Reward: Bring a Baby

The next day, the sky was clear.

Silver Mountain Academy was never short of memorable events. That was also why, after graduation, many of its outstanding students chose to stay and work for the academy, eventually becoming part of the school itself. They simply couldn’t bear to leave.

“So I have to take part in this event too?”

Inside the school clinic, Ye Shuang was rather surprised to learn that he had been assigned to be one of the people hiding—and not only that, he had been placed in the same group as the guests. Apparently, the school had even prepared cameras specifically to record the guests. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought they were filming some kind of variety show.

Naturally, the ordinary students taking part didn’t get that kind of treatment. They basically had to find their own hiding places, and if another student found them, their name tags would be torn off.

“You get money as long as you survive until the end without being caught. Isn’t that great?” Anshi Yi said. She even stood up and walked behind Ye Shuang, stretching out her hands to massage his shoulders with the expression of a kitten.

“Come on, if you’re not interested, just give the money to me.”

“You’re that sure I can survive until the end?” Ye Shuang asked helplessly. Anshi Yi really was obsessed with money. It wasn’t as if she lacked spending money.

“It’s fine. We can knock you out and bury you in the ground.” Anshi Yi gestured as she spoke. “I’m very fast at digging.”

“Could you please stop saying such terrifying things?!”

Still, after agreeing to take part in the hide-and-seek event with Yu You and the others, Ye Shuang was soon brought together with the guests under the staff’s arrangements.

The guests were several celebrities Ye Shuang didn’t recognize. They looked to be in their early twenties and were probably up-and-coming pretty boys. Judging from the way the girls at the academy reacted, they seemed to be quite popular.

There were five guests in total. With Ye Shuang standing among them, he looked somewhat out of place, but he didn’t say much about it. After all, it was only a small game. Ye Shuang didn’t even think he had much chance of winning the grand prize. He was participating simply to have a little fun.

The school had also prepared hiding places for the guests in advance. They might be an extra cabinet in a hallway, a gap between walls, or even the inside of a mannequin. After taking a look around, Ye Shuang seemed to notice something and made his choice.

…

Meanwhile, in the classroom broadcast system—

“Hello, everyone. I’m your host, Luo Xi.” A girl’s voice rang out over the speakers. “The rules of this hide-and-seek event are actually very simple. Find all the special guests and students who are hiding. If you manage to find them all, not only will everyone get a share of the prize money, but you’ll also receive a day off.”

“Wow, really?”

The students sitting in their classrooms were all quite surprised when they heard that. After all, there were far too many students at the school. Even if they split a prize of more than one hundred thousand yuan among everyone, each person would only get around ten yuan.

But a full day off was a real benefit. On top of that, they could use the otherwise dull school day to take part in an activity. Almost every student’s eyes lit up.

“I can feel everyone’s enthusiasm even from the broadcasting room… And now, a few words from the school chairman.”

The broadcast grew noisy for several seconds.

“Go and find them—the people I’ve hidden! Whether they’re in water, in the ground, or inside a suitcase, what’s inside is either money or people!”

“Um… Thank you for that speech, Chairman.”

Luo Xi took the microphone back.

Something about that sounded strange. This was a hide-and-seek event, not a hunt for corpses.

“In any case, please actively search anywhere people might possibly be hiding.”

“The event will begin the moment the bell rings. Please be careful not to cause a stampede when going downstairs. And to anyone who enjoys being trampled, please don’t deliberately lie down on the stairs. Anyone caught doing so will receive a demerit.”

The broadcast soon fell silent, but every classroom had already erupted into chatter.

Aside from the students who had already gone into hiding, everyone else began discussing the event excitedly.

“Our school is so huge. Won’t it be too difficult to find everyone?”

“I heard that the really difficult hiding spots come with clues.”

“Then does that mean we can go into the girls’ dormitory?”

“The areas have been divided. The dormitories are obviously excluded. If you dare to try it, just wait for the dorm auntie’s lightning five-hit whip.”

As the students continued chattering, Tang Keke glanced at her phone.

“Peach and Ducky have already hidden. Yu You, look.”

Bai Yuyou, who had been sitting quietly in her seat, turned her head to look.

Peach: I’m ready. I’m hiding somewhere completely unexpected.

Ducky: I’m ready too. Witness the glory of the Anshi family.

Ducky: Though this position is a little uncomfortable.

Ducky: So tired.jpg

Keke: Give me a hint. I’ll go there first.

Ducky: Nope.

Peach: Brother Ye is taking part too. He’s a guest, so he seems to have a special hiding place.

Keke: Seems like it.

Bai Yuyou sent Ye Shuang a message as well.

Bai Yuyou: Are you hidden yet?

A few seconds later, her phone received a reply.

Ye Shuang: Yes. I’m hiding in a…

Ye Shuang: Uh, a very strange place. I doubt you’ll be able to find me. You’ll have to use clues to figure out where I am.

Bai Yuyou: (｡•ω•｡)♡ Do I get a reward if I find you?

Ye Shuang: Yes. You can have whatever you want.

Bai Yuyou: Baby.

Ye Shuang: I’ll consider it.

Bai Yuyou seemed to perk up instantly. Her usually cool eyes suddenly shone brightly.

“Oh? Yu You suddenly looks so fired up.” Keke blinked. What had just happened?

“Reward!” Bai Yuyou said.

“Huh?”

Tang Keke froze for a moment. Yu You was so rich—could she really be interested in ten yuan?

Or was it the day off?

Just as Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou were discussing where to begin their search, the bell rang.

“Riiing—”

In the next moment, the entire school seemed to shake.

The students in the classroom rushed outside in a great wave, even more excited than they were when school let out.

“You search over there!”

“We’ll search over here!”

“Garbage-can squad, search the garbage cans!”

Meanwhile, Ye Shuang could hear the lively commotion outside, but he remained fairly calm.

That was because everything around him was pitch-black. The only source of light was a small pane of glass above him, and even that had been covered.

To be precise, Ye Shuang was lying down.

His hiding place was underground beneath a flower bed. It was a small space where a person could fit inside the soil—something no one would likely ever imagine. Unless someone moved a particular flowerpot, they would never discover the small pane of glass in front of him, which meant they would never find his hiding place.

“It feels like lying in a coffin,” Ye Shuang thought.

Before long, he heard footsteps. It seemed that someone was coming over.