[I've figured it out; apart from Qin Yuanyao, the other guests were quite willing to approach Teacher Feng and the others. Qin Yuanyao, however, only gave a reluctant "hmm" to what Teacher Guo said, sounding very perfunctory.]

[Is the person upstairs crazy? Are you just trying to smear someone for the sake of smearing? Who was the first to say that Teacher Feng and the others weren't with everyone, and that we couldn't follow the female ghost to the exit now? Wasn't it Yao Yao? Yao Yao was the one who first expressed her stance, yet you're accusing her of being unwilling?]

Of these people, the three most likely to find their way out on their own are Qin Yuanyao and her companion. You could say that anyone might be reluctant to seek help from Teacher Feng and the others, but to say that Qin Yuanyao wouldn't is a bit ridiculous. It's not like she can only find her way out by relying on a female ghost.

[Haven't you guys checked out Feng Wenhe's livestream? It's such a shame they gave up on going to the exit with the female ghost. Both Feng Wenhe's and Ge Zhi's families have almost found the exit; there's no need for Guo Zhuyan and the others to look for them.]

[What?! Feng Wenhe and Ge Zhi are almost out?! How did they find the exit? Didn't they wait for the others?]

They found it by chance; if they guessed the password to the door, they could get out.

【Aaaaaah! How could this be?! They're not really going to skip the others, are they?!】

Qin Yuanyao and the others were naturally unaware of the content being discussed in the live stream chat.

While searching for Feng Wenhe's family and Ge Zhiyi's family, they kept an eye out for an exit.

Suddenly, music and Director Jiang's voice came from an unknown loudspeaker.

"Feng Wenhe, Wu Ningwei, and Feng Xuan have successfully escaped—Ge Zhi, Zhuo Ranjun, and Ge Ling have successfully escaped—the remaining players, please hurry and try to escape."

Qin Yuanyao and the others were stunned, staring blankly at the sky from which the broadcast was coming from who-knows-where.

"Did Teacher Feng and Teacher Ge go out?" Cao Feiyue asked hesitantly.

A meaningful glint flashed in Guo Zhuyan's eyes. "That should be the meaning."

"How did they find the exit?" Ye Rui asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," Guo Zhuyan said with a smile. "However, this just proves that Li Xuan's mother was right; there is more than one way out."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

They were all wondering why Feng Wenhe and Ge Zhi hadn't waited for them. If they had known that Feng Wenhe and Ge Zhi were going out, they should have gone to the exit with Li Xuan's mother.

[The Feng and Ge families just left like that? Without waiting for everyone?]

They didn't know that Qin Yuanyao and her group were coming to find them, nor did they know that there was more than one exit. They even thought that the exit they had found was the one Li Xuan's mother had mentioned.

There's no time to delve into how Feng Wenhe and the others got out.

Now that the Feng Wenhe family and the Ge family have successfully escaped, they should also find an exit as soon as possible.

"Is it too late for us to go back and find Li Xuan's mother?" Xing Yu asked timidly.

"Let's think about which exit is more reliable," Qin Yuanyao said. "Li Xuan's mother said we came close to the exit, do you remember?"

After a moment's thought, everyone shook their heads, "I don't remember."

“The exit wouldn’t have the word ‘exit’ clearly marked. If it were, we would have noticed it long ago,” Guo Zhuyan said. “Could the exit be disguised or covered up?”

Qin Yuanyao nodded in agreement.

"If it's really hidden, wouldn't it be very difficult for us to find it? We've missed it so many times already!" Xing Yu said with a worried expression.

“Let’s start from the beginning,” Qin Yuanyao said. “Since Li Xuan’s mother said that we had been close to each other, let’s start from the place where we were imprisoned most recently.”

“Yes, yes,” Guo Zhuyan agreed wholeheartedly. “Let’s think back to whether there’s a hidden exit from the place where we were imprisoned.”

As everyone silently reflected, they suddenly heard footsteps.

Since Feng Wenhe and Ge Zhi have already escaped, the footsteps must belong to the teachers.

Everyone tacitly started looking for places to hide.

Guo Zhuyan's family and Xing Yu and his two companions hid under the window.

Chi Baiyi had Qin Yuanyao and Chi Naoqi hide in the empty cabinet, while he and the others hid under the window.

Qin Yuanyao held Chi Naozi in her arms, listening intently to the sounds outside.

The teachers approached, talking and laughing. They paused in front of the classroom for a while, then walked away, still chatting and laughing.

Although the whole process only took a minute or two, it felt like half a century to these hidden guests.

They were worried that the teachers would catch them again, lock them in a dark room, then they would solve a puzzle, escape, and they would be trapped in this vicious cycle.

Fortunately, they escaped this time.

Hearing the teachers walk away, Chi Baiyi came over and opened the cabinet door. "You can come out now."

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck Qin Yuanyao, and she remembered something.

"I know where there might be an exit!" she said excitedly in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, the others gathered around.

Where? Where?

"Close our reading room!" Qin Yuanyao said to Chi Baiyi, "Do you remember the two directions the girl in the painting was pointing in? One pointed to the bookshelf, giving us a clue about the number string, and the other pointed to the wardrobe! If both directions she pointed in are meaningful, then the exit might be behind the wardrobe!"

The others were completely confused and didn't quite understand what Qin Yuanyao was saying.

But Chi Baiyi understood.

His eyes showed appreciation, and he nodded calmly. "You guessed right. Let's go back to the reading room and take a look."

Qin Yuanyao blushed with joy, and her almond-shaped eyes shone with excitement.

She nodded emphatically, but then her expression turned worried again.

"But how do we get there? We've gone through so many twists and turns that we don't even know where we are anymore."

This place is really too big.

Let alone going back to the reading room, even if they were asked to go back to that tall sycamore tree, they probably wouldn't know how to get back for a while.

Chi Baiyi smiled faintly, "I remember the way; we haven't gone very far."

To everyone's surprise, led by Chi Baiyi, they returned to the reading room in just a few minutes.

Wow! CEO Chi's memory is amazing! We didn't go very far after all?!

It's not that we didn't go very far, but rather that Manager Chi led us back to the reading room via a shortcut.

I'm absolutely blown away by CEO Chi! How did he manage to memorize all those routes and still choose the shortest way back?

[Chi Zong probably had a mental map of this place, which is why he was able to take the shortcut back so easily.]

[President Chi is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people like us! We bow down in reverence!]

Upon entering the reading room, Qin Yuanyao went straight to the wardrobe.

She gestured for the others to help her push the wardrobe open.

(End of this chapter)

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