novelraw Chapter 174 - 175: A Slacking Ghost?
Chapter 174 - 175: A Slacking Ghost?
Xiao Wang took a deep, frightened breath and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. She lowered her voice and said, "Streamer, I... I don’t dare. What if it eats people?"
Su Nian took another bite of her sweet, juicy peach and shook her head. "She’s not an Evil Ghost. She won’t harm you."
Su Nian added, "Besides, I’m here. I’ll protect you."
Perhaps because she was from the countryside, Xiao Wang had a big appetite and a bold, straightforward personality. Hearing Su Nian’s words was like taking a calming pill; she felt much more at ease.
She swallowed, chuckled, and her dark skin seemed to gleam with the light of curiosity.
"Today, I’m not a college student. I’m gonna try being a detective! Hehe!"
Then, as if to pump herself up, she said, "There are no difficult tasks, only brave doggies! Super detective, on the case!"
A thrill even welled up inside her. ’I’m kinda awesome, aren’t I?’
Her clowning around broke the tension, and the bullet-screen comments, once filled with nervousness and speculation, were now just a stream of "Hahaha."
[Today’s college students really know how to make things interesting.]
[Is there no one left in this world you care about?]
[There really aren’t many normal college students left these days, hahaha!]
[This generation of college students is really something else, hahahaha!!!]
Xiao Wang swallowed, grabbed her bag from the table, and set off at once, leaving the campus gates immediately.
A thrill welled up inside her. ’Whoa, I’ve never done anything this exciting before.’
’This is way cooler and more intense than climbing trees to raid birds’ nests or poking beehives!’
’Oh, right. I wonder what this female ghost’s story is. If it’s really tragic, should I help her and call the police? But what reason would I give? Would the cops believe me if I said I saw it in a dream?’
By this time, Xiao Wang had gone downstairs and was on the street.
"I’ve been working at a bubble tea shop recently. It’s really close to the haunted house. I’m heading over there now to check things out."
[Damn, a true warrior.]
[Girl, you’re so brave. Aren’t you scared at all?]
[You really have that look of pure, foolish light in a college student’s eyes. Plus three parts comedy, four parts boldness, and three parts nonchalant bravery!]
Xiao Wang seemed to have loosened up now. Her initial shyness was gone, and she’d turned into a real chatterbox.
She talked nonstop along the way, and despite her accent, she had a real talent for storytelling.
She kept the viewers entertained the whole way, making them either burst out laughing or shiver with fear. And then, finally, she arrived at the haunted house.
The moment she opened the door, a blast of cold air hit her, like an air conditioner set to cold in the middle of winter. It sent a chill through her whole body, but this was more bone-deep.
There were still people playing at this hour, but not many. Xiao Wang, relying on the fact she used to work here and knew people, carefully slipped inside.
She explained, "The boss knows about the rumor, so he emptied out this scene later on. You don’t have to suspect him of deliberately trying to attract ghosts or anything. It’s really not like that."
CREAK...
The scene was extremely well-made, looking just like the bridal chamber of a young lady from a wealthy family. Everything was antique and had a high-quality feel. The only thing marring the picture was the large coffin placed in the middle.
It instantly added a deeply eerie atmosphere to the room, giving people a sense of dread.
Xiao Wang carefully walked around in a circle with her phone, remarking, "The employees here are as dedicated as ever. This scene has been closed off, but they still come to clean it regularly. Look, there’s not a speck of dust on the table."
As she spoke, she swiped a finger across it to show the viewers. It was indeed spotless, without a trace of dust.
"ACHOO!"
It was just so cold. The piercing chill made Xiao Wang unable to stop a sneeze.
[No kidding. Employees these days are all caught up in the rat race!]
[Definitely trying to look good for the boss. So hardworking.]
[I thought young people these days were all about ’rectifying the workplace’? How’d they get into this rat race game?]
Seeing that comment, Xiao Wang couldn’t help but retort.
"’Rectifying the workplace’ is for rich kids. For people like me, the only choice is the rat race. As long as the grind doesn’t kill you, you grind yourself to death."
[Xiao Wang is ruthless!]
[It’s true. Young people today are super competitive, okay?]
[Yeah, except for those with family connections, everyone from an ordinary background is grinding like crazy. ’Rectify the workplace’? I’ve seen plenty of young people who just become the boss’s lackeys.]
Xiao Wang fully leaned into her comedic persona. She balled her fists right there in the haunted house and declared, "Other people lie down to sleep, but not me! Even when I sleep, I roll up my blanket! I’m gonna out-grind everyone!"
Caught up in the moment, she spouted these grand, ambitious words right in the haunted house.
But in the dead of night, no one noticed a deathly pale hand gripping the side of the coffin.
The hand was unnaturally pale, and its nails were excessively long, their color as vivid as fresh blood.
"You gotta be the king of the grind to be the king of men, fam!"
Xiao Wang was still giving her passionate speech, completely unaware that something unknown behind her had awakened.
At that moment, only Su Nian noticed a female ghost in a red dress climbing out of the coffin.
The female ghost had now climbed completely out of the coffin. Her hands were a translucent white, utterly devoid of blood. She wore slender satin shoes, intricately carved and hollowed-out, also blood-red. She had beautiful, waist-length, pure ink-black hair that obscured her face.
When a faint breeze blew, sending strands of hair fluttering, the still-speechifying Xiao Wang finally realized something was wrong.
’Why is everyone in the comments telling me to look back!?’
[There’s a surprise behind you, Queen of the Grind!]
[You forgot your original purpose! All you’re doing is chatting.]
[Behind you, behind you! The ghost is climbing out of the coffin!]
[Accidentally clicked on this. May misfortune be dispelled!]
’Is it... for real?’
Xiao Wang’s heart sank into her stomach. She was terrified.
’According to the laws of movies and TV shows, when a female ghost’s true form is discovered, she’s supposed to go berserk! Then you get scenes with bleeding eyeballs and stuff. Am I really not going to be scared to death!?’
But as a quick-witted college student, she knew how to handle this.
"Streamer, save my sorry hide!!!"
Everyone in the stream chat was sweating for Xiao Wang. The thought of this ghost in a red dress, her face hidden by her hair, just standing there silently behind Xiao Wang and watching her... even if they weren’t the ones in the room, the vicarious fear was intense!
Many viewers even turned around to check behind themselves. What you can’t see is often the most terrifying.
However, upon hearing Xiao Wang’s scream, the female ghost reacted in an instant, like a startled bird. She immediately lay back down in the coffin, not forgetting to pull the lid closed over herself.
Xiao Wang: ???
The viewers: ???
It was a baffling move that no one understood.
Su Nian took a bite of her peach. "Don’t worry. She’s just a ghost with social anxiety who’s given up on life."