Chapter Seventy-One: The Cursed House (Part 4)

The atmosphere at the table instantly became oppressive. Jinghua's expression darkened, the lamp above began to crackle once more, and the old grandmother was not about to give in. The shadows of the two stretched endlessly along the wall, resembling two terrifying fiends.

[Are they fighting? Are the shadows on the wall fighting?]

Indeed, they were fighting, and fiercely so, but Su Man could not say this aloud. She denied it outright, “It’s just shadow play.”

[Is shadow play always this realistic? The transition is seamless—amazing!]

Immediately, someone rewarded her with two candies.

Some silent viewers also quietly sent two candies.

The struggle between the two shadows soon reached its conclusion. The old grandmother was defeated, her body trembling as she collapsed into her chair, panting heavily, and incessantly pointed at Jinghua, cursing, “You unfilial daughter-in-law! You bring nothing but misfortune!”

Jinghua calmly smoothed her hair, which hadn’t been disturbed at all, ignoring the old lady’s shrill howls. With dignified composure, she nodded at Su Man, “Now, if you wish to exchange food with someone, you may.”

Hu Chai’s face grew paler; she lowered her head, gripping her knife and fork tightly, but dared not utter a word of protest against Jinghua.

Chen Meng, caught in the middle, barely knew either side and found it hard to speak up for anyone, though she felt that Su Man was being somewhat excessive.

“Su Man, the food doesn’t differ much anyway…”

She had barely begun her sentence when Su Man, knowing exactly what she meant, cut her off directly. “If you want to exchange with me on his behalf, you may. If you aren’t willing, don’t bother to ask.”

[Well said! If she wants to trade, let her do it herself. Why pretend to be generous with the streamer? Bravo, I’ll reward you with a bouquet.]

A line of little flowers floated across the screen, worth twenty horror coins.

Chen Meng fell silent, her face flashing with embarrassment and discomfort. Wasn’t she only trying to help them survive here? They should be united against the outside, yet Su Man’s words made her look foolish.

Su Man noticed her shifting expression but paid it no mind. She had her own reasons for acting as she did and felt no need to explain herself to someone irrelevant.

In the end, Su Man ate Hu Chai’s meal. Though its appearance was unimpressive, it tasted surprisingly good.

As the meal drew to a close, Su Man wiped her mouth and suddenly asked her companions, “Earlier, you said some of our group arrived before us. Where are they?”

The question caused everyone to stop eating and turn to her in unison.

The lamp overhead crackled again.

Su Man grew irritated and didn’t want to play along anymore. “What’s wrong with this lamp? Is it broken? If so, fix it.”

The room fell silent.

Beside her, Chen Meng was sweating so much she nearly soaked Su Man. She truly loathed Su Man’s bluntness.

“It’s fine… It’s fine. Even a broken lamp is fine…” she forced a laugh, awkwardly trying to pinch Su Man’s waist, but under Su Man’s fierce gaze, she didn’t dare.

Bang! A loud crash rescued everyone from their silence and drew all eyes.

The door was kicked open from the outside, and a burly man strode in.

“You all arrived first, but why didn’t you wait for us before entering?” Clearly, he was a member of the exploration team.

Yet when he stopped and glanced at the faces of Jinghua’s family, his expression changed instantly, his eyes filling with terror.

“Ah… ah… this… I won’t disturb you here. I’ll be going now.”

Without another word, he turned and walked out the door.

But unexpectedly, the door that had let him in without hindrance now became a deadly scythe.

Su Man watched, wide-eyed, as he stepped out and was instantly shredded into a heap of flesh on the floor.

No one spoke. With a heavy thud, the door closed again, as if nothing had happened.

Jinghua stood up and said nonchalantly, “If you’ve eaten your fill, stay the night. It’s dark outside, not safe to go out.”

After witnessing that fate, no one dared utter a word of refusal.

As expected, a warning appeared in Su Man’s streaming room.

To continue streaming, she had to clear the warning, which this time required five horror coins.

Confronting that family of horrors didn’t bother her nearly as much as the endless hassle of the streaming platform. Even the slightest mistake caused trouble. If not for the silent gifts drifting across her screen, she would have logged off already.

Jinghua arranged their lodgings on the second floor, intending to give each of the three their own room, but Chen Meng insisted she was scared and wanted to share with Su Man.

Hu Chai hesitated briefly, but likewise insisted on squeezing in with the other two.

Jinghua didn’t object, and finally found them the largest suite at the end of the hall.

“Su Man, explain yourself. Why are you targeting Hu Chai?” Now that the irrelevant people were gone, Chen Meng plucked up some courage and began to settle scores with Su Man, mostly to vent her own frustration.

But Su Man refused to let Chen Meng dictate the conversation. “Before I answer you, I want to ask you both a few questions.”

“Why should you get to ask whatever you want, but refuse to answer mine?” Chen Meng’s resentment peaked. In the company, she was just a secretary, but everyone catered to her; now, Su Man ignored her, and she felt utterly humiliated.

“I don’t want to answer,” Su Man replied honestly, making Chen Meng’s expression even worse.

“You just won’t answer?” After such a brief interaction, Chen Meng realized she and Su Man weren’t at all alike. Just two sentences left her fuming.

“Yes.” Su Man’s single word was more powerful than a thousand arguments, and all Chen Meng’s retorts were stifled.

Su Man ignored her shifting expressions, stood up, and said, “I intended to share some clues with you, but since you’re uninterested and don’t want to talk, let’s sleep.”

“What? Clues?” Chen Meng’s anger was replaced by surprise, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask directly; her expression twisted awkwardly.

She hoped Hu Chai would speak up first, but he sat there like a mute, showing no interest whatsoever in the clue.

Seeing Su Man was about to leave, Chen Meng quickly compromised, though her tone was still stiff. “Go ahead. What do you want to ask?”

Su Man didn’t stand on ceremony. “Do you remember the news about this haunted house?”

“Of course. They say the mistress killed her husband, daughter, and mother-in-law, then committed suicide out of guilt.” Chen Meng replied swiftly, but then realized the implication, and her eyes widened in shock.