Chapter 34: The Pantsu Multiple Choice Question

Su Qing: It’s all your fault.

Lin Mo was stunned for a moment.

Lin Mo: What’s my fault?

Su Qing: My fault for what happened at the cinema this morning… you know.

Lin Mo stared at the screen, his brain not quite catching up yet.

Su Qing: Right now, down there is still… that.

(°△°|||)

Lin Mo’s face instantly turned bright red.

Su Qing: It’s wet and uncomfortable.

Su Qing: I need to go buy a new pair to change into.

Lin Mo gripped his phone, his hand trembling slightly.

This… this…

Su Qing: There’s an underwear supermarket right next to me. I’m going to go check it out.

Thirty seconds later.

Su Qing: **[Image]**

Lin Mo clicked it open.

It was a photo of a shelf in the supermarket. It was lined with various colors of… *pantsu*.

Lace, cotton, cartoon.

Su Qing: Which one do you like?

Su Qing: The lace one? **[Image]**

Su Qing: Or the cartoon one? **[Image]**

Su Qing: They even have Pikachu ones that match my dress~

Lin Mo’s mind went blank.

(，，ʘ̅ーʘ̅，，)…

‘What does she want me to choose??’

‘How am I supposed to choose??’

He typed furiously.

Lin Mo: Just pick whatever you want!!!

Lin Mo: I don’t care!!!

Su Qing: No, you have to choose.

Su Qing: This is all your fault from this morning, so you need to give me your evaluation. Tell me, which one do you like?

‘Which one do I like? Evaluation?’

‘Because of what happened at the cinema this morning…?’

Lin Mo’s face was red all the way to his ears.

He gritted his teeth and stared at the two photos.

The lace one was… too…

The cartoon one… seemed…

He chose the cartoon one.

Lin Mo: The second one.

Su Qing: Oh~ so you like the cartoon ones.

Lin Mo: “…………”

Su Qing: Got it. I’m going to buy it now.

Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then—

“Lin Mo?”

Shen Qingyue’s voice came from beside him.

Lin Mo immediately looked up.

She was looking at him, her eyes full of curiosity.

“Why is your face so red?”

Lin Mo opened and closed his mouth.

“N-nothing,” he forced a smile. “It’s just a bit hot.”

Shen Qingyue looked at the sweat on his forehead and then at the phone gripped in his hand.

“Is it really nothing?”

“Really.”

Shen Qingyue nodded.

“Then… shall we keep looking around?” she asked softly.

Lin Mo checked the time.

4:00 PM.

One hour left.

“Let’s go,” he said. “We still have time.”

The two continued walking forward.

Lin Mo put his phone in his pocket and took a deep breath.

At that moment, Su Qing was sitting in a milk tea shop not far away. Through the glass window, she watched their departing figures walk past.

On her phone screen were the two photos she had just sent.

She had actually bought both pairs of *pantsu*.

Then, her lips curled up as she whispered softly, “Brother, you really did choose the cartoon ones. Yeah, she looks so kind, gentle, and innocent.”

“I know now.”

She stood up and walked out of the milk tea shop.

She continued to follow them, keeping a steady distance.

***

At 4:20 PM, the two arrived at a resting area.

Shen Qingyue sat down on a bench and looked up at him.

“Are you tired? Want to sit for a while?”

Lin Mo nodded and sat down beside her.

“Lin Mo.”

“Yeah?”

“Which schools did you apply for?”

Lin Mo froze.

This question came quite suddenly.

“A university in Haicheng,” Lin Mo said.

Shen Qingyue turned to look at him.

“That far?”

“Yeah.”

She fell silent for a few seconds.

Neither of them spoke.

The wind blew through the trees, making the leaves rustle.

Shen Qingyue lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edges of her notebook.

“Lin Mo.”

“Yeah?”

“Today…” She paused, seemingly weighing her words. “Do you have something else going on?”

Lin Mo’s heart tightened.

He looked at her.

She kept her head down, not looking at him.

“N-no,” he said.

Shen Qingyue nodded.

“That’s good.”

She stood up.

“Let’s go. If we sit any longer, it’ll get dark.”

At 4:40 PM, the two walked beneath the Ferris Wheel.

Shen Qingyue looked up at the giant wheel, a faint light in her eyes.

“Do you want to ride it?” Lin Mo asked.

“…Yes,” she said quietly. “But never mind. There isn’t enough time.”

“There’s still time,” Lin Mo said. “One rotation takes twenty minutes. We’ll make it.”

Shen Qingyue looked at him.

He didn’t know why he said that.

He clearly should have ended this early, gone back early, and escaped this nerve-wracking state.

But seeing that tiny light in her eyes, those words just slipped out.

“Let’s go,” he said.

The two walked toward the entrance.

They entered the Ferris Wheel.

His phone vibrated.

Lin Mo pulled it out to look.

Su Qing: I’ve wandered back to the Ferris Wheel. Let’s ride it together next time, Brother?

Then she sent a photo.

Su Qing: **[Image]**

Lin Mo stared at the photo.

The Ferris Wheel in the picture was identical to the one in front of him.

(；一_一)…

She was back inside Happy Valley.

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

“N-nothing.” He looked away.

The two were inside the Ferris Wheel.

Lin Mo put his phone back in his pocket and took a deep breath.

The phone vibrated again. He took a stealthy glance at it.

Su Qing: I really want to ride it once, but I’m scared to do it alone.

Su Qing: Let’s come back here next time.

Lin Mo stared at the message.

She didn’t know he was here.

She thought he was lying at home.

She was just… wandering alone, sending him messages.

He replied with a “Sure.”

At that moment, Su Qing was standing on the other side of the Ferris Wheel entrance. From dozens of meters away, she watched him and Shen Qingyue inside the Ferris Wheel.

She looked at the girl across from him.

She watched them enter that small, enclosed space together.

**[See that?]** the Little Demon asked.

‘I see it.’

**[How does it feel?]**

Su Qing didn’t answer.

She just stood there, watching the Ferris Wheel slowly rise.

One rotation was twenty minutes.

They would be alone in there for twenty minutes.

She took out her phone and sent Lin Mo a message.

Su Qing: I’m getting ready to head home. You should get some rest early, too.

Sent.

Then she put her phone in her pocket.

***

On the Ferris Wheel, the cabin rose slowly.

Shen Qingyue sat by the window, watching the scenery below grow smaller.

Sunlight poured through the glass, softening her profile.

“It’s so high,” she said softly.

“Are you afraid?”

“…A little.” She paused. “But it’s okay.”

Lin Mo looked at her.

She rarely said she was “afraid,” rarely made requests, and rarely took the initiative to say anything.

But every time he said “Let’s go,” “Do you want to ride it?” or “There’s still time,” she would nod.

Quietly, without a word.

His phone vibrated. Lin Mo pulled it out.

Su Qing: I’m getting ready to head home. You should get some rest early, too.

His heart relaxed.

She was going home.

Finally.

He typed:

Lin Mo: Okay, get home safe.

Sent.

He put his phone away and looked up.

Shen Qingyue was watching him.

“You seem to be looking at your phone a lot,” she said.

Lin Mo opened his mouth.

“Someone… is waiting at home,” he said.

That answer was half-true.

Shen Qingyue nodded.

She didn’t ask anything.

She shifted her gaze back out the window.

“Lin Mo.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for today.”

Lin Mo was stunned for a moment.

“Even though you were busy, always looking at your phone, and seemed to have a lot going on…” she said softly, “I’m very happy that you could come.”

Lin Mo didn’t know what to say.

The cabin slowly reached its highest point.

Sunlight flooded in, dyeing the entire space golden.

Shen Qingyue turned her head and looked at him.

“In the future…” she paused, “can we come out together like this again?”

Lin Mo looked at her.

There was a faint, cautious sense of expectation in her eyes.

“…We can.”

Shen Qingyue smiled.

It was a very, very light smile, like ripples caused by the wind.

Then she turned back to look out the window.

The Ferris Wheel descended slowly.

Lin Mo leaned back in his seat, watching her profile.

An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

It was guilt.

It was heartache.

It was… a little bit of something he couldn’t even explain to himself.