chapter 17
Seeing that Zhao Liang was nothing like the obedient man he pretended to be in front of Cheng Miao and the others, Tong Qian didn’t dare ask any more questions. She wobbled over to the edge of the stove and climbed up to the Sink.
A stack of bowls, each as big as a pot, looked greasy and filthy. Who knew what had been served in them?
Tong Qian leaned over and carefully turned on the faucet. “Tutu tutu…” The pipe sounded as if it had been clogged for ages, rattling for a long while before any water came out.
A thick, yellow, non-Newtonian liquid, like pus, squeezed out of the pipe, reeking of dead fish and making one want to retch.
Ugh…
Tong Qian was thoroughly disgusted by the liquid flowing from the pipe. She pinched the web between her thumb and forefinger hard, trying not to vomit on the spot.
Turning her head, she saw Zhao Liang looking like he was about to throw up too. He took off his outer shirt, tied it around his mouth and nose, and his white tank top clung to his greasy body.
“What are you looking at? Hurry up and wash the dishes, useless thing!”
Zhao Liang felt a twisted pleasure. In real life, he was just a small office worker who’d spent his life being bossed around by his female supervisor. Now, in the Game, what did being pretty matter? Newcomers still had to follow Veteran Players and do chores.
Tong Qian said nothing, turning to look at the Sink, which was already coated with a thin layer of slime. The water was pooling up…
Suddenly, a thought struck Tong Qian. She hurriedly twisted the faucet shut, stopping the flow of pus-like liquid. Looking at the filthy Sink, she closed her eyes, crouched down, and jumped to the bottom.
The jelly-like viscous liquid coated Tong Qian’s calves, and every step felt like trudging through a swamp.
Holding her breath and fighting nausea, Tong Qian bent down and plunged her hands into the liquid, groping inch by inch. When she felt a fist-sized Plug, her eyes lit up.
ยท
In the Bedroom, Cheng Miao and the other three watched as the task disappeared from the Notebook, all letting out a long sigh of relief.
It seemed their general approach was correct: as long as they helped the Three Bears complete the tasks in the Notebook, they could avoid the bears waking up and going berserk.
Soon after, the words for the dishwashing task vanished as well-Tong Qian and the others had completed it.
Tong Qian walked over reeking of fish, her pant legs wet and sticking to her calves. Her face was pale as a vegetable, and she kept dry heaving, but her eyes were much livelier than before.
Tong Qian retched as she recounted the task, her expression one of utter despair.
“That liquid was disgusting, but for some reason, it was really effective on stains. The grime in the bowls disappeared with just a rinse.”
Bai Jiang looked at Tong Qian with a changed expression, both sympathetic and admiring. “Good thing you thought to pull the Plug at the bottom first. Otherwise, once the water level rose, no one could have dived into that pus-like liquid, and the task would have been impossible.”
Cheng Miao also saw Tong Qian in a new light. Though Cheng Miao appeared cold, she liked clever people first, pretty people second, and most of all, those who were both pretty and clever.
Tong Qian had been timid at first, with a little hope of relying on her looks to find a protector. But once she understood the situation in the Instance, she quickly threw herself into the Game, showing more talent than many Veteran Players.
“Well done.” Receiving praise from two Veteran Players in a row, Tong Qian blushed, wiping her hands awkwardly on her clothes.
Qi Jiajia heard Cheng Miao praise Tong Qian, her gaze flicking between the two before she let out a strange, cold laugh.
Tong Qian looked at Qi Jiajia, bewildered, not understanding what she’d done to offend this little ancestor.
Cheng Miao glanced at Qi Jiajia, ignored her attitude, and turned to ask Zhao Liang.
Tong Qian frowned in disgust. “He’s still in the Kitchen, circling around that basket of fish, not helping at all.”
“Now the only task left is Papa Bear’s porridge. Let’s go check the Kitchen too.”
Before Cheng Miao and the others could reach the Kitchen, a crisp shattering sound rang out from inside. Thinking of the bowls on the stove, Cheng Miao’s expression changed.
Sure enough, Zhao Liang came running out in a panic, covered in sticky porridge.
Seeing everyone’s pale faces and unfriendly gazes, he gave an awkward smile.
“N-no, it’s not my fault. Wasn’t it Miss Cheng who said we needed to find Papa Bear’s bowl? I thought I’d check if there were any clues on the bowl, but I didn’t expect it to be so hot, and then I spilled it.”
“With your clumsy hands, it’s a wonder you survived the Newcomer Game,” Qi Jiajia snapped, her cold hostility finally breaking through.
Zhao Liang wanted to say something more, but Cheng Miao shot him a cold look. For some reason, whenever he met the gaze of this twenty-something girl, Zhao Liang felt a chill down his spine, as if he was completely exposed.
“Shut up, all of you. Haven’t you noticed? The snoring has stopped.” Cheng Miao’s eyes were dark and serious. Only after her reminder did everyone realize that the deafening snoring they’d heard all along had vanished.
The tense atmosphere in the air grew thick and sticky. Suddenly, a Brown Bear leapt up, standing on the bed and stretching its neck to sniff the air.
“My porridge! Someone touched my porridge!” The huge Brown Bear roared, its voice booming like a bell. Its eyes, as big as light bulbs, turned blood-red-a sign of rage.
This time, it no longer ignored the intruders as it had at the start of the Game. Spotting the unwelcome guests in its home, the Brown Bear let out a furious roar and charged straight at them.
“Scatter!” Cheng Miao shouted, turning and running toward the Kitchen. Zhao Liang, covered in porridge, was clearly the culprit, and the Bear chased after him relentlessly.
The Brown Bear was enormous and seemed clumsy, not running very fast. But its destructive power was terrifying-a single swipe shattered the Table Lamp on the bedside into pieces.
Tong Qian reacted the fastest, squeezing into the gap between the Cabinet and the wall. Bai Jiang did a backward roll and slipped Under the Bed.
Qi Jiajia, though petite, was so startled by the Brown Bear’s sudden rage that she lost her composure. By the time she thought to hide, the nearest hiding spots were already occupied.
Tong Qian, closest to Qi Jiajia, saw the Brown Bear still chasing Zhao Liang. She quickly darted out from her hiding place, grabbed Qi Jiajia, and shoved her into the gap.
Qi Jiajia hadn’t expected Tong Qian, whom she’d always targeted, to help her at such a critical moment. She pressed her lips together and squeezed further inside, reaching out to pull Tong Qian in with her.
Zhao Liang, heavyset and panicked by the Bear’s pursuit, knew that scattering was the best strategy. But people are social creatures, and in fear, he instinctively ran toward where others were gathered.
Hearing the wind whistle behind him, he spotted Tong Qian, who hadn’t fully squeezed into the gap yet. His eyes lit up in the narrow space forced by his bulk, and he grabbed Tong Qian’s shoulder, shoving her backward.
Tong Qian was just a step away from hiding completely, but suddenly someone gripped her shoulder tightly from behind.
Before she could cry out in pain, she was yanked and thrown backward. Qi Jiajia realized something was wrong but couldn’t hold on, watching helplessly as Tong Qian was tossed in front of the Brown Bear.
The Brown Bear looked at the petite woman. She didn’t have the scent of the fat man from earlier, which made the beast hesitate.
Instead of striking Tong Qian’s head, the Brown Bear grabbed her right hand.