Wang Yuqiong eagerly dragged Shen An to the roller coaster, only to receive a disappointing response.
“Sorry, we’re temporarily closed for maintenance. It’ll be another half hour before we can reopen.”
The staff member spoke politely to Wang Yuqiong.
“Half an hour?” Wang Yuqiong frowned. “Why?”
Seeing this, Shen An quickly pulled her back. “What do you mean why? They need to do maintenance. Besides, even at regular amusement parks, some rides don’t open until specific times. Running them isn’t free, you know.”
“It’s like those light shows—they can’t just open them up in broad daylight.”
The staff member nodded appreciatively. “Thank you for your understanding, sir.”
Wang Yuqiong puffed out her cheeks but couldn’t very well argue in front of Shen An.
What kind of stupid rule was this? Wasn’t this amusement park open twenty-four hours? Maintenance my foot—pure lame excuses! Hmph!
“So what now?”
She turned to Shen An.
“Hmm…” Shen An rubbed his chin. “We could wait here for half an hour, or we could try some other rides first.”
“I bet the thrill rides aren’t open this early anyway. How about the carousel?”
Wang Yuqiong looked disgusted. “A carousel? You’re so childish.”
“Heh, haven’t you heard? Men are boys at heart till they die. What’s wrong with a little childishness?”
Shen An turned. “If you don’t want to, I’ll go by myself.”
“Hey! Wait for me!”
Wang Yuqiong hurried to catch up.
When they reached the carousel, they got the exact same story. “This ride is temporarily closed. Half an hour until it’s open.”
Shen An and Wang Yuqiong weren’t the only ones caught off guard. Nearby students hoping to ride were equally baffled.
Shen An pointed at some kids who had just stepped off the carousel. “Half an hour?”
It was pretty awkward, yeah.
But the staff had no choice; he’d gotten the notice on the fly. “Yes, really sorry about this. Emergency maintenance.”
“What amusement park doesn’t run the carousel past ten in the morning?”
Wang Yuqiong crossed her arms, tossing out the snide remark from the sidelines.
Shen An raised a brow. “No big deal. Let’s check out some other rides.”
And so Shen An led Wang Yuqiong around to a few nearby attractions.
Every single one: maintenance required, half an hour delay.
It was as if the entire amusement park had hit pause on every ride for thirty minutes.
After circling around, they ended up back at the roller coaster.
Wang Yuqiong, growing irritated, plopped down on the ground and hugged her knees, chin resting on them.
Shen An cast a meaningful glance at the surveillance camera.
Looks like Zhao Qingyu had caught on.
How could it all be “maintenance” at the exact same time? No way.
Only Zhao Qingyu could pull this off. After all, she was the mountain villa heiress. One word from her, and everyone jumped.
She hadn’t gone all out, though—just a half-hour delay. If she’d really wanted to stick it to them, she could’ve shut down the whole place for a day, leaving him and Wang Yuqiong to stare at the walls back in their room.
Hmm… but Shen An figured Zhao Qingyu had more up her sleeve.
If this was it, it wouldn’t be her style.
He ducked his head to hide his smirk, walked over, and patted Wang Yuqiong’s head. “It’s just half an hour. It’s not like we can’t ride at all. Why the long face?”
Wang Yuqiong looked up, pouting as she stood. “I’m not moping. Can’t I take a breather?”
Shen An could guess it was Zhao Qingyu’s doing, so why couldn’t Wang Yuqiong?
That’s why she was annoyed.
That stinky fox—did she come all the way here just to mess with me?
“We’ve barely walked any distance, and you need a break already.” Shen An patted a nearby bench. “With stamina like that, good luck trying to hit every ride in a day.”
“When you’re having fun, you don’t feel tired.”
Wang Yuqiong shot back, “It’s only pointless walking that wears me out.”
She didn’t sit. Instead, she paced back and forth in front of Shen An.
Shen An glanced at the little shop nearby and reached out to poke Wang Yuqiong in the back.
“What are you doing?”
Wang Yuqiong’s delicate frame trembled slightly as she whipped around to glare at him.
“You’re not sitting still anyway, so go buy me an ice cream from over there.” Shen An crossed his legs casually, issuing the order with relaxed ease.
“It’s the morning—what kind of ice cream do you eat first thing?”
“Just go when I tell you to.”
“Why don’t you go yourself?”
“I didn’t bring my wallet.” Shen An declared it with perfect shamelessness.
A vein bulged on Wang Yuqiong’s forehead. She stomped her foot. “You’re such a pain.”
With that, she turned and headed toward the little shop.
Mmm~
A breeze picked up, carrying a touch of cool refreshment.
Shen An squinted contentedly, leaning back in his chair to savor this brief moment of crisp comfort.
But mixed in with the gentle wind came the sound of hurried footsteps.
Shen An’s ears twitched slightly. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the source of the noise.
A figure was rushing straight toward him.
It was Song Rui.
The silly girl had dashed all the way from the hotel to the amusement park after leaving it, terrified she might be too late.
Luckily, a sightseeing cart had given her a lift along the way. Otherwise, with her pace, she probably would’ve collapsed from exhaustion before even arriving.
Seeing how rushed she looked, Shen An quickly stood up.
By the time Song Rui reached him, Shen An steadied her with a hand and raised an eyebrow. “In such a hurry to get reincarnated?”
Song Rui leaned against his chest, panting heavily. It took her a moment to steady herself before she flashed a triumphant smile. “What a coincidence—you’re here at the amusement park too?”
Shen An’s mouth twitched. Coincidence, my ass. She was obviously coming straight for him.
What a clumsy cover story.
But Shen An didn’t call her out on it. He grinned warmly. “Yeah.”
“Come on, sit down first and catch your breath.”
The empty seat where Wang Yuqiong had been sitting was perfect for Song Rui.
The moment Song Rui sat down, Shen An asked, “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Mm, pretty well.” Song Rui rested her small hands on her knees, sitting with perfect poise.
“That’s good. I was worried you’d be picky about sleeping in a new place.” Shen An chuckled lightly.
“Hey, I don’t have that habit.”
Song Rui’s smile was utterly healing. “As long as I’m tired, I can sleep anywhere.”
“Did you go watch the fireworks last night, then?” Shen An asked, though he already knew the answer.
Song Rui blinked, about to spill everything that had happened the night before.
But the words caught in her throat, and she stopped herself.
Just then, Wang Yuqiong returned from the shop with the ice cream in hand.
She glanced over and spotted Song Rui immediately.
Wang Yuqiong’s eyes narrowed sharply, her brows furrowing. “Why is she here?”
Her gaze flicked to the surveillance camera by the roadside, and her grip tightened on the ice cream.
Zhao Qingyu…
You damn stinky fox!!!
Hmph.
Wang Yuqiong pouted, walking back to Shen An with obvious displeasure. “Your ice cream.”
Then she turned to Song Rui. “Morning. How’d your stroll bring you all the way over here?”
Song Rui’s expression grew a bit awkward. “Mm.”
“What stroll? She’s here to have fun.” Shen An flicked Wang Yuqiong’s forehead.
He looked at Song Rui. “You haven’t answered me yet.”
“Answered what?”
Wang Yuqiong eyed the two of them intently.
“Nothing much—just asking if she watched the fireworks last night.”
Shen An said casually as he took a lick of the ice cream.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui exchanged a perfectly synchronized glance.
From Song Rui’s perspective, she didn’t really want to talk about last night.
Zhao Qingyu had tricked her once, but she’d also helped her once.
The favor and grudge canceled out, so Song Rui wanted to play the nice guy.
But she worried Wang Yuqiong might not hold back—and even more that Wang Yuqiong had already told Shen An everything.
In that case, her own answer would amount to lying.
From Wang Yuqiong’s side, pride held her back from spilling last night’s events in front of Shen An. Let him figure it out himself.
As for settling scores with Zhao Qingyu, she’d handle that slowly—lumping in today’s tab too!
But she also feared this dimwit Song Rui might blurt it all out.
That’s why the two of them shared that tacit glance.
Shen An pretended not to notice, licking his ice cream. “Why the silence?”
Wang Yuqiong spoke first. “Song Rui watched them too. We even ran into each other on the way, right?”
She winked at Song Rui, giving her a meaningful look.
Song Rui nodded quickly. “Yeah, I got bored last night and went for a walk. Thought I’d watch the fireworks while I was at it.”
“Oh~” Shen An feigned sudden realization. “No wonder Yuqiong mentioned a stroll just now.”
“What about Lianyao? Did you watch with her?”
Wang Yuqiong rolled her eyes. “You’re awfully concerned about them.”
Song Rui shook her head. “No, Lianyao didn’t go out. She was reading in the room.”
Shen An’s lips curved up. “See? Lianyao’s the model example we should all follow—out here playing but still squeezing in some study time.”
“Not bad for the discipline committee member.”
Wang Yuqiong pursed her lips in disdain. “Please. She just didn’t want to come out.”
“Tsk, that’s judging a gentleman by your petty standards.” Shen An teased. “Can’t you assume Lianyao really loves studying?”
“You’re the class president, after all. Try thinking positively for once.”
Wang Yuqiong ignored him. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”
She wanted to sit down, but Song Rui now occupied the spot next to Shen An.
If she wanted to sit, she’d have to grab another chair.
Arghhh.
Wang Yuqiong’s mood soured even further.
What was supposed to be a perfect one-on-one date had been ruined by Song Rui…
Petty as it was, right now Wang Yuqiong genuinely wanted to slip Song Rui some laxatives—keep her holed up in the bathroom all day.
Save everyone the hassle!
Too bad fantasies stayed fantasies. She spun around in frustration.
“Hey, hey, where are you off to now? It’s been almost half an hour.”
“To the bathroom! You wanna come with?”
Wang Yuqiong snorted coldly.
“Then I won’t keep you. Go ahead.” Shen An chuckled.
“Heh.”
Wang Yuqiong stormed off, but she hadn’t gone far when a few more figures approached.
Zhao Qingyu, Yu Wen, and Qi Taili.
The art troupe’s three big shots strode along the path, with the other members giving them a wide berth.
They seemed headed for the roller coaster too.
Compared to the radiant Zhao Qingyu, though, Yu Wen and Qi Taili both looked utterly sleep-deprived, like they’d been dragged out of bed against their will.
Wang Yuqiong bumped right into the trio.
She greeted them politely at first. “Morning, Senior Sisters.”
Her gaze then locked onto Zhao Qingyu, her tone sharpening subtly.
Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved in a sly, foxlike smile. She drawled, “You’re up early too.”
“Yeah. Are you three here for the roller coaster?”
Wang Yuqiong smiled without reaching her eyes.
“Mm, mostly ’cause Yu Wen wants to ride it. I had nothing better to do, so I tagged along to check it out.”
Zhao Qingyu nudged Yu Wen beside her. “Right?”
Yu Wen’s face was full of resentment. “Right…”
Right my ass!
“You’ll have to wait a bit—the roller coaster’s under maintenance.” Wang Yuqiong said through gritted teeth.
“No worries. Should be ready soon.” Zhao Qingyu’s smile didn’t falter.
“Yeah, well, I won’t keep you Senior Sisters then.”
“Oh? Headed to the bathroom?”
Zhao Qingyu arched a brow. “Got any tissue?”
With her back to Zhao Qingyu, Wang Yuqiong’s rage nearly shattered her composure. “I do!!!”
Arghhh!!!!
Stinky fox, you’re dead meat!!
Zhao Qingyu withdrew her gaze, smug deep down. “Thinks she can compete with me? Not even close.”
