Si Di’s solo task was to retrieve Miss Qiao’s handkerchief from the room on the far left. Along the way, he had to crouch down and avoid a ghost that occasionally checked the window, as well as calculate his route to dodge a patrolling ghost in the corridor. Additionally, an NPC, who was hidden in the shadows with only their upper body visible, would try to grab his foot and scare him again. After finally obtaining the handkerchief, he would inevitably trigger a scripted event that would alert the patrolling ghost, leading to a final chase scene.
“…”
Si Di moved stealthily along the wall, crouching low, and quickly dodged past the window.
Then, he overheard the workers’ voices coming through the walkie-talkie, “Hey, hey, hey, the guest is already on the move. Liu, get ready.”
“What??” The NPC in the room was taken aback. He had a role where he was supposed to pop out when the guest was crouching by the window. He would stick his head out, yelling angrily. Usually, this part was well-received by guests, but this time, the guest had already run off before he could react. He felt like he had failed his job.
The commander’s voice from behind the monitor sounded puzzled as he said, “Just now, that person slipped away in an instant. I had to replay it just to catch a glimpse. It was like something out of a movie… Could this guy be military-trained?”
“Hearing the description, is he a special forces soldier?”
“Hahaha.”
Si Di: “…” Comparing a mere soldier to him? That’s insulting.
But no one would have guessed that sentinels and guides, who are as precious and protected as endangered species, would also have the leisure to spend a weekend at an amusement park with their families, just like ordinary people.
Si Di deliberately slowed down his steps a bit, choosing a route that would let the half-bodied ghost grab his ankle.
He saw the half-body ghost pre-applying some red ink on his hand, rubbing his fists together, preparing to grab him.
In an instant, Si Di noticed the ‘blood’ dripping from the hand and swiftly dodged it with a quick sidestep. The worker hesitated for a second but then relentlessly reached out again, determined to smear the fake blood on his pants.
Si Di gracefully sidestepped again, lifted the sole of his shoe, and firmly stepped on the hand, applying just enough pressure to keep it trapped.
Half-body ghost: “…”
Si Di: “…”
They awkwardly locked eyes, one looking up and the other looking down.
“Um,” Si Di couldn’t help but explain, “The clothes I’m wearing were newly bought by my lover. I’m worried that if the red ink gets on them, it won’t come off.”
“Uh… our fake ‘blood’ is specially made, the red pigment washes out quickly, just with water.”
“…” Si Di felt even more embarrassed, “So that’s how it is. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“It’s okay…”
Through the earpiece, the workers in the control room were even more convinced, “He must be trained!”
The silk cloth retrieval segment included a game with an NPC. The staff member, dressed as a ghost, placed a die under one of five cups and then rapidly shuffled them around. To win, Si Di had to pick the correct cup with the die underneath. If he chose wrong, a sticker would be placed on his face.
Ordinary people usually ended up with several stickers, as the lighting was dim to begin with, and the NPC intentionally made it difficult, sometimes blocking the cups with their bodies just to scare the visitors. It was almost certain that a visitor would need to have a few stickers before the game ended.
Honestly, Si Di kept his eyes wide open from start to finish, always knowing where the die was. The sound of the die rolling under the cup was like an explosion in his ears, making it strange that others couldn’t hear it.
The staff, tired of dealing with this difficult guest, decided to cut the hassle and handed him the cloth, urging him to go wherever he came from. Si Di slipped away like a ghost, instantly appearing outside the room where the other three were, causing the NPC ghost guarding the window to roar in anger, “Where is he?!”
“Xiao Zhenyun.” Si Di pushed the door open and ran to Xiao Zhenyun’s side, “Wow, the solo task scared me to death…”
The other two immediately leaned in to hear what was so frightening.
Si Di hesitated for a moment before making up a story: “It was pitch black, and I couldn’t see a thing. There was a chase, and I had to run for my life. I hid in a dusty cabinet while a ghost lurked outside, peering through the cracks. I had to grab the handkerchief while an NPC with disheveled hair and a bloody face chased after me, screaming.”
The tall guy shivered as if he was there himself, “That’s really scary, man, you’re brave.”
“Who’s brave? It was terrifying.” Si Di retorted.
“I screamed, you guys probably didn’t hear it, but I was shaking in fear.”
He lifted his right hand to Xiao Zhenyun, “Look.”
In the dim room, Xiao Zhenyun, almost smiling, commented, “Yeah, you’re practically shaking like you have Parkinson’s.”
Si Di waited a bit longer, but aside from the teasing remark, Xiao Zhenyun offered no further comfort, completely ignoring his ‘trembling’ wolf paw.
“…”
How could there be such an unresponsive guide in the world? Wasn’t he supposed to listen attentively to his words? Where were all those comforting lines? Had the feelings faded away already?
The wolf ears drooped, and his wolf tail wagged slowly and irritably from side to side, hitting the bed with force, causing the mattress to tremble. The tall guy next to him looked at him in shock, “Is your tail malfunctioning?”
“…”
Xiao Zhenyun stood by the candlelight, trying to decipher the ancient script on the cloth, trying to understand the meaning of the lines one by one. Si Di, with his legs crossed, spoke in a cold voice, “Break the token, there’s something inside.”
“…How did you know?” the young couple asked in surprise.
Xiao Zhenyun chuckled quietly again without turning his head, “He’s a pro.”
The token was crushed and a capsule containing a potion was found inside, sprinkling it on the cloth revealed a map, indicating where the corrupt account book that led to Miss Qiao’s death was hidden. The tall guy was immediately thrilled and pulled the cloth high.
At this moment, Xiao Zhenyun noticed Si Di’s unusual demeanor and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong with you today? Feeling a bit off?”
“Hmph.” Si Di took off his sunglasses, his icy beast-like eyes staring him down, “Feeling off? Where do you see that?”
“Where do I see that?” Xiao Zhenyun raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t just jump or hug me directly? Even the more intimate gestures were just clinging to me, not a single word about pants flying off. It’s a bit… different from before, don’t you think?”
“…” Si Di held his gaze firmly, gritting his teeth, “Just trying something new. Can’t I?”
“Well, well…” Xiao Zhenyun’s smile widened. His complexion had already improved significantly, becoming darker by two shades, healthier and more beautiful, approaching the physique described in the book. The scar he once had at the corner of his eyebrow from a playful fall was gone. After the plot, it seemed to have disappeared from Xiao Zhenyun’s body. His body was entirely new, a gift in Si Di’s words.
In the next task segment, Xiao Zhenyun took the lead, intertwining his fingers with Si Di’s, making the reluctant sentinel feel comfortable, not letting go even when searching the room for information. They even searched the whole room for information together, but due to lack of coordination, they almost fought when opening a sealed letter.
Furthermore, in the chase scene, Xiao Zhenyun was dragged three times, feeling like he was being tortured.
After the whole drama ended, the workers brought photos taken during the game for the visitors to purchase. The photos were ugly, and the price for each was extremely high, a scam targeting the gullible—only fools would fall for it.
Xiao Zhenyun stopped in front of the photo selection screen and pointed at one, “How about this one?”
Si Di leaned over, both of them looking at ‘The Scream.’
“Not buying, not buying,” Si Di refused decisively, dragging Xiao Zhenyun away, “What’s the use of buying that blurry mess? Besides, no one will buy it after a glance.”
Xiao Zhenyun pretended to be serious, “The photos have a certain artistic flair.”
“…Don’t make me curse.”
After leaving the haunted house, Si Di contacted the others to arrange a meeting spot. Meanwhile, Xiao Zhenyun paused beside a street food truck and suddenly asked, “Hungry? I’ll buy you something to eat.”
“Not hungry, but I am a bit thirsty,” Si Di replied, lazily leaning closer to Xiao Zhenyun, his hand naturally sliding into Xiao Zhenyun’s again as he playfully scratched his palm.
Xiao Zhenyun smirked and, without a word, sent a teasing nudge with his spiritual power against Si Di’s spiritual barrier. In an instant, a jolt of electricity shot down Si Di’s spine, leaving half his body numb, and he nearly jumped in surprise in front of everyone.
Keeping a straight face, Si Di glanced at the food truck menu and, for no apparent reason, suddenly blurted out, “I’ll have a coconut sago drink, with no coconut milk, no sago… and a deer.”
Xiao Zhenyun, sporting deer antlers and ears: “…”
The cashier, finger hovering over the ordering screen: “…”
The cook in the back, busy making burgers for other customers: “…”
The other customers: “…”
Si Di: “…”
Si Di squeezed his eyes shut in pain, correcting himself, “Coconut sago, please.”
The cashier, clearly a professional, barely suppressed a laugh and asked, “Seven parts sugar, no ice—would that be okay?”
“Whatever,” Si Di muttered as he stepped back and turned away, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Xiao Zhenyun then began seriously studying the menu, frowning as he considered his options for a long time. Finally, the cashier couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, if you’re having trouble deciding, perhaps you’d like to try our signature dish, which is…”
“No, I’m not debating what to eat,” Xiao Zhenyun replied seriously. “I’m trying to think of a good line to follow up on his cheesy pickup line, but there’s nothing here that rhymes with ‘wolf’.”
The cashier: “…”
From a distance, Si Di’s angry voice rang out, “Quit thinking about your comedy routine and just order already!”
Soon, Hedgehog with two balloons tied to his tail appeared, drawing everyone’s attention as he shuffled through the crowd with two kids. Hedgehog held two ice cream cones, one in each hand, licking them alternately. Meanwhile, Xiao Jiali and Xiao Nian had nothing, looking utterly miserable—clearly, the clueless kids had been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous adult.
Si Di gave Hedgehog a swift kick and told Xiao Jiali and Xiao Nian to go get something to eat, saying their ‘dad’ was paying.
Xiao Jiali lit up with joy, but Xiao Nian’s face soured even more.
“Oh, by the way,” Hedgehog suddenly piped up, “Xiao Chu and Xiao Fei heard we’re at the amusement park and said they happen to be free. They’re on their way now and should be here soon.”
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)
