Chapter 206: The Unseen Calculations

“Ah? Are you calling me?”

I noticed everyone else staring at me. Only then did I turn my head, meeting the surprised gaze of the lobby manager. A crab leg still dangled from my mouth.

“It really is the Young Miss. My apologies, we weren’t aware you were dining with friends. This entire table is on the house. Please, feel free to order any additional dishes; I’ll have the kitchen prepare them immediately,” the lobby manager said respectfully.

But for some reason, I always felt a hesitation and conflict in her voice when she spoke.

It was as if she had something she wanted to say, but couldn’t quite bring herself to voice it directly.

“There’s no need,” Mo Qingyan interjected. “Today is my treat. It just so happens I picked your establishment. Even among close sisters, accounts must be settled clearly. I’ll be taking care of the bill after we finish.”

She was always unwilling to owe others, demanding fair transactions or at least a formal exchange. I wasn’t sure why; perhaps it was one of Mo Qingyan’s principles.

At the very least, I didn’t have to worry about taking a significant loss.

“Indeed, let’s go with what Senior Sister said. Today, she’s treating us, and she simply chose this place by chance. There’s no need to consider my position too much,” I explained.

I hadn’t anticipated that a high-end restaurant Mo Qingyan randomly picked would turn out to be one of the Xia family’s properties. And the lobby manager recognized me!

What an incredible coincidence.

Upon hearing Mo Qingyan declare her intention to pay, and my agreement to it, the lobby manager seemed to let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t think much of it.

After all, this was a meal worth several thousand yuan. While complimentary wasn’t impossible, it would undoubtedly put significant pressure on their accounts.

After Mo Qingyan finished ordering new dishes, the lobby manager bowed slightly and said, “Please wait a moment, everyone. The kitchen will prepare everything swiftly. We wish you an enjoyable meal.”

With that, she led the servers out of the restaurant. Mo Qingyan then seized the opportunity to raise her glass and exclaim, “Cheers, to our success!”

“Cheers!” We all raised our glasses together. They weren’t filled with wine, but rather cola.

We were heading to the Ghost Domain later tonight to practice spells, so we opted for beverages instead of alcohol.

Truthfully, I didn’t feel a strong sense of accomplishment. I had deduced the cause and effect myself, but I still had no idea about the specific function or purpose of the music room’s ghost story.

I wished I had been more involved. Xiao Qing seemed to feel the same way, but neither of us were considered fully trusted members yet.

She hadn’t revealed the entire plan to us.

I chatted with Jia Cheng and discovered that he, too, was unaware of the full scope of the plan. I suspected Xushan and Bai Yue might also be in the dark.

Mo Qingyan was likely the only one who knew the entire ghost story scheme.

Everyone else was responsible for a specific part. For instance, Xiao Qing was in charge of spreading rumors, Bai Yue controlled Lin Qianyue’s piano playing, Jia Cheng set the rhythm on-site, and I was tasked with luring Yi Zhiqiu away.

Apart from Mo Qingyan, who oversaw the entire operation, probably no one else knew the full extent of the plan.

Only after the servers brought out the second round of dishes did we slow our eating pace, gradually enjoying the meal while reviewing the operation.

“Yi Zhiqiu has been misled by the Yin energy. He believes Lin Qianyue was possessed by a malevolent ghost, failing to notice any traces of the Gu worm attachment. He also confirmed the existence of a ghost story in the music room.”

“He’s very angry and certainly won’t let the matter rest,” I reported to Mo Qingyan.

“It’s not a major issue. The music room’s ghost story has only just formed. It requires a period of nurturing before it can sneak out,” Mo Qingyan stated. “We still have time.”

Mo Qingyan nodded, adding, “It needs time to mature before it can be put to use. During this period, I won’t activate the music room ghost story at all, so he won’t find it.”

“Senior Sister Mo, I’ve wanted to ask this for a while: was it really necessary to sever Lin Qianyue’s hands? She’s a pianist; with her hands broken, she’ll never be able to play again.”

“Moreover, the after-effects of the Yin energy infusion will plague her for the rest of her life,” I whispered.

Lin Qianyue was, after all, a former classmate of mine, and I had a good impression of her. She had no connection to this matter, yet she encountered such a cruel fate simply because she played the piano.

After the initial excitement, I felt a deep sense of sympathy for her.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I already consulted the Planchette Spirit,” Mo Qingyan chuckled. “She received treatment from Yi Zhiqiu. The residual Yin energy in her body has been purified, and Yi Zhiqiu even used true qi to maintain the vitality of her hands.”

“Lin Qianyue’s hands have already been reattached. Once she recovers, she can continue playing the piano without any lasting side effects.”

“Really? Those hands were clearly completely severed. And reattaching them won’t affect her dexterity later? I did see Yi Zhiqiu transfer true qi, but I never imagined it would be so effective.”

“Senior Sister Mo, did you know Lin Qianyue would be fine beforehand when you designed this plan, or…” I only asked half the question, but Mo Qingyan surely understood the unspoken implication: did she completely disregard Lin Qianyue’s outcome, insisting on making her a sacrificial lamb?

“What do you think?” Mo Qingyan countered with a smile, her expression utterly inscrutable.

‘I guessed that Mo Qingyan had previously said she couldn’t truly divine or predict the future; the Planchette Spirit could only answer known information. So, she likely wasn’t certain that Lin Qianyue would be fine.’

‘However, she could inquire about Yi Zhiqiu’s abilities using the Planchette Spirit and deduce from his personality that he wouldn’t stand idly by; he would definitely save Lin Qianyue.’

‘If something truly happened to Lin Qianyue, it could attract more investigations, which would be detrimental to the Department of Supernatural Events’ low-key operations. But Yi Zhiqiu’s abilities were sufficient to preserve Lin Qianyue’s life.’

‘Mo Qingyan couldn’t possibly care whether Lin Qianyue could play the piano again. As long as she confirmed that Yi Zhiqiu’s treatment was enough to ensure Lin Qianyue’s survival and allow for limb reattachment, preventing her from needing amputation or disability, the matter wouldn’t escalate.’

‘After roughly ascertaining Mo Qingyan’s objective and bottom line, I surmised that she formulated the plan with this premise: as long as Lin Qianyue could live with reattached hands, it was acceptable. Whether she could still play the piano was outside Mo Qingyan’s scope of concern.’

‘This was a terrifying calculation. I wasn’t sure if Mo Qingyan truly thought this way, but it felt almost certainly accurate. At the same time, it was a risky move; one wrong step could lead to complete defeat.’

I asked again, “Yi Zhiqiu already suspects my purpose in taking him to find the ghost story. Are you really that unconcerned? Any one of us getting caught by Yi Zhiqiu could potentially expose the Department of Supernatural Events, couldn’t it? Aren’t you afraid?”

“Not at all, don’t worry,” Mo Qingyan said confidently. “We have a protective umbrella above us. Unless Yi Zhiqiu dares to directly kill us, he can’t do anything to us.”

‘A protective umbrella.’ Mo Qingyan had mentioned it once before when Bai Yue proposed assassinating Yi Zhiqiu. But back then, she said that even the protective umbrella behind the Department of Supernatural Events couldn’t provoke Yi Zhiqiu’s sect. Now, it had reversed, implying Yi Zhiqiu couldn’t do anything to us.

“Besides, you didn’t think I came unprepared, did you?”

Mo Qingyan held up a photograph, smiling triumphantly. “Thanks to you, I’ve acquired quite a few of Yi Zhiqiu’s medical records.”

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