Against the Light - Chapter 140
Chapter 140: The Cub, Raised on Fright
The next morning, as soon as Gu Xinran woke up and opened her phone, her eyes were caught by a trending Weibo topic that popped up.
【One pregnancy for Teacher Bai, three years of dumbness for Xinran】
“!!!”
“What’s wrong?” Seeing Gu Xinran pout and toss her phone aside, Bai Yilan was confused. She sat up, pulled Gu Xinran into her arms, and let her pillow her head on her arm.
She didn't know what was wrong with her either. Perhaps after getting pregnant, her maternal love was overflowing, and she always subconsciously wanted to hold Xinran.
She picked up her phone, glanced at it, and gave a gentle smile.
“Come on, it’s so early. Why get angry with the netizens? They just like to joke about things like this.”
Gu Xinran turned her head away, still sulking and looking very hurt.
Bai Yilan turned on her side to hug her, soothingly rubbing her chest and nuzzling her cheek. “There, there, be good~”
Just as she was wondering how to coax her, she suddenly noticed the corner of Gu Xinran’s mouth twitch up slightly.
Bai Yilan narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Aha, you’re acting again, aren’t you?”
“Huh? No, I’m really hurt,” Gu Xinran said, unable to suppress her laughter as she turned and buried her face in Bai Yilan’s neck.
“Oh, stop it. Get up. Don’t cling to me.”
“Mmm~~~” Gu Xinran whined in a soft, childish voice, rubbing against Bai Yilan until all of her annoyance melted away.
“You’re so clingy,” Bai Yilan said with feigned annoyance.
“Mhm!” Gu Xinran replied proudly.
There was a knock on the door.
“My two little ancestors, are you awake?”
The two exchanged a look, fell silent in tacit agreement, and promptly lay back down to feign sleep.
Ye Nan waited outside for a moment before gently pushing the door open a crack. Seeing that the two were still asleep, she didn't disturb them.
The pair listened for Ye Nan’s footsteps. Once she had walked away, they opened their eyes and smiled at each other.
“They’re still not awake?” Shi Qing had already finished breakfast.
“They’re awake, just pretending. Those two have secrets to share, and I couldn’t very well disturb them,” Ye Nan said with a smile.
“Hm? How could you tell?”
“I listened to their breathing. When they pretend to be asleep, they hold their breath to listen for whether I’ve left. I could barely hear them breathing at all.”
Shi Qing sighed softly, marveling inwardly at her attentiveness.
“Has the old ancestor finished dining?” Ye Nan glanced at the dining table.
Shi Qing chuckled. “Mhm.”
“Was it satisfactory?”
“It was adequate.”
Shi Qing smiled, reached into her pocket, pulled out a coin, and tossed it into Ye Nan’s hand. “A reward.”
“…” Reward this! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Ye Nan stared at Shi Qing’s pocket for a moment, her expression turning mischievous.
“What are you looking at…”
Before Shi Qing could finish, Ye Nan’s hand was already reaching for her pocket and patting it.
“???”
“I empty your pockets every time I do your laundry, and I’ve never found any coins. When did you sneak this in?”
Full of curiosity, Ye Nan patted the right pocket, then the left, and even circled behind Shi Qing to pat her back pockets.
“…Mom? Auntie Ye, what are you two doing…”
When Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan came out, they walked in on a very strange scene.
Shi Qing was standing at the counter, chin in hand, while Ye Nan was behind her, patting her… er… pants.
Ye Nan stared blankly at them.
Shi Qing hadn’t processed the situation at all.
“Hiss!” The next second, Ye Nan snatched her hand back as if she’d been shocked, her face flushing with embarrassment.
“What’s wrong?” Shi Qing was still oblivious.
“Since you’re awake, come have breakfast.”
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan exchanged a look, tacitly agreeing not to bring it up while communicating furiously with their eyes.
【Gu: What’s going on??】
【Bai: …I have no idea.】
【Gu: That pose was way too suggestive, wasn’t it?】
【Bai: Tsk, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s nothing.】
【Gu: Then why are you snickering?】
【Bai: Ahem. Be good and eat your food.】
“You two, just eat properly. Can you not exchange glances for one second?” Shi Qing said with displeasure, watching them make all sorts of faces at each other.
The two of them immediately buried their heads in their food and ate obediently.
Gu Xinran finished getting ready and, just before leaving, gave Yilan a hug.
“Keep a close watch on them at home and report back to me later~” she whispered.
“Get going, you’re incorrigible!” Bai Yilan swatted her playfully.
Gu Xinran’s eyes curved into crescents as she kissed her lips. “I’m leaving. Make sure you rest.”
“Mhm.”
The others watched Xinran leave.
“Well, look at that. She’s finally showing some promise. For once, she wasn’t chased out the door,” Ye Nan joked.
“Tell me about it. Even a child isn’t that clingy,” Shi Qing added.
Bai Yilan glanced back and froze. Her mother was sitting on the sofa while Auntie Ye stood behind her, kneading her shoulders. The gesture was quite intimate.
Normally, this would be nothing—Auntie Ye often gave her mother massages. But after witnessing the scene from that morning, seeing them in such close contact again felt a little… intimate?
Bai Yilan kept a straight face and switched into covert observation mode.
Meanwhile, Gu Xinran was being led by Qu Qi straight to the filming location.
“Filming starts today. The guests are all people you know. Even though you’re the biggest star there, you still need to be careful with what you say and do. Don’t give anyone an opportunity to smear your name,” Qu Qi reminded her worriedly.
“Mhm.”
“When you’re running for your life, try to look after the others. If your brain gives out, let Huo Jie take over. She seems pretty sharp. Just don’t embarrass yourself again.”
“…” Gu Xinran shot her a glare.
Qu Qi burst out laughing. She finally had a chance to tease her; how could she possibly pass it up!
Meanwhile, on Weibo, the premiere of the new variety show had sparked a fresh round of heated discussion.
【It’s a livestream!! Does that mean it’ll keep broadcasting for as long as they’re trapped in the room?! I love, love, love this setup!】
【They’re not going to be stuck for a whole day and night, are they? I have my reasonable doubts about Ran Zai’s brainpower. :)】
【Hahahaha, I’d love to see them stuck for a day. If only Teacher Bai could be there.】
【Ahhhhh, she’s here! My Jie is so beautiful, I’m dead.】
【Ahhhhh! As expected of someone from the fashion world, even Huo Jie’s casual outfits are so chic.】
【Another day of stanning Jie Zai~ [Heart]】
Gu Xinran had no idea the show was already being livestreamed; she was still sitting in the car, leisurely texting Yilan.
“You can go in by yourself. I have no idea when you’ll get out, so I won’t wait. Just have Jinghai drive you home when you’re finished.”
“…Alright.”
The moment Gu Xinran stepped out of the car, a staff member confiscated her phone and led her into an elevator.
She subconsciously glanced around. There were no extra cameras in the elevator, so they probably weren’t filming yet. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief; being trapped in an elevator would have been awful.
Before long, the elevator doors opened, and a staff member guided Gu Xinran to a room.
She knocked lightly.
“Coming,” a voice replied from inside.
Hearing the voice, Gu Xinran’s lips curved into a small smile. It was Huo Jie.
The door opened to reveal Huo Jie, as expected. They met each other’s eyes and shared a hug.
“Hey, Sister Ran is here~” Someone popped out from the side, startling Gu Xinran. It was Shen Can.
The three looked at one another and burst out laughing simultaneously.
“Sister Ran, hahaha, I heard Sister Qi took you to an escape room and you did great. I thought I could count on you for the show, but it turns out we’re on the same level, hahaha.” Shen Can clung to Gu Xinran, unable to stop laughing.
Gu Xinran’s expression darkened. Recalling how Ye Nan had put her in the “not-so-bright” category yesterday and told her not to associate with Shen Can, she decisively pushed her hand away.
“Don’t say ‘we.’ We are not the same.”
“Hahahahaha—”
The group chatted and laughed as they took their seats on the sofa.
“Hey, do you know who the other guests are?”
Yesterday, Weibo had only released clips of the three of them, but rumor had it there were six guests in total, including three mystery guests.
“No idea. The production team has kept it completely under wraps.”
“Sister Ran, you don’t know either?”
Gu Xinran shook her head.
【Ran Zai, watch out! They’re right behind you!!】
【Wow, these guests are so mischievous. Is it really a good idea to scare your own boss? Aren’t they afraid of a pay cut?】
【?? Wait, Shen Can didn’t try to scare Xinran just now; she just walked right out. Why? Did she lose her nerve?】
【Hahaha, Xue’er and Jinjin are frozen stiff. They’re hiding behind the curtain and don’t dare to move.】
【Hahaha, Xue’er peeked out, saw it was Sister Ran, and immediately hid herself with the curtain again. That’s so real, hahaha.】
【As expected, Sister Ran keeps everyone in line, hahaha.】
Gu Xinran was still chatting with the other two, completely unsuspecting.
Shen Can and Huo Jie exchanged a glance and looked behind Gu Xinran. It was strange. The others had said they were going to scare the last person to arrive, so why were they still hiding after all this time instead of jumping out?
“Surprise!”
Yan Xi suddenly jumped out from behind the sofa.
Gu Xinran jumped, nearly dropping the cup in her hand and spilling half its contents.
“Jeez, you’re a grown woman. Why are you still pulling stunts like this?” Gu Xinran clutched her chest, still a bit startled.
Yan Xi giggled mischievously. After a moment, she realized something was off. The three of them were supposed to jump out together. Why was she the only one who had foolishly popped out?
With a puzzled look, she glanced at the curtain behind her, strode over, and yanked it open, dragging the two rookies out by their collars.
“What are you two doing?”
Only then did Gu Xinran realize there were two other people in the room: Ling Xue’er and Li Jinjin. They were her most promising rookies, both currently very popular and bona fide viewership magnets.
So these two were the company’s rookies Qu Qi had mentioned.
“Oh? So you two were planning to scare me?”
“No, no, no! We wouldn’t dare! We were just going to say hi, just say hi.” Li Jinjin was extremely timid, shaking her head and waving her hands frantically.
“Hey, that’s not what you were saying earlier!” Yan Xi called her out immediately.
“Xue’er, you explain.”
“Ahem. Sister Xi suggested we scare you, but we refused,” Ling Xue’er said with righteous conviction.
“Hey! You two little brats! You sold me out just like that?”
Everyone burst out laughing.
【Hahaha, poor Sister Xi.】
【The two rookies are so cute. Hiding behind the curtain because they were too scared to come out? Are they trying to kill me with laughter, hahaha.】
【This show has an absolutely godly cast. I love it!】
“Hey, did you guys solve the escape room yesterday?” Gu Xinran asked.
She hadn’t seen the videos of these three yet, so she didn’t know how skilled they were.
“Nope.”
“No?! None of you solved it?”
“Uh…”
Everyone looked at each other in dismay. They were doomed…
Gu Xinran fell silent for a moment, then turned to face a camera. “Production team, can we talk? Let’s not do this live. Let’s just record it. If this is live, we might end up spending the night here, and that would ruin the viewing experience.”
“Pfft…” Everyone burst out laughing. “Sister Ran, it’s not that bad. The director said they’ll secretly give us hints if we really get stuck,” said Shen Can.
The moment she finished speaking, everyone’s expressions turned strange.
“And now that you’ve announced it to the whole world, do you think the production team will still give us hints?” Gu Xinran was so exasperated she rolled her eyes.
Shen Can really wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed!
【Hahaha, the production team is stunned. They got sold out before the show even officially started, hahaha.】
【Hahaha, you can really tell Cancan’s brainpower is lacking. This is going to be tough on the others.】
【Ran Zai is fuming, hahaha.】
Amidst the chorus of complaints, there was a knock at the door.
Ling Xue’er flinched, and Li Jinjin, who was standing beside her, jumped in fright when she saw her tremble.
“Hey! What are you two doing!” Yan Xi, who had also been startled, clutched her chest and scolded them.
Gu Xinran’s face stiffened. A simple knock on the door had scared the three of them this badly. How were they supposed to get through this show? They might as well just call it a night!
Gu Xinran stood up, opened the door, and let a staff member inside.
“Hello, ladies. The show is about to begin filming. Are you all ready?”
“Clearly not.”
The staff member’s mouth twitched, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Well, would you like a few more minutes to prepare?”
“Hey, now that you’re here, don’t leave.” Gu Xinran shut the door behind him.
“?”
“Give us a hint. Is today’s theme horror?”
“Well… if I tell you now, it’ll ruin the surprise.”
“We don’t need any surprises.” The group of cowards immediately surged forward, surrounding the staff member with an air that said, You’re not leaving this room until you talk.
“We’re not asking for spoilers. Just tell us if it’s a horror theme so we can be mentally prepared.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t think it can be a horror theme. If it was, they would have invited some male guests to keep things steady, right? A group of all girls would be scared senseless,” Shen Can reasoned.
“Heh, don’t assume they’re that merciful,” Gu Xinran warned, then turned her attention back to the staff member.
“Hey, are you a cameraman?”
“I am.”
“That’s great. I have a special fondness for camera operators. You probably know my assistant, Fang Jinghai. She used to be a camerawoman on your team,” Gu Xinran said, trying to build rapport.
“Oh, I know her.”
“So, are you interested in jumping ship to Heart Entertainment?”
“…”
“If you just tell me today’s theme, I’ll make you my assistant. How about it?”
“???”
“Pfft…”
“Sister Ran, have you lost your mind…” Huo Jie muttered under her breath.
【Hahaha, my Ran Zai has lost it, hahaha.】
【Fang Jinghai: ???】
【Hahahahahaha】
【Hahaha, Ran Zai is responsible for all my laughter this year.】
“Ahem, as much as I’d love to be your assistant, I can’t tell you. You’ll find out soon enough.” The young cameraman remained tight-lipped, withstanding Gu Xinran’s tempting offer.
Gu Xinran sighed, deciding not to press him further.
“Fine. What about the rest of you? Ready to start?” Gu Xinran asked the others.
“Ready.”
“Bring it on.”
“Alright, now please hand over everything you have on you, except for your clothes and microphone packs.”
“We can’t wear watches?”
“Jewelry too?”
“That’s right. Everything has to be handed over. The production team will keep it all safe for you.”
The women exchanged glances and reluctantly removed their jewelry.
Huo Jie and Yan Xi took off a matching pair of bracelets. Gu Xinran removed the pendant from Yilan and their wedding rings, carefully wrapped them in a piece of paper, and handed them over.
【Ran Zai is so thoughtful, she even wrapped the rings in paper.】
【Wait, why are Yan Xi and Huo Jie wearing matching bracelets? What’s up with them? Have I been living under a rock?】
【To the person above, they fell for each other on Queen’s Stage and are dating now.】
【Holy crap, I’m just finding this out too. Didn’t Yan Xi swear she’d never ‘marry into’ Heart Entertainment? Hahaha, talk about eating your words!】
【Ahhhh, I wish Teacher Bai was here!】
【Wake up, sis. Teacher Bai is pregnant and resting. She can’t come.】
【It’s starting, it’s starting! So excited! Awooo!】
At Shi Qing’s manor.
“Mom, Auntie Ye, Xinran’s show is starting. Do you want to watch?” While fiddling with the TV, Bai Yilan saw a promo for Escape from Death Season 2. She clicked on it, and her face lit up when she saw Xinran. She quickly called the other two over.
“Oh, coming!” Ye Nan hurried over. “It’s starting already?”
“Mhm.”
Shi Qing arrived a moment later. Ye Nan immediately got up to let her sit in the middle, then went to the bedroom to fetch a blanket for Shi Qing and Yilan. She also prepared a fruit platter, tea, and melon seeds.
Holding a cup of warm milk, Bai Yilan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. On the TV, Xinran was working her butt off, while she was here, leisurely eating melon seeds and watching the show. Didn’t that seem a little unfair?
As she was chiding herself, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Auntie Ye was placing the melon seeds she had shelled onto a plate instead of eating them.
Bai Yilan was curious and watched for a moment.
A moment later, she saw her mother casually take the shelled seeds from the plate and eat them.
Is this for real?
It’s so real!
Bai Yilan watched furtively for a moment before reaching for a seed herself, only to receive a sharp glance from Shi Qing.
“…” Bai Yilan paused, then obediently put the seed back.
Is she being possessive over her food? She’s totally being possessive over her food!
Back on the show, Gu Xinran and the others were blindfolded and led away.
A short while later, with the slam of a door, the escape room officially began.
Gu Xinran was the first to remove her blindfold. She looked around and found herself in a bright, spacious, and warmly decorated bedroom.
Gu Xinran breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t seem to be a horror theme.
“Can we take off our blindfolds?” Shen Can asked.
Gu Xinran turned to see that the others were all still obediently wearing their blindfolds. A mischievous urge struck her. She looked around, found the light switch, and flipped it off.
“Okay, you can take them off now,” she said.
The others removed their blindfolds in unison.
“Oh my god, it’s so dark,” they exclaimed, instinctively huddling together.
Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered twice!
The room immediately erupted in screams.
Gu Xinran, thoroughly amused, flipped the lights back on to find the others squatting on the floor in a tight huddle.
“Aren’t you all a little too timid?” Gu Xinran asked, laughing.
They exchanged glances, realized they’d been pranked, and shot her condemning looks.
“Sister Ran, let’s talk this over calmly. Please don’t turn off the lights. You might not be turning off the lights, but the switch to my brain,” Li Jinjin said with a deadpan expression.
Everyone burst out laughing.
With the lights on, the group’s courage returned, and they began to search the room.
“Hey, everyone, where’s the door?” Shen Can asked.
Huo Jie was about to answer when she caught on to Shen Can’s idea. “Hey, Sister Ran, where is the door?”
“Yeah, where is it? Does it need a key or a passcode?”
“…”
“You guys are really awful,” Gu Xinran couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Hahahaha, takes one to know one~”
“Hey, this is a bedroom, right? There’s a picture of a family of three on the wall.”
“Yeah. What’s today’s theme? Is there no plot?”
“No idea,” Gu Xinran shook her head.
【?? Didn’t the production team stuff a card into Xinran’s pocket earlier? Why isn’t she taking it out?】
【Same question. The card is supposed to tell them their identities.】
【You’re detectives, ladies! Detectives! Ran Zai, check your pocket!】
【…I have a bold theory. What if Ran Zai thinks it’s a hint from the production team and doesn’t dare to look at it on camera?】
【I think that’s it!!】
【? Hahahahahaha, the production team’s efforts were wasted, hahaha.】
【So why did they give it to Xinran of all people?!】
Huo Jie went to the door to take a look. “It’s a key lock. There must be a spare key in the bedroom somewhere. Let’s search again, carefully.”
“This is so weird. Are we just supposed to search blindly? There’s no useful information or plot in here. Is it just a straight-up escape room? If we jump out the window, does that count as escaping?” Shen Can asked.
“Calm down, sis. It’s just a show. No need to go that far. You could get seriously hurt…”
“Heh, you can forget about that. This window is sealed from the outside.” Yan Xi went to the window and tried to push it. It didn’t budge, and she just got a face full of dust. She dusted off her hands, then her pupils suddenly shrank, and she screamed.
“What’s wrong!?” Huo Jie rushed to her side and immediately saw her hand. On her fingers, there was…
“Is this… blood?” Yan Xi was terrified herself. She tried to rub it off, and when she realized it really was a bloodstain, her face twisted in disgust.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Gu Xinran came over to take a look.
“No, I’m fine. It’s not my blood.” Yan Xi shook her head. Thinking back on her actions, she turned to the window and looked at the latch. “Look, is that blood on the latch?”
The others quickly gathered around. Gu Xinran touched it with her fingertip; it was indeed a bloodstain on the window latch.
“What the hell? Why is there blood here?” They looked at each other, baffled. It was unthinkable to find a bloodstain in such a cozy room.
“Wait, something’s wrong!” Ling Xue’er exclaimed, quickly backing away from the wall.
“What is it?”
“On the wall… I think there’s writing behind the paint!”
“What?” Her words instantly gave everyone goosebumps.
Gu Xinran, being the bravest, walked to the wall and touched it. She knocked; it sounded solid. After examining the surface closely, she had a realization. “Oh!”
“What is it?”
Gu Xinran glanced back to see the others huddled together again like a multi-limbed creature.
“It looks like they’ve painted a fresh coat of white paint over the wall to cover something up.”
“What’s underneath? Can we scrape it off?”
“It’s over, it’s over! I saw a horror movie where a murderer killed someone, hid the body in the wall, and then sealed it up…” After Shen Can said that, even Gu Xinran instinctively took a few steps back.
“Hey, don’t say scary things!”
“But it’s really terrifying!”
“Shine a light on it!” Huo Jie spotted the bedside lamp and had a flash of inspiration. She figured if the paint layer was thin enough, a strong light might reveal what was underneath.
Gu Xinran picked up the lamp and shone it on the wall.
“Ahhh, it’s a bloody handprint!” Shen Can shrieked.
Gu Xinran shone the light around the room. Every wall had hidden bloodstains.
“Wow, this is terrifying.” They all instinctively moved to the center of the room, not daring to even get close to the walls.
“What kind of place is this…”
“Ahhh, there’s blood in the cracks of this cabinet too!”
“What? I just touched it!”
“Are these scratches on the bed? Don’t tell me they’re knife marks.”
“Hey, I have a bad feeling about that wedding photo. Can someone go check it?” Shen Can only dared to talk, not act.
The others all looked at Gu Xinran expectantly.
“…”
Resigned, Gu Xinran steeled herself and walked to the bed. As she lifted her foot to step onto it, she hesitated. “There’s not a person under here, is there?”
The words had barely left her mouth when the others scrambled back to the door.
“Should I lift the bedskirt for you to see?”
“No, no, no, please don’t! You’re too kind. You can have that honor all to yourself.”
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Gu Xinran mustered her courage, stepped onto the bed, snatched the photo frame off the wall, and ran for it without looking back.
“Sister Ran, you’re amazing!”
The others immediately applauded and cheered for her.
They all gathered around Gu Xinran, watching as she worked on the frame. The instant she took it apart, the others scattered.
Startled herself, Gu Xinran flung the frame away.
On the back of the photograph was the same family of three, but each person’s expression was incredibly sinister, creating a stark and terrifying contrast with the warm family portrait on the front.
“What kind of place is this…” Gu Xinran couldn’t help but mutter.
“We’ve turned this room upside down. How have we still not found the key? It’s not actually under the bed, is it? I’m too scared to look…”
“Me neither. If there’s something under there, we’ll have nowhere to run.”
“Exactly. This is too terrifying. I want to go home.”
【This is actually getting scary. I don’t think I could stand being in an environment like that for long.】
【Damn, that photo scared the hell out of me.】
【Ahhh, the very first episode is a horror theme? Have some pity on the girls! They must be terrified!】
【Oh my god, the immersion is so strong. I’m getting scared just watching from here.】
【Scared +1】
【Hey, look at Ran Zai’s expression! She’s sneaking a glance at the camera!】
Just as the bullet comments said, Gu Xinran located a camera, then pulled the others into a huddle around her.
Very carefully, she took the card the staff member had given her out of her pocket.
She looked at it with great anticipation, only for her expression to freeze. She then angrily threw the card on the floor.
“What’s wrong? What is it?” Huo Jie bent down to pick it up and took a look.
“Huh? Oh, I see. This explains our roles. We’re intern detectives from the ‘Escape Detective Agency,’ and we’ve taken a case about supernatural events happening in this Ye Mansion. We’re here to investigate. Hey, that’s strange. If you knew who we were, why didn’t you show us this sooner?” Huo Jie asked.
Everyone turned to look at Gu Xinran.
“The director slipped it to me secretly. I thought it was a hint…”
“…”
“…”
“I mean, you could have given it to anyone. Why did it have to be her?!”
Gu Xinran instinctively put a hand to her forehead, feeling a little stupid.
“Hey, can you edit this part out?”
【You wish, Ran Zai. We already saw it, hahaha.】
【Another day, another derp.】
【One pregnancy for Teacher Bai, three years of dumbness for Xinran.】
【Sisters, I’m dying at Ran Zai’s antics. She really thought it was a hint, hahaha.】
“Sigh.” Gu Xinran heaved a heavy sigh. She had been treating that card as her ace in the hole, which was why she hadn’t panicked during the long time they’d been stuck. Now, however, she was panicking like crazy.
They had been in the room for over an hour and were getting tired. But with the blood-stained walls and that eerie bed, no one dared to sit down, or even lean against a wall, to rest.
Everyone fell into deep thought.
“I was thinking…” Huo Jie said, her brow furrowed as she rested her chin in her hand.
“When you’re in your own bedroom, do you need a key to unlock the door from the inside?”
“What?” The others paused, looking from her to the door.
“I wouldn’t. Bedroom doors are meant to be locked from the outside. There’s no reason to have a keyhole on the inside, right? If I’m already in the room, why would I need a key to get out? That’s just weird.”
“Exactly. A keyhole on the inside seems redundant.”
“So this door…” Realization dawned on them, and their gazes fell back on the door.
“A red herring?” Gu Xinran suggested.
“There are two possibilities,” Huo Jie theorized. “Either we still haven’t found the key, or this door is a fake, and there’s another way out, like a secret passage.”
They exchanged a look, and all eyes turned to the space under the bed.
“That’s the only place we haven’t checked.”
“Let’s not… What if there’s something under there…”
“Even if there is a passage down there, I don’t want to take it! It’s too terrifying!”
“Sister Ran, you decide.”
Gu Xinran’s expression was calm, and she appeared perfectly composed.
“Tsk, I finally get why Sister Ran is on this show. She might not be the brightest, but she’s got guts!” Shen Can remarked.
“? You’ve got some nerve. You don’t have brains or guts. What are you even here for?”
“…To be the decorative vase. :)”
【Hahaha, Cancan has a very clear understanding of her role.】
【Poor Ran Zai, she’s become the designated tank.】
【Whoa, this is so intense! I’m breaking out in a cold sweat just watching.】
【There isn’t actually something under the bed, is there?! So scary! Wife Ranran, hold me!】
【What would they do on this show without Xinran? The rest of them would probably just scream and hug each other all day.】
“Hiss. This show is so creepy. Isn’t someone going to get scared half to death?” Ye Nan felt a chill even through the screen and snuggled deeper into the blanket.
Shi Qing glanced at her. “If you’re scared, come closer.”
The next second, Ye Nan had her arm in a tight grip.
Bai Yilan watched them, her eyes curving into crescents. She felt the urge to borrow a phrase from the netizens: I ship it!
“Aren’t you scared?” Shi Qing glanced at her.
“Huh? Oh, I’m fine.” Bai Yilan turned back to the TV. She hadn’t had time to be scared; she’d been too busy watching her mom and Auntie Ye. orz.
After a long stalemate, Gu Xinran gathered her courage and walked to the bed. “I don’t think there’s anything under there. We can’t get out of this room, so if there was really an NPC, it would scare us to death. The production team can’t be that cruel.”
“…Sister Ran, you might want to reconsider that.”
“Actually, the production team seems exactly that cruel!”
Gu Xinran had already grabbed the bedskirt, but she decisively let it go again.
“What do we do?!” Yan Xi stomped her feet, torn between her fear and her desire to escape.
“Sister Ran, let’s just go for it! Rip it off! There are so many of us; what’s one NPC to be afraid of? Worst case, if something pops out, we’ll just hit it!” Shen Can declared, steeling herself.
“…Hit it!” the two rookies echoed, shaking their fists.
Gu Xinran almost burst out laughing.
“Alright, I’m doing it. You all stand back,” Gu Xinran instructed. She grabbed the bedskirt, took a deep breath, then yanked it up and immediately turned to run.
“Ahhhhh! There’s nothing there!” Yan Xi screamed instinctively, only to realize mid-scream that there was nothing unusual under the bed.
“Then why did you scream so loud? You’re making my ears hurt…”
“Ahem.”
They all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“Is there a passage?” Huo Jie walked over cautiously, picked up the lamp, and shone it underneath.
“Hey, there’s a seam in the floor!” Gu Xinran exclaimed.
Overjoyed, they worked together to move the bed and found a trapdoor, just as they’d suspected.
“Ahhh, there really is! Long live Sister Ran!”
“Sob, we’re finally out of the first room! How long were we trapped in here?”
“I don’t know. It feels like it’s been two or three hours. I’m getting hungry…”
“Me too. Hey, how are we supposed to get lunch?”
“Sis, how can you have an appetite in a place like this?”
Their lighthearted chatter came to an abrupt halt the moment Gu Xinran opened the trapdoor.
Staring down into the pitch-black passage below, they all looked at each other in dismay.
“Use the lamp.”
Huo Jie immediately lowered the lamp to get a look.
“Wait, do I smell something delicious?”
“I smell it too. It smells like… hot pot…”
“You two must be starving. Where would you find hot pot in a place like this?”
“No, wait! It looks like a kitchen down there, and there really is hot pot!” Huo Jie exclaimed.
“What?! Let me see!” Shen Can’s inner foodie was completely exposed. Forgetting her fear of the dark, she pushed to the front, poked her head down, and took a deep sniff. “It really is hot pot!”
“Wow, I guess the production team has a heart after all!”
“Then you go down first,” Huo Jie said.
“…”
“Go on, you can do it.”
“I already looked; there’s nothing down there. You go first and turn on the light. I’ll hold the lamp for you.”
“Yeah, Sister Can! For hot pot! Charge!”
Through a combination of coaxing and trickery, they managed to persuade Shen Can to go down.
“Ahhh, it’s so dark!” Shen Can yelled to build up her courage as she followed Huo Jie’s directions to turn on the light.
The others peeked down. It was indeed a kitchen, likely a new room in the puzzle. Reassured, they all jumped down.
“Wow, it really is hot pot. I’m starving.”
“Can we eat it?”
“Let’s find the door first and see what kind of lock it has.”
“Over here. It’s a passcode lock.”
“Hey, I’ve looked around, and the most likely place for a clue is in the food. Do you think we have to eat everything to find it?”
“You don’t think the clue is in the pot, do you?”
“Maybe it’s in the block of ice with the frozen meat! Don’t tell me we have to melt it?”
“Why don’t we… eat while we think?”
As they discussed it, their eyes never left the hot pot. Shen Can was practically drooling.
“Alright, alright, look at your pathetic faces. Go on, eat,” Gu Xinran ordered. The group cheered, took their seats, and started enjoying their lunch.
“The production team really does have a heart. I thought we wouldn’t get to eat until we escaped.”
“They were probably just afraid we’d never get out and would starve to death…”
“Too real.”
The two rookies exchanged a look. “Our managers are going to kill us if they see this.”
“Hm? It’s fine. They can come to me,” Gu Xinran said with a glance at the two of them, then personally prepared two bowls of dipping sauce for them.
“Thank you, Sister Ran!”
【Ahhh, Sister Ran is so cool! I love her!】
【Those two rookies really made the right call signing with Heart Entertainment.】
【Manager: I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.】
【Hahaha, Manager: I was terrified.】
They ate and chatted, completely forgetting they were supposed to be in an escape room.
“Hey Sister Ran, do you think Teacher Bai will watch this?”
“Probably. She saw the preview yesterday and was really looking forward to it… looking forward to watching me make a fool of myself.”
“Hahaha.”
“Pfft…” Shen Can suddenly burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I just had a thought. I wonder if Teacher Bai will get scared watching this. If she’s pregnant, won’t your baby be raised on fright?”
“…??”
“Hahahaha—”
【Hahaha, Cancan’s logic is impeccable. ‘Raised on fright,’ that’s a new one, hahaha.】
【Ran Zai: I have a few choice words I’d like to repeat!】
【What the hell does ‘raised on fright’ even mean, hahaha.】
【The baby isn’t even born yet and its whole upbringing has been decided. [doge]】
【Hahahahahaha】
At home, Bai Yilan heard the comment and subconsciously rubbed her belly. “It’s okay, baby. Don’t be scared.”
The three of them burst into laughter.
On the screen, Gu Xinran shot Shen Can a smiling glare. Though her eyes were filled with mock disgust, her face was unconsciously brimming with a gentle happiness.
Just as everyone was laughing, Gu Xinran suddenly sensed something was wrong. She looked up at the ceiling, and the smile on her face vanished instantly.
“Who closed the trapdoor above us?”
“What?”
“Nobody did!”
“Ahhh, this is terrifying!”
“Mommy!!”
Comments
Post a Comment