The Novelist Forced to Become Famous - Chapter 369

Chapter 369

Raj was genuinely shocked.

“Why… you…” he stammered, “How could you possibly…”

Jian Jing said calmly, “I guessed.”

Kumiko Terauchi asked curiously, “Could you explain your reasoning?”

“Mrs. Dan is a housewife. If her lover was an outsider, she would have to go out frequently, making it hard to hide from Dan’s eyes. So it would be more convenient to choose someone closer as the thrill.”

Jiang BaiYan looked up and said gloomily, “Thrill? You’re not right.”

Jian Jing pretended not to hear and continued, “There were not many eligible choices. The eldest son is neither young nor handsome, and he still hasn’t had a child—Mrs. Dan probably wants a child to inherit more of the property. The third son is an unreliable playboy, not a top choice for health reasons. That leaves only the son-in-law and the doctor.”

Raj asked, “Why me?”

“You have a motive. Getting close to Mrs. Dan, you could ask her to help investigate the truth about your father, which the son-in-law would not have. As an outsider, if he was caught by Dan, he would likely lose his marriage, with high risk and little gain—a man might not take that chance.”

Min-cheol Park said, “Just based on such a guess?”

“No, it’s not a guess, just gossip,” Jian Jing said frankly. “The basis for my guess is the love letter Mrs. Dan received, which was from Tagore, and the doctor’s room had his poetry collection, so I just took a random guess.”

As a Chinese literature student, she rarely used her expertise in reasoning, so she finally got to show off her knowledge this time.

Kumiko Terauchi cleared her doubts and admitted admiringly, “Your guess is correct, that’s exactly how it is.”

Jian Jing asked curiously, “Did you know about Raj too?”

“He told me,” Kumiko Terauchi smiled. “But I’m not the killer.”

“Jian, I have a question,” Wataru Kojima suddenly spoke up. “Is it possible that the real killer only discovered the secret room after the fact, rather than already knowing about it?”

Jian Jing nodded, “That possibility can’t be ruled out, but if the killer had time to search through things after the murder, looking for something, that would be too bold. So if it were me, I would further suspect those who already knew about the secret room.”

Wu Lie asked, “Who would know about the secret room?”

“Many people,” Jian Jing pondered. “Let me remind everyone, don’t just focus on those two possibilities, it can limit your thinking. It’s possible someone saw the blueprints of the secret room and learned its location that way. To find the killer, we still need to start from the case itself.”

Wataru Kojima said, “Jian is right.”

But Ishikawa spoke up, “We should also analyze the killer’s intent—why did he lure Raj into committing the murder?”

Connor Lee also agreed with this line of thinking, analyzing from a game perspective, “The first goal was to kill Linnaer. She might have had unfavorable information about him.”

Kumiko Terauchi said, “Looking at the consequences, Raj is out of the picture, and Ishikawa is under suspicion.”

However, Valeriya raised a new angle, “Is it possible the real killer wanted to mislead us, reducing his own suspicion?”

“Yes, that’s also very possible,” Liu Sau-chi asked. “Who, other than the family members, would know about Raj’s revenge and the secret room?”

Andrei said, “Outsiders probably wouldn’t know.”

“Then it’s the uncle, nephew, brother-in-law, niece, and fiancée,” Connor Lee looked at them.

Jiang BaiYan commented sarcastically, “Looking at it directly, that group is suspicious. Looking at it inversely, that group is suspicious. In summary, everyone is suspicious.”

Jian Jing almost burst out laughing.

But she also understood their choice. The spotlight for reasoning had mostly been taken by her and Wataru Kojima, so the others had to participate in the reality show in their own way.

Since they couldn’t compete in reasoning, they might as well play the game.

Like playing poker, like Werewolf, using the mindset of games to play the game is also a valid approach.

“If we go by the inverse suspicion, then I can’t explain it anymore,” she said amiably, providing an opportunity to change the direction, then glanced at her watch. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go rest.”

Zhang Xue’er wasn’t particularly close with her, but as the two Chinese women, they could still chat. “So early?”

Jian Jing took out a small mirror and examined her face. “No choice, my makeup is coming off.”

Zhang Xue’er said, “Didn’t you use a setting spray?”

“It always makes my face feel too tight,” Jian Jing carefully wiped her eyelids with her fingertips. “The double eyelid stickers are also uncomfortable after wearing them for a long time.”

She originally thought the hardest part of participating in a reality show would be socializing, but she had no problem diving into the game like it was a case to solve. Instead, wearing makeup for over ten hours a day had become quite a burden.

Yesterday, she even wore false eyelashes, but today she gave up completely.

Zhang Xue’er encouraged her, “You’ll get used to it.”

“Tomorrow is the last day,” Jian Jing finally couldn’t bear it and tore off the double eyelid stickers, immediately feeling much better. “I’m going back to wash my face and shower. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

—

On the live streaming platform, in the comments:

[Hahaha, Jian the teacher has such a big difference before and after!]

[A queen one second, a delicate princess the next]

[My wife is unbeatable in cuteness]

[As expected, scholars sleep early]

[Us slackers tremble in fear]

[Come, place your bets, will the doctor be eliminated tonight?]

[It’s getting dark, please close your eyes]

—

Jian Jing returned to her room, washed her face and showered, and changed into casual wear.

At 9:40 pm, she was hungry.

So she hurried to the dining hall and ordered an ice cream waffle.

Jiang BaiYan was in the dining hall, eating porridge.

“What is that?” She looked at the green stuff in his bowl, her appetite gone. “How can you eat that?”

Jiang BaiYan made a bitter face. “Vegetable juice. I’m hungry.”

Jian Jing held up the waffle. “Have a bite.”

After struggling for a minute, Jiang BaiYan took a bite of the waffle from her hand.

The sweet sugar and carbs finally quieted his rumbling stomach and slowly digested the rare delicacy.

“This is too hard for me,” he sighed deeply.

Getting the opportunity for ‘King of Reasoning’ was not easy—it was a global show. To open up recognition and venture into the overseas market, he had to seize this chance firmly.

To retire at thirty, Jiang BaiYan was under immense pressure. He couldn’t afford to gain weight, nor could he indulge like some people on camera.

But he was so hungry.

The game drained not just his mental energy but also his physical stamina.

Jian Jing scooped up a spoonful of ice cream, happily popping it into her mouth. “Want some?”

“Can’t eat any more.” Jiang BaiYan gulped down the unappetizing vegetable mush with determination, wiped his mouth, and said, “I’m going to sleep. Good night.”

“Night.” She waved her hand.

His figure disappeared out the door.

Jian Jing chewed on her spoon pensively: For the past couple of days, Xiao Bai hadn’t really talked to her much.

At 10 o’clock, the main door closed and the live stream ended abruptly.

Jian Jing finished her ice cream, but found herself wide awake and bored. She idly poked at the tape recorder to play with it. The tape was Teresa Teng’s, the crackling melody floating in the air.

“I’ll walk you to the edge of the little village, there’s something I must say, though it’s the season of full bloom, don’t pick the wildflowers by the road…”

She thought, “???”

—

Jiang BaiYan’s room.

A faint white mist wafted out of the bathroom, water droplets cascading down his body. The shower gel had a sweet fragrance. He quickly washed his hair and body, then donned a bathrobe and settled into a lounge chair.

He stared blankly ahead, seeming deep in thought about something.

—

Zhang Xue’er’s room.

She had a face mask on, using a massage comb to vigorously work the meridians in her legs. Soon, her snowy skin turned a flushed red.

—

Wu Lie’s room.

He did push-ups on the floor, one, two… Habitually completing twenty, he went into the bathroom to shower.

—

Liu Sau-chi’s room.

He held a wine glass, gazing out at the inky black sea. The gentle, scholarly smile from daytime had vanished, replaced by a brooding, gloomy air.

After a while, he grabbed the ashtray from the coffee table and hurled it into the water with force.

“Plop.”

—

Ran-er Kim’s room.

She stretched her body, bending forward as far as possible into a difficult yoga pose.

After 30 seconds, she released and moved to the next set.

—

Min-cheol Park’s room.

The desk lamp was on, and he flipped through the half-written notebook, tracing lines of clues on the blank pages. His brow was furrowed, occasionally biting the pen as if stuck on a puzzle.

—

Wataru Kojima’s room.

He was drawing. Any anime fans watching would surely be delighted – the mangaka who had missed a few episodes was finally illustrating the new installment of the series.

—

Kumiko Terauchi’s room.

She was asleep, her even breathing indicating a decent slumber.

—

Hiroto Ishikawa’s room.

He had also chosen a cassette tape, but not Teresa Teng’s – it was Sayuri Ishikawa’s “Evil Woman.”

Ah, what a nostalgic era, he thought.

—

Valeriya’s room.

She pointed her toes, slowly lowering her legs. After a while, she switched legs.

Though the simplest of movements, she carried an unparalleled elegance and beauty.

—

Andrei’s room.

He had vodka for company.

—

Connor Lee’s room.

He lounged in an expensive silk pajama set, flipping through a notebook. The soft rustle of pages had a soothing effect – soon, the lights were out.

—

A private room on the live streaming platform.

Host: “Hello everyone, I’m Daniel. Yes, I died, but I’m alive again. Fortunately, I’m not the only one who’s had this experience. Linnaer, why don’t you say hello?”

Linnaer: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Linnaer, an unfortunate soul who was killed for no apparent reason.”

Host: “I imagine the audience has many questions for you.”

Linnaer: “If you want to know who the real killer is, I’m sorry, I truly have no idea.”

Host: “What was it like to be killed?”

Linnaer: “It caught me completely by surprise. Around 1am, I was suddenly woken up. The staff told me I’d been killed. Oh my, what a nightmare.”

Host: “Did you ever suspect Raj might try to harm you?”

Linnaer: “There were suspicions, given my character’s unsavory past in the story. For that, I’m very sorry. No matter the reason, one cannot disregard the value of life.”

Host: “Do you think the real killer thought you knew something, which is why they had Raj kill you?”

Linnaer: “To be honest, I don’t know what I knew.”

Host: “Or perhaps you had some secret you didn’t share with anyone?”

Linnaer: “Oh, yes, the day before yesterday around 11pm, I went to see Dan. He was still alive then.”

Host: “It seems I wasn’t dead yet at that point. Oh, allow me to explain to the viewers – as the first person to die, I also don’t know who killed me. I recorded a few audio clips that would automatically delete if my avatar was tampered with. Once played, they’ll be deleted too, so there’s no way to determine the time of death from them.

“As for Linnaer, her death process was initially written by the killer and submitted for review by the consultant. Raj made a mistake here – the drug dosage he specified wasn’t enough to subdue an adult, so ‘Linnaer’ woke up midway and tried to escape. In the 10-second response window, Raj ultimately chose to kill her outright.”

He played the consultant’s response video, explaining the case setup process.

Linnaer: “So the show still doesn’t know who the killer is?”

Host: “That’s right, we don’t know either. It’s absolutely fair for everyone.”