After fans shared all the sweet moments from the awards ceremony online, the popularity of the Zhou-Zi CP soared daily, cementing its status as the undisputed king of the CP universe. Zhou Ziheng’s self-deprecating speech at the awards ceremony, titled “Three Pieces of Advice for Newcomers,” also went viral online. After shedding his “alpha male” persona, Zhou suddenly gained a massive following, with his popularity soaring.
During preparations for Escape from the Wolf Town Season 2, the show’s Weibo account was flooded daily by fans of both the program and its guests. The previous live-streamed Werewolf game garnered immense popularity and buzz. To meet fan expectations and build hype for the still-in-production second season, the production team decided to host a second live-stream of Escape from the Wolf Town.
[@WhiteCupOfWater: AAAAAAAAA So it’s going to be a serialized format?!?!?! So excited!!!]
[@ComeKissMe: AAAAAAAAA Werewolf!!!!]
[@SweetLittleMushroom: Can’t wait!! Start the livestream already!]
After coordinating schedules with nine guests and adjusting plans for several days, the production team finally launched the second live episode of Escape from Werewolf Town at 7 PM on Saturday.
To save time, everyone arrived at the studio already styled. Traffic delays made Xia Xiqing and Zhou Ziheng the last to arrive, but the moment they entered the studio, the chat exploded like fireworks.
[AAAAAAAAAAAAA I SEE ZIqing!!]
[Holy crap!!! Brother Xiqing!!! Hengheng!!]
[Wait!!! Xiqing’s sweater and Hengheng’s!!! They look like a couple’s set!!]
[That sharp-eyed sister!!! You’re amazing!!]
The dark gray sweater Xia Xiqing wore actually belonged to Zhou Ziheng. It was from an overseas trendy brand, but the shoulders were a bit too narrow, so Xia Xiqing borrowed it. The next day, Zhou Ziheng ordered another one. The dark gray was sold out, so he settled for a black one—but the pattern was identical to the one Xia Xiqing was wearing.
[When will Brother Xiqing grow his hair long again? It looks so gorgeous!!]
[When Brother Xiqing gets too lazy to cut his hair, that’s when he’ll have long hair hahaha]
[Ziheng’s shoulders!!! Those broad shoulders are so swoon-worthy!!]
All guests took their seats, following the same order as the previous Werewolf game: Seat 1 – Xia Zhixu, Seat 2 – Xu Qichen, Seat 3 – Ruan Xiao, Seat 4 – Yang Bo, Seat 5 – Xia Xiqing, Seat 6 – Shang Sirui, Seat 7 – Xia Xiuze, Seat 8 – Zhao Ke, Seat 9 – Zhou Ziheng. They greeted the camera in order. While Ruan Xiao was speaking, Xia Xiqing spotted Xia Zhixu handing Xu Qichen a Wangzi milk candy. He grinned, tapped the table, and gave Xu Qichen a knowing look.
[Ahhhhh Xiqing’s little gestures!!]
[xxq’s eyebrow raises are so swoon-worthy every time!!!!]
[Does Brother Xiqing want candy?? I have some here!!]
Xu Qichen caught Xia Xiqing’s signal and was about to toss him a piece when Xia Zhixu suddenly flung one straight at Xia Xiqing’s forehead. Fortunately, Xia Xiqing reacted quickly, ducking back and catching the candy with his hand.
It was immediately Xia Xiqing’s turn to greet the audience. With no time to scold Xia Zhixu, he smiled and waved at the camera, “Good evening~ I’m Number Five, Xia Xiqing.”
After finishing his greeting, Xia Xiqing caught Zhou Ziheng patting Xia Zhixu’s shoulder and sternly declaring, “Don’t you dare bully my wife.”
[Holy shit!!!!! Hengheng is awesome!!!]
[My husband is so badass today!!!!]
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Xia Xiqing smacked a piece of candy onto Zhou Ziheng’s head. “What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Xia Xiuze, standing nearby, mimicked Xia Xiqing’s actions. “Exactly! What nonsense are you spouting?!” He then stood up and high-fived the candy victim, Zhou Ziheng. “Yeah~”
“Seriously…” Xia Xiqing was speechless. How did everyone end up siding with that little brat Zhou Ziheng?
After a bit of commotion, the game finally began. Once everyone confirmed their drawn cards, the familiar voiceover from the production team echoed.
“Close your eyes when night falls.”
Eerie music filled the air as the lights turned deep crimson.
[The music for Escape Room and Escape the Werewolf is seriously creepy]
[deideidei! I can’t even watch Escape Room at night! It’s not a horror reality show, but it still makes my heart race!]
[We all watch it together in our dorm room, hahaha.]
“Cupid, open your eyes.”
Ruan Xiao opened her eyes and stretched her arms.
[Waaah Xiao Xiao!!!]
[Ahhh Ruan Xiao is Cupid!!]
“Cupid, please select two players to form a couple.”
Ruan Xiao carefully observed the bowed heads of the group. After a moment’s hesitation, she held up a 9 and then a 2 to the show’s camera.
[What??? Hengheng and the scriptwriter dude???]
[Are Xiao Xiao and Zhao Ke both part of the ship-shattering squad? Hahahaha]
Suddenly, Ruan Xiao made an X sign to the production team, signaling a re-selection. Two seconds later, she flashed a 9, then a 5, instantly flooding the chat with reactions.
[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
[Xiao Xiao is truly the number one fan of self-study girls, hahaha]
[Xiao Xiao is so on point!!!]
[Wolf Lovers Wolf Lovers Wolf Lovers, please please, Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, Guanyin Bodhisattva, all the great immortals, I want to see Wolf Lovers, aaaah!]
“Cupid, please close your eyes.” The voiceover paused, “Couples, open your eyes.”
Xia Xiqing felt a staff member tap his shoulder. He felt a thrill—being paired with a real couple meant this round would be fun. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Zhou Ziheng.
His expression was instantly meme-worthy.
[Hahahahaha Xiqing is hilarious]
[Cupid: Hehehe, didn’t see that coming, did you?]
[Xia Xiqing: Could it be the production team actually had real couples open their eyes???]
Zhou Ziheng was also taken aback, but his surprise quickly turned to excitement. His lips curled into an uncontrollable grin.
[Hengheng is about to die of happiness hahahahaha]
[Hengheng: Holy crap, how am I supposed to act now? I’m paired with my wife!]
After the two confirmed their matches, the narrator’s voice resumed: “Couples, please close your eyes.”
“Werewolves, open your eyes.”
Xia Xiuze, Zhou Ziheng, and Yang Bo lifted their heads at the prompt and opened their eyes.
“Werewolves, identify your allies.”
[Holy crap, this time Hengheng is a wolf!!!!]
[Zhou Ziheng and Didi are wolves!!! The angel team is wolves!!]
[If the scriptwriter were the third wolf, we’d have three angel wolves hahaha]
[Holy crap Zhou Ziheng is a wolf!!! So this really is a werewolf romance!!]
[So thrilling ahhhhhhhhh]
“Werewolves, please kill someone.”
Yang Bo was the first to signal a five. In his view, anyone who wasn’t Xia Xiqing’s ally was a major wildcard. Just as Zhou Ziheng had said, someone like Xia Xiqing—unpredictable and brilliant—was the biggest uncertainty in the entire game. To win, they had to eliminate that uncertainty.
But this move was met with opposition from Xia Xiuze. He shook his head wildly and held up a 2—pointing to Xu Qichen.
[Hahahaha, Didi is such a loyal dog]
[Didi: Even if big bro deceives me, I can’t kill big bro first!!!]
[Zhenzhen thought: With Didi here, I’m not worried at all, hahaha]
[Two-thirds of the Werewolf team are Xia Xiqing’s die-hard fans hahaha How are we supposed to play this?]
The two remained deadlocked. Zhou Ziheng gestured a “1,” intending to kill Xia Zhixu. Xia Xiuze glanced at him and relented—as long as Brother survived, everything else could be negotiated. Yang Bo considered it briefly, deciding Xia Zhixu was also a skilled player, and agreed to kill Number 1.
“Werewolves, please close your eyes.”
[Poor Zhixu, hahaha!]
[Xia Zhixu got sold out by Uncle Xiao and Auntie, hahaha!]
[What the heck is Auntie? Hahahahaha!]
[Auntie, don’t run off!! You’re ruining my ship!!]
“Witch, open your eyes.”
Hearing the prompt, Xu Qichen lifted his head and rubbed his eyes.
[Ahhhhhhh Editor Xu is the Witch!!]
[These role cards are so epic this time!!]
[This Witch is definitely going to save people hahaha]
“He died last night.”
Seeing the director’s gesture, Xu Qichen was taken aback—it was Zhi Xu who had perished.
[Hahahaha Editor Xu is shocked]
[My husband died????]
“Witch, you have one vial of antidote. May I ask if you wish to use it?”
Xu Qichen pondered internally. Xia Xiqing had already played the self-sacrifice card last time; it seemed unlikely he’d do it again. From the show’s entertainment value perspective, it was improbable too. Besides, self-sacrifice wasn’t Xia Zhixu’s style—he was the quintessential charging wolf.
Better save him. Xu Qichen nodded to the production team.
[The scriptwriter didn’t save him immediately, hahaha]
[He even hesitated for a while, hahaha. Poor little Zhi Xu]
[Compared to how Brother Xiqing treated him last time, this kid is such a loyal dog, hahaha. Totally disregarding the game experience!]
“You have a vial of poison. Would you like to use it?”
Xu Qichen shook his head and closed his eyes.
“Seer, open your eyes.”
Xia Xiqing lifted his head and tilted his lips toward the camera.
[Holy crap!!!!!!!!!! Brother Xiqing is the Seer!!]
[Cupid’s team just got so strong!!! Divine Wolf Romance!!!]
[I’ve already imagined 100,000 words of fanfiction—what do I do?! Divine Wolf Romance is such a divine concept!!!!]
“Seer, please verify someone.”
Xia Xiqing immediately held up a nine.
[So they’re really testing couples, huh? Hahaha]
[Xi Qing looks so cool whenever he plays games!! I absolutely love watching him play!!]
[Exactly!!! Does this rich kid really have no interest in starting an esports team??? Or at least becoming a gaming streamer??]
“His role is—” The director team held up the werewolf hint card to Xia Xiqing. “This.”
Seeing the hint board, Xia Xiqing’s face immediately revealed a meaningful expression.
[xq: I knew my husband was a wolf.]
[Your husband is such a little wolf pup hahaha]
“Seer, please close your eyes. Dawn has broken.”
The lights brightened, and all players opened their eyes.
“The election for the Sheriff begins now. All candidates, press the circular button in front of you.”
Every single player pressed their button, especially Xia Xiqing, who slammed his hand down with particular force.
[Hahaha, Brother Xiqing is playing so enthusiastically!]
[I’m carrying my husband this round!]
[Holy crap, three gods and two wolves!!]
“The players running for election are Player 2 Xu Qichen, Player 3 Ruan Xiao, Player 4 Yang Bo, Player 5 Xia Xiqing, and Player 9 Zhou Ziheng. Starting with Player 2, please begin your statement.”
Xu Qichen’s expression remained utterly calm. After adjusting his headset, he spoke: “Without further ado, I am a Strong God capable of self-identification. If any Seers challenge me later, the badge must be passed to me. Strong God passes.”
[Why do I suddenly think Editor Xu is pretty cool hahaha]
[Xu Editor has this serious, slightly aloof vibe when he’s focused, but he’s genuinely gentle when he wants to be—especially around Xiqing. Super adorable.]
[Xiqing bro is that bad-boy-cute kind of cool!]
“Number 3, the Strong God,” Ruan Xiao took the floor. “Strong Gods guard against dueling claims. The badge could go to me. Pass.”
[Ruan Xiao’s response is so concise haha]
Yang Bo followed behind Ruan Xiao, a smile on his face. “Finally, I’m not a blindfolded player this round! I’m the Seer. Yesterday, I verified Xi Qing,” he said, turning to grin at Xia Xiqing.
Xia Xiqing propped his chin on hisr hand, tilting his face to smile back at Yang Bo.
[Hahahahahaha, checking the Prophet right off the bat? Hahahaha, that’s genius!]
[xxq: Let’s see how you play this! You think you can check me?? What do you have to check me with?]
[God’s perspective is just too entertaining hahaha]
All eyes were on Xia Xiqing and Yang Bo. Xia Xiqing even deliberately raised an eyebrow at him, making everyone at the table burst into laughter. Yang Bo placed both hands on the table and let out a long sigh. “He… is a golden water. Hahaha, It’s a shame we didn’t uncover a wolf directly, but confirming Xiqing is a good guy is still beneficial for us villagers. At least we’ve got a skilled teammate.“ After speaking, Yang Bo began announcing his badge order. ”Next round, I’ll test…“ He glanced at the candidates vying for the Sheriff role. ”The front-row players, Qichen and Xiaoxiao, are both strong contenders. I’ll pick one to test. I’ll test Qi Chen. If the Witch can save me one more round, I’ll test Ziheng later.”
“Let me repeat: I’m the Prophet. This round, I’m giving Gold Water to #5 Xia Xiqing. The badge must be passed to me. Pass.”
[Yang Bo’s speech is surprisingly steady~]
[Seriously, but giving the real Seer a gold water is kinda bold haha]
[Xiqing’s expression is so cool! I absolutely love seeing him smile like that with all that mischief in his eyes]
Xia Xiqing casually propped his chin on his hand, tapping his fingers lightly along his cheek.
“I’m the Seer. Last night I investigated and killed Number 4, Yang Bo—a lone wolf. Tonight you must vote him out with me. Hand over the Police Badge. Next round I’ll investigate Number 9, Zhou Ziheng. The round after that, I’ll investigate Xia Zhixu.” Xia Xiqing turned to Yang Bo, his smile brimming with confidence and bravado. “If I were you, I’d self-explode right now. Blow this round and there’ll be no Police Badge. You can all dive straight into the night.”
[Holy crap, this is intense right off the bat???]
[Xiqing bro, gotta be this cool! He totally exposed Yang Bo’s wolf face!]
[This betrayal is so badass!!!!! Xiqing bro, I’m in!!!]
[xxq: Even if I’m checking my husband, I’d still vote to kill you!]
Xia Xiqing raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. His tone remained gentle.
“Bust?”
Author’s Note:
The real-life couple is dominating the game.
