Ning Wei and her companions walked through the rose garden and arrived beside the bushes.
Everyone sat down, enjoying the rare beauty.
But an uninvited guest also followed. As soon as Bai Yang saw them leave, she immediately put down her cutlery and followed.
She deliberately softened her footsteps, yet none of them noticed her.
If not for everyone sitting down, her standing alone on the side would have made her particularly conspicuous. She might have been able to hide for a while longer.
She stood there blankly by the side, looking at them with a wronged expression, as if someone had abused her.
It was she who had abandoned them and mingled with another group, completely ignoring them during breakfast, not even lifting her eyelids.
Now, for reasons unknown, she had followed them again.
Seeing her like this, Tang Tang was furious.
She frowned, ready to scold, when Wu Qing suddenly appeared from behind the bushes.
Seeing her, everyone perked up.
"I had something to say after the meal, but you left too quickly, so I specifically came to inform all guests that everyone must attend every meal as new missions will be issued. If you miss it and disappear, you bear the consequences."
Wu Qing was not only frightening to look at, but she also enjoyed terrifying guests with her words, which greatly displeased Ning Wei.
"If you considered having muscular men serve us during meals, I believe I would stay until the very end."
Wu Qing seemed surprised. Her long nose twitched twice, and she remained silent.
Ning Wei continued, "Actually, werewolves have great physiques. If there's a chance, letting them serve us would be acceptable too."
Having been in the castle for so many years, Wu Qing had never encountered such a request before.
Her expression changed slightly. "The guest is joking."
Ning Wei looked at her very seriously. "Using maids is too cheap for those perverted men, so I suggest you use muscular men. Let us have some fun too. As the steward here, you can't possibly not be able to arrange for muscular men, can you?"
Her eyes were full of suspicion, as if implying that if you can't even do something so simple, you don't deserve to be the steward of this castle.
"It's this era now, and we should strive for gender equality. Therefore, the needs of both male and female guests should be considered. You are not only the castle's steward, but also a woman. In the hazy night, lying in bed unable to sleep, haven't you ever fantasized about how wonderful it would be to have a man by your side at this moment?"
Ning Wei's eloquence was displayed to its fullest here, and Wu Qing was stunned.
Wu Qing was usually the one who threatened others; when had she ever been on the receiving end of such psychological manipulation?
But in this situation, she could only go along with Ning Wei's words. "I'll try my best then. Guests, please proceed."
Watching Wu Qing's retreating back, she looked like she was fleeing in disarray.
As for the others, it wasn't the first time they had seen Ning Wei's venomous tongue.
They could only give her a thumbs-up for her brilliant maneuver, exclaiming, "Amazing!"
Bai Yang stood by the side, completely ignored.
She fidgeted with her fingers uneasily, her feet unconsciously pressing harder on the lawn.
No one was willing to let her sit, pretending not to see her.
As for the kind-hearted Teacher Mei, due to what happened this morning, he had secretly vowed never to be a pushover again.
Ning Wei glanced back at Bai Yang, nudged Tang Tang, who was pressed against her, to move aside, and then beckoned Bai Yang to sit next to her.
Tang Tang glared at Bai Yang indignantly and then looked resentfully at Ning Wei, resembling a neglected young bride.
Ning Wei ignored her and eagerly approached Bai Yang. "Why don't I see your sister Bai Xue and Li Ziang?"
Bai Yang's face froze for a moment, and a very sad expression appeared on her face. "Sister... they're all dead."
Ning Wei decided to get to the bottom of it this time and continued, "What happened?"
Bai Yang's gaze fell on the others, and she noticed they were all looking at her, expecting her to continue.
Although she felt annoyed, she recalled what had happened.
They had checked into a star-rated hotel and received an invitation from the hotel management to attend a reception in the ballroom.
Suddenly, the ballroom door closed automatically, and the service staff went mad, biting anyone they caught, like zombies in a movie.
They were no match for the attackers. Li Ziang, who was fond of Bai Xue, tried his best to create an escape route for her, but Bai Xue gave the only chance to Bai Yang. She and Li Ziang remained in that hotel forever.
The scene felt familiar. Tang Tang asked Bai Yang, "Was the hotel called the Victoria Grand Hotel?"
Bai Yang's eyes widened in surprise, looking at Tang Tang as if asking how she knew.
Later, she realized that since everyone could meet at the same station, it meant the stations were interconnected. They could clear the hotel level, and so could Tang Tang and the others.
With this realization, Bai Yang lowered her head and wiped away her tears. In reality, her eyes were filled with hatred, but it was hidden by her long hair, so no one saw it.
"If... you had been there then, my sister and the others would have been fine," Bai Yang's voice trembled slightly.
Everyone fell silent. In truth, clearing levels shouldn't solely depend on others. If one were strong enough, any situation could be resolved.
Just like in that hotel, the people closest to the exit, even without Ning Wei opening the door first, would have had a chance to escape.
However, it couldn't be denied that with the addition of Ning Wei and her group, the chance of survival had increased considerably.
No one wanted to face such events. Tang Tang and the others had experienced similar things. At this moment, setting aside other emotions, they genuinely empathized with Bai Yang's experience.
"Alright, the fact that you survived is the greatest tribute to your sister," Zhuo Yilian said with a dry tone of comfort.
"Then how did you end up in the same car as that group?" Ning Wei continued to press.
Bai Yang's impatience was evident on her face, but Ning Wei acted as if she didn't see it.
Helpless, Bai Yang continued, "Everyone in our car died, and I was the only one left, so the attendant arranged for me to be on this car."
"Then how many stations have you experienced together?"
Bai Yang had completely given up in the face of Ning Wei's questions.
She responded numbly, "This is the first one."
"So you don't know them well, do you? You can't even name them all?"
Bai Yang had always been wary of Ning Wei because of her outstanding abilities and sharp mind. Therefore, Ning Wei's questions felt like traps to her.
So when Ning Wei asked this question, she was hesitant about how to answer.
"You have reservations," Ning Wei stated with a frown, affirming her suspicion.