My mystery novel went viral because the modus operandi of the serial killer who shocked the city was identical to the plot of my novel. Moreover, the time of the crime was always 10 minutes earlier than the update time of the novel. On the day the novel ended, the police found the murder weapon at my home and I was identified as the prime suspect.

My husband sold his company to help me uncover the truth. But in the end, the evidence was irrefutable and I was executed as the murderer.

In my second life, I decided to stop updating the novel. But my husband said his company was about to go bankrupt and desperately needed a large sum of money to survive; otherwise, he would have to jump off a building.

——

“Devon, don’t listen to those netizens’ nonsense. This book is so profitable; you mustn’t stop updating it. They’re just sour grapes!”

Hearing that familiar voice again, I realized I had been reborn.

The person urging me to continue updating was my childhood friend, Jean Pierce.

At that moment, my novel had just finished describing the second victim. His death was peculiar—he was sewn into a pig’s stomach and suffocated to death.

But surprisingly, on the day the novel was updated, the serial killer of the unresolved murder case in town also sewed the victim into a pig’s stomach. The first victim killed by the murderer also died in the same manner as the first victim in my novel.

Netizens began to suspect that the novelist was killing people to make the book popular. The police visited my home multiple times, but each time they returned empty-handed.

In my previous life, I thought it was ridiculous—how could a novelist be connected to a murderer?

Until I updated to the final chapter, the police found the murder weapon in my home and I was arrested as the serial killer.

At the time, I was completely stunned and desperately tried to explain to the police, “I'm just a novelist; I wouldn't kill anyone!”

My husband, Simon White, was also at home at the time and was very anxious. He even went to extreme lengths to help me by providing false testimony and an alibi. However, after the police investigated, they discovered that Simon was actually out of the house at the time of the crime.

Because of this, my suspicion of committing the crime grew even stronger.

Simon went to great lengths to clear my name, even selling his company to do so. But in the end, all the evidence pointed to me.

Most importantly, I couldn't explain why, every time I updated my novel, the murderer would kill someone using the same method at the same time.

At the time, netizens collectively petitioned on social media to have me executed sooner.

[This author must be desperate for fame. To make money, she went so far as to kill people and killed so many at once!]

[She’s worse than an animal. What’s the point of keeping her alive? Let her die already!]

In the end, I was sentenced to death. On the day of the execution, Simon came to see me. He had just turned 30, but his hair was completely white and it broke my heart.

Perhaps heaven felt I was dying unjustly, so it gave me a chance to be reborn. This time, I decided to stop updating the novel and live a good life with Simon.

But Jean kept urging me to continue writing, “Let the police handle the murder case. You’re a novelist—just focus on writing novels!”

I shook my head. “I still won’t write. So many people have died and whether it’s related to my novel or not, I don’t want to continue writing.”

Seeing me give up so easily, she panicked, “Devon, you’ve written for so many years. Finally, you have a wildly popular novel—how can you just give up like that!”

“Even though Simon has the money to support you, you still need to be able to support yourself! He says he loves you today, but what about tomorrow?”

I walked over and hugged her tightly, “Tomorrow, I’ll rely on you to support me!”

Jean and I have been childhood friends. After graduating from university, I chose to stay home and write novels, while Jean went into sales industry.

Even my relationship with Simon began because of Jean.

Simon was originally Jean's blind date, but on the day of the blind date, Jean insisted on bringing me along. After the blind date, Simon confessed to Jean that he had fallen for me at first sight.

I wanted to explain, but Jean understood, “Who wouldn't like a pretty girl like Devon? I wish I could be like her too.”

But the next day, Jean flew to South Korea for plastic surgery.

A month later, I went to the airport to pick her up and she was even more beautiful than the famous actress in this country.

Later, Jean and Simon’s best man, Lucas, the heir to the Manner Group, fell in love at first sight with me at Simon and my wedding.

After the wedding, Simon kept reminding me to be careful around Jean, “Lucas has seen all kinds of women. He used to hate women who had plastic surgery, but now he’s completely under Jean’s control. That shows how skilled she is. Plus, she comes from a sales background. You have no idea how chaotic that industry is. You must be careful when dealing with her in the future.”

I dismissed her concerns. Jean wouldn't treat me badly.

Now, when Jean saw me hugging her, she softened instantly.

She murmured, “What if I can't support you in the future?”

That evening, when Simon returned home, I discussed with him the idea of stopping the novel updates.

Simon paused as he set down his briefcase, then furrowed his brow and asked me, “Did Jean tell you to stop updating?”

Seeing him get so worked up, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I joked back, “What if she did?”

Simon suddenly threw his briefcase onto the sofa, “I knew it was her! She can’t stand seeing us happy!”

Seeing him so upset, I hurried to explain, “It’s not her idea; it’s my own. Every time I update my book, someone dies. Though I didn’t kill them, it still upsets me. Maybe I should wait until the case is solved before updating?”

Simon hesitated for a moment, then took my hand, “But honey, my company is about to go bankrupt.”

I was startled, because in my previous life, I had never known that Simon's company had any problems.

Simon's voice was muffled as he explained to me, “It happened today. Lucas originally said he would invest in me to develop an artificial intelligence software. We've already invested a lot of manpower and resources into it, but today he suddenly backed out. I suspect it might be related to Jean...”

Mentioning Jean made him visibly agitated and his voice involuntarily rose, “Did you see Jean today? Did you mention to her that you no longer wish to continue updating the novel?”

Seeing that I didn’t deny it, he continued on his own, “I knew it! She’s still seeking revenge on me. She hates me for abandoning her to be with you!”

I repeatedly replayed the events of my previous life in my mind.

That novel took about a month to write and during that time, I hadn't heard of any issues with Simon's company.

Could it really be because I decided to stop updating the novel that Lucas chose to withdraw his investment? But if it was really related to Jean, why would she do that?

I took out my phone and called Jean.

Her tone was a bit unfriendly over the phone, “I never interfere in Lucas’s business matters. Besides, Simon and Lucas are childhood friends. If Simon has any issues, why can’t he just talk to Lucas directly? This is between them; we shouldn’t get involved!”

She sighed again, “Does Simon not support you stopping the updates? But this time I’m on his side. What’s wrong with making more money? From the first day I met Simon, I knew he wasn’t a good person. To be precise, no man is a good person.”

I sighed. Simon and Jean have always disliked each other and I’ve gotten used to it.

But now reality was forcing me to keep updating, so I had to be careful. I thought about it for a while and decided to change the murder methods from the previous novel. Whether it was a home invasion robbery or sewing someone into a pig’s stomach, these weapons were too easy to find.

After much consideration, I decided on a completely new way to die: falling to death from a helicopter. I didn’t believe a serial killer could even get a helicopter.

After coming up with a solution, I updated frantically.

By 9 PM that evening, the new chapter was finally complete. I clicked the publish button on the website, hoping the serial killer would spare me.

When the new chapter was posted, the netizens went wild.

[Dying from a fall off a helicopter? It seems the author went to great lengths to distance themselves from the case!]

[A helicopter isn’t easy to come by. Would a serial killer even have a helicopter?]

[I still think the author is the killer. The more bizarre the murder methods she writes about, the more traffic she attracts. She’s made so much money; buying a helicopter would be no big deal for her.]

Seeing this, my heart raced again. I prayed the serial killer wouldn’t get a helicopter—I didn’t want to keep being accused of murder.

I spent the entire night in a state of anxiety.

The next day was calm, with no news—which was the best possible outcome.

Simon also sighed in relief, “It seems like everything before was just a coincidence. I told you, you were overthinking it.”

Netizens also commented,

[The serial killer doesn’t have a helicopter after all. The author really went out of her way to clear herself of suspicion!]

[It seems the author really isn’t the murderer; the murderer is just trying to frame someone else.]

That night I slept well, but early the next morning, a new news article suddenly appeared on my phone screen.

[Our city’s serial killer has struck again. This time, the killer threw the victim from a helicopter at 5,000 meters above ground, shattering the victim into pieces.]

Seeing this news, I felt a chill run down my spine. I clicked in to see that the victim’s time of death was just a little earlier than the time I updated my novel.

However, the victim had already been crushed into human tissue and hadn’t been discovered until yesterday.

This morning, someone was walking their dog and the dog discovered the dead body.

I was going crazy; I couldn’t figure it out. I didn’t understand how the murderer knew in advance the method I used in my novel. And he even managed to get a helicopter—this murderer was truly powerful.

The police came again, but this time they still found nothing. But I knew I didn’t have much time left.

I asked Simon to check my computer. I suspect it might have been infected with a virus and was being monitored by the murderer. Otherwise, how did the murdered know exactly what I was going to write?

After Simon checked everything, he found nothing.

Simon said, “If you're really worried, I'll help you buy a new computer!”

I nodded in agreement.

Then I went online and found the post discussing my novel. Now it was ranked first on the local hot topics list.