Five minutes later, Lu Xingyan received the two thousand yuan sponsorship from Xu Chengzhou. He became very spirited at once. Taking Shen Xingruo’s phone, he carefully studied the map of the park on the app, saying, “Let’s go to the Ferris wheel later. I heard the night view from the Ferris wheel is pretty good.”
Getting a kiss would make it even better.
Then he added, “Or we could go to Alice’s Wonderland first. It seems to be a maze.” Mainly because he had just asked the staff at the souvenir shop, and they said this attraction had excellent candid photo opportunities.
Shen Xingruo checked the wait time, which was seventy-five minutes. Her heart sank a bit, but she kept her composure and declined, saying, “It looks boring and not exciting at all.” Turns out, she preferred thrilling rides.
Before Lu Xingyan could suggest another attraction, Shen Xingruo spoke up, “I’m a bit hungry. Let’s go eat first.”
That made sense; it was already past one-thirty.
Lu Xingyan agreed with a “Sure,” and then they got up and casually found a restaurant in the park.
The pricing at “Once Upon a Time” was quite strange. Whether it was based on the idea of “since you’re not coming back anyway, let’s make the most of it” or they were banking on the mentality of “since you’re already here, you might as well,” everything in the park was very expensive.
Lu Xingyan ordered a chicken noodle combo, which included a bowl of noodles, a small plate of vegetables, and a glass of juice, all for eighty yuan. However, the portion of noodles was extremely small, with only a few shreds of chicken mixed in with a bunch of shredded ginger.
In comparison, Shen Xingruo’s sixty-eight yuan clay pot rice had a much larger portion.
Lu Xingyan finished his bowl of noodles in just a few mouthfuls. It was obvious he was still hungry because he even ate up all the vegetables, which he usually didn’t touch.
Seeing this, Shen Xingruo paused, then moved the plate of vegetables to her side and gave him half of her rice. “Here.”
Lu Xingyan wasn’t that hungry. He was completely engulfed in the joy of buying the merchandise. As a man, it didn’t matter if he ate a little less. All the merchandise must be bought!
Of course, when he had a girlfriend in the future if she gave him some of her food, he would eat it all without leaving a single grain of rice.
So Shen Xingruo once again witnessed the wolf devouring his food.
She was taken aback.
Leaving the restaurant, she spent another thirty yuan, a hefty sum, to buy Lu Xingyan a bucket of popcorn.
Finally regaining some energy, Shen Xingruo had initially thought it would be nice to stroll around in the afternoon, perhaps watch a fairy tale show with the kids.
——No need to wait in line, everything’s all good. But she never expected that Lu Xingyan’s appetite would never be satisfied. Just as they received the popcorn, Lu Xingyan said, “Since you like excitement, let’s go to Little Red Riding Hood Rapids.” Shen Xingruo subconsciously glanced at the app. Little Red Riding Hood Rapids had a wait time of one hundred and thirty minutes. “I think…”
Lu Xingyan interrupted, “Since we’re already here, we should experience some of the park’s special attractions. Remember how you said we shouldn’t give up halfway? I’ve thought about it carefully, and I think you’re right.”
Shen Xingruo fell silent.
Feeling disheartened and expressionless, she followed Lu Xingyan to Little Red Riding Hood Rapids, already mentally prepared to go directly to the hospital for an amputation once they left “Once Upon a Time.”
But Lu Xingyan suddenly asked her to wait and disappeared.
When he returned, he had a folding chair in his hand. “Sit on this while we wait in line,” he said.
Shen Xingruo stared at the chair for a long while, with many words on the tip of her tongue. But in the end, she just asked, “How much does it cost?”
Lu Xingyan replied casually, “Not expensive.” Just one hundred and eighty yuan.
What else could they do? Miss Shen refused to upgrade to the fast pass, loved thrilling rides, and wouldn’t give up halfway. Did Lu Xingyan want her to keep standing in line? Whether she liked it or not, they were both in it together.
They gradually blended into the long queue. Lu Xingyan helped her open the chair and sit down, constantly shifting forward.
From a distance, they formed quite a unique sight.
Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan were used to being the center of attention in the crowd, so they didn’t think there was anything wrong.
But nearby, people were silently wondering why they didn’t just upgrade to the fast pass for only three hundred yuan. They could afford a chair for one hundred and eighty yuan, yet they were willing to wait for several hours. Was it just to show off their affection to the public?
Today’s young couples were something else.
Shen Xingruo remained oblivious to these thoughts. The queue area was air-conditioned, and sitting down made the two-hour wait bearable. They even played a detective game together, with no obstacles in their way. Shen Xingruo, with her determined attitude, helped Lu Xingyan, the bronze-level detective, ascend seven stars in rank.
During this time, she thought about getting up several times and letting Lu Xingyan sit for a while. But Lu Xingyan felt comfortable standing behind her and insisted she didn’t need to move.
So she sat on the small chair, playing mobile games, until they reached Little Red Riding Hood Rapids.
When they finally reached the front of the line, Lu Xingyan put away his phone and went to buy two raincoats. He chose this ride not only to meet Shen Xingruo’s demand for excitement but also because the raincoats were especially cute, with hoods resembling Little Red Riding Hood’s.
He had seen this style in the guidebook and was determined to play this ride today. He had to see Shen Xingruo wearing the Little Red Riding Hood raincoat! What was one hundred and thirty minutes of waiting compared to that?
When Lu Xingyan came back, his mouth was curling up into a crazy grin. Shen Xingruo looked at him with some suspicion, stealing glances at him from time to time.
Lu Xingyan had been paying attention to her progress in putting on the raincoat, and their eyes met several times.
When Shen Xingruo finally put on the hood, a bit of her hair was still sticking out. Lu Xingyan pushed it in and then gently pulled the drawstrings on the sides—
She looked adorable with the little red hood on her head, her cheeks framed by the hood. At a loss for words, she seemed a bit bewildered by the situation.
So cute!
The one hundred and eighty yuan spent on the chair wasn’t wasted, and the one hundred and thirty minutes of waiting wasn’t in vain! If there was a rating system, Lu Xingyan would have given “Once Upon a Time” five stars!
Shen Xingruo took a moment to recover from his actions and then firmly pushed away his wandering hands, warning him, “Keep your hands to yourself!”
Lu Xingyan looked at her, lips still curved upwards, and simply said, “Okay.”
Shen Xingruo found his behavior increasingly strange and asked, “Why do you keep looking at me?”
With the same upward curve on his lips, Lu Xingyan replied, “Because you’re beautiful.”
Shen Xingruo was speechless.
Just as they were about to board the boat, Shen Xingruo turned away and hurriedly followed the instructions of the staff.
But her face betrayed her, flushing in a moment of embarrassment. Then she made a silly move, trying to cool down by covering her face with her hands. However, her hands were also warm at the moment, and covering her face seemed to have the opposite effect. So, just before Lü Xingyan boarded the ship, she pulled her hat forward a bit.
After the project ended, they still had to pass through a souvenir shop. Shen Xingruo had no interest in these things, but Lü Xingyan spotted a little red hat and insisted on trying it on Shen Xingruo. Shen Xingruo complied.
It was adorable!
Without a second thought, Lü Xingyan took it and headed for the checkout. Shen Xingruo glanced at the price tag as she followed along—168. She thought the amusement park was a bit overpriced.
“Lü Xingyan, don’t buy it, I don’t need it.”
“No, you do.”
Before Shen Xingruo could refuse again, he interrupted her, “Since we’re here, we should get some souvenirs. I’ll get this for you.”
Shen Xingruo hesitated.
Soon after, Lü Xingyan sent Shen Xingruo off to buy ice cream nearby and started collecting more items frantically.
The shop assistant was quite chatty. Seeing Lü Xingyan’s enthusiastic shopping spree, he didn’t miss a beat and even included the blurry photos in his praise, saying, “Hey handsome, you and your girlfriend make such a perfect match, so eye-catching. By the way, do you need some photo frames? We have Little Red Riding Hood-themed frames; photos in frames last longer.”
Lü Xingyan nodded. “Give me a set.”
“Sure, the frames are forty-eight each. Cash or mobile payment?”
Lü Xingyan simply presented his payment code.
When Shen Xingruo returned with the ice cream, she saw Lü Xingyan carrying a large bag. It seemed unnecessary for just a hat.
“What did you buy?” she asked.
Lü Xingyan shrugged casually. “Just picked up some stuff, going to give them to Li Chengfan and the others when school starts.”
Shen Xingruo sighed inwardly.
It felt strange that guys also had the habit of exchanging souvenirs.
After finishing the roller coaster and rafting rides, it was already five in the afternoon without them realizing it. Both were exhausted and silently agreed not to queue for another major attraction. Instead, they strolled around, stopping here and there, admiring the parade floats, buying snacks, and browsing through small shops.
However, Lü Xingyan still had his heart set on riding the Ferris wheel. When he saw that the queue time was ninety minutes, he timed it perfectly and pulled Shen Xingruo to join the line again at six forty.
The “Fairy Tale Land” at night truly resembled a fairy tale world. Pumpkin lanterns illuminated the entire park, and the tower castle where Rapunzel resided glowed brightly. All the remaining amusement rides were also illuminated.
Shen Xingruo sat in a chair, slowly inching forward. She was exceptionally tired today, having queued for seven to eight hours, half of which she spent standing. Moreover, the park was vast; they had walked from the south to the north and then from the east to the west. Her WeChat step count had already reached twenty thousand before they joined the Ferris wheel queue.
Lü Xingyan’s lifelong mathematical skills were devoted to calculating the queue time. At eight-ten, they finally boarded the Ferris wheel.
Calculating based on a forty-minute cycle, they would see tonight’s fireworks when they reached the highest point.
Everything went too smoothly, making Lü Xingyan feel surreal. He repeatedly checked the Ferris wheel’s speed and the timing of the fireworks in the fairy tale.
When the Ferris wheel reached its peak and the fireworks erupted in the distance, he nudged Shen Xingruo, “Hey, Shen Xingruo, the fireworks are starting!”
But Shen Xingruo didn’t respond. Her drooping head was inadvertently tapped by him, causing her to lean forward unconsciously.
Damn!
She fell asleep!
This is unreal!
Lü Xingyan gently pulled Shen Xingruo, and she leaned softly towards him. He quickly supported her and laid her head gently on his lap.
The Ferris wheel continued its slow journey, while fireworks blossomed outside the window. Lü Xingyan couldn’t help but think of the replies under that forum post.
He glanced down at Shen Xingruo.
Shen Xingruo must have been tired; she was sleeping deeply, undisturbed by the sound of fireworks.
He couldn’t help but reach out and brush aside her stray hair.
She was fair-skinned and really pretty, with long and thick eyelashes, a delicate and straight nose, a slender face, and lips with a translucent light red color.
Lü Xingyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Evil thoughts began to spread…
No, this was too lewd. Shen Xingruo would nail him in a coffin if she found out.
But she was asleep.
Just one kiss.
Surely she wouldn’t notice.
His hand on Shen Xingruo’s waist tightened slightly.
No response from Shen Xingruo.
Good.
Lü Xingyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed again. Then, slowly, he leaned down, closer and closer to her face…
A battle between morality and desire raged within Lü Xingyan’s heart. In the end, desire triumphed over morality. He embraced the thought that “I’m not exactly a saint in her mind anyway” and quickly pecked Shen Xingruo’s cheek.
The taste of the kiss…
Sorry, too quick, he didn’t feel much.
Should he try again?
Yes, why not? He had already kissed her.
Just as Shen Xingruo woke up, her mind blank and unsure of how to react, Lü Xingyan unexpectedly kissed her cheek again.
This time, the kiss lasted longer than the first.
His lips were slightly cool, yet very clean.