Ji Feng scanned the QR code.

    What popped up wasn''t an add friend page, but a chat conversation.

    Dead silence.

    He looked at her contact name on his side: (Blind Date H) Ji

    Jian Jing looked at her contact name on his side: Chen-Middle School Teacher-Jian

    Ji Feng: Tsk.

    Lucky him, he didn''t even need to check her ID. Just asking Aunt Chen would reveal everything. The matchmaker would surely be happy to introduce her in detail.

    He nced at Jian Jing.

    Her expression was quite awful, face ashen, almost carving four words on her face: Utter. Humiliation. And. Disgrace.

    Ji Feng: "..." Is it really that bad?

    "Hiss," Jian Jing took a deep breath, suppressing her urge to kill and silence him, quickly deleted him.

    Then, as if nothing had happened, she said: "If there''s nothing else, I''ll be going now."

    Ji Feng didn''t stop her.

    "I need to make a call," he told his colleague, walking a bit further away to call Aunt Chen.

    Aunt Chen was the wife of a senior officer at the police station. The senior officer was warm-hearted and generous, often inviting juniors to his home for meals. Aunt Chen herself worked in the library of the middle school, and with her leisurely job, she had taken up a side business - matchmaking.

    Due to the couple''s social connections, they introduced people who were in civil service or public institutions, withparable conditions, and had a good reputation in their circle.

    Hearing Ji Feng actively inquiring, Aunt Chen spoke freely and extensively.

    "Teacher Jian is the most popr female teacher in our school. Every time she attends an event, several more male teachers start pursuing her. But this person, though she seems easy-going, is actually quite hard to chase. The other day, Mr. Jin from our school suffered quite a setback..."

    Aunt Chen spoke with great enthusiasm, contributing numerous pieces of gossip, and of course, also rified what Ji Feng wanted to know.

    Clean family background, parents still alive, proper conduct, and although she was surrounded by many men, it was normal given her beauty.

    Ji Feng confirmed: "She just works normally? No other... other hobbies?"

    Aunt Chen replied decisively: "I''ve inquired thoroughly. She doesn''t even go to bars."

    Ji Feng: "Thank you."

    After ending the call, he fell into deep thought.

    Although Jian Jing''s behavior earlier was quite different from the female teacher Aunt Chen described, Ji Feng felt that Aunt Chen, having been a matchmaker for so many years, should have reliable information.

    In other words, Jian Jing had a respectable job, was young and beautiful, and her biggest worry should be deciding which gentleman''s date to ept.

    There was no reason for her toe and waste the police''s time for no apparent reason.

    She said she would be next. What did that mean exactly?

    Ji Feng made a mental note.

    Throughout the afternoon, the police mobilized dozens of personnel to search for the remaining body parts in the vicinity. By five in the afternoon, they had found a total of seventeen pieces, all near the Nanhua Residential Area.

    The limbs and torso were nowplete.

    However, there was no head.

    At 8 PM, Ji Feng called Jian Jing: "Care to join me for dinner?"

    Jian Jing: "Who is this?"

    Ji Feng: "No head."

    Jian Jing: "Hmph."

    "Can we talk?" he probed.

    Jian Jing gave him an address, then said: "Buy some fried chicken. I''ll have it as ate-night snack."

    Then she hung up.

    Ji Feng was uncharacteristically perplexed. Even if he was a police officer, she shouldn''t trust him so easily, letting a mane to her ce at night. If people found out, who knows what they might say.

    So, he bought fried chicken and arrived at her building, but didn''t go up. Instead, he called and asked her toe down.

    "If I tell you toe up, juste up. What could you possibly do to me?" Jian Jing said. "I''m not crazy. Hurry up."

    As Ji Feng was still pondering her intentions, he suddenly received another phone call.

    After the call, he rushed upstairs without a second thought.

    As soon as he rang the doorbell, she immediately responded: "Come in."

    Her words were decisive and crisp, which again made Ji Feng feel something was off.

    Entering, he habitually observed the environment but didn''t notice anything obviously unusual.

    "My roommate went home for the weekend. She won''t be back today," Jian Jing said. The living room was small, with only a dining table and chairs. She casually pointed at a chair for him to sit down. "I don''t have much time, so I won''t beat around the bush."

    "Look into this person," she opened her phone and showed him a photo, pointing clearly. "His name is Zhou Zisheng. He''s a friend I met recently. This is his cousin. Last night, I went to attend a party at hispany. When I was leaving, I saw blood stains in his cousin''s car trunk."

    This straightforward speech threw Ji Feng off his rhythm.

    But he recovered quickly, saying with a mix of amusement and exasperation: "You can''t determine he did it just based on blood stains, right? I thought you had seen a body."

    "Of course. Even if it''s his car, we can''t be sure he did it," Jian Jing thought thoroughly. "Maybe he''s just a runner who disposed of the body. Anyway, as long as we can identify the victim and investigate her social connections, if they''re rted to these people, their suspicion increases, doesn''t it?"

    Ji Feng said: "We can''t confirm the victim''s identity yet."

    Jian Jing: "It''s just a matter of time. Have you found the head?"

    Ji Feng stroked his chin.

    "Let me be honest with you," she sighed and said, "I''m certain someone wants to kill me, but I can''t say with 100% certainty that it''s the perpetrator of this dismemberment case. But you must have looked into my situation. Revenge killing is impossible, and it hasn''t reached the point of a crime of passion. I''m taking a gamble that it''s this killer who wants to kill me."

 Chapter 412

    Ji Feng hesitated, "Miss Jian, you..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Yes, I like reading detective novels."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He tried again, "Could it be..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It''s definitely not an illusion."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng paused, unwilling to give up, "Why..."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Just consider it intuition."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After three quick defeats, Ji Fengpletely gave up.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He stopped asking and waited for her to speak.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, Jian Jing showed no pride in her triple victory, and was quite irritated: "You think I want to ask for your help? If I... in my current state, any adult man out there could solve my problem."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This point made her increasingly angry.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She admitted she couldn''t use cards, as those were obtained without effort, so the ban was eptable. Fortunately, while using cards, she had also been learning, so without the cards, her knowledge was just not as readily essible.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was only the physiological enhancements that she truly regretted losing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Although the cards had yed a role, her years of effort in the gym weren''t fake.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Even if she only had her own training to rely on, she shouldn''t be this helpless.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was extremely frustrated, almostshing out at Ji Feng, but she managed to hold back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She still remembered that the person before her was Ji Feng, not the one she was familiar with. If she angered him, she might not benefit from it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This realization made her both mncholic and clearheaded.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Whether it was solving cases or rtionships between men and women, all games were only fun when yed on an equal footing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had never been so eager to finish a case.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Perhaps it was because she no longer had her acting cards orposure cards, but her emotions were somewhat visible, and Ji Feng seemed to see through something.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But strangely, heforted her: "Don''t rush, take your time. What do you want me to help you with?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "First, of course, is the victim''s identity," she sighed and said, "The head can''t be found for now, but it will appear soon."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: "Oh, it''s already been found."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow: "Discoveredst night?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He nodded.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''ve got it figured out," she immediately calmed down and sat down to open the fried chicken bag. "You can go now. By tomorrow morning at thetest, you''ll know whether I''m right or not."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She was as familiar with finding people as she was with sending them away.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng quickly searched his memory, wondering if there was any chance he had known her during his school days.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The result, of course, was negative.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    If there had been such a beautiful girl at school, he would have definitely heard her name, and besides, the age didn''t match up. After much thought, he only said: "I''ll be in touch."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing nodded briefly, staring at the golden, fragrant fried chicken, lost in thought.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng closed the door and left with a mind full of questions.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The evening breeze was cool, and under the spring night, the fragrance of unknown flowers wafted over. He left as usual, but after twenty minutes, he quietly returned and circled the area.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There was a car in the corner, with someone inside, who had been there all along.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He noted down the license te and returned to the precinct to work overtime.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The next day.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The victim''s identity was confirmed. Her name was Mai Jia, a somewhat famous game streamer, or inte celebrity, with the ID MaiMai.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Once the identity was known, the rest became easier to investigate.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In this world, the crime rate was low, and such a sensational dismemberment case prompted the police to mobilize all resources for investigation after filing the case, with impressive efficiency.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    By 10 AM, Ji Feng had already obtained MaiMai''smunication records and her schedule for the past few days.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    These days, inte celebrities were all signed topanies, and MaiMai was no exception. Therefore, it wasn''t difficult to understand her schedule through her manager.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The manager said: "MaiMai was recently transitioning, so her schedule wasn''t very packed. She streamed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and weekends, with the rest of the time at her disposal."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "What did she usually do?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    For such a big case, he didn''t dare lie and told the truth.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "If she wasn''t shopping, she was out with friends," fearing the police might not understand, he exined further, "She had to share streaming ie with thepany, but whatever she earned on her own outings was all hers, so she was always quite enthusiastic about such activities."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Through WeChat chat records, a list of her friends quickly emerged.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    On Thursday night, MaiMai attended a gathering. The host was Zhang Feng, a very wealthy second-generation rich, and Thursday was his birthday, so he invited a group of friends and inte celebrities to celebrate.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    MaiMai wasn''t the only one attending the party; there were several other inte celebrities and socialites.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The police questioned them separately and quickly pieced together the guest list.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The number of people was muchrger than imagined, probably twenty to thirty, including young masters like Zhang Feng, their sycophantic followers, and of course, plenty of attractive women to liven up the atmosphere.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng didn''t find the man in the checkered shirt that Jian Jing mentionedˇŞhis name was Wang Qi, but among the guests was someone named Wang Tan, who was Wang Qi''s elder brother.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing''s ount undoubtedly became more credible.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He called her and asked if she remembered the license te number of that car.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She reported it very promptly and asked, "Do you have any suspects?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Hehe," Ji Feng kept tight-lipped, muttered a couple of vague responses, and quickly hung up.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    With the license te number, they could trace the car''s ownership.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The car was registered under Wang Qi''s name, but he hadn''t attended the party, so there was no reason to call him in. Moreover, the urgent matter at hand was to determine MaiMai''sst whereabouts.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The party took ce at Zhang Feng''s vi. MaiMai went with a friend but didn''t leave with her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The friend was also an inte celebrity, with a pointy chin and big eyes. She was very honest when facing the police and exined in a coquettish voice: "Brother Zhang is mine and MaiMai''s diamond fanˇŞthe one who gives the most donations. It was his birthday, so we definitely had to go and show our support."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In fact, anyone slightly familiar with the streaming industry would know that the rtionship between big fans and streamers is quite ambiguous.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Big fans are usually wealthy, and when they suddenly drop hundreds of thousands in gifts for a streamer, it''s certainly not just for the sound of a virtual rocket. Besides helping the streamer boost their status, it''s also a form of implicit illegal transaction.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Streamers would chat privately with big fans, video call them, and even meet in person. Whether or not inappropriate things happened, everyone had their own ideas.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    MaiMai was twenty-four this year, young and beautiful, striving hard to climb up thedder, and very eager to please big fans.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    ording to her friend, she "stuck by Brother Zhang''s side all night."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The police summoned Zhang Feng for questioning.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    At first, everyone was polite, but it was Young Master Zhang who had the big attitude, looking impatient: "Yes, MaiMai was with me that night. Thest time I saw her? I forgot, maybe in the morning."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The police politely asked him to be more respectful.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After some friendlymunication, Zhang Feng became a bit more serious and exined: The birthday party at the visted all night, but he left around 11 PM to catch the second half of another event. MaiMai went with him to his apartment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    At the apartment, they partied for a while longer (he said he sang with friends), and then did what adult men and women inevitably do.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    When he woke up in the morning, MaiMai was still asleep, and he left early because he had something to attend to.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    As for when she left and where she went, sorry, he didn''t know and wasn''t aware.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "She''s not my girlfriend," Zhang Feng said nonchntly. "Can I go now?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Of course, the police had to verify his statement.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The apartment''s parking lot had surveince cameras. Just before midnight on Friday, they captured Zhang Feng''s car. Then at 7:40 AM, he was seen walking out of the main entrance and getting into a friend''s car.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng keenly asked, "Why didn''t you drive yourself?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Zhang Feng nced at him and saidzily, "Someone threw up in my car yesterday, I didn''t want to drive it. Is that not allowed?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng smiled, "I thought you surely had more than one car."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Not all of them are there," Zhang Feng retorted. "Why are you asking this?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng remained calm: "Just asking. Are you concerned about it?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    With this response, Zhang Feng naturally didn''t dare to pursue the question further. He drummed his fingers on the armrest of the chair and asked, "Can I leave now? I''m busy, don''t waste my time."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Don''t be in a hurry, there are still some things we''d like to confirm with you," the police, of course, were unwilling to let him go.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But then, things took an unexpected turn.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Zhang Feng left at 7:40 AM, then went to a friend''s house, hanging out with a group of people until around 3 PM, after which he headed straight to the airport and spent two days out of town before returning.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Meanwhile, a sports car parked in front of the apartment building''s dash cam captured footage of MaiMai leaving at 8:10 AM.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The sports car belonged to Wang Tan.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He had also been at the apartment the previous night.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The police called him in for a talk.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wang Tan said, "I drank too muchst night and fell asleep soon after the party started. When I woke up in the morning, I was hungry, so I left quickly. I didn''t pay attention to where that girl went."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The police asked, "What about your car''s dash cam footage?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wang Tan said, "My car was parked at the entrance. I heard you were looking for that girl, so I checked if I had captured anything yesterday, and I found this quickly."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng flipped through the documents in his hand: "The dash cam started recording at 8:08. Did you start driving then?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wang Tan nodded.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Then you drove towards the main gate and happened to capture MaiMai in the sightseeing elevator?" he asked, "Why is Zhang Feng''s car parked below, and yours above?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wang Tan replied, "There are only two parking spots in the underground garage. One is upied by Zhang''s own car, and the other is borrowed by a friend. Officer, is there a problem with parking above?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng brushed it off: "Just asking."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The dash cam footage provided by Wang Tan wasplete, starting the route at 8:08 and recording until 9:45, when he arrived at his destination - Wang Tan''s father''spany.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    For the rest of the day, Wang Tan was busy at thepany, entertained his father''s business associates in the evening, and stayed at the club. Everyone could testify that he only left at 9 AM the next day.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng asked, "Was it just the three of you who went to the apartment?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Wang Tan: "There was one more."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The third person was called Tian Mo, also one of Zhang Feng''s core group. That night, he drove the others to the apartment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Tian Mo said, "I went to bed quite early that day, at 2 AM."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: "Didn''t sing karaoke?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "What karaoke." Tian Mo was surprisingly honest, "We just yed, you can guess what kind of y, but I didn''t participate. I don''t like inte celebrities."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "When did you leave?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "6 AM," Tian Mo answered, "Is there a problem?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: "So early?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He shrugged: "I''m used to it, catching flights."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Indeed, this was easy to prove. At around 7 AM, Tian Mo checked in at the airport, boarded a flight at 8 AM to Beijing,nded after 10 AM, and only returned yesterday.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In other words, all three men who were in the same room as MaiMai left the apartment earlier than her.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Thest one, Wang Tan, his dash cam captured her still alive at 8:10 AM. After that, they all had alibis.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    And from then on, MaiMai vanished without a trace.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng looked at his watch; it was already 6 PM. He thought for a moment and called Jian Jing, telling her that Wang Qi wasn''t involved.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing asked, "What about his friends and rtives?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Sharp, he thought, and said, "One of his buddies was there."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Tell me more," she said, "Don''t try to brush me off with ''can''t disclose to outsiders''. I''m not an outsider; I''m at least a witness."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng asked in return, "Why did you think earlier that the head was foundst?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Dismemberment must have a purpose, right? Does someone have an alibi?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng took out his cigarette box, thought again, and put it back, making up his mind: "All three have alibis."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He briefly exined the timeline.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She made an "Oh" sound, very calmly: "Do you have time? Let''s go to the apartment and take a look. I already know what happened, but I need to see which of the three is the murderer."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng was surprised: "Now?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I don''t have much time," she sighed, "Within 6 hours, I must know who the killer is. Tsk, want to y something exciting?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 413

    Ji Feng had been on countless blind dates, but this was the first time he encountered such a difficult girl. He said with a headache, "Miss Jian, if you have any difficulties or hidden circumstances, you can tell me. Don''t do anything foolish."

    "Foolish? You mean stupid, right?" Miss Jian had quite a temper and sneered, "If you don''t believe me, there''s nothing I can do. Suit yourself."

    Ji Feng: "Wait."

    He sighed and said rather helplessly, "The apartment, right? I''lle pick you upter."

    Jian Jing: "To check the car?"

    "Yes," Ji Feng paused and asked, "Is that okay?"

    She said, "Call me when you''re free."

    Then she hung up.

    Ji Feng hesitated for a moment, unable to tell if she had agreed or not. He could only follow his usual experience and assume that if ady doesn''t explicitly refuse, it means reluctant agreement.

    He went to the Traffic Management Office to check Wang Qi''s car.

    The office had already closed, but given the significance of the dismemberment case, he had called ahead, and they had specially arranged for someone to do the search.

    "Any results yet?" Ji Feng asked straightforwardly.

    "The 4th and 5th are done, still working on the 6th," the youngdy rubbed her eyes and tossed him a stack of documents.

    Ji Feng flipped through them.

    Zhang Feng''s birthday party was on May 4th, Thursday.

    On May 5th, Friday, Jian Jing imed to have seen the bloodstained car.

    On May 6th, body parts were discovered.

    ording to the Traffic Management Office''s surveince, on the 4th, Wang Qi''s car first appeared at 10:24, heading to the city center. Two hourster, the car left via another road and arrived at a high-end residential area, then didn''te out again.

    On the 5th at 4 PM, the car drove out from that residential area, reached the vi district, and around 5 PM, circled near Nanhua Residential Area.

    At 7 PM, the car entered the five-star hotel that Jian Jing had visited.

    "Disposing of the body..." Ji Feng muttered, forming some vague guesses in his mind.

    He took the documents and, fulfilling his promise, prepared to take Jian Jing to Zhang Feng''s apartment.

    But when he called, she said, "I''m already here."

    Ji Feng: "How did you get in?"

    The apartment where Zhang Feng lived had strict security and good privacy. Without prior registration of the license te or notification from the owner, the security guard wouldn''t let anyone in.

    Jian Jing: "I met a friend."

    Who was it? Jiang BaiYan.

    Or rather, Jiang Xun.

    At the time, she was stopped at the entrance, and the security guard politely exined that if she was a friend of a resident, she should ask the resident to notify them, otherwise they couldn''t let her in.

    Just then, a car arrived with a familiar license te. She told the security guard, "I''m a friend of Jiang Xun."

    Hearing this, the guard naturally had to ask.

    The car window rolled down, revealing a face both familiar and strange.

    Jiang Xun nced at Jian Jing and nodded, "Yes, she''s here to see me." Then he very generously opened the car door, "We''ll go in from below."

    Jian Jing got into his car.

    The window closed, and they drove into the underground parking lot.

    Jiang Xun asked curiously, "Who are you looking for?"

    "No one in particr," Jian Jing observed the environment inside theplex, "A girl has died."

    Jiang Xun: "Was she your friend?"

    "No."

    He tilted his head but didn''t ask further, parking the car, "This is as far as I can help you."

    "Thank you," she got out, also curious, "Why did you agree to help me?"

    Jiang Xun curved his lips, "It''s fun."

    Jian Jing: "..."

    Time was of the essence, so she had no time to dwell on these minor details. After wandering around theplex for a moment, she quickly understood the cause and effect.

    Ji Feng''s call came in.

    Skipping the question of how she got in, she went straight to the point, "Any results on the car?"

    Ji Feng sighed deeply. Rationally, he knew he shouldn''t disclose information to outsiders, but he still spoke.

    Wonder how many disciplinary actions I''ll face... he thought, then asked, "From what we can see now, MaiMai went to find Wang Qi after leaving here."

    "No, no," Jian Jing said, "MaiMai died between the night of the 4th and the morning of the 5th."

    Ji Feng: "Although I also think the dashcam footage is too coincidental, there''s no sign of editing or splicing in the video, and facial recognition confirms that the person who got out was indeed MaiMai."

    "Have you noticed that the elevators in this apartment building are quite interesting?"

    "You mean one internal elevator and one external elevator?"

    "Exactly."

    Jian Jing exined, "The apartment has one elevator per household, the internal elevator is right at the front door, activated by card, no surveince, and goes directly to the home''s entrance. You could say it''s almost part of the house. The external elevator is the panoramic one outside, it can reach every floor, and its exit is on the external corridor."

    After a brief pause, her tone lifted, "The design of this panoramic elevator is also very special, it''s a curved semicircle, the lower half is frosted ss, only the upper half is fully transparent. That''s why the dashcam could only capture MaiMai''s head, isn''t it?"

    MaiMai''s... head.

    Ji Feng''s scalp tingled: "Miss Jian, are you suggesting..."

    "It''s quite obvious now," Jian Jing said, "There are many reasons for dismemberment. Sometimes it''s to facilitate the transportation of a body, sometimes it''s to conceal the identity of the deceased, and sometimes... it''s to hide a leaf in the forest."

    Her tone was calm: "If they wanted to conceal identity, the body parts wouldn''t be so intact. For transporting the body, it doesn''t seem like there was an absolute necessity to do this. To cover up the murder weapon? There''s no indication of that. I couldn''t have confirmed their purpose so quickly, if only they weren''t so greedy."

    At this point, she even let out a light chuckle.

    "MaiMai died by early morning at thetest, then was quickly dismembered. Her head was made up to conceal the state of death. Then someone took her head, positioned it just right to be visible in the transparent part of the ss, allowing the dashcam to capture it. This way, it appeared as if MaiMai had left the apartment around 8 AM, and then disappeared."

    "Based on the timeline of the three men, only Wang Qi could have aplished this. On the night of the 4th, Wang Qi came to the apartment with the other three men, but they concealed his presence. After pretending to be MaiMai leaving, he returned to the apartment and moved the remaining body parts to the car downstairs."

    "Didn''t Zhang Feng say he gave his other parking space to a friend? Check that car, it must have crossed paths with Wang Qi''s car. The body parts were transferred in the vi district, ced in Wang Qi''s car. He disposed of them on the evening of the 5th, then nonchntly attended Zhou Zisheng''s party."

    "But unfortunately, I happened to see the blood-soaked trunk."

    Jian Jing said, "However, this also proves that Wang Qi was just the one who disposed of the body, he''s not the murderer."

    Ji Feng was momentarily speechless. To be honest, he was a bit dazed, wondering why such a detective novel-like scenario was unfolding in the real world.

    But remarkably, he managed to follow her logic: "So, the murderer is either Zhang Feng, Wang Tan, or Tian Mo, or all of them were involved."

    "There must be a mastermind."

    If all three hadmitted the crime together, the system should have announced thepletion of the task, but Jian Jing hadn''t received any notification. Clearly, she had to choose one out of the three.

    ssic mode, just had to get used to it.

    However, it was impossible to deduce who the murderer was without going to the scene. It was now 8 PM, with only 4 hours left in the three-day mission time.

    Even if she convinced Ji Feng, could he convince his superiors, and could they get the prosecutor''s office to apply for a search warrant?

    It was a long shot, even with all the green lights.

    "It''s not that I want to risk my life," Jian Jing''s mood was quite good, "It''s that I''m out of time."

    Ji Feng: "What?"

    "Got any money? Add 100 yuan of credit to my phone." Sheughed briefly, "Don''t hang up, I''m entrusting my life to you."

    After saying this, she lowered the volume of the speaker, turned off the screen, and slipped the phone into the pocket of her shirt dress.

    As she turned around, a figure was standing there, seemingly looking at her in surprise: "Miss Jian?"

    "You are..." Although she didn''t have an acting card, the dim lighting meant Jian Jing didn''t need to pay special attention to her expression, just conveying surprise in her tone was enough, "That guy from Zhou Zisheng''s, um..."

    She smiled apologetically, as if unable to remember his name.

    Wang Qi said: "Cousin, my surname is Wang. What are you doing here?"

    Jian Jing frowned, looking annoyed: "A friend invited me to dinner at their ce, but got stuck in traffic. I''ve been waiting forever, even though they said they''d be here soon. What a joke~"

    Wang Qi feigned enthusiasm: "I live here too. Which floor is your friend on?"

    Jian Jing: "17th or 18th."

    Wang Qi''s eyes flickered. The 17th floor was Zhang Feng''s apartment, and this building didn''t have an 18th floor, it went straight to the 19th.

    She was lying.

    Why was she here?

    "I see. Well, would you like toe to my ce for a bit?" Wang Qi invited awkwardly, "I live here too."

    Jian Jing shook her head, firmly refusing: "No need, I''ll wait a bit longer."

    "It''s toote," he said. "It''s not safe for you to stay here alone."

    Jian Jing feigned surprise: "What''s unsafe?"

    "You don''t know yet?" Wang Qi lowered his voice. "A girl has gone missing."

    Jian Jing showed a hint of urgency: "What happened?"

    Wang Qi spoke vaguely: "She just disappeared. It hasn''t been reported in the news yet... but... well, I shouldn''t be telling this to a girl." He clumsily changed the subject, "Are you looking for Brother Liu? I know him, I can give him a call."

    "No, no need." Jian Jing hastily refused, "I''m about to leave."

    Wang Qi hesitated: "Actually..."

    She paused: "Hm?"

    "Well, you''re dating my cousin, right?" he said awkwardly. "I have something I want to show you. Uh, it''s fine if you don''t want to see it, it''s just..."

    He stammered, as if feeling guilty for not saying it, yet troubled to say it.

    Jian Jing''s curiosity was indeed piqued, and she urged: "What is it?"

    Wang Qi bit his lip and said: "Come with me." He walked away hurriedly, urging her, "This way."

    Jian Jing hesitated for a moment, then followed.

    They took the panoramic elevator.

    Her gaze flitted lightly over their reflections in the ss: Wang Qi wasn''t tall, 5''7" at most. If he bent slightly, he couldpletely hide behind the frosted ss.

    Then her gaze dropped to the floor.

    It was carpeted, a creamy white herringbone pattern, very clean, as if it had just been reced.

    "Ding dong," the elevator arrived at the 17th floor.

    She couldn''t help but curl her lips into a smile.

    Wang Qi opened the door as if he really lived here, took out disposable slippers and asked: "What would you like to drink?"

    Jian Jing declined: "No need."

    "Juice? C? Water?" Wang Qi took out canned drinks from the fridge, jokingly saying, "Don''t worry, they''re all unopened."

    Jian Jing smiled sheepishly and casually took a c.

    She surveyed the luxurious apartment. Though called an apartment, it was at least 2000 square feet, with a spacious terrace. The furniture was French-inspired, with lots of patterns and decorations, and avish wool carpet on the floor.

    Wang Qi took out his phone, smiling apologetically: "Sorry, a phone call. Make yourself at home." Then he answered and went to the terrace to talk.

    Jian Jing of course wouldn''t miss this opportunity and immediately got up to search.

    The living room was normal. Judging from the shine of the tiles, the furniture hadn''t been moved. This probably wasn''t the crime scene or where the body was dismembered.

    She nced at Wang Qi, then slipped into the bathroom.

    The guest bathroom was decoratedvishly, with shiny golden faucets shaped like angels, reminiscent of the Pce of Versailles. The floor tiles were incredibly clean, and a rich fragrance lingered in the air.

    There were few items: just a bottle of aromatherapy oil and a bottle of hand soap.

    The small porcin bathtub was delicate, cool to the touch, making her back ache faintly.

    Jian Jing ran her hand along the edge of the tub, thinking, This is where I diedst time, isn''t it?

    No wonder my back hurts so much.

 Chapter 414

    "Miss Jian?" Wang Qi appeared out of nowhere, suddenly popping up behind her. "What are you doing here?"

    Jian Jing said, "I wanted to wash my hands."

    "Oh, please go ahead." He left with a stiff expression.

    After Jian Jing finished washing her hands, Wang Qi was outside making a phone call.

    She looked down at her c, noticing the edge was very clean, with obvious smear marks on the aluminum can lid.

    Just likest time, knock her out first then make a move?

    Fine.

    She pretended to be oblivious, picking up the c and taking a couple of fake sips before frowning and putting it down.

    "I''m sorry," Wang Qi returned apologetically. "There were a few things to take care of."

    "It''s alright," Jian Jing asked cautiously, "You said you had something to show me..."

    Wang Qi: "Oh, right, wait a moment, I''ll go find it now." He hurried into the study, rummaging through drawers and cabs.

    Jian Jing didn''t miss the opportunity, tiptoeing into the master bedroom.

    The master bedroom had no fragrance, with bedding haphazardly thrown on the bed. She could see several strands of light brown long hair.

    A smile slowly appeared at the corners of her lips.

    Whether it was the real culprit''s idea or an aplice''s thought, they were clever not to clean the room spotlessly.

    It made sense - so many people saw MaiMai leave with them on the night of the 4th. This couldn''t be washed clean, so why bother? Better to say she came and left.

    Since she had been here, it was normal for there to be traces left behind.

    Daring to keep it like this proved there was likely no blood in the master bedroom, or very little.

    In other words, it wasn''t a sharp weapon injury, but blunt force trauma or death by suffocation.

    She studied the room''syout.

    The master bedroom''s decor was naturally luxurious, with exquisite ornaments on the chest of drawers. She carefully picked them up, examining each for any remaining blood traces.

    Nothing.

    Judging from the slight dust marks on the table, the ornaments hadn''t been reced.

    There was no bedsidemp on the nightstand; ambient lighting came from wall sconces, which generally couldn''t be bumped into.

    So it wasn''t blunt force trauma.

    She instinctively felt it was suffocation, for a simple reason: this was the mostmon idental death during bedroom activities. However, there were many possible ways to suffocate - strangling, choking, smothering, or even... drowning.

    The noise from the study continued, so Jian Jing turned into the master bathroom.

    Being an apartment, the master bathroom wasn''trge. Apart from the shower, bathtub, and vanity, there wasn''t much space left. The floor tiles were rtively clean, but upon closer inspection, many traces remained in the corners and edges.

    Hair, water stains, lipstick - it felt as if it had been hastily cleaned.

    The bathtub was small, too cramped for a couple''s bath unless they really pushed MaiMai''s head underwater for fun.

    Jian Jing closed her eyes to think for a moment, then walked over to check the bathtub faucet.

    It was set to cold water.

    She looked at the bathtub drain, where some pink grainy particles had umted, likely residue from a bath bomb or bath salts.

    Crouching down, she peered at the floor drain outside.

    It was rtively clean, with no simr colored particles or tangled hair found.

    However, the shower drain still had several strands of light brown long hair wrapped around it.

    MaiMai had taken a shower; the bathtub probably hadn''t been used on the 4th. Otherwise, if things had gotten so intense, water would have sshed out, leaving simr particles on the floor tiles.

    Ruling out drowning, she could basically determine that the crime scene was in the master bedroom.

    Jian Jing frowned in thought.

    The four-piece bedding set was all silk, a very precious material that easily wrinkles. Although there were subtle creases on the pillows and cushions, they weren''t obvious, clearly unused. The bed sheet, however, was wrinkled, looking as if it had endured a very intense activity.

    What was the murder weapon? Who did it?

    Without realizing it, the noise from the study had diminished.

    She immediately came to her senses, seeing it was toote to return to the living room. She sat down on the spot, her body leaning softly against the wall, as if unconscious.

    "Miss Jian." Wang Qi walked over, gently calling her name.

    Jian Jing''s eyelids moved slightly, as if she still had some residual consciousness, but that was it. She couldn''t open her eyes, her body twitching slightly,pletely drained of strength.

    Wang Qi breathed a sigh of relief and made a phone call.

    "Brother, she''s already passed out. When will you get here?" he said in a low voice, "Okay, I''ll wait for you guys."

    After hanging up, he went out to rummage for something again.

    Jian Jing quickly took out her phone, saw the call was still ongoing, and swiftly slid it under the bed.

    Wang Qi came in holding a coil of rope and began tying her up.

    As he worked, he said, "Although it''s a bit unfair to cousin, he said you two didn''t have any other rtionship... Who told you to see and show up here? Haven''t you heard curiosity killed the cat?"

    Jian Jing, of course, couldn''t answer him.

    Wang Qi finished tying her hands and feet behind her back, then suddenly remembered something and searched her pockets.

    Nothing.

    He paused, muttering, "Where''s the phone?"

    Just as he was puzzling over this, footsteps came from outside, apanied by a cautious voice: "Where is she?"

    "Brother." Wang Qi left her and went to greet him, asking, "Just you? Where''s Brother Zhang?"

    "The police are watching him," Wang Tan''s tone was peculiar. "Someone died at his ce, and he was part of his party. He can''t shake off suspicion for now."

    Wang Qi said uneasily, "Maybe we should leave it alone. If we''re found out..."

    "You think I don''t want to?" Wang Tan said irritably, "If we could be like Old Tian, knowing nothing and just giving a statement out of brotherhood, who''d want to be involved? But I''m already in this mess."

    He sighed, saying anxiously, "Enough of that. Did you find what I asked you to look for?"

    Wang Qi said, "The tie? Didn''t see it. I''ve searched everywhere, even under the bed."

    "I knew it," Wang Tan''s voice rose slightly, his tone worsening. "He must have taken it."

    Wang Qi was surprised: "Brother Zhang?"

    "Old Tian wasn''t involved, he doesn''t want to offend either of us, so saying he knows nothing is enough. I''m part of this, it''s not a big deal but not small either. If he sells me out, he might get off scot-free by redeeming himself. He can''t risk it."

    Wang Tan was quite frank with his brother: "If he wants to guard against me, he''d definitely need to hold onto some evidence. The tie that killed her was mine. If ites out, there''s no way to exin it away."

    Wang Qi lowered his voice: "Brother, helping to deal with a body isn''t a big deal, but if you... there''s no going back."

    "It''s toote now," Wang Tan said calmly. "Actually, this might not be a bad thing."

    He coldly looked at the unconscious Jian Jing, slowly saying, "Think about it. If only one person dies, we''d definitely be the prime suspects. But this woman, apart from you having a tenuous connection, we don''t know her at all. No matter how they investigate, they won''t suspect us."

    Wang Qi drew in a sharp breath: "Brother, you mean..."

    "Make her end up like that woman," Wang Tan said. "You leave now, find a ce to stay. I''ll dispose of the body in thete night, giving you an alibi."

    Wang Qi licked his lips: "Are we... really doing this?"

    Wang Tan said fiercely: "There''s no time to consider. If we don''t give the police something else to focus on, they''ll definitely keep investigating us." He walked around the living room, picking up a crystal statue. "We''ll use this. I''ll hide itter too. This way, we all have leverage, and no one will dare to talk."

    He urged his brother: "Go quickly. I''ll wait for you for an hour."

    Seeing his brother had made up his mind, Wang Qi didn''t say more: "Alright, brother. Be careful."

    Wang Tan nodded.

    After his brother left, the room fell silent again.

    Jian Jing felt Wang Tan approach, searching her body, confirming she showed no signs of consciousness. Only then did he pick her up entirely, cing her in the bathtub of the guest bathroom.

    Her neck rested ufortably on the edge, her back against the cold white porcin, chills creeping into her clothes.

    She sensed Wang Tan''s hand pause at her cor for a moment, as if contemting whether to replicate the sexual act on her body as well.

    But her feet were bound by rope; to do anything, he''d have to undo the restraints.

    Wang Tan hesitated. Although Jian Jing was beautiful with an outstanding aura, tempting to pass up, someone like him valued his life more.

    Women, well, if he didn''t take her this time, there would be other chances. He tried to convince himself, but his hand still moved indecently towards her chest, wanting to take advantage.

    But the moment he touched her, a sudden pain shot through his wrist.

    Blood seeped out, the pain excruciating. Wang Tan was startled and looked closely.

    Jian Jing slowly sat up, holding a folding knife, smiling at him. "So you killed me," she said. "It was you."

    Wang Tan''s heart pounded violently, instinctively reacting by trying to strangle her neck.

    "If I were you..." she struggled to avoid the attack of an adult man, painfully prying at his fingers, "I''d run... the police... areing..."

    Wang Tan: "What?"

    Jian Jing spoke haltingly: "I... I called the police."

    "Impossible," he denied, "If the police were watching anyone, it''d be Zhang Feng."

    "He''s... the killer... isn''t he?" She swung out a folding knife, but he grabbed her wrist, though this gave her a chance to catch her breath. "You were there too, strangled her with a tie, ying... ying a game?"

    Wang Tan''s face darkened: "You heard everything?"

    Jian Jing stalled for time: "Want to know where the tie is?" She looked outside. "The best way to hide something is to put it in the most easily overlooked ce."

    Her original body was too weak.

    So weak that being choked by one hand of a man left her gasping for air.

    "The biggest thing... in the living room..." She stared at the magnificent crystal chandelier above. "That thing."

    Wang Tan''s expression changed abruptly, clearly struggling internally: should he find the tie to clear himself, or silence her once and for all?

    The safest option was, of course, the first one.

    He released Jian Jing and went back out to search for the tie on the chandelier.

    Almost simultaneously, Jian Jing cut the rope on her ankles, rushed into the master bedroom, and locked the door.

    Shey down, reaching for her phone.

    However, when she turned on the screen, she saw the phone had shut down...

    Jian Jing nearly fainted.

    It wasn''t that she was criticizing Apple, but was this battery life reasonable? How long was the call that it drained the batterypletely? Or did the phone overheat and shut down automatically?

    Regardless of which it was, she had to prepare for the worst - if Ji Feng didn''t have enough evidence, could he obtain an arrest warrant? Probably not.

    New sounds came from outside the door.

    She pressed the power button hard, hoping to force the phone to turn on.

    The screen gradually brightened.

    "Tan? What are you doing?" Zhang Feng asked in surprise from the living room.

    Wang Tan was equally surprised: "How did you get here?"

    "Got a ride from a friend and slipped out," Zhang Feng said with a hint of pride. "The police still think I''m lurking around the vi."

    His voice faded in and out: "Didn''t you say someone was investigating us? What about that girl, have you dealt with her?"

    Wang Tan hadn''t found his tie and realized Jian Jing had tricked him. He gritted his teeth: "She''s in there."

    Zhang Feng was more cold-blooded and decisive: "Let''s finish her off. You do it this time?"

    As soon as the boot-up animation finished, without time to scroll through contacts, Jian Jing immediately dialed 110.

    "Bang!" They were breaking down the door.

    Her mind raced, and without answering the dispatcher''s questions, she loudly said on her own: "Yes, Zhang Feng is the killer, Wang Tan is the aplice. The cause of death was strangtion, the murder weapon was a tie. They were probably ying a game with her, one in front and one behind, and ended up strangling her. Then they dismembered the body in the guest bathroom bathtub..."

    "The head was the main focus, using it to create an alibi. Wang Qi was responsible for disposing of the body, there should still be traces of the victim''s blood in his car, you can check that."

    Outside, there was sudden silence.

    She continued: "You must hurry, call the prosecutor''s office for an arrest warrant. Don''t you have a good rtionship with someone there? They already know about me, what if they escape? Forget about flights! They can leave the country directly by private jet, just go to any visa-free ce. There aren''t many flight routeste at night... Hurry! Yes! It must be now!!"

    Wang Tan and Zhang Feng exchanged a nce, both seeing the solution in each other''s eyes.

    Silencing her was no longer useful, it would only waste time.

    While the police procedures weren''tplete, they should leave the country immediately, then find a way to stay abroad.

    The two men wasted no more time and turned to leave.

 Chapter 415

    The killing intent outside the door subsided, and Jian Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    She collected her thoughts and said to the police dispatcher: "Ry what I just said to Ji Feng at the Criminal Investigation Unit. Tell them to coordinate with traffic police to set up roadblocks on the main roads to the airport as soon as possible to intercept them. Remember what I said - Zhang Feng and Wang Tan are the murderers in the dismemberment case."

    The dispatcher: "Wait, wait, you''re... no, the Criminal Investigation Unit, right?"

    "Yes." She unlocked the door. Outside was empty - they had already fled.

    Her phone disyed a low battery warning.

    "My phone''s dying. That''s all," she said, taking a deep breath. Finally, she added, "Call an ambnce for me."

    After giving the address, her phone shut off.

    Jian Jing stuffed it into her pocket and rushed out in pursuit.

    They had taken the internal elevator straight down. She had to use the panoramic elevator, descending floor by floor slowly. But it was truly too slow - the numbers changed one by one, and with each passing second, the chance of catching them diminished.

    "System, I''ve already reported the culprits to the police. Is the mission notplete yet?" she urged.

    [System: Missionplete. Does the host wish to exit the instance?]

    Jian Jing immediately said: "Don''t exit! Can I use cards again?"

    [System: Cards are prohibited in Punishment Instances]

    Jian Jing: "Even afterpleting the mission?"

    [System: Cards cannot be used in Punishment Instances. The host may choose to exit]

    Jian Jing didn''t want to leave. She needed to ensure the criminals were caught, especially Wang Tan.

    He had killed her before.

    How could she let him go?

    Ding dong, the elevator arrived.

    She rushed out and saw two beams of light approaching from the underground entrance.

    It was Zhang Feng and Wang Tan!

    Jian Jing found strength from somewhere. Seeing the car climbing slowly, she sprinted directly to the car door and leapt onto the hood,pletely blocking the driver''s view.

    "Are you insane?!" Zhang Feng cursed loudly, but didn''t slow down. Instead, he stomped on the elerator and sped out.

    Jian Jing clung tightly to the windshield, gripping the side mirror.

    Of course, she knew this wouldn''t stop them from leaving, but wouldn''t pedestrians find it strange to see someone on the car?

    As long as there were traffic police blocking the road, or if anyone stopped to ask questions, they wouldn''t be able to escape smoothly.

    "What do we do?" asked Wang Tan.

    Zhang Feng gritted his teeth: "Run her over. As long as we can get on the ne, everything will be fine." He nced at his friend and said, "We''re in this together now. How are your arrangementsing along?"

    Wang Tan: "My ne is at the airport, ready to leave anytime."

    "Good." Zhang Feng''s eyes shed with madness and cruelty. "Watch this."

    The gates of themunity had opened. The security guard, seeing the license te and knowing these were people he couldn''t mess with, pretended not to see anything and hid in the guard room.

    The automatic sensor detected the registered license te and smoothly opened the gate.

    The car turned and drove onto the road.

    Jian Jing felt the speed increasing. She felt like she could fly off at any moment.

    Looking at the surroundings, this was a high-end residential area. At nearly 11 PM, there were almost no pedestrians on the road.

    Just hold on a little longer.

    She told herself, gritting her teeth and not letting go.

    "Damn it, she''s persistent," Zhang Feng raged. "What''s it to you, you psycho?! Damn it, I''ll run you over! We''ve already killed one, what''s another?"

    He cursed while frantically elerating.

    Jian Jing pounded on the ss with all her might, even though she knew she couldn''t break it. She still tried to apply pressure: "Stop the car!!"

    She screamed with all her strength: "Stop the car!!!"

    The red light came on, but Zhang Feng ignored it, zooming through the intersection.

    Spots of traffic appeared ahead.

    Zhang Feng feared that once they merged onto the main road, some do-gooder might intervene. Steeling himself, he suddenly turned the steering wheel, crashing towards the guardrail.

    Jian Jing realized what he was doing and quickly let go.

    Her body rolled off, and while she wasn''t crushed against the guardrail, she wasn''t much better off.

    She had been hit hard.

    Her internal organs shook, and her ribs were definitely fractured. The pain made it difficult to breathe.

    Shey on the ground, struggling to crawl towards the adjacentne.

    Zhang Feng turned the steering wheel, reversed a few meters, then stepped on the elerator again, ruthlessly aiming to crush her body.

    Jian Jing had already reacted as quickly as possible, but this body''s agility was too low. Her brain told her body to dodge, but her body couldn''tply fast enough.

    The wheels rolled over her, and the intense pain made her lose awareness of her surroundings.

    Faintly, she seemed to hear police sirens.

    "Car ahead, stop." A traffic police motorcycle wailed its siren as it pulled alongside. "Slow down! Stop the vehicle!"

    Zhang Feng didn''t listen, flooring the elerator. The high-performance sports car instantly shot ahead a hundred meters.

    "Traffic ident on XX Avenue, hit-and-run vehicle te A74788." The officer was reporting when she suddenly saw two police cars approaching from the opposite direction.

    One pursued the luxury car. The other stopped, and someone jumped out, crouching to check on the victim: "Miss Jian?"

    "Chase them." Jian Jing pointed in the direction the vehicle had fled, blood gushing from her nose and mouth. "The murderers..."

    Ji Feng drew a sharp breath, trying to stay calm: "I heard. When the call cut off, I had already heard what Wang Tan said."

    She nodded slightly, then suddenly began vomiting blood uncontrobly.

    "Hang in there." Ji Feng searched for her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. "The ambnce will be here soon."

    Jian Jing didn''t speak.

    She saw the mission panel.

    [System: Instance countdown: 00:03:00]

    I have three minutes left in this world, she thought clearly, suddenly wanting tough.

    Actually, when she first returned, she had harbored a strange hesitation: if she could choose to stay afterpleting the mission, should she?

    Theoretically, of course.

    This was the world where she grew up, a peaceful, orderly, ordinary world.

    She was an average, ordinary girl who went through the motions of school, graduation, work - no murders, no psychopathic killers, no thrilling and exciting stories.

    She didn''t need to match wits with criminals, experience life-threatening situations, or repeatedly confront supernatural forces.

    As an ordinary person, her biggest problems were how to face her parents'' pressure to get married, how to get a raise at work, how much bride price to ask for, and whether to have children in the future.

    If she stayed in this familiar world, her life would be predictably mundane and cozy.

    Perhaps she would find a decent man, marry him, and live a life of daily routines. In her spare time, she might write novels and post them online, only to be brutally panned and lose interest, never writing again.

    Her parents would live well, and she could spend decades with them, being filial, asionally arguing, until they passed away in their seventies or eighties.

    If she hadn''t seen another possibility for the world, this wouldn''t be so bad.

    Everyone lives like this.

    The dreams of youth are just dreams. The protagonist of our teenage fantasies grows up to be a faceless background character.

    Saving the world has nothing to do with us; we''re all just mindless drones in the rat race.

    However... having seen the magnificent scenery, how could one be content with the mundane?

    I''m not content.

    She couldn''t ignore the longing in her heart.

    But her parents were still here.

    If she returned to the other world, what about her parents?

    Could they bear the pain of losing their daughter?

    Moreover, in that world, during the quiet of night or the festivity of New Year''s, when she was alone celebrating by herself, wouldn''t she miss her parents?

    She would. She really missed them, missed her ordinary parents who loved her.

    Jian Jing couldn''t bear to leave them.

    At this moment, facing death again, she felt no fear like the first time. On the contrary, she felt relieved, embracing both reluctance and guilt, finally not having to make a choice.

    "Ji Feng." When the body experiences extreme pain, the brain cuts off sensory input. She felt her limbs go numb, but her mind was incredibly lucid. "Ji Feng..."

    Ji Feng leaned down, his tone gentle: "I''m here. It''s alright, the ambnce ising soon."

    "Ha!" She burst outughing.

    This was trulyughable. Just three days ago, she had said the same words to him.

    How the tables have turned.

    It was too funny.

    "I... I want to tell you..." She grabbed his cor, speaking in fragments, "Tell my dad... my mom, you help me..."

    Her words were disjointed, but Ji Feng understood.

    He didn''t say anything about her telling her parents herself. Sometimes, people don''t get the chance to say a proper goodbye.

    "Alright, go on."

    "Don''t worry about me. I''m going to another world," she said slowly, as blood invaded her airways and her body''s functions shut down. "There, I''m a famous writer, earning lots and lots of money every year. I''m doing very well, very... Many people like me... *cough cough cough!*"

    Blood flowed continuously from her nose, asionally choking her airway. No, perhaps it was blood from her trachea, constantly gushing out of her mouth and nose, staining her face red.

    But her eyes were bright, showing that their owner was fully conscious.

    For a moment, Ji Feng almost believed that what she said wasn''t a farewell lie, but something that truly existed.

    "I have a beautiful Western-style house, and a dog, a German Shepherd named Knight..." she described life in another world. "There are often murders there, and I alwayse across murder cases, but each time, each time I catch the culprit... Being a detective is really interesting... I have friends, a boyfriend... I''ll have one, don''t worry about me. Marriage is a bit far off... maybe... *cough*"

    Her vision gradually darkened.

    She blinked hard, trying to speak more clearly: "I''m sorry, Mom and Dad. Forgive me." Tears finally spilled from her eyes. "Forgive me, I chose the life I wanted more, the days I wanted more."

    "They will forgive you," he said.

    "Really?" A sudden burst of rity came with herst moments, the previous attachment disappeared, reced by a solemn rationality. "Zhang Feng was the mastermind, but Wang Tan killed me. Don''t let him get away. No one can kill me and escape."

    Ji Feng: "Alright, I''ll remember. Wang Tan attempted murder, correct?"

    She smiled faintly.

    It was the most moving smile Ji Feng had ever seen.

    [Countdown: 00:00:09]

    She was running out of strength, closing her eyes tiredly and murmuring, "I''ll miss them... Don''t think of me... I''m really sorry, I... go back..."

    Ji Feng called to her, not letting her sleep: "Jian Jing? Jing Jing?"

    She didn''t speak again, just gazed at the night sky. On the deep blue curtain, faint clouds drifted like wisps of smoke. The moon hid behind them, its halo hazy and indistinct, as if holding back words.

    Perhaps this was thest time she''d see the moon of her homnd.

    She would never return again.

    "I regret it a little," she said. "But staying or going back, I''d regret either way."

    Ji Feng wanted to say something, but the ambnce had already arrived. The doors flung open, and two paramedics jumped out: "Where''s the injured person?"

    "Here," he quickly replied. "Please save her."

    The paramedics immediately began emergency treatment.

    However, the young girl''s face was covered in blood, and she had already stopped breathing.

    She had already gone back.

 Chapter 416

    The winter sun shone brightly, casting its warm glow on the woolen carpet by the window, filling the room with a cozy atmosphere.

    Jian Jingy sprawled on the bed, feeling sore all over as if she had been run over by a carˇŞwhich, in a sense, she had been.

    She curled up under the covers, not wanting to move.

    The knight wasn''t home, and no one was urging her to get up. As she dozed off, her consciousness slowly became fuzzy again.

    Her parents would be heartbroken if they knew she had died, wouldn''t they? Would they me her for being reckless? They certainly would. They had always wanted her to live an ordinary, stable life without taking risks or standing out.

    Yet she had gone and done something so dangerous.

    Sigh, what''s done is done. There was no point in dwelling on it now.

    Perhaps someday in the future, she would regret her choice, but at this moment, Jian Jing couldn''t deceive herselfˇŞshe truly preferred this world more.

    If only her parents were here too... Oh, never mind.

    This was fine as it was.

    Her parents sought stability, so they could remain in the original world. She craved the thrill of detective work, so she would stay in this world. Though they couldn''t see each other, everyone got what they wanted.

    Lost in her thoughts, the phone suddenly rang.

    She answered, "Hello."

    "Teacher Jian? This is Yunyun." In the sunny hospital room, with the smell of disinfectant in the air, Ji Yunyun sniffled, trying hard to contain her excitement. "I-I wanted to let you know, my brother has woken up."

    Jian Jing''s eyes flew open. "He''s awake?"

    "Yes, yes, he''s been moved to a regr ward now." Ji Yunyun asked cautiously, "Would you like to say a few words to him?"

    "Sure."

    Ji Yunyun handed the phone to Ji Feng.

    "Teacher Jian." His voice was the same as always, just a bit softer. "I''ve heard everything. Thank you."

    Jian Jing: "Huh."

    She let out a coldugh, suddenly sitting up straight, no longer feeling any pain in her waist or legs. "So you''ve survived? Very well, you bastard, let me tell you somethingˇŞour friendship is over!"

    Ji Feng''s temperature was still a bit high, and his mind was foggy. He reflexively said, "But I didn''t offend you."

    "Oh right, you didn''t offend me. I offended you, okay?" Jian Jing no longer wanted to deal with him. "Goodbye!"

    Ji Feng: "WaitˇŞ"

    Before he could finish, the line went dead. He came to his senses a bit and quickly tried to call back, only to find he''d been blocked. He checked WeChat and saw a red dot when he tried to send a message.

    "Ah." Ji Fengy back down.

    "Brother?"

    "It''s nothing," he said. "I''m going to rest for a bit. If anyonees, handle the food as you see fit. Don''t ept any red envelopes. Everyone has it tough."

    Ji Yunyun nodded, "I understand." She hesitated, then asked, "What about the money Teacher Jian paid earlier? Should I transfer it back to her?"

    Ji Feng waved his hand.

    She: "??"

    "Don''t worry about it," he saidzily. "I''ll pay her back."

    Ji Yunyun mercilessly pointed out: "She just blocked you."

    "It''s fine." The fact that she waited until he woke up to block him was already quite considerate.

    Of course, getting her to add him back wouldn''t be so easy. But they had already ovee the biggest hurdle. Things would get better from here on out.

    Ji Feng turned his head to look out the window.

    The grandson in the next bed had just started kindergarten and had brought many paper-cut window decorations yesterday. Every window had a flower pasted on it, creating a festive atmosphere for the uing Spring Festival.

    He hoped to be discharged by New Year''s Eve so he could go home for the holiday.

    Thinking about this, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

    --

    Meanwhile, Jian Jing called Kang Mu Cheng and asked him: "Where are you?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "At the airport."

    She: "I want to go to Egypt too."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    She: "I want to go too. Take me with you."

    "Alright, pack your things ande over," he sighed. "I''ll wait for you."

    Jian Jing immediately beamed with joy and quickly got up to pack her luggage.

    She threw in a few clothes, figuring she could buy more locally if needed. She didn''t bother with skincare products, nning to buy a full set at the duty-free shopter. Sunscreen was essential though, or else she''de back several shades darker.

    Packing haphazardly, she ended up with just a 24-inch suitcase.

    Unbelievable, she must have forgotten something.

    But Jian Jing couldn''t be bothered to think about it. She grabbed her suitcase and headed downstairs.

    It wasn''t tiring at all. She could even run 800 meters while carrying it. Undeniably, having a good body was incredibly important. If she had been in this state during the mission, Zhang Feng and Wang Tan would never have made it out of the apartment door.

    She''d have to keep exercising diligently to maintain this condition in the future.

    Humming a tune, she got into her car. The car air freshener emitted her favorite citrus scent.

    elerating and speeding, she arrived at the airport''s VIP lounge in just thirty minutes.

    "Little Jing Jing," Si Yingjie opened his arms to wee her. "Long time no see."

    Jian Jing smiled and hugged him: "Brother Yingjie."

    Kang Mu Cheng handed her a cup of hot coffee, asking with concern: "Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

    "No particr reason," she shrugged. "I just felt like going. Don''t you want to take me?"

    Kang Mu Cheng shook his head: "No, I want you toe."

    She smiled.

    "What did you have for breakfast?" he asked.

    "I didn''t eat anything," Jian Jing nced at the dining table and casually picked up a sandwich. "I just woke up."

    "Then don''t drink coffee," Kang Mu Cheng took the cup from her hand and reced it with a ss of hot soy milk. "Do you want to ask them for a bowl of noodles? Or wonton?"

    Jian Jing turned her head: "When do we take off?"

    "We can leave anytime. We were just waiting for you," said Si Yingjie.

    She said: "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go."

    The flight n had already been approved. Although there was a slight dy, they were soon cleared for takeoff.

    Once the ne was cruising steadily, CEO Kang prepared to catch up on sleep: "Don''t let me interrupt you young people''s chat."

    With no elders present, Jian Jing eagerly began to gossip: "Brother Yingjie, where''s your new girlfriend?"

    Si Yingjie: "We broke up."

    Jian Jing: "Why?"

    "The spark was gone," Si Yingjie said. "I have high standards when ites to feelings."

    She was curious: "What kind of feelings?"

    He considered for a moment, then admitted with regret: "First of all, she has to be beautiful."

    Amon w in men, but understandable. Women were the same. Jian Jing nodded, then suddenly asked curiously: "So do you think I''m beautiful?"

    Si Yingjie: "Uh..."

    Jian Jing narrowed her eyes and made a dangerous statement: "You know, it''s strange. We''re so close, yet Brother Yingjie has never considered me?"

    A look of horror shed across Si Yingjie''s face: "Little Jing, I''ve always thought of you as a little sister." He carefully chose his words, "You should find a young man your own age to y with. Someone like me who''s a whole generation older than you just won''t do."

    Jian Jing rested her chin on her hand, smiling at him: "Is that so?"

    Si Yingjie couldn''t take it anymore and nudged Kang Mu Cheng: "Quick, control her."

    Kang Mu Cheng raised his head helplessly and said to Jian Jing: "Stop bullying Yingjie."

    "Hmph." She got up and went over, shooing Si Yingjie away and sitting down next to Kang Mu Cheng herself. "I''m not bullying him. Can''t I just be curious?"

    She raised her chin at Si Yingjie, gesturing for him to answer her question.

    Si Yingjie raised his hands in surrender: "Let me put it this way, Little Jing. Men feel a lot of pressure being with you." He said sincerely, "Forget about cheating, I feel like you''d see right through even a small lie. But sometimes in a rtionship, you need to be a little oblivious to make it work."

    Jian Jing coldly replied: "That''s because you''re too easy to see through."

    Si Yingjie: "..."

    "What do you think?" she asked Kang Mu Cheng.

    Kang Mu Cheng thought for a moment, then said: "I don''t feel that way." He knew she was very capable now, having caught many criminals, but that made him worry even more.

    Like today.

    "Why did you suddenly change your mind?" he asked in a low voice. "Did something happen?"

    Jian Jing: "No, I just felt like going on a trip."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her, and she met his gaze nonchntly.

    "Alright." Perhaps Si Yingjie was rightˇŞsometimes in rtionships, you need to be a little oblivious. "So when do you n to submit your manuscript?"

    Jian Jing: "...Next year."

    Si Yingjie, getting his revenge, deliberately asked: "When next year?"

    Jian Jing: "Just sometime next year."

    Dealing with procrastinators, Kang Mu Cheng had more experience: "First half or second half?"

    "Uh, first half, I guess," she said sheepishly. "I''ll definitely write it. I''ll start as soon as we get back."

    He said: "I''ll let you off the hook this time."

    --

    The nended in Egypt, and Jian Jing checked into a hotel next to the pyramids. Opening the curtains, she could witness one of humanity''s greatest wonders.

    She sank into the bathtub, soaking away the fatigue from the long flight while calling Jiang BaiYan.

    "I''m sorry," she said apologetically. "I suddenly don''t feel like writing at all. I just want to go out and y."

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t mind: "I''m not ming you, Jing Jing. Everyone feels like not working sometimes."

    "I''ll bring you a gift when Ie back," Jian Jing promised. "What would you like?"

    He pretended to be angry: "Do friends need gifts when helping each other?"

    Sheughed, leaning on the edge of the bathtub: "Is Knight behaving?"

    Jiang BaiYan sent a video call request.

    She epted.

    Pudding was ying with a cat teaser toy, while Knight was chewing on arge bone.

    "Knight," she called her dog''s name.

    The German Shepherd''s ears immediately perked up, and he ran to the bedroom following the sound: "Woof!"

    "Have you missed me?" she asked. "Be good at Little Bai''s house. I''lle pick you up as soon as I get back from Egypt."

    Knight: "Woof!"

    "Good boy," she said, tapping the screen with a smile she couldn''t suppress.

    Jiang BaiYan got into bed holding Pudding and continued chatting with her: "Why are you taking a bath? Isn''t it daytime there?"

    "Don''t even mention it. My hair was covered in dust as soon as I got off the ne," she said. "I''m going to see the pyramidster, and I don''t want to look like a mess when I go."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Are you going to the Nile this time?"

    "Of course, we''ve chartered a boat," she winked. "Who knows what interesting things might happen."

    Jiang BaiYan slyly remarked: "Better not, otherwise Mr. Kang will worry again."

    Jian Jing: "...Brother Yingjie is here too, so it''s hard to say."

    Going out with Mr. Kang doesn''t necessarily mean trouble, but add Si Yingjie to the mix, and it really bes unpredictable.

    --

    Surprisingly, the Nile trip went smoothly.

    The boat had only the four of them, plus a few crew members. The scenery along the river was nice, offering views of various Egyptianndscapes. The water was rtively clear, and the misty vapors rising from it helped dispel the intense tropical heat.

    Jian Jing sat on the deck, rereading "Death on the Nile."

    Revisiting this ssic after many years, she was still impressed by the author''s ingenious plot devices, but couldn''t help feeling that love truly is murder''s bestpanion.

    Just like coffee and milk, a ssic pairing.

    Si Yingjie teased her: "Reading ''Death on the Nile'' while on a boat, ''Murder on the Orient Express'' on a train, what do you read on a ne?"

    "''The Cloud As Murder.''"

    "What about on an ind vacation?"

    "''And Then There Were None''... or if that''s too famous, ''Evil Under the Sun'' works too."

    "The North Pole?"

    "''30 Days of Night.''"

    "The South Pole?"

    "''The Thing.''"

    "Aren''t those all horror movies?" Si Yingjie was speechless.

    Jian Jing shrugged. So what if they were horror movies? It''s not like she hadn''t encountered such situations before.

    Si Yingjie decided to switch to some more everyday scenarios: "What if you''re stargazing with someone..."

    Jian Jing: "''The Tokyo Zodiac Murders.''"

    He racked his brains: "School library?"

    Jian Jing: "...''The Library Mystery''?"

    "There can''t be one for a gymnasium, right?"

    Jian Jing stared at him silently: "''The Gymnasium Mystery.''"

    Si Yingjie decided to try an adult venue: "Golf course?"

    Jian Jing looked at him with pity: "''Murder on the Links.''"

    He exploded: "Nightclub!"

    Jian Jing: "...''The Blind Spot in the Karaoke Room''?"

    Si Yingjie: "What''s that?"

    "A manga," she wanted to tell him to stop struggling. While other ssic works might choose locations leaning towards the "isted mansion in a snowstorm" trope, there was one manga series that had been running for so long that its "tentacles" had spread to every aspect of daily life.

    Cars, trains, nes, airships, hot air balloons, cruise ships - none were spared. Tourism, family visits, searching for people, vacations - most of these scenarios led to incidents. Living rooms, balconies, bedrooms, bathrooms, studies - bodies had appeared in every part of the house.

    Si Yingjie sincerely sighed: "Detective novels are really too twisted."

    "That''s where the fun lies," Jian Jing said with a smile. "Murder is everywhere, everyone has evil thoughts, detectives and criminals engage in battles of wit, and the sh between justice and evil never ends."

    She turned to Kang Mu Cheng: "What do you think, Mu Cheng?"

    Kang Mu Cheng said: "I suppose so."

    Jian Jing was unsatisfied: "What do you mean by ''I suppose''?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "We''ll see when you write one."

    "Hahaha," Si Yingjie gloated. "Serves you right, Xiao Jing. You''re being pressured to write."

    Jian Jing grumbled: "In the future, we need to make a deal. No pressuring me to write when we''re out having fun."

    "Alright, alright, I won''t pressure you," Kang Mu Chengughed. "You''re still young, take your time writing."

    "Yes," she gazed at the distant shore, murmuring with a mix of hope and mncholy, "There''s still a long way to go."

 Chapter 417

    Nothing happened on the Egypt trip (...).

    Jian Jing felt inexplicably disappointed, but she had to admit that a vacation without any cases was thoroughly enjoyable. She managed to visit several attractions every day,pletely exhausting her threepanions.

    Kang President: "Young people are so full of energy."

    Jian Jing: "We''re here, might as well make the most of it."

    Si Yingjie: "Jing, aren''t you tired?"

    Jian Jing: "Not at all, there''s nothing else to do anyway."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "...Do you still want us to apany you?"

    Jian Jing: "Nevermind."

    Feeling guilty, she obediently stayed in Cairo for thest two days, buying a bunch of souvenirs to take home.

    It was still the New Year period before the first month ended, so she felt justified in not writing and instead went to Jiang BaiYan''s ce for dinner, taking the opportunity to bring Knight home.

    The clingy pup hadn''t seen her for days and refused to leave her side, earning several ear pinches from Jian Jing.

    Jiang BaiYan was busy with chopsticks between two hot pots - one regr pot for them, and one with only clear soup for Pudding and Knight.

    He alternated between picking food for Jian Jing, feeding fish balls to Pudding, and not forgetting their guest Knight, giving him several pieces of expensive beef.

    Jian Jing sat at the low table, petting the cat and dog, her happiness index off the charts.

    After eating and drinking their fill, Jiang BaiYan drove her home.

    On the way, they discussed some business - he wanted to buy the animation rights for the "White Cat Detective" series.

    "I bought an animation studio, we have all the staff, just need an IP now," he mumbled. "I''ve been reading scripts these past few days, but haven''t liked any of them."

    Jian Jing reminded him: "White Cat Detective might be too profound for kids, but too childish for adults. It might not be well-received."

    "If we lose money, so be it," Jiang BaiYan said nonchntly. "Money earned has to be spent anyway, isn''t it good to spend it on works I like?"

    Jian Jing: "That''s fan behavior."

    "It''s the ultimate dream of a book fan," he said. "So, do you agree?"

    Jian Jing shrugged: "I don''t mind. The money''s in my pocket anyway, and I won''t give it back even if you lose."

    "I can split half the profits with you if you want," he made a face.

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes at him, then added: "Convincing me isn''t enough, you need to talk to Kang President. He holds the agency rights."

    "He''ll agree," Jiang BaiYan said. "Theic adaptation has always been monopolized by Ice Mirror, Golden Crow doesn''t get a piece at all. Now there''s a chance to open up new territory, Kang President would be foolish to refuse."

    Jian Jing thought of Jiang Xun from the other world and couldn''t help but ask curiously: "Have you ever thought about what you''d do if you weren''t a celebrity?"

    "Be kept at home by a rich youngdy, cooking, doingundry, walking the dog and scooping poop every day?"

    "How decadent," she yfully smacked his arm, amused. "Be serious. What if you hadn''t been kidnapped as a child?"

    Although this hypothesis was pointless, Jiang BaiYan never brushed her off. He thought for a moment and said: "Get thrown into the group''s work by the chairman, engage in pce intrigue with my siblings, and strive to inherit the chairman''s empire?"

    He was slightly curious: "Why are you asking this?"

    "You still have quite a talent for business, like your father," she said.

    Jiang BaiYanughed: "The chairman would be furious. He''s a wolf, I''m a dog."

    Knight: "Woof?"

    "Not talking about you," they said in unison.

    Knight: "Whine~~"

    After the New Year period, Jian Jing prepared to move to her new home.

    She didn''t n to do it herself, instead calling a movingpany to pack all her belongings. She only packed her personal clothes and valuables herself.

    Even so, it was still a chaotic process.

    Kang Mu Cheng sent Diane to help, Jiang BaiYan had his assistante over, and Si Yingjie contributed his family''s driver.

    After finally moving everything from the apartment to the vi, they still had to organize and store everything.

    Jian Jing overestimated her abilities and quickly ordered a professional organizer, who finally managed to sort out the mess of household items.

    Then, gifts from friends started arriving one after another.

    Lei Ao sent her an antique European bed, supposedly once belonging to a princess. It was small and incredibly ornate, but if one actually tried to sleep on it, it would surely be ufortable in various ways.

    So, she ced this bed in the flower room, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the courtyard. It would be perfect for reading and napping during afternoon breaks.

    Si Yingjie wasn''t to be outdone, hauling in a cloud sofa from Italy that cost hundreds of thousands. It was so soft and sweet that once you sat in it, you never wanted to get up.

    Jian Jing couldn''t resist, so she quietly moved the sofa she had originally bought elsewhere.

    Kang President was equally extravagant.

    She gave Jian Jing a ssical oil painting depicting a drowning girl, likely on the theme of Ophelia. Although not by a famous artist, its auction price exceeded a million.

    Jian Jing didn''t know how to handle it, so she ended up hanging it on the most prominent wall in the living room.

    Compared to these wealthy friends, others'' gifts were much more modest.

    Fei Na, who had just arrived in Yunnan, sent arge box of parcels containing handmade specimens. Although not rare animals, the details were lifelike and almost undamaged, which was quite remarkable.

    Jian Jing disyed them directly on the firece in the living room, thinking they would surely catch guests'' attention.

    Wataru Kojima sent new manga, which she locked away in the study''s bookcase.

    Zuo Xin sent an antique-style oilmp, which she hung by the door, giving a very 19th-century London vibe.

    Liang Yi sent a dog bed, Zhu Yanan sent aromatherapy items, all of which found their use.

    However, in terms of practicality, nothing beat the security system sent by Kang Mu Cheng.

    It was currently the world''s most advanced security system - discreet, high-end, and thorough. The mechanisms were invisible to the naked eye, but if any thief tried to break in, they''d be enjoying ate-night snack at the police station within 15 minutes.

    Jian Jing''s favorite part was the courtyard system, which at first nce looked like an ordinary ss roof.

    On sunny days, the topyer could bepletely opened to let in sunlight, and the same applied during snow season.

    If summer got too hot, the transparent ss could turn dark gray, effectively shading the entire courtyard, and it was equipped with awork of fine pipes for cooling through water cirction.

    Simrly, in winter it used residual heat from the floor heating for warmth, ensuring that nts in the yard wouldn''t freeze even in the dead of winter.

    Although Jian Jing... didn''t actually have any nts.

    Ahem, it lookedpletely harmless, right? But once an intruder entered, the pipes would spray anesthetic gas, ensuring they''d never leave.

    The equipment inside the house was simr, but we won''t go into details.

    As for Jiang BaiYan, he had sent over some nts earlier, including kumquat trees, roses, money nts, Buddhist pine, camellias... and even built a small pond for water lilies.

    Jian Jing thought it looked beautiful but was worried: "I don''t know how to take care of them."

    Jiang BaiYan: "I''lle over to help take care of them, you just need to not take care of them."

    Jian Jing angrily: "What do you mean by not take care of them?"

    "You''ve already killed six of my sulents..." he weakly protested.

    Jian Jing knew she was in the wrong, so she kept quiet.

    After she moved in, he sent over some bedding - a full set of pure silk that felt like flowing water to the touch.

    "Using this prevents wrinkles," the big star personally rmended.

    Jian Jing was convinced.

    Ji Feng was thest to visit, arriving sote that Jian Jing thought he didn''t even know she had moved.

    Because of this, when he rang the doorbell, she wasn''t sure whether to open it or not - it seemed like she was angry, but she couldn''t remember why!

    While she hesitated, Knight had already rushed out, skillfully standing on his hind legs and pressing the automatic button with his paw.

    The door opened.

    "Your yogurt jelly is gone," Jian Jing pushed the German Shepherd trying to squeeze into the house back out, pretending not to see its wildly wagging tail. "Noing in. If you dare to open the door yourself again, I''ll spank you."

    Knight: *Pitiful face*

    "Look how you''re scolding the child," Ji Fengughed, rubbing the dog''s head. "What a good dog."

    Jian Jing crossed her arms: "Yeah, birds of a feather flock together."

    He: "Still angry?"

    Jian Jing finally remembered why she was upset, her face darkening: "If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost."

    Ji Feng: "Heard you moved, brought some things over."

    Jian Jing eyed the box in his arms suspiciously and asked: "What things? A soy milk maker? Oven? Microwave? Air fryer?"

    He couldn''t help butugh: "How domestic do you think I am? If I gave you these, would you even use them?"

    "Then what is it?" She became even more curious. "Self-heating hotpot?"

    Ji Feng: "...Can we talk inside?"

    Jian Jing reluctantly stepped aside: "Fine." As she spoke, she tried to sneak a peek.

    The box was neither big nor small, perfectly square. It didn''t look like an appliance or food. Judging by his posture as he carried it, it wasn''t exactly light either.

    Could it be books?

    "Not books," he said with a smile. "But close enough."

    Jian Jing simply tried to snatch it: "Give it to me."

    Ji Feng was surprised: "Why are you suddenly acting like a child? Alright, alright, here you go." Despite saying this, he still headed upstairs towards the collection room.

    Jian Jing: "No trespassing."

    He pretended not to hear, pushed open the door, andughed as soon as he looked inside.

    "I knew it," Ji Feng chuckled, putting down the box. "Don''t pout, it''ll be useful."

    Jian Jing immediately started unpacking.

    Inside were neatly arranged file boxes.

    She picked one up at random. It wasbeled "Case 0823: Safe Robbery."

    "Hey." Jian Jing instantly forgot her sulking and eagerly sat down in the armchair, beginning to read about this case in the sunlight.

    The contents were as follows: A bank president had a custom-made safe where he kept his expensive treasures. One day, he opened the safe to find that the contents had been stolen.

    He reported it to the police, demanding they catch the thief.

    Since only a few people had ess to the safe, the suspects were narrowed down to his wife, son, daughter-inw, daughter, housekeeper, and sister.

    "Tsk, what a melodramatic case," shemented while reading and guessing. "All the suspects are family members, yet he still called the police. He must suspect his wife, right? But what would the wife need to steal?"

    Ji Feng didn''t answer, finding a ce to sit down and slowly easing his healing wound.

    As he sat, Jian Jing seemed to remember: "Are you better?"

    "I can work now," Ji Feng said. "Though I''ll have to stay at my desk for a few days, it''s not a big deal."

    She nced at him and drawled: "Is... that... so..."

    Her tone was neither cold nor warm.

    Ji Feng: "Yeah."

    She rolled her eyes dramatically, but even this gesture seemed charming, like something out of a novel.

    He held back augh: "What else?"

    "This," she said, flicking the papers with a rustling sound. "Where did ite from? Isn''t this against regtions?"

    "It''s not from the department," Ji Feng said. "The statement you''re holding, I rewrote it from memory, omitting the unimportant parts. There are also news reports and public legal documents."

    He added: "Don''t worry about keeping them."

    Jian Jing quipped: "Only you would gift a bunch of papers."

    "Isn''t this exactly what you''recking? Case files?" he said nonchntly. "You can treat them as stories if you like. Next time you write, you''ll make fewer factual errors."

    She eyed him and sneered: "When have I ever made such mistakes?"

    "Heh," he avoided that trap and admitted directly, "I''ve been resting at home these past couple of days and read all your books. Want me to count the errors for you?"

    Jian Jing: "If you don''t like them, don''t read them."

    Ji Feng: "No, no, I like them. They''re well-written. When''s the next oneing out?"

    "Those who rush writers can go to hell," she fumed.

    Ji Feng: "...I won''t rush. It''s not like I have time to read new ones anyway."

    Jian Jing took a deep breath and decisively issued an eviction notice: "Goodbye."

    "Alright," Ji Feng looked at her. "When do you n on finishing being angry?"

    She couldn''t take it anymore and picked up the papers in her hand to hit him: "Why do you care? Why do you care? I''ll be angry if I want to be angry. Get out!!"

    Amid a barrage of scolding and shoving, she finally kicked him out of the house.

    Lastly, she threatened: "Don''t let me see you for a month! Hmph!"

 Chapter 418

    April arrived, bringing warmer weather and the start of a new life.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing wrapped up the various tasks rted to her master''s degree graduation and finally began her secluded writing of "Demon Doctor 4".<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This time, she was serious about it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Mrs. Wang from President Kang''s household delivered her three meals a day and took Knight out for walks twice daily. Meanwhile, Jian Jing locked herself in the study, apanied by alcohol, coffee, and sugar.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The story gradually took shape.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The first unit of the story was inspired by the safe theft case Ji Feng had given her. She set the victim as an archaeologist, with half of a jade pendant secretly kept in his safe.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The jade pendant appeared in his daughter-inw''s drawer, and she was used of murder. However, as soon as the demon appeared, he determined that she had not killed the archaeologist.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The timeline of the jade pendant''s theft indirectly pointed to the real culprit.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the end, the jade pendant fell into the demon''s hands.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He was plunged into distant memories.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Time rewound six hundred years to ancient times, during the Great Ming Dynasty, when a peculiar case shocked both the court and the public.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The emperor, who had been on the throne for only ten days, died suddenly after consuming two "immortality pills". The imperial doctors concluded that the emperor died of poisoning. However, a problem arose: there were four pills in total, and before the emperor took them, eunuchs had tested them.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The eunuchs were still alive and well, proving that the pills were not inherently problematic.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Soon after, the imperial guards found a medicine bottle in a dry well, containing one remaining pill.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    This proved that of the two pills the emperor had taken, one was poison.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Who had switched the pills and poisoned the emperor?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The suspects included the crown prince who was about to ascend the throne, the most favored imperial concubine, the head eunuch, a nameless but favored pce maid, the imperial doctor, the Taoist priest who had presented the pills, and the soon-to-be prime minister.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the end, of course, the culprit was found.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    When asked about the motive for murder, the killer remained silent, leaving behind only half of a jade pendant.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What was the jade pendant?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The jade pendant was the demon''s heart.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    To recover his heart, the demon made a deal with the person who possessed the jade pendant.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Give me the jade pendant, and I''ll avenge you."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, after obtaining the jade pendant, the imperial guards deemed it inauspicious and sent it to a Buddhist temple to be suppressed. A hundred yearster, when the Qing army invaded, they massacred the temple. The leading general took the jade pendant and was buried with it upon his death.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Half a year ago, an archaeologist discovered the tomb and, bewitched by the jade pendant, took it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The demon solved the case and finally recovered half of his heart.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Where was the other half?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After extensive inquiries, he heard that half of an ancient jade pendant would appear at an auction, so he decided to investigate.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There, he encountered the hunter.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The hunter knew that the demon''s weakness was his lost heart. If the heart was destroyed, the demon would gradually weaken and die.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But the auction house owner had died.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    To find out the whereabouts of the jade pendant, they had to find the killer, forcing them to work together.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the end, the hunter outsmarted the demon and got the jade pendant first.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What happened next was beyond anyone''s expectations.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The cruise ship hosting the auction sank.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing directly used the experience of the "World Cruise Liner" as a blueprint, introducing evil sacrificial rituals.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    To stop the sacrifice, the demon and the hunter ced their respective jade pendants on the altar.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Dark magic descended.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The two were plunged into an ancient nightmare.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The fourth story was about the origin of the demon.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It was set during the Xia and Shang dynasties when many regions still had ancient tribes. This time, the tribal leader had died, and the ten shamans needed to find the killer and confirm the next leader.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After investigation, they voted and identified a young man as the killer.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He was imprisoned in the dungeon and severely tortured, but he insisted he was not the murderer.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    However, the ten shamans did not believe him.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    They decided to cut his throat, let his blood drip onto thend, and burn him with fire to consume his evil heart.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The young man died unjustly, cursing humanity: "After I die, I will be an eternal nightmare. ughter will be my bed, evil thoughts my dew, fresh blood will turn into wine in my cup, and hearts will be delicacies on my te. Only the tears of the wronged can move me to pity."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He died.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    And became a demon.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Fearing his revenge, the ten shamans cut out his heart and divided it in two.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    One half went to the extreme north, the other to the extreme south, never to meet again, never to be revived.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Now, three thousand yearster, the nightmare has returned. The hunter couldn''t find the demon''s whereabouts, so the only way was to find the real killer of the tribal leader and clear the young man''s name.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    At the end of the story, the case was solved.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The two jade pendants became one.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The demon finally recovered his excavated heart. It was so red, without a trace of ck. He eagerly took back his heart and ced it in his chest.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The next moment, his body suddenly caught fire.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It turned out that after so many years, he had killed too many people. When his sinful body touched the pure heart, it was destined to turn to ashes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The demon''s smile froze, and then his immortal body began to burn like a raging fire, gradually turning to ash.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Scattered by the wind.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    With a "thud," the ruby-like heart fell.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The hunter looked at it for a long time, picked it up, tore open his clothes, ripped his skin, and revealed the void in his chest.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It turned out that he also had no heart.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    cing the ruby in his chest, the wound closed, and the nightmare disappeared.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The storm passed, and the cruise ship was about to sink when a fishing boat approached in the distance.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The hunter stared steadily at the rising sun, rxed his body, and sank into the sea.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The story ends here.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    --<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    On a June night, all was quiet, and the phoenix trees under the streetlights were lush and green.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing typed thest line, stretchedzily, her whole body aching, but her heart was filled with indescribable joy.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After two months, "Demon Doctor 4" was finallyplete.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Submitting a manuscript always brought a special kind of happiness.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She tiptoed downstairs, took out a bottle of champagne and a crystal ss, then went to therge balcony of the bedroom,fortably nestling into the rattan chair, and poured herself a full ss of wine.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The cold liquid entering her throat made her pores expand, filling her with contentment.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The moon hung high in the night sky.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She propped up her feet and happily scrolled through her phone.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The first thing she did, of course, was to send a message to Kang Mu Cheng: [Finished the manuscript~]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    What? It''s two in the morning? She didn''t care.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    To her surprise, Kang Mu Cheng replied quickly: [I''lle pick it up tomorrow afternoon]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was surprised: [You''re not asleep yet?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Kang Mu Cheng: [About to sleep]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing opened her telescope, peered at the house diagonally across, and mercilessly exposed him: [The light in your study is still on]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Half a minuteter, the light went out, and the bedroom light came on.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He: [Going to sleep now, you should sleep soon too, don''t stay upte]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She: [Good night]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After chasing away this workaholic night owl, Jian Jing began to look at other messages.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan: [The original drawings for White Kitten are out]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Followed by numerous character design images.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She took a sip of wine, carefully looked through each page, and finally said: [The clothes are very shy]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    A minute after sending, Jiang BaiYan called.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing looked at the time on her phone, puzzled. That''s right, it''s 2:15 AM, does nobody sleep?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Jing Jing," he said, "Beautiful girls should wear pretty dresses, one set for school, one for daily wear, and many sets for transformations."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was dumbfounded: "Isn''t this supposed to be a detective series?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan: "It needs pretty dresses."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "..." She changed the subject, "Why aren''t you sleeping?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    He yawned and said, "Just finished night shooting, heading back to the hotel to sleep. I''m exhausted."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "What are you filming now?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "It''s about the air force. I thought I''d actually get to fly a ne, but turns out I don''t." He sounded disappointed. "Jing Jing, let''s go get a pilot''s license together next time."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing perked up: "What kind? Fighter jets?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan: "...Helicopters."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    That works too. "When? Remember to call me," she said, interested.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jiang BaiYan said: "I''ll ask around and see. Hopefully, we can get some real scenes."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing cheerfully replied: "OK."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''ve arrived at the hotel," he said, too tired to continue. "Good night."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Bye bye."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After drinking half a bottle of champagne, she felt a bit hungry.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing had a craving for a midnight snack, so she unwrapped two choctes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her mouth immediately filled with a sweet and rich vor as she continued to read messages from others.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the detective sisters'' group chat, Liang Yi and Zhu Yanan wereining about a case. There were dozens of messages, with soap opera drama and criminalw flying side by side, making for an astounding read.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Screenwriter Xu was struggling with the new script for the balding demon. He had already received the outline for Jian Jing''s Demon Doctor 4 and was worrying about how to structure the following episodes, pestering her every now and then.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The rest were trivial, so she skimmed through them, not bothering to read in detail.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    But after scrolling twice, she didn''t see any messages from Ji Feng.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Looking at the chat conversation, there wasn''t a single message!<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She angrily typed: [Are you dead?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The message notification popped up.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Uh, it seems... she had... blocked him earlier.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing silently unblocked him, pretending nothing happened, then switched to a food delivery app and ordered some barbecue.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There weren''t many orderste at night, so the delivery guy quickly arrived on his electric scooter. The German Shepherd sleeping by the door woke up, cautiously approached the entrance, and silently crouched in the shadows.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The delivery guy was nearly scared to death.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Oh my god! A dog!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "I''m sorry, it doesn''t bite."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing took the food and looked at Knight circling her legs. Feeling guilty about eating alone, she prepared an early breakfast for it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    After the woman and her dog had eaten their fill, it was already 4 AM, with dawn slowly breaking.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing asked it: "Do you want to go for a walk with me now, or wait for the housekeeper to take you outter?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Knight brought over its leash.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Alright, I haven''t walked you in a while." She put the leash on the dog and took it out for a stroll.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Peace City is a big city, lively even in the early morning.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The streetlights were still on. Night shift workers were taking the first bus home, exhausted and haggard, looking like they might doze off at any moment. Early shift workers were bleary-eyed, yawning as they searched for breakfast.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Industrious people were cleaning their shops, steamed buns were being ced in steamers, with billowing white steam bringing the sweet aroma of starch.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing let out a pork-vored burp and stopped to buy two steamed buns.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The piping hot buns were delicious even without any filling.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Indeed, barbecue needs to be paired with some starch.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Whine." Passing by the park, Knight pulled her in that direction, whining continuously.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing patted it: "Alright, alright, I get it."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Usually, the park was crowded, and Knight could only be walked on a leash without the freedom to run. Taking advantage of the fact that the elderly hadn''t arrived for their morning exercises yet, she decided to let it y for a while.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She unclipped Knight''s leash and said: "Come back when you see people, don''t get within 10 meters of anyone, understood?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Knight: "Woof!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Go on then." She let go of the leash.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The German Shepherd shot off like an arrow, its fur gleaming and muscles rippling beautifully.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing sat down on a nearby bench, leisurely admiring the gradually brightening sky.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Her phone vibrated, disying a new message.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: [32]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: [Huh]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: [What does 32 mean?]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: [Nothing]<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing quickly figured out what it meant and felt annoyed.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Woof." At that moment, Knight suddenly ran back, circling her legs.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing was puzzled: "What''s wrong?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    It ran towards some bushes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Hmm?" She had a hunch and followed closely.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    In the dense shrubbery, a pair of red high heels was visible.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing: "Tsk!"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    She cautiously approached to investigate, and five minutester, made a phone call.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    BeepˇŞthe call connected.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Have you gone to bed yet?" she asked.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: "Justy down."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Forget about sleep,e to Life Park," she said. "Bring me a cup of soy milk on the way."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Sounds of rustling clothes could be heard from the other end.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "...With sugar? Male or female?" he asked resignedly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    "Of course. Female." Jian Jing said, "The soy milk should be freshly ground. If it doesn''t taste good, I''ll let the dog bite you."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Ji Feng: "Fifteen minutes."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jian Jing hung up and looked towards the east.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    The sun had just begun to peek out, the sky growing brighter, and the sounds of people gradually increasing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Another ordinary day in Peace City was beginning.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    And she was certain that she was enjoying every moment of it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    *<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    End of main text<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    I know everyone has many questions, so I''ll write a long author''s note to address them<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    *<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    When I first started writing this story, I hadn''t decided on a male lead because I felt it would be strange to have every story revolve around him. Having scenes with other male characters might make readers ufortable about screen time and interactions, so I simply decided not to set a male lead and present all other characters as supporting roles.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    From a functional perspective, Kang Mu Cheng, Ji Feng, Jiang BaiYan, and others like Zong Ye, Zuo Xin, Liang Yi, and Si Yingjie are no different. They all serve as characters who bring the female lead into the cases. You can think of them as recements for the Junior Detective League, Sonoko, Professor Agasa, Kogoro Mouri, and so on.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Later, as several male supporting characters became more well-rounded, I considered it but ultimately gave up the idea.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Jing Jing is only 23 years old and can have plenty of romantic experiences. Would finding a boyfriend in the end mean they''ll be together forever? Moreover, in thest case, I focused on describing Jing Jing''s choices, her decisions about life and self, leaving no room for male characters.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Forcing a conclusion would have been unnecessary, so I ultimately decided to end it this way.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    *<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    I want to say that no single concept can perfectly encapste the content of every book.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0Aliali: 673aa0aed72ede9349903ddf

    Does this story have a male lead? No, it only has one female protagonist, and the rest are supporting characters, both male and female.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Are there romantic elements in this story? Yes, obviously. Jing Jing isn''t made of stone, and there are some feelings between her and several male supporting characters.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Does this story have a CP (couple)? If CP means lovers, then not yet. If it means partners or pairings, then it would be the system. Jing Jing and the system are partners in solving cases, like the rtionship between a police officer and a police dog.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    So, unfortunately, I can''t summarize this story with a simplebel that everyone is used to. Web novels, as a form of literary work, shouldn''t be oversimplified withbels.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    *<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Additionally, it''s okay for readers to dislike certain characters or plot points, but when readers say "the author likes XXX" or "the author is thinking XXX," I''m sorry, but you''re not me. Please don''t make wild guesses, as it troubles me.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    *<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    Well, this is the ending of the main story, and I like this ending. I''m also quite satisfied with how I''ve shaped Jing Jing. She''s the character I''ve poured the most of my preferences into ¨C she loves detective work, is a writer, has money, looks, and talent, is righteous and brave, and even has a dog. In a sense, she reflects my desires.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    I truly love her. Do you love her too?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

    There will be some daily life extrasing up. See you tomorrow, kisses!<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0

 Chapter 419

    Dai An had been Kang Mu Cheng''s secretary for three years before being gloriously transferred to the film and television department, a promotion.

    Before changing positions, she needed to hand over to the new secretary and teach her some things to note: "Julie, is that your real name? Nice, saves having to choose an English name."

    Julie had already been doing odd jobs with other secretaries for two months and was basically familiar with the people in the CEO''s office and the heads of other departments.

    But even so, she was still nervous: "Sister Dai, can I do this?"

    "You need to have confidence in yourself," Dai An encouraged her. "I can''t speak for other departments, but in our department, the work isn''t really difficult. You just need to remember one thing--"

    Julie: "?"

    Dai An: "The boss is a workaholic."

    Julie: "..."

    "I''m not joking," Dai An exined patiently. "This tells you that the boss doesn''t have time to harass you, flirt with you or chat you up, and he won''t particrly target you. You just need to work hard and you can get promotions and raises. But it also means you have to be very diligent, keep yourputer on after work hours, and be ready to work at any time."

    Julie: "..."

    Dai An: "Don''t worry, the workload isn''t heavy, it''s just that tasks cane at any time. If you can ept that, you can keep doing this job. If not, you can also apply for a transfer."

    Julie adjusted her mindset: "I can do it."

    "That''s good. I can tell you in advance, the base sry for the secretary position isn''t high, there''s a 20% raise each year, and it mainly depends on bonuses," Dai An was being quite frank. "Mr. Kang is very generous. The workload is big, but he doesn''t skimp onpensation."

    Julie felt reassured.

    After discussing the bonuses, Dai An began to impart the key points of the work: "The normal schedule is simple. For department meetings, you need to notify everyone, preferably a day in advance so people can arrange their work. If it''s an impromptu meeting, remember not just to send emails, but also to call to confirm, in case someone doesn''t see it..."

    Julie noted everything down.

    Dai An guided her for half a day. In the afternoon, they entered the crucial part - the boss''s personal preferences.

    "Being a secretary isn''t hard, what''s hard is being a good secretary," Dai An said. "You need to understand the boss and think ahead of him on many things."

    Julie nodded.

    Dai An: "Let me test you. If Mr. Kang asks you to pour coffee, what would you choose?"

    Julie answered without hesitation: "Iced Americano."

    Dai An: "Fail! In the morning with sandwiches, it''s hot Americano. Starting from the second cup of coffee, if he''s had a normal meal, then iced Americano is correct. But if he hasn''t eaten, it''s best to serve a hot caramel mhiato."

    Julie: "...Mr. Kang''s tastes are so variable?"

    "Variable? No." Dai An was exasperated. "Sandwiches are cold, so they need hot Americano, otherwise it might upset his stomach. Drinking iced Americano after lunch is to refresh and stimte the mind. If he hasn''t eaten, he needs sugar, so caramel mhiato is most suitable - understand?"

    Julie: "I-I understand."

    Dai An: "Good. Let''s say today he''s going out for a meeting, hasn''t eaten, and the shop doesn''t have chocte syrup to make a mhiato. What should you do?"

    Julie: "Switch to atte and buy some food?"

    Dai An: "OK, you''ve got it. Mr. Kang doesn''t have special requirements for food, but note, he actually doesn''t like sweet things. Donuts, NO. Jam bread, NO. Croissants and cream toast are best."

    Julie: "Doesn''t he like Chinese food?"

    Dai An: "Wrong. If you had carefully looked at the meal ordering records, you''d find that Mr. Kang always has Chinese food for formal meals. He only considers other cuisines when treating others."

    Julie hurriedly noted this down.

    "You must look at the meal ordering records," Dai An instructed. "When Mr. Kang invites people to eat, he always chooses what they like. You must remember clearly which restaurant is for which client."

    Julie said, "Alright, Sister Dai."

    "Then let me test you. If eating with Teacher Wang, where would you book?"

    "Japanese cuisine."

    "How about President Chen?"

    "French cuisine."

    "What about Teacher Jian?"

    Julie hesitated, stammering: "The ces for eating with Teacher Jian don''t seem to have much of a pattern."

    "Of course there is, you just haven''t studied carefully." Dai An started to worry - wouldn''t such a sessor get scolded by Mr. Kang?

    She had to pass on more experience: "Teacher Jian doesn''t have a particrly fixed taste, but she likes new things. So, you need to pay attention to newly opened restaurants and keep note of well-reviewed ones."

    Julie nodded vigorously: "I understand."

    Dai An was very doubtful, but after thinking, she said: "I think Teacher Jian ising today. Follow me for the day and pay close attention. She''s definitely a heavyweight figure you need to note."

    At three o''clock, the receptionist sent a message to the group chat.

    [Teacher Jian is here]

    Dai An: [Understood]

    She asked Julie to go to the caf¨¦ downstairs to get coffee and desserts: "I ordered them twenty minutes ago, they should be just right now."

    Julie hurried off.

    At the elevator, she bumped into Jian Jing.

    Julie recognized her identity almost instantly and couldn''t help but look at her several times, thinking, no wonder everyone says Teacher Jian is the face of Golden Crow, she''s really too beautiful.

    "Are you the new secretary?" Jian Jing winked at her.

    Julie''s cheeks flushed: "Mm."

    "There seems to be a new pastry shop next to the coffee shop, could you bring me a portion of matcha squares?" she asked.

    Julie nodded instinctively.

    "Thanks. Oh, and I want my coffeepletely iced, the weather is just too hot." She waved her hand and walked gracefully into the office. "Dai An? You''re leaving - oh, you''re getting promoted? Congrattions."

    Julie walked into the elevator, her mind still a bit confused.

    How did she know I was going down to get coffee?

    But Dai An was used to it.

    She first reported Kang Mu Cheng''s status: "Mr. Kang is talking with President Nie, it should be over soon."

    Jian Jing didn''t mind, wandering through the cubicles, chatting and gossiping with everyone.

    "Teacher Jian, did XX Teacher really get married?" Another assistant came to deliver documents and, seeing her, immediately seized the chance to ask for details.

    Jian Jing: "Yes, I received the invitation. They''re nning to get married abroad."

    "Oh~~"

    Someone else asked: "Teacher Jian, I think my husband is cheating."

    Jian Jing: "I don''t investigate extramarital affairs."

    "If you think he''s cheating, he definitely is," a experienced person said coldly. "Just get a divorce."

    "What if I''m overthinking?" The person was still conflicted. "I need evidence."

    "Evidence?" Jian Jing picked up the flower tea canister on her desk. "Is this something he gave you?"

    The person was startled: "Yes, why? Is it poisonous?"

    Jian Jing said: "The ingredient list says rose, chrysanthemum, roselle, and lily. But I counted, and there seems to be five types. The extra one looks like oleander."

    Anyone who has read pce intrigue or family drama novels would be familiar with oleander, amon but poisonous nt. This sister''s face immediately darkened, and the cubicle was filled with a suppressed murderous aura.

    Everyone tactfully lowered their heads to work.

    At this moment, the ss door of the office opened.

    Kang Mu Cheng was seeing President Nie out. Both of their expressions were calm, showing no signs of anything unusual. But President Nie, who usually loved to joke with people, didn''t talk to anyone today and left on his own.

    "Sister Dai, the coffee..." Julie came in, frightened by the quiet atmosphere.

    Jian Jing smiled and said: "Give it to me, thank you." She took the two cups of coffee and the desserts. "Mu Cheng?"

    Kang Mu Cheng only then noticed her: "You''re here? Come in."

    Jian Jing brought the afternoon tea in and asked curiously: "What were you talking about?"

    "My mother is preparing to retire," Kang Mu Cheng dropped the bombshell. "Thepany has been quite busytely."

    Jian Jing was surprised: "The President is willing to retire?"

    Kang President wasn''t someone who enjoyed leisure life. She was passionate about her career, and pursuing her career was where she found joy in life. And she wasn''t even sixty yet, talking about retirement seemed a bit too early.

    Sure enough, her son confirmed: "She just doesn''t want to manage thepany anymore."

    "So you''re taking over?" she asked.

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded, then reassured her: "It''s not a big issue, just routine business adjustments. There are some small troubles, but they can all be resolved."

    Jian Jing believed him.

    After returning from studying abroad, Kang Mu Cheng had entered the familypany, starting as an ordinary editor. He had been in the position of vice president for five or six years and had an extraordinary grasp of thepany''s operations.

    Kang President stepping down was actually just a procedural matter.

    "Let''s talk about The Demon Doctor 4. It''s scheduled tounch during the October National Day holiday," Kang Mu Cheng said. "I think the response won''t be bad, the ending is quite good."

    Jian Jing sighed, "I suppose I took a shortcut. Both units have ancient settings, which I''ve never written before."

    "That''s still innovative. Having new elements makes it easier for readers to ept," said Kang Mu Cheng. "Do you have any ns for the second half of the year?"

    Jian Jing hesitated, "I want to write a full-length novel. I''ve written too many short stories."

    "You could give it a try. Still mystery?" he suggested cautiously. "Can your plot twists sustain a full-length novel?"

    Jian Jing replied, "I want to write a setting-based mystery."

    Kang Mu Cheng made a listening gesture.

    "Murders by witchcraft," she had always wanted to kill Qi Tian again in her books. "The more people die, the more the conditions of the witchcraft will change."

    Jian Jing didn''tck material for murder cases. Not to mention the gift package from Ji Feng, even her own experiences were enough to write several books.

    But always drawing from reality was kind of boring. There are only so many ways to kill, and crime motives always revolve around interests and emotional entanglements.

    Readers would get tired of these stories too.

    "If Ie across interesting material, I''ll write it into ''The Sleepwalking Girl''. It won''t be wasted," she had it all nned out. "Oh, and for this witchcraft piece, the protagonist might be the viin."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Narrative misdirection?"

    "No, this is a game," Jian Jing exined. "Each yer gets an ability before the game starts. The protagonist''s first draw is hypnosis, which allows him to make others kill for him. So, before the story begins, readers already know who the killer is. What they don''t know is who the victims are and how they''re killed."

    Kang Mu Cheng frowned, "Is it like this for every round?"

    Jian Jing: "No, the protagonist''s abilities will upgrade. If he gets a certain item, readers will know the murder weapon in advance."

    He finally nodded, "That sounds a bit interesting."

    However, she also warned in advance, "I might not finish it in the second half of the year."

    Kang Mu Cheng smiled, "No rush."

    They stopped discussing the new book and turned to talk about the release of The Demon Doctor 4. Before they knew it, night had fallen.

    Dai An knocked and entered, "Mr. Kang, I''ve reserved a ce for dinner..." She looked at them inquiringly, "Do you need to dy the time?"

    "No need." The answer waspletely within expectations. Kang Mu Cheng said, "Let''s go eat first."

    After seeing them off, Dai An stayed behind and instructed Julie, "Don''t think you''re off work today. Jian Jing Teacher''s new book is about to be released, we need to look at magazines."

    Julie was confused, "What magazines?"Aliali: 673aa0aed72ede9349903ddf

    "Fashion magazines," Dai An brought out several new magazine issues. "Although Jian Jing Teacher buys her own clothes, if she encounters any, um, unexpected situations, she''llpletely forget about it. Mr. Kang will definitely want you to make contingency ns in advance."

    Julie was embarrassed, "Sister Dai, other teachers don''t have this. Is Jian Jing Teacher Mr. Kang''s rtive?"

    Dai An: "No."

    "Then is she," she gossiped in a low voice, "his girlfriend?"

    "Not yet either." Dai An''s biggest regret about her job transfer was this. The ship she was rooting for hadn''t sailed yet, and now she couldn''t be on the front lines to witness it.

    Julie: "Then why..."

    "No one knows what will happen in the future," Dai An said seriously. "But Jian Jing Teacher is very important to Mr. Kang. They''re not just in a working rtionship, it''s different from other writers."

    "Oh." Julie hadn''t yet grasped the subtleties, but she nodded vigorously, "I''ll remember that."

    Dai An said approvingly, "Watch more, think more, do more." After a moment''s thought, she gave the most pertinent advice, "Watch more crime movies usually. In case you encounter a dead body someday, don''t panic."

    Julie: "Huh?"

 Chapter 420

    A weekter, Dai An was promoted, and Julie took over her position.

    She worked nervously for a few days, only to find things weren''t as bad as she had imagined. Kang Mu Cheng''s assistant was still the same experienced person, often giving her tips, helping her navigate through several oversights without major incidents.

    However, the CEO wasn''t as frightening as she had imagined.

    Although he appeared stern most of the time, he rarely lost his temper and didn''t like to chat with people.

    Julie disliked bosses who pried into her private life: whether she had a boyfriend, where she nned to go on weekends, what kind of entertainment she enjoyed, and she especially disliked dining with superiors.

    From this perspective, Kang Mu Cheng was undoubtedly an excellent boss.

    Of course, working for a nationally renownedpany couldn''t be entirely stress-free.

    Julie would wake up at 7:30 AM, spend twenty minutes getting ready, then take the subway to work, usually arriving at the office by 8:30 AM.

    Her first task was to go to the bakery half a block away to buy freshly baked bread, sandwiches, and hot coffee. Then she would organize the day''s schedule and checkst night''s emails.

    Between 8:50 and 9:00 AM, Kang Mu Cheng would arrive, have breakfast, check his emails, and at 9:30 AM, there would be a morning meeting.

    Then followed a busy day.

    Even on Saturdays and Sundays, Julie couldn''t rx.

    Bookunch events were usually scheduled on Saturdays, which meant inevitable overtime. For less famous authors, the CEO would make a brief appearance and leave, requiring her to stay for the entire event and report back afterward.

    asionally, she also had to do some, well, how to put it, challenging errands.

    For instance, today, Sunday, at 1 PM.

    She suddenly received a call from Kang Mu Cheng, asking if she was free.

    Although Julie was out shopping with friends, she immediately said "yes." So the CEO told her: "Buy some food and deliver it to this address. Take a taxi, the expense will be reimbursed."

    He gave her an address.

    Julie made a note of it, quickly bought some egg waffles, hot milk tea, and sushi at a nearby mall, and hurriedly took a taxi.

    It was a club hosting an art exhibition she couldn''t understand. But the door was sealed, with several auxiliary police officers guarding the police line, not allowing her to enter: "Sorry, no entry allowed at the moment."

    Julie timidly said, "I-I''m here to deliver food. I''m an employee of Golden Crow."

    "Golden Crow?" The two police officers exchanged nces, and the younger one said, "Oh, I know, Ms. Jian Jing''spany, she must have called for this, right?"

    After some consideration, they let her in: "Don''t wander around, just deliver and leave."

    "Okay." Julie was still unaware of what had happened, walking in confusedly.

    Then, she saw a corpse lying in the hall, with blood pooled on the floor.

    "Ah!" Julie was startled, almost dropping the things in her hands, fortunately, someone caught them: "For me?"

    She turned to look and saw it was Ms. Jian, wearing a strapless short dress, her hair braided and wrapped around her head, her skin glowing white.

    "Y-yes," Julie stammered, "The CEO asked me to buy it."

    Jian Jing took off her gloves, grabbed a few pieces of sushi and stuffed them in her mouth, mumbling, "The CEO is in the office inside, you can go find him. Oh, the milk tea is for me."

    She took the milk tea and gestured for Julie to move away: "Give the food to the CEO, then you can leave. It''s better not to linger at a crime scene, you know."

    Julie couldn''t help but ask, "Um, Ms. Jian, may I ask what you''re doing here? Research?"

    Jian Jing said, "Solving a case, of course."

    Julie was full of questions: "Isn''t that the police''s job?"

    "Yes, stealing their thunder," she winked and shooed her away, "Quick, go. Oh, here hees."

    Kang Mu Cheng nodded to Julie, taking the food from her hands: "Thank you for your trouble, you can go now."

    Jian Jing asked, "All questions answered?"

    He sighed, "I suppose so, another half day wasted."

    She made a face, saying, "Alright, alright, just a bit longer, I already know who the murderer is."

    Kang Mu Cheng sighed again: "Not easy."

    Julie hesitantly walked towards the exit, but others rushed in, saying things like "who is the real murderer" and such.

    She was scared yet curious, so she didn''t leave, hiding in a corner to eavesdrop.

    Then, she heard a bunch of impressive-sounding but confusing words.

    Ms. Jian presented several pieces of evidence, refuted a few excuses, mocked a few people, and the murderer confessed.

    Julie: What mechanism in which room? How was the door locked? The victim had affairs with two women and even had a boyfriend? Did he like men or women??

    She entered bewildered and left even more confused.

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Julie, you can go home now, it''s all over."

    "Oh, okay." She was still dazed, her mouth faster than her brain, "Um, so he had an affair with the first woman to cover for a rtive, and with the second woman to get revenge on a rtive? And then his wife killed him??"

    Jian Jing looked at her and burst outughing: "Yeah, isn''t it fun?"

    Julie: "..."

    --

    Apart from small idents in life, Julie''s career as a secretary was going smoothly. About half a yearter, she had be familiar with her daily work and started on the essential course for every CEO''s secretary: gossip.

    She often chatted with Dai An, exchanging insider information.

    Julie: [Today the CEO asked me to order flowers, to be sent to XXw firm, seems like it''s for a woman]

    Dai An: [It''s the daughter of the former CEO''s friend, probably another arranged date]

    Julie: [Dai jie, you''ve been at Golden Crow for so long, has the CEO ever had a girlfriend?]

    Dai An: [Don''t know... The CEO doesn''t talk much about his private life]

    Julie: [With him being so busy with work, does he even have time to date?]

    Dai An: [I don''t date either, do you?]

    Julie: [How could I when I''m this busy]

    Dai An: [Exactly]

    Dai An: [Look, even Ms. Jian doesn''t have a boyfriend]

    Julie: [I don''t understand, she''s so beautiful, rich, and talented, why isn''t anyone pursuing her!!]

    Dai An: [Actually...]

    Julie: [??]

    Dai An: [Although it might be just my imagination, but think about it, isn''t Ms. Jian the only close female friend around the CEO?]

    Julie: [shocked.JPG, isn''t the age gap a bit big??]

    Dai An: [20 and 30 is quite a gap, but if they both remain unmarried, 30 and 40, 40 and 50, isn''t there hope then?]

    Perhaps meeting a fellow gossip enthusiast, Dai An couldn''t control her imagination: [I think, they''re not waiting for each other, just focusing on their careers now, putting romance on the back burner, but ten or twenty yearster, when they want to get married, if the other is still around, it''s entirely possible they could get together]

    Dai An: [Of course, they might also end up like Givenchy and Hepburn, remaining the closest of friends for life, but never actually getting together]

    Julie: [Life is so long, doesn''t a happy ending take a long time to wait for?]

    Dai An: [Life is so long, what''s the rush?]

    Julie thought about it and felt it made sense, so she opened another chat and carefully typed: [I''m sorry, but I''m still focused on my career right now, let''s not hold each other back, goodbye]

    Then she deleted the contact.

    Suddenly, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

    --

    "Demon Doctor 4" was set to release on National Day, a public holiday when everyone had time off.

    As expected, the book signing event was packed, with people crowding the entire floor.

    Jian Jing couldn''t bear it anymore and took the chance during a bathroom break to say to Kang Mu Cheng, "Can we make them line up outside? I''m about to suffocate in here."

    Kang Mu Cheng hadn''t anticipated such a turnout either, so he quickly found someone to negotiate and rearrange, while trying to persuade those still in line toe backter.

    "Pleasee back in two hours," Julie and the store staff were at the door, trying to disperse the crowd. Afraid of disappointing the readers, they handed out small bookmarks and notebooks to each person.

    Even so, the stream of people never stopped.

    Jian Jing signed until her wrist was in severe pain, forcing her to apply an ice pack.

    Kang Mu Cheng couldn''t bear to see this: "Why don''t we call it a day? We''ve already signed all 12,000 prepared copies anyway."

    "You taught me not to becent, these people havee all this way," she shook her hand, "Let''s continue."

    This continuationsted until 10 PM, causing even the bookstore to dy closing.

    But overtime or not, everyone was happy with such good book sales.

    Jian Jing sent a big red envelope in the group chat: [Treat for everyone''ste-night snack]

    Kang Mu Cheng asked Julie to go along and use his card to pay.

    Everyone happily chose a seafood restaurant, deciding to feast on the boss''s dime.

    Kang Mu Cheng drove Jian Jing home, as they now lived close to each other, nothing could be more convenient.

    "Does your hand still hurt?" he asked.

    Jian Jing: "It''s a bit sore."

    He frowned.

    After arriving home, Kang Mu Cheng didn''t leave. Instead, he found the first aid kit with familiar ease and took out some red flower oil. "Give me your hand."

    Jian Jing didn''t like the smell and quickly shook her head. "It doesn''t hurt anymore."

    "Hand."

    She reluctantly extended her hand.

    Kang Mu Cheng gripped her wrist, applied the medicinal oil, and massaged it firmly while saying, "Use your phone less these few days, and it''s best to avoid using the mouse too. If you''re not writing, a tablet should be enough."

    Jian Jing asked, "Does this count as a work injury?"

    "Yes, what do you want?" he asked.

    As the medicinal oil seeped into her skin, her wrist felt a burning soreness. Jian Jing said, "Let''s go out somewhere?" She continued, "Brother Yingjie said he found this great off-the-beaten-path ski resort."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "Sure. Do you know how to ski?"

    "No," she said brazenly, "but I''m sure I can pick it up easily."

    Kang Mu Cheng looked at her and suddenly burst intoughter.

    --

    The small team of Kang Mu Cheng, Si Yingjie, and Jian Jing set off on another trip.

    Their destination this time was a ce called Snow Peak, different from most popr ski destinations. It not only offered one-on-one professional ski instruction but also featured breathtaking snow scenery.

    Vintage wooden cabins, pine-wood burning fireces, warm bathtubs, steaming coffee, and fresh bread.

    It sounded perfect.

    Jian Jing brought two novels to read during boring evenings.

    She never got to use them.

    The cabin had a stack of movies!

    The three agreed to take turns choosing movies each day, and unless something came up, everyone had to watch the entire filmˇŞa rule specifically added for Kang Mu Cheng.

    Jian Jing: "You can''t be reviewing manuscripts while on vacation."

    Kang Mu Cheng: "I''m not reviewing other people''s manuscripts anymore, these arepany financial reports."

    Si Yingjie: "You can look at those tomorrow morning, but not tonight."

    Jian Jing: "I second that."

    After some friendly discussion, Kang Mu Cheng finally surrendered, pinned to the sofa by the two of them on either side, and was handed wine and popcorn.

    "It''s my turn to pick today." Jian Jing was eager to choose.

    The day before yesterday, they watched a Hollywood blockbuster (Si Yingjie''s choice), yesterday they endured a boring art film (Kang Mu Cheng''s pick), and today was finally her turn. She was definitely going to choose something she liked.

    After much deliberation, she pulled out a DVD and announced her decision: "Snow Night Maniac, let''s watch this."

    Si Yingjie wailed, "No way! A horror movie?"

    Jian Jing said, "If you''re scared, you can sit in the middle."

    "No need." Si Yingjie had already shrunk into the corner of the sofa, looking lifeless. "Just start it."

    She pressed y.

    The screen showed a vast snowyndscape.

    The camera panned from the outside to the window, then through it, focusing on the people inside. They were young, throwing a party for a newlywed couple, pping and cheering, creating a lively atmosphere.

    The firece zed, its light dancing on everyone''s faces.

    Si Yingjie shifted ufortably: "Hey, don''t you think this scene looks familiar?"

    Jian Jing turned her head and said softly, "Of course it''s familiar, becauseˇŞ" she leaned in and lowered her voice, "it''s where we''re staying."

    Si Yingjie froze.

    "Crack!" The burning wood made a crisp popping sound.

    "Jing Jing, you''re joking, right?" Si Yingjieughed nervously. "Mu Cheng, Mu Cheng?"

    Kang Mu Cheng looked around and said, "It does seem to be this ce, even the wall clock is the same."

    Si Yingjie screamed, "No way! Is this like The Ring?"Aliali: 673aa0aed72ede9349903ddf

    Kang Mu Cheng: "..."

    "Hahahahaha!" Jian Jing couldn''t hold it in anymore, doubling over withughter. "Brother Yingjie, you''re, you''re killing me, hahaha!"

    Sheughed so hard her stomach hurt, leaning on Kang Mu Cheng''s shoulder while catching her breath. "This movie was filmed here. Didn''t you see the poster on the wall when we checked in at the front desk?"

    Si Yingjie: "..." He looked at Kang Mu Cheng speechlessly. "You saw it too?"

    Kang Mu Cheng suppressed his smile and nodded slightly.

    "So you were both just messing with me." Si Yingjie raged, grabbing a cushion and throwing it at them.

    Jian Jing: "Hahaha!"

    The cabin was filled withughter and joy, a happy atmosphere all around.

    Then, "AhhˇŞ"

    A scream came from the cabin next door.

 Chapter 421

    On this year''s Children''s Day, Lao Gao finally took a day off to watch his beloved daughter''s performance at school.

    Although the two of them were merely ying a pair of silent little elves, Lao Gao still took countless photos and posted seven or eight moments on his social media.

    When the performance ended, Lao Gao heard his wife sigh in relief.

    "Look at how nervous you were."

    He teased his wife, "There were no lines, and you were scared like this?"

    "Heh."

    Lao Gao''s wife scoffed, "I was nervous about this? I was afraid that before our daughter got on stage, you would be called away by a phone call. If you don''te to watch the performance this year, by next year, you won''t even know where the school gate is."

    Lao Gao was speechless for a moment, embarrassed, "I specifically took a day off, there won''t be any problems."

    His wife: "Which year didn''t you take a day off?"

    Lao Gao: "......"

    In such matters, he was always in the wrong. He wisely changed the subject, "Recently, the sub-bureau has recruited new people, and we are not so short-staffed. Beingte by an hour or two doesn''t matter. Besides, there''s Ji Feng."

    Speaking of him, Lao Gao''s wife was also quite concerned, "Is he alright now?"

    "He''s been recuperating for half a year, he''s getting better."

    His wife then said, "He needs to recuperate well. You didn''t take care of yourself back then, and you cough at the slightest wind. Have you been drinking the lung nourishing tea I bought for you?"

    Lao Gao perfunctorily replied, "I drank it, I drank it."

    His wife scoffed, "You don''t take my words seriously, do you? Wait until you get old, you''ll regret it."

    "I wouldn''t disregard anyone, let alone you."

    Lao Gao hugged his wife''s shoulders, lowering his voice, "After we drop our little ones off at their grandmother''s, shall we go out for ate-night snack?"

    His wife: "Eat what? I''m exhausted."

    "Let''s go, I don''t usually have time to apany you."

    Lao Gao said, "It''s a rare opportunity. I heard there''s a new ce that does a great tofu noodle dish. The beef is well-braised, and they also have stir-fries. You like crayfish, right? Let''s have some."

    His wife was moved.

    "That''s settled then."

    Another performance ended, and the couple pped along with the crowd.

    The silly dad behind them repeated what Lao Gao had done earlier, "That''s my daughter, the one in the middle with the braids, isn''t she particrly beautiful?"

    After a lively half of the night, the Children''s Day performance finally ended.

    Lao Gao and his wife didn''t have to coax the children much. As soon as the twin girls got in the car, they fell asleep. When they arrived at their grandmother''s house, the two children held hands and obediently went to sleep with their grandmother.

    It had been a long time since the couple had a date without the children and work. Today, they managed to recapture the feeling of dating, sneaking into the car and heading straight for thete-night snack shop.

    It was past ten o''clock at night, all the other shops on the street were dark, only one small shop was brightly lit, with cars parked outside and a constant stream of people.

    Just as the couple was about to queue up, they suddenly saw the focus of the crowd, Jian Jing waving at them, "Officer Gao,e sit here."

    "Oh, you two are here."

    Lao Gao, holding his wife''s hand, sat down in the two empty seats at the square table, "What a coincidence?"

    Ji Feng said, "What coincidence, didn''t you know from the public ount that Teacher Jian shared?"

    Lao Gao: "......"

    Lao Gao''s wife, Jiang Lu, ignored them, giving Jian Jing several nces, "You''re Jian Jing, the author, aren''t you?"

    Jian Jing propped up her head, turned and smiled, "Yes."

    Unexpectedly excited at meeting a celebrity, Lao Gao''s wife said, "I''ve read your books and seen your TV dramas."

    "Thank you."

    She smiled.

    Jiang Lu usually followed celebrity gossip, but the impact of seeing a celebrity in person was entirely different. She felt as if she was sitting next to a radiant being, a mix of admiration for the beauty and a sense of self-consciousness.

    She had nothing to say, so she peeled peanuts to eat and listened to their conversation.

    Lao Gao asked, "Nothing nned for tonight?"

    Ji Feng rested his forehead in his hand, "Don''t remind me, remember the case from yesterday afternoon, the drowning one?"

    Lao Gao nodded.

    Yesterday afternoon they received a report of a child''s body floating in a pond, discovered by a few uncles fishing.

    Summer is a high-risk period for child drownings, no matter how much they warn and emphasize, there are always a few reckless children who go swimming in the wild and tragically drown.

    The medical examiner determined that the child drowned before death, it wasn''t a case of discarding the body after death.

    But since they hadn''t found the spot where the child fell into the water, they couldn''t determine whether it was murder or an idental fall.

    Jian Jing said, "A reader sent me a letter, saying his friend disappeared. The description of hisst outfit matches exactly with the photo in your report."

    Ji Feng added, "I spent the whole day with Jian Jing tracing the child''s movements."

    They started discussing the timeline, deducing the mental journey from chat records, checking surveince, investigating the route, and finally debating whether the child was alone when he reached the riverbank.

    Jiang Lu was only half-following, focusing on eating her noodles.

    The tofu noodles were really delicious.

    When they were almost finished eating, Ji Feng concluded, "After all the hustle, it turned out to be an ident after all."

    Jian Jing frowned, "Drowning while swimming in the wild, and nning to fake a fall into the water, but identally turning it into a real tragedy, arepletely different."

    "Yes, they''re different," Ji Feng agreed.

    Her face darkened even more.

    Lao Gao tried to lighten the mood, "But your day was quite eventful."

    Seeing his wife left out, he quickly added, "Right, honey?"

    Called out, Jiang Lu hurriedly said, "Yes, your date was quite unique."

    "Date? That''s an interesting topic."

    Jian Jing pondered, "A date with murder?"

    Jiang Lu: "?"

    Ji Feng exined, "Jian Jing is working on a script for an interview show."

    Jian Jingined, "They want me to talk about the original cases, without revealing any victims, and make it less bloody. I regretted it immediately, I thought it was just a chat over tea."

    "It''s a reading program for teenagers on Channel C."

    Ji Feng said, "You have to be careful, or parents willin about you."

    Jian Jing nced at him, "You seem experienced, often getints?"

    Ji Feng chuckled.

    Lao Gao chimed in, "No kidding, it''s verymon. When I was working at the police station, I was threatened withints every now and then."

    The conversation veered off to the daily hassles of grassroots police officers.

    Before they knew it, thete-night meal was over.

    On the way home, Lao Gao was driving his wife, Jiang Lu. Still high on the adrenaline rush, he wanted to continue discussing his clever life. However, Jiang Lu was not at all interested in her husband''s antics, she asked, "What''s going on with those two?"

    Gossip lover Lao Gao was also interested, he perked up, "Do you think there''s something between them?"

    "Hard to say."

    Jiang Lu hesitated, "Sometimes it seems like there is, but at other times, it doesn''t."

    Lao Gao sighed with disappointment and shook his head, "I also find it difficult."

    In front of his wife, he had nothing to hide, he spoke frankly, "Ji Feng definitely likes Teacher Jian, I''ve partnered with him for three or four years, I''m absolutely sure about this."

    Jiang Lu: "Doesn''t Teacher Jian like him? It doesn''t seem like it, a woman who is not interested in a man would not stay with him for so long."

    "Right?"

    Lao Gao agreed, but also admitted, "But just being interested is not enough to be together. Sometimes I worry for Ji Feng, his and Teacher Jian''s conditions are too far apart."

    He detailed, "Teacher Jian recently changed her car again, she drove it to our bureau the other day, my goodness, I thought some wastrel had been caught. Didn''t she move before? She moved into a small western-style house, oh my, we passed by the other day, it looked good just from the outside."

    Jiang Lu remembered, sheughed and said, "Isn''t this normal? There was a rich writer''s rankingst year, she seemed to be ranked fifth? The copyright fees are several tens of millions."

    Lao Gao gasped.

    The couple fell silent for a while, reaching a consensus on this.

    "The conditions are not equal, indeed it''s difficult."

    Lao Gao concluded first, then started diverging, "Wife, if your family was rich, would you choose a poor guy like me?"

    Jiang Lu pondered.

    "Wife? Lu Lu?"

    Lao Gao raised his voice.

    Jiang Lu slowly said, "Well, if I have money, it doesn''t matter whether the man has money or not, don''t get unnecessarily excited."

    Lao Gao''s voice weakened, he forced himself to keep up the momentum, "Where am I excited, I''m just casually chatting, so?"

    "It still depends on the person."

    Jiang Lu nced at him, "What do you think?"

    Lao Gao: "Of course it would still be me."

    Jiang Lu: "......Hehe."

    *

    On National Day, Jian Jing''s new book was released, and it once again topped the trending list.

    But this had nothing to do with Ji Feng, other colleagues either wanted to go on a trip or apany their children, he stayed behind to work as he had countless times before.

    Lao Gao felt bad, he asked him, "Why don''t you go to the signing event, I''ll stay here this year?"

    "Aren''t you going to the zoo?"

    Ji Feng waved his hand, "It''s okay, I can handle it alone."

    Lao Gao: "Go on, buy a new book from Teacher Jian to read."

    Ji Feng: "I''ve already read it."

    Lao Gao: "?"

    "It''s for Yun Yun, it was delivered to my house, I read it first."

    He shamelessly said, "Want a spoiler?"

    Lao Gao: "Get lost!"

    On National Day, the sub-bureau was deserted, while the friend circle was either stuck in traffic or taking group photos, it was exceptionally lively.

    Ji Feng made himself a cup of tea, opened the office system, and considered which reports he had not written. Take advantage of today''s light workload and finish them quickly.

    Perhaps it was the tranquility of the air, or maybe it was still hot in October, causing a sense of drowsiness and lethargy.

    After writing just a few lines, his mind began to wander.

    He appreciated Lao Gao''s kindness, but they all didn''t know that since the New Year, up until June, Teacher Jian had ignored him for months.

    Only after finishing "The Demon Doctor 4" did she mercifully remove him from her cklist.

    Then, it was as if nothing had happened, as if nothing was amiss.

    He usually had a good grasp of her thoughts, but this time, he waspletely clueless.

    However, even if he couldn''t figure it out, he could make some guesses.

    If certain words were left unsaid until one''s dying breath, who would believe they ever existed?

    But Ji Feng didn''t regret his choice. If given another chance, he would still choose silence.

    He had heard too many regretful messages.

    "Tell so-and-so that I love her, and she should marry a good man."

    "I''m sorry, mom and dad, for not being a good child."

    "Tell my son that his dad doesn''t me him."

    "Baby, mommy can''t be with you on your birthday."

    These words would always be met with tears of regret from the living.

    They would be in agony, ming themselves for not cherishing every day in the past, even regretting why thest words before parting with the dying were not "I love you."

    But what''s the point?

    The deceased are at peace, leaving without regrets, but those who remain can never forget.

    So, a long time ago, Ji Feng decided never to leave any so-calledst words, unless it was to identify the murderer, which would be a different matter.

    This ending, it''s not bad, but fate is a strange thing, he survived.

    Everything sank into oblivion because of silence.

    Well, looking on the bright side, it''s good enough to be alive, there''s no need for other extravagant hopes. At this moment, being able to work overtime in the office, instead of visiting graves during Qingming, is already a great fortune.

    At most... he''d be on duty every year from now on.

    That would be fine too.

 Chapter 422

    On a certain day in November, Ji Feng finished interrogating a suspect and came out to see Teacher Jian sitting on his desk. He curiously asked, "Who''s getting married?"

    Oh, right, there was an invitation card on his desk. She had noticed it.

    Lao Gao said, "No one''s getting married."

    "Huh?"

    She nced around, greatly puzzled. "Strangely, only Ji Feng has one. What, is it his ex-girlfriend getting married?"

    Lao Gao jerked his chin: "He''s back."

    Ji Feng said, "It''s a rtive."

    She immediately lost interest and changed the subject: "Where''s the wedding candy?"

    He handed her the candy box: "Here you go."

    "I''ll just have one piece."

    She opened the box, found a fruit-vored candy, and then pulled out a small piece of paper. "What''s this, a fortune?"

    She casually unfolded it.

    After reading two lines, she kicked Ji Feng''s leg: "It''s for you."

    "What is it?"

    Ji Feng took it and frowned more and more as he read it. He then went straight out to make a phone call.

    Lao Gao was baffled: "What''s going on?"

    Jian Jing shrugged: "Nothing. I''m heading back."

    She patted her bottom and left.

    Five minutester, Ji Feng returned from his phone call to find his seat empty. Only the lingering scent of perfume in the air proved she had hurriedly been there.

    He wasn''t surprised. He handed the confession record he had forgotten earlier to Lao Gao: "Finished questioning."

    Lao Gao: "Did they confess?"

    He nodded.

    Just another ordinary day.

    Ten dayster, Ji Feng took personal leave to attend his rtive''s wedding.

    The night before leaving, Jian Jing specifically sent a message asking: [How''s that rtive of yours who thought her husband wanted to kill her and had to ask for your help?]

    Ji Feng: [Still alive]

    Jian Jing: [Why did she think her husband wanted to kill her?]

    Ji Feng: [I''m nning to go two days early to check things out]

    After a while, he asked, [Do you want toe?]

    Jian Jing: [If you''re not confident, I suppose I could grudgingly go take a look]

    Ji Feng: [I suggested she use the wedding customs to temporarily live apart from her fianc¨¦, but I can''t stay with her. We may be step-siblings, but we''re not blood-rted after all]

    Jian Jing: [Step-siblings? You have a sister?]

    Ji Feng: [My mother''s second husband''s daughter. I met her at my mother''s funeral, but we haven''t been in contact for many years. The fact that she reached out to me proves things are really bad]

    Jian Jing: [Buy me dinner and I''ll help you]

    On the other end of the connection, he couldn''t help but smile.

    Look at that, Teacher Jian was just like this - clearly dying of curiosity, but when it came to him, she had to make him beg.

    Ji Feng promptly replied: [Two meals]

    Jian Jing: [Deal]

    --

    Ji Feng''s non-blood-rted sister was named Yang Jie. When his mother married her father, Yang Jie''s mother had already passed away for some years.

    Although there was some confusion, Yang Jie was half a year older than Ji Feng and just starting university, so she didn''t need to live with her stepmother, avoiding any conflicts between them.

    When Ji Liming passed away, leaving behind two children, Yang''s father hade to help a few times. Because of this kindness, Ji Feng kept it in his heart.

    This time, when Yang Jie asked for his help, he agreed without hesitation.

    During the few hours on the ne, Ji Feng briefed Jian Jing on the situation.

    After graduating, Yang Jie started her own business and is now a well-known young entrepreneur. Through a friend''s introduction, she met a second-generation rich man who was very down-to-earth and capable. After dating for a year and a half, they decided to get married.

    But recently, she always felt something was off about him. He would look at her with strange gazes, bought high-value insurance policies for both of them, and she found strange white powder floating in their drinking sses.

    The scariest part was that she would wake up at night to find him staring at her, as if he might strangle her at any moment.

    As the wedding day approached, when things seemed normal, her fianc¨¦ was considerate and caring, perfect in every way. But once signs of trouble appeared, she would get chills and wish to cancel the wedding.

    This feeling was driving her crazy.

    When she told her friends, they thought she had pre-wedding jitters. She didn''t dare tell her aging father either. It wasn''t until she was writing the wedding invitations that she suddenly remembered Ji Feng was a police officer and decided to ask him for help.

    However, her fianc¨¦ somehow found out about this and specifically mentioned it.

    She was scared and didn''t dare to speak openly, so she could only secretly slip a note into the wedding candy she gave him.

    When Ji Feng called her, her fianc¨¦ was right beside her.

    But Ji Feng was an expert at this sort of thing.

    He asked questions like "Is he next to you right now? If yes, say daytime, if no, say nighttime" to gradually piece together the situation.

    "How interesting," Jian Jing said. "I''m getting a bit excited now."

    Despite saying this, the long flight was still too tedious.

    She put on her earphones to listen to music, but soon got bored again. She kicked his foot, "Wake up."

    Ji Feng: "What is it?"

    "I''m bored," she said. "Let''s find something fun to do."

    He sighed: "I didn''t sleepst night. Can I just take a nap?"

    She pouted but didn''t force him: "Fine, go ahead and sleep then."

    Ji Feng leaned back on the soft pillow and fell asleep within minutes. Because they were on a ne, his sleep was especially deep. He could barely open his eyes and took a long time to slowly regain consciousness.

    The seat next to him was empty.

    He turned his head to see Jian Jing ying cards with a few young men. They looked to be in their early twenties at most, probably college students, and well-off ones at that.

    She kept winning, umting quite a pile of candy.

    The guys were clearly just looking at her, not really focused on the game. No wonder they were losing.

    Games aren''t fun if you always lose, but they''re not fun if you always win either.

    Ji Feng nced at the card game a few times, then raised his hand to ask a flight attendant for a bottle of water.

    Jian Jing looked at him, then continued ying cards.

    Ji Feng closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

    The ne finallynded.

    He asked, "How many rounds did you win?"

    "I didn''t count, but I never lost," she said.

    "They let you win."

    "Would they have won if they didn''t let me?" Jian Jing asked, surprised. "By letting me win, they don''t feel embarrassed about losing, and probably think they''re being gentlemanly - otherwise how could the game have continued?"

    Ji Feng: "...You have a point."

    She: "You didn''t think I couldn''t tell they were letting me win, did you?"

    Ji Feng: "No, how could you not know?"

    Jian Jing: "Haha."

    After disembarking, they checked into the wedding hotel. Ji Feng went to find Yang Jie and Yang''s father, while Jian Jing wandered around to scout the situation.

    The first day passed uneventfully.

    Jian Jing met the bride, introducing herself as a friend and staying by her side. She also saw the fianc¨¦ but didn''t notice anything unusual.

    On the second day, guests began to arrive.

    Ji Feng investigated the groom''s background while Jian Jing extracted information from the bridesmaids.

    On the third day, the day before the wedding, everyone was busy with preparations.

    On the fourth day, at 4 AM, the groomsmen went to find the groom to prepare for the wedding ceremony, only to discover him dead in his suite.

    The wedding murder case officially began.

    The fifth day was spent investigating.

    The sixth day was for questioning.

    In the early hours of the seventh day, the case was solved.

    Yang''s father had been worried that his daughter was the murderer, but was greatly relieved to find out she had no direct connection to her fianc¨¦''s death. He rxedpletely and had a good night''s sleep.

    He woke up at noon, saw off the rtives and friends one by one, then insisted on having Ji Feng and Jian Jing stay for a meal.

    Ji Feng: "I have to work tomorrow."

    Jian Jing: "Are you going to keep taking unpaid leave?"

    Ji Feng: "...It won''te to that."

    He had umted enough vacation days over the years to have plenty left.

    "We owe you both a great deal for this," the old man insisted. "At my age, who knows if I''ll have another chance to see you again."

    With things put that way, they had no choice but to stay one more day.

    After the meal, Jian Jing said she wanted to take a walk on the beach. Yang Jie said she was going back to pack her luggage, leaving them some space.

    Yang''s father had been drinking and became increasingly talkative. He first expressed his regrets, saying he shouldn''t have pushed his daughter to get married, or else she wouldn''t have ended up with such a scumbag. But he also defended himself: "She''s all about her career now and doesn''t want a family, but what will she do when she''s old?"

    A father has a father''s worries.

    "When you''re young you don''t notice, but what about when you''re older? Money can hire a caretaker, but a caretaker can''t rece family," he said.

    The alcohol took effect, and emotions and impulses upied his mind as he rambled on, "When a person is near death, they don''t think about anything else, they just want someone by their side."

    He looked at Ji Feng and grinned: "In your mother''s final days, all she could think about was you and your sister, but she didn''t dare tell you. She was so happy when you came to see her."

    Ji Feng smiled slightly.

    "I know that deep down, she loved your father the most," Yang''s father said with a smile. "If she didn''t, how could she have married a police officer? It was hard, a woman raising two children alone, with a husband who was rarely home. How could it not be difficult?"

    He said: "Don''t me her."

    Ji Feng: "I understand."

    Yang''s father nodded and said, "You''re a good kid. Your mother always praised your intelligence."

    "Yang Jie is more aplished than me."

    Speaking of his daughter, Yang''s father naturally felt proud. His rtionship with his previous wife had been ordinary, and she had passed away early, but the child she left behind was precious as jade, and he had invested countless efforts in raising her.

    But Yang''s father admitted, "She''s doing well in her career, but not so much in matters of the heart, ah."

    He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on sad matters, and turned to ask him, "You and Miss Jian are..."

    Ji Feng: "Friends."

    Yang''s father hesitated: "Do you... do you have any ns?"

    Ji Fengpletely understood his meaning and said naturally, "I don''t n to get married."

    Yang''s father tried to persuade him: "There''s no need to be so absolute. You should have someone to keep youpany, and when you''re old, children can take care of you."

    "Isn''t there Yun Yun? I raised her when she was little, and when I''m no longer capable, it''ll be her turn to take care of me."

    Ji Feng joked, "Besides, who knows if I''ll even live until retirement."

    Yang''s father fell silent and started drinking again.

    After a moment, he said, "I think Miss Jian is quite nice."

    Ji Fengughed, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, of course she''s nice. An author earning tens of millions a year, with suitors lining up daily ¨C it would take more than a month to get through them all."

    Yang''s father fell silent.

    Half an hourter, Ji Feng supported the drunken old man and helped him back to his hotel room to rest. He had nned to return to his room to wash up and sleep, but the hotel''s constant air conditioning made the air feel stuffy.

    He decided to go out for some fresh air.

    On the rooftop pool, a snow-white figure was idly stargazing. Hearing footsteps, she turned and asked, "Are you done talking?"

    Ji Feng sat down on a lounge chair, enjoying the evening breeze on his face: "Yes."

    Jian Jing got out of the pool, water droplets falling crystalline to the ground: "You don''t seem to be in a good mood?"

    "Really?"

    He raised an eyebrow.

    "Yes."

    Jian Jing put her hands behind her back, circled around him halfway, and suddenly raised her leg to kick at his shoulder.

    Ji Feng had been wary since she started circling to his side, and his reaction was quick enough to catch her ankle precisely: "What are you doing?"

    Jian Jing, with excellent bnce, maintained herposure even with her ankle caught, acting casual: "Nothing much."

    He slowly released his grip: "Don''t try that again."

    "What are you afraid of?"

    She mocked, maintaining her momentum, using his shoulder as leverage to sit on the chair''s backrest, looking down at him.

    Ji Feng leaned back a few inches, keeping his distance from her legs.

    "Don''t be scared."

    Teacher Jian smiled sweetly, "Before I kick you in, I''ll definitely warn you first ¨C watch out."

    Before she finished speaking, his shoulder took another hit.

    Ji Feng didn''t know whether tough or cry, quickly restraining her: "Teacher Jian, can we find some other form of entertainment?"

    "Sure."

    Teacher Jian, generous as always, said, "As long as you answer one question for me."

    Ji Feng suddenly felt uneasy: "What question?"

    "Do you think," she leaned down, whispering near his ear, "I know your secret or not?"

 Chapter 423

    Dazzling Film and Television City.

    Shi Yan was a senior at the Central Academy of Drama, with excellent grades and some acting experience. This year, his mentor introduced him to his friend, Director Ding.

    Director Ding was preparing for a movie but found current actors too artificial,cking the natural ir he desired. So he turned to scouting talent from schools.

    After evaluation, he felt Shi Yan had potential and gave him a chance to audition.

    Shi Yan proved himself worthy and secured the role of the third male lead.

    After summer vacation, he officially joined the crew.

    A film set is an interesting ce, with clear hierarchies, defined roles, and a semi-enclosed environment. Sometimes, the director seems like a dictatorial tyrant, making everyone tremble in fear.

    Other times, it bes a hotbed of ambiguity, with handsome men and beautiful women in close proximity day and night, emotions sprouting and growing uncontrobly.

    Though not his first time on set, Shi Yan still felt awkward and out of ce.

    The extras formed their own system, while other minor actors had their own backgrounds. Though friendly, their words often carried undertones of probing. He didn''t dare or want to approach the big-name actors, to avoid causing trouble.

    So, during his free time, he sat alone in a corner, flipping through the script or gazing at the sky, bing known as somewhat of a reclusive oddball to others.

    However, a few dayster, things took a turn - he received an olive branch from Jiang BaiYan, the male lead, investor, and his senior from school.

    "I''ve heard about you from Teacher Zhang," Jiang BaiYan''s opening was simple. "He said you''re quite shy and asked me to look after you."

    Shi Yan smiled bashfully.

    Jiang BaiYan, however, chatted with him naturally, asking about his family, studies, and feelings about filming. The topics were casual, without any particr agenda.

    Shi Yan gradually rxed.

    A few dayster, the weather suddenly turned cold, but they had to film outdoors for a long time.

    Shi Yan was shivering, unsure whether to go back for more clothes, when Jiang BaiYan''s assistant brought him a thick coat: "Young Bai asked me to give this to you. Don''t catch a cold."

    He added, "Your scene isn''t for a while. Why don''t you rest in the tent first?"

    An older supporting actor noticed this and casually asked, "That''s Jiang BaiYan''s coat, right?"

    Shi Yan awkwardly exined, "I didn''t bring warm clothes, so he lent me this..."

    "It''s fine, just take it," the senior actor smiled, seemingly understanding his concern. He whispered, "Jiang BaiYan has a great personality. Once when we were filming in the scorching summer, I nearly got heatstroke, and he let me rest in his trailer for an entire afternoon."

    Shi Yan sighed in relief, as a neer, he was afraid of being targeted.

    The senior patted his shoulder: "Get along well with him, he''s quite impressive."

    Thisment sparked Shi Yan''s curiosity about his senior.

    He began observing Jiang BaiYan and found him increasingly admirable.

    Jiang BaiYan seemed to know everyone in the crew and was always polite, never losing his temper. When bored during makeup, he would chat with the makeup artists, discussing which cosmetic brands were good.

    For daily meals, he mostly ate with the crew, only drinking a ss of vegetable juice that others found intimidating every day.

    Even the vegetable juice was made with his own juicer, prepared in the hotel and brought over.

    He had a trailer, and the small fridge inside contained more items belonging to others than his own. Face masks, medicines, ice packs for swelling, and even a stove that people could borrow to cook instant noodles.

    Shi Yan had borrowed it too.

    One day, he was filming a night scene, but after being exposed to cold wind in the afternoon, his stomach started rumbling in protest. The toilets in the film city were far away, and he couldn''t hold it, so he had to ask sheepishly, "Senior, can I use... your bathroom?"

    "Sure, no problem," Jiang BaiYan was indeed easy-going, and added with concern, "You''re sweating cold sweat, do you need medicine? Never mind, you''d better go first."

    Shi Yan was incredibly grateful and rushed into the trailer''s bathroom.

    A quarter of an hourter, he felt much better.

    He wanted to go back to thank him but unexpectedly overheard Jiang BaiYan talking with his manager.

    The managerined, "Look at what a mess they''ve made of the car. Yesterday, someone almost took things from the cab."

    "Then let''s bring another car tomorrow and keep important items there," Jiang BaiYan said. "They can still use this one."

    The manager retorted, "Who else is as generous as you? Aren''t you afraid they''ll take advantage and turn against you?"

    Jiang BaiYan replied, "Don''t worry, I know what I''m doing. Shi Yan, are you done? Is your stomach still hurting?"

    Shi Yan, caught eavesdropping, felt embarrassed.

    "Don''t worry, it''s not about you," Jiang BaiYan said. "Sister Chen wasn''t talking about you, but about someone who said they were borrowing the fridge and ended up stealing my essories, probably to sell them."

    Shi Yan was dumbfounded: "Sell them?"

    "Selling is one thing, I''m more worried about someone installing hidden cameras," Sister Chen said irritably. "Anyway, let that car be used for cooking noodles and using the bathroom. I''ll bring another car tomorrow."

    Jiang BaiYan smiled and said, "That''s right, after getting benefits from me, who would use me of being a diva? This way everyone can be morefortable. Filming is tough work, isn''t it, little Shi Yan?"

    Shi Yan felt quite embarrassed: "I''m sorry for causing trouble."

    "Don''t say that, it''s just a car," he said nonchntly. "I''m an investor now. If everyone''s happy, they''ll be more dedicated to filming. The money spent will be earned back sooner orter, so feel free to use it."

    He then consoled his manager: "Sister Chen, how much does a trailer cost? I have plenty of money."

    Sister Chen''s mouth twitched: "I know you''re rich."

    "Then why are you worried?" He flipped through the script on hisp. "Some people throw parties and waste hundreds of bottles of champagne in one night, some smash cars or burn vis. Compared to them, I''m being frugal."

    Sister Chen waved her hand, too tired to argue: "Fine, do as you please. Are you going to the dinner with Huangyu Entertainment next week?"

    "I''ll go," Jiang BaiYan looked at Shi Yan, "You shoulde with me."

    Shi Yan repeatedly waved his hands: "No, no, I''d better not go."

    "Meeting more people will be good for you," he advised like a senior. "Don''t worry, I''ll be there. I guarantee you''ll go safely ande back untouched."

    Shi Yan: "..." He felt even more scared.

    But since Director Ding didn''t say anything, and he wasn''t good at refusing others'' kindness, he had to go along.

    At the dinner, Shi Yan saw another side of his seemingly nice senior.

    "Young President Zhou, of course I remember you," Jiang BaiYan sat in the guest seat, chopsticks holding a slice of radish. "You were very close with my brother, Jiang Ou."

    The other party smiled awkwardly: "That''s all in the past."

    "Indeed," he nodded, as if without any grudge. "Since you were close to my brother, perhaps you could be close to me too."

    Young President Zhou paused, took a sip of wine, and then stated his purpose, which was rted to the theater chain.

    Jiang BaiYan slowly sipped his soup, frowned upon hearing this, and said with difficulty: "I''m afraid I can''t help."

    "We won''t let you work for nothing."

    "That''s not the issue," Jiang BaiYan waved his hand, exining sincerely, "I''m busy with other things recently and can''t spare the time."

    "Is it about the review of ''White Cat Detective''?" The President of Huangyu interjected, "I heard it''s been repeatedly requested for edits due to excessive violence."

    Jiang BaiYan looked helpless: "Yes, I don''t see why it''s necessary."

    "This is just a little trick from the old guys," Young President Zhou understood and said, "How violent or bloody it is, is actually quite a flexible issue."

    Jiang BaiYan curved his lips: "Great, then we have a consensus - Young President Zhou, your ss is empty."

    He eagerly refilled half a ss, and Young President Zhou forced a smile and drank it all.

    "You have such a good alcohol tolerance," he propped his head up, like a student in ss. "By the way, what were we talking about just now?"

    The President of Huangyu nced at his friend, and said calmly: "The theater chain - Mr. Jiang, this would benefit you too."

    "That''s true," Jiang BaiYan sighed, but said very sincerely, "But what do I need so much money for? I already have more than enough money, more than I can spend, right?"

    Shi Yan couldn''t help but shift in his seat, afraid that someone at the table might jump up and punch him.

    However, the people present had betterposure than he imagined.

    Young President Zhou praised: "Mr. Jiang sees through it all. We are just ordinary people, always thinking more money is better - besides, it''s not just about money, it''s about contributing to the film industry."

    "You make a good point. The movie industry isn''t doing well now, and it saddens me," Jiang BaiYan put down his chopsticks with a troubled expression. "It''s really heartbreaking, isn''t it?"

    "That''s exactly the situation," everyone agreed supportively.

    The dinnersted two hours, and when they left, Shi Yan only managed to remember the faces of a few bigwigs one-sidedly.

    As for what they discussed, sorry, but whether he listened or not made no difference.

    What was the purpose of this dinner anyway?

    The future of the film industry?

    Lost in thought, the elevator arrived with someone inside.

    Shi Yan recognized her - she went by the stage name Zhuzhu, a currently popr rising starlet who had gone viral across the intest year with her hot dance performances (?). ording to her fans, her looks were both pure and seductive.

    "Little Bai, you''re here too," her manager greeted familiarly. "Haven''t seen you since the wrap-up, right?"

    "Been busy," Jiang BaiYan stated the obvious. "Here for dinner too?"

    The manager nodded vaguely.

    Unlike her fiery on-screen persona, Zhuzhu appeared sweet and slightly ditzy, and surprisingly asked directly, "Having dinner with a director? You too?"

    "Mm-hmm." Jiang BaiYan''s tone was sincere and cute, seeming earnest but actually quite the opposite - he was focused on watching the elevator floor numbers, showing no interest in further conversation.

    The manager nced at him, exchanged a look with their artist, and asked, "It''s still early, want to grab some tea? Good for sobering up."

    Jiang BaiYan replied, "I''m out with my junior, need to drop him offter. Next time."

    Shi Yan felt himself being sized up for a few minutes, so he stared intently at his toes.

    "Alright then, we''ll head off," they didn''t push further.

    After leaving the elevator, Jiang BaiYan patted his shoulder and said worriedly, "How will you manage in the future being so socially anxious?"

    Shi Yan just smiled without saying anything.

    Soon after, Director Ding''s film wrapped up.

    Shi Yan was invited by Jiang BaiYan for congee and to discuss signing with his agency.

    "You must have received invitations from more than onepany, right?" Jiang BaiYanmented. "With Director Ding''s rmendation, the managers wanting to sign you must all be quite good."

    Shi Yan felt somewhat embarrassed.

    In real life, he was awkward and didn''t like socializing, but once in front of the camera, he becamepletely animated. Even with few lines, his facial expressions carried deep meaning.

    Director Ding praised him for having a natural talent, which attracted olive branches from manypanies.

    Jiang BaiYan''s studio was just one of them.

    "This is the contract I''m offering you," Jiang BaiYan handed over a folder. "Think it over carefully."Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08

    Then, he called the server to pay: "I have something to attend to. See you at the studio."

    Shi Yan was confused: "But I haven''t agreed..."

    "You will choose me," he said.

    Shi Yan looked bewildered.

    But in the end, he did indeed choose Pudding Studio.

    Shi Yan had never dreamed of bing an overnight sensation, nor did he harbor the determination to sacrifice everything for his career. He simply loved acting and wanted to progress steadily.

    Among all the contracts, Jiang BaiYan''s terms weren''t the most generous, but they suited his wishes the best.

    Later, Shi Yan discovered that unlike other entertainmentpanies, Pudding Studio didn''t have tiered contracts - each artist''s contract was different.

    Strangely, even though some people knew others had better contract terms than their own, they had the lowest rate of contract termination among all major studios.

    So, at times, Shi Yan found Jiang BaiYan a bit frightening.

 Chapter 424

    As a neer, Shi Yan''s most important task after signing was to promote Director Ding''s works.

    He registered on Weibo and, following his agent''s advice, followed his colleagues, liking their reposts to help each other out.

    Then, he had a question.

    "Who is White Little Fire?"

    Agent: "...The boss."

    A big question mark appeared on Shi Yan''s forehead.

    In his view, Jiang BaiYan did indeed have a good temper and liked to joke around. When with directors and producers, he could lower his stance, showing a humble junior''s demeanor.

    But personality is one thing, and aura is another. During meetings, when he rested his face on his hand and stared directly at someone, everyone would unanimously feel uneasy.

    As for Shi Yan... although Jiang BaiYan was very nice and friendly to him, he always had a strange intuition: if one day he needed to y a high-IQ murderer, his first choice for inspiration would be Jiang BaiYan when alone.

    But online, White Little Fire showed apletely different style.

    A fanboy, naive and sweet, with cats and dogs, living a peaceful life.

    It just seemed... very fake.

    Later, he learned that it was actually true as well.

    That day, Shi Yan was looking at some scripts in the studio when his agent suddenly tugged at him, saying, "Teacher Jian is here."

    Shi Yan peeked out and saw a snow-skinned, gray-haired girl walk in, her gait light as if she were a cat spirit. As soon as she entered, Pudding, who had been napping on the cat tree, immediately got up, meowed, and pounced into her arms, kneading.

    "Good Pudding," she cuddled the orange cat and sniffed, "Long time no see, did you miss me?"

    "Jing Jing~~" Jiang BaiYan came out of the office, leaning against the doorframe and waving, "I''ve been waiting for you for a long time."

    "Sorry, traffic jam," she hugged the chubby cat and reached up to ruffle his head, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

    He leaned in, his cheek touching her face: "I don''t mind waiting for you this long."

    Shi Yan, in the room across, was shocked: "Girlfriend? Is he dating Teacher Jian?"

    Agent: "You know Teacher Jian?"

    "Uh, I''m a fan of her books," he said, somewhat embarrassed. "Brother Li?"

    "No," the agent informed him very directly. "How should I put it, anyway, if you see it, pretend you didn''t, don''t go around talking about it, understand?"

    Shi Yan understood very well.

    In the audiovisual room across.

    Jiang BaiYan turned on the media equipment, the screen unfolded, revealing the 2D version of Chairman Pudding.

    "Even the logo is Pudding," sheughed.

    Jiang BaiYan said, "Pudding is the chairman, right Pudding?" He lowered his head, kissed the cat''s head in her arms, then said, "There are only the first three episodes now, I want you to watch them first before deciding."

    Jian Jing nodded: "Go ahead."

    The screen opened, showing the image of White Little Cat, big eyes, gray hair, clearly a 2D face, yet the spirit was extremely simr to Jian Jing.

    Jian Jing: "Have the artist draw me a few avatars."

    Jiang BaiYan took out his phone: "We have them, I had them draw many posters and character designs, you can change your avatars on Weibo, WeChat, Bookworm... all of them."

    She was satisfied and continued watching the plot.

    "White Cat Detective" was originally a short story, so the plot wasn''tplicated, with each 20-minute episode telling one story. But apart from the first story being short and simple, the content of the second and third episodes had been expanded.

    The outline of the cases was written by Jian Jing, but the specific dialogues and presentation werepleted by other editors in the studio.

    Jiang BaiYan asked, "What do you think?"

    Jian Jing nodded: "Not bad."

    When writing White Cat, she was still theorizing on paper, and the details and logic weren''t perfect. After revision, the cases became more intricate and reasonable, and thus more suitable for adults to watch.

    The only thing she criticized was: "Is this wall-climbing parkour plot necessary?"

    "Of course it is!"

    In the book, White Little Cat only used her superpowers when solving cases, but in the animation, after deducing the truth, on her way to find the police, there would be a transformation performance.

    Just, wall climbing, window jumping, rock climbing... a series of dazzling parkour moves.

    And still wearing a little dress.

    "This is the White Little Cat in my heart," Jiang BaiYan said.

    Jian Jing looked at his focused face and didn''t say anything more.

    Since starting to produce "White Cat Detective", Jiang BaiYan seemed to be able to slowly separate her from White Little Cat.

    The White Little Cat in his heart was wearing a little dress, cute and cunning, a gically modified beautiful girl, full of a sense of justice, quick-witted during deductions, refuting the police officers until they had nothing to say.

    She was very simr to Jian Jing, but not her.

    Fictional characters never disappoint, but Jian Jing was just an ordinary person, unable to transform into a magical girl wearing a dress.

    This was good enough.

    After watching the White Little Cat animation, it was already dark.

    Jiang BaiYan: "Dinner?"

    "Okay."

    However, just as they stepped out of the audiovisual room, Sister Chen came over hesitantly: "Xiao Bai."

    Jiang BaiYan was alert: "I''m going to have dinner with Jing Jing, no overtime."

    Sister Chen: "See for yourself."

    She handed over her phone, which showed news from a marketing ount, saying that he and Zhuzhu had developed feelings while filming the previous drama and were secretly dating.

    Jiang BaiYan said dryly: "Am I that popr?"

    "You''re like a piece of fat meat, if they can''t eat you, they at least want to rub some oil off," Sister Chen summarized incisively.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help butugh.

    Jiang BaiYan didn''t miss a single opportunity, immediately ying the victim: "Jing Jing, I''m so unlucky." He wiped his non-existent tears, "It''s always like this, just one coboration, and the marketing ounts start spreading rumors. Everyone rushes to see the hot search, they innocently rify, as if nothing happened, gaining free poprity."

    Jian Jing: "Ah, poor thing."

    "You''re so perfunctory." Seeing this n didn''t work, he immediately returned to normal as if nothing had happened, "Sister Chen, don''t mind them, they wouldn''t dare not to rify anyway. How about this, next time we''ll use this trick too, whoever needs promotion can go and leech off Zhuzhu."

    Jiang BaiYan thought for a moment, then suddenly called out to the onlooking Shi Yan: "Stone, you were there that day too, why don''t we give you this opportunity?"

    Shi Yan was caught off guard and quickly refused three times: "No, no need, not appropriate."

    Jiang BaiYan: "Be brave."

    Shi Yan pressed his lips together.

    "Alright," he said regretfully, and told Sister Chen, "Doesn''t Zhuzhu have a period drama? Tell them I won''t make a fuss about this, but they need to reserve a role for my junior."

    Shi Yan felt a bit uneasy, but his agent gave him a look, and he swallowed his words.

    Sister Chen made an "OK" gesture and went to work overtime.

    "Jing Jing, what shall we eat tonight?" Jiang BaiYan naturally helped her pick up her coat, "It''s getting cold, it''s a bit early for hotpot, how about sukiyaki?"

    Jian Jing smiled: "Sounds good."

    The two left.

    Shi Yan asked his agent: "Do we really have to do this?"

    "We can''t let them take advantage of us for nothing," the agent said righteously. "If they could ride on the boss''s poprity without any consequences, everyone would do it in the future, how could that be allowed?"

    That was true.

    Shi Yan didn''t say anything more, thinking that acting was better than hype.

    A few dayster.

    Jiang BaiYan found Shi Yan and said he would take him to an alumni gathering to meet some senior schoolmates, which would be good for future mutual support.

    Even though he was a bit socially anxious, Shi Yan agreed to such a good opportunity.

    He met many alumni.

    Some were famous actors, some had switched to directing, and some had started investing in films. Because of their shared school background, even though their statuses were vastly different, everyone''s attitude towards Shi Yan was quite good.

    Many people were not stingy with advice for their junior, which benefited him greatly.

    What surprised Shi Yan was that Zhuzhu was there too.

    "She wasn''t in the acting department, originally doing art design," an insider secretly gossiped, "It took a lot of effort for her to sessfully transfer."

    Shi Yan, imitating Jiang BaiYan''s tone, sincerely said: "Admirable spirit."

    The person chuckled and said about him: "You look honest, but you''re quite mischievous, aren''t you?"

    Shi Yan just smiled.

    Overall, the gathering was quite pleasant.

    No one forced him to drink, but he got caught up in conversations with seniors and unknowingly drank too much. Fortunately, the host had made thorough arrangements, with many guest rooms in the vi for resting at any time.

    Shi Yan had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds, so he didn''t go to a room, just found a couch to lie down on.

    Just before falling asleep, he saw Jiang BaiYan talking to someone, who turned his head to smile at him, as if saying, don''t worry, I haven''t forgotten about you.

    Shi Yan felt inexplicably reassured and fell asleep leaning on the armrest.

    About a few hourster, after the alcohol had metabolized, he was awakened by pain in his neck. He sat up holding his neck, momentarily confused.

    The living room was a mess, bottles were strewn about, and someone was lying on another couch, covered with a nket.

    He was very thirsty, so he got up unsteadily and went to the kitchen to find something to drink.

    After a few sips of ice water, his mind finally cleared, and he began to search for Jiang BaiYan.

    The person in the living room wasn''t him, and neither was he among the men and women in the first-floor lounge. Shi Yan rubbed his temples and pushed open the door to a guest room.

    There, he saw Jiang BaiYan''s clothes.

    The light was dim, and there was a strange smell in the room.

    "Senior, wake up," Shi Yan went over and pushed him gently.

    "Hmm? Stone?" Jiang BaiYan struggled to open his eyes. "What time is it?"

    Shi Yan was about to answer when he suddenly noticed the person on the other side of the bed. Extremely embarrassed, he stammered, "S-sorry, I didn''t mean to..."

    He stuttered and retreated repeatedly, wishing he could disappear on the spot.

    Jiang BaiYan propped himself up to sit, blinking slowly as he realized something. He jumped out of bed in horror, pulling off the covers in the process.

    The scene that appeared was worse than imagined.

    The woman beside him waspletely naked, with a knife stuck in her chest.

    Shi Yan froze, his whole body breaking out in goosebumps.

    What happened? A dead person? Who... who killed her? He looked at Jiang BaiYan, involuntarily shuddering.

    Jiang BaiYan, however, didn''t notice his unusual reaction. Seeing the dead woman, his expression actually calmed down. He turned on the light and leaned in for a closer look.

    "Oh, it''s actually Zhuzhu," he scratched his head. "This is troublesome."

    He smacked his forehead in frustration and started looking around for his phone, but couldn''t find it.

    "Stone, phone," he stretched out his hand.

    Shi Yan swallowed hard and carefully handed over his phone.

    Jiang BaiYan expertly dialed a number and waited patiently for over a minute.

    The call finally connected.

    "Jing Jing!" he raised his voice, "Come save me quickly!"

    Jian Jing: "Huh?"

    Jiang BaiYan: "I woke up from a nap, and there''s a dead woman next to me."

    Jian Jing: "Hmm."

    Jiang BaiYan: "I didn''t kill her. If I had, would I be lying next to her waiting to be caught??"

    "Where are you?" She yawned. "Call the police first. I''lle over after I wake up."

    "Come quickly," he pleaded, "I''m scared."

    Shi Yan thought: I can''t see that at all.

    Jian Jing on the other end: "Alright, I''ming now."

    Half an hourter, Jian Jing arrived, much to the relief of Shi Yan, who had been imagining all sorts of scenarios. He was a bit confused, not knowing why Jiang BaiYan had called Professor Jian. Was it to n how to dispose of the body?

    "Did you call the police?" Professor Jian asked.

    Jiang BaiYan: "No, I wanted you to take a look first."

    She said: "That''s fine."

    Then she very calmly went in to examine the scene, came out and called the police, evenforting him: "It''s okay, you''ll just go to the police station for a bit, have a cup of tea."

    Jiang BaiYan stood behind her, resting his head on her shoulder, his face close to hers: "This is a huge scandal, people will definitely start rumors."

    He grumbled unhappily, "I''m so unlucky. It''s even more horrifying than waking up with a woman next to me - this woman is dead."

    This time he really was in trouble.

    Jian Jing was very sympathetic: "I''ll be as quick as I can."

    "Can we avoid an overnight stay?" He nuzzled her neck. "The boxed meals at the police station taste awful."

    Shi Yan was baffled: How many times have you eaten those?

    Jian Jing: "I''ll try my best."

    "I''m innocent," he said. "Do you believe me?"

    Jian Jing: "I believe that if you were to kill someone, most people wouldn''t be able to tell."

    Shi Yan: This development, I don''t understand.

    What was even more iprehensible cameter.

    The police arrived and took Jiang BaiYan away, separating all of them for individual questioning.

    Shi Yan honestly recounted everything he knew.

    Professor Jian went in and out of the crime scene, and even came to ask him a few questions.

    Around 9 p.m., she said: "I know who the killer is."

    Shi Yan: Who is it?

    It was the senior who had been talking to him about acting yesterday.

    He: *pupils dting in shock*

    "That''s impossible!" Shi Yan couldn''t help but exim. "The senior was with me the whole time."Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08

    "Yes, he used you as an alibi," Professor Jian said. "He deliberately got you drunk to frame Jiang BaiYan."

    Shi Yan was stunned: "What?!"

    Then, the senior confessed.

    He numbly followed Professor Jian to the car and arrived at the police station, where he saw his boss looking bored.

    "Is it over?" Jiang BaiYan was delighted but not surprised. "Jing Jing is indeed the best, mwah!"

    Shi Yan wasn''t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like many police officers turned to look, their gazes peculiar.

    "Jing Jing saved me again," he said in a normal volume, sweetly asking, "Are you sure you don''t want me to offer myself in return? You can inherit my Pudding, you know."

    Jian Jing rolled her eyes.

    Jiang BaiYan said: "Really, your name is in my will."

    "What a coincidence, you''re in mine too," she paused, then smiled. "Of course, you''re not the only one."

 Chapter 425

    Jian Jing encountered Zong Ye again at the tail end of the year.

    It was Christmas Eve, and everyone was busy.

    Golden Crow had a Christmas Eve book fair, opening at 5 PM and closing at 2 AM. The fair not only featured Golden Crow''s rmendations for the year but also had a lounge area where coffee and desserts were served.

    Without a doubt, this was the perfect spot for bookworms to have a date.

    Jiang BaiYan''s studio was hosting a cocktail party, inviting some business partners to drink wine, chat, and build rtionships in hopes of more coboration opportunities in theing year.

    Ji Feng... was on duty.

    Jian Jing decided to go shopping alone.

    She first went to the book fair to support Golden Crow, attracting many fans asking for autographs.

    As the crowd grew, Kang Mu Cheng worried her wrist would hurt from signing too much and quickly asked her to leave.

    Jian Jing didn''t hesitate, putting on a hat and slipping away in disguise.

    The streets were festively decorated, with newly adorned Christmas trees everywhere. The music of "Jingle Bells" yed in both Chinese and English, the same melody echoing all around.

    All the stores hadunched Christmas specials, finding creative ways to make money.

    Jian Jing was tempted by a makeup set, even though she already had all the shades. The packaging was just too cute, with reindeer and snowman caps.

    "I''ll just buy one to get into the spirit," she told herself, happily purchasing the most vibrant Christmas red.

    Applying it to her lips, her originally cute Christmas look instantly gained a touch of sultry allure.

    Since she had gone to all this trouble, it would be a shame not to visit a bar with this hour''s worth of makeup and hair.

    Jian Jing wasn''t picky, randomly entering a roadside bar, sitting at the counter, and ordering a mojito.

    The typical choice for young girls, it attracted quite a few eager nces.

    But one person was the quickest, almost instantly spotting her anding over to sit down.

    "Miss Bunny."

    "You?" Jian Jing was surprised, then quickly nced around. "Is it toote for me to leave?"

    Zong Yeughed heartily. "No, no, I''m off duty today."

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow. "You get days off?"

    His lips curved downward slightly, as if helpless, but his eyes still held a hint of amusement. He drawled, "Every job needs time off."

    Jian Jing pursed her lips, clearly unimpressed by his mysteriousness.

    However, she couldn''t deny that from the beginning, his secrets had always been intriguing.

    "Well then," Jian Jing said, "are you here to have fun today?"

    Zong Ye: "Obviously."

    "Then let''s y a game," she said nonchntly. "Do you dare?"

    Zong Ye chuckled, hinting at something: "Miss Jian,pared to back on Mermaid Ind, you''ve certainly learned how to handle people better now." He paused, emphasizing, "Especially men."

    Jian Jing: "If you don''t dare, forget it."

    "When ady invites, of course I''ll oblige," he asked. "What do you want to y?"

    Jian Jing rested her chin on her hand: "Nothing too brain-intensive, let''s just bet on luck." She said, "We''ll guess about the next customer whoes in. Number of people, gender, or other characteristics - whoever guesses more urately wins."

    Zong Ye readily agreed: "What''s the stake?"

    Jian Jing said: "One question, or one drink."

    Zong Ye: "Deal."

    Jian Jing took out her phone, opened a memo page, then set a 30-second timer on her watch. "Let''s begin."

    They looked at the entrance for a while, then lowered their heads to type.

    After 30 seconds, they showed their screens simultaneously.

    Zong Ye had written: Two girls, heavily made up, not over thirty

    Jian Jing had written: Two girls, one sweet and spicy, one innocent, the former better off financially, thetter shyer, possibly her first time at a bar

    At that moment, customers passed through the narrow alley at the entrance, revealing the answer.

    They were two young girls, one with a high ponytail, wearing a tight sweater dress and long boots, exposing a strip of snow-white thigh, seemingly impervious to the cold. The other had brown curly hair, wearing a coat and sneakers, looking much more reserved.

    "Come on," the bold girl pulled her friend, squeezing up to the bar counter and ordering skillfully, "A tequ, darling, what do you want?"

    The girl in sneakers said, "Uh, I''ve never been here before... Do you have soda water?"

    "One soda water, and a te of mackerel and chicken rolls, I''m starving," the girl said.

    Jian Jing wiggled her fingers at Zong Ye: "I won."

    Sitting at the bar counter was a fair-skinned beauty in her prime and a charming male fox spirit, undoubtedly the most eye-catching spot in the entire ce. Other patrons inevitably gathered around, creating a noisy atmosphere.

    Zong Ye stood up, cing his hand on her back as they retreated to a corner while talking: "How did you guess?"

    "You saw the shadows too." The neon lights at the entrance had cast the shadow of one of the girls, allowing them to guess they were female.

    As for why there were two, it was simple. On a night like this, girls rarely came alone, and since the shadow lingered for a moment, it was likely waiting for apanion.

    If there were more than three people, given their positioning, it would be difficult to cast just one shadow, so two was most fitting.

    "Why did one nevere before... She lingered for quite a while." Jian Jing said, "It''s already past 10 PM, peak time for nightlife. Hesitating for so long probably means one was reluctant toe, and her friend was persuading her."

    "What about their appearance?"

    "Just a guess. One wanted toe, so she''d definitely dress up. One didn''t n toe, so she''d be more conservative," she said. "Ready to pay up?"

    Zong Ye chose a small round table in the corner to sit down: "Of course."

    These small tables were very small; when an adult man and woman sat opposite each other with their elbows on the table, they could almost kiss. But Jian Jing had no other choice, so she hooked a high stool with her toes and gracefully took a seat.

    "Well then, I''ll ask," she said with a smile. "How old are you?"

    Zong Ye couldn''t help but be surprised, clearly not expecting such a simple question. But he didn''t let his guard down, smiling: "What''s the significance of this question?"

    "If you''re more than ten years older or more than three years younger, we can stop talking," Jian Jing urged. "Answer quickly."

    Zong Ye caught her hand, using their fingers to write the number: 31.

    Jian Jing calcted, back on Mermaid Ind, this guy should have been 28, so he wasn''t that old after all.

    Zong Ye: "Next round?"

    "Alright."

    However, the bar was full and had closed its doors.

    "Looks like we need a new game," Jian Jing quickly thought of a new approach. "Still about those two girls, let''s guess about their romantic encounters tonight, shall we?"

    Zong Ye: "Shouldn''t it be my turn to set the challenge?"

    She graciously agreed: "Please."

    "Which one that gentleman will choose to approach." Zong Ye casually pointed to a man in a suit.

    Jian Jing observed the man''s attire. He looked financiallyfortable, his eyes bloodshot, asionally pinching the bridge of his nose, likely under high work pressure. Soing here was probably just for rxation and a change of pace.

    "The one in boots," she quickly judged.

    Zong Ye: "I choose the one in sneakers."

    The answer was revealed.

    The suited man chose the sweet and spicy girl, flirting with her.

    Jian Jing said: "I won again. Second question, do you have a girlfriend?"

    "Currently no romantic entanglements," Zong Ye answered. "Next challenge, you choose someone."

    This time, Jian Jing changed the subject, pointing to a shily dressed girl: "Who will she choose to join at their table?"

    Zong Ye raised his chin: "The booth at two o''clock."

    Before he finished speaking, the girl had already made her way through the crowd, smiling coyly as she greeted the man at the booth, then naturally sat down and poured herself a ss of wine.

    Jian Jing pursed her lips: "Fine, you win."

    Zong Ye smiled: "My question is - do you want me to kiss you?"

    The question caught her off guard. Jian Jing opened her mouth, then closed it,ughing: "No." But she had to admit, she felt a bit electrified.

    "Liar," he leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips. "Good girls should be honest."

    Jian Jing shrugged: "Next question."

    Zong Ye pointed to a man at the bar counter: "Who will he approach, left or right?"

    "Neither," she watched the man for a moment, smiling slightly. "Me."

    Sure enough, the man noticed Jian Jing''s gaze, thinking he had a chance. He came over with his drink, asking gantly: "Haven''t we met before?"

    Jian Jing: "I''m sorry, this is my first time here. You must have mistaken me for someone else."

    "Well, making a new acquaintance is not a bad idea either." He looked at Zong Ye, and suddenly his gaze became intense. "This gentleman too, why don''t we all have a drink together?"

    Jian Jing was stunned for a moment, then couldn''t help butugh.

    Zong Ye spread his hands: "Sorry."

    The man handed over his business card with great reluctance, saying, "This is my number. You can call me anytime."

    "I''m afraid there won''t be such an opportunity," Zong Ye decisively cut off the persistence, "If you don''t mind, please." He made a gesture that clearly meant ''get lost.''

    The man left, lingering reluctantly.

    Jian Jing, buried in the crook of her arm,ughed so hard she couldn''t lift her head. "Although... uh, I still won."

    Zong Ye, ever gracious, said, "You ask."

    "What''s your most unforgettable experience?" she asked.

    He pondered for a moment, then said, "Once, I stayed in an underwater hotel. I was the only person there, surrounded by schools of fish and coral reefs. The world became very quiet, and also very lonely. At one point, I felt as if I had already died, and perhaps my body would only be discovered decadester."

    Jian Jing was a bit surprised. "How romantic."

    "It was a bit, like a poem," he said.

    Jian Jing asked, "Did you encounter any sharks?"

    Zong Ye chuckled, "Of course not. It was very safe there."

    "That''s too bad," sheughed. "If you had encountered a mutant shark and escaped after a near-death experience, it would have been just like a movie."

    Zong Ye said, "You''re always experiencing adventures."

    Jian Jing raised an eyebrow. "Don''t tell me you long for an ordinary, stable life? Want to retire early and spend your days gardening and walking dogs?" She looked like a little girl who couldn''t get her cake, full of disappointment. "That''s so clich¨¦."

    "Life often presents us with difficult choices," Zong Ye yed with the ss in his hand, water droplets falling onto his fingertips like tears. "A stable life wears down one''s ambition, but Miss Jian, a life filled with constant danger can also be exhausting. From this perspective, you are undoubtedly very fortunate."

    Jian Jing asked, "You know me well?"

    "Not really," he said with a smile. "Just some simple deductions."

    She asked, "What else can you deduce?"

    Zong Ye said, "Not much."

    "For example?"

    He then said, "You''ve been a bit confusedtely."

    Jian Jing gave him a strange look that seemed to say, "Is this fortune-telling?"

    Zong Ye gestured for her to listen further: "It''s about love, but it''s not a troublesome problem. You''re just wondering, ''What should I do?'' You want to follow your heart, but you find that''s where the trouble lies - you''re not clear about what your true heart''s desire is."

    "You''re teasing me," Jian Jing took a sip of her drink, the sweetness lingering in her mouth, her lips and teeth feeling almost stuck together. "Everyone has such concerns at every moment. What we''re most unclear about is what we want."

    "That''s not necessarily true," Zong Ye looked at her, a hint of a smile ying at the corners of his mouth. "I''m very clear about what I want, at least at this moment."Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08

    "Hm?" Jian Jing was highly suspicious.

    Surely he wouldn''t say something as clich¨¦ as "I want to take you home," would he?

    Zong Ye smiled, as if knowing her inner thoughts, and deliberately said, "We should go."

    She extended her fair fingers, wiping off the lip print on the ss. "Why?"

    "Before you came, I saw some interesting things," he said. "I originally wanted to watch the show, but after meeting you, the show doesn''t seem so interesting anymore."

    Jian Jing, however, blinked and looked around. "What show? I want to see it too."

    Zong Ye shook his head with a smile and sat up straight. "Alright, since it''s ady''s request. Let me count down, 3, 2, 1--"

    "Bang!"

    In the night, a gunshot froze the mor of the bar.

    The real show was about to begin.

 Chapter 426

    Another World

    Two months after Jian Jing''s death, she was posthumously honored as a martyr.

    Ji Feng brought the relevant documents and visited Jian''s parents. Compared to when hest saw them at the hospital, they had aged noticeably, their movements bing slow and mechanical.

    "I apologize for taking so long to visit you both," he said. At moments like these, words were particrly difficult, so Ji Feng avoided empty phrases about grief.

    After a brief pause, he continued, "Miss Jian shared some words with me before she passed, asking me to ry them to you both."

    Jian''s mother finally showed a reaction, asking eagerly, "What did Jing Jing say?"

    "She said," Ji Feng carefully chose his words, "to please forgive her, and not to worry about her, as she has simply returned to another world."

    He tried to recreate Jian Jing''s tone as he repeated her words: "There, she''s a famous writer, earning good money each year, living well, and loved by many people.

    "She lives in a Western-style house, has a German Shepherd named Knight, and sometimes encounters murder cases, but she always catches the culprits. She has many suitors, and maybe she''ll choose one as her boyfriend..."

    Before he could finish, Jian''s mother''s tears were already streaming down her face uncontrobly. When he finished speaking, she broke downpletely: "If only we had known... if only we hadn''t stopped her before..."

    She seemed to have found an outlet for her emotions and continued, "Our Jing Jing, she always loved these things since she was little. When ''Special Case Squad 6'' was on TV, she would watch it endlessly. Even when we sent her to bed, she would sneak back and hide behind the door to watch."

    Children grow up quickly, but mothers always remember how they were when they were young, every detail vivid in their minds.

    "In middle school, she wrote stories all day. Her teacher said she had good writing skills, but writing novels wasn''t the same as writing essays. She could barely get 50 points out of 60 on her high school entrance exampositions, and they asked us to talk to her. We didn''t want our child to be some writer, like those young girls in the newspapers publishing books and making headlines at such a young age. We just wanted her to study well and go to college, that was enough. Later she became more sensible and stopped mentioning it. I thought she had forgotten about it..."

    Jian''s mother''s eyes reddened again.

    "When it was time to apply for university, she argued with us, saying she wanted to study criminal psychology, or at leastw, but we couldn''t bear it. Being a police officer -- Officer, you''re a police officer, you know how hard this job is. Andwyers, though they make good money, we asked around, they''re worked to death. We never wanted her to make big money, just to have a stable job."

    She sighed and said to her husband, "If only we had listened to what she wanted."

    Jian''s father, who had been silent until now, finally spoke: "What did she know? For a girl, being a teacher is the best option. Stable work, good benefits."

    Jian''s mother: "Yes, and then your daughter died getting hit by a car while trying to catch a murderer."

    As soon as the words left her mouth, they both fell silent, locked in a standoff.

    Ji Feng guessed they had been having this conflict for some time. Sighing internally, he asked, "Would you like to hear my thoughts?"

    Jian''s mother wiped away her tears: "Please, let me get you some water."

    She brought him a cup of hot water, looking expectant: "Did Jing Jing tell you anything else?"

    "Miss Jian was the bravest and smartest young woman I''ve ever met," Ji Feng said. "She found the killer even before the police did, which is remarkable."

    Jian''s father suddenly looked up, his neck stiff: "Who wanted her to be remarkable?"

    "ording to our interrogations, Miss Jian had already faced danger twice before," Ji Feng continued steadily. "The first time, Wang Tan tried to kill her, but she escaped. The second time, Zhang Feng returned to the scene, nning to silence her along with Wang Tan, but Miss Jian cleverly avoided it."

    Jian''s father persisted: "Then why..."

    "Because she didn''t want the killer to escape," Ji Feng said sincerely. "She could have stayed safe, but she chose to pursue them -- though it may sound cruel, I believe Miss Jian knew exactly what she was choosing. That''s extremely rare."

    "Extremely rare," he repeated, softening his tone. "She knew you might not understand her choice, which is why she only asked for your forgiveness."

    Jian''s mother''s tears began flowing again.

    "But I think you should be proud of her," Ji Feng handed over the martyr documents, emphasizing, "She deserves your pride."

    --

    Another sleepless night.

    The Jian coupley in bed, both aware the other was awake, but neither spoke. They maintained a rtionship of both hostility and dependence, silently supporting each other.

    After an unknown time, bright moonlight flooded the room, making the ceiling snow-white.

    "If only... if only Jing Jing..." Jian''s mother said hoarsely, her voice dry, "If she really went somewhere else, if we could just see her once..."

    Jian''s father remained silent, but two tears quietly seeped from his tightly closed eyes.

    The room fell quiet again.

    This time, whether due to sleeping pills or sheer exhaustion, they finally fell into dreams.

    In their dream, they joined a senior citizens'' tour group.

    --

    On the tour bus, Jian''s mother looked around, thinking how long it had been since she''d dreamed, wondering if she might dream of her daughter today. This was what she hoped for most every night before sleep.

    But the bus was full of elderly people, with a tour guide introducing scenic spots.

    Her husband sat beside her, looking around just as she did, showing the same disappointed expression.

    The couple fell silent.

    The bus entered a parking lot, and the tour guide raised a small g, asking everyone to disembark.

    The Jian couple followed the crowd off the bus.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, the mountain ahead is Wishing Mountain. At the summit, there''s a Buddha statue carved four hundred years ago. Legend says if you can climb to the top before sunset and sincerely offer incense, Buddha will hear your wishes," the tour guide, well-versed in handling senior groups, eloquently shared various obviously fabricated stories.

    But the elderly listeners were captivated, already discussing what wishes they would make.

    An elderlydy said, "I haven''t heard from my daughter-inw in ages, I must pray properly."

    An old man worried, "I don''t know when my son will quit gambling. Buddha bless us."

    "Children have their own fate, why worry about them?" Some more easy-going couples took photos with their cameras. "We should pray for our health, not burden our children."

    The socializing ability of the elderly was remarkable, and soon someone asked the Jian couple: "What about you?"

    The couple said: "We want to see our daughter again."

    This was clearly a sad story, and the others smiled sympathetically saying "it will work," without asking further.

    The mountain wasn''t tall or steep, manageable even for the elderly.

    As the Jian couple slowly climbed, suddenly a dog darted past them.

    Then they heard a familiar voice: "Knight!"

    The couple froze, turning their heads simultaneously. There was a glowing girl, her skin fair and luminous, her hair dyed a light gray with gentle curls, like a Disney princess surrounded by an unreal halo.

    She wore denim shorts and a t-shirt, with a baseball cap, catching up slowly.

    "Run that fast again, and I''ll beat you up," she tightened the leash, "Come back."

    The well-built dog whimpered twice and quickly returned.

    "I''m sorry, did my dog frighten you?" Jian Jing apologized to the elderly couple, then paused. The couple looked ordinary, but somehow their features strongly resembled her parents.

    The couple stood speechless, staring at her as if shocked.

    She smiled apologetically and turned around: "Xiao Bai, hurry up!"

    "Coming,ing!" Jiang BaiYan, fully equipped with mask, sunsses, and hat, called out, "Jing Jing, wait for me, slow down."

    Jian Jing: "Even the dog is faster than you."

    Heined: "Of course it''s faster with four legs."

    Knight: "Woof!"

    Jian Jingughed heartily and extended her hand: "Alright, I''ll help you up."

    Jiang BaiYan quickly grabbed her fingers.

    Jian Jing, rxed in her manner, really did pull him along as they walked up. Knight was overjoyed, immediately forgetting the earlier threat, bouncing along behind them, eager to race his owner to the summit.

    The Jian couple watched, their eyes reddening simultaneously.

    They immediately set off as well, struggling to climb toward the summit.

    This journey took more than three hours.

    It was past noon when they reached the mountaintop. The couple sat in the KFC restaurant, eating burgers while catching their breath, all while keeping an eye out for their daughter.

    Where was Jian Jing? Had she already gone back down? If only they had said more to her earlier.

    The couple sat there with regret, hope, and anxiety, finding it difficult to swallow their food.

    At that moment, a couple at the next table started talking about her.

    "Hey, didn''t they say there was a celebrity here earlier?"

    "Not a celebrity, but a famous writer," said the fashionable middle-aged woman. "I know her - Jian Jing. Her books are quite popr. Oh, and I saw on social media that she just signed a contract with Americans."

    The husband was surprised: "Really?"

    "Of course it''s true. They say her new book is exceptional, and foreignpanies want to adapt it into a TV series," the wife said. "She''s beautiful too. Oh, I''d love to get her autograph. Our daughter would be thrilled for a week."

    The husband was intrigued: "Where is she? Let''s go see."

    "I heard some girls in the bathroom say she''s near the back mountain," the wife replied. "Let''s go look after we finish eating."

    Upon hearing this, Jian''s parents could no longer eat. They hurriedly got up and left.

    The back mountain was quite far, with fewer tourists around.

    Unfamiliar with the path, they wandered onto a secluded trail.

    Then, unfortunately, they encountered someone running towards them.

    When he saw the couple, his eyes shed with malice, as if he might pounce like a rabid dog.

    --But that was only momentary.

    The next instant, he howled in pain and fell to the ground.

    Their daughter walked over, cing her foot on his back: "Why are you running? Did I say you could run?"

    She turned andined, "You''re so slow."

    The familiar police officer came over, still catching his breath: "The cable car broke down, so we had to climb up. Could you cut us some ck?"

    An older officer, even more out of breath, added: "That''s right, Ms. Jian. The mountain looks gentle, but it''s quite a climb."

    Jian Jing burst outughing: "Well, you shouldn''t waste the trip. Before going down, you should at least pray at the temple."

    "Good point, since we''re already here," Officer Gao said. "Ms. Jian, have you made any wishes? I heard it''s especially effective for finding love."

    "That won''t do. My admirers could line up from here to France," she winked. "Any more would drive me crazy."

    Old Gao: "Hehe."

    Jian''s parents exchanged bewildered looks.

    "Oh, there you are! We should head back," the tour guide came looking for them. "The cable car''s fixed, and many people are waiting to go down. Our senior group gets priority."

    The couple, not wanting to cause trouble and somewhat relieved to see their daughter doing well, reluctantly went along.

    But just after they left, Jian Jing received a phone call.

    After a brief conversation, she said, "Take your time. I need to head back first."

    "What''s the matter?"

    "Some people from America are here to discuss the script for ''The Witch Hunt Game''," she said with frustration. "Looks like I''ll be working overtime again."

    "The Witch Hunt Game" was her new work this year, a murder mystery involving witchcraft. Remarkably, it was released simultaneously domestically and internationally, gaining traction overseas.

    Before long, the book had made it onto The New York Times bestseller list, catching the attention of an American productionpany interested in buying the rights for a TV adaptation.

    "Got to go," she waved, bouncing away like a nimble deer into the lush forest.

    At the cable car station.

    Just as Jian''s parents were about to enter, they heard: "Excuse me, may I join you?"

    The couple froze, quickly lowering their heads to hide their tears: "Of course."

    Jian Jing entered and recognized them: "It''s you."

    The couple looked at each other, smiled at her, and tentatively asked: "We heard you''re a writer?"

    "Yes," finding the elderly couple oddly familiar, she smiled and asked, "Have you heard of me?"

    The couple nodded vaguely and asked: "That man from earlier..."

    "Oh, he was a fugitive hiding on the mountain disguised as staff. I spotted him," she said casually. "Did he frighten you?"

    "That''s- that''s too dangerous," Jian''s father couldn''t help saying. "Your parents would worry."

    She smiled: "This? It''s nothing. I can handle it, no big deal."

    But Jian''s mother asked: "Where''s that young man who was hiking with you earlier?"

    "He had to leave early for something."

    "Is he your boyfriend?" Jian''s mother asked eagerly.

    Jian Jing couldn''t help but smile: "Not exactly."

    Jian''s mother showed visible disappointment.

    "Young women should settle down," Jian''s father repeated the old advice. "Find someone to rely on."

    Jian Jing just smiled.

    Jian''s mother gave her husband a reproachful look. He fell silent.

    The Wishing Mountain wasn''t tall; the cable car ride down took only three minutes, passing in an instant.

    When the car stopped and the doors opened, Jian Jing nodded to them: "I need to go now. Goodbye."

    The couple held hands, watching her reluctantly: "Take care on your way."

    "I will, please don''t worry." Jian Jing hopped out nimbly, walking toward a business car parked by the road. "Mu Cheng."

    Another man came out and opened the car door for her: "They''re rushing us, we need to hurry."

    "How annoying," she said. "Why did theye without notice?"

    Kang Mu Cheng: "The screenwriter was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. He wants toplete the script before he dies."Aliali: 673ed013c4f3f33ac4efe0e5

    Jian Jing gasped: "Is that necessary?"

    "An artist''s dedication," he said. "Let''s amodate him for the sake of the work."

    She sighed and nodded.

    The car turned around ahead and drove back through the main gate.

    The couple kept watching, unwilling to look away.

    Jian Jing watched for a moment, then suddenly lowered the window and waved to them: "Goodbye."

    The couple, fighting back tears, slowly raised their hands and waved back to her.

    The sunset was endless, like a beautiful dreaming to an end.

    *

    The End

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