Chapter 10: Black Fog in the White Mist

“Pei Liu, how did you…”

Because Wu Kai had just been saved by Pei Liu earlier, he was the first to turn around and head back.

But when he saw a little girl in a red dress standing next to him, his whole body stiffened as if suddenly struck by a paralysis spell.

Tong Jiaqi and the others were also stunned, unsure of what to do—should they rush forward, grab him, and run?

While they were on edge, the atmosphere around Pei Liu was surprisingly calm.

The little girl ghost was clearly the daughter from the photo.

She spread her palm toward Pei Liu and said: “This is a gift for Big Brother.”

In it were a few round, rolling eyeballs.

Pei Liu took them and said politely: “Thank you.”

Then he asked, “Are the handprints and the words on this wall all left by you?”

The little girl ghost actor was slightly taken aback. This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go; shouldn’t he be scared, screaming and running away? Why was he accepting her gifts and asking her questions?

However, she was an experienced child actor and couldn’t be dominated like this; she had to improvise.

The little ghost tilted her head and said, with a blend of innocence and cruelty: “Big Brother, your eyes are so pretty. If you dig them out and give them to me, I’ll tell you.”

Pei Liu: “Oh, never mind then, I don’t want to know anymore.”

He even handed the “gift” back to her.

The little ghost threw them in anger. The eyeballs hit the floor, bounced once, and rolled toward Wu Kai and the others.

They struck the tips of their shoes—feeling both soft and hard, just like real eyeballs. The black pupils were facing Tong Jiaqi, staring directly at her, looking as if they couldn’t rest in peace.

Tong Jiaqi screamed, retreating repeatedly, feeling nauseated and wanting to vomit.

Her reaction seemed to please the little ghost, who began to laugh. She held two other eyeballs in her hands, grabbing and squeezing them as she played, saying in a sweet voice: “I like this big sister; her scream sounds nice. Let me give you a gift too.”

Tong Jiaqi shook her head frantically, terrified that the ghost would latch onto her if she were even a second too slow. Her voice trembled as she managed to choke out: “Th-thank you, no need…”

The little ghost’s mouth instantly downturned, and she lowered her eyes, saying: “None of you are nice; I’m not happy.”

Usually, a child drooping their head like that would make people feel heartache and want to coax them, but coming from a pale, blueish little ghost, it only felt horrifying.

The little ghost suddenly looked up, her large eyes filled only with eerie white, and roared sharply: “I’m going to kill you all!”

In an instant, the lightbulbs in the corridor shattered and exploded simultaneously. Fresh, bright blood seeped out from the walls on both sides, flowing continuously, and the eerie music played by a water harp started to sound, perfectly setting the mood for a horror film.

The little ghost drifted toward them.

Tong Jiaqi and the others had their eyes wide open, their faces deathly pale. Driven by a desperate survival instinct, they screamed in terror, turned, and ran.

Pei Liu’s expression also changed. He paused for a moment before following them in their flight.

However, he wasn’t afraid of the ghost, but simply worried that if an NPC ghost touched him, he might end up with some debuff. His expression changed only because…

The corridor was crowded with ghosts. They were overjoyed to see Pei Liu running away—this was showtime!

In reality, Pei Liu was looking back at the little ghost while feeling a sense of melancholy.

‘This child’s acting is really good, much better than mine. What am I going to do when I take on future roles?’

He couldn’t help but sigh.

A deep, low chuckle suddenly rang out, right beside his ear, making him feel an itch.

Pei Liu couldn’t help but rub his ear, turning his head to look, but seeing no one there, he felt confused, assuming he had heard things.

The little ghost was in hot pursuit. Wu Kai and Tong Jiaqi kept screaming—one gruff, one high-pitched—both having enough piercing power to resonate through the entire villa. Pei Liu felt as though his ears were about to go deaf.

At the very front, a woman in a light-colored long dress suddenly appeared and said to them: “Quick, hide in here, and she won’t be able to hurt you.”

Wu Kai and the others had blank minds and were in a state of extreme panic. With no time to think, hearing there was a way out, they instinctively followed her inside.

It was the master bedroom where they had first searched for clues.

After Pei Liu, who was bringing up the rear, entered, they immediately shut the door.

The little ghost was locked outside.

Not long after, the door began to vibrate violently, accompanied by angry screaming.

They were all tense, holding their breath involuntarily.

After a long while, the sound disappeared; the ghosts outside seemed to have left.

They exhaled in relief, finally remembering that someone had just helped them.

Turning around to thank her, they were met with the woman’s corpse-like, bone-white face and the faint corpse spots upon it.

Wu Kai gasped: “…Fvck!”

He scrambled up, wanting to bolt out the door.

Pei Liu remembered something and warned: “Wait, the ghosts outside might not have left yet…”

Standard horror movie tropes usually worked like this: just when the protagonist thinks they’ve escaped, they turn around only to find the ghost still there, laughing eerily.

Before he could finish, just as he expected, a delicate, childlike voice came from outside the door. Not only that, but the wooden door panel shuddered violently, and a hole was torn into the edge, through which a small, pale hand reached in. The little ghost struggled to shove her head into the gap, as if desperate to crawl inside.

“Big brothers and sisters, come out and play with me~”

Wu Kai turned his head and met a pale, bloodshot eyeball, its black pupil turning to stare directly at him—it was terrifying.

Instantly, Tong Jiaqi, who was leaning against the wall by the door, let out a piercing shriek.

This scene looked exactly like something out of a classic horror movie.

A simple curse couldn’t express their feelings. Being sandwiched between ghosts on both sides—how could they handle this? The director wasn’t leaving them a single path to survival; he wanted them dead!

Wu Kai and Tong Jiaqi grabbed each other’s hands, practically on the verge of tears.

Zhao Hai and Jian Yongge were also trembling, only holding on through sheer force of will, feigning composure.

Pei Liu, however, sat lazily on the floor. Having watched plenty of horror films, he felt nothing—after all, these were just staff members acting. Instead, he was more focused on the NPCs’ great acting skills, thinking he should find a teacher to learn more after the show finished recording.

The woman in the white dress suddenly spoke, her voice gentle: “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you; I just want to ask for your help with something. Once it’s done, I will help you leave this place.”

The female ghost smiled slightly, her demeanor elegant and generous; even as a ghost, she didn’t lose the air of a wealthy wife. She was the mistress of this villa, the CEO’s pampered wife.

After speaking, she wasn’t in a hurry to get their answer, but instead showed her sincerity first. She walked slowly to the door, placed her hand on the lock, and whispered something. The terrifying little ghost actually left just like that. Although, before leaving, she said she wouldn’t give up and wanted to turn them all into her own dolls.

The woman in the white dress had helped them. Even so, she was still a ghost, and the guests remained vigilant and fearful.

The female ghost sensed this and took the initiative to step back, putting some distance between them. Her features were delicate and gentle, and her expression was sincere, making it difficult to harbor ill will toward her.

She touched her belly and said: “I had another child, but as soon as it was born, the eldest daughter choked it to death. She was polluted by vengeful spirits and killed both me and my husband. I want to find my baby; can you help me?”

Zhao Hai and the others’ expressions softened slightly, feeling some sympathy for her situation. Yes, even ghosts could be divided into good and evil.

Pei Liu was puzzled: “Why are you asking us? You’re a ghost; wouldn’t it be easier for you to find it yourself?”

The female ghost turned to look at him with a melancholy expression: “She hid my child away, wanting me to be her mother alone. I was killed in this room and became an earthbound spirit, and I’m not as strong as she is, so there are many places I can’t go to.”

“So that’s it,” Pei Liu realized, and then asked: “May I ask, how did you get her to leave just now?”

“I said I would play house with her later,” the female ghost replied softly with a strained smile.

The others watched with a surreal feeling as Pei Liu and the female ghost began chatting back and forth quite normally. The sight of it was rather horrifying.

Pei Liu turned to ask everyone what they thought and whether they should agree.

After discussing it for a while, they decided to try. Having an assistant was always a good thing.

Once decided, the female ghost vanished.

They exhaled, the sky having already darkened.

After a day like this, between being scared by ghosts and fleeing for their lives, they felt mentally and physically exhausted; they felt they had each lost years of their lifespan.

“I’m hungry,” Pei Liu touched his stomach and pursed his lips.

“Me too,” Wu Kai agreed, taking the opportunity to mutter: “The production team is inhumane.”

Fortunately, when they got down to the first-floor dining room, steaming hot meals were already set out on the table, and they immediately started eating.

Halfway through the meal, Tong Jiaqi had filled her stomach and regained some of her energy, sighing: “Actually, the production team’s act of silently setting out food in a haunted house is also quite terrifying.”

Wu Kai shoveled in his food: “Doesn’t matter; I’m a starving ghost now—who’s afraid of whom?”

His comment made everyone else laugh.

Zhao Hai’s gaze fell on Pei Liu, noticing something amiss, and he asked with concern: “Little Pei, are you feeling unwell?”

Pei Liu had been silent, eating quietly with a listless expression. When someone called his name, he shook his head slowly and said: “It’s nothing, I’m just a bit dizzy and sleepy.”

Tong Jiaqi and the others looked over as well.

“I heard before that your health wasn’t very good; your face is so pale, you must be exhausted. Eat more meat and get some sleep early tonight.”

As he said this, he served Pei Liu two more pieces of beef.

Pei Liu thanked him with a smile and obediently ate them.

Tong Jiaqi felt a strange surge of maternal love, feeling as though she had gained an obedient younger brother.

Later, Pei Liu had to force himself to finish the meal; if he hadn’t been propping his chin up with his hand, he might have fallen asleep right there at the table.

Zhao Hai brought over the first-aid kit, wanting to see if there was any medicine he could take. But Pei Liu was just frail; a hot bath and a good night’s sleep would be more useful.

Wu Kai instructed the cameras: “Director, don’t stir up any trouble tonight; look at how unwell Pei Liu is.”

Jian Yongge didn’t want to speak up for Pei Liu, but for the sake of his persona, he also mumbled two words of concern to the camera.

Night fell.

Pei Liu sat in the bathtub, his entire body soaked and enveloped by the warm water. As the warmth seeped into his skin, he felt incredibly comfortable and relaxed. He let out a soft, sleepy yawn, feeling as if his very bones had softened.

He couldn’t help but close his eyes, tilting his head slightly to one side, and accidentally drifted off to sleep.

In the midst of a hazy white fog, black mist invaded and took over.

The bathroom door was pushed open, and a tall, slender figure walked inside.