The amusement park entrance buzzed with activity, a long line of eager visitors already snaking through the gates as Su Yue, Jiang Ci, and Xiao Haohao approached. “Yueyue, we’re here!” Jin Mingyuan called out, waving enthusiastically from a short distance, Xu Xue beside her.
Su Yue gently tugged Jiang Ci’s hand. “Jiang Ci, let’s go over. My friends are here, you know Jin Mingyuan and Xu Xue. I forgot to tell you they were coming to the amusement park today too.” Jin Mingyuan, noticing Xu Xue’s somber mood, had suggested an outing, and when Su Yue mentioned Xiao Haohao’s birthday, a joint amusement park trip seemed perfect for both celebration and relaxation. Su Yue had welcomed the idea, envisioning a lively day with more people. Jiang Ci, however, frowned. Did this mean Su Yue didn’t want to go on a date with just him?
Jin Mingyuan watched the trio approach, a striking combination indeed. Su Yue, in a light yellow top that made her skin glow like snow under the sun, and fitted jeans that showcased her slender, straight legs, radiated a pure, girlish aura. Jin Mingyuan mused, thank goodness Jiang Ci was blind, otherwise, he’d never let such a radiant woman out freely. Then there was Xiao Haohao, a little cherub of pink and jade, in his overalls, a shy belly peeking out. And finally, Jiang Ci, the “ugliest” member of the family.
Jiang Ci, the designated “ugliest,” watched Su Yue greet Jin Mingyuan and Xu Xue, then chat with them animatedly, a sullen expression on his face. So, he was brought to the amusement park just so she could play with her friends?
For Xiao Haohao, this was his first time at an amusement park. His dark eyes darted excitedly, overwhelmed by the sight of the rides he’d only seen on TV. “That’s a roller coaster, and a merry-go-round!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
“Yes, Xiao Haohao is great, you know them all!” Su Yue patted his head and scooped him up for a better view. However, she had overestimated her strength and underestimated his weight. After only a short distance, her arms ached. “Jiang Ci, you hold your son,” Su Yue pleaded, stopping abruptly.
Xiao Haohao’s eyes lit up, a mix of anticipation and trepidation. Would Dad hold Haohao? He watched other children around him, all held aloft by their fathers. Haohao yearned for his father’s embrace.
“You hold Xiao Haohao, and I’ll lead the way,” Su Yue whispered to Jiang Ci, holding Xiao Haohao close to his ear. “Don’t say no. It’s the little guy’s birthday today; you should humor him.”
Jiang Ci looked at Su Yue’s small, snow-colored face, made even more translucent by the soft morning light. He could even discern the tiny, fine hairs on her cheeks. He grunted noncommittally, then stiffly reached out and took Jiang Haoyan.
“Not like that, your hand should be on his back.” Su Yue adjusted Jiang Ci’s hold until she was satisfied. He was so adept at holding her, she thought he’d be good with children too, but perhaps this was his first time. Despite his uncomfortable grip, Xiao Haohao didn’t mind. He clung obediently, his big eyes sparkling, a wide grin spreading across his face. Especially when he saw other children being held by their fathers, his smile widened further, overflowing with happiness. Haohao was finally in his father’s arms.
Jin Mingyuan, holding Xu Xue’s hand, walked behind them. She sighed, “I never expected Jiang Ci to listen to Yueyue so much. In the past, we all opposed Yueyue marrying Jiang Ci for Jiang Muhang’s sake, constantly urging her to get a divorce. But now, it seems that even if Jiang Ci is a disfigured blind man, he’s cold and difficult to approach, but he loves Yueyue.”
Xu Xue looked at Jiang Ci and Su Yue, leaning against each other, her eyes filled with envy. “When you look at people, you have to look at their heart. Someone who looks good might have an evil and ugly heart. Someone who looks rough might have a pure and sincere one.” Yueyue had better judgment than her.
Jin Mingyuan, sensing Xu Xue’s thoughts drifting back to the scoundrel Gu Chengfeng, quickly changed the subject. “It’s rare to come to the amusement park, Xue Xue, let’s go crazy!”
Xu Xue slowly pulled her gaze away, finally smiling at her friend. “Yes.”
Being a weekend and close to summer vacation, the amusement park was bustling with tourists—families with children, couples, and groups of friends.
“Merry go round ! Haohao wants to ride Merry go round! Dad, can we?” Xiao Haohao squirmed, pointing at the merry-go-round, then remembered his father couldn’t see, a hint of anxiety in his voice.
“Okay, Xiao Haohao can play whatever he wants today,” Su Yue said, touching his head and smiling.
A long line snaked beside the merry-go-round, but Su Yue and her group had VIP passes, allowing them to bypass the queue.
“Jiang Ci, do you want to go up and play?” Su Yue leaned closer to Jiang Ci, whispering as Xiao Haohao clutched his wooden horse.
Jiang Ci didn’t even glance at the merry-go-round. He pulled at the corners of his lips, reached out, touched her face, then pinched it. “What do you think?” he sneered.
“Oh, I see.” Su Yue glanced at Jin Mingyuan and Xu Xue, who were already on the merry-go-round. She told them, “You guys help me take care of Xiao Haohao. Jiang Ci and I will be back in a bit.”
“Go, go, we’ll find you later when we get down,” Jin Mingyuan waved dismissively.
As the merry-go-round began to move, Xiao Haohao, clutching his horse, forgot about Su Yue and his father’s departure. He was too excited. “Faster, run faster, run faster!”
Su Yue led Jiang Ci to a pink photo booth nestled not far away. She lifted the black curtain and stepped inside, pulling Jiang Ci with her. “Where are you taking me?” Jiang Ci asked, glancing around the cramped space with a cold expression.
“Jiang Ci, let me take a photo with you,” Su Yue said. The thought had initially been a way to entertain him, but now that they were inside, she was genuinely interested.
“Photograph?”
“Yes, it’s a photo booth.” Su Yue began studying the instructions.
In the narrow space, Jiang Ci’s tall figure took up almost half of it. He leaned against the wall, recalling his subordinate’s list of date activities. Taking pictures hadn’t been on it. He slowly asked, “Is taking pictures a thing to do on a date?”
Su Yue, absorbed in figuring out the machine, answered without thinking, “Of course, couples love taking pictures.”
“Oh.” Jiang Ci straightened up, his dark eyes deep. For once, he took the initiative. “How do you want to shoot?”
Su Yue selected the mode, and their reflections appeared on the screen. “Jiang Ci, you have to smile,” Su Yue instructed, looking at his expressionless face on the screen. She turned, reaching out to tug at both sides of his face. “You can’t take pictures with a straight face.”
He looked fierce. Jiang Ci glanced at her, then lazily stated, “I can’t smile.”
“Ah?” Su Yue reached out and poked his waist, tickling him. “not even now ?”
Jiang Ci lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her slender fingertips. He licked the corner of his lips. “If you scratch again, I’ll bite you.”
Su Yue gasped, her heart quickening. “Forget it, don’t smile .” It wasn’t her who look ugly anyway. Su Yue changed her poses frequently, while Jiang Ci remained like a static background, as they took a series of photos.
For the last picture, Su Yue glanced at Jiang Ci on the screen. “Jiang Ci, you’re too tall. Bend down.”
Jiang Ci complied. As he bent, Su Yue leaned close to his face, not kissing him, but making a kissing motion. The photo was instantly taken. Su Yue glanced at the “greasy” photos on the screen, her face flushing, a hint of guilt creeping in. “Okay.” Jiang Ci couldn’t see them anyway.
Jiang Ci glanced at the screen. Su Yue’s eyes were closed, her face turned sideways, delicate, with long eyelashes, her rosy mouth poised to kiss his scar-covered face.
After the photos were taken, she transferred them to her phone.
“Su Yue, I want to kiss you,” Jiang Ci suddenly said, looking at Su Yue who was standing in front of the screen.
Su Yue’s hand, holding her phone, startled. She turned to look at him, blushing. “No, this is outside.”
Jiang Ci glimpsed the thick black curtain beside them and pulled at the corners of his lips. “No one saw it.”
Su Yue knew others couldn’t see inside, but people were constantly passing by, and someone could lift the curtain and enter at any moment. How could she possibly agree?
“Su Yue, I want to kiss you.” Jiang Ci leaned down. The space was already narrow, and he was already close to Su Yue without even moving.
Suddenly, her heart pounded wildly. Su Yue looked at his enlarged face before her—one side perfectly intact, with clear eyebrows and a cold expression, the other a twisted, horrifying scar. His thin lips were slightly hooked. “Here. No, Jiang Ci.”
Su Yue’s cheeks burned, her eyes filled with shyness. “Can you please stop asking?”
“Hmm.” Jiang Ci pulled her closer, his fingers tilting her chin, and his thin lips pressed down.
She didn’t know if the space was too small or if the outside temperature was rising, but Su Yue felt incredibly hot, her heartbeat accelerating. Especially when her lips were parted and their tongues tangled, her face felt burning hot.
“Huh? You can take pictures here, let’s go in and take pictures!” A girl’s sweet voice came from outside.
Su Yue’s body trembled with fright, her dazed expression snapping back to reality. She pushed Jiang Ci, but he didn’t budge. His grip tightened around her waist. He turned, pressing her against the wall.
In the confined space, Su Yue could hear her panicked heartbeat. “There are…” people outside, she whispered, her voice barely audible, but before she could finish, Jiang Ci consumed her words.
Through the black curtain, tourists walked by. Su Yue was tense, feeling as if her heart would burst. She pushed Jiang Ci again. His chest was too strong, his body too tall. Her gentle strength was useless against him.
“There are people inside, let’s come back later. Didn’t you say you wanted to go on a roller coaster? Let’s hurry and queue up, there will be more and more people later,” a boy’s voice said, presumably the girl’s boyfriend.
“Okay, let’s go play the roller coaster first.” After a moment, the two left.
Su Yue’s tense body softened. Her watery eyes glared fiercely at Jiang Ci, and she bit the cunning thing that had been outstretched, only letting go when she heard his pained groan.
“So fierce?” Jiang Ci licked the corner of his lips, a faint smile appearing in his dark eyes.
“Someone was about to come in just now, didn’t you hear it?” Su Yue pursed her lips, her face burning hot, a clear taste still lingering in her mouth.
“I heard,” Jiang Ci affirmed, looking at Su Yue’s excessively bright red lips. His Adam’s apple bobbed. Just now, he had thought those soft lips might melt in his mouth like toffee.
“You heard… and you didn’t stop?” Su Yue wanted to hit him.
Jiang Ci slightly hooked his lips, his voice a little hoarse. He stated, as if it were obvious, “I didn’t want to stop.”
When they found Jin Mingyuan and Jiang Haoyan, the pair had just emerged from the bumper car park. “Yueyue, where have you been, and why were you gone for so long? We’ve already played three bumper cars, and you haven’t come back yet,” Jin Mingyuan complained, fanning herself, her face flushed with excitement.
“Haohao was in a car!” Xiao Haohao ran over, his chubby little face flushed from the heat.
“We just went to take pictures,” Su Yue said, her expression natural.
Jin Mingyuan didn’t think much of it. She glanced at Su Yue, noting how beautiful she looked under the sun, her face flushed, her small mouth looking as if it were smeared with red lipstick—moist, bright red, fresh, delicate, and lively.
However, Xu Xue, a woman who had experienced the complexities of love and betrayal, was more perceptive than Jin Mingyuan. Su Yue’s watery, shy eyes, her snow-white, flushed face, and her bright red, inviting mouth clearly indicated she had been passionately kissed. Xu Xue slowly shifted her gaze to Jiang Ci’s face. The scars were hideous, but the slight curve of his lips and the happy glint in his cold eyes made him appear far more pleasing to the eye.
It was true, as they said, that one cannot judge a book by its cover. Who would have thought that the gentle and handsome Gu Chengfeng would be despicable and playful, while the ugly-looking Jiang Ci possessed a cold exterior but a warm heart? Xu Xue felt that Su Yue had indeed made a better choice than she had.
“I heard the haunted house here is very exciting, Yueyue, let’s go play,” Jin Mingyuan suggested.
At this, Su Yue sharply shook her head. “Don’t go. Xiao Haohao is too young; he’ll be scared.”
Beside them, Xiao Haohao raised his small head, his big eyes fluttering with excitement. In a milky voice, he declared, “Haohao is not afraid of ghosts!” After speaking, he puffed out his belly to show how brave he was.
“Jiang Ci, he…” Su Yue looked at Jiang Ci.
“We can go,” Jiang Ci said, raising his eyebrows, recalling his subordinate’s advice: haunted houses were a must for couples at an amusement park.