Why would Yan Chi participate in this variety show? Could it be that she doesn’t have much faith in herself?
Moreover, if she is female guest No. 4, does that mean the guest who connected with me earlier was also Yan Chi?!
Gu Qingtong’s mind was in complete disarray. However, she couldn’t ask these questions in front of the program staff at the moment. She could only gaze at Yan Chi with an anxious and pleading look in her eyes.
The production crew initially thought that Gu Qingtong, a little transparent figure, would be overjoyed like a dream come true when she discovered that she would be partnering with Yan Chi.
But now, instead of joy… why does it feel more like a shock?
Perhaps Gu Qingtong’s gaze was too obvious, even the camera crew and production staff sensed the strange atmosphere. They couldn’t help but recall the scene they had seen earlier when Yan Chi held Gu Qingtong closely, helping her remove the headgear and inspecting her injury. It inexplicably seemed intimate. They couldn’t help but speculate: could it be that the two of them already knew each other?
Yan Chi couldn’t be unaware of the various concerns in Gu Qingtong’s heart. If it were before, she might have had a mischievous intent to tease her.
But now, she indeed needed to comfort her little friend.
Unable to do anything about it, Yan Chi finally looked into Gu Qingtong’s eyes and greeted her first, saying, “Hello, I’m Yan Chi.”
“H-hello,” despite being busy, Gu Qingtong didn’t forget to play along with Yan Chi, stammering, “Senior Yan.”
It was clearly the behavior of two people who had just met.
The production team couldn’t figure it out either, so they could only assume that Yan Chi was showing concern because she saw her partner get injured.
Upon reflection, it made sense. If Gu Qingtong knew Yan Chi and had any connection with her, she wouldn’t be so confused and flustered now, right?
At first, the entire production team couldn’t believe it when Director Bu said that Yan Chi would be the female guest number four.
After all, who was Yan Chi? How could she be interested in their small, mediocre variety show?
Director Bu explained that Yan Chi owed him a favor and agreed to appear on the show to help him attract attention. The conditions were clear: she wouldn’t accept any scripted storylines or ambiguous relationships from the production team.
That’s why, just before the filming started, all the guests’ scripts were changed at the last minute.
Director Bu was a prominent director in the film and television industry, and he had recently gained a lot of popularity. He was trying his hand at directing a variety show out of interest. He had previously worked with Yan Chi, and both of them were associated with Hua Yan. It made sense for Yan Chi to grant him this favor.
Director Bu had been teasing about Yan Chi’s involvement from the beginning. Not only did the audience not know, but even the other guests themselves were unaware.
The idea to pair Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong as a temporary couple was also Director Bu’s. Since both of them had explicitly stated that they didn’t want any ambiguous relationships, they made a convenient match and wouldn’t be bothered by other guests.
However, their interaction was inevitably awkward and uncomfortable. No one on the production team had high hopes for this couple, and judging from Gu Qingtong’s reaction, it seemed to be true.
The filming was temporarily halted due to Gu Qingtong’s injury. Just as they were about to go to the medical room, the person in charge of the amusement park rushed over in a hurry.
Apologies and inquiries were made upon their meeting, as the amusement park brand had just recently collaborated with the variety show and didn’t expect such an incident to occur.
“These incidents happen in various amusement parks, but we will definitely review the surveillance footage and identify the person responsible. We will not tolerate such despicable behavior,” the manager assured them confidently.
“No need to review the footage; they are still here, watching the show,” Yan Chi suddenly spoke up, raising her eyes and casting a chilling gaze toward the onlookers nearby.
She witnessed the whole incident and naturally had no intention of letting the troublemakers off the hook. However, she didn’t want to show it in front of Gu Qingtong and the production team. Even if the park didn’t mediate, she thought it might be easier to handle the situation privately.
Many things, once they involve the media and the public, require a delicate approach.
In Yan Chi’s style of dealing with things, she had always been more direct.
The onlookers were indeed stirred up. Some put away their phones, which had been recording the incident, while two adult men, sensing trouble, immediately became anxious and reflexively tried to run away, only to be stopped by security.
“I’ll take Miss Gu to the medical room first. I hope your park can provide a satisfactory resolution,” Yan Chi said, not interested in even glancing at the two culprits. She lightly tapped Gu Qingtong’s shoulder with her fingertips, signaling her to follow.
With the production team gone, the park officials naturally didn’t stay in place either. They dispersed the onlooking audience, recorded the information of the two individuals involved, and went to the medical room to prepare for negotiations.
“What are you doing? It wasn’t us!” At first, they tried to maintain their innocence, but when they saw the footage captured by the production team, showing their faces clearly on the screen, they suddenly fell silent.
Outside the room, the manager and the voices of the disruptive visitors could still be heard, but inside the medical room, there was silence.
Since the accompanying logistics team sent by the production crew consisted mostly of males, Yan Chi, being the only female, escorted Gu Qingtong into the medical room.
She sat by the bedside, quietly watching as the nurse examined the injured area where Gu Qingtong had been struck.
“Does it hurt here?” The nurse asked each spot, causing Gu Qingtong to flinch in pain and whimper, “Ouch, please be gentle…”
The nurse couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why does it hurt everywhere?”
“She’s more sensitive to pain than most people,” Yan Chi explained on her behalf.
“Huh? How do you know?” Gu Qingtong was taken aback, stealing a glance at Yan Chi’s expression through the gap. She realized that she had never mentioned it to her before, and most people just considered her to be delicate.
Yan Chi smiled and remained silent, gazing deeply into her eyes.
Not only did she know that Gu Qingtong was afraid of pain, but she also knew that her skin was delicate and prone to leaving marks no matter where she was touched.
After checking for dizziness or nausea, the nurse finally said that there shouldn’t be any major issues and that they could wait for the scheduled follow-up for concussion from the car accident to go to the hospital for a detailed examination.
After the nurse left, only the two of them remained in the medical room.
Gu Qingtong, feeling as if she couldn’t hold it in any longer, spoke to Yan Chi, but she had to keep her voice low due to the people outside the door:
“Why did you suddenly join this variety show? I was almost scared to death when I saw you just now.”
When this question finally came up, Yan Chi’s voice remained steady and calm, as if she always carried a hint of rationality: “What if I told you it was because of you?”
“Ah…?” Gu Qingtong belatedly realized what Yan Chi had said. Even someone as slow as her had a momentary pause, her ears turning red reflexively. Physical reactions couldn’t deceive anyone, but her thoughts were still muddled, thinking, perhaps she was only interested in our alliance…
Yan Chi’s gaze slowly climbed up Gu Qingtong’s cheeks, capturing every subtle change:
“I have never participated in reality TV shows before. I’m regarded as aloof, high and mighty, but the truth is, I can’t let go of the barriers and defenses I have against unfamiliar things. I am cold and indifferent. This is my habitual stance towards the world.
In acting for movies, I can still wear the mask of a character, but in variety shows and in life, I cannot pretend to be someone else. It’s because you are someone I am familiar with that I had the idea and courage to give it a try.”
Gu Qingtong stared blankly at Yan Chi as she spoke these words, and somehow, a softness grew within her heart, silently filling up her entire being.
I am someone she is familiar with…do I possess the power to change Yan Chi, even if it’s just a little?
There was a faint glimmer in Yan Chi’s eyes, but she still restrained herself and lowered her gaze, concealing all emotions:
“Once again, my selfish desires have affected you. I apologize.”
“No, no. If you’re worried that this variety show will cause trouble for me, I don’t think so.
Isn’t it just a variety show where we play a couple? As long as we don’t expose our marital relationship on the show, it’s fine. Leave it to me, I’m the best at pretending not to be familiar with someone. And since we’re paired up, we don’t have to deal with other guests anymore. And this is also my first regular variety show. We can try and experience it together.”
Gu Qingtong, with her fuzzy paw hands in a praying gesture in front of her chest, looked into Yan Chi’s eyes as if they were filled with an entire galaxy, shining brilliantly.
She was like a little sun, radiating warmth and longing that Yan Chi desired yet dared not approach.
Yan Chi knew better than anyone that one day, all her pretenses and reserves would melt under this scorching heat.
“Well, we don’t really need to…” Yan Chi couldn’t help but speak, but she didn’t finish her sentence.
Gu Qingtong was puzzled, “Don’t need to what?”
“Nothing.”
In the end, all of her struggles were encapsulated within these few simple words.
❖❖❖❖❖
The park manager was quite helpless as the two troublemaking tourists refused to apologize or compensate, insisting that they didn’t know the mascot was being portrayed by a person.
Even the well-known theme park, Di Family, had no effective measures against such troublesome and impudent visitors, let alone their own emerging resort theme park that couldn’t afford to offend anyone.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Yan Chi opened the door and came out.
“Manager, is there a resolution yet?”
Her gaze was colder than usual, and though her tone was calm, inexplicably, it exerted a strong sense of pressure, causing the park managers to involuntarily shrink their necks and remain silent.
“We… we are still in negotiations.”
The middle-aged manager wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue as Yan Chi continued her relentless questioning.
Of course, they were familiar with Yan Chi. For them, her identity as a top actress was less significant compared to the fact that Yan Chi basically represented Hua Yan’s attitude.
If they failed to handle this matter to her satisfaction, the hard-won partnership and promotion they had built could be jeopardized.
It should be noted that the previous theme park that had collaborated with Hua Yan was one of the top tourist destinations in the country, but their partnership was terminated after a scandal involving animal abuse came to light. The park managers had to work hard to secure this collaboration with Hua Yan, seizing the opportunity before others could.
“We don’t need special privileges. Just adhere to the rules and regulations of your park. It Isn’t that difficult, right?”
“But…” The manager wiped his sweat, appearing quite hesitant.
According to the regulations, if a staff member is intentionally harmed, the severity of the injury determines the required apology and compensation. If the attitude is bad and cooperation is refused, the individuals will be blacklisted from entering the park. Additionally, video evidence of their misconduct will be posted on the official website and social media accounts under the “Uncivilized Tourists” section.
However, having rules in writing is one thing, and actually implementing them is another matter altogether.
Almost all theme parks tend to make their rules sound stricter as a deterrent, but in reality, they usually just criticize and educate the offenders. Blacklisting and posting videos have rarely been done.
Yan Chi didn’t wait for the manager to continue his hesitant response; she simply said, “If it’s inconvenient for you, then you don’t need to trouble yourselves. We’ll handle it privately.”
Her words seemed harmless and not threatening, but everyone present felt a subtle unease upon hearing the phrase “handle it privately.”
“Yes, yes, we will follow the regulations…” The manager gritted his teeth and reluctantly agreed.
At this point, the two troublemaking tourists had also become aware of the detailed regulations, but they dismissed them as empty threats, showing a disdainful attitude.
Clearly, there was no longer a need for further negotiation.
An hour later, the official website and social media accounts of Changhong Resort Theme Park simultaneously posted an announcement blacklisting the two troublemaking tourists:
“…The two individuals intentionally assaulted a staff member portraying a mascot in the park, causing injuries to the actor. Their attitude was extremely poor, and they refused to apologize or compensate. In accordance with the park’s regulations, they have been added to the blacklist of uncivilized tourists, and they will be denied entry to the park. The announcement includes a video with blurred facial features as evidence.”
The employees who portray mascots in the park wear reinforced mascot costumes supported by steel frames every day to entertain the visitors. It’s already quite challenging, and hitting their heads is a dangerous act that can injure the actors due to the steel frames inside. We kindly request all visitors to maintain a civilized demeanor in the park.”
The announcement clearly stated the names of the two individuals. Although the video blurred their faces to protect their privacy, their malicious intent was evident as one person intentionally struck the mascot’s head while the other loudly mocked. With their names exposed, it was easy for people to identify the two individuals, leading to widespread condemnation of their behavior and attitude.
Recently, with the popularity of the mascot performers from the “Di Family” on the internet, there has been a surge in incidents where visitors foolishly hit the mascots’ heads. However, these incidents were usually ignored, and aside from verbal criticism, those offenders faced no consequences.
In contrast, Changhong Resort’s swift action garnered unanimous praise online. The announcement on Weibo was even shared tens of thousands of times, gaining significant attention.
[Great job by the park! Hey, @Di Family with no enforcement power, when will you deal with the visitors hitting the mascots’ heads?]
[I suggest that these two individuals should have their hands chopped off. Just looking at it is painful. My heart aches for the mascot performers in the pictures.]
[If the park maintains such strict management, the park environment will improve a lot. I can’t stand those disrespectful visitors at Di Family anymore. I’ll go to Changhong for my Christmas date.]
The manager was both shocked and relieved. Unexpectedly, Changhong Resort managed to gain significant visibility through this incident.
He let out a sigh of relief, but when he recalled the oppressive feeling Yan Chi gave him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.
Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi also saw the Weibo post.
Although they were ready to resume filming, it seemed that the other two groups encountered some issues. Therefore, the production team allowed Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi, who had already completed their tasks, to rest for a while before continuing with the shoot.
Without the company of the production team, Gu Qingtong felt much more relaxed.
She showed the Weibo post to Yan Chi.
“They got off easy,” Yan Chi commented, casually glancing at it without any satisfaction.
Curiously, Gu Qingtong asked, “When you mentioned handling it privately earlier, what did you have in mind?”
“Just reasoning with them and making them realize their mistake.”
“Like what happened with Yan Song?”
Gu Qingtong clearly remembered when Yan Chi first met her and dislocated her half-brother’s arm.
Yan Chi neither confirmed nor denied it. She looked at the hot dog stand in front of them and then turned to Gu Qingtong. “You wanted to eat this, right?”
“Oh, you saw that?” Gu Qingtong suddenly remembered the production team’s rule about recognizing each other. “How did you recognize me? This disguise is foolproof. Even my parents wouldn’t recognize me.”
“It’s a secret,” Yan Chi replied with just two words and took a step forward to buy the hot dogs.
“Eh? Tell me—-” Gu Qingtong stomped her foot, persistently asking, “Was it because of that cosmetic brand’s flyer? Or did you see the cameras? And…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the hot dog blocked her mouth. “Mmmph!”
“Stop guessing,” Yan Chi said helplessly.
If she could really guess, there would be no need for all this evasion and secrecy.
Gu Qingtong held the hot dog in her hands, feeling frustrated. She pouted as if she wanted to say something, but when she saw the production team approaching, she swallowed her words and became alert. She instantly distanced herself from Yan Chi by a few meters.
The camera’s gaze floated between the two of them again, filled with suspicion.
“Teacher Yan, Xiao Gu, we’re about to head to the next task location. The result of the discussion between the director and the brand is that the accident just now will be edited out. So, we need to reshoot the moment when you two meet. Please prepare for a moment.”
This time, Gu Qingtong actively tried her best to pretend that she wasn’t familiar with Yan Chi.
In the short few minutes of their encounter, Gu Qingtong didn’t even dare to make eye contact with Yan Chi, afraid of revealing any trace of guilt.
Facing Gu Qingtong, who naturally distanced herself from her as if encountering a flood or a fierce beast, Yan Chi silently watched her and wondered how she would continue to act.
Why did she have such talent for distancing herself from her and pretending not to be familiar with her?
The production team watched the temporary couple in the frame, who appeared polite but distant from each other, and truly experienced the bitterness of forcing something that didn’t taste sweet.
It was even more awkward than they had predicted. After exchanging greetings out of politeness, the two fell into silence.
As if they both felt that it was not good to remain silent for a long time in front of the camera, they both unexpectedly spoke at the same time.
Instantly, the awkwardness spread rapidly, and even the production team felt like they could carve out a three-bedroom apartment for the two of them.
However, despite the awkwardness, the show’s effect was at its peak. After all, current dating shows were particularly passionate and intense, and it was rare to see couples who played the awkward card from the beginning.
The production team couldn’t help but marvel once again at Director Bu’s talent. How did he come up with the idea of forcibly pairing these two together?
After completing the additional shoot, Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong officially entered the filming process. They no longer separated and instead rode in the production team’s car together to the next shooting location.
Before getting in the car, the senior cameraman deliberately hinted to the two that there were cameras inside the vehicle.
Any normal person would know that the more interaction they had in the car, the higher their screen time would be in the final cut. They hoped that they would understand and interact more.
As soon as it was mentioned, Gu Qingtong became extremely guarded throughout the entire journey. She and Yan Chi sat at opposite ends of the seat, as if there was a galaxy separating them. One closed their eyes and rested, while the other pretended to admire the scenery outside the window.
It was blatantly obvious that they were a plastic couple.
Under normal circumstances, Gu Qingtong would have actively tried to attract attention and increase her screen time. But now, who was still thinking about screen time?
When they arrived at their destination, she realized that it was a famous rural homestay area. She couldn’t help but feel a little strange. It was still the afternoon, so why were they already assigning rooms to each team?
When the two of them were led into the restaurant, they realized that the five members of the other two teams had already arrived and were sitting at the table, looking unhappy.
“Why did you just arrive? We’re starving…”
Wen Ziyao had a bad temper, and he happened to vent his frustration on the new member who was barely known in the industry. However, before he could finish his sentence, he saw Yan Chi walking in behind Gu Qingtong. He suddenly took a deep breath, his pupils dilating.
“Yan, Teacher Yan?!”
His voice immediately caught the attention of the listless group. One after another, they looked up, and their reactions were intense. Deng Dongjun was drinking water at the moment and choked on it, coughing uncontrollably.
Director Bu looked at their animated expressions and felt satisfied. He then introduced:
“This is Yan Chi, our female guest number four on ‘Love Game.’ We’ve been keeping it a secret from all of you until now. In the upcoming episodes, for the sake of the show’s effect, we will continue to occasionally introduce new guests.”
“Yan Chi and Qingtong, please take your seats. Let’s get ready to eat.”
Chu Yu seemed to realize something and suddenly asked, “Are teacher Yan and Qingtong a couple now?”
“The new guests who are brought in are considered individual participants. In our voting and selection process, only Qingtong neither chose nor was chosen by anyone, so the two individual participants naturally formed a temporary couple,” Director Bu explained.
“I see, I thought there was some hidden voting going on.”
Chu Yu’s usual smile returned to her face.
Everyone knew that with Yan Chi’s A-list status, whoever formed a couple with her wouldn’t have to worry about screen time or topics. If the production team had indeed orchestrated the pairing of Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi, everyone would have felt it was unfair.
Now, in the face of this explanation, it could only be said that Gu Qingtong was lucky. After all, the director’s team hadn’t mentioned the possibility of bringing in new guests from the start.
All eyes were fixed on Yan Chi’s figure, and even when she took her seat, their gaze didn’t waver.
Wen Ziyao and Chu Yu were initially partnered up for the sake of generating buzz. But now, seeing Yan Chi’s arrival, both of them began to have doubts and regretted binding themselves to each other so early. If the upcoming new guests turned out to be more popular one after another, they would have no choice but to watch from the sidelines.
Deng Dongjun and Yu Xi, on the other hand, were simply starstruck fans of Yan Chi. Both of them had mentioned in interviews that Yan Chi was their favorite actor. Now, with the real person suddenly appearing before them, they could only steal glances and dare not approach to strike up a conversation.
Only Bai Jin glanced at Yan Chi briefly, then glued her gaze back to Gu Qingtong and continued, “Sister, come sit with me!”
Upon hearing these words, Yan Chi’s eyelashes trembled, and she looked over in Bai Jin’s direction.
Their gazes met, and Bai Jin smiled openly at her, saying, “I’m talking to Sister Gu.”
An inexplicable tension seemed to spread, and no one expected the first battlefield to erupt between these three individuals. Even the production team exchanged glances with each other.
“Forget about her. She’s just a big talker. She was saying in front of everyone earlier that she wanted to choose me as her partner, but she ended up talking nonsense,” Gu Qingtong half-jokingly explained, stealing a glance at Yan Chi’s expression. Hopefully, she won’t misunderstand.
“Oh~ I was wondering why Sister wasn’t even looking at me. So it’s because you’re mad at me for not choosing you,” Bai Jin drawled, innocently looking at Gu Qingtong.
“Cut it out. I have a temporary partner now, and I have to be responsible for her,” Gu Qingtong couldn’t hold back anymore and sat back next to Yan Chi. She felt that Yan Chi’s participation in this show was actually quite good.
After everyone took their seats, Director Bu announced, “In the ‘Fateful Encounter’ challenge just now, Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi were the first to meet, winning first place. They can choose any dish from the menu.”
Bai Jin, Deng Dongjun, and Yu Xi completed the challenge as well, but their time was later than the first place, so they could only order main dishes. As for Chu Yu and Wen Ziyao’s team, unfortunately, since you didn’t complete the task, you don’t have the right to eat.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was surprised. They never expected that the result of the previous challenge would be linked to lunch.
Even more unexpectedly, the director was so strict that he directly denied them a meal.
“The reason why we didn’t inform you about this reward and punishment for the first challenge was because we hoped that in every subsequent task, you would give it your all. If some people aren’t actively participating in their partnerships, at least they should be active in eating and sleeping.”
Director Bu glanced meaningfully at Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi’s team.
Gu Qingtong fell silent for a moment, feeling offended.
As it turned out, besides Yan Chi recognizing Gu Qingtong in the doll costume, the paths of encounters for the other teams were quite difficult.
Because the production team is mysterious, everyone was exerting considerable effort to complete the tasks.
For example, Chu Yu and Wen Ziyao’s task took place in the same restaurant, but with a difference between the front and back areas. One had to wash 300 dishes, while the other had to serve dishes to 100 tables.
Chu Yu, who had never washed so many dishes in her life, looked at the pile of dirty dishes and immediately gave up in frustration.
Wen Ziyao managed to serve a few tables, but due to mistakes and delays, he faced criticism and complaints from customers. He became unhappy as well and gave up on the task. When they didn’t want to be taken back to the car by the production team, they opened the car door and looked at each other in silence.
If only they had completed a few orders properly, they would have easily run into each other in the kitchen.
As for Bai Jin, Deng Dongjun, and Yu Xi, they did encounter each other but not completely. Deng Dongjun and Yu Xi were secretly competing to see who could complete the task and find Bai Jin first.
Unexpectedly, they bumped into each other right at the beginning of the task and had a fierce confrontation. They sabotaged each other’s tasks, creating chaos until Bai Jin appeared and found them. Only then did they realize the program’s tactics.
In fact, if they had followed the rules and done things properly, it would have been easy for them to meet their respective partners. Only those who had crooked ideas and thought they were clever would be tricked by the production team.
That’s why the expressions of these five people were quite unpleasant.
Chu Yu and Wen Ziyao had no choice but to watch others eat while inwardly berating each other as useless.
Director Bu knew that to succeed in variety shows, you have to capture the audience’s hearts through tactics, and rewards and punishments have to be implemented. If they followed the typical approach of other domestic variety shows, being overly polite and afraid of offending others, and distributing prizes regardless of winning or losing, in the long run, everyone would lose motivation to do tasks.
The dishes were ordered by Yan Chi, but Gu Qingtong was quite picky with her food. She didn’t like eating vegetables, and she avoided many strongly flavored meats. She didn’t touch ingredients like onions, ginger, garlic, or green peppers that had stimulating effects…
Before their previous meal, Yan Chi had already taken note of her dietary restrictions from Gu Qingtong’s parents.
Gu Qingtong didn’t realize any of this. She only felt that the meal was to her liking in every aspect, except for the occasional resentful glances from the side, which didn’t sit well with her.
After the meal, Director Bu first took everyone to visit three guesthouses. They were a luxurious glass suite with a swimming pool, a standard two-bedroom apartment, and a simple small room. The last room was especially outrageous, empty except for the floor and two sleeping bags, with nothing else.
“This is the room you’ll be sleeping in tonight. As usual, during the upcoming activity, the rooms will be assigned based on the completion time of the tasks.”
Upon hearing this, everyone started getting excited, especially Chu Yu and Wen Zi Yao, who hadn’t eaten lunch.
“Don’t worry, I will never deceive you all. The afternoon activity is very simple: an escape room. You should be familiar with the most famous attraction in this guesthouse, the grand castle-like escape room, where various NPCs will provide an immersive experience.”
“The rules are straightforward. You need to successfully escape the room with only your CP1Couple pairing to complete the task.”
“Just the CP? Does that mean it doesn’t count if we leave with other teammates?” Deng Dongjun asked, eager to show off his reading comprehension skills.
“Exactly. If you leave with someone other than your CP, you will be immediately sent back to the escape room and have to start over.”
It seems that despite being a collective competition, everyone is clearly an enemy to each other.
The comfort of the sleeping rooms is at stake, as no one wants to sleep on the floor inside a sleeping bag.
“We have three people in our group, which is unfair for us!”
Deng Dongjun suddenly realized that the other groups only needed two people to be paired up, while they had to deal with the complications of having three people. It seemed like a disadvantage no matter how he thought about it.
“Don’t worry, once you’re inside, you’ll understand the advantage of having more people.”
Director Bu’s smile became even more meaningful.
Just by looking at this, everyone understood that it was impossible for Director Bu to not have some tricks up his sleeve.
“Now, everyone’s eyes will be covered. Please hold the hand of your CP. Of course, you can choose not to hold hands, but you might regret it later.”
Upon hearing this, several CPs stood closer to each other again. After hesitating for a moment, Chu Yu and Wen Ziyao also held hands.
Deng Dongjun looked at the tall figure standing at 1.8 meters. In reality, he was never brave enough to play in an escape room or anything related to horror. But for the sake of his own pride, he said to Bai Jin, “You girls must be scared, right? I’ll hold your hand.”
“Thank you, but I don’t need it,” Bai Jin smiled playfully, as if she could see through his thoughts.
Having been rejected, Deng Dongjun looked around and finally settled his gaze on Yu Xi, whose complexion had turned even paler than before. He knew he had found his family and tentatively suggested, “How about the two of us hold hands?”
After a fierce internal struggle, Yu Xi declined, saying, “No… I still can’t accept it.”
Seeing the camera filming the people in front wearing blindfolds, Gu Qingtong secretly glanced at Yan Chi.
Gu Qingtong had heard about this escape room before. It was said to be the Blizzard Manor mode, where there were NPCs in the castle, including the killer, who would randomly grab players and take them to the dark room. And if they didn’t solve the puzzles to catch the killer or find the secret exit, they couldn’t get out at all until everyone was wiped out.
Especially recently, they had developed a new horror-themed gameplay called Sinister Bell.
She wondered if the production team would use the previous mode or have different rules and tricks.
Gu Qingtong hesitated as she looked at Yan Chi, but in the end, her fear of the unknown made her grit her teeth and whisper to Yan Chi, “Let’s… let’s hold hands.”
“Scared now? Not pretending to be unfamiliar?” Yan Chi’s gaze shifted as he looked at Gu Qingtong, teasing her patiently.
“…Fine, if you don’t want to hold hands,” Gu Qingtong fell silent for a moment, then turned her head in a huff.
Little did she know that the next second, Yan Chi reached out and touched her hand.
Yan Chi’s fingers were slender and distinct, perfectly enveloping Gu Qingtong’s hand that she had clenched into a fist at her side. She whispered softly, “Stay close to me once we’re inside.”
“I… I’m not scared of these things. I just want to win!” Gu Qingtong didn’t refuse Yan Chi holding her hand, but blushed and tried to justify herself.
The staff came to blindfold the two of them, and they were surprised to see the two of them holding hands. They had assumed that they wouldn’t hold hands since they seemed unfamiliar with each other… It seems that Director Bu’s intimidation had been effective.
It was quite rare to see them forced to be affectionate like this.
The seven of them were led onto a tour bus and taken directly into the castle at the center of the village.
“You must be the guests here to attend Mr. Liu’s birthday banquet. He’s been waiting for you in the living room. Come in quickly,” the voice of a young attendant echoed, instantly immersing everyone in the atmosphere.
Whether it was their imagination or not, as soon as they entered the castle, they felt a few degrees cooler, with a chilling and damp sensation creeping over them.
This ominous feeling unconsciously drew Gu Qingtong closer to Yan Chi.
To her sorrowful surprise, Yan Chi’s body temperature caused the already low room temperature to drop even further…on the bright side, if an NPC were to touch her, their hand would probably be hotter than Yan Chi’s.
“Who turned on the air conditioning and humidifier? It’s too cold!” Deng Dongjun exclaimed, and everyone realized that the combination of the two had created this environment. The atmosphere of horror suddenly eased a lot.
“You can take off your blindfolds now. I hope you all understand that Mr. Liu has many enemies, and while he is in seclusion in the mountains, we can’t allow his enemies to find their way here,” the attendant explained.
Following the waiter’s command, everyone started to take off their blindfolds simultaneously.
Soon, they all realized why Director Bu insisted that they should hold hands. It was because the castle had no lights! It was pitch black everywhere, with no visibility, and it was easy to get lost if they didn’t hold hands.
When they had their blindfolds on earlier, they didn’t notice the gradual darkness. Now, they could only utter cries of surprise.
“Oh, there’s a power outage. Welcome, esteemed guests, to the Castle Bell Murder Case 2.0, the blackout edition.”
Sure enough, it had evolved again! This meant that not only were there NPCs trying to capture them, but there were also supernatural phenomena. They would have to search for clues and an exit in pitch darkness. If they weren’t careful, they could easily get separated from their teammates.
Director Bu, how could you be so skilled at this?!
“Afternoon tea, Mr. Liu doesn’t seem to be in the living room. He must have gone back to his room to rest. However, he knows that dinner will be served at 8 o’clock, so he will definitely come down early. Guests may rest here for an hour in the meantime.
I remember there were two spare candles in the castle, but I forgot where they were placed. If someone finds them, feel free to use them. It would be more convenient to move around the castle with some light. Also, I must remind you all that it would be quite offensive if someone arrives at the banquet later than Mr. Liu.”
The waiter left, leaving a few puzzled players.
“What should we do now?” Chu Yu asked first.
“Let’s do a headcount first. It’s so dark we can’t see each other, and we don’t know if anyone has disappeared,” Deng Dongjun’s voice trembled. He wasn’t holding anyone’s hand, so he needed the comfort of having more people around.
Everyone thought it made sense and started reporting one by one:
“Number one, Chu Yu.” “Number two, Wen Ziyao.”
But when it came to number three, Bai Jin, the reporting stopped, and there was silence all around.
“Bai Jin? Where is she?” Deng Dongjun’s voice was filled with fear. He cautiously extended his hand and waved it in the air, hoping to grab someone’s hand to hold onto.
Just as everyone was in chaos, Gu Qingtong suddenly heard a voice exploding right next to her ear, “Sister~”
“Ahh!” Gu Qingtong was scared like a startled cat and immediately hid in the arms of the nearby Yan Chi. The distance she had just tried to maintain was shattered in the face of the fright.
