God of Drama

Chapter 4 They Exist

"Achoo!!"

In the cold wind, Chen Ling sneezed hard.

Having been born in the north, Chen Ling struggled to handle the weather here—cold and damp, even though the sun was shining brightly, it didn’t bring any warmth.

"Make way, make way!"

A lazy voice came from the front. Chen Ling snapped back to attention and instinctively stepped to the side of the road.

He saw, at the end of the road, a three-wheeled cart slowly approaching. One boy was riding the bike, and another sat on the back with two large barrels of salt.

The boy scooped up salt with a ladle and scattered it onto the frosty road. As the salt fell, the frost on the ground gradually melted.

"Yo, Chen Ling?" The one spreading salt raised an eyebrow when he saw Chen Ling by the road.

"Didn’t expect to see the top student here. Didn't you go for the law enforcement exam? Did you get eliminated?"

Chen Ling recognized the face, and memories flooded his mind.

His name was Zhao Yi. They had grown up on the same street, but Zhao Yi had always been envious of Chen Ling. In high school, when Chen Ling excelled, Zhao Yi’s mother constantly compared him to Chen Ling, making him resent Chen Ling.

"I passed the written exam, still need to do the physical test." Chen Ling replied casually.

"Hehe, well, good luck with that!"

As he spoke, Zhao Yi scooped up a big ladle of salt and threw it onto the road, hitting Chen Ling in the process. The flying salt stuck to his hair and coat.

Chen Ling didn’t expect Zhao Yi to pull such a prank. He quickly brushed the salt off and glared at Zhao Yi.

By now, Zhao Yi had already sat back on the cart and was leisurely riding away, one foot resting on the salt barrels. He stuck out his tongue and made a face at Chen Ling.

Chen Ling, now a twenty-eight-year-old adult who had experienced the harshness of society, felt a mix of anger and amusement at such a childish prank. But he didn’t plan to chase after the boy to give him a beating. Instead, he silently noted this down in his mind, as he had more important things to do right now.

Just as he was about to continue walking, something on the ground caught his eye.

The salt that had touched the frost made it melt, leaving some white residue on the ground. At that instant, Chen Ling saw a line of text forming before him—

[Audience Expectation: 27%]

Before Chen Ling could react, the salt completely dissolved, and the scene disappeared as though it had been a fleeting hallucination.

Chen Ling rubbed his eyes hard, muttering to himself:

"It can’t be..."

A sense of urgency surged again, and Chen Ling quickened his pace, heading straight for the clinic.

A few minutes later, Chen Ling pushed open the door of the clinic.

It was called a clinic, but it was actually a two-story house on Han Shuang Street. It looked simple and gray, reminding Chen Ling of the house back in his rural hometown.

But despite its rough appearance, this was one of the better houses on Han Shuang Street. At least it had two stories and could block the wind.

"You again." Behind the wooden desk, a man in a white coat tilted his head slightly, "Here to get medicine for your brother again? Didn’t he go to the hospital in District 2?"

"This time it’s not Ah Yan, it’s me." Chen Ling sat down at the desk, feeling a little nervous.

"Oh? What’s wrong? What’s bothering you?"

"I... I don’t feel right in my head."

"Is it a physical headache, or...?"

"I’ve been having hallucinations lately."

"Psychiatric issues?" The doctor raised an eyebrow, adjusting his glasses, "That’s my specialty... Let’s talk about your symptoms."

"I had a dream last night. I was standing on a stage, and there were many spectators below. I couldn’t see their faces, but they weren’t human. I kept running on the stage but could never find an exit..."

"Dream analysis is not part of my business."

"I know." Chen Ling took a deep breath, "But when I woke up, it felt like... they were still watching me."

Hearing