Liu Yuning also came this time, and I had three tickets in my hand to begin with.
Finding our seats, He Xin immediately bought popcorn and a cola.
Facing the colorful stage and the pleasant music, our moods relaxed.
"It's rare to have a holiday, it's great to come out and play. You wanted to play games at home before?" I said.
"No, with President Zhou's concert, of course I wouldn't miss it! Playing games was just a previous plan!"
"Heh, I thought you might read a book!"
"What book? I've read enough during university!" He Xin said irritably.
Liu Yuning opened a bag of chips for me and handed it over. As I casually ate a few pieces, melodious music began to play on stage. President Zhou appeared as if he were surrounded by stars, escorted by countless beautiful women. He started with the song "Qilixiang," igniting the atmosphere of the entire venue.
Fans excitedly waved their signs and glow sticks, cheering on the side. He Xin also stood up excitedly, shouting loudly. Seeing her so happy, Liu Yuning and I couldn't help but smile.
One song followed another. Midway through, a bowling competition began. An agent named Cang Yuhua played bowling with President Zhou and Kou Xueming. After an intense battle, Cang Yuhua and President Zhou emerged as the victors.
Countless beautiful women stood on stage holding different wine glasses, waiting.
The host announced, "The bowling competition has concluded. Now we proceed to the next round, archery!"
Hearing the host say this, Liu Yuning curiously asked, "So they like archery too?"
"Haha, President Zhou has quite a few hobbies!"
"Yes, I heard he's also good at golf!" He Xin chimed in, eating chips without hesitation, and taking a big gulp of cola when she ran out.
We continued watching. At this moment, Cang Yuhua and President Zhou approached the archery target. The host announced, "This game has a special rule. You will shoot arrows continuously. The target has rings numbered 1, 2, and 3. After a total of 7 shots between the two of you, whoever reaches 21 rings wins. The winner can shake hands with one of the beautiful women beside the stage and also receive a prize of 5 million yuan."
The audience erupted in a clamor. They hadn't expected such a grand finale after the concert. However, 5 million yuan was nothing to two celebrities; they were merely playing for the game itself.
Cang Yuhua picked up the bow and arrow first, aiming at the target not far away. With a "whoosh," the arrow hit the second ring. I immediately noticed something and said, "Cang Yuhua has no chance of winning."
"Dad, what are you talking about?"
"This game has a characteristic, haven't you noticed?"
Before I could explain, Liu Yuning said, "Yes, the total must be 21, which is an odd number. If the person shooting first hits a 2, it's impossible to reach 21 later. Remember, it's not 7 shots each, but a total of 7 shots combined, do you understand?"
"Ah, I understand. At this point, if President Zhou shoots a 1 and a 3, no matter how Cang Yuhua shoots, he will be constrained by the game rules and ultimately lose. Therefore, the person who shoots first is at a disadvantage!"
"Not necessarily, unless he hits a 1 and a 3 on his first shot. But Cang Yuhua's luck isn't very good!"
As we discussed, many arrows had already been shot on stage. When the flaw in the game became apparent, Cang Yuhua said unhappily, "Uh, this game has a trap!"
The host apologetically explained, "You hit an even number on your first shot, and President Zhou hit a 1. From then on, no matter how you shoot, based on the pattern of increasing ring numbers, you won't be able to reach 21, regardless of whether you hit 1, 2, or 3. Conversely, President Zhou has a slightly better chance."
President Zhou said, "Not necessarily. If I perform poorly later, I might still lose!"
After a moment of polite humility, they continued shooting. In the final moments, President Zhou hit a ring of 1, completing the game.
The host immediately exclaimed excitedly, "As expected, President Zhou, the star of our concert, has won! Now he can shake hands with one of the beautiful ladies on stage and taste our latest wine!"
Warm applause immediately filled the venue.
Our attention was focused on President Zhou. He went among the beautiful women and found the one in the pink dress in the middle. According to the rules, the lady had to drink a glass of wine first. The wine glasses were passed from the first beauty all the way to the sixth in the middle. She carefully picked up the stemmed glass and drank half of the red wine. At that moment, many girls in the audience looked at her with envy.
However, less than a minute after she finished the glass of wine, her eyes suddenly widened, her body began to convulse, and then the wine glass fell to the ground with a "bang." She collapsed onto the floor!
She clutched her neck in pain, her entire body trembling uncontrollably, and she frantically tugged at her dress. President Zhou was also startled, "What's wrong? What's happening to you!"
Liu Yuning, He Xin, and I immediately rushed onto the stage and went to the girl's side.
The girl, however, was no longer responsive.
I extended my hand to check the girl's breath: "No breath!"
"What?" Everyone present was horrified.
The fans were scared and stood up. I saw the girl's skin was scorched black, and her fingernails were gray and black. I immediately realized she had been poisoned.
However, I still took out my bamboo leaf extractor to check, but to my surprise, it was a gaseous poison, not a liquid.
Cang Yuhua asked what we were doing. Liu Yuning quickly showed her police badge, identifying herself. He Xin was already calling for backup.
"Everyone, please stay away from the body. We will handle this!" Liu Yuning said sternly.
While waiting for backup, we learned the deceased's identity: Jiang Pingqing, 22 years old, a young model from Haofang Performing Arts Company. The girls around her were actually models.
I questioned the girls who had been in contact with the deceased. They stated they didn't know the deceased and didn't know each other; they were just invited for this event. If their words were true, then they had no motive to kill Jiang Pingqing.
Looking at President Zhou, his expression was one of shock, more of confusion, and his reaction seemed normal.
Next, the host and Cang Yuhua's reactions also seemed fine, but it was possible they were all faking it.
When the backup arrived, I handed the deceased's blood to Xiao Dong and asked her to contact the lab immediately to analyze its components. Xie Chuchu and I examined the body on site. After the examination, Xie Chuchu said, "She died about 20 minutes ago. The cause of death was poisoning. There were no signs of struggle on the body. Her body was bent, and she seemed to have experienced spasms..."