55

 Liu Shuyao had her entire head buried in Xiang Ran's arms. Once she calmed down a bit, she looked up and noticed the countdown on the wall.

The blood-red numbers offered no time to catch her breath! Terrified, she shrank further into her boyfriend's embrace.

“W-where are we now?” Liu Shuyao asked softly, her small hand gripping the fabric of Xiang Ran's shirt tightly.

“We need to escape from here and get the entry ticket to join the real escape room. So right now, our priority is to get those handcuffs off you.”

Liu Shuyao's skin was too delicate; just a little friction could leave it red. Seeing her discomfort made him feel sorry.

Although her mind was still a bit fuzzy, the countdown on the wall ticking down made her heart race with anxiety. Fortunately, she wasn't the kind of girl who panicked without thinking. She understood what they needed to do.

So, despite her fear, she mustered up the courage to ask, “W-where should we start?”

Xiang Ran glanced down at Liu Shuyao, surprised. After all, it was rare for a girl in this situation to remain calm. He had already prepared himself to escape alone but didn't expect Liu Shuyao, though timid, to want to contribute.

They began searching the room for keys, with Xiang Ran mainly doing the searching since Liu Shuyao was restricted in movement.

“I’ve already looked over the layout of the room and checked everything in the desk; it’s all empty.”

There weren't many items in the room, and if none of them provided clues, their focus would only be left on the painting on the wall.

“This is a replica of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night.'” Liu Shuyao said softly as she leaned in to examine the painting.

The sky was filled with bright stars, and the moon shimmered among them. The stars and clouds in the painting were presented in a distorted form, creating a unique visual effect that seemed to draw them into the artwork.

Liu Shuyao scrutinized every element of the painting; she had seen the original before and, due to her studies, was quite familiar with it.

Xiang Ran watched her become absorbed in thought, tilting his head slightly, brow furrowing in concentration, as if he could penetrate the layers of color and brushstrokes behind the canvas.

Compared to her earlier tearful self, she seemed completely immersed in the art now.

Suddenly, she seemed to have an idea. A smile crept onto her lips as she turned to Xiang Ran, gesturing seriously as she began to analyze.

“There’s something off about the short lines in the nebula in the upper right corner.”

“What?” Xiang Ran didn’t quite follow. To him, as an art enthusiast, the painting appeared flawless.

“Here, there are three extra small stars spinning around.”

But why three stars? Liu Shuyao pondered.

“Does it represent something in the room?”

Xiang Ran shook his head. Based on his earlier analysis, the first challenge shouldn’t have a double meaning.

“Maybe it has something to do with Van Gogh himself? Or the year this painting was created?”

Xiang Ran didn't know much about Van Gogh, just that he was a Dutch painter, so he couldn’t guess what those three stars might represent.

However, Liu Shuyao seemed to have an epiphany at Xiang Ran's words.

Her eyes widened with surprise, sparkling with excitement, her cheeks slightly flushed. If it weren't for the handcuffs restricting her movement, she would have given her boyfriend a big hug.

“I know now!”

“It’s 0330!”

Excited, Liu Shuyao reached out to try the code but was stuck by the handcuffs. She turned to Xiang Ran, raised her hand, and shook it, the metal clinking in the room.

Xiang Ran understood the cue and moved forward to enter the code.

“Why is it 0330?”

“Because that’s Van Gogh’s birthday, and it’s the only number related to three in his life.”

As soon as Liu Shuyao finished explaining, the sound of the smart door lock echoed as the door opened. Outside was a small box containing a key and a card.

Xiang Ran didn’t read the card first; instead, he picked up the key and carefully unlocked Liu Shuyao’s handcuffs.

Knowing her skin was delicate, he was cautious as he removed the cuffs.

Sure enough, the areas where the handcuffs had rubbed were slightly red and swollen. With the escape room door now open, Liu Shuyao’s tension eased, and her playful side emerged.

She lightly huffed, presenting her red wrist to Xiang Ran with wide, watery eyes, looking like an injured kitten. She squinted cutely and playfully said, “I want you to blow on it~”

Xiang Ran couldn’t resist those glistening eyes and instinctively moved to comply.

But before he could act, he noticed Liu Shuyao's mischievous expression and glanced around. Before he could take in the surroundings, she leaned in like a cat, half of her weight resting against him, her waist melting like water.

“There’s no one here~ I’m not breaking any rules~”

“Uh-huh.”

Xiang Ran felt his mind go blank, merely responding on instinct.

Before long, the old speaker crackled back to life.

“Guests who have received their entry tickets, please proceed to the banquet hall on the first floor.”

Social death!

She had forgotten about the surveillance! Upon hearing the announcement, Liu Shuyao sprang away from Xiang Ran as if caught in a scandal. Both of them felt the embarrassment of being discovered and couldn’t look each other in the eye.

Their faces turned even redder, as if they were about to bleed.

Her heart raced; she wanted to glance at the monitoring corner but felt too shy to face her own actions.

So, she covered her face with one hand, the blush showing through her fingers, while her other hand poked Xiang Ran, urging him, “Hurry up~”

Xiang Ran didn’t expect the usually bold Liu Shuyao to have a shy moment. He felt playful and paused, teasing, “Since we’ve been seen, what’s there to be afraid of?”

Liu Shuyao covered her face completely, yet peered out through her fingers with wide, incredulous doe eyes.

“That’s different~”

Suddenly, she stomped her foot, a wave of shyness replacing her earlier fear.

Ignoring whatever Xiang Ran was saying, she dashed toward the staircase, her entire being enveloped in a pink haze of bashfulness.

Xiang Ran, left behind, seemed to understand something; could it be that the school beauty had high attack but low defense?

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