After finishing the conversation with the assistant, Jian Jing reorganized the case again.
Now, the cause of Shao ng's death had beco very clear: he was frightened to death. What shocked him should be the hallucinations caused by ningitis. Going further back, it was why he was infected with ningitis.
ningitis is usually caused by viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms.
Up to this point, it was actually close to an accident. The only thing that caught her attention was Tao Actress. She and Shao ng got sick one after the other, and both had hallucinations. Were they related?
If so, it would be related to The Great Song Detective from ten years ago.
According to Xie Wei's account, Shao ng and Tao Peach t each other ten years ago due to an accident, and fell in love. And ten years ago in The Great Song Detective, there had been several accidents.
After that, Xie Wei's career went downhill, but Shao ng and Tao Peach beca hugely popular.
Xue Xiaosheng ntioned "little ghosts", and Shao ng's assistant directly pointed out the key.
Borrowing luck.
Xie Wei ntioned "luck" several tis. He said many people said he was very lucky to beco so popular.
Could he have already known what Shao ng did?
Jian Jing thought for a long ti, and called He Daoist again to ask: "Daoist, do you know borrowing luck?"
He Daoist asked: "Which borrowing luck? The living borrowing the living, or the living borrowing the dead?"
"There was soone who was supposed to beco popular nationwide, but his luck got snatched by soone else. He didn't beco popular, the other person who borrowed his luck did." Jian Jing inevitably spoke with so hesitation as she didn't believe in these things.
Unexpectedly, He Daoist fell silent for a mont and asked in a low voice: "Where did you hear this from?"
She was taken aback: "Is there really sothing like this?"
"Luck is a very uncertain thing. You can't prove its existence, nor can you prove its nonexistence. It can also be explained from a psychological perspective, it just depends on whether you believe it or not."
"Do you believe it, Daoist?"
He Daoist thought for a while, but said: "I know similar examples."
Jian Jing beca interested and asked him to elaborate.
"In fact, what you said is not called borrowing luck, it's called stealing luck. There is a saying that deceiving heaven and changing luck, killing people and stealing their lifespan. Borrowing lifespan ans giving soone else's remaining lifespan to another person. The person who got borrowed from loses lifespan and dies, right?" He Daoist was professional and knowledgeable, "Stealing luck is different. It ans stealing soone's fortune, for example soone was supposed to get rich, destined to be a billionaire, but his luck got stolen, so he couldn't get rich anymore."
Jian Jing: Is this real?
He Daoist continued: "However, whether it's borrowing lifespan or luck, they don't belong to you, it's impossible to get an exact copy transferred over. If you steal 10 years of soone's lifespan, you only get 1 or 2 years for yourself. When ti's up, not only do you have to return everything, but you also have to pay the price."
This was similar to what the assistant said.
Jian Jing thought: "Then, what characteristics would soone who has done this have?"
"Generally there would be taboos, but it varies depending on the person who did it." He Daoist answered and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Why, have you co across so evil witchcraft again?"
Jian Jing smiled wryly: "I guess so. Daoist, I'll send you a picture, see if you recognize what it is."
She sent over the tattoo pattern on Tao Actress's body.
He Daoist took a quick look and laughed: "Don't you recognize this bird? It's a red-footed falcon, the 'cuckoo' in the idiom 'A cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest'."
A cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest? That was practically spelling out the answer.
Jian Jing asked: "Does soone with this tattoo an they borrowed soone else's luck?"
"There's such a possibility." He Daoist pondered for a long ti and muttered, "This tattoo style looks familiar, I feel like I've seen it sowhere before."
Jian Jing: "Where?!"
He Daoist: "I can't rember."
Her: "..."
At the very least, it could be confird that Tao Actress, like Shao ng, was also soone who borrowed luck.
Whose luck did she borrow?
Considering the special 10-year ti fra and the low probability of becoming instantly popular, suspicion had to be cast on the sa person.
If Shao ng and Tao Peach borrowed Xie Wei's luck, and they were now first-line celebrities, how much more successful would Xie Wei himself have been?
Thinking this way, she involuntarily felt so sympathy.
—No, no.
Feudal superstition is unacceptable.
Jian Jing knocked on her head to get rid of the sympathy and continued thinking about the case.
The borrowing luck story didn't absolve Shao ng of the suspicion of being murdered. On the contrary, this beca Xie Wei's motive for murder.
If he knew what Shao ng and Tao Peach had done, he was very likely to redirect his resentnt from years of failure onto them, harboring hatred and seeking revenge.
This made complete sense.
The problem was the thod and process of the murder.
Jian Jing racked her brains for a long ti, but was still completely clueless.
At night, Liang Yi, who had returned, inford her of the latest news.
Tao Actress's test results were out. She didn't have ningitis, it was a ntal health issue.
Half a year ago, leaked photos caused her to suffer from depression. Her agency secretly sent her for treatnt, and she improved after a few months. But this ti, for so unknown reason, her condition worsened again, showing signs of schizophrenia, and needed continued observation.
Jian Jing asked: "Could any information be obtained from her?"
Liang Yi: "No."
The lead went cold.
Jian Jing also had to start doubting whether Tao Actress's sudden illness was a subsequent victim after Shao ng, or just a coincidence?
"Teacher Jingjing." Jiang Baiyan ca over hugging a cat. "Why are you still not resting?"
Jian Jing tilted her head and slumped on the table, frustrated. "No clues."
Jiang Baiyan said: "Is there anything I can help with?"
She sighed: "I want to know whether Shao ng died from an accident or murder."
Jiang Baiyan: "Er..."
"Or, was Tao Peach's sudden illness a coincidence, or was she another victim after Shao ng?" Jian Jing thought aloud, "Or the other way around, was Tao Peach the first victim? Who leaked her photos out?"
Jiang Baiyan knew this: "It was her previous manager. They had a fall out and he gave her photos to the paparazzi."
Jian Jing imdiately searched for the manager. This was Tao Actress's third managent agency in 10 years. The manager was an online marketing expert, and had no connection to Xie Wei.
How could this be? Was her luck really running out?
"System, please don't give missions about taphysics anymore." She muttered to herself.
[System: Please do your best to complete the mission. If you encounter difficulties, you can use the draw card system. This system is at your service.]
Jian Jing sighed again. She wouldn't draw cards if she could avoid it. Using the draw whenever she encountered problems would greatly diminish the joy of solving mysteries.
Seeing her still frowning worriedly, Jiang Baiyan recalled sothing and hesitantly said: "Last night, I saw Zhang Xi talking with Sister Tao."
"When?" Jian Jing imdiately sat up straight.
"Last night." He lowered his voice. "Zhang Xi said she had sothing to discuss, and pulled Sister Tao to the hot springs."
Jian Jing supported her chin in thought. After a while, she suddenly got up: "Thank you, I have sothing to do, good night."
Jiang Baiyan reminded her that since she couldn't find a breakthrough with Xie Wei and Tao Peach, she should try Zhang Xi. But her mouth was tight, she had to think carefully about how to pry it open.
*
Zhang's full na was Zhang Xi. After graduating from secondary vocational school, she started working as a nurse at a hospital. At that ti, she was already the hospital's beauty due to her exquisite looks. Even the director's son was pursuing her.
If there hadn't been that accident on the set of The Great Song Detective, she might have chosen one of her many suitors to beco a leisurely rich housewife, or switched careers to the costic surgery industry and started her own business as a rich woman.
But fate works in such mysterious ways. She chose to join the entertainnt industry and beco an actress instead.
Unfortunately, after 7-8 years in the industry, she was still neither hot nor cold.
Would luck finally smile upon her this ti?
Zhang Xi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
She was startled: "Who is it?"
"Ms. Zhang, it's ." Jian Jing said.
Zhang Xi hesitated. Before the case happened, she felt Jian Jing was just a simple young girl, aloof from worldly affairs, a bit prideful, but easy to coax. But after the case, her bearing changed, becoming keen and persistent, which made people afraid.
"Can you open the door?" the person outside asked.
Zhang Xi took a deep breath, knowing she couldn't avoid this or it would be even more troubleso.
"Ms. Jian." She opened the door, puzzled. "It's so late, do you need sothing?"
Jian Jing smiled gently, "I want to soak in a hot spring, but it's so late that I'm afraid to go alone. Could you go with ?"
Zhang Xi was relieved that it was just soaking in a hot spring. Of course she wouldn't miss this chance to curry favor. She said gently, "No problem, I'll co right away."
She changed into a swimsuit and went to the pool wrapped in a bathrobe.
Jian Jing was already in the pool. She waved a can of cold beer at her, "Want so?"
"Sure." Zhang Xi was used to drinking socially, so she readily agreed.
The warm pool and cool beer slowly lowered her guard.
Jian Jing said, "At this ti two days ago, it was still lively next door. Now..." She shook her head with a sigh, "Shao ng beca popular just a few months ago, yet this is how it ended up."
Following her lead, Zhang Xi said, "Yeah, life is unpredictable. Who could've thought?"
"Demon 2 doesn't know what to do now." Jian Jing's pit-digging skills were becoming more and more polished. "The audience might not accept a different actor."
Zhang Xi bit her lip, then suddenly said, "Xie Wei acts better than Shao ng. If it was him, there definitely wouldn't be a problem."
Jian Jing pretended to be ignorant about show business and asked, "But I heard nowadays TV shows don't care as much about acting skills. More popular actors are more useful. Xie Wei isn't very popular, is he?"
If it was about the case, Zhang Xi would be more guarded. But discussing a circle she was familiar with but the other wasn't naturally made her feel safer.
She had a chance to get closer, so she hinted, "Xie Wei just had bad luck. If he could act in Demon 2, he'd definitely be more popular than now."
Jian Jing looked unbelieving.
"I heard, I heard people say Xie Wei has the fortune to beco very popular and successful," Zhang Xi said. "It's just that petty people sabotaged him before, which kept him from becoming popular. He just lacks one opportunity."
She tried hard to persuade, "Teacher Jian, you saw Xie Wei's performance today too. Of all the actors I've worked with, he's absolutely one of the best."
Jian Jing sighed, hesitating as if she wanted to say sothing.
After a long ti, she avoided the topic and asked, "Ms. Zhang, let's not talk about him. Tell about you - how did you get to know Boss Wan? He said such offensive things that day. Are you...alright?"
Zhang Xi was startled, and calmly said, "I'm already used to it."
"He doesn't respect you at all," Jian Jing consoled like a friend. "What's good about a boyfriend like that? You're so pretty, why would you have trouble finding soone else? How long have you known each other?"
The earlier words confused Zhang Xi, and she answered, "Ten years."
The sa as the leaked post said. Jian Jing's heart steadied. She pretended to be curious, "Ten years? So you knew him when you were a nurse?"
"Yeah, our relationship also has feelings," Zhang Xi instinctively avoided this topic. "He always supported and gave many opportunities, but unfortunately my fortune isn't great either."
She tentatively asked, "Teacher Jian, do you think I can play Mrs. He?"
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