There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

The new studio was spacious and had designated areas for different departments, and the management even had their own offices.

So if the previous workspace seemed crowded and bustling, now, having moved to a new place, it seemed emptier and more spacious.

Xu Shuo casually found a spot for Xu Xi, letting her study or play games on her own.

After that, he went into his office and focused on his work.

The spot was perfect for viewing the office scene, though the frosted glass was one-way, allowing clear visibility from inside to outside, but from the outside, the view was quite blurred.

Xu Xi glanced at that silhouette, then quietly sat down at her spot and read her book, looking up anything she didn't understand directly on Baidu.

The work atmosphere was bustling — the tech department was often moving about discussing things, the customer service department was alternating between laughter and cursing online, and the operations department was either applying for activity funds or preparing to do so.

Of all the staff, Pei Sheng had the most leisure time.

He would occasionally dash into Xu Shuo's office to help with paperwork, stroll over to Li Ziwen's side, or drop by the operations department to offer some suggestions; though he seemed busy, he actually wasn't doing much at all.

So, by the afternoon, he simply went out to play with Xu Xi.

Upon seeing this, Xu Shuo wanted to say something to Pei Sheng but then thought it through — was there any point in telling Pei Sheng anything?

Yes, it was pointless.

He might have already given himself away last night.

...

...

Heiyu District, online celebrity street, Mystery City.

Ji Xiaoxia was on the day shift this week.

There was a rare smile on her face, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

The reason for this was simple: last night, Ji Xiaoxia entered Script Space for an upgrade assessment, and just as she was about to be caught and devoured by an Abyss Creature — Script Space went down for maintenance!

At that moment, Ji Xiaoxia was ejected from Script World, which was effectively a narrow escape from death.

Even though she had to continue the assessment tonight and might encounter dangerous scripts, at least her life was spared the previous night.

So, at noon, she treated herself to a bucket meal as a reward!

The bucket was too much to finish in one sitting, so she saved some for an afternoon snack. While eating, she saw that suave-looking boss walking up with three girls.

One of the girls looked especially familiar!

Hey? Isn't that a gender-swapped version of the gentle boss?!

Of course, she didn't actually think so; it's just that being immersed in Script Space for so long, she couldn't help but imagine what everyone might look like after a gender swap.

But man, Boss Pei really knows how to have fun. Not only is he with two girls, but he didn't even spare Boss Xu's gender-swapped version...

"Xiaoxia, you've reserved the empty room as I asked, haven't you?" Pei Sheng approached the counter with shining eyes, resting his hands on the desk and grinning as he asked.

"Ah... Manager Zhang said last night that we should reserve a room for the boss this afternoon, so no one has been using it," Ji Xiaoxia replied obediently, nodding her head.

Her gaze swept over the three girls behind Pei Sheng, lingering on the face of Xu Xi, and then her eyes involuntarily settled on the short-haired girl.

There was something indescribable about her; the girl radiated a confidence so dazzling, with an air of pride uncommon to regular folks. Yet, when her eyes met Ji Xiaoxia's, she flashed a very open and warm smile.

Ji Xiaoxia unfolded the script booklet for them to choose from, while using her trained knowledge to introduce them to the options.

During this process, she learned that the three girls were Boss Xu's sister, her best friend, and her high school roommate.

As for Boss Pei, he was just there for the excitement.

"How about we play something scary?" While picking a script, Shao Dandan suggested with interest.

"I'm fine with it, and Xi probably is too," Yang Lili said.

Consequently, all three girls turned their gaze to Ji Xiaoxia.

A scary game for four people?

In an instant, Ji Xiaoxia's mind conjured up "Kappa," a script that had left a deep impression on her.

It was a horror game for four people, requiring two males and two females, meaning one of them just had to cross-dress. The plot wasn't complicated, ideal for newcomers not long introduced to Scripted Murder Games.

After perusing the script synopsis, they all expressed interest immediately.

So they decided to play that one!

The available host then led them into one of the rooms, and they began the game following the usual procedure.

After an initial warm-up exercise, Shao Dandan started reading the role script she received and suddenly felt like the character seemed strangely familiar.

A female artist who wants to draw a monster?

Why does it feel like I've seen this character somewhere before?

However, players can currently only read Act One, and as the game becomes more engrossing, Shao Dandan finds the plot increasingly familiar.

Perhaps she's seen something similar somewhere?

Speaking of which, the scripts here are quite interesting, it seems I can come here more often.
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...

...

In the evening, the sun still shone brightly.

Xu Shuo finished half of the planning document and remembering Xu Xi brought friends to the store to play today, he checked the time and decided not to work overtime.

The studio rarely has to work overtime, caring for all the programmers' hair with nine-to-five working hours.

Xu Shuo first went to the car wash and then headed to Mystery City Store.

After the three girls finished playing the Scripted Murder Game, they walked around the city area and returned to Mystery City in the evening, sitting on the sofas in the lobby, chatting and drinking milk tea.

"These scripts are all written by your brother? He's really talented..."

"Yeah..."

"Actually, only some of them are. Most are purchased from other channels. Otherwise, relying on him alone, he couldn't write so many stories. He would probably lose all his hair." Pei Sheng was the one who said this.

"It's still really impressive, I think the scripts he writes are quite interesting."

"Cough, actually, a lot of them include my suggestions!"

"Eh—"

Pei Sheng was fervently courting the beautiful young lady.

Xu Xi sipped her straw drinking milk tea while listening to Yang Lili speak. Suddenly, she seemed to sense something and looked toward the staircase.

The young man's figure quickly ascended.

"Brother."

"Xu Shuo is here!"

Xu Xi and Yang Lili saw him first, instantly drawing the attention of the other two as well.

At this time, there weren't many customers, so the four of them practically occupied the sofas. Xu Shuo glanced around and then his gaze landed on Shao Dandan for a moment.

When Shao Dandan subconsciously raised her head, she caught a fleeting look from the young man's dark eyes.

Suddenly, her heartbeat uncontrollably sped up.

Huh? Why is this happening?!

Shao Dandan had met Xu Xi's brother before and hadn't felt anything special, but now, for some reason, she felt an unexplainable palpitation and immediately averted her gaze.

Xu Shuo had only glanced briefly and then smiled, "Since you're all here, how about I take you guys out for dinner now?"

Before the three girls could respond, Pei Sheng slapped his hands together, "I was just waiting for you to treat us! Let's go now!"

Pei Sheng didn't have many hobbies; he just liked to look at pretty girls and dine with them—of course, it would be even better if he could get their contact information for a sustained development.

With someone offering a treat, the three girls didn't refuse. They went to the nearest tea house for dinner and then strolled around the commercial street at night.

For girls, shopping often means just browsing and not buying, simply chatting while walking down the street.

Xu Shuo and Pei Sheng followed slowly behind, taking it as a post-dinner walk.

Suddenly, Pei Sheng poked Xu Shuo mysteriously and asked, "Hey Shuo, tell me the truth, what were you really doing yesterday afternoon, why did you leave in such a hurry?"

Xu Shuo gave him a look and didn't say a word.

Pei Sheng continued, "Little Xi seems to have been asking about your whereabout."

"And what did you tell her?" Xu Shuo spoke up.

"Of course, I told the truth! How could I bear to deceive the cute and pretty little Xi?" Pei Sheng's face was a picture of noble righteousness.

...

So, when the three girls chatting in front turned their heads unintentionally, they saw the two behind them scuffling into a dark alley nearby.

And when they came out again, Pei Sheng was grinning with an OK bandage from the convenience store.

...