Chapter 192
#Xie-Liu-Bing, Escaping Toward Freedom#
The trending hashtag that netizens created for fun from a single candid snapshot unexpectedly revealed the truth.
With Old Li the driver’s superb skills, they successfully shook off Liu Xingzhou’s car.
Without the chase behind them, Lai Bingxuan still felt unsatisfied.
“So… what should we do now?”
Liu Woxing also turned to look at Xie Mi.
As the mastermind of this incident—and the one with the most wild ideas—there was no doubt that Xie Mi was the brain of the trio.
So she declared:
“According to our original plan, today was supposed to be our shopping and vlog-recording day. Since we don’t know what else to do, let’s stick to the plan—straight to shopping!”
At that, Liu Woxing’s eyes lit up.
She had been looking forward to today’s outing for a long time.
When she was suddenly told she wasn’t allowed to join, her mood had sunk low.
Who would’ve thought, after all the twists and turns, she would still end up taking part?
“Alright.” Liu Woxing chuckled softly. “I’m in.”
“Fine then, let’s head back to the mall in District A,” Lai Bingxuan suggested.
Just as Old Li was about to turn the car, Xie Mi stopped him.
“Hey, no need to go that far. Isn’t there a commercial street right here?”
As soon as she finished, both Lai Bingxuan and Liu Woxing turned their heads.
Sure enough, this was a bustling pedestrian street—the favorite hangout for people of all ages.
Cheap shops, snack carts, little carnival games like hoop toss and toy guns—it had everything.
For Xie Mi, it was a cost-effective paradise. For Lai Bingxuan and Liu Woxing, it was practically uncharted territory.
Most importantly—it was crowded.
Because they were in a convertible, the moment they stopped on the roadside, curious stares came pouring in.
“They’re so pretty… are they celebrities?”
“Why do they look kind of familiar?”
“Holy crap, holy crap! I was just scrolling on Weibo and now the real deal is right in front of me—am I dreaming?!”
“Aaaaah! Old Xie!”
“Woxing? Woxing?!!”
“No way, Sister Lai?!”
As more people recognized them, the situation quickly turned chaotic.
Lai Bingxuan’s face changed.
“Not good!”
Liu Woxing was flustered as well.
“Teacher Xie, do we really have to shop here?”
“Don’t panic.”
Having faced much bigger crowds before, Xie Mi was the calmest of the three.
“Old Li, drive us somewhere less crowded first.”
“Got it!”
Old Li once again showed off his top-notch driving and swiftly got them away from the chaos.
Back on the street, passersby reluctantly put their phones down, snapping until the car disappeared, before finally dispersing.
Peace soon returned.
And that was when three bizarrely dressed figures appeared at the street corner.
Inside a frog mascot suit—Liu Woxing.
Inside a cockroach mascot suit—Lai Bingxuan.
Top half shark, bottom half bee costume, aka a “Shark-Bee”—Xie Mi.
The three mascots gathered on the street. Their appearances were so absurd that not a single child dared come close.
One even burst into tears.
From inside the frog suit came Liu Woxing’s hesitant voice:
“Is this… really okay?”
From the cockroach suit, Lai Bingxuan groaned:
“Everyone’s looking at us like we’re lunatics.”
But the most confident one—the Shark-Bee—stood with hands on hips, chest puffed out.
From inside came her over-the-top villainous laugh.
“Ever heard of the ultimate cure for social anxiety?”
Liu Woxing & Lai Bingxuan: “???”
“When your face is covered, your spirit is free. Trust me, soon you’ll be thanking me for this.”
No sooner had she spoken than Xie Mi bolted like a wild horse, straight into the center of the plaza, pulling off a Thomas full spin.
She instantly drew everyone’s attention. Faces all around twisted in shock and confusion.
Who let this mental patient out?
Lai Bingxuan silently raised her hand to cover her face—then remembered it was already covered.
Come to think of it… there really was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Her whole body was wrapped up. Nobody could recognize her anyway.
“If that’s the case…”
The cockroach suit rubbed its “chin” thoughtfully. After a moment, she rushed forward to join Xie Mi’s street dance.
But without Xie Mi’s flexibility, she didn’t even finish a spin before Xie Mi’s foot sent her flying, rolling ten full circles.
“God of Fortune!!!”
From the Shark-Bee suit came Xie Mi’s anguished cry.
The next second, she skidded on her knees over to the cockroach, hoisted her onto her shoulder, and bolted.
Liu Woxing, who had been frozen in place, quickly snapped out of it and gave chase.
“Xie… wait for me!”
Laughter erupted around them.
“Are they mascots hired by a shop?”
“Kind of hilarious, hahaha…”
“Hey, there’s cotton candy up ahead. Baby, want some?”
…
Liu Woxing froze, then instinctively glanced back.
The passersby weren’t giving them much thought.
They only chuckled at the spectacle and went back to their own business.
Wrapped in this costume, it seemed no matter how ridiculous her actions were, no one would judge her.
A strange feeling welled up inside her.
Something restless… as if urging her forward.
Which meant…
She could do anything she wanted right now.
“Liu—cough, Big Frog! Come play hoop toss!” The Shark-Bee was calling out to her.
Pulled back from her thoughts, Liu Woxing looked at the two mascots eagerly waiting by the stall, her heart suddenly surging with excitement.
“Coming!”
She felt freer in that moment than ever before.
At the hoop toss stand, Liu Woxing and Lai Bingxuan became “outline masters,” tossing fifty hoops and only hitting a tiny keychain once.
The stall owner smiled like a blooming flower, asking whether they were hot in those costumes, whether they needed chairs to rest—chatting from “Hundred Herbs Garden” all the way to “Three Flavor Study.”
When it was Xie Mi’s turn, she cleared out the stand with her fifty hoops.
The owner’s expression immediately soured, his words drying up—as if he just wasn’t much of a talker by nature.
After conquering hoop toss, Xie Mi dragged them to try inflatable castles, claw machines, kiddie cars, dart balloons.
By the time they had been blacklisted by every stall, Xie Mi ended up dancing old-school disco by the fountain—only to be ambushed by a jet of water, leaving her drenched.
Finally, she calmed down.
Seeing the Shark-Bee standing soaked in the fountain, the Frog and the Cockroach outside were doubled over with laughter.
And so, evening came.
For convenience, they ditched the mascot suits, did some quick disguising, and sat down at a street-side food stall for crayfish.
Their outfits at that moment: Afro punk rocker Xie Mi, Black-rimmed glasses schoolgirl Lai Bingxuan, White-haired, granny-glasses elder style Liu Woxing.
The stall owner turned back to stare at them eight times in ten minutes—completely unable to figure out how these three ended up together.
