Chapter 39

Ever since she learned they were going to play an escape room, Jiang Lai had been unusually quiet, staying still for long stretches of time.

Usually, she was the type who never stopped talking, always chatting with one person or another. But today, she had forced herself to say almost nothing at all.

Even Gu Xizhou, who was usually carefree and oblivious, noticed that something was off and couldn’t help asking, “Alai, are you feeling unwell?”

The girl shook her head, her face pale. “I’m fine. I’m just a little carsick. I’ll be better in a bit.”

“Okay, then rest well. I won’t bother you.”

She got up and returned to her original seat.

Naturally, the woman had also noticed the girl’s unusual behavior. She bit her lip; since they were in public, she could only type on her phone.

The girl curled up in the corner, staring out at the ever-changing scenery beyond the window.

Ding.

A notification lit up the screen.

The woman’s concerned message came into view.

She stared at the line of text for a long time. Her lips curved faintly, almost unconsciously; her fingers typed, deleted, typed again. In the end, she only sent the woman two words.

It’s fine.

The woman looked away from the screen and over at the girl’s face.

For some reason, unease stirred in her chest, as if something bad was about to happen.

“Sigh, I really am getting old. Why do I keep overthinking things..."

She lifted a hand and pressed at the tight spot between her brows, trying to force that strange anxiety back down. But her heart still felt as if something were squeezing it; it thudded uneasily in her chest.

A bottle of water was suddenly handed to her. She looked up and saw Gu Xizhou.

“Thank you.”

She managed a smile and took it.

The girl sat down beside her naturally. “It’s okay. Are you feeling unwell too?”

The woman immediately caught the wording.

“What do you mean, too? Is someone else feeling unwell?”

“Who else could it be?”

She pointed at Jiang Lai, who was already sitting with her eyes closed, resting. “I thought something was off with her earlier, but no matter how I asked, she wouldn’t say anything. She insisted it was carsickness. She really did look uncomfortable, so I didn’t keep pressing.”

“Is that so?”

The woman glanced worriedly toward the girl’s seat, and her concern deepened.

“You don’t need to worry. Shi Yuan will definitely take good care of her.”

Gu Xizhou comforted her. The woman nodded absentmindedly, but she still didn’t feel any lighter.

The car drove into what looked like an imposing estate.

“Holy crap, Director Zhang really went all out this time. We’re playing something this big?”

Gu Xizhou darted off the moment they stopped, her face brimming with excitement.

Jiang Lai rose from her seat, her hands and feet cold. When she got out of the car, her legs went weak and she nearly collapsed to the ground; fortunately, the woman caught her in time.

“Careful.”

Seeing her like this, the woman couldn’t relax. She lifted a hand to check Jiang Lai’s forehead.

“I’m fine. I’m just carsick.”

The girl’s voice was a little hoarse.

The woman suddenly took her hand, her expression tense. “Jiang Lai, if you feel even a little unwell, you have to tell me.”

“I know.”

Only after receiving that assurance did the woman finally let go and return to her own group.

Jiang Lai, you can do this. It’s nothing.

She silently cheered herself on.

Song Shiyuan knew what she was afraid of. She said nothing, only took her hand. “Once we’re inside, you don’t need to worry about anything. Just follow me.”

She nodded.

The group entered the escape room together.

The heavy wooden door shut with a creak, cutting off the last sliver of light and leaving only boundless darkness.

Her heart jumped. She instinctively backed up, only to bump into the cold wooden door behind her.

“A... A-Yuan?”

She called out tentatively, but no one answered. Her hand gripping the hem of her clothes slowly tightened; even her voice trembled as she tried again. “A-Yuan, where are you? Don’t scare me.”

In the empty space, only her own voice echoed back over and over. The sounds of her companions’ footsteps, which had been faintly audible just moments ago, now vanished without a trace.

Uneasily, she scanned her surroundings again and again. Her back pressed more and more tightly against the door, the icy wood making her shiver uncontrollably.

Only after her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness did she tentatively take her first step.

There was a faint light ahead. She steadied herself against the wall and took two more steps, then realized it was a desk. A few sheets of paper lay scattered on top, along with a candle.

To get out, you need to find the key.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she stared at the note.

She kept telling herself to calm down.

Paintings hung on the walls, their strange beauty touched with something eerie. She drew in a deep breath, lifted the candle holder, and moved closer to examine them. The writing and numbers on the paintings were already blurred and weathered, impossible to make out.

She slowly moved along the wall, carefully checking every suspicious spot.

When the candlelight swept across one corner, she suddenly noticed something off. The painting in that corner was darker than the others, as though it had been painted over later.

She crouched down and tapped the wall. Hollow.

Her heartbeat sped up. She tried prying at the wall covering with her fingernail; it was loose.

Joy rose in her chest, and her hands moved faster.

After some effort, she managed to peel the section away, revealing a small wooden box inside. She opened it and found only a note and a string of numbers.

5... 3... 9... 6

She memorized them and entered them at the iron gate.

With a click, the gate slowly opened.

She turned and headed toward the next room; her steps were steadier than before. On the way, she ran straight into Lin Wanqiu, who had gotten separated from the others. She didn’t have the time or energy to think about anything else and called out to her excitedly.

“Lin Wanqiu!”

“Why are you here by yourself?”

Lin Wanqiu’s tone seemed to carry some hidden meaning.

“Mm, I was alone from the moment I came in.”

Jiang Lai didn’t think much of it and told her everything honestly. “But have you found the key to get out? I really don’t want to stay in this place anymore.”

“No, I haven’t found it either. But I heard it might be on the second floor. Should we go up and have a look?”

“The second floor?”

Jiang Lai didn’t want to go, but Lin Wanqiu kept coaxing her, and she badly wanted out, so in the end she agreed.

The two of them stood at the stairwell.

“I’ll go search that room; you go search the other one. We’ll split up. Okay?”

Lin Wanqiu looked at her, her gaze calm.

“...Okay then. Be careful.”

The moment she turned to push open that wooden door, an inexplicable chill rose at the back of her neck. She instinctively looked back once. The other woman was just reaching for the left-hand door, her back looking perfectly normal.

She shook her head and forced down the unease in her heart. She was probably overthinking it...

The door swung open, and a musty, damp smell rushed out to meet her. She raised a hand and waved it in front of her nose, then walked a few steps inside.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from behind her. She spun around sharply; the door had been shut at some point.

“Lin Wanqiu?”

She called out tentatively several times, but no one answered.

In the darkness, the floorboards suddenly gave off creaking sounds. She was so frightened she nearly lost her soul on the spot.

A chill shot straight to her heart; the hair all over her body stood on end. She no longer cared about anything else and ran over, yanking hard at the door.

“Help, is anyone there? Help me!”

She slammed at the door with all her strength, but no matter how hard she hit it, the door didn’t budge. The only response was the room’s hollow echo.

Time passed second by second.

Jiang Lai shrank into the corner, hugging herself tightly, her face full of unease as she looked around. The scenes from back then uncontrollably resurfaced in her mind.

Suddenly, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Just before her consciousness blurred completely, she seemed to catch sight of the woman’s figure. Then she sank into endless darkness.

Outside the estate, the woman was restless, continually looking toward the exit.

One person after another came out, but Jiang Lai was nowhere to be seen.

Her brows furrowed tighter and tighter. She couldn’t help grabbing Song Shiyuan, who had just come out to rest, and asking, “Where’s Jiang Lai? Didn’t she come out with you?”

The girl had just taken a sip of water. Hearing this, she froze, and when she saw the woman’s panicked expression, her own brow also drew together. “What do you mean? Alai hasn’t come out?”

The woman’s face instantly went deathly pale, her voice shaking so badly she could barely hold it back. “No. I’ve been waiting outside the whole time, and I never saw her come out.”

“No good, Alai is still inside!”

Song Shiyuan’s expression darkened. The water bottle slipped from her hand and spilled everywhere as she ran back toward the estate without looking back, almost colliding with Lin Wanqiu just as she came out.

“Watch where you’re going!”

Song Shiyuan didn’t respond. She simply yanked the wooden door open again and rushed back inside.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Qin Huaicheng frowned in confusion.

“Alai is missing. Did you see her inside?”

“Missing? How could that be? Wanqiu just told me she was inside..."

“Huaicheng!”

Before he could finish, Lin Wanqiu cut him off, her expression tense. “What are you saying? When did I tell you I saw Alai?”

A woman who had spent years in the entertainment industry could see through such clumsy acting at a glance; she immediately understood what was going on.

At once, her sharp gaze shot straight at Lin Wanqiu.

Lin Wanqiu forced herself to stay calm and met the woman’s eyes. “Senior, what’s with that look? Don’t tell me you think I deliberately locked Jiang Lai inside?”

“Don’t you?”

The woman gave a soft laugh and slowly walked toward her. Her usually gentle voice had already turned to ice. “Lin Wanqiu, I’m telling you this now: if anything happens to Alai, you’d better pray you stay fine too. But if she so much as suffers a scratch, then just you wait.”

The latter was so shaken by that look that her heart lurched.

Cheng Shuyang was known in the industry for being gentle and good-tempered, someone who never even spoke harshly to others. Rarely did she look like this.

But now... she didn’t dare think any further. Her body swayed uncontrollably.

“I have a good temper, but that doesn’t mean I have no temper at all.”

The woman’s voice was low, but each word was crystal clear; the end of it trembled faintly, and no one could tell whether she was angry or frightened.

“I don’t care what you’re plotting. If anything happens to Alai, I guarantee I’ll use every connection and resource I have to make sure you can never survive in this circle again!”

The girl was scared by her fierce expression and stumbled back several steps, her face going several shades paler. “Senior, I...”

At this point, the man also realized how serious the matter was. He grabbed her arm hard.

“Wanqiu, did you really lock Jiang Lai inside?”

“No, I didn’t. I don’t know why that door suddenly shut.”

Qin Huaicheng’s grip was terrifyingly strong at that moment. Her arm hurt where he held her; tears welled in her eyes.

“Can you be reasonable? That door was already old and worn. What if the wind blew it shut?”

“Lin Wanqiu!”

His voice suddenly rose, startling her into a shudder. “You left her alone in that room. She really could have been hurt; she could die!”

His grip tightened even more, and tears spilled down her face, mixed with grievance and panic.

Cheng Shuyang had no time to watch them bicker. She shoved the man aside, her voice cold as ice.

“I’ll ask you one last time: where is Alai, exactly?”