Chapter 57: Chengnan Bookstore 4
Yi Ke’s pupils also quaked. He hadn’t expected the “group poems” to suddenly appear at a time like this. He tried to rationalize it but failed, and could only mumble an admission, “Just joking around.”
The praise group was initially established because no one believed Yi Ke could successfully pursue Zhuang Ningyu. It wasn’t that their objective conditions were mismatched, but because Zhuang Ningyu was notoriously known for rejecting all suitors indiscriminately. A widely circulated photo on the internet showed him just after emerging from a rule zone, the blood on him not yet washed off, clad in black and bathed in light. The rugged armored vehicle and his cold, delicate face formed a stark contrast, like a touch of divine radiance added to a mechanical world, placing him in a completely different dimension from everyone else.
The cronies at the beginning: Are you sure you want to challenge this epic-level difficulty right from the start?
The cronies later: Oh no, it seems like he’s really about to succeed!
Zhuang Ningyu returned the phone to Yi Ke and coughed against the wall for a long time. He felt he had been subjected to a spiritual attack of a different kind and never wanted to think about the fifty-eight-person praise group again in his life. Yi Ke patted his back, continuing to discuss work with some guilt, “Ni Ruiling’s relationship is very secretive. I feel that even if the investigation team digs deeper, they might not find anything. This time, my friend was able to find a clue purely by chance through an acquaintance. The big shot’s name is Hou Junye. He’s very generous with her. Since they got together, Hou has given Ni Ruiling a lot of support for her career through various channels, far exceeding what he’s spent on his other mistresses.”
“Are Hou Junye’s other relationships this low-key?” Zhuang Ningyu asked.
“No, only Ni Ruiling’s is low-key,” Yi Ke said. “Hou Junye is quite messy when it comes to relationships. Sometimes he dates several people at once and often brings them to various banquets. He probably doesn’t think this kind of thing needs to be hidden.”
“But he did hide his relationship with Ni Ruiling,” Zhuang Ningyu said thoughtfully. “Why?”
“Perhaps it was Ni Ruiling who didn’t want the relationship to be public, so she requested to keep it secret, and Hou Junye simply complied with her,” Yi Ke analyzed. “Doesn’t that make more sense?” After all, although “marrying into wealth” was no longer news in today’s society, Hou Junye was truly uniquely ugly. It was only natural for Ni Ruiling not to want to publicize it, especially since, based on her speech earlier, this person was likely used to being in a superior position. Therefore, Yi Ke continued, “She can accept being with the more ‘superior’ Hou Junye, but she cannot accept being the subject of gossip among ‘inferior’ netizens.”
“Then it would indeed be a bit difficult to persuade her to cooperate and pretend to accept Dou Dekai,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “You did well just now.”
The praised puppy immediately wanted to cuddle, but failed. Zhuang Ningyu made a tactical retreat in time, swatting his hand away. “What about the information on Dou Dekai?”
Yi Ke sat back in his original spot. “The police interviewed the women he added on the subway back then and found that they had one thing in common: they were beautiful. Although Dou Dekai’s own conditions were average, his standards were quite high. The ‘pickup training class’ failed to help him PUA a beauty; he himself was PUA’d by the ‘pickup training class’ instead. He paid over eight thousand in tuition alone, firmly believing he was the ‘pearl covered in dust’ the emotional instructor spoke of, and that with time, he would definitely marry a fairy.”
This “pickup training class” also had a study and sharing group, where students would often live-stream their entire pickup process, of course, in the form of secret filming. Dou Dekai had also uploaded two videos. His technique was so direct it was almost frightening. Once he set his sights on a beautiful woman, he would cling to her relentlessly, his posture extremely low, but he would not give up until he achieved his goal, not even when he was scolded. Extreme, stubborn, and easily brainwashed—a person with this kind of personality was indeed prone to going to extremes.
A sudden gasp came from the corner. A book club member had fainted from low blood sugar and nervousness. Someone quickly handed her a lollipop. Things couldn’t go on like this. The colleagues at the Chengnan Bookstore still couldn’t find a way in because the rules hadn’t been triggered. Yi Ke decided to take the initiative and try his luck.
Ni Ruiling’s eyes widened. “Go out with you now?”
Yi Ke nodded. “The rules haven’t appeared yet, so theoretically, everyone can go anywhere freely.” He then looked at Fu Han on the other side and said friendly, “President Fu will also accompany you.”
Fu Han, who was suddenly called out, looked displeased, but Yi Ke couldn’t care less whether he was pleased or not. This sentence clearly had an effect. Ni Ruiling did not refuse, but turned to look at Fu Han. In a rule zone, the group’s interests outweigh individual interests. Fu Han stood up and said coldly, “Let’s go.”
He only took one bodyguard with him, leaving the other to guard not far from Zhuang Ningyu. The corridor was dead silent. The fresh bloodstains on the old carpet had not yet dried, stretching into the depths of the white fog, finally disappearing outside a magnificent European palace-style door. It was not locked, just ajar, and could be opened with a gentle push.
“Zhi—” The hinges grated dryly. Behind the door was another empty side hall, usually a place for the bride and bridesmaids to rest and do their makeup during a wedding. It was as dilapidated as the front hall, but a gorgeous white wedding dress hung in the very center. Judging by the decoration, it was a matching set with the white tuxedo the monster was wearing.
Ni Ruiling had obviously noticed this as well, and her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head. Fu Han picked up a card from the table, shaking off the dust—
Wedding Invitation
Groom: Dou Dekai
Bride:
January 31st at 12:00 PM
Zeus Grand Hotel
Welcome to our wedding!
“The thirty-first, that’s tomorrow,” Fu Han said. “The monster wants to invite us to his wedding? But the bride’s line is blank.”
“Because no one wanted to marry him, so he had to grab one on the spot,” Yi Ke turned around. “Ms. Ni, you have to admit, he has pretty good taste.”
Ni Ruiling took the invitation. “So this is the rule? I write my name in the bride’s line, attend the wedding, and then I can leave?”
Before Yi Ke could speak, Fu Han had already taken a fountain pen from his suit pocket and handed it to her. “Try it.”
Ni Ruiling took a deep breath. “President Fu—”
“Whatever you want to discuss with me, we have to leave this place first,” Fu Han reminded her coldly. “I don’t do business in a rule zone.”
Ni Ruiling was silent. She snatched the pen and, with an expression like she was eating spoiled leftovers, hastily wrote her name in the bride’s line, her handwriting flamboyant, her teeth gritted, the force almost piercing through the paper.
Groom: Dou Dekai
Bride: Ni Ruiling
As she finished the last stroke, the surrounding air grew cold for a moment. Then, a new poster appeared on the wall. It was a recruitment notice. For this wedding, the Zeus Grand Hotel needed to hire a banquet manager, chef, waiters, cleaners, planners, emcee, photographer, best man, bridesmaids… a total of 120 people. In addition, ingredients, drinks, wedding candy, flowers, etc., were needed. The list went on for dozens of pages. Finally, it came to a total budget of 0 yuan.
The poster also appeared in the main hall. Dong Xiang was full of admiration after reading it. “Whoa, so this big brother is only bringing himself to his wedding, and he’s going to fleece the rest from us?”
“This is a good thing,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “Inform Captain Zhang of the 4th District to hurry up and prepare.”
Yi Ke didn’t immediately return to the front hall. Instead, he took Fu Han and Ni Ruiling for a walk around all the floors. The monster in the tuxedo also appeared a few times, but each time, as soon as they came face to face, he would turn and flee, disappearing faster than the wind. It was unclear if he had been scared off by Ni Ruiling. The dagger was still in his head, making him look both terrifying and pathetic.
Ni Ruiling glanced at Yi Ke. “Do you agree with me now? A loser in reality is still a loser after entering a rule zone. The reason I was willing to cooperate was because of what you said, the current law, not because of the rules. Helping a good-for-nothing fulfill his lifelong dream of marrying a beautiful woman, is that the entire meaning of your work?”
“I have no obligation and no interest in engaging in a philosophical debate with you about process and value,” Yi Ke warned her. “But Ms. Ni, if you try to use sophistry to interfere with my normal work again,” he paused here. Ni Ruiling met his gaze and suddenly read a hidden coldness in those eyes, different from his polite surface, carrying a hint of the superiority she was all too familiar with. Ni Ruiling finally remembered Yi Ke’s other identity besides being a minor civil servant.
Fu Han was also waiting for the rest of his sentence.
Yi Ke continued, “Then I will rescind the Friendly Citizen award I have already decided to bestow upon you.”
Ni Ruiling: “…”
Fu Han: “Ahem.”
In his earpiece, Zhuang Ningyu couldn’t help but laugh. “Come back when you’re done with your work.”
Yi Ke: Okay, okay, wife, kisses!
Outside the rule zone, countless vehicles were rushing towards the Nancheng Bookstore. The action team members of the Order Maintenance Department changed into their respective costumes and were assigned their roles. Some pulling sound systems, some carrying flowers, some dragging ingredients, they quickly formed a 5A-level wedding planning team. The white fog rose again, and when it dissipated, all the “staff” and their cargo trucks had successfully entered the Zeus Grand Hotel.
With over fifty members of the public and one hundred and twenty action team members and volunteers, the sense of security instantly went from zero to full. The squad leader who came in this time was named Zhang Hugang, who was also very familiar with Zhuang Ningyu. The two divided the work and quickly moved all the trapped people to a cleaner, more sheltered small hall. Food and warm items were distributed, and Ni Ruiling also received a share.
Zhuang Ningyu and Yi Ke, on the other hand, took the map and went around to the warehouse area, the scene of the explosion.
“Here, the southwest corner of the second floor, is where Dou Dekai died,” Zhuang Ningyu pointed. “Bao Mingming was tied up in the northeast corner of the second floor. The explosives were piled at these five points on the first and second floors.”
Yi Ke looked down from the second floor. From where Dou Dekai was at the time, he couldn’t see the main gate. He said, “That doesn’t make sense. Normally, a kidnapper should choose a spot with the best view.”
“The police later found out that he had purchased the explosives on the black market through the dark web. There was a thirty-second delay between pressing the detonation button and the bomb actually igniting. According to Bao Yuzhou’s recollection, after returning to his car, he unlocked his phone, preparing to receive a new message to go to the designated location to pick up his son. But before he could even open the message, the warehouse exploded. There was at most a ten-second gap.”
Including the time it took for Bao Yuzhou to return after dropping off the money, Dou Dekai must have pressed the detonation button almost as soon as he entered the warehouse. Zhuang Ningyu continued, “So the police believe that Dou Dekai probably didn’t know there was a waiting time. Seeing that the bomb didn’t go off, he wanted to check, and so he walked to the southwest corner on his own initiative.”
Yi Ke felt that this kidnapping case sounded indeed a bit ridiculous. “Don’t they give you instructions when you buy things on the black market? And Dou Dekai just opened it and used it?”
Zhuang Ningyu shook his head. “I don’t know, I’ve never bought any. But according to Dou Dekai’s colleagues, he was already a bit mentally unstable at that time, so it might not be possible to judge him with normal logic.”
“Boom!” A series of thunderclaps suddenly sounded in the sky!
Zhuang Ningyu, who was immersed in the explosion case, was startled by this sudden BGM. Yi Ke was hit square in the heart by his cuteness and immediately reached out to hug him. “I’m here, I’m here.”
What nonsense are you on about! Zhuang Ningyu patted his back. “Let go.”
Yi Ke refused to let go, instead hugging him even tighter.
Zhuang Ningyu said, “The time in the rule zone is consistent with the outside world. It’s also the end of January.”
Yi Ke buried his head firmly in the side of his neck. “Mm.”
“Does Jincheng have this kind of thunderstorm in January?”
“…No.”
Usually, this kind of thunderstorm only occurs in the summer rainy season. But according to Chinese customs, weddings should be held on a bright, sunny day. So why would a rainstorm that doesn’t belong to this season appear in the rule zone?
“We need to find a logical explanation for this rain,” Zhuang Ningyu said.
Yi Ke finally let himself stand up straight. “How do you explain the rain?”
Zhuang Ningyu touched his own damp neck.
Yi Ke’s expression didn’t change. “I didn’t kiss you. I was drooling.”
The rumbling thunder continued, combined with this gloomy, tragic warehouse, the atmosphere was truly unique. Zhuang Ningyu, who had always been fresh and artistic, found it difficult to accept that he had to be romantic in such a ghostly place, so he turned and walked away. Yi Ke chased after him and took his hand. His palm was hot and dry, just right to envelop Zhuang Ningyu’s slender, slightly cool fingers. After taking his hand, he even swayed it back and forth a couple of times, like a happy puppy wagging its tail.
Zhuang Ningyu lost his temper and, with a smiling curse, let him be. He let him hold his hand all the way to the office door before pulling away.
After all the hustle and bustle just now, the hall had been decorated to look quite presentable. At first glance, it really did have the feel of a wedding venue. The bridesmaid and groomsmen groups were composed of ten A+ level evolvers, responsible for Ni Ruiling’s safety. Although Ms. Ni had many opinions about the Order Maintenance Department, it was undeniable that she was indeed an important catalyst for this rule.
“Captain Zhuang,” there was a new team member in the bridesmaid group. She wasn’t originally in this district, but Zhuang Ningyu had specifically requested her to come in. Her name was Yao Qi, and she was also very beautiful, a different kind of beautiful from Ni Ruiling, without any strong aggressiveness. After covering up the muscles from years of training, she looked exactly like the type Dou Dekai liked most. He often hit on this type of woman on the subway—long straight black hair, big eyes, and gentle, or at least, appearing gentle.
Zhuang Ningyu still held a skeptical attitude towards Dou Dekai’s direct move on Ni Ruiling, so he wanted to test it. After a girl who more closely matched Dou Dekai’s preferences appeared, would the monster still change his bride?
