The Idol Games had ended, and 5tars' group variety show was also put on the agenda.

Actually, the company had planned to launch the group variety show in September.

But 5tars' outstanding performance at the Idol Games had brought them new attention, many new fans jumped into the fandom and complained that there wasn't enough content, so the company decided to start filming the group variety show to solidify this wave of heat.

Manager Yan Jie announced this news when 5tars was having breakfast.

Everyone was very calm and didn't express any opinions about the extra work.

Except for Cheng Zhen, who was happy that she finally didn't have to stay in the practice room anymore.

"What's the theme of our group variety show? Are we going to play outside! Are we going to an amusement park! Are we going on a trip?"

Yan Jie didn't answer directly, she just smiled and said, "The company has decided that the theme of your group variety show is related to challenges."

Everyone was stunned.

Jiang Ye's hand trembled when she heard this, and her fork directly pierced the soft-boiled egg on her plate.

Jiang Ye: "..."

Jiang Ye felt a little regret for a second, then she asked, "... What kind of challenge?"

Lin Zui: "No matter what the challenge is, I have a bad feeling about this."

Tan Meng nodded in agreement, "... Me too."

Cheng Zhen touched her eyelid, "No wonder my right eyelid has been twitching this morning, the saying goes, a twitching right eyelid is a sign of disaster."

Manager: "..."

In the end, it was Jiang Ye who brought the conversation back to the topic, she asked again, "So, what are we challenging?"

"You'll be told the theme of each episode at the beginning."

The manager said, "The first episode we're recording tomorrow is escape room."

Jiang Ye made a sound of surprise, she felt a little relieved.

As long as it wasn't bungee jumping or anything like that.

"Escape room is fine."

Cheng Zhen immediately asked her most concerned question, "But is it scary? Don't tell me it's scary?"

Tan Meng nodded rapidly, "Our fans are still underage! It's not good for them to watch something scary in their first episode of the group variety show."

Lin Zui calmly commented, "Maybe the fans won't be scared, they'll actually enjoy watching us be scared."

Everyone: "..."

That's true.

Yan Jie also didn't answer this question, she just smiled, "You'll find out when you get there."

Everyone: "..."

Their bad feeling intensified.

•••

On the day of the recording, the company cleared the venue and rented an escape room for them.

There were cameras in the room, but there was also a cameraman following them.

The cameraman also served as the cue for the group variety show, he carried the camera and asked, "Have any of you played escape rooms before?"

Cheng Zhen raised her hand, "I played one when I was in school!"

She added softly, "But it wasn't scary, and I followed other people the whole time, I didn't really have any experience."

Lin Zui thought for a moment and said, "I've also played one when I was recording a group variety show."

Just as everyone was looking forward to her, she said, "But the program team for that group variety show refused to give us hints, so we didn't even get past the first level. So, that episode was cut in the end."

Jiang Ye: "..."

Shen Zhiyi sighed and said worriedly, "Don't tell me we'll be stuck on the first level too?"

Jiang Ye also sighed, then she said, "Don't worry, it's not live, if we really need to cut it, we can."

Everyone started handing in their phones one by one.

Cheng Zhen couldn't help but stare at the staff member, and then she said, "Sister, is it really scary in here?"

She had taken a look at the promotional poster outside, it looked creepy.

"Are you scared?"

The staff member smiled, "If you're scared, we'll try not to scare you, we'll scare the others."

The other teammates: "?"

"It's okay."

Lin Zui immediately said, "We have Jiang Ye!"

Jiang Ye: "?"

Cheng Zhen instantly reacted, she was back on track, "That's right, we have Jiang Ye!"

The other four looked at Jiang Ye.

Anyone who had seen that episode of Chasing Light Girls where they went to a haunted house knew that Jiang Ye was the bravest of the entire show.

Most of the girls had been scared to the point of breaking down, and there were a few like Lin Zui who could hold it together, but they were obviously scared when the ghosts came out.

But Jiang Ye wasn't scared at all, she was even concerned about whether the staff member had a mask on, she was scarier than the ghosts.

Jiang Ye felt a chill down her spine.

She quickly reminded them, "But I've never played an escape room."

Her teammates didn't care.

"It's okay!"

"No problem!"

"Jiang Ye, we're counting on you!"

Jiang Ye, who was entrusted with great expectations by her teammates: "..."

But even though it was for a group variety show, Jiang Ye had still done some research to ensure that her performance wouldn't be bad, if not amazing, at least she wouldn't drag the team down.

Although she had never played an escape room, she had looked up some strategies online and learned a few tricks.

But even so, she wasn't completely confident that she could lead her teammates out, she could only say she would try her best.

When the recording started, 5tars waved to the camera.

"5tars Challenge, First Stop!"

"Escape Room! About to begin!"

The cameraman said, "Before you go in, let's set a flag for the camera."

Cheng Zhen said confidently, "Of course, we'll successfully get out!!"

Tan Meng was more grounded, "Um, if it's us, I think we should complete the entire game!"

Lin Zui was very relaxed, "As long as it's better than last time."

Shen Zhiyi was a little uncertain, "I hope we can at least get past the first level, okay?"

Then it was Jiang Ye's turn.

Jiang Ye thought for a moment and smiled, "As long as no one cries from being scared, it's a victory, charge boldly!"

Everyone else: "..."

The door to the escape room closed.

Jiang Ye looked around.

The room wasn't very big, the interior design was European style, there were a few oil lamps burning on the walls, the lighting was fairly bright.

"Escape rooms are basically about finding clues and solving puzzles."

"Let's save time and start looking."

After Jiang Ye finished speaking, she went to look at the lock on the door to the next room.

"A combination lock."

Jiang Ye tried it and said, "It should be four digits."

"Did you guys find any clues?"

Cheng Zhen said first, "I found a jigsaw puzzle piece!"

Tan Meng: "I found one too."

Everyone immediately put the puzzle pieces they had together.

Shen Zhiyi was more careful, she examined the puzzle pieces, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "It seems like four different puzzles?"

Lin Zui: "Four puzzles, does one puzzle piece correspond to one digit?"

Jiang Ye shook her head, "It's more like four pictures correspond to one clue."

She said, "Let's keep looking for puzzle pieces, Shen Zhiyi, you put them together."

The others were responsible for finding more puzzle pieces and handing them to Shen Zhiyi.

Then, Cheng Zhen was searching and found something new from a drawer, "What is this? A flashlight."

As soon as Jiang Ye saw the flashlight, she had a bad feeling.

There must be a lights-out section.

Probably considering the time limit and the difficulty of the first level, each puzzle didn't have many pieces, only four.

So, Shen Zhiyi quickly put the puzzle together.

They gathered together to look at the puzzle's pattern.

"A calendar icon."

"Pisces."

"A logo with a part cut out."

"And a portrait."

The other icons were relatively simple.

But the portrait was more complex, it showed a person wearing a king-like costume surrounded by people wearing white robes, it was hard to tell what they were doing.

Cheng Zhen tilted her head and looked at it, "What does this mean?"

Jiang Ye rested her chin on her hand and frowned slightly, "The password should be the connection between these four puzzles."

Because it was the first level, and the company had given them a heads-up, the difficulty shouldn't be too high.

So, they didn't need to think too far outside the box.

Jiang Ye's mind raced.

Calendar... does it mean to suggest a date?

Then the constellation suggests a date range.

This logo should be the specific date of a certain holiday.

... But what is the portrait suggesting? Is it related to the date?

The date it was painted? How could she possibly know that?

Jiang Ye temporarily abandoned the portrait that she didn't understand, and turned to the logo that had a piece cut out, "This logo looks familiar, doesn't it?"

A pair of circular hands and the globe between them, instantly brought to mind many similar logos.

Cheng Zhen slapped the table, "I know!"

"It's the United Nations logo!"

"Quickly, quickly, when was the United Nations established, nineteen...nineteen what?"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Jiang Ye politely reminded her, "There are olive branches around the United Nations logo."

Cheng Zhen: "..."

Cheng Zhen said "Ah" and shrunk back, continuing to look carefully.

Jiang Ye looked at Pisces, then at the logo, and in a flash of inspiration, she said, "This seems to be the logo for Consumer Rights Protection Day."

She quickly turned around, "March 15th, try 0315."

Tan Meng, who was closest to the door, quickly went over and entered the password.

The moment the door slammed open, the lights in the venue suddenly went out.

Everyone was startled.

They all hid behind Jiang Ye.

"Go, go?"

"Wuwuwu, it's so scary, I don't dare to go any further."

"What if a ghost comes out?"

Jiang Ye turned on the flashlight in her hand, "I'll scout ahead, you guys just follow me."

Everyone followed one by one.

Jiang Ye seemed to be their source of security.

But the moment Jiang Ye stepped into the new space.

The door slammed shut.

Cheng Zhen: "!!!"

Fortunately, she retracted her hand quickly, otherwise, her hand might have been caught in the door.

Jiang Ye: "..."

Everyone else: "..."

Jiang Ye was alone in the new space, she hadn't even spoken yet when the other four panicked.

"No way!!"

"Jiang Ye! Can you hear us?!"

"What should we do, Jiang Ye!"

"Jiang Ye!! We can't live without you!!"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Now, the only flashlight in the entire venue was with Jiang Ye, she had a certain advantage.

But the problem was, she was alone.

In the darkness, Jiang Ye sighed.

She wasn't scared.

She was worried that the cameraman hadn't followed.

She lost a camera angle, what a loss.

Her teammates did not know what was going on in Jiang Ye's mind, they calmed down a little and started to feel around in the dark and press the combination lock again.

Beep, beep, twice.

Incorrect password.

A large amount of smoke filled the room, startling everyone.

But Lin Zui managed to stay calm and said, "The password has changed, do we need to find a new password?"

"Jiang Ye, don't be afraid!"

Cheng Zhen said, "We'll come and save you after we find it!"

Tan Meng: "... Please, does Jiang Ye need us to save her? We should figure out how to save ourselves first!"

"..."

Jiang Ye thought for a moment and then said, "I think the clue to opening the door again might be with me."

She was using the logic of a room designer.

The person who goes into the room first usually serves as the pioneer of the group, and they're often the strongest in the group.

And they had almost found all the clues in the first room, and with Cheng Zhen, the clue-crushing machine, the lucky charm, it was almost impossible for them to miss anything.

The new password was probably with her.

This level was a test of her individual abilities.

Jiang Ye shone the flashlight around, trying to walk.

The new space she was in was a corridor.

And the door to the next path also had a combination lock on it.

The corridor wasn't very wide, and there were oil paintings on both sides.

Jiang Ye shone the flashlight around, took a quick look, and felt like it was a painting of someone's life, from birth to death.

And one of the paintings was the one from the puzzle in the first room.

The oil painting was several times larger than the puzzle, so she could see it clearly this time.

The person in the center of the painting was being assassinated by the people around him.

The same painting appeared twice.

It must be an important clue.

Jiang Ye frowned slightly, she held up the flashlight and carefully examined every oil painting on the wall.

Perhaps because of the darkness, Jiang Ye's hearing became particularly sensitive.

She heard her teammates chatting in the next room, and suddenly, there was a rustling sound of bricks moving.

Jiang Ye quickly took two steps back and shone the flashlight on the source of the sound.

Next to the oil painting she was looking at, the bricks on the corridor wall had been moved.

Something was slowly crawling out from inside.

He was covered in blood, his expression was ferocious, like he was crawling out of a secret passage.

But the moment he saw Jiang Ye, he reached out his hand, as if he wanted to take the flashlight in her hand.

"Don't move."

Jiang Ye shone the flashlight, and she calmly reprimanded him, "You're blocking my light."

Staff: "...???"

Can you please show some respect for his ghost identity?