After The Flower Of The High Mountain Meets The Rough Man Ⅱ Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Making a Wish. This person who suddenly appeared to rescue him from dire straits was more…

Shen Jixun just wanted this boring and childish date activity to end as soon as possible. He walked ahead, following the instructions on the task card—

The bride’s shoe was hidden in a place full of thorns.

Shen Jixun pushed open a heavy door, and a chilling aura immediately enveloped his entire body.

He frowned and walked in, guided by the dim red light, but the door instantly slammed shut and locked.

“Hello, player. You have triggered a hidden task. You can only leave once your companion outside finds the key and opens the door for you.”

Shen Jixun wasn’t in a hurry to call Ji Shen over. He rummaged under the spiked bed in the room and found a pair of brand-new red embroidered shoes in a hidden compartment.

“Ji Shen,” he then walked to the door and called out.

Ji Shen was already anxious because he couldn’t find Shen Jixun. Hearing Shen Jixun’s voice coming from inside the locked room next to him, he quickly reached out to open the door.

He saw that the door was locked from the outside.

The lock was old and loose, seemingly only there to keep people confined.

Shen Jixun leaned against the pillar by the door, ready to tell him about his hidden task, but Ji Shen’s voice immediately came through, “Bro! I’ll rescue you right now!”

“Wait, I triggered a…” Shen Jixun’s attempt to stop him was cut short.

He only heard a “bang” from the lock. Ji Shen pried open the lock with his bare hands, opened the door, and walked in. “Bro! Are you okay!”

Shen Jixun gave him a strange look, then glanced at the broken lock on the door bolt. “…”

“What is it, Bro?” Ji Shen was confused.

Shen Jixun didn’t know where to start and waited for the staff to speak.

The staff member in front of the screen was stunned. After a moment of silence, they said, “That counts as clearing the stage, too… You have five minutes left.”

Only then did Shen Jixun ask, “Did you find your fragment?”

Ji Shen held up the fragment in his hand. “I accidentally got separated from you just now because I went to get the fragment.”

The two were the first to walk out of the task area. As time ran out, the others also completed their tasks and emerged one after another, all drenched in sweat. The boyfriend in one of the young couples had already cried once from fright.

Next came the real main quest.

[Requirement: Attend the wedding with the wedding invitation.]

The six people headed to the mission location together, with four of them hiding behind Ji Shen and Shen Jixun.

Along the way, there were other NPCs going to the wedding, but they were all wearing eerie red gowns, muttering something about the eleventh, the eleventh…

“Ahhh—” Screams of fright from the NPCs kept coming from behind, making even Ji Shen feel a little creeped out.

They pushed open the tightly shut red-lacquered door, where the only illumination came from flickering candles.

A hunched old woman holding a red lantern slowly walked out. “Welcome, guests, who have traveled so far…”

“This is from the young lady for you all.” The old woman handed out red envelopes, which Ji Shen reached out and took.

“Seventh day of the seventh month, taking a new wife. The new wife lacks new shoes, and her heart is especially anxious.” Ji Shen read the information aloud. “Oh, shoes?”

He took out the red embroidered shoes from his pocket. “That was your task just now, right, Bro?”

The old woman held out her hand, and Ji Shen quickly handed over the shoes.

The old woman then handed out another letter.

Upon opening it, they found the task required the person who found the shoes to play the groom and help the bride put them on.

A red outer robe and hat were placed nearby.

Shen Jixun clearly showed resistance on his face.

“Can I go?” Ji Shen quickly volunteered.

The old woman shook her head.

Shen Jixun stood with his arms crossed, also looking unwilling.

“Honglang… Honglang… Why are you unwilling?” A mournful female voice came from the inner room.

As the red light flickered, the door was pushed open, and the barefoot bride, covered by a red veil, ran out.

A hidden trigger! The bride was angry!

Ji Shen quickly grabbed Shen Jixun and ran into a small side door. The six-person team was instantly scattered by this sudden turn of events.

The bride chased the two of them out.

After circling through the complex corridors, Ji Shen led Shen Jixun into a narrow sedan chair in a small room.

The two were pressed tightly together. The bride’s screams continued outside, and the surrounding red lights, like an alarm, didn’t stop flashing.

Shen Jixun’s face was dark. “Why is she chasing us?”

Ji Shen whispered, “Because we accidentally triggered the hidden storyline. This is part of the script’s setup; they probably anticipated players would refuse to play the groom.”

The sedan chair was only big enough for one slender girl. Two adult men squeezed inside had absolutely no room to move.

Ji Shen had Shen Jixun sit on the soft cushion while he knelt in front of him. Shen Jixun had nowhere to put his feet, so he placed them directly on Ji Shen’s legs.

“Hmph.” Shen Jixun was annoyed. “How long do we have to hide?”

“I don’t know. We probably have to wait until the red light stops flashing and the bride’s voice disappears outside?” Ji Shen was playing for the first time, so he could only guess.

Shen Jixun: “…”

“It’s so cramped,” he said.

Ji Shen held his calves. “Bear with it for a bit, Bro. It’ll be over soon.”

Just as he finished speaking, the sedan chair suddenly swayed. Shen Jixun leaned forward, almost falling out, but Ji Shen stabilized him by holding his waist.

His dark hair fell all over Ji Shen’s face. The scent was faint, an indescribable woody fragrance.

Ji Shen’s ears immediately perked up.

The sedan chair was lifted.

“Seventh day of the seventh month, taking a new wife. Seventh day of the seventh month, taking a new wife…”

A creepy nursery rhyme began to play.

The two swayed back and forth inside the sedan chair. To prevent Shen Jixun from falling out, Ji Shen simply leaned forward, placing his arms on either side of Shen Jixun’s head, trapping him in an embrace.

The two were not afraid of the decorations and mechanisms here.

But everything happening outside was unknown.

The sense of the unknown brought fear and unease.

In the cramped space, they were close enough to feel each other’s breath. Ji Shen felt his heart beating perhaps too fast.

This was definitely not from being scared.

“Ji Shen, I’m going to kill you.” Shen Jixun felt that, with the rocking of the sedan chair, he must look extremely disheveled and pathetic right now.

In his previous twenty-plus years of life, he had never been so undignified and embarrassed.

Ji Shen quickly smiled and appeased him. “Don’t be angry, Bro. When we get out, I’ll apologize properly. Please be the bigger person and spare my life, okay?”

“Hmph.” Shen Jixun turned his head away.

The sedan chair was carried back to the center of the ancestral hall. The other four people were also sent back through other means.

The task reset.

…

After being startled by various jump scares countless times inside, the six people finally completed all the tasks and walked out of the haunted house.

Shen Jixun hadn’t been scared, but it had drained a lot of his energy. He sat in the lobby with a cold expression, beads of sweat on his face.

His hair was sticking to his temples and was much messier from running around.

A faint blush appeared on his usually pale face.

Ji Shen happily ran over with two tickets. “Bro, look!”

“Ta-da! Tickets!” Ji Shen shook the tickets in his hand, excitedly.

Shen Jixun felt mentally exhausted, no different from taking care of a child.

Ji Shen was also sweating profusely from exhaustion, yet he somehow still had the energy to want to go to the amusement park.

“Bro, I want to come back next time!! Next time, let’s stick to the main storyline, not the side quests. It’ll definitely be more exciting!” Ji Shen stared at Shen Jixun with eyes full of anticipation.

Damn.

Such dazzling eyes.

Shen Jixun couldn’t even formulate a refusal.

He turned his head and said “whatever,” which wasn’t a rejection.

Because after walking out, Shen Jixun realized he hadn’t truly entertained himself like this in a long time.

Golf, horseback riding, parties… all those forms of entertainment had a purpose. This was the first time for Shen Jixun to simply go out and relax.

Ji Shen used the ticket stubs in his hand to fan Shen Jixun, while checking the itinerary on his memo with the other hand. He then said, “Bro, next is dinner. I booked a restaurant by the sea. After dinner, we’ll go to a pottery studio to make ceramics, and then off to the amusement park!”

Shen Jixun rubbed his temple with one hand, regretting once again that he had given the itinerary planning task to Ji Shen.

After dinner by the sea, they went to the pottery studio.

Most of the people there were couples.

Ji Shen had made a reservation in advance, and the studio master immediately led them to an empty spot and began explaining the techniques for shaping ceramics.

Ji Shen listened very carefully, not missing a single detail.

Shen Jixun, however, frowned deeply at the earthy clay, his disdain unconcealed.

After the master finished teaching, he let the two of them practice.

Of course, only Ji Shen did so.

Shen Jixun couldn’t bring himself to touch it.

“Bro, try it. It’s soft and feels nice,” Ji Shen extended a hand covered in clay toward Shen Jixun.

Shen Jixun’s frown deepened. “No.”

Ji Shen didn’t insist. He pulled his hand back and said, “Then I’ll quickly finish this one and give it to you, Bro.”

“I don’t want it,” Shen Jixun rejected his kindness.

Ji Shen: “Why? I haven’t even finished making it yet!”

Shen Jixun looked at the crooked thing in his hand, his expression disgusted. “It looks like it will be ugly.”

“Bro, you probably couldn’t make it as well as me, hmph,” Ji Shen muttered softly.

Shen Jixun was immediately provoked.

He rolled up his sleeves, bent down, and scooped a lump of clay onto the machine for himself.

The two silently engaged in a wordless competition.

Ji Shen, having listened carefully to the master’s instruction, clearly had a much more refined clay piece than Shen Jixun.

Shen Jixun stared at his own clay piece for a few seconds, then looked at Ji Shen’s, and suddenly reached out and pressed down on it.

Ji Shen’s small teacup clay piece immediately got a large dent.

Ji Shen: !!!

“Ouch!! Bro!!” He protested loudly.

He was about to retaliate.

Shen Jixun immediately glared at him. Under this warning gaze, Ji Shen silently withdrew his hand, only protesting verbally, “Bro, you’re really too mean.”

Shen Jixun wore a triumphant smile on his lips, not replying, and continued shaping the teacup in his hands.

His long hair was casually tied up with a hair tie provided by the studio, with many loose strands falling around his temples. When he was focused, his gaze carried a softness he didn’t even realize.

He didn’t know that his mood at this moment was relaxed and joyful.

It was just that, at this moment, he didn’t have to worry about anything.

Afterward, whenever Ji Shen made a perfect clay piece, a hand would descend from the heavens and ruin it. Ji Shen realized that Shen Jixun was trying to compete.

So Ji Shen stopped trying to fix his clay piece and continued shaping it with the dent.

Ceramics take time to fire. Ji Shen filled out the home address so they would be delivered directly once finished.

Then, Ji Shen took the two amusement park tickets they had won from clearing the haunted house and brought Shen Jixun to the amusement park.

After the weather in S City turned cooler, the sky darkened faster. By a little past five in the afternoon, the sun was already close to the horizon.

Even the streetlights along the road were lit.

The wind blowing on them was bone-chilling.

“I’m not going.”

“Why not, Bro! This is the last activity of our date today! I’ve been looking forward to it for so long QAQ” Ji Shen was practically ready to kneel at Shen Jixun’s feet and beg him to go to the amusement park with him.

This time was not only when people got off work but also when students got out of school. The amusement park was starting to get crowded.

Shen Jixun didn’t want to go to crowded places.

Those public facilities felt dirty and unsafe to him.

“Then you go play,” Shen Jixun pulled his arm out of Ji Shen’s grasp.

Ji Shen shook his head frantically. “It’s meaningless if you don’t play with me.”

“…” Shen Jixun didn’t want to deal with him.

Ji Shen mumbled, “I already planned it out. We’ll play the shooting game together, then ride the bumper cars, and finally, the Ferris wheel…”

“No.” The anticipation was beautiful, but unfortunately, Shen Jixun had exhausted all his energy for the day.

However, under Ji Shen’s persistent coaxing, Shen Jixun agreed to accompany him on the Ferris wheel.

“Bro, they say if you make a wish when the Ferris wheel reaches the highest point, the Ferris Wheel God will grant it!” Ji Shen leaned against the window, staring at the ground gradually receding below, and excitedly turned to Shen Jixun.

Shen Jixun closed his eyes. “Only someone as stupid as you would believe that, right?”

Ji Shen: “Why are you calling me stupid again, Bro?”

Shen Jixun chuckled, opened his eyes, and said, “Then go ahead and make your wish. You should say it out loud.”

“Why? Doesn’t saying a wish out loud make it ineffective?” Ji Shen didn’t understand.

Shen Jixun glanced at him. “Because I think the probability of me granting your wish is greater than that so-called Ferris Wheel God.”

“Bro is right…” This person who suddenly appeared to rescue him from dire straits was more effective than all the gods he had prayed to before.

Ji Shen stared blankly at Shen Jixun, his eyes reflecting the fireworks outside the amusement park.

In the light of the fireworks, half of Shen Jixun’s face was hidden in shadow, and the other half was illuminated by the sparks, making him look beautiful, like a poisonous flower.

How strange. His mood was strange. Why was his heart beating so hard?

Ji Shen was completely baffled.