Chapter 146: Heartbeat

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“Of course I can’t panic when it’s my husband and daughter! Besides, no matter how anxious I am, I can’t exactly grow wings and fly to them.”

Su Wanning remained stubbornly defensive, refusing to admit how frantic she had felt the instant she saw the message.

Meanwhile, with Tian Boyu protecting them, Yu Xin and Daxi gathered their courage and continued deeper into the woods.

However, because Daxi was frightened and insisted on carrying a flashlight of her own, while something seemed to be wrong with Tian Boyu’s flashlight, Yu Xin had no choice but to walk beside him. The two of them shared a single beam of light, bringing them closer and closer together. In that darkness, it was almost as though the other person was the only one either of them could rely on.

After walking for some time, an inexplicable air of intimacy gradually replaced their fear. Yu Xin slowly grew bolder and even found a treasure box containing puzzle pieces along the way.

Soon, the two adults and one child heard an unusual disturbance coming from the woods ahead.

Daxi immediately ran back and squeezed herself between them, trembling violently. One hand clutched Tian Boyu tightly, while the other gripped Yu Xin just as firmly.

“What… what is that sound?”

Yu Xin stopped walking. The three of them stared ahead, but beyond the reach of the flashlight lay nothing but a dense darkness as black as ink. They could not see a thing.

Yet they could clearly hear a rhythmic sound coming from that direction—one thud after another, growing louder by the moment. It was obviously approaching them.

Yu Xin’s voice trembled faintly. Beside her, Tian Boyu also looked frightened, staring fixedly into the darkness.

“Could we just be too tense? Maybe it’s the wind moving the leaves?”

Whether he was guessing or trying to comfort them, Tian Boyu himself did not seem convinced. Yu Xin gave a derisive snort.

“Really? Do you actually believe what you just said?”

His only answer was silence.

[What is going on?]

[Coming from the neighboring group, I can say this is nothing. Don’t be scared.]

[Why aren’t they running? What are they standing there for? Are they planning to die together?]

Many viewers had no idea that this was a segment deliberately arranged by the production crew, and they grew nervous along with the three of them.

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The footsteps drew steadily closer. Their rhythm was unnaturally slow, nothing like the steps of an ordinary person.

“Could it be a ghost?”

The moment Yu Xin voiced her guess, Daxi, standing between them, burst into tears. But this time she did not dare sob aloud. Her muffled whimpering in the darkness only made the scene more terrifying, sending chills through everyone who heard it.

The frightening atmosphere continued to spread. Tian Boyu happened to glance at Yu Xin and discovered that the usually carefree and uninhibited woman had, for once, revealed a trace of fear. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and even from the side, he could see how tense she was.

Seeing Yu Xin show such a vulnerable side was rare. Tian Boyu’s heart softened, and the unpleasantness between them seemed to vanish in an instant.

“Don’t be afraid. If something really happens, take Daxi and run. Don’t worry about me.”

Perhaps his protective instincts had been stirred. Tian Boyu’s courage suddenly rose. As he spoke in a low voice, he stepped forward and positioned himself in front of the adult and child.

Behind him, Yu Xin blinked, unable to believe this was the same Tian Boyu who had earlier been too frightened even to wade into the water and catch fish.

She had looked down on him before, thinking he was fussy about everything and incapable of doing anything properly.

But now, with his tall figure standing protectively before her, Yu Xin felt a surge of emotion despite knowing perfectly well that he had no real fighting skills.

Watching his shoulders from behind, she felt something strange stir within her.

The production crew loved creating this kind of atmosphere. The staff member dressed as a ghost listened to the director’s instructions through his earpiece. Knowing full well that they were terrified, he deliberately made strange noises—kicking stones on the left one moment, stepping on leaves to the right the next—until all three stood rigid with their hair standing on end and their nerves stretched taut.

Yu Xin sniffed, summoned her courage, and stepped forward to stand beside Tian Boyu. Together, they shielded Daxi behind them.

“If there’s any danger, I’ll face it with you. Daxi, when I tell you to run, turn around and follow Uncle Cameraman, all right?”

Daxi answered with a vague little “Mm.”

The next moment, she and Tian Boyu saw the white “ghost” drifting out of the darkness before them.

“Ah! A ghost!”

Even though she had been mentally prepared, Yu Xin still screamed. Her body reacted before her mind did. She spun around and plunged straight into the man beside her, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist. She buried her entire head against Tian Boyu’s chest, squeezing her eyes shut and refusing to open them.

Tian Boyu was not frightened by the ghost. He was startled by Yu Xin’s reaction instead.

On instinct, he raised one hand protectively beside her, then turned to look at the “ghost” advancing toward them.

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At that moment, Daxi also raised both hands and covered her eyes tightly.

“W-W-W-Where did you come from? We’ve never wronged you, not in the past or the present. You—you—you…”

Tian Boyu was so nervous that his mind had gone blank. He had no idea what he was saying.

The staff member playing the ghost stood before the two of them, overcome with immense satisfaction.

Now this was a normal reaction. Su Wanning simply was not human!

Hearing Tian Boyu’s voice, Yu Xin worked up the courage to lift her head from his arms.

“Are you stupid? Why are you trying to reason with a ghost? Run!”

Her words jolted Tian Boyu back to his senses. He grabbed Yu Xin’s hand with one hand, scooped Daxi up with the other, and took off running.

The two of them dragged the cameraman through the woods in a blind panic. They had no idea how long they had been running. At last, when they could no longer hear the ghost pursuing them, they stopped and bent over, gasping for breath.

Yu Xin turned to look at the disheveled Tian Boyu beside her and suddenly laughed.

“I didn’t expect you to be so loyal when it mattered. I thought you’d be scared into wetting yourself.”

“I’m a man,” Tian Boyu insisted between breaths.

Yu Xin smiled and was about to say something else when she suddenly heard the horrifying sound of a branch snapping behind them.

“Is that so? The men I love most are men just like you.”

The languid voice drifted over from behind them.

Every hair on Yu Xin’s body rose at once. She was so frightened that she could not even scream.

Their legs turned weak with terror, and they could no longer run. Then, all at once, a familiar burst of laughter came from behind them.

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