Chapter 148: Deliberately Stirring Up Trouble

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“No way. I’m a coward, so please don’t scare me!”

It was obvious that Fang Wei was genuinely frightened. Even her voice trembled faintly as she spoke, and she instinctively hid behind Yin Shanshan. Xiaotian, held in her arms, looked equally tense, gripping Fang Wei’s hand tightly with both of his own.

But Yin Shanshan still did not stop. She glanced at the dark, secluded surroundings and continued, “I don’t know either, but I heard plenty of rumors before coming here. They say that strange incidents may have occurred in places like this—especially on an isolated island that has been uninhabited for years.”

[Stop it. I’m starting to get scared too.]

[I’m kind of curious what the story is.]

[Could Yin Shanshan be working for the production crew too? How is she so good at setting the mood?]

[Take your conspiracy theories somewhere else.]

The night grew darker. A chilly breeze swept across the island, raising gooseflesh along their backs.

Leaves rustled overhead as the wind swept through the trees. The sounds blended together, and from time to time, dark shadows could be seen darting among the branches. It felt as though they had suddenly wandered onto the set of a horror film.

Fang Wei’s throat went dry. Her voice trembling, she asked, “What do we do now?”

Yin Shanshan took a deep breath and looked toward the direction of the sound. “It’s inconvenient to move around with two children. Why don’t one of us stay here and watch them in case anything happens, while the other goes ahead to scout the path? If there’s trouble, we’ll signal each other and run.”

Fang Wei froze for a moment. Then, as though she had made up her mind, the timid expression in her eyes gradually hardened into resolve. She volunteered, “I’ll scout ahead. You stay here with the two children. If anything happens, run immediately. Don’t worry about me.”

[Fang Wei is so loyal!]

[Fang Wei is really wonderful to Shanshan. I’m completely won over.]

[This is what true sisterhood looks like. Meanwhile, look at Su Wanning in the other livestream, deliberately frightening Yu Xin. They’re such fake friends—a pair of reality-show clowns!]

[Fang Wei is so timid, yet she’s willing to scout ahead. You can tell she really wants to protect Yin Shanshan.]

Yin Shanshan naturally had no intention of giving Fang Wei the chance to play the hero, so she flatly refused. “How could I let you do that? I’ll go. You stay here with the children and wait for me.”

Before Fang Wei could protest, Yin Shanshan immediately pushed her son Yangyang into Fang Wei’s arms.

Yangyang was not especially timid. Even under such circumstances, he managed to remain composed. He stood obediently where he was, watching Yin Shanshan with worry in his eyes.

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“Mom, why don’t I go with you? I’m a little man now. I can protect you.”

Yin Shanshan shook her head and stroked her son’s hair. “When something dangerous happens, your mother will always stand in front of you. Do you understand?”

Tears welled in Yangyang’s eyes, and he nodded heavily. Yin Shanshan turned around and left with the flashlight.

[If I were a mother, I’d protect my child at a time like this too. Lin Shanshan is so admirable.]

[I was raised by my parents with this kind of emotional manipulation. Just my personal opinion, but I don’t recommend educating children this way.]

[Typical Chinese parents. Whenever they make a sacrifice, they have to keep reminding you of it.]

[Exactly. Shouldn’t normal parents tell their children that there’s nothing dangerous ahead and reassure them not to worry? Instead, she keeps emphasizing how dangerous it is and how she’ll protect him. If something really happens, won’t Yangyang end up living under that burden for the rest of his life?]

[I really don’t understand this approach.]

[You’re all way too sensitive. There’s nothing wrong with what Yin Shanshan said.]

[So being good to your son is wrong now? People online are impossible to please.]

Yin Shanshan walked toward the distance with her flashlight. The cameraman remained where he was, slowly widening the shot as her figure receded.

Yet Yin Shanshan did not head toward the direction where the sound had come from. Instead, she deliberately walked the other way.

Naturally, the production staff member playing the ghost circled around from the opposite side toward Fang Wei. The director had given clear instructions: the purpose of this segment was to build the guests’ courage.

Yin Shanshan appeared fearless, leaving all by herself, so the staff member naturally chose to slip away noiselessly toward Fang Wei, who had remained behind.

The farther Yin Shanshan walked, the more carefully she listened to the sounds around her. Once she had confirmed that the staff member was not following her, her objective was achieved. Where the viewers could not see, the corners of her lips curved upward in silence.

Meanwhile, Fang Wei, standing in place with the two children, gradually began to feel a chill run through her. It was as though a pair of eyes were staring at her from behind.

The story of the island that Yin Shanshan had just told kept surfacing in her mind. Fang Wei’s body began to tremble with tension, and even her son noticed that something was wrong.

“Mom, are you all right? This place is so scary. I want to go home.”

Xiaotian was still very young and rarely encountered strangers. Clutching Fang Wei’s hand, he was so terrified that he could barely cry. His little face had gone deathly pale.

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“Don’t be scared, Xiaotian. I’ll protect you both!”

Yangyang was frightened too, but at that moment he reached out and took his little brother’s hand.

[I need to ship these brothers immediately.]

[Xiaotian will probably look up to Yangyang as his big brother from now on.]

[Has the production crew had enough yet? How long are they planning to keep scaring them?]

Just then, a gust of wind swept across the backs of their necks, raising gooseflesh all over Fang Wei’s body. She let out a terrified scream. She wanted to turn around and run, but with the two children in her arms, she could only squeeze her eyes shut and crouch down, intending to lift them both.

The more nervous a person became, the more flustered they were. The moment Fang Wei crouched down, she tried to stand while holding both children, but she underestimated the boys’ combined weight. Her body immediately lost its balance. Her foot landed on a loose stone, and she fell heavily backward onto her back.

“Ahhh!”

An even more horrifying scream, accompanied by the children’s cries, rang through the woods. The cameraman had already received instructions from the director’s team and quickly moved backward, filming the spectacular scene unfolding before him. At that very moment, the staff member dressed as a ghost also emerged and appeared in front of Fang Wei.

Fang Wei, who had only just fallen, instinctively opened her eyes. Floating directly before her was a face with no features, its long hair hanging down around it.

“Help me!”

Fang Wei screamed at the top of her lungs. Tears had already burst from her eyes and streamed uncontrollably down her face. Her lips had gone pale with terror, and all the blood in her body seemed to rush straight to her brain, leaving her unable to think.

“Mom! Mom!”

Xiaotian began sobbing frantically beside her, his screams growing louder and louder.

“Don’t be scared, Xiaotian! Aunt Fang—Mom! Mom, come quickly!”

No matter how brave Yangyang was, he was still only a child. The instant he saw the staff member dressed as a ghost, terror sent him tumbling to the ground. Even so, he did not forget to pull Xiaotian into his arms as he cried out loudly for Yin Shanshan.

End of Chapter