Chapter 31: The Aquarium Dispute

“Big brother, let’s go boating together.” Yan tugged at Chen Lin as she spoke.

Before Chen Lin could respond, Shihan interrupted Yan’s request. “See, kids only ever think of boring activities like that when they come to an aquarium.”

With that, she immediately grabbed Chen Lin’s sleeve. “Let’s go watch the dolphin show. If we don’t go now, we might miss it.”

But Yan had no intention of letting go. In fact, she doubled down on her opposition. “What’s so great about a dolphin show? It’s just dolphins jumping out of the water and hitting balls.”

“That’s exactly why I say kids have no taste,” Shihan shot back.

“You’re only a few years older than me. What’s there to be so smug about?” Yan retorted rudely.

Caught in the crossfire between the two, Chen Lin found himself in a dilemma.

Ever since they arrived at the aquarium, the tension between the two had been oddly thick and unrelenting.

Earlier, on the bus, they had both fought for the seat next to him. In the end, he made them sit together while he stood.

Now that they were inside the aquarium, they were arguing again about where to go.

“Hey, big brother, you decide.”

“Chen Lin, share your thoughts.”

Suddenly, they both turned their guns on him, demanding he choose their next destination.

This put Chen Lin in a tough spot. He knew that if he chose one over the other, it would inevitably upset the other.

So, only children make choices; adults want both.

“Looking at the time, it’s best to go to the dolphin show first, since there are only two shows a day. After the show, we can still go boating. It won’t delay anything,” Chen Lin offered.

Hearing that he prioritized the dolphin show, Shihan looked somewhat satisfied, while Yan seemed a bit reluctant.

Although Yan was practically dragged to the dolphin show, when the dolphins actually performed impressive stunts under the trainer’s command, she watched with visible delight.

After the show, Shihan asked Yan, “So? Wasn’t the show fun?”

Not wanting to let Shihan have the upper hand, Yan reluctantly admitted, “It was okay, I guess. But nothing special.”

After the dolphin show, the three of them rented a small boat on the park’s lake.

Nowadays, all the boats are electric; the old-fashioned rowboats or paddleboats have been phased out.

Soon, they boarded the small boat. Chen Lin took the driver’s seat, while Yan and Shihan sat behind him.

“It’s a shame there aren’t any oars. When you’re in a small boat, it’s more fun to use your own muscle,” Yan complained.

“Electric boats are obviously better,” Shihan retorted.

Yan’s eyes met Shihan’s, and sparks seemed to fly between them.

Chen Lin wasn’t blind; he could feel the hostility between the two.

“Can you two get along?” Chen Lin asked them.

“No way. Her and me? We just don’t click,” Yan replied immediately.

“Exactly. It’s best she knows her place,” Shihan added.

After these declarations, the animosity between them became even more apparent.

Chen Lin deeply regretted asking that question.

But even while touring the aquarium, Chen Lin’s attention remained fixed on Yan.

It wasn’t that he cared about Yan that much; he was just worried she might do something dangerous. He hoped he was overthinking it.

After boating, it was time for lunch.

“Big brother, can you feed me ice cream?” Yan asked, holding the small cup of ice cream she had just bought.

“Of course,” Chen Lin said without thinking, ready to feed her.

After all, it was just feeding a child ice cream. No big deal.

But Shihan objected more strongly than Chen Lin expected. She snatched the ice cream from his hand and shoved it back into Yan’s.

“How can you just agree so easily? You’re spoiling her too much,” Shihan complained to Chen Lin.

“It’s fine, isn’t it?” Chen Lin replied.

“No, it’s not.”

“Why not?” Chen Lin asked back, leaving Shihan momentarily speechless.

“If it’s really fine, would you feed me ice cream too?” Shihan asked defiantly.

Chen Lin hadn’t expected Shihan to act so petulant. It completely shattered his image of her as a refined young lady, but he shamelessly replied, “Of course I would.”

Blushing, Shihan went to buy a small cup of ice cream.

Yan smirked triumphantly at Shihan’s embarrassment, then opened her mouth wide, going “Ahhh~”

Chen Lin scooped up a small spoonful of ice cream and popped it into Yan’s mouth. She swallowed it happily.

While Yan was eating, Chen Lin turned his gaze to Shihan. She was holding her cup of ice cream with both hands, looking at him expectantly.

So Chen Lin reached out and scooped up a small spoonful.

Seeing this, Shihan shyly opened her small mouth and slightly stuck out her tongue.

Because Shihan was Meiyue’s younger sister, Chen Lin had a fleeting illusion that he was feeding Meiyue herself.

If one day he were to feed Meiyue ice cream, would she make the same gesture?

For some reason, Chen Lin blushed as well. His hand holding the spoon trembled slightly with nervousness, and he hesitated to bring it forward.

Shihan kept her mouth open, waiting for him to feed her, but Chen Lin delayed.

For a girl to make such an unladylike gesture in front a boy was extremely embarrassing. Shihan’s face turned even redder, like a ripe apple.

Nervously, Chen Lin said, “Are you ready? I’m coming in.” After saying that, he couldn’t help swallowing.

“Mm…” Shihan replied softly, shyly.

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