Seven Days and Nights with the Werewolf

Day Two · 04

Fang Daichuan and Li Sinian had their little scuffle. By the time Boss Du began to speak, Fang Daichuan was staring at him intently. He didn't know what had happened outside after he and Li Sinian entered the room. But before he went in, the person with the greatest opportunity to act against the deceased was Du Chaosheng.

Boss Du spoke as follows: "I know you suspect me. I was the one who came up right after the beer-bellied man. My suspicion is the greatest. But don't forget, first, the deceased, this mysterious Mr. Li Sinian, and I came up together. Mr. Li has been working closely with the mastermind behind the scenes as a professional mercenary. If someone killed right under his nose, wouldn't he have noticed even a little? That seems unlikely. On the contrary, if a professional killer acted under my nose, I wouldn't have the ability to detect it."

Sensing the unfavorable shift in the argument's direction, Fang Daichuan immediately opened his mouth to speak, but Li Sinian grabbed his arm firmly. With his right hand pressing down hard on Fang Daichuan's leg, Li Sinian shot him a stern look. Then he turned his head, a calm, knowing smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Please continue."

Boss Du crossed his arms over his chest, looking Fang Daichuan up and down. "Don't get agitated. I was merely analyzing possibilities. I actually don't suspect Li Sinian. Even if he were a wolf, his identity means he can't gain our trust. In that situation, if I drew a wolf card, I'd lay low too. I definitely wouldn't risk killing on the first night. Moreover, I think the most likely timing wasn't when everyone went upstairs and the three of us were on the first floor. That's too obvious. It points directly to either me or Mr. Li. Ask yourself, what killer would be that stupid? It basically tells everyone: if it wasn't him, it was me. You can vote us out over two days. Even if one gets wrongly eliminated, the other is 100% the target."

*That makes sense!* Fang Daichuan almost nodded but remembered Li Sinian's warning and held himself rigidly in check.

"Then what *is* the best timing?" No one had cautioned Ding Zihui beside him, and the girl asked bluntly.

Boss Du smiled slightly. "The best timing was on the second floor. Suppose the deceased returned to his room to put something away. If someone knocked on his door, asking him to go down together, wouldn't he turn his back to that person while going downstairs? At that moment, he wasn't under anyone's direct watch. Another opportunity has been overlooked. When everyone was gathered, focused entirely on your attack. Our positions were like this: you were the focal point. Fang Daichuan, Yang Song, and Chen Hui were in the innermost circle. Li Sinian, the deceased, and I were in the second circle. Du Wei stood even farther out. If someone had the nerve and the skill to act under everyone's noses at that time, wouldn't that be the safest?"

Chen Hui was the first to object. "Your attempt to steer the vote is way too obvious! Du Wei is a villager. I vouch for him."

"On what basis do you vouch for him?" Yang Song asked, frowning with her arms crossed.

Chen Hui grew flustered, pointing at Fang Daichuan. "Then what basis does Fang Daichuan have for vouching for Li Sinian?! Whatever basis Fang Daichuan has for Li Sinian, that's my basis for vouching for my Du Wei!"

The scholarly Liu Xin smiled soothingly. "Miss Chen, don't be upset. What Miss Yang says has merit. Those two aren't in a relationship. Mutual corroboration between them holds more credibility. Your situation is a couple. Even spouses aren't considered valid witnesses in court."

"Who can prove they *aren't* a couple?!" Chen Hui blurted out in her agitation. "They've been all chummy since getting their boxes yesterday, sticking together, even going into each other's rooms. Maybe they *are* a couple?! If what we say doesn't count, then what they say shouldn't count either! Li Sinian's suspicion is higher than Du Wei's no matter how you look at it!"

"Enough," Du Wei pulled Chen Hui back, glaring coldly at Boss Du. "Go on, let's see what other tricks you can pull."

*Talk about getting hit while lying down!* Before Boss Du could continue, Fang Daichuan directly planted a foot on his chair. "Hey, hey, hey! Vote if you want to vote, but cut out this irrelevant nonsense. I'm straight as a ruler, straighter than a highway. People in my line of work rely on our public image. You'll be held legally responsible for spreading rumors like that, I'm telling you."

Chen Hui rolled her eyes, pouting, still unconvinced. "Everyone knows how messy your circle is. That so-and-so, and that other one, weren't they exposed for living together? Yet they still insist they're 'super straight,' claiming they're just friends."

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?!" Fang Daichuan slapped the table, about to stand up, but Li Sinian yanked him back down.

Du Wei tugged hard at Chen Hui, pulling her onto her chair, coaxing gently, "What's gotten into you? Why are you like this?"

Chen Hui clung to Du Wei and burst into tears. "I'm scared! I'm really so scared! The first night just passed, the Seer hasn't checked anyone properly… I'm afraid everyone will blindly vote you out as a scapegoat!"

Du Wei carefully kissed her earlobe, soothing her softly. "Don't be scared, don't be scared. Nothing will happen."

Over here, Li Sinian wasn't so gentle. He simply and**** covered Fang Daichuan's mouth with his hand. Fang Daichuan tried to keep talking, his protests muffled against Li Sinian's palm, but a sharp glare from Li Sinian made him subside, sitting back down with a wronged expression. Li Sinian watched him for another moment, raising an eyebrow as if asking if he'd calmed down. Fang Daichuan lowered his eyelids and nodded.

Only then did Li Sinian remove his hand. He picked up a napkin from the table and wiped his palm. "Alright, alright, let's follow the rules. No more arguing. Mr. Du, do you have anything else to add?"

Boss Du's eyes lingered on Du Wei and Chen Hui for a moment before he shook his head. "I'm finished."

Next after Boss Du was Liu Xin. He adjusted his glasses and stared down at his teacup. "I have nothing to say, no discoveries. The first day really offers no clues. Since Ding, Yang, Chen, and Fang have been declared innocent, let's take a blind vote among the rest."

He was the final speaker.

Having heard everyone, Fang Daichuan tried to sort out each person's timeline and suspicions, but extracting useful information in such a short time was impossible. He came up empty.

"In that case, let's vote," Yang Song stood up and walked towards the machine, looking quite confident, as if she already knew who last night's killer was.

Ding Zihui stood up dazedly, looking left and right. "V-vote for who?"

"Vote for whoever you want. If you don't know, vote for yourself. No one will vote for you anyway. Consider it an abstention," Yang Song said offhandedly, swiping her card to cast her vote.

Fang Daichuan cautiously leaned close to Li Sinian's ear, whispering, "So… who do we vote for?"

Li Sinian glanced around, turned his back slightly, and said in a voice almost too soft to hear, "Zhao Chu."

Fang Daichuan's puppy-dog eyes immediately widened. "What??? How could it be him?! Isn't it…" He swallowed hard, lowering his voice further. "Isn't it Boss Du?!"

Starting with Yang Song, they went up to vote one by one. It was almost Ding Zihui's turn. The girl looked around with her deer-like eyes, full of confusion, but there was no 'abstain' button on the machine.

She glanced back at Fang Daichuan. The machine prompted heartlessly, "Please vote immediately! Vote within ten seconds!"

She looked down at the small keyboard. Thirteen headshots were displayed on the screen. The numbers were scrambled. The photos were the unflattering images automatically captured during fingerprint registration—each person looked awful, eyes lifeless, like portraits of concentration camp victims. The avatar of the first unfortunate victim was already grayed out. Anxious, she hammered the machine twice with her fist, unsure which to choose. The machine began its countdown: "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…"

Ding Zihui steeled herself and pressed the number corresponding to the person she suspected. The screen displayed a "Confirm?" prompt. The countdown had already reached 'three'.

Ding Zihui hesitated for one final second. A scene flashed in her mind: the surprised expression on Fang Daichuan's face just moments ago when he was talking to Li Sinian. As if guided by a ghost, just as the countdown was about to end, she canceled her original vote and selected someone else.

It was Fang Daichuan's turn. He walked up slowly. Li Sinian's decisive voice still echoed in his ear: "No time to explain! Listen to me!"

Standing before the machine, Fang Daichuan squeezed his eyes shut tightly, then pressed the button.