He's Afraid

Story Blurb:

One rainy afternoon, only one visitor came to the escape room.

Bai Tao, an NPC, never expected that simply standing there quietly would make someone crouch on the floor, clutching their head and curling into a ball with fright.

She lifted her white skirt, revealing her pale feet, and slowly approached. Gently stroking the visitor's hair, she said, "It's all fake. Don't be scared."

The visitor flinched, then relaxed and murmured an apologetic thanks.

When he looked up and their eyes met, Bai Tao heard her own name.

He said:

"I'm Lu Shi. Do you remember me?"

Bai Tao froze on the spot.

Lu Shi had been the famously handsome top student in high school. Before she set her sights on becoming a professional player, she'd admired him just like the other girls in her class.

He... was actually this scared?

-

Once the livestream event began, Lu Shi, unusually calm among the professional players running around in panic and screaming, became the backbone of the team.

Just as they were about to clear the game, zombies burst out and scattered the group, plunging the scene into chaos. Only after escaping the room did everyone realize one person was missing.

At the same time, another visitor returned to the area Bai Tao was in charge of.

The man, usually cool and distant, was curled up beneath a hospital bed, pleading ever so softly in her arms.

"Don't go. I'm scared."

Later, Bai Tao learned more:

He had once been afraid that he would never find her again after she retired, and that his six-year secret crush would come to nothing.

*The male lead's secret crush comes true

*Blurb revised on October 20, 2022

Theme: Leave no regrets