Chu Shiyu and the other person obtained clues that all pointed towards Tao Bai.
"Zhou Jingyun, do you have any additional evidence to add?"
Zhou Jingyun shook his head. "No."
"Then it's Tao Bai and Jingjing's turn to speak."
Tao Bai said, "Jingjing and I went to the beauty salon and found that the deceased, Tan Wanqi, was a VIP member there. How could Jingjing, as a staff member, not recognize her?"
"Additionally, we found a phone among Jingjing(Sister)'s personal belongings. The chat logs showed that Jingjing(Sister) had accumulated over a hundred thousand in debt from excessive spending and was almost at her wit's end because she couldn't repay it."
"However, according to Tan Wanqi's spending records, she spent 120,000 in July alone at the salon, and in just eleven days in August, she spent another 70,000."
He Jingjing added, "One more thing—at the beginning of August, Tan Wanqi nearly had her face ruined due to a staff error during a procedure at the salon. As compensation, the salon gave her a designer bag worth thousands and offered a 40% discount on all her future treatments."
Tao Bai nodded. "We found out that the staff member responsible for the mistake was He Jingjing."
"But none of this directly proves she had a motive to kill the victim, so I'll reserve judgment for now."
He Jingjing, however, said, "After hearing Shiyu's account, I now suspect Tao Bai."
"Hu Shuo, Jingjing(Sister), it's your turn."
Jingjing(Sister) said, "We investigated near the trash bins. Inside, we found spilled coffee with lipstick marks on the straw, indicating Tan Wanqi had bought two cups—one for the ballet studio's receptionist and one for herself."
Hu Shuo added, "This suggests Tan Wanqi might not have known there was someone else she knew in the mall—Tao Bai."
"The reason for their argument is still unclear, but based on the clues from Shiyu and the others, Tao Bai entered Xili Mall at 4 PM and had been loitering on the seventh floor. The most likely scenario is that Tao Bai knew Tan Wanqi would visit the studio that day but, for some reason, couldn’t reach her or she refused to meet him. So when they ran into each other near the trash bins, they had a heated argument."
"Besides that, we found something else in the trash." Jingjing(Sister) pulled out a torn photo. "Zhou Jingyun was once intimate with the victim—they shared a cup of coffee."
The photo was taken in a café, showing a man identified as Zhou Jingyun sitting with Tan Wanqi at a table with only one coffee cup and two straws.
"Pay attention to the background—behind the counter is another figure, representing Chu Shiyu, the café employee."
"There’s a calendar hanging behind the counter. The photo was taken on August 12th, meaning Chu Shiyu was still working there before 5:30 PM today. We suspect that until today, Zhou Jingyun and the victim were still in a relationship."
"So, both Zhou Jingyun and Chu Shiyu knew or had met the victim, but they lied and claimed they were the ones dating."
"Who are your suspects?"
"Jingjing(Sister) and I suspect Zhou Jingyun and Chu Shiyu."
"Alright, next up—Junyue and the others."
Xu Junyue said, "I’ll go first. I searched the crime scene."
"Tan Wanqi was killed in the changing room before she could change out of her clothes. I didn’t find any ballet attire among her personal belongings, meaning she didn’t come to the studio to practice today. She might have lost something or had an arrangement with Tao Bai."
"However, based on the previous clues, the latter seems unlikely. But if she was having coffee with her boyfriend before 5:30 PM, why did she return to the ballet studio at 8 PM? And if Tan Wanqi wasn’t planning to practice ballet today, how could Tao Bai, who had been staking out the mall, be sure she’d come back to the studio?"
"My guess is that someone else in the mall helped Tao Bai lure Tan Wanqi to the studio. First, I’ll rule myself out. The most likely candidates are the beauty salon employee He Jingjing(Sister) and the security guard Hu Shuo."
"My reason for suspecting Hu Shuo is simple—he witnessed Tao Bai and Tan Wanqi arguing. One more thing: Tao Bai had been in the mall since 4 PM, meaning he didn’t know when Tan Wanqi would arrive at the studio. If it were Jingjing(Sister), she could’ve used her job to confirm the timing. So, I suspect Jingjing(Sister) and Hu Shuo."
"Got it. Tong Yang, anything to add?"
[Finally, it’s Sister Tong’s turn!]
[After hearing their accounts, I’m starting to suspect the young lady and that Zhou guy.]
[Same.]
[But I also think He Jingjing(Sister) is suspicious. A major work mistake would definitely lead to a pay cut, and with all that debt, she might’ve held a grudge against Tan Wanqi.]
[Makes sense!]
Tong Yang had a notebook she’d taken from the ballet studio’s front desk in front of her. She twirled a black pen between her fingers absentmindedly and said, "I searched the ballet studio’s reception area."
She turned her gaze to Xu Junyue. "Xu Junyue and the victim likely had some conflict, and we can’t ignore the possibility that you were the one who lured her to the studio."
"The note on the computer states that the studio can’t close until all students leave. Chat logs also show students often showered as late as 10 PM, delaying your off-duty time. Plus, you were fined 2,000 yuan for losing a guest’s belongings left at the front desk. Connecting this with the salon’s compensation—the designer bag given to the victim was worth thousands, and the lost item was exactly 2,000 yuan. So, like Jingjing(Sister), you also had your pay docked because of Tan Wanqi."
"You claimed you weren’t close to the victim, just exchanging greetings. But if she had already entered Xili Mall and possibly even gone to the seventh floor, why would she go back to the café to buy you coffee? Not long before, she’d had coffee with her boyfriend. If she needed to leave, she would’ve bought it then. There was no need to enter the mall and then double back. I think she was trying to appease you—because she was one of the students who often delayed your off-duty time."
Tong Yang tapped the pen against the notebook a few times. "But even if she delayed your off time, that’s part of your job. Why would she go out of her way to buy you coffee? If she wanted to make it up to you, she could’ve picked something nearby."
"At first, I thought you might’ve helped Tao Bai lure the victim to the studio, but since you brought up this clue yourself, it doesn’t seem like something the killer would do."
"These are just my thoughts—it doesn’t mean I suspect Xu Junyue."
[Even though Xu Junyue and Tan Wanqi had conflicts, I don’t think it’s enough for murder.]
[True, the motive isn’t strong enough.]
[The most suspicious are still Tao Bai, the young lady, and that Zhou guy.]
[Well, there’s still another round of investigation.]
"I feel like everyone is overlooking one thing—Xu Junyue works as a receptionist, right? During work hours, she can't leave her post, so she wouldn’t have had time to commit murder. The killer must have entered the studio beforehand."
"OK! Everyone has shared their findings. Let’s start the discussion."
"I still want to ask Tao Bai—what exactly was your relationship with the victim, Tan Wanqi?"
Tao Bai replied, "She was my girlfriend."
"You monster! She was so young!"
Tong Yang added, "I saw her records at the studio. She was only sixteen."
Tao Bai sighed helplessly. "We met online and dated for over two years. I spent well over a million on her. She told me she was an adult, and her photos didn’t show her real age. The money on her beauty salon card? All from me."
"Were you scammed? I thought it was strange earlier—a teenage girl, just sixteen, spending over a hundred thousand a month on beauty treatments? That’s unbelievable."
Tao Bai pressed his lips together. "Today, we were supposed to meet nearby and visit my family in the evening. But I waited all morning and she never showed. So I went to the seventh floor of Xili Mall based on the salon’s address. Jingjing told me Tan Wanqi hadn’t made an appointment today. I kept calling her, but in the end, I had no choice—I paid Jingjing to lure her to the mall."
"That makes sense. So after meeting, you argued, and in a fit of rage, you killed her?"
Tao Bai shook his head with a bitter smile. "No. When I saw her, I thought she was the one who’d scammed me, so we fought. But she said she didn’t know me, and her age, voice—none of it matched my girlfriend. That’s when I realized I’d probably been tricked. My girlfriend had been using Tan Wanqi’s photos."
"If I wanted to kill anyone, it’d be the person who scammed me, not an innocent girl like Tan Wanqi."
He Jingjing frowned. "But the name on the beauty salon card you topped up was hers."
Jingjing (Sister) chimed in, "No, it wasn’t. I’ve never seen the victim before. Someone else was using Tan Wanqi’s beauty card."
"If they could register under Tan Wanqi’s name, they must have known her—maybe a relative."
Tao Bai nodded. "But I didn’t know that. After arguing with Tan Wanqi, I went to a men’s clothing store to change. I called my girlfriend a few times, but she wanted to break up. That’s why the store clerk overheard me threatening her."
Tong Yang interjected, "Tan Wanqi’s wound was in her abdomen. If Tao Bai had just fought with her, she would’ve been on guard and struggled before he could hurt her. But there were no signs of a struggle. The killer must have been someone she knew, someone she wouldn’t have been wary of."
[With Jingjing (Sister)’s testimony, Tao Bai’s suspicion is basically cleared.]
[Could the killer be Zhou Jingyun? Her boyfriend?]
[That seems very likely.]
Tong Yang fell into thought. If Tan Wanqi wasn’t the one using the salon services, then what was the missing 2000-yuan item from the studio?
"Xu Junyue, do you remember which guest lost something?" Tong Yang asked.
Xu Junyue nodded. "Tan Wanqi’s cousin? Sometimes when Tan Wanqi practiced ballet, her cousin would get beauty treatments across the hall, and they’d go home together. That day, her cousin seemed to have an emergency and left her bag here."
"What were you doing at the time?"
"Tan Wanqi asked me to grab something for her. I was away from the front desk for maybe a minute."
"Damn! Was Tan Wanqi and her cousin running a scam?"
"It’s possible."
"So Junyue is also a suspect."
"Xu Junyue’s suspicion might be the strongest." Tong Yang drew lines on paper, connecting the timeline. "If you didn’t see the killer, then you must be the killer."
Xu Junyue frowned. "Since it was evening, the dance studio should’ve been empty except for Tan Wanqi."
"Tong Yang’s right. You’re the most suspicious because aside from Tan Wanqi, you were the only one in the studio."
"Try to remember carefully—were you at the front desk the whole time and didn’t see anyone else enter, or did you leave at some point?"
Xu Junyue insisted, "I never left the front desk, and I didn’t kill Tan Wanqi."
"You’re sure the studio only had Tan Wanqi inside?"
"Yes. The other students left by 6 PM."
"Is it possible a student stayed behind after class?"
"No. When I checked, she was the only one there. I didn’t ‘see’ anyone else go in."
"Alright, got it." Tong Yang nodded. "We still have a second round of investigation. Let’s keep going."
"I want to ask Chu Shiyu and Zhou Jingyun—what’s your real relationship? Why did you lie?"
Chu Shiyu glanced at the others. "Zhou Jingyun and I aren’t actually dating."
"Then what are you?"
"He’s my half-brother from the same mother."
Zhou Jingyun nodded. "That’s right."
"Why lie? And why tear up the photos?"
Zhou Jingyun explained, "At the café, I argued with Tan Wanqi. She’s always spent recklessly, and her family’s allowance wasn’t enough. So I’ve been giving her extra money. Today, she asked me for 5000, saying she wanted to buy something. I didn’t have that much on hand and asked her to wait a few days. But she blew up at me."
"Then what? What did you do between 5:30 and 8 PM?"
Zhou Jingyun sighed. "I’d bought movie tickets for us tonight, but she got so angry she broke up with me. I loved her so much—how could she dump me over 5000 yuan? In just six months, I spent over 200,000 on her..."
Chu Shiyu added, "We’re from a blended family, and money’s tight. I even work part-time to pay for university. My brother dropped over 200,000 on her in half a year. You can imagine what that means for us. If they’d stayed together, I could’ve accepted it as money spent on my future sister-in-law. But she dumped him just because he couldn’t give her 5000 immediately."
"If she’d break up over not getting pocket money, wasn’t she just treating my brother like an idiot?"
Hu Shuo asked, "So you two killed her together? To avoid suspicion, you pretended to be a couple and tore up Zhou Jingyun’s photos with her?"
Chu Shiyu nodded. "At first, that was the plan. But killing her wouldn’t get us anything. I wanted her to pay us back—at least half. But she refused to give us a single cent! So we bought some tools for kidnapping, planning to demand the money from her parents directly."
"We just wanted our money back, never intended to kill her. If she died, we wouldn’t get a single cent and would end up in jail."
"So you showed up on the seventh floor of Xili Mall not for the 8:40 movie but to kidnap Tan Wanqi?"
"Exactly."
"How did you know Tan Wanqi would go to the ballet studio?"
Zhou Jingyun replied, "She said she left something at the mall during the day and was going back to get it after dinner."
At this, everyone’s eyes turned to Xu Junyue.
"You contacted her?"
Xu Junyue shook her head. "No, I don’t remember doing that."
"I remember now!" He Jingjing exclaimed, suddenly realizing. "I saw Tan Wanqi on the seventh floor too. She passed by me, looking really upset, muttering something like, ‘It’s not even my thing, why are they calling me?’"
"Her cousin?!"
"The person they really wanted to reach wasn’t Tan Wanqi but her cousin!"
"But only two people here are connected to her cousin—Tao Bai and He Jingjing (Sister)!"
"So the killer is one of them?"
"That means the poisoned coffee was meant for He Jingjing (Sister)!"
Tong Yang interjected, "Not necessarily. She did die in the studio, but we can’t rule out Tao Bai yet."
[Ahhh! My brain’s about to explode, this is so complicated!]
[So Tao Bai and He Jingjing (Sister) had a motive tied to her cousin, while Xu Junyue, the rich girl, and that guy had conflicts with her. The security guard Hu Shuo and bystander He Jingjing are less likely suspects.]
[Thanks for summing it up, sis. I was totally lost.]
"Anyway, we’ve mostly untangled the relationships and motives. Let’s wait for the second round of evidence gathering."
"Ding dong—"
Suddenly, the broadcast crackled to life.
"Time: 9:00 PM. Progress: First round of discussion concluded."
"Players, please remain seated."
With a loud thud, the lights in the lounge area went out, plunging everything into darkness.
The abrupt blackout left everyone, including Tong Yang, stunned.
"What’s happening?"
"What’s the meaning of this?"
"Holy crap!"
[Wait, what??]
[What’s going on??]
[Oh god, even through my headphones, my spine’s tingling!]
[Was that the sound of the lights shutting off?]
"Please select your primary suspect for the first round."
The broadcast’s eerie female voice echoed through the room.
"How do we choose?"
"What’s the procedure?"
"Aren’t we getting any instructions?"
Tong Yang tightened her grip on her pen. "Maybe… it’s not us making the choice."
"What?"
[What??]
"Holy shit!"
[No way!!]
"Who else could it be? There are only eight of us here!"
[If not you, then who?! Aren’t you the only players here?]
"There’s someone behind you!"
"Damn it! You too!"
"Don’t move!"
As shadowy figures loomed in the darkness, Tong Yang straightened up and warned, "Stay calm."
[AAAAH! HELP! I’ve got goosebumps all over!]
[That’s it, I’m never playing a murder mystery game again.]
[If I ever touch another scripted game, I’m a dog!]
[This is bad, so bad—I’m terrified even through the screen!]
[Thank god there’s no video, or some college student would’ve died of fright.]
[I’m scared out of my mind, but I still wanna see… What the hell is that thing?!]
"Damn…"
"I’m never doing this again!"
Even in the pitch-black darkness, they could see vague, shifting figures closing in on them.
No breaths were heard, but the sound of countless footsteps grew louder, like an incoming tide. Every cell in their bodies screamed at their approach, the chill in the air tightening around them like an inescapable net.
Until—they could feel it. Something, human or otherwise, stood less than half a meter behind them.
In such utter darkness, where they couldn’t even see each other’s faces, they all kept their heads down, eyes locked forward, afraid to glance sideways and witness something unimaginable.
"Make your selection."
Despite being in a sealed room, the faint glow of the emergency exit sign did little to illuminate their surroundings.
Tong Yang clenched her pen, hearing movement to her right. She immediately reached out to stop it.
"Don’t act rashly," she whispered.
Xu Junyue, gripping a sharp butterfly knife, had nearly stabbed the thing behind her.
"Screw this haunted house act—I’ll kill it!"
Tong Yang hissed, "Follow the game’s rules first."
But she had another concern.
Though she knew they’d entered a parallel world—where most of these "people" were likely its inhabitants—the sheer size of the place meant real NPCs could’ve been dragged in too. Every shop they’d entered earlier had NPCs, proving that.
If these were all parallel-world beings, letting Xu Junyue kill one might be manageable. But what if they accidentally took a real person’s life?
Tong Yang refused to spill innocent blood.
Even if only one out of ten victims was from the real world, it was unacceptable.
And right now, provoking these things was unwise.
The shadowy figures moved slowly, weaving between the eight players.
The others held their breaths, trembling, some covering their ears in terror.
Tong Yang, however, studied the silhouettes behind each person, her eyes gradually adjusting to the dark.
[Sis Tong? You guys okay?]
[I swear to god, this stupid game—why isn’t it following the rules?]
[If you’re not the ones choosing suspects, what’s the point of gathering evidence?]
Tong Yang didn’t respond.
About twelve "people" surrounded the lounge—men and women, judging by their builds.
They drifted between the tables, selecting their suspects. Strangely, no one stood behind Tong Yang.
"Confirm your choice."
The shadows froze, statuesque behind the players.
"Player One: two votes."
"Player Two: two votes."
"Player Three: five votes."
"Player Four: zero votes."
"Player Five: one vote."
"Player Six: two votes."
"Player Seven: zero votes."
"Player Eight: zero votes."
"Player Three has the most votes. Player Three, please leave your seat."
"What?"
"Why leave?"
"Tao Bai?"
Amid the panicked voices, the screech of a chair being pushed back rang out.
Everyone held their breath, feeling a suffocating pressure as those shadowy figures slowly retreated.
The dark entities surrounding them had vanished, and the spot where Tao Bai once stood was now empty.
"What on earth is happening..."
"Where are they taking Tao Bai? Will he be okay?"
"What should we do..."
"This is terrifying."
Their voices trembled with fear, shaken by the sudden turn of events.
"The game will resume in five minutes."
"Resume my ass! We’re done playing!"
"Where the hell are you taking Tao Bai?"
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"Whose idea was it to play this murder mystery game? Look where that got us!"
"Some ‘immersive experience’ this turned out to be..."
"Enough," Tong Yang snapped impatiently. "What’s the point of complaining now? Did anyone force you to come?"
Chu Shiyu spoke up, "Let’s all stay calm. The game isn’t over, which means we haven’t found the real killer yet. Tao Bai was probably just taken away—he’s not in any immediate danger."
He Jingjing(Sister) pondered for a moment before adding, "Even if Tao Bai is safe for now, what happens when we do find the killer? What will they do to the real murderer?"
Hu Shuo clutched his head in distress. "Then what are we supposed to do? I... I’m sorry. I didn’t know this would happen. I shouldn’t have dragged everyone into this."
Xu Junyue shook her head. "Tong Yang’s right. This isn’t your fault. We all chose to come, and none of us could’ve predicted this."
At that, Tong Yang’s gaze flickered.
She and Chu Shiyu had joined the others because Tong Yang suspected something like this might happen. If she had refused their invitation outright, Chu Shiyu probably wouldn’t have come either.
Tong Yang had agreed to participate for two reasons: first, she suspected that one of them had been replaced by someone from a parallel world, and she wanted to expose them. Second, she knew there was no avoiding it—she had to take part to eliminate the threat once and for all.
But what about Xu Junyue?
She had experienced the parallel world phenomenon with Tong Yang. Even after being warned about the potential dangers, she hadn’t tried to dissuade the others. Instead, she had repeatedly tried to pull Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu into the game.
Did she have ulterior motives?
Five minutes passed, and a light flickered on in the distance.
"Players, please proceed to the illuminated area to search for evidence."
Under the dim glow, it was clear that Tao Bai’s spot was now completely empty.
"The search area has narrowed. Everyone, choose your own path."
Tong Yang decided to return to the ballet studio to look for clues, while Xu Junyue and Hu Shuo headed elsewhere.
At the studio’s front desk, Tong Yang scanned for anything she might have missed.
Her eyes landed on the neatly arranged items—and then it hit her. The coffee was gone.
Tan Wanqi had given one of the coffees to Xu Junyue. In the few minutes it took for Tan Wanqi to enter the dressing room, Xu Junyue couldn’t have finished it. Even if she had, where was the plastic cup?
Tong Yang searched the counter thoroughly—no coffee cup. Not in the trash either.
The coffee had vanished.
Her suspicions were confirmed. Xu Junyue had lied during the first round of discussions. Either she had seen the killer, or she was the killer herself.
Maybe Tan Wanqi never gave her the coffee at all—it could’ve been a lie to make herself seem innocent. Or perhaps someone else had entered the studio after Tan Wanqi handed her the coffee, and Xu Junyue had passed it to them.
If that were the case, the killer was either Xu Junyue or that other person.
Xu Junyue and Tan Wanqi didn’t get along. She resented Tan Wanqi’s cousin for docking her wages by two thousand yuan, and she hated how Tan Wanqi always showered after work, forcing her to stay late.
"Tong Yang, come here!"
Xu Junyue’s voice called from outside the studio.
Tong Yang steadied herself—after all, everything was still speculation. She walked out and found Xu Junyue standing by the door, holding a black handbag.
"What is it?"
Xu Junyue gave her a strange look. "I found this in He Jingjing(Sister)’s private locker at the spa."
"And?"
"This is the bag Tan Wanqi's Cousin left at the front desk—the one that went missing."
Tong Yang frowned. "Open it."
"Let’s go inside first."
They returned to the counter and unclasped the bag, revealing an assortment of random items.
After sifting through the clutter, they uncovered several laminated photographs.
"He Jingjing(Sister) and Tan Wanqi?" Xu Junyue gasped.
In the photo, Tan Wanqi stood beside someone who looked identical to He Jingjing(Sister).
Unlike the other photos where the figures were merely placeholders, this one showed a perfect doppelgänger.
"They knew each other?"
Tong Yang shook her head. "It’s more than that. Didn’t you see Tan Wanqi's Cousin before? What did she look like?"
Xu Junyue shrugged. "She always wore sunglasses and a hat. I never got a clear look."
"Then why would there be a photo of He Jingjing(Sister) and Tan Wanqi in her bag?"
Xu Junyue thought for a moment. "Maybe all three of them knew each other?"
"Or maybe she is He Jingjing(Sister)."
"By the way, the coffee Tan Wanqi gave you?" Tong Yang asked casually.
"She didn’t," Xu Junyue replied without hesitation, still rummaging through the bag. "Don’t ask why I lied—blame the script."
"Got it."
"After she made me work overtime and docked my pay? No way I’d take anything from her."
"Then who did she give the coffee to?"
"The Cleaning Auntie?"
"Why her?"
"Can’t you smell the coffee on her?"
Xu Junyue wrinkled her nose—she’d always had a sharp sense of smell.
Tong Yang froze. If Xu Junyue hadn’t lied at all, then between the time Tan Wanqi entered the dressing room and when they discovered her body, only one person had gone in—the Cleaning Auntie.
When they’d pieced together the timeline and evidence, they’d completely overlooked the person who found the body.
"From the moment we entered, no rule ever said the killer had to be one of the eight of us, right?" Tong Yang said.
"Right," Xu Junyue agreed.
"And after the first round of discussions, it wasn’t us who chose the suspect—it was those unknown entities. Doesn’t that mean the killer might not even be among us?"
"What are you getting at?" Xu Junyue eyed her suspiciously.
Tong Yang’s expression darkened. If an unexpected person had appeared among the suspects, why couldn’t the killer be someone just as unexpected?
She turned and walked toward the dressing room door beside the counter. There, leaning against the wall, was a wet mop and a bucket of dirty water.
The mop’s damp trail seeped along the tile grout, creeping deeper into the hallway. Under the dim overhead light, the water looked murky—normal for cleaning.
But in this lighting, it could hide anything.
Tong Yang dipped her finger into the dampness and brought it to her nose.
"Coffee," she murmured.
"Coffee? What's really going on here?"
"I don’t know."
"Let’s head back." Tong Yang shook her head.
The second round of investigation concluded, and the seven of them returned to the rest area once more.
After the incident of Tao Bai being taken away, everyone looked noticeably paler.
"Let’s start by sharing what everyone found," Chu Shiyu said with a frown. "The second round didn’t yield much new evidence. Everything we discovered only supports our earlier theories."
"Tao Bai’s girlfriend is Tan Wanqi’s cousin. Although he had an argument with Tan Wanqi, his focus was always on her cousin. After the argument, he went to a men’s clothing store. We found his phone, and the call logs show he was constantly calling the cousin during the time of the incident—meaning he had no opportunity to commit the crime."
The others shared similar findings, all reinforcing the information from the previous round.
Tong Yang said, "Since we’re at this point, let’s just lay everything out."
"He Jingjing(Sister), did you know Tan Wanqi?" Tong Yang fixed her with an intense gaze.
He Jingjing(Sister) seemed taken aback. "What?"
Xu Junyue spoke up. "We found Tan Wanqi’s cousin’s bag in your personal locker. Inside was a photo of you and Tan Wanqi."
Tong Yang added, "That’s the bag Tan Wanqi’s cousin lost at the ballet studio."
"I…" He Jingjing(Sister) hesitated.
"Just say it outright."
"I don’t know. The person in the photo isn’t me."
"What do you mean? What are you talking about…"
"He Jingjing, is the person in the photo you?" Tong Yang turned to the twin sister on her right.
He Jingjing nodded. "Yes, that’s me."
"Got it."
[The clues feel so messy.]
[Same, there’s no logic to any of it.]
[After the last round of investigation, He Jingjing was the only one without suspicion.]
[So He Jingjing is just an innocent bystander, right?]
"What’s your relationship with Tan Wanqi?"
He Jingjing glanced at the group and said, "Actually, I’m her cousin."
"What??"
"You’re her cousin?"
"But…"
Tong Yang studied the photo of He Jingjing and Tan Wanqi. "Were you really just here to catch the 8:40 movie on the eighth floor?"
He Jingjing replied, "No. I never bought a movie ticket. I knew Tan Wanqi would be here, and after receiving threatening calls from Tao Bai, I was worried he’d do something to her, so I came to check."
"After seeing Tan Wanqi’s body, I was afraid the killer might be Tao Bai, so I didn’t dare admit who I was."
"Did Tan Wanqi know you were here?"
He Jingjing said, "Yes…"
"Actually, I didn’t run into her at the elevator. She didn’t go back to buy coffee either—I asked her to get it before she came in. One of the coffees wasn’t for Xu Junyue but for me."
"But when we got off the elevator, I saw Tao Bai and made up an excuse to send her ahead."
"Later, Tao Bai kept threatening me over the phone. I was afraid something would happen to Tan Wanqi, and since I thought Tao Bai wouldn’t recognize me, I went to the seventh floor."
"If the killer isn’t Tao Bai, then who is?"
Tong Yang fell silent. If He Jingjing was Tan Wanqi’s cousin, and He Jingjing(Sister) had given her beauty treatments, why hadn’t she mentioned it earlier?
[Right, none of the evidence from the second round is conclusive.]
[It feels like there are too many loose ends in the story.]
"There’s still one person missing in the story."
"What?"
"Missing one?"
Tong Yang pointed at herself. "Because I didn’t get an assigned role, there’s a gap in the plot."
"The Cleaning Auntie’s mop had coffee stains. She probably cleaned up spilled coffee near the trash can before going to the studio. But without key information, the plot doesn’t connect, and we can’t search areas related to me for evidence."
"There’s also a lot unexplained about the security guard and Chu Shiyu’s siblings. The story can’t progress without that missing piece."
"My role is supposed to tie into other plotlines, but without that person, the information can’t be revealed, and nothing connects."
"So what do we do? Can we piece it together?"
"Difficult."
"Why didn’t Tong Yang get a role?"
"No idea." Tong Yang shook her head. "Since I don’t have a role, the plot can’t move forward. Based on what we have, there’s no direct evidence pointing to the killer—but Tan Wanqi is still dead."
"With the information we have, the only possible killer is the Cleaning Auntie. Earlier, we all subconsciously ruled her out."
"After Tan Wanqi entered the changing room, the only person who went in after her was the Cleaning Auntie."
[What??]
[Is it really that simple? Did we overcomplicate things from the start?]
[Usually, the killer is among the players.]
[But the information is stuck here. Missing one person’s role means missing key details.]
[Could there be clues in the 7-20 toy store?]
[What Sister Tong experienced in 7-20 has nothing to do with Tan Wanqi.]
[Where was Tao Bai taken, then?]
"The first round of suspect selection wasn’t done by us, so the killer might not even be among us."
"Then the killer has to be the Cleaning Auntie."
"This is so strange. Why doesn’t Tong Yang have a role?"
"Sister Tong, what exactly happened in 7-20?"
Tong Yang said, "7-20 was about a mother who miscarried, collecting twelve embryos to resurrect her child through a ritual."
"What kind of garbage plot is that?!"
"This is so chaotic!"
"Let’s just focus on finding Tao Bai first."
"Right! Worst case, we force our way out!"
"This is so weird. Everything feels off."
Tong Yang didn’t respond. She stared thoughtfully at the photo in her hand.
It wasn’t just the sudden dead end in the plot—even the seemingly random room numbers screamed disorder.
In fact, the entire parallel world was steeped in chaos.
Chaos arises when order is broken. But what could shatter order so completely?
Like the "elevator game" Dr. Wu used to bring them into the parallel world—breaking order to traverse space.
After arriving in the parallel world, the first thing Tong Yang encountered was a new set of rules.
Could the condition for crossing between worlds be the interplay of chaos and order?
Ding dong—
"Time: 9:27 PM. Progress: Second round of discussion concluded."
"Players, please remain seated."
With a boom, the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness once more.
Then, a dozen shadowy figures materialized behind them.
They stood like statues shrouded in thick mist.
Almost as if they had appeared out of thin air!
