The man slowly lowered his head and carefully unfolded the fan in his hand. Hanging from it was the character for “Anger,” torn right down the middle—a particularly ironic sight.
“It’s ‘Anger’…” The gaunt man wept bitterly. “Probably useless now… What should I do… What should I do?!”
Qi Xia pondered for a moment before speaking. “How about we trade?”
“Trade…?” The man was taken aback.
“I have three fans here. I’ll randomly pick one to exchange with you,” Qi Xia said. “I guarantee mine isn’t torn.”
His reasoning was simple. From the earlier demonstration by Di Yang, all fans were folded before being fed into the machine, meaning the device wasn’t scanning the characters but the fan itself. As long as the torn fan wasn’t missing any pieces, it should still be functional.
“But… why would you trade with me?” the gaunt man asked warily.
“That’s my business,” Qi Xia replied. “Your fan is torn—keeping it will only cause you trouble. If you trade with me now, you’ll have two intact fans after the next replenishment and can still ‘pair’ with someone else.”
Instead of being reassured, the man grew even more cautious.
He clutched his torn fan tightly, suspicion clouding his gaze.
“No, that… that doesn’t make sense,” he muttered after a long pause. “Everyone else wants nothing to do with a broken fan. Why would you trade for it? What’s your angle?”
“What?”
“You must have ulterior motives…”
Qi Xia fell silent, struck by how laughably petty human nature could be.
“Seems I’ve been too generous,” Qi Xia sneered. “You don’t dare defy the person who robbed you, yet you question the one offering to trade for your torn fan. Fine. I take it back. Rot in hell.”
He knew there were still over forty people left. The odds were high that someone else had the same three fan characters as him. If they were willing to trade, there was no need to risk taking a torn fan.
“W-Wait!” the gaunt man suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Qi Xia’s arm. “I was just asking! Let’s trade, okay? This fan…”
“I said I changed my mind,” Qi Xia said coldly. “Opportunities don’t wait for indecisive people like you.”
Though he wanted to exchange fans, he refused to beg. He shook the man off and walked away.
By now, everyone knew this man had a torn fan—worse than holding three “Grief” fans.
Twenty minutes passed. Though no new participants had escaped, many had formed teams.
It seemed the rest were waiting for the next fan replenishment to escape, ensuring they’d earn at least ten “Dao.”
As Qi Xia observed the crowd, the stylish woman he’d seen earlier approached him.
“Hello,” she said softly. “Do you have a partner yet?”
Qi Xia shook his head and studied her.
“Want to team up?” she asked. “You seem smart. How about we make a big score together?”
“A big score?” Qi Xia eyed her up and down. Her makeup was flawless, her perfume overpowering, and her tight dress accentuated a decent figure.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I’ve got a solid plan, but I need a man to help.”
Qi Xia found her intriguing. Her goal wasn’t just to escape—it was to profit.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Just protect me,” she said. “Otherwise, I might get beaten to death.”
“And my reward?”
“You’ll get your share.”
Qi Xia smirked. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Hmm…” She thought for a moment. “Come with me.”
Following her, Qi Xia felt like the muscle in a honey trap.
Soon, she singled out a middle-aged man who’d been glancing around, seemingly searching for a partner.
“Hey, mister!” she called. “Want to team up?”
“Team up…?” The man blinked. “For what?”
“You want to escape, right? I’ll ‘pair’ with you,” she said sweetly. “What fans do you have?”
The man’s gaze shamelessly lingered on her body before he squinted and replied, “You… you show yours first.”
Nodding, she pulled out three fans and spread them open.
“‘Joy,’ ‘Anger,’ and ‘Grief,'” she said. “If you have ‘Pleasure,’ we’re set.”
After a pause, the man pulled out two fans and unfolded them—”Pleasure” and “Joy.”
“Perfect,” she smiled. “I’ll give ‘Anger’ and ‘Grief,’ you give ‘Pleasure’ and ‘Joy.’ Deal?”
Still suspicious, the man eyed her face and legs again. “You ain’t trickin’ me, are ya?”
“Why would I?” She grabbed his arm. “If you’re worried, let’s go to the pairing machine now.”
The man glanced at Qi Xia behind her, hesitating.
Qi Xia, equally curious about her intentions, stayed silent.
“Fine,” the man finally said, staring at her bare thighs. “Girlie, I’ll pair with ya.”
“Great!” she chirped, unfazed. “Let’s find a machine?”
She led him to a secluded corner—clearly a deliberate choice.
Qi Xia followed closely. Though he hadn’t agreed to be her enforcer, a hidden spot made things easier.
At the machine, she pressed the left button. Her photo appeared on-screen with three smiley faces below.
Text flashed: “Waiting for teammate…”
“Your turn, mister,” she urged.
Nodding, the man pressed his button. His photo appeared, and the screen updated:
“Pairing initiated.”
“You’re not very proactive,” she teased, still smiling. “I pressed first. Aren’t you going to show some initiative? Afraid I’ll cheat you?”
“Nah, nah,” he chuckled. “My bad. I’ll step up.”
He pulled out his two fans—”Pleasure” and “Joy”—and showed them.
She nodded as he slid them into the machine’s slots.
“Done! Your turn, girlie. Where’s your ‘Anger’ and ‘Grief’?”
Smiling, she folded her arms and took a step back.
“Sorry, mister. I changed my mind.”
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