The Movie Emperor’s Little Idol 6

As a reward for their previous hike, Bai Liang and Han Yi-Shen received a flashlight each which could be clipped on their shoulders. Shen Qing-Mei and Jiang Wei were second, so they didn't get any bonus or penalty, only getting one small flashlight, while Yi Nian and Wen Zhang who came last were given a penalty by entering only with an electric lantern. If it wasn't because of fire hazards, the program would've already given them a single candle.

They would be entering one by one starting from the first place pair to the last. Meanwhile, the rest would be watching them from a monitor outside and giving reactions. Although it seemed a little unfair for those who went in first, Bai Liang knew from the order of the pairing that it wouldn't affect much.

They entered through the back door and were tasked to find 3 keys inside the building. It would be used to open the front door which was chained and locked by 3 padlocks. In addition, there were bonus items inside that they could find to redeem bonus rewards at the end of the program.

Before their entrance, the crew gave Bai Liang and Han Yi-Shen a selfie camera to shoot their close-up reaction and a slip of paper they could open once they were inside containing the clue for the first key.

One step in, Bai Liang could already sense the ghosts wandering about in the mansion, ready to scare the living daylights out of them. Very professional. He decided to let them be as long as they weren't malicious. The program needed to be entertaining after all. Compared to the vengeful ghosts back in his world, the ones here were cute mischievous children.

Once they entered the hallway, the crew closed the door behind them. They opened the clue and Han Yi-Shen read it out loud for the viewer. "Where a servant burned himself to death." He recalled the guide's stories. "Must be the kitchen."

Bai Liang nodded. The stories on their tour were used for the clues. If they didn't pay attention, they would be useless.

Realizing that as well, the casts outside became restless. Although they seemed listening, the guide practically told them that each room had its own alleged story and took them as a joke. They thought it was only for the mansion's promotion or a means to scare them in this session.

"Xiao Yan, didn't you say you're not good with ghosts?" Han Yi-Shen offered his hand. "Hold my hand and don't be afraid."

Bai Liang wasn't scared but remembered how Han Yi-Shen hid behind him on their tour earlier. Thinking that Han Yi-Shen was the one being scared and trying to act cool again, he helplessly accepted his hand.

"Shen-ge, do you want to look for bonus items?" he asked as they walked.

"Does Xiao Yan want to?"

"I don't mind. If we find the keys too fast, we won't have enough screentime."

Han Yi-Shen laughed and nodded. "Alright. Let's go look for bonus items."

They entered all accessible rooms they passed by to look for the items. They weren't told what they looked like, so they could only keep an eye open for anything that looked out of place. It didn't take long for them to find a white carnation flower in the dining hall, a slip of paper tied to its stem. They opened it to see it was some sort of a price tag.

"The bonus reward is money?" Bai Liang knew now why Qin Ning said that this program was quite huge.

"Let's make a beautiful bouquet then." Han Yi-Shen let Bai Liang hold the flower.

When Bai Liang was about to accept it, they heard a clatter and turned to the noise. The empty candlestick at the centre of the long table was toppled without any wind or rain. They were also a few steps away from the table so it was impossible for them to accidentally hit the table and cause it to fall.

Bai Liang looked at the ghost maid standing on top of the table with the resentment of a single dog. "…"

He took the chance to request something from her.

Although Han Yi-Shen didn't voice it, he agreed with Wen Zhang that the mansion was full of gimmicks to scare them and it was one of those cheap tricks.

"Don't be scared. It's just the wind." He squeezed Bai Liang's hand as he led him out of the dining hall, knowing full well Bai Liang wasn't scared at all.

Bai Liang felt the hand holding him tighten and thought Han Yi-Shen was scared. He wanted to pat him but both of his hands were full. He could only look at Han Yi-Shen in reassurance. "It's alright."

Han Yi-Shen held back his smile and pulled Bai Liang closer. "Be careful and stay close."

"Okay."

Everyone watching outside, "…"

Seeing Bai Liang's unperturbed face, they doubted Han Yi-Shen was blind. What was this feeling of watching a shameless wolf eating a little lamb's tofu?

Bai Liang and Han Yi-Shen strolled through the mansion to find the key like it was nothing but a garden. Every time a 'gimmick' appeared, Han Yi-Sheng would take the chance to pull Bai Liang into his 'protective' embrace. The people felt that, even though being close to Han Yi-Shen should be in Bai Liang's favour, it was the shameless emperor who was taking advantage of the little idol.

Once they collected all the keys, just as Han Yi-Shen promised, he made a bouquet of carnations for Bai Liang. Although it took some time, he was very satisfied seeing Bai Liang holding it. The money would probably be set up for donation, but in case Bai Liang wanted to keep it for himself, he should talk to Luo Kang later.

They exited the manor with their hands still holding each other. With the bouquet in Bai Liang's hand, it was as if they just finished a wedding ceremony instead of a test of courage.

Luo Kang's lips twitched. Truthfully, one hidden intention for this program was to make on-screen couples and feed the audience with the interaction between each pair to attract more viewers. They only added more men to camouflage it from the cast. Who would've thought the thickest dog food was served by the extra?

Bai Liang handed the flowers to the staff and went to where the other casts were. While the staff re-prepared the items in the mansion, the hosts interviewed them, 'scolding' them for being too nonchalant and didn't follow a proper horror script at all.

"Xiao Yan was too scared, so I protected him as I should." Han Yi-Shen gathered Bai Liang into his arms. "Look, he is still trembling."

Bai 'not trembling' Liang, "Shen-ge is right. I'm still very scared."

Everyone, "…"

The ones trembling were the ghosts inside.

After 20 minutes, Jiang Wei and Shen Qing-Mei entered. Jiang Wei's right hand was braced, and he could only use one hand to hold the camera, so he entrusted the flashlight to Shen Qing-Mei. She didn't hide behind him this time and braved herself to lead the way since she was the one who knew the layout.

Jiang Wei could see her hands were trembling and felt both moved and amused. In the end, he let her wrap her arm around his uninjured arm and the two continued like conjoined twins. He wasn't entirely unafraid either but with Shen Qing-Mei, he couldn't help but want to be strong in front of her. He couldn't tell whether the thumping of his heart was from fear or something else.

Bai Liang watched them in approval. In the original trajectory, the two should've gotten separated inside. Jiang Wei would then search for Shen Qing-Mei and find her in a vulnerable state. After an intimate comfort, the two fell in love with one another.

But that would be difficult to do with Shen Qing-Mei's determination to protect Jiang Wei this time, so he told the ghosts to make them inseparable instead. Jiang Wei was already aware of Shen Qing-Mei's vulnerability, and seeing such a person do their best to disregard their fear and support him was equally moving. On the other hand, Shen Qing-Mei was also touched by Jiang Wei's care despite his injury. Coupled with her guilt and gratitude, she would undoubtedly develop affection towards him.

When the pair finished, Bai Liang sensed the attraction between them and knew he was correct. It seems that it was fine not to follow the revelation verbatim as long as the objective was cleared.

Yi Nian's and Wen Zhang's turn was somewhat comedic. One kept screaming while the other kept scolding. They also struggled with the clues the most and ended up searching blindly, spending the longest time inside even compared to Bai Liang's and Han Yi-Shen's treasure hunt.

Once they all finished, it was time to assign their bedrooms.