Chapter 32: King Does Not Meet King

Lin Mo’s legs were still a bit soft when he came out of the cinema.

It wasn’t out of fear.

It was… that.

Whatever, don’t think about it.

He walked quickly toward Happy Valley, taking out his phone to check the time as he moved.

1:41 PM

Shen Qingyue’s message was still lit up on the screen: “I’ve arrived at the entrance of Happy Valley. Where are you?”

Lin Mo took a deep breath and typed:

“I’m stuck in traffic. Wait another 20 minutes for me. I’m so sorry! I’ll be there soon!”

Sent.

Almost immediately, a reply came back:

“It’s fine, take your time.”

Looking at those five words, a complex mixture of emotions welled up in Lin Mo’s heart. Guilt, a guilty conscience, and a tiny bit of… luck.

‘She’s not angry.’

‘Fortunately.’

He put away his phone and quickened his pace.

On the subway, he leaned against the door and began to mentally review today’s Time Management Plan.

[Time Management Plan]
Morning Session (Su Qing):
9:00 AM: Meet at the community entrance, Completed
9:30 AM: Roller coaster and Carousel at Happy Valley, Completed
10:50 AM: Ferris wheel, Completed
11:20 AM: Mall movie (Originally planned for 1.5 hours, actually ran long), Failed
1:33 PM: Movie ended, Failed
1:35 PM: Used diarrhea as an excuse to escape, Barely Completed (Even though it was a terrible excuse, I managed to get away)

Afternoon Session (Shen Qingyue):
1:00 PM: Meet at the entrance of Happy Valley, Failed (Already late)
Around 2:00 PM: Arrive (Target)
Ride several attractions, drink milk tea, and chat
Around 5:00 PM: End and go home

Lin Mo looked at the plan, half of which had already collapsed, and rubbed his temples.

( ; – _ – ) It’s fine, it can still be saved.

As long as no more accidents happen.

As long as—

His phone vibrated.

Lin Mo’s heart tightened. He picked it up to look.

Su Qing: “Have you reached home? Is your stomach feeling any better?”

(°A°|||)

He took a deep breath and began to type:

Lin Mo: “Almost there. I feel much better; I’ll just lie down for a bit.”

Su Qing: “That’s good. I just reached the outside of the mall. The sun is so strong.”

Seeing the words “outside of the mall,” Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the mall and Happy Valley were in the same area, it was at least a 20-minute walk.

They had perfectly avoided each other.

He replied with “Find a shady place to stay” and then put his phone in his pocket.

What he didn’t know was…

At that moment, Su Qing was standing at the entrance of the cinema, looking at the seats he had just occupied, her lips slowly curling upward.

【”He said he’s home,”】 the Little Demon said lazily.

‘Yeah.’

【”Do you believe him?”】

‘No.’

【”Then what are you smiling at?”】

Su Qing didn’t answer.

She just took out her phone, opened the map, and entered an address—Happy Valley.

***

At 2:03 PM, Lin Mo finally arrived at Happy Valley.

He had practically run all the way there.

From a distance, he saw Shen Qingyue.

She was standing under a large tree, wearing a light blue dress. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling over her.

Her head was lowered, and the tip of her toe was tracing light patterns on the ground.

Lin Mo ran over, panting for breath.

“Study Representative!”

Shen Qingyue looked up.

The moment she saw him, a very faint smile flashed across her face.

But she quickly retracted it, returning to her usual quiet expression.

“You’re here,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Lin Mo pressed his hands together. “I really had something urgent come up that made you wait so long—”

“It’s fine.” Shen Qingyue shook her head. “I haven’t been here that long either.”

Lin Mo looked at her.

There was a bit of sweat on her forehead, and her hem was swaying slightly in the wind.

Haven’t been here long?

He checked the time: 2:03 PM.

She had waited for him for a full 1 hour.

But he didn’t say anything.

“…Thank you for waiting for me,” he said seriously.

Shen Qingyue lowered her head, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

“Let’s go,” she whispered. “If we stay any longer, we won’t be able to do many attractions.”

The two of them walked into Happy Valley.

As they walked, Lin Mo peeked at his phone.

No new messages.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Right then, the phone vibrated.

Su Qing: “It’s a bit boring wandering the mall alone. I plan to go back to Happy Valley to play for a while. Brother, are you home yet?”

Lin Mo’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

(°ロ°٥)

What?!!!

How did she—

He typed rapidly:

Lin Mo: “You’re at Happy Valley?”

Su Qing: “Not yet, I’m heading over now.”

Lin Mo: “Weren’t you at the mall? Why are you going so far?”

Su Qing: “Just wandering around. I ended up here after walking for a bit.”

Lin Mo gripped his phone, his heart starting to race.

Su Qing was about to arrive at Happy Valley too.

This was going to be a massive problem!!!!

He looked up at Shen Qingyue walking ahead, then at the bustling crowds surrounding them.

God, please.

Please, please, don’t let them run into each other.

Please.

“Lin Mo?” Shen Qingyue’s voice drifted over. “What’s wrong?”

“No—nothing.” He walked quickly to catch up. “Just looking at my phone. It was a spam text.”

Shen Qingyue nodded and didn’t ask further.

At 2:30 PM, they reached the Carousel.

Shen Qingyue stood by the railing, watching the rotating wooden horses.

“Want to ride?” Lin Mo asked.

“…Yes.” She nodded, then looked around, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Is it too childish?”

“No.”

“If you want to ride it, then ride it.”

Shen Qingyue looked up at him.

Then she lowered her head, the base of her ears turning red.

“Then… together?”

“Okay.”

The two of them bought tickets and lined up to enter.

Lin Mo pulled out his phone, wanting to see if there were any new messages.

On the screen, Su Qing’s chat window sat quietly.

No new messages.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

2 minutes later.

The Carousel started, and the music began to play.

Shen Qingyue sat on one wooden horse, while Lin Mo sat on the one next to her. The horses moved up and down as they spun.

The corners of Shen Qingyue’s mouth curved up slightly.

Looking at her, Lin Mo suddenly felt a very strange sensation—it was very peaceful and relaxing.

It was completely different from the feeling of being on the verge of losing control that he had felt that morning.

His phone vibrated.

Lin Mo pulled it out to look.

Su Qing: “Look at this photo. It’s from when we rode the Carousel this morning.”

Su Qing: “I’m almost at Happy Valley. It’s a pity your stomach hurts, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll ride it one more time by myself.”

An image was attached.

On the Carousel, Su Qing had somehow taken a photo of Lin Mo while he was riding earlier that morning.

Lin Mo stared at the photo, and cold sweat began to break out on his forehead.

He looked up and glanced around.

Crowds of people were coming and going near the Carousel.

But he couldn’t see that Pikachu Dress.

She was… coming over in a bit?

Lin Mo: “Where are you now?”

Su Qing: “I’ve reached Happy Valley. I’ll take a photo for you.”

A photo was sent over.

It was taken near the ice cream shop from this morning.

And that shop was within 500 meters of the Carousel.

Lin Mo’s cold sweat increased.

He typed:

Lin Mo: “Do you still want to ride? You could try something else. There are so many attractions here that you haven’t experienced.”

Su Qing: “I just want to ride the Carousel. Don’t you want to ride it? Let’s come back together next time and ride it again.”

Next time.

It was “next time” again.

Lin Mo didn’t know how to respond, so he could only send an “Okay.”

He put the phone back in his pocket and looked up.

Shen Qingyue was watching him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No.” Lin Mo forced a smile. “Just spam texts.”

Shen Qingyue nodded and turned back.

Lin Mo was currently freaking out internally. However, he still had to pretend to be calm as he followed behind Shen Qingyue.