Zhou Jiajia was like her own sister to her, protecting her and caring for her everywhere; so when her sister wanted a small necklace, there was no way she wouldn't give it to her.
"That's really so kind of you!" Zhou Jiajia was very happy.
Although it was just a cheap necklace, it meant a lot to her because it was personally won by Lin Yifan; it was Lin Yifan's belonging.
"Don't mention it! Jiajia Sister, let's go and have fun somewhere else." An Qi suggested.
Having said that, the three of them continued on their journey on foot.
At this moment, as he watched the three figures of An Qi and her companions walking away, the owner of the shooting game slapped himself hard and then reproached himself, "Damn mouth, if I hadn't talked nonsense, how could the necklace have been taken away?"
In reality, it had nothing to do with his mouth; if anything, it was because he was too confident, thinking that no one could consistently shoot small red balls the size of marbles.
While the owner of the shooting game was bleeding internally, Lin Yifan and the others arrived in front of a Haunted House attraction.
"Hey! Jiajia Sister, have you ever been in a Haunted House? Do you want to go in for a try?" An Qi inquired.
"I've been afraid of ghosts since I was young, so I've never tried it, and I don't dare to," Zhou Jiajia answered.
She was extremely repelled by the Haunted House because she was truly timid and particularly afraid of encountering ghosts; especially those that seemed to appear out of nowhere, which was really terrifying.
"Then let's go into the Haunted House for a turn!" said An Qi.
"Why?" Zhou Jiajia was somewhat puzzled; she had already made her attitude clear, so why was An Qi challenging her? This wasn't like her style at all?
"Because An Qi wants to help Jiajia Sister overcome her fear and conquer herself," An Qi replied earnestly.
"No need! I don't need to conquer myself," Zhou Jiajia hastily declined.
"Ghosts inside the Haunted House may look scary and ferocious on the surface, but in reality, they're all fake, just props, there's no need to be afraid, those ghosts won't eat you, please be assured, Jiajia Sister," An Qi explained.
"Even if they are fake, I still don't want to see them," Zhou Jiajia responded firmly.
She was most afraid of seeing ghosts in her life; just seeing one, she would imprint its terrifying visage in her mind forever; recalling it would shock her every time. That feeling was just too horrifying, and after trying once, she vowed never to see ghosts again.
"How about this then, Jiajia Sister, you accompany me inside, then you close your eyes, and I'll lead you by the hand; would that work?" An Qi proposed.
"No way!" Zhou Jiajia replied decisively.
"I don't want to hear those terrifying sounds," Zhou Jiajia answered.
The gloomy sounds of horror movies and haunted houses were truly spine-chilling; even with eyes closed, not seeing any ghosts, the shadow of the ghost would involuntarily come to mind, which was also terrifying.
At this point, Lin Yifan spoke up, "Don't be afraid! The Haunted House is really not as scary as you imagine."
He, too, wanted to help Zhou Jiajia overcome the terror in her heart and conquer herself.
"Really?" Zhou Jiajia asked.
For some reason, hearing the words from the person she loved, she felt much more at peace.
"Really," Lin Yifan replied sincerely.
"Then, can you come in with us?" Zhou Jiajia asked.
"As long as Mr. An doesn't mind, of course there's no problem," Lin Yifan answered.
Just as Zhou Jiajia was about to ask An Qi, An Qi quickly replied, "There's no need to ask, as long as Jiajia agrees to go in, any condition is fine with me."
Perhaps it was because Zhou Jiajia felt too insecure that she was afraid to go in; now with the expert Lin Yifan accompanying her, she believed she wouldn't be so scared.
"Let's head out then," Zhou Jiajia said, and then she instructed Lin Yifan, "Mr. Lin, you must protect me later."
"Rest assured! Even if the sky falls, I will hold it up for you," Lin Yifan replied.
With Lin Yifan's words, Zhou Jiajia felt much more at ease; she believed that Lin Yifan would definitely be able to protect her safety.
After renting the Haunted House for an hour, they began their courage training by entering it.
As soon as she entered the Haunted House, Zhou Jiajia smelled a ghastly odor; the sounds of ghostly screams were incessant, continuously assaulting her frail heart.
So, she clung to An Qi's clothes, bowed her head, and dared not look at the surroundings.
"Don't be scared, Sister Jiajia, there's nothing to worry about," An Qi comforted her, then continued forward.
After moving a few steps further, the lights on the left suddenly brightened, and a menacing "ghost" appeared in An Qi and Lin Yifan's field of vision.
However, neither of them was scared because they knew it was fake and nothing to be truly frightened of.
"Sister Jiajia, there's a ghost on our left, do you want to open your eyes and take a look?" An Qi asked.
"No! Don't!" Zhou Jiajia answered.
Just from hearing the sounds, she already felt overwhelmingly scared; seeing the ghost might completely shatter her courage. So, she resolutely decided not to look.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a prop, it won't eat people," An Qi tried to convince her.
On the other side, Lin Yifan also joined in the persuasion, "That's right, don't be scared, it really is just a prop, I would never lie to you."
"I can't help it! I'm still very scared!" Zhou Jiajia responded.
"Then how about this, I'll cover its entire face, and then you can open your eyes and look, okay?" Lin Yifan suggested.
The scariest part of a ghost is its twisted, bloodstained face; once the face is obscured, it wouldn't be so terrifying anymore.
"Can you promise me not to move your hand away halfway through?" Zhou Jiajia requested.
Because she was genuinely terrified that Lin Yifan would suddenly move his hand away and she would see a frightening ghost face.
"Okay, I promise you," Lin Yifan replied.
"Then go cover its face quickly," Zhou Jiajia urged.
The truth was, she agreed because she wanted to try to overcome the fear in her heart.
Lin Yifan quickly walked over, stretched out his hand, and covered the "ghost's" face; then he said, "All set! You can open your eyes now."
At that moment, Zhou Jiajia slowly lifted her head, then slightly opened her eyes, and looked forward to the left.
She saw a figure in ragged clothes appear in her field of view; with the help of the dim green light, she could tell the hands, feet, and body were fake, with only the tattered clothes being real. At this point, she finally relaxed a lot more.
"How about it, Sister Jiajia? Didn't I tell you the truth? It's just a prop, like the mannequins we see in clothing stores, just modified a bit," An Qi said.
"It is indeed fake, but it's still made somewhat realistically," Zhou Jiajia replied.