The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 22

Tian Qi’s move left everyone in the car stunned, especially Sun Sijia, who twisted around in her seat to stare at her in disbelief.

When Meng Xue was pressed down to sit, her gaze inadvertently fell on Teacher Tang beside her, who just happened to be looking at her too.

The distance between them was dangerously close, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from the other’s body. The worst part was that Tian Qi kept squeezing her, forcing her to lean almost entirely against Teacher Tang.

Meng Xue braced her arm against the back of the front seat, trying to put some space between them, but Tian Qi seemed intent on provoking Sun Sijia and pushed even closer. As a result, Meng Xue ended up tumbling straight into Teacher Tang’s arms.

The cameras captured the moment, and the audience was in an uproar.

[Ahhhh! What is this scene?! Am I really allowed to see this for free?!]

[Mom, I think I’m in love!]

[Tian Qi’s assist here is absolutely legendary.]

[Did you guys see Sun Sijia’s face? Hahahaha, I’m dying!]

One was the person she liked, and the other was the person who liked her. Now, seeing the two of them embracing was nothing short of devastating for her.

With everyone finally settled, the production team signaled the driver to set off.

After straightening up, Meng Xue’s face was flushed pink, and she didn’t dare glance to the side. If not for Tian Qi blocking her escape route, she would have immediately moved as far away from Teacher Tang as possible.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to sit close to Teacher Tang, it was just that she was so overwhelmed with shyness that her brain felt like it was about to short-circuit from overheating.

“Teacher Meng, are you okay?” Tian Qi finally noticed Meng Xue’s unusual expression. While she had acted partly out of spite earlier, this was a matter between her and Sun Sijia, she shouldn’t have dragged others into it.

Feeling guilty, she whispered, “I’m sorry, Teacher Meng. I was a little reckless just now.”

Meng Xue shook her head. “It’s fine.”

Among the group in the car, very few had actually played an escape room before most had only seen others play online.

The only one with any real experience was Meng Xue, but even that was from years ago, and she barely remembered anything.

“Everyone, put on your blindfolds now,” the production team instructed.

The staff handed out blindfolds to each of them.

Once their vision was gone, so was their sense of security.

When they got off the car, Tang Jing’s hand rested lightly on Meng Xue’s shoulder from behind. The shoulder beneath her palm was slender, making her hesitant to apply any real pressure, she barely let her fingers graze it, afraid of accidentally hurting the other woman.

The staff led them forward.

Sun Sijia asked nervously, “Where are we going?”

Luo Dong, at the front of the group, called out a warning, “Be careful, everyone. There are two steps here.”

The others cautiously climbed the steps.

With their vision gone, their other senses sharpened.

“It’s so cold in here!” Jian Anping exclaimed. “Are we underground or something?”

“An underground parking lot?” Tian Qi tilted her head slightly.

“Or maybe an underground morgue?”

“Stop, stop!” Sun Sijia shrank back in fear. “Morgues freak me out the most.”

[Damn, Sister Tang is fearless. Out of everyone, she’s the calmest.]

[Even Brother Luo looks a little scared.]

[Ahhh! Sister Tang and Meng Xue are standing so close to each other!]

This sentence made the audience quickly turn their attention to the two people at the back.

Meng Xue was so terrified that she whimpered softly, “Teacher Tang.”

“I’m here,” Tang Jing hesitated for a moment before taking a step forward, closing the distance between them.

Feeling Tang Jing’s presence and warmth behind her, Meng Xue felt much more at ease, and her tense nerves began to relax.

Soon, everyone settled into their positions.

The staff led the people at the front away, leaving only Meng Xue and Tang Jing behind.

“Are we splitting up now?” Meng Xue asked, bewildered.

Tian Qi chimed in, “Teacher Meng, didn’t you two come together?”

“No.”

“Then we might have to split up,” Tian Qi said. Though she had never played an escape room herself, she had watched online influencers try them out.

Only Meng Xue and Tang Jing remained in place.

The staff led them down another corridor. The path was eerily quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing. Soon, they were ushered into a room, and the door closed behind them.

[Ahhhh, this looks so scary!]

[Is this a Chinese horror-themed scenario?]

[Holy shit, I just remembered, this is a new horror scenario that just came out called The Ghost Bride.]

[Damn, just the name alone gives me the creeps.]

Tang Jing and Meng Xue now found themselves in the bride’s chamber. Red curtains, a red tablecloth, and two red candles burning on top, the atmosphere was instantly set. Not to mention the bride sitting by the bed, her head covered with a red veil.

[Ahhhh, this is terrifying!]

[I’m already scared just watching from behind the screen. How much worse must it be for Tang Jie and Meng Xue inside?]

[Oh my god, this is exactly why I’d never dare to play an escape room in person. It’s way too scary.]

Tang Jing and Meng Xue were still wearing their blindfolds, unaware of their surroundings. All they could sense was the heavy silence around them.

“Teacher Tang?” Meng Xue called out nervously.

“Hmm.”

Hearing her voice gave Meng Xue a bit more courage. Unable to see, she reached out with her hands, but there was nothing around her. She didn’t dare move forward.

Just then, the speakers in the room crackled to life. “Players may now remove their blindfolds.”

As soon as Meng Xue took off her blindfold, she recoiled in fear, pressing herself against Tang Jing before ultimately hiding behind her.

Directly in front of them was a wedding bed, upon which sat a bride with a red veil over her head.

Under normal circumstances, Meng Xue wouldn’t have been afraid. But now, trapped in an escape room, the presence of this bride felt downright sinister.

“Teacher Tang!” Tian Qi’s voice suddenly rang out from the next room.

Naturally, Tang Jing didn’t respond, so Meng Xue answered for her, “We’re here!” before quickly retreating behind Tang Jing again.

Tang Jing protectively placed a hand behind Meng Xue. “I’ll go take a look.”

“At the bride?” Meng Xue was too frightened to notice Tang Jing’s protective gesture, but the cameras in the corner of the room captured it all, broadcasting it live to the audience.

The viewers, however, saw everything clearly and they were already swooning.

[Ever since I started watching this livestream, I’ve been force-fed sugar every day.]

[I used to be a solo fan of Tang Jie, but now I’ve fully converted to a CP shipper.]

[When the real deal is feeding us candy, how can we not ship it?]

[Tang Jie is way too biased toward Meng Xue.]

[Ahhhh, you noticed it too? Over the past five years, even though Tang Jie handed all sorts of resources to Sun Si-jia, paparazzi never caught them being affectionate in public.]

[“Now that you mention it, it really is.”]

[“Holy shit, you guys found the key point.”]

Meng Xue nervously clutched Teacher Tang’s sleeve, inching forward cautiously.

Tang Jing lifted the bride’s red veil, revealing a dummy underneath. She pulled the veil off completely, making it look less intimidating.

Seeing it was just a prop, Meng Xue sighed in relief, her courage growing. “Teacher Tang, let’s see if there are any clues in this room.”

Tang Jing glanced at her, confirming she wasn’t scared anymore, then began searching the room with ease.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Sun Sijia and the other three had also removed their blindfolds. Unlike Tang Jing’s group, they weren’t as lucky, their room had no lights, leaving them in complete darkness.

Sun Sijia, terrified, instinctively reached out to hug Tian Qi. But at the last second, she remembered their past conflicts and instead hid behind Luo Ge and Jian Ge.

Tian Qi, fearless, started feeling around the room. “Let’s find the light switch.”

“Teacher Tang, there’s a small wooden box here, it needs to be unlocked.”

Tang Jing walked over and crouched beside her. The dim lighting made it hard to see the lock clearly, forcing them to lean in so close their heads nearly touched.

Meng Xue hadn’t expected them to be this close, close enough to catch the other’s cool, distinctive scent, close enough to feel the warmth of their arms brushing against each other.

Self-consciously, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, using the motion to press the back of her hand against her burning earlobe.

“Four-letter code,” Tang Jing said, then noticed a handkerchief near Meng Xue. She turned to mention it but forgot how close they were, her lips accidentally grazed Meng Xue’s ear.

Meng Xue’s breath hitched, half her body going weak. Years of idol training in maintaining composure kicked in, saving her from losing her cool on camera.

Tang Jing subtly shifted, blocking the camera with her body to give Meng Xue a moment to recover.

She, too, had forgotten their proximity. Knowing how sensitive Meng Xue was, she felt a twinge of guilt seeing not just her ears but her entire face flushed red. She wanted to say something, but with microphones pinned to their collars and cameras trained on them, she could only mouth silently, “You okay?”

Now nearly face-to-face, Meng Xue shook her head slightly, not wanting to give the audience any ideas.

Assured she was fine, Tang Jing picked up the handkerchief.

Unbeknownst to them, the audience had already picked up on the tension.

First, they crouched side by side. Then, for some reason, they suddenly fell silent. Tang Jing’s movements seemed deliberate, almost too deliberate.

And from that moment on, neither of them spoke.

When Tang Jing finally stood up, viewers noticed Meng Xue’s face was bright red.

[“Did they just kiss?”]

[“No way, right?”]

[“I don’t care, I’m choosing to believe they secretly kissed.”]

[“If they didn’t kiss, something else definitely happened. Why else would Meng Xue be so red?”]

[“Guys, is this a dating show or what?”]

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