Before long, the three of them arrived at the bustling Yida Plaza.
A temporary outdoor amusement area had been set up in the center of the plaza, with crowds gathered around the various food stalls and game booths.
One ring toss booth was especially lively, the air thick with excited voices.
"Bro! Look! Ring toss!"
Chen Qianqian's eyes lit up instantly. Pointing at a row of dolls on the prize shelves behind the booth, she squealed with excitement.
"Wow! Labubu! The latest Forest Concert Series! I want that violinist!"
The booth owner was a dark-skinned man in his forties, his darting eyes betraying a shrewd streak.
He greeted them enthusiastically. "You've got good taste, miss! Two yuan per ring, or twelve for twenty! The more you buy, the more free rings you get!"
"Give me twenty yuan's worth!"
Chen Qianqian grandly scanned the payment code, took a small bucket of plastic rings, and eagerly stepped behind the white line.
Copying the other players, she squinted one eye, aimed for ages, then hurled a ring.
The plastic ring traced a crooked arc through the air, smacked into a bottle of cola, and bounced away, nowhere near the Labubu figurine.
"Oops! My hand slipped!"
Refusing to give up, Chen Qianqian threw another dozen or so rings in succession. Every single one neatly avoided all the prizes, winning her absolutely nothing.
Good-natured laughter rippled through the crowd.
"Qianqian, you're pretty bad at this." Chen Lin watched from the side, thoroughly amused.
"Hmph! If you're so good, you try!"
Her little face flushed at his teasing. She angrily shoved her remaining four rings into Chen Lin's arms.
"Here! Your turn! If you win anything, I... I'll call you my wonderful big brother three times!"
Chen Lin shook his head with a chuckle, picked up