At this moment, the screen displayed a scientist who had just been named Person of the Year. He looked about fifty years old.
11,345 days, which is roughly a little more than thirty years.
Is this the person’s remaining lifespan?
Does that mean this scientist can live to be over eighty?
So, if you use the Qiankun Mirror on a photo, you can see a person’s remaining lifespan?
Lin Ran’s hand trembled slightly.
She hesitated for a while, then opened a photo of herself.
The mirror immediately flashed, and some text appeared: “Remaining time: 2,341 days.”
Six years… a little less than seven years?
Lin Ran’s heart sank.
She had clearly taken the Nine Resurrection Pill; shouldn’t she be healthy and live a long life?
But then she quickly remembered—she hadn’t taken a whole pill, only some fragments, which added up to less than half.
Six years, then six years.
It’s still better than nothing.
There were two yellow stones left.
Lin Ran thought for a moment and opened a photo of Old Yu from her phone, curious to see how long he could live.
Old Yu had 47 years remaining, which meant he could live until around 90, quite long-lived indeed.
Suddenly, the Qiankun Mirror flashed again, and another line of text appeared: “Remaining lifespan: 4 days!”
Lin Ran was startled.
She looked at her phone.
She had accidentally touched the screen, and the picture had changed.
The screen now showed a photo of the magic troupe she had saved earlier, a group shot of Zhang Yupeng, Cao Xinyu, and Wang Xinuo.
One of these three only had 4 days left?
Lin Ran’s heart tightened, and she wanted to use the mirror to check each person individually, but the Qiankun Mirror no longer responded.
All six yellow stones had dimmed, turning transparent white, and no matter how much she shook it, the mirror remained unchanged.
Lin Ran felt uneasy.
She still didn’t know which of the three had only four days left to live.
Could this person really die in four days?
It probably wouldn’t be from illness, right?
Generally speaking, even a terminal illness wouldn’t claim someone so quickly.
Could it be an accident?
But accidents are unpredictable.
Fire, earthquakes, car accidents… who knows when something like that might happen?
Lin Ran first called Zhang Yupeng.
He answered with a laugh, “Ah, Ran, what’s up? Is there something you need your uncle to help with? Don’t be shy, just ask!”
“What are your plans for Thursday?”
“Thursday… We have rehearsal that day. After rehearsal, I’ll go home, sleep, and then head to the new massage place downstairs. I’ve got a coupon, hehe…” Zhang Yupeng coughed, then asked, “Why? Do you need something from me?”
“No, go to your massage.”
“Wait… Do you really not need anything? I can skip the massage if you want…”
“No, please go to your massage.”
“…”
Lin Ran thought that a massage should be relatively safe, and since it was just downstairs from his home, it probably wasn’t him.
The other two… Lin Ran suddenly remembered seeing something about an upcoming performance on a trending topic.
She opened the ticketing website and saw the promotional poster.
The show was called: Water Tank Escape Performer: Wang Xinuo Assistant: Cao Xinyu.
Lin Ran’s heart pounded.
A magician dying from a water escape gone wrong… how normal would that sound?
So… was it Wang Xinuo?
But she had performed it so many times, she must be incredibly skilled by now.
Why would something happen?
Could it be… murder?
Lin Ran’s thoughts raced.
If Wang Xinuo died during the performance, who would benefit?
The Dream Magic Troupe would certainly face disaster—they’d not only have to pay compensation but also be investigated by the police, and they wouldn’t be able to perform for a long time.
The Guanlan Theater, where they perform, would also suffer and have to close for a while.
The Miracle Magic Troupe might get some benefit by gaining fans, but their tickets were already sold out, so even with more fans, there wouldn’t be any more tickets to sell.
Besides, would anyone really kill over a few more fans?
And the Miracle Troupe wouldn’t even have the chance to tamper with their rival’s performance.
Could it be… her husband, Cao Xinyu?
Lin Ran immediately called Zhang Yuetong and asked directly, “Did Cao Xinyu and Wang Xinuo ever buy insurance?”
“Yes,” Zhang Yuetong answered without hesitation.
“I helped them with it, actually. Their magic is dangerous, so insurance was a must.”
“What’s the payout amount?”
“The troupe bought insurance for one million, but… a while back, Cao Xinyu increased the coverage for Wang Xinuo. I think the payout is now… 50 million.”
Lin Ran gasped.
If Wang Xinuo had an accident during her performance, Cao Xinyu would get 50 million in compensation!
That’s more than enough motive for him to sabotage her performance and kill her for the insurance money!
Especially with magic, where a small trick could easily lead to someone’s death.
Even if the police investigated afterward, it would most likely be deemed an accident, and there might not even be evidence to prove it was murder.
Lin Ran left her bedroom and saw Meng Xiao doing yoga in front of the TV.
“Ah Xiao, are you free Thursday night? Want to go watch a magic show?” Lin Ran asked.
“I just accepted a new role… let me check,” Meng Xiao said, swiping through her phone.
“Thursday night… nothing for me. I’m free. But don’t you have a show on Friday?”
“We’re going to see the Dream Magic Troupe’s show,” Lin Ran said.
Meng Xiao clapped her hands and laughed.
“Spying on the competition? Awesome! Feels like we’re in a spy movie. I love it!”
Lin Ran couldn’t help but laugh.
“You really love acting, don’t you?”
“I do,” Meng Xiao scratched her head, looking a little downcast.
“But I rarely get the chance to act. Even getting a single line is tough.”
Lin Ran gently patted her on the shoulder.
“Trust me, things will get better. One day, our Xiao will stand on the brightest stage and be the biggest star!”
Meng Xiao smiled, “I’ll take your word for it.”
The next day, Monday, Lin Ran called Zhang Yupeng early and took him to the hospital for a checkup.
Even though she thought he probably wasn’t the one with only four days left, she still wanted to make sure he was healthy.
Zhang Yupeng complained, “I’m perfectly healthy! Why a checkup…”
“You need one. You don’t look so great,” Lin Ran insisted.
Zhang Yupeng touched his face.
“Really?”
“Yes… Even if you’re not sick, you should get regular checkups, understand?”
“You sound just like Tong Tong…”
Apart from slightly high blood pressure and cholesterol, there wasn’t much to worry about.
“See? I’m fine,” Zhang Yupeng said, looking at his report.
“Why don’t you go hassle Old Yu instead?”
“Uncle Yu doesn’t need a checkup,” Lin Ran said, knowing he was healthy enough to live to ninety.
Zhang Yupeng felt a little down.
“Do I really look that bad?”
Though slightly frustrated, Zhang Yupeng felt warm inside.
Lin Ran caring about his health meant he was important to her.
To her, he must be a respected elder.
On the way back from the hospital, Lin Ran spotted a hardware store and went in to buy the largest hammer she could find.
She thought that if an accident really happened during the performance, the hammer could be used to break the water tank and save someone.
She recalled that Wang Xinuo’s tank was made of tough glass, and without a tool like this, it would probably be impossible to break.
With the Qiankun bag, she wasn’t worried about the weight.
Thursday night, Lin Ran, wearing a mask and hat, took a taxi to the Guanlan Theater.
It was her first time there, but the theater was easy to find, surrounded by potted orchids that filled the air with a sweet fragrance.
This theater was larger than the New Star Theater, with a capacity of nearly 5,000.
She arrived early—there were still thirty minutes before the show started.
When she bought her ticket, there were still plenty left, so she easily picked a seat in the front row.
She chose the first row.
Meng Xiao arrived a little later, her hand wrapped in bandages.
“What happened? Did you get hurt?”
“It’s nothing, just a small scratch from a rock,” Meng Xiao said casually.
As they were talking, someone approached Lin Ran and whispered, “Lin Ran… you’re here?”
Lin Ran was startled and looked up to see Wang Xinuo standing in front of her, wearing a mask.
“I… wanted to see you,” Lin Ran said, feeling a bit awkward, as they were now competitors.
“I… I want to talk to you for a bit, is that okay?” Wang Xinuo pointed towards the backstage.
“Let’s go there, the stairwell is empty.”
“Alright.” Lin Ran stood up and followed Wang Xinuo towards the stairwell.
Meng Xiao also stood up, silently following behind Lin Ran.
It was only then that Wang Xinuo noticed Meng Xiao and quietly asked Lin Ran, “Is that your boyfriend?”
Meng Xiao was dressed in a very androgynous style today, her hair cut short, and her strikingly bold features often led people to mistake her for a boy.
Before Lin Ran could answer, Meng Xiao replied, “Yes.”
Lin Ran didn’t refute, and stayed silent.
Wang Xinuo took that as confirmation and even complimented, “Your boyfriend’s quite handsome.”
The two stopped in the stairwell, and after a long silence, Wang Xinuo finally spoke. “Is everyone… doing okay? I really miss them…”
Lin Ran nodded.
“They’re doing well. They… miss you too.”
Wang Xinuo lowered her head.
“I still prefer being with the Miracle Magic Troupe. Everyone there is like… family. The people here are a bit… distant.”
Lin Ran comforted her, “Maybe it’s just because they don’t know you well yet?”
“Maybe…” Wang Xinuo smiled bitterly.
“I hope things will get better. I… I really didn’t want to leave.”
Lin Ran said, “You know… you don’t necessarily have to stay tied to Cao Xinyu. Even as a couple, you don’t always have to listen to him.”
“I… I’m just too weak, I’m used to following his lead.”
Wang Xinuo sighed.
“Seeing you… it’s really nice. We haven’t known each other long, but I feel so close to you.”