"Ah, why did he hang up so quickly?" Qianben Xixi sighed. She actually wanted to ask if that beautiful woman had a daughter, otherwise why would they look so alike.
But since Gin had already hung up, she couldn't be bothered to call back. After all, she had already done her part and helped as much as she could.
"Sister Natsuya, I think you should just break up with him," Conan said, giving her a helpless look. "This kind of man… ah, your taste in people really isn't great. Want me to introduce you to a few? I think Officer Takagi is pretty good."
"Such a little know-it-all," Qianben Xixi casually tapped his head. "Officer Takagi likes Officer Sato."
Conan was shocked. "How do you know? Wait, no—were you gossiping the whole time you were at the police station giving your statement?"
"Of course it's a woman's intuition," Qianben Xixi glanced sideways at him. "You think I actually want to go to the police station?"
"Alright, alright, you're home. Hurry up and go inside," Qianben Xixi stopped walking and said impatiently.
Conan looked up and only then realized that, without him noticing, they had already arrived at the building where the Mouri Detective Agency was located.
"Hey, do you want to come up for a bit?" he suddenly asked. "Sister Ran should be back soon."
"Huh?" Qianben Xixi looked at him, confused.
"Ahem, you know how to use a laptop, right?" Conan couldn't resist teasing. "If not, I can teach you."
Of course, he also wanted to see what kind of novel that guy was writing. Hmm, he definitely wasn't a particularly curious person—just a little curious.
He immediately got another knuckle rap on the head for that.
Conan rubbed his head and complained, "I was just showing concern. You're so unreasonable."
"Hah," Qianben Xixi glanced sideways at him again. "Didn't you know? I'm a graduate student in Information Science and Engineering at Tōdō University. Do you think I know how to use a computer?"
Although Qianben Xixi hadn't attended a single class here yet and had only participated in one club shooting activity, the technology in this world—at least in terms of computers—was still somewhat behind the world she came from, so it wasn't difficult for her.
This time, Conan was genuinely surprised. He never expected someone who could get into a top university's graduate program would come here to run a snack shop.
After all, those studying at Tōdō University as graduate students usually had scholarships to some extent. Even if they still needed to work to pay tuition, they would take on high-paying part-time jobs like private tutoring.
"Alright, hurry up and go back," Qianben Xixi completely ignored Conan's surprise. She was really eager to go back and check the results of her submission.
After saying that, Qianben Xixi stepped onto her skateboard and left without looking back.
The Mouri Detective Agency was in Mihana Town's Fifth District, while her shop was in the Fourth District. It wasn't far on foot, let alone on a skateboard, so she quickly returned to her shop.
The first thing she did upon returning was eagerly turn on the computer, open a web browser, enter the URL of a certain green Jinjiang website, input her username and password, click login—only to find the screen displaying that the webpage was lost.
"This website's server maintenance is really terrible," Qianben Xixi couldn't help but complain.
But there wasn't much she could do except keep refreshing the page. This time, luck was on her side—she logged in directly.
Just as she was about to click in to see if there were any reactions to her novel, she suddenly noticed she had received a private message from an editor.
【Hello dear, I read your story and really liked it. Would you consider signing a contract? Feel free to reach out to me~ (Email: _@.) — Editor: Zongzi Must Be Sweet】
Qianben Xixi’s eyes immediately lit up. It seemed things were going quite smoothly, so she quickly sent an email to inquire about the contract details.
While waiting for a reply, she finally clicked into her own story. To her surprise, the comments section was buzzing with activity.
【Tomato Pot: Holy crap, what kind of genius setting is this? So amazing! This author is a treasure!】
【Little Apple: Absolutely! So awesome and thrilling! P.S.: That guy named Hisoka is such a freak, I love it~】
【Author Is Awesome: Ahhh, the male lead is so captivating, I’m in love!】
【Natto Is Disgusting: I think that guy named Kuroro and the male lead have such great chemistry.】
【Bald Every Day: No, no, no! I think the male lead and that guy named Dazai Osamu have way more chemistry!! Aww, so sweet~】
【Hehe: Are you sure that’s sweet? I was so scared I didn’t dare go to the bathroom at midnight…】
After reading these, Qianben Xixi was a bit stunned. These were all teammates—and rivals—she had encountered in the Infinite Horror Game. Not a single one of them had a clean heart; each was more twisted and difficult than the last. And readers actually liked them?
They even said the male lead had chemistry with them… Was it chemistry born from mutual scheming? Qianben Xixi couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.
She had indeed written based on her own experiences, but to avoid suspicion and add appeal, she had recreated a male lead with a dual personality. And yes, she also found it captivating. But unfortunately, the male lead had no emotions. Just like those twisted teammates, he was utterly emotionless.
In a world like the Infinite Horror Game, only such people could survive better and longer.
Even though she appeared normal now, she had realized when she picked up the sniper rifle again that day—it was all an act, one that had even fooled herself.
However, her attention soon returned to the webpage. She discovered that a wealthy reader had continuously showered her story with several "thunder" rewards, adding up to exactly 1,000 JJ Coins!
"System, System, are these JJ Coins the same as the ones I use to upgrade my shop?" she quickly called out to the System.
【System: Dear player, although the name is the same, you still need to withdraw and convert them before they can be used.】
Alright, then she’d withdraw them… With excitement, Qianben Xixi clicked the withdrawal button, only to find out that she needed to sign a contract first.
"This website is such a scam," she grumbled in frustration once again.
Fortunately, just as she was feeling annoyed, her phone vibrated with a new email.
This time, it wasn’t from Gin, but from the editor of Green Jinjiang, Zongzi Must Be Sweet.
【Hello dear, I’m so happy to receive your reply. I’ve attached the contract in the email. If everything looks good, please come to our Mihana Town branch tomorrow at 9 a.m. to officially sign the contract~ — Your lovely editor: Zongzi Must Be Sweet】
I didn't expect the editor to be so efficient. After browsing through the contract and finding everything within acceptable limits, Qianben Xixi began filling in her information, finally signed her name, and clicked reply.
【Contract signed, see you tomorrow without fail. Ps: Savory zongzi tastes better. — Author: White to Shine】
……
Early the next morning, when Qianben Xixi woke up, she felt refreshed and energized.
Once the contract was signed, she could finally upgrade her shop!
With this in mind, she arrived at the building where the editorial department was located half an hour early.
But to her great surprise, she ran into Ran and her father, Mouri Kogoro, and of course, that little brat.
"Xiaxi! You're here too?" Ran Mori spotted her from afar and waved excitedly.
"Ran!" Qianben Xixi approached. "I'm here to take care of some business. What about you?"
"Ahaha, hello there, beautiful lady." Kogoro Mori, seeing Xiaxi's tall figure and exquisite mixed-race face, immediately lit up and introduced himself. "I am Kogoro Mori, here today for a magazine interview."
"Dad!" Ran whispered, "This is my friend, don't be like that."
"Haha, alright, fine." Kogoro Mori laughed, scratching his head. "It's about time, let's head up."
Qianben Xixi nodded and followed them upstairs.
"Hey, Sister Natsuya, you didn't submit your work to this publisher, did you?" Conan, who had somehow appeared beside her, pointed upstairs.
Xiaxi: "Mm-hmm."
Conan: "What kind of novel did you write?"
Xiaxi: "Curious?"
Conan nodded.
Xiaxi: "Not telling."
Conan: "…"
Just as they were about to reach the floor where the publishing house was located, a sudden scream from upstairs shattered the calm.
"Oh no! Something's happened!" Conan reacted swiftly, sprinting up to the publishing house floor.
Watching Ran and Mouri Kogoro's equally fast retreating figures, Qianben Xixi suddenly felt a pang of dread in her heart.
Damn it, I let my guard down!
Two days in a row with Conan and nothing major happened, so I lost my vigilance.
Judging by the looks of it, it's probably another murder case. Is it too late for me to leave now? Waiting online, pretty urgent!