There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 49.1

Upon hearing Huo Jun’s question, Qin Ke suddenly remembered to put down her phone and check the time.

It was almost 10 PM.

Lamenting her biological clock, Qin Ke helplessly flopped onto the bed.

“We recorded the show in the afternoon, and had a celebration party in the evening. I just came out of the bathroom.”

“Celebration party?” Huo Jun frowned, “You’ve only recorded the first episode, why would there be a celebration party?”

“…”

Quietly sighing at Huo Jun’s perceptiveness, Qin Ke hesitated on whether to tell Huo Jun about Song Qingzhuo’s existence.

Recalling Song Qingzhuo’s fate in her previous life, where Huo Jun directly broke one of his legs, Qin Ke swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth. Moreover, she didn’t want to become the second person in the show’s crew to be gossiped about like Qi Tian.

“It’s nothing. The first episode was quite tiring, so the crew just wanted to treat the guests.”

“…”

The other end of the phone went quiet.

And the silence made Qin Ke a bit uneasy.

Just as she was about to test if Huo Jun had sensed that she was hiding something, she heard his voice return to its usual tone through the phone’s speaker.

“This afternoon, I received a transfer of exactly 20,000 to my account.”

“…” Qin Ke paused, then after two seconds, she confessed, “I transferred it. Since the tutoring job has stopped, I definitely can’t keep the money for tutoring Ling Ling. The show’s advance payment has arrived, so I’m returning the money to you now.”

The other end of the phone fell silent again.

After what seemed like an eternity, Qin Ke heard what sounded like a resigned chuckle from the other side.

“Okay, I understand.”

“?” Qin Ke, “What do you understand?”

Huo Jun: “I understand our future household division of labor. You’ll be the breadwinner.”

Qin Ke: “…………”

Qin Ke blushed, “Who’s talking about household division of labor with you?”

Hearing the girl’s embarrassment, Huo Jun laughed even more cheerfully.

“Although I don’t do housework now, I’ll start learning for the sake of a harmonious division of labor in the future.”

Qin Ke: “…………” Pooh.

Before, she only thought this person was crazy. The closer they got, the more she realized he wasn’t just crazy, but also… so shameless in front of her.

The more Qin Ke thought about it, the more her cheeks inexplicably burned.

She rolled into her blanket, mumbling, “We’ll record another episode tomorrow morning and then go back… Let’s talk when we get back if there’s anything.”

After saying this, as if afraid Huo Jun would say something outrageous again, the girl hastily hung up the phone.

On the other end of the phone.

Until the screen of the phone that had ended the call completely darkened, the smile on Huo Jun’s face slowly faded.

He put the phone on the table, and at the same time, his right hand that had been hanging by his side rose up—revealing that he was actually holding a landline phone receiver in his palm.

“You just said…” Huo Jun narrowed his eyes slightly, the gentle emotion in his pupils from talking with the girl dispersed and faded, finally condensing into an icy coldness at the bottom of his eyes, “Who was the person who looked up her personal information?”

“Second Young Master Song, Song Qingzhuo.”

“Why would he investigate her?”

“I’m not sure about that, but I’ve just confirmed one piece of information.”

“?”

“The investor of ‘Genius Academic Show’ that Qin Ke is participating in is Song Qingzhuo.”

“…”

A cold glint flashed in Huo Jun’s eyes.

A few seconds later, he let out a light sneer, “Celebration party… Some people’s paws are really cheap, reaching into my territory.”

After saying this, Huo Jun hung up the phone.

He walked a few steps to the door and suddenly pushed open the main door of the study—

“Gu Qin.”

“Young Master.”

The middle-aged butler’s voice responded from the first floor.

“Book me a flight to the provincial capital.”

“Yes, Young Master. But what are you going there for? Do you need me to make any preparations in advance?”

Leaning on the wooden railing, Huo Jun looked down, smiling recklessly with a frightening look in his eyes.

“No need, I’ll go by myself.”

“To chop off that paw that’s reaching into my territory.”

****

The next morning at 5:30, an hour and a half earlier than the scheduled recording departure time, Qin Ke was woken from her sleep by a phone call from the show’s crew.

Qin Ke had just messed up her biological clock the day before, and she hadn’t slept well at night due to the unfamiliar environment. As she opened her eyes to the vibration of her phone, looking at the unfamiliar hotel room ceiling, she felt almost disoriented, not knowing what time it was.

When her mind cleared a bit, Qin Ke reached for her phone and answered with a slightly hoarse voice.

“…Hello?”

“Sorry, Xiao Ke, the director here says the weather is very good and suitable today, so we need to start filming early. Could you please come to the hotel lobby as soon as possible?”

“…”

Since it was work-related, Qin Ke could only suppress her inner irritation and squeeze out a response, “Okay, I’ll be down as soon as possible.”

Half an hour later, after quickly washing up, Qin Ke went downstairs and arrived at the hotel lobby.

The other four guests had also arrived one after another.

They had left the celebration party even later than Qin Ke the night before, so none of their faces looked any better at the moment.

Especially with this low mood, when they walked to the entrance and saw the particularly dark and gloomy sky outside, Ling Shuang’s expression looked like a butcher about to enter a slaughterhouse—

“This is what you call good and suitable weather??”

Faced with Ling Shuang’s words that seemed to be squeezed out one by one, the young man from the directing team responsible for today shrank back timidly.

July looked up at the sky, unable to smile either, and said with a weak voice.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

Qin Ke: “…”

What a coincidence, so do I.

An hour later, the entire cast of “Genius Academic Show” stood expressionless in front of a seemingly abandoned building in the suburbs.

The new host from the directing team for today was very enthusiastic—

“Welcome, guests, to the location for this episode. In the upcoming episode, all our activities will take place inside this temporarily unused hospital building.”

The young man paused, “Well then, we still have a theme subject for this episode, and it is—”

“Haunted, right?”

A gloomy voice came from the side.

The expressions of the guests immediately underwent subtle changes.

As their gazes focused, it was the expressionless Ling Shuang who had spoken.

The host of the directing team came to his senses and laughed awkwardly. “Oh, Ling Shuang, don’t be so pessimistic! Besides, we’re ‘Genius Academic Show’, we completely and only believe in science.”

July quietly undermined him. “The divination sticks and cylinder from the last episode would like to have a word.”

Host: “…………”

The host forced a smile. “Come on, everyone, relax. Our theme for this episode is very scientific! The subject is called ‘Physics in Daily Life’.”

“…………”

The five guests simultaneously glanced at the eerie abandoned hospital building that looked particularly gloomy under the gloomy weather, deeply doubting the young man from the directing team’s words.

The host from the directing team twitched his mouth and finally gave up explaining, gesturing for someone to lead them inside.

“At least this time we’re not going in blindfolded…” July walked at the front, quietly reassuring herself.

Ling Shuang, who was second in line, let out a cold laugh.

“Maybe they’re afraid the guests will suddenly have heart attacks and be sent directly to—”

Gu Yuncheng suddenly chimed in. “This is already a hospital.”

“…”

After a tacit two seconds of silence from the five guests, a gloomy voice came from the back of the line—

“There’s a morgue downstairs, you know~~~”

“!!!!”

July, walking at the front of the line, froze as if someone had hit his pressure points.

The others weren’t faring much better.

The five people stiffly turned their heads to see who had spoken.

A few seconds later, an angry chorus of shouts echoed throughout the hospital building—

“Di!! Rec!! Ting!! Team!!”

If a profanity filter had been installed in the guests’ minds, one could be sure that sharp “beep—” sounds would still be reverberating throughout the building at this moment.

After experiencing such “cardiopulmonary exercise,” the guests finally arrived at the recording floor, shaken but unharmed.

Just as Qin Ke, who was almost the last one, stepped onto the final stair, a low announcement echoed through the building—similar to the somber tone of reading a eulogy.

[This is a mental hospital that has stood in the small town for many years. Legend has it that it was built on a mass grave. The townspeople never believed this rumor, until…]

Ling Shuang: “Damn.”

July whimpered. “I want to quit recording! Really!”

Qi Tian’s face turned pale. She wanted to say something but didn’t dare to speak, only turning her head to look at the cameraman behind her for the empty comfort of “this is just a show being recorded.”

Gu Yuncheng and Qin Ke, on the other hand, consistently showed no expression, seriously listening to the last sentence of that gloomy announcement—

[Until one day, a bizarre death case occurred here.]

The announcement abruptly stopped there.

Leaving the guests with unpleasant expressions, looking at each other.

July: “…Is it over?”

Gu Yuncheng: “Mm.”

Ling Shuang: “So what do they want us to do?”

Qi Tian: “Mr. Cameraman, do you… do you know?”

As the cameraman shook his head, the group turned back disappointedly, then heard Ling Shuang, who was standing at the front, exclaim, “Qin Ke, where are you going!?”

Qin Ke, who had been called out, had already walked five or six meters past their gathering point and was now standing in front of a door with a dark and eerie interior, looking innocent.

She pointed at the door.

“Since they’ve brought us to this floor, shouldn’t we go in and take a look?”

The other four: “…………”

Although that’s what she said…

July and Gu Yuncheng gritted their teeth—they were still recording the show, they couldn’t be less brave than a girl, could they?

Seeing the two of them slowly inching forward, Qi Tian, unwilling to show weakness in front of Qin Ke, also steeled herself and followed.

Ling Shuang didn’t care about saving face at all, nor did she have any celebrity image to maintain—but she was genuinely afraid of ghosts.

And even more afraid of being alone in this environment.

So soon, all five people gathered outside the door of the first ward.

“Who’s going to open the door first?” July swallowed and asked cautiously.

Ling Shuang tensed her face and said seriously, “Let’s decide with scissors-wrap-hammer?”

Qin Ke: “?”

Ling Shuang: “Cough, I mean rock-paper-scissors…That was just dialect.”

Qin Ke: “…” Poor thing, even her dialect came out from fear.

Gu Yuncheng: “Mm.”

Hearing Gu Yuncheng solemnly agree, Qin Ke almost laughed out loud.

“I’ll do it.”

July scratched her head, “This… this doesn’t seem right?”

Gu Yuncheng took a deep breath, with a heroic air as if facing certain doom, “I… will do it.”

“…”

This time, Qin Ke really couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Then she quickly put on a serious face, “Let’s be fair, one door each—there are so many doors here.”

“…”

The group exchanged glances.

They all knew in their hearts that if something scary was going to happen, the first door would have the highest probability—they’d be somewhat mentally prepared for the ones after.

So Qin Ke was stepping up now, and even giving them a way out.

The others didn’t refuse anymore and made way for Qin Ke.

Qin Ke stepped forward and pressed down on the door handle, going straight in—the gasp from the four behind her was stuck in their throats, unable to cry out in time.

They didn’t need to cry out anyway.

Qin Ke had already “pah” turned on the light switch on the wall right next to the door inside the room.

The entire room instantly became as bright as day.

And outside the window—it was still dark early in the winter morning, coupled with the gloomy weather, it looked like dark clouds were pressing down on the building.

Qin Ke’s gaze swept around once, quickly falling on the only hospital bed in the empty ward.

Someone was lying on the bed.

To be precise…

Someone was sprawled out, with hands, feet, neck, and head all tied to the bed with restraints.

The others saw it at the same time. Qi Tian let out a cry, July shrank behind Qin Ke, his voice trembling very realistically—

“Qin Qin Qin Ke… is he he he he… dead or alive…”

Qin Ke didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“It’s an extra.”