The rotating swing ride looked like the massive frame of an umbrella with the fabric stripped off, constantly opening and closing as it moved up and down in the air.

To the naked eye, the level of thrill seemed much lower than that of a roller coaster.

It was just a swing ride, after all. No matter how it spun, it was still just a swing.

Sitting on a bench, Fan Jun dry-heaved a couple of times toward the ground. He truly hadn’t expected that such a thing would almost make him throw up.

Zou Yang stood in front of him and handed over a bottle of water with the cap already unscrewed.

He took it, tilted his head back, and chugged a few mouthfuls before finally feeling like he had recovered.

“How did you get dizzy from this?” Zou Yang asked.

“I don’t know. I felt like throwing up when we were dropping down,” Fan Jun said.

“Then you probably can’t handle the pirate ship,” Zou Yang said. “Even I feel a little like throwing up sometimes when I ride that.”

Fan Jun couldn’t help but look up at him: “Yet you still always ride it?”

“It’s thrilling,” Zou Yang said. “Besides, I haven’t actually thrown up.”

Fan Jun gave him a thumbs up.

Actually, while one could call Zou Yang a freak, Liu Wenrui and the others weren’t much better. Even though they didn’t sit at the very ends of the pirate ship, they still insisted on riding it.

Fan Jun declined the invitation and sat down by the entrance of a nearby ice cream parlor to wait for them.

Sure enough, Zou Yang sat at the very end of the ship. On a ship holding that many people, most generally preferred to sit in the middle, leaving fewer people at the ends. At the very tip of the ship, Zou Yang was the only one sitting there.

Fan Jun leaned back against the chair and slightly tipped the brim of his hat up, watching the pirate ship swing higher and higher beneath the brim.

The surrounding sounds remained chaotic. People were talking and laughing, people were shouting, someone was scolding a child, a child was crying, children were screaming and running around… It was a completely different kind of chaos from Nanzhouping, and he hadn’t adapted to it yet.

Amidst the chaos, he felt a slight dizziness.

Over there, the ship was still swinging. The brim of his hat blocked out most of his field of vision, leaving only the back-and-forth mechanical motion of the pirate ship, which brought about a hypnotic effect.

Fan Jun’s vision, moving back and forth with the ship, began to blur slightly.

Gradually, the ship turned into a dark shadow.

A dark shadow swaying back and forth, pulled by two cables.

The atmosphere began to change.

What appeared first was a deep-seated unease.

Fan Jun found it a little hard to breathe.

Then, some indescribable fear suddenly seeped out from a certain point in his memory without any warning.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t even tear his gaze away from the dark shadow he was staring at.

It wasn’t until a bone-chilling coldness slowly spread from his fingertips to his palms that he violently jerked his hand off the stone bench, a violent churning rising in his stomach.

“Fuck,” Liu Wenrui clutched his stomach, his brows knitted tightly. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Scared the shit out of yourself?” Li Zhiyue asked.

“I’m gonna throw up, my stomach is churning,” Liu Wenrui said.

“Zou Yang was wilding out at the tip of the ship for ages and didn’t even say he wanted to throw up,” Zhang Chuanlong expressed his disdain for him.

“Who can compare to him? If they hadn’t forbidden people from standing on the very tip of the ship, do you think he wouldn’t be standing up there right now?” Liu Wenrui glanced at Zou Yang. “What are you looking at?”

Zou Yang, who had been looking around and completely ignoring their conversation, asked, “Where’s Fan Jun?”

Fan Jun was no longer by the ice cream parlor where he was before, and he couldn’t be seen anywhere around either.

“Probably went to the bathroom,” Li Zhiyue said. “Let’s just wait for him here for a bit.”

“I also need to go to the bathroom and throw up.” Liu Wenrui turned and jogged toward the restroom.

“Want some ice cream?” Zhang Chuanlong asked.

“Yeah,” Li Zhiyue draped an arm over Zou Yang’s shoulder. “My treat.”

Zou Yang followed the two of them toward the ice cream parlor, but for some inexplicable reason, he felt a little uneasy.

Although in this situation, going to the bathroom was the most likely answer. Plus, for someone who was four years older than him, unless he was filming a horror movie in the amusement park, it was highly unlikely for anything to happen to him.

But Fan Jun’s previous state really hadn’t seemed right.

He was the one who invited Fan Jun out, and they only ran into that older sister because he went to buy snacks…

If there really was a problem…

“What flavor?” Li Zhiyue flicked the hand resting on Zou Yang’s shoulder against Zou Yang’s face.

“You’re dead,” Zou Yang swatted his hand away. “Chocolate and strawberry combo.”

“Perfect. What flavor does Brother Fan want?” Li Zhiyue shouted right next to his ear.

Zou Yang quickly turned his head and saw Fan Jun walking over from the direction of the restroom.

“Strawberry,” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang let out a sigh of relief.

“Want to mix it with something else?” Li Zhiyue asked.

Fan Jun walked over to stand beside Zou Yang and looked at the row of ice cream tubs in front of him: “Then… matcha.”

“Went to the bathroom?” Zou Yang asked.

“Mm,” Fan Jun nodded.

Zou Yang didn’t say anything more.

When Fan Jun walked over, his complexion didn’t look right; he was a bit pale.

By the time Zou Yang handed the ice cream to him, he looked much better, but the color hadn’t fully returned to his lips yet.

Taking advantage of the fact that this bunch of indecisive idiots was taking forever to pick their ice cream, he used his arm to nudge Fan Jun to the side a bit.

“You okay?” Zou Yang asked. “Your complexion looks a bit off.”

“Just… threw up,” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang paused for a moment: “Threw up? You can throw up just from watching a pirate ship?”

“Mm.” Fan Jun nodded and scooped a spoonful of ice cream.

“…You’re a bit bizarre,” Zou Yang said.

Fan Jun chuckled.

“Feeling better?” Zou Yang asked. “Can you still go on rides?”

“I can.” Fan Jun glanced at him. “What are we riding next?”

Not knowing if it was out of consideration for the fact that he could throw up just from watching a pirate ship, Zou Yang chose the mini train over the closer giant pendulum ride.

Fan Jun looked at the description of the mini train. It was very mild. The pictures showed only little kids riding it. If they rode this, Zou Yang would probably fall asleep.

“Let’s do the giant pendulum,” he said.

“The giant pendulum?” Zou Yang was stunned. “You were just about to throw up on the giant pendulum. That thing spins you around so much that everyone gets a taste of the nausea.”

“…I’m already fine,” he said.

“Alright then.” Zou Yang gave him a look, then turned to Liu Wenrui. “Do you still want to throw up? Giant pendulum?”

“I’ve already emptied my stomach,” Liu Wenrui patted his belly. “Right now, I could eat everyone on the giant pendulum.”

“Then let’s go,” Zou Yang shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Let’s go eat people.”

With everyone sitting in a circle facing outward, it felt more like they were tied together in a bundle and spun around in circles for a tribe of cannibals to pick their meal.

As soon as the warning bell rang, before the pendulum arm even started moving, Zhang Chuanlong let out a roar: “Ah—”

“What are you doing!” Zou Yang said. “Did the seat pinch your fat?!”

The people around them all burst out laughing.

“Warming up my vocal cords,” Li Zhiyue, who was sitting next to Zhang Chuanlong, said. “Later, he’s going to give everyone an operatic rendition of ‘Let It Go’.”

Amidst everyone’s laughter, the pendulum arm began to swing. Having the previous experience from the roller coaster, Fan Jun wasn’t as nervous as he had been when the ride started.

As the arm swung higher and higher, the turntable strapping everyone together also began to spin. Bright lights and various colorful buildings flashed before his eyes, interspersed with blurs of green. Fan Jun felt an inexplicable sense of joy, and the previous panic and fear were slowly flung out of his body.

For a few seconds, he felt like he somewhat understood the twisted sense of thrill that Zou Yang enjoyed.

So he closed his eyes and joined everyone in screaming: “Ah—”

Lü Ze’s message came around noon.

Their group had just found a restaurant in the amusement park and were sitting at an outdoor table catching their breath.

-You went out?

It was probably Uncle Lü who hadn’t seen him all morning and asked Lü Ze to check.

Looking at the message, Fan Jun wasn’t quite sure how to reply. If it were Uncle Lü asking, he could just directly say he went to the amusement park with Zou Yang. At most, Uncle Lü would just be a bit surprised.

But coming from Lü Ze…

He hesitated for a good while before finally tapping twice on his phone.

-Mm

After replying, he stared at the screen and waited for a bit, but Lü Ze didn’t reply again.

Just as he was about to put his phone back in his pocket, another message popped up.

From Zouyang.

-Hey

Fan Jun paused. When he looked up, Zou Yang, who was sitting across from him, was looking right at him.

Not knowing if Zou Yang had something he couldn’t say out loud, Fan Jun lowered his head and replied to Zouyang.

-What’s up

Across from him, Zou Yang burst out laughing: “Are you psycho?”

“Hm?” Fan Jun looked up.

“I spoke to you three times,” Zou Yang said. “Did you not hear me?”

“…Yeah,” Fan Jun looked around. “In environments that are too noisy, when my attention is divided, it’s easy for me not to hear things.”

“Should we go eat inside then?” Li Zhiyue asked.

“No need,” Fan Jun quickly said. “I’m focused now.”

“I was just asking you what you wanted to drink,” Zou Yang said.

“Anything…” Fan Jun paused. “Juice is fine.”

“I ordered yam juice and orange juice,” Zou Yang said. “Do you want anything else?”

“No need, these are fine.” Fan Jun smiled.

“Brother Fan, take a look at the menu.” Liu Wenrui swiped on his phone with his head down. “If there’s anything you want to eat, just order it. Zou Yang’s treating.”

“You wish,” Zou Yang said. “We’re going Dutch.”

“I’ll treat.” As Fan Jun spoke, he scanned the QR code and looked at the menu.

“No, no, no, no,” Liu Wenrui waved his hands frantically. “Today we were the ones who dragged you out to play. You’re the special guest. You drove us here, you got revenge for us…”

“It’s just the three of you who are dead to me,” Zou Yang said. “Don’t count me in.”

“Shut up,” Liu Wenrui shot him a sideways glance. “If we make him treat us to a meal on top of all that, it would just be too outrageous.”

“It’s fine,” Fan Jun smiled. “I’m the only one with a job here.”

“Going Dutch,” Zou Yang said. “You can treat next time. Do you have time for class on the 4th?”

“Yes,” Fan Jun said.

“Then on the 4th, after class, call them to grab a meal together. We can finally try out that vegetarian restaurant Zhang Chuanlong mentioned last time.” Zou Yang made the arrangements.

“The 4th? You’re not coming with us to take artistic photos?” Liu Wenrui asked.

“What… photos?” Fan Jun tilted his head, wondering if he had heard wrong.

“See that?” Zou Yang pointed at Fan Jun. “That’s the reaction any normal person would have hearing about your plans. I’m not going, you psychos.”

“It’s not those regular artistic photos,” Zhang Chuanlong said. “Weren’t we planning to take classes at the martial arts studio anyway? We want to take those ‘Hoo! Ha!’ kind of photos.”

Fan Jun couldn’t help but turn his face away and laugh.

“At least you know you’re going to take classes, not to work,” Zou Yang said. “Are you coaches? Why are you taking promotional headshots?”

Fan Jun leaned back against his chair, laughing as he pulled out his phone: “Do you want to take photos like this?”

“You’ve taken some?” Zou Yang immediately glared at him.

“They’re Lü Ze’s.” Fan Jun opened his photo album, flipped through it, and placed the phone on the table.

“Fuck, this is Lü Ze?” Li Zhiyue was somewhat shocked.

“Are these his promotional photos?” Zou Yang also leaned over to take a look. It was a pose for a side kick attack.

He had to admit, even though he thoroughly disliked Lü Ze, this photo was really well-taken. It made him look slightly less annoying.

“Mm. They’re going to be put up on the wall at the new studio, but the lightboxes haven’t arrived yet,” Fan Jun said.

“Then you definitely have some too.” Zou Yang immediately grasped the main point. “Let’s see.”

“Right!” Liu Wenrui tapped his finger on the phone screen. “If we swipe back, is it you?”

“…Mm.” Fan Jun nodded.

Liu Wenrui swiped back. Lü Ze. Swiped again. Lü Ze. Swiped again. Lü Ze… Lü Ze in various poses strung together almost looked like a GIF.

“Are you sick in the head, keeping so many photos of him in your phone?!” Zou Yang swatted Liu Wenrui’s hand away, directly tapped the screen to exit to the gallery view, and scanned the thumbnails. Lü Ze’s clothes were all gold and red. A few rows down, the clothes turned black. It was Fan Jun.

He tapped it. The moment the photo opened, several people let out a chorus of “Holy shit” simultaneously.

Fan Jun was taller than Lü Ze, so his movements looked much more expansive, carrying an extra air of effortless coolness…

“Holy crap, Fan Jun,” Liu Wenrui pointed at the photo. “Where were these taken? These are exactly the kind of photos we want to take.”

“Next door,” Fan Jun said. “The principal of the dance studio took them.”

“The principal of what?” Liu Wenrui asked.

“The boss.” Fan Jun smiled.

“The dance studio has this kind of side gig?” Zhang Chuanlong leaned over the table, staring at the photo. “It’s shot really professionally. Even the sample photos at the studio we wanted to go to weren’t as intense as Fan Jun’s.”

“What do you know?” Liu Wenrui clicked his tongue. “It’s Fan Jun who’s intense. Don’t go projecting his vibe onto us. We’re just taking them to capture the vibe, you know? The vibe.”

“We’re in the same major,” Zhang Chuanlong looked at him.

“So what? Do you have a problem with that?” Liu Wenrui said.

“You capture the vibe,” Zhang Chuanlong said.

“Shut up,” Zou Yang patted the table and looked at Fan Jun again. “It’s that Rongrong, right? Does she charge?”

“It depends,” Fan Jun said. “It… depends on her mood. But even if she does charge, it won’t be more expensive than outside studios.”

“Saving money is the top priority. If you guys want to take photos, just go there,” Zou Yang said. “Don’t go shooting outside. Even though I don’t know you guys, we still live in the same dorm. I can’t afford to lose that much face.”

“Then Brother Fan, help us book a time,” Liu Wenrui said. “It’s best if it’s the day you give this stranger his lesson, so it’ll be convenient to grab a meal together afterward.”

“Alright,” Fan Jun nodded. “You guys planned for the 4th, right?”

“It’s not set in stone,” Li Zhiyue said. “Our plans are always a swing of the hammer in the east and a hit of the club in the west. Changing it to a hit of the club in the east and a swing of the hammer in the west is totally fine too.”

“Mm.” Fan Jun smiled.

The food at this amusement park restaurant was reportedly pretty good, but the portion sizes were just…

After only two dishes were served, Zou Yang immediately whipped out his phone and added two more staple dishes. Having been out playing since early morning, they had only eaten a few bites of snacks and a piece of yellow peach. With these portion sizes, even if they gnawed on the plates too, it wouldn’t be enough to feed the five of them.

It wasn’t until it was time to eat that Fan Jun finally took his hat off. Under the sunlight, the scar on the bridge of his nose was quite obvious.

At a glance, the first thing one noticed was the scar.

At first, Zou Yang thought Fan Jun always wearing a hat might be to cover up his scar, but then he noticed Fan Jun didn’t seem to care about the scar at all… So it was also possible he was purely doing it to act cool.

But in that split second, he suddenly kind of understood why Fan Jun always wore a hat.

Although his guess wasn’t necessarily correct.

As Fan Jun ate, he looked up, and their eyes met exactly.

Zou Yang, who had been staring intently at the bridge of Fan Jun’s nose, instantly felt a bit awkward. It was too impolite.

“You…” Zou Yang picked up a chopstick-ful of food, chewing rapidly. “This scar…”

If he asked… the setting was wrong. Fan Jun’s ear had been damaged by his own biological father. This scar might very well be from the same source.

If he didn’t ask… he was clearly staring right at the scar…

“This scar on the bridge of your nose, Brother Fan,” Liu Wenrui asked while eating. “Does it stop sunglasses from slipping down?”

What the hell?

Zou Yang couldn’t help but turn his head and shoot Liu Wenrui a look.

“Like, does it just perfectly catch them?” Liu Wenrui even gestured on his own nose.

“…It does,” Fan Jun replied.

“The fact that you can’t keep sunglasses up has nothing to do with whether you have a scar or not,” Li Zhiyue reached out and touched the bridge of Liu Wenrui’s nose. “Your problem is a lack of foundational support.”

“Screw you! I’m not going Dutch for this meal anymore!” Liu Wenrui cursed. “Put it on Li Zhiyue’s tab!”

Thank you, stranger.

When Fan Jun smiled, he looked quite at ease.

Regardless of whether it was bizarre or not, at least they had managed to gloss over this awkward topic.

Zou Yang didn’t stare at Fan Jun’s face anymore, but his mind hadn’t stopped churning.

After all, curiosity creates scientists and poets, according to Anatole France. Scientist was out of the question, but with this level of curiosity, he reckoned he could become a poet.