"If that person steps forward voluntarily, I'll consider not expelling him." The host gritted his teeth as he glared at the players below the stage. "But if I find out who it is…"
Of course, he wouldn't find out.
The real culprit was back in her room, disposing of the remains of the roasted chicken.
Beneath the stage, Wang Guangqing—who had been knocked unconscious and then forcibly dragged over to attend this interrogation—had initially been furious and was still trying to settle scores with Xu Zhiyi. But now, seeing the familiar baseball bat, his legs trembled with fear, and he might as well have had "I'm guilty" written all over his face.
Aside from him, most of the players were watching with a spectator's mentality, waiting to see if the host would pick out the culprit.
The host began calling people up to the stage one by one.
He ordered the two security guards to turn off the chandeliers in the lecture hall, leaving only the stark white spotlight shining on him and the players on stage.
It certainly created an interrogation atmosphere, especially when he forced the players to look him directly in the eye, staring at his pale face under the lights.
The interrogation was highly effective—even those who hadn't done anything would inexplicably feel a pang of guilt.
After all, who didn't harbor some resentment toward their boss?
Not to mention Wang Guangqing himself, the owner of the baseball bat. The moment he stepped onto the stage, cold sweat poured down his back, though he still forced a smile at the corners of his mouth.
The host's face slowly closed in on his rigid expression, raising a hand toward him.
But in Wang Guangqing's nearly crumbling vision, that hand merely patted his cheek twice.
"I know it wasn't you—we're practically one of us now, aren't we?" The host curled his lips at him meaningfully, then waved his hand to signal that he could leave.
"Mhm, mhm!"
Wang Guangqing, immensely relieved, nodded heavily twice and scrambled back to his seat as fast as his legs could carry him.
Yesterday, the host had been so disgusted with him that he'd ordered the security guards to throw him out. Yet tonight, faced with his obviously suspicious demeanor, his attitude had done a complete one-eighty.
Several players below the stage exchanged glances, each forming new considerations.
Now only Xu Zhiyi remained, the one player who hadn't yet undergone the host's gaze interrogation.
She wasn't nervous at all. She walked up to the stage with an easy, natural demeanor, her expression innocent and unguarded.
The spotlight shone down from above, enveloping her, and the host stared hard at her. "Did you do it?"
"No."
Xu Zhiyi answered without so much as a blink.
Her expression was utterly sincere.
After all, it truly wasn't her who had personally done it.
The host couldn't detect the slightest hint of guilty deception in her expression. He stared at her for a few more seconds before finally giving up on further interrogation.
In fact, even before Xu Zhiyi had stepped onto the stage, the host had already ruled her out as a suspect.
He was nearly 1.8 meters tall, and the baseball bat that had swung at him had clearly come down from above. Never mind Xu Zhiyi—none of the other players present had the height or the capability.
Or rather, no human could have easily done it.
After all that effort, everyone present had been cleared of suspicion.
The host smiled and smiled, but his composure was severely shaken. His features twisted in fury for a few seconds before he took a deep breath and said in a grim voice, "It seems it could only be Him who came…"
"Who?" Xu Zhiyi pressed.
"Wh-What's it to you?" The host only then noticed she was still on the stage, a flicker of unease passing through his eyes. "Get down now. Stop prying into these matters. Keep asking, and I might just reconsider letting you become a full member."
Xu Zhiyi let out an "Oh."
That threat sounded oddly familiar.
The interrogation session didn't last long, and when it truly ended, there was still some time before the eleven o'clock dorm curfew.
Most players chose not to go back to rest. A few of them gathered in the lobby and began discussing the night's events.
"That baseball bat was clearly bought by Wang Guangqing," someone said in a lowered voice. "I saw it with my own eyes at noon today… Why would the host cover for him?"
"But maybe it really wasn't him." Ning Siyu beside her raised an eyebrow, slanting her eyes toward Wang Guangqing a few meters away. "He got beaten too."
Wang Guangqing was examining himself in the reflective glass, one hand carefully covering the back of his head, looking like he wanted to touch it but didn't dare.
His head seemed slightly bigger than it had been two days ago.
"Then… what about the one who wasn't there?" The discussion voice lowered another notch. "Lin Yan—is it possible that he…?"
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
"Yes." Ning Siyu nodded. "And it's very likely he was working in collusion with Xu Zhiyi. Down in the audience, she was the only one who showed zero interest in who the murderer was. That can only mean she already knew who did it."
As they spoke, Wang Guangqing over there finally stopped stroking the back of his head and walked toward them with sighs and groans.
The person beside Ning Siyu quickly asked, "Wang Guangqing's coming—so do we still need him later…?"
"If he insists on targeting them so openly, he's only going to get himself killed. No need to bother with him anymore." Ning Siyu said coldly.
"Then…"
Someone in the crowd still wouldn't give up.
"I've said it before—don't set your sights on Xu Zhiyi and Lin Yan." Ning Siyu's voice turned icy. "Xu Zhiyi was my college roommate. She's cleared more Instances than I have. All my Instance experience, I learned from her."
Among their group, Ning Siyu was the only player with as many as eight Instance clears under her belt, and she was said to be a team leader in some major guild.
She was also the first to piece together the information that every local household in the town kept incense ash stored away. If you stole it out, divided it up, and placed it inside the antiques you'd bought, your assessment scores wouldn't be low.
But to know which households had incense ash, you still had to rely on the hooded man's intel. Otherwise, you'd go through the trouble of picking a lock, only to find just a bottle cap inside—a complete waste of time.
Someone like Xu Zhiyi, who could submit large amounts of incense ash for every assessment, probably spent several thousand yuan a day just on buying information.
Her money-making methods were definitely something extraordinary.
Or maybe the hooded man provided her with better addresses of local residents.
A few people in the crowd rolled their eyes, outwardly agreeing with Ning Siyu's words, but their minds were still restless.
If they couldn't rob her for money…
Following her to see where she went to earn it—that should be fine, right?
Xu Zhiyi, labeled a financial mastermind and criminal extraordinaire, was currently being supervised by Lin Yan as she studied for her professional course exam, which was seven days away.
"…"
She studied with vacant eyes, feeling utterly tormented, thinking she'd rather go back and face the host's interrogation.
As she stared at the page full of architectural terminology, she suddenly called out, "Bro!"
Her tone carried the smugness of someone who'd discovered something unusual.
"Read a bit more, then sleep." Lin Yan lifted his eyelids to glance at her.
How could anyone be so cold!
Xu Zhiyi snapped the book shut and, before Lin Yan could squint his way over, said quickly, "I just remembered something—that Wang Guangqing is very strange."
"Did he threaten you again just now?" Lin Yan stood up. "I'll go have a word with him."
"No, no—"
Actually, what Xu Zhiyi had remembered was that Cen Xi had told her that Ning Siyu had revealed to other players that she and Lin Yan were siblings. But when Wang Guangqing had come to threaten her tonight, he had used "boyfriend" to refer to Lin Yan.
Granted, their closeness might lead to misunderstandings, but she didn't think it was that simple.
"Also, the host said Wang Guangqing is almost one of their own now. I think it was that newspaper editor who told him."
After a moment of deliberation, Lin Yan shook his head. "If that's the case, he can't go back anymore."
Earning the favor of NPCs in an Instance and being classified as one of their own—that was usually never a good thing.
The newspaper headline on the third day was still Wang Guangqing. The man had actually broken into someone else's home to steal again—truly brazen. However, today his column space had been cut in half, given over to the paper's new section: Crime Tracker.
Attached was a photo of a corpse leaning against a tree trunk. The face above the neck had been cropped out, and beneath it was printed his name: Zhao Zixun.
According to the written report, this was the first victim's body discovered in the town.
Nothing about a major murder case in the Instance was surprising. The players skimmed through the report patiently, extracted the useful information, and quickly noticed two far more eye-catching bylines.
Photo provided by: Xu Zhiyi, Lin Yan.
The looks they cast at the newspaper instantly turned inscrutable.
See, this was their money-making approach. Easily pulling in several thousand a day.
Clearly, this was the place to make money.
They immediately began flipping through the job ads, trying to find the newspaper's address.
The host at the company entrance watched them with a genial smile.
When he turned around, Xu Zhiyi beside him happened to be smiling at him too.
Host: "…"
He was rarely this put off. He withdrew his smile and was about to head back inside when Xu Zhiyi blocked his path.
This outstanding intern stood before him and said with utmost sincerity, "Don't worry, I'm not like those people. I'll definitely focus on finding antiques in the antique street—I won't take on other jobs."
Host: "…"
The corners of his mouth twitched stiffly as he forced a laugh. "That's no problem… Your income is unstable right now, so if you want to earn a bit more, the company certainly understands."
Having said that, as if feeling it wasn't convincing enough, he added, "Don't worry about it at all. It absolutely won't affect your conversion to full-time. Work your side jobs as you please."
There was no capitalist more considerate of his employees than him.
Xu Zhiyi nodded eagerly, her eyes projecting the kind of guileless look all interns should have—the complete image of a fool who would pay out of pocket just to come to work.
"…"
The host's pace visibly quickened under her gaze, and he soon hurried back into the company.
Xu Zhiyi wore an incredulous expression as she turned to Lin Yan to tattle. "Brother, was I not sincere enough?"
"It's his problem," Lin Yan consoled.
The two security guards at the door: "…"
To prevent a repeat of last night—losing track of time and nearly missing the chance to buy things—they went straight to the antique street early this morning.
The hooded man had arrived earlier than them, bringing his own small yellowish-brown stool. He sat with his legs crossed, not far from the entrance to the antique street.
A book was pinched in his hand, pages turning slowly one by one. His movements and expression alike radiated the leisurely ease of someone waiting to collect money.
Day one: frantically soliciting customers.
Day two: letting customers see results, building word-of-mouth.
Day three: no more labor required.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he closed his book and habitually put on a commercial smile. "Today's information is twelve hundred—"
He looked up, and Xu Zhiyi smiled at him. "Hi, long time no see."
Hooded man: "…"
Xu Zhiyi tugged at Lin Yan's sleeve, and he too revealed a warm, gentle smile. "Long time no see."
Hooded man: "…"
Though his smile momentarily froze on his face, Xu Zhiyi soon pulled a stack of cash from Lin Yan's pocket. These cold pieces of paper possessed a kind of magic—in an instant, they closed the distance between them, making his expression turn fervent and fawning.
"So you two want to buy information too? Why didn't you say so earlier. Today, Master Yue believes that items with leaf elements—"
"Master Yue said today he's not planning to arrange an assessment. He wants us to study how this antique market operates."
The hooded man let out an instinctive snicker. "How is that possible? Does he not want to make money?"
The moment he realized what he'd said, he cut himself off—but it was already too late.
Xu Zhiyi revealed a thoroughly sincere smile. "So, the host who sent us to buy antiques really is Master Yue himself."
So the startup capital had gone full circle and returned straight to the company's hands, while they, the interns, were still desperately pouring in their own money. The harder they worked, the more glorious the company looked.
"No!" The hooded man grew anxious. "Who said I meant that?"
Xu Zhiyi curved her eyes and smiled at him.
"…You two don't remember anything."
Lin Yan smiled softly.
"I didn't say anything!"
"Alright." Xu Zhiyi turned and took Lin Yan's hand. "Let's go, brother. It's time we went and bonded with the other interns."
"…" The hooded man finally had no choice. His eyes glazed over as he said, "What exactly do you want to know from me?"
"What can you tell us?" Xu Zhiyi asked.
The hooded man stared at her in disbelief. After a long moment, he wiped his face, as if about to reveal some earth-shattering secret. "A new stall owner will be setting up today. You… can go take a look at his goods."
The place he indicated was an exceptionally remote corner, but he hadn't lied to them—the wooden board of this stall looked newer than the neighboring owners', as if it truly belonged to a newcomer.
Probably a novice, the owner kept his head down and didn't solicit customers. But his face was copy-paste thin, and the goods he sold were much the same as everyone else's.
…Had they been scammed?
Yet when Xu Zhiyi turned to look back at the main entrance, there was no one there—the hooded man had already fled with his little stool.
"…"
And this owner seemed to have been activated as well, speaking up enthusiastically. "Would you like to buy something?"
Xu Zhiyi hummed in acknowledgment and crouched down perfunctorily, planning to pick something at random before finding an excuse to leave.
Among a host of unremarkable items, she finally spotted one that looked slightly cuter—a cat plush. She picked it up and was about to raise her head and ask a couple of token questions.
The moment their eyes met, the first thing that slipped out of her mouth was a terrible pickup line: "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
Behind her, Lin Yan: "…"
This was clearly not something the shopkeeper could handle. His expression froze, and for a long while, he didn't answer her.
The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. Xu Zhiyi furrowed her brows—she had definitely seen this face somewhere before.
The features before her gradually aligned with a memory. Xu Zhiyi suddenly shot to her feet, grabbing Lin Yan's sleeve as she cried out in a small, terrified voice, "Brother! He's—"
He was Zhao Zixun!
Even though his cheeks had hollowed out, the more she looked at those eyes and brows, the more they resembled the Zhao Zixun in that photograph. But wasn't this man supposed to be lying beside the tree, peacefully dead?
Zhao Zixun was completely unaware of her panic. He lifted his face, his gaze following her as he spoke: "Are you looking to buy this plush toy?"
Xu Zhiyi's hand clutched the plush toy—she dared not let go, yet holding it felt like it was burning her palm. "I…"
"You have excellent taste! This is the highest-value item in our shop! I don't tell just anyone about it!"
They had heard this line several times already on the antique street. Every shopkeeper said the same thing, as if they'd all taken the same marketing class and memorized the same spiel.
But when Zhao Zixun said it, although his features were smiling, his eyes were dull and unfocused. Completely different from those shopkeepers whose gazes burned with intensity, who seemed to genuinely love their stall business.
Lin Yan took the plush toy from Xu Zhiyi's hand and stepped in front of her. "Zhao Zixun, what are you doing here?"
Zhao Zixun's expression turned extremely ugly.
His lips twitched twice, then he suddenly erupted: "I told you, no haggling, no haggling! It doesn't matter what you say! The price here is what it is now, and it will be the same in a year, in a hundred years, forever."
The long speech gradually calmed his emotions. The further he went, the more even his tone became. Finally, he even sat back down, a smile hanging on his face. "You have excellent taste—that plush toy is the most valuable thing here…"
Xu Zhiyi clenched Lin Yan's clothes tightly.
"You all…"
"We'll keep looking." Lin Yan cut him off coldly, bending down to place the plush toy back on the stall.
He took his sister's now-ice-cold hand.
And led her away from the smiling Zhao Zixun.
Half a meter away, and what had just happened at the stall seemed to be wiped clean. Zhao Zixun lowered his head again, silent, just staring at the items displayed before him.
But even after Lin Yan led Xu Zhiyi to the other end, she was still pale with fright, unable to recover. "He clearly died… how can he be here…"
"Perhaps it's because he died that he's here."
"Then wouldn't all these antique sellers be… people who've already died?"
The antique street beneath her feet suddenly transformed into a massive cemetery. Xu Zhiyi shuddered and pressed closer into Lin Yan's arms.
He held the back of her head, patting it gently in comfort.
As if feeling this method of consolation was too slow, he suddenly said out of nowhere, "Even after death, you still have to come out and work a stall."
Xu Zhiyi: "…"
Somehow, that sounded even more miserable than their situation.
Because of this, her mood recovered again, and of course she still spoke with her face pressed against her brother's chest. "Actually, it's not just because we saw his corpse, but also because… the feeling he gave me was so similar to the other bosses, like… they were all cut from the same mold."
"Mm."
The two heads huddled together, conspiring in a mysterious manner.
A few minutes later, they split off in opposite directions.
Only when Xu Zhiyi was reduced to a back view no bigger than a palm's width away did Lin Yan stop in front of a stall.
"I want to buy a gift for my girlfriend." He smiled. "What do you think she'd like?"
The boss casually pointed at a silk scarf and began his pitch, still using that same spiel about "this is the most precious item on the entire stall." Lin Yan listened patiently, then smiled. "The color's too old-fashioned. I don't like it."
The boss switched to a ceramic bowl and continued his introduction.
After finishing the whole set, Lin Yan shook his head amiably again. "Too fragile. I don't like it."
"…"
After tormenting the boss for several rounds, Lin Yan finally picked up a small wooden bird painted with white lacquer, handed over the money, and said something that left the boss utterly expressionless: "I like this little bird, and she'll like it too."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Xu Zhiyi, who had been dawdling at a stall for five or six minutes, finally spoke up.
"I want to buy a gift for my boyfriend. Do you have any recommendations?"
She deliberately crouched on the right side of the stall, her gaze picking back and forth over the glass and ceramics—any boss who wanted to make a sale should know how to pitch.
Yet the boss still pointed to the left corner, at an unremarkable black wooden bird carving, his face piled with enthusiastic smiles. "Buy this one. I guarantee he'll like it."
Xu Zhiyi put on a troubled expression. "That's impossible—he doesn't usually like little animals like this. Help me pick one of these bowls instead."
"He'll like it." The boss's smile didn't waver, still pointing at it. "Buy this one. It's the most valuable item on our stall…"
When they regrouped, Xu Zhiyi pulled Lin Yan far away from the antique street before slowing her steps, recounting the conversation at the stall with lingering fear.
Combining the two conversations, it was almost certain that these stall owners shared a collective consciousness.
The bosses on this antique street—perhaps all of them were nothing but hollow shells, manipulated by someone lurking in the shadows, able only to repeat the same words day after day.
Dozens of pairs of eyes, all belonging to the same person.
Xu Zhiyi's long lashes trembled with lingering dread, looking as though she had no intention whatsoever of returning to the antique street.
Lin Yan took out the white bird and gently tapped her finger with its beak. "So in the end, what did you buy?"
"Mm…"
The color returned to Xu Zhiyi's cheeks a little, and she pulled out, with a hint of pride, a black-feathered bird slightly larger than the white one.
"You still bought this one?" Lin Yan said with a smile.
"Even though the boss was scary, the little bird is still adorable." Xu Zhiyi's eyes sparkled. "Besides, I think this one represents us—the black one is you."
She held the little black-feathered bird and moved it toward Lin Yan's white bird, intending to make the two wooden birds touch each other. But because Lin Yan was also cooperating by moving his wrist forward, her hand trembled, and she lost control of her strength—so the two birds' beaks bumped into each other.
A kiss between the little birds.