After forcing open the stall door, Chen Ge spotted Qu Changlin sprawled on the ground. He immediately crouched down. "Are you alright?"
Seeing someone enter, Qu Changlin's first instinct wasn't to ask for help — he scrambled backward in pure terror, both hands clutching his head as if the ghost outside wouldn't exist so long as he couldn't see it.
"What's wrong with you? Did you have an episode? Do you need me to call an ambulance?"
There was a note of genuine concern in Chen Ge's voice, which was not something Qu Changlin expected a ghost to say.
Through a gap between his fingers, Qu Changlin caught a glimpse of Chen Ge.
It was an ordinary, unassuming face, with a hint of anxiety in the eyes.
How could someone like this possibly be a villain?
Qu Changlin waved his hand, about to ask Chen Ge for help, when he suddenly remembered — after he'd scrambled out of the dark room with the hanging figure, someone had been knocking on the stall door the entire time. There was supposed to be a second ghost in the scene!
Suppressing his unease, Qu Changlin fought desperately to calm himself, but his voice still trembled. "Did you hear a strange knocking sound just now? It had a fixed rhythm — completely different from how people normally knock!"
"A knocking sound?" Chen Ge's brow furrowed, then gradually relaxed. "I see. You must have heard this sound."
Chen Ge took a step back, reached out, grabbed the mannequin dangling in midair, and gave it a gentle push. The dummy's head swung forward and struck the door panel with a dull thud, over and over.
"When I came in, I saw this mannequin swaying back and forth, its head hitting the door. That must have been the sound you heard."
Listening to Chen Ge's explanation, Qu Changlin found it somewhat convincing — the sound coming from the door panel was indeed caused by the mannequin's impact. But what puzzled him now was that Chen Ge's voice sounded disturbingly familiar. The ghost that had been threatening him just moments ago had used that exact same tone of voice!
"Let's get out of here first. This bathroom reeks." Chen Ge grabbed Qu Changlin's arm, trying to help him up.
"Don't come near me!" Qu Changlin violently flung Chen Ge's hand away, sitting squarely between the dark room and the stall.
"What — what are you scared of? Is this part of the haunted house's script? How should I play along?" To avoid putting more pressure on Qu Changlin, Chen Ge stepped aside and left the exit clear for him.
"Acting?" Qu Changlin had been face-down on the floor for nearly a minute before he finally calmed down enough to reassess the situation. Seeing that Chen Ge genuinely had no intention of hurting him, he gradually lowered his guard. "You're... a visitor?"
"What do you think? Am I the ghost in this haunted house and you're the visitor?" Chen Ge's tone was laced with helpless amusement, regarding Qu Changlin the way one might observe performance art.
Qu Changlin braced his hands against the floor and tried to stand, but failed. He was about to attempt it a second time when a thought struck him — wouldn't trying again in front of a visitor look rather undignified?
To preserve his dignity as a haunted house employee, Qu Changlin cleared his throat and spoke with studied nonchalance. "That's right — you're very lucky. You've discovered this scene's hidden storyline! I am the key character in this bathroom. Now that I've been wounded by a vengeful spirit, you need to help me to the director's office."
"The key character in the bathroom? I read the diary from the haunted house's new student ceremony and the writing on the stall partitions. Isn't the protagonist of this scene supposed to be called Xiao Lin?" Chen Ge wasn't trying to poke holes — he was simply curious about everything.
"Heh heh... well, actually, I am Xiao Lin." Qu Changlin said through gritted teeth.
"But the partition says Xiao Lin is just a child. You look like you're pushing thirty — your hair's already that thin."
"You..." Qu Changlin had just been scared half to death and still hadn't recovered. On top of that, he was naturally inarticulate and not much of a talker. Now, grilled by Chen Ge's questions, he was rendered utterly speechless, beads of sweat forming all over his forehead.
"Just stop talking. The director's office, right? I'll take you there." Chen Ge grabbed Qu Changlin's arm. "Can you stand up?"
Qu Changlin leaned against the partition wall. His legs were somewhat numb, and he looked like a toddler learning to walk.
"You really are committed to the role, huh?" Without a second word, Chen Ge did something that even Qu Changlin didn't expect — he hoisted Qu Changlin onto his back. "You give me directions."