Li Qing had no idea that he had already become Wan Yingjun's prey, or that he had helped him score a psychological victory over Gong Yao.
Yuan Sisi and Zhao Yu seemed ready to keep arguing, but Li Qing turned to the middle-aged woman standing nearby. "When can we have breakfast?"
The woman chuckled. "Breakfast starts at eight sharp. If you miss it, you won't be able to take part in the Fortune Lady's matchmaking afterward."
Everyone instantly perked up. A rule had quietly emerged.
All players had to gather here before eight. That was when the instance would tally the players advancing to the next round.
Gong Yao suddenly spoke. "Is everyone here?"
Several people caught their breath.
The woman glanced at Gong Yao before slowly answering, "No. We're still missing one pair of newlyweds."
The atmosphere immediately grew heavy.
Why hadn't that pair of newlyweds come?
Had something happened to them?
Had two people died on the very first day?
Some panicked, while others thought nothing of it, but an idea stirred in Li Qing's mind.
If something had happened to the other two, perhaps their experience could provide clues about the Fortune Lady and help him identify the problem with this instance.
With that thought, Li Qing was about to speak, but another voice beat him to it-
"I'll go get them."
Gong Yao stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling.
"Maybe they didn't hear the call and overslept."
Yuan Sisi said worriedly, "But it's almost eight. If you don't make it back before then..."
"It's fine. I'll be quick." There was something strangely soothing about Gong Yao's voice, and Yuan Sisi stopped trying to dissuade him.
He turned to Li Qing. "Let's-"
"I'll come too," Li Qing said.
Gong Yao looked a little surprised, then smiled. "Sure."
The two made their way through the large, dilapidated rear courtyard, one behind the other.
Before leaving, Li Qing had asked everyone where their rooms were. Five of the six bridal rooms had been eliminated, and the route to the remaining room was already marked on the Administrator System's map.
Gong Yao followed him without asking how he knew where the last room was.
His tone was light and cheerful. "I didn't expect you to come along."
Where Li Qing couldn't see, his eyes held a probing look, like a big cat sizing up its prey.
"I thought I'd have to put some effort into persuading you to come with me."
Checking the route provided by the Administrator System, Li Qing said flatly, "I didn't expect you to volunteer to look for that player either. You don't actually have to come with me."
"That won't do," Gong Yao said. "I don't trust you on your own."
[Lord Gong Yao is so considerate!]
[His boyfriend appeal is off the charts!!!]
[I want Lord Gong Yao to say that to me too! What's wrong with that newbie? He's always scowling, like Lord Gong Yao owes him something!]
[Another newbie who thinks good looks equal strength. Judging by how recklessly he acted last night, he'd probably die a horrible death if he went looking for the missing players alone... tsk, tsk.]
Gong Yao's livestream screen was instantly flooded with comments.
Yet both men on-screen knew perfectly well that Gong Yao hadn't meant it that way.
He didn't trust Li Qing on his own because he feared that, without his supervision, this administrator would vanish again and go stir up trouble somewhere.
Gong Yao was nowhere near as friendly as he appeared. Li Qing had always known that, but he didn't spell it out.
Neither spoke for the rest of the walk, and they finally stopped in front of a run-down room.
"This is it." Li Qing looked up and examined the old wooden door before him.
Gong Yao stepped forward from behind him. "Let me." Then he moved in front of Li Qing and knocked on the door.
"Anyone there?"
"If you don't get to the dining hall by eight, you won't get anything to eat~"
There was no sound.
Gong Yao looked back and exchanged a glance with Li Qing.
"The door isn't locked," Li Qing said.
Gong Yao turned back around, his expression still relaxed, but his right hand hovered at his waist, loosely curled.
"I'm coming in, then~" he announced.
Then he pushed, and the door let out a teeth-grating creak.
The room was silent.
Li Qing rose onto his toes to peer over Gong Yao's shoulder.
His gaze swept around the room before finally settling on one spot, his pupils contracting slightly-
A woman in a wedding dress sat upright at the dressing table with her back to them, completely motionless.
From their angle at the door, neither man could see what was reflected in the mirror, nor could they tell whether she was alive or dead.
Gong Yao could only call out again from the doorway. "Hello?"
The figure in red abruptly turned her head!
Li Qing instantly straightened, his heels dropping back to the floor, and Gong Yao's back blocked his view again.
Then he saw Gong Yao's back tense in that same instant.
But Gong Yao made no further move.
Li Qing heard a soft voice. "You are...?"
He leaned out to look again. The woman in the red wedding dress had already walked over.
There was no paper-white face, no gaping, bloody maw. She was simply an ordinary woman with delicate features.
Gong Yao repeated, "Good morning, ma'am. It's time for breakfast. We need to get there before eight."
The woman gave a slow "Oh." "Thank you. I didn't hear the older lady calling us."
"Where is your... er, husband?"
The woman blinked. "No one knocked on my door last night. I don't know where he is."
Gong Yao looked back at Li Qing. "Do we have enough time to check the groom's rooms?"
"Just barely, but I wouldn't recommend it," Li Qing said flatly. "Your chances of finding him in the groom's rooms are less than one percent."
"All right," Gong Yao said regretfully.
Then he smiled at the woman. "I'm Gong Yao, and he's Li Qing. What should we call you?"
The woman ignored his outstretched hand and said softly, "Wu Nianfang."
"Miss Wu, shall we head to the dining hall together?"
The woman nodded, walked past them, and headed toward the dining hall.
Li Qing and Gong Yao watched her retreating figure, exchanged a glance, then followed her together.
Gong Yao bent down and whispered in Li Qing's ear, "There's definitely something wrong with her."
Li Qing nodded. Even setting aside her somewhat unusual behavior, given the rule telling them not to stay alone in their rooms at night, the probability of nothing happening to Wu Nianfang was also negligible.
Then Gong Yao said, "She saw me offer my hand and didn't react at all!"
Li Qing: "?"
He slowly turned to look at Gong Yao.
Gong Yao had bent down to whisper to him until their eyes were almost level, so Li Qing could clearly see the utter sincerity in the man's obsidian eyes.
"How could anyone see me and remain unmoved? There's only one possibility: she's no longer a normal person."
Li Qing: "..." For the first time, he felt as though his brain had boiled dry.
Before you continue