“Are you sure you can’t find Shen Qian on the Student Registration Network?”
As Cui Leilei spoke, he felt as though he could barely breathe. He even found himself instinctively drawing in huge gulps of air, his mind filled with scene after scene from the book, Shen Qian repeatedly using his talent to slap people in the face, while various official social media accounts stepped forward to back him up.
“Stone, what’s wrong?” Xu Congcong watched the sudden change in Cui Leilei’s complexion. As the name Shen Qian echoed in his mind, a dark and sinister glint flashed rapidly through his eyes, though that trace of hostility vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
He smiled as he stepped forward and gently patted Cui Leilei on the head. His eyes held a trace of reverence, entirely free of any desire or lust. There was only nervousness in them, along with the fear that Cui Leilei’s skin hunger disorder might suddenly flare up.
“Nothing. It’s just… it’s just strange.” Cui Leilei drew in several harsh breaths before saying, “The Student Registration Network contains the academic records of every student in the country, including all the educational information of overseas students. No matter how poor they are, every student in Huaxia has to complete nine years of compulsory education, right?”
After saying this, Cui Leilei pressed his lips together tightly and forced himself to stand upright. His figure was as straight as a drawn sword, radiating a sharp edge as he turned toward the King of Paparazzi and demanded, “You’d better guarantee that the information you found is accurate!”
When the King of Paparazzi encountered Cui Leilei’s sharp gaze sweeping toward him, eyes as cutting as a blade, his body suddenly stiffened.
If he were to be honest with himself, had he not received the favor of the Xu family’s old master, he probably would not even have bothered with two wealthy young masters. But he had never expected that Cui Leilei, the beloved treasure of the Cui family and the Peacock Little Minghuang who was widely known throughout Yancheng’s upper-class circles, could also reveal such sharp claws, enough to make people instinctively feel intimidated.
While inwardly marveling at this discovery, the King of Paparazzi drew upon his professional investigative instincts and corrected him in a measured, methodical tone. “Second Young Master Cui, as long as a student holds Chinese nationality, their information can naturally be verified through the Student Registration Network.”
Upon receiving such a firm and decisive response, Cui Leilei instinctively curled his fingers. After a long moment of silence, he spoke in a deep voice. “The educational records might be incorrect. Hurry up and check how many people with the surname Shen and the given name Qian are registered in the system.”
Seeing that Cui Leilei’s emotions had finally settled, Xu Congcong immediately gave the King of Paparazzi a meaningful look.
The King of Paparazzi understood and calmly began his report. “You’re Young Master Xu’s friend, and you’re doing this out of kindness to help sponsor students, so naturally, I took extra care to handle the matter thoroughly. Although I couldn’t find anyone who matched the information you provided, there are a total of 168,596 people across the country who share the exact same name. After excluding women, there are still 156,893 men. However…”
He paused, suppressing the confusion that had been building in his heart, before continuing in an utterly composed voice. “Since you met the other party online, we can’t rule out the possibility that the person is a woman. If you have any additional information, give me a week, and I can screen every single one of them individually.”
He deliberately emphasized the word online, practically itching to say outright: Just give me the ID. I’ll trace the IP address!
As those words reached his ears, Cui Leilei’s hand slowly tightened into a fist.
The more Cui Leilei came to understand the real world or rather, the rules and common sense governing it, the more things like trust funds and the Student Registration Network appeared, as though someone had suddenly handed him a hammer capable of smashing the very concept of transmigration into pieces.
The seemingly logical and satisfying plotlines of the novel began to crumble apart.
After all, compared with something as scientifically inexplicable as transmigrating into a book, he placed far greater faith in the policies and laws of his own country.
Shen Qian might be powerful beyond the heavens. Shen Qian’s admirers might be powerful beyond the heavens, too. But surely this entire group of protagonists still had to abide by the law, right?
As he pondered this, Cui Leilei kept his face tense, trying his best to appear somewhat wise and calculating. Drawing upon the life experience he had accumulated over two lifetimes, he asked, “What if the name is wrong? What if the other person has an alias or used to go by a different name?”
The moment the King of Paparazzi heard this, his eyelids twitched sharply twice. A vague sense of foreboding suddenly rose within him.
Sure enough, he saw Cui Leilei’s eyes begin to shine with an eerie, peculiar light as he continued, “Use my standards as a reference. Find someone who’s about as good-looking as me.”
The King of Paparazzi: “…………”
The King of Paparazzi quietly raised his head and stared at the handsome Cui Leilei. He took several deep breaths, one after another, forcing himself to calm down. Otherwise, he was afraid he might end up punching his financial backer in the head and turning him into an actual idiot.
Xu Congcong, who had been listening to this, immediately ruffled Cui Leilei’s hair with a smack. Wearing an expressionless face, he said, “Stone, explain to me exactly why you want to find this person. Otherwise, I’m going straight to the police and asking the officers to come and find him! All they need to do is investigate your computer thoroughly. Even if the other party has hidden their IP address with encryption and the cyber police can’t track them down, I’ll hire a computer expert for the police station to handle it.”
By the time he finished speaking, Xu Congcong made no attempt to conceal the anger he had been suppressing. He waved his hand, signaling for the King of Paparazzi to leave first, then fixed Cui Leilei with a wary stare, his eyes locked firmly onto his friend’s.
Cui Leilei remained completely motionless. He didn’t dare let his gaze drift, nor did he dare move his eyes around in a guilty manner.
Their gazes collided in midair. Neither of them was willing to look away first, and the two of them remained locked in a silent confrontation. In an instant, the entire room seemed to fill with a murderous, oppressive atmosphere.
The King of Paparazzi’s eyes darted rapidly between the two of them. Yet he made no attempt to mediate or smooth things over. Instead, he swiftly turned around and left, afraid that he might accidentally overhear some earth-shattering secret.
No one knew how much time had passed before Cui Leilei heard the sound of the door closing behind him.
Click.
It was a very soft sound, but to him, with his nerves stretched taut to their absolute limit, it was no less terrifying than a sudden summer thunderclap. It carried the overwhelming might of thunder and lightning, striking him with an oppressive sense of intimidation.
But how could he possibly tell Xu Congcong that he had dreamed he was a vicious villain in a novel, a character who served as a source of lowered intelligence for the entire plot? That not only his family but even his friends had been dragged into the mess, ultimately suffering the destruction of their homes and families?
Besides, he still hadn’t undergone the paternity test.
Cui Leilei’s lips opened and closed several times. After a long struggle, he finally spoke, his voice as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito.
“Congcong, will you believe me and help me find this person? Please? My purpose in finding him is actually very simple. I just want to confirm something. I want to find out whether I’m mentally ill.”
He spoke the final three words one by one, each of them carrying an exceptionally solemn weight.
Xu Congcong had never expected to hear such a reason. His entire body tensed up.
“What did you say?!”
“I feel like I might have gone crazy. All sorts of strange, jumbled-up images keep appearing in my mind.” Cui Leilei began explaining, half-truthfully and half-deceptively.
His eyes remained fixed on Xu Congcong’s face without blinking, desperately attempting to get away with his explanation by acting pitiful. “It feels like I’m having nightmares, but at the same time, those dreams feel incredibly real. I even went to see a neurologist because of it, but I still can’t shake this inexplicable worry. That’s why I want to find Shen Qian. I want to use him as a way to prove that I’m not actually sick.”
Xu Congcong felt a loud buzz explode inside his head. His entire mind was thrown into chaos, leaving him utterly flustered. He cautiously raised his hand and touched the back of Cui Leilei’s head, his face flushing red with anxiety.
“Is… is this because of the blow you received back then? Is it possible that the aftereffects are only showing up now?”
Seeing the worry and even regret in his friend’s eyes, Cui Leilei hurriedly shook his head.
“No. Doctor Ji even said my brain is perfectly fine and told me not to use that old illness as an excuse. There are no aftereffects. I’ve already gone to the hospital for an examination. Really, my dad even accompanied me to get scans.”
Hearing this, Xu Congcong instinctively rubbed his own heart, then hurriedly reached out to rub Cui Leilei’s head as well. He asked with extreme caution, “Really? Then why are you calling yourself mentally ill for no reason?”
“Baidu says so!” Cui Leilei immediately shifted the blame without the slightest hesitation. “Hallucinations, nervousness, excessive dreaming… That’s definitely a sign that something’s wrong with me.”
Xu Congcong ground his teeth as he stared at Cui Leilei upon hearing such an explanation.
Yet Cui Leilei remained completely unfazed. He nodded with absolute conviction.
“Better to believe it than to dismiss it and regret it later.”
As he watched the determined light burst forth from Cui Leilei’s eyes while he spoke, Xu Congcong unexpectedly found himself thinking back to the past.
He remembered how, back then, Cui Leilei had relied on nothing more than his so-called intuition to conclude that Xu Congcong wasn’t a bad school bully and had boldly chosen to stand beside him and fight.
One memory after another flashed through his mind.
All the words of doubt and questioning that had been about to leave his mouth became lodged in his throat, leaving him unable to say a single one of them.
Pressing down on the veins throbbing angrily at his temples, Xu Congcong let out a heavy sigh and offered some friendly advice. “Why don’t you try using a different browsing app?”
“…Are you even my best friend? Can’t you find a few more reliable private investigators and help me search for a needle in a haystack?” Cui Leilei countered, his tone so righteous and indignant that he sounded as though he had every reason in the world to make such a demand.
Hearing him speak with such an overbearing CEO-like air, Xu Congcong instead felt relieved. He collapsed backward onto the sofa with an utterly lifeless expression and said coolly, “How about I just buy you a trending search and pin it to the top?”
“That works, too! Put that domineering CEO charm of yours to good use, the wild, arrogant, devilishly handsome kind.” Cui Leilei agreed without the slightest hesitation. “Get all those top-tier movie stars and award-winning actresses from your family’s entertainment company to repost it. Or should I make up a tear-jerking story to make it easier for them to share?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Congcong straightened his back and stared at Cui Leilei with a deep gaze.
“You’re serious?”
Cui Leilei nodded.
“I’ll find two more private investigators for you. If we still can’t find any information about Shen Qian on the Student Registration Network…” Xu Congcong looked at Cui Leilei, who was clearly determined to use this search to prove that he wasn’t suffering from a mental illness, and without the slightest hesitation, decided to drag his own father into the mess.
“I’ll toss the information into the harem group chat. My dad’s first, second, and third wives, who knows, they might already be gnashing their teeth in fury the moment they see the message. Getting them to look for someone will definitely be faster than us doing it ourselves.”
His father, Xu Jun, had been blessed with an excellent birth, impressive abilities, and a handsome face. The women surrounding him had never been in short supply. Within the Xu Corporation’s entertainment empire, he practically lived like an emperor. He might not have three thousand beauties in his harem, but he did have three women.
“Oh, right! I remember that one movie queen and one television queen were fighting tooth and nail for the position of Madam Xu. They were really going all out.” Upon hearing this, Cui Leilei fell silent for three seconds before letting out a mischievous chuckle.
If the plot of the transmigration novel was truly real, then the son of the movie queen, the domineering CEO Xu Zhengzheng, was one of Shen Qian’s admirers.
He was also one of the people who benefited from the Xu family.
In that case, he might as well use magic to defeat magic and make the members of the protagonist group search for the protagonist themselves.
And so, Cui Leilei felt entirely at ease as he discussed with Xu Congcong and the King of Paparazzi how they could search for Shen Qian in the vast sea of humanity. Once they had finalized a whole series of plans for locating him, Cui Leilei casually used “mental illness” as an excuse and lowered his voice.
“Buddy, I want to use your family’s mess as a reason to make a trip to the neighboring city of Hangcheng. I want to secretly go and pay my respects to Buddha. You know my brother doesn’t allow me to follow our parents in engaging in feudal superstitions, but I’d feel a little more at ease if I could go and worship Buddha.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Congcong didn’t give it much thought. He simply waved his hand.
“Of course you can. We’re brothers, aren’t we? No need to be so polite with me. But I don’t believe in Buddha, so I won’t accompany you. Make sure you bring your bodyguards and stay safe.”
Cui Leilei excitedly threw his arms around Xu Congcong and hugged him.
“Thanks, good brother! I definitely won’t cause you trouble in the future. I’ll make sure you live a happy life with me for the rest of our lives.”
Xu Congcong smiled and returned the hug, his gaze firm and resolute.
“Even if you do cause me trouble, it doesn’t matter.”
Hearing those rare words, spoken with such gentleness and certainty, Cui Leilei lowered his eyes in shame.
He absolutely, positively could not become a vicious villain who dragged every relative and friend who loved and cared for him into misery!
=======
After bidding farewell to his friend, Cui Leilei slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and walked away with an air of mystery, already making plans for his trip to the Hangcheng Judicial Appraisal Center.
Whether he traveled by high-speed rail, long-distance bus, or taxi, traces of his movements would inevitably be left behind. Therefore, Cui Leilei simply decided to take the high-speed train with his personal bodyguard, Lin Yue.
With an air of secrecy, he issued a stern warning in a low voice.
“Make use of your professional ethics. Whatever you see from this point onward, you are not allowed to tell my parents or my eldest brother. After all, Congcong trusts me enough to entrust me with this major and important task. It also involves the Xu family’s complicated family relationships. Understand?”
Lin Yue, an honest and straightforward man, thought about the Xu family’s complicated household relationships and solemnly nodded.
Seeing this, Cui Leilei nodded in satisfaction before asking, “Can your card withdraw cash?”
Originally, he had planned to sell some secondhand luxury goods to obtain cash. Unfortunately, the former Cui Leilei had been far too extravagant. Everything he purchased had been a limited edition, and most of the items even carried his own exclusive Little Stone logo. If he sold them, anyone with ulterior motives could easily investigate the transactions afterward.
Therefore, he had adjusted his battle plan and decided to drag his friend into the mess instead.
After all, the old Xu family was an absolute disaster.
If he used Xu Congcong’s name to conduct the paternity test, nobody would become suspicious. The Xu family frequently conducted paternity tests anyway.
Ever since illegitimate children had also become eligible to inherit property, the reputation of that scumbag Xu Jun’s womanizing nature had spread far and wide. As a result, more and more people came looking for him, whether to make him take responsibility for a child or to deliberately create trouble and extort him.
Some people had even abandoned the last shred of shame they possessed.
So, the whole thing made perfect sense.
Lin Yue nodded. “Yes, I can.”
“I’ll transfer the money to you. Go and withdraw one hundred thousand yuan as soon as possible. If my brother checks the accounts afterward and asks about it, tell him you withdrew the money to put into a donation box for merit. After all, donating merit money while worshipping Buddha is very common.”
Cui Leilei happily arranged everything, his plan becoming more and more satisfying the longer he thought about it. “The appraisal fee should be around ten thousand yuan. I’ll give you ten thousand as a tip, and we’ll donate the remaining eighty thousand. Just thinking about the plan makes me feel like everything is perfect.”
“Young Master, I don’t need a tip. This is what I’m supposed to do.”
“You do need it. Otherwise, Congcong won’t feel reassured, and he might even get angry. Just take the money when I give it to you.” After saying this, Cui Leilei’s expression turned stern.
