They bounced several times, with Zhuo Nian remaining as calm as a robot from beginning to end. Chong Yan became more and more addicted, enjoying the feeling of holding her tightly during the descent, breathing in her warm scent. Despite being in mid-air, he felt an unprecedented sense of security.
He was still a bit unsatisfied.
However, the staff indicated they couldn't play anymore.
This type of attraction was quite stimulating, and for safety reasons, they limited the number of times for non-professional athletes. Today, these two had reached their limit.
Even though neither of them showed any extreme reactions.
The two had to remove their equipment, change back into their clothes, and leave.
Zhuo Nian asked with a smile, "Aren't you scared anymore?"
Chong Yan's hair was a bit messy from the wind, but he was energetic and replied happily, "Not scared anymore, it was quite fun."
"Then I'll bring you again next time."
Next time?
Chong Yan's heart fluttered slightly.
But then he thought of certain things and felt a pang of disappointment.
Would there really be a next time?
Zhuo Nian checked the time; it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.
"Let's rest for a bit, and we'll go on the Ferris wheel this afternoon."
Chong Yan didn't refuse.
They rested in the lounge area for over two hours. They hadn't had a proper lunch, so they bought some local specialty snacks. Like any ordinary couple, they wandered around while eating.
They were practically flaunting their affection.
They weren't a couple, yet they were indulging in couple-like activities.
As they exited a specialty restaurant, Chong Yan, who was holding snacks, almost bumped into someone, but Zhuo Nian caught him in time.
The man opposite them quickly grabbed his child.
Zhuo Nian looked over, slightly surprised.
Because standing before them was Sheng Jiangchen, who had upgraded from a young CEO to a middle-aged chairman.
"Why are you running so fast? You almost bumped into someone. Quickly apologize to the brother and sister."
The young girl, who looked to be over ten years old, eyed the two of them with apparent defiance, her lips pursed, remaining silent.
Zhuo Nian looked at Chong Yan, "Are you alright?"
Chong Yan shook his head, "Luckily you grabbed me in time. Also, I wasn't watching where I was going, so no apology is needed."
Sheng Jiangchen looked at the girl, clearly exasperated.
Zhuo Nian tugged at Chong Yan, "Let's go."
Chong Yan said "Oh" and followed him.
Sheng Jiangchen watched their retreating figures, a sense of familiarity and strangeness washing over him.
These two looked a bit like those two.
What was he thinking?
Those people had been gone for over a decade. Even if they had faked their deaths back then, they wouldn't be this young now.
He shook his head and looked at his daughter, "Didn't you want cake? Let's go in."
The girl glared at him, "I don't want it anymore."
Sheng Jiangchen seemed unbothered, "Then what do you want to eat? Shall we go to another place?"
"Why are you so annoying?" the girl said angrily. "You're terrible at comforting girls. You don't comfort Mom, and you don't comfort me. But you stare so intently at other women. Are you planning to cheat? Then I'm going with Mom."
Sheng Jiangchen: "...You watch too many of your mom's TV dramas. What nonsense is that? Shouldn't you apologize for almost bumping into someone?"
"They don't even care, so why do you?"
"I..." Sheng Jiangchen laughed, exasperated. "So I'm just being a busybody."
"Hmph."
"Stop humming. Your mom is waiting for us. Hurry up and tell me what you want to eat."
"I want vanilla ice cream, red velvet cake, oolong pearl milk tea, and..."
...
"Do you know that person?"
Zhuo Nian came back to his senses, "Who?"
"That man just now, you looked at him for four seconds."
"Oh, so precise?" Zhuo Nian teased with a smile. "It seems you're observing quite carefully."
Chong Yan suddenly felt a pang of discomfort.
"I don't know him, but I know of him. The chairman of Wansheng Group, the CEO of Future Stars. Don't you know him?"
Chong Yan certainly knew of him.
Let alone the flourishing Wansheng Group, Future Stars alone was known by almost everyone in the world. He was the CEO and the decision-maker. There were likely very few people in the entire country who didn't recognize him.
But he still felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Let's eat. You bought so much food, I'll pack it for you to take back if you can't finish it."
"You want me to get fat and die."
Zhuo Nian chuckled, "You won't look bad even if you gain weight, don't worry."
"I'm not worried at all," Chong Yan mumbled, walking and eating snacks.
This kind of life, apart from being too indulgent, had almost no downsides. It made him exceptionally happy, allowing him to forget all his worries and not dwell on those messy thoughts. His mood was better than ever.
At four in the afternoon, they boarded the Ferris wheel on time. After several rotations, the sky finally began to glow with the evening sunset.
As they watched, Chong Yan somehow felt that their way of interacting was too strange.
They weren't a couple, so why were they doing these things?
To distract himself, he said, "You mentioned Future Stars earlier. Do you know the story of the former chairman of Future Stars and her boyfriend?"
"Wasn't it husband?"
"No significant difference."
"Oh, go on."
Chong Yan began to recount the long-circulating stories from the internet in the tone of a tragic fairy tale.
"They were like a modern-day Cinderella and Prince Charming. It's said that Zhu Chongyan was initially just a small actor, and after getting together with Chairman Gu, she promoted him, and he gradually became famous. Unfortunately, at the peak of Chairman Gu's career, they committed suicide at home."
"The internet claims it was because their child died, and Chairman Gu fell into severe depression, eventually leading to suicide. Zhu Chongyan then followed suit. However, some say Zhu Chongyan suffered from depression and committed suicide, and Chairman Gu died with him."
Zhuo Nian, remembering how she had once impaled him with a sword, felt a sudden surge of guilt.
As for the other person who "died," she completely ignored them.
"These are all speculations, right?"
"Yes, no one knows how they really died."
Zhuo Nian asked somewhat casually, "What if they didn't have depression, and one of them killed the other?"
Chong Yan looked at her with great confusion, "Why? Your speculation doesn't make sense."
"Perhaps there were other reasons, and one had to die, so one killed the other and then committed suicide themselves."
"No matter the reason, they shouldn't do that!" Chong Yan became a little agitated. "That's too selfish. If you want to die, die alone. Why drag someone else down with you?"
"What if she was also trying to save him?"
Chong Yan looked at her as if she were insane, "To save him, she killed him?"
He recalled some news reports from certain countries where police, to prevent suicides, would shoot the person to death.
This whole idea felt morbid.
Zhuo Nian felt guilty under his gaze but couldn't directly explain. She said, "Forget it, it has nothing to do with us. Let's not talk about it. Let's enjoy the scenery."
The atmosphere, which had been building up nicely, had soured somewhat because of this topic.