NFM Chapter 23

On May 18th, with the spring in full bloom, the four members of the 301 group stood at the entrance of Dongzhuang Dream Valley, each lost in their own silence.

“So,” Shao Wei said stiffly, “why did all three of you come?”

Lu Jin was scrolling through NGA, Tan Xi was silently memorizing vocabulary, and only Lin Huai kindly explained, “Because we’re ‘tomodachi’ (friends).”

“So,” Shao Wei continued, “why am I paying for all four tickets and the round-trip transportation?”

Lin Huai continued to be kind, “For the sake of love, what’s a little money?”

Shao Wei didn’t want to talk to Lin Huai anymore and instead looked at the other two. Tan Xi adjusted his glasses and said, “I think Lin Huai makes a good point. Besides studying, we should also have time to relax… and it’s still your money.”

Lu Jin also chimed in, “I also think Lin Huai makes a good point. Besides gaming, we should take some time to socialize with the girls… and it’s still your money.”

Shao Wei looked at the root of all evil. Lin Huai said, “I think you make a good point. It’s only natural for men to help each other… and still…”

“And it’s still my money, alright!” Shao Wei broke down, “In the end, you all just came because I’m paying, right? And you all took taxis instead of the bus!”

As he was gesticulating in frustration, a voice came from behind, “Hey, isn’t that Shao Wei?”

At the sound of the voice, Shao Wei immediately brightened up. He straightened his appearance, stepped on his limited edition AJs, and turned to see two girls, “Hi~”

The two newcomers were Zhu Xiao, the street dance club president with exquisite makeup, and Lin Dangdang, Shao Wei’s dream girl, short and sweet. The six of them exchanged simple greetings and introductions, then headed towards the haunted house together.

The haunted house was located in the Midnight Zone of Dream Valley. The Midnight Zone was a large-scale area invested by Dream Valley to cater to the current youth market, consisting of numerous horror scenes, escape rooms, and role-playing scenarios, also known as the Thrill Park.

In Lin Huai’s opinion, people nowadays were a strange kind of creature. They were terrified of ghosts, yet they created numerous ghost-related horror stories to scare themselves. Just like the various Game facilities in the Midnight Zone, although they were all fake, people were addicted to this artificially created false horror, bringing it upon themselves.

Shao Wei bought six tickets and introduced the group during the queue, “… This haunted house is the latest work by the renowned domestic horror scene designer Chen Shu. It’s said that since its opening, no one has been able to complete it…”

As soon as Shao Wei finished speaking, another scream came from inside the building. Shortly after, a small door in the wall opened, and a few frightened girls walked out accompanied by staff.

He glanced at Lin Dangdang, who scoffed, “What’s so scary about this? I’ve never been scared to tears in my life.”

He then turned his gaze to Lin Huai. Under his expectant look, Lin Huai reluctantly gave him an “OK” gesture.

During that public elective class, besides agreeing to go to the haunted house, Shao Wei also made a new deal with Lin Huai. He heard that Lin Dangdang was very brave, so he asked Lin Huai to act as an Insider in the haunted house at the right moment to scare Lin Dangdang, so he could win the beauty’s heart amidst her tears.

Lin Huai found this quite despicable, but under the temptation of a complete set of Marxist philosophy notes, he agreed to play the Insider—but not the ghost.

The haunted house they were waiting for was called the Eternal Darkness School. According to the setting, this ghost school was established in 2008, originally named Saint Maria Charity Academy, and closed down five years later. A fire destroyed everything in the school, and no one left alive.

Before they even entered, the six of them could hear the faint background music from the haunted house. The sound was eerily shrill, like fingernails scratching on a blackboard. Shao Wei, Lu Jin, and Zhu Xiao all shivered.

After another wave of visitors was sent out wailing, it was finally Lin Huai’s group’s turn to enter. The ticket checker looked at the six of them and said, “We take in ten people per batch. You can follow the four people in front of you.”

The four people in front were a couple and a pair of best friends. The staff stuck fluorescent number tags on Lin Huai and the others while chatting among themselves, “I heard the designer is here today.”

“Chen Shu? What’s he doing here?”

“Maybe he wants to enjoy the screams of the visitors?”

“Don’t know. I heard he’s a difficult person to get along with, very aloof. Usually, when someone greets him, he doesn’t even say a word.”

“Geniuses have their quirks, it’s normal.”

The staff handed out ten panic buttons to everyone and reminded them again, “If you feel something is wrong, press this button, and our staff will take you out.”

The girl in the couple nodded her head. Holding the panic button, she worriedly asked, “Is there really a ghost in your haunted house? If a ghost comes, will you arrive faster than the ghost?”

The staff replied, “We can’t say for sure, maybe there really is one.”

The girl immediately looked scared. The boy laughed and tapped her head, “There are no real ghosts in this world, don’t scare yourself.”

“Alright,” the staff lifted the curtain, “Please enter and explore Saint Maria Charity Academy.”

Midnight Zone, Central Building.

The Central Building was located in the center of the Midnight Zone. On the tenth floor, there was a reception room. One of the rooms had a floor-to-ceiling glass window, offering a panoramic view of the entire Midnight Zone. Chen Shu sat in a chair, wrapped in an ill-fitting coat, staring ahead. He unconsciously bit his finger, very anxious.

Another person pinched his cheek from behind, freeing his finger, “Be good, don’t bite your finger. Aren’t you too old to be lacking zinc?”

Chen Shu snorted and ignored him. The person was good-natured and sat next to him, “What’s wrong, why so anxious?”

The anxious one didn’t speak. The person continued, “It’s just that you’ve run out of inspiration for designing haunted houses. Take a break, go on a trip with me for a few days, and the inspiration will come, won’t it?”

Chen Shu still didn’t speak. The person added, “That Chu guy is just a self-taught designer. He only won this time by luck. What does one time prove? You’re still the best haunted house designer in the country.”

After saying that, he snuggled over and hugged Chen Shu. Chen Shu, having his head rubbed, felt slightly better and muttered, “It’s not like that… I have… something…”

The person stared at Chen Shu and suddenly burst out laughing. Chen Shu was furious, “Why are you like this?”

To outsiders, Chen Shu was very aloof and didn’t like to talk. Despite this, he was handsome, had a slender figure, and was a genius in the domestic haunted house design industry. Many people on forums said he was a cold and beautiful young man.

But those close to him knew that Chen Shu wasn’t aloof, just shy. The root of his shyness was his extremely non-standard Mandarin.

The person was still laughing, and Chen Shu was completely angry. He stood up abruptly, and the person coaxed him, “Don’t be angry. Didn’t you want to watch the surveillance footage from the haunted house for inspiration? Let me get you some cold drinks. What do you want?”

Chen Shu stared at him for a while, the latter looking completely sincere, without any hint of mockery. He suddenly felt ashamed of his own unreasonable tantrum and muttered, “Whatever.”

The person stood there for a while, then went to the fridge and brought him a bottle of soda.

Meanwhile, Chen Shu stared at the monitor with utmost seriousness. On the screen, five men and five women walked along a long corridor into the Eternal Darkness School. The first place they would encounter was the school’s square and reception room.