Chapter 79 — Not Even Holding Hands
Lin Yuejiu smiled.
I don’t think it’s that impressive.
After the drop tower ride ended, Lin Yuejiu’s legs were weak. Last time she went with Xu Nianshen, the three of them didn’t ride the drop tower, and even the previous roller coaster wasn’t as thrilling as this one. The sudden feeling of weightlessness really made her a bit overwhelmed. She found a bench and sat down to let her legs recover for a while.
Before long, a bottle of water appeared in front of her. She looked up and saw Xu Nianshen.
He twisted off the cap and handed it to her, sitting down beside her: “Drink some water.”
Lin Yuejiu took it and said thank you.
The cool water slid down her throat, giving her a sense of belonging. She exhaled heavily: “Much better.”
“You weren’t scared before, were you?”
“Well, I didn’t know this would be so intense this time.”
He smiled: “Weren’t you the one who chose it?”
“…This is a beautiful mistake.”
“What do you want to do next?”
Lin Yuejiu glanced around and asked, “How about the haunted house?”
Xu Nianshen raised his brows, full of helplessness: “You’re not scared of ghosts, and neither am I. Why go to the haunted house? Just to annoy the staff?”
Lin Yuejiu scratched her head, then her eyes lit up: “We can pretend to be scared!”
Xu Nianshen raised an eyebrow: “Go ahead, let me see you act.”
Lin Yuejiu cleared her throat: “Watch carefully.”
Half a minute passed with no reaction.
Two minutes later, she still had no expression.
Xu Nianshen lazily leaned back in the chair, watching her calmly.
After a second, Lin Yuejiu sighed: “Fine, I give up. I can’t do it.”
Xu Nianshen smiled.
Lin Yuejiu pouted: “We can at least check out the new ghosts or any new equipment in the haunted house. Maybe there’s a new attraction too.”
Xu Nianshen looked at her; she was serious, and a small smile curved his lips: “Alright, let’s go.”
As they approached the entrance, a staff member said: “Welcome! Are you a couple?”
They exchanged a glance.
The staff member smiled and continued: “If you are a couple, there will be a little surprise.”
Lin Yuejiu tilted her head and met his gaze, nodding: “We are a couple.”
Xu Nianshen’s lips curved slightly.
“Great. Since you’re a couple, please wear these.” The staff member handed them a pair of wristbands.
Lin Yuejiu took them: “What are these for?”
“These are a sign for couples. If our staff see them, we might give you little surprises from time to time.”
“I see.”
“Yes, and if you find and complete task cards inside the haunted house, you’ll get a chance to enter a prize draw when you exit.”
“What kinds of prizes?”
“All kinds, depending on what you get.”
“Okay.” Lin Yuejiu nodded, excited.
“Then please go in.”
“Okay.” The two of them entered side by side, the wristbands glowing faint green in the dark.
“Hey, these even glow.”
Xu Nianshen glanced down: “Probably so they don’t get lost. They prepared it on purpose.”
Lin Yuejiu nodded in understanding.
At first, nothing happened inside. After a short while, a sound came from beside them, but they continued calmly.
Suddenly, a ghost fell from above, upside down, with white hair and a terrifying makeup.
Lin Yuejiu blinked and touched his white hair: “That’s a wig. The quality isn’t very good.”
Ghost: “…”
Normally in stories, wouldn’t the girl be scared and jump into the boy’s arms, leading to an embrace that increases intimacy? Why is this different here?
Is there some kind of bug?
“Uncle, next time you should improve the haunted house. Buy some better-quality wigs—otherwise it doesn’t look real and won’t scare anyone.”
“Really?” he replied automatically.
“Yes, too fake.”
Ghost: “…”
Why did I just reply?
Ahhh! Staff aren’t supposed to talk to visitors without permission, or they get fined! My money!
The two of them walked around, searching. “The staff said there are task cards at the entrance. Where are they?”
“Take your time. They’re probably hidden in corners that are scary and hard to reach, or on the staff themselves.”
“I think so too. Let’s check the corners first.”
“Okay.”
In front of them was a door. Xu Nianshen reached out and opened it. A ghost appeared, still wearing its scary mask. The two of them looked completely calm.
“Not bad for a scare effect,” they said lightly.
Ghost: “…”
Why weren’t you scared? This isn’t normal.
Lin Yuejiu had planned to search the corners for the task card, but her steps suddenly stopped. She turned to the staff member: “Uncle, do you have a task card on you?”
Ghost: Uh-oh.
He didn’t reply.
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll just search myself.”
The staff member playing the ghost still didn’t move. If he didn’t act, she wouldn’t.
Lin Yuejiu reached out her hand. The staff member took a breath, and her hand was caught mid-air. The staff member exhaled, and she heard the boy say: “You’re a girl, are you searching a male staff member’s body?”
“…That seems a bit impolite?”
“What do you think?”
The girl obediently admitted: “My bad.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
The staff member widened his eyes. Xu Nianshen’s hand really reached over and found the task card in the staff’s pocket. He looked at it, smiled at him: “Thanks, uncle. You’ve worked hard.”
The two of them took the task card and walked on.
Staff member playing the ghost: “…This shouldn’t be my fault, right? He moved first. The rules don’t say visitors get fined for taking task cards themselves.”
Xu Nianshen handed the task card to Lin Yuejiu. She read the instructions aloud: “Couples must hold hands with fingers interlocked, then pass through the iron gate in front together.”
Both of them stopped in their tracks.
“The task says we have to hold hands… do you mind?” she asked, glancing at Xu Nianshen.
He smirked: “You should ask yourself if you mind, right?”
He was more than willing. Honestly, it felt a little unfair—they hadn’t even kissed, and they hadn’t even held hands until now.
Lin Yuejiu thought for a moment: “It’s fine, I don’t mind either.”
“Then let’s hold hands.” Xu Nianshen said as he took her hand, his long fingers slowly weaving into hers, interlocking their fingers.
Seeing the faint smile on his lips, Lin Yuejiu felt his mood rub off on her. She couldn’t help but smile too. “Let’s go to the iron gate.”
“Mm.”
At the iron gate, the background music became creepier. The iron gate was rusted, with fresh blood dripping down, making a tick-tock sound as it hit the floor.
“Shall we open it together?”
“Okay.”
They used their free hands to push open the iron gate together. A group of zombies poured out, forming two lines, arms stretched forward, hopping along.
“Pfft.” Lin Yuejiu couldn’t help but laugh.
Xu Nianshen glanced at her, puzzled: “Why are you laughing?”
“Sorry,” she stifled her laughter, “I couldn’t help it. Watching them hop like that is just funny.”
“They have scary makeup and period costumes. I personally think it’s realistic.”
Lin Yuejiu nodded: “Yes, the costumes are well done, but look at how they hop—it’s clearly awkward. They never practiced together. Some hop high, some low. In TV shows or movies, it’s always uniform and professional. This… not so much.”
The staff members playing the zombies: “…Sister, we’re just a haunted house. And our boss never said we had to train for this!”
