Ye Qi looked at the four people in front of him, his head full of question marks— the secret code between Long Sen and Qu Wanyue he had just met at the dance training center matched, so why did Sister Huaying find another pair of Long Sen and Qu Wanyue at the Western Restaurant?
Which couple is the real one?
Chu Huaying glanced at the four people and said calmly, "Among you, there are definitely two who are Hunter in disguise."
Standing next to her, Long Sen hurriedly said, " Sister Ying, I'm sure it's real. I told you the code before, that I would take bus number 48 to pick up Wanyue. The Wanyue next to me is also real. She can match the code I agreed on and remembers many details of our time together."
Qu Wanyue, who was beside him, quickly calmed down, glanced at the woman in front of him who looked exactly like him, and said with a smile, "You want to pass for the real thing, but unfortunately, you don't know about our private agreement. Your disguise will be easily exposed."
Qu Wanyue met her gaze, her expression calm, and returned her a smile: "What agreement? Are you saying Ye Qi likes hot pot and Sister Ying wants coffee, or that CEO Shao's stock actually belongs to his phone number?"
Upon hearing the other person's words, Qu Wanyue's eyes widened in shock. She clearly hadn't expected the other person to reveal all the teammates' private agreements. She looked at Long Sen beside her in disbelief: "How could this be?"
Long Sen was also horrified, and asked in a deep voice, "How do you know all this?!"
Another Long Sen laughed and said, "Dude, you're overacting. Wanyue and I have been dating for several years, since our student days. The chemistry between us is something you two imposters can't fake."
Qu Wanyue, who was standing next to him, said, "Why don't we check some details? If it's fake, it'll eventually slip up."
Standing opposite her, Qu Wanyue calmly said, "Fine, I'd like to see just how much you know."
Ye Qi looked left and right, completely bewildered, unable to distinguish between the real and the fake.
He designated the two people on the left, whom he and Chu Huaying met at the training center, as Long Sen No. 1 and Qu Wanyue No. 1; while the two people on the right, whom Chu Huaying met at the Western Restaurant, were designated Long Sen No. 2 and Wanyue No. 2.
Long Sen, number 1, said, "I've been dating Wanyue for eight years. I met her at a school dance during college, and it was love at first sight. I pursued her for a whole year before she agreed to be with me."
Qu Wanyue, contestant number 1, nodded in agreement: " Long Sen proposed to me on May 1st last year, which happened to be my birthday. Our wedding date was set for the seventh day of the Lunar New Year after the Spring Festival, but something happened on the way to the wedding banquet."
Qu Wanyue, number 2, said coldly, "The information you're asking around can be easily found out by asking any acquaintance. Let's talk about something more personal. What style of diamond ring did Long Sen give you when he proposed? Who were the guests at the engagement party?"
Qu Wanyue met her gaze and calmly replied, "It's a heart-shaped diamond, and the ring is called 'Heart to Heart'; the engagement banquet is in VIP room number 6 on the third floor of the Anhua Hotel. In addition to both sets of parents, my second uncle, third uncle, and Long Sen's uncle and aunt are also attending. "
Seeing that the other person's expression was gradually turning ugly, she quickly followed up with, "Where were the wedding photos taken? How many retouched photos were selected?"
Qu Wanyue, number 2, snapped out of her daze and said with a serious face, "These were taken on the beach in Sanya. There are 360 photos, and 80 of them will be retouched for the album." She paused, then asked the other person, "Where did you two agree on your honeymoon destination?"
Qu Wanyue, number 1, said, "We plan to go to Greece."
Qu Wanyue, number 2, exclaimed in shock, "How is this possible?!"
Long Sen, number 2, glanced at Qu Wanyue beside him, then at Qu Wanyue opposite him, and couldn't help but say, "It all matches up?! I remember only discussing the honeymoon trip with Wanyue, not even my family knew... How did she know?"
Qu Wanyue, number 2, looked at him: "Do you think she's the real one?"
Long Sen, number 2, scratched his head with a bitter face, looking quite annoyed—the sudden appearance of two wives in front of him, each matching some details, was making his head spin.
Suddenly, Qu Wanyue, number 2, calmly said, "I know another secret, let me confirm it with you." She brought her lips close to Long Sen's ear and whispered a few words. Long Sen's expression finally relaxed, and he nodded vigorously. Then he looked at Chu Huaying and Ye Qi: " Wanyue beside me must be real."
Long Sen, sitting across from him, interrupted: "You imposter, stop trying to act tough. Do you think I wouldn't recognize my own wife?"
When Qu Wanyue heard his words, she frowned slightly: "You guys are the fake ones. Long Sen and I both have our card holders on us."
Qu Wanyue smiled and looked at her: " Professor Xiao's card holder was taken by the Hunter. The fact that the card holder is on you only proves that you are more likely to be the Hunter!"
Long Sen, number 2, was taken aback: " Professor Xiao's card holder is lost? What happened?"
Qu Wanyue's expression changed. She took a deep breath and looked at Chu Huaying: " Sister Ying, I don't know what's going on with Professor Xiao, but Long Sen and I have definitely been carrying our card holders with us. After we arrived at the secret room, we went to meet up with Professor Xiao at the place he mentioned as soon as possible. You have to trust us."
Chu Huaying: "..."
She has a splitting headache and doesn't know who to believe. After all, both sides have their own reasons, and they can match all the secret signals. They can even tell her details that are hard for outsiders to know, such as the guests who attended the engagement party and where they went on their honeymoon.
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Qi was also completely bewildered—did Hunter have a way of knowing these private matters?
How exactly can you tell the difference between real and fake teammates?
If Professor Xiao were here, he would surely have a better solution, but Ye Qi couldn't think of one for the time being. His mind was in turmoil, and he looked to Chu Huaying for help. Chu Huaying was also frowning, her head bowed as if deep in thought.
Just as everyone turned their attention to Chu Huaying, anticipating her answer, Chu Huaying suddenly appeared behind Qu Wanyue (number 2) like lightning. The blood-red spider dagger in her hand gleamed with a blinding cold light, and the sharp blade cleanly slashed towards Qu Wanyue's throat!
This sudden turn of events made Ye Qi's eyes widen instantly.
Just when everyone thought Qu Wanyue would be killed instantly, Long Sen, who was standing next to him, suddenly pulled Qu Wanyue into his arms. As if by reflex, Long Sen blocked Qu Wanyue's arm. Chu Huaying's sharp knife sliced across his strong arm, and bright red blood gushed out instantly, staining his light-colored sweater.
Qu Wanyue's face paled, and she hurriedly grabbed his hand, asking, "Are you alright?!"
Long Sen shook his head with a wry smile: "It's nothing, just a superficial injury."
He shielded Qu Wanyue and took two steps back, looking at Chu Huaying warily: "What do you want to do?"
Chu Huaying said coldly, "You two Hunters, stop acting and go join your companions."
As she spoke, she took out Xiao Lou The white silk in the card holder was about to tie up the two people, but at the very moment it was about to strike, Chu Huaying suddenly turned around, and the direction of the white silk also changed at the same time. Long Sen No. 1 and Qu Wanyue No. 1, who were watching the show behind her, were caught off guard and tied up by the white silk card!
Ye Qi snapped out of his daze and immediately took out Xiao Lou's card. The Character Card unlocks the skill "Holding Hands and Gazing at Each Other with Tearful Eyes," causing the two characters to stare at each other while unable to move or attack.
Long Sen, who had been cut by Chu Huaying's dagger, quickly covered his still-bleeding wound. When he looked up, he found that Chu Huaying had already swiftly and efficiently tied up the other two people. He was stunned for a moment and asked, " Sister Ying, what are you doing?"
Chu Huaying sheathed her dagger: "You are the real ones. I was just testing you."
Ye Qi finally realized what was happening and couldn't help but give Sister Ying a thumbs up for her decisive actions: "Brother Long and Teacher Qu have a deep bond, so if Sister Ying attacks Teacher Qu, you will subconsciously protect her, even if you get hurt yourself, you won't let Teacher Qu get hurt. This kind of conditioned reflex can't be faked."
Long Sen chuckled dryly and scratched his head: "I really wasn't thinking about anything else just now. When I saw Sister Huaying suddenly rush over, my mind went blank, and I instinctively went to protect her..."
Qu Wanyue's gaze softened as she said, " Although Long Sen isn't very good with words, he's reliable in crucial moments."
She leaned close to Ye Qi's ear and whispered, "The secret I just told him is an embarrassing thing that only the two of us know— when Long Sen was in sports school, he secretly wrote me a love letter. He addressed me with the formal 'you,' and the first sentence was: 'I have missed you ever since we met at the dance.'"
Ye Qi: "..."
Was his Chinese taught by a PE teacher? Using "nostalgia" like that, aren't you afraid of getting beaten to death?
It's a miracle that this simpleton managed to win over Qu Wanyue.
However, the two have come a long way, and their eight-year relationship has finally come to fruition. This kind of relationship truly warms Ye Qi's heart and makes her envious. The tacit understanding between them is something that no fake could ever fake.
If Chu Huaying had attacked Qu Wanyue (number 1), Long Sen ( number 1) standing next to her might not have risked protecting her. In critical moments, the body's subconscious reaction, which is faster than the brain's, is the most authentic.
Besides, upon closer reflection, Professor Xiao mentioned that everyone in the urban-themed escape room would meet at the Western Restaurant. There's no reason for Long Sen to go to the dance center to find Qu Wanyue first. What if Qu Wanyue has already gone to the Western Restaurant? Wouldn't he have made a wasted trip? And there's also the possibility of problems along the way.
Therefore, the most sensible thing for the original Long Sen and Qu Wanyue to do is to "prioritize team objectives" and go directly to Western Restaurant to wait for their teammates.
The imposters, Long Sen and Qu Wanyue, met at the dance center first because they wanted to discuss their next plan.
What puzzled Ye Qi was—why did these two imposters know so much about Long Qu's private affairs?
Chu Huaying coldly looked at the bound Qu Wanyue: "You can read minds?"
Seeing that she had been exposed, the woman stopped trying to deny it and said with a cold laugh, "Take a guess?"
Qu Wanyue leaned over and said to Hua Ying and Ye Qi, "She should have a card with a 'mind-reading' ability that can read people's thoughts or memories. When I came to the escape room, I was at the dance center. A girl suddenly started chatting with me and said she wanted to sign up for a dance class. She kept looking into my eyes, but I didn't pay attention at the time and just made up an excuse to brush her off."
Qu Wanyue glanced at the woman who looked exactly like her and said softly, "Now that I think about it, that girl was probably also her in disguise. She had been lurking in the dance center from the beginning, and by reading part of my memories, she learned about the code. Then, when I went to the Western Restaurant to meet up with everyone, she took my place. When I confronted her just now, the questions she asked were exactly the same questions I wanted to ask, which is why I'm certain that she has a special ability to read minds."
Chu Huaying nodded, having roughly understood the cause and effect.
Ye Qi said, "She didn't kill you directly, but instead used you to lure out the other teammates... So, it seems that Hunter's mission in this world is also to find and eliminate all Challengers?"
Challengers need to find all the Hunters, while the Hunters need to eliminate all the Challengers. This mission is opposed from the very beginning, and only one side can leave this world.
Chu Huaying thought for a moment and said, "The mission is not completed, which means that Hunter has not been found yet. It seems that we have to take a risk."
Ye Qi quickly understood her meaning: " Sister Ying wants to use herself as bait to lure the snake out of its hole?"
Chu Huaying said calmly, " The Hunters ' target is us. They will only make a move if we all show up, right?"