“Ah!!” Ni Sihan let out a shriek as if she’d been blasted by a firecracker. With a whoosh, she darted right up to Bai Zhen’s side.
“Sister Bai Zhen, hello! I’m your biggest fan! I like you so much—I really, really like you!” Her enthusiasm was simply indescribable.
Bai Zhen recoiled a step, startled by the girl’s intensity. She peered past Ni Sihan toward Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng hurried over and patted Ni Sihan’s shoulder. “She overheard you calling me yesterday and got all excited. She said she’s your fan and kept begging to join us, so…”
Liang Sheng’s voice trailed off, as if she’d done something wrong.
Bai Zhen looked at Liang Sheng’s nervous, wide-eyed expression and chuckled softly, her lips curving. “No problem at all. The more the merrier. Let’s go—I’ll drive and take you all to that new escape room.”
“Yay!” Liang Sheng bounced with excitement. She loved these puzzle-horror games, even though they scared her half to death… Well, the worse she was at them, the more she wanted to play.
When they arrived at the escape room, Liang Sheng glanced awkwardly at the group around her.
So, how had things turned into this?
Halfway there, Bai Zhen had gotten thirsty and stepped out to buy some water. Liang Sheng had eagerly tagged along, trotting after her like a puppy. That’s when they bumped into Gu Yuqi, who was grabbing a juice.
The moment Gu Yuqi spotted Liang Sheng, how could she just let her slip away? Especially since her precious little junior sister was hanging out with another attractive woman.
And just like that, the awkward trio became an even more awkward quartet.
Then, while stuck in traffic at a crossroad, the window of a white car next to Bai Zhen’s rolled down. A head poked out.
“Liang Sheng?!”
Liang Sheng had a bad feeling. She twisted her head and saw Song An’an staring at her with wide eyes, calling her name.
Liang Sheng: “…” Crap. Now it was turning into the most awkward quintet ever.
Sure enough, the already cramped car grew even more crowded.
Ni Sihan was thrilled. She chatted animatedly with one girl, then the next.
When they finally reached the escape room, the group lined up to buy tickets.
“Huh?” Liang Sheng rubbed her eyes.
The woman ahead of them, with her hair piled up high, had a familiar-looking silhouette from behind.
“Sister Mo Qingrou?” Liang Sheng muttered under her breath.
As if she had ears like a fox, the woman whipped around immediately, her eyes locking straight onto Liang Sheng’s sneaky gaze.
It really was her… Liang Sheng clapped a hand over her mouth. Things were about to get even more complicated.
Of course, a cool, aloof woman like Mo Qingrou wouldn’t just join them on a whim because of one little comment from Liang Sheng, right?
Sure enough, Mo Qingrou turned back around.
Wait—there was someone familiar behind Liang Sheng. Mo Qingrou’s head snapped back around faster than a dog spotting a bone.
It was Gu Yuqi! She was standing right next to Liang Sheng! Mo Qingrou’s face lit up with a subtle, auntie-like smile that no one else could detect.
Oh ho! The juiciest jealousy drama was about to unfold! Mo Qingrou could barely contain her excitement.
Fight! Fight! This was the best kind of plot.
But Mo Qingrou… wouldn’t be disappointed!
“Just talk, no need to get handsy.” Gu Yuqi tugged Liang Sheng’s little hand away from Bai Zhen’s grasp.
Bai Zhen paused for a split second, then flashed a playful smile.
This little sister Liang Sheng had quite the garden of admirers, and they were all top-tier.
But seeing Gu Yuqi get jealous like that only made Bai Zhen bolder.
At the payment counter, Bai Zhen pressed down on Liang Sheng’s hand as she reached for her wallet.
“I said I’m treating you. No way am I letting you pay. Put it away—I’ll cover it.”
Gu Yuqi and Song An’an’s eyes nearly bulged out, glued to the spot where their hands touched.
Oops. Liang Sheng’s hand back felt scorching hot.
She started sweating as usual.
Was this the legendary… ogling?
“What kind of dirty talk is that!” System Akino Kazuko interrupted Liang Sheng’s lewd train of thought.
Meanwhile, Mo Qingrou’s gaze darted back and forth—first to Liang Sheng, then to Gu Yuqi.
Hee hee! The vinegar-fueled catfight was here at last! Mo Qingrou was thrilled.
Meanwhile, back at the escape room lineup…
When they bought their tickets, Bai Zhen stopped Liang Sheng from paying.
They queued up, and the cute receptionist caught Liang Sheng’s eye—she was pretty, and… whoa, those curves… Stop! No more of that!
Liang Sheng tore her gaze from the receptionist and scanned the menu of escape rooms. It was really testing her inner horndog.
Liang Sheng looked over the list of rooms and shook her head. “These aren’t scary enough. Boring.”
Bai Zhen crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. She’d only wanted to hang out with Liang Sheng alone, but now she had all these tag-alongs. What a headache.
“How about this one?” Mo Qingrou, who’d been silent until now, pointed to a room rated four stars for difficulty and a full five for terror.
Liang Sheng eyed the name: “Non-Existent Limbs.”
Gulp. Just the title made her nervous.
She checked the description.
“The eyeless Soft Ice, the one-legged Blade White, and the armless Ru Bao discover that the missing parts of their bodies still exist in this world—they just can’t feel or use them. Everyone else can see… To uncover the truth, they embark on a journey to find their lost organs and limbs.”
“No way!” Liang Sheng crossed it off immediately. “This one’s way too creepy! The designer must be a total sadist. Next, next!”
Mo Qingrou glanced at another one. “Then this.”
Liang Sheng checked it out: “Underworld’s Eighteen Layers.”
“Hmm… This one feels a bit more earthly.” Liang Sheng rubbed her chin, pondering.
It was four stars for difficulty, four for terror.
“The last one was straight-up hellish. This seems way better.” Liang Sheng pointed it out, polling the other girls.
They all nodded. “Sure, that one looks good.”
They settled on it.
