Chapter 52: The Counterattack of the Transmigrated Novel’s Supporting Female Character (3)

"Alright then. In the upcoming period, I've arranged two variety shows for you. One is a mystery-solving show set in an escape room, and the other is a talent competition," Lan Lu continued, explaining the work she had scheduled for Mu Yin.

"Do the two shows conflict in timing?" Mu Yin had no objections to the programs themselves. With exams finished and a whole summer ahead, she certainly didn't want to let it go to waste.

"Not at all. Rest assured," Lan Lu replied, unfazed by Mu Yin's lack of trust in her professional abilities, and gave her a guarantee.

"Alright," Mu Yin nodded, accepting the arrangement.

The escape room show was a game where guests entered a locked space and had to solve puzzles within a limited time to obtain keys and escape, or get out of other dangerous situations. Mu Yin quickly gathered information about the game.

The questions weren't particularly difficult, but their scope was broad. Often it wasn't a matter of not knowing, but rather failing to recall something in the moment. Many of the puzzles focused on details about this world, so Mu Yin had to specifically research the kinds of questions that might come up.

For example: famous historical figures, celebrities from various countries, geographic names, landmarks, even myths and legends—thanks to her photographic memory, she only needed to review everything once. Before filming began, she went over all the potential topics, and soon, the day of recording arrived.

Besides the regular hosts, Liu Tao and Li Wen, there were seven other participants: the renowned host Zhuang Lian; second-tier singer Zhou Yuchen, who was also a former member of Dream Pursuit; comedian Liu Feifei; actor Liu Yushao; athlete Chen Peng; and two members of the boy group TFI, Qi Zhen and Bao Zhong.

This show didn't have a script—well, it sort of did, in that the contestants could review all the questions beforehand. However, there were at least a thousand of them, and not all would be chosen, making it nearly useless. Yet for someone like Mu Yin, whose memory was flawless, it became a secret weapon.

"Welcome everyone to our Escape Room Mystery show. I am Li Wen (and I am Liu Tao). This week, our guests are Zhuang Lian, Zhou Yuchen, Liu Feifei, Liu Yushao, Chen Peng, Zhang Muran, Qi Zhen, and Bao Zhong." After a brief introduction, the formal recording began.

"Speaking of which, Yuchen and Muran used to be in the same group, right?" Of course, they wouldn't jump straight into the game. It started with some friendly conversation, and Mu Yin was surprised to find herself mentioned first.

"Yes, we were both members of Dream Pursuit. But after Mumu’s accident, the group disbanded not long after, and Mumu was unconscious for two years. Thankfully you woke up. I saw the news and wanted to visit, but never found the time," Zhou Yuchen spoke first, glancing at Mu Yin with an apologetic expression.

Heaven knows, not a single former member had called her to ask after her. Her phone number hadn’t changed.

"One sleep, and the group was gone. Suddenly it’s two years later—I was quite lost," Mu Yin didn’t expose the lie, but responded smoothly.

"To awaken from a vegetative state is truly a miracle. How do you feel about it, Muran?"

"I suppose I’m grateful to the heavens. Honestly, it felt like just a nap. My last memory was at the concert, and when I opened my eyes, everything had changed," Mu Yin spoke lightly of her awakening, without any intention of playing the sympathy card.

"I heard Mumu retook the college entrance exam. How did it go?" Liu Yushao interjected.

"Yes, I heard you’ve already passed the arts exam for the Film Academy, just waiting on your main exam results."

"I remember Mumu had already gotten into college before her coma, so this time should be no problem." Everyone chimed in, apparently concerned about her academic performance, though the truth of their feelings was known only to themselves. Mu Yin didn’t believe their concern was genuine.

"My grades were decent," Mu Yin replied modestly.

"More than decent, I heard Mu Yin’s scores are good enough for top universities," host Liu Tao added.

"So impressive!" The group was a bit surprised; after all, high academic achievement was rare in the entertainment industry.

Li Wen quickly changed the subject, moving on to other topics, then brought up the main event: "Now, let’s start the game. First, we’ll select five types of escape rooms."

"We have twenty types in total, and each time we randomly pick five by drawing lots. Let’s begin." On the big screen, the names of twenty escape rooms appeared, then narrowed down to five, which kept shuffling. Each round, five names were displayed.

"Everyone say ‘stop’ together," Liu Tao instructed.

The group exchanged glances, then called out, "Stop."

The final five escape rooms displayed on the screen were the Slate Room, the Statue Room, the Cliff Room, the Monster Room, and the Stone Bridge Room.

"Now, we’ll draw lots to assign teams. Hmm, the two of us are captains!" Li Wen glanced at everyone with a smile.

"Come on, everyone pick a slip," Liu Tao produced a cube-shaped box with a hole, inviting everyone to draw lots.

It was a familiar routine; everyone knew it well, so they each took a paper ball and unfolded it.

"Show your slips—let me see. Oh, Muran, Qi Zhen, Chen Peng, Teacher Zhuang, and I are a team," Liu Tao announced after checking, "Come join me, everyone. We’re about to start the game."

The rest naturally gathered around Li Wen. "Alright, teams are set. Let’s open the escape rooms," the two hosts declared the official start.

The first room was the Slate Room. At the beginning, the slate tilted at a thirty-degree angle. Contestants could only stand on a protruding stone big enough for one foot, and then the timed Q&A began. As the clock ticked, the slate would tilt further until the correct answer was given, then reset, repeating the process. Afterwards, they had to climb within the set time to another protruding stone at the far end of the slate.

Of course, if time ran out and the answer wasn’t given, the stone beneath their feet would retract, and they’d fall. It wasn’t actually deep, but the darkness below made it look bottomless.

"So, which team goes first?" The two hosts exchanged glances.

"How about rock-paper-scissors?" Qi Zhen suggested.

"Sounds good," everyone agreed. The captains represented their teams in a round of rock-paper-scissors. Liu Tao won, so Li Wen’s team would compete second.