“Writer Boy!”
Ever since leaving the “Preparation Zone,” Qiao Jiajin had stuck close to Han Yimo. They entered the rightmost room from the perspective of the “Preparation Zone,” and Qiao Jiajin draped an arm over Han Yimo’s shoulder like they were the best of friends.
“What’s up…?” Han Yimo replied.
“Nothing,” Qiao Jiajin chuckled. “You just looked kinda scared, that’s all.”
“N-no, I wasn’t…” Han Yimo forced a strained smile on his pale face. “Why would I be scared…?”
Qiao Jiajin gave him a once-over and shrugged. “Writer Boy, you really do seem nervous… Wanna sing together to hype each other up?”
Han Yimo took a few deep breaths before answering, “How can you even think about singing at a time like this? A side character like you wouldn’t last three episodes in a novel.”
“Oh yeah?” Qiao Jiajin smirked. “I’ve always been an extra, so I don’t care when I die.”
“You—”
Qiao Jiajin’s words left Han Yimo speechless for a moment, but they also eased some of his tension.
“Look, let’s just be careful and check our surroundings,” Han Yimo said, steadying himself. “Didn’t they say the other side was coming for us?”
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Qiao Jiajin said. “Whoever shows up, I’ll just punch ‘em a few times.”
“I hope you can back that up.” Han Yimo took a few steps forward and pushed open the door ahead of them.
The moment their eyes met what was inside, both Han Yimo and Qiao Jiajin froze.
Standing in the opposite room was Wen Qiaoyun, who was curiously examining the “door” placed at the center.
None of the three spoke, simply staring at each other in silence.
“Hey…” Han Yimo whispered, turning to Qiao Jiajin. “You still gonna punch her a few times?”
“Uh…” Qiao Jiajin swallowed hard, realizing he might have been a bit too bold.
He tried recalling the list of “invaders” Qi Xia had mentioned earlier. Aside from Dr. Zhao, none of them seemed like people he could easily fight.
After a few seconds, Qiao Jiajin cautiously stepped forward and attempted to greet her. “Hey, pretty lady, where you headed?”
Wen Qiaoyun let out a soft laugh. “The ‘pawn’ has crossed the river. I’m here to kill you.”
“Kill us…” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “That sounds pretty dangerous.”
“Hand-to-hand combat *is* dangerous,” Wen Qiaoyun admitted. “But we could settle it inside the ‘door.'”
“A ‘pawn’ that’s crossed the river…” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “Now that I think about it, in chess, to take an opponent’s piece, you gotta move into our square. Why don’t you come over here?”
Wen Qiaoyun studied Qiao Jiajin’s tattoos, then glanced at Han Yimo. She didn’t know much about them beyond what others had briefly mentioned, so she could only judge their abilities based on appearances.
A gangster and a short, frail writer.
The most logical assumption was that one represented “strength” and the other “wit.”
If it was a battle of wits, then her target would naturally be…
“Writer,” Wen Qiaoyun called out through the door.
“Huh? Me?” Han Yimo blinked.
“What? Aren’t you a writer?”
“Well…” Han Yimo gave a bitter smile. “Guys like me are just ‘authors’ at best, not ‘writers.'”
“To outsiders like us, there’s no difference.” Wen Qiaoyun said. “Why don’t you come over? We’ll settle this inside the ‘door.'”
She pointed to the door beside her, marked with the character “Hai.”
“Inside the ‘door’…” Han Yimo frowned, then turned and whispered, “Qiao Jiajin, this is a perfect chance! Let’s rush her, knock her out, and take her ‘word’!”
“Uh…” Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. “Writer Boy, I know that’s the plan, but there’s a tiny problem…”
“What problem?”
“I’ve sworn loyalty to Lord Guan.”
“Lord Guan…?” Han Yimo was speechless for a second. “What the hell? You’re acting all noble now?! Don’t gangsters beat up women? That’s not how Hong Kong movies go—there are tons of ruthless guys in them!”
“I can’t speak for everyone, but at least *I* don’t.” Qiao Jiajin said sheepishly. “Though, since coming here, I *have* fought a tough woman once. But that wasn’t about whether or not to hit her—she was deadly and trying to kill me. I had to fight back to survive. This isn’t the same situation.”
“So… you’re just gonna leave me hanging?” Han Yimo said. “That woman’s way too confident! She wants to settle things with me inside the ‘door’! Are we seriously not gonna rush her and knock her out?! You won’t even consider my plan?”
“I’ve never taken advantage of someone in my life,” Qiao Jiajin said. “I always fight fair—even if they throw the first punch, I win with honor. But suddenly ganging up on an unarmed woman? That’d shame Lord Guan. But don’t worry, if she really tries to kill you, I’ll save you.”
“You—you—!” Han Yimo looked like he was about to lose it, gritting his teeth. “No wonder you’re just an extra! A side character… a side character isn’t supposed to have principles and opinions! You’re supposed to follow the protagonist’s lead!! If a side character gets too much screen time, readers will complain!! Who the hell cares what a side character thinks?!”
Qiao Jiajin sighed. “Alright, alright… She’s openly challenged you to a battle of wits, and instead of accepting, you want me to help you beat her up. *That’s* what a protagonist does?”
“I—” Han Yimo faltered, taking several seconds before muttering, “A scheming protagonist is still a protagonist…”
“Whether your belly’s black or not, make a decision already.” Qiao Jiajin said. “If she challenged *me*, I’d accept. You think you’re the protagonist, right? Would the protagonist be stumped by something this small?”
“I—” Han Yimo was silenced again, feeling like he’d been cornered.
Stepping forward meant entering the “door” alone with Wen Qiaoyun. Stepping back meant he wasn’t the protagonist after all.
“Damn it… fine.” Han Yimo said. “I’ll risk it… protagonists never lose anyway… no matter how the plot twists, it’ll work out in my favor…”
Taking a few deep breaths, Han Yimo stepped into the other room.
Before Qiao Jiajin could say anything, all four “doors” in the opposing room slammed shut simultaneously, sealing them off from sight and sound.
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