The two moved easily through the crowd, brushing close as they walked, stopping now and then at stalls that caught their interest.
There were clearly many people around them, yet it somehow felt like there were hardly any at all, as though the world contained only the two of them and they could hear each other breathing.
"Class monitor, is there anything you want?"
As Lin Li and Chen Yuying passed a balloon-shooting stall, he stopped, pointed at the prizes hanging on the display wall, raised his brows, and asked with a smile.
"Is that an elephant? It looks pretty cute. If I had to pick the one I want most, then that one."
Chen Yuying looked over after hearing him, catching the eagerness in Lin Li's tone to show off, and picked out a stuffed toy.
She could want anything, or not want anything at all. As long as he wanted it, she could want it too.
"Boss, how does this work?" Lin Li asked eagerly.
"Thirty yuan for twenty-five pellets. You pick your prize based on how many balloons you pop in the end." The owner, who had been sorting the already-inflated balloons on the ground, came over to explain.
"How do I get that stuffed toy?" Lin Li pointed at the elephant.
"That's one of the best prizes. You need to pop twenty-two balloons to choose it." The owner glanced over and answered with a smile.
"Sure, no problem. Let's do one round first. Thirty, sent over." Lin Li nodded.
Thirty yuan was on the expensive side, but fortunately, Lin Li was a little rich kid.
"You can only miss three shots. How about I pick something else I like?" Chen Yuying leaned closer and said with a smile.
"Heh, class monitor, you can absolutely trust my