Gu Jinhuai smiled faintly. Though he said nothing, his presence was no less imposing than that of the person opposite him.
[From President Gu's angle, it looks like he's looking at Wen Zhixin.]
[?? I just saw someone in the group chat analyzing whether President Gu might like Wen Zhixin or An Ya.]
[...Please, could you be a little more rational? How come I can't see any sign that President Gu likes Wen Zhixin?]
Author's note:
!!...
Chapter 22
"Ahem..." The director cleared his throat lightly. "If there are no problems, you can start lining up to enter and try it out."
At the director's reminder, the siblings all began mustering their courage and walking toward the haunted house entrance.
Considering An Yu's young age, the production team had spoken with the haunted house staff beforehand to ensure there would be no excessively frightening or horrific scenes. That was why the siblings who had been left with psychological scars before were willing to give it a try.
The Wen siblings were the first group to enter the haunted house.
Although Gu Jinhuai had not chosen to join their group, Wen Zhixin was not someone who could be knocked down so easily.
She had already readjusted her mindset and began walking into the pitch-black haunted house, holding her younger brother's hand.
The An siblings followed.
Although An Yu was young, he could handle quite a lot psychologically. After following his sister into the haunted house, he showed no fear at all. Instead, he widened his eyes curiously and looked around.
Chu Yu, her brother, and Gu Jinhuai were the last group.
The narrow passage into the haunted house only allowed them to enter one at a time.
Chu Chen took the lead at the very front, Chu Yu stayed in the middle, and Gu Jinhuai brought up the rear.
The haunted house's passageway was exceptionally cramped, with no light reaching inside. They could only feel their way forward along the walls.
The surroundings were especially quiet, with only the siblings' soft footsteps audible, making them unconsciously hold their breath.
"Sis, I think I heard something." An Yu's clear, childish voice suddenly rang out, making the already tense guests jump.
But a moment later, once everyone registered what An Yu had said, they grew even more unsettled.
There was nothing in this passageway but their footsteps. Where could any other sound have come from?
An Ya also lowered her head nervously. "Xiao Yu, don't scare your sister. What sound?"
An Yu did not think that much of it. With his little face set in a serious expression, he pointed ahead. "It sounds like other people talking. I really heard it."
At those words, Chu Chen, who had still been walking in front, hastily scrambled back a step and hid behind Chu Yu.
Chu Yu: "..."
She turned back to look at Chu Chen. "What are you doing?"
Chu Chen swallowed, tugged at the corner of Chu Yu's clothes, and stole a glance into the darkness ahead. Bending down, he lowered his voice. "Keep your voice down. Don't let the ghosts hear you."
Chu Yu: "..."
What use was this brother of hers!
"Keep walking. Once we're through this passage, the people talking outside should be the staff who'll explain the rules to us." Behind them, Gu Jinhuai finally spoke up, unable to watch any longer.
This also reminded everyone that they had only just entered the haunted house and had not officially started the game yet.
The Wen siblings, who had been hesitating to move forward, breathed a sigh of relief.
Wen Zhixin turned around gratefully. "Thank goodness you reminded us, President Gu. Otherwise, we really would've forgotten."
Gu Jinhuai did not think much of it either and merely nodded politely. "No problem."
The night-vision cameras installed beforehand on both sides of the passage silently captured the scene.
The viewers who had been camped out in the livestream, eagerly waiting to ship a couple: !!
[Wen Zhixin talked to Gu Jinhuai! Guys, could this ship actually be real?!]
[Could you people stop shipping absolutely everything? Who do you think President Gu is? Would he fall for just anyone?]
[Wen Zhixin isn't bad herself. Why couldn't she be a match for President Gu? Anyway, I think she's much better than Chu Yu.]
[...I'm honestly speechless. Chu Yu is good-looking and comes from a well-off family. In what way is she worse than that Wen woman?]
The Chu siblings had been doing quite well on the variety show's livestream lately and had attracted quite a few loyal fans.
Now, whenever excessively nitpicky, mindlessly hateful remarks appeared in the comments, the siblings' fans would immediately fire back with sharp retorts.
Before long, the comments section erupted into an argument over it.
At the haunted house, the guests finally reached the end of the passageway. Their surroundings, previously so dim that no daylight could be seen, gradually brightened.
The Underworld Haunted House sign hung overhead. The walls built of stone were uneven, with eerie vines sprawling over them, making the already gloomy atmosphere even more sinister.
The spot where they now stood was the actual entrance to the haunted house.
A staff member stepped out from behind the counter and said politely, "Welcome to the Underworld Haunted House. I'm the staff member who'll be introducing the visit procedure to you today. First, please go to the changing rooms and put on your team uniforms. Once you're out, I'll explain the specific details of our haunted house to everyone together."
After speaking, he pointed toward the changing rooms off to one side behind him.
Chu Yu turned to exchange a look with Chu Chen and gestured with her eyes. "Go get changed."
Chu Chen cautiously surveyed the changing rooms. Not only did he stay put, but he even took half a step back. "Why don't you go first?"
Who knew whether there might be some "scare" deliberately arranged by the haunted house staff inside those changing rooms?
Chu Yu could not be bothered to argue with him anymore. "Then I'll go first."
But just as Chu Yu turned and took a step, someone pulled her back.
It was Gu Jinhuai.
He reached out, pulled Chu Yu back, and glanced at her. "I'll go in first."
Chu Yu happened to look up and meet his eyes. Gazing at Gu Jinhuai's familiar, handsome face, she gave two dry coughs, her expression slightly awkward.
Before Chu Yu could respond, Gu Jinhuai had already turned and walked into the changing room.