"I felt something was off from the first day," said Jiang BaiYan. "You were too happy."
Jian Jing: "??"
He took a sip of chicken soup, savoring it for a moment before continuing, "You've seen big scenes before. This is just a reasoning game. I didn't think you'd be that happy unless something special happened."
Jian Jing: "..."
"Then the headless corpse, the password, it was all too detective-like. I thought, either it's you and Kojima, or the production team wrote their own script," he said. "After drawing lots, I knew I couldn't win, so I had to make sure you could."
Jian Jing started munching on corn with relish: "Why?"
"We can't lose," Jiang BaiYan lowered his voice. "If we lose, Zhang Xue'er can go mix in France, Teacher Wu mainly has America, but we'd be in a terrible situation."
He emphasized: "Extremely terrible."
"I was sure I'd win," said Jian Jing. "Never doubted it for a second."
She had already planned it out. If the production team played fair, she'd rely on her skills and accept defeat if it came to that. If they didn't play fair, she'd immediately draw cards to mess with them.
Jiang BaiYan nodded: "I thought the same."
He ate a small wonton, swallowing it warmly, then said: "But Jing Jing, no matter how amazing you are, you can't handle others cheating. I guess the production team will give some people hints."
This guess had no evidence, purely a feeling. But Jiang BaiYan had grown up in a place where people judged by appearances, and his intuition was always sharp.
He felt that Liu Sau-chi and several staff members were exchanging meaningful glances.
Therefore, they had to deceive not just the guests, but also the omnipresent production team.
He wanted to make the production team think it was him.
"Actually, Dan called me too," Jiang BaiYan said. "I deliberately didn't admit it."
Dan's behavior was scripted, meaning the production team knew he should have gone, but he never admitted it from start to finish, which became a very obvious loophole.
"You were deliberately avoiding me too, right?"
He smiled and said: "I couldn't let them suspect we were in cahoots. The more righteous you appeared, the better."
The "Haunted House" series was very popular, and they had even been rumored to be in a relationship. The production team couldn't possibly not know about their connection. If the two interacted frequently, who knows who might have a wild idea and suspect they were working together.
So, he had to act very guilty, retreat at the sight of her, but not too obviously. It had to be at a level that seemed fine at first glance but felt off upon closer inspection.
"But Jing Jing, we really were in sync," he said gleefully. "How well did I cooperate?"
Jian Jing stated matter-of-factly: "Extremely well."
The production team had the script, equivalent to having admin rights. If there were obvious discrepancies in testimonies, it would inevitably arouse their suspicion. Although she had tried her best to do well, she couldn't guarantee that someone wasn't watching her closely and discovering anomalies.
But Jiang BaiYan actively sold a big loophole, which changed things.
There wasn't just one person in charge, and it wouldn't be easy to bribe everyone. Cheating wouldn't be too obvious either, and the hints guests received were probably limited. Jiang BaiYan's loophole was much bigger than hers, so they would definitely prioritize providing his.
During voting, him being surrounded and attacked by a group of people was the best proof.
They were convinced he was lying and placed their bets on him.
Then, they fell for it.
"Best performance this time," she said.
Jiang BaiYan was satisfied but still verbally humble: "I'm an actor, it's my job."
Jian Jing offered her baked potato: "Want a bite?"
His expression froze.
"It's okay if you can't eat it," she consoled without much sincerity.
"Who says I can't eat it," Jiang BaiYan muttered as he took it, peeled off the thin potato slices, put them in his water cup to wash and rinse, removing all the oil and salt.
Now he could eat it.
Although the flavor was as bland as could be, the aroma of barbecue still lingered, barely enough to fool his stomach.
He encouraged himself: "Just hang on for one more day. As long as tomorrow is over, I can go back to eating the day after."
Jian Jing: "Pfft."
Jiang BaiYan: "??"
"Don't jinx it," Jian Jing rubbed her arms. "My hair is standing on end."
Jiang BaiYan: QAQ
After finishing the late-night snack, the guests could choose to return to their rooms downstairs to rest.
Naturally, Jian Jing didn't want to stay in Room 4 either, so she quickly packed up her things.
The luxurious guest rooms downstairs were more comfortable.
But she couldn't rest yet. The production team could let everyone else go, but not Jian Jing, the winner.
She had to be interviewed tonight so it could be broadcast tomorrow.
The questions were somewhat boring.
Q: Summarize your performance in this competition.
A: Not bad.
Q: What are you most satisfied with about your normal gameplay?
A: I had a lot of fun.
Q: Is there anything you regret?
A: I didn't like the style of the character costume I drew.
Q: How do you think the others performed?
A: All very well, each with their own characteristics.
Q: Who was the best?
A: Everyone was excellent.
Q: But who was the very best?
A: Daniel.
Q: Why did you choose to turn yourself in at the end?
A: To spread positive energy, call on criminals to voluntarily surrender, confess for leniency, and seek lenient treatment.
Q: That's not what you said before.
A: I was still in the game then. I had to be responsible for the character I was playing. A criminal has to act like a criminal.
Q: You won one million US dollars. How do you plan to spend it?
A: Reasonable consumption.
Q: Don't you want to fulfill any dreams?
A: My dream is world peace. I work towards it every day.
Q: You mean?
A: So far, of the criminals I've encountered, ninety percent have been sent to prison by me.
Q: What about the rest?
A: They met God.
In short, the production team was always trying to dig a pit for her to fall into.
Jian Jing: No way.
It wasn't until nearly one in the morning that she returned to her room, by which time she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.
*
At seven in the morning, Ji Feng arrived at the office on time.
Brewing a cup of instant coffee and munching on a large bun bought from a street vendor, he turned on his computer and skillfully clicked into the "King of Reasoning" website.
Everyone's interviews had been updated.
He had watched until 10 o'clock yesterday, confirming the murderer before stopping. Today he was catching up.
Of course, he watched Teacher Jian's first.
He laughed after watching for 3 minutes.
Hmm, the young woman showed no excitement at all about just receiving one million US dollars. Her face was all seriousness, answering questions as if doing an essay exam.
"What are you laughing at?" Lao Gao had arrived too.
Ji Feng replayed that segment, clicking his tongue in wonder: "Look at Teacher Jian, so conscientious, calling on criminals to turn themselves in."
"As expected of Teacher Jian," Lao Gao sighed. "My wife and I watched the live broadcast together last night. Goodness, I never guessed it was Teacher Jian until the very end."
He eyed Ji Feng: "Did you guess?"
Ji Feng: "No."
Lao Gao: "Be honest."
"Half," he changed his tune. "The murderer left so many clues, both codes and passwords, but when really investigated there wasn't much substance. It was obvious they had good anti-detection skills."
Lao Gao: "Couldn't it have been someone else?"
Ji Feng: "That's why I said half. This group can act very well."
As the two were chatting, the new egg Xiao Li also arrived, eagerly bringing two tea eggs for his seniors. Catching a glimpse of Ji Feng's computer screen, he joined the conversation: "I also followed the live broadcast with my girlfriend yesterday."
Ji Feng: "..."
So what if Yun Yun had gone to university and he was alone at home?
Lao Gao: "Teacher Jian is really amazing, right?"
"Mm-hmm, I never expected it," Xiao Li marveled. "I thought it was that Wataru Kojima. Uncle Gao, who did you suspect?"
Lao Gao: "To be honest, I suspected Jiang BaiYan."
Xiao Li's eyes widened: "Ah, why? I thought since so many people suspected him, it couldn't be right."
"Because my wife said it definitely wasn't him," Lao Gao said, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
His wife and daughter had indeed insisted that Xiao Bai was innocent, which annoyed him greatly, but the real reason was that he had met Jiang BaiYan in person.
That guy... was very dangerous.
However, Xiao Li had never interacted with Jiang BaiYan. He only knew he was a celebrity, so he just smiled and asked Ji Feng: "Who did you guess, Brother Ji?"
Ji Feng: "That Japanese woman."
"Kumiko? I've seen Japanese dramas she's acted in, many as villains. I didn't expect her to be so gentle in real life," Xiao Li chattered on, bringing much amusement to his seniors.
It wasn't officially work time yet, so everyone huddled together to watch the other interviews.
The questions were all similar - what left the deepest impression, what they regretted most, who they thought performed best, and so on.
Wataru Kojima spoke the most sincerely.
"Although everyone performed well and worked hard, I still think Jian Jing was the most outstanding. She made good use of everyone's psychological blind spots, excelling not only in reasoning but also in strategy. I lost fair and square."
Liu Sau-chi was a bit insincere.
"It's quite regrettable this time. I didn't perform very well and missed a lot of information. In the end, I couldn't find the murderer, which disappointed my fans. If I have the chance to participate in such a game again, I will definitely be more careful, maintain sufficient vigilance, and never easily believe others' performances."
He has many fans, with quite a few sympathetic people in the comment section.
Hiroto Ishikawa seemed a bit serious.
"I've reflected on this failure. The main oversight was being too relaxed in the early stages. The murderer had already begun their plan at that time, and we were oblivious. The key clue in the notebook was right there, but we were misled by a few words and kept chasing her background, ignoring the main point. I shouldn't have trusted others so easily. I'm truly sorry."
Ran-er Kim was very generous.
"It was a brilliant game. I had a lot of fun, even though I didn't guess the murderer at all. I contributed a bit of inspiration, so I'm already very satisfied. Teacher Jian is, after all, a semi-professional. I hope there will be more opportunities to participate in such shows. Oh, and next time I want to be the murderer."
Kumiko Terauchi reviewed the process.
"I've gone over everything that happened these past few days, and I can only say that Jian Jing was indeed very impressive. For three days and two nights, she never showed a single flaw. I interacted with her several times and never noticed any strange behavior. She was extremely cautious in handling details. It's not that we weren't careful enough; she just did it too perfectly. The winner is definitely her."
Many comments said that Kumiko's attitude was the right one, acknowledging her own excellence without denying others'. Some people, when they fail, grumble about being careless or deceived, which just shows they can't accept losing.
Liu Sau-chi's fans almost got into an argument with them.
Min-cheol Park was more calm.
"I was bewitched by sorcery and got trapped in the cycle of reincarnation in the end. In reality, the true motive for murder was simple - just interest and desire. The story was fake, but human nature was real."
Zhang Xue'er, Wu Lie, and Jiang BaiYan were even more straightforward.
"Teacher Jian is really amazing." "These few days were very exciting." "Xiao Bai's acting was also quite good."
In a word, they supported their own people.
The Russian, Singaporean, Indian, and Thai contestants were outnumbered and didn't want to offend anyone, so their answers were highly similar.
Either "Everyone performed excellently and showcased their talents" or "The winner's ability is beyond doubt" and "It was a very exciting game, thank you to the production team for giving me this opportunity."
After watching the interviews at several times the normal speed, it was time for work.
Ji Feng started another day as a corporate slave.
At noon, while eating in the cafeteria, he glanced at his phone.
"Hmm? No update." He wondered, "I remember there was supposed to be some intelligence quiz today. Why isn't it there?"
"Probably not edited yet," Lao Gao casually replied.
Ji Feng wasn't familiar with the program's recording process, so he thought about it for a moment and then let it go.
At 8 PM, he made some instant noodles, planning to watch the show while eating.
Still no update.
Ji Feng felt something was off.
