"Ah Fang... slow down, don't be so anxious, I can't stand it!"
"I'm already very slow, okay... If you keep dragging me down like this, how can we complete the mission?"
"But... I'm really scared."
Xia Yuan buried herself in Mei Fang's arms and dared not look up. "How could I have known that this escape room was such a terrifying experience... I really would not have come here if I had known."
Mei Fang and Xia Yuan were exploring the office on the first floor at this time. The huge office was almost dark, with only a few desk lamps flickering on and off. Now the two had to follow the prompts in the office to find the workstation where Liu Xiaoman, the employee who died suddenly, had worked.
"The intersection of these bright spots is where Liu Xiaoman works, but be careful of the wandering female ghost..."
"Will there really be a female ghost coming out?"
Xia Yuan's voice sounded aggrieved.
"There should be a real NPC... I guess."
"It's obviously the first time for Ah Fang to play this, but he's so skilled at it."
Xia Yuan raised her head slightly and looked at her lover with some resentment, "Yes, it's the first time, right? You didn't play with Youxi behind my back, right?"
"Of course not... But, you weren't that scared when we watched horror movies before. How come you feel so involved here?"
"Watching horror movies is on TV, the experience is different, but here there are real scary ghosts, I really... I really can't stand it."
Xia Yuan hugged Mei Fang tightly and said, "It's a good thing I came with you."
"So this isn't an ice-breaking operation. You're just enjoying escaping the room."
"Do I look like I'm enjoying it?"
Xia Yuan's loud voice caused some strange noises in the office, which scared Xia Yuan so much that she skillfully used the technique of baby climbing a tree. She circled Mei Fang's neck and jumped up, clamped Mei Fang and rode on him. Then Mei Fang could only hold Xia Yuan's round pg.
"Ah, how can I solve the puzzle if you are like this!" Mei Fang scolded her while pinching Yuanyuan, but Xia Yuan just held on tightly and refused to let go.
"I don't care... I just want it this way..."
Xia Yuan buried her head in Mei Fang's shoulder and clung to him, "My dear, mommy has raised you bite by bite, now it's time to be a man and protect mommy!"
"Why are you playing mommy PLAY at this time? Go back and play."
With a human-shaped pendant like Xia Yuan, Mei Fang's movements became much more difficult, but he actually enjoyed it. He held Xia Yuan in one hand while carefully reading the note that solved the puzzle.
In fact, Mei Fang is not really brave. He is also afraid of ghosts, but he really enjoys the process of experiencing horror themes.
This is because there is always a companion around him who is more afraid than him, and this feeling of being needed will give Mei Fang the courage to no longer feel afraid.
In this way, Mei Fang quickly found the key prop document password to solve the mystery.
"Alright, alright, we found the password, and we have completed the mission here."
"I, there is nothing for us to do anymore..."
Mei Fang gradually let go of the trembling Xia Yuan. Just as Xia Yuan patted his butt and prepared to take a closer look at the puzzle materials, a female ghost in white clothes suddenly appeared from behind Mei Fang and was observed by Xia Yuan on the spot.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Xia Yuan's screams echoed throughout the office. She pulled Mei Fang and ran away desperately. The female ghost also followed suit, making a creaking sound and chasing Mei Fang and Xia Yuan.
In the end, Xia Yuan was forced into a corner by the female ghost because of her clumsy movements. With nowhere to go, she looked at the female ghost getting closer and closer, and was immediately frightened out of her wits and hid in Mei Fang's arms, trembling.
Seeing the female ghost getting closer, Mei Fang, who had a calm expression, suddenly remembered the many jokes he had seen on Douyin in his previous life, so he did the opposite and kissed Xia Yuan affectionately in front of the female ghost.
“Woo… woo-woo—”
Xia Yuan was originally in a state of high mental tension, but after feeling the warmth from her lover, she slowly relaxed and began to swing back and forth while hugging Mei Fang. This wave of female ghosts was originally immersed in the role and scared people to death, but when they saw the two of them start to show off their love, they were immediately broken:
"Fuck, you two are kidding me!"
Wait, this familiar voice—
Mei Fang and Xia Yuan quickly stopped kissing and turned around to look at the tiny female ghost. They discovered that after she took off her wig, she looked exactly like their old friend Yue Xinyi.
"Oh my god... Xiao Yizi, why are you here? You're still acting like a ghost! You scared me to death."
"Didn't you tell me when you invited me that this was a place opened by an employee of our Yuanxi Interactive Entertainment, so I came here to play. I wanted to play as an NPC to experience it, but I didn't expect you two to be so capable."
Yue Xinyi fiddled with her hair and said, "But it feels pretty good to chase someone in front."
"You feel good, but Fang and I are terrified!"
"At least I got all my anger out. Hahaha. It feels so good to snipe the boss."
Yue Xinyi said seriously, "Mei Gou, see, don't always ask everyone to work overtime, otherwise what happened today may happen tomorrow, do you understand?"
"You are here to give me some ideological work..."
Mei Fang smiled and scratched his head. "I know, I know. We don't force people to work overtime. Everyone works overtime voluntarily."
"They'd better volunteer, huh!"
Yue Xinyi glanced at Mei Fang unhappily, "You really didn't bring Xi out to play today. Do you have a clear conscience? You left her alone to look after the house."
"You said you didn't bring Xi to play. I've been worried about the band's affairs lately. Youxi and Ah Fang are having a lot of fun, don't you know—"
Seeing this, Mei Fang quickly covered Xia Yuan's mouth and said, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about this topic in a semi-public place. Let's continue the mission."
"The next task will have to wait until Bingbing's team and Xiaoxue and Xiaoyu's team are done."
"Do they also have female ghosts like you to scare people over there?"
"There will be some depending on the plot, but Bingbing will not send any more NPCs."
"how?"
"Just now, there was an NPC standing at the intersection trying to scare Bingbing, but Bingbing almost got knocked unconscious by a punch out of reflex, and fell to the ground on the spot."
“But this is Bingbing!”
Mei Fang, who was once inspired by Xiang Bingbing at a high school sports meet, has a deep understanding of this.
"How's Xiaoxue and Xiaoyu doing?"
"They should still be solving the puzzle. Their quest line is very long... How about we go and try to scare them?"
"Now? There's no time to put on makeup."
Yue Xinyi explained, "Just put on a hood and mask. I'll take you through the NPC passage."
"Come on, come on! Go, go, go!"
Xia Yuan, who was almost scared to tears just now, became interested when she heard that she could scare Xiaoyu and Xiaoxue. She pulled Mei Fang to the backstage to do a simple styling. Xia Yuan wore very long hair and Mei Fang wore a blood-stained mask of a murderer, and then hid in the closet in the storage room.
This room is the only way for Peng Xue and Liu Xiaoyu to find the password of the locked diary of the female ghost who died suddenly.
call…
The closet in the storage room was quite crowded, and it looked like Mei Fang and Xia Yuan had to stick together to squeeze in.
Xia Yuan turned his head to look at Mei Fang's look, and immediately couldn't help but chuckle. Mei Fang knocked his head in disgust, "Is my look so funny? You're so afraid of ghosts, but you're not afraid of me."
"Hahaha... It's not funny, it's just... As long as I think that the person under the mask is you, I won't feel scared at all."
She is such a scared girl...
When Mei Fang saw the female ghost version of Xia Yuan with long flowing hair, she inexplicably found her cute.
call…
The subtle atmosphere in the closet suddenly made Mei Fang excited.
Cute, want-
Just when Mei Fang was distracted and ready to move closer to his wife, Xia Yuan suddenly became excited and turned to look at Mei Fang, "Ah Fang, Ah Fang, do you remember the days when we played hide-and-seek together?"
"I remember. I think it was when I was in the second or third grade of elementary school. You and Youxi always liked to hide in the closet together. I would pretend to have been looking for you for a long time before I found you."
"So you were just pretending! You stinky Ah Fang, you actually deceived my feelings... I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Xia Yuan muttered that he wanted to teach Mei Fang a lesson in the closet, but as they were making a fuss, the door of the storage room suddenly opened with a click. Mei Fang and Xia Yuan quickly covered each other's mouths, and then looked through the gap in the closet to observe the situation in the storage room.
"… "
Peng Xue and Liu Xiaoyu ran into the room one after another. After they came in, they quickly closed the door and then leaned on it, gasping for breath.
"Huh..."
"This is still... a little scary, right?"
Liu Xiaoyu's face flushed as she looked at Peng Xue who was also panting.
"It's okay, it's a little unexpected."
Peng Xue pretended to be calm and touched her hair, looking like she was trying to save face.
"You were obviously frightened. When you saw the ghost, you just pulled me and kept running."
"I'm just worried that you'll be frightened. You look so weak and fragile. I'm afraid you won't even dare to run away."
"I just look weak. Wasn't it me who solved all the puzzles in the past?"
"That's true... I can only say that doing your homework in advance is beneficial."
Peng Xue reluctantly acknowledged Liu Xiaoyu's efforts, and then sighed silently.
"My casual personality is really annoying. If you weren't here this time, I don't know how long we would have to waste on solving the puzzle ahead."
"What's wrong with having a casual personality? You don't have to worry about various things every day."
Liu Xiaoyu sighed, "I always can't help but worry about others, worrying about mistakes here and problems there. When everyone is sleeping soundly, I am the only one who is still checking repeatedly. I don't know why I worry so much..."
"Your serious and responsible personality makes you perfect for being a worker. Mei Gou doesn't feel any psychological pressure when using you. Hahahaha!"
"That is to say..."
Liu Xiaoyu sighed and said, "Although the work is very busy, the help and remuneration he gave me are really a lot. If he hadn't given me this opportunity, I would definitely not be able to get to where I am today."
"… "
Seeing Liu Xiaoyu's lost look, Peng Xue couldn't help but sigh.
Liu Xiaoyu shook his head. "I can't force everyone to like me."
"Hey, don't argue with me, just listen to me, okay?"
"Actually, I can guess that..."
Liu Xiaoyu responded, "You think I'm a green tea who has been hiding beside Mei Gou and secretly in love with him, wanting to find a suitable opportunity to take advantage of him and confess my feelings to him, and then win Mei Gou over."
"Oh my god... You, you said everything I wanted to say. So you know it so clearly!"
"In fact, many girls talked about me in private in high school, and some in college too, because I didn't date other people and was always with Mei Fang Xia Yuan."
It was the first time that Mei Fang and Xia Yuan knew that Liu Xiaoyu had been suffering from such criticism, and they couldn't help but look at each other in surprise.
Peng Xue's reaction was also very surprised, "So there is such a thing... Have you never told anyone about it?"
"What are you talking about? Are you going to promise Yuanyuan that I absolutely don't like Mei Fang? I think it's fine to maintain the status quo. There's no need to make things awkward for everyone."
"That's true..."
Peng Xue couldn't help but cover her cheeks as she spoke, "Compared with you, I find that I am really a selfish and annoying woman..."
So Peng Xue explained her past to Liu Xiaoyu, "When I ran away from home, I actually confessed my love to Mei Fang."
"Confession?"
In fact, not many people knew about Peng Xue's confession, because everyone felt that Peng Xue and Xia Yuan had such a good relationship that they would definitely not do anything to poach her.
"The last time I lectured you, I told you that as long as you can say it out loud, it means you have let it go. But the actual experience is completely different. For example, after I confessed my feelings, I actually cared about him even more."
"I originally thought I could let him go and focus on my friendship with Yuanyuan, but whenever I see him, I feel that excitement... I can't help it - do you understand? I really can't tell Yuanyuan about this feeling, do you know..."
"… "
Peng Xue said this and complained with some sadness:
"Now it's so awkward for me to meet him. This feeling is worse than the way we were together before I confessed. At least I'm still happy... So you don't know how much I envy you... How jealous I am of you. I'm twisted."
"I just don't want to see anyone close to him besides Yuanyuan Youxi, so it doesn't matter if you say that I'm jealous. I'm just such a bad person. It's already very uncomfortable for me to tolerate Lin Youxi, and seeing that you have such a good relationship with him, I-"
The more Peng Xue talked, the more uncomfortable she felt. Thinking back to the sweet interactions between Xia Yuan and Mei Fang that she had seen today, she felt even more uncomfortable the more she watched.
No one can tell whether she feels bad for Yuanyuan or for Mei Fang.
"You don't even dare to be jealous of Yuanyuan Youxi, and you are jealous of me, right..."
Liu Xiaoyu didn't get angry after listening to Peng Xue's confession. Instead, he chuckled and said, "If I have to say I'm jealous, then I'm the one who's jealous of you."
"Jealous of me? Why should I be jealous?"
"At least you conveyed your feelings to him."
"Whether he responds to my feelings or not, I think it's a very courageous thing to be able to convey them to him and take the initiative to tell him."
Liu Xiaoyu whispered, "And it's not like Mei Gou didn't respond to you. He wrote the song 'Song of Strange Abilities' for you, right?"
"Well... I shamelessly asked for it."
"If he could write a song for me, I would be happy for a long, long time."
Liu Xiaoyu covered her face and imagined such a scene, "Really, it will probably last a lifetime."
"So, you still like Mei Gou, right?"
"Now that we've come to this, who wouldn't like Mei Gou? Even a slow-witted girl like Bing Bing would be attracted to Mei Gou, let alone me—"
Liu Xiaoyu bit her lip as she spoke, tears falling down her cheeks. "But I think there are some things that he doesn't need to know. It will only add to his troubles. I think it's good for him and I to be friends. At least there's no psychological burden... It's good this way, really... After all, in a few years, there won't be any chance for us to get along..."
Liu Xiaoyu had never confided her feelings to anyone, but she finally opened her heart to Peng Xue, a girl who shared the same pain as her. Peng Xue had already become disheartened after two years of trials and tribulations, but she was touched by Liu Xiaoyu's sincere confession and hurried over to comfort her and whispered an apology for her powerless behavior.
The two girls were expressing their distant love for the untouchable person in the empty storage room. Mei Fang and Xia Yuan in the closet could hear it clearly. Mei Fang even saw Xia Yuan starting to wipe away tears because she felt the same way.
What is she thinking about now
She was wondering, if Mei Fang had not chosen her but Youxi, would she have become like Peng Xue and Liu Xiaoyu, only able to express her love in this deserted corner
Feeling Yuanyuan's inner sadness and also afraid that Yuanyuan would make too much noise, Mei Fang leaned towards Xia Yuan slightly, parted her long hair, pulled down her mask a little, and kissed her gently.
Kissing is the most effective way to soothe emotions. With Mei Fang's comfort, Xia Yuan's emotions gradually stabilized. However, the sobbing sounds still scared Peng Xue and Liu Xiaoyu in the storage room.
"Oh my god, there's no NPC hiding in this room... Then our conversation just now is-"
After hearing this, Liu Xiaoyu woodenly picked up the small folding stool beside her, exuding a dangerous sense of yandereness:
"If that's the case, there's no need for the NPCs here to survive—"
Hmm…
Upon seeing this, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang quickly covered each other's mouths and helped each other to tidy up their looks. Fortunately, this was an NPC look, otherwise it would have been too embarrassing to come out next.
Liu Xiaoyu and Peng Xue walked towards the cabinet in the storage room step by step, while at the same time, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang were also very nervous.
One step, two steps, small steps, slowly approaching... then stop.
Liu Xiaoyu and Peng Xue looked at each other in bewilderment. Just as they were about to open the cabinet, the door of the storage room suddenly opened with a click. A female ghost dressed in white stood at the door, looking at them with a grim smile on her face:
“I found you!”
Because this time it was a professional female ghost who replaced Yue Xinyi, her hideous appearance immediately frightened Liu Xiaoyu and Peng Xue so much that they both hugged each other, and then when the female ghost approached, they staggered out hand in hand.
Great, this sense of substitution is full...
The female ghost patted her chest contentedly. Tonight was going to be another scary and energetic night!
Just when she was confidently preparing to continue scaring people, the wardrobe behind her suddenly clanged. The female ghost in white turned her head tremblingly and saw that a murderer Jason and a pirated female ghost suddenly emerged from the wardrobe.
“Woooaaaaaaah!”
Under the dim light, the ghost girl saw the pirated female ghost and Jason entangled together like a multi-armed conjoined monster, which scared her to death and she ran away to a very, very far distance.
…
"worn out… "
Xia Yuan and Mei Fang leaned against the wardrobe, gasping for breath, thinking about what Peng Xue and Liu Xiaoyu had just said.
"Yuanyuan, let me ask you... why did you suddenly cry just now?"
Mei Fang asked Xia Yuan, "Are you so sad because you thought that you might have lost me?"
"I am really worried that I will lose to Youxi... I just feel more like,"
Xia Yuan muttered, "I know Xiaoxue has been suffering, but I didn't expect Xiaoyu to be in so much pain... Ah Fang, why do you keep hurting girls' hearts!"
"I, I don't want to either..."
Mei Fang hummed and touched Xia Yuan's head, "But I only have you and Youxi in my heart. Even if you force me to pretend to be someone else, I can't do that."
"I'm not saying I'm going to give you to them... I can only accept Youxi sharing you alone. If I have more, it would be too cheap for you."
Xia Yuan said this and punched Mei Fang a few times, then snuggled in Mei Fang's arms.
"Ah Fang, you said... if there is another world, it would be great if they can find their own happiness in that world."
"I can try my best to help them find it in this lifetime."
"This life... should be very difficult."
“Is it hard to let go?”
"As long as they are together, I think it will be hard for them to let go of you."
Facing Xia Yuan's explanation, Mei Fang naturally had to take care of her feelings, "Well, I'd better not get too close to them-"
"Don't try too hard to avoid it. It's fine like this, Fang."
Xia Yuan said as she sat on Mei Fang and gently
"Although it's impossible to share my Alfonso with them, I think there won't be any problem if we just get along as good friends."
"So you believe me?"
"I don't just believe in you, Ah Fang. I believe in them too."
"Because they are my friends."
"They have my approval and will never betray my good friends."
"Otherwise, how do you think I would trust them to be with you?"
"I see... Yuanyuan, that's what you think."
Although Xia Yuan, who is of a plastic rank, looks useless, she always has a great affinity around her, which makes her always the focus of the topic and easily become the darling of the group, like a little angel.
Everyone loves her because she is the first to spread warmth to others.
So, no one wanted to betray her trust.
This is a natural leadership quality, a great spirit that even Mei Fang and Lin Youxi do not possess.
Looking at the warmth in Xia Yuan's bright eyes, Mei Fang also made up his mind.
"Our band will definitely go far, and I want to help."
"Yeah! I believe that too, but before that... can you also write a song for Xiaoyu? She must be looking forward to it."
"ah?"
"Since we are just friends, you should be fair and don't let Xiaoxue think that she is the special one."
"To be fair, doesn't it mean that everyone should write a poem for them?"
Mei Fang was a little overwhelmed.
"That's not necessary! What I meant is... I was originally going to let Xiaoyu be the lead singer of our band. She has been helping me write songs and compose music before. She needs her own hit song so that more people can remember her."
"It's not you... but Liu Xiaoyu? Let the keyboard player be the lead singer?"
Tomorrow's IF chapter (probably)
(End of this chapter)