The first thing Liu Qiao did upon waking was to check her surroundings. She found herself in her familiar university dormitory; her three roommates had just returned from getting food, and the aroma of their meal still lingered in the room. Liu Qiao sprang to her feet, quickly dressed, and got out of bed, feigning composure as she asked, "What time is it?"
My roommate, who was eating lunch, said, "One o'clock in the afternoon."
Liu Qiao frowned, picked up her phone from the table, and glanced at the time—December 31st, 1:00 PM.
My roommate Huihui bought a super spicy hot and sour rice noodle dish and kept drinking water while eating it; the other two roommates got garlic greens, stir-fried snow peas, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and braised eggplant from the cafeteria.
My roommate Xiao Qing said, "I've been eating vegetarian food for half a month and haven't lost much weight. How about we all go out for a nice meal tonight to celebrate the New Year?"
Huihui said, "That's what I thought too. Let's split the bill among the four of us and have dinner together tonight. I heard there's a really good hot pot restaurant nearby!"
Liu Qiao: "..."
The food and their conversation were exactly the same as I remembered.
The replay of past events left Liu Qiao momentarily dazed. She quickly calmed down and whispered, "You guys eat first, I'll go downstairs to buy some things."
Her hair was a little messy after waking up. Liu Qiao picked up a hair tie from the table and tied her hair neatly behind her head. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Then she changed into some sportswear that was easy to move in and went downstairs. As she walked, she opened her phone and searched for the latest news... Even the trending topic of a certain celebrity giving birth to twins in the hospital was exactly the same as she remembered.
Reaching into her pocket, Liu Qiao found the card holder was still there, which relieved her slightly.
She checked the class schedule on the school's internal app and found that Xiao Lou had a class that afternoon, a professional course in the Forensic Medicine Department. Liu Qiao found the classroom where Xiao Lou was teaching, reserved a seat in advance, and realized that she hadn't even eaten lunch and her stomach was empty. But she couldn't worry about that; she had to find Professor Xiao first.
As class time approached, more and more students entered the classroom.
The Forensic Medicine Department class only had 40 students. Upon seeing Liu Qiao's unfamiliar face, many students showed curious expressions. One bold boy, seeing that she was pretty, even eagerly came over and asked, "What's your major, junior? Are you here to audit Professor Xiao's class?"
Liu Qiao replied with a single word: "Mm".
The boy, feeling awkward, sat down sullenly to the side.
Liu Qiao observed her surroundings expressionlessly. The students chatted in small groups, and there was nothing unusual. At 2:25, Xiao Lou walked into the classroom on time, and the entire classroom fell silent instantly as soon as he entered.
This was Liu Qiao's first time attending Xiao Lou's class in person. She had only heard that Professor Xiao's open classes were very popular and would fill up instantly when they were released. Now, seeing Xiao Lou standing on the podium, he indeed had an extraordinary temperament. He wore a shirt and trousers, with a blue striped tie, looking simple and clean. Coupled with his handsome features and friendly smile, he was simply the perfect male god in the students' eyes.
Xiao Lou looked down at the audience, his gaze lingering for a second on Liu Qiao, who was sitting in the front row: "I've never seen this student before."
Liu Qiao stood up, her expression calm: " Professor Xiao, I am a student from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I came here to audit your class because of your reputation. I wonder if auditing your class is allowed? If I have offended you, I will leave now."
Xiao Lou smiled slightly: "It's alright, please sit down."
He began his lecture as if nothing had happened. The lecture was about the concept of giants. Xiao Lou spoke eloquently on the stage, while the students below, who were obviously used to seeing various images of corpses on the PPT, listened attentively.
The class passed quickly. Xiao Lou walked out of the classroom and went to the teachers' lounge. Liu Qiao immediately followed him and knocked on the door of the lounge.
Xiao Lou's voice came from inside the house: "Please come in."
Liu Qiao entered the room and met Xiao Lou's gentle eyes. She was about to speak when she heard him calmly ask, "You just followed me here like this? Aren't you afraid I'm Hunter in disguise?"
Liu Qiao was slightly taken aback and said, "Even if you are Hunter in disguise, I can escape at any time. You should know that my card [ Little Red Riding Hood ] allows me to switch places with Little Red Riding Hood at any time. Before I came to find you, I left Little Red Riding Hood in a safe place. Besides, if you really are Hunter, you shouldn't have asked me this question and aroused my suspicion."
Xiao Lou smiled and nodded: "That's a good analysis."
Looking into Xiao Lou's eyes, Liu Qiao said, word by word, "I went to the third floor of the library today and borrowed a copy of 'Compendium of Materia Medica.' I plan to finish reading it in two months and then return it. Professor Xiao, have you eaten yet? How about I treat you to hot pot?"
Xiao Lou said, "I prefer Western Restaurant."
The agreed-upon code was successfully matched, which made Liu Qiao breathe a slight sigh of relief. She walked to Xiao Lou's side and asked in a soft voice, " Professor Xiao, have we gone back to the past?"
Xiao Lou frowned slightly: "Something's not right. At first, I thought I'd been transported to a maze of past memories because everything and everyone around me was exactly the same as in my memory. Hanjiang came to the Forensic Identification Center to look for me, my mother called me, and even the license plate of the taxi I saw on the street was the same..."
He paused, then looked at Liu Qiao: "Until you appeared, I was able to dispel that suspicion."
Liu Qiao asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Xiao Lou said, "If this were a memory maze, you wouldn't have come to find me today. I don't know a student named Liu Qiao in my past memories. But you came, which means this is a unique..."
The Secret Room World exists independently, and multiple teammates simultaneously travel to this world. However, most of the plot here aligns with our memories.
Liu Qiao gleaned the key point from his words: "Multiple teammates? Professor Xiao has met Captain Yu?"
Xiao Lou rubbed his temples with a wry smile: "I've met him, but he's not the Yu Hanjiang I know."
Liu Qiao was almost confused by his words: "Not Captain Yu?"
Xiao Lou said, "You can understand it this way: we are in a replicated past world. Apart from Challengers like you and me who have traveled here, everyone else's memories and thoughts are also stuck in the past. That's why Yu Hanjiang is so unfamiliar with me, and Shao Qingge doesn't even recognize me."
Liu Qiao finally understood: "So, we've been separated again, and Captain Yu and CEO Shao aren't in the same instance as us?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Yes. As for whether there are any other people, we need to confirm as soon as possible. Of course, we also need to prevent Hunter from taking advantage of the situation and pretending to be a teammate." He looked at Liu Qiao and asked: "By the way, do you have your card holder on you?"
"Yes, it is," Liu Qiao confirmed.
"…Okay, that's good." Xiao Lou didn't say much. He walked to the window and looked outside. "The closest one to us is Ye Qi from the Music Conservatory. Let's go find Ye Qi first."
"Okay, that's what I think too." Liu Qiao quickly followed.
The two left the Medical School, wandered around among the university students, and quickly found the entrance to the Music Conservatory. Compared to the Medical School, the Jiangzhou Music Conservatory, where Ye Qi was located, had a much more open atmosphere, with many students sporting brightly colored, non-mainstream hairstyles.
Liu Qiao approached a girl and asked, "Hello, do you know Ye Qi?"
The girl smiled and said, "I know! Ye Qi made it to the finals of our school's Top Ten Singers competition, and tonight is the grand finale. Are you here to watch the competition?"
Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao exchanged a glance, surprised that Xiao Ye was such a prominent figure in the Music Conservatory.
The two asked about the location of the finals and followed the girl's directions to the spacious stadium. At this time, a large stage had already been set up in the stadium, and many staff members were busy. Liu Qiao went up to ask, and the other party replied, " Ye Qi went to dinner with his friends. The competition will start at 7 pm sharp. You can find him backstage then."
Xiao Lou had no choice but to sit in the audience with Liu Qiao and wait for the match to begin.
At 7 p.m. sharp, the music conservatory's grand finale officially began. After the host gave a passionate speech, the finalists took turns performing on stage.
Xiao Lou rarely watches student competitions like this at school, but she came to watch today in order to find Ye Qi. The Music Conservatory's level is indeed very high, and the students sing very professionally. Ye Qi's ability to make it to the finals is truly remarkable.
Host: "Now, let's give a warm round of applause to our favorite singer, Ye Qi!"
A boy wearing ripped jeans and an oversized graphic tee jumped onto the stage. Ye Qi seemed to radiate a dazzling light. He smiled brightly, sang with a clear voice, and danced energetically, occasionally throwing in a cool solo dance while waving to the audience: "Come on, everyone! Audience in the back, let me see your hands too!"
Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao: "..."
The passionate Ye Qi was completely different from the Ye Qi they remembered. Xiao Lou found it hard to connect the energetic young man in front of him with the sneaky little guy who was pushing a garbage cart like a thief when they first met.
Card World has changed so much for people.
Xiao Lou said with mixed feelings, "This is not the Ye Qi we know."
Liu Qiao frowned and said, "When he saw us just now, he certainly didn't seem to recognize us."
Xiao Lou gently shook his head: "Let's go backstage after the competition."
After Ye Qi finished singing, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, with deafening shouts of " Ye Qi, Ye Qi!" giving Xiao Lou the illusion of attending a celebrity concert, demonstrating just how popular Ye Qi was at school. He and Liu Qiao turned and went backstage, where they found Ye Qi drinking water.
Liu Qiao walked over and said, " Ye Qi, hello."
Ye Qi looked at them with suspicion: "Who are you two?"
Xiao Lou said, "Your fans came here specifically to watch the finals. You sang very well."
Ye Qi smiled generously and said, "Thank you!"
Xiao Lou noticed that Ye Qi's expression was normal, so he glanced at Liu Qiao. Liu Qiao took out a bunch of glow sticks and gave them to Ye Qi: "I wish you good luck in winning the championship, and also good luck in the singing competition on Jiangzhou TV."
Ye Qi asked in confusion, "Huh? How did you know I signed up for the TV singing competition?"
Liu Qiao said, "I'm your fan."
Ye Qi was delighted and excitedly wanted to take a photo with Liu Qiao, holding a glow stick. Xiao Lou took out his phone, and Liu Qiao took a photo with him expressionlessly. Only then did the two leave the Music Conservatory.
Just as the two stepped out of the finals venue, a scream suddenly rang out in the distance: "Ahhh—"
Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao exchanged a glance and quickly rushed towards the direction from which the sound came.
The campus path was dimly lit. A girl, pale-faced, clung to a tree trunk, her bicycle overturned beside her. Xiao Lou, who didn't have a card, was running slower, while Liu Qiao, using his Lightness Skill Card, instantly appeared in front of the girl and whispered, "What happened?"
The girl pointed tremblingly to the center of the lake and said, "There's something in the lake! I think I just saw a face!"
Xiao Lou also arrived at the lakeside at this time.
This tree-lined path encircles a lake, and is the most famous spot in the Music Conservatory, known for its "flowing light."
The lake was partially blocked by broken streetlights, making the surrounding view unclear. However, the moonlight shone directly onto the lake's surface, reflecting the object in the center of the lake.
The object floated on the lake. Xiao Lou squinted and looked closely. In the instant that "it" floated up, Xiao Lou indeed saw a pale, swollen human face.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and said, "Call the police."
He understood the mission of this locked room. Encountering the corpse was no coincidence, and Ye Qi and Yu Hanjiang were not the teammates they knew; their memories were stuck in the past. They would have to rely on the power of the past Yu Hanjiang and Ye Qi to help them solve the mystery.