Chapter 233
Chapter 233
Zhou Jingying turned to Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen smiled at her. “We should help each other, great Best Actress Zhou.”
Countless thoughts flashed through Zhou Jingying’s mind as she studied Yang Zhen. At last, she nodded. “I have no objection.”
Jian Fan nodded. “Fine. Four groups. Split up.” He checked the System time and added, “No matter what happens or what you discover, meet back here in one hour.”
That reminder was specifically for Yang Zhen and Zhou Jingying.
Naturally, he could not accept them as teammates. But with the situation entirely unknown, temporary cooperation in exchange for information was acceptable.
Once everything was settled, each group immediately chose a direction and left.
Zhou Jingying had not expected them to spring into action the instant the discussion ended. One moment Jian Fan was still issuing instructions; the next, only she and Yang Zhen remained.
That speed… Zhou Jingying truly had not anticipated it.
Yang Zhen folded her arms and watched Jian Fan and Qin Nan depart. She laughed. “Surprised, aren’t you?”
Zhou Jingying withdrew her gaze and looked at Yang Zhen.
“I was shocked the first time I watched them work together too,” Yang Zhen said. She turned to Zhou Jingying and shrugged. “I’m much like you. I only ended up in the same world as them last time. I basically did nothing and got carried to victory.”
Zhou Jingying was surprised, though not a trace showed on her face.
She had no way to tell whether Yang Zhen was lying.
Yang Zhen might be allied with Jian Fan’s group and merely using this as a way to approach her. Zhou Jingying studied Yang Zhen, thoughts racing.
The woman might be lying, but she might also be telling the truth.
If it was true…
Zhou Jingying was honestly tempted. She desperately needed a group of dependable companions.
One might survive alone in the Realm of Death for a while, but over time, the exhaustion became overwhelming. If she could trust them, she would not object to joining a team and cooperating.
“Let’s go,” Yang Zhen said, with no intention of explaining further. Pointing casually in one direction, she continued, “I’m going this way. Join me if you want company. If you’d rather work alone, that’s fine too.”
Zhou Jingying looked at her. “Why?”
Yang Zhen laughed. “Pairing with you isn’t my goal. My goal is exchanging information with them.”
If Yang Zhen truly worked alone, Zhou Jingying could understand her plan.
How many clues could one person find? By cooperating with a team and sharing information, they could gather much more in a short time.
It was an undeniably tempting prospect.
Yang Zhen did not need Zhou Jingying’s answer. Once she finished speaking, she simply chose a direction and left.
Zhou Jingying remained where she was instead of following immediately.
She still did not understand Yang Zhen. Hasty cooperation might do more harm than good. If Yang Zhen intended to share information with Jian Fan’s group, why shouldn’t Zhou Jingying do the same?
She and Yang Zhen could divide the work, then return here in an hour. Zhou Jingying could assess the situation then and decide whether to withdraw promptly or join them and share information.
With a plan in mind, Zhou Jingying immediately reentered the crowd and began searching for clues.
The ballroom was enormous.
The dance floor occupied most of the space. A platform stood at its front center–the same platform where the young woman in the princess gown had spoken. Two beautiful walls of flowers flanked it. Around the dance floor stood various buffet stations, mostly stocked with drinks. There was also a dessert table and a selection of Western dishes for the guests.
Near the food were several lounge areas furnished with casual sofas and fairy-tale-themed cushions.
Most guests were still dancing, but many had left the floor. Some chose food, while others chatted among themselves.
The ballroom was exceptionally lively.
After a moment’s thought, Jian Fan took Qin Nan to the food area first.
He picked up two glasses of champagne, handed one to Qin Nan, then stationed himself beside the buffet and faced Qin Nan as though they were conversing.
Looking at Qin Nan, he thought for a moment and said, “Your dress is nice.”
Holding his champagne, Qin Nan stared at Jian Fan in utter confusion.
What was he talking about? Did Jian Fan think wearing a princess gown made him a woman? Why had he suddenly started discussing how nice his dress looked?
Seeing Qin Nan’s shocked expression, Jian Fan cleared his throat awkwardly. His gaze flicked to the side, signaling Qin Nan.
Qin Nan followed the glance.
Three richly dressed noblewomen stood nearby, discussing one another’s clothing.
The ballroom was the only area they could investigate. They could not openly rummage around in front of everyone, so their easiest option was to extract information from the NPCs.
But approaching the NPCs and questioning them directly would arouse suspicion. If they accidentally violated some setting, the consequences could be disastrous.
Jian Fan had therefore chosen a passive, opportunistic method.
He would stand here pretending to chat with his companion while listening carefully to nearby conversations for useful information. Based on what he heard, he could then approach the NPCs and investigate further.
Now that he had positioned himself beside the buffet, he needed to converse with Qin Nan. Surrounded by people, Jian Fan could hardly discuss the Realm of Death, so he selected a subject everyone shared.
When he first spoke, Jian Fan saw nothing wrong with it. After meeting Qin Nan’s shocked gaze, however, he suddenly felt that something was off.
Qin Nan understood his meaning.
He looked back at Jian Fan.
He understood, but found the subject difficult to continue. Was he supposed to compliment Jian Fan’s dress in return? Then what? What would they discuss after that?
As his thoughts wandered, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
“Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, who is the fairest woman in the world?” Qin Nan blurted.
Jian Fan: “…”
What?
He thought Qin Nan was being even more absurd than he had been.
Had wearing black convinced him that he really was the old witch, the Evil Queen?
The two stared at each other, each finding the other thoroughly ridiculous. Both fell silent. At that moment, a somewhat shrill voice suddenly came from atop Qin Nan’s head.
“My Queen, you are the fairest here. But Snow White is a thousand times fairer than you.”
Qin Nan: “???”
Jian Fan: “???”