This is a bizarre rule, isn't it? It's supposed to grant me many children and good fortune

Leng Meng's gaze lingered on the gift box for two seconds before she looked up at Lin Feng's face.

The expression on his face was frank and open, not like he was making up some clumsy excuse.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly chuckled very softly:

"Since it's about helping out..."

She reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing the edge of the gift box before steadily taking it.

"Then I shall respectfully comply."

Her voice was slightly softer than before, though she still maintained the proper demeanor of a butler.

Lin Feng immediately nodded: "Thank you."

Leng Meng shifted her gaze from his face to the dimly lit area at the end of the corridor.

Get some rest.

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around, her back ramrod straight, and walked towards the end of the corridor.

With a gentle turn of the key, the door to room 312 was opened, and the figure stepped inside.

A crisp, faint "click" sounded as the door was locked from the inside.

The entire corridor fell silent once again.

Leng Meng snapped her fingers, and the candlestick on the corner of the table lit up. The flickering flame cast a long, thin shadow of her on the stone floor.

She lowered her head, looking at the dark gray gift box in her arms, and gently stroked the surface of the box with her fingers.

She quickly walked to the table, put the gift box down, hooked one end of the ribbon with her fingertips, and gently pulled it open.

The moment the lid was lifted, a light, dewy fragrance wafted out.

As my fingertips traced the familiar frosted bottle and I saw those incredibly familiar words, a surge of indescribable emotion welled up in my chest.

She picked up the bottle of "You Tan Night Repair Essence", unscrewed the cap, and squeezed a small drop onto the back of her hand.

The milky white condensation gleamed with a warm luster under the candlelight.

She gently pushed it away with her fingertips.

He then curled the corners of his mouth into a smile and let out a long breath.

"...familiar texture and smell."

She screwed the cap back on, carefully placed the bottle back into the gift box, and couldn't help but take another look.

The candlelight flickered, reflecting in her eyes, making them sparkle.

At the other end of the corridor, Lin Feng was inserting the key to 305 into the lock.

With a "click," the latch popped open.

At the same instant, a crisp notification sound rang in his mind—

[Ding, Leng Meng's favorability towards the host increases by 10]

Current favorability rating: 20 points

Lin Feng paused for a moment while gripping the doorknob, a slight smile playing on his lips, before pushing the door open.

A chilling aura instantly enveloped everyone, pressing down heavily on them.

The entire room was bathed in a hazy, dim, blood-red light.

Although the north-facing window couldn't directly see the blood moon hanging high in the sky, it was still diffused and permeated by the blood-red moonlight in the night sky, casting an eerie dark red halo over the pitch-black room.

Lin Feng raised his hand and took out a powerful flashlight from his personal space, pressing the switch with his fingertip.

A beam of pure white light suddenly pierced the darkness, illuminating the entire guest room.

Park Tae-rang immediately took out an action camera, the lens steadily following the beam of the flashlight.

Six single iron bunk beds are neatly arranged against the wall on the left side of the room.

There is a distance of about 30 centimeters between each pair of beds.

On the wall near the door stands an old-fashioned solid wood wardrobe with dark, heavy wood grain. The wardrobe doors are tightly closed, exuding a dull and oppressive feeling.

On the wall facing the six beds, hangs a vintage oil painting.

The painting depicts a panoramic view of the ancient castle, with dark clouds covering the top and the castle deep and secluded. The brushstrokes are somber and oppressive, making one feel increasingly heavy-hearted the more one looks at it.

Below the oil painting stands a full-length antique mirror with an intricately carved, gilded, vintage-style frame, its texture mottled and aged.

A solid wood table is placed by the window, paired with two wooden chairs with backrests. The surfaces of the table and chairs are severely worn, but the rounded edges are shiny, clearly indicating that they have been used for many years.

There is a brass candlestick on the table.

The candlestick is simple and unadorned, with three thick white candles neatly inserted on it.

Vassim stepped forward, picked up a match from beside the candlestick, deftly struck a spark, and lit the wicks one by one.

The warm yellow candlelight flickered slowly, dispelling some of the chill in the room.

Tasia's gaze was fixed on the ancient mirror, staring at the hazy, swaying reflection. She gradually became lost in thought, and unconsciously moved forward, wanting to get closer to see the details of the mirror.

Just as she was about to get close to the mirror, Lin Feng reacted quickly and grabbed her wrist:

"This mirror is a bit strange. Don't look at it too much, and don't get too close."

After saying that, he looked away and turned to everyone: "Let's look at the check-in rules behind the room door first."

Upon hearing the sound, the group moved together to the back of the door.

A thick, old, yellowed sheet of hemp pulp paper was neatly pasted on the door panel, with neat and solemn handwritten black characters on it.

Lin Feng's gaze swept across the paper, and he softly read out the rules word by word:

Rule 1: At least one person must remain awake in the room between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM the following day.

"Rule 2: If you hear any sound coming from the hallway at night (including knocking, calling, or crying), you must not open the door or respond."

"Rule 3: The mirrors in the room are 'mirrors of the soul.' You are not allowed to look directly into a mirror for more than 5 seconds, otherwise the person in the mirror will take your place."

"Rule 4: If you find that your reflection in the mirror is out of sync with your movements, it means that you have been contaminated. Please go to the bathroom immediately and rinse with cold water for at least 5 minutes."

Rule 5: The candlestick in the bathroom is the only light source. Make sure the candle does not go out while showering.

Rule 6: When showering in the bathroom, do not look down to look at the drain hole.

If you see a pale hand or a distorted face emerging from the drain, remain calm and continue showering.

Rule 7: A coarse gray towel is provided in the restroom. Please do not use any towels or clothing you bring to wipe your body.

Rule 8: Each bed is for one person only, and two people are strictly prohibited from sleeping in the same bed.

"Rule Nine: If you find someone in the room who does not belong to your group, do not panic. This person may be a 'former guest.' As long as you avoid looking at their face, they will leave on their own after five minutes."

Lin Feng read the nine rules aloud, then paused for a moment, habitually checking his own condition.

The subtle sense of "rule affinity" did not cause any discomfort or resistance.

It seems that all nine rules are correct.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief and turned to look at the five people behind him.

"At present, all nine points seem credible. Let's go over them one by one."

The crowd gathered around, their eyes fixed on the first line of text on the paper.

"Article 1: At least one person must remain awake in the room between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM the following day."

Lin Feng frowned slightly and began to analyze:

"From 11 p.m. tonight to 5 a.m. tomorrow, that's a total of six hours."

"There are exactly six of us, so we can take turns on duty. Each person will be on duty for one hour, and when the time is up, we will wake up the next person to take over."

"How should the duty order be arranged?" Tasia asked in a low voice.

Lin Feng thought for a moment and then said:

"Girls take priority and are assigned to the front. Tasia is first, Evelyn is second, I am third, Wasim is fourth, Park Tae-rang is fifth, and August is the last shift."

Everyone nodded in agreement, with no objections.