Chapter 20: In the End, You Still Have to Rely on Your Sister

The livestream they were using was on Qi Nuoya’s phone. So the moment they ditched him, Shang Que and Ji Jingchuan were completely free.

After finishing their ice cream cones, they bought tickets to the nearest aquarium. Unlike the noisy and lively outside world, this place was tranquil and dreamlike. As they stepped into the underwater tunnel, the transparent semi-arched glass corridor surrounded them. A soft blue glow shone down from above, while schools of fish swam overhead, leaving behind delicate bubbles like a long, trailing ribbon.

Children lingered on both sides of the corridor, standing shoulder to shoulder, marveling at the colorful marine creatures up close with a chorus of “Wow!” Not far from them, two figures—one tall, one short—stood pressed against the glass in the same posture, heads tilted up, their gazes drifting with the fish.

Suddenly, a stingray swam over, its broad, flat body like a sheet of fabric, momentarily blocking their view through the glass. Ji Jingchuan looked at it, then turned to Shang Que and teasingly asked, “Why does it look so dumb? Just like you.”

“You’re the stingray.”

“No way,” Ji Jingchuan raised an eyebrow and pointed to a nearby fish with a tail of fiery red and gold, proudly declaring, “This one is me.”

The next second, the stingray suddenly blocked the fish and stuffed it into its mouth.

Shang Que gasped in mock horror, “Oh no! Little Fish Ji Jingchuan is doomed. How tragic… Oh wait, I mean, how cruel!”

The little fish was quickly swallowed, with only its golden-red tail struggling desperately outside the stingray’s mouth.

Ji Jingchuan panicked. “What? How can it eat its coworker?”

He waved his arms wildly through the glass, furrowing his brows in anger. “Stupid fish, spit out my little fish now!”

“That’s what you get for calling it dumb,” Shang Que smirked. “Youth has no price; coworkers melt in your mouth.”

Whether it was because Ji Jingchuan’s gestures caught its attention or by sheer coincidence, the stingray opened its mouth for a moment. The little fish seized the chance to wriggle free, flapping its tail frantically as it darted away into the distance.

Ji Jingchuan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Shang Que, suddenly pinching her cheek with an arrogant smirk. “It’s dumb, and so are you.”

Feeling the slight sting on her cheek, Shang Que frowned and grabbed Ji Jingchuan’s hair, yanking him down. “Try that again, I dare you.”

“Ow, ow, ow!” Ji Jingchuan yelped in pain but refused to let go. Instead, he kneaded her face like dough, stubbornly insisting, “Dumb fish, dumb Shang Que!”

“Hey, not the face! Ow, ow, my ear!” He finally escaped from her grip, scrambling a few steps away. Straightening his back, he turned around, his face lit by the deep blue glow of the aquarium. With a triumphant grin, he declared, “Shang Que, I’m not the weakling I used to be anymore. You—”

“Why did you hit so hard?” Ji Jingchuan grumbled as they left the aquarium, rubbing his reddened ear. He pulled a face behind Shang Que’s back, baring his teeth in exaggerated pain.

Shang Que suddenly turned around, and Ji Jingchuan immediately straightened up, pretending to admire the scenery.

So frustrating! How come he couldn’t win against her as a kid, and now he was still being overpowered?

Ji Jingchuan pursed his lips. Just wait—one day, he’d get his revenge.

Catching a glimpse of Shang Que’s emotionless expression, he immediately dropped the act, pulled out the map from his pocket, and obediently asked, “Where are we going next?”

Before he could get his revenge, he had to bide his time. Like the legendary King Goujian enduring hardship, the genius Ji Jingchuan would pretend to submit… Yes, that was it. He wasn’t scared of Shang Que—there was nothing he was afraid of.

“Roller coaster.”

Ji Jingchuan refused instantly, “No way, I’m scared.”

—

On the roller coaster, Shang Que fastened her seatbelt and turned to look at Ji Jingchuan, who was nervously glancing around to distract himself. She sincerely suggested, “If you’re scared, you can get off. I told you I could ride alone.”

“Who’s scared?” Ji Jingchuan let out a forced laugh. “I was just messing with you. As if a genius like me could be afraid of something like this.”

He casually placed his arm on the armrest between them, generously saying, “But if you get scared later, I guess I could let you hold onto my arm.”

Shang Que shot him a look of indifference, sat properly, and ignored him.

The warning bell sounded, and the roller coaster began to move, the wheels clicking against the track, climbing higher and higher. They were in the front row, with nothing ahead of them. As they reached the peak, Ji Jingchuan saw with his own eyes how the seats tipped almost vertically downward. The moment of free fall hit, his heart leaping to his throat.

“AHHHH!!!” Ji Jingchuan screamed in terror, instinctively reaching for Shang Que’s arm to ease his fear. But his hand flailed wildly in the air, grabbing nothing.

Turning his head, he saw Shang Que covering both ears, leaning away as far as possible.

Too loud! Ji Jingchuan’s scream was so deafening it nearly burst her eardrums.

After getting off the roller coaster, Shang Que glanced down at Ji Jingchuan, who was crouching on the ground, half-dead. “You’re so loud. Didn’t you say you weren’t scared?”

“I wasn’t scared,” Ji Jingchuan insisted stubbornly. “I was just practicing my vocals at high altitude, okay?”

Shang Que narrowed her eyes and suddenly said, “I think the next ride nearby is the giant pendulum.”

“No, you’re mistaken,” Ji Jingchuan quickly hid the map behind his back. “The closest thing is… the souvenir shop.”

—

After much pleading, and after walking past three or four more high-altitude rides, Ji Jingchuan finally got his wish. They arrived at the “nearest” amusement park shop.

The store sold mostly souvenirs from the amusement park, with an abundance of plush toys, metal pins, and creative merchandise.

Shang Que went straight to the plush toy section, seriously selecting one she liked.

A while later, Ji Jingchuan came back from browsing, looking mysteriously excited. “Shang Que, I found something fun.”

She turned her head just as a dark shadow lunged at her. Instinctively, she stepped back, but her leg hit the base of a display shelf.

At the same time, the shadow stopped just inches from her face. She took a closer look—it was a white plush mountain sparrow, attached to a spring, which Ji Jingchuan held in his hand.

His face lit up with triumph. “Hah! I thought you wouldn’t get scared!”

Shang Que smiled. “Ji Jingchuan, don’t make me hit you in such a happy place.”

Nearby, a child was throwing a tantrum for a toy, and their parent, having overheard, mimicked Shang Que’s words: “Get up. Don’t make me hit you in such a happy place!”

A smack landed, and the child yelped, scrambling up and running away in tears.

Shang Que withdrew her gaze, the corners of her mouth curling slightly. She gave Ji Jingchuan a fake smile.

Ji Jingchuan shuddered and quickly stuffed the sparrow back, then handed it over obediently. “I thought it looked just like you… um, just as cute. I was going to give it to you.”

At checkout, Ji Jingchuan paid for the sparrow and also covered the cost of Shang Que’s other purchases, calling it her “appearance fee” for joining their group livestream.

Just as he finished speaking, they stepped out of the store—right into the rest of their team.

“Yes, I acted with her before. She said Shang Que was very caring on set, often sharing food with everyone. At the time, I was trying to lose weight, but the little cakes she brought smelled too good—I couldn’t resist and had one. My manager caught me and made me work out in the gym for three days straight.”

“Such a cute little bird baby.”

“So, Shang Que only gets aggressive when arguing with Ji Jingchuan. Most of the time, she’s actually very kind and approachable, hahaha.”

Everyone else was momentarily stunned before quickly confirming, “No mistake, we bought the right thing.”

Bian Du scratched his head awkwardly. “This is too much… We didn’t even prepare a gift for you.”

“Who said that? I did.” Qin Xian unzipped his backpack and took out a pink-wrapped box.

Qi Nuoya was shocked. “You did this behind our backs?”

“Exactly! That’s not very ethical, Xian-ge,” Feng Ye teased with a grin.

“It’s not like that. I prepared this a while ago. Originally, I planned for Chuan to give it to Shang Que when he went on the variety show, but since she’s here today, I brought it along.” Qin Xian then looked at her and explained, “I heard you’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. My grandfather is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, so I asked him to make a herbal foot soak for you. Use it at night, and you’ll fall asleep faster.”

Shang Que was surprised. “How did you know?”

“He told me.” Qin Xian pointed at Ji Jingchuan.

Shang Que tilted her head. “I only mentioned this in my fan group. How did you find out?”

“Because you were up late at night, pacing around the hallway while filming the variety show. I seriously thought the place was haunted.” Ji Jingchuan looked wary and asked, “Wait, you don’t think I’m secretly in your fan group, do you? No way.”

“I was just making a casual remark. Also, I wasn’t wandering the hallway in the middle of the night—I only went downstairs once to get water. If you heard anything else, then that was probably a ghost.” Shang Que looked serious. “The feng shui in your room is actually not great. It easily attracts unseen things.”

A chill ran down Ji Jingchuan’s spine, but he forced himself to stay calm. “You’re just trying to scare me again.”

Shang Que didn’t continue the topic. Instead, she took the box Qin Xian handed her. It was quite heavy, showing just how much thought went into the gift.

“Thank you.” After a moment of hesitation, she added, “I didn’t expect you to have such a contrasting personality. At first, I thought you were a cold, aloof type. So when Ji Jingchuan told me earlier that you like Hello Kitty, I seriously thought he was messing with me.”

[I also thought Qin Xian was a cool guy… until the show visited his house and we saw that his room was pinker than mine.]

[Hahaha, our Xian-ge is the king of unexpected contrasts!]

[Wait a second, I just noticed something—Ji Jingchuan actually knows all four of their favorite things. Bian Du’s little turtle, Feng Ye’s maple leaf badge, Qi Nuoya’s Batman, and Qin Xian’s Hello Kitty. He got all of them right.]

[Wasn’t someone saying Ji Jingchuan doesn’t care about his teammates? If he really didn’t care, why would he remember all these details?]

[He’s just a little tsundere. Deep down, he’s not a bad guy. Plus, let’s be real—despite being so popular now, he hasn’t gone solo. He’s still doing variety shows, fan meets, and concerts with his not-so-famous group. That’s rare.]

Qi Nuoya looked down at the Batman plushie in his hands and pursed his lips.

Alright… maybe Ji Jingchuan wasn’t that bad. He decided to forgive him for leaving him behind in the haunted house.

Feng Ye subtly observed everyone’s reactions and sensed trouble brewing. Smiling, he changed the subject. “It’s still early. Since we all ran into each other, should we go try out a few more attractions?”

Qin Xian stretched and lazily draped his arm over Qi Nuoya’s shoulder. “Sure. We’ve done all the thrilling rides already. Now we can take Nokia here to the kiddie rides.”

Qi Nuoya staggered under his weight and protested, “What do you mean, kiddie rides?”

“Well, it’s definitely not the roller coaster.”

“Why are you only picking on me? Those two didn’t ride the roller coaster either!”

Ji Jingchuan smugly raised an eyebrow and pulled out his stamp booklet. “Sorry, but we actually did.”

Qi Nuoya stared in disbelief. “But you and Shang Que are both afraid of heights!”

“Exactly. Two negatives make a positive.”

“That’s not how that saying works!” Qi Nuoya muttered.

“Anyway, that means you’re the only one who hasn’t done the roller coaster,” Qin Xian grinned. “For the sake of team unity, wanna give it a shot?”

“Not a chance.” Qi Nuoya was firm. “I don’t need to blend in. In fact, from now on, I’m going to isolate all of you.”

Qin Xian was only joking, so he let it go. In the end, they enjoyed a few lighthearted rides, had lunch together, and wrapped up their amusement park day before heading home.

---

That evening, Shang Que opened Weibo and, as expected, #JiJingchuanRemembersSTMembersPreferences# was trending.

Unlike before, the comments weren’t filled with hostility. Instead, many people admitted they were starting to see him differently.

Shang Que looked away from her phone and at the white, fluffy little sparrow plushie on her desk. She flicked its tiny head with her finger, smirking smugly. “Idiot. At the critical moment, you still had to rely on me.”

---

The Next Day—Monday

Shang Que sat in her office, fiddling with the prank toy Ji Jingchuan had given her. When she had stuffed the sparrow back into it last night, the shell got jammed. No matter how much she twisted it, she couldn’t get it open.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

A moment later, Fu Xingzhi walked in, holding a document. He spoke in a businesslike tone. “The results from your audition are out. You got the female lead.”

“Got it.”

Her reaction was calm, which didn’t surprise Fu Xingzhi. After all, wuxia dramas weren’t very popular in the current entertainment industry, and this particular show had a low budget. Most actresses at Shang Que’s level didn’t even bother auditioning, so she barely had any competition.

Fu Xingzhi adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and gave her a heads-up. “The script is decent, and the director is serious about his work. Just put in your best effort. The final outcome doesn’t matter too much.”

“Alright.” Shang Que gave up on the prank toy, sighing as she set it aside. She then picked up the contract on her desk and started reading through it.

Fu Xingzhi glanced at the toy, picked it up, and twisted the base experimentally. “What is this?”

“A prank toy.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a sparrow plushie suddenly hit Fu Xingzhi’s face with a loud “bang,” making him gasp in pain.

The office instantly fell into silence.

Realizing she had caused trouble, Shang Que quickly tried to shift the blame. “Ji Jingchuan gave it to me!”

Fu Xingzhi clutched his nose, his usually composed expression cracking for once. Frowning, he asked, “When you go on the variety show, can you do me a favor and give him a beating?”

Shang Que nodded immediately, agreeing without hesitation. “No problem.”

---

Soon, it was time for the fourth episode of the variety show. This episode’s theme was an escape room challenge. Once everyone had gathered, they set off toward the escape room location.

On the bus, Shang Que stole glances at Ji Jingchuan multiple times, contemplating an excuse to hit him.

Meanwhile, Ji Jingchuan, noticing her frequent glances, unconsciously straightened his back. Had Shang Que noticed his new hairstyle today? Or maybe she saw the limited-edition earrings he was wearing? Ah, of course! Shang Que must have been captivated by his charm!

On the other side, the atmosphere between Lu Zhixu and Ning Sheng felt a bit strange. Shang Que glanced over briefly and vaguely recalled that, according to the original storyline, they had recently had a disagreement over script choices. But since they were the main leads, they would reconcile soon enough.

Not thinking much of it, she continued to search for an opportunity.

With everyone lost in their own thoughts, the bus soon arrived at their destination.

Since it was an immersive escape room experience, the livestream only started after everyone had entered the venue.

【Finally, the door is open! Let me see—holy crap, what the hell?!】

【That scared me! Did I click on the wrong livestream???】

【No, this is definitely Friendship’s Little Boat… but what is going on?!】

Before them was a silent village shrouded in darkness. A full moon hung in the sky, emitting an eerie, blood-red glow. A chilling wind howled, and at the village entrance, a pitch-black crow perched motionless on a withered tree.

Lin Jingyi shivered. “This immersive escape room is too immersive. I’ve got goosebumps.”

As soon as she spoke, the eerie atmosphere in the livestream was instantly dispelled.

【If you had told me it was an escape room earlier, I wouldn’t have been flailing around in bed performing exorcisms!】

【Like, it’s fine for the guests to be immersed, but why are we being forced into it too?!】

【This must be another one of the production team’s pranks. I bet the director is watching the comments and laughing his head off.】

【But the set looks so realistic… I’m getting chills just watching. I wonder how they feel on-site.】

The group on-site also felt a chill run down their spines, instinctively huddling closer together. Shang Que opened the card given by the production team and read aloud:

“This morning, a wedding invitation inexplicably appeared on each of our bedside tables. No one knows who placed it there, but the bride’s name feels strangely familiar. However, no one can recall exactly who she is. To solve the mystery, we decided to visit the village mentioned in the invitation. Upon arrival, we were shocked to find that the village had long been abandoned, seemingly turning into a ghost town.”

This was the backstory of the escape room. After reading it, Jiang Yizhe suddenly asked, “By the way, where’s the wedding invitation?”

Ning Sheng rummaged through the backpack given to each of them by the production team. “Here!”

She pulled out a white invitation and frowned. “Why is it white?”

Lin Jingyi furrowed her brows. “Since when are wedding invitations white? That’s only for funerals…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone fell silent, instinctively turning to look at her. Lin Jingyi’s eyes widened slightly, a hint of panic flashing through them. “N-no way…”

“Haha, just kidding.” Shang Que burst out laughing. “Why are you so easily scared?”

The others chuckled as well. Seeing this, Lin Jingyi stomped her foot in frustration. “You guys are so mean!”

【Hahaha, their teamwork level skyrockets when they’re playing pranks.】

【Not gonna lie, I got scared too. Whimpering over here.】

Ning Sheng opened the invitation and examined it. “The bride’s name is Xiao Man. She wrote: ‘I hope my dearest friend Ning Sheng can attend my wedding today. That way, I can die without regrets.’”

Jiang Yizhe was puzzled. “Why would someone mention death in a wedding invitation?”

“Because marriage is the grave of love,” Shang Que quipped.

“…”

She blinked. “Not funny?”

Lu Zhixu gave a helpless smile. “A little cold.”

Ning Sheng looked at the address written on the invitation. “House No. 23. Should we head over now?”

“Might as well. We have to go in sooner or later.”

The group set off into the village. From time to time, the hoarse cries of crows echoed through the air, and the bitter wind howled, seeping into their bones.

The village wasn’t very big, and before long, they arrived at House No. 23. The main door was tightly shut. Its heavy lock was broken, hanging crookedly from the door knocker.

Just as Lu Zhixu was about to push the door open, he suddenly noticed something above it. He paused. “Is this a talisman?”

“Huh? Let me see.” Shang Que’s curiosity was piqued. She leaned in, using the faint moonlight to examine it. “It’s a Five-Thunder Talisman. This one should be for exorcism.”

The others turned to her in confusion. Lin Jingyi asked, “How do you know that?”

“Look at the celestial symbols, the Three Platform Stars, and the Five Marshals,” Shang Que explained. “The Thunder Division has thirty-six marshals, each with different responsibilities. The five drawn here are for dispelling evil, so it should be an exorcism talisman.”

【???】

【Did we just switch to a metaphysics lecture? What is Shang Que even talking about? Can anyone explain?】

The rest of the group was just as bewildered. Lin Jingyi was shocked. “Wait, I meant—how do you know all this… this…”

“This metaphysical stuff,” Lu Zhixu helped her finish.

“Oh, that.” Shang Que thought for a moment before admitting, “Back when I was abroad, I was occasionally bullied by local teenagers. So I pretended to be some mystical figure to scare them. To make it convincing, I studied a bit of this stuff.”

Ji Jingchuan frowned. “You were bullied abroad?”

“At first, yeah. But after they actually got sick when they went home, they believed I knew Eastern witchcraft and stopped bothering me.”

【Holy crap, what a brilliant idea! Is it too late for me to learn this?】

【Can someone teach me a simple talisman? I need it for self-defense.】

【I usually just start doing ritual dances when I get scared.】

There were more complex details to the story, but Shang Que left them out. She had conveyed the gist of it.

Ji Jingchuan suddenly remembered something. “So that day when you said the feng shui in my room was bad… you were serious?”

“Probably? I’m not too well-versed in feng shui.” She had mainly learned how to draw talismans and only picked up a little feng shui knowledge. Thinking carefully, Shang Que added, “But you do seem prone to attracting petty trouble. You should be more cautious—your energy field is too weak.”

Seeing his face turn slightly pale, she raised an eyebrow. “What, are you scared now?”

Ji Jingchuan immediately denied it. “No way. A genius like me isn’t afraid of anything.”

“Oh.” Shang Que pushed the door open, about to step inside—only to feel a sudden resistance from behind.

Puzzled, she turned around and found Ji Jingchuan gripping the hem of her shirt tightly.