Chapter 81: South Street Apartment

​The discussion between the two wasn’t hidden from the audience. The series of bizarre incidents earlier had already raised suspicions, and now, with Li Zhi’s analysis, many found her reasoning convincing.

However, some viewers who supported Qiao Junyuan accused Li Zhi of slandering a child—how could a fifteen-year-old possibly be so malicious? The two sides argued fiercely in the live chat, but Li Zhi’s fans outnumbered the opposition, giving her the upper hand.

On screen, Li Zhi told her brother, “Don’t share a room with him tonight.”

Li Feng frowned. “I need to keep an eye on him.”

From the moment they entered the instance, Li Feng had sensed something off about the boy. While others assumed he volunteered to team up with Qiao Junyuan out of concern for a minor, the truth was that his soldier’s intuition had detected something strange—he simply wanted to monitor him closely.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have followed when Qiao Junyuan asked Li Zhi to check clues on the second floor.

He had been wary of Qiao Junyuan all along.

Now, the fox’s tail was finally showing.

Both of them suspected that Qiao Junyuan was likely involved with that cult that worshipped supernatural entities. However, they tacitly agreed not to bring it up inside the instance. Mentioning such a dangerous organization in front of millions—or even tens of millions—of viewers would only help it gain influence.

With such a massive audience, someone was bound to grow curious and search for information about the cult, potentially falling victim to its brainwashing and joining its ranks.

If Qiao Junyuan really was a cult member, his first attempt to harm Li Zhi had failed, but he would surely make another move before the instance was cleared. Even if he didn’t target Li Zhi directly, he might go after other teammates.

These cult players would undoubtedly sacrifice their teammates to the [supernatural entity] before clearing the instance—some would kill openly, unafraid of the audience, to spread their doctrine, while others, like Qiao Junyuan, would strike in the shadows. Their victims might die without ever understanding what had happened, let alone the viewers watching from outside.

“If he really wants to harm someone, watching him won’t stop him,” Li Zhi said grimly. “I’ll warn the other teammates to stay vigilant around Qiao Junyuan and avoid being alone with him. You should switch rooms.”

If not for Li Feng’s insistence on maintaining their sibling cover, Li Zhi would have insisted he stay with her tonight.

She understood his concerns. As an official player, being too closely associated with a high-profile, popular player like her could interfere with his investigation into special missions. Moreover, Li Feng probably didn’t want to exploit his sister for popularity, which was why he kept their relationship ambiguous.

But at a time like this, personal safety should take precedence over such reasons. Even if the audience guessed the truth, she didn’t care—her brother’s safety mattered more than anything.

Seeing his sister’s determination, Li Feng didn’t object. “Alright, I’ll stay with Yuan Cheng and the others tonight.”

Three people sharing one room wasn’t too crowded.

Qiao Junyuan stood nearby, watching the two of them converse while deliberately excluding him. Yet, his expression didn’t change in the slightest—no panic at being exposed, no anger at his failed scheme. He still looked like a quiet, well-behaved child, even flashing Li Zhi a sweet, obedient smile when their eyes met.

At Grandma Qiu’s stall, only Fu Huan, Xiang Ling, and Meng Yuhan, who had stayed behind to wait for her, remained. Li Zhi approached them and shared her suspicions about Qiao Junyuan.

As players who had entered the instance, they had all heard of the cult’s notorious reputation. Their gazes toward Qiao Junyuan instantly shifted.

Fu Huan gritted her teeth. “Brainwashed at such a young age!”

Xiang Ling suddenly whispered, “He doesn’t seem like a child.”

Li Zhi had felt the same way, and now that Xiang Ling had voiced it, their thoughts aligned.

“There are so many strange items in this instance,” Xiang Ling said. “Surely there’s something that can turn an adult into a child?”

The moment she said this, the live chat, filled with viewers who had been supporting Qiao Junyuan, erupted in shock:

[Holy shit?! That’s actually possible?!]
[I’ve seen so many underage players, but none as quiet and well-behaved as Qiao Junyuan.]
[Seriously, stop joking—I supported this ‘adorable kid’ across two instances, and now you’re telling me he’s an adult in disguise?]
[I’m gonna puke!!! I’m Qiao Junyuan’s mom fan!!! Turns out he might even be older than me?!]
[Everyone calm down—it’s just a guess!]
...

Still, Xiang Ling’s theory significantly weakened the pro-Qiao Junyuan voices in the chat.

With Qiao Junyuan sidelined, Li Feng was now free to team up with Xiang Ling. Both being official players with aligned objectives, they could cooperate under the pretext of searching for clues to investigate the instance.

By evening, the flow of people entering and exiting the apartment complex noticeably increased. Chu Guangyan also returned from work, carrying groceries in one hand and a bouquet of pink perfume lilies in the other.

Li Zhi stood by the security booth, smiling as she greeted him. “Mr. Chu, back from work?”

Chu Guangyan paused, seemingly recalling seeing her at the breakfast stall that morning. He politely returned her smile. “Yes, just got off work.”

Li Zhi glanced at the flowers in his arms. “These are beautiful. Didn’t know you were a flower person, Mr. Chu.”

A tender expression crossed Chu Guangyan’s face. “They’re for my wife. She loves flowers.”

Li Zhi added, “The produce today looked fresh. Did you buy them from the grocery store at the street corner?”

Chu Guangyan nodded. “Yeah, their produce is always fresh. But if you go too late, they sell out. You’d have to go early if you want any.”

As they spoke, Li Zhi carefully observed his demeanor.

Abusers were typically impatient. By all accounts, someone like Chu Guangyan, faced with a nosy neighbor he didn’t even know, should have grown irritated by now. Yet, throughout their conversation, he hadn’t shown the slightest annoyance—his expression remained gentle, his manners impeccable, perfectly matching his refined appearance.

If not for Grandma Qiu’s earlier words, Li Zhi would have struggled to connect him to domestic violence.

Just then, Qu Rong emerged from the apartment, now dressed in casual home clothes. Li Zhi hadn’t even noticed when she had returned. Seeing her, Chu Guangyan’s face lit up with warmth as he greeted her. “Going grocery shopping?”

Qu Rong yawned, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. “Yeah, I was thinking of making some corn rib soup tonight.”

“If you go now, the ribs will be gone,” Chu Guangyan said. “I’m making soup for Meiqian too. I’ll bring some down for you later.”

Qu Rong smiled. “That’s too kind of you.”

Her tone carried no hint of refusal.

Spotting the flowers in Chu Guangyan’s arms, her eyes lit up. She plucked one from the bouquet, brought it to her nose, and inhaled deeply. “It smells amazing.”

The flower, meant for his wife, was casually taken by another woman without even a word of permission—but Chu Guangyan didn’t seem the least bit upset. Instead, he looked pleased. “If you like it, I’ll bring you a whole bouquet tomorrow.”

Qu Rong waved him off. “No need, I’m too lazy to change the water. This one will do.”

Chu Guangyan nodded at Li Zhi. “I’ll head up now. See you later.”

Li Zhi smiled. “See you.”

Qu Rong waved back and followed Chu Guangyan toward the apartment building.

Li Zhi watched their retreating figures disappear into the hallway when a man in a floral shirt suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding takeout. In a sneering tone, he muttered, “Look at them—tell me there’s nothing going on between those two. Yeah, right.”

Li Zhi glanced at him. His words dripped with disdain, but his eyes betrayed a jealous envy, identical to the gossipy auntie from the sixth floor.

“Still, I get it,” the floral-shirted man added, smacking his lips. “What else can you expect when his wife can’t have kids? The man’s gotta carry on the family line somehow. Might as well find someone fertile. Look at Reporter Qu—her genes are clearly superior to Chen Meiqian’s. Any kid she has will definitely be smarter.”

In their eyes, a wife’s infertility was apparently a valid excuse for a man’s infidelity.

Li Zhi suddenly remembered a social study she’d read online.

In couples where the woman was infertile, the most common outcome was divorce. But when the man was infertile, the typical result was adoption.

The floral-shirted man was about to launch into another rant when Li Zhi cut him off. “Where’d you get that fried rice noodle?”

“Huh? Oh, that?” He pointed behind him. “The grocery store at the street corner.”

“Thanks,” Li Zhi said.

She knocked on the security booth’s glass window. Li Jianxi poked his head out, smiling when he saw her. “Want some fried rice noodles?”

Li Jianxi’s clear eyes reflected her smile, as if they too were bathed in warmth. “Yeah.”