HEIFEIGU -Chapter 18

Night had just fallen. The mansion had no lights, only rows of red lanterns.

As the last person entered, the heavy wooden doors were closed, and all lanterns extinguished simultaneously.

“Ah!” The apparently brave Quan You’er screamed first. “Turn… turn on the lights!”

The three male guests froze.

Surprisingly, the gentle Yu Yueting remained calm. “I just checked the instructions. Two of the guests have flashlights among their props. Find out who has them.”

They started searching and finally found that Quan You’er’s livestream light and Huai Xinhou’s microphone could be used as lighting.

“Bro… can I hold onto you…” Ran Shi timidly looked at Huai Xinhou.

“I want to too!” Quan You’er grabbed Yu Yueting’s arm tightly.

Ji Jin smiled and approached from behind, “I’ve done escape rooms many times. Follow me; I’ll be the shield!”

In the observation room, Wu Hongyuan nodded appreciatively. “This kid shows responsibility. Even after what happened, he stepped up to protect everyone.”

“Impressive,” Yin Li tossed her long hair, “looks brave too.”

Meng Zezhou: …

He didn’t want to speak. Those two cheering sidekicks must have been paid!

【Honestly, I had unfollowed before, but thinking back, it wasn’t his fault. He was sick.】

【Yeah, if Xie Jixing hadn’t messed with his mindset, his state wouldn’t have been so bad.】

【Then Xie Jixing went online to badmouth, kicking him while he’s down.】

【All for his own livestream. How can someone be so cruel!】

【Are you crazy? What does Xie Jixing have to do with it?】

【Wasn’t he the one who splashed milk tea on Ji Jin? Could you handle that on live TV?】

【Xie Jixing is pure evil, a bad seed!】

The chat argued over Xie Jixing and Ji Jin’s feud. In the mansion, Ji Jin grinned and, in a mysterious tone, said, “Hey, do you think ghosts really exist?”

“Honestly, I’d like to see one.”

“If it’s a female ghost, that’d be great. Maybe we’d have some special connection.”

“Eek~”

Yue Qinyao tactically stepped back from the screen—definitely giving ghost vibes!

Xie Jixing looked at the comments, put down the chip bag, and dusted his hands, “Let’s grant him his wish.”

Then he poked the two ghosts beside him.

“Let’s go, let’s go, it’s time for the clock.”

As soon as Ji Jin finished speaking, a soft female voice echoed in the empty courtyard: “Is that so~? Do you want to see me?”

The voice was fleeting, and it was impossible to tell where it came from.

“Ahhhhhh! Who’s there?!” Quan You’er’s soul had already been hovering halfway out.

Yu Yueting felt a little uneasy too, but still tried to calm her with a trembling voice: “Don’t be scared. It’s definitely the production team’s sound effects. You all try to look around with the flashlights.”

The beams of the flashlights swept around anxiously, but Huai Xinhou didn’t see anything.

The courtyard fell silent again, only the sound of insects chirping remained, and everyone’s nerves gradually settled.

Ji Jin, however, grew increasingly pale.

“Do you want to see me?” This time, a clear male voice whispered into his ear.

Ji Jin knew this voice all too well—almost the one he hated the most.

So clear, so warm, high-pitched yet bright when singing—the kind of voice that made his own sound coarse and unpleasant. But hadn’t he already destroyed this voice with his own hands?

Ji Jin had watched Xie Jixing’s live stream before. That person’s voice was now slightly hoarse, and he had even said he would no longer sing. So why was this voice appearing again?

“Does my voice sound familiar to you?” The unlucky ghost had been trained by Sister Yue recently and had become very good at scaring people.

He blew an eerie breath near Ji Jin’s ear and continued, “Don’t you think Xie Jixing is a little… weird now?”

“Actually… he’s a ghost~”

“Go away!” Ji Jin suddenly shouted.

The four people behind him trembled at his roar.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Quan You’er’s already fragile soul fluttered even more.

“Can you still hear the voice?” Ji Jin asked, his voice slightly trembling.

The others shook their heads. “No, it’s gone.”

Obviously, only Ji Jin could hear these words. He scanned the surroundings anxiously, trying to find signs of someone playing tricks, but it was too dark to see anything.

The person who had been boastful just moments ago quietly retreated into the group.

The five of them walked forward in a line. Quan You’er swung her flashlight toward a corner, and under a tall ancient tree, a human figure appeared.

The person’s face was pale, a tasseled veil covering his forehead and eyebrows. He looked almost monochrome, except for a mole under one eye, full red lips, and the floral patterns on his clothes.

Even more striking was the dark red liquid slowly dripping from beneath the tassel veil.

‘Plop.’ It fell onto the elegant Xiuhe outfit, splashing into a floral pattern.

“Blood! It’s blood!” Quan You’er was so scared she dropped the flashlight and crouched, clutching her head. “There’s a ghost… a ghost!”

Her flashlight rolled on the ground, the beam landing on a pair of tiny lotus shoes as another drop of dark red liquid fell.

A red blossom appeared on the white shoes.

“F…fake… right?” Ran Shi’s voice began to tremble. “It must be a prop from the production team. No real person could have feet like that. Brother Huai, quickly—shine the light!”

Huai Xinhou hurriedly swept his flashlight over.

Under the light, everyone clearly saw the person’s bright red lips curl slightly.

It… it moved!

Huai Xinhou’s hand shook in fright, making the beam wobble.

When he steadied it and shone the light again, the person who had been standing there was gone—only the tree shadows swayed.

The figure had vanished.

【Ahhh! Barricade the screen!】

【Wake up, upstairs. You are the barricade.】

【This show is something else, so realistic—it’s like a movie.】

【I want to know more about that ghost girl! So good-looking!】

【You fangirls are impossible.】

【We fangirls are like this, hehe, worship the ghost girl.】

【Didn’t Ji Jin say he’s the tank? Shouldn’t he have gone forward to check?】

In the mansion:

“This is too scary, too scary. I’m really frightened,” Quan You’er’s voice trembled, almost crying. “C…can we…can we leave?”

The show allowed mid-session exits, but not single-person exits. If one member left, the scene would be sealed, waiting for the next group to challenge it.

Quan You’er was genuinely scared but not enough to insist on leaving.

At this moment, speaking up was more about creating a spectacle for the show, letting everyone comfort her and complete the challenge together—then the group’s souls would rally.

The others were about to comfort her when Ji Jin squeezed through and picked up Quan You’er’s flashlight.

“I’ll go check. It’s definitely the production team’s NPCs. If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear. I’m straightforward—I’m not scared.”

Hearing this, Meng Zezhou felt awkward. “Everyone’s tolerance for fear is different. Being scared is normal. Why link it to being ‘straightforward’?”

“You can’t say that either. I think it’s commendable that the young man stepped up; that is indeed straightforward,” Wu Hongyuan added.

【Does Meng Zezhou have a problem with Ji Jin? He’s always putting him down even though Ji Jin does good things.】

【Feels like he’s bullying a minor celebrity!】

【Yes, the whole world bullies your brother, Xie Jixing bullied him, Ran Shi bullied him, and now Meng Zezhou too. Anyone not going along with him is bullying.】

The flashlight wobbled toward the tree. Ji Jin’s pupils suddenly constricted as another figure appeared beneath the tree.

It looked like Xie Jixing, yet not quite.

The figure wore the outfit from the Orange TV performance, makeup with heavy shadows, full eyeliner, and dramatic winged eyes, staring at Ji Jin with malice.

No white showed in his eyes, the throat marked with a black spot, seeping black blood.

“Get away!” Ji Jin charged, fists and feet flying. “Get away, move!”

The four behind him were dumbfounded.

“What’s happening?” Quan You’er clutched Yu Yueting’s arm. “So scary!”

“Why is he kicking the tree? Did the tree do something wrong?” Ran Shi grabbed Huai Xinhou’s arm to shine the light. “Did he really see a ghost?”

“Impossible,” Quan You’er said firmly. She remembered Ji Jin’s previous composure with spirits. “A straightforward person like him wouldn’t be scared of ghosts.”

In such a tense atmosphere, Yu Yueting almost couldn’t contain herself—the corner of her mouth was trembling, harder to suppress than AK.

【What’s happening? Why is Ji Jin suddenly cursing and kicking the tree?】

【No idea. Maybe the tree bullied him too.】

Wu Hongyuan watched the live stream, teeth nearly grinding. “What a scene. They didn’t mention he’d be this difficult during payment.”

“I think it’s scripted,” he insisted. “Ji Jin’s acting is really good.”

“See, it’s layered. Holding the flashlight while shaking and backing away, his fear is realistic,” he added, glancing at Yin Li, “you got paid too, praise him.”

“Indeed. I think he could even transition to acting professionally; he’s no worse than those popular young actors,” Yin Li reluctantly said.

【Wow, he’s so talented? Even Sister Yin confirmed!】

【Yeah, he acted very well; it looked like he really saw a ghost.】

【Now I get why Meng Zezhou keeps putting him down; he must feel threatened.】

Me? Threatened? Ah, right, right!

Meng Zezhou almost laughed at the barrage of comments.

Wu Hongyuan continued praising and even prompted Meng Zezhou: “Little Meng, what do you think? How’s Little Ji’s acting?”

Meng Zezhou sincerely looked at the camera: “I think he’s better than me!”

After all, he probably would’ve wet himself if he tried to act this scene.