Rich Side Character Goes Viral for Gossiping on a Laid-Back Reality Show Ch. 57

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She didn't say anything directly, but the answer was obvious.

Lu Jianchen's eyes burned as if something sharp had pierced them. Jealousy rose like wildfire in his chest.

And then—an unhinged idea took root.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, triangle-folded paper packet. He opened it slowly.

Inside was a thin layer of white powder.

The afternoon slipped by, and evening arrived.

Director Qian gathered everyone on the beach. "Alright, folks, time for tonight's mission!"

Ji Minghan clutched his growling stomach and groaned. "Seriously? It's dinner time and we're doing a task now?"

Director Qian gave a cunning smile. "Wanna eat? Gotta earn it first."

Ji Minghan wailed. "Ughhh, I'm starving to death here!"

And it wasn't just him. All the other guests were hungry too—no one complained out loud, but their faces all tightened at the mention of a task.

Yu Qianxia was hungry as well, but hey, it was part of the job. She forced herself to perk up and asked, "So what's the task?"

Director Qian cleared his throat, looking serious. "Everyone, please head to the underground parking garage."

A bunch of question marks basically popped up over everyone's heads. The garage?

Still curious, the group followed the staff down.

When they got there, they realized the garage had been transformed into a full-blown horror-themed escape room.

"Wow, Director, you really picked a vibe," Si Churou muttered, rubbing her arms as the chilly, dim lighting and spooky effects creeped her out. She quickly scooted closer to Yu Qianxia. "Qianxia, I'm sticking with you."

Yu Qianxia chuckled as Si Churou clung to her arm. "Sure, I'll protect you."

The whole cast looked visibly stunned by the setup. Director Qian grinned. "Don't worry, it's not that hard. Just a few checkpoints in there. It's really not that scary."

"Clear it, and you get a straight pass to dinner in the villa. Full feast."

Ji Minghan clutched his stomach and gave Director Qian his best pitiful puppy eyes. "Can't we please eat first and play later? I'm seriously starving..."

But Director Qian showed no mercy. "Nope, rules are rules. Gotta follow 'em."

Just as they were about to head into the game area, Ji Minghan's eyes lit up at the sight of the sponsor's drinks set by the door. He sprinted over. "Okay, maybe no food, but at least we can drink something!"

The rest of the group froze mid-step. After a whole afternoon under the sun, everyone was exhausted, hungry, and so thirsty. A cold drink right now? Literal lifesaver.

Si Churou immediately tugged Yu Qianxia along to follow. Yan Zhirou, also parched, walked over too—with Chu Hanxun and Lu Jianchen quick to trail after her.

The drinks were originally meant just for show—not for consumption—so the staff scrambled to fetch disposable cups from the villa once they saw everyone rushing over.

When they finally brought the cups out, Director Qian suddenly pulled out another evil card: a countdown timer.

"Anyone who delays entering the game will be eliminated! No dinner!"

Chaos erupted instantly.

Ji Minghan grumbled under his breath while pouring himself a drink. "Director, you are not a human being..."

Everyone scrambled to get a cup in the limited time, turning the scene into a full-on frenzy.

Lu Jianchen's eyes flicked from the chaotic drink table to the pitch-black, creepy-looking escape room entrance. The dim lighting and all the commotion had the cameramen fumbling around too, struggling to keep track of everything.

Lu Jianchen's gaze paused for a moment. His hand, holding something, blended into the chaos of the scene, quiet and unnoticed.

The countdown continued, tension building in the air. Yan Zhirou hadn't poured herself a drink yet, when she suddenly felt a cup of orange juice appear in her hand. She had no idea who had poured it.

Her throat was parched. She reached for it.

But someone else got there first.

Ji Minghan swooped in, snatching the cup. "I'm dying over here—lemme have this one."

Yan Zhirou blinked, speechless, but didn't argue. "Fine. Go ahead."

Ji Minghan gulped it down in one go and let out a dramatic burp. "That hit the spot!"

But just as he finished, he felt a burning gaze pierce into him.

He looked up, confused, and locked eyes with Lu Jianchen—who was staring at him like he wanted to carve a hole straight through his skull.

Ji Minghan flinched at the weird intensity of it, but quickly brushed it off. Freakin' weirdo. He bolted into the escape room entrance without giving it a second thought.

Behind him, Lu Jianchen clenched his fists... and followed.

As soon as they entered the escape room, everything went pitch black.

Then, one by one, each person felt a grip on their arms.

They were yanked—hard—into unknown directions by staff members hidden in the dark.

"WHAT THE HELL?! Didn't you say this wasn't scary?!" Ji Minghan's indignant voice echoed in the darkness.

Once the chaos died down, Yu Qianxia blinked into the low, murky lighting of a small, enclosed room.

She was alone.

Dim lights cast vague shadows on the walls. Her vision blurry, she reached out, fingers running along the walls, starting to feel her way around, searching for clues to the hidden mechanisms.

Yu Qianxia ran her fingers along the cold walls of the escape room until she found four doors—each one secured with a smart combination lock.

She kept searching the dim space and finally stumbled upon a small password box tucked away in a corner. Kneeling down, she squinted at the riddle printed on its surface, thought for a moment, and quickly cracked the code.

Punching the four-digit code into one of the door locks, she heard a soft click. The door creaked open.

Standing on the other side, equally startled, was Si Churou.

The moment Si Churou saw her, she practically leapt into Yu Qianxia's arms. "Oh my god, Qianxia! I was losing it in here. I'm terrified of the dark—I couldn't find the exit and was just thinking about how to get in touch with you! I can't believe we were just a wall apart!"

Yu Qianxia patted her gently on the back. Now that the two rooms were connected, they realized Si Churou had been trapped in a similar small space all along.

They still hadn't made it out. The opened door just combined their two cells into one bigger cage.

"It's alright," Yu Qianxia said soothingly. "Just stick with me if you're scared. Looks like this isn't gonna be a quick escape..."

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