At midnight, Xie Wanxing and Fu Wenshan’s phones rang simultaneously.

Because they were set to maximum volume, and the room was quiet, Xie Wanxing was almost immediately startled awake.

He covered his heart as he peeked out from under the covers, drowsily asking Fu Wenshan, “Did the phone ring?”

“Yeah.”

Fu Wenshan was also awake. He reached out to turn on the bedside lamp, but found that no matter how he tried, it wouldn’t light up.

Xie Wanxing slowly sat up, feeling a lot more awake. He opened his eyes to the darkness in front of him. If it weren’t for the dim starlight outside the window, the room would have been pitch black.

Their phones had returned to silence, no longer howling like banshees, but Xie Wanxing was still anxiously tapping the screen. In the middle of the page lay a text message.

The sender was Han Jiujin.

“Dear Mr. Xie, the midnight special activity has begun. Please arrive at the abandoned school on the hill within half an hour~ the one you visited this afternoon. Make sure not to be late, or I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

This text message didn’t seem to bode well, and Xie Wanxing couldn’t help but shiver.

In the dead of night, to explore an abandoned school, and they were told not to be late.

What exactly was this so-called special task? It was almost conjured out of thin air.

Xie Wanxing held his phone, tears almost welling up in his eyes. Did the damn production team deliberately investigate and know that he’s been afraid of ghosts since he was a child! Were they so eager to see him break down in front of the camera!

For a moment, he almost wanted to call Lian Dan and ask how much money he would have to pay to quit the production team now.

He sat on the bed, feeling utterly disheartened, and not really wanting to go downstairs.

Fu Wenshan had received the same message as him, and he put down his phone to start getting dressed. There was no light in the room, and he didn’t avoid Xie Wanxing.

Xie Wanxing, feeling both desolate and relieved, let his gaze linger on Fu Wenshan.

Lit by the light of his phone, he could see Fu Wenshan’s eight-pack of wheat-colored abs and his long, sturdy legs.

The fear in Xie Wanxing’s heart was immediately pushed aside by the yellow scrap.

Although he didn’t get along with Fu Wenshan, this little bastard had a really good figure, and it was the kind Xie Wanxing liked the most.

Fu Wenshan didn’t know what was going on in his mind. As he dressed, he urged Xie Wanxing, “Twenty more minutes. Hurry up if you don’t want to be late and punished.”

Xie Wanxing weighed his options and could only silently get up and get dressed.

When they were both dressed and opened the door, looking down from the hallway, the room was indeed dark. Like a thick, undissolvable black fog, it enveloped the entire small villa.

Their room was in the attic at the very top, with a narrow and old staircase at the entrance. Stepping up, it creaked and groaned, which usually didn’t seem like much, but in this pitch-black and quiet environment, it was particularly terrifying.

Xie Wanxing bit his lip, his eyes full of longing as he looked at Fu Wenshan’s back… his coat tails.

If it were someone else, he would have already rushed forward to grab their arm and walk together. But unfortunately, it was Fu Wenshan in front of him. He thought about it and felt that he couldn’t afford to lose face.

As he was struggling with this, Fu Wenshan in front suddenly stopped.

Xie Wanxing almost bumped into him and asked strangely, “Why did you stop?”

Fu Wenshan stood on the stairs, just a few steps away from the living room on the first floor. He asked Xie Wanxing, “Didn’t you notice that it’s only the two of us in this villa? Zhou Ying, Wu Ran, and the others are not here, and even the production team’s follow-up crew is missing.”

Xie Wanxing’s hair stood on end at his words.

But as he looked around, he was horrified to find that Fu Wenshan was right. The villa was silent, with only the ticking sound of the clock.

In his mind, many horror movie beginnings flashed by, where stars came to participate in a horror reality show, only to find out in the end that everything was real, and this was indeed a haunted house, and the missing people never came back…

“Where did they all go?” Xie Wanxing asked silently, swallowing hard, as if afraid to disturb anyone, he asked softly.

But Fu Wenshan didn’t notice his abnormality and thought for a moment, “Maybe they’ve all gone to the school.” Fu Wenshan glanced at his phone, then grabbed Xie Wanxing’s hand, “Hurry, only ten minutes left.”

Xie Wanxing was dragged by Fu Wenshan and ran outside, too rushed to even be afraid, just following Fu Wenshan out of the villa. Fu Wenshan had terrifying stamina, while he was a couch potato who wouldn’t even go to the gym, and he was exhausted after a few steps, inwardly giving Fu Wenshan the middle finger.

Fortunately, after they left the villa, although there were no lights outside, the moonlight was very bright, shining like fragmented silver in the alley, which made Xie Wanxing feel a little safer.

The abandoned school they had passed by in the afternoon wasn’t far from the villa, but by the time they arrived, it was already 12:35.

Five minutes late.

Xie Wanxing stood in the abandoned school’s square, surrounded by overgrown weeds. He was so tired he could barely catch his breath, too tired to even stand, so he could only squat on the ground to recover.

He looked around and found that there were only him and Fu Wenshan at the school gate, so he asked suspiciously, “Where are the others?”

Even if it was to create a spooky atmosphere, it couldn’t be that there was nobody here, at least the camera crew should be with them, or else what’s the point of filming this show?

But they stood still for three minutes, and there was still no one around, only the faint cool breeze of the summer night blowing silently through, casting eerie shadows of the abandoned school on the glass, adding a touch of strangeness to this empty and quiet night.

Xie Wanxing rubbed his arms, and just as he was about to turn his head and say something to Fu Wenshan, he suddenly saw behind Fu Wenshan, on the white wall connected to the school, a pale face reflected, staring straight at him.

And on that white wall, several ghostly pale hands were struggling to reach out, as if something was about to crawl out from behind the wall…

“Ah—!”

Xie Wanxing screamed in horror, almost fainting.

Fortunately, Fu Wenshan was still somewhat humane. He reached out from behind and supported him, preventing him from falling to the ground.

“Sorry, Xie ge, really really sorry,” Zhou Ying apologized repeatedly, clasping his hands together as he spoke to Xie Wanxing. “The director said you guys were the last group, so we were instructed to scare you a bit. I didn’t know you’d be so scared.”

Xie Wanxing sat on a small stool, so infuriated that he didn’t even have the strength to roll his eyes.

That ghost face on the wall just now, needless to say, was a projection set up by the production team. And those hands struggling to reach out from behind the wall were all acted by the few people who arrived earlier than them, and they even diligently applied white powder to make it look realistically terrifying.

Xie Wanxing was so scared that he almost fainted right there. It was only thanks to Fu Wenshan’s support that he didn’t collapse on the spot. Those heartless guys saw that his legs were trembling with fear and were satisfied. Only then did they come out from behind the wall.

Including the missing members of the camera crew.

Among them, only Zhou Ying hadn’t been tainted by the entertainment industry. He hadn’t trained to have a dirty and deceiving heart like the others. Seeing Xie Wanxing being scared, he felt extremely guilty and kept apologizing.

Xie Wanxing glanced weakly at Zhou Ying. With his fair skin and delicate features, now devoid of any color, contrasted by the black hair falling like ink, wearing a black shirt and pants, he gave off a desolate and poignant feeling, like a beautiful ghost stepping out of a horror story, with eyes that could steal one’s soul with just a glance.

The photographer couldn’t help but take a close-up shot of him.

Xie Wanxing wasn’t really angry. Sure, he was scared, but ultimately it was just a TV show effect.

He extended a slender finger and tapped Zhou Ying’s forehead. “Daring to play tricks on your senior, you’re finished. I’ll settle this score with you sooner or later.”

Xie Wanxing’s nails were a bit sharp, leaving a small red mark on Zhou Ying’s forehead. He didn’t dare to resist, just looked at Xie Wanxing with a pitiful expression.

Xie Wanxing couldn’t resist that puppy-dog look, and soon couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

---

Now that all six people were present, they sat quietly on the stools prepared by the production team, listening attentively to Han Jiujin as he explained the program content.

Although everyone had guessed what the so-called “summer special” was about, they still held onto a faint hope that maybe the production team would have a change of heart…

Unfortunately, as soon as Han Jiujin spoke, he shattered their hopes.

Han Jiujin’s smile seemed to carry a hint of malicious intent. To match the atmosphere of today’s program, he dressed like a middle school teacher, with a pair of black-framed glasses on his face.

“Dear mediums, I am the client for this mission, Han Jiujin. The reason I invited you all here is to investigate an incident from twenty years ago.”

Mediums?

Xie Wanxing looked completely puzzled by this new identity. Being a medium sounded very dangerous, okay? If possible, he just wanted to be an ordinary bystander, someone who could survive till the end.

Zhou Ying, on the other hand, seemed to like it. He happily said to Xie Wanxing, “Ge, being a medium sounds pretty cool.”

Han Jiujin continued, “Twenty years ago, in this high school named Peiying, there were five consecutive murders. Four of the victims were female students, and the last one was a male teacher. The methods of death were different, but all were extremely cruel and terrifying. Moreover, these five victims all knew each other. Since these serious murders, the school has been abandoned. Twenty years have passed, and no students have attended classes inside since then. However, the souls of the deceased still linger, unable to find peace. Their resentment has grown stronger and stronger, attracting more wandering spirits and ghosts, eventually turning this place into a haunted school.”

Han Jiujin seemed to have a talent for telling scary stories. Although his voice didn’t fluctuate much, on this chilly summer night, it gave people goosebumps.

His gaze swept over the six guests from behind his glasses. “This abandoned school is soon to be demolished. In order to ensure a safe demolition, we’ve specially invited six mediums. We ask you to find out the reasons for the deaths of these five victims, drive away the ghosts from the school, and restore peace here. Are you willing to accept this mission?”

Xie Wanxing raised his hand earnestly and asked, “If I say I don’t accept, can you let me go back to sleep?”

Han Jiujin, this rascal, immediately changed his tone, “No, my dear. This is a compulsory clause.  Whether you want to do it or not, you have to.”

Several guests immediately made a “tsk” sound in unison.

Han Jiujin paid no attention to this collective disapproval. Come on, he, Han Jiujin, had been a host for so many episodes. Could he possibly have a conscience?

“But our production team are not bad people after all. We’ll still provide you with props, but you’ll need to retrieve these props yourselves,” Han Jiujin said as he took out a small box from behind him. Upon opening it, there were six maps inside. He distributed the maps to the six guests one by one. “There are six props in total, distributed on different floors. You will be divided into three groups, with each group tasked to retrieve two designated props. Finally, all six of you will gather in the conference room on the top floor and await further instructions.”

Xie Wanxing lowered his head to look at the map in his hand, which detailed every location of the school, with six places marked with asterisks, indicating the locations of the props.

“To ensure fairness, we will draw lots for the groups,” Han Jiujin continued after distributing the maps. Then, like a mechanical cat, he took out a bamboo tube containing six bamboo sticks of the same color. “People with the same color will form a group. Let’s draw lots.”

Xie Wanxing was the first to draw. As he drew the bamboo stick, he glanced at the other five people.

As someone who was inherently afraid of ghosts, although he appeared calm, indifferent, and transcendent on the surface, deep down, he naturally hoped for a teammate who wasn’t afraid of ghosts and had high combat strength.

Among these five people, Fu Wenshan was a definite pass.

As for Xiao Jia and Yuan Xier, they were girls, and he felt embarrassed to ask girls to protect him.

As for Zhou Ying and Wu Ran…

His gaze fell on the pitiful-looking Zhou Ying, then on the hand that Zhou Ying was clutching onto Wu Ran’s sleeve.

Zhou Ying was tearfully complaining to Wu Ran, “I don’t want to go in. I’m scared of ghosts. I’m really scared. I didn’t even dare to go to the bathroom alone in elementary school.”

This child really had no shame. When the show aired, the whole country would know that you were afraid to go to the bathroom alone in elementary school.

Alright, Zhou Ying, pass.

Who knows, if they really went in, maybe they would end up protecting each other.

Xie Wanxing drew a bamboo stick with a green base. As he returned to his stool, he looked at Wu Ran eagerly, silently urging him, “Boy, make sure you pick green! Give me green!” He roared at Wu Ran in his mind.

But Wu Ran obviously didn’t receive it; he drew a red one.

Behind him, Zhou Ying also drew a red one.

Zhou Ying happily grabbed Wu Ran’s sleeve. “We’re in the same group!”

Wu Ran glanced at Zhou Ying disdainfully. “Stick close to me, don’t fall behind. I won’t come back to save you.”

Xie Wanxing felt annoyed.

The fourth person to draw was Xiao Jia, and she drew a blue one.

The fifth person, Yuan Xier, also drew a blue one.

Now, there was only one stick left in the bamboo tube. Without needing to draw it, everyone already knew the result.

Xie Wanxing had become numb. He could see it now; he just didn’t get along with this production team.

He looked at Fu Wenshan expressionlessly.

Fu Wenshan also looked at him expressionlessly.

The atmosphere between the two was extremely unfriendly.

The same sentence was clearly written on their faces – “Why is it you again!”

But Fu Wenshan still slowly stood up and drew the last bamboo stick.

Green.

Xie Wanxing covered his face. He felt like his head was emitting a green light, for some reason.

Han Jiujin found the result of this draw quite strange too. “Right.”

The grouping for this task was exactly the same as the room assignments.

Not a single person had changed.

He scratched his chin and asked Xiao Jia and Yuan Xier, “Do you two want to team up with a guy? I don’t mean anything else, but just in case you two feel scared or something…”

He was very concerned about the ghostly setting arranged by the production team. Consequently, he was extremely worried that these two girls might be scared and end up crying their way out.

Xiao Jia looked at Zhou Ying, then at Xie Wanxing.

Zhou Ying grabbed Wu Ran’s sleeve pitifully, clearly afraid of being abandoned by his teammate.

Then she looked at Xie Wanxing, who seemed quite indifferent, even a bit eager, as if he really wanted her to pick him.

But as she looked at Xie Wanxing’s delicate waist, the long hair cascading down to his waist, his captivating eyes, and fair skin, she realized he was even more fragile and vulnerable than she was.

She couldn’t bear to let such a beauty suffer in the haunted house, not even for herself.

Xiao Jia sighed, “Forget it, let’s not change. I think Yuan Xier is fine. Zhou Ying and Xie Ge seem like they need more protection than me.”

In fact, she had another layer of worry. Due to the company’s arrangements, she had to be involved in fake scandals with two male stars before, which resulted in mixed reviews. Now, among the four boys present, not one of them was without a large number of female fans. At worst, they were also liked by older women.

If she teamed up with these four people and ended up in the haunted house, if there was any physical contact, she would probably be torn apart by the fans.

After some consideration, she held onto Yuan Xier’s arm more firmly. She had made up her mind; even if she ended up being dragged out of the haunted house with Yuan Xier, she didn’t want to be pelted with rotten eggs after the show aired.

Yuan Xier patted her hand, “It’s okay, I’m not afraid of ghosts. I’ll take care of you.”

Xiao Jia forced a smile, thinking Yuan Xier was comforting her. After all, Yuan Xier was tall and beautiful, seemingly unbeatable.

But half an hour after entering the abandoned school, she realized… Yuan Xier’s words were actually true.