The afternoon sun was blinding. The woman and the boy stood in front of the Haunted House. Even after being rejected by Chen Ge, they did not leave.
"He's been wanting to visit the Haunted House. That's our deal. Can you help?" The woman took out a 100 note from her backpack. "It'll be fine."
Chen Ge did not accept the money but asked with confusion, "Why do you insist on going to the Haunted House? The boy looks about eight or nine, and the Haunted House is complicated. It might cause psychological trauma to a child. "
The woman smiled bitterly. She did not answer Chen Ge's question. Instead, she turned to ruffle the boy's hair. "Fan Yu, why don't we try something else …"
Before she finished, the boy slapped her hand away. The boy did not like being touched, even if it was done with good intentions.
No matter what the woman said, the boy stood at the door and refused to leave. He kept raising his head, and his eyes were filled with self-abasement, fear, and a trace of coldness.
"Fan Yu?" Chen Ge's focus was on the boy. This was the first time he had seen such a strange boy.
Squatting down, Chen Ge looked at the boy at eye level. "Can you tell me why you want to go to the Haunted House? It's dark, and there are scary things. "
The boy's eyes darted around. He kept glancing at Chen Ge's shadow, but he did not say a word.
The woman was probably afraid that Chen Ge would feel awkward, so she quickly stepped in the middle to smooth things over. "Xiao Yu is different from other children. He rarely communicates with others. I hope you don't mind."
"It's fine." Chen Ge realized that the two were standing at the door, refusing to budge. Staying under the sun was not a solution, so his attitude softened. "How about this, I won't charge you for the entrance fee. I'll accompany you into the Haunted House later, but you can only watch from the outside."
"Thank you, boss!"
"Sign the disclaimer first, both adults and children. Don't touch the props or run, and follow behind me." Pulling back the curtain, Chen Ge placed two disclaimers before the woman and the boy. Normally, only the guardian needed to sign, but to get as much information as possible about the boy, Chen Ge had the boy sign as well.
After they signed the disclaimer, Chen Ge led them into the Minghun scenario.
"Born as husband and wife, buried in the same grave, that is Minghun."
Chen Ge summarized the background story. The three of them stood at the entrance to the courtyard house that was lit by white lanterns. The woman was nervous, gripping the strap of her backpack. The boy had his head lowered. It was unclear whether it was because of fear or something else.
The withered tree shook, and the paper money on the ground rustled as they stepped on it. Chen Ge led the way to push open the door of the courtyard house. "This is how the interior looks like. Just stand outside and watch. We have a strict rule that children below fourteen are not allowed to visit."
As soon as he finished speaking, the little boy, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly rushed into the courtyard house. The two adults didn't have time to react.
"Fan Yu!" The woman and Chen Ge ran into the courtyard together. They saw the boy stop next to the dry well in the middle of the courtyard. His upper body was leaning into the well like he was looking for something.
"Sorry, I'm really sorry." The woman hurriedly apologized to Chen Ge. She reached out to grab the boy's arm, but the boy, who had been quiet and shy, suddenly changed into a different person. Not only did he struggle away from the woman's hand, but he also dug into her skin with his nails. He looked like a startled wild cat.
"This child's mood swings are too big." The well in the middle of the courtyard was just a prop. It was not very deep, so Chen Ge was not worried about it. He was just curious why the boy was so concerned about the well.
He stopped by the well for two to three minutes. Perhaps because he did not find what he was looking for, the boy reluctantly let go of the well. He was different from a normal child. To be more accurate, he was different from a normal person. The darker and creepier the environment, the more excited the child became.
"Since you're already here, why don't I show you around?" Chen Ge focused all of his attention on the boy. He was one of the shortest among his age group. He had a delicate face, and his eyes were large like pure black gems.
"The Minghun scenario is modeled after an ancient courtyard, and the east and west rooms are usually used by the younger generation." He pushed open the door to the east room, and without any warning, a female ghost in a wedding dress crawled out from behind the door.
The woman screamed in fright and staggered back.
"Don't worry, it's just an actor." Chen Ge pressed on the ghost's head and said softly, "Xu Wan, you go out for now."
"Don't be so cold …"
Xu Wan picked up the hem of her wedding dress and walked over the door. No one noticed that the boy who stood behind Chen Ge suddenly leaned toward Xu Wan and raised his head to stare at Xu Wan.
"Hmm? Boss, why did you let such a small child in here? "
Xu Wan merely felt surprised, but only Chen Ge felt that something was wrong.
The wedding dress was as red as blood, and Xu Wan had applied special make-up. She looked more like a dead person.
In this situation, the boy not only did not feel afraid, he even voluntarily leaned toward Xu Wan and raised his head to stare at her face.
"The boy seems to like me a lot." Xu Wan smiled at Chen Ge. She did not think there was anything wrong with that.
It was not until Xu Wan left the Minghun scenario that the boy pulled his gaze away.
"I won't show you around the other rooms. The decorations are almost done, so can we go out now?" Chen Ge and the woman walked out, but the boy stopped in the courtyard. He looked left and right like he was looking for something.
"Fan Yu, let's go!" The boy ignored the woman's call. He stood beside the well, looking at something.
"Doesn't the boy feel afraid at all?" Chen Ge did not rush him but started to chat with the woman. "Are you the boy's mother?"
"I'm his aunt," the woman said apologetically. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but Xiao Yu is different from his peers. Ever since his parents got into an accident a few years ago, he has become like this. He has visited many doctors, but none of them worked."
"Mental illness? Can I ask about the boy's parents? "Chen Ge asked carefully.
"Xiao Yu's parents were both teachers at Mu Yang High School. They disappeared one after another, and even now, they have not been found. At the time, Xiao Yu was only five. I didn't know how to explain it to the boy, so I could only lie to him. I told him that his parents had gone to a faraway place called heaven. "
"Mu Yang High School!" Chen Ge's nerves tensed up when he heard that name.
"You've heard of that place as well? There are many rumors about that school. I tried to persuade Xiao Yu's parents, but they refused to listen. " The woman's eyes reddened at the mention of the sad memory. She stopped talking to Chen Ge and walked to Xiao Yu's side. "Let's go home."
The boy still stood stubbornly by the well. This confused Chen Ge even more. He walked to the boy's side and asked cautiously, "Why do you keep looking into the well? Is there a monster living inside?"
Fan Yu shook his head. He seemed to have let down his guard in the dark environment where the sun did not shine.
"Then, can you tell me why you're standing by the well?"
The boy glanced behind Chen Ge, and after some thought, he said, "I'm looking for something."
"What are you looking for?" Chen Ge was curious.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
