He scratched his head. “What are you looking at? I’m warning you, the gold bars are mine, haha.”
He had put the gold bars he found in the chest right on the table because he was confident no one would dare take them.
The other players were either weak women or little dogs, posing no threat to him at all.
Cheng Li, who hadn’t spoken until now, suddenly said, “If this really is the Butler’s room, does the Butler have that much money?”
Li Hua knocked on the luxurious walnut nightstand with intricate patterns.
“Looks like it.”
The Butler’s room, like the Duchess’s Room, was old, with thick layers of dust in every corner and cobwebs in the corners, as if it hadn’t been cleaned for years.
Upon entering the room, Xunian glanced around and walked straight to the cabinet.
Creak—
The cabinet was also covered in dust. When she opened it, a cloud of dust hit her face, and she frowned, stepping aside until it cleared.
Fu Ruxue pinched her nose and peeked inside, indeed seeing clothing identical to what the Butler wore.
She told the others, “All the clothes in the wardrobe are similar to what the Butler wears, and some are exactly the same as his outfit.”
So that diary really was written by the Butler.
Zhang Zhuanghao leaned against the door impatiently and urged, “Alright, finished the tour? Can we get out now?”
Under his pressure, the group was forced out, and after stepping out, Zhang Zhuanghao slammed the door shut and locked it.
The door was firmly shut, separating them completely from the inside.
“Pfft—” Cheng Li sneered contemptuously. “He’s gotten a bit of loot and suddenly thinks he’s rich. I doubt he’ll even make it out alive.”
“Look at this,” Li Hua held up a piece of fabric with white lace he had just found and showed it to the others.
“That’s…” Cheng Li glanced at it carefully, then turned his head in disgust. “The Butler’s unique fetish? Looks like he has quite the girly side.”
Xunian said flatly, “That’s a maid’s collar.”
Every servant uniform had a collar like that.
“Gross.”
Cheng Li thought of the Headless Maid’s decapitated state and felt like vomiting all over again from a few days ago.
As for why it was a few days ago, it was because he hadn’t eaten a single bite in the last two days. He might not even be able to throw up food anymore—only stomach acid.
Li Hua pondered, “What do you think the relationship between the Butler and the maid is?”
Cheng Li immediately answered, “The maid wants to get in his pants.”
He thought, the Butler was handsome and rich, and the maid was just a delicate-looking girl. Obviously, the maid was after the Butler.
Fu Ruxue frowned and objected, “The Butler’s behavior is completely different from what he wrote in the diary. The diary even mentioned he almost got what he wanted. Maybe it was the Butler trying to do something bad to the maid.”
Cheng Li sneered at her words. “I think you’re interested in the Butler too. Are you jealous of the maid?”
“You!”
Fu Ruxue’s face flamed with anger. She stepped forward, ready to argue, when a tug on her wrist stopped her.
Xunian shook her head at her.
Cheng Li clicked his tongue.
……
Not far away, inside a room.
The Duke’s Daughter seemed to sense something and frowned tightly.
She leaned against the door, extending her slender fingers to draw an invisible line in the air.
An intangible barrier blocked her from leaving.
A flicker of anger rose in her eyes. Her fingertips emitted faint red light but still failed to break through the barrier.
The red glow faded, and the Duke’s Daughter gently rested her hand on the door, then slowly lowered it.
A resigned sigh echoed softly in the room.
……
Behind the door.
In the corridor, the group chatting had now reached Xunian’s room.
Li Hua seemed to realize something and looked at Fu Ruxue and Xunian with a mysterious expression.
His gaze shifted between them before resting on Fu Ruxue.
“How do you know whose rooms those two live in?”
It made sense to deduce Zhang Zhuanghao’s room from the diary.
But Xunian had never mentioned living in the Duchess’s Room. Had she and Fu Ruxue spoken privately before?
Fu Ruxue hesitated, lips moving as she said, “Just guessed.”
Li Hua eyed her suspiciously, clearly not convinced.
He stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Simple and plain furnishings filled the room. The portrait on the wall showed a woman holding a little girl, her mouth turned down in displeasure.
“This is… the portrait of the Duchess?”
Li Hua stepped closer to examine the painting.
The blonde little girl blinked, revealing a mischievous smile.
Suddenly, the floor beneath him gave way. Caught off guard, he tumbled and crashed hard to the ground.
Pain shot through his back.
“Hiss—”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine.”
Li Hua propped himself up on both sides, enduring the sharp pain in his waist as he struggled to stand.
He glanced at the painting again, a flash of viciousness in his eyes.
As usual, Fu Ruxue opened the wardrobe and saw the luxurious clothes inside, confirming this was the Duchess’s Room.
Yet, there was still no clue to prove whether the Duchess was alive.
“Is there nothing else in this room?”
After checking thoroughly, the group exited together.
“There’s almost nothing inside,” Li Hua said, looking at Xunian. “Can I see the medicine you took at noon?”
Xunian handed him the medicine.
He examined the bottle over and over but found no sign of anything unusual.
“Sorry, I don’t know much about medicine.”
He returned the bottle to Xunian.
“Let’s just consider the Duke’s Daughter as the child from the diary for now.”
The four separated and returned to their rooms.
Xunian headed toward her own room.
“Xunian.”
She looked back and met Fu Ruxue’s tear-filled eyes. Her delicate face showed a rare expression of helplessness and vulnerability.
She had just returned, hiding behind the door. After the two men left, she came out again.
“I’m a little scared.”
The girl stepped forward and opened the door, then turned to beckon to the person behind her. “You come in.”
“Sure.”
Fu Ruxue smiled brightly and entered the room before Xunian could.
Xunian watched her joyful figure and felt like she had been deceived by Fu Ruxue.
But then again, hadn’t she also been deceiving Fu Ruxue?
“Xunian?”
A faint, emotionless smile curved at the corner of her lips.
Click.
She closed the door firmly and locked it.
Turning around, she replied coolly, “I’m here.”
Xunian took out a blanket from the cabinet, folded it neatly, and laid it on the floor beside the bed.
Fu Ruxue sat on the bed, watching her spread the blanket, swinging her legs leisurely like a child on a swing.
“What’s this for?”
“Sleeping on the floor.”
Fu Ruxue’s eyes lit up, feeling favored. “Don’t sleep on the floor, you’ll catch a cold. We can just sleep together…”
Xunian gave her a strange look. “You’re overthinking. I mean you sleep on the floor.”
Fu Ruxue: “…”
At night, the blood-red moon outside seemed even redder than in previous days, unsettling to look at.
A sneaky figure climbed onto the bed but was kicked off with a swift kick.
“Ouch!”
Fu Ruxue rubbed the spot she was kicked and complained pitifully, “Xunian, why are you so cold?”
After a pause, the figure turned her back and finally responded, “Am I?”
“I don’t know if this will offend you, but I heard girls who like girls tend to be distant and hard to approach.”
“So what if I am?”
“…”
This time, Fu Ruxue was the one silent.
Awkwardly, she changed the subject. “Um… by the way, I’ve played this game several times before with five players. I don’t know why there are six this time. It’s a bit strange. Oh, Xunian, what’s your rank on the APP?”
“What APP?”
A strange look flashed in Fu Ruxue’s eyes, but she kept calm and explained to Xunian, “The White-collared APP. Don’t you know? Every player entering the Rule Horror Instance has this APP installed on their phone.”
“See, it’s this one.”
She sat up and pulled out her phone to show Xunian.
Xunian turned around to face her, the glowing phone reflected in her pupils.
On the screen was a pure white icon labeled ‘怪谈’—the app looked like some pirated software of unknown origin.
“Why are you telling me this?”
The white light illuminated her pretty, sweet face, making Fu Ruxue momentarily distracted.
“Because you protected that player. Even though you didn’t know him, you stood up for him. I think you’re kind.”
Fu Ruxue’s eyes were full of sincerity as she looked at Xunian. “That’s why I want to trust you.”
Xunian really wanted to ask if she believed her own words.
“Believe it or not, I’m just a normal person playing this game for the first time,” Xunian said, turning her back to Fu Ruxue again. “Let’s sleep.”
Fu Ruxue twisted her mouth at Xunian’s back.
There was no way she would believe Xunian.
The game was supposed to have five players but suddenly had a sixth. Xunian, who seemed to understand the Rules well, didn’t even know about the White-collared APP.
Everything Fu Ruxue had said about trusting Xunian was just to gain her trust. She had a strong feeling Xunian would be the key to finding the “Key.”
In the quiet room, both hid their true intentions, closing their eyes to rest while secretly guarding against each other.
A strange fragrance wafted into the room, pulling their consciousness away and dragging them into the world of dreams.
Xunian had barely opened her eyes when a soft kiss landed on her lips, carrying the scent of the other person.
This time, she truly saw the face before her. She turned her head aside, unwilling to face it.
They were still in the Duchess’s Room; the dream room was terrifyingly real, down to the dust in the corners.
The only difference was that Fu Ruxue was not in the room.
This was the only way to tell it was a dream.
Seeing her turn her head away, the Duke’s Daughter’s long, thick lashes fluttered.
“Don’t you want to see me?”
She leaned closer, reaching to take Xunian’s hand but was avoided.
“You used to like doing this.”
“Used to?” Again with ‘used to’!
Xunian finally looked at her but spoke cold reality. “I told you, I don’t even know you.”
The Duke’s Daughter took a step back in disbelief, her eyes swirling with pain and struggle.