The filming location for Mystery Room was at a newly completed, yet-to-be-opened large amusement park, which was about a forty-minute drive from Han Shao Zhou’s hotel. The shoot was scheduled to start at 2:00 PM, and all the guests were required to arrive at the designated hotel before noon.
When Han Shao Zhou left in the morning, he asked Mo Ming for the name of the hotel arranged by the production team. Although Mo Ming was somewhat reluctant, he eventually told him, and then Han Shao Zhou insisted that Mo Ming send him the room number once he checked in.
Seeing that Han Shao Zhou was dead set on sneaking over to see him that night, Mo Ming frowned and asked, “What if the production team has cameras in the room, or what if they assign two people to share a room?”
Han Shao Zhou seemed a bit surprised by the question. “Do they really watch you guys 24/7?”
“The contract states that, within the three days, the production team has the right to enter any guest’s room to film, except for the bathroom, as long as they notify the guest beforehand.”
Han Shao Zhou nodded thoughtfully. “Well, that just means I need to be extra careful.”
“…”
It seemed that not only was he not deterred, but he was even more determined.
A couple of days earlier, Xiao Song had already contacted Mo Ming and knew that Mo Ming had arrived in T City ahead of time to “enjoy the snow.” Per Mo Ming’s request, Xiao Song didn’t bring any additional assistants from the company and traveled alone to meet Mo Ming there.
The production team had booked an entire star-rated hotel, which was eager to take advantage of the show’s popularity for promotion, offering considerable discounts and conveniences.
Mo Ming arrived at the hotel at ten in the morning, one of the earliest among the guests, though not the earliest—Cheng Jing, who lived next door to him, had arrived even earlier.
As soon as the staff member who had guided Mo Ming to his room left, Cheng Jing knocked on his door.
Cheng Jing, who frequently starred in campus idol dramas, was handsome and well-built, with a lot of female fans online. He had a naturally bright and lively smile.
Standing at Mo Ming’s door, Cheng Jing acted very familiar with him. After a few polite exchanges, Cheng Jing suddenly smiled with a hidden meaning and said, “Actually, I’m here to thank you.”
“Thank me?”
Cheng Jing, with his hands in the pockets of his black cargo pants, smirked. “Thanks for getting rid of Xia Qing for me.”
“…”
Seeing that Mo Ming’s expression hadn’t changed, Cheng Jing explained unhurriedly, “Xia Qing and I were on similar paths. After he was shelved by the company, the resources that were originally his started pouring my way. In particular, the role Xia Qing played in Broken Sword ended up going to me. If Broken Sword does well, I might finally be able to transition into a more serious actor.”
With his eyes squinted in what seemed like sincerity, Cheng Jing added, “You’ve really created a turning point for my career. You’re practically my benefactor.”
Feeling a bit too close for comfort, Mo Ming stepped back and nodded politely. “You’re welcome.”
Cheng Jing didn’t expect Mo Ming to admit it so straightforwardly. He had assumed that Mo Ming had asked Chen Li and the others to keep it a secret because he wanted to hide something from the public.
This made Cheng Jing’s little scheme of holding Mo Ming’s secret seem pointless.
Scratching his nose, Cheng Jing asked, “Aren’t you curious how I found out?”
“You’re smart.”
“…”
Mo Ming’s words were so natural, but Cheng Jing couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being mocked.
“I’m an artist under Hong Yi Media, so I get some insider information.” Cheng Jing said, flashing a smile that revealed his white teeth. “But I’ve already been warned by my manager, so I won’t be leaking anything.”
Mo Ming, ready to message Xiao Song about lunch plans, turned away and dismissed Cheng Jing with, “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“I mean no harm. I’m just curious, was what happened between you and Xia Qing real, or did you set him up? If it was real, then Xia Qing deserved it. But if it was the latter, you’re pretty impressive. I was there the whole time, and Chen Li and the others didn’t see it coming… But honestly, with Hong Yi’s power, it wouldn’t have been hard for them to protect Xia Qing. So, I’m guessing you’ve got some other card up your sleeve that made them wary.”
Looking at Mo Ming, who was stunningly handsome, gentle, and exuded an entirely harmless aura, Cheng Jing found him intriguing. After Xia Qing’s downfall, Cheng Jing had occasionally followed Mo Ming’s news online. While the internet painted Mo Ming as weak and pitiful, Cheng Jing knew that someone capable of bringing down a star as bright as Xia Qing couldn’t possibly be as innocent as people thought…
The more he tried to understand, the more his curiosity grew.
“We were the first ones to arrive, so I think that’s fate. Besides, it’s not like my questions are that personal.” Cheng Jing added, feeling a bit miffed that Mo Ming had ignored him. “I haven’t even asked about all the rumors surrounding your love life.”
Getting a bit fed up with the chatter, Mo Ming turned to him and asked, “Didn’t you say I’m your benefactor?”
Cheng Jing nodded eagerly.
“Then please don’t make things difficult for your benefactor.”
“…”
Around noon, the guests started arriving at the hotel one after another. Mo Ming left his room to grab some lunch, only to find Cheng Jing casually trailing behind him. Unlike before, Cheng Jing had stopped asking annoying questions and instead sincerely expressed his desire to form an alliance with Mo Ming in the upcoming game.
“I’m terrible at solving puzzles. I’m just here to play the ‘boyfriend material’ role in front of the camera.” Cheng Jing admitted openly. “But I think you’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
Mo Ming politely but firmly declined.
As they walked down the corridor toward the elevators, they ran into Wen Ci, who was being led upstairs by staff, along with Shen Xixi.
Wen Ci greeted them with a smile, and Mo Ming responded just as kindly, with none of the sharpness that had been present during their confrontation at the restaurant.
Shen Xixi greeted them cheerfully, “Hi, Mo Ming-ge, Cheng-ge.”
Cheng Jing frowned slightly. He didn’t like it when people he wasn’t close to used his nickname. Close friends using “Cheng-ge” felt intimate, but when someone he didn’t know well called him that, it felt forced and a bit cheesy.
They exchanged a few pleasantries, but no one was interested in a longer conversation. Soon after, Mo Ming and Cheng Jing stepped into the elevator, while Wen Ci and Shen Xixi were shown to their rooms.
Wen Ci glanced briefly in the direction of the elevator before turning to the staff member. “Which room is Mo Ming staying in?”
“It seems to be that one.” the staff pointed to the room next door.
“Can I switch to a room on the lower floor with my cousin?” Shen Xixi frowned.
“Sorry, the rooms were specifically arranged by the production team.”
“You guys are being pretty obvious with your intentions, aren’t you? Afraid there won’t be enough drama?” Shen Xixi grumbled.
“Let it go, Xixi.” Wen Ci said calmly. It was only three days, after all, and besides, there were strict agreements in place.
At 1:30 PM, all nine guests, dressed in blue-and-white uniforms, boarded the production team’s bus and headed to the filming location. Everyone was getting along well, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
Upon arrival, they were led to a room resembling a conference room, where the director began explaining the game rules.
As in previous episodes, they would score points by finding clues and solving puzzles, with the highest scorer at the end being the winner. In the final round, the eight “good guys” would use the clues gathered throughout the game to vote out the hidden “villain” among them.
Cheng Jing, who was sitting next to Mo Ming, leaned in and whispered, “Did the production team give you any hints?”
Mo Ming shook his head.
“You probably don’t know this, but the puzzles in these rooms are insanely difficult. To avoid the game stalling, the production team usually gives some hints to the guests beforehand. The ones who end up with the highest scores? Not to be bitter, but they almost always knew some of the answers beforehand. You think it’s easy to build a high-IQ persona?”
Mo Ming appreciated the helpful advice from the enthusiastic Cheng Jing.
In fact, he was more concerned about tonight… Would that man really sneak into the hotel to see him?
The game began, and before entering the room, each of the nine guests received an attribute card, which they tucked into the zippered pocket on their chest. These cards could only be revealed in the final round of the game.
The initial rounds were relatively simple, with some guests cracking jokes while others channeled their inner detectives. It was an enjoyable experience for everyone, and the scores remained close. Mo Ming occasionally contributed a clue to stay in the game. After several rounds, Cheng Jing was in last place, and Mo Ming was second to last.
In a large room spanning over seventy square meters, the system gave out a clue, and everyone began searching every corner for potential hints. “Use your brain, benefactor.” Cheng Jing whispered to Mo Ming. Before filming, Cheng Jing had bet on sticking with Mo Ming to score high, but to his surprise…
Mo Ming was puzzled by his second-to-last position, frowning as he replied, “But I’ve already found more clues than you.”
“…”
“The first two digits should be 98.” Wen Ci’s calm voice cut through the chatter among the group.
“That’s impressive, cracking the code so quickly.” someone praised. “How did you figure it out, Wen Ci?”
Wen Ci smiled and explained his reasoning, earning admiration from the group.
“Now we just need the last two digits. Hurry, or Wen Ci will get all the points.”
“This round is already at nightmare difficulty. I think the second digit is 8.”
Cheng Jing, standing next to Mo Ming, began to complain again, predicting that when the show aired, he would be labeled as all brawn and no brains.
“Hmm, I think I’ve got another clue.” Wen Ci said with a smile after a while.
Cheng Jing couldn’t stand how Mo Ming, like everyone else, was eagerly waiting for Wen Ci to give the answer. He leaned in again and whispered weakly, “If you pass this round, I’ll stop nagging you.”
Mo Ming raised his hand. “It’s 96.”
All eyes turned to Mo Ming, and Cheng Jing stared at him in disbelief.
When Wen Ci heard the number, he simply smiled. He didn’t ask Mo Ming for an explanation but instead gave Shen Xixi a subtle nod, signaling her to input the code.
Shen Xixi quickly approached the door and entered the numbers 9896.
[Sorry, the password is incorrect.] A cold mechanical voice announced.
Wen Ci looked at Mo Ming, his gaze filled with both regret and understanding. He gently said, “Don’t worry, take your time. Too much of a competitive spirit can ruin the fun.”
Shen Xixi added, “We only have two chances. If we get it wrong again, we’ll lose points. Mo Ming-ge, don’t just throw out numbers without a basis.”
“Why did you rush to input the code then?” another female teammate, Zhao Li, chimed in. “You could have waited for Mo Ming to explain.”
“Can’t even handle being wrong.” Shen Xixi muttered, annoyed. She didn’t like Zhao Li, who had a tomboyish personality and a name that sounded old-fashioned.
Wen Ci intervened, “Mo Ming’s guess was close, so the system should award some points for finding the clues.”
“Come on, just give us the right answer, Wen Ci, so we can move on to the next round.”
“The correct code is actually…”
“Your digits were wrong.” Mo Ming interrupted Wen Ci in a calm, soothing voice. “The first two digits aren’t 9 and 8, but 89.”
Everyone froze.
Wen Ci stared at Mo Ming… Although the production team hadn’t given him all the answers, they had hinted at where to find the key clues in the rooms. He couldn’t be wrong.
“Do you have any proof?” Zhao Li asked Mo Ming. “Wen Ci’s analysis made a lot of sense.”
“The analysis was correct, but the clue for this room was to ‘flip east and turn west,’” Mo Ming explained as he walked toward the code lock. “Flip east, and the first two digits become 89. Turn west, and the last two digits are 96.”
Wen Ci felt a pang of doubt… He had been about to say that the last two digits were 69.
After Mo Ming’s explanation, he entered the four numbers on the screen.
Beep
[Correct password, congratulations on passing.]
Author’s Note:
Even though this is an entertainment industry novel, there won’t be too much content focused on that aspect. I’ll speed through this awkward mystery game, as the main focus remains on the interactions between the key characters.
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