Snowpiercer tickets cost 498 yuan each. Match-up session details are all displayed on Dianping, with sessions running from 12:30 PM to 10:00 PM every four hours.
The 10:30 PM session costs 598 yuan per person. Hu Xiu checked the app daily, hesitating over how many Snowpiercer sessions she could afford after deducting rent from her bank balance.
While all were Live Action Role Playing Games, tabletop games cost only 68 yuan, beginner scenarios 128 yuan, and even the most expensive Escape Room was just 398 yuan. Why was Snowpiercer so expensive? So pricey that a few sessions would cost a month's rent.
At twenty-seven, having been beaten down by reality multiple times, Hu Xiu knew full well that fancying a young Live Action Role Playing Game actor and fantasizing about dating him was pure daydreaming.
But that very night, she dreamed of Qin Xiaoyi scattering rose petals by her bedside, making her face itch and her heart race wildly. Unable to move, it felt like a tantalizing bondage film set.
With his handsome, clear-cut features, Qin Xiaoyi looked particularly sexy when making sinister expressions. Lying there, Hu Xiu thought what a waste—hurry over, hold me, do what you want... come on baby light my fire...
Just as the fantasy reached its climax, drilling sounds from upstairs yanked her brutally from the dream. Furious, she threw her pillow at the ceiling—a dream starring Qin Xiaoyi was supposed to be a wet dream!
Forget it, this only happened in dreams. Such scenarios were completely absent in real life. She hadn't even managed to utter a flirty line, let alone ever considered herself pretty. Checking Snowpiercer's reviews on Dianping, she saw rows of gorgeous girls vying for attention—she'd definitely not be a player Qin Xiaoyi would remember.
If she had to delude herself, those girls all had big eyes and high noses, like matching tiles in a game waiting to be cleared. From appearance to personality, Hu Xiu had never been generic.
Sitting irritably on the bed, the thought of other girls flirting with Qin Xiaoyi made her uncontrollably tap the carpool option.
Going alone was fine—she had to see him again.
A forty-minute bus ride to Xu Jingdong Station, then transferring from Line 2 to Line 1, totaling three hours.
On her second visit to Snowpiercer, Hu Xiu carefully examined the Role Packages before cautiously reaching out, silently chanting "Qin Xiaoyi group" ten times. The opened package revealed... Feng Youjin group—a loyal underground party member—completely unrelated to Qin Xiaoyi in both plot and missions.
Hu Xiu stood rooted in grievance for a long time. As someone who bought tickets specifically to see Qin Xiaoyi, shouldn't she be able to file a complaint in this situation?
Indeed, over three and a half hours, she saw Qin Xiaoyi for less than thirty minutes, all during his scripted performances.
His acting was superb, his looks consistently dashing. During beating scenes, his torn bloodstained shirt gaped open, revealing pale skin and muscles—just like in her dreams—making her shiver on the spot.
The ending-triggered plot also differed slightly from her first experience, with Qin Xiaoyi taking another beating.
But in the finale, he didn't emerge victorious. After Feng Youjin became Rong City's leader, he performed a moving sibling romance with Lin Qiumei, both weeping bitterly. Hu Xiu secretly wiped tears too—five hundred yuan, and she hadn't even exchanged a word with Qin Xiaoyi. What a waste.After returning home, Hu Xiu grew increasingly frustrated and immediately booked the noon session for the next day. Surely she wouldn’t keep failing to draw Qin Xiaoyi’s group—even claw machines rewarded you once every ten tries. With three out of twelve players assigned to Qin Xiaoyi’s team, that was a 25% chance, one in four. There was no reason her luck should remain perpetually awful.
This time, she drew the physicist from Ning Zechen’s group—a pivotal role who discovered the zirconium ore and was fiercely contested by players striving to escort him out of Rong City. Yet again, it had nothing to do with Qin Xiaoyi.
In this session, Qin Xiaoyi emerged as the winner. From a distance, Hu Xiu watched him shower money and roses—slender, fragile, and as handsome as ever.
Standing at the gates of Rong City to bid farewell to the guests, the moment the doors closed, Hu Xiu felt heartbroken once more.
After it ended, she checked the reviews on Dianping and realized only three roles in the entire game had no connection to Qin Xiaoyi—and she had already drawn two of them.
The rage and urgency of drawing blind boxes reignited Hu Xiu’s fighting spirit, prompting her to purchase another ticket immediately.
As the suburban scenery whizzed past the bus window, Hu Xiu thought, her wildly tousled hair in the wind symbolized her relentless resolve to pursue romance.
Moreover, learning from her mistakes, she had carefully observed the role packages in Qin Xiaoyi’s group last time and committed them to memory: a black messenger bag and a brown messenger bag.
The other shabby bag belonged to a Communist Party member, likely the traitor in Qin Xiaoyi’s group—definitely not an option. She was here to pledge loyalty to Qin Xiaoyi, her fervent heart devoted solely to him.
In the dressing room, she solemnly reached for the brown messenger bag, changed into a British-style brown plaid dress, and meticulously curled the ends of her hair with a curling iron like Zhao Xiaorou, touching up her makeup. This time, everything felt right—all that remained was to interact with Qin Xiaoyi.
In Qin Xiaoyi’s group, she would surely get to watch him speak from start to finish, complete the tasks he assigned, and be protected by him during the chase and escape!
The gates of Rong City swung open, and out stepped a man with slicked-back hair, wearing a white shirt and a white suit draped over his arm. He had a large frame and deep-set eyes, with black retro glasses perched on his strong, defined nose—his features reminiscent of a Eurasian mix.
He announced, “Everyone, time is short. I am Qin Xiaoyi, the Finance Minister of Rong City. Bring your invitations and follow me into the city.”
Though she had finally drawn Qin Xiaoyi’s group, the actor playing Qin Xiaoyi had been replaced. Just before entering the city, she sadly grabbed the assistant narrating the plot and asked, “What happened to the previous Qin Xiaoyi? Is he not performing anymore?”
“Actors have scheduled shifts. This session is this Qin Xiaoyi’s shift.”
Dragging her feet, she was the last to slowly enter Rong City. Standing in the hotel lobby for the first scene, Hu Xiu watched Qin Xiaoyi and Ning Zechen confront each other, her heart shattering piece by piece.
Both actors had been replaced. The new Qin Xiaoyi exuded an aura of righteousness, handsome and imposing. Even when Ning Zechen grabbed him by the collar, he didn’t flash that roguish smile, leaving her feeling waves of disappointment.
Entering Qin Xiaoyi’s room, she mechanically listened to the Eurasian-faced Qin Xiaoyi explain the plot. The girl beside her flirtatiously teased him, joking about pocketing the money he gave for tasks. Only then did Hu Xiu realize that playing the game didn’t require strictly following tasks—girls who truly knew how to flirt and excel at romance could directly engage with the actors and enjoy themselves to the fullest.
She neither had the luck to draw her favorite Qin Xiaoyi nor the courage and skills to charm him.
Having rushed out without breakfast, she stood up and felt lightheaded from lack of oxygen. The new Qin Xiaoyi steadied her and asked if she was feeling unwell.Yet this gentle greeting didn't make her heart flutter like a startled deer, and their locked gazes failed to strike a chord. With the wrong actor playing Qin Xiaoyi, there was simply no chemistry.
It wasn't this Qin Xiaoyi she liked, but the previous Qin Xiaoyi. Standing dejectedly in the lobby, Li Mazi from the first round greeted her warmly: "Back in Rong City again?"
Having bought the ticket, she couldn't let it go to waste. The round trip from Xujing to downtown took five or six hours—she had to make the most of it.
She smiled and pulled out two bundles of banknotes. "Mazi, let me ask you something. Where can I get a Kanto Army Pass..."
This round was her most enjoyable yet. She rediscovered the feeling of being a substitute actor from her university days, became familiar with Li Mazi, and even worked part-time playing piano in the grand ballroom.
With her Grade 10 piano skills, she managed to fool the ballroom owner into giving her fifty thousand, then made another hundred thousand by reselling weapons at the department store. During the second round of official purchases, she overturned her bag in front of the new Qin Xiaoyi, clattering out two hundred thousand in cash.
The entire table of players, including the new Qin Xiaoyi, stared dumbfounded: "Where did you get all this money..."
In that moment, Hu Xiu poured out both tragedy and loneliness: "I'm nothing but a ruthless money-making machine."
Having successfully helped the new Qin Xiaoyi buy the position of Rong City director, Hu Xiu once again witnessed the ending of rose petals and scattered money.
But this new Qin Xiaoyi had broad shoulders and muscles straining against his sleeves. When he scattered the money, there was nothing pitiable about it. His rounded, upturned chin and confident smirk as he turned suggested complete assurance of victory—
He had slightly altered the storyline to match his appearance, almost giving it the aura of a founding monarch.
Sitting in her seat, Hu Xiu calmly watched this differently textured version of the same ending. She finally understood why she hadn't felt her heart race for those European-style handsome men with perfect features when Zhao Xiaorou dragged her to see Tiny Times, nor why she couldn't shed tears over that story of friendship. People with flawless golden ratios could do anything without ever seeming pitiable.
Leonardo with his sharp chin and short nose had been so slender in his youth—playing the neurotic and fragile Rimbaud, the free and charming Jack on Titanic. Total Eclipse had been her romantic muse.
In this Battle Royale scenario, Hu Xiu acquired an additional knife. Protected by the robust Qin Xiaoyi in the darkness, she developed a strong sense of security and fighting spirit, believing she could make it to the final round.
Perhaps because the previous Hu Xiu had been so good at making money, this Qin Xiaoyi seemed intent on protecting her, even actively shielding her in a corner when the room lights dimmed.
Hu Xiu contemplated that such a secure man would indeed make a good partner—together they'd have both courage and strategy.
When only three players remained, the corner offered poor visibility. Hu Xiu pushed him away and actively ran out. Behind her, Qin Xiaoyi was still calling, "Be careful! It's dangerous ahead!"
"Nothing to fear now! At this point, it's do or die!"
No sooner had she spoken than a male player waiting in ambush in the right corridor stabbed his knife into her chest. The coating lit up. Hu Xiu's valiant hunger games had fallen just short of final victory.
The pursuing Qin Xiaoyi remained gentle: "I told you to be careful. You were the last one left in my team this round, and now you've fallen too."
Before leaving Rong City, just as the main gate was closing, the new Qin Xiaoyi said through the crack: "You might only play this once, but you're unforgettable. I'll remember you."
Hu Xiu smiled and waved: "I'll remember you too, Qin Xiaoyi."At half past eight in game time, the remaining eleven players in the debriefing room were still bombarding the assistant narrator with questions.
Hu Xiu sat in her spot checking her phone when a client suddenly messaged her in the group chat, demanding she handle some copywriting tasks.
Despite having her wages withheld for three months, the client kept assigning work while self-righteously insisting the draft must be submitted within an hour.
Midway through accepting the task, Hu Xiu laughed bitterly—a freelancer’s monthly income of four thousand yuan could only cover eight sessions of Snowpiercer.
And she couldn’t quit now. She’d been spending too recklessly lately; if she didn’t push through and secure payment soon, she wouldn’t even make rent.
As other players gradually changed clothes and left, she pulled out her laptop, changed outfits, and returned to the lounge area, planning to use the Wi-Fi to submit the copy before departing.
The client was pressuring the account manager, and Hu Xiu’s WeChat chimed every fifteen minutes. The work was urgent—freelancers had to be on call 24/7 in such situations.
She might even have to pull an all-nighter revising drafts. She hadn’t planned her life well, had splurged impulsively over young actors, and now faced eviction. She could only blame herself.
After an hour of frantic work, Hu Xiu finished the draft, retrieved her bag and coat from the locker, and heard voices in the hall. Her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably—
A magnetic voice echoed through the B1 lounge outside Rong City. Dressed in a denim jacket and hiking boots, Qin Xiaoyi stood at the front desk chatting while holding a cardboard box. His short, curly black hair seemed permanently styled atop his head. Her gaze drifted from his forehead to his brow, paused abruptly at the bridge of his nose, and finally settled on his soft, full lips—as if she’d fallen into a rosy trap of infatuation.
Carrying the box in her direction, he continued chatting with another actor: the dashing Ning Zechen from the same session.
Even when Hu Xiu’s eyes met his, Qin Xiaoyi didn’t glance her way. He must have known someone was watching him.
In that moment, all her grievances, longing, and sorrow found their reason and surged into her chest.
Facing his utter indifference, she felt like a crush-stricken girl being utterly overlooked—mediocre and disposable.
Why…?
Hu Xiu slammed the locker door shut. As she brushed past Qin Xiaoyi, she deliberately twisted her ankle and bumped into him. The box fell, scattering a white shirt, black Alias, and a tattered blood-stained shirt across the floor—his costumes. During sessions she’d missed, it had been his turn to play Qin Xiao. Charm was an actor’s fundamental skill.
Fighting back tears without turning around, she muttered, "Didn’t see you there. Sorry."
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