“Why do you ask that?”
Jiang BaiYan said, “I thought Teacher wanted me to listen to what she wanted to say, to give her a chance.”
“No.” Unexpectedly, Jian Jing shook her head.
A trace of surprise and apprehension flashed in Jiang BaiYan's eyes. He gave up asking and tried to explain, “I don't think there's anything good to listen to, it's meaningless.”
He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, “She would definitely say she loves me, but...”
This was not love.
She wanted to control him, destroy him, just under the name of love.
“I know fans' love for me and my love for them are not equal.” He said slowly, his eyes slightly red, “Teacher Jian, I'm a little sad.”
Jian Jing made meaningless sounds to indicate that she was listening.
“Many boys like me in the industry either have girlfriends or have them...they just hide it well. But I really don't, it's not that I can't hide it, but I always want to live up to their love as much as possible.” Jiang BaiYan seemed to rarely open up, speaking incoherently and clumsily.
“Some people say the relationship between fans and idols is very distorted, maybe it is, but there is also true love.” There was a nasal tone in his voice, “If she says she 'loves me' like this, what about those who really love me?”
Jian Jing laughed softly.
She leaned forward, staring intently at the handsome younger brother sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes were slightly red, long eyelashes wet with glistening tears, his Adam's apple moved slightly as he swallowed the sourness.
“You're acting very well.” She asked curiously, “Are you really crying?”
Jiang BaiYan’s mouth rounded in surprise, then he reacted, the tears disappeared, and his eyes were no longer red either, only his tone was more serious than before: “What I said is true from the heart.”
Only added a little performance.
“You're afraid I won't believe you?” she asked.
Jiang BaiYan pursed his lips awkwardly, “Well, I was afraid Teacher Jian would think I was very heartless and cold.” He grabbed a pillow and buried his face in the soft pillow, “Ahhh so embarrassing, even though I was telling the truth.”
He only revealed a pair of black and white eyes, but was even more convincing than before: “True fans only hope the person they like gets better and better, not want to destroy him.”
“I know.” Jian Jing threw out another shocker slowly, “Aren't you? Bai Xiao Huo.”
Jiang BaiYan let out an extremely miserable groan.
She almost laughed her guts out, yet still pretended to be serious: “Not hard to guess.”
“Please.” He said weakly, “Don't say it out, I'm going to die socially.”
Jian Jing could no longer restrain herself and laughed out loud.
“Don't tell Sister Chen, don't tell her no matter what.”
“Hahaha.”
“Please.” He shook her clothes, “Please.”
Jian Jing couldn't resist and promised, “Okay, I promise I won't say it.”
Jiang BaiYan breathed a sigh of relief and tried to laugh, but the muscles in his face seemed too heavy to complete such an ordinary action.
He didn't force himself either, and just sighed heavily.
The initial confession was a perfect performance, and the later explanation was sincere but also concealed, only this sigh was his most authentic response to Du Qi.
Jian Jing thought he was indeed a little sad.
But even before the age of twenty, it was already "the weather turns chill, what a nice autumn" in this circle.
“Don’t be sad.” After thinking for a moment, she deliberately said, “Let me tell you a secret?”
Jiang BaiYan looked interested: “What secret?”
“Earlier Sister Chen asked why I was willing to make this trip, and I told her it was because I thought I could resolve it.” Jian Jing blinked, “But actually, there was another reason.”
He visibly perked up: “What reason?”
“It’s because you've always been encouraging me, and I’m very grateful to you.” She said.
The Bai Xiao Huo account had been active for many years. Not long after she opened her account, he started leaving comments, all kinds of flattery and praise, posting pictures of her new books immediately, and even writing little essays.
What was he after? He just really liked her.
“You prove that there are good fans in the world.” She praised, “You are the best fan.”
“Uh...” Jiang BaiYan said dryly, “Yeah.”
“So don't be sad anymore. Birds of a feather flock together, you must have many fans like this.” Jian Jing patted his head, “She's just an accident.”
Jiang BaiYan was stunned for a moment before saying, “Yeah, I'm not sad anymore.”
Jian Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her watch, it was already three in the morning.
She said, "Get some good rest, I'm going back first." As she spoke, she did not forget to take back her phone, and added, "I know how to avoid the cameras, I won't get photographed, sleep well."
Jiang BaiYan didn’t want her to be so thoughtful and mumbled softly, “Oh.” His face rarely showed some hesitation, as if thinking about some important question. After a while, he made up his mind to ask, “Actually, I have a question.”
“Hmm?”
“Does Teacher still remember...why you wanted to write 'Pudding and Gems' in Bai Mao?” He asked softly.
Jian Jing reflexively wanted to say "remember", but soon realized it was wrong. There was no such story in her "Bai Mao Detective". Bai Mao had a total of sixteen cases, and she stopped writing after the ninth one.
'Pudding and Gems' was the thirteenth.
She didn't write this.
“What’s going on?” She wondered, “I remember your cat is called Pudding, right?”
He nodded.
Jian Jing looked at him, “Why ask this?”
“Nothing, just casually asking.” He said, “Because Pudding is called Pudding, so I was a little curious. It’s nothing, Teacher should go back and rest, good night.”
Jian Jing was full of doubts but didn't ask more.
She had received the memories of another version of herself, but it was very vague, not every detail was remembered. Much of the content was like dusty old paintings, faded, mottled, or erased, hard to recall.
“Good night.” After examining him for a while, she slipped away.
Jiang BaiYan then saw her leap like an agile cat, sticking to the wall into the adjacent emergency passage.
He couldn't help thinking that she really was like the little white cat.
*
To be cautious, Jian Jing checked into another hotel to rest and slept until noon.
There was a text message from Kang Mu Cheng on her phone. She replied "coming home today" to him, and got ready to pack up before going back to check out of her original hotel.
Who would have thought there would be an unexpected guest waiting for her there.
"Qiu Lin, everyone calls me Sister Lin." The stylistically dressed woman with sunglasses reached out her hand, "Got time? Lunch together."
Jian Jing declined, "I have to go back, next time."
Next time meant she didn't want to eat with her.
But this cunning Qiu Lin didn't go along with it, handing over a business card, "That's fine too, I'll make plans with you again in a couple days when I get back. I heard Kang Mu Cheng of Golden Crow thinks highly of you, why not bring him along, I'll bring a friend too."
Jian Jing was taken aback.
"You did me a big favor, I won't owe you." Qiu Lin smiled gently.
Jian Jing decided to pass this burden to Kang Mu Cheng and took the business card, "I'll have Chairman Kang set up a meeting with you."
Qiu Lin raised her eyebrows, "I made plans with you."
"You'll have more to talk about." Jian Jing waved her hand, "See you next time."
Qiu Lin looked at her with interest for a while, then waved, "Okay, see you next time."
Jian Jing drove home. After getting home, she reported to Kang Mu Cheng that she was safe before eagerly saying, "Chairman Kang, let me introduce you to a great beauty."
Kang Mu Cheng laughed. She really was childish, "Met a celebrity?"
"Female celebrities don't suit you." She said, "She's the agent of Brilliant Entertainment, her name is Qiu Lin."
Kang Mu Cheng knew this name, "Rare, she's quite a figure too. What's going on?"
"She wants to take me out for a meal, I'm impatient to eat with her, but you should go." Jian Jing sent a photo of Qiu Lin's business card and happily said, "Trust me, this meal will be worth it."
Kang Mu Cheng rubbed his brow, feeling the situation was a bit out of control, "Jingjing, I know you care about me, but I don't think you... this isn't something you need to do."
The other end of the phone suddenly became quiet.
An eerie, stagnant, subtle atmosphere spread.
Kang Mu Cheng suddenly regretted very much and added to remedy, “Okay, I’ll go.”
Still silence.
“Jingjing.” He spoke again.
But this time, Jian Jing did not wait to hear the end.
She hung up the phone.
Kang Mu Cheng called again, but it was busy.
The phone was in use.
*
"Teacher Jing Jing, this is Jiang Bai Yan," the other party introduced himself, "Have you gotten home?"
Jian Jing suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and responded as usual, "I'm home, is there something?"
"Du Qi has confessed. Sister Chen said she has said many crazy things, but the evidence is clear, she's already been detained," Jiang Bai Yan reported in detail, "The crew has fired her, aside from a few people, no one knows."
The joy of success welled up in her heart, and Jian Jing temporarily forgot about her earlier displeasure, "That's great."
He said earnestly, "Sister Chen said she had a knife and drugs on her. If it wasn't for you, I might have lost my life. Thank you Teacher Jing Jing, you've saved me again."
"Again?"
Jiang Bai Yan paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "I guess the last time counts too, and when you taught me the password in the haunted house, there's been many times." He changed the subject, "After I finish filming, I definitely want to take you out for a meal."
"No need to be so polite."
"I must, I must," he insisted firmly, "I'll make plans with teacher ahead of time. Oh, the director is calling me. Goodbye Teacher Jing Jing."
Jian Jing still had doubts about him, but didn't persist, "Goodbye."
She waited a moment, he didn't hang up the phone, so she hung up first.
Unread messages popped up on her phone.
Kang Mu Cheng: [I'm free tonight, want to have dinner together?]
Why did they both want to take her out for a meal? Jian Jing frowned and replied: [Tired, not eating.]
He: [I apologize for what I said earlier.]
Jian Jing: [It was my own wishful thinking, you don't need to apologize.]
She sent another message: [I'm a bit tired, going to take a nap.]
After responding, she put her phone on airplane mode and went into the bathroom to take a bath.
The hot, salty sea salt water steamed away her pent-up fatigue.
She was drowsy, but suddenly a new message popped up before her eyes.
[System: Host has completed the "Good Samaritan" event, rewarded with 10 Courage points.]
Jian Jing was immediately more alert. All this time, it had been the system issuing tasks and her completing them to get rewards. But this time there was no task, how could there be a reward?
[System: This system encourages the host to take justified actions within their capabilities, and will give appropriate rewards.]
Jian Jing fell into thought.
This system didn't have much of a presence, she had to explore and trigger it herself in order to grasp the rules. Up until now, she had a rough idea of the task issuance rules:
All the tasks revolved around "her."
In this world there were frequent incidents, but not every case near her would trigger a task. For example, when she had just returned after rebirth, the fire in the neighboring building triggered nothing.
As it appeared now, only when she was caught up in an event would it trigger a task.
The hospital, reasoning club, signing event, vacation hotel were all like this, she was involved to varying extents, becoming a potential victim or suspect. The system immediately issued tasks for the Sunset Villa incident and her own suicide attempts, especially. For those, failure meant death, so tasks were issued extremely quickly.
Comparatively, the Haunted Hotel and Gold Case were much slower.
Her early involvement didn't seem to touch the key points, lingering on the edge of relevance. Only at a certain moment, when she became officially entangled - entering Room 206 at the hotel, facing the criminal in the Gold Case - did the system judge that the task was triggered.
But now, the system was telling her that events unrelated to her could also earn rewards.
"Just what kind of system are you?"
"This system is an intelligent system, devoted to serving the host to the best of its ability."
"Moron system."
"This system is an intelligent system, and is very happy to be of service to the host."
Jian Jing wanted to continue teasing it, but she caught a faint sound.
Someone had come in outside.
She held her breath and silently stood up from the bathtub, her feet on the soft carpet absorbing the dripping water and any noise from her movements.