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Chu Yiran finally moved.
He rolled out of bed, his eyes scanning the room. He rummaged through the mattress and wardrobe, finally finding a brass key hidden in the folded clothes at the bottom of the wardrobe.
Chu Yiran grabbed the keys and strode toward Su Jing.
Su Jing looked up at him, his eyes reflecting the dim light of the room, his gaze as calm as a lake.
"Thanks," he said softly.
The moment the latch popped open, Chu Yiran deliberately yanked it hard. Su Jing was pulled forward, the pain from the friction of the chain making him frown slightly, and the cuff of his shirt on his left hand slid down to his elbow with a "whoosh".
--No.
Chu Yiran stared at that fair and smooth forearm, which had no burn scars or any grotesque marks.
In his previous life, Su Jing was always bullied by his older brothers. The hideous scar on the inside of his left hand was left by the Crown Prince and the Third Prince deliberately spilling boiling tea on his arm.
But the person in front of me didn't have that.
But if he's from another time, then the body he's in is definitely not the same as the one from his previous life. Chu Yiran inwardly scoffed; he'd really lost his mind.
"What's wrong?" Su Jing asked, puzzled.
"...It's nothing." Chu Yiran stepped back with a cold face.
Su Jing flexed his wrists, got up and walked to the bedside: "There should be a mechanism here, we need to let the others in as well." He turned to Chu Yiran: "Could you please lend a hand?"
Chu Yiran pursed her lips and walked over without saying a word.
The two found the mechanism under the bed, pressed it, and the bottom of the coffin moved horizontally. With a loud "boom," the flat panel at the bottom of the coffin opened.
Lin Wanxing, Zhou Xiaoxiao, Shen Zheyu, and others also jumped down one after another. At first, Zhou Xiaoxiao and Cheng Zixuan refused to come down no matter what. It was only after Shen Zheyu and Zhao Lingyi took the dolls out of the coffin that Lin Wanxing managed to coax and trick the two little devils down.
Upon entering the new secret room, Lin Wanxing saw Su Jing and immediately went up to greet him: "What brings you here too!"
Just like when they were kids, she punched Su Jing on the shoulder. Su Jing turned his body to the side and subtly reduced the force: "Helping a friend out."
Su Jing's words were concise and to the point, and Lin Wanxing knew that this was not the right occasion to say too much, so she nodded and said, "Let's go downstairs and talk more."
The new secret room was a mess, with tables and chairs overturned, beds torn apart, dried bloodstains on the walls and floors, and even dark red splatter marks on the ceiling, making one's heart tremble.
Cheng Zixuan looked around the room, his brow furrowed as he stared at the words "Village Chief's Room" on the doorplate. He found a cloth somewhere and carefully opened a drawer to rummage through it.
"Are you serious?" Zhou Xiaoxiao was speechless.
"As for it," Cheng Zixuan said seriously, "there are a lot of bacteria here."
Shen Zheyu pulled out a yellowed diary from behind the corner of the table, then called everyone over to look at it. The seven of them gathered around, reading the contents by the dim light:
Tian'er fell seriously ill, and the doctor declared that there was no cure. On the seventh day of the third month of the Gengwu year, Tian'er vomited blood and died suddenly. The sorceress said that a ghost marriage between a living person and a ghost could prolong the soul's life, exchanging one life for another. Hongxiu's fate was extremely compatible, and she should be betrothed as her daughter-in-law. On the day the ceremony was completed...
The last line of text was blurred by blood and was difficult to decipher.
Zhou Xiaoxiao's face turned pale: "A ghost marriage between living people? So Hongxiu wasn't originally dead, but was dragged here by the village chief to exchange her life for his?"
Zhao Lingyi sneered: "People who would sacrifice innocent people to save their own sons' lives are truly shameless!"
The candlelight inside the room suddenly flickered, and Zhou Xiaoxiao let out a "whoosh," then sweetly bypassed Chu Yiran beside her and pounced directly on Su Jing.
"Teacher Su! Protect me!!"
Su Jing was knocked back half a step by her, and reached out to steady her: "Calm down..."
Zhao Lingyi said sullenly from the side, "Su Jing, did you stick some kind of ghost-repelling talisman on you?" He then glanced at Chu Yiran, "Why didn't she pounce on you?"
Zhou Xiaoxiao coughed lightly: "I'm scared..."
The comments scrolled by incredibly fast—
"Isn't Zhou Xiaoxiao being a bit too deliberate?"
"Is this what green tea is? Seriously!"
"What's wrong! If I were Zhou Xiaoxiao, I'd jump into Su Jing's arms too! What do I care about saving face!"
...
Chu Yiran, who was standing to the side, narrowed his eyes.
In his previous life, Su Jing hated being touched by strangers. Even if a palace servant accidentally touched his sleeve, he would be given a cold glance. But in this life, Su Jing could not find any of that familiar coldness in his eyes.
Perhaps Su Jing in this life is not the cold-hearted emperor he was in the previous life?
“There shouldn’t be any more clues in this room,” Shen Zheyu stepped forward to urge us on. “Let’s figure out how to get out of here first.”
The seven people gathered around the door again. This time, the door lock was a simple word puzzle, which they solved in just a few minutes.
With a tearing sound like the door hinges, darkness seeped out from the cracks like viscous asphalt. As the door to the village chief's room opened fully, all that came into view was darkness.
"This...do we really have to keep going?" Zhou Xiaoxiao's voice trembled slightly.
Cheng Zixuan swallowed hard: "What's there to be afraid of! The production team isn't going to really scare us to death, is they?"
Zhao Lingyi said coolly, "Go home, kid. Why don't you go home?" After saying that, she quietly squeezed into the crowd.
Lin Wanxing sighed and immediately arranged the formation: "Su Jing and I will go first, followed by Zhou Xiaoxiao and Cheng Zixuan, then Zhao Lingyi and Shen Zheyu, and Ran Di, you—"
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Yiran said directly, "I'll cover the rear and protect everyone." The farther away from Su Jing, the better.
As they spoke, everyone lined up in order. Just as Zhou Xiaoxiao grabbed Lin Wanxing's clothes, Zhao Lingyi slipped between them.
Lin Wanxing and Zhou Xiaoxiao asked in unison, "What are you doing?"
"You dare to get close to her?" Zhao Lingyi glanced at Zhou Xiaoxiao and said quietly, "She's so strong, what if she scares you and pinches you hard later..."
Zhou Xiaoxiao protested: "Hey—"
Lin Wanxing stroked her chin, thinking seriously: "...That makes sense."
“Sister Xing…” Zhou Xiaoxiao, with tears in her eyes and resentment in her eyes, walked behind Zhao Lingyi.
The seven people walked out of the room side by side, and the door behind them slowly closed. Darkness enveloped them, and the live broadcast switched to a night vision camera. Their figures glowed with an eerie green light, and everyone held their breath.
Chu Yiran walked at the front, and the production team had laid pebbles on the ground, which made a crunching sound as the soles of her shoes rolled over them.
suddenly--
"Waaah..."
A sob drifted from afar, as light as a spider's silk brushing against an earlobe.
"What's that sound?" Zhou Xiaoxiao's voice trembled, and she kept her eyes tightly closed the whole time.
"Waaaaah..."
This time it was even closer, and the girl's high-pitched sobs echoed eerily in the narrow space.
Cheng Zixuan closed his eyes and muttered frantically, "The production team, please have some decency! Stop messing around, stop messing around..."
Shen Zheyu gently reassured everyone, "Don't panic, everyone. It's all fake. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Suddenly, the crying stopped abruptly, and the surroundings fell into a deathly silence. Chu Yiran paused, and everyone stopped in their tracks.
Lin Wanxing frowned: "Why is there no sound?"
A few more minutes passed, and the surroundings remained quiet. Zhao Lingyi frowned: "What does the production team mean by this...?"
"What's wrong?" Zhou Xiaoxiao cautiously opened her eyes. "Are you about to turn on the lights—"
Before the words were finished, a dark red light suddenly appeared in front of them, and a "female ghost" dressed in a wedding gown floated in mid-air, with her long hair disheveled, her face pale, and a strange smile on her lips.
A shrill laugh rang out, and the eerie green and dark red lights intertwined as the suspended "female ghost" suddenly rushed towards them.
"Aaaaaah—!!!"
Screams erupted, and the formation instantly collapsed. Zhou Xiaoxiao grabbed Zhao Lingyi with one hand and Cheng Zixuan with the other, and the three of them were in complete chaos.
"Zhou Xiaoxiao, let go of me!" Zhao Lingyi staggered a few steps as she pulled him, gritting his teeth as he tried to pry her hands off.
The rushing "female ghost" then accurately crashed into Cheng Zixuan, who screamed and shook off. The "female ghost" was then pushed onto Shen Zheyu.
Darkness descended once more. Cheng Zixuan stepped back and stomped on Zhou Xiaoxiao's foot. In the chaos, Zhou Xiaoxiao bumped into Su Jing, who groaned and staggered back to Chu Yiran's side.
"Don't be afraid, everyone, everything will be alright!"
Shen Zheyu tried to maintain order, but the scene remained chaotic.
Su Jing bumped into Chu Yiran's shoulder, and even in the darkness, Chu Yiran could still pinpoint his location.
A cold glint flashed in Chu Yiran's eyes, and he subtly tripped her—
"Bang!"
Su Jing stumbled, her knee buckled unexpectedly, and she fell forward.
"Ouch!" Cheng Zixuan's foot twisted and he landed directly on Su Jing.
Zhou Xiaoxiao and Zhao Lingyi were also knocked down, and the four of them instantly piled up like a human pyramid.
The next second, the lights came on, and the scary "female ghost" NPC was gone. Lin Wanxing and Shen Zheyu rushed to help her up.
Chu Yiran smirked smugly, then his expression changed to one of concern as he asked, "Are you all alright?"
When he stepped forward to help Zhao Lingyi, he deliberately increased the force, and unsurprisingly, he heard Su Jing let out a muffled sound.
Su Jing was lying face down on the ground, with a few small pebbles mixed in with her messy hair, and her cheeks were covered in dust from the ground, making her look disheveled.
In his previous life, Chu Yiran had never won against Su Jing. When the two competed, Su Jing was always one move faster than him. He never expected that one day he would see this face crushed into the dust.
Even if this person isn't Su Jing from the previous life, it's still worth it.
Lin Wanxing and Shen Zheyu worked together to pull Su Jing up. Lin Wanxing brushed the dust off his clothes and asked, "How are you? Are you hurt?"
Su Jing barely managed to move her wrist: "It's okay."
The comments started rolling too—
"That scared me to death! This production team has really gone all out!"
"I kept my eyes closed the whole time! I knew it was safe as soon as Zhou Xiaoxiao stopped yelling."
"How did he fall down? That's so dangerous! I feel so sorry for Su Jing T_T..."
"That female ghost must be Hongxiu, right? Is she still alive?"
...
Once the chaos subsided, the seven began to look around.
This is an abandoned village street, paved with uneven cobblestones, with mud and dust accumulating between the stones. On both sides of the road are dilapidated houses with crooked wooden doors and broken window frames, creating a very realistic scene.
Just as they were about to split up to search for clues, a hoarse call came from behind them.
"young people……"
An elderly woman with gray hair, leaning on a cane, walked shakily out of a dilapidated house. Her back was severely hunched, and her left leg was clearly weak when she walked, so she could only drag herself forward. Her face was covered with wrinkles, but her eyes were exceptionally clear.
Seeing that the old woman was having some difficulty walking, Zhou Xiaoxiao quickly stepped forward to support her: "Grandma, please slow down. Are you a villager here?"
"Oh, thank you, young lady." The old woman nodded and sat down on a large rock by the roadside, and the others gathered around.
"Grandma, has anything happened here?" Lin Wanxing asked, bending down. "Are all the villagers gone?"
"Twenty years ago..." she sighed, lost in memories, "The Zhao family boy died of illness, and the village chief listened to the sorceress's nonsense, saying that a ghost marriage between a living person and a ghost could exchange one life for another, and then they found Hongxiu..."
The old woman suddenly looked up at them: "On their wedding night, they nailed the bride alive into the coffin—"
"Ah—!" Zhou Xiaoxiao hid behind Lin Wanxing in fear.
"Not long after, the village chief's family died. Everyone said they could always see Hongxiu wandering around the village in her wedding dress. Gradually, the villagers all moved away..."
Zhao Lingyi asked, "What about Hongxiu? Is she dead? But Hongxiu's body wasn't in Zhao Tian's coffin."
The old woman shook her head: "I don't know either. I'm a lame old woman with no children, and I have nowhere else to go. I can only spend the rest of my days here..."
The NPC's acting was very moving, and the audience behind the screen were also drawn into the story. Zhou Xiaoxiao held her hand and said, "It's okay, Grandma. You can come with us in a bit!"
The old woman smiled and said, "Let's not talk about that. Haven't you eaten yet? Come and eat at my house."
The group exchanged glances, knowing this was part of the production team's arrangement, and followed her into a simple house. Although old, the house was very clean. On the wooden table were several steaming dishes—spinach and eggs, braised pork meatballs, braised pork ribs, a pot of tenderly stewed potatoes and pork, and a pot of steaming rice…
"It's quite a feast..." Zhao Lingyi sat down as if they were old friends. "I've been here for a while and I'm really hungry."
"Can we eat this...?" Cheng Zixuan hesitated for a moment, then took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket and placed them on the seat.
Everyone else sat down one after another. The old woman turned around shakily, leaning on her cane, and slowly walked out: "You all eat first, I'll go to the market and get some better food..."
Just as Zhou Xiaoxiao was about to call her back, the old woman had already closed the door and left. At the same time, the director's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Live broadcast paused. It's break time now. Everyone, please enjoy your meal."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their tense nerves finally relaxing. They had been in the secret room for most of the day, and it was lunchtime.
Shen Zheyu chuckled: "The production team even provides meals, that's really nice."
The live stream was cut off and replaced by a rotating advertisement, with the words "—" written in the upper right corner of the screen.
[Don't go away, the excitement continues in two hours! Recharge for SVIP to unlock more behind-the-scenes footage every Sunday night.]
The barrage of comments intensified—
"This production team really knows how to keep us in suspense! And they even have an SVIP option!"
"Two hours?! I can't stand it!!"
"Ugh, you little devil! I declare you've got me wrapped around your little finger!"
...
After the live stream was paused, staff came out through a side door to get some more food for everyone. Director Yu Zhe also came over to chat with everyone: "Thank you so much for your support, everyone. You've all worked so hard. We have a two-hour break, so please feel free to ask if you need anything..."
"Ah—" A sudden exclamation drew everyone's attention. Su Jing's assistant, Zhao Wei, was kneeling beside him, exclaiming, "Brother Jing, you're injured! Your arm is bleeding, did you hurt your leg?"
With his shirt sleeves rolled up, Su Jing's exposed elbow had a scrape, and bright red blood was faintly congealed.
Zhao Wei had brought a change of clothes when he saw his artist fall, but he didn't expect Su Jing to be injured earlier.
Upon hearing this, director Yu Zhe rushed over to check on the situation: "How is Ms. Su? Quickly go and call the medical staff—"
This was a big shot that the producer had personally invited, so Yu Zhe didn't dare to be negligent. Before he could finish speaking, Su Jing interrupted him, saying, "It's alright, Director Yu. It's just a minor scratch. I'll go and take care of it."
Others came over to offer their condolences, and Su Jing responded with a smile before leaving through a side door with his assistant.
Chu Yiran watched his retreating figure with a complicated expression. Before leaving, Su Jing suddenly turned his head and glanced at him.
The moment their eyes met, Chu Yiran suddenly felt a little guilty and subconsciously turned his head away. By the time he realized what was happening and looked back at Su Jing with a straight face, Su Jing had already disappeared.
Lin Wanxing shrugged: "This quiet type, she still prefers to keep quiet." Then, like a boss, she took the initiative to pick up bowls and serve rice to everyone. She moved quickly, muttering, "Are you all hungry? Eat up, who knows what kind of trouble the production team will cause later..."
A dozen minutes later, Su Jing returned quickly. He had changed into a crisp blue plaid shirt and sat down opposite Chu Yiran.
"Are you alright, Brother Jing?" Zhao Lingyi asked in a low voice beside him.
Zhou Xiaoxiao, sitting diagonally across from her, exclaimed loudly, "Teacher Su, you look so handsome in this outfit!"
Su Jing politely smiled, and Lin Wanxing got up to serve him rice at the corner of the table: "Let me serve rice for our wounded..."
Just as Lin Wanxing was about to walk around and hand it to him, Chu Yiran suddenly reached out and said, "Let me do it."
Lin Wanxing naturally handed the rice bowl to Chu Yiran, and Chu Yiran naturally handed it to Su Jing.
"Thank you," Su Jing said softly, extending her right hand to take the bowl.
Watching his movements, Chu Yiran's eyes darkened slightly.
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