Chapter 91 (Two chapters combined)

Meow: "Breakfast is on my desk."

At 7 a.m., after finishing a meeting and conducting a final inspection of all the equipment locations, Li Yingqiao discovered a problem with the surveillance camera's viewing angle in one area.

She immediately sent Pan Xiaoliang a voice message: "The corner camera at point 8 in the West Zone seems to be tilted. Can you have someone come and take a look?"

I only noticed the familiar profile picture on WeChat after I sent the message. It was a message I sent to her half an hour ago, and my tone was obviously stiff. Usually, I would have used cute emojis, but today, there wasn't even a punctuation mark.

She tried sending him an emoji to amuse him.

There was no response from the other side.

Last night, after the two of them sent messages to Gao Dian in the group chat, Li Yingqiao held a video conference with Wu Juan and the others on her computer for the event. It was a critical moment when they had no choice but to fight.

When Gao Dian replied, she handed her phone to Yu Jinyang, who was standing next to her, and asked him to reply.

He was busy too, looking at some security precautions for tomorrow that Li Yingqiao had sent him, always ready to help. He casually took the phone from him: "Password."

She couldn't remember if she had told him, but she seemed to have mentioned the door code before: "0315".

Yu Jinyang's finger paused slightly, hovering above the screen. After a long silence, Li Yingqiao turned around and asked him what was wrong.

He simply turned his face away, said calmly that it was nothing, locked his phone without a word, and then stared at his screen to reply to messages.

The cold light from the phone slowly crept up his calm, sharp brow bone, nose, and jaw, revealing an unfamiliar sharpness and a rare, unapproachable stiffness. Even the soft blue light floating on his face seemed to leak from a crack in the floor of a morgue.

Li Yingqiao had no idea what he was angry about. She didn't realize what Yu Jinyang was thinking until she left home in the morning.

Actually, she never quite understood why he often had a cold expression.

All she knew was that Yu Jinyang was incredibly handsome, devastatingly so. Wu Juan and Pan Xiaoliang had even discussed Yu Jinyang's type many times during a late-night meeting, saying he had such a standard, aloof, handsome face, yet also possessed a pair of wet, loyal puppy-dog eyes. That coldness was the most striking quality; you wouldn't feel like you were doing anything wrong—because that's just how he was. He was never satisfied; he needed the other person to give him their whole heart, to have unwavering, complete, and singular love or hate.

Under Wu Juan's patient guidance, Li Yingqiao fell into deep thought. She became even more certain that the reason she had tolerated Yu Jinyang's occasional coldness since childhood was simply because he was genuinely handsome. She had tolerated him being shorter than her when they were young, and now that he was tall, handsome, and useful, she couldn't be more tolerant.

So before leaving, she put on her coat, habitually tiptoed, and pecked his tight lips, generously showing that she didn't mind his little temper.

Yu Jinyang's face grew even colder, unusually unmoved, and his gaze was unusually sharp, without even a twitch of his lips.

Until I watched her leave.

He had just closed the door and went upstairs to take a shower and change his clothes.

The sound of running water filled the bathroom when a message suddenly popped up on his WeChat. Yu Jinyang immediately turned off the water, grabbed a towel, tied it around his waist, and walked out, his hair still dripping wet. He opened WeChat and saw Si Yi Ge's reply:

"Zongxie's birthday seems to be in March, but I'm not sure of the exact day in March, it's probably sometime in the middle of the month."

***

At 8:00 a.m., the park gates officially opened to all players.

The entire scenic area has a total of ten points, divided into five zones: east, south, west, north, and center. Each zone has two points, representing the ten redemption checkpoints of the Wilderness Amusement Park.

There is a smart park terminal at the entrance of the scenic area. Everyone who enters the scenic area needs to register their information and receive a wristband. The wristband will display the player's initial score in this park system: 10 points of shame.

Players need to use their "Shame Points" to complete tasks and games at various locations to exchange for all their Shame Points until they reach zero. This indicates that the day's park activities have been successfully completed, and players can then receive related rewards at the Handsome Security Guard's location—cultural and creative products featuring popular IPs from the Little Painting City, such as Ape Man and Electrical Alliance.

Can I just ask for the handsome guy's WeChat, without any other details?

Of course, as long as the handsome guy is willing.

This is the message that Wu Juan replied to most frequently in her private messages.

However, when Wu Juan arrived at the scene, she found that not many girls actually dared to approach him and ask for his WeChat. Yu Jinyang was even less likely to do so; he was acting out of character today, his aura was so strong that even his security uniform couldn't suppress it, and he exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, causing even Wu Juan to keep her distance.

Look at cool, handsome guys online, but in reality, not many girls are that stubborn.

However, it's true that a lot of girls ask him to do tasks, because some people recognized that he had participated in a dance variety show hosted by Ai Dingliu before. Although the show hasn't aired yet, those who saw him competed were all excited and became fans on the spot.

Many top-tier fans have listed him as one of their favorites, betting that his show will definitely be a hit, and have already bought shares and settled down in his super topic.

So, the most discussed topic on social media today regarding the Little Painting City amusement park event was still Yu Jinyang; he's practically a minor internet celebrity now. This was something Li Yingqiao hadn't anticipated. She felt her event today was worthy of discussion, but the most popular posts all focused on Yu Jinyang's face, figure, and lower body. She scrolled through several posts in her office and saw nothing but...

"I can't believe how handsome this guy is. I'm not even thinking about earning embarrassment points, I just want to look at this handsome guy a few more times."

"All I want to know now is if the blogger who posted the ultrasound report last time is going to expose that guy, is it him? That woman is ruthless, she planted that landmine so well that no one dares to fall into it now."

"That's very possible. Isn't that sister's IP address in Shanghai? Yu Jinyang used to study in Shanghai."

"Nonsense, Yu Jinyang went abroad in his sophomore year and only returned to his hometown last year. It couldn't possibly be him. It's not like I'm pregnant with Nezha."

"It's common knowledge that B-boys are promiscuous. Ladies, be careful and don't get too emotionally involved. Even if it's not him, with his looks and physique, would he lack women? He's definitely a womanizer too."

"Stop, stop, stop talking nonsense! Yu Jinyang has only ever had one serious girlfriend in his entire life."

"Who would believe that? Last time you created this persona, your true colors were completely exposed. You're not going to say it's another childhood sweetheart thing, are you, baby?"

Li Yingqiao was too lazy to scroll down any further, and her eyes suddenly stopped on a comment—

The security guards at Little Painting City are all so handsome! Where do so many good-looking guys come from? I heard many of them aren't locals; the manager specifically hired them from out of town at his own expense. However, one of the security guards is a bit older and looks a little overweight. Is it because the budget was tight?

Someone replied: "Maybe we need someone who can do the work, otherwise everyone's just taking pictures of those handsome guys, who's going to do the work?"

She found it strange that Brother Siyi shouldn't only receive feedback like "old and overweight".

***

Inside the park. At point number 3, the person in charge was Sun Taihe. Although there weren't many people there, the atmosphere was the most lively of all the park activities.

The two girls were students from Xiancheng No. 2 Middle School, still wearing their school uniforms, and had five shame points on their wristbands that they hadn't redeemed yet. They had just stumbled at point number 2, which was under Ms. Zheng Miaojia's jurisdiction.

The task requires you to change into a designated outlandish outfit at the busiest intersection of Chuanming Street and complete a series of performance art actions drawn in Zheng Miaojia's Chinese textbook. Your heart rate, monitored by your wristband, must not exceed 110 within five minutes. If it exceeds 110, the task will be considered a failure because your sense of shame will make you care about the stares of passersby.

They had been staying up too late reading novels and playing games lately, and their sleep seemed to be severely lacking. Their heart rates were both a bit faster than normal, around 100 when they were just standing there, and their wristbands started beeping alarms not long afterward.

The core gameplay of the entire park is: to fight against the shame that hinders our progress and turn the world into your paradise. Here, no one will laugh at you or judge you for your strange behavior, but you must first find yourself.

The task at point number 3 is: recruiting underachieving students – only underachieving students! Only underachieving students! Only underachieving students! I'll say it three times because it's important! But the prerequisite is that you have to prove to me that you are truly an underachieving student.

Wow! Isn't this a perfect match for my major?

The two girls gave each other a silent high five; this was so much fun.

However, Sun Taihe, expressionless, followed his lines and asked, "Tell me, you don't need to bring your report card. We don't look at grades here. We only look at ability. Come on, how do you prove you're bad enough?"

“I often fall asleep in class,” one of the girls with long, flowing hair said eagerly.

Compared to Sun Taihe, that's nothing. "How many classes do you sleep through? Can you sleep from the moment you enter the classroom in the morning until the end of the afternoon, like I do? If not, then there's still a possibility that knowledge might accidentally enter your brain. Sorry, our standard here is that we only accept students who have absolutely no learning ability. Anyone with even a little bit of ability is not eligible."

Just kidding, when he was in No. 3 Middle School, it wasn't really called going to school, it was called catching up on sleep.

Even so, he still knew Liu Yuxi, whose courtesy name was Mengde. He would never forget the haunting music he heard during his middle school entrance exam.

The combined appeal of Li Yingqiao and Yu Jinyang, these two established talents, is simply unmatched.

The girl with long, flowing hair was naturally unconvinced. At the height of her pride, she snorted and said, "How could that be? Aren't you afraid the teacher will call your parents?"

Sun Taihe laughed. Li Yingqiao was too good at assigning tasks; this was practically walking right into his trap: "Do you think bad students are afraid of teachers? Only teachers are afraid of bad students. You're out of touch! You do it."

He looked at the girl with a high ponytail who was also wearing the uniform of Xiancheng No. 2 Middle School.

The girl glanced at her companion and said, "I can keep scrolling through short videos without blinking."

"How long do you keep scrolling? All day? Without sleeping?"

"I'm on my phone all the time except when I'm sleeping."

Sun Taihe said expressionlessly, "Now there are many malicious and perverted marketing accounts that package knowledge—such as English words—into sensational videos, so that the words will enter your brain without you even realizing it. But that won't work, because you still have the opportunity to learn knowledge."

Pear Blossom Hair: "..."

High ponytail: "..."

Following this, a series of similar posts appeared on social media platforms:

"Sun Taihe, right? I'll remember you, the underachiever manager."

"Don't make me dig out that you actually attended classes at No. 3 Middle School, okay?"

"No, Ms. Miaojia at point number 2, why does the cat in your Chinese textbook have a dog's face? You tried to draw a tiger but ended up with a dog!"

The history is quite long: her Qiaomiao CP, under Liang Mei's earnest teachings, had a difference of 10,000 yuan and 10 yuan. It was much easier for 10,000 yuan to beat up 10 yuan. It was also that afternoon that 10,000 yuan shamelessly said, "Do you miss the time when I beat you up?"

Ten Cold Faces said: Dogs will miss that day.

He then said to her, "Miaojia, I want to see a cat with a dog's face right now."

Zheng Miaojia was obedient and finished drawing in no time.

Gao Dian clapped like a seal without hesitation.

Li Yingqiao, still not satisfied, held her paintbrush to Yu Jinyang's face, her pupils dilating as she exclaimed: "It looks just like him!"

Only Yu Jinyang maintained a cold expression throughout, and couldn't help but slap the book on Li Yingqiao's forehead.

Of course it didn't hurt. She threw her head back and laughed heartily, sometimes laughing so hard she fell onto him. Shi Kuai would immediately get angry: "Li Yingqiao, do you have no bones?"

"Yes, there are 206. Why don't you touch them and see?" She was such a rascal back then, saying all sorts of things. Then, seeing Yu Jinyang's face turn red, she felt relieved and went back to writing her exam paper.

Back then, they couldn't help teasing him, and Li Yingqiao was especially blatant, nudging him with her elbow: "Why do you always call me Li Yingqiao? It's so formal. Gao Dian calls me Qiaoqiao. Aren't we best friends?"

Yu Jinyang sneered, "You're best friends with me again. Didn't you tell Gao Dian a couple of days ago that you wanted him to play a couple of games for you? You're best friends with him, aren't you? Zheng Miaojia has been best friends with you a lot too. Li Yingqiao, is your 'best friend' title worth anything?"

She was angry and ignored him for several days, but he still refused to call her Qiaoqiao, saying he would never do it.

She snorted, "You'd better not suddenly die."

He scoffed, "Thank you for your kind words."

***

Next is the fourth point: If you meet any of the following criteria, you will be judged as a "pseudo-lazy person in the workplace": you have accepted the promises made by your boss, taken the blame for your colleagues, collected popular workplace posts such as "Three sentences to get your boss to promote and raise me", and posted them on your WeChat Moments during team building activities.

If you meet three or more of the criteria, you will be the ultimate workplace champion, and two shameful points will be reassigned to this position.

Wu Juan, the ultimate lazy bum in the workplace whose "entire family sponsors her work," apologized to every passing player: "I'm sorry everyone—"

Following this, a series of similar posts appeared on social media: "Wu Juan's real name is Huangfushan, right? How can someone actually find a job that pays well, has little work, and is close to home?"

Point 5 is Yu Jinyang. But he's not in his position right now.

Discussions about the park activities are quietly brewing on social media platforms, and related posts are gradually increasing. Gao Dian would occasionally post some highly-rated discussion posts from the internet in the group, and then laugh to himself in the group, asking them why they weren't laughing, but no one paid any attention to him.

As dusk settled, the streetlights along Chuanming Street gradually lit up, casting a warm, yellow glow on the bluestone pavement.

That day was New Year's Day in 2026. The winter in Xiaohuacheng was not like the biting north wind, but a cold that slowly seeped into the bones.

It rarely snows in Fengtan. When dry branches fall on the black tiles and the ground, they melt quickly, and it's impossible to splash down a whole expanse of white.

The snow usually falls very sparsely, and the winter plum blossoms in the corner of the wall cannot bloom in such a bleak winter. So, as if they know better, they grow listlessly in the corner.

Two girls from Xiancheng No. 2 Middle School had a great time playing in the scenic area all day. Right now, they're taking pictures of plum blossoms with their phones in a corner of Crazy Harbor. For kids, a little plum blossom and a little snow are enough to make them excited for ages.

There weren't many people here. You Xiaofan had set up a tent here, waiting for the final episode's recording. Li Yingqiao didn't set up any locations here, fearing that too many people would make things uncontrollable.

But the two girls made a special trip to the studio where Ai Dingliu had filmed to check in. After taking a photo at the entrance of the studio, they were attracted by the wild plum blossoms by the roadside. They walked around, stopped, and took photos. The two girls were very happy.

But the initial excitement had just faded, and the thought of walking back through this narrow and cramped Madman's Harbor sent a chill down my spine.

"Jiang Le, Jiang Le, hurry, I feel something's wrong, is there someone there...?"

"Don't scare me, it's a bit dark in here," the girl with the high ponytail said, taking a closer look. "It looks like security." She cautiously dragged herself forward a couple more steps, squinting as she made out the security uniform before finally relaxing. "Relax, it's just security—"

Before the words had even finished, the figure, still blurry and indistinct, appeared as a dark shadow or a massive cloud, pressing down on them until, under the pale moonlight, a face with a mass of fleshy knots was revealed, grinning at them with an ambiguous expression.

Both of them stopped breathing instantly.

"Jiang Le! Run!"

A brief gasp escaped from the alleyway, like a silver needle falling to the ground, almost instantly dissipating into the vast and tranquil night sky.

Yu Jinyang decided to talk to Li Yingqiao after the park activities were over. He didn't want to guess anymore whose birthday it was, and why her room password and birthday were both this person's birthday.

If it really was Zhang Zongxie's birthday, he was completely upset. There were many things he hadn't asked about, and he felt he could accept and tolerate them. But they'd been together for so long, why hadn't they changed their password?

However, just as he was about to get up from the stone steps of the dock, the chilling wind suddenly stopped, and a barely audible sound came from the quiet and secluded Madman's Harbor behind him.

Yu Jinyang straightened up almost instantly, sprang up from the stone steps without hesitation, and ran over.

...

The alley was deserted, the cold moonlight illuminating the long, narrow bluestone path. In the corner, a red plum blossom was trampled underfoot, its bright red petals crushed, like a pool of blood seeping into the thin, white snow.

There was a long claw mark on the wall; it was a human hand.

***

One hour later.

At 8:30 p.m., Li Yingqiao called Pan Xiaoliang, who was playing the role of a zombie massacre, back to the office.

She stood in front of the monitor, her brow furrowed, slowly circling her phone as she said, "Something's not right. I haven't been able to get in touch with Brother Siyi. He hasn't shown up all day. Could you check all the surveillance footage in the park for me?"

While reviewing the surveillance footage, Pan Xiaoliang turned around and asked with his mouth agape, "Did you call Aunt Tang?"

His entire face looked like a piece of rotten flesh gnawed by a wild beast, with grotesque gashes made of extremely realistic skin and flesh fibers. Dark red and black blood flowed from his forehead to his neck, making him look like a zombie that had been dead for many days and suddenly came back to life. His whole body was also bluish-white.

The makeup was so realistic it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Today, the zombie team nearly terrified many of their staff, and there was a lot of discussion about it on social media, with some saying it was even more lifelike than what you'd see on a movie set. Even though Li Yingqiao was mentally prepared, being alone with such a thing still made her heart pound with fear.

“I called, and Aunt Tang said he left this morning. I had Wu Juan check, and there's a record of him entering the park, so he's definitely inside. Also, don't speak or turn around, just type on the computer.”

Li Yingqiao covered her eyes, but through the gaps between her fingers, she saw a heart-stopping scene. Her gaze suddenly snapped to attention as she stared at the swaying figure on the monitor screen, her eyes freezing almost instantly, and she even held her breath.

Pan Xiaoliang turned his head in the direction of her petrified gaze—

"Damn it!!" He shouted almost instantly, knocking over the coffee next to him and spilling it all over the table, with no one bothering to clean it up.

Because on the rooftop of a residential building near point 10, a figure was hanging outside the railing, with the hem of his clothes fluttering wildly in the strong winds on the rooftop. The person was only hanging with one hand, and no one knew what had happened before or why the person was hanging outside the railing.

Pan Xiaoliang almost cursed, "What are they doing! Are they trying to kill us?!" If anyone has an accident at the scenic spot today, Li Yingqiao will be invited for tea.

Li Yingqiao stared at the monitor. This monitor was for area surveillance, and the location was too far away. It was also dark at night, so she could only vaguely see a blurry figure. However, she still recognized the clothes clearly. They were the security uniforms they had been issued.

She immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie on the table, pressed the call button, and stared intently at the monitor screen. Because it was a security guard on the same channel, she dared not panic too much, nor did she dare to raise her voice too loudly. She was afraid that if the other party still had the walkie-talkie, any movement might change the wind direction on the rooftop.

Almost without hesitation, she dragged Pan Xiaoliang downstairs and pressed channel 5 on the walkie-talkie, her voice low and pleading—a tone she rarely used—as she spoke: "Yu Jinyang, where are you? I need your help."

After a brief crackling of static from the walkie-talkie, a familiar male voice came through. His voice was even calmer than hers, though slightly breathless, and even carried a hint of helpless laughter. For the first time, he called her by her nickname in a comforting tone: "Qiaoqiao, I can't help you right now. I'm in a place you wouldn't expect. Later, okay?"

There was no need to wait for him to finish speaking.

The moment Li Yingqiao heard the sound of the walkie-talkie, her heart jumped into her throat!