Chapter 200: Massage
"Bang!"
The sound rang out again, clearly carrying a sense of urgency.
It was hard to imagine how Qin Linlin managed it, but after each sound, plaster dust would fall from the ceiling, as if someone was really pounding on the floor above.
While mentally commending Qin Linlin for the convincing effect this time, Yin Chengjue secretly passed the "Truth Gun" into Lei Miao's hand.
Just earlier, inside the elevator, Yin Chengjue had already decided on the culprit in his mind and pressed the trigger of the "Truth Gun," silently spraying the paint inside onto Xiao Xiao.
Truth be told, Yin Chengjue hadn't found any concrete evidence proving Xiao Xiao was the culprit. His suspicion stemmed solely from the detail that when Xiao Xiao pointed out Rong Yu was the undercover on the treasure hunting route, Rong Yu didn't give a definitive answer. From this, Yin Chengjue realized Xiao Xiao might be lying.
Before this, Yin Chengjue could still suspect Xiao Xiao of being either the undercover or the culprit. But now, with everyone having chosen to reveal themselves, aside from the undercover, the only one who could still lie would be the real culprit!
Yin Chengjue shared his reasoning with Lei Miao, who agreed.
However, just as Lei Miao secretly aimed the water gun at Xiao Xiao, ready to settle things with one shot, Xiao Xiao seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and dodged with a side step!
The water gun shot missed. Lei Miao was momentarily stunned, while Xiao Xiao revealed a smile.
As their eyes met, the triumphant smile that had been on Lei Miao's face faded. In contrast, Xiao Xiao's expression grew even more pleased.
Because at that moment, Lei Miao realized something.
For this detective route vote to identify the culprit, it wasn't enough to just pick the person; they also needed to hit the culprit with the paint from the water gun.
If they accidentally hit the wrong person, or if the water gun ran out of water, it might mean the detectives would then be forced to choose the culprit only from those who had been sprayed.
Lei Miao compared his own physique to Xiao Xiao's and, for the first time in his life, reflected on how reclusive he had been over the years. If only he had exercised properly instead of spending all his time figuring out how to unlock the darkroom to secretly play games, he wouldn't be facing such a predicament today.
Realizing that dodging the detectives' water gun shots wouldn't violate the rules, Xiao Xiao relaxed considerably. He even tauntingly crooked a finger at Lei Miao, clearly not believing Lei Miao could hit him.
Successfully provoked, Lei Miao engaged in a game of chase with Xiao Xiao.
Seeing Lei Miao chasing Xiao Xiao, the players from the treasure hunting route naturally didn't want Xiao Xiao to succeed and rushed over to help.
Seeing Qin Ke blocking in front of Xiao Xiao, Lei Miao couldn't help but say, "He's the culprit! Don't protect him!"
Qin Ke: "If he is the culprit, then I must protect him even more, because if you correctly identify the culprit, we lose!"
Lei Miao: "...Damn! Almost forgot that damned game rule!"
"Hehe, exactly. So, until my teammate achieves victory, you can't catch me yet!" Xiao Xiao laughed.
Yin Chengjue: "But don't forget, if the culprit escapes, the game enters a special mode. The detective route is eliminated, and the culprit directly faces off against the players from the escape route and treasure hunting route. The culprit's victory condition is to seize the treasure sought by the treasure hunting route and escape from this place."
If the culprit successfully escapes, both the escape route and treasure hunting route are also judged as failures.
But Qin Ke said, "If you identify him now, we lose immediately. If you can't identify him, we can still buy some time!"
"Exactly. After all, at that point, it would be me versus six; my chances of winning are very low," Xiao Xiao said, not content with just hiding behind Qin Ke. He beckoned to players from the other two mission routes, "Come on, everyone, come protect me for now! As long as you protect me well, you can eliminate the detective route. What a great deal!"
"Hmm, although I really don't want to do this, under the rules, your logic is indeed not wrong..." Wei Shu couldn't help but say.
So, the others also stopped searching the room for clues and started gathering in front of Xiao Xiao to block for him.
And so, a chaotic group chase officially began.
Yang Ji: "Does this game really have to be played this way?"
Liu Qingling sighed with feeling, "What do you know? This is called a sense of ceremony!" Having said that, Liu Qingling picked up a piece of paper, rolled it into a tube, and faced the camera, "The program we are live broadcasting for everyone now is the upgraded version of 'Eagle Catches Chicks'—Eagle catches a chick protected by a group of hens!"
After finishing the recording of this final episode of "Don't Look Back in the Dark," it was already afternoon. The group was exhausted from playing, and they had also worn out the NPCs.
Finally, Hua Yun, playing host, invited the entire crew for a treat at a five-star hotel under the Hua Group, which was met with cheers.
Coincidentally, next to that hotel was a sauna house under the Yin Group, which also offered massages and foot reflexology. Yin Chengjue announced that all crew members' visits to the sauna house that night would be complimentary.
As this was the last episode of the first season of "Don't Look Back in the Dark," no one knew when the next season would be filmed or if the guest lineup would be the same, so everyone cherished this gathering.
A night of revelry ensued, with both hosts and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Yin Chengjue helped Rong Yu, who was drunk and slumped under the dining table, out of the private room. They entered a dedicated elevator passageway and arrived at the pre-booked presidential suite on the top floor.
This top floor also had a large balcony with a warm pool arranged with artificial rocks and plants, creating a rather natural and romantic ambiance. The temperature of the pool water was just right.
Yin Chengjue had also been drinking, but he wasn't someone who got drunk easily. So, it was those who had urged him to drink who ended up drunk.
In contrast, Rong Yu genuinely got drunk after one cup. The trouble was, after getting drunk and collapsing, Rong Yu could still get up and continue drinking until he couldn't stand up anymore.
He couldn't be dissuaded.
After reaching a certain level of intoxication, Rong Yu started calling Yin Chengjue's name, then searched all over the private room, even lifting the lid of a trash can to ask if Yin Chengjue was inside.
This left Yin Chengjue, who was right beside him, both amused and exasperated.
Fortunately, everyone in the private room was drunk by then, otherwise, it would have been hard to explain the situation.
Yin Chengjue carried Rong Yu to the bathroom to get cleaned up. The ordered sobering soup and tea arrived just then. After coaxing Rong Yu to drink it, Yin Chengjue carried him into the warm pool for a comfortable soak.
Amidst the shimmering water vapor, a somewhat recovered Rong Yu looked around dazedly, "Where am I?"
Yin Chengjue held him from behind, chin resting on Rong Yu's shoulder, nose lightly nuzzling Rong Yu's jaw, "In my arms."
"Brother?"
"Am I dreaming?"
"Why would you think that?" Yin Chengjue kissed Rong Yu's chin.
Rong Yu: "It just feels... unreal. That Brother is really by my side." Rong Yu's hands groped around, found Yin Chengjue's hand, and intertwined his fingers tightly with his.
"You saying that makes me a little sad," Taking advantage of the moment, Yin Chengjue gave Rong Yu's fingertips a gentle squeeze. "Here I am, providing food, shelter, bathing, massages, and warming the bed every single day, and you still doubt whether I'm really by your side."
"I don't mean it that way..." Rong Yu turned his head to meet Yin Chengjue's eyes. "Brother, I'm a very greedy person. Once I get what I want, I won't let go. If one day you grow tired, annoyed, and want to leave, I'm afraid I won't be able to help myself from doing terrible things to you."
Yin Chengjue chuckled softly, his voice a low murmur, "Then you may be waiting a very long time indeed. Perhaps until our hair turns white and we can barely walk, that thought still won't have crossed my mind."
"Silver-tongued," Rong Yu reached up and pinched Yin Chengjue's lips.
Yin Chengjue slightly opened his mouth and took Rong Yu's pinkened finger, warmed by the water, into his mouth.
Rong Yu twisted around within Yin Chengjue's embrace, the motion sending ripples across the water's surface. Glittering droplets slid down Rong Yu's flushed skin.
Placing his hands on Yin Chengjue's broad shoulders, Rong Yu leaned in and kissed his Adam's apple.
"Brother, today, let me give you a proper massage," Rong Yu let out a low, husky laugh, his tone laced with unmistakable allure.
Yin Chengjue felt his whole body go limp from that voice, his throat tight and dry. "When did you master the art of massage? Is your technique any good?"
"Whether my massage skills are good or not, Brother can find out firsthand by experiencing it, right?" Rong Yu laughed.
Yin Chengjue leaned back, resting his arms on the edge of the warm pool, appearing lazy and casual. "Then I'll have to properly enjoy it. Xiao Yu, I have very high standards."
"Of course I won't let Brother down."
And so, that night, Yin Chengjue enjoyed service that was meticulous, thoughtful, and extraordinarily attentive to his every need.
Although this massage therapist was a novice who had just learned his skills online, and his technique was still somewhat inexperienced, it was more than sufficient when applied to Yin Chengjue.
The only issue was Rong Yu's lack of practical experience. He used too much force in some places, leaving himself breathless and exhausted by the end—his back sore, waist aching, hands and feet weak, without even the strength to stand up from the warm pool after finishing Yin Chengjue's massage.
In the end, it was Yin Chengjue who carried the novice little therapist out of the pool, cleaned him, dried him off, and carefully laid him on the soft large bed.
Yin Chengjue then immediately lay down next to his little therapist, blowing gently into his ear, "Xiao Yu's skills are indeed excellent. I've fallen in love with this feeling instantly. You must use this talent more often in the future, Xiao Yu."
"Get lost!" The exhausted little therapist immediately changed his attitude, no longer as eager and earnest as when he had first invited Yin Chengjue to experience his newly acquired skills.
Yin Chengjue's tone held a hint of grievance, "Are you discarding me after using me?"
Rong Yu retorted, "...I told you to let me handle everything, but you kept moving on your own! And you wouldn't stop! Do you have any idea how much your actions undermined my technique?"
Yin Chengjue quickly rubbed his head to comfort him, "Alright, alright, I was wrong. Next time I'll cooperate fully. I'll do whatever you say, absolutely no acting on my own!"
Rong Yu's expression softened a bit, "Really?"
"Really!"
