Chapter 13 Song, the Haunted House Killer, Ying

After slurping down a huge bucket of watermelon, Song Ying felt completely satisfied and her energy was restored. She then followed Qin Shu to the mission location.

"Amusement park?"

Song Ying never expected that the place the director was so secretive about was actually this.

"What kind of tasks can they assign here? Scare us with a haunted house? Challenge us on the Ferris wheel? Isn't this a setup that other shows have already overused? 'Love Detective' can't be that low-brow, can it?"

Behind the screen, the director felt a sharp pain in his knee.

"Be confident, just remove the two words 'not'," Qin Shu added, knowing the task at hand. Then he turned to the crew member filming and asked, "Guessing it isn't against the rules, right?"

The staff were taken aback and could only consult the director.

After receiving feedback that it wasn't against the rules, Song Ying's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go pass the test!"

The two headed straight for their destination.

After receiving the props, Song Ying studied the haunted house rules again. Seeing that there were also haunted house souvenirs for sale at the entrance, she picked out and bought some.

Before entering the haunted house, Song Ying remembered something and turned to confirm with the filming crew, "Teacher, are you mentally prepared?"

"……good."

The staff were a little unsure, but... anyway, haunted houses are all fake.

"Alright, let's go!"

Song Ying took the lead, walking at the very front, in high spirits.

Following them was Qin Shu, who was taking a leisurely stroll, and finally the filming crew.

Due to filming needs, the amusement park cleared out its afternoon sessions, and there were hardly any tourists.

The summer afternoon sun was hot and scorching. As soon as everyone entered the haunted house, their vision went dark, followed by a chilling atmosphere that sent shivers down their spines. The crew members filming with their equipment got goosebumps.

As you walk forward, the road becomes narrower and the light becomes dimmer.

Under a few dim red lights, dense spider webs, mottled tattered strips of cloth, bloodstained graffiti, and skulls that occasionally appear around corners or on the ground, coupled with eerie music, instantly create a terrifying atmosphere.

The further they went, the narrower the passage became, and the eerie atmosphere around them grew stronger.

Just then, several heads suddenly dropped down from above the narrow passageway.

Long hair hanging upside down, bizarre facial features, and a scarlet tongue curling and twitching as if it were about to touch the tourist's face.

Hands emerged from the surrounding walls, bare and menacing.

Two of them grabbed the staff member's ankles, one on the left and one on the right.

"ah--"

A scream rang out, the camera jerked, and the staff member was so startled that he fell to the ground.

“…?” Song Ying turned around. “Are you alright?”

"I...I'm fine."

The staff member wiped away a bead of sweat, his voice still trembling.

"You call this nothing?"

Qin Shu, standing next to him, waved the equipment in his hand, saying, "I was able to catch it for you this time, but I might not be able to next time."

The staff member was stunned, only then realizing that he had thrown the equipment out in his fright. Luckily, Qin Shu caught it in time, preventing it from breaking.

"..." The staff member was immediately embarrassed.

Admitting it is wrong, denying it is wrong.

Once you've admitted it, you have to move forward, but it's already so scary right from the start. Who knows what you'll encounter next? If the equipment breaks, he won't be able to afford to buy a replacement with several months' salary.

But what if we don't follow along? How will we film?

Just as the staff were hesitating, Qin Shu fiddled with the camera in his hand and said, "How about this, I'll film it for you."

"?"

"Didn't you say that the female guest had to complete a haunted house adventure?"

Qin Shu pointed the camera at a ghost face, focusing on a close-up, and then suddenly turned it towards the staff member, only capturing half of him looking terrified.

The screen suddenly switched to a high-definition close-up, startling not only the audience but also the director, who jumped back in surprise.

The horror effect was much stronger than the previous staff following behind and filming the two people's backs, not to mention the surveillance equipment in the haunted house.

Qin Shu clearly knows how to film.

The director clutched his chest and made a quick decision.

"Xiao Zhang, give the machine to Qin Shu, come out here."

The staff broke free of their restraints and ran away as fast as rabbits.

After casually fiddling with the equipment and adjusting the data, Qin Shu's arrogant and deep voice gained a touch of exuberance.

"Are you ready, Teacher Song?"

Song Ying winked. "Of course."

The haunted house NPC, who had been completely ignored and was hanging upside down to the point of near oxygen deprivation, looked like: ?

Do you think we're just for show?

This is an absolute disgrace to their careers!

After a moment of stunned silence, all hands suddenly reached out to grab Song Ying and Qin Shu.

On the screen, ghostly faces flashed by, twitching tongues danced wildly, and sinister ghostly claws swung about. Suddenly, two slender, pale hands moved swiftly, grabbing the tongues, splitting them in two, and tying them into a bow on the spot.

The upside-down ghosts tried to separate, but they couldn't move and were stuck together like a tangled mess.

At this moment, both hands had already grabbed Qin Shu, but he did not move and showed no fear on his face.

He simply stood still and kept taking pictures.

Suddenly, the camera abruptly cut to Song Ying, who deftly grabbed the two ghostly claws that were holding Qin Shu, and with a backhand slap, knocked the two hands back.

Like the other dancing hands, they were quickly dealt with by Song Ying.

After dealing with the surroundings, Song Ying untied the knot on the top of her head and thoughtfully straightened each of their tongues, then gently patted them.

"Be good, stop making a fuss, and listen to me."

NPC: ?

audience:? ?

Director: ? ? ?

The NPCs who were trying to scare people just a moment ago all shrank back after realizing they had met their match.

After all, the boss had given prior notice that today's filming would be different from the usual haunted house rules, allowing tourists to tease and scare the NPCs instead.

Immediately afterwards, everyone watched as Song Ying put on the ghost claw gloves she had bought at the entrance, as well as the rubber ghost tongue mask that was the same as the NPC's, adjusted her hair to cover herself up, and continued walking forward.

The further you go, the more ghosts and monsters you encounter.

The screams grew louder and louder.

Without exception, all these cries came from NPCs. All the intimidation challenges were easily defused by Song Ying, who even managed to tease and scare the other party in return.

One of the NPCs even lost a prop leg. Song Ying called out to it several times, but the NPC refused to come back to pick it up and simply disappeared.

With no other option, Song Ying picked it up and, in the next level, happened to use it to scare another NPC.

Along the way, Song Yingchang cleared not only the regular levels but also the hidden levels.

In addition, they also found a prop leg, a long-haired ghost face mask, half a skeleton, and a bloodstained embroidered shoe...

When Song Ying came out carrying this pile of things, the staff waiting outside were stunned.

"Teacher Song... what's wrong?"

"The NPCs dropped these things, but they wouldn't take them back. I was worried they wouldn't be able to find them if I left them behind, so I picked them all up. I'll return them to the amusement park staff later."

As Song Ying spoke, she put the things she was holding on the ground.

The cameraman, Xiao Zhang, looked at Song Ying with a changed expression. "Teacher Song, aren't you...aren't you afraid?"

He basked in the sun for half an hour, and he still felt that eerie atmosphere hadn't completely dissipated...

Song Ying blinked. "When I was in school, I worked part-time at a haunted house in an amusement park to earn living expenses."

Did you want to scare her with a haunted house?

Little did they know, this was a ghost entering the gates of hell and into their home.

No wonder Qin Shu looked so relaxed and amused when he received the mission earlier; he already knew Song Ying wasn't afraid of haunted houses.

[Song Ying's courage really surprised me. When she made that funny face just now, I screamed in the office. My boss came over and asked if I was butchering a pig (bye-bye)]

[Song Ying, the haunted house killer—she was as brave as I was! Just in terms of guts, I have to admit defeat.]

[Heh, it's all fake. She can even copy other people's character settings. The haunted house is probably scripted too. If you ask me, it's not that scary at all. It's all a show. It's just that Qin Shu filmed it well, which is why you were all so frightened.]

[While I disagree with the first half of the comment above, the second half is true. Qin Shu's camerawork is amazing, with such tricky angles. Watching the live stream just now felt like watching a horror movie.]

[Such a handsome and talented guy, how could he fall for Song Ying, this pretentious, plagiarizing jerk?]

[I don't understand +10086, Song Ying doesn't deserve it, break up with her immediately!]

Shengshi Entertainment, Sister Hong's office.

Xiao Lu looked at the comments and slammed her fist on the table in anger. "These people are so hypocritical! They keep praising Brother Qin, but when it comes to Sister Ying, they keep criticizing her. It's like they think they have a chance just because she broke up with her boyfriend."

"Isn't that how society is these days?" Sister Hong flipped through the documents. "Harsh on women, lenient on men."

"This is not fair!"

"Where is absolute fairness? If everything were truly fair, there wouldn't be people born with a silver spoon in their mouths while others struggle their whole lives and still can't reach the starting point of others; there wouldn't be gender discrimination in the workplace; and in the entertainment industry, there wouldn't be male celebrities who can easily clear their names after cheating while female celebrities whose careers are completely ruined after cheating."

"But are we just going to do nothing?" Little Deer bit her lip.

"Of course we have to do it. But verbal battles or anger won't solve the problem. The law of society is the survival of the fittest. Only in the face of absolute strength can the scales of injustice possibly tip back into balance. I have some faith in Aying and believe that she can turn public opinion around on her own. Since she's entered this industry, this is a required course for her."

After saying this, Sister Hong made a few marks on the document with her pen, neatly closed the document, and handed it to Xiao Lu.

"Send this document to Huatian Media."

Little Deer quickly took it with both hands, and her eyes lit up when she saw the file name on the cover.

"Casting for 'Temptation Star'?! Sister Hong, is it the drama adaptation of Wen Xiaowen's wildly popular manga?! I love watching it! I even bought the collector's edition of the manga! Which role is Sister Ying going to play?!"

"Shh!"

Sister Hong raised her finger, "There's been a lot going on lately, so we're keeping a low profile. We're still in the process of submitting materials and competing for roles. The lead actress, Qi Xing, has already been cast. I'm optimistic about the second lead actress, Qi Yue. The character has a lot of depth, and if she can play the role well, it will be a great boost for the actress. But I'm not sure if they'll cast A Ying. After all, Huatian's self-produced dramas are all hits, and there are quite a few people eyeing this opportunity."

"Sister Ying can definitely do it!" Xiao Lu's eyes lit up. "Wen Xiaowen is my favorite comic book author, and Sister Ying is my favorite actress. If they could work together, I would be laughing in my sleep! I'm going to deliver it right now!"

The little deer was about to skip out the door, but when it reached the door, it remembered something and turned back.

"By the way, Sister Hong, take a look at the live stream comments. Someone just said that Sister Ying and Brother Qin's dating experience was copied from a blogger named Redamancy. Although it was quickly deleted, I have a feeling that someone is trying to stir up trouble again and is preparing a big move, just like last time when they used the mistress incident to slander Sister Ying."