Chapter 12 Escape Room Chaos
Tao Zi dragged me out of my mountain of books and problems that weekend.
"Working your brain doesn't always mean staring at equations!" She gave me a mysterious grin and pulled me to the top floor of a newly opened mall.
"This escape room place is fifty percent off for the whole day!"
I asked, "Just the two of us? How are we supposed to play a team game?"
Tao Zi waved it off. "Don't worry, I already got people for you."
When I saw Zhou Wang's slightly flushed face, I wanted to disappear.
I forced a smile, kept my voice low, and hissed at her, "Why didn't you tell me he was coming too?"
"I saw you two chatting so well last time, so I thought I'd give you a little chance! How's my setup?"
Instead of wanting to die, I wanted to strangle this adorable troublemaker.
The other three players we were supposed to carpool with were super late and eventually said they weren't coming.
I had just breathed a sigh of relief when a teasing voice came from behind.
"Hey, kids, are you short a few players?"
I turned around. Chen Xu, Shen Xiuming, and Qiao Zhi stood just a meter away.
They had apparently just finished eating on the top floor.
I remembered Shen Xiuming asking if I was free this weekend. So he wanted to introduce me to his friends?
If Tao Zi hadn't already bought the tickets and made plans with me, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. But I had told him I was meeting friends.
Now here I was with Zhou Wang. That looked completely different.
I worried he thought I had skipped his invitation to go on a date with Zhou Wang.
Sure enough, Shen Xiuming stood with his arms crossed, his gaze moving between me and Zhou Wang. His eyes darkened.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Zhou Wang leaned closer and asked why my face looked so pale.
I jumped back instantly and hid behind Tao Zi. "Nothing. Just stayed up late."
Tao Zi, being her usual friendly self, immediately asked Professor Shen if they wanted to join. We were three waiting for six.
Chen Xu didn't answer right away. He glanced at the handsome man and beautiful woman beside him.
Qiao Zhi looked interested and was already reading the introduction.
I thought Shen Xiuming would refuse immediately, but he raised an eyebrow and actually smiled—a rare sight.
"We're not in a hurry anyway. Let's join."
Even Chen Xu looked shocked.
"Shen Xiuming, you serious? Have you even played one of these? Don't scream like a baby in front of your students later."
"You think I'm like you?" Shen Xiuming shot back calmly.
Both teams quickly agreed.
The escape room had a Chinese-style mild horror theme. The atmosphere hit hard the moment we stepped inside.
Chen Xu led the way, we followed, and Zhou Wang brought up the rear.
We worked together to find clues. Shen Xiuming became the brain of the team, solving puzzles effortlessly.
Whenever a chase or escape task came up, Zhou Wang tried hard to show off.
Every time, someone let out a soft scoff in the darkness.
With high-IQ people in the group, the result was obvious.
We finished more than half the challenges in less than half the usual time.
Qiao Zhi and Shen Xiuming really were old partners. Many puzzles that required simultaneous answers—they handled them in perfect sync.
I clearly felt the gap between myself and Qiao Zhi. A wave of sadness hit me.
The lights in the room suddenly went out, then came back on, then went out again.
With each blackout, something seemed to creep closer.
For the first time since entering, real fear gripped me.
A warm hand closed around my wrist.
I followed the distinct knuckles upward.
Shen Xiuming's expression stayed calm and steady. His sharp side profile faced forward.
He shifted slightly, blocking our joined hands from view.
Only after that part ended did he let go.
Both our palms were already slick with sweat.
...
The final stage of the escape room was a two-person task.
When I opened my task card, Tao Zi suddenly went into full mischief mode and started winking at me furiously.
The NPC randomly announced the rule: I had to choose one player as my partner to go to the next room together.
Tao Zi had arranged this on purpose.
She wanted to create alone time for me and a "male guest."
This girl really knew how to play matchmaker.
Zhou Wang looked at me with full expectation.
Shen Xiuming stared at the wall.
I pointed at the man looking at the wall. "Then I'll take our team's brain. Let's go together."
I stepped forward boldly, tugged his sleeve under the excuse of the task, and looked up.
"Professor Shen, is that okay?"
Now he had no choice but to agree.
Tao Zi made an "Excuse me?" face.
Zhou Wang's shoulders dropped in disappointment.
Chen Xu teased Shen Xiuming not to lead the student astray.
Qiao Zhi watched us thoughtfully.
The only silent one was Shen Xiuming himself.
The moment we were out of sight, he dropped the act and took my hand directly.
He held my hand the whole way, but his mouth stayed shut.
I tilted my head. "Professor Shen, are you jealous?"
"No." He was stingy with words.
"Oh. Good. Because I'm still eating with them later."
He stopped abruptly.
My face smashed into his back. My nose hurt.
He gripped my hand tighter and pulled me forward quickly toward the final room.
With terrifying speed, he solved every puzzle and got the key to save the others.
But Shen Xiuming didn't rush out. Instead, he closed the door and turned the room back into a locked space.
His hand braced beside me. Cool lips came close to my ear.
"Baby, can you not look at him? Just look at me?"
His voice sent shivers down my spine.
I never expected him to pull this move.
He tightened his arms and pulled me into his chest. "Promise me. Don't eat with him, okay?"
"Fine. Okay."
In the end, his mix of soft and hard handsome-man tactics won me over.
When we got back, Tao Zi stared in disbelief. "You took forever! I thought the NPC caught you!"
Chen Xu was even blunter. "No way, Shen Xiuming! A little escape room puzzle harder than cutting-edge physics? You got stuck that bad?"
Shen Xiuming didn't defend himself. Even while being teased, he looked pleased. His gaze flicked to me, and he gave a faint smile.
"I really did get stuck. She's harder than physics."
I understood instantly. My cheeks burned.
What I didn't know was that the undercurrent between Shen Xiuming and me had already been completely noticed by Qiao Zhi.