Cheng Jie
After a Thousand Simulations, I Have a Speedrun Strategy for Escape Games
Contents
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Cheng Jie (程杰) |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Songbird Guild, also rendered as Singing Sparrow or Mingque |
| Occupation/Role | High-level White Tower player; ranked star player; assistant to Vice President Xiao Jun 10 13 35 |
| Status | Alive 50 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 10 |
Personality
Cheng Jie is hot-tempered, blunt, and outspoken. He initially resents Zheng Xun’s demands on Songbird and repeatedly protests being ordered around. Zheng Xun finds him less calculating and easier to understand than Xiao Jun or Su Hairong, making him a convenient roommate while learning about the guild 10 13.
Despite his sharp tongue, Cheng Jie is approachable and unconcerned with seniority. He immediately puts an arm around the unfamiliar Xiao Wu and encourages the supposed substitute player not to be intimidated by him. He also follows Zheng Xun’s instruction not to fight during their investigative dungeon run, despite their usual bickering 17 20.
He enjoys provoking rivals and watching trouble unfold, particularly when Zheng Xun targets Azure Mist. However, earlier setbacks taught him that public controversies can damage a professional player’s life and dungeon performance. He advises Zheng Xun not to be swept along by smear campaigns, while admitting through his own behavior that he still vents through alternate accounts and anonymous forum posts 29 30 31 47.
His concern for others often appears beneath complaints: he catches Zheng Xun when he collapses, considers calling an ambulance, and later stops him from entering another instance while exhausted 22 45.
History
Meeting Zheng Xun
Cheng Jie accompanies Xiao Jun and Su Hairong during negotiations with Zheng Xun. He objects when Zheng Xun refuses guild membership but asks Songbird’s members to obey him temporarily. At Zheng Xun’s request, he buys a player wristband and a Newcomer’s Guide, signing autographs for fans before returning to the van 10.
Xiao Jun assigns Cheng Jie to accompany Zheng Xun into the Huaiyin instance and help him settle into Songbird. Zheng Xun chooses to share Cheng Jie’s room, openly admitting that teasing him is part of the appeal 13.
Huaiyin Rescue Operation
Cheng Jie volunteers to reenter the dangerous Huaiyin instance with Xiao Jun to rescue Tao Xueqing. When Su Hairong offers to go instead, he argues that she is better suited to helping run the guild, describing himself as someone who can only fight 14.
He joins Zheng Xun, Xiao Jun, Xiao Wu, and Li Shuang for their first attempt. After the hidden side quest fails to appear, Zheng Xun pushes all four teammates off the rooftop to deliberately fail the run and keep the entrance accessible. Cheng Jie receives the resulting gold-coin reward and remains outside while Zheng Xun attempts solo runs 15 16.
While watching the livestream, Cheng Jie befriends Xiao Wu without realizing that the apparent substitute is Guild President Tao Xueji in disguise. He later accompanies Zheng Xun on an investigative run and helps connect Security Guard Li’s actions to his sister’s death 17 20 21.
Cheng Jie anxiously awaits the final rescue party’s return. When Zheng Xun emerges and collapses, he catches him immediately and helps arrange their departure. He is also beside Zheng Xun when a creature resembling the hidden boss bursts from a picture-frame reward 22.
Supporting Zheng Xun Against Azure Mist
After the rescue, Cheng Jie objects to Zheng Xun’s request for Songbird to guarantee the creation of an independent guild. Nevertheless, he keeps Zheng Xun company during the negotiations and attends the press conference announcing Xunhui’s establishment 23 24 25.
As roommates, the two settle into a routine of trading insults while helping each other. Cheng Jie assists with cleaning Zheng Xun’s mined ore and explains Huo Ziyan’s troubled reputation at Azure Mist. He warns against borrowing Huo Ziyan and offers himself as an alternative partner for two-person instances 26.
When Xiao Jun supplies a map of Azure Mist’s marked dungeons, Cheng Jie enthusiastically encourages Zheng Xun to poach them. He cannot participate directly because Xiao Jun forbids Songbird team members from violating that guild convention. Instead, he helps plan the provocation, sends Zheng Xun a yacht livestream gift, tags Azure Mist’s leaders in the guild chat, and urges him to taunt them during the broadcast 29 30 31 32.
After Zheng Xun clears Alice’s Horror Corridor, Cheng Jie collects him in an unmarked black sedan. He later escorts him away from Azure Mist again, brushing aside mockery that a highly valued player has become someone else’s driver 35 43.
Blue Tower Incident
Cheng Jie finds Zheng Xun asleep in Songbird’s teleportation room and hears him murmur “Seventh Hospital.” The following morning, he prevents another immediate dungeon trip and takes him to the Blue Tower to relax 44 45.
There, Cheng Jie explains the arena’s rules and recognizes former Silver Snow prodigy Shen Guanyu. When Jiang Feiguang appears, he reluctantly tells Zheng Xun that Jiang has been copying his career and benefiting from attacks on his reputation. His advice to avoid an open confrontation backfires: Zheng Xun takes his scarf, disguises himself, and enters the arena 45 47.
Cheng Jie attempts to reassure Xiao Jun by phone that they are merely visiting an amusement park, only to see Zheng Xun’s exposed identity displayed on the arena screens. He flees, but Zheng Xun follows him; together, they evade the fans and drive back to Songbird 49 50.
On the return trip, Cheng Jie asks Zheng Xun to claim responsibility for the outing. Xiao Jun immediately rejects the rehearsed explanation, prompting Cheng Jie to admit fault. His punishment remains undecided when Xiao Jun takes Zheng Xun aside 50.
Abilities & Skills
Combat and Physical Conditioning
- High-level player: Cheng Jie is explicitly identified as a high-level White Tower player and a ranked star player 13 35.
- Combat specialization: He considers fighting his primary contribution when arguing that Su Hairong should remain behind to manage guild affairs 14.
- Stamina: His professional conditioning helps him escape the pursuing Blue Tower crowd alongside Zheng Xun 50.
- Documented limits: No specific weapon, named technique, numerical level, or advancement is established for him in the provided chapters.
Guild Support and Industry Knowledge
- Operational assistance: He serves as Xiao Jun’s assistant and reviews the second team’s adjusted training schedule with Tao Xueqing 10 32.
- Knowledge of guild conventions: He explains marked-dungeon etiquette, player loans, and the practical staffing needs of a new guild 26 30 36.
- Publicity experience: Drawing on personal setbacks, he explains how hostile publicity can affect professional players and describes Songbird’s quiet intervention against Zheng Xun’s smear campaign 47.
- Transport: He repeatedly collects Zheng Xun by car, using an unmarked vehicle after the Azure Mist dungeon raid 35 43 50.
Relationships
- Zheng Xun — Roommate, dungeon teammate, and frequent partner in mischief. Their initial friction develops into practical companionship, although neither stops trading barbs 13 20 26 30.
- Xiao Jun — Superior and vice president. Cheng Jie calls him “Brother Xiao,” obeys his restrictions, and is visibly afraid of disciplinary consequences when he causes trouble 10 30 50.
- Su Hairong — Guild colleague whom he addresses as “Sister Rong.” He insists that her administrative abilities make her more useful outside the Huaiyin rescue mission 14.
- Tao Xueqing — Guild teammate whose rescue he supports; afterward, they review the second team’s training schedule together 14 22 32.
- Tao Xueji / Xiao Wu — Guild president whom Cheng Jie initially treats as an unfamiliar substitute, assuring him that he does not care about seniority 17 21.
- Huo Ziyan — Initially regards him through his poor professional reputation and warns Zheng Xun against taking him on loan 26.
Equipment & Personal Items
- Hoodie — Pulls it up after fans recognize him during his shopping errand 10.
- Scarf and sunglasses — Personal accessories used by Zheng Xun as part of his improvised Blue Tower disguise; the scarf is identified as expensive 47.
- Cars — Uses an unmarked black sedan to collect Zheng Xun after the dungeon raid and a previously unused garage car for their Blue Tower outing 35 50.
Notable Quotes
“Sister Rong, you know I can’t do anything except fight!” 14
“I brought you out to relax, not to tire yourself out even more!” 45