Welcome to the Misogyny Game

Having realized his feelings, Xu Wangchuan longed to get closer to her. He ran quickly down the mountain like a boy returning home from school.

Two days later, Xu Wangchuan, sitting in the car on his way back, rubbed his eyes with some frustration.

He originally planned to stay for five days, but he moved it up by two days. He originally wanted to go back directly the next day, but when he checked his phone, the tickets were sold out, and the earliest train was today at 10 o'clock.

After making the purchase, it suddenly occurred to me that Smile wasn't in Hangzhou; she had gone on a trip.

But I'm not in the mood for sightseeing anymore. I've already bought the tickets, so I guess I'll just have to go back now and see when Smile comes back. She should be back by now; it's been three days...

The man sitting next to him leaned nervously against the car window, as if something terrifying was happening beside him.

Xu Wangchuan was emanating black energy, looking like he was about to transform into a great demon king, which made him tremble with fear.

Ding.

Xu Wangchuan opened his eyes.

A message popped up: "The glass of the Suzhou Aquarium broke, causing a large amount of water to leak out and flooding visitors..."

He picked up his phone, glanced at it, and subconsciously swiped to see the message. A second before the message disappeared, he inexplicably clicked on it.

"On July 20, this station reported that an aquarium in Suzhou was damaged by someone who deliberately destroyed the glass facilities, causing the glass to break and a large amount of water to leak out, trapping dozens of people. Fifteen people were slightly injured, ten people were unconscious, and no one died."

July 20th? He checked his call log with Siman and found that it happened around that time. Could it be such a coincidence?

He recalled the circumstances surrounding their phone call and became somewhat uncertain...

Fifteen minutes later.

"Hello... who is this?" The voice on the other end of the line was Liu Chaoque's uncertain voice.

Xu Wangchuan frowned. He looked at the phone number he had saved for her and realized he hadn't dialed it wrong, so why wasn't she sure it was him?

“I am Xu Wangchuan,” Xu Wangchuan replied calmly.

"Oh, Wangchuan, I'm sorry, my phone is broken, and I haven't saved my old contacts to the new one yet," Liu Chaoque explained.

"Did it get wet?" he asked, looking at the message on his computer.

According to the victims, they were rescued by a young woman with extraordinary appearance. She was an excellent swimmer, able to hold her breath underwater for a long time, and even somehow produced swimming rings for them to wear. They affectionately called her a water sprite.

"Foreign mermaid movies ruin childhood memories. We have our own mermaids in China. If we had mermaids, they would be as beautiful as that girl." The tourist was not greatly affected because she was rescued in time, and was even a little excited.

The people next to him, watching him gesticulate wildly, even leaned back strategically.

Behind this interview footage, a woman wearing a coat came out of the aquarium, and Xu Wangchuan recognized her as Liu Chaoque.

And next to him... is a police officer.

The two acted intimately and naturally, not like they had done anything wrong.

Xu Wangchuan breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a little empty inside.

Liu Chaoque seemed to hear something else, and she leaned closer to the phone receiver to listen, unsure of what it was.

"Yes, I went to the aquarium." Liu Chaoque didn't think it was something to hide. She wasn't a celebrity, so why would she be afraid of paparazzi?

The main reason they didn't speak up was laziness.

Xu Wangchuan: "The aquarium in Suzhou?"

Liu Chaoque: "Yes, how did you know?"

"I saw it on my phone. You weren't hurt, were you? I saw in the interview video that you came out with a policeman," Xu Wangchuan said honestly.

Liu Chaoque understood: "I'm fine, don't worry about me. It's just that my phone got wet, so I need to buy a new outfit. What a waste of money!" She clutched her chest in distress.

"It's good that everyone's alright. How many days are you going to stay in Suzhou? No, I don't mean you're staying too long, I just want to see you..."

Liu Chaoque took off his phone, glanced at the number uncertainly, but couldn't recognize it. He picked it up again, held it to his ear, and listened. The voice sounded right. Could it be Ai?

She racked her brains to recall her and Xu Wangchuan's secret code, but inexplicably blurted out, "Feeling refreshed?"

"Where did you go to exercise again?" Xu Wangchuan asked instinctively.

It's Xu Wangchuan. Artificial intelligence can't possibly understand such nonsensical words: "No, it's just that I have to come back in a few days. I have some things to take care of here."

Wu Sifeng's situation is suspicious. Not to mention that a young girl like her could break the aquarium's glass with a shovel, there's no way they wouldn't have noticed she brought the shovel when they arrived.

She recalled the burning knife from that time, and the animal communication abilities these three had gained this time—everything pointed to one person: the male protagonist?

Liu Chaoque subconsciously thought, but she hadn't seen Biancheng... No, if her guess was correct, the event Biancheng represented belonged to the fire element, then the aquarium matter had nothing to do with him. An unknown male protagonist had appeared in the aquarium? Liu Chaoque couldn't help but think of Chen Qingsong. He had gone to Suzhou City, but the evidence was still insufficient. When they first met, there was no water-related event; it seemed more like metal...

But what about He Yanzhi? Is it still metal? No, as the male lead, how could he have the same attribute? Could it be that Chen Qingsong's attribute is actually wood? Bicycles can also be made of wood.

It's impossible that just because Chen Qingsong bled, it was water, right? That's ridiculous.

Unfortunately, she probably didn't see Chen Qingsong's silhouette before entering the game.

Zhao Yuhan and Zhao Xiaomei were in a panic, and without any clear direction, Zhao Yuhan stopped Liu Chaoque and his companion when they returned from shopping for clothes.

"Siman, do you believe in Sifeng?" she asked solemnly.

Liu Chaoque nodded, but waved her hand: "It's no use if we believe you, we need to find evidence."

Liu Chaoque said, "And the current evidence shows that Wu Sifeng is the only suspect in this case." She emphasized the word "only," and sighed, "Sigh, I don't know what Sifeng was thinking, smashing the glass of the aquarium and even hitting it. Doesn't she know she'll be going to jail for this?"

“Yes,” Zhao Yuhan said, “She could smash the glass with that shovel in one go? I heard online that the glass was specially made, with two layers. There are no reports of such glass damage online. Even if there are, they are just rumors. How could Wu Sifeng have the strength to do it all by herself?”

"So, what about the accomplice?" Zhao Xiaomei said, "No, no, Sifeng is not the principal offender, at most she was instigated." In fact, although the two of them believed in Sifeng, they were really not sure about Sifeng's innocence, after all, Sifeng did not struggle too much when she got into the police car.

Moreover, she was present at the crime scene and committed the crime. The evidence is conclusive. If there is no other evidence to refute him, Wu Sifeng will probably be the only one in jail.

This is something that endangers the public. There are so many victims. Even if they are sentenced, it's not as serious as the death penalty. By the time they get out, they'll probably all have granddaughters.

"Is it possible that Sifeng wasn't instigated? Besides, didn't you ask me if I believed Wu Sifeng didn't commit a crime? Why are you framing her first?" Liu Chaoque was speechless. She looked at the two of them, as if she understood something: "Let me tidy you up first. Are you just standing here in the sun, using me as a human clothes hanger to dry your clothes?"

The two looked at their somewhat see-through clothes and belatedly felt a little embarrassed.

Liu Chaoque sighed, "Even if we stand there, we can't find a solution." She took Mu Li's bag and handed it to them, "Mu Li and I picked out a couple of outfits for you based on your sizes. Find a place to change first, and then we'll go get some food."

Each person was carrying a bag, and they were completely bewildered as everything was arranged for them.

The two, now dressed in new clothes, sat in a comfortable and clean private room. Zhao Yuhan slumped on the sofa, tilting her head back, feeling a little dizzy.

Zhao Xiaomei then asked Liu Chaoque, "Do you have any way to save Sifeng? Although you've only known Sifeng for less than two days... We shouldn't be troubling you like this, but we really have no other choice."

"Stop." Liu Chaoque looked at the plate of cold dishes brought by the waiter, picked one up and put it in his bowl. He took a bite, chewed it, swallowed it, and then said, "Actually, the main problem with Sifeng is that it's too strange. There are many suspicious points. There are still some things I don't understand. Let's talk about it while we eat when all the dishes are served."

As the food began to be served one after another, Zhao Xiaomei thought she was about to start talking, but then she said, "Let me eat something first, and I'll tidy myself up."

One minute, three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, Zhao Xiaomei watched as the dishes were served one after another, while Liu Chaoque and Mu Li ate slowly.

But she didn't say a word. No matter how anxious Zhao Xiaomei was, her repeated delays wore her down.

Finally, after twenty minutes, all the dishes were served. Liu Chaoque went to close the door, sat back down, looked at the table full of food, and said casually, "Are you calm now?"

Zhao Xiaomei nodded subconsciously.

"That's good." She placed a piece of chicken in Zhao Xiaomei's bowl. "Let's eat and chat now."

She picked up a piece of fish, put it in her mouth, and chewed it. Well, the fish was a bit fishy and didn't look very fresh. She frowned in disgust, swallowed it, and said, "First of all, we need to be clear that Wu Sifeng is innocent. She is not an accomplice, much less a principal offender. Although I don't know how she got there or why she thought of smashing the aquarium's glass, I can confirm one thing: when Wu Sifeng was talking to me, she didn't show much antisocial behavior."

Even when she talked about her great white shark friend, she didn't seem to harbor much resentment. Plus, she mentioned not having been to the aquarium in a long time. How could she have planned this beforehand? The most important question is, why would she create this incident while we were playing together? She should have known that if she broke that glass, we would all drown, right? On this point, Liu Chaoque was certain that it wasn't her own choice: "It's impossible that you all offended her, is it?"

Zhao Yuhan shook her head frantically, and Zhao Xiaomei also felt that this matter was very strange: "Sifeng is a cowardly and timid person. It is unbelievable that she would do such a thing. Moreover, she is not that strong. Even if it was a special situation, it is impossible for her to be strong enough to break things."

“And we were with her. If she was just pretending so well, then we would accept it. But we’ve been friends for over ten years, and the pretense has become the reality.” Zhao Xiaomei said, “Then why did she explode today? Could it be because we went to the White Shark Aquarium?”

“Oh right.” Liu Chaoque leaned forward curiously: “How did Wu Sifeng disappear back then? Tell me about it.”

"Actually, we didn't know at the time either. After Sifeng came into contact with a great white shark, she panicked and ran away." Zhao Xiaomei suddenly thought, "That's not right. Logically speaking, we all have animal communication skills, so how come we didn't hear what that great white shark was saying? It's impossible that there's a barrier between marine animals and land animals, right?"

Liu Chaoque nodded thoughtfully: "Hey, so when we went to the aquarium, didn't you hear the fish and jellyfish talking to each other?"

Zhao Yuhan and Zhao Xiaomei exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison: "No."

"Hey, I'm starting to find this strange. I used to be able to hear the fish screaming when I went to the market, which scared me so much that I didn't dare to eat fish or chicken anymore. But now when I go to the aquarium, I can't hear anything except the sounds of the tourists. I initially thought it was because there were too many tourists when we came in, and their voices drowned out the sounds of the marine animals. But when we're alone in one of the exhibits, we still can't hear any sounds. That's a bit strange," Zhao Yuhan nodded and said.

“I just acquired this skill, and I didn’t think of it for a moment. It’s strange that Yuhan, who has been through so much, didn’t think of it either,” Zhao Xiaomei nodded.

“I can make a bold guess that someone has blocked your cheat codes, preventing you from hearing the communication between Sifeng and the white shark,” Liu Chaoque analyzed. “If only one white shark can’t hear it, you’ll find it strange. But if none of the fish in the entire aquarium can hear it, you might overlook the white shark’s abnormality, or even subconsciously forget it. Or perhaps the person behind it all is targeting Wu Sifeng.”

She said, "After all, only Wu Sifeng can understand the sound of the white shark without that white shark ornament. Perhaps it wasn't by chance that you entered the store, but rather that someone was setting a trap to lure Sifeng and take you along as well."

Liu Chaoque tapped his head: "It's my fault for thinking out of habit and misinterpreting the cause-and-effect relationship. Otherwise, we should have been able to prepare an early warning system."

Mu Li, who had been silent until now, finally raised his head and said, "If someone really did get Si Feng involved, it would have been either today or in the future, and the result would still be the same. You don't need to blame yourself too much."

He picked up a handful of greens for her and told her to eat well and not to think about these things.

Looking at the lush, tender green vegetables piled on top of the rice, Liu Chaoque swallowed hard. She immediately got to work on the rice, crunching the vegetables with gusto.

"What do we do now?" Liu Chaoque was busy eating, and Zhao Xiaomei looked to Mu Li for help, her eyes filled with worry for her friend, with no trace of shyness.

"Well, one way is to check the surveillance footage to see if Wu Sifeng did anything unusual before breaking the glass. Another way is to... confirm who gave Wu Sifeng the shovel."

You need the aquarium owner's cooperation. You can't reveal that you are Sifeng's friends. The owner hates the culprit who destroyed his aquarium. If you reveal your identity, he definitely won't let you go to see it. He's also afraid that you might want to protect her.

The best way was to pretend to be a victim, hoping to find more evidence that Wu Sifeng was the murderer, in order to vent his anger.

“Or… the mermaid sister could also be a breakthrough,” he suddenly said.

"Cough cough." Liu Chaoque coughed a few times, almost choking on the soup, and everyone looked at her.

"Mermaid? You mean the young lady who saved so many people?" She asked, feigning composure. "But how are you going to find her? You're saying you want to check the security footage to thank her in person? Isn't that repaying kindness with enmity?"

"Why are you reacting so strongly?" Mu Li narrowed her eyes: "Could it be... that person is you?"

Liu Chaoque smiled, kicked Mu Li's foot, and said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "If you know, just keep it to yourself and don't say it out loud."

So, Siman is actually a fish? Wow! Why didn't I, the cat, notice? He couldn't believe it—a cat that didn't recognize a fish? Should he and Xiao Hei both be expelled from the cat race?

"Achoo!" Mo Yun, who was at home developing new dishes, sneezed unexpectedly. Looking at what was cooking in the pot, she was glad it was for her to eat... but she still felt disgusted.

In the end, he couldn't overcome his inner resistance and boiled the chicken soup again with water: "It's definitely not as good as the first time I cooked it."

He smacked his lips.