Edited by Ning
When Zhou Ziheng turned on the light in the room, he saw Xia Xiqing leaning against the wall. His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, his lips were pale, his head was half hung, and his chest was slightly undulating.
He didn’t know why, but Zhou Ziheng unconsciously associated him with the rose on the drawing paper at this moment.
What Xia Xiqing had said to him before suddenly appeared in his mind.
[I’m afraid of the dark. ]
[If there is a dark room in the future, and you don’t want to be dragged down, just leave me behind.]
What he said was true…
It turned out that he was really afraid of the dark.
Since they met, Xia Xiqing’s image in Zhou Ziheng’s heart was negative and powerful, too cunning, too confident and too smart. Such a person seemed to have no weakness at all, but now, his weakness was exposed in front of him.
Zhou Ziheng couldn’t tell what kind of emotion it was. It seemed that he had gained some special rights and had a little abnormal desire for protection.
This word was rejected by Zhou Ziheng at the moment when it was born in his mind. He could not imagine how he connected Xia Xiqing with his desire for protection.
I think I’m going to be driven crazy by this freak reality show.
Xia Xiqing was still leaning against the wall, as if waiting for recovery.
The clever and cunning villain was the first out. For some reason, his mood was a bit complicated.
It’s not unexpected, because Xia Xiqing was too smart, and people with sharp edges were always easily eliminated. But Zhou Ziheng couldn’t figure out, why didn’t he hide himself?
How could he have known that Xia Xiqing was more than not hiding clumsiness. After the half-hour countdown began, Xia Xiqing almost tried his best to draw all of Shang Sirui’s attention to himself, with the purpose of disrupting his original plan and allowing Zhou Ziheng to escape safely.
In his heart, as long as the killer does not win, even if he becomes a sacrifice, he does not lose.
Xia Xiqing put one hand on the wall, straightened up slowly, and turned to walk to the door.
“Hey…”
Xia Xiqing turned his head, his eyes didn’t look at him, and he drooped wearily. His slender index finger was on his lips, and he didn’t speak. His fringe was a bit messy, hanging to the tip of his nose, covering the beautiful mole on the tip of his nose.
He had lost the right to speak.
Zhou Ziheng didn’t speak any more, and followed him out of the study, passing through the bedroom to the living room.
Cen Cen, Ruan Xiao, and Shang Sirui were all standing in the living room. The expression on Ruan Xiao’s face was very serious, it seemed that she had expected the result. The expression on Cen Cen’s face was even more ugly. Her eyes floated over them. First looking at Xia Xiqing in front, and then at Zhou Ziheng behind Xia Xiqing.
Xia Xiqing felt that he had recovered a little. He didn’t want to be seen as vulnerable. To be honest, even if the other party was Zhou Ziheng, he was unwilling to be seen as such. Even more unwilling.
He raised the corners of his mouth, habitually showing a smile that shouldn’t belong to the loser at all, and looked straight at Shang Sirui who “killed” himself. The performance of the other party surpassed the performance qualities of an idol. Although a little dazed, he quickly recovered his composure and made a somewhat stunned look, “Xiqing, you…”
Very impressive. Xia Xiqing admitted that he was unlucky. He had always had “smart disease”. He was only interested in or prepared for smart people. In his eyes, the silly and stupid type of people were no different from pets.
Bad habits are hotbeds of failure.
But Xia Xiqing didn’t feel that he has failed. As long as Zhou Ziheng can successfully escape, then he hasn’t lost.
Facing Shang Sirui’s question, Xia Xiqing didn’t respond. He slowly raised his hand, put his index finger and thumb at the corner of his mouth, and gently pulled to the other side to show his silence. Then he walked to the sitting room and stood in the small circle with his hands behind his back.
Zhou Ziheng didn’t want to see him.
His eyes first focused on the farthest dining table, then on the sofa, then on the carpet, and finally on him.
As if, if he looked at everything, then he wasn’t watching Xia Xiqing.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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When he tilted his head, his long forehead hair would fall from his cheek to the bridge of his nose, and sweep it over the tip of his nose.
Why are you still laughing? You’re going to be out. He really couldn’t understand.
“Player Xia Xiqing, out. Three, Two, One.”
The floor of the round out seat suddenly opened downwards, and Xia Xiqing, who had lost support, fell down, and the floor closed again, and Xia Xiqing, who was “killed” by the killer, disappeared in front of everyone.
Zhou Ziheng stared at the circular area, feeling a little uncomfortable for some reason. Cen Cen suddenly said at this moment, “Could it be that what Xia Xiqing said is true? You are really the killer, Ziheng.”
Ruan Xiao, who originally wanted to help Zhou Ziheng speak, suddenly thought of Xia Xiqing’s instructions and swallowed the words back.
Zhou Ziheng turned around, put his hands in his pockets and said calmly, “If I were the killer, I would indeed kill him first.” He said, “He’s too smart, so I think it’s a pity.”
“A pity?” Cen Cen frowned slightly, “It’s a pity that he was killed?”
“A pity that I’m not the killer, I couldn’t ‘kill’ him personally.” Zhou Ziheng said something that sounded terrible in a flat tone, then walked to the dining table and pulled a chair to sit on it, “Less than a minute left. Come and vote everyone.”
Cen Cen also followed along and sat down, “How can you prove that you are not?”
Zhou Ziheng put his hands on his chin and raised his eyes to look at her, “If I were, I wouldn’t help Xia Xiqing unlock the handcuffs from the beginning.”
Cen Cen wanted to continue to ask, the announcement of the program group sounded again.
“The countdown is over and the first round of voting officially begins. Please take your seats.”
Despite Zhou Ziheng’s explanation, Cen Cen watched Xia Xiqing and Zhou Ziheng who had been “killed” come out of the same room. She had already determined that Zhou Ziheng was the killer. “Whether you admit it or not, we will know the truth after this round of voting is over.”
“No.” Zhou Ziheng laughed rarely. “Even if you cast me to death, you still won’t know who the killer is. You will only understand the truth when the game is over and you lose completely.”
Cen Cen was a little speechless after his reply. Shang Sirui and Ruan Xiao also sat down. Cen Cen winked at Ruan Xiao. Ruan Xiao nodded her chin slightly and still said nothing.
Zhou Ziheng looked calm and indifferent on the surface, but he was still worried. Cen Cen is sure to vote him out this time. If Shang Sirui is the killer, as Xia Xiqing said, the vote in his hand must be aimed at himself. Ruan Xiao…
He has almost no communication with Ruan Xiao, but from the look just now Ruan Xiao has formed an alliance with Cen Cen.
It’s false to say that he’s not nervous. Now his palms are sweating uncontrollably.
“Players, please send your killer candidates through your mobile phone. There is only one chance. Please send them after repeated confirmation. The countdown is ten seconds. And it starts now. ”
“Ten—— nine——”
Strange.
At this critical juncture, Xia Xiqing’s smile before he was out of the game, as well as the words he swore in the dark, unexpectedly flashed across Zhou Ziheng’s mind.
“Eight—— seven——”
[Shang Sirui is the killer, believe me.］
He seemed to have anticipated the end.
“Six—— five—— four——”
Although Zhou Ziheng did not want to admit it, in this game, the only person he could be called an ally was Xia Xiqing, so at this moment, even if he was executed for believing in him, Zhou Ziheng would also accept it.
Besides, he had already suspected Shang Sirui a long time ago, and all that was lacking was evidence.
“Three—— two—— ”
Zhou Ziheng entered the answer in his heart on the phone and clicked Send without hesitation.
“One—— . Time is up, we are counting the voting results of all players.”
The four people at the table looked at each other in a subtle atmosphere. Zhou Ziheng leaned back on the chair and stared at Shang Sirui sitting opposite, like a cheetah waiting for an opportunity, but the other party subtly lowered his head, avoiding his eyes.
To be honest, this was not like the on-the-spot reaction of someone who could hide so much, but he still chose to believe what Xia Xiqing said.
“The voting results will now be announced. After the secret ballots of the players, the person executed this round is—”
The announcement paused for a few seconds, and Zhou Ziheng felt that his heartbeat had begun to accelerate uncontrollably.
What about the clues he got if he was executed?
All of them must be handed in public. In this case, the killer would win, no matter which of the three it was.
Thinking of this, Zhou Ziheng could not help feeling depressed.
“No one. This round is a tie and we will not execute anyone. Please continue the game.”
This kind of ending was somewhat unexpected, especially for Cen Cen. She looked at Shang Sirui next to her in surprise, then turned to look at Ruan Xiao, “Who did not vote for him?”
Ruan Xiao frowned innocently, “I voted.”
Zhou Ziheng, who was not involved in the incident, observed the expressions of everyone on the opposite side. When Ruan Xiao spoke, she kept tapping her fingers on the tabletop. It was obvious that there was something wrong with her. He turned his attention to Shang Sirui again. His expression was not quite right, but he doesn’t seem to be surprised by the result.
Zhou Ziheng analyzed the ownership of all the execution votes in his hands. He voted for Shang Sirui, and Cen Cen must have voted for himself.
Finally, there was a draw, which showed that Shang Sirui and Ruan Xiao voted for himself and Shang Sirui respectively. It is absolutely impossible for Shang Sirui to vote on himself.
Therefore, Ruan Xiao voted on Shang Sirui.
Zhou Ziheng understood the tendency of the four people on the field, and was more convinced that Shang Sirui was the killer. The reason why Xia Xiqing died so quickly must be that he found evidence that could prove that he was the killer.
What he is holding now is the clue to leave the whole house. To be honest, there is no need to prove Shang Sirui’s identity to everyone. As long as he escapes from the house before him, the game is over.
Thinking of this, Zhou Ziheng stood up from his seat.
Cen Cen looked up at him, “Where are you going, Ziheng?”
“To find clues to get out of course.” Zhou Ziheng pushed the chair back, “Anyway, no one was voted out this round, so it is better to find clues and escape.”
After that, Zhou Ziheng turned around and returned to the study. As expected, Shang Sirui stopped him, “Ziheng, I will go with you.”
Zhou Ziheng didn’t stop him, “Okay.”
Two people entered the study one after another.
There was almost no change in everything in the study. Shang Sirui gently closed the door and asked tentatively, “Ziheng, who did you vote for just now?”
Zhou Ziheng pretended to be working hard to find clues, and calmly asked, “Who did you vote for?”
Shang Sirui laughed, “Oh, I abstained from the vote.” He sat on the chair in front of the long desk with a relaxed face. “I couldn’t see anything. It’s better not to vote, so as not to kill the innocent by mistake.”
Vote abstention? That’s a clever explanation.
Zhou Ziheng glanced at him, then nodded slowly, “You’re right.” He walked to Shang Sirui’s side. This chair was the same chair he was sitting on when he was tied up. It is an office chair with exquisite workmanship and armrests on both sides.
Probably because he was nervous, Shang Sirui’s hand on the armrest trembled slightly. In order to cover it up, he simply grasped the armrest to make himself look more normal.
Zhou Ziheng observed this. He looked away and said, “Now that Xia Xiqing is out, I think I need to find someone to form an alliance.” As he said this, he put his left hand into his pocket, took out a piece of paper and placed it on the desk in front of Shang Sirui, “This is an important clue I found, you see.” As he spoke, his right hand reached into the other pocket at the same time.
“Clue?” Shang Sirui leaned forward slightly.
While Shang Sirui focuses all his attention on the so-called important clues, Zhou Ziheng seized the one or two second gap, he picked up the handcuffs from the phonograph with his right hand from his pocket, and handcuffed Shang Sirui’s hand firmly to the office chair.
Shang Sirui reacted instantly, the important clue on the table was simply a piece of blank sheet of paper!
Zhou Ziheng picked up the rope on the ground and tied Shang Sirui to the chair.
“Ziheng! You! Hey, why did you tie me up?” Shang Sirui struggled constantly, but Zhou Ziheng didn’t mean to stop.
“Did you make a mistake, or are you the killer?”
“Hush.” Zhou Ziheng looked at his face and said softly, “Stop acting, the game will be over soon.”
Everything was done, Zhou Ziheng stretched out a leg and gently kicked the bottom edge of the office chair, and Shang Sirui slid away with the chair.
“Sorry, take a break first.”
Shang Sirui struggled desperately on the chair and couldn’t get up. He could only watch Zhou Ziheng leave the room and shut the door.
He didn’t know that before that, Zhou Ziheng had already found all the clues to leave the house. He led him here just to trap him here, so as not to be preempted by him as the killer when he finally cracked the code and escaped from the house.
Earlier, Zhou Ziheng opened the painting Xia Xiging gave him while the four were entangled in another room. According to the clues in [Sofa, Flashlight, Study, Lights off], he found the flashlight parts hidden by the program team on the sofa in the living room. He assembled them into a complete flashlight, and tried to illuminate the living room, shining it around in a full circle. Finally, he found the words that would only be displayed when the flashlight was illuminated on the second line of the password input field of the front door.
Just to the left of the password field where you only need to enter three letters, a sentence was written.
[Who is the Killer?]
But this was just one of the passwords, and the other password still needed him to look for the numbers. Zhou Ziheng thought of the last two clues of [Sofa, Flashlight, Study, Lights off], so he went into the study and turned off the lights. In the dark, Zhou Ziheng held up the flashlight to check the corners of the room, and found that there were red luminous words on the four corners of the room, which were—— 2, 3, 7 and prime.
Zhou Ziheng, a science major, quickly realized that prime was a prime number, 2, 3 and 7 were all prime numbers, and they were all single digits. What also meets these two requirements was only one number, which was 5.
Zhou Ziheng, who came out of the study, strode away and came to the living room. Shang Sirui’s shouts could be heard in the living room.
“What’s wrong with Sirui?” Cen Cen was just about to get ready to go to the study room, but was stopped by Ruan Xiao, “Sister Cen Cen, wait a moment.”
“Wait a moment? What are you waiting for?”
Zhou Ziheng had already arrived at the gate at this time. He entered the four numbers [2, 3, 5, 7] in the first column with the fastest speed, and entered the answer to the question in the next column.
[SON]
The son is the Killer.
The touch screen turned blue, and after flashing three times, a line of green prompts appeared.
[Password Correct, Congratulations on clearing the room!]
With a bang, the door opened.
Zhou Ziheng raised his eyes and looked forward. He had imagined many possibilities. Behind the door, there were probably a lot of cameras, or maybe the planner of the program group. He even thought of his lines after coming out.
But he didn’t expect that after he escaped from this door in a cold sweat, the first person he would see turned out to be Xia Xiqing.
Xia Xiqing, wearing a white shirt, stood at the door. The light arranged by the program team shone from behind him. The backlight ran across his shoulder line and gently covered his left chest. His face became blurred from the angle of the backlight, leaving only the beautiful arc when the corner of his lips were tilted up. “Great.”
As soon as his voice fell, Xia Xiqing, who was less than half a meter away, suddenly stepped forward and hugged him, holding him tightly in the way that men celebrated victory.
Zhou Ziheng was a little stunned, letting this person slyly take the opportunity to embrace him, he forgot to resist.
It is strange, the previously aggressive perfume smell gradually changed, the tobacco smell faded, and the musky fragrance also disappeared. Zhou Ziheng felt that his tired body was wrapped gently by a warm woody fragrance. The scent, body temperature, the feeling of pressing the palm against his back, and the end sound when this person spoke that always seems not so sincere.
“I knew we would win.”
Hehe….My son is so cunning even if he loss as long as he help the winner then he still wins!!!
My son is so good~ So Zhou Ziheng what are you waiting for? Propose to him already!
Thanks for the chapter<3
ME: >//////< They finally win!! and the hug…ahh i am covered in sugar~
Thanks for the chapter~
Thanks for the chapter! ♡
Propose! Propose to your angel-faced husband! Sign up for more of these escape room shows so that you have a legitimate reason outside of fanservice to keep XXQ around if you still don’t want to admit your feelings!
awwww
HUUUUGGGGG (ʃƪ＾3＾）
I love it! how smart to tie up the killer and escape!
thanks for the chapter <3
They won! ＼(^o^)／ And hugged (／≧ω＼)💛💛
Thank you for the update 🥰💕💕
☺️😆😁