It wasn’t until they reached the play area for the Rotating Coffee Cups that Ye Zhibai finally understood.
Her earlier debate over whether the ride spun fast or slow had been a luxury in itself.
Because no matter the speed, the line waiting to ride stretched out like a massive dragon.
There were only so many spinning teacups, but the crowd eager to climb inside was packed tight.
Just as Zihan had observed.
The situation was utterly hopeless.
“This queue is moving at such a snail’s pace… it’ll probably take at least half an hour just to get a spot, conservatively speaking.”
“Half an hour…? Are you sure about that, Lin?”
“Yes, yes, Second Miss Ye. As a regular folk, I can assure you. I queue up all the time for discounted veggies at the supermarket—my estimate is spot on.”
“For real…?”
“That’s the sorrow of us commoners. You’ve gotten used to the VIP lanes, so it’s time you learned a thing or two.”
The tourists already spinning inside the teacups wore blissful smiles on their faces.
It probably wasn’t just the fun of the ride. A big part of it had to be the sheer relief of finally getting their turn after the wait.
Damn it, was this why the Happy Amusement Park’s rides scored so high in satisfaction surveys? Someone needed to cap the number of visitors!
Ye Zhibai wasn’t one for dramatic expressions, but when she was troubled, her brows would furrow ever so slightly.
That single furrow made it clear: she wasn’t happy. (Mainly because Guang Yu was munching on cotton candy nearby, the sound like a llama chomping on grass.)
Yun’er hadn’t been here in years either, so she hadn’t anticipated how tough the lines would be.
But her sister’s fun came before everything.
Was she supposed to let her sister stand under this blazing sun for half an hour?
She had to offer a constructive solution.
“N-No problem, big sis! This is nothing. I’ll have the Maid Corps contact the park management. Maybe we can pay extra for a fast lane. If every ride takes half an hour, you won’t survive this scorching sun. So, sis, stay put—I’ll just reapply some sunscreen to your face real quick…”
Don’t touch my face while it’s chaotic!
Before Yun’er could even move, Zihan’s words suddenly caught her attention—and spiked her blood pressure.
“Oh dear, oh dear~ I can only say that even the person who claims to know Little Bai’er best can still get it wrong sometimes.”
“Oh ho?” Yun’er turned slowly, her deep blue eyes flashing with ominous menace. “Lin, I’m praying for you. You’d better not be throwing shade at me.”
Lin Zihan didn’t respond. She just shrugged with a wry smile and shook her head.
It wasn’t disdain.
She just sensed that speaking up rashly might get her kicked flying on the spot.
But she couldn’t let it drop.
Lin Zihan rested one arm across her front and stepped forward a few paces, positioning herself beside Yun’er—which put her right in front of Ye Zhibai.
In her crimson eyes, strands of silver hair reflected with a mix of longing, approval, connection, and purity.
With that gaze—which struck Ye Zhibai as utterly baffling—Lin Zihan’s words came out dead serious.
“I just think that what you said, Zhiyun, is an insult to Little Bai’er in itself.”
“Ha?! Are you out of your mind?
Me, insulting my own sister?! Sure, sometimes at night I might tease her a bit… cough, I think your head’s the one with issues. Even if the sky fell or an asteroid hit Earth, I would never insult my sis, got it?”
“You’re quite wrong there. That’s why they say those closest to the situation are blind to it.”
Zihan shook her head repeatedly.
She knew pushing further might earn her a beating, so she had to get it all out first.
“You think you know Little Bai’er inside out, but overcaring can lead to mistakes—like what you just said. You wanted to set up a VIP lane and throw money at the problem, right? Sure, it’s convenient. Money solves things easily and simply. Others might love that. But unfortunately, this is Little Bai’er. Little Bai’er just isn’t that kind of person.”
I am exactly that kind of person!!
Ye Zhibai glanced up at the fierce sun overhead, her heart desperately craving that VIP lane!
Sorry, but I’m that shallow. I’m that tacky. Zihan, snap out of it!
But now that Zihan had voiced her admiration, there was no taking it back halfway.
“Ever since that time at the Flower Shop, when I tried to give Little Bai’er some flowers and she refused… I knew. In her world, not everything’s measured by money.”
It’s not that. Your flowers just looked so expensive—I’d feel guilty accepting them?
“That’s going a bit far back… Take this time. If Little Bai’er really wanted a VIP lane, why didn’t she have the Maid Corps arrange it when buying tickets? With the Ye Family’s pull, they could probably shut down the whole park for a private session.”
Holy crap! That’s overkill, but there’s an option like that? First I’d heard of it!
Lin Zihan had said her piece.
And Yun’er had a sudden realization.
Her earlier confusion faded like smoke.
Sure, human nature often pushes us to dismiss others and cling to our own views. But after Zihan’s analysis, Yun’er’s logic told her—
Zihan was right.
Didn’t she know her sister’s personality inside out?
Born into wealth, yet always weighing cost against value. She could be the grandest princess in a castle, but she preferred everyday life—scarfing down chili sauce and cotton candy.
A sister like that… she was aspirational, and downright adorable.
Her earlier words, on closer inspection, really did trample on her sister’s chosen lifestyle.
Lin, putting aside everything else, thanks for this one. You woke me up.
Yun’er tucked away thoughts of the various harsh punishments her sister might inflict later.
With a relieved turn, she gracefully swept her black hair behind her ear, tilting her head with a smile as bright as midsummer.
“Got it, sis. Here’s the plan: you head over to those benches in the shade and rest. I’ll queue up and call you when it’s our turn. No need for VIP lanes—because Yun’er is your personal VIP lane! Whatever worries you, leave it to me!”
Wahhh, thanks for the peace of mind.
But I really just want you to arrange…
A regular VIP lane!
Yun’er and Zihan’s gazes toward her burned ever brighter, leaving Ye Zhibai unable to voice any counter-suggestions.
She was committed now, folks.
Even though tiger-riding was the last thing she wanted.
“Queueing… let’s all go together. Sitting there does nothing for me.”
“Ehh! No need, sis. If you queue yourself, I lose my chance to shine… I mean, the sun’s brutal—no need to queue together. Trust me, I’ll queue properly and not let you down!”
It’s fine.
Yun’er glanced sideways at their surroundings.
They were well-hidden, but Yun’er knew better. She could spot every member of the Undercover Maid Corps lurking in the park’s nooks and crannies.
The whole team was on high alert, forming a seamless protection net.
Any hint of trouble, and she’d rush back.
Ye Zhibai was about to insist she could queue too when a lazy, fox-like murmur came from beside her.
“Ye Zhibai, my cloud fluff’s gone. Look, just the stick left. It was yummy. I want another. You want one?”
“……”
You’re right, Yun’er.
If I queue with you, Guang Yu might randomly terrorize some poor vendor again.
For the park’s peace, better to park her on the bench first.
“Sure. That’s the plan.” Lin Zihan, who’d first suggested queueing, laid out the details. “I’ll hit the fast-spin line. Zhiyun, you take the slow-spin one. They’re about the same length—whoever gets to the front first, that’s the ride we do.”
“Oh? Whoever queues fastest, sis follows? Is this a contest?”
“Who knows~”
The battlefield was smokeless, scented only by the sun baking the ground.
With that, Ye Zhiyun and Lin Zihan traded a fierce glance before splitting off without delay!
Ye Zhibai led her household fox at a leisurely pace to the benches and sat down.
She patted Guang Yu’s shoulder, sighing at the passage of time.
“Guang Yu… this rare quiet. Don’t pull any stunts now. Weirdly, you’re the most well-behaved one here.”
“Well-behaved’s great! Should I wheel the cotton candy cart over?”
“I take it back.”
Guang Yu wasn’t well-behaved, but the quiet was a nice change.
Ye Zhibai tilted her head back at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing at the sky. Shade cooled her from above, a breeze whispered through, half-obscuring lazy drifting clouds.
Mmm… Ye Zhibai might gripe about the hassle out loud, but inside? She was pretty pleased.
Back in the day, she’d never dreamed someone would queue for her while she rested first.
Her old life… had always been her queuing alone.
Forever.
With no end to the line ahead.
And no path visible behind.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“Nothing… Just wondering if anyone ever had your back back then, Guang Yu. Not trying to brag or anything.”
“You seem pretty happy, don’t you? Not that I want to rain on your parade, but who hasn’t had someone to protect them back in the day! Didn’t I tell you before? The Mother Goddess was always super good to me. Whenever other gods called me trash, she’d help me beat the crap out of them!”
“Other gods actually called you trash…
Damn… that kinda pisses me off. You’re really not that…”
“They were just speaking the truth, hahaha!! And I gave it right back to them—my trash talk was even better! The Mother Goddess said if I kept it up, she’d rip my mouth off! When I got mad, I even cursed her, claiming to be the Heavenly Realm’s number one motormouth!”
“……”
“Guang Yu, I’m starting to think you’re right about the Mother Goddess kicking you out of heaven.
Heaven really can’t tolerate you!”
In this rare moment of peace, Ye Zhibai drowsily narrowed her eyes.
The warm sunlight spread across her face, giving her a cozy, toasty feeling that was truly comfortable.
Until—
“Why are you back?! Didn’t you go line up?”
“Hey, hey, hey… why are you yelling at me? Pot calling the kettle black—you came back too!”
Huh?!
Hearing the voices, Ye Zhibai abruptly opened her eyes and blankly looked around.
She discovered that Zihan and Yun’er, who were supposed to have split up to line up separately, were now standing one on each side of the bench, furiously trash-talking each other for not staying in line and coming back instead.
Their expressions were clearly awkward.
But luckily, Yun’er had bought a bottle of water from the vending machine on her way back.
“Ahem… I was just worried my big sis might get thirsty, so I bought a bottle first. Here, sis—take it. I’ll go back and line up properly now.”
“I… I did too, haha. Little Bai’er, you rest well. I came back to look for my phone. Huh? Where’s my phone? Oh! It’s right here in my pocket. Look how scatterbrained I am! Ahahaha…”
With that said,
they acted like nothing had happened and went back to their respective lines.
Ye Zhibai was baffled.
She looked at Guang Yu, and Guang Yu looked at her.
The two lowbie scrubs stared at each other in silence.
They had no clue what these pro-level plays even meant.
It looked like they’d split up to line up, like it was a race to see who could get in line faster. But in reality?
In truth, both of them had planned to sneak back while the other was busy lining up, to steal some alone time with Ye Zhibai!
No way anyone actually cared that much about winning the line-up contest, right? No way!
Unfortunately, the two pro players pulled off the exact same top-tier move. Both sides lose—they had to go back to lining up.
This round was truly pro level.
