After the filming of the haunted house finale was completed, the guests returned to the hotel to rest, and did not wake up until noon to start the final filming.
According to the schedule, this part of the content was to film the guests visiting the behind-the-scenes production of the haunted house.
For example, how the mechanisms were set up, the production process of the simulated NPCs, the design drawings of the scenes, and a face-to-face chat with the boss to publicize the show and haunted house.
Everyone gathered at 12:30 pm and set off on time at 1 pm to go to the filming location by car.
As soon as the car started, Jian Jing felt something was wrong: "Where is Ms. Jing?"
"Ms. Jian had something to do and left first," the director team explained.
Jiang BaiYan was skeptical: "Did you guys do something bad?"
The PD joked with him: "Don't worry, we won't kidnap Ms. Jian and sell her."
Coco: "You are really clingy."
Jiang BaiYan rolled his eyes and ignored her, lowering his head to send a WeChat message.
--
After the show was aired.
Barrage 1: The younger brother's premonition was right
Barrage 2: This is not kidnapping, it's abduction~~
Barrage 3: Precise landing, where's the easter egg?
Barrage 4: The main show begins
--
Jian Jing did not reply to Jiang BaiYan's message because she was kidnapped.
She gathered at 12 o'clock. After getting in the car, she didn't see any of her companions, thinking she had come early. Who would have thought the car door would suddenly close, the driver stepped on the accelerator and took her away directly.
Jian Jing: "???" Was some kind of solo storyline triggered?
PD Miss: “Ms. Jian is filming alone. She will meet up with everyone later.”
Jian Jing: "...Is this what you call a souvenir?"
PD: "Surprised or not, exciting or not?"
Her: "......"
The car was tinted, she was not familiar with the terrain, and did not know where they had taken her.
After about half an hour, the car stopped. She tentatively opened the car door and got out. Suddenly two burly men appeared on the left and right to escort her.
Then, roughly put a blindfold over her eyes and said coldly, "The boss wants to see you."
Jian Jing: "......"
She was dragged into the building by two men in black.
After taking the elevator and walking down a corridor, she was pushed into a room with the door tightly closed.
She took off her blindfold and looked around.
It was a small conference room with only a sofa, a coffee table and an extra large TV. She walked two steps forward and the TV screen suddenly lit up.
A figure completely created by CG appeared, mouth opening and closing: "Miss Jian, I have heard a lot about you. I am Dr. X."
Jian Jing held back her smile and played along: "Hello."
"The chip you got from the hospital is extremely important to us," Dr. X said. "Your wonderful performance has also attracted the attention of many members of the club."
Jian Jing: "...Thank you?"
--
After the show was aired.
Barrage 1: I laughed so hard hahahaha
Barrage 2: Forced to act awkwardly, poor Ms. Jian
Barrage 3: This is just me participating in a script murder mystery game
Barrage 4: Lol~~ Hurry and join, trigger new storyline!
Barrage 5: What exactly is the code? Not going to reveal it??
Barrage 6: Probably have to film next season for it
Barrage 7: Ahhhh so awesome!!!!
Barrage 8: The easter egg is not bad, it ties up the abrupt ending
Barrage 9: Lol, am I the only one feeling like it's an umbrella company or a plague company??
Barrage 10: I have a bold idea, X is the villain!
......
--
Dr. X said, "You may already know that our X Club is dedicated to discovering the truth and unearthing hidden secrets."
He began to give examples, summarizing the club's contributions to archaeology, medicine, aerospace and other undertakings, while also splicing in some pictures and documentaries, making it seem quite real.
Jian Jing pretended to think seriously: "So...?"
"Because of the [beep] at the hospital, we lost many members and had to absorb new blood," Dr. X said straightforwardly. "There is an invitation letter on the table, please open it."
Jian Jing picked up the envelope on the coffee table, opened it, and saw a string of codes inside.
"If you can decipher the code above, the doors of the X Club will open to you," said Dr. X. "Ms. Jian, your talents are more than this. It would be a pity to waste them on meaningless fiction. The advancement of mankind needs talents like you, and the vast universe is our future."
He blew her a bunch of flattery, and finally said, "Look forward to your reply."
The video skipped and the screen froze on the invitation letter.
--
Jian Jing got her souvenir: an invitation letter from the X Club.
She instantly felt great.
Although it was fake, this kind of souvenir was much more interesting than the perfunctory exchanges between the guests.
The crew was quite thoughtful [doge]
The recording ended here.
The other guests came out from the next room. Everyone seemed to guess something but no one explicitly said it, nonchalantly eating a buffet.
Without the cameras, everyone was more relaxed, and the relationships became somewhat estranged. Each minding their own business, not as close and intimate as they appeared on the show.
— Of course there were exceptions.
"Let me see the invitation letter," on the return flight, Jiang BaiYan squeezed past the staff and insisted on sitting with her, pestering her endlessly, "Just let me see it for a bit."
Jian Jing: "No."
"Why?" He leaned on the seatback, with his jaw resting on the back of his hand. "Are you still angry with me? I already admitted I was wrong, don't be angry, okay?"
Jian Jing retorted, "Why can't I be angry just because you admitted you were wrong? If I beat you up and then admit I was wrong, you won't be angry either?"
"I won't be angry even if you don't admit it," he moved his face closer and said innocently, "Want to try it out?"
Jian Jing turned her head away, reached out, and viciously pinched his cheek.
Jiang BaiYan: "!!!'"
"When you stick your face over, you have to be prepared to be pinched," she twisted his cheek, smiling, "Did you think that by saying this, I wouldn't dare hit you?"
Jiang BaiYan: "Owchieee."
Jian Jing squeezed for a bit before letting go: "Don't let it happen again."
"It hurts so much," he rubbed his cheek, muttering, "How could you do it."
"What's so difficult about it?" She raised her hand, "It's just the labor of lifting my hand."
Jiang BaiYan changed his posture, laying curled up on his side, with his pinched red cheek pressed against his arm, looking away from her eyes, like a sulking child: "I thought you would go easy on me." After a brief pause, he mumbled to himself, "Turns out you only go easy on others...... Ouch!"
The other cheek also suffered at the hands of evil.
"What exactly are you trying to imply?" Jian Jing released her hand and examined his expression.
Jiang BaiYan: "The invitation letter."
"Is that so?" She scoffed softly and handed him the envelope, "If you want to see it so much, then look."
Jiang BaiYan pouted unwillingly as he opened it.
Inside was a string of codes as expected.
Qtfnizcyhfsgcvfynthebf
"If I can crack it, will you answer a question for me?" he asked.
Jian Jing looked at him: "Sure."
Jiang BaiYan took out pen and paper and started calculating: "This kind of code without rules is very similar to the one we encountered in the haunted house, right? Just shifting letters, only twenty-five possibilities, I don't believe I can't crack it."
Ten hours later, the plane began its descent.
Accompanied by the plane's broadcast, Jian Jing removed her eye mask, drowsily asking: "How's it going, did you crack it?"
Jiang BaiYan knew when to push and when to give in: "Can I please have a hint?"
She held back her laughter: "So you still couldn't crack it, right?"
"It's so difficult," he moved closer, pleading pitifully, "And I'm not good at this."
She deliberately said: "Then why were you so eager to see the invitation letter?"
Jiang BaiYan sighed, speaking ambiguously: "What if I could still save it."
Jian Jing held her forehead: "The answer is: Truthcanneverbeblinded, work it out backwards yourself."
Jiang BaiYan pursed his lips: "Give me a little hint."
Jian Jing: "No."
"Just a tiny bit!" He cajoled, "Just a little is enough."
However, by this time the plane had already landed smoothly, and the other passengers were getting ready to leave with their luggage. Zheng Keyan, who was sitting in front, overheard their conversation and curiously asked, "What little by little?"
"He was asking Jian Jing about the invitation riddle," Coco squeezed up from behind, shaking her head and sighing. "He pestered Jian Jing for half the day about the topic, but couldn't figure it out himself..."
Cao Yu laughed, "I thought you two were whispering sweet nothings, turns out it was just some deduction."
"I know right," Han Bo chimed in meaningfully, "I never would have guessed you were so into solving mysteries."
Jiang Baiyan was completely unruffled, without a trace of embarrassment at the teasing. "Well I'm not that smart, so I gotta get a head start."
"You're not dumb," Jian Jing said. "Your intelligence just isn't focused here."
Jiang Baiyan looked innocent. "Then where is it focused?"
She looked him over and smiled. "I'd like to know that too."
*
After being away filming for over half a week, when Jian Jing finally returned home, she received an enthusiastic welcome from Pudding.
She picked up the chubby cat and scratched his head. "Did you miss me?"
"Meow~"
"So cute." She pinched Pudding's cheeks. "What do you think, should I hide you away and not give you back to your owner?"
Pudding: "Meow?"
"Oh fine, I'll let you go." She set down the disgruntled cat. "Speaking of which... hey, how much did you eat that the litter box is this full?"
Pudding: "Meow meow meow."
I'm just an innocent little kitty, I don't know anything.
"It stinks." Jian Jing abandoned her luggage and got straight to shoveling the litter, too tired to even rest first.
That night, Kang Mu Cheng came by briefly, just to confirm she was safe and sound before taking his leave.
Jian Jing was very curious. "Mr. Kang, what have you been busy with recently?"
"Company matters," Kang Mu Cheng answered apologetically. "Things are a bit hectic, I can't attend to you. Once I finish up the projects at hand, I'll take you on vacation to celebrate your new book breaking records."
Jian Jing was taken aback. "What records?"
"The record for a Jin Wu mystery novel is 1.45 million copies, and for Rose Gold it's 1.52 million." Despite his fatigue, Kang Mu Cheng's eyes still brimmed with unconcealable delight. "Congratulations."
Jian Jing exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Really?"
"Mm, we'll definitely celebrate this time." Kang Mu Cheng said, "I know you don't like gatherings, so let's just go on vacation instead. I haven't had any time off this year anyway."
Jian Jing immediately agreed, "I'm free, school vacation is coming right up."
"Then it's decided." Kang Mu Cheng had no intention to stay long. "Take care of yourself."
She couldn't help laughing. "Yes yes, I know."
"Get some rest early." Kang Mu Cheng came and went in a rush, staying for barely fifteen minutes before leaving again.
The next day, Jiang Baiyan came to pick up Pudding.
In just three days, a cat could increase the contents of a home exponentially, including but not limited to: exceptionally cute food bowls, amusing plush toys, various cans of cat food.
Pudding had lived at Jian Jing's for a few months, and his belongings had doubled.
As Jian Jing packed up, she said, "Hang on, I bought some clothes for Pudding, have a seat first."
But Jiang Baiyan couldn't sit still. "Can I take a look at your study?"
"Sure, go ahead." She pushed open the door, completely open. "Feel free to look around."
Jiang Baiyan laughed as he went inside, occasionally crying out in surprise, "So many books! Oh, are these files all reference materials?"
Jian Jing responded vaguely from the outside as she packed things up. After struggling for quite some time, she finally finished gathering all of Pudding's belongings.
"All this is...?" Jiang Baiyan gaped at the huge bag of cat clothes, utterly stunned. "Miss Jian Jing, you bought too much stuff for Pudding!"
Jian Jing retorted, "Well it's not for you, is it?"
"But I'm the one who has to carry it all home!" Jiang Baiyan's shoulders slumped. "Geez, is Pudding more popular than me?"
"What do you think?"
"I knew you played favorites." He resigned himself to slinging on the cat carrier and bags of clothes and toys. "Pudding, say bye to Miss Jian Jing, we're going home."
Pudding: "Meow meow meow."
Jian Jing teased him through the cage again, then asked, "Leaving already?"
"Mm, I have to get to the company." Jiang Baiyan reported his plans. "I have two commercials to film soon."
Jian Jing didn't try to keep him either, just seeing him to the door. "Drive safely."
"Got it, you don't need to send me off." He lowered the brim of his hat. "I'm going now, bye bye."
Jian Jing smiled and waved as she watched him enter the elevator before closing her apartment door.
Then, she entered the study, glanced over the rows of books on the shelves, and sat down at the desk. She opened the bottom drawer and took out a laptop inside.
She turned it on and entered her username and password.
The surveillance footage appeared on the screen.
