He’ll Invited Me to Fall in Love (Infinite) - Chapter 3

“Wait up, Shen Yi! Dad!!”

Gong Cang screamed as he ran toward him. He had abandoned every shred of dignity, flinging himself onto Shen Yi while weeping so hard that snot and tears covered his entire face.

Ignoring his state, he clung to Shen Yi, wailing, “I finally found you! I was scared to death!!”

Seeing that Gong Cang was about to wipe his nose and then grab his clothes again, Shen Yi reached his limit. He shoved him aside. “Get away from me! Don’t touch me right after wiping your snot!”

Gong Cang landed hard on his rear. He shot Shen Yi a resentful look, took a shaky breath, and pulled a tissue from his bag to wipe his face. His movements were trembling; he was clearly terrified.

“What on earth scared you that much?” Shen Yi asked. “And why didn’t I see you on the way here?”

“Everything was pitch black…” Gong Cang’s voice shook. “You didn’t see me probably because I turned at that fork in the road…”

“A fork?”

Was there a fork? Shen Yi wondered. As far as he could tell, the path he’d taken was a straight line with no turns. He muttered to himself that he must have missed it and didn’t give it much more thought.

Watching Gong Cang tremble with fear, Shen Yi felt a bit of an urge to laugh. “That’s what you get for leaving me behind to find your ‘precious juniors.’ Relax, they’re just actors in costumes. What’s there to be afraid of? Come on, let’s find the others.”

Shen Yi pointed toward the door behind him. “They probably ditched us and went through this door already.”

Gong Cang gave his nose a final, loud blow into the tissue. When he looked up, he finally noticed the masterpiece of a door behind Shen Yi.

“Whoa,” he muttered through a stuffy nose. “This door looks incredible.”

“Yeah, this haunted house is the real deal,” Shen Yi agreed. “I was just calling it cheap a minute ago. I spoke too soon.”

Gong Cang wobbled to his feet, finally regaining some of his composure. “Let’s go!” he said, steeling his heart. “It wouldn’t look good for a Department Head to be the last one out!”

Shen Yi let out a scoff. He turned and pushed the door.

The door was heavier than it looked; it didn’t budge at first. Shen Yi stood firmly, took a deep breath, and shoved with all his might. With a loud grunt, he finally managed to move the heavy obstacle.

The gap opened, and dust fell from the frame. A sliver of light from behind the door grew clearer, shining directly onto their faces.

At the entrance of the haunted house, the white-haired youth sat bored in his chair.

Suddenly, his shoulders shifted. As if sensing something, he turned his head and stared deep into the heart of the attraction. His blood-red eyes pierced the darkness.

At that exact moment, someone stepped out from the interior.

The white-haired man narrowed his eyes and smiled. “The gate is open,” he whispered.

Inside the haunted house, the massive “Ghost Gate” swung wide.

Behind it lay a grand road shrouded in white mist. The path was carpeted with golden grass that stretched far into the impenetrable fog. On either side, the terrain vanished into an endless white void.

Shen Yi stepped inside, followed closely by Gong Cang.

With his hands in his pockets, Shen Yi looked around at the scenery, thoroughly impressed. “They built this part so huge! It’s a bit of a waste to use such a massive space for just one road.”

“The fog too,” Gong Cang added. “Think of how much dry ice they must be using.”

They walked further into the mist. After a few moments, a bridge appeared ahead of them. When they stepped onto it and looked down, they saw a blood-red river flowing beneath.

Something was bobbing in the water, though the thick mist made it impossible to identify. After lingering for a moment, Shen Yi crossed the bridge.

Below the bridge, the golden path continued. Gong Cang was still peering curiously over the railing until he heard the thump-thump of footsteps. He realized Shen Yi was already moving on and scrambled to catch up.

“Hey, wait up!” Gong Cang complained. “Why are you walking so fast? The set design on that bridge was amazing; we should have looked longer.”

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to get out early?”

“Oh, right.” Gong Cang laughed, remembering his earlier panic.

The golden path continued through the white mist. With their vision limited, they simply walked “forward” for what felt like a long time without seeing an exit.

Despite the vast emptiness, the atmosphere was much lighter without the eerie sound effects from before. Gong Cang decided to strike up a conversation. “By the way, Shen Yi, have you settled the details for your postgraduate recommendation?”

“I’m not taking the recommendation,” Shen Yi replied.

“You aren’t? Didn’t Professor Mu ask you to take it?”

Professor Mu was the Vice Dean of Student Affairs, responsible for various administrative tasks, including postgraduate placements.

“He did, but I’m done with school. I want to find a job,” Shen Yi explained, glancing back. “Professor Zuo helped me get in touch with a few companies. I’ll go for interviews after the summer break in September. I’ve already finished my portfolio. It’s fine if I don’t take the spot, it’ll probably go to you.”

“Aiyo, what a brother! Thinking of me like that. I’ll have to treat you to a massive meal later!” Gong Cang laughed, then suddenly changed the subject. “Are you thirsty? I bought two bottles of water from the cafeteria this morning.”

Shen Yi wasn’t thirsty yet, but he knew he would be. “Good man, give me one.”

Gong Cang pulled a bottle from his bag and handed it over. Shen Yi tucked it into his own bag.

After a few more steps, they broke through the white mist.

Shen Yi came to a sudden halt.

A pitch-black Ghost Gate, standing at least three stories tall, loomed over him. Its massive shadow completely engulfed him. Shen Yi’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open, but no sound came out.

He had never seen a door this large in his entire life.

On the giant door, carvings of snarling demons and weeping ghosts were etched into the surface. They should have been mere decorations, but they were moving writhing and twisting across the door as if they were real people and actual spirits trapped inside, unable to scream.

Terrified, Gong Cang collapsed onto the ground.

His body went limp and cold. Suddenly, he felt something else. He turned his head and immediately let out a piercing shriek, pointing to the side. “Shen Yi! Look at that!!”

Shen Yi turned. Where Gong Cang was pointing stood a massive boulder. It was as black as the gate, with three words written across it in dripping blood:

【GHOST GATE PASS】

From in front of them came a low, rumbling boom.

The ground beneath their feet began to shake. Shen Yi turned back toward the gate. The massive doors were slowly grinding open.

The writhing ghost patterns tore at each other, struggling as they bulged out from the surface. Demons roared, and souls wailed as the giant gate receded.

After a moment, the heavy rumbling ceased.

A desolate forest path lay quietly behind the gate.