DSMC Chapter 146.2

Liu Yixuan had looked quite frightened when he first woke up, but now he didn’t seem scared at all.

After listening to Liu Yixuan’s descriptions of Xiao Yue and Han Ruibai, as well as his relationship with them, Yan Jiyun felt that Liu Yixuan had carefully painted himself as the image of a good student. Intentionally or unintentionally, he had guided Qi Feng toward suspecting Yang Pingping and Han Ruibai.

He was definitely hiding something.

After Xiao Yue’s suicide, all the training camp students had probably been questioned by the police. After being asked the same questions repeatedly, people tended to embellish certain details. Liu Yixuan had clearly embellished his own role.

Was Xiao Yue really as perfect as he described?

Would Yang Pingping really have secretly read Xiao Yue’s sheet music, as Liu Yixuan seemed to imply?

And what exactly had the relationship between Xiao Yue and Han Ruibai been?

Although Liu Yixuan’s statements still needed verification, they had gained a new piece of information: Han Ruibai’s relationship with Xiao Yue was anything but ordinary. The two had been quite close.

Now they needed to find Han Ruibai.

After watching Liu Yixuan flee as if escaping for his life, Qi Feng wasn’t convinced that he was the mysterious person behind everything, but he could estimate that only about thirty percent of what he’d said was trustworthy. Much of it had been polished and beautified. Still, the conversation wasn’t completely without value.

Having gathered what information they could, the man and the cat rose from the floor of the piano classroom in perfect synchronization.

Yan Jiyun stretched his front paws forward and gave a huge stretch. Qi Feng raised both arms overhead and did a small stretch as well.

Then they simultaneously ended their stretching motions.

Qi Feng held out an arm toward Yan Jiyun. With a cat by his side, a faint smile had appeared at the corner of his lips. “Let’s go, Caramel.”

Yan Jiyun skillfully leaped onto his bent arm, then used the momentum to jump onto his shoulder, where he settled down firmly.

This teenaged-version pooper scooper’s shoulders weren’t as broad as they would be in the future, but he already possessed explosive muscle strength. Observing Qi Feng from up close, Yan Jiyun noticed that his face was still incredibly youthful and fresh. If he entered the entertainment industry with that face, he’d definitely become a top star.

Unable to resist, Yan Jiyun reached out and pressed Qi Feng’s collagen-filled cheek.

Qi Feng turned his head and looked at him. “Why are you poking my face?”

Yan Jiyun haughtily turned his head away and pretended not to understand.

The cat just thought it was fun.

[Want to be a Human] livestream channel: 

“Damn it, I loved that interaction! My heart suddenly skipped a beat. The Level 5 streamer is so handsome, so doting, so gentle. Ever since I learned that the Level 5 streamer is Mimi’s owner, my mind has been running wild with all kinds of strange scenarios.”

“Ahhh, that’s so fucking adorable! Isn’t this supposed to be a horror game channel? Why am I watching a cute pet and owner bonding session?”

“Why don’t I have a boyfriend who can turn into a cat? I’d kiss him to death every minute of every day!”

“Dear god. They must have lived together for so long that they’ve started synchronizing their movements. Waiter, waiter! I need details about their daily life within three minutes!”

“You’re making me want to go play the instance myself.”

“You’d better not. Last time, those players who entered just to experience NPC life got scared out of their minds.”

“Am I the only one ruthlessly focused on what information Liu Yixuan actually revealed? Is Han Ruibai really avenging his friend Xiao Yue?”

“This instance is way too confusing. I’m just waiting for Kitty Baby to solve the mystery for me.”

The atmosphere in Yan Jiyun’s livestream was fairly harmonious, but Qi Feng’s livestream was a different story.

[Anyone Seen My Cat?] livestream channel: 

“Ever since Feng-ge got himself a cat, the vibe has gradually gone off track. He could have focused on building his career, but instead he just had to add a pet-owner relationship. A pet only slows down his progress, right? He should just throw it away. There’s no need for it at all.”

“I completely disagree with the person above. What’s wrong with Feng-ge bringing his own cat along on his adventures? If you don’t like it, don’t watch. Isn’t the stream more entertaining now? Anyway, I really like this smart little black cat.”

“You people have been in Feng-ge’s stream for so long and still haven’t learned his way of thinking. I’m different. I want to know why Feng-ge’s pet can enter instances with him while other players can’t.”

“That actually makes sense. Why can only Feng-ge bring a pet into the game while other players can’t?”

The excitement in the livestream chats had never really had anything to do with Yan Jiyun or Qi Feng. Neither of them cared about the audience.

Of course, ignoring the viewers unexpectedly brought its own rewards. As long as the donations kept coming, that was enough.

After a brief rest, Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng were joined by Xue Ping, who had made his way from the second floor to the third.

The incident involving Xiao Yue should have happened before Xue Ping’s and Han Ruibai’s families merged. He probably wouldn’t know anything useful.

Still, Xue Ping’s concern for Han Ruibai didn’t seem fake.

Qi Feng probed him tentatively. “Do you know about Xiao Yue?”

Xue Ping froze for a moment before responding. “Xiao Yue? You mean the student who committed suicide before?”

Qi Feng nodded. “Mm.”

Xue Ping asked, “Why are you asking about that?”

Without answering, Qi Feng continued. “Did you know Han Ruibai and Xiao Yue were very close?”

Xue Ping frowned. “I guess they were pretty close. I remember that summer, my stepmother had just moved into our house, and the training camp had only recently started. One day I came back to school to play basketball and saw Han Ruibai and Xiao Yue discussing a sheet of music together. Don’t tell me you suspect Han Ruibai is avenging Xiao Yue. That’s absolutely impossible!”

Qi Feng hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

Everyone had secrets. There was no way to unravel them all in a short time. Yan Jiyun felt they should find Han Ruibai first before worrying about anything else.

Suddenly, a faint groan came from upstairs.

Yan Jiyun immediately jumped down from Qi Feng’s shoulder.

Qi Feng no longer had time to question Xue Ping about Han Ruibai. He chased after his cat.

Xue Ping was momentarily stunned. “Why are you running? Help me find Han Ruibai!”

After a brief hesitation, he ran after them as well.

Once again, Yan Jiyun arrived at Music Classroom 402.

This time, Han Ruibai wasn’t lying on the floor. Instead, he stood beside the piano with one hand pressed against his head, staring blankly at it. Since transforming into human form wasn’t an option right now, Yan Jiyun could only stand at the doorway and peer inside.

Qi Feng moved quickly and caught up almost immediately. Xue Ping, with his long legs, followed close behind.

With Qi Feng by his side, Yan Jiyun strode confidently into the classroom.

[Congratulations, player. You have triggered Main mission 5: “Uncover the Truth Behind Xiao Yue’s Suicide”.]

[Mission Details: Xiao Yue was a rare musical genius. Unfortunately, one day he suddenly committed suicide. To this day, no one has uncovered the truth behind his death. Players are remissioned to reconstruct the truth as completely as possible. Completing this mission will grant substantial point rewards.]

Yan Jiyun received the system notification. His mission progress matched Qi Feng’s exactly. They were only one step away from uncovering the truth.

Han Ruibai had seemed suspicious from beginning to end, but so had everyone else. Since the police had officially ruled Xiao Yue’s death a suicide, then scientifically speaking, the cause of death was suicide. What the mission wanted players to uncover was the truth behind why he committed suicide.

That was much harder than determining how he died.

Xue Ping rushed in first. “Han Ruibai, what’s wrong with you?”

Han Ruibai steadied himself with one hand on the piano and turned toward Xue Ping. “I was drugged unconscious again.”

He really did look like someone who had only just woken up.

Suddenly, Qi Feng said, “You drugged yourself.”

Han Ruibai looked at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Qi Feng said, “Because you wanted to frame Liu Yixuan for Yang Pingping’s death. And because of Xiao Yue’s death.”

Without saying a word, Han Ruibai sat down in front of the piano and pressed a white key with his slender fingers.

Yan Jiyun was completely baffled.

None of Han Ruibai’s behavior resembled that of a villain. So why was Qi Feng trying to bluff him?