With her slender, jade-like fingers holding a delicate carving knife, Su Jinyan focused intently on the carrot in her hand, her movements gentle and patient.
In a short while, a bright and beautiful rose took shape in his hand, with petals layered upon each other.
Su Jinyan placed the carved rose on the edge of the plate and garnished it with a few mint leaves. He looked at the arrangement and seemed dissatisfied, so he moved the rose down one centimeter.
Then she added two more mint leaves, and looking at the rearranged arrangement, Su Jinyan finally showed a satisfied smile.
Green pepper and potato shreds, Sichuan-style spicy chicken, twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, candied sweet potatoes, stir-fried shrimp, egg drop vegetable soup, and beef tenderloin with green peppers—looking at the plates of fragrant dishes laid out on the table, Xia Linyin swallowed her saliva.
The two sat down at the table. Su Jinyan raised his glass, the warm light shining on his handsome face. "I wish we could both return to reality."
Xia Linyin nodded heavily, raised her cup and lightly clinked it against Su Jinyan's cup, producing a crisp sound.
Watching Xia Linyin pick up a shrimp and put it in her mouth, Su Jinyan's eyes held a hint of anticipation. "How does it taste?"
The fresh and tender flavors burst on the tongue, an exquisite taste. Xia Linyin gave a thumbs up, "Absolutely chef-level!"
Su Jinyan was amused by Xia Linyin's actions and expressions. Her beautiful features radiated a gentle charm, and a sense of inexplicable satisfaction welled up in her heart.
After the pleasant meal, Su Jinyan said, "I'll take you somewhere later."
"Where?" Xia Linyin asked curiously.
Su Jinyan smiled and said, "A bar."
Xia Linyin asked in surprise, "A bar?"
Su Jinyan nodded, "The underground bar in Building 1 is the liveliest place in Area A. I go there almost every night and get a lot of useful information from it."
Hearing Su Jinyan say this, Xia Linyin couldn't help but feel curious about the bar.
The loud, pulsating music was deafening, so loud it seemed to shatter eardrums. Multicolored beams of light constantly changed angles, and men and women on the dance floor swayed their hips and shook their heads to the energetic music.
Smoke swirled, and the smells of alcohol, perfume, and tobacco mingled in the air.
Upon entering the bar, Xia Linyin coughed a few times, covering her mouth and nose, because she was choked by the stuffy air. After a while, she felt better once she got used to the polluted air inside.
Su Jinyan escorted Xia Linyin to a corner of the bar. There was hardly anyone around, and a wine-red sofa lay forlornly in the corner. "Sit here, I'll go get you some drinks."
"Mm." Xia Linyin nodded, sat down on the sofa, and watched Su Jinyan's back disappear from sight and blend into the crowd.
Xia Linyin rubbed her knees, and when she saw several couples kissing passionately not far away, she quickly looked away in embarrassment.
Then I saw another couple doing something indescribable in the corner; their white buttocks were almost blindingly bright.
Xia Linyin took a deep breath and looked straight at the dance floor.
Seeing Su Jinyan return, Xia Linyin was overjoyed, as if she had seen a savior. "Jinyan, can we sit somewhere else? It's too awkward here."
“The lighting here is bad, so sitting here will avoid a lot of disturbances.” Su Jinyan handed the wine glass to Xia Linyin. “Even if we change locations, these kinds of things won’t be any less. After all, for many players, under the pressure of the game, integrity is no longer a big deal.”
“That makes sense.” Xia Linyin nodded. In this game, everyone experiences a lot of psychological pressure. If they can’t release and channel their stress properly, many people are driven to the brink of mental breakdown or even madness. She usually relieves stress through high-intensity training.
Calming down, Xia Linyin looked at the wine glass in her hand and exclaimed, "How beautiful!"
The clear glass contains an icy blue liquid, and a yellow lemon slice adorns the rim. Under the light, the entire glass is enveloped in a soft halo, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Su Jinyan swirled the wine in her glass. "This wine is called Ice Love. It's not very strong, so it's perfect for you girls."
Xia Linyin took a small sip, smacked her lips, and commented, "It's like blueberry juice with soda."
"I really escaped death this time. I almost, you know, I almost died."
"What's going on? Don't you have two substitute dolls?"
The sound of two girls talking could be heard.
"Don't even mention it. I've used up both of my substitute dolls, and they were both wasted. My heart bleeds just thinking about it. What am I going to do? Without the substitute dolls, how am I going to play the next game? I'm doomed, I'm really doomed this time."
"No way? You wasted two substitute dolls in this game? Tell me what happened."
"This game was such a rip-off. We all thought the ghost that killed us was a spirit summoned by the girl in the next dorm, but it turned out the spirit was just a decoy. The real ghost was the woman in red who hanged herself in the toilet..."
Xia Linyin pricked up her ears, becoming increasingly alarmed as she listened. Two vengeful ghosts had appeared in the game, and the one the player truly needed to deal with was lurking in the shadows, making the player believe that the Ouija board spirit had killed them, and then using the Ouija board spirit to eliminate the player.
After listening to the conversation between the two girls, Xia Linyin looked thoughtful.
Su Jinyan said, "Games always have many traps. Sometimes, sitting here quietly with a drink can give you a lot of valuable experience."
Of course, you have to learn this kind of experience by summarizing and figuring it out yourself. If you thoroughly understand all the ways to play the game, your chances of survival will greatly increase.
After sitting in the bar for more than an hour, the two got up to leave. As they walked to the bar, someone suddenly called out, "Xia Linyin!"
Xia Linyin turned her head in confusion and saw a woman with a hot figure, wearing a black leather jacket and denim shorts, push through the crowd and run up to her.
After looking Xia Linyin up and down several times, the woman revealed an incredulous expression and exclaimed in shock, "Xia Linyin, it really is you! It really is you!"
She grabbed Xia Linyin's shoulders tightly and shook her, "Xia Linyin, how did you end up here? Didn't you already leave?"
The woman's question exploded in Xia Linyin's ears like a thunderclap, making her mind reel. What did she mean... she had already left?
"Sister Hua, what's wrong?"
Ignoring the questions from the others, Sister Hua stared intently at Xia Linyin, "Xia Linyin, explain yourself clearly, why are you here? You clearly left!"
The last sentence was punctuated by a noticeable tremolo.
Sister Hua took a few deep breaths, trying to control her surging emotions. "What exactly happened? Didn't you come back to reality?"
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