I met Ning Caishen at the Shenxian Ke Wine House. He was balding, dressed shabbily, and unshaven. He exuded no aura from his appearance, but anyone Qin Sisi went out of her way to introduce to me could not be weak.
"Mr. Ning..."
"Just call me Ning Caishen, no need for formalities."
"About the pancake chain store..."
"Do you want to hear the report?"
"No need."
"Then ask something else..."
ID: 563743675
Honestly, talking to this Ning Caishen was a bit stifling. I thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have any constructive suggestions for the pancake store?"
"If you are seeking wealth, with the current capital, it's faster to make money with money. There's no need for physical stores like this. If it's to help others, you must also consider it thoroughly."
"Why consider it?"
"The other party is a Schemer."
"What?"
That Qingzi and Zhuzi were Schemers was something I had never considered. I looked at Ning Caishen's calm face and was sure he had no reason to lie to me on such a matter. I thought for a moment before asking, "How did you realize they are Schemers?"
"They let slip during our business discussion. They are from the agent faction, likely trained at the grassroots level. They haven't been to headquarters, so I haven't seen them."
I was dumbfounded. I knew about the agents; they were killed after being introduced by Lin Zhijun. But I never imagined they had factions. I asked reverently, "Do these Schemers have factions?"
"Theoretically, no. But the few people who studied under Mr. Li Jiu each have their own styles, and over time, factions have formed. There are four major styles: the Psychological Effect System, the Situational Stage System, the Game Theory Extreme System, and the Stanislavski System."
To be honest, I was genuinely shocked by Ning Caishen's classification. What on earth were these? I could vaguely understand the first three from their names, but the last one, the Stanislavski System, were they Russian Schemers?
"Can you explain in detail?"
"Sure!"
I had encountered the Psychological Effect System. Examples include "Pirate's Golden Share," "Prisoner's Dilemma," and the "Huarinda Psychological Effect." Li Jiu's sheepskin notebooks recorded many such methods, which were also Li Jiu's forte. The Situational Stage System was also something I had encountered, like Zhu Guang's "Life and Death Game," which turned the scheme into a stage play. The Game Theory Extreme System, I could roughly understand, like Zhang Si, where all arrangements are made extremely simple, and the conflict is ultimately resolved by force. As for the Stanislavski System, Ning Caishen also explained it to me. It's essentially an acting system, and the Schemers extract a segment of it. Such Schemers aren't simply scheming; they leave the performance behind and truly live life, experiencing different human natures. Come to think of it, the epitome of such a Schemer is my Senior Sister, who has always given me a headache. She appears in a different role each time, yet shows no signs of acting. She is deeply invested, integrated into the human nature of life.
Of course, she isn't the only one like this. The goddess of luck, Zhang Ying'ai, is also one such figure.
Ning Caishen finished speaking, and I understood his meaning: "You mean, Qingzi and Zhuzi are Schemers of the Stanislavski System?"
"Correct!"
"Who is it?"
"It could be both of them, or one might be guiding the other. The interaction was too brief to be certain. But I can sense that the one named Qingzi is hiding something."
"Qingzi?"
I fell silent. Is it really Qingzi? Qingzi went to prison for Zhuzi, and Zhuzi didn't betray Qingzi because of my investment. Yet Qingzi himself gave up Ke Yingying, which is interesting.
What exactly is Qingzi hiding?
"Ning Caishen, can you help me break this scheme?"
"No!"
This Ning Caishen flatly refused.
"Why?"
"Because the contract doesn't include that. I can help you manage your finances and talk about the development of Scheming under Mr. Li Jiu's promotion, but I won't help you scheme. Firstly, I dislike it, and secondly, it causes hair loss."
Damn, do you even have hair to lose? I just thought it to myself.
Just then, Ke Yingying cheerfully entered. "I accidentally overheard you two talking. Tang Nan, Ning Caishen can't help you break the scheme, but I can!"
I frowned and remained silent. Ke Yingying shamelessly continued, "This wine house looks very private, but it has no secrets. If you come here a few more times, they'll even figure out the pattern of your farts."
I hadn't thought of this, but it made sense. If Ke Yingying wanted to control those corrupt officials, it would be impossible without listening in and spying.
"Do you know each other?"
Ke Yingying didn't answer my question directly. She looked at Ning Caishen and asked with a smile, "Seeing Senior Brother, why don't you greet me?"
"I've seen you, and we studied in the same room. Other than that, we have no relationship."
Ke Yingying burst into laughter. "Junior Brother Tang Nan, Ning Caishen is Mr. Li Jiu's most valued Schemer, though he has a foul mouth. But it's good this way; he's too lazy to bother even if you scold him. If you want to scheme and make money, you don't need to find him; I'm enough."
I looked at Ning Caishen. He was indeed sitting there calmly, as if they weren't talking about him.
After careful consideration, I said to Ning Caishen, "How about you go to Guangzhou?"
"For what?"
"The jade business."
"What scale?"
"Enough to scheme."
"And the shop owner?"
"Someone with a clean background."
"Time?"
"The sooner the better."
"Then I'll be going."
"Have a meal before you go."
"A bowl of noodles at the airport will suffice."
Ke Yingying's face showed a hint of embarrassment. "I have fine wine and delicacies here."
"What I eat doesn't matter; the purpose of food is to fill the stomach. Then I'll head to Guangzhou first, boss."
Ning Caishen left just like that. He truly is an oddball. But it doesn't matter; I quite like people like him. They are direct. After he left, I looked at Ke Yingying's slightly awkward face and asked, "Is it always like this?"
"Yes!"
"It seems you'd want to have some kind of relationship with him?"
"After all, he was the most brilliant Schemer in the training class. I do feel a bit resentful. I say I'm unconvinced, but it's actually unwillingness. Ning Caishen only schemed once, shocking the entire nation, and managed to stall the gluttonous Cao Shi. We don't have such capability."
The counterfeit money scam occurred around the time I first interacted with Li Jiu. Ke Yingying said Ning Caishen's scheme was to repay Li Jiu's kindness for his guidance. The reason he didn't want to graduate was that he didn't want to deceive people. Even if he was caught in the end, it was Ning Caishen's willing sacrifice to atone for his sins.
...
After Ning Caishen left, Ke Yingying continued our conversation.
"The four major schools Ning Caishen mentioned are actually what we have always advocated. Four of Spades Old King, Hearts Schemes the Mind, Diamonds Layout, Clubs Warrior, and Spades Chameleon."
Hearing Ke Yingying say this, I smiled and asked her, "So, are you a Mind Schemer?"
"I am dull-witted. By diligently studying Mr. Li Jiu's abilities, I have a slight understanding of human hearts."
"In that case, tell me about Qingzi and Zhuzi."
"I've only interacted with Qingzi; I don't know Zhuzi. Let's talk about Qingzi. Miss Lin Han said she's always been followed, implying she has her own intelligence sources. But I never discovered who was following Miss Lin Han. Now I understand; someone is indeed following her."
Hearing Ke Yingying say this, I suddenly understood: "You mean, Qingzi is the one leaking Lin Han's whereabouts to the tracker of the person issuing the secret orders?"
"Yes! Schemers of the Stanislavski System are adept at playing multiple roles. He might owe me a favor, or he might be a Two of Spades or a Ten of Spades, one of the two."
"Is there a way to deal with him?"
"Schemers of the Stanislavski System are difficult to deal with. The best way to deal with him is to kill him."
"Kill him?"
Ke Yingying still had a charming smile on her face. "You mustn't get your hands dirty. I'll take care of making Qingzi and Zhuzi disappear without a trace. Consider it my stepping stone to joining you."
I looked at Ke Yingying and couldn't help but laugh. "What did you say earlier?"
"I said a lot today, which sentence are you referring to?"
"Hearts Schemes the Mind, Clubs Warrior. Do you really want to kill them, or are you testing me?"
Hearing me say this, Ke Yingying's charming smile remained unchanged. "Oh my, you saw through it. It's for my own future, isn't it? Indeed, too much killing might not lead to a long life. However, what you said is incorrect. I wouldn't dare to test you; you are the sect leader of Schemers. I'm doing this selfishly for myself. You must forgive me."
I didn't say much more. To me, this Ke Yingying was too dangerous, and when she spoke of killing, her face remained unmoved. If I didn't expose her, killing would be a fact, and she would do it without hesitation. If I exposed her, she would still smile charmingly and admit fault. I had no confidence in controlling someone like this.
Li Jiu is a true blessing to the sect. After leaving Wende Xiaoyuan, Zhang Si and Zhu Guang did not take any disciples. Teacher Wang Ren only spread psychological knowledge positively, concealing the title of "Schemer." Old Ghost did take disciples, cultivating a monster like my Senior Sister, but she was the only one. Li Jiu, however, after 1990, trained a large number of talents, making them Schemers, and even established the four major systems of Scheming.
Li Jiu, the long-tongued ghost, has unknowingly transformed from my enemy into one of my most respected figures.