Chu Yanyan was woken by the sunlight.
She rolled over, shielding her eyes with the back of her hand, and lazed in bed for a good while before rubbing her eyes, yawning, and heading downstairs.
The dining room was bathed in sunlight. The table was set, and breakfast was steaming hot.
Only one portion—hers.
Bai Zhiyuan’s seat was empty.
Wang Ma came over carrying a glass of milk, and seeing her looking around, said with a smile, “Sir went out early this morning. He said he had some business to attend to.”
Chu Yanyan nodded and sat down in her chair.
She picked up a slice of bread, took a bite, and chewed mechanically.
It didn’t taste good at all.
Last night’s scenes played automatically in her head.
Hua Shuling sitting on the sofa, smiling with gentle grace, little stars in her eyes.
Bai Zhiyuan standing before her, nodding in agreement to the invitation.
The two of them standing together—they looked like a perfect match.
A perfect match.
Those words burrowed around in her head like insects, and no matter what, she couldn’t drive them away.
Chu Yanyan poked at the fried egg on her plate with her fork. The yolk oozed out into a messy smear.
So annoying.
She sighed and stuffed the bread into her mouth, cheeks puffing out as she chewed.
Whatever.
She would go scout out the haunted house herself first, so she could be mentally prepared.
She couldn’t afford to embarrass herself in front of Bai Zhiyuan, after all.
With that thought, she gulped down a big mouthful of milk, wiped her mouth, ran upstairs to change, gathered her things, and headed out.
The Hua Family residence.
The light in the reception hall was soft. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay a meticulously manicured Japanese garden, with rockeries and flowing water, serene and tranquil.
Bai Zhiyuan sat on the sofa, several documents spread out before him.
Across from him was a man in his fifties, gray-haired but hale and vigorous—the founder of the Flamingo Resort, Zhou Zhengyuan.
The two were discussing the details of the project, going back and forth in a professional and amicable atmosphere.
Hua Shuling sat on an armchair a little farther away, a cup of tea in her hands, though her gaze wasn’t on the tea.
She was watching Bai Zhiyuan.
Every sentence he spoke hit the mark. Occasionally he gave a slight nod; occasionally he raised one or two sharp questions that forced the other man to stop and think.
A composed sense of control—a quiet, understated power.
The corners of Hua Shuling’s mouth curved slightly, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
This man was simply too charming when he talked business.
Bai Zhiyuan was in the middle of speaking when his phone suddenly vibrated.
He glanced down at the screen, and his brow instantly furrowed.
It was a message.
“Sir, the young miss ran out all by herself!”
By the time he finished reading it, his entire aura had changed.
The shift was subtle—anyone who hadn’t been watching him closely wouldn’t have noticed at all.
But Hua Shuling noticed.
He raised his head, set down the documents, and stood up, his tone calm but leaving no room for negotiation.
“I’m sorry, something urgent has come up that I need to deal with.”
He looked at Zhou Zhengyuan and gave a slight nod. “I’ll pay you a personal visit another day.”
Zhou Zhengyuan was taken aback, but before he could say anything, Bai Zhiyuan had already turned and walked out.
His strides were quick.
Hua Shuling stood up as well, nearly spilling her tea.
She stared at his retreating figure, completely baffled.
What urgent matter could possibly matter more than business?
Hadn’t he been wanting to win this project all along?
She wanted to chase after him and ask, but Bai Zhiyuan had already left the reception hall, disappearing toward the entrance.
Hua Shuling stood where she was, her brow slowly furrowing.
The amusement park.
On the weekend, the amusement park was packed with crowds.
Screams and laughter were everywhere. The roller coaster whooshed overhead, leaving a trail of shrieks in its wake.
Young couples strolled arm in arm past the various stalls—boys buying cotton candy for their girls, girls standing on tiptoe to wipe sweat from their boyfriends’ faces. Sweet enough to bubble over.
Bai Xu unbuckled the safety harness, stood up from his seat, and shook out his wind-tousled hair.
Yun Xi followed him off the ride, smoothing her windblown hair, an excited smile on her face.
“What do you want to ride next?” Bai Xu asked casually, his gaze sweeping aimlessly over the crowd.
Then it suddenly stopped.
Not far away.
A familiar figure stood at the entrance of the haunted house, clutching a ticket in her hand, looking up at the giant skull sign.
A pink ruffled dress, a ponytail, a crossbody bag.
It was Chu Yanyan.
Bai Xu narrowed his eyes, thinking he must be seeing things.
But that silhouette was far too familiar—so familiar that even among thousands upon thousands of people, he could pick her out at a glance.
She was buying a ticket.
Alone.
Bai Xu’s brow slowly furrowed.
Where was his big brother?
Wasn’t she staying at his big brother’s place? How did she end up at an amusement park by herself?
Yun Xi followed his gaze and also spotted the pink figure.
Her smile faded a little.
Chu Yanyan again. She was everywhere.
Chu Yanyan stood at the entrance of the haunted house, taking a deep breath and letting it out.
It’s fine. It’s fake. It’s all fake.
Just scouting it out first, so I can bring Bai Zhiyuan next time.
She spent a minute psyching herself up, then stepped inside.
The moment she entered, the door slammed shut behind her with a bang.
The light dimmed instantly, leaving only a few flickering green lamps illuminating the narrow corridor.
Tattered portraits hung on the walls, and the eyes of the people in the paintings moved—no matter where she went, those eyes stared unblinkingly at her.
Chu Yanyan swallowed hard and slowed her steps.
A gust of cold wind swept against her back, chilling her to the bone. She shuddered all over, nearly crying out.
After walking a little farther, a skeleton suddenly appeared at the corner of the corridor, standing stiffly against the wall, red light glowing in its eye sockets.
Chu Yanyan’s heart clenched violently. She covered her mouth and forced herself to keep moving forward.
A pitch-black coffin lay across the middle of the path, its lid half open.
Inside lay a jiangshi in Qing dynasty official robes, a yellow talisman pasted on its face, its fingernails long and black.
“Heh heh heh heh…”
Sinister laughter surged in from all directions, as if someone were laughing right against her ear.
Chu Yanyan’s legs began to go weak.
She braced herself against the wall, inching forward step by step, her body trembling uncontrollably.
I can’t do this.
She’d overestimated her tolerance after all.
Her courage right now was about the size of a soybean—no, a mung bean.
Thank goodness she hadn’t drunk any water before coming, or she really would have wet herself on the spot.
And then she’d embarrass herself in front of Bai Zhiyuan again.
“ROAR—!”
A grotesque NPC suddenly burst out from a hidden door at the side.
Its face was painted with bloody scars, and it brandished a chainsaw, letting out a piercing howl.
Chu Yanyan’s brain completely short-circuited.
She screamed and plopped down on the ground.
The floor felt soft and squishy beneath her—she didn’t know what she’d stepped on, and she didn’t dare think about it or look.
Tears welled up despite herself, streaming down her face.
She covered her eyes, curled into a ball, her voice shaking beyond recognition.
“I don’t want to play anymore… I don’t wanna, waaah… I want to get out!”
A warm arm reached over, steadying her elbow and pulling her up from the ground.
“Are you okay?”
The voice was low, tinged with urgency.
Chu Yanyan, sobbing uncontrollably, lifted her tear-blurred head.
The haunted house was dimly lit, and the face flickered in and out of the green glow—
A high nose bridge, refined features.
It was Bai Zhiyuan!
Her heart slammed hard in her chest, like a drowning person grabbing the last piece of driftwood.
Without a second thought, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his chest, not wanting to let go for even a moment.
“Take me out of here. I don’t want to play anymore.”
Her voice was muffled against his clothes, thick with crying and a stuffy nose, her whole body trembling.
His arms hung in the air for two seconds.
Then he slowly bent down, slid one hand under her legs, and lifted her onto his back.
Her face pressed against the back of his neck, her tears soaking his collar, her arms locked tightly around his neck.
Carrying her on his back, he strode toward the exit.
Terrifying sound effects still echoed through the haunted house.
But Chu Yanyan could no longer hear them. She buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder, eyes closed, her whole body gone weak.
The moment they stepped out of the haunted house, sunlight came flooding in, so bright she couldn’t keep her eyes open.
She squinted, and it took several seconds before she could slowly make out everything in front of her.
Blue sky, white clouds, balloons, a cotton candy stand, a roller coaster.
And not far away—
Bai Zhiyuan was striding toward them…
His brows were deeply furrowed, his gaze cutting across the crowd and landing straight on them.
Chu Yanyan froze.
She blinked.
Bai Zhiyuan was over there.
Then who was the one carrying her?
She slowly turned her head to look at the profile of the man holding her.
A high nose bridge, refined features.
Similar to Bai Zhiyuan’s, but not Bai Zhiyuan.
It was Bai Xu!
Her pupils dilated sharply.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
What had she done?
She had thrown herself at Bai Xu.
She had cried all over him, tears and all.
Bai Xu had carried her out.
Bai Zhiyuan had already walked up close.
His steps slowed, his gaze falling on the two of them in their intimate position, and stopped.
His face showed no expression, but the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.