Lin Mo’s drawn-out “boy~friend~” struck Chu You like a clap of thunder, leaving her mind buzzing and her expression frozen.
For a moment, she even forgot about the arm still wrapped tightly around her waist, its presence impossible to ignore.
She jerked her head up to look at Lin Mo, eyes full of disbelief and a touch of indignant anger at being exposed.
This bastard! He actually eavesdropped on her conversation with Xia Ji in the guest room?!
A rush of fury shot straight to her head.
Chu You’s lips parted, and the words of accusation nearly burst out: “Lin Mo, you—”
But Lin Mo gave her no chance to question him.
He immediately interrupted, “So, have you two decided where you want to go?”
His tone was relaxed, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
He maintained his usual smiling expression while speaking, as though that earlier ambiguous declaration had been mentioned in passing, and he naturally shifted the topic.
Looking at Lin Mo’s calm, feigned cluelessness, Chu You gritted her teeth in frustration, her chest rising and falling, but with Xia Ji present, she couldn’t let loose.
He really knows how to take advantage of any situation!
She knew well: the more she showed she cared, the happier Lin Mo would be.
After staring at Lin Mo for a moment, Chu You gradually pressed down her displeasure and turned to Xia Ji, asking in a steady tone, “Xia Ji, where do you want to go?”
Being addressed, Xia Ji was stunned for a moment, then snapped back to herself, eyes lighting up with even more anticipation.
She clasped her hands at her chest, unable to hide her excitement: “I heard North City Amusement Park is a lot of fun, and…”
Her voice grew more lively, “And I heard they just got in limited edition Cosplay costumes for all the main characters from the movie , just for visitors to take pictures! The accuracy is incredible! Sister You, Mr. Lin Mo, can we go to the amusement park, please?”
She looked at them eagerly, especially at Chu You, clearly very passionate about this suggestion.
Seeing Xia Ji’s enthusiastic expression, Chu You couldn’t bear to disappoint her and nodded immediately, “Alright, we’ll go with your plan.”
Then, Xia Ji turned her gaze to Lin Mo, eyes full of expectation.
Lin Mo saw this and grinned, nodding in agreement, “I’m good with anything. The amusement park sounds great—come to think of it, I haven’t been in years.”
As he spoke, the arm around Chu You’s waist tightened ever so slightly.
“Especially since Youyou and I have never been together~”
As soon as he said that…
Chu You felt goosebumps all over her body.
What a vicious move…
She lifted her elbow and jabbed Lin Mo hard to express her discontent, but Lin Mo took the hit without flinching—in fact, he only hugged her even tighter.
Xia Ji didn’t notice Chu You and Lin Mo’s little scuffle at all.
She just kept chattering about how wonderful North City Amusement Park was.
The three of them—one in front, two behind—headed out together, and it wasn’t until they reached the parking lot downstairs that Lin Mo finally, reluctantly, let go of Chu You.
The trio drove toward the Universal Fantasy Park in North City.
It was the weekend, and the park was packed.
Just finding a parking spot took more than ten minutes, their car creeping along with the traffic.
Once parked, they queued for tickets, and followed the bustling crowd through the gates, the lively atmosphere hitting them at once.
On the main plaza, a towering, one-hundred-meter drop tower was plunging at breakneck speed.
The tourists’ ecstatic, gut-wrenching screams filled the air, amping up the weekend’s carnival vibe to the limit.
“Wow—!”
Xia Ji gazed up at the drop tower, gasping quietly, torn between fear and yearning.
The three of them followed the broad main path deeper into the park, but as soon as they rounded a corner, they were stunned by the sight ahead—packed wall to wall with people.
Outside the themed cosplay photo store, the snaking line looked like a giant dragon, blocking nearly the entire walkway.
The passion of both die-hard fans and curious visitors was obvious.
“This… There’s way too many people…”
Xia Ji rose onto her tiptoes, craning her neck to see the endless queue, the light of excitement dimming a little from her face.
With clear disappointment in her voice, she looked at Chu You.
Chu You glanced at the sea of heads and nodded in agreement, stating the obvious: “Yeah, at this rate, we’d be stuck in line until the next century.”
At that moment, Lin Mo suddenly appeared, holding two ice cream cones and handing them over.
“Passed by the ice cream cart over there, the flavors looked pretty good. Here, one for each of you.”
He naturally picked up the conversation, looking at the packed line and suggesting, “There are way too many people here. Let’s try some other rides first and come back later—maybe the crowd will thin out.”
Chu You took the cone without hesitation, passing one to Xia Ji, then bent her head to take a lick of the sweet, cold cream, feeling her earlier irritation melt away.
“Mmm, works for me.”
She nodded as she ate her ice cream.
Xia Ji accepted the ice cream from Chu You, first smiling at Lin Mo and saying, “Thank you, Mr. Lin Mo!”
Then she nibbled at her cone, the coolness making her eyes crinkle in pleasure.
“I scoped it out earlier—drop tower, pirate ship, roller coaster, all the popular rides have huge lines…” Lin Mo took the lead, guiding them forward as he suggested, “I think we can start with some of the less crowded rides. After a round, we’ll go back and try for the popular ones—should help us avoid the rush.”
Chu You was busy with her ice cream and didn’t reply, but she nodded in agreement.
Xia Ji had even less to object to.
She was never one to insist on her own way—truth be told, she just enjoyed being with her friends.
“How about we try the log flume first?”
Lin Mo pointed at a nearby attraction, suggesting it with a serious look.
Chu You glanced in the direction he indicated, then turned back to him, a smear of cream still on her lips.
She sneered, “…Just say you want to see us drenched, you pervert.”
Lin Mo immediately put on a solemn face, “You can doubt my judgment, but please don’t doubt my character, thank you.”
“That’s exactly what should be doubted, you jerk!”
Chu You shot back without hesitation.
Lin Mo spread his hands, feigning innocence, his tone aggravatingly cheeky: “I’m not the one who brought up the romance.”
“You!!!”
Chu You clenched her fist and swung it at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo perfectly predicted the trajectory of her punch, catching her wrist easily and pulling her into his arms.
“So many people around and you’re still flirting?”
Chu You elbowed Lin Mo away and quickly retreated to Xia Ji’s side, looking at him with disgust: “I have megalophobia, I’m scared of big—”
She didn’t finish.
Lin Mo suddenly reached out and shoved Chu You’s hand, the one holding the ice cream, upward.
“Mmph!” Caught off guard, Chu You got a mouthful of ice cream.
“In public…” Lin Mo grinned mischievously and took off running as he spoke, “No foul language allowed.”
“Ptui! Bastard, just you wait!” Chu You yelled in frustration, chasing after Lin Mo.
Xia Ji nibbled at her cone as she trotted after them, watching them tease, chase, and bicker, a gentle smile blooming on her face.
The three of them avoided the busiest areas, exploring deeper into the amusement park, stopping occasionally to discuss what to do next in low voices.
The sun was warm, laughter and chatter filled the air.
…
Meanwhile.
In a remote corner of the amusement park, inside the control center’s electrical room.
A hunched figure in black stood in the middle of the room, his scarlet eyes brimming with cold indifference.
He swept his gaze around—the place was splattered with thick, fetid blood.
Several amusement park staff lay sprawled on the ground, each corpse bearing signs of mutilation.
After a moment, the man in black slowly removed his mask.
Beneath that pale skin, muscle tissue twitched and writhed.
A beam of sunlight slanted in, fully illuminating his face.
It was Lu Ran!
He looked even more twisted and grotesque than he had in the old school building—his aura now verging on the monstrous.
Lu Ran stepped up to the electrical control console, casually picked up the walkie-talkie beside it, and pressed the button.
He spoke slowly, voice low, hoarse, and strangely slurred—
“I—I’m ready on my end… we can begin…”