"That's good. When the time comes, you can start by getting used to the working environment of our haunted house." Chen Ge trusted Wu Jinpeng quite a bit and was planning to jump straight into the new employee welcoming ceremony. "We're short-staffed right now, so I can't take you on a tour myself. Just go in with the visitors and experience it. Don't have any psychological pressure — treat yourself like you're here to have fun, just an ordinary tourist."
"Understood." Wu Jinpeng agreed without hesitation. It was clear he took this new job very seriously — he had even taken a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes before coming.
"Let's start with the half-star scenario, then." Chen Ge arranged for Wu Jinpeng to enter the half-star scenario together with two visitors.
Half an hour later, a pale-faced Wu Jinpeng ran out of the haunted house alongside the visitors.
"How was it?"
"I feel like every haunted house I've ever been to before was just child's play."
Wu Jinpeng's heart was still racing. He was about to say something else, but Chen Ge patted him on the shoulder. "Perfect timing — those folks are about to go through the one-star scenario, 'Midnight Hunt.' Go in with them."
"But I just came out…"
"How can you see a rainbow without going through the rain? Life's thrown far worse at you than this — what's a little setback like this?" Chen Ge led them to the second floor of the haunted house. "Believe in yourself, Brother Peng."
"Wait! Don't go yet." Wu Jinpeng grabbed Chen Ge's sleeve. "How many scenarios does this place have altogether? Am I supposed to go through all of them today?"
"About ten. The higher the star rating, the scarier the scenario. What you just went through — the half-star — was nothing but an appetizer." Chen Ge paused to think for a moment. "Getting through all of them in one day isn't really realistic."
"Good."
"Because you might pass out halfway through. Then again, maybe not — we've got the best doctors on standby. If you push hard, it might be possible to get through everything in a single day." Chen Ge ushered Wu Jinpeng and several visitors into the Midnight Hunt scenario. "Have fun."
He shut the iron door and walked away. Before long, Wu Jinpeng's screams echoed from inside.
"Once a singer, always a singer — even his cries for help have rhythm."
Another half hour passed before Wu Jinpeng burst out with his hair in complete dishevelment. He'd had such a wild time that even the hair tie had come loose.
"Have some water. There are spare hair ties in the makeup room — use one for now." Chen Ge handed Wu Jinpeng a bottle of water.
"It's not about the hair tie! When I went in, there was this cloth doll that kept following me, hopping along behind me — like she was really interested in my hair!" Wu Jinpeng was visibly worked up, gesticulating wildly.
"Looks like you're a hit with the old-timers. Don't worry — it's all controlled from backstage. Everyone's just saying hello in their own way." Chen Ge let Wu Jinpeng rest nearby and walked over to where visitors were queuing. "Uncle Xu, do you have any visitors interested in scenarios rated two stars or above?"
"Right on time. These three bought tickets online for Mu'yang High School, Living Coffin Village, and the Underground Cadaver Vault. They want to go through all three scenarios back-to-back. Can you let them in?"
"One scenario at a time." Chen Ge looked at the three visitors. "Sorry about that, but it's for your own safety."
"We already bought the tickets — you're really going to make us wait in this long line again when we come out? Money's no object; I just don't want to waste all my time standing around." The one who spoke was a refined-looking man wearing glasses, standing one meter eighty-five, with long legs and designer clothes from head to toe — clearly not someone who had money problems.
"Don't worry about safety. If something goes wrong, it's on you, not us." Another man stepped forward as well, dressed in athletic wear with a great physique — you could see clear muscle definition. But he was young and spoke without thinking.
"I know none of you are short on cash, but these are the rules. You can pick one scenario first, and after you're done, you can decide. Maybe you'll change your minds by then." Chen Ge suggested.
"Ah Wen, Xiao Jie, let's just go in already. We've been waiting forever." The last one to speak was the only woman among the three, twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. She had a fresh, cute face, but her demeanor was composed and mature — the kind of presence that was especially appealing to men.
"Then let's start with Mu'yang High School." Chen Ge led the three of them — along with two newly arrived visitors — into the haunted house. By now, Wu Jinpeng had mostly recovered. "Brother Peng, go with these five and take on the two-star scenario."
"Can you give me a break first?"
"You're going to have to face this eventually." Chen Ge collected the signed liability waivers from those visitors and brought them to the entrance of the underground scenario. "Before you enter Mu'yang High School, let me warn you one more time: stay in your own scenario. Don't wander off."
He opened the iron door leading to the underground level. A burst of cold, damp wind blew up from below. Wu Jinpeng, standing beside Chen Ge, shivered. "There's an underground level too?"
"The real fun is just beginning." Chen Ge watched the group descend below ground. He didn't close the iron door right away — instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the woman's back as she disappeared.
He was certain he had never seen this woman before, yet something about her felt deeply familiar.
"Those two men look at her with nothing but adoration, but she has zero interest in either of them. There's a deep-seated disgust hidden in her eyes. She keeps deliberately positioning herself behind them to avoid direct contact with me. Her gaze has never once landed on me — it's like she's purposefully avoiding looking at me."
Chen Ge withdrew his gaze and slowly shut the iron door. "Something's off."
He grabbed his bag and hurried into the surveillance room, focusing his attention on these particular visitors.
…
"Mister, do you work here? I noticed you seem really close with the owner." Once the iron door had closed, the fresh-faced woman immediately walked up to Wu Jinpeng. "I've heard that the haunted house owner sometimes has actors pose as visitors."
"I'll just come clean — I do work here, but today is literally my first day. I don't know anything." Wu Jinpeng looked helpless. "I might end up hiding behind you guys before too long. Sorry about that — I'm a disgrace to haunted house actors."
"Heh, you're actually pretty funny. My name's Shen Mengbing. What about you?"
"Wu Jinpeng."
"What a plain name." The woman had a lovely smile. She wanted to chat more with Wu Jinpeng, but the other two men walked over, and with practiced coordination, they edged Wu Jinpeng off to the side.