By the river, north of the city, Sunshine Cinema, 4DX Hall.
In the dimly lit theater, a zombie film was playing, with blurred images of flesh and blood illuminating the faces of four audience members in the middle row.
In the vast 4DX hall, only these four were present, wearing 3D glasses and sitting in seats that shook and trembled with the plot. Occasionally wind would blow, or they would get sprayed with water, or were forced to endure the pungent smell of blood—this was a full 360° immersive viewing experience.
Another zombie’s head got drilled.
In the movie, plasma flowed freely; in the seats, so did the fishy-smelling water.
Yue Shuai wiped his face for the 101st time just as the film cut to a very bright shot, clearly reflecting his lifeless, numb eyes.
“Captain.” Tao Anana, who was sitting next to him, asked amidst the shaking of the seats, “Why did we come to this theater…”
Before he finished, the door of the hall was suddenly barged open by a zombie in work clothes!
The four instantly slid under their seats, ducked their heads, curled up their legs, and held their breath. These series of actions were both quick and skilled, clearly something they had done countless times before.
The zombie in work clothes solemnly surveyed the room, saw nothing unusual, and left.
The four, nearly at their limit, finally exhaled a big breath and sat back in their seats to “continue watching the movie”.
Why did they enter this cinema?
Actually, all four knew the answer.
North of the city was not like the south; it was rare to see a living person, let alone borrow (steal) a car. The last time at this checkpoint, they almost failed because they were “looking for a car in the north”. So, this time they were smarter, directly finding a truck in the south and speeding all the way to the docks.
They originally planned to board the ship with the truck and continue driving after crossing the river, but then they encountered Xu Wang and others, and the truck became a bicycle. Once off the ship, they were back in the same situation as the last checkpoint.
However, there are no two identical leaves in the world.
Last time, they gritted their teeth and made it to the hospital.
This time, they had barely taken a few steps, not even leaving the riverbank, when they encountered a large group of square-dancing zombie aunties. The aunties’ combat power was like nuclear weapons. After several rounds of fighting and seeing an imminent wipeout, the four had no choice but to flee, finding a small path and blindly rushing into this riverside theater.
The theater was quite considerate, directly isolating the aunties outside.
But as soon as the door shut, their [Cheat Sheet] dinged. [Welcome to Sunshine Cinema. Please proceed to the 4DX hall and enjoy the movie. After viewing, fill out the answer sheet. A full score is 100 points; passing is 60 points. P.S. Please hide well, as there will be staff inspections. Since you haven’t bought a ticket, if found, bear the consequences.]
For a long time, the four companions stared at the [Cheat Sheet] still unable to calm the turmoil in their hearts.
Then, a collective tearful accusation almost overturned the theater’s roof.
“Why is there a game within a game?! Ahhhh——”
All this was fifty minutes ago.
Now, the four companions finally waited for the big “The End” on the screen.
Just as the seats steadied, the lights in the hall suddenly turned on, instantly brightening the room.
An exam paper floated down from the ceiling into Yue Shuai’s hand, along with an answer sheet and a 2B pencil.
Captain Yue remembered the fear of being dominated by senior year in high school.
“What’s the surname of the male protagonist’s sister’s spare guy? Who can remember such a long name—”
“Who was the first zombie the female lead killed, and whose songs did she like to listen to before death? Is this a question humans can answer?!”
“Captain, don’t be agitated. It’s all in the movie, just not easy to notice. Let me do it… In the bar the mother of the male lead likes to go to, there’s a cowboy who always sits at the bar. How many times did he blink while whistling… Who the fuck made these questions! I’m going to beat them—”
The Yue Team finally stumbled through the entire exam.
As the last question was marked, the exam paper, answer sheet, and pencil disappeared together.
The [Cheat Sheet] indicated that grading was underway and for them to please wait patiently.
Finally relaxing, the Yue Team suddenly worried about their recent opponents.
Tao Anan: “I wonder how they are doing.”
Wei Tianhang: “Probably went home early.”
Tao Anan: “We should have reminded them.”
Wei Tianhang: “It was so intense when boarding the ship. Who would have thought to say that.”
Yue Shuai: “It might not be so coincidental to meet them. Maybe before they crossed the bridge, the amusement park people had already gotten a car from another team.”
Su Mingzhan: “Today all the teams entering this checkpoint are veterans, mostly starting in the north. Teams needing to cross the bridge from the south might just be us two.”
Wei Tianhang: “Then it’s over—meeting those crazies, they’re doomed for sure.”
Yue Shuai: “Not necessarily. Didn’t we escape?”
Wei Tianhang: “They’re a team of rookies. Can they compare to us?”
Yue Shuai: “I think they’re quite capable.”
Su Mingzhan: “Captain, you now have a tendency to be a fanboy. It’s dangerous.”
Yue Shuai: “……”
Wei Tianhang: “Haa, I thought that psycho Chi Yingxue would never meet a compatible team. Now it seems anyone can find a place.”
Su Mingzhan: “It’s easy to fall in love, but difficult to get along with each other. Whether it can last, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Yue Shuai: “You can ponder all you want, but why are you looking at me…”
Ding—
[Cheat Sheet]: Grading complete. 59 points.
……
Beijing time. The pink Beetle successfully got onto the “Bridge of Happiness” and encountered an amusement park.
Specifically, the island in the middle of the river was where this “Happiness Amusement Park” was located, splitting the bridge into two sections, making what should have been a simple river crossing into a complicated three-part journey: “South Bridge—Amusement Park—North Bridge”.
More importantly—
“There’s no mention of this place on the map.” Wu Sheng unfolded the map, and all his friends could clearly see that the river was only marked with a bridge, with no mention of an amusement park, let alone an island in the middle of the river.
“A hidden location?” Qian Ai, now fully aware of the deceptive nature of their journey, wasn’t surprised at all.
“Are you sure this is an amusement park?” Kuang Jinxin swallowed. “It looks more like a haunted house to me.”
No lights were on, and the vast amusement park was unlit from the inside out.
Nearby, high walls stretched out on both sides, almost endless to the eye. The walls were covered with colorful abstract paintings, each looking like a dark Picasso. The gloomy night made the only potentially bright colors lose their vibrancy, leaving only twisted human and animal figures and other bizarre shapes in the darkness.
Farther away, the rides in the park cast long, lifeless shadows on the high walls. Their shapes were indistinct, and only their deep contours were visible. The park’s greenery was the same, with flowers, grasses, and trees mixing together, swaying in the night breeze like shadowy figures.
The only recognizable structure was the Ferris wheel.
A towering Ferris wheel, as if reaching for the moon, stood in the center of the park. Each cabin was shaped like a small bathtub with wings hanging from the arms like a raised shower head, creating the illusion of cute bathtubs flying in the sky.
This was the only installation that broke the deadly stillness of the park, yet it too stood quietly, bathed in moonlight.
“Are the doors and windows all locked?” Xu Wang asked his companions, who confirmed they were. He then seriously added, “In any case, we need to be cautious at all times.” With that, he turned to Wu Sheng. “Drive.”
Wu Sheng nodded slightly.
The pink Beetle, with its headlights on, cautiously started moving again, slowly entering the amusement park gate.
They knew that having the headlights on could expose them, but without the lights, who knows what dangers lurked in the darkness ahead? A collision would be even more dangerous.
Inside the park, it was eerily silent.
Outside, at least there were insects chirping and distant zombie howls, but once inside, all sounds ceased. The deeper they drove, the quieter it got, almost until it reached dead silence.
No one knew the layout of this uncharted amusement park; Wu Sheng could only follow the general visitor’s path, heading north.
The road was smooth, but it was clear that teams had fought zombies here before. Large patches of blackened blood stained the road beyond recognition, and zombie corpses were everywhere. Some were even piled up obstructing the way. Wu Sheng had to avoid them, continuing north through the side roads.
He turned on the high beams, hoping to maximize visibility. The light helped his companions see the carousel and pirate ship they passed.
“Clack—”
Suddenly, with everyone on high alert, the vehicle jolted as if it had run over something.
Wu Sheng hit the brakes, and the Beetle, not going fast to begin with, immediately stopped.
“What was that?” Xu Wang quickly turned to him, asking in a tense, hushed voice.
Wu Sheng didn’t respond, his expression growing grim.
Xu Wang gripped his weapon tighter.
Wu Sheng didn’t shake his head, indicating he had an idea of what it might be but still needed to confirm it. And Xu Wang was sure whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be pleasant.
Putting the car in reverse, Wu Sheng gently pressed the gas, backing up without warning.
The front wheel rolled over “that thing” again, and as it retreated under the headlights, it revealed its true form.
A leg.
A rotten, amputated zombie leg.
The leg was initially on the left side of the road in the bushes, perhaps with just half a foot protruding onto the road, unnoticed by Wu Sheng until it was run over. Now, after being repeatedly rolled over, it had popped out of the bushes and fully entered the range of the headlights.
“All the avoiding, and we still couldn’t escape it.” Qian Ai looked away, having seen many limbs before, but still feeling nauseous after staring too long.
“Something’s not right…” Wu Sheng narrowed his eyes.
After a moment’s thought, he suddenly turned the steering wheel while reversing, angling the car’s headlights 45° to the left.
The high beams shifted from the road ahead to the left-side bushes.
“Fuck…” Qian Ai’s words trailed off as he was thoroughly disgusted, afraid he’d vomit if he opened his mouth again.
Corpses littered the area.
Various types of dead zombies lay in the bushes, like cans thrown into a scrapyard.
They had been focused on the road and hadn’t checked the bushes on either side.
While Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin were still shocked, Wu Sheng suddenly turned around and drove back much faster than before!
“What’s going on?” Qian Ai felt a sudden surge of unease, aware that something was amiss but clueless as to what.
Xu Wang, however, understood.
Despite the signs of battle everywhere, they had avoided all obstacles, creating a “smooth path” inadvertently. Had it not been for that accidental “amputated leg,” they would have continued on the unobstructed path.
“Someone deliberately cleared a path, leading us to a specific location in the park!” Xu Wang said quickly, scanning between the windshield and the passenger window, vigilant of their surroundings.
He didn’t know what awaited them at that specific location, but it was sure to be nothing good.
On one of the glances towards the window, Xu Wang heard Wu Sheng curse. “What the hell…”
Xu Wang reflexively looked back towards the front, his eyes widening to their limits at the sight.
In front of them, on the road they had just traveled, appeared a massive quicksand pit!
What the hell kind of side plot is this?!
“Brake, brake, brake—” Classmate Qian from the backseat shouted in panic, knowing they couldn’t jump the width of the pit even if they tried.
He didn’t hear the suffocating screech of the tires already scraping against the ground.
But Wu Sheng knew the moment he pressed the brake that the distance wasn’t enough to stop. “Jump out of the car—”
In the pitch-black confines of the closed ship’s cabin, a phone, flipped over on the ground and set to flashlight mode, illuminated the faces of four friends.
They sat around the phone in a circle, gently swaying with the cabin. Some were panting, some disheveled, all utterly exhausted.
“Finally, some peace…” Yue Shuai let out a long sigh, sitting upright and motionless, maintaining a position with each palm pressed against his temples, as if he was extracting a devilish tune from his brain with the inner power of his palms.
“I can now fucking sing,” Wei Tianhang, who felt the same way, pulled off the rubber band on his braided hair and started shaking out the strands while also subconsciously bouncing his crossed legs to the rhythm. “Here, the sharks don’t breathe~~ Here, the…”
Captain Yue threw a sharp glance at him.
Suddenly realizing he was humming the tune, Wei Tianhang stopped abruptly; his face was full of astonishment.
Daman, that weapon is poisonous. TAT
“We should have just taken the water route from the beginning,” Su Mingzhan said lightly. “Instead of trying to be clever and taking the bridge, only to end up coming back here.”
Tao Anan reminded weakly, “A’Su*, it was you who suggested we take the bridge this time…”
*When using (阿) as a form of address, it signifies closeness, friendliness, or affection.
“Right.” Su Mingzhan tilted his head and looked at him. “Which is why I was just criticizing myself.”
Tao Anan: “…Okay.”
Despite his baby face and schoolboy haircut, which made him seem petulant even when angry, his teammates had long learned to see beyond appearances.
Su Mingzhan’s combat prowess could be summed up like so: unexpected and deadly.
“It’s not all bad.” Yue Shuai offered a different view on the night’s route. “Although we used an extra stationery than planned, had we not detoured, we wouldn’t have encountered Wangwang and the others, nor would we have realized that there are still honorable men in this wretched place—not just deceit and treachery…”
“Wait.” Wei Tianhang had made a ‘stop’ gesture. “Did you get his permission to give him a nickname?”
“We’ve fought side by side. Formalities make it awkward. If ‘Wangwang’ sounds bad…how about ‘Senbei‘, ‘Snow Cakes’, or ‘Xiao Xiao Su’*?”
*Clarity: He’s using Xu Wang’s nickname Wangwang (旺旺)—not the actual Wang in his name. This also happens to be a brand of snacks in China, so the following nicknames he’s giving him are all different products of that brand.
Tao Anan swallowed hard. “Captain, you’re making me hungry.”
“Who’s fought alongside you?” Wei Tianhang retorted as he tidied and rebraided his hair. “For all we know, they’re cursing us right now.”
“Impossible,” Captain Yue asserted confidently. “Wu Sheng’s last bomb would have blown me and A’Su back to reality, but he threw it into the water instead. That was their ‘peach offering1’. A’Su had his choice of several vicious weapons, but in the end, he still went with [Happy Trampoline], which is our ‘plum in return1’. Once the effect of the trampoline wears off, they can continue on their way. Surely they’ll understand our intentions!”
1This is referencing the idiom: Give a peach and get a plum in return (投桃报李). It comes from the Book of Song. It’s a metaphor for being kind to each other and treating each other with courtesy (return a favor/gift with a favor/gift).
Wei Tianhang: “……”
Wait for the effect to wear off? By then, those who had returned to earth would likely want to take them all down with them!
“Achoo—” Captain Yue sneezed without warning.
Wei Tianhang gave him a sarcastic look. “See, they’re cursing you.”
“Bullshit!” Yue Shuai raised his head. “Surely some girl is thinking of me!”
Wei Tianhang shot back. “Wake up! There are no girls in this godforsaken place!”
Yue Shuai: “What are you talking about? There are plenty of pretty NPC girls!”
Wei Tianhang: “Someone, knock some sense into this pervert.”
Su Mingzhan: “Captain, if you really can’t stand it, you might consider one of us…”
Yue Shuai: “No thanks, bye. I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep. I’ll see you guys later—”
Wei Tianhang: “……”
Tao Anan: “……”
Su Mingzhan shrugged and leaned back into a corner, vanishing into the darkness of the cabin. His departure seemed to signify a retreat into obscurity—his actions and merits hidden away.
Forty minutes later.
Beijing time, 2:30; Owl time, 20:30
People and zombies alike, exhausted from bouncing, had finally managed to stand still after another despairing touch-down, not bouncing back up again. It might have been luck, or perhaps it was prearranged, but all the “bouncing friends” landed on the shore.
Huh? Just bouncing and not going home? What an unexpected delight!
Ugh, maybe just going home would be better.
Fuck, Yue Shuai!
How much longer must we bounce?!
Whatever, my spirit is broken.
Happy trampoline, why are you called that? Come, let’s jump together…
—The above was the mental journey of the four teammates.
After landing, they froze for two seconds before exchanging glances with the zombies, regaining their composure, and continuing the fight.
This time, Team Wang showed no mercy.
A fierce beating ensued, and the last few zombies were wiped out. Their deaths were unjust, because even if Team Yue returned, they likely wouldn’t have been a match in terms of reputation and wealth. After all, a forty-minute happy (suppression) trampoline session had honed their fiery “war god” spirit.
“There’s two and a half hours left.” Xu Wang checked his phone for time. “What do we do now?”
“The original plan,” Wu Sheng pulled out a map and traced a line along the river. “If the dock is no good, we’ll follow the river embankment east and turn towards ‘Happiness Bridge’.”
The word “Happiness” on the map seemed ironic to the three companions, and they wondered who had given the bridge such an unlucky name.
“The entire embankment road goes through the forest,” Xu Wang sighed. “We originally planned to drive, but now without a car, are we just going to walk through the woods?”
It wasn’t only dangerous but also far; reaching the bridge by five was questionable, let alone getting to the hospital.
“Captain.” Kuang Jinxin spoke up quietly. “Look to the left. That pink object seems familiar.”
Prompted, all teammates turned to look. In the moonlight, a battered pink Beetle slowly approached, its damaged shell still defiantly shiny.
The car stopped beside them, and the driver stuck his head out the window and asked, “Where to, handsome guys? If it’s on the way, I can drop you off.”
Xu Wang grinned. “North of the city, Central Hospital.”
The Beetle driver nodded. “That’s out of my way. Goodbye.”
Xu Wang laughed. “Why did you wait until now to leave?”
The driver curled his lips and retorted, “In case you couldn’t beat them and needed a getaway. If I left and you all died, I’d be an indirect murderer.”
Xu Wang: “…There’s no need to imagine such a tragic ending in that much detail!”
Before they could argue further, the driver got out of the car. “You’re determined to go to the Central Hospital, so there must be a reason. I can’t go with you, but the car is yours.”
Xu Wang was stunned. “What about you?”
“I live nearby,” the driver explained. “I can run back home, and once I’m through the gates, I’ll be in the safe zone.”
“What if you encounter zombies on the way?”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“…How close is your home?”
“Ten minutes.”
Considering they’d already spent forty minutes on the trampoline, another ten minutes to ensure their benefactor’s safety was reasonable. After all, without the Beetle, they’d be much worse off.
Three minutes later.
Wu Sheng: “Wasn’t it ten minutes?”
Beetle Driver: “It’s ten minutes by foot, but you’re driving, so of course it’s faster!”
The group: “……”
The driver quickly entered the securely guarded community, turned around, and the ornate iron gate slowly closed, leaving only a decorative gap.
“Thanks for the ride.” He waved to his pink Beetle through the gate.
“Go up quickly—” The four in the car shooed him off.
However, the driver cleverly sensed the reluctance of his brief companions. In fact, he was reluctant to part with them too. TAT
In the car, the four felt a sudden chill under the driver’s “gaze”. It felt like they had inadvertently stolen the heart of a young girl.
Wu Sheng restarted the car and had driven only a few meters when the driver approached the decorative gap and shouted a final piece of advice to his departing “companions”. “There’s a Temple of Three Religions in the riverside woods. If you have time while driving through, go there to pay your respects and get its blessing to keep you safe—”
Beijing time, 2:45; Owl time, 20:45.
The Beetle progressed down the shady riverside path, going about a speed of 70. They were unable to go faster due to some damaged part that made the car rattle and bump like it had square wheels.
“I knew I’d heard it before,” Wu Sheng finally remembered, and he repeated the information from his mental files. “Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, Wei Tianhang, Yue Shuai, 3/23 Paper Submission.”
Qian Ai, who had joined the team later, was clueless. Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin, however, understood immediately and scrolled up their [Report Card].
Indeed.
That was the first notification they received on their second day in the “Owl”.
[Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, Wei Tianhang, Yue Shuai, 3/23 Paper Submission.]
Leaning close, Qian Ai looked at Kuang Jinxin’s arm to get a clear view and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “They’ve already passed that stage so early?”
Information about others’ submissions is only available during the first stage, possibly as a benefit for newcomers. After 2/23, everyone could only receive information about their own team’s submissions.
By that time, Qian Ai was already past 2/23 and thus couldn’t receive that message, but a glance was enough to understand what was happening.
“It must be that they failed the submission and had to return.” Xu Wang exited the [Report Card].
Qian Ai frowned. “Although their team leader is a bit foolish, from coordination to skills, they aren’t ordinary fighters. If they can’t make it…”
How difficult would the stages be after 3/23?
He didn’t finish his sentence, which sounded too disheartening, but everyone understood.
Therefore, there was a moment of slightly oppressive silence within the Beetle.
Unintentionally, Qian Ai raised his eyes and saw Advisor Wu’s face in the rearview mirror. The advisor was driving with full concentration, with his lips slightly upturned and his eyes smiling as if looking forward to the increasingly difficult stages ahead.
Damn, he almost forgot. This old classmate would get upset when the test questions were too easy!
Qian Ai withdrew his gaze, but on the way, he caught sight of Xu Wang in the passenger seat.
The former sports rep, now Captain Xu, was slightly tilting his head, pretending to look at the river on the left, but actually gazing at the advisor’s profile.
His look was gentle yet satisfied, yet within that satisfaction was disdain, then annoyance, and within that annoyance was sweetness, which quickly turned into a melancholic sentiment, and then back to tenderness again.
‘No wonder he’s the team leader,’ Qian Ai thought. This “all-encompassing heart” wasn’t something ordinary people possessed.
“Captain.” Kuang Jinxin, who had been observing the surroundings, finally had a pleasant discovery. “Is that the Temple of Three Religions he mentioned?”
Wu Sheng slowed down the car.
Xu Wang rolled down the window and looked in the direction Kuang Jinxin pointed, only to see a red temple-like structure faintly visible among the trees, almost 90% obscured by the foliage. If they hadn’t known about the building in advance, they would have surely missed it.
“Shall we go?” Qian Ai felt a bit daunted looking at the dense woods.
Xu Wang: “Let’s go. These kinds of side stories…”
Wu Sheng: “Often come with unexpected surprises.”
Xu Wang’s heart skipped a beat. Wu Sheng had exactly voiced his thoughts, word for word!
Qian Ai was also surprised at this seamless cooperation. “You two are getting more in sync…”
Wu Sheng, while driving, even managed to gesture with one hand. “Mainly, I accommodate him.”
Captain Xu’s heart rate returned to normal. “Don’t you feel guilty saying that?”
Wu Sheng righteously replied, “My conscience is clear.”
Xu Wang: “……”
Their brief moment of friendship (?), collapsed.
Wu Sheng drove the Beetle into the dense woods and, after winding left and right, finally stopped in front of the Temple of Three Religions. The Temple of Three Religions was essentially a temple with some Taoist elements in its design, but due to long-term disrepair and neglect, it was hard to study in detail.
The words “Temple of Three Religions” were clear above the main door, and on the pillars to both sides were inscribed, “Each teaching in the world has its wonder”, and “Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism converge into one.”
The doors were wide open with one completely fallen off, lying on the ground, and the rest hanging crookedly as if they could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Wu Sheng turned off the Beetle.
In the quiet woods, only the sound of the wind could be heard.
The four tiptoed out of the car, sneaking into the Temple of Three Religions like thieves.
There were candles burning inside the hall, though not very brightly, but the dim lighting added a solemn feel. As soon as they crossed the threshold, they felt a change in the atmosphere.
Outside the hall, they were constantly worried about zombies popping out from dark corners. But just a door apart, they suddenly felt reassured, as if a gentle force had swept away their fears. Despite the door still wide open behind them, they felt calm and peaceful.
In the center of the front, three deities were enshrined, each with an incense burner in front and unlit incense sticks on a side table.
Having seen the words “Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism” outside, they knew it was a temple dedicated to all three, but they couldn’t recognize the specific deities of each.
But knowing they were deities was enough.
The laboring people of our country never find it too much to worship gods; ideally, they would worship all possible deities. Thus, the four friends, without discrimination, sincerely offered incense to all three, hoping for a safe journey ahead.
After offering incense, the four stood in the center of the hall, waiting with bated breath.
According to the narrative’s convention, this would be the time for the deities to speak or for a mysterious gift to descend from the heavens.
Five minutes later, nothing happened.
Qian Ai: “Were we too naive?”
Kuang Jinxin: “Maybe what he meant by ensuring safety was just a good wish…”
Xu Wang sighed. “Forget it. Let’s not wait anymore…”
Clatter—
Qian Ai: “A secret chamber in the deity statue?!”
Kuang Jinxin: “Good thing we didn’t give up!”
Xu Wang: “I knew it!”
Wu Sheng sighed, poking his head out from behind the wall. “Instead of feeling sentimental, why not come and help me push—”
Xu, Qian, Kuang: “When did you get over there?”
Wu Sheng: “…What else? You think this temple will climb the wall by itself?!”
Together, the four pushed the wall 180 degrees. There was no secret chamber; the space behind the wall was simply to facilitate its rotation.
Now, the three deity statues were at the back, and what was originally the back of the wall became the front, revealing a new deity statue dedicated exclusively to worshiping incense.
Unlike the other statues’ solemnity, this new deity was carved to appear very young, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes and a face like a jade dragon. His expression was casual, not solemn, and his posture was relaxed and comfortable, as if he wasn’t sitting there waiting for offerings but casually sitting outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, resting and enjoying the breeze.
The deity had changed. But the four friends’ routine remained the same: they offered incense, clasped their hands together, and made sincere wishes.
The light incense smoke twirled upwards.
Suddenly, the wind in the hall stopped, the candlelight ceased flickering, and the light in the hall took on a firmness.
After completing their prayers, the four slowly opened their eyes. On the incense table were two brocade boxes, one large and one small.
They looked at each other, speechless.
When deities aren’t responsive, one might half-jokingly complain, like saying, “Hey God, are you blind?” But when a deity actually responds, it feels inappropriate to joke around.
Finally, Captain Xu stepped forward and opened the “gifts”.
One was a “rocket launcher” needing ammunition, to be shouldered and fired with a somewhat controllable landing, clearly tailor-made for the half bag of explosive balls left for Kuang Jinxin. The other was a chainsaw, the kind used in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Lightning Xu, Scythe Wu, and Rocket Launcher Kuang took a step back with their respective weapons in tacit agreement.
The “passively chosen” Qian Ai, almost in tears, looked back. “This really doesn’t suit me…”
Five minutes later, the resupplied Team Wang reentered the car and drove towards the bridgehead.
In the night breeze, you could still hear Qian Ai lamenting, “Oh God, please open your eyes and see. A gentle man like me doesn’t suit such a brutal weapon—”
Inside the Temple of Three Religions, all the candles suddenly extinguished. A faint silver shadow floated out from the top of the young deity’s statue, landing at the doorway, and in an instant, transformed into a long-haired young man, leaning against the broken door frame, watching the departing pink silhouette.
His eyebrows were sharp, his eyes starry, and his face like a jade dragon, but his look differed from the deity on the incense table. The statue’s gaze was clear and spirited. He, however, was half-squinting with a slight frown, clearly showing “this God is unhappy”.
Pulling out a cell phone from his flowing robes, the long-haired young man dialed the only number in his contact list.
The call connected.
Immediately, the long-haired young man complained grievously, “Why did you lend my car to someone else again…”
A reply came from the other end.
The long-haired young man sighed, softening his voice, deep and gentle. “I know you don’t like macaron pink. I’ve thought it over. Next time, it’ll be lavender… Hello? Hello? Hey—”
The author has something to say:
The call ended, lasting 22 seconds. Let’s take a second to express our sympathies for the God ╮(╯_╰)╭
Wu Sheng started the car, put it in reverse, and floored the accelerator for a rapid retreat!
“Bang, bang, bang—”
The rear of the car successively knocked back the zombies that were chasing after them!
But when it hit the fourth one, the car stopped.
Because what was pressing against the rear of the car wasn’t just one zombie, but a wave of them!
Together, they forcefully pushed against the rear of the car, successfully halting it!
As the car stopped, more zombies immediately came running over, tightly surrounding it. They were either howling or smashing the windows, and even worse, one of the zombies was trying to pull open the locked car door, which emitted a rapid clicking sound under its frequent tugging!
Zombies know how to open car doors?!
A chill went down Wu Sheng’s spine. He floored the accelerator, but it was no use against the “sea of zombies”.
The Beetle, unable to accelerate, could only roar futilely in place!
In the midst of anxiety, Wu Sheng suddenly noticed that the pupils of the zombies surrounding the car were bright red, whereas those they had encountered outside the mall were a slightly darker shade of red.
According to what the Beetle driver had said, all zombies have red pupils, and the lower the level, the darker the color, the higher the level, the lighter.
Clearly, the wave of zombies by the river, perhaps due to being closer to the north of the city, was of a higher level or more ferocious nature than those outside the mall.
No wonder they could directly ram through the crowd of zombies at the mall, but here, with the same number, they couldn’t break through at all!
As Wu Sheng was analyzing the situation, he suddenly felt something wrong with the sound of the tires rubbing against the ground.
“Wu Sheng!” Xu Wang was the first to alertly shout. “They’re flipping the car!”
All windows were densely surrounded by zombies, leaving no reference point visible, but the sense of “balance and tilting” is extremely acute in humans. Hearing Xu Wang’s shout, all the companions felt the car tilting to the left, meaning the zombies on the right were flipping the car!
“We can’t break through.” Wu Sheng immediately deemed the escape impossible. “Their strength is too great.”
Xu Wang also saw the situation and made a decisive command. “Prepare the bombs. Everyone, abandon the car!”
They could have taken the opportunity to drive out when the zombie crowd was temporarily dispersed by the bombs, but if one wave of zombies could stop them, a second and third wave would follow. If at any point the car was stopped and then actually flipped over, they would be sitting ducks* with no way out!
*Turtle in a jar/rat in a hole (瓮中之鳖) Idiom referring to something that is under control and can’t escape.
Moreover, Wu Sheng had said that the metal plank would lower again.
After abandoning the car, they and the four on the other side would be on the same starting line. When the metal plank lowered again, it was uncertain who would take the lead.
They came here to get on the ship, to hand in their papers and pass this level. Now was the time to fight!
“Xiao Kuang, three bomb balls per person!” Xu Wang quickly issued the tactics. “Throw one from each window to blast the zombies away, then everyone will have two left for self-defense after abandoning the car!”
Kuang Jinxin, following the order, distributed the bomb balls at top speed.
Ten seconds later.
The Beetle, being jostled around, suddenly lowered the windows three inches on both sides, and four colorful balls, like Easter eggs, were thrown out from the slits!
As the balls hit the ground and rolled a bit, they all exploded!
The blasts were thunderous, and the spectacle was dazzling!
The zombies surrounding the vehicle were blasted away in all directions!
And because they served as a sort of “shield,” the Beetle, though severely shaken, didn’t fly up but only had its windows cracked.
“You hide under the seat! We’ll draw the zombies’ attention. They won’t bother with an ’empty car’ anymore! When you find the chance, drive away—”
After instructing the Beetle driver, Xu Wang shouted to his teammates, “Now’s the time. Get out of the car!”
The prepared companions pushed their doors open fiercely, darting out like lightning, breaking through the smoke, and running desperately towards the ferry!
The four bomb balls had already dealt with most of the female zombies; only seven or eight were still able to move. Seeing people rushing out from the car, they immediately got up and chased!
Some of them had their arms torn off, others had their chests blown open, but even so, they continued to chase, letting the blood gush out as they ran!
Yue Shuai and his group were in the midst of battling zombies when they suddenly saw the people from the Beetle rushing out, heading their way, followed by seven or eight zombies. They tensed up, uncertain whether this was aid or an added burden!
Xu Wang and his team were only able to see the weapons of the four fellow survivors as they approached.
The buzz-cut guy was wielding a mace, which they had seen before, the fisherman’s hat guy was holding a fishing rod—definitely an apt choice—the handsome braid had a curling iron, and the student wielded a miniature handheld fan.
Xu Wang felt a pang of sadness, realizing that Qian Ai’s screwdriver and his own shaver were actually considered fortunate compared to these.
Originally heading towards the “fellow survivors”, the thirty or so zombies were now reduced to just eleven or twelve by their efforts. Perhaps it was the remnants of zombies everywhere that instilled fear in the remaining “higher-level” ones. They stood a few meters away from the four. Some were snarling ferociously, while others were growling with insatiable hunger, yet none dared to rashly approach further.
While Xu Wang was assessing the opponents, he also had to keep an eye on his own safety and suddenly realized that he and Wu Sheng had pulled ahead, leaving Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin a distance behind. And now, the trailing Kuang Jinxin was about to be caught up by the zombies!
Throwing another bomb ball at this point would surely blast their teammate away too.
With no other choice, Xu Wang gritted his teeth and shot his water gun straight at the zombies chasing after Kuang Jinxin!
The jet of water skimmed past the ears of Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, and Kuang Jinxin, who were running in a straight line behind him, and hit the zombie right between the eyes!
The force of the water column made the zombie stagger momentarily, but that was all!
Turning back with the stream of water, Wu Sheng immediately advised, “Shoot its eyes. That’s the weakest spot; directly into the brain—”
Mao Qiping had said that the head, or rather, the brain, was the only fatal point for a zombie.
Trusting Wu Sheng seemed to be instinctual for Xu Wang. Without hesitation, he released the trigger and then pressed it down again, this time aiming the water stream directly into the zombie’s eye sockets!
Meanwhile, the effect of the previous shot sounded after a momentary delay—
“Here, the sharks don’t eat fish~~ Here, the sharks don’t breathe~~ Here, the sharks laugh and grin~~ Dala didi dada didi dada didi dada didi~~*”
*These are lyrics to Shark Shark by Wang Rong. (You should watch the MV… It’s quite… interesting).
In the soulful light and dynamic BGM, the zombie’s eyes were completely penetrated by the high-pressure water jet. Its eyeballs burst and the sharp stream pierced through the brain!
The zombie fell to the ground with a thud.
The zombies following closely behind suddenly stopped in their tracks, seemingly like those on the other side in a standoff, instinctively sensing danger unlike typical prey. Like wild animals, they paused to observe, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Finally, the music stopped.
Su Mingzhan, who had just started getting into the rhythm, quietly lowered his head, looking lost and disappointed.
Under the bright moon, by the riverbank, stood two groups of survivors and two groups of zombies.
The same standoff created a brief, eerie silence amidst the tension.
“Fair competition!” Xu Wang suddenly called out to the buzz-cut leader of the other group. His voice was firm. “You fight yours; we fight ours. Whoever gets on the ship first wins based on their abilities—”
Yue Shuai turned his head, locking eyes with Xu Wang, exchanging glances, but before they could exchange words, Wei Tianhang interjected, “What if all the zombies are defeated and the plank hasn’t been lowered yet? Just to remind you, if more than one group tries to get on the ship, it won’t leave.”
Xu Wang raised his ornate crystal gun, blew on the nozzle, and looked up slightly. “Then we wait until the plank is lowered. First come, first served. Let’s see who’s faster.”
Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin exchanged glances with mixed feelings.
Blowing on the gun nozzle is usually done when it’s hot from the bullet firing, so the idea of cooling it down makes sense, but what’s the point of blowing on a nozzle that was still dripping with water?
“Fair, just, and open.” Yue Shuai sighed leisurely, looking up at the moon wistfully. “This is the battle among men…”
These very personal, almost whispered sentiments weren’t passed on to the “fellow survivors”, but inadvertently shared with his “teammates”.
Wei Tianhang, Tao Anan, and Su Mingzhan didn’t want to speak. If this were in a WeChat group, they’d probably throw a doge emoji at their captain.
“That’s settled then, each relying on their own abilities.” Captain Yue handsomely turned his head, giving Captain Xu a formal response. By the riverside, where the aquatic grass sways, his spirit was as impressive as a rainbow.
Xu Wang: “……”
That’s settled then, but why was there such a fervent passion in his voice and twinkling stars in his eyes?!
……
Under the moonlight by the river of apocalypse, a grand battle between humans and zombies was being fervently staged amidst the soul-stirring background music.
There were eight human warriors who exchanged their names.
There were nineteen zombies—an average of less than two and half per person.
The weapons required a detailed description.
Xu Wang was holding the [Lightning Gun with Unerring Accuracy]. As long as he targeted a zombie, there was no eye socket he couldn’t penetrate. The only drawback was the time needed; it didn’t kill in one second.
Wu Sheng was swinging Death’s scythe, ideally decapitating with one swing, but in the throes of battle, accuracy to the neck wasn’t always guaranteed, often requiring a struggle.
Qian Ai wielded a screwdriver, stayed close to the captain, poking any approaching zombie. Killing wasn’t the goal, but rather self-preservation.
Kuang Jinxin couldn’t use his bomb balls in the crowd, so he led the zombies chasing him to a more secluded area.
Yue Shuai wielded a mace, which was somewhat similar to Wu Sheng’s scythe in usefulness, leading to occasional competitive glances between the two during breaks in battle.
Tao Anan held a fishing rod. As long as he flicked it, he would hook a zombie and throw it into the river.
Wei Tianhang had a small but powerful curling iron, searing faces and clothes. Wherever it went, a burnt smell followed—two zombies already had half their faces charred!
Su Mingzhan held a mini electric fan, sticking close to Captain Yue within the safe radius of the mace… enjoying the breeze.
If the battlefield were to freeze, that would be how clear the picture would be.
But the actual scene was chaotic—intermingled with a cacophony of distressing sounds and utter disarray.
Yue Shuai: “Xu Wang, right? Can you turn off that damn music? My mace keeps wanting to swing with the rhythm!”
Xu Wang: “Can’t. It comes with—”
Yue Shuai: “Then change the song! Now all I can think about is shark, shark, shark!”
Xu Wang: “Changing songs depends on the mood of the gun—”
Yue Shuai: “Then at least turn off that tacky light show!”
Xu Wang: “Really I can’t. These are all built-in, non-removable default programs—”
Yue Shuai: “In such a cool apocalyptic battle, can’t you wield something more serious?!”
Su Mingzhan: “Captain, stop yelling. Watch out for zombies.”
Yue Shuai: “Can’t you do it yourself?”
Su Mingzhan: “I’m holding a fan.”
Yue Shuai: “Throw it away and pick up a real weapon!”
Su Mingzhan: “Then no one will fan you.”
Yue Shuai: “…”
This isn’t the style of the hot-blooded youth comics he loves so much! TAT
The sound of a hinge sliding broke the intense equilibrium of the battle.
Su Mingzhan, Mr. Electric Fan, was the first to hear it—mainly because he was exceedingly idle and easily distracted.
Unlike his leisurely cooling off, at the slight “click” of the hinge, he sprung like a leopard, sprinting towards the slightly ajar metal plate!
Yue Shuai reacted a few steps later, swinging his mace to clear the path, and hastened to follow!
Xu Wang and the others, along with Wei Tianhang and Tao Anan, were in the same group to realize it later. By then, they couldn’t catch up to the first two!
Without half a second’s hesitation, Wu Sheng pulled out a bomb ball and hurled it with force toward the slowly descending metal plate!
Su Mingzhan, watching the bomb ball land on the metal plate just a few steps away, immediately turned and tackled Yue Shuai, who was right behind him!
The bomb ball’s landing spot was the metal plate, but due to Wu Sheng’s force, the ball bounced up quite high after landing and, on its way down, veered off the metal plate, landing directly into the river!
With the gunpowder dampened, it turned into a dud.
At this moment, Su Mingzhan realized Wu Sheng did it on purpose. He didn’t intend to bomb them; he just wanted to buy time!
However, it was too late.
A tackle, a fall, a dud bomb—all in a brief instant, but enough to turn the tides!
Qian Ai, who was running the fastest, had already reached Su Mingzhan and Yue Shuai’s side. More importantly, he was still on the move while the other two were sprawled on the ground!
“Sorry about this,” Qian Ai said with a suave smile, then executed a triple jump, soaring over Su Mingzhan and Yue Shuai, and landing firmly in the middle of the metal plate!
With his weight, the metal plate should have clanged.
But it didn’t.
Not only that, the metal plate seemed to… soften?
Just as Qian Ai realized something was wrong, a force suddenly pushed him upwards, sending him flying five meters into the air!
While still confused, he rapidly descended, his feet landing back on the metal plate before being launched again!
What the fuck is this?!
Qian Ai, unable to stop bouncing, despairingly noted that neither the zombies nor his teammates were spared from this ordeal.
Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin, both male and female zombies and gender-indeterminate zombies, had all unknowingly joined this bizarre domain.
Everyone bounced together like countless joyful birds.
On the ground, Su Mingzhan pulled out his [Stationery Box], appearing somewhat annoyed at this unexpected expenditure.
The four, unable to cease their bouncing, could only watch as their opponents entered the cabin and the metal plate slowly retracted. Only then did they hear the delayed reminder—
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Happy Trampoline] on you~~]
The author has something to say:
Captain Xu states that regarding today’s battle, they refuse to accept any interviews (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻.
Night had completely fallen, and amidst the lively beat, faint zombie howls were carried by the wind to the riverside under the night sky.
Xu Wang was suddenly startled and immediately released the trigger.
The lightning gun stopped emitting water, but the psychedelic flashing plastic colors on the gun body and the disco-like music wafting from the amplifier-like muzzle continued to burn everyone’s soul present.
Perhaps because of the delayed onset of the lightning effect—after pulling the trigger, it took a while for the colors and music to start—so when he released the trigger, the cessation of colors and music similarly had a delay.
About ten seconds later, the colorful lights and music finally disappeared together, and the lightning gun returned to its pure and noble bling bling state.
Suddenly, the ship moored on the shore emitted a sound like sliding hinges.
The companions inside the floating Beetle and the four friends inside the truck on the ground looked towards the ferry, only to see the side of the boat slowly lowering a long rectangular metal plank.
Like a castle on the edge of a cliff lowering its drawbridge for outsiders to enter, one end of the iron plank connected to the open ship cabin, while the other end reached the shore, creating a metal runway between the shore and the ship cabin. It was like an unspoken invitation for those wanting to board.
Xu Wang and his companions were momentarily taken aback, having never considered such a maneuver. If the metal plank had been lowered a bit earlier, they could have just floored it directly into the ship cabin. Why bother slowing down for a watchful stop by the shore, only to end up floating in midair by the [Drifting Hearse].
The four in the truck were prepared for this moment, or rather, they were waiting for this very moment.
“The plank is down. Hold tight. I’ll take you on a speed thrill!” Yue Shua, the buzzcut captain and driver, said as he gripped the steering wheel. He was no longer looking at the flashy Beetle and fixed his gaze on the interior of the ship at the end of the metal plank. “Anan, forget about them!”
As if granted amnesty, Fisherman Hat instantly focused and mentally prepared.
In the blink of an eye, the Beetle floating in the air gently landed back on the ground. Despite this, the five people inside the vehicle were jostled about as the vehicle touched down. The two front wheels of the car perfectly caught on the edge of the embankment. A bit more to the side, and the whole car would have tumbled into the river!
The moment the Beetle touched the ground, Yue Shuai, gripping the steering wheel inside the truck, immediately floored the clutch and called out to his teammate, who had just ended the [Drifting Hearse]. “Shift gears! Anan, shift!”
Tao Anan, fully back in action and without needing the captain’s call, shifted gears the moment he saw the clutch being pressed down. His movements were precise and practiced, clearly having coordinated with his captain many times before!
The truck started moving, and as it picked up speed, Yue Shuai pressed the clutch again, while Tao Anan continued to shift up.
In a fluid series of actions, with the captain handling the truck’s steering wheel, clutch, accelerator, and brakes and the teammate responsible for the manual gear shift, the truck was put into the highest gear and accelerated to top speed, heading straight for the metal plank laid out on the shore!
After shifting gears, Tao Anan completed his task. Still, the seamless cooperation couldn’t erase the absurdity in his mind, which he always thought was quite ridiculous. “Captain, can’t you shift gears yourself…”
“No,” Yue Shuai declared righteously. “Manual gear shifting must be closely coordinated between hands and feet.”
The honest Tao Anan was defeated.
With three people crammed into the front seat, Handsome Braid—or rather, Wei Tianhang—couldn’t take it anymore. “Brother, people coordinate their own hands and feet. No one uses their feet to match someone else’s hands!”
“I can’t do it. I can’t multitask,” Yue Shuai proclaimed. His aura was so imposing and straightforward that it was as if he was Pangu creating heaven and earth.
Wei Tianhang despaired. “Both Anan and I can drive shift even though we couldn’t pass our Subject 2* test. How the hell did you get your license?!”
*Driving test in China. There are four subjects a person must pass in order to obtain their license. Subject 2 is one of them. You can go to the link to find out what it entails to pass it.
Captain Yue, tired of his teammates’ nagging, responded, “A C2 license* doesn’t even have a clutch, okay! Who knew I’d one day have to drive a manual truck!!!”
*This is a license for operating an automatic transmission light motor vehicle.
Wei Tianhang, who had yet to pass the C1 license* due to “parallel parking”: “……”
*This is a license for operating all light motor vehicles (including those of C2, C3, and C4).
Tao Anan, who had yet to pass the C1 license due to “reverse parking”: “……”
The refined student, Su Mingzhan, pulled out the captain’s license from the communal backpack, and indeed, it was marked C2.
When choosing a driver, they hadn’t looked carefully, blindly trusting the only team member who had a license on the team. So much for only believing in academic qualifications…
Wait? Just as Su Mingzhan was silently sighing, he was stunned. Where did the wind in the sealed truck cabin come from?
Time rewound to half a minute earlier.
That was when Captain Yue and teammate Tao had just coordinated the truck to maximum speed.
The teammates inside the Beetle, finally recovering from the landing shock, saw the truck charging toward the metal plank bridge leading to the boat.
“They’re boarding the boat!” Qian Ai exclaimed anxiously.
Xu Wang certainly knew, but there was no way to stop the truck that was madly rushing towards the ferry, some ten meters away, with just their bombs, sickle, and water gun. Even if they were to drive their Beetle across and crash into it now, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock—they would be tossed aside in a minute!
“Captain, they could have thrown us into the river and wiped us out, but they let us go without doing so. Should we still try to stop them?” Kuang Jinxin suddenly asked.
“Of course,” Xu Wang replied. He might not be good with numbers, but he clearly understood the complexity of grudges and grievances. “They started with using the [Drifting Hearse] on us, so us stopping them now is a justified counterattack. As for the fact they could have killed us but didn’t, that’s a different account. In the future, if we have the opportunity to utterly defeat them, we’ll also let them go and call it even.”
Having relieved his teammate of his mental burden, Xu Wang immediately wanted to ask, “Do you have a plan?” Because he knew that, with Kuang Jinxin’s temperament, if there wasn’t a trick up his sleeve, he wouldn’t ask such a question about whether they should take action.
However, before he could ask again, after listening to the guidance, Kuang Jinxin’s eyes were cleared of all hesitation. He firmly raised his arm!
At the same time, the speeding truck was suddenly enveloped in a thick white fog, as if a stage had suddenly sprayed ethereal dry ice!
To the four people inside the truck, it was an unexpectedly cool breeze.
After pressing his arm in the Beetle, Kuang Jinxin closed his eyes and concentrated. A few seconds later, the white fog that had surrounded and swallowed the truck disappeared as if by magic!
The three people + one NPC inside the Beetle stared at the distant truck… or rather, where the truck used to be, dumbfounded. This might indeed be a magic trick.
Under the bright moonlight, the heavy truck disappeared into thin air. The fisherman hat, the student, and the handsome braided person all fell to the ground together, exclaiming “ouch” and “fuck”.
The buzzcut driver was still speeding forward, seemingly unaware that the steering wheel in his hands and the clutch brake under his feet had changed. With a death-defying spirit, he continued to sprint forward on a brightly colored shared bicycle!
However, the metal plank that had been put down for a while, as if reaching its patience limit, suddenly began to retract again.
Yue Shuai, who still thought he was speeding with all his companions, was anxiously pedaling until it started to almost smoke. “No, no, no—”
The metal plank was slow to release but quick to retract, and in the end, showed no mercy. Yue Shuai clenched the handlebars and slammed on the brakes causing the bicycle tires to screech a brake line on the ground, finally stopping steadily at the edge of the riverbank.
All of this happened in a flash, so brief that it was only after the dust settled that they heard the belated reminder—
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Calling a Deer a Horse] on you~~]
“Damn! I knew I shouldn’t have been soft-hearted!” Yue Shuai slapped the horn hard, regretting not throwing those guys into the river when he had the chance.
The bicycle bell rang out a crisp “ding, ding, ding” under his frustration. A bicycle… bell?
Finally coming to his senses, Yue Shuai looked down under the moonlight at the handlebars—the bell, the wheels, the frame.
“Captain—” Still sitting where they fell, the three teammates finally found the chance to wake their overly invested captain. Yue Shuai, annoyed, replied, “I know. It’s just an illusion. So what if they turned the truck into a bicycle? When the plank bridge is lowered again, I’ll still speed away…”
“That’s not the point!” Wei Tianhang interrupted him at the top of his voice, his little braids almost exploding. “Behind you—”
Behind?
Yue Shuai instinctively looked back.
A female zombie was sitting on the rear seat, her bulging red eyes “affectionately” gazing at him.
At that moment, the distance between him and the zombie was only 0.01 cm.
Time seemed to stop.
The world was left with just one man, one zombie, one bicycle, and one bright moon.
Yue Shuai had never told anyone, but his dream was to ride a bicycle, carrying his beloved girl, and enjoy the night breeze on a riverside path.
Now it had all come true.
But, oh God, is there some misunderstanding about “girl”? “Female zombie” does not count!
“Urgh—” The zombie in the backseat couldn’t hold back anymore and, with a howl, lunged at Yue Shuai’s face as he looked back!
Yue Shuai propped himself up on the handlebars and leaped up, jumping two meters away! The driverless bicycle carrying the female zombie crashed down with a “clang”, toppling over.
Yue Shuai pulled out a rolling pin-sized iron rod from his waist and swung hard. It turned into an iron mace several times thicker than a baseball bat!
The zombie, following the bicycle’s fall, got up incredibly quickly and lunged at him again!
Yue Shuai swung the mace with all his might!
With a pitiful howl, the zombie flew off into the riverbank like a baseball hit in a home run, splashing into the water with a “plop”!
At the same time, Su Mingzhan, Wei Tianhang, and Tao Anan had also gotten up, each pulling out their weapons, standing back to the riverbank, vigilantly covering the other three directions.
The metal plank couldn’t be lowered for the time being, and the zombies, attracted by the previous disco noise, were getting louder and closer!
“They’re saving us.”
In the midst of high alert, the three suddenly heard their captain utter this non sequitur.
“They must have seen it. The zombies were on the truck.” Captain Yue didn’t mind his confused teammates and continued, “If we had gotten on the ship just like that, the zombies would have come along. The truck was so crowded; we would surely come down to rest in the cabin, and then, being in a dark, enclosed space with zombies, unprepared, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
The three teammates looked at each other, slightly behind the captain’s pace. “Why would they save us?”
“Repaying a favor!” Yue Shuai looked towards the pink Beetle with a sharp gaze. “We didn’t throw them into the river, so they are returning the favor!”
Three teammates: “…”
The captain always liked to interpret opponents with the greatest kindness—what to do? Urgent, waiting online! — [Collection of Questions from Captain Yue’s team members on Baidu Knows]
Inside the Beetle.
Qian Ai’s face was almost pressed against the glass, looking at the four people standing by the river without any means of transport, puzzled. “The horde of zombies is about to arrive. Why aren’t they trying to get on the ship? What are they standing there for?”
Wu Sheng had already figured it out. “That metal plank is the only way onto the ship. Now that it’s been pulled up, they have to brace themselves for battle.”
“But even if they fight off this wave of zombies, they still can’t get on the ship,” Qian Ai said.
“If I’m not mistaken,” Wu Sheng said, “that metal plank should lower again. They’re waiting for that moment.”
Qian Ai: “What about us?”
Xu Wang: “Pray that the car shell is thick enough.”
“Bang—”
The vanguard of the zombies arriving first split into two groups, the male ones lunged at the four people standing by the shore, while the others were all females heading straight for the pink Beetle.
The most flexible among them had already jumped onto the roof of the car.
The author has something to say:
Captain Yue, who grew up watching hot-blooded comics, has always believed in love and justice (╰_╯)
In the story world set by Luo Yu, people from the dual world inherently possessed an anchoring function that allowed them to move freely within the 48 dimensional spaces and were aware of all its secrets.
However, why wouldn’t the imposter Zhou Qian dare disturb the author Luo Yu? The only explanation could be the belief that “those who are not of our kind surely have different hearts”.
Luo Yu didn’t realize that he had entered the world of his manuscript. He was deeply engrossed, pondering how to progress with his story. Should he see people from the dual world appearing before him, he might fear harm.
Perhaps he would use the tool of altering the story’s settings to eliminate these intruders. This was probably what the imposter Zhou Qian had thought, leading him to set an ambush near room 1103 but not daring to awaken Luo Yu, not taking even the slightest risk.
This choice exposed several core elements of the story to Zhou Qian—
First, the Luo Yu in the manuscript world was the real Luo Yu. He stood in opposition to the people of the dual world and wouldn’t assist them.
Second, only Luo Yu could alter the story’s settings. Otherwise, the imposter Zhou Qian and his group could just kill Luo Yu, seize the manuscript, and make changes at will.
Third, the love story between the man and woman and the animated killings of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan were all distractions. The real mystery of this story was linked to the page numbers and the elevator. The only clue to the solution was the location of Luo Yu’s room. This signified that finding Luo Yu was almost synonymous with successfully navigating the story.
These three key points dictated how to complete this instance—find Luo Yu, persuade him to change the story, and lead everyone out of this world.
But persuading Luo Yu would take time. Zhou Qian guessed that the situation in the main hall was dire. His best immediate move was to knock Luo Yu unconscious and check on He Xiaowei. Confronting the author and convincing him to lead everyone out would have to wait.
After successfully meeting He Xiaowei using the overlapping space technique and seeing his current dire condition, Zhou Qian felt the urgency to wake Luo Yu, whether to save He Xiaowei or to evacuate everyone.
He slapped Luo Yu several times, splashed water on his face, and then pinched Luo Yu’s pressure point until Luo Yu finally opened his eyes.
Luo Yu looked confusedly at Zhou Qian, instinctively touching his hurting cheeks.
Zhou Qian turned the manuscript to its title page, handed Luo Yu a pen, and demanded, “Write two sentences on this picture of the hotel lobby. First, a potion that can instantly revive the dead appears near the front desk. This potion can regenerate lost limbs, heal all wounds, and restore a person’s health to 100%.”
“Secondly, you decide to give up the story in the manuscript, to abandon the plan of letting the characters in the story act out the plot on their own. You have to make the story in the manuscript disappear entirely. You need to let everyone leave this place and return to reality!”
“I… I… What are you talking about?” Luo Yu replied, clearly baffled.
From a magazine interview, it was evident that Luo Yu wrote crime novels not to teach criminals but to explore their motives. He aimed to reveal these terrifying motives, prompting society to be wary and to improve systems.
His ultimate goal was to prevent such tragedies. Introducing fantasy elements simply made the story more appealing. The same magazine also highlighted Luo Yu’s philanthropy.
Zhou Qian deduced that Luo Yu was fundamentally a good person. He wasn’t finding inspiration and hoped the characters in his manuscript would act according to the story’s setup, guiding him on how to complete the novel.
He wouldn’t actually sacrifice so many innocent lives for his story.
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, staring fiercely at Luo Yu, and said, “You can’t find inspiration and are unable to write this story. The fundamental reason behind this is that you can’t discern the motive of the killer. You can’t empathize with them! You fundamentally don’t understand the murderers!”
“Regarding why that man and woman commit crimes, you only have a vague concept of worshiping Satan. You’ve constructed a hell-like secondary world, delusionally trying to probe the humanity of the murderers! You wish to resonate with them on a spiritual level, but this is a gravely mistaken idea!”
“Give up. You don’t need to probe the humanity of killers because, by choosing to kill, they’ve already lost it.”
“Some are born executioners, murderers, monsters, devils. You’ll never comprehend their motives. When you see them, just stay away. Therefore—”
“The thoughts on the first page of your manuscript are both laughable and foolish. You won’t find any answers through virtual deduction. Murderers are inherently evil.”
“Now you’ve dragged living beings, including yourself, into this virtual world. The killer here won’t provide creative inspiration but will only kill us all!”
Concluding his rant, Zhou Qian menacingly picked up an ax, holding it above Luo Yu’s head. The wind from the motion brushed Zhou Qian’s face, revealing his almost reddened eyes.
Staring intently at Luo Yu, Zhou Qian, in a raspy voice, commanded with unquestionable authority—
“Write! Write as I instructed! You have only 20 seconds. Otherwise, I’ll let you die in this world you’ve created!”
“You are responsible for everything that happens here. It’s your duty to bring back those who shouldn’t die!”
……
On the other side.
Wen Bin first disguised himself as “Ke Si” Liu Wansan, then as He Xiaowei, and now he had taken on the face of Hidden Blade. During the chaos in the hall, he fled towards the corridor.
However, the corridor now appeared quite different from before.
Previously, this corridor turned at a right angle and led to the dining hall, but now he seemed to be endlessly running inside a long corridor, as if he had returned to the corridor on the 11th floor.
Suddenly, he heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind.
Swallowing hard, sensing danger, he stopped in his tracks and turned around—only to see the player called [137] holding a long, straight sword, slowly walking towards him.
Wen Bin was thoroughly panicked.
Initially, he thought everything was foolproof—his gambler had prepared an escape route for him; he could pretend to be a ghost, sneak into the elevator, and escape to some space.
But he never expected the spaces to overlap completely!
There was no way out now. Wen Bin racked his brains, trying to find a way to survive.
He immediately said, “You have a special relationship with Zhou Qian, right? Did you hear what he said? Once you choose to kill, you lose your humanity. So, you…”
Unexpectedly, his words seemed to infuriate Bai Zhou.
Bai Zhou showed no emotion, but Wen Bin could feel a strong murderous intent emanating from his eyes, his footsteps, and even the gleam of the sword.
“You…”
In the next moment, Wen Bin’s pupils dilated in shock. From behind Bai Zhou, another figure approached—it was the swastika serial killer!
Just then, he saw the system’s prompt—
[Key item determining NPC behavior this time: “Swastika” tattoo.]
[Player Wen Bin used the “Identity Copy Camera” item in the exhibition hall’s rest area to photograph player Hidden Blade. He now looks like Hidden Blade.]
[In that photo, player Hidden Blade had no “Swastika” tattoo; hence, in the eyes of the serial killer, Wen Bin now also lacks the tattoo.]
[The killer will have murderous intentions when encountering players without the swastika tattoo.]
[The system announces the judgment to be effective immediately.]
Shivering, before Wen Bin could react, he collapsed on the ground.
At that moment, Bai Zhou turned to look at the newcomer and immediately grasped the situation.
Sheathing his blade, he ignored Wen Bin and headed towards the main hall.
Inside the hall, Chen Dami, Qi Ke, and the white fox were all unconscious.
Chen and Qi were knocked out by the white fox, while White Fox Hidden Blade was knocked out by Bai Zhou.
As for the writer, Luo Yu, he was kneeling on the ground, writing settings.
His first setting was clearly finished, where he creatively turned the potion into a purple color, adding a note—just one drop would take effect.
Zhou Qian was currently pouring the purple potion into He Xiaowei’s mouth.
Only 10 seconds remained.
Then, 9, 8, 7…
With just 5 seconds left, He Xiaowei coughed and opened his eyes.
Zhou Qian quickly lunged at Luo Yu, swinging an axe and then positioning the blade near Luo Yu’s forehead. “Have you finished writing?!”
Luo Yu replied in utter terror, “I’m done!”
The 5-second countdown ended.
The manuscript world collapsed.
Zhou Qian opened his eyes and was back in room 1107.
Zhou Qian felt extremely weak, and as he regained consciousness, feelings of hunger and thirst overcame him. He felt slightly delirious. Amidst the overwhelming hunger, he suddenly felt bizarrely satiated.
Sitting up, he realized he had previously fallen near the window.
Behind him, Bai Zhou lay near the bathroom door.
Zhou Qian now understood. That night, upon returning to the hotel room and watching the dense fog outside while waiting for Bai Zhou to shower, he fainted. Bai Zhou, who had just left the bathroom, also did the same.
Afterwards, their spirits or souls entered the virtual manuscript world, while their bodies lay in the hotel room for four days and nights without food or drink.
Both of them got up, one after the other. Bai Zhou’s first action was to fetch water from his bag and give it to Zhou Qian, asking, “How are you?”
Shaking his head, just as Zhou Qian was about to ask something, the voice of their guide came from outside—
“Dear tourists, how did you enjoy your four days of free exploration? I’m here to pick you up!”
At the same time, a system message appeared.
[The four-day tour of Blue Harbor City’s Saiya Hotel has ended. Players Zhou Qian, 137, Hidden Blade, He Xiaowei, Qi Ke, Chen Dami, and Jian Erdan survived. Congratulations on clearing Hall D.]
[Player Jian Erdan spent all four days in jail and did not explore the hotel, with a storyline completion of 30%.]
[The remaining players’ storyline completion was 100%.]
[Completion affects gold and skill point rewards, which will be calculated when players finally leave the exhibition hall.]
[After leaving Hall D, players should follow the instructions of the staff.]
……
After a while.
At the Blue Harbor City’s Murder Exhibition Hall, inside the public rest area.
In front of the merchandise counter, Bai Zhou was shopping. After a moment, Hidden Blade came over.
Facing Bai Zhou, Hidden Blade seemed like a different person compared to when he was in front of He Xiaowei.
At this moment, he lowered his head somewhat sheepishly. “Um… thank you.”
Bai Zhou simply shook his head, not saying much.
Hidden Blade glanced at him and instinctively rubbed the back of his neck. “My neck hurts so much. I wonder who hit me.”
Bai Zhou: “…”
Suddenly hearing a commotion behind him, Bai Zhou turned around to see He Xiaowei holding Zhou Qian, crying bitterly.
“Wuwuwu, Qian’er, you really saved me!”
“Wuwuwu, Qian’er, I love you! I love you to death!”
“I can’t even express how I feel right now, wuwuwu…”
……
After lamenting for quite some time, He Xiaowei felt his clothes being tugged at the back of his neck.
Blinking twice, he looked up and turned around, only to see Bai Zhou.
To his surprise, Bai Zhou was holding a huge cushion, seemingly offering it to him.
He Xiaowei was almost taken aback, asking incredulously, “Is this… for me? Really? Wuwuwu, thank you so much, big brother! Thank you for buying this stuffed cushion to comfort me!”
“You’re welcome. Just hold it and cry into it.”
Bai Zhou thrust the cushion into He Xiaowei’s arms. Taking advantage of the moment when he was hugging the cushion, Bai Zhou quickly pulled Zhou Qian over to the merchandise counter.
Looking at Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou said, “Given the circumstances, you should eat something. Fruits aren’t enough; shall I heat up some fast food for you?”
“Okay. I’ll make do with it. Then please heat it up for me,” Zhou Qian replied with a smile.
Bai Zhou nodded and went to prepare food for Zhou Qian.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qian approached Hidden Blade.
Upon seeing Zhou Qian, Hidden Blade also sincerely thanked him. But he noticed Zhou Qian’s smug expression.
Hidden Blade: “Hmm… did you want something?”
Zhou Qian, with sparkling eyes, proudly said, “When Xiaowei thought he was going to die, he left 70% of his inheritance to me!”
Hidden Blade: “…That’s… nice?”
“Yes, yes.” Zhou Qian replied with a contented smile. “If both of us fell into the water, Xiaowei would definitely save me first!
“Hmm… Oh, I’ll have to tell Xiao Qi about this. Shows him to turn his elbows outwards*!”
*Idiomatic expression referring to someone who doesn’t help or support their own people or group but instead favors outsiders.
Hidden Blade: “…”
I’m a Rank God player; your money and items are of no use to me. Even if He Xiaowei left 100% to you, I wouldn’t mind. Whatever makes you happy…
After the players had eaten and drunk their fill, the ghostly female staff member in the white dress appeared again.
Zhou Qian’s eyes sharpened, and he stared coldly at her.
However, she eerily said, “Today’s visit has come to an end.”
Zhou Qian asked, “What do you mean? Didn’t you say earlier that our group of players must visit every exhibition hall?”
“Yes. All outsiders who entered the exhibition halls from morning to night are considered the same batch,” the staff member replied with a smile. “Of course, when you leave here, we might meet again!”
Whether from intuition, logical analysis, or the deep implications in the staff member’s words, Zhou Qian knew the story wasn’t over yet.
For example, the significance of visiting the Murder Exhibition Hall.
So far, he had only visited two exhibition halls. Both related virtual games involved survival games—survive a few days, and the player passes.
In the first story, one simply needed to find the trick, avoid the traps that lead to death, and then kill Ruan Mei to pass.
As for the second story, it involved two different serial killing cases. The death risk from the swastika killer was similar to Ruan Mei’s, even easier to avoid.
In the other case, one must avoid being fixated.
The two killers, a man and a woman, responsible for those deaths probably had already died in the history of Blue Harbor City. By the time the players reached the year 1997, they might have been executed or at least were no longer at the Saiya Hotel.
The player’s mission wasn’t to find or survive from them but to find a way out of the manuscript world.
Thus, there wasn’t much to delve into in these two stories since the clearance time was very limited. But the story itself hadn’t ended.
What happened to Ruan Mei, why the manuscript world exists, whether Luo Yu wrote that novel afterward, and if the dual world had any other meanings…
There were still many unknowns about the exhibition hall. Due to the time constraint, players didn’t have the room to delve deeper, and Zhou Qian hadn’t triggered any hidden tasks as he had in previous instances.
Could the moment they “meet again” in this exhibition hall be the time to complete the hidden task? Would he obtain the fourth thing created when God formed the world?
Many thoughts raced through Zhou Qian’s mind, but he said nothing in front of Chen Dami and the others.
He just looked at the staff member. “The visit has ended… but when we left Hall D, you still brought us here to the rest area. You wanted us to spend money here, didn’t you? You’re quite sly.”
The staff member laughed. “You can’t quite put it that way. We were just waiting for the people from Hall E to finish. Now… the door is open. Please leave.”
And so, the players had no choice but to leave the resting area and head outside the exhibition hall.
……
In Blue Harbor City, October 1997. Inside room 1103 of the Saiya Hotel.
The writer Luo Yu sat at his desk for a long time, still in shock. He truly couldn’t tell if everything that just happened was merely a dream of his own. Even when he saw each page of his manuscript pierced with a large hole, he wasn’t sure.
He wondered—did I develop a split personality, and when that personality took over this body, did it create that hole?
Perhaps I should leave this place.
They were right.
This hotel has too much negative energy. If I continue to stay here, I might go mad…
Regardless, I heard what that personality said, and he was right.
I shouldn’t remain immersed in this. If I can’t find the motive of that man and woman, then I won’t look! Not every murderer has a logical, touching motive. Some people simply kill for the sake of killing.
What Luo Yu didn’t know was that a man identical to him silently appeared behind him. He didn’t expect that the man would quickly take out a tie, unexpectedly loop it around his head from above, then tighten it and strangle him to death!
After the murder, the man hid Luo Yu’s body under the bed, opened the wardrobe, changed into a suit that fit him perfectly, and when he sat back down at the desk and took out a blank notebook from the drawer, the desk lamp illuminated a face identical to Luo Yu’s.
“Thank you for bringing me out of the second world.”
“You forgot to get rid of me.”
“So, I had to kill you.”
“You truly are a coward. Then this novel will be finished by me in your stead.”
“You couldn’t discover the motive behind the Pentagram killing group, right…”
“If you don’t put yourself in the shoes of the murderer, of course, you wouldn’t understand. So—”
“I’ll become the killer for you! I’ll personally put nylon bags over the victims’ heads, personally carry out the beating, personally punish them, and personally draw the inverted pentagram…”
“Unlike you, who chose to flee weakly, I will truly understand them and finally complete this novel!”
In the following three weeks, seven murders took place on the 11th floor of the Saiya Hotel. A month later, writer Luo Yu was arrested. But later, the police received new evidence suggesting there might be other suspects. After Luo Yu was temporarily released, he returned to room 1103 of the hotel.
The body under the bed was gone. Discovering this, he smiled contentedly and began to pack his suitcase. After a moment, he noticed the walls and carpet starting to warp.
The next moment, Blue Harbor City, 2301. The lights in Hall D of the exhibition suddenly lit up, and Luo Yu appeared inside with a twisted, dark smile on his face.
An employee approached and handed him a red ribbon. “Welcome. Please continue your visit. You won’t be disappointed.”
……
On his way out of the exhibition hall, Zhou Qian rolled up his sleeves and found his tattoo was gone. He blinked, remembered the hair salon that also did tattoos, and decided to coax Bai Zhou into getting one with him.
“Zhou Ge.” Zhou Qian nudged him with his elbow. “What’s going on in Blue Harbor City? There seem to be hidden tasks in the exhibition hall. Should we stay overnight here in the game? That issue with your spirit domain…”
Bai Zhou replied, “Hmm, okay. I’ll explain the spirit domain issue to you tonight.”
“Then…”
Zhou Qian seemed to remember something. He looked at He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade. “The fast food there made me sick with one bite. Now that we’re out of the exhibition hall, let’s have a feast in Blue Harbor City. Can you two find a restaurant?”
“Sure, don’t worry, Qian’er. I’ll find the best place for you. What do you want to eat?” He Xiaowei asked.
“How about Hong Kong-style hotpot? Make sure the seafood is fresh.”
After dispatching He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade, Zhou Qian happily dragged Bai Zhou to get tattoos.
However, when Bai Zhou began getting his tattoo, Zhou Qian surprisingly turned and walked out alone.
“Zhou Qian? Where are you going?” Bai Zhou asked.
“No worries. I’m just going to check out something nearby. I’ll be right back.”
After leaving the tattoo shop, Zhou Qian did indeed go to a nearby place—a hotel he’d noticed when he first came to the store.
Entering the hotel, after inspecting the lobby and the style of the rooms at the front desk, Zhou Qian seemed satisfied. He then waved to the front desk and handed over a generous tip. The receptionist, also a player, was ecstatic.
He asked Zhou Qian, “Mr. Zhou, what can I do for you?”
Zhou Qian said, “I’ll leave for a moment and return soon to officially book a room. When I do, you must say you only have one room left.”
“Oh, no, not just that. You must also say that many people have recently come to Blue Harbor City and all the hotels are full. Only your hotel has one room left!”
Front desk: “Alright, no problem!”
After instructing the front desk, Zhou Qian left satisfied and quickly returned to the tattoo shop. With the high-tech efficiency of Blue Harbor City, everything was speedy. He and Bai Zhou soon had the letter “Z” tattooed on their hands.
Ten minutes later, Zhou Qian took Bai Zhou to the nearby hotel.
“I noticed many new players arriving. Let’s book our room first.”
Bai Zhou had no objections and asked the receptionist, “What rooms are available?”
“Hahaha, yeah, what rooms are available?!”
Just as Bai Zhou spoke, this voice echoed from the hotel entrance.
Shocked, Zhou Qian turned to see He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade rushing into the hotel. Following them were Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao. Before Zhou Qian could ask how they managed to upgrade to Rank S to come to Blue Harbor City, he quickly signaled the front desk.
The receptionist shot back a reassuring glance and loudly said, “Sorry, we only have one room left! In fact, in all of Blue Harbor City, only one room remains. Do you six want to stay together?”
Zhou Qian: “…………….”
The author has something to say:
When I’m procrastinating, I need a Qian Ge holding an ax glaring at me as he fiercely asks, “Have you finished writing?!”
That way, my typing speed will definitely be much faster hahahaha.
Ran Lin had been restless since he woke up, repeatedly rehearsing in his mind how he would greet Lu Yiyao, what he would say, and whether or not he should bring up the incident of being secretly photographed. Although the controversy had subsided online, they had never discussed it between themselves.
Even as he got into the car to the set, Ran Lin had gone through over a dozen scenarios of their “reunion” in his mind. Yet, when he arrived on set and started makeup and styling, Lu Yiyao still hadn’t shown up.
Ran Lin then remembered that the scenes scheduled for filming today were between him and Tang Xiaoyu. Lu Yiyao and Xia Ruohan’s parts were to be shot later, allowing the male and female leads to rest a bit longer and arrive at the set later.
Tang Xiaoyu yawned again. Ever since makeup and styling began, his yawns hadn’t stopped.
Ran Lin couldn’t help but smile—no matter how bad his mood, seeing this lively character always made him forget his troubles, focusing only on their playful banter.
“Did you turn into a thief again last night?”
Tang Xiaoyu, struggling to keep his sleepy eyes open, replied amidst his yawns, which shimmered in the morning light. “It’s not my fault that I have too much energy.”
“……” Ran Lin decided to retract his previous thought. Forget about shimmering, this was pollution!
Understanding Ran Lin’s quick realization and seeing the makeup artist’s confused expression, Tang Xiaoyu felt quite satisfied.
Finding a co-star who was both compatible on set and had a similar wavelength was rare. Someone like Ran Lin, who was also a trustworthy friend, was even more precious.
Tang Xiaoyu, not one to keep things to himself, especially now that he was brimming with joy and saw the subtle sadness in his partner’s eyes, felt it was his duty to offer some solace.
As soon as the makeup artist stepped out, Tang Xiaoyu spoke up. “Lu Yiyao is coming today.”
Ran Lin, not understanding why Tang Xiaoyu suddenly mentioned Lu Yiyao, calmly replied, “Yes, I know.”
Tang Xiaoyu said, “You two haven’t talked much these past days, have you?”
Ran Lin instinctively explained, “He has been with Group B…”
“Come on, no need to hide things from me,” Tang Xiaoyu interrupted. “No interaction, no shared scenes, no meals together—even a fool would know there’s awkwardness between you two.”
Now that Tang Xiaoyu had brought it up so openly, it felt easier to discuss.
“I don’t want it to be like this…” Ran Lin sighed deeply.
“I understand.” Tang Xiaoyu stretched his arm to pat Ran Lin’s shoulder, almost falling out of his chair in the process.
Ran Lin couldn’t help but laugh. “I got your warmth. No need for the gesture.”
Tang Xiaoyu, ignoring Ran Lin’s response, retracted his arm and spoke from his own experience: “Being an artist like us, sometimes things are beyond our control. I had a friend before, a really good person, but he tended to speak too casually, always giving others a chance to pick at his words. His reputation was a mix of good and bad. Every time I posted a photo with him, a lot of fans would criticize. Later, when we worked together on a TV drama and it didn’t do well in ratings, our fans started fighting each other, blaming the other side for dragging down the show. The arguments got really intense, with a lot of back-and-forth…”
“Did you two end up parting ways?”
“Not exactly. We still interact on Weibo and talk normally when we meet…” Tang Xiaoyu looked at Ran Lin, his smile tinged with regret. “But the relationship has cooled.”
Ran Lin didn’t know who Tang Xiaoyu was talking about but felt an inexplicable sadness. “Have you thought about having a serious talk with him?”
“I didn’t just think about it; I tried, but he always declined.” Tang Xiaoyu sighed, forcing a smile.
Ran Lin disliked seeing Tang Xiaoyu this way; he preferred the lively fish.
“If my fans and your fans start arguing,” Ran Lin said firmly. “I definitely won’t abandon you.”
Tang Xiaoyu looked at him for a long moment, nodding vigorously. “Then please gain more fans quickly. Otherwise, it would just be a one-sided massacre right now.”
Ran Lin squinted, considering the feasibility of ending their friendship.
Tang Xiaoyu laughed again.
Relationships come and go, and while remembering them can be painful, having done one’s best, acceptance comes naturally. Life must move forward.
“Good morning.” A bright voice suddenly came from the doorway.
Both turned around to see Lu Yiyao standing in the sunlight, smiling warmly and energetically.
“Morning.” Tang Xiaoyu stood up to greet him.
Ran Lin got up a bit slower, also uttering a “morning.”
Lu Yiyao’s demeanor was just as relaxed and friendly as before the incident, without any hint of change. His invitation was as casual as ever—
“Let’s have dinner together after work.”
Tang Xiaoyu felt as if time had rewound.
Ran Lin was completely baffled, repeating, “Dinner?”
Lu Yiyao, accommodating as always, offered an alternative. “If not dinner, we could go to the gym. The hotel gym is quite empty at night.”
“Why would we go to the gym after a tiring day?” Ran Lin asked, perplexed.
Tang Xiaoyu, curious, raised his hand. “Why do you know about the hotel gym’s situation at night?”
Lu Yiyao shrugged. “To maintain high popularity, you have to work harder than others.”
Ran Lin and Tang Xiaoyu, the “others”, exchanged glances, contemplating a group beatdown of the male lead.
“Jokes aside.” Lu Yiyao got back to the point. “Just a meal to catch up.”
Tang Xiaoyu realized he had nothing to discuss with Lu Yiyao and had plans for the evening. But he was curious about what Lu Yiyao had to say to Ran Lin after these three days. Missing such a chance to observe up close seemed regrettable. Yet, there was a lovely evening waiting…
“Sorry, I have plans tonight.”
Tang Xiaoyu, without hesitation, chose his girlfriend.
Ran Lin inwardly sighed in relief. He truly didn’t know what to talk about with Lu Yiyao. He knew he should act naturally, but his mind was too cluttered these days…
Lu Yiyao: “It’s fine. Then I’ll just have dinner with Ran Lin and chat. It won’t be an issue.”
Tang Xiaoyu: “…At least pretend to be polite and show some regret for two seconds.”
Lu Yiyao’s smile was sincere and open.
Ran Lin, however, was somewhat surprised. Lu Yiyao hadn’t contacted him for three days, which seemed to indicate he was bothered by the “scandal”. Yet now, he seemed more than happy to have dinner alone with him, a stark contrast to his previous behavior.
Lu Yiyao misunderstood Ran Lin’s hesitation. “You don’t need to worry too much. We just got off the hot search. Eating together now is a sign of our clear conscience. If we start avoiding each other, it will seem like we’re guilty.”
Tang Xiaoyu nodded in agreement. “Logical reasoning, can’t argue with that.”
Ran Lin blinked, suddenly feeling that all his worries over the past three days were unnecessary.
His concerns all stemmed from Lu Yiyao, but it seemed like Teacher Lu had no issues at all. He just spent three days with Group B, and now he was back, even more refreshed than before.
“Okay.” Ran Lin stopped overthinking and agreed readily, then added somewhat mischievously, “I’ll choose the restaurant.”
Lu Yiyao cooperatively nodded. “I’ll take care of the bill.”
Tang Xiaoyu watched in amazement, thinking he needed to learn from Ran Lin about “how to make a popular male star eagerly befriend you.”
As the time to start filming approached, Lu Yiyao went to get ready for his makeup and styling, while Tang Xiaoyu and Ran Lin headed to the set.
Once they were alone, Tang Xiaoyu spoke in a low voice to Ran Lin. “I take back what I said earlier.”
Ran Lin was confused. “What do you mean?”
Tang Xiaoyu: “Everything I said. About fans fighting, awkward relationships, fragile friendships… just pretend you never heard any of it before Lu Yiyao came.”
Ran Lin: “Why?”
Tang Xiaoyu: “Because I’ve realized that the conventional rules of interpersonal relationships in our industry don’t apply to you two.”
Ran Lin felt a bit flattered. “Are we special?”
Tang Xiaoyu: “No, you’re just weird.”
Ran Lin: “…”
As the clapperboard snapped, all the real-world troubles vanished instantly, and Ran Lin and Tang Xiaoyu became Fang Xian and Xu Chongfei again, unraveling the mysteries of a turbulent world.
When Lu Yiyao, already in costume, arrived on set, Xia Ruohan had been there for a few minutes, sitting quietly, watching Ran Lin and Tang Xiaoyu filming in another courtyard from a distance.
Unable to hear the dialogue, she could only see the figures of actors and crew members bustling about.
“Good morning.” Lu Yiyao hadn’t seen Xia Ruohan in three days and thought to greet her proactively, rather than waiting to be pestered.
Unexpectedly, Xia Ruohan’s usual enthusiasm was replaced by a simple reply. “Morning.”
After a pause, as if realizing something, she added, “Well, not so early anymore. It’s almost ten.”
Lu Yiyao smiled, feeling a rare sense of ease in her presence.
But just as he was about to leave, Xia Ruohan stopped him. “I need to talk to you.”
Lu Yiyao hesitated, considering the unsuitability of the setting for a private conversation. But before he could decide, Xia Ruohan’s assistant brought over another chair, indicating for him to sit.
Figuring she wouldn’t dare to do anything drastic in public, Lu Yiyao reluctantly sat down.
As soon as he settled, Xia Ruohan spoke in a low voice. “You don’t have to avoid me anymore. I’ve given up.”
Those words, among all the pleasant things Lu Yiyao had heard in his life, ranked in the top three.
In that moment, everything seemed brighter.
He wanted to know who had enlightened her or who had taken his place in her “affections”, but he feared asking too much might make her change her mind. So, despite his curiosity, he restrained himself and replied calmly, “That’s good, that’s good.”
Xia Ruohan looked at him quietly, feeling a sense of peace.
Strangely, after being infatuated with Lu Yiyao for so long, it only took her three days to separate “Lu Yiyao” from “Yun Zhang” in her heart.
Now, looking at Lu Yiyao, she felt nothing, just like when she saw Ran Lin without makeup—no ripples in her heart.
The man who had haunted her dreams remained rooted in her heart, but he had nothing to do with the Lu Yiyao before her.
“If you keep staring at me like that, I’ll have to run,” Lu Yiyao joked, feeling uneasy under her gaze.
Xia Ruohan, slightly embarrassed, turned away and looked at the courtyard outside the door, her expression gradually calming down. She mused, “If I were Zhao Buyao, I wouldn’t fall for Tang Jingyu.”
Lu Yiyao, following her gaze to where Ran Lin, portraying Fang Xian, stood, asked with interest, “Do you prefer Fang Xian?”
Xia Ruohan nodded seriously. “Fang Xian is great. He’s straightforward about his feelings, and even after being rejected, he doesn’t harbor hatred but wishes for Zhao Buyao’s happiness. Even when deceived by Tang Jingyu, he still risks his life to save her when she’s trapped in the Liuhua Palace. How could you deceive and use someone so good? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
Xia Ruohan’s indignation grew as she spoke, turning abruptly to glare at him.
Lu Yiyao chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “I can’t take the blame for that; you should send your complaints to the scriptwriter.”
Xia Ruohan paused, realizing she had momentarily immersed herself in the story again.
Lu Yiyao was used to this from their last collaboration—she would often get lost in the plot while discussing it. He actually envied her ability to immerse herself so fully.
“Speaking of which,” Xia Ruohan said, returning to reality, “I liked Xu Chongfei the most when I read the script, but now, without any changes to the script, my favorite character has inexplicably become Fang Xian.”
“It’s not inexplicable,” Lu Yiyao said, glancing at Ran Lin’s figure in the distance. “Ran Lin’s performance is good.”
Xia Ruohan agreed. “Yes. And I think it’s amazing how he transforms into a completely different person when filming starts, suddenly becoming very handsome.”
Lu Yiyao smiled, about to respond, when Xia Ruohan added, “Don’t tell Ran Lin what I’ve said.”
Lu Yiyao, puzzled. “Why not?”
Xia Ruohan: “I’m afraid it’ll go to his head.”
Lu Yiyao: “…Okay.”
The male and female leads of <Sword of Fallen Flowers> were thoroughly invested in protecting Ran Lin’s path as an actor.
……
On a busy and tense day, Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin hardly had any chance to talk until the end of the shoot. Lu Yiyao caught up with Ran Lin, who was about to return to the hotel, and said, “Don’t go back yet. Let’s go have dinner.”
Ran Lin could sense Lu Yiyao’s urgency but couldn’t fathom the reason.
It wasn’t until they sat down in a private room of a high-end, secluded restaurant and ordered food that Lu Yiyao locked the door temporarily, showed Ran Lin the photos on his phone, and played the recordings.
Lu Yiyao always preferred to be direct and to the point in important matters. He disliked beating around the bush, which was why he always found it frustrating whenever a story’s protagonist was about to reveal the truth but got interrupted, leading to various misunderstandings and complications.
After seeing and hearing everything, Ran Lin understood it all.
But he didn’t remove his headphones right away, staring blankly at the phone screen.
Lu Yiyao waited for a moment, then gently helped him remove the headphones, asking, “Are you okay?”
Ran Lin came back to his senses, handed the phone back, and managed a weak smile. “I’m fine.”
Lu Yiyao didn’t believe him.
For the first time, he somewhat regretted his blunt approach.
Ran Lin absentmindedly picked up a cup of tea and was about to drink when Lu Yiyao suddenly grabbed his wrist. The tea spilled onto his pants, the hot droplets seeping through the fabric.
“The tea is freshly brewed. It could scald you…” Lu Yiyao, trying to sound gentle and caring, took the cup from Ran Lin’s distracted grasp and put it back on the table.
Ran Lin let him take the cup away, looking down, lost in thought.
Lu Yiyao sighed and began to put various dishes into Ran Lin’s bowl until it was piled high, then nodded satisfactorily. “Eat first, and we’ll discuss after.”
Ran Lin finally looked up. “Why didn’t you wait until after we ate to let me hear the recording?”
Lu Yiyao sighed with a look of “you’re still too naïve” on his face. “Too many things can happen during the night. What if we get called back to the set midway through dinner? What if Zhang Beichen calls you? What if the paparazzi barge in…”
“I was wrong,” Ran Lin admitted. “I didn’t think it through.”
Lu Yiyao felt reassured. “I appreciate your understanding.”
Ran Lin smiled wryly but thinking of what he had just seen and heard, his smile faded quickly.
After a deep breath, Ran Lin finally opened up to Lu Yiyao. “I’m a bit upset.”
Once the first sentence is spoken, the rest of the emotions unfold.
“I suspected something before…” Ran Lin paused, struggling to find the right words.
He wasn’t devastated, just feeling choked up with a mix of sadness, disappointment, and other gloomy emotions.
Lu Yiyao understood. “What you think may not be what others think.”
Ran Lin looked into Lu Yiyao’s eyes, still holding a sliver of hope. “At least he could have called me.”
Lu Yiyao asked plainly, “Did he call you?”
Ran Lin’s eyes dimmed, and after a long pause, he asked, “Would you have called me?”
Lu Yiyao disliked hypotheticals and shook his head. “If it were me, I wouldn’t have done such a thing in the first place.”
Ran Lin: “What if you did it impulsively?”
Lu Yiyao: “I would apologize profusely and admit my mistake. A phone call isn’t enough.”
Ran Lin: “……”
Lu Yiyao: “Why are you laughing?”
Ran Lin: “You’re crazy.”
Lu Yiyao felt bemused, sensing his heartfelt efforts had hit a snag, but seeing a smile on Ran Lin’s face made it worthwhile.
Ran Lin often felt Lu Yiyao belonged to a different era. This person should wear a long robe and recite the Four Books and Five Classics.
“What do you plan to do?” Ran Lin asked after a deep breath.
Lu Yiyao realized this was a classic question, and so his answer was standard. “Not much. I told you just so you’d be cautious in the future.”
Ran Lin: “Don’t worry. I will be.”
…Can’t you follow the outline!
Ran Lin, seeing Lu Yiyao’s expression, asked uncertainly, “Isn’t that what you wanted me to do? To be cautious? Is there anything else?”
Lu Yiyao smiled at his friend. “No, nothing else.”
He couldn’t very well say he was frustrated because Ran Lin’s quick agreement didn’t give him a chance to share his prepared life philosophies.
Ran Lin gave Lu Yiyao a puzzled look but didn’t press further.
He took out his phone, opened a chat group, and silently stared at the members’ icons.
Lu Yiyao leaned in to look and suddenly commented, “The group name isn’t great.”
Ran Lin understood—the uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang ultimately ended in failure and division.
A knock on the door interrupted them.
Lu Yiyao was startled and put away his phone, getting up to open the door. It turned out to be a waiter bringing a complimentary dish for spending a certain amount.
The waiter’s arrival broke the heavy atmosphere in the room. Once he left, Ran Lin turned off his phone and put it back in his pocket.
Lu Yiyao raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would call him.”
Ran Lin: “Would you have stopped me?”
Lu Yiyao: “Yes.”
Ran Lin: “Do you think I’m naive?”
Lu Yiyao: “No, that’s too kind a term. It would be foolish.”
Ran Lin: “……”
Lu Yiyao, watching Ran Lin’s frustrated yet helpless reaction, finally felt a bit of joy in the heavy dinner.
Ran Lin knew Lu Yiyao was doing it on purpose. In the end, he helplessly rolled his eyes at him and finally started eating.
Lu Yiyao’s concerns were eased.
Ran Lin was calmer and more insightful than he had imagined.
It wasn’t like he wasn’t angry or hurt—just too understanding of the industry. Like Fang Xian in the drama, who understood why Tang Jingyu did what he did despite knowing his father was the culprit behind the Tang Clan’s tragedy.
But Tang Jingyu, like Zhang Beichen, received the same treatment—understood but unforgiven.
The only difference was that Fang Xian took a more drastic approach, while Ran Lin kept his feelings buried deep inside. If Zhang Beichen called now to explain, would Ran Lin forgive him? Lu Yiyao didn’t know because that ‘if’ didn’t happen.
Suddenly, Ran Lin asked, “When did you find out about this?”
Lu Yiyao looked up at Ran Lin and answered truthfully, “Yesterday.”
Ran Lin frowned, realizing he had overlooked an important question. “How did you get the photo and the recording?”
Lu Yiyao replied, “I have my ways.”
Ran Lin narrowed his eyes.
Lu Yiyao smiled candidly.
Ran Lin was suddenly puzzled. A question had been lingering since Lu Yiyao showed the photo and recording, but he was confused just now and didn’t bother to ask. “Aren’t you angry?”
After thinking for a moment, Lu Yiyao said, “I was very angry when it first happened, but by the time I knew the truth… not so much. Maybe I was already over it.”
Ran Lin looked at him intently. “What about feeling sad?”
Lu Yiyao pondered before slowly shaking his head.
Ran Lin was about to speak, but Lu Yiyao preempted him. “If it were you who did this, I would be very angry and sad.”
Ran Lin was taken aback, not sure why, and was afraid to hear more.
But Lu Yiyao was waiting for a response. “Aren’t you going to ask why?”
Ran Lin was in agony, clenched his teeth tightly, and silently reminded himself that impulsiveness is the devil.
“Alright, I’ll tell you.” Without waiting for a question, Teacher Lu answered himself. “Because you, Ran Lin, are my, Li Yiyao’s, friend. It doesn’t matter what tier either of us is in, or whether we are artists or not. Even if one of us was a taxi driver and the other a traffic officer, if you gave me a ticket, I would still be very upset.”
“But… issuing a ticket for a traffic violation is justified.”
“…It’s just a metaphor!”
Ran Lin watched Lu Yiyao’s serious expression and felt as if his heart was filled with sweetness, melting away the bitterness.
Lu Yiyao then said, “Besides Zhang Beichen’s issue, I also wanted to talk about us today.”
Ran Lin was sipping soup when he heard this and dropped his spoon back into the bowl with a clink.
Lu Yiyao was puzzled. “I’m not going to eat you. Why such a reaction?”
Ran Lin’s mind was filled with thoughts of being “eaten”, feeling he might go insane.
Lu Yiyao, oblivious to Ran Lin’s thoughts, continued, “I don’t have many close friends in the industry. You’re the first, so I hadn’t encountered these problems before and took some time to analyze and gather information…”
Ran Lin braced himself to hear a lecture on the nuances of friendships in the entertainment industry.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yiyao asked, “If I become embroiled in scandals tomorrow, fall from grace, lose all fans, and no one wants to work with me, would you still consider me a friend?”
Ran Lin was startled by the bleak scenario. “Of course. How could I kick you when you’re down?”
Lu Yiyao sighed. “I’m not looking for sympathy.”
Confused, Ran Lin said, “Just say what you want to say. Questioning might not suit you.”
Lu Yiyao, resigned, got straight to the point. “What I’m saying is, I consider you a friend regardless of your popularity or line. So, do you only consider me a friend because I’m famous?”
Without hesitation, Ran Lin replied, “Of course not. There are many more famous than you.”
“Thank you.” Lu Yiyao breathed deeply, feeling calmer, then continued, “So, don’t worry about public opinion or what fans say. Our life is ours, and so are our friends. We don’t need others’ understanding or explanations, being comfortable with each other is what matters.”
Ran Lin stared at Lu Yiyao, beginning to grasp his meaning, feeling turmoil in his heart.
Feeling something is one thing, but expressing it is another. Ran Lin hadn’t expected Lu Yiyao to be so candid.
Discussions about popularity and fans’ criticisms were perhaps the most sensitive topics between them, or maybe among all artist friends.
But with Lu Yiyao, nothing was off-limits. There were no grudges or hidden issues. Everything was out in the open, straightforward, and refreshing.
Ran Lin suddenly remembered what Tang Xiaoyu had said earlier that day. “This morning, I was talking to Tang Xiaoyu. He said that being an artist sometimes means being controlled by external circumstances, even affecting relationships between artists. Even close artist friends could grow apart due to factors beyond their control…”
“There are no external factors. All external factors work through internal reasons,” Lu Yiyao said, pointing to his heart. “The ultimate reason is always here.”
Thump, thump…
Ran Lin looked at where Lu Yiyao was pointing but heard his own heart beating.
Loud as a drum.
He suddenly felt unworthy of Lu Yiyao’s honesty.
Friendship is about mutual understanding and sincerity, yet he was harboring different feelings while wearing the guise of “friendship”.
“Do you think I’m very handsome?” Lu Yiyao asked jokingly, watching Ran Lin’s dazed expression. “Are you falling for me?”
Ran Lin involuntarily nodded.
Lu Yiyao felt a strange sensation. Before he could examine it further, he suddenly heard Ran Lin say—
“I don’t just see you as a friend.”
Lu Yiyao was stunned and confused. “Then, as what?”
Ran Lin swallowed hard, suddenly losing his courage to continue.
Lu Yiyao’s brows furrowed, sensing something unusual in Ran Lin’s gaze.
Ran Lin, struggling to breathe under his gaze, finally came up with a response. “…As a very good friend!”
Lu Yiyao pursed his lips in thought, unsure whether he was overthinking or if something was indeed odd.
Ran Lin, cursing his own cowardice, breathed a sigh of relief and began to serve Lu Yiyao food, filling his plate more than his own. “Hurry up. It’s getting cold.”
Lu Yiyao slowly narrowed his eyes, finding his friend’s attentiveness suspicious.
This strange feeling lingered all the way back to the hotel elevator. Ran Lin could feel Lu Yiyao’s confusion and wished he could drown his foolish self in a teacup.
As the elevator reached their floor with a ding, Ran Lin had never found the sound so pleasant.
“Blame Gu Jie for the unlucky name of the WeChat group,” Ran Lin said as he stepped out, leaving those words behind.
Even someone as straightforward as Lu Yiyao sensed the awkwardness and discomfort.
Watching the elevator doors close, Lu Yiyao felt as if another door in his mind was slowly opening.
Meanwhile, Gu Jie, filming in Dalian, sneezed unexpectedly during a scene, resulting in an NG.
Back in Hengdian, Li Tong received a summons from Lu Yiyao.
But after his boss summoned him, he didn’t say anything. He just looked at him, hesitant to speak, as if he was having a fierce ideological struggle in his thoughts.
Li Tong, feeling uneasy under his boss’s gaze, finally spoke up. “Lu Ge, just ask. Whether it’s about million-followers on Weibo or acting, I’m ready for anything!”
Lu Yiyao appreciated his assistant’s professionalism but, after much thought, decided to let him go. “Never mind, you can go back.”
Li Tong left with curiosity and disappointment, suspecting his boss had ventured into a new territory of questions but didn’t trust him enough yet.
After sending off his assistant filled with curiosity and regret, Lu Yiyao messaged Huo Yuntao on WeChat:
[Are you there? I need some advice1.]
Huo Yuntao’s quick but unfriendly reply came: [If you keep using such archaic language1, I really won’t be here.]
1Clarity: Lu Yiyao uses (有事请教) which basically means, “Can I ask you for advice?” but it’s a more polite and formal way of saying it. Given that these two are close friends, Huo Yuntao is teasing him with the way he was asking it.
Lu Yiyao ignored his comment and sent the long-contemplated question: [If a very close same-sex friend says to you, “I don’t just see you as a friend”, how would you interpret it?]
There was no response on WeChat, but a voice call came through.
Upon answering, Huo Yuntao’s first words were, “Even if you spoke classical Chinese, I’d forgive you. Go on, I’m bored lately!”
Some friendships are built on life-and-death experiences.
Some on mutual understanding and connection.
Some on progressing together.
And some on the soul of gossip.
Kinky Thoughts:
Lu Yiyao felt as if another door in his mind was slowly opening.
By the time Ran Lin returned to the hotel after work, it was already dark.
On Weibo, his team had posted a stern statement with a red stamp in both his name and the studio’s, succinctly explaining the situation. The statement clarified that all actors, including himself and Lu Yiyao, were staying in the same hotel for the film shoot, making the photographed scene a normal occurrence. The wording was serious, and the stance firm, indicating a readiness to defend their reputation through legal means.
Ran Lin believed that a legal notice would follow soon.
He and Lu Yiyao were innocent, and the studio was confident, so dispelling the rumors with a significant impact was preferred.
The comments were divided, representing various opinions:
Ran’s Family Spicy Noodles: [The filming for <Sword of Fallen Flowers> started on 9/6, and Ran Lin, along with other actors, checked into the XX hotel in Hengdian on 9/5. To date, all the actors are still staying there, including Lu Yiyao. After work, where else would the actors go if not back to the hotel? The rumormongers deliberately spread these lies despite knowing that both were part of the same film crew. It’s malicious.]
Not Helping When the Oil Bottle Falls: [It’s normal for actors from the same crew to stay in the same hotel but note the time of the photo—it was almost midnight. Work had finished long ago. What were the lead and second lead doing out at midnight instead of staying in their rooms? Or what were they doing just returning? If it were the male lead and female lead in the photo, it would be considered a scandal, so why is it a rumor with the second lead?]
Love Yao For Life: [I’m so tired of Ran Lin. Why does Lu Yiyao have to be friends with him? Every time it’s Ran Lin who causes trouble!]
Lu’s Long Road To Cultivation: [I’m a fan of Lu Yiyao, but I don’t think this is a publicity stunt by Ran Lin. He’s not interested in fame in the entertainment industry. Lu Yiyao’s studio has explained that it was three people going out for dinner, a normal interaction among crew members. This news is just malicious slander. Also, it’s obvious that Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin are friends; if we fans keep arguing, it will only make their relationship awkward and put Lu Yiyao in a difficult position.]
Teacher Lu’s Bear: [I think those worrying about fan wars making Lu Yiyao uncomfortable are overthinking. Having been a fan of Lu Yiyao for so long, I believe he’s not the kind to care much about public opinion. He might even be amused by these fan fights.]
Eat Carrots and Worry Light: [I have just one question: wasn’t it supposed to be three people at dinner? Where is Tang Xiaoyu?]
The truth was singular, but when evidence couldn’t conclusively prove it, people tended to believe what they wanted. Ran Lin and Lu Yiyao were indeed filming together—that was undeniable.
But this undeniable evidence couldn’t completely dispel the wild speculations about them entering the hotel together late at night.
Why was it the two of you going out at night?
Why not someone else?
What exactly were you two talking about?
Were those past instances of so-called ‘CP marketing’ just for show, not genuine emotions?
Ran Lin scrolled through comments for half the night.
He believed that, with the skills of Wang Xi and Yao Hong, this nonsensical drama would soon be over.
But he also realized that, after this incident, his relationship with Lu Yiyao might not be able to return to how it was before. Not to mention the distant past, just today, Lu Yiyao hadn’t contacted him at all.
Strangely, he felt surprisingly calm.
Perhaps it was the incident with Zhang Beichen a few days ago that had prepared him for such a future. When the situation played out as he had anticipated, Ran Lin felt a sense of relief that it was just a rumor.
Ran Lin thought that Lu Yiyao might regret becoming friends with him. It was just like what a fan of Lu Yiyao said: Ever since Lu Yiyao met him, he seemed to be constantly facing troubles.
Tired of reading, Ran Lin was about to close Weibo, but then he noticed a new post notification and habitually scrolled down.
After the familiar update sound, a new post appeared from Tang Xiaoyu, posted just two minutes ago—
[Many people have been asking where I was. Well, here I am! The third male lead has rights too. How can you just leave me out? 😭 [View Image]]
The photo was a selfie taken in the private room that night. In the picture, Tang Xiaoyu was closest to the camera, his face the biggest and his smile bright. Ran Lin and Lu Yiyao were further back, both looking down at their phones, not giving a single glance to the third male lead.
Suppressing his laughter, Ran Lin fell back into bed, shaking with mirth. Tang Xiaoyu’s Weibo post wasn’t particularly hilarious, but he just felt like rolling around. If possible, he even felt the urge to go next door and give that person a couple of kisses.
After calming down a bit, Ran Lin picked up his phone again, enlarged the photo, and couldn’t help but comment out loud, “When was this even sneakily taken…”
His voice was full of disdain. His eyes felt sore from the strain.
Tang Xiaoyu’s critical witness statement subtly shifted the direction of public opinion.
Ran Lin spent half an hour reading the comments under Tang Xiaoyu’s Weibo post. Although there were still questions like “Why didn’t they return to the hotel together after dinner?” and “Is the photo really from the same day?”, the fact that Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin’s outfits in the photo matched those they wore entering the hotel, and it aligned with the statement of “three people having dinner together,” convinced most of the previously undecided spectators. They began to believe that this was simply mudslinging for publicity and started a sentimental comment trend saying, “The third male lead also has rights.”
In less than an hour, “The third male lead also has rights” became a trending topic.
Amid this second wave of the drama, another friend contributed to the story—
[At least you’re in the photo. I just want to ask, why didn’t the dinner include the female lead! 😤 // @Tang Xiaoyu: Many people have been asking where I was. Well, here I am! The third male lead has rights too. How can you just leave me out? 😭 [View Image]]
This incident had nothing to do with Xia Ruohan, and she could have remained a mere spectator. However, she decided to get involved, completely diverting the narrative from “Late-night rendezvous between the male leads” to “A cry for humanity from the female lead and the third male lead”, taking it down an entirely unexpected path.
With this, all four main actors of <Sword of Fallen Flowers> were involved, as if summoning a mythical dragon.
Ran Lin, exhausted, finally went to sleep in the late night. Meanwhile, the energetic netizens kept the discussion alive, generating countless topics. Eventually, “This drama crew is too mystical” stood out, rising to the top of trending topics and inadvertently giving free publicity to <Sword of Fallen Flowers>.
The lingering doubts about this being a cover-up for a scandal between two men were drowned out by the flood of jokes and memes.
The next morning, both Lu Yiyao’s and Ran Lin’s teams released “hotel surveillance footage from that night”. The video from the elevator clearly showed the two men exiting on different floors, and the hallway footage conclusively proved that they each returned to their own rooms and didn’t come out again. The last vestiges of doubt evaporated.
This was different from the situation with Zhang Beichen and the two photos. Those photos could be interpreted as brotherly affection or a forbidden young love, open to interpretation. Even after Zhang Beichen’s explanation, people were willing to believe their own imaginations.
But in the case of Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin, with the female lead and the third male lead vouching for them, plus the hotel surveillance, there was no room left for speculation.
The sternly worded legal notice jointly issued by both teams put an end to the hotel drama.
From the incident’s outbreak to its reversal and the revelation of the truth, it took just one day and one night. Netizens began discussing the impact of malicious rumors on celebrities, expressing maximum sympathy for Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin, who were unjustly implicated. No one remembered what they were fervently discussing just a day ago.
……
When Ran Lin arrived at the set the next morning, Tang Xiaoyu was already there, getting his makeup done. Without waiting to sit down, Ran Lin said directly, “Thank you.”
Tang Xiaoyu’s head was being worked on by the stylist, so he could only respond through the mirror. “What’s there to thank? It was just the truth.”
Ran Lin didn’t dwell on pleasantries, just gave him a meaningful look. Tang Xiaoyu felt the pressure of that gaze, as if it conveyed a thousand words.
After makeup, the two handsome heroes strolled onto the set, only to find the female lead, unusually early, sitting on a regular chair waiting for the shoot.
“Good morning,” Ran Lin greeted her. Tang Xiaoyu followed with a smile, used to being in the background, as he was out of the female lead’s line of sight.
Unexpectedly, Xia Ruohan stood up and approached Tang Xiaoyu for a closer look. He felt a shock, reminiscent of a teacher’s gaze suddenly meeting his during a class question.
Swallowing nervously, Tang Xiaoyu waved and smiled weakly, “Morning…”
Xia Ruohan, seemingly satisfied, cheerfully responded, “Morning,” then added, “You too,” without looking at Ran Lin, before skipping back to her rest area.
Tang Xiaoyu, puzzled, asked Ran Lin, “What’s her angle here?”
Ran Lin thought for a moment. “Maybe she’s trying to… be friendly with us?”
Tang Xiaoyu looked despairing. “Does she fancy you, or has she taken a liking to me?”
Ran Lin, bewildered, replied, “You’re overthinking it.”
At lunch, Tang Xiaoyu came over with his meal, looking dejected. “Second Brother, I wasn’t overthinking. She really has taken a liking to me.”
Ran Lin, not understanding, asked, “Who?”
“Xia Ruohan,” Tang Xiaoyu whispered, showing his phone to Ran Lin. “She followed me on Weibo… I knew something was off when she reposted my Weibo yesterday. What do I do? I have a girlfriend…”
Ran Lin laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. When he finally composed himself, he showed his phone to Tang Xiaoyu. “She followed me too.”
Tang Xiaoyu was stunned. “Last night?”
Ran Lin thought about it. “Probably. I saw it first thing in the morning.”
Tang Xiaoyu asked, “Did you follow her back?”
“Of course,” Ran Lin replied without hesitation. “I don’t want her to get impatient and come looking for me like she did with you this morning.”
Realization dawned on Tang Xiaoyu, his eyes weary. “No wonder she kept glancing at me all morning… Super creepy…”
Ran Lin cherished this lively fish.
While Tang Xiaoyu hurried to follow the female lead and send friendly signals, Ran Lin found himself thinking about the male lead. Lu Yiyao’s team B scenes would take three days, meaning they wouldn’t meet until the day after tomorrow, unless Lu Yiyao contacted him privately.
But since the leaked photos, Lu Yiyao hadn’t reached out to him.
Wang Xi advised Ran Lin to keep his distance from Lu Yiyao for the time being. Considering Yao Hong’s position, she would have likely given even more stern advice. If their roles were reversed and Ran Lin was a popular young star, he would unhesitatingly continue being friends with Lu Yiyao after the rumor was dispelled because he liked him and didn’t want to become strangers. But the reality was he didn’t have that standing; he was just emerging from obscurity. He liked Lu Yiyao, so he thought more for Lu Yiyao’s sake. Unable to help him, the least he could do was not be a hindrance.
So regardless of Wang Xi’s advice, Ran Lin decided not to impose himself on Lu Yiyao any further.
……
Lu Yimeng, or more precisely, someone sent by Mother Lu, finally cornered the three paparazzi in their room early that morning. Leading the team was Da Chu, Mother Lu’s most trusted bodyguard, skilled and educated and capable of handling tough situations. The approach was clear, as Lu Yiyao had explained through Lu Yimeng. After cornering the paparazzi, Da Chu first confiscated their phones, then handed them the two photos of entering the hotel.
The sweatpants, curly hair, and bald guy were already paralyzed with fear. Having been in the business for many years, they had seen furious celebrities and encountered bodyguards who resorted to violence at the drop of a hat. However, this kind of terror—being cornered without a word and suffocated by sheer oppressive force—was a first for them.
It’s not that they feared a confrontation; it was the silence that unnerved them. In the prolonged silence, they had imagined a thousand ways they could meet their end.
Curly hair, the most experienced of the trio, became the emotional anchor for the others. One clutched his left hand, the other his right arm, as if seeking refuge.
Swallowing hard, curly hair braced himself and spoke up from the carpet. “This-this is illegal detention!”
His point was valid, but his presence was weak, like a flickering candle in the wind.
Da Chu wasn’t really planning to harm them. After initially asserting his dominance, he moved on to a more emotional appeal. “Did you take these photos?”
His tone softened, more like a scholar than a bodyguard. Curly hair’s intellect, which had momentarily deserted him, slowly returned. Glancing at the photos, he realized the gist and quickly responded, “No, we didn’t take these photos, nor did we leak the information. That’s not even a leak; it’s just a rumor. Our studio only deals with real news; we never fabricate stories.”
Da Chu pondered for a moment before nonchalantly examining the photos. “Why should I believe you?”
The sweatpants guy retorted, “You can’t question the integrity of us journalists!”
Da Chu was momentarily taken aback by this sudden burst of professional pride and then couldn’t help but smile wryly. Curly hair sensed a change in the atmosphere. Initially, they were intimidated by the silence and imposing presence of the newcomers. But as they began talking, the situation seemed less frightening. Da Chu, in particular, seemed more like a business professional than a thug—someone who could be reasoned with.
“Look.” Curly hair pointed out, referring to the photos. “These are taken at eye level, indicating the photographer and subjects were at the same height. From this many floors up, even with a telephoto lens, it’s impossible to get such an effect.”
Da Chu nodded, seemingly convinced. But when curly hair relaxed, Da Chu added, “You don’t have to be based here permanently; you could have gone downstairs to take the shots.”
“You can check our cameras; we have two here. See if these photos are in them,” curly hair suggested.
“You could have transferred and then deleted them.”
This left curly hair exasperated. “It’s not us. What can I say to make you believe?”
“I believe you,” Da Chu said, standing up and nodding politely with a hint of apology. “Sorry for causing you distress.”
Curly hair was caught off guard, mumbling, “We’re not that delicate…” before being silenced by a pinch from the sweatpants guy and a punch from the bald guy.
Da Chu took out his notebook from his bag and asked politely, “Can I make a copy of the photos in both cameras?”
Curly hair, swallowing hard, asked, “Are you sincerely asking… or is this just for show?”
Da Chu just smiled silently.
The sweatpants guy and the bald guy, very cooperatively, handed over their memory cards.
Curly hair warned them, “You can copy, but don’t delete anything. There are other people’s photos too.”
Da Chu quickly copied and returned everything intact.
“Besides you, how many other paparazzi are working in Hengdian now?”
Curly hair: “We can’t betray our colleagues…”
Da Chu nodded to express his understanding, then simply cracked his knuckles to make a clicking sound.
“But they’re just fabricating stories out of thin air. They’re the scourge of our profession. I’ll start the cleanup myself. Just wait, I’ll go through our WeChat group and make a list for you…”
The sweatpants guy and the bald guy exchanged glances, both impressed by their leader’s quick thinking.
Having obtained the list, Da Chu left without further ado.
As the door gently closed behind him, the three men looked at each other, still unable to snap out of their daze.
The encounter had been so sudden and swift, lasting no more than half an hour. There had been no physical contact, just an overwhelming presence and gaze. If it weren’t for the memory cards in their hands, it would have felt like a dream.
“Quick, check if any photos are missing.” Curly hair was the first to react. He immediately handed the DSLR memory card to the bald guy and went to check the long lens memory card himself.
All the photos were there—except those of Lu Yiyao.
In fact, they hadn’t managed to capture any significant news about Lu Yiyao recently. Their days were just early starts, late returns to the hotel, and Lu Yiyao interacting with his co-stars, which could only make up a story of professionalism and dedication.
But clearly, the other party still didn’t like it.
“Should we call the police?” the bald guy asked.
Curly hair glared at him. “Call for what? Were you beaten or hurt? They were polite from start to finish and just came to ask some questions. Oh, and you think they have no right to keep an eye on you for 24 hours?”
“Should we leave then?” suggested the sweatpants guy.
Curly hair glared at him even harder. “Just because we face a bit of difficulty, we should leave? What about your ambitions, your ideals? A journalist must dare to confront challenges head-on…”
The sweatpants guy and the bald guy, tired of curly hair’s rhetoric, moved aside to whisper among themselves.
Baldhead: “Haven’t you always been following Lu Yiyao? Has something like this happened before?”
Sweatpants: “Absolutely not. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”
Baldhead: “Have you ever reported any news about Lu Yiyao before?”
Sweatpants: “…Not really. That’s why we also follow other leads besides Lu Yiyao.”
Baldhead: “Then how did he know we were here? And how could he send someone so quickly?”
Sweatpants: “……”
Baldhead: “Could it be that Lu Yiyao has always known about our presence, but he’s just open-hearted and didn’t want to confront us?”
Sweatpants: “Comrade, you’re starting to sound more and more like a fan of Lu Yiyao. Your stance seems a bit off.”
Baldhead: “I really do love this job.”
Sweatpants: “That’s great.”
Baldhead: “But nobody told me when I entered this line of work that being a paparazzi could be life-threatening…”
……
Lu Yiyao received a call from Da Chu in the evening of the next day. He trusted Da Chu to handle the situation well, so he waited patiently without contacting him.
“Are you sure?” Lu Yiyao asked after hearing the report. Li Tong, observing his boss’s increasingly somber expression, felt pressure for the first time. He had never known that the usually amiable Lu Yiyao could emanate such an aura.
“Sure,” Da Chu responded succinctly, focusing on the results. “The hotel entrance has its surveillance, which captures everything clearly. We also found the guy. He said the one who asked him to take those photos was Zhang Beichen’s manager, Wu Xuefeng. And to prevent being denied payment, he recorded every conversation. I’ve sent the surveillance photos and the recordings to your email.”
“Okay, I got it.” Lu Yiyao tried to keep his voice even.
“If there’s nothing else for me to do, I’ll be heading back to Beijing tonight. Director Fan is waiting for my report.”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Lu Yiyao genuinely expressed his gratitude and then, as if remembering something, added, “Tell my mom it’s nothing serious, all sorted.”
Da Chu hesitated before speaking. “I probably shouldn’t ask, but now that it’s been figured out…”
Lu Yiyao cut him off. “The rumors have been quelled, and there wasn’t any real damage. I just wanted to confirm my suspicion. Now that it’s confirmed, we just need to be cautious in the future.”
“What if he does something like this again?”
“We’ll deal with it then,” Lu Yiyao said, gazing at the darkening sky. “That’s how it is in this circle. Everyone is out to get each other. Since I’m part of it, I have to play by the rules. I can’t just eliminate everyone I don’t like.”
Da Chu was taken aback.
Despite occasionally using unconventional methods, like intimidating relatively innocent people, he was fundamentally a law-abiding professional bodyguard.
“Alright, I’m not joking anymore,” Lu Yiyao said seriously. “Just report it as I told you.”
Da Chu was silent.
Lu Yiyao understood. “You’re not satisfied?”
After a pause, Da Chu said heavily, “We can’t do anything illegal, but since he’s done this to you, you could at least get back at him…”
“No need,” Lu Yiyao interrupted. “A dog biting me doesn’t mean I have to bite back. Life is short, and I don’t want to waste a second on such people. As long as I manage my own affairs and life well, these people will naturally fade away.”
Da Chu asked, “How will they fade away?”
Lu Yiyao answered, “They’ll die of jealousy.”
Da Chu was speechless.
Every conversation with Lu Yiyao always left Da Chu feeling enlightened, his perspective elevated.
……
The truth of the matter wasn’t surprising. After all, the incidents happened too close together. Zhang Beichen’s old photos had just been leaked when he and Ran Lin were photographed in a well-orchestrated smear campaign. It was highly suspicious.
However, the perpetrator wasn’t just anyone; it was Zhang Beichen, whom Ran Lin considered a friend. Lu Yiyao couldn’t make baseless accusations without evidence, which was why he had involved his sister and called in Da Chu.
For the first time since his career began, he had involved his family in industry matters.
But it was worth it.
From his boss’s few words, Li Tong could guess it was about the hotel incident and that his boss had likely uncovered the mastermind behind it. But how his boss found out and who he used was beyond Li Tong’s knowledge, possibly even unknown to Yao Hong. Thinking about this, Li Tong felt a chill down his spine, sensing a dark cloud looming behind his boss, ready to extinguish any ill-intentioned approach.
Lu Yiyao, unaware of his assistant’s feelings from work to the hotel, was preoccupied with two people—Yao Hong and Ran Lin, especially the latter.
They hadn’t contacted each other in the past few days while working separately. Lu Yiyao was waiting for Da Chu’s investigation results and also contemplating his relationship with Ran Lin. If Ran Lin’s status was similar to his, things would be entirely different. Even their fans might accept their friendship. But the reality was their status differed significantly, and their relationship had been turbulent from the start, with various rumors constantly circulating. He was fine but Ran Lin must have felt the pressure.
Yet, they never discussed these issues.
Lu Yiyao valued straightforwardness in friendships. If he and Ran Lin were outsiders, things would be simpler. But in the entertainment industry, even simple matters become complicated.
After this incident, he felt it was necessary to have an open discussion with Ran Lin. But before that, he needed to contact Yao Hong.
Back at the hotel, Lu Yiyao downloaded the photos and recordings from his email, confirmed the facts, and then called Yao Hong. He didn’t discuss the process, just the results.
Yao Hong wasn’t surprised, asking the same question Lu Yiyao had asked Da Chu, “Are you sure?”
Lu Yiyao replied simply, “Yes.”
Yao Hong asked for evidence, and he confirmed he had photos and recordings.
Yao Hong didn’t probe further. Lu Yiyao had his methods and didn’t wish to divulge them, so she respected his privacy.
“What will you do next?” she asked. From the moment the incident happened, she and Wang Xi suspected Zhang Beichen’s involvement, but suspicion and evidence were different matters, and they had to extinguish the fire first.
Lu Yiyao maintained his stance. “I haven’t thought much about it, just be cautious in the future.”
Yao Hong suggested, “If you release the recordings, Zhang Beichen’s career is over.”
Lu Yiyao felt as if Yao Hong and Da Chu were reading from the same script. “Leave a way out for others, and you leave a path for yourself. Especially with villains, if you corner them, they might cause real trouble out of desperation.”
Yao Hong laughed. “Now it sounds like you’re educating me.” Though she felt these were rare, profound words coming from Li Yiayo.
Incidents like being smeared happen every day in the circle, and Lu Yiyao had been targeted before. This time, however, they had evidence, unlike in previous cases where nothing was done. If they were to settle scores, few in the industry would remain clean. Unspoken rules governed their world.
While Yao Hong was reflecting internally, Lu Yiyao was also not at peace. He suddenly realized that his philosophical response wasn’t a result of his own worldly wisdom but something his father, Lu Guoming, had taught him during countless summer and winter vacations.
It was a minor detail in the traditional education forcibly imparted to him, and he couldn’t even remember at what age he had heard it.
He thought he had forgotten it.
“Then let’s leave it at that.” Yao Hong, understanding the entertainment industry better than Da Chu, spoke pragmatically. “After all, the situation has stabilized without causing any substantial harm. Just focus on your filming and try to avoid any interaction with Zhang Beichen. There’s no need to even be polite to that kind of person.”
Lu Yiyao understood. He didn’t have much of a relationship with Zhang Beichen anyway, so the truth didn’t impact him much. His concern was for Ran Lin…
“By the way, Hong Jie.” Having discussed the investigation results, he moved on to another matter. “I’ve been shooting with Group B these past days and haven’t seen Ran Lin, but I will return to Group A tomorrow.”
Yao Hong picked up on the underlying meaning in Lu Yiyao’s word. “So you still plan to get closer to Ran Lin?”
“It’s not about getting closer or not, just continuing the friendship. Who I befriend is my choice. I won’t let news or fans dictate my decisions.”
“But you’re an artist. You rely on your reputation, popularity, and fans for your livelihood. Do you know how many fans you lost because of your collaboration with Ran Lin?”
“I feel like I’ve gained more fans, actually. There are so many CP fans asking for ‘sugar’ every day.”
“You always have an answer for everything!” Yao Hong laughed, despite herself.
Lu Yiyao joined in with a light laugh. Many things, he realized, weren’t that complicated. Once you understood them, the world seemed vast and open. “Hong Jie, being an artist is my profession. It’s my job, and I work to make life better and more fulfilling. I am Lu Yiyao first, and then an artist. If I have to hide who I really am, then what’s the point? Life would be upside down.”
Yao Hong remained silent on the other end of the line. If anyone else had said this, she would have dismissed it as cliché, old-fashioned advice. But her artist, Lu Yiyao, genuinely believed and acted on these words. He saw through many things clearer than anyone else, yet he neither cared for nor wanted to engage in them.
The most beautiful aspect of Lu Yiyao was his openness, purity, and sincerity towards others, himself, and life. This was what Yao Hong wanted to protect most, yet it was also what worried her the most.
“You’ve never really faced hardship…” The agent’s voice was a mix of helplessness and indulgence.
Lu Yiyao had heard this many times before, and as always, he responded cheerfully, “Well, I’ll worry about that when it happens.”
Kinky Thoughts:
Might be sooner than you think.
On a side note, I really don’t understand fandoms (especially eastern fandoms). It seems to me they see artists as commodities more than actual human beings and would get angry or become anti-fans at the mere rumor if they are dating… As if they live in some kind of alternative reality that these artists they vie for would one day choose them or something.
Artists are humans too and deserve to experience things that any normal human should have (like dating). Love their art, support them, and leave their private lives alone.
Tang Xiaoyu, seeing the expressions of the two, knew this wasn’t news to them. He sighed. “I don’t know who’s behind this, but it’s really disgusting what they did.”
Ran Lin lowered his eyes, hiding his emotions.
Lu Yiyao quietly refilled his cup with tea before saying to Tang Xiaoyu, “It’s just two photos, not hard to deal with.”
“Public relations isn’t difficult, but it needs to be quick. Otherwise, as the rumors spread, they’ll leave a lasting impression, and it’ll be too late for any clarification.”
“This afternoon, a stern statement was already released,” Lu Yiyao said, addressing Tang Xiaoyu but actually for Ran Lin’s benefit. “The issue shouldn’t be a big problem.”
In the statement, Zhang Beichen’s team explained that the photos were just innocent fun with a close friend from their school days, and they pointed out that this incident was a deliberate smear campaign, vowing to pursue legal actions.
Whether or not they would actually take legal steps was uncertain, but at least it showed the public their stance.
“Releasing a statement is just the first step. Whether they can quickly control the spread of the topic and mitigate the negative reactions is what’s most important,” Tang Xiaoyu said, then took out his phone to check Weibo again. After a while, he shook his head. “The situation has been blown out of proportion. It’ll be difficult to calm down in a short time.”
That was the purpose of the initiator.
If they could ruin Zhang Beichen’s career, that would be ideal, but even if they couldn’t, tarnishing his reputation or casting a lifelong shadow of suspicion would be enough.
The same notification sound from WeChat rang out twice in unison.
Tang Xiaoyu thought he was hearing things.
Ran Lin and Lu Yiyao simultaneously picked up their phones and opened WeChat. Gu Jie had popped up in the Chen Sheng Wu Guang group—
Ran Lin looked at Gu Jie’s message with mixed feelings.
He had wanted to message Zhang Beichen at noon but recalled what Wang Xi said about avoiding trouble during sensitive times.
Ran Lin admitted, he was afraid.
Zhang Beichen, caught in the whirlwind of public opinion, might be him one day.
Compared to him, Gu Jie was much more straightforward.
“I agree with Gu Jie, don’t overthink. Focus on filming and let your work speak for itself.” Ran Lin recorded this voice message, wanting to let Zhang Beichen know he had friends who cared about him.
Lu Yiyao’s response was more concise—[+1]
Ran Lin glanced at him, and Lu Yiyao justified confidently, “You guys said everything already. I could only add.”
Tang Xiaoyu felt a bit surprised and somewhat ashamed.
He wasn’t close to Zhang Beichen, not inclined to kick him while he was down, nor to offer help. He just wanted to casually chat about a fellow artist’s news, not expecting that they were good enough friends to be in the same WeChat group.
True friends in the industry are rare, especially among artists of the same age and level, often competing for the same resources. Many who seem to have strong bonds on the surface actually wish for each other’s downfall in secret.
The friendship between Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin was indeed rare.
But then again, watching these two on their phones, replying to messages, exchanging glances, why did he always feel like he was photoshopped into this private room?
……
Zhang Beichen’s Room, a certain hotel.
Wu Xuefeng was already at his wit’s end, watching his artist lying there, playing with his phone, sending WeChat messages. He was almost spitting blood, his words nearly squeezed out through clenched teeth. “You seem pretty relaxed…”
Zhang Beichen lay on the bed, propped up by two pillows, legs crossed in an unappealing manner. “Didn’t we already issue a statement? What else do you want me to do? Hold a press conference to denounce the rumormonger?”
“What’s the use of issuing a statement? People only like spreading rumors, not clarifying them!” Wu Xuefeng was getting worked up again. “Did your brain get squashed by a door? How could you take such photos?”
Having heard this countless times since the incident, Zhang Beichen was tired of it. He sat up abruptly. “What did I take? Did I strip or go to bed with someone? Just those two lousy photos, what can they prove!”
“Are you sure there’s nothing more? What if new photos come out in a few days?”
“Brother, I was just in high school then…”
“What about after entering the industry?” Wu Xuefeng raised an eyebrow at him, sarcasm behind his glasses. “Are you sure you’ve been clean?”
“I’m not stupid. What era are we in, still taking keepsake photos?” Zhang Beichen, uninterested, lowered his head to play with his phone again.
Wu Xuefeng slowly felt reassured.
He didn’t believe in Zhang Beichen’s purity, but he absolutely trusted his artist’s intelligence. If Zhang Beichen were hopelessly foolish, they wouldn’t have worked together until now.
The statement was out; the immediate priority was to calm public opinion as soon as possible.
As for the person behind the scenes, there was no rush; they could always be found out.
The public is forgetful. As soon as new gossip arises, who will remember a rumor that has been debunked and lacks any solid evidence or follow-up?
However, the entertainment industry has been too quiet recently, which is why the perpetrator chose this moment to leak the information.
Wu Xuefeng tiredly took off his glasses, pulled out a lens cloth, and started wiping them intently…
“I agree with Gu Jie, don’t overthink. Focus on filming and let your work speak for itself.”
[+1]
Listening to Ran Lin’s voice and seeing Lu Yiyao’s digit, Zhang Beichen’s lips, which were tightly pressed, unconsciously relaxed and curved into a slight smile.
“Who’s that?” Wu Xuefeng stopped wiping his glasses, curiously asking.
He recognized the voice from the speaker as somewhat familiar, but for Wu Xuefeng, it wasn’t familiar enough to recognize immediately.
“Chen Sheng Wu Guang.” As Zhang Beichen uttered these words, a hint of warmth crossed his heart.
Wu Xuefeng knew it was the guest group from the reality show “Drifting Story”, but he didn’t expect that long after the recording, there was still interaction in the group, especially at this time. “They all came to console you?”
Zhang Beichen showed a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “Except for Xia Xinran.”
“That’s the problem with being in the same company, knowing each other too well,” Wu Xuefeng said as he put his glasses back on and reached out his hand towards Zhang Beichen.
Zhang Beichen was puzzled.
Wu Xuefeng rolled his eyes and gestured with his fingers, motioning upward. “Let me also appreciate your revolutionary friendship.”
Zhang Beichen shrugged indifferently and handed his phone to his agent.
With just a few words, Wu Xuefeng had almost seen enough. He laughed. “A few polite words and you’re this moved?”
Zhang Beichen coldly curled his lips. “Not everyone will say polite words to you. Since this happened, only those three have messaged me.”
Wu Xuefeng chuckled. “Does Lu Yiyao’s message count? It looks more like a casual agreement.”
Zhang Beichen was clear-headed. “He’s close with Ran Lin, and I’m not bad with Ran Lin, so as long as Ran Lin is there, we’ll always be friends.”
Wu Xuefeng had never quite understood. “What exactly did Ran Lin do to win Lu Yiyao’s undying loyalty?” As far as he knew, Lu Yiyao’s team was quite upset when they were initially bundled together for hype.
Zhang Beichen was about to say that rapport can’t really be explained, but then he remembered what he had noticed during their late-night snack and swallowed his words, saying ambiguously with a teasing smile, “Maybe they developed real feelings during the reality show…”
Wu Xuefeng raised an eyebrow at this but remained noncommittal, looking back at the nearly simultaneous messages in the chat group thoughtfully.
……
Finally finding his moment on the way back to the hotel, Tang Xiaoyu’s girlfriend called him.
Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin watched him step a few meters away to take the call, smiling.
The night was deep, and the streets were quiet. Even a few meters apart, they could hear Tang Xiaoyu’s “Okay, okay,” “Don’t move, I’m coming to pick you up,” “Yes, yes, a kiss, mwah.”
The two men exchanged a knowing smile.
Tang Xiaoyu, having ended the call, came back. “You guys go ahead to the hotel. I need to pick up a friend.”
Ran Lin asked softly, “Has she arrived?”
Tang Xiaoyu, forgetting his defenses for a moment, replied naturally: “Yeah, she just got here and can’t find the hotel, so I have to go pick her up.”
Lu Yiyao immediately responded considerately, “Then hurry up. Don’t let your girlfriend wait too long. It’s late and not safe.”
“Yes, exactly.” Tang Xiaoyu seemed to find a confidant. “I told her. Coming a day later is fine. No need to rush here at midnight…”
He stopped midway, realizing his slip.
Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin didn’t say anything, but their faces were already beaming with amusement.
“…Sneaky!” Tang Xiaoyu managed to say after a long pause.
Ran Lin struggled to suppress his laughter, taking a couple of deep breaths before patting his friend on the shoulder. “Remember, try not to take live interviews in the future.”
Tang Xiaoyu took the loss graciously. Fortunately, he hadn’t let slip his girlfriend’s name, and he didn’t think these two were gossips, so he didn’t dwell on it, saying simply, “Then I’m off to see her. You guys head back to the hotel.”
Knowing how much Tang Xiaoyu wanted to keep his true love hidden, they didn’t press for gossip. After a simple reminder to watch out for safety and paparazzi, they went their separate ways.
Back at the hotel, Ran Lin pondered over Zhang Beichen’s situation for a long time. One moment he was worried about Zhang Beichen, and the next he imagined himself in a similar scenario. His mind was a mess of thoughts, and he couldn’t focus on reading the script for the next day. He didn’t even realize when he fell asleep.
Ran Lin set his phone alarm for 4:55, 5:00, and 5:15 a.m. every day. Usually, fifteen minutes was enough for washing up, and he’d be downstairs by 5:30 AM to catch the crew’s car. After arriving at the set, there was still makeup and styling to do before the 8:00 a.m. start.
But today, the sound came unusually early.
Ran Lin even felt like he hadn’t slept much.
And it wasn’t the phone alarm, but someone… knocking?
Ran Lin instantly woke up with a start and sat up swiftly, his first reaction being that something had gone wrong, his heart pounding with fear.
“Ran Ge…” Through the door, Liu Wanwan’s voice sounded uncertain.
Ran Lin let out a sigh of relief and gradually calmed down, finding it funny to himself. He must have had some nightmare that he forgot upon waking, still in a state of tension.
Getting out of bed, Ran Lin, dressed in a tank top and shorts, opened the door. “What’s up?”
“What do you mean what’s up? It’s time to head to the set…” Liu Wanwan, looking puzzled, then realized that Ran Lin seemed like he had just woken up, uncertainly said, “Ran Ge, you haven’t washed your face or brushed your teeth yet?”
Ran Lin frowned, yawning sleepily. “What time is it? My alarm hasn’t gone off yet.”
Liu Wanwan stared at him intently and said seriously, “Brother, it’s 5:25.”
Ran Lin was stunned, his mouth still open mid-yawn, frozen in place.
Liu Wanwan guessed, “Did you forget to charge your phone?”
Ignoring his assistant, Ran Lin rushed back into the room and picked up his phone from the bedside table. Indeed, it was dead, completely powered off.
“Give me five minutes!” Dropping this phrase, Ran Lin dashed into the bathroom.
Liu Wanwan sighed, thinking this wasn’t Ran Lin’s style; he was always meticulous, so how could he have forgotten to charge his phone.
Ran Lin, brushing his teeth, looked at his dark circles in the mirror, sighing with mixed feelings.
Despite rushing, Ran Lin was still five minutes late. He immediately apologized to the driver.
After a month and a half of working together, the driver was familiar with him and waved it off indifferently. “Five minutes is nothing. I’ve waited for five hours before.”
With that, he pressed the gas pedal and headed straight for the set.
While getting his makeup done, the makeup artist teased Ran Lin, “Did you go out stealing last night? Look at those dark circles. You could rival a panda.”
Tang Xiaoyu, also getting makeup done nearby, was baffled, thinking that it was he who had had a passionate night, while Ran Lin looked utterly drained.
But after the makeup, the dark circles were no longer visible.
Today, in Group A’s drama scenes, Ran Lin was still acting with the female lead, but there were a few scenes where Xu Chongfei had to be in the background, so Tang Xiaoyu was also present, ready to enter the frame at any time. Lu Yiyao was filming with Group B at another location for scenes in the Bodhi Temple with Abbot Hai Kong. According to the schedule, Ran Lin wouldn’t see Lu Yiyao for the entire day.
Previously, when filming in separate groups from Lu Yiyao, Ran Lin would always unconsciously think about the scenes Lu Yiyao was filming and how he was acting. It was unintentional, like someone who’s always around suddenly isn’t there one day, making you feel that something’s off and compelling you to keep thinking about that absent partner.
But today, not having Lu Yiyao in Group A oddly gave Ran Lin some peace of mind.
Otherwise, seeing him would remind Ran Lin of his hopeless and risky unrequited love, which would indeed distract him during acting.
Murphy’s Law says, if you worry about something happening, it’s more likely to occur.
When Liu Wanwan handed over the phone saying, “Xi Jie is looking for you. It’s urgent,” Ran Lin thought of this law.
In fact, since the alarm didn’t go off this morning and Liu Wanwan knocked on his door, waking him up with a start, it seemed to foreshadow that something was going to happen today.
“Just focus on filming on set. Don’t say a word. Don’t take any interview calls. Leave everything to me. These kinds of baseless rumors without solid evidence aren’t hard to deal with, but…” Wang Xi’s voice lowered, almost warningly, “Privately, you can’t have any contact with Lu Yiyao, at least for this period. We can’t give people another chance to speculate, understand?”
“Yeah.” Ran Lin didn’t know what else to say.
Many times, things happen without warning, and then, under the instigation of those with ulterior motives and the public’s eagerness for gossip, they spread like wildfire, engulfing him. He could only watch helplessly as the flames soared high into the sky.
Liu Wanwan had already received the news during Ran Lin’s filming and saw the updates. She felt especially sorry for Ran Lin, softly advising, “Xi Jie said it’s fine, so it’s fine. Besides, Lu Yiyao’s team is there too. These kinds of frivolous news are common, just sensational headlines; no one takes them seriously.”
Ran Lin moved his lips as if trying to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. His eyes fixated on the phone screen, where his and Lu Yiyao’s names had once again landed on the hot search, but this time with an additional keyword—Lu Yiyao, Ran Lin, hotel room.
……
During lunch break on the set of Group B’s drama scenes.
Everyone was eating boxed lunches when Lu Yiyao was pulled aside by Li Tong to take a call from his agent.
Yao Hong was calling Lu Yiyao’s phone, while his assistant considerately handed over his own phone to Lu Yiyao, displaying the news that had been spreading like wildfire on Weibo all morning—
[Shocking Same-Sex Love in the Entertainment Industry, Photos of Lu Yiyao and Ran Lin Entering a Hotel Room Exposed!]
“What exactly did you do last night?” Yao Hong, in Lu Yiyao’s studio in Beijing, was overwhelmed by this news, as the entire PR team was in a frenzy.
“We just had dinner, and Tang Xiaoyu was with us.” Lu Yiyao, looking at the two photos on Weibo, didn’t think the situation was too serious but was more angry than anything else.
The photos were taken on the evening of that dinner, capturing the moment he and Ran Lin entered the side door of a hotel. They seemed to be continuous shots, with the only difference being their distance from the hotel’s side door.
In the photos, he and Ran Lin weren’t doing anything inappropriate; they were just walking side by side into the hotel while chatting, a completely normal interaction between friends.
But with the marketing accounts’ spin of “late-night secret meetings,” “hotel room rendezvous,” “tender words exchanged,” “oblivious to others,” the story took on a life of its own, thrilling the gossipy public.
In just one morning, the news about “Lu Yiyao spending the night with a male star in a hotel” swept through Weibo like a hurricane.
“Tang Xiaoyu was there? Why isn’t he in the photos? Were they edited out?” Yao Hong’s immediate concern was to ascertain the truth. Only by understanding the whole situation could she develop an effective response.
Lu Yiyao pondered for two seconds before replying, “He had something else to do after dinner and didn’t return to the hotel with us.”
“Do you think he might come forward to explain for you?” Yao Hong was genuinely asking, needing to explore all possible solutions.
Lu Yiyao fell silent.
He thought Tang Xiaoyu might help if it didn’t endanger his girlfriend, but now he couldn’t be sure, as everyone had their own concerns.
“Which hotel did you have dinner at?” Yao Hong changed the subject.
Lu Yiyao, having chosen the restaurant, knew the details well and provided the name, address, and the exact time they had dinner.
Yao Hong noted everything down, then said, “Just focus on your filming. Leave everything else to me. Don’t answer any calls… Actually, don’t answer any calls at all. I’ll coordinate with Wang Xi. We’ll synchronize our statements and try to debunk this rumor as fast as possible, reversing the public opinion.”
Lu Yiyao narrowed his eyes. He was angry, but not at the rumor itself; Yao Hong’s serious approach made him realize the situation might be more complicated. “Ran Lin and I are filming together and staying in the same hotel. How could anyone believe such a nonsensical story?”
There was a moment of silence on the phone before Yao Hong said, “There’s someone behind this.”
Lu Yiyao’s expression slowly turned cold.
Since his debut, he had been subjected to slander and rumors, usually out of jealousy or frustration at losing good opportunities to him. But this time, involving Ran Lin, was especially intolerable for him.
And in the comments, some were accusing Ran Lin of fabricating the story.
Using a scandal that could ruin an acting career for publicity was absurd.
Yao Hong, clearly seeing through the situation, knew both he and Ran Lin were victims, hence her suggestion to coordinate with Wang Xi.
“Can we find out who’s behind it?” Lu Yiyao asked about the instigator.
“For now, we don’t have time for that. Debunking the rumor is the priority,” Yao Hong said calmly. “It’s not a big deal. Just focus on your filming.”
Lu Yiyao looked up at the intricately carved eaves overhead, lost in thought.
“Don’t have any more private contact with Ran Lin for the time being,” Yao Hong added.
Lu Yiyao’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, a hint of displeasure in his voice. “This has nothing to do with him.”
“It does,” Yao Hong replied steadily. “Everyone is watching you two now. Any little thing could be exaggerated and misconstrued. Do you know if there are paparazzi on the set? Do you know which of your words or actions could be taken out of context?”
“I’ll be careful,” Lu Yiyao said.
Yao Hong sighed. “If you could be absolutely discreet, today’s incident wouldn’t have happened.”
Lu Yiyao fell silent, no longer speaking.
Yao Hong knew he had taken her words to heart. She understood that while others saw Lu Yiyao as a gentleman with a mild temperament, he was actually someone who could endure and restrain himself. Deep down, he was fiercely indignant, ready to challenge any injustice.
Feeling more empathetic towards him, Yao Hong reassured him softly, “Don’t worry, I’m here. Just do well in this film, and when you rise high enough, these things won’t matter anymore.”
It was a beautiful day, with clear skies and a gentle breeze.
But as Lu Yiyao looked up, all he could see was the red, flaking paint on the eaves.
“Lu Ge?” Li Tong, seeing Lu Yiyao standing still after hanging up the phone, asked worriedly.
“It’s nothing.” Lu Yiyao smiled at his assistant. “I’d like some coffee.”
They were on a film set with only tea available. Wanting coffee meant going out to buy it, and there was no telling how far he’d have to go. But seeing his boss, entangled in a scandal, looking so forlorn, Li Tong didn’t hesitate. “Just a moment, Lu Ge. I’ll get your coffee right away!”
As Li Tong dashed off, Lu Yiyao’s smile faded. By the time he made another call, his expression had turned icy.
Everyone in Group B knew about the scandal involving their leading man. Since it was lunch break, no one wanted to intrude; they all kept their distance, giving Lu Yiyao space under the corner eaves.
“Is five people enough? Mom also saw the news and is really angry. She said not just five people, but fifty could be sent over on a chartered flight for you.”
His sister’s words, spoken in just a few sentences, dispelled much of the anger clouding his heart. Lu Yiyao’s icy demeanor thawed somewhat. “No need. Five is enough. Too many would attract attention, and there are only three of them over there.”
Lu Yimeng was still uneasy. “Are you sure?”
“Sure,” Lu Yiyao said. “They’ve been watching me since I joined the crew. It’s always the same three people, and two of them are old friends who have been with me since the year before last, even longer than my assistant.”
Lu Yimeng frowned. “They really are devoted to you. You’re quite patient.”
“Every profession is tough. We all need to eat. It’s okay as long as there’s a limit,” Lu Yiyao said, pausing. When he looked up again, his eyes had turned cold again. “But this time, they crossed the line.”
……
Though they were both in Hengdian Film and Television Studios, the filming area of Zhang Beichen’s crew and that of <Sword of Fallen Flowers> were far apart, in two completely different scenic areas within the studio. The crew of <Sword of Fallen Flowers> was already resting at noon, while Zhang Beichen’s crew was still busy.
Due to the second female lead, the progress of the crew had been severely slowed down. She was someone the investors had forcefully inserted, and everyone in the crew, though angry, dared not speak out. They could only use their rest time to extend working hours to make up for the lost progress.
Zhang Beichen had hardly had a moment to breathe all morning.
Finally, during a group scene, with more time needed for props and extra coordination, he managed to find a moment to sit on a lounge chair to rest and check his phone, wanting to see if his scandal was still fermenting or if there had been any turnaround.
His face changed as soon as he saw it.
He quickly stood up and moved to a secluded corner, dialing his agent’s phone number at the hotel. As soon as the other side picked up, he didn’t wait for them to speak and asked aggressively, “Was it you who did it?”
Wu Xuefeng seemed prepared and replied naturally, “Yeah, it’s quite effective, isn’t it? See, how many people are still talking about those two lousy photos of yours?”
Zhang Beichen, trying hard to contain his urge to roar, asked, “Why didn’t you tell me before you did it!”
“If I had told you, would it have been done?” Wu Xuefeng asked lightly in return.
Zhang Beichen almost squeezed the words out of his teeth. “They, are, my, friends.”
“I knew you would react this way, so I acted first and reported later,” Wu Xuefeng said calmly, his tone getting lighter, indicating his confidence. “Can friends be eaten as food? What did they do when you were in trouble? Oh right, they sent two insipid condolences and then disappeared. Remember, at any time, the only ones who can help you are yourself and me.”
Zhang Beichen’s chest heaved violently, but he couldn’t find words to refute.
Wu Xuefeng knew his artist well. He could speak harshly, and the harsher and more straightforward he was, the quicker Zhang Beichen understood. But after being harsh, he always offered some comfort. “Don’t worry too much. Such rumors won’t last long with Yao Hong and Wang Xi around. A stir and a denial, and it will soon pass.”
Before Zhang Beichen could respond, Wu Xuefeng brought up another matter. “We found the person who leaked your photos, Li Zimo.”
Zhang Beichen frowned. “Who is that?”
Wu Xuefeng explained, “The one previously with Mr. Qin, who knows he was replaced by you, wasn’t content.”
“He’s crazy.” Zhang Beichen suddenly felt it was an undeserved disaster. “Mr. Qin has a revolving door of people around him. He wasn’t the first, and I won’t be the last. What’s the use of troubling me?”
“He thought he would be the last,” Wu Xuefeng said, surprisingly empathetic.
“Hah.” Zhang Beichen suddenly wanted to meet this foolish person. “Really funny.”
Wu Xuefeng also found it amusing, but only for now. In the future, he always had to find a way to let this little-known but uncooperative young actor continue to fade into obscurity until he couldn’t stay in the entertainment industry anymore.
But for now, it was more important to completely awaken his own artist—
“In this matter, you should also see that Mr. Qin can give you resources, but he can’t help you with troubles. If you become more famous, he’s willing to play with you for a while longer. If you’re like Li Zimo, who can’t be helped, he’ll discard you quickly. So…” Wu Xuefeng’s voice deepened, somewhat earnest. “The only ones who truly want you to succeed and spare no effort to help you are me and yourself.”
Wu Xuefeng listened to the silence on the other end of the phone, slowly sipping tea from a hotel tea bag, which tasted alright.
“Don’t dwell on it. If they really considered you a friend, they wouldn’t suspect you. Even if they did suspect, they wouldn’t find any evidence. Don’t be foolish enough to confess. There’s never been any leniency for honesty in this circle.”
“That’s why you can’t make real friends.” There seemed to be a laugh on the phone, laced with sarcasm, though it was unclear who was being mocked.
The call ended.
Zhang Beichen opened WeChat and found the chat group Chen Sheng Wu Guang. Just a few irrelevant words, he could almost recite them by heart. But he still wanted to see them again.
After an unknown amount of time.
Zhang Beichen exited WeChat and flipped through his contacts to find Ran Lin’s number. Several times, his finger almost touched the call button.
But in the end, when the assistant came to remind him that it was time to start the next scene, he still hadn’t made the call.
As the sun set and the streetlights started to illuminate, a pink Beetle navigated the not-so-smooth roads, swerving and dodging, moving forward in twists and turns.
Soon, they arrived at a roundabout. According to the map, taking the north exit would lead them directly to the dock, while the east exit would take them to the bridge.
Without any hesitation, Wu Sheng drove out from the north exit.
As if the zombies had disappeared with the sunset, the wide expressway was empty except for the occasional abandoned car with its hazard lights flashing.
Qian Ai’s tense nerves slightly relaxed, and he noticed the gun in Xu Wang’s hand, blurting out unexpectedly, “Captain, you’re using stationery now?”
Xu Wang, holding the Lightning Gun, turned around. “It’s bound to be used, so might as well have it out for defense.”
Qian Ai looked at the shiny weapon, feeling a bit odd. “The look of this gun… are you sure it’s real? It looks like a crystal model to me.”
Since they ran out, Qian Ai hadn’t heard a single gunshot, indicating the captain hadn’t actually pulled the trigger yet, just holding it for a morale boost.
Xu Wang didn’t like his long-awaited weapon being questioned. “If it weren’t for the limited bullets, I’d show you a shot right now and let you know what it means to shoot a hundred and never miss. I’ll become like the modern-day Li Guang*.”
*A Chinese military general of the Western Han dynasty. Nicknamed “Flying General” by the Xiongnu. He’s known for his archery and is often associated with archery excellence and martial prowess. In one song, he’s known to have pierced a stone with an arrow.
Qian Ai still felt it was a bit wasteful to use such a fancy ‘stationery’ so early. “Actually, you should’ve tried the shaver first. Maybe like Wu Sheng’s scythe, it has added lethality!”
Xu Wang: “You can have it.”
Qian Ai: “Goodbye.”
“No, seriously, where are you taking my car…?” The Beetle’s driver, completely baffled by the “villains'” conversation, finally voiced his complaints and fears.
“To the docks,” Kuang Jinxin kindly answered.
The driver’s face changed. “Why the docks? Let me tell you, the north side of the city is even more chaotic than the south now. It’s literally hell on earth!”
Xu Wang immediately turned around. “Explain.”
“The virus broke out from the north side. I was there too, barely managed to cross the river back to the south on a boat.” The driver’s face turned pale. “Now everyone’s taking refuge in the south. The north is practically a dead city. Going there is like diving into a monster pit!”
Xu Wang said, “You’ve seen our fighting capability.”
The driver shook his head vigorously. “It’s no use. These zombies here are the lowest level. The ones in the north—the early-stage or near early-stage—are the real monsters. You won’t stand a chance!”
“Zombies have levels?”
“Yes, the closer to the source of the virus they are infected, the more thorough the mutation, and the more ferocious their capabilities!”
“Where’s the source of the infection?”
“The Central Hospital.”
The air suddenly became quiet, and the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.
Even the Beetle’s driver felt it. “What’s wrong?”
Seeing his three teammates immersed in the sorrow of ‘life’s hardships’, Wu Sheng took on the role of ‘external communicator’. “We are actually heading to the Central Hospital.”
He had anticipated this.
From easy to difficult, that’s the rule of many things, especially in the “Owl,” where after all the hardships, the last thing is usually a big challenge. This is quite in line with the usual logic of the “Owl.”
“What, did, you, say?!” The Beetle’s driver panicked, unable to sit still any longer. “The docks, right? Just drop me off at the docks. You can have the car. I’ll go home myself!”
“How will you go back by yourself!” Qian Ai quickly restrained him.
The driver insisted, “It’s still better than going to the hospital to die!”
These words made Qian Ai’s heart tremble. He uncertainly looked at the captain and the advisor. “If the hospital is the source of the infection, then everyone inside must already be infected. Even if we bring the vaccines over, who are we giving them to?”
Kuang Jinxin pondered. “To the Zombie King?”
Qian Ai was speechless. “Brother, this is a vaccine, for preventing infection, not for curing!”
Wu Sheng said, “If the hospital is infected, yet we’re still tasked with delivering vaccines, then there must be an extremely hidden place inside that hasn’t fallen, with people still holding out, waiting to contribute to saving the world with their last breath.”
Xu Wang watched his confident expression. “You’re so sure?”
Wu Sheng quickly glanced back at him with a smile curling at his lips. “If I’m wrong, I’ll let you have the next chance to show off.”
“I don’t have such a need, okay…”
Xu Wang retorted somewhat grumpily, yet he couldn’t help but feel a swell of excitement in his heart.
It’s like a person who loves sweets telling someone who loves spicy food that he’s giving them his best candy.
The spicy lover has no interest in sweets.
But that’s the sweet lover’s best offering.
From this, it was evident that in these short seven days, he and Wu Sheng had bridged a gap of ten years of estrangement, returning to their high school camaraderie.
Xu Wang, in his self-absorbed deductions, couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy, quickly lowering his head to hide his emotions.
Wu Sheng didn’t notice the passenger’s whirlwind of thoughts, as he was focused on the road and contemplating the profound question of “what exactly is the captain’s need”.
The last sliver of the sunset completely vanished into the night. At the end of the road, the river was shivering under the light of the streetlights. A boat was gently rocking at the dockside.
They had arrived at the docks.
Wu Sheng lightly pressed the brake, slowing down to observe the surroundings from the last fifty meters.
However, just as the car slowed, a voice simultaneously echoed in the ears of all four companions—
[Owl: Someone has used [(Offense) Drifting Hearse] on you~~]
In the next moment, the Beetle lost all response to Wu Sheng’s controls. It suddenly levitated and continued to “drive” forward in the air!
The four turned around in shock, or more precisely, looked back and down. Just a few meters behind and below their vehicle, the truck they had seen earlier outside the mall was silently moving forward as if muted!
No, not just muted—if the truck had been following them all along and Wu Sheng hadn’t noticed in the rearview mirror, it meant they had also used some item to “cloak” the truck!
But, if the truck was in front of them earlier, how did it get behind them?
“Damn, are they trying to throw us into the river?!” Qian Ai watched as the Beetle approached the water’s surface, his breath hitching. “I can’t swim—”
“Swimming won’t help.” the Beetle’s driver’s voice dropped, as if resigned to his fate. “The river is full of infected mutant fish. Fall in, and you’ll be gnawed to bones.”
Qian Ai: “…Do we have to go to such extremes?!”
“Sorry about this—” A voice of apology floated up from below, as if responding to Qian Ai’s lament.
With no zombies in the air, the four decided to roll down the windows and look down.
They saw no more zombies hanging from the truck; they must have been dealt with. In the two-seater cab of the truck, four young men around their twenties were crammed in. The one speaking to them from the passenger side window had a unique hairstyle. His sides were shaved extremely short, with the longer middle part tied back into a captivating braid.
What was more amazing was that this hairstyle, on him, didn’t look odd at all but instead seemed somewhat artistic and handsome.
That goes to show, the face is really important.
At that moment, the young man with the braids was sticking his head out, looking up at them with a look of apology on his face. “We didn’t intend to compete with you for this spot, but since there’s only one boat… let’s be considerate of each other—”
“Understood, understood. The situation is tough.” Xu Wang reached back for an explosive ball and tossed it out the window onto the top of the truck’s cab. “Here, have a ball—”
No matter how good-looking the competitors are, it doesn’t matter.
Besides, they’ve seen better in the Endless Sea.
The ball bounced twice on the roof and then exploded, filling the windshield with vibrant colors.
“Fuck—” the driver cursed, slamming on the brakes.
The river was ahead, and with the obstructed view, it was better to stop early than risk falling in.
“Talk too much and you’ll slip up…” A refined-looking student in the truck, who hadn’t spoken until then, sighed faintly in disapproval of his noisy teammate.
At that moment, Xu Wang and his companions’ car had floated to the riverside!
Xu Wang grabbed Kuang Jinxin’s plastic bag, hung it out of the window for those below to see, and loudly threatened, “This bag is full of explosives. If you dare throw us into the river, we’ll blow up your transportation!”
The driver popped his head out and flipped him off. “We’re at the river’s edge. Who needs a truck now!”
Xu Wang was taken aback, his threat feeling feeble and ineffective.
The handsome braid, the one who had just apologized, if not for the distance, might have reached out to push the driver’s head. “They’re talking about blowing up the boat! The boat! Ah, how many old ladies’ seats did I steal in my past life to end up with a captain like you—”
“Wait, let’s not fight,” said the only one wearing a fisherman’s hat in the truck. His earnest face was full of a sincere desire for “a team should all get along”. “Should I throw them or not?”
As this was being discussed, Xu Wang and their car suddenly stopped, perfectly positioned over the riverbank. A tad more forward, and it would fall into the water!
“The [Drifting Hearse] is his doing,” Wu Sheng whispered.
Xu Wang nodded barely perceptibly, murmuring, “Leave it to me.”
Eliminating the user of the stationery would automatically cancel the stationery effect.
And their car absolutely couldn’t drift even a centimeter forward. This was their only chance.
Wu Sheng knew Xu Wang was preparing to fire the first shot but was uncertain about the gun’s power. “Xiao Kuang’s explosive ball didn’t even crack their windshield. They must have used some protection.”
Xu Wang chuckled. “If it can’t even break a piece of armor, how can it be called ‘Unerring Accuracy’?”
For some reason, ever since he held the gun, he felt unusually confident, as if he could sense the legendary weapon’s power.
Inside the truck, the four were apparently arguing about whether or not to “accept the threat”.
Xu Wang held his breath. He stealthily extended out his hand holding the gun and aimed it at the chest of the guy wearing the fisherman hat. Then he pulled the trigger!
Under the night sky, a straight, piercing stream of water shot towards the truck’s windshield—so straight it was like a thin steel rod!
“Fwish—”
The swift stream of water indeed hit the windshield.
Then, the water splattered into a curtain, running down the glass…
Sometimes, your feelings for stationery might just be unrequited. — [Captain Xu’s Combat Diary]
The four inside the truck stopped arguing, perplexedly looking at their windshields, which had been washed clean.
The handsome braid bewilderedly looked at his teammates. “Why are they washing our truck…”
“Begging for mercy,” the driver, also the team captain with a buzz cut, confidently said. “That bag isn’t really explosives. They know they can’t fool us, so they’re blatantly begging for mercy.”
The fisherman-hat guy felt conflicted. “How can I act on this…”
The student with delicate features, who had been calm since the beginning, sighed. “To give roses, one’s hands will linger with its fragrance*. We might meet again in the future; if we can make a connection, let’s not make enemies.”
*Proverb referring to giving will also make you happy.
Midair, inside the Beetle.
Qian Ai: “Captain, this is kind of awkward now.”
Xu Wang remained silent, still holding down the trigger, clinging to his last bit of persistence.
Kuang Jinxin looked at the transparent water gun, then at the stream of water, and finally at the fisherman-hat guy, confidently saying, “Captain, it really is ‘Unerring Accuracy’. I saw the trajectory; if there wasn’t a windshield, the stream would have hit that person’s chest!”
“……” Captain Xu didn’t feel comforted.
There are no ‘ifs’ in the world. If there were, he wouldn’t have fired in the first place!
“A high-pressure water gun,” Wu Sheng suddenly said calmly.
Xu Wang finally reacted, continuing to shoot but turning his head towards Wu Sheng with a hint of hope. “Hmm?”
“I mean, this is a high-pressure water gun,” Wu Sheng said coolly. “If it directly hits a person or zombie, it might pierce through.”
The hope in Xu Wang’s heart, which had died, flickered alive again. “Really?”
Wu Sheng slowly nodded, as if to empower him.
Xu Wang took a deep breath, feeling his fighting spirit returning.
Qian Ai, utterly baffled, decided to ask anyway. “Captain, I’m still confused about something.”
Xu Wang didn’t look at him. His gaze was fixed on the windshield below, determined to fight to the end. “Speak.”
Qian Ai: “You said that every word in stationery matters. I understand ‘Unerring Accuracy’, but what about ‘Lightning’?”
Xu Wang: “……”
Qian Ai: “……”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Kuang Jinxin: “……”
It was a very pointed question.
So pointed that it gave all the companions an ominous premonition.
As if not wanting to let them down, right after Qian Ai’s last “what about”, Xu Wang’s gun suddenly lit up with a myriad of colors—purple, green, yellow, blue, red, orange, and a mix of rainbow colors, like a disco ball’s colorful spinning lights.
At the same time, rhythmic music burst out along with the stream from the gun’s nozzle, notes seemingly dancing within each water droplet.
Such a dynamic beat nostalgically reminded them of the 80s’ breakdance music.
“No colorful lights~~ No intoxicating drinks~~ Under the moonlight~~ Let’s dance, let’s dance, disco~~ disco~~ disco~~*”
*These are lyrics from the song “Moonlight Disco” by Zhang Qiang, who is hailed as the Chinese Disco Queen due to her covers of western disco songs in her early career.
Inside the truck.
Handsome Braid: “They’ve started playing music, but the song is so weird…”
Fisherman Hat: “This way of showing goodwill is too sincere… Captain, it’s too hard to hurt people. Can I just use defense stationeries in the future?”
Buzzcut (driver and captain): “Fuck, why the hell do I want to move to this beat…”
When the security guard led the four to the side door of the mall, mysteriously handing over two items, they all wiped a cold sweat from their hearts. They had been too engrossed in selecting weapons and almost forgot the key point of this stage: Deliver vaccines… But first, they needed the vaccines!
Fortunately, the NPC of the mission line was diligent.
“All other doors are sealed. Only this one is accessible. Hurry up! Run towards the sunset of victory—”
After giving this “encouragement of love”, the security guard disappeared at the end of the mall; his great deed remained hidden.
The two items were a mini metal briefcase containing vaccines and a city map drawn on oil paper.
Outside the side door, there wasn’t a pedestrian street but a road. At that moment, several cars were parked haphazardly, looking as if the drivers had abandoned them in an emergency. Bloodstains on the ground spoke of the gruesomeness of their escape.
According to the map, their current location was in the southern part of the city, and the hospital was in the north. A river horizontally divided the south and north. To reach the north, they must cross the river, either by water or over a bridge.
Taking the waterway would be a straight line north through the commercial district, dock, and to the hospital, which was the shortest route. Taking the bridge would mean going east, then north, and finally west once they reached the north, a thrice-fold path doubling the journey.
Qian Ai looked at the clear map and said without hesitation, “If everyone has this map, then surely all teams would choose the waterway.”
“So the competition at the docks will be fierce.” Xu Wang carefully placed the vaccine box into his backpack.
“Then let’s do the opposite and head east to cross the bridge.” Qian Ai decisively changed his mind.
Wu Sheng shook his head. “Teams thinking like us might all swarm to the bridge to avoid the fray.”
Qian Ai was exasperated. “So it’s a vicious cycle?”
The captain and advisor looked at him. “We’re going to the dock.”
Qian Ai: “…Why?”
Captain Xu: “Shorter route, faster speed.”
Advisor Wu: “Even if we encounter competitors, they’ll regret why they chose this unfortunate path—one of no return.”
Captain Xu looked at his advisor, giving a rare affirmation during his moment of arrogance. “I admire your confidence.”
Advisor Wu accepted the praise with a smile. “You’re also quite decisive.”
Qian Ai: “……”
Kuang Jinxin, who had been silent, patted his teammate’s shoulder comfortingly. “See, this is why I never interrupt.”
Qian Ai felt genuinely hurt, still not understanding the principle and desperately needing his teammates to clarify. “Why not?”
Kuang Jinxin blinked blankly. “No reason. Just a gut feeling.”
Qian Ai: “……”
He felt as if the whole world had abandoned him.
“Bang—Bang—Bang—”
The thunderous collision noise was deafening, as if exploding right next to their ears. It not only made their scalps numb and their bodies shudder but also caused the entire glass door to tremble!
They all looked up sharply to see a heavy cargo truck crazily advancing on the road outside the door. The haphazardly parked cars were being knocked aside, spinning off to the roadside. The truck, with its sheer weight and speed, was clearing a bloody path through the congested two-lane road!
Finally, the truck cleared the last obstructing vehicle. But at that moment, all four heard the sound of a large group of people running frantically, getting louder as they approached!
After the truck cleared the obstacles and floored the gas pedal, just as it was about to leave the four’s field of vision, a horde of zombies chased after it from behind!
Their faces were swollen, drooling profusely, with wounds on their faces, necks, chests, and limbs. It seemed like endless pus and blood oozed from their wounds. Their skin turned a non-human, cyanotic hue, making them look like bloated corpses soaked in formalin for years.
Yet, their speed was unmistakable, like a group of adrenaline-charged people running wildly on the dusty road, crazily chasing the truck.
Perhaps, in their eyes, the truck wasn’t a vehicle but a moving meal box.
Finally, the truck left the four’s line of sight, but at that last moment, a tall, thin zombie, like a frog, leaped up and clung to the rear of the truck. Its legs dragged and scraped on the ground for a few meters due to the truck’s high speed before it managed to climb onto the cargo area.
And so, the truck drove away with that one zombie, leaving behind the chasing horde. Some persistently followed, while others stopped, standing around in confusion.
Suddenly, one of the zombies turned towards the glass door, tilting its head slightly and sizing it up in a daze. Then suddenly, with a howl, it charged towards them at full force!
The four instinctively retreated, and Qian Ai, moving too quickly, stumbled and fell to the ground. Simultaneously, the zombie slammed into the tempered glass door, causing a loud thud!
The side door wasn’t chained, but luckily, its automatic lock was relatively sturdy.
If it had been a person, they would have shattered their bones with such an impact. But the unsuccessful zombie continued to scratch and bite at the door in vain.
“We need to find a car…” Xu Wang, overwhelmed by the visual shock, tried to steady his trembling voice.
“Captain.” Qian Ai wanted to cry. “We can’t even get out right now. Can you not think so far ahead!”
“We’ll die without a car even if we get out,” Wu Sheng said. “So ‘getting out’ and ‘getting in a car’ must seamlessly connect.”
“How do we get out? Where are the cars? You mean those wrecked ones?” Qian Ai regretted it and really wanted to suggest to his teammates to just sit here and wait until 5 p.m. so they could all go home. TAT
“Screech—”
Suddenly, the sound of tires screeching against the asphalt resounded.
Xu Wang looked at his teammates, surprised, as if he had brought them this good luck. “Lao Qian, the car’s here!”
Qian Ai: “……”
Why did his wish come true now after being so unlucky for so long?!
Following the screech, the dozen or so stranded zombies collectively howled, like a carnival. The zombie that was pressed against the door immediately turned around, rushing back to the road and joining its brethren.
Only then did the four clearly see what stopped: a pink Beetle car, but unlike the normal single-door Beetles, this one had two doors on each side and was slightly larger overall. The two front lights even had eyelashes stuck on them, resembling a pair of eyes, flirting with pedestrians at any time.
This was the “Owl”, where seeing a car model not available in the market wasn’t strange. However, unique as it might be, without the weight of a truck, it needed the audacity of “whoever blocks it gets rammed”. Unfortunately, it lacked both, so its arrival was akin to a free head delivery*.
*Online term, usually in gaming, where it means to feed your opponents (by either purposefully or inadvertently getting yourself killed). Basically, a free kill.
“Xiao Kuang, give me some of your explosive balls,” Wu Sheng suddenly said.
Xu Wang immediately understood. “You want to distract the zombies?”
“Let me throw one to test the waters.” Wu Sheng took a handful of small balls from Kuang Jinxin. “If it works, we’ll scatter them all at once and make a run for it. We can’t let that car get away.”
Xu Wang felt conflicted, sensing that both they and the zombies were bad news for the Beetle’s owner.
The dozen or so zombies had already shifted their attention to the pink car, which was now surrounded. Several zombies had even jumped onto the car’s roof, bouncing with force as if celebrating.
Wu Sheng quietly disengaged the automatic door lock, grabbed the door handle, pushed it open with a forceful thrust, then quickly closed it again!
Click.
As the automatic lock clicked into place, the explosive ball landed on the road, about a dozen meters away. It first bounced half a meter high, then hit the ground and bounced again before exploding with a “bang”.
The noise was intimidating, yet what burst out was a colorful display.
“These are fireworks, aren’t they?” Qian Ai said, holding a screwdriver and finally feeling a bit relieved.
Wu Sheng frowned, obviously surprised that he had miscalculated the type and amount of explosive.
“It’s fine,” Xu Wang said. “The noise is enough.”
The trio looked up, and indeed, a third of the zombies that were surrounding the Beetle had now, fast or slow, moved towards the lingering smoke of the explosion.
Wu Sheng no longer hesitated, quickly reopened the door, and once again threw a handful of the colorful explosive balls towards the same spot!
The balls fell like rain, bouncing and exploding in a brilliant display.
“Bang, bang, bang—”
The splendor of the explosions was undeniable.
The zombies still around the car couldn’t remain calm and rushed towards the explosion site, and the first third of the zombies that had run over were now blasted into the air!
“I said it was an explosive.” Wu Sheng turned back, glancing coolly at Qian Ai. “And it definitely is.”
Qian Ai: “……”
Xu Wang was at a loss for words. “Let’s not boast at a time like this. Focus on the car!”
Just as the four focused on the Beetle, the last zombie on the car roof jumped down and ran towards the “rain of color”.
The path to the vehicle was clear.
The four immediately rushed out the door. Xu Wang, running at the rear and still wanting a real weapon for defense, gritted his teeth and selected the [Lightning Gun with Unerring Accuracy], which he had been eager to try since he got it.
The driver inside the Beetle, still bewildered by the explosion, saw four “villains” running out of the nearby mall: one wielding a scythe, one holding a screwdriver, one carrying a plastic bag, and one holding a crystal-clear, diamond-bright pistol in the sunset!
The Beetle’s driver instinctively knew he needed to flee, but his body was too stiff to move. Then, a scythe hooked directly onto his car door handle!
“Open the door—”
The villain with the scythe even yelled at him! TAT
Huh?
Can talk?
Can communicate?
Is it a person?!
Facing the “civilized driver” who could even brake sharply when zombies blocked the road, he immediately opened the door for his fellow human.
The one with the plastic bag and the one with the screwdriver squeezed into the back seat, while the one with the gun sat in the passenger seat without hesitation. Only the one with the scythe remained motionless until the other three were settled. Then, he pushed the scythe into the back seat. “Can’t put it in front. Hold it for me.”
Qian Ai, avoiding the blade with all his flexibility, reached out to grab the handle, but just as he did, the scythe was yanked away!
A zombie, coming from nowhere, pounced towards Wu Sheng from the side!
Advisor Wu instinctively made a horizontal slash with the scythe. The blade directly hit the zombie’s neck. With a “whoosh” the zombie’s head was cut clean off!
The head rolled forward a couple of times before coming to a stop, eyes still wide open in death.
Wu Sheng was no less shocked than the “victim”.
Firstly, decapitating someone—even a zombie—isn’t like chopping vegetables; it requires a physiological and psychological adjustment.
Secondly, severing a human neck isn’t so easy, especially since his hands were more accustomed to typing on a keyboard than wielding the godlike strength to cleave someone in two with a single blow!
“Wu Sheng—” Xu Wang leaned over, urging through the rear car window. “Hurry up and get in the car!”
Advisor Wu, who had just “killed” his first zombie, came back to his senses and immediately stuffed the scythe back into the back seat.
Qian Ai, who almost got cut by the scythe’s blade, finally managed to lay across the wooden handle, but with a desire to cry without tears. “I mean, can’t you choose a safer weapon, like a screwdriver? It’s quite good!”
“It’s not cool enough.” After passing the scythe, Advisor Wu left this simple and clear reason, then decisively slammed the rear door shut, pulled open the front door, and squeezed into the driver’s seat.
“Hey, hey, hey—” Just as the Beetle’s driver was about to protest, he was pulled over by four arms stretching from the back seat.
The Beetle’s driver was about to have a breakdown. “Be careful with the scythe. Ahhhh—”
Finally, Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin, and the Beetle’s driver settled in the back seat. Captain Xu in the passenger seat had already fastened his seatbelt. Seeing Wu Sheng so naturally taking the driver’s seat, he casually asked, “Are you good at driving?”
Wu Sheng was holding the steering wheel in one hand and shifting gears with the other. “Let me put it this way, if Qian Ai’s [Mr. Thirteen of the Middle Ring] were mine…”
Xu Wang: “Like adding wings to a tiger?”
Wu Sheng: “Straight to scrap.”
Xu Wang: “…You’re better than Mr. Thirteen of the Middle Ring?”
Wu Sheng: “I knew you’d understand.”
Xu Wang: “I, do, not!!!”
As Captain Xu roared, Advisor Wu floored the accelerator, and the Beetle charged forward towards the zombies!
“You’ll hit someone if you rush like that—” the driver in the back seat panicked.
Qian Ai finally understood how he had been previously stopped. “Open your tiny eyes and look carefully. Are those still people?!”
“But still…” The young driver understood, but he couldn’t get past the psychological barrier.
Qian Ai couldn’t stand his hesitance. “You’re a grown man, brave enough to drive such a flamboyant car. How can you be so timid at a critical moment?!”
The young driver felt extremely aggrieved. “This isn’t my car! It’s my boyfriend’s!”
Qian Ai: “……”
Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Xu Wang: “……”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Why does every NPC have to have their own subtle emotional storyline!
Amid the chaotic conversation, the Beetle broke through the zombies blocking the road and sped away.
Kinky Translations 