After his bath, Lin Chen walked out of the bathroom, picked up the hair dryer, and began drying his hair. An Xin, with her usual expression, was sitting on her bed playing a mobile game.
After drying his hair, Lin Chen instinctively opened his phone and saw a new message.
Chu Xiaoxiao: I’ve finished the game music. I can send it to you tomorrow.
Chu Xiaoxiao: But as payment, accompany me to the amusement park tomorrow morning. I’ve been in the mood for it lately. You have to make sure I have fun, or it doesn’t count.
Lin Chen: OK.
Just as Lin Chen happily agreed, another new message popped up.
Lin Wanfeng: Boyfriend, you don’t have long to live. Did you know that?
Naturally baffled, Lin Chen slowly typed a question mark.
Lin Wanfeng: Tomorrow, March 15th, is my birthday. As my boyfriend, do you really have no plans at all?
Lin Wanfeng: Luckily, I really like you, boyfriend~ So if you come with me to the aquarium tomorrow morning, I’ll let you off the hook.
Lin Chen sighed. Even though this would be unfair to Chu Xiaoxiao, compared to his own life, he would just have to apologize to Chu Xiaoxiao and choose a different approach. Just after Lin Chen agreed to Lin Wanfeng and was about to turn down Chu Xiaoxiao, something unexpected happened. Chu Xiaoxiao typed a new message.
Chu Xiaoxiao: If you dare to stand me up tomorrow, I’ll take it as you giving up on this song. No negotiation.
Lin Chen was dumbfounded. On one side was his precious life, on the other was his game development career, which he valued just as much as his life. He breathed heavily and finally made a difficult decision: if you only have one wing, you can’t fly. He chose to have both. You are both my wings. Of course, that referred to his life and game development. Lin Chen decided to agree to both. He would learn from the many predecessors in anime, make a plan, and start a dual-track operation. Lin Chen had carefully checked the map. The aquarium was less than a kilometer from the amusement park. As long as he rode the shared bike fast enough, going back and forth wouldn’t be a problem.
By the time Lin Chen finished his plan, it was already 12 AM. He saw An Xin still engrossed in her mobile game, occasionally smiling happily at it.
“Get some rest early, An Xin. I’m going to sleep.” Lin Chen set his alarm and lay down on the sofa bed that An Xin had just made up for him.
“Good night, A Chen. I’ll sleep in a bit~” An Xin said good night gently, then turned off all the lights.
Perhaps because he had been staying up late making the game recently, Lin Chen quickly fell asleep. A beam of moonlight spilled through the gap in the curtains onto the bed. Bathed in the cold moonlight, An Xin stood by Lin Chen’s bedside, staring intently at his defenseless sleeping face.
“Just a little more patience. Just a little bit more.”
After a long while, An Xin leaned down and gently kissed Lin Chen on the cheek.
“Soon, you’ll be all mine~ You’re not ripe yet.”
The night deepened. At 7:20 AM, an hour before his alarm, Lin Chen woke up early. An Xin was still asleep in bed, curled up into a ball, wrapping the blanket into a lump. Seeing her sleeping soundly, Lin Chen didn’t disturb her. Instead, he started making breakfast. After finishing breakfast, he left a note and set off.
His first destination was the entrance of the amusement park. As soon as he approached, he saw Chu Xiaoxiao, who was constantly fiddling with her hair, looking a bit uneasy. Chu Xiaoxiao was wearing a light apricot short-sleeved dress with matching small leather shoes, her long hair tied up in a half-updo. The current Chu Xiaoxiao had lost the arrogant aura she had at school, and instead had a rather gentle, refined charm.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Lin Chen greeted her and walked over naturally.
“It wasn’t that long.” Seeing Lin Chen arrive as promised, Chu Xiaoxiao couldn’t hide her joy.
“Let’s go. I’ve done my research. We’ll start with the roller coaster.” To not waste any time, Lin Chen took the initiative and grabbed Chu Xiaoxiao’s hand. Completely caught off guard, Chu Xiaoxiao instantly blushed.
“Hey, wait.”
‘He’s holding my hand again,’ she thought. ‘Lin Chen is so eager to hold my hand. Looks like I’m quite attractive to him.’
The two of them smoothly arrived at the roller coaster ticket gate. Watching the speeding coaster, Lin Chen couldn’t help but gasp. He had never ridden such a fast roller coaster before, but to achieve his goal, he had to take the risk. Riding such an intense roller coaster would make Chu Xiaoxiao voluntarily ask for a break, giving him enough time to go to the aquarium. After sitting down on the roller coaster seat, Lin Chen showed a confident smile. After all, the Chu Xiaoxiao next to him had slightly trembling hands. She would probably soon beg for a rest. But what Chu Xiaoxiao was thinking at that moment was: ‘So dreamy, just like the manga I read as a child. Can I hold his hand when I’m nervous? I can, right?’
With the clicking sound of the chains, the roller coaster slowly started, then suddenly accelerated. When the coaster reached its highest point, a strong wind blew in their faces, making Lin Chen’s face contort and his features twist. He turned his head to check on Chu Xiaoxiao, wondering if she was already scared and wanted to get off.
“Whoa~ Hahahaha!” The Chu Xiaoxiao beside him was unusually excited, her laughter scattering with the wind. Riding the roller coaster with Lin Chen, she didn’t need any solid protection. She just needed to feel the wind rushing past with the person she liked~
After riding two rounds, Lin Chen’s legs went weak. Chu Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was still eager to go again, as if she wanted another round.
“Chu Xiaoxiao, you go ahead and ride. I’ll rest for a bit and buy some snacks on the way back.” Seeing that it was already close to 10 AM, Lin Chen had to leave temporarily.
“Are you okay? Should I help you somewhere to rest?” Chu Xiaoxiao asked with concern.
“It’s fine, just enjoy yourself. I remember a place that has really good snacks, but it’s a bit far. Wait for me to come back.” Lin Chen forced a smile. Seeing how thoughtful Lin Chen was for her, Chu Xiaoxiao didn’t refuse.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you here. Come back soon.”
After temporarily parting with Chu Xiaoxiao, Lin Chen jogged all the way to the shared bike, pedaling with all his might as if his life depended on it.
“Hurry, hurry. If I’m late, I might really end up at the bottom of the river.”
Driven by a strong will to survive, Lin Chen’s feet almost sparked as he pedaled.
At 10:20 AM, Lin Wanfeng at the aquarium entrance had an especially dark expression. Her fake boyfriend, Lin Chen, had actually been late again—by 20 minutes. Maybe he wanted to eat red bean rice, so he was a little “love-sick.”
“Sorry, Miss, I’m late.” Lin Chen wore a placating expression.
“You’re 20 minutes late. I’ll just have to make my boyfriend dive in the river for 20 minutes without any equipment.” Lin Wanfeng showed a creepy smile.
Normally, Lin Wanfeng wouldn’t care that much about anyone. But after the family dinner with Lin Chen, her emotions would be stirred by him whenever she faced him. So this time she was genuinely angry, but she wouldn’t actually drown Lin Chen in the river.