New Year's Eve party
A light rain fell in the evening, making the mountain road wet and slippery, with small water droplets constantly sliding down the car window. Rolling down the window, a bone-chilling cold rushed in with the wind, the air itself carrying a frigid scent. Wenyan then closed the window again.
After passing through a brown cedar forest, the car stopped in front of an iron gate. Under a leaden sky, the villa stood silently, its white paint somewhat faded, and withered, gnarled ivy clung tightly to the villa's mottled walls, making it appear even more eerie and sinister.
“Wenyan,” Sanno said cheerfully as she ran out. She had seen Wenyan’s car from upstairs. “Come on in.”
The yard was large, but there were few things. Looking around, there was only an old stone fountain pool and a wooden swing placed in front of a withered flower bed. The wooden planks were slightly cracked and the ropes did not look very strong.
Wen Yan said, "This place... is a bit desolate."
Sanno said mysteriously, "That's the feeling I want. Ke Shuyao said this villa has been abandoned for almost ten years, and they only had someone clean it yesterday."
Wen Yan had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and even felt a strange resistance to entering the villa.
Seeing Wen Yan's reluctance, Sangnuo took his hand and comforted him, "It's okay, there are so many people here, let's go in first."
He had begged his brother for a long time not to go back so easily in order to come to this party.
The house was warm with the heating on, and the decor, mainly cream-colored, gave it a cozy feel, a stark contrast to its gloomy exterior.
Several people sat on the sofa, the floor was covered with a fluffy blanket, and in the middle was a white round table, which was filled with snacks, desserts, fruits and drinks.
Lin Pianyue came out of the kitchen carrying a large, transparent bowl filled with lush greenery. She used a fork to pick up a piece of green and gave it to him, saying, "Try the salad I made."
Wen Yan chewed it, "It's a bit astringent."
"I'll go add some more salad dressing." Lin Pianyue turned around and went back into the kitchen.
A group of people were intently watching the television screen. Wen Yan glanced at it and judged from the actors' terrified expressions that it was a horror movie.
Looking at the somewhat dilapidated villa, Wen Yan had a bad feeling. "Is there going to be any special activities tonight?"
Ke Shuyao chuckled, "Smart! This villa is big, we can play hide-and-seek tonight."
Wenyan asked, "So, we're just playing hide-and-seek?"
Ke Shuyao smiled but remained silent.
Mosa hooked her arm around his shoulder and sat down. "Oh, it's okay. Even if something happens, you still have Su Jibai to keep you company."
Mentioning Su Jibai brought a blush to Wen Yan's face; she wondered if the tooth mark had faded.
Fei Qingyu, who had played water volleyball with them last time, was also there. She suddenly leaned close to Wen Yan and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Wen Yan, are you and Su Jibai really together?"
Anyway, it's all common knowledge, Wen Yan nodded.
Fei Qingyu nodded, "I will tell my cousin to give up on that idea."
The question is vague and unclear; what does this have to do with anyone else?
Who is your cousin?
"Hmm..." Fei Qingyu was about to say it, but then covered her mouth and slipped back to her original seat. "I can't tell you."
Wen Yan: "..." Actually, he just asked casually and wasn't really that curious.
As soon as the doorbell rang, Ke Shuyao put down the soda he was holding. "Coming, coming!"
The person who came in was Lin Jiapeng. He greeted them with a smile and sat down directly next to Wen Yan.
He asked, "You two didn't have a fight yesterday, did you?"
They started kissing while they were talking. Does that count as arguing?
Wen Yan thought for a moment, then said, "No."
Lin Jiapeng seemed relieved, and said with a relaxed expression, "That's good. I only found out yesterday that the last dance was for couples. I'm really sorry." (Yeah, right.)
"It's okay, he's not that petty." That's true.
Lin Chia-peng gave a cryptic smile. "Is that so?"
After the horror movie ended, everyone had arrived. Su Jibai immediately squeezed between Wen Yan and Lin Jiapeng, and asked with a smile, "Can I sit here?"
Wen Yan quickly moved aside to let him sit down.
He glanced at Su Jibai's lips; the mark had faded and was barely noticeable unless he looked closely.
Ke Shuyao stood up, beaming, and announced the official start of the party. Everyone gave him face and cheered.
They sat around the long table, and Ke Shuyao chuckled, "For the first game, I have something you don't."
"Simply put, it means the speaker says something they haven't done, and if anyone in the room has done it, they get to drink a glass of wine."
Ke Shuyao took out the slips he had made that afternoon, tossed them into the air, and randomly picked one out. "Fei Qingyu, you go first."
Fei Qingyu smiled shyly, "I've never been in a relationship."
Everyone let out a wail, and except for her and Lin Jiapeng, they all picked up a glass of wine and drank it.
After finishing his drink, Ke Shuyao pointed at Lin Jiapeng and said, "Your turn."
"I've never been kissed."
"Damn!" Everyone drank another glass.
Lin Pianyue said indignantly, "Can you two please stop talking about love and all that stuff!"
Mosa chimed in, "Exactly, please be understanding of those of us who can't hold our liquor."
Going clockwise, the next person was Liu Xirou. She smiled slyly and said, "I've done part-time jobs."
"Ouch!" Everyone drank another cup, but Wen Yan hesitated as she looked at the wine in front of her.
Sanno held the drink right to his lips, "Don't even think about trying to skip drinking!"
"Exactly, exactly." The crowd gave him a disdainful look.
Liu Xirou smoothed things over, saying, "Ayan just didn't realize it yet."
Su Jibai seemed to be deep in thought, glancing sideways at Wen Yan's reaction.
Wen Yan had no choice but to drink, feeling resentful. He had also worked part-time in his original world!
Long Chen pondered for a moment, "I haven't eaten dragon fruit since I was three years old."
"Because you're allergic to dragon fruit!" Another clinking of glasses echoed.
As a male god-like figure in the school, Long Chen's likes and dislikes have long been clearly displayed on the forum, including the incident when he was three years old and his entire face became red and swollen from eating dragon fruit.
When it was Su Jibai's turn, he said, "I have never sworn."
"Damn it!" Except for Liu Xirou, everyone cursed and drank another cup.
Fei Qingyu was shocked. There were actually two people in this world who didn't swear!
Ke Shuyao said in disbelief, "There's actually someone who has never sworn. That's amazing... I'm using the word in a compliment."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Wen Yan grinned mischievously: "I got a perfect score on my physics test." During the opening exam, due to the system's tyranny, Wen Yan could only answer the multiple-choice questions with her eyes closed, leaving all other questions blank.
Everyone silently drank a glass of wine.
After drinking several rounds of wine, Lin Pianyue said quietly, "So this is what a slacker can do."
When it was Mosa's turn, a strange smile appeared in her eyes. "Finally, it's my turn! I've never used my hands."
After a moment of silence, the girl burst into laughter, and the boy silently picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.
Lin Chia-peng: "Don't target us men."
Wen Yan and Ke Shuyao said in unison, "Agreed."
After this round of the game, the strangers had become quite familiar with each other, and the atmosphere was relaxed, cheerful, and harmonious.
Ke Shuyao clapped his hands, "Let's start the next game!"
"hide and seek?"
Pulling out a bunch of slips from below, Ke Shuyao said, "Bingo! Everyone, let's draw a slip to divide into teams. Red is the hunter, and blue is the prey."
"Three hunters, six prey."
Everyone unfolded the lots they had drawn and announced their identities: Su, Long, and Fei were the hunters, and the rest were the prey.
Upon seeing Su Jibai's signature, Wen Yan silently moved a little further away from him. Su Jibai smiled, hooked his arm around Wen Yan's waist, and pulled him back to his side.
Su Jibai and Long Chen definitely wouldn't let them off the hook. Mo Sha and Sang Nuo turned to Fei Qingyu for mercy, looking at her with pitiful eyes, "Please let us off the hook."
Fei Qingyu looked pleased with the beautiful women's request, saying, "If I can find you all..."
"yeah!"
Lin Pianyue was full of fighting spirit. Luckily, she arrived early and had already toured the villa. She smiled smugly, knowing that no one would be able to find her!
Ke Shuyao carried over the large box under the TV. Inside was a can of fluorescent powder, three flashlights, and six black vests. "Put your cell phone in the living room, hunters take the flashlights, stick fluorescent powder on your hands, and prey put on the vests."
“When a hunter touches a vest with his hands covered in fluorescent powder, the vest will glow. Prey whose vests glow is considered eliminated. The area where the prey hides cannot exceed the outer fence.” Ke Shuyao blinked. “Although this villa belongs to my family, this is my first time here, and I’m as unfamiliar with it as everyone else.”
"If the hunter catches all the prey within forty minutes, he wins; otherwise, the prey wins."
“I’ve already set my alarm. The game will end when it goes off.” Ke Shuyao stood up. “Hunters, please stand ten meters away from the villa fence, count to one hundred, and then come in.”
Everyone put down their phones and grabbed their gear. The hunter looked confident and determined, while the prey grinned and excitedly left.
Ke Shuyao turned off the power, plunging the entire villa into darkness, making it even more eerie.
Wen Yan was about to go upstairs when he was embraced from behind. A warm breath brushed against his ear, and Su Jibai whispered in his ear, "Wait for me to come and catch you."
"No using your position for personal revenge!" Wen Yan turned around and glared at him.
He kissed him, and Su Jibai left with a smile.
Watching the three hunters' departing figures, Wen Yan was conflicted. Should he go upstairs? What if Su Jibai really came upstairs specifically to catch him?
After a struggle, Wen Yan resolutely went into the room on the first floor.
He was startled as soon as he opened the door to the room.
All the furniture inside was covered with white cloth, probably for ventilation. The windows were open, and a cold wind blew in, causing the white cloth to flutter in the air.
Wen Yan clutched his heart; it was terrifying. He decided to find another place.
The kitchen was at the back. He pushed open the door and came face to face with Lin Pianyue. He looked her over again and asked, "Is there a place to hide here?"
Lin Pianyue smiled mysteriously, opened the cabinet next to the range hood, stepped onto the sink, and quickly retreated into the cabinet. She pointed to the shelf next to her.
How can someone so big squeeze into such a tiny cubicle?!
Wen Yan was dumbfounded; he didn't know the art of bone shrinking.
He politely declined her offer and left the kitchen to find another way out. By the moonlight, Wen Yan seemed to see another door in the depths of the darkness. Just as he was about to go in, he heard a sound from outside.
"Click." The door opened, and several beams of bright light shone directly into the living room, dazzlingly bright.
Opening the door would make a sound, so Wen Yan abandoned the front door and crouched down to the bottom of the stairs, where there was a narrow indentation that he should be able to squeeze himself in.
Fortunately, the cleaning staff cleaned the villa thoroughly today; otherwise, given Wenyan's playstyle, she would have to take a shower after the game ended.
The sound of footsteps, neither too light nor too heavy, gradually approached. One person went up the stairs, and the other opened the kitchen door.
Wen Yan silently lit a candle for Lin Pianyue in her heart.
After a long while, that person went upstairs, and another person kept wandering between the storeroom and the guest room.
Long Chen stood at the top of the stairs. "Is someone there?"
Fei Qingyu walked to the side of the stairs, constantly changing the position of the flashlight, and frowned, saying, "I feel like someone is there."
The bright beams of light grew increasingly blinding, and the footsteps drew ever closer. Wen Yan could clearly hear his heartbeat, each beat louder than the last. He felt like crying, desperately hoping they wouldn't find him; he didn't want to be eliminated so soon.
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