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Piao Piao slightly shifted her body, but did not break free. She said to Feng Junzi, "Why are you so rude? Can't you be gentler? You're hurting me."

Feng Junzi released his grip and asked, "Do ghosts feel pain too?"

Piao Piao: "Of course, others can't hurt me, but you're different. What exactly do you want from me? Have you found out what I asked you to do?"

Feng Junzi took out his phone, pulled up a photo—a picture of Chen Xiaosan's face—and turned the screen toward Piao Piao, asking, "I don't know if my search is accurate. Do you recognize this person?"

The cold moonlight shone on the dark end of the alley, where a man and a ghost stood in the eerie atmosphere. A man dressed in black held up a cell phone, its screen emitting an eerie blue light. Opposite him stood a female ghost with long white hair. Feng Junzi didn't know that if anyone else had witnessed this scene, they would probably have fainted from fright.

Piao Piao stared wide-eyed at the photograph, her expression growing increasingly sorrowful, as if recalling many painful memories. Seeing Piao Piao's expression, Feng Junzi knew his investigation hadn't been wrong; thankfully, he had obtained a photo of Chen Xiaosan before boarding his flight earlier that day. Just then, Piao Piao suddenly buried her face in Feng Junzi's arms and began to sob. Feng Junzi was momentarily at a loss, and could only put his arm around Piao Piao's shoulders to let her cry it out. At the same time, his own sadness was stirred; he thought of Hu Shiwei, who had also suffered a tragic fate.

After a long while, Piaopiao finally stopped crying, but she remained nestled in Feng Junzi's arms, refusing to get up. She said to Feng Junzi, "Thank you. You really are a man of your word. Can you tell me how you found out? How exactly did I die?"

Feng Junzi sighed and said, "Actually, I just found a clue myself, and I haven't figured out the specific process yet. I came here to ask for your help."

Piao Piao: "Tell me, I'll help you with anything I can."

Feng Junzi: "Come back to Binhai with me. We'll investigate the cause of your death together, and also investigate the fate of another unfortunate girl." Then, Feng Junzi briefly told Piaopiao about the series of events that had happened to him over the past few months.

Piao Piao listened quietly as Feng Junzi recounted everything, then asked first, "Is that Xiao Wei pretty? She must be prettier than me, right?"

Piao Piao's words eased Feng Junzi's heavy mood considerably. He even felt a little like laughing, thinking, "A woman is a woman. Even if she becomes a female ghost, she can't change her temperament. If I were in this situation, my first question would definitely not be such an irrelevant one." So he replied, "As the ancients said, 'There is no beauty that lasts a thousand years, but a pleasing woman is one who pleases the eye.' Women's beauty is unique in its own way. Let's think about serious matters first."

As the two walked out of Ghost Alley, Feng Junzi asked Piao Piao, "So Ghost Alley isn't that long. Why didn't we encounter any ghosts blocking our way this time?"

Piao Piao laughed: "A strong, living person like you, rushing in with such a fierce and menacing aura, would scare away even ghosts. Who could stop you?"

Feng Junzi nodded thoughtfully and said, "So even ghosts are afraid of evil people."

Unbeknownst to Feng Junzi, after he left with Piaopiao, a new and bizarre legend emerged from the already eerie Ghost Alley. According to local tales, on a windless summer night, the old locust tree at the alley's entrance inexplicably shed a carpet of leaves, which seemed to drift into the alley. That night, some heard a man's voice calling out in the alley, while others heard a woman's voice weeping. In short, from then on, Ghost Alley became even more of a legendary and mysterious place.

2-9, Soul scattered and spirit dispersed

It was late at night in Binhai. Han Shuang parked her car and walked upstairs to her home. She lived on the top floor of a residential building in Huashan Community. The apartment was rented, but the car she had just seen was her own.

She graduated from Binhai Light Industry College two years ago, but has been working as a hostess in nightclubs for several years. She's a little different from the other hostesses in the nightclub; firstly, she's undeniably sexy and alluring; secondly, she's highly educated and speaks foreign languages fluently, which seems to make her business much better than others. In this world, she's a woman who has completely "let go," frequently spending the night in hotels with all sorts of clients, charging the highest prices at midnight. In addition, she maintains regular sexual relationships with several moderately successful men.

But she was clever; she didn't settle for being anyone's mistress or a "second wife," but instead skillfully maneuvered among various men, maximizing her profits from their wallets. Over the years, she had accumulated considerable wealth, yet she was at a loss about what to do next. In the nightclub scene, she was the most envied woman. Perhaps her only close friend was her classmate, Hu Shiwei, with whom she also lived. Han Shuang was perfectly capable of buying her own apartment, but she didn't want to be lonely and isolated when she returned home late at night, so she chose to share an apartment with Hu Shiwei.

Thinking of Hu Shiwei, Han Shuang couldn't help but sigh. Deep down, she felt Hu Shiwei hadn't been treated right. Since she'd entered this profession, she shouldn't have been so stubborn. Thankfully, the young woman found a better job and quit, but she hadn't expected things to go wrong so quickly. Han Shuang knew to some extent that Weida Shares wasn't a company run by good people, and Hu Shiwei's accident wasn't so simple, but what could a woman of the night like her do in this world?

Thinking of Hu Shiwei, Han Shuang felt a sense of unease. The cold, deserted house seemed to frighten her. She opened the door and entered her bedroom, almost immediately smelling a strong, pungent odor of smoke. A red dot flickered in the darkness near the sofa. —Someone was smoking in the dark!

Han Shuang was shocked. She then recalled newspaper reports of crimes such as burglary, rape, and murder, and it seemed that many of the victims were sex workers in entertainment venues. Han Shuang's first instinct was to turn and run, but her legs went weak and she leaned against the wall. Just then, her back bumped into the ceiling light switch, and the room suddenly lit up. Han Shuang saw the person clearly and breathed a sigh of relief.

She recognized the man sitting on the sofa; he was Feng, Xiaowei's recent "boyfriend," whom she had met before at Midnight. She had advised Xiaowei before that it wasn't worth giving up a perfectly good business to find a penniless and powerless man, and that it was a waste to have such a nameless and powerless friend.

The person sitting on the sofa was Feng Junzi. Han Shuang seemed relieved when she saw him and asked in a surprised tone, "Brother Feng, it's you. Why aren't you at the hospital to see Xiaowei? What are you doing sitting in my room? You scared me to death."

Feng Junzi said expressionlessly, "I've been waiting for you. I want to know how Xiaowei got into trouble."

Han Shuang: "She had an accident at work. How would I know? You and she are so close, you should know more than I do."

Feng Junzi: "A few days ago, Xiaowei appeared in my dream and seemed to have something to tell me." He paused and then said, "Xiaowei asked me to come and ask you, so I came."

Han Shuang seemed startled again: "Brother Feng, don't scare me. There's a cause for every grievance, and the debtor should be held responsible. Xiao Wei's matter has nothing to do with me."

"No relation at all? More than a year ago, you were the one who dragged Xiaowei into working as a prostitute at the nightclub. If you hadn't pulled her into this mess back then, maybe things wouldn't be like this today."

Han Shuang: "It seems Xiaowei has told you everything. How can you blame me? What would a useless scholar like you know about this world? I didn't introduce Xiaowei to the nightclub to harm her; on the contrary, I wanted to help her. Besides, even if she hadn't worked as a nightclub hostess, would this incident have been avoided?"

Feng Junzi felt a pang of sadness. He had never asked Hu Shiwei why she worked at a nightclub. He was a smart man, and after hearing about Hu Shiwei's background, he understood everything: she lost her father at a young age, lived in the countryside with her widowed mother and younger brother, and was "luckily" admitted to a Chinese university in the new century. There was nothing he could say about her taking this path. He had never asked, and Hu Shiwei had never told him about it either.

He then asked Han Shuang, "I don't want to make things difficult for you today, and you shouldn't make things difficult for me either. I just want to ask what Xiaowei said to you before her accident?"

Han Shuang sighed and replied, "Do you men even have a heart? Xiao Wei once told me that the company boss had contacted her, and she felt very embarrassed. Later, she thought the matter was over and didn't want to talk to you anymore. She also vaguely mentioned to me that she had discovered some things in the company that she felt were very strange, but she didn't tell me exactly what was wrong. It seems that Xiao Wei really cares about you and doesn't want to cause you any trouble, so she hasn't said anything."

Feng Junzi's eyes seemed a little red. He suddenly said to Han Shuang in a vicious tone, "I know you're no good. I'll settle all these scores one by one. Today, I'll start with you. Now that Xiao Wei is in trouble, I won't let you off the hook."

Han Shuang saw a sudden flash of ferocity in Feng Junzi's eyes and felt a pang of fear. She wanted to call for help or run away, but there were only the two of them in the room, and no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't outrun him. Fortunately, she was a woman who had been around the block and had seen it all. She steeled herself, forced a coquettish smile, and instead swayed her hips as she moved closer to Feng Junzi, saying in a sweet, affected voice, "Brother Feng is angry. Why are you bullying us poor, weak women? If you want to vent your anger, I'll let you, as long as you're not angry."

Han Shuang had probably seen far too many men, and she was quite confident in herself. Her body was her weapon, and now this weapon might help her avoid potential danger. Seeing that Feng Junzi didn't speak, she felt that he was already a little tempted, so she simply sat on Feng Junzi's lap and continued to act coquettishly, "Xiaowei is my sister. Now that she can't be with you, I should comfort you on her behalf."

Feng Junzi suddenly laughed and whispered in her ear, "The first time I went to Ziye, I heard that you were very skilled, and some of the girls said that you were a masochist, so your prices were particularly high. Today, there is something I want to clarify."

Han Shuang felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, but then she thought that if that were really the case, it wouldn't be a big deal. So she continued in a coquettish voice, "Brother Feng, how do you want to figure this out?" Her other hand began to reach towards the teasing area.

At this moment, Feng Junzi suddenly stopped smiling and whispered something in her ear. To Han Shuang, these words were like a thunderbolt; she felt as if her entire body had been plunged into an ice cellar. She only heard Feng Junzi coldly say, "Han Shuang, tell me, how did Qiao Fangsi die two years ago?"

Han Shuang almost instinctively tried to get up and run away, but Feng Junzi seemed to have anticipated her reaction. He grabbed her and pressed her back onto his lap. He could feel Han Shuang's body trembling, but he ignored it and continued coldly, "Miss Shuangshuang, why aren't you being horny now? You'd better behave yourself in front of me. I know far more than you think, and I didn't come here today just to settle scores with Xiao Wei."

Han Shuang's voice was almost breaking with tears: "I really don't know what your relationship with Qiao Fangsi is. I have no idea how she died. You can ask the police."

Feng Junzi still held her shoulder with his left hand, and took out his phone with his right hand. The phone screen showed a picture of Chen Xiaosan. He asked Han Shuang, "Don't you know anything? You saw this person the night Piaopiao died, right? You think you're safe just because the police couldn't find you? You should know that doing bad things will have consequences. There are gods watching over you. There are many eyes watching you in the dark."

"Piao Piao," Han Shuang murmured, "that's Qiao Fangsi's nickname. What are you to her? Are you a human or a ghost?"

Feng Junzi sneered, "I am a vengeful spirit seeking death. You had better tell me honestly what happened that night, or you will die a horrible death. I mean what I say."

Han Shuang was on the verge of collapse, her body going limp. Feng Junzi, who had been holding her hand, now supported her. Han Shuang stammered, "That happened two years ago. This guy booked my table at midnight and gave me a lot of tips, but he seemed to know a lot about me, even having photos of me working as a prostitute at a hotel. I was terrified, but he didn't seem to be trying to blackmail me. He just insisted that I invite a girl from my class to a bar for drinks. That girl is Piaopiao. He also said that if I didn't do it, they would not only get me expelled from school, but also ruin my future career..."

Feng Junzi then asked, "A few days before this incident, did your department organize a student physical examination, or something like a 'healthy learning themed activity'? I heard it was organized by the Weida Group?"

Han Shuang: "There was a physical examination, but I don't know what kind of activity it was."

Feng Junzi: "You'd better explain what happened that night."

Han Shuang: "I drank a few drinks at the bar and got drunk. Someone took me home, but I don't remember what happened after that... Later, when I went back to school, I heard that Qiao Fangsi had disappeared, and then I heard that she had died. I was so scared that I didn't dare to say anything. That's all I know. You know who the person who was looking for me is, so don't ask me anymore."

Feng Junzi sneered, "This man is called Chen Xiaosan. He's a gangster. His boss is Wei Boxi. I'm sure you've heard of him. I never expected these people to be so ruthless. They actually kept you alive... Well, since they didn't kill you, let me collect the debt for Piaopiao."

Han Shuang was so frightened she could barely speak: "W-you, what do you want to do?"

"I'll just take your life." Feng Junzi suddenly lifted Han Shuang up and pressed her onto the sofa, locking her throat with his left hand and pressing his knee against her abdomen, rendering her unable to struggle. Han Shuang only saw a gleaming dagger suddenly appear in Feng Junzi's right hand. She tried to cry for help, but only a "woo-woo" sound came from her throat. She only saw a flash of light as the blade pierced her left chest, the slender blade disappearing to the hilt.

Han Shuang felt waves of heat and cold wash over her body, a piercing, icy sensation in her heart. She seemed to be both unconscious and conscious. Her consciousness seemed to float out of her body, drifting to the ceiling, where she saw herself below, lying on the sofa, a section of a knife hilt protruding from her chest near her heart. At that moment, the walls of the room seemed to become transparent, and she saw someone standing in the hallway outside—this person was none other than the deceased Piaopiao. Piaopiao was looking at her with a strange expression.

Just as she was about to say something to Piaopiao, she suddenly felt dizzy and saw two sharp cracks in her ears. She then fell heavily onto the sofa, as if she had been bounced back into her body by some force. This force came from Feng Junzi. Just as Han Shuang "saw" Piaopiao, Feng Junzi suddenly grabbed her hair and slapped her twice hard, waking her up.

Han Shuang felt her cheeks burning and swollen, and tears streamed down her face. When she opened her eyes, she saw Feng Junzi staring at her with a half-smile. She asked in a weak voice, "Why did you kill me?"

"Do you regret it now?" Feng Junzi's tone seemed to carry a hint of pity.

"I hate everything in this world, including myself. Now you think you've gotten your revenge, but unfortunately I no longer have the chance to take it," Han Shuang said, tears streaming down her face.

"Did you see Piaopiao?" Feng Junzi asked.

"I saw her. Now I know what karma is."

"Good to know!" Feng Junzi suddenly withdrew his hand, pulling the dagger from Han Shuang's chest. To Han Shuang's surprise, there was no blood splattering; the blade was gone. Feng Junzi said to Han Shuang, "This is a fake knife," and then pulled the blade from the hilt. "You're not injured, not even your clothes are torn. I never intended to kill you. Piao Piao made me do it; she just wanted you to experience the feeling of death. Those two slaps were to bring your soul back, and they were also slaps I gave for Xiao Wei."

Han Shuang finally came to her senses. She felt her body was drenched in cold sweat, and she was almost completely exhausted. Then she heard Feng Junzi continue, "Now you believe me, right? What does it mean to be able to see the gods even when you're three feet above your head? I hope you can do something to help Piaopiao and Xiaowei. Will you refuse?"

Han Shuang said, panting, "Not everyone can have this feeling of being resurrected. I saw Piaopiao and then woke up. I felt like the world had suddenly changed. Tell me, what do you want me to do? As long as I can do it, I won't refuse."

Feng Junzi: "Are you lying?"

Han Shuang: "I wouldn't dare lie to a ghost even if I lied to you!"

Feng Junzi: "Alright, listen up. What I'm going to do is very simple. I want to kill someone, and that person is Wei Boxi!"

"What? Wei Boxi! This kind of person is not a gigolo like us who can be bullied by everyone, nor can you scare her with a fake knife. You're practically asking for your death."

“I want to kill him, but I don’t want to die. Don’t worry, I don’t want you to become an assassin. I just need your help with a small matter. I won’t harm you. I want to kill him not to kill him, but to make him lose everything and be disgraced, so that he will spend the rest of his life experiencing what it feels like to be a pitiful person who was bullied by him before,” Feng Junzi said with a cold smile.

Han Shuang: "We can't beat him. You're neither an official nor a businessman nor a villain, while he has power, influence, and money. How could we possibly bring him down? You're just a scholar. Haven't you heard that a scholar can't rebel for ten years?"

Feng Junzi: "Is that so? Then let me tell you something today: A gentleman kills without using weapons!"

Volume Three: Killing Doesn't Always Require Knives or Guns

3-1. Cyber Conspiracy

"Old Shi, why did you call me here on a Saturday?"

"Xiao Feng, I need you to help me with something. After thinking about it, I think you're the only person I know who can do this."

This was in the general manager's office of the Binhai branch of Tianlu Securities, where Feng Junzi and Shi Dan, the general manager of the Binhai branch, were talking. Upon hearing Shi Dan's words, Feng Junzi laughed and scolded, "What is it this time? An internal assessment system or a brokerage business reform plan? Or perhaps an experience summary to be submitted to headquarters? Or a rectification report? I have to write these things for you every year, isn't it annoying! I say your company is really funny. It's only been established a few years, and you're already doing reforms every year. But the people are still the same, the work is still the same. The market is like this, don't you know how to take a break and regroup?"

Stan laughed and said, "If we don't come up with some new ideas every year, what are the leaders at headquarters supposed to do?"

"How could nothing be wrong? Aren't there enough important things to do right now?"

"There are plenty of important things to do, but they can't get them done. Some of our comrades only know how to do these things."

Feng Junzi said unhappily, "At first, I put a lot of effort into helping you with these reform plans and gave you a lot of ideas. But later I saw through you. You're no better than anyone else. You just change the reforms of whoever you don't like, right? I think you don't need to write them anymore. Just rewrite what I wrote last year and revise it."

“You’ve misunderstood this time. I don’t need you to write the proposal. I want you to write a few articles for me. I’d like to borrow your subtle writing skills to do something important. This is something that I’m afraid only you can do, my friend. No one else can do it.”

Feng Junzi was a little surprised: "Oh? What article is so important?"

Old Shi got up and walked to the door. He opened it, looked around to see that no one was in the corridor, locked the door, and sat down opposite Feng Junzi. They both lit cigarettes, and then Old Shi quietly told Feng Junzi about the matter:

"Our company has a new president named Xiang Xiaolong. He was brought in by the chairman and president himself. This time, Lao Wang (Old Wang) is stepping down as president and only wants to be chairman. As soon as President Xiang arrived, he immediately started reforms. All of us old employees from the Binhai system are targeted for elimination. This has caused a lot of resentment in the company. Everyone is annoyed by him. It looks like he's going to ruin the company, but no one dares to give Lao Wang any advice. You know how stubborn and self-willed Lao Wang is."

I've come up with a plan. I'll disseminate the current situation within the company to the market and then get feedback from the outside. I can ignore the internal criticism, but I can't ignore the pressure from public opinion. Even if I'm stubborn, the company's major shareholders won't stand idly by.

"Is it really that simple? You just want to leak the company's secrets?"

"Of course it's not that simple. My goal is to force Xiang Xiaolong to leave. If he doesn't leave, Tianlu Securities is finished."

"I think this new president is quite ambitious. How can you say the company is doomed? Maybe it will be better after the changes."

"Sigh! With everyone's morale shattered, what can we possibly do? Let me be honest with you, our company originally had five vice presidents, and now three of them have resigned. These three are all very influential people. Just a few days ago, these three vice presidents even hosted a group of middle-level managers for dinner in their private capacity, calling it a farewell dinner. The company is already half-collapsed. I also need to think about myself; I can't just watch Tianlu Securities continue like this."

Feng Junzi said, "I understand. Do you think a few articles can drive Xiang Xiaolong away? Things in this world are never that simple."

Stan: "Things in the world are not simple, but people's hearts are even more complicated. The power of the pen, if used properly, can kill without leaving a trace. Your writing skills should be beyond reproach. I just need to point you in the right direction."

Feng Junzi: "It's fine if I help you, since you're the one who did the bad thing, not me. But isn't what you're doing a bit unethical and insidious?"

Stan: "I meant well. It's hard to say whether sacrificing one person can save a company, but at least it can keep Tianlu running for a while longer."

Feng Junzi thought for a moment and agreed to Shi Dan's suggestion. Shi Dan then gave Feng Junzi a detailed account of the inside story and instructed him on how to write it, what key points to emphasize, and what effect to achieve. Two days later, a post titled "Tianlu Securities, A Crisis-ridden Tomorrow" suddenly appeared on the forums of major financial websites across the country. The post aptly revealed several inside stories about Tianlu Securities and was immediately reposted widely, attracting countless comments.

Before the initial surge of attention had subsided, a second major post emerged two days later, similarly dominating all the well-known financial forums in China. Titled "I am a pitiful employee of Tianlu Securities," the post, written from the perspective of a low-level employee at a Tianlu Securities branch, described the recent chaotic situation within the company. This post was widely reposted, attracting countless comments, with Tianlu employees also expressing their opinions.

The media also began interviewing and reporting on the chaotic situation at Tianlu Securities. Some even wrote speculative comments and published them in various media outlets. The situation at Tianlu Securities had attracted the attention of higher-ups, and shareholders also felt that the events were unusual. At this opportune moment, a third post, "Tianlu Securities: What Has to Be Said," appeared everywhere. This post, written from the perspective of a former senior executive at Tianlu, thoroughly exposed and criticized the chaotic situation within the company, directly targeting the new president. It was clearly an article by an insider, and the arguments were quite reasonable, almost impossible to refute.

At this point, Feng Junzi's mission was complete. He didn't really expect Stan to achieve his goal; he was just going through the motions. However, Stan seemed quite satisfied. Later events proved that Stan was indeed a cunning old fox. Two months later, Xiang Xiaolong, the new president of Tianlu Securities, packed his bags and left. Of course, that's another story, unrelated to this article, and we'll leave it at that for now.

Through Stan's conspiracy, Feng Junzi also learned some lessons: how to leverage the immense information dissemination advantages of modern internet media to mobilize public opinion as a weapon. He also gained an even more important insight: who says scholars are useless? A scholar with malicious intent can be terrifying! This experience was extremely helpful in dealing with Wei Boxi later on; it was also Xiang Xiaolong's bad luck that Feng Junzi unintentionally tested him.

3-2. Psychological suggestion

A whiff of sweat, smoke, cheap air freshener, and perfume hit Feng Junzi, making him almost vomit. He still forced himself to go into the Red Forest Ballroom with Han Shuang. Of course, they weren't the only ones there; there was also a "ghost"—Piaopiao.

So-called public dance halls like Red Forest are perhaps the cheapest entertainment venues on the coast, colloquially known as "poor man's paradise." Although these places are dirty and chaotic, they are very attractive to many. If you had to sum up Red Forest in one sentence, it would be "crowded." A dance hall the size of a warehouse could hold at least a thousand people.