A Young Woman's Heart

"Plump thighs!"

"Phew, it really is you." Mo Zhuyou breathed a sigh of relief, gently patted her chest, and said shyly in a low voice, "Um, you scared me so much my legs went weak, quickly help me up!"

"Timid Youyou"

"Of course they'd be scared in a situation like that! Any normal person would be scared!"

Why don't I have one?

"Maybe it's just a prank!" Mo Zhuyou said angrily.

"No, I just got up too. It's still so dark outside, like one o'clock in the afternoon or one o'clock in the morning." Hua Yinyin squinted and leaned out the window. Her long hair, which wasn't braided into pigtails, was blown by the wind and fluttered like a flag.

"The power is out." Mo Zhuyou leaned against Hua Yinyin, never having felt that she was so reliable.

After all, she was really calm.

"Is there a power outage? Oh, I think so."

"How did you wash your face..."

"I've forgotten a bit; I think I was still dreaming when I was washing up."

"Are you sleepwalking? Wait, did you kill everyone in your dream?"

"Your imagination is a bit too vivid..."

"Then why are there no other people's voices?"

"How should I know?" Hua Yinyin shrugged. "I'm hungry. Let's go downstairs and find something to eat."

"Hey, at a time like this, you still have the appetite to eat?!"

"What's the big deal? We can't go without eating, can we?" Hua Yinyin's answer was irrefutable. "Who cares? Let's eat first. Maybe they're all asleep downstairs."

"Why do we all have to sleep downstairs..." Mo Zhuyou muttered, then heard Hua Yinyin's footsteps fading away, so she hurriedly followed.

As I descended the stairs, guided by the occasional flashes of lightning, the living room below remained pitch black.

Mo Zhuyou held the old Motorola phone, using the faint light emitted from the screen to make out the things around her.

"Hmm, it seems like no one's on the first-floor lobby. Maybe they're playing games in the basement?"

"The basement...how do we get in?"

"It's better not to go in. What if we find a bunch of corpses?"

"Hey, don't scare me!"

"Pfft, well, don't worry, if there really is a power outage, no one can play video games, right?"

"Hmm, that's true."

"Is anyone there?" Hua Yinyin suddenly shouted.

Mo Zhuyou quickly covered her mouth, saying nervously, "What are you doing? What if you attract something bad?"

"Pfft, no way, everyone's probably just doing something else."

"This doesn't look normal at all..."

There was nothing on the first floor, and they couldn't find the entrance to the basement, so the two went back to the second floor and headed to the third floor.

“We’ve got him.” A gentle voice rang out.

Who, who is it?

"Ah, it's me, Mr. Xue," Mr. Xue replied. "Eh, is it Mo Zhuyou, not Mo Xiaoxiao?"

"Um...where's my sister?"

"She's hiding."

"Eh! Did... did something really happen? Wait, Yuki, could it be that you...!!"

"Yes, it's my turn to catch people. It's a pity you're not participating in the game, otherwise you could help me catch people."

"Huh?"

"Are you playing hide-and-seek?" Hua Yinyin asked with great interest. "Playing hide-and-seek in such a big villa is exactly what I dreamed of when I was a kid! I want to join in too!"

"It's possible, but only after I've caught everyone."

"Then I'll help!"

"So, it really is just hide-and-seek? Is it because of a power outage that they're playing this game?"

"That's how it started, but there was actually a backup generator. However, Xiaoyao and the others suggested turning off all the light control switches and then playing hide-and-seek in the villa."

"Mmm, playing hide-and-seek in such a big villa is just like exploring an ancient castle, especially in such a dark environment! Little Yaoyao really has the same taste as me!"

"But this is way too dark..."

“You’ll get used to it,” Mr. Xue smiled. “Learn to use lightning to find people who are hiding.”

"Can we hide anywhere in the entire villa?"

"Yes."

"Okay—then I'll help you find it. I'll search every room first!" Hua Yinyin excitedly ran off.

Mo Zhuyou hesitated for a moment, but decided to stay by Mr. Xue's side.

Even though she already knew it was a game of hide-and-seek, she still didn't dare to go out alone...

……

Chapter Twenty-Four: Huang Yuxi Cried in Fright

In the darkness, even those who are hiding do not know where the others are.

Huang Yuxi got separated from Taiyin and Tianyin, who had hidden with him, and was now hiding alone under a table in the restaurant, trembling with fear.

Although he knew it was a game of hide-and-seek, he still couldn't help feeling scared.

He only dares to stay where he is now, and doesn't dare to go anywhere else.

The occasional flashes of thunder did not reassure him; instead, they startled him so much that his heart would leap each time.

He is very afraid of thunder.

He couldn't quite explain why, but in any case, he would never normally be alone during such a thunderstorm.

If there are people around, I won't be so scared.

Perhaps it's because his stress response is more sensitive than that of ordinary people.

"Whoosh—" Suddenly, he felt something breathing softly behind his ear. In that instant, his mind went blank, and he didn't even think that it was someone coming to grab him.

The main reason is that Mr. Xue is unlikely to play such a prank.

When he turned his head, he saw a face illuminated by the light below.

His face was covered in bruises and white marks, and stained with blood.

Huang Yuxi was so frightened that he backed away until he bumped into the table leg. Tears of fear welled up in his eyes, and he shook his head violently, but could not make any more noise.

"Huh, were you startled?"

"Waaah..."

"It's me, Hua Yinyin."

"..." The crying stopped.

"Haha, Xiaoxi is indeed very timid."

Huang Yuxi glared at her angrily, then quickly scribbled a line on her whiteboard during the thunder, practically pressing it against her chest: "Why are you scaring me!"

"Haha, this is really fun!"

"I have a heart condition!"

"Huh, really?"

"Why would I lie to you! You perverted cow!"

"Hey, I never knew you were so sharp-tongued!"

Huang Yuxi pouted and shook her limbs vigorously, then suddenly froze, cold sweat starting to appear on her forehead.

He clutched his chest and slowly collapsed to the ground, remaining motionless for a long time.

"No way? Are you alright? Xiaoxi, Xiaoxi?" Hua Yinyin panicked immediately.

After a long while, Huang Yuxi finally managed to lift his head. He gently bit his lip, but this time he didn't even have the strength to pick up the whiteboard.

It's like when someone who's been drinking gets the effects of the alcohol kicking in.

"Is it serious? Should we go to the hospital?" Hua Yinyin asked anxiously.

“Hmm…” Huang Yuxi pursed her lips and shook her head.

Can you stand up on your own?

“Hmm…” The answer she received was still a shake of the head.

"Then... it's okay if I carry you, right?"

"..." Huang Yuxi closed her eyes in distress, too weak to answer the question with gestures.

"Are you really okay? If you'll feel better soon, nod. If not, don't push yourself..." Hua Yinyin pressed her ear against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Sure enough, it was quite rapid, like an ordinary person running 10,000 meters.

"Hmm..." Huang Yuxi nodded reluctantly.

Hua Yinyin tried to pick him up and found that he really couldn't exert any strength. His limbs were like a doll, loose and completely at the mercy of others.

Although Hua Yinyin herself is not tall, fortunately Huang Yuxi is even shorter and lighter, so although it was a bit difficult, she still managed to carry him to the sofa and sat down with a thud.

When she sat down, this time she was startled.

Because it felt like there were two motionless humanoid dolls sitting next to me!