Chapter 115: The Haunted Amusement Park

The two large crimson wooden doors swung open silently, revealing nothing but darkness inside. Only the small area just beyond the threshold was bathed in the red light from outside, while the heavy blackness within lurked behind that glow, as though waiting to devour anyone who stepped inside.

Li Zhi took the lead, crossing the threshold first.

Once all six of them had entered, the wooden doors creaked shut behind them. The light from outside was completely cut off, plunging the room into pitch-black darkness where they couldn’t even see their own hands.

Just as the players began to feel tense, six lanterns suddenly lit up a few meters ahead.

The faint red glow barely illuminated their surroundings. Before them stood six narrow arched doors, each with a red lantern hanging above it, adorned with the character for "double happiness" (囍). Apart from their positions, the doors were identical.

"What does this mean?" Ou Wendong swallowed hard. "Do we have to go through different doors?"

Li Zhi surveyed the area but found nothing except the silent arched doors.

"It looks like this is a single-player mission," she said. "The staff mentioned an immersive haunted house. Once we enter, we’ll probably be assigned roles. These six doors represent six random identities, and each identity’s task is likely different."

You Jingmeng shuddered. "This haunted house is called The Red Wedding Dress. There’s no way one of the roles involves marrying a ghost bride or groom, right?"

The mere thought of being part of a ghost wedding, having to bow to a corpse, made several of them feel like they couldn’t breathe.

Chi Yi tried to comfort them. "It’s fine. There are six roles—at most, only one of them will be like that."

Ou Wendong looked like he was about to cry. "I wonder who the unlucky one will be."

Li Zhi circled the arched doors but found no additional clues. She turned back. "This haunted house is like a mini-dungeon within the main one. Treat it as a new scenario and adapt once we’re inside. After receiving your role, don’t break character—if your identity is questioned, it might cause trouble. If we get separated, figure out the situation as quickly as possible and regroup. Let’s agree on a marker to leave in visible places."

"How about 'SOS'?" Han Wenlin suggested eagerly. "It’s distinctive and easy to recognize!"

The others had no objections. "Sure, 'SOS' it is."

"Alright," Li Zhi said. "Choose your doors."

Each door represented a different role, and some roles might be more dangerous than others. What identity they ended up with depended entirely on luck.

For a moment, everyone hesitated. Qi Yongyi was the first to step forward. "I’ll go first."

Without much hesitation, he walked straight to the first door on the left. Before stepping through, he turned back and said solemnly to his teammates, "Be careful. Stay safe, everyone."

The others nodded quickly.

Qi Yongyi entered the first door, his figure swallowed by the hazy red light. Ou Wendong gulped and stepped forward next. After glancing around, he gritted his teeth and chose the third door.

Three was his lucky number. Please let luck be on my side!

The rest followed one after another. You Jingmeng picked the second door, Chi Yi the fourth, and Han Wenlin the fifth.

Li Zhi went last, leaving only the sixth door. She stepped inside.

The moment the red light engulfed her, her consciousness briefly detached, just like every other time she entered a scenario. When she opened her eyes again, the small room from before was gone. Instead, she stood in a courtyard draped with red cloth. The sky was just beginning to lighten, a pale blue at the horizon with a half-moon still lingering behind the clouds.

Li Zhi looked around. This seemed to be the backyard of a wealthy family’s estate. The garden was meticulously maintained, the kind of place where someone with leisure would tend to flowers and plants.

The red silk decorations meant the family was celebrating a wedding—either marrying off a daughter or welcoming a bride. It was likely part of the ghost wedding.

Just as Li Zhi was about to head back into the room behind her to search for clues, the courtyard gate suddenly opened. A maid walked in and, seeing her standing there, hurried over. "Madam, why are you up so early?"

Madam?

Li Zhi nodded calmly. "Couldn’t sleep, so I got up."

The maid said, "The young miss is getting married today. Madam must be anxious, right? Don’t worry—everything is prepared. The ceremony will go smoothly." She stepped closer. "Let me help Madam freshen up. Once it’s light, you’ll need to see the young miss off."

So her role was the mother of the bride.

She wondered whether both parties in this ghost wedding were dead, or just one. In folklore, if the groom was dead and the bride married his spirit, it was called "embracing the tablet to wed." If the bride was dead and the groom married her spirit, it was called "marrying the lonely maiden." Was her "daughter" dead or alive?

Li Zhi followed the maid into the room behind her. The interior was lavishly decorated, clearly showcasing the family’s wealth. But as she looked around, she noticed only traces of a woman’s presence—no men’s clothing or accessories.

She guessed her "husband" was probably dead. Otherwise, on the eve of their daughter’s wedding, the couple wouldn’t be sleeping in separate rooms.

Then again, in this era, which seemed to be set in the past, wealthy men—unless they were live-in sons-in-law—would almost certainly have concubines. Maybe her "husband" was just sleeping with one of them.

Li Zhi decided it’d be better if he were dead.

She sat down at the dressing table. The mirror reflected her own face, unchanged.

But her clothes had been swapped out. Instead of the practical windbreaker she’d worn entering the scenario, she now wore a red daopao dress. The maid styled her hair into an old-fashioned updo, the kind often seen in period dramas. Li Zhi had worn something similar when filming a Republican-era movie.

It felt like being on a film set.

Li Zhi reached up and touched her hair, smiling at the maid through the mirror. "You’re quite skilled."

The maid smiled shyly. Then, hearing Li Zhi’s question—"How is the young miss?"—she replied, "I just came from Yayuan. The young master and Hudie are keeping her company."

Young master… So she not only had a daughter but also a son.

As for "Hudie" (Butterfly), the name didn’t sound like a family member’s—probably another maid, specifically assigned to serve the young miss.

She wondered whether the "young master" and "Hudie" were players or NPCs.

Once her hair was done, the maid began applying makeup. A white powder, heavy with the scent of perfume, was patted onto her face. Li Zhi’s usually clean, bare complexion was soon as pale as a freshly whitewashed wall. The maid added rouge, lipstick, and thin, elongated eyebrows.

Li Zhi glanced at herself in the mirror: ……

She looked like a ghost.

The audience watching this scene was horrified:

[STOP!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THAT PRETTY FACE?!]

[AHHHHHH! SHE LOOKS LIKE A CORPSE!!!]

[Miss Maid, do you think this looks good?]

[Maybe the maid sees a different face than we do?]

[Li Zhi’s character has already raised a son and daughter, and the daughter’s getting married—she’s probably in her forties. Maybe the NPCs see the character’s actual appearance, which is why she needs so much powder.]

[Look at Li Zhi’s expression LOL. She looks so done.]

Li Zhi wasn’t that upset—just a little speechless. But since the maid was applying makeup this way, there must be a reason. Maybe this was how the "madam" usually wore her makeup. Best not to question it and risk drawing suspicion.

By the time the maid finished, the sky outside had brightened. The maid helped her up. "Madam, the auspicious hour is approaching. We should head to Yayuan now."

Yayuan was where the bride-to-be lived.

Li Zhi nodded and followed the maid, her deathly pale face on full display as they walked to Yayuan.

Once outside the courtyard, she saw red silk decorations everywhere, filling the estate with a festive atmosphere. Her quarters weren’t far from Yayuan—less than ten minutes later, they arrived at a quiet, elegant courtyard, also draped in red silk. The gate was adorned with a large red "double happiness" character.

The maid pushed the door open, and Li Zhi followed her inside.

The air carried the faint scent of burnt paper.

Li Zhi noticed piles of ash in all four corners of the courtyard, with remnants of unburned paper money scattered about. Red paper money—she’d never seen that before.

The main room’s door was open, and a young man in a long gown stood at the entrance. When Li Zhi looked over, their eyes met. She blinked.

The maid said, "Young Master, Madam is here."

Qi Yongyi gave Li Zhi an awkward smile. "…Mother."

Li Zhi responded cheerfully. "Yes?"

Qi Yongyi: ……

HELP ME!!!

Li Zhi asked, "How is your sister?"

Qi Yongyi chose his words carefully. "She’s… very peaceful. Don’t worry, Mother."

His use of "peaceful" told Li Zhi everything.

The two exchanged a glance before stepping inside. The moment they entered, the stench of rotting flesh hit them. The room held a red wedding bed, from the blankets to the curtains—all crimson. The quilt was embroidered with mandarin ducks, and a pair of brand-new red embroidered shoes sat at the foot of the bed, their heels adorned with colorful pom-poms.

At the dressing table to the side, a woman in phoenix coronet and bridal robes leaned against the maid beside her. An elderly woman, likely a matron, knelt in front of her, applying makeup.

When the matron noticed Li Zhi, her wrinkled face broke into a smile. "Madam is here."

The maid supporting the bride also turned. Li Zhi recognized Chi Yi’s horrified expression—even paler than her own powdered face. When Chi Yi saw Li Zhi, her eyes lit up with desperation, silently pleading for help.

"Hudie!" the matron suddenly scolded. "Hold the young miss properly!"

Chi Yi clenched her jaw, adjusting the bride in her arms.

Li Zhi walked over. Through the bronze mirror, she saw a face already in decay. The matron was patting powder over the rotting patches, layer after layer, until the ruined skin was completely concealed. Only then did she smile in satisfaction.