Chapter 195 – My Lady Heroine in the Holographic Online Game – The Evidence is Conclusive (09)
Whether Jiang Yiran was willing or not, as long as the hot spring inn agreed, the surveillance footage could be checked.
Jiang Yiran was extremely reluctant, but she had no way to stop the lobby manager from pulling up the footage.
She watched the footage nervously: she entered with a tray, Qi Hongyi returned carrying Bai Tang, and she came out empty-handed.
Fortunately, to create a cozy atmosphere, the hot spring inn had warm and dim lighting in the hallways and outside the rooms, which made the surveillance footage rather unclear.
“I can go now, right?” Jiang Yiran said, carrying her backpack.
“Host, the jade pendant is in the female lead’s pocket. You must get it back! She even tried to bind it with a blood ritual. Luckily your spiritual sense was strong enough — if she had succeeded, your mental domain would’ve suffered severe damage.”
Stealing the pendant was bad enough, but sensing the energy within it using her protagonist aura? If she had really succeeded in the blood-binding, Bai Tang’s spiritual sea would’ve been attacked and collapsed.
Physical weakness and vomiting blood would be the least of it — he might have even gone mad.
This was what Xiao A disliked most about the female lead: corrupt character, completely unlike someone who had received a higher education.
Qiu’er, listening on the side, was terrified. If the female lead really succeeded, Bai Tang would definitely be driven insane, Xiao A would be forcibly taken, and even its system might be damaged.
At this moment, Qiu’er and Xiao A were on the same front.
“Tang Tang, she actually stole! We can’t let her off the hook!” Qiu’er said angrily.
Since there was no physical evidence, Jiang Yiran was technically free to go.
But Bai Tang blocked her path, putting on the bratty, willful air of the Bai family’s little young master.
“No way. You took something of mine — it’s in your pocket. Give it back.”
His straightforward declaration of where the jade pendant was made Jiang Yiran’s heart skip a beat.
She reached out, trying to push Bai Tang away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t have the right to search me!”
Qi Hongyi was quick and sharp-eyed, and he caught Jiang Yiran’s hand just before she could touch Bai Tang.
“Are you going to empty your pockets yourself, or do I do it for you?”
Qi Hongyi’s imposing aura left Jiang Yiran completely frozen.
“Jiang Yiran, why don’t you just empty your pockets to prove your innocence? If there’s nothing there, the hot spring inn wouldn’t let you be wronged for no reason.” the lobby manager advised gently.
The lobby manager also felt that Qi Hongyi was simply indulging Bai Tang’s unreasonable behavior, being overbearing and unfair. But Qi Hongyi wasn’t someone you could afford to offend, so he had no choice but to side against Jiang Yiran.
Jiang Yiran’s eyes were red with anxiety. The jade pendant really was in her pocket — how could she possibly take it out? If she did, it would confirm she was a thief.
At this moment, she regretted it deeply. What had possessed her last night?
She tried using the argument that they had no right to search her, but it didn’t work. Although an illegal search would normally be forbidden, Qi Hongyi had money and power. At most, he’d face a lecture, pay a fine, and issue an apology — none of which would matter to someone like him. He’d already made that clear before they even checked the surveillance footage.
In the end, the jade pendant was found on Jiang Yiran.
The group who had been defending her — including Xiaotuan and the lobby manager — stood there stunned.
Qi Hongyi handed the pendant back to Bai Tang.
“Tang Tang, take a look. Is this the one?”
Bai Tang took it and quickly replied, “Yes, that’s the one.”
Xiao Tuan couldn’t believe it.
“Yiran, how could you steal? That’s not like you at all…”
Jiang Yiran had been working part-time at the hot spring inn for several days. Though she wasn’t the most meticulous person, she had always been honest.
Even when guests left things behind, she would turn them in without keeping anything for herself. That was exactly why Xiao Tuan and the lobby manager trusted her so much — just moments ago, they had even silently resented Qi Hongyi for abusing his power.
“That’s my jade pendant! What gives you the right to say it’s yours?” Jiang Yiran said nervously.
She had inspected the pendant closely the night before and found no family crest or identifying mark. There was no way she could admit to anything now — if she did, she wouldn’t just lose her job, she’d carry a stain on her record for life.
“If it’s really yours, then why didn’t you show it from the start and clear things up? Why did you wait until Yiyi had to search you? You say it’s from your family? Then tell us — what’s so special about it?” Bai Tang lifted his chin and asked proudly.
He wasn’t afraid of the female lead playing tricks — the red cord was woven with his own squirrel fur, so he was certain she wouldn’t be able to describe it accurately.
Jiang Yiran looked over at Qi Hongyi, but he was entirely focused on Bai Tang and didn’t spare her even a glance.
She took a deep breath and said, “The jade pendant is teardrop-shaped, with a red cord braided in a three-strand pattern.”
That was what she had observed the night before.
The lobby manager checked and confirmed that everything she said matched.
Bai Tang pouted.
“Lots of cords are braided with a three-strand technique — anyone could guess that. And the teardrop shape? That’s obvious to anyone who sees the pendant. Those aren’t distinguishing features. My pendant’s cord is braided with squirrel fur mixed in. If you don’t believe me, we can send it in for testing. Let’s see if it has squirrel hair.”
The boy spoke with righteous confidence, completely unshaken. In contrast, Jiang Yiran’s shifting eyes made it easy for anyone to tell who was telling the truth.
“Don’t be angry, Tang Tang. It’s good enough that we got the pendant back. Let’s call the police,” Qi Hongyi said, gently patting Bai Tang’s back to calm him.
The police (JC) soon arrived at the hot spring inn. According to Bai Tang’s statement, the cord of the pendant was taken as evidence — the officers cut off a small section for testing, and the results came back quickly.
Sure enough, the cord contained squirrel fur, proving Bai Tang was telling the truth — the pendant was his.
Jiang Yiran was officially identified as the thief and taken into custody at the police station.
When her parents arrived to identify her, they nearly fell to their knees in front of Bai Tang, begging him not to press charges.
“Young Master Bai, it was wrong of Yiran — she lost her way, but she knows she was wrong. Please, can you not press charges…” Madam Jiang sobbed as she clutched Bai Tang’s clothes.
Madam Jiang was used to hard labor, and her strength was no match for Bai Tang — a pampered young master who had never lifted anything heavier than a teacup.
He was completely immobilized by her grip, until Qi Hongyi came out after giving his statement and helped free him.
Bai Tang couldn’t stand it when people begged him — especially not someone elderly like Madam Jiang, whose face was worn with hardship, making her look all the more pitiful.
“Alright then,” Bai Tang finally nodded, agreeing to drop the charges — not out of sympathy for Jiang Yiran, but out of pity for Madam Jiang.
In this futuristic world, anyone who had been processed by the police would have a record — even if the charges were dropped, the consequences still weren’t light.
“Tang Tang, let’s go,” Qi Hongyi said, no longer paying attention to the others as he led Bai Tang away and drove off.
After signing the documents, Jiang Yiran returned home with her parents, completely exhausted.
“Yiran, don’t ever do something like this again. I know our family is poor, but we must live with dignity and integrity,” her father said earnestly.
He had only one daughter and had always cherished her. He believed that the family’s sudden financial troubles had made Yiran panic, leading her to make a terrible mistake. So he didn’t scold her — only tried to reason with her gently.
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’m going to my room,” Jiang Yiran replied impatiently and went back to her bedroom.
She sat on the bed, furiously pounding her pillow in frustration.
Before she had even officially met Hong Qingge in real life, she had already ruined her image in front of him. Would she and Qi Hongyi have no future now?
She was unwilling — deeply, bitterly unwilling. Her relationship with Hong Qingge had been going well in the game. They were just about to take the next step. Why did Bai Tang have to ruin everything?
Before transmigrating, Jiang Yiran had been unattractive and overweight. She always said she wanted to lose weight but hated exercise. Growing up poor had also bred a deep resentment toward the wealthy. After finally finishing school, she worked part-time and managed to buy a computer, choosing to stay home and play games rather than go out and find a job. She always felt people outside judged her unfairly and looked down on her.
So she stayed home gaming, occasionally taking jobs as a game booster. It was just enough to scrape by. Who would’ve thought she’d one day transmigrate?
With her excellent gaming skills, she quickly gained admiration and respect in the holographic MMO world. That feeling — of being looked up to, of being someone — was something she had never experienced before. And it felt amazing.
But all of that had been ruined by Bai Tang.
He had a good family background, a handsome face — he could have any fiancé he wanted. Why did he have to cling to Qi Hongyi, the one she liked?
Bai Tang… Bai Tang…
Jiang Yiran ground her teeth, repeating his name with hatred.
She thought of how gentle and attentive Qi Hongyi had been to Bai Tang at the hot spring inn. She couldn’t tell if it was Qi Hongyi she truly liked, or if it was just resentment, or jealousy of Bai Tang.
But one thing was certain — she wasn’t going to give up.
Qi Hongyi dropped Bai Tang off at the Bai residence, just in time to run into Bai Luo coming home.
“Qi Hongyi, draw your sword!” Bai Luo snapped a branch off a tree and pointed it at Qi Hongyi, who was still holding onto Bai Tang.
“Let go of him. Tang Tang, come here.” He waved the branch to break their clasped hands apart.
Bai Luo pulled Bai Tang behind him protectively and said to Qi Hongyi,
“You may have beaten me in the game, but in real life, I won’t lose. Come, let’s duel!”
Qi Hongyi calmly unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his wrists.
“Alright.”
Bai Luo was one of the strongest opponents of his relationship with Bai Tang. If he wanted to be with Bai Tang, he needed the approval of the Bai family. Bai Luo would be the first to convince — and if he wouldn’t accept it, Qi Hongyi would just fight until he did.
He told Bai Tang to step back, in case he got accidentally hurt.
Then, bare-handed, Qi Hongyi started sparring with Bai Luo.
Both of them had received elite training since childhood, including disciplines like Taekwondo and Judo. The fight was intense and evenly matched.
Bai Tang watched them go back and forth, blow for blow, neither one gaining a clear upper hand.
“The male lead is holding back,” Xiao A commented, immediately seeing through it.
“Huh? Why?” Bai Tang was confused. “He can clearly win — why go easy on him?”
“Ha! Isn’t it obvious? Based on my analysis of the male lead’s patterns, this is all part of his grand strategy.”
Qiu’er stomped its feet dramatically.
“The male lead wants to win you over, so he needs to win over the people who oppose your relationship. And Bai Luo, being your second brother, is especially important. If he beats Bai Luo too easily, it would hurt Bai Luo’s pride and make him angry — what if Bai Luo forbids you from seeing him again? That’s why he’s staging this whole ‘evenly matched duel’ just to let Bai Luo feel like he gave it his all, and still lost fair and square. Just watch!”
Sure enough, right as Qiu’er finished speaking, Bai Luo let out an “Aiyo!” and collapsed onto the grass, face-first, eating a mouthful of it.
“That didn’t count — again!” Bai Luo spat out a wad of grass indignantly.
Qi Hongyi shook his head.
“I’m done. Out of energy.”
Bai Luo taunted,
“What kind of man are you? With a body like that, you think you can make my Tang Tang happy?!”
A real man couldn’t let that slide — especially not when Bai Luo was implying that he couldn’t satisfy Bai Tang in certain… other ways.
So Qi Hongyi casually flipped Bai Luo over again, this time landing him right on his butt.
Qiu’er: “Told you so.”
Xiao A & Bai Tang: “666…”
Author’s Note:
Bai Luo: “I will protect my Tang Tang.”
Qi Hongyi: “Then let’s duel!”
Bai Tang: “Stop fighting, you guys~”
Qiu’er & Xiao A: “Yeah, stop fighting — no one’s dying from this anyway.”