After parting ways with Jian Fan, Qin Nan returned to his room. Just as he closed the door, everything seemed to change. He noticed a line of text appearing before his eyes.

**The night of the murder.**

What did this mean? Had he returned to the day of the murder? Qin Nan felt a sense of confusion but, at the same time, a vague realization began to dawn on him.

Jian Fan had mentioned that they hadn’t made any choices yet.

A knock echoed at the door.

“Who is it?” Qin Nan called out.

A female voice replied, “Second Young Master, it’s me, Xiao Cui.”

Xiao Cui?

Qin Nan was filled with curiosity but decided to open the door, reasoning that if she was bold enough to announce her name, she must be someone he knew in this identity.

Upon opening the door, he saw a young woman in a blue traditional dress, likely around the same age as Mu Xin.

As soon as Xiao Cui entered, she began to complain, “Second Young Master, the Master is confused again. This family business should rightfully belong to Madam and, therefore, should be passed on to you. What is that wild child thinking, trying to take over the family business? The Master really has no vision.”

Qin Nan blinked, trying to piece together Xiao Cui's words with the information he had gathered so far.

On the night of the murder, the deceased intended to hand over part of the business to the Eldest Young Master. Xiao Cui, clearly supporting the Second Young Master, was displeased and had come to inform him.

Given the complicated relationship between the Second Young Master and the deceased due to their mother’s past, it was entirely possible that he might have confronted the deceased late at night, which could have led to an accidental killing.

“Second Young Master, why are you in a daze?” Seeing that Qin Nan was silent, Xiao Cui called out to him, a bit annoyed.

Snapping back to reality, Qin Nan replied, “He’s been confused for a while now; I’m used to it.”

Xiao Cui sighed. “If this continues, that wild child will eventually take over the family business. You need to keep your wits about you; this is your mother’s legacy.”

“I will,” Qin Nan carefully responded, then cautiously asked, “Did something happen?”

“I just heard the Master asking someone to summon the Eldest Young Master to discuss business matters. I thought it was unfair for you, so I hurried to let you know,” Xiao Cui explained.

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Qin Nan immediately grasped the significance of her words.

This meant the deceased had likely met with the Eldest Young Master before dying.

“There’s nothing else. I just wanted to inform you. It’s getting late, so I’ll head back now.” As she spoke, Xiao Cui turned to leave but suddenly paused at the door. “Oh, Second Young Master, if you want to find the Master, wait until the hour of the dog.” With that, she completed her task and left.

The hour of the dog.

Qin Nan took a moment to connect this time with 8 PM.

Time had turned back to the night of the murder. While time flowed backward, they likely couldn’t change certain established facts, such as the deceased’s death. Otherwise, wouldn’t the murder mystery be impossible to unfold?

Wait—

A thought suddenly crossed Qin Nan’s mind. If they could save the deceased, could they break the game world and complete the quest directly? It was similar to his previous experience where breaking the camera seemingly pulled them out of the movie.

The possibility thrilled him.

But soon, excitement was replaced by caution.

What if they couldn’t save him? After all, this method of breaking the game seemed too simple. Conversely, if the death of the deceased was an established fact, what consequences might their actions on the night of the murder entail?

He couldn’t be sure of the rules. Thus, he needed to act with even greater caution.

Staying inside the room would mean he couldn’t be the murderer and likely wouldn’t leave any evidence against himself, which would be advantageous for the upcoming investigation and discussions. However, this would also deprive him of the chance to gather information and potentially find a shortcut to victory.

Should he wait for his teammates to carry him to a win or death, or take the risk to gather information?

Qin Nan chose the latter.

There was an hourglass in the room that displayed the time, but he couldn't decipher it. Fortunately, the points system provided real-time updates.

It was now 7:48 PM.

Thinking for a moment, he realized it was a little over ten minutes before the 8 PM Xiao Cui mentioned. He left the room.

Following the route he remembered, Qin Nan headed straight for the deceased's courtyard.

The path was dark, but it was relatively even, allowing him to reach the courtyard without incident. As he entered, he noticed light spilling from the deceased's room, casting shadows on the door and windows.

Two figures.

One was the deceased; the other—could it be the murderer?

Qin Nan quickened his pace but slowed down as he approached the house, becoming cautious. He quietly slipped into a small corner to hide, contemplating the environment before mimicking a common trope in films.

He extended his finger and poked a hole in the paper window, then leaned in closer to peek inside.

From his vantage point, he could see the deceased facing him, while the other person stood with their back to him.

He couldn’t make out the person’s features, but judging by the clothing, they resembled Xia Zeqin's attire. However, they seemed—shorter?

Qin Nan scanned the heights of the two figures.

Xia Zeqin was quite tall, about 1.8 meters, while the deceased, lying on the ground, was likely not taller than that. The person standing opposite the deceased appeared to be of similar height, perhaps even shorter.

This person couldn’t be Xia Zeqin.

Qin Nan concluded in his mind.

“Second Young Master, what are you doing?” Just as he was pondering who was wearing Xia Zeqin's clothes, a voice suddenly broke his concentration.

Startled, Qin Nan turned to see an old woman entering the courtyard, holding a lantern and looking at him with a disapproving expression.

“The Master is discussing important matters with the Eldest Young Master. Please come back later,” the old woman said flatly.

Qin Nan felt a chill run down his spine, worried that his actions might lead to trouble later. Moreover, he was puzzled; the person inside couldn’t be Xia Zeqin, yet this old woman claimed the Master was with the Eldest Young Master.

Why? Why did she say the person inside was the Eldest Young Master?