"Boss, you're looking good today."
When
"Xiao Wan, go inside and do your makeup first. The people from Tanaka Hospital are coming today for a learning exchange, and you're my only presentable employee. You need to put on a good show!"
"Sure." Xu Wan pointed at the white cat dragging Chen Ge's jacket along the treetop. "Do you need my help?"
"No, it's just a cat. I can handle it."
To make a long story short, Chen Ge had opened up shop early that morning and realized he still had some time, so he'd headed to the bathroom to wash his dirty clothes. The white cat had seized the moment when he wasn't looking, dragging and biting the jacket — the very one that had been wrapped around the kitten — all the way up to the top of the tree.
"I'm not washing that jacket anymore! Get down here!"
At nine in the morning, New Century Paradise opened its gates. It was immediately obvious that nearly half of the visitors were heading straight for the haunted house.
"There seem to be even more visitors than yesterday."
Of all the attractions in the park, Chen Ge's haunted house was by far the busiest — a stark contrast to everything else.
"Boss Chen!"
The visitors at the front of the crowd looked familiar. The moment Chen Ge spotted them, a smile spread across his face.
Seeing Chen Ge's smile, the person in charge of Tanaka Hospital不知为何 shivered for some reason. He lowered his head and gave a dry cough. "There are also some friends from our circle behind us. Everyone's been dying to check out your haunted house."
The manager gave Chen Ge a meaningful blink. The implication was perfectly clear — they had brought fans and friends along, and he was hoping Chen Ge could give them some face.
"Friends from the circle?" Chen Ge glanced into the crowd and sensed something off. Aside from a few actors from Tanaka Hospital, none of the others looked like they were here for a casual visit.
"Let me introduce you. This is Han Qiuming, the best haunted house designer in the province. He's worked at several large-scale haunted houses abroad and was one of the co-creators of Tanaka Hospital. On the day you visited, Teacher Han happened to be out of town." The haunted house manager stepped aside, revealing a tall, thin man standing behind him, wearing thick prescription glasses, his demeanor icy cold.
"The girl with short hair next to Teacher Han goes by the online handle 'Ye Xiaoxin.' She's a horror-culture enthusiast and a fairly well-known influencer in our circle — over six hundred thousand followers. She's reviewed dozens of haunted houses across the country." The manager's expression had gone somewhat stiff. "After she heard about what you'd done, she got very curious and reached out to me, wanting to come see it for herself."
"Hello." The girl appeared to be in her early twenties, with very fair skin, a height of 174 centimeters, and a pair of straight, long legs that had already drawn the attention of many onlookers.
She dressed in a rather androgynous style, which, paired with her short black hair, gave off a refreshingly clean impression — a kind of cool handsomeness that could rival any boy's.
A girl like this walking into a haunted house to do a review was eye-catching enough on its own. No wonder she'd become a big name online.
"Boss Chen, don't underestimate her." The manager seemed to have suffered at the girl's hands before. "She's fearless. The first time she entered Tanaka Hospital, she pranked our staff. Too bad she has no sense of direction — she wandered around for forty minutes before our people finally led her out."
"Fearless — that's great. I love girls who aren't afraid."
That's exactly what countless female visitors said before entering the haunted house, back when Gao Ruxue was one of them.
Chen Ge smiled warmly, though inwardly he was muttering to himself that his haunted house apparently hadn't yet managed to scare a girl of this type to tears.