Chapter 144: Pranking the Production Crew

Gradually, the audience in the livestream began to hear strange noises from their surroundings. It sounded like someone walking, yet not quite human; the footsteps were at times hurried, at others slow.

"What is that sound?"

"Footsteps."

The mother and son communicated in hushed whispers. Fortunately, the cameraman was close by, allowing their voices to be clearly transmitted to the livestream.

"Could there be other guests?" Su Wanning asked.

"If they were other guests, why wouldn't they turn on their flashlights?"

Sui Sui posed the soul-searching question. Su Wanning fell silent, and the surroundings lapsed into stillness once more.

[My heart is in my throat, why aren't they running!]
[Run quickly, there's danger!]
[Calling President Qin, your wife and son are in danger here.]
[President Qin next door is still busy arguing with his daughter.]
[I'll report back: it's not other guests. I've checked the other livestreams, and they all have their flashlights on.]

Just as the tension reached its peak, everyone watching the stream saw the two figures, one large and one small, suddenly bend down and, with a tacit understanding, turn and walk away in opposite directions.

The cameraman stood frozen for a moment, and it wasn't until the mother and son had disappeared from the frame that he hurriedly adjusted the camera and chased after Su Wanning.

[Did I see that right? Did Su Wanning just abandon her son?]
[What on earth are they doing?]
[Are they planning to run in different directions to attract attention?]
[It’s so dark, how could Su Wanning bear to let Sui Sui walk alone!]
[Is she even his real mother?]
[What is Su Wanning doing?]

Amidst the confused comments in the livestream, Su Wanning moved stealthily with her back hunched, barely making a sound, as she led the cameraman behind a large rock to crouch and hide.

[Is she playing hide-and-seek?]
[What about Sui Sui!]
[Guess if President Qin will turn against her if their son gets lost?]
[It's just a game, no need to be so melodramatic, right?]

Su Wanning held her breath in suspense, peeking just half her head out to watch the spot where she and Sui Sui had just been standing.

She waited patiently, and sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed before long: a figure appeared in the exact spot where they had stood, and the footsteps were indeed coming from this person.

Visibly, the shadow had no head or torso—or rather, its head and torso seemed to float in mid-air, swaying slightly with the motion of walking. In the darkness, it looked particularly terrifying, like a floating specter. Yet, this specter made very distinct footsteps.

The specter stood in place, tilting its head left and right to observe, perhaps searching for someone. When it found no one nearby, it turned and began to walk in the direction of Su Wanning, getting closer and closer.

[Is that a ghost? Help!]
[Great Supreme Lord, heed my call, save me, Mom!]
[Why isn't she running yet?]
[Could this be something the production team did on purpose?]

As the specter drew closer, thanks to the night-vision mode, everyone in the livestream could clearly see that the floating "ghost" was indeed styled as one: dressed entirely in white, with long, black, waterfall-like hair swaying behind it, and a face completely devoid of features.

The specter neared the rock, its head still swaying as it searched.

At the critical moment, Su Wanning, who had been hiding behind the rock, suddenly stood up. In an instant, she was only an inch away from the specter. The entity was clearly startled, letting out a massive shriek before turning and stumbling away in the opposite direction.

The cameraman rushed to follow, but before the specter had taken more than a few steps, Sui Sui’s small figure suddenly stood up from the ground as well.

The specter took another heavy blow, nearly tripping over its own feet. It turned in a panic, unable to even scream this time, its body swaying before it collapsed to the ground.

As if she had expected this all along, Su Wanning lunged from the side, quick-wittedly reaching out to steady the specter.

"Ah—"

Birds resting in the trees were startled by the piercing scream, flapping their wings as they took flight into the sky.

The scream was incredibly miserable. Su Wanning suppressed a laugh and shone her flashlight directly onto the figure.

"Alright, alright, don't be afraid. It's just me."

The "specter," still shaken, pulled away the sheet and wig covering its body. Beneath it was a member of the production team, staring at Su Wanning with wide, terrified, and vacant eyes; it was clear he had been scared out of his wits.

Thus, everyone in the livestream saw that the legendary specter was actually a real person wrapped in a bedsheet and a wig.

[The production team is so mean, actually dressing up as ghosts to scare the guests.]
[Hahaha, this is hilarious! How did Su Wanning think of this? If it were me, I’d be scared to death.]
[Has she thought about the staff member's feelings? Scaring people like that can really be dangerous. What if he got hurt?]
[Well, when the production team hired someone to play a ghost, did they think about the guests' feelings? It’s just an eye for an eye; I don't think Su Wanning did anything wrong.]
[Exactly! Besides, it's just a game. You guys are too faint-hearted!]

Su Wanning looked at Sui Sui with a smile. The mother and son said nothing, simply sharing a high-five with tacit understanding.

The crisp sound echoed through the woods. The staff member finally regained his composure, his face drooping and tears of fright streaming down his cheeks.

"Teacher Su, how did you know it was me? The plan to use a ghost was kept secret from all the guests."

"What's difficult about that? There's no such thing as real ghosts. You didn't turn on a flashlight and were intentionally making that much noise in the woods; I guessed immediately that the production team was trying to prank us."

Su Wanning explained with a smile, then looked down at her son: "You guessed it too, didn't you?"

Sui Sui nodded calmly, as if everything happening was just a minor event. His "little adult" demeanor seemed even more mature and composed than Yu Xin from the group next door.

The staff member waved his hands repeatedly, his face still sullen: "I'm done, I'm done. I'm not in charge of your group anymore. I'm going to go scare someone else."

As he turned away, clearly disgruntled, Su Wanning called out with a smile, "They aren't as brave as I am, so take it easy! Don't actually scare them to death!"

"Understood, Teacher Su."

As the staff member’s tearful voice faded into the distance, Su Wanning could no longer hold back her laughter.

"You guys weren't actually scared, were you? Even my son isn't as timid as you lot. You're too weak!"

Su Wanning turned to face the camera, teasing the audience.

[Sui Sui isn't an ordinary child, how can we compare to him!]