SITS CH60

Chapter 60: Escape Room Variety Show

Shen Man loved spring.

The courtyard, withered throughout the winter, had burst back into life. The vase in Shen Man’s room was never empty; whenever the flowers began to fade, Xu Zhouye quietly replaced them with fresh blooms.

Only now, the varieties had grown far richer, featuring vibrant roses, lilies, and wild briars that subtly mirrored the blossoming romance between the two of them.

Today, the gardener hired by the base came to tidy the courtyard, pruning away overgrown branches and dead leaves.

The entire garden looked brand new.

Pushing open the bedroom door, Xu Zhouye walked in carrying another bouquet of fresh flowers. Shen Man had given him a spare key to the room, allowing him to come and go freely whenever he pleased.

Changing the water with practiced ease, Xu Zhouye hummed a cheerful tune as he arranged the stems one by one into the vase.

Today’s bouquet was white lychee, a variety of rose known for its snow-white petals and rich fragrance, the kind whose sweet scent lingered in the air whenever someone walked past.

Xu Zhouye was quite fond of them.

“Soaking up the sun?” Glancing at his watch, Xu Zhouye asked, “Checked WeChat yet? They created the group chat.”

Clearly, Shen Man hadn’t looked: “What group chat?”

Xu Zhouye explained, “The one for that variety show. They sent a notice saying filming starts tomorrow afternoon.”

Shen Man let out an “Oh.” “What time?”

Xu Zhouye said, “Meet at one o’clock.”

Shen Man nodded to show he understood.

“That Qin Yixing is in the group too.” Sitting down beside him, Xu Zhouye sounded slightly jealous. “He even tagged you saying ‘long time no see.'”

Shen Man said, “Ignore him. His brain isn’t wired like a normal person’s.”

Xu Zhouye muttered, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you two were super close.”

Shen Man found this odd: “You didn’t have this much hostility toward him before.”

Xu Zhouye replied, “How could that be the same? Back then, what right did I have to get jealous?”

Shen Man said, “Oh… well, I really am not close with him.”

Resting his chin on Shen Man’s shoulder, Xu Zhouye coaxed, “Okay then, tomorrow you’re not allowed to talk to him too much.”

Patting his head as if soothing a child, Shen Man agreed: “Alright.”

The following afternoon at one o’clock.

Everyone arrived punctually at the filming location.

Since this was everyone’s first time participating in a variety show like this, Zhao Rui was already growing nervous during hair and makeup.

“Captain, Captain.” Glancing at Shen Man’s expressionless face beside him, Zhao Rui asked, “Aren’t you nervous at all?”

Shen Man said, “Not really.”

Zhao Rui looked around: “Why don’t I see Xu Zhouye?” Having entered the dressing room later, he had only spotted Shen Man getting his makeup done, with no sign of Xu Zhouye.

Shen Man pointed a finger across the room.

Following the direction he indicated, Zhao Rui spotted Xu Zhouye standing in the distance, surrounded by a cluster of staff members.

Unlike his nervous self, Xu Zhouye had somehow bonded effortlessly with the crew within a mere dozen minutes, chatting and laughing animatedly with them right now.

Truth be told, Xu Zhouye genuinely had a great personality. Unlike Shen Man, who favored an icy expression, he looked approachable at a single glance, a textbook sunny golden boy.

“Man,” Zhao Rui sighed, “I really admire him…”

Admirable indeed. Keeping a completely blank face, Shen Man watched Xu Zhouye laughing and talking with the staff. There were both men and women in the group; some were asking Xu Zhouye for autographs, while others chatted away, looking extraordinarily friendly.

Since stepping through the doors, Xu Zhouye had spoken more words to the crew than to him. And yet he still had the nerve to tell Shen Man not to talk to Qin Yixing? Well played, Xu Zhouye.

Without Shen Man noticing it himself, his expression turned even frostier than usual.

His icy aura startled the makeup artist working on him so badly that her hands grew increasingly stiff, until she finally asked in a trembling voice, “Um, Man-shen, did I accidentally make you uncomfortable anywhere? If anything hurts or bothers you, please let me know, I can be a bit heavy-handed…”

Slightly baffled by her question, Shen Man replied, “No.”

Seated nearby, Zhao Rui stepped in to explain: “Don’t be scared, he’s always like this. Super grumpy face toward everyone, nothing personal against you.”

Shen Man: “…”

Zhao Rui cast a few more sidelong glances: “His expression just happens to look extra terrifying today.”

Shen Man: “…No such thing.” Tugging at the corners of his mouth, he attempted to force a smile, though it came out looking entirely hollow and mirthless.

The makeup artist laughed nervously: “Haha, Man-shen sure has a sense of humor.” She quietly resumed applying makeup, marveling internally at how gorgeous Shen Man’s features and skin were, even if his expression looked downright chilling.

Although she didn’t play video games, she had still heard of Shen Man’s name. Swallowing silently, she thought to herself that pro gamers apparently didn’t have the best tempers.

Once makeup wrapped up, the production crew gathered everyone together to go over safety precautions.

There were six guests in total for this episode: Shen Man, Xu Zhouye, and Zhao Rui from ACE; Qin Yixing from TKR; and UN’s Marksman Luo Zhile alongside their Support OI, whose real name was Zhou Yao.

The show’s premise was straightforward: escape the themed room in the fastest possible time.

However, today’s escape room featured a rather unusual setup. While briefing them on the rules, staff members handed each participant a raincoat and instructed them to put it on.

“Does this escape room have a leaky roof?” Zhao Rui asked blankly.

The staff member smiled mysteriously: “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Out of the six people in the room, Shen Man knew almost everyone. Luo Zhile counted as a semi-acquaintance, leaving only Zhou Yao as someone he hadn’t interacted with directly. Even then, they weren’t total strangers; both were infamous across the HCC for their terrible tempers, inevitably getting compared side by side by fans.

People even joked that it was a blessing TKR hadn’t poached both of them, otherwise Shen Man and Zhou Yao would have inevitably broken into a live street brawl: win and go to jail, lose and end up in the hospital.

After listening to the briefing and putting on their raincoats, a staff member led them toward the entrance.

“Shen Man, are you scared?” While waiting outside, Qin Yixing suddenly spoke up.

Shen Man cast him a sidelong glance. He hadn’t intended to answer, until the memory of Xu Zhouye laughing and chatting with the staff flashed through his mind, instantly putting him in a sour mood: “Scared of what?”

Qin Yixing said, “Scared of the escape room, obviously. I heard Zhao Rui has the biggest guts among you guys?”

Zhao Rui: “?” Where on earth did you dig up that fake news?

“I’m not scared, though,” Qin Yixing declared. “If you get scared later, you can hide behind me.”

Coming from anyone else, that remark might have sounded like a taunt, yet Shen Man knew Qin Yixing meant it seriously. How should one put it? The man possessed a terrifying level of self-confidence, genuinely believing the entire world ought to revolve around him. Even back when he helped TKR try to poach Shen Man, the possibility of rejection had never crossed his mind, leaving him obsessed with that defeat years later.

Shen Man curled the corners of his mouth in a mirthless smile: “Sure.” He wanted to see just how brave Qin Yixing really was.

Not expecting Shen Man to actually respond to Qin Yixing, Xu Zhouye stood beside him looking somewhat aggrieved, calling out softly, “Ge.”

Shen Man shot him a look asking what he wanted.

Xu Zhouye pouted: “Well, I’m scared too. Protect me a little as well, okay?”

Listening to his banter with Xu Zhouye, Zhao Rui felt his teeth ache from the sheer cheese. If he hadn’t previously gone to an escape room with Xu Zhouye, he might have actually bought that act. Xu Zhouye looked timid on the surface, yet in reality he feared nothing at all. Back then, Shen Man hadn’t been present to witness a particularly horrifying segment: walking down an ultra-narrow glass-walled corridor where a staff member with long hair covering most of their face suddenly slammed right up against the glass inches from your nose.

Standing outside, Zhao Rui had nearly fainted on the spot, whereas Xu Zhouye had maintained that exact same innocent expression without letting out even a single gasp.

“Zhao Rui is brave. Let him protect you,” Shen Man said.

Xu Zhouye glanced at Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui waved both hands frantically in refusal.

Xu Zhouye complained: “No way, he’s too short. Hiding behind him wouldn’t even cover my eyes.”

A giant question mark slowly materialized over 1.7-meter-tall Zhao Rui’s head. Xu Zhouye, I advise you to choose kindness.

Watching their exchange, Qin Yixing abruptly felt like the sole pillar supporting the group, slapping his chest with heroic bravado: “No worries, everyone can hide behind me. I’m not afraid.”

“Let’s go.” Clearly disliking Qin Yixing—or rather, disliking everyone in general—Zhou Yao stepped forward the moment the staff member gave the signal, beckoning only to Luo Zhile.

Luo Zhile nodded and trailed behind him.

The staff led all six participants into a pitch-black room before slipping quietly out the exit.

Overhead lights flickered on, illuminating the scene before them.

Standing directly ahead was a heavy black iron gate bearing three characters: Fengrong Village.

Strutting proudly at the front, Qin Yixing took the lead and pushed open the gate. Yet the instant he stepped inside, he let out a shrill, piercing shriek: “Holy shit! What just fell on me?! It’s leaking! The escape room is leaking water!!”

One second in, one second out; before anyone could react, he had bolted from the very front of the pack straight to the back.

Shen Man: “…” Pretty sure the escape room isn’t what’s leaking; it’s your brain.

Luo Zhile ventured timidly, “Is it possible the escape room was designed this way on purpose?”

Qin Yixing: “Impossible!”

Luo Zhile asked, “Then why did the staff have us put on these raincoats?”

Qin Yixing: “…” Fair point.

Too lazy to bother with him, Shen Man lifted his foot and stepped inside, Xu Zhouye following close behind.

It really was raining inside the room, droplets pattering loudly against their raincoats. Fortunately, they had geared up beforehand with both raincoats and rain boots.

Standing near the front of the courtyard was an NPC holding an oil-paper umbrella, dressed as a refined young man in traditional period robes. Looking at the group, he gestured politely: “This way, please.”

“Move it.” Lacking patience, Zhou Yao called out and walked ahead, Luo Zhile following cautiously behind. Outside the gate, only Zhao Rui and Qin Yixing remained, staring at each other with wide eyes.

“After you, Qin-ge,” Zhao Rui said, showing utmost humility toward his senior.

Qin Yixing replied, “Too polite. You go first.”

Zhao Rui: “You first.”

Qin Yixing: “No, you first.”

Listening to the two go back and forth endlessly, Zhou Yao snapped first: “Are you two coming in or not? If not, I’m shutting the gate.”

Zhao Rui: “…”

Qin Yixing: “…”

Exchanging a glance, both silently drew in a deep breath before trudging stiffly forward into the curtain of rain.

Zhou Yao swung the iron gate shut with a loud bang, startling both of them into a slight flinch.

Seeing everyone gathered, the NPC began leading the way while reciting the background story.

The village was called Fengrong Village. For reasons unknown, relentless torrential rain had poured without pause for over a month, flooding fertile fields and driving villagers away. With the entire village on the brink of ruin, they had summoned back the six young villagers studying away from home to uncover a way to dispel the endless rain.

The six of them played the roles of those returning scholars.

True to a hit variety show, the set design was phenomenal. Aside from a few carefully concealed cameras, virtually no trace of production equipment was visible, allowing the guests to immerse themselves fully. Such was Shen Man’s assessment.

Zhao Rui’s assessment was: Damn it, didn’t they promise the censorship gods would protect me? How did an atmosphere this terrifying pass broadcast review?!

Qin Yixing’s assessment was: How did they pump this much water in here? Are they sure a pipe didn’t burst?

Xu Zhouye’s assessment was: Why is my Man-man ignoring me, why is my Man-man ignoring me, why is my Man-man…

“What are you guys thinking?” Shen Man halted abruptly.

“I think you should probably stop ignoring me,” Xu Zhouye blurted out.

Shen Man: “?”

Everyone else: “??”

Xu Zhouye coughed: “Oh, just kidding.”

By now, the NPC had finished explaining the lore and departed, leaving them with two leads: one rumor claimed the rain was triggered by worshiping a bizarre statue at the east end of the village, while another linked the storm to an unsolved murder case in the village. With one clue pointing east and the other west, they clearly needed to split into two teams.

Zhao Rui murmured weakly, “I’ll stick with the Captain and them…”

Qin Yixing chimed in, “Then I’ll come with you guys too.” Tugging his raincoat tighter around himself, he lacked his earlier bravado yet still tried to project the air of carrying the entire squad: “I still have to protect Shen Man, after all.”

“Then the two of us will head west to investigate the murder case. You guys check out the statue, and we’ll regroup right here once we find clues.” Fiery-tempered and decisive, Zhou Yao never wasted time, jerking his chin toward Luo Zhile.

“Got it,” Luo Zhile answered obediently, trailing behind him.

That left four people standing on this side.

Wiping a raindrop off the tip of his nose, Shen Man glanced at Qin Yixing and Zhao Rui. He had assumed Zhao Rui and Qin Yixing would split one per group, yet neither was willing to budge, and Zhou Yao moved so fast that before Shen Man could speak, he had already marched off with Luo Zhile, leaving the four of them standing in the downpour.

“Let’s go,” Shen Man said. “Let’s check out the statue.”

The escape room’s set spanned a massive area, clearly built with immense effort. Overhead, the rain was produced by interconnected water pipes hidden in the dark, mimicking a genuine downpour. Beneath their feet lay bluestone slabs, flanked by rows of empty rooms, each door pasted with a human-shaped paper talisman. At first, everyone assumed they were traditional folk door gods, until Xu Zhouye sensed something off; inspecting them closely, he realized the figures looked deeply unsettling.

Each depicted a pitch-black humanoid figure clutching a serpent in either hand, the snakes coiling around its neck and dangling from its ears, green on the left ear and red on the right.

No matter how one looked at it, it screamed bad omen.

Among the props provided by the crew was a compass. Using it, they quickly located the strange statue the NPC had described.

The statue wasn’t large, tucked into a corner beneath a crude awning that failed to block the rain, leaving it thoroughly drenched.

Xu Zhouye observed, “This statue matches the posters pasted on the doors. They must represent the same deity.”

Shen Man asked, “Where’s the clue?”

Xu Zhouye suggested, “Hidden behind it?”

Shen Man: “Let’s look around.”

Crouching down together, Shen Man and Xu Zhouye ran their hands over the statue, while Qin Yixing and Zhao Rui stood watching from a safe distance.

“Feel anything?” Qin Yixing asked.

Zhao Rui shivered: “So creepy. That thing gives off a seriously cursed vibe.”

Qin Yixing pressed: “How come you haven’t found anything yet?”

Annoyed, Shen Man snapped, “Why do you talk so much? Why don’t you come try?”

Stiffening his neck, Qin Yixing retorted, “Fine, I’ll do it!” Truthfully, watching Shen Man and Xu Zhouye work together with effortless chemistry had left a sour taste in his mouth, prompting him to chime in just to break their moment. Now that Shen Man had challenged him, backing down would look pathetic.

Striding up beside the statue, Qin Yixing feigned nonchalance: “A statue this tiny definitely doesn’t have anything special.” Mimicking Shen Man, he rolled up his sleeves: “Why don’t I just lift it up to check?” Hoping to show off his strength, he wrapped his arms around the statue and heaved upward. Unfortunately, the statue was far heavier than he anticipated; his boots slipped on the wet stone, sending him crashing flat onto the ground with a loud thud.

Had Xu Zhouye not reacted with lightning reflexes to pull Shen Man aside, the statue would have slammed straight onto Shen Man’s back.

Watching Qin Yixing eat dirt, Zhao Rui jumped in fright: “Is there a trap?! Did you trigger a trap?!”

Rendered completely speechless, Shen Man thought to himself: What trap? The two of you are the biggest traps the production crew planted.

Struggling back to his feet, Qin Yixing muttered, “I’m fine, no need to worry about me.”

Shen Man and Xu Zhouye: “…” Who the hell was worried about you?

Qin Yixing asked, “Did you find any clues?”

Irritated as he was by the man, Shen Man couldn’t help feeling a sliver of respect; after wiping out like that, Qin Yixing still remembered to ask about the puzzle. Reaching back into the crevice, Shen Man’s fingers actually brushed against something: a small plastic pouch wrapped around an object. Pulling it out, he discovered a padlock inside.

“A lock?” Shen Man asked. “What’s it for?”

“No idea,” Xu Zhouye said. “Hang onto it, let’s go ask the NPC.”

Shen Man noted, “There’s a character engraved on the lock.”

Looking closely, Xu Zhouye saw a single character etched into the metal: 光 (Light).

What did “Light” signify? Puzzled, Xu Zhouye asked, “Is there anything else?”

Shen Man said, “The cloth wrapping the lock seems to have writing on it too.”

Picking up the cloth, Xu Zhouye frowned: “Mm… doesn’t look good.”

Shen Man: “What does it say?”

Xu Zhouye read aloud, “It’s a suicide note. Basically says someone was falsely accused by the villagers, couldn’t bear the injustice and decided to end their life, telling their lover to run away before they died.”

That clearly laid out the core backstory.

“There’s another character on the back,” Shen Man pointed out. “Is it… 死 (Death)?”

Flipping the cloth over, Xu Zhouye confirmed it was indeed the character for Death, radiating pure bad luck.

Qin Yixing said, “Let’s head back and meet up with Luo Zhile and Zhou Yao.”

The four walked back toward the central courtyard.

Having taken a nasty spill earlier, Qin Yixing walked with a noticeable limp; unreliable as he could be, he at least cared deeply about saving face and refused to utter a single groan of pain.

Luo Zhile and Zhou Yao had already returned, holding an item of their own: another padlock.

Engraved across this lock was a character as well, consisting of one horizontal stroke and two vertical strokes: the radical 艹 (Grass).

“Uh, could it be stroke counts?” Luo Zhile analyzed thoughtfully. “Maybe the character on top indicates which lock goes in what order?”

Shen Man nodded: “Possible.”

“Come on, let’s go ask the NPC,” Xu Zhouye said.