Amidst the ‘playful banter’ of the two couples, the haunted house officially began. As soon as they entered, an old woman with skin like tree bark gave them a good scare, her face eerily illuminated in blue light in the pitch-black room. The petite guy, who was only 155 cm tall, let out a small scream and clung to his boyfriend’s arm, while the tall man’s face turned pale, not saying a word. It wasn’t until the old woman began to narrate the backstory that he slowly wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulder, comforting him not to be afraid.
Xiao Zhenyun was startled by the wrinkled old woman’s sudden appearance, but he quickly regained his composure and said, “I hate the jump scare method of creating a terrifying atmosphere. I hope there’s no more of that, or at least as little as possible.”
As for Si Di, from eight hundred meters away, he knew there was an NPC hiding behind the door, ready to give them a scare. Even while waiting in the waiting area, he overheard several staff members communicating through their earpieces: ‘Here they come, get ready,’ ‘Wait, my makeup isn’t done yet’…
Ten seconds had passed since the jump scare, and Si Di finally realized what he had done wrong.
Seeing the couple next to them embracing and consoling each other, and noticing Xiao Zhenyun’s expression—like an offended gentleman, ready to leave a bad review—Si Di quickly leaned in, hooked his elbow into Xiao Zhenyun’s, and pretended to be pitiful. “Uh… That really scared me.”
Xiao Zhenyun turned his head and under the flickering candlelight in the dimly lit haunted house, saw Si Di’s pupils emitting a ghostly green light like a hungry wolf, staring ferociously at its prey.
“It’s more like you’re scaring others,” he said. “Forgot about those eyes of yours? Is there any way to hide them?”
Si Di temporarily played along with his ‘vulnerability,’ reaching into his pocket and taking out a pair of sunglasses, which he gently put on his nose. In an instant, a cool vibe overflowed, completely changing his image to that of a cool guy, making him appear even less ‘vulnerable.’
After the old woman finished introducing the backstory, it was time for exploration. The furnishings in the haunted house were all meticulously crafted, resembling an escape room in some ways, with decryption tasks and puzzles to solve. The young couple felt a bit embarrassed to monopolize the clues, so they invited Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di to come forward and help deciphering the ‘suicide note left behind by the eldest daughter of the Qiao family.’
In the past couple of years, at Xiao Jingfeng’s request, Xiao Zhenyun had gradually begun taking on some responsibilities within the guild. Every night, he engaged in verbal sparring with the person in charge, each word laden with hidden meanings, every sentence a potential trap. When the vice president saw the haunted house puzzle, he wasn’t impressed at all. Couldn’t he see through the little tricks hidden in this suicide note?
However, the four of them found themselves stuck at a certain point, unable to figure out the puzzle no matter how hard they tried.
“Need help?” a voice asked.
“No,” Xiao Zhenyun immediately refused. “I can handle this.”
“Wow, you’re too strong, bro,” the tall man chuckled.
Si Di noticed a conspicuous bookshelf in the room. He started knocking on various parts of it, listening carefully as he did so. Soon, he heard the way the puzzle should be solved. The sounds made by the mechanisms were completely different in various parts, and with a sentinel’s keen hearing, it was easy to discern them.
By working backward from the solution, Si Di quickly found the method to solve the puzzle, and along the way, he also felt the malice of the puzzle maker.
Maybe it was because he had been hanging around Hedgehog too much lately, but he found himself lounging lazily against the wall with a nonchalant air, enjoying the sight of Xiao Zhenyun’s furrowed brow as he seriously pondered the puzzle. With a light chuckle, he commented, “Isn’t it simple? The note said she heard strange noises every night and suspected it was a hallucination. Didn’t she write down the number of times she heard the sounds?”
The other couple suddenly had a moment of realization. Xiao Zhenyun shot Si Di a sideways glance, “I already tried that. The number combination is wrong.”
“The approach isn’t wrong; you just missed one detail. The eldest sister had completely succumbed to hallucinations during the last two days, so the final two digits of the code need to be reversed.”
“…”
Xiao Zhenyun fell silent for a long time, feeling indignant. “Who would think of that? Making puzzles this difficult—isn’t this just tormenting people?”
The petite guy teased with a smile, “But your man figured it out.”
Xiao Zhenyun: “…” That’s because he cheated.
After leaving the first room, eerie and creepy background music immediately echoed through the corridor, accompanied by ghostly, ethereal sounds. Once again, the delicate guy clung to his boyfriend’s arm, trembling, “So scary, I don’t dare to walk.”
The tall guy stood straight, his voice inexplicably stiff:
“Don’t be afraid, it’s fake.”
As Xiao Zhenyun was walking towards them, his right hand was suddenly held, fingers interlocked. Turning his head, he saw the cool guy with sunglasses approaching, “Uh… the horror atmosphere here is quite intense, Little Uncle, I’m scared…”
“Ah?” Xiao Zhenyun’s questioning tone was full of confusion, but Si Di ignored it. He tightened his grip on Xiao Zhenyun’s arm, wrapped his tail around the guide’s leg, and leaned against him like a big wolf.
Is this terrifying?… Was Si Di frightened by these? Xiao Zhenyun thought, adjusting his grip on him while tenderly embracing the sentinel’s shoulder, trying to comfort him. “Are you scared? Do you need some guide elements?”
Si Di was afraid that if he accepted the guide elements, Xiao Zhenyun might follow up with a spiritual link, exposing all his inner thoughts to the light of day and leaving him utterly embarrassed. He quickly released his grip and declined, “No, it’s fine like this.”
Xiao Zhenyun didn’t insist; it was difficult to carry a muscular man clinging to his half body.
Then there was a single-player task segment, needing 2 players. In order to have a sense of participation in the game, after discussion, it was decided that the two candidates would be the tall guy and Si Di.
“Are you sure?” Xiao Zhenyun was once again puzzled. “Aren’t you scared?”
“You know me, I love playing,” Si Di replied, rubbing Xiao Zhenyun’s fluffy tail and claiming it could ease fear. He also mentioned that there’s a scientific basis for this—humans find comfort and warmth in touching soft, fluffy things.
Xiao Zhenyun felt his tail growing softer from the rubbing, while the front became increasingly stiff. Unable to stand it any longer, he coldly swatted away the wolf’s dirty paws. “Touch your own.”
The plan was for the tall guy to search for clues first, while the others waited in the room. Just as they were chatting, and the delicate guy was about to ask Si Di why he was wearing sunglasses in the dark room, a red-clothed ghost suddenly crawled out from under the bed, unexpectedly grabbing Si Di’s ankle.
Honestly, Si Di knew there was someone under the bed; he even heard the communication between the workers through their earpieces. The timid one among the four was chosen to be scared by having both ankles grabbed.
Truly wicked, Si Di scolded fiercely in his heart while waiting stealthily for the ghost to grab his ankle.
As soon as the cold fingers darted up, the delicate guy was truly scared out of his wits, screaming sharply and curling up onto the bed.
As for Si Di, he had even positioned himself to throw himself into Xiao Zhenyun’s arms, expecting to be embraced and comforted with warm words. However, Si Di misjudged the scream that followed. Suddenly, he felt as if his eardrums were being blown open, experiencing pain and clutching his ears as he leaned against Xiao Zhenyun, whimpering.
Xiao Zhenyun quickly covered his two ears, offering some guide elements like it was no big deal, “Let me in your spiritual domain, I’ll establish the spiritual link with you.”
“No, no.” Si Di struggled, “I’m afraid that suddenly hearing your inner complaints will ruin the atmosphere.”
“…” Xiao Zhenyun was silent for a long time, but his frustration eventually made him laugh in exasperation, “Then just endure the pain.”
The ghost heard their conversation, satisfied that Si Di was indeed frightened. The red-clothed ghost swaggered around the room, howling and shouting, then disappeared under the bed.
Shaking with lingering fear, the delicate guy returned to his original seat. “That scared me to death; it was quite thrilling… Handsome guy, are you alright?”
“He won’t die,” Xiao Zhenyun replied coolly on Si Di’s behalf.
After a while, they heard a desperate scream outside the door, accompanied by heavy and chaotic footsteps. Xiao Zhenyun identified the source of the scream as the tall guy from the young couple, who was usually very calm and composed. Xiao Zhenyun was surprised to hear him scream in terror.
Was this haunted house really so terrifying?
The tall guy, in a panic, almost jumped through the window, only to find it locked. He cried out in despair, then jumped back in, finally steadying himself, crying and rushing into the room, seeing his friends as if they were his saviors, he knelt down with a thud.
After being stunned for a while, the delicate guy suddenly burst out laughing, he walked up to him and sat kneeling behind the tall guy, patting his back while laughing, unable to contain his joy. “How can you be so timid, hahaha, it’s so funny, hahaha, you’re so big and yet you’re scared like this, hahaha.”
The tall guy, embarrassed and angry, cried out, “What’s wrong? Can’t a guy over six feet tall be afraid of ghosts? I brought the token back!”
“Of course, of course. Baby, you’re amazing!” Clearly, he was deeply in love with him, laughing sweetly and affectionately.
So this was what they called a contrast charm? Si Di realized… no, he didn’t.
He suggested letting the tall guy do the single-person task first, to see how he reacted when scared by the ghost, and to mimic that guy to make Xiao Zhenyun dote on him more. But the guy ended up crying… really crying. Even though he was already being embraced and comforted by his friend, Si Di couldn’t bear to cry like this person, even if it meant losing the sympathy he received in return.
“How about I go instead?” Xiao Zhenyun sincerely suggested once more. “I’m afraid if you go, you won’t make it back.”
Si Di: “…”
Si Di stood up with a resolute air, as if heading into a cold and desolate battlefield, “No, I’ve made up my mind.”
“Are you really going?” Xiao Zhenyun asked anxiously from behind him. “How long will you be gone? When will you come back? Will you still love me when you return?”
Si Di: “…”
“Yes, yes, yes, I love you, love you the most,” he replied dismissively as he walked out the door.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
