Jiang Shiyan called “baby” naturally, and Tang Yang didn’t find it abrupt.

She took a few quick steps to get behind Jiang Shiyan and pushed him to walk: “Hurry up, hurry up, look at how many people are already lined up at the entrance.”

“Alright, alright.” Jiang Shiyan smiled and quickened his pace.

The two had just swiped their tickets and hadn’t entered yet when they heard continuous screams.

In front of them, a girl was scared, and a boy held her hand.

Before entering, Tang Yang said, “I’m a Party member, I’m not afraid of these things,” but once inside, with the dim lighting and coffins scattered about, she couldn’t help but shrink back a little.

Jiang Shiyan added a game sound of “protect our crystal” for her, suppressing a smile as he pulled her into his arms.

Tang Yang’s face heated up, and she mumbled something under her breath.

Initially, they were holding hands, but as they walked, Tang Yang had a little mischievous thought. Jiang Shiyan, in sync with her, played with her fingers.

Amidst the background sounds of “Hey,” “Bang,” and “Roar” in the haunting atmosphere, as they continued to play with their fingers, they secretly interlocked their ten fingers. They exchanged a smile, then quickly averted their gazes…

After twenty minutes in the haunted house, they came out just in time for lunch.

The amusement park had many snacks, but only one proper restaurant, which wasn’t crowded but served unappetizing food.

“This indicates that consumers who eat snacks as a meal are rational, and the amusement park market is efficient,” Tang Yang whispered to Jiang Shiyan as she tidied up her things and stood up.

“Others are proper seventeen or eighteen-year-olds with good digestion, you are,” Jiang Shiyan was saying, but seeing Tang Yang smiling at him, he changed his tone without any psychological pressure, “You are a little cutie who needs to watch out for her digestion.” Jiang Shiyan held the glass door open for Tang Yang.

Tang Yang was pleased inside, but outwardly chided, “Why don’t you say your digestion isn’t good,” secretly elbowing Jiang Shiyan.

On this side, Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan left the restaurant.

On the other side, Gan Yiming was entering the restaurant with a young woman on his arm.

The four met face-to-face without any preparation. Tang Yang wanted to hook Jiang Shiyan’s hand but stopped. Gan Yiming quickly dropped the young woman’s arm and coughed unnaturally.

Gan Yiming wasn’t surprised to see Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan together, but noticing their unjoined hands, his brows furrowed slightly… not together yet?

One was currently threatening his position, and the other had punched him before. Gan Yiming couldn’t act completely natural.

“Deputy Director Tang.” He nodded to Tang Yang, emphasizing the word “Deputy” meaningfully.

“Director Gan.” Tang Yang nodded back.

“This is my cousin, Qian Qian,” Gan Yiming introduced the person beside him first, partly to explain his relationship with this woman in her early twenties who looked like a college student, and partly to probe the relationship between Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan.

The credit card collaboration between Yixiu and Huishang was progressing. On one hand, Tang Yang needed to handle the relationship between herself and Jiang Shiyan discreetly, but on the other hand, she was more concerned about Jiang Shiyan’s feelings.

Before Tang Yang could say “This is my boyfriend, Jiang Shiyan,” Jiang Shiyan, considering the same point, took the initiative to nod and say: “Jiang Shiyan.”

Just three simple words, without prefixes or suffixes, already carrying the influence of millions.

The young woman beside Gan Yiming’s eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed.

In the silence.

Tang Yang spoke up: “When does Director Gan plan to return to work?”

Gan Yiming: “Next Monday, the day after tomorrow.”

Thinking of something, Gan Yiming said: “Zhou Xing told me that you’ve handed over other work to me, but you’re still in charge of the Jiujiang case?”

Tang Yang gave an “Mm” in response.

The atmosphere was awkward.

Tang Yang pointed ahead: “If there’s nothing else, Time Yan and I will go first. You and your cousin can go eat?”

“See you later.” Gan Yiming stepped aside to let them pass.

As Tang Yang passed by Gan Yiming’s cousin, her gaze lingered for a moment.

Gan Yiming held his breath.

After watching Gan Yiming and the young woman enter the restaurant, Tang Yang hooked her arm through Jiang Shiyan’s and clicked her tongue as they walked: “I always thought that keeping a mistress meant keeping her in a high-end residential area, never leaving the house. How dare Gan Yiming bring his mistress to an amusement park?”

“He probably didn’t expect to run into us either,” Jiang Shiyan chuckled, “The grandson was scared out of his wits.”

“Afraid I might say something, I guess.” Tang Yang had saved Gan Yiming’s wife’s number when dealing with Jiujiang’s upper management, but Tang Yang wasn’t one to meddle in others’ affairs, at most she’d just mention it to Jiang Shiyan, “And calling her his cousin, have you ever seen an adult male cousin wrap his arm around an adult female cousin’s waist…”

Before Tang Yang could finish her mockery, Jiang Shiyan’s hand came around from behind her and encircled her waist.

Tang Yang looked at Jiang Shiyan, not understanding.

Jiang Shiyan raised his eyebrows with a smile, leaning close to her ear and calling softly: “Cousin Yang.”

It was midday, and the spring sunshine was beautiful. His warm breath brushed against Tang Yang’s fair neck.

Tang Yang looked at the mischievous glint in his eyes, her neck suddenly reddening. She puffed out her cheeks and stepped on Jiang Shiyan’s foot.

Who wants to play cousin roleplay with this bad guy!! Hmph!

Jiang Shiyan glanced at his little moon’s bristling appearance, his heart melting like spring water. If it weren’t for the people around watching, he would hug her and… give her soft ears a good pinch.

Tang Yang walked two steps ahead of Jiang Shiyan, who caught up and pinched her ear.

Tang Yang criticized with red ear lobes: “In broad daylight, in public…”

Jiang Shiyan suppressed a laugh: “Want to eat some sugar paintings? They look good, over there—”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

The encounter with Gan Yiming didn’t affect Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan’s mood. They walked and stopped, and whenever they encountered something delicious or fun, Tang Yang would bounce over, looking at Jiang Shiyan with curved eyes and eyebrows, and Jiang Shiyan would follow to buy, take photos, and play.

Occasionally, when Tang Yang bought something she couldn’t finish, Jiang Shiyan would finish it off.

Sometimes when both their hands were full, Jiang Shiyan would educate the little one that “we really can’t carry anymore,” but when Tang Yang saw something else she liked, she would look at him with puppy eyes, and Jiang Shiyan would immediately give in, throwing away things they probably wouldn’t eat or play with again to free up his hands.

They won two bottles of mineral water at the ring toss, rode the pirate ship, painted pottery, and unknowingly walked to the foot of the panda at Guose Tianxiang.

Jiang Shiyan gestured to Tang Yang: “Go stand in the shadow under the panda, I’ll take a picture for you.”

Tang Yang went over: “Won’t it make my face look dark? I see others always taking photos in bright places, with natural lighting.”

Jiang Shiyan: “Stand a little to the left.”

He took a few shots.

Tang Yang went over to look.

In the photo, the little girl and the panda above her head had the same crescent moon eyes, her beautiful features half in light and half in shadow, three-dimensional and radiant. Most importantly, those legs, those legs…

The surrounding girls looked at their boyfriends in despair.

Tang Yang hugged Jiang Shiyan’s arm, and moved almost to tears: “Am I 170cm tall? I must be 170cm to deserve my legs…”

“Fair exchange, fair exchange,” Jiang Shiyan said modestly, “You initially photographed me as 170cm too.”

But she’s not even 160cm, while he’s over 180cm.

Tang Yang: “Two options, one is you’re looking down on me, and two is we’re the same height.”

Jiang Shiyan: “You’re 155cm, I’m 188cm.”

Tang Yang walked quickly: “You’re 185cm, I’m 158cm.”

Jiang Shiyan followed: “You’re 155cm, I’m 188cm.”

“What did Ya Nan used to say when arguing with Feng Weiran,” Tang Yang recalled, “You don’t even have the skill to lie convincingly, what do you need a girlfriend for.”

Jiang Shiyan said seriously: “I always stick to the truth, everything I say comes from the heart, for example, you’re 155cm but you’re smart, beautiful, intellectual, virtuous…”

Passersby cast gossipy glances at the two.

Tang Yang was annoyed at his “lack of seriousness,” the thin sweat on her forehead glistening shyly.

The two played for an entire afternoon, walking from one end of the amusement park to the other, their hands empty by now.

Finally, there was a balloon-shooting store with a couple sitting inside. The boy had probably made a big promise to the girl and failed to deliver, so he kept shooting, while the girl sat beside him, impatiently playing with her phone.

This store was slightly different from others. Instead of corresponding prizes to the number of balloons hit, there were ten simple sketches of varying difficulty. Customers chose a sketch, and the corresponding balloon pattern would light up on the balloon wall. Different patterns corresponded to prizes of different values. Hit ten balloons to get the prize, miss, and get a lollipop.

The boy inside dejectedly chose from the hardest pattern to the easiest, walking away with a small bag of chips.

Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan approached.

The shop owner was an old man who whispered to Jiang Shiyan: “Choose the fourth one, it’s not the easiest but the best to hit.”

Jiang Shiyan demurred: “It’s not me shooting, it’s her.”

As they were speaking, Tang Yang had already chosen the most difficult pattern, corresponding to a prize of a brown plush bear almost as tall as her.

“This one?” The shop owner couldn’t believe it.

Tang Yang: “Mm.”

“Click,” the shop owner adjusted his dislocated jaw and pressed the light button, explaining the rules: “All guns have twenty bullets, hit ten, that is, pop all ten lit balloons and you can take the prize, otherwise,” the shop owner felt reluctant, “Little miss, if you hit eight I’ll give you the bear, you don’t need ten.”

Tang Yang picked up a rapid-fire pistol, testing the sights: “No need.”

“These patterns all look simple, but they’re very difficult to hit, many young men fail, otherwise how would I make money,” the shop owner advised earnestly, “Choose an easier one, you’ll have fun shooting, and your boyfriend will also be hap—”

Before the shop owner could finish, Tang Yang raised her hand and pulled the trigger, the “pop pop pop pop” sound like sudden thunder.

Ten shots.

“KO!”

The system prompt broke the silence.

The shop owner stared at the “10/10” sign at the top of the balloon board, dumbfounded.

Did he… open a fake shop???

Tang Yang’s grandfather had a distinguished military career and was still immersed in army life in his sixties. Before her senior year of high school and before her grandfather passed away, Tang Yang would go back every summer to see him, playing with these rough and tough things.

Although her skills had deteriorated somewhat now, it was more than enough to make her boyfriend happy.

The shop owner, unaware of the background, climbed onto a chair to retrieve the bear with a bewildered expression.

Jiang Shiyan teased: “Director Tang’s skill of hitting the mark from a hundred paces—”

No sooner said than done!

Tang Yang suddenly turned around, raising the gun directly at Jiang Shiyan.

The gun barrel was dark and smoking, two feet away from Jiang Shiyan’s body.

“Your money or your life!” Director Tang was crisp and valiant, her line cliché.

Jiang Shiyan was stunned for a second, then seemed to smile in disbelief.

Then, smiling, he raised both hands in front of him, left hand up, lightly tapping his forehead twice with his index and middle fingers, then down, tapping his chest twice, and then both his left and right hands slowly raised to his body’s upper diagonal in a lazy surrender pose, and held still.

“I do…” his low, slow voice dragged out the last word.

Jiang Shiyan sat on the stool like this, looking directly at Tang Yang with eyes as intoxicating as moonlight. He crossed his legs, tilted his shoulder, his lips curled in a crooked smile, a face of reckless abandon as if ready to die under peonies.

Tang Yang maintained a solemn expression, silently raising the gun barrel slightly.

Jiang Shiyan indulged her, smiling, tilting his head slightly.

There was no one passing by outside, and the shop owner was retrieving the bear.

The warm orange dusk light gilded the shop, highlighting the tense standoff.

A silence where you could hear a pin drop.

One second, two seconds, the second before the imminent explosion—

Tang Yang flipped her wrist, put the gun behind her back, and jumped in front of Jiang Shiyan.

She looked left and right, seeing no one, then quickly bent down and swiftly pecked his lips.

Light and quick.

Like the brush of a feather.

Jiang Shiyan hadn’t expected her to do this at all and was left completely dumbfounded.

It was Tang Yang’s first time doing such a mischievous thing. She straightened up, her face already blushing beyond recognition.

She didn’t look at Jiang Shiyan, her fluttering eyelashes lowered as she put the gun back on the table. Her voice was small and soft: “I could never bear to shoot you…”