The matter came to a close, and Shi Pengpeng, as promised, performed a ritual to guide Zhou Xiao Lu’s soul, cleansing his confusion and allowing him to journey to the underworld for reincarnation.
Afterward, Cao Fanzhen insisted on paying for the ritual, and Cao Yinru even contributed her pocket money to burn a proper motorcycle for Zhou Xiao Lu.
Two days later, the death of a motorcycle influencer known as “Chui Rong Mountain’s Speed King” or “Brother Shan” trended on Cat Paw, causing an uproar across the internet.
The motorcycle community has long been criticized for dangerous driving, especially among influencers who often prioritize thrills and sensationalism over safety, sometimes at the cost of their lives.
Despite this, many impressionable teenagers continue to idolize and imitate them, leading to significant negative consequences.
The news of Brother Shan’s death sent shockwaves through the community.
With a substantial following on Cat Paw, he was one of the top figures in the scene, known for his nearly million-dollar gear and his reputation for combining speed and difficulty.
Not long before his death, Brother Shan had arrogantly replied to a comment urging him to be careful, telling the person to mind their own business and claiming that fear had no place in motorcycle culture.
He also posted a teaser about an upcoming stunt: a jump challenge on the most complex overpass in Xiluo.
Fans eagerly awaited the new video.
However, Brother Shan never logged into his account again.
Rumors circulated that something might have happened to him, but there was no confirmation.
Fans held onto a sliver of hope until the news broke, leaving them in shock.
Surveillance footage of the accident surfaced and was repeatedly shown on the platform’s homepage.
Even with the video blurred, the severity of the crash was evident.
From the road conditions, the accident site wasn’t particularly hazardous, and the large pothole at the intersection had proper warnings and safeguards.
The primary cause of the crash was Brother Shan’s excessive speed and his attempt to show off by leaning the bike too low, causing him to lose control and skid out during the turn.
While netizens lamented his untimely death, many felt his recklessness made him undeserving of sympathy.
Some knowledgeable netizens pointed out that the sharp turn Brother Shan took aligned with the “reverse bow curse” in Feng Shui, suggesting it was a destined calamity.
However, given the number of accidents in the motorcycle community, it couldn’t solely be attributed to mystical forces.
This theory gained some traction, and soon after, a renovation plan for the overpass was approved.
Rumors spread that a high-ranking Taoist from Qinglian Temple had been invited to perform rituals and offer sacrifices there, though the details remained unclear.
Two days later, Shi Pengpeng received a message from Cao Fanzhen inviting her to a comic convention in a neighboring city.
After resolving Zhou Xiao Lu’s matter, Cao Fanzhen and her family visited Cao Yinru’s school to report the boy who had harassed and spread rumors about her.
The boy was given a major demerit and placed under probation, while Cao Yinru returned to school as usual.
However, Cao Fanzhen was still concerned about her sister’s mental state.
While browsing online, she came across a large comic convention in a neighboring city and bought tickets to take Cao Yinru for a change of scenery.
Cao Yinru was thrilled when she found out.
She had been following the event for a while, but the harassment incident had left her with some psychological scars, making her worry that her classmates might gossip about her again if they found out.
But after this incident, her state of mind had completely changed from before.
Not only did she have the solid support of her family, but she had also dealt with a whole group of ghosts-how could she still be afraid of a few high schoolers who hadn’t even grown up yet?
Not only that, Cao Yinru had become a devoted fan of Shi Pengpeng, constantly saying she wanted to learn from her.
Cao Fanzhen found it both amusing and exasperating, but she also thought it wasn’t a bad thing.
After some consideration, she decided to invite Shi Pengpeng again.
Shi Pengpeng happened to be free that weekend, so she agreed.
On Saturday morning, Cao Fanzhen drove over with Cao Yinru, who was cosplaying as Zelda, to pick up Shi Pengpeng.
As soon as they met, Cao Yinru’s eyes lit up: “Pengpeng, you look amazing!”
Shi Pengpeng, knowing she was going to a comic convention, had put some effort into her look.
She wore a light green Taoist robe, her hair tied up in a neat bun, adorned only with a simple jade-like hairpin.
It was a very simple outfit, but paired with her striking features, it gave her an ethereal and otherworldly charm.
Every smile and gesture carried a sharp, spirited energy that was impossible to look away from.
Shi Pengpeng grinned, flipping her wrist to reveal a yellow talisman between her fingers: “Today, all the ghosts and monsters cosplayers are in for a treat!”
Cao Fanzhen: “…”
What kind of “treat” are you talking about?
“Wow, that’s so cool!” Cao Yinru immediately leaned forward, offering her forehead.
“Sister, stick it on me.”
Cao Fanzhen:”…….”
She felt like her sister had some hidden quirks she didn’t know about.
This was a comprehensive comic convention, held in a convention center in a neighboring city.
It was a large-scale event, spanning three floors of the venue.
As soon as Cao Yinru arrived, it was like she had returned to her happy place.
She became lively and energetic, eagerly browsing the stalls to buy merchandise while excitedly introducing various IPs and characters to her two sisters.
Since both Shi Pengpeng and Cao Yinru were in costume and had striking looks, people kept stopping them along the way to take photos and collect “stamps.”
Finally, one passerby who took a photo couldn’t resist asking Shi Pengpeng which character she was cosplaying.
Shi Pengpeng replied succinctly: “Original skin.”
Passerby:”…..”
What the hell do you mean “original skin”?
Don’t think I can’t tell that’s a Taoist robe!
Cao Yinru burst out laughing beside her and explained:
“She’s telling the truth. Her actual job is being a Taoist priest-this is her work uniform.”
Passerby: “Damn, that’s some serious dedication.”
The passerby gave a thumbs up in admiration.
“The so-called ‘idols’ in the entertainment industry should learn from you.”
After wandering around for a while, a commotion suddenly broke out on the other side of the venue.
Someone shouted: “Jin Jie, I love you!”
“Ahhh, Teacher Jin Jie is here!” Cao Yinru immediately screamed, clutching her face, and pulled her two sisters toward the commotion.
“Quick, let’s go line up!”
“Hey, there’s no need to rush, he’s not going anywhere,” Cao Fanzhen said helplessly.
“Watch where you’re going, or you’ll trip.”
“You don’t understand Teacher Jin’s popularity. If we’re a minute late, we’ll have to wait half an hour longer,” Cao Yinru replied.
Hearing this, Cao Fanzhen and Shi Pengpeng had no choice but to jog along with her.
After all, on the way here, they had already heard plenty about this Teacher Jin and knew he was Cao Yinru’s favorite cosplayer.
His stage name is Ginger, and his fans affectionately call him “Teacher Jin Jie.”
It is said that Jin Jie’s cosplay skills are nothing short of extraordinary.
The characters he cosplays range from anime to video games, from 2D to 3D, and from male to female-each one is incredibly lifelike.
He has been in the industry for over four years, having portrayed countless characters, yet he has never once had a misstep.
Known as a miracle within the circle, he boasts a massive fanbase and is undoubtedly the top cosplayer in the industry today, with popularity that even surpasses some minor celebrities.
As a result, Jin Jie is almost always invited to major conventions, and whenever he appears, it’s guaranteed to draw long lines, with tickets being hard to come by.
However, the reason Cao Yinru is so excited is mainly because Jin Jie recently accepted a commission from the developer of her favorite otome game to cosplay one of the male leads.
This game itself is already highly popular, and Jin Jie’s cosplay, as always, is of top-notch quality.
As soon as the cosplay photos were released, they immediately trended on social media, sparking a wave of discussions.
Even the usually critical game fans praised him, saying he looked exactly like the male lead had stepped out of the game.
Seeing such a positive response, the game developer didn’t hesitate to invest heavily, inviting Jin Jie to continue cosplaying this character at the upcoming convention.
Sure enough, by the time the three of them arrived, a long line had already formed in front of the otome game’s booth.
Jin Jie, cosplaying the male lead, occupied the center of the stage, with a row of security guards maintaining order in front of him.
Such a grand setup was truly one of a kind at the convention.
“Ahhh-” Cao Yinru quietly imitated a screaming chicken while quickly leading her two sisters to the end of the line.
She didn’t forget to pull out a stack of Jin Jie’s character cards from her bag, assigning tasks to the two of them, “You guys help me get Teacher Jin Jie’s autographs later, okay? I’d feel too embarrassed to ask for too many by myself…”
Shi Pengpeng and Cao Fanzhen: “…Got it.”
As the line gradually moved forward, they finally got a clear view of Teacher Jin Jie.
Shi Pengpeng peeked through the crowd and couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, feeling a sense of awe.
This Teacher Jin Jie truly lived up to his reputation as the top cosplayer in the country.
His skills were indeed remarkable.
Earlier, Cao Yinru had specifically shown them the in-game image of the otome game’s male lead, and now, seeing Jin Jie in person, he looked exactly like the character from the game.
Not only that, but Shi Pengpeng had seen quite a few cosplayers on her way here, some with impressive makeup skills, but most still had a noticeable “cosplay” feel to them.
Jin Jie’s cosplay, however, was incredibly natural.
At first glance, one might even mistake it for his actual appearance.
Just as Shi Pengpeng was about to take a closer look, a commotion broke out ahead.
Two security guards were seen holding a woman by her shoulders, escorting her away from the scene.
The woman was visibly unwilling, struggling and shouting, “Let me go! Why are you stopping me from talking to my boyfriend?”
“Ginger, what are you waiting for? Tell them I’m your girlfriend—”
The line immediately erupted into chaos, with those at the back standing on tiptoes to see what was happening, whispering to each other.
“Ahhh, what’s going on? What girlfriend?”
“Damn, is there some drama with Jin Jie?”
Fortunately, official staff quickly stepped in to restore order and provide an explanation.
“No, no, everyone, please don’t misunderstand. Teacher Jin Jie doesn’t have a girlfriend. Just now, that fan got too excited and kept holding onto Teacher Jin Jie, severely disrupting the order of the event.”
“We had no choice but to ask her to leave. Fans in the back, please maintain proper social etiquette and don’t scare Teacher Jin Jie again…”
Those standing at the front who witnessed the incident began relaying the message to the back, confirming the official explanation.
Originally, everyone had been queuing up normally for photos.
However, when it was that woman’s turn, she refused to leave and made several inappropriate demands of Jin Jie, asking for hugs and cheek-to-cheek poses.
After Jin Jie reluctantly complied, she pushed further, demanding that he kiss her.
Jin Jie naturally refused, which caused the woman to become agitated.
She grabbed his hand and questioned why he wouldn’t kiss her if they were dating.
Jin Jie was startled and realized that the woman might not be mentally stable, so he quickly called security to escort her away.
After hearing this, everyone was speechless.
“Wow, has she gone crazy from idol worship?”
“Oh no, this makes us Jin Jie fans look even worse!”
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, “Oh! I recognize her! She’s that ‘Jin Sao Sao’ from Weibo!”
“What? She’s Jin Sao Sao? Well, that explains it.”
“No wonder, she’s a true ‘dream girl.’ “
Upon hearing the ID “Jin Sao Sao,” Cao Yinru immediately understood and eagerly began explaining to her two sisters.
She said that Jin Sao Sao was originally a well-known fan account for Jin Jie, having followed his offline events for a long time.
Because she was willing to spend money and produced a large number of high-quality photos, she gained a lot of popularity among younger fans.
Even Jin Jie’s official management often used her photos.
Later, perhaps due to the excessive praise from her followers, Jin Sao Sao gradually began to feel that her relationship with Jin Jie was different from that of other fans.
She started frequently posting “dream girl” content on her page.
Cao Fanzhen, unfamiliar with fan culture, asked, “What’s a ‘dream girl’?”
“It’s someone who fantasizes about being in a romantic relationship with Jin Jie,” Cao Yinru explained simply.
Being a dream girl isn’t inherently problematic-it’s just one aspect of fan culture, and many of Jin Jie’s fans are dream girls.
However, Jin Sao Sao took it to an extreme, seemingly convinced that she and Jin Jie were actually dating.
She even fabricated detailed accounts of their “dates,” to the point that some people believed her, forcing Jin Jie’s official team to issue a public denial.
Some of Jin Jie’s fans were furious and went to criticize Jin Sao Sao, but she didn’t see anything wrong with her behavior.
Instead, she believed others were just jealous of her.
Not only that, she began frequently commenting on other fans’ posts, claiming that Jin Jie already had a girlfriend and telling others to back off and keep their distance.
Over time, Jin Jie’s fans realized she was beyond reason and had no choice but to block her.
This incident became a running joke in the fandom.
Cao Yinru, a boarding school student, would eagerly catch up on the drama every time she got her hands on her phone during breaks.
Everyone thought that after being ignored, Jin Sao Sao might come to her senses.
But it seems she’s still clinging to her delusions, even causing a scene offline.
Cao Yinru watched with a heavy heart, clutching her chest as she said, “This matter must never reach the ears of those guys at our school. If they find out I’m also a fan of Jin Jie, they’ll start gossiping about me again…”
Cao Fanzhen felt a pang of sympathy. “Ruru, don’t be afraid…”
“Hmph, I’m not afraid,” Cao Yinru pouted, her expression serious.
“I just hate it when they talk behind my back.”
“That’s right. We don’t cause trouble, but we shouldn’t be afraid of it either. When we find the time, I’ll teach you how to reason with those annoying people,” Shi Pengpeng said, blowing on her fist.
“We’ll hold both the truth and 110 in our hands.”
Cao Yinru nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes!”
Cao Fanzhen thought to herself, “I can’t imagine what life lessons my sister is about to learn!”