Chapter 23: Frozen in Terror

He couldn’t do anything.

His hands and legs seemed as if they weren’t his own; he couldn’t feel them, let alone control them.

He could only lean against the pillar, shivering helplessly.

The faceless ghost was crawling toward him, getting faster and closer.

The feeling of that terrifying, dangerous presence right before his eyes was a completely different matter from watching a movie.

An icy, ghostly energy surged over him, seeping into his blood vessels; his blood flow slowed, his body went numb, and his heart froze to a halt.

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but this ghost seemed specifically targeted at him.

Pei Liu bit his tongue hard, attempting to use the pain to force himself to calm down and command his weak legs to run.

But right at that moment, an icy touch landed on the back of his neck.

It was a hand, slowly stroking his skin, rubbing and kneading it almost teasingly.

Pei Liu instantly stiffened further, not daring to move a muscle.

It was as if a venomous snake had dropped from a branch onto his neck and was slowly slithering across it. The slippery, icy sensation made goosebumps erupt all over his body.

Pincered from front and back, how could he run?

He was going to die.

Help, somebody save me.

Anyone will do, just save me.

Please…

Pei Liu shivered even more violently, like a little lamb drenched in the rain—pitiful and endearing.

At least, that was how the entity perceived it.

So, he reached out and stroked the fragile human’s nape, his actions carrying a soothing intent, somewhat gentle.

But Pei Liu felt none of that. He only felt that the terrifying ghost hand could snap his neck and end his life at any given moment.

Meanwhile, the faceless ghost in front was still closing in.

Pei Liu was screaming internally, but his throat couldn’t produce a single sound. His face was stiff and taut, his eyes filled with terror, and he instinctively held his breath. His fingers clutched his pants so tightly they created a mess of wrinkles.

He waited in despair, feeling as though a sharp sword hung over his head, ready to drop and claim his life at any second.

After a while, which felt like a long, drawn-out century.

Trembling, Pei Liu didn’t know that the ghost crawling on the floor had suddenly vanished, dispersing into thin air like a wisp of smoke. He only felt that icy hand slowly glide from his nape around to the front, touching his Adam’s apple and pressing lightly. The force wasn’t heavy, but out of sheer terror, assuming the other was going to crush his windpipe, he couldn’t help but gag in nausea.

The hand resting on his Adam’s apple paused imperceptibly, seemingly not expecting such a reaction.

The movement grew lighter, brushing over him like a feather, causing a faint tickle.

It was as if it were smoothing the fur of a frightened little lamb to comfort it.

However, from Pei Liu’s perspective, it felt exactly like being coiled by a venomous snake right before being bitten to death; he couldn’t calm down in the slightest.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time.

Silence fell all around, and all sounds vanished.

The hand stroking his nape also disappeared.

It took a long while for Pei Liu to look suspiciously toward the floor. Discovering the ghost was gone, his constricted heart relaxed slightly, but he didn’t feel entirely safe. He couldn’t help reaching up to touch his neck, trying to peel off whatever might be sticking to it, only to find nothing there.

It seemed the ghost had only touched him a couple of times and had no intention of killing him.

But even so, Pei Liu didn’t dare stay there any longer. Dragging his weak legs, he headed in the direction the others had fled to regroup with them.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to go far before he found them.

They were hiding in a room. Pei Liu heard faint voices and, after listening for a moment, confirmed it was them.

Pei Liu reached out and knocked on the door, immediately prompting a terrified shriek from inside that startled him into shivering.

“…It’s me.”

A few seconds passed before Pei Liu snapped out of his daze and declared that he wasn’t a ghost. Although he shouldn’t have felt this way, hearing Wu Kai and the others scream actually made him breathe a sigh of relief, reducing his fear. Perhaps it was the feeling of knowing he wasn’t the only coward—a sense of camaraderie in misery.

Tong Jiaqi’s hesitant voice came from inside the door: “Little Pei?”

“Yes, the ghost is gone.”

Only after Pei Liu spoke did the door slowly open. Wu Kai poked his head out like a thief and pulled him inside.

They looked at Pei Liu, unable to help but marvel: “You are truly so brave. We were all scared off, and you were the only one who didn’t run. As expected of the boss who isn’t afraid of ghosts.”

Their eyes sparkled, filled with immense admiration.

In the past, Pei Liu would have felt embarrassed by such praise, but now, he felt completely undeserving and extremely guilty.

Don’t misunderstand; I’m not some fearless boss at all.

I didn’t run not because I wasn’t afraid or because I looked down on the ghost, but because I was so scared my legs went weak and I couldn’t move.

But unfortunately, his previous image of being fearless, calm, and composed was too deeply ingrained to explain away.

Pei Liu could only give up on arguing.

As he lowered his head, Tong Jiaqi’s gaze swept over him and paused slightly: “Little Pei, what happened to your neck…”

Pei Liu touched it instinctively: “What?”

Tong Jiaqi looked closely and said hesitantly: “It looks like finger marks.”

Pei Liu’s expression instantly changed, and he said with lingering fear: “A ghost was choking my neck just now.”

At these words, the others gasped; just imagining the scene made their scalps tingle.

“That is too terrifying…”

If it had been them, they definitely would have gone mad.

The look Wu Kai gave Pei Liu became even more reverent, his eyes clearly flashing the word “Awesome.”

Despite being a tall, burly man, he somehow managed to project the effect of looking up at a giant while standing before Pei Liu.

Pei Liu: “…”

He highly suspected that Wu Kai single-handedly carried all the comedic relief of the show. However, thanks to Wu Kai breaking the tension, he didn’t feel as frightened anymore.

Inadvertently, Pei Liu met Jian Yongge’s gaze, and his heart tightened. After all, he was almost certain that Jian Yongge was possessed by a ghost.

However, this time Jian Yongge’s reaction was just like before—seemingly easy to get along with on the surface, but with a coldness and disgust hidden in his eyes.

Being looked at with such a gaze actually made Pei Liu breathe a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he’s back to normal.

Lunch appeared silently once again, very bizarre. Pei Liu had long given up hope of finding a way out through this and deliberately ignored this terrifying detail.

While eating, he thought of his roommate.

“Does Xie Wuyu not even eat meals with us?” Pei Liu muttered quietly in confusion, almost as if talking to himself.

Wu Kai vaguely heard him speak but couldn’t catch what he said, so he asked: “What did you say?”

Pei Liu opened his mouth, about to reply, but for some reason, he subconsciously swallowed the words, shaking his head and saying: “…It’s nothing.”

On the other side, Zhao Hai caught a muffled name, but what did that have to do with them? There was no one else here besides them.

No one knew that Pei Liu was planning to go find Xie Wuyu after the meal.

He couldn’t help but rely heavily on this person, feeling that as long as Xie Wuyu was by his side, there was nothing to fear. It felt very safe.

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