Xia Miao felt that her internship during the final year of university had been somewhat useful. After all, in the year she graduated, she successfully passed the civil service exam and was soon to be assigned to a small town as an elementary school teacher.
Her university classmates were about to go their separate ways, so the class monitor proposed organizing one last class activity—a visit to the newly opened amusement park to play an escape room game.
This amusement park was built on a mountain, quite close to the town where Xia Miao would soon be working.
At first, Xia Miao didn’t want to go, but her classmates persuaded her, saying, “Haven’t you always wanted to fall in love? Going out means meeting more people. Who knows, you might find someone you fall for at first sight!”
Xia Miao thought about it and found the logic sound. “Fine, I’ll go too.”
Truth be told, her classmates couldn’t understand why Xia Miao hadn’t found a boyfriend. After all, she was beautiful, came from a wealthy family, and was the undisputed campus belle. Countless guys had pursued her, yet she always claimed she “didn’t feel anything.”
Someone once asked curiously, “What kind of feeling are you looking for?”
“The kind that makes my eyes light up, something unforgettable at first glance!”
Even when the school’s heartthrob walked by, Xia Miao wouldn’t spare him a second look. No one could guess how high her standards were. Some even labeled her the “aloof goddess,” deterring many would-be suitors who lacked the confidence to approach her.
Song Xiaoyuan was Xia Miao’s roommate and close friend. Before graduation, she also took the civil service exam and succeeded.
Some suggested the escape room might be too difficult and offered to team up with Xia Miao.
But Xia Miao decisively pulled Song Xiaoyuan aside. “No need. My friend and I will take a side quest.”
Song Xiaoyuan, who was timid, whispered, “Are you sure bringing me along isn’t just dead weight?”
Xia Miao replied quietly, “I’d rather not walk with those smelly men.”
Song Xiaoyuan saw right through it—those guys pretended to want to help, but they were really hoping for a scary moment where they could play the hero and protect the beauty.
Or, in their wildest dreams, if Xia Miao got so frightened she stumbled into their arms, wouldn’t that be a win?
Song Xiaoyuan clicked her tongue. “Those smelly men have such wicked thoughts!”
Most players had already formed teams, each assigned a side quest. Xia Miao and Song Xiaoyuan’s task was to find a ring dropped by the “victim.”
According to the storyline, the escape room was set in an abandoned hospital where a brutal massacre had occurred sixty years ago.
On a rainy night, a killer in a yellow raincoat appeared. No one knew who he was or what he looked like—only that he was a serial murderer who struck whenever heavy rain fell.
With so little information, people simply called him “Yellow Raincoat.”
The escape room was meticulously designed, complete with hospital equipment, toppled over, and walls splattered with artificial blood. Red lighting added to the eerie, sinister atmosphere, heightening the tension.
Song Xiaoyuan clung to Xia Miao’s arm as they slowly made their way down the hallway, their footsteps the only sound in the silence.
“I checked the walkthrough,” Song Xiaoyuan said nervously. “I heard there’s a chase scene… Do you think someone will really come after us?”
“Relax, they’re just live actors. If you trip, they’ll even help you up and ask if you’re hurt.”
Song Xiaoyuan couldn’t fathom how Xia Miao could be so fearless. Gulping, she added, “While researching, I found something else.”
Xia Miao perked up. “What?”
“They say there really was a hospital here before—a mental asylum. There are a lot of ghost stories about this place.”
Xia Miao urged, “Tell me.”
“They say a terrifying monster watches your every move from the shadows. Then, at night, you’ll see a black silhouette mimicking your actions. It copies your speech, then your thoughts, until finally… it replaces you.”
Xia Miao rubbed her arms. “That’s wild.”
The more Song Xiaoyuan spoke in this setting, the scarier it felt. She quickly changed the subject, pointing to a nearby room. “The clue said this is where the first victim died. The ring should be here!”
Xia Miao pushed the door open. The room was bathed in the same red light, but the “blood” here was even more abundant than in the hallway.
After searching, Xia Miao found a silver ring buried in a pile of discarded documents. “Got it!”
Suddenly, a noise came from the room.
A wardrobe burst open, and a long-haired NPC lunged out with a shriek.
Song Xiaoyuan screamed. “AHHH—!!!”
Xia Miao joined in, and the two bolted—but with zero coordination. One ran left, the other right. The NPC brushed aside its hair, glanced between them, then chased after Xia Miao, who had the ring.
Xia Miao, a pampered young lady, couldn’t run far before exhaustion set in. Remembering the rule that players could hide in cabinets during chases, she spotted one against the wall.
She dashed toward it—only to lock eyes with a pair gleaming eerily from within the cabinet’s cracks.
In the dim light, those pitch-black eyes glowed unnaturally, like a lurking stalker.
Noticing Xia Miao’s frozen shock, the eyes slowly curved into a sinister, elongated grin.
Pale fingers slithered out from the gap, cold as a corpse’s touch.
Then, abruptly, the cabinet door swung open. The fingers, wedged in the crack, snapped with a sickening crunch.
The dark eyes flickered with something unreadable.
A second later, Xia Miao shoved the yellow raincoat-clad figure back inside.
“Make room.”
She slammed the door shut, forcefully claiming half the cramped space.
The disheveled boy inside was tall, his body contorted unnaturally to fit into the tiny wardrobe.
Cradling his broken fingers, he lifted his face slightly, his pale features barely visible beneath the tangled hair.
Xia Miao stared at him, unblinking.
Then, pressing his blackened lips together, he reached a frigid hand toward her slender neck.
But before he could act, Xia Miao slid the ring onto his ring finger.
“I think you’re great. The moment I saw you, my heart started pounding like I was about to die.” She declared, “This must be love at first sight. Hey, here’s your chance—chase me, marry me. Consider this ring a trial run. Deal?”
The long-haired young man's hunched body stiffened.
The ring finger she had previously fractured now twisted downward from the joint, dangling limply.
