Chapter 44: Date Night with Rivals

The amusement park.

He hadn’t been in a long time; it was a chance to reconnect with his inner child.

When he arrived at the main gate in the car arranged by the production team, he asked casually: “How many guests chose this place?”

The follow-cam cameraman suddenly smiled, a rather meaningful expression on his face: “You’ll find out in a minute.”

Pei Liu had only asked out of curiosity, but hearing this answer gave him a vague, ominous premonition.

Within minutes, a car stopped, and Tan Yiyang stepped out.

The two locked eyes.

Tan Yiyang instantly bristled with vigilance, clearly wary of a love rival.

Pei Liu smiled politely, trying to show friendliness and indicate that he wasn’t going to steal anyone’s love interest.

But in Tan Yiyang’s eyes, that smile looked more like a provocation.

Tan Yiyang quickly entered a combat-ready state, staring intently in the direction cars were arriving from, wanting to be the first to strike up a conversation when Yan Xuehui stepped out.

Unfortunately, the next person to arrive was Zhou Fei.

All three men were astonished.

Pei Liu couldn’t help but ask: “Why did you guys choose this place?”

Zhou Fei: “I heard her mention she had some free time and wanted to go to Disneyland.”

Tan Yiyang didn’t answer directly, as if afraid Pei Liu would copy his answer: “It’s pretty here.”

Pei Liu thought about it; it was probably because of the fireworks show? Yan Xuehui had mentioned she liked watching them.

“Three male guests gathered together, how are we supposed to date?” Zhou Fei frowned, feeling somewhat frustrated.

Pei Liu also thought it was a bit absurd. With everyone coincidentally choosing this place, wasn’t the director worried about having no footage? They should probably take some action.

He asked the cameraman: “Are there any more guests coming?”

“There’s one more.”

Tan Yiyang and Zhou Fei’s eyes lit up simultaneously, both hoping it was the person they were waiting for.

Finally, the car arrived.

The door opened, and a pair of long legs came into view, followed by a tall figure… It was Qin Wu.

“f*ck!” Tan Yiyang’s eyes widened, shocked enough to blurt out a curse. Realizing his mistake, he hastily tried to cover it up, leaning close to Pei Liu and saying, “f*ck… Lean on me, let me lean on you for a bit.”

Pei Liu was completely dumbfounded.

Qin Wu saw Zhou Fei and Tan Yiyang and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and walked over.

The group looked at each other in dismay, the atmosphere somewhat bizarre.

All four male guests gathered together? What could they do together? Play mahjong?

The cameraman reminded them: “You guys can start your date… pfft.”

…Don’t think I didn’t hear you snickering.

They all looked at the cameraman, who silently shrank back, stifling his laughter and trying to minimize his presence.

Zhou Fei was the first to speak, suggesting: “There’s no need for all four of us to stick together. Let’s split up? I’ll go with Pei Liu.”

In an instant, everyone turned to look at him.

Tan Yiyang was a bit confused, but quickly realized something and immediately added: “I want to go with Pei Liu too.”

As if afraid someone would snatch him away, he stepped forward, grabbed Pei Liu’s arm, and stuck close to him, very much in character for a young “wolf dog.”

Qin Wu frowned imperceptibly, reached out, pressed a hand on Tan Yiyang’s shoulder, and sneered: “Why don’t you ask Pei Liu for his opinion?”

The cameraman zoomed in, focusing directly on Pei Liu’s face.

Pei Liu looked utterly bewildered.

“A love triangle right off the bat, how exciting! Hehehe.”
“Liu-liu surrounded in the middle, three guys fighting over him, so intense, hiss hiss.”
“I admit, I’m a basic dog, and I love watching this.”
“I don’t understand, why does everyone want to be with Liu-liu? Don’t Brother Fei and K God have people they like?”
“They probably want to gather intel from close range, right? After all, as soon as Pei Liu arrived, he won the female guests’ favor. Of course they need to be on guard, or maybe learn some courting skills.”

Tan Yiyang looked at Pei Liu, asking urgently: “Who do you want to go on a date with?”

Anxious about falling behind and asking in a rush, he didn’t realize for a moment that his question sounded a bit strange.

Pei Liu suspected they were teaming up to prank him, or that the production team wanted to create some drama. After all, he wasn’t a female guest; there was nothing to fight over. He figured since this was work and something unexpected happened, he needed to adapt and salvage the situation as best as he could.

So, he smiled: “I think it’s nice for everyone to hang out together.”

“As expected of you, the master of balance!”
“Only kids make choices, adults want it all.”
“Right, right, exactly like this. Why split up? Everyone should go at it together.”
“Hehe… heh, together… so great, wifey smells so good… hehe.”

Since Pei Liu said so, the others had no better ideas and could only agree.

“Let’s go.” Pei Liu walked toward the amusement park.

Qin Wu naturally followed, the two walking shoulder to shoulder.

Zhou Fei and Tan Yiyang exchanged a glance, paused, and then lined up to enter, somewhat reluctantly going to complete the date task.

As soon as Pei Liu entered the main gate, the first thing he saw was a uniquely designed souvenir shop with quite a few people inside.

On one of the large display racks hung many animal ear headbands: antlers, sheep horns, cat ears—very popular items.

Pei Liu’s eyes curved in a smile. He picked up a pair of cat ears, put them on his head, and turned to ask Qin Wu: “How does it look?”

The pointy, fluffy cat ears, attached to a black headband, blended seamlessly with his hair. At a glance, he looked like a mischievous cat spirit.

Qin Wu’s gaze lingered for a moment before he nodded: “Looks good.”

Pei Liu tried on two more. Then, Qin Wu suddenly reached out, grabbed a sheep horn headband, and placed it directly on his head.

Pei Liu was slightly startled: “What did you put on me?”

He went to look in the mirror and found he was a little sheep. The snow-white, fluffy curls, along with the small horns and drooping little ears, looked strangely adorable.

“This one suits you,” Qin Wu said, standing behind him.

Thinking it was picked out by a friend, Pei Liu didn’t take it off. Instead, he turned around, picked out a dog ear headband for Qin Wu, and helped him put it on.

“Ahhhhh, so sweet, my teeth hurt.”
“Damn it, they’re both so good at this.”
“Qin Wu’s cold face paired with a dog ear headband is such a gap moe. The way he obediently lowered his head for Pei Liu to put it on makes him look like a big doggy—fierce to outsiders, gentle to his own.”
“Where are the other two? I want to see the love triangle!”

Pei Liu grabbed three more headbands—bunny ears, panda ears, and antlers—and said: “I’ll take these back as gifts for Ling Ke and the others.”

Qin Wu’s eyes narrowed, a chill rising in them.

Zhou Fei and the others had just walked in and heard this exact sentence; their faces stiffened.

“Hahaha, Liu-liu truly is a Sea King, not leaving a single one out.”
“Oh snap, Qin Wu is jealous again.”
“Look at Brother Fei and K God’s frustrated little expressions. They’re definitely thinking, ‘Damn it, he’s good.'”
“They immediately started copying him, going to pick out gifts.”

Finally, emerging from the souvenir shop, they all wore animal ear headbands on their heads. Zhou Fei even slung a ducky bag across his chest.

All four were highly attractive—aloof, burly, energetic, gentle—different types forming a top-tier male model group, yet wearing adorable headbands. They instantly attracted a lot of attention.

Once inside the amusement park, Tan Yiyang and Zhou Fei had more or less accepted the situation. Since the female guests weren’t there, they decided to just treat it as hanging out with bros. In a dating show, male guests opening up to each other and discussing their thoughts and feelings on dating was also a highlight.

They went on a few roller coasters they were interested in. Feeling a bit hungry, they decided to hit the food court to fill their stomachs.

There were restaurants, as well as many specialty snack stalls that incorporated amusement park elements, looking highly appealing.

Since they were at the park, they naturally had to try something different.

So, instead of having a proper meal, they snacked their way through.

With a wide variety of options, Pei Liu held several items in his hands.

Tan Yiyang held a box of takoyaki (octopus balls), eating as he walked.

The round, piping-hot balls, drizzled with sauce and sprinkled with bonito flakes and seaweed, looked incredibly tempting.

Pei Liu’s eyes lit up the moment he saw them.

Caught by his eager stare, Tan Yiyang paused. His mouth moving faster than his brain, he instinctively asked: “Do you want some?”

Pei Liu nodded, but both his hands were full, unable to free one up at the moment.

Tan Yiyang simply said: “Open your mouth.”

He skewered a takoyaki ball with a bamboo stick and fed it directly to Pei Liu, even reminding him: “Careful, it’s hot.”

Pei Liu took a cautious half-bite, blew on it with an open mouth, and then finished the rest, praising indistinctly: “Sho good!”

“Feeding! I love watching this! More, more!”
“Wifey is so cute! I want a POV shot of being the girlfriend, I want to feed wifey too, wuwu.”
“The friendship between guys is so beautiful [doge.jpg].”

Between straight guys, sharing a bite like this was perfectly normal. Tan Yiyang didn’t think anything was wrong.

But suddenly, the hair on his back stood up. He instinctively sensed danger, more nervous and breaking into a colder sweat than when he was in the most intense phase of an international tournament.

He looked up, locked eyes with Qin Wu, and felt his icy stare.

f*ck! Why is he looking at me like that? Did I offend him somehow?

Tan Yiyang couldn’t help but gulp, stealthily hiding behind Zhou Fei.

“K God! K God, what’s wrong with you? Show some spirit! A man can’t be a coward. If he glares at you, go steal his wife!”
“Hahahaha, Qin Wu’s glare is both scary and hilarious.”
“Zhou Fei: Don’t touch me, bro.”

With Tan Yiyang hiding, Zhou Fei ended up closest to Pei Liu. He was eating grilled squid, oblivious to what had happened. Turning around, he met Pei Liu’s gaze. Inexplicably reminded of his younger brother at home, he unconsciously offered the unbitten squid skewer in his hand: “Want some?”

“Yes, thank you.” Pei Liu smiled and nodded, while simultaneously sharing the chicken wings and shrimp cakes in his own hands to eat together.

Zhou Fei said bluntly: “The taste is okay, but not as good as what you made.”

No one dislikes being praised. Pei Liu’s eyes curved into crescents: “Thank you.”

“Qin Wu… hahahaha I don’t even need to say it, everyone understands.”
“Brother Fei is a true foodie; his foodie soul makes him immune to death stares.”
“Qin Wu went to buy what Liu-liu wanted to eat. Tsk tsk, that dog of a man actually knows what he’s doing. He deserves to have a wife.”

Eating and playing along the way, time passed quickly.

The sun dipped toward the west, dusk fell, and the sky presented a magnificent display of fiery clouds.

They paused to admire it for a moment, watching the sky turn completely dark, like a pitch-black curtain being drawn over them.

Tourists were all discussing the upcoming fireworks show.

Pei Liu and the others discussed finding a good spot to watch the fireworks.

Since the prime viewing spots nearby were already taken, they had no choice but to go against the flow of the crowd, heading to a higher, farther vantage point.

The crowd was bustling, a sea of people, making it easy to get separated.

Just as Pei Liu was about to be squeezed away, a strong hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

Looking up, Pei Liu saw it was Qin Wu and smiled his thanks. Looking back again, he realized Zhou Fei and Tan Yiyang were nowhere to be seen.

“They were just here. How did they disappear in the blink of an eye? Should we go look for them?”

Qin Wu said coldly: “No need, they’re not kids. The fireworks are about to start.”

Pei Liu thought about it, agreed, and nodded. He and Qin Wu walked on together.

“He just wanted to be alone with Liu-liu, everyone can see that.”
“Poor Brother Fei and K God, such massive third wheels, getting ditched hahahaha.”
“I have a tiny wish: a kiss under the fireworks, pretty please?”
“Dreaming +1.”

While walking forward, Pei Liu accidentally bumped into someone and quickly apologized. Looking up, he saw a handsome foreigner. The other person rattled off a long string of words; Pei Liu didn’t understand a single syllable, but the pronunciation sounded like German?

He was about to wave his hand and apologize and explain in English, but then he noticed the foreign friend had no shadow.

…It’s a ghost!

A ghost that speaks a foreign language—it’s like taking an English listening test where you don’t understand a single word. Even more terrifying!

Pei Liu’s heart tightened. Terrified, he quickly pressed himself against Qin Wu, clinging tightly to his arm.

Qin Wu paused for a moment, then grabbed his hand in return, half-pulling him into his embrace. To onlookers, it just looked like an ordinary protective gesture due to the dense crowd. In this packed situation, it wasn’t out of place at all.

After walking for a while, Pei Liu couldn’t resist looking back. He noticed the ghost was floating as it moved, babbling at everyone it passed. But no one could see him, and when someone walked right through his soul, he would get angry.

Realizing the foreign ghost seemed to be looking in their direction, Pei Liu quickly turned his head back, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing.

Finally, Pei Liu and Qin Wu reached the observation deck.

Bang.

A beam of light shot into the sky and bloomed against the night backdrop. Immediately after, more and more followed. Brilliant fireworks continuously blossomed, releasing dazzling, colorful lights that illuminated the entire sky before turning into falling star fragments.

The radiant light reflected on his face, star fragments falling into his eyes.

With a smile on his lips, Pei Liu earnestly watched the grand fireworks show. He had no idea that the person beside him wasn’t watching the fireworks at all, but was gazing deeply at him.

Black mist slowly rose from the shadow, transforming into a human silhouette that embraced Pei Liu from behind. It was like a giant hand, firmly controlling and restraining him, filled with possessiveness.

Qin Wu lowered his eyes, watching this scene, watching his black mist entwine and invade inch by inch, a slight curve appearing on his lips.

Then, as if drawn by the light in Pei Liu’s eyes, the shadow lowered its head and kissed his eyes.

A touch of coolness.

Immersed in the stunning fireworks, Pei Liu felt nothing. He even turned to his friend, giving Qin Wu a bright smile: “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Qin Wu’s pitch-black eyes were like deep pools. He stared at him for a moment and murmured as if to himself: “Yes, beautiful.”

Though it was unclear whether he meant the fireworks or the person.