Bai Lixin used the invisibility card and crouched in a corner. He was staring at his hand, lost in thought.
It wasn’t until his hand gradually turned into the translucent of the spirit state that Bai Lixin returned to the door of Shen Shukuang’s house.
As soon as one foot stepped in, a familiar dog bark came from a distance.
Gan Tai wagged his tail and ran around Bai Lixin’s feet, as if the past few days’ disappearance had never happened.
The police dog had been missing for the past two days, and its fur was in a mess.
Bai Lixin glanced at the police dog. “Where have you been?”
Gan Tai wagged his tongue. “Woof! Woof!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Sorry, I’m not skilled in animal language, I’m at Level 0.’
[Master Bai Lixin,] the sky was darkening and the moon was rising slowly. There was no one in sight on the long corridor, and the escape system urged, [there are only seven days left in the task time. Shouldn’t we hurry to Shen Shukuang’s cabin instead of wasting time here?]
Bai Lixin took advantage of the spirit body and stepped into the Shen family house.
It was eight o’clock in the evening, and not yet time for bed. Xiao Xin sat alone on the sofa, watching TV, while Mrs. Shen was not in the living room.
A children’s cartoon was playing on TV, and the light reflected in Xiao Xin’s dark pupils, shimmering with a brilliant blue light.
[When looking for someone’s hidden secret, people often assume it must be something the person guards closely.] Bai Lixin walked straight through the sofa and continued inside, [But in fact, many times, such secrets are not kept by the person themselves but by someone else.]
[This is the “leverage” Mrs. Shen mentioned.]
Bai Lixin entered the narrow walk-in closet, which was filled with women’s clothing, bags, and shoes. At the far end, behind the wall, was an independent space, [During the day, I noticed that the design of this closet seemed odd while I was pretending to use the bathroom. The closet space in this house is a bit strangely designed. I felt like there was a missing section.]
The closet was adjacent to the bathroom. The house had a regular layout, and a missing half-meter of space would hardly be noticeable.
The wall wasn’t a real wall but a wooden partition painted to match the surrounding colors. With clothes and cabinets in front of it, it created a perfectly hidden space.
[Is there where Mrs. Shen hid Shen Shukuang’s secret?] The escape system was puzzled, [Mrs. Shen has other family members. Why do you think she would hide something here rather than at her parents’ place or somewhere else?]
Bai Lixin: [Because of Mrs. Shen’s personality, it can be seen from her conversation that she has an extreme lack of trust in others.]
[In other words, she only trusts herself.]
[This thing is what restrains Shen Shukuang, and she wouldn’t put something so important where she can’t see it.]
[Mrs. Shen rarely visits her family. She only goes back twice a year, so I don’t think she would keep things at her family’s place.]
Escape system: [Then isn’t she afraid that Shen Shukuang will find them?]
Bai Lixin: [Mrs. Shen is not the type to hesitate. She liked Shen Shukuang, so she used his studies, which he cared about the most, as leverage to start a relationship. When she wanted to get married, she used other things as leverage. Shen Shukuang’s character with Mrs. Shen is like that of a child, with almost no secrets. If she says the photo album isn’t at home or it’s backed up, Shen Shukuang would probably believe her. Since she dared to keep it at home, she must have been confident that Shen Shukuang wouldn’t find it.]
As soon as Bai Lixin entered the hidden space, the police dog Gan Tai also rushed in.
It was pitch black all around, with no light at all. Bai Lixin didn’t even know what was inside.
It wasn’t until time passed, and Bai Lixin transitioned from spirit state to semi spirit state, that he took out a flashlight from his backpack. When he turned it on, he only saw a small table in front of him, with a palm-sized box on it.
With the light from the flashlight, Bai Lixin opened the box, revealing a roll of black and white film inside.
Setting the flashlight aside, he unrolled the film, and found only a few photos inside.
In the dark film, Bai Lixin could vaguely make out the images on the film.
The first photo only showed one person, with a pale mouth wide-open. This caught the two systems off guard and they shivered involuntarily.
Due to the working principle of black and white film, the darker the color in reality, the whiter it appears on the film. Conversely, white in reality becomes black on the film.
The bright white hair, eyes, and mouth that are completely opposite to reality occupied most of the frame, making the person inside seem alive, as if they were trying to crawl out of the film.
[It’s full bangs, this looks like Xiao Hua.] S419M shivered in Bai Lixin’s mind, [I can present the washed-out images to you, Lord Host.]
[Present the rest of the images,] Bai Lixin simply pulled the remaining roll of film with force. The previously rolled-up film instantly turned into a meter-long winding black strip, dotted with mottled white shadows. At first glance, it looked like a beautiful lace ribbon.
[Ding, photo projection starting.]
With the system prompt, several color pictures slowly appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind.
As these pictures stacked up one by one, Shen Shukuang’s secret seemed to be on the verge of being revealed.
In the first photo, there was a face that Bai Lixin felt both unfamiliar and familiar with.
Her facial features resembled those of Xiao Hua in the photo he had seen in the archive room, but the temperament was different.
The girl in the photo had bangs, delicate and pretty features, and was looking at the camera with a big smile, seeming very happy.
The background was a sofa, and she lay crookedly on it, her clothes looking somewhat disheveled.
Because all traces of Xiao Hua on the internet had been erased completely, the photo in the archive room was the only one Bai Lixin could use to know what she looked like.
In the second photo, there was an additional person in the picture.
It was a much younger Shen Shukuang. At that time, he was still carrying the aura of a scholar that had not yet faded. His expression was also somewhat exaggerated, leaning crookedly against Xiao Hua.
In the following photos, the seemingly intoxicated man and woman gradually began to lose control.
Clothes became less, and they held each other closer.
The photos were taken very beautifully, like artistic photos.
In the lower right corner of the photos was a line indicating the time they were taken.
Fourteen years ago.
Escape system: [Xiao Hua disappeared ten years ago when she was twenty. Fourteen years ago, she was only sixteen? No wonder this is what Mrs. Shen uses to control Shen Shukuang. If this set of photos were to be leaked, Shen Shukuang’s career would probably be ruined, right?]
[It feels like there’s something fishy going on,] S419M said, [From the looks of them, they seem to be high. Could they have been drugged?]
[That’s also a possibility.] Bai Lixin rolled up the film again and stuffed it into his backpack, focusing on the first photo of Xiao Hua laughing. After zooming in on her eyes, a blurry reflection of a person appeared inside, [Can you make this person’s image clearer?]
S419M: [Wait a moment.]
Two seconds later, after several layers of refreshment, the blurry mosaic block finally presented a clear face.
Round face, slightly balding hair, and a camera hanging around the neck.
[It’s Su Hong, Xiao Hua’s uncle.]
Bai Lixin: […It looks like we need to find the missing Su Hong, provided he’s still alive.]
S419M: [Is it possible that Su Hong is dead? He disappeared too. Could it be that the person who killed Shen Shukuang kidnapped Su Hong? The more we investigate, the more it seems like these people are all related to Xiao Hua.]
[Lord Host, don’t investigate too deeply, only to find out in the end that Xiao Hua herself is the killer.]
“Woof! Woof!” Gan Tai suddenly rushed out of the space.
There were rustling sounds outside.
“Snap.”
“Snap.”
“Snap.”
It sounded like the sound of a ball being slapped.
Bai Lixin fell silent.
The sound continued twice and then gradually faded away, disappearing completely in the end.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, until his body turned into a spirit again, Bai Lixin walked out of the compartment.
Mrs. Shen was still not in the living room, and only Xiao Xin was the only one in the hall.
At this moment, Xiao Xin wasn’t watching TV anymore. She had run to a corner of the living room to play with building blocks.
Gan Tai wagged his tail and circled around Xiao Xin. It seemed to really like this little girl.
Bai Lixin shouted to Gan Tai, “Gan Tai, shall we go?”
The next moment, Xiao Xin and Gan Tai looked up at Bai Lixin at the same time.
Xiao Xin’s eyes fell on Bai Lixin’s face accurately, as if she could really see him.
Bai Lixin’s breath stagnated, then he heard Xiao Xin calling out to him, “Mom!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Bai Lixin used the invisibility card and crouched in a corner. He was staring at his hand, lost in thought.
It wasn’t until his hand gradually turned into the translucent of the spirit state that Bai Lixin returned to the door of Shen Shukuang’s house.
As soon as one foot stepped in, a familiar dog bark came from a distance.
Gan Tai wagged his tail and ran around Bai Lixin’s feet, as if the past few days’ disappearance had never happened.
The police dog had been missing for the past two days, and its fur was in a mess.
Bai Lixin glanced at the police dog. “Where have you been?”
Gan Tai wagged his tongue. “Woof! Woof!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Sorry, I’m not skilled in animal language, I’m at Level 0.’
[Master Bai Lixin,] the sky was darkening and the moon was rising slowly. There was no one in sight on the long corridor, and the escape system urged, [there are only seven days left in the task time. Shouldn’t we hurry to Shen Shukuang’s cabin instead of wasting time here?]
Bai Lixin took advantage of the spirit body and stepped into the Shen family house.
It was eight o’clock in the evening, and not yet time for bed. Xiao Xin sat alone on the sofa, watching TV, while Mrs. Shen was not in the living room.
A children’s cartoon was playing on TV, and the light reflected in Xiao Xin’s dark pupils, shimmering with a brilliant blue light.
[When looking for someone’s hidden secret, people often assume it must be something the person guards closely.] Bai Lixin walked straight through the sofa and continued inside, [But in fact, many times, such secrets are not kept by the person themselves but by someone else.]
[This is the “leverage” Mrs. Shen mentioned.]
Bai Lixin entered the narrow walk-in closet, which was filled with women’s clothing, bags, and shoes. At the far end, behind the wall, was an independent space, [During the day, I noticed that the design of this closet seemed odd while I was pretending to use the bathroom. The closet space in this house is a bit strangely designed. I felt like there was a missing section.]
The closet was adjacent to the bathroom. The house had a regular layout, and a missing half-meter of space would hardly be noticeable.
The wall wasn’t a real wall but a wooden partition painted to match the surrounding colors. With clothes and cabinets in front of it, it created a perfectly hidden space.
[Is there where Mrs. Shen hid Shen Shukuang’s secret?] The escape system was puzzled, [Mrs. Shen has other family members. Why do you think she would hide something here rather than at her parents’ place or somewhere else?]
Bai Lixin: [Because of Mrs. Shen’s personality, it can be seen from her conversation that she has an extreme lack of trust in others.]
[In other words, she only trusts herself.]
[This thing is what restrains Shen Shukuang, and she wouldn’t put something so important where she can’t see it.]
[Mrs. Shen rarely visits her family. She only goes back twice a year, so I don’t think she would keep things at her family’s place.]
Escape system: [Then isn’t she afraid that Shen Shukuang will find them?]
Bai Lixin: [Mrs. Shen is not the type to hesitate. She liked Shen Shukuang, so she used his studies, which he cared about the most, as leverage to start a relationship. When she wanted to get married, she used other things as leverage. Shen Shukuang’s character with Mrs. Shen is like that of a child, with almost no secrets. If she says the photo album isn’t at home or it’s backed up, Shen Shukuang would probably believe her. Since she dared to keep it at home, she must have been confident that Shen Shukuang wouldn’t find it.]
As soon as Bai Lixin entered the hidden space, the police dog Gan Tai also rushed in.
It was pitch black all around, with no light at all. Bai Lixin didn’t even know what was inside.
It wasn’t until time passed, and Bai Lixin transitioned from spirit state to semi spirit state, that he took out a flashlight from his backpack. When he turned it on, he only saw a small table in front of him, with a palm-sized box on it.
With the light from the flashlight, Bai Lixin opened the box, revealing a roll of black and white film inside.
Setting the flashlight aside, he unrolled the film, and found only a few photos inside.
In the dark film, Bai Lixin could vaguely make out the images on the film.
The first photo only showed one person, with a pale mouth wide-open. This caught the two systems off guard and they shivered involuntarily.
Due to the working principle of black and white film, the darker the color in reality, the whiter it appears on the film. Conversely, white in reality becomes black on the film.
The bright white hair, eyes, and mouth that are completely opposite to reality occupied most of the frame, making the person inside seem alive, as if they were trying to crawl out of the film.
[It’s full bangs, this looks like Xiao Hua.] S419M shivered in Bai Lixin’s mind, [I can present the washed-out images to you, Lord Host.]
[Present the rest of the images,] Bai Lixin simply pulled the remaining roll of film with force. The previously rolled-up film instantly turned into a meter-long winding black strip, dotted with mottled white shadows. At first glance, it looked like a beautiful lace ribbon.
[Ding, photo projection starting.]
With the system prompt, several color pictures slowly appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind.
As these pictures stacked up one by one, Shen Shukuang’s secret seemed to be on the verge of being revealed.
In the first photo, there was a face that Bai Lixin felt both unfamiliar and familiar with.
Her facial features resembled those of Xiao Hua in the photo he had seen in the archive room, but the temperament was different.
The girl in the photo had bangs, delicate and pretty features, and was looking at the camera with a big smile, seeming very happy.
The background was a sofa, and she lay crookedly on it, her clothes looking somewhat disheveled.
Because all traces of Xiao Hua on the internet had been erased completely, the photo in the archive room was the only one Bai Lixin could use to know what she looked like.
In the second photo, there was an additional person in the picture.
It was a much younger Shen Shukuang. At that time, he was still carrying the aura of a scholar that had not yet faded. His expression was also somewhat exaggerated, leaning crookedly against Xiao Hua.
In the following photos, the seemingly intoxicated man and woman gradually began to lose control.
Clothes became less, and they held each other closer.
The photos were taken very beautifully, like artistic photos.
In the lower right corner of the photos was a line indicating the time they were taken.
Fourteen years ago.
Escape system: [Xiao Hua disappeared ten years ago when she was twenty. Fourteen years ago, she was only sixteen? No wonder this is what Mrs. Shen uses to control Shen Shukuang. If this set of photos were to be leaked, Shen Shukuang’s career would probably be ruined, right?]
[It feels like there’s something fishy going on,] S419M said, [From the looks of them, they seem to be high. Could they have been drugged?]
[That’s also a possibility.] Bai Lixin rolled up the film again and stuffed it into his backpack, focusing on the first photo of Xiao Hua laughing. After zooming in on her eyes, a blurry reflection of a person appeared inside, [Can you make this person’s image clearer?]
S419M: [Wait a moment.]
Two seconds later, after several layers of refreshment, the blurry mosaic block finally presented a clear face.
Round face, slightly balding hair, and a camera hanging around the neck.
[It’s Su Hong, Xiao Hua’s uncle.]
Bai Lixin: […It looks like we need to find the missing Su Hong, provided he’s still alive.]
S419M: [Is it possible that Su Hong is dead? He disappeared too. Could it be that the person who killed Shen Shukuang kidnapped Su Hong? The more we investigate, the more it seems like these people are all related to Xiao Hua.]
[Lord Host, don’t investigate too deeply, only to find out in the end that Xiao Hua herself is the killer.]
“Woof! Woof!” Gan Tai suddenly rushed out of the space.
There were rustling sounds outside.
“Snap.”
“Snap.”
“Snap.”
It sounded like the sound of a ball being slapped.
Bai Lixin fell silent.
The sound continued twice and then gradually faded away, disappearing completely in the end.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, until his body turned into a spirit again, Bai Lixin walked out of the compartment.
Mrs. Shen was still not in the living room, and only Xiao Xin was the only one in the hall.
At this moment, Xiao Xin wasn’t watching TV anymore. She had run to a corner of the living room to play with building blocks.
Gan Tai wagged his tail and circled around Xiao Xin. It seemed to really like this little girl.
Bai Lixin shouted to Gan Tai, “Gan Tai, shall we go?”
The next moment, Xiao Xin and Gan Tai looked up at Bai Lixin at the same time.
Xiao Xin’s eyes fell on Bai Lixin’s face accurately, as if she could really see him.
Bai Lixin’s breath stagnated, then he heard Xiao Xin calling out to him, “Mom!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
