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墨書 Inktalez
Cooking for eight people was not a quick task, especially since none of them were professional chefs, and most rarely cooked. Preparing nearly five times the amount of food they were used to was indeed a slow process.
After nearly an hour of fussing around, they finally finished.
"Isn't it strange? I'm actually feeling a bit happy at this moment. Am I a weirdo?" Chen Rui called the other seven to gather around the same table, noticing their silence and jokingly asked.
"Not just a weirdo, but also a gay, trying to steal my man! You're a bit too young for that!" Liu Xiwen shot Chen Rui a glare. Suddenly realizing her words might have been off, she looked towards Yu Shiming for help, only to find him struggling not to laugh, his lips curling up mischievously.
Liu Xiwen immediately got angry. "You dare laugh at me? What did I say wrong?"
"Yes! Absolutely right!" Yu Shiming pleaded for mercy as he was pinched by the ear, but his grin showed he was still enjoying the moment.
With this commotion, the atmosphere at the table became noticeably livelier. Guo Luxing was trying to chat with Lin Yan, but Lin Yan ignored him completely.
"We were all bystanders before, but now that we're gathered together, I can't help but believe this is fate. Let me introduce myself: I'm Chen Rui, the co-pilot of A714." After finishing his introduction, Chen Rui paused for a moment, giving off a slightly sad vibe.
Just as Chen Rui was attempting to evoke some sympathy, a cheeky voice echoed in his mind: "Are you mourning for me?"
Fortunately, Yu Shiming's words drew everyone's attention away, so no one noticed that Chen Rui's expression was off.
"I am Yu Shiming, the chief engineer of Hongcang Company. This is my wife, Liu Xiwen."
"Get lost! Who married you?"
"It's only a matter of time!"
"Get lost! If you're going to marry someone, marry that gay instead."
".........."
"Alright, stop showing off your affection," Guo Luxing interrupted them. "I am Guo Luxing, currently unemployed. This is my... friend Lin Yan; she works at Yongchang."
"Same here," Lin Yan replied.
"Haha, your relationship isn't as passionate as theirs, but that's fine. Love is about steady progress and simplicity. However, your introduction could use some work; you should at least add 'female' before 'friend,' right?" said a man in his thirties with a laugh. "I'm Xu Yao, Executive Director of Jin Xiang Kai."
"Xu Tao, Executive Director of Jin Xiang Kai," another man nearing forty added.
They are brothers, Chen Rui thought.
"Haha, it seems only Captain and I are here alone. I am Zhang Shi from Jicheng Investment Corporation."
Chen Rui analyzed everyone's situation in his mind. First, Yu Shiming and Liu Xiwen seemed genuinely here for fun; their relationship appeared solid and not an attempt to mend anything. Then there were Guo Luxing and Lin Yan; Guo Luxing's feelings were indeed intense, but Lin Yan's lukewarm attitude was puzzling—perhaps they were here to strengthen their bond. As for Xu Yao and Xu Tao, there seemed to be some distance between them, but it didn't seem like they had fallen out completely. Their father likely sent them here to experience the ups and downs together, hoping to mend their relationship and prevent the family business from falling apart.
As for Zhang Shi, who came alone, Chen Rui couldn't analyze much; he probably came for leisure too. For these wealthy individuals, money was just a number.
Chen Rui began mentally reviewing their profiles:
Yu Shiming was the chief engineer at Hongcang. Although he wasn't at the decision-making level, he was an indispensable part of the company.
Liu Xiwen had no job listed on her profile, but her father was the vice chairman of Hongcang—this love story was worth pondering.
Guo Luxing was unemployed but held nineteen percent of Eternal Prosperity Trading's shares, ranking second on the board. He had voluntarily relinquished his board rights two years ago and only collected dividends now.
Lin Yan was the head of the foreign trade department at Eternal Prosperity Trading and joined the company two years ago. This detail warranted some thought. What did Guo Luxing and Lin Yan really mean to each other?
Xu Yao held seven percent of Jin Xiang Kai's shares as an Executive Director.
Xu Tao, the Executive Director of Jin Xiang Kai, held nine percent of the company's shares.
Combined with their father's holdings, their family owned over thirty percent of Jin Xiang Kai, which was quite rare for a publicly listed large enterprise.
Zhang Shi, the Chairman and CEO of Jicheng Investment Corporation, raised questions in Chen Rui's mind about his true intentions for being there. The information indicated that this person had a rather colorful private life. "I don't need to engage in such 'games'!" Chen Rui thought, pondering what Zhang Shi's real purpose could be. He decided to dismiss it and assume he was just there for amusement.
Halfway through their meal, someone burst into the restaurant and shouted, "The fog outside has cleared!"
Upon hearing this, everyone lost their appetite and hurried out of the restaurant.
Chen Rui followed them outside and saw through the stairwell window that the fog indeed began to dissipate, though visibility had not improved much. The sun was setting, and night was approaching.
"We should hurry and drive out; staying here isn’t safe at all," someone suggested.
"Yeah, let’s go!" another chimed in.
Chen Rui frowned. "Everyone, it's about to get dark; going out now is not wise."
"You're being too controlling; we're not on your clock!" someone retorted sarcastically.
"Exactly! We can go wherever we want; staying here means we'll have to leave eventually."
A group of people chattered as they descended the stairs. Liu Xiwen glanced at Yu Shiming, who gently shook his head.
It seemed that only the four crew members and seven others remained.
"If there's still no news by tomorrow morning, we will leave. Can everyone agree?" Chen Rui asked, noticing a few still eager to depart. "But the key issue is where to go? Think about it tonight; we can discuss it together tomorrow."
"Look, what is that?" Guo Luxing said.
The fog had cleared significantly, and they could now see some creatures floating in the air, resembling large flies but without wings and with long legs. It was unclear what was keeping them suspended.
"This is insane!" Zhang Shi cursed. "If they run into those things, there will be trouble."
Just then, four cars emerged from below, moving in a line. It was unclear how they had started moving.
"Let's hope nothing happens to them," Xu Yao sighed.
Before the convoy could drive out of sight, a massive object suddenly fell from above, crushing the lead car into a flattened heap.
The two cars following closely behind couldn't stop in time and crashed into it.
At that moment, everyone finally saw that the so-called massive object was just a leg. But why just a leg? This leg was nearly one meter long and about four to five meters in diameter...
With a series of loud crashes, the colossal creature came into view. Its head resembled that of a rhinoceros beetle, while its body was rough and covered with large shells and protruding appendages. The overall appearance was unsettling, and upon closer inspection, it was downright nauseating.
Before anyone could fully react, the giant beast took a few more steps forward. Except for the last car, a Maiteng, everyone else had "gloriously sacrificed" themselves.
The Maiteng immediately reversed, and the driver skillfully executed a drift, turning the car around and speeding away like an arrow released from a bow.
However, the Maiteng was still not up to the standards of the Huiteng. The giant beast continued to move forward for just a few more steps before the Maiteng tragically met its fate as well.
"I think we should hold off on making any rash moves for now," Guo Luxing said with a grim expression.
"Staying here isn't a good idea either," Liu Xiwen sighed. Seeing Yu Shiming in a daze, she couldn't help but feel irritated. She quickly pinched his waist hard before retracting her hand and pretending nothing had happened.
The sudden wave of pain made Yu Shiming let out a cry, but halfway through, he felt it was inappropriate and instinctively silenced himself, giving the impression that he was merely gasping.
“Ha!” Finally, someone couldn’t hold back their laughter. Under Yu Shiming's gaze, Guo Luxing found it hard to contain himself. “Sorry, sorry! But that sound you made was just too funny.”
“Hah! That wasn’t just a gasp; it was clearly a delicate moan,” Xu Yao chimed in.
“Exactly! The term 'delicate moan' fits perfectly here! Spot on!” Zhang Shi added.
Yu Shiming’s face turned red, unsure whether it was from anger or embarrassment. “You guys are something else!”
“Well then, everyone should go rest for now. The four of us will take turns keeping watch. That monster doesn’t seem to have noticed us, so let’s put off any thoughts of going out for the time being,” Chen Rui brought them back to reality. It was strange how they could still laugh in such a situation; one had to wonder if they were just thick-skinned or something.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you,” Liu Xiwen said, grabbing Yu Shiming by the ear and dragging him toward the elevator. “Making a fool of yourself—aren’t you embarrassed?”
“That’s your fault!”
“Still daring to talk back?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Be gentle!”
“Let’s head back too; you all take care,” Zhang Shi said.
“Hurry up and get some sleep. Who knows, this might all just be a dream, and when you wake up, everything will be normal again,” Chen Rui said with a mischievous grin. This was actually a hint, though most people wouldn’t think of it.
Before entering the ‘dream,’ according to the agreement, the ‘dreamers’ would have all information about entering the ‘dream’ erased. After waking up, there would be someone assigned to clarify and explain things. Memories would indeed not return, but generally speaking, most ‘dreamers’ would have a detailed understanding of the general concept of this ‘dream’ when signing the agreement, so the time wouldn’t be long. During this period, cameras would record everything to provide an explanation for the ‘dreamers’ upon waking.
This rule effectively reflected the true feelings of the ‘dreamers’ within the ‘dream.’ In all previous cases, no ‘dreamer’ had ever noticed any flaws in the ‘dream,’ no matter how absurd or unbelievable the script was. Within the ‘dream,’ everyone believed it because it felt too real.
"I really wish this were a dream," Guo Luxing said lightly as he carried Lin Yan back to their room.
"Do you need help? I think the three of them might need some..." Xu Yao asked.
Chen Rui waved his hand with a smile. "They're in better shape than you."
"Is that so? Well then, I'm off. Thanks for the trouble."
After they all left, Zheng Hui asked, "Shall we head back to our room too? It's not like there's any real danger."
"That wouldn't be good. What if someone finds out? What face would we have left?" Zeng Zhi said anxiously, turning to Chen Rui with an expectant look. "You're the boss; it's your call."
Chen Rui smiled. "I knew you'd want to slack off, but there really isn't much to guard against. How about this: you two go to the front desk and get a couple of three-person room keys. You can sleep there; that way, they won't know, and we can save face."
"What about her?" Zheng Hui pointed at Ye Han with a mischievous grin. "You don't plan on taking her to a room, do you?"
Ye Han's usual calm demeanor seemed to waver slightly.
"Hah! You're onto something there."
"Get lost!" Chen Rui shouted angrily.
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