"Can we trust what that old demon woman says?"
In the studio, Da Huang was the first to express doubt. I couldn't be sure if her words were true. No one had expected that after all our painstaking efforts to decipher it, we would get such a cryptic message. Was this a setup, or a genuine plea for help? Schemers are like lying children; believe them, and they might be deceiving you; distrust them, and they might truly be devoured by wolves.
Seeing my silence, Da Huang added, "Regardless of whether she's in danger or not, let's just ignore her."
Ning Caishen agreed with this suggestion, "Actually, Da Huang is right. This is likely a trap set by Kuai Zui Ya. She knows how to act better than anyone."
...
At first, Da Huang looked down on Ning Caishen. After all, Ning Caishen, with his receding hairline, looked like a middle-aged man who had failed in life. But now, they seemed to have developed a tacit understanding.
"Ning Caishen, why do you think this is a setup by Kuai Zui Ya?"
"If your abilities are superior to the other party's, then the other party will become your pawn. If you're not as capable, why would they be your pawn?"
Ning Caishen was right; it was a simple principle, but I felt it wasn't quite right. I looked at Ning Caishen and asked seriously, "If I asked you to be my pawn, would you?"
"Of course, I would."
"But I'm not stronger than you!"
"How do you know you're not stronger than me? You were the one who deciphered that wordless book just now."
Ning Caishen gave a rare, honest smile. "Strength isn't measured like that. Teacher Li Jiu often says that those who can eat don't necessarily know how to cook, but we're competing in eating. I could recognize the trick of the wordless book because it's common knowledge that I've learned. You don't need me; you could find anyone who sells ink, and they might be able to solve this."
"What if, one day, you find that I'm not as good as you? Ning Caishen, don't deny it yet, I'm just asking hypothetically."
"It doesn't matter. I'm here to work."
"If you weren't here to work."
"You're forcing me to rebel."
After saying this, Ning Caishen himself paused, rubbing his bald head, and muttered to himself, "Perhaps it's a case of the government forcing the people to rebel."
"Exactly. If a pawn has unavoidable difficulties, or if a pawn possesses resources that even the schemer cannot obtain, it could lead to the pawn rebelling."
Currently, because Lin Han had only interacted with Kuai Zui Ya Ye Qingcheng, I had become inextricably linked with Ye Qingcheng. For Lin Han's sake, I had to rescue Ye Qingcheng.
The only way to save Ye Qingcheng was to start by looking into Kuai Zui Ya Ye Qingcheng's life.
"Ning Caishen, can you tell me about Ye Qingcheng?"
Kuai Zui Ya Ye Qingcheng was very beautiful and had high moral standards. She was called Kuai Zui Ya because she was outspoken, and her mouth was as stubborn as a duck's.
Everyone knew that Ye Qingcheng was not Teacher Li Jiu's lover, but she consistently claimed to be Teacher Li Jiu's girlfriend.
Ye Qingcheng was one of the earliest students to appear in the training class, an old-timer who grew up alongside Gambler and Manager. However, by the time Lin Zhijun and Ning Caishen arrived at the training class, Gambler and Manager were already older. Ye Qingcheng had already begun to position herself as Teacher Li Jiu's girlfriend.
Teacher Li Jiu hadn't explained it to everyone and had implicitly acknowledged that Ye Qingcheng had come to Xi'an with him from police academy. She took care of Teacher Li Jiu's daily life, much like a traditional familial marriage.
In reality, Ye Qingcheng and Teacher Li Jiu had no physical relationship. No one knew if Teacher Li Jiu had a wife, and Ye Qingcheng had always remained a chaste maiden.
Later, Gambler and Lin Zhijun progressed rapidly. Manager, in particular, summarized and refined the lessons taught by Teacher Li Jiu, creating the "Schemer of the Stanislavski System."
As a result, Teacher Li Jiu was able to free up his time and began traveling across the country to recruit more outstanding individuals to become "Schemers of the Logic Paradox." At that time, Teacher Li Jiu and Ye Qingcheng were geographically separated, yet they acted more like a couple. They spoke on the phone for at least two to three hours every day. Everyone knew these weren't intimate calls between lovers, but rather discussions about the daily happenings of the training class.
However, this situation led everyone to believe that Teacher Li Jiu and Ye Qingcheng were a well-matched couple. Their slow-burning, bình dị relationship was fitting for a Chinese-style marriage, and everyone had high hopes for Ye Qingcheng.
Lin Zhijun, who was already married, even wanted to play matchmaker for Teacher Li Jiu and Ye Qingcheng. He even discussed with Gambler and Manager the idea of creating a scheme around this topic to get Teacher Li Jiu to marry Ye Qingcheng.
It was at this point that Huochetou K-zi appeared.
Huochetou K-zi was a young girl named Xiao Zian. Her self-introduction upon arrival was that she was Teacher Li Jiu's little lover. Lin Zhijun found it perplexing and took an opportunity to ask Xiao Zian, "Are you really Teacher Li Jiu's little lover?"
"Yes."
"How did you meet?"
"On a train."
"Just based on your looks?"
"I relied on my open-mindedness. I asked Teacher Li Jiu, 'Do you mind if I find a new girlfriend?' Teacher Li Jiu's answer was, 'I do.' So, I asked again, 'Teacher Li Jiu, do you mind if I have one more girlfriend?'"
Lin Zhijun chuckled, "What did Teacher Li Jiu say?"
"He didn't answer."
And so, the junior sister Huochetou K-zi, Xiao Zian, successfully moved into position. Lin Zhijun, Gambler, and Manager, three schemers who could already stand on their own, never brought up that scheme again.
During this period, Ye Qingcheng also showed resilience. She didn't argue heatedly with Xiao Zian or seek clarification from Teacher Li Jiu. However, the two to three hours of daily calls were replaced by Xiao Zian. Ye Qingcheng continued to study diligently, but she appeared emotionally drained.
...
Teacher Li Jiu mailed back a case for Xiao Zian to preside over, and everyone analyzed it together. The case involved a young adopted girl with immense acting talent.
This situation was typical of a Stanislavski System schemer. Lin Zhijun had no interest and casually moved to the back row, nudging the drowsy Ning Caishen with his elbow.
"Little Ning, do you think Xiao Zian and Teacher Li Jiu are well-matched?"
Lin Zhijun was a bit older than Teacher Li Jiu. When he was in training, his children were already over ten years old. He treated Teacher Li Jiu like a younger brother and was very concerned about his marital issues.
A few days ago, Lin Zhijun had planned to set up a scheme to get Teacher Li Jiu and Ye Qingcheng together. But then Xiao Zian appeared out of nowhere and snatched him away.
"A breaker of schemes, what does it matter if they're well-matched or not?"
"Breaker of schemes? What breaker of schemes?" Lin Zhijun didn't quite understand, but Ning Caishen pointed at Lin Zhijun. Lin Zhijun was puzzled, "My scheme? What scheme of mine? I... oh, no way, Li Jiu isn't even here, and my scheme has already been broken."
With Ning Caishen's hint, Lin Zhijun suddenly connected it to the scheme he had planned with Gambler and Manager. They had been quite dedicated to this topic. But with Xiao Zian's appearance, they had deflated like a leaky balloon, losing all motivation. Ning Caishen's words made Lin Zhijun rethink everything, and it all made sense.
Xiao Zian's appearance was not particularly outstanding. Her advantage was her tall stature, but her flat physique and short hair made her look like a boy. In contrast, Ye Qingcheng was a typical Southern beauty, petite and delicate, with curves and an elegant demeanor.
Lin Zhijun, with his brilliant talent, was naturally proud. He felt he had figured it out and asked Ning Caishen again, "Little Ning, do you think if I continue with my scheme, Li Jiu will marry Ye Qingcheng?"
"No," Ning Caishen answered decisively.
"Why?"
"They have both entered the scheme now. Teacher Li Jiu, in this love triangle, is playing the role of the indecisive, passionate man. He's very invested, having integrated it into his life. From now on, Teacher Li Jiu's romantic issues are resolved. The current Xiao Zian and Ye Qingcheng are like two rams on a narrow bridge; either one will yield, or both will fall into the abyss. This is Teacher Li Jiu's brilliance. He has given Xiao Zian and Ye Qingcheng the resolve to fight to the end, even if it means falling into the abyss together."
Lin Zhijun listened, dumbfounded, "Did you come up with this?"
"No, I saw it from within the scheme. This is what Teacher Li Jiu calls 'reading the scheme'."
...
After listening to Ning Caishen's description of Xiao Zian, I was extremely surprised and asked seriously, "Xiao Zian is a woman?"
"Yes, but when she's on a mission, she always appears in men's clothing. She's always in a suit and tie, with a small mustache."
Xiao Zian?
Ye Qingcheng had told me that Xiao Zian was chasing Lin Han. Because she wouldn't argue with her accomplices, she had watched Lin Han get taken hostage by Xiao Zian. Ye Qingcheng had even told me that Xiao Zian was a lecher who liked cold, aloof girls.
"Does Xiao Zian like women?"
My question baffled Ning Caishen. He looked at me, clearly not understanding.
"You don't know?"
Ning Caishen shook his head. "Don't know?"
From the current situation, Lin Han had been captured by a female pervert, and this female pervert, Xiao Zian, was also involved in a love triangle with Li Jiu and Ye Qingcheng. Yet, Ye Qingcheng was in trouble and asked me to find Xiao Zian for help.
Things were becoming absurd and complicated...