Romance Variety Show: The aloof and beautiful fourth female lead is always coveted.

After going upstairs, you'll find the main entrance to the haunted house. The promotional posters at the entrance are printed with grotesque and terrifying images, along with the words "Two-person challenge, ultimate experience."

Almost everyone buying tickets and queuing was a couple.

Ling Yan suddenly felt that as he and Bai Nianchu walked side by side among the couples, they also began to look like a couple.

Ahead of them in line was a sweet couple. The girl stood ramrod straight, while the boy, looking coquettish, squeezed towards her like he had no bones, constantly calling out "Baby," "Baby," saying he was so scared and wanted to hold her hand.

Ling Yan kept observing their behavior out of the corner of his eye.

Although he also longed to be as close and inseparable as they were with Bai Nianchu.

But it's still a bit difficult for someone who's 1.9 meters tall to adopt such a "petite" posture.

but……

Ling Yan felt a burning sensation in his ears, as if he had just thought of something.

The fans in the live stream started to get serious:

Is the fourth male lead thinking about something that can't be broadcast?^^

[The cat is so timid, it probably only dares to think about things like holding hands.]

[Could you please block out the close-up shots... I'm scared 〒▽〒]

Before queuing, Ling Yan asked Bai Nianchu if she was scared, and she answered no. From those cold, dark eyes, Ling Yan indeed did not see any emotion such as "fear" or "nervousness".

On the contrary, he... actually has a bit of claustrophobia.

However, his symptoms were not severe, and he rarely experienced fear when riding elevators.

What he feared was that he wouldn't perform well and would just stand there like a block of wood next to Bai Nianchu.

When it was their turn, the staff handed them three ticket stubs, and one was given to the photographer behind them.

The staff had been notified in advance that they were guests on the show "Heartbeat House" and were there to film a date, so they pointed them to a darker, longer route: "Go through this curtain."

"Remember to hold on tight to each other and try not to get separated. Have a pleasant adventure."

The entrance was a heavy black curtain; the moment it was lifted, a cold wind mixed with a damp smell rushed out.

The light suddenly dimmed, leaving only an eerie, dark green glow in the corridor.

As the curtains fell, darkness swallowed up the last bit of light from the outside world.

【Aaaaaaah!】

[Protect yourself with bullet comments! Protect yourself with bullet comments! Protect yourself with bullet comments!]

[This kind of haunted house isn't scary; it's not like an escape room.]

Indeed... an escape room where you have to evade NPCs while also finding items is truly terrifying.

The interior of the haunted house was darker than I had imagined.

Every now and then, NPCs will wait in the corner or by the window to kill you face to face, with the sound effects of dripping blood and screams coming and going intermittently.

The level of terror is low, but people will still instinctively tense up when they are in an extremely dark environment.

Ling Yan remained silent by Bai Nianchu's side, his arm loosely protecting her. Whenever an NPC suddenly pounced out from the shadows, he would always step in front of her to shield her.

Bai Nianchu remained calm, walking through the dark corridor as if it were flat ground.

The live stream room fell silent, and even the production team, who wanted to create some entertainment value, fell silent.

Is this correct...?

They didn't seem to be in a haunted house; it was more like they were taking a walk in a park. (°ー°〃)

For the first half of the journey, Ling Yan and Bai Nianchu made good progress.

The road was blocked, revealing a square passage. This passage was narrow and low, and looking inside, one could only see a thick darkness. There were walls on all sides, and it seemed that only by squeezing into this passage could one reach the end.

Ling Yan paused slightly.

Clearly, this is a darker and narrower space than an elevator, only allowing one person to pass at a time.

Bai Nianchu had already gone inside first. If he were to suddenly call a halt, it would be too disappointing and too cowardly.

Moreover, his claustrophobia had not flared up for a long time.

"Teacher Ling, please go inside," the cameraman said. "It's inconvenient for me to climb while carrying the camera, so I won't follow you."

……

Ling Yan didn't know how long he had been crawling in the passage.

It might take two or three minutes, or even longer.

Ling Yan closed his eyes, feeling a sense of despair as his heart began to race and his breathing became increasingly rapid.

A familiar sense of anxiety washed over me like a tide, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped from the back of my neck.

Ling Yan tried to relieve his anxiety by swallowing, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, but saliva accidentally went into his trachea.

"Cough, cough cough..." He suddenly bent over, covered his mouth and coughed violently, and saw scattered black spots in front of his eyes.

A strong sense of dizziness enveloped Ling Yan, his soul was pulled and uncontrollably plunged into the abyss of past memories.

Because of his outstanding appearance, Ling Yan was favored by the orphanage director and caregivers. However, the more the director favored him, the deeper the other orphans' rejection and hatred of him became behind his back. Stealing his food and clothes became commonplace, and later they even locked him in a storage cabinet when the caregivers were not around.

The cramped space was filled with dust, and his cries for help were blocked by the wooden planks. Ling Yan curled up and buried his head in his arms. The panic and suffocation of being isolated and abandoned surrounded him. The only way to relieve his boredom was to count his heartbeats in the dark.

1, 2, 3...

Ling Yan has a very good memory.

Even after so many years, he still remembers it clearly—when he counted to around 14400, he heard footsteps and was released from the cupboard.

The following night, Ling Yan, clutching the iron nails he had hidden for so long, stabbed them hard through their palms while they were fast asleep. He also stuffed all the leftover scraps and food they had poured into his bowl during the day into their mouths... Before long, a heart-wrenching cry echoed throughout the entire orphanage.

No one dared to bully him anymore. After the misdeeds of those few children were exposed, they were also taken to the solitary confinement room by the director and locked up for a full six months.

That's the whole story behind his claustrophobia.

In a daze, Bai Nianchu's figure was reduced to a blurry outline.

Am I going to be left behind again?

Ling Yan curled up, his breathing so rapid he could hardly breathe, and soft gasps escaped his throat.

It felt like I was back in that dark, narrow locker, where no one noticed and no one cared.

1, 2, 3...

How many times in his mind will he have to count before someone sees him this time?

Having endured 14,400 darknesses, he only needed to silently chant a dozen times before a shadow fell before him.

"Ling Yan, what's wrong?"

—It was Bai Nianchu who noticed something was wrong with him and returned to his side.

Ling Yan's first reaction was to freeze, followed by a violent tremor and an instinctive urge to hide himself.

He looks so pathetic...

How could I let you see this side of me?

However, Bai Nianchu gave him no chance to escape.

She reached out and pressed down on his trembling arm, her clear, cold voice carrying an unyielding command: "Wait, don't move."

Bai Nianchu turned on her phone's flashlight, set it aside, and using the dim light, pulled away his hand that was tightly covering his mouth and nose, forcing him to suppress his breathing, and replaced it with her own hand—

A cool, soft palm covered his hot, panting lips.

Then, she gently pulled him so that his head rested on her shoulder.

"Listen to me, sweetie," Bai Nianchu's voice was very close, as if whispering in my ear, "Inhale... okay, exhale slowly..."

Ling Yan, feeling dizzy, adjusted his breathing to match her rhythm.

All senses were focused on her lips, which were covered by her palm.

Bai Nianchu's palms were as delicate as clouds in the sky, or like a fragrant snowflake, enveloping all his out-of-control aura.

The faint scent of jasmine, mixed with the coolness of her skin, drifted into his nostrils.

So small, so soft, and... so fragrant.

Ling Yan's nose was filled with her scent.

The rapid breathing gradually subsided.

After a few rounds, Bai Nianchu released her grip.

"Are you feeling better?"

Ling Yan lowered his head, his face burning hot. He knew that his appearance at that moment must be quite unsightly.

After a long while, a low, hoarse "hmm" finally escaped his throat, and...

"Thanks."

Thank you for being willing to come back to him.

"sorry."

For his concealment, for his despicable behavior, for his shameful acts, for everything he messed up.