Chapter 19, "My Girlfriend is Shy."...

The room door slammed shut, and the people inside looked at each other in bewilderment.

Jin Ming swallowed his beer and nudged Zhou Yiyang with his elbow: "The cake hasn't even been served yet, why did Brother Yu leave?"

Zhou Yiyang glanced at the closed door, then at the spot where Tang Ci had sat, and smiled meaningfully.

Jin Ming received no answer, and his confusion deepened. "What kind of exam paper is so attractive?"

Zhou Yiyang picked up a peanut with his chopsticks and put it on his plate. "You should eat your food."

Suddenly, someone poked his arm. Jin Ming turned his head while chewing on peanuts and saw that Qiao Xi had moved to the seat next to him again.

Jin Ming noticed her furrowed brows and knew she was upset. He leaned close to her ear and explained, "I'm sorry, I know you came here today because of Yu-ge, but I didn't expect him to be so busy with his studies lately."

Qiao Xi's tense expression eased a little, and she asked in a low voice, "Is Sheng Yu going to the library to study tomorrow?"

Jin Ming had called Sheng Yu beforehand and replied without hesitation, "He'll go."

Qiao Xi smiled and asked again, "What about Tang Ci? Is she going?"

"She...she should go, she still has to tutor Yu-ge." Jin Ming finished speaking and then realized what he meant, saying mischievously, "You're not jealous of her and Yu-ge, are you?"

Qiao Xi pursed her pink lips and remained silent, looking at him with a mournful expression.

Jin Ming shook his head with a smile, "You're overthinking it. If Tang Ci hadn't won the bet with Brother Yu, how could Brother Yu be hanging out with her every day? Once Brother Yu's grades improve this semester, they won't have any contact anymore."

With a slight upturn of her straight lips, Qiao Xi smiled and said, "I didn't doubt that. I was planning to go to the library to study with my classmates tomorrow too."

Jin Ming looked at the smile that didn't reach her eyes and felt bored. He shrugged and said, "Fine."

Qiao Xi didn't care much about being ignored by Jin Ming. She took out her phone, found Ding He in her contacts that she hadn't contacted in a long time, and sent him a message.

Do you want to see Tang Ci?

/

It was dinnertime, and the commercial street was busier than when they arrived. As soon as Tang Ci stepped out of the restaurant, she was pushed back by the throng of people and quickly separated from Sheng Yu.

Many shops along the street were having promotions, and Tang Ci took a lot of flyers as she walked by. By the time she reached the street corner and found Sheng Yu waiting under a tree, she already had seven or eight flyers in her hand.

Looking around, she saw no trash cans on the roadside, so she stuffed the flyer into the side pocket of her backpack and hurried toward Sheng Yu, her posture so awkward that she looked like she was being coerced.

Sheng Yu put his hands in his pockets and glanced down at the thin layer of sweat on her forehead. "You don't have to take it if you don't want it."

Tang Ci paused in zipping up her backpack, then muttered in defense, "People who hand out flyers have it tough too."

Sheng Yu remained noncommittal, waiting for her to zip up her backpack before stepping across the street.

"Where are we going?" Tang Ci slung her backpack over her shoulder and quickly followed, tidying the stray hairs on her cheeks with her fingertips. Thinking of the conversation in the private room, she looked up at him with difficulty, "My family... everyone is home, so it might not be convenient for us to go."

Sheng Yu hummed in response, as if she had expected it, and without stopping, glanced to the side and asked, "Want to go for a stroll?"

Tang Ci nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay."

The streetlights on both sides of the road were lit up, and the sidewalk was shaded by evergreen trees. The two walked aimlessly under the swaying shadows.

When Sheng Yu said he was just going for a stroll, he really meant it. He was relaxed, his shoulders were slightly slumped, and his steps were a little slower than usual.

Tang Ci quietly raised her eyes and looked at his face, which was half bright and half dark, illuminated by the light and shadow. Thinking of what Song Min had said at the hospital that morning, she felt inexplicably depressed.

"Happy birthday." Tang Ci rubbed her nose, glanced at him for a moment, and then quickly looked down. "I forgot to say it at the restaurant."

Sheng Yu disliked crowds and therefore didn't like celebrating his birthday. Caught off guard, he was dragged into celebrating half of it by his friends. After only a few seconds of peace and quiet, he was blessed again. Looking at Tang Ci's meek and submissive appearance, he had a wicked idea.

"Only verbal blessings?"

Tang Ci hesitated for a second, thinking of the sofa in the private room that Sheng Yu had ignored as a gift. She wondered what the picky Sheng Yu would like, so she sincerely asked, "What do you want? I'll buy it for you."

The word "都" (du) has a kind of lavish, extravagant feel to it, and it doesn't seem out of place coming from Tang Ci, who is dressed simply. Sheng Yu even felt that if he wanted the stars in the sky right now, Tang Ci would nod his head and agree without hesitation.

After rubbing his fingertips against the lining of her pants pocket, Sheng Yu finally kindly gave her the choice, "Think about it."

Tang Ci nodded and said "Hmm," then quickly walked two steps to the crossroads, looked around, and turned to him, saying, "There's a chain noodle shop over there. Let me treat you to a bowl of longevity noodles first."

The chain noodle shops along the street were doing brisk business, with many customers sitting at the tables and chairs inside and outside the shops. The greasy and spicy seasonings wafted over from across the road, and Sheng Yu frowned.

Tang Ci's coat had no hood, and a gust of wind blew in, blowing down her collar and into her clothes, making her shiver.

"Let's go," Sheng Yu said.

The restaurant was packed with people, with every table full. The two of them went inside and ordered two bowls of clear soup noodles. The staff then led them outside to find an empty seat.

The last empty seat was near the road, but there was a rain shelter next to it so it wouldn't be too cold. The staff quickly cleared away the leftover food from the table, and after cleaning up the surface trash, the staff was called over to the customers at the next table.

After Tang Ci sat down, she noticed that the surface of the plastic table was still covered with old stains, which gleamed greasyly under the bright yellow chandelier.

Sheng Yu sat down on the stool opposite her. Because the table and chairs were low, he had to rest his elbows on his knees and stretch his long legs awkwardly under the table. His indifferent temperament was out of place in this restaurant.

Tang Ci suddenly felt embarrassed and took out a tissue to wipe the table on Sheng Yu's side. She wiped carefully with her head down, so she did not hear the continuous buzzing sound coming from the roadside.

It wasn't until a speeding motorcycle ruffled the stray hairs at her temples that she turned her head in surprise. A bright red motorcycle was parked on the side of the road, about a meter away from them.

The cyclist took off his helmet, smoothed his hair, and looked at them. Before he could speak, he whistled, "Hey! Isn't this Young Master Sheng? We haven't seen you at the Beishan competition in so long. So you've been busy dating."

Tang Ci recognized the boy in front of her. She had seen him chatting with Sheng Yu when she went to Beishan to watch the game. She had heard that he was a student at Nanjing University.

Sheng Yu didn't speak, but lifted her eyelids and gave the boy a warning look.

Tang Ci paused to explain, "No, we're just classmates, we came here for dinner, not a date..."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her head drooped lower and lower, making it seem to anyone who saw or heard her that she was just shy.

The boy chuckled, and the other boys who had stopped also laughed. "Young Master Sheng, are you sure you can handle this? Letting a girl stand in front of you to explain."

Tang Ci threw away the dirty paper in her hand, then took out another one and clutched it in her hand. "I offered to explain myself."

The boy's mischievous smile deepened, and he was about to say something when Sheng Yu raised her hand and tapped on the clean table. "Qin Zhe, we're eating."

The tone of the sentence was flat, but when combined with Sheng Yu's cold and stern face, it carried an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Old Qin shrugged, and as he twisted the handlebars, he couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark, "Then we won't disturb Young Master Sheng's date."

Several motorcycles drove away one after another with low horns, and Tang Ci continued wiping the table in front of her with a tissue.

"Ignore this next time you encounter this situation."

Tang Ci looked up at Sheng Yu and said "Oh." When she lowered her eyes, her ears felt slightly hot because of her abrupt words.

Two bowls of clear soup noodles were served, the steaming heat dissipating in the cold air. Tang Ci was actually already full, but when ordering, she thought it would be strange for her to watch Sheng Yu eat, so she still ordered a bowl for herself. Now, smelling the aroma of the noodles, she felt that she could eat a little more.

There were some disposable chopsticks in the chopstick holder. Sheng Yu took out a pair, removed the plastic packaging, and was about to use them when Tang Ci saw this and called him back.

"If you stack two chopsticks together and rub them together, you won't get scratched by splinters," Tang Ci said, pulling out a pair to demonstrate. "Like this."

Following her actions, Sheng Yu smoothed the rough surface of the bamboo chopsticks, twirled the smoothed chopsticks between his fingertips, and placed them between the two of them, asking, "Like this?"

Tang Ci hadn't expected him to let her examine her, so she quickly leaned forward to look, but her movement was too abrupt, and the tip of her cold nose bumped into his index finger bone.

The impact was very light, and Sheng Yu's hand didn't move an inch. Tang Ci, however, seemed to have done something terribly wrong. She covered her nose and backed away, saying in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry." She then pointed to the chopsticks: "This is fine."

Sheng Yu said "Mm," and with a flick of her slender fingers, she put the chopsticks away.

Most of the customers at this noodle shop are local residents, and almost every table is filled with the sound of lively conversation, except for their table, which remains silent.

Tang Ci didn't feel awkward at all. She lowered her eyes and focused on eating her noodles. Almost at the same time as Sheng Yu, she put down her chopsticks and reached for a tissue.

Just as their fingertips were about to touch, Tang Ci slowed down a beat, her fingertips hovering above the tissue box before she quickly withdrew them.

Sheng Yu smiled and handed her the tissue he had pulled out.

Tang Ci had no choice but to reach out again. When she took the tissue, most of it was still in Sheng Yu's hand, and she inevitably touched his palm.

However, Sheng Yu did not notice.

"Thank you." Tang Ci wiped her mouth, stood up before him, and fanned her cheeks as if she was hot.

While throwing away the tissues, Tang Ci thought of the stack of flyers she had received in the shopping street. She took them out of her bag, ready to throw them all into the trash can, but her attention was drawn to the words on the top flyer.

[The most popular escape room for middle school students, why aren't you playing?!]

Tang Ci threw away the rest of the brochures, keeping only this one for escape rooms, and handed it to Sheng Yu, asking, "Do you want to play an escape room? If you do, I'll treat you."

Sheng Yu put his hands in his pockets and looked down at him. Tang Ci had no choice but to move closer and hand him the brochure.

The newly opened escape room store clearly wants to promote itself heavily, but the escape room market is already saturated, and they can't come up with anything new.

After reading the words on the front of the promotional page, Sheng Yu took his hand out of his pocket and flipped through the bottom of the page with little interest. Tang Ci turned the page and looked at the information on the back with him, but suddenly gasped.

The female ghost wearing a nurse's cap has fangs, and her pale skin is covered in ruptured blood vessels, giving the whole scene a chilling atmosphere.

Before Sheng Yu could speak, Tang Ci swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she said, "If you don't want to, then forget it..."

Sheng Yu looked at her pale, smiling face, her long eyelashes blinking incessantly, her dark pupils darting left and right, trying her best to avoid making eye contact with the female ghost in the promotional brochure.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "That looks interesting."

Tang Ci's fingertips, gripping the promotional leaflet, turned white. She looked up at him calmly and said, "Then let's play." Her voice was weak and strained, a quality she herself didn't realize.

Sheng Yu smiled and mimicked her, saying, "Then let's play."

/

Eerie wails and howls echoed from inside the dilapidated iron gate, while the staff of the escape room wore smiles and spoke with obvious pride in their business.

"Listen to the players' voices! Our escape rooms don't do any of those fancy stuff, they're purely for scaring you!!"

"...Mmm...Mmm." Tang Ci nodded in agreement, clutching the hem of her clothes, and confirmed with the staff for the third time, "If we feel unwell halfway through, we can call the center to stop the game, right?"

Sheng Yuwei subtly raised the corners of his lips.

"Yes." The staff member noticed her nervousness, glanced at the calm Sheng Yu beside her, and reassured her skillfully, "Don't worry, if you're scared, your boyfriend will protect you. After you're done playing, I guarantee your relationship will take another step forward."

His next words were drowned out by the background noise of the stimulating promotional video on the screen. Tang Ci was so frightened by the zombies crawling around on the screen that her temples throbbed, and she gave up the idea of ​​asking again.

She took a few deep breaths, thinking she had been discreet, and glanced out of the corner of her eye at the couple waiting inside the store, just like them. The boy was holding two cold drinks and was quietly encouraging his timid girlfriend, "Don't be afraid, baby, a sip of something cold will make you feel better."

Tang Ci turned her head and saw the cold drink shop across the street, and asked Sheng Yu, "What would you like to drink?"

Her voice was soft and disappeared into the noisy din inside the store.

Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow, leaned close to her ear, and asked softly, "What did you say?"

A clear, magnetic voice entered her ears, and Tang Ci swallowed hard, unable to speak at all. She pointed to the cold drink shop across the street, indicating that he should look.

Sheng Yu glanced at the sign of the cold drink shop, then leaned closer and said, "Coconut water, with ice."

Tang Ci pursed her lips and nodded, then quickly left the store. Her voice returned to normal once she arrived at the cold drink shop.

Upon hearing that she ordered two coconut waters, the clerk smiled and said, "We're currently giving away a free scoop of ice cream with every two drinks you order. Which flavor would you like?"

She didn't like desserts to begin with, and she had hardly touched ice cream since she was sick, but thinking that Sheng Yu might want some, Tang Ci still conservatively chose a vanilla flavor.

When Tang Ci returned to the store carrying two cups of coconut water and an ice cream, Sheng Yu was putting away his wallet when a staff member handed him two bracelets from behind the counter.

She quickly walked to the counter and asked, "Have you paid? Let me give you the money." As she spoke, she took her wallet out of her bag.

As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Ci noticed that the couple next to her were looking at Sheng Yu with disdain. Sheng Yu scoffed and said, "Give me some face."

Tang Ci realized what was happening, blushed, tiptoed closer, and whispered, "I'll give it to you when we get out."

"Keep it for yourself," Sheng Yu said calmly, ending the conversation.

Tang Ci nodded hesitantly, handing him the coconut water and ice cream together, "Here you go, the ice cream was a freebie from the shop."

Sheng Yu only took the coconut water, glanced at the ice cream, and said, "Eat it yourself."

Tang Ci said "Oh," and sat down on a chair in the waiting area to eat a small box of ice cream. Sheng Yu sat opposite her, playing Tetris as usual.

The ice cream was too cold, so Tang Ci ate it slowly. When the previous group of players came out of the escape room and the staff called them to get ready, she quickly stuffed the remaining half of the ice cream into her mouth and mumbled to Sheng Yu, "Let's go."

Sheng Yu tapped the phone screen to clear all the bricks, stood up, and said "Mm."

They were playing with a group of junior high school boys and two couples. After the staff explained the rules in the waiting area, the staff opened the door to the escape room, and the players lined up to enter the room.

The moment the iron gate closed from the outside, the faint indicator light inside the room buzzed twice and went out, followed by a hoarse roar that echoed throughout the entire secret room.

Tang Ci's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively grabbed Sheng Yu's arm. Then she heard screams from the people around her.

A few seconds later, the projected light on the cement wall dimly lit up, and the NPC appeared on the screen, introducing the game's background in a hoarse voice.

Tang Cixin's heart rate calmed down a little, and she looked up at Sheng Yu, only to meet the face of a strange boy.

Realizing she had grabbed the wrong person, she quickly let go and stammered an apology, "I'm sorry, I... I thought it was my friend."

The boy shyly pushed up his glasses and said it was okay, but his friends started laughing and teasing him.

"Tang Ci".

Amid the commotion, Tang Ci heard a cold voice behind her.

Tang Ci hurriedly responded, covered her face, and retreated to Sheng Yu's side.

Sheng Yu remained nonchalant, seemingly unfazed, but her expression was rather unpleasant. "Why are you running around like that?"

"I thought you went ahead."

Sheng Yu gave a noncommittal "hmm" and stretched out an arm toward her, "If you're scared, just hug me."

Tang Ci felt embarrassed and wanted to refuse reservedly, but the strange music that suddenly burst out in the room made her body automatically press against Sheng Yu.

She loosely held onto his arms, but Tang Ci's panicked heart still didn't settle down. So she stood on tiptoe and whispered in Sheng Yu's ear, "Can I hold you tighter?"

Sheng Yu glanced sideways and saw her face illuminated by the dim light. Her lips, slightly swollen from eating ice cream, were pursed, revealing a hint of blood, and there was still a trace of ice cream on her upper lip.

Without offering any advice, he looked away and said calmly, "Whatever."

Tang Ci secretly breathed a sigh of relief, hugged his arm tightly, and listened to everyone discussing the mechanism to open the door.

There were many of them, and the group of junior high school boys at the front were eager to show off, chattering away as they led the way, easily solving the first two simple challenges.

In the third level, there are NPCs disguised as nurses. Tang Ci was pulled on the arm by one of the nurses whose face was covered in blood. After screaming, she kept her eyes closed and let Sheng Yu drag her half-dead body to hide from the NPCs and solve the puzzles.

It wasn't until the final level, when the NPCs left and the terrifying atmosphere in the room dissipated, that Tang Ci slowly came to her senses and joined everyone in searching for clues, but her body still unconsciously clung to Sheng Yu.

The small room was filled with the sounds of players rummaging through drawers and engaging in heated discussions, which temporarily drowned out the background music.

As Tang Ci squatted down next to Sheng Yu to examine the dresser, her head was close to the speaker in the corner, and a clear and regular clicking sound rang in her ears.

After listening for a few seconds, Tang Ci tugged at Sheng Yu's trouser leg, "This background music sounds like Morse code."

Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow. "Can it be cracked?"

Tang Ci listened intently for a few more seconds, then nodded and said, "It should be possible."

Sheng Yu raised the corner of her lips slightly, clapped her hands to signal everyone to be quiet, took the paper and pen props from the two players respectively, bent down and handed them to her, and then raised her hand to pull the boys who were crowding forward back.

"Let me see, I also know Morse code, maybe I can help." A boy leaned closer again.

Sheng Yu pressed his shoulder to make him stand still, "You're blocking her light."

The boy had no choice but to stand there dejectedly.

After checking the password twice to the background music, Tang Ci stood up. Looking at the expectant looks of the people around her, she felt a sudden increase in psychological pressure. She rubbed the tip of her nose and said, "It might not be right."

"Give it a try." Sheng Yu gestured towards the door with his chin.

The first few doors were sure to be frightening when they opened, so Tang Ci didn't dare to go. She snuggled up behind Sheng Yu and put the notebook in his hand. "...You do it."

Through her shirt, Sheng Yu could feel her slightly rapid breathing, which brushed against his skin like a gentle wisp of down.

Sheng Yu swallowed hard, glanced at the password in the notebook, and activated the mechanism on the door.

With a loud bang, the iron gate opened, and a layer of dry ice mist rushed out.

The moment she heard the noise, Tang Ci instinctively grabbed Yu's arm, her eyelashes trembling as she asked, "Is there something there?"

Looking at the wisps of hair behind the dissipating white mist, Sheng Yu said softly, "No."

Tang Ci opened her eyes without suspicion and stared at the mummified corpse prop face to face.

She gasped, feeling dizzy, as Sheng Yu half-dragged and half-carried her out of the secret room.

Once inside the hall, filled with the energy of the mortal realm, Tang Ci slowly regained her strength and vitality.

Sheng Yu's tone lacked apology. "Sorry, I didn't see the props."

Tang Ci naturally believed him and said in a weak voice, "I know." She even forced a smile as she spoke.

Sheng Yu stared at her with his deep pupils for two seconds without blinking, then his eyes curved into a smile.

While they were queuing to retrieve their clothes from the storage compartments, two staff members who had been quietly observing them came up to them.

"Hello, could you please take some promotional photos for our store?" One of the staff members handed Tang Ci a basket of plush toys. "After the photoshoot, you can choose any gift you like."

Thinking it was just about taking pictures of the store's interior, Tang Ci nodded in agreement, "Sure."

The staff member beamed and readily let Tang Ci choose a pea pod pillow first, then jokingly instructed the two, "You can do some more intimate things now."

"?" Tang Ci froze, her mind blank for two seconds before she realized that the staff had mistaken her and Sheng Yu for a couple. She quickly clarified, "We are not a couple, we are classmates."

The staff member's smile faltered for a moment, and her gaze shifted hesitantly between the two of them. "Really?"

Tang Ci followed her gaze and looked down, only to find that she was still holding Sheng Yu's arm. Her ears burned instantly, and she released her arm as if she had been electrocuted, jumping away from Sheng Yu.

Seeing this, the staff member said with a hint of embarrassment, "This event is for couples."

Tang Ci stared at the pea pod in her arms for two seconds with its round, bulging eyes, then reluctantly prepared to return it.

Sheng Yu felt a weight on her shoulder and pulled her back, tapping her shoulder with his fingertip. He chuckled and said to the staff, "Sorry, my girlfriend is shy."

Both staff members were young girls, and their faces turned red when they saw Sheng Yu smile.

Tang Ci was completely petrified, not even noticing when Sheng Yu whispered in her ear.

"Would you like a doll?"

Tang Ci received the message a few seconds later and nodded dryly.

"Then please stand properly."

Tang Ci immediately stood at attention and was embraced by Sheng Yu, as sluggish as a robot that had just learned to walk.

As the staff member raised the camera, ready to press the shutter button, they turned their head and reminded her, "The girl has something on her lips."

Tang Ci raised the back of her hand and wiped it vigorously. "Is there any more?"

The staff member shook his head and pointed upwards, "Yes, wipe a little higher."

Tang Ci grunted and turned her head to find a reflective spot to look at herself, when suddenly her lips felt a cool sensation.

She looked down in a panic and saw Sheng Yu's fingertips slowly brushing against her upper lip.

After he roughly kneaded her lips twice, Tang Ci heard him say, "It's gone now."