Chapter 46

Yu Fan slammed the vinegar bottle onto the table with a heavy thud, and a few tables nearby couldn't help but glance over.

All they saw was a head buried low, gripping chopsticks like a knife, viciously stirring the noodle soup in front of him.

His hat nearly covered his entire face.

Yu Fan was stirring the noodles like they were a person.

The next second, fingers reached over and pressed down on his chopsticks. Chen Jingshen took his noodle soup away.

'Too sour,' Chen Jingshen said. 'Order a new bowl.'

Yu Fan glared at him viciously, about to say, 'What, you gotta control what I eat too?'

'I mean the noodles are sour.' Meeting his gaze, Chen Jingshen added.

'...'

After that, from eating to paying the bill, and from the restaurant to the Internet Café, Yu Fan didn't say a word to Chen Jingshen.

People tend to get loud when they're gaming, especially five guys in a voice chat.

Wang Luan'an and Zuo Kuan were running bot lane together this round, and they'd start yelling at each other after a few sentences, making Yu Fan turn down the game volume again and again.

'Hey, your skills are trash,' Zuo Kuan said in the game voice chat. 'Not as good as that game companion from earlier.'

'Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, guess why that guy could be a companion—holy shit!' Wang Luan'an yelped, clicking his mouse furiously. 'Their mid-laner's coming! Zuo Kuan, block some damage for me—are you fucking selling me out??'

'Birds in the same forest gotta fend for themselves.'

'Get lost!' Wang Luan'an said. 'Yu Fan, why didn't you say the mid-laner was gone?!'

Yu Fan: 'Forgot.'

Wang Luan'an: 'What's up with you today? I feel like you're not focused.'

He really wasn't focused.

Moving his game character to a safe spot, Yu Fan turned his head and met the eyes of the person sitting next to him.

'What are you looking at?' he asked, annoyed.

Chen Jingshen hadn't done anything since logging on. He just leaned back on the sofa, occasionally glancing at Yu Fan's screen, occasionally at him.

'Watching you play,' Chen Jingshen said.

Wang Luan'an exclaimed in the headset: 'Holy shit, how's the top student next to you?'

Yu Fan: 'Surfing the web.'

Wang Luan'an was shocked: 'You guys are already close enough to hang out at an Internet Café together on weekends?'

'Just ran into each other.'

'And you ran into each other at Yuhé River?'

'...'

Why so many questions?

Yu Fan moved the microphone away from his mouth and stared coldly at Chen Jingshen: 'Watch your own computer, or go home.'

Chen Jingshen turned his head as told and randomly clicked on a movie.

After five straight rounds, Zhu Xu said his mom told him to go downstairs and help move stuff, so they'd wait ten minutes.

The others were tired anyway, so they just idled in the game voice chat and chatted.

After wearing the headset all afternoon, his ears were exhausted. Yu Fan just turned off his mic, took off the headset and put it on the desk, and turned the computer volume all the way up—he could still hear them talking.

Yu Fan leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and pulled out a cigarette. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he paused, catching sight of the person beside him out of the corner of his eye.

Chen Jingshen wasn't wearing a headset either. His exam supplies were tossed on the desk, his posture a bit lazy, his expression indifferent as he watched the movie.

On his computer screen were two animated characters—a guy carrying a girl walking through the sky. He looked up: Howl's Moving Castle.

'...' It was hard to imagine Chen Jingshen watching a movie like that.

Yu Fan checked the time. It was already evening, and it was dark outside.

He nudged the person next to him with his knee: 'Chen Jingshen, why aren't you going home yet?'

Chen Jingshen glanced at the unlit cigarette in his hand and asked back: 'When are you going back?'

'I might pull an all-nighter—' Yu Fan paused. 'None of your damn business.'

Chen Jingshen: 'I'm pulling an all-nighter too.'

'...'

'Can't you learn something good?' Yu Fan frowned. 'No one's watching me at home, but no one's watching you either?'

'There isn't,' Chen Jingshen said. 'My family's all abroad right now, so it's fine if I stay out all night.'

'...'

Chen Jingshen leaned back with him and asked: 'What's that expression for?'

'Nothing, just—' Yu Fan stared at him without moving. 'Chen Jingshen, are you going through a rebellious phase lately?'

Chen Jingshen quietly met his gaze for a moment.

'Have you ever thought,' Chen Jingshen stated, 'that I might be in a crush phase...'

Yu Fan reached out and pinched his mouth shut.

'Yu Fan! Yu Fan!' His name came through the headset on the desk. Wang Luan'an shouted inside: 'You there?'

Yu Fan's expression was blank: 'Shut up and keep watching your movie.'

Chen Jingshen nodded.

Yu Fan let him go and opened the mic: 'What?'

'Where'd you go? I've been calling you for ages... Zuo Kuan and I were thinking about going to the Amusement Park for Dragon Boat Festival.' Wang Luan'an paused. 'Oh right, ask the top student to come along too.'

Yu Fan wasn't really interested and said without thinking: 'I—'

Chen Jingshen: 'Sure.'

'...'

Chen Jingshen turned his head: 'I've never been to an Amusement Park.'

Then go with them yourself—

'Let's go together,' Chen Jingshen said.

'...'

Yu Fan held out in silence for a while. Finally, he irritably shoved the cigarette back into the Cigarette Pack and muttered into the voice chat: 'Whatever. I'm going to the bathroom. Don't start the game yet.'

The Internet Café was packed on the weekend. It was already dinner time, and the air was thick with the smell of food.

As he stood up, he happened to hear a girl at a nearby computer say into her phone: 'I'm at the Internet Café... Playing what? Nothing much, just watching a drama... Can't help it, I'm keeping my boyfriend company... Not bored, he's been chatting with me the whole time, and he bought me a bunch of snacks, just sitting here's getting tiring.'

Coming back from the bathroom, Yu Fan turned to head back to his seat, then stopped after a couple of steps and glanced toward the front counter.

Another movie had ended. Chen Jingshen flexed his fingers, about to see what else he could use to kill time.

Out of the corner of his eye, a familiar figure came back from a distance, carrying things in both hands, his steps slow and clumsy.

Before Chen Jingshen could get a clear look, there was a thud, and a pile of stuff landed on the desk.

Chips, sunflower seeds, cake, preserved plums, all kinds of flavored snacks, and a bowl of beef rice noodles.

'Eat.' Yu Fan sat back down at his computer, his expression calm as he picked up his headset. 'I'll play two more rounds, then head back.'

Chen Jingshen glanced at the delicate mille-feuille cake and milk tea on the girl's desk at the next computer, then at the bags of snacks in various flavors on his own. He couldn't help but press his lips together.

'Okay.' He picked a bag at random and opened it, then pushed his luck: 'I'm tired of watching movies. Can I watch you play?'

Yu Fan expressionlessly selected a hero: '...Suit yourself.'

-

Back at school, Wang Luan'an invited a few other close classmates to the Amusement Park. Unfortunately, most of them had plans with their families for Dragon Boat Festival, so in the end, only Zhang Xianjing and Ke Ting agreed to come.

June in Nancheng City was bright and scorching, with daytime temperatures terrifyingly high.

On Dragon Boat Festival itself, after some discussion, they decided to meet at the Amusement Park gate at five in the afternoon, after eating something at home.

The Amusement Park they went to was run by locals, had been open for over twenty years, was located in the suburbs, and covered a decent area. It was always lively because of the many rides and the good atmosphere.

It was a holiday, so they had to queue just to get into the Amusement Park.

In the entry queue, Wang Luan'an stared wide-eyed at Zhang Xianjing, who was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, a veil over her head, and sunglasses: 'Aren't you hot? Is it really necessary? There's hardly any sun now.'

'What do you know, there's UV rays until it's dark.' Zhang Xianjing pulled sunscreen out of her bag and reached for Ke Ting's hand. 'Tingbao, come on, put some on your hands.'

Ke Ting was a bit resistant at first, but when Zhang Xianjing said 'Tingbao,' her expression froze, and she lowered her head obediently, letting Zhang Xianjing apply it.

After finishing, Zhang Xianjing turned and asked the two tall, fair-skinned guys behind her: 'You two want some too?'

Yu Fan didn't hesitate: 'No.'

Chen Jingshen said: 'I'm fine too.'

Both of them were wearing short-sleeved shirts and long pants today, each with a white baseball cap on their heads. At a glance, it was oddly harmonious.

Zuo Kuan coughed lightly and held out his hand: 'Zhang Xianjing, give me some.'

'You're already this dark, what's the point?' Zhang Xianjing tossed the sunscreen at him. 'Do it yourself.'

'...'

The evening weather had cooled down a bit, but it was still hot squeezed in the crowd.

Yu Fan kept his hands in his pockets, getting a bit irritated waiting in the heat.

Why the hell wasn't he at home or at the Internet Café in this crappy weather, instead of coming to a place like this to queue??

It wasn't too late to go back now.

The line moved forward again. Just as the thought crossed Yu Fan's mind, he suddenly felt a coolness on his neck, a long breeze brushing past.

He turned around and saw Chen Jingshen holding a handheld fan, aimed right behind his head.

'Where'd you get that?'

'Just bought it,' Chen Jingshen said, looking down. 'Feel better?'

It was indeed cool, but Yu Fan thought it was a bit weird. He frowned: 'Use it on yourself.'

'I'm not hot.'

'Then why'd you buy it?'

Right then, a street vendor carrying a dozen handheld fans passed by them, the same model as the one in Chen Jingshen's hand.

He walked a couple of steps and asked the people nearby, 'Handsome, weather's so hot, buy a little fan to cool off your girlfriend, yeah?'

Yu Fan: '...'

Yu Fan's hands tightened in his pockets, and he said flatly: 'Take it away.'

Chen Jingshen hummed in acknowledgment and turned the fan back toward himself.

But a few minutes later, Yu Fan felt the wind at his back again. He didn't turn around again, pretending not to notice, and patiently resumed queuing.

About ten minutes later, it was finally their turn for ticket inspection.

Once they were out of the crowded queue, it wasn't as hot. After entering, Chen Jingshen tossed the fan into his pocket.

The Amusement Park's lights were already on in the evening. The carousel nearest the entrance was flashing in all colors, and the Ferris Wheel on the horizon was strung with colorful lights, spinning slowly in the sky.

The Amusement Park had paper maps. Zhang Xianjing spotted where she wanted to go at a glance.

'Ke Ting and I are going to take pictures with the mascots, then take pictures at the carousel, and finally at the castle. You guys want to come?'

Wang Luan'an's expression was complicated: 'Jing-jie, I always thought you were different from other girls...'

'Get lost.' With hardly any sun left, Zhang Xianjing took off her sunglasses, revealing her carefully done makeup, and rolled her eyes. 'We're heading over. We'll meet up when we're strolling the Night Market later. Keep an eye on the time while you play.'

The remaining four guys stood in the middle of the Amusement Park's Garden.

Wang Luan'an asked: 'What do we play?'

'Don't know.' Yu Fan turned and walked off. 'We'll figure it out as we go.'

The rides near the entrance were all pretty childish, suitable for kids.

Passing the Happy Spinning Cups, Wang Luan'an asked: 'Want to...'

Zuo Kuan: 'Open your eyes, man. Is there anyone in there besides kids and parents?'

Passing the bumper cars, Zuo Kuan asked: 'How about we try...'

Wang Luan'an: 'No, I get carsick.'

The two of them shot each other down the whole way. Yu Fan and Chen Jingshen walked ahead, not even glancing at those rides.

Yu Fan glanced at the person beside him. Chen Jingshen was silently scanning the colorful game machines around them, looking like it really was his first time. But his expression was as indifferent as ever, impossible to tell if he was interested or not.

Yu Fan said coldly: 'Just say what you want to play.'

The next moment, Chen Jingshen stopped in his tracks and turned to stare straight at something beside them.

Yu Fan followed his gaze and saw a gloomy black wooden door with a sign next to it that read 'Haunted House—Unknown Cavern.'

Yu Fan: '...'

Wang Luan'an and Zuo Kuan marched straight ahead without blinking.

Chen Jingshen's 'I want to' was just on his lips when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

Yu Fan's tone was cold: 'Not this one.'

A few minutes later, Chen Jingshen stopped in front of a two-person Ferris Wheel.

Then he was dragged away again: 'Not riding.'

A moment later, Chen Jingshen glanced at a two-person bike rental stand, and his steps hesitated for just a second—

His wrist was grabbed again: 'Not biking.'

Chen Jingshen found it amusing as he stared at the back of the head of the person tugging at his clothes, and asked sincerely: 'Then what can we play?'

They stopped at the very center of the Amusement Park.

Around them, front and back, left and right, were the pendulum ride, the roller coaster, the pirate ship, and the Amusement Park's most famous ride—a drop tower with a drop of a full 129 meters.

Yu Fan: 'Pick.'

Chen Jingshen: '.'

-

As soon as they stepped into this area, they felt like they were surrounded 360 degrees by other people's screams, each one more gut-wrenching than the last. So Zuo Kuan and Wang Luan'an were initially against it.

But they were the classic type—the worse they were, the more they wanted to try.

First, Wang Luan'an declared war with 'Don't tell me you're scared of this,' and Zuo Kuan immediately fired back, 'Whoever's scared is a coward.' In the end, both of them, legs trembling, gritted their teeth and decided to go up together.

The queues for these four rides were several times longer than the others. They still had to hit the Amusement Park's Night Market later, so time-wise, they couldn't do all four.

After some discussion, they decided to start with the most popular drop tower, and if there was time, queue for something else.

Wang Luan'an and Zuo Kuan were bickering loudly ahead. Yu Fan asked quietly: 'Can you handle it?'

Chen Jingshen said: 'Yeah.'

Only then did Yu Fan head to the back of the line.

They queued in a man-made cave with air conditioning, which made the wait much more bearable.

The queue was taking a while, so Wang Luan'an and Zuo Kuan started a game.

Yu Fan didn't like standing and playing games, so he didn't join in. He leaned against the wall, bored, watching Wang Luan'an play.

Someone tugged at his t-shirt. Yu Fan turned around instinctively.

The line was long and dense, and he turned without warning, so the two of them ended up a bit close.

Chen Jingshen's gaze dropped beneath the brim of his hat: 'Looks like it's still going to be a while.'

'Yeah.' Yu Fan blinked under his gaze. 'You don't want to wait? Then let's go play something else—'

'We've got time anyway.' Chen Jingshen said. 'Want to recite the Li Sao and the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng?'

'...'

Forty minutes later, they finally reached the end of the line.

The previous batch of riders got off with pale faces. Wang Luan'an swallowed: 'I don't think a single one of them is standing steady.'

Zuo Kuan craned his neck with difficulty: 'When I looked at it from outside... it didn't seem this fucking high...'

Yu Fan confirmed one last time in a low voice: 'You're sure you can handle it?'

Chen Jingshen: 'Yeah.'

The staff opened the barrier in front of them. Yu Fan calmly took off his hat and walked in: 'Then let's go.'

The ride had three rows of seats, six people per row. On this side, besides them, there was a couple.

As they were strapped into their safety harnesses, Wang Luan'an and Zuo Kuan exchanged a glance, both seeing regret in each other's eyes.

A few minutes later, the ride started. They rose slowly, slowly, as if there were no end.

'Why won't it fucking stop...' Wang Luan'an was so desperate he was about to cry.

Zuo Kuan shouted downward: 'I don't want to play anymore! Hey! Can you hear me! I want to get the hell down—'

Each one was louder than the last, annoying Yu Fan.

But he quickly relaxed his brow.

The drop tower rose to its peak. At 129 meters, he could overlook the colorful Amusement Park, a stretch of quiet forest, and the glittering cityscape on the horizon.

His legs dangled in the air. He felt no fear, just a mix of tension and enjoyment as he took in the view.

'Li Yan! I like you!' The guy from the couple suddenly shouted at the sky. 'Marry me—'

The four of them beside him all paused.

The girl had been screaming softly, but she stopped for two seconds, then shouted back: 'I do—'

'I love you—'

'Me too—'

Yu Fan stared expressionlessly at the scenery, thinking when the hell was it going to drop, when someone touched the back of his hand.

Chen Jingshen brushed his fingers: 'Yu Fan, I...'

'Shut up,' Yu Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he slapped his hand hard. 'If you dare copy them, I'll fucking kill you, got it???'

'...'

Chen Jingshen turned his face away for a moment, then looked back: 'I just, suddenly got a little scared.'

Yu Fan: '...'

'Can I hold your hand while we ride?'

'No,' Yu Fan said coldly.

Chen Jingshen looked at him for a while, then turned back: 'Okay.'

Zuo Kuan couldn't take it anymore. Hanging up high was torture. He closed his eyes and shouted: 'When the fuck is it going to—ahhh!!! Ahhh holy fucking shit—'

The drop tower plunged without warning!

In that moment of falling, Chen Jingshen felt something brush against his fingers, and the next second, his hand was tightly gripped.

He froze for a second, then squeezed back hard. During the ten seconds of the drop, they fumbled for each other's hands, finally locking their fingers together tightly—

The intense weightlessness sent adrenaline skyrocketing. Screams filled the air all around, some people even screaming themselves hoarse.

Their two hands were clenched together, hearts colliding through thin skin, hot and trembling. During the fall, Yu Fan barely breathed. It was like he'd imagined this feeling of falling from a height a long time ago—crashing to the ground in seconds, the whole world pressing down on him, heavy enough to shatter his soul.

But in that fantasy, there was no hand gripping his and refusing to let go, no Chen Jingshen's body heat or heartbeat.

The drop tower stopped abruptly just before hitting the ground, paused briefly, then rose again, a little faster than before.

Yu Fan finally started breathing again, gasping hard a few times, and instinctively looked at the person beside him.

Chen Jingshen was looking at him too.

Chen Jingshen's hair was blown loose by the wind, revealing his dark, clear eyes. The lights of the drop tower reflected in his eyes, like a moon submerged in a lake.

Chen Jingshen said: 'Don't be scared.'

Yu Fan didn't know what expression he was wearing that made Chen Jingshen think he was scared.

'Scared my ass...' Yu Fan's voice was hoarse. 'Chen Jingshen, what are you smiling about now.'

'Nothing. I just...'

They rose to the highest point, Chen Jingshen's voice mixed in with the wind.

He paused, then said with a low laugh, 'Yu Fan, I feel like I died once with you.'

Yu Fan's heart missed a beat.

The next moment, they plummeted—

Something seemed to explode in Yu Fan's head. His heart pounded violently, his blood boiled hot, and he almost screamed along with Wang Luan'an and the others.

Yu Fan's head spun. In a daze, he couldn't tell if it was from the weightlessness, or from Chen Jingshen.