Chapter 13

I Remember You

The final session was from 10:30 PM to 1:00 AM. By the time all the players had arrived and changed clothes, it was already 11:00.

Qian Jinxin was probably playing a role-playing game for the first time. He had previously sneered at murder mystery games, but after changing into his costume, he was unusually excited. He even went over and offered to hold Hu Xiu’s hand.

If there had been a real train on the platform, Hu Xiu would rather lie down on the tracks than let Qin Shaoyi see her standing with a man like this.

The boundary between the dimensions had been broken, and the secluded paradise she had quietly hidden away had been forcefully invaded. Hu Xiu was very unhappy, even a little angry, all because of Wang Guangming’s malicious intent.

Of course, not far away, Li Ai, who had changed into a new outfit and was standing with a cane, gave her a tremendous sense of security.

Li Ai, who never participated in the girls’ games, had said over the phone that he would bring his cousin along, making it sound so casual, yet the intention was clear—to protect Zhao Xiaorou and Hu Xiu.

Having seen Li Ai many times at the coffee shop, whether in a hoodie and jeans or a casual sweater, his aura always gave off a feeling of warmth yet distance, as if hiding deep secrets. But now, seeing him for the first time in this new setting, ready to enter the platform with his name tag pinned to his chest, Li Ai occasionally glancing over at her and Zhao Xiaorou, Hu Xiu felt something unusual rise in her heart. He had always been like a heavy machine stopped and gathering dust, but tonight, he suddenly seemed to be operating again, and his eyes held a certain depth. Especially that cane—Hu Xiu’s thoughts about it were not malicious.

But the past hardship made Li Ai even more attractive, like a hero from an apocalyptic story.

And he would definitely blend into the crowd, remaining inconspicuous.

Another couple stood out among the players. The girl seemed to be constantly on the phone, speaking Shanghai dialect, her words spilling out quickly from her teeth. The man was a young guy, not very tall, with dark skin and a bit of a sunny look. The two occupied a large area in the quiet waiting zone, giving off an inexplicable strong presence.

Qian Jinxin stood beside them, focusing intently on the woman speaking Shanghai dialect, his face very serious, no longer paying attention to his task card.

Hu Xiu thought to herself, Qian Jinxin really had an obsession with Shanghai residence permits, even going so far as to want to chat up a female player who spoke Shanghai dialect.

If only she could reject him by using her lack of a residence permit, maybe she could finally get rid of this troublesome pest.

The train whistle sounded, followed by the sound of the iron door opening. It was Qin Shaoyi. Her heart raced uncontrollably. Someone suddenly linked arms with her. It was Qian Jinxin.

He whispered, “Xiu Xiu, we’ve already arrived in Rongcheng. How about we go in as a couple?”

Why would he link arms with me in front of Qin Shaoyi? Who is even your wife!

As she frowned, she made eye contact with Qin Shaoyi. The scene felt like a girl who had just argued with her boyfriend and was now venting her anger on an NPC right at the beginning of the show.

Hu Xiu’s mood darkened—when the last scene ended, Qin Shaoyi had told her, “Miss Mei, I hope your days in Rongcheng will be filled with happiness.”

If he remembered her, then her happiness now looked like bringing her boyfriend along, except that this wasn’t even her boyfriend, and she couldn’t just go up to Qin Shaoyi to explain that this was a clingy and troublesome blind date candidate.

So now, in Qin Shaoyi’s eyes, she became a shallow and frivolous female player with a boyfriend, secretly flirting with a handsome young guy. The beautiful image of him shielding her would now be tainted, turning into an illicit plot similar to the “Daytime Divas.”

Although illicit plots weren’t so bad… Damn, what am I thinking! Hu Xiu shook her head forcefully, her hair flying into Qian Jinxin’s face, and the hairpin on her head fell to the ground. Qin Shaoyi picked up the lace-edged hairpin and handed it to her with a meaningful look, “So, is this a gift from you for our meeting in Rongcheng?”

Just as she was feeling pleased, Qian Jinxin suddenly picked up his line: “This is my wife. Wife, my apologies for the lack of discipline.”

Hu Xiu rolled her eyes and took a half-step to the left. Unfortunately, Qin Shaoyi didn’t see these actions, turning around and walking ahead with his suit jacket draped over his shoulder, “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s getting late. I am Qin Shaoyi, the finance minister of Rongcheng. Please bring your invitations and follow me.”

Behind him, someone yawned. It was already 11:00 PM, and this was the fifth session of Snowpiercer tonight. After a whole day of acting, Qin Shaoyi greeted the staff with flair: “I’ve prepared 100,000 cash for the two of you. Please come to my room later as my personal gift. These are the distinguished guests of Rongcheng, and I hope you won’t make things difficult for them.”

His silhouette in the dark was imposing, far surpassing the sleazy men around him.

Hu Xiu glanced at Wang Guangming and Zhao Xiaorou behind her, feeling a pang of jealousy towards Zhao Xiaorou’s designer brand clothes—these were the same as the ones she wore when interacting the most with Qin Shaoyi in their last scene. In the group of Qin Shaoyi’s, he took extra care of her, and occasionally when he was in a good mood, they would even dance together on stage. This was part of the new plot she had seen on a review site.

As for her own character, she was in Lin Qiumei’s group, gathering intelligence, and the tasks included but were not limited to: drugging Ning Zechen, gathering information from Feng Youjin, and stealing letters from the deceased general’s room—none of it had anything to do with Qin Shaoyi!

After the first scene ended, Zhao Xiaorou, wearing a red dancing dress, happily followed Qin Shaoyi toward Room 301.

Hu Xiu’s heart was filled with tears, a VIP-level unlucky user of Snowpiercer. To gain good luck, she could only pay more.

This session was hosted by Wang Guangming, and Hu Xiu could no longer shamelessly add a birthday service. She had no choice but to knock on room 308 to meet Lin Qiumei.

She hadn’t paid much attention to Lin Qiumei in Snowpiercer. In the game, Lin Qiumei was a beautiful and low-key woman, wealthy, with access to information from all over the world—nothing was out of her reach. She was pursued by Qin Xiaoyi but was secretly in love with Ning Zechen. Male players liked her because she had a curvy body, not tall but truly sweet.

Hu Xiu had also been in her group before, but since the actor was different, when Hu Xiu looked at her and saw her dark pupils, she felt a strange feeling in her heart. There was a quiet, brewing sense of danger that made her uneasy.

Someone knocked on the door—it was Zhao Xiaorou. She was dressed as Mei, carrying a love letter from Qin Xiaoyi.

Hu Xiu had also done this task, delivering a love letter from Qin Xiaoyi to Miss Lin, and going to the department store to buy her a gift.

Lin Qiumei just glanced at the gift and silently listened to the love letter. She took out five thousand yuan from her bag and gave it to Zhao Xiaorou: “Miss Mei, this is for you. Please pass a message to Minister Qin. I only see him as a younger brother. I accept the gift, but I do not have romantic feelings for him.”

After Zhao Xiaorou left, Lin Qiumei also gave Hu Xiu five thousand yuan: “Miss Watanabe, please pass a message to Captain Ning. Ask him if he still remembers the vow made on the mountain back then.”

Only then did Hu Xiu remember her character’s name was Watanabe Naomi. She went to knock on Ning Zechen’s door. Ning Zechen, draped in a mink fur shawl, was gambling in the casino. When he saw Hu Xiu, he enthusiastically draped the shawl over her shoulder.

Ning Zechen had also changed actors; he was thinner now. Hearing the message from Lin Qiumei, his expression immediately changed to one of deep affection. Hu Xiu accepted the reward from both sides and eagerly went to buy Lin Qiumei a gift.

The first step in changing the plot—getting Ning Zechen and Lin Qiumei together. As long as these two characters reconcile in the game, Qin Xiaoyi would remain a bachelor from beginning to end.

So, on the first night, Qin Xiaoyi’s confession failed, and he was taken to the police station, beaten up, and then saw Ning Zechen and Lin Qiumei dating on the street, his expression unhappy.

As the second night’s candidate election approached, Hu Xiu finished her task and lingered around Qin Xiaoyi, pretending to look for him to take a task, hoping to strike up a conversation.

Qin Xiaoyi said, “I heard at the station just now that you were holding hands with Du Yunhai. Intelligence agents holding such important positions shouldn’t openly have lovers. It’s not very safe. What if they are communists? That would not be convenient in Rongcheng.”

Du Yunhai was the character of Qian Jin Xin. Hu Xiu hadn’t looked at Qian Jin Xin since entering Rongcheng, but hearing Qin Xiaoyi’s question, she immediately retorted, “Of course not. He’s just a friend here to play. He always wants to perform. But the way he talks does make him seem like a communist. I think I should report him.”

This made Qin Xiaoyi laugh: “Alright, if you report him, it’ll be revenge for me. I’ll reward you with 20,000.”

Hu Xiu had a thought: why was Qin Xiaoyi asking about Qian Jin Xin?

Could it be that he remembered her, and seeing her holding hands with someone made him secretly jealous?

Just thinking about it made Hu Xiu excited. The more she looked at Qin Xiaoyi, the happier she felt. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly asked, “Minister Qin, do you still remember me?”

But Qin Xiaoyi remained expressionless and didn’t respond. He merely squinted slightly and walked away.

Why did she ask that? Hu Xiu felt a little sad. She subconsciously took out her task card and studied it carefully. The task wasn’t finished yet, so she hurried to find the final intelligence letter to make some money.

After receiving the last sum of money, the election was about to begin. Hu Xiu secretly counted the money at the hotel reception, and Qin Xiaoyi passed by her shoulder, leaving a remark: “Come with me…”

What other tasks could there be? Hu Xiu was confused as she followed Qin Xiaoyi into the department store.

She muttered to herself that after all these sessions, she had never seen any tasks related to the department store. Wasn’t this Qin Xiaoyi’s business?

Could it be that he still hadn’t given up on Lin Qiumei? Was he about to take out the watch, the one he gave her last birthday?

Qin Xiaoyi, you should give up. This watch is definitely not going to Lin Qiumei. She’s already with Ning Zechen!

In the next moment, Qin Xiaoyi took Hu Xiu’s hand and gently placed the watch on her wrist: “Do you remember this watch?”

Hu Xiu was stunned.

Her hand was still suspended in the air, and in the mirror in front of her, she saw her other hand covering her mouth, her face filled with disbelief and intoxication. Her fingers still had a touch of charm near her cheek—she didn’t dare to admit that this was her expression.

But at this moment, Hu Xiu vaguely felt that while the deep wounds from the past might still be there, her expression in the mirror was one of healing and renewal.

This was the greatest gift Qin Xiaoyi had given her.

The department store’s owner also laughed: “Young Master Qin, I didn’t expect you and Miss Watanabe to have a story.”

Hu Xiu’s heart raced, and she took a step back, tripping on the doorframe. She fell backward, and it was none other than Li Ai who caught her. Li Ai, with strong arms, leaned his cane firmly on the ground: “Are you alright?”

The store owner stared at Li Ai, as if stunned. Hu Xiu was relieved that it was Li Ai behind her and not Qian Jin Xin. She felt fortunate not to have fallen and embarrassed herself further in front of Qin Xiaoyi. Despite the joy inside, she knew she couldn’t let herself stumble again.

Straightening herself, Hu Xiu adjusted her hairpin and ran off, leaving behind a flirtatious remark: “Minister Qin, I received your feelings. I truly only love you!”

When she turned back, Qin Xiaoyi had already stepped out of the department store, casting a polite and restrained glance at Li Ai.

Li Ai, leaning on his cane, looked back at her from a distance before turning to another room. Seeing Hu Xiu happy in the game, he felt at ease.

Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoyi, standing at the center of Rongcheng’s main intersection, also looked in her direction. Qin Xiaoyi, usually cold in the game, had shown her the rarest warmth.

This gave her the courage she needed for the third round. Even though she wasn’t in Qin Xiaoyi’s team, she stuck closely to Lin Qiumei, feeling empowered by being protected by the beautiful older sister.

On the way here, she had made an agreement with Zhao Xiaorou to take extra knives. They would eliminate Qian Jinxin and Wang Guangming first in the third round—after all, once out of the game, they could always deny it.

From a distance, she saw Qian Jinxin. Before he could turn around, she rushed up and stabbed him—cursed be the gold-digging, boring man.

Just as someone’s shadow flashed past, Hu Xiu took a step back, bumping straight into Qin Xiaoyi.

Her heart skipped a beat, remembering the watch on her wrist, and she spoke casually, “Sorry, good thing you’re an NPC, or I would be done for.”

“What’s so funny? Hurry up and hide. It’s a good thing you’re meeting me, or you’d be killed by now.”

“It’s fine, I’m just here to look at the handsome men, not necessarily to win,” she said, the words a little too bold, regretting them as soon as they left her mouth.

“Who did you come to Rongcheng to see?”

Inside, Hu Xiu’s mind was in chaos, but on the outside, she remained calm. “Didn’t Minister Qin claim to have an exceptional memory? I can’t say who I came to see, I don’t want to burden him.”

In the dark, Qin Xiaoyi’s expression couldn’t be seen, but he seemed to smile. The warmth of melting ice moved Hu Xiu deeply, and she greedily spoke, “Could... could you... let me hide behind you for a moment?”

The darkness was truly a wonderful thing. Hiding behind Qin Xiaoyi, in this environment with no light, the two of them became ambiguous, shapeless shadows, blending together as one.

Relishing the faint warmth from his body, she heard Qin Xiaoyi say, “Is your name Hu Xiu?”

Time seemed to freeze, and everything went silent. The sudden stillness left Hu Xiu at a loss, only hearing her own heartbeat—thud, thud, thud... If Qin Xiaoyi continued speaking now, she might not even be able to hear it.

But Qin Xiaoyi’s words didn’t stop: “I remember you...”