"Dad, what's wrong with Mom?" An An turned and looked at Qin Ningyi with confusion.
Qin Ningyi followed Huo Rou as they walked over.
The laboratory was filled with plant specimens. The person who had been lying down seemed to be conducting an experiment when they suddenly collapsed.
"Virus experiment..." Huo Rou murmured.
"What?" Qin Ningyi, who had just reached her side, hadn't heard her clearly when she suddenly spoke.
Huo Rou seemed to be lost in thought, conversing only with herself.
"Be careful." She approached the person from behind, noticing a reagent bottle by their hand. She reached out and moved it away.
At that moment, the person lying down suddenly stood up, turned around, and revealed a face contorted with extreme malice. Her features were distorted, blood oozed from her mouth, and she mechanically uttered, "Just a little more, just a little more..."
Qin Ningyi was also startled by the sudden turn. He quickly reached out and covered Huo Rou's eyes.
The NPC continued to stare blankly into the distance, repeating a single phrase: "Just a little more, just a little more..."
Under Qin Ningyi's palm, Huo Rou's eyelashes fluttered, tickling his palm with each sweep.
The environment was very dark, but in the faint light, Qin Ningyi saw the sadness on Huo Rou's face.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the NPC in the laboratory. Seeing the two standing there without any particular reaction, the NPC felt defeated and, under Qin Ningyi's gaze, yielded, exiting the room and heading towards Xia Qingxue.
"Arou?" Qin Ningyi called out tentatively.
Huo Rou pulled his hand away, but didn't let go immediately. Instead, she intertwined their fingers and led him out of the laboratory.
"Were you scared?" Qin Ningyi was unsure of her state. She walked ahead, and he couldn't see her expression or eyes.
"No." Huo Rou's voice was a little hoarse, as if she were trying hard to control herself. "It reminded me of some past events."
She pulled Qin Ningyi outside and, at the crossroads, grabbed an NPC wearing a helmet and body armor.
The NPC was surprised that a player dared to approach him so directly, especially with a gruesome, bloody arm hanging from him, and a newly attached prosthetic limb that had been specially treated.
He looked like a bloody mess, his face also covered in special effects makeup, disfigured.
Most players avoided him, and he rarely had the chance to truly scare anyone.
This time, a brave soul had come and grabbed him!
"There's... there's an inside man..." he said, delivering his eternally difficult line, then collapsed to the ground. The blood bag on his person burst, spilling a pool of red.
Witnessing such a tragic scene, Qin Ningyi's eyes reddened. Huo Rou, however, with a blank expression, grabbed his collar and forcefully lifted the "dying" NPC.
"What is this theme called? What roles are you playing?" Huo Rou asked, her voice hoarse, word by word.
"No way, sis, you dared to come in and play without even knowing the theme?" the NPC said casually.
But upon closer inspection of Huo Rou's state, he waved his hand. "Alright, it looks like you're one of those people who aren't afraid."
"This theme is called 'Dual Demise.' It's supposed to be about a special department operative who died in an accident and his laboratory wife. We are part of the special department operatives."
This NPC chatted with Huo Rou without any pretense. "We're really quite miserable, and we can't leave this area. Dressed like this, nobody comes near us. We don't even have any room to perform."
"Sis, if you hadn't walked over like this, I might not have used my lines and blood bag today."
"Sigh, when I first applied, I just wanted to scare people. But most of the NPCs who can move freely in this theme are women. I'm so unlucky."
The man began to ramble, unable to hold back his words after such a long time without scaring anyone.
Huo Rou got up halfway through his explanation and pulled Qin Ningyi towards the exit.
"Mom, wait for me!" An An chased after them from behind.
Xia Qingxue had been scared by the NPC in the laboratory and was lingering in place.
An An's voice made Huo Rou relax. She took An An's hand with her other hand, and led father and son directly towards the exit.
Behind them, screams of frightened people continued to echo. Qin Ningyi stepped forward a few paces, turned back, and looked seriously into Huo Rou's eyes.
He didn't see any hidden fear. Her behavior since entering hadn't shown any sign of being scared, but now, as she led them, she was walking rather quickly.
"What's wrong?" he couldn't help but ask.
"It reminded me of some long-forgotten things." Huo Rou's emotions seemed to have returned to a state of calm. She pursed her lips in the darkness.
"Who came up with this theme of yours?" she asked, unable to hold back any longer.
Qin Ningyi thought for a moment, as if recalling something. He squeezed her hand and said, "Perhaps because of me. I used to like reading a novel that told a similar story. When they were building the haunted house, the person in charge asked Assistant Xiao."
He looked back again at the scenes and the costumes of the characters.
"It was probably Assistant Xiao who recommended it to them, and then they designed the haunted house theme based on that story."
Upon hearing that it was inspired by a novel with that story, Huo Rou understood.
"You still read novels?" The light ahead grew stronger, indicating they were nearing the exit.
"I read them when I was younger." Qin Ningyi chatted with her casually.
For some reason, he felt that Huo Rou needed someone to accompany her right now.
The light intensified, and they finally reached the exit.
Having been in darkness for so long, Huo Rou squinted her eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden sunlight.
By the time Xia Qingxue emerged from the haunted house, her face pale with fright, Huo Rou had already bought water and was sitting by the entrance waiting.
"Wuwuwu." Xia Qingxue rushed into Huo Rou's arms as soon as she saw her. "You scared me to death, Arou. It was so scary."
Ren Zhen rubbed his arm behind her, which was already bruised from Xia Qingxue's grip.
Huo Rou smiled faintly, her voice soft as she comforted her.
"Godmother, you're so timid. You said you were very brave before we went in," An An said, covering his mouth and laughing at her.
Xia Qingxue turned her face away, embarrassed.
After a simple lunch at the amusement park, the group played many more rides, and An An had his fill.
The Ferris wheel rotated against the setting sun, slowly taking them to the highest point.
Golden sunlight bathed Huo Rou. An An's stories about school amused her, making her smile gently, her eyes reflecting the laughter.
That smile also melted into Qin Ningyi's heart, slowly spreading and occupying his entire being.
Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was "Old Xiao."