Early morning, strands of sunlight filtered softly through the window, spilling over the two lying on the bed.
Jiang Chi woke slowly, his lashes fluttering lightly, revealing ocean-blue eyes—deep and captivating.
He turned his head slightly, gazing at the girl beside him. She lay curled up quietly, her long hair like a waterfall casually spread over the pillow. A few playful strands draped over her cheek and neck. Her profile was exquisitely stunning, her fair skin as delicate and smooth as milk, her small, refined nostrils twitching gently.
Jiang Chi’s heart skipped several beats suddenly.
“Qingchan.” His voice was low and husky from just waking.
She didn’t respond.
Unable to resist, he reached out slowly, fingers inching toward the girl’s flushed face.
But just as his hand was about to touch her, those jet-black eyes snapped open—bright and beautiful.
Their gazes met unexpectedly in the quiet morning light, as if everything around them had frozen in time, with only the faint, quickening beat of the boy’s heart echoing clearly.
“Good morning, Qing—”
“Jiang Chi, you beast!” A flash of clarity shone in her bright eyes before she suddenly screamed, full of anger and embarrassment, as if Jiang Chi had done something unforgivable.
Without warning, she kicked, sending the still-dazed boy tumbling off the bed, then grabbed a pillow beside her and threw it at him.
Jiang Chi was dizzy from the sudden turn of events. Even after being kicked off the bed, he had no idea what he’d done wrong.
“Y-you! How could you be such a person!” The girl hid under the thin blanket, her cheeks blazing red as she pointed and scolded, “Beast! Pervert! Worse than pigs and dogs! You even dared to do this to a minor…”
But as she ranted, her words abruptly stopped, as if something had caught in her throat. She expected a sharp pain on her hip, but it never came.
Ji Yuetian lightly patted her own hip with a stubborn hand—there was no pain. Then she glanced down at the bedsheet—no bloodstains either!
Her anger-fueled mind finally cooled. She looked toward the boy under the bed who, after her verbal assault, now stared back at her with an innocent expression.
Hiss!
A sharp breath of cold air sucked into the girl’s chest.
It seemed she might have, somehow, confused dream and reality.
Ji Yuetian felt like crying and laughing at the same time.
Last night, listening to Jiang Chi talk dry financial knowledge was unbearably boring. Sleep had crept up on her, and she’d rested her head on the pillow—maybe because Jiang Chi had used that pillow before, a faint scent of tulips mixed with masculine hormones surrounded her nose, seeping in continuously. The result was a very unspeakable dream.
Back to reality, the girl looked at the boy on the floor, her eyes flickering uncertainly as she stammered, “I-I-I…”
“I know.”
Jiang Chi waved his hand dismissively. He stood, dusted off nonexistent dust from his clothes, then left the bedroom. Soon after, he returned with a fresh set of clothes, handed them over, then exited again—closing the door behind him without forgetting to do so.
He had no idea about the indescribable dream “Ji Qingchan” had last night, but he did notice the faint wet patch on the white bedsheet under the girl’s hip. That stain stood out clearly.
Beast?
That meant I was in her dream.
As Jiang Chi closed the door, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
Watching Jiang Chi’s mysterious behavior, Ji Yuetian was utterly confused. She even wondered if her kick had been so hard it scrambled his brain.
Until her fingertips touched a trace of moisture, and when she looked down, her face instantly flushed the color of liver.
Ji Yuetian couldn’t remember how she managed to change her clothes, nor how she sat through breakfast with Jiang Chi and Chen Mengrou and her child. All she knew was she was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear, unable to look Jiang Chi in the eye at the table.
Jiang Chi’s expression remained as usual.
Chen Mengrou, however, noticed the strange atmosphere between them and, as if she’d realized something, shot Jiang Chi a fierce glare.
After breakfast, Ji Yuetian hurriedly said goodbye—she didn’t want to stay in that house for a moment longer!
Too embarrassing!
To Ji Yuetian, face was more important than life itself.
But just as she took her first step, Jiang Chi caught her white wrist.
“Today’s Sunday; it’s date time,” the boy said, and meant it.
He pulled her out the door.
Yet Ji Yuetian didn’t see the mysterious hand gesture Jiang Chi made to Chen Mengrou before dragging her away.
*****
“This is the place you call a date spot?” Holding a strawberry-flavored cotton candy forcibly shoved into her hand by Jiang Chi, Ji Yuetian looked at the roller coasters, bumper cars, drop tower, and carousel with a twitching mouth.
A date at an amusement park?
Take her shopping! Take her to a fancy restaurant! Even the haunted house would have been acceptable!
But the amusement park?
Ji Yuetian was almost 18 this year—her mind was mature long ago.
Jiang Chi smiled faintly and reached out to ruffle her hair softly, whispering, “Just do it for me, Qingchan.”
“You’re trying to PUA me again.” The girl turned her head away, sulking. “I don’t play with childish toys. Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone take their girlfriend to an amusement park on a date. You really outdid yourself!”
Saying that, she waved off his hand and strode toward the exit.
Jiang Chi hurried after her, scooping her up in a waist hug, ignoring the onlookers, and headed straight for the carousel.
After learning how to be a “bad boy” for so long, Jiang Chi had picked up some skills—for instance, sometimes it didn’t matter whether the girl wanted to do something or not, what mattered was his approval.
“Bastard~ Bastard~ Put me down~~”
“Jiang Chi, you big pervert! I’m not riding the carousel!”
“No bumper cars! It’s too embarrassing to crash into kids!”
“Roller coaster? Childish! I’ll ride it with you once—just once.”
“Jiang Chi, hurry! Let’s do the drop tower!!”
Once again, reality proved to Jiang Chi that women’s words say no, but their bodies are honest.
*****
The sun gradually set, as if an invisible hand slowly pulled away the last ray of light.
Darkness crept over the sky like a massive gray curtain, inching over the entire horizon.
In the amusement park, lights flickered on one by one, contrasting sharply against the growing night.
The carousel’s lights shimmered in dreamy hues, looking especially enchanting under the night sky.
The Ferris wheel’s massive silhouette slowly faded into the dark, only its colorful lights signaling its presence.
Jiang Chi and Ji Yuetian boarded the Ferris wheel. As it rose slowly, their view expanded.
At the highest point, they both gazed out at the distant Yangtze River.
Although Wanqing City was inland, it was truly traversed by the Yangtze, providing convenient shipping and dividing the city into new and old districts.
In the dim night, the Yangtze gleamed like a winding silver ribbon, sparkling with ripples. The river water rushed endlessly toward the horizon, scattered lights twinkling on the surface like countless brilliant pearls.
Just as they were immersed in this beautiful scene, the Ferris wheel suddenly stopped with a loud “dong-long” without warning.
At the same moment, all the amusement park lights instantly went out, plunging everything into darkness.