After returning from Dragon Tiger Mountain, the tail end of summer vacation came to a close.
September arrived slowly, and Peace University welcomed another batch of new students. This year was not much different from previous years, except for one thing: Jian Jing's name appeared in the "Prominent Alumni" section of the enrollment brochure.
The building of the Chinese department was newly renovated, and after repainting, the walls were adorned with photos of celebrities.
Naturally, the front row featured well-known figures in the industry, but at the end of the corridor, Jian Jing, holding the Dreampen Award trophy, was the youngest and most stunning presence among the photos.
Regarding this, Jian Jing felt... a bit embarrassed.
After all, she hadn't graduated yet.
Every time she passed by this corridor and saw her own face, she couldn't help but feel a bit strange.
But on the first day of school, she had to come, even though her advisor rarely sought her out after her thesis was published. But it wouldn't be right to skip the start of the new semester.
In the new year, there were two new junior sisters.
The first thing her advisor said to her when he saw her was, "Hey, come sign your name for your two junior sisters, they've been asking me for half the day."
Jian Jing: "..."
Today, she was a novelist under duress.
Signing autographs for her junior sisters, chatting with her advisor about recent books, agreeing to get Jiang BaiYan's autograph for the advisor's daughter, and giving some books to the literary society (which the advisor brought) as gifts.
The advisor was very satisfied and tentatively made one last request: "You won the Dreampen Award, do you know Doreen from the United States? The school wants to invite some foreign writers for lectures."
Coincidentally, none of the other Dreampen Award winners knew her, but Doreen had changed her contact information.
Jian Jing immediately agreed and went back to send an email to Doreen.
Doreen received the invitation and didn't hesitate much before agreeing. She had signed her domestic publishing affairs over to Golden Crow, so she couldn't wait for the opportunity to come to China.
Of course, since she chose to help the school make connections, Jian Jing couldn't avoid treating her to dinner and acting as a tour guide for a few days.
Kang Mu Cheng specifically called to ask about this.
She wondered, "What's up?"
"Don't go on long trips alone with Doreen," Kang Mu Cheng reminded her, "You can accompany her around the area, but if it's real travel, I'll specially arrange someone to accompany her."
Jian Jing: "Why?"
Kang Mu Cheng: "Her orientation is in the minority."
Jian Jing: "..."
Although she hadn't thought about it before, after Kang Mu Cheng mentioned it, Jian Jing always felt something was off when she met Doreen.
"Hi, darling," Doreen greeted her with a hug as soon as she approached, "Long time no see, thank you for inviting me."
Jian Jing quietly pulled away: "I'm glad you could come."
Doreen was very chatty, telling many Chinese stories her grandmother had told her along the way, half of which were stereotypes, and unsurprisingly, she was a fan of Bruce Lee.
Without the impetus of a case, Jian Jing was a bit tired of socializing. She forced herself to get through the day and quickly took her to a restaurant for dinner.
Doreen praised the dishes, then took out her phone, snap, snap, snap, and affectionately sat beside Jian Jing, with her hand on her shoulder: "Let's take a picture together."
Jian Jing quickly activated her acting skills.
Click, click, click, after several continuous shots, Doreen released her with satisfaction, edited the photos with filters, and posted them on social media.
"Jian, you have no idea how popular you are," she said, "The Demon Doctor is selling like crazy. Many TV shows want to invite you, but unfortunately, they can't reach you."
Jian Jing thought she was just being polite and smiled in response.
"I wasn't lying," Doreen blinked, her cheeks flushing even more brightly, "You ranked eighteenth in the Asian Celebrity Poll before."
Jian Jing: "What the heck? There's such a ranking list??"
"Wow, look, you already have hundreds of likes," Doreen showed her the screen of her phone, with comments piling up below the new post.
[Is the author of "The Demon Doctor" Jian Jing?]
[She's so pretty.]
[Doreen, did you go to Japan?]
[It's Korea, right? The dishes on the table are Korean kimchi.]
[It's China, Jian Jing is a Chinese author.]
Jian Jing: "Instagram, right? I'll register an account right away!"
She downloaded the app, registered, uploaded her profile picture, and posted a series of "Demon Doctor" posters. Then she switched to Twitter and posted a bunch of promotional materials in Chinese.
All written in Chinese: "Hello, everyone, I'm Chinese author Jian Jing."
Before long, she received a large number of comments.
Fans from all over the world welcomed her and asked when "The Demon Doctor 4" would be available in English. Jian Jing regretfully informed them - "The Demon Doctor 4 has become a pigeon."
A group of puzzled emojis filled the comments below.
Apart from book fans, she surprisingly had many variety show fans as well, asking her when she would shoot another haunted house variety show, as they were looking forward to the club's sequel.
But Jian Jing had lost interest in the haunted house series.
Robert's set was already world-class, but it still couldn't compare to one-tenth of Twilight Town.
Real fear penetrated the soul, while fake fear just couldn't excite.
This was probably another case of "luxury leads to frugality."
She replied: "If the situation is right, I will consider cooperating again."
The fans were very disappointed.
"If only you could participate in a few more shows."
"Even without the haunted house, there can still be great adventures."
"I hope you can participate in 'The Reasoning King,' then I'll definitely subscribe."
"Even if it's paid, I'll support you."
"Can you participate in xxx's talk show?"
"I'm a producer of xx program and would like to interview you."
All kinds of comments flooded in like a tide, from shows, media, internet celebrities... countless names flew over, making one's head spin. Who would specifically pay attention to the name of a variety show?
Jian Jing glanced over and completely forgot about "The Reasoning King."
This was her first "encounter" with the show.
And then, the second one came quickly.
A few days later, Doreen returned to the United States and asked her before leaving, "Will you participate in 'The Reasoning King'?"
Jian Jing found the term slightly familiar but couldn't recall it, so she replied, "I don't think so, I haven't been invited."
As she answered, she pondered, what was "The Reasoning King" again? A magazine? No, she remembered the most famous detective magazine was called "EQMM," translated as Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.
Could it be exclusive to a parallel world?
Doreen, however, thought she knew, after all, "The Reasoning King" was extremely popular in the United States, and she sighed, "That's too bad, I thought they would invite you."
But Jian Jing didn't mind, no invitation meant no invitation, it wasn't a big deal.
"Maybe next time, perhaps next time," Doreen comforted her.
Jian Jing smiled politely, "Thanks for your kind words."
Doreen gave Jian Jing a hug before turning to board the plane.
Jian Jing watched her go through security, breathed a sigh of relief, then called Kang Mu Cheng: "Doreen's gone."
Kang Mu Cheng asked, "She didn't do anything to make you uncomfortable, did she?"
"No, not at all. You're overthinking it. She never had any intentions towards me," Jian Jing complained. "It's all because of you, making me paranoid."
Kang Mu Cheng sighed, "I just worry you might not be aware and end up getting hurt."
"What could possibly hurt me?" she muttered.
Kang Mu Cheng habitually ignored her comment, "That's good. I'm not working overtime today, want to come over for dinner?"
"Sure."
"I'll bring your manuscript back," he said. "There are a few parts that need some changes, and also the cover. They've sketched a few options, we can pick one later."
Jian Jing thought to herself, So, this doesn't count as overtime?
"Hmm?"
"I want some late-night snacks," she pouted.
Kang Mu Cheng couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright."
Jian Jing reluctantly headed back to work.
Luckily, there weren't many changes needed for the manuscript. After discussing some plot points with Kang Mu Cheng, she had a plan. As for the cover sketch, she chose a watercolor set.
A pink silhouette of a girl, a bright red crime scene, a cyan-clad young man, a mysterious purple shadow, overlapping colors, creating a dreamy and mysterious tone.
Kang Mu Cheng said, "It's good."
"Yes, off work," Jian Jing tossed the manuscript aside and happily propped her legs up, scrolling through her phone.
"The Reasoning King" made its presence felt for the third time.
"Huh," she scrolled through Twitter's messages, "Doreen was telling the truth, they actually invited me."
Kang Mu Cheng asked curiously, "Who?"
"A Twitter account called 'The Reasoning King,' wow, so many followers, is this like a magazine?" she asked.
"The Reasoning King?" Kang Mu Cheng frowned, leaned closer to carefully look at the account's ID, then said, "It's not a magazine, it's a reasoning program."
Jian Jing instantly lost interest, "Is it like a murder mystery?"
"No, it's a reality show," Kang Mu Cheng explained, "They claim it's the highest IQ program in human history."
"Ah?" like those brainy quiz shows?
"A group of people are gathered in a closed environment, where one or several murders occur. Those who successfully find the murderer win a prize, but if no one finds them, the prize goes to the culprit."
At this point, Kang Mu Cheng paused slightly, his expression subtle, "Whether it's truly the highest IQ, it's hard to say, but it's the hottest reality show in America."
Jian Jing scoffed, "I'm definitely not going to America to participate in a show."
"Not necessarily," he shook his head, "Maybe they're planning an Asian edition."
"??"
She quickly searched for information about "The Reasoning King."
Turns out, the show is produced by a team called "The Door of Wisdom," sold to the largest media platform in America, and has already filmed five seasons.
The first three seasons were set in North America, featuring not only well-known hosts, actors, and models from the industry but also retired professionals from the FBI and CIA, as well as graduates from Ivy League schools like Harvard and MIT. With its excellent production and captivating plot, it sparked a frenzy from the moment the first season aired, and each subsequent season was shot with even greater ambition and scale.
Some participants were just ordinary retired special agents, making a living by investigating infidelities before joining the show. But after filming, they became household names, constantly receiving invitations to other shows, and even publishing professional books.
However, if that were all, it would just be another high-rated ordinary program.
"The Reasoning King" ascended to greatness when, after completing the third season and feeling that America had become less thrilling, they boldly flew to Europe, launching the European Special Edition.
So, what sets the special edition apart from regular episodes?
Firstly, while regular episodes are filmed in the United States, each lasting 80 minutes with four episodes per season, the guests typically spend 10-12 hours filming, and the audience only sees the end result after post-production editing.
But the special edition is broadcast live.
That's right, during the filming of the European edition, the production team decided to make it a three-day, two-night live broadcast. Viewers could follow different guests' perspectives, explore clues, listen to interrogations, and engage in real-time deduction throughout the entire process.
With this setup, the sense of participation was undeniable.
In 2019, "The Reasoning King: European Edition" took the world by storm. During the live broadcast, Twitter, YouTube, and even Weibo were abuzz with discussions about who the culprit might be, successfully bringing an American show to every corner of the globe.
In 2020, the fourth season; 2021, the fifth season.
On August 22, 2022, "The Reasoning King" announced its plans to film a special edition in Asia. At the same time, the official website launched a poll for Asian celebrities.
Although rankings don't necessarily guarantee invitations, they can at least provide the production team with some reference. Jian Jing found herself ranked eighteenth on the list.
She didn't know why so many people voted for her, considering that those ranked ahead were the top idols and stars in Asia. However, whether they received invitations or not was uncertain, but Jian Jing had already received a message from the production team.
Kang Mu Cheng asked, "How do you feel?"
Jian Jing replied, "Slightly excited."
