CY – Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

In the afternoon, after the accompanying teachers had led everyone on a tour of another school in B City, they finally announced that the following few days would be for group-based free activities.

The accompanying teachers from Fourth High School were all young. One of them, before everyone squeezed into the elevator to go upstairs, quickly addressed the group: “Students, after you form your groups, you need to report your itinerary for the next day the night before. Keep your phones on and turn off silent mode so teachers can reach you at any time! If any students wish to go out alone, you must also inform the teacher. The teacher needs to know your whereabouts…”

Lu Bai and his three friends wanted to go to the amusement park, and coincidentally, Li An and his group were also going the next day. The two groups decided to go together. They made a reservation in advance and got up early the next day, finally managing to enter the park just as the first wave of tourists was being admitted. The amusement park’s most popular rides were only a few. If they didn’t go early, the queues would only get longer. Fortunately, they arrived early.

“No matter how rare the opportunity, you don’t start by riding a roller coaster, do you…” Yin Li counted the people in front, estimating that it would be their turn next. She whispered, “Is it this exciting right from the start?”

“Earlier or later, it’s all the same.” Lu Bai stood behind them, couldn’t help but put his hand on Zhang Xiaotian’s shoulder, and stood on tiptoe to look up. “It doesn’t look that high. How is it as scary as they say online?”

Zhang Xiaotian, unable to stand steadily under his weight, struggled to get away from him: “Can you calm down for a bit? You won’t be saying that when you get up there.”

“That’s not necessarily true.” Lu Bai didn’t remove his hand; instead, he pressed himself against Zhang Xiaotian’s back. “We’ve agreed, whoever calls who a grandson later!”

Who agreed with you? Zhang Xiaotian rolled his eyes.

“Okay, whoever calls who a grandson!” Li An, standing at the front, heard them and shouted back.

“Who were you talking to!” Lu Bai, clinging to Zhang Xiaotian, shouted back at the front.

“You’re scared, aren’t you, grandson!” Li An shouted. “Just wait and see your grandpa!”

“Get lost, Li An!” Lu Bai pointed at him. “You wait, and you’ll call me grandpa a few times and kowtow to me!”

“Alright!” Zhang Xiaotian felt his ears were going to be deafened. He reached out and pushed Lu Bai’s face, trying to push him off, but Lu Bai wrapped both arms around him. No matter how Zhang Xiaotian pulled or pushed, he couldn’t get him off. As they were messing around, they suddenly heard many screams from above. The people queuing below all looked up.

The roller coaster roared past from its lowest point, carrying a car of people and then spinning upwards. The screams could still be heard long after the car had gone far away. Zhang Xiaotian was still holding onto Lu Bai’s sleeve. He watched the roller coaster disappear into the distance and then turned to Lu Bai: “Are you sure you can hold it in later?”

Lu Bai didn’t seem bothered, shaking his head and sticking his chin out: “I can!”

Even when sitting in the roller coaster seat, Lu Bai was still bickering with Li An, not uttering the word “scared” once. Zhang Xiaotian sat silently beside him. Seeing Lu Bai’s excitement, he almost believed he wouldn’t call out. Zhang Xiaotian himself was a little uneasy, but since everyone else was going, he didn’t want to be out of place. He had to try it first; what if it was just scary to look at?

The staff came up and buckled their safety belts one by one. After confirming everything was fine, they went down to prepare for the launch. They had been laughing and joking just moments ago, but now they seemed to realize the tension, and no one spoke. In the silence, Li An, sitting in the front, suddenly wailed tremulously: “Lu Bai! You just wait and call me grandpa!”

“Tsk!” Lu Bai retorted, “If you’ve got the guts, don’t shake, ahhh~”

The roller coaster shifted back and forth, then slowly began to move forward. Lu Bai shivered at the sudden movement, and the end of his sentence cracked, making everyone on the car laugh. This eased some of the tension. As the car accelerated and gained height, the view became more and more expansive. Lu Bai kept his eyes open, looking around, occasionally saying a few words to Zhang Xiaotian. Zhang Xiaotian didn’t dare to open his eyes, only listening to the whistling wind and the sound of the roller coaster climbing step by step. He didn’t even dare to swallow.

“Damn, it’s really high.” This sentence was a bit quiet, mixed with the wind, making it impossible to tell if it was Lu Bai’s voice. Zhang Xiaotian really wanted to pick his fingers, but he didn’t dare to let go of the handrail.

“Tian’er, open your eyes!” The wind was strong, and Lu Bai’s voice next to him sounded a little shaky. Zhang Xiaotian felt Lu Bai tugging at his sleeve. “The scenery is quite nice. We can almost see the entire amusement park from here!”

Zhang Xiaotian felt every jolt of the roller coaster hitting his heart and had no time to pay attention to Lu Bai. In the darkness, he only felt his sleeve being pulled again.

“Tian’er, open your eyes and look!”

Be quiet, you. Zhang Xiaotian felt his breath shortening. If the situation allowed, he really wanted to stuff Lu Bai’s mouth shut.

“Tian’er, deskmate! Look over there!”

“Tian’er!”

Zhang Xiaotian felt his veins bulging with tension. He couldn’t hold it any longer. Just as he opened his mouth to tell Lu Bai to shut up, the sudden sense of weightlessness and the cold wind stuffed all his unuttered words back into his throat. For a moment, screams were incessant, and it was impossible to distinguish between male and female, near or far. At this moment, neither Lu Bai nor Li An remembered how smug they had been earlier. What about manners, what about image, all gone. They screamed their lungs out, sometimes calling for their parents, sometimes switching between falsetto and normal voice.

Zhang Xiaotian’s scream got stuck in his throat. In his panic, he forgot to close his mouth. He tightly gripped the handles on both sides, letting inertia toss him around. Even when he hit his head, he didn’t make a sound. With another turn, it felt like being thrown into a washing machine. Lu Bai’s voice next to him rose another octave. Zhang Xiaotian fiercely questioned himself why he had tried to act brave. He silently counted how many turns there were. But the next turn didn’t come. The screams around him were like slow torture. Zhang Xiaotian held his breath, and in the long wait, he suddenly mustered a surge of courage. He tentatively lifted one eyelid, cautiously opening his eyes to confirm where the roller coaster was. As he opened them, he saw a sky canopy.

B City had reported light rain today. When they went out in the morning, the air felt slightly damp. Now, at a sufficient height, Zhang Xiaotian saw that the distance was a bit misty. The wind blew freely, making one want to shout with excitement. Looking forward were overlapping buildings, and looking down was most of the amusement park. Bumper cars, pirate ships, drop towers, log flumes – the greenery in different areas varied. Tourists walked along fixed paths, moving slowly like ants. The aerial view they had glimpsed upon entering the park was now presented to him in such a vivid and unexpected way. Zhang Xiaotian finally caught his breath and now felt that the roller coaster was nothing special. He looked at the scenery for a while, then shifted his gaze to the people riding with him.

Yin Li’s entire face was covered by her hair. While screaming, she didn’t forget to spit out the strands of hair that flew into her mouth. Han Chengcheng remained still. At first glance, she seemed fine, but in reality, the veins on the back of her hand gripping the handrail were bulging. Her face was purple, almost suffocating. Occasionally, she was hit in the face by Yin Li’s hair. Her condition didn’t look good either, but even so, she bit her lip and didn’t make a sound. It was unclear if she was too scared to make a sound.

He should have let Han Chengcheng bet with Li An. He would have won for sure.

Zhang Xiaotian looked ahead. Li An’s mouth moved as fast as a folk singer. By now, he had probably recited his entire family tree. His voice was hoarse from shouting, and he still hadn’t stopped. The surroundings were a scene of wild, clawing chaos. Zhang Xiaotian chuckled enough to himself amidst the bumps. As he looked down, he saw a finger still hooked on his sleeve. He looked up. Lu Bai’s face was pale. While hooking Zhang Xiaotian’s sleeve, he clenched his other hand into a fist on his chest, his jaw muscles bulging. With every rise and fall of the roller coaster, he gasped for breath like a drowning person, occasionally letting out sharp gasps from between his teeth, and then quickly suppressing them and swallowing them back.

Look at this pitiful sight. Zhang Xiaotian playfully reached out and pulled away the small piece of fabric his fingers were hooked on. Lu Bai immediately opened his eyes, then quickly closed them again out of fear, only reaching blindly towards Zhang Xiaotian. Zhang Xiaotian smiled at his behavior and playfully scratched Lu Bai’s fingertips with his sleeve. Lu Bai flinched and withdrew his hand. Lu Bai fumbled several times and, in frustration, shouted at him from between his teeth:

“Tian’er!” After shouting, he was afraid he couldn’t help but cry out again, so he gritted his teeth tightly. Zhang Xiaotian found it very satisfying to see Lu Bai unable to speak and at his mercy. He couldn’t help but tease him a few more times with his hand. In a moment of carelessness, Lu Bai grabbed both his sleeve and his finger. Lu Bai was extremely scared, and his grip was strong. Zhang Xiaotian tugged a couple of times but couldn’t pull free. When he tried to use more force, Lu Bai shouted again:

“Tian’er!”

This time, he really couldn’t stand it anymore and even opened his eyes. Zhang Xiaotian looked at Lu Bai’s wide-open eyes and felt his increasingly tight grip. His heart felt a warm, itchy sensation. He gazed deeply at Lu Bai and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear: “You can shout, Lu Bai.”

“I won’t…” Lu Bai tried his best to meet his gaze and squeezed out two words. The roller coaster lurched violently, and he tightly closed his eyes.

“Shout, don’t hold it in.” Zhang Xiaotian looked ahead. “We’re almost at the end.”

Lu Bai shook his head as if he had exerted great effort.

Indeed, they were almost at the end. Would there be more exciting, novel experiences like this in the future? Zhang Xiaotian gazed into the distance at the almost-within-reach end for the roller coaster and suddenly felt a sense of loss. He gently rubbed Lu Bai’s fingers with his thumb, which was not being held. “Shout, I won’t laugh at you, and I won’t tell Li An.”

If he didn’t shout now, they would be getting off the ride. Although there were more things they could do on the ground, shouting on the ride now was completely different from shouting on the ground after getting off. Zhang Xiaotian gently urged him through the touch of his fingertips, “I’ll shout with you, Lu Bai, I’ll shout with you.” After saying that, he started shouting, as if he had never shouted like this before.

“Ahhhhhh!” Lu Bai also shouted along. The entire car drove towards the end.