Visiting a haunted house in a group first thing in the morning was definitely not a good idea—at least not for Shu Yuxin and Wei Zhanpeng.

Shu Yuxin recovered relatively quickly. After drinking a bottle of Assam milk tea and resting briefly, she gradually became receptive to her surroundings. Still, she remained slightly dazed, prone to spacing out every now and then.

Wei Zhanpeng fared better. Before long, he was already bouncing back with energy.

How long until Shu Yuxin fully recovered? Not even Jiang Zixuan knew—and Shu Yuxin herself had no clue. As far as she could recall, this was the first time she’d been this terrified.

Shu Yuxin had a quirk: her imagination ran a little too vivid—a trait mentioned before. After getting scared, she’d uncontrollably replay the frightening moment in her head, then twist it, layer in fantasy, demons, and horror through mental fabrication, scaring herself all over again.

Strange? Yes. Real? Absolutely.

Like those times she accidentally saw horror videos or images—later too afraid to sleep alone or even get up for a midnight bathroom break. The cause? Purely self-inflicted fear. And scarily effective.

Call it "post-fright syndrome." Symptom intensity and duration heavily depended on scare severity and environment: bigger shock meant stronger reaction and longer recovery. Environmental factors? Not enough examples yet—set aside for now.

This time, though? Possibly the most terrifying experience of her life—a rapid series of scares. No wonder her reaction was the strongest yet. These spacing-out episodes were usually the precursor to her imagination spiraling; in short, fear manifesting. Before, this only happened late at night, alone. Now? Broad daylight. At the amusement park.

Jiang Zixuan didn’t fully grasp it, but he saw how off she was. She looked like a kid a creepy uncle could lure away with just a lollipop (?). Worry tightened his chest. After a moment’s thought, he decided to stay by her side.

Yan Zhikai and the others were concerned too, but they couldn’t all halt their day. After a quick huddle, they left with a parting note: "Message the group chat if anything comes up," then scattered to enjoy the park.

Still, the incident dampened everyone’s mood. The outing wrapped up near 5 p.m.—before night sessions even began. The park remained packed; entrance queues showed no sign of shrinking. A stark contrast to the quiet exit.

Enthusiasm had faded. Shu Yuxin trailed silently behind Jiang Zixuan, clutching her Assam milk tea. Only Lao Mei and Fu Bai—who skipped the haunted house—seemed to have genuinely enjoyed the day.

"Why aren’t those two here yet? Dead inside?" Yan Zhikai checked his phone impatiently, then scanned the exit.

Peng Xiaoxiao, walking beside Shu Yuxin, teased, "Maybe they missed the message and are still playing."

"They replied five minutes ago saying they’re on their way," Lao Guan interjected, pocketing his phone.

Wei Zhanpeng raised an eyebrow. "Whoa. You actually put it away?"

Lao Guan froze. "Damn it! My battery’s at twenty percent!"

"So you told them South Exit?" Yan Zhikai asked.

"Obviously. Do you think I’m that dumb?" Lao Guan nodded.

Yan Zhikai paused. "…Might be."

"…Damn it."

Just then, two familiar figures emerged from the South Exit. Fu Bai struggled to support Lao Mei step by step. Spotting the group, he waved frantically like a lifeline. "Hey! Help! I can barely hold him up!"

Yan Zhikai stepped forward first. "What’s wrong? Going into labor?"

"…He puked on the roller coaster," Fu Bai said grimly. "Almost got me."

Lao Mei’s face tightened. "Fu Gou… if I said I wasn’t feeling well today, you’d believe me, right?"

Fu Bai sighed. "Lao Mei, just admit it. If you can’t handle it, you can’t. I’m not competing anymore. If I hadn’t dodged fast, I’d be covered."

Lao Mei’s expression darkened further.

Yeah. Their day hadn’t been great either.

"Can you walk? Need 120?" Yan Zhikai glanced at him.

Lao Mei took a sharp breath and shoved Fu Bai away. "Damn it, I’m not paralyzed."

"Good." Yan Zhikai turned to the group. "Dinner?"

"Yes! I barely ate lunch—I’m starving," Peng Xiaoxiao chimed in, gently tapping Shu Yuxin. "Yuxin, hungry?"

"Hmm…"

Peng Xiaoxiao hesitated.

Was that an answer?

"We’re eating. She hasn’t forgotten how," Jiang Zixuan answered for her.

Others nodded in agreement. Yan Zhikai scanned the group and led the way. "Come on. Buffet’s on me."

"Holy crap, treating us? You’re loaded, Kai!" Lao Mei instantly perked up, grinning.

Yan Zhikai snorted. "You think hotel meals were free?"

Lao Mei chuckled and fell silent.

The buffet dinner lifted spirits, softening earlier regrets.

Surprisingly, Shu Yuxin ate well and slowly started speaking again—seeming nearly back to normal. Peng Xiaoxiao beamed, chatting nonstop: half apology for the haunted house, half sharing her fun park moments.

Shu Yuxin just laughed "hahaha"—genuine or not, only she knew.

Evening wound down simply. A little window-shopping. As night fell, everyone drifted back to the hotel.

Jiang Zixuan took Shu Yuxin to an arcade to reset her mood. Returning, she seemed lighter—even popped into a peripherals shop out of curiosity (bought nothing).

Exiting, Jiang Zixuan walked a step behind, watching her skip like a kid. He smiled faintly. "All better now?"

"Huh? When was I broken?" She glanced back.

He chuckled, skipping the morning topic. "Grab late-night snacks?"

"Snacks? Wow, *you’re* still hungry after all that?"

"…I meant *you*."

"Not hungry. Stuffed."

He sighed softly. "Head back then?"

"Sure. Nothing left to do," she said, tilting her head up.

On the hotel path, they met Peng Xiaoxiao and Wei Zhanpeng—just back from a movie Wei treated her to. Low-rated flick; only VFX decent. Near-empty theater felt like a private screening.

Peng Xiaoxiao was already ranting about the plot holes.

Others had returned earlier. Entering Yan Zhikai’s room, the four found a huddle around a laptop.

Wei Zhanpeng’s laptop.

"Holy crap, what the hell are you doing?!" Wei lunged, snatching it back with a fiercely protective glare. "What the hell?!"

They exchanged looks. Lao Mei shrugged. "Told you—try Peng Xiaoxiao’s name. You wouldn’t listen. Too late now."

"Wait, was it her birthday? When’s Peng Xiaoxiao’s birthday?" Fu Bai mused.

Wei Zhanpeng saw the login screen. "Damn it!! There’s *nothing* on there!! What were you after?!"

"Hehe. How do we know? Maybe you restored something last night?" Lao Mei grinned slyly.

Wei snapped the lid shut. "Damn. Shouldn’t have brought it."

"What’d you say about me?" Peng Xiaoxiao approached, catching her name.

Lao Mei pivoted smoothly. "Nothing! Hey Lao Wei—bored. Cards?"

Wei shuddered. "No way. Damn it. My hands ached all night from yesterday."

"Hehe. Today’s your revenge round."

"Already said no. Bother Lao Guan."

Lao Guan, eyes glued to his phone, pushed up his glasses. "Cards? Better than my waifus?"

"Go enjoy your paper girls," Yan Zhikai shot him a look, then clapped hands. "Last night together! Time for something fun."

"What?" Lao Mei asked.

Yan Zhikai’s gaze swept Jiang Zixuan, Shu Yuxin, Peng Xiaoxiao, landed on Wei Zhanpeng. A smirk curled his lips. "In a moment like this… what game would those super popular couples play?"

"How the hell would I know," Lao Mei grinned.

"Go play cards. I’m begging you, Gang Ge," Yan Zhikai shot him a glare.

Lao Mei’s grin widened, infuriatingly.

Yan Zhikai cleared his throat, shifted tone, and announced with theatrical flair: "On such a perfect evening… nothing beats a thrilling round of—Truth or Dare!"