The next day, Shi Pengpeng, who rarely slept in, woke up close to noon.
As soon as she turned on her phone, she was bombarded with messages from Xiao Lingshu.
Xiao Lingshu: “Senior sister, after a night of deep reflection, I’ve had an epiphany!”
Xiao Lingshu: “Our major has no future at the undergraduate level.”
Xiao Lingshu: “If we want to get into a big company, we need to grind for higher education. I’m going to take the postgraduate entrance exam.”
SPP: “You spent the whole night figuring that out?”
Xiao Lingshu: “Just tell me if it makes sense or not.”
SPP: “……”
It wasn’t that it didn’t make sense.
Unlike before, both Buddhism and Taoism are now considered decent professions.
But with countless sects in the world and only a few famous temples, the hiring criteria have become increasingly stringent.
For example, the Qinglian Temple, as far as she knew, required at least a master’s degree.
If Xiao Lingshu wanted to get into a real big-name sect, an undergraduate degree was indeed a bit lacking.
SPP: “Alright then, good luck.”
Xiao Lingshu: “Sunglasses emoji. So, let’s go play an escape room today.”
SPP: “?”
SPP: “Wait, how did the topic shift to this?”
Xiao Lingshu: “Well, I thought since I’m in Xiluo for once, it’s not too much to find a place to have fun since I can’t find a job, right? Senior sister, you’re still young, don’t just grind away all day. Wouldn’t it be nice to spend a pleasant weekend with your long-lost junior brother?”
SPP: “Speak properly, don’t use insulting words.”
Xiao Lingshu: “Are you referring to ‘grinding’?”
SPP: “You keep talking, and I’ll moo and ram you to death!”
Xiao Lingshu: “=_= See, this is the mental state of someone who’s been working like an ox all day, already stressed out.”
Afraid he might say something even more mortifying, Shi Pengpeng decisively ended the conversation.
SPP: “Where do you want to go?”
Xiao Lingshu: “Oh oh oh, last night while scrolling through Cat Paw, the algorithm recommended a horror-themed escape room that looks really fun.”
Xiao Lingshu: “[Link: Xiluo’s Most Popular Immersive Horror Escape Room – Funeral]“
Xiao Lingshu: “I checked it out; it’s a combination of a haunted house and an escape room. It’s said to be very thrilling, perfect for us!”
SPP: “……?”
SPP: “How is a haunted house perfect for us?”
While others go to haunted houses for thrills, the two of them going there would probably result in her laughing out loud on the spot.
Xiao Lingshu sent a pair of pitiful eyes: “I thought since I can’t find a ghost-catching job, playing a haunted game would at least make use of what I’ve learned!”
Shi Pengpeng: “……”
Why does my junior brother always come up with logic that sounds idiotic but is somehow irrefutable?
Xiao Lingshu: “Please, come with me!”
SPP: “Fine, fine.”
After all, it had been so long since she last saw Xiao Lingshu, so she might as well play the role of a good host.
After agreeing on a time, Shi Pengpeng lazily got up to wash up.
While brushing her teeth, she casually clicked on the link Xiao Lingshu had sent.
The link led to an article introducing the escape room.
Due to the puzzle elements, the article didn’t go into too much detail, only providing a basic setting description and a few eerie pictures.
There were over a thousand comments under the article:
【Already played, the plot is interesting, and the setting is very atmospheric. Highly recommended!]
【Heard it’s quite scary, so I specifically asked my crush to go with me. Hahaha, it worked out! Five stars!】
[ Asked my crush to go too +1. It was so much fun, I’ll definitely come back again.]
【Why do you all have crushes to go with, while I can only go with my friend and his dad? So mad!】
【This script is really good, and it has multiple endings. My friend and I went separately, and we ended up with different escape routes. I’ve decided to go again this weekend.】
【Escape rooms can actually have different endings?】
【Yes, last time after I finished, I happened to run into the owner. He said this escape room was designed based on his own personal experiences, with four different escape routes. So even if you’ve played before, you can come back to try different endings. PS: The owner is quite young and handsome! Too bad he’s already married [laughs].】
[Pfft, this owner really knows how to spin a tale. Personal experiences? Did he run into ghosts or something?】
[Am I the only one who thinks the intensity of this script is too much? The part where the ghost was chasing me almost gave me a heart attack. Who comes up with this kind of plot? In the end, I had to press the help button and get rescued by the staff…]
【The horror aspect was okay, but the ending I got really hurt me emotionally, wuwu.】
【Hey, no spoilers from the person above!]
【If you’re not good, just practice more. Don’t blame the road for being uneven.]
Shi Pengpeng skimmed through the reviews.
Aside from a few who were genuinely scared, most were positive.
To be honest, the theme of this escape room wasn’t particularly unique it was just the usual horror and puzzle-solving genre.
However, unlike most escape rooms on the market that only have one route, this owner seemed to have designed several different endings for the story, greatly enhancing the fun of solving the puzzles.
Many people even went back multiple times just to experience the different endings.
But there’s an unspoken rule in escape room reviews: you generally can’t spoil the details on public platforms to avoid ruining the experience for new players.
Occasionally, someone might slip in a spoiler, but the post owner would usually delete it.
Of course, those who’ve played can join the owner’s fan group or specialized forums to discuss with fellow enthusiasts.
So while there were many positive reviews, none of them went into specifics.
Shi Pengpeng didn’t pay much attention to it.
After tidying up, she grabbed her phone and headed out.
Meanwhile, at a high-end Western restaurant in Xiluo.
Yan Jing was sitting across from a young woman with curly hair and a fashionable outfit, his expression slightly grim.
A couple of days ago, he had received a call from his mother, saying that a friend of hers in Xiluo had something urgent to discuss and insisted that he come out for a meal on Sunday.
He didn’t think much of it at the time, but when he arrived, instead of meeting his mother’s friend, he was greeted by the friend’s relative’s daughter.
Yan Jing immediately realized he’d been set up.
Clearly, his mother hadn’t given up on the idea of setting him up on a blind date.
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade him, she had resorted to this ambush.
In the past, Yan Jing would have turned around and left on the spot.
But recently, under the influence of the little fortune teller’s moral education, his character had improved significantly.
After some thought, he decided that since they were already here, he should at least make things clear.
With that in mind, Yan Jing composed himself and said, “I’m sorry, Miss Cao. I didn’t know today was supposed to be a blind date…”
He briefly explained the situation, making it clear that the issue stemmed from the elders on both sides and had little to do with the girl.
Therefore, while his tone remained distant, he maintained a polite demeanor.
The girl, Cao Fanzhen, had been mentioned to him by his mother not long ago.
She had recently returned from abroad and was now working at a fashion brand company in Xiluo.
Cao Fanzhen had initially been delighted upon seeing Yan Jing’s striking appearance, but her enthusiasm quickly cooled upon hearing his words.
She wasn’t the type to push herself on others.
Though she felt a bit disappointed, she could tell he was being sincere and not just brushing her off.
She smiled casually and said, “In that case, you’ll have to pick up the bill for this meal.”
“Of course,” Yan Jing nodded. “Is what we ordered enough? Should we add more?”
“It’s enough. I can’t just overeat because it’s free,” Cao Fanzhen joked, then pulled out her phone and started scrolling through Xiaodigua.
“Since we’ve cleared the air, there’s no need for awkward small talk. I’ll play on my phone for a bit, and you can do as you please.”
Yan Jing:”….”
Her straightforwardness made him breathe a sigh of relief, and he also took out his phone to send a message to Shi Pengpeng.
Yan Jing: 【Hey, psychic, I’m free tonight. Here’s your chance to treat me to dinner.]
Five minutes later, Shi Pengpeng finally replied.
SPP: 【Black screen. Bro, this opportunity came out of nowhere. I already made plans with my junior brother to play an escape room this afternoon, and I’m not sure when we’ll get out.】
SPP: 【It wouldn’t be good to keep you waiting too long. Maybe we should reschedule?】
Yan Jing frowned.
Yan Jing: [Junior brother? From school?】
SPP: [Yeah, he just came to Xiluo to look for a job. He’s new here and doesn’t know anyone, so as his senior, I can’t just leave him hanging.】
Yan Jing: 【Why are you going to an escape room with your junior brother?]
Shi Pengpeng was a bit puzzled, thinking, “Why are you so nosy?”
SPP: 【Speaking of which, this is partly your fault!】
Yan Jing: [?]
SPP: 【It’s because of your company, always pushing those dopamine-inducing ads. My junior brother saw a recommendation on Cat Paw and decided to go play. He was supposed to be preparing for his postgraduate exams!]
Yan Jing: [………….】
Yan Jing: 【Is that so? Then it just means our big data algorithm is working well.]
SPP: 【Wu Jing shaking his head.gif. Yeah, effortlessly ruining a promising young man’s ambition!]
Yan Jing: [Send me the link.】
SPP: 【Why do you want to see it?】
Yan Jing: 【To optimize our company’s algorithm.]
Shi Pengpeng:”…..”
This guy really has issues, spouting such hypocritical nonsense, but she couldn’t be bothered to dig deeper.
SPP: [[Link]]
Yan Jing clicked the link and was immediately greeted by a few eerie ghost images.
He shuddered and quickly scrolled down to the comments.
The comment section didn’t have any images, but half of the top comments mentioned “crush,” making Yan Jing’s eyelids twitch almost as much as when he saw the ghost images.
The more he read, the more annoyed he became, and he started furiously typing to Shi Pengpeng.
Yan Jing: 【This escape room, is it a group activity?】
SPP: [Yep】
Yan Jing: 【Then tell your junior brother to bring me along.】
SPP: 【Huh, are you sure? It’s a horror-themed one……】
Yan Jing: 【Head-scratching.gif, what do you mean?]
SPP: 【Hehe, then come over [location link]]
SPP: 【Are you alone?】
Yan Jing: 【Why?】
SPP: 【Nothing much, it’s just that this escape room is designed for a team of four. My junior brother and I originally planned to randomly team up with two strangers. If you join, we’ll have three people, and it might be harder to find a fourth.】
Generally, people play escape rooms with friends, and it’s rare for someone to go alone.
SPP: 【But it should be fine. I just read in a review that it’s best to have a team of four. Three can still start, but it seems one ending might be unattainable.]
Yan Jing:”…..”
Although he knew she was just stating the facts, he couldn’t help feeling like he was holding them back.
While feeling down, he suddenly saw Cao Fanzhen look up and ask him, “By the way, Mr. Yan, you’ve been in Xiluo for quite a while, right?”
Yan Jing: “Hmm?”
“Oh, I wanted to ask if you know any places in Xiluo that are fun for young people,” Cao Fanzhen said.
“My sister is coming to visit me next week, but I just returned to the country and haven’t been in Xiluo for long. I’m not very familiar with the area…”
Halfway through, she suddenly remembered that he seemed to be a high-ranking executive at a big company and let out an “ah,” “Sorry, I forgot. You’re probably too busy to pay attention to these things, right…”
“Not really,” Yan Jing interrupted, speaking seriously.
“I know there’s an escape room that’s been very popular among young people lately. A lot of people on our company’s platform have recommended it.”
Cao Fanzhen: “???”
Yan Jing continued in a casual tone, “Coincidentally, I’m going to play it with friends later. If you’re free, you can join us and give it a try?”
Cao Fanzhen: “??”
Wait, wasn’t this transition a bit too sudden?
Cao Fanzhen hesitated, “…Wouldn’t that be inconvenient?”
“Not at all,” Yan Jing smiled slightly.
“The escape room requires a team of four, and we’re just one person short.”
Cao Fanzhen: “???”
She looked at the man in front of her, who exuded an elite aura, and felt momentarily confused.
She never expected that someone who seemed so aloof would have such down-to-earth hobbies!
And to awkwardly invite someone he had just politely declined for a blind date to join his team just to make up the numbers…
Honestly, if Yan Jing hadn’t been so sincere from the start, she might have suspected he was playing hard to get.
After a moment, Cao Fanzhen nodded, “Alright.”
She was curious to see just how fun this escape room could be!