A Young Woman's Heart

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that they were actually the sisters Tianyin and Taiyin.

The lightning illuminated Taiyin's expressionless face, while Tianyin beside her was like a remote-controlled car without batteries, completely lost in thought. At this moment, she was more like a lifeless doll than Taiyin.

"Teacher Taiyin, just now... I startled Xiaoxi. He seemed to have a heart problem. I don't know if it's serious," Hua Yinyin said softly, somewhat embarrassed.

Taiyin nodded gently and placed her cool little hand on Huang Yuxi's chest, patting it lightly. Hua Yinyin wondered if it was just her imagination, but Huang Yuxi's breathing seemed to gradually calm down.

It should recover naturally over time. Didn't he just say he was fine?

As for Taiyin gently patting his chest, it was probably just to comfort him.

Just like when a child is about to go to sleep, a mother would gently pat the child's back or chest to help them fall asleep.

"Thank goodness, it seems he's alright." Hua Yinyin hadn't expected that startling Huang Yuxi would be so dangerous. Although they spent a lot of time together, his constitution was weaker than she had imagined...

"Well, Hua Yinyin, did you catch the person?" Mr. Xue heard Hua Yinyin's voice and came downstairs.

"Ah, we caught Xiaoxi... and uh..." Hua Yinyin looked at Taiyin and Tianyin, who were sitting on the sofa dressed as dolls but hadn't been discovered yet, "Do Taiyin and Teacher Tianyin count?"

"Forget it."

"So that means... we've found it, right?"

Mr. Xue hasn't noticed this obvious place yet. Is this what they mean by the most dangerous place being the safest place?

Or is it that these two people's presence is simply too weak?

"Phew, caught—I thought I could hold out a little longer, but finally I can relax!" Amane recovered from her completely dazed state and stretched out a big yawn. "Ugh—sitting still for so long is so tiring…!"

"I didn't even notice it was here," Mr. Xue said with a light laugh, but it didn't sound like that at all.

Mo Zhuyou, standing to the side, suspected that he already knew, but only wanted to make it more interesting for everyone to hide, which was why he didn't catch the person immediately when he discovered them.

This game of hide-and-seek lasted quite a while, since there were actually quite a lot of people hiding.

Some people even change positions during the process to make themselves harder to catch.

But as more and more people were caught, Mr. Xue's accomplices also increased, making it difficult for others to hide under such a thorough search.

Half an hour later, everyone was finally caught.

The last one to be caught was Mo Xueyao.

"Xiaoyao, where are you hiding?"

"She was hiding in the bathtub." Wang Jiale, having caught her, proudly crossed her arms. "I'm awesome, aren't I? I caught her!"

“Actually, I’ve changed positions several times, and none of you noticed.” Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways. “When it comes to hide-and-seek, I’m a professional! I’ve loved playing this game since I was a child.”

"Speaking of which, do you know why most children play hide-and-seek?" Ye Wen suddenly asked. "Do you know why this game has been passed down from generation to generation?"

"Why?" Mo Xueyao asked directly, too lazy to think.

"To improve the survival rate." Li Wanyan pushed up her glasses.

In the darkness, everyone huddled together, the lights still off, but the atmosphere of fear had long since vanished without a trace.

The bloodstains on Hua Yinyin's face, which were actually tomato sauce, had long been washed off by her, lest she scare someone into having a heart attack.

To be honest, Huang Yuxi was so frightened just now that she's a little afraid to scare others.

“Wanyan is right. Hide-and-seek is actually a game to improve survival rate. In ancient times, there were often wars and raids on homes. Even in peacetime, there were robbers who broke into homes. So, children who play hide-and-seek from a young age can habitually hide when real enemies come. After all, they practice this kind of thing often!” Ye Wen chuckled. “My dad said that one of my ancestors loved playing hide-and-seek. When our house was raided, he hid and escaped. Otherwise, my ancestor, who was still a child at the time, would have had no chance to resist. If he hadn’t hidden, I wouldn’t be here today.”

"Oh—I see!" Wang Jiale nodded vigorously. "So, shall we continue?"

"Alright, alright, haven't you had enough fun yet? How about we play something else?" Ye Wen said with a light laugh.

"Let's tell ghost stories. Isn't that a routine activity during thunderstorms?" Qiu Yi suggested.

"What's the point of ghost stories?" Hua Yinyin pouted. "We'd rather play the Emperor's Game!"

“I think horror stories are better.” As a member of the Supernatural Phenomena Discovery Society, Wang Jiale naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

"How about we combine the two?" Cha Li tilted her head up, and Ye Wen skillfully scratched her chin.

How do we fuse them?

"So, the late emperor's game, where you choose a number plate, and whoever gets the number has to do something terrifying as the emperor tells them to, like... going to the basement alone for five minutes?"

"This is real-life horror..." Mo Zhuyou shrank into her sister's arms.

"So you can also have people perform those kinds of 'invoking the gods' games in front of a mirror?"

"of course can."

"Ah, let's go with this one, it's super interesting!"

"Let's decide by vote... I object." Wang Qianyu took the lead and raised her hand.

However, the final vote result showed that more than half of the voters wanted to play.

There's no other way but for the minority to submit to the majority, even if it's just one more vote.

"I am the emperor!" By the dim light of the lit candle, Hua Yinyin excitedly raised her hand. "Let me think... I choose number thirteen!"

Before stating their request, those who received the corresponding number did not need to stand up; this was to prevent any individual from being treated differently.

"Let me think—then I'll ask Number Thirteen to wear a skirt... but no clothes, and run from here to the garage and back!"

"What kind of horror game is this?!" Mo Xueyao flicked her forehead with her finger.

"Ouch! That hurts! Yao Yao hit me too hard!"

"Who told you to come up with such a terrible idea again?"

"No, not to mention there are boys here, going to the garage and getting rained on will make us catch a cold," Ye Wen shook her head.

"So who is number thirteen?" Xuan Anyi asked calmly.

"Me." Duanmu Ji slowly raised his hand.

"Ah—" The girls suddenly wanted to change their minds and agreed to Hua Yinyin's 'horror game' segment.

……

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Sky Grows Brighter

"No, if Duanmu Ji does what Hua Yinyin says, what if it's our turn to be girls later?" Lu Chengyuan finally realized the point; it wasn't about not wearing clothes at all.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Ye Banxia nodded vigorously in agreement.

So in the end, Duanmu Ji was only asked to go to the garage and stay there alone for five minutes.

During those five minutes, the others will naturally continue playing the game.

The second unlucky one was Mo Xueyao.

"Tsk, is it me? I'll get my clothes wet, what a hassle." Mo Xueyao grumbled, completely ignoring the darkness outside the door.

But as she pushed open the door and walked out, and the heavy wooden door behind her slowly closed, she suddenly felt that the silence was a little too much.

Despite the thunder and lightning and the sound of heavy rain, being alone in the unknown darkness can still be quite frightening.

Especially after the door is closed, it feels like entering another world; the noise behind the door can no longer be heard at all.

Seriously? The soundproofing in this villa is that good?

She muttered to herself as she jogged to the garage.

The garage door was ajar. When I went inside, I found Duanmu Ji standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window next to the garage.

Yes, even the garage isn't completely enclosed; there's a whole wall of floor-to-ceiling windows on one side, like a car showroom, though I wonder who it's for...

Outside the glass window is the villa's courtyard wall. Through the stone fence, you can see a small part of the sea, a large beach, and a small forest.

The sky seemed to be getting a little brighter, but Mo Xueyao wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.

"Hey, Xiao Ji." Mo Xueyao greeted him, making the empty garage less silent.

Even in the darkness, the sound of conversation can make one forget the fear brought by the unknown.

"You're here too?" Duanmu Ji raised an eyebrow. In the darkness, by the dim light, he boldly looked at Mo Xueyao's small face.

"Hmm—I got picked too." Mo Xueyao shrugged helplessly, leaning against the French windows. "Phew, it does seem like it's getting brighter now?"

"Hmm, it might be about to stop."

“Hmm, that’s true. After all, it’s just a thunderstorm, and it’s been raining for quite a while.” Mo Xueyao stretched and glanced at Duanmu Ji. “Xiao Ji, you seem a bit out of place.”

"Oh……"

"Is it because you don't have anything in common to talk about? Hmm... Zhou Yong isn't here, so it seems like you really don't have anyone to talk to. After all, there aren't many people who like anime and tokusatsu. Gao Yuan is always shamelessly agreeing with the girls' topics and doesn't care about you at all."

"I don't care, I'm used to it." Duanmu Ji said indifferently, then made a joke in the same calm tone, "You're talking like you're not a girl."

"I... cough, I'm actually not very good at joining in the conversations of other girls. Well—I'm okay with a small part, but most of the time I can only listen in. I'm different from most girls. I was a tomboy when I was little."

"Tomboy? Still with the same short hair as now?"

"Well, it needs to be even shorter, like a buzz cut."

"Any shorter and it won't look good," Duanmu Ji commented somewhat seriously. "This short hairstyle suits your temperament perfectly."

"Really? Do you think I look better with long hair or short hair?"

"Each has its own merits."

"Which one do you like?" Mo Xueyao pressed.

"Short hair, right?" Duanmu Ji was a little unsure. The gradually brightening sky made it clear to her where his gaze was, so he awkwardly shifted his gaze to the other side.

"Hey, Duanmu Ji, aren't we friends?"

"Forget it."

"Why do I feel like you're always distancing yourself from me?" Mo Xueyao asked, arms crossed. "Don't be so withdrawn. Friends should talk more! Want to go play video games later?"

"Okay." Duanmu Ji's facial expression was somewhat distorted.

"What's wrong with you? Is your face twitching? Or are you trying to cry but afraid to? Seriously, you're having such a hard time just because I invited you to play a game?"

"Cough... Pfft, no." Duanmu Ji couldn't help but laugh out loud, shattering the gloomy image he had painstakingly cultivated.