Provoking Fire [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 50

The light suddenly converged, plunging Chu Xiyue’s vision into darkness. She instinctively squinted, adjusting to the abrupt shift in brightness. Held tightly in Su Yan’s arms, she dared not alert the monsters searching outside. She could only lean against Su Yan, feeling the woman’s familiar warmth, which sent a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“Can’t you let go of me and talk properly?”

The monsters outside hadn’t detected them. After circling the window once, they moved on, leaving the area in silence again. Chu Xiyue tried to signal with her eyes to be released, but Su Yan didn’t seem to understand. She had no choice but to whisper, “Let go of me.”

“If I let go, you’ll just start talking nonsense again.” Su Yan’s grip remained firm, making it impossible for Chu Xiyue to break free. “Or is it that Chi Yao deserves your concern more than I do? She can reject me, but I can’t retaliate?”

“Chu Xiyue, you can’t be so hypocritical. It’s unfair.”

As she spoke, the woman’s breath, fragrant as orchids, brushed against Chu Xiyue’s neck and cheek, leaving a ticklish, tingling sensation. In the confined space, an unspoken intimacy filled the air, making Chu Xiyue suppress even her breathing.

“I didn’t…”

She wanted to say, “I’m not being a hypocrite,” but choosing to talk to Su Yan might have inadvertently placed Su Yan on a higher pedestal. After all, most people would confide in someone closer to them about sensitive matters to avoid resentment.

But saying that to Su Yan would sound absurd—wouldn’t it imply she had feelings for her?

Even though Su Yan was straight, and precisely because Su Yan was straight, Chu Xiyue desperately wanted to avoid any misunderstanding that might make it seem like she was pining after her.

“Anyway, think about whether you’ve been too harsh on Chi Yao. I’ll talk to her later.” Afraid Su Yan might suddenly come up with another crazy idea, Chu Xiyue gently poked her wrist with her fingertip, her tone softening into a coquettish plea. “You’re closer to me, so of course I’d come to you first. Isn’t this making things awkward for me too? What’s going on between you two?”

Chu Xiyue’s sudden softening tone, combined with her captivating, flirtatious eyes, made it impossible to say anything harsh. Su Yan had been ready to retort, but when she saw Chu Xiyue staring intently into her eyes, she felt a sudden, inexplicable softening.

In an instant, she surrendered.

As soon as Su Yan released her, Chu Xiyue darted out of her embrace like a nimble rabbit, scrambling as far away as possible, as if terrified of being caught again.

A faint ripple stirred in Su Yan’s deep, tranquil eyes, which were usually as still as a placid lake.

This girl claims to be close to me, but it’s all just talk. She clearly doesn’t want to be near me at all.

“Aiya, Sister Su Yan!” As expected of someone who had spent so much time with Su Yan, Chu Xiyue immediately sensed her lingering displeasure. Though she didn’t approach, she turned back and crooked her little finger at Su Yan, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. “Let’s hurry out. If we stay any longer, Chi Yao will start suspecting we’re plotting something in here.”

“After all, you’re just a candidate for being an undercover agent. You’re not like me, a true-blue member of the party.”

“Who are you calling an undercover candidate?”

Chi Yao, outside the room, hadn’t heard any noise. Several times, she reached out to knock, only to withdraw her hand. She maintained a calm facade, though her heart churned with anxiety. After what felt like an eternity, she finally saw the two women emerge from the room.

“Sorry about that. I saw a monster heading this way earlier. You must have found a place to hide too, right?”

Su Yan’s demeanor had softened considerably after coming out, no longer as sharp-tongued as before. Chu Xiyue felt a surge of relief.

However, Chi Yao’s attitude toward Su Yan remained unchanged—still somewhat cold, maintaining only a veneer of polite civility. This left Chu Xiyue utterly bewildered, unable to grasp the source of the tension between them.

As dusk deepened into night and time slipped by unnoticed, they encountered Zhang Xin’an, who had been captured. His health bar had dropped to zero, and he was being dragged away, prematurely ending his game.

Besides the three of them, the remaining players were Huang Lige, Bei Yaoyao, and Zheng Zihong. Zheng Zihong later met up with them at a location where he was being relentlessly pursued by a Ghost. Su Yan intervened to save him, and Zheng Zihong, like a shadow, began following the group of girls.

However, Chu Xiyue noticed something odd about Zheng Zihong’s behavior. Whenever Ghosts appeared, they never targeted him, instead chasing after others. This starkly contrasted with his earlier desperate flight from the Ghost, creating a glaring inconsistency.

After quietly consulting with Chi Yao, Chu Xiyue suddenly betrayed Zheng Zihong. To their astonishment, they discovered that when the Ghost grabbed him, he took no damage whatsoever.

Exposed, Zheng Zihong bared his teeth in a wild, maniacal laugh, and with long strides, he began chasing after them. The group was forced to flee in a desperate sprint.

Shi Yan and Zhang Xin’an had already been eliminated. Huang Lige’s health was critically low, teetering on the brink of zero.

Just as they met in the darkness, Huang Lige, seeing them like a lifeline, hurried over:

“Quick, quick! Does anyone have a health restoration item? Give me some HP!”

As the crisp chime of the bell and the countdown announcement echoed through the air, everyone felt the relentless passage of time, their tension mounting with each passing second.

“I’ll go help Little Oriole find some props over there,” Su Yan said. “I saw a small medical hut earlier. Let’s head there first. You two search around here for other props and clues.”

Huang Lige, eager to regain her health, immediately agreed and hurried after Su Yan. As Chu Xiyue and Chi Yao stood alone, Chu Xiyue suddenly felt uneasy, but the area ahead was already shrouded in thick fog.

“Should we go check on them?”

Before she could finish speaking, an announcement blared over the loudspeaker. Chu Xiyue’s apprehension deepened, and her worst fears were confirmed:

Huang Lige’s health has reached zero. She has been eliminated.

Chu Xiyue nearly jumped out of her skin in panic.

“Su Yan!” she hissed through clenched teeth.

Throughout their journey, Su Yan had consistently acted helpfully, seemingly working for the group’s benefit. Initially wary, Chu Xiyue had gradually lowered her guard, never suspecting that Su Yan would reveal her true colors at such a critical moment.

Zheng Zihong followed behind them, dutifully carrying their belongings without a word. Who could have guessed he would suddenly explode like a thunderclap? They had thought avoiding Zheng Zihong would end the game, but then—

“Chuchu, you don’t mean they’re both undercover agents, do you?” Chi Yao exclaimed, finally understanding. Chu Xiyue’s face flushed with annoyance as she sighed deeply, blaming herself for being deceived by the pair’s appearances.

With no other choice, the two women bolted. Now they had to contend not only with the lurking horrors in the darkness but also with the betrayal of their former teammates. From the start, the Director had never specified that there was only one undercover agent; they had underestimated the situation, failing to realize that Zheng Zihong’s early exposure was a smokescreen to protect Su Yan.

They had initially believed that guarding against Zheng Zihong alone would suffice, only to have their plans completely disrupted by Su Yan’s sudden move.

Facing the remaining boss, they stood little chance, especially with Su Yan still possessing several powerful items.

In the end, neither of them escaped alive.

Chi Yao was quickly overwhelmed by exhaustion and captured by the surrounding Ghosts. The pursuit of Chu Xiyue, however, proved far more dramatic. Having scouted the terrain during her earlier escape, Chu Xiyue played a cunning game of hide-and-seek, dodging and weaving through the ancient town. As the final one-on-one showdown began, the protection timer activated, instantly reducing the Ghost population by nearly half.

Su Yan had laid a meticulous trap outside, but Chu Xiyue was far from surrendering meekly. She fought fiercely, unleashing a barrage of previously hoarded items.

Among them were Stasis Talismans and “explosives”—gun-shaped devices that inflicted 10% to 15% damage to health bars upon impact, whether striking Su Yan or the Ghosts.

After a prolonged struggle, Chu Xiyue was finally captured as her supplies dwindled to almost nothing, falling into Su Yan’s grasp.

Triumphant, Su Yan escorted her “prize” back to the starting point, where the remaining players glared at her with resentful eyes.

“She took me out right here!” Shi Yan exclaimed, her voice trembling with frustration. “I was almost at the safe zone by the main gate! Damn it, who designed this ancient town? It’s so huge, communication is impossible! I kept trying to tell you there’s a safe zone over here, but I couldn’t find anyone!”

“Who isn’t? We were forced to scatter right from the start, leaving us vulnerable to being picked off one by one,” Zhang Xin’an said, his face etched with worry.

Zheng Zihong, however, was beaming with smug satisfaction. “This is clearly just a case of you guys being outskilled! Stop making excuses, ha ha!”

Shi Yan grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him. “You just got carried to victory! Don’t even speak!”

“Hey, I worked hard too, okay? Who’s calling me carried?!”

The group erupted into bickering. Noticing Chu Xiyue’s silence, Su Yan deliberately turned to observe her expression, anxious not to miss any reaction.

Chu Xiyue had simply been feeling tired and a little thirsty. She had turned to speak to someone, and when she looked back, she found a freshly poured glass of plain water on her desk. The faint warmth radiating from the rim was exactly the temperature she preferred.

For a moment, Chu Xiyue was puzzled. It wasn’t until she noticed Su Yan’s gaze fixed on her, tracking her every move, that she realized what was happening.

Su Yan… is afraid I’ll get angry even over a game, and she’s trying to placate me?