Chapter 67

Chapter 67

After concluding the "Marrying Fate" instance, Xie Yinxue made time to meet with Li Hong, Li Lumeng, Duan Ying, Yu Qinwen, and others in University City. As Li Hong's childhood friend, Xiao Siyu also joined the meeting.

The group met up at the same bubble tea shop near the campus.

The group sat silently in the multi-seating area of the tea shop, watching Xie Yinxue and Liu Buhua savor their pearl milk tea.

After a long pause, Duan Ying, looking at the empty space beside her, murmured with sorrow, "Xu Chen's funeral has been arranged."

Yu Qinwen added softly, "It seems Professor Chao Qinghe has also passed away..."

"Didn't we clear the instance? We all got on the bus together," Li Lumeng exclaimed in surprise, "How did he die?"

"Are you still concerned about him?"

Unable to hold back any longer, Liu Buhua recounted all the misdeeds of Chao Qinghe in detail, leaving nothing out, letting them in on everything.

Duan Ying's eyes welled up with tears as she asked, trembling, "So... Xu Chen was murdered by him?"

"He indirectly caused it," Xie Yinxue spoke softly. "Chao Qinghe likely placed a mirror under the bed. When Xu Chen bent down to retrieve it, he probably saw... the face of the 'Underworld Bride' in the reflection and was scared to death."

"The irony is that he died thinking he had safely cleared the instance—"

Liu Buhua chimed in, giving another thumbs up, "That's utterly despairing."

However, no matter how despairing, it doesn't bring back Xu Chen's life.

Xie Yinxue believes this incident is a painful lesson for Duan Ying, Li Lumeng, Yu Qinwen, as well as for Xu Chen and Li Hong. Some have the opportunity to rectify things, while others no longer do.

At the end of the gathering, Li Lumeng stood before Li Hong, clarifying their relationship, "Li Hong, I'm not right for you. I'm timid and selfish. I'm not a good person. Please don't like me anymore. I won't be with you, nor will I enter an instance with you. I'd only use you. You have your friends to be with, and I have mine."

Li Lumeng's frankness left Li Hong stunned. After a few moments, he gave a bitter smile, "The reason I liked you was because you seemed vulnerable, and I wanted... to protect you."

"You've protected me, and I'm grateful for it. But from now on, I'll learn to defend myself because I want to protect my friends too," Li Lumeng said before deeply bowing, "Lastly, I'm sorry for getting you involved in all this."

"It was my choice, and we share the responsibility," Li Hong replied, even if he was not explicitly rejected by Li Lumeng, given the life-threatening circumstances, he wasn't in the mood for romance. "I hope you clear your instances successfully in the future. And if you survive... stay away from horror games."

Li Lumeng nodded in agreement, wishing him the same, "May your future instances be successful too."

With that, the three girls collected their bags and left the bubble tea shop.

However, Xie Yinxue, Liu Buhua, and Xiao Siyu remained seated.

"Have you three decided to enter the instances together from now on?" Liu Buhua asked after swallowing some more bubble tea pearls.

Lv Shuo replied, "Yes, besides us three, there's also Chen Yun."

"I can only wish you luck," Xie Yinxue said warmly. "If we happen to meet in an instance, I'll give you a 30% discount—friend's price."

Xiao Siyu responded, "Thank you, sir."

Not closing a deal in the 'Marrying Fate' instance was a slight regret for Xie Yinxue. But after promoting his business a bit, he felt a bit better and decided to buy another pearl milk tea to take home.

In the following days, he often ordered bubble tea for home delivery, indulging himself. But after a few days of such indulgence... the custom-made massage chair Zhu Yikun promised him arrived.

In the first few days after the massage chair arrived at Mingyue Cliff, apart from Xie Yinxue—who already had his fill of it onboard He'er's Dream—Chen's mother, Shen Qiuji, and Liu Buhua treated it as a novel toy, sticking to it day and night.

However, no matter how novel the massage chair was, its charm would eventually wane. Xie Yinxue grew tired of it within a week, as did the others. After a few days of enjoyment, Liu Buhua began her 'disappearance'—in reality, she drove downtown to enjoy other attractions.

Xie Yin Xue didn't really venture out, simply sipping tea at home, practicing her calligraphy, spending her time as usual.

While others rushed to undergo intense training this month, hoping to fend for themselves in the upcoming challenges, or were penning farewell letters and saying their final goodbyes to loved ones, Xie Yin Xue and Liu Bu Hua seemed to waste their time in any way they pleased.

After such indulgence for nearly half a month, Liu Bu Hua finally decided it was time to do something worthwhile.

He suggested to Xie Yin Xue, "Godfather, how about we try an escape room?"

Xie Yin Xue was puzzled, "Why the sudden interest in that?"

Liu Bu Hua said earnestly, "Because they charge by the hour. If you don't finish within the set time, you pay extra."

Hearing this, Xie Yin Xue couldn't help but ask, "... Are you short on cash for the extra charges?"

"Not exactly," Liu Bu Hua continued with his playful nonsense, "but it reminds us to cherish our time, doesn't it?"

Realizing what Liu Bu Hua meant, Xie Yin Xue understood he was just looking for a new, exciting activity to do together. After getting Xie Yin Xue's approval, Liu Bu Hua immediately pulled out his phone for Xie Yin Xue to decide which escape room to choose.

Xie Yin Xue casually glanced at the available options, "There are quite a few types. Which one should we play?"

"I'm good with anything," Liu Bu Hua wasn't fussy, and he would never be with Xie Yin Xue. Whatever Xie Yin Xue chose, he'd play.

Scanning the options, Xie Yin Xue picked a challenging escape room for seven participants that relied heavily on deduction, without any horror or supernatural elements, "I heard this one is tough. Let's give it a shot."

Liu Bu Hua immediately agreed, "Sure."

After booking their slot for 2 pm, just before leaving, Liu Bu Hua glanced at Shen Qiu Ji, who was engrossed in his homework in his room, and asked Xie Yin Xue, "Godfather, should we bring A'Ji along?"

"It's not a scary game; there's no need to bring him," Xie Yin Xue pondered for a few seconds, "Let him focus on his homework."

"Makes sense," Liu Bu Hua whispered, "I didn't get a ticket for him anyway. I just asked, fearing he might be upset if we left him behind."

From within the room, the diligent Shen Qiu Ji looked up in annoyance, "I heard everything!"

Liu Bu Hua hurriedly started up his Lamborghini and sped away from Ming Yue Cliff.

By the time they reached the escape room venue, it was only 1:30 pm. With half an hour left for their session to begin, their team had only the two of them. The other five participants, consisting of two men and three women, arrived just five minutes before the start – they came as a group.

One slightly plump guy fanned himself with his hand, complaining, "Phew... The rush for the elevator almost killed me."

"I guess everyone's here now, right?"

The girl in the red high-necked long-sleeve dress and short skirt, standing beside the chubby guy, scanned the front desk of the escape room. Her gaze lingered momentarily on Xie Yin Xue and Liu Bu Hua before she regained her composure and asked, "... Are you guys joining our group session?"

Liu Bu Hua was equally taken aback when he saw her.

After all, he had encountered too many women in red dresses in the "Rescue the Marriage" challenge, all of which turned out to be ghosts. However, this being the real world, it was evident that the girl in the red dress before him was not a ghost. After hearing her question, Liu Bu Hua checked the booking details on his phone and replied, "Yes, we should be."

"I'm Han Dong Ni."

Once certain they had identified the right teammates, Han Dong Ni confidently introduced herself, and then introduced the four others with her: the slightly chubby guy was Xia Rui, the girl in the dark blue denim skirt was Xi Can, Han Dong Ni's close friend. The tall skinny guy holding Xi Can's hand was Yan Wen He, and the last girl in black trousers was He Min, who was also very close with Xi Can and Han Dong Ni.

After all seven of them introduced themselves and had a basic understanding of each other, the clock struck two, indicating the start of their session. However, the front desk remained unattended, with no staff in sight to greet them.

Xi Can approached the counter and peered over, "Where's the staff?"

Typically, escape room front desks have surveillance screens to monitor the participants, but not only was there no staff at the desk, Xi Can didn’t see any sign of activity on the screen, just mannequin props scattered in the room.

"What's up with this place?" Xia Rui wondered aloud, "I read reviews saying this escape room was fun. Why's it so deserted?"

He Min added, "Being quiet is one thing, but how can they operate without staff?"

"Here they come!"

Just as He Min finished her comment, a staff member hurriedly emerged from a back room behind the desk, adjusting her collar and hemline while cheerfully asking, "Hello! Are you here for a game session? Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, and our session has already started," Yan Wen He showed her the booking on his phone.

"I'm so sorry," the staff apologized profusely, "I was just changing my clothes in the back. Let me scan the QR codes for you."

Seeing her sincere apology, Han Dong Ni, Xia Rui, and the rest didn't want to be harsh, but they reminded her, "Our game time was delayed because of you. It wasn't our fault. You need to compensate for the lost time."

"Of course, of course, I will ensure that. Don't worry," the staff nodded in agreement, "Please put your phones and other valuables in the lockers, and I'll lead you into the escape room shortly."

Liu Bu Hua obediently handed over his phone. Xie Yin Xue, having come empty-handed, had nothing to deposit. The staff member looked at him incredulously, almost unable to believe someone wouldn't carry a phone nowadays, and asked, "Sir, are you sure you don't have a phone?"