Chapter 97: The Old Fox and the Black Fans

"Right now, everyone is busy chasing the gossip about the romance between Hong Mei and Pang Shuai. How Hong Mei died and where she died has already been drowned out by the overwhelming flood of information. Look, does anyone care about a place called the Yun Shen Secret Realm? Everyone is chasing after Pang Shuai, self-moved by the fake stories they are being fed. And Pang Shuai himself doesn't even know what the Yun Shen Secret Realm is; there couldn't be a safer scapegoat than him." Zhong Kui's words struck Qi Fei like a bolt of lightning. In this entire incident, the only person who cares whether the Yun Shen Secret Realm gets exposed is Qi Dongjun. Who knows what kind of people have visited that club, or what kind of secrets might be dragged out? Therefore, only Qi Dongjun has the need to release a sensationalist press release about Hong Mei and Pang Shuai to divert attention. It allows him to protect the Yun Shen Secret Realm amidst this farce while simultaneously doing Huang Daqiu a favor, making the public forget about Hong Mei's number one scandal partner.

Thinking of this, Qi Fei couldn't help but sneer: "Hmph, as expected of that old fox."

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to call your own dad that?" Zhong Kui said, smoothing her long, jet-black, silky hair.

"You knew?" Qi Fei's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected Zhong Kui to guess instantly that the "old fox" he referred to was Qi Dongjun, and she seemed to have known for a long time that Qi Dongjun was his father.

"Don't forget that I'm good at doing my homework on people. Of course, I did my homework on you too," Zhong Kui said without the slightest attempt to hide it.

This frankness, instead, made Qi Fei feel no resentment toward her background investigation of him: "Then what else do you know?"

"Heh, I know everything except what I don't want to know. It's a pity, your story is quite legendary. In such a massive amount of information, I still can't understand why that monster didn't kill you. You and Zhong Xiaoyu are like two parallel lines; she is in Baicheng, and you are in Nancheng, with no connection whatsoever. Clearly, the relationship between us is so close, yet given the cruelty the monster shows toward those around Zhong Xiaoyu, you have remained safe and sound all along. It's too interesting." Zhong Kui's cold fingertips brushed against Qi Fei's cheek. Her gaze, moving up and down, seemed to be appraising a favorite gift. Finally, the corners of her mouth curled up. "Looking at you like this, you're actually quite good-looking. Could it be that the monster is coveting your 'beauty'?"

Qi Fei rolled his eyes with rare arrogance: "That's a funny thing to say. Back in the police academy, I was considered the campus heartthrob, alright!"

"Work's done. Let's go have some abalone sauce rice on South Street." Zhong Kui's mood was unpredictable; she suddenly withdrew her hand, changed the subject, stood up, and walked away.

This was something Qi Fei loved to eat when he was a child. He was just about to ask how Zhong Kui knew, but then he remembered she said she had done her homework. Presumably, this was part of the results of that homework.

Qi Fei's hesitant look, wanting to ask but not asking, did not escape Zhong Kui's eyes: "I know you so well yet I don't dislike you. Shouldn't you be celebrating?"

"Heh? You clearly just wanted to coax me into a good mood, do you have to act so conceited about it?"

"Hm? I just wanted to see how much you like eating abalone sauce rice."

"Speaking of which, what do you like to eat? I've never seen you enjoy a meal."

"The powerful core that Zhong Xiaoyu set for me came at the cost of losing those sensations. Eating is just a way to fill my stomach." Zhong Kui said this very calmly, but Qi Fei looked at her with pity in his eyes. He no longer kept pestering her like before; he just felt a secret ache for this strange girl and said softly, "Fine, then you can watch me eat."

In the midnight downpour, the only shop left open on the entire South Street was the one serving the abalone sauce rice that Qi Fei frequented as a child.

The two of them got out of the car, shared an umbrella, and stepped into the shop in two or three strides.

At the entrance of a small alley not far away, deep in the darkness of the rain curtain, a pair of eyes was spying on them. Amidst the torrential sound of the rain, there seemed to be the low growl of a lurking beast...

Back at the police station, Liu Tong saw that the light at Wu Shanqiu's desk was still on when he got off work.

"What? Don't you plan on sleeping tonight?" Along with Liu Tong's voice, a cup of hot water was placed in front of Wu Shanqiu.

"Ah, Captain Liu, I'm checking information related to the show *Divine Strategy of the Tang Dynasty*. I've actually made a discovery. Because the show is so popular, many 'solo fans' of the characters have appeared. The most intense conflict is between the fans of 'Xian Yao' and 'Zhongli Yingqian' over who the real female lead is. It's still being argued fiercely online. The fighting between fans is also the reason why Hong Mei has so many haters. But the most interesting thing is, guess who Hong Mei's biggest hater is?"

"Oh, you've learned to keep your leader in suspense now?" Liu Tong said, smiling while holding his thermos.

"It's really unexpected. I only found out after seriously browsing the circles of Xian Yao's solo fans. The reason they are so crazily insulting Hong Mei online is because of the incitement by the show's screenwriter."

"That scholar named Liu Yi?"

"Yes. Because Liu Yi once posted a long article sharing his views on the two characters, arguing that the female lead in his mind was Zhongli Yingqian. This led Zhongli Yingqian's fans to believe that Hong Mei was stealing the spotlight, using hype on and off-screen to overshadow the other lead. That's why most ordinary viewers like me would take it for granted that Xian Yao, played by Hong Mei, is the female lead. Moreover, Liu Yi has been expressing his love for the character Zhongli Yingqian online without any reservation, even hinting in his words that the character Xian Yao will die in the sequel, and Zhongli Yingqian will become the undisputed sole female lead.

Because of these remarks, many of Hong Mei's fans have posted online boycotting this screenwriter from continuing to write the sequel, believing he is biased.

But it's said that the show's director firmly stands on the screenwriter's side and refuses to back down, so Liu Yi is still writing the sequel."

"However, looking at the situation from the set, Hong Mei died, but the character Xian Yao didn't die, right?"

"Exactly, that's the problem. It seems like this Liu Yi was under some kind of pressure. Judging from the leaked sequel plot, not only did Xian Yao not die, but her screen time actually increased. This change is very strange."

"Of course, the situation is different now. Two people who played Xian Yao have died in a row. Even if the script includes this character, no actor would risk their life to take the role before the case is solved," Liu Tong said, taking a slow sip of hot water from his thermos.

"Captain Liu, you really should see these photos they Photoshopped of Hong Mei. They're quite scary." Wu Shanqiu showed Liu Tong the pictures online. It was one thing to make Hong Mei look ugly, but there were quite a few Photoshopped into black-and-white funeral portraits, accompanied by all sorts of vicious words, as if they really wanted her dead.

"I don't get it. It's just a character; why do these people hate her so genuinely? Hm? Take a look at that one from just now?" Liu Tong seemed to have discovered something in the pile of photos. ===== CHAPTER 98 =====