Volume 3: High School Arc - Mirror Game
When we arrived at the private room, all the dishes were already laid out, and they started sizzling on the grill.
But since I wasn’t particularly interested, I only forced myself to eat a few bites, then asked Jiang Yulong to drive me back to the villa district.
As for that construction site guy and the slightly chubby guy, I didn’t really pay them any attention.
After all, this round of the game was too bizarre—if they could survive, maybe I’d be in the mood to get to know them.
But right now, I truly didn’t feel like dealing with them.
Sitting in Jiang Yulong’s car, he might have sensed my attitude and furrowed his brows.
“Yunyan, new players need help. The more help they get, the better their chances of surviving…”
I didn’t even lift my head.
“With your help, it’s already enough. I don’t have anything else to say. Besides, I’m just a half-baked player myself. If I scare them with some of my experiences, it’d be better to just say nothing at all.”
Jiang Yulong couldn’t help but smile wryly and shook his head when he heard that.
“With your personality, no wonder you’re a loner.”
I didn’t hold back either.
“Only the strong are lonely.”
“Uh… by that logic, are all strong people single?”
“……”
What the heck kind of twisted logic is that?
But I wasn’t in the mood to bicker with him.
I simply had him drive to the entrance of the villa district.
Then I walked along the road.
Of course, every time before entering, I needed to show my ID.
It’s not that I didn’t want to climb over the wall.
Mainly, the villa district’s outer wall had surveillance cameras every few meters.
They monitored everything without a single blind spot.
Trying to leave the cameras’ coverage area was simply impossible.
So I didn’t bother hiding it—anyone paying attention could check my entry and exit times easily.
I figured… at the very least, Shao He must know.
You could call it a tacit understanding.
She knew I was hiding something.
Something dangerous.
But she never said a word.
Nor did she interfere too much.
Even though I knew she wanted to help me.
I had clearly told her I didn’t need it.
I didn’t know whether she actually listened.
But I figured… Shao He was smart enough.
She probably wouldn’t step into my circle.
As for Liu Wanqian and Gong Lianyu?
Those two might monitor my phone.
But they didn’t overly restrict my personal freedom.
Of course, I never took the monitored phone with me when I went out.
Otherwise, I’d be exposed the moment I stepped outside.
Satellite surveillance—who wouldn’t feel helpless under that?
“Enough talking, I’m here…”
“Mm, should I come pick you up tomorrow then?”
I shook my head.
“No need tomorrow. I have class in the morning. The day after tomorrow at five in the afternoon, I’ll head to the shop.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Yulong nodded and didn’t argue.
After getting out of the car, I took Jiaoza and turned into the villa district.
First, I showed my ID.
The security guard glanced at the computer, compared it with my photo, and only then let me through.
This villa district wasn’t a place you could enter just because you wanted to.
Walking along the quiet road, the streetlights above illuminated the path beneath my feet.
On the even pavement, some dust stirred in the breeze.
There was a rustling sound as the wind passed through the greenery.
And on a sign by the roadside, in the reflection, there was a grin filled with malice.
At this stage, I already knew this guy couldn’t affect anything outside the factory area.
So I wasn’t afraid of him.
But catching a glimpse all of a sudden still gave me a fright.
“Don’t laugh. Sooner or later, I’ll devour you!”
I snapped viciously.
Then turned around and jumped over the wall into my own yard.
I knew that Shao He knew I had gone out.
But I had to pretend she didn’t know I had gone out.
And she also had to pretend she didn’t know I had gone out, even though she clearly knew.
And so, the two of us, tangled in tongue twisters and silent understandings, managed to get along quite peacefully.
Of course, I knew Shao He wasn’t asleep.
The faint light behind her curtains gave it away.
She had control of the villa’s surveillance system.
So she could see everything happening in the yard.
I figured… the moment I jumped in, she already knew I was back.
Sure enough, just a few seconds after I landed in the yard, the light in her room went out.
She probably turned off the monitor after realizing I was back.
It seemed… I had made her worry.
I shook my head helplessly.
Given the current situation, I truly couldn’t explain anything, and I absolutely couldn’t drag her into this.
That had always been my initial stance, and it wouldn’t change.
She was just an ordinary bodyguard.
Even though, as a bodyguard and a surveillance agent, she had the responsibility and duty to protect my personal safety,
I still didn’t want to pull her into such a dangerous game.
This game… no amount of money could make someone willingly participate.
Even starving to death was better than dying in utter terror.
I turned over, took two steps to leap onto a tree branch, then pushed off and flipped up onto the second-floor balcony.
Jiaoza flew up right behind me.
I opened the window, and Jiaoza flew straight back to its perch.
I casually pulled out a piece of beef jerky from my waist pouch and tossed it to him.
Then I slumped into the chair on the balcony, gazing at the bright moon above and the starry sky like a river, lost in thought.
---
“Miss, it’s time to wake up.”
The next morning, I was once again awakened by a familiar voice.
Groggily opening my eyes, I saw Reina tidying up the room.
I noticed she was cleaning dust off the floor.
Logically, there shouldn’t have been any dust in my room.
Even though the yard had a lawn and Sha Ha occasionally ran across it, the lawn was regularly maintained.
There was rarely any dirt on it.
And every time Sha Ha came inside, Reina always cleaned her paws thoroughly to make sure not a single speck of dust was brought in.
But… because I came in from outside yesterday and jumped directly onto the second floor, I hadn’t had time to clean the dirt off my shoes.
That’s what left a trace in the room.
However… Reina didn’t say anything at all.
She just quietly cleaned while handing me today’s clothes.
Noble schools were truly troublesome—even on Saturdays and Sundays, we still had to attend.
But since they were elective interest courses, there was no mandatory attendance.
There were over a dozen different elective classes, and students generally had to set aside half a day each weekend.
The electives were extremely varied: various dance styles from each department, different musical instruments, self-cultivation activities like calligraphy, tea ceremony, and martial arts.
The martial arts courses were also divided into several categories.
There were practical ones like Xingyi or Bajiquan, and also more meditative ones like Taichi or Five-Animal Fist, plus fast-track styles like Taekwondo and Muay Thai.
And that wasn’t all—there were electives for singing too: pop, bel canto, even Beijing and Pingju opera.
It truly covered everything imaginable.
There were even public speaking and eloquence training classes.
In short, it was all sorts of things.
I couldn’t help but shake my head and smile wryly.