So it truly was you all.
In the vast, empty room, the air echoed with the man’s furious roars and the woman’s anguished cries.
After a long time...
“So it was... it really was you all along.” The woman, voice hoarse and weary, let out a feeble sigh.
Bai Zongnan, too, felt dazed—he never imagined that after so many years, a reunion with old classmates would unfold like this.
The girl across from him wore a look of deep sorrow, yet remained silent.
Suddenly, Xu Guangliang, who had been crouching on the floor, sprang up, crossed the distance in a few strides, and seized the woman by the throat, shoving her against the wall.
“Xing Xin, was this your doing?” His eyes were fierce, blazing with accusation.
“Don’t think Bai Zongnan doesn’t know. The other day at Huixin Café—weren’t you following Bai Zongnan?”
Xing Xin had not expected Xu Guangliang’s sudden outburst. Her face quickly turned crimson as she struggled to speak, “If... it was... Bai Zongnan’s doing... Bai Zongnan... wouldn’t... be here... now!”
“Guangliang, what are you doing? Let her go! If you keep this up, someone will get—”
Bai Zongnan instinctively reached out to help, but halfway through his words he caught the murderous glare in Xu Guangliang’s eyes and fell silent.
“Zhen Zhiyan, don’t play the good guy. You were the last one to lock the door during that fire!”
At these words, Bai Zongnan’s heart clenched. He quickly glanced at Lin Panpan across the room; her face flickered, then regained its calm.
“If it weren’t for the two of you back then, there wouldn’t have been any deaths, and I wouldn’t be here now!”
“Let me tell you, if Gu Xiaoxu really has come for revenge, she’ll take care of you three first!”
The veins on Xing Xin’s neck bulged visibly. Her mouth gaped wide, but not a sound emerged.
“Calm down! You’re about to strangle her. Do you want to end up in the police station again? This time, it won’t be juvenile detention!”
Without warning, Lin Panpan’s voice cut in.
Xu Guangliang let go, leaving Xing Xin clutching her throat, coughing violently.
But soon, Bai Zongnan sensed that something was wrong.
Xu Guangliang seemed to be in excruciating pain; he started clawing at his own neck with all his strength, his eyes bulging as if they might burst.
“Look, what’s happening to him?” Lin Panpan, almost possessed, pressed close to Bai Zongnan’s side, grabbing his arm as she stared in terror at Xu Guangliang, who was now writhing on the floor.
Somewhere unseen in the room, a deep male voice sounded again.
“Time’s up. You failed to answer in time. Commencing first round of punishment.”
Xing Xin finally caught her breath, watching in horror as Xu Guangliang thrashed about on the floor.
“Ahhh, help... help Bai Zongnan, it hurts, it hurts so much, Bai Zongnan is dying from the pain...”
No one dared approach.
“Hurts... hurts...”
No one knew how long it lasted. Xu Guangliang’s cries, wet with tears and snot, gradually faded, his voice now a faint whisper. He lay on the ground like a heap of mud, still twitching slightly.
His hat had toppled, but remained firmly attached to his head. The golden light on it flickered rapidly a few times, then vanished.
At the same moment, the male voice sounded again.
“Second round question: Does Gu Xiaoxu like Zhen Zhiyan? Number Two, please answer!”
Bai Zongnan heard his own name. His heart skipped a beat.
Lin Panpan, who had been clutching his arm, leapt away as if startled, staring at the top of Bai Zongnan’s head as though she were seeing a zombie.
Not far away, Xing Xin also looked up at him, her eyes full of fear.
Bai Zongnan gave a wry smile and instinctively touched his head. The fabric brushed beneath his fingertips. He couldn’t see it, but he could guess: the yellow light was now flashing atop his head, just as it had for Xu Guangliang.
He steadied himself, closed his eyes, and recalled the words from the text message:
10. When answering, please tell the truth as much as possible.
11. If you lie, the indicator light will turn red to judge your answer.
12. If a player’s red light comes on for the second time, they are eliminated!
What did “eliminated” mean? Was Xu Guangliang eliminated just now?
There was no time to ponder. If he hesitated too long, it would be him writhing on the floor this round.
Did Gu Xiaoxu like Bai Zongnan?
Time seemed to flow backward, returning to ten years ago, to a peaceful, sunlit afternoon.
A girl in a white dress approached the sleeping Bai Zongnan with a bright smile, her hands clasped behind her back.
“Zhiyan, you haven’t eaten lunch again, have you? Here, this is for you.” She cheerfully brought out the lunchbox she’d been hiding behind her back, her smile undiminished.
Bai Zongnan grew flustered, about to rise and accept it. Suddenly, harsh, shrill laughter rang out at the door.
“Well, well, skipping the dorm at noon—turns out our ‘little writer’ Bai Zongnan has a secret rendezvous here!”
“What’s this, then?”
Three or four girls came chattering in, led by Xing Xin, whose makeup was lighter than it would be years later but whose expression was unchanged in memory. She dashed over, snatched the lunchbox from Gu Xiaoxu’s hands, teasing all the while.
“What’s the matter? Not into Guangliang’s type, but fancy this one, huh?”
Bai Zongnan’s hand froze midair; his face flushed crimson. Leaving Gu Xiaoxu with her head bowed nearly to the floor, he fled from the classroom.
...
On the sports field, just after the bell rang for class, several boys surrounded Bai Zongnan, their expressions unfriendly.
Xu Guangliang stood directly in front of him, face dark, then suddenly punched Bai Zongnan hard in the stomach.
“Stay away from Gu Xiaoxu, got it?”
Bai Zongnan had no chance to fight back. Fists and feet rained down like hail. He curled up, covering his head, in too much pain even to call for help. Through his fingers, he saw the “thugs” shake out their clothes and swagger away.
...
In the classroom, during evening study, Gu Xiaoxu, in a slightly wrinkled white school uniform, handed Bai Zongnan a pen, her hands trembling.
Bai Zongnan turned to look at his desk mate. Tears stained her cheeks; her expression was desolate.
“About what happened in math class today... I didn’t mean to hold everyone up.”
“I don’t know why Mr. Liang got so angry. I just saw the answer was wrong and blurted it out...”
Her voice grew smaller, her head drooping.
“It’s not because of that, is it?”
As she spoke, she straightened her clothes, hiding a muddy footprint.
“I shouldn’t be telling you all this. Sorry, um—happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
Catching a few hostile glances from the back row, Bai Zongnan replied in a barely audible whisper, then turned away, refusing to meet her gaze.
...
There couldn’t be much time left. Bai Zongnan felt a faint ache in his chest, but it seemed he had found his answer.
Did Gu Xiaoxu like Zhen Zhiyan?
Gu Xiaoxu liked Zhen Zhiyan!
Bai Zongnan declared solemnly to the center of the room.
A short beep sounded. After a brief silence, the room echoed with an electronic prompt.
“Number Two has answered—Lie!” The deep male voice followed, pronouncing Bai Zongnan’s fate like a judge at a trial.
“You... you, the red light!” Lin Panpan cried out in fright, covering her mouth.
Bai Zongnan gave a bitter smile. Was his answer wrong? So now, he must have only one life left.
Staring at the man in the interrogation room, who was calmly spinning his tale, Bai Zongnan could no longer contain himself. He wrenched open the door and stood at the threshold.
Their eyes met. Lu Nanying’s gaze was so open and unflinching that Bai Zongnan could barely believe this was a kidnapper.
“Captain Qin, what do you think?” Xiao Liu stood up, looking at Bai Zongnan. He had worked with Bai Zongnan for ten years. Ten years ago, it was the two of them who had investigated the Lishui No. 1 High School case—back then, Bai Zongnan had only been the squad captain.
Bai Zongnan signaled for him to leave.
A single door, a hanging lamp, and Bai Zongnan.
This was not his home, nor his office. It was... a tiny room, barely ten square meters.
He had just woken from unconsciousness, his head buzzing. Glancing around, Bai Zongnan felt a sense of unreality.
Had he been kidnapped? He stood, walked to the door, and tugged at the handle. It wouldn’t open.
“Is anyone there—?”
His voice echoed in the small room, gradually fading away, met by silence.
Bai Zongnan rubbed his forehead and checked his body—thankfully, he was uninjured. His phone was still there, the screen frozen on that text message, but the signal bars were empty. An ominous premonition crept over him.
Had he been kidnapped?
He tried to recall what had happened, but his head throbbed. The last thing he remembered was heading home from work...
Then, unconsciousness. And now, this room.
“Hello, everyone. Welcome to the game of ‘Truth and Lies.’ The rules have been sent to each of you by text. Now then, enjoy the game!”
The electric male voice did not belong to this room, faint but carrying clearly through the door to Bai Zongnan’s ears.
It was coming from outside the door.
As expected, Bai Zongnan tried the handle again. The door opened.
Almost simultaneously, the opposite door opened as well. A girl with short golden hair stared straight at him.
Their eyes met for several seconds, as if each saw their own fear reflected in the other.
Swallowing hard, Bai Zongnan stepped out.
“Who are you?”
The girl did not answer, only continued to stare at Bai Zongnan, her eyes tracking his movements, proving she was not a corpse.
Soon, the doors beside and diagonally across from Bai Zongnan opened, each releasing a man and a woman.
“Where is this? Are you the kidnappers?” The man from the adjacent room looked around and called out loudly.
“Of course not!” Bai Zongnan replied. “I woke up in the room and only came out when I heard voices.”
Perhaps because the woman diagonally opposite was farther away, Bai Zongnan couldn’t at first tell who had spoken. Only when he saw her face, expressionless and unmoving, did he realize it was her.
He looked around. They were in a square hall with a high ceiling; a large, bright pendant lamp hung at the center, above four rooms in each corner.
“Hey, kid, I’m talking to you. What’s your story?” The man next door, burly and half-concealed behind his door, barked at Bai Zongnan.
Bai Zongnan snapped to attention. “Same as you. I woke up in the room, heard people talking, and came out.”
The big man opened his door fully and replied, “Yeah, same here. I only came out when I heard movement.”
The woman diagonally across seemed to relax a little, stepping forward.
“I was scared and didn’t dare open the door until I heard you coming out,” she said.
Now that she was closer, Bai Zongnan could see her clearly—dressed in a short dress, heavily made up.
“What kind of people are these, so bold? Daring to knock us out and bring us here—what do they want?” The big man eyed the woman across from him.
“I heard from the voice outside that we’re supposed to play some kind of game...”
Before Bai Zongnan could finish, the man cut him off, voice rough and angry. “Play some damned game—when I find out who’s behind this, I’ll beat them to death.”
He even demonstrated with a swing of his fist.
Instinctively, Bai Zongnan glanced at the reserved girl across the room. She remained expressionless, unmoved by their reactions, head bowed.
The other two shared a wary look.
Just then—
A chiming electronic tone sounded. The male voice reappeared.
“After that introduction, you must know a little about each other. Now, the first round officially begins.
The first question is...
The voice paused, then dropped to a grave, resonant tone: “Did Gu Xiaoxu take the pen from Gu Xiaoxu’s pencil box?”
Number One, please answer!
As soon as the words fell, the big man’s hat lit up, golden light flashing three times.
Gu Xiaoxu—!
At the mention of the name, Bai Zongnan’s mind roared and then exploded with realization.
The glamorous woman could not help but scream, “It’s her, it really is her—she’s come for revenge!”
The big man was stunned, unable to recover for a long time. At length, he forced out a few syllables as if each word cost him great pain.
Bai Zongnan watched him and asked in a trembling voice, “What... what did you say?”
The man crouched, holding his head. “I’m Xu Guangliang, former class monitor of Class 14, Grade 11, Lishui No. 2 High School, Class of 2011. Do you know me?”
With those words, the scene before them shifted—the vast room shattered and reassembled, time froze and rewound, and the events of ten years past slowly resurfaced from memory.
——
Back then, Bai Zongnan’s name was Qin Zhen. He was deputy chief of the LS City Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Department.
Spread before him was a thick dossier—the file on the vicious murder that had occurred at Lishui No. 2 High School a decade earlier.
If it weren’t for the boy sitting in the adjacent room, these files might have lain undisturbed in the archives forever.
But no one could have predicted that tonight, the suspect would turn herself in. Yet she did not confess to the case from ten years ago, but to a missing persons case opened only the previous week.
Next door was the interrogation room.
A week prior, the criminal unit had received orders from central command to open a formal investigation into the disappearance of two men and two women from the city.
Perhaps it was because one of the missing persons was the director’s son: the file on the case was delivered to Bai Zongnan’s desk the afternoon of the very day of the meeting.
Missing persons:
Xing Xin, female, 26, bar singer.
Xu Guangliang, male, 25, unemployed.
Zhen Zhiyan, male, 26, murder mystery game writer.
Lin Panpan, female, 24, graduate student.
These four young people had vanished nearly simultaneously, with little in common except the timing of the reports.
Until today...
Bai Zongnan leafed through the file, his ears catching the voice of the “suspect” in the adjacent interrogation room.
“Name.”
“Lu Nanying.”
“Age.”
“Year of the Dog.”
“Age!”
“Twenty-six.”
“...”
“Officer, I’m a law-abiding citizen. This time, I just invited the four of them to my house for a little game.”
“They haven’t been deprived of their freedom. The door isn’t locked—they can leave whenever they wish. But I don’t think they’ll want to...”
“In fact, the four of them are old acquaintances. They even ‘cooperated’ on another game together.”
“As for me? Someone as ordinary as me—they probably don’t remember at all.”
“Where was I... Oh right, under normal circumstances—and I do mean ‘normal circumstances’—they wouldn’t be in any danger. Unless they decide to bite their tongues and kill themselves, ha ha ha...”
What a slippery character. Bai Zongnan stood up, staring at him through the one-way glass.
He didn’t look as ferocious as Bai Zongnan had expected. Instead, his face was harmless, with a neatly combed fringe—just as he said, utterly ordinary.
Now, his plain face was flushed with excitement. If not for the handcuffs, he might have been dancing with glee.
“If you want to talk about danger, it can only come from one place...” He struggled against the handcuffs, eyes shining as he pointed at his chest.
“Be clear about what you’re admitting to!” Xiao Liu barked, all seriousness.
“The hats! Those hats are the only things on them that aren’t their own. Wonderful inventions—they work as lie detectors. Actually, I think they’d be useful in your investigations, too. Hope we can collaborate in future...”
“That’s enough! Remember your position—you’re a criminal suspect. Do you understand?”
“You mentioned danger. What kind of danger?”
Without warning, the usually mild-mannered Xiao Liu lost his temper. The man dropped his joking tone and cleared his throat, speaking deliberately.
“These are very dangerous hats. If they lie, the hats will kill them.”
In the empty room, the man’s roars and the woman’s sobs reverberated.
After a long time...
“So it really was you all along.” The woman, exhausted, sighed.
Bai Zongnan, too, was dazed—not expecting to meet his old classmates again in circumstances like these.
The girl across from him showed grief but still said nothing.
Suddenly, Xu Guangliang, crouched on the ground, sprang up, crossed to the woman, and seized her by the neck, slamming her into the wall.
“Xing Xin, is this your doing?” His eyes were murderous.
“Don’t think Bai Zongnan doesn’t know. The other day at Huixin Café—weren’t you following Bai Zongnan?”
Xing Xin hadn’t expected Xu Guangliang’s sudden violence. Her face turned red as she struggled to say, “If... it was... Bai Zongnan’s doing... Bai Zongnan... wouldn’t... be here... now!”
“Guangliang, what are you doing? Let go! You’ll kill someone at this rate—”
Bai Zongnan instinctively tried to help, but Xu Guangliang’s ferocious look silenced him.
“Zhen Zhiyan, stop playing the good guy. Back then, you were the last to lock the door during the fire!”
Bai Zongnan’s heart tightened. He glanced quickly at Lin Panpan, who turned pale before regaining composure.
“If it weren’t for you two, no one would have died, and I wouldn’t be here! And if Gu Xiaoxu really wants revenge, she’ll come for you three first!”
Xing Xin’s veins bulged, her mouth opened wide, but she made no sound.
“Calm down! You’re about to kill her. Want to end up in the police station again? This time, you won’t just be in juvie!” Lin Panpan suddenly spoke.
Xu Guangliang released her. Xing Xin clutched her neck, coughing violently.
But soon, Bai Zongnan noticed something wrong.
Xu Guangliang seemed to be suffering terrible pain; he began choking himself, his eyes bulging.
“What’s wrong with him?” Lin Panpan, as if possessed, clung to Bai Zongnan’s arm and stared at Xu Guangliang in horror.
From somewhere in the room, the deep male voice sounded again:
“Time’s up. You failed to answer in time. Commencing first round of punishment!”
Xing Xin, regaining her breath, stared in terror at Xu Guangliang writhing on the floor.
“Ahhh, help... help Bai Zongnan, it hurts, it hurts so much, Bai Zongnan is dying from the pain...”
No one dared approach.
“Hurts... hurts...”
After a long time, Xu Guangliang’s tearful sobs faded, his voice barely a whisper. He lay on the ground, twitching faintly.
His hat lay askew but still firmly attached. The golden light flickered, then vanished.
At that moment, the male voice spoke again.
“Second round question: Does Gu Xiaoxu like Zhen Zhiyan? Number Two, please answer!”
Bai Zongnan heard his name. His heart skipped a beat.
Lin Panpan, who had been gripping his arm, shrank away, staring at the top of his head as if seeing a zombie.
Not far away, Xing Xin looked over, fear in her eyes.
Bai Zongnan forced a bitter smile, touching his head. The fabric brushed under his fingers. He couldn’t see it, but he knew: the yellow light was flashing atop his head, just like Xu Guangliang’s had.
He composed himself, closed his eyes, and recalled the rules from the message.
13. When answering, please try to tell the truth.
14. If you lie, the indicator will turn red, and you will be judged accordingly.
15. If a player’s red light comes on a second time, they are eliminated!
What did elimination mean? Had Xu Guangliang just been eliminated?
There was no time to think. If he hesitated, he’d be the one on the floor next.
Did Gu Xiaoxu like Bai Zongnan?
Time seemed to flow backward, returning to the quiet, sun-drenched afternoon ten years before.
A girl in a white dress approached Bai Zongnan, who was napping on his desk, her hands behind her back, smiling warmly.
“Zhiyan, you skipped lunch again? Here, this is for you.” She handed him the lunchbox she’d hidden behind her back, smiling all the while.
Bai Zongnan fumbled, about to stand and accept it, when shrill laughter rang out at the door.
“Well, well, skipping the dorm at noon for a secret meeting with your ‘little writer’ brother?”
“What’s this?”
A group of chattering girls rushed in, Xing Xin at the front, her makeup lighter than it was now. She grabbed the lunchbox from Gu Xiaoxu and teased her.
“Not into Guangliang, but you like this one, huh?”
Bai Zongnan’s hand froze, his face burning. He left Gu Xiaoxu, who hung her head low, and fled the classroom.
...
After the bell, on the playground, several boys surrounded Bai Zongnan, eyes unfriendly.
Xu Guangliang faced him, dark-faced, then punched Bai Zongnan in the stomach.
“Stay away from Gu Xiaoxu, got it?”
There was no chance to resist. Fists and feet rained down. Bai Zongnan curled up, too weak to even shout for help. Through his fingers, he saw them shake out their clothes and strut away.
...
Evening study, in the classroom.
Gu Xiaoxu, in a wrinkled white uniform, trembled as she handed Bai Zongnan a pen.
He turned to look at his seatmate—her cheeks streaked with tears, her expression desolate.
“About what happened in math class today... I didn’t mean to waste everyone’s time... I don’t know why Mr. Liang got so angry. I just saw the answer was wrong and blurted it out...”
Her voice faded, head drooping.
“They’re not upset because of that, are they?”
She adjusted her clothes, hiding a muddy footprint.
“I shouldn’t talk about this. Sorry. Um, happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
Catching a few hostile glances from behind, Bai Zongnan whispered his thanks, then turned away.
...
Time was running out. Bai Zongnan felt a sour ache in his heart, but he had the answer.
Did Gu Xiaoxu like Zhen Zhiyan?
Gu Xiaoxu liked Zhen Zhiyan!
He declared it solemnly to the room.
A short beep sounded. After a moment’s silence, the electronic prompt returned.
“Number Two has answered—a lie!” The deep male voice delivered the verdict like a judge.
“You... you, the red light!” Lin Panpan shrieked in terror.
Bai Zongnan gave a bitter smile. Was his answer wrong? He must have only one life left now.
Staring at the man in the interrogation room, who sat at ease as if telling a story, Bai Zongnan could endure no longer. He yanked the door open and stood at the threshold.
Their eyes met. Lu Nanying’s gaze was so open and frank that Bai Zongnan couldn’t believe he was a kidnapper.
“Captain Qin, what do you think?” Xiao Liu stood and looked at Bai Zongnan. He had worked with him for ten years; ten years before, the two had investigated the Lishui High case—back then, Bai Zongnan had been the squad leader.
Bai Zongnan signaled for him to leave.