Peer competition

"Don't think too much about it for now." Ruan Yunsheng rubbed Luo's head and said with a smile, "Go call all the girls out. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

When Luo heard that there was something delicious to eat, her eyes lit up instantly and she jumped happily to call for help.

As night fell, the moon shone brightly in the sky, and the city's streets were ablaze with lights, bustling with activity. Ruan Yunsheng and his companions entered Zuixianlou, the city's most prestigious restaurant. Before the waiter even served tea, Ah Luo began chattering about the signature dishes, seemingly intent on ordering the entire menu.

The other girls were secretly looking at Ruan Yunsheng and Song Tinghe. Although they were sitting side by side, they kept getting closer to each other unconsciously, and then pretending to be calm and separated. The air seemed to be filled with pink bubbles.

"Now that you've taken the Soul-Returning Pill, you can consume small amounts of human delicacies. Are there any dietary restrictions?"

Song Tinghe was already drooling just by hearing the names of the dishes announced by the waiter. Besides, he had lost his memory, so how could he remember these things? He quickly said that he wanted them all.

There is no way. I can only watch them eat on weekdays and I can't even smell the food.

"No problem." Ruan Yunsheng waved his hand and threw handfuls of silver into Xiaoer's hands, "Make good arrangements."

The waiter looked at so much money and immediately smiled and bowed to agree.

Sister Qing couldn't stand this cloying atmosphere and said sarcastically, "Someone said she was going to have some fun with the girls, but what happened..." She deliberately stretched out her voice, "It turns out she was going to spend time with her boyfriend."

As soon as those three words came out, Song Tinghe's ears turned red instantly, and she wanted to bury her face in the teacup in front of her.

Ruan Yunsheng coughed lightly: "What nonsense are you talking about? It hasn't come to this yet..."

"It's come to this?" the girls said in unison, laughing so hard that they were shaking.

Hua Rong came closer and said, "Miss, look at Mr. Song's ears. They are so red that blood can drip out~"

Song Tinghe's neck flushed pink upon hearing this, and in his panic he knocked over his teacup. Ruan Yunsheng wiped it for him while glaring at everyone, "If you make trouble again, you'll pay for tonight's drinks!"

When the girls heard that they had to pay for it themselves, they immediately became obedient, and each one of them was as well-behaved as the clay Buddhas in the temple.

It was not until the waiters came in one after another with signature dishes such as Eight Treasure Duck and Crystal Shrimp that the group of girls became lively again.

Ah Luo noticed Ruan Yunsheng putting food into Song Tinghe's bowl and couldn't help but lean over: "Sister Ruan, it's not that he can't..."

Ruan Yunsheng dipped the peeled shrimp in vinegar and recounted what had just happened in the underworld: "This also requires the Soul Returning Pill given by Yama."

"So magical!" Hua Rong felt that the food in her mouth was no longer tasty, and she didn't even notice that the chopsticks in her hand had fallen.

What’s the difference between this and coming back to life!

Ah Luo reached out and poked Song Tinghe's arm. When she felt the warm skin, her eyes widened in surprise. "Really? It's hard." She suddenly covered her mouth. "Oh, shouldn't I say congratulations to Sister Ruan?"

"Even eating can't stop your mouth!" Ruan Yunsheng picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and stuffed it into her mouth.

"But we can't say it's a human yet. At least there's no heartbeat or breathing. We'll know once we find the body."

The girls thought it was a great opportunity to have such a good fortune and raised their glasses to celebrate. There was constant noise and fun in the box. At this time, the conversation in the next box made the girls fall silent.

A rough male voice came from next door: "Brother, are you really going to go against those women and open a haunted house?"

"Why, if they can do it, we can't?" another voice said with disdain, "Don't worry, I've made all the arrangements. I've hired several people to look inside thoroughly. It's just a matter of pretending to be a ghost and scaring people. Who can't do that?"

"And I only need five taels of silver to play, and there's no limit on the number of people." The voice became more and more proud. "I'll steal all their customers and let them know that women should stay at home and give birth to children!"

"Hahahaha!" A disgusting laugh was heard.

The girls' faces suddenly turned pale. Ah Luo was so angry that she was shaking all over. She stood up suddenly, but was pulled back by Ruan Yunsheng. She was very aggrieved: "Sister Ruan, listen to them..."

"No rush." ​​Ruan Yunsheng gently pressed her shoulders and put a chicken drumstick into her bowl. "Listen a little longer."

Her voice was soft and her face was gentle, as if she wasn't affected by the dirty talk at all, which made people feel inexplicably at ease. Seeing this, Luo had no choice but to sit down, biting her lip and clenching her fists until they turned white.

I could only hear the conversation next door continuing: "I heard that their haunted house is quite weird, and there's a female ghost who's particularly scary..."

"Tsk, just some charade!" the leader said disdainfully, "I've already found the right candidates, so why worry about not being able to defeat them?"

The younger brothers beside him echoed: "Big brother, what a good plan. Come and have a drink."

The leader became even more arrogant: "When they come up with some new tricks, we will send people to learn them and leave them with nowhere to go."

…

From the adjacent box, obscene language continued to emanate, along with the clinking of wine glasses and obscene banter. Sister Qing clenched her chopsticks tightly, her knuckles turning white. "Miss, are we just going to endure this?"

Ruan Yunsheng shook the wine glass, and the amber wine swayed in the candlelight: "It's only a matter of time before I'm imitated. I've been prepared for this." A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her lips, "They can't learn it." After saying that, she raised her head and drank the wine in one gulp.

"But are we just going to let it go after they slander us like this?" A'Luo's cheeks puffed up with anger, like a steamed bun made of leavened dough.

Ruan Yunsheng put down his wine glass and said seriously, "Let me ask you, how many people are there on the other side?"

The girls fell silent for a moment. Yes, there were at least four strong men next door. How could a group of girls like them confront them head-on?

Seeing everyone wilting, Ruan Yunsheng suddenly blinked and changed the subject: "But when they are alone, the moon is dark and the wind is strong..."

The girls' eyes lit up. "That's right! Let's wait until these people are drunk and then find a place where no one is around..."

"Eat." Ruan Yunsheng picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in the bowl. "Eat well so you have strength..."

"Do great things!" A'Luo rushed to answer and started eating happily. Ruan Yunsheng gave her an appreciative look.

"But Miss, how are you going to deal with this matter?" Hua Rong asked with a frown.

Ruan Yunsheng tapped the tabletop with his fingertips and smiled mysteriously, "A'Luo, if a large number of guests really cancel their reservations, just put up a notice at the door saying..."

"The second act of the haunted house will open in three days. Reservations are now accepted. Due to the upgraded scene, the number of performances for the first act will be gradually reduced. Thank you for your understanding."

The girls looked at each other in bewilderment. Sister Qing was worried. "Three days? We don't even know the plot for Act Two. How are we going to have enough time to rehearse?"

"No need to rehearse this time, we have to play it a different way."

Seeing the girls' puzzled faces, Ruan Yunsheng beckoned with his finger, and the girls immediately leaned over, their heads touching, their ears touching, to listen to the young lady say...

Ah Luo's eyes widened as she looked excited: "Then we don't have to work anymore?"

Ruan Yunsheng nodded affirmatively, and the girls called out excitedly, hoping that the people next door would open the shop as soon as possible.

It was the middle of the night, and the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, leaving only a few broken lanterns swaying in the wind, casting a dim glow.

A group of drunks staggered along the empty streets, reeking of alcohol and spewing foul language.

The burly man in the lead, with a face full of flesh and a thick gold chain hanging around his neck, patted his companions on the shoulder as they walked: "Hahaha, the haunted house run by those women is nothing! Once we set up our place, we'll make sure they're out of business!"

"That's right! Women should stay at home and breastfeed their children. It's inappropriate for them to show up in public!" Another tall and thin man echoed, drunkenly kicking over a bamboo basket on the side of the road.

They stumbled into a deep alley, unaware that several dark shadows were quietly following them.

Ruan Yunsheng and his group had already ambushed here.

"Are you ready?" Ruan Yunsheng lowered his voice, a cold arc rising at the corner of his lips.

"I can't wait any longer!" Luo rubbed her hands together, her eyes brightening surprisingly.

"Remember, only hit hard, not crippled," Ruan Yunsheng warned. "Especially the face—the more swollen the better."

The girls nodded in unison, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Deep in the alley,

The drunks were laughing loudly when suddenly a cold wind blew past and blew out the last lantern.

"Damn, why is it so cold all of a sudden..." The burly man in the lead rubbed his arms, and before he finished speaking -

“Whoosh!”

A sack fell from the sky and accurately covered his head!

"Who? Uh—"

Fists rained down like raindrops, specifically hitting the thickest parts of the body. The strong man screamed and rushed around like a headless fly, but he bumped into his accomplice who was also covered with a sack, and the two fell to the ground with a "bang".

"Ouch! Which bastard attacked me!" The tall and thin man struggled to tear open the sack, but was kicked in the butt and fell flat on his face.

"Watch your mouth!" Sister Qing sneered, swung the rolling pin and hit him on the back.

"Ouch! Auntie, please spare me!" The tall and thin man suddenly became cowardly, holding his head and wailing, but before he could even shout, he was punched back in the stomach.

Ah Luo was even more aggressive. She grabbed the stinky socks she had prepared earlier and stuffed them into the mouth of another drunk who was trying to call for help: "I told you to shout, if you have the guts, go ahead and shout!"

Ruan Yunsheng leaned leisurely against the wall, watching the farce with a smile, and gave them some advice from time to time, such as which part hurts and which part is not easy to be discovered.

It wasn't until the drunks were crying for their parents that she slowly spoke: "That's enough. If you hit them again, they'll be crippled."

The girls stopped reluctantly and gave it a kick before leaving.

"Remember the lesson of tonight." Ruan Yunsheng leaned over and whispered to the few people who were lying in a mess, "Otherwise, you'll be a ghost next time."

After warning a few people, he led the girls away, leaving behind a few trembling sack heads.

After Ruan Yunsheng and his group left, only a few drunkards with bruised faces and noses were left in the alley. They were lying on the ground like a puddle of mud, with sacks tied crookedly on their heads and thick hemp ropes tied around them so tightly that they couldn't breathe.

"Woo...Brother! Help me untie it!" The tall and thin man struggled, his voice muffled in the sack and unclear.

The burly man in the lead had bruises all over his face and blood oozing from the corners of his mouth. He struggled to pull off the sack on his head, panting heavily, and stumbled to help his companion untie the rope.

"Who the hell is that?" He gritted his teeth, but as soon as he raised his hand, his arm throbbed with pain, obviously because he had been given special treatment when he was beaten just now.

"Are they those women from the haunted house?" The tall and thin man rubbed his face, which was swollen like a bun, and hissed.

"Bullshit!" the burly man cursed. "How could they have the guts to do that? Besides, how could they possibly know what we said tonight?"

"But who else could it be besides them?" Another accomplice clutched his stomach, groaning in pain. "We haven't offended anyone recently..."

Several people looked at each other, feeling uneasy. They were indeed planning to steal the business in secret, but how come they were being targeted before they even took action?

"Could it be... a ghost?" The tall and thin man swallowed his saliva, thinking of the cold wind and the lantern that went out inexplicably, and his heart was pounding.

"Bullshit!"

The sturdy man spoke toughly, but his eyes were erratic, and he was obviously scared. He forced himself to stand up and patted the dust off his body. "Let's go! Let's go back first!"

Several people supported each other and limped out of the alley, but as soon as they turned out of the alley, a cold wind blew in their faces, making them shiver all over.

"Brother... look at what that is?" The tall and thin man suddenly trembled and pointed to the distance.

Everyone looked up and saw a figure in red standing quietly at the entrance of the alley, with long hair loose and his face unclear.

"ah--!!!"

Several people were so frightened that they crawled back, but when they turned around, they found that there was a "person" standing behind them, with a pale face, black eyes, and grinning at them.

“Ghost——!!!”

They completely collapsed, running away crying and screaming, not even daring to look back to pick up their lost shoes.

An Yue and Song Tinghe, who had successfully played a trick, looked at each other and smiled knowingly.