Chapter 645: I'm Not Chen Chaofa
“There are still people we can trust.” An Ran stayed by Doll’s side. Little Mint sat opposite her. An Ran glanced at Zhao Ru and sighed. “I know you’re clever, but don’t be too pessimistic. What we need to do now is trust one another, stay in this room, don’t let anyone out, and don’t open the door for anyone. Once the people outside finish killing each other, Chen Chaofa will naturally be exposed.”
To be honest, Zhao Ru and Liu Shasha couldn’t see what was happening in the first-floor hall. What they imagined was only what An Ran had told them; the real situation was far worse than they pictured, but An Ran hadn’t said everything.
The situation on the first floor deteriorated quickly. With so many people, a single provocation could turn them into a slaughter—one killing another, no one trusting anyone. Innocent people like Jingxuan fled in panic, yet still couldn’t avoid being stabbed by those around them. Everyone plunged into madness.
It seemed to express the same impulse: if no one could be trusted, then kill them all. Whoever it was—kill them all—and then you would be safe.
“I’ve been thinking about one thing: Chen Chaofa is only one person.” An Ran raised one finger and frowned, then raised a second finger. “How could he manipulate people to this extent?”
This wasn’t a scheme of a dozen or twenty people; it implicated the entire wealthy group. You kill me, I kill you—everyone trapped in slaughter. If you don’t trust me and I don’t trust you, how did Chen Chaofa pull it off?
“The survivors said that every time someone knocked on a door, their face was different. When they attacked, their faces were different too.” Liu Shasha bit her lip and gave An Ran the information.
Then An Ran suddenly seemed to think of something. She stood up from the edge of the bed and said urgently, “If—just hypothetically—Chen Chaofa can change his appearance, for example, if he turns into Zhao Ru and stabs me—”
Zhao Ru, sitting at the vanity, was startled and waved her hands, hurriedly explaining, “I’m not Chen Chaofa. I’m not.”
“We all know you’re not.”
An Ran sat back on the bed, eyes on Zhao Ru and Liu Shasha, her expression heavy.
“But if Chen Chaofa can become any one of us at any time, then it’s no longer a matter of trust. Zhao Ru, I’ll say this first: I have no grudge against you. I won’t stab you for no reason. If I stab you, then I definitely won’t be me.”
“I—I have no grievances with any of you either.” Liu Shasha spoke up. She glanced at An Ran; seeing An Ran’s doubtful look, she went on, “Alright, I’ll be honest. At first, I didn’t like you, An Ran. I thought you were like Jiang Peng and the others—con artists. But no matter how much I disliked you, it never rose to the point of wanting to stab you.”
“Then I’ll be honest too.” An Ran glowered at Liu Shasha. “I think you’re naive and spoiled—like a miss who can’t stand any wind or rain. When your grandfather died you disappeared and made your family worry. I didn’t like that either, but it never rose to the point of wanting to stab you.”
“What?!” Liu Shasha protested angrily. “So I’m not even allowed to be sad when my grandfather died?”