Chapter Nineteen: You Are Nothing But a Selfish and Self-Serving Person

“This is wrong; the pattern doesn’t match the other three pieces,” Shen Li said, sending a chill down Bai Qiuya’s spine. Bai Qiuya took the puzzle pieces and compared them, confirming Shen Li’s words.

“How could that be? How is it possible to have the wrong puzzle piece?” Qiao Le, watching the top-tier team struggling to pull their hostage ashore, fretted. “What’s going on with you? Didn’t I say the correct puzzle piece had our team’s name on it? How could you have taken the wrong one?”

Ji Beishu sighed, silently glancing at Bai Qiuya without defending her. Qiao Le continued to complain.

“Enough. It’s useless to argue now. I know roughly where the puzzle piece is; I’m going to retrieve it,” Shen Li instructed. “You all stay here. Don’t go anywhere.” She was worried that Lu Ziwei might use underhanded tactics to sabotage the other puzzle pieces.

With that, she took off at a sprint.

The top-tier team was already rescuing the hostage. They had to find the last puzzle piece before the others managed to pull the person ashore!

The final puzzle piece was hidden in the grass nearest the cliff—a detail Shen Li remembered clearly from when the production team had blocked them in the previous life.

Lu Ziwei watched Shen Li disappear from sight, a triumphant smirk curling his lips.

Exactly what he wanted—Shen Li going after it. But the act needed an audience to be effective. “Aren’t you going to help her?” he asked.

With a playful smile, Lu Ziwei surveyed the disheartened members of the Black Material Team. “As teammates, how can you let her go alone?”

The group exchanged glances. Although Ji Beishu doubted Lu Ziwei’s kindness in warning them, he had to admit the advice was sound.

He stood up. “Let’s go together. It’ll be faster.” The three of them followed Shen Li’s departing direction.

A cunning gleam flashed in Lu Ziwei’s eyes, and a victorious smile tugged at his mouth.

Shen Li rummaged through the grass but found nothing. “Could the production team have moved it? That’s impossible.” She continued searching until a pair of sneakers appeared before her.

She looked up. “Who are you?”

The unfamiliar man extended the puzzle piece in his hand. “Are you looking for this?” Shen Li’s eyes widened—it was the last piece they had been missing.

Instantly alert, she asked, “Who are you? How did you get this?”

The man smiled gently and innocently. “I found it by chance.”

Shen Li didn’t believe him for a second. The production team had hidden the piece deep in the grass; it was impossible to find without intentionally searching.

Squinting, she scrutinized the man, pondering Lu Ziwei’s scheme. Suddenly, the man grabbed her hand, pressing the puzzle piece into it. “Quick, take it. Your teammates are coming. If they discover your plan, you’ll blow your cover!”

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft—just enough for the three arriving teammates to overhear. Shen Li turned to find their faces full of shock and anger.

Qiao Le charged over, grabbing Shen Li by the collar. “You lied to us!”

She shouted back, “Your talk of cooperation and mutual help was all lies! You just wanted to trick us into helping you clear your name! No wonder you told us not to go anywhere—you were afraid of being exposed! Now the evidence is clear: you deliberately swapped Qiuya’s puzzle piece so you could ‘find’ it yourself and play the hero. You’re selfish and deceitful!”

Qiao Le was about to slap Shen Li but was restrained by Ji Beishu, who looked disappointed. “I thought you were at least a trustworthy teammate, but I was naive.” He led Qiao Le and Bai Qiuya away.

Shen Li looked down at the puzzle piece in her hand and finally understood Lu Ziwei’s plan—to sow discord between her and her teammates.

Her crimson lips curled into a smile as she activated her virtual screen and, catching the man off guard, snapped a photo of him.

Swiftly operating the virtual screen, she analyzed the man’s image. After a moment, his profile appeared.

In this world, everyone is recorded in a national archive from birth—essentially a résumé. Normally, people have no access to it, nor do they know how to view it. But for Shen Li, it was just a few keystrokes away.

She read aloud, “Lin Yu, employee of Starry Group…” Upon hearing his name, Lin Yu panicked and instinctively tried to close the screen, but only the owner can control it, so his hand grasped empty air.

Shen Li lifted her eyelids and stared at Lin Yu. “Starry Group—that sounds familiar.”

She tapped the screen a few more times, bringing up information about Starry Group. Quickly scanning the staff list, she found it. “Found it—one of their artists, Lu Ziwei.” She exclaimed, “Ah, so Lu Ziwei sent you here!”

Lin Yu grew even more frantic. If his plan failed and Lu Ziwei was exposed, he would lose his job.

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about. I don’t know Lu Ziwei.”

But viewers in the live chat had already recognized him:

—“Isn’t he always hanging around Lu Ziwei? Looks like an assistant.”

—“No wonder he seemed familiar earlier—he must be that handsome assistant who got attention because of Lu Ziwei.”

—“I recognize him! It’s Lin Yu!”

—“So it’s not Shen Li backstabbing her team to clear her name—it’s Lu Ziwei framing her?”

—“What kind of people are on the top-tier team? They’re the real Black Material Team, haha!”

—“Lu Ziwei must be framed by this murderer. And you all still believe her tricks? Hahaha, so dumb!”

...

Seeing Shen Li’s disbelief and his plan exposed, Lin Yu took off running. Suddenly, a massive net descended, trapping him. Shen Li manipulated her virtual screen, summoning a muscular strongman who appeared and hoisted Lin Yu up along with the net.

Struggling, Lin Yu shouted, “Shen Li, this is kidnapping! It’s illegal!”

Shen Li chuckled softly, her melodious voice like a silver bell. “You can call the police, but I think your master, Lu Ziwei, will be arrested first.” She glanced back with a smile. “If you don’t want to say anything that might get you into trouble, I suggest you keep quiet.”

Lin Yu fell silent.

He truly feared losing his job.

The strongman carried him back to the cliff’s edge. Qiao Le held the puzzle piece but refused to fit it in. “If we put it in, won’t it play right into Shen Li’s hands? I’d rather lose the game!”

Ji Beishu felt uneasy too but neither agreed nor argued with Qiao Le. Bai Qiuya looked worried, her expression complex upon seeing Shen Li return.

“Ah, the one who stabs her own teammates in the back returns…” Lu Ziwei’s mocking words trailed off. Seeing Lin Yu being put down by the strongman, his expression darkened. Instinctively, he dashed forward to confront Shen Li but was forcibly restrained.

Even though Shen Li had uncovered the plot, Lin Yu wouldn’t betray Lu Ziwei; he was too worried about being fired.

Relieved, Lu Ziwei relaxed.

Unexpectedly, Shen Li approached slowly, smiling as she met his gaze. He trembled slightly but continued to taunt her. “You backstab your teammates to clear your own name—what else is there to say?”

Shen Li laughed softly, her voice echoing through the valley, causing it to tremble. Her beautiful doe-like eyes lifted toward him. “Is that so? Because I distinctly remember Lin Yu is your company’s employee.”