Chapter 21: Curiosity

Taking advantage of the brief window while the system retrieved the files, He Jueyun checked the Sanyao Forum. Unsurprisingly, many people were discussing the Instance that had just ended.

The difficulty of this Instance was actually quite high because of the sheer amount of misleading information, and the information circulating was full of falsehoods. Once a player fell into a cognitive trap, they would likely walk straight into the mastermind’s snare. Fortunately, Qiong Cang had taken an unconventional approach to searching for physical evidence, saving them from taking several wrong turns.

“I recorded the footage of the boss grading homework. With her studying with me from now on, reaching the peak of my life is no longer a dream. 【Don’t wake me up】”

“I’ve rarely seen anyone manage to get a happy ending in Case Analysis.”

“This boss feels quite different from the other 90-point Players. Can we expect her to work miracles?”

“She’s a newcomer, right? I feel like 92 points is definitely not her limit. 【Analysis】 A comparison of the common methods used by several bosses to solve cases.”

“【Valuable Info】 Condensed full video, comes with BGM. If you like it, follow me.”

He Jueyun smiled as he browsed the page. By now, the files in the system had finished loading, so he pulled up the real-life case prototype that the Instance was based on and quickly flipped through it.

The culprit, the victim, and then the witnesses…

Xiang Qingxi, prototype: a certain Qi.

He Jueyun was about to swipe past the page, but he paused when he saw the surname “Qi”.

The surname “Qi” was rare, but the main reason he stopped was because the girl in the photo was so striking.

There were three photos of her in the file.

The first photo was taken during her high school years. Her hair was slightly yellowed from malnutrition, which made her pale skin stand out even more as she smiled warmly at the camera.

The second was her wedding photo. Leaning against a man, she had completely shed her childishness. Her smile was somewhat reserved, but the joy in her eyes was unmistakable.

After that, she did not seem to have taken many photos. The third was a screenshot from surveillance footage. In it, she looked gaunt and lifeless. It had been taken… the day before her suicide.

Beyond this, there was no other information about her in the file. There was no explanation for why she committed suicide, and even her real name was not provided, as it was irrelevant to the current case.

Perhaps beautiful people all shared similar traits, but she and Qiong Cang truly shared a certain resemblance, making it hard not to suspect a connection between them.

He Jueyun stared at the photo for a long time before pulling up Qiong Cang’s profile from the system to compare the two. He realized it was indeed not his imagination.

Qiong Cang’s profile did not trace back to her childhood experiences in detail, as Sanyao did not wish to use that as an evaluation standard.

However, Sanyao’s database was incredibly vast, especially since 【Case Analysis】 was a project run in collaboration with the authorities. If he wanted to, he could use his top-level clearance to directly view the major records Qiong Cang had left online.

For instance, her guardians, the reason she changed her name, her hospital records, and other digital footprints that could paint a clear picture of her life like a mirror.

For a brief moment, He Jueyun hesitated. His finger hovered over the screen for a long time before he finally chose to close the window. He archived the file along with the livestream data and removed it from the Instance database.

From now on, this Instance would no longer accept challenges from other Players.

He Jueyun leaned back in his chair, spun around in his executive seat, and blocked out the overhead light with his arm.

Most of the time, becoming too interested in someone was not a good thing.

Besides, why did he keep thinking about Qiong Cang? It made no sense at all.

Realizing this, He Jueyun’s expression soured. He slapped the armrest, stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked out.

·

Three days later, Sanyao headquarters still had not received any requests from Qiong Cang.

Generally speaking, the period right after passing the newcomer test was when Players were most excited. Many would take a brief one-day break after their application was approved and jump straight into their second game. This allowed them to retain their audience from the first match and make a lot of money.

Qiong Cang had not done this; she remained completely out of touch. Even the free buffet had failed to lure her back.

Sitting in his office, He Jueyun took a deep breath, then let it out in frustration. His mind was filled with her wicked smile.

There was no way she had joined 【Case Analysis】 on a mere whim.

…Fine. She was deliberately trying to get his attention.

His mood heavily affected the rest of the team’s staff.

The young guys gathered together every day, whispering just out of his earshot.

“Has the boss gone crazy?” “The boss is sighing again today.” “Is the boss heartbroken over a breakup?” “Does this mean we can finally confirm the boss’s sexual orientation?”

He Jueyun: “…” He had given them far too much freedom.

Ultimately, He Jueyun dug out her profile from the bottom of his files and dialed the number listed on it.

“Hello?” his voice carried a professional coldness. “This is a routine follow-up from Sanyao. Are you home?”

·

The address on Qiong Cang’s profile was in a residential area near A University. At 8:50 AM, He Jueyun successfully arrived at the parking lot. He waited in his car for ten minutes, and only after the clock officially ticked past nine did he tug at his collar and walk up the stairs.

The door opened, revealing Qiong Cang’s somewhat pale face.

“Hello,” He Jueyun reached his hand out to her again, offering a polite smile. “Follow-up visit.”

Qiong Cang replied lazily, “Mhm.”

She stepped aside to let He Jueyun in.

Even though it was broad daylight, the heavy curtains in her apartment were drawn. They were made of multiple layers of dark fabric to ensure complete isolation from the outside world.

The bright overhead lights were turned on.

This bizarre setup gave He Jueyun a sudden urge to turn around and leave.

Qiong Cang said, “Come on in.”

He Jueyun stepped inside, changed into slippers at the entryway, and asked, “Why do you have it like this?”

“Nobody likes being watched,” Qiong Cang said with a shrug. “Ever since Fan Huai escaped custody, the police have kept people downstairs to monitor me, thinking he might come here. Oh, Fan Huai is my student. Xie Qimeng should have mentioned him to you.”

He Jueyun nodded, his gaze naturally sweeping over his surroundings.

Aside from the drawn curtains, the layout of her apartment was actually quite ordinary. The furniture was mostly white and standard in style. The living room was relatively spacious, with various papers neatly spread out on the sofa, indicating she usually liked to work here.

Qiong Cang piled the documents on the sofa into a corner and gestured for He Jueyun to make himself at home.

Qiong Cang said, “Let me brew you a cup of tea.”

“Thanks,” He Jueyun said.

Qiong Cang brought the electric kettle straight over, placed it on the coffee table, and flipped the switch.

She certainly had an unconventional way of doing things.

There was only one photograph in the room, placed right next to the TV stand in a very prominent position.

Unable to resist the temptation, He Jueyun walked over to take a look.

Because the photo was so old, it had faded from sun exposure and become quite blurry. Qiong Cang probably kept it here just as a keepsake.

It showed two people leaning close together, their identities readily apparent.

Seeing him looking, Qiong Cang said, “Yes, that’s my mother. The inspiration for Xiang Qingxi.”

She made no attempt to hide it, waiting with interest for He Jueyun’s response.

He Jueyun tried to defend his innocence. “I just happened to glance over.”

Qiong Cang didn’t mind, only saying from behind him, “She was very beautiful, much more beautiful than in the game.”

Recalling the photos he had seen before, He Jueyun had to admit she was right.

“But a woman that beautiful ended up marrying a man who couldn’t appreciate her beauty,” Qiong Cang said, looking away. “My father was blind.”

He Jueyun was genuinely surprised this time. He only remembered that the man in the wedding photo was very handsome, with his eyes cast toward the ground, but he hadn’t expected him to actually be blind.

“Maybe that made her feel more secure. She wasn’t a very lucky person,” Qiong Cang said. “From her descriptions, my dad was someone with a bit of a savior complex¹. She probably desperately needed someone’s kindness, so she fell deeply in love with my father. Unfortunately, good people don’t live long, and saviors live even shorter lives.”

He Jueyun fell silent.

Qiong Cang asked, “Was it that dry?”

He Jueyun said in surprise, “That was supposed to be a joke?!”

Qiong Cang asked, “Otherwise? Should I cry?”

He Jueyun pondered for a long time before saying softly, “Everyone has times when they are sad but can’t cry. It’s fine, you don’t have to force a smile.”

Qiong Cang gave him a long look, then stepped forward, pointing at the two people in the photo. “Actually, I don’t know either of them. Him, I’ve never met. Her, looking like this, I’ve never seen either. I can completely treat Xiang Qingxi and her as two different people.”

He Jueyun asked tentatively, “So, how does it feel?”

Qiong Cang turned and walked to the sofa, as if she hadn’t heard. She slumped onto it and remained silent.

About five or six minutes passed. As He Jueyun watched the kettle boil, listening to the bubbling sound, Qiong Cang suddenly spoke.

“It’s very strange,” she said. “That’s why I don’t like looking at criminal cases.”

“Then why did you join 【Case Analysis】?” He Jueyun asked.

“Curiosity.” Qiong Cang’s gaze was unfocused, as if she was lost in thought. “Because I suddenly realized that running away doesn’t solve anything. Only by satisfying your curiosity will you realize that it wasn’t anything interesting to begin with.”

He Jueyun nodded thoughtfully.

He didn’t force himself to understand Qiong Cang’s meaning. Because their life experiences were different, their perspectives were bound to differ.

Perhaps she didn’t even fully understand it herself.

He Jueyun took a tablet out of his bag and asked her a few routine questions. After two hours had passed, there was nothing left to say regarding work.

He Jueyun stood up to take his leave.

Qiong Cang rubbed her ear and said, “Well, since you’re already here…”

He Jueyun thought, Please don’t start with “since you’re already here.” He dreaded those words now; how many tragedies had started with that exact brand of courting death?

He knew that when people said this, they just wanted to take advantage of him.

Sure enough, Qiong Cang’s next words were, “You should buy me dinner.”

He Jueyun refused to yield. “Why should I buy you dinner? Shouldn’t you be buying me dinner? I’m at least half a guest, aren’t I?”

“Because I’m poor. And we’re friends,” Qiong Cang said, sounding entirely reasonable. “I got hungry talking to you.”

Shameless!

He Jueyun looked at her coldly. “You should just wait for Sanyao to settle your account. There’s no rush for this meal. The tips from the live stream are very high.”

Qiong Cang said earnestly, “I have to pay my mortgage. I don’t have any inherited wealth, so I have to start from scratch. Don’t look at how run-down this building is; it’s in the city center near the university town. Buying it outright costs over five million. My loan is two and a half million, split over thirty years, and according to current interest rates…”

He Jueyun quickly cut off her sob story. “Alright, that’s enough.”

Qiong Cang tried another angle. “How about I sell it to you for five million? I don’t want to live here anymore. If you’re patient, you should be able to flip it for six million. I won’t ask you for the difference.”

He Jueyun realized this lady was really dreaming.

With her unique aura, any apartment she lived in was just short of having a “danger” sign pasted on the front door, yet she wanted to sell it at cost? She’d probably have to pay someone to take it off her hands.

The He family didn’t do losing business.

Seeing the refusal written all over his face, Qiong Cang sighed in disappointment. Then, she suddenly said something very alarming. “Actually, sometimes I think, with my intelligence and observation skills, if I were to plan a kidnapping of Sanyao’s boss—or the boss’s son, if the boss himself is too difficult—I definitely wouldn’t get caught. I’m not greedy. I’d just want one day of Sanyao’s revenue. If I spend it carefully, it would probably support my descendants for the next nine generations.”

He Jueyun didn’t know why the topic had suddenly veered toward him, and a shiver ran down his spine.

Qiong Cang remembered something and asked, “By the way, does Sanyao’s boss have a son? If not, a daughter? I searched for a long time but couldn’t find anything. Their privacy protection is quite good.”

A grimace flashed across He Jueyun’s handsome face, but he quickly brought it under control.

Was she fucking threatening him?

“Would you really put all your savings into the housing market?” He Jueyun asked. “That doesn’t seem like the best investment choice. With your personality, shouldn’t you keep a portion as emergency funds?”

“I had to buy two grave plots and two coffins on short notice,” Qiong Cang said. “I didn’t expect graves to be so expensive. Buying adjacent plots and hiring people for the burial wiped out three hundred thousand yuan. This wasn’t in my plans either.”

He Jueyun asked in surprise, “Whose graves?”

Qiong Cang said vaguely, “An aunt who took good care of me, and her daughter.”

The sadness on her face made He Jueyun feel a bit guilty, and his tone softened. “Let me buy you lunch.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly,” Qiong Cang said, her expression instantly brightening as she added gratefully, “Thank you. You really are a good person.”

He Jueyun suddenly felt like he had been scammed.

No, he was just a hostage.

Qiong Cang asked, “Why do you look like that?”

He Jueyun said, “Are you actually concerned about me?”

Qiong Cang said politely, “No, I’m just going through the motions. After all, you’re buying my lunch.”

He Jueyun gave up the struggle and waved his hand. “Forget it, let’s go.”

·

He Jueyun led Qiong Cang straight to the noodle shop downstairs for lunch.

He did not dare show any sign of wealth in front of her, fearing this shameless woman would accuse him of trying to tempt her again.

In the end, Qiong Cang ordered a bowl of beef noodles and sat across from him, eating quietly.

He Jueyun watched her for a moment, then stood up. “I’m heading out first. If you ever run out of food, you can always drop by Sanyao for a free meal.”

Qiong Cang set down her chopsticks and said, “While I’m at it, I’d like to apply for the next game.”

He Jueyun stopped in his tracks. “Which one? You can apply directly on the official website, as long as you have the clearance.”

Qiong Cang pulled a folded flyer from her pocket and handed it to him.

The moment He Jueyun saw the flyer, his eyelid twitched. “Are you… sure your identity fits?”

“What identity?” Qiong Cang looked even more surprised than he was. “Do I actually have an identity?”

Translator’s Notes