[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world":3,"chapter-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-307":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Survival Guide in a Mysterious World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299276,4497,"Chapter 307: Self-Deception","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-307",307,"\u003Cp>\"Thank you for your attention.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the first-tier balcony, Fan Daike raised a glass of ginger ale toward Xiang Ningzhe, smiling warmly: \"I suppose tonight will be a wonderful one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think so too.\" Xiang Ningzhe ignored the stiff expression on Xia Yubing’s face, raised his glass lightly to meet Fan Daike’s, and drained the ginger ale in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a male servant pulled back the curtain and entered. Fan Daike’s face darkened with anger—he was about to rebuke the man for his lack of manners—when he saw the servant only bow slightly beside him and whisper a few words. Fan Daike’s expression changed instantly. He muttered hastily: \"Excuse me, I must take my leave.\" The two hurried out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What’s going on?\" Xiang Ningzhe watched the flickering curtain at the door with curiosity, and poured himself a fresh glass of ginger ale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now alone in the room, Xia Yubing bit her lower lip, tugged at Xiang Ningzhe’s sleeve, and asked: \"Why did you buy that girl?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You mean Shabao?\" Xiang Ningzhe sipped his ginger ale, speaking coolly: \"I have no interest in this kind of nurturing play, but Fan Daike is deeply fascinated—he’s been counting the days, eager for the day she’s ripe for the picking.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know, but—\" Xia Yubing’s face was filled with worry. She understood Xiang Ningzhe was merely imitating Fan Daike’s usual mannerisms to avoid suspicion—but...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Buying her back is easy, but what then?\" Xia Yubing couldn’t help asking: \"What are you going to do with her? Are you going to...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re overthinking it. I think killing her would be simpler.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Ningzhe heard the jealousy in her voice. He gently swirled the ginger ale in his glass and said: \"Given Fan Daike’s nature, a new concubine is kept by his side twenty-four hours a day until he grows bored, then locked away in a villa—only brought out again when the mood strikes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I can’t keep this girl with me every day, and secretly keeping her hidden isn’t practical. Better to kill her and be done with it. A staged accident will do fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Ningzhe had not forgotten his original reason for leaving Jiuzhou and coming overseas—to lie low, wait silently in a place beyond Fenwu’s reach, and if possible, gather intelligence on Fenwu. The rest would be handled as it came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was no lust-driven European nobleman who would add instability to his life for the sake of a Persian girl’s beauty. The most cost-effective solution was to kill her outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Yubing opened her mouth, staring blankly at Xiang Ningzhe’s expressionless face—as if looking at a stranger she had just met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When had he become like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No... he had always been this way. She had simply chosen to ignore it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was human nature. Whether Xia Yubing or anyone else, they all preferred to believe their husband was a living, feeling, flesh-and-blood person—not a ghost clumsily mimicking what it thought “human” should be. She had always unconsciously overlooked the detachment hidden beneath his gentle words, refusing to face the inhuman coldness beneath his warm facade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Ningzhe?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you human... or a ghost?\" Xia Yubing bit her lower lip tightly, whispering as if summoning great courage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of question is that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Ningzhe laughed heartily: \"Of course I’m human. I have favorite foods, favorite drinks, books I like to read, movies I prefer. I have all the seven emotions and six desires a normal person has. Like most men, I’m drawn to beauty—you know that well.\" \"Mm...\" Xia Yubing blushed, thinking of something, and glanced away, avoiding his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...In short, aside from thinking more than others, I’m no different from you—or anyone else.\" Xiang Ningzhe lifted his ginger ale as if sealing his own fate, his tone decisive—not meant to comfort Xia Yubing, but to convince himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Fan Daike burst through the curtain, face grave and urgent: \"Fan, I need your help.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Ningzhe downed the rest of his ginger ale in one gulp and stood up immediately: \"What happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The opera house is haunted. We must seal the scene immediately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a word, Xiang Ningzhe pulled a small wrapped box from his coat. Fan Daike took it, opened it, and inside lay a pure black rectangular ink pot, its ink still about one-third full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough.\" Fan Daike turned and walked away with the ink pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A male servant arrived at the door and said to Xiang Ningzhe: \"The opera house will be sealed shortly. Will you be leaving now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To prevent the supernatural incident from spreading, everyone in the opera house—including the wealthy and noble patrons—had been confined. But if Fan Daike wished to leave, a special exit remained open for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No error in any single word or content within!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\" Xiang Ningzhe shook his head, understanding priorities: \"What happened here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We just found the body of VIP Diseer on the sofa of the sixth-tier balcony.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Daike’s male servants, clearly professionally trained, suppressed their fear as they spoke: \"Mr. Diseer had no wounds—no lacerations from sharp objects, no bruises from blunt force. There were no signs of poisoning. The theater’s physician performed a quick examination and found nothing suspicious. We preliminarily classify this as a supernatural death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that all?\" Xiang Ningzhe frowned: \"I remember Diseer—a man in his seventies, with a very indulgent private life. Any day he dropped dead wouldn’t surprise me. This is just a temporary lack of clear cause of death—it’s hardly enough to classify as supernatural.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re right.\" Fan Daike strode back in, having just left: \"If that were all, it wouldn’t be enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Ningzhe took the ink pot and saw that half its ink had been used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve drawn ink lines to seal off the entire opera house. Not a single atom can cross from one side to the other. The ghost is trapped inside—if it was still within when I drew the lines.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What happened here?\" Xiang Ningzhe returned the ink pot to its box and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Daike extended his arm in a gesture of invitation: \"I’ll take you to see Diseer’s death scene first. We’ll talk on the way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright.\" Xiang Ningzhe followed without hesitation. Xia Yubing had no choice but to follow. Two tall, muscular male servants trailed closely behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1061,"2026-06-20T06:29:22.815Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1049625cc2d719dfe45b447c1b39c1612cd9fe9568626f3a392c1d70fe33ec4c","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-308","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-306",353,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurvival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-cover.jpg"]