When Yan Su Ang came to pick him up on Sunday, Xiao Bai almost failed to recognize him.
T-shirt, jeans, thick-framed glasses, an oversized baseball cap, and a face mask.
Jia Zhi Qing’s eyes widened. “Great God, are you preparing to flee the country?” Or had lust finally gone to his head and he wanted to elope with Xiao Bai?
Yan Su Ang glared at him, removed his mask, and said, “Not until after I kill you.”
Xiao Bai came out of his room wearing a tracksuit.
Yan Su Ang immediately produced a large bag from behind his back and handed it to him. “Change into these.”
Xiao Bai hesitantly looked at the clothes inside. Jia Zhi Qing hurriedly helped. “That’s how people usually dress when they go out incognito.”
Only then did Xiao Bai obediently go change.
Jia Zhi Qing immediately began sucking up to Yan Su Ang. “When important people travel incognito, they usually bring a few bodyguards in case anything happens. Great God, do you need one? I’m very cheap. I can charge by the second.”
“Bodyguards in those stories usually have half-shaved melon heads. Want to shave yours?”
Jia Zhi Qing looked contemptuous. “Great God, that’s hairstyle discrimination.”
Yan Su Ang corrected him. “No. It’s discrimination against you personally.”
Jia Zhi Qing choked and took quite a while to recover. Then he examined Yan Su Ang’s outfit. “Great God, are you sure you’re going to an amusement park and not robbing a bank?” All he lacked was a submachine gun strapped to his back.
Yan Su Ang drew a deep breath. “Don’t you think you’re talking a little too much?”
Jia Zhi Qing continued fawning. “I’m only trying to search through all this nonsense for an opportunity to become Great God’s lackey.”
“If you intend to make that your profession, congratulations. You’re destined for lifelong unemployment.”
Lifelong really was a powerful word. Jia Zhi Qing was immediately thrown into the cold palace.
Xiao Bai came out of the room. Apart from the color and design printed on his T-shirt, his clothes were exactly the same style as Yan Su Ang’s.
Yan Su Ang glanced at Jia Zhi Qing. “What do you think?”
“The two outfits look really similar. Almost like…”
Yan Su Ang waited for the words couple outfits.
“Matching parent-and-child outfits!” Jia Zhi Qing doubled over laughing.
Yan Su Ang grabbed Xiao Bai. “Xiao Bai, if you ever want to move out, call me anytime. I provide twenty-four-hour free transportation.”
Jia Zhi Qing accused him, “Great God, that’s abduction.”
“No. It’s rescue.”
Whether he meant rescuing Xiao Bai or rescuing his own love life, only Yan Su Ang himself knew.
The amusement park was in the suburbs.
Yan Su Ang had asked his assistant to buy the tickets yesterday.
Because amusement parks were often packed on Sundays, the number of tickets sold each day was capped both to ensure that every ticket-holder got their money’s worth and for visitor safety. Once the maximum was reached, nobody else could buy a ticket until other visitors left.
Xiao Bai followed Yan Su Ang inside, then looked back at the long line of people outside. “We should play quickly.”
Yan Su Ang said, “Uh… they’ll find something else to do on their own.”
Their voices were muffled slightly by their masks.
“If we’d known, we could’ve given our tickets to them.”
“……” The already-punched tickets in Yan Su Ang’s hands suddenly felt a little hot.
Xiao Bai continued, “Then we could’ve found something else to do too.”
Yan Su Ang’s eyes lit up. “Such as?”
“The museum or the library.” Xiao Bai said, “Amusement parks are for children.”
Amusement parks are for children… Amusement parks are for children…
“……” Yan Su Ang froze from mind to body.
Xiao Bai walked a few steps, then looked back when he realized Yan Su Ang was still standing there. “Aren’t you coming?”
Yan Su Ang reached up and pulled the brim of his cap lower. “Coming.”
Whether they were little children or grown children, as long as he could spend time with Xiao Bai, it was fine.
The amusement park was crowded, but very few people were wandering around specifically looking at other visitors. Yan Su Ang relaxed slightly. He had hidden today’s outing from the company. An entertainer visiting an amusement park was already taboo enough, much less visiting one with his rumored boyfriend.
If Zhang Fu Man found out, he would probably come straight over in a bomber plane and bomb Yan Su Ang himself. Of course, that assumed he knew how to fly one—and could rent one.
“Let’s ride the pirate ship first.” Xiao Bai held the amusement-park brochure.
Yan Su Ang agreed.
They had only walked a few steps when screams and cheers suddenly erupted nearby.
Almost instinctively, Yan Su Ang moved Xiao Bai behind himself.
Not far from the pirate ship, a huge crowd had gathered around the roller coaster. They were not lining up; they were simply craning their necks and staring upward.
Xiao Bai asked curiously, “What are they looking at?”
Because of the special considerations that came with being a celebrity, Yan Su Ang said, “Better not to worry about it.”
“Could it be a UFO?”
“……”
“An amusement park probably doesn’t have technology that advanced.” Seeing Xiao Bai’s gaze stubbornly remain there, Yan Su Ang had no choice but to pull him over. “Let’s ask.”
Everyone was staring upward with total concentration. Yan Su Ang had to take out a hundred-yuan bill before one teenage girl finally dragged her eyes down from the sky.
But Yan Su Ang quickly put the hundred yuan back into his pocket.
“What?” the girl asked irritably.
“What are you looking at?” Xiao Bai’s voice was crisp.
The girl’s expression softened slightly. “Goodnight Every Day is filming on location here. An Da is sitting up there.”
Xiao Bai asked in confusion, “Who’s An Da?”
The girl almost looked at him with contempt. “You don’t even know An Da? Did you come from Mars?”
Xiao Bai was not interested in An Da, but he was very interested in Mars. “You know about Mars too?”
“……”
The girl became furious. “Do I look illiterate to you?”
Xiao Bai said aggrievedly, “No.”
Her anger eased slightly.
“You look like a hooligan.”
Her temper immediately flared twice as high. She started rolling up her sleeves. “Did you come here looking for trouble?”
Afraid Xiao Bai would suffer, Yan Su Ang hurriedly hid him behind himself.
Xiao Bai poked his head out. “I wasn’t the one who said that.”
The girl said indignantly, “Who else was it? Just because your mouth is hidden doesn’t mean I don’t know it can move!”
Yan Su Ang finally managed to get Xiao Bai away from her.
Xiao Bai said, “I really wasn’t the one who said that.”
“I know. It was a kid beside her.”
“Then why didn’t you explain?”
“……Because a kid can’t beat a hooligan.”
Put that way, Xiao Bai suddenly felt there had been real value in taking the blame. “Mm. We absolutely have to protect the next generation of our motherland.”
“But since there are other celebrities here, reporters might be around too. We’d better be careful.”
Xiao Bai nodded cautiously, then asked, “Why do we need to be careful around reporters?”
“Uh…” Yan Su Ang thought for a moment before saying solemnly, “Because I was supposed to be working today. This counts as skipping work. If my boss hears about it, my salary might be docked.”
Xiao Bai immediately nodded in understanding. “That really is serious. Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”
Since so many people had gone to watch An Da at the roller coaster, there were very few people at the pirate ship.
Xiao Bai and Yan Su Ang did not have to wait at all and went straight aboard.
Some people liked sitting in the middle of the pirate ship, while others liked sitting at either end. The seats somewhere in between were actually the emptiest.
The moment Xiao Bai and Yan Su Ang sat down, the safety bar slowly lowered over their waists.
Yan Su Ang worriedly looked at skinny Xiao Bai, afraid he might somehow slide out from beneath the bar. “You have to hold onto the safety bar properly.”
Xiao Bai nodded solemnly.
Yan Su Ang suddenly grabbed his hand. “I’ll feel safer like this.”
Xiao Bai reached over with his other hand and patted the back of Yan Su Ang’s. “Don’t be nervous. It’ll be fine.”
“……”
Why had every scene Yan Su Ang had imagined yesterday been completely reversed in reality?
The pirate ship gradually began to swing, rising like waves, each one higher than the last.
The passengers’ screams went from scattered cries to one continuous wall of sound, reaching soprano-like heights as they challenged the limits of human hearing.
Xiao Bai sat upright and silently watched the faces of the passengers opposite him distort into increasingly bizarre shapes.
The hand holding his suddenly tightened painfully. Xiao Bai turned and discovered Yan Su Ang frowning as though enduring something.
Worried, Xiao Bai squeezed his hand back. “Are you okay?”
His voice had not even made it through the mask before it was drowned beneath the shrill screams.
Fortunately, more people gradually began joining the line behind them, so the pirate-ship ride did not last very long.
By the time they got off, Yan Su Ang was practically leaning half his body against Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai’s eyes were full of concern. “Are you okay?”
“Trash can.” The moment Yan Su Ang finished speaking, he covered his mouth, looking as though he might vomit at any moment.
The designers had clearly anticipated this situation when building the amusement park, because there was a trash can only a few steps away.
Yan Su Ang quickly pulled down his mask.
He did not vomit much, only a little yellow bile.
Xiao Bai handed him a tissue.
After wiping his mouth, Yan Su Ang quickly pulled his mask back up. Only after catching his breath did he deliberately ask lightly, “What should we ride next?”
Xiao Bai stared at him in disbelief. “You still want to keep going?”
“Didn’t we come here to have fun?” He paused. “Otherwise we’d be wasting the tickets.” When dealing with Xiao Bai, bringing up money and waste almost never failed.
“We’re not riding anything else.” Xiao Bai sounded rather unhappy.
“……” Yan Su Ang patiently explained, “I’ve even gone bungee jumping before without any problem. Today might just be because I didn’t eat anything this morning…”
“What time did you finish work yesterday?”
Without thinking, Yan Su Ang answered, “Four in the morning.”
“……”
Xiao Bai looked at him as though he were looking at a disobedient child. “You didn’t sleep at all.”
“I slept.” Under Xiao Bai’s gaze, Yan Su Ang’s voice gradually became quieter. “Four hours.”
Xiao Bai continued staring.
“Uh. Fine. Actually, two and a half.”
“Let’s go home.” Xiao Bai turned and headed toward the entrance.
“Wait.” Yan Su Ang grabbed him. This was their first date in matching outfits, after all. Even if they could not openly enjoy it like an ordinary couple, they should at least leave with some nice memories. “Why don’t we eat first, then leave? I’m really hungry.”
Xiao Bai immediately nodded.
Eating meant taking off their masks, so after buying two hot dogs and drinks, Yan Su Ang and Xiao Bai found a heavily wooded area and sat down.
If this had been a public park, a secluded place like this would have been impossible to get even with a reservation. Fortunately, this was an amusement park, and almost nobody wanted to sit around here wasting valuable playtime.
Yan Su Ang sat shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Bai, a faint sense of contentment flowing through him.
When he counted up the time he and Xiao Bai had spent together, they were usually either eating or on the way home. Everything had always been perfectly ordinary. Yet precisely that ordinariness had become addictive, making him wish they never had to separate for even a second.
“Xiao Bai.”
“Mm?”
“I’m sorry you couldn’t have more fun today.” Yan Su Ang’s voice was full of regret. “I really was only feeling sick because I was hungry. Why don’t we keep playing after we finish the hot dogs?”
Xiao Bai turned and looked at him seriously. “You have to keep your word. You said we were only eating lunch.”
“……” Yan Su Ang dejectedly bit into his hot dog.
Xiao Bai slowly stretched. Whenever he was with Yan Su Ang, he felt indescribably relaxed.
Suddenly, he remembered Jia Zhi Qing’s question from yesterday.
—Could you live with him for the rest of your life?
Living with another man for the rest of his life. In the past, Xiao Bai would never even have considered such a question. But somehow, when the other person became Yan Su Ang, he had actually thought about it very seriously.
“Yan Su Ang.”
“Mm?”
“Would you spend the rest of your life with Lian Jue Xiu?”
“Pfft—” Yan Su Ang choked so badly he could not speak.
Xiao Bai hurriedly handed him his drink.
Yan Su Ang took a sip directly from Xiao Bai’s hand, then spent quite a while catching his breath before asking, “Why did you suddenly think of asking me that?” Could it be that he and Lian Jue Xiu seemed too close and Xiao Bai had misunderstood? Did that mean Xiao Bai… was not completely without feelings for him?
Yan Su Ang stared at him with shining eyes.
Xiao Bai became uncomfortable beneath the intensity of his gaze. “I was only asking.”
“Impossible. Absolutely, absolutely impossible!” Afraid Xiao Bai might imagine things, Yan Su Ang said it with almost the force of a curse.
So men being together with men really is a strange thing.
Xiao Bai smiled in understanding. “Mm. I understand.”
“……”
Yan Su Ang suspiciously stared at him.
What exactly did he understand?
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