CY – Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

In the afternoon, after the supervising teachers led everyone to tour another school in B City, they finally announced that the following days would be for free group activities.

The supervising teachers who came from Fourth High School were a few young individuals. One of them, before everyone rushed into the elevator to go upstairs, quickly addressed the group. “Students, after forming your groups, you need to report your itinerary for the next day the night before. Please keep your phones on and turn off silent mode so teachers can contact you anytime! If any students wish to travel alone, you also need to inform the teacher. The teacher needs to know your whereabouts…”

Lu Bai and his three companions wanted to go to the amusement park. Coincidentally, Li An and his group were also going the next day, so the two parties decided to go together. The group made an early reservation and then got up early the next day, finally managing to enter the park just as the first wave of tourists was being admitted. The popular rides at the amusement park were limited, and if they didn’t go early, the queues would only get longer. Fortunately, they arrived early.

“Even if the opportunity is rare, no one goes on the roller coaster right at the beginning…” Yin Li counted the people ahead, estimating that their turn would be next. She whispered, “Is it this thrilling right from the start?”

“It’s the same whether you go early or late.” Lu Bai stood behind them, couldn’t help but put his hand on Zhang Xiaotian’s shoulder, and stood on his tiptoes to look up. “It doesn’t look that high. How can it be as scary as they say online?”

Lu Bai’s weight made Zhang Xiaotian unsteady, and he struggled to get away from him. “Can you stop messing around? You won’t be saying that when you’re up there.”

“That’s not necessarily true.” Lu Bai didn’t remove his hand. Instead, he pressed himself against Zhang Xiaotian’s back. “It’s settled, whoever screams first is a grandson!”

Who said it was settled with me? Zhang Xiaotian rolled his eyes.

“Okay, whoever screams first is a grandson!” Li An, who was at the front, heard them and shouted back.

“Who were you talking to!” Lu Bai, hanging on Zhang Xiaotian, shouted back.

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

“Get lost, Li An!” Lu Bai pointed at him. “You wait until later. You’ll have to kowtow to me a few times!”

“Alright!” Zhang Xiaotian felt like 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, and no matter how Zhang Xiaotian pulled or pushed, he couldn’t get free. As they were tussling, they suddenly heard screams from above. The people queuing below all looked up.

The roller coaster whizzed 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 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 seemed unfazed, shaking his head and sticking his neck out. “I can!”

Even when sitting in the roller coaster seat, Lu Bai was still bickering with Li An, not uttering a single word of fear. Zhang Xiaotian sat silently beside him, and seeing Lu Bai’s excitement, he almost believed he wouldn’t scream. Zhang Xiaotian himself was a little nervous, but since everyone else was on it, he didn’t want to be out of sync. 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 joking around just moments ago, but now, as if realizing the tension, no one spoke. In the silence, Li An, sitting in the front, suddenly wailed tremulously, “Lu Bai! You just wait and call me grandpa!”

“Tch!” Lu Bai retorted, “If you have the guts, don’t tremble! Ahhhh~”

The roller coaster moved back and forth slightly, then slowly started to move forward. Lu Bai shivered at the sudden movement, and the end of his sentence cracked, making the people on the car laugh a couple of times, somewhat easing the tension. As the car started moving and the height increased, the view became more expansive. Lu Bai kept his eyes open, looking around, occasionally talking 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 voice was a little faint, and it was impossible to tell if it was Lu Bai’s voice mixed with the wind. 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 beside him sounded a little shaky. Zhang Xiaotian also 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 like every jolt of the roller coaster was hitting his heart. He 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!”

“Just be quiet, will 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 in anymore. Just as he opened his mouth to tell Lu Bai to shut up, the sudden sensation of weightlessness and the cold wind blocked all the words he hadn’t yet spoken. Screams erupted all around, and it was impossible to distinguish between voices, gender, or distance. At this moment, neither Lu Bai nor Li An remembered how boastful they had been earlier. Their character, their image, all gone. They screamed their lungs out, sometimes calling for their fathers, sometimes for their mothers, with occasional shifts between falsetto and normal voice.

Zhang Xiaotian’s scream was stuck in his throat. In his terror, he even forgot to close his mouth. He gripped the handles on both sides tightly, letting inertia fling him around. He didn’t make a sound even when he hit his head. 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 be brave. In his mind, he silently counted the number of turns. But the next turn didn’t come. The screams around him were agonizing. Zhang Xiaotian held his breath, and in the long wait, a surge of courage suddenly arose. He tentatively lifted one eyelid, carefully opening his eyes to confirm where the roller coaster was. As he opened them, he saw a canopy of sky.

B City had a 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 somewhat misty. The wind blew refreshingly, making him want to shout with excitement. Looking forward, there were overlapping buildings of varying heights. Looking down, a large part of the amusement park was visible: bumper cars, pirate ships, drop towers, log flumes. The landscaping in different areas varied. Tourists walked along fixed paths, moving slowly like ants. The aerial view they had briefly glanced at upon entering the park was now presented to him in such a vivid and unexpected way. Zhang Xiaotian finally caught his breath and 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 was motionless. 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 flushed purple, and she looked like she was about to pass out. Occasionally, she was hit in the face by Yin Li’s hair. She 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 made Han Chengcheng bet with Li An. He would have won for sure.

Zhang Xiaotian looked ahead. Li An’s mouth was moving as fast as a beat poet. By now, he had probably recited his entire family tree. His voice sounded hoarse from shouting, but he hadn’t stopped. The surroundings were in chaos. Zhang Xiaotian chuckled to himself amidst the jolting. Looking down, he saw a finger still hooked onto his sleeve. He looked up. Lu Bai’s face was pale. He hooked Zhang Xiaotian’s sleeve with one hand, while the other hand was clenched into a fist against his chest, his jaw muscles bulging. With every up and down of the roller coaster, he gasped for air as if drowning, occasionally letting out sharp gasps from between his teeth, and then quickly suppressing them and swallowing.

Look at that poor thing. Zhang Xiaotian mischievously reached out and pulled away the small piece of fabric his finger was hooked on. Lu Bai’s eyes snapped open, then quickly closed again out of fear. He silently reached out towards Zhang Xiaotian, fumbling. Seeing him like this, Zhang Xiaotian chuckled a couple of times and playfully traced his finger on the sleeve. Lu Bai tried to grab it but pulled back. Lu Bai fumbled several times without success, and in his desperation, he called out from between his teeth:

“Tian’er!” After shouting, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold back and gritted his teeth tightly. Seeing Lu Bai unable to speak and at his mercy, Zhang Xiaotian felt a surge of joy. He couldn’t help but tease him a few more times with his hand. In a moment of carelessness, Lu Bai grabbed his sleeve along with 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 exert more force, Lu Bai called out again:

“Tian’er!”

This time, he really couldn’t take it anymore and even opened his eyes. Zhang Xiaotian looked at Lu Bai’s wide, round eyes and felt his tightening grip. His heart felt warm and a little tingly. He gazed deeply at Lu Bai and said in a volume only they could hear, “You can scream, Lu Bai.”

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

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

Lu Bai shook his head, as if exerting great effort.

They were indeed nearing the end. Would there be such thrilling and novel experiences in the future? Zhang Xiaotian gazed into the distance at the endpoint, which was almost within reach for the roller coaster, and suddenly felt a sense of loss. He gently rubbed Lu Bai’s fingers with his thumb, which wasn’t being held. “Scream, I won’t laugh at you, nor will I tell Li An.”

If he didn’t scream now, they would be getting off the ride soon. Although they could do more on the ground, screaming on the ride was different from screaming on the ground. In the sensation of his fingertips, Zhang Xiaotian softly encouraged him, “I’ll scream with you, Lu Bai, I’ll scream with you.” After saying that, he started screaming, as if he had never screamed like this before.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Lu Bai screamed along with him. The entire car sped towards the end.