Chapter 816: Snake Killer
Qi Xia recalled the situation from moments ago.
Chen Junnan had suddenly been filled with immense sorrow at some point, but if the Earth Snake had really used some dirty trick, why were the other people fine?
Although Chen Junnan was the one talking to the Earth Snake, Qi Xia himself had also exchanged a couple of words with him. It probably wasn't "hearing his voice" that caused it—could it be from touching him?
Right when the Earth Snake was about to hang himself, Chen Junnan had reached out and grabbed him. If there was really a trigger, that was most likely it.
"Try not to touch him too much for now," Qi Xia said. "I'll go ask a few questions, and once we're done, we head back to 'Heaven's Gate.' Staying here too long could mean trouble."
"Alright..." Chen Junnan nodded. "So we're skipping that old bastard's game today?"
"We'll see."
Qi Xia led the three of them through the door and found that this place really was a bookstore. Except there wasn't a single book on the shelves—just a few scraps of paper at most.
The Earth Snake didn't even bother to look back at the four people behind him. After entering the bookstore, he walked straight through another door on his own.
The group followed him inside and discovered that the bookstore had a small meeting hall inside—likely used for book signing events in the real world.
A few chairs were arranged in a circle inside this meeting hall, and piles of books were stacked up in the corner of the room.
"Have a seat, everyone," the Earth Snake said. "I lost my composure just now. Feel free to ask your questions."
"Anything at all?" Chen Junnan confirmed.
"Yes, anything. But I might not necessarily answer."
The Earth Snake dragged a chair over and placed it behind himself, sitting down with an elegant posture. Then he crossed his legs.
Qi Xia sat down without any hesitation, and the others gathered around him. The four of them sat facing the Earth Snake, making it look almost like a press conference.
"What exactly is the 'Mutual Aid Society'?" Qi Xia asked.
"Hmm..." The Earth Snake thought for a moment before answering, "In theory, without a sponsor, I shouldn't be explaining this to you. But since you've already seen me in such an embarrassing state, how about this: I'll tell you what the Mutual Aid Society is, and you keep quiet about me trying to hang myself. Deal?"
"That's interesting." Qi Xia said. "You chose to show that embarrassing side yourself, and now you're using it as bargaining chips in our conversation?"
"Ha." The Earth Snake cast a polite yet slightly contemptuous glance at Qi Xia and said, "In life, you should do whatever you want the moment the urge strikes. Isn't it exhausting to be second-guessing yourself all the time? Just now, I wanted to hang myself. And now, I want you to keep it a secret. Those are two different things. There's no causal link."
Chen Junnan frowned. "You've got some pretty twisted logic going on there."
"Naturally." The Earth Snake nodded. "I live and die by spontaneity."
"Deal," Qi Xia said. "But my questions aren't limited to just the 'Mutual Aid Society.' What kind of bargaining chips are you going to demand from us next time?"
"No problem." The Earth Snake shook his head. "I'll play it by ear. If the conversation goes well, I might answer you for free."
"Alright." Qi Xia agreed. "Then let's start with the 'Mutual Aid Society.'"
"The 'Mutual Aid Society'... It's basically a gathering where people sit together and share their sufferings, and then others comfort them. I act as the host," the Earth Snake said. "You've seen organizations like this elsewhere, haven't you?"
"This kind of thing..." Chen Junnan furrowed his brow. "I see it a lot in foreign movies. Not really popular here, is it?"
"True, true." The Earth Snake nodded, reaching up to touch his pale forehead. "But in a hellhole like this, there really aren't any stress-relieving activities. So I founded this group. Didn't expect it to take off."
"I don't quite understand." Qi Xia said. "This is the first time I've heard of a 'Zodiac' founding any kind of organization, let alone a charity group. What's your purpose?"
"As for my purpose..." the Earth Snake said. "Once I say it, you should be able to understand."
They waited for him to elaborate, expecting to have their doubts cleared up, but their expectations were once again shattered by his answer.
"I started the 'Mutual Aid Society' just to mock these people," the Earth Snake said, his eyes widening slowly, his mouth stretching up to his cheeks. "Oh, who knew I'd grow it so big... more customers every day?"
"Mock them?" Qiao Jiajin was taken aback. "You set up a whole organization just to mock the 'participants'?"
"That's right, exactly right." The Earth Snake nodded, his face serious. "Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"
"Perfect sense my ass." Qiao Jiajin looked baffled. "What kind of twisted psychology is that?"
"Because nobody in this world actually wants others to do well!" the Earth Snake replied unabashedly. "Are you telling me you want to see everyone around you doing better than you?"
"What's wrong with that?" Qiao Jiajin retorted. "If you're dissatisfied, then you should work harder. What kind of skill is it to just laugh at others for not doing well?"
"You think I chose this?!" the Earth Snake exclaimed. "Every late night, when I open Weibo or Moments, I see someone bragging about earning tens of thousands this month, someone else traveling abroad, another eating a fancy meal that costs hundreds per person... Why do they post this stuff? Isn't it just to prove 'I'm doing better than you'? Don't you wish they'd just die?"
"Then don't go into those two apps!" Qiao Jiajin said. "There are always people like that. Why bother with them?"
"Two... two apps?" The Earth Snake was slightly taken aback.
"Yeah! If those two apps are no good, go somewhere else!" Qiao Jiajin said. "Go hit the boxing ring, go work out, go make money—why do you have to stay on those two apps?"
Chen Junnan and Qi Xia exchanged awkward glances and reached out to pull Qiao Jiajin back.
"Old Qiao... hold on, hold on... you're getting off track," Chen Junnan said. "I've never seen anyone get this far off topic and still be so self-righteous."
"How am I off track?!" Qiao Jiajin clearly didn't agree with Chen Junnan. "Take a look at this snake. He's miserable when others are doing well, and he's happy when others are miserable. How pathetic is that?"
"But... but you really are off track... listen to me..."
Qi Xia let out a light laugh and nodded. "I don't think he's off track. Keep going."
"Old Qi, you..."
With Qi Xia backing him up, Qiao Jiajin grew even more assertive. "White-skinned snake, think about it. You're out clubbing late every single night, and then you complain about the people in those apps showing off how well they're doing. How are you any better?"
The Earth Snake clearly felt overwhelmed by Qiao Jiajin's words. "I think I'm getting confused... Are we even talking about the same thing?"
"Yes, we are," Qiao Jiajin said earnestly. "I swear. It's the same thing."
Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. It seemed that whether it was Chen Junnan or Qiao Jiajin, both of them were natural-born snake killers.