I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Best in the World

“Aiya, Ji Xiaowan. You didn’t get scared and cry last night, did you? Your eyes are all red.”

Lin Luo looked at Ji Wan’s red-rimmed eyes and teased her.

Ji Wan’s face instantly flushed, but she still insisted stubbornly, “What are you talking about? Me, scared? You must be kidding. My eyes are like this because I was watching a horror movie last night. Hmph, a bunch of trashy horror movies, so boring.”

After saying that, she didn’t forget to glance at Gu Nianqing. Seeing that Gu Nianqing wasn’t interested in exposing her, she let out a sigh of relief and continued to act tough. “Those ghosts are nothing special.”

“Oh? Then let’s do something big. I dare you to accept. If you don’t, you’re a little dog,” Lin Luo challenged her, determined to get revenge after being tricked by Ji Wan so many times.

“Bring it on,” Ji Wan retorted aggressively, showing no sign of being the same person who was crying and sobbing in her blanket just the night before.

Bai Weiwei watched helplessly but with amusement as the two grown-up kids argued like elementary school students.

Finally, after the two of them begged and pleaded, she agreed to accompany them to the biggest haunted house in Z City.

Of course, the other group member, Gu Nianqing, didn’t refuse either.

The haunted house in Z City was a local specialty.

It was said that nine out of ten people who went in came out crying, and even six-foot-tall strongmen would come out bawling and crying for their moms and dads. Visitors had to sign a liability waiver before entering, which made it a popular attraction for thrill-seekers.

When Ji Wan and her group stood outside the haunted house, looking at the dilapidated and eerie building, they could hear the occasional terrified screams of players from inside.

Ji Wan’s feet suddenly froze. She gripped Bai Weiwei’s hand harder, breaking out in a cold sweat, her legs trembling.

“What’s wrong, Ji Wan? Are you scared?”

Lin Luo’s sneaky voice came over, unaware that her own voice was also trembling with fear.

“Hmph, the word ‘scared’ is not in my dictionary,” Ji Wan said stubbornly.

Suddenly, a more high-pitched and louder cry for help came from inside the haunted house. Ji Wan’s foot, which she had just taken a step with, quickly pulled back. She started to tremble again, and goosebumps rose all over her body.

Bai Weiwei looked helplessly at the two mischief-makers who were both scared but still acting tough. She kindly suggested, “How about we forget it for now and come back another time?”

Gu Nianqing didn’t say anything but watched Ji Wan tightly clinging to Bai Weiwei’s arm, her gaze dark and unreadable.

“Ji Xiaowan, if… if you’re scared, then… then let’s forget it. We can go back,” Lin Luo said, patting her chest in shock after seeing a muscular man crying pitifully as he was chased out by a ghost actor.

“Hmph, if you’re so brave, why can’t you speak properly, you coward?” Ji Wan retorted, not to be outdone.

“I think it’s quite interesting, don’t you?”

Gu Nianqing unexpectedly spoke up, her face still cold, but her eyes, as she looked at Ji Wan, held a hint of malicious amusement.

“If you’re going in, then go in! Who’s scared? Don’t you cry later,” Lin Luo fired back at Ji Wan.

Then, they all bought tickets.

Ji Wan held Bai Weiwei’s hand tightly all the way. She was shaking all over before she even stepped inside.

“Excuse me, miss. The rules of our haunted house are one person per passage. You can’t go as a group. Please proceed to the four separate passages,” the ticket seller said kindly, wearing a creepy rabbit mask.

“Wanwan, can you do this? Otherwise, we can just skip it,” Bai Weiwei said, gently patting Ji Wan’s trembling back.

She even took out a handkerchief to wipe away Ji Wan’s cold sweat, looking like a worried mother hen.

“Hmph, giving up so soon? So useless,” Lin Luo said sarcastically from the side, unaware that her own legs were shaking uncontrollably.

Ji Wan glared fiercely at Lin Luo, puffing out her cheeks and retorting, “Let’s see who cries first.”

Then, she resolutely walked into a dilapidated-looking wooden door first.

Bai Weiwei shook her head, watching Ji Wan go in before she walked into another door. Lin Luo followed closely, heading toward a different one.

Gu Nianqing looked at the door Ji Wan had entered, remembering the little crybaby from last night.

She casually slipped a few banknotes to the ticket seller and walked into the same door as Ji Wan.

The ticket seller was left standing there with a satisfied and knowing expression.

Inside the haunted house, the long, pitch-black tunnel’s lights flickered on and off. From time to time, there were eerie rustling sounds.

Ji Wan was so scared that she hugged the wall as she slowly moved forward. Her legs trembled, and her nerves were on edge. She was so paranoid that even the sound of her own clothes rubbing scared her.

Ji Wan’s eyes were filled with fear, and they were moist as if she was about to cry at any moment.

She slowly made her way to a place that looked like a hospital operating room.

Inside, a cabinet of glass jars contained various human organs, and bloodstains were everywhere. Scalpels and other tools were scattered on the floor.

In the center, an anonymous figure on an operating table was covered by a white sheet. A large pool of solidified dark red blood was in the middle of the sheet, and a pair of hands with dark-painted nails slightly emerged from underneath.

“Prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony…” Ji Wan chanted in her heart as she moved forward. The door behind her was already locked, and she had no way back.

She looked toward the other door just five meters away. It was a short distance, but she felt like she was on an arduous pilgrimage to the West.

Just as she finally reached the only passage next to the hospital bed and was about to open the door, her hand was suddenly grabbed. The touch was ice-cold. Ji Wan’s body stiffened, and her hair stood on end. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes as she slowly and hesitantly turned her head.

A pale gray arm, full of various needles, and a hand with dark-painted nails were tightly gripping her delicate wrist.

“Aah!” Ji Wan screamed in terror, desperately trying to pull away from the horrifying hand and run.

Then, a long-haired woman with half a face rotted away slowly crawled out from under the white sheet. With disheveled hair, a tattered hospital gown, and lifeless gray eyes, she bared her teeth and smiled at Ji Wan, blood at the corners of her mouth.

Through the holes in her clothes, surgical scars covered her body, and her internal organs were faintly visible.

Ji Wan struggled fiercely and ran, pushing the door open to escape. The terrifying woman limped after her, making spooky sounds and occasionally saying things like, “You’re here, don’t leave!”

Ji Wan cried as she ran. “Oh my god, I’m never coming here again!”

“Help!”

Soon, the sounds of chasing stopped.

Ji Wan hid in a small, secluded storage room in a corner. She closed the door and crouched in the corner, covering her head with her hands, not daring to move. Her ears were on high alert for any noise.

Thinking of the terrifying ghost woman she had just seen, she let out a faint sob. She didn’t dare to cry loudly for fear of attracting the ghost and no longer had the courage to go back out.

After who knows how long, there was a knock on the door, and then another.

Ji Wan fearfully curled her small body into a ball on the floor. Tears streamed down her face like a kite with a snapped string. She desperately covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.

The knocking came again, accompanied by a cool, clear voice: “Open the door, Ji Wan.”

It’s back, Ji Wan thought in fear.

Wait, no? This ghost doesn’t know her name.

Another cool and gentle voice came from outside. “Ji Wan, open the door.”

It’s Gu Nianqing!

Ji Wan crept to the door and slowly opened it a crack to peek outside. Her tear-stained eyes looked terrified, like a startled little rabbit.

After confirming it was her, Ji Wan yanked the door open and threw herself into Gu Nianqing’s arms. She no longer cared about her image and sobbed pitifully into Gu Nianqing’s chest, as if she had been terribly bullied.

Because of the height difference, Ji Wan could only wrap her hands tightly around Gu Nianqing’s slender waist, burying her face in the side of her neck and whimpering. Her tears soaked through Gu Nianqing’s pure white T-shirt.

Gu Nianqing’s body instantly froze. The girl’s warm breath tickled her neck. The small person in her arms was sobbing uncontrollably, mumbling, “Ghost, I’m scared, boohoo, Gu Nianqing.”

Gu Nianqing’s heart pounded. Ji Wan was relying on her and calling her name. The soft girl was clinging to her helplessly, looking pitiful and heartbroken, like a little kitten drenched in water.

Gu Nianqing was very glad she had paid attention to this corner and hadn’t just walked past it. The girl’s fearful crying behind the door made her heart ache. All she wanted was to hold and comfort her. She regretted letting her go in at all.

Gu Nianqing embraced Ji Wan and gently patted her back. Her tone was more gentle than ever as she comforted her, “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. I’m here.”

In that moment, they were like the most intimate of lovers, with no barriers between them…

After she calmed down, Ji Wan pulled away from Gu Nianqing’s arms, her face red with embarrassment.

Oh my god, what was she doing? She actually hugged the female lead and acted so pitifully.

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t like me, and I still got close to you. It won’t happen again,” Ji Wan apologized sincerely, but she didn’t see the way Gu Nianqing’s eyes darkened when she said that Gu Nianqing didn’t like her.

“Let’s go,” Gu Nianqing said, without saying anything else, her eyes returning to their expressionless state. It was as if the person who had just gently held and comforted her was someone else entirely.

Ji Wan felt a strange sense of loss.

The two of them continued to walk, with a small distance of a fist’s width between them. Ji Wan was still scared, but with Gu Nianqing there, she felt a strange sense of security.

They pushed open the next door, and a sacrificial altar filled with skeletons appeared before Ji Wan’s eyes.

Ji Wan was so scared that she forgot her promise and tightly grabbed the hem of Gu Nianqing’s clothes, as if it were a life raft.

“Damn, this is too realistic,” Ji Wan thought, wanting to cry.

The blood-red lights flickered, and miserable screams echoed everywhere. Various torture devices were stained with blood, and broken body parts lay on them. Unidentified shadows appeared and disappeared on the walls, making the place feel like a hellscape.

The girl behind her began to tremble uncontrollably again, and the pull on Gu Nianqing’s clothes grew stronger.

Gu Nianqing simply took Ji Wan’s hand and held it. The girl’s soft palm was so pliant in her grasp, like it had no bones. She was small and delicate, just as her owner was.

Gu Nianqing placed her other hand in front of Ji Wan’s eyes. She felt the fluttering of Ji Wan’s long, curled eyelashes and a trace of moisture on her palm. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Don’t be scared. Close your eyes. Follow me. I’ll take you out.” Ultimately, her heart ached, and Gu Nianqing protected Ji Wan as they walked toward the exit.

All the staff along the way were intimidated by Gu Nianqing’s icy gaze and didn’t dare to step forward to scare them.

She didn’t know how long they walked. There were all kinds of strange sounds along the way, but Ji Wan was surprised to find that she wasn’t scared at all.

Soon, they were outside.

Feeling the long-awaited sunlight, Ji Wan finally let out a sigh of relief and calmed down.

Realizing that she was still holding Gu Nianqing’s hand, Ji Wan quickly let go, her face red as she said, “Thank you. I promise I won’t get close to you again.”

Noticing the warmth leaving her hand, Gu Nianqing snapped out of her daze and heard those words. A strange pang of bitterness welled up in her heart, and she felt a sense of regret.

“No need,” she said in an icy tone, but it was unclear whether she meant, “No need to thank me,” or “No need to promise not to get close to me again.”