Unfamiliar

The first episode of the escape room show "The Ghost Bride" has officially finished recording. The seven of them stayed in the escape room for a full thirteen hours, from a little after nine in the morning until after ten at night. Everyone was exhausted and lazily stayed in the dressing room chatting and resting.

After the recording of the program, there will be a round of individual interviews, each lasting about ten minutes. After the interview, you can come out to remove your makeup.

Chu Yiran was the second to last to go in. After the interview, she ran into Su Jing as soon as she came out.

Su Jing leaned against the wall alone, without any staff members by her side. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up above her elbows, revealing dark red abrasions.

After a day of fussing, his hair was a little messy and he looked tired.

Just as Chu Yiran was about to walk past him, Su Jing called out to him, "Hey..."

Su Jing, with one hand in his pocket, said calmly, "We've met before, haven't we?"

Chu Yiran's nerves tensed instantly, and she turned around abruptly to look at him.

“I think I’ve seen you before, back at the school for the roadshow three years ago. We even took a picture together… You’re my junior, right?” Su Jing frowned, as if lost in memories. “But it was just that one time, and we haven’t had any contact since—so are we close?”

"Not familiar with each other, right?"

The air froze for a moment, Chu Yiran's mind went blank, he opened his mouth but didn't know how to answer.

"So, do you like me?" Su Jing suddenly asked.

"Of course not!!" Chu Yiran almost instantly bristled, raising her voice so loudly that the staff at the end of the corridor turned around to look.

"No grudge, no reason..." Su Jing said calmly, "Then why are you so hostile towards me?"

Chu Yiran choked, her throat tightened, and she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

“I don’t like bringing my personal emotions into my work,” Su Jing said calmly. “So if you have any questions, you can talk to me directly in private. You don’t need to be so guarded around me in front of the camera.”

He paused, then added, "Of course, we won't have much of a relationship after the show ends."

After saying that, he turned and went into the interview room, his back view decisive and clean, without even a trace of hesitation.

Chu Yiran stood there, feeling as if a red-hot iron had branded his chest, causing both pain and a feeling of tightness.

—It's always like this.

It was the same in the last life, and it's still the same in this life. Su Jing can always corner him with just a few words, leaving him no room to refute.

Chu Yiran's chest heaved violently, feeling an indescribable discomfort.

"How was it, Ran-ge? Weren't you happy to meet your idol?" Sun Xiaoxiao skipped over. She had just finished exchanging pleasantries with the production team and was filled with anticipation for a bright future. She glanced at Su Jing's back in front of her and then nudged Chu Yiran's shoulder. "Did you ask Su Jing-ge for a photo and autograph? Don't keep quiet, you must be overjoyed and too excited to speak, right?"

"no--"

"What are you thinking about?" Sun Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled.

Chu Yiran's eyes sharpened, and his voice was as cold as ice: "I'm thinking... what would happen if I killed him."

Would that make you feel any better?

Sun Xiaoxiao's face froze. She swallowed hard, looked up at the sky, and frantically tried to reassure herself: It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. Ran-ge is just being a little eccentric as usual. He'll be normal in a while...

"Ran-di!" Lin Wanxing came over and put her arm around Chu Yiran's shoulder. "Want to go out for dinner together later? The director is treating everyone to hot pot!"

Chu Yiran was about to refuse, but when she looked up and saw Shen Zheyu's gentle smile, she immediately agreed.

Zhou Xiaoxiao asked, "Should we wait for Teacher Su?"

“No need,” Zhao Lingyi waved his phone. “Jing just messaged me saying he’s not going.”

——

Director Yu Zhe also went all out, booking the entire hot pot restaurant. The staff and NPCs filled three large tables, while the six celebrities were arranged in a private room.

A steaming copper pot bubbled with red oil. Yu Zhe stood up in the hall, raising his glass, his face flushed: "The first live broadcast's ratings exploded! Data from all platforms broke records, and it even trended on more than a dozen hot searches! Everyone worked so hard today. Remember to collect your red envelopes in the group later!"

Everyone cheered and clinked glasses. Listening to the lively sounds outside, even the usually calm Cheng Zixuan showed a rare smile.

Holding the cup, Zhou Xiaoxiao said with lingering fear, "That old woman's acting was so realistic, and the setup of the scene where Hongxiu's body was found still sends chills down my spine when I think about it..."

Cheng Zixuan had already changed into clean clothes, but upon hearing this, he still couldn't help but frown and brush his sleeves: "I just hope the production team will choose a cleaner location next time. That escape room was full of dust, and it gave me a rhinitis attack."

Zhao Lingyi scoffed, "You two, one's afraid of ghosts and the other's afraid of dirt, might as well not record at all."

Lin Wanxing immediately retorted, "How dare you talk about others like that? When you were climbing that chimney during the day, whose legs were shaking like a leaf?"

Zhao Lingyi, stung by the attack, retorted angrily, "What did I do?!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Please don't mind me, everyone," Zhou Xiaoxiao said shyly, her makeup removed, revealing a pure and innocent look. "My family lives in a small county town, and we often had water and power outages growing up, so I've always been terrified of the dark..."

Zhou Xiaoxiao doesn't have a high level of education. She was discovered by a talent scout after graduating from junior college and entered the industry. Her family background is similar to that of the original owner of Chu Yiran's family. Neither of them had money or resources, and it wasn't easy for them to get to where they are now.

Lin Wanxing put her arm around her shoulder and comforted her like a big sister, "Nobody dislikes you, sweetie!"

“Everyone doesn’t mind you,” Zhao Lingyi glanced sideways and couldn’t help but tease, “Next time you pinch someone, everyone will be thankful for their strength—”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Xiaoxiao grabbed his arm, and Zhao Lingyi yelled, "Ahhh—"

"You talk too much! You have a sharp tongue!"

Everyone was chatting and laughing. Chu Yiran sat to the side watching them bicker, and suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.

—This world is real.

Lively and vibrant, without power struggles or life-or-death battles.

Shen Zheyu, who was next to him, gently touched his cup: "What are you thinking about?"

Chu Yiran snapped out of her daze and shook her head: "It's nothing."

"Didn't you ask me who named me during the day?" When Shen Zheyu smiled, the corners of his lips would first curve into a small arc, and his eyebrows, neither too thick nor too thin, would unfold, making his eyes clear as springs, and always giving people a touch of natural gentleness. "My name used to be 'Shen Qing'. When I was a child, my parents took me to Shancheng for a trip. When we passed by Nantang Mountain, an old Taoist priest told my fortune and said that it would be better to change my name, so he named me 'Zheyu'."

Chu Yiran paused, then murmured softly, "Nantang Mountain..."

—In my previous life, this place did not exist.

But the words "Taoist Master" gave him a slight tremor.

Could it be... that there is someone in this world who looks exactly like my master?

Shen Zheyu raised his glass to him: "Thank you for your help in the secret room during the day."

During the daytime, when they were playing games and completing challenges, Chu Yiran would always help him in various ways, either by giving him a hand or by handing him props in a timely manner, as if she cared about him a lot.

Chu Yiran looked at Shen Zheyu and suddenly said, "I feel very close to you."

Shen Zheyu's expression was gentle: "Me too."

Chu Yiran was silent for a moment, then added, "I hope you are safe."

Shen Zheyu was taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting him to bring this up, but still smiled and nodded: "Thank you, you too."

Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi across from them were already slightly tipsy, and the conversation somehow turned to Su Jing, who was absent.

"It's a pity Su Jing didn't come," Lin Wanxing said, swirling her wine glass. "Otherwise, I could have drunk you all under the table."

Cheng Zixuan retorted, "Keep it up. How much can he drink?"

"At the last celebration party, he single-handedly took down three directors and acted like nothing had happened."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yiran's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the cup.

In his previous life, Su Jing hated being drunk and never touched a drop of alcohol, no matter the occasion.

He said that drinking parties would lead to trouble, so he refused the golden goblets offered at banquets and the overflowing fine wines during celebrations.

However, when they were held hostage in Northern Qi, they were forced to drink countless amounts of strong liquor, causing their stomachs to spasm as if being stabbed, and their undergarments to be soaked with cold sweat.

At that time, Chu Yiran drank most of the wine for him.

At that time, Su Jing held his wrist and whispered, "...Thank you."

And now, this person casually asks, "Are we acquainted?"