How can there be atmosphere without the lights on

Hearing this, the girls' eyes lit up.

Xia Keke and Han Xiaoyu laughed, "Bro Fatty, you know how to tell ghost stories too?"

"What's so hard about that? Later, we’ll turn off the lights, gather on the sofa, and share some spooky tales—perfect atmosphere."

"No way, just thinking about it gives me the creeps," Shen Yixue waved her hand in refusal.

Zhang Ziming naturally understood Liu Bo’s intentions. A smirk curled at the corner of his lips as he said, "What’s there to be afraid of with me around? Besides, there are so many of us here."

"You? What can you do besides smoke, drink, and ogle girls?" Shen Yixue didn’t hold back, openly mocking Zhang Ziming in front of everyone.

Zhang Ziming wasn’t fazed—this was just how he and Shen Yixue always interacted.

"Come on, don’t be like that," he said, pulling Shen Yixue toward the sofa.

Meng Wenzhou chuckled, "How about this? Let’s all pick our rooms first, take a shower, and then grab some wine before we start chatting."

"Sounds good."

With that, the group dispersed.

The villa’s living room was incredibly spacious, roughly 260 square meters, with floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping around three sides.

This was Su Yang’s first time stepping into what could truly be called a villa.

Most of the so-called "villas" he’d visited before were just glorified self-built houses—dimly lit, with outdated furniture, completely lacking the essence of a real villa.

But Villa No. 1 was a different story. The living room alone was lavishly decorated.

The central area had a soaring ceiling about eight meters high, with a massive crystal chandelier hanging in the middle. A sleek black piano stood between the living room and dining area.

A wine cabinet, a bar counter, and an open-concept kitchen—both Western and Chinese-style—were all present.

On one side of the living room was the villa’s elevator, and not far from it, a spiral staircase led to the upper floors.

Su Yang took in the opulence and thought to himself, I never used to like villas, but now I’m starting to see the appeal. Once I’m back in Haicheng, I should definitely check out some properties.

He and Pan Ning took the stairs up to the second floor, where there were seven rooms, each with its own bathroom.

They peeked into each one—the rooms were roughly the same size, all furnished with a two-meter-wide bed, a spacious wardrobe, and an LCD TV.

Pan Ning turned to Su Yang and asked, "Which one do you want?"

"Whichever one you pick."

Pan Ning rolled her eyes. "There are so many rooms—why would I share with you?"

"The only downside to this villa is that it has too many rooms," Su Yang teased.

They then checked out the third floor, where Pan Ning immediately took a liking to a room spanning about 40 to 50 square meters.

It had a massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the ocean.

"I’m taking this one," she declared.

Su Yang nodded. "Yeah, this one’s really nice." He walked over to the window, glanced around, and then tossed his bag onto the single-seater sofa nearby.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m staying here too."

Pan Ning rolled her eyes again. "Go next door."

"No way. This room’s comfortable," Su Yang said, playing the stubborn card.

Pan Ning was just putting up a front. Ignoring him, she tossed her bag onto the bed and headed into the bathroom to shower.

Half an hour later, both had freshened up. Pan Ning tied up her short hair and slipped into the villa-provided beige chiffon robe, looking effortlessly elegant.

Su Yang changed into a loose white T-shirt—also provided in each room.

The hotel had thought of everything to ensure guests had a seamless experience. At 100,000 yuan a night, Villa No. 1 had to deliver on even the smallest details.

Seeing Pan Ning’s freshly showered, radiant glow, Su Yang felt a sudden surge of heat.

If they didn’t have to go back downstairs, he’d have been tempted to take her right then and there.

Soon, they rejoined the others.

Liu Bo, Zhang Ziming, Tang Ziyun, Liu Meng, and Xia Keke were already lounging on the oversized living room sofa, chatting and laughing.

Five bottles of red wine and an assortment of snacks and fruits were spread across the coffee table.

Su Yang descended the stairs and grinned at the group. "Wow, you guys got everything ready?"

"Come join us!" Liu Bo waved them over.

Su Yang and Pan Ning settled into a corner of the sofa. Pan Ning kicked off her slippers, curled her legs beneath her, and grabbed a bunch of grapes to snack on.

"Three more to go. Ugh, they’re so slow."

After another ten minutes or so, Meng Wenzhou, Han Xiaoyu, and Shen Yixue finally came downstairs.

Now, all ten of them were seated around the circular sofa. Su Yang had Pan Ning to his left, followed by Shen Yixue, Zhang Ziming, Liu Bo, Liu Meng, Meng Wenzhou, Xia Keke, Han Xiaoyu, and Tang Ziyun.

This arrangement placed Su Yang right between Pan Ning and Tang Ziyun. He glanced around, thoroughly pleased with his spot.

Sandwiched between the two prettiest girls here—life’s good.

[Ding! Host’s mood detected: thoroughly enjoying the moment. Reward: 300,000 yuan.]

As they chatted and poured the wine, Meng Wenzhou turned to Liu Bo. "Weren’t you going to tell a ghost story? Go ahead, dazzle us."

Liu Bo waved a hand. "No rush. We still need props for the full effect." He stood up and walked over to a round table.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting the props. No atmosphere without them."

He returned shortly with a short, stubby candle and placed it on the coffee table in the middle of the sofa.

"What’s this for?" Shen Yixue asked, confused.

"Patience," Liu Bo said, pulling out a lighter to light the candle. Then he grabbed the remote for the living room lights and pressed a button.

The entire first floor plunged into darkness.

"Ahh! Why’d you turn off the lights?!" Shen Yixue and Han Xiaoyu shrieked.

"Come on, you guys get it, right? No darkness, no atmosphere," Liu Bo said, already back in his seat.

"But it’s so scary already!"

"We haven’t even started yet. How are you this jumpy?"

Shen Yixue instinctively scooted closer to Zhang Ziming.

Zhang Ziming shot envious glances at Su Yang and Meng Wenzhou. These guys really lucked out with their seats. Once the scary part kicks in, the girls next to them are gonna cling tight. Ugh, should’ve stayed single longer.

The candle’s faint glow barely illuminated the sofa, casting flickering shadows across their faces while the rest of the room remained pitch black.

The four guys looked completely at ease—ghost stories were child’s play to them.

Especially Su Yang. He was the type to watch horror movies alone at midnight. Nothing fazed him. After all, if he wasn’t afraid of being broke, why would ghosts scare him?

The girls, on the other hand, wore varying degrees of unease.

Pan Ning seemed the least affected, but even she wasn’t immune—most women had a natural fear of the supernatural.

The group subconsciously huddled closer. Tang Ziyun, mindful of Su Yang and Pan Ning’s relationship, kept a slight distance despite her nerves, only letting her arm brush lightly against Su Yang’s.

Liu Bo grinned at the sight.

"Alright," he said, looking around. "Who wants to go first?"

Su Yang thought back to an experience he had a few years ago, then raised his hand and said, "How about I go first?"

"Oh, sure, Yang! Looks like you're someone who watches a lot of horror movies too," someone chimed in.

Su Yang chuckled. "The story I'm about to tell isn’t from a movie."

"Oh? Then it must be from a novel or something."

Su Yang shook his head. "No, this happened to me personally."

As soon as he said this, the girls in the room grew visibly uneasy.

Xia Keke, the most frightened of them all, was already regretting joining this activity. She took a deep breath and said, "Um… maybe we should turn the lights back on? This is really creeping me out."

"Relax, there’s nothing to be scared of with so many of us here. Besides, ghosts aren’t even real," Meng Wenzhou said dismissively.

"O-okay…" Xia Keke replied softly, then inched closer to Meng Wenzhou.