Please, Yuxin

"Gulp... gulp..."

As Ye Feng tilted the paper cup in his hand slightly upward, Su Yuxin followed suit, raising her small head to drink. At that moment, her emerald-green eyes met his gaze.

"How are you feeling now? Is your head still spinning?"

"N-No, it’s not..."

Su Yuxin answered in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, quickly lowering her head again. A fleeting look of guilty panic flashed in her eyes.

"Next time, don’t ride those physically demanding attractions, okay?"

"I... I don’t need your concern. It’s not like you ever cared about me anyway."

Su Yuxin turned her head away petulantly, though her eyes still darted toward Ye Feng now and then.

"How could you say that? If I didn’t care, why would I bother bringing you hot water to take care of you?"

"Th-That’s because you wanted..."

"Wanted what?"

"Wanted... my heart..."

"Huh?"

Ye Feng was momentarily stunned by Su Yuxin’s words as he watched her face flush crimson, almost as if it might bleed. But he quickly realized she was just spouting nonsense again and hurriedly took her hand to cut her off.

"Come on, Yuxin. There are still so many rides we haven’t tried yet. If we don’t hurry, we’ll run out of time."

"Hmph..."

Su Yuxin let out a soft scoff, resigning herself with a slight pout.

Of course... Brother Ye Feng, you always change the subject at the crucial moment. Why can’t you just face my words properly? Maybe it’s because, in your eyes, I’ll always just be a nuisance clinging to you, right?

Truthfully, Ye Feng hadn’t deliberately tried to divert the topic. He simply didn’t want Su Yuxin to bring up the emotions buried deep in her heart again. Since the wound was already there, there was no need to reopen it. The only thing he could do was smooth it over until no trace remained.

He could only hope it wasn’t too late to make amends...

After that, Ye Feng accompanied Su Yuxin through the amusement park with the utmost patience, doing his best to keep her entertained. But even after a full round of attractions, Su Yuxin remained expressionless, trailing behind him aimlessly.

"Yuxin, how was the boat ride earlier? It’s a shame we didn’t feed the fish in such a beautiful lake. But there’s still bumper cars and other rides to try! Let’s go—"

"Enough!"

Just as Ye Feng reached for Su Yuxin’s small hand, she suddenly jerked away and shouted.

"Y-Yuxin?"

Ye Feng stared into her pitch-black eyes, a growing sense of unease tightening in his chest.

"It’s... enough. This so-called amusement park isn’t amusing at all. None of this is what I wanted..."

Su Yuxin lifted her chin, meeting his gaze head-on. The docility she had shown earlier was completely gone, replaced by something cold and unfamiliar.

"Yuxin..."

Ye Feng took a step forward, wanting to ask why she was acting this way, but Su Yuxin suddenly yanked the strawberry plushie tied around her waist and threw it to the ground.

The plushie tumbled across the pavement, gathering dust before coming to rest at Ye Feng’s feet. The strawberry—once her most cherished possession—now lay discarded. The sight made him freeze mid-step.

"From the very beginning... you never truly cared about me, did you? Maybe in your eyes, I’m just some little sister trying to win your favor. No matter how hard I try, all I get in return is your so-called ‘brotherly affection.’ But do you really think that’s what I want?"

A twisted smile curled on Su Yuxin’s lips, as if she had resigned herself to despair.

"What I want has never been a brother who treats me like a little sister. What I’ve always wanted... is you, Ye Feng."

"......"

"But it’s too late now. I finally understand that all my efforts to win you back were pointless. I’m just a tool... a plaything for your amusement, right~?"

In that instant, all traces of Su Yuxin’s sweetness vanished, leaving behind only a gaze brimming with obsessive desire and bitter love.

"Why? Why does Li Mucheng get your forgiveness and get to stay by your side, while I have to beg over and over just for scraps of your attention?"

"It’s not fair. Not fair at all. Or have you always been biased from the start?"

Su Yuxin cupped her own cheek with one hand, squishing her plush skin as her eyes darkened with endless craving and a sickening devotion.

"But none of that matters anymore. I’ll make you love me again—just like you love Li Mucheng..."

As Su Yuxin took slow, deliberate steps toward Ye Feng, a costumed bear mascot emerged from around the corner of the park behind him.

Spotting the bear, Su Yuxin paused briefly, her eyes flickering with something sinister, but she quickly refocused on Ye Feng.

"What’s wrong, Brother Ye Feng? Shouldn’t you be running away now? Just like when you fled from Li Mucheng’s room? Otherwise... I might just become the next person to treat you that way~"

"I’m sorry, Yuxin."

To her surprise, Ye Feng bent down in front of her. Hearing her unrestrained confession, he realized that mere companionship could no longer mend the twisted void in her heart. Now, the only thing left was honesty—to reveal his true intentions.

"What? Are you going to kneel and beg for my forgiveness now? Hah... too late for th—"

Before she could finish, Ye Feng picked up the dust-covered strawberry plushie from the ground, carefully brushing off the dirt.

"Y-You... What are you doing? Don’t think this will make me—"

"You shouldn’t throw away things you love. Isn’t this strawberry your favorite?"

After ensuring the plushie was clean, Ye Feng held it out to her.

"If you discard the things you love... you might not love them the same way again."

"Hmph. I know everything you’re doing is just to—"

"Want to watch the sunset with me? There’s one last ride we haven’t tried."

"Wh-What ride?"

Su Yuxin didn’t understand why she had unconsciously asked the question—as if the words had slipped out on their own.

"Will you go on the Ferris wheel with me? This time, I’m the one asking you. Please, Yuxin."

"......"