Her words struck them like a thunderbolt, sending ripples of disbelief and shock through the crowd of patients and bystanders.


    Henry’s voice rose to a high-pitched squeak. “What did you just say? Are my ears playing tricks on me? Whose room do you want to swap with?”


    “Ripley.” Yu Xiao shot back. “Is your comprehension that poor? Do you need me to spell it out for you?”


    Henry spluttered, then stressed again. “You want to swap rooms with him? Are you aware that his room is…”


    “I’m aware, it’s haunted.,” Yu Xiao said with a serene and airy smile. “Frankly, I’ve never encountered a ghost in my life, so I want to expand my horizons. Do you find this reason acceptable?”


    Henry was speechless, he glowered at Yu Xiao, his face crimson with fury.


    The genuine tourists, including Brother Nan, gaped at Yu Xiao with a ghostly expression. It was astonishing to see someone who not only had no fear of ghosts, but was also curious to see them.


    The patients likely deduced Yu Xiao’s intention; she did this to prevent anyone from dying before locating Dr. Qu. But even so, they couldn’t help but admire her; this sister was truly courageous.


    Ripley, who was evidently the party concerned but had no aura at all, looked frantic, he gazed at Yu Xiao earnestly, both moved and anxious.


    “What are you all gawking at?” Zhou Xiao Zhen had absolute faith in her, with her sister Smiley’s talismans, which ghost would dare to seek trouble, even if it had guts.


    Zhou Xiao Zhen’s eyes gleamed as she gazed at the succulent hare, its skin crackling and dripping with fat. She licked her lips and declared, “I’m starving. Let’s dig in.” She sheepishly glanced at Yu Xiao. “Sister Smiley bravely agreed to spend the night in the haunted room. She deserves a reward for her courage, don’t you think? A leg of hare should do nicely.”


    With that, she rose from her seat and sliced the hare with a sharp knife and a silver fork. She placed a generous portion on Yu Xiao’s plate, then helped herself and Zhao Lan to the same.


    The rest of the group watched with envy, thinking, ‘Yes, Yu Xiao’s sacrifice earned her extra meat, but why did her two friends also receive a leg?’


    After finishing their meal, they proceeded to choose their rooms. Yu Xiao made her way upstairs, with Ripley trailing behind her like a silent shadow. She walked straight to the rightmost room, the one that everyone said was haunted. She reached for the doorknob and swung the door open.


    A foul stench assaulted her senses.


    She recoiled and covered her nose and mouth, shouting at Henry, who was downstairs. “What the hell, Henry?! Why is this room so filthy?”


    Henry rolled his eyes at her outburst. “They told me this room hasn’t been touched for ages, and who can blame them? Would you want to clean a haunted room?”


    Ripley stood beside her, feeling awkward. He gathered his nerve and suggested, “Maybe… we should switch rooms.”


    “No way!” Yu Xiao snapped, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. “I’m not a liar, Ripley. I said I would stay here, and I will. What are you implying? That I should break my promise?”


    Ripley was at a loss for words. He couldn’t follow Yu Xiao’s logic. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t mean to offend her, that he was just worried about her safety, that he would rather face the danger himself than let a lady risk it. But he couldn’t find the right words to express his feelings.


    Ripley wanted to say it, but the words stuck in his throat like a fishbone. His face flushed with the effort of holding them back, and he managed to blurt out only one thing before he fled. “I’ll help you clean up.”


    He dashed downstairs, hoping to find some cleaning tools.


    Yu Xiao didn’t stop him. She was glad that he offered to help.


    Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen approached her and asked if they could lend a hand. Yu Xiao shook her head and said she had Ripley.


    She leaned in and whispered, “I’ll use this chance to question him when we’re alone, and see if he’s really Dr. Qu.”


    “Mm.” Zhao Lan nodded and said, “I noticed that Tan Qiao Yin went after Yue Yue. Zhou Xiao Zhen and I haven’t gotten any opportunity to interrogate the others yet.”


    “It’s fine, take your time.” Yu Xiao cast a glance at the dark and filthy room and said, “Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself.”


    By then, Ripley had returned with a pile of cleaning tools. He gave Yu Xiao a long and intense look, then lowered his head and entered the room without a word.


    “Tsk tsk.” Zhou Xiao Zhen sighed and said, “Just look at him. He gazes at you with the same longing that I have for Leonardo.”


    “There’s a difference.” Zhao Lan said sternly, “He admires Smiley with gratitude and respect. You drool over Leonardo with unabashed desire.”


    “Hmph!” Zhou Xiao Zhen covered her face and said, “Sister Lan, you’re so mean~”


    After Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen went back to their rooms, Yu Xiao turned to Ripley.


    It would take a while to clean up the whole room. She figured that since she had nothing better to do, she might as well use this time to sell some talismans. Earning points was something she had to be diligent about, after all, no one ever regretted having too many points.


    As she scanned the hallway, her gaze landed on Tan Qiao Yin, who was ascending the stairs. A surge of excitement welled up within her, causing her to dart towards her.


    Tan Qiao Yin, upon hearing the sound of footsteps in front of her, raised her head and smiled upon seeing Yu Xiao. She warmly greeted her, and the two met at a stair corner.


    They exchanged a friendly grin.


    “Heh heh.”


    “Heh heh.”


    “Still waiting for your room to be cleaned?” Tan Qiao Yin inquired.


    “Yup, it’s taking forever.”


    They paused for a beat, then simultaneously blurted out their offers.


    “— Want to buy some talismans?”


    “— Need any talismans?”


    “…”


    A weird silence ensued, followed by a burst of realisation.


    “— You’re selling talismans too?!”


    “— You have talismans for sale?!”


    “…”


    They groaned inwardly. They had just wasted their time on a fellow vendor.


    But Tan Qiao Yin didn’t give up. She was sure that her price was unbeatable. She leaned in and whispered, “How much do you charge for your talismans? I sell them for only six points each.”


    Yu Xiao stared at her and said, “I sell them for three points each.”


    “… What the hell!” Tan Qiao Yin snapped. “Are you kidding me?! How do you even make a profit like that? You’re ruining the market, you know that!”


    Yu Xiao shrugged, “I make a profit~”


    “What the hell!” Tan Qiao Yin fumed. “What’s your success rate for drawing talismans?”


    Yu Xiao blinked and gave a humble estimate, “Around ninety percent success rate, I suppose.”


    “What the hell!!” Tan Qiao Yin stormed off, leaving Yu Xiao behind.


    Yu Xiao’s voice echoed through the empty hallway as she called after the retreating figure of Tan Qiao Yin. “Why are you leaving so soon?”


    Tan Qiao Yin didn’t bother to turn around or slow down. She flung a curt reply over her shoulder. “I don’t want to talk to you!”


    Yu Xiao grinned and raised her voice. “Don’t you want to stock up on some goods?” She waved the hand of talismans. “There’s a 100% profit margin!”


    Tan Qiao Yin spat out a curse. “Bloody hell!”


    Yu Xiao chuckled and made her way back to her room, feeling pleased with herself. The room was almost spotless, thanks to the diligent efforts of her new helper.


    When she entered, Ripley lifted his head and gave her a timid smile, then quickly resumed his task of cleaning dust.


    Yu Xiao wandered around the room, pretending to inspect the items, while actually pondering how to subtly question Ripley and determine if he was Dr. Qu. However, she had never met Dr. Qu and knew very little about her apart from her love for horror. How could she possibly test Ripley’s true identity?


    She realised that her approach might be flawed. Why did she have to confirm who Dr. Qu was first? Why not simply try that method on Ripley and see what happened? If he wasn’t Dr. Qu, the dream would not change. If he was Dr. Qu, the dream would vanish and she would wake up.


    So she approached Ripley, who had just finished cleaning. He looked up at her with a mixture of shyness and gratitude, and whispered, “I know you’re doing this to help me.”


    “Yeah, yeah.” Yu Xiao moved closer to him, pretending to be friendly.


    Ripley’s beautiful blue eyes stared at the dust stick he held. “Besides grandma, you’re the nicest person to me.”


    “Really?” Yu Xiao stood behind Ripley, feigning interest.


    “Yes, everyone else dislikes me.” Ripley said, his voice dropping to a sad tone. “They won’t help me, you’re the first…”


    “Huh? What’s that?” Yu Xiao pointed ahead, distracting him.


    Ripley turned his head in confusion, following her finger. “What?” Sёarch* The Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yu Xiao picked up a karate chop and slammed it hard on Ripley’s neck. Ripley’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.


    Yu Xiao squatted on the ground and examined him closely. She waited for a few minutes, but nothing changed. His breathing was steady and his face was peaceful. It seemed that he was not Dr. Qu. Yu Xiao felt a pang of disappointment.


    When Ripley woke up, he found himself lying on Yu Xiao’s bed, and his neck was throbbing with pain.


    As he cradled his neck and twisted his head, he caught sight of Yu Xiao perched on the edge of the bed, her gaze boring into him.


    A surge of heat flooded Ripley’s face, tinting his fair and delicate features with a rosy hue. “Ah… you, what happened to me?”


    Yu Xiao shrugged, her voice cool and detached. “How should I know what happened to you? You just keeled over without warning, and I had to haul you to the bed, nearly breaking my back.”


    “I’m sorry…” Ripley’s face grew even redder, “I didn’t mean to, I felt… like someone struck me.”


    “What do you mean?” Yu Xiao arched an eyebrow, her tone confident. “Are you implying that I hit you?”


    “No…”


    “Then who else could it be? We’re the only ones here, so if you say that, you’re basically accusing me, aren’t you?” Yu Xiao rose to her feet and glared at him.


    “No, I didn’t mean that.” Ripley hastened to clarify, “I mean this room might have a problem, you might be in danger if you stay here. So, so let’s switch the rooms back…”


    “Are you trying to insult me?” Yu Xiao snatched Ripley’s collar and yanked him off the bed, shoving him out. “Get out of here, don’t bother me while I’m resting!”


    Ripley stumbled out and the door slammed shut behind him.


    He spun around and stared at Yu Xiao’s door with worry. Miss Yu was the nicest person he had ever met. She had spoken to him in a harsh tone on purpose, to spare him from feeling guilty, giving up the safe room for him and moving into this dreadful room herself.


    Ripley thought and thought, and tears filled his eyes.


    He wouldn’t sleep tonight, he would stay in the living room outside. As soon as there was any noise from Miss Yu’s room, he would dash over.


    After getting rid of Ripley, Yu Xiao stretched out on the bed. The new quilt she had just bought was quite soft. She sensed the yin energy in the room, but it wasn’t too strong, so the ghost in the room wouldn’t be too frightening.


    This made her more relaxed, and she drifted off to sleep quickly with a peaceful mood.


    It had been a draining day, and everyone was quite worn out. Two hours later, except for Ripley in the living room, everyone else was asleep.


    The Qin couple who lived in the second room on the right side of the second floor had a restless night. Maybe they had listened to too many horror stories during the day, Qin Lei had a nightmare. He jolted awake from the dream, drenched in cold sweat.


    He exhaled a sigh of relief when he realised it was a dream, and threw off the quilt to go to the toilet.


    However, at that moment, an inexplicable sensation washed over him, one that was overwhelmingly intense. He remained seated on the bed, leaning forward and lowering his head, fixated on the pitch-black bottom of the bed without blinking.