Chapter 56: The Haunted House Gains Fame

When He Yang emerged from the exit, her assistant followed closely behind, running out as well. Judging by the assistant’s terrified expression, it was clear he’d just endured something equally dreadful.

“Wait! I just came out and you followed right after—does that mean we were always close together? Why didn’t I see you?”

The assistant seemed utterly petrified, his nerves even frailer than He Yang’s; his body trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

He Yang had no choice but to glance at the camera in his hands.

“You recorded everything, didn’t you?”

Fortunately, the assistant remained professional throughout and never let go of his camera. After all, the camera was his livelihood; he’d sooner risk his life than lose it.

He nodded slightly, managing only a weak, “Ah… ah.” Complete sentences eluded him.

He Yang snatched the camera, eager to check the footage, but at that moment, Wang Hui spoke up from the side.

“If you two could settle the bill, please. Thank you.”

His voice startled He Yang; she jolted, nearly dropping the camera.

“How… how much?”

“Two hundred per person.”

“Were our screams really that loud?”

“We have a full audio recording—would you like to listen?”

“Uh… never mind. Here’s four hundred. We’ll be on our way.”

He Yang felt awkward, hurriedly grabbing her assistant and fleeing, as if afraid to see the contemptuous smile on Wang Hui’s face.

After He Yang and her assistant left, the clown appeared out of nowhere, addressing Wang Hui.

“Boss, wasn’t that amazing? That’s the scare tactic I learned from playing horror games!”

Xiao Zi drifted out from Wang Hui’s body, nodding in approval. “Hmm, taking you as my apprentice was definitely the right call.”

Meanwhile, He Yang and her assistant wasted no time at home, immediately watching the footage. They wanted to analyze it in slow motion, hoping to unravel the haunted house’s methods.

Yet what happened next was beyond their wildest imagination.

The video showed only He Yang running—there wasn’t a single other image. Not even the scene where she tripped over the severed head and fell against the wall full of eyes appeared. From start to finish, the assistant filmed her from behind: he ran, she ran ahead, and every so often, she shrieked.

After watching, both their foreheads were slick with cold sweat.

Eerie.

Utterly uncanny!

“Yang, what… what do we do now?”

The assistant shivered as he turned to He Yang, completely at a loss.

He Yang swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and forced herself to remain calm.

“I’ll upload this video online and narrate my experience. I have a feeling this episode is going to explode!”

So, they got to work.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the footage, but you can never imagine the terror I endured…”

The video went online—and, unsurprisingly, it blew up. But not because it was frightening; it became popular because it was widely criticized.

“So now Yang Yang is just chasing clout and money?”

“What’s wrong with chasing money? She has to make a living, but honestly, this video is absurd—has the cost of making videos dropped so low? Not even bothering with special effects.”

“Forget special effects, there’s not even a simple plot. Isn’t this just insulting our intelligence?”

“Actually, I’ve been to this haunted house myself. It’s basically a high-end kiddie ride—not the least bit scary. Obviously, they brought in Yang Yang for hype because they’re about to go out of business!”

“…”

The backlash was overwhelming, leaving He Yang utterly disheartened.

Truthfully, the video was nothing but her running and occasionally screaming; there wasn’t a single frightening moment.

Still, she couldn’t just let the criticism go unanswered, so she immediately recorded a new video.

“This episode is in response to my previous one about the haunted house. You may not believe me, but I swear on my integrity that every word is true. If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself…

Just make sure to bring enough money, because the haunted house charges based on how loudly you scream—the louder, the higher the fee. If you don’t scream at all, you won’t be charged anything…”

As soon as this video was released, the backlash intensified. Among the commenters were her old fans, but even more were newcomers jumping on the bandwagon.

Despite the criticism, traffic meant profits, and He Yang’s earnings soared.

With such a vast audience, curiosity inevitably got the better of some. There were those who decided to visit the haunted house themselves.

Thus, Sun Miao and two companions stood before the haunted house.

“I heard you pay after playing, right? If we don’t scream, it’s free?”

Sun Miao looked at Wang Hui with a cocky grin.

Wang Hui smiled, nodding. “Don’t worry, if you don’t make a sound, you won’t pay a cent.”

“Haha, I’ve seen fools, but never anyone this foolish—free entertainment!”

“Hmph, if I scream once in there, I’ll call you grandpa.”

“You even managed to get He Yang to promote your haunted house; I suppose that’s something. But don’t worry, after we finish, your haunted house and that unprofessional blogger will both be finished!”

All three were seasoned veterans of horror forums, well-known in those circles. They’d seen He Yang’s controversial video and decided to expose her supposed lies in person.

“By the way, once you enter our haunted house, you can’t exit halfway,” Wang Hui reminded them kindly.

But his words immediately infuriated Sun Miao. “What’s your problem? You think we’re cowards? Quit acting mysterious. Watch out, or I’ll bring a hundred people to scare you so bad you wet yourself!”

Sun Miao grabbed Wang Hui’s collar, snarling, before giving him a forceful shove.

To his surprise, pushing Wang Hui was like pushing against a wall—Wang Hui didn’t budge.

Wang Hui’s smile turned sinister, his voice icy. “I don’t know if you’ll scare me enough to wet myself, but don’t get so frightened inside that you wet your own pants.”

Sun Miao was genuinely startled by Wang Hui’s smile and cold gaze.

He waved his hand dismissively. “You’re young—I won’t hold it against you. Just watch your attitude in the future.”

With that, he led his friends into the haunted house.

“Hmph, when we expose this haunted house, he’ll be the most embarrassed of all!”