Chapter 229

Chapter 229: Chu Tang Was So Scared She Threw Herself into Jiang Shixu's Arms The maze was dimly lit, with eerie red lights and terrifying music that made one's hair stand on end. Over here, Chu Tang and Jiang Shixu were walking together. At first, Chu Tang was only a little scared—not as exaggerated as Qin Yan. As they walked along, suddenly, a "female ghost" dropped down from above without warning. A red wedding dress, disheveled hair hanging loose, blood-red tears streaking down a ghastly pale face—the female ghost hung in mid-air, locking eyes with Chu Tang. "Ah—" A scream rang out as Chu Tang instinctively spun around and threw herself into Jiang Shixu's arms. Jiang Shixu swatted the female ghost away with one hand and held Chu Tang close, comforting her in a gentle voice: "It's okay, Tangtang. That wasn't real—just a prop." It wasn't even a real person in costume. Chu Tang lay trembling in Jiang Shixu's arms. The man held her, patting her back softly, one gentle pat at a time, coaxing her like a child: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. It's all over now." It took a while before Chu Tang finally calmed down. She pulled away from Jiang Shixu's arms and said in a small voice: "Um... sorry about that. I was just startled—it was a reflex..." "It's fine." Jiang Shixu's voice was low and full of concern. "Are you okay? If you're scared, we can leave." "I'm fine. It's just that it was so sudden..." Chu Tang's voice grew quieter and quieter. Jiang Shixu could see that Chu Tang was afraid. He didn't say anything—just gave a soft "mm" and silently took her hand in his. The warmth of his palm against her skin made Chu Tang's body stiffen. Then she returned to normal. She didn't pull her hand away. She let Jiang Shixu hold her hand and continue walking deeper inside. Being startled just now had stirred up a fresh wave of fear in Chu Tang's heart. Now she walked cautiously, looking ahead and behind, terrified that another ghost might suddenly pop out from somewhere. Jiang Shixu noticed Chu Tang's timidity. He sharpened his senses and scanned their surroundings, ready to prevent another surprise like the one before. After walking a short distance, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, about to grab Chu Tang's arm. Jiang Shixu reacted in the blink of an eye and yanked Chu Tang into his embrace. At the same time, another female ghost drifted out from the side—long hair flowing, dressed in white. The female ghost floated around the two of them, circling again and again. Jiang Shixu could tell at a glance that it was a staff member wearing roller skates. "Tangtang, don't look." Jiang Shixu's voice was very gentle as he reached up, pressed his hand against the back of Chu Tang's head, and pulled her against his chest so she couldn't see the female ghost. Chu Tang obediently lay in Jiang Shixu's arms. Her heart pounded wildly, thump-thump-thump. "Excuse me, could you please move aside?" Jiang Shixu said politely to the white-clad female ghost. The female ghost was taken aback. In three years of working here, this was the first time a visitor had spoken to her so politely. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. According to protocol, she was supposed to circle around the visitors three times while chanting, "Give me back my life, give me back my life..." She had just come out and hadn't even started her chant yet when this handsome guy politely asked her to step aside. "Sorry, just passing through." Jiang Shixu saw the female ghost standing there blocking their way, so he extended one hand to shield against her and tried to squeeze through the narrow gap beside her. The female ghost snapped back to reality and voluntarily shuffled to the side, clearing the way for them. Jiang Shixu held Chu Tang close and walked a good distance away. "It's okay now, Tangtang." Chu Tang said in a small voice: "Maybe we should just leave. I don't dare go any further. I overestimated my own courage." She could handle thrilling rides like roller coasters, but this kind of haunted house—she was genuinely terrified of it. "Alright." The man's voice was gentle, with a magnetic quality. They stopped, and Jiang Shixu took out his phone to make a call. Soon, a staff member appeared, opened a hidden door on the side, and led them out. Stepping out of the dim haunted house and into the sunlight, Chu Tang felt a momentary dizziness. Jiang Shixu reached out to steady her. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." They waited by the exit for about ten minutes before Chen Yuanyuan, Qin Yan, and Zhou Zheng'an finally came out. Qin Yan's face was deathly pale. In contrast, Chen Yuanyuan was brimming with excitement. "This haunted house is really well done—so thrilling!" Qin Yan looked green around the gills. "Glad you had fun." Chen Yuanyuan spotted Chu Tang standing not far away and asked in confusion: "Huh? Tangtang, why did you come out so fast?" A flicker of embarrassment crossed Chu Tang's face. "I wasn't feeling well, so I took the staff exit to come out early." "What's wrong? Where do you feel unwell? Is it serious?" Chen Yuanyuan asked with concern. "Nothing major—I just felt a bit dizzy earlier..." From being scared. "Oh, as long as it's nothing serious." Chen Yuanyuan glanced at Qin Yan beside her and said to Chu Tang, "Look at him—scared out of his wits. I told him if he was afraid, he shouldn't go in, but he wouldn't listen." Qin Yan was genuinely terrified. "I'm done. I'm never playing these ghost attractions again. This isn't some amusement ride—it's straight-up torture!" Chen Yuanyuan burst out laughing. "I think it's super fun! You're just a coward—who can you blame?" Qin Yan shook his head helplessly and said indulgently, "Little miss, how about we go try something a bit more mild?" "Fine, since you've already played two thrilling rides with me, I'll humor you. How about that one?" Chen Yuanyuan pointed excitedly at the Log Flume not far away. Qin Yan looked up and saw the Log Flume's track car reaching the highest point, then accelerating into a steep drop, sending up a splash several meters high. "You call that mild?" Qin Yan frowned deeply. "What part of that is mild?" "Tsk." Chen Yuanyuan crossed her arms with a proud look. "This isn't mild? The Log Flume is already the mildest ride among the ones I like. If you don't even dare to try this, why did you even come to an amusement park? Forget it, I'll go by myself." With that, Chen Yuanyuan walked ahead on her own. "I never said I wouldn't go with you? Yuanyuan, wait for me." Qin Yan chased after her. Zhou Zheng'an and Shao Yufei had just come out of the Haunted House. Shao Yufei's expression wasn't great either, apparently quite scared. Zhou Zheng'an wrapped his arm around her gently and comforted her in a soft voice. The two of them walked up to Chu Tang, and Zhou Zheng'an asked, "Where are Qin Yan and the others?" Chu Tang said, "They went to ride the Log Flume." Zhou Zheng'an nodded and looked at Shao Yufei. "Baby, what else do you want to play?" Shao Yufei pursed her lips and said, "I want to go see the beluga whales." Besides the rides, this amusement park also had many animals for visitors to watch. "Want to come along?" Zhou Zheng'an looked at Jiang Shixu. Jiang Shixu said, "You two go ahead." To give Zhou Zheng'an and Shao Yufei some time alone, and he and Tangtang also needed some time alone. "Alright." Zhou Zheng'an took Shao Yufei and left. Chu Tang watched their backs. "Brother Zheng'an's relationship this time seems different from all the previous ones." Jiang Shixu hummed in agreement. "What else do you want to play?" "That one over there looks pretty good." "Alright, I'll go with you."