The frog hurriedly apologized when he realized he had bumped into someone. From his voice, he sounded like a young man.
"Sorry, sorry! I got separated from the group and couldn't find the others, so I was in a bit of a rush."
"I really didn't see you. I'm sorry."
The frog's hands were rather large, and he waved them about in a panic, afraid someone would file a complaint.
"I'm really sorry!"
An Yubei stayed nestled in Ji Shang's arms for a moment to recover before straightening up.
If Ji Shang hadn't caught him, he would have fallen flat on the ground and needed a trip to the hospital.
The ground was hard concrete, and An Yubei was wearing shorts. If he had fallen flat, he would have scraped not only his hands but his knees too.
"Thank you, big brother."
An Yubei straightened up and turned to look at the frog, who was still apologizing, feeling a great deal.
Back when he was in college, he had worked many part-time jobs. Most often, he had worn mascot costumes to hand out flyers and work at events.
The heavy mascot costumes were all right in winter, but unbearably hot in summer.
Every time he finished, he would be drenched in sweat, as though he had taken a bath.
He knew what the frog was worried about: getting a complaint. An Yubei had received a complaint before, and an entire day's work had gone unpaid as a result.
The frog really was sorry. His face wasn't visible, but if it had been, he would certainly have looked guilty.
"It's all right. I'm fine, so you don't need to keep apologizing."
"I wasn't watching where I was going either. It wasn't entirely your fault."
An Yubei's gentle words eased the frog's embarrassment.
Both men beside him looked at An Yubei with gratification.
An Yubei really was kind and adorable.
After the frog left, Lu Jinsheng suggested riding the roller coaster. It was a must at an amusement park.
An Yubei raised both hands in agreement. "Yay!"
An Yubei liked thrills.
The moment he heard "roller coaster," Ji Shang's face darkened.
Did they have to ride the roller coaster?
What was he supposed to do about his fear of heights?
Seeing Ji Shang's expression, Lu Jinsheng knew he had made the right choice.
He could finally see Ji Shang embarrass himself. How satisfying.
The line for the roller coaster was rather long. They started at the back and gradually found themselves in the middle.
All three were very good-looking. Simply standing there, they made a sight worth admiring and drew plenty of attention.
An Yubei stood in the middle, with Ji Shang and Lu Jinsheng automatically taking either side like bodyguards.
Holding a leaflet, An Yubei looked through the other attractions and considered which ones he wanted to try.
Two young women stood ahead of them. Perhaps because they noticed so many people farther up turning around, they looked back curiously too and saw three handsome men talking behind them.
One was tall, handsome, composed, and reserved; one was pretty, soft, and adorable; and the third was a sunny, handsome young hunk.
The two women exchanged a glance, unable to suppress their smiles.
"Wow, they're all so handsome!"
"Are we in for some romantic luck today? How did three handsome guys end up behind us?"
"Which one do you like?" Both women turned to look again, then whipped back around excitedly.
"I like the soft, cute one. He's such a baby! I want to squish him. Did you see his cheeks? They're so soft-looking. I really want to pinch them."
"No wonder we're best friends. I like the cute one too. I've seen enough mature older men and young hunks these days. I just like the adorable type."
"Shall we ask for his WeChat?"
"You go first!"
Their voices were neither loud nor quiet. An Yubei, behind them, didn't notice, but Ji Shang and Lu Jinsheng frowned at what they heard.
Why were there more love rivals?
What were they supposed to do with so many people liking their baby?
The two men temporarily joined forces, moving in unison to stand in front of An Yubei and block the women's view.
The women frowned. Why wouldn't they let them look anymore?
"Are they jealous? Is that why they're blocking our view?"
"Both of them are jealous. Is this what I think it is? How exciting!"
"It must be. They're both so possessive. That little cutie is going to suffer."
"Why would he suffer? Wouldn't he be happy?"
"A threesome? Wouldn't they wear him out?"
The two women spoke rather boldly, not caring whether anyone else could hear.
Afraid those words would pollute his baby's ears, Ji Shang covered An Yubei's ears so he couldn't hear a thing.
The women glanced over again, expecting another look at the little cutie, only to meet Lu Jinsheng's fierce glare.
Finding no fun in that, the women abandoned the line and ran off.
Feeling his ears being covered, An Yubei tilted his head toward Ji Shang and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, big brother?"
Ji Shang shook his head, said it was nothing, and let go of An Yubei.
An Yubei murmured, "Oh," and went back to the illustrated brochure.
His attention had been entirely on the haunted house just now, so he hadn't heard a word anyone else said.
The haunted house looked quite scary in the brochure, and he wanted to give it a try.
Their turn soon came. Ji Shang lagged a step behind and swallowed.
If he pretended to have a stomachache and got off now, that shouldn't count as embarrassing, right?
An Yubei was already seated. Patting the seat beside him, he smiled and said, "Hurry, big brother! Sit next to me."
For those words alone, Ji Shang couldn't back down, however scared he was.
So Ji Shang walked over, sat down, and fastened his safety belt.
He checked it three times before checking An Yubei's safety belt.
Lu Jinsheng had long since noticed Ji Shang's fear of heights. "Are you afraid of heights, President Ji? You shouldn't force yourself!"
Lu Jinsheng seized the chance to twist the knife, implicitly mocking Ji Shang for being timid.
They had only gotten along for a few minutes before the green tea started twisting the knife again.
Ji Shang pressed his lips together. "Thank you for your concern."
At that, An Yubei asked worriedly, "Big brother, are you afraid of heights?"
Though he didn't particularly want to admit it, Ji Shang still nodded. "Yes."
His baby was concerned about him. What was wrong with admitting it?
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" An Yubei said anxiously. "Let's hurry and get off."
Hearing "let's," Ji Shang's voice softened a little, carrying a hint of fear.
"All right. Let's get off!"
As he spoke, Ji Shang glanced at Lu Jinsheng, his eyes saying, Have fun on your own. We're leaving.
Lu Jinsheng: "...!"
You certainly learned how to put that into practice. Now you're playing weak.
"Then I'll get off too. Honestly, I'm a little scared myself!"
Ji Shang, who was playing pitiful: "...!"
Scared? Who had suggested the roller coaster just now?
So you'd upgraded from playing green tea to playing white lotus?
Lu Jinsheng answered his look with a smile. Their gazes met, undercurrents surging.
The two men competed silently, neither willing to concede or let the other gain an advantage.
An Yubei didn't notice their contest. "All right, let's get off."
He still felt a little regretful. He really did want to ride the roller coaster.
They had only just started moving when a staff member shouted, "You three, stop moving! It's about to start. You can't get off now."
"Hurry and sit properly."
An Yubei paused and looked at the two of them. "What do we do?"
Ji Shang nervously settled into his seat. Taking An Yubei's hand, he said, "Xiao Bei, if you hold my hand, I won't be scared anymore."
Lu Jinsheng: "...?"
So that worked too. Lesson learned.
Lu Jinsheng copied Ji Shang, putting on a pitiful look. "If someone could hold my hand, I wouldn't be scared anymore either."
An Yubei turned toward Lu Jinsheng and took his hand. "Don't be scared, Lu Jinsheng. I'm here."
Ji Shang: "...!"
Both green tea and white lotus. This opponent wasn't easy to deal with!
An Yubei only felt that both men were acting a little strange today, though he couldn't quite say how.
What he didn't know was that the contest between the two men had only just begun.