The ticket inspector stared at the two people's tickets three times: first at the tickets, then at Gwen Stacy, and finally at Lin Xiao, his blue eyes filled with confusion.
The girl was clinging to the burly man's arm, rubbing against him like a lovestruck young woman, especially since her identification showed she was underage.
The ticket inspector was a white man in his fifties, wearing a Mickey Mouse name tag, his hair already gray. He glanced at Gwen Stacy's face, which seemed to say "I'm so happy," then at Lin Xiao's expressionless face, and unconsciously moved his hand half an inch towards the alarm button under the counter.
"Young lady," the ticket inspector cleared his throat, deliberately lowering his voice, "What's your relationship with him...?"
Gwen Stacy tilted her head and hugged Lin Xiao's arm even tighter.
"Tomorrow is my boyfriend's birthday." She paused, then deliberately added, "But for now, I call him uncle."
The ticket inspector's lips twitched. His hand was just an inch away from the alarm button.
Lin Xiao expressionlessly pulled out his ID from his pocket, opened it, and flashed it in front of the ticket inspector for a moment. It was a S.H.I.E.L.D.. pass, blue with white lettering and a silver badge. The ticket inspector's expression changed from wary to confused, from confused to bewildered, and finally to numb. He returned the ticket, waved his hand, and gestured for them to go in.
Gwen Stacy leaned close to Lin Xiao's ear and whispered, "What did you show him just now?"
"Work permit."
" S.H.I.E.L.D.. also regulates amusement parks?"
"I don't care. But if he stares at me for another three seconds, I'm really going to call the police and report him for harassing tourists."
Gwen Stacy laughed so hard her shoulders shook, and she grabbed Lin Xiao's arm and ran inside. Lin Xiao stumbled forward half a step because of her pull, looked down at her ponytail swinging behind her head, and a smile slowly spread across his face.
It was early morning at Disney, before the peak tourist season. Gwen Stacy dashed ahead like a little cannonball, map in hand, muttering, "Which one first, which one first." She glanced back at Lin Xiao, who was strolling leisurely behind her, hands in his pockets, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding tourists and buildings, like he was on patrol.
"Can you walk a little faster!"
"Could you slow down a bit?"
"I can't do anything with you. Stop walking so slowly, like a tortoise."
Gwen Stacy ran back, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him to the roller coaster. Gwen Stacy pressed herself against the railing, tiptoeing, and peered ahead. Lin Xiao leaned against a nearby pillar, watching Gwen Stacy and shaking his head helplessly.
"Have you ever ridden a roller coaster?" Gwen Stacy asked him, turning around.
"No."
Not even once?
"My experiences dealing with aliens were far more exciting than this."
"Then you must sit today. And you must sit in the first row."
Isn't the first row the seat with the strongest impact?
That's why you have to sit in the first row.
Looking at her face, which was filled with excitement, Lin Xiao swallowed back the "child's play" he was about to say.
As the roller coaster slowly started moving, Gwen Stacy gripped the safety bar tightly with her right hand and reached out with her left to grab Lin Xiao's hand. She held on so hard that her nails dug into his palm. When the train plunged down the first steep slope, her scream could be heard throughout the entire track, her voice high-pitched and bright, mingling with the sound of the wind and the friction of the tracks.
Lin Xiao turned his head to look at her. Seeing her ponytail flying wildly in the wind, her eyes tightly closed, and her mouth wide open, he couldn't help but find it a little funny. Who would have thought that the famous Ghost-Spider would be afraid of this? But he still held Gwen Stacy's little hand tightly.
When she came down, Gwen Stacy's legs were a little weak. She held onto the railing and took a couple of breaths, then looked up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
"One more time?"
"Weren't your legs just weak?"
That's why I'm going to do it again. I'll keep going until I'm completely exhausted.
"Then we'll have to sit until closing time."
Gwen Stacy slapped his arm, and Lin Xiao reluctantly joined in on Gwen Stacy's crazy antics once again.
Over the next three hours, they experienced many attractions, including the carousel. Gwen Stacy wanted to ride a white unicorn, but she couldn't beat the kids to it. She pouted and looked at Lin Xiao Lin Xiao, who felt a chill run down his spine. He squeezed to the front and bribed a chubby boy with a lollipop so Gwen Stacy could have the unicorn. Gwen Stacy smiled like a little fox; she knew Lin Xiao would always find a way.
Then came Dumbo and the Teacup Spinner. Gwen Stacy wanted to take photos at each attraction, and each time she would hand her phone to Lin Xiao, telling him to squat down, stand up, or shoot from the side. She even squatted on the ground to take the photos, and Lin Xiao didn't care about his image as he tried to get the best angle.
Pixar Pier. Gwen Stacy stood in front of the throwing game stall, staring blankly at the row of plush toys. The stall owner, a chubby Mexico man, beamed with joy when he saw a little girl had entered. These kinds of people were the easiest to make money off, but she still thought she should be careful—that big guy looked like he could eat her alive. Owner Gwen Stacy grinned, "Little girl, want to try? Five hits, no more three, one shot—hit three and you get a free toy."
Gwen Stacy picked up the airsoft gun, raised it with one hand, and barely aimed. The first shot hit the green alien in the second row in the forehead, the second hit its brow, and the third hit the antenna on its head. The shopkeeper's smile froze for a moment, and he took the alien off and handed it over. Gwen Stacy took it and casually stuffed it into Lin Xiao's arms.
"Continue."
For the next twenty minutes, Gwen Stacy shot at every single toy on the stall. The airsoft gun seemed to have eyes in her hands; every shot hit the bullseye, and she changed to a different toy with each shot. The owner started to panic, frantically restocking the shelves, Gwen Stacy shot at each one she added. Finally, the owner raised his hands above his head and shouted "Stop!" in Spain -accented English.
"My God, it's gone, really gone."
Gwen Stacy then put down her gun, dusted off her hands, and, still somewhat unsatisfied, turned to look at Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao was surrounded by more than a dozen plush toys, green, blue, pink, and yellow, which covered half of him.
Are you satisfied?
"Hmm." Gwen Stacy took the pink bunny from the top and stuffed it into her backpack. "This one's mine. You can keep the others."
"Should I take it?"
"You help me carry this. You'll be my boyfriend soon, carrying things is your duty."
Lin Xiao opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just pulled the doll in his arms closer and followed her.
The Haunted Mansion is located on the east side of the park. Gwen Stacy stood in front of the entrance, looking up at the drab, gothic-style building, her eyes slowly narrowing. She turned her head, made a "shh" gesture to Lin Xiao, and then gently pressed the Web-Shooter on her wrist, switching it to silent mode. The Spider-Sense was also turned off.
Lin Xiao looked at Gwen Stacy with a puzzled expression. Gwen Stacy seemed to understand Lin Xiao's thoughts, shrugged, and said seriously, "I also want to experience pure horror."
"You, a Ghost-Spider who spends your days catching criminals in Brooklyn, are telling me you want to experience horror?"
"That's different. That's work, this is enjoyment."
Lin Xiao couldn't help but chuckle at her serious expression. Gwen Stacy glared at him, then turned and walked inside. Lin Xiao followed behind, and as soon as they entered, all the lights went out. The air grew cold, and eerie background noises came from all directions, sometimes near, sometimes far, like someone whispering, but it was impossible to make out what they were saying.
Gwen Stacy walked ahead, her steps quick and without hesitation. She saw skeletons, ghosts disguised with tattered rags, ghostly figures in the mirror, and hands reaching out from under the bed... Gwen Stacy screamed repeatedly along the way, her hands tightly gripping Lin Xiao's clothes. Lin Xiao followed behind her, smiling, not finding it boring at all.
As they reached a corner, all the lights suddenly went out, plunging them into complete darkness. Gwen Stacy paused, and just as Lin Xiao was about to speak, a beam of pale light suddenly shone in front of them, and a staff member with a ghostly face jumped out from behind the corner.
"Wow--!"
Before the "Wow!" could even finish, Gwen Stacy had already slipped behind Lin Xiao. She grabbed the hem of his shirt with both hands, shrinking behind him with only half her face showing. The staff member was stunned for a moment, then followed Gwen Stacy's gaze upwards, meeting Lin Xiao's face.
Lin Xiao suddenly grinned, shone his phone light on his chin, and made a funny face. It was the kind of face he used to make to scare his deskmate when he was a kid in Dragon Country, with his eyes rolled upwards, his tongue sticking out crookedly, and his chin looking really long.
The staff member stared at him for two seconds, then rolled his eyes, leaned back, and fell straight onto the carpet.
Lin Xiao curled his lip. "That's it?"
Gwen Stacy peeked out from behind Lin Xiao and glanced down at the motionless staff member on the ground.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Fine, Lin Xiao, you scared the staff to death."
She crouched down, put two fingers under the staff member's nose to check for breath, then stood up and patted Lin Xiao's arm.
"You're finished. You scared the staff. I'm going to report you."
"Report me for what? Report me for looking scary?"
"Right."
Gwen Stacy turned around and skipped towards the exit. After a couple of steps, she stopped, looked back at him, her lips curving into a smile, her eyes shining.
"That funny face of yours," she said, "Was pretty funny. Make another one."
"I'm not doing it anymore."
"Let's do it."
"No."
"Then go stand by that Frankenstein statue at the entrance for a while. You look great there. I'll take a picture of you."
Lin Xiao looked into her bright blue eyes, opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end he simply raised his hand and gently patted her head.
"They're gone."
The two spent the whole day having fun at the amusement park, and it wasn't until evening that they finally rode the Ferris wheel.
Gwen Stacy sat in Lin Xiao's lap, the two of them squeezed onto one chair. Her back was pressed against his chest, and the top of her head just touched his chin.
"It's too big," Gwen Stacy said.
"What's too big?"
"You... you've taken up all the seats, I don't have anywhere to sit."
"That's why I'm holding you; think about it, a human cushion is more comfortable."
"That's a fallacy, that's what makes me uncomfortable."
After Gwen Stacy finished speaking, she deliberately snuggled against Lin Xiao, which made Lin Xiao laugh.
Just then, a loud bang came from afar, and a yellow firework rose into the sky, splitting open to form a dazzling golden-orange shooting star.
Gwen Stacy's mouth gaped open in disbelief. "Fireworks! Fireworks! How beautiful!"
Then a second, then a third, red, blue, and purple blossoms followed, intertwining and blooming in the night sky. She covered her mouth, clasped her hands together, knuckles pressed against her lips, her eyes wide open, the firelight dancing in her pupils.
"Is it pretty?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile.
Gwen Stacy nodded frantically.
Do you like it?
She nodded again, then, as if she had thought of something, turned her head to look at him.
"You arranged this?"
"No."
"You arranged it," Gwen Stacy repeated, her tone certain, "You went to the bathroom several times this afternoon."
"I drank a lot of water, so going to the toilet is normal."
"So you spend over ten minutes each time you go to the toilet? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Lin Xiao didn't reply. Gwen Stacy turned her face back to watch the fireworks again. Bright and loud fireworks exploded in the sky above the castle, and golden embers drifted down slowly like scraps of paper. She leaned against Lin Xiao's chest, her voice lowered.
"Fool, I saw you the second time I secretly followed you."
"What did you see?"
"You were on the phone, and you were hiding so far away. I know exactly what you said."
Lin Xiao paused for a moment. Gwen Stacy's lips curled up slightly, a small smile hidden in the light and shadow of the fireworks.
"You spent three hundred thousand dollars," she said. "Are you feeling the pinch?"
"How can I not feel bad? That's enough to make me eat until I die from getting massages in Chinatown."
"Then why are you still spending it?"
"My willingness is priceless."
Gwen Stacy buried her face in his chest and chuckled softly, the sound muffled by her clothes. Her shoulders trembled slightly, it was hard to tell if she was laughing or something else. After a while, she finally looked up, her cheeks flushed red from the fireworks.
Lin Xiao.
"Um."
"You'd better be more careful with your money from now on. I don't necessarily need fireworks."
"Weren't you quite happy just now?"
"I'm happy that you had this thought in mind." Gwen Stacy said this, her gaze shifting to the window, her eyes full of tenderness.
The fireworks show reached its climax. Dozens of golden flowers rose into the sky simultaneously, creating a golden canopy above the castle. The entire sky was illuminated, even the glass on the Ferris wheel was bathed in a warm gold. Gwen Stacy turned back to look at Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao looked back at her.
The castle bells rang.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes. Finally, the twelfth strike was struck, and a new day began.
Gwen Stacy looked at him, her blue eyes shining brightly. The light from the fireworks reflected on her face, flickering.
"Fool, I'm an adult."
"Yes, I know."
"Then what are you waiting for?" She tilted her head, her tone carrying a hint of feigned impatience. "Are you going to let me take the initiative one more time?"
Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed him.
Her lips were soft, with a hint of marshmallow sweetness.
The Ferris wheel finally reached its highest point, with the entire park unfolding below. Fireworks were still going off, and the cheers of the crowd could be heard from afar.
" Lin Xiao, don't push your luck and touch my butt again."
"Hehe, sorry, sorry, it was just a slip of the hand, a slip of the hand."