That unsettling feeling of being watched became so strong that it almost felt like a physical force pressing on Yuanyuan’s small back.

She blinked in confusion, glancing around once more. Since there was no one there, she shrugged it off—maybe it was just her imagination?

She arrived at the designated meeting spot where five other kids were already gathered. Including her and her brother, there were a total of seven children ready to play hide-and-seek.

Three of the kids were playing with Yuanyuan for the first time; they had only met her at a birthday party before.

Excited to see Yuanyuan’s much-talked-about hide-and-seek skills, they decided to let her be the “seeker” first.

In all three rounds, Yuanyuan caught every single player in under 10 minutes. Those who had been eager to test her abilities were now thoroughly impressed—and defeated.

After three rounds of Yuanyuan being the “seeker,” someone suggested switching it up since the games were ending too quickly.

Despite her excellent skills at catching others, Yuanyuan wasn’t great at hiding. She anxiously scrambled to find a good hiding spot, but every place she tried either already had someone there, or she couldn’t fully conceal herself.

As the one-minute countdown for hiding ran out, she heard the seeker’s voice call, “Time’s up!”

With no time left, Yuanyuan quickly crouched into a patch of grass, foolishly thinking that if she couldn’t see anyone, no one could see her.

Luckily, the seeker wasn’t heading her way, and Yuanyuan shrank into a tiny ball, trying to become invisible.

“How stupid,” a raspy voice suddenly whispered from nearby.

Yuanyuan jolted, startled, and scrambled backward on her hands and knees, looking behind her… but no one was there!

It was still broad daylight—there shouldn’t be any monsters out, right?

Thinking she might have misheard, Yuanyuan crouched back down, occasionally poking her head up to peek at the situation outside.

The footsteps were getting farther away.

“Too dumb. If you stay there, you’re definitely going to be found.”

Yuanyuan’s eyes widened in shock.

She had heard it again!

There was nothing but grass behind her, a tree off to the side, and no real place for anyone to hide.

Determined, she carefully crept around to the back of the tree, imagining herself making a dramatic slide—only to find… nothing.

No adults, no kids. No one at all.

But there was no other place nearby to hide!

Yuanyuan suddenly recalled that eerie sensation she’d had earlier of someone watching her. A shiver ran down her spine, and her eyes darted around nervously. Something didn’t feel right.

Next time, if that voice spoke again, she would pounce and catch the culprit—just like a cat!

Though a bit scared, Yuanyuan was more annoyed. Whoever it was had called her stupid, and now she was both scared and angry, her small fists clenched in frustration.

She crouched back into the grass, her wide eyes scanning her surroundings, determined to find the “big meanie” who was mocking her.

Several minutes of silence passed.

Just when she thought the voice wouldn’t return, it came again!

“Idiot, move already! Everyone who hides here gets caught.”

The words seemed helpful… but still, they called her an idiot!

Yuanyuan fumed inwardly.

She wasn’t an idiot—she was a smart egg!

“Who? Who’s calling me dumb?” Yuanyuan leaped to her feet, hands on her hips as she turned in the direction of the voice. “Come out now!”

She scoured every hiding spot—the bushes, the tree, even a nearby trash can—but found no one.

There wasn’t even a baby small enough to hide!

The seeker’s footsteps were drawing closer, and Yuanyuan could smell the faint fruity scent of the other kid.

Quickly, she dove back into the grass, just in time to hide.

But as she nestled into the undergrowth, her eyes suddenly locked onto something terrifying—a pair of glowing eyes staring right at her from beneath the grass.