Chapter 36: The Real and Fake Masked Seniors

Zhao Kai had been buzzing with excitement all night at the prospect of livestreaming with a goddess. Ji Yun, for his part, was curious to see if Senior Xia Li was truly a supernatural being.

The next day, Saturday. 11:30 PM. The agreed-upon time was 11:50 PM.

In the small grove not far from the T4 women's dormitory, an eager Zhao Kai dragged Ji Yun along to wait early. The school dorms were already locked, and because of the recent rumors about the "Masked Senior," fewer couples were skulking in the grove for intimacy.

Looking somewhat disappointed, Zhao Kai muttered to himself, "Man, why is the location at the school? I thought we were going somewhere off-campus."

Ji Yun smiled, knowing exactly why the chubby guy was let down. Since getting the invitation yesterday, Zhao Kai had been conjuring up countless scenarios in his head. He’d imagined a wilderness livestream—like outdoor camping, thrilling and exciting with a goddess. Even if it were off-campus, surely there would be a late-night snack afterward, maybe a few drinks at a bistro, followed by games like "King’s Game" or "Truth or Dare." He’d seen plenty of those tropes in Korean dramas.

But here they were, in the school they knew all too well. It was hard to imagine any interesting plot developments.

With time to kill before the meeting, Zhao Kai grew restless. He draped an arm over Ji Yun's shoulder, patting him as he grumbled, "Brother Yun, what is there to livestream in our school? Is it that 'Masked Senior'? Even though everyone’s raving about it, I’ve always felt like someone is intentionally stirring the pot. It’s boring."

The fat guy had a naturally bold heart and didn't really believe the "Masked Senior" was a ghost story. Ji Yun also felt that this urban legend was the only thing in school with any real traffic. But if that was all there was, the livestream wouldn't be very effective. If they didn't run into the "Masked Senior," it would just be a boring stream of people wandering around campus. And if it were a real ghost, how could they be so easily encountered?

Bored while waiting, Ji Yun felt the fat guy patting his shoulder and casually warned, "Fatty, don't just pat people on the shoulder at night."

Zhao Kai was confused. "Why not?"

Ji Yun cited some folk beliefs he’d heard from elders when he was young. "People have three flames on their bodies—one on the forehead and one on each shoulder. This is where your 'Yang' energy resides. At night, a person's aura is weaker than during the day. If someone suddenly pats your shoulder, you might get startled and snuff out the flame on your shoulder, damaging your Yang energy and making you vulnerable to unclean things."

Zhao Kai let out an "Ah?"

Ji Yun, playing along to spook him, added, "Also, the thing patting your shoulder in the middle of the night might... not be human."

Joking aside, it was also the truth. With the supernatural resurgence, it was good to remind his friend to be cautious. Once the words were out, combined with the atmosphere of the grove, the mood suddenly shifted.

However, Zhao Kai clearly wasn't scared. Instead, his small eyes rolled, and he let out a weird laugh. "Oh? Learned something new, did we?"

Seeing the look on his face, Ji Yun knew the guy was up to no good. He was probably already planning how to create an opportunity to show off. Ji Yun sighed helplessly.

Just then, a few people walked over from the distance.

Zhao Kai said excitedly, "The seniors are here!"

...

"Hello everyone! You can see our outdoor spirit-hunting livestream today is taking place right here in our school... I'm sure you've noticed that the buildings here have a Soviet style..."

"The 'Masked Senior'? No, no, I have no interest in those baseless rumors."

"What Chestnut is exploring today is a very famous, terrifying legend that actually happened in this building—the [Ghost Nurse of the 426 Hospital]."

"This isn't your average urban legend. Back in the day, this was banned by officials and only declassified recently now that the time limit has passed. Don't believe me? I've posted the documents in the comment section... This is the 'Jianghua Daily' from sixty years ago. You'll understand what I'm talking about once you read it..."

"Today, let Chestnut take you all to explore the legendary 426 Hospital..."

The stream had begun. Xia Li was walking with her phone and a selfie stick, narrating as she went. Her words were half-truth, half-embellishment—necessary, of course, to boost the show's effect.

After listening for a while, both Ji Yun and Zhao Kai were surprised to find that the content of the spirit-hunting stream wasn't the "Masked Senior" they had expected, but the "T4 Women's Dormitory" itself!

In fact, when Ji Yun first heard the location, he had vaguely guessed it might be the T4 dorm. After all, several real suicide cases had occurred there. If one were to livestream, there was plenty to talk about. But the school had blocked the news, so few people should have known. And if the supernatural event hadn't spread, the stream wouldn't be very effective. Hearing her explanation, it seemed Xia Li didn't actually know about the suicide cases, but she had found another entry point.

Ji Yun was surprised to learn that the "426 Hospital," the predecessor to the T4 dorm, had a history of hauntings.

...

As a guest, Zhao Kai had already enthusiastically greeted Senior Xia Li. Being a top donor, the senior gave him a sweet smile, even if she didn't say much on camera. The fat guy was more than happy to serve as background decoration. Ji Yun was just there to make up the numbers; no one paid him any mind, and he didn't pay any mind to them either.

Curious, he clicked on Xia Li's livestream and saw the old newspaper in the comment section. The title was indeed [The Ghost Nurse of the 426 Hospital]. It looked like a genuine old paper. In the era of print media, small papers often carried wild content to attract readers, frequently featuring bizarre, sensational stories—ghost stories were common.

Ji Yun glanced at it. It basically told the story of a nurse at the 426 Hospital who fell to her death and became an evil spirit, leading to many terrifying events in the hospital.

...

Things like "midnight baby cries" and "red leather shoes in the morgue." The content wasn't long, but every word felt condensed with horror. Even Ji Yun felt that this wasn't fiction, but something that had actually happened in history.

The comments in the stream were also completely shocked. Some locals from Jianghua even claimed their grandparents had told this story. With more viewers chiming in, a sense of reality began to permeate the stream. The atmosphere of the spirit-hunting broadcast suddenly intensified, and the viewership continued to climb.

But because those fans were stoking the fire, Ji Yun grew suspicious that it was all just for show. Much like the "Masked Senior," it seemed like something intentionally spread by someone at the school.

...

There were ten people in this group. The lead was, of course, Xia Li. Beside her was a 185cm athlete named Jiang Tian—the captain of the school soccer team, handsome and from a wealthy family. Rumor had it his father was a construction magnate. He was likely brought on for his looks; handsome men and beautiful women always attracted traffic.

Aside from Ji Yun and Zhao Kai, there were three other men and three other women. Ji Yun didn't know them well, though he remembered seeing them at the last Spirit Society gathering. He had a vague impression of two seniors, Wu Feng and Zhang Xiaonan. He had wondered back then why seniors about to graduate were interested in this club. The other three introduced themselves: Song Wei, Cheng Yu, and Lu Jiu. Not being familiar with them, Ji Yun just nodded.

What surprised him slightly was that Liao Feifei had come too! And she was livestreaming as well.

"Today, Feifei has managed to arrange a joint stream with our school's big influencer, Sister Li. You guys might not know, but Sister Li is a genuine medium~"

Liao Feifei was sensible, seemingly aware she was there to ride the coattails of the traffic; she kept the camera off herself and focused mostly on Xia Li. With her humble, inquisitive attitude, no one in the group said anything. Only Ji Yun felt that something was off.

If today's location were anywhere else, it would be fine. But it had to be the T4 dorm, because Lin Kexin had died by falling from this very building.

"Does she really not know?" Ji Yun thought. The detective files only suggested Liao Feifei was a suspect; they hadn't reached a conclusion. If she really knew Lin Kexin had fallen here, how could she act like nothing was wrong and dare to come here for a livestream?

As he walked, a thought wouldn't stop nagging at him. But... what if? I mean, just what if? What if Liao Feifei actually knew?

"Hiss!"

Once that thought took root, Ji Yun took a sharp breath. Any plot involving this assumption was hair-raising.

...

As he was thinking, Zhao Kai called out from the side, "Brother Yun, what are you spacing out for? Let's go."

Ji Yun pulled himself together. Seeing his best friend's excited expression, he felt he was overthinking, but he still asked, "Fatty, if I told you I feel like tonight is a bit ominous and we should go back, would you leave?"

The fat guy chuckled, teasing, "Brother Yun, that doesn't sound like you." He added, "Of course I'm not leaving! If a ghost really shows up and is rude enough to interrupt my date with the senior, I'll have to give it a couple of slaps!"

Ji Yun wasn't surprised by the answer. With the fat guy's heart, if he really encountered a ghost, he'd be too busy playing the protector to be afraid. After waiting so long for a chance to join an activity with the goddess, he wouldn't give it up for anything.

Zhao Kai looked at him again. "What's wrong? Why do you seem so weird tonight?"

"Nothing." Ji Yun shook his head. He felt he was being paranoid. Besides, he didn't know how to explain it. Tell him the world had ghosts? Tell him the T4 building had a series of suicide cases? The last few detectives involved in that case had already become "ghosts" themselves. Ji Yun didn't dare speak loosely, nor did he want to harm anyone.

Moreover, in the detective files, "Old Xiao" had only suspected the cases involved the supernatural. Ji Yun had been filling in the gaps himself. From start to finish, no crisis had actually occurred; it was all just his imagination. What if he was just overthinking?

He couldn't persuade the fatty, and he couldn't stop the livestream. With that, Ji Yun stopped struggling and followed along. He figured that if it really were a supernatural event, having him there meant he wouldn't be abandoning his friend.

In fact, deep down, Ji Yun was actually looking forward to encountering something. No, to be precise, the "ghost" inside him was looking forward to it. The hunger had been growing stronger these past few days. A ghost needed food. Since there was a suspected supernatural site at the school, he had to check it out.

Schools were places with high Yang energy; theoretically, even if they were haunted, it shouldn't be too severe. Ji Yun's current methods weren't completely useless against spectral entities. Besides, wasn't Senior Xia Li a medium from a family line? If it were a supernatural event, she should know some spells, right?

...

Just as he was thinking this, a dramatic scene unfolded!

Xia Li's live chat began to roll like a tide.

"There's someone behind you!"

"Look, there's a woman in white with a mask in the woods behind you!"

"Ah... she's floating! She's floating as she walks!"

"My god, the 'Masked Senior' of Jianghua is real!"

"Hahaha, I have to say, even if it's just for the show, this actor is really good. The ghost-walk doesn't even stutter~"

A wave of excitement swept through the comments. Ji Yun, the fatty, and the other guests were all bewildered. When they looked back, the dark woods were completely empty. Where was the Masked Senior?

They looked at Xia Li, who gave a playful pout, seemingly accustomed to this. "Everyone~ you want to scare Chestnut again, don't you?"

This happened often in previous streams. When they went to haunted places, viewers would intentionally post comments to scare the host, claiming to see things just to watch her panic. Xia Li had been scared before, but after doing it so many times, she was used to it.

She added, with a mock-terrified tone, "If the 'Masked Senior' really is here, I'll have her say hello to everyone in a bit~"

But this didn't dampen the fans' enthusiasm. Instead, they all insisted they had really seen her. Xia Li continued to banter with the viewers, "Stop it, you guys. If the 'Senior' actually crawls out of your phone screens to find you, don't blame Chestnut~"

The viewers quickly spammed, "We won't blame the host. We'll be grateful for nature's gift."

Seeing the stream heat up instantly, Xia Li acted annoyed, but she was secretly thrilled. She knew the viewers weren't lying about seeing someone—it was a warm-up act she had arranged. She had hired an actor to pretend to be the "Masked Senior" and flash across the camera. Admitting she saw it would seem fake, so pretending she didn't see it created controversy. And controversy was traffic.

Xia Li felt a sense of pride, praising her actor for being professional enough to vanish in a flash.

The group of ten continued to chat and stream as they walked, soon entering the southern section of the T4 dormitory.

...

Not long after the group left, two people on an electric scooter hurried over. The girl in the white dress got off the scooter, looked around, and saw no one. She was anxious. "Oh no, it's over! We're late for the time we agreed with Senior Xia Li, it's already twelve..."

The other one said, "It's all your fault! Why did you put on the mask so early? We got stopped by the security guard, and now look!"

They were helpless. With the rumors of the "Masked Senior" sweeping the school, the administration was on high alert. Of course they got stopped, wandering around at midnight in white dresses and masks. They could only blame themselves, especially since they were the ones who had spread most of the rumors to pave the way for this spirit-hunting stream.

Opening the stream on their phones, they saw the seniors were already inside the building. The two actors felt as if the sky had collapsed.