There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 45.2

July seemed to still be caught up in his atheist beliefs and now looked pitifully at Qin Ke and Ling Shuang.

“Ladies first.”

Qin Ke, upon seeing those puppy dog eyes, felt as if this boy, who was actually two years older than her, looked like a little brother looking at his big sister.

She smiled helplessly and turned to look at Ling Shuang.

Ling Shuang didn’t bother with politeness and directly stood up and walked over.

She hesitated among the four lots, then drew one.

Qin Ke followed behind and casually took one.

After that were Gu Yuncheng and July.

Qiao Nan said, “Please show the lots in your hands, four guests.”

Starting with Ling Shuang, who got the first lot and whose expression didn’t look too good.

Ling Shuang — [Fool].

Qin Ke — [Sinner].

Gu Yuncheng — [Blind Person].

July — [Performer].

Just like Qi Tian who had chosen the God lot earlier, after truly getting the lots in hand, everyone had a bewildered expression.

However, Qin Ke stared thoughtfully at the engraved part at the top of the lot.

At this time, Qiao Nan, representing the director’s team, clapped her hands and said, “Alright, everyone has gotten their identity lots. Now let’s begin our first game — next, please all guests put on blindfolds and prepare to be separated.”

Everyone was confused.

Ling Shuang took the initiative to ask, “Haven’t we not received our tasks yet?”

Qiao Nan revealed a mysterious smile.

“When you get there, you’ll naturally know.”

Everyone: “…”

This line sounded like something a behind-the-scenes boss in a suspense film would say, making everyone have a bad feeling.

July was the first to lean in and say, “They said this is a show that tests the level of top students, right?”

Gu Yuncheng: “Mm.”

Ling Shuang: “But I feel it’s not that simple, it’s eerie.”

Qi Tian: “We’re going to be separated later? I’m so scared to be alone.”

Qin Ke: “.”

The only silent one naturally drew everyone’s attention.

The four people all turned their gazes towards her, only to see Qin Ke still staring at the lot in her hand, lost in thought.

Ling Shuang was the most familiar with Qin Ke.

She took the initiative to speak to Qin Ke, “Are you worrying about your lot? But yours does look like the most miserable… well, maybe my [Fool] is the most miserable.”

Qin Ke looked up at these words.

After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Can I take a look at your lots?”

Everyone was stunned, then quickly agreed.

Qi Tian was a bit unwilling — she didn’t want to give Qin Ke any chance for more screen time, but they were in the middle of recording, and everyone else had agreed. If she didn’t agree, the audience would easily see through her hostility towards Qin Ke later.

Thinking this, Qi Tian reluctantly extended her lot along with the other three.

Qin Ke’s gaze quickly swept over them.

July curiously asked, “Did you discover anything?”

“I don’t know if it counts,” Qin Ke reached out and pointed to the engraved top of her own lot, “Each word has quotation marks above and below.”

“…….”

Everyone was stunned.

July was the most supportive, looking back and saying, “It’s true.”

Qi Tian finally couldn’t hold back. She pursed her lips, then put on a sweet smile.

“Oh, what’s the big deal? It’s pretty normal to put quotation marks around terms used as names.”

Gu Yuncheng nodded.

Although Ling Shuang didn’t like Qi Tian, she clearly thought the same.

Seeing everyone’s consistent reaction, Qin Ke swallowed the rest of what she was going to say.

Even though she felt that these somewhat strange quotation marks might have some other explanation…

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, so they didn’t notice.

The director’s team, who had been whispering at the front of the vehicle, had unanimously given Qin Ke a horrified look when they heard her words.

****

Soon after, the vehicle stopped, and the five guests who had put on opaque blindfolds were led to their respective “task locations” by two guides beside each of them.

Even after walking quite far, Qin Ke could still hear Qi Tian and July’s terrified screams from behind.

In fact, Qin Ke was now somewhat interested — this show seemed much more interesting than she had imagined.

After walking for about two minutes, Qin Ke, who seemed to have entered a room, was finally told she could stop.

She took off her blindfold and found herself in an ancient-style bedroom — on her right was a bed draped with embroidered quilts and gauze curtains, and on her left were reddish-brown round tables and wooden stools.

Qin Ke’s gaze briefly swept around the room, finally landing on the other two people in the room.

One was the cameraman who had followed her, the other was an awkward-looking person from the director’s team.

Qin Ke came back to her senses, “Did you say something just now?”

“…” The person from the director’s team awkwardly extended the card in his hand, “I said, this is the guest’s first task.”

“Ah, okay.”

Qin Ke reached out to take it.

When the task card was opened, a small loudspeaker from the director’s team, hidden somewhere in the room, also sounded —

“Now announcing the story background.”

“During a certain dynasty, in a wealthy household in Jiangnan, there was a wife and a concubine. One day, the concubine of the household died from a sword in her back, blood covering the ground, her wounds too severe to treat. The main wife of the household was found unconscious nearby. The doors and windows of the room were locked from the inside, and heavy clouds of suspicion hung over the household…”

“The first task of this round is the same for everyone: Please determine your own identity based on the clues of your identity.”

Qin Ke: “…?”

After the loudspeaker was quiet for several seconds, Qin Ke voiced the same question as everyone else in other rooms. “It seems they didn’t say what identities we can guess — is that it?”

The person from the director’s team smiled shyly and nodded affirmatively at Qin Ke.

Qin Ke: “…”

Qin Ke: “Wasn’t this supposed to be a test of top students’ ability to submit answers? How does it look like a mystery investigation?”

Director’s team person: “There will be answers to submit at the end.”

Qin Ke: “Then what’s this now?”

Director’s team person: “— Consider it writing your name and exam number first?”

Qin Ke: “…”

Alright then.

Seeing there was nothing to struggle against, Qin Ke could only start circling the room.

She first went to check the door — the ancient-style doors and windows all seemed to be locked from the outside, apparently leaving no way to leave except smashing the door with a chair. Qin Ke thought for two seconds, then decided to abandon this dangerous idea for now.

So she turned back into the room, sat on a round wooden stool, and her gaze quickly surveyed the room.

At the same time, she also remembered what Qiao Nan had told her earlier — when alone in the show, remember to “interact” more with the cameraman who represented the audience.

The cameraman wasn’t exclusive either, standing very close at this time, seemingly anxious about Qin Ke not speaking, with the camera in his hand almost pressed against Qin Ke’s face.

Qin Ke had no choice but to stand up, face the camera sideways while observing the room, and quietly state her analysis.

She walked to the bedside, reached out to touch the embroidered quilt on the bed, and said softly at the same time, “Judging from the quilt and the tea set on the table, unless the director’s team is too rich, this should be the room of the master of this wealthy household.”

Qin Ke then walked to the dressing table beside the bed, carefully examining the items on the table.

“Rouge, powder… so this should be a woman’s room or a man with a cross-dressing fetish.”

“… Pfft.”

The person from the director’s team, who had finished announcing the task and couldn’t leave this “sealed room”, was supposed to act invisible, but when he heard this deduction, he couldn’t help but choke on his breath.

While thinking that this newcomer was too witty, he turned around — only to find the guest who said this staring at him with a serious and puzzled expression.

After two seconds, the girl turned back seriously.

At the same time, she said softly to the camera, “Judging from the director team’s reaction, we can rule out the latter. But I think a strict director’s team should consider all possible factors…”

The girl wasn’t looking at the camera at this time, standing sideways, her pretty little face tense with a serious expression, clearly not joking at all.

This segment was also included without any changes by the show’s post-production team in the official program. In the official program, the post-production team even added a colorful subtitle on the side —

[Director’s team: … Why don’t you take over??]

— And Qin Ke’s first wave of crazy fan attraction in her serious acting career officially began with this shot.

At this time, Qin Ke of course couldn’t predict the development after the show’s broadcast, so she was still earnestly doing her investigation work.

After checking around the dressing table with no major discoveries, Qin Ke circled to the only remaining fourth pile of objects in the room besides the bed, dressing table, and round table and stools —

The desk.

Three to five books were stacked on the table, bound in a very vintage style.

Qin Ke picked one up with great interest and casually flipped through it —

“?”

Qin Ke looked up at the person from the director’s team.

“This book has no words.”

The person from the director’s team, who had already been warned through his earpiece about his earlier mistaken vocal reminder, was now as quiet as a mouse. Seeing Qin Ke’s gesture, he even covered his mouth directly to show his innocence.

Qin Ke disappointedly withdrew her gaze.

After hesitating for a few seconds while staring at the blank book in her hand, Qin Ke’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Got it.”

Qin Ke walked excitedly to the center of the room, with the cameraman curiously following.

The girl was seen picking up the teapot from the table and walking back.

“…”

The person from the director’s team by the door widened his eyes, with a vague sense of foreboding.

Then he witnessed his premonition come true —

Qin Ke opened the first page of the “wordless book” and poured water from the teapot onto it.

Director’s team person: “… Hiss.”

Qin Ke stared for a long time, the faint light in her eyes gradually turning dim.

Finally, the girl who failed in her experiment returned to her expressionless face and put down the teapot. She moved the book aside, then checked another two or three books.

At last, under several wordless books, she found a letter full of writing.

The cameraman’s eyes lit up.

However, Qin Ke, who got the letter, wasn’t in a hurry to read it. She first seemed to silently sigh at the letter, then picked up both the letter and the bound wordless book to show to the camera.

The girl’s expression was serious.

“Actually, you can write on white paper using phenol solution, then reveal it with alkaline solution, this is a relatively simple method. If you want to create a scary letter effect, you can use other methods instead, for example, turmeric and alkaline solution can reveal red text, adding ferric sulfate can turn it green, and rinsing with alum water can make the text disappear again — this should make it seem a bit more challenging.”

“…”

The person from the director’s team standing in the corner wiped his face.

He had a feeling that this little newcomer would make their director’s team “famous” along with her.

In fact, when the show was broadcast to this part, the audience in the bullet screen comments were already laughing hysterically —

[Hahahahaha what am I watching, a crash course for prop teams??]

[Director’s team, did you feel it? This is contempt from a top student!]

[Director’s team: … Lesson learned, goodbye!]

[The most miserable director’s team in history, no competition]

[Director’s team: You come, you come, I’ll abdicate in your favor]

[Top student sister: I feel my intelligence has been insulted.]

[Top student sister: I often feel out of place with this production team due to my high intelligence.]

[…]

Unable to foresee the future, Qin Ke had now opened the letter.

After scanning for a few seconds, she turned to the camera, her eyes lighting up with excitement again.

The audience was all guessing what she had seen, then they heard the girl show obvious happiness in her tone for the first time in the show —

“It’s classical Chinese.”

Later, the bullet screen comments eerily fell silent for several seconds at this moment.

Then it was flooded with the same comment.

[That day, in the light I saw in the top student’s eyes, I saw the gap between myself and the gods (doghead.jpg)]