This chapter is a modern AU side story, unrelated to the main plot. Character personalities and relationships are just for fun. Lighthearted—feel free to enjoy.
May 20th, Wednesday, 3 PM.
Jiang Nuan stood on the commercial street outside the school gate, looking up at the sign of the murder mystery game shop in front of her.
【Mystery Box STUDIO · 520 Limited Edition · One Day Only】
The neon sign flickered in a tacky pink glow. A roll-up banner by the door read: Today's Limited Emotional Mystery Game "The Seventh Person" — 6-8 players, 4 hours, dinner included.
She glanced down at her phone.
The group chat name: 【Final Exam Study Squad (strikethrough) Need One More ASAP】
Jiang Ce: Nuannuan, you coming?! We just need you!
Qinian: If she's not coming, I'm not going either.
Shen Wu: Then don't come.
Qinian: What did you just say?
Jiang Ce: Please stop fighting...
Lu Shiyan: @Jiang Nuan What time will you be here?
After that last message, the chat fell silent for a few minutes.
Jiang Nuan stared at that "@". Her thumb hovered over the input box.
She typed a line: "I might be a little—"
Backspace. Deleted word by word.
Then she locked the screen.
Lu Shiyan had asked "what time" not "if".
He didn't give her a choice.
But he never did. Student council president, first in every subject, and last semester's linear algebra grade was saved thanks to his notes.
Owing someone a favor means you don't have the backbone to say no.
She came anyway.
She pushed the door open. Inside, the shop glowed with warm dim lighting, themed rooms lining both sides of the hallway. The receptionist glanced at her and gave a knowing smile.
"Players for 'The Seventh Person'? Room 3. You're the last one—everyone else is already here."
Jiang Nuan walked down the hallway and pushed open the door to Room 3.
Six people were already seated inside.
Round table, warm light, script materials and stacks of cards in the middle.
Lu Shiyan sat directly across from the door, leaning back in his chair, a cup of black Americano by his hand. His school blazer hung over the chair back, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a sliver of wrist. When he saw her come in, his gaze followed, then flicked to the empty seat beside him.
That empty seat was to his left.
Qinian lounged on the couch, legs crossed, biting on a lollipop. The moment he saw her, he grinned, the corners of his eyes tilting upward.
"You're here? Thought you were gonna stand us up."
"Stand you up maybe. Not everyone else." Jiang Nuan shot back without missing a beat.
Qinian pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and licked his lips.
"Hey, that's fine. At least I'm in your line of sight."
Qi Sui sat next to Qinian. Unlike the others drinking milk tea, he held a cup of hot tea. He smiled softly but said nothing. He wore a light gray knit sweater, looking every bit the easygoing type.
Ye Que leaned back in a chair in the corner, silent. Captain of the school shooting team. A man of few words, but his looks drew crowds—girls lined up down the corridor just to join the team. His gaze swept over Jiang Nuan once, then looked away.
Then he looked again.
…What's his problem.
Shen Wu sat diagonally across, flipping through a script binder while sipping milk tea, not even looking up.
"You hesitated in the hallway before walking in." He turned a page. "You were debating whether to fake a stomachache and bail."
"…"
Jiang Nuan's face tightened.
"I was not."
"You were." Shen Wu lifted an eyelid. "Your left hand squeezed your bag strap. That's your tell when you're nervous."
Jiang Ce leaned over from the other side and clapped a hand over Shen Wu's mouth to shut him up.
"Ignore him, come sit! I saved you a seat."
Then he looked at the empty seat next to Lu Shiyan.
Then he looked at the empty seat next to himself.
Both seats were empty.
A beat of silence.
Lu Shiyan's gaze swept over again. This time, he didn't look away.
Jiang Nuan sat down in the seat next to Lu Shiyan.
No particular reason. A seat's a seat.
She told herself.
Jiang Ce let out an "oh," his shoulders drooping a little, but he still smiled and pushed her milk tea over to her.
Lu Shiyan watched her sit down and gave the faintest nod.
So slight.
The kind that said "satisfied."
Jiang Ce muttered under his breath, "I saved that seat for ages, and the second she walks in she goes straight for the president…"
Shen Wu didn't look up. "You're depending on his notes for finals. So is she. Smart people know where to sit."
The receptionist walked in and started handing out scripts.
"Welcome, everyone, to the 520 Limited Emotional Mystery Game 'The Seventh Person'."
"The story is set in a villa. Six residents are trapped in a blizzard, and during their stay they discover signs of a seventh person in the house. Your job is to figure out who that seventh person is."
"This game includes deduction, faction play,"—she paused, smile widening—"and emotional interaction tasks."
"After each round of clue gathering, the system will randomly pair two players to complete an intimacy task card. Completing the task earns you an extra clue. Refusing costs you one clue you already have."
"Task content is decided by card draw. Players may not peek beforehand."
Jiang Nuan's smile slowly faded.
Random pairing. Intimacy tasks.
What?
She had a feeling she was being set up.
After rounds one and two of clue gathering, they drew for pairs.
The receptionist walked in holding a bamboo tube of lots.
"First round pairing. Everyone draws one stick. Players with matching colors are paired together."
The seven drew in turn.
Lu Shiyan drew blue.
Qinian was fastest, grabbing his second. He pulled it out: red.
His face visibly fell.
Jiang Nuan drew red.
Qinian's face visibly lit up.
Shen Wu leisurely drew his—blue.
The receptionist matched the colors. "Blue pairs with blue — Mr. Shen Wu and Mr. Lu Shiyan. Red pairs with red — Mr. Qinian and Miss Jiang Nuan. The other three sit out this round."
Qinian barely had time to celebrate.
The task card flipped open: 【Ten-second eye contact, distance no more than twenty centimeters.】
The receptionist added, "This card goes to the blue pair."
Lu Shiyan and Shen Wu stared at each other with blank faces for one second.
Shen Wu flipped the card over to make sure it wasn't a joke.
"…"
"…"
Ten seconds later.
Shen Wu took a step back.
"Never want to lock eyes with you again."
Lu Shiyan took a sip of his coffee, expression unchanged.
"Red pair's task card." The receptionist flipped open the second card.
【Tie red string around your wrists, bound together. Do not untie for fifteen minutes.】
Qinian's lollipop nearly dropped out of his mouth.
He shoved it back in, bit down on the stick, and stood up, his eyes practically glowing.
"Fate," he said.
The receptionist handed over a thin red string.
Qinian took it.
He didn't tie it right away.
He held the string in his palm for two seconds.
Then he turned, crouched down, and looked up at Jiang Nuan, who was still seated.
From this low angle, his gaze seemed different.
Looking up from below, the curve of his eye was drawn longer.
"Give me your hand," he said.
His voice was low.
The other five people in the room were all watching.
Jiang Nuan could feel five pairs of eyes land on her hand at the same time.
She held out her left hand.
Qinian's fingers were burning hot.
He looped the red string around her wrist, then around his own, and tied a knot.
It wasn't tight. But the moment she moved, the string would tug gently toward him.
He stood up, refused to go back to his seat, and simply dragged his chair over to sit beside her.
Their two hands, bound together by the red string, rested on the table.
His thumb brushed across her wrist bone.
"Fifteen minutes," he said in a low voice. "Too short."
"Too long." From across the table came Lu Shiyan's voice, calm and cold.
But the American coffee cup in his hand had already been crushed into a crease.
Qi Sui lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.
His gaze fell on the wrists of his younger brother and Jiang Nuan, tied together, and lingered for two seconds.
Then he curved his eyes.
There was no deep smile in them, but the look stretched on.
Fifteen minutes passed quickly. When it came time to untie the string, Qinian's fingers dawdled. Jiang Nuan reached over herself and tugged the knot loose.
The string fell onto the table.
Qinian stared at it.
"Can I keep it?"
"That's a prop from the shop," said Jiang Nuan.
"I wasn't asking you." Qinian turned his head to look at the girl at the front desk.
The girl behind the counter blushed and nodded.
Qinian pocketed the red string.
Round three.
Pairing result: Ye Que and Jiang Nuan.
Ye Que stood up from the corner. He had a cold face, high brow bones, and extremely dark eyes. When he stared at someone, it was like looking through a scope and locking on a target.
The task card was flipped open: [Blindfolded, based on touch alone, find the other person's hand and interlace fingers. Time limit: thirty seconds.]
The front desk girl handed over two blindfolds.
The moment Jiang Nuan put the blindfold on, everything went black.
She stood still, reached out a hand, and groped forward.
Nothing.
"Ye Que?"
No reply.
The surroundings were quiet, only the breathing of the others.
She took a step forward.
Her fingers brushed against something. Fabric. The fabric of a hoodie.
The second her fingers touched his clothes, her wrist was grabbed.
Ye Que's fingers were long and sharp, with a heavy sense of bone.
He didn't speak.
One by one, his five fingers slid into the gaps between hers, perfectly interlocked.
The movement was fast, as though he had measured the distance long ago.
Jiang Nuan's heartbeat suddenly sped up.
He had found her too fast.
While she was still fumbling, he had already grasped her precisely.
As if he didn't need to see her to know exactly where she was.
Thirty seconds were up.
They let go of each other.
Jiang Nuan took off her blindfold.
Ye Que had already retreated back to his corner.
His right hand was resting on his knee. His fingers spread apart, then closed again.
As if his palm still held a lingering warmth.
Round four.
Pairing result: Qi Sui and Jiang Nuan.
Qinian made a "what gives" expression.
Qi Sui put down his teacup and stood up with a smile.
The task card was flipped open: [One person closes their eyes, and the other draws a heart on their face with a finger.]
"Who closes their eyes?" asked Jiang Nuan?
"You draw," said Qi Sui.
He sat down in front of her and closed his eyes.
The light fell on his face. His lashes were long.
When he closed his eyes, he became even quieter and gentler, like a senior in a university library who would sit next to you and read peacefully.
Jiang Nuan's hand lifted, hovering above his face with a little nervousness.
Her fingertip landed on his left cheek.
His skin was a little cool.
She started from below his cheekbone, drew an arc downward, then back up, to the other cheekbone.
Halfway through, Qi Sui suddenly laughed.
The moment he laughed, the muscles in his cheeks moved, and her finger slipped off course.
"Don't laugh," she said.
"It tickles," he said, but didn't open his eyes.
Jiang Nuan focused and drew again.
This time she drew very slowly, her fingertip tracing lightly across his skin.
When the heart was finished, her fingertip stayed on his cheek, not retracting.
Because Qi Sui's hand had lifted.
He covered her hand with his and pressed it against his own face.
His palm was cool.
He opened his eyes.
At that close distance, those eyes curved. "Done?"
"…Yeah."
"Then I'll take it."
From beside them came Qinian's voice. "Bro, that's enough."
Qi Sui let go, returned to his seat, and picked up his teacup. Behind the rim, those eyes curved even deeper.
Between round three and round four, Jiang Nuan made an excuse to go to the bathroom.
She stood at the sink, splashed cold water on her face.
The face in the mirror was red at an absurd degree.
She stared at herself for a few seconds.
Then she looked down and saw a faint red mark left on the inside of her left wrist, from the red string earlier.
"…Calm down." She whispered to herself.
She steadied her mind.
Then she pushed the door open and walked back out.
Round five.
Pairing result: Jiang Ce and Jiang Nuan.
Jiang Ce was happy for exactly one second.
The task card was flipped open: [Princess carry the other person and hold for ten seconds.]
His eyes lit up.
Then he looked at Jiang Nuan, and then at his own arms.
"You… I'm strong, I definitely won't drop you. But if you don't want to, I'll—"
Jiang Ce walked over and asked very seriously. "Is it okay?"
Jiang Nuan looked at him, a head taller than her, and the wide shoulders built up from team training.
She swallowed quietly.
"Okay."
The moment she said it, a pair of hands lifted her up.
One hand at her back, one at the bend of her knees.
Her body was lifted off the ground, and she landed firmly against a chest like a wall.
Jiang Ce carried her very steadily.
No trembling at all.
His arms were hardening, but the force of his grip was extremely careful.
Jiang Nuan was enclosed in a space that was far too safe.
He looked down at her. His smile was big, but his ears were red.
"Ten seconds, just ten seconds. I'll count."
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
He counted very slowly.
So slowly it made Jiang Nuan suspect he was doing it on purpose.
From the side came Shen Wu's voice. "Jiang Ce, put her down already. I can hear your heartbeat from here. Careful you don't faint."
Jiang Ce's face was completely red.
"How do you know my heartbeat is fast!"
"It's written all over your face," said Shen Wu flatly.
Ten seconds were up.
Jiang Ce set her down.
Jiang Nuan stood steady and glanced back at him.
Jiang Ce was lowering his head, one hand covering his own ear.
The other hand was clenched into a fist.
Probably trying to control his heartbeat.
Round six.
The final round of clue searching was over.
By this point, the story had progressed far enough.
Jiang Nuan had collected enough clues.
But there was one clue that remained missing—the identity of the seventh person.
She spread all her clue cards out on the table.
In the background stories of the six characters, the same person was repeatedly mentioned.
No name, no gender. Only a code name.
But each clue described a different detail. Stitched together, they were like tracing the outline of a person.
She arranged the six clues in order and read them from start to finish.
Her heartbeat slowly quickened.
The code name was "N".
She flipped over the final round's pairing card.
It was no longer random. It was a designated card.
Pairing object: Lu Shiyan.
Jiang Nuan stared at those words for three seconds.
From the first round to the fifth round: Shen Wu and Lu Shiyan, Qinian and her, Ye Que and her, Qi Sui and her, Jiang Ce and her.
In the first round, they paired Lu Shiyan with Shen Wu, keeping him out of her partners. Every round after that, she was paired with someone different.
The final round, it was finally his turn.
Too coincidental.
So coincidental it didn't feel random.
She looked up at Lu Shiyan.
Lu Shiyan sat across from her, showing no sign of anything unusual, his fingers resting on the edge of the table, his shirt collar perfectly straight.
The last task card was flipped open.
【With the lights off, tell the other person a secret only the two of you know.】
The lights went out.
The private room plunged into darkness in an instant.
Only the small ambient lamp in the middle of the table remained on, casting a warm yellow glow that didn't reach far, barely outlining a few figures.
The others fell silent.
A hand reached out from the darkness and clicked the small lamp off.
Complete blackness.
Jiang Nuan sat in the dark.
She couldn't see a thing.
But on her right side, she felt someone draw near.
Then came the shift in air pressure as a body moved closer.
Lu Shiyan's voice sounded through the darkness, very close.
"I'll go first."
His breath brushed past her ear.
"This script was booked by me a month ago."
Jiang Nuan's breath caught.
"I've seen the order in which the task cards appear. I adjusted the pairings—including removing myself from the first round."
His voice was calm.
"I let them draw first because I wanted to save the last round for myself."
Silence.
In the darkness, only two people's breathing could be heard.
"Why?" Jiang Nuan's voice was barely a whisper.
"Because letting them go first—"
Lu Shiyan paused.
"—is the only way you'd know whether the person standing before you at the end is different."
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
In the darkness, Jiang Nuan gripped the hem of her clothes.
Her heart was racing.
"Well, your secret's done," Jiang Nuan said, her voice a little hoarse. "My turn."
She took a deep breath.
"I actually knew before I came that you were the one who booked this script."
A beat.
"Your purchase history isn't set to private—your friends can see it."
