The sunlight today was truly warm.
Xu Wanyue stood beneath it, the rays falling across her snow-white cheeks and making her eyes sparkle with vibrant clarity. Her black, slightly curly hair was tied back into a single ponytail with a hair tie, and the loose strands framing her face swayed gently in the breeze. Lin Cheng’s gaze drifted unconsciously to her lips; he clearly remembered her applying mint-flavored lip balm before they headed out.
“But you don’t have to sit down to kiss,” Lin Cheng replied with righteous indignation.
“Hmph, I didn’t say you could.”
“That’s playing dirty. What kind of couple doesn’t kiss?”
“Girls sometimes throw little tantrums and won’t let you, though.” Xu Wanyue’s retort was just as confident. Lin Cheng stared into her eyes and suddenly said, “Show me your tongue.”
“What?”
“Show me your tongue.”
Xu Wanyue obediently parted her lips. Her teeth were straight and pristine white. After a moment’s hesitation, she tentatively extended the tip of her pink tongue just a little. Lin Cheng’s gaze seemed unsatisfied, though, so she pushed it out farther. Her cheeks quickly flushed pink.
A cute, tender pink little tongue.
“Then… make it a long kiss,” Lin Cheng said abruptly.
“Okay.”
When Xu Wanyue smiled, faint dimples appeared in her cheeks.
Lin Cheng remembered how much Litchi loved roller coasters, but after he’d ridden one with her before, he’d nearly fallen apart. He couldn’t even explain why he was so afraid; he’d never truly feared death itself. Perhaps this acrophobia stemmed from some primal human instinct encoded in his genes.
Maybe that was for the best—it proved he was still human, after all.
Now he and Xu Wanyue sat in the front row. Just moments ago, mischief had danced in her eyes, but before the roller coaster even started moving, her legs began to tremble uncontrollably. Lin Cheng gripped her hand tightly. Ever since she’d mastered circulating her energy, it no longer felt as icy cold as it once had.
“You’re scared?” Lin Cheng’s voice shook too.
“Scared.” Xu Wanyue clutched his hand. The ride lurched into motion, its speed building gradually. Before long, their screams echoed together. The coaster climbed to its peak and then plunged downward. In that heart-stopping instant, screams filled the air from everyone aboard amid the howling wind and gut-wrenching freefall, bodies shaking with uncontrollable shivers. Xu Wanyue suddenly turned to look at Lin Cheng’s face. Seeing him yelling his head off put her at ease.
She leaned in and whispered something to him, but the wind tore the words away. A moment later, she joined in the screaming.
The three-minute thrill ride came to an end. Lin Cheng and Xu Wanyue made their way to the photo pickup area and stared at the hideous candid shots from the ride. Xu Wanyue doubled over laughing, barely able to stand, while Lin Cheng—pale as a ghost—steadied her by the shoulder. He turned to her, but she suddenly seized his hand and bolted.
They ran until they found a quiet spot nearby with no one around. Only then did she nestle obediently into his arms and wrap her arms gently around him.
Their heights were so close that Lin Cheng barely had to tilt his head down. Xu Wanyue’s soft pink lips parted slightly, and soon her tender little tongue met his. She wasn’t experienced with this, so her response was clumsy and awkward.
Soft. Slippery.
Xu Wanyue’s fingers instinctively clutched the fabric at the back of Lin Cheng’s shirt, her slender waist going rigid. She felt like she could hardly breathe.
“Guys who kiss with their eyes open are total players,” she mumbled indistinctly during a brief pause.
Lin Cheng obediently squeezed his eyes shut. This time, Xu Wanyue cracked hers open for a sneaky peek at him, but a flicker of sadness crept into her dark pupils. She pushed the thought aside quickly—she had no room for it anyway—and responded in a hazy daze to his movements. When their lips finally parted, Lin Cheng swore he could taste mint on his own mouth.
Xu Wanyue fished a pack of wet wipes from her little bag, meticulously cleaning his lips first before folding one over and dabbing at her own. Satisfied, she beamed and took his hand. “Wanna hit the bumper cars?”
“Sure.”
Lin Cheng sometimes felt that Xu Wanyue could be just as immature as he was.
They climbed into separate bumper cars and careened around, crashing into the amusement park kids. A bunch of little boys zeroed in on Xu Wanyue, probably because she was the pretty big sister—kids had a knack for spotting beauty. She got ganged up on and bounced around mercilessly until Lin Cheng swooped in like a knight, dueling it out gleefully with the eight- and nine-year-olds.
Afterward, they collapsed onto a bench, each munching on a grilled sausage stick. The sunlight bathed them in gentle warmth, their shadows stretching lazily across the ground. Xu Wanyue suddenly had an idea. She pulled out her phone, positioned it to capture their shadows forming a heart, and glanced at Lin Cheng.
He blinked in confusion for a second before extending his hand. Their shadows’ fingertips brushed together, and Xu Wanyue snapped away happily before pocketing her phone, utterly content.
The amusement park brimmed with fun. Once they’d polished off their sausages, Lin Cheng took Xu Wanyue’s hand and led her to the boating pond. White clouds drifted overhead, the green water serene below, sunlight spilling over them so cozily that he longed to stretch out and nap right there.
“You don’t get out much, do you?” Lin Cheng asked suddenly.
“Hmph, neither do you, so no teasing.”
“Going out’s such a drag.” Lin Cheng shrugged.
“No friends?” Xu Wanyue said softly. “I hate it too—no friends ever. But shopping with Xiaoxiao can be kinda fun sometimes.”
“Yeah.” Lin Cheng gave a wry smile. “I used to wanna drag that girl I lived with out all the time.”
“And?”
“But she wouldn’t go.”
“If she didn’t want to… you can’t force her, right?” Xu Wanyue hesitated before murmuring.
“Yeah. I shouldn’t have tried.”
Lin Cheng gazed off at the distant rockery. “But I didn’t know what else to do. She lived with me for over a year—I basically kept her cooped up at home. She never wanted to step out. She dreamed of staying inside forever like a little dog, no thoughts, no worries, that tiny room her entire universe.”
“Back then, I smugly thought I knew best for her—that it wasn’t healthy. Without taking that first step, she’d never grow. The world out there might not be all fireworks, but holing up alone would erode whatever made her human.”
“But didn’t she have you?” Xu Wanyue said gently.
“I couldn’t be her whole world.” Lin Cheng turned to her. “You’re actually my first real girlfriend, you know.”
“No way.”
“We lived together over a year and never once talked about liking or loving each other. More like family… actually, no—can’t pin it down. I saw her as kin, but she always called us master and little dog. Right and wrong blurred together. I pushed her stubbornly to improve, but maybe deep down… I was just sick of her. Selfish me didn’t wanna tend to that little dog anymore, so I’d nag her to go out, knowing she’d refuse. Eventually, she got the hint and moved out.”
“That morning she left, regret hit me hard. I wanted her to stay. Rain poured down; I begged her to wait it out. But she packed her stuff quick, popped an umbrella, and trudged into the storm for a cab. Left me there alone.”
“Heavy rain like that… and she wouldn’t wait even hours.”
Lin Cheng’s lashes lowered.
“You make good points, but did you actually beg her to stay?”
“I said… ‘Why not wait till the rain stops?'”
“Knew it.” Xu Wanyue’s gaze deepened. She reached out, turned his face toward her, and cradled it gently in her hands. “Girls need coaxing, dummy.”
Right then, she seemed like the big sister schooling her kid brother on love.
“…”
“Because you’re too proud,” she went on, her eyes softening. “You said she was proud too, but others’ views of you aren’t the real deal—it’s how you see them. You two are cut from the same cloth: both too proud. One tiny drop of ego, and it’d all work out.”
Lin Cheng’s smile soured. “I know.”
“So… you want me playing girlfriend again just to spite her?” Xu Wanyue tweaked his cheek.
“Not spite. It’s to show her the past is done.” Lin Cheng sighed. “You’ve gotten sharp all of a sudden, but don’t overthink. I don’t love her—no endless drama. She’s grown into what I hoped; we’re past the immaturity. She can stand on her own now, no need for me in her world… so I won’t linger.”
“What d’you mean ‘sudden’?”
“You’ve always had that flirty vibe.”
“Huh?”
“Flirty, no brains.”
Xu Wanyue shot him a withering look. “I’ve binged tons of relationship TikToks lately. I’m a dating guru now!”
“Watching ten thousand clips is theory. Theory crumbles in real life.”
“But your eyes looked so heartbroken earlier. Thought you were hung up on her.”
“Her body’s killer.” Lin Cheng sighed wistfully, gloom evaporated.
The moment Xu Wanyue released his face, he pinched her snowy cheek. “Cut the love-coach vids. Know too much about being loved, you forget how to love.”
“Oh…” Xu Wanyue nodded. “Now I’m dying to know what kinda girl you actually like.”
“You.”
“Bull.”
She wrenched free, lips parting to nip his finger lightly.
“Why bite?” Lin Cheng didn’t yank back; warmth and a pinch of pain tingled at his fingertip.
“‘I like you’ isn’t joke fodder.” Xu Wanyue met his eyes dead serious, words muffled. “Way too mean to tease a girl with it.”
“Oh… but we’re dating now, right?”
“Guess so.” She let go. Lin Cheng caught her arm. “My turn to bite.”
Xu Wanyue thrust her pale, soft arm at him without flinching, though she turned her face aside, hiding her eyes.
