With Cen Jing and Chen Shu acting as the “steady anchors,” the trip to the haunted house ended relatively smoothly.
After the staff stamped their papers, Jiang Xun ran a few steps away and slumped onto the ground, looking like his soul had left his body.
With a dazed look in his eyes, he whispered, “I’m never coming to a haunted house again. I’m never playing horror games again.”
Chu Xingyun wanted to act along and join him, but he was afraid of getting his pants dirty, so he gave up on the idea.
“You’re so pathetic,” he said, giving Jiang Xun a look of disdain. “If you’re a coward, you need to practice more.”
Jiang Xun panted, “Practice by yourself then.”
Chen Shu reached out a hand to him. “Don’t be discouraged. Didn’t you protect me very well?”
[Comment: “I’ll protect you—” (Screams while hugging Chen Shu from behind and never letting go.)]
[Comment: Protecting our Chen Shu’s ears!]
[Comment: He didn’t let Chen Shu’s back get hurt once. How does that not count as protection? (Smirking face)]
“Right?” Jiang Xun felt encouraged by Chen Shu’s words. “I knew I was at least a little useful.”
Chen Shu curled his hand back toward himself. “Get up.”
On the other side, Ye Hancheng was excitedly sharing his “secret technique” for winning with Lin Shen: hiding in the corner. However, Lin Shen looked down on him because he contributed exactly zero to actually finishing the attraction.
Chu Xingyun quietly leaned toward Cen Jing. “What are we doing next?”
Cen Jing pulled a map out of his pocket. Just as he unfolded it, Jiang Xun, who had just stood up, shouted:
“The carousel!! Real men should ride the carousel!!”
Chen Shu put his hand to his forehead. “…That’s all the courage you have.”
“Ahem, I agree.” Ye Hancheng quickly cast his vote. “The carousel sounds like a very romantic project. Men should pursue romance.”
“…I really don’t want to agree with you,” Lin Shen said, covering his eyes. “But I really need the carousel stamp.”
There was no choice. There were only a few non-thrilling rides in the park. They couldn’t avoid the ones they needed.
Chu Xingyun tugged on Cen Jing’s sleeve. “Should we go be romantic too?”
Cen Jing looked at the map. “Yeah. The carousel is a short walk to the south.”
“Where is south?” Chu Xingyun leaned in to look at the map, whispering a rhyme to remember directions: “North is up, south is down, west is left, and east is right.”
Cen Jing closed the map. “If you can’t tell, just follow me.”
Chu Xingyun puffed out his cheeks slightly. “Okay…”
The carousel was lit up with colorful lights, and the tinkling music was a bit out of tune. Six adult men sat on fairytale-style horses. Their long legs had nowhere to go, making the scene look quite funny.
Chu Xingyun gave up on the horse and pulled Cen Jing into a pumpkin carriage. The carriage was small, so Cen Jing had to sit sideways, his knees pressing against Chu Xingyun’s legs.
Soon, the music started again, and the horses began to rotate.
Jiang Xun spread his arms and shouted, “Whoo-hoo! It feels like I’m on the great grasslands!! This is so exciting—”
…No one’s “great grasslands” look like this.
Chen Shu called him “childish” and took out his phone to record his friend’s silly moment. Lin Shen closed his eyes to rest, enjoying the breeze on his face.
The pumpkin carriage swayed gently. Chu Xingyun lost his balance and leaned into Cen Jing’s arms. Cen Jing looked down at the person resting against him and reached out to steady Chu Xingyun’s shoulder.
“…”
Then, Cen Jing thought… is this “fan service” too obvious? Would shippers like such forced moments? He decided to find a chance to remind Chu Xingyun later.
After the carousel, the six men prepared to split up. Lin Shen and Ye Hancheng were tired and decided to go to the 3D cinema. Jiang Xun shouted about playing the bumper cars and spinning coffee cups. Chen Shu, of course, went with him.
Cen Jing originally wanted to follow them and do some “safe” projects, but Chu Xingyun said he wanted to “do the hard stuff first” and finish the thrilling rides. Since he didn’t want Chu Xingyun to go alone, Cen Jing went with him.
The closest thrill ride was the drop tower. When the seatbelt clicked into place, Chu Xingyun’s fingertips turned cold. As the seats rose slowly, the crowd on the ground shrank into colorful dots. The wind blew through his hair.
“Close your eyes if you’re scared.” Cen Jing noticed Chu Xingyun’s white knuckles gripping the armrest.
Chu Xingyun looked into the distance, a smile slowly appearing on his face. “I’m not scared.” With someone by his side, he wasn’t scared at all.
The sun was bright, clouds drifted by, and Chu Xingyun could clearly hear his own heartbeat. Then, they dropped.
The feeling of weightlessness gripped his stomach, and the wind filled his ears. A scream escaped his mouth, but a second later, the words changed.
“Cen Jing—!”
It wasn’t a scream of panic, but a long, smiling shout. It was as if this name gave him infinite courage and turned fear into joy.
[Comment: Chu Xingyun, you are such a romantic madman. (Crying)]
[Comment: This is why I haven’t moved on after 7 years! (Wailing)]
[Comment: You’ve probably wanted to shout his name like that for a long time.]
When they landed, Chu Xingyun collapsed into his seat, his heart racing. He turned his head and saw Cen Jing’s messy hair and his calm, deep eyes.
The staff came over to unbuckle the seatbelts. Chu Xingyun jumped off the seat, then turned back to lean against it, panting heavily. Cen Jing’s hand landed lightly on the back of his neck, like he was soothing a startled animal. “Can you keep going?”
“Yes.” Chu Xingyun laughed while panting. “Of course, I can.”
Cen Jing wiped away the tears at the corner of Chu Xingyun’s eyes. “Make sure you don’t end up in the hospital before Teacher Lin does.”
Chu Xingyun’s breathing gradually slowed. “It’s fine. I’ll be okay in a bit. I’ll let my body know that I’m the boss!”
Cen Jing laughed and gently patted Chu Xingyun’s back. “Alright, let’s keep playing.”
By the time they got off the pirate ship, Chu Xingyun’s legs were too weak to stand. He hung his whole weight on Cen Jing’s shoulder, his hair damp with sweat.
“I thought this one would be easy…” Chu Xingyun’s voice was as raspy as sandpaper from screaming at the highest point.
Cen Jing opened a bottle of water and handed it to him. “Want to play anything else?”
“Yes…” He took two sips of water. “But let me rest for a second.”
Next was the high-altitude swing. Then the giant pendulum. Then the hanging roller coaster, the multi-dimensional rotating roller coaster, and the launch roller coaster.
At the moment the last roller coaster went upside down, Chu Xingyun closed his eyes and shouted Cen Jing’s name again. This time it wasn’t to fight fear, but a joyful declaration.
Once they finished all the rides, the two sat on a bench sharing snacks and cola.
“How many stamps are we missing?” Chu Xingyun asked while eating a fry.
“One.” Cen Jing had been in charge of the stamp sheet.
“Our stamps probably have the highest ‘value,’ right?” Chu Xingyun held his chin high, looking proud.
Cen Jing: “Probably.”
“You have to do these things to get your money’s worth at an amusement park.” Chu Xingyun looked at the giant wheel in the distance. He pointed his finger, his voice becoming very soft. “…The last one.”
“Okay,” Cen Jing replied. “It’s still early. We’ll ride it when the sun sets.”
“Brother,” Chu Xingyun tilted his head and smiled. “How come you never say no to me?”
“Why should I?” Cen Jing seemed confused. “It doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request.”
“It’s not that you have to refuse.” Chu Xingyun dipped a fry in ketchup. “It’s just… maybe you could ask me for something. Let me cooperate or do something for you.”
“I see what you mean.” Cen Jing looked at the Ferris wheel. “But I feel like everything is the same to me.”
“Is that… having no desires?”
“Maybe?” Cen Jing smiled self-deprecatingly. “Or maybe ‘just getting by’ is more accurate.”
“That’s not good.” Chu Xingyun shook his head seriously. “Set a goal, and then work hard for it.”
Cen Jing immediately set a big one: “An Oscar for Best Actor.”
“Hey… at least pick a domestic award first?” Chu Xingyun widened his eyes dramatically, but his smile was wide. “But my advice is to start smaller.”
Cen Jing: “How small?”
“For example…” Chu Xingyun stood up from the bench. “We want to be the first team to collect all ten stamps!”
Cen Jing: “What team? Today is an individual challenge.”
“Is it?” Chu Xingyun blinked, his tone quite innocent.
“Yes,” Cen Jing nodded twice.
“Then since we played so much together, aren’t we an illegal team?”
“It’s a coincidence.”
“Haha… then let’s change the goal.”
“To what?”
“To gain 10 new fans before the live stream ends today.”
[Comment: Such a small request.]
[Comment: Baby, you underestimate the influence of this show.]
[Comment: But it’s very satisfying to see a goal reached a thousand times over!]
[Comment: True. I’m going to tell my family group chat right now; everyone has to follow him!]
[Comment: Move aside! Let me be one of those ten!]
The Ferris wheel was bathed in warm golden light at dusk. Chu Xingyun knelt on the seat, his nose pressed against the glass. The sunset was fading from orange-red to light purple, with fine gold edges burning on the clouds. The river in the distance glittered like someone had scattered gold leaf on it.
“So beautiful.” Chu Xingyun suddenly turned around, pointing at the water with sparkling eyes. “There are boats, are they ships?”
“Yes.” Cen Jing’s gaze landed on Chu Xingyun’s face, which was colored honey by the sunset.
“Brother, have you ever heard the legend about the Ferris wheel?” Chu Xingyun asked casually, tracing the scenery in the distance with his finger.
Cen Jing watched him quietly. “The legend that couples who kiss at the top of a Ferris wheel will stay together forever?”
“Eh? How did you know?”
“It’s a common trope in idol dramas.”
“I wonder if it’s true.”
Estimating that the Ferris wheel was about to reach the highest point, Chu Xingyun tossed the handheld camera aside and sat a bit closer to Cen Jing.
“Of course, it’s fake.” Cen Jing said like he was debunking a rumor. “The only purpose of that legend is to give young couples an excuse to kiss.”
“Oh…” Chu Xingyun seemed a bit distracted. “But young couples don’t need an excuse to kiss in the first place.”