Chapter Sixty-Four: The Frog Prince

“What exactly are you referring to?” Ning Shuyi asked.

Zhang Jiawen shifted uncomfortably in her chair, struggling to speak. “It’s… it’s toads…”

Ning Shuyi had been expecting her to mention something illegal—perhaps some kind of contraband, or at least some coded slang. She hadn’t anticipated such an answer, and for a moment she wondered if Zhang Jiawen was just making things up.

“What did you say?” she asked again, uncertain, seeking confirmation.

Zhang Jiawen licked her lips, then forced a smile. “Just… toads. At first, Wang Yuluo was a bit repulsed and didn’t dare do it. But when she saw that everyone else was going along with the game and accepting the consequences, she felt too embarrassed to refuse and joined in.

After licking it, she was disgusted at first, but then she started to get a little high, inexplicably happy, her whole mood floating. I didn’t expose what was really going on. Later, she tasted something odd and suspected it had to do with licking the toad. She approached me on her own, saying she wanted to play Truth or Dare again.

I saw an opportunity and agreed. After a few times, she clearly started to enjoy the feeling. Even when the dares were easy or the questions simple, Wang Yuluo would purposely answer wrong or fail, just so she could be punished—and she even started requesting to lick the toad herself.”

“Licking a toad can have that effect?” Ning Shuyi was both appalled and skeptical, even questioning whether Zhang Jiawen was telling the truth.

“It’s true! I’m not making anything up!” Zhang Jiawen saw Ning Shuyi’s disbelief and, worried she’d be seen as uncooperative, hurried to explain. “It’s not just any ordinary toad, these are brought in from abroad!

That’s what I told Wang Yuluo as well. I said those toads are expensive, all pure imports. In our circle, they call them ‘Prince Frogs.’ You can’t find them locally, they’re definitely not the common kind. It’s not easy to get them, so I couldn’t let her keep losing the game and licking the toad every time—that wouldn’t be fair. She’s my friend; I just took her to have some fun, but the other players all paid for it.”

At this, Ning Shuyi was almost convinced. She recalled that Cai Xin had once mentioned that on the day they went to the movies, Wang Yuluo had posted a cheerful selfie on social media and referenced the so-called “Prince Frog.”

At the time, ignorant of the hidden meaning, it had seemed like a random or nonsensical nickname—possibly even a cosplay moniker—and no one had paid it much mind.

Now, after Zhang Jiawen’s explanation, everything made sense—including why, on the day of the incident, Wang Yuluo had left home fully made up, but when she met Cai Xin, all her lipstick had been wiped clean. The reason was clear: she couldn’t be wearing lipstick while touching those toads.

“So, you’re saying that you brought in some toads from abroad whose secretions, when licked, can cause hallucinogenic effects? And you used the game of Truth or Dare as a cover to entice people into licking them, and then profited from it?”

Zhang Jiawen’s face flushed bright red, as if she felt Ning Shuyi’s wording was a bit too severe. She wanted to downplay things but couldn’t find a suitable explanation.

“How did you get hold of those toads?” Ning Shuyi pressed on, not giving her a chance to wriggle out.

“I don’t know. I’m not capable of that. I was just helping to connect buyers and sellers, making a little money on the side!” Zhang Jiawen shook her head eagerly. “As for the price, I just sold them for whatever I was told! And those toads can’t be sold on the market, so they’re not sold to just anyone. With Wang Yuluo, she bought a monthly package—the toads belong to my friends, not her. She can only use them at the Truth or Dare Club, she’s paying for the right to use them, not to take them away!”

“Besides these special toads, did you sell anything else to Wang Yuluo?” Huo Yan, having finished his notes, looked up and asked.

Though Zhang Jiawen now realized that the seemingly harmless Ning Shuyi was actually a tough opponent, she still couldn’t help but feel nervous under Huo Yan’s imposing presence.

“No, nothing else!” She was so anxious to explain that she almost stuttered, “Really! I’m not lying!”

“You’re telling me you didn’t push other, more profitable goods on Wang Yuluo, but just let her take out a membership with your friend, earning yourself only a commission?” Ning Shuyi’s tone made it clear she didn’t believe a word.

Zhang Jiawen shook her head vigorously. “No, no, nothing belonged to me! Don’t misunderstand! I only ever got a commission! I neither have the skill nor the guts to get hold of those goods. All I do is bring people to play, help them spend money, and see if any can be developed as clients for a bit of commission!”

And as for Wang Yuluo, she was actually quite cautious. I only noticed she started frequenting the Truth or Dare Club more and more. At first, I took her; later, she’d half-heartedly invite herself along, and eventually, she’d actively ask me. If I couldn’t go, she’d go on her own!

So I figured, maybe after she’d had a taste of it, she’d want to try something else. I probed a bit, recommended some products with higher profits, but she wasn’t interested at all. I didn’t push too hard, didn’t want to make it obvious and risk upsetting her—then I’d lose everything.”

“Have you ever tried your so-called ‘Prince Frog’? What’s it like after licking it?” Ning Shuyi asked.

Zhang Jiawen forced a weak smile. “No, I’ve never touched any of that stuff myself, so I have no idea what it feels like. Don’t get me wrong—it’s just that I don’t have the money to waste! If I were that rich, I’d be eating well and traveling the world, not doing this for money. It’s like selling wine but not getting drunk yourself!

But from what I’ve seen, their reactions aren’t especially dramatic—just like someone getting tipsy, a little floaty, that kind of thing.”

“This ‘Truth-or-Dare Adventure Club’ you mentioned—where exactly is it? Please give us the address,” Huo Yan said, looking at Zhang Jiawen again.

She hurriedly supplied the precise location.

Huo Yan jotted down the address in his notebook. Ning Shuyi glanced over and saw it was just as they’d suspected—an office and residential building less than ten minutes’ walk from the private cinema where the incident had taken place.