Chapter 7

Do You Believe It, He Doesn’t Even Remember You 

From far away, Hu Xiu heard the sound of the train arriving. Her heart hammered in her chest, her mind racing: it’s just a sound effect, just an iron door opening, just getting to see Qin Shaoyi again—what’s the big deal? It’s just a role-play game, a chance to interact.

Qin Shaoyi walked out. His leather shoes clicked crisply on the empty underground floor. His imposing presence, short black curly hair partially covering his eyes, made Hu Xiu’s heart race. She cursed in her mind, “Damn, I’m gonna die!”

Fortunately, she was hiding behind a sign at the train station, which covered half of her body. She had unknowingly eaten a box of mint candies on the way, and now her stomach growled from hunger, but she was too nervous, her legs going numb.

Hiding behind the sign, Hu Xiu quietly watched Qin Shaoyi. Damn, he was looking at her too, and he smiled at her politely.

This payment is so worth it!

It was the same old script. Qin Shaoyi seemed to be in a good mood, even speaking with a smile.

Upon arriving in Rongcheng, it seemed that the cast had changed. Feng Youjin was replaced with a more mature actor, and the new Lin Qiumei was very beautiful.

Hu Xiu stared at Lin Qiumei for a long time, feeling as though her clear, cutting eyes might bend her. She quickly snapped out of it, shaking her head—wasn’t she here to see Qin Shaoyi? What was going on? Her focus was slipping.

Qin Shaoyi passed by just then, his gaze drifting over her and landing on her chest.

Hu Xiu seriously considered what underwear she was wearing, whether it had faded or pilled.

She froze for a moment before coming back to herself. What was she thinking? It wasn’t like she was wearing a see-through outfit. Qin Shaoyi wasn’t looking at her chest, but the brand—confirming who was in his group.

This was her sixth time playing, and she had drawn Ning Zechen’s group this time. Could it be that Qin Shaoyi would get jealous over that?

Feeling his gaze still on her, Hu Xiu’s heart fluttered, as though he had seen right through her.

This was her first time being in Ning Zechen’s group. She was officially playing the role of a bandit boss, Huang Xiao, and she was pretty happy about it.

Compared to Qin Shaoyi, Ning Zechen had a bit more approachable charm. The last time, the two of them had stood in front of her. Hu Xiu went home and analyzed it afterward—neither lacked the scent of hormones.

But Ning Zechen was very straightforward, liked to joke, and could easily be the type of boy you’d drink and play games with on the street.

Whereas Qin Shaoyi probably only went to fancy western restaurants, where the warm lights and red wine paired with foie gras, and he would flirt with other girls whenever he stepped away from the table.

Just as Hu Xiu was thinking about this, Ning Zechen waved a roll of money in front of her: “Huang Xiao, what’s going on? Are you doing the mission or not? Go help me frame Qin Shaoyi.”

In the big scene of Snowpiercer, after the general was stabbed, several characters would betray each other for power. Ning Zechen would have the players throw a knife into Qin Shaoyi’s room, while Feng Youjin, following the emperor’s orders, would torture Qin Shaoyi for information.

Hu Xiu never expected that in a group other than Qin Shaoyi’s, she would still have to frame him.

She cleared her throat and asked Ning Zechen if the plot wouldn’t trigger unless she let it happen.

Ning Zechen, wearing his military uniform and never buttoning up his chest, tilted his head and asked, “What, can’t bear to do it?”

“No, I’m just curious if I’m the one triggering the plot.”

“You can choose not to do it, but it’d be a shame if the other players can’t see it, right?”

He immediately switched to a serious expression: “You haven’t been taking your mission seriously. Do you want me to take over as the head of Rongcheng and get rid of you?”

Hu Xiu accepted the task, her heart feeling like it was being torn. Even though she had seen Qin Shaoyi hurt before.

But this villain was hers to play, like she had to cut off her own romantic path.

When she entered Qin Shaoyi’s room, it was crowded with players doing their tasks.

Qin Shaoyi was swamped, but still wore a reserved smile: “What’s the matter?”

“I’m fine, just came to take a look.”

“A look?” Qin Shaoyi glanced at her fur coat. “Nice outfit. Got a good money-making avenue? Maybe we could work together in the future.”

He stood up and moved a little closer to her. Hu Xiu stepped back, and the knife slipped into her pants leg and just into her boots.

Luckily, it was an old, rusty prop and just slid down, cold against her leg, making Hu Xiu yelp.

“Are you okay? Feeling unwell?”

Hu Xiu shook her head frantically but refused to leave the room. Other players were watching her.

Qin Shaoyi shifted the players’ attention: “Since you’re all here, could you help me with something? I want to give a letter to Miss Lin, anyone willing to take it? I’ll give you a 10,000 reward.”

Hu Xiu bent down, pulling the knife from her boot, scanning the room before placing it behind Qin Shaoyi’s sofa. She thought for a moment, then picked it up again and took two steps, placing it beside the cabinet.

Once the room was empty, Qin Shaoyi, seeing Hu Xiu still crouching, sighed: “Staying this long, are you planning something?”

Damn it, why did he always tease her? Acting like he didn’t see the knife, Qin Shaoyi stood by the liquor cabinet and pointed at her, his finger landing right at the part in her hair: “If you don’t leave, you’ll stay for a drink.”

Hu Xiu stood up but bumped into something, her strength unintentionally making it worse, and the wooden hook on the clothes rack lifted.

Qin Shaoyi widened his eyes: “Oh my god, you’ve got the strength of a hero.”

“Thanks for the compliment, Minister Qin…” As Qin Shaoyi lifted the hanger from above her head and gently set it on the ground, he placed a hand on her head: “Are you alright?”

Of course, she wasn’t alright!

Her head felt like it was going to explode, and she quickly retreated out of the room, running as fast as she could.

Why was it always a near-kiss or a head-pat? Was this the kind of service in this murder mystery? Getting physical? Such a heart-throbber.

Not looking up, she dashed into Ning Zechen, who grabbed her shoulder and stopped her in place: “Well, did you get it done?”

“Did you do that on purpose?”

“Yeah. I watched the surveillance replay last time. Your lightstick with your friend was really interesting.”

Hu Xiu panicked a little: “Huh?”

“Milk-skin Qin Shaoyi, cool and noble Qin Shaoyi…”

She quickly covered Ning Zechen’s mouth. It was just physical contact, right? As long as it wasn’t with Qin Shaoyi himself, she could do that too.

Ning Zechen tilted his neck back, effortlessly dodging her hand, then grabbed her wrist and pulled it back to her side: “Were you trying to mess up Qin Shaoyi’s room on purpose?”

“Of course not…” Hu Xiu thought, how could that be?

“Then your antics are something else. There’s always some new comedy every time.”

What she couldn’t say to Qin Shaoyi, she could say to Ning Zechen: “So… has Qin Shaoyi watched the replay?”

“He hasn’t…” Ning Zechen seemed to enjoy chatting quietly with the girls in the drama: “Qin Shaoyi’s pretty cold. He doesn’t do what others do. Look, you’ve come here so many times and acted out in his room, but I guarantee you, he won’t even remember who you are.”

Hu Xiu didn’t say anything, just followed Ning Zechen around the streets of Rongcheng. She had completely forgotten about her task. The joy of being teased by a “head pat kill” didn’t last long before Ning Zechen’s remark struck her like a hammer — looks like crashing into the coat rack was a sign of things to come.

Ning Zechen continued speaking to himself: “Qin Shaoyi said, since you only play for a few hours, your obsession with him is temporary. Once the thrill fades, you won’t come back. There’s no need to care about meaningless socializing. In other words, he won’t remember anyone for long.”

“Will he really not remember anyone?” Hu Xiu asked.

“He’s face-blind. Some people have shown their faces to him over ten times, and he might actually remember them. But he’s nice to everyone; in his mind, being considerate and gentle to women is just basic etiquette.”

Ning Zechen stopped walking. “I need to go assign tasks to others now. I’m not saying this to make you upset, but just to remind you, it doesn’t matter how many times you come, Qin Shaoyi doesn’t really keep people in mind. Unlike me, I know you’ve been here a few times — I’m a serious professional.”

The snow machine continued to blow, with white foam snow clinging to clothes and hair.

The scenery was fake, the props were fake, the clothes were randomly picked from a coat rack, and Qin Shaoyi’s interactions were all just part of the act.

The hand over her head seemed to still be there. Hu Xiu’s throat felt bitter. She wanted to give herself a piece of candy. She had been in such a hurry when entering that she had eaten mint candies all the way but didn’t have time to put them in her bag.

Though she hadn’t expected an NPC to remember her, Hu Xiu still hoped the warmth of that hand was more than just an interaction for the game. After coming so many times, hiding light sticks in her bag, tripping, crashing into coat racks — none of it left an impression?

She didn’t believe it. Not far away, Qin Shaoyi was giving money to a player. Hu Xiu knew it was a reward for the player who delivered the love letter to Lin Qiumei.

She had also done that task before. Lin Qiumei had even asked Hu Xiu to relay a message: “The most carefree Young Master Qin of Rongcheng, I accept your feelings. But I, Lin Qiumei, have been hurt before and can no longer love anyone too deeply.”

The lines were written so convincingly. Of course, someone who’s been hurt can’t easily fall in love again.

The Qin Shaoyi she had been thinking about day and night didn’t want to make remembering the players part of his job; and she shouldn’t be someone so serious about playing a murder mystery game in the first place.

The first night ended, and the plot was triggered. Qin Shaoyi was wrongfully judged as the murderer and taken to the interrogation room.

The interrogation room was located in the police station by the station. The window was half open, allowing people to peek in. Two female players were leaning toward the window, still admiring: “Look at Qin Shaoyi, his body is amazing! I told you he has muscles. Oh my god, he looked at me!”

The police officer in the interrogation room pretended to close the window, acting extremely convincingly. Feng Youjin came out, holding a cigar, pretending to blow smoke at the players, causing the two girls to scream and run away.

Interacting with players, especially female players, was probably part of their performance.

Ning Zechen was still behind Hu Xiu: “What are you still standing there for, Mount Head? If you don’t escape now, Minister Qin is going to look for trouble.”

“What trouble…” Hu Xiu was absent-minded.

“He obviously knows it was a setup. Anyone who’s been to his room will get interrogated by him one by one.”

Ning Zechen leaned in close to her ear, both of them watching Qin Shaoyi from afar, waiting for him to leave the police station. When their eyes met and he turned, Ning Zechen smiled and said, “I told you not to take what I said too seriously. Maybe he remembers you.”

The scene seemed to be playing out for Qin Shaoyi’s benefit. Hu Xiu stared at the tall, battered figure in the distance: “Why are you telling me this? Do you know I like Qin Shaoyi?”

“Because I’m worried you’re getting too deep. He doesn’t like overly enthusiastic girls. He was once followed by female players after work, and even attacked in a private area… since then, he’s been more cautious.”

“Do you think I’m that kind of person?”

“Of course not,” Ning Zechen laughed. “But I can tell you’re attached to him. You’ve probably made him your emotional support, right?”

Ning Zechen smiled again: “You’re interesting. There was once a Qin Shaoyi who told me he liked you, but he never encountered you again after that. I didn’t tell him you’re only here for this Qin Shaoyi. Aren’t I loyal?”

He tilted his head, and chatting during the game was an unprofessional thing to complain about to customer service, but Hu Xiu couldn’t bring herself to do that.

She didn’t say anything. Ning Zechen, with his broad frame and a bit of a devilish vibe, was the type of bad boy that Zhao Xiaorou would like.

He pulled out some money and put on his carefree demeanor: “Go to the department store for me and buy Lin Qiumei a gift to make her happy. I’ve known her since we were kids. If it weren’t for Qin Shaoyi interfering, I would have married her by now.”

After receiving the money to do the task, Hu Xiu went to the department store. She traded with players in her room on the train and her heart grew more bitter with each passing moment.

After trading the arms, when she got off the train, she happened to encounter Qin Shaoyi. Standing in front of her, his chest facing her, his shirt stained with blood hidden under his suit, Hu Xiu almost wanted to cry.

She had once knocked over a box of costumes and seen with her own eyes that this was part of the play, yet she still felt emotional.

She felt heartbroken for him being beaten, for him being attacked by female players, for him deliberately not wanting to remember the players, even though she was one of the parts of that habit that would be overlooked.

“Did you hide a knife?”

“No...”

“Don’t lie…” Qin Shaoyi’s body was closing in on her, his hand resting on the train: “Lying in Rongcheng doesn’t end well. Promise me one thing. I need the loyalty oath to the Communist Party from Feng Youjin’s room.

Soon he will leave the police station. You go to the safe and search it. The password is on this note. I’ll protect you outside.”

“Why me?”

“Because you did something wrong to me, and you’ll have to pay the price.” Qin Shaoyi took two steps back. “What? Not happy?”

Hu Xiu certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to bring her personal emotions into the game. Since it was an interaction, she naturally had to make the NPC happy.

Causing trouble and making people unhappy wasn’t part of her character. She sniffed, wiped her tears, and recited an impromptu line, even though it was improvised, it was better than anything she had ever performed in the theater troupe.

“Minister Qin, I’ve wronged you, and I’m at fault. But I, Huang Xiao, am also a person of integrity. Please show your generosity and let me go. This favor, I will repay you.

However, after this matter is finished, let our grudges be written off, and in the world, I shall never meet you again.”

As she said this, she didn’t look at Qin Shaoyi. Qin Shaoyi, wearing his overcoat with his hands in his pockets, listened absentmindedly. He really did intentionally not remember the players’ faces, and Ning Zechen wasn’t wrong.

Once this round of Snowpiercer ended, the winner of the curtain call was Ning Zechen. Hu Xiu was somewhat relieved that Qin Shaoyi didn’t see her through the crack in the door.

If they were truly to say goodbye, every additional glance would only make this longing grow deeper.

People from different worlds shouldn’t force connections; it’s better to leave those who shouldn’t be too entangled in separate parallel universes and quickly return to reality—that’s what a sensible adult should do.

As soon as her eyes met the summer breeze, Hu Xiu’s tears fell. She rarely cried...