The Stunning General Finds Himself in a Shura Field on a Dating Show ABO - Chapter 34

If that shameful past could evoke pity from the person before him, then putting on a show of feigned strength would be effortless.

Lu Qingze buried his face in Ye Zhi’s neck, inhaling the boy’s faint scent, and thought

So, acting a little pitiful can elicit such tender comfort.

No wonder Xie Shi and that woman love to play the victim so much.

Ye Zhi regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. Sensing the disappointment in Lu Qingze’s voice, he felt even more flustered.

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.

What should I do…? I think I said the wrong thing.

Ye Zhi wasn’t good at comforting people with words. He preferred expressing his support through actions. A hug seemed like the best way to offer solace.

It’s not your fault, Lu Qingze said, already having deciphered the boy’s personality. Knowing the importance of knowing when to stop, he gently pushed Ye Zhi away.

There were 350 victims that year. The password might be 0350. Try it.

Following Lu Qingze’s suggestion, Ye Zhi went to the door and dialed the corresponding numbers.

But unexpectedly, the door didn’t open.

An alarm blared through the room, and simultaneously, the door they had entered through unlocked itself. NPC-controlled experimental subjects stormed in, quickly surrounding them.

0349, try again, Lu Qingze prompted from behind.

This time, the combination lock clicked open.

Ye Zhi barely had time to register his surprise before Lu Qingze pulled him through the final secret chamber. As he slammed the door shut behind them, he finally had a moment to ask, I thought there were 350 victims?

Lu Qingze nodded. There were 350, but we forgot that one of them escaped. This secret chamber probably didn’t include him in the count.

Ye Zhi recalled the report he’d seen in the first secret chamber. The victim who temporarily differentiated into an S-Class Alpha?

That’s right.

Ye Zhi’s gaze turned scrutinizing, as if he wanted to ask something but hesitated.

Noticing the boy’s stare, Lu Qingze chuckled softly. You want to know if that person was me, don’t you?

Ye Zhi nodded.

It was me.

Ye Zhi didn’t dare ask further.

He didn’t know what the young man before him had endured to escape, but he knew it was a memory Lu Qingze would rather not revisit.

He had never imagined that even in what he perceived as a golden age, such hidden suffering could lurk in the shadows.

Before leaving, Lu Qingze secretly sought out the secret chamber’s owner without Ye Zhi’s knowledge.

I’m here to ask who designed the secret chamber we just went through.

The strikingly high degree of replication in this recreation could only be recognized by someone who had personally experienced the original event.

The victims of that incident, after being rescued, had gradually passed away in recent years due to the severe physical trauma they had suffered. By the end, only Lu Qingze remained—a fortunate survivor who had escaped by fleeing.

There was one other the researcher who had fled during the raid.

But that man was too clever; he had never been caught. The only clue to his whereabouts had surfaced during Lu Qingze’s encounter with Qin Siran at the Kyoto Grand Hotel.

I obtained these blueprints online, the escape room owner said, eager to share the information. He pulled out his phone, intending to show Lu Qingze the designer’s ID, but his tone turned puzzled as he tapped the screen. Huh? Why has he deleted his account?

When Lu Qingze saw the ID on the screen, his brow furrowed slightly.

The designer of this escape room was none other than the person who had previously spread rumors about Ye Zhi.

The two incidents seemed unrelated, yet Lu Qingze couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

The escape room owner, likely not following trending topics closely, was unaware of the account deletion.

Lu Qingze nodded to acknowledge the information. Please delete the surveillance footage from the final escape room, he continued. Handle the explanation to the production team as you see fit.

In that secret room, he had confessed to being a victim of the incident from years ago. If netizens were to find out, it would undoubtedly spark another storm of controversy.

Let’s just keep those shameful memories buried forever, he thought.

As he spoke, Lu Qingze took out his business card and handed it to the owner

If you need publicity for the escape room, feel free to contact me. Consider it a gesture of gratitude.

The owner clutched the business card personally given by the Film Emperor, his mind reeling for a long moment before he finally snapped back to reality. He nodded repeatedly, stammering

You’re too kind, too kind. I’ll handle the surveillance footage right away. Rest assured.

Lu Qingze gave a slight nod and left.

The owner was left muttering to himself

Jackpot! This is going to be huge! The Film Emperor himself is promoting my escape room…

Ye Zhi was waiting for Lu Qingze in the lobby on the first floor, scratching the back of his neck intermittently.

For some reason, his neck had been intensely itchy since morning, accompanied by a faint burning sensation.

Ye Zhi scratched several times, finally managing to suppress the itch somewhat.

It was late summer, and mosquitoes were still abundant. He assumed he had been bitten and didn’t pay much attention to it.

Seeing Lu Qingze emerge, Ye Zhi immediately stood up and asked

Did you find what you lost?

Lu Qingze had used the excuse of losing something in the secret room to get Ye Zhi away, claiming he needed to check the surveillance footage with the manager.

Ye Zhi had initially wanted to go with him, but Lu Qingze insisted only one person could enter the surveillance room.

Mm-hmm, Lu Qingze nodded.

Seeing his nod, Ye Zhi asked, Shall we head back to the cabin now? It’s about time to start dinner.

Lu Qingze shook his head.

He rarely had Ye Zhi all to himself, and he didn’t want to return so soon.

Of course, he couldn’t reveal his selfish motives. Instead, he said with a straight face, Today’s date night. Everyone’s probably eating out. Let’s find a place to eat out too.

Lu Qingze’s words reminded Ye Zhi

Oh, right!

How could he have forgotten? This was a romance variety show—everyone was here to find love. Why would they head back to the cabin right after completing their tasks?

By the time they left the secret room building, it was completely dark.

A barbecue stall stood nearby. Lu Qingze stopped and turned to Ye Zhi, asking, Barbecue?

Yes!

They chose a table and sat down on plastic stools.

To avoid being recognized, Lu Qingze had deliberately worn a hat.

The passersby didn’t recognize him, but the barbecue stall owner did.

Hey! Aren’t you that… the great Film Emperor?

The owner, a perceptive man, lowered his voice discreetly as he finished speaking, avoiding drawing attention.

Lu Qingze’s tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Yes, do you recognize me?

The owner nodded with a smile.

Of course! My wife and I watched your movie yesterday.

As he spoke, the owner retrieved a Polaroid camera from the stall and asked,

Can I take a photo of you? It’ll definitely bring in customers if I hang it up! Tonight’s barbecue is on the house!

Lu Qingze didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stared at the Polaroid camera in the owner’s hand and asked,

Could you take a photo of me and my younger brother together?

That was his way of agreeing.

The owner, quick-witted and fearing Lu Qingze might change his mind, replied instantly, No problem at all!

Throughout the entire exchange, Ye Zhidu remained completely oblivious. The moment the barbecue arrived, he was instantly captivated by the aroma.

Xiao Ye, look up.

Hearing Lu Qingze’s voice, Ye Zhidu instinctively glanced up.

Huh?

Noticing a smudge on the boy’s nose, the young man reached out and gently wiped it away, his voice tender.

Why are you eating so fast? You’ve got barbecue sauce all over your face.

Click—

The camera captured the moment.

The handsome man’s expression was full of doting affection, while the boy in front of him remained blissfully oblivious.

Ah, thanks. I can wipe it myself, Ye Zhi said to Lu Qingze, grabbing a tissue and giving his face a cursory swipe before burying himself in his skewers again.

Oh my god! How can this barbecue be so delicious?! It’s way better than anything in Xia State!

He couldn’t care less about anything beyond these skewers!

The owner developed the photo and handed it to Lu Qingze, unable to resist complimenting, Your brother is really handsome.

Lu Qingze took the photo, gazing at their joint portrait as he murmured, Yes, he is very handsome.

After dinner, the two strolled around for a while before taking a car back to their cabin.

It was late when they returned, but two figures were still sitting in the living room Xu Shengyuan and Qin Siran, seemingly deep in conversation.

Seeing someone had returned, they immediately stopped talking.

You’re back? Xu Shengyuan asked first.

Yeah, you guys aren’t asleep yet?

We just had something to discuss with Brother Xu, Qin Siran explained with a faint smile.

Ye Zhi didn’t ask further but bent down to change into slippers.

Seeing this, Lu Qingze thoughtfully placed Ye Zhi’s discarded shoes into the shoe cabinet.

Noticing the harmonious atmosphere between the two, Xu Shengyuan asked, Why are you back so late?

He addressed Ye Zhi, but Lu Qingze answered first We had dinner together and took a walk afterward.

The repeated use of together in his reply subtly conveyed an unspoken possessiveness.

Xu Shengyuan noticed but ignored Lu Qingze, turning back to Ye Zhi Xiao Ye, tomorrow is the first day of classes for new students at C University. Do you need me to give you a ride to school?

I’ll take him. I’m going to C University tomorrow anyway, it’s on my way, Lu Qingze smoothly intercepted.

Ye Zhi then remembered that Lu Qingze was going to attend the welcome party.

The welcome party was on Wednesday, so it was natural for him to go to school early for rehearsals.

With this in mind, Ye Zhi smiled and declined Xu Shengyuan’s offer.

It’ll be more convenient for Brother Lu to give me a ride. I’ll just go with him.

Xu Shengyuan, having been beaten to the punch by Lu Qingze, didn’t seem bothered. He informed the younger boy, I’ll pick you up after school. Brother Lu will be busy tomorrow—he has rehearsals in the morning and filming in the afternoon, so he won’t be able to drive you home.

Xu Shengyuan was telling the truth. Lu Qingze indeed had a busy schedule the next day and would even need to request leave from the variety show that evening.

Seeing how occupied Lu Qingze was, Ye Zhi naturally didn’t want to trouble him. And so, the matter was settled.

Qin Siran, sensing the awkward atmosphere, broke the brief silence. Where did you guys go on your date today?

Ye Zhi’s face lit up at the mention of their date. We played an escape room! I almost thought it was a real dungeon and was mentally cursing the show for going too far. The NPCs were so convincing!

It was his first time experiencing such an immersive game, and the novelty still hadn’t worn off.

Sounds like you had fun, Xu Shengyuan murmured from the side, his tone tinged with melancholy.