Amusement Park "Accident"

The uproar from a few days ago seemed to have faded away. Today, Tang Wulin finally made good on his promise to take Gu Yue out for a private date, a "world for two."

For this outing, Tang Wulin had planned everything with great care. He had specifically chosen a large amusement park some distance from Shrek City to avoid running into anyone they knew. He had even informed Le Zhengyu, Yuanen Yehui, Ye Xinglan, and the others beforehand, telling them to stay home and not disturb them.

Gu Yue had also, for once, changed out of her usual elegant long dress. She wore a light blue short dress, her long hair tied into a high ponytail. She looked youthful and vibrant, with less of her usual cool detachment and more of the sweetness of a girl next door. Watching Tang Wulin bustle about checking the tickets and planning their route, the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a gentle smile.

"Let's go. Time to head out." Tang Wulin naturally took Gu Yue's hand, their fingers interlacing as the warmth in his palm gave her a sense of reassurance.

However, plans never kept up with changes. Just as they were about to hail a taxi, two familiar figures jumped out of a cab like ghosts.

"Boss! Gu Yue! What a coincidence!"

"Exactly. This place looks great, so we came to have some fun."

The newcomers were Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie. Xu Xiaoyan was grinning like a cat that had stolen cream, while Xie Xie wore an obnoxious expression that screamed, "I know everything."

Tang Wulin's smile instantly froze on his face. Gu Yue's delicate brows furrowed slightly as well, though they quickly relaxed again. Still, a trace of helplessness flashed through her eyes.

"You... why are you here too?" Tang Wulin tried his best not to sound too despairing.

"Us? Of course we're here to have fun!" Xie Xie said righteously. "We're not as lovey-dovey as you two. This is a companionship trip between 'brothers.' Besides, we already bought the tickets. We can't let them go to waste, can we?"

Xu Xiaoyan chimed in too, linking arms with Gu Yue and saying affectionately, "That's right, Gu Yue. We won't disturb you. Just think of it as... well, think of it as us protecting you! What if you run into bad guys? With us around, it's extra security."

Gu Yue glanced at Tang Wulin. Seeing his utterly defeated expression, she said gently, "Since they're already here, let them come along. More people makes it livelier."

Tang Wulin sighed in resignation, mentally cursing Le Zhengyu's ancestors for eighteen generations. Why had he let Xu Xiaoyan out, and what was Yuanen doing? Didn't she know to keep that damn Xie Xie under control? This wasn't a world for two at all—it was clearly a "four-person social gathering"!

The amusement park was packed with people, screams and laughter blending together. Carousel, bumper cars, roller coaster... there were long lines in front of every attraction.

Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan were like two children with too much energy, interested in everything. But soon, Xie Xie's gaze locked onto one place—a gloomy Gothic building with skulls hanging at the entrance, mournful wind sounds playing from within, and three blood-red words written on its sign: HAUNTED HOUSE!

"This one's good! This is exciting!" Xie Xie's eyes lit up as he grabbed Tang Wulin's arm. "Boss! Come on, let's take it on! This is the best place to prove our courage!"

Tang Wulin only wanted to find somewhere quiet to be alone with Gu Yue. He had no interest whatsoever in a haunted house.

Just as he was about to refuse, Xu Xiaoyan looked eagerly at Gu Yue. "Gu Yue, do you want to try it too? It looks really realistic."

At that, Gu Yue turned her head. Her gaze swept over the pitch-black entrance before she calmly looked at Tang Wulin and said softly, "What's there to be afraid of? There's no harm in taking a look."

Her eyes were clear and resolute, as though nothing in the world could possibly frighten her. Seeing Gu Yue like this, much of Tang Wulin's resistance faded. He knew that her heart was far stronger than she appeared.

"Fine. Since Gu Yue said so, I'll risk my life to accompany you." Tang Wulin smiled helplessly and clasped Gu Yue's hand again, gripping it a little more tightly, as though giving her strength while seeking reassurance for himself.

Thus, the "group of four" marched grandly toward the haunted house.

While waiting in line, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan excitedly discussed how they would scare the others later. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, meanwhile, stood quietly to one side, their hands never separating.

"You... really aren't scared?" Tang Wulin asked quietly, his warm breath brushing Gu Yue's ear.

"With you here, I'm not scared." Gu Yue turned her head and gave him a reassuring smile.

The moment they entered the haunted house, the light dimmed. Only flickering ghostly green lamps on the walls remained, creating an eerie atmosphere. The air was filled with an old, earthy smell and a faint scent of mildew.

The surroundings were deathly silent. There were only the footsteps and breathing of the four of them, along with groans drifting from somewhere in the distance, real or fake.

The moment they entered, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan charged off like horses released from their reins. They made all sorts of strange cries and deliberately bumped into the hanging "corpses," completely leaving Tang Wulin and Gu Yue behind.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Xie Xie's voice echoed through the empty corridor, the reverberation making the place even more terrifying.

"Ignore them. Let's walk slowly." Tang Wulin tightened his grip on Gu Yue's hand and spoke in a low voice.

Gu Yue nodded, but before long, she seemed to feel that being protected behind Tang Wulin like this was too "passive." She wanted to prove that she truly feared nothing, and she also wanted to add a different kind of memory to their date.

"Wulin, wait here for me a moment." Gu Yue suddenly stopped and released his hand.

"Hm?" Tang Wulin froze.

"That fork ahead looks darker. I'll go check it out, in case those two idiots get lost later." Gu Yue pointed toward a narrower passage on the left with no lights at all. Her tone was casual, as though she were simply scouting the way.

"No!" Tang Wulin refused without a second thought. "It's too dark. We should go together. What if there's an NPC..."

"It's fine. I'm a power attack-type Soul Master. If I really run into something, I can protect myself." Gu Yue waved a fist at him with a confident smile, then turned and walked into the dark passage before he could say anything else.

Tang Wulin stood where he was, watching her slender figure vanish into the darkness, his heart in turmoil. He could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, but Gu Yue's fearless demeanor made it impossible for him to forcefully stop her.

He could only clench his fists and vigilantly watch his surroundings, ears pricked high as he listened for any sound from Gu Yue's direction.

Second by second, time passed. The silence around him was terrifying. There was only the sound of wind and the deliberately frightened screams of Xie Xie and the others in the distance.

"Gu Yue? Gu Yue, how is it over there?" Tang Wulin could not help calling out softly.

There was no response.

Suddenly, without warning, a pair of deathly pale, vacant eyes lit up in the dense darkness ahead! Then, a blood-covered, hideous "zombie" NPC sprang from behind a nearby set piece with a piercing, inhuman shriek and lunged straight at Gu Yue, who had her back to him and was completely focused on exploring the path!

"Ah—!!!"

A girl's scream, enough to pierce eardrums and filled with utter terror and collapse, rang through the entire haunted house. The fear in that voice was so real that even the professional NPC actors were startled, their movements pausing for half a second.

The next moment, a figure came scrambling out of the darkness at ten times the speed she had entered, utterly disheveled. Who else could it be but Gu Yue?

She had no time to care about poise or appearance. Her hair had come loose, all color had drained from her face, and those usually cool eyes were wide open, filled with immense, belated terror. She had even run so fast that her left foot caught her right, and she nearly fell. In the end, she simply gave up, gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, and launched herself toward Tang Wulin like a cannonball with all her strength.

With a dull bang, Gu Yue slammed solidly into Tang Wulin's arms. Her arms wrapped around his waist like vines, clinging to him desperately as she buried her face against his chest. Her body shook uncontrollably, and a string of incoherent, tearful mutters spilled from her mouth.

"I was scared to death, scared to death, scared to death! There was a ghost, a ghost, a ghost! So scary, so scary, so scary! Wulin, Wulin, Wulin! I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll never act tough again, I'll never run off alone again, sob sob sob..."

Tang Wulin staggered back half a step from the impact, then caught her firmly. The girl in his arms was trembling like a leaf, and her warm tears seeped through his thin clothing, making his heart ache. All his worry and helplessness turned into overwhelming tenderness at that moment.

He gently patted her slender back as though soothing a frightened little animal, saying softly, "There, there. It's okay now. I'm here. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. It's all fake, all fake..."

As he comforted her, he raised his head and shot a murderous glare at the NPC who still had not recovered, as well as at Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan, who were peeking from a short distance away and laughing so hard they were nearly out of breath.

"Pfft..." Xu Xiaoyan was the first to lose control and laugh, but when she saw Gu Yue's miserable state, she quickly covered her mouth.

Xie Xie was even more exaggerated, slapping his thigh as he doubled over with laughter. "Oh my god! Gu Yue, that reaction was way too real! Hahahaha! That burst of speed just now was definitely Soul Saint level! You practically threw yourself straight into Wulin's arms! I'm giving that move full marks!"

Gu Yue lifted her head from Tang Wulin's chest. Tear tracks still clung to her cheeks as she glared at Xie Xie in humiliation and anger. Yet her glare was mostly the empty bravado of someone who had just escaped disaster, completely lacking any menace.

"Don't laugh!" she shouted tearfully, then buried her face again.

Seeing her timid yet adorable state, Tang Wulin was both annoyed and amused. In the end, he only shook his head helplessly and held her a little tighter.

After leaving the haunted house, Gu Yue still seemed shaken. No matter what anyone said, she refused to go on another attraction with any "surprises." Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan were tired from playing as well, so the four of them found a place to rest and eat something.

As the sun gradually sank, the horizon was dyed a brilliant orange-red. The amusement park's lights began to come on, colorful and dazzling as they reflected on the excited faces around them.

"Where should we go next?" Xu Xiaoyan asked.

"Let's ride the Ferris wheel." Gu Yue suddenly spoke, her voice still a little hoarse.

"Great idea!" Xie Xie immediately agreed. "Watching the sunset from the highest point would be perfect!"

Tang Wulin looked at Gu Yue and found her gazing at the enormous Ferris wheel slowly turning in the distance, anticipation in her eyes. He understood that she might want to calm herself after the fright with something peaceful.

"Alright, the Ferris wheel it is." Tang Wulin stood and took her hand again.

This time, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan did not follow them. They looked at the slowly moving cabins, exchanged a smile, then tacitly headed toward the nearby snack street, muttering about "leaving some private space for those two lovebirds."

When Tang Wulin and Gu Yue entered a transparent observation cabin, the world seemed to become quiet all at once.

The cabin slowly rose. The scenery below shrank bit by bit, and the noisy crowd gradually faded away, replaced by the rush of wind past their ears and the countless lights of the city gradually illuminating in the twilight.

"It's... so high here." Gu Yue leaned against the window, feeling the slight dizziness brought by the sensation of weightlessness. Then she turned around to look at Tang Wulin behind her.

The setting sun shone through the glass, covering them in a warm golden glow. Tang Wulin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms gently around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"No." Gu Yue shook her head and leaned back into his embrace.

The cabin continued rising steadily and soon reached its highest point. The whole world seemed to be beneath their feet, with a sky full of brilliant sunset clouds overhead and the warm embrace of her lover before her.

At that moment, time seemed to stop.

Gu Yue suddenly moved, turning around in his arms to face him. Her eyes were still slightly red, but her gaze was exceptionally bright and gentle. She rose on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around Tang Wulin's neck.

"Wulin," she called softly, her face filled with undisguised love and reliance.

"Hm?" Tang Wulin's heart warmed as he lowered his head to meet her eyes.

"I love you." Gu Yue's voice was soft, yet it was like a stone dropped into a lake, stirring up countless ripples.

Tang Wulin's heart felt as though something had struck it hard. Bitterness and sweetness surged through him at once. Unable to restrain his feelings any longer, he cupped her face in both hands and kissed her deeply.

"I love you too, Gu Yue. I'll always love you," he answered between their entwined lips, his tone full of devotion.

At the highest point beneath the setting sun and amid the boundless glow of the clouds, they embraced and kissed without restraint. All their unease, hesitation, and worries vanished in that moment, leaving only each other's heartbeats and mingling breaths. It was as if they were the only two people left in the world.

What they did not know was that in a slightly smaller observation cabin beside theirs, two heads were pressed against the glass, holding the newest high-definition recording Soul Device with its lens aimed at them.

Xie Xie lowered his voice and excitedly operated the device, making sure the picture was clear and steady. He perfectly captured even the tiny tears still at the corners of Gu Yue's eyes and the moved expression on Tang Wulin's face.

"Xiaoyan, did you see that? This angle, this lighting—it's perfect! It's like a scene from an idol drama!" Even while keeping his voice down, Xie Xie could not hide the smugly obnoxious excitement in it.

Xu Xiaoyan leaned close to the lens as well, watching with great interest and a mischievous grin. "I saw it, I saw it. Now this is going to be fun. Once we get back, we have to preserve this video properly. In the future... hehehe, this will be our greatest leverage over this 'immortal couple.'"

"Of course! This is a priceless treasure!" Xie Xie raised his brows proudly. In the recording, the two figures kissing passionately beneath the sunset grew increasingly blurred, yet also became ever more clearly imprinted in his "favorites folder."

The sun completely sank below the horizon, and the city's neon lights bloomed in full. The Ferris wheel slowly descended. When the cabin door opened, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue walked out hand in hand, their faces still flushed with happiness, completely unaware of everything that had just happened.

Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan slipped out through another exit. The two exchanged a knowing look and headed toward the snack street, humming an off-key tune.