"?"
Hearing this, Yifan was utterly stunned.
Where did this Sickly sweet vibe come from?
Inside the escape room.
The line had an unexpectedly strong effect. Gao Xueqing let out a wail and started crying uncontrollably, seemingly on the verge of a breakdown.
Overwhelmed by fear, she even forgot the emergency command to remove her tie and end the game.
Xie Jialin's legs trembled as well. Even though he had played the room many times, he could barely stand.
The game pressed on.
"This is it." Li Yin pouted and pointed to a dilapidated room. "I lost something here. Could you help me find it?"
After saying that, she slammed the door shut with a bang.
"Ahhh!" The sound made Gao Xueqing jump, and she latched onto Xie Jialin.
Xie Jialin was just as scared, but being familiar enough with the escape room, he began to calm down once Li Yin had left after shutting the door.
With Li Yin gone, his sole source of terror disappeared, and his mind went straight into opportunist mode.
Patting Gao Xueqing on the back, he said with his trademark soft voice, "Don't be scared. She's gone. Let's get to solving the puzzle."
"No, no, no, no, no!"
Gao Xueqing cried so miserably that she didn't even mind Xie Jialin's oily demeanor. Despite his wandering hands, she clung to him like her life depended on it.
Xie Jialin sighed helplessly and said indulgently, "Fine, fine. Big brother will hold you and solve the puzzle. Leave it to me."
Back in the surveillance room.
Yifan wasn't interested in watching Xie Jialin flirt. Seizing the moment, he took the hidden passage to find Li Yin.
He found her in the main control room of the escape room, observing the players' progress on small monitors. If their progress slowed, she would give hints as needed.
"Li Yin!" Yifan rushed over, lowering his voice. "What just happened? Are you okay?"
Li Yin tilted her head. "I'm fine! Didn't you ask me to improvise? They weren't following the script, so I decided to give them a little scare. It seems to be working pretty well."
"The effect is indeed good, but Li Yin, are you sure you're not hurting the players?"
"Of course not!" Li Yin replied seriously. "Do you remember the delivery guy who brought mango ice during Ghost Festival?"
"Yes, what about him?"
"At that time, I wasn't fully in control of my powers. I found that people covered by my aura would feel immense fear, but I confirmed it wouldn't cause any real harm."
Yifan processed this. "So when I took you to the night market and there was no panic, it was because you had learned to control your powers?"
"Exactly. When I cooled things down for you, I was super careful to avoid affecting anyone else."
That made sense—except for one glaring flaw.
Yifan asked, "Then why am I not affected by your powers?"
Li Yin frowned. "Aren't you an exorcist? It's only natural that you'd have some kind of immunity."
"Exorcist?!" Yifan was dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"
"Yeah! Those peach wood swords and ancient coins you keep at home—aren't those for warding off evil? And the jade Buddha! How did you know I'd react to it and even prepare it in advance?"
Li Yin looked proud. "I'm clever, right? I just figured this out last night."
Clever?
Yifan didn't even know where to start.
"Fine, exorcist or not, it doesn't matter. One more question." Yifan paused in thought. "Your cooling abilities have replaced the air conditioning at home and work, but why hasn't Mom or Xie Jialin been affected?"
"It's like this," Li Yin explained. "Passive cooling is silent and harmless. The fear effect only comes with active release—like with the delivery guy, which was an active release."
She added smugly, "Parentheses, active release. Parentheses."
"…" Yifan sighed. "Who taught you to add parentheses when you talk?"
"Isn't it cute?"
"…" Yifan turned away. "It's… alright."
A soft beep interrupted them. A red warning light blinked in the small control room.
Li Yin patted Yifan on the shoulder. "Don't worry, boss. I know what I'm doing. No one's getting hurt."
Hearing that, Yifan finally relaxed. "Alright. I'm heading back out."
The game continued.
Gao Xueqing had barely calmed down when Li Yin reappeared, nearly scaring her into another breakdown.
Xie Jialin naturally draped an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. Though in truth, he didn't dare look Li Yin in the eye.
The game progressed until the most terrifying part: the flashing-light face-off.
"Sit in this chair," Li Yin said sweetly. "Yes, now fasten your seatbelt and put your hands on the armrests."
Gao Xueqing clung tightly to Xie Jialin's hand.
Li Yin glanced at her. "I said, put your hands on the armrests."
"Aaaahhh!"
Gao Xueqing screamed, reluctantly letting go and slamming her hands onto the armrests. "Okay, okay, I did it!"
Xie Jialin whispered, "Don't worry, I'm here."
"Good." Li Yin stepped back, her voice soft. "You'll need to help me find anything I might have missed. Three, two, one…"
Bang!
A loud noise.
The dim lights went out, replaced by eerie music.
Gao Xueqing screamed nonstop, harmonizing with the music.
Xie Jialin took deep breaths. He had seen this scene many times and wasn't scared—this was his chance to impress Gao Xueqing.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm right here, I'm… Oh, s***!"
Bang!
The first flash revealed Li Yin floating mid-air, delivering an opening shock. Blood rushed to Xie Jialin's head, leaving him dizzy.
Gao Xueqing, eyes shut tight, heard Xie Jialin curse and panicked even more, wriggling on the chair like a worm.
Bang!
The chair began to float!
"Aaaaaaahhh!"
Bang! Bang!
The flashes kept coming.
Accompanied by the music, Li Yin's performance was flawless.
Bang!
The final flash brought Li Yin's face inches away from the players.
Xie Jialin swore he nearly passed out. His mind went blank, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.
Amidst faint, raspy cries, he regained his senses.
Undoing his seatbelt, Xie Jialin collapsed to his knees. Thankfully, Gao Xueqing kept her eyes shut.
He struggled to his feet, pulling Gao Xueqing into his arms.
Even now, he managed to murmur reassuringly, "I'm here… I'm here…"
Gao Xueqing's screams subsided into sob-like whimpers. "W-wah… wahhh…"
Footsteps echoed.
Soft at first, growing louder—like death itself drawing near.
"You tore us apart. You forced me to marry the dead. It's all your fault! Don't run now… our game has only just begun."
Thud.
The footsteps grew heavier.
Xie Jialin, gasping for air, unbuckled her seatbelt. "Go, run!"
Gao Xueqing, paralyzed with fear, couldn't move.
"Damn it!"
Finally immersing himself fully in the role, Xie Jialin gritted his teeth, hoisted her into a bridal carry, and roared, "I'm not scared! Let's go!"
Outside the escape room.
Yifan saw an entirely different scene through the monitors.
Li Yin, holding a ghostly slipper, occasionally gave it a light smack, cheerfully trailing behind the two.
She maintained just the right distance—not too close, not too far—perfect for scaring them senseless.
That was all part of the job, and none of it mattered.
Anyone else would probably be terrified, even through the monitors.
But Yifan's heart raced instead.
Watching Li Yin work so earnestly…
She's really adorable.