No one had ever earned the title of "Ge" from Ning Wei, and Sheng Kaiwei certainly didn't have the qualifications.
So she flatly refused, "We're not that familiar, let's just use names."
Sheng Kaiwei's disappointment was expected. He had a thick skin and wouldn't be fazed by such a minor matter.
"Alright, meeting adjourned, we're going to sleep." Currently, they were all in a passive state, so Ning Wei decided to give up on any futile efforts.
"What about the ghost..." Sheng Kaiwei was still persistent.
"Today's chance has been used up. If you're absolutely certain, you can tell Wu Qing tomorrow."
After Ning Wei finished speaking, she got up to leave. Tang Tang added behind her, "But if you guess wrong, it will waste one opportunity, which means the number of ghosts will continue to increase."
Everyone was uneasy about Sheng Kaiwei. This person was unreliable and a bit stubborn.
Tang Tang and the others truly worried that he would bypass everyone tomorrow and directly expose Qing Qing. If he guessed right, fine, but if he guessed wrong, it would be a disaster for everyone.
In fact, Ning Wei had been secretly observing Qing Qing for a long time, especially during the few minutes when Qin An was exposed. Qing Qing's reaction was the same as everyone else's.
There was confusion, fear, and anticipation.
If she was indeed a ghost, it could only mean she was deeply cunning.
But looking at her age, only in her twenties, it didn't seem like she could control the details so well.
Of course, unexpected situations couldn't be ruled out, so Ning Wei remained suspicious but didn't speak out recklessly like Sheng Kaiwei.
After all, once the seed of suspicion is planted, it's hard to remove.
Ning Wei and the others slept on the sofa. As for Sheng Kaiwei and his group, they followed suit, finding various places to sleep.
After eating and drinking their fill, they could sleep soundly, especially after a night of fear and not daring to close their eyes.
Soon, the entire hall became like a symphony, with various tones of breathing and snoring rising and falling in a continuous rhythm.
Ning Wei had a light sleep, and the noise prevented her from falling asleep. She got up and went to the back garden.
She lay down amidst the roses, inhaling the floral fragrance, feeling a moment of profound peace.
She twirled the ring on her finger, as if that person were still by her side.
As she tried to recall someone, footsteps slowly approached.
Since it was footsteps, it meant it wasn't Wu Qing.
Ning Wei opened her eyes and saw a face appear before her.
"Something wrong?" The person was Qing Qing. While everyone else was resting in the living room, she had leaned against a ladder with her eyes closed. She hadn't expected her to follow Ning Wei to the back garden.
Ning Wei was annoyed that her quiet alone time was being disturbed.
Qing Qing looked conflicted and troubled. Seeing Ning Wei's impatient gaze, she finally spoke, "I know you're the smartest person here, so I wanted to ask if you have any way for me to prove my innocence. I swear I'm not a ghost."
"If you're telling the truth, then you don't need to prove it."
"But... everyone suspects me, everyone rejects me."
"There's still one ghost not caught. If you can find that person, and prove you weren't the ghost from the first night, then that will suffice." Ning Wei said it easily, but both of them knew how difficult this would be.
Seeing Ning Wei's attitude, Qing Qing knew she had come to the wrong person today.
She turned to leave in disappointment. Ning Wei's voice suddenly rang out, "Whether you're innocent or not isn't important, nor is being isolated. The ultimate goal here is to survive, isn't it?"
Hearing Ning Wei's words, Qing Qing was enlightened, as if a veil had been lifted, and she became completely clear-headed.
She had simply gotten stuck in a dead end. Humans are social animals, and being suspected and ostracized because of the ghost situation made her confusion understandable.
But in this ancient castle fraught with danger, one could be confused for a moment, but not foolishly so forever!
"Thank you," Qing Qing replied softly and left the back garden.
Ning Wei held up the hand with the ring, swaying it before her eyes, and murmured to herself, "I seem to be getting softer and softer."
It was unclear whether she was speaking to the ring's true owner or to herself.
The grandfather clock chimed for dinner, waking all the slumbering guests.
Ning Wei slowly walked from the back garden to the hall, where everyone was already seated.
Wu Qing beckoned her, "Esteemed guest, we are about to dine, please come and take a seat."
As Ning Wei walked over, the seat that Qin An had occupied was empty, and even the chair had been removed.
It seemed that for every teammate who died, one chair disappeared.
There were too many hidden rules in this castle, or one could call them game rules. Everyone dared not act rashly, so their seating arrangements had not changed since the beginning of the meal.
Every night here was tense, as werewolves hidden in the dense forest watched them greedily.
Those pairs of red eyes flickered in and out of sight, as if silently saying, "Eat, eat, eat your fill, grow plump."
Now, the meal on the table was for the guests; after midnight, the guests would become the werewolves' midnight snack.
Once dinner was served, Wu Qing retreated to a corner. She was like a programmed robot, performing her set tasks on schedule.
Ning Wei felt that she might be in a bad mood lately because she felt pity for everyone she looked at.
Her senior brother was right, heartbreak truly changed a person's personality.
She just hadn't expected to experience such a thing herself.
She hadn't even started a sweet romance, and the duck she thought she had caught had flown away. She wondered if she could ever find her way back.
Nighttime passed particularly quickly. As long as the food was passable, everyone ate heartily.
Eating too much resulted in a feeling of fullness, so led by Song Zhi, they turned the hall into a dance square.
Some danced, some did square dances, and some did various warm-up exercises.
It seemed as if everyone was preparing to fight the werewolves to the death that night. Ning Wei sat alone on the sofa, watching the wild revelry before her, a smile never leaving her lips.
Wu Qing stood in the shadows, also feeling that things were getting out of hand.
These people moved around in front of her, and she didn't understand what they were doing.
But when she heard the square dance led by Teacher Mei, with everyone humming catchy tunes, she felt a strong urge to join in.
At ten o'clock, Ning Wei spoke, "Alright, let's take a break. If you use up all your energy, how will you face any unexpected situations tonight?"
Everyone listened to her advice and immediately sat on the sofas to rest.