This Setup Is Broken - This Setup is Broken Chapter 7: Escaping

The voices outside are intermittent and unclear. Bai Shi listens carefully and guesses they won’t come in for now. He quietly asks: “What are you planning to do?”

Tang Xin responds coldly: “Just remember to keep quiet.”

Bai Shi pauses for a moment, thinking about her attitude. “I’m the main character, okay?! In stories like this, it’s rare for a beautiful girl to rescue a hero. Wake up, little girl!”

He suppresses his discomfort from Tang Xin’s sudden change and observes her closely. She looks very different from before—no longer easygoing and sweet, but rather noble and composed, as if she’s become a different person. Was she acting before? Also, do ordinary people remain so calm during a kidnapping? Even adults would be scared, let alone a child. This girl is not simple, and if she decides to hide her true nature, why reveal it to him? Isn’t she worried he might tell someone?

Overall, her change is too jarring. Unless… Bai Shi suddenly thinks of a possibility and stares at her, hesitating for two seconds before asking: “Is your personality always like this? Have you never encountered strange situations?”

“Don’t test me. I know what you mean.” Tang Xin glances at him. “Yes, I have a dual personality.”

Bai Shi: “……”

“I indeed guessed it right! Dual personality girls are not uncommon in harem stories, but why does the first one he meets have such an impact? This is something that could have been easily handled with a cotton candy. Now what should I do?!”

Tang Xin pauses and emphasizes, “I am the main personality.”

Bai Shi calms himself, thinking the most important thing right now is to escape. He responds casually and asks, “What do you want to do?”

“Just watch, don’t worry about anything else.” Tang Xin replies, her tone softening a bit as she evaluates him.

“You’re doing well. You haven’t cried or panicked, and you’re quite calm. I hope you can keep it up.”

Bai Shi thinks: “Of course I’m not scared because I’m the protagonist, and the hero doesn’t die that easily. But why are you acting so cool and confident at your age?”

He realizes she probably won’t elaborate more, so he changes the subject, “Do you know who did this?”

This time, Tang Xin doesn’t hide the truth. She sneers, “It’s definitely that wicked stepmother of mine. She’s always disliked me and my brother. This time, my cousin’s mecha broke down because of my brother. That wicked woman puts all the blame on us, ignoring the family repairman, tricking my other personality and my brother into coming here to fix it. By the time I realize what’s going on, it’s too late.”

Bai Shi thinks for a moment, “Is it that obvious? Doesn’t she worry your father will notice?”

“My father?” Tang Xin laughs coldly but doesn’t continue. Bai Shi senses the family situation is complicated. In harem stories, the families of the harem members often face two outcomes: Either they get accepted by the main character or or the protagonist wipes them out in a rage. This girl’s family could very well be one of those.

He quietly notes this plot point for the future. Just as he is about to say something, footsteps suddenly approach from outside, and the warehouse door opens. The leader enters, a tall and menacing figure, with four tough-looking men behind him. He looks at the girl, “Miss Tang, hello.”

His presence is intimidating, making Tang Xin secretly feel a bit anxious and afraid inside. She asks calmly: “How much did she promise to pay you?”

The leader is briefly surprised by her attitude, which doesn’t match the reports. He smirks. “What money? I don’t understand what you mean.”

Not at all angered by his pretend act, Tang Xin calmly replies: “There’s something you should know. You can check if you don’t believe me—it’s not a secret.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“When my mother died, she left a small group of people to protect me and my brother. They aren’t many, but they are very loyal and devoted. Killing someone is easy for them.”

The leader nods, “So?”

“Before I came here, I gave them an order…”

Tang Xin looks at him, “If either my brother or I don’t return alive, they will immediately kill my stepmother and her son. Once they’re dead, the promised payment to certain people will be lost. Even if the deal’s already done, they’ll track down the contacts, inform my grandfather. So not only will those people be wanted by the Empire, but they will also be hunted down by the entire Tang family. Life won’t be easy for them, don’t you think?”

The leader narrows his eyes, his smile fading slightly. Tang Xin maintains her gaze despite the danger. She continues, “I have a better way to make money. Do you want to hear it?”

The leader hesitates, then orders his men, “You all go out for now. Don’t bring this up yet.”

His subordinates agree and quickly exit. The leader briefly glances at Bai Shi but doesn’t pay him much attention, turning back to Tang Xin. After evaluating a few times, the girl still doesn’t match the description in the documents, so he doesn’t speak for the time being, waiting to hear what she’ll say next.

“You have two options: Either let me go, and I’ll pay you double, we’ll pretend this never happened.”

The leader hums, “What else?”

“My father has been in poor health these past few years, it’s unlikely I’ll have another brother or sister. You can come back with me and testify against my stepmother. Without her, her son has no status in the family. And the household will be mine and my brother’s”

Tang Xin looks at him, speaking slowly: “I need more capable people. If you’re willing, you can stay by my side, at the Tang family.”

“So he could become her ally…Dragon’s merit” Bai Shi instinctively thinks, he stares intently at the leader.  The leader remains silent for a moment, not speaking. (从龙之功 – dragon’s merit/loyal service to a ruler: It conveys the idea of someone who has significantly contributed to the rise or success of a powerful leader)

Tang Xin observes him and adds, “If you don’t want to follow me, just help me as a witness. I’ll pay you four times the amount. I hope we can become friends and collaborate again in the future.”

Bai Shi clicks his tongue in his mind. “Her reasoning is clear and sharp, her eloquence is impressive, and persuasive. If no one taught her, then this girl is exceptionally mature for her age.”

After a brief silence, the leader asks: “Why should I trust you?”

Tang Xin relaxes a bit, saying: “You take me to the repair shop, and I’ll clarify things with my people.”

“Take you there?” The leader smirks, “What if you trick us and trap us instead?”

Tang Xin pauses briefly. Before she can assure him, the leader presses a button on his communicator and adjusts it, “Here’s the deal: You record a video for me. I’ll talk to them. If you’re sincere, I’ll let you go, and then we can cooperate.”

Tang Xin thinks for a moment and agrees. She faces the camera and briefly explains the situation. The leader stands up, suddenly asks: “How many people do you have?”

Tang Xin hesitates for a moment, “About a dozen.”

The leader raises an eyebrow, “But we’ve only seen three people with you and your brother.”

“That’s just on the surface, there are many more hidden nearby the repair shop.”

Tang Xin says, turning her head, “You can ask him if you don’t believe me.”

The leader turns to Bai Shi with her words.

“Huh? Didn’t you just arrive today?”

Bai Shi looks at her blankly, “I haven’t seen any new faces these past few days.”

Tang Xin: “…”

Tang Xin’s expression darkens, her frosty face showing a look of “how dare you drag me down, I’ll make you pay!” The stare is too intense for Bai Shi to look at directly.

The leader glances between them, “So, do you have people or not?”

The two exchange glances. Bai Shi thinks that although escaping is important, he still needs to strengthen the bond with the harem. Since he already made the leader suspicious, he might as well comply this time. Tang Xin notices his blank expression, and feels completely resigned, thinking she’s so unlucky to be stuck with such an idiot. Both speak at once—

Bai Shi nods, “Yeah, we do.”

Tang Xin shakes her head, “No, we don’t.”

Bai Shi: “…”

Tang Xin: “…”

The leader: “…”

Tang Xin’s expression breaks, she suppresses her urge to pounce and strangle Bai Shi. Taking a deep breath, she says: “There are indeed some, but they are hiding from my stepmother’s suspicion. They didn’t come with us, but they should arrive soon.”

“Let’s all be honest from now on.” The leader seems somewhat satisfied, then he turns and leaves. Tang Xin watches him leave, then turns her fierce gaze towards Bai Shi.

“…”

Bai Shi says: “Let’s relax and just get along, okay?”

“No way! I’ll kill you when I get out!”

Bai Shi: “…”

Tang Xin huffs and ignores him. Bai Shi doesn’t mind. After waiting for a bit and hearing the sound of engines outside, he figures the leader has left. He then asks quietly: “Are the three who came with you strong?”

“None of your business.”

Bai Shi is very patient, “The leader isn’t as simple as you think. He’s probably connected to your stepmother, either a friend or relative. He’s not on your side.”

Tang Xin turns her head quickly, “How do you know?”

“I’m guessing.”

Tang Xin glares at him, “Are you an idiot or just paranoid?”

“Wow, such a bad temper! If you weren’t part of the harem, I wouldn’t even bother being friends with you!” Bai Shi mentally complains as he shares his analysis.

He actually doesn’t know this part of the story, but since he has the role of “hero” to rescue the beauty, he’s been observing closely. Just now, the leader’s expression had darkened when he heard Tang Xin’s orders, as if he wanted to kill her. Later, when he dismissed his men, he didn’t make them take Bai Shi with them. That man merely glanced at him like he was already dead, clearly intending to deal with him later.

When Tang Xin gave two options, Bai Shi figured that anyone with a brain would know how to choose, especially given the “dragon’s merit” context. While he doesn’t know how powerful the Tang family is, he can tell from Tang Xin’s serious tone that they should be formidable. Yet the leader’s expression remained unchanged. Even if he distrusts Tang Xin, he would at least consider it. Instead, he looked grim.

Afterwards, the leader not only asked for a video but also inquired about the number of people. Which made Bai Shi increasingly uneasy. Additionally, since the male lead in stories usually plays an active role, he doubted the deal would go smoothly. Leaning further towards his suspicion that the leader has ulterior motives. Of course, he wouldn’t share this reasoning rooted in his protagonist’s perspective.

He quickly summarizes, looking at Tang Xin, “Are your people strong enough? If I’m right, the leader might use your video to lure them out,pretending to want to cooperate, and then capture them. What will you do if he brings your brother in front of you and starts cutting off his fingers, forcing you to cancel your orders? Can you handle it?”

Tang Xin’s face turns pale instantly. She glares at him fiercely, “Then why did you tell him I didn’t have many people?!”

She still remembers to lower her voice in this situation. Bai Shi feels pleased and calmly says: “If I hadn’t, he wouldn’t be confident enough to go after your people. He can find a way to have your stepmother deal with your men or even kill them, dragging things out, until she is no longer in danger. Whether or not he can set a trap to kill you all, clearly he’ll start with the easiest target—you, who has already been captured. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Tang Xin’s face turns even paler, “But if he catches my brother, we’ll die even faster!”

“That’s why I asked if your people are strong enough to hold out for a bit.”

Bai Shi glances at her, “Don’t worry, he won’t act right away. Plus, I’ve gone missing, so people at the repair shop will follow them. My uncle is a retired mech soldier, so he should be able to handle things. If we escape and alert them in time, they can at least call the authorities.”

Tang Xin’s eyes turn red, “Easier said than done! How are we supposed to escape?”

Bai Shi doesn’t respond right away. He slowly leans back, then pulls a small blade out from the heel of his shoe.

Tang Xin: “…”

Bai Shi begins to cut the ropes. He knows that while the protagonist’s life is glorious, they must go through many hardships. So to prepare for any dangers that may arise, he has been training and learning for the past six months and has gathered some useful tools, the blade being one of them.

Tang Xin finds it unreal, “Why do you have a blade in your shoe?”

“Do you think I’m going to tell you it’s because I’m the cool protagonist?” Bai Shi replies expressionlessly, claiming he just has it for fun then quickly cuts the ropes. Holding the blade, looking at her, he finally feels a sense of power in front of the little girl.

He gives her a look that he believes says: “I’ll give you a chance. Be smart and become my friend.”

He then slowly says: “Now, follow my lead.”