Yifan pursed his lips, unsure where to look.
There was indeed a cold chill creeping up his legs, driving away the sweltering summer heat. However, his face felt even hotter.
Uncle Wang brought over a steaming plate of skewers. Yifan quickly called out, "Eat while it's hot! This one's extra spicy—I can't handle it, so I ordered it for you."
"Okay!" Liyin happily picked up a skewer, her mood seemingly unaffected by the earlier physical contact.
She slid the meat off the stick, chewed a couple of times, and the savory flavor exploded in her mouth. Liyin closed her eyes in satisfaction and said, "Delicious!"
"Right?" Yifan licked his dry lips and added, "Wang Quan's skewers are top-notch."
Liyin finished one skewer and eagerly reached for another, panting slightly from the spice. Soon, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, not quite the image of someone who could handle spice.
After two more skewers, her face was bright red, sweat beading on her nose, and her mouth hung open as her tongue went numb. She panted heavily, trying to cool down.
Finally, Liyin couldn't take it anymore and raised her hand. "I need a drink!"
Uncle Wang chuckled and handed her a bottle of cola.
The soda wasn't cold enough, so Liyin secretly held it in her palm. Within seconds, frost formed on the outside of the bottle.
She gulped down a big mouthful, and her flushed face finally eased a bit. She stuck out her tongue and said, "A little spicy."
Yifan teased, "You know, you could just freeze your tongue directly. That way, you wouldn't feel the spice."
Liyin nodded earnestly. "Makes sense."
She then closed her mouth, seemingly trying to figure out how to freeze her tongue.
Yifan quickly interrupted, "I was kidding. Don't hurt yourself."
"Oh." Liyin released her tongue.
"Anyway…" Yifan pretended to examine the wooden skewer in his hand and said, "I feel much cooler now. Thanks."
"Oh." Liyin withdrew her leg.
The icy sensation vanished, leaving Yifan with a strange sense of loss. But he quickly shifted the mood, joking, "Liyin, are you eating so much spice to become a spicy girl?"
Liyin smiled gracefully. "No, I just like spicy food."
"Ah, I see. Then, what about the rest of this plate?"
"I'll eat it later. I'm kind of full right now."
"…"
Yifan couldn't help but laugh.
So, her stubbornness is this impressive.
He intentionally added, "No worries. We can pack it up and reheat it at home when you're hungry."
"… Right, no waste," Liyin muttered, her gaze wandering as if she were pondering how to freeze her mouth to avoid the spice.
Yifan watched her, shaking his head with a smile. He picked up a skewer and said, "Let me try one."
Liyin tilted her head. "Boss, I thought you couldn't handle spice?"
"Today feels like a good day to give it a go."
Yifan thought he looked cool as he devoured the skewer in one go, keeping a straight face. "Not bad, it's not that spicy."
No sooner had he finished speaking than his ears turned bright red, the color spreading so intensely that they looked ready to bleed.
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to eat another bite soon, Yifan grabbed two skewers and ate them all at once.
Liyin stared at him in shock.
Then, she seemed to catch on to his intention: he noticed she couldn't handle the spice but didn't want the food to go to waste, so he was stepping in.
How could this be?
She was the one who had boasted, so why should someone else fix the situation for her?
Unable to accept it, Liyin grabbed the remaining three skewers and ate them all in one go, as if facing her doom.
The two of them stared at each other, their faces growing redder and redder, finding the situation increasingly amusing.
Yifan was the first to break. He burst out laughing, only to choke from the spice, tears and snot running down his face.
Liyin wasn't much better. She laughed so hard she started crying, her mouth wide open as she let out muffled whimpers.
Spice is a kind of pain, and cold couldn't alleviate it.
The two could only endure it.
Uncle Wang, quick on his feet, brought over two glasses of milk. "Here, this will help."
They tore open the cartons and drank in one gulp.
Yifan drank so fast he almost choked, while Liyin managed to maintain a shred of elegance.
After wiping her mouth and taking a few deep breaths, Liyin finally said, "It wasn't that bad, really."
"…"
Her stubbornness truly knows no bounds.
Yifan raised his hands in surrender. "Let's head over to the company now, shall we?"
"Sure!" Liyin got up quickly, clearly eager to leave the scene.
After bidding farewell to Uncle Wang, Yifan took Liyin to the elevator and went up to the eighth floor.
8018—Yuguang Immersive Theater.
The 300-square-meter venue cost nearly 20,000$ a month in rent.
His dad had supported his entrepreneurial dream by paying a year's rent upfront, but with a condition: if he couldn't achieve anything in a year, he'd have to go back and take the civil service exam. If that didn't work out, they'd pull some strings to find him a job.
Eight months had passed, and not only was the business unprofitable, but he was also close to losing everything he had.
Yifan fell silent, looking around the venue.
The posters at the entrance were his design. The skeleton props in the corner, the curtains for the theme area, and the lucky cat on the reception desk—every item was full of memories.
If it weren't for Liyin, these memories would soon become just that: memories.
Exhaling a deep breath, Yifan began introducing the place. "I initially aimed for a high-end immersive theater, so we only have one theme, which I designed myself: Vision: Ghost Marriage. It almost made it into the EGA awards last year."
Liyin examined the venue carefully. "What's EGA?"
"They organize industry summits and award outstanding themes. They're quite authoritative. The rooms that win their gold awards are highly sought after, and the licensing fees are astronomical."
Liyin nodded thoughtfully. "If our room could win EGA gold…"
"Unlikely." Yifan shrugged. "We tried last year. If we don't innovate this year, we'll get the same result."
Liyin clasped her hands behind her back and continued to inspect the venue.
Yifan turned on the stage lights and led her into the escape room, explaining the gameplay.
The theme was a horror story revolving around a girl forced into a ghost marriage and her subsequent revenge on the wedding guests. Players needed to complete challenges and dispel her resentment to escape. The experience included chase sequences, strobe lights, and other intense elements.
After walking through the room, Liyin said seriously, "It's not scary enough as it is."
"What ideas do you have?" Yifan asked.
"For example, the strobe light sequence," Liyin replied. "Your original plan was for the actor to approach step by step in sync with the lights and sound. That's too basic. Instead, you could have the actor teleport back and forth, ending with a jump scare right in their face."
Yifan said nothing, so Liyin continued, "Besides the jump scare, you could make everything around the players float and tremble in midair. And how about the chair they're sitting on? It could lift off the ground with them still on it."
"…"
Yifan remained silent.
Liyin turned to him. "Boss?"
"…"
Yifan took a deep breath and said, "Liyin, I really want to hug you right now."
"Huh?" Liyin froze. "What's wrong, boss?"
"You're brilliant!" Yifan tried to contain his excitement, his eyes sparkling with determination. "Are you tired? How about we pull an all-nighter to start the revamp?!"