Heartbeat - Chapter 35

On the first floor, Zhao Qifei and the others had already prepared breakfast. Seeing Shen Xun and the others come down, Zhao Qifei quickly called out, “You’re just in time! I just finished the sandwiches, and the creamy mushroom soup is ready too. Perfect timing!”

“Ooh! Let me see what’s for breakfast!” Su Jianyue excitedly scurried into the kitchen, where she found a surprisingly lavish spread: sandwiches, fried dough sticks, milk, creamy mushroom soup, and salad.

“So much delicious food!” Su Jianyue’s eyes lit up.

Zheng Tianming chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Not bad, right? We wanted to give everyone some options. You can choose whatever you like. These fried dough sticks were freshly made this morning.”

“Can I have both?” Su Jianyue surveyed the kitchen, realizing she wanted to try everything.

Zheng Tianming smiled. “Of course! Help yourself to whatever you like.”

“Hehe, then I won’t hold back!” Su Jianyue grinned, then turned to Shen Xun. “Sister, what do you want?”

“I’ll just have a glass of milk and a sandwich. I can’t eat much in the morning.”

“I’ll pour the milk for you,” Su Jianyue said, using a ladle to divide the milk from the pot into cups. Then she ladled out the creamy mushroom soup.

Shen Xun first carried two cups of milk to the dining table, followed by two sandwiches. She returned to the kitchen to help Su Jianyue carry a youtiao (fried dough stick) to the table.

Su Jianyue brought her bowl of creamy mushroom soup to the table.

Having slept well the previous night, Su Jianyue had a good appetite this morning. She took a bite of the youtiao. Although Zhao Qifei and the others’ fried dough sticks weren’t as fluffy as those sold outside, they were at least clean, and the oil used was proper peanut oil.

Su Jianyue nodded repeatedly as she ate. “Mmm, the youtiao is so good—fragrant and crispy. It’s perfect with the milk.”

She took several sips of milk between bites.

Shen Xun ate a few bites of her sandwich and glanced over at Su Jianyue. She saw the Little Puppy devouring her food with gusto, not even bothering to look up. Her eyes curved into a smile. Kids really do love to eat the most.

After finishing a youtiao and a cup of milk, Su Jianyue started on her sandwich, occasionally sipping the creamy mushroom soup. “Mmm, these are delicious too. I love them!”

Shen Xun chuckled, teasing, “You like anything that tastes good.”

“Absolutely! Hehe,” Su Jianyue replied without argument, cheerfully agreeing.

As Su Jianyue ate, the other guests gradually came downstairs.

“Good morning! Breakfast is over there—help yourselves,” Zheng Tianming reminded them.

“Great! It’s a buffet breakfast today,” Yu Lin said, heading toward the kitchen to get food.

Su Jianyue, already full, took her plate to wash it with Shen Xun. The two then joined Zheng Tianming and the others on the living room sofa.

Soon after, Host Yang Rui arrived.

Seeing all the guests on the first floor, she announced, “After breakfast, please gather here in the living room at 9:00 AM. We have a mission today, and everyone will be traveling together by minibus. Lunch might be delayed, so make sure to eat plenty now!”

“We’re going out to play? Awesome!” Su Jianyue immediately perked up.

Shen Xun glanced at the “little puppy” beside her, his eyes curving slightly in amusement.

Hearing about the mission, Yu Lin and the others quickly ate more, knowing that filming might leave them no time for lunch.

By 9:00 AM, everyone was ready and gathered in the living room.

Yang Rui smiled at the group and announced, “Before we head out to complete our mission, we need to form teams. We’ll continue with the Alpha-Omega pairings, with two people per team. This time, the Guests can negotiate and choose their own teammates.”

Su Jianyue’s eyes lit up as she immediately turned to Shen Xun. “Sister! I want to be on your team!”

Shen Xun nodded slightly. “Alright, let’s team up.”

Zhao Qifei and Chen Zhibin exchanged glances, their faces turning green with envy.

Liang Wenjing looked at the only remaining female Alpha and quickly turned to Jiang Ying. “Jiang Ying, would you like to team up with me?”

Jiang Ying nodded. She already had a good impression of Liang Wenjing and was eager to spend more time with her. “Sure!”

Mao Ning grew anxious and quickly turned to Zheng Tianming. “Brother Zheng, let’s team up?”

Zheng Tianming looked awkwardly at Yu Lin, rubbed his hands together, and finally said, “I was hoping to team up with Yu Lin.”

Yu Lin glanced at the remaining two men, Zhao Qifei and Chen Zhibin. Great, both of them are people I’d rather not team up with. She quickly nodded. Compared to those two, Zheng Tianming at least seemed normal and wasn’t overly flirtatious.

“Okay, then let’s team up,” Yu Lin said, glancing apologetically at Mao Ning. “Sorry about that.”

Mao Ning sighed. “No problem. Brother Zhao, shall we team up?”

Zhao Qifei nodded. “Sure.”

Since it wasn’t Shen Xun, anyone would do. He had no interest in male omegas anyway.

In the end, Ren Peng was left to team up with Chen Zhibin.

Seeing everyone had settled their teams, Yang Rui smiled. “Great! Let’s head out now.”

“Where are we going?” Su Jianyue asked.

“I can’t reveal that yet. You’ll find out when we get there. Everyone, please board the bus.” Yang Rui gestured for everyone to get on.

Su Jianyue and Shen Xun took the front seats, while the others found their places in the minibus.

The bus soon set off. After forty minutes, it gradually slowed down and pulled into a parking lot beside a large courtyard.

Everyone disembarked and walked toward the courtyard. Su Jianyue curiously surveyed her surroundings. They were in the outskirts of Beijing, a rather remote area.

She and Shen Xun walked side-by-side toward the large courtyard next door. Su Jianyue’s gaze drifted upward, landing on the sign hanging above the courtyard gate. In bold characters, it read “Beijing Horror Hospital.” Whether intentional or not, the paint on the word “horror” had a disturbingly bloody appearance.

Su Jianyue immediately huddled closer to Shen Xun. “Sister, where are we?”

Chen Zhibin leaned in. “Whoa, could this be that super-hyped horror hospital from online? I heard it used to be a real hospital that got abandoned. Then someone leased the place and turned it into a horror amusement park.”

“Ah? Is this the horror park that scares people into the hospital?” Liang Wenjing shuddered at the sight of the weathered perimeter walls, already feeling a chill.

“Yep, this hospital has five floors,” Ren Peng chimed in. As a gaming streamer who often played horror games, he wasn’t easily spooked. “They sealed off the fifth floor after too many visitors got so terrified they had to be hospitalized. Now, visitors can only explore floors one through four.”

Seeing everyone had gotten out of the car, Yang Rui hurried to say, “Alright, everyone, follow me inside to gather. Our production team has spared no expense for you all. We’ve rented the entire amusement park for the day, so it will be just the ten of you guests inside—no other visitors.”

Su Jianyue was already terrified, her palms sweating profusely. Why now? Why couldn’t they have come earlier or later? Why did they have to bring us to a place like this right after we watched a horror movie? Waaah, is this some kind of personal vendetta against me?

A small ambulance was parked in the courtyard, along with a dozen chairs for the guests to rest. In front of the chairs was a row of long tables stocked with snacks, drinks, and bottled water.

Yang Rui smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, everyone. Our production team reviewed all your medical reports beforehand. None of you have heart conditions or high bl00d pressure, so your safety is assured. Of course, just in case, the ambulance is here to handle any emergencies.”

“Now, please take a seat while I explain the rules of today’s game.” Yang Rui gestured toward the chairs, signaling everyone to sit down.

Su Jianyue clung tightly to Shen Xun’s wrist, afraid to let go even for a moment. The hospital’s exterior alone terrified her; its walls were covered in patches of green moss, giving it an eerie, sinister appearance.

Noticing Su Jianyue’s fear, Shen Xun allowed her to keep holding his hand.

Once everyone was seated, Yang Rui began explaining the rules. “Originally, this activity was scheduled for later in the week. However, since you all watched a horror movie last night, the production team decided to move this terrifying challenge to today. This will allow you to immerse yourselves more fully in the experience and create a more atmospheric game.”

“Thanks, but we weren’t exactly looking to immerse ourselves,” Mao Ning said with a wry smile.

“Here’s how it works,” Yang Rui continued. “The production team has hidden Heartbeat Cards on every floor of this hospital. These cards could be hidden anywhere—it’s completely random. You’ll need to search for them yourselves. The first team to find ten cards and bring them back will win a romantic date package for tomorrow, all expenses paid by the production team. The entire day’s itinerary will be arranged by us. As for the other teams, they’ll have to stay at the Heartbeat House and cook their own meals.”

As Yang Rui spoke, he had a staff member bring out a portable television screen. He tapped the screen, and tomorrow’s itinerary began to play.

The first-place winner would spend the morning and afternoon at Rose Manor, strolling through the grounds and savoring the manor’s signature cuisine.

The afternoon’s activities included blending their own perfumes together, while the evening would be spent on a romantic date in the stargazing room. The program team would provide a candlelit dinner, allowing the winners to enjoy fine dining while gazing at the starry sky above.

As the footage continued to play, Zhao Qifei sighed, “Tomorrow’s itinerary is really impressive—romantic and fun. But today’s task was just too difficult.”

“Exactly,” Chen Zhibin chimed in. “Ten Heartbeat Cards? I was afraid I wouldn’t find even one and almost gave up.”

Su Jianyue felt like crying. She asked timidly, “Do we just need to find the cards? Will there be NPCs inside trying to scare us?”

Yang Rui smiled reassuringly at Su Jianyue. “To create the right atmosphere, even though there won’t be other visitors, all the NPCs will be present. We guarantee you’ll have a fully immersive experience.”

Su Jianyue sniffled. “I’m not sure I want such an immersive experience.”