[Wen Qi]: Okay, I won't bother you anymore. Keep eating and go home early.
When Wen Cheng saw the message, he suddenly felt very disappointed. Normally, Qi Ge should have scolded him, perhaps for daring to eat barbecue outside, or for eating so many spicy foods so late at night. But there was nothing like that. Instead, there was just a caring remark from an older brother, which left Wen Cheng feeling empty inside.
I don't feel happy at all when I'm out having fun these days!
Curly hair suddenly drooped~
However, in order not to make Qi Ge overthink things, Wen Cheng still actively contributed her recently stolen cat emoji pack.
"Brother Cheng, the meat is ready," Yan Luan reminded him.
Wen Cheng expressed her gratitude, but her appetite for the meal was noticeably lower than before.
After finishing their barbecue, Yan Luan got up to go to work. Yao Xingwei quickly asked where Yan Luan worked, and Yan Luan politely told him.
Yao Xingwei clapped excitedly, saying that he loved playing escape rooms the most, and even asked Yan Luan if this counted as an introduction, and whether he could get a commission afterward.
Yan Luan paused for a moment, then nodded.
Yao Xingwei quickly said that he wanted to go.
He Haobo looked at Yao Xingwei with a "you're crazy" look. As everyone knows, Yao Xingwei is most afraid of these ghosts and spirits. When he was a child, when everyone was obsessed with zombie movies, Yao Xingwei was too scared to turn off the lights and go to sleep at night just by listening to them. There was even a time when he was too scared to watch frogs.
With a large arm around Yao Xingwei, who was about to jump up excitedly, He Haobo said, "Don't make jokes like that in front of a child. He has to go to work. Say goodbye properly."
Yao Xingwei refused to go, and even dragged He Haobo along, "You have to come too, isn't this your favorite thing? I never went when you asked me before, but I'm going today, this opportunity doesn't come often!"
He Haobo rolled his eyes. "Your kindness wasn't for my sake, was it?"
Finally, after Yao Xingwei's persistent pleading, He Haobo agreed. Although it was somewhat like aiding and abetting evil, He Haobo firmly believed that if he didn't go, the outcome would only be worse.
To prevent Yao Xingwei from doing anything rash, He Haobo gestured to Wen Cheng, asking if she wanted to go over and keep an eye on things, or just sit there if she didn't want to play.
Wen Cheng instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he noticed that Yan Luan's eyes were sparkling as he looked at him. "Brother Cheng, we have desserts and coffee at our rest area. They're pretty good. The owner even taught me latte art yesterday!"
Wen Cheng could refuse two close friends, but she couldn't refuse Yan Luan, because she genuinely considered Yan Luan as a younger brother.
But this means I'll have to postpone seeing Brother Qi again...
Wen Cheng was in a bit of a dilemma.
But Yan Luan spoke up, and the other two pressed on even more, so Wen Cheng reluctantly agreed, thinking to herself, maybe Brother Qi doesn't really want me to stick to him? After all, Brother Qi also has work to do at night.
A hint of melancholy, unnoticed by herself, flashed across Wen Cheng's eyes.
Finally, the group arrived at Yan Luan's shop. The shop owner was a round, chubby uncle, not greasy at all, with squinty eyes. He looked very kind, which put Wen Cheng at ease.
The most famous escape room here is a mental asylum-themed room. It's very large, and since there weren't many customers today, the manager sat down and explained the exciting parts to them in detail.
Whether it was exciting or not, Wen Cheng and Yao Xingwei didn't know, but their legs were shaking really well, especially joyfully!
He Haobo became more and more interested as he listened, and even chuckled as he nudged Yao Xingwei's shoulder, "Brother, you've done something worthwhile after all this time. I'm really interested in this. Thanks for dragging me here!"
Yao Xingwei gave a weak smile, inwardly cursing.
Wen Cheng was extremely glad that she had never agreed to play.
The escape room requires at least six people to open, and two people in the group have already reserved it. Only two more people are needed to enter.
Yan Luan brought over coffee shortly after, and Yao Xingwei picked up the cup and took a big gulp, his face looking extremely pale.
Although Yan Luan didn't like the way Yao Xingwei looked at him at first, he still asked out of humanitarian considerations, "This escape room is really scary. Do you want to reconsider?"
Hey!
Yao Xingwei has been a prominent figure in the underworld for so many years, and he has never been pitied by any of his suitors! Today, he can't back down either.
"The more it stimulates me, the more excited I get!" Yao Xingwei suddenly pressed down on his trembling legs, unable to control himself from uttering wild and inappropriate words.
Yan Luan: ...He was the one who talked too much.
Although Wen Cheng was determined not to let Yao Xingwei's lewd hands touch Yan Luan any more, she couldn't help but feel more respect for Yao Xingwei. It turned out that being a womanizer also required enough courage and resources. He was a living example in front of her!
Wen Cheng silently gave him a thumbs up.
Then she elegantly took a sip of her coffee.
Yao Xingwei really wanted to bring him into the team!
The two teammates arrived quickly. They were male college students from the neighborhood. They were tall and talkative. After sitting for a while, they started chatting with the experienced He Haobo. The escape room lasted about three hours, and they finished just in time to go back before the dormitories were closed.
Half an hour passed, and while many customers arrived, not a single one seemed willing to come to this escape room. The escape room community is only so big. This particular room became incredibly popular the moment news spread that it had scared a large man to tears. It was indeed famous, but fewer and fewer people were playing it because it was simply too terrifying.
They couldn't get enough people, so they wanted to switch to a slightly scary escape room, but the two boys specifically wanted to play that one, so they refused. He Haobo also favored that one and thought maybe they shouldn't play it, but Yao Xingwei was even more unwilling to play an escape room with a group of strangers. Just as everyone was thinking about calling it a day, He Haobo suddenly mentioned something...
"Chengcheng, why don't you do it? I'll just assign you all the two-person tasks."
"But even with me, there aren't enough people!" Wen Cheng had eaten more cake and coffee than usual and was happily preparing to go back!
"It's okay, just invite your idol!" He Haobo suggested fearlessly.
Wen Cheng burst out laughing at this ridiculous suggestion.
He never dared to treat Brother Qi as an equal, let alone invite Brother Qi to participate in activities like this.
"Hehe, if Brother Qi is willing to come and play, then I'll play too!"
Then, half an hour later,
Wen Qi, dressed in casual clothes, appeared before everyone.
And in a calm voice, he said, "Going back after you're done playing?"
Wen Cheng: Actually, we can go back right now!
Author's Note:
Wen Qi: Hmm, an escape room? Not bad. [Smile]
Wen Cheng: [Cold sweat.jpg]
Thank you everyone for your support!
Chapter 56 The Search for Love
Wen Cheng opened her mouth to say something, but felt several unfriendly gazes. These gazes were led by Yao Xingwei, and Wen Cheng sensed his impending collapse from his anxious eyes.
With the locked room in front and Wen Qi behind, it was like a horror movie with 3D effects. But Yao Xingwei endured it for the sake of the beautiful woman, and couldn't bring himself to say no to Wen Cheng.
They could only tearfully prepare to go forward and pay the money.
"Let me treat everyone." The eldest brother's words were truly something else; as soon as he said them, he attracted the attention of several admirers, especially two boys who were practically stomping their feet in excitement. Their decision to go out today was absolutely the right one!
Wen Qi walked to the cashier and paid casually. The amount was nothing to him; the important thing was that this matter suited his tastes perfectly.
"Is this secret room scary?" Wen Qi asked to confirm.
The young lady, feeling Wen Qi's gaze, blushed deeply and almost had trouble breathing. Her only thought was to answer Wen Qi's question properly: "If you're not scary, just ask me for a refund!"
Store Manager: ...You're such a good employee!
Wen Qi smiled, his eyes gleaming with the calculating glint of someone scheming against a business partner. The young lady, however, was as if she had met a god. Although Yan Luan was also incredibly handsome, Wen Qi was completely different from him. Wen Qi possessed a unique charisma that drew your attention, yet you dared not get too close.
After paying, this person automatically returned to their original seat and sat next to Wen Cheng. Their gaze would frequently fall on Wen Cheng, and Yao Xingwei, who was originally sitting next to Wen Cheng, very obsequiously gave up his seat.
The girl's incredibly sharp intuition told her with just a little observation who the handsome guy had feelings for. There's a tiny bit of regret, but mostly blessings.
Because Wen Cheng looks like a clueless shou, he seems very difficult to understand, and he has a long way to go!
After payment, the store manager came over to double-check the procedures and precautions for everyone.
Wen Cheng stared at the brochure, his legs trembling, his heart pounding, feeling unable to hear anything. Compared to the excitement of others, his face was pale.
Wen Qi had come prepared with everything planned out. This fool was too slow to understand. Since he had invited him here despite his fearlessness, he was determined to leave with something. He thought this way until he paid Wen Cheng. Until he saw Wen Cheng's pale face...
He felt sorry for her.
"If you can't stand it, then stop playing. I can call Xiao Zhao and his friend over, and we'll go home." It would be a lie to say Wen Qi wasn't regretful when he said this, but that was something he could compromise on in front of Wen Cheng's pitiful expression as she looked at the brochure.
Wen Cheng felt a warmth in her heart; Brother Qi was still the best!
"Brother Qi, did you come over today because you want to have some fun?" Wen Cheng asked curiously.
Wen Qi blinked. The two were now very close. After a pause, Wen Qi said, "I just wanted to know what you like to play."
!!
Wen Cheng's vibrant heart skipped a beat. Was this still the calm, aloof Wen Qi? Could he really be so affectionate? It was like a tiger suddenly baring its belly at him. Wen Cheng had previously intended to keep a distance from Wen Qi, but she had never asked him what he truly felt.
I want to know what he wants to play?
Does that prove that Brother Qi actually likes me sticking to him and doesn't find it annoying?
Actually, Wen Cheng has been reflecting on one thing these past few days: whether Qi Ge thinks she's too clingy. After all, it's one thing to be clingy every day on her way to and from get off work, but she even clings to him during her lunch break. And even when she goes out with friends, the person she subconsciously thinks of is still Qi Ge.
Wen Cheng knew his flaw: when he needed someone's help, he would become incredibly clingy. It was the same in high school. His Chinese teacher, a recent graduate, came to the school full of enthusiasm. After learning about Wen Cheng's background, he became exceptionally caring towards him. Wen Cheng had never received such attention before. During lunch, the young Chinese teacher would come over to chat with Wen Cheng, talking about studies and life. The naive Wen Cheng immediately broke down in his defenses.
His clingy personality was gradually revealed. During breaks, he would go back to the teacher to ask questions whenever he had time. During monthly holidays, he would always go back to chat with his Chinese teacher. He would also give her the handicrafts he had made at the orphanage. He thought that giving her what he considered the best was his way of repaying her. However, what he got in return was the teacher's growing distance.
At first, he simply assumed, as the teacher had said, that she was very busy.
One day, when he brought the cake that the dean had given him to his teacher, he overheard the teacher complaining to the homeroom teacher.
“I really didn’t expect him to be so clingy, Mr. Zhang, do you know? Every month at the end of the month, he brings me his origami and some old toys from the orphanage. I really don’t know where to put them, so I have to clean them out periodically. I didn’t want to, but…”
"You still did it. I told you long ago that Wen Cheng is different from others; he lacks love."
Wen Cheng couldn't stand it anymore after hearing that. He grabbed the cake and ran back to his dorm. He didn't cause any trouble, and he never bothered his Chinese teacher or anyone else again. He realized that his good intentions were seen as a nuisance and a sign of being unloved by others.
That day, he ate nothing but the cake the dean gave him, and told himself that after eating the cake, he would be a sensible Wen Cheng, a Wen Cheng who would never be clingy.
Until he met Wen Qi in this world,
Although I often tease him, he has never hurt me, and he even indulges my clingy nature.
"Brother Qi~" Wen Cheng's eyes sparkled.
Ignoring the presence of others, Wen Qi ruffled Wen Cheng's hair and said, "Speak."
“Since you’re here, let’s play. It’s not easy for you to come all this way. I’ve never tried this before,” Wen Cheng said. He was actually sure that even if he played this game, Brother Qi would protect him. Although he didn’t know what the future held for him, he was willing to trust Brother Qi for now.
Seeing that Wen Cheng's expression didn't seem to be forcing him to say such things, Wen Qi finally hummed in agreement.
The remaining few people: Why do I feel like I've been fed a bowl of dog food for no reason?