Song Tinghuan felt that the person in front of her was like a cat standing right on the edge of stress.
Cats became very nervous in crowded places, so she had to take extra care of him.
Watching Shen Yuqing sip the water in small mouthfuls like a cat, Song Tinghuan saw some color gradually return to his pale face.
“I still have chocolate. Do you want some?”
Shen Yuqing shook his head. “No. Too sweet.”
“Alright. If you’ve rested enough, we can head out now.”
Shen Yuqing pressed his lips together. “Let’s go take a look at the carousel.”
Song Tinghuan blinked. “Hm? You’re okay now?”
Shen Yuqing had already maneuvered his wheelchair out of the shade himself.
“I can’t stay indoors for the rest of my life.”
Song Tinghuan quickly packed the cup into her bag, gathered their things, and hurried after Shen Yuqing’s wheelchair.
Very good.
It seemed the cat had decided to bravely explore the world.
A kindergarten happened to be visiting the amusement park that day, and an entire class of children was lined up in front of the carousel.
They chirped and chattered like a flock of cheerful sparrows.
Song Tinghuan pushed Shen Yuqing’s wheelchair behind the little sparrows.
“President Shen, I think you should try the carousel.”
“I don’t want to.”
“It has seat belts, and it doesn’t go very fast.”
“Safety isn’t the issue.”
“Then do you think a carousel is too childish?”
Shen Yuqing lifted his chin slightly.
“We’re the only two adults in line.”
“Who says that?”
Song Tinghuan turned slightly to one side. Behind her stood a young couple.
“See? There are two more adults.”
Shen Yuqing: “…”
Song Tinghuan’s tone became persuasive.
“Really not going to try it?”
Shen Yuqing asked: “Can we wait until there are fewer people?”
Song Tinghuan replied: “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
A little girl walked over and looked up at Shen Yuqing with innocent curiosity.
“Uncle, where did you buy your chair? I saw that it’s electric. It looks so convenient. I want to sit in one too.”
Once someone started, more children who had been watching gathered around.
“Uncle, I’ll give you my favorite Ultraman toy if you let me sit in it for one minute!”
“I have Princess Elsa! I’ll only sit for half a minute!”
The little sparrows chirped noisily, continuously driving up the market price.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuqing’s expression grew darker and darker.
Song Tinghuan quickly stepped in.
“Kids, this isn’t an ordinary chair. It’s Uncle’s wheelchair.”
“I want my mom to buy me a wheelchair too!”
“Me too! Me too!”
The two kindergarten teachers hurriedly tried to calm the children while apologizing to Shen Yuqing.
“I’m very sorry. The children are still too young and don’t understand what a wheelchair is. I’ll apologize on their behalf.”
Shen Yuqing replied stiffly: “It’s alright.”
“Okay, children, it’s your turn to ride the carousel. Everyone line up properly.”
The teacher gave the order.
To everyone’s surprise, not a single child was interested in the carousel anymore.
Every pair of eyes remained fixed on Shen Yuqing’s wheelchair.
The teachers looked awkward.
Actually, if they simply explained that Shen Yuqing was disabled, the children would understand immediately and calm down.
But saying that directly in front of Shen Yuqing felt somewhat inappropriate.
Several adults exchanged glances while remaining locked in a standoff with the children.
Song Tinghuan clapped her hands.
“Kids, I have chocolate here. If you take big sister’s chocolate, then you can’t ask for Uncle’s wheelchair anymore, okay?”
“Big sister, but we don’t want chocolate.”
One child spoke timidly, yet full of anticipation.
This time, even Song Tinghuan was out of ideas.
Then Shen Yuqing let out a leisurely sigh.
“Anyone who wants to try the wheelchair, line up.”
Song Tinghuan stared at him.
“?!”
“No way.” she said in disbelief. “You’re really going to let them use your wheelchair?!”
Compared to her shock, Shen Yuqing remained calm.
“It won’t break from being sat on.”
He taught the kindergarten teacher how to operate the forward and reverse controls of the wheelchair, then turned to Song Tinghuan.
“Weren’t you trying to get me to try the carousel?”
With mixed feelings, Song Tinghuan worked together with the staff to help Shen Yuqing onto the carousel.
When she looked again, she noticed that he had parked his wheelchair far away.
The children had all turned their backs toward him and were lining up to experience the wheelchair.
As a result, there were indeed far fewer people around.
Though the young couple still remained.
Song Tinghuan handed them some chocolate.
“This chocolate is really sweet. If you eat my chocolate, could you maybe go walk around somewhere else first and come back to ride the carousel later?”
“We—we don’t want your chocolate. Could we try the wheelchair too?”
Song Tinghuan stammered: “I-I suppose so.”
“Thank you so much!”
Holding the chocolate she had completely failed to promote, Song Tinghuan returned to Shen Yuqing’s side.
“I never expected your wheelchair would clear the area. Now there are dozens of horses here, and they’re all yours!”
Shen Yuqing: “…”
He pointed to a pink carousel horse beside him.
“You can ride that one.”
“Sure thing.”
Shen Yuqing rode a white horse.
Since he couldn’t use strength in his legs, the staff had attached additional restraints around his ankles.
Shen Yuqing wanted to say they weren’t necessary.
With his own core strength, sitting steadily on the horse wasn’t a problem.
But when he saw Song Tinghuan carefully inspecting the restraints, he swallowed those words.
Once everything was ready, the carousel began turning slowly to cheerful music.
Shen Yuqing instinctively held his breath and gripped the pole in front of him tightly with both hands.
The wooden horse rose and fell to imitate the sensation of real horseback riding, though the motion was gentle.
This was the first time in Shen Yuqing’s twenty-seven years of life that he had ever ridden a carousel.
“President Shen, look at me!”
Following the voice, Shen Yuqing turned toward Song Tinghuan.
A flash went off before his eyes.
The instant camera was pointed directly at him.
But he felt certain that his expression couldn’t have looked very good.
It was his first time riding a carousel, and he still hadn’t adjusted to it.
While he was considering how to ask Song Tinghuan to take another picture, she suddenly exclaimed,
“Huh? There’s only one sheet of film left!”
Shen Yuqing: “…”
Song Tinghuan put the instant camera back into her bag, took out her phone, and opened the camera app.
The lens aimed at Shen Yuqing.
“President Shen, look at me again!”
Shen Yuqing ignored her.
“President Shen! Over here, over here!”
“You can keep that angle too. Your side profile is especially handsome!”
“President Shen, your eyelashes are so long and curled, and your nose bridge is so high and straight!”
“Wow, your—”
Before she could finish the compliment, Shen Yuqing couldn’t take it anymore and turned his head away.
At that exact moment, the carousel happened to rotate toward the children.
They surrounded Shen Yuqing’s wheelchair.
Every single one of them was genuinely delighted, their smiles pure and radiant.
Farther away stood the amusement park’s Ferris wheel, towering beneath the vast crimson clouds spreading across the sky at sunset.
Song Tinghuan pressed the shutter.
In the photograph, a trace of helplessness lingered on Shen Yuqing’s refined features.
Yet the corners of his lips curved faintly upward.
A smile shone within his dark eyes, sparkling brightly.
The breeze created by the carousel lifted the loose strands of hair across his forehead, each strand dyed golden by the setting sun.
A sudden thought came to Song Tinghuan.
Shen Yuqing was a gentle, amiable, fluffy little golden cat.
The same color as a Lucky Cat.