Translator: CinderTL
"You have no idea, I was scared to death." Upon closer inspection, traces of recent tears could still be seen on Wang Changguo's face. After being kicked out of the elevator by Jiang Cheng, he had lost half his soul.
Cowering on the ground, he thought he would be killed by a ghost the next second.
He knelt on the floor, kowtowing incessantly in all directions, claiming he had an 80-year-old mother to support and an 8-year-old child to feed.
At the heart-wrenching part, tears fell like rain, as if they cost nothing.
Whether ghosts had sympathy or not, Wang Changguo wasn't sure, but his act was quite effective against elderly people whose children were often not around.
Just as Wang Changguo was about to recount how difficult it had been for him to find his way here, he suddenly stopped.
He noticed that the five people, who had been looking dejected, all brightened up the moment they saw him, especially Jiang Cheng.
Happiness came too suddenly.
Before Wang Changguo could react, Jiang Cheng immediately stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled him over.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Cheng asked with concern. "We were all worried you might have died."
At first glance, the words seemed fine, but upon closer thought, they felt a bit off.
'We were worried you might have died.' Why did that sound so uncomfortable? Shouldn't it be 'We were worried to death about you'?
But it didn't matter. Wang Changguo was genuinely afraid of the young man before him. Seeing Jiang Cheng's enthusiasm, Wang Changguo naturally didn't dare to be negligent and chose his words carefully.
Huai Yi chimed in at the right moment, "Mr. Wang, you came just in time. We've just discovered a very important clue."
Everyone started brainwashing Wang Changguo, one after another. At first, Wang Changguo was skeptical. "There's an important clue left by the Mad Nurse in Room 409?"
"The person who finds the clue can survive?" Wang Changguo's gaze turned strange, sensing something was off.
"Yes," Cao Yang nodded seriously.
"Then why don't you go?"
Wang Changguo retorted. He had been scared at first, but once he calmed down, his rich experience in deceiving others made him hard to fool.
"We're not the ones being targeted by the ghost," Jiang Cheng shrugged nonchalantly.
Wang Changguo was stunned and asked in an incredulous tone, "What did you say?"
As soon as he said this, Lin Wan'er, who was closest to Jiang Cheng, "accidentally" nudged his arm. Jiang Cheng immediately fell silent, as if realizing he had misspoken.
This subtle action naturally didn't escape Wang Changguo's eyes. "You," he pointed at Lin Wan'er, "I just saw you touch him. Don't try to fool me. Why did you touch him?"
"Were you hinting at him?"
"Are you hiding something from me?" Wang Changguo grew more agitated. "I'm telling you, I'm not that easy to fool!"
"No," Lin Wan'er glanced at Wang Changguo dismissively, and that single look made him retract his hand, not daring to point at her anymore.
Seeing Wang Changguo's emotions spiraling out of control, Huai Yi quickly comforted him, "Mr. Wang, don't overthink it. Brother Jiang just accidentally let it slip. He didn't mean anything by it."
'Let it slip.' Wang Changguo's lips trembled, and his face turned pale. He tentatively looked at Cao Yang, only to find Cao Yang was also secretly watching him.
At the moment their gazes met, Cao Yang immediately averted his eyes, acting as if nothing had happened.
These people... something's off! They must be hiding something from me! What exactly is hidden in Room 409? Could I really have been targeted by a ghost? No, this can't be.
I must... I must confirm this. I can't die. I need to survive!
After scanning the room, his gaze shifted to Yu Yu, who had remained silent the entire time.
She was a very young girl, with an innocent appearance.
In the eyes of Wang Changguo, who had spent half his life navigating the complexities of society, she was just a child who could be easily read.
At this moment, Yu Yu stood the farthest away, her head lowered, her hands clutching the hem of her clothes, occasionally fidgeting, like a child at a loss.
She was hiding something.
Wang Changguo narrowed his eyes, seeing right through her.
She would be his breakthrough!
"Yu Yu, little sister," Wang Changguo suddenly spoke, his tone somewhere between formal and pleading, carrying an air that made it hard to refuse.
"What exactly is going on with Room 409?" Wang Changguo asked.
He keenly noticed that upon hearing his question, Yu Yu's fingers suddenly clenched, and her head lowered even further.
She definitely knew something! "Yu Yu, little sister, do you remember how I took care of you in the room? I fetched water for you and even finished the instant noodles you didn't eat," Wang Changguo's voice sounded pitiful, like the plea of an elderly man.
"Little sister, I don't care about my own life. It doesn't matter if I die, but I still have a child at home," Wang Changguo's eyes moistened as he looked at Yu Yu, choking up, "She just started elementary school. I haven't seen her grow up yet. When she grows up, she'll be as beautiful as you, little sister. Please, think of your father, who worked so hard to raise you."
Wang Changguo was used to such scenes. In lecture halls that could accommodate hundreds of people, he had used similar rhetoric to deceive elderly people who lacked the care of their children, making them cry and beg to buy his health products.
Finally, "Stop it!" Yu Yu raised her head, her eyes slightly red and swollen. It seemed she had been crying while her head was lowered.
Gritting her teeth, Yu Yu blurted out, "Brother Wang, you've been targeted by a ghost! If you want to survive, you can only try your luck in Room 409."
"Is that really the case?!" Wang Changguo's expression changed drastically.
"Yu Yu!" Cao Yang shouted angrily, "How could you tell him that?"
But unexpectedly, Yu Yu's reaction was even more intense, as if she could no longer tolerate the deceitful behavior of these people.
"Cao Yang, I'm telling you!" Yu Yu's angry gaze swept over the people in front of her, "You shouldn't go too far. Even though Brother Wang's chances of survival are slim, you can't deceive him like this!"
"He has the right to choose how he dies!"
Hearing this, Wang Changguo's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
"Brother Wang," Yu Yu turned her face to him, her eyes filled with determination, "Don't listen to them. If they want you to go, you should do the opposite and not give in to their wishes!"
"Although going to Room 409 now might still offer a glimmer of hope, I believe you, Brother Wang, are not the kind of person to be manipulated by others!"
"You are a warrior with love in your heart!" Yu Yu looked up. "Please maintain your dignity and face death head-on!"
"No, no, no," Wang Changguo couldn't hold back and burst into tears, immediately turning to head downstairs. "I'll still go to Room 904—no, Room 409. By the way, can someone tell me which floor Room 409 is on? Is it still possible for me to make it if I run there now?"
(End of the Chapter)
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