Jiang Lingyan threw her tablet onto the carpeted floor with a loud thud. Fortunately, the expensive rug cushioned the fall, preventing the device from shattering. "I think you owe me an explanation."

"An explanation?" The system's voice was devoid of emotion, as flat as a line. "I believe what you want isn't an explanation, but a benefit."

Jiang Lingyan's eyes flickered as she was caught in her true motive. "How could you say that? Am I that kind of person?"

System: "Heh."

There was no doubt.

Ignoring the system's sarcasm, Jiang Lingyan bent down to pick up the tablet, pointing at a specific part of the screen. "Now all the negative comments about Hu Li online are gone, and her fame has increased rather than decreased. It will be even harder for me to snatch the role from her."

She had leaked a video of Hu Li arguing with the dancer to gossip reporters when she learned about the dancer's death, intending to shift the public's focus away from herself.

Unexpectedly, Hu Li's luck had turned around, allowing her to escape the scandal quickly.

"Even without this incident, it wouldn't have been easy for you to steal the role," the system retorted, still holding a grudge and unwilling to let her off the hook. "Especially now that Qin Yan has abandoned you."

Without Qin Yan's support and resources, Jiang Lingyan's failed maneuver only added insult to injury, making her situation even worse.

"It was you who suggested I go live-stream in the disaster area," Jiang Lingyan snapped back, anger flaring as the system reopened old wounds. "And who claimed to be invincible but cowered before that monster?"

Thinking about the monster, Jiang Lingyan's face twisted in rage. Had she known about the existence of demons, she wouldn't have revered the system like a deity.

Given her status as a chosen one, she might have had a chance to join an immortal sect and ascend to immortality.

"I advise you to stop daydreaming," the system coldly interrupted her thoughts, pouring a bucket of cold water over her fantasies. "You're a reborn person. Ordinary people may not notice your abnormalities, but cultivators certainly would. Without my protection, you would have been exposed and captured for research long ago."

Jiang Lingyan's face paled, her rising anger deflating like a punctured balloon. "Haha, I was just upset and misspoke. Don't hold it against me, system."

"I'm not petty enough to hold a grudge over your disrespectful words," the system replied leisurely. "But since you reminded me, I realize you failed your last mission. I must implement the Level Three punishment."

Jiang Lingyan's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the carpet. "System, I was wrong. Please forgive me this once."

The system's voice remained icy. "Rules are rules." With that, it pressed the punishment button.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Jiang Lingyan felt a sharp pain in her chest, and she was flung across the room, crashing into the wall with a loud thud.

Clutching her displaced organs, she hadn't even caught her breath when her head was struck again. "Smack, smack, smack."

Three loud slaps echoed in the room, leaving red handprints on Jiang Lingyan's fair, delicate face. Her cheeks swelled visibly, turning her pretty face into a swollen mess. "System, my face..."

Pain radiated through her, and she clutched her cheeks, her words muffled by the swelling. The rest of her sentence died in her throat.

Damn, it hurts so much, it must be bleeding!

"Weren't you worried that the last incident hadn't fully blown over and would affect your popularity? Now you can rest at home and let the netizens forget about you," the system's voice remained calm, indifferent to the sight of its host's swollen face.

Jiang Lingyan dared not speak out in anger, but deep in her lowered eyes, a cold hatred burned.

It was unclear whether the hatred was directed at the system or someone else.

Meanwhile, at the police station, in the major crimes unit, Wu Song reviewed the autopsy report just delivered by the forensic team, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Chief, I think we need to dig deeper into Mo Baobao's background," Wang Jiayin suggested after reading the report. "She was just a bar dancer, yet she attracted enough hatred to warrant two attempts on her life."

One group had used a new type of drug, never seen before on the market.

"I agree," Qiu Gu added, his expression serious. "While the primary suspect who stabbed her multiple times is concerned, we must trace the source of the unknown drug that caused her slow death."

If this drug were to circulate on the streets, the consequences could be dire.

"It’s a stroke of luck that her body was sent in time," Qiu Gu remarked, recalling the forensic expert's warning that the drug's effects would have disappeared in two days. "It's chilling to think that if we hadn't received her body promptly, we might have missed the evidence entirely."

The thought of a killer using such a drug to mask the cause of death as natural or suicidal was unsettling. Without knowing the true cause, they would never catch the culprit, allowing the murderer to continue killing with impunity.

"Chief, we found something new," announced an officer who had searched Mo Baobao’s apartment, holding up a blue USB drive. "Mo Baobao had been closely monitoring someone. This drive is full of information she collected on that person."

Cao Zhe, a slightly overweight officer, took a swig from a nearby cup, not bothering to check whose it was. "What’s more suspicious is that this person had no apparent connection to her."

"Who is it?"

"Uh..." Cao Zhe's expression was complex as he glanced at the chief. "It's Lu Shu."

"Who?" Wang Jiayin thought she misheard. "Which Lu Shu?"

"Which other Lu Shu could it be?" Cao Zhe retorted, irritated. "The one adored by everyone from eighty-year-old grannies to eight-year-old girls."

The same Lu Shu who was a top star at Yumu Film, he added silently.

"So we need to visit Yumu Film again?" Qiu Gu felt a mix of excitement and dread. Seeing his idol again was thrilling, but dealing with Yumu Film’s powerful connections was daunting.

Mo Huan had certainly stirred up trouble, entangling two of Yumu Film’s biggest stars in her mess.

"Let's go." Wu Song was unfazed. Despite Yumu Film’s influence, they still had to follow the law.

As he stepped out of the police station, Wu Song decided to make a call. "Hello, Old Zhao..."

Ying Ning received a call from the secretary’s office while shopping with the president for Ling Ji’s clothes. As Yu Zhiyan held up a new dress against Ling Ji, she decided with a wave of her hand, "Wrap this one too."

Ying Ning, glancing at the scene, stepped away to take the call. "What's the matter? Is there a new development in Hu Li’s case?"

"No, it’s about Lu Shu." Ying Ning's surprise was evident as her voice rose slightly. "Have Wei Xiang handled the police for now? I’m heading back."

Even after ending the call, Ying Ning found it hard to believe that Lu Shu could be involved in the murder case. Her normally well-behaved and disciplined Lu Shu had never frequented bars or nightclubs, preferring to stay home reading or listening to music. Compared to Hu Li, he was a model of propriety.

"What happened?" Yu Zhiyan asked, noticing Ying Ning's distraction.

"The police are here again," Ying Ning replied, exasperated. "It's still about the previous case, but this time it involves Lu Shu."

"Lu Shu?" Two voices spoke simultaneously.

Yu Zhiyan turned to the source of the second voice: Ling Ji. "You know him?"

Ling Ji shook her head, licking her lips subtly. "I don’t, but... I’ve tasted him."

"President Yu, since there’s an issue at the company, we should head back," Ling Ji suggested, her eyes gleaming with interest.

"Alright, we’ve bought enough clothes. Next time, we’ll get you some matching jewelry," Yu Zhiyan agreed, remembering how Ling Ji had lingered at the jewelry counter earlier. She planned to let Ling Ji indulge herself fully next time.

As they prepared to leave, Ying Ning, still puzzled by Ling Ji’s words, felt a shiver down her spine. She hoped Yu Zhiyan's trust in Ling Ji wouldn’t backfire, especially with Jianghuai’s eventual return.

---

Meanwhile, in a secluded villa in Peng City, a middle-aged man in a brown suit stood respectfully behind another man in casual wear, who was watering a pot of orchids.

"Is everything handled?" the man in casual wear asked, his tone casual.

"Rest assured, sir," the suited man replied, bowing slightly. "The timing was perfect. Even the police’s advanced equipment won’t find a trace."

The suited man knew the drug's effects had already been metabolized, making detection impossible. The new ingredient they added ensured complete discretion.

The casual wear man continued watering his orchids, as if discussing mundane matters instead of murder. His steady hand revealed a champagne-colored Rolex on his wrist.

---