Chapter 34: Roller Coaster

She was just like a lively little bird, flitting about the amusement park, her eyes darting around excitedly.

From time to time, she would point at the giant pendulum or Ferris wheel in the distance and shout at Gou Yu.

“Old Dog! Old Dog! Did you see that? When are we going to ride that one?” Zhu Niao bounced forward, clutching Gou Yu’s arm.

“I saw it, I saw it. Both eyes saw it.” Gou Yu let out a sigh of helplessness. “Are you some kid visiting an amusement park for the first time?”

“Well, technically the last time I came to one, I was a kid.”

Zhu Niao’s expression shifted slightly. “I only went to an amusement park once as a kid. My parents took me.”

“Then have fun. Make up for what you missed. Try everything—old or new.” Gou Yu immediately caught the change in her mood.

He didn’t know what had happened during that childhood amusement park visit. He didn’t know why it had been her one and only time.

But what he did know was that when it came to Zhu Niao’s family, nothing ever seemed good.

That’s why he almost never mentioned anything about his own family around her—he feared that the things he found annoying or unbearable might be the very things Zhu Niao dreamed of.

“So, where should we go first?” Zhu Niao quickly composed herself—or perhaps just stuffed the shift in her mood back into some corner of her mind and moved on.

She was brimming with anticipation, and at the center of that starlit gaze was Gou Yu’s profile.

“Wherever you want. We’ve got the whole day ahead of us.” Gou Yu casually pulled a park map from a small kiosk near the entrance and looked over the various attractions.

Zhu Niao stood on tiptoe beside him, craning her neck to look. Gou Yu lowered his hands at just the right time and even bent down slightly.

“Is this sightseeing tram part of the couples’ ticket?” Zhu Niao pointed at the nearby tram, looking like she wanted to do a quick loop around the park before picking the rides she wanted to try.

“Nope. That one’s an extra charge,” Gou Yu replied bluntly.

“Then let’s start with the roller coaster.”

With a dramatic wave of her hand, Zhu Niao officially declared the beginning of their amusement park adventure.

“Seriously?” Gou Yu gave her a sideways glance. “First thing in the morning? A roller coaster?”

“You sound like you’re underestimating me.” Zhu Niao puffed up her chest. “Let me tell you, someone who takes life’s pressure head-on isn’t going to get rattled by some kiddie amusement park ride.”

Gou Yu gave her a flat look.

Then he glanced twice at the map to locate the roller coaster and started walking in that direction with Zhu Niao.

Gou Yu wasn’t wrong—riding a roller coaster first thing in the morning, just after the park opened, wasn’t exactly popular. What should have been a packed attraction ended up with barely enough riders—just enough including Gou Yu and Zhu Niao to fill a single train.

The staff were quite observant. As the two stepped into the loading area, one of them looked down at the red thread bracelets around their wrists—the park’s souvenir for couples.

Those bracelets were only given after a kiss at the entrance in front of everyone.

So the staffer smiled cheerfully and sat the two of them together—in the very back row, side by side.

Close enough for Zhu Niao to slap Gou Yu if she wanted to.

Maybe the intention was for the couple to hold hands sweetly as the ride began, or to gaze into each other’s eyes during those suspended moments in the sky.

In reality, Zhu Niao barely touched the safety bar Gou Yu had just fastened before he nearly clocked her.

The two nearly started a fight before the ride even began.

“Hey, hey, you two—ride’s starting. Please calm down,” the sweating staff member finally realized something wasn’t quite right with this couple.

“I’ll let you off this once.” Despite having her head pinned down where she couldn’t reach him, Zhu Niao still managed to issue her fiercest threat. “Just you wait.”

Gou Yu let out a cold snort as he felt the train beneath them start to move, ready to savor the terrified expression on the little bird beside him.

With a crisp roar, the roller coaster carrying the two of them shot out like an arrow from a bow.

But Gou Yu quickly realized he’d been mistaken.

Zhu Niao truly couldn’t handle this kind of thrill and did, in fact, show a terrified expression—for a moment.

Because right after the first giant loop, Little Bird closed her eyes… and didn’t move again. Her face was completely blank, tranquil even.

All of a sudden, the ride lost most of its appeal.

Gou Yu sighed as he listened to the screams of the other passengers around him. To him, they were just noise.

By the time the roller coaster returned to the starting platform, Zhu Niao still hadn’t opened her eyes.

Unfastening his safety harness, Gou Yu leaned over and gave her cheeks a gentle double tap. “Wake up. You’re not allowed to sleep here.”

With a gasp, Zhu Niao’s eyes flew open. “I just had a nightmare. I dreamed I was riding a roller coaster and fell out of the sky.”

“Sounds like a prophetic dream,” Gou Yu replied dryly, pointing to the track winding high up in the air that looked creepy just from a glance. “Because we’re about to go on the roller coaster now.”

“Then I’ll just sleep a little longer. Maybe I’ll dream of soaring through the sky on the roller coaster this time.”

Once again, Zhu Niao peacefully shut her eyes—only to be chopped on the head with a hand strike from Gou Yu. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her out of the seat.

She flailed helplessly in midair as he carried her off.

Now standing outside the roller coaster ride, Zhu Niao let out a long, contented sigh.

“It felt like time sped up or something,” she said wistfully.

“If I wasn’t worried I’d drop my phone, I would’ve filmed your humiliating state and hung it on the wall at home,” Gou Yu replied mercilessly.

Zhu Niao raised both arms in an X over her chest. “The only photos you hang on a wall are wedding portraits or memorial portraits. Don’t jinx me.”

Gou Yu froze for a second, staring at Zhu Niao. For a moment, an entirely different scene popped into his head.

Then he gave his head a violent shake.

Must’ve rattled my brain on that ride. What kind of poisonous mushroom fantasy was that?

“How are you even smiling right now? You passed out right from the start and missed the whole ride,” Gou Yu asked, raising an eyebrow at her carefree expression.

“Because I got to do something I like—just doing what I want, not thinking about anything else.”

Zhu Niao beamed, flashing her teeth as she leaned close to him. “Don’t you feel happy when you’re doing something you enjoy?”

Like a child who’s easily satisfied.

Maybe it was because she’d never been allowed to live so freely before.