Chapter 80
Qin Ai could flirt with Zuo Bian anywhere, as long as she wanted to.
Zuo Bian led Qin Ai through the maze of mirrors. They might have looked like headless chickens running around, but Zuo Bian was rapidly analyzing their surroundings, trying to distinguish between illusions created by the mirrors and the actual path, and figure out how that mysterious figure had appeared before them.
After spending some time in the mirror maze, Zuo Bian had adapted to the environment. It only took them three minutes to reach the end of the second maze.
It turned out that the “third person” was just a staff member waiting for guests to exit the maze.
“Congratulations, you’re the first couple to clear our second mirror maze. Here’s your prize.” The staff member handed them a pair of rings tied together with a thin red string.
Zuo Bian took the rings. They reminded her of her and Qin Ai’s engagement rings.
“Qin Ai, do you want to wear them?” she asked.
Qin Ai extended her hand. “Put them on for me.”
“Mm-hmm!” Zuo Bian nodded happily. Judging by their size, the rings were meant to be worn on their pinkies.
She put the rings on their pinkies, the two red strings connecting them.
“There’s a third maze, would you like to try it? Just a heads-up, the third maze is more difficult.”
“I want to try it.” Zuo Bian’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Qin Ai also enjoyed challenges, so they entered the third maze together.
The third maze was clearly much more complex than the previous two. The excessive reflections and overwhelming amount of information bombarded their senses.
There was no music in the third maze, but every sound they made was amplified and echoed. A single step could reverberate for more than ten seconds.
Zuo Bian often took a step, waited for the sound to fade completely, then took another step.
“Don’t you think this is inefficient?” Qin Ai asked.
Zuo Bian chuckled sheepishly. “I know, I just think it’s fun.”
“Since you can’t hear clearly, then don’t listen. Do you want to sing? I want to hear you sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.’ It’s a beautiful song.” Qin Ai looked at Zuo Bian with a soft smile, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Zuo Bian blinked and leaned closer, whispering, “But I’m not a very good singer.”
Her words were echoed through the maze more than ten times. She had spoken softly, but the maze not only had an echo effect, it also amplified sounds.
“I’m the one listening, and I think it’s beautiful.”
Since Qin Ai wanted to hear it so much, Zuo Bian couldn’t refuse. She cleared her throat and started singing.
The first two lines were fine, still audible, but the rest of the song was drowned out by the echoes.
The singing continued, the echoes overlapping until it no longer sounded like a human voice, more like the mournful cry of the wind.
Zuo Bian’s singing wasn’t great, and the maze’s structure completely destroyed her song. But she was still happy, a smile appearing on her face for no reason.
She turned to see Qin Ai smiling too.
They strolled through the maze, not like they were trying to solve it, but like they were on a leisurely walk.
=================
In the first maze, 555 was posing in front of a mirror. It gazed at its charming eyes and asked Little Frog, “Don’t you think my eyes are beautiful?”
Little Frog hopped on 555’s shoulder and answered honestly, “Your sunglasses are too thick, ribbit. I can’t see your eyes, ribbit!”
555 rubbed its face, sighing. “I can’t help it. I’ll scare people if I don’t wear sunglasses.”
“I can make you a new body, ribbit, but I need a lot of materials, ribbit. Some of the materials don’t exist in this world, ribbit. And my master is still watching Xiao Bianbian, ribbit. I can’t leave this world yet, ribbit.”
“Okay, it’s alright, I’ll wait.”
“Hmm? Where did this child come from?” Chang Wensi took off her sunglasses and turned to Lu Letian. “I’m not asking for your opinion, I’m informing you that I’m taking this child with me.”
Lu Letian didn’t dare to object.
“Okay, okay, whatever you say.”
“Hey, kid, where are your parents?” Chang Wensi crouched down, looking 555 in the eye.
She wasn’t used to interacting with children, so her tone was a bit stiff.
555 slowly turned its head, its eyes meeting Chang Wensi’s. It instinctively took a step back, afraid of being exposed as a non-human.
“I-I came with my sisters.” 555’s voice was soft and childish whenever it talked to strangers.
Chang Wensi coughed awkwardly. “What’s your name? Do you want to come with me? I’ll help you find your sisters.”
Little Frog hid inside 555’s collar, afraid of being caught and dissected.
It still remembered Qin Ai’s joke about dissecting it.
But its squirming only made it more noticeable.
“Hmm? Is there something inside your clothes?” Chang Wensi pointed at 555’s shoulder.
555 covered its shoulder and explained, “This is my pet frog. I miss my sisters, can you take me to them?”
It tugged at Chang Wensi’s sleeve, putting on a pitiful expression.
Chang Wensi’s heart melted. She coughed, trying to hide her emotions.
“Okay, I’ll take you to your sisters.” She stood up and extended a hand. “Hold my hand.”
555 hesitated for a moment, then took her hand.
The maze was a bit complicated, and it was afraid of getting lost. After entering a physical body, 555 wasn’t as “omnipotent” as it was as a data stream. It could only see what its current body could see and couldn’t analyze information as efficiently.
“Your hand is so small and soft. Hmm? It’s fluffy.”
555 said nervously, “I’m afraid of the cold, so I’m wearing gloves.”
“What a good child. By the way, I forgot to ask your name.”
“My name is Five Five,” 555 replied.
Chang Wensi smiled and nodded. “Five Five, that’s cute.”
“This child seems a bit strange.” Lu Letian wasn’t fooled by 555’s cute appearance. He could see through its facade.
Chang Wensi glared at him. “What are you talking about? It’s perfectly normal.”
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!” 555 nodded vigorously. It was adorable, what was strange about it?
Chang Wensi led 555 forward, Lu Letian trailing behind them, his eyes constantly glancing at the back of 555’s head.
555 complimented Chang Wensi, who loved flattery and became even more fond of it.
However, 555 felt Lu Letian’s intense gaze. What was he doing, staring at it like that?
555’s mind raced, and it remembered the Green Tea Handbook. Hmph, you scheming supporting character, you think you can outsmart me, the ultimate green tea bitch?
“Wensi Jiejie, that uncle behind us is looking at me with scary eyes.” 555 clung to Chang Wensi’s hand, its voice soft and innocent.
Chang Wensi patted 555’s back comfortingly. “Don’t be afraid, Five Five, he’s not a bad person.”
555 lowered its eyes, looking aggrieved. “But he seems to hate me. Did I do something wrong?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s his fault.” Chang Wensi turned her head and glared at Lu Letian, her eyes threatening.
Lu Letian looked innocent, but he knew that if he didn’t play along, Chang Wensi would explode.
“I’m sorry, I won’t look at Five Five anymore.”
555, still clinging to Chang Wensi’s hand, peeked at Lu Letian and gave him a mocking smile.
Chang Wensi couldn’t see it from her angle, but Lu Letian could. His eyes widened. “He’s not a normal child, I just saw him smile, it was so weird!”
“Wuwuwu…” 555 started crying softly.
Chang Wensi immediately comforted it. “There, there, don’t cry. He’s just jealous of how cute you are. How could such a well-behaved and adorable child be strange?”
“Mm-hmm, Wensi Jiejie, you’re so nice.”
Chang Wensi patted 555’s head. “You’re so cute, Five Five. Don’t mind that uncle, he’s just stupid.”
Lu Letian looked innocent. Why was he stupid? It sounded like he was the one being unreasonable? This scenario felt familiar, like something he had experienced before.
Of course, it felt familiar because he had used this tactic not long ago, and it hadn’t worked very well.
After exiting the maze with 555 and Little Frog, Chang Wensi didn’t go to the next one. She found a staff member and borrowed the loudspeaker.
“If you’re the parent of Five Five, please come to the front desk to claim your child.” This announcement was repeated several times, but unfortunately, the echoes in the third maze were too loud, and Zuo Bian and Qin Ai didn’t hear it.
Chang Wensi and Lu Letian sat at the front desk and waited. Fortunately, 555 was well-behaved, unlike other children who liked to run around and cause trouble.
It just stared longingly at Lu Letian’s phone. Chang Wensi, assuming 555 didn’t have a phone and wanted to play with one, lent it hers.
555 thanked her sweetly. Chang Wensi, pushing her luck, asked 555 for a kiss.
555, afraid of exposing its plushie body, just quickly pecked Chang Wensi’s cheek.
Lu Letian got goosebumps. He rubbed his arms, thinking that this Five Five, despite its young age, was full of “green tea” vibes.
Of course, 555 was full of “green tea” vibes. It was the one who had “written” the Green Tea Handbook and had memorized its contents. It could deceive anyone with its cute appearance.
At this moment, Zuo Bian, exiting the third maze, finally realized what she had forgotten. Just like the time she had forgotten Qin Tian, she had forgotten 555 and Little Frog.
“Qin Ai, Little Frog and 555 are missing.”
Qin Ai said calmly, “Don’t worry, we’ll make an announcement, we’ll find them soon.”
And then—
The four of them met again: the two love-struck women, Zuo Bian, who had mastered the Green Tea Handbook, and Lu Letian, who was acting like a scheming female antagonist.
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