Pretending the sunlight was all on her, she drowsily began to fall asleep.
The clock struck again, and it was time for lunch.
Ning Wei was woken by the alarm. Since Wu Qing had given them a heads-up, everyone immediately put down what they were doing at the appointed time and gathered in the main hall.
The arrangement for lunch was the same as before: another group sat at the front of the dining table, where they could best admire Wu Qing's peerless beauty.
Bai Yang was once again sitting with the girl named Qi Qi. The two appeared very close, walking in through the archway of the back garden hand in hand. They didn't separate even when they sat down.
The men who had tasted sweet success in the morning were now eagerly awaiting lunch.
Wu Qing suddenly appeared at the front of the dining table. She cast a slightly uneasy glance at Ning Wei before announcing that lunch had begun.
As she clapped her hands, a group of men with well-developed chests emerged from a door. Counting them, there were ten in total, the same number as the maids.
The door the men emerged from was in a different location from the one the maids had used in the morning. Although all the doors around the hall looked the same, what you encountered upon opening one seemed to be a matter of chance.
The men were simply brawny, with impressive chests, but their faces were truly unbearable to look at.
Perhaps Wu Qing's aesthetic sense differed from that of ordinary people, as Ning Wei covered her eyes, unable to bear the sight.
"This... how did it turn into men?" Sheng Kaiwei, the leader of the group, clearly looked aghast.
"If there are maids, there are naturally male servants. As a steward, I always uphold fairness," Wu Qing said with a straight face.
She said this for Ning Wei's benefit. Ning Wei had accused her of unfairness in the morning, so she had acted immediately at lunchtime.
Tang Tang, seated next to Ning Wei, complained in a low voice, "They're even worse than the maids. At least the maids are easy on the eyes. Looking at these male servants for too long makes me lose my appetite."
Wu Qing didn't care. She had, after all, satisfied her guests' request.
The muscular men carried the platters and placed them with ease in front of the guests. The cutlery was still made of silver.
Lunch consisted of sausages with steak, accompanied by a glass of red wine.
The presentation was exquisite, and it was clear at a glance that it wouldn't be filling.
"Can I have seconds if I'm not full?" Ning Wei was not one to deny her palate. Even though the male servants were ugly, the steak was truly delicious.
"Of course. If you need anything at all, just tell the male servants. They will fulfill all your needs."
After saying this, Wu Qing disappeared from the hall again.
Her ghostly appearances sent shivers down one's spine, even in broad daylight.
Thanks to the presence of the male servants, the women present were spared any more unsightly scenes.
The men were truly powerful, but their appearance was too much to bear. Therefore, no woman present dared to harbor any thoughts of taking advantage of them.
Ning Wei found the midday meal more to her liking and had seconds. She didn't drink any of the red wine, needing to maintain absolute sobriety.
After the meal, no one left voluntarily.
Wu Qing reappeared in a timely manner and announced the new task: "There are eleven hours left until the werewolves enter the castle. I see that everyone is too idle, so why don't we play a game?"
This was not a request for opinions but the issuance of a command.
Everyone looked at Wu Qing, their ears perked up, lest they miss a single word.
"I believe everyone heard the commotion last night. In fact, one of you has already been killed by a werewolf. That person is now the traitor hidden among us. If you don't catch this ghost before midnight tonight, I don't know what will happen after twelve o'clock."
Upon hearing Wu Qing's words, everyone immediately recalled the blood and claw marks on the corridor and stairs. They then looked at the person sitting beside them with renewed vigilance.
Anyone could be the ghost, and that person would undoubtedly be hiding very well.
"This game is very interesting. Guests, please enjoy yourselves."
After dropping this bombshell, Wu Qing left again, leaving the time and space to the guests.
After Wu Qing departed, the male servants cleared the table.
This time, while everyone's attention was focused on the ghost Wu Qing had mentioned, Ning Wei secretly pocketed another one of her silver steak knives.
She kept a close watch on the male servants' reactions. Soon, it was time to clear the cutlery from her place.
The male servant seemed to be counting mechanically, collecting only the plates, cups, and other items on the table, without any other actions.
This was a golden opportunity. Ning Wei exchanged glances with her teammates. They all followed suit, with some taking steak knives and others taking forks.
Their actions were not subtle, so the people from the other team saw their little maneuvers.
Having tools was better than having none, so they now deeply regretted sitting at the front.
Someone secretly glanced at Sheng Kaiwei. As a captain, he wasn't prepared for this. Ning Wei clearly saw the dissatisfaction in everyone's eyes.
She lowered her head, a cold smile playing on her lips. It seemed this group was not as harmonious as they appeared.
After the male servants had left, Sheng Kaiwei was the first to approach Ning Wei, despite his disdain for women as captains.
"What are your thoughts on today's ghost? This isn't a confrontation game. I think we can cooperate. As long as we find the ghost, we can at least get through tonight safely."
Sheng Kaiwei, having reached the position of captain, was not unintelligent.
As Wu Qing had explained, someone had been captured and killed by a werewolf last night. Today, that person had become a ghost hidden among them, essentially a spy sent by the werewolves.
With this spy present, all their plans would be known to the werewolves, making tonight extremely dangerous.
"Cooperation is certainly possible," Ning Wei replied.
Sheng Kaiwei had expected Ning Wei to make things difficult for him, so he was surprised by her easy agreement. His contempt for her deepened.
Believing he had gained the upper hand, he became arrogant again. "Since we're talking about cooperation, I think you should show some sincerity."
Ning Wei's team had only seven members, while their team had thirteen. They had the advantage in numbers.
Furthermore, Ning Wei's team had only one strong adult, Song Zhi, with the rest being insignificant women.
Their team, however, was different. They had nine young and strong men!
Ning Wei raised an eyebrow. "What kind of sincerity do you want?"
Sheng Kaiwei looked at the steak knives hidden under Ning Wei's team's seats. "Firstly, I think you should give us half of the steak knives you stole today. You've seen it yourself, we have more men and our strength is superior to yours. If we face werewolves, you can only seek our protection. It's not unreasonable to pay a protection fee for that, is it?"