Wu Ge was the manager here and an experienced outdoor enthusiast. He had no idea about Si Yan’s exact identity, as Si Yan generally only invested money and played around. The business here wasn’t doing well anyway—few people participated in these dangerous activities, and it had been operating at a loss long-term.
“No wonder the boss hasn’t been here for so long. Turns out he has a lovely wife at home and is enjoying some couple time,” Wu Ge teased.
Si Yan smiled and then asked, “Is the game set up?”
“Everyone’s here, but half are beginners,” Wu Ge said. “There’s a wilderness competition abroad recently, so many veteran players have gone to participate.”
In their circle, most players were regular veterans, which made for more exciting games. When Si Yan mentioned he was coming, Wu Ge immediately started gathering people, but still only managed to put together a rather mediocre group.
“It’s fine, I’m a beginner too,” Wen Ran said. “It’s perfect that everyone’s a newbie—that way I won’t worry about holding the team back.”
Hearing this, Si Yan didn’t say anything more.
………
Si Yan’s group was the last to arrive. When he saw Ruan Tang and Xu Shi’an on the field, his expression turned as if he’d eaten something disgusting.
“Shi’an, this gun is so heavy,” Ruan Tang said, holding a simulated rifle.
Xu Shi’an stood behind her, helping support the stock and teaching her the proper way to hold it. “If you support it like this with your hand, it won’t feel as heavy.”
The two were being quite intimate, and Wen Ran hadn’t expected them to be here either.
“No wonder Xu Shi’an’s points dropped recently—turns out he’s gotten together with the female lead,” Zha Zha couldn’t help popping out to complain. “Ruan Tang is something else, hooking up with him in such a short time?”
The original plot had long since changed, but even so, Ruan Tang found other ways to connect with people. Was this the power of the plot at work?
“Ran Ran, with them here, will it affect your strategy regarding Si Yan?”” the system asked.
“No,” Wen Ran said, looking at the Affection points above Xu Shi’an’s head—they had only dropped by five. She curled her lips. “More people just make it more interesting.”
Wu Ge gathered everyone present and conducted a draw to decide the teams. Under Wen Ran’s direction, Zha Zha used system means to successfully ensure Xu Shi’an and Ruan Tang were drawn into their group.
After looking at his slip, Xu Shi’an brought Ruan Tang over to Si Yan. “What a special coincidence. Out of 32 people here and eight teams, we’re the only ones who know each other.”
He added, “The luck is so good, I almost thought someone was rigging the draw.”
Xu Shi’an had only learned from Wu Ge earlier that Si Yan was the big boss here, so the draw seemed far too coincidental.
Si Yan replied coldly, “You’re free to find someone to swap with if you want.”
“Too bad probably no one would be willing, since nobody wants to carry two beginners,” he said sarcastically.
Although Xu Shi’an had played a couple of times, he was still at a beginner level, and Ruan Tang was a complete novice who didn’t even know how to hold a gun properly. No other team would be willing to take them.
Xu Shi’an wanted to retort, but Ruan Tang tugged at his sleeve and said, “I really don’t know how. Maybe we should just drop out.”
She found their situation quite awkward. Ruan Tang didn’t know how to face Wen Ran—first taking her husband, and now being with her brother…Seeing they were about to withdraw, Wen Ran couldn’t have that. She said, “Actually, I don’t really know how to play either. It’s just a game—no need to take it too seriously. The important thing is to have fun. If you quit, our team won’t have enough partners and we’ll have to withdraw too.”
After she put it that way, Ruan Tang couldn’t say anything more.
While other teams were chatting happily, only their four-member group had an awkward atmosphere. Si Yan wore the sourest expression, and Xu Shi’an wasn’t much better—Wen Ran even caught him glaring at her.
The woman felt baffled. She hadn’t offended him at all. Since leaving the Si residence last time, they hadn’t been in contact. Wen Ran had even messaged Xu Shi’an to invite him for a meal, but he never replied.
Before setting off, Si Yan helped Wen Ran check through her backpack to ensure she had everything. He reminded her, “The temperature will drop at night. Make sure you’ve packed warm clothes.”
Wen Ran nodded obediently. “I’ll follow whatever you say.”
Nearby, Ruan Tang asked, “Will it be very late before we can come down?”
Si Yan kept a stern face and ignored her. It was Wen Ran who gently coaxed, “A-Yan, we’re a team. You know more than we do—we should share information.”
Only then did the man reluctantly explain, “Normally, if things go smoothly, we can return to base before dark. But many participants today are beginners—they might not make it down until after nightfall.”
“It’ll take that long?” Ruan Tang had only heard from Xu Shi’an that outdoor activities were fun, but she never expected to be stuck on the mountain for so long.
She asked, “Can we come down early on our own?”
Ruan Tang’s foolish question annoyed Si Yan. He turned to Xu Shi’an and said, “Didn’t you explain the rules to her before bringing her along?”
This was the first time Si Yan had snapped at Ruan Tang like this. She shut her mouth and stopped talking, moving away to keep her distance from him.
Si Yan didn’t even glance her way. He felt like he’d been cuckolded—within just a week, Ruan Tang had gotten involved with another man.
Xu Shi’an explained, “The game rules are simple. There are many humanoid standees distributed across this mountain. Each standee is worth one point. At the same time, we can also steal points from others.”
He tested his gun and continued, “These guns can shoot people. Anyone hit is eliminated, and their points go to the attacker. The player with the highest score wins. But the key point is—the descent passage only opens after all humanoid standees have been cleared.”
This was exactly why Si Yan disliked playing with beginners. Some standees were mobile, and new players couldn’t even handle the guns properly, seriously slowing down the game progress.
Ruan Tang nodded with partial understanding. Looking at it this way, their team indeed had the weakest capabilities—mainly because there were two girls who didn’t know how to handle guns at all.
But when a gunshot rang out, Ruan Tang realized she’d been wrong.
Wen Ran held a rifle and hit the bullseye with a single shot—a perfect ten.
Both Si Yan and Xu Shi’an were stunned. They never expected Wen Ran to know how to shoot.
Seeing everyone staring at her, Wen Ran said, “I was just testing the target. It’s been a while since I practiced—needed to get the feel back.”
Of course she knew how to handle this type of gun. Wen Ran had been proficient at shooting ranges since she was ten years old. Not only did she know how—the original host knew too.
After learning that Si Yan loved wilderness sports, the original host had secretly hired a coach to learn specifically. It was just unfortunate that he never paid any attention.
Seeing both men looking at Wen Ran with admiration, Ruan Tang lowered her head, feeling intensely sour inside. So she was the only one who didn’t know anything at all.
………After Wen Ran and the others were blindfolded with black eye masks, the off-road vehicle drove up the mountain. When they got out of the car, all that surrounded them were bushes.
Ruan Tang was a bit confused. It was her first time playing, so she asked, “What should we do?”