Ita Era

Chapter 203 story walkthrough
What is the significance of Bai Yan's existence? To answer this, we need to analyze the interests of Bai Yuan and Lin Yuan, the masterminds behind the scheme.

Bai Lin's first interest was Ding's stepmother's family property, and his second interest was the boss's family property.

Bai Yuan and Ding Shi collaborated. Bai Yuan pretended that she had been abandoned by Lin Yuan and was unwilling to accept it, so she wanted Lin Yuan to pay the price. Bai Yuan slept with Lin Yuan and presented the evidence of the affair to Ding Shi. Ding Shi then coerced Lin Yuan to persuade his stepmother to stop causing trouble and to divide the inheritance.

However, Ding's stepmother knew that Bai Yuan and Lin Yuan had been boyfriend and girlfriend, and Bai Yuan could testify that the photos were taken when they were dating. This evidence would be of almost no help to Ding.

The second point of interest was the boss's assets. Bai Yuan was unaware that the boss had stopped engaging in illegal activities and instead used the money to cover her deceased husband's losses. She believed that obtaining evidence of the boss's crimes would force him to part with his assets.

Assuming Bai Yuan and Lin Yuan's plan proceeds without harming Ding Shi's interests, Ding Shi will obtain 40% of the inheritance from his stepmother through legal means. This would not be in Bai Yuan and Lin Yuan's best interest. To demonstrate his worth to Ding Shi's stepmother, Lin Yuan needs to find a way to reach an out-of-court settlement with her, with the settlement amounting to 20% of the inheritance.

Ding Shi definitely won't buy into this, so Lin Yuan must obtain evidence of Ding Shi's crimes to blackmail him.

Of the people mentioned above, none of them could threaten Ding Shi, so a new character was needed, and that's when Bai Yan appeared.

Ding Shi was clearly suspicious of the suddenly appearing Bai Yan, yet still held expectations for her love, so he commissioned Xiao Ri to investigate Bai Yan.

During Xiao Ri's investigation, it was discovered that he had been murdered or died accidentally, prompting Bai Yuan and Lin Yuan to change their plans.

The first step in the plan was to show affection. Ignoring Ding Shi's attitude, Ding Yan displayed absolute love for him; almost no man could resist the pure love from a beautiful woman.

The second step of the plan was an outing. Ding Shi and I went to play by the river.

The third step of the plan was to bury the body. Xiao Ri's body was to be buried by the river.

The fourth step in the plan is to select a photo.

Ding Shi looked through the photos Lin Yuan had sent of him burying the body again. He made a hypothesis: if he hadn't buried the body, why would he be there?

If we assume Bai Yan is a bad person, then the photos and videos can be explained.

The first photo shows me sitting in the driver's seat, parked by a small river. Explanation: I drove to the 404 highway in the countryside with Bai Yan; otherwise, what else could we do there at night?
The second photo shows him holding a shovel in one hand and carrying a person or corpse in the other. This photo does not show his front view, only his back view of the clothes he is wearing.

The third video shows someone digging a hole, with the body beside them. It's still just a back view; there's no frontal shot.

The fourth photo is crucial; the subject digs a hole for himself and looks at the photographer.

Ding Shi was already convinced by this photo. Now, considering Bai Yan is a bad person, she could easily convince herself to pose for a photo. After all, it's nighttime, outdoors, and there's a beautiful woman; she could do anything, from digging a hole to hand-crafting nanochips.

The fifth photo and the fourth photo form a set.

The sixth picture shows the men in black digging up the body, indicating that the burial site has been discovered. The men in black also took a finger that was mailed to Ding Shi.

Of the six photos or videos, the first, fourth, and fifth photos were taken at the same time.

Ding Shi speculated that the second and third photos were taken last night.

Ding Shi had a blackout after seeing Bai Yan last night. Bai Yan took off her clothes, drove to the riverbank, and took a second and third photo with Lin Yuan to complete the chain of evidence.

Evidence 1: Jiangnan-style steamed buns.

Xiaohe is located in the suburbs of Jiangnan District. When Bai Yan returned, she bought xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) on the way. This speculation explains Ding Shi's confusion about the xiaolongbao that morning.

Evidence 2: Lin Yuan's strange behavior.

Lin Yuan was unaware that Ding Shi had lost his memory. If Ding Shi hadn't lost his memory, after seeing the six photos and videos, he would have realized he had been framed by Bai Yan. Perhaps Ding Shi would have been furious, annoyed, dejected, and heartbroken, but he wouldn't have calmly said, "Let me think about it."

Lin Yuan found Ding Shi's answer strange, and he didn't know what the problem was.

Evidence 3: Details about Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan never said Ding Shi was the murderer; he only emphasized that he possessed evidence. This clearly indicates, "I know you've been framed." Only the person who framed you knows how innocent you are, therefore Lin Yuan is inextricably linked to the murderer.

Based on Bai Yan's car, it can be concluded that Bai Yan and Lin Yuan colluded.

Why did Bai Yan collude with Lin Yuan? The reason was similar to that of Bai Yuan. After their fathers died, in order to repay a large amount of debt, the boss drastically reduced living expenses, turning them from high-end urban beauties into middle-class women.

Unlike Ding Shineng, who sued his stepmother, the Bai sisters had no idea how much money their boss had.

Good news, I've basically figured out 90% of the backstory.

The bad news is that Bai Yan may have gone into hiding after Lin Yuan sent the photos and videos.

Ding Shi wanted to find the best way to break the deadlock. Finding Lin Yuan was useless, finding Bai Yuan was also ineffective; the only option was to find Bai Yan. Bai Yan was definitely directly related to Xiao Ri's death or disappearance. Only by finding Bai Yan could he prevent Lin Yuan from framing him.

Therefore, this is not an ethical drama, nor a love story, nor a family drama, but a social crime drama.

……

During lunchtime, Ding Shi took his homemade tools and went to the 5th floor for a walk, but did not see Hong Yi. He then contacted Hong Yi.

The red-clad woman's reply dealt a heavy blow to Ding Shi: "I've finished the clone script and am currently dining at a high-class restaurant, preparing to begin the first challenge of the rules: Happy Jobs. It's a short play; if possible, see you at the 200th floor tomorrow morning at 9 AM."

Ding Shi regretted, "I shouldn't have helped you... How did you manage to write the shrimp?" Although Hong Yi had obtained the character's backstory, she needed to complete her work before she could answer the questions.

The woman in red said, "Isn't this what he's been complaining about? He said that there's a mother-daughter war going on at home every day, there's never a peaceful day. They yell at each other whenever they're at it, and shout whenever they're not at it. Even when it's none of his business, he always ends up being the one taking the blame. He said that when he scolds his younger daughter, his wife tells him not to say such hurtful things. When he doesn't stop the arguments, his wife accuses him of being indifferent, as if the family belongs to her alone."

The woman in red said, "I grasped the core point: don't have a second child. I started the conversation with this, and he really resonated with it. He said that before his youngest daughter was in third grade, his wife spoke gently and never raised her voice, and the family was harmonious. Now, it's like a volcano that could erupt at any moment. Every day, her sudden roar makes his heart skip a beat."

The woman in red said, "There are many things to complain about. I've been teaching him to close the door gently for over ten years, but every time I hear that brat slamming the door. I've been teaching him to wear slippers indoors, but every time I see that brat wearing white socks and stomping around everywhere. I've been teaching him to take the trash with him when he leaves home, but that brat has never taken the trash with him even once."

The woman in red said, "He said he was a failed father. I hugged him sympathetically, and that resolved the issue."

Ding Shi understood; the key wasn't the failure, but the hug. He hadn't expected him to be such a jerk.

The woman in red said, "Good luck."

After hanging up the phone, Ding Shi didn't eat and left the restaurant directly. He left the office building, got into a taxi, and headed to Bai Yan's villa in Jiangbei.

The villa's iron gate can be opened remotely from inside. Ding Shi used a knife to scrape off the insulation of the power cord on the lock edge of the iron gate, and touched both wires at the same time with the knife. The lock opened with a "buzz".

Faced with the various electronic locks currently available, the market already has very mature unlocking methods, such as interference, reset, and access control. Interestingly, most electronic locks also have a corresponding mechanical key, so strictly speaking, as long as you master the unlocking techniques passed down from our ancestors, you can deal with most electronic locks on the market.

Bai Yan's car wasn't at the villa, so Ding Shi went around to the side of the villa, took out some tape, and stuck it to the glass window, making sure it was firmly attached to the edges. He then picked up a random stone and struck the four corners, easily removing one of the glass windows.

Ding Shi slipped into the villa silently, went up to the second floor, and gently pushed open the half-closed bedroom door.

No one is empty.

Ding Shi dialed his boss's number: "Hello boss, I have a question. Does Bai Yan own a villa? The one her father left her?"

Boss: "No, I've sold or mortgaged all the properties."

Ding Shi asked, "How do I find Bai Yan?" The boss asked, "What do you want with her?"

Ding Shi said, "Break up with her."

The boss seemed to be changing the subject, or perhaps explaining himself, saying, "When you first met, I knew that her sudden return home was aimed at you. Because after their father passed away, they basically never went home."

Ding Shi said, "Would you rather watch the relationship between mother and daughter break down than tell them the truth?"

The boss said, "I told them that the company was losing a lot of money under their father's management. For the next few years, they should not buy large items unless necessary, and I also reduced their allowance to one thousand dollars. They agreed verbally, but privately they thought I was going to remarry with my assets."

Ding asked, "May I ask, what is my salary?"

The boss said, "150 dollars a month."

Ding Shi wiped away a tear of bitterness and asked, "Remarry?"

The boss paused for a moment and said, "My husband and I have long since lost our feelings for each other, and we each have our own affairs. Our two children know that we have other women outside, so it's normal for them to have this misunderstanding. To be honest, I was also planning to do the same, but that man ran away after he heard that I was going to take on the debt."

Ding Shi: "Where can I find Ding Yan now?"

Boss: "I don't know, I don't care about her."

You don't care about Bai Yan? Really? You seem to care a lot about Bai Yuan, and you even know that Bai Yuan is in a relationship with you, and that Bai Yuan is with her true love Lin Yuan.

Ding Shi: "Let's talk later."

"Ah."

Ding Shi hung up the phone, and the next second the phone rang. Ding Shi answered the phone: "Hello."

"Hello, this is the Cloning Bureau. We have a question for you. Since this is a repeated question, you will receive 5 points for a correct answer and 3 points for a wrong answer. Question: Why does your stepmother hate you?"

Ding Shi answered decisively: "Because of my identity, and also because of money. Only by kicking me out of the house and making my father despise me can she get all the family property."

"Correct answer, currently 5 points."

Ding hung up the phone, pondered for a moment, took a taxi back to the company, and contacted Bai Yuan in the car: "I got the things, come pick me up from get off work today."

Bai Yuan: "Okay."

Bai Yuan dialed Lin Yuan's number: "He got the things and asked me to pick him up after get off work."

Lin Yuan said, "Take him to the Mingzhu underground parking lot."

Bai Yuan asked, "Why?"

Lin Yuan replied, "I can't be sure if what he got was electronic data. If it was, he's likely carrying photocopies. I'll have someone break his leg and keep him in the hospital for two months. That way, I'll have time to help the old woman transfer her assets."

Bai Yuan asked, "Have you convinced the old lady to transfer her assets to the investment company under my name?"

Lin Yuan replied proudly, "Of course."

When Ding returned to the company, he opened the toolbox of the logistics department, looked at it for a while, then went to the warehouse across the street to rummage around for a while, and then did some more rummaging.

At 2 PM, the Cloning Agency called: "Does your stepmother have any children?"

Ding Shi replied, "Yes." He tugged at the thin steel cable; it felt very comfortable in his hand.

"Correct answer, currently 6 points."

Ding's stepmother hated her, so she drugged herself, causing not only her father to despise her but also landing her six months in prison for assault. Assuming Ding's stepmother had no children of her own, given her age, she wouldn't sacrifice a fetus to frame herself. Considering her age, she would have been around 40 at the time, already a high-risk pregnancy.

It was also because of the children that Ding's stepmother hated Ding Shi even more for dividing the property so little; otherwise, she would have tried to please Ding Shi.

At 5:30 PM, Ding Shi was playing Minesweeper on his computer when he received an email from the Cloning Administration: "You can choose the question score: 1, 2, 3, or 4 points. The higher the score, the more difficult it is."

Ding Shi decisively replied, "4 points." A correct answer would be 10 points. Ding Shi wasn't a gambler; he had already figured out his own backstory and therefore had full confidence.

Management Bureau: "May I ask what your stepmother's child's name is?"

Holy shit, you damn system.

Ding put down the mouse and started fiddling with the CPU. He quickly realized a detail. His boss had said that he could get over 40% of the assets through litigation. However, assuming Ding's stepmother had children, and those children wanted a share, he would only get 37.5% of the assets.

Therefore, the child was not raised under Ding's stepmother's name. Only if this condition is met will the child not be entitled to any share of the assets.

The child should live with his father, but among the NPCs I met in the instance, there's no middle-aged man. Could he be the supervisor? But he's clearly a functional NPC, unrelated to the backstory.

Boss: We've had no feelings for each other for a long time; we've both been seeing other people.

A girl with an angelic smile, a suspect in a murder case, and a little devil who makes her black out after a passionate kiss: Bai Yan.

Bai Yan lives in the villa her father left her.

Boss: I have already sold and mortgaged all the properties.

I made a mistake. Bai Yan isn't with Bai Yuan and Lin Yuan; she's with Ding's stepmother and Lin Yuan. Ding's stepmother, along with her new husband Lin Yuan and their illegitimate child Bai Yan, were trying to trap me and force me to accept an out-of-court settlement. I never expected that I would ask Xiao Ri to investigate Bai Yan, which led to Xiao Ri's death, and they changed their plans because of it.

That's right, Bai Yan is the child of the boss's ex-husband and Ding's stepmother. Ding's stepmother entrusted Bai Yan to the boss's ex-husband to raise in order to remarry. The boss and his husband each went their own way and didn't care. This also explains why the boss was indifferent and unconcerned about Bai Yan living alone.

Bai Yuan is probably not an extramarital affair. The boss knows a lot about Bai Yuan, and Ding Shi started working at the boss's company on Bai Yuan's recommendation.

Where will Bai Yan go? If Bai Yan is smart, she will realize that she has sneaked into the villa, and then she can play the fool and return to live in the villa.

Bai Yan's other destination was Ding's stepmother's house, which was also her biological mother's house.

Ding Shi answered the question: "Bai Yan".

"Correct answer, 10 points, the clone crawler will be eliminated."

System: Congratulations on clearing the Clone Dungeon! For the remainder of the time, feel free to challenge the mini-games we've prepared. Dying in a mini-game will not incur a penalty, but will end the challenge.

System: If you want to challenge the mini-game, go to the 200th floor after 9:00 AM tomorrow to accept the task.

System: All storylines related to you will be closed at 9 AM tomorrow.

To be honest, once you've cleared the dungeon, the storyline becomes meaningless. But Dante doesn't want to reason with people.

(End of this chapter)