On New Year's Eve.
To spend New Year's together, everyone had been studying hard at home for a week, completing their winter holiday homework in advance.
At nine in the morning, everyone gathered in the VIP lounge at the airport.
Everyone arrived as promised, and to Song Yi's surprise, Xu Che came too.
She glanced at Hang Feng, but fortunately, he showed no unusual reaction.
Shen Yujing had his hand on Xu Che's shoulder, grinning foolishly: "I invited Xu Che."
In Shen Yujing's view, everyone present was dangerous.
Like Quan Le, Hang Feng, and Jiang Yiheng.
When he learned who would be joining for New Year's, Shen Yujing felt isolated and helpless.
After much consideration, he approached Murong Huan and suggested inviting Xu Che along.
Murong Huan and Xu Che had a decent relationship, and after confirming it wouldn't be an issue with Hang Feng, everyone gathered here.
Shen Yujing thought himself clever for finding someone who could temporarily stand on his side.
With some time before the flight, everyone chatted while waiting.
Murong Huan's sharp eyes noticed the clothes Song Yi was wearing and said, "You're wearing the birthday gift from Quan Le! It took us three hours of shopping together to pick this out, do you like it?"
"Of course," Song Yi replied with a smile, even turning around in front of Murong Huan to show off the coat properly. "You have the best taste. I'm going to wear it tonight while staying up for the New Year too."
Quan Le lifted his chin, clearly proud of this.
Meanwhile, Hang Feng's gaze fell on Song Yi's wrist. Though he wasn't part of the conversation, seeing her wearing that Buddhist bracelet made his lips curl up involuntarily, even easing much of his tension and uncertainty about spending two days with Xu Che.
On the other side, Shen Yujing's expression grew serious, his gaze toward Quan Le becoming more complex.
How calculating of Quan Le to give Song Yi something as practical as clothes!
What would she think of when wearing this coat every day? Of course, the person who gave it to her!
Who would have thought that Quan Le would be the one he needed to guard against the most!
At that moment, Song Yi discovered cute bear patterns inside the coat's collar and huddled with Murong Huan to look at them.
Quan Le leaned in too, "Really? What does it look like? Let me see too!"
Shen Yujing grew anxious and couldn't sit still anymore.
He walked right up and grabbed Quan Le's collar, pulling him back.
What's there to look at? Why stand so close? They're practically touching!
Quan Le turned around bewildered, "What are you doing?"
Why suddenly grab someone's collar like that?
Shen Yujing pulled him toward the exit, saying coldly: "Bathroom."
Quan Le: "?"
Hadn't they just gone before entering the lounge? How could he need to go again so soon?
Frequent urination in men isn't good... that's a prostate problem, and it could lead to...
Thinking this, Quan Le's expression became complicated, his gaze toward Shen Yujing turning sympathetic.
So Quan Le broke free from Shen Yujing's grip on his collar and instead put his arm around Shen Yujing's shoulders.
He said: "Come on, I'll go with you to the bathroom. Don't worry, no one will make fun of you with me around."
Shen Yujing: "...?"
Huh? Make fun of him for what?
As Shen Yujing followed Quan Le out in confusion, he heard Quan Le sigh beside him and say softly: "Poor thing."
Shen Yujing: "?"
Was Quan Le calling him pitiful? In the way he thought?
Could it be that Quan Le had seen through his intention to prevent him from getting close to Song Yi, so... so...
Shen Yujing understood - Quan Le was provoking him!
Because his gift wasn't as well-liked by Song Yi as Quan Le's.
Hah, Shen Yujing laughed from anger, then pressed his hand on Quan Le's head as they stumbled out together in an extremely twisted "friendly" pose.
But Quan Le thought Shen Yujing was acting out because he'd hit upon his sensitive issue.
After all, for a man, having problems anywhere else is fine, but there...
Ah, never mind.
Poor thing, really.
Watching Shen Yujing and Quan Le's retreating figures, Murong Huan frowned and asked, "Are they fighting?"
Song Yi replied, "No, this is proof that they're good friends."
*
On the plane.
Naturally, Song Yi sat with Murong Huan, and just as Quan Le was about to find Shen Yujing, he saw Shen Yujing pulling Xu Che to sit behind Song Yi and Murong Huan.
Quan Le frowned, never expecting Shen Yujing to be this kind of person.
Just because he knew Shen Yujing's secret, he was going to distance himself?
Quan Le felt quite wronged.
At this point, only Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng were left.
Quan Le felt he was more familiar with Jiang Yiheng and was about to invite him to sit together.
But before boarding, Jiang Yiheng had already thought it through.
Most people here were too noisy.
Recalling his tragic experience from the last grade trip, Jiang Yiheng had already chosen the most suitable person, so he decided to sit with Hang Feng.
There's no such thing as true empathy in this world, but he and Hang Feng... should be able to understand each other.
The left-out Quan Le: "?"
After the plane stabilized at cruising altitude, Murong Huan raised her selfie stick and said, "Everyone look at the camera, let's take a group photo!"
Everyone looked at the camera - some cooperatively making peace signs, others expressionless, but all participated.
Murong Huan looked down satisfied and posted the group photo to her Moments.
Murong Huan V: New Year's trip with friends (happy) [Photo]
Because everyone in the photo was highly popular among Saint Slee students, Murong Huan's post instantly sparked numerous discussions and was naturally reposted to the Saint Slee forum.
[Shocking news, family! Murong Huan's Moments post is quite something!]
1L: Sharing [Photo]
6L: Awww they're really such good friends, I'm jealous.
14L: I wish I had friends like this too! To go on New Year's trips together!
22L: When did Song Yi start hanging out with this group... I'm curious.
27L: Not just Song Yi, Jiang Yiheng and Murong Huan traveling together? Are they getting engaged after graduation?
31L: Hey, that's nothing, isn't the most surprising thing that Xu Che is in this photo?
37L: The Xu Che from Saint Yu Academy? Weren't he and Shen Yujing always at odds?
41L: They're even sitting together, looking quite friendly
47L: Isn't Xu Che Hang Feng's half-brother from the same father?
51L: Damn! These relationships are complicated.
57L: I don't understand, but I'm shocked.
...
At the Jiang residence.
Jiang Qi leaned back in his chair, holding his phone, clicking on the Saint Slee forum link his friend sent him.
He remained silent for a long while after seeing the group photo.
It seemed Xu Che had an even better relationship with the Saint Slee crowd than he'd imagined.
At this moment, two other followers stood before him, clearly looking incredulous as well.
"How could..."
One follower muttered: "Wasn't Brother Che on the worst terms with Shen Yujing? How are they going on a New Year's trip together now?"
"If they're such good friends, what was the point of us helping him oppose Shen Yujing?"
"Yeah, isn't he just making fools of us?"
Both looked very dissatisfied, and various student group chats at Saint Yu Academy were also discussing this matter.
Jiang Qi gave a cold laugh, seemingly trying hard to suppress his anger.
One follower stepped closer to Jiang Qi and said: "Brother Jiang, what Brother Che did isn't right. He's the one who made Shen Yujing our enemy at Saint Yu Academy, but what now? We helped him, yet he secretly reconciled with the enemy and became brothers. What does that make us? Last time at your house too, he kept protecting that girl from Saint Slee."
"Yeah, Brother Jiang, I'd say what Brother Che did amounts to betraying Saint Yu Academy, betraying us."
Jiang Qi's face was dark, and his fingers gripping his phone trembled uncontrollably, as if he was holding back some strong emotions.
*
After a nap on the plane, they finally arrived at their destination.
The Murong family's car was already waiting, a long stretch Lincoln that directly took everyone to their destination.
As Murong Huan had said, it was an extremely beautiful castle, a very typical Gothic architecture, looking retro and luxurious.
When they arrived, servants and butlers came out to help them with their luggage.
Yes, all of them were the Murong family's butlers and servants.
Murong Huan frowned and said, "Why are you here? I said I didn't need anyone."
Shen Yujing asked casually, "But if they're not here, what will we eat?"
Murong Huan: "……"
The butler bowed respectfully and said, "Miss, Shen Shao is right. For the next two days, we will stay in the building on the far side, preparing meals, afternoon tea, and snacks for everyone during mealtimes, and we will not appear to disturb you and your friends at other times."
Only then did Murong Huan reluctantly accept.
The servants helped everyone carry their luggage to the second floor and prepared the rooms. Murong Huan pulled Song Yi's hand and said, "Let's share a room."
Song Yi nodded and agreed, "Okay."
Apart from them sharing a room, everyone else had their own separate rooms.
The butlers and servants quickly left, as if they had never been there.
Murong Huan was the "main organizer" of this trip, and she had already started making arrangements. "Everyone go back to their rooms to sort out their things, and meet in the living room on the first floor in half an hour."
As she spoke, Murong Huan pulled Song Yi back to their room first, took out her favorite lipstick, applied it herself, and then pinched Song Yi's chin to help her apply some too.
"So beautiful," Murong Huan's hand still pinched Song Yi's chin, exaggeratedly puckering her lips at her, "Mwah."
Song Yi pushed her away, and the two of them laughed together on the bed.
Until they started packing, Song Yi's bulging suitcase caught Murong Huan's curiosity. She asked, "Did you bring a lot of stuff for just two days?"
Song Yi opened her suitcase and showed Murong Huan the contents.
Couplets, lucky characters, and unopened red lanterns.
Murong Huan: "……"
She regretted asking that question.
Did these things really have to appear in her castle? She couldn't imagine that scene.
Song Yi said, "My dad made me bring them. He thinks there should always be a festive atmosphere, no matter where we are."
So Song Yi took out a stack of lucky characters and picked up some tape, "Come on, let's go stick them up."
Murong Huan was silent for three seconds before deciding to compromise, everything for Song Yi's happiness.
When the first lucky character was stuck on Quan Le's room door, Quan Le opened the door and saw their handiwork, his expression was extremely complicated, as if he was questioning himself.
Murong Huan burst out laughing, suddenly feeling that this was quite interesting.
So for the rest of the time, Murong Huan was very cooperative and even more proactive than Song Yi.
Soon, all the couplets and lucky characters in Song Yi's suitcase were stuck on every door on the second floor, and Murong Huan's originally imagined European castle had turned into a mixed Chinese-Western, red and hot New Year style.
However... it was quite interesting.
Murong Huan looked at everything in front of her with satisfaction, thinking carefully, it was like this that it felt like New Year!
Soon, everyone came out of their rooms one by one, all finding couplets and lucky characters stuck on their doors.
Although they felt it was a bit out of place, since it was Murong Huan's arrangement, no one said much.
Except for Shen Yujing—
"Hahahahahahahaha what style is this? This castle looks eerie and scary, are we using Eastern methods to ward off ghosts? Murong Huan, should I praise your creativity, at least it looks pretty funny."
Murong Huan was speechless, and seeing that the two were about to argue, Song Yi quickly pulled Murong Huan back a step. She looked at Shen Yujing and said, "I brought these, Huan Huan helped me stick them up."
Shen Yujing's smile instantly froze on his face.
"Uh..."
Shen Yujing's gaze swept around again, trying to find something to say to save face, "Actually, if you look closely, I think it's pretty good. The combination of Eastern and Western elements is very good, even though we are abroad, we can still feel the joy of the New Year."
Song Yi rolled her eyes at this, it was really quite a stretch.
Murong Huan just snorted coldly, she only said one word: "Heh."
Thinking it was funny when she stuck them up, but after knowing Song Yi did it, he tried his best to praise them?
Heh! Shen Yujing!
Heh! Men!
Heh! Bastard!
In the living room.
Everyone sat around the sofa.
The table was filled with various pastries and fruits, Song Yi ate while listening to Murong Huan talk.
Murong Huan's arrangement was this, before dinner, everyone would play a game together.
Quan Le obviously agreed, asking, "Great, what game?"
Shen Yujing's eyes also lit up with interest.
Murong Huan stood up, proudly answering in front of everyone's expectant/puzzled gazes, "The name of this game is—
Hide and Seek!"
Everyone: "……"
How old are they, playing hide and seek?
Seeing that everyone didn't seem very interested, Murong Huan explained, "This isn't just any hide and seek, because there are many settings in the rooms of this castle. Like secret doors, cellars, and so on. My father also said that there are many treasures left behind by the previous owner, and if anyone finds them, they can take them back. But everyone should remember to keep their phones with them, in case something happens and they need to contact someone."
The game instantly turned from hide and seek into treasure hunting.
Although those present were basically not short of money, people are always curious about the unknown, just like knowing they are a black man who can't draw anything good from blind boxes, but still enjoy the thrill of buying them.
So this time, no one raised any objections.
Murong Huan announced the rules of the game, saying, "The activity range is limited to this main building, two people are in charge of finding, the remaining five people hide. If the hiding people are not all found, they win. If everyone is caught, the two people in charge of finding win."
Very simple game rules, nothing to discuss, so everyone quickly decided the two people in charge of finding through rock-paper-scissors.
Shen Yujing and Quan Le.
These two used to be the little devils of Saint Slee, and after so many years, they were also very tacit, which made the game seem difficult for others.
Only Song Yi breathed a sigh of relief—
Yay!
It's two idiots in charge of finding? Then this game is simple.
Because there were too many rooms on the three floors of this main building, the hiding people had five minutes to hide.
And Shen Yujing and Quan Le sat on the sofa with pillows over their eyes, counting down together from three hundred.
Naturally, everyone first left the first floor, dispersing to the second and third floors.
Song Yi and Murong Huan chose the third floor.
They pushed open several rooms, but couldn't find a suitable hiding place.
Murong Huan's hand rested on her chin, full of doubts, "I remember there are secret doors connecting two rooms on the third floor, but I can't remember."
Song Yi said helplessly, "If you can't remember, forget about the secret doors, let's just find a place to hide first."
Murong Huan nodded, agreeing with Song Yi's opinion.
The two quickly found a storage room, filled with many cabinets, the door was also blocked by chairs and other things.
If it were usual, Murong Huan would have complained about the butler's incompetence, but today she only felt that this place was very suitable for hiding.
So Murong Huan turned back and waved to Song Yi, signaling her to come quickly.
Murong Huan didn't dare to make a sound, she was afraid that others would hear and come to compete with her for such a good place.
The two of them struggled to cross the chairs and entered the inner part of the room, but when Song Yi opened the door and saw Jiang Yiheng inside the cabinet, the three of them fell into silence.
Murong Huan was furious, asking, "How did you get here?"
Jiang Yiheng calmly replied, "I was here first."
"Then why didn't you make a sound?"
Jiang Yiheng answered, "I thought it was Shen Yujing and the others who had come."
There was no flaw in this response, and Murong Huan couldn't refute it.
Song Yi frowned and said, "Stop talking, we need to hurry up, we're really running out of time."
Murong Huan glared at Jiang Yiheng resentfully, then, with great difficulty, she and Song Yi climbed out again, giving Jiang Yiheng the middle finger as they left.
Jiang Yiheng remained indifferent, then silently closed the cabinet door again.
At that moment, Shen Yujing and Quan Le's voices echoed from downstairs—
"60, 59, 58..."
Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged a glance, both realizing that time was running out.
So they pushed open two doors, finding neither suitable for hiding, and when the third door was pushed open, they didn't bother to choose further, each hiding in a separate cabinet.
Of course, Song Yi regretted it the moment she pulled the cabinet door open.
It would have been better to hide under a bed than in such an obvious place.
However, as soon as she pushed the cabinet door closed from the inside, Song Yi felt something was wrong.
Because her shoulder seemed to have bumped into something, and it was clear...
There was someone next to her!
This sudden thrill was too much, especially in this ancient castle with its history and stories.
Although Song Yi wasn't afraid of ghosts, she was afraid of people. What if it was a thief or a robber who had sneaked in?
Instinctively, Song Yi wanted to step back and call for help, but a force suddenly gripped her waist, pulling her closer, and a large hand covered her mouth, accompanied by a cold voice, "It's me."
Song Yi widened her eyes, looking at the person in front of her.
Unfortunately, the cabinet was too tightly closed, and in the darkness, she couldn't see anything. The voice of the young man had been too tense for her to recognize who it was.
But Song Yi could feel that this person meant her no harm, so it must be someone who happened to be hiding here.
Song Yi breathed a sigh of relief and began to deduce.
Shen Yujing and Quan Le were downstairs, Jiang Yiheng was in the previous room.
So the person in front of her... must be either Hang Feng or Xu Che.
So Song Yi reached out and directly felt the person's head.
Oh, this prickly feeling, a buzz cut.
Song Yi already had her answer, but just in case, what if Hang Feng always wore a wig? It wasn't impossible.
Song Yi's hand moved down to his forehead, and when she felt the scar on his brow, she could finally confirm it was Xu Che.
After confirming that Song Yi had calmed down, Xu Che released his hand and whispered, "What a coincidence."
Song Yi: "..."
There's no need to greet each other at a time like this!
What a coincidence, so much so that if Shen Yujing and Quan Le came in, they could catch three at once, a real harvest.
In the darkness, the two stood very close, as Xu Che had pulled Song Yi closer just now, and now his warm breath fell on her skin.
Of course, Song Yi felt it on her forehead, as Xu Che was much taller than her.
Even so, standing like this was quite awkward.
So Song Yi turned slightly to the side, facing the cabinet door, and took a step to the side, creating a distance of about one hand's width between them.
Song Yi took out her phone, dimmed the screen brightness to the lowest, and found that Shen Yujing had sent a message in the group.
【Lonely Wolf】: I said to start the search from the third floor @Quan Le, where are you?
【Quan Le】: Coming, coming
Song Yi: "..."
How stupid, searching for people and making sure everyone knows.
To be honest, Song Yi wasn't nervous at all, because... the place she hid was too stupid!
If they didn't find her, it would be a ghost, and catching three at once, like stocking up for the New Year.
So Song Yi stood there resignedly, ready for the inevitable discovery.
Sure enough, soon they heard the sound of the door being pushed open, and Shen Yujing said, "You take the left, I'll take the right, search!"
Quan Le: "Okay!"
Song Yi closed her eyes in numbness, waiting for the end.
At that moment, Shen Yujing was full of fighting spirit.
You know, just now in that room, Quan Le caught Jiang Yiheng before him, just one step away!
Although he and Quan Le were nominal allies, Shen Yujing was actually holding a grudge, he wanted to win against Quan Le, wanted to find more people than him.
So Shen Yujing had kept a trick up his sleeve, this room had two cabinets, one big and one small, and he chose the big one himself, because the chances of someone hiding in it were greater.
So Shen Yujing walked over, and when he pulled the cabinet door open, he saw Song Yi standing facing him.
Shen Yujing's breath caught, and at the same time, he felt his heartbeat accelerate.
The girl's eyes were tightly closed, but her long eyelashes couldn't help but tremble slightly, obviously nervous because he had found her.
Was she so afraid of being found?
Realizing this, Shen Yujing instantly changed his mind, to hell with it, winning or losing didn't matter.
What's the point of winning this game? Why did he have to compete with Quan Le, wasn't it childish!
Shen Yujing instantly contradicted himself, then in Song Yi's shocked gaze after opening her eyes, he solemnly closed the cabinet door again.
Shen Yujing's voice sounded: "There's no one here!"
"Ah... okay!" Quan Le's voice sounded more flustered, and he immediately closed the door in front of him, "You... you go first."
Shen Yujing instantly became nervous, had Quan Le realized something was wrong with him? Did he want to check this side after he left?
"Let's go together!" Saying that, Shen Yujing pulled Quan Le out.
Hearing the footsteps of the two men walking away, Song Yi opened the door and called out, "Huan Huan? How is it?"
Murong Huan also opened the door, her expression somewhat complicated, stuttering, "He pulled the other cabinet door, didn't see me."
This made Murong Huan herself feel a bit guilty.
Because when the door was opened, she was ready to punch the person in front of her.
But as soon as she stepped out, Quan Le pushed her back in, and he forcibly closed the door.
Murong Huan pursed her lips, her mood suddenly becoming somewhat complicated.
Was Quan Le... protecting her?
Realizing this possibility, Murong Huan subconsciously didn't tell Song Yi the truth.
It wasn't that she wanted to hide it from her, it just felt strange, and before confirming this feeling, it was better not to say it easily.
Thinking of her lips accidentally brushing against Quan Le's chin, Murong Huan's cheeks instantly turned red.
Because her mind was too chaotic, Murong Huan forgot to ask Song Yi why she wasn't discovered.
She raised her hand and rubbed her lips vigorously, then reached out to pull Song Yi, "Let's hurry up and change places."
Song Yi: "..."
Why change?
Didn't Shen Yujing and Quan Le already search here? Isn't it safe now?
But before Song Yi could figure it out, she was already dragged away by Murong Huan.
She only had time to look back at Xu Che.
Song Yi missed the best time to tell Murong Huan that Xu Che was also here, so she didn't bring it up again.
In the end, Song Yi and Murong Huan were discovered during the change of positions.
Shen Yujing and Quan Le's expressions were complex, both clearly wondering: Why did she run out again? Did she want him to win?
And this game, the final winner was Xu Che, because he was the only one left unfound.
Shen Yujing and Quan Le were puzzled, asking, "Where did you hide?"
Xu Che was silent for a moment, then said, "In a room on the second floor."
Everyone didn't delve deeper, and Murong Huan suggested whether they should continue the treasure hunt.
But Shen Yujing's gaze suddenly fell on Quan Le's collar.
Quan Le was wearing a white jacket today, so the red mark on his collar was very obvious, like a... lipstick mark.
Shen Yujing narrowed his eyes, he clearly remembered there wasn't one before.
There were only two girls here.
Shen Yujing's gaze fell on Song Yi and Murong Huan, then his expression stiffened.
Murong Huan's lip color was very light, obviously she hadn't put anything on.
But Song Yi was different, her usually pink and tender lips were now shiny.
Shen Yujing stiffly turned his head and took another look at the lipstick mark on Quan Le's collar.
The color also matched.
So before, in that room, Quan Le had noticed the abnormality on his side and found another opportunity to sneak back in.
The deduction was sound, the logic reasonable.
Fuck.
The next second—
Quan Le's painful cries rang out: "Shen Yujing? What are you crazy for? Why are you suddenly choking my neck? Help—help!"
