Chapter Seventy-Eight: Ban Qianqian's Deception Exposed

Liu Ziyuan was a bona fide county magistrate. If he were assassinated, the prefectural authorities would dispatch formidable constables to investigate. Those constables had all sorts of investigative methods, and if Chen Hao acted personally, there was a high chance he would be found out. Assassinating an official of the imperial court was tantamount to treason; Chen Hao, who was preparing to enter the military academy, absolutely could not afford to land on the authorities' blacklist. If Liu Ziyuan was to be killed, a different approach was necessary.

During the interrogation, one of the constables mentioned that Liu Ziyuan only visited his concubine, whom he kept in a separate residence, once a month. With such a young and beautiful woman living like a widow in all but name, could she really endure such loneliness?

If a handsome, wealthy, and charming youth were sent to seduce Liu Ziyuan’s concubine, and the two became entangled in a passionate affair, then were told that Liu Ziyuan had discovered their secret, what would happen? As a dignified county official, Liu Ziyuan’s concubine and her secret lover would have no choice but to take desperate measures to save their lives...

Chen Hao, having mastered the skill of manipulating others to do his bidding, suddenly thought of this plan during the interrogation—perhaps a subtle nudge from the system. The probability of success was high, and he would bear no risk himself, provided he could first learn where Liu Ziyuan’s concubine resided.

However, with no spies in the government office and Liu Ziyuan’s affairs kept extremely secret, Chen Hao had yet to discover her whereabouts. After learning that Huang Batian’s sister was the very concubine in question, finding her became much easier. With a little money, he could hire an NPC to seduce Huang Batian’s sister and set in motion his plan to kill with a borrowed knife.

Chen Hao still had to pay attention to one crucial detail: if he hired an NPC to seduce Huang Batian’s sister and this led to Liu Ziyuan’s murder, and the investigating NPC constables were particularly skilled, they might trace the mastermind back to him after interrogating the murderers. He would still end up on the authorities’ blacklist.

To ensure absolute safety, Chen Hao could not act in person; he needed a player to act as his proxy and hire the NPC, or to put it bluntly, he needed someone else to take the fall. Even if the authorities traced it to that player and the player tried to accuse Chen Hao of masterminding the scheme, NPCs would never believe a player’s testimony.

No matter the system of government, being blacklisted by the authorities in the early stages was never a good thing. Chen Hao had six remarkable companions who could help him, but he would never frame his own friends. If he had to find a scapegoat without feeling guilty, only one person came to mind...

Noticing that nearly a day had passed in the game and almost six hours had gone by in reality, Chen Hao logged out. Just as he took off his gaming helmet, Ban Qianqian beside him also exited the game. She giggled and said, “Chen Hao, it seems our minds are really connected! Why don't we stop pretending to be a couple and actually start dating?”

Catching the cashier at the internet café shooting him a disdainful look, Chen Hao replied awkwardly, “I’m not into little girls—I could never harm the flowers of our nation.”

“Don’t be such a prude.”

Ban Qianqian thrust out her rather ample chest, which was strikingly disproportionate to her petite figure, and said with contempt, “Even if I am a flower of the nation, I’m one in full bloom—not a budding one yet to develop. That doesn’t count as being a little girl.”

The way Ban Qianqian spoke felt uncannily familiar to Chen Hao—wasn’t his “wife” online always teasing him in this manner? Remembering the coincidence of June first, for the first time Chen Hao wondered if his “wife” and Ban Qianqian might actually be the same person.

But he quickly dismissed the thought. The image of his “wife” as a divorced woman was so deeply ingrained in his mind that it was hard to associate her with the real-life Ban Qianqian.

The two of them hailed a taxi by the roadside. Ban Qianqian smiled and said, “Driver, please take us to Star Mall.”

Chen Hao asked suspiciously, “Weren’t we headed to Diamond KTV? Why go to Star Mall?”

Ban Qianqian pointed at Chen Hao’s rumpled clothes, looking rather dismayed. “Come on! This is your first time going out as my boyfriend. Aren’t you going to spruce yourself up? I actually appreciate your simple style, but I can’t stand to see my materialistic friends ridicule you.”

Chen Hao touched his nose in embarrassment and said, “I’m poor and can’t afford fancy clothes.”

Ban Qianqian patted her full chest, saying, “Don’t worry, leave it to me. I already told you I’d keep you, so today I’m taking you to get a proper makeover.”

Though Ban Qianqian was petite, her chest was voluptuous; the gesture was highly provocative. She stole a furtive glance at Chen Hao as she did it, ready with a teasing remark should he stare openly.

To her surprise, Chen Hao didn’t seem to notice her deliberate display, but instead gazed absentmindedly at her face.

Ban Qianqian pulled out a small mirror, checked her face, and, finding nothing amiss, blushed and said, “Never seen a beauty before?”

Chen Hao replied, looking oddly at her, “When did you ever say you’d keep me? I don’t remember that at all.”

Ban Qianqian’s jaw dropped as she realized, in her moment of smugness, she’d forgotten she’d made that promise online under another identity. Forcing herself to remain calm, she said, “I told you that night when you walked me back to school. How could you forget?”

Chen Hao had always had an excellent memory and was certain Ban Qianqian had never said such a thing. Her attempt to bluff only confirmed his suspicion that his “wife” and Ban Qianqian were one and the same.

The contrast between the mature woman online and the youthful girl in reality was so great that Chen Hao’s mind momentarily refused to process it. Seeing her cheeks flush, he chose not to expose her further and instead smiled, “Maybe I forgot! But I do recall telling you that I’m a man—I don’t accept being kept. If anything, I ought to be the one keeping you.”

This was exactly what Chen Hao had told his “wife” online. Returning her words to her left Ban Qianqian frustrated. To avoid further embarrassment, she played along, saying, “I remember! That was exactly your response when I offered to keep you. But, since the wool comes from the sheep’s own back, the money I’m using to dress you up today actually came from you, so there’s no need to refuse.”

Both were embarrassed to meet in person after their online interactions, so they simply pretended not to know. When Ban Qianqian mentioned that the money came from Chen Hao, she was referring to the 200 silver dollars he had mailed her in the game; she had exchanged 100 for RMB on the trading platform, intending to buy him clothes while he was acting as her boyfriend.

The two had always felt a tacit understanding online, and it was the same in real life. Chen Hao quickly realized her intentions. He smiled and said, “I made a bit of money this time; what I gave you was just a small part. So, let me be the one to keep you.”

“No way.”

Ban Qianqian refused flatly. “It took me so much effort to decide to buy you clothes, and you won’t even let me do that? Fine, consider this time as me keeping you, and next time you can buy something for me.”

Their conversation had entirely adopted the tone of their online exchanges. Chen Hao suddenly realized that meeting in person wasn’t much different from meeting online; if they got along in the game, they could get along in real life as well—the only difference was how they met.