HH Chapter 63

Guo Xiaofei looked at Guo Jiayi with wide eyes and a grin, “I was bored, so I thought I’d come out and help you.”

Guo Jiayi felt a headache coming on. Seeing Guo Xiaofei covered in chicken blood, he shook his head. “Go take a shower!”

“Okay.” Guo Xiaofei dodged Guo Jiayi’s hand and ran towards the bathroom.

Guo Jiayi washed his hands at the faucet, then turned to Cheng Ye and his team with a smile. “Sorry about that, must have made a fool of myself.”

Just then, there was a knock from a distant door. Pei Qinghuai had already opened a bedroom door, and eerie sounds filled the room. Cheng Ye turned to Guo Jiayi. “Care to explain?”

Guo Jiayi forced a smile, somewhat embarrassed. He said softly, “It’s fake. I saw others doing it and making money, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

It was a false alarm. Jiang Fei and Zhang Yibao breathed a sigh of relief. Cheng Ye licked his lips and tilted his head. “Turn off the live stream.”

Guo Jiayi responded with an “Oh,” and quickly went to turn off the live stream. When he returned, he looked dejected.

“Do you realize that your actions are just creating unnecessary trouble for the police?” Cheng Ye said sternly.

Guo Jiayi nodded. “I know.” Then he muttered softly, “I didn’t know they’d call the police.”

After being lectured and writing a statement, the house finally returned to calm. Cheng Ye sat in the car, looking pensive. “What are people thinking these days?”

Zhang Yibao leaned his elbow on the car window, shaking his head. “The internet can be really harmful.”

“Another wasted trip,” Fang Yuan sighed.

---

A few days later, Zhang Yibao kept an eye on Guo Jiayi. Apart from posting some content, there was nothing special. Since the Chen Mengyao case, everything had been relatively peaceful, with only minor incidents like petty thefts.

“Why is everyone so lethargic? Cheer up!” Zhang Deli came out, shaking his glass.

“Director Zhang, don’t you get bored staying here all day?” Fang Yuan asked.

“How could I be bored? You’re just not at my level of enlightenment,” Zhang Deli replied, filling his cup. “If you have nothing to do, review some old case files. It’s good for you.”

As Zhang Deli went back inside, Fang Yuan pouted. “Enlightenment? I’m about to become an immortal from all this boredom.”

Just then, Zhang Yibao motioned for everyone to come over. “Guo Jiayi is live streaming again.”

“Still up to his old tricks,” Fang Yuan said as he moved closer.

Guo Jiayi’s face was heavily made up, and with beauty filters, he was almost unrecognizable, covered in something that looked like blood.

Bored, everyone pulled up chairs to watch the live stream. The chat was filled with insults, some even cursing Guo Jiayi to die quickly. Guo Jiayi ignored them and continued with his stream.

“Tonight is a horror story night. I hope you enjoy it,” Guo Jiayi said with a smile.

Despite the insults, the number of viewers and tips in the live stream was what mattered to Guo Jiayi. He smiled and began his story.

“It happened in the summer of 1959, in a pool of an old Shanghai neighborhood…” Guo Jiayi’s teeth looked red, his breathing amplified by the microphone.

“That afternoon, the pool was dark, as if something had tainted it. A group of boys was playing ball nearby, and accidentally, one of their balls rolled into the pool.”

Guo Jiayi’s voice rose. “A big, round ball rolled into the pool.”

He coughed, his body shaking. “The boys urged one to go in and get it. After hesitating for a long time, the boy finally went in.”

“But… the dark water seemed to come alive and pulled the boy in. Strangely, no one noticed the commotion. The adults kept chatting, and the boys found a new game to play.”

Guo Jiayi’s eyes widened. “The boy struggled, and eventually disappeared. It seemed like only I could see this. I called my mother, but she said I was seeing things. When I looked back, there were eyes staring at me from the dark water.”

“I stood frozen, staring back until… my mother screamed. I came back to my senses and found myself suspended in mid-air, my mother holding my hand tightly, calling my name…”

Guo Jiayi’s coughing grew worse. He convulsed a few times, then collapsed onto the table.

“What happened?” Zhang Yibao looked at Chen Xiaonuan, who was huddled in fear. He laughed, “You’re scared of this?”

Chen Xiaonuan glared at Zhang Yibao. “I’m not scared.”

The chat was abuzz.

Flying Fish: “What’s going on? Another fake suicide?”

Big Monkey Climbs Trees: “What? Suicide? When? I thought the story was good.”

Next One’s an Idiot: “Yeah, this guy pretended to commit suicide before. Got it?”

Big Monkey Climbs Trees: “Oh, I see.”

Upstairs is an Idiot: “Do you think this time it’s real?”

Big Monkey Climbs Trees: “I just got here. I don’t know anything.”

……

Zhang Yibao read the chat. “Do you think this is real?”

Fang Yuan shook his head. “No idea. The makeup is too thick to tell.”

Yan Ya, nearby, agreed with Fang Yuan.

“Should we check it out?” Pei Qinghuai, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly spoke.

Chen Xiaonuan jumped, startled. “Mr. Pei, when did you get here?”

Pei Qinghuai smiled. “I’ve been here for a while. You didn’t notice.”

Seeing Chen Xiaonuan relax, Cheng Ye stood up. “We have nothing else to do anyway. Let’s go check.” He glanced back at the screen, where Guo Jiayi was still slumped over the table.

“Let’s go,” Fang Yuan said, straightening up.

For the second time, the Sunshine Community echoed with police sirens. When they knocked on Guo Jiayi’s door, it wasn’t him who answered. A little boy, tears streaming down his face, trembling, spoke.

“Please, come see my dad. He’s not responding to me.”