Amusement Park

"The heart's blood supply is unstable, insufficient cerebral blood flow causing fainting... severe arrhythmia with even a risk of sudden death..." After dinner, Ye Shuang sat on the sofa, holding a tablet as he read up on related medical knowledge.

What had happened to An Shiyu that afternoon still left Ye Shuang feeling unsettled.

"Honestly, if even her grandfather couldn't do anything about it, what help could I possibly offer?" Ye Shuang rubbed his temples and eventually set the tablet aside.

Given the resources of An Shiyu's family, finding a top specialist wouldn’t be an issue. But if even the best experts were powerless, then Ye Shuang certainly had no role to play.

Sometimes, Ye Shuang fantasized about being a superhero, but reality constantly reminded him of its harshness.

Perhaps that girl had tried hard, had made attempts, but repeated disappointments had eventually extinguished the last flicker of hope in her heart.

Maybe having no expectations meant no disappointment.

So, An Shiyu had come to terms with it, while he, as an outsider, was the one whose emotions were affected.

"Hmm..." Collecting himself, Ye Shuang glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling window—where Bai Yuyou knelt on the soft carpet, cradling a guitar in her arms. Her slender fingers plucked the strings, while a long-haired orange cat lay curled up beside her.

Cats are highly sensitive to sound, yet Bai Yuyou's gentle strumming didn’t scare Yi Wan away. Instead, the cat purred contentedly.

Every time Ye Shuang saw that girl, his heart grew calmer, filled with tenderness.

He watched quietly until Bai Yuyou noticed his gaze and looked up.

"Ye Shuang..." she spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Want to hear Ye Shuang play an instrument," Bai Yuyou said.

Ye Shuang paused, then smiled. "Why suddenly say that? What’s the reason?"

"Reason..." Bai Yuyou thought for a moment before asking, "Is 'liking'... a reason?"

"Liking doesn’t need a reason." Ye Shuang stood up and sat beside her.

Taking the guitar from her, he tuned it slightly before playing Sunny Day.

"The little yellow flower of the story... has been drifting since the year I was born..."

Ye Shuang hummed softly while Bai Yuyou sat obediently beside him, soon lost in his singing.

When the song ended, Ye Shuang met her clear, bottomless eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Forgot some of the lyrics... I used to be able to play this with my eyes closed. Guess I’m getting old."

"Old..."

"Yeah." Ye Shuang looked at Bai Yuyou beside him. "You’re in your third year now. In four more years, you’ll graduate from university. By then, I’ll be in my thirties—a proper middle-aged man."

What would his life look like in a few years? What would his relationship with this girl be?

Bai Yuyou shook her head. "Even if middle-aged... uncle... Ye Shuang is still Ye Shuang."

"Is that so?" Ye Shuang reached out and lightly pinched her cheek. "Thanks."

"Ye Shuang... likes pinching cheeks?" Bai Yuyou tilted her head cutely, her face still squished between his fingers.

"Because they’re soft."

"But here is also soft..." She pointed.

Ye Shuang: "..."

"That’s not allowed."

"Why?"

Thunk. The sound of a light knock on her head.

Ding— Just as Ye Shuang watched Bai Yuyou hold her head with an expressionless face, his phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a message from Tang Keke.

Tang Keke: Good evening, Brother!

Tang Keke rarely messaged him, so Ye Shuang quickly replied.

Ye Shuang: Evening.

[Typing...]

Tang Keke: Brother, are you still angry?

Tang Keke: peeking.jpg

Angry?

Ye Shuang: Why do you ask?

Tang Keke: on all fours.jpg

Tang Keke: I’m sorry!

Ye Shuang didn’t quite understand at first, but after a moment, he realized she had misunderstood something. Seeing her flurry of messages, he smiled helplessly.

"Am I really that petty?"

Once Tang Keke learned it was just a misunderstanding, she perked up immediately.

Tang Keke: Brother, are you taking Yuyou to the amusement park tomorrow? You didn’t lose the tickets, right?

Ye Shuang: Yeah, still have them. Kept them safe.

Tang Keke: Good, good! Hehe, I’m off to shower.

With that, Tang Keke went silent. Ye Shuang set his phone down and noticed Bai Yuyou staring at him curiously.

"We’re going to the amusement park tomorrow."

"Amusement park."

"Right." Ye Shuang asked, "Do you want to go?"

Bai Yuyou didn’t have a clear concept of amusement parks but nodded anyway. "Where Ye Shuang goes, I go."

"You’ll probably like it." Ye Shuang smiled.

Girls her age usually couldn’t resist them.

...

The next morning, Ye Shuang woke up early.

After untangling himself from Bai Yuyou’s octopus-like grip, he freshened up and headed to the kitchen, tying on an apron.

While the girl was still asleep, he melted butter in a heated pan and placed slices of bread on it—he planned to make sandwiches for breakfast and pack the rest for the amusement park.

Sure, the park had restaurants, but their food was both overpriced and terrible, designed to gouge one-time visitors. Bringing his own was the better option.

He’d heard some internationally famous parks even searched bags at the entrance to prevent outside food, all to protect their in-park dining profits. Talk about treating customers like cattle.

And yet, those places were always packed. People really had a knack for adapting.

"Alright, that’s done. Now to fold the laundry."

Ye Shuang multitasked effortlessly, finishing the sandwiches before retrieving clothes from the dryer and folding them neatly.

"Meow!"

"Yi Wan, if you dare scratch these clothes, I’ll trim your whiskers." Ye Shuang warned as the cat eyed the laundry like a scratching post.

Yi Wan meowed once and obediently backed off.

"Huh?" Just then, Ye Shuang noticed Bai Yuyou’s school tie was ruined—the silk-like fabric frayed and crumpled beyond repair.

"Where can I buy a new one?" He considered fixing it, but it was clearly a lost cause.

Remembering the girl’s tattered undergarments from before (though Tang Keke had since taken her shopping), Ye Shuang wondered if he should take her out for more clothes.