Trembling At A High Altitude

Although everyone warmly invited them, the couple didn't stay at the old house for dinner with the rest.

"We have elderly and children to take care of at home," they said before instructing everyone to throw their dishes into the sink outside the kitchen after eating, then they left.

The Taoist temple on the hill had already closed its doors and didn't even have the lights on.

It seemed that on this night, everyone could only rely on themselves.

"As long as we don't split up, nothing bad will happen. Let's play mahjong and cards all through the night without parting," the general manager suggested during dinner.

"That's a great idea; we can always sleep after dawn if we have to," the secretary concurred.

"Should we move the mahjong table inside the house though? Staying out here in the courtyard just doesn't feel safe," the financial officer suggested after glancing around.

"Let's stay in the courtyard. It's more convenient for things like going to the bathroom, so no one gets left behind. If something happens, we can all rush to help immediately," the general manager disagreed with the financial officer's suggestion.

The others felt the general manager made a lot of sense.

Li Teng didn't say much, just quietly ate his food.

With age, his appetite wasn't what it used to be. He quickly felt full and couldn't eat any more even if he wanted to.

...

Evening.

The sound of mahjong tiles clacking, the noise of playing Fight the Landlord.

The courtyard was continuously noisy and never quieted down.

The mahjong and Fight the Landlord tables were placed together.

Everyone even went to the bathroom in pairs.

"Haha, that ghost must be getting annoyed by now. We just won't split up, so it can't do anything to us."

"Exactly, the premise of the script is that the ghost only comes out at night, but as long as we stick together at night, the ghost can't do anything. It's an easy game to beat."

"Still, let's not let our guard down. Don't think it's all fine just because the ghost hasn't shown up, then carelessly end up alone, giving the ghost a chance to strike. For all we know, that ghost might just be lurking around us, watching, ready to make its move at any moment."

"Yeah, makes sense. I'm actually kind of suspicious of that Taoist; he looked really strange. He might just be the ghost, causing trouble at night."

"Oh? If that's the case, why don't we all gang up and take him out during the day? Then we'd be safe, right?"

"Hehe, all these Taoists in ghost films are usually experts, even possessing supernatural powers. You guys go kill him? Count me out. If he turns the tables and I get KO'ed, it would be too late even for tears."

"How would you know if you don't try?"

"You try tomorrow then."

While playing mahjong, Fight the Landlord, and discussing the film plot and various possibilities, the group kept themselves entertained.

...

The night grew deeper and deeper.

"So boring! And without gambling or anything, it's just dull mahjong." The female finance officer yawned behind her hand.

These extras usually had days that were either very tough or very boring, and generally went to bed quite early at night.

On the rare occasions they stayed up late, most people were already struggling to keep their eyes open.

Some would play mahjong or cards all night, but only if there was a stake involved; the excitement of winning or losing kept it interesting and helped them stay up all night.

Without the thrill of a stake, mahjong and card games lost much of their appeal, easily causing drowsiness.

"Right, without gambling, it's indeed not much fun. But money is useless here unless you're betting points."

"We can't bet points! There's no way to transfer them."

"It's too boring, I can't keep playing."

"I'm just too sleepy to carry on."

After the finance officer complained, others joined in with their own gripes.

If it hadn't been for the fear of ghost attacks, requiring them to keep together for safety, they would have given up long ago.

"Let's just go to sleep then. Seal the windows and doors tight. There are four people in one room, so it shouldn't be much of an issue," suggested the female manager.

"Sleeping is too risky. Once asleep, it's as if we're all alone, because if a ghost attacks one of us, the others, in their sleep, would know nothing about it," the salesperson disagreed with the manager's viewpoint.

"Four people in a room doesn't count as being alone, right?"

"Hard to say."

"I suggest all eight of us stay in one room. The four men sleep first while the four women keep watch, then the women sleep and the men watch," the general manager made a suggestion.

"The four of us women sleep while the four men watch? Why do I feel this is more frightening than a ghost?" the female manager retorted, and everyone laughed together.

"The biggest rule in Film and Television City is that, unless required by the script or special setting, actors can't attack each other, especially not men towards women in that way— it's strictly prohibited. What are you so worried about?" the general manager replied to the female manager.

"Still, it's scary to have you guys watching us sleep!" the female manager continued to argue, and the others laughed again.

"True, it's embarrassing to be watched while sleeping, farting, drooling, talking in sleep, or grinding teeth," the finance officer supported the manager's view.

"Who's going to watch you sleep? The point is to stay awake to ensure ghosts don't find an opportunity, why overthink it?" the general manager was slightly irritated with the remarks from the female manager and the finance officer, feeling that they were being deliberately argumentative.

"I think the general manager is right. This method is the safest. Struggling to stay awake like this is no good. It's only past eleven, and the night is too long. We really can't hold on without some rest," the secretary supported the general manager.

"We could have the men sleep in one room and the women in another, with two people on guard and two sleeping, then rotate," the female manager proposed a compromise, clearly concerned about the idea of having men watch while she slept.

"Is life or something else more important? Must we split into two groups? Divided, the risk will definitely increase! People like you, with no brains who love to cause trouble, always die first in horror movies— and will probably get others killed too!" the general manager was angered. He never intended to take advantage of the female actors with his suggestion, but the manager's continual opposition frustrated him.

"Who are you calling brainless? Can't you speak properly? You're the one without a brain! I bet your head's filled with crap!" The manager hated being called brainless more than anything, and the moment the general manager did so, her temper flared.

"Can we stop arguing? In horror movies, incidents often start with a quarrel. Can we be a bit more mindful with our words? Stop the name-calling, please. Can't we just work together to make it safely through the night? I'm begging you!" the typically quiet driver spoke up.