The next day, Yue Bai finally learned where that thrilling spot was. She stared dumbly at the signboard in front of her, twisting her head in disbelief toward the leisurely Sang Wan beside her. “Senior Sister, this is the thrilling place you mentioned?”
Sang Wan nodded matter-of-factly, a casual smile playing on her lips as she spoke. “What’s wrong? Doesn’t Little Junior Sister think this place is thrilling?”
Yue Bai let out a dry chuckle. “I think it’s supposed to be terrifying.” She forcibly grabbed Sang Wan’s wrist and forced a grin. “But I’m not scared of stuff like this.”
Sang Wan chuckled softly. She tilted her head playfully and tapped the label on the signboard. “Then shall we go in?”
“Let’s go in,” Yue Bai said, swallowing hard. She never would have imagined that the thrilling place Sang Wan had in mind was a haunted house.
Clinging to the belief that all haunted houses were fake and not scary at all, Yue Bai resolutely followed Sang Wan to the ticket counter.
Sang Wan stood at the ticket booth and turned to confirm once more. “Are you sure you want to do this? Once we go in, it won’t be easy to come back out.”
“I’m in,” Yue Bai said fiercely. “I’m not scared.”
Sang Wan was amused. She eyed Yue Bai up and down—Little Junior Sister didn’t look all that fearless. Still…
“Two tickets for medium terror, no NPCs, please,” Sang Wan told the staff. She didn’t want Yue Bai accidentally hurting someone in a moment of fright.
Clutching their two tickets, they reached the entrance gate. Sang Wan checked Yue Bai’s resolve one last time before slowly handing over the tickets. At the staff’s repeated urging, they received a map of the haunted house. It marked the routes through the attraction, allowing visitors to find their way out, but it didn’t indicate the placement or timing of the props—visitors had to experience those for themselves.
“Hello. Since you’ve chosen the medium terror level, you’ll need to wear these trackers. If you don’t make it out within forty-five minutes, we’ll locate you based on the signals. Please remember that everything inside is fake. Don’t panic excessively,” the staff member earnestly warned them.
Sang Wan nodded in understanding. She fastened a tracker to her own wrist and then to Yue Bai’s. With a playful smile, she said, “If you get scared, you can hold onto me.”
Yue Bai straightened her back, silently repeating to herself in her mind: It’s all fake. It’s all fake. I’m not scared.
“No need. Nothing to be scared of,” Yue Bai said nonchalantly.
The staff member glanced at her, as if about to say something, but held back. Everyone started out cocky like this anyway—the props inside would humble them soon enough.
The haunted house interior was filled with dim lighting. As they entered, they faced a deep, shadowy tunnel—nothing but darkness. Yue Bai’s suspended heart eased a bit. It was just like the ones she’d done before.
At a candelabrum, Sang Wan unfolded the map and peered at it under the flickering yellow light. She pointed lightly at the paper. “I’ve checked it out. There are two paths to choose from. Which one do you want?”
Yue Bai leaned over for a look and picked the shorter route.
Sang Wan glanced at that path, her brows furrowing slightly. Shorter meant it was probably more intense.
She didn’t try to stop her.
“Then let’s go left,” Sang Wan said, lifting her chin toward the nearby fork.
Yue Bai murmured her agreement, and they proceeded side by side.
They had just turned the corner when a chill wind blew through. Yue Bai instinctively hugged her arms and peered ahead, seeing nothing unusual.
Just an atmospheric effect, Yue Bai thought to herself.
But as she relaxed, the wind picked up, almost strong enough to impede their steps.
Yue Bai’s free hand twitched, but she didn’t reach for Sang Wan.
Suddenly, a cold sensation hit her shoulder as a drop of liquid fell from above, soaking a small patch of her clothing. Yue Bai shuddered, not daring to look up.
Sang Wan noticed the change. She tilted her head back slightly and saw a massive ghostly face overhead, its tongue lolling out with fluid dripping from the tip.
Sang Wan lowered her head nonchalantly and kept walking. In her peripheral vision, Yue Bai’s body trembled faintly.
This is getting interesting. Still holding strong.
“Ah!” Her foot sank into something squishy and sticky, and Yue Bai let out an involuntary scream. She stumbled backward, colliding with a sudden object.
Yue Bai stiffly twisted her neck. A blood-red human face loomed right in front of her. “Holy shit, holy shit!”
Terrified, Yue Bai backed up again, stepping into the sticky mess once more. Her gaze went blank as she looked down. In the dim light, wriggling black shapes squirmed on the floor.
“Aaaahhh!!” Screams poured from Yue Bai’s mouth nonstop. She hopped around in panic, unsure where to go, overwhelming fear engulfing her. “Senior Sister, waaah.”
She was on the verge of tears when a cool hand gripped her wrist. Thinking it was another horror, Yue Bai flailed her arm to shake it off.
“It’s me.” Sang Wan’s voice was gentle and soothing as she tried to calm Yue Bai. “Don’t be scared. It’s all fake. That’s just a prop—see, it’s stopped moving now.”
The soft tone gradually steadied Yue Bai’s racing heart. Gasping for breath, she cautiously glanced at the bloodied face. It was indeed still.
With her emotions stabilizing, Yue Bai steeled herself to look at her feet. It was an electric squishy mat.
Now knowing what it was, color slowly returned to Yue Bai’s face. She closed her eyes, then opened them again, clarity returning to her gaze.
“Senior Sister, let’s keep going,” Yue Bai said, her voice still trembling slightly.
Sang Wan didn’t miss it. Concerned, she took Yue Bai’s hand as they walked. “Are you really okay?” Yue Bai’s earlier panic had been both amusing and heartbreaking.
“I’m fine. Let’s go,” Yue Bai replied, murmuring under her breath, “It’s all fake. It’s all fake…”
Sang Wan squeezed her hand a little tighter, gently rubbing her palm. “Yeah, all fake.”
Whenever something jumped out next, Yue Bai would yelp at first, but it would soon go still.
With Sang Wan holding her hand and her constant self-reassurance, Yue Bai felt less afraid.
Sang Wan checked the map on her wrist. The exit was near, which meant the scariest part was coming up. Her eyes darkened subtly as she glanced at the still-muttering Yue Bai, lips pressing together.
Just two or three meters from the exit, the lights grew brighter. Yue Bai fixated on the word “EXIT,” nearly jumping for joy. Her guard was at its lowest.
There couldn’t be any tricks right here, could there?
Eager to cover the short distance, she took half a step forward. The infrared sensor triggered, plunging the entire haunted house into darkness. Pitch black surrounded them; they couldn’t see a thing.
Oh no, Yue Bai thought.
The floor beneath her feet began to give way, and a damp, foul-smelling gas rushed in from all sides. Her body sank inch by inch.
“What is this? Senior Sister, where are you?” Yue Bai’s eyes widened. In the darkness, vague shapes loomed. Something brushed her back—a cold, slimy thing clung to her arm, and what felt like a hand gripped her ankle tightly.
“Aaaahhh!” Another barrage of screams.
“Yue Bai.” Sang Wan’s worried voice called from nearby.
“Senior Sister, I’m here!” Yue Bai cried out, grasping at a lifeline.
But an invisible barrier seemed to separate them; they couldn’t find each other.
An icy chill spread over her body. Yue Bai lost control, her voice thick with distress. “Sang Wan, where are you?”
She sought protection in her fear.
Click. A beam of light cut through as Sang Wan turned on her phone’s flashlight. Following the glow, she finally spotted the terrified, helpless figure.
Yue Bai was crouched on the ground, arms wrapped tightly around herself. A massive fake lizard sprawled across her back, its tongue flicking onto her arm, while a bruised prop hand clutched her wrist.
“Little Bai.” Sang Wan rushed over in two strides. She flung off the fake lizard and prop hand, then pulled the still-shaking Yue Bai into her arms, soothing her softly. “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Senior Sister’s here.”
The familiar voice and warmth broke Yue Bai’s composure. She buried herself in Sang Wan’s embrace, sobbing and shuddering as she fought to rein in her emotions.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Sang Wan stroked Yue Bai’s back rhythmically. She regretted bringing her here.
After ten minutes, Yue Bai’s emotions settled. She lifted her head weakly, two tear tracks still staining her cheeks.
Sang Wan’s heart ached even more. She cupped Yue Bai’s face in both hands, her soft fingertips wiping away the tears as she frowned with pity. “Feeling better?”
Yue Bai’s nose twitched. She nodded slowly. “Senior Sister, let’s get out of here. I don’t want to stay anymore.”
Sang Wan stroked her hair comfortingly. “Okay, sure.”
The haunted house’s final prop activated, but the remaining steps were uneventful.
Breathing in the fresh outdoor air, color returned to Yue Bai’s pale face. She removed her tracker and handed it to the waiting staff, her legs trembling as she shuffled forward slowly.
Sang Wan jogged over and grabbed her. Yue Bai’s gaze was vacant and unfocused, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as her breathing came in ragged gasps.
“Let’s head to the rest area and sit down for a bit to calm your nerves?” Sang Wan held onto the girl who was wandering aimlessly ahead and led her off in another direction.
They hadn’t gone far before they found an empty spot. Sang Wan guided Yue Bai to sit down, her eyes fixed with concern on the other girl’s face. Faint traces of tears still lingered on those delicate features. Sang Wan pulled a pack of wet wipes from her bag and gently dabbed them away.
Yue Bai turned stiffly, placing her hand over Sang Wan’s where it rested on her cheek. “Senior Sister.”
“Mm, I’m right here.” Sang Wan didn’t pull away. She watched as focus returned to Yue Bai’s eyes, then leaned in good-naturedly, wrapping her other arm around her and drawing her close into her embrace.
“Wahhh, I knew I shouldn’t have gone in there. It scared me half to death.” Yue Bai buried herself in Sang Wan’s arms, murmuring her fears in a small voice.
Sang Wan gazed down at her. She looked just like a frightened little rabbit. Seeing that she was recovering, Sang Wan let out a soft chuckle, her voice warm as she rocked Yue Bai gently from side to side. “I could tell. You were so spooked you didn’t even call me Senior Sister—you just shouted my name.”
When Yue Bai had cried out her name in pure terror, Sang Wan’s first thought had been that her junior really had been frightened badly. Her second was that she shouldn’t have brought her little underclassman here. And her third… well, her name sounded surprisingly nice coming from Yue Bai’s lips.
“Senior Sister…” Now that she had calmed down, Yue Bai pulled away from the embrace, scratching her head sheepishly. “It was really terrifying in there.”
Sang Wan smiled faintly. “Who was it that said they wouldn’t be scared before we went in?”
Yue Bai grew even more embarrassed. “Then why did Senior Sister bring me here…?”
Sang Wan’s expression paused for a moment. She gave Yue Bai a meaningful look. “It just popped into my head.”
“Oh~” Yue Bai drew out the sound, clearly not expecting that answer.
Sang Wan’s hand twitched at her side as her thoughts drifted back to the night before National Day.
