A Deadly Choice

There were originally eight hearts on her head, but now one of them is dark, while the others are still lit.

This must be the health points Tang Pin was talking about; several teammates represent several health points, and she just used one.

Based on what had just happened, she began to understand the basic rules of the game.

While Mi Chuchu was composing herself, Qin Rang and the others were discussing what had just happened.

This is a game of choice.

The game is called "Lin Yi's Day," and the name itself tells the story of how it's played, a game limited to a maximum of two lives.

They must make the right choice from Lin Yi's perspective; if they choose the wrong one, the outcome will be the same as just now—they will be dealt with by the mysterious force.

The eight hearts above their heads represent both the eight people and Mi Chuchu's eight lives. Once they've used up all eight lives, they will be wiped out.

Wang Ding: "This game is treacherous enough. If the team disagrees and makes a few wrong choices, the teammates will start cursing at each other. Wouldn't that be a sure way to die?"

Sheng Qingqiao grumbled, her chibi-style finger raised high. "These Rules are outrageous! They ban all our Weird Object and people! How can this be?"

Bai Yang shrugged. "It seems we can't be of much help either."

Eight lives may seem like a lot, but who knows how many pitfalls await them ahead?

The chibi version of An Ying glanced at the time and reminded him, "We can't waste any more time. Lin Yi is still at school at this hour. It's already 6:34. Last time you left, it was 6:16. We can start over, but time won't."

"If you're late for school, you're likely to break the Rules and find yourself in a situation where there's no solution regarding time constraints."

Mi Chuchu nodded, then asked, "What do you think we should choose?"

"When you died just now, the eerie thing you said was that you didn't wake them up, but A and B were separate choices."

"Knowing that Dad and Dad sleep separately, one should sleep in the study and the other in the Master Bedroom, so Lin Yi can only wake one of them up. The adult who gets up will then go and wake the other adult up."

Mi Chuchu pondered, "In conclusion, I think calling Dad' is riskier than calling them 'Mom,' so I should choose 'Mom.'"

Qin Rang and Tao Yuan nodded simultaneously. "Yes, that's what we think too."

"Good."

Mi Chuchu opened the door again, and this time she decisively chose option B.

With the selection box hidden, Mi Chuchu arrived at her mother's room and gently knocked on the door.

At this point, the prompt box reappeared.

You decide to wake your mother up. What will you do?

A: Knocks loudly on the door and says, "Wang Yumei, get up!"

B: Knock softly on the door and say, "Mom, wake up."

C: Shout loudly, "You old geezer, get up and cook me some food!"

[Select countdown: 3...]

Mi Chuchu chose B without saying a word.

The selection box disappeared, and she was about to speak when she saw Moonlit Night speak softly to Tao Yuan and the others. Tao Yuan nodded and whispered a few words in Mi Chuchu's ear.

Mi Chuchu nodded, then raised her hand and knocked on the door with a little force. "Mom, get up, you're going to be late."

"That works!" Tao Yuan's eyes lit up. "Moonlit Night is right. This option is just a general outline; it doesn't definitively say what it means."

The door opened quickly from the inside, and a beautiful woman stepped out.

She looked young, with her black hair flowing freely. Wearing thick pajamas, she sleepily bent over and smiled at Mi Chuchu, "Get up. Thank you, Xiaoyi, for waking Mom. You go wash up first, I'll go wake Dad."

"Okay." Mi Chuchu obediently went into the Bathroom, and soon after, she heard another person getting up.

She looked in the mirror in the Bathroom and found that her face was completely unharmed. For a moment, she couldn't be sure whether it was because it was her own face that she hadn't been disfigured when playing Lin Yi, or because Lin Yi hadn't been disfigured yet.

When she came out of the Bathroom, her Dad were already up and sitting at the table eating breakfast that they didn't know where it came from, in a harmonious atmosphere.

"Xiao Yi, were you cold while sleeping last night?" Mom handed him a glass of warm milk and touched his hands with concern. "They're so cold."

"I'm so sorry, we only picked you up yesterday, and we were in such a rush that we didn't have time to prepare anything for you. The room is just a temporary storage room that we recently cleared out. After get off work today, Mom will take you to buy furniture and some new clothes. Look at your clothes, they're all so old and not warm anymore."

Qin Rang and his companions, taking advantage of the fact that no one could see them, wandered around the family's house. "So Lin Yi didn't grow up here."

"Perhaps you used to live with other relatives in other places? No wonder you're so thin," Tao Yuan said.

Bai Yang and Moonlit Night Ye remained silent behind Mi Chuchu's head.

Ignoring her friends' comments, Mi Chuchu focused on the task. "Okay, thank you, Mom."

"Dad's been tidying up the study lately, so it can be your bedroom. How can anyone live in that storage room?" Dad said with a smile. "I've also put all the certificates you brought in the study; these are all my son's honors!"

Mi Chuchu was taken aback. "Huh?"

"That room should have been yours to begin with. The storage room is a bit small, but after renovation, it'll be big enough for your dad to work in. He doesn't have time to read anyway, so there's no need for such a large space."

Dad smiled and agreed with Mom; the family looked very happy together.

This was completely different from what Qin Rang and the others had encountered in the eerie neighborhood.

Mi Chuchu looked up at Qin Rang in confusion, but Qin Rang frowned and shook his head. She quickly looked away, unsure how to respond, and simply lowered her head to drink her soy milk, trying not to get herself involved.

After finally finishing breakfast, Mi Chuchu was still wondering how to get to school when she saw her Dad taking her car keys and leading her downstairs.

They lived on the fourth floor. As they passed the elevator, a sign on it said it was under maintenance.

"It's under repair again, they do it eight hundred times a day. I don't know what the property management company is doing."

The Dad muttered to himself as the two of them walked down the stairs. Along the way, they encountered several neighbors, who all gave him a cold glance and left without saying hello.

"It seems he doesn't get along well with his Neighbors."

Bai Yang said, "But what we saw in the eerie neighborhood was different. Although it was all eerie, everyone was quite friendly as long as you didn't trigger the Rules."

Mi Chuchu had the same question. After the two went down to the first floor, her Dad told her to wait for him downstairs in the apartment complex while he went to the parking lot to get his car.

[Dad needs to go get the car, what do you choose:]

A: Go with Dad

B: Stay here and wait for Dad.

C: What kind of transportation do you need? Just take a taxi. I'm not short of money.

Thinking back on Lin Yi's personality, Mi Chuchu cautiously chose option B and waited there alone.

Dad walked to the parking spot, while Mi Chuchu stayed behind.

A cold wind blew by in early winter, and she zipped up her school uniform and shivered.