The production team went all in and assigned them the extreme-horror difficulty.
"The theme of this escape room is an exploration of an old mansion. You two will play paranormal investigators sneaking into the mysterious Ancient House at night to uncover the secret behind its haunting."
"Please take your props. We'll be entering the escape room shortly."
A staff member gave them a flashlight and two paper talismans covered in strange patterns.
Then they were blindfolded and guided into the escape room.
The room was freezing, with gusts of chilly air and an eerie ambient soundtrack mixed with the howls of unidentified creatures.
"You may remove your blindfolds now." A staff member's voice came over the overhead speaker, accompanied by crackling static.
Xie Mi took off her blindfold and found herself surrounded by darkness.
In the faint green glow, she could just make out that they were in an abandoned bathroom.
The tiles were smeared with blood, and thick black water seeped through the toilet. Everything felt sinister.
"You are paranormal investigators commissioned to investigate the Ancient House. Since its front door has been locked for years, you had no choice but to climb through a window into the bathroom."
"Now, find the key, unlock the bathroom door, and enter the Ancient House."
The staff member's voice came intermittently over the speaker.
[It's broad daylight and I've got chills down my back.]
[Comments, protect me!!!]
[They both look so calm, sob.]
[Mr. Shen is that legendary man who can keep his heart rate at 80 even while bungee jumping. Xie Mi looks like the reckless type. I bet neither of them is scared.]
"Let's find the ke-" Xie Mi turned her head and came face-to-face with a deathly pale face.
"AAAAAAAH! MOTHERFUCKER!!!"
The actress swore on the spot.
The owner of that pale face-Shen Yeqing, who had been shining the flashlight up under his chin-was so startled by Xie Mi's scream that the flashlight flew out of his hand.
Splash-
Their only flashlight fell into the toilet, sinking out of sight into the black water.
Xie Mi: "..."
Shen Yeqing: "..."
[...]
The silence was deafening.
[I thought these were pros wandering into the beginner zone. Turns out they're noobs stumbling into a high-level match??]
[Wait? You two?]
[Okay, okay, okay. First you were competing to see who could look calmer, and now you're competing to see who's more pathetic?]
"So you're scared?" Xie Mi asked through gritted teeth.
Shen Yeqing nodded with absolute sincerity. "I am. You too?"
"I'm scared to death!!" Xie Mi delivered the most cowardly words in the toughest tone.
[Then why didn't you two just pick mild horror in the first place!!!]
[The two biggest cowards picked the scariest map. Okay, okay, okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.]
Meanwhile, the assistant director and the others in the control room were delighted.
Now this was entertainment!
"Anyway, let's find the key first!"
Xie Mi marched up to the sink, ready to search it, only for a ghostly face to suddenly pop up in the mirror.
"Hhh-"
Xie Mi sucked in a breath, rolled her eyes back, and toppled stiffly backward.
Shen Yeqing caught her.
His long-fingered hand supported her waist, and her head rested against a firm yet slightly springy chest. The man's warmth breathed a little life into her rigid corpse.
Nothing beats pecs.
"Arigato, Mr. Hefty Goat. I feel much better."
He seemed to lower his head too, his warm breath brushing her neck and shoulder. "You're welcome, Miss Pretty Goat."
The tingling at her neck and shoulder sent a shiver through her entire body, and she hastily sprang away from him.
Perhaps she was imagining it, but he seemed to be smiling in the dim light.
"We still need to get the flashlight back first. It's too dark to see anything otherwise." Xie Mi rolled up her sleeves and walked over to the toilet.
[You big dummy, what are you doing!]
[Wait, don't tell me she's about to do what I think she is!]
Before anyone could react, Xie Mi went straight for the target and plunged her hand into the toilet.
She moved so fast that even Shen Yeqing couldn't stop her in time.
[Actress fishes through toilet with her bare hand!!!]
[Xie, you-are my goddess!]
"Got it! Wait, there seems to be something else?"
Xie Mi rummaged around inside with a serious expression, then pulled something out in delight. "It's the key!"
[Holy shit, that actually worked?]
[I thought fishing through the toilet was ridiculous enough. Turns out the even more ridiculous part is that the key really was in there.]
[Up next: two cowards bravely tackle an extreme-horror escape room.]
Leaving the bathroom, they entered a long corridor whose end was nowhere in sight.
Suddenly, footsteps tapped through the silent air.
As the footsteps drew closer, they also grew faster.
"There seems to be something up ahead." Xie Mi aimed the flashlight forward.
It revealed a female ghost in white rushing toward them.
"AAAAAH! HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT!"
Xie Mi kept scrambling behind Shen Yeqing, taking the opportunity to feel his abs a couple of times.
In the confusion, the paper talisman fell out of Shen Yeqing's pocket.
The ghost immediately seemed frightened, turning around and running away at full speed.
Xie Mi was thrilled. "So these talismans repel ghosts! That makes things easy!"
In the next room, a hanging ghost dropped from the ceiling, and Xie Mi confidently pulled out her own talisman.
Then the ghost captured her.
A staff member's voice came over the speaker. "Congratulations on uncovering the secret of the talismans. One repels ghosts, and the other summons them."
Xie Mi: "Nice."
[HAHAHAHAHAHA I'm dying.]
[Why does Xie have it so rough? First fishing through a toilet, then getting captured by a ghost, hahaha.]
[I'm laughing myself to pieces. This woman really is the goddess of variety shows.]
With Xie Mi taken away, Shen Yeqing's solo mission began.
He searched the room for clues with the flashlight, but the wardrobe suddenly opened, and a female ghost in red charged at him with a howl.
He took out the ghost-repelling talisman, but the ghost in red remained unfazed. She pulled out a rope and bound him securely to a chair.
[Bondage play? This escape room gets wild.]
[Huh? Where's the sound? Why can't I hear anything?]
The microphone clipped to Shen Yeqing's collar had fallen to the floor.
The ghost in red stepped forward and, whether deliberately or not, kicked the microphone far away.
"Scared, handsome?" Pale fingertips tipped the man's chin up. Coupled with her sinister chuckle, it was as chilling as could be.
Shen Yeqing lowered his head, his hair concealing his eyes. His moist, rosy lips made him look every bit the bullied young man.
"...Yes."
"Then answer a few questions. If you can't answer, I'll eat you!"
"I'll tell you anything you want to know." His head remained lowered, his body trembling with fear.
"Very good. First question, then: why did you join the show?"
"To fall in love."
"Liar!"
The ghost in red lashed her whip against the floor, her voice shrill. "If you don't tell me the truth, I'll eat you right now!"
People had no secrets when they were utterly terrified.
The moment fear took over their minds, any secret would come spilling out.
"Tell me! Tell me-"
The terrifying ghost in red moved closer, her voice growing ever sharper and more piercing.
Shen Yeqing suddenly raised his head to meet her gaze, a glimmer of amusement flashing through his beautiful, alluring eyes.
The ghost in red froze for a moment.
In the next instant, he seized her wrist. The world spun, and she landed in his arms.
His warm palm held her firmly by the waist, his hot breath brushing her ear. "It's the truth."
"Xie Mi, I came here to fall in love with you."
Before you continue