The twenty-minute hiding countdown began. Yu Jinche put on his blindfold and headphones and sat waiting in a beanbag chair while the other seven quickly scattered.
Some ran upstairs, some ran downstairs, and others subscribed to the idea that the most dangerous place was the safest and hid right on the same floor.
Behind a huge vase in the corner of the cinema, inside one of the many sleeping cubicles, among the balls in the children's play area's ball pit, behind the gym curtains... they squeezed into every possible hiding place.
Fortunately, the Production Team had spoken with the manager and the customers beforehand. Everyone had readily agreed to let them film there. Not only did they not feel disturbed, they were delighted to serve as a live audience.
Some customers even volunteered to cover for them, deliberately sitting outside an occupied sleeping cubicle and pretending it was their own spot, for instance.
For a while, everyone was having the time of their lives.
Clearly, they had yet to realize how serious things were about to get.
"All right, Teacher Xie, just hide here without worrying. If anyone tries to come in, I'll tell them there's nobody here."
Customer A struggled to contain their excitement as they spoke to Xie Mi, who was dangling from the ceiling.
This was a yoga studio, the aerial kind, with straps hanging from the ceiling. Xie Mi was suspended in one of them.
Using a highly challenging pose, she had hoisted herself way up and wrapped herself into a bundle, like a beehive hanging from a tree.
"I'm counting on you, then. If I win the game, I'll treat you to a meal!"
Even though the food here was already a buffet.
Customer A beamed with the radiant smile of a fan who had