"Huh?" Ning Shi was quite startled, still not understanding what the laughter inside the vase was all about.
"Don't be afraid." Fang Lei patted her arm, walked straight to the vase, reached in, grabbed the few green plants inside, and pulled them out forcefully—
Then they pulled someone out of there.
“…Xiao Chen?!” Ning Shi exclaimed in shock, staring incredulously at Xiao Chen, who was holding a phone in one hand and a green plant in the other. “You were actually hiding in the vase?!”
The smile in Xiao Chen's eyes hadn't faded yet, and her whole face was flushed from smiling.
"I could have dodged it, but it's all Xiao Li's fault for sending me several inexplicable lame jokes." She put her phone away, then climbed out of the vase with Fang Lei's help, and then threw the green plant in her hand back into the vase with a "thud".
Without the support of a human body, the green plant instantly shrank considerably, no longer appearing as tall as it had been.
“Hey,” Fang Lei’s eyes suddenly cleared as he looked at the swaying branches of the plant. “I was wondering why this plant didn’t seem that tall. Turns out you were hiding inside and supporting it.”
"Hey..." Xiao Chen put one hand on his hip and fiddled with his messy hair with the other, looking very regretful. "I finally found this place. If it weren't for Xiao Li's interference, I'm sure you wouldn't have been able to find me today."
"Hey, I was careless."
As a hunter, Ning Shicai didn't care how careless she was; as long as she could find the person, she would use any method.
"Let's go, Xiao Chen." She took Xiao Chen's arm and led her towards the stairwell. "Two people from your group have already been eliminated. Now, Mingyue is your last hope."
"Ah!" Xiao Chen shrieked angrily like a groundhog, "This terrible idea must have come from Jin Zhao again, she's just too clever!"
[Hahaha, you've been defeated by Chaochao's superb intelligence, haven't you!]
Two of the three have already been eliminated, so now Mingyue is the hope for your whole village... Unlike my team, everyone is still hiding well.
Hey, stop showing off! Be careful, some sore loser female celebrity might start swearing again!
Let her swear if she wants; after all, in a world of idiots, being too smart is a sin.
I am Jingjin's Exam-Taking Dog: [Hahahaha, you guys are so good at tea! Whether you like it or not, I love hearing it!]
— Today, Xiao Chen should have been arrested.
Xiao Li suddenly sent Zhu Jinzhao a WeChat message, along with a screenshot of her chat with Xiao Chen.
In the screenshot, Xiao Chen gritted his teeth and replied to Xiao Li with three words after the hellish joke.
I hate you!
These three very simple yet emotionally charged words perfectly capture Xiao Chen's predicament.
Zhu Jinzhao smiled contentedly and replied: "Remove the 'should' part; she was arrested."
Xiao Li: Hahahaha! It has to be you, you're amazing!
Zhu Jinzhao replied to her while also telling Shi Jing the good news.
"Shi Jing, our method worked. Xiao Chen has been captured by Ning Shi and the others."
"Beautiful." Shi Jing didn't show much surprise, only praising Zhu Jinzhao for coming up with the idea.
"Our Grand Strategist is truly remarkable. He doesn't make a move unless it's absolutely necessary, and when he does, it's a resounding success. No one within a hundred miles is spared."
"It's alright..." Zhu Jinzhao pouted, trying hard to suppress the smugness that Shi Jing had made her feel when he praised her. "I just did a little improvisation."
Shi Jing turned his head and looked at Zhu Jinzhao's blurry profile in the glow of his phone screen.
"Xiao Chen has been dealt with, and only Zhu Mingyue is left in their group. Chaochao, should we still use this method?"
Zhu Jinzhao nodded: "We'll use it! But not right now. We'll have to wait at least ten minutes, until Fang Lei and the others go to another place to look for someone."
Shi Jing has now become Zhu Jinzhao's most loyal follower. He listens to whatever Zhu Jinzhao says without question or disobeying.
"I will do whatever Grand Strategist Chaochao says." Although he couldn't see Zhu Jinchao's face clearly, he still smiled gently with the corners of his lips curving upwards.
Oh my, now they call him "Grand Strategist of Chaochao" so naturally...
[Just two hours ago you were calling her Chaochao, and now you're calling her Grand Strategist Chaochao? What will you be calling her this afternoon? Grandma Chaochao?]
[No, no, no, judging by Shi Jing's personality, I think he'll call me "baby" in a clingy, affectionate way!]
[Hahahaha, I feel like every word I say to Shi Jing right now is like sprinkling aphrodisiacs into the air around him!]
[An aphrodisiac? An aphrodisiac that makes you feel "hot, hot, hot" and "burning"? Damn it, just feed Shi Jing a whole bucket of it. Tonight, let him go to Chaochao's room to serve her.]
After searching the second floor, the three of them went down the stairs to the living room on the first floor. The living room was spacious and large, and because of the filming needs, there were a lot of equipment and miscellaneous items placed there, making it seem more likely that someone could hide there than in other public areas.
Ning Shi was so tired that she put her hands on her hips and started to speak weakly.
"We only have the first floor left to search, but we haven't caught a single person from Jinzhao and Shijing's group. Could they all be hiding in the living room?"
Fang Lei pondered for a few seconds and slowly nodded: "It is said that the most dangerous place is also the safest place. With Jin Zhao's extraordinary way of thinking, it is very likely that he is hiding right under our noses."
"Keep searching, we might be just one step away from victory."
“…Okay!” Ning Shi took a deep breath, mustered her energy again, and started sweeping from the front door of the villa, little by little, into the house.
But Li Weiwan's actions were not as swift as hers. He stood in the center of the living room, surveying the entire villa, and said hesitantly, "But I think it's probably not worth taking such a risk today..."
"What do you mean?" Fang Lei stopped and turned around, looking at Li Weiwan with a serious expression.
Li Weiwan first shook her head, then explained her thoughts uncertainly: "Jinzhao takes the competition very seriously. If she wants to hide, she should hide in an absolutely secluded place, instead of choosing to take risks right under our noses."
"So I'm more inclined to believe that they might still be hiding on the third floor."
[You guessed right! Jinzhao and Shijing are on the third floor! Lizi, hurry and catch them!]
[Brother Li, you finally guessed Jinzhao's heart right this time! Take this historic achievement and propose to her immediately!]
[Brother Li, I saved a spot for you under the bed today. Go lie down between her and Shi Jing!]
"Hmm..." Fang Lei rested his chin on his hand, seriously considered Li Weiwan's thoughts, and felt that what he said made some sense.
"Brother Li's suggestion is good, but we haven't searched the first floor yet, so we can't just leave it open like that. If we search the entire first floor and still don't find anyone, then we'll go back to the third floor and search it carefully again."
Li Weiwan: "Okay, let's get to work."
There were many hidden corners on the first floor. The three of them searched the entire area thoroughly, but they really couldn't find a single person.
Therefore, Li Weiwan's suggestion suddenly became even more advisable.
The three of them stood in the middle of the living room, exchanged glances, and then went up to the third floor together in tacit agreement.
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