Tricked 103: Checking In at the Hotel

Jiang Yan had heard about Yu Renwan’s past before.

Because she was a half-yao, Yu Renwan’s innate abilities were only revealed gradually.

As a child, although she would occasionally cause a bit of bad luck to those around her, it amounted to nothing more than the odd bump or scrape, so no one paid much attention. Everyone chalked it up to coincidence. But as she grew older, the misfortunes among those nearby increased in frequency, eventually arousing suspicion.

The family on her father’s side was large, and someone brought in a hack fortune-teller. The fortune-teller declared that her fate would bring ruin to the entire family, and that if they wished for the family to prosper, they must sever all blood ties with her completely. At that time, Yu Renwan’s father was still alive, and no one dared bring up the matter openly. But after Yu’s father died of illness, she and her mother were soon forced out of the household.

Jiang Yan looked at Yu Renwan.

When they got onto this topic, Renwan’s tone was very calm.

It was as if she was talking about someone else, simply recounting everything from an outsider’s perspective.

“When I was really little, people already called me the Harbinger of Disaster,” Yu Renwan said, walking at the same pace as before.

“At that point, no fortune-teller had predicted anything yet, but kids are sensitive. Because kids around me fell down more often when playing with me, they naturally started calling me disaster-star, or unlucky ghost. At first it was just one kid, but soon all of them were calling me that.”

“I used to get really angry, but I also started to doubt myself, because deep down, I really did feel like I was unlucky.”

Yu Renwan began listing examples: “Falling on flat ground, or tumbling into a hedge was common. In the dead of winter, I randomly slipped into ponds twice. Walking down the road, I’d get scratched by a stray cat. Since I always looked so messy, people would ask me what happened. I was scared to say I’d just been unlucky again, so I told them I’d gotten into a fight with a friend—sometimes I’d claim I got into it with a stray dog on the street.”

“That way, the injuries on my body were the result of something I did, not just bad luck. But after I made up too many excuses, the adults eventually stopped letting their kids play with me. They said I was aggressive, lied too much, and would lead the other children astray.”

Yu Renwan went silent.

She looked at a spot in the distance ahead. At this moment, young Yu Renwan was smiling brightly, and the young Jiang Yan turned sideways, casting a swift glance backward, as if pricking up her ears.

After a moment, Jiang Yan asked, “And after that?”

“After that, I stopped playing with my cousins,” Yu Renwan replied. “I started playing with kids on the street, since I looked tough, was loud, never cared about face, could climb trees and fish—I got a group of little followers. But since they’d get unlucky from time to time, their parents soon forbade them from playing with me too.”

“By the time that fortune-teller showed up, I actually didn’t have any friends left.”

Yu Renwan said, “I understand why the adults made that decision, but I still wanted a friend that wouldn’t leave.”

Jiang Yan nodded.

She walked side by side with Yu Renwan. She thought the other girl might want to pour out more of her feelings, but Yu Renwan suddenly fell quiet.

Jiang Yan turned her head; at this moment, the tips of Renwan’s ears were red.

Noticing Jiang Yan’s questioning glance, Yu Renwan blurted out, “Then I got Jiang Jiang!”

“My friend that I waited eleven years for!”

【Oh my gosh QAQ】

【Wuwuwu, what a pitiful little unlucky kid】

【If you’re loud enough you can shout love back into your life… Was this what young Yu Renwan felt?】

【A child’s fate can never determine the family’s future. Why do these hack fortune-tellers go around scamming people?】

【She was already this pitiful before any fortune-telling—what will she face in six months…】

【In those big families it’s hard to kick people out, but they’ll keep suppressing them until they leave on their own.】

【No wonder Yu Renwan’s personality changed so much. She used to be so self-conscious she couldn’t even meet people’s eyes.】

Little Jiang Yan waited a bit, and when the two behind her didn’t speak further, she finally put down her ears, which she had been sticking straight up.

She frowned. “So you were really that pitiful, huh.”

Young Yu Renwan hadn’t heard the earlier conversation. “Huh?” she said.

Little Jiang Yan scanned her up and down several times, her gaze pausing for a few seconds each on Renwan’s bruised knees, scraped elbows, and her plain, ordinary clothes. At last, she solemnly cupped her cheek. “All right, you really are pretty pitiful.”

“What do you usually eat?” Little Jiang Yan asked.

Young Yu Renwan thought for a moment and recounted the breakfast she’d had before arriving: “Plain rice porridge and pickled radish.”

Little Jiang Yan sucked in a breath.

“Even the poorest palace maids get better food than you!”

Yu Renwan asked, “So what did you have for breakfast?”

Little Jiang Yan began counting on her fingers: “Sesame flatbread, a small bowl of shredded chicken in sauce, pan-fried fresh fish…”

By the time she got to the sixth dish, the expression on the kid across from her had changed, and she was swallowing harder and harder. After a minute, Little Jiang Yan paused and added, “But there’s only a little of each. My mother is too busy with state affairs, so my father-consort has breakfast with me every day.”

“He always picks out all the fishbones for me.”

Young Yu Renwan had gotten used to her companion’s role-playing quirks by now. She automatically substituted “father-consort” with “father” in her mind, her face filling with envy.

“That sounds so nice… My dad was sick a lot so he rarely ate with me. If my dad could eat with me, I’d pick out his fishbones for him for sure.”

Little Jiang Yan: “…”

【Her boastful face froze just a little】

【Little Jiang Yan wakes up in the middle of the night to punch the air】

A long time later, Little Jiang Yan said stiffly, “All right.”

“If you come visit my palace one day, I can have my father-consort pick out your fishbones too.”

Young Yu Renwan visibly brightened, and she skipped ahead, pulling little Jiang Yan forward. This time, she glanced down at her own expensive but now grubby clothes, bit down hard, and managed to restrain herself.

The snack stand was right ahead, and Young Yu Renwan kept confirming with Little Jiang Yan, “Will you really let me come play at your house?”

Little Jiang Yan nodded decorously.

“Your parents won’t throw me out?”

Little Jiang Yan shook her head with poise.

“Is your house big? Really big?”

Little Jiang Yan nodded again, her manner restrained.

“So do you have flowers? A little stage? Can I play on it?”

This time, Little Jiang Yan didn’t nod or shake her head.

She said, “No.”

“I live in the underground palace. There are no flowers or stages there.”

Young Yu Renwan was puzzled. “Is the underground palace your bedroom?”

“No,” the little girl replied. “It’s my activity area.”

Young Yu Renwan was lost. “There aren’t any flowers inside? No fragrant flowers? I have lots and lots of flowers in my bedroom.”

“No.”

Little Jiang Yan told her, “The underground palace has beds, tables, bookshelves, and a lot of beautiful luminous pearls.”

Young Yu Renwan’s eyes lit up. “Luminous pearls!”

Little Jiang Yan nodded again, with that same poise. “Really bright. Even though there aren’t any windows in the underground palace, the pearls light up everything.”

Young Yu Renwan sensed something was off.

She scratched her head. “Can you leave the underground palace?”

This time, Little Jiang Yan didn’t answer right away. After a long pause, she quietly shook her head.

“I’m very weak right now. If I’m discovered, it’ll get very troublesome. I have to stay inside the underground palace.”

Young Yu Renwan asked curiously, “Then how do you know about the world outside?”

Little Jiang Yan replied, “My mother, father-consort, and the peacocks all tell me stories.”

Young Yu Renwan went, “Oh,” still perplexed, then waved her little hand. “Let’s go eat.”

The livestream chat was equally confused.

【What are they even talking about?】

【…Did Sister Yan get hidden away when she was little?】

【Hahahaha—the kids are just role-playing! Like, “I have a treasure inside me, if I show up I’ll get killed and robbed, so I have to hide in the underground palace,” classic wuxia plotline~】

【But she’s so serious about it.】

【Hehe, that earnest round little face is so cute, hehe.】

In front of the cotton candy stand, Little Jiang Yan stopped walking. Jiang Yan automatically handed her finger to the vendor, and soon a pink cloud of candy was in the little girl’s hands. She took a curious bite, cheeks puffing up, and instantly crumpled her face.

“Too sweet. Not good.”

At that moment, Mu Wang also walked over. Pink-clad Tao Tao handed the five fingers he was given to Little Jiang Yan, then took the cotton candy for himself. “I’ll eat it—will you hold my hand for a bit?”

Little Jiang Yan’s hand was taken away, and Young Yu Renwan immediately threw a fit.

Little Jiang Yan declared, “Today I’m only holding hands with the saddest little friend.”

Young Yu Renwan shot her hand up high. “Me, me, me!”

So Little Jiang Yan’s hand returned to Young Yu Renwan.

The black-clad Tao Tao stared dumbly at the two of them for a while, then turned and ran to Mu Wang, dejectedly burying his face in his jacket.

Mu Wang: “…”

“…I can’t help, either,” he murmured.

Black Tao Tao drooped. “We’re so useless.”

After wandering around half the recreation area, the kids had all grabbed some snacks, and Little Jiang Yan was now sporting a balloon tied to her wrist.

At this point the twin siblings and Zhao Kepu finally finished the cleaver game just in time. As they got their prize stamped, a sweet, childlike voice rang out from the theme park’s dozens of speakers.

“La la la, la la la—”

“Congratulations to the six guests who completed the game zone! In five minutes, night will fall. Guests may now safely check into the park’s hotel!”

No sooner had the announcement ended than the scorching sunlight of daytime suddenly vanished. All the stifling heat evaporated. The curtain of night slid down from the horizon in slow motion, thick darkness filled with starlight quickly conquering half the sky, then spreading to cover all of it within five minutes.

Brilliant blue and violet fireworks burst through the night. Countless golden stars rained down before everyone’s eyes.

Beneath the stars stood a palace several meters tall—

It appeared before them in a flash, materializing from nothing in the blink of an eye.

The palace had three stories, the architecture exquisitely intricate. Every pillar was carved with designs, the outer walls painted in red, blue, and pink. The messy patterns depicted cartoon tales; the rough brushstrokes somehow overflowing with narrative.

All the lights came on. Dozens of mascots appeared on the open balconies of every floor, dancing in perfect step.

As they danced, they spoke in unison:

“The joys of childhood are my marrow—welcome, one and all!”

They lifted their feet together:

“The pains of childhood are my sustenance—welcome, one and all!”

They skipped and waved their hands:

“My skull hides beneath the filthy carpet, my ribs forgotten in the sewer, my skin and fur dance with the rats, I watch the flaming clouds at sunset, I watch the flaming clouds at sunset!”

“Pick me up, please, my father and mother!”