Chapter 36: Best If We Never Meet Again
After the roller coaster ended, Lin Yuejiu still looked reluctant to get off.
Seeing her like that, Xu Nian chuckled, “How about we go again?”
Lin Yuejiu shook her head, “No, no, I already made a wish today.”
“What wish?” the two men asked at the same time.
“I’m going to try and play every single attraction here!”
Xu Nian laughed, “Jiujiu, there are way too many rides in the park — you can’t finish them all in one day.”
“Aww…” Lin Yuejiu looked disappointed.
“It’s okay. Whatever you want to try most, we’ll play those today, and the rest next time.”
“Alright!” She nodded with great determination.
“What do you want to do next?”
Lin Yuejiu’s eyes darted around, then she seemed to think of something, “I heard the haunted house is really fun?”
The two men exchanged glances, “Are you afraid of ghosts?”
“I think… probably not?”
“Then let’s give it a try.”
The three of them headed to the haunted house.
The staff there couldn’t help but notice their high looks, especially Lin Yuejiu’s beauty, and gave them a friendly reminder, “Our haunted house was recently upgraded. It’s scarier than before. Last time, a girl even cried from it. So be careful.”
Maybe it was just his imagination, but the staff thought he saw the girl’s eyes light up when he said that.
Xu Nian politely thanked him, “Thanks for the warning. We’ll be careful.”
Right before going in, Xu Nian asked again, “Jiujiu, you’re really not afraid?”
“Probably not,” she replied uncertainly.
Xu Nian smiled, “Even if you are, I’ll protect you.”
On her right, Xu Nianshen snorted inwardly. Keep dreaming.
Inside, the three walked shoulder-to-shoulder.
The staff hadn’t exaggerated — it was genuinely creepy.
Only dim, scattered lights flickered, the air filled with chilling music that made goosebumps rise just from listening.
At first, nothing much happened.
But the deeper they went, the eerier the music became — until suddenly, someone… no, something… appeared in front of them.
It wore ragged clothes, a deathly pale face marked with red claw scratches, blood oozing from the wounds, and bulging eyeballs.
Lin Yuejiu stopped walking.
Xu Nian thought she was scared and grabbed her right wrist.
Xu Nianshen also assumed she was frozen in fear, so he grabbed her left wrist.
Just as they were about to say something, she tilted her head, “Huh? Are you a guy or a girl?”
“…”
Silence.
“Staff members aren’t allowed to talk, right?”
No answer. The “ghost” stayed professional, still trying to scare her.
But she didn’t react at all — Instead, she leaned in to study him.
“Wow, the way the eyeball pops out is really well done. The makeup’s impressive. And this wound — super realistic!”
She reached out, only to realize both her wrists were still being held.
Turning back with confusion, she asked, “Why are you two holding my wrists?”
The two men glanced at each other… and let go at the same time.
Freed, Lin Yuejiu touched the “wound” on the ghost’s face and examined the dripping blood, “This blood looks pretty real too. Nice work.”
The ghost finally broke character, “…What if I told you it’s real?”
“Real?” Lin Yuejiu blinked.
Thinking he’d finally scared her, the ghost spoke in a hollow, echoing voice that fit perfectly with the creepy music, “Yes… for authenticity, we use real blood.”
“Oh? Chicken blood or duck blood?”
“…”
When he didn’t answer, she thought for a moment, “…Don’t tell me it’s pig blood?”
“…”
She let out an “oh,” then smeared the blood from her fingertip back onto the wound, “There you go — looks even better now. Trust me.”
The “ghost”: “……”
Well… thanks?
Xu Nian: “……”
Xu Nianshen: “……”
Seeing the “ghost” actor looking like he was about to have a mental breakdown, Xu Nianshen couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed Lin Yuejiu’s wrist and pulled her toward the next section.
Lin Yuejiu still waved goodbye to the ghost. “Bye-bye.”
The “ghost”: “……” Please don’t. Best if we never meet again.
The three of them continued forward until they reached a glass door that needed to be pushed open. Xu Nian was just about to do it when blood suddenly began spreading across the glass from above, dripping down. A skeletal white hand crawled into view, and then a blood-smeared face slammed against the glass right in front of them.
The three had no reaction.
Ghost: Is there not enough blood on my face? Why are these three completely unfazed???
Lin Yuejiu glanced down at the blood pooling by her feet and asked, “Isn’t this kind of wasteful? Even if it’s fake blood, it’s still a prop—it costs money, right? Is it okay to just let it drip like this? Or are they so rich they can afford to waste it?”
Xu Nianshen looked down and said, “No, look, there are little grooves here.”
“Grooves?”
“Yeah, squat down and look.”
The three of them squatted, and Xu Nianshen pointed. “See? The blood flows in a pattern and doesn’t spill out because of these tiny grooves. They’re designed to catch it.”
“So where does it drain to?”
“There’s probably an endpoint. When visitors come in, staff pour in the prop blood, and after the visitors leave, they collect it back and reuse it.”
“Ohhh.” Both Lin Yuejiu and Xu Nian nodded in unison.
Lin Yuejiu then pointed to the blood flowing down the glass door. “But how does that keep flowing without being affected? They didn’t carve grooves into the door too, did they?”
“No,” Xu Nianshen leaned closer for a look. “There’s a transparent tube here.”
“Wouldn’t that be obvious? You can see it if you look closely.”
Lin Yuejiu leaned in to examine it, but when her eyes met the blood-covered face pressed to the glass, she smiled politely at the “ghost.”
Ghost actor: “……”
I’m trying to scare you, and you SMILE at me?! Could someone please respect my craft? I’m out here being professional, and you’re analyzing the plumbing system?! So frustrating!
…Wait, no… that smile is actually kind of cute…
“Most people wouldn’t notice,” Xu Nian explained.
“Oh? Why not?”
Before Xu Nianshen could answer, Xu Nian sighed, “Because not everyone’s as fearless as we are. Most visitors are terrified out of their wits when they see a ghost—who’s going to notice the little details?”
“True,” Lin Yuejiu looked at the ghost on the door again. “Thanks for your hard work.”
Ghost actor: …I appreciate it, I guess.
“Can we go through now? If you’re still pressed against the door, we might hurt you when we push it open.”
The ghost actor silently stepped aside and even opened the door for them, making a polite “after you” gesture.
The three of them: “Thanks.”
Ghost actor: “……”
Honestly, you’re the nicest group I’ve ever had. At least you didn’t shove the door into me like the others. Sure, I didn’t manage to scare anyone, but hey—no bruises today. That’s a win… I guess.
