Song Qiuyu was unaware of Jiang Xiao’s presence outside the folding screen.
Her bare, tender feet stepped onto the clean red carpet as she clumsily and unfamiliarly rolled up the matching red bridal trousers, then slipped one leg in.
The traditional Chinese bridal dress was extremely complicated, and with the dim lighting and a gnawing hunger, she found herself fumbling anxiously.
She just wanted to hurry out of the secret chamber and finish the game, then she could finally eat barbecue.
Suddenly, there was a faint noise outside the folding screen, as if something had brushed against the tables and chairs.
Song Qiuyu’s heart skipped a beat.
Instinctively, a bad feeling crept over her.
She took a deep breath, her mind racing with thoughts about this “something,” and immediately conjured an image behind her—a smiling paper effigy!
A paper effigy was definitely an essential element in Chinese horror!
She cautiously turned her face sideways and peeked out.
At this moment, outside the folding screen, the room was empty.
Whatever had been there a few minutes ago was now gone. Jiang Xiao, who had accidentally uncovered the truth, had quietly slipped out of the room.
He stood outside the door, back against the wall, head bowed low, his expression hidden beneath his hair, making it impossible to see clearly.
This was a blind spot in Song Qiuyu’s vision.
So she didn’t even catch a single strand of Jiang Xiao’s hair.
Finding nothing, Song Qiuyu withdrew her gaze, puzzled, and continued awkwardly putting on the bridal dress.
Her movements quickened.
Because of the lack of discovery, her fear only grew.
Jiang Xiao clenched his fists tightly, his mind replaying the scene he had just witnessed.
It was as if a hunter had finally come face to face with the prey he had longed for; the hunter’s weapon itched to strike.
But the situation between them was far more complicated than a typical hunter-prey dynamic.
He felt some previously vague things becoming clear, and some firmly held beliefs growing blurred and absurd.
The hunter ultimately did not fire, remaining silent.
The quiet stretched on until the person inside had finished putting on the red bridal dress, pulled down the red bridal veil, and stepped out from behind the folding screen.
Only then did he slightly lift his face, revealing eyes filled with resolute determination.
During the wait, he certainly hadn’t just been standing there; he was reviewing everything that had happened since entering the secret chamber.
Using the clues they had touched, he carefully unraveled the mystery and roughly deduced Song Qiuyu’s personal mission.
If his guess was correct, Song Qiuyu had initially been bound and brought into this room.
Song Qiuyu wasn’t very clever, but she wasn’t so stupid as to freeze helplessly when faced with difficulties, waiting only for her teammates to rescue her.
She was just bad at dealing with school subjects, and her thought process was sometimes strange.
So, she managed to free herself on her own and even gained new clues in the process, which led her to change into the bridal outfit.
To verify his further speculations and specific clues, he needed to ask Song Qiuyu first.
With this in mind, Jiang Xiao turned and walked straight into the room. Raising his eyes, he nearly collided with Song Qiuyu’s gaze as she was about to escape from the room.
They almost bumped into each other.
“Eh?”
Song Qiuyu stopped in time. With the red bridal veil obscuring her sight, she couldn’t see who it was clearly—only a vague silhouette.
“Are you….”
Before confirming the person’s identity, her body instinctively tensed, and she took two steps back.
Then, a familiar scent of cedar drifted into her nose, stirring her memory.
Before she could react,
“Song Qiuyu.”
Jiang Xiao spoke, his voice deeper than usual.
“Oh, it’s you, Jiang Xiao.”
Song Qiuyu was momentarily stunned.
Noticing the subtle change in Jiang Xiao, she didn’t think much of it, patted her chest, and relaxed slightly before lifting the red veil from her head.
Seeing Song Qiuyu’s obedient and pretty face revealed beneath the veil, Jiang Xiao only hesitated briefly before speaking methodically:
“Why are you wearing the bridal dress?”
Song Qiuyu sighed helplessly and detailed how she had been tied up and taken back to the bridal chamber, and how she had thrillingly and dangerously broken free.
Her thoughts were agitated and chaotic. She didn’t want to wear the red bridal dress. It was surprisingly comfortable—similar to the previous times she had dressed as a girl—but she felt an instinctive desire awakening the moment she put it on…
It was a terrifying feeling, like a path of no return. Yet, according to her personal mission, she had to wear the red bridal dress throughout to leave the bridal chamber; otherwise, she would be repeatedly tied back.
“I see.”
After listening, Jiang Xiao seemed calm and unfazed. He then revealed the purpose of his visit.
“The clue we found was to get the bride’s red embroidered shoes, not to take the bride away. So you probably need to take off the shoes and give them to me first.”
Song Qiuyu nodded decisively and turned back, sitting down on the round wooden stool. She bent down and removed the red embroidered shoes from her feet.
The shoes were small. Although Song Qiuyu’s feet were naturally small, she hadn’t even worn socks to fit them.
Her small, jade-like feet, with toes curled from the cold, hovered slightly above the floor, the thin soles barely touching the ground.
She held the shoes by their heels, lifting them high with her small hands.
She looked like a playful fawn splashing in the water, her bare feet swaying slightly back and forth, cute and lively.
Strands of hair escaped the red veil and fluttered in the breeze. From the high collar tightly fastened above, a sliver of smooth, fair skin brushed softly.
The faint tickle made her shrink her neck slightly.
“Here, the red embroidered shoes for you.”
“Mm.”
Jiang Xiao stepped forward and caught the shoes with both hands. Without meaning to, he glanced up and caught sight of her well-shaped lips, slightly parted.
The soft sensation of the kiss he had stolen earlier vividly resurfaced in his mind.
He said nothing, merely smoothing his mouth into a faint, indifferent line.
His silence wasn’t withdrawal nor rejection—it was simply a state that helped him ease his swirling thoughts and conceal the emotions surging within.
He knew very well that Song Qiuyu didn’t know what had happened yet. Precisely because she hadn’t realized it, Jiang Xiao couldn’t be blunt.
This matter was too important to take lightly; it needed to be confirmed carefully.
Song Qiuyu took back her canvas shoes and socks and put them back on.
“Song Qiuyu…”
Halfway through putting on her shoes, Jiang Xiao suddenly spoke. She responded with a puzzled “Hm?” without looking up.
“Has anyone ever told you your feet are very small?”
“Huh?”
Song Qiuyu was baffled.
She finally looked up at Jiang Xiao with confusion, muttering, “I guess not too small. Maybe it’s just that you guys have big feet?”
Jiang Xiao remained silent.
He had never seriously looked at others’ feet, so the question was hard to answer.
The only thing he was certain of was that Shen Xi’s feet were also very small.
And when he once told Shen Xi that, her response wasn’t much different from Song Qiuyu’s.
“All right!”
Having finished putting on her shoes and socks, Song Qiuyu stood up, her feet touching the floor.
“Let’s go back.”
“Mm.”
Jiang Xiao nodded gently.
Soon, everyone regrouped.
Under Jiang Xiao’s direction, they worked together and successfully escaped the secret chamber before nine o’clock.
They thought they had spent a long time, but the shop owner said they had set a new record for the Haunted Mansion Terror scene.
Everyone left the escape room shop with joy and headed to a nearby barbecue restaurant.
“If it weren’t for our Jiang God this time, who knows when we’d have gotten out to eat!” Xie Zhuran said as he held a tray, selecting skewers in the barbecue area.
Lin An agreed.
Their dorm really was full of hidden talents.
But the old question came up again: with Jiang Xiao’s enormous knowledge and that god-like expression, why were his college entrance exam scores so poor?
Adjusting his glasses, he looked toward Jiang Xiao, who was picking skewers with Song Qiuyu.
Maybe Qiuyu knew something.
Song Qiuyu knew more than that.
As the culprit, she was also acting as a foster daughter, actively helping Jiang Xiao pick skewers.
She looked like she wanted to stuff all the delicious food into his mouth, hoping to fatten him up.
Jiang Xiao seemed a bit distracted.
His mind was tangled with thoughts about their relationship, especially why Song Qiuyu was pretending to be Shen Xi.
Was it just for the fun of deceiving his feelings? Or was there another reason…
Nearby, Sang Tian smiled brightly.
The three girls sharing a dorm with Sang Tian had at first wondered why their roommate was always smiling, but now they had quickly warmed up to her.
“Song Qiuyu, these shrimp are packed with protein. Want me to get some for your Jiang God too?” The sweet-looking girl winked, smiling warmly.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiao glanced toward the seafood section, his eyes narrowing slightly.
But Song Qiuyu waved her hand without even glancing that way and decisively said, “No thanks. Jiang Xiao is allergic to seafood; he can’t eat this.”
Jiang Xiao was momentarily stunned.
After a brief pause, he turned to the girl who had spoken, who was beaming with excitement as she whispered with the girl beside her.
So sweet—sweet enough to put one to sleep!
Jiang Xiao ignored their chatter.
There was no need for him to speak; the expression of the person next to him clearly changed, as if she had just realized she’d accidentally revealed something.
Jiang Xiao wasn’t about to let her off easily and calmly said, “You know I’m allergic to seafood?”
“Uh…”
Song Qiuyu nervously avoided Jiang Xiao’s gaze.
Anxious and flustered, she licked her lips and racked her brain until her neck flushed red, finally coming up with a fairly convincing excuse.
“Of course I know! You told me yourself. Didn’t you forget?”
“Looks like Jiang Xiao needs to eat more brain food to boost your memory. You’re still so young, but already starting to forget things!” Saying that, she placed two foil-wrapped portions of pig brain on Jiang Xiao’s tray.
Looking down at the pig brain, Jiang Xiao fell silent for a moment, then let out a short, soft laugh, his lips moving slightly.
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