Chapter 41
Winter vacation came after the final exams. Without having to go to school, and with his mother having Secretary Wang enroll him in a cram school, Zhang Xiaotian naturally saw Lu Bai less often.
Zhang Xiaotian was initially a bit puzzled. Aside from their regular weekend meetings, Lu Bai hadn't even once contacted him, even though he knew where his home was. This clearly didn't seem like the Lu Bai who would even ask Zhang Xiaotian to go to the bathroom. But Zhang Xiaotian thought about it more and decided he was overthinking it. Perhaps this was just normal for high school classmates.
When he thought of this, Zhang Xiaotian felt relieved and lonely.
He now gradually felt that, in addition to Lu Bai, he was also beginning to lose control of the distance between him and Lu Bai. The initial experience of the confusion and trouble made him feel a little at a loss. He thought about it for a few days and finally made a somewhat cowardly decision:
He decided to remain good brothers with Lu Bai until one of them started to distance himself from him.
But even though it was a good idea in his heart, it was actually difficult to do it willingly. Zhang Xiaotian looked at the news on his phone from the uninformed party, feeling that all his thoughts these days were in vain, and his heart began to fly again.
Lu Bai asked him: Are you free tomorrow? Want to go out and play?
Zhang Xiaotian typed and deleted a few words in the chat box, but before he could finish, another message came from the other side:
There are also Han Cheng and Yin Li, the four of us.
Zhang Xiaotian felt even more awkward after hearing this. He spoke as if he knew what he was worried about, but he was completely clueless. Zhang Xiaotian felt suffocated, but he typed quickly and agreed without hesitation.
Following the location information Lu Bai sent him, Zhang Xiaotian quickly found their destination. It was a shop with a dark, Gothic decor. The wall next to the door was decorated with small statues and chains. The LED cutouts on the sign were woven into a thorny pattern, with the words "Escape Art" solemnly displayed in large letters.
This shop was located in the city's development zone. The surrounding shops were practically deserted, and from the outside, they all looked ordinary, making this one stand out. Zhang Xiaotian couldn't quite place it, so he didn't go in. Instead, he cleaned the snow off his shoes on the steps and stood at the door, waiting for someone. Soon, several other people arrived.
This was a newly opened escape room experience center. According to Lu Bai, the quality of their games was quite good, especially a four-player mystery-themed game that was incredibly popular, almost becoming a local trending topic. This was the game the four of them were going to play this time.
"I heard this game is super immersive and you can even change clothes. Everyone who's played it says it's thrilling. It's so popular I've booked it for several days!"
Lu Bai led the group inside, chattering non-stop, "When the time comes, you guys should cooperate with me. It's time to show our tacit understanding!"
"Tsk, who has a tacit understanding with you?" Yin Li curled her lips.
Han Chengcheng asked, "So you came here just for this book. I thought you just wanted to play the escape room. I was just about to ask you why Lu Yibo and the others didn't come."
"The reasons are as follows," Lu Bai explained. "First, this scenario is for four people, so we don't need that many people. Secondly, Lü Yibo's IQ is too low, Jiang Yan has to accompany her boyfriend, and Li An is too timid. Asking them to come would only hinder me."
"I'm still holding you back. You're not very brave, are you? Last time..." Yin Li complained in a low voice, and Lu Bai heard it and gave her a slap on the face.
After showing the reservation record to the front desk, Lu Bai cleared his throat in a pretentious manner:
"Anyway, once we get in there, we need to stick together and help each other. With our combined intelligence and my leadership, we'll definitely be able to clear the level before the average time. Who knows, we might even break the fastest time record for this dungeon!"
He just needs to not be so scared that he can't walk. Zhang Xiaotian chuckled twice.
This book, set in medieval Europe, features a cross-dressing theme, but the character settings remain undisclosed. Only four neutral names are known, and even the genders are indistinguishable. After deciding their roles through a guessing game, the players, guided by an NPC dressed as a butler, head to the dressing room to change.
As Zhang Xiaotian walked to the dressing room, he was still looking at the character name he'd drawn. "Loris" was written on black cardboard, surrounded by a pattern of thorns and a cross. He had never played a secret room before, so his mind immediately began to race, trying to find some clues. Without even looking where he was going, he followed the "deacon" forward. The "deacon" led him to a door, which Zhang Xiaotian absentmindedly opened. When he looked up, he was fixed in place by the costumes displayed in the center of the room.
As expected of the shop's most iconic item, even the changing rooms are themed. The rough plaster walls are decorated with decorative stained glass windows, the distressed floorboards creak underfoot, and in the corner, a church-style bench is used for changing shoes. The small room exudes a sense of atmosphere, and the mannequin in the center is surprisingly dressed in a black and white nun's uniform.
Zhang Xiaotian stood still at the door, pondering for a moment, then looked at the "deacon" next to him with disbelief. The "deacon" smiled and gestured "come in" without any explanation, so Zhang Xiaotian had no choice but to walk in.
The "deacon" closed the door for him, and Zhang Xiaotian was left alone in the room. He looked around the furnishings in the room and saw a small stack of papers on the bench, so he picked it up and read.
This is part of his characterization: He's a priest disguised as a woman in a church. He was once in love with his deceased bride, but due to social status and social conventions, he could only watch as she obeyed her engagement to marry the count. On the eve of her wedding, the bride, instigated by her sister, decided to have her maid marry her instead and elope with the priest, only to mysteriously die at the ceremony. To investigate the cause of death, the priest disguised himself as a nun and searched the church for clues. He was summoned as a witness by a detective also investigating the case.
Zhang Xiaotian felt a headache after reading it once. This short paragraph alone contained a lot of information. He needed to understand and memorize it while also concealing his identity as a man disguised as a woman. This was just the beginning; who knew how difficult it would be later.
What's more, he has to wear a skirt. Is this where the label of "cross-dressing" comes from?
The NPC at the door knocked at the right time to remind him to hurry up. Zhang Xiaotian sighed, hastily put on the nun's uniform, opened the door and walked out.
The "deacon" led him to the game area, where the other three had already arrived. Zhang Xiaotian quietly approached and examined the three people's attire. Lu Bai was obviously the detective, his outfit imitating the detectives in famous foreign films. Yin Li wore a knight's outfit, a one-size-fits-all suit that didn't quite fit but was well-made. Han Chengcheng was dressed as a maid.
Zhang Xiaotian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Yin Li. It turned out he wasn't the only one who needed to play a cross-dressing role.
A maid, a detective, and himself a priest, so who was Yin Li's role, a count? Zhang Xiaotian tried to guess everyone's identities based on what he had just seen, but he didn't participate in the conversation between the three.
"Even though you said you were the bride's sister's husband, and I mentioned this role in my original book, I don't know why, but I just don't think you're the one." Lu Bai turned his back to Zhang Xiaotian and said to Yin Li with his arms folded, "Yin Li, I also advise you not to fool around with everyone. We agreed to help each other before we came in."
"If you say I'm not, then I'm not. You're already suspicious before the game even starts." Yin Li retorted.
"But look, the husband of the bride's sister, setting up this outsider character who has nothing to do with the plot, doesn't that make sense?"
"Look at you..."
Han Chengcheng tried to mediate, "Okay, no one's here yet. Let's discuss it together when Xiaotian arrives..." She looked up and saw Zhang Xiaotian standing beside them, so she said, "Xiaotian, come quickly!"
Lu Bai turned around when he heard the voice and was stunned for a moment.
Zhang Xiaotian felt Lu Bai's gaze and his face flushed. He pretended to be unaware and walked straight to Han Chengcheng.
"Xiaotian, is this a nun's skirt? It looks pretty good on you." Yin Li bent down and touched the hem of Zhang Xiaotian's skirt, and said with a sigh.
"It doesn't fit well." Zhang Xiaotian casually adjusted the hem of his skirt, then felt a little hot, so he lifted up his collar and shook it.
Han Chengcheng asked him, "So Xiaotian is a nun in the Bride's Church of Death?"
Zhang Xiaotian paused and nodded.
"I was the bride's maid. Yin Li said she was the bride's sister's husband. Lu Bai said he was a detective and he wanted to find out the cause of the bride's death through us." Han Chengcheng saw him nod, smiled briefly, and briefly introduced the other two.
She probably didn't believe it, but that's right.
Zhang Xiaotian's lips curled up, and he began to wonder. Han Chengcheng said she was the bride's maid, so she was most likely the maid who was married off. However, she hadn't been very specific. Moreover, when she mentioned the identities of the other two, she didn't sound very certain, which meant that she might not believe the identities of the other two either.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaotian finally felt the fun of this game.
"Well, that's all the information for now. Then..." Lu Bai coughed twice, "Then let's get started."
As soon as he finished speaking, the majestic sound of the organ rang out in the room. The melody was sacred and absurd, and Yin Li shuddered when she heard it.
"Why do I feel a little cold..." Yin Li shrank her neck.
"Are you cold?" Lu Bai walked forward and suddenly touched the back of Zhang Xiaotian's hand. "You've gained all that weight in vain. Tian'er is so thin, but he's more resistant to cold than you. His hand is still warm."
Zhang Xiaotian clenched his fist and hid his hand under his skirt without leaving any trace: "I'm wearing thick clothes."
"Her thing isn't thin either." Lu Bai looked at Yin Li and teased, "I think she's not cold, she's scared."
"You're kidding!" Yin Li rolled her eyes. "No matter how timid I am, I'm still better than that guy who yells "Mom" all the way on a roller coaster."
"Hey you!" Lu Bai was about to hit her head again. Several people were noisily walking deeper into the church's inner chamber. When the last person stepped into the church's nave, the door behind them slammed shut, frightening everyone into silence.
The overhead broadcast emitted a hoarse hiss, the organ stopped abruptly, and the voices of the "deacons" came out:
"Welcome everyone to participate in the investigation of the 'Red Wedding' case. Only by restoring the truth of the incident can we comfort the bride's soul and allow you to leave this place safely. Below are the precautions for this investigation:"
Zhang Xiaotian looked at Lu Bai and found that he was also looking at him.
"First, please pay attention to every clue at hand, and please remember the information in everyone's memory. Second, you can freely search for clues in every corner of the church and choose whether to share clues according to your personal needs. Third, some people's memories are missing, please actively interact with NPCs to fill in your own memories. Fourth, everyone has secrets, so don't trust others easily. The only person you can trust here is yourself. Good luck to everyone!"
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