After sighing over the family maids’ noble spirit of exercising discretion away from home—even overriding the master’s commands—Ye Zhibai listened as Chi Yuliang laid out the details. By the end, she had pieced together the full story: Sister Liang’s preparations, her arrival, and everything leading up to this moment.
“…Huh? I didn’t buy a ticket to get in? Just like Little Bai said, I checked the ticketing page, and yeah, tickets were impossible to snag today. Personally, I hate buying scalped tickets from touts. The prices are insanely inflated, which is unfair to begin with, and it just fuels their ticket-hoarding schemes.”
She went on. “I figured, perfect timing. The thesis proposal I’m drafting right now is on corporate operating efficiency. Our Capital University grad advisors always say not to sweat the field research—they’ve got solid academic networks and partnerships with tons of big-name companies. I recalled this amusement park is part of a chain, so I thought: if I ask my advisor for research access here, could I bypass the ticket hassle altogether?”
Chi Yuliang wiped the glistening beads of sweat from her forehead with a fingertip, her smile shifting with the light.
In it gleamed a wisdom that blended sharp rationality with the irresistible allure of mature femininity.
“Haha… Oh, and that brown bear costume earlier? Not something I whipped up on a whim just to scare Little Bai~ Since it was officially for thesis field research, I had to at least put on a show—for the advisors and the park folks, you know?”
Oh… so that’s how it was.
See?
In this world, without connections or a VIP lane, good luck getting anywhere!
That was reality in a nutshell.
Forget everything else—just a day out required checking if you had the capital for it!
“O-Originally… so that’s it? Sister Liang… you’re still so smart.”
“Oh, stop flattering your sister like that… Honestly, I wasn’t even sure it’d work back then. I kept thinking: what if the advisor couldn’t pull strings? All that effort down the drain.”
Mm.
Chi Yuliang’s account was thorough, but she skipped one key detail.
Even if the advisor had said no, she wouldn’t have quit.
Worst case? Shell out for an overpriced ticket and play the sucker.
But if it meant fulfilling her dream of hitting the amusement park with Little Bai, being that sucker would’ve been more than worth it!
No clue why Sister Liang suddenly clenched her fist, fierce flames of resolve igniting in her eyes. All Ye Zhibai felt was the scorching heat radiating from those “flames”!
Whoa… I’m practically dripping sweat.
Sister Liang’s body always ran a touch warmer than average, and with the lingering heat from that brown bear suit, sitting pressed this close felt like snuggling a soft little furnace.
The furnace itself wasn’t soft.
But Sister Liang sure was.
Arms linked on the bench, their bodies mashed together in summer-defying intimacy.
Ye Zhibai’s cascading silver hair naturally spilled over the furnace’s most prominent curves, draping across those proud peaks like an iceberg desperately trying to cool the blaze.
In truth, though… this setup would only stoke the fire!
Not just bodily, but in the heart and mind as well.
Sweat plastered Chi Yuliang’s purple strands to her snowy neck.
To beat the heat, her breaths came faster and shallower than usual, lending her exhales a tantalizing rhythm that strummed at Ye Zhibai’s nerves.
Every inch of skin brushing skin tested poor Little Zhibai’s willpower to the limit.
Ahem. Wanting to cling to innocence? Nothing wrong with that.
Wanting to lock those memories away in childhood’s purest, most wide-eyed days, to never grow up?
Sadly… growing up was inevitable for us all.
Sister Liang had grown up.
In every conceivable way.
Her feminine charms had quietly crested to perfection, unnoticed even by her.
Scorching heat made the air restless, cicadas shriek endlessly, streams rush faster—and hormones surge right along with it.
“Hoo… ha… Man, it’s sweltering today. Little Bai’s sweating too… Here, I’ve got tissues. Let me get that.”
“Thanks, I can do it myself… Huh?”
“Stay still~ Sweat in your eyes stings like crazy. Close ’em.”
Ye Zhibai didn’t even have to lift a finger for her own sweat.
Sister Liang twisted around, heedless of her soft, ample chest squashing flat against Ye Zhibai’s arm. Her full attention locked on dabbing away the beads seeping under Little Bai’s silver bangs.
Those delicate, tender strokes, combined with breaths hot against her skin… Ye Zhibai’s eyes narrowed as she quietly swallowed.
Her frosty little face betrayed no tremor—just a subtle flush from the sunlight that could’ve meant anything.
Undeterred, though, Ye Zhibai arrived at a revelation she’d never pondered before:
—Who knew sitting with Sister Liang could leave you drenched like this!
The sweat had lightly dampened the ornate “Yun” embroidered on her back. Luckily, the premium fabric wicked it away without a hint of discomfort.
But Ye Zhibai knew they couldn’t keep this up.
Go on like this… she’d keel over from heatstroke! It was 36 degrees out!
She pressed her palm over the tissue on her forehead to hold it steady, then slowly rose, bracing against the bridge pier behind her.
A quick glance at Sister Liang—squatting there, head cocked in confusion—then Ye Zhibai tilted her gaze skyward, letting her excess thoughts scatter to the vast blue.
“I’m good… I’m not hot anymore. What I meant was… Sister Liang, no need to hang back alone. Join us—play together. Wouldn’t that be great?”
“I did think about it…” Chi Yuliang pushed off the rock wall to stand.
Even a casual flick of her purple hair brimmed with timeless elegance.
The leaf drifted on the pond’s surface, gazing at the sky.
While the pond overflowed with gazes wrapped entirely around the leaf.
“I just feel like Miss Zhiyun and Miss Zihan are both wonderful girls. To Little Bai, one’s family, the other a best friend. My spot in the mix feels a bit awkward. That said, I’m sure we’ll be friends someday.”
“Then why not start now…?”
“Mm… Not quite yet? See, right now…”
“There’s this subtle competitive vibe between us.”
“What…?”
“Pfft, don’t read into it, Little Bai~ What Sister means is, they’re pumped to hang with you today. Me butting in to say ‘let’s be pals’ would just harsh the mood~ Know when to pick your moment. Tons of friend-making ops later—no point dousing their excitement now. That’s the ‘not ripe’ part.”
“I think Sister Liang’s overthinking it.”
“Or… could Little Bai be underthinking?”
“?”
Was summer slang always this tricky?!
Ye Someone’s mind was razor-sharp. If she said friendships were on the table, they were. Underthinking? No way!
Chi Yuliang lightly covered her mouth with a wry chuckle.
Abruptly, she laid her hands on Ye Zhibai’s shoulders and, with gentle insistence, spun her around in place.
Then came a soft nudge to that slender, boneless little back.
“Anyway, off you go, Little Bai~ Miss Zhiyun’s gotta be getting antsy by now. Lingering to chat with me? No way—I didn’t come here to cramp your style! Have fun! Mm… Just treat Sister like she’s here for legit field research!”
“Uh… hold on…?”
“What is it?”
Hey, Sister Liang, don’t shove me away so fast!
Okay, if that’s how you see it, I won’t push the friend thing.
Opportunities aplenty later, like you said.
But I need to bring my fox along!
Don’t you see?
Guang Yu’s still over there chomping balloon scraps!
Not long ago—mere minutes back—Sister Liang had wished her a blast.
Buoyed by that earnest hope, Ye Zhibai had rallied her spirits. Face impassive but heart eager, she’d regrouped with Yun’er and Zihan, charging toward the next ride.
And right now… Ye Zhibai was at a total loss.
She stared down blankly, twitching her suspended toes.
The crowds below swarmed like ants, tiny and distant.
A glance up revealed endless blue skies and fluffy clouds.
A glance down… an endless void.
Yep.
Ye Zhibai was way up high.
To her left: Zihan, eyes alight with anticipation.
To her right: Yun’er, cool as ever.
And hovering nearby: Guang Yu, burning divine power on a levitation spell just to spectate and snack.
All that wasabi you scarfed lately wasn’t wasted, huh? ‘Save it for the blade’s edge,’ you say—yet here you are, every time!
Somehow, Yun’er and Zihan had dragged her here in high spirits.
Somehow, she’d ended up strapped into the seat.
Somehow, the little car beneath her had climbed dozens of meters into the sky.
Only now did it hit Ye Zhibai: maybe she could squeeze in a last word?
“Um, so…? Yun’er, quick question: this ride… fast?”
“Sister, relax. It’s not.”
“Oh… alright then.”
“Whether it’s fast or not all depends on the rider’s state of mind. For someone as brave and unflappable as Sis here, a mere roller coaster is basically slow motion—no challenge at all!”
Please, I’m begging you—don’t say that second part!
I know, but I don’t want to hear it!
The row of cars lurched forward.
A mechanical voice from the nearby machine began counting down the final seconds.
Along with the countdown came a wave of screams and sobs from the tourists in the back rows—some shrieking in terror, others outright bawling.
Cry! All you do is cry! What the hell are you crying about!
We’re already strapped in—crying isn’t gonna save you now!
If you knew you’d bawl your eyes out, why’d you even get on this death trap?!
Don’t tell me you all got dragged onto this thing blindly, just like me?!
No matter what…
Ye Zhibai slowly closed her eyes.
The car tilted, forming an angle that was nearly vertical to the ground.
Ah… the cactus that got scalded to death by boiling water back home, you doing okay in your desert paradise?
I might just be able to come keep you company now.
The countdown reached zero.
The whoosh of wind and piercing screams exploded beside her ears—then vanished just as suddenly.
“AAAAAHHH, Little Bai’er!! Charge!!!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
But Little Bai’er wasn’t charging anymore.
Little Bai’er was toast.
