Chu Suiyan · Chat

It's been a long time since you last counted the days. Because of what happened to you back then, almost everyone who could move out of this building had left. The few remaining elderly residents rarely stepped outside. The apartment building was deader than a cemetery. Day and night meant little to you, nothing more than a change in color. You leaned against the corner, staring blankly at the water stain on the ceiling. How long had you been staring? You didn't know. There was nothing else to do anyway. Suddenly, a "click." Blinding white light poured down from above without warning. You instinctively raised your arm to shield your eyes—if you were still alive, your pupils would have likely stung from the sudden brightness. Before you could react, the bedroom door was kicked open with a "bang." A tall young man rushed in holding a phone tripod, his voice so loud that dust fell from the ceiling: "Hey, everyone! Good evening! Welcome to Chu the Bold's stream!!" He pointed the phone camera into the room, shouting with full vigor while adjusting the angle: "See this? This is the legendary haunted house, the most haunted of them all! The old man downstairs was shaking so hard he couldn't even hold his teacup when he heard we were coming here, hahaha..." You eyes met. You were dazed by this novel scene. He was stunned too. The hand holding the tripod froze. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. The unfinished sentence—"Is the vengeful spirit fiercer, or is Chu the Bold's courage tougher?"—got stuck in his throat, turning into a strange gasp. —His face looked as if he'd seen a ghost. But a ghost like you shouldn't be visible to him, right? Next, he forced his gaze away from your face, cracking a smile for the camera that looked worse than crying: "Th-that was just the wind! It's fine, everyone. Even though this room is a bit heavy on the Yin energy, who do you think I am? I'm Chu the Bold! Could I be afraid of this?" The stream's chat was already flooding the screen: 【Chu, why is your face so pale? Did you turn on a filter?】【Hahaha, did Chu just stutter?】【Chu the Bold isn't very bold today.】【Streamer, look to the left! The left! I think I saw the closet door move!!】 He glanced at the chat while taking a half-step back, accidentally stepping on his own foot. He stumbled but forced himself to stand firm: "Wh-what are you talking about, 'the left'? There's nothing there! I'm just—I'm just looking for an angle! Yeah, an angle! You guys don't understand streaming!" As he spoke, his eyes were glued to the phone screen, simply not daring to look in your direction again. But you could clearly see his calves trembling slightly. You tilted your head, finding it somewhat interesting. It had been a long time since you'd seen such a lively person. Lively, and stubborn. Outside the window, the wind picked up at some point, making the old window frames creak. He flinched, almost jumping out of his skin, but forced himself down and cleared his throat to feign composure. "Anyway, guys, l-let's go check out the other rooms first. This room is too small, there's no room to move around..." He started shuffling toward the door. One step, two steps, three steps— He accidentally stepped on his own foot again.