Peach-Orange! – Chapter 200 – Are You Looking for Me?

There was no escape now.

Chi Xiaocheng hid in the bushes near the pavilion, her scarecrow legs perched on a branch, only her head peeking slightly through the leaves as she watched Chu Lingfeng approach step by step.

She could tell he was deliberately toying with her, possibly even calling for backup to surround the area.

It was a bit risky.

But this was also a chance to deal with Chu Lingfeng right here, right now!

She had to take the gamble!

Otherwise, with over ten days left before her full revival, she couldn’t possibly keep an eye on Su Tao every second. What if, under the influence of the world’s will, Chu Lingfan pulled some stunt?

He was already trying every trick to get close to Tao-Tao!

Watching him step into the pavilion, Chi Xiaocheng hid herself completely and spoke in her mind, “System, you better come through for me and activate the Blackening skill properly this time. Don’t pull a ‘Ye Liang’ situation where neither Blackening nor acting skills worked.”

[Uh…]

The system hesitated for a moment.

[Don’t worry, Host. This time, I’ll give it my all!]

With the system’s reassurance, Chi Xiaocheng felt confident.

But before revealing herself, maybe she could squeeze some emotional value out of this male lead first.

As she prepared, Chu Lingfeng stepped into the pavilion, fists lightly clenched in a combat stance.

“Come out, you charlatan!”

His voice was calm, his emotions steady after mentally preparing himself on the way here.

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Chi Xiaocheng glanced at her nearly depleted emotional value reserves and decisively stepped onto the bushes. The cute yet eerie scarecrow parted its dry, cracked lips.

“Are… you looking for me?”

She deliberately used a voice-modulation skill to mimic Fiddlesticks’ voice from L**gue of L*g*nds ¹ Ew .

Chu Lingfeng turned toward the sound, and when his eyes met those crimson pupils, his heart clenched.

The fear conveyed by those cat-like eyes was already affecting him.

But Chu Lingfeng remained composed. “What, too cowardly to show yourself? Just hiding behind this puppet? I don’t think we have any grudges, do we?”

“Do ghosts need a reason to haunt people?”

Chu Lingfeng scoffed. “Ghost? If you’re really a ghost, then come out already!”

He refused to believe ghosts actually existed!

That said, his body instinctively shifted into a defensive stance.

However, the terrifying scene he expected didn’t happen. The scarecrow on the bushes suddenly froze, only its glowing red eyes still fixed on him.

The villa’s garden was well-lit, and even this area had a faint glow.

But with the birthday banquet about to start, everyone had gathered in the front hall, leaving this place deserted. The winter breeze rustled the bushes, accompanied by the occasional chirping of insects.

In horror movies, aside from music, the atmosphere was the most crucial element in scaring people.

Soon, Chi Xiaocheng heard the system’s notification in her mind.

[Male Lead Chu Lingfeng experiences nervous palpitations due to Host’s actions.]

[Emotional Value +34…]

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New characters really were something else. After Su Tao had her breakdowns, no matter how much pressure Chi Xiaocheng applied, the emotional value she provided was always single-digit.

Yet here, just from some basic fear, she got 34 points.

It felt inexplicably satisfying.

Apart from the wind, nothing happened for a while. The tense Chu Lingfeng instinctively relaxed slightly.

Was this all just a bluff?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The scarecrow, which had been sitting motionless on the bushes, suddenly grew taller, morphing into a terrifying gaping maw that lunged straight at him!

Chu Lingfeng’s legs trembled, and he instinctively threw himself to the ground.

But the maw vanished the moment he dodged.

Illusion skills consumed emotional value rapidly, so a split-second scare was enough.

[Male Lead Chu Lingfeng experiences panic due to Host’s actions.]

[Emotional Value +21…]

[Emotional Value +17…]

[Emotional Value +33…]

Unlike the one-time gain earlier, Chu Lingfeng had now entered a state of sustained terror.

The constant notifications filled Chi Xiaocheng with immense satisfaction.

But the horror show wasn’t over yet.

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Aside from the gaping maw, various monsters from horror films materialized before Chu Lingfeng’s eyes. Each time he flinched in fear, the apparitions vanished instantly.

Even someone as slow as Chu Lingfeng would eventually catch on after being scared over a dozen times.

These were all illusions. Everything that suddenly appeared was fake!

By the time he belatedly realized it, Chi Xiaocheng had already profited 300 emotional value.

She sat on the bushes, staring at Chu Lingfeng with an amused smirk.

Her eerie eyes sparkled with delight.

But the male lead, now thoroughly toyed with, was far from happy. His face darkened, and for the first time, he charged straight at Chi Xiaocheng, reaching out to grab the doll!

Chi Xiaocheng had long prepared for this. She leaped sideways into the bushes, vanishing from Chu Lingfeng’s sight.

The once-composed male lead was now drenched in sweat, his expression grim.

He stomped into the bushes and shouted, “Come out!”

Every time he yelled, an answer echoed in his ears:

“Are you looking for me?”

Along with the reply came another illusion.

This time, a man materialized in front of him, swinging a cleaver straight at his head!

Even though he knew it was fake, Chu Lingfeng’s heart still raced with fear.

Only when the blade passed harmlessly through his arm did he exhale in relief.

The repeated taunts wore down Chu Lingfeng’s nerves.

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His reactions to the illusions grew increasingly numb.

The emotional value consumed by the skill could no longer be recouped from Chu Lingfeng’s dwindling fear.

500 points… she had already milked him dry.

And the illusions Chi Xiaocheng conjured later were all of real people attacking him with knives.

By the end, he couldn’t even be bothered to dodge.

The story of the boy who cried wolf had never felt more apt.

Facing this male lead, Chi Xiaocheng remained fully alert.

Just as Chu Lingfeng slumped weakly against the pavilion’s railing, another voice reached his ears.

“Why did you stop looking for me?”

This time, it wasn’t Fiddlesticks’ raspy, terrifying tone, but a soft, almost adorable voice.

Behind him, a little girl in a hooded cloak and twin tails had appeared at some point.

She clutched a fruit knife, her crimson eyes identical to the scarecrow’s.

With a creepy yet cute smile, she said, “If you won’t come find me… then I’ll come find you~”

Blackening, activated!

The precision of a surgical strike!

The fruit knife flashed, aiming straight for Chu Lingfeng’s throat!