Chapter 5

Remember Who You Belong To

Plot Summary: The main characters in the murder mystery game Snowpiercer are: Finance Minister Qin Shaoyi, Police Commissioner Ning Zechen, General Feng Youjin, and Japanese Intelligence Officer Lin Qiumei.

In this session, Zhao Xiaorou and Hu Xiu are in Qin Shaoyi’s group, tasked with helping Qin Shaoyi become the head of Rongcheng.

The staff members were also awkward. After taking the light stick from Zhao Xiaorou’s hands and saying they would temporarily keep it outside for her, Zhao Xiaorou continued to resist fiercely. “Don’t you offer custom services? We’re just showing our support for Qin Shaoyi with this custom item.”

Hu Xiu covered her face, already embarrassed. “Please, just take the light stick outside.”

Through her fingers, Hu Xiu noticed Qin Shaoyi sneaking a smile. It was the first time she had seen him perform up close, after playing the game four or five times. Qin Shaoyi’s smile wasn’t seductive or charming, it was more like he was shy.

Before she could get enough of it, his smile quickly faded, and he switched to a low, magnetic voice as he teased her and Zhao Xiaorou, “You’ve prepared quite a lot. But remember this when you come to Rongcheng next time—Rongcheng is a place with rules. Bringing in personal items will get you locked up in the interrogation room. The experience there is not pleasant. Have you remembered your tasks for coming to Rongcheng?”

Professionals were different, he could improvise. Hu Xiu realized she had been so busy looking at Qin Shaoyi that she hadn’t even paid attention to today’s task.

Opening the script package, her eyes went dark. Inside was a card, and without opening it, she already knew it was the traitor card.

Joining Qin Shaoyi’s group also meant she could become the woman who betrays her—heartache surged, life was truly difficult.

Before leaving, she twisted her foot. Her bag hadn’t been fully closed, and the envelope containing the traitor card fell out with a clatter, the bright traitor card landing right in front of Qin Shaoyi, leaving him stunned.

Zhao Xiaorou turned around and immediately threw herself on Hu Xiu, covering the fallen traitor card with half her body. “Minister Qin, could you please turn around? Miss Scarlett’s underwear has fallen out.”

Underwear?

Hu Xiu felt like Qin Shaoyi was laughing at her. He seemed helpless, placed his hands on his waist, and gently tossed his suit jacket back. “Such private items, you should be more careful with them.”

It was perfectly normal for Zhao Xiaorou to make Qin Shaoyi laugh; she often created unpredictable situations. During a Super Junior concert in Beijing, for example, she had trouble bringing in a huge banner. At the security checkpoint, she pretended to be crazy and foolish, stuffing forty lighters into her bag. Several staff members surrounded her, and Hu Xiu took advantage of the chaos to dash off, managing to hang Lee Donghae’s banner in the center of the venue before anyone else.

The lighters had cost less than a dollar each, but with thirty bucks and a thick-skinned attitude, she had secured the spot. It was a great deal.

As she put it, Hu Xiu didn’t exactly have it easy either. If she weren’t there to save the day, situations like that would have been hard to handle.

However, Hu Xiu felt like Zhao Xiaorou’s “rescues” were more like traps for her, like the times when she was pinned down and had to desperately stuff things back into her bag, or when she changed into a qipao and couldn’t get up, creating strange, confusing sounds in the room—it certainly wasn’t a good way to wrap things up.

When the door was opened, the players waiting outside saw Zhao Xiaorou disheveled and Hu Xiu’s legs still trembling. They also saw Qin Shaoyi, neatly dressed, and asked in confusion, “What kind of task were you doing in there that we needed to avoid?”

Zhao Xiaorou replied with righteous indignation, “What do you understand? Miss Scarlett has something urgent to discuss with Young Master Qin.” After saying that, she left Hu Xiu and walked off.

From the crack in the door, Qin Shaoyi looked at her, holding in his smile. “What are you staring at? Hurry up and go do your task.”

What a ridiculous start. Hu Xiu glanced at today’s task. Although she was in Qin Shaoyi’s group, it had little to do with him.

You are Scarlett, a chemist from the United States. Your real identity is that you secretly engage in arms trading under the guise of dealing in pharmaceuticals.

To assist Qin Shaoyi in becoming the new head of Rongcheng, your side mission is as follows:

1. Qin Shaoyi has been distancing himself from the United States. You need to find a new reliable arms broker, sign the arms deal, and send it to the address: 128 American Street. You have a pocket watch that allows you to communicate with him using a secret code, but there will be traps, so be careful.

2. Your other identity is that of the gambling queen, unbeatable at the casino. At the casino, you will find a red brooch. Wear it, as someone will entrust you with a token. However, the token is not safe, and possessing it may trigger danger.

3. Find the physicist with the codename Daisy. Sign a loyalty agreement to the United States with him and send it to: 209 American Street.

The traitor card reads:

Because you were once saved by Ning Zechen, you need to help him become the new head of Rongcheng.

After gaining Qin Shaoyi’s trust, do everything in your power to sabotage his rise to power.

Since you are still Qin Shaoyi’s partner, this betrayal must be done without raising his suspicion.

The script is intricate and complex, leaving Hu Xiu torn between duty and personal feelings.

Ning Zechen is Zhao Xiaorou’s type of man, but it seems like there won’t be much interaction in this round, as she’s busy scamming Feng Youjin for money.

By the fifth round, Hu Xiu has pieced together the story: Qin Shaoyi’s subordinates are involved in financial dealings, those assisting Ning Zechen are bandits and spies, Feng Youjin’s subordinates are a mix of communists and Soviet soldiers, and Lin Qiumei’s team is made up of Japanese people.

Thanks to this traitor card, her American identity also carries a hint of a bandit, which, strangely enough, feels quite seductive.

Hu Xiu’s biggest strength is her single-minded approach to tasks—she’s serious and doesn’t rest until the job is done.

So on the first night, she diligently found the arms broker, quickly signed the agreement, and sent it off, spending all the money she had.

Feeling satisfied after completing the task, she ran into Qin Shaoyi, only to hear him call out from behind, “Where have you been? Aren’t you in my group?”

Hu Xiu turned to look at him. His short black curly hair was a definite bonus, and he was attentive to his team, interacting with them frequently. No girl could escape his attentiveness.

From his voice to his looks, he was beyond the ordinary world—so striking that it was almost like a dream. Hu Xiu became nervous and blurted out that she was busy with a task, rushing off while thinking to herself, How can he be this handsome? How can his voice be so nice? My heart almost stopped.

Just after the first night ended, before Qin Shaoyi called the group back to the room, Hu Xiu used the pocket watch to contact the broker, signed the arms agreement, and hurriedly sent it out.

When she returned to Qin Shaoyi’s room, Zhao Xiaorou and another group member were staring at him. Qin Shaoyi was sitting on the couch, his legs crossed, sighing helplessly. “Are you in my group or not? How can you just ignore me while doing your tasks?”

Even his words made Hu Xiu blush. Struggling to suppress her feelings, she responded, “Of course, I’m just making money for you.”

Qin Shaoyi stood up, leaned toward Hu Xiu, tilting his head to look at her, his breath scented with mint, spraying it over her nose and lips: “You’re mine, Hu Xiu. Don’t run off everywhere, understood?”

The blood in her body seemed to be boiling. Hu Xiu felt her blood pressure rising, her mind spinning, and with Zhao Xiaorou’s loud scream in the background, she stammered, “Y-yes, I understand.”

This wasn’t over yet. Qin Shaoyi placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a couple of light pats—not so much suggestive, but more like telling her to be careful.

The dictionary exploded in her mind, black square letters flying around, but Hu Xiu only caught four words: Dominant CEO.

After finishing the task, the three of them stepped out. Zhao Xiaorou excitedly grabbed Hu Xiu’s arm. “This is it, this is it! He definitely likes you, Hu Xiu! You need to move back in, start slimming down, get some water glow injections—everything arranged.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve already gotten to the point where he’s this close to you. Hu Xiu, are you pretending to be clueless or really can’t tell?”

“It’s not even that close. He’s just acting, really. Last time he even recited a line from a drama to me—it was the Japanese group’s role, the one playing the character of Fuko.”

“If he doesn’t like you, he’d just stop acting right away. If he’s not interested, I’ll eat all the props in the scene.”

Zhao Xiaorou turned down a shopping street. “I’m going to do a task now. If Qin Shaoyi doesn’t want you, I’ll go flirt with him. Once you’re married, it’s boring. All the love you smell belongs to someone else. Nobody even flirts with me when playing this game.”

The minty scent still lingered at her nose. Someone had once leaned in to kiss Hu Xiu in such a close manner.

But usually, they would smell the bad breath, the decaying odor from their throat, and their lips were often cracked, making the touch uncomfortable.

Hu Xiu deconstructed Qin Shaoyi’s scent in her mind. The mint was refreshing, and the warm undertone felt like black tea, almost like it was coming from his very soul—pure and clean.

She wasn’t exaggerating or altering her memories because of her attraction to him. There was something about this clean young man that washed away her painful memories of past relationships, and even if it was only in the game, Hu Xiu felt satisfied.

Walking along the main street of Rongcheng, Hu Xiu’s face was burning, her heart pounding—You’re mine, Qin Shaoyi—those words felt so exaggerated!

At a distance, Ning Zechen was walking towards her. Hu Xiu remembered that she was his traitor, and quietly pulled out the card, taking Ning Zechen to the casino.

Ning Zechen remembered her. “Aren’t you the one who knocked over Qin Shaoyi’s suitcase last time?”

“Yeah…”

“He got a 50-yuan fine for riding the shared bike the wrong way that night. He was in a bad mood. He didn’t want to walk a five-minute stretch, so he rode the bike the wrong way and got caught—he’s such a fool.”

Seeing Ning Zechen’s gloating expression, Hu Xiu chuckled. So Qin Shaoyi, the one who didn’t even look back out of frustration, actually broke traffic rules?

Absurd. It was like the actors in Snowpiercer running into regular customers and quietly chatting.

Ning Zechen gave him 10,000 yuan, asking him to help find Ma Zi to get a family letter, which he could then use to exchange for a death immunity token from Qin Shaoyi.

Hu Xiu expanded the plot a bit in her mind. Ning Zechen and Qin Shaoyi must have once shared a brotherly bond, but later, due to a misunderstanding, they became bitter enemies.

She called out to Li Ma Zi, feeling that his gaze on her was strange. Li Ma Zi pulled out a handful of peanuts from his pocket and started cracking them as they walked. “Miss Scarlett, I can give you the family letter, but it’s not easy for me to make a living in Rongcheng. You’ll have to offer something in return for the letter.”

After considering the money in her pocket, which wasn’t much, and the fact that she still had to help Qin Shaoyi compete for the leadership role, Hu Xiu decided to forgo the money. She placed her hand on Li Ma Zi’s shoulder. “Ma Zi, you saw how busy I’ve been running around, and I didn’t make a single cent. It’s been tough. How about I give you a massage, and you give me the family letter?”

She thought she still had some feminine charm. Though she couldn’t compete with Zhao Xiaorou’s methods—

Look, Zhao Xiaorou had been chasing Feng Youjin around, constantly acting coquettish and even sitting on the ground, pretending to be fragile as she clung to Feng Youjin’s leg—

But Hu Xiu wasn’t that blatant. She preferred to play it subtly, acting in such a way that her efforts would go unnoticed, killing with kindness was the sophisticated way to go.

When her hand accidentally brushed against Li Ma Zi’s ear, he finally couldn’t resist. He quickly pulled out an envelope from his inner pocket. “Miss Scarlett, you’re American, yet you’re so skilled at massages?”

“I must have done a lot of therapy.” She chuckled, remembering how exhausted she was during the translation exam, when her arms were too tired to lift, and how the massage therapist’s expert hands had helped her recover.

After receiving the family letter, she went to find Qin Shaoyi. Room 301 was empty, as Qin Shaoyi was at the casino gambling with Ning Zechen.

It worked out well since both were there. Qin Shaoyi handed the death immunity token to Ning Zechen, and Hu Xiu received a 10,000 yuan tip from Ning Zechen.

Taking advantage of their momentary distraction, a player snuck up behind Hu Xiu, saw her brooch, and slipped something into her hand.

Opium was banned in Rongcheng, and Hu Xiu had initially planned to extort some money from this, but just then, Feng Youjin, the one most eager to throw people into prison, appeared.

Ning Zechen and Qin Shaoyi stepped in front of her, and Qin Shaoyi paused for a second. Ning Zechen glanced at him, not giving way.

The two men formed a wall in front of Hu Xiu, and she stood there, feeling their warmth on either side. She sighed sincerely, thinking that such good luck with romance could only exist in a script.

A few steps later, Hu Xiu entered the black market, earned 20,000 yuan, and put it in her bag. Proudly, she pulled out the peanuts that Li Ma Zi had given her, took a bite, and instantly cracked a tooth—damn!

After earning a decent sum, Hu Xiu sat at Qin Shaoyi’s table. Qin Shaoyi was right next to her, seemingly indifferent to the outcome of the game, occasionally glancing at her as though keeping an eye on this traitor.

When Hu Xiu stood up to vote, Qin Shaoyi cleared his throat and said, “Miss Scarlett, remember who you belong to.”

Hu Xiu’s legs wobbled, thinking to herself, “Your person, your person, I’ll vote for you, okay? Just stop saying flirtatious things.”

In the end, Qin Shaoyi succeeded in becoming the new leader of Rongcheng. When the alarm went off, he walked ahead, and Hu Xiu followed him. She noticed that his posture wasn’t frail at all; he walked with purpose, and it seemed like he was strong.

Because the room was dimly lit, she quickly lost track of him. Zhao Xiaorou stabbed her in the back and she was eliminated.

As she lit up in the dark room, her presence illuminated Qin Shaoyi’s face. She heard him sigh, “You…”

Was that… disappointment?

The game was about to end, and Hu Xiu pulled the peanuts out of her pocket, hoping to freshen her breath before saying goodbye to Qin Shaoyi.

Just as she was about to walk over to him, Li Ma Zi patted her from behind, quietly slipping a note and a pen into her hands. “Miss Scarlett, would you mind sharing a way to contact you outside of Rongcheng? I’d love to meet you outside of here.”

Hu Xiu glanced at him. He winked, his expression a bit slick, but with soft, fair skin and some freckles, not unattractive.

Hu Xiu wasn’t good at rejecting people, so she quickly wrote her WeChat number on the paper, the handwriting a bit hurried, but still legible. She gave it to him while carefully avoiding the camera.

She had just turned around when she saw Qin Shaoyi standing behind her, clearly having watched the whole exchange. He brushed past her, his shoulder gently knocking hers, with about the same force as when he had knocked over her suitcase.

As the curtain fell, Li Ma Zi smiled and bowed, giving her a wink. When the door closed, Qin Shaoyi didn’t even look up, and the heavy iron door slammed shut.

Hu Xiu felt a pang of guilt, almost like a betrayal, and it made her teeth hurt even more—what kind of situation was this?