The Escape Room Proposal

“And if you’re looking to make money, I have another idea. I wonder if you’d be willing to consider it.”

Shi Xiangning said, glancing at Liu Hanzhi.

She had given it much thought. Since she was to work by Bai Wanwan’s side, she needed to demonstrate her own worth.

Her value couldn’t possibly overlap with Liu Hanzhi’s. If it did, not only would she have to compete with Liu Hanzhi, who was already established, but the overlap in duties would also slow down her progress in earning money.

“Wanwan, have you ever considered escape rooms!”

The moment Shi Xiangning uttered those words, Liu Hanzhi’s displeasure flared. She immediately raised her palm, ready to strike Shi Xiangning’s bun-adorned head.

“Is ‘Wanwan’ a name you’re permitted to use!?”

Liu Hanzhi’s face was clouded with displeasure, yet Shi Xiangning’s own temper had risen. She was currently offering Bai Wanwan advice on making money, so what was wrong with calling her ‘Wanwan’? Was Liu Hanzhi truly seeing herself as a maid who had sold herself?

“Blech! Can you stop interrupting?”

Shi Xiangning stuck out her tongue at Liu Hanzhi, then swiftly ducked behind Bai Wanwan. From there, she poked out half her head, continuing to make faces at Liu Hanzhi.

“Escape rooms?”

Bai Wanwan furrowed her brows, perplexed as to why Shi Xiangning would propose such an idea.

“As the saying goes, ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ Selling funeral items is your main business, and live streaming is a method to sell them.”

“But ultimately, we need to focus on the goal of making money.”

Shi Xiangning waved a magazine in her hand. It was this month’s fashion and youth magazine, featuring numerous interesting places to eat and enjoy.

Among them were popular pastimes for young people: murder mystery games, haunted houses, and escape rooms.

It was from this very magazine that Shi Xiangning had drawn her inspiration.

‘Haunted houses and escape rooms?’ Bai Wanwan mused. ‘Could any escape room designed by humans truly be as thrilling as one created by Shi Xiangning, a ghost who once possessed a Malevolent Domain?’

‘If Shi Xiangning were to plan the escape room, combined with Bai Wanwan’s talismans and paper effigies, wouldn’t the atmosphere and immersion be absolutely unparalleled?’

“This magazine even states that there’s an escape room in Bai City making a pure profit of a million yuan every month!”

Shi Xiangning was incredibly tempted. After all, the sooner she repaid her debt, the sooner she could reincarnate. The sooner she reincarnated, the sooner she could reunite with her family.

“What’s more, setting up an escape room would benefit both you and your official friends.”

“I used to possess a Malevolent Domain, you know. An escape room designed by me, if not a hundred percent, would at least be ninety percent accurate to a typical Malevolent Domain—that’s absolutely no problem.”

Shi Xiangning puffed out her not-so-ample chest with pride.

This idea undeniably captured Bai Wanwan’s attention, making Shi Xiangning feel a surge of elation.

This feeling became even more pronounced when she noticed Liu Hanzhi’s unconvinced expression nearby.

“During the day, the escape room could generate income. Then, at night, when yin energy is potent, I could randomly configure it to resemble a Malevolent Domain for your training.”

“Dying inside wouldn’t be true death; it would simply mean being eliminated. With multiple cost-free attempts and training sessions, you would be far more at ease when encountering a real Malevolent Domain.”

Shi Xiangning placed the magazine from her hand before Bai Wanwan. It had to be admitted, the suggestion was indeed excellent.

“Couldn’t we also ask your official friends for some subsidies for this idea? That way, we wouldn’t have to bear the cost of the escape room ourselves.”

“Wanwan!”

Shi Xiangning’s tone suddenly grew serious as she spoke the last words.

“Don’t assume that merely because you narrowly escaped my Malevolent Domain, you’ll be safe as long as you avoid contact with others in the future.”

“Malevolent Domains don’t open to ordinary people. Your encounters with them are fated.”

“Sooner or later, destiny will guide you back into other Malevolent Domains!”

Shi Xiangning’s expression was grave, clearly not jesting.

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask your official friends. They’ve likely all entered Malevolent Domains. Ask them if their number of entries is either zero or countless.”

“I believe your official friends want to recruit you partly out of a desire to protect you.”