I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

The painted boats on the canal slowly approached the shore.

The aroma of fresh river seafood wafted from the double-decker boat.

Deng Chao and Chen He, one on each side, dragged Director Wu onto the deck.

Wu Zheng looked helpless as the two of them pressed him down onto a small wooden stool by the side.

Jiang Che pulled Song Yuqi up to the second-floor private room.

Eight hearty dishes from the ancient town were laid out on the table: steamed white fish, lotus leaf steamed pork, and stewed chicken with fresh bamboo shoots, all steaming hot.

Chen He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of steamed pork with rice flour, and stuffed his mouth full of oil.

"Following a master chef guarantees a good meal; the ancients were right!"

Deng Chao poured two cups of rice wine and handed them to Lu Han and Qin Xiao.

"Old Wu, what are you thinking watching us eat?"

Wu Zheng crossed his arms and turned his head away, his stomach growling at an inopportune moment.

Song Yuqi couldn't help but laugh and ladled out a small bowl of hot chicken soup.

She pushed the soup bowl in front of Jiang Che, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Chef Jiang, have some hot soup to warm your stomach first."

"You must be exhausted from rowing just now?"

Jiang Che picked up the spoon, took a sip, and looked up at her.

"I'm not tired. It's quite easy to carry you."

Song Yuqi blushed and kicked him under the table.

"We're eating, so shut up a bit."

Jiang Che picked up a piece of deboned white fish meat and put it into Song Yuqi's bowl.

"Eat more, Old Wu will definitely cause trouble this afternoon."

Song Yuqi picked up a piece of fish and ate it.

The interaction between the two was captured clearly by the camera.

Wu Zheng sat in the corner and picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Director, dim the lights on the second floor."

"Don't let them draw too much attention!"

The assistant director replied quietly into his earpiece.

"Director Wu, the live stream viewership has surpassed ten million!"

The comments section was filled with requests not to turn off the lights.

Wu Zheng stuffed the walkie-talkie into his coat pocket and closed his eyes, refusing to look anymore.

Half an hour later, the banquet on the pleasure boat came to an end amidst laughter and chatter.

The bus drove through the cobblestone streets of the ancient town and stopped in front of an old castle manor.

The wall was covered with withered vines, and the dark red wooden door was half open.

Wu Zheng changed into a black trench coat, holding a gold-embossed parchment scroll in his hand, and stood in front of the steps.

"Welcome to Qingcheng Ancient Castle, this is the mechanical fortress."

"The rules for the afternoon game are simple: hide-and-seek in the castle."

"There is a mysterious assassin hidden among you."

"One person can be assassinated every fifteen minutes."

"The remaining people need to find the four keys scattered throughout the castle."

"Open the gate of life and escape the castle."

Chen He scratched the back of his head and immediately took a step back.

"Old Wu, this assassin isn't some NPC you hired, is he?"

Wu Zheng's eyes swept across everyone's faces.

"The assassin is among the six of you."

"The ID cards have been sent to your mobile phones."

"Check it yourself, no peeking at each other."

Song Yuqi took out her phone and tapped the screen, where a civilian card popped up.

She subconsciously turned her head to look at Jiang Che beside her.

Jiang Che casually put away his phone and then grabbed her wrist.

"Follow me, don't get lost."

Song Yuqi felt the warmth on her wrist and nodded.

"Jiang Che, who are you?"

Jiang Che led her across the threshold and into the dimly lit front hall of the castle.

"I am here to protect your identity."

The interior of the castle was dimly lit, with oil lamps hanging on both sides of the long corridor.

As soon as Deng Chao and Chen He entered, they headed straight for the library on the east side.

Lu Han and Qin Xiao went to the armory on the second floor to search for clues.

Jiang Che held Song Yuqi's hand and walked up the wooden stairs.

The floorboards creaked softly, the sound echoing through the empty corridor.

Song Yuqi gripped Jiang Che's hand tightly.

"It's chilly in here, could there really be some scary NPCs?"

Jiang Che stopped and turned around to look at her.

The two were very close, and he reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Song Yuqi's ear.

"Afraid of the dark?"

Song Yuqi looked up at him.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, but I'm afraid of things that suddenly jump out."

Jiang Che tightened his grip on her hand.

"If something jumps out, I can catch you first."

Song Yuqi's heart skipped a beat, and her ears felt hot.

Suddenly, Wu Zheng's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"The countdown to the first round of the search has begun; the assassin has awakened."

Please take good care of your name tags!

The alarm echoed down the corridor.

Song Yuqi tugged at Jiang Che's sleeve.

"Let's find the first key first."

"I remember there seemed to be a hidden compartment behind the mural in the lobby on the first floor."

Jiang Che nodded and led her back.

Just as the two reached the corner of the corridor, they heard hurried footsteps ahead.

Chen He rushed out from around the corner in a panic.

"Run! Brother Chao has gone mad! He's tearing people apart indiscriminately!"

Deng Chao's figure had already appeared at the end of the corridor, waving an assassin's token in his hand.

"Chen He! Stop right there! Leave your name tag here!"

Chen He shouted and ran towards another passage.

Deng Chao quickly chased after him, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Song Yuqi breathed a sigh of relief.

"So Brother Chao is an assassin. We'd better hurry."

Jiang Che pulled her into a secret room next door.

The secret room contained wooden cabinets and screens, and an iron box sat on the table in the center.

Song Yuqi quickly stepped forward and examined the four-digit combination lock on the box.

"There are a few lines of ancient poetry engraved on this: 'Red beans grow in the south.'"

"How many branches will sprout in spring?"

Jiang Che walked behind her, leaned slightly forward, and placed his hands on the edge of the table.

He shielded Song Yuqi from behind, protecting her in front of him.

A warm breath brushed against the back of her neck.

Song Yuqi's back stiffened, and her heart started racing.

"Why...why are you standing so close?"

Jiang Che whispered in her ear.

"I'll check the password for you, don't get distracted."

Song Yuqi bit her lower lip, fiddling with the keypad.

"Red beans represent longing and yearning, what's their number again?"

Jiang Che took her fingers and guided her to turn the combination lock.

A crisp click.

"The character for 'longing' has nine strokes, and the character for 'red bean' has twelve strokes."

"The total is 0912."

Jiang Che led her hand to rotate the last digit.

The tin box popped open, revealing a copper key inside.

Song Yuqi picked up the keys, turned around and leaned against the table, looking up at Jiang Che who was so close to her.

A dim wall lamp illuminated the secret room, casting shadows on his face.

"Jiang Che, you think really fast."

Jiang Che looked at her flushed cheeks, but did not back away.

"Of course, there are rewards after all."

Song Yuqi was stunned for a moment, her eyes darting away.

"What reward? The production team didn't give out any red envelopes."

Jiang Che moved closer, his gaze landing on her lips.

"Find a key, change your request."

Song Yuqi's heart raced, and she gripped the key tightly in her hand.

"What...what request do you want?"

Jiang Che raised his hand and touched her burning earlobe with the back of his fingers.

"When you get home tonight, don't pretend to be asleep and ignore everyone."

Song Yuqi's breathing became a little erratic.

"When did I pretend to be asleep...?"

Heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside the secret room.

The NPC patrol team was checking each room by pushing open the door, and the beam of their flashlights shone through the cracks in the door.

Jiang Che's eyes flickered slightly. He reached out and put his arm around Song Yuqi's waist, leading her into the crevice behind the screen.

The narrow space forced the two of them to press tightly together.

Song Yuqi placed her hands on Jiang Che's chest.

Jiang Che pressed down on her back and pulled her into his arms.

The footsteps grew closer, and the beam of the flashlight flickered on the screen.

Song Yuqi held her breath, not daring to make a sound.

Seeing her nervous expression, Jiang Che lowered his head and pressed his lips close to Song Yuqi's earlobe.

"Your heart is beating so fast, are you afraid of getting caught?"

Song Yuqi stiffened and gripped his clothes tightly.

She tilted her head back and spoke in a very soft voice.

"Stop talking... there are people outside."

Jiang Che pulled his arms closer together.

"As long as I don't make a sound, they won't find this place."

Song Yuqi leaned against him, listening to his steady heartbeat, and gradually relaxed.

The footsteps paused for a moment outside the door before moving away down the other side of the corridor.

Song Yuqi pushed against Jiang Che's chest, trying to get out from the gap.

Jiang Che didn't let go, looking into her eyes.

In the dim light, their eyes met.

Song Yuqi's cheeks flushed red, and her voice softened.

"The person has left; it's time to go get the keys."

Jiang Che lowered his head and touched her forehead.

Song Yuqi was stunned, her eyes widening.

Jiang Che released his arm and pulled her out from behind the screen, his expression natural.

"Let's go, and collect the rest of the clues on the way upstairs."

Song Yuqi touched her forehead, paused for two seconds, and then laughed.

She quickly caught up with Jiang Che and placed her hand in his palm.

The two held hands tightly and walked up the stairs.

After unlocking the hidden compartment mechanism in the second-floor corridor, they collected all the keys.

Wu Zheng's voice then came over the loudspeaker.

"Assassin Deng Chao has been eliminated!"

"To reiterate, assassin Deng Chao has been eliminated!"

"The final battle begins!"

"The remaining guests, please proceed to the clock tower on the third floor to compete for the exit!"

Song Yuqi looked up at Jiang Che in surprise.

"Why was Brother Chao eliminated so quickly?"

Jiang Che led her through the corridor with steady steps.

"Chen He is slow, but he has a loud voice."

"They must have called on Xiao Lu and Qin Xiao to team up and turn the tables."

Song Yuqi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"So we're in first place now?"

Jiang Che turned to look at her, his expression gentle.

"With your cooperation, first place is guaranteed."

The two quickly climbed the spiral staircase to the third floor.

The clock tower on the top floor of the castle was bathed in the red glow of the sunset.

Before the bronze gate, the keyhole of the gate to life awaits the final key.

A gentle breeze drifted through the stone windows of the clock tower, ruffling the hems of their clothes.

Jiang Che stood beside Song Yuqi, holding the keys in his hand, and turned to look at her.

"Song Yuqi".

"Um?"

"After the doors open, tonight's celebration banquet..."

"It belongs only to the two of us."

Looking at the sunset, Song Yuqi nodded vigorously.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."