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Escaping the maze felt like a real-life escape room; there were puzzles to solve and paths to navigate. The amusement park was designed for families, so the level of fright was very low.
This wasn’t a horror scenario, but to create an atmosphere, the lighting inside was dim, accompanied by slight gusts of wind that added an eerie touch. Zhuzhu was quite brave; upon entering, she curiously looked around. Perhaps Xu Chunian had played too many horror games, as she began to feel an instinctive response.
“Jiang Huaixu, you saw that, right? It’s just a maze to solve, not a horror scenario, right?” Xu Chunian focused on the green lights on the walls.
Jiang Huaixu glanced at her, pressing his lips together, “It should be.”
“Should be?”
In high school, she had often played escape rooms and only realized it was a horror scenario when encountering NPCs.
The man fell silent.
Xu Chunian was scared of ghosts, but she had a strong desire for excitement. The surrounding atmosphere was sufficiently terrifying, with horror plots jumping into her mind one after another.
Zhuzhu felt a bit scared too, tightly gripping Jiang Huaixu’s hand.
Jiang Huaixu picked her up with one arm, softly reassuring her, “Don’t be afraid.”
Xu Chunian followed behind. Zhuzhu could see her easily and extended her small hand, which she had been hiding, towards Xu Chunian.
Xu Chunian’s heart softened, and she gently took Zhuzhu’s hand, “Don’t be afraid; Mommy and Daddy are here.”
Jiang Huaixu paused for a moment, “Zhuzhu was accidentally locked in the storage room by the previous nanny until it was discovered at night.”
No wonder Zhuzhu wanted a light left on by her bed every night.
Xu Chunian felt a tightness in her chest, biting her lip as she looked at Zhuzhu, who resembled a little rice ball.
Zhuzhu leaned against Jiang Huaixu’s shoulder, grinning at her.
The maze paths twisted and turned. Following the signs for the first time felt endless.
“Jiang Huaixu.” Xu Chunian pointed at a nearby green light, “We’ve come back here again; look, that light has a big gap in the base. Do you see it?”
“Xu Chunian.” Jiang Huaixu called her name in a deep voice.
“Hmm?”
“Lightly hold on to me.”
The air suddenly fell silent. Xu Chunian mechanically looked at the hand holding Zhuzhu and then at the hand pointing towards the wall light.
“Ah!” Xu Chunian abruptly threw herself at Jiang Huaixu, causing him to stagger slightly, one hand awkwardly resting on her waist.
Xu Chunian didn’t notice how inappropriate this gesture was; she looked up at him in his embrace, “Are you really sure this isn’t a horror scenario?”
“Hmm.” The man’s Adam’s apple moved up and down, “It might just be the wind; let’s try another path.”
Xu Chunian grasped Jiang Huaixu’s hand, his broad palm almost completely enveloping hers, inexplicably providing her with a sense of reassurance.
The new path was equally endless, with numerous drawings on the walls. Until they reached a corner, Jiang Huaixu tightened his grip, prompting Xu Chunian to stop and look back at him in confusion.
Jiang Huaixu tilted his chin slightly, “There’s a door in the wall.”
“Where?”
Jiang Huaixu took her a few steps back, “This one.”
The painted door looked different from the other patterns, but it was hard to notice at first glance. Xu Chunian gently pushed it, and it swung open easily.
Inside was a small space, with another door at the far end, locked with a large padlock that required a code.
The room had many drawings, depicting a princess captured by a dragon, who could only be rescued at the end of the maze.
Zhuzhu, engrossed in the comic, struggled to get down from Jiang Huaixu’s arms as she reached the last page.