Chapter 182: Side Story: The Marriage-Urging United Front Alliance (1)

“Yay! This is a brilliant strategic win-win!” the Uncertainty Robot asked.

“So… does this count as our special ‘Red String’ operation? Are we… teammates now?”

“…I guess so.”

The two had reached a preliminary consensus.

“So, what’s our next step? Should we just ask them out to dinner? Or maybe an escape room? I know a place that’s super immersive. If we go, I can book it in advance…”

Wen Xiao rattled on for a while before finally adding in a small voice:

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“A direct approach definitely won’t work. My cousin and I are usually pretty serious when we talk. I can’t even imagine how I’d bring it up with him.”

Yu Xian pondered how to get his cousin out. In his mind, little chibi figures began simulating various plans.

Plan A, the direct approach: “Brother, I want to set you up with someone. What do you think of Dr. Wen?”

‘…No need to even think about it; that would never work. His cousin would definitely suspect he had a screw loose.’

Plan B, the feint: “Brother, I’ve been really stressed lately. I want to talk to Dr. Wen. Will you go with me?”

‘His cousin would probably take him, but he’d only drop him off at Wen Yu’s office, then turn around and walk away, leaving him standing there, lost in the rain.’

Plan C, the grand deception: “Brother, can you give me a ride somewhere? I’m meeting a friend there.”

‘His cousin would definitely give him a look reserved for criminals. After all, he always went out on his own; a request like that would clearly be fishy.’

Yu Xian flicked the little chibi figures out of his mind. In front of a veteran detective like Yu Zhengze, the chances of any of these plans succeeding were practically zero.

‘I’ll have to resort to extreme measures…’

Just as he was thinking, a RUSTLING sound came from the sofa behind him. Yu Zhengze sat up. He had clearly seen Yu Xian on the balcony, and his voice was still hoarse from just waking up.

“Xiaoxian, you’re here?”

Yu Xian didn’t turn around. He remained on the balcony with his back to his cousin, gazing out at the endless, gloomy rain. His silhouette looked exceptionally bleak and… “forlorn.”

“Yeah, I’m here.” Yu Xian’s voice was deep, carrying a perfectly calibrated hint of melancholy.

Yu Zhengze paused, evidently shocked into full consciousness by his cousin’s tone. He grabbed the cold water on the coffee table and took a huge gulp before asking in confusion:

“What’s wrong?”

The sound of his cousin’s slippers shuffled from behind. He walked to the edge of the balcony, looking at his younger cousin who was staring dazedly into the curtain of rain.

“Something on your mind? Or did something happen at school again?”

Yu Xian didn’t answer immediately. He took a deep breath, as if to suppress some deep-seated emotion, then slowly turned around, revealing a slightly forced smile.

“It’s nothing, Brother.”

‘The smile on my face right now probably looks worse than if I were crying,’ he guessed.

“You’re usually so busy, and you finally have some time to rest. Don’t worry about me. Go get some more sleep.”

‘Such acting skills. If they gave out Oscars for this,’ Yu Xian thought, ‘I could go pick up my award right now.’

This particular stratagem was known as “protesting too much.” For his cousin, the more you said “it’s nothing,” the more he’d think something was wrong. The more you told him to leave you alone, the more he’d insist on getting involved.

Sure enough, Yu Zhengze’s brow furrowed instantly, his tone growing a few degrees more serious.

“What is it, really? Is there something you can’t tell me?”

Yu Xian lowered his head, his fingers “unconsciously” picking at the balcony railing, as if he were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

After several seconds passed, he finally seemed unable to bear it any longer and said in a small voice:

“It’s nothing… I was just scrolling through my Friends Circle and saw a few of my classmates posting photos.”

“Posting what?”

“A game called an ‘escape room.'” Yu Xian gazed out the window.

“They all went as a family. Everyone looked like they were having a great time…”

He let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“I was just browsing. It’s not like I want to play that kind of game anyway…”

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

The only sound left was the rain outside the window. DRIP… DROP…

Yu Zhengze pulled out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and then took out his phone, appearing to search for something.

“So this thing… it’s just a few people locked in a room, reading a script, looking for clues, and solving a case?” Yu Zhengze looked up, somewhat baffled.

“What’s so fun about that?”

Yu Xian kept his head down, his voice sullen.

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s fun either. Don’t worry about it, Brother. I was just talking. You should go back to sleep. I’m heading back to school.”

With that, he turned as if to grab his backpack.

“Wait.” His cousin’s low voice came from behind him.

Yu Xian’s footsteps faltered, and his heart skipped a beat. ‘Hook, line, and sinker?’

“Do you want to try it? I can go with you.”

Yu Xian turned back, a perfectly calibrated expression of surprise and hesitation appearing on his face.

“Brother… you finally have a day off, you should just sleep at home. A game like this takes a few hours, it’s pretty draining…”

“I can sleep any other day. I’ve got nothing to do today anyway. We can just think of it as a way to relax.” He glanced at Yu Xian.

“How long does one of these take? Is an afternoon enough?”

“More than enough!” Yu Xian nodded quickly, afraid he might change his mind.

“Then I’ll go book a spot right now. I know an immersive one, it just needs to be booked in advance…”

The words were barely out of his mouth when Yu Zhengze abruptly stopped what he was doing. He turned his head, and his sharp, falcon-like eyes stared fixedly at Yu Xian’s face.

Yu Xian’s heart lurched. ‘Damn it. I was too eager and gave myself away.’

His cousin’s gaze was incredibly oppressive. Cold sweat trickled down Yu Xian’s back. He felt like he couldn’t hide a single one of his little schemes under that stare.

‘Should I just confess and pray for mercy?’ Yu Xian braced himself, wondering how on earth he would explain the whole story to his cousin if he got exposed.

“Fine, go book it.” To his surprise, Yu Zhengze didn’t look at Yu Xian again and walked straight off the balcony.

“Let me know when it’s booked. I’ll drive.”

Yu Xian froze for a moment, then let out a long sigh of relief. He’d deal with the consequences later. As long as his cousin had agreed, the plan was already halfway to success.

As for the other half…

Yu Xian tapped on the pixelated kitten avatar.

“My cousin agreed. He’s taking me to play an escape room this afternoon. The rest is up to you! Whatever it takes, you have to trick your sister into going today. You must succeed. Failure is not an option.”