Chapter 69: The flowers are gone, so I'll treat you to a meal.
Six people were much more efficient than two people, and the puzzle of this haunted house was simple to solve, so they quickly found the wooden door leading to the elevator.
The heavy wooden door stood abruptly at the end of the corridor, the dark brown door panel was covered with scratches and pits left by the years. The door handle had long been rusted, replaced by the same combination lock as the cell.
This time, however, a six-digit passcode is required.
Everyone stared at the padlock and no one spoke.
Because along the way, apart from the ghosts that appeared from time to time and the terrifying bloody handprints, there were no other clues to the numbers.
Xia Huanming held Chen Xing's hand tightly, looked around the empty walls carefully, and confirmed: "That means the string of numbers is not nearby, but on the way we came."
"Are we going to go back again?" Zhao Xingyu glanced back at the dark corridor. He felt that a ghost face would suddenly jump out at the end and hug Qi Yinrui's arm tightly.
Fortunately, Chen Xing shook his head and put the flashlight in his pocket: "No need, I remember what I saw on the road, just let me recall it."
A good memory is convenient.
Everyone secretly sighed, this directly saved a lot of time.
The others also tried to recall the past, and the scene fell into silence for a moment, which made the eerie sound that seemed to be there and not there even more clear.
Zhao Xingyu suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Jiang Ke: "Jiang Ke, I remember there were miniature ancient sundials and Bagua in the corridor we came out of, right?"
"Yes," Jiang Ke laughed, tapped Zhao Xingyu's arm and said, "I didn't expect you to still remember. I thought you kept your head down and didn't pay attention to your surroundings."
"After all, I am an old player of escape room, so I still have some observation skills." Zhao Xingyu puffed out his chest proudly, but this pride was extinguished in just three seconds, and he shrank back behind Qi Yinrui.
"Several times?" Huang Canni looked puzzled. "Aren't you afraid of this? Why did you participate so many times?"
Zhao Xingyu explained: "It's more exciting because of the fear. I really like the feeling of accelerated heartbeat and rapid breathing, especially the joy after successfully escaping. I fell in love with it after experiencing it once."
Jiang Ke nodded repeatedly, as if he had found a soulmate: "Yes, yes, yes, I understand, I also like this feeling, so I participated."
Qi Yinrui said thoughtfully: "Then you are a group of people who seek high sensations. You like exciting activities within a safe range and simply enjoy the thrill of adrenaline rush."
While everyone was talking, Xia Huanming's eyes stayed on Chen Xing, who was looking down in deep thought. Chen Xing silently recited the things they had seen on the road just now, from near to far, how many blue and white porcelains, how many picture frames, how many shapes there were in the patterns on the wall, and how many bloody handprints.
Strings of numbers flowed out from his lips.
In the past, Xia Huanming would have praised Chen Xing's memory, as if he was listening to him reciting the script for the first time.
But ever since I knew that Chen Xing had such an amazing memory because of his father's death, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart.
Who would have known that this enviable talent was actually the mark of an unforgettable trauma.
Chen Xing felt the sudden increase in strength between his hands, and thought that Xia Huanming was afraid again, so he covered the back of their interlocked hands with his left hand and gently rubbed to comfort them.
Unexpectedly, after just two touches, he remembered the key information: "Ah, I remember! When I passed by the white cloth, there were numbers 123 and the four characters Chou, Si, Shen, and Xu written on it."
Xia Huanming was stunned.
White cloth? Isn’t that the place where he and Qi Yinrui came out?
In order to get out quickly, they didn't pay any attention to the words above, but Chen Xing, with three people, actually noticed them.
So awesome.
Xia Huanming was completely unable to take his eyes off the man and stared at the delighted Chen Xing.
Huang Canni gave a thumbs up and praised: "Great."
Zhao Xingyu's face was full of admiration: "You remember this. I will go with you to the haunted house next time."
Xia Huanming took Chen Xing's hand and said softly, "You are amazing."
Chen Xing scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.
Qi Yinrui's eyes swept over the clingy Xia Huanming, and he said thoughtfully: "Combined with the sundial, it should correspond to the twelve hours. The Chou hour is from 1:00 to 3:00, the Si hour is from 9:00 to 11:00, the Shen hour is from 3:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon, and the Xu hour is from 7:00 to 9:00 in the afternoon."
Qi Yinrui's explanation was a good breakthrough, but it also made everyone feel puzzled.
Because there are only three digits behind it, but there are four time periods here.
Huang Canni first adjusted the first few numbers to 123, leaving the remaining three unchanged. She turned around and asked, "Are there any common points?"
Xia Huanming carefully recalled everything he had encountered along the way.
Various professional instruments and the dolls underneath.
The owner here is obviously proficient in witchcraft.
So Xia Huanming said with great certainty: "Since the sundial, the Eight Diagrams and the brazier are connected, the Five Elements must be used."
"Five elements? I've memorized this when I was acting in ancient dramas before." This made Jiang Ke, who had acted in martial arts dramas, excited. She put her chin on her hand and thought, "Rat is water, Ox is earth, metal, and water...ah! All of these have metal, and metal is the hour of the Rooster."
Qi Yinrui quickly replied: "Youshi is from 7 to 9 pm."
Huang Canni turned the gears quickly, and the moment the password became 123789, the padlock opened.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, their tense nerves finally relaxing.
After opening the door, Chen Xing took a few steps back. Xia Huanming noticed and asked him in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
"I think it shouldn't be that difficult. After all, not everyone understands the five elements." Chen Xing said his thoughts seriously, "When I first got out of prison, the white paper had the simplest code written on it, so I'm thinking about looking at the second solution."
Xia Huanming also thought of this possibility, so he asked him: "It should be possible. Do you want to look for it now?"
"No, let's go out first," Chen Xing shook his head and happily shook the right hand he and Xia Huanming were holding. "We can just ask the staff when the time comes."
Xia Huanming nodded: "Yes."
Qi Yinrui, who was standing behind him, looked at Xia Huanming, who was about to smile: "... disgusting."
At the end of the narrow corridor, there was an elevator on the right. They stopped on the first floor and walked out of the elevator.
The lights in the originally bright hall had been turned off at some point, and one could only vaguely see the dolls piled up in the middle, their eyes shining with the light of glass.
The flashlight in Chen Xing's hand was dim and could only illuminate a foot square in front of his feet.
He raised the beam so that he could only vaguely see the outline of a gate in the distance.
"Just keep going forward and you will reach the gate." Chen Xing reminded the people behind him, and at the same time quietly held Xia Huanming's hand, "Don't be afraid, just follow me."
Only after hearing the "hmm" sound from the people around him did he feel relieved and continue walking forward.
As everyone moved forward with bated breath, Zhao Xingyu suddenly felt his shoulders sink.
He thought Jiang Ke was poking him again, so he complained, "Hey, Jiang Ke, stop poking my shoulder."
But the next second, Jiang Ke's doubtful voice came from in front of him: "Ah? I didn't touch you."
"That is..." Zhao Xingyu stopped talking.
"..." Several people were silent for a moment, but no one dared to stop.
Chen Xing continued to lead the way without looking back, his voice unusually calm: "For your heart, I won't point the flashlight at it."
"Thank you for saving my life," Zhao Xingyu hugged Qi Yinrui's arm tightly, lowered his head and quickened his pace, "Do you have any songs or jokes you can sing, or anything funny will do."
"How about 'Moon Baba'?" Chen Xing suggested, "It's a nursery rhyme in Hunan."
"Okay, okay, please speak quickly." Zhao Xingyu's voice was trembling.
Because he clearly felt that the hand had no intention of leaving and even pinched his shoulder mischievously.
Zhao Xingyu: “…………”
He cried out in despair in his heart.
Ahhh why is it me?! Why is it me?! It's moving and pinching!
Chen Xing in the front began to speak in dialect: "Moon cake, there is a daddy sitting in the belly, the daddy comes out to buy vegetables, there is a grandma sitting in the belly, the grandma comes out to embroider, embroider a glutinous rice cake, the glutinous rice cake fell into the well and turned into a □□."
Zhao Xingyu repeated it, and before he reached the door, he repeated it again, each sentence louder than the last.
The standard Hunan accent and the plastic Changsha dialect with a crying tone were heard one after another in the hall. Qi Yinrui's mouth twitched, and he finally held back his laughter.
When he was only a few meters away from the gate, Zhao Xingyu was still mechanically reciting a nursery rhyme, but in the next second he suddenly shook his shoulders, shook off the hand on his shoulder, and rushed towards the gate like an arrow.
Only when he pushed open the door and saw the sunset again did Zhao Xingyu dare to look back.
This turn around was so scary that behind Qi Yinrui, there was a headless male corpse holding up a dark-faced head - the cloudy eyeballs were full of bloodshot, but the corners of the mouth were strangely raised. What made Zhao Xingyu even more horrified was that the male corpse's right hand was still in the posture of resting on his shoulder.
Fortunately, the flashlight was not shone backwards, otherwise he would have been scared to death on the spot.
Zhao Xingyu waited for the others to come out before closing the door. He then ran out of the iron bars of the gate, hugged the assistant director and shouted, "Oh my God! I finally made it out alive!"
The third group of participants asked him worriedly: "How is it? Is it scary?"
Zhao Xingyu suddenly let go of his hand and shrugged calmly: "It's fun, not scary at all."
Assistant Director: "...If you let go of your hands and then say this, it might be more feasible."
Chen Xing walked out slowly and only let go of the hand he was holding when he walked into the light.
His palms were wet, and he couldn't tell if it was his sweat or Xia Huanming's sweat.
He looked up, but instead of seeing Xia Huanming's happy expression, he saw his furrowed brows.
Is it because of the lingering fear that you are in a bad mood?
Chen Xing quickly comforted him in a gentle voice: "It's okay, it's all fake, don't be too scared."
Qi Yinrui behind saw through everything.
Xia Huanming wasn't scared at all. He was obviously unhappy because he didn't hold the hand enough.
Moreover, given Xia Huanming's personality of not wanting to cause trouble for Chen Xing, he dared to guarantee that Xia Huanming would never mention the matter of holding hands in front of so many people.
Sure enough, Xia Huanming nodded and replied calmly: "Okay, I know."
Qi Yinrui sneered in his heart.
Chen Xing walked back to the team and asked the staff of the haunted house where he could find the final decrypted number.
The staff found that the window with the handprints could actually be opened. Looking down from the window, they saw large numbers pasted on the eaves of the balcony on the next floor.
"Ah - thank you." After expressing their gratitude to the staff, Chen Xing happily returned to the main group.
Xia Huanming smiled and said, "Now that you have solved the doubts, you are happy now, right?"
Chen Xing nodded happily: "Yeah."
Afterwards, those who completed the haunted house challenge followed the staff into the car to eat.
The hotel is only ten minutes away from the haunted house. The elevator goes up to the seventeenth floor, and the door opens to the front desk of the cafeteria.
The restaurant reserved by the program crew was brightly lit. When Zhao Xingyu saw an acquaintance, he immediately ran over happily.
"Brother Qi——"
"Hey, isn't this Xingyu? You guys are having fun."
The rest of the people entered the restaurant one after another. Qi Yinrui met his teammate Li Mu, and after a brief greeting, he went to the team member's table; Huang Canni and Jiang Ke also said goodbye and left to find Shen Miao and the others.
Chen Xing and Xia Huanming walked inside and happened to meet Xu Yuancai who was carrying a tray of food.
"You guys are finally here. I've already eaten two rounds." Xu Yuancai's eyes lit up and she came over with a smile, "How was it? Was the haunted house exciting?"
Chen Xing reached out to help Xu Yuancai get the juice and nodded, "It's exciting and quite scary. The props are very realistic."
Xu Yuancai glanced at Xia Huanming behind her and asked them to follow her: "Come on, come with me first to see the seats. We have found a particularly good seat."
The two of them followed Xu Yuancai. Dusk gradually deepened outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the last ray of sunset struggled on the sea.
Chen Xing saw Xue Si Nian and Zheng Pei Ya from a distance, and they waved at them. When they came closer, Mathis turned his head with his back to them, still holding half a shrimp dumpling in his mouth.
There were several stacks of CDs on the long table that seated eight people, testifying to their voracious appetite.
"Brother Qi, please sit in the two seats next to you. Let's sit here." Zheng Peiya, who was sitting by the window, said.
Xu Yuancai placed the dish on the empty seat next to Xue Si Nian and said with a smile, "I thought Mattis would eat salad, but he ordered a bowl of wontons when he came up."
Mathis nodded and commented on himself: "I can't help it. After all these years, I still have an appetite for Cantonese cuisine."
Everyone laughed.
Chen Xing put down his phone and went to get the food with Xia Huanming. He picked spicy dishes and soon filled two large plates. When he returned, he met Zhang Jinan.
Zhang Jinan still had a calm demeanor. He asked about the situation in their haunted house briefly, then smiled and said, "Actually, I have something to ask you. Let's talk about it on WeChat. You eat first."
Chen Xing nodded: "Okay."
After Zhang Jinan walked away, Xia Huanming came over and asked him softly, "What did he want from you?"
"I don't know either. He asked me to contact him via WeChat," Chen Xing shook his head. He stared at the chicken leg on Xia Huanming's plate and said, "But it should be very important, otherwise Big Brother wouldn't come to see me so suddenly."
The chicken legs were roasted to a golden and crispy texture, with an attractive sheen of oil, and the meat looked tender and juicy...
Chen Xing swallowed unconsciously.
Xia Huanming lowered his head following his gaze, and immediately understood. The corners of his mouth raised a gentle arc: "Do you want to eat? I'll get you a few?"
"Really?" Chen Xing's eyes lit up and he quickly thanked him, "Thank you, I can't even find it."
Before Xia Huanming left, he said to Chen Xing, "Then you go back first. I'll get it for you and then I'll go back."
Chen Xing returned to his seat and sat down next to Mattis.
Xu Yuancai rolled up the pasta and asked him what the haunted house was like before putting it in her mouth.
Chen Xing immediately mobilized all his life's knowledge, and described it vividly, from the gloomy atmosphere to the realistic props, and even mixed in a few English words, trying his best to describe the terrifying atmosphere.
Xue Si Nian and Zheng Pei Ya listened attentively and forgot to eat. Their chopsticks were hanging in the air. Finally, they just put down their bowls and chopsticks and listened to Chen Xing.
"Then we heard a 'pop' sound—" Chen Xing paused, his voice suddenly getting louder, "A huge bloody handprint appeared on the transparent window, and at the same time, bursts of crying came from behind us..."
Just when they were talking about the most thrilling part, Xia Huanming came back.
Xia Huanming sat down quietly without interrupting Chen Xing's story. He just silently put a few golden and crispy chicken legs, as well as several other dishes that Chen Xing liked, into his bowl.
The movements were so gentle as if they were completing some important ritual.
Xu Yuancai's eyes fell on Xia Huanming's hand holding the fork, and then glanced at Chen Xing who was speaking.
Chen Xing had no suspicion of Xia Huanming's actions, and even moved the plate a little closer to Xia Huanming, so naturally, as if they did this often.
After Chen Xing finished speaking, Zhao Xingyu and Zheng Qi also came back.
Zhao Xingyu didn't want to review the haunted house again, so he quickly sat down with Zheng Qi.
"Leave the remaining position to Wang Baiyue. I can't hold on any longer. I'll leave first." Zhao Xingyu said.
Xue Si Nian laughed and said, "You can write a horror novel with the way you choose words and sentences."
After listening to Chen Xing's description, Xu Yuancai said enviously, "I also want to go to the haunted house. We are promoting it today, and I also want to have an exciting experience... Hey, wake up, after the show is over, let's make an appointment, call those people, and go together."
Chen Xing knew which people Xu Yuancai was referring to. He gnawed on a chicken leg and nodded, "Okay."
Xia Huanming handed over a napkin at the right time and said gently, "Wipe the edge of your mouth."
Chen Xing took it and said, "Oh, thank you."
Xu Yuancai: “…”
Xu Yuancai chewed vegetables, her eyes lingering meaningfully on Xia Huanming for a moment, and finally said nothing.
Chen Xing turned on his phone and saw the message from Zhang Jinan.
[Zhang Jin’an]: Hello, Chen Xing.
【Chen Xing】: Hello, big brother (=w=*)
[Zhang Jinan]: It's like this, I want to compose a song as a anniversary gift, I want to ask you, what is your schedule and price? Because I want to keep it a secret, even my agent doesn't know about this, only the two of us know. I want to ask you, do you have a schedule?
Chen Xing's eyes lit up.
The person Zhang Jinan wanted to give the song to must be that person——
[Chen Xing]: Yes, yes, yes! It’s cheaper if you order a song for yourself. I can compose, write lyrics, arrange music, record and mix music. I can do any style (ouo) +~
[Zhang Jinan]: This is the first time I order a song. I don’t know how much your private song prices are. Is 100,000 enough?
Chen Xing's eyes widened and he sat up straight instantly.
How many?
What is the unit after ten?
After making sure that Zhang Jin'an was not joking, the first thing he did was to respectfully change Zhang Jin'an's remarks.
After he finished the changes, he quickly replied.
【Chen Xing】：Don’t worry, brother orz
[Chen Xing]: Even if the kidnappers forced me not to write songs, I would risk my life to write this song! This is enough to buy the copyright of three of my OSTs! ! ! !
[Mr. Zhang, the most generous client in history]: Hahaha, it’s okay, you can share the extra money with your colleagues in the studio. Sorry for bothering you, I will send you the requirements later.
Chen Xing has an unshakable habit - every time he makes money, the first thing he does is to take out 5% and immediately buy something he likes.
But at this moment, he didn't have anything he particularly liked, but he did have someone he particularly liked.
So Chen Xing locked his phone screen, patted Xia Huanming on the shoulder, leaned close to his ear and asked, "I'll treat you to a meal after the show is over."
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