LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 41
According to police reports, the last 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 a completely 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 places, which seemed a bit abnormal.
The police suspected that there was more than one similar case, and that Qi Tian may have continued committing crimes after he disappeared.
She and He Dao Zhang also did some investigating.
According 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 had committed 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 reclaimed a top spot on trending topics with unexpected speed. Several highlight clips were edited with music and published on major platforms, garnering astonishing views.
And behind these data were real individuals, not marketing.
The public had grown accustomed 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 populace 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 the latest 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 popular now, of course they'd change."
"I'm not going," she flatly 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, flames 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 gladdened him, but also elicited faint disappointment.
"Focus on your writing, finish Demon Doctor II, this is yours," he composed 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 planting 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 days later, when the fervor had subsided, Jian Jing quietly posted a message on Weibo.
Jian Jing V:
Thank you everyone for your concern. My plans for the near future are to complete 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 ( ?▽ ?)/, 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 genetically engineered beauty detective Sai Gao!
...
--
There was no lasting 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]
[Draw complete]
[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 is composed 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]
[Draw complete]
[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 I combine 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 synthesis complete]
[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]
[Upgrade complete]
[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 classmates 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 flashing with envy, "What's it feel like to film with celebrities?"
Jian Jing thought about it and said, "I kept worrying I'd look awful compared to them."
This was absolutely true. Celebrities were beautiful and slender, their features could withstand scrutiny, they were trained in composure 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: “You’re right.” She lost interest in gossiping and turned to discuss something more closely related to the students, “I plan to take the teacher qualification exam. Are you going to take the postgraduate exam? Which school are you applying to?”
Jian Jing said, “This school.”
“Directly pursuing a doctoral degree?” Zuo Xin hesitated and whispered, “Have you heard about that incident?”
From her tone, it was obviously a big gossip.
Jian Jing became alert, “No, what happened?”
“A student at our school was driven to suicide by his supervisor. “ She said, “The supervisor didn’t approve his thesis and made him run errands every day - deliver stuff, take care of his kids, and even pay for the supervisor’s family trips.”
Jian Jing: [Old man on the subway making a weird face.JPG]
She was baffled: “How come I never heard of it?”
“It’s just a rumor.” Zuo Xin said, “But our school is better. Liberal arts doesn’t have much money or projects. Just pick a nice supervisor and you’ll be fine. Science and engineering are much more competitive, with millions in funding for each project.”
Jian Jing wondered, “Which professor in our school is easy to pass?”
“I heard Professor Kong is quite responsible and Professor Meng is easy to talk to. The dean...” Zuo Xin shook her head strongly, “Has a terrible reputation. I don’t recommend going to him.”
“What happened?”
Zuo Xin shrugged. “Having an affair with a student.”
Jian Jing made an “Ah” 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 people’s mindset in the first 30 minutes of entering the library was: I must study hard today!
30 minutes to 1 hour later, 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 account 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't completed 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 slacking 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 glasses, looking very scholarly. Seeing Jian Jing, he smiled and nodded, "Hello classmate, 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 only lasted a moment before he regained his composure. 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 one last time."
Zuo Xin took it while explaining to Jian Jing, "My roommate was in their hiking club. I participated in their event last year, it was pretty interesting."
"We also have some mystery solving elements." Cheng Jia You joked, "Writer classmate, 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".