Chapter 71: A Day at the Amusement Park

At the amusement park, the Dumbo ride started with cheerful music.

The sun was shining. The Dumbo ride bobbed up and down. Every now and then, they could hear the roar of the roller coaster in the distance, followed by screams from its riders.

Fang Kexin had gotten up early that morning to put on a beautiful makeup, even wearing hair extensions to create a high crown.

She carefully shuffled closer to Shen Luo and pulled out a small camera from her bag. “Luo Luo, this ride is so heartwarming. Let’s take a picture.”

The Dumbo ride was originally a parent-child attraction, but on a weekday, there were hardly any adults with kids. Apart from them, no one was waiting in line, so the staff just let them on.

Hearing this, Shen Luo leaned her shoulder toward Fang Kexin.

Fang Kexin took a few shots from different angles and was about to put the camera away, satisfied.

Suddenly, through the small camera, she saw a hilarious scene behind them.

Yu Xi and Lu Shi were sitting on the Dumbo behind them, bobbing up and down while sunbathing. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

But the pair behind them wasn’t doing so well.

Shen Zheming’s compatibility with kiddie rides was zero to begin with. Now he sat expressionless in a gray Dumbo.

Although he usually had little expression, Fang Kexin could still sense a hint of discontent from being abandoned.

Beside Shen Zheming, Ding Wei, a straight-A alpha male, clamped his legs together and tried to curl up into a tiny corner.

In the not-so-spacious Dumbo, a full ten centimeters of distance separated the two.

Fang Kexin let out a “pfft” and almost lost her composure in front of Shen Luo.

The ride lasted only a minute. When it ended, everyone else felt it was too short, except for Ding Wei, who wore a sullen face, feeling like he’d been on it for ages.

Fang Kexin’s outfit today couldn’t handle the thrilling rides. After getting off the Dumbo, Shen Luo and she parted ways with the boys.

Afraid that Lu Shi would pair him with Shen Zheming again, Ding Wei quickly pulled the others toward the thrill rides area.

Those thrilling rides could hold a dozen people. Once the roller coaster started, no one had time to care who was sitting next to them.

Lu Shi stopped at the entrance. “You go ahead. I won’t go up. I’m too old; my heart can’t take it.”

Ding Wei and Yu Xi thought he was joking.

Ding Wei said, “Brother Lu, you’re at it again. You’re clearly the youngest among us.”

Yu Xi added, “Yeah, if you’re elderly, then Ding Wei and I might as well be ready for the grave.”

Lu Shi gave a helpless bitter smile. “Really, I’m not going. I’ll watch the bags for you down here.”

Shen Zheming turned his head, his gaze fixed on Lu Shi.

“Have you been on a roller coaster before?”

Lu Shi acted as a storage rack, taking the phones and keys from Yu Xi and Ding Wei into his hands.

“Mm, I used to…” He’d been on one during a company team-building event.

Riding it once was fun, but his life was already exciting enough. He preferred something peaceful and serene.

However, as soon as those words left his mouth, Lu Shi abruptly stopped.

That’s not right. He was now eighteen, having just returned to the capital from Ning County. In Ning County, with its living conditions, there weren’t even many buses, let alone an amusement park.

“Back in elementary school, we had a spring outing. We took a bus to the neighboring city and went on one then.”

Lu Shi racked his brain and finally, by the fifth second of Shen Zheming’s gaze, managed to fabricate an answer.

Lu Shi pressed his lips together tightly.

He’d almost let it slip.

Shen Zheming didn’t say anything. He simply reached out and took the bag from Lu Shi’s shoulder. “I’ll hold it.”

The roller coaster was one of the few rides that required a queue. The two waited below for nearly twenty minutes. They even bought two bottles of water from a nearby food cart before Ding Wei and Yu Xi finally came down.

One second, Ding Wei was mocking Yu Xi for screaming like a groundhog beside him. The next, his own leg cramped up, and he waved his hand in pain.

“Brother Lu, Brother Lu…” Ding Wei called for help. “Give me a hand.”

Yu Xi, who had gone up with him, was also shaking in his legs, so Ding Wei could only count on Lu Shi.

But what responded before Lu Shi was a pale, cool hand.

Shen Zheming casually hung Ding Wei’s bag on his outstretched arm and said flatly, “I’ll support you.”

I’ll. Support. You.

These three words were like a miracle drug. As soon as they were spoken, Ding Wei hugged the bag and retracted his flailing arm.

Ding Wei shook his leg, bent down to rub it, and gave an awkward laugh. “No need. I think I’m fine now. Haha.”

The bag had already been taken by Shen Zheming. Lu Shi was holding both bottles of water. Earlier, when he saw Ding Wei about to fall, he put the water on the ground, but before he could get close, Ding Wei had recovered.

Lu Shi glanced a couple more times at Ding Wei’s still trembling calf. He was about to pick up the water and head to the next ride.

Shen Zheming bent down and picked up one of the bottles, twisting off the cap.

Lu Shi stared. “Wait…”

But Shen Zheming’s lips were already on the bottle. He tilted his head back slightly, and his prominent Adam’s apple rolled gently in the sunlight as he swallowed.

The two bottles looked identical, and the amount drunk was similar. To tell them apart, Lu Shi had peeled off a small strip of the plastic label earlier while waiting.

The bottle Shen Zheming was holding now was the one Lu Shi had drunk from.

He should have just torn off the whole label and thrown it away. That would have made it clearer.

Shen Zheming put the cap back on and held the bottle. “What’s wrong?”

Lu Shi hesitated for two seconds, then pretended to be natural as he picked up the remaining bottle. “Nothing.”

Oh well, just let it be. As long as he didn’t say anything, Shen Zheming wouldn’t know he’d drunk from the wrong bottle, and they could pretend nothing happened.

Lu Shi turned to ask the other two where to go next.

Shen Zheming squeezed the water bottle and curved his lips slightly as he watched Lu Shi’s back.

He followed behind Lu Shi.

His finger brushed against the small label on the bottle, peeling open a tiny corner of the strip Lu Shi had lifted earlier.

Since Lu Shi didn’t want to ride anything too thrilling, but Ding Wei and Yu Xi wanted him to feel included, they chose a ride that children could also take: the Swinging Dog, which had some bumps and dips.

It was a small roller coaster that circled a big red turntable at a gentle speed. It was perfect for four people to sit together without needing seat belts.

Lu Shi got on first and sat in the innermost seat. Shen Zheming naturally sat between him and the other two.

“Phew.” Ding Wei let out a breath and stretched his still-numb leg forward. “Finally I can sit.”

But he was too happy too early.

The staff didn’t collect bags or phones for this ride, so everyone thought it would be as gentle as the Dumbo.

The Swinging Dog roller coaster emitted a sharp bell sound, and the whole machine began to move slowly.

It made a leisurely first loop, then gradually sped up. The third loop accelerated further, faster and faster, until…

Lu Shi, sitting in the innermost seat, was flung into Shen Zheming’s arms by the centrifugal force of the spin.

Shen Zheming grabbed the railing in front with one hand and placed the other on Lu Shi’s shoulder.

Beside them, Ding Wei, to avoid crowding Yu Xi, miserably braced his cramped leg against the front guard, that leg taking all the burden.

The wind whistled in their ears.

Lu Shi felt as if an invisible hand was pressing him against Shen Zheming. As the little roller coaster spun, his shoulder pressed tighter against Shen Zheming’s, and he couldn’t even keep his head from leaning toward Shen Zheming.

Lu Shi shifted, trying to grab the side handle and pull himself back.

The hand on his shoulder tightened.

“If you’re worried about slipping, you can hold me.”

Lu Shi: “…”

He was just two centimeters away from touching the handle.

It wasn’t a matter of being afraid of slipping; it was that they were too close.

But he’d never noticed before that Shen Zheming could be quite attentive and gentle in some ways, completely different from the first impression he gave.

Suddenly, Ding Wei’s voice came through the wind.

“Brother Shen, can I grab your arm? Just a little bit of your clothes.”

The inertia was too strong; he couldn’t hold on anymore. He turned his head and saw everyone else swaying, except Shen Zheming who sat steady. So he gathered his courage to make this reluctant request.

Shen Zheming glanced at him, then lightly looked away.

“Do you see the railing right in front of you?”

Ding Wei looked up and said, “Huh?”

Shen Zheming said, “Can’t you grab it yourself?”

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