Chapter 4: Ghost Mountain Villa 4
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On the beautifully set dining table, the flowers plucked from the garden and arranged in a vase still looked vibrant and lively.
Facing the curious gazes of the other guests, Yan Shixun leisurely finished his meal, then pushed his chair back and got up, preparing to return to his room.
“Since it’s been a tiring day, let’s just lock our doors and get some sleep tonight, don’t open your door no matter who comes knocking.”
Yan Shixun said casually, one hand in his pocket, and he waved lazily. “I’ll head back to my room now. Goodnight. See you all in the morning.”
Behind him, a few guests displayed expressions of dissatisfaction.
“Hey, wait a minute! What do you mean by that?”
One of the male actors with a somewhat bad temper stood up first, pointing at Yan Shixun and questioning him.
The other guests expressed their displeasure as well. “Yan Shixun, if you’re tired, just say so. We can all understand. What’s with this attitude?”
“We’re here for a vacation; it would be boring if we didn’t find something interesting to do.”
……
The guests continued to criticize him, and the live broadcast of the program had its fair share of comments, most of which were directed at Yan Shixun.
Only Bai Shuang spoke up in defense of Yan Shixun, trying to defuse the tension and improve the atmosphere.
Bai Shuang still remembered how Yan Shixun had touched her before they went up the mountain; she had immediately felt a sense of relief in her body. She didn’t know the reason, but she felt grateful to Yan Shixun.
Moreover, for some reason, she always felt that even if Yan Shixun stood in the midst of everyone without saying a word, he still shone in a way that was impossible to ignore. He seemed to exist in a completely different world, full of secrets that Bai Shuang didn’t understand, making her both fearful and curious.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Director Zhang Wubing, quickly spoke up off-camera. “It seems that Yan Shixun is very concerned about everyone’s safety.”
“Since it rained during the day, and the mountain road is slippery at night, especially in the dark, it’s not suitable to go out. Let’s stay inside the villa and play some games. Our journey in Gui Mountain is for four days, so we can explore the forest tomorrow.”
With the director’s intervention, the initially hot-headed male actor realized that they were on a live broadcast program and agreed to the suggestion.
The other guests also caught on to the director’s intention to defuse the situation and quickly changed the topic, discussing the upcoming games and their expectations for tomorrow’s journey.
However, among them, only Ding Xi, who had been frightened during the daytime trip to the mountain, remembered Yan Shixun’s inexplicable actions and the calming presence he had.
She didn’t participate in the other guests’ discussions, hesitated for a moment, and decided to do the same thing as Yan Shixun.
At that moment, she actually heard something murmuring in her ear…
With a pale face, Ding Xi forced a smile to the people around her, saying that she had been frightened during the day and caught a chill, so she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to return to her room.
The other guests were actually happy to have one less person to share their camera time with, so they expressed some concern and quickly let Ding Xi leave.
Only Zhang Wubing, off-camera, felt somewhat uneasy.
·
After returning to his room and freshening up, Yan Shixun immediately lay down and prepared to sleep, without even taking off his clothes.
He was not a warm-hearted person; he always operated on a business basis, settling debts and balancing karma. He would never do things for free without an agreement or payment from the other party.
That would only bring unnecessary karma upon him.
So, Yan Shixun only made those subtle remarks because of Zhang Wubing’s invitation to his show and his desire not to see Zhang Wubing’s program being disrupted. So he only offered a few words of discreet reminder without interfering with the natural course of events.
However, judging from the expressions of everyone at the dinner table just now, his reminders seemed to have been in vain.
Yan Shixun closed his own livestream, which had a meager number of subscribers, and took out his phone to check the social media accounts of several guests one by one.
Sure enough, except for Ding Xi, who might have been genuinely frightened on the way up the mountain and had stayed in her room until dinner, the other guests had all taken advantage of the free time before dinner to explore and take photos in the villa and garden, posting them on their social media accounts.
Among them, one male idol guest caught Yan Shixun’s attention.
This idol, named An Nanyuan, was a popular idol who debuted on a talent show last year and became one of the top idols in this travel variety show.
Moreover, An Nanyuan was the one who explored the entire villa.
He had recorded the livestream at that time and posted it on his social media accounts for his fans to watch.
When Yanshixun opened the video, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something white that passed behind An Nanyuan in the video.
In the comments section of the video, apart from the enthusiastic praise for An Nanyuan’s handsome appearance and the elegant and retro style of the villa, some fans also noticed the brief appearance of the white figure, which lasted less than half a second.
[At the beginning, was there a figure behind Brother*?]
Note: Brother here is the Gege or Older Brother but I will keep using just Brother from now on, just keep in mind that this term is used from the fan to their idol not literally brother.
[I also noticed it. Could it be a reflection of a staff member on the glass?]
[Maybe it’s the curtains? Stop overthinking and focus on admiring his looks. Brother looks really handsome!]
As Yan Shixun’s fingers paused, he looked back and then continued to play.
As An Nanyuan began to explore the villa in the video, Yan Shixun’s attention was captivated by the environment and objects behind the person.
At the corner of the staircase, there was an extremely old Buddhist shrine and a damaged gilt Guanyin statue in the renovated villa.
Hanging on both sides of the corridor were contrasting paintings. One side depicted withered flowers and weeping figures, while the other side showed vibrant flowers and figures with radiant smiles, creating a completely symmetrical contrast.
On the fourth floor, there was a beautiful dressing table with a still crystal hourglass and an open vintage lipstick box that had been partially used.
Each room on every floor seemed to have a pattern: the rooms on the left had white curtains and white bed sheets, giving an all-white appearance at first glance, while the rooms on the right were draped in blood-red fabrics, a deep crimson that appeared almost black, resembling coagulated blood.
……
In the video, An Nanyuan was still trying to showcase his handsome face to the camera, interacting with the live chat and smiling.
However, in the comment section, some fans were starting to feel that something was off.
[Is the villa where Brother is staying an old house? Why does the video seem so gloomy?]
[I’m feeling a bit cold watching this. I’ll go grab a sweater and come back.]
[Watching this video at night, Brother looks so handsome when he’s smiling, but for some reason, I feel a bit scared. Oh well, I’ll watch it again during the day tomorrow.]
Among the few comments like these, they quickly got drowned out by the praise for An Nanyuan’s looks.
Yan Shixun picked out these comments, finding them quite interesting.
Those who feel scared or cold probably were younger or still possess some innate sensitivity, allowing them to perceive things more keenly than others.
He nodded in satisfaction, turned off his phone, put it in his pocket, and pulled over the soft blanket, preparing to sleep.
Because of the poor soundproofing in the room, he could still hear the laughter and screams of the guests playing in the living room. However, Yan Shixun was unaffected, and he quickly fell asleep with his eyes closed.
—There’s still a long time until dawn, something unexpected might happen before then, so it’s better to sleep while he can.
……
Yan Shixun slept soundly, undisturbed by the loud screams from the living room, where tour guide Liu Yiyi and the other guests were having a high-energy time.
By 11 PM, the guests finally ended their games, bidding goodnight to the camera with lingering smiles before heading to their respective rooms.
After checking the day’s subscription numbers, Zhang Wubing nodded in satisfaction. He set up the nighttime live stream camera angles and left two staff members to watch over the equipment during the night.
Due to Yan Shixun’s reminder, Zhang Wubing recalled the ghosts he had encountered over the past twenty-plus years and remembered what Yan Shixun had told him years ago about his lower-than-average spiritual energy.
A shiver ran down his spine. He gave instructions to all staff members to sleep in the rooms prepared for them on the first floor and not to leave, especially not to exit the villa, once night fell. Only then did he feel comfortable enough to return to his room and go to sleep.
The entire villa was engulfed in silence, so quiet that one could almost hear every person’s breath.
The staff members guarding the equipment in the living room were also on the verge of falling asleep, continuously nodding off, looking as if they might doze off at any moment.
……
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The urgent knocking on the door startled Yan Shixun, who had been sleeping comfortably. He opened his eyes abruptly, alert and ready for action.
“Brother Yan, wake up quickly, something’s happened!” Zhang Wubng’s anxious voice came from outside the door. “We’ve lost someone!”
Yan Shixun：……
It seemed that Zhang Wubing should change his name to Zhang Youbing. Losing someone wasn’t his fault, so why should he care?
Zhang Wubing was on the verge of tears. The loud knocks echoed through the quiet villa at night, making the situation feel even more eerie and unreal.
“Brother Yan, do you remember Bai Shuang? Her room is open, but she’s not in her own room, and we can’t find her anywhere in the villa. She’s missing!”
Yan Shixun: Oh, how annoying.
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