Chapter 40: Recording Begins
"To maintain the sense of mystery, please put on your blindfolds now. We’re about to arrive at our destination~" Qin Linlin, sitting in the front passenger seat, announced through a loudspeaker.
"What? Linlin, are you messing with us?" Wei Shu reluctantly took the blindfold handed to him by a staff member.
"Haha, Xiao Weizi, are you scared?" Lei Miao immediately put on his blindfold, rubbing his hands excitedly. "Not me though—blindfolds hype me up!"
"Who’s scared?!"
As Wei Shu and Lei Miao started bickering, Liu Qingling and Yang Ji, who were originally responsible for warming up the atmosphere, exchanged glances. They suddenly felt useless—these youngsters, unlike image-conscious celebrities, had no reservations. They acted as freely as if they were at home, completely unrestrained in front of the cameras.
Liu Qingling had no choice but to shift his attention to Rong Yu, who had been sitting quietly in his seat since boarding, not saying a word.
"Xiao Yu, right? What made you decide to join this show?" Liu Qingling asked in a warm, big-brother tone.
Yin Chengjue lifted his eyelids to glance at Liu Qingling, then put on his blindfold—but his ears perked up.
Rong Yu’s clear, bright voice replied, "Just wanted to have some fun. It’s a trial recording anyway, so it’s free."
"Hahaha, you don’t pay to be on a show—you get paid!" Yang Ji chimed in.
"Get paid?" Rong Yu looked genuinely puzzled.
Seeing his sincere confusion, the two were baffled. Yin Chengjue cleared his throat, lifted one side of his blindfold, and tactfully explained, "The show is still in its trial phase. To save costs, we don’t have much budget for guests. So Xiao Yu is just… here to play." In simpler terms—Rong Yu wasn’t paid.
Liu Qingling and Yang Ji finally understood the implication. After a few stunned seconds, they asked, "So… among the guests participating, only the two of us were paid?"
Yin Chengjue extended his right hand and shook theirs again. "So, we’ll be counting on you two."
Rong Yu belatedly realized, "Oh, so you can actually earn money from recording shows?"
Yin Chengjue ruffled Rong Yu’s hair. "If you perform well and the trial broadcast gets good feedback, you might become a regular on this variety show. Then you’ll get paid."
"Then I’ll have to work hard!" Rong Yu clenched his fists, eyes shining.
Since the five in the front were lively, the interactions among the four in the back went mostly unnoticed.
Qin Linlin made sure everyone had their blindfolds on. About ten minutes later, the car stopped. She instructed the nine to line up and guided them out with the help of staff.
Walking blindfolded was uncomfortable. Wei Shu and Lei Miao at the front yelled like pigs being slaughtered, making the atmosphere both tense and hilarious.
Yin Chengjue didn’t know how long they walked before the person in front finally stopped. Then, behind him came a loud "bang"—the sound of a door closing—followed by the click of a lock.
Lei Miao: "What’s going on? Can we take off the blindfolds now?"
Wei Shu: "Are they locking us in somewhere?"
Lei Miao: "Wow! So exciting!"
Hua Yun and Xiao Xiao: "Shut up, both of you."
"Zzzzt…" A static noise came from above, followed by Qin Linlin’s distinctive voice: "Alright, handsome gentlemen, I’ll now announce the game rules. Listen carefully—I’ll only say this once!"
"There are three mission routes: Detective Path, Escape Path, and Treasure Hunt Path. Each has different completion methods. The team that finishes their mission first wins and gets our reward."
"Team?" Rong Yu asked.
"Yes, a team. Players on the same mission route form a team. We’ve already assigned you. Now, please remove your blindfolds and check the inner layer. Friendly reminder! Find a secluded spot—don’t let others see your mission route, or it’ll hinder your ability to search for clues later!"
Hearing this, the nine instinctively distanced themselves from each other and checked their blindfolds in private.
Yin Chengjue took out a slip of paper from the inner layer—it read: Detective Path.
Below it was a line of small text: You can find your teammates by "making a heart" gesture~~~
Yin Chengjue: "…" What kind of ridiculous method is this?
He quickly looked up and accidentally locked eyes with Rong Yu, who stood not far away. Rong Yu smiled faintly at him before opening his own blindfold.
Yin Chengjue was slightly stunned.
So, while everyone else had eagerly checked their missions, Rong Yu had calmly observed them first?
"Hey, what’s your mission? Xiao Leizi? Huazi?" Wei Shu loudly asked after reading his mission—though he’d already torn up the slip.
Lei Miao rolled his eyes. "You think I’d be dumb enough to tell you? If we’re on different routes, we’re competitors."
Yang Ji glanced at Liu Qingling, about to ask, when Liu Qingling dramatically crumpled his slip and pretended to eat it.
Understanding the cue, Yang Ji rushed over, shouting exaggeratedly, "Hand it over! No eating!"
Seeing how committed Liu Qingling was, the others quickly destroyed their mission slips too.
They all realized: To win, it was better to work alone than let opponents know their mission.
"The door’s locked. Should we look for clues to get out?" Rong Yu, who was near the door, asked.
"Picking locks is easy. Step aside—this brother’s an expert!" Lei Miao twisted a wire from a tea bag into shape, fiddled with the lock, and—click—it opened. He shrugged, his face practically spelling out "That’s it?"
Qin Linlin, watching from behind the cameras, expecting them to search for keys: "…"
Hua Yun adjusted his glasses. "Young Master Lei, care to explain any… questionable side jobs? Last I checked, the Lei family hasn’t gone bankrupt yet?"
Lei Miao’s smug expression faltered. He coughed awkwardly. "Well, when you’ve been locked in dark rooms enough times, you pick up some skills. Understand?"
People locked in dark rooms usually develop trauma, thanks!
With the lock open, Lei Miao pushed the door and ventured out.
Liu Qingling and Yang Ji, veterans of variety shows, knew the usual tricks and reminded him, "There might be mission clues in this room. Aren’t you going to look?"
"Relax, let’s check the surroundings first!" Lei Miao dashed off, unstoppable.
Xiao Xiao and Hua Yun followed, reasoning that splitting up would be more efficient.
Once Hua Yun left, Wei Shu went after them, leaving only five in the room.
Qin Ke, who’d been quiet, pulled an envelope from a drawer. After skimming it, he announced, "Hey, I found something. Doesn’t seem related to the missions—just backstory."
Rong Yu remarked, "Judging by the room’s setup, this must be a hotel or inn setting?"
Qin Ke snapped his fingers. "Exactly! It’s a hotel cursed by a vengeful spirit!"
Lowering his voice ominously, he began, "Thirteen years ago, on a stormy night…"
"A woman in a white dress walked into the Mingsheng Grand Hotel."
"She carried no umbrella. The rain drenched her, leaving puddles where she stepped. The front desk kindly handed her a towel and checked her in."
"But the next day, when staff knocked for checkout, there was no response."
Qin Ke flipped the page. "Using a spare key, they opened the door… and saw…"
"AHHH!—"
A bloodcurdling scream came from outside, followed by frantic footsteps rushing back.
The door burst open as the four who’d left returned, Wei Shu and Xiao Xiao pale-faced, Lei Miao and Hua Yun not much better.
Hua Yun adjusted his glasses, about to speak, when Lei Miao cut in, "Holy crap! Linlin really went all out!" His tone held undeniable excitement.
Wei Shu collapsed on the floor, gasping, and pointed at the nearest camera. "Let me out… I quit… I hate this!"
"What? What did you see?" Qin Ke asked eagerly. "A ghost?"
"A ghost? Please, we’ve been through enough haunted houses to last a lifetime," Lei Miao scoffed.
Liu Qingling and Yang Ji: "…"
"But the backstory says this is a cursed hotel," Qin Ke showed the letter.
"Maybe not."
While Qin Ke read the letter, Yin Chengjue had found another under the bed. Its contents told a different story.
Hmm
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