1Honor of Kings (王家) is referred to as a multiplayer online battle arena game, which was quite a sensation in mainland China. The full title is ‘Honor of Kings Carry Bronze” and (I think, not sure) the later part of the title ‘with (but) Bronze’ (带青铜) probably referred to the game show in this chapter being a lower/novice version of that game comically.
During dinner in the evening, everyone gathered in the private box, and almost everyone from the program team was present. In addition to three special guests, there were also three permanent members, all of whom were senior members of the entertainment industry variety shows.
Teacher Min took the lead and poured a few glasses of juice first, and then clinked glasses with Xi Nian and the others. He was about forty years old, with a gentle and amiable smile: “Tomorrow the program will be recorded in the suburbs. Everyone is playing for the first time, don’t be afraid, I will take you with me. But remember to check the game rules when you go back so that you don’t get lost for some reason.”
Teacher Min was considered a soul figure in the team leader category一mature and steady with a meticulous mind. Most of the previous programs were successfully passed through levels under his leadership, and he was also very helpful to younger generations, earning a good reputation in the industry.
Xi Nian and Bai Yicheng nodded yes, but only Qiao Zhi sat aside and said nothing, she seemed a little tired一her eyes were lowered as if she had fallen asleep. Her big wavy curls were tied up in a twist casually, completely different from the glamorous appearance on the internet.
Another veteran member, Wang Yao—came from a comedy background and later switched to variety shows. Most of the comedy points of the program were on him, and he was jokingly referred to as Wang Yáo2The word that is used here is 三土 (Yáo), which literally translates to three soils, and its pinyin is [Yáo], which makes the name similar to this person’s real name: Wang Yao. In his name, Wang means king/emperor, and the Yáo (三土) means the appearance of a high mountain and also was once the name of ancient emperors. by netizens. When he saw Qiao Zhi not speaking, he reached out and snapped his fingers, saying in a Tianjin accent, “Hey, I thought I could ask for a signature when I saw the goddess, but how great, she fell asleep.”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at the words, and Qiao Zhi also regained her composure. The only female team member, Kong Xi, who sat next to Qian Zhi smiled, attempted to help her out of the embarrassment, and said: “Qiao Zhi must be tired after flying for so long. If you want an autograph, you have to ask for it tomorrow.”
Wang Yao: “Oh! This is a united front.3United front/front line refers to the army’s front line that faces the enemies foremost and is supposed to hold off the enemies with their unity.“
Xi Nian had known Qiao Zhi in his previous life but they could barely be called friends. He vaguely remembered this time around Qiao Zhi’s agency seemed to be forcing her to break up with her boyfriend, who belonged to the outside of the entertainment circle, and the situation on both sides was very tense. Seeing the ongoing discussion, Xi Nian minded his own business and didn’t interrupt.
Bai Yicheng had the heart to make friends, so he took the initiative to chat for a few words. The two barely got acquainted, but the situation was not too bad. It was just that he was too straightforward, after dinner, he lowered his voice and said, “I heard there will be a two-person team-up session in tomorrow’s script. Why don’t we team up together then?”
His hidden meaning was obvious; he didn’t want to get involved with Qiao Zhi. Everyone wanted to grab the screen time and fame of being on was on a variety show. The level of the show was already difficult, and being teamed up with a woman would only hold back. Just thinking about it made one’s scalp tingle.
What’s more, as long as Qiao Zhi was involved with male stars, they would be involved in the scandal without exception. It can even be said, Bai Yicheng, who was in the rising stage of his career, would be quite harmed by such a thing.
Xi Nian didn’t immediately agree, firstly because he and Qiao Zhi were friends in his previous life, no matter in what way. And secondly, he felt that Bai Yicheng’s behaviour was no different from intentionally isolating: “Let’s listen to the arrangement of the program group, maybe Teacher Min and the other seniors will take us each.”
Bai Yicheng thought about it too and didn’t say anything more. Anyway, as long as he wasn’t with Qiao Zhi, he could be with anyone.
Xi Nian was silently planning tomorrow’s program recording. As his fans said today, Teacher Min was the most stable and honest one, and he could follow him when necessary, while Wang Yao was slippery and the best at fooling people, so he couldn’t be trusted. On the other hand, Kong Xi was a rare high-education and high-IQ actress in the entertainment industry. With proper mental responsibility, she relied most of the time on herself to unlock clues for game clearance.
Although Xi Nian didn’t intend to be in the limelight in the game, however, he also couldn’t come off as a fool. To the least, he had to live until the end and go out and slap his fans4Counterattack/prove someone wrong or embarrass them. in the face.
Well, the faces of his own fans.
After three rounds of drinking, everyone had enough to eat and drink. They all said goodbye to each other and went back to their room. Xi Nian was also inevitably given a few glasses of wine, fortunately, the alcohol content was not to a high degree. When he returned to his room, he pushed the door in, only to find Lu Xingzhe standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window fiddling with his camera, as if he were taking some pictures.
Xi Nian reached out to unbutton his shirt and walked behind Lu Xingzhe, his voice was tinged with a hint of drunkenness: “What are you photographing?”
Lu Xingzhe came back to his senses and showed him the camera: “Took a few pictures of the night scene, it’s quite beautiful.”
The hotel they stayed in was a landmark building in City C, it was located in the central city area. From here, one could overlook a vast night view. Lu Xingzhe hadn’t touched a camera for a while, so his hands were inevitably itchy.
Xi Nian nodded, asked him to continue taking pictures, and then laid down on the bed to rest. Seeing this, Lu Xingzhe caressed the camera fondly and put it down reluctantly. He quietly laid down next to Xi Nian and leaned over him like a small animal, sniffing: “Did you drink alcohol?”
Xi Nian closed his half-drunk and half-awake eyes, put his slender five fingers on the top of Lu Xingzhe’s hair, and rubbed it: “Why don’t you go play with your precious camera?”
Lu Xingzhe glanced at him, and teased him with a half-smile: “You are my big baby, it’s my little baby, so obviously it is more important to accompany you.”
Upon hearing this, Xi Nian pinched his chin and tried to correct something, but was too lazy to do so. He then released his hand and forced himself to take a shower in the bathroom.
Because the program was to be recorded tomorrow, neither of them did anything. After turning off the lights, Xi Nian closed his eyes and remembered that the person next to him was afraid of the dark. So he reached out and took him into his arms and said, “Sleep.”
Lu Xingzhe huddled in his arms, only his head was exposed. Hearing this, he quietly kicked the quilt, but was suppressed by Xi Nian and finally stopped moving.
In the early morning of the next day, a makeup artist came to help them with styling. Xi Nian and Bai Yicheng, the two big men were fine. But Qiao Zhi, who had put on makeup, style her hair and coordinate her dress took a long time to come out, and she was also wearing high heels, as if supposed to go shopping.
Bai Yicheng frowned his brows directly.
Xi Nian knew that she intended to follow the black-red route5Red: good/clean popularity, black: popularity through controversies, scandals, and scolding by netizens, as the popularity gained through the latter means is known as black red. , deliberately making grooves on herself to increase her heat. However, playing in the secret room with high heels was no longer a matter of getting scolded. If she couldn’t figure things out, she could fall to death and go to see God.
Xi Nian glanced at her: “You’re playing games today, do you plan to run in high heels?”
Qiao Zhi was taken aback when she heard the words, maybe she also felt that she was a bit stupid. Deng Deng Deng一she ran back and changed into a pair of sneakers, and then everyone set off in the car. Xi Nian was not familiar with City C, and the route was not very clear. When they finally arrived at the destination, the surroundings were deserted, except for a school that seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. He got a feeling as if a horror film shooting set.
Qiao Zhi seemed to dislike Bai Yicheng very much, and went around to talk to Xi Nian, touching his arm with some fear: “Will the program crew throw us into the wilderness to die?”
Xi Nian said, “You’re not worth much, what’s the benefit of killing you?”
Qiao Zhi, who was startled: “…”
Fucking hell, she thought Xi Nian was a warm baby6[nuǎn bǎo bao] nuǎn: warm/gentle/friendly, bǎo bao: baby/darling/ darling child., but all this time he turned out to be a man with a poisonous tongue.
#I thought it was a land of warmth and tenderness7[wēn róu xiānɡ] land of warmth and tenderness/a place where a man can find solace in feminine charms. This term is synonymous with gentle, charming, and considerate., but it turned out to be a poison manufacturer?!#
Teacher Min and other team members arrived ten minutes late. As soon as they got off the car, they heard this conversation and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Wang Yao couldn’t help but step forward and pat Xi Nian on the shoulder, saying, “Be careful when you go in later. If the woman gets cruel, it would become hard to withstand.”
Xi Nian didn’t think too much about it, he just told the truth.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the program team followed the old rules: they tested their entire body with instruments, as metal objects and mobile phones were not allowed inside. Qiao Zhi had meticulously dressed up, but the necklace, earrings, and rings were all taken away, and her face turned into a stinky expression, that one couldn’t bear to look at.
Before the game started, the guests had black blindfolds in their hands, and the director introduced the game rules with a large speaker: “This episode of the decoding the secret room is a campus theme route, called 《Ivory Tower》8An ivory tower is a metaphorical place—or an atmosphere—where people are happily cut off from the rest of the world in favor of their own pursuits, usually mental and esoteric ones.. Before the game starts, the guests are asked to wear the blindfold. Enter the secret room under the guidance of the guide, and trigger all the rules and plot lines by yourself.”
Before Xi Nian came, he deliberately watched all the previous programs and knew that this was the old rule. Teacher Min and Wang Yao kept the new team members in the middle one by one, and in order to avoid getting lost, they both put aligned their shoulders with them and walked inside under the guidance of the staff.
In a dark environment, people’s senses would be infinitely magnified. Xi Nian followed the person in front and realized that the air was filled with a rusty and fishy smell. Moreover, the ground was piled with fallen leaves that were not typical of this season, as they were dried and screeched when stepping on them.
In a trance, an iron door was opened, and there was a piercing sound.
They turned and revolved around, and finally stopped in a closed environment. With a click, the staff left and the door was closed.
There was a piercing broadcast sound above their heads: [Guests, please take off the blindfolds.]
Due to the sudden voice, Xi Nian inexplicably remembered the hanged ghost9[diào sǐ ɡuǐ]: It refers to the ghost of a person who died by hanging, however, this term has other meanings of being used as vicious words of cursing. system. He reached out and took off his blindfold, and into his eyes came a dim red light. Looking around, he saw everyone was in a classroom, with dusty tables, chairs, and benches next to them. The blackboard was filled with chalk scribbles as if old teachers were teaching here just a second ago.
There were large bloodstains on the wall not far away, which was quite startling.
The school should have been a pure and innocent place, but when associated with the “ivory tower” mentioned by the program group just now and compared with the scene in front of them, unknowingly, everyone felt strange.
Just when the guests had attempted to adapt to everything, a cold reminder sound suddenly sounded in the headset: [There is a lottery box on table No. 3 in the classroom. Players are requested to draw lots and form teams in pairs.]
Teacher Min probably received the news in advance, so he was not surprised, he just frowned. They have three old team members and three new members, it would be great if each person brought one. However, now it seemed that they might put the two new players together in a team, which would undoubtedly increase the difficulty.
The light here was dim, and it almost made people feel that there was something lurking in the dark. Xi Nian did not feel any fear, he walked to table No. 3 and saw a lottery box with no more or no less but exactly six sticks. There was also a fifth-grade math book with a scratched cover next to it, when he opened it, the title page was crooked with the words “Wang Jia’an” written on it.
Xi Nian turned around and handed the sign box to the crowd, “Let’s draw.”
“….”
Teacher Min didn’t expect him to be so calm. After a moment of hesitation, he reacted and said to the audience, “Let’s start drawing lots. I’m not sure if the program team will have a time limit, so it’s better to better to leave as soon as possible. As it might not be safe to stay in the same place for a long time.”
Qiao Zhi was scared shitless and asked the group: “Why is it not safe?”
Kong Xi, who was also a girl, explained: “Because there may be ‘something’ that will come to catch you.”
As for what “something” was, it was hard to say. Her calm voice rang out in the quiet classroom, making people feel scared for no reason.
Wang Yao was eager to try and drew a lot first, and got the one with the number 3 marked on the bottom. Xi Nian and the others also followed, each drawing a lot.
Teacher Min was a little helpless: “I am also number 3.”
In other words, he and Wang Yao were on the same team, which meant that there would be two newcomers left alone to team up.
Xi Nian was number 2, he did not care much about who he would be teaming up with. Without making it apparent, he just observed the surrounding environment. His eyes halted on the half-written question, on the blackboard, he paused while staring at the answer that had not yet been calculated fully.
Kong Xi got the number one, and when she unwrapped the lottery, Bai Yicheng breathed a sigh of relief: “Teacher Kong, I am also number 1.”
Then Qiao Zhi was the only one left. She glanced at Xi Nian, and the sign on her hand read number 2 brightly: “We seem to be in a group.”
Xi Nian sighed and said: “Well, I’m number two as well.”
Qiao Zhi inexplicably felt a little weird: “Is it my illusion? You seem a little reluctant.”
Xi Nian corrected her: “It’s not an illusion.”
He really was reluctant.
Qiao Zhi: “…”
#Fuck your mother!10[wò rì ní mǎ] This is the pinyin of the term that is used here, which is a variant version or homophone (similar) to profanity (Chinese: 肏你妈/操你媽; pinyin: cào nǐ mā), which translates as “fuck your mother”. Homophonic puns are commonly used in the Chinese language as silly humor to delight people and have become an important component of jokes and standup comedy in Chinese culture, as well as to avoid censorship. Man, that really hurts!!#
The camp was unknowingly divided into three groups. Kong Xi discovered three hidden doors in the dark of the classroom, labeled 1, 2, and 3, which reminded them of their team numbers. She said to the crowd, “We may need to enter different rooms, so let’s just follow the assigned numbers. Xiao Bai and I will go through Gate 1, Xi Nian and Qiao Zhi will go through Gate 2, and Teacher Min and Wang Yao will go through Gate 3.”
Everyone had no objection, but before leaving, Bai Yicheng gave Xi Nian a sympathetic look, and said in a mournful voice, “Take care.”
Team number 2 would likely become the first guest team to die too early in the history of the program.
Seeing that they were all gone, Xi Nian stretched out his hand and pushed open Gate Number 2. What saw a silent corridor with different rooms on both sides, similar to the classrooms in the school. Qiao Zhi shivered like a drenched dog and followed behind Xi Nian: “I’m afraid.”
Xi Nian: “I’m not afraid.”
Qiao Zhi: “…”
The conversation was over.
Each secret room theme had a main storyline, but it needed to be triggered randomly. The director monitored the team entering Gate 2 and saw that it was Xi Nian and Qiao Zhi, and probably found it a bit interesting. So, instructed his assistant: “I didn’t expect that they would be the ones forming a team. Alright, let’s start the main storyline.”
Xi Nian was walking ahead and looking around calmly but suddenly the lights above his head abruptly dimmed. Then there was a burst of heart-piercing cries in his ears, which was accompanied by the sound of a sharp weapon cutting through the fabric and piercing into the flesh. Moreover, the radio was blaring, but what he read was a news report from many years ago.
