Lin Xiaoman scoffed, her voice steady. “I’m not scared at all. Just a little… cautious.”
They took a few more steps, and unexpected sounds echoed around them, making Lin Xiaoman shiver slightly. Ji Zhixian noticed her reaction but chose to play along.
“See, you’re already losing your nerve,” he teased.
“Not at all! You’re the one who’s acting brave,” she shot back, trying to maintain her composure.
Suddenly, a loud noise made Lin Xiaoman jump, and she instinctively squeezed Ji Zhixian’s arm.
“Okay, maybe I am a little tense,” she admitted, laughter tinged with nervousness spilling from her lips.
They continued deeper into the haunted house, the tension easing as they shared soft jokes to mask their unease. The atmosphere, while spooky, brought them closer together, filling the air with lighthearted interactions amidst the darkness.
Eventually, they stumbled upon a room filled with startling props. Lin Xiaoman gasped at one particularly ghastly figure. Ji Zhixian laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“See? You’re glad you came,” he said, smiling down at her.
“Maybe,” she conceded, enjoying the moment despite the eerie surroundings.
The experience became less about fear and more about the thrill of facing it together, strengthening their bond through shared adventure.
Lin Xiaoman’s voice trembled slightly, “I used to move freely here. If you’re scared, I can let you stay close behind me.”
“Okay,” Ji Zhixian’s voice suddenly sounded close to her ear.
Lin Xiaoman didn’t know when he had approached, startled and stepping back, directly into his embrace.
“Didn’t expect you to be so enthusiastic,” Ji Zhixian laughed softly.
Lin Xiaoman blushed, surprised that someone who usually seemed so proper could be so inappropriate in the darkness. She quickly steadied herself and walked forward, raising her voice: “Keep up.”
But after a few steps, she slowed down.
It was terrifying – the walls with blue ghostly light and grotesque faces, the sudden appearing horror ghosts. She wondered how anyone could enjoy such a place.
But she couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t step back, or Ji Zhixian would discover her weakness.
“Why stop?” Ji Zhixian’s voice sounded again.
Suddenly, a headless human organ jumped out in front of her. Frightened, she turned and leaped into Ji Zhixian’s arms.
His warm scent surrounded her, her rapid heartbeat gradually calming, when she suddenly heard his heart pounding like a drum.
She realized what she had done.
The atmosphere became awkward.
She wanted to turn back but didn’t dare face the horrifying scene behind her, momentarily buried in Ji Zhixian’s embrace, unable to decide.
Ji Zhixian felt her warm breath, her slightly trembling body.
At this moment, he should ask what she was afraid of and expose her identity.
But his heart was beating wildly, and he was momentarily flustered.
How should he speak?
Suddenly, the haunted house lights turned on. Everything terrifying in the darkness suddenly became comical. The scary human organ was just a human model, the frightening female ghost merely a mannequin covered in white cloth.
Lin Xiaoman pushed Ji Zhixian away, turning her head to hide her reddened cheeks: “Let’s go.”
The rest of the way, all lights were on. Once everything was visible, nothing seemed scary. Lin Xiaoman walked quickly ahead, and they soon exited the haunted house.
“Looks like something went wrong in the haunted house,” she turned back, laughing easily, “What a pity.”
Ji Zhixian also laughed: “Indeed, what a pity.”
Although he hadn’t made her admit her identity, he was increasingly certain she was Tang Feifei.
While feeling happy, his unease also gradually expanded. Even knowing Huo Qizhi had betrayed him, would she forgive him and rekindle their old feelings when they met?
He didn’t ask, afraid of knowing the answer.
They returned to the hotel. Lin Xiaoman met Xie Chi half an hour later.
“What lights?” Xie Chi carefully folded the umbrella and placed it on the table, “I didn’t turn on any lights.”
“
Lin Xiaoman’s hand stopped while pouring water: “Wasn’t it you who turned on the lights in the haunted house?”
Xie Chi lowered his head with a guilty expression: “After breaking the elevator, I saw a black shadow and followed it. When I returned, you had already left the elevator.”
“Did you open the elevator door?” Lin Xiaoman placed water in front of Xie Chi, her expression serious. “Do you think the black shadow could be the person who delivered my package?”
“Possibly,” Xie Chi took the water glass and held it in his hand. “I saw him once before but couldn’t catch up, and this time I only saw a back… It’s all my fault.”
“How could this be your fault,” Lin Xiaoman was uneasy but couldn’t bear to blame him. “If it weren’t for you, I might not have even known I was being followed. You’ve done very well.”
After Xie Chi left, Lin Xiaoman checked the hotel but found nothing. She thought about the people around her, but with so many crew members, it was impossible to guess who it might be.
That night, she slept uneasily and woke up to find a black figure at the edge of her bed.
Just as she was about to cry out, the figure skillfully retreated through the door and disappeared.
She immediately called Xiaobai and Xie Chi, and together they found the hotel staff, who said they hadn’t seen anything suspicious and found nothing on the surveillance cameras.”
The next day, Ji Zhixian learned about the incident, rented her a new room in another location, and assigned several people to accompany her. However, they never found any clues about the person who appeared in her room that night.
Because she had signed an advertising contract before filming the TV series, Lin Xiaoman arranged with the crew to take a day off to shoot the ad. The advertising shoot was at a sports stadium in City C, requiring the use of a swimming pool. With her previous advertising experience, Lin Xiaoman quickly completed the shoot.
Several staff members carrying equipment passed by, accidentally bumping into her and causing her to lose her balance and fall into the water. The staff were startled. She surfaced and waved to reassure them: “I’m fine.”
But before reaching the shore, her leg suddenly cramped, and she sank underwater. The people nearby were busy packing up and didn’t notice.
As she bobbed up and down, seemingly about to drown, Xie Chi, who had been hiding in the shadows, rushed out. Before reaching the poolside, he saw a familiar figure who was also looking at him. They exchanged glances, both ready to rush to the poolside, but Lin Xiaoman had already been rescued.
The person looked at Xie Chi before leaving the scene, leaving Xie Chi standing there, looking lost.
When Xiaobai returned and learned about Lin Xiaoman’s fall, he blamed Xie Chi: “You were right there. How could you not have seen?”
“What if something had happened?”
Xie Chi hung his head, his face pale, looking absent-minded.
“What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you see what just happened?” Xiaobai noticed something was off, “Were you scared?”
“I’m sorry,” Xie Chi couldn’t look at Lin Xiaoman, “I want to go rest…”
“What, are you tired?” Xiaobai tried to joke while putting his arm around Xie Chi’s shoulder, but Xie Chi’s expression only worsened.
“Go rest,” Lin Xiaoman also noticed his unusual state, but knowing Xie Chi’s personality, pushing him would only make him more afraid, “It’s okay.”
Xie Chi returned to his room in a daze. Just as he closed the door, a knock came.
He opened the door to see a man smiling brightly at him: “Nice to meet you, I’m your brother, Xue Chenyan.”
Xie Chi’s face turned pale, and he frantically tried to close the door, but was blocked.
“Won’t you invite me in for a bit?”
Xie Chi fearfully stepped back, his entire body trembling, every cell screaming “run away”.
