I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 18

Arc 2: 《Deadly High School》 Ch15 — Ch29

Ruan Bai's grip tightened around the book as Hu Yao leapt down. 'School rules...again.' Her mind began to stir, but she concealed it. She obediently mimicked the other students, inhaling an air of nonchalance as she sat in her seat with her book.

The teacher on stage wiped the smile off his face, opened his textbook, and commenced the lesson.

This was a Chinese class, and the textbook pages had yellowed with age. Ruan Bai struggled to make sense of the unfamiliar content. She deduced that they had regressed by about twenty years, likely between the 1980s and 1990s.

As she spent the next dozen or so minutes in this place, Ruan Bai's first impression of the school was its rigidity.

The students were bound by burdensome rules, the teachers were callous, and the hefty school regulations weighed down on the atmosphere.

Ruan Bai dared not glance at the school regulations during class. If her instincts were correct, it would be considered a "violation."

Ruan Bai's eyes were fixed on her book, her mind uneasy. The death of Hu Yao had upset the balance between the sexes, and she had no idea what that meant. She feared more danger lurking, waiting to strike in the next forty minutes.

The teacher abruptly halted the lesson as if sensing the players' distraction. His cloudy eyes scanned the room until they rested on a short-haired female player. "You, stand up and recite this passage for me," he commanded in a deep voice.

The female player who had been called upon rose from her seat, her face drained of colour. "I...I..." she stammered, realizing she had barely started studying the passage. The teacher was deliberately putting her on the spot.

Undeterred, the teacher stood unwavering before her, his eyes fixed on her. The female player stumbled over her words for almost five minutes before the teacher's mouth twisted into a cruel smile.

"You can't recite it. You have not completed the teacher's learning task and have violated a third-level school rule. Class 8 will be docked two points," the teacher sneered, "Hold out your hand."

The short-haired female player hesitated momentarily, then extended her left hand. The teacher quickly retrieved a thin bamboo board and whipped it mercilessly across her hand.

Again and again, Ruan Bai heard the whooshing sound of the board slicing through the air as the teacher struck the bamboo board on the female player's palms. Each strike made her tremble, her arms swollen and covered in red marks with visible blood vessels on the broken skin. By the tenth strike, the teacher stopped, and the short-haired female player's face was pale, but she remained strong and didn't utter a sound.

Seeing her condition, the teacher stopped indifferently and ordered, "Sit down, copy this article ten times for me tomorrow."

Witnessing this scene, Ruan Bai had to focus all her attention on the textbook and not think about anything else.

Fortunately, the teacher was satisfied with their attitude for the rest of the time and didn't ask anyone else any questions. But as class neared its end, the teacher, intentionally or unintentionally, mentioned Ruan Bai, saying, "Bai Ruan Ruan, did I hear that you deducted ten points from Class 8 today?" His eyes gleamed with malice. "Great, I hope you can reflect on yourself well in the detention room."

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After the teacher finished speaking, the eerie dismissal bell rang. All the students and the teacher disappeared from the classroom instantly, leaving only the four players sitting there, digesting what had just happened with uneasy expressions. This dismissal lasted for half an hour because it was dinner time.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ruan Bai and other players quickly read through the 《Rules and Disciplinary Actions of Fourth High School》. They found that the students' violations were roughly divided into three categories. The first category was the level-one school rules broken by Hu Yao, which were all significant theft and fighting cases, and the punishment given by the school was "expulsion."

Obviously, in the game, expulsion was equivalent to death.

The second category comprised Level 2 school rules, which Ruan Bai and Shen Qing Yun had violated by skipping class. As a result, ten points were deducted from their class, and they were to be confined to a room overnight, starting from 6 pm. The third category dealt with the Level 3 school rules the short-haired female player violated. The class was penalized two points, and she was to receive physical punishment.

These class points would impact their ranking in the future, and if a class fell behind, it was evident that the teacher would impose punishment on the students.

Knowing these rules, Ruan Bai did not feel relaxed. She realized that the teacher's discretion was critical in determining whether or not a student broke a rule.

Today, the female player was accused of violating the Level 3 school rules for her absent-mindedness in class. However, the teacher casually mentioned the task with no clear explanation, forcing them to figure it out themselves.

The risk level of an A-level game was considerably higher than a B-level game.

Ruan Bai contemplated this for a moment but opted not to speculate on the severity of the situation. Instead, she gathered her belongings and went out searching for Shen Qing Yun. They would have to spend the night in the detention room together.

As Ruan Bai ventured out, she peered towards Class 9, noticing several male players remained. But Shen Qing Yun was nowhere to be seen. All of them bore visible injuries, particularly the two newcomers, who appeared to have suffered the wrath of the teacher's punishment.

As Ruan Bai approached, a male player informed her that Shen Qing Yun had headed to the canteen. "You guys will be in the detention room tonight. Hurry up and grab some food while you still can," he said.

Ruan Bai: "..."

Ruan Bai was taken aback, not anticipating Shen Qing Yun's dismissive behaviour. He didn't even bother to wait for her. Was it due to her acting skills or Shen Qing Yun's overconfidence? Was he not afraid of being exposed and turning to someone else?

"Alright, thanks," she finally said.

Lost in thought, Ruan Bai's eyes suddenly narrowed. She considered another possibility. Perhaps Shen Qing Yun had uncovered the detention room's secret and knew tonight posed a significant danger. Maybe he believed Ruan Bai was sure to die inside.

Why waste energy on someone who was going to die?

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Amused by this realization, Ruan Bai still managed to approach Shen Qing Yun at the canteen, wearing a pitiful expression.

Ruan Bai's eyes blazed as she glared at Shen Qing Yun. "You didn't even wait for me, Brother Qing Yun. I was terrified when I didn't see you earlier. I thought you might be in trouble, and then you just left...so irritating. I don't want to talk to you anymore," she said, her voice simmering with anger.

"Don't be upset, Softie. I came here early to protect you because I knew about the detention room," Shen Qing Yun said, trying to calm her down.

As soon as Shen Qing Yun heard Ruan Bai say, "I don't want to talk to you anymore," his face changed, and he quickly began to coax her, "Tonight, you must listen to me carefully. If we're not careful, we'll both end up dead."

Ruan Bai's curiosity was piqued as she asked, "What's wrong with the detention room?" She widened her eyes and clutched Shen Qing Yun's hand tightly. "Tell me, Brother Qing Yun. I'm so scared. If I make a mistake, it will implicate both of us."

Shen Qing Yun knew Ruan Bai was right. She was unlikely to survive the night. So, he nodded and explained the situation to her.

"We had just finished a strenuous PE lesson and were granted some leisure time," Shen Qing Yun explained succinctly, his voice lowered to a whisper, "During that time, I sought out the PE teacher for information on the detention room. A female student had recently died in that very room," he disclosed ominously.

Ruan Bai's complexion turned ghastly upon hearing this. "What? Someone actually died? Is this crappy school even worth attending?" she exclaimed in disbelief, her voice laced with fear.

Despite overhearing Ruan Bai's tirade against the school in the cafeteria, Shen Qing Yun remained unperturbed about being overheard by the invisible students that reportedly roamed the halls. He cast a soft gaze her way without the slightest hint of a reminder.

"However, did she really die?" Ruan Bai blurted out, her anxiety surfacing. "Will she return as a vengeful spirit to hurt us? The teacher punished her, so surely she wouldn't have any ill will towards us. Perhaps she'll even divulge a secret?"

Shen Qing Yun had to stifle a chuckle at Ruan Bai's ludicrous query. Luckily, he still required Ruan Bai's assistance later on, so he smiled gently and responded, "Softie, don't treat ghosts like human beings."

When Ruan Bai revealed her foolishness, Shen Qing Yun began to let his guard down and divulged some information: "No, she died, partly because of a student."

He spoke with an indifferent tone, "I heard she got sent to the detention room for breaking school rules and was reported by her classmates. That caused Class 8's ranking to drop, and the teacher took the opportunity to arrange for her to go there."

Ruan Bai nodded upon hearing this, satisfaction spreading across her face. "So that's it, Brother Qing Yun, you're really something, able to find out all these things."

As she spoke, she blinked innocently, appearing like a lovesick girl. "The one who died was from Class 8, but our class doesn't seem to have any empty seats. Qing Yun, how many boys are in your class?"

"There are 31," Shen Qing Yun answered, having deliberately counted the number of students. After speaking, he paused for a moment, seeming to regret what he had said, but it was too late.

Ruan Bai noticed his expression shift slightly, having counted the number of seats in Class 8 beforehand, she know that there were only 30.

The school boasted ten classes, with a split of five classes dedicated to boys and five more to girls. Should the ratio of male to female students stand at 1:1, it was clear that Class 9 had too many students. The significance of this was lost on Ruan Bai, but even a little information was better than nothing.

Shen Qing Yun was not one to divulge valuable information, even in the presence of someone foolish and without guile. Thankfully, Ruan Bai was not a true fool. Through their conversation, she gathered a considerable amount of helpful information. As they conversed, time ticked by slowly.

When Ruan Bai finished her meal, it was already 5:50, with only ten minutes to spare before they had to head to the detention room. "Softie, it's time; let's go." Shen Qing Yun checked the time, fixed his glasses, and spoke gently.

"Alright." Ruan Bai nodded and affectionately took hold of Shen Qing Yun's arm. She smiled slyly and added, "Brother Qing Yun, don't worry, please trust me... I won't let you down."

——— Translator's Notes ———

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