Companions in youth

The instant Jiang Jingzhe and Qiu Bailu appeared, Song Nianxing's body abruptly stiffened.

Sensing this, Shen Siyi slowly curled his lips, with no intention of lifting his head from Song Nianxing's shoulder. Still in the same position, he said, "What a coincidence. I didn't expect you to choose the amusement park for your date too."

Qiu Bailu froze, then blurted out reflexively, "Wasn't this..."

He stopped short mid-sentence.

After last night's livestream ended, he had gone for his interview and happened to run into Shen Siyi, who was also heading for his interview.

It was Shen Siyi who had told him he would be going on a date with Song Nianxing at the amusement park today, and that if Qiu Bailu could come too, they could have a meal together or something if they ran into each other.

He had thought that if he could eat with Shen Siyi, he might make up for missing the chance to ply him with alcohol last night, so today he had to get Jiang Jingzhe to come to the amusement park with him, no matter what.

But looking at Shen Siyi now, he seemed not to remember any of it.

Glancing at the camera operators standing in a row, Qiu Bailu figured Shen Siyi was probably holding back because of the cameras.

If he had just said that Shen Siyi had hinted last night that he should come, that would have violated the production team's rule against guests communicating privately during the livestream.

At that thought, he let out an understanding "Oh," then changed tack. "Well, Jingzhe and I didn't know where to go either, so we just picked somewhere at random. It really is a coincidence. When we spotted you from a distance just now, we weren't even sure it was you. Right, Jingzhe?"

As Qiu Bailu spoke, he turned to Jiang Jingzhe, but Jiang Jingzhe was staring fixedly at Song Nianxing, his brows drawn tightly together.

"Today, you chose to go on a date with Shen... Senior Shen. Good. Very good."

Every word seemed to squeeze out between his teeth, and the smile lifting the corners of his mouth could not have been more strained.

Song Nianxing looked at him, then at Qiu Bailu, his hands unconsciously clasping together.

This was the amusement park.

It was the promise they had made in their youth.

It was the place he had repeatedly longed for Jiang Jingzhe to visit with him after they grew up, only for the chances to slip by again and again, for Jiang Jingzhe to put him off time after time.

Yet now, with Qiu Bailu, all it took was, "We didn't know where to go, so we just picked somewhere at random."

He had thought he and Jiang Jingzhe had only grown more distant because their standing in the industry had changed. He was also willing to keep his distance for the sake of Jiang Jingzhe's career, but in his heart, he still firmly believed they remained each other's closest and most trusted person in the world.

Both had neither father nor mother.

Their companionship in youth was worth more than any fortune.

But now, it seemed the place remained while the people had changed.

What he cared about, Jiang Jingzhe did not.

What he valued, Jiang Jingzhe looked down on.

Perhaps the scales of this relationship had tipped out of balance long ago without him noticing, and he alone remained where he had been, endlessly deceiving himself.

His tightly clenched hands ached faintly, but through his haze, another gentle touch joined them, separating his hands and adding a little warmth.

Song Nianxing lowered his eyes to look at that fair, distinctly jointed hand, then lifted his gaze to its owner.

Shen Siyi was leaning against his shoulder, smiling gently at him. Then his lips moved a few times. "It really is very good. Nianxing today..."

"It really is very good. How could it not be? I chose Senior Shen today, and I'm super happy Senior Shen chose me too. Besides, the amusement park really is fun. I've wanted to come for ages, and I should have come ages ago."

Song Nianxing drew his gaze away from Shen Siyi and fixed it unwaveringly on Jiang Jingzhe, a firmness in his expression that had never been there before.

"Haven't you made your choice too?"

Some people should not be let down.

Some people should have been left behind long ago.

Jiang Jingzhe simply could not believe these words had come from Song Nianxing, who had always been so docile and obedient around him.

How dare Song Nianxing?

As he thought this, a surge of anger rushed straight to his head, making him laugh despite himself. "Right. That's right. I've made my choice too. Bailu, let's go have fun. Didn't you say you wanted to come here? Let's go."

He wanted Song Nianxing to see that he did not need anyone, that Song Nianxing needed him more. How could Song Nianxing possibly bear to give him up?

After saying that, he reached back and caught Qiu Bailu's wrist.

Shen Siyi sat up straight now too. "Right, go have fun. Nianxing, I've more or less recovered. Let's head out. There's another date location waiting for us."

Song Nianxing was a little bewildered by this.

There was actually another date location?

But before he could react, Shen Siyi took his hand and stood up. After glancing at Jiang Jingzhe's hand holding Qiu Bailu's, he raised his eyebrows with a smile. "Have fun, you two. We'll be going ahead."

With that, he took Song Nianxing by the hand and left.

Qiu Bailu almost lost his composure.

Wait, what happened to having a meal together? He'd already come all this way, and now Shen Siyi was saying he was leaving?

At that thought, he was about to follow them, but Jiang Jingzhe was still holding his hand, leaving him no chance.

"Sure, we'll definitely have fun!"

Jiang Jingzhe deliberately raised his voice to shout at Shen Siyi and Song Nianxing's retreating backs, resentment seeming to pour ceaselessly out of him.

Qiu Bailu glanced at him, wearing an equally resentful, fake smile.

Who's having fun with you? Seriously, why did it feel like he'd been set up?

Looking at the rides rising and falling throughout the amusement park, Qiu Bailu wanted to die all the more, especially when Jiang Jingzhe picked a drop tower right off the bat.

"Didn't you say you wanted to come here? Go on, have fun."

After they entered the ride hall, the camera operators were much farther away, and neither of them could be bothered to keep pretending.

Hearing this, Qiu Bailu immediately rolled his eyes at him.

"Who wants to ride this thing? If Shen Siyi hadn't said we could have a meal together or something if we ran into each other here, I wouldn't have come. Now we didn't even get to eat, and I still have to put on a show for the audience on a drop tower that'll definitely wreck my styling."

"What did you say?" Jiang Jingzhe's pupils abruptly widened severalfold, and he gripped Qiu Bailu's arms with both hands, his face full of accusation.

"You're fucking hurting me! I said this ride would wreck my styling. What's wrong with that?" Qiu Bailu grimaced in pain, not knowing what had gotten into Jiang Jingzhe this time.

"I meant Shen Siyi. He was the one who told you to come?"

"I wouldn't exactly say he told me to come. He just said he'd be going on a date with Song Nianxing at the amusement park today. I said we didn't know where to go, so he suggested you and I come too, then said we could have a meal together if we ran into each other. Of course I wanted to get on good terms with him. That hurts like hell. Let go!"

Hearing this, Jiang Jingzhe abruptly came to his senses, as though a taut string in his mind had snapped with a crack.

The amusement park... Song Nianxing.

Right, this was the promise he had once made with Song Nianxing, the promise that had never been fulfilled, yet now Shen Siyi had fulfilled it.

Recalling Shen Siyi's provocative words last night, connecting them to all the ways he had defended and favored Song Nianxing, and then to everything that had happened today, Jiang Jingzhe felt utterly unsettled.

Shen Siyi had done it on purpose!

Shen Siyi had been scheming against him all along, and the goal of all this was to steal Song Nianxing away from him!

A latecomer fighting and snatching for him. Ha, what a joke!

Song Nianxing was only listening to Shen Siyi so obediently now because he was a little angry with him.

If he wanted, he only had to crook a finger, and Song Nianxing would trust him again and return to his side.

Tomorrow's birthday would be a good opportunity!