"Fighting poison with poison? Yeah, right, like I'd believe that!"
"Dude, replace my phone screen and we'll call it even."
"One half-price ticket and you think that'll buy me off? No way!"
The arguing dragged on for minutes, and still no visitors dared enter the haunted house. They all huddled behind the barriers, not willing to cross the line. Their cowardice was starting to get on Chen Ge's nerves. "Doesn't anyone want to come in and try it out? My haunted house isn't scary at all. If you don't believe me, check the reviews on Dianping."
At his words, a few people actually pulled out their phones and searched.
"Oh, it's true. Every review says it's not scary. Not scary at all."
"Huh, the only upvote was because the girl playing the ghost is gorgeous…"
"Should we… give it a try, then?"
After another long wait, someone finally stepped forward. "It's just a haunted house — how scary can it really be? I've seen actual corpses. You think I'm afraid of this?"
The speaker was a young man with a crew cut, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He looked earnest and plain-spoken.
"Brother, quit pretending. There's a limit to showing off."
"How old are you, claiming to have seen a corpse?"
"We're all cowards here — no need for self-deception…"
Just as everyone was dismissing the idea, a voice cut through the chatter, utterly out of place: "He's not lying. Corpses are nothing unusual to us."
All eyes turned toward the source of the voice. A tall woman wearing a sun hat and a white skirt was walking toward them from the park's main gate.
Her expression barely shifted as she moved, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees wherever she passed.
"Senior!" The young man scrambled over to her, eagerly reaching for her bag, but a single glance from her sent him retreating. He stood there awkwardly, caught between embarrassment and a polite smile.
"You called her 'senior'? Are you students?" Chen Ge's attention was drawn to the two young people.
"We're from Jiujiang Medical University — forensic medicine. My name is Heshan, and this is my senior, Gao Ruxue." The young man grinned at Chen Ge. "I shared your video on the school forum last night. My senior saw it and decided to come check it out herself."
"This ice queen is a forensic pathologist?"
"Have to say, the vibe fits the job perfectly."
"Hey gorgeous, can I get your WeChat…"
The surrounding visitors crowded around the woman. As her self-appointed guardian, Heshan just stood off to the side with a grin. "My senior here is something else. In the morning she's dissecting frogs and white mice, washes her hands, and strolls into the cafeteria like nothing happened to chow down on braised pork. In the middle of the night she'll walk past the anatomy lab, spot the cadaver soaking in formaldehyde, and yawn while greeting it. Save yourselves the embarrassment — she's probably dissected more men than you've held hands with women."