Rebirth: Spoiling the Obsessive Film Emperor Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Finding the Motive  

After some comments in the bullet chat reminded them, many viewers realized that this variety show's game was actually quite difficult to play without some acting skills.  

Moreover, the guests clearly seemed to be hearing the game rules for the first time, yet their reactions were impressively quick.  

Some observant viewers, with their god’s-eye perspective, noticed that Rong Yu, while the others were reading their own mission clues, first observed everyone's expressions before checking his own.  

The editing didn’t reveal everyone’s mission clues at this point, only exposing Liu Qingling’s mission—treasure hunting—with the secret handshake being hooking the other person’s neck and making a "V" sign.  

Liu Qingling and Yang Ji were the seniors among the guests, so it made sense for the show to follow one of them as the "main perspective."  

The show progressed from Liu Qingling’s perspective. He first spotted Yang Ji and successfully exchanged the secret handshake with him.  

The editors even added a red thread effect, tying their hands together, along with the text—"Match successful!"  

Then the scene switched to Lei Miao picking the door lock with a wire.  

The editors added a line of text—"The production team never expected Mr. Lei to be so multi-talented. Next time, we’ll definitely use a high-security coded lock!"  

Bullet chats: Hahahaha!  

—I thought Liu Qingling and Yang Ji would have to carefully pave the way for the young masters to save face for the sake of variety show effects. Turns out I overthought it—these young masters bring their own entertainment value!  

—And they have zero idol baggage. Unlike some idol stars who are overly strict with their expressions, these young masters casually provide meme-worthy faces, bicker, roast each other, and even roll up their sleeves to fight at the drop of a hat.  

—That last comment is so accurate!  

As time passed, the secrets of the hotel gradually came to light. Viewers, still with their god’s-eye perspective, saw three pairs of players successfully match and confirm their identities.  

The detective route’s handshake was a heart gesture, while the escape route's was a high-five followed by pressing thumbs together.  

These were all moments Yin Chengjue hadn’t seen while playing the game himself, so today was his first time witnessing everyone’s performances.  

Some hid their mission clues, some pretended to belong to another route, and some deliberately led others to expose their own—making the game feel like a spy thriller. The editing emphasized the exchanges of glances between players, heightening the tension and making their confrontations even more gripping.  

When the three "detectives" reached the voting stage and chose the wrong culprit, allowing the real killer to escape, the camera immediately zoomed in on Rong Yu’s face—and the triumphant smile on his lips.  

"Sorry, guys. I’m the killer," Rong Yu said, scratching his head with a grin.  

The editors then replayed earlier unaired footage, showing Rong Yu reading his mission, discovering his true identity, and subtly manipulating the others during the investigation.  

As the broadcast announcement played, the bullet chats erupted in shock—most hadn’t suspected Rong Yu at all.  

Immediately after, Yin Chengjue and the other detective were gagged and dragged away by men in black.  

The game’s difficulty instantly escalated, shifting to a killer-vs-six-players mode. Rong Yu, now dressed in black and wearing a mask, began playing mind games with the remaining six.  

Yin Chengjue had missed the ending earlier due to work, but now he finally got to see Rong Yu’s next moves.  

Rong Yu appeared before Liu Qingling’s group holding the treasure hunters’ final prize box, proposing a collaboration.  

His reasoning was sound: "When I first got the killer role, I only knew my identity—not the motive or method. It was only during the investigation that I pieced it together."  

To show sincerity, Rong Yu shared the clues he’d hidden.  

The hotel murder case was actually tied to events twenty years prior.  

Jiao Yu and Xixi had met back then—they attended the same school, same class, and even became desk mates.  

The killer, Jiao Yu, Xixi, and the hotel owner had been in the same study group. But as the saying goes, groups of four often split into pairs, leaving one person excluded.  

The killer was that excluded one.  

Worse, due to his introverted nature and small stature, he became the target of relentless bullying.  

They locked him in bathrooms, drenched him with buckets of water from above, and laughed as they mimicked his cries.  

Their young, innocent faces hid cruel hearts, treating his torment as entertainment—a way to pass time between classes.  

Unbeknownst to them, their actions were like knives, carving wounds into his soul, bleeding him dry.  

Then came the worst night—they locked him inside the rarely visited anatomy model room during a thunderstorm.  

The lightning illuminated the eerie models, and his screams lasted half the night before his voice gave out. By morning, he was found barely conscious, his mind shattered.  

Though he survived, his intellect never recovered, and his life veered irrevocably off course.  

Twenty years later, revenge began.  

First, he lured Jiao Yu to the hotel by posing as Xixi, hinting that she knew his darkest secrets.  

Then he manipulated Jiao Yu into attacking Xixi. When Jiao Yu failed to kill her, the killer finished the job.  

The murder ruined the hotel’s reputation, driving away customers.  

Jiao Yu, believing himself a murderer, fled into a life of paranoia and instability.  

The killer had planned it all—ensuring they’d suffer just as he had.  

After sharing this, Rong Yu seemed to merge with the killer’s persona, extending his hands as if surrendering. "So now, I choose to turn myself in. The treasure you’re looking for is in the ashtray by the elevator—the same one the escape team needs. It has a letter-code lock. Only by solving it can the elevator operate."  

"Wait!" Yang Ji narrowed his eyes. "If you’ve already found the treasure, solving the escape code would mean you win as the killer. Why help us instead?"  

Rong Yu blinked. "If that’s what I wanted, why would I come to you? I’ve told you where the treasure is. Your mission is complete once you retrieve it."  

Wei Shu clapped. "Right! We’re the treasure hunters—we just need the treasure to win!"  

Yang Ji remained skeptical. "Rong Yu, why us? Wouldn’t the escape team be more useful to you?"  

"They’d never trust me," Rong Yu shrugged. "Our goals overlap too much. But yours don’t. We can help each other."