“……”
Staring at Su Wanli’s cold expression, the words Meng Wange had prepared to plead for herself caught in her throat.
Had they already arrived at the place Su Wanli intended to take her?
Still, even so—if she could just bring up that matter, regardless of what Su Wanli planned to do, she might still be able to grasp a sliver of hope.
But the timing couldn’t have been worse—they had stopped right at the moment she was about to speak.
Maybe… even heaven didn’t want to see her struggling so pitifully anymore?
“What are you dawdling for in the car? Hurry up and get out.”
By the time Meng Wange came back to her senses, Su Wanli was already standing outside the car.
She was leaning impatiently against the door, standing on tiptoe to peer in at Meng Wange.
Well, Meng Wange—whatever excuses you still want to make, at least have the decency to face her directly.
Meng Wange took a deep breath, forced a smile at Su Wanli, and moved to step out of the car.
Just then, a child’s voice rang out beside the window—
“Wow, Mommy, look! This car is so long!”
“Shh, don’t get too close—that belongs to someone else. If you break it, it’ll cost a lot of money…”
“Hmm? But it’s not just long—it’s really pink too! Like something out of that magical girl show! Can I pay to touch it?”
“Peh! I’ll buy you another ice cream, now move it!”
“…?”
Meng Wange blinked in confusion, only now realizing her surroundings.
—A swirl of noise, children yelling, vendors shouting—it all blended together into a noisy hum, interspersed with muffled public announcements.
…Was this… a bustling city district?
She had assumed Su Wanli would take her somewhere remote and deserted, but the world outside the car was full of life.
Looking through the window, Meng Wange spotted the mother and daughter from before standing beside an ice cream truck covered in balloons. Not just them—other people were glancing curiously in their direction, whispering quietly.
Colorful balloons, an ice cream truck in the sunlight, the hum of a lively crowd…
Meng Wange slowly stood up inside the car, walking toward Su Wanli’s side, peering through the window at the sky outside.
Afternoon sunlight slanted through the painted dome of a carousel, scattering flickering colored lights across the ground.
In the distance, a towering wheel slowly turned, slicing the sunlight into surreal fragments.
And around them, buildings decorated with cartoon mascots—strange, playful structures straight out of a child’s dream.
It was a sight Meng Wange had only ever seen in picture books, novels, or TV shows—all those stories that painted idyllic childhoods.
That turning wheel was a Ferris wheel. The tracks in the sky were from a roller coaster. And those buildings were all amusement park attractions, where people in cute costumes would come out to greet visitors.
So this was…
An amusement park?
Light mist curled around the distant Ferris wheel, softening its silhouette like a dream.
For a moment, Meng Wange felt as though she was floating.
“Tch. At this rate, time’s going to run out!”
In front of her, Su Wanli—dressed in a meticulously tailored Western-style dress—clicked her tongue, then bent forward and grabbed Meng Wange’s arm.
“Get down here already!”
It was a small, gentle tug, yet it left no room for argument.
Stumbling slightly, Meng Wange let Su Wanli pull her out of the luxury car. Only when her feet hit solid ground did the world start to feel real again.
She pressed her fingers lightly to her chest, steadying her breathing before finally finding the strength to meet Su Wanli’s eyes.
“…Miss Su, why did you bring me here?”
“Huh? Are you stupid? Or did the car ride make you so dizzy you can’t think straight?”
Su Wanli’s voice was still just as arrogant and snide, just like when she stood outside Meng Wange’s bedroom earlier—arms crossed, face full of impatience.
“I even rolled down the window for you and nearly caught a cold again… Use your brain. We’re at an amusement park—what else could we be here for?”
Even though a faint suspicion had been forming in her mind, Meng Wange wasn’t sure she could trust her own judgment anymore.
She lowered her head slightly, looking at the hand Su Wanli was using to grip her, and cautiously asked—
“We’re here at an amusement park… to…?”
“Obviously to have fun, you dummy!”
Su Wanli rolled her eyes, then stretched languidly toward the hazy sky—
“You made me recite so many test questions this morning, and then forced me to cook lunch—I’ve never been this tired in my whole life.”
Yawning as she walked closer to Meng Wange, she leaned in and whispered mockingly into her ear—
“Hmph. I’m already bored of this place, but a country bumpkin like you has probably never even seen the South District’s amusement park, have you?”
With that, Su Wanli gracefully stepped away, pulling out a parasol from under the car’s floor panel that perfectly matched her dress. She opened it under the warm glow of the late afternoon sun.
“Well, since we’re out anyway, I figured I’d show you around. Be grateful, got it?”
“……”
In that moment, everything Meng Wange had built in her mind about Su Wanli—every constructed image, every belief—shattered like a crumbling cube, reduced to dust.
She rubbed her temples, needing confirmation.
“…You mean to say, after everything I did to you, you just wanted to…”
“Huh? What things? What are you talking about?”
Su Wanli frowned and blinked innocently at her.
“I mean…”
“Alright, stop babbling. I only came on a whim—we didn’t even get a private reservation.”
Waving her hand, Su Wanli cut Meng Wange off and spun around, striding toward the VIP entrance.
“And anyway, it’s already close to four. Most of the rides won’t be fun after that. If you dawdle any longer and make me miss the best time, just wait and see how I’ll deal with you.”
“……”
Following Su Wanli in silence, Meng Wange glanced around the amusement park.
Even though it was a weekend, it was already late in the day, so the entrance wasn’t too crowded. A few scattered visitors were exiting with satisfied expressions.
“…So the reason you were in such a hurry earlier… was just to get here earlier?”
At that, Su Wanli raised an eyebrow and smirked playfully.
“Of course. What, did you think I hated you so much I was speeding off to dump you in the wilderness and feed you to the tigers?”
…Meng Wange, who had seriously considered that possibility, suddenly didn’t know what to say.
“Alright, enough nonsense, Meng Wange. Aren’t you tired of pretending to be some cheerful, smiling little goody-goody all the time?”
She stepped forward, grabbed Meng Wange’s wrist, and led her toward the amusement rides she’d only ever dared to watch from afar.
“Let’s see what kind of face you’ll make when I finally break that act.”
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