Plot Summary: In the Live Action Role Playing Game "Snowpiercer," there are four main roles: Finance Minister Qin Xiaoyi, Police Chief Ning Zechen, Army General Feng Youjin, and Japanese Intelligence Officer Lin Qiumei.
In this session, Zhao Xiaorou and Hu Xiu are in Qin Xiaoyi's group, tasked with assisting her in becoming the head of Rong City.
The staff were also embarrassed. They took the light sign from Zhao Xiaorou's hands and said, "We'll keep this for you outside for now." Zhao Xiaorou was still putting up a desperate fight: "Don't you offer customized services? We're just customizing support for Qin Xiaoyi."
Hu Xiu covered her face, utterly mortified: "Please, just take the light sign out already."
But through her fingers, she caught Qin Xiaoyi secretly smiling. Having played four or five times, this was the first time Hu Xiu had seen Qin Xiaoyi break character up close. When she smiled, Qin Xiaoyi wasn't alluring or seductive—she seemed more shy.
Before Hu Xiu could get a good look, Qin Xiaoyi's smile quickly faded, replaced by a low, magnetic voice teasing her and Zhao Xiaorou: "You two came prepared with quite a lot. But remember next time you come to Rong City—this is a place with rules. Bringing in private items will land you in the interrogation room, and the experience there isn't pleasant. When you come to Rong City, do you all remember your missions?"
Professionals really are different—they can even improvise. Hu Xiu suddenly realized she had been so focused on watching Qin Xiaoyi that she hadn't even noticed what today's mission was.
Opening the script bag, her heart sank. Inside was another card, and without even opening it, she knew it was—the Traitor Card.
Even being assigned to Qin Xiaoyi's group meant she might have to become the woman who betrays her. A wave of heartache washed over her—such a cruel fate.
Then, just as she was about to leave, her foot twisted, and before she could zip the bag properly, the envelope prop and the Traitor Card spilled out noisily. The glaring Traitor Card landed right in front of Qin Xiaoyi, leaving her stunned once again.
Zhao Xiaorou turned around and, without a word, threw herself on top of Hu Xiu, half-covering the fallen Traitor Card with her body: "Minister Qin, could you please turn around? Our Miss Scarlett's underwear has fallen out."
Underwear?
Hu Xiu felt like even Qin Xiaoyi's back was laughing. Qin Xiaoyi sighed helplessly, placing her hands on her hips and lightly flicking her suit jacket back: "Such a private item—how could you not be more careful with it?"
It was normal to be amused by Zhao Xiaorou—she often found herself in unexpected situations. Like that time at the Super Junior concert in Beijing, when she couldn't bring in a giant banner. She pretended to be crazy at the security checkpoint, stuffed over forty lighters into her bag, and when several staff members rushed to catch her, Hu Xiu took advantage of the chaos, dashed in with the bag, and hung up Lee Donghae's banner in the central area before any other fan clubs.
The lighters cost eighty cents each, and for thirty yuan and a thick skin, she secured Lee Donghae's support spot—totally worth it.
As she put it, Hu Xiu wasn't much better herself. Whenever something went wrong, if Zhao Xiaorou wasn't there, it was often hard to handle the situation.
But Hu Xiu felt that Zhao Xiaorou's rescues always ended up being more like traps. For instance—being pinned down while desperately stuffing things back into the bag, struggling to get up after changing into a qipao, making strange and confusing noises in the room—it hardly counted as a smooth resolution.
When they opened the door, the players waiting outside saw Zhao Xiaorou with her clothes disheveled and Hu Xiu's legs still trembling, along with Qin Xiaoyi adjusting her collar. They asked in confusion, "Were you doing some mission in there that required us to stay out?"Zhao Xiaorou declared with righteous indignation, "What do you know? Miss Scarlett has urgent business with Young Master Qin." With that, she left Hu Xiu behind and walked away.
Peering through the door crack, Qin Xiaoyi watched her, his laughter suppressed in his nostrils. "What are you looking at? Hurry up and go do your task."
What an absurd beginning. Hu Xiu reviewed the current mission—though assigned to Qin's group, it had little to do with Qin Xiaoyi himself.
You are Scarlett, an American chemist whose true identity involves covert arms dealing under the guise of pharmaceutical operations.
To assist Qin Xiaoyi in becoming the new head of Rong City, your side missions are:
You possess a pocket watch to exchange codes with your contact. Beware of traps—scrutinize carefully.
Your alternate identity is that of a gambling king, undefeated in casinos. There, you will find a red brooch. Pin it on yourself, and someone will entrust a token to you. However, the token is unsafe—acquiring it may trigger danger.
Locate a physicist codenamed "Daisy." Have him sign a loyalty pledge to the United States and mail it back to: 209 America Road.
Meanwhile, the Traitor Card states:
Having once been saved by Ning Zechen, you must help him become the new head of Rong City.
After gaining Qin Xiaoyi's trust, sabotage his promotion plans at all costs.
Since you remain Qin Xiaoyi's partner, this betrayal must be executed without arousing his suspicion.
The script was intricately crafted and complex, leaving Hu Xiu torn between duty and personal motives.
Ning Zechen was exactly Zhao Xiaorou's type of man, but in this scenario, they had little interaction—she was busy swindling money from Feng Youjin.
By the fifth scene, Hu Xiu had pieced together the general storyline: Qin Xiaoyi's subordinates were all money-driven traders; those supporting Ning Zechen were bandits and spies; Feng Youjin's followers were half-Communist, half-Soviet troops; and Lin Qiumei was surrounded by Japanese.
Thanks to this Traitor Card, her American identity now carried a bandit-like flair—frankly, it was rather sexy.
Hu Xiu's greatest strength was her steadfast dedication to tasks—single-minded and relentless until the mission was complete.
So, on the first night, she diligently located the arms contact, swiftly signed the agreement, mailed it, and spent all her money.
Pleased with her accomplishment, she encountered Qin Xiaoyi, who called out from behind, "Where have you been? Aren't you part of my team?"
Hu Xiu glanced back at Qin Xiaoyi. His short, black curly hair added to his charm, and he was attentive to his team members, frequently interacting with them—no girl could resist such attentiveness.
From his voice to his appearance, he seemed otherworldly—the kind of strikingly handsome face one rarely even dreams of. Flustered, Hu Xiu blurted out that she was busy with her task and fled. As she ran, she thought, "How can anyone be this handsome? His voice is so captivating—my heart might just stop."
Just as the first night concluded, before Qin Xiaoyi summoned the team back to his room, Hu Xiu used the pocket watch to find the contact, finalized the arms agreement, and rushed to mail it.
Returning to Qin Xiaoyi's room, she found Zhao Xiaorou and another teammate staring at him. Qin Xiaoyi sat on the sofa, legs crossed, and sighed helplessly. "Are you really part of my team? How could you ignore me and handle the task on your own..."Just speaking could make Hu Xiu blush. Suppressing her adoration, she said, "Of course. I'm doing all this to earn money for you."
Qin Xiaoyi stood up, leaned close to Hu Xiu, tilting his head to look at her. His breath carried the scent of mint candy, spraying directly onto the tip of her nose and lips. "You're my person, Hu Xiu. Don't go running around everywhere, understand?"
It felt like all the fluids in her body had reached boiling point. Hu Xiu sensed steam rising from the top of her head, accompanied by Zhao Xiaorou's screams. She stammered in response, "Y-yes, understood."
But it didn't end there. Qin Xiaoyi placed his hand on Hu Xiu's shoulder and gave it two firm pats—not exactly intimate, more like a warning for her to behave properly.
Her mental dictionary exploded. Black square characters bounced and burst inside Hu Xiu's head, but she only managed to grasp four words: domineering CEO.
After assigning the tasks, the three of them walked out. Zhao Xiaorou excitedly clung tightly to Hu Xiu's arm. "There's something there! He definitely has feelings for you, Hu Xiu. Hurry up and move back—start slimming down, losing weight, getting hydrating injections. Arrange everything!"
"Huh?"
"He already got close enough to brush faces with you! Hu Xiu, are you playing dumb or can you really not see it?"
"It wasn't exactly face-to-face. This is just acting. Last time he even recited lines from an idol drama for me—the role of Takeda from the Japanese group."
"If it were a girl he didn't like, he would've just improvised and not acted it out. If he doesn't have feelings for you, I'll eat all the props in the scene."
Zhao Xiaorou turned toward the department store. "I'm going to complete my mission. If you don't want Qin Xiaoyi, I'll go tease him. Being married is so boring—the scent of love I smell always belongs to others. Even in a Live Action Role Playing Game, no one flirts with me."
The scent of mint candy seemed to linger at the tip of her nose. There had been others who leaned in close to kiss Hu Xiu before.
But most of the time, she would detect unpleasant odors between their teeth, the stench of decay rising from their throats, occasionally chapped lips with terrible texture.
Hu Xiu mentally deconstructed Qin Xiaoyi's scent—the refreshing mint, the warm base note resembling black tea, an almost soul-deep cleanliness.
She wasn't exaggerating, nor was she distorting memories because she liked him. Having such a clean boy purify her less-than-pleasant romantic history—even if it was only within the game—was enough to satisfy Hu Xiu.
Walking along Rong City's main thoroughfare, Hu Xiu's face kept burning, her heart pounding wildly. "You're my person"—such lines were too exaggerated!
From afar, Ning Zechen approached. Remembering she was his mole, Hu Xiu pulled out her card and quietly led him toward the casino.
Ning Zechen actually remembered Hu Xiu. "Weren't you the one who knocked over Qin Xiaoyi's box last time?"
"Yes..."
"That night he rode a shared bike against traffic and got fined fifty by traffic police. He's been sulking about it."
"He was too lazy to walk a five-minute distance so he took a car instead—got caught as soon as he went the wrong way. What an idiot."
Seeing Ning Zechen's gleeful expression, Hu Xiu burst out laughing. So Qin Xiaoyi's stubborn refusal to look back was because he'd broken traffic rules?
Absurd. The Snowpiercer actors, when encountering regular customers, would quietly chat for a moment.
Ning Zechen gave him ten thousand dollars, asking him to help get a family letter from Pockmarks, then use that letter to exchange for a Gold Medal of Immunity from Qin Xiaoyi.Hu Xiu mentally unfolded the plot a bit further—Ning Zechen and Qin Xiaoyi must have once shared a brotherly bond, which later turned into a blood feud due to misunderstandings.
She called out to Li Mazi, noticing his gaze toward her was also peculiar. Li Mazi pulled a handful of peanuts from his pocket, walking and cracking them with her: "Miss Scarlett, I can give you the letter from home, but making a living in Rong City isn’t easy for me. If you could offer some consideration, the letter is yours."
Calculating that she had little money left in her pocket and still needed to support Qin Xiaoyi’s campaign for director, Hu Xiu decided to skip paying. She slung an arm over Li Mazi’s shoulder: "Mazi, look at me running around just now—I haven’t earned a penny, it’s tough. How about I give you a massage in exchange for the letter?"
She believed she still had some feminine charm. Though not as cunning as Zhao Xiaorou—
Look, Zhao Xiaorou was already chasing after Feng Youjin, coquettishly clinging to him, even sitting on the ground pretending to be frail while hugging his leg—
But Hu Xiu wouldn’t be so blatant. Acting required subtlety, like a gentle breeze nurturing rain—effortless and deadly in its invisibility, that was true sophistication.
When her hand accidentally brushed Li Mazi’s ear, he finally shuddered and pulled an envelope from his inner pocket: "Miss Scarlett, you’re American—how are you so skilled at massage?"
"Too much physical therapy," she replied. During translation exams, her arms were too sore to lift—she hadn’t even used the bone-deep techniques of her physiotherapist yet.
Holding the letter, she went to find Qin Xiaoyi. Room 301 was empty—he was gambling with Ning Zechen at the casino.
Perfect, both were there. Qin Xiaoyi gave Ning Zechen the Gold Medal, and Hu Xiu received a ten-thousand reward from Ning Zechen.
While the two were distracted, a player tapped her from behind, noticed her brooch, and slipped something into her hand.
Opium was banned in Rong City. Hu Xiu had planned to extort money with it, but just then Feng Youjin—who loved throwing people in jail—walked in.
Both Ning Zechen and Qin Xiaoyi stepped in front of her. Qin Xiaoyi froze for a second, while Ning Zechen glanced at him and held his ground.
Their shoulders were level with Hu Xiu’s eyebrows. Sheltered behind this wall of men, she felt the warmth of their bodies and sighed sincerely—this kind of golden-finger romance luck only existed in scripts.
Darting into the black market, she earned twenty thousand and stuffed it into her bag. Smugly, she took out Li Mazi’s peanuts and bit into one—crack!—she hit something hard. Damn it!
Flush with cash, Hu Xiu sat at Qin Xiaoyi’s table. He was beside her, seemingly indifferent to winning or losing, but occasionally glancing her way as if keeping a close watch on this mole.
When she stood to vote, Qin Xiaoyi even cleared his throat pretentiously: "Miss Scarlett, remember whose side you’re on."
Her legs went weak. Your side, your side—I’ll even vote all my money for you, okay? Stop with the suggestive remarks.
Qin successfully became the director of Rong City. When the alarm sounded, he led the way, and Hu Xiu stood to follow him. His silhouette didn’t seem frail—he walked with purpose, radiating strength.
In the dim room, she quickly lost sight of him and was stabbed from behind by Zhao Xiaorou—eliminated.
In the darkroom, her glowing coating lit up like a lamp, illuminating Qin Xiaoyi’s face. She heard him sigh: "You…"
Was that… disappointment in her?As the game was about to end, Hu Xiu took out some peanuts from her pocket, wanting to freshen her breath before saying goodbye to Qin Xiaoyi.
Just as she stepped toward Qin Xiaoyi, Pockmark patted her from behind and secretly slipped her a note and pen: "Miss Scarlett, would you give me your contact information outside Rong City? I'd really like to see you beyond Rong City too."
Hu Xiu looked at Pockmark as he winked at her. Though his expression was somewhat cheeky, his fair skin with some freckles wasn't unpleasant to look at.
Hu Xiu wasn't good at rejecting others. She placed the paper on her palm and quickly wrote her WeChat ID in cursive script - though somewhat scribbled, it was still legible. She discreetly returned it to Pockmark behind the cameras.
Just after finishing and turning around, she found Qin Xiaoyi standing behind her, having witnessed everything. He brushed past her shoulder with enough force to nearly knock over a crate.
During the curtain call, Pockmark bowed with a smile and winked at Hu Xiu again. When closing the main gate, Qin Xiaoyi didn't even lift his head as the iron door slammed shut with a bang.
A guilt akin to that of cheating made Hu Xiu's toothache worse - what kind of mess was all this?
OpenNovel