Chapter 297: Chapter 258: No Effort, All Talent
Yang Xiao snapped back to reality, "Was I laughing?"
Mo Daidai nodded seriously. Yang Xiao looked at the others. Everyone unconsciously stepped back and stared at him with a strange look, as if they suspected he had been replaced by a ghost.
After a brief exchange to confirm there was nothing wrong with Yang Xiao, everyone dispersed to rest, since they all needed ample energy and strength for the night ahead.
On the way back to his room, Li Qingxuan hurriedly caught up, checking that no one was around before speaking in a hushed tone, "Teacher Yang, this Mo Daidai really seems off. If you encounter any danger tonight, come find me, and I’ll definitely help you."
"Thanks a lot." Although he was suspicious of him, Yang Xiao still felt somewhat moved. He didn’t know if he would survive the night or if Li Qingxuan would be able to leave alive.
After returning to his room, he collapsed onto the sofa and closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep. Honestly, it was not a peaceful sleep. When he woke up groggily, the sky outside had already turned dark.
Time flew by. After splashing his face with cold water, Yang Xiao headed out. At exactly 11:19 PM, he stood in front of room 5042 and raised his hand to knock on the door.
After the door opened, standing behind it was a young man with messy hair, a tall and thin figure, and pale skin, who was moderately good-looking but not nearly as handsome as Yang Xiao by a third.
"You must be Mr. Wen?" Yang Xiao casually put his hands in his pockets, as relaxed as if he was meeting an old friend, "I’m Chu Xi. I heard you’re lacking inspiration and are looking for someone who can match you."
These words amused Mr. Wen, who immediately opened the door wider, "Very good, my friend. I have a feeling that you and I will get along very well."
As Yang Xiao entered the room, he immediately noticed the old-fashioned computer emitting a faint green glow, along with a yellowed keyboard and mouse, as well as a notebook with blank pages.
"I heard Mr. Wen is a novelist?" Yang Xiao made himself comfortable on the sofa, acting very much at home, as though this place were his own.
"Correct, and... I specialize in supernatural fiction," Mr. Wen said with a smile that held pride and something indescribably odd.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao suddenly laughed, "A novelist is a novelist, but why stress that you specialize in the supernatural? Is it that impressive? How much do you earn, anyway?"
Mr. Wen was momentarily taken aback, his previously calm face suddenly showing panic. Indeed, it was just as Yang Xiao had thought. He understood the market and knew the difficulties of supernatural authors. The state of Mr. Wen’s room was telling of his financial struggles.
"Quite a bit, I have many readers, and they all praise my writing," Mr. Wen retorted, though he clearly lacked his previous confidence.
These few sentences had struck a nerve for Mr. Wen, and he no longer wished to engage with the man before him. He got straight to the point, explaining the task and its requirements to Yang Xiao. It was the usual game of hide and seek, the rules unchanged. Losing didn’t matter; what was most important was satisfying the readers.
After he finished, Mr. Wen added with a laugh that served as a threat, "Mr. Chu, my readers are everywhere. They will monitor our every move."
Unlike Qu Yi, upon hearing the game rules, Yang Xiao knew this was an impossible task and that there must be another way to survive.
As the Writing Ghost turned around and put on the blindfold, Yang Xiao gave up looking for a hiding place and started looking for clues instead. After all, he had three chances.
He immediately went to the computer and picked up the blank notebook. He noticed the notebook had content at the front, which must be the Writing Ghost’s story outline or something like a collection of inspirations. As a fellow creator, Yang Xiao had a similar habit.
Indeed, as Yang Xiao turned the page forward, the content slowly made his pupils contract. This page actually contained information related to Qu Yi.
It was also from here that Yang Xiao learned about the three times Qu Yi had played hide-and-seek, and how she ultimately failed and was thrown into the storeroom.
"Mr. Chu, it’s about time~" Mr. Wen loudly reminded.
Yang Xiao tried to turn further forward, but no luck—the first half of the notebook pages seemed to be glued together, completely immovable.
Yang Xiao gave up and turned to walk towards the storeroom. According to the notes, Qu Yi had been tossed in here in the end, yet she weirdly reappeared behind the mirror. Could it be... there was a secret inside?
The storeroom was very dark and a complete mess, with overturned tables and cabinets everywhere, as if a madman had violently destroyed everything. Just as Yang Xiao was about to venture deeper inside, time was up, and the Writing Ghost, without any effort, caught Yang Xiao as he removed his blindfold.
"What’s the meaning of this?" Mr. Wen asked, visibly displeased, "Why didn’t you hide? Do you look down on me?"
Yang Xiao pointed to the computer screen where countless comments were floating by—most of them urging updates. The rest were high praises for Yang Xiao’s steady psychological quality and strong observational skills, saying it was just a pity that he was a bit unlucky, just a bit short.
And in this round, Yang Xiao scored 7 points.
"It seems they like you quite a bit. You’ve brought them a long-missed sense of anticipation." Mr. Wen glanced at the screen, somewhat surprised.
"It’s quite normal. I let them witness a true powerhouse. No technique, no effort, all talent." Yang Xiao bragged shamelessly, and he was utterly serious.
Mr. Wen sized up Yang Xiao from head to toe, his eyes bursting with a strong desire to win. In front of his readers, he could not lose, "Interesting, Mr. Chu. Although the ultimate winner will definitely be me, I still have to admit that you are different from the others. I will include you in my latest story—the readers will definitely like it. You’ve done me a favor, thank you."
"It’s you who did me a favor." Yang Xiao also smiled.
The second game began, and this time Yang Xiao grabbed the desk lamp and rushed into the storeroom for a thorough inspection. Eventually, he discovered a huge mirror hidden behind the wallpaper of the storeroom.
But after several attempts, the mirror remained just an ordinary mirror, not one he could pass through.
"One more minute~" came Mr. Wen’s voice, filled with vengeful urgency.
Yang Xiao rushed out of the storeroom and to the computer, looking at the constantly floating reader comments and the blank score bar awaiting reader scores. Yang Xiao smiled confidently, one hand operating the mouse, the other skillfully tapping on the keyboard.
By the time Mr. Wen tore off the blindfold, intending to confront Yang Xiao, he was stunned. Yang Xiao stood in the corner, holding the broken keyboard and mouse, "Don’t come any closer, or I’ll smash the tools of your trade!"
Mr. Wen immediately panicked, "Don’t, don’t do that!"
At the same time, Mr. Wen looked to the computer screen, but after a long wait, there were neither scores appearing nor the usual flood of comments. The screen was quieter than it had ever been.
The next second, Mr. Wen suddenly realized and was almost exploding with anger, "You bastard, you censored all my book friends!"
