Qin Ci finished his explanation, but instead of the expected barrage of questions, angry outbursts, or fearful responses that newcomers typically had, the two handsome individuals remained surprisingly calm. They even smiled and nodded, actively expressing that they “understood”.
Everyone: ?
Qin Ci began to doubt whether what he said was just a fairy tale. In a cautious tone, he reiterated with a serious face, “Please, both of you, believe that everything I’ve said is real. This concerns life and death, so we can’t afford to be careless.”
“Yes, understood.” The two handsome individuals continued to nod and smile.
Everyone: ??
Qin Ci wasn’t sure what else to say. It seemed like these two individuals weren’t taking the situation seriously. So, he could only proceed with the next step. “Well, let’s get to know each other first.”
As he spoke, he introduced the names of the veteran members and then looked towards the two.
The pretty woman was very sociable, her gaze sweeping over everyone as she spoke with a smile: “Hello, everyone, I’m Dong Yao. I’m delighted to be here and share this unforgettable and exciting seven days with all of you. I hope we can cooperate happily in the future!”
Everyone: …???
The man spoke right after, with a suave and pleasant voice, “Hello, everyone, I’m Qi Muhuan. Please take good care of me, big brothers and sisters…and little brothers.”
Everyone: ?!?!
“What’s going on…” Ke Xun turned to look at Mu Yiran, “Why are they so excited?”
Mu Yiran was about to respond when he heard Wei Dong talking in a low voice next to him: “This Dong Yao… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before. She seems like an actress?”
“Brother Dong, you’re right,” Luo Bu stealthily moved closer to them, “She is an actress. I think she just recently rose to the B-list in the past year or two. When she wasn’t famous yet, she tried to climb up by finding a wealthy sponsor. My dad’s business partner sponsored her for over a year, spending money to help her get into shows. Slowly, she made a name for herself. Recently, I heard she found an even more powerful big shot, who’s more willing to spend money and use connections for her. She’s booked for all sorts of roles, big and small.”
“That’s right, it’s her. ” Wei Dong remembered too now, ” I’ve seen her in an 18+ film. No wonder she looks familiar.”
Ke Xun: …
Luo Bu: “Before she became famous, she was all about selling her looks and showing her body.”
Wei Dong: “And this Qi Muhuan guy, I think he’s a relatively well-known new young idol that’s gained popularity recently.”
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.
Luo Bu: “Yeah, he had a hit in a xianxia drama recently. Unfortunately, he played the fourth male lead and only gained attention by having rumors of a romantic relationship with a female co-star.”
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Ke Xun: “…Let’s not talk about this boring gossip from the entertainment industry right now.”
Wei Dong: “I also heard that this Qi Muhuan guy has slept with a male director.”
Ke Xun: “Oh? Tell me more.”
Luo Bu and Wei Dong: “……”
While the three of them were talking in whispers, Dong Yao and Qi Muhan were exploring and looking around the room.
Dong Yao: “Wow, this room is so simple. It’s not what I expected.”
Qi Muhuan: “Sometimes, the simpler things are, the more complex they actually are. Big Sis Yao, you should be careful~”
Dong Yao: “Oh my, are you trying to scare me? Muhuan, I’m regretting it now. I shouldn’t have agreed with the director to come here now. Is it too late to back out?”
Qi Muhuan: “Don’t think about it. Once you’re on the ship, you can’t get off.”
Dong Yao: “Ah… how did it come to this…”
The two of them laughed.
Everyone: “……”
“What in the world is going on?” Ke Xun scratched his head. “Why are these two talking with such exaggerated tones and expressions? Are they living in a show or something?”
Wei Dong thought for a moment. “Maybe they’ve acted so much that they can’t distinguish between acting and reality.”
“But their emotions are clearly off,” Ke Xun said. “Is that normal? After hearing about entering the painting, they’re not scared at all. They are still chatting and laughing so carefreely.”
As they were discussing, the room suddenly filled with white light again. When everyone opened their eyes, they saw two more people in the room, two young girls in their early twenties. They were pulling and pushing at each other until they noticed everyone was looking at them. They both froze and slowly let go of each other.
“Who are you all?” the girl with shoulder-length hair asked, her expression guarded.
The veteran members turned to look at Qin Ci, but Qin Ci pretended not to notice their gazes.
Explaining was also a tiresome job, and Qin Ci decided to wait until the last person had entered the room before explaining it all at once.
Dong Yao, who was beside them, initially wanted to speak but, after glancing at Qin Ci, thought of something and kept quiet.
Seeing that no one responded, the girl with shoulder-length hair glared back at the girl with long hair who had entered with her. “I’m telling you, this isn’t over. You won’t leave until you explain everything clearly to me today. I’m staying right here with you!”
“It’s you who needs to explain!” the girl with long hair retorted. “What’s wrong with you? What does me being with my boyfriend have anything to do with you? Where did you come from? Are you a stalker?”
The two girls started bickering loudly like firecrackers.
Everyone: “…..” The newbies this time have strange demeanor…
Amidst the heated argument, the white light lit up once again in the room. When the light disappeared, the room had one more person – a young man in his twenties, decent-looking, holding two cups of hot coffee.
At the sight of this person, the two girls immediately ceased their argument. They both shouted at him, “Deng Lin! Tell me who this woman is!”
Deng Lin was taken aback, then shocked. He turned around to leave but bumped into the wall. He took a few steps backwards and the two girls caught up with him, one on his left and one on his right, grabbing him and pointing at each other’s noses, continuing to question, “Who is she?! Why is she following you?”
Deng Lin remained silent, his eyes darting from side to side.
Wei Dong: “Oh my oh my, he’s cheating on them.”
Luo Bu: “This guy doesn’t look like a good character at first glance.”
Ke Xun: “Ha, men.”
Wei Dong and Luo Bu: “…”
“We can’t let them continue arguing like this; we’re running out of time,” Shao Ling said as he took the initiative to step forward. He walked toward the three newcomers who were entangled in an argument. “Please, you three, pause for a moment. I have something to say.”
The two girls looked at him with suspicion. Deng Lin took this opportunity to slip away, taking a couple of steps to the side. Shao Ling didn’t pay him any attention and continued, “Now, you three, please think back, before entering this room, did you enter an exhibition hall?”
“So what if we did?” The girl with shoulder-length hair looked at him warily, seemingly thinking that he and the girl with long hair were in cahoots, and he was appearing now to help the long-haired girl.
Shao Ling continued, “So why are the three of you in this room now?” He guided the three of them through their memories.
“Wasn’t paying attention,” the girl with shoulder-length hair replied bluntly, pointing at the girl with long hair. “I was busy catching a cheater. I didn’t pay attention to anything else!”
“Don’t be so harsh with your words!” the girl with long hair retorted. “What do you mean ‘catching a cheater’? Deng Lin is my boyfriend!”
“Bullshit!” The girl with shoulder-length hair was angry. “We’ve been dating since last year. Where did you come from, meddling in someone else’s relationship so confidently? Who do you think you are?!”
Seeing that the two of them were about to argue again, Shao Ling raised his voice. “I know the details of the situation between Deng Lin and you two. If you two want to know more, be quiet and listen to what I have to say. Who’s right or wrong will become clear later.”
The girl with shoulder-length hair suppressed her anger and turned to stare at him. “Then you go ahead.”
Shao Ling then proceeded to explain the entire situation about entering the painting to the three of them and finally said: “This might sound bizarre, but it indeed happened. Right now, to all of us, the most important thing is how to leave this place alive. After we leave this painting, you three can settle your personal grudges and love affairs however you like. But at this moment, don’t let it waste our time, and don’t let it waste your time. Remember, the less time we have, the slimmer our chances of survival.”
The two girls stared at him as if he were insane until the girl with shoulder-length hair said, “Are you crazy?”
“Whether I’m crazy or not, one thing can prove it,” Shao Ling said, pointing around the room. “As long as you can leave this place, you are free to do as you please.”
The two girls and Ding Lin subconsciously looked around, then exclaimed in surprise. Ding Lin walked to one of the walls, pushed and knocked on it, then turned back to Shao Ling in shock: “What’s going on? Why is there no door or window in this room? How did you get in here? How did we get in here?”
“I explained the reason earlier. Because time is tight, you can digest this gradually. But if you continue to argue endlessly, then please forgive me for irresponsibly saying that we have no time nor any obligation to take care of you, and we don’t want to be burdened by you. We will proceed at our own pace and schedule. If you lose your life because you refuse to cooperate, you can only blame yourselves.”
Shao Ling’s words, although spoken coldly, were the only effective method at the moment. These three people, though still finding it hard to believe, at least stopped arguing and instead looked around the room and the people inside with a mixture of disbelief and panic.
Nearby, Ke Xun overheard a whispered conversation between Dong Yao and Qi Muhuan. “I didn’t expect it to be serious. These people really don’t know the truth.”
Qi Muhuan nodded slightly. “Because this way, we get views.”
Ke Xun looked over and noticed that both of them covered their clothes’ collar area when speaking and then released it after speaking. It appeared as though there was a small microphone-like device there.
The behavior of these two was indeed quite strange.
Seeing that they had finally gathered all five newcomers and managed to quiet them down, the veteran members no longer wasted time and stood up straight to inspect the room’s four walls, waiting for this painting to reveal its true appearance.
Thank you for your translation ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
…Well this arc seems interesting.
Thank you for the update.
….I dunno how I feel I bet this upcoming arc is going to be VERY interesting~ We have a cheater and his two girl friends, and two actors who sleep their way to the top😭 my poor babies are about to struggle with these people. My main concern is the actors right now. I feel like they might be very shady since they’re acting super friendly and kind and have done all kinds of stuff to get their positions. 😮💨 Good luck my children!!
agreed, the actors are EXTREMELY shady
Are the actors thinking they’re in a reality show ir something that’s why they’re acting nonchalant about their impending doom…🤔 Can’t 🫣 watch these colorful newcomers. Either they’ll be wiped out or surprisingly survived this painting. The last painting, among the new ones only 1 remain and one committed suicide? Forgot what happened.
The actors thought it’s all staged and they are in a reality show😭.
Only one of the newbies survived last painting. It’s implied that he decided to die together with his friend group (rest of the newbies).
I lost count on who survived and joined the bandwagon for every painting now..🤭