When Jiang Cheng and Fatty sneaked to the fourth floor and opened the door to the music classroom, they were surprised by what they saw. From the outside, the room was perfectly dark. However, looking in, the inside of the room was showered with a dim light.
Fatty peeked further into the room. He found the source of the light. The whole wallpaper was brutishly peeled away to expose… the giant mirror behind it. The light poured out of the mirror and into the classroom. The two slightly opened their eyes.
A great performance was being held inside the mirror. The leading girl on stage stood on tip-toe and swayed gracefully. Her dance was dreamlike but lively. More than ten dancers twirled around her. Some were clumsy, while others were agile. They all worshipped her.
The strangest thing was that there was no sound. It felt like they were watching a silent film. Compared to the prima donna, the dancing skills of the accompanying dancers were hard to describe. One of them was a middle-aged man with a gut belly. His giant size didn’t match the style of ballet at all.
As he turned around, Fatty’s pupils shook.
Even though the blood on his chin had dried, the giant wound was still looking ghastly. Fatty moved his stiff neck to look down the row. The once-lively faces were as emotionless as death. The woman in the qipao, Long Tao, Luo Yi, Zhen Jianren, Zhou Taifu, and… Zhang Yinyin!
Zhang Yinyin was dead. It was clear who the other survivor was. However, no one really cared about that then because they saw that Xu Wen was already seated under the stage, being one of the two audiences of this performance. The other was the bloody Su Yu. Of course, they were also in the mirror world, the world from… ten years ago.
Fatty’s mouth hung open for a long time before he squeezed the sentence out, “So… this is real third rehearsal…” This was not a question but a confirmation.
Who would have thought that the mirror would separate two spaces that were ten years apart. When Xu Wen noticed the two uninvited guests, her face darkened.
Out of hope, Su Yu made some muffled noises when he saw Jiang Cheng and Fatty appear out of thin air. Xu Wen had knocked out most of his teeth. If not for the towel stuffed in his mouth to stop the bleeding, he would have bled out already. It was not that Xu Wen was cruel. She didn’t want to do this either, but Su Yu was too disobedient.
When the familiar face appeared in the mirror, Su Yu acted like he had been possessed. He started to struggle madly. He even tried to bite Xu Wen’s neck.
Jiang Cheng slowly walked over, acting like he had just seen Xu Wen, “Miss Xu.” He placed his hand on the back of the seat and said in a happy tone, “It’s great to see you here.” He looked at Xu Wen’s broken arm, and his eyes paused. “Your arm…”
“It’s fine.” Xu Wen replied. “It’s great to see Mr. Hao and your friend too. I thought you two…” The two of them started chatting like old friends.
Fatty was too lazy to watch them act. He didn’t dare to admire the performance on stage. Therefore, he could only stare at the dying Su Yu. Thinking back to what he had done, Fatty suddenly became incensed. He went forward and smacked the back of the man’s head.
The silent space suddenly vibrated. This frightened Fatty. He thought he did something wrong.
There was a flash of light. A door materialised at the back of the stage. A light mist surrounded the door.
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. It was a pure black iron door.
At that same time, they realised that all the ‘actors’ on stage had stopped moving. They turned their backs on the audience. It was very strange. Thankfully, Chen Yao… didn’t move. She stood in the centre of the stage as if waiting for something. As for what, Fatty didn’t know. Jiang Cheng might know, but Fatty knew it was not the time to ask questions.
“Mr. Hao,” Xu Wen turned to Jiang Cheng, “The door… has appeared.”
“Yes. I’m waiting for you, Miss Xu.” Jiang Cheng nodded with sincerity. “My parents taught me the virtue of ladies first.”
Xu Wen took a deep breath. They knew this was the most dangerous moment. To reach the iron door, one had to pass through the procession of ‘actors’. It would not be easy, but the way to leave was right before her. She had to give it a try.
Xu Wen pulled Su Yu over and dragged him through the ground. “Mr. Hao, you don’t me taking him with me, right?” She took a step away from Jiang Cheng and Fatty.
“Of course.” Jiang Cheng said generously, “Miss Xu, please.”
Su Yu left a giant trail on the ground. Xu Wen still paid attention to Jiang Cheng at first, but after she got onto the stage, her focus was on the actors. These were once fresh, living humans. She passed them one by one. The door got closer until only Chen Yao stood between her and the door…
Su Yu was so frightened. He tried to say something but no voice came out of him.
Xu Wen dropped Su Yu before Chen Yao, who stood facing away from them. The next second, something surprising happened. Chen Yao’s figure blurred and then disappeared. At the same time, the bloody Su Yu also disappeared.
Figuring out the truth and bringing Su Yu to the former dance classroom to hand him over to Chen Yao… That was the hidden lifeline in the mission. The door was within her reach.
After the initial joy, Xu Wen paused. Heartlessness appeared in her eyes.
“Only… one person needs to leave this place alive.”