Chapter 80

This business trip was to a picturesque small town, not far from City A, just an hour’s drive away. It was said to be a tourist project developed in recent years, boasting a banner of original ecological purity. The architecture mimicked ancient pavilions and towers, and surrounding areas were designated for planting vegetables and fruits. On holidays, countless people would come in groups to enjoy themselves, picking vegetables and fruits, fishing, and renting small houses to cook for themselves. It was one of the popular pastimes of the time.

The “Investigation” program team rented a small alley in the town as the recording site.

The kind boss said the program team invited them because their haunted house was very famous online, and the program content this time had a bit of connection with haunted houses. As staff of the haunted house, they would naturally be more adept at handling this. Also, their haunted house was very popular, which could serve as one of the promotional points.

However, this was temporarily confidential; apart from the program team, it was said that even the guests were unaware.

To be honest, this counted as their second collaboration. The director of “Investigation” and the director of “Winner Takes All” were the same person, so it was no wonder they thought of them.

“Investigation,” like “Winner Takes All,” was one of the popular variety shows of the time, aiming to reconstruct case processes and find the real culprit. It had now reached its third season, and due to the success of the first two seasons, the third season was highly anticipated, becoming a hit even before it aired.

This rare chance to see stars on TV excited the colleagues at the haunted house immensely. “Do you think we’ll get to see Ren Kun and Yuan Gaoming? Last time they came to the haunted house, I didn’t get a photo or autograph from them. This time, I can’t miss it.”

“And Sudi, I really like Sudi. I heard he’s a regular guest in the third season. This time, I can finally see him.”

“But I heard Xia Li will also participate. Last time someone revealed that Sudi and Xia Li developed feelings because of a drama. Do you think Sudi is really dating Xia Li?”

“No way? I don’t think so. Maybe it’s just hype. If there was really something, they wouldn’t avoid suspicion, right?”

“Anyway, I don’t care. I definitely want a photo with Sudi!”

With this chatter, the journey passed by, and due to some traffic, they arrived at the destination around nine o’clock. Gu Feiyin slept all the way and was only awakened when getting off the car by the excited woman in red ghost.

“Wow, we’re finally here. I wonder if Sudi has arrived? Let’s go, Jumpy, Old Lady, let’s go check it out!”

Jumpy followed the woman in red ghost, hopping along, while Old Lady hugged a broom and followed behind them, her gray-white eyes shifting left and right, looking around gloomily.

People chase stars, and even ghosts don’t forget to chase stars.

Moreover, it was early morning when she was about to leave, and the woman in red ghost floated over, saying she wanted to go too. Clearly, when she mentioned going on a business trip earlier, the woman in red ghost didn’t even blink, waving goodbye. But upon hearing she was going to be an extra in “Investigation,” and that Sudi and Yuan Gaoming would be there, the woman in red ghost got excited and insisted on joining the fun.

Then, when Gu Feiyin was leaving, Neighbor Miss and Old Lady also followed, one hugging a broom and the other hopping along, not even glancing at her, just floating behind the woman in red ghost.

…Alright, then she could only find other ghosts to watch the house.

She was terrified of theft, and without a few ghosts watching her house, she didn’t dare leave. After all, she had a huge fortune at home, concerning whether she could become a billionaire after death. She had to ensure it was watched carefully.

Soon, the woman in red ghost led Jumpy and Old Lady, floating away out of sight. Gu Feiyin didn’t bother with them, obediently following the program team’s arrangements to be an extra. Besides, this job on TV was indeed unusual; a day’s pay equaled several days’ worth for her. It was a big fat job, and she had to do it well.

…

Sudi was currently reading the script, with the director beside him explaining the role he needed to play later-a regular, somewhat handsome college student, one of the lucky ones chosen to experience the haunted house. Of course, his hidden identity was the ex-boyfriend of the deceased’s girlfriend, having emotional entanglements with the deceased’s ex-girlfriend, thus being one of the suspects.

It was Sudi’s first time participating in this type of variety show. Although confident in his intelligence, he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous, like a new student in school, holding his notebook and listening to the director attentively and earnestly.

“Wow, I didn’t expect Sudi to look so handsome even while reading the script!”

“Look at him, those eyes, that nose, that mouth, that face… How can he be so good-looking! If I looked like this, I’d be a fairy, right?”

The woman in red ghost floated cross-legged in the air, hands on her cheeks, gazing at Sudi and sighing, praising him from head to toe, even down to his hair strands. Judging by her fascinated tone, she was evidently envious.

Jumpy sat beside the woman in red ghost, mimicking her posture with hands on cheeks, staring at Sudi with gray-white eyes, straight and silent.

Old Lady hugged the broom, sitting aside, glancing gloomily at the woman in red ghost and Jumpy, then at Sudi, shrinking her back, resting her chin on the broom, also silent and straight.

The woman in red ghost glanced at the two ghosts beside her, snorted, and rolled her eyes. They followed her to chase stars, so why pretend to be serious ghosts?

“Just say you like it if you do, why pretend to be all serious?”

Jumpy Xu: “……”

Old Lady: “……”

The two of them rolled their eyes, staring gloomily at the woman in red ghost.

The woman in red ghost turned her head: “……” 🙂

Sudi shivered. He looked around, feeling an eerie chill in the air, as if something terrifying was watching him, sending a cold shiver down his spine. A bad premonition suddenly crept up on him.

The director asked, “Sudi, what’s wrong? Did you catch a cold?”

Sudi suppressed his uneasiness and shook his head. “It’s nothing, just suddenly felt a bit cold, I’m fine.”

“Oh, it might get even colder tonight. Wear more clothes so you don’t get sick.”

Sudi smiled and agreed, then continued discussing the script with the director. But that uneasy feeling in his heart only grew stronger, as if something strange was staring at him. He looked around the room-besides himself, the director, and the staff, there was no one else. That bad premonition seemed almost like an illusion.

Was he just overthinking it? He looked around once again-he must be imagining things…

Three little ghosts shrank back quietly, sitting cross-legged as they drifted into the corner of the wall. Their pale, stiff faces expressionless, but there was a hint of embarrassment at being caught doing something wrong.

The woman in red ghost: “……”

Jumpy: “……”

Old Lady: “……”

The three little ghosts stood gloomily by the door. The woman in red ghost sighed, “Good-looking people really are something else-even their senses are so sharp. Is it because your gazes are too scary? Even if you like him, you should be more reserved. Otherwise, Sudi is human-how could he possibly sense our presence?”

Jumpy and Old Lady rolled their eyes in unison, resting their chins and staring blankly at the woman in red ghost.

Old Lady turned away, drifted through the wall, and disappeared.

The woman in red ghost called out, “Old Lady, where are you going? How can you just leave like that? Chasing idols knows no borders or age-so what if you’re seventy or eighty and like a handsome young man? There’s nothing wrong with that, don’t be embarrassed!”

Old Lady: “……”

She turned back and shot the woman in red ghost a gloomy look, then floated away even faster.

The woman in red ghost scratched her forehead and asked Jumpy, “Was my consolation not good enough? But it’s true, isn’t it? Look at Ghost Lady, she’s almost a hundred, isn’t she even older than Old Lady? And lately, she’s been sneaking around people’s windows just to watch those idol dramas!”

Jumpy: “……”

Jumpy rolled her eyes, jumped up from the floor, and her head went straight through the ceiling.

The woman in red ghost fell silent, watching as Jumpy struggled to pull her head out of the ceiling, bouncing along after Old Lady.

The woman in red ghost: “……”

The woman in red ghost floated after them, finally catching up with Old Lady and Jumpy on the street. The street was bustling with people, lined with stalls selling all sorts of snacks, and the cries of vendors filled the air.

Old Lady was floating in midair, holding a broom, gazing blankly at the people below.

Following Old Lady’s gaze, the woman in red ghost spotted a few boys around fifteen or sixteen years old, waiting at a roadside stall to have sugar figures made. The woman in red ghost suddenly understood, “You want to eat? How about I treat you to some sugar figures?”

These sugar figures were quite cheap, only ten or twenty yuan each. She could just ask Long Black Straight Hair to exchange some money and have her buy a few, so Old Lady and Jumpy wouldn’t say she was heartless.

Jumpy blinked, her grayish-white eyes turning expectantly to the woman in red ghost. The woman in red ghost smiled, “What about Old Lady?”

Old Lady glanced at the woman in red ghost, rested her chin, and floated away in a melancholy manner. The woman in red ghost muttered helplessly, this Old Grandma was really hard to please.

Gu Feiyin’s eyes lit up when she heard the woman in red ghost was treating everyone to sugar figures. She said excitedly, “I want one too!”

She had just seen them; those sugar figures looked beautiful, the stall was crowded with people, adults and children alike. The sugar figure master was amazing, able to craft all sorts of beautiful designs-dragonflies, butterflies, soaring dragons, even little beauties-all made out of sugar, skewered on a bamboo stick, held in hand and eaten one bite at a time, sweet to the core.

The woman in red ghost waved her hand generously, “Buy, buy, buy! Get them all!”

She really was a very generous ghost.

This time, Gu Feiyin had brought two hundred yuan with her-spending a few dozen was more than enough. The only thing was, she couldn’t leave yet as they still had to rehearse together. If she wanted to eat, she’d have to wait until filming was over.

She couldn’t help but smack her lips in anticipation, waiting for the hard work to pay off with a sugar figure. Even during the afternoon’s work, she was in high spirits, full of energy.

And her job was quite simple-not like last time, when she had to protect a box. This time she didn’t need to do anything, just wear a white dress and walk around the room, keeping a certain posture. It was easy for her, not difficult at all.

……

The winter weather was already too cold and damp, and the sky that looked decent in the morning turned dark in the afternoon.

Ren Kun, Yuan Gaoming, Sudi, Xia Li, and others finally entered the venue for filming. As a seasoned host, Ren Kun’s humorous and witty hosting style was very popular with the audience. However, ever since he had encountered ghosts several times at the amusement park, he had become highly sensitive to anything related to “corpses” and “supernatural events,” avoiding them whenever possible. He was even wary of working night shifts, fearing another ghostly encounter.

He didn’t want to come this time either. The atmosphere of the “Investigation” recording was too eerie. If it weren’t for the director’s team repeatedly inviting him, coupled with his hosting of the previous two seasons and the audience’s strong demand, he wouldn’t have come at all.

Yuan Gaoming felt the same way. Although everyone said he had pulled out a staff member’s denture, he firmly believed that at that moment, the Ghost Actor’s performer might have been possessed by a ghost! She just didn’t know it herself. Just thinking about it terrified him… As for why he came this time, wasn’t it because the show was popular and had great exposure? As a host, how could he give up such a good program?

So the two of them secretly communicated before coming to the recording and went to a temple to get seventeen or eighteen amulets for peace, hanging them around their necks, wrists, and ankles. If one fell off, there was another, striving for absolute perfection and doing their utmost to ensure safety.

Moreover, in each episode, besides one host and three regular guests, there was also a special guest.

And this episode’s special guest happened to be Shao Yizhou.

Shao Yizhou originally didn’t want to come either. After experiencing the bizarre event of being forcibly married by a ghost, he was afraid of walking at night, let alone participating in a variety show involving the dead. He feared doing too well and attracting bad luck from some ghost. But he had no choice; the work contract was signed months ago. If he didn’t come, he would face huge penalties and offend people. Fortunately, it was only one episode, so he had to grit his teeth and come. Hopefully, it would be alright.

So they all came coincidentally, but ever since they arrived in town and entered this ancient-style alley, they felt a chilling, eerie atmosphere everywhere, especially those old, dark, and cold rooms that looked terrifying.

The director’s team, however, thought it was great because it fit the theme of this episode-“The Strange Haunted House.”

When the recording began, they had to walk from the alley’s head to the tail, checking each room. Among the six of them, whoever got the hidden script would mysteriously die at some point during the main storyline, and the survivors would be responsible for finding the killer.

After a simple opening, the show finally started.

“Let’s go.”

Ren Kun, Sudi, Shao Yizhou, and Yuan Gaoming stood at the alley entrance under the gloomy sky, suppressing their anxiety, and finally took the difficult first step.

?……?

Gu Feiyin, wearing a white dress, walked back and forth in the room, back and forth…

Her steps were light and shallow, as if she wasn’t touching the ground, making no sound at all, quiet as a real ghost.

At this moment, the large room was empty, yet she spoke to the corner: “Huh, where’s the Old Lady? She was just here.”

Jumpy hung from the ceiling, looking down, indeed noticing the Old Lady was gone from the corner. However, the woman in red ghost was also absent, having gone out to watch the excitement. Maybe the Old Lady and the woman in red ghost went together? But that couldn’t be right; the Old Lady had just been arguing with the woman in red ghost, so how could they go together?

Soon, the excited woman in red ghost popped her head out from the wall: “Quick, quick, get ready, Sudi and Shao Yizhou are almost here!”

Gu Feiyin immediately felt invigorated, but didn’t forget to ask, “Why is it just you? Didn’t the Old Lady come with you?”

The woman in red ghost paused: “The Old Lady? No, she wasn’t with me. Wasn’t she with you guys? When I went out to play, she ignored me.”

“If she wasn’t with you, then where did the Old Lady go?”

“…She’s not here? Where could she have gone?”

Gu Feiyin shook her head in confusion, saying she didn’t know either. Jumpy swayed to the window, her gloomy face now looking somewhat worried.

Thinking carefully, it seemed the Old Lady had been acting strange since they arrived in town. It was hard to pinpoint what was odd, but she never stayed alone. She was always silently following them with a broom, or inseparable from Jumpy, always visible with a turn of the head. This sudden disappearance was truly surprising.

The woman in red ghost was shocked: “Could the Old Lady be in trouble? I said her mood was off today, but I thought it was because I exposed her little secret and she was embarrassed.”

Gu Feiyin was stunned: “In trouble? How could she be in trouble?”

Woman in red ghost: “Like someone dug up her grave or something?”

Gu Feiyin: “…??!!” How terrifying would that be?

Gu Feiyin: “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Woman in red ghost: “I’m not talking nonsense; I’m making a reasonable guess, okay?”

Jumpy: “…”

The Old Lady’s sudden disappearance was indeed worrying, prompting the woman in red ghost and Jumpy to go out searching. Gu Feiyin, busy with work, couldn’t go, so she paced the room a few more times. Whether she was walking too fast or something else, a thunderclap suddenly struck from the sky! It startled her, making her scalp tingle and nearly scattering her soul. She jolted, slipped, and crashed into a table, hitting her waist…

She groaned, bending her back in pain-

Goddamn Heaven!

……

Yuan Gaoming had received the special script, and soon he would die in the last haunted house. As they approached, he couldn’t help but feel nervous, though he showed no sign of it, not letting anyone notice-probably because his colleagues were too scared to pay attention to his emotions, right?

Ren Kun was genuinely terrified to the point of tears, and Sudi was also pale with fear. On the contrary, Shao Yizhou seemed to be handling it better, probably because he had encountered more terrifying people like Zhuang before, and was able to keep his composure.

Ren Kun said, “Up ahead is the last haunted house. I’ve heard it’s very scary, and there’s a legend that once you go in, you must see blood, or you can’t get out.”

These words indeed made everyone present fearful. Xia Li hid beside Sudi, who subtly leaned towards Shao Yizhou. Xia Li felt a pang of heartache but forced a lighthearted smile and said, “Ren Kun, are you scared? How about I go in first?”

After all, it’s just a show, and there are so many cameras in the room, with countless people watching through the lens. What’s there to be afraid of?

As soon as Xia Li spoke, Ren Kun indeed gave a thumbs up, calling her a heroine, and said, “Ladies first!”

Looking at it this way, he was truly scared, not even offering a gentlemanly “I’ll go first,” directly opting for ladies first.

Then Xia Li entered the room under the watchful eyes of the men. Before leaving, she specifically glanced at Sudi, who was clapping his hands happily to send her off. Her heart ached again; this couldn’t be blamed on Sudi being straightforward, but rather it showed his lack of interest in her. Yet she genuinely liked him.

Xia Li entered the room, suppressing her heartache.

Yuan Gaoming said, “Ren Kun, that’s not very gentlemanly of you, is it?”

Ren Kun replied with a serious expression, “What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on our heroine Xia Li? Don’t judge by appearances; although Xia Li is beautiful and delicate, she’s strong and capable, with a boldness greater than yours. Otherwise, would you dare to go in first?”

Yuan Gaoming: “…” No, definitely not. 🙂

Ren Kun: “Otherwise, should Sudi and Shao Yizhou go?”

Sudi and Shao Yizhou hugged each other, shaking their heads frantically, not daring, definitely not daring.

Yuan Gaoming: “…?”

Why are the handsome boys hugging each other?!

Sudi: “…”

Shao Yizhou: “…”

After a few words, Yuan Gaoming said, “Alright, don’t be afraid. Even if you’re scared, you still have to go in.”

At this moment, Xia Li was standing in the room, the open door clearly showing her standing there, holding a flashlight and looking around. As the sky gradually darkened, paired with the room’s vintage and cobweb-filled atmosphere, it looked increasingly eerie.

The room was large, and Xia Li turned back with a smile, saying, “It’s okay, come in quickly.”

Ren Kun hesitated at the door, Yuan Gaoming hesitated too, while Sudi and Shao Yizhou’s tall figures stood behind, cautiously glancing into the room, seemingly finding nothing suspicious?

“Let’s go, let’s go in.”

However, just as they stepped into the room, they heard a loud bang as the door suddenly slammed shut. Startled, they turned back, trying to pull the door open, but it wouldn’t budge.

Shao Yizhou said, “Looks like we can only exit from the front.”

Sudi nodded silently, looking at the old and cluttered room, the floor marked with traces, and the tattered curtains hanging on the walls. A bad premonition grew stronger in his heart, as if something ominous was about to happen…

The room was large, with a hall in the front, two side rooms, and a bedroom and shower room in the back.

They checked each area, and with so many people, Ren Kun and Yuan Gaoming added a comedic touch, chatting non-stop, gradually reducing some of the fear. But then, Sudi felt someone grab his arm. He turned to see Xia Li standing beside him, tightly clutching his arm, her dark eyes fixed on him.

Sudi was taken aback, wanting to pry Xia Li’s hand off, but remembering they were filming, he simply asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xia Li eerily curled her lips into a stiff smile, saying, “Look, I’ve caught you.”

Sudi: “…?”

As he was in a daze, Shao Yizhou’s face turned pale, suddenly pulling him back, dragging him frantically away!

Sudi exclaimed, “What’s wrong?”

Shao Yizhou said, “Look at her feet!”

Sudi then looked at Xia Li’s feet, noticing she was tiptoeing, hopping as she walked!

He was instantly shocked, thinking, is she possessed?!

Over there, Ren Kun and Yuan Gaoming also noticed Shao Yizhou and Sudi’s situation, and their hearts trembled, quickly coming over to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Sudi and Shao Yizhou pointed at Xia Li in front of them. At this moment, Xia Li’s face was already devoid of color, deathly pale, looking extremely eerie, as if something had taken over her body, making her do all sorts of uncoordinated things…

What the heck?!

Ren Kun and Yuan Gaoming were startled greatly, lamenting that they shouldn’t have taken this show, wouldn’t it be better to live well?

Gu Feiyin had been waiting for a long time, wondering why the esteemed guest hadn’t arrived yet.