How to become an ACE of a top boy group

The scene shifts to an antique-style room with a large wooden round table, on which are set nine wine cups and delicacies.

Gu Minxing sat in the center, dressed in a red official robe and hat. Later, the caption read, "MC, Magistrate Gu".

Then Zhang Shuaizhen entered, dressed in gorgeous brocade robes, with the words "Antique Zhang" written on them later.

Zhang Shuaizhen looked at the layout with curiosity, then looked at her clothes and said, "Wow, I'm dressed so elegantly, and this place is so elegant too."

He greeted Gu Minxing at the table, "Brother Minxing! What are we doing today?"

"There are identification cards on the table. You can look at pages one through ten of the script to learn about your identity. Don't turn the pages after that," Gu Minxing pointed to Zhang Shuaizhen's seat.

"Oh! Isn't this a murder mystery game?" Zhang Shuaizhen picked up his identity card. "Antique Zhang? Does that mean he buys antiques?"

He turned to the first page of his script, “A wealthy antique dealer. Wow, no wonder I’m dressed so elegantly.”

“Then what are the identities of the others?” Zhang Shuaizhen stood up and looked at the identity cards around him one by one. “An Shusheng, Boss Qin, Ye Minhu, Night Watchman Li, Fortune Teller Song, Constable Chen, Hunter Lu—haha, Lu Yun is finally going to be inferior to me!”

"Brother Minxing, who are you?"

"I am the MC, the magistrate in charge of the case."

Zhang Shuaizhen instantly got into character, shaking hands with Gu Minxing with a fawning expression and saying, "Oh, Magistrate Gu! Lord Gu! It's been a long time. I'll be counting on your help later."

“This matter is too big for me to handle; it must be done officially.” Gu Minxing also got into character and said seriously, “Your suspicion still depends on you to clear your name.”

"What are you talking about?"

Lu Yun, Ye Zhixi, and Li Longxuan, dressed in civilian clothes, walked in. When Lu Yun saw Zhang Shuaizhen trying to get close to them, he immediately went over and stood between the two of them, asking, "What do you mean? Trying to get close to me? Trying to form an alliance?"

"What 'trying to get close'? This is just business dealings between people. Take a look at your own status, you hunter Lu. Who gave you the right to interrupt?" Zhang Shuzhen threw Lu Yun's identity card at him and said smugly, "Well, finally! Finally!"

"What are you, Antique Zhang?" Lu Yun snatched Zhang Shuzhen's identity card and said, "Haha, don't rush, I'll get you a Robin Hood-style story later."

"Hey! Join me in robbing the rich to help the poor! We've been brothers for so many years, Zhang the Antique Collector, how could you get rich all by yourself!" Ye Zhixi also joined in and started arguing with them.

Lee Yong-hyun sat down in his seat, picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of meat, only to find it was fake; all the food on the table was plastic. He frowned.

"Alright, stop playing around. Sit down in your seats corresponding to your ID cards and read your scripts." Gu Minxing had to take charge. "No horseplay allowed."

An Kexin, dressed as a scholar, Chen Zui, dressed as a constable, and Song Chuchu, dressed as a fortune teller, also walked in. The three of them, looking bewildered, took their seats under Gu Minxing's arrangement.

With Qin Feng, who was dressed equally richly, arriving last, everyone was finally present.

Once everyone was clear about their identities, MC Gu stood up and began to preside over the event, saying, "Welcome everyone to my banquet. I invited Mr. Qin and you all here today because the authorities have found a new and important lead in the murder and theft case in the city."

"The mystery of the death of tomb raider Zhang San and the disappearance of the antique vase worth tens of millions that he stole," Gu Minxing slammed his hand on the table, "can be resolved today."

“Everyone here is closely related to this case, but you may not have met each other before. Please introduce yourselves to each other first so you can get to know each other.”

The other eight people opened the scripts in front of them and began to read.

Qin Feng, the owner of this restaurant, spoke first in turn, saying, "I am the owner of this restaurant."

“Zhang San stayed at my hotel the night he died, but I knew nothing about the antique vase or Zhang San. The officials searched the place but found nothing. I am completely innocent.”

Gu Minxing asked, "But when the authorities searched you, why did you try to hide it and refuse to let them pass, insisting on delaying until a day later?"

Qin Feng explained, "That's because I was afraid the search would affect the store's business."

Zhang Shuaizhen, who identifies himself as "Antique Zhang," said, "This is your off-season, you don't have any customers at all. I think you're the one who took the vase."

"How can you say that without any evidence? The vase was on Zhang San. He didn't die in my hotel. He took the vase out with him. How could I take it?"

"Please let Hunter Lu speak."

Lu Yun said, "I am a hunter, Zhang San's brother-in-law. That day, I went to the city with Zhang San to sell the furs I hunted. The night Zhang San died, I fell asleep at Boss Qin's hotel and knew nothing about it."

An Shusheng said, “I am a scholar, and I was staying at the antique Zhang’s Treasure Pavilion. Antique Zhang is my cousin. I did talk to Zhang San on the day of the appraisal event, wanting to buy his treasures, but I wasn’t the only one asking about the price. I did go to the restaurant to find Zhang San that evening, but we couldn’t agree on the price, so I came back. Later, I went to a book club, and my teachers and classmates can all testify to that.”

Ye Minhu said, "I am an ordinary family. Zhang San died outside my yard when I was asleep. I only found out about Zhang San's death when the yamen officials came at dawn."

Gu Minxing said, "But the investigation by the authorities revealed that your neighbors all said they heard loud cries for help that night. However, because it was outside your yard, and your neighbors said you are a light sleeper and you don't like people coming near your yard, no one went over. It was so loud, did you really not hear it?"

"I..." Ye Zhixi paused for a moment and explained, "I did hear the sounds of fighting, but I was too scared to go out and see. I was afraid of people dying. Didn't I immediately report it to the authorities? What if the thief came to my house if I went out? I did report it to the authorities the next day."

Ye Zhixi's next victim was Zhang Shuaizhen. Zhang, the antique dealer, said, "I organized the appraisal event. I am a well-known antique dealer here, and my cousin and I did want to buy Zhang San's treasure. However, Zhang San's treasure was stolen and was not a legitimate antique. He also asked for an exorbitant price, so I didn't buy it at the time. Later, I negotiated the price with him and even paid him half of the money. But then he died, and the vase disappeared. I am the one who is wronged. I am the one who most wants to find the vase and the murderer!"

Gu Minxing asked, "Boss Qin said that you also hired someone to threaten Zhang San and cause trouble at the restaurant?"

Zhang Shuaizhen quickly recovered and explained, "I did have someone threaten Zhang San, just to scare him and get him to lower his price. After he reported it to the authorities, I stopped contacting him. I don't know about my cousin going to see him. Besides, I wasn't in the city the night Zhang San died. I went to Mazhen next door to discuss business, and many people can testify to that."

“Look!” Zhang Shuaizhen tried his best to prove himself, “Later, Zhang San took the initiative to ask me to sell it to me. I agreed with Zhang San to buy it, and I had already paid half of the deposit. I was just waiting to exchange money for goods. I don’t need money, so why would I kill him?”

Night watchman Li Longxuan read from the script: "I am the night watchman. I discovered Zhang San at the hour of Yin... four in the morning. He had nothing on him, his clothes were open, and there was no vase. Before that, I had seen a fortune teller leave from there, acting suspiciously."

"What? How could you drag me into this to clear yourself of suspicion!" Fortune teller Song Chuchu protested. "I am a fortune teller. I just closed up shop a little late that night. I've never seen or know Zhang San!"