The three of them finally managed to escape from that bizarre NPC and hid in a pitch-black room.
Only an electronic candle in the corner emitted a faint, eerie glow, providing no illumination whatsoever. Instead, it made the entire room feel even more terrifying and sinister.
Wei Lan: “There won’t be any Ghosts in this room, right?”
Xi Yue instinctively wanted to say, “How could there be?”
But just as the words reached his throat, he swallowed them back and changed his response: “There probably are.”
Wei Lan, who was afraid of Ghosts, trembled with fear.
Xi Yue: “If you’re scared, you can hold onto me.”
Wei Lan was so moved he almost burst into tears of gratitude.
Just as he was about to thank Xi Yue profusely, he realized Xi Yue hadn’t even glanced at him.
Those words were directed at Jiang Ning.
Wei Lan: “…”
So much for misplaced gratitude.
Jiang Ning finally managed to pry Xi Yue’s hand off her waist, her expression numb: “Thanks, but I’m not afraid of Ghosts. Are you scared, Brother Xi?”
Xi Yue: “If I am, can I hold onto you?”
Xi Yue’s fans in the livestream: ??
Brother, what are you doing, brother?
Although Xi Yue had always given off a lazy, somewhat unserious vibe since his debut, he was actually so self-disciplined that even his fans had nothing to criticize.
But those two sentences from Xi Yue just now could be considered blatant flirting.
Xi Yue’s fans were left stunned.
Who would have thought Jiang Ning would completely ignore Xi Yue’s oddly ambiguous question and simply say, “I’m just a little potato. Holding onto me won’t make you feel safe. If you’re scared, you can go hold onto Wei Lan.”
Xi Yue: “…”
The boomerang had come back to hit Xi Yue himself.
Xi Yue’s fans in the livestream were even better at finding excuses for him than he was.
【I get it now. Brother Xi must be joking around with Jiang Ning.】
【I knew Brother Xi wouldn’t be so inappropriate. He and Jiang Ning must know each other privately, and he knows she can play along with his jokes. Hahaha, Brother Xi is so funny.】
【Little sister: I think you’re kind of hilarious.】
【Doesn’t anyone feel bad for Wei Lan? I feel like the kid is about to break.】
Xi Yue’s fans in the livestream had successfully convinced themselves and were now happily watching the silly trio again.
Wei Lan, the carefree rookie who had debuted less than a year ago, was completely oblivious and didn’t realize Xi Yue’s deep-seated animosity toward him.
The three of them took a short breather in that room before venturing out again, dodging and outsmarting the real-life NPCs along the way.
The entire journey felt like a grand escape mission.
Jiang Ning struggled to keep up as Xi Yue held her by the waist while running.
She looked up and spotted a faint light ahead at a fork in the path.
It was the exit.
Jiang Ning felt like this ordeal was finally coming to an end.
Before she could even say, “The exit is ahead,” Xi Yue abruptly turned, dragging both of them into another fork in the path.
Jiang Ning: “…”
She almost lost her breath in frustration.
The scene in the livestream was nothing short of iconic.
—Xi Yue “chivalrously” supported Jiang Ning on his left, making sure she didn’t trip or fall behind, while completely abandoning Wei Lan on his right to fend for himself.
Wei Lan stumbled awkwardly for a while, unable to keep up with Xi Yue’s pace. He was practically dragged along by Xi Yue, bouncing around so much he nearly rolled his eyes back.
Even before the livestream ended, many similar iconic moments had already made it to the trending topics.
It was quite the spectacle.
And all of them were about Xi Yue and Jiang Ning, with the comment sections remaining surprisingly harmonious.
Just a few days ago, Jiang Ning was still being criticized by Xi Yue’s fans and trending on social media. How did public opinion change so quickly in such a short time?
The comment section was practically praising Jiang Ning to the skies. What exactly did Jiang Ning do to make the usually fierce Xi Yue fans look at her in a new light?
Some passersby who hadn’t caught up with the full story curiously clicked into the livestream.
The livestream had only been running for a few hours but had already set a new record for viewership in similar programs.
The director behind the scenes was grinning from ear to ear, as if already seeing his future self immortalized in history.
Inside the livestream.
After the three of them stopped, Jiang Ning looked back and realized the one-way mechanism had already been triggered. The entrance they had just run through was now blocked by a fake stone door.
Jiang Ning couldn’t take it anymore and questioned Xi Yue, “Did you do that on purpose? That intersection just now was the exit.”
Xi Yue contentedly wrapped his arm around Jiang Ning’s waist but put on an innocent expression. “I was just trying to help you two avoid the Ghost chasing us from behind. I must’ve taken a wrong turn.”
Jiang Ning gritted her teeth, squeezing out the words through clenched teeth, “I really have to thank you, you kind-hearted soul who deserves to be struck by lightning.”
[I can’t take it anymore, I’m really dying of laughter.]
[Every conversation between the little sister and Brother Xi is hilarious. They must have known each other before. No one in the industry would dare talk to Brother Xi like that, especially not a newcomer who just made a comeback.]
[They definitely know each other. Their conversations feel super familiar, and the little sister is really good at catching Brother Xi’s abstract jokes.]
[Go ask Brother Xi on Weibo what the little sister was doing before! Why did she suddenly disappear and then suddenly make a comeback? With her looks and personality, if she hadn’t disappeared back then, she’d definitely be a top-tier celebrity by now!]
…
Thanks to Xi Yue’s meddling, their team ended up being just a moment too late, allowing Shen Yiqiao’s team to find the exit a minute earlier.
As a result, the three members of their team had to accept the punishment of Truth or Dare.
The production team went all out, directly connecting with the livestream audience for questions.
The first unlucky one to be questioned was Wei Lan.
The young lady selected from the livestream to ask the question was very excited.
“Wei Lan, little brother, have you ever had feelings for someone of the opposite sex?”
Wei Lan’s wandering gaze inexplicably landed on Jiang Ning.
But that was too obvious, so Wei Lan shifted his gaze away. “I choose truth. Currently, yes.”
Wei Lan is young, and most of his fans are “mom fans” with high tolerance. Hearing him say this, they all started cheering excitedly in the comments.
In the next second, the flood of Wei Lan’s fans was overwhelmed by Xi Yue’s fans.
Because Xi Yue forcibly turned the camera toward himself, his overly handsome face instantly dominated the entire screen.
Xi Yue said, “Come on, ask me.”
The audience member responsible for questioning Xi Yue also joined the call, their voice trembling with excitement.
“Brother Xi, I really like you!”
Xi Yue, having been in the entertainment industry for many years, didn’t achieve his current status relying solely on background and looks.
In front of the camera, he slightly raised an eyebrow, his expression carrying a carefree charm that could make countless young girls’ hearts flutter. His tone was lazy, like a refreshing soda bubbling in the summer, seeping into people’s hearts bit by bit, enough to make them sway.
Xi Yue understood his fans’ psychology well. “Since you like me, don’t ask me any difficult questions, okay?”
The audience member was completely charmed by Xi Yue and indeed chose a very simple question to ask.
“Brother Xi, why did you decide to join this variety show?”
The fans of Xi Yue in the live stream were practically beating their chests in regret upon hearing her ask such a question.
【Ahhhh, why waste a truth question on something so simple!!】
【Shouldn’t you ask if he has someone he likes, or gossip about his celebrity friends in the industry?!】
【I’m crying!! Can I please take the mic?!】
Logically, for a question like this, Xi Yue could have just made up a random reason on the spot.
Who would bother digging into the specifics?
But to everyone’s surprise, Xi Yue’s expression turned serious as he said, “I choose dare.”
The fan who asked the question was stunned for several seconds: “Huh?”
Not to mention the barrage, which was flooded with question marks.
【？？？？】
It wasn’t until the program team reminded the fan over the mic that she could set the dare punishment that she snapped back to reality and stammered out her request.
“Then… then take off your shirt and hug one of the guests.”
Xi Yue didn’t hesitate. In the next second, he began unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it off.
Xi Yue’s physique was nothing short of perfect—well-defined abs with a solid texture, smooth lines of the Adonis belt extending down to his slender waist, partially hidden by the waistband of his pants.
The live stream audience went wild, screaming in admiration.
Jiang Ning had been sitting off to the side, lost in her own thoughts and completely detached from the situation.
But then, Xi Yue turned and walked over, stopping right in front of Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning instinctively looked up, meeting Xi Yue’s lazy, nonchalant gaze.
“Help me out with this punishment, no problem, right?”
Jiang Ning: “…”
Jiang Ning: “?”