Amusement Park

Feeling someone in gray sit down beside her, Qin Qingyan glanced over; her gaze immediately stuck. She was wearing a mask, so her expression couldn’t be seen, but those smiling eyes were very clear.

“You look even more eye-catching like this,” Yan Yue said, taking out the sunglasses she had prepared in advance from her bag. “Put these on; the mask gets stuffy.”

She helped Qin Qingyan put them on, her movements gentle. She didn’t notice that behind the dark lenses, Qin Qingyan was staring at her without blinking.

This was the first time she had dared to be so bold.

The sunglasses really were better.

“Give me the mask; I’ll put it in my bag for now.”

Qin Qingyan obediently took it off, and breathing felt much easier.

The weather was excellent today, and the sunlight wasn’t too harsh; it was perfect for having fun.

“Come on, big star. Let’s go try everything one by one,” Yan Yue said with a smile as she stood up.

After hesitating for a while, Qin Qingyan still decided to reach out and make a daring gesture.

Yan Yue indulged her with a smile and reached out to pull her to her feet.

Walking side by side, Yan Yue checked a phone guide with one hand while holding Qin Qingyan’s hand with the other. Qin Qingyan felt as if every sensation in her body had gathered into her palm; she didn’t even dare make any extra movements, keeping her posture stiff and unchanged the whole time.

She wasn’t paying attention and stumbled against herself; the hand holding hers tightened in response.

“Are you okay?” Yan Yue asked, looking down at her foot.

Qin Qingyan hurriedly shook her head and adjusted her breathing.

Once they got inside, they first tried the naked-eye 3D experience together. The entire ten minutes were filled with fantastical, vivid scenes that made it feel as if they were truly inside them. When it ended, Yan Yue was completely relaxed, even a little excited; that made Qin Qingyan feel strange, but she didn’t ask anything.

After that they went to the deserted-island rafting ride, the mine tunnel, Flying Over the Horizon, and so on; they tried almost everything that was available.

Exhausted from playing, the two of them sat on a park bench to rest. The smile at the corners of Yan Yue’s mouth sat easily there as she flipped through the photos they had taken one by one, as though she were looking at something very new.

Qin Qingyan was smiling unconsciously too. She noticed a thin sheen of sweat on Yan Yue’s forehead, so she looked around and then asked the enthusiastic Yan Yue, “Want some ice cream?”

Ice cream? Yan Yue froze, her gaze drifting outward; she saw all kinds of things she had only ever seen before but never tried.

Qin Qingyan understood from her expression and said with a smile, “Wait for me. I’ll go buy some.”

There wasn’t much of a line, only three or four people in front of her, and most of them were buying drinks. Qin Qingyan quickly ordered two, paid, and turned back.

Under Yan Yue’s faintly expectant gaze, she handed one over.

Yan Yue took a tentative bite; her eyes lit up instantly. She looked at Qin Qingyan in surprise, thinking it would just be slightly cold and creamy, but she hadn’t expected the flavor to be so distinctive. It was much tastier than she had imagined.

Qin Qingyan felt a little stir inside her and suppressed the smile at her lips. “I have another one here; it tastes different. Do you want it?”

Noticing the smile in her eyes, Yan Yue immediately understood that she was teasing her and said rather grudgingly, “I can’t finish it. I don’t want it.”

Qin Qingyan let out a soft oh and took it back. Actually, it didn’t have to be finished.

The sunlight was bright and lovely, warm on the skin. Around them were the excited, happy voices of visitors; they weren’t noisy at all, but instead made everything feel reassuring. Qin Qingyan curved her lips and glanced at Yan Yue beside her. She wouldn’t mind sitting there all day like this.

Then she heard something and looked toward Yan Yue, who was still focused on the afternoon activity schedule.

“That one in the gray jacket, white T-shirt, and blue jeans?” a male voice asked.

Qin Qingyan looked at Yan Yue: a gray knit cardigan, a white undershirt, the hem tucked into loose blue jeans...

“Go on, don’t chicken out. Usually girls are the ones asking you for WeChat; making the first move once will make you happy for life. I’m rooting for you, bro.”

Hah. Qin Qingyan took a deep breath, not making any move. After hearing that the boy had gathered his courage and come over, she suddenly leaned in, resting one hand on Yan Yue’s shoulder and gently wiping at her face with the other.

“What is it?” Yan Yue asked, looking into those eyes so close to her own.

Qin Qingyan froze for a moment, then quickly looked away. Her lips moved. “There was some dirt on your face.”

The two of them were less than ten centimeters apart; being this close made them both uncomfortable, yet neither moved away.

Yan Yue was puzzled by her sudden action until she caught sight of the group of boys behind her, with a handsome one standing at the front, caught awkwardly in a no-way-forward-no-way-back position.

She immediately understood, and warmth welled up in her. Tilting her head slightly, she said in a low voice, “This is more convenient.” From a certain angle, it really did look as if they were kissing.

She stared straight into Qin Qingyan’s eyes, bold and direct, while the one who had started it first was the one who faltered.

“N-no, it’s gone already. It’s very clean.” Qin Qingyan returned to her seat and took several deep breaths.

She left so abruptly that Yan Yue was still holding the pose. Then she smiled and leaned back against the chair at an unhurried pace; it was obvious she was in a very good mood.

At noon, the two went to a restaurant in the park for lunch. They had heard that most of the food there was hard to eat, so after referring to a bunch of netizens’ recommendations, they ordered a few dishes with higher ratings.

Yan Yue rested her chin on her hand, tapping her fingers lightly as her gaze moved from the glass tabletop to Qin Qingyan’s face across from her. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “We played a lot of rides just now; quite a few of them were pretty thrilling. Why do you look like you’re not afraid at all?”

Anyway, she had screamed in the places where she should have screamed; please note, not just her, there were a lot of people.

Many times she had grabbed Qin Qingyan’s hand in fear, and the other woman always gave her a steady response. At first she thought Qin Qingyan was scared too, but then she suddenly thought it over and realized she actually seemed calm from beginning to end, as if she were riding some children’s slide.

“Although it’s my first time too, I had a lot of wire-work scenes while filming before. And in Qingyi Village, I’ve climbed steeper mountains than this,” Qin Qingyan said.

Yan Yue’s fingers stopped moving; the look she gave her shifted, and even the smile at her lips froze for a moment. Qin Qingyan had said “too.”

Hah, what a smart, sensitive kid.

“You have something you want to ask me?” Yan Yue said with a smile.

Their eyes met.

Qin Qingyan paused slightly. She actually hadn’t planned to ask Yan Yue directly; she had intended to go back and look up some information herself. But the other woman always sensed her thoughts so keenly, even from just a few words.

“It’s... not a very important question. Never mind,” Qin Qingyan said, picking up her cup and taking a sip of water.

“Go ahead and ask. I might not even answer important questions. I’m more curious about what unimportant question you managed to discover.” Yan Yue said, looking at her with a smile.

Both were smiling, but Qin Qingyan could clearly feel that Yan Yue’s smile at the moment was habitual, whereas the one she had while playing those rides in the morning was the real thing, born from the heart.

“I just think you seem like it’s your first time coming to a place like this to have fun. But your living conditions should have been much better than mine. How could you not have played these things when you were little? I was just curious,” Qin Qingyan said honestly.

Yan Yue withdrew the hand that had been propping up her head. “Being young and promising comes at a price,” she said with an easy smile.

As for what the price was, only she herself knew. After all, the Yan family members who had sacrificed everything she valued never thought it was anything important; they treated it as nothing more than a child’s unreasonable temper tantrum.

Over time, she slowly learned to give things up on her own. Even when it was something she truly liked, she rarely touched it.

Those things she once thought were as light as smoke now drifted faintly over her heart, growing heavier with the years until they became her price.

The waiter pushed a cart over, served the dishes one by one, and then left after saying, “Please enjoy your meal.”

Yan Yue tried a few bites of the special noodles; the taste really was pretty good, worthy of a dish that could withstand public reviews. Wearing disposable gloves, Qin Qingyan peeled several shrimp into the bowl, then slid it over in front of Yan Yue to signal that she should take them.

Yan Yue was a little surprised. Seeing her peel so many, she had thought Qin Qingyan really liked eating them; she hadn’t expected they were for her.

She took the bowl and set it aside.

Come to think of it, this seemed like the first time someone had looked after her like this... Qin Qingyan, if only you were a few years older.

During the meal, Qin Qingyan noticed that Yan Yue wasn’t talking much. If it were usual, she would definitely have brought her into a conversation or two, no matter how ordinary or trivial.

She also guessed that the main reason was probably the question she had just asked; perhaps it had made Yan Yue think of something unpleasant.

She had seen many people who looked bright and glamorous to outsiders but were barren inside, not a blade of grass growing there.

She didn’t want Yan Yue to be that kind of person either.

A small piece of dessert was pushed over, and Yan Yue looked up in surprise.

“Dessert can make people feel better,” Qin Qingyan said.

“I’ve been in a good mood all along,” Yan Yue said.

“Then even better.”

Yan Yue couldn’t help laughing and obediently ate a small piece. Whether it was psychological suggestion or the dessert itself, after eating it for a short while, she really did feel much better.

“Qin Qingyan,” she called her.

“Mm?”

“Don’t learn bad habits,” Yan Yue said.

“Like what?”

Was she worried that she’d get led astray by the entertainment industry? Qin Qingyan thought.

Yan Yue didn’t answer directly. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the peeled shrimp still left in the bowl and said softly, “Living a whole life alone is very boring.”

Before Qin Qingyan could think through that sentence, Yan Yue suddenly looked at her again with a smile and said casually, “Peel a few more?”

The shrimp in her bowl had already been finished.

Qin Qingyan smiled and agreed, “Okay.”