I am a Big Player
Chapter 251 - 249, Jigsaw Puzzle Game (Fourth Update)_1

Chapter 251: 249, Jigsaw Puzzle Game (Fourth Update)_1

Ren He’s identity was like a giant jigsaw puzzle game, where almost everyone besides Yang Xi held scattered puzzle pieces. Sometimes when the holders of these pieces encountered each other, there was a sense of surprise: Had they finally pieced it together?

However, in reality, they could never be sure if what they had pieced together was the complete picture.

This feeling was truly mysterious.

Xia Yuting showed no reaction upon hearing that Ren He had a girlfriend, but there seemed to be a flickering light in her eyes that brightened and dimmed intermittently.

Indeed, she would often forget his age because of the mature quality that Ren He exhibited, yet in reality, there was already a three-year age gap between them. Xia Yuting had started school half a year earlier and was currently a sophomore in college, while Ren He, having started half a year later, was in his first year of high school.

In the eyes of society, it was already an impossibility between them, and Xia Yuting wasn’t sure if she had the courage to transcend such societal views.

But now that Ren He had a girlfriend, the light in her eyes finally went out.

However, the mind of an adult tends towards rationality. She felt that maybe one day when she looked back at this bizarre affection only known to herself, she would probably smile.

Life is a subtraction. Not only does love fade, but all things eventually decline.

The only constant is the soul that one examines when alone in the silence of the night.

But... Xia Yuting still harbored a shred of uncertainty.

The evening meal had no lavish meat or alcohol, just simple farmhouse dishes, including Ren He’s favorite pan-baked pancakes that could be rolled up with a variety of fillings. Uncle Fang made over fifty pancakes, and astonishingly, they were all eaten up...

As everyone finished their meal and moved indoors to start the murder mystery game, Fang Yu cleared the table while watching the entirely consumed dishes with a strange sense of satisfaction. It felt like he was taking care of a bunch of kids; nobody treated him like a nanny, ordering him around. Instead, they all respectfully called him Uncle Fang, following Ren He’s lead.

Inside the house, Ren He acted as the judge in the murder mystery game, watching everyone play. Finally, in one game, Liu Bing, Jiang Haoyang, and Li Yifan were all killers. Their deceitfully convincing acts surprised everyone. However, when it was Liu Jiamin’s turn to speak, she suddenly said, "I know these three the best. Their traits are too obvious; they must have teamed up as killers. Many rounds of previous games can prove this point. Trust me and vote them out!"

Ren He laughed so hard he could have peed himself. Although Liu Jiamin’s move might have seemed a little against the rules, it was quite entertaining. Liu Bing and the others were gritting their teeth in frustration. It seemed it was time to discuss a change in tactics...

When Liu Jiamin first started playing the murder mystery game, she would get stage fright and hesitate to speak. But now, she could speak eloquently.

Seeing all the people and things around him getting better was enough to make Ren He happy.

Everyone thought that Ren He had made a great purchase with the Courtyard House: located in a bustling area yet offering a place where they could hang out as long as they wanted, with delicious food and homegrown dried fruits on hand.

Almost everyone planned to make this place their base for frequent gatherings.

Thanks to Ren He, everyone quickly became familiar with each other, as though they were old friends who had known each other for a long time.

It was not until now that Liu Bing and the others had the chance to wonder why Ren He was willing to donate the earnings from the murder mystery game to the club like it was charity. Although they still didn’t know that Ren He was "Knight," or the identities of Liu Erbao and An Si—which were different from Xia Yuting’s knowledge—they knew Ren He was wealthy. He had wealth that even the most extravagant second-generation rich in No.4 Middle School couldn’t match.

What’s so great about owning a sports car when compared to the understated luxury of a Courtyard House... No comparison... None...

When it was time to leave at night, Liu Erbao drove away with grandeur, feeling extremely pleased without any paparazzi following him. Ren He’s method really worked.

However, the reporter whose tires he had punctured had already started applying for approval to purchase solid off-road tires...

Before leaving, he got Cui Qiang’s contact information from Ren He, indicating he would seriously consider buying a Courtyard House in Liu Hai Alley.

What surprised Ren He, though, was that Xia Yuting also asked for Cui Qiang’s contact information. She was still a newcomer when acting in ’Kunlun,’ so her pay couldn’t have been that high.

No, Ren He slapped his forehead, Xia Yuting came from an impressive family background; he had forgotten about that.

Before An Si left, he had a serious talk with Ren He, "Although I know you have your own judgments and people can’t stop you if you really want to do something, your achievements in extreme sports are already outstanding enough. If you want to challenge a new field, you must, must wait until you are in the best shape after fully recharging. You are human, not a god. Gods don’t die, but you will."

From Ren He’s current condition and the fact that he had voluntarily added clauses to take on new challenges, the upper echelons at TK had actually realized that parkour might not be Ren He’s final destination.

While a genius in more extreme sports fields would be more beneficial to TK’s fame, if something happened to that genius, it would be a loss for TK. As Ren He’s friend, An Si didn’t want to see anything happen to him.

Ren He smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I have a good sense of it."

"Alright, then I won’t say more. But if you really want to tackle a new field, make sure to inform us in advance to take the necessary protective measures," An Si said and then left.

After everyone left, the courtyard grew quiet once more. Ren He let out a long breath, feeling that the proverb ’All good things must come to an end’ must be about moments like this.

A cool autumn breeze swept into the clean courtyard, now once again covered with yellow leaves that Fang had swept that morning, appearing especially desolate under the moonlight.

Ren He came into this world alone. Though his parents were still around, his friends were gone—Liu Fei, Little Fatty, Run God... None of those once close companions were beside him any longer.

That’s why he always felt a certain detachment, half-awake, half-asleep, as though something wasn’t quite real.

But he understood that this was the real world, not a dream.

’All good things must come to an end’ was first recorded in the 35th volume of Feng Menglong’s ’Stories to Awake the World,’ "There are no banquets under the heavens that do not disperse. Even if they lasted a thousand years, a day would come to part."

The basic meaning suggests that all unions are temporary and inevitably lead to separation.

Reflecting back, since you were young, you went through elementary, middle, high school, and even university—each transition brought new friends, but inevitably meant bidding farewell to old ones. This is determined by social and personal development. People have their own thoughts—maybe you have liked a quiet, unchanging life, or perhaps you prefer one that’s vibrant and dynamic, but you can’t guarantee others feel the same.

Maybe some of the people who gathered in the courtyard today will one day no longer be in contact, but that’s okay.

Everyone was once inseparable like organs in a body, unable to function without the others. Yet as plants have their cycle of growth and decay, humans have their time of life and death.

There will be farewells, and there will be reunions.

A silent sentiment is enough: Thank you for the memories of the companionship over the years in this barren world, thank you for the sincere cooperation. Until we meet again.

...

A bonus update as a reward.